New DNA 'shredder' technique goes beyond CRISPR's scissors

In the last six years, a tool called CRISPR-Cas9 has transformed genetic research, allowing scientists to snip and edit DNA strands at precise locations like a pair of tiny scissors.

But sometimes, it takes more than scissors to do the job. Now, a collaborative international team has unveiled a new CRISPR-based tool that acts more like a shredder, able to wipe out long stretches of DNA in human cells with programmable targeting.

Writing in Molecular Cell, they describe how they succeeded in getting a different kind of CRISPR-Cas system called Type I CRISPR-Cas3 to work as long-range DNA editing tool in human cells for the first time.

The resulting tool provides a way to target and delete much longer expanses of DNA than current Cas9 tools can. That power could be put to work in genetic research to understand the underpinnings of disease -- and potentially in treatment for diseases tied to long stretches of DNA.

Yan Zhang, Ph.D., the University of Michigan scientist who led the research, explains that the new tool harnesses a different type of CRISPR system than the Cas9-containing ones widely used . Both are borrowed from bacteria, where they normally function to find and weed out invading DNA.

A different type of CRISPR

The new tool uses a Type I CRISPR, which is much more common in bacteria than the Type II variety that includes Cas9. Type I CRISPR has never been used in any eukaryotic cells, and employs a riboprotein complex known as Cascade for seeking its target and an enzyme called Cas3 for shredding DNA.

The challenging protein optimization and purification side of the work was done in the laboratory of Cornell University professor Ailong Ke, Ph.D., a co-corresponding author of the paper. Cornell graduate student Adam Dolan and U-M senior research specialist Zhonggang Hou, Ph.D. are the paper's first authors.

The research involved a long shot by Zhang, who has studied bacterial CRISPR-Cas9 and developed tools for editing genetic material in human cells, and Ke, who has studied Type I CRISPR using structural and biochemical approaches.

They set out to try to deliver the bacterial CRISPR components as proteins into both human embryonic stem cells and another type of cell called HAP1. With one CRISPR guide, the team succeeded in deleting portions of targeted DNA ranging from a few hundred base pairs to 100 kilobases.

A motorized shredder

Zhang calls the Cascade-Cas3 system a "DNA shredder with a motor" because it can move along a DNA genome for a certain distance, breaking up the genetic material as it goes.

"Cas9 is a molecular scissor that goes where you want it and snips once," says Zhang, an assistant professor of biological chemistry at the U-M Medical School. "But Cas3 goes where you want it, travels along the chromosome, and makes a spectrum of deletions tens of kilobases long. This could make it a powerful screening tool to determine what large areas of DNA are most important for a particular disease."

This could be especially useful when scientists are studying the "non-coding" long stretches of DNA that don't contain the code for a particular protein; the "shredder" technique could allow them to demolish a sequence of long stretches and see what happens.

In addition, the ability of Cas3 to travel on the chromosome over a long distance can't be done with any current Cas9 technique. So a "nuclease dead" version of Cas3 that can travel along DNA but lacks the shredder function might provide a powerful delivery platform for long-range epigenome engineering.

Scientific challenges

Part of the research effort involved figuring out how to get the human stem cells to reveal if any DNA had been deleted, since most of the stem cell "reporter" lines developed for research involving CRISPR-Cas9 are not sensitive enough if the shredding activity is low. Sara Howden, Ph.D. of the University of Melbourne, Australia, worked on building a sensitive, dual-reporter cell line.

Another challenge for the team was to figure out what the shredder had shredded after the deed was done, using next-generation DNA sequencing and going beyond existing methods to look at the small edits that Cas9 produces.

Hou developed a transposase-based profiling method, and Peter Freddolino, Ph.D., an assistant professor of biological chemistry and computational medicine and bioinformatics at U-M, built custom informatics pipelines to analyze the deep sequencing results.

Ke also notes in the paper that because the guide RNA sequence needed to tell the "shredder" where to go is longer than the sequences used in CRISPR-Cas9 systems, and also because target searching and degradation are two well-separated steps, the new method is potentially better controlled. It may be less likely to make mistaken cuts where they're not wanted.

This new tool and its derivatives could be useful for therapeutic purposes, Zhang speculates, though such use is years in the future.

Some CRISPR-Cas9-based therapeutic uses have been reported - including a controversial editing out of a receptor gene that enables HIV to enter cells in the embryos of two babies reportedly born in China. But worries about CRISPR-Cas9 making unintended edits in normal areas of human patients' DNA have also surfaced. Further work will be needed to see if the "shredder" approach avoids this issue.

U-M and Cornell have filed for a joint patent on this new tool. The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health (GM128637, GM118174, GM102543 and GM117268) and by Zhang's funding from the Medical School's Biological Sciences Scholars Program.

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This story has been published on: 2019-04-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Spotted lanternflies found to be flyers, not gliders

The spotted lanternfly is not a strong or frequent flyer, weaknesses that may hinder its ability to travel long distances by air, according to researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

Those were among the findings of a study on flight behaviors of the invasive planthopper from Asia, first discovered in the United States in Berks County in 2014. Reports of several massive flight dispersals of the insect -- tens of thousands at a time -- in late summer of 2017 prompted a closer look into the pest's flight patterns by scientists in Penn State's Department of Entomology.

"Even before these flight episodes, it became apparent to us that we needed to learn the 'how and why' of spotted lanternfly flight," said Thomas Baker, distinguished professor of entomology and chemical ecology, whose research team began the wind-oriented, flight dispersal research in 2017, followed by a second phase in 2018. The findings of the 2017 experiments were published recently in the Journal of Insect Behavior.

Since 2014 the pest has caused hardships for southeastern Pennsylvanians by swarming public areas and feasting on the sap of crop plants such as grape vines and fruit trees, where they excrete a sticky "honeydew" that results in a harmful black sooty mold that can impair plant growth.

More alarmingly, in 2018 several vineyards reported large amounts of vine mortality and failure to set fruit, apparently due to the sheer amount of feeding and sap loss from dense populations of the pest.

Despite a 14-county quarantine imposed by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, populations of the insect have been found in New Jersey, Virginia and Delaware, and individual specimens have turned up in other states, possibly by hitchhiking on vehicles or shipped goods.

"We wanted to discover if there was any preferred directionality to these flights related to wind, visual landmarks or anything else," he said. "We believed this information would give state and federal workers insight into where an infestation might be expected to spread in the future."

In September and October of 2017 and 2018, Baker's group set up experimental sites at a fruit farm near Oley, Pennsylvania, and at an additional site in 2018 at Dorney Park in Allentown. Researchers knew that both locations had spotted lanternfly infestations. They made recordings of individual lanternflies' flight paths during mass flight dispersals, documenting ground speed and air speed, as well as duration, distance and trajectory of flights, among other factors.

The researchers found that adult spotted lanternflies, both male and female, will crawl to the top of the nearest vertical surface and launch themselves into the wind to create level or gradually descending straight-line flight paths, usually 10-30 feet high and averaging 75 feet in length before landing.

Baker noted that the average flight lasts only 11.5 seconds because "the lanternflies cannot generate much lift, and on the vast majority of days, they are constrained to fly at or below the altitude they launch themselves from."

However, an exception occurs on very hot days when rising, buoyant air increases the insects' amount of lift, carrying them hundreds of feet high at times. On the few days when this occurred during the two-year study, Baker's team followed individual, high-flying adults and observed them being carried downwind in slowly descending flights of between 325 and 650 feet.

"These occasional longer-distance flights can result in serious sudden arrivals of lanternflies in orchards and vineyards where feeding and damage can occur," Baker said.

He pointed out that the group's experiments at Dorney Park showed that during flight, the lanternflies orient strongly to anything they can see nearby, including light poles, garbage cans and tree trunks, which they gravitate toward. After landing, the pests immediately begin trying to feed, even on nonedible items, which suggests to the researchers that the lanternflies are taking to the skies in search of food.

"We believe that these adults had not attained sufficient nutrition from the trees they had been feeding on before embarking on flights," Baker said. "In short, repeated feeding by a population in the same location for long periods seemed to have reduced the food quantity or quality, and they needed to move to find their next meal to complete their reproductive development."

Baker believes that the lanternflies' strong visual response to vertical silhouettes, coupled with their tendency to stay visible on these surfaces for a long time -- up to several hours at a time -- may provide an effective way to document spotted lanternfly populations and possibly to predict their next move.

"Telephone poles along a roadway, for example, could be used as ready-made monitoring stations for field scouts investigating infestations," he said. "This technique could aid in determining the extent of the spread of spotted lanternfly populations during late summer and fall."

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For more information about how to identify and control spotted lanternfly, how to report an infestation and how to comply with quarantine regulations, visit the Penn State Extension website at https:/ / extension. psu. edu/ spotted-lanternfly .

Andrew Myrick, assistant research professor of entomology, Penn State, was a co-author on the study.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service supported this research.

This story has been published on: 2019-04-09. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Curator of the Palace Museum Shan Jixiang (Photo/Chinanews.com)

April 8 marked the last day of Shan Jixiangs seven-year term as the curator of the Palace Museum, according to the Imperial Palace.

Before his retirement, Shan told China Youth Daily that he wished to hand over a beautiful Forbidden City where 1,862,690 relics are housed, to the next 600 years, as the year 2020 will mark the museum's 600th birthday.

Shan had walked through each of the 9,371 rooms and 1,200 buildings in the Palace Museum within five months of being named the sixth curator in 2012. Over the following seven years, he brought more vitality to the worlds largest example of ancient royal architecture which still exists today, and made it a hit among visitors, especially young people, via a series of cultural creative products and themed activities.

For the first time, the Palace Museum held the grand exhibition Celebrating the Spring Festival in the Forbidden City, which attracted between 60,000 to 80,000 visitors per day in offseason and allowed people to enjoy a royal Spring Festival with access to all open areas of the Imperial Palace and a total of 886 antiques.

Later, the museum wowed visitors again by opening for free at night during the 2019 Lantern Festival, and for the first time decorating the ancient buildings in the Forbidden City with traditional lamps.

On top of these exciting activities, Shan Jixiang also attended a large-scale cultural exploration program, National Treasure, launched by China Central Television (CCTV) in Beijing, which presented treasures from national museums including the Palace Museum.

In the TV program, Shan interpreted the stories and history behind the cultural relics from the museum in a way that the audience could easily understand and appreciate.

The Forbidden City was renamed the Palace Museum on Oct. 10, 1925. All my colleagues have made tremendous efforts to keep the ancient palace complex complete and well-preserved, said Shan, who aimed to present more antiques in a larger open area to visitors.

After considerable efforts, last year saw 80 percent of the Palace Museum's floor space open to the public, said Shan.

The percentage is expected to hit 85.02 percent by 2025, when a third of over 1.8 million treasures currently stored at the Palace Museum will also meet the public, Shan told CCTV in July 2018.

Shan was born in 1954, and graduated from Chinas prestigious Tsinghua University with a major in urban planning and design. Before he took office in the Palace Museum, he worked as head of Beijing Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics, Beijing Municipal Commission of City Planning and National Cultural Heritage Administration.
Officials from Cheong Wa Dae, the government and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) hold a meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Tuesday, to discuss the introduction of free education for high school students. /Yonhap



By Bahk Eun-ji



All high school students in Korea will get a free education starting 2021, the government said, Tuesday.



Cheong Wa Dae, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the relevant ministries agreed on providing the long-awaited free education gradually to all high school students, after a meeting at the National Assembly, Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Education



So far Korea has only offered free education at elementary and middle school levels, which are compulsory.



Free tuition at high schools has been one of the top education policy goals of the Moon Jae-in administration.



According to the ministry, free high school education will begin for seniors in the second semester of this year and will be expanded gradually to sophomores next year and juniors by 2021.



All expenses for high school education, such as admission fees, school operation fees, tuition and textbook purchases, will be covered. But students who attend special-purpose elite schools or autonomous private high schools, which do not receive financial aid from regional education offices, will be excluded.



"The right to be educated is one of the basic rights stipulated in the Constitution, and it is an indispensable task to realize such a basic right," DPK floor leader Hong Young-pyo said at the beginning of the meeting. "Among 35 OECD countries, Korea is the only country where high school students do not get a free education."



Vice Finance Minister Koo Yoon-cheol also said the free education would help a household with one high school student save 1.58 million won ($1,382) per year.



The central government and regional education offices will share the cost of providing the free education, estimated to be about an annual 2 trillion won, with each paying 50 percent.



Hong said the ruling party would make efforts to have relevant revisions passed by the National Assembly during the first half of the year to enable the free education for seniors to start in the latter half.



Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae said this free education provision is expected to help parents reduce education costs, especially for families that have been excluded from government subsidies for high school tuition because they make marginally too much to qualify for the subsidy.



"The central government and education offices will cooperate closely to implement the long-awaited free education for high school students," Yoo said.



She added that free education does not mean high school attendance will become compulsory. "I don't see the need to make it compulsory as almost 100 percent of middle school students already go on to high school," she said.



Teachers' groups and education-related organizations generally welcomed the decision, but showed concern over whether regional education offices will be able to afford their portion of the cost.


Military investigators who reopened the files in 2016 said the new political and military leadership that took control after the revolt was directly involved in spreading fake news via the state broadcaster to create a state of panic about a possible terrorist threat. This also set the stage for a simulated trial that ended with the execution of the Ceausescus.
The April 6 news article In Libya, fears of civil war as Hifters forces, militias clash outside Tripoli wrongly characterized Khalifa Hifter as a renegade warlord. Mr. Hifter commands the Benghazi-based force loyal to Libyas elected parliament, which was forced to relocate to that city in 2014. The government imposed by the United Nations was foisted on Libyans at the behest of the Obama administration and its ill-advised and mistaken alliances. As a result of that error, U.S. foreign policy, still uncorrected, it seems, has forced Mr. Hifter to seek Russian backing, when his forces should be backed by the United States. (Mr. Hifter received advanced military training in the Soviet Union). The United States made a similar error after World War I, when Ho Chi Minh sought the assistance of the United States to help Vietnam escape the yoke of French colonialism. Our government turned him down, and the rest is a painful blot on U.S. history.
By Dong Sun-hwa







A Seoul court has rejected a cabbie's bid to reverse Seoul City's decision to revoke his taxi driver's license for overcharging foreigners, it was reported Tuesday.







The driver charged the two 8,000 won ($7) after driving 2.43 kilometers to a shopping mall in Jung-gu, downtown Seoul. The correct fare was 4,200 won, according to the meter.







The Seoul Administrative Court ruled against the taxi driver in a case he filed to overturn Seoul City Hall's decision to revoke his license.







The court ruled: "The driver overcharged foreigners several times. This violates the law on the development of taxis."







City monitors caught the driver. The Seoul Metropolitan Government fined him 400,000 won ($350) and canceled his license.







The court rejected the cabbie's case, saying his claims were inconsistent and lacked credibility.







The driver was reportedly caught five times between 2017 and 2018 ripping off foreigners. Because of this, he was warned and his license suspended for 30 days.


The biggest chunk of the proceeds, $500,000, came from the University of Maryland Medical System, a sprawling health-care network whose 13 hospitals and 25,000 employees make it one of the largest private employers in the state. The payments began when Ms. Pugh was a state senator, sitting on a legislative committee overseeing the network, meaning she had a key role in its ongoing financial support from Annapolis. She also served on the UMMS board, even as she was selling her books  insipid tracts whose health education value was dubious, to put it mildly  to the network, where procurement officials seemed loath ever to question the arrangement.
I believe there are many opportunities for a civil discussion of religious values and how they conflict with other values. Some on the left are willing to engage in such an open-minded debate. But too often those on the left are turning into the very thing they say they despise, using hate and stereotyping to try to silence anyone they regard as an enemy. The public square is becoming so poisonous that good liberals and good conservatives must be wary of coming together to discuss ideas and seek solutions.
Yet the 46-year-old Nielsen, who reportedly never supervised more than 15 people before taking over the 240,000-person department, thought shed be different. And in a sense she was: Nobody debased herself quite as often as Nielsen did in her quest to keep the job, defending Trump after the s---hole countries and Charlottesville scandals, enduring frequent rebukes from Trump and leaks about her imminent firing, embracing his incendiary language and enduring his extralegal instincts, swallowing her moral misgivings to embrace the family-separation policy (while denying any such policy existed), and implausibly claiming that children werent being put in cages. Excerpts from a hearing last month:
Mr. Trump should understand that Judaism is a religion of universal values, not a nationality. Americans of Jewish faith are American by nationality and Jews by religion, just as other Americans are Protestant, Catholic, Muslim, etc. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may claim that Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people. It is not. The nation-state of American Jews is the United States.
Buttigieg is not alone. As The Post reports, at least eight Democratic candidates have called for the elimination of the electoral college, which has awarded the presidency to the loser of the national popular vote twice in the past five presidential elections. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) rightly points out that, in addition to distorting electoral outcomes, the current system deprives vast swaths of the country an opportunity to hear directly from those running to represent them. We get to the general election for the highest office in this land, and no presidential candidate comes to Alabama or Mississippi, she says. Theyre not going to Massachusetts or California, either. They are not coming because we are not the states that are in play. In a speech Friday, Warren also endorsed abolishing the Senate filibuster, an idea that has provoked mixed feelings from other senators in the race. The leading candidates are unified in their support for overturning the Supreme Courts Citizens United decision.
Caracas puts the Russians only about 860 miles from Panama City, well within the range of Russian missiles. When President Trump withdraws support for Central America, the Russians are a short drive from being in our soft belly. Has anyone alerted the president to this danger or started procedures to force the Russians out? Where is the John F. Kennedy of our era?
At the core of the issue is the belief that tech is value-neutral. When first developed, a new technology is neither infused with ethics nor bereft of them; it requires guidance. If augmented by ethical considerations, the hope is this invention will serve the public good and be profitable; if not, the outcome could be ambiguous at best, and devastating at worst. So we are going to focus more on ethics  that is what an assortment of leaders from the tech industry tell us will solve the problem. But these chief executives are mistaken, because ethics alone  whether incorporated into a vision statement or drilled into a product line  can never overcome the power of global and societal context.
One hundred forty-eight years ago this month, a member of Congress decried what he saw as a double standard regarding the protection of U.S. citizens from political violence. Overseas, Rep. Benjamin Butler of Massachusetts said on the floor of the House, no nation . . . can unjustly lay its hand upon an American citizen in arrest or anger without calling down upon it the whole power of the republic.
What would that mean? The relevant provisions date from 1924, and I have not been able to find any case where the IRS did not promptly provide full disclosure to a tax-writing committee. The statute is entirely clear regarding the right of the committee to request individual taxpayer information. And Congress explicitly prohibits the IRS from withholding information from inquiries such as this one: Section 1203 of the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act details the 10 deadly sins for which IRS employees can be fired. Number 7 is willful misuse of the provisions of Section 6103  invoked last week by Rep. Richard E. Neal (D-Mass.), the chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee  to conceal information from a congressional inquiry.
The Democrats' rationale may or may not be persuasive to Mr. Consovoy, or to other observers who see political motives behind the tax-return request. But the Democratic request clearly falls within the boundaries of permissible congressional action. Given the clarity of the law and Congress's wide legal discretion to conduct investigations, no judge is likely to rule that House Democrats are abusing their powers.
New Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul receives questions from reporters at the ministry's headquarters in Seoul, Tuesday, a day after he took office as the head of the ministry. Yonhap



By Lee Min-hyung



New Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul faces the daunting task of moving President Moon Jae-in's peace drive forward as the denuclearization talks between North Korea and the United States remain deadlocked.



No one would dispute Kim's top priority is to make a breakthrough in inter-Korean relations.



But the North started stepping up aggressive rhetoric against the ministry right after Kim took office Monday.



On Tuesday, the North's propaganda outlets denounced the ministry for seeking to carry out what they called "valueless" inter-Korean projects.



Citing the ministry's 2019 plan for developing inter-Korean relations, North Korean website Uriminzokkiri released sarcastic commentary.



"The plan is nothing more than an empty shell of no value," the propaganda outlet said.



"We cannot see any willingness or efforts [from the ministry] to develop inter-Korean relations in a fresh way," it said.



The criticism came amid growing uncertainty in relations between the two Koreas after the second Washington-Pyongyang summit ended in failure.



Following the summit fiasco, the South's unification ministry, the main authority dealing with the inter-Korean issue, is in a growing dilemma, as the North is showing signs of slowly resuming its unpredictable and threatening behaviors.



Maeari, another propaganda outlet, also criticized the South for looking out for the U.S too much.



"[The South] should never allow foreign powers to interfere in inter-Korean affairs," it said. "[The 2019 plan] is no more than froth, as it only comes with empty words."



The denunciation came at a time when Seoul has been playing a months-long mediating role, aiming for a resumption in talks between Washington and Pyongyang.



Internal backlash



Main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) floor leader Na Kyung-won has ramped up criticism of the President Moon Jae-in administration for naming Kim Yeon-chul as the unification minister.



Kim was one of the most disputed minister nominees, with opposition parties having called for the withdrawal of the disqualified candidate.



The new minister has in recent weeks come under fire for his absurd past remarks.



The LKP floor leader said Cheong Wa Dae should set an exemplary case when carrying out the Cabinet reshuffle, as a way to show only those who are not mired in a controversy over their alleged ethical lapses can become a minister.



"None of the newly-appointed ministers meet the public's expectations, but the presidential house pushed ahead with the reshuffle of top officials," she said. The opposition party urges the President to take the public sentiment into account, when naming ranking officials, according to her.



On Tuesday, a group of 70 lawmakers from the LKP, including Na, convened an emergency meeting in front of Cheong Wa Dae, urging President Moon to apologize for the "unacceptable" nomination of the minister.



LKP lawmaker Shim Jae-cheol said Moon should keep in mind that the President should heed popular opinion.



"We are going to set it right for the incumbent administration to stop ignoring the voice from the public," he said.



It turned out that the President only takes care of his close aides, as the unification minister has been named despite the recently controversial confirmation hearing over him, Shim said.




One of the astonishments of these times is just how large a half-century has become. A young paleontologist working the same sparse, gray land 50 years ago could have unearthed this fossil bed without the knowledge necessary to read its amazing story. The Apollo missions to the moon had just awakened the scientific community to the idea of space as a sort of shooting gallery in which the Earth was the target of frequent incoming shots. The father-and-son team of Luis and Walter Alvarez had not yet argued that a band of ash heavy in iridium, a rare metal found in space debris, had coated the Earth roughly 65 million years ago. (Science would later narrow the date to about 66 million years ago.) Alan Hildebrand and William Boynton had not yet pinpointed the Chicxulub crater in what is now the Yucatan Peninsula as the impact site of a giant asteroid or comet.
The president has to have some stability and particularly with the number one issue that hes made for his campaign, throughout his two and a half years of presidency, Grassley said. Hes pulling the rug out from the very people that are trying to help him accomplish his goal.
Hitting hard on the generational theme, he added that none of that is going to change until we get a leader whos willing to go big on the issues we take on, be bold in the solutions we offer and do good in the way that we govern. Im ready to solve these problems. Im running for president of the United States.
In an exchange with Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), Pompeo agreed that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and North Korean leader Kim Jung Un were tyrants but said he would not use that characterization in reference to Sissi. Leahy, during an Appropriations subcommittee hearing, said that Sissi had locked up opponents, including American citizens, while seeking to stay indefinitely in power, and noted that Trump had called him a great friend earlier in the day.
Kim Hyun-chong, deputy chief of the presidential office's security council speaks in a press conference for specifics of President Moon Jae-in's visit to Washington D.C. for his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump on North Korean nuclear issues at Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday. Yonhap



By Kim Yoo-chul



President Moon Jae-in will continue to support the "top-down" diplomacy of U.S. President Donald Trump in handling North Korea's denuclearization, a senior presidential aide said Tuesday, a day ahead of Moon's departure for a summit with Trump.



"Moon will tell Trump why rapprochement matters in achieving the denuclearization of North Korea, when they meet at the White House, April 11 (KST)," National Security Office deputy chief Kim Hyun-chong told reporters.



"Moon will have candid and deep discussions with Trump on key topics, which were determined in earlier working-level talks by negotiators from Seoul and Washington. The summit follows a consensus that the two countries can get nuclear diplomacy back on track."



President Moon and first lady Kim Jung-sook are set to arrive at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C., April 10 and will return home April 12.



The South Korean leader will have a two-hour summit at the White House from noon Thursday, Kim said, adding that this will be followed by an extended meeting attended by senior presidential aides.





President Moon Jae-in speaks at the start of a weekly meeting with Cabinet members at Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday. Yonhap




All of these countries have abetted Hifter despite his authoritarian leanings because they view him as the best option for stability in a country that has been ravaged for years by civil war and chaos. These countries are key to understanding how the forces of the 75-year-old commander  a U.S. citizen who lived for years in Northern Virginia  managed to swiftly and surprisingly seize control over much of Libya and are now battling pro-government militias outside Tripoli.
He and other South Korean figures inside and outside the government spoke to a number of visiting reporters, including journalists from The Washington Post, as part of the Korea Journalist Fellowship Program. The trip was sponsored by the Atlantic Council, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington, in partnership with the Korea Foundation.
Erdogan rose to political prominence as the citys mayor, beginning in 1994. Since then, Istanbul has served as a wellspring of the AKPs powerful financial and political networks and a source of the partys prestige. Its loss of Istanbul in the recent local elections came as the AKP also suffered rare defeats in several large cities, including Ankara, the capital. Those losses eclipsed the AKPs success in attracting the most votes of any party in the elections.
And so May devoted her final hours of lobbying on Tuesday to meet with Macron in Paris and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin. May has asked for an extension until June 30, to allow for continued talks with the opposition Labour Party. The hope is that, together, May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn might be able to forge a compromise that could win support in the British Parliament, which has rejected Mays withdrawal deal three times. Those talks have yielded little so far.
Rep. Na Kyung-won, third from right, floor leader of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) speaks during an emergency meeting with party members near Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday. The LKP called for an apology from President Moon Jae-in for appointing ministers without consent from the Assembly. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk



By Park Ji-won



The main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) stepped up political offensives against President Moon Jae-in, Tuesday, over his recent appointments of ministers whose nominations it opposes.



The party's lawmakers held a rally in front of Cheong Wa Dae, demanding an apology from Moon, one day before he was scheduled to depart for the U.S. for a summit with President Donald Trump.



Describing Moon as an "evil" politician, LKP floor leader Rep. Na Kyung-won said Moon and Cheong Wa Dae are "ruining" the country.



"Cheong Wa Dae has been under fire for lax screening on ministerial nominees and a lack of discipline in the public offices. However, Moon didn't take responsibility for it," Na said.



"We ask for reform of the presidential office and dismissal of senior civil affairs secretary Cho Kuk. Without these measures, we will continue to boycott Assembly sessions."






There is no one Bauhaus style, said Ute Ackermann, the museum curator, who has been at work assembling the collection for the past eight years. More than any particular form or style, Bauhaus is the courage to have a vision and to experiment  to be willing to correct your path as you go, rather than have a predetermined route.
The convictions come at a time when countries including the United States and Britain have decried what they see as Beijings meddling in Hong Kongs affairs. In a statement, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said the Chinese government has increased its interference in Hong Kong affairs, and the Hong Kong government has been complicit in actively suppressing political participation and speech since the 2014 protests.
President Hassan Rouhani called the U.S. move a mistake and said it would only boost the organizations popularity, at home and abroad. You thought that if you speak against [the Guard], divisions would arise, or you could reduce its popularity, Rouhani said, according to the Mehr News Agency.
The man, an Afghan national, was part of a convoy targeted by a suicide bomber on Monday near Bagram air base, a major hub for foreign forces in Afghanistan. The military initially reported that four people died in the attack, which was claimed by the Taliban: three U.S. service members and a military contractor.




A customer tries a variety of teas at a Starbucks Coffee shop in Hanam. / Courtesy of Starbucks Coffee Korea



By Kwak Yeon-soo



Starbucks and other coffee franchises here are rushing to introduce a wider range of tea-based options to increase sales as coffee consumption appears to have reached saturation point, industry analysts said Thursday.



According to Korea Customs Service data, volumes of imported coffee fell to 143,000 tons in 2018, down 1.8 percent from the previous year.



Coffee imports had been rising steadily in recent years, with inbound shipments reaching 145,600 tons in 2017, up from 41,000 tons in 2016 and 128,000 tons in 2015, the data showed. The vast majority of Korea's coffee is imported.




A Korea Electric Power Corp. utility pole stands in Toseong-myun, Goseong County, Gangwon Province, on Friday. The pole is suspected to be the starting point of a blaze, which spread over 5.3 square kilometers of land in the province during the weekend. Yonhap



By Nam Hyun-woo



Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) may be forced to pay compensation for damage caused by a massive forest fire, which engulfed many towns in Gangwon Province over the past two days, as one of its utility poles is suspected of starting the blaze, according to lawyers, Sunday.



The fire started in Goseong County, Thursday night, and lasted for three days, burning an estimated 5.3 square kilometers of land in the neighboring areas of Sokcho, Gangneung and Inje.



As of 4 a.m., Sunday, one person was reported dead and one injured. More than 1,880 facilities including 400 homes were burnt down.



Though it is too soon to calculate the full extent of the damage caused by the fire, losses from damaged agricultural facilities alone were estimated at 5.2 billion won ($4.6 million).



The fire authority suspects a KEPCO utility pole in Goseong triggered the blaze. KEPCO said a circuit breaking device on the pole is assumed to be the starting point, but it was "uncertain whether the device's malfunction caused the first spark or an external factor caused the first spark."



Currently, the National Forensic Service and fire authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.



Lawyers said KEPCO could be held responsible for the fire if the state-run power distributor is found to have poorly managed the device.



"Both civil and criminal liabilities can be filed against KEPCO, if it was found to have failed to manage the device safely," lawyer Ha Jong-sun of Barun Law said.



According to related laws: "if any damages are caused to another person by reason of any defect in the construction or maintenance of a structure, the person in possession of the structure shall be liable for such damages."



Currently, the government has designated the damaged area as a special disaster zone, which is subject to aid and subsidies from the central government. Up to 9 million won in subsidies are available for those whose homes have been damaged by the disaster, but people are saying the amount is too small to cover their losses.



Lawyers said, however, If KEPCO is found to be accountable for the fire, victims can file damage suits against the power distributor, citing the case of an earthquake in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province.



Last month, a government-led research team concluded that the 2017 earthquake was triggered by a government project running a geothermal power plant nearby. Following the announcement, multiple damage suits were filed against the government, with the anticipated compensation swelling to 9 trillion won.



"If KEPCO is found accountable for the fire, there could be another legal battle over defining the scope of damage KEPCO is liable to pay to victims," another lawyer at a Seoul-based law firm said. "However, further forecasts will only be available only after the investigation of the cause."



Lawyers said the bankruptcy of Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. in the U.S. can be a reference to this case.



In January, the firm filed for bankruptcy protection because of the tens of billions of dollars in lawsuits filed by victims of massive fires in 2018 in California after state investigators determined that the firm's equipment was the cause of the fires.


Vodafone Hutchison Australia chief executive Inaki Berroeta has criticised the government for banning Huawei from upcoming 5G rollouts without properly consulting the mobile providers already using the Chinese telecommunications giant's equipment.

Mr Berroeta, whose company is still working out the financial impact of the Huawei equipment ban, said the government should have considered compensation for affected telcos.

Vodafone CEO Inaki Berroeta at the annual CommsDay summit. Credit:James Brickwood

Telcos are looking to build ultra-fast 5G networks, which are expected to usher in a new era of technology with connected businesses and households.

In August, the government banned China-based suppliers from participating in building the next-generation mobile networks on security grounds. Huawei claims the ban will result in a lessening of competition, leading to higher costs for telcos and, as a result, customers.
Celebrities have used their firepower for many causes. Refugees. Vaccines. AIDS. But transparency in big perfume?

Michelle Pfeiffer has been working on her fragrance line for nine years. Credit:AP

Michelle Pfeiffer, known for roles in Dangerous Liaisons and Batman Returns, has announced a line of five fragrances under the label Henry Rose. Created in collaboration with 130-year old scent maker International Flavors and Fragrances, the company makes a bold claim: It is the first to disclose all its ingredients and attest to their safety.

"Fine fragrance is still the black box of transparency for ingredients," Pfeiffer, 60, said during an interview last month at New York's Public Hotel. The sleek bottles now before her, with names like Torn and Last Light, are the result of a nine-year effort that both she and outside industry experts say have wedged the box open.

"Fragrance formulations are like Mum's special recipe," said Mintel analyst Sarah Jindal, speaking before Henry Rose's launch. "No one wants to tell anybody what their ingredients are."
One of Australia's most successful technology companies wants to "set an example" by shifting to 100 per cent renewable energy sources for its electricity and cracking down on energy waste.

The move to clean energy for all its power by 2025 would make Atlassian among the first Australian firms to hit such a mark.

Atlassian's Mike Cannon-Brookes says his company wants to set an example for others by sourcing 100 per cent of its electricity from renewable energy by 2025. Credit:Peter Braig

Its office in Mountain View, California is powered by renewables, while Atlassian's nine other sites across seven nations will achieve the goal progressively using energy certificates and possibly power purchase agreements that would underwrite a wind or solar farm where other options are not available.

"Being a large and known tech company, we want to make sure we're driving the Australian angle of [renewables] forward ...and we're trying to do it relatively fast," Mike Cannon-Brookes, Atlassian's co-founder, told the Herald.
Mandurah Police are looking for two missing girls believed to be last sighted in a Perth doughnut shop on Monday night.

Andrijana Simun and Madison Taylor have not been since since 8am, Monday. Credit:Mandurah Police/Twitter.

First Class Constable Jade Shepley said both Andrijana Simun and Madison Taylor have not returned calls from their parents after leaving a Warnbro school together about 8am on Monday.

First Class Constable Shepley said both families were worried.

"We just want to know where they are," she said.
The Morrison government will spend $70 million to help avoid a repeat of the mass fish kills in the Darling River and to improve compliance by irrigators.

The package, to be unveiled by Agriculture Minister David Littleproud on Wednesday, comes as the Bureau of Meteorology declared drought conditions in the Murray-Darling Basin to be the worst in a century.

Dead fish near Menindee after the second of three mass fish kills on the Darling River during the recent summer. Credit:Nick Moir

Of the funding, $25 million will subsidise a quarter of the cost of updating meters in the northern basin, with states such as NSW being asked to contribute the remainder.

Some $20 million will fund research into improving water and environmental management as recommended by the independent study by Melbourne University's Rob Vertessy into the kills.
Members of Bap Blossom, a team participating in the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs' (MAFRA) food startup incubating project, pose in front of their store in Wanju County, North Jeolla Province, on March 18. Courtesy of the MAFRA



This article is a joint project of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and The Korea Times. _ Ed.



By Nam Hyun-woo



In the wake of Koreans' growing interest in culinary culture and the harsh domestic job market, a growing number of young people are turning their eyes to the food business with dreams of becoming the next Gordon Ramsay or domestic food franchise mogul Baek Jong-won.



Even if those young people have decent cooking skills and a brilliant business idea, not many have come close to following in the celebrity food entrepreneurs' footsteps, due largely to setbacks in rent payment, kitchen facilities, advertising and other practical problems.



For those young food entrepreneur wannabes, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. (aT) has been running an incubator program, providing financial support and aid for rent, kitchen facilities and even education on how to run a food business.



In its third year, the Culinary Startups Incubator Project provides opportunities and support for culinary startups, comprised of those aged under 40, to test their business by opening a real store for up to three months.



Since 2017, 342 participants in 54 startup teams have joined the project and 38 people of them have started their own businesses, according to the ministry. The ministry will receive applications throughout this year.



For selected food startup teams, the ministry and the aT provide up to 60 million won ($52,700) a year for rent, restaurant decoration costs, kitchen facilities, advertisement fees and other non-cooking aids. Teams shoulder costs for labor, ingredients and other utility fees only.



Twelve teams participated in the program in Seocho-gu, Seoul, in 2017, but the ministry has increased the number of restaurants and food courts available for the businesses to five.



For this year's program, selected teams will open their diners at five places across the country  three in Seoul's Seocho-gu, Eunpyeong-gu and Seodaemun-gu; one in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province; and one in Wanju County, North Jeolla Province. The one in Eunpyeong-gu is a food court which can house multiple teams at the same time.



Culinary business consulting firms, a university and big name food firms, including Ottogi, will run the places and provide consultations and other services for participating teams, with support from local governments, the ministry and the aT.



One of the recent teams participating in the program is "Bap (rice) Blossom," which will showcase bibimbap, cold pasta, pork cutlets and rice with various toppings in Wanju for the next three months.



Opened on March 18 as the second team using the Wanju space this year, the team will serve local ingredients, such as beef and vegetables combined with members' unique interpretation of each dish. Also, the team uses porcelain bowls made by Wanju-based artists to promote the local art community.



"The project is serving as a launch pad for nurturing young food entrepreneurs and promoting the cooperation between local farms, artists and food businesses," Wanju County Governor Park Seong-il said. "The county will continue its support to create jobs in various fields including food businesses."





Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) and Cheonan city government cut the tape in front of the store of Yeokjeon Pasta, a team participating in the ministry's food startup incubator project, in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, on March 21. Courtesy of MAFRA
Environment Minister Melissa Price has granted federal approval to the controversial Adani coal mine following intense pressure from her Queensland colleagues to sign off on the plan before the federal election.

Ms Price announced on Tuesday that she had approved groundwater management plans submitted by the Indian mining giant after CSIRO and Geoscience Australia found they met scientific requirements.

The decision means the company has cleared the final federal hurdle for the project and now requires only Queensland government approvals to proceed.

Federal Environment Minister Melissa Price was under pressure to sign-off on the Adani project before the election. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

If the plan was approved during the caretaker period, the government would have been forced to consult Labor before granting permission.
Beijing: The Morrison government has moved to strengthen Australia's science links with China, announcing $4.7 million in research grants for five joint university research centres.

The funding to each new centre will be matched by the Chinese government.

Five Australian universities will work closely with Chinese counterparts and each reap a $900,000 grant. Credit:Louise Kennerley

Industry, Science and Technology Minister Karen Andrews said global relationships increased Australias scientific research capacity and opportunities for Australian research to be commercialised.

"This funding will help these world-class Australian research institutions build links with China  an important collaborative partner for Australia in science and research," she said.
The convictions were the last of dozens over protests almost five years ago, which shut down parts of the city and lasted for 79 days over calls for fuller democracy in Hong Kong. Prosecutors said the nine had inspired demonstrators to block major roads and cause obstructions in a bid to achieve their political demands.

Occupy Central leaders, from right, Benny Tai, Chan Kin Man and Chu Yiu Ming shout slogans before entering a court in Hong Kong on Tuesday. Credit:AP

Sentences were expected to be handed down on Tuesday afternoon. The charges could carry a maximum of seven years in jail.

The nine activists, however, have argued that police and government actions were the spark for getting hundreds of thousands of people to protest, lengthening what was designed as a short and limited sit-in.

The protests, known as the Umbrella Movement for the only tool demonstrators had to defend themselves against police pepper spray and tear gas, aimed to move Hong Kong away from Beijing's grip. Protesters hoped to extend democratic rights and end plans for China to vet candidates for the city's top political job.

When Beijing held firm and police began to use pepper spray and tear gas, the sit-in turned into a swelling movement. An estimated 1.2 million people took to the streets in a mostly peaceful manner, shutting down iconic roadways and camping out in crowded districts in protests that lasted more than two months.

The convictions come at a time when countries including the United States and the United Kingdom have decried what they see as Beijing's meddling in Hong Kong affairs.

Amnesty International called the verdicts a "crushing blow for freedom of express and peaceful protest" using "vague charges."
Cruz's letters are to a young woman in the United Kingdom named Miley, one of his cyber supporters, and her brother, Liam, and they are dated from mid-October 2018 to mid-November. A young woman named Miley helped form a Facebook group shortly after the shooting. It was called "The First Victim," referring to Cruz. Her last name is not shown in the letters. This photo posted on the Instagram account of Nikolas Cruz showed weapons lying on a bed. Credit:AP He says he isn't sure he wants to remain alive. "I wish life for me could have been different but it's not. And a part of me is wishing it ends. End with the death (penalty), letting someone inject me with longlast [sic] sleep. Its kind of what I want but I'm unsure of myself so I'm just leting [sic] people save me from myself, saving me from something that I can never return from." Cruz says he thinks death will be "forever darkness or a flash of light."

At the same time, Cruz muses about freedom, and a family. Students hold their hands in the air as they are evacuated by police from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Credit:AP "Would you be OK with me getting a crossbow if I lived with you? It would only be used for sporting and hunting." Cruz's letters are rife with misspellings and childish drawings. A lifelong special education student, Cruz was thought to have autism. He also was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. In his letters, he said he wants Miley to attend his trial and suggests when she moves to Florida, she get a medical marijuana card and a concealed weapons license "cause it's dangerous hear."

Loading "I also was wondering if you'd be interested in marriage when the time's comes. It won't be for a long time, but would you be interested? I feel like we make a great family together. With lots of kids. I imagine it every day. That's what's keeping me strong." He said he really wants to have a girlfriend even if the person is "miles away." "I don't know what's wrong with me, maybe I should get the death penalty. IDK (I don't know), I just want love ... " "I hope you can understand it's because of my mother," he writes. "I feel like I'll never be loved and I'll die alone."

In a letter from November 1, 2018, he mentions the Pittsburgh shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue, where eight people died. Loading "I put my heart out to these victims and to the shooter because I believe they need all the support they can get," he says. Cruz talks about boredom, missing his mother and politics. Guns: Cruz said he's "a huge Second Amendment supporter even though I'm here in jail for being on the wrong side of the law. I still believe it's a special right to have and I try to encourage everyone including you to take part in it."

Holidays: The Fourth of July is his favourite holiday. "I love fireworks and the explosions. It's super fun." Halloween: "This will be the first year I won't go trick or treating, unfortunately." He said he dressed as a soldier last year, wearing body armor and a ballistic helmet. He took his dog Kobe with him. His mother was in the hospital. She died the next day. Politics: Cruz wrote several times about the elections and his hope that Republicans would win - specifically Governor Ron DeSantis and Senator Rick Scott. "I can't spell his name but I know he's Republican and I'm voting for him," he wrote about DeSantis. "I know if we get a Democratic governor he will take away our rights. ... Please pray that Ron wins."

"I really don't like liberals. I don't want them winning. They really are dangerous. They spread lies and are destroying America. We're going to one day be the weakest country with the highest crime rates." "Are you liberal or conservative? Let me know." Outlook: "What is your outlook on life?" he asked in one letter. "Mine is go live the best way you can. So please let me know. I really want to know all your dreams." Sport: "You're probably wondering what my favorite sport is, well it's hunting, and professional bull riding." Girls: "I also like girls with red hair and a positive outlook on life."

Colour: His favourite colour is "Army green and woodland camouflage." Jail life: He said life in jail is boring. "I watch TV and do homework." He said it's easy to gain weight. Guards pat him down every four hours. "What's your day like?" he asks. Homelessness: He said he liked helping the homeless and once gave a homeless man a cheeseburger and fries. Food: He mentions in several letters that he puts peanut butter and jelly on meatball subs. Immigrants: "I hear there's a reason why wear trying to stop immigration and that's (unreadable word). They attack people, destroy property's and spread diseas [sic]." He said he is waiting for the whole society to collapse "because of these issues."

Media: He asked if the news media in the United Kingdom is "like hear with a bunch of lies or are they honest?" Diploma: Cruz says he is working to get his high school equivalency, the GED. Emotions: "I've been dealing with my emotions heer [sic] in jail. Their is this one guard I don't like but I'm behaving to the best of my ability but I'm starting to (unreadable word). Do you know any way how I can deal with that so I don't get in trouble?" Glasses: He talks about having gained weight in jail and about getting new glasses that look like they're from the 1960s. "So don't laugh at them when you see me on TV," he writes. Cruz regales the girl he's never met with stories from his childhood, including a recent hunting trip with his friend, Hunter McCutcheon, during which he says he almost shot his friend's father.

"We were shooting bug nest with bird shot. It was a lot of fun until he handed me shotgun and I almost shot him! He told me not to shoot but I did and I almost hit him but thank God I didn't. He said to be more careful cause once I take a life there's nothing that can be undone. Hunter was mad at me to but he got over it." Cruz wrote that his attorneys said Miley would attend his trial. He goes on to say he's hungry and will be having a peanut butter sandwich. Cruz seemed to retain hope he'd get out of jail one day. "Since I am into your sister maybe we can go on a double date," he wrote to Miley's brother, Liam. In another, he talked about spending time in the Everglades.


By Jung Min-ho





BHC, Korea's No. 2 chicken franchise operator, has denied accusations it provided its franchised restaurants with

chicken meat.







"BHC has no reason to provide frozen chicken meat, which costs more than fresh meat," the company said Tuesday. "Frozen meat is supplied only to the restaurant on the island of Ulleung, given its long distance from the mainland."







The comment comes after a group of franchised restaurant owners accused BHC of providing such meat and threatened to bring the case to the Fair Trade Commission.







The owners claimed BHC makes "too much profit" from supplying chicken meat and it is not "soft, juicy and superlative"  the quality the company promises on its website.







BHC said some chicken meat may not meet the standards, but if there is an issue, owners can complain and request a replacement anytime.







"We believe what they are trying to do is to tarnish our reputation," the company said. "We will file a complaint with authorities against them."


Three Vermonters face federal charges in a gun for drugs scheme.

Authorities say a federal grand jury has indicted Jennifer Griffin, Kenneth Stone, and Gregory Miller with conspiring to use a semi-automatic pistol in connection with a drug trafficking crime.

Griffin and Miller were arrested Monday. Stone was already in state custody in another case.

Authorities say the investigation stems from the shooting last summer of an NYPD detective. Federal agents traced the gun in that incident to a sale in Rutland. They found the gun had originally been stolen from a friend of Griffin and that the three conspired to trade it for drugs.

U.S. Attorney for Vermont Christina Nolan in a statement praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms in tracking the gun. "Vermonters involved in illegally acquiring guns for drug dealers and other dangerous criminals must understand that they will be held accountable. Far too often these guns are later recovered in crime scenes," she said.

If convicted, all three face a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Officials from the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. (aT) provide consultations on localization of Korean food products to exporters and buyers during the 2018 K-Food Fair in Hong Kong, on Oct. 15. Courtesy of aT



This article is a joint project of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and The Korea Times. _ Ed.



By Nam Hyun-woo



A program focusing on localization of food products in export markets by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and its affiliate Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. (aT) is providing crucial help for food exporters and leading the country's growth in food exports as well.



According to the ministry, Korea's outbound agricultural shipments were valued at $6.93 billion last year, up 1.5 percent from 2017.



The ministry said the growth has extra significance because a 16.5 percent surge from a year earlier in fresh foods including fruit, mushrooms, ginseng and vegetables defied a 29.6 percent year-on-year drop in tobacco exports stemming from the UAE's new "sin tax." The drop in tobacco exports dragged down the exports of processed foods to contract by 1.4 percent from a year earlier.



Of markets, China showed the sharpest growth of 12.6 percent, followed by Hong Kong with 9.2 percent, ASEAN with 8.0 percent and the U.S. with 7.6 percent.



The ministry attributed the growth in fresh foods to the localization program, which helps exporters grasp the target market's conditions, engage in overseas marketing activities and smoothly handle administrative and quarantine issues for free.



The program is operated for exporters shipping in 24 countries including China, ASEAN, European nations and others covered by aT overseas offices. Those offices provide consultations on legal issues, contracts, quarantines, labeling meeting local regulations, packaging and other non-tariff barriers.



In 2015, the program was available in only eight countries and helped 75 firms, but the number quickly increased to 22 countries and 510 firms last year.





Officials from the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. (aT) provide consultations on Korean food trade to buyers during the 2018 SIAL Paris, an international food exhibition, on Oct. 21. Courtesy of aT
Firefighters combating against wildfire in Muli, southwest China's Sichuan province. Photo via The Beijing News

Wildfire, a natural climate event, could get worse with the rise in frequency and intensity under global warming caused by climate change, scientists warned, after multiple countries including China, South Korea and the US suffer great losses from the unruly flames.

It has become a common sense that wildfire could become worse under climate change, Dr. Zhang Xiaoquan, chief scientist of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) China Program, a leading nongovernmental organization that works for global conservation, told Peoples Daily Overseas Social Media.

The remarks came amid some public concerns over the possibility of more wildfires as global warming worsens around the world, including in China, which recently saw a deadly wildfire.

South Korea has declared a national emergency in response to its largest wildfire in recent years, which broke out on Apr. 4, claiming at least two lives and leading to the evacuation of thousands. Last November, the US also witnessed destructive wildfires in the state of California, which killed over 90 people and engulfed several residential areas.

Global warming does merely lead to a rise in average temperature on course for 0.85 degrees Celsius  to some, it does not seem to bother them at all. The greater impact is that it intensifies the worlds climate events and increases their frequency, meaning hot weather gets hotter and cold weather gets colder. It also suggests higher risks of natural disasters, Zhang explained.

A latest climate change report issued by a research center under the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) reaffirms such observations, noting a further tendency of global warming. It also found that China is at higher risks of more extreme weather and climate events.

The nation has witnessed several wildfires this spring, including the most serious one in Muli, southwest Chinas Sichuan province, which claimed the lives of 31 firefighters. The wildfire was caused by a lightning strike.

Due to monsoons in the Indian Ocean, part of Yunnan and Sichuan provinces in southwest China undergo dry season in winter and spring. Climate change can exacerbates the process: it gets even drier in dry season, Zhang noted, meanwhile emphasizing that climate change increases the tendency of wildfire outbreak, without causal link to individual cases.

Between 1961 and 2018, the precipitation in the Qinghai in northwest China and Tibet in southwest China recorded a significant increase in precipitation, while other parts of southwest China, that is, parts of the country south of Tibet, including Guizhou, Sichuan, and Yunnan, saw a decreasing trend, the CMA report showed.

Meanwhile, the top two forest storage bases of the nation  taking up a great proportion of the 208 million hectares of forest area  are seated in northeast and southwest China.
The flag of Korean Air, a Hanjin Group unit, is at half-mast at Korean Air office in Jung-gu, Seoul, Monday, to commemorate Group Chairman Cho Yang-ho's death. Yonhap



Cho's death sheds new light on Korea's 50% tax rate



By Nam Hyun-woo



C oncerns are growing that Korea's inheritance tax is a major risk for business communities, after Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Yang-ho died and his family had to pay nearly 200 billion won ($175 million) in tax to inherit the late chairman's stake and keep control of the group.

Industry analysts stressed Tuesday that most Korean businesses are family-controlled and the current maximum 65 percent rate is a huge pressure on companies, hampering their business activities.

According to Korea Economic Research Institute, Korea imposes a 50 percent tax on a person inheriting assets worth more than 3 billion won. When the inheriting asset is a controlling share of a company, the value of the share increases by 20 to 30 percent, thus pushing up the maximum rate to 65 percent.

This makes Korea the highest levying country among OECD member countries, whose average inheritance tax is 26.3 percent.

Due to this, the offspring of the late Hanjin Group chairman will have to pay between 160 billion won and 200 billion won to keep Cho's 17.84 percent stake in Hanjin KAL, the group's holding company, and other shares in group units.

Otherwise, the family may lose its managing rights to private equity fund KCGI and the National Pension Service (NPS), which have been hostile to the owner family's grip on the group.

There have been multiple cases where the founding family of a group have lost their managing rights due to massive inheritance tax.

In 2017, Lee Woo-hyun, vice chairman of domestic chemicals firm OCI, sold a part of the company's controlling stake he received from his father and the late former Chairman Lee Soo-young, due to the inheritance tax amounting to 200 billion won.

This made the younger Lee the third-largest stakeholder in the company, and he became No. 2 last year.

Three Seven, a company making nail clippers, even sold the company's whole stake to JW Holdings in 2008 because the bereaved family of the late founder Kim Hyung-kyu could not handle the 15 billion won inheritance tax.

"Korea's inheritance tax is too high," said Oh Moon-sung, a professor at Hanyang Women's University. "Under this structure, Korean firms are prone to losing managing rights during generational shifts. If lowering the tax rate is difficult, payment of taxes on firm's stakes can be delayed until the inheritor sells off the stakes."

The country is providing discounts on inheritance tax to companies meeting certain requirements, but Oh also said those requirements are very tough for a general company to meet.

Cho Dong-keun, an emeritus professor at Myongji University, said that the country's hefty inheritance tax is hampering companies from doing businesses, and Korea should follow other countries which have delayed, cut or abolished inheritance tax.

"It is a big risk for companies," he said. "Along with the recent movement of the NPS' recent shareholder activism, the high rate will discourage more and more companies in doing businesses."




By Kwak Yeon-soo







GS Retail, an operator of convenience store GS25, is facing a growing backlash from some customers after introducing its new dosirak (lunch box) packaging of President Syngman Rhee (1875-1965) as an independence fighter.







Rhee remains a controversial figure, as there is still much debate on how to define Rhee's presidency and his role in shaping the nation before and after liberation in 1945.







Some respect him for laying the foundations for a modern country, while others disregard him as a ruthless authoritarian. He has also been blamed for solidifying the division of the Korean Peninsula.







GS25 rolled out the new packaging starting April 1 in commemoration of the centennial of the March 1 Independence Movement.







After facing severe criticism from consumers, the company said it had no intention of stirring controversy.







"We were not involved in the selection process. We received the list of veterans from the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs," an official at GS25 said.







"Some other stickers remain blank to memorialize the spirit of forgotten patriots and veterans."







However, consumers criticized the retailer for not being more deliberate in its selection of names for the packaging.







"Even if the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs recognizes Rhee for his independence activities, GS Retail should have reviewed how he is regarded nowadays," a consumer wrote online.







"The way they try to pass the buck to the ministry is disappointing," another wrote.







The retailer explained that it has joined hands with the ministry to promote Korean history and pay tribute to independence activists.







Last August, GS25 launched a similar campaign to promote 100 independence activists.







GS Retail attached stickers of 100 independence activists on lunch boxes after receiving the names from the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.







It also created bracelets to support wartime sex slaves during the Japanese occupation, and distributed them to consumers.




By Tong Kim





More than a month has elapsed since the spectacular collapse of the U.S.-North Korea summit in Hanoi, and there is no clear indication of how soon diplomacy will be back on track to tackle the issue of denuclearization, which nobody had ever thought would be resolved easily in a short period of time.



It is clear at this point that the Trump administration wants to re-engage the North soon as possible and to explore the possibility of a third summit to agree on some steps of progress, provided that they be worthy of another summit.

By common sense, President Trump will not repeat at the next summit the offer of the anachronic Libyan model, demanding Kim Jong-un's early unilateral surrender of all North Korean weapons of mass destruction without reasonable rewards. This offer was rejected outright by the North Korean leader in Hanoi.



Since an empty-handed return from Hanoi, where he must have been devastated by Trump's decision against his demand for badly needed sanctions relief, Kim Jong-un has been quiet. Although Pyongyang's vice foreign minister, Choe Sun-hui, has expressed her personal view that Kim might have lost interest in the American way of computation and that he may soon make a grave decision on whether to resume nuclear and missile tests, there has been no official follow up from the regime.



While Kim has absolute authority to make decisions on the matters of life and death in the North Korean system, he is still subject to constraints of the policy lines ingrained by his father and his grandfather. His predecessors, Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, talked about "denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." They are also given credit for developing a nuclear weapons deterrent against a foreign invasion.

Kim may be reviewing a range of options including giving up negotiations and going back to the familiar pattern of provocative nuclear and missile development. He learned that the closing of the nuclear infrastructures at Yongbyon that constitute a major portion of the North's nuclear program was not enough for the U.S. to lift the sanctions.



Kim will watch President Moon Jae-in's meeting with President Trump on April 11 and how it plays out for North Korea. Moon has suggested some constructive ideas to promote negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington that focus on "an early harvest" that may not be an "all-in-one" or "good big deal" but "a good-enough deal" by an exchange of what is realistically possible for both sides to do at this point. Moon hopes that initial U.S. corresponding measures include sanctions exemptions for inter-Korean economic projects.



U.S. top diplomat Mike Pompeo repeats that while he seeks a negotiated end state of denuclearization, he makes clear that no sanctions will be lifted until after complete denuclearization. This policy simply will not work, because the North Koreans will not move.



Moon's North Korea envoy, Lee Do-Hoon, shared an accurate observation last week, "It's an illusion to expect North Korea to give up its nuclear program all of sudden due to sanctions and pressure only." He added, "Sanctions can stop the North from making bad decisions but they are not the fundamental tools that can resolve the issue of denuclearization."



It will be good if the visiting Korean president talks to Congressional leaders and think tank skeptics about his view of what conditions and measures it would take for his North Korean counterpart to contribute to the settlement of peace and denuclearization.



There are many skeptics in Washington who do not believe Kim's public commitment to denuclearization. Yet, a sensible argument is emerging that some new, adjusted modality of negotiation should be considered if anyone wants to make progress or to test the true intent of the North Korean leadership.



The March 26 edition of this column proposed a five-year denuclearization plan, incorporating the two approaches of Washington and Pyongyang that collided in Hanoi. Under the proposed plan, a general road map and a timeline will be agreed on up front, but their implementation will be phased over five years with a gradual sanction lifting as the agreement is being verifiably implemented.



It is a good time to think outside the box in a serious search for a possible path to build a denuclearized, peaceful Korean peninsula. Yes, we hear all kinds of bad stuff about North Korea  poverty, starvation, dictatorship, oppression, gulags, no freedom, etc. But, 25 million people live there through no fault of their own. The last thing they need is war.





Tong Kim (tong.kim8@yahoo.com) is a Washington correspondent and columnist for The Korea Times. He is also a fellow at the Institute of Corean-American Studies.




By Choi Sung-jin





Amid the worst relationship between Korea and Japan, the two countries will celebrate historic moments in the coming days and weeks.



One hundred years ago Thursday, the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea was established in Shanghai, China. Korea's Constitution stipulates the current republic has its origins in the government-in-exile. Koreans should memorialize the noble sacrifices made by independence fighters and other patriots to liberate their country from the Japanese colonialists.



On May 1, Emperor Naruhito will come to the throne in Japan opening a new imperial era called Reiwa, meaning something like "peaceful harmony." Its meaning is good enough, and wild celebration will grip the entire archipelago. Not a few older Koreans, however, will be recalling their painful days under the new emperor's grandfather, Hirohito, who reigned during most of Japan's 1910-45 occupation of Korea and World War II.



Time heals all wounds, they say. Even that old saying does not seem to fit the Korea-Japan relationship, however. Seventy-four years have passed since Korea's liberation from Japan, but bilateral ties are going for the worse, not better. What can be done to reconcile the two Northeast Asian rivals?



Foreign relations experts trace the current diplomatic nadir between Seoul and Tokyo back to 2012 when then-President Lee Myung-bak visited the Dokdo islets as the first head of state to do so. The volcanic outcroppings in the sea between the two countries have always been a source of diplomatic tension less because of marine resources around them than because of their historical significance.



Both Korea and Japan claim sovereignty over the rocky islets, but Tokyo used to acknowledge Seoul's effective control over them tacitly when bilateral relations went smoothly but provoked the ire of Koreans when things went sour. Lee's seemingly abrupt move, while targeting in part his domestic audience, reflected Seoul's frustration with Tokyo's refusal to recognize historical facts.



Lee's successor, Park Geun-hye, daughter of Park Chung-hee, a general-turned-president who was once an officer of the Japanese Imperial Army, would not even sit down with her Japanese counterpart, Shinzo Abe, in the early years of her tenure.



For some incomprehensible reasons, Park later patched up the complicated issue of former "comfort women" with another lukewarm apology from Abe and compensation money of 1 billion yen ($8.98 million)  without even consulting the sex slavery victims beforehand.



Incumbent President Moon Jae-in is in a similar dilemma.



Last October, Korea's Supreme Court ruled that Japan's Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. should compensate four South Koreans for their forced labor during Japan's colonial rule of Korea. Tokyo has told the company not to follow the ruling, saying the 1965 basic treaty settled all issues concerning compensation.



The top Korean court allowed the plaintiffs and their lawyers to seize the assets of the Japanese company if it refuses to compensate. The Japanese government is threatening to take retaliatory steps  ranging from travel inconveniences to punitive tariffs. The Moon administration is stuck between a rock and a hard place.



President Moon knows too well he should not try to resolve individual victims' compensation through diplomacy between governments. Nor is there much the executive branch can do about judicial decisions in this country in which the three powers are separated. The two governments held a working group meeting recently to discuss this issue only to reaffirm they agreed to disagree.



The two sides will have to debate, bilaterally and multilaterally, whether or not the treaties between governments could nullify individuals' right to indemnity. Korean presidents have long been sandwiched between national sentiments against former colonizers and realistic, mainly economic, damages resulting from a prolonged confrontation with Japan.



Moon's personal conviction also complicates the matter. Moon, like his one-time boss, the late President Roh Moo-hyun, is a progressive politician who believes that failures to punish pro-Japanese collaborators in the aftermath of the national liberation are the root cause of most of today's social ills, such as opportunism, status-seeking and lack of justice.



"Our society should never be the one where grandchildren of independence fighters remain impoverished while descendants of pro-Japanese collaborators are well off," the President said in his speech to commemorate the March 1 Independence Movement, which occurred weeks before the establishment of the provisional government.



Diplomatic watchers say the two countries will be able to restore friendly ties only after their present leaders leave the stage. Will they, however? What does it mean that all Korean presidents, progressive or conservative, had to end their tenures in diplomatic disharmony with Japan?



The only exception could be former President Kim Dae-jung, a shrewd realist in both domestic politics and foreign relations by forgiving his previous opponents in his pursuit of greater harmony. That the Seoul-Tokyo honeymoon ended with the five-year tenure of Kim also suggests much, however.



Clearing away the remnants of Japanese imperialism is necessary, even now. The situation has become so deplorable that Rep. Na Kyung-won, floor leader of the conservative Liberty Korea Party, even said attempts to ferret out collaborators in the 1940s and 50s caused social division.



After the four-year German occupation of France, the French people executed about 7,500 collaborators. Japan annexed Korea for 35 years, meaning the collaborators here would have outnumbered those in France, pointing to the difficulties of settling old scores here belatedly. Yet Korean voters can at least unseat politicians like Na at the next general elections.



President Moon needs to send a special envoy to Tokyo to restore friendly ties. For the time being at least, Korea has more to lose than Japan if the relationship between Seoul and Tokyo remains sour for long.



Seoul should seek a diplomatic solution for the wartime sex slavery and forced labor issues by, for instance, shouldering most of the financial burden while limiting Tokyo's contribution to a symbolic portion and official governmental apology. Instead, Korea ought to contend with Japan on other diplomatic issues, including territorial disputes  more squarely, meticulously and persistently.



If Korea is to win over Japan, the nation might as well set up a long-term plan to catch up with the latter through a bipartisan consensus. Korea cannot overcome Japan by hating or cursing it but by excelling it.





Choi Sung-jin is a Korea Times columnist. Contact him at choisj1955@naver.com.


WSU to Honor Fallen North Ogden Mayor at Speech Showcase

April 9, 2019

OGDEN, Utah The wife of former North Ogden Mayor Maj. Brent Taylor will accept the Freedom Through Rhetoric Award on his behalf at Weber State Universitys Spring 2019 Speech Showcase, April 18 at 7 p.m. in the George S. Eccles Lecture Hall (Elizabeth Hall Room 229).

Jennie Taylor will accept the award for her husband, who died while deployed in Afghanistan in November 2018. The award is presented to one individual each semester, who has made a significant difference in the community through use of rhetoric, the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing.

Weber State President Brad Mortensen and Department of Communication Chair Sheree Josephson will present the award to Taylor.

The Freedom Through Rhetoric Award recognizes the lifelong accomplishments of an individual who has used public address to better the lives of the people in his or her community, said Alexander Lancaster, Speech Showcase faculty advisor. Maj. Taylor represents the power that speech has to do good for others and to shape the world around us. He gave his life defending the freedoms of all who call the United States of America home, including our precious freedom of speech. His service to the community and his country make him the ideal recipient.

Brent Taylor was helping train Afghan forces when he was killed in an apparent insider attack. He had been a part of the Utah National Guard for 12 years and was serving a second term as mayor for North Ogden City at the time of his deployment.

The communication department in Weber State Universitys Telitha E. Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities hosts Speech Showcase every fall and spring semester. The best speaker from each of the 26 sections of Principles of Public Speaking is selected to compete to become a finalist in the showcase. The top five finalists will speak in front of an audience and judges for a small cash prize.

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.
Doosan Infracore demonstrates a 5G remote controllable excavator at the bauma 2019 in Munich, Germany, April 9. The technology enabled a control station in the German city to maneuver an excavator in Incheon some 8,500 kilometers away. Yonhap



Doosan Infracore Co., South Korea's leading construction equipment maker said Tuesday that it has showcased a 5G remote controllable excavator at an international trade fair in Germany.



The excavator in Incheon, west of Seoul, South Korea was successfully operated via the latest super high speed network from a control station in Munich, where the Bauma 2019 fair is being held. The remote system worked smoothly and in real time despite the 8,500-kilometer distance.



Doosan Infracore said it worked with South Korean mobile carrier LG Uplus Corp. to set up the 5G link and that further work is under way to expand the technology to reduce lag and ensure a secure data link.





A milling machine is displayed during the preparations for the construction machinery fair Bauma 2019 in Munich, Germany, April 2, 2019. Bauma is the world's leading show for construction equipment and hosts around 3700 international exhibitors from April 8 until April 14, 2019. EPA-Yonhap




STAMFORD  Illinois sued Purdue Pharma Monday for allegedly fueling the states opioid crisis with deceptive marketing of pain drugs such as OxyContin, the latest among some three dozen states that have filed such lawsuits against the company.

The state accuses Purdue of misrepresenting its drugs risks and targeting doctors with patients addicted to opioids, through hundreds of thousands of sales representative visits between 2008 and 2017. Purdue also allegedly funded third-party publications to help promote its pain medicines. Those tactics tripled prescriptions of Purdue opioids in Illinois during that span and contributed to more than 2,000 fatal opioid overdoses in the state in 2017, according to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul.

Opioid addiction has destroyed lives and families throughout Illinois. Not only was Purdue aware of the dangers associated with its opioid products, but it downplayed those effects and used the opioid epidemic to increase its profits, Raoul said in a statement. In addition to filing this lawsuit, I will continue to collaborate with attorneys general from across the country to investigate and take action against all of those responsible for our nations unprecedented opioid crisis.

In a statement, Purdue denied the lawsuits misleading and damaging allegations.

The Illinois attorney generals complaint contains factual errors and gross distortions and misrepresentations based on highly selective excerpting of language from tens of millions of documents, the statement added. The complaint is merely designed to publicly vilify Purdue.

More than 1,000 municipal, county and state lawsuits have been filed against Purdue in the past few years. Most of the local governments complaints have been consolidated in a multidistrict litigation process in a federal court in Cleveland.

Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York comprise a few of the states that have sued the company. Those three have also named as defendants eight members of the Sackler family who own the company and who, until recently, served on the companys board.

The named defendants are responsible, and theyll be held to account, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said in a recent interview. This is as serious as it can be, and the scale of the damages and liability is enormous.

In its largest settlement of the past 10 years, Purdue agreed last month to a $270 million settlement of Oklahomas lawsuit. About $200 million  including $75 million donated by the Sacklers  would help establish the National Center for Addiction Studies and Treatment at Oklahoma State Universitys campus in Tulsa.

As the lawsuits mount against Purdue and the Sacklers, a growing number of museums are distancing themselves from the family, which is also known for its prolific philanthropy.

In the past month New Yorks Guggenheim museum and Britains Tate galleries and National Portrait Gallery have said that they would turn down new donations from the Sacklers.

Connecticut-based beneficiaries of the Sacklers include the University of Connecticut, Yale University, Greenwich Hospital and the Palace Theatre in Stamford. So far, those institutions have not cut ties with the family.

pschott@stamfordadvocate.com; 203-964-2236; twitter: @paulschott
GREENWICH  Data collection for the 2020 census is still close to a year away. But Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz was in Greenwich Tuesday to drum up enthusiasm for participation in the national count, part of a statewide tour.

A lot is at stake.

This is a mammoth effort to count over three and a half million people in our state and we need a very strong local foundation in order to do this well, Bysiewicz said during a kick-off event at Greenwich Library. Its important because $11 billion in federal funding is riding on this effort. For each person we undercount, that means we lose $2,900 ... We are looking at federal dollars for transportation, highway projects, community block grants, Medicaid, Head Start, federal school lunch program, SNAP and many more.

Connecticut ranks 48th among states in terms of tax dollars returned from Washington, Bysiewicz said, making the count even more important.

She was joined by First Selectman Peter Tesei, state Sen. Alexandra Bergstein, D-36, and other local officials.

Bergstein said an accurate census also allows Greenwich to present its true face to the rest of the state and beyond.

We know we have a diverse community but its really important that we all recognize that and that we have data to back that up, she said.

Selectman John Toner, Town Clerk Carmella Budkins, Tax Collector Howard Richman and Commissioner of Human Services Alan Barry were also on hand to represent the town. Additionally, Mary Lee Kiernan, president and CEO of YWCA Greenwich, and Gabby Ratner, executive director of Community Centers Inc., were there to stress the importance of a correct census count for their work.

David Rabin, CEO of the Greenwich United Way, and Bergstein mentioned the 28 percent of town residents, roughly 17,000 people, who are either below the federal poverty line or classified as ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained and Employed).

They are one missed paycheck away from financial catastrophe, Rabin said. For the benefit of our town and the benefit of our state, lets count them all.

The 2020 census will be the first people will be able to fill out online. Greenwich Library Director Barbara Ormerod-Glynn pledged there would be training for library staff to ensure anyone who needs to can participate in the census at the library, regardless of language.

One issue left to be settled is the presence of the controversial citizenship question on the census. Efforts by the administration of President Donald Trump to include the question of whether a respondent is a citizen on the full census form have met with pushback. The matter is expected to appear before the United States Supreme Court on April 23 following a federal district court ruling that the question could not be included.

The citizenship question, which has not been on the long form since 1950 has sparked concerns that it could cause low participation. Bysiewicz said federal law protects personal data so no law enforcement agency can use it against respondents.

Whether that question is on the census or not, it is important that everyone fill out the census because its not about your citizenship status its about counting the number of people we have in our state and our country, Bysiewicz said, adding that they will be relying on trusted partners in the community to get the message out.

According to Mark Plumley from the United States Census, which is hiring people for its Connecticut offices for $25 an hour at www.2020census.gov/jobs, the questionnaires will start going out in March 2020 to all homes. People can respond by mail, phone or online. Follow-up emails and door to door visits will take place in May and June.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
BRIDGEPORT  Police have arrested a third teenager in string of fires around the state including the blaze that destroyed the Shakespeare Theater in Stratford.

Capt. Frank Eannotti said Tuesday the teen was charged with conspiracy to commit arson in the third degree, criminal trespass, burglary and criminal mischief.

It follows the Monday arrests of two high school students from Stratford. The youths, one 18 and the other 17, are students at Bunnell High School and were charged with setting the fire that destroyed the theater and a truck in Stratford.

The names of the youths were not immediately released because they were juveniles at the time some of the fires were set.

All three, Eannotti said, were arrested in connection with recent arson and burglary incidents within the town including the arson at Shakespeare Theater.

At least one of the cases has been transferred to Superior Court in Bridgeport, though it was unclear Monday afternoon whether the suspects will be prosecuted as adults.

Eannotti said the two juveniles arrested Monday were each charged with first-degree arson, first-degree burglary, second-degree criminal trespass, first-degree reckless endangerment, conspiracy to commit third-degree arson, third-degree burglary and third-degree criminal mischief.

Frank Riccio II, a lawyer representing one of the suspects, said: This is still an ongoing investigation, therefore my comments will remain limited. We will comment further as the court processes continue.

Ongoing investigation

In all, police sources said the two teens are believed to have set six fires, including two in West Haven, the storage trailers at Silver Sands State Park and one that heavily damaged the former Southbury Training School.

Five police agencies have been involved in the investigation, which are being coordinated by Supervisory Assistant States Attorney Howard Stein and Assistant States Attorney Alex Beck in Milford.

Both declined comment.

Police sources said the two teens confessed to setting the fires and that there may be two other students involved. They said the investigation is continuing.

Sources stressed that there is no evidence the teens set the fire that destroyed the buildings at Silver Sands - that separate fire has not been ruled arson - but sources said the teens might have taken advantage of that situation to set the trailers on fire.

Fires that police sources said are attributed to the teens:

Jan. 13: Fire that destroyed the American Shakespeare Theater in Stratford.

Jan. 15: Vacant building at the Southbury Training School damaged in fire.

Feb. 8: Vacant house on Richards Place in West Haven destroyed by fire.

Feb. 17: Former Bilco Co. in West Haven damaged by fire.

March 9: Truck set afire at Good Earth Tree Care on Longbrook Avenue in Stratford.

March 24: Fire damages construction trailers at Silver Sands State Park in Milford.

In the early morning of Jan. 13, the American Shakespeare Theater, which once showcased the work of Katharine Hepburn, John Houseman and James Earl Jones, and in its heyday was the second-most popular tourist attraction in the state, burst into flames. The fire raged on through the early morning hours as firefighters from Stratford and Milford fought to get it under control. But in the end, all that was left was a blackened frame.

The state fire marshals office later determined that the fire had been set, police said.

On March 19, an early morning fire destroyed the nearly completed bathroom and concession buildings at Silver Sands in Milford. Days later, police said an arson fire heavily damaged the construction trailers near the original fire at the park.

Police confirmed that there is no evidence the fire at the Silver Sand Park buildings was arson, but arson was the cause of the fire that damaged the construction trailers at the park.

A Department of Energy and Environmental Protection spokesman said Monday that the fire remains under investigation and no arrests have been made.

Damages

Stratford Mayor Laura Hoydick said Monday the town submitted a claim totaling roughly $1.7 million to its insurance company Friday in connection with the January blaze.

She said more details would be released Monday night at the Town Councils monthly meeting.

It saddens me that its youths, Hoydick said of the arrests. At least theres a conclusion to this. Its something that we know now instead of something that was surmised.

Christopher Pia, a member of the Town Council who represents Stratfords First District, where the theater is located, agreed.

Im happy as a town we finally have clarity on what happened that night and we can move forward now as a community, he said.

Ed Goodrich organized a vigil in the aftermath of the fire attended by hundreds of people and now serves on a task force overseeing the conversation about what will happen at the property.

He said he was glad to see the investigation conclude.

Thats a big breakthrough, he said after learning of the arrests. Im very happy that they did that and congratulations to the investigators and fire department and police that tracked that down.

Goodrich said he hopes the town will continue to look into what exactly happened.

They spent a lot of money on making that building safe and secure, he said. The next investigation is to see exactly that they spent that money on, because that didnt make the building safe or secure.

Staff writer Ethan Fry contributed to this story.
WESTPORT  Greenwich billionaire Ray Dalio gave viewers a rare look inside the Westport offices of his company Bridgewater Associates in an interview that aired on CBSs show 60 Minutes Sunday.

Walking through Bridgewaters property at Westports Nyala Farms center, a 53-acre campus in the Greens Farms section of town, Dalio told 60 Minutes Correspondent Bill Whitaker that wealth inequality in America is a national emergency.

It may be surprising to hear Dalio, founder of one of the worlds largest hedge funds, say the American Dream is lost because of the wealth gap. But Dalio, whose firm manages $160 billion, said American capitalism is not sustainable without a reallocation of resources through increased taxation on wealthy people like himself.

Capitalism needs to be reformed. It doesnt need to be abandoned. So, like anything, like a car, like anything, a plan, a school system, anything, it needs to be reformed in order to work better, Dalio told Whitaker.

Dalios 60 Minutes interview came two days after he announced a five-year $100 million commitment to the state of Connecticut.

The funds  which will be matched by $100 million from the state and $100 million from other philanthropists and business leaders  will be used to benefit students in under-resourced communities with a specific focus on communities where there is both a high poverty rate and a high concentration of young people who are showing signs of disengagement or disconnection from high school.

It is the largest known philanthropic donation to benefit the state in Connecticuts history.

Includes reporting by Kaitlyn Krasselt

svaughan@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2638; @SophieCVaughan1
Visitors look around Hyundai Motor's booth at Opificio 31 - Via Tortona 31, which is one of the venues of 2019 Milan Design Week in Italy, Tuesday. Marking its third participation in the event, the carmaker showcased objects applied with its new design language of "Style Set Free." Courtesy of Hyundai Motor
WESTPORT  Superintendent Colleen Palmer will not return to Westport Public Schools, Board of Education Chair Mark Mathias said.

For the remainder of her employment with the board, Dr. Palmer will be on leave for medical reasons, Mathias said at Mondays Board of Education (BOE) meeting before the board unanimously voted on Palmers separation agreement with the BOE.

Transitions are inevitable and this is one of those times when there is a transition. Her retirement was announced earlier this year and so given this new information were helping move the district along and forward, Mathias said, thanking Palmer on behalf of the BOE for her three years of service in Westport.

In Palmers place, the BOE appointed Anthony Buono, currently Assistant Superintendent, to the position of Acting Superintendent of Schools.

Buono will serve in the role on a short-term basis, Mathias said. Dr. Buono is our acting superintendent of schools. We are in fact looking for a interim superintendent of schools. We dont yet have a date for when that will occur, Mathias said.

Well probably have an interim superintendent for next year, Mathias said in a March 27 interview with the Westport News, noting the BOE will likely conduct a search for a permanent superintendent while the interim is in charge.

Im honored to accept the position until the board is able to find a suitable replacement, Buono said.

Palmers separation agreement stipulates she will receive her full salary until she leaves Westport schools in August. Last year Palmer topped the list of Westports highest-paid town employees, with a salary of $300,411, which means Palmer will be paid a salary of about $5,777 per week and $138,648 in total while away on medical leave until her contract ends.

The terms of Palmers retirement package were not stipulated in the separation agreement.

Palmer announced her resignation from the district on March 14, at which time she said she planned to retire effective Aug. 1.

In the weeks since Palmers announcement, however, information came out about the alleged turmoil in the district over which Palmer presided. A survey released a few days before Palmer announced her resignation shows widespread discontent, distrust and concern among Westport school administrators.

The night before the announcement, the Westport Parent Teacher Association sent a letter to the education board calling for a third-party independent investigation into the workplace culture of town schools.

Palmer did not return to the district after she told administrators she would be away due to a family emergency on March 22, at which time Buono took charge, although his title as Acting Superintendent was not solidified until Mondays meeting.

In leaving Westport, Palmer concludes a 35-year career in the education sector in Connecticut, which included time as principal of Simsbury High School, Hamden High School and Nonnewaug High School.

Palmer was named Superintendent of the Year by the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents in 2016, but has had a difficult tenure in Westport.

For the past two years, Palmer sparred with towns Board of Finance over the education budget, and this year faced significant criticism from parents who said Palmer poorly handled the closing of Coleytown Middle School due to issues with mold.

Acting Superintendent Buono came to Westport last July to serve as the assistant superintendent of teaching and learning, and before that worked as the associate superintendent for Branford Public Schools.

svaughan@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2638; @SophieCVaughan1
The bridge crosses the Yalu River on the border between China and North Korea. Photo from South China Morning Post



By Lee Jeong-ho





China and North Korea have finally opened a border bridge built between the two countries in 2016, in a potential boost to the North's economy as Beijing tries to balance its concerns about its neighbour against ongoing international pressure for it to denuclearise.



A border checkpoint and bridge connecting the Chinese city of Jian with North Korea's Manpo were open on Monday, following three years of delays since they were built.



Four buses crossed the border from North Korea in the morning and returned to the hermit kingdom about an hour later carrying about 120 people, who included tourists, according to South Korean media. It was not known whether the people travelled from North Korea or boarded the buses in China.



The bridge had remained closed on its completion in 2016, with Beijing taking a cautious approach at a time when it faced international scrutiny of whether it was fully implementing UN Security Council sanctions on the North.



US President Donald Trump suggested after his first summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore last June that China "may be" doing something to sabotage his denuclearisation deal with Kim.



China vowed last July to enforce the sanctions after a UN committee accused it and South Korea of being reluctant to enforce a ban on coal exports from the North.



But there has been a change in the status of the Jian-Manpo border crossing  built near to where Kim's father, the former leader Kim Jong-il, was reported to have crossed the border in 2010 in a rare trip outside his country.





In this Jan. 8, 2019, photo provided on Jan. 10, 2019, by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, center left, review honor guard at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. AP-Yonhap
He Lifeng, head of China's National Development and Reform Commission, prepares to leave after a press conference on advancing high-quality development of China's economy for the second session of the 13th National People's Congress in Beijing, capital of China, March 6, 2019. Xinhua-Yonhap





By Zheping Huang







China's top economic planning body has proposed new rules that would see the closure of all local cryptocurrency mining facilities if enacted  a move that would potentially end the country's dominance in the energy-hungry, yet lucrative industry.







The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) on Monday unveiled amendments to its guidance for adjustments to the nation's industrial structure, including categories that are encouraged, restricted and eliminated. Cryptocurrency mining was included among sectors to be eliminated immediately. The new list is under public consultation until May 7.







The NDRC did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent via a message board on its website.







Cryptocurrency mining is the process of validating transactions in digital forms of money like bitcoin and ethereum in exchange for new coins given as a reward. The specialised computers used for the mining activity consume large amounts of electricity.







Representation of the Bitcoin virtual currency standing on a PC motherboard is seen in this illustration picture, Feb. 3, 2018. Reuters-Yonhap





Industries in the eliminated category include those seen as wasting energy or polluting the environment, according to rules enacted by China's cabinet in 2005. Investment and loans in those industries are banned. During the elimination period, authorities are allowed to raise electricity prices for relevant businesses to force them to close. The manufacturing, sale, and use of products in the eliminated categories are also prohibited.







China is home to some of the world's largest cryptocurrency mining farms  data centres hosting the mining rigs  thanks to cheap electricity in the country's coal-rich Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia regions. In recent months, Chinese miners are known to have deployed machines in the southern Yunnan and Sichuan provinces to take advantage of the even cheaper hydropower available there during the rainy season.







If the new rules are enacted, Chinese miners will have to give up their bases in Yunnan and Sichuan and move operations to foreign countries, said Michael Zhong, an analyst with Beijing-based cryptocurrency research firm TokenInsight.







"Bitcoin mining will no longer be dominated by China but become more decentralised," he said.







Two technicians inspect bitcoin mining at Bitfarms in Saint Hyacinthe, Quebec, on March 19, 2018.AFP-Yonhap





This is not the first time authorities have cracked down on cryptocurrency mining. In January last year, China's top internet-finance regulator issued a notice demanding companies carry out an "orderly exit" from the business, citing risk of speculation of virtual currencies, according to internal documents leaked online at the time. Although the order was not followed through, it spurred many local miners to scout for backup options in countries like the US and Canada.







In addition to the immediate risk to mining farms, the new rules also bring uncertainty to Chinese makers of cryptocurrency mining rigs including Beijing-based Bitmain Technologies, which in 2017 controlled an estimated three quarters of the global market. By mid-2018, the company also operated 11 mining farms in China, mainly located in Sichuan, Xinjiang, and Inner Mongolia, according to a prospectus issued for a possible IPO filing, which expired last month.







Bitmain declined to comment.







In September 2017, China banned cryptocurrency exchanges that served local customers, spurring a plunge in bitcoin prices at the time.







Bitcoin, the world's most traded cryptocurrency, is now at around US$5,200, its highest level in four months.


Wilkes is the highest ranked institution in Luzerne County and within the top 25 percent of independent institutions in the nation. Wilkes University is once again being recognized for its commitment to social mobility. In
Theres a time-honoured tenet that opera must be a darkly serious affair, lurking in the shadows of heartbreak and despair with tragedy only a few notes away.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 8/4/2019 (981 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Theres a time-honoured tenet that "opera" must be a darkly serious affair, lurking in the shadows of heartbreak and despair with tragedy only a few notes away.

Cue silliness, in the case of Rossinis The Barber of Seville, with its two fulsome acts rocket-fuelled by madcap buffoonery, disguises, slapstick and pratfalls with plenty of sight gags along the way. And not to forget nearly three hours of effervescent music, with several of its iconic arias considered cornerstones of the vocal repertoire that have even inspired a certain "pesky wabbit," a.k.a. Bugs Bunnys The Rabbit of Seville.

Opera Review Click to Expand Manitoba Opera: The Barber of Seville  Saturday, April 6  Centennial Concert Hall  Next shows: Tuesday, 7 p.m. and Friday, 7:30 p.m.  Tickets: $45.25-$164 at mbopera.ca and 204-944-8824. Senior, youth and student discounts available. 1/2 out of five

Manitoba Opera capped its season on a high note with the 203-year old opera buffa directed by Montreals Alain Gauthier. Saturday nights opener showcased a strong cast of five principals with Tyrone Paterson leading the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra with customary finesse.

The 185-minute production (including intermission) based on Cesare Sterbinis Italian libretto tells the tale of Figaro, a jack-of-all-trades who schemes to bring together the feisty Rosina, held captive by her lecherous guardian Dr. Bartolo and his love-smitten friend, Count Almaviva, who wishes to wed his ward for her dowry. Admittedly, the opera is more than a little plot-shy, relying rather on its stable of colourful characters painted with broad brushstrokes to bring its narrative to life.

First up is Figaro, with internationally renowned Canadian baritone Elliot Madores dazzling Manitoba Opera debut as the tall, dark and strapping barber exuding conviction and swaggering ease every time he took the stage, his booming vocals filling the hall and matched only by his kilowatt smile.

Figaro, played by Elliot Madore (right), comes to the rescue of Rosina, played by Andrea Hill, and Count Almaviva, played by Andrew Owens. Rosina and the count were caught in their tryst by Dr. Bartolo, played by Steven Cody. (Robert Tinker photo)

He nearly stopped the show with his opening-act entrance aria, Largo al Factotum, receiving prolonged applause with cries of bravo for his performance delivered with the energy of a charging toro in a Spanish bull ring, which only gathered momentum until his final, enthralling burst of tongue-twisting patter spat out with razor-sharp precision. It is hoped this dynamo will return to the Centennial Concert Hall stage again  and soon.

Canadian mezzo-soprano Andrea Hill, also in her Manitoba Opera debut, reprises her role of Rosina from Calgary Operas November 2017 production, also directed by Gauthier. She instilled flesh-and-blood nuance into her all-too-human character, her growing exasperation at being locked away by Bartolo palpable.

Elliot Madore plays Figaro in The Barber of Seville, Rossini's delightfully silly opera. Madore's booming baritone voice is a show-stopper. (Robert Tinker photo)

Her opening cavatina Una voce poca fa immediately displayed her full palette of tonal colours, including a shimmering upper register and warmly burnished tones in her lower range. It also provided the first taste of her sparkling coloratura, as she nimbly scaled vocal heights with quicksilver runs, later heard as well during the duet Dunque io son...tu non minganni?, sung with Figaro.

Like Madore, Hill is also a crackerjack actor, possessing a flawless comedic timing that includes furiously plucking flower petals in rhythm during her coloratura passages, and mugging and mocking Bartolo during the second-act "lesson scene" that elicited guffaws from the crowd.

American tenor Andrew Owens plays Count Almaviva  first appearing as poor student Lindoro  admittedly had a tough act to follow with his own opening cavatina, Ecco, ridente in cielo performed in the riptide of Winnipeg baritone David Watsons servant Fiorello (also doubling as the Notary), with the latters earth-shaking vocals seemingly a force of nature.

Nevertheless, despite a few minor intonation issues and balance issues with the orchestra that quickly settled, Owens supple voice as a true Rossini leggero tenor proved its expressive best during Se il mio nome saper voi bramate, accompanied by Figaros mimed guitar accompaniment, and sung with elegant grace.

Giles Tomkins' performance of Act Is "slander" aria, La calunnia with its famous long crescendo in which he advises Bartolo to smear Count Almavivas name, was an early highlight

American baritone Steven Condy created an imperious Dr. Bartolo, who bellows orders, and is also unafraid to let his own hair down when warbling during his own number in falsetto after taking over from Rosinas The Useless Precaution during her singing lesson. His A un dottor della mia sorte that ends with his own crisply executed patter did not disappoint, straddling both worlds of hilarity and threatening power.

Canadian bass-baritone Giles Tomkins likewise brought dramatic intensity to his role as Don Basilio, Rosinas vocal tutor and ostensibly Bartolos slimy sidekick. His performance of Act Is "slander" aria, La calunnia with its famous long crescendo in which he advises Bartolo to smear Count Almavivas name, was an early highlight.

Special mention must be made of Winnipeg soprano Andrea Lett, who threw herself into her role as whiskey-swilling, cigarette-puffing maid Berta. Her heart-wrenching second-act aria Il vecchiotto cerca moglie in which she reveals her fear of growing old without love, became the operas poignant underbelly and sober second thought, and was sung with artful compassion.

Gauthier wisely allows his cast to venture off-leash as the show progresses with the well-staged production (albeit a trifle "park n bark" at times) eliciting frequent hoots of laughter from the crowd.

Berta, played by Andrea Lett, jumps joyfully at the reaction she gets from grabbing the posterior of a drunken soldier, just one indication The Barber of Seville isn't intended as a dreary, serious opera. (Robert Tinker photo)

One of the overall highlights (naturally) included the lesson scene, with Almaviva, now disguised as mop-topped singing teacher Don Alonso, appearing to channel the wacky spirit of Victor Borge complete with "air harpsichord" effects.

The highly stylized Art Deco flavoured set originally designed by Ken MacDonald for Pacific Opera Victoria, evokes the swoops and angles of Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dali, instilling a dreamlike atmosphere further heightened by Winnipeg lighting designer Bill Williams shifting rainbow of pastel hues, with all costumes designed by Dana Osborne.

A recurring visual leitmotif of umbrellas, held aloft and twirled at strategic points (mostly) by an all-male Manitoba Opera Chorus (prepared by Tadeusz Biernacki) creates a fascinating counterpoint to the voices, as well as fetching eye-candy, especially during the opening tableau. Pure magic is also created (warning: spoiler alert) during Act Is final chorus Mi par desser con la testa when the policemens "bayonets" morph into brollies. However, despite the tightly synchronized choreography, this clever idea became too much of a good thing as overly fussy stage business, pulling focus from the leads also gamely navigating their own props.

Figaro! Fans of Bugs Bunny won't have to watch too hard to see why this opera spawned a cartoon parody. (Colin Corneau photo)

The first act alone clocks in at 105 minutes, with several scenes, including extended recitatives between characters needing to be tightened further. Still, the productions palpable joy delivered with gusto by a well-balanced cast makes one long for their own well-coiffed Figaro, able to fix all of lifes woes with a swish of his wrist and devil-may-care glint in his eye.

holly.harris@shaw.ca
The Liberal government is taking steps to stem the tide of asylum seekers who've been crossing into Canada from the U.S. at unofficial border crossings.
HONG KONG - A Hong Kong court found nine leaders of 2014 pro-democracy demonstrations guilty Tuesday on public nuisance and other charges, a verdict that activists say likely presages more restrictions on free expression in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

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This article was published 8/4/2019 (981 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Occupy Central leaders, from right, Benny Tai, Chu Yiu-ming and Chan Kin-man speak before entering a court in Hong Kong, Tuesday, April 9, 2019. Nine leaders of the 2014 Hong Kong pro-democracy movement are scheduled to hear the verdicts in their trial. The co-founders of the "Occupy Central" campaign - legal Professor Benny Tai, sociology professor Chan Kin-man and retired pastor Chu Yiu-ming - are facing charges related to the planning and implementation of the campaign which became part of the large-scale pro-democracy Umbrella Movement protests which were carried out 79 days between September and December 2014. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

HONG KONG - A Hong Kong court found nine leaders of 2014 pro-democracy demonstrations guilty Tuesday on public nuisance and other charges, a verdict that activists say likely presages more restrictions on free expression in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

Those convicted included law professor Benny Tai, retired sociology professor Chan Kin-man and pastor Chu Yiu-ming. Two current lawmakers, one former lawmaker, two student leaders and a political activist were also found guilty.

The nine were leaders of the nonviolent "Occupy Central" campaign to demand the right of the city's population to choose its own leader rather than merely approve a candidate picked by Beijing.

"Hong Kong courts, by labeling peaceful protests in pursuit of rights as public nuisance, are sending a terrible message that will likely embolden the government to prosecute more peaceful activists, further chilling free expression in Hong Kong," Maya Wang, senior China researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.

Occupy Central leaders, from right, Shiu Ka Chun, Lee Wing Tat, Raphael Wong, Benny Tai, Chan Kin Man, Chu Yiu Ming, Tanya Chan, Eason Chung and Tommy Cheung pose for photographers before entering a court in Hong Kong, Tuesday, April 9, 2019. Nine leaders of the 2014 Hong Kong pro-democracy movement will hear the verdicts in their trial. The co-founders of the "Occupy Central" campaign - legal Professor Benny Tai Yiu-Ting, sociology professor Chan Kin-man and retired pastor Chu Yiu-ming - are facing charges related to the planning and implementation of the campaign which became part of the large-scale pro-democracy Umbrella Movement protests which were carried out 79 days between September and December 2014. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Prior to the verdict's announcement, Chan said he and the others had no regrets for their actions but were chiefly concerned with the movement's legacy.

While the verdicts will have an impact on the individuals, "we are more concerned about how this movement will be recognized by the people of Hong Kong," Chan said.

Hong Kong's biggest popular protest in recent years, also known as the umbrella movement, laid siege to government headquarters and paralyzed Hong Kong's financial district for 79 days. Thousands staked out encampments on major thoroughfares. Several hundred were arrested.

The movement fizzled without winning concessions from the Hong Kong government for free elections and the pro-democracy movement has struggled to retain a high profile in recent years.

More than 100 supporters, some raising yellow umbrellas that were a symbol of the protests, gathered Tuesday at the courthouse in the West Kowloon district.

FILE - In this Oct. 9, 2014, file photo, a protester holds an umbrella during a performance on a main road in the occupied areas outside government headquarters in Hong Kong's Admiralty. A Hong Kong court has found nine leaders of 2014 pro-democracy demonstrations guilty on public nuisance and other charges. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

Tai said that was a sign the spirit of the protests lived on.

"I have the confidence, many people today, with me together, we will continue to strive for Hong Kong's democracy. And we will persist and we will not give up," Tai said.

Ranging in age from their 30s to 70s , the nine defendants span generations of Hong Kong citizens who have been agitating for full democracy.

Tai, Chan and Chu were found guilty of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance. Tai and Chan were also found guilty of inciting others to cause a public nuisance, while the other six were found guilty of inciting others to cause a public nuisance, as well as inciting people to incite others to cause a public nuisance.

Each charge carries a maximum penalty of seven years. The defendants had all pleaded not guilty, calling the prosecutions politically motivated. They returned for an additional session Tuesday afternoon but departed without offering comments. The court proceedings will resume on Wednesday.

Three university students prosecuted in 2016 for their leadership roles in the protests received community service. But Hong Kong judges have since faced mounting pressure from Beijing to hand down heavier sentences to deter future protests.

Some fear that central government meddling will erode judicial independence, a bedrock value that undergirds the city's standing as a global business capital.

The former British colony was handed over to Chinese rule in 1997 under an agreement in which China promised it could retain its own laws, economic system and civil rights for 50 years.

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However, China's ruling Communist Party under authoritarian President Xi Jinping appears to be growing impatient with efforts by Hong Kong activists to promote greater democracy. The Hong Kong government last year banned a local political party that advocated the territory's independence from Beijing.

China's foreign ministry said it supports the guilty verdict because the protests "seriously damaged the prosperity, stability and normal life order" of Hong Kong people.

The government's "decision to maintain the normal order of public life should be beyond reproach," spokesman Lu Kang said during a routine news briefing. Lu added that some people's "one-sided understanding that the judgment damages Hong Kong's social freedom is unreasonable and unfounded."

Man-kei Tam, Director of Amnesty International Hong Kong, called the verdicts a "crushing blow for freedom of expression and peaceful protest in Hong Kong."

"The government is increasingly using prosecutions as a political tool to target peaceful activists, abusing the law to silence debate about sensitive issues such as Hong Kong democracy and autonomy," Tam said.

"We urge the government to cease this chilling assault against people legitimately exercising their right to freedom of expression," he said.
A ceremony marking a year of cooperation between national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines and its French counterpart Air France was held in Paris on April 8.

Director of the Vietnam Airlines Office in France and Europe Cao Anh Son said after a year of operation, the joint venture between the largest carriers of Vietnam and France is thriving, serving 355,000 passengers in 2018.

Sebastien Guillot, head of Air Frances marketing in France, said the joint venture contributes to affirming the position of the two airlines in the Vietnamese market.

Officially launched in November 2017, the joint venture has enhanced services and connections thanks to suitable schedules of flights departing from Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, Noi Bai airport in Hanoi and Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh City.

After joining the SkyTeam airline alliance in 2010, Vietnam Airlines began to codeshare with Air France in flights between the countries.

Previously, the carriers worked together for more than 20 years in aircraft maintenance and aviation human resource training.

Currently, Air France operates three flights per week between Paris and HCM City with its Boeing 777 aircraft, along with daily flights between Paris and Hanoi using Vietnam Airlines Airbus A350.-VNA
A home-care agency that started out in rural Manitoba is expanding to the big city.

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This article was published 8/4/2019 (981 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A home-care agency that started out in rural Manitoba is expanding to the big city.

Heavenly Care Agency, which offers personalized care and companionship for elderly clients, opened its doors in the summer of 2018 with outposts in Morden and Carman. Celma Pinto, the companys CEO and a trained health-care aide, says the response in those communities was strong, which suggested to her Winnipeg might be worth exploring as a third market.

"The aging population is growing (in rural Manitoba)," said Pinto, who also has a commerce degree from the Asper School of Business. "That same thing is happening in Winnipeg."

According to a 2018 provincial Health, Seniors and Active Living population report, approximately 15.8 per cent of people living within the Winnipeg Health Region are at or above the age of 65. By 2040, a report by the Conference Board of Canada predicts that portion of the population will jump to 21.1 per cent.

As the population ages, Pinto says, the demand for services increases. And, from her research and in her experience, there was a gap for services that allowed for seniors to receive care  including bathing, cleaning, grooming, transport or accompaniment  while remaining independent and at home.

Before she started the business last summer, Pinto visited rural communities and got a sense that many seniors seeking care had to leave their communities to get it.

"I thought, Whats a better way for me to help these people where they can stay in their communities without being displaced?"

The agency officially opened in Morden in September, and Carman in November.

Pinto understands how it feels to be displaced: when she came to Winnipeg from Mozambique, on a scholarship to the University of Manitoba, she spoke Portuguese and struggled to learn English and to keep up with her new surroundings.

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When she graduated, she began to settle in, but it took time, and finding a career in the financial field proved difficult. Her mother was a nurse, she said, so she was drawn to do the same type of work, which led to her enrolment at Robertson College to become a health-care aide, working in clinical and home settings. She later studied nursing at Red River College, but didnt finish the program. Still, she knew that caring for seniors was her calling.

Pinto says her business is aimed at personalizing care for seniors, meaning her hired care providers can do anything within their abilities to make life at home easier for clients, and assess their needs ahead of time. That could mean doing anything from coming over to help with food preparation, medication monitoring and laundry or accompanying clients on trips to the doctors office.

"Home care is not going to clean your fridge," she laughed. "Theres no limitations with us."

Pinto says she often encourages clients to apply for the provincial self- and family-managed care programs, which assesses a persons need level and then gives them or a family member the appropriate financial means to take care of themselves. "If they cant do it, they come to an agency like us."

For now, the agency is operating out of Pintos home, but she is seeking an office space in the city. The services cost a baseline fee of $25 per hour, and a free consultation is offered.

business@freepress.mb.ca
CALGARY - A proposed federal bill that aims to change the way Ottawa assesses major energy projects was given a rough ride in Calgary on Tuesday.

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Pro-pipeline supporters rally outside a public hearing of the Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources regarding Bill C-69 in Calgary, Alta., Tuesday, April 9, 2019.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

CALGARY - A proposed federal bill that aims to change the way Ottawa assesses major energy projects was given a rough ride in Calgary on Tuesday.

Representatives of Canada's biggest oil and gas companies took turns demanding major changes to Bill C-69 before a Senate committee on a cross-Canada series of hearings that started in Vancouver on Monday.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people rallied outside the downtown hotel where the hearing was taking place, chanting "Kill that Bill" and waving signs  a scene that is becoming typical whenever federal politicians come to Calgary.

"Bill C-69 as currently written is unworkable," Steve Laut, executive vice-chairman of oilsands producer Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., told the senators.

"However, with common sense amendments, we can make this bill workable and create a large number of well-paying jobs for Canadians, unleash Canadian ingenuity, support investment in a low-carbon energy mix and make Canada a world leader on climate change."

The testimony senators have been gathering will likely result in amendment recommendations by May 9 when the energy committee is scheduled to give its report to the Senate, said chairwoman Rosa Galvez in an interview.

She added she thinks it's possible for the bill to be sent back to the House of Commons by June, giving enough time to be passed into law before it shuts down ahead of the expected October federal election.

Bill C-69 would repeal the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act and retire the National Energy Board, leaving the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada and the Canadian Energy Regulator as authorities responsible for assessments of the environmental, health, social and economic impacts of designated projects.

Spokespeople for large oilsands producers Canadian Natural, Suncor Energy Inc., Imperial Oil Ltd. and Cenovus Energy told the hearing they support the intent of the bill to improve the regulatory process but only if sweeping amendments proposed by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers are adopted.

They also expressed concern about what projects will be on the designated list, noting that crucial information has not yet been released by the federal government.

CAPP's changes would prevent public policy debates from being part of project assessments, would restrict application interveners to those directly affected by the project or with expertise, would require firm timelines and would limit government ministers' discretionary powers.

"I think it's crucial (the amendments) get adopted. Canada can't sustain the damage that the bill in its current form would cast on our economy," said CAPP CEO Tim McMillan, speaking on the rally sidelines outside the hotel.

"I think the fact so many people would show up on a Tuesday morning speaks to the importance."

Also testifying Tuesday morning was Chief Roy Fox of the Blood Tribe of southern Alberta, who said oil and gas development has taken place on his reserve since the 1950s with no environmental problems.

"I understand that the regulatory approval process as it stands in Canada is flawed, but Bill C-69, as it is written, just makes that process worse," he testified.

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"It is poorly worded and vague and, as a result, the oil and gas industry is already moving their investment out of the country. But we, the Indigenous peoples, cannot move our territories."

Price discounts for western Canadian oil and gas blamed on a lack of export pipeline capacity caused his reserve's energy royalties to drop from $610,000 last August to $120,000 in January, he said.

He added an investment chill means producers are less willing to spend money to expand production on the reserve.

Suncor is concerned about Bill C-69's potential to greatly increase the time it takes to approve offshore exploration drilling, which would hurt Canada's competitiveness with other countries, testified Ginny Flood, vice-president of government relations for the company.

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CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico - To deal with a surge of migrating Central American families, the Trump administration has reassigned so many inspectors from U.S.-Mexico border crossings that truckers are waiting in line for hours and sometimes days to get shipments to the United States.

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This April 2, 2019, photo shows the port of entry from Mexicali, Mexico to Calexico, Calif. The Trump administration has reassigned so many inspectors from U.S.-Mexico border crossings that it has caused huge traffic backups for truckers who are waiting in line for hours and in some case days to get shipments to the U.S. (Mark Holtzman/West Coast Aerial Photography Inc. via AP)

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico - To deal with a surge of migrating Central American families, the Trump administration has reassigned so many inspectors from U.S.-Mexico border crossings that truckers are waiting in line for hours and sometimes days to get shipments to the United States.

Truckers have been sleeping in their vehicles to hold spots in line in Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas. The city brought in portable toilets, and an engine oil company hired models in skin-tight clothing to hand out burritos and bottled water to idled drivers.

"My family doesn't recognize me at home anymore," Jaime Monroy, a trucker who lives in Ciudad Juarez, said after sleeping overnight in his truck hauling a load of wooden furniture. "I leave at 3 in the morning and come back at 10 at night."

The waits are a reminder that even though President Donald Trump walked back his threat to close the border, the administration has created significant impediments for truckers and travellers with its redeployment of customs agents.

Business leaders are starting to lose patience as they struggle to get products to American grocery stores, manufacturers and construction sites.

A driver is reflected in the mirror of his truck as he waits to cross the border with the United States in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Tuesday, April 9, 2019. Reassignments of border inspectors at land crossings with Mexico have exacerbated wait times for truckers. (AP Photo/Christian Torres)

"This is a systemwide issue," said Paola Avila, chairwoman of the Border Trade Alliance, a group that advocates for cross-border commerce. "Everyone's feeling this."

The traffic congestion comes as a growing number of families from Central America have been arriving at the border in recent months, overwhelming the federal government.

The Border Patrol said Tuesday that it set a new monthly record for apprehensions of families in March. More than 53,000 family members were stopped at the border in March, an average of more than 1,700 per day. That breaks a record set in February, when 36,000 parents and children were apprehended.

Trump responded by shaking up the top ranks of the Department of Homeland Security, culminating with the resignation of Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

The migrant families have forced many line agents into humanitarian roles and have strained detention facilities built when the Border Patrol primarily apprehended single adult men.

The administration has in turn reassigned 541 border inspectors to other jobs, including processing migrants, providing transportation and performing hospital watch for migrants who require medical attention. It is unknown when they will return to their regular job of screening people and cargo for smuggling.

Trucks wait to cross the border with the U.S. in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Tuesday, April 9, 2019. Reassignments of border inspectors at land crossings with Mexico have exacerbated wait times for truckers. (AP Photo/Christian Torres)

Border Patrol agents, who guard areas between ports, are also doing jobs they were not trained to do, such as medical screenings for children and families in the migrant holding camps.

In El Paso, authorities have closed one bridge to truckers, directing them to two other nearby crossings. At San Diego's only truck crossing, two of 10 lanes are closed.

In Nogales, Arizona, the government on Sundays is closing a commercial facility that is crucial to cross-border trade. Up to 12,000 commercial trucks cross the border in Nogales every day, often bringing watermelons, eggplants, berries and grapes.

Wait times have doubled at the Santa Teresa, New Mexico, port of entry.

"What we're seeing is a lot of companies making their drivers sleep in their trucks to keep their place in line for the next day," said Jerry Pacheco, president of the Border Industrial Association and executive director of the International Business Accelerator.

In recent years, the rural outpost has become a boomtown of warehouses and industrial parks that funnel raw materials and products back and forth across the border.

"Here we are growing companies and growing jobs and everything is great. We added another industrial park with job prospects in tow and then all this happens," Pacheco said of the latest expansion.

The agency's commissioner, Kevin McAleenan, who was named acting Homeland Security secretary on Sunday, warned of traffic delays when he announced last month in El Paso that inspectors from across the border would be reassigned. Authorities raised the possibility that as many as 2,000 inspectors could be pulled from ports of entry.

A Customs and Border Protection mobile app suggested the bottlenecks may have eased by Tuesday. The wait time for truckers was estimated at three hours in San Diego, 2 1/2 hours in El Paso and two hours in Laredo. Still, truckers said wait times have lengthened considerably since authorities announced the reassignments.

"This all started about two weeks ago with Trump," said driver Arturo Menendez, 44, who first entered the line at 4 a.m. Friday with his tractor-trailer full of cardboard used in boxes for U.S.-made products like Toro lawn mowers.

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At 6 p.m. he was told to leave ahead of the unprecedented closure of all lanes at the Bridge of the Americas on Saturday.

He tried again Monday, waiting in a line behind of hundreds of trucks passing through three security checks back at the Bridge of the Americas.

Avila, who is also the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce's vice-president for international affairs, said the delays could encourage more companies to move to Asia, hurting jobs in the U.S. and Mexico.

"Now we're discouraging overseas production," she said. "We're cutting out the American manufacturer or the Mexican manufacturer that employs U.S. workers."

___

Associated Press writers Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Astrid Galvan in Phoenix and Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this report.
Chateau Roofing and Siding, one of the city's best-known roofers, shut its doors last month and is out of business.

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This article was published 8/4/2019 (981 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Chateau Roofing and Siding, one of the city's best-known roofers, shut its doors last month and is out of business.

Although plenty of rumours have been circulating among the competitive Manitoba roofing industry, Chateau's website and telephone system still give no clues to the business's demise.

However, Jillian Taylor-Mancusi, an official with licensed insolvency trustee, LCTaylor Inc., confirmed that "the company has ceased operating."

Around 10 Chateau trucks and trailers still sit in front of the company's Elmwood offices. Neighbours say the equipment has not moved in a few weeks.

While the corporation itself has not filed for bankruptcy or any kind of receivership, the sole director of the company, Paul Beaulieu, has filed for personal bankruptcy protection. But even he says he is not sure what will happen next.

"I dont even know what is going on at Chateau," he said.

PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Chateau Roofing and Siding was one of the best-known names in the Winnipeg roofing business for a couple of decades.

Beaulieu, who had been nominally running the company since the founder and former president, Gerald Laurin, died suddenly in September 2017, was essentially thrust into the leadership role by that tragedy.

The closure of the business was the end of what sounds like a fairly chaotic year and a half for a company which, in its heyday last decade, was unquestionably a key player in the city's roofing industry.

After Laurin's passing, with no real succession plan in place, Beaulieu and other staff members did their best to keep the company operating.

"With Gerrys passing and all the legal stuff that went into that, we started 2018 with absolutely nothing but creditor debt. No bank loans, nothing. No line of credit, no visa credit. It was essentially a cash business." Paul Beaulieu

"With Gerrys passing and all the legal stuff that went into that, we started 2018 with absolutely nothing but creditor debt. No bank loans, nothing. No line of credit, no visa credit. It was essentially a cash business," Beaulieu said.

"It was hard operating a business like that. No one would give us a line of credit based on current ownership (Beaulieu, himself), not that there was anything wrong with me but I didnt have any assets."

Beaulieu said it became apparent last month there were several unpaid Canada Revenue Agency accounts, including source deductions, GST and corporate tax. As the sole director of the company, Beaulieu would have been on the hook for those liabilities, which is why he filed for personal bankruptcy.

PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS - Chateau Roofing and Siding equipment and trucks parked, Office closed. See Martin Cash story. - April 3, 2019.

Taylor-Mancusi, who is handling Beaulieu's bankruptcy, said director liability meant Beaulieu was on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars owing to Canada Revenue Agency.

"The company owes more than $280,000 in unpaid source deductions and we dont know the actual amount of corporate tax or GST. We expect an audit any time," she said.

By his own account, Beaulieu's ascension to minority ownership position only a couple of months before Laurin's passing was a move to assist the company.

But he subsequently became the sole director of the corporation, and while employees did their best to keep things going, significant payables slipped through the cracks.

"It was just all the other intricacies... some things didnt get done that no one knew about. The only person who was doing it was Gerry," he said. "There were things that got missed that made it all more difficult."

PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Around 10 Chateau trucks and trailers still sit in front of the company's Transcona offices. Neighbours say the equipment has not moved in a few weeks.

George Fraser, executive director of the Manitoba Shingling Contractors Association, said the industry was well aware of the challenges the company faced after Laurin's passing.

"It was a difficult transition from his death in 2017," Fraser said. "And the market is very competitive as it is in all areas of construction. And it was understood that the company was not having an easy time of it before he died."

"The market is very competitive as it is in all areas of construction. And it was understood that the company was not having an easy time of it before he died." George Fraser

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Taylor-Mancusi said that while there are assets such as trucks and some roofing equipment, nothing is of substantial value and no official disposition of the assets has been established.

"CRA and source deductions have super priority over all the assets and the amount owing to source deductions is greater than the value of the existing assets," she said.

Industry players say they know there are suppliers who have outstanding accounts with Chateau, but it seems clear that whenever the Canada Revenue Agency finally makes a claim against Chateau, there is not likely to be anything left for those other creditors.

Beaulieu said prior to locking the doors and abandoning the assets, the seven remaining employees were told of the situation. He said one of them even volunteered to be laid off just days prior to the eventual closing.

Surprisingly, considering the financial vulnerability in which the company had been operating, it seems fairly certain that only one or two customers lost deposits on work that was not done  and now never will be done  by Chateau.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
BRUSSELS - Tough-guy France softened its stance Tuesday and showed willingness to accept yet another delay in the long-awaited Brexit, diminishing the chances that Britain would crash out of the European Union this week without any future plan.

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This article was published 9/4/2019 (980 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BRUSSELS - Tough-guy France softened its stance Tuesday and showed willingness to accept yet another delay in the long-awaited Brexit, diminishing the chances that Britain would crash out of the European Union this week without any future plan.

But British Prime Minister Theresa May still has a rough day ahead of her as she heads to an emergency summit in Brussels on Wednesday to plead for a new Brexit extension  for the second time in three weeks. Such gatherings aren't getting any friendlier.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, and British Prime Minister Theresa May, talk teach other after a meeting at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, April 9, 2019. Prime Minister Theresa May will hold talks with the leaders of Germany and France ahead of a key Brexit summit this week. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

With nearly everyone fully resigned to Britain's departure from the European Union, two questions took centre stage Tuesday: How  and when  to get the U.K. politely out the door.

EU countries, especially France, have become increasingly exasperated with the political division and uncertainty in Britain about a way forward.

The bloc's leaders have tried to help May over the past two years of negotiations, even after she missed her hand-picked Brexit departure date on March 29 because of a parliamentary revolt. After obtaining a delay until Friday, she will be asking for another postponement that lasts until June 30 at the special EU summit.

On a charm offensive with key leaders, May flew first to Berlin Tuesday to plead for good terms with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and then set off for Paris for an encounter with President Emmanuel Macron, seen as her counterpart with the toughest demands.

"France is really trying to play bad cop here," said Larissa Brunner, an analyst at European Policy Center, referring to French insistence that another extension to her deadline must come with strings attached and assurances from London.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel waves goodbye to British Prime Minister Theresa May after a meeting at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, April 9, 2019. Prime Minister Theresa May will hold talks with the leaders of Germany and France ahead of a key Brexit summit this week. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

However, an official in Macron's office said Tuesday that France was ready to accept a new delay.

While Macron still has a long list of conditions, it was a notable shift in France's tone compared to last week. The reason for the change was unclear, though concerns have been growing about how badly a hard Brexit would hit the French economy, too. France was also encouraged by May's outreach last week to Britain's political opposition to find a compromise, and Macron may have been swayed in part by a meeting with the Irish prime minister.

France, which has had a love-hate relationship with Britain for about 1,000 years, is now at the forefront to get the EU to take some decisive action.

"We won't be able to perpetually live with the exit of Brexit," French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said over the weekend. "At some point there is an exit."

Germany thinks likewise. "There isn't an endless readiness to keep talking about delays so long as there is no substantial progress on the British side," said Michael Roth, Germany's deputy foreign minister.

All eyes are now turned toward Macron, who has it in his power to force Britain to choose between a no-deal Brexit on Friday and cancelling its departure altogether. A drastic cliff-edge departure would have huge costs to businesses and trade across the English Channel and be very cumbersome to travellers as it would hit airports, ports, tariff rules and standard regulations overnight.

EU rules say that any extension to the Brexit deadline needs unanimity among the 27 other member states, and even if smaller member states would be hard-pressed to do it on their own, France has never shied away from being an EU leader  even at the expense of Britain.

After all, French President Charles De Gaulle twice vetoed British membership in the 1960s, and the two countries long fought tooth and nail over everything from farming to fishing rights to how much Britain should pay into the EU budget.

FILE - In this Dec. 8, 2017 file photo, British Prime Minister Theresa May, right, and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker prepare to address a media conference at EU headquarters in Brussels. EU leaders will confront May for the second time in three weeks on her governmentAos plans at an emergency Brexit summit on Wednesday, April 10, 2019, and such gatherings arenAot getting any friendlier. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, File)

Add to that France's long-held championing of state oversight of the economy as opposed to Britain's staunch defence of free-market liberalism, and the potential for political infighting has always been there.

Among conditions France is now setting to agree to a new delay: A "credible prospect" of some kind of solution to the British political deadlock. A promise that Britain won't keep asking for more delays. And guarantees that Britain would not be involved in future EU decisions while its Brexit drama is playing out.

"The longer the extension might be, the more guarantees are needed," the French official said, speaking on condition he not be named in keeping with presidential policy.

Britain's Byzantine parliamentary disarray that has left Brexit in a state of a flux has added to continental annoyance.

"We are in a very, very frustrating situation here," Germany's Roth said as he arrived Tuesday at an EU meeting in Luxembourg. But, he added, a disorderly Brexit would be "the worst of all options on the table."

"So far absolutely nothing has changed," Roth said. "Within the European Union, there isn't an endless readiness to keep talking about delays so long as there is no substantial progress on the British side."

Every British initiative to get a deal has floundered so far. Several days of talks between May's Conservative government and the main opposition Labour Party tried to find a compromise Brexit deal have failed to produce a breakthrough. Labour favours a softer Brexit than the government has proposed, and wants to retain a close economic relationship with the bloc.

After further talks Tuesday over an informal lunch of sandwiches and sausage rolls, the two sides said they would resume their discussions after Wednesday's EU summit.

May's Downing Street office said the talks had been "productive and wide-ranging." Labour business spokeswoman Rebecca Long-Bailey said there had not been "any fundamental shift ... but we're hopeful that progress will be made."

For two years, March 29 was the date etched in law to get Brexit through. It has come and gone, and the new red line has become the May 23-26 European elections and the July 2 start of the new five-year EU legislative session.

European Council President Donald Tusk has offered up the possibility of a long-term delay, a one-year "flextension."

But some EU leaders worry that could have drawbacks  especially after British Brexit-backers suggested they would try to make life difficult for the EU.

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Conservative lawmaker Mark Francois said that if the U.K. remained in the bloc, "then in return we will become a Trojan horse within the EU, which will utterly derail all your attempts to pursue a more federal project."

Little wonder EU leaders are looking for a true commitment of co-operation from May as a prerequisite for a long extension to the Brexit deadline.

__

Geir Moulson in Berlin and Danica Kirka and Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.

___

Follow AP's full coverage of Brexit at: https://www.apnews.com/Brexit
(Special) - Do you get stressed out at the thought of doing your income tax return each year? If you do, you're probably not alone.

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This article was published 9/4/2019 (980 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

(Special) - Do you get stressed out at the thought of doing your income tax return each year? If you do, you're probably not alone.

Tax experts recommend people start their tax preparation early by keeping good records and putting aside receipts throughout the year.

Create an envelope or file for all of your receipts and expenses and make sure you have all your tax information slips so that you have everything you need when you come to sit down and prepare your return or turn your information over to a tax professional to do it for you. Rushing around to get receipts at the last minute will only add to your level of frustration and stress.

It's probably a good idea to make a checklist of what you need before you start to prepare your return which might contain the following things like last year's return and notice of assessment. They can provide a wealth of information, serve as a guide for the current year's return and show things like unused RRSP contributions and unused amounts for tuition, losses, moving expenses and capital cost allowance.

Along with your own personal information such as date of birth and social insurance number you also may need the same details for your spouse and/or dependants as well as their income if you will be claiming certain tax credits.

Then you will want slips for all income sources such as employment, pension, investment and rental income, as well as a host of other things that could include child care payments, RRSP contributions, home office expenses, charitable donations, medical expenses, tuition fees, student loan interest, and spousal support payments made or received, among others.

One of the easiest ways to boost your tax savings is to take advantage of all eligible tax credits and deductions from both provincial and federal governments.

Tannis Dawson, vice-president of wealth advisory services with TD Bank, says a lot of Canadians could be missing out on the caregiver and/or disability credit because they don't know about them.

If you support a spouse or common-law partner or a dependant with a physical or mental disability you may be eligible for a non-refundable tax credit of up to $8,235. The amount you can claim depends on your relationship to the person for whom you are claiming the credit, your circumstances, the person's net income and whether other credits are being claimed for that person.

The credit transferred to a supporting person is the amount above what is needed to take the disabled person's tax to zero. The disabled individual must first prepare their tax return and then you will know the credit available to transfer to your return, but you do not need to send in any documents. Keep them in case the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) asks to see them.

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The CRA will require a T2201 disability certificate to be on file with a signed statement from a medical practitioner showing when the impairment began and how long it is expected to last. For children under the age of 18 the statement should show that the child is and likely will continue to be dependent on others for an indefinite duration because of their impairment.

There is another credit that may be called a caregiver credit of $6,986, which is income tested. If the dependent does not need the credit to reduce their taxes and their income is under $23,391, they can transfer it. The CRA may ask for a signed statement from a medical practitioner to indicate the impairment.

Dawson says the CRA has lots of information on its website that is organized by topics like medical expenses. There are a number of good apps available for things like tracking expenses and car mileage and there are lots of easy-to-use software packages available to help you in preparing and filing your return. Seniors and students with low incomes also can file by telephone.

If your tax situation is more complicated or you feel it is beyond your scope, getting a professional to do it for you might be the best option. What they save you in taxes or get for you in credits that you don't know about may make up for their professional fees.

Talbot Boggs is a Toronto-based business communications professional who has worked with national news organizations, magazines and corporations in the finance, retail, manufacturing and other industrial sectors.

Copyright 2019 Talbot Boggs
WASHINGTON - The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday downgraded its outlook for growth in the United States, Europe, Japan and the overall global economy and pointed to heightened trade tensions as a key reason.

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This article was published 9/4/2019 (980 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Deputy Director of Research Department at the IMF Gian Maria Milesi-Ferretti, center, speaks during a news conference at the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings, in Washington, Tuesday, April 9, 2019. Also shown, Chief Economist and Director of Research Department at the IMF Gita Gopinath, Division, right, and Chief of Research Department at the IMF Oya Celasun, left. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

WASHINGTON - The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday downgraded its outlook for growth in the United States, Europe, Japan and the overall global economy and pointed to heightened trade tensions as a key reason.

The IMF expects the world economy to grow 3.3% this year, down from 3.6% in 2018. That would match 2016 for the weakest year since 2009. In its previous forecast in January, the IMF had predicted that international growth would reach 3.5% this year.

For the United States, IMF economists downgraded their growth forecast for this year to 2.3% from 2.9% in 2018.

The gloomier picture in the IMF's latest World Economic Outlook contributed to a selloff in stocks, with investors concerned that slower global growth could weaken corporate earnings. It comes on the eve of meetings in Washington this week of the IMF and its sister lending organization, the World Bank. Those meetings are likely to be dominated by discussions of how to combat growing risks to international growth.

"This is a delicate moment for the global economy," Gita Gopinath, the IMF's chief economist, said at a news conference, while cautioning that the fund does not foresee an international recession.

Gopinath said it was "imperative that costly policy mistakes are avoided." In particular, she highlighted the need for the world's two biggest economies, the United States and China, to find a way to resolve their trade war, which has intensified global economic uncertainty.

If trade tensions worsen, Gopinath warned that it could trigger "large disruptions in global supply chains."

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In Europe, the IMF expects the 19 countries that use the euro currency to expand 1.3% collectively in 2019, weaker than last year's 1.8% growth or in any year since 2013.

Japan is expected to eke out 1% growth this year, up from 0.8% in 2018 but slightly down from the fund's earlier forecast.

The IMF foresees the Chinese economy growing 6.3% this year, down from 6.6% in 2018. But the fund's latest 2019 outlook was a slight upgrade from the 6.2% growth it had forecast for China in January.

China's prospects brightened, the fund said, after President Donald Trump decided to suspend a planned increase in tariffs on $200 billion worth of U.S.-bound Chinese exports.

Still, the fund is expressing worries about tensions between the world's two biggest economies, which have traded tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of products in a fight over China's aggressive push to supplant American technological supremacy. The prospect of Britain's messy departure from the European Union also weighs on the global economy.

The IMF expects growth in world trade to drop to 3.4% this year  a sharp slowdown from the 4% it had expected in January and from 3.8% trade growth in 2018.
The lawyer for former Winnipeg mayor Sam Katz and former City of Winnipeg chief administrative officer Phil Sheegl said news reports linking the pair to land investments in Arizona are scurrilous and inaccurate.

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This article was published 9/4/2019 (980 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The lawyer for former Winnipeg mayor Sam Katz and former City of Winnipeg chief administrative officer Phil Sheegl said news reports linking the pair to land investments in Arizona are "scurrilous" and inaccurate.

Robert Tapper said there was nothing illegal or improper with a Scottsdale, Ariz., investment  known as Toybarn  Katz made in 2015.

"The Toybarn (investment) is well after Sam and Phil were involved with the City of Winnipeg, and I dont think Phil was an investor, he was just an advisor," Tapper told the Free Press.

The CBC reported Tuesday that Katz was involved in two investments in Arizona that also involved the U.S. division of local industrial developer Terracon Development Ltd.

Terracon has been involved in Winnipeg civic infrastructure and development projects, including as part of the consortium that constructed the Chief Peguis Trail extension. The company is also suing city hall after council decided in 2015 to terminate a joint venture to develop a city-owned industrial park.

The Toybarn investment  which became a luxury condominium project  occurred in early 2015, the CBC reported.

Katz was mayor from 2004 to 2014, when he did not seek re-election. The new council took office in November 2014. Sheegl quit his post as CAO in October 2013.

The CBC referenced a second investment deal it alleged involved Katz and Terracon that occurred sometime in 2014. It said Katzs Scottsdale home was listed as the business address for the investment group.

However, the CBC said a Terracon official had told it in 2016 Katzs involvement in the 2014 deal was the result of a clerical error made by a U.S. lawyer, explaining Katz was never involved in that deal. The CBC reported Katz's address was removed from the paper work shortly afterwards.

Tapper said there should be no grounds to ask questions about Katzs business dealings  either while he was in office or when his time as mayor was over, explaining there are no legal prohibitions involving the business arrangements of an individual elected as mayor.

"Whatever you might think about the ethics of that, there is no blind trust issues with being a mayor and being a businessman. (Katz) was elected as a businessman. The people knew he was a businessman," Tapper said.

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"There was no obligation on him to park his assets and business interests in a blind trust. Thats true for certain elected officials  not for the mayor of Winnipeg, or any other mayor that Im aware of."

Katzs Arizona business dealings surfaced in early 2017, when it was explained as a defence against allegations he had shared a secret payment for awarding a construction contract.

In January 2017, Katz and Sheegl became linked to an RCMP investigation into the downtown Winnipeg police headquarters project when a police affidavit filed in court alleged Sheegl had accepted a secret $200,000 payment from Armik Babakhanians, owner of a construction company that had been awarded the headquarters contract.

The RCMP alleged the $200,000 payment to Sheegl had been made in exchange for his help in awarding the contract to Babakhanianss firm, Caspian Construction. Police allege Sheegl then shared those funds with Katz.

Tapper said, at the time, the $200,000 payment between Babakhanians and Sheegl was a business arrangement stemming from a 2011 Arizona real estate deal. Tapper said Babakhanians had bought a share in an interest in property held by Sheegl and Katz.

The RCMP investigation has been ongoing since December 2014. There has been no indication when, or if, charges will be brought against any of those under suspicion.
Opposition Leader Wab Kinew emerged Monday from a formal meeting with Brian Pallister convinced the Manitoba premier plans to call an early election in defiance of the province's fixed-date legislation.

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This article was published 8/4/2019 (981 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opposition Leader Wab Kinew emerged Monday from a formal meeting with Brian Pallister convinced the Manitoba premier plans to call an early election in defiance of the province's fixed-date legislation.

Kinew wouldn't provide details of what was said, adding Pallister was evasive when he pressed him about the potential timing of the next election.

"One of the things that he did let slip out is that he would give us some advance notice, which to me confirms his intention to break the fixed election-date law," the NDP leader told reporters.

Meanwhile, an official with Elections Manitoba said Monday her office is scrambling to be ready for an early election call because of the public speculation on the issue.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES NDP leader Wab Kinew said he discussed a variety of topics in his meeting with Premier Brian Pallister including the likelihood of a provincial election this year.

"It's a busy place over here right now, I have to say," said Alison Mitchell, manager of communications and public information.

During an election, Elections Manitoba's headquarters staff expands to between 75 and 100. The organization has been hiring staff lately, with more starting this week, she said. As of Monday, it had filled about 35 to 40 positions.

Pallister refused to say whether he planned to call an early election. Speculation has been growing he will call one this spring.

Asked about Kinew's comment he implied to the NDP leader he was ready to break the fixed-election date law, the Tory premier said: "I have no response to that."

Pallister has insisted the fixed election date of Oct. 6, 2020, is a "drop-dead date," and an election can be held before then. Political opponents and others have said any leeway in the law is to allow for an election to be called if the government is defeated in the legislature.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Premier Brian Pallister refused to say Monday whether he planned to call an early election but speculation has been growing he will call one this spring.

The premier said he assured Kinew and Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont in separate meetings Monday he has no intentions of "snapping an election" to take advantage of any perceived lack of preparedness on the part of his opponents.

Asked if he would commit to giving the opposition leaders a heads-up before the start of a campaign, he responded: "Yes, absolutely. I'll do that."

Pallister said it was important to give the other political parties "fair notice, so they have time to get prepared."

Asked if he would be willing to give the opposition 90 days notice of an election, Pallister said that would not be unreasonable, and he would do so "if possible."

The premier previously stated he would not call an election during a flood watch. (Flood forecasters have predicted a Red River flood this spring similar to that of 2009.) He has also expressed reservations about holding an election during the province's 150th anniversary year in 2020.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Liberal leader Dougald Lamont did not receive confirmation that the Premier would call a provincial election this year.

"I've said, and I'll keep saying, we're in a flood-watch situation. We're keeping our eye on the ball. And as far as spec-election is concerned I'm not engaging in that," Pallister said Monday.

Lamont told the Free Press he did not receive 100 per cent confirmation from Pallister there would be an election this year. "That certainly seemed to be the implication, though," he added.

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The party leaders said they discussed a variety of topics in their meetings, including the latest spring flooding projections, international trade issues affecting Manitoba, the government's K-12 education review, election-campaign financing, and projects that can be approached in a non-partisan manner.

Kinew noted it was the first time he had been invited by Pallister to a meeting in his office.

"I think the premier is a bit of a mystery here," the NDP leader said. "Why would he pick fights with the mayor (of Winnipeg), the prime minister, (former Manitoba Hydro board chairman) Sandy Riley, (former Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries Corp. chairwoman) Polly Craik and then, all of a sudden, try to play nice with the leader of the Opposition right before an election?

"I don't quite understand that."

 with files from Jessica Botelho-Urbanski

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca
Most Manitobans agree that cutting the provincial sales tax (PST) by one percentage point was the right decision for the Pallister government to make, according to a new poll.

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This article was published 8/4/2019 (981 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Most Manitobans agree that cutting the provincial sales tax (PST) by one percentage point was the right decision for the Pallister government to make, according to a new poll.

Between March 11 and March 29, Probe Research surveyed 1,000 Manitoba adults and 203 Manitoba business owners and managers about their thoughts on the Progressive Conservatives' major budget announcement from March 7.

Premier Brian Pallister's pledge to cut the provincial sales tax to seven per cent is supported by 60 per cent of Manitobans, a new poll shows. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

About six in 10 Manitobans (60 per cent) and two thirds of businesses (67 per cent) agreed reducing the PST was the right thing to do; dropping it from eight per cent to seven per cent as of July 1. The move fulfilled the PCs' most-recognized 2016 election promise and seemed to open the door for an early election call, with the Tories seeking a second term mandate.

Probe principal Curtis Brown said he was curious how reaction would differ between the business community and the general public on the PST chop. In the end, their poll results showed near symmetry.

"I think in this case its pretty clear that whether youre involved in business or whether youre a citizen involved with business you think this is a good move," Brown said.

He noted most Manitobans were more upset about the NDP breaking its promise to not raise the PST than they were about the tax hike in 2013.

Anger over former premier Greg Selinger's decision to break a campaign promise and hike the sales tax to eight per cent remains, the poll results show. RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES

Yet the Probe poll, when broken down along party lines, shows some bi-partisan support for cutting the PST. About 33 per cent of NDP supporters liked the decision, compared with 45 per cent of Liberals, 47 per cent of Greens and a whopping 83 per cent of PCs.

"So it shows this move is still somewhat popular among people who are not necessarily fans of this government," Brown said.

The poll also found men were more likely to support the PST cut than women (64 per cent versus 56 per cent), as were those living outside Winnipeg (70 per cent) compared with 53 per cent of city dwellers.

In the business community, Probe surveyed 203 small, medium and large business owners and managers from across the province, most of whom applauded the tax cut. Businesses with headquarters in Manitoba were especially enthusiastic, with 72 per cent in favour.

Jonathan Alward, director of provincial affairs with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), said their 4,800 Manitoba members support reducing the PST, but are still waiting for the Pallister government to deliver on another 2016 election promise for more tax relief.

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Alward wants to see Manitoba's personal tax exemption fall more in line with the national average. In 2019, Manitoba's exemption is around $9,600, while the provincial average across Canada is closer to $11,900.

"This is a significant announcement they have yet to fulfill," Alward said. "Whats really important is theyre delivering on that commitment because small businesses need tax relief."

The CFIB conducted its own poll about the PST change recently, with help from the Angus Reid Forum. Their results skewed higher than Probe's, finding 80 per cent of 235 Manitoba business owners surveyed between March 15 and March 25 said the province should reduce the PST by one per cent.

jessica.botelho@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @_jessbu
A RESPECTED member of Winnipegs Filipino community who admitted he ran an unlicensed immigration consulting business was spared jail time and a financial penalty Monday.

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A RESPECTED member of Winnipegs Filipino community who admitted he ran an unlicensed immigration consulting business was spared jail time and a financial penalty Monday.

Alfredo Arrojado, 68, received a one-year conditional sentence and no fine after he pleaded guilty under the federal Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to making false declarations with the intent to induce immigration to Canada. Arrojados case was not as serious as other incidents of immigration fraud that have been before the court, provincial court Judge Cynthia Devine said.

"His main offence is operating for several years as a paid immigration consultant after he let his licence lapse in 2007," the judge said.

"There is no suggestion he provided less than adequate service to his clients. None of his clients ever complained. None of them ever suffered any negative immigration consequences as a result of his advice, nor did he overcharge them."

Arrojado, who emigrated from the Philippines 45 years ago, received a certificate in immigration consulting from Red River College in 2002 and started running a business called Canadian Transcontinental Immigration Consulting Services out of his home.

In 2007  during a time when many things in his life were "falling apart," Devine said  he stopped renewing his licence. He suffered a heart attack and stroke, and his marriage ended in divorce. But he continued to work as a paid consultant and appeared before the Immigration and Refugee Appeal Board representing as many as 15 clients for whom he claimed he was a friend, not a paid representative.

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A review of his records by investigators  which he willingly turned over to authorities when his apartment was searched and he was charged in 2016  revealed he had emailed two clients with advice on how they could create "show money" to convince immigration officials they would be able to support themselves financially when they arrived in Canada. He told them to borrow from wealthier relatives before the time period when officials would be monitoring their accounts and return the money afterward.

Arrojado was paid $88,000 over four years until 2013, and charged only "modest" fees for his consulting services, court heard. Some clients who couldnt afford to pay Arrojado would take him to dinner instead. Arrojado was investigated after one of his clients was detained in Vancouver and denied entry when she tried to immigrate to Canada. She was eventually welcomed to British Columbia, but her complaint to federal immigration authorities led them to Arrojado.

During this time, "somewhat ironically," Devine noted, Arrojado was a long-serving volunteer for regulatory bodies in Manitoba, including the College of Registered Nurses, and he was a commissioner on the Manitoba Human Rights Commission. He also worked as an official interpreter for agencies such as Manitobas provincial court.

The charges he faced carry maximum penalties of five years in prison and up to a $100,000 fine, but Devine said to impose any fine would be "onerous, if not cruel." The federal Crown sought a fine and a conditional sentence of two years less a day. The sentence Devine imposed means he will not face jail if he follows several court-ordered conditions that are designed to keep him from offering any immigration consulting services in the future.

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @thatkatiemay
The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre has been named the recipient of one of the most prestigious awards in Canadian architecture.

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The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre has been named the recipient of one of the most prestigious awards in Canadian architecture.

The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) and the National Trust for Canada have chosen the RMTC for the 2019 Prix du XXe siecle, an annual award that recognizes Canadas landmark buildings of the 20th century.

The honour puts it in company with Canadian landmarks such as Torontos CN Tower, Habitat 67 in Montreal and the University of British Columbias Museum of Anthropology.

There are only a small number of winners to date, and RMTC is the only one from Manitoba. The RAIC is the governing body of architects in the country.

"Its a really special honour for a building that isnt really seen as an icon," said Brent Bellamy, creative director and architect at Number Ten Architectural Group in Winnipeg.

"Most architects love it. Most people who arent architects dont even give it a second thought."

An example of the brutalist style of architecture that favours block-like construction and features bare building materials (the old Public Safety Building is another example), it is considered by many to be plain compared to other buildings in the surrounding Exchange District or downtown.

One trademark feature of the RMTC (174 Market Ave.) is the grain from the timber cribbing embedded in the concrete exterior by design.

"Its a modernist building and modernism was a reaction to historic architecture like the ornate cornices and the sculptural pieces on buildings up until the 1920s," Bellamy said. "Modernism was a real reaction. It was time to go forward. Cars were coming in, and airplanes. It was time to change."

Modernist architecture is generally thought of as steel and glass, Bellamy said, but the RMTC "was the opposite. It was heavy and strong."

SUPPLIED The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and the National Trust for Canada have chosen the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre for the 2019 Prix du XXe siecle.

That helps it fit seamlessly in with the old warehouses in the Exchange District, said Susan Algie, executive director of the Winnipeg Architecture Foundation, who nominated the RMTC building.

"I think the award is wonderful because the building is so important architecturally and its also important historically," she said.

RMTC is recognized as a national historic site, both for the companys influence on the development of Canadian theatre and its architecture. It was the first regional theatre in Canada, founded in 1958 by John Hirsch and Tom Hendry.

The RMTC building was completed in 1970, designed by Waisman Ross Blankstein Coop Gillmor Hanna (now Number Ten Architectural Group).

The principal architect for the 785-seat theatre was Allan H. Waisman and the design architect was Robert Kirby, who worked closely with the artistic director of the theatre company, Eddie Gilbert.

"Whats really nice is its at that ground level  there are a lot of windows, so you can look in," Algie said.

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Steven Schipper, the RMTC artistic director who will retire at the end of May after three decades, said the inside of the building is special, too.

"Its really user-friendly," he said.

"The ingenious use of windows, which allow our audience and different departments to see into each others workspaces, infuses a spirit of co-operation into everything we do at our theatre.

"Its a great honour for our theatre company," he said of the RAIC award.

The RMTC was declared a national historic site in 2009. It was lauded for its "innovative use of space and light in the foyer, auditorium and backstage areas."

bill.redekop@freepress.mb.ca
A former representative for prisoners at Stony Mountain Institution has been sentenced to 10.5 years for selling one of the most toxic opioids within prison walls.

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A former representative for prisoners at Stony Mountain Institution has been sentenced to 10.5 years for selling one of the most toxic opioids within prison walls.

Christopher Thomas Hastings, 32, was convicted of possession for the purpose of trafficking about 3.7 grams of powdered carfentanil after guards searched his cell on April 18, 2017. Investigators found he was taking advantage of his position as chairman of a prisoners' liaison committee at Stony Mountain and his status in a gang to run a drug-dealing business and illegal store within the prison.

SUPPLIED Christopher Thomas Hastings

Carfentanil is an opioid used for tranquilizing large animals. It is 4,000 times more powerful than heroin and 100 times more potent than fentanyl, but Hastings was addicted to heroin and thought he was selling that drug, court heard.

As she imposed the sentence Monday, provincial court Judge Wanda Garreck noted the danger of deadly overdoses was the same regardless of whether Hastings knew what he was selling.

"There was no way of knowing if any of the overdoses occurring in Stony Mountain were the result of the drug carfentanil or if it was the result of the carfentanil Mr. Hastings was trafficking, but it was known that carfentanil and fentanyl was making its way through the institution," Garreck said.

Hastings asked guards to take him to the hospital after he ingested some of the carfentanil, saying it was stronger than the heroin he was used to, court heard. The judge ruled there was not enough proof he knew the powder was carfentanil.

"I will say these facts make me very suspicious that Mr. Hastings knew he was dealing in carfentanil; however, I do not find the Crown has satisfied the onus of proof that he actually knew it was carfentanil as opposed to some illegal drug stronger than his usual heroin," Garreck said.

"It makes very little difference to the sentence in this case," she added.

Hastings could have been making thousands of dollars selling drugs at Stony while he was serving a six-year sentence for robbery. Along with seized drugs, which were valued at $3,700 within the prison, investigators seized a debt collection list on which Hastings had noted he was owed a total of $1,800 from seven people.

"In this case, there is no evidence as to who brought in the supply," Garreck said.

Hastings also pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice for making phone calls after he was charged in attempts to get other inmates to admit they gave him the carfentanil. He was sentenced to 10 years for the trafficking charge, six months for obstruction of justice and a concurrent six months for drug possession. Before being sentenced Monday, Hastings had been held in administrative segregation for months at Headingley Correctional Centre because of construction within the provincial jail. He was credited for 27 months' time in custody.

No data was immediately available from the Correctional Service of Canada Monday about the number of drug overdoses that have happened within Stony Mountain or the presence of potent opioids there.

James Bloomfield, prairie regional president of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers and a correctional officer at Stony Mountain, said small amounts of carfentanil and fentanyl have been found at Stony Mountain in recent years. Drug overdoses within the prison happen on a "regular basis," putting staff and inmates at risk, he said.

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"The officers who are on the front line dealing with this are under the most pressure I've seen in the last 20 years, for sure, that I've been in the service," he said.

Trying to stop the spread of drugs inside the prison, being called upon to deal with overdoses and trying to protect themselves from accidental exposure to toxic substances is "so taxing on every single staff member in that building," Bloomfield said, and leads to increased rates of post-traumatic stress disorder.

"The reality is, it comes in (via) anything from drones to baby diapers, so it's very, very difficult to try to stop it all," he said of drugs inside the prison.

Correctional officers at Stony Mountain now have access to naloxone kits to respond to opioid overdoses, but Bloomfield said they still lack adequate protective gear to keep them from being exposed to prisoners' bodily fluids and contraband drugs. Carfentanil can be accidentally ingested when it's absorbed through the skin or inhaled in the air. Bloomfield said the union would like to see medical care available within the prison 24 hours a day.

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @thatkatiemay
Most people think that the U.S. diplomatic and economic full-court press of President Nicolas Maduro is all about Venezuela and its Bolivarian revolution. Its not. At its core, it has more to do with compelling regime change in Havana.

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This article was published 9/4/2019 (981 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

Most people think that the U.S. diplomatic and economic full-court press of President Nicolas Maduro is all about Venezuela and its Bolivarian revolution. Its not. At its core, it has more to do with compelling regime change in Havana.

When Brazils far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, visited Washington in March, U.S. President Donald Trump was quick to single out both Venezuela and Cuba for harsh criticism. "We call on members of the Venezuelan military to end their support for Maduro, who is really nothing more than a Cuban puppet," he said sharply.

"The United States and Brazil," Trump intoned, "are also united in support of the long-suffering people of Cuba and Nicaraguait is the twilight of socialism in the region."

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was even more pointed in his recent comments: "No nation has done more to sustain the death and daily misery of ordinary Venezuelans, including Venezuelas military and their families, than the communists in Havana." He then went on to add, "The Cuban government of Miguel Diaz-Canel provides political cover for Maduro and his henchmen so that they stay in power. Its Cuba that has offered Maduro its unwavering solidarity."

Hardline U.S. national security adviser John Bolton has also been a key driver of U.S. efforts to crush the Cuban government. (This is the same senior U.S. official who falsely accused Cuba of developing an offensive biological warfare program in 2002.) According to a toughly worded November speech in Miami about a "Troika of Tyranny" in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, he didnt mince his words: "The United States looks forward to watching each corner of the triangle fall: in Havana, in Caracas, in Managua."

Clearly, the Trump administration has returned to a Cold War mentality when it comes to Cuba, adopting an irrational policy of isolation, condemnation, hostility and punishment. Indeed, the overarching objectives are right out of the 1980s  destabilize the Cuban government, undermine whats left of the Cuban revolution and send a powerful message to the rest of Latin America and the Caribbean not to follow in Cubas footsteps.

Accordingly, the Trump White House has reduced U.S. Embassy staff in Havana (and kicked out Cuban diplomats in Washington), curtailed consular services, issued a travel warning for Cuba and tightened the U.S. economic embargo to halt American citizens from spending money on any aspect of Cuban tourism controlled by the countrys armed forces.

It has invoked the Title III provisions of the anti-Cuba Helms-Burton Act to permit U.S. citizens to sue Cuban companies for damages in federal courts for trafficking in alleged stolen property (which is primarily designed to discourage foreign direct investment in the island).

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Most recently, Washington moved to eliminate the five-year entry visa for Cubans (which allowed them multiple visits) in favour of a three-month visa now only good for one visit. Trump is also seriously considering putting Cuba back on the U.S. State Department list of countries that support international terrorism.

One critical way of toppling the Cuban government  at least in the eyes of people like Pompeo, Bolton and special envoy to Venezuela Elliott Abrams  is by severing the Venezuela-Cuba relationship. It is worth emphasizing that Venezuela has been Cubas top commercial partner (until China recently took over that position) at US$2.2 billion in annual two-way trade and a key supplier of oil (roughly 115,000 barrels per day at its peak) to the island country.

So, if current opposition leader and U.S. stalking horse Juan Guaido takes power in Venezuela, all of these tight linkages will come to a screeching halt and the Cubans will be abruptly set adrift. And it would surely signal the beginning of the end of the hugely successful Cuban doctors for subsidized Venezuelan oil program that has underpinned their bilateral relations for some 20 years.

Moreover, the loss of the Venezuelan oil, unless it is replaced by similarly low-cost imports from Mexico, Algeria or Russia, could have a significantly negative effect on Cubas economic outlook. With an already sluggish economy (with predictions of less than 1.5 per cent growth for 2019) and inflows of foreign investment not anywhere near where Cuban officials would like to see them, a sharp cut-off in Venezuelan crude could bring on power blackouts in Cuba, disrupt the expanding private sector and force the Cuban government to allocate nearly US$2 billion annually to cover alternative supplies to meet its current energy consumption demands.

In the final analysis, then, dont be fooled by all this chatter and misdirection about Maduros Venezuela. This is really all about Cuba and removing that historical and mostly fabricated thorn in the U.S. side.

Peter McKenna is professor and chair of political science at the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown.
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This article was published 9/4/2019 (981 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

"I burned the letters," my mother said.

"The letters" needed no explanation. She was referring to the 200 pieces of mail my parents exchanged in the early years of their marriage, during the time my father was stationed at U.S. army bases in the South and my mother was living in Astoria, N.Y.

I was staying in her house at the time, and in the 10 minutes it had taken me to do my morning meditation in another room, they were gone. Tiny bits of paper lingered under the smouldering logs, but no discernible words remained.

"All of them?" I asked.

"I saved two."

I was devastated. I remembered the little bundles tied together with bakery string in a shoebox in the cedar closet of my childhood home.

Inspired by the Netflix show Tidying Up With Marie Kondo, everyone, including my mother, is in a purging frenzy. Newspapers report that thrift shops are being flooded with extra donations, and on social media there are posts of packed cars and piles of things that were once crucial to own.

But are we going too far?

I understand the impulse. In 2014, when Kondos book was first published, I took on the task of going through the modest Santa Monica home and garage that I shared with my 14-year-old son.

Despite being a minimalist, I still managed to fill 28 black garbage bags with unnecessary stuff. The most daunting task was tackling the papers from four decades. Bills and taxes. Letters and cards. College papers. Early drafts of essays and novels. When taken from closets and drawers, they filled my office. I reduced them to one filing drawer for important family documents and one small box for sentimental keepsakes. It took three weeks.

I felt lighter. Free. And this past year, when I packed up that place to return to the East Coast, it made things easier. So why did I want to throw up over a lost box of letters?

The obvious answer was that Im a writer and I treasure anything having to do with words. In my own purge, I kept my refurbished Smith Corona typewriter, my composition notebooks filled with tiny scrawl and many books.

My mother doesnt have an attachment to words like I do. She loves stuff. In recent years, shes become a bit of a hoarder  a very clean and organized hoarder, but a hoarder nonetheless.

If you lose a pair of sunglasses, dont worry. Shes got 40 spares. And if you need a creamer, rest assured there are 17. Blank birthday cards. Zucchini spiralizers. Countless tchotchkes from yard sales and TJ Maxx. I dread the thought that someday Ill have to deal with it all.

So, when I set up her birthday iPad and the first show she binged on was Kondos Tidying Up, I was optimistic. The next day, my mother took to her closet with purpose, but eight hours later she had just three small bags to give away.

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Burning those letters, though, brought my mother the same feeling of freedom I got from eliminating stuff. "I feel much better. Im so glad to be rid of all that," my mother said while setting the table for dinner that night. I instantly teared up, and she took me in her arms. "Im sorry. I should have asked you first." And then she said, "But you werent even born then."

Shes right, I wasnt born. And it hit me  thats why they meant so much. They were love letters, heightened by separation and the Vietnam War, but without question, love letters. Two hundred pieces of tangible evidence that love did once exist between the people who gave me life. By the time I came around, their relationship was far from loving, but the shoebox and its contents were proof that it had once been different.

Then I understood that my reason for wanting the letters was hers for needing to let them go. My parents love didnt last. They fought for decades, then finally divorced. For my mother, it was time to let all that go.

I still endorse having less, but the tricky part about decluttering is that the very same item can mean different things to different people. Is there an obligation to ask or initiate a conversation with others who might care about something being discarded? Or is it the right of the purger to decide for themselves?

Over dinner, my mother and I shared our different perspectives: her liberation, my loss. But I started to understand that they were hers to burn. We empathized with each other. And at the end of the day, that meant more than the letters.

This commentary was originally published in the Los Angeles Times. Michelle Fiordaliso is a writer and filmmaker based in upstate New York.
On Monday, Independent MLA Steven Fletcher introduced the Indigenous Representation and Related Amendments Act in the Manitoba legislature. Fletcher is the controversial former federal cabinet minister and MLA who was ousted from the Progressive Conservatives by Premier Brian Pallister in 2018.

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On Monday, Independent MLA Steven Fletcher introduced the Indigenous Representation and Related Amendments Act in the Manitoba legislature. Fletcher is the controversial former federal cabinet minister and MLA who was ousted from the Progressive Conservatives by Premier Brian Pallister in 2018.

The private members bill states that Indigenous peoples have been "let down" by Canadas electoral system and proposes to "fix" Manitobas government by adding four "Indigenous" seats representing four districts in Manitobas north, south and the north and south of Winnipeg.

The bill addresses a real issue. Indigenous politicians in political parties often have to compromise their cultural and community principles to vote with their party.

If they dont, they dont last long.

For more, see Jody Wilson-Raybould.

The problems with Fletchers bill begin with asking: who would these Indigenous politicians represent?

First Nations? Metis? Status, on-reserve Indians? Non-status ones? All at once?

Or would they represent Indigenous peoples at all?

Other countries like Bolivia, Finland, Norway and Sweden have guaranteed Indigenous representation in governments. In the United States, Maine includes two tribal representatives in their state legislature  but they are nonvoting members.

At the ballot box, all Manitobans, regardless of ethnicity, would have the choice whether to vote for a party representative in their riding (how it exists now) or in an Indigenous riding  but not both.

To run for office, according to the bill, candidates need to "demonstrate their connection to the Indigenous community to the elections commissioner."

Do one of those mail-in ancestry tests count?

I have to stop here, because Fletchers bill is naive, undeveloped and absent of almost everything Indigenous.

But its interesting nonetheless.

Fletcher based his bill on New Zealands electoral system, which since 1867 under the Maori Representation Act allocates seats for Maori representatives in the New Zealand Parliament.

The act came after a series of conflicts between Maori and citizens of New Zealand over lands and resources. Much controversy surrounded the acts implementation  some thought Maori were savage and inferior  but it has served as a venue in which Indigenous perspectives are heard in their government.

Today, New Zealand has seven out of 120 seats allocated for representatives of Maori. Politicians do not have to be Maori but voters have to be.

None of this has stopped the exploitation of Maori lands and resources of course (majorities serve majorities in democracies), but every time New Zealand politicians propose abolishing the seats, Maori communities steadfastly fight for them.

Its notable that Manitobas first government was Indigenousled and it was Louis Riel and the Metis who invited anglophones to take part, not vice versa. It was this coalition that resulted in Manitobas entry into Confederation, separate French schools and protection for Catholicism. In other words todays Manitoba.

Other countries like Bolivia, Finland, Norway and Sweden have guaranteed Indigenous representation in governments. In the United States, Maine includes two tribal representatives in their state legislature  but they are non-voting members.

Its notable that Manitobas first government was Indigenous-led and it was Louis Riel and the Metis who invited anglophones to take part, not vice versa. It was this coalition that resulted in Manitobas entry into Confederation, separate French schools and protection for Catholicism. In other words todays Manitoba.

This is not to forget the thousands of First Nations governments who negotiated treaties and established the political, cultural and geographical makeup of Canada.

Indigenous politicians and governments  when not manipulated, interfered with and undermined  get work done.

Indigenous leaders representing Indigenous communities benefit all citizens.

This isnt 1870, however. We have over 150-plus years of Indigenous absence in all aspects of Canadas governments. Federal, provincial and territorial governments are full of representatives of political parties  most of whom are Canadian first, anything else second (the Parti and Bloc Quebecois being the notable exceptions).

The one anomaly in Canada is the government of Nunavut, which has no political parties and features decisions that are called aajiiqatigiinniq, consensus-based. While no seats are specifically Indigenous designated, most politicians are Inuit.

The result is some pretty innovative ideas, like the law of inuuqatigiitsiarniq (respecting others and relationships) and avatittinnik kamatsiarniq (respecting and caring for the land, animals and environment)  found in every law passed. The Nunavut government also has an official council of elders, the Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit Katimajiit, whose job it is to advise and help the government incorporate Inuit culture and traditional knowledge.

In 1996, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples criticized Canada for its long absence of Indigenous representation in government and recommended a "third Chamber" similar in power to Parliament and the Senate called the House of First Peoples.

Indigenous peoples would devise the makeup of the seats and who they would represent, but this body would debate and propose laws for both Canada and Indigenous nations. Like all government, there would be a need for Indigenous politicians to build allies, negotiate and compromise  just as Parliament does with the Senate.

In fact, this House would be 100 times more useful than the Senate, featuring elected, representative and legitimate representatives.

There is also potential for this body to rectify the ongoing logjam in Canada regarding consultation for land and resource projects. As it stands now, Canada enters into legally mandated "consultations" with Indigenous peoples after initiatives are underway and negotiations with companies have begun. This leads to Indigenous peoples feeling left out, resistant and ignored.

If Indigenous peoples are at every table in government, representing their specific cultural and political interests, they would be there from the beginning  and not the end.

An Indigenous Parliament would not just be a small part of Canada but a full partner. We might even call it a "nation-to-nations" relationship.

Of course, some Indigenous nations would not want to be a part of this body.

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I say have them propose ideas for how they would be a partner. They could even propose them to the House of First Peoples.

This is an idea that goes beyond ministries of Indigenous affairs, laws that control and relegate Indigenous nations to municipalities, and a few seats in Canadas Parliament.

Its also one Canadians may be interested in. In a 2016 study by Environics, 46 per cent of Canadians "support giving Indigenous peoples more representation in the countrys governing institutions." A further 29 per cent stated it "depends" and only 16 per cent opposed the idea.

An Indigenous Parliament isnt a perfect idea, but its a radical one.

Because its what a fair, just and inclusive Canada actually looks like.

niigaan.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca
Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus threat to sue Andrew Scheer for libel hit the Conservative leader with all the force of a wet noodle. Mr. Scheer welcomed the chance to debate the SNC-Lavalin case in a court of law and dared Mr. Trudeau to press his claim. He also had reason to thank the prime minister for fanning a new flame from the dying embers of this years Liberal cabinet resignations.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus threat to sue Andrew Scheer for libel hit the Conservative leader with all the force of a wet noodle. Mr. Scheer welcomed the chance to debate the SNC-Lavalin case in a court of law and dared Mr. Trudeau to press his claim. He also had reason to thank the prime minister for fanning a new flame from the dying embers of this years Liberal cabinet resignations.

Jody Wilson-Raybould quit cabinet on Feb. 12 and Jane Philpott followed her out on March 4 on account of a quarrel in cabinet over prosecuting engineering firm SNC-Lavalin for bribery, as opposed to cutting a deal with the firm.

Conservative leader Andrew Scheer to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Trudeau's threatened libel suit: bring it. JUSTIN TANG / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES

Mr. Scheer proudly disclosed on Sunday the letter he had received a week earlier from Toronto litigator Julian Porter, representing Mr. Trudeau, threatening a suit for libel. On a quick read, the letter seems to announce dire consequences for Mr. Scheer. On closer examination, it is pretty thin stuff.

Mr. Scheer had complained that the prime minister "led a campaign to politically interfere with SNC-Lavalins criminal prosecution." Thats false, Mr. Trudeaus champion says, because there was no actual interference.

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The underlying facts are well-known: Mr. Trudeau tried through multiple channels to get Wilson-Raybould, his justice minister, to tell her prosecutors to grant a deferred prosecution agreement to SNC-Lavalin. The minister refused. Mr. Trudeaus purpose may or may not have been legitimate, but in the court of public opinion, there is no doubt he led a campaign to change her mind. His lawyers attempt to deny it misfired.

Mr. Scheer described Mr. Trudeaus role in the case as "corruption upon corruption upon corruption." Mr. Trudeaus lawyer thinks that is false because in the Criminal Code, corruption is a crime good for up to 14 years in prison. But corruption is also a term thrown around freely in Canadian political debate to mean something the speaker doesnt like  just a run-of-the-mill rant.

Mr. Scheer had complained that Mr. Trudeau gave the orders to grant SNC-Lavalin a free pass around bribery charges and when the justice minister refused, he fired her. That is a tendentious reading of the events, but only a little way off the mark. Mr. Trudeaus lawyer supplies the words "he acted with malice and an improper purpose" and attributes that meaning to Mr. Scheer, then denies the malice and the improper purpose. And so, another strawman bites the dust.

No doubt Mr. Porter did the best he could with the material available, but his letter on Mr. Trudeaus behalf was a dud. As intimidation, it failed, as seen by Mr. Scheers response. As a contribution to Canadian political debate, it was merely a series of evasions.

Mr. Porter would have served his client better by telling him to pursue the political debate in the political arena. A political solution is available since an election will be held this year, much sooner than a libel action started now would ever come to court. Already, the Conservatives have abandoned their House of Commons filibuster, sensing, perhaps, that the public is growing bored with the SNC-Lavalin story.

Mr. Scheers version of events should not be suppressed or judicially punished. Canadians are perfectly capable of comparing his version with the known facts and judging whether he is right.
JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared headed toward re-election early Wednesday, as close-to-complete unofficial results showed him pulling ahead of his main competitor in a tight race seen as a referendum on the long-serving leader.

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Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz speaks to his supporters during an election campaign rally in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, April 8, 2019. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared headed toward re-election early Wednesday, as close-to-complete unofficial results showed him pulling ahead of his main competitor in a tight race seen as a referendum on the long-serving leader.

With a victory, Netanyahu would capture a fourth consecutive term and fifth overall, which this summer will make him Israel's longest-ever serving leader. Re-election will give him an important boost as he braces for the likelihood of criminal charges in a series of corruption scandals.

The election outcome affirmed Israel's continued tilt to the right and further dimmed hopes of a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In the final stretch of the campaign, Netanyahu had for the first time pledged to annex parts of the occupied West Bank in a desperate bid to rally his right-wing base. Annexation would snuff out the last flicker of hope for Palestinian statehood.

Both Netanyahu and his challenger, former military chief Benny Gantz, leader of the rival Blue and White party, had declared victory in speeches to boisterous gatherings of supporters. But as the night went on, there were growing signs that Netanyahu's Likud was pulling ahead.

"It's a night of tremendous victory," Netanyahu told supporters. "I was very moved that the nation of Israel once again entrusted me for the fifth time, and with an even greater trust."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu escorted by bodyguards speaks during a visit to the market on the eve of Israel's general elections in Jerusalem, Monday, April 8, 2019. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

He said he had already begun talking to fellow right wing and religious parties about forming a new coalition.

"I want to make it clear, it will be a right-wing government, but I intend to be the prime minister of all Israeli citizens, right or left, Jews and non-Jews alike," he said.

The 69-year-old prime minister has been the dominant force in Israeli politics for the past two decades and its face to the world. His campaign has focused heavily on his friendship with President Donald Trump and his success in cultivating new allies, such as China, India and Brazil.

Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz takes a picture with his supporters during an election campaign rally in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, April 8, 2019. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

But the corruption scandals created some voter fatigue. Along with two other former military chiefs on his ticket, Gantz was able to challenge Netanyahu on security issues, normally the prime minister's strong suit, while also taking aim at the prime minister's alleged ethical lapses.

Israel's attorney general has recommended charging Netanyahu with bribery, breach of trust and fraud. The telegenic Gantz, who has been vague on key policy issues, has presented himself as a clean, scandal-free alternative to Netanyahu.

By Wednesday morning, with 97 per cent of the votes counted, Likud and Blue and White had won 35 seats each. But Netanyahu was in a stronger position to form a coalition government with the anticipated support of right-wing and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties, Likud's natural allies.

An Israeli man votes for Israel's parliamentary election at a polling station in Ramat Gan, Israel, Tuesday, April 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

Such a coalition could rest on 65 votes in the 120-member parliament.

Earlier in the night, with fewer of the votes counted, Blue and White still appeared to be ahead by one seat and Gantz projected optimism. "Elections have losers and elections have winners. And we are the winners," Gantz told a victory rally shortly after midnight.

Netanyahu's message of unity was a sharp contrast from his campaign theme in which he accused Gantz of conspiring with Arab parties to topple him. Arab leaders accused Netanyahu of demonizing the country's Arab community, which is about 20 per cent of the population.

ARIEL SCHALIT / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS / POOL Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu votes during Israel's parliamentary elections in Jerusalem, Tuesday, April 9, 2019 (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, Pool)

His attacks on the Arab sector fueled calls for a boycott and appeared to result in relatively low turnout by Arab voters. Israel's central elections commission banned parties from bringing cameras into polling stations after Likud party activists were caught with hidden cameras in Arab towns.

The final results are subject to change. Some 40 parties took part in the election, and only those that receive at least 3.25% of the votes make it into parliament.

Once the final results come in, attention will turn to President Reuven Rivlin. The president, whose responsibilities are mostly ceremonial, is charged with choosing a prime minister after consulting with party leaders and determining who has the best chance of putting together a majority coalition. That responsibility is usually given to the head of the largest party.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu casts his vote with his wife Sara during Israel's parliamentary elections in Jerusalem, Tuesday, April 9, 2019 (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, Pool)

The election included several other surprises. The Labor party, which ruled the country for its first 30 years, tumbled to single digits in the parliament.

Zehut, an iconoclastic party that combined an ultranationalist ideology with libertarian economic positions and calls for the legalization of marijuana, had appeared poised to emerge as the Cinderella story of the election. It fell short and failed to enter parliament.

If Netanyahu is re-elected, attention will quickly focus on his legal woes. The attorney general has recommended a series of criminal charges against the prime minister but will only make a decision on indicting him after a legally mandated hearing. Legal experts expect at least some charges to be filed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, waves with his wife Sara after voting during Israel's parliamentary elections in Jerusalem, Tuesday, April 9, 2019 (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, Pool)

Netanyahu will likely focus his efforts on getting guarantees from his coalition partners to continue to back him if he is indicted, and perhaps find a way to grant him immunity from prosecution.

Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing and claimed he is the victim of a witch hunt.

In order to appeal to his religious and ultranationalist parties, Netanyahu veered sharply right on the campaign trail with attacks on Arab politicians, the media and the judiciary. He also pledged to annex West Bank settlements, a step that could snuff out any remaining hopes for a two-state solution with the Palestinians.

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Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz, right, casts his vote with his wife Revital Gantz left, and former Israeli Chief of Staff Benny Gantz during Israel's parliamentary elections in Rosh Haayin, Israel, Tuesday, April 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

Palestinian official Saeb Erekat lamented that the Israelis voted to maintain "the status quo."

"They want their occupation to be endless," he said.

___

Heller reported from Tel Aviv. AP journalists Ilan Ben Zion and Isabel DeBre contributed to this story.

___

Follow Heller at www.twitter.com/aronhellerap
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday mocked U.S. special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Kremlin interference in the 2016 presidential election, saying "a mountain gave birth to a mouse."

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Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking at a plenary session of the International Arctic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tuesday, April 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday mocked U.S. special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Kremlin interference in the 2016 presidential election, saying "a mountain gave birth to a mouse."

In his first comments since Mueller finished his probe, Putin sought to cast the 22-month investigation as a failure and disregarded the special counsel's exposure of a Russian operation to put Donald Trump in the White House.

"It was clear for us from the start that it would end like this," the Russian leader said as the Trump administration and Congress sparred over making Mueller's still-confidential investigation report public.

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he attends a plenary session of the International Arctic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tuesday, April 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

Attorney General William Barr wrote in a summary of Mueller's report that the special counsel found no evidence the Trump campaign "conspired or co-ordinated" with the Russian government to influence the election.

However, Mueller uncovered evidence of a Kremlin operation to interfere with the 2016 vote. He charged 12 Russian military intelligence officers with breaking into Democratic Party computers and the email accounts of officials with Hillary Clinton's campaign.

Another indictment detailed Russia's use of phoney social media accounts to spread divisive rhetoric and to undermine the U.S. political system.

Putin on Tuesday nevertheless repeated Moscow's across-the-board disavowals of election meddling, with or without participation from the Trump campaign. He also reiterated that the Russian government had no contact with Trump when he visited Moscow as a businessman.

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking at a plenary session of the International Arctic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tuesday, April 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

"We have been saying from the start that this notorious commission led by Mr. Mueller won't find anything, because no one knows better than us: Russia has not meddled in any U.S. election," Putin said while attending an Arctic forum in St. Petersburg.

The Russian leader described allegations of collusion between Trump's camp and Russia as "sheer nonsense aimed at a domestic audience and used for domestic political infighting in the United States."

Mueller found numerous people associated with Trump were receptive to Russia's help, but Barr's summary said the special counsel didn't find evidence of a criminal conspiracy in meetings and other contact between Russian and Trump campaign officials.

Putin alleged Trump's political foes now were "searching for new pretexts" to undermine him.

"Those groups which are attacking the legitimately elected president, what are they doing?" Putin said. "They disagree with the choice of the American people and seek to reduce the results to zero."

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Putin's rhetoric resembled Trump's statements disparaging Democrats. Asked if he agreed with Trump's description of the probe as a "witch hunt," Putin said "President Trump knows better."

At the same time, he insisted he wasn't vouching for the U.S. president with his comments on Mueller's investigation.

"I'm not defending President Trump. We have plenty of disagreements," Putin said. "His administration has introduced numerous sanctions against Russia, something we disagree with and will never accept."

The Russian leader added that despite differences, Moscow and Washington have found some common ground on the conflict in Syria. Putin said he hoped the United States and Russia could focus on more areas of mutual interest, such as nuclear arms control, fighting terrorism and climate change.

___

Isachenkov reported from Moscow.
It must be said with utmost regret that due to guns being easily available in various countries we see that the most ghastly, dastardly and cowardly attack on innocent people as we saw just recently in the New Zealand city of Christchurch on a mosque in which at least 50 people were killed and 50 injured in a mass shooting on March 15, 2019. All these precious lives would not have been lost if there were more stricter gun laws in place. Gun should not be given to any person whoever applies for it without proper verification!

To put things in perspective, a 28-year-old man named Brenton Tarrant has been taken into custody and charged with murder. The shooter targeted two mosques in Christchurch: the Al Noor mosque where 42 people were killed mercilessly and another at the Linwood mosque where seven people died. The alleged shooter also live-streamed his dastardly and ghastly attack on social media, most gruesomely displaying how he entered the mosque and shot worshippers as they struggled to flee. It is reported that seven Indians have also lost their lives in this cowardly and most reprehensible attack!

Needless to say, in a brief press conference, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called the mass murder a 'terrorist attack' and said that the perpetrators held 'extremist views' that have no place in New Zealand. She very rightly lamented that, 'This is one of New Zealand's darkest days.' India reiterated its unstinted support to New Zealand in its hour of crisis along with other nations.

It is gratifying to learn that in the wake of the terrorist attacks at two mosques in Christchurch in New Zealand, its Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said that she would soon announce new gun laws. While New Zealand's gun laws are not as restrictive as in, say, Australia, those of countries such as the US are far more relaxed. The New York Times listed what it takes to own a gun in several countries. Let us discuss some of them here apart from those listed in The New York Times. They are as follows: -

New Zealand

1. Background check (criminal, medical, mental health, domestic violence records).

2. Character references.

3. Interview in person between authorities and applicant's partner or next of kin.

4. Inspection for firearm storage facilities at home.

5. A gun safety course.

It must be pointed out here that Reuters quoted Radio New Zealand as reporting that more than 99% of applicants for a firearms licence in 2017 were successful. The country, whose population is 5 million, has an estimated 1.5 million firearms. Only owners are licensed, not weapons, so there is no monitoring of how many weapons a person may possess. This loophole must be plugged right now in the wake of the dastardly attack on a mosque which has left 50 dead! Buying hand guns and certain semi-automatic rifles requires a special permit. It is recommended that no person from now onwards should be allowed more than one gun and here too there must be proper and strict police verification. It is also recommended that vehicles should be checked at various points to ensure that no person is carrying gun especially at religious shrines and other important places.

Australia

1. Must join and regularly attend a hunting or shooting club, or be a collector.

2. Course on firearm safety and operation, written test and practical assessment.

3. Storage that meets safety regulations.

4. A review of criminal history, domestic violence, restraining orders and arrest history, with possible interviews of family and community members.

5. Specific permits for specific types of weapons; wait is of at least 28 days.

No doubt, these laws are some of the toughest in the world. Countries like New Zealand must emulate them to ensure that no person is ever able to carry out such ghastly attack so easily! Here it must be revealed that Australia had introduced them after a lone gunman killed 35 people in Port Arthur in 1996 using a semi-automatic AR-15 (the same weapon that was used in Christchurch), Reuters reported. Australia had banned semi-automatics, launched a gun amnesty in which tens of thousands of weapons were handed in and made it much tougher to own them. Gun owners must provide a valid reason for owning a weapon and gun clubs must inform the authorities of inactive members.

United States

1. Background check for criminal convictions, domestic violence and immigration status.

2. Many US states have additional buying restrictions, including waiting periods and expanded background checks.

3. Where these waiting periods do not apply, an application may be cleared in days. Roughly a third of American gun owners buy guns without a background check, which federal law does not require when buying directly from a private seller. This loophole must be checked forthwith. There must be a proper background check. It is because of such loopholes that we keep listening in news that gun attacks keep happening regularly in USA.

4. Fugitives, those convicted of a felony with a sentence exceeding 1 year, past or present and those who were involuntarily admitted to a mental facility are prohibited from purchasing a firearm unless rights restored.

5. Forty-four states have a provision in their state constitutions similar to the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, which protects the right to keep and bear arms. The exceptions are California, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey and New York. In New York, however, it must be stated that the statutory civil rights laws contain a provision virtually identical to the Second Amendment.

6. Additionally, the US Supreme Court held in McDonald v. City of Chicago (2010) that the protections of the Second Amendment to keep and bear arms for self-defense in one's home apply against state governments and their political subdivisions.

7. More recently, the Ninth Circuit Court ruled in its 2016 decision titled Peruta v. San Diego County that the Second Amendment does not guarantee the right of gun owners to carry concealed firearms in public.

Japan

1. A firearms class and a written exam, held up to three times a year.

2. A doctor's certificate of mental fitness and absence of a history of drug abuse. It is a commendable provision.

3. Firing training (permission for undertaking this course may take up to a month). One-day training class, with a firing test has to be cleared.

4. Interview with police, whom applicant must convince why he or she needs a gun. This again is very commendable and every country must emulate it.

5. Review of criminal history, gun possession record, employment, even personal debt and relationships with friends, family and neighbours.

6. Application for gunpowder permit.

7. Certificate from a dealer describing gun.

8. Hunting licence (if hunting is purpose).

9. Gun safe and ammunition locker that meet regulations, to be inspected by police.

10. An additional background review.

Russia

1. Hunting licence, or reasons why gun needed for self-defence which is commendable.

2. A test of relevant laws, handling, first aid skills.

3. A doctor's note certifying absence of mental illness or drug history which is again very commendable.

4. All the above before application. After applying, a background check which again is commendable.

China

1. Reasons to possess a firearm.

2. Storage at gun range, remote hunting ground or pastoral area.

3. Demonstration of knowledge of safe gun use and storage.

4. A background check of mental illness, criminal record and domestic violence.

5. In China, most civilians are prohibited from keeping guns inside their homes. This is the most commendable provision and it must be emulated in countries like New Zealand and USA where incidents of violence and misuse of guns is increasing!

United Kingdom (UK)

1. In the UK, access by the general public to firearms is tightly controlled by law which is much more restrictive than the minimum rules required by the European Firearms Directive, but it is less restrictive in Northern Ireland. All countries must emulate UK.

2. No wonder that UK has one of the lowest ratews of gun homicides in the world.

3. Members of the public may own sporting rifles and shotguns, subject to licensing, but handguns were effectively banned after the Dunblane school massacre in 1996 with the exception of Northern Ireland.

Ukraine

1. Ukraine is the only country in Europe where firearms are not regulated by statute.

2. Citizens are permitted to own non-fully automatic rifles and shotguns as long as they are stored properly when not in use.

3. Handguns are illegal except for target shooting and those who hold concealed carry permits.

4. A citizen may be issued a firearms license if that person:

(i) is 25 years of age for rifle ownership, 21 years of age for smoothbore weapon ownership, 18 years of age for cold or pneumatic weapon ownership;

(ii) has no criminal record;

(iii) has no history of domestic violence;

(iv) has no mental illness or history of mental illness;

(v) has a good reason (target shooting, hunting, collection).

5. Gun owners are required by Order to renew their licenses and registration of their guns every three years. Failure to comply will result in revocation as well as confiscation of guns.

6. Concealed carry licenses are available but are not normally issued unless a threat to life is present and can be proven.

Israel

1. In 2018, Israel significantly loosened firearms restrictions, allowing all citizens who had undergone combat training and qualified in Advanced Infantry Training (Rifleman 07) to apply for a private handgun licence.

2. Prior to 2018, only a small group of people were eligible for firearm licenses: certain military personnel, police officers or prison guards; residents of settlements (in the West Bank and the Golan Heights) or those who often work in such towns and licensed hunters and animal control officers.

3. Age requirements vary. It is 21 for those who completed military service or civil service equivalent, 27 otherwise and 45 for non-citizens.

4. Firearm license applicants must have been a resident of Israel for at least three consecutive years.

5. Background check (criminal, health and mental history) should be passed.

6. Applicant should establish a genuine reason for possessing a firearm (such as self-defense, hunting or sport).

7. A weapons-training course should be passed.

8. Those holding firearm licenses must renew them and pass a shooting course every three years.

Kuwait

1. Kuwait has strict firearms laws.

2. Hunting shotguns are the most commonly licensed weapons.

3. Handguns are only allowed for VIPs.

4. Automatic rifles and machine guns are not legally permitted for civilian possession.

Lebanon

1. Ownership of any firearm other than handguns, hunting arms and antiques is illegal and only the latter two are permitted to leave the owner's home.

2. Disregard for this law is prevalent.

3. Lebanon does not officially grant the right to bear arms, but it is a firmly held cultural belief in the country.

4. Firearms licenses are granted to certain individuals but the test is not open to the public and requires a particular need to be demonstrated.

5. Gun control has been largely unsuccessful due to a historic gun culture and a lack of effective central government control or authority over many parts of the country.

Malaysia

1. Malaysia has strict gun laws.

2. The Arms Act (1960) requires the citizens of Malaysia to have a license for manufacture, import, export, repair or ownership of firearms.

3. A firearm license can only be granted by the Chief Police Officer of a state.

4. Discharging in crimes such as extortion, robbery, resisting arrest and house-breaking is punished by the death penalty.

5. Exhibiting a firearm for any of the scheduled offences (without discharging) carries a penalty of life imprisonment and caning of not less than six strokes.

6. Possession of unlawful firearms carries a sentence of up to fourteen years in prison and caning.

7. While the general public cannot obtain a gun through legal means but a black market for guns does exist.

North Korea

1. Firearms cannot be easily acquired.

2. In 2009, North Korea enacted a new law strictly regulating firearms.

Pakistan

1. It is very easy to acquire gun.

2. It has permissive firearms laws compared to the rest of South Asia.

3. It has the sixth highest number of privately owned guns in the world.

4. The law in Pakistan does not stipulate that a gun license should be denied or revoked.

5. Gun culture is strong in Pakistan.

6. A license permits ownership of any number of weapons including handguns of any size and fully automatic weapons.

Philippines

1. It has generally strict gun laws, though liberal in comparison to other Asia-Pacific countries.

2. Gun control became notorious in 1972 during presidency of Ferdinand Marcos who implemented a near-prohibition of all civilian guns.

3. Applicants must be of a minimum age of 21 years and have no history of criminal activity or domestic violence.

4. License-holders may carry handguns in public with the acquisition of a Permit to Carry (PTC), which are granted on a may-issue basis.

5. Applicants must demonstrate a need for a PTC like an imminent threat of danger.

6. PTCs are typically granted to lawyers, accountants, media practitioners, cashiers, bank tellers, priests, ministers, rabbis, imams, physicians, nurses or engineers.

7. Inspite of strict laws, gun culture is strong.

Kenya

1. Gun law in Kenya is specified in the Firearms Act (Cap. 114) laws of Kenya.

2. The Chief Licensing Officer (CLO) has discretion to award, deny or revoke firearms licenses.

3. Applicants must be 21 years of age or older, pass a stringent background check for criminal activity, mental health and domestic violence and state bona fide reasons for their need to privately own and carry a firearm.

4. Checks are regularly repeated with failure to pass resulting in immediate revocation of the license.

5. Once licensed to own a gun, no additional permit is required to carry a concealed firearm.

South Africa

1. To apply for a firearm license in South Africa, the applicants must pass a competency test covering the specific type of firearm you are applying a license for and a test on the South African firearm laws.

2. Once these tests are passed then the applicant need to apply for a competency certificate where the South African Police Service will perform a background check and an inspection of the premises where the firearm will be stored.

3. After both the tests are passed and the certificates are awarded the applicant can then apply for a firearm license in the categories ranging from self-defence to professional training.

4. Different license categories have different restrictions as for instance the amount of ammunition that the owner may hold.

Argentina

1. Firearms in Argentina are restricted and regulated by ANMaC (Agencia Nacional de Materiales Controlados) since late October 2015 when said agency replaced RENAR (Registro Nacional de Armas de la Republica Argentina), both being a branch of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights.

2. To own a firearm in Argentina, one must be a legitimate user.

3. Applicant must be 21 years of age or older, provide a medical certificate that certifies they are physically and mentally fit, complete a safety course, provide a legitimate means of income and undergo and pass a background check.

4. A successful applicant is fingerprinted and issued a license which has to be renewed every five years.

5. One may not legally fire a firearm in Argentina if they are not a legitimate user, even if that gun belongs to someone else.

6. Once a legitimate user wants to purchase a firearm, they must provide a secure location to store the firearm(s), and give an acceptable reason for wanting a firearm  such as collecting, target shooting, hunting, business or self-defense in the home.

7. Firearms must be purchased through a licensed dealer and registered with ANMaC.

8. If a firearm is inherited, a re-registering form must be filed.

9. There is no limit on the number of firearms owned so long as they are properly stored.

10. Handguns above .32 calibre are conditional-use; fully automatic handguns are prohibited to civilians.

Brazil

1. All firearms in Brazil are required to be registered.

2. The minimum age for ownership is 25.

3. Certificates of aptitude and mental health are required prior to the acquisition of a firearm and every three years thereafter.

4. It is generally illegal to carry a firearm outside a residence.

5. Executive Order No. 5.123 of 1 July 2004 allows the Federal Police to confiscate firearms which are not possessed for a valid reason.

6. Self-defense is not considered a valid argument.

Mexico

1. Under the Mexican Constitution, citizens and legal residents have the right to own arms, but may only carry them in accordance with police regulation.

2. Applicants must have a clear criminal record and proven income and residence thereby clearly implying that they cannot be homeless.

3. New firearms are purchased through the Ministry of Defense.

4. Prohibited weapons include large-calibre handguns, shotguns with barrels shorter than 25 inches (640 mm) or bore greater than 12 gauge and rifles which are fully automatic or of large caliber.

5. One handgun is permitted for home defense.

6. Collectors may be authorized to possess additional and prohibited weapons.

7. A carry license may be issued to those employed by private security firms or those who may be targets of crime.

Indonesia

1. Indonesia has generally strict gun laws.

2. Licenses are normally only issued to civilians employed in a profession that involves firearms such as military and law enforcement, with an exception for politicians and businessmen.

3. Applicants must be of a minimum age of 21 years to obtain a firearms license and go through a very thorough background check and mental evaluation.

4. They must also state a bona fide reason for wanting to own a firearm, which would include hunting, target shooting, collecting security and self-defense.

5. All firearms must be registered.

6. Gun permits are valid for five years and may be renewed.

7. Civilians cannot possess military weapons, but may possess long rifles.

8. Handguns can be used only for sport shooting and hunting.

Thailand

1. A firearm license in Thailand is granted only for self-defense, property protection, hunting or sporting use.

2. Applicants for a firearms license must be at least 20 years of age, have a record of good behavior, have an occupation and receive income and have a permanent address in Thailand with a name 'listed in the house registration specifically in the area where the applicants are applying for a license for at least six months.

3. A license may not be issued to anyone who is a repeat offender or mentally unstable.

4. Since October 2017 citizenship is required to purchase and use firearms.

5. Fully automatic firearms and explosive devices are prohibited.

India

1. Guns in India are strictly regulated by law.

2. The Arms Act, 1959 and the Arm Rules 1962 prohibit the sale, manufacture, possession, acquisition, import, export and transport of firearms and ammunition unless under a license which is difficult to obtain.

3. Licenses are valid for three years and may be renewed.

4. The Arms Act classifies firearms into two categories: Prohibited Bore (PB) and Non-Prohibited Bore (NPB) where all semi-automatic and fully automatic firearms fall under the Prohibited Bore category.

5. The Indian Government has a monopoly over the production and sale of firearms with the exception of some breech-loading smooth-bore shotguns of which a limited number may be produced and imported.

6. The criteria considered during issue of NPB firearm permits are whether the applicant faces a threat to their life. PB firearms criteria are more stringent and are often for persons in government positions who face immediate danger or threats and for those whose occupation involves open threats and dangers and family members of such people.

All said and done, all nations must make more stricter laws for not just buying a gun but also for keeping them. Also, those who have guns must be made to undergo compulsory thorough scrutiny and police verification. They must be made to go through medical tests and also under no circumstances should any person have more gun than one. Those who are repeated offenders should not be allowed to keep guns. Ammunition also must not be unlimited. Police must check this on regular basis. Those who are found violating the rules must be made to pay a heavy penalty and also sentenced to jail for at least five years! All this will certainly go a long way in ensuring that the dastardly killing of innocents by those who have weapons are checked to a large extent! There must be mandatory, proper and strict checking of all vehicles and all persons at all religious places at various points so that innocent devotees are never again killed in the dastardly, ghastly and cowardly manner in which we recently saw in two mosques in Christchurch in New Zealand which shook the whole world! Above all, gun laws must be made more stricter and those who have guns must be thoroughly made to undergo suitable test and proper police verification and held duly accountable! Those who are either mentally unstable or have a past criminal record must not be allowed to keep gun!



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Ltd., Alere Medical Pakistan (Private) Limited, Alere Medical Private Limited, Alere North America LLC, Alere Oy Ab, Alere Philippines Inc., Alere Phoenix ACQ Inc., Alere Pte Ltd, Alere S.A., Alere S.r.l., Alere S/A, Alere SAS, Alere San Diego Inc., Alere Scarborough Inc., Alere Spain S.L., Alere Switzerland GmbH, Alere Technologies GmbH, Alere Technologies Holdings Limited, Alere Technologies Limited, Alere Toxicology AB, Alere Toxicology Inc., Alere Toxicology S.r.l., Alere Toxicology Services Inc., Alere Toxicology plc, Alere UK Holdings Limited, Alere UK Subco Limited, Alere ULC, Alere US Holdings LLC, Alere s.r.o., Alisoc Investment & Co, Amedica Biotech Inc., Ameditech Inc., American Generics S.A.S., American Medical Supplies Inc., American Pharmacist Inc., Antares S.A., Apica Cardiovascular Limited, Aquagestion Capacitacion S.A., Aquagestion S.A., Arriva Medical LLC, Arriva Medical Philippines Inc., Arvis Investments Limited, Atlas Farmaceutica S.A., Avee Laboratories Inc., Axis-Shield AD III AS, Axis-Shield AD IV AS, Axis-Shield AS, Axis-Shield Diagnostics Limited, Axis-Shield Ltd., BBI Animal Health Limited, BBI Diagnostics Group 2 Public Limited Company, Banco de Vida S.A., Bioabsorbable Vascular Solutions Inc., Bioalgae S.A., Biohealth LLC, Biosite Incorporated, Bosque Bonito S.A., Branan Medical Corporation, Brandex Europe C.V., British Colloids Limited, CFR Chile S.A., CFR Interamericas EL Salvador Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, CFR Interamericas Nicaragua Sociedad Anonima, CFR Interamericas Panama S.A., CFR Pharmaceuticals, California Property Holdings III LLC, CardioMEMS LLC, Caripharm Inc., Cephea Valve Technologies, Cephea Valve Technologies Inc., Colibri Medical Aktiebolag, Comercializadora y Distribuidora CFR Interamericas Honduras S.A., Concateno South Limited, Concateno UK Limited, Consorcio Tecnologico en Biomedicina Clinico-Molecular S.A., Continuum Services LLC, Cozart Limited, Dextech S.A., Diagnostik Nord GmbH, Distribuciones Uquifa S.A.S., Domesco Medical Import-Export Joint-Stock Corporation, Duphar International Research B.V., Endocardial Solutions, Epocal (US) Inc, Esprit de Vie S.A., European Chemicals & Co, European Drug Testing Service EDTS AB, European Services S.A., Evalve Inc., Evalve International Inc., FARMINDUSTRIA S.A., Fada Pharma Paraguay Sociedad Anonima, Fadapharma del Ecuador S.A., Farmaceutica Mont Blanc S.L., Farmacologia Em Aquicultura Veterinaria Ltda., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV Ecuador S.A., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV S.A., Fernwood Investment S.A., First Check Diagnostics LLC, Focus Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Forensics Limited, Forestcreek Overseas S.A., Fournier Pharma Corp., Fournier Pharma GmbH, Fournier Pharmaceuticals Limited, Framed B.V., Gabmed GmbH, Garden Hills LLC, Global Analytical Development LLC, Globapharm & CO LP, Glomed Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Golnorth Investments S.A., Gynocare Limited, Gynopharm Sociedad Anonima, Gynopharm de Centroamerica S.A., Gynopharm de Venezuela C.A., Hi-Tronics Designs Inc., IDEV Technologies Inc., IG Innovations Limited, IMTC Finance B.V., IMTC Holdings B.V., IMTC Technologies Inc., Ibis Biosciences LLC, Igloo Zone Chile S.A., Igloo Zone S.L., Inmobiliaria Naknek S.A.C., Innovacon Inc., Instant Tech Subsidiary Acquisition Inc., Instant Technologies Inc., Instituto de Criopreservacion de Chile S.A., Integrated Vascular Systems Inc., Inverness Canadian Acquisition Corporation, Inverness Medical (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Australia Pty Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Hong Kong Limited, Inverness Medical Innovations SK LLC, Inverness Medical Investments LLC, Inverness Medical LLC, Inverness Medical Shimla Private Limited, Inversiones K2 SpA, Inversiones Komodo S.R.L., Ionian Technologies LLC, Irvine Biomedical Inc., Kalila Medical, Kangshenyunga S.A., Knoll UK Investments Unlimited, LLC VeroInPharm, Laboratoires Fournier S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano Lafrancol S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano del Ecuador S.A., Laboratorio Internacional Argentino S.A., Laboratorio Synthesis S.A.S., Laboratorios Lafi Limitada, Laboratorios Naturmedik S.A.S., Laboratorios Pauly Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Laboratorios Recalcine S.A., Laboratorios Transpharm S.A., Laboratory Specialists of America Inc., Lafrancol Dominicana S.A.S., Lafrancol Guatemala S.A. Sociedad Anonima, Lafrancol Internacional S.A.S, Lafrancol Peru S.R.L, Lake Forest Investments LLC, Lightlab Imaging Inc., Limited Liability Company Abbott Laboratories, Limited Liability Company Abbott Ukraine, Limited Liability Company VEROPHARM, Lung Fung Hong (China) Limited, Mansbridge Pharmaceuticals Limited, MediGuide LLC, MediGuide Ltd., Medscreen Holdings Limited, Metropolitana Farmaceutica S.A., Midwest Properties LLC, Murex Argentina S.A., Murex Biotech Limited, Murex Biotech South Africa, Murex Diagnostics Inc., Murex Diagnostics International Inc., Natural Supplement Association LLC, Negocios Denia Sociedad Anonima, Neosalud S.A.C., Nether Pharma N.P. C.V., NeuroTherm LLC, Normann Pharma-Handels GmbH, North Shore Properties Inc., Novamedi S.A., Novasalud.com S.A., Nutravida S.A., OJSC Voronezhkhimpharm, Omnilab Iberia Sociedad Limitada, OptiMedica, Orgenics France SAS, Orgenics International Holdings B.V., Orgenics Ltd., PBM-Selfcare LLC, PDD II LLC, PDD LLC, PT Alere Health, PT. Abbott Indonesia, PT. Abbott Products Indonesia, Pacesetter Inc., Pantech (RF) (PTY) LTD, Pembrooke Occupational Health Inc., Penagos S.A., Pharma International Sociedad Anonima, Pharmaceutical Technologies (Pharmatech) S.A., Pharmatech Boliviana S.A., Polygon Labs S.A., Quality Assured Services Inc., RF Medical Holdings LLC, RTL Holdings Inc., Ramses Business Corp., Recben Xenerics Farmaceutica Limitada, Redwood Toxicology Laboratory Inc., Rich Horizons International Limited, SC VEROPHARM, SJ Medical Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., SJM International Inc., SJM Thunder Holding Company, SPDH Inc., Saboya Enterprises Corporation, Salviac Limited, Scanax AS, Sealing Solutions Inc., Selfcare Technology Inc., Shandong Abbott Dairy Product Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Medical Devices Science and Technology Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Shanghai Si Fa Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Sinensix & Co., Spinal Modulation LLC, St. Jude Medical, St. Jude Medical AB, St. Jude Medical ATG Inc., St. Jude Medical Argentina S.A., St. Jude Medical Asia Pacific Holdings GK, St. Jude Medical Atrial Fibrillation Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Brasil Ltda., St. Jude Medical Business Services Inc., St. Jude Medical Cardiology Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Colombia Ltda., St. Jude Medical Coordination Center, St. Jude Medical Costa Rica Limitada, St. Jude Medical Europe Inc., St. Jude Medical Export Ges.m.b.H., St. Jude Medical GVA Sarl, St. Jude Medical Holdings B.V., St. Jude Medical India Private Limited, St. Jude Medical International Holding, St. Jude Medical LLC, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings II, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings NT, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings SMI S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings TC S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Mexico Business Services S. de R.L. de C.V., St. Jude Medical Middle East DMCC, St. Jude Medical Operations (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., St. Jude Medical Puerto Rico LLC, St. Jude Medical S.C. Inc., St. Jude Medical Systems AB, St. Jude Medical Turkey Medikal Urunler Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Standard Diagnostics Inc., Standing Stone LLC, Swan-Myers Incorporated, TC1 LLC, Tendyne Holdings Inc., Tendyne Medical Inc., Thoratec Delaware LLC, Thoratec Europe Limited, Thoratec LLC, Thoratec Switzerland GmbH, Tobal Products Incorporated, Topera GmbH in Liquidation, Topera Inc., Tremora S.A., Tuenir S.A., TwistDx, UAB Abbott Laboratories, UAB Abbott Medical Lithuania, Union-Madison Realty Company Inc., Unipath Limited (dba Alere International/aka Cranfield), Unipath Management Limited, Unipath Pension Trustee Limited, Veropharm, Veropharm Limited Liability Partnership, Vida Cell Inversiones S.A., Vida Cell S.A., Vivalsol, W&R Pharma Handels GmbH, Western Pharmaceuticals S.A., X Technologies Inc., Yissum Holding Limited, ZonePerfect Nutrition Company, eScreen Canada ULC, eScreen Inc.,      ( ), and Abbott Laboratories Baltics.
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Bayhorse Silver Inc., a junior natural resource company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of natural resource properties. It explores for silver, gold, zinc, copper, antimony, and other metals. The company holds a 100% interest in the Bayhorse Silver Mine Property located in Baker County, Oregon. It also holds an option agreement to acquire an 80% interest in the Brandywine project located in British Colombia. The company was formerly known as Kent Exploration Inc. and changed its name to Bayhorse Silver Inc. in December 2013. Bayhorse Silver Inc. was incorporated in 2004 and is headquartered in Burnaby, Canada.

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Card Factory plc operates as a specialist retailer of greeting cards in the United Kingdom. The company designs, sources, prints, warehouses, produces, distributes, and sells greeting cards, dressings, and related gift items. It operates through two segments, Card Factory and Getting Personal. The company provides single cards for everyday occasions, including birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, thank you, get well soon, good luck, congratulations, sympathy, and new baby cards, as well as seasonal occasions, such as Christmas, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Valentine's Day, Easter, thank you teacher, graduation, and exam congratulations; online personalized physical cards; and boxes of various Christmas cards. It also offers gift dressings comprising gift wraps, bags, boxes, tags, bows, and ribbons; small gifts consisting of soft toys, ceramics, glassware, candles, picture frames, and homewares; party products, including balloons, banners, badges, and candles; and other non-card products, such as calendars, diaries, and stamps. The company offers its products through various retail locations, including high streets, shopping centers, and retail parks, as well as through its Websites, such as cardfactory.co.uk. and gettingpersonal.co.uk. It operates approximately 1,000 Card Factory stores. Card Factory plc was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Wakefield, the United Kingdom.

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Que Vola ?

Publicity photo by Simon Lambert

Que Vola ?, led by French trombonist Fidel Fourneyron, is an innovative project combining a French jazz septet and a trio of Cuban percussionists. The album, on the No Format label has had rave reviews on both sides of the Channel. The band is coming to London this week (10 April at Earth Hackney). Cuban music specialist Yannick Le Maintec wrote a feature about the project for Le Monde and this is Sebastians abridged translation of the original:

Trombonist Fidel Fourneyron, a first-call player in France who has been a member of groups such as the Orchestre National de Jazz and Eve Rissers White Desert Orchestra, first goes to Cuba in 2012, following in the footsteps of double bass player Thibaud Soulas.

Without actually even knowing him that well, Thibaud is kind enough to give Fidel the address of his Cuban family, tells him about the kind of traps to avoid and puts him in contact with the good people. Perhaps it is the predestination implied in the trombonists first name, but Fidel got completely immersed straight away. He meets Adonis, Ramon and Barbarito, percussionists from Osain del Monte, the rumba group. With them, he jams, he learns about bata. Fidel is fascinated by the religious ceremonies, with their traditional drums as the cornerstone.

On the next trip, Fidel comes back to Paris with an idea in mind. He and Thibaud Soulas put together a programme, and with the support of festival directors, notably Xavier Lemettre from Banlieues Bleues, he brings the Cubans to play in France. They tour between 2017 and 2018. The No Format label records them during the summer of 2018. Less experimental than the concerts, the album nonetheless has something really new about it.

The personnel: the three bata players, two trombones, two saxophones, a Fender, bass and drums. The two musical families first had to learn to get used to each other. During the preparations for the first concert at Mont-De-Marsan, the Cubans are surprised that the French always seem to keep their head in the notes rather than the notes in their heads. They are confused by this intellectual approach to music, but once on stage everyone realizes that the whole thing is going to work

Cuban jazz pianist Alejandro Falcon has been responsible for rearranging the repertoire of Los Munequitos de Mantanzas for this group, and he explains why he considers that the melding of these two traditions works: The fusion of guaguanco with jazz works because our music is of African origin and, like jazz, it has a philosophy of union, exchange and freedom, the improvisations and above all the rhythmic richness of these two genres.

The basic idea is to be free of the constraints and predictability of Montuno. Because even if it is jazz, Latin jazz is basically dance music, with all the limitations that this implies. The question and answer structure specific to Afro-Caribbean music is preserved, except that the voices here are those of the wind instruments.

There is just one track of sacred music on the Que Vola? album, the introduction to drums from the Oro Seco is an ode to Chango (one of the divinities of the Yoruba religion), played by Ramoncito who defines himself as son of Chango. Calle Luz, Fruta Bomba and Que Vola? (based on a columbia led by Adonis) are full of invention.

Fidel Fourneyron enjoyed the jousting between brass and the bata players. They were too strong for us! he jokes. But the French jazz musicians do respond. With the freedom in the way they interpret, their inventiveness can allow them to escape the confines of the fixed tempo of the clave. Also, the idea of the trance, born of African rhythms, and an overtly Coltrane-an inspiration persists in the music too.

And there are influences from lesser-known traditions too: Nganga for example, is inspired by the palo, Lyesa is another form of liturgy. Resistir is an epic work inspired by the Abakua tradition, through Machito.

Spring 2019. The French musicians are getting ready to meet their Cuban friends. A new tour, several dates in France, followed by London and before long New York. These musicians are excited by the prospect of finding new audiences. There is a common desire to see their project evolve, to keep pushing back the boundaries.

LINKS: BOOKINGS FOR EARTH HACKNEY 10 APRIL

 Que Vola ? on Fidel Fourneyrons website

Yannick Le Maintecs original article in French
Gerresheimer AG, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells specialty glass, plastic products, and drug delivery-devices and solutions primarily worldwide. It operates through three divisions: Plastics & Devices, Primary Packaging Glass, and Advanced Technologies. The Plastics & Devices division offers drug delivery systems, including inhalers, pen systems, and injection systems; sterile and non-sterile syringe systems for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries; and disposables for various analysis systems that are used in laboratories and medical practices, quick tests for patients in medical practices or hospitals, skin-prick aids and lancets for diabetics, disposables, and components for dialysis machines, and catheters and surgical devices. It also provides containers for the delivery of tablets and powders, liquid dosages, ophthalmic and rhinological applications, parenteral packaging applications, oral prescription medications, and cosmetics. The Primary Packaging Glass division offers glass primary packaging for pharma and cosmetics industries, such as ampoules, cartridges, vials, syrup and dropper bottles, tablet jars, and wide-neck jars, as well as injection, infusion, and transfusion bottles; flacons and pots for fragrances, deodorants, and care and decorative cosmetics; and bottles and jars for spirits and food. The Advanced Technologies division develops drug delivery products and platforms, such as micro pumps, which are used to self-administer medication for heart failure or Parkinson's for pharmaceutical and biotech customers. The company was founded in 1864 and is headquartered in DAsseldorf, Germany.

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H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB is a Sweden-based company active in the clothing industry. It operates under such brand names, as H&M, H&M Home, COS, Monki, Weekday, Cheap Monday and & Other Stories. It is engaged in the design, manufacture and marketing of clothing items and related accessories. The Company's product range comprises clothing, including underwear and sportswear, for men, women, children and teenagers, as well as cosmetic products, accessories, footwear and home textiles. The Company offers its products in a number of branded stores spread across over 40 markets. Additionally, the Company offers online and catalogue sales in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and the United Kingdom, among others.

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The Howard Hughes Corp. engages in the development and management of commercial, residential, and mixed-use real estate. It operates through the following segments: Operating Assets, Master Planned Communities; Seaport District; and Strategic Developments. The Operating Assets segment consists retail, office, hospitality, and multi-family properties along with other real estate investments. The Master Planned Communities segment focuses in the development and sale of land in large-scale, long-term community development projects in and around Las Vegas, Nevada; Houston, Texas; and Columbia, Maryland. The Seaport District operates an approximately 453,000 square feet of restaurant, retail, and entertainment properties situated in three primary locations in New York, New York: Pier 17, Historic Area/Uplands, and Tin Building. The Strategic Developments segment involves in the other real estate assets in the form of entitled and unentitled land and residential condominium developments. The company was founded on November 9, 2010 and is headquartered in Woodlands, TX.

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The following companies are subsidiares of HP: 3Com, 3PAR, ABB CADE, AOME Holdings Ltd., Alpha Holding One B.V., Alpha Holding Two B.V., Anatolus Holding B.V., Antila Holding B.V., Apogee, Apogee Corp, Apollo Computer, AppIQ, Applied Optoelectronic Tech, Aptitude Management Consulting W.L.L., Aquarius Holding S.C.A., ArcSight, Arteis, Artivision Technologies, Aruba Networks, Atos Origin, Atos Origin Middle East group, Aurasma Limited, Autonomy Corporation, Avantek, BT & D Technologies, Bitfone Corporation, Bluestone Software, Boonton Radio, Bristol Technology Inc., Bromium, CEC Europe Service Management, CGNZ, CaLan, Caleum Holding B.V., Callisto Holding B.V., Colorado Memory Systems, Colubris Networks, Colubris Networks, Columba Holding B.V., Compaq Cayman Holdings Company, Compaq Cayman Holdings General Partnership II, Compaq Cayman Islands Vision Company, Compaq Information Technologies, Compaq Information Technologies LLC, Computer Insurance Company, Computing and Printing Global Services Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Computing and Printing Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Computing and Printing Professional Services Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Consera Software, ConteXtream Inc, Convex Computer, Crater Holding B.V., David Vision Systems GmbH, Dazel, Division, Dorado Holding B.V., EDS (Electronic Data Systems), EEsof, EYP Mission Critical Facilities, Elara Holding B.V., ElseWare, Eon Systems, Eucalyptus Systems, Eunomia Holding B.V., ExcellerateHRO, Exstream Software, Extreme Logic, F&M Scientific Corporation, F.L. Moseley Company, Flame Holding B.V., Fortify Software, Four Pi Systems, Gram Global Operations Limited, Gram Inc., HP Austria GmbH, HP Belgium BVBA, HP Bermuda Holding One L.P., HP Bilgisayar ve Bask Teknolojileri Limited Sirketi, HP Bilgisayar ve Bask Teknolojileri Limited Sirketi Ankara Subesi, HP Brasil Industria e Comercio de Equipamentos Eletronicos Ltda, HP Brasil Industria e Comercio de Equipamentos Eletronicos Ltda.Branch 01 (Tambore), HP Brasil Industria e Comercio de Equipamentos Eletronicos Ltda.Branch 2 (Sorocaba), HP Brasil Industria e Comercio de Equipamentos Eletronicos Ltda.Branch 3 (Porto Alegre), HP Canada Co., HP China Holding B.V., HP Colombia SAS, HP Computing and Printing Middle East FZ-LLC, HP Computing and Printing Nigeria Ltd, HP Computing and Printing Systems India Private Limited, HP Computing and Printing d.o.o. (Beograd), HP Computing and Printing d.o.o. (Zagreb), HP Deutschland GmbH, HP Deutschland Holding GmbH, HP Europe B.V. Regional Dubai Branch, HP Europe BV Amsterdam Meyrin Branch, HP Finland Oy, HP France Holding SAS, HP France SAS, HP France SAS Bahrain Branch, HP Global Trading B.V., HP Global Trading B.V. Kazakhstan Branch, HP Hewlett Packard Group LLC, HP Holdgate Co., HP Inc (Thailand) Ltd., HP Inc AP Hong Kong Limited, HP Inc Argentina S.R.L., HP Inc Bulgaria EOOD, HP Inc Chile Comercial Limitada, HP Inc Costa Rica Limitada, HP Inc Czech Republic s.r.o., HP Inc Danmark ApS, HP Inc Gulf, HP Inc Hong Kong Limited, HP Inc Magyarorszag Kft., HP Inc Polska sp. z o.o., HP Inc Romania SRL, HP Inc Slovakia s.r.o., HP Inc Tunisie SARL, HP Inc UK Holding Limited, HP Inc UK Limited, HP Inc. Peru SRL, HP Information Technology R & D (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., HP International Sarl, HP International Sarl (Puerto Rico Branch) LLC, HP International Trading B.V., HP International Trading B.V. (Puerto Rico Branch) LLC, HP Italy Holding S.r.l., HP Italy S.r.l., HP Japan Inc., HP Korea Inc., HP Luxembourg S.C.A., HP Nederland B.V., HP New Zealand, HP Norge AS, HP PPS Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., HP PPS Australia Pty Ltd, HP PPS Costa Rica Limitada, HP PPS India Operations Private Limited, HP PPS Israel Ltd, HP PPS Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., HP PPS Maroc SARL, HP PPS Multimedia Sdn. Bhd., HP PPS Philippines Inc., HP PPS Sales Sdn. Bhd., HP PPS Services India Private Limited, HP PPS Singapore (Sales) Pte. Ltd., HP PPS Sverige AB, HP Pakistan (Private) Limited, HP Panama S. de R.L., HP Printing and Computing Solutions S.L.U., HP Printing and Personal Systems Hellas EPE, HP Production Company Limited, HP Puerto Rico LLC, HP Schweiz GmbH, HP Solutions Creation and Development Services S.L.U., HP South Africa Proprietary Limited, HP Taiwan Information Technology Ltd., HP Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd., HP Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd. Chengdu Branch, HP Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd. Guangzhou Branch, HP Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd. Nanjing Branch, HP Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd. Shanghai Branch, HP Technology (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., HP Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, HP Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. Dalian Branch, HP Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. Zhangjiang Branch, HP WebOS LLC, HP-PPS Ecuador Cia. Ltda, HPCP-Computing and Printing Portugal Unipessoal Lda., HPI Bermuda Holdings LLC, HPI Brazil Holdings LLC, HPI CCHGPII LLC, HPI CCHGPII Sub LLC, HPI Federal LLC, HPI J1 Holdings LLC, HPI J2 Holdings LLC, HPI Luxembourg LLC, HPQ Holdings LLC, Hadar Holding B.V., Handspring Corporation, Heartstream, Hewlett Packard Distribution Center Panama S. de R.L, Hewlett-Packard (Chongqing) Co. Ltd, Hewlett-Packard (Chongqing) Manufacturing Export Procurement and Settlement Co. Ltd., Hewlett-Packard (Japan NK) Holdings C.V., Hewlett-Packard Angola Ltda., Hewlett-Packard Arabia LLC, Hewlett-Packard Cambridge B.V., Hewlett-Packard Company Archives LLC, Hewlett-Packard Copenhagen B.V., Hewlett-Packard Danube B.V., Hewlett-Packard Development Company L.P., Hewlett-Packard Enterprises LLC, Hewlett-Packard Europe BVAbu Dhabi Branch, Hewlett-Packard G.K., Hewlett-Packard Global Holdings B.V., Hewlett-Packard Global Investments B.V., Hewlett-Packard India Sales Private Limited, Hewlett-Packard Indigo B.V., Hewlett-Packard Indigo Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Industrial Printing Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Industrial Printing Solutions Europe BVBA, Hewlett-Packard International Pte Ltd, Hewlett-Packard International Pte Ltd Taiwan Branch, Hewlett-Packard Ireland (Holdings) Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Ireland 1 Limited, Hewlett-Packard Ireland Limited, Hewlett-Packard KSA Ltd, Hewlett-Packard KSA Ltd. Qatar Branch, Hewlett-Packard Lisbon B.V., Hewlett-Packard MENA FZ-LLC, Hewlett-Packard MENA FZ-LLC Libya Branch, Hewlett-Packard Malaysia Manufacturing Sdn. Bhd., Hewlett-Packard Mercator B.V., Hewlett-Packard Munich B.V., Hewlett-Packard Products B.V., Hewlett-Packard Products C.V., Hewlett-Packard Products CV 1 LLC, Hewlett-Packard Products CV 2 LLC, Hewlett-Packard Services Saudi Arabia Company, Hewlett-Packard Singapore (Private) Limited, Hewlett-Packard Sunnyvale B.V., Hewlett-Packard Vietnam Ltd., Hewlett-Packard West Indies Limited, Hewlett-Packard World Trade LLC, Hiflex Software, HyperX, IBRIX, IndiGo, Indigo America Inc., Kale Holding B.V., Kale Holding B.V. (Puerto Rico Branch) LLC, Knightsbridge Solutions, Lefthand Networks, Limited Liability Company HP Inc, Logoworks, Lyra Holding B.V., MacDermid ColorSpan, ManageOne, Melodeo, Mensa Holding B.V., Mercury Interactive, Metrix Network Systems, NUR Macroprinters, Neoware, Nihon HP Nin-I Kumiai, Novadigm, NuView ManageX, Nur do Brasil Ltda, OOO "Hewlett-Packard RUS", Opelin, Opelin, Open Skies, Opsware, Opsware, Optimization Systems, Optotech, OuterBay Technologies, OuterBay Technologies, PERSIST Technologies, PFE Investments Ltd., PIXACO, PROLIN, PT Hewlett-Packard Indonesia, Palm, Palm, Palm Asia Pacific Limited Taiwan Branch, Palm Comercio de Aparelhos Eletronicos Ltda., Palm Europe Limited, Palm Global Operations Limited, Palm Inc., Palm Ireland Investment, Palm Latin America Inc., Palm South America LLC, Palm Trademark Holding Company LLC, Pearl Holding Cooperatief U.A., Peregrine Systems, Perseus Holding B.V., Phoenix Holding L.P., PipeBeach, Polaris Holding One L.P., Polaris Holding Two L.P., PolyServe, Propus Holding B.V., Qosnetics, Quartz Holding Co, RLX Technologies, Regor Holding B.V., SPI Dynamics, Samsung Printing Solutions, Scitex, Scitex Vision, Scope Communications, Scorpius Holding B.V., Security Force Software, Shoreline Investment Management Company, Shunra Software, Shunra Software, Silverwire Holding, Snapfish, StorageApps, Stratavia, Synstar, Tabblo, Talking Blocks, Tall Tree Insurance Company, Techink International Pte. Ltd., Technology Partners, Telegra, The Technology Partners, Tourmaline Holding B.V., Tower Software, Tower Software Engineering Pty Ltd, Transoft Networks, Trellis Software & Controls, Triaton, Trinagy, TruLogica, Trustgenix, Turquoise Holding L.P., VeriFone, Verifone, Versatest, Vertica Systems, Vesta Holding B.V., Vital Technology Pte Ltd, Voltage Security, VoodooPC, and ZAO Hewlett-Packard A.O..
9th April 2019

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Just how does Tesco (LON:TSCO) plan to make shoppers more loyal and less price fickle? How many names does Mike Ashley have, and will they give him gravitas in his bid to take over Debenhams (LON:DEB)? Why a glass or two of wine a day might be good for the retired or could be for McCarthy & Stone (LON: MCS). Heated AGM's in the UK and Spain as UKOG (LON:UKOG ) defends itself against those who would cap the Gatwick Gusher, and Santander (LON:SAN) explains big bonuses for the cat who didn't end up getting the cream.

And who is returning to sender at ASOS (LON:ASC)?

Sarah Lowther reports from Dallas, side saddles with J R Ewing and reveals what lassoing a "Dallas Red" entails.
1 Wall Street analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Premier Oil in the last year. There are currently 1 hold rating for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street analysts is that investors should "hold" Premier Oil stock. A hold rating indicates that analysts believe investors should maintain any existing positions they have in PMO, but not buy additional shares or sell existing shares.

View analyst ratings for Premier Oil or view top-rated stocks.
John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund is a closed ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by John Hancock Investment Management LLC. It is co-managed by John Hancock Asset Management. The fund invests in the public equity markets of the United States. It seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors, with an emphasis on the utilities sector. The fund primarily invests in dividend paying preferred stocks and common stocks of companies. It benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against a composite benchmark comprised of 70% Bank of America Merrill Lynch Preferred Stock DRD Eligible Index and 30% S&P 500 Utilities Index. The fund was formerly known as John Hancock Patriot Premium Dividend Fund II. John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund was formed on December 21, 1989 and is domiciled in the United States.

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Keywords Studios plc provides integrated outsourced creative and technical services to the video game industry. The company offers art creation services related to the production of graphical art assets for inclusion in the video game, including concept art creation, as well as 2D and 3D art asset production and animation. It also provides audio/voice-over services, including script translation, actor selection, and talent management through pre-production, audio direction, recording, and post-production, as well as offers music licensing or music soundtracks selling services. In addition, the company offers localization services related to translation and cultural adaptation of in-game text and audio scripts in various game platforms and genres; and localization testing services consisting of testing the linguistic correctness and cultural acceptability of computer games. Further, it provides functional testing services related to quality assurance services provided to game producers to ensure game functions. Additionally, the company provides player support services related to the live operations support, such as community management, player support, and associated services to producers of games, as well as software engineering services for developing video games. It serves game companies and publishers. The company operates in Ireland, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Japan, Italy, France, India, Germany, Singapore, Spain, Poland, Brazil, China, and Mexico. Keywords Studios plc was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.

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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.

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The following companies are subsidiares of NOV: AG Holding UK, APL France SAS, APL Management Pte Ltd, APL Norway AS, APL do Brasil Ltda., ASEP Group Holding B.V., ASEP Otomotiv Sanayi Ticaret Ltd., Ackerman Holdings C.V., Ackerman Holdings GP LLC, Ackerman International Holland B.V., Advanced Production and Loading, Advanced Wirecloth, Aggregate Plant Products Co., American Pipe and Construction International, Ameron B.V., Ameron Holdings Pte. Ltd., Ameron International, Ameron International Corporation, Ameron Pole Products LLC, Ameron Polyplaster Industria E Comercio de Tubos Ltda., Ameron Singapore Holding, Ameron Singapore Poly Holdings Pte. Ltd., Ameron Trading Holdings Pte. Ltd., Andergauge Limited, Andergauge Redback, Andergauge USA, Arabian Rig Manufacturing Company, Axiom Process Limited, Belco Manufacturing Company, Big Red Tubulars Limited, Bondstrand Ltd., Bowen Downhole Inc., Bowen Downhole LLC, Brandt Interests, Brandt Oilfield Services (M) Sdn. Bhd., C.M.A. Canavera S.R.L., CJSC Fidmash, CJSC Novmash, CSI Inspection, Camco Drilling Group Limited, Chemineer, Coil Services Middle East LLC, Containment Solutions, Containment Solutions Services, Couoperatie Intelliserv Holding U.A., Couoperatie NOV NL U.A., Danco AS, Denali Incorporated, Denali Management, Devin International, Dreco Canada L.P., Dreco DHT, Dreco Eastern Europe ULC, Dreco Energy Services ULC, Dreco International Holdings ULC, Dreco LLC, E.C. Motors, Elmar Far East Pty Ltd, Enerflow Industries, Enerpro de Mexico, Environmental Procedures LLC, Ershigs, Fabricated Plastics Acquisitions Limited, Fabricated Plastics Limited, Fiber Glass Systems, Fiber Glass Systems (Qingdao) Composite Piping Co., Fiber Glass Systems Holdings, Fiber Glass Systems Oman L.L.C., Fiber Glass Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Fiberspar, Fiberspar Australia Pty. Ltd., Fiberspar Corporation, Fiberspar Linepipe Canada Ltd., Fibra Ingenieria y Construccion S.A., FidService, Fjords Processing (Shanghai) Co., Fjords Processing 1 AS, Fjords Processing AS, Fjords Processing Australia Pty Ltd, Fjords Processing France SAS, Fjords Processing Korea Co. Ltd., Fjords Processing Limited, Fjords Processing UK Ltd., Fryma S.a.r.l., GOT German Oil Tools GmbH, GP USA Holding LLC, GPEX, German Oil Tools (Middle East) FZE, Grant Prideco (Jiangsu) Drilling Products Co., Grant Prideco (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Grant Prideco AB TCA Holding LLC, Grant Prideco European Holding, Grant Prideco Holding, Grant Prideco III C. V., Grant Prideco Inc., Grant Prideco Jersey Limited, Grant Prideco L.P., Grant Prideco Mauritius Limited, Grant Prideco Netherlands B.V., Grant Prideco PC Composites Holdings, Grant Prideco S. de R.L. de C.V., Grant Prideco USA, Grant Prideco de Venezuela, Greystone Technologies Pty. Ltd., GustoMSC B.V., GustoMSC U.S., Hebei Huayouyiji Tuboscope Coating Co., Hitec AS, Hydralift AmClyde, Hydralift France SAS, Hydralift Holdings UK Limited, Inspecciones y Pruebas No Destructivas, IntelliServ Norway AS, Intelliserv, Intelliserv GP Holdings LLC, Intelliserv International Holding, Intelliserv LLC, Interval LLC, JiangYin Tuboscope Tubular Development Co., Merpro Group Limited, Merpro Products Limited, Merpro Tortek Limited, Midsund Bruk AS, Mono Group Pension Trustees Limited, Mono Pumps New Zealand Company, Monoflo NOV S.A.I.C., Moyno Inc., Moyno de Mexico S.A. de C.V., NKT Flexibles I/S, NOV (Asia), NOV (Barbados) Holding SRL, NOV (Barbados) SRL, NOV (Caymans), NOV (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., NOV - Oil Services Angola LDA., NOV APL Limited, NOV ASEP Elmar Mexico, NOV Africa Pty Ltd, NOV Australia Pty Ltd, NOV Azerbaijan LLC, NOV Brandt Europe France, NOV Brandt Oilfield Services Middle East LLC, NOV CV1 GP LLC, NOV CV2 GP LLC, NOV Completion Tools AS, NOV Completion Tools LLC, NOV Completion and Production Solutions Korea Ltd., NOV DH de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., NOV DHT Canada Holding ULC, NOV Denmark Cooperatief U.A., NOV Downhole Argentina, NOV Downhole Bolivia S.R.L., NOV Downhole Colombia, NOV Downhole Comercializacao de Equipamentos para Petroleo Ltda., NOV Downhole Congo, NOV Downhole Eurasia Limited, NOV Downhole Europe B.V., NOV Downhole Germany GmbH, NOV Downhole Italia S.R.L., NOV Downhole Kazakhstan, NOV Downhole Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., NOV Downhole Pty Ltd, NOV Downhole Thailand, NOV Dreco GP LLC, NOV EU Acquisition SNC, NOV Elmar (Middle East) Limited, NOV Elmar NL B.V., NOV Elmar Pte. Ltd., NOV Enerflow ULC, NOV Eurasia Holding LLC, NOV European Holding LLC, NOV Expatriate Services, NOV FGS Malaysia Sdn Bhd, NOV FGS Singapore (Pte.) Ltd, NOV Fiber Glass Systems Fabricacao De Tubos E Conexoes Ltda, NOV Flexibles Equipamentos E Servicos Ltda., NOV Flexibles Holding ApS, NOV Floating Production AS, NOV Fluid Control B.V., NOV GEO GP LLC, NOV GEO LP1 C.V., NOV GEO LP2 C.V., NOV GP Holding L.P., NOV GP1 Holding LLC, NOV Gabon SARL, NOV Germany Holding GmbH, NOV Ghana Limited, NOV Grant Prideco Drilling Equipment Manufacturing LLC, NOV Grant Prideco Drilling Products Middle East FZE, NOV Grant Prideco L.L.C., NOV Holding Danmark ApS, NOV Holding Germany GmbH & Co KG, NOV Holding Germany Management GmbH, NOV Holdings B.V., NOV Hydra Rig Pte. Ltd, NOV India Private Limited, NOV Intelliserv UK Limited, NOV International Holdings C.V., NOV International Holdings GP LLC, NOV Intervention & Stimulation Equipment US LLC, NOV Intervention and Stimulation Equipment  Aftermarket Comercio de Equipamentos e Servicos Ltda., NOV Kenya Limited, NOV Kostroma LLC, NOV Kuwait Light & Heavy Equipment Repairing & Maintenance Co., NOV LP (Trading), NOV MSI Pipe Protection Technologies Inc., NOV MSI Pipe Protection Technologies Mexico, NOV Mexico Holding LLC, NOV Middle East FZCO, NOV Mission Products UK Limited, NOV Mozambique Limitada, NOV NL Mexico Holding B.V., NOV Netherlands Finance Holding C.V., NOV Netherlands Finance Holding LLC, NOV North America I/P, NOV Oil & Gas Services Egypt (S.A.E), NOV Oil & Gas Services Uganda Limited, NOV Oil and Gas Services Ghana Limited, NOV Oil and Gas Services Namibia (Proprietary) Limited, NOV Oil and Gas Services Nigeria Limited, NOV Oil and Gas Services South Africa (Pty) Limited, NOV Oilfield Services Tanzania Limited, NOV Oilfield Services Vostok LLC, NOV Oilfield Solutions Ltd., NOV Park II B.V., NOV Process & Flow Technologies AS, NOV Process & Flow Technologies Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., NOV Process & Flow Technologies Pte. Ltd., NOV Process & Flow Technologies UK Limited, NOV Process & Flow Technologies US, NOV Rig Solutions Pte. Ltd., NOV Romania, NOV Saudi Arabia Co. Ltd., NOV Saudi Arabia Trading Co., NOV Services Ltd., NOV Servicios de Personal Mexico, NOV Subsea Products AS, NOV TV2 LLC, NOV TVI LLC, NOV Tanajib Kuwait for Services and Maintenance of Oil Rigs Refineries and Petrochemicals, NOV Tuboscope Italia S.R.L., NOV Tuboscope Middle East LLC, NOV Tuboscope NL B.V., NOV Tubulars and Connectors Ltd., NOV UK (Angola Acquisitions) Limited, NOV UK Finance Limited, NOV UK Holdings Limited, NOV UK Korea LP, NOV Wellbore Technologies Norway LLC, NOV Wellbore Technologies do Brasil Equipamentos E Servicos Ltda., NOV Wellsite Services Germany GmbH, NOV Worldwide C.V., NOV-BLM SAS, NOVM Holding LLC, NOW Downhole Tools, NOW International LLC, NOW Nova Scotia Holdings LLC, NOW Oilfield Services, NQL Holland B.V., National Oilwell (U.K.) Limited, National Oilwell Algerie, National Oilwell DHT, National Oilwell Middle East Company, National Oilwell Services de Mexico, National Oilwell Varco (Beijing) Investment Management Co. Ltd., National Oilwell Varco (Thailand) Ltd., National Oilwell Varco Algeria, National Oilwell Varco Almansoori Services, National Oilwell Varco Bahrain WLL, National Oilwell Varco Belgium SA, National Oilwell Varco Denmark I/S, National Oilwell Varco Egypt LLC, National Oilwell Varco Eurasia, National Oilwell Varco Guatemala, National Oilwell Varco Guyana Inc., National Oilwell Varco Hungary Limited Liability Company, National Oilwell Varco Korea Co., National Oilwell Varco MSW S.A., National Oilwell Varco Mexico, National Oilwell Varco Muscat L.L.C., National Oilwell Varco Norway AS, National Oilwell Varco Peru S.R.L., National Oilwell Varco Petroleum Equipment (Shanghai) Co., National Oilwell Varco Poland Sp.z.o.o., National Oilwell Varco Pte. Ltd., National Oilwell Varco Rig Equipment Trading (Shanghai) Co., National Oilwell Varco Romania S.R.L., National Oilwell Varco Solutions, National Oilwell Varco UK Limited, National Oilwell Varco Ukraine LLC, National Oilwell Varco de Bolivia S.R.L., National Oilwell Varco de Chile - Servicios Limitada, National Oilwell Varco do Brasil Ltda., National Oilwell de Venezuela, National-Oilwell Pte. Ltd., National-Oilwell Pty. Ltd., PT Fjords Processing Indonesia, PT H-Tech Oilfield Equipment, PT NOV Oilfield Services, PT National Oilwell Varco, PT PROFAB INDONESIA, Pesaka Inspection Services SDN.BHD., Pipex Limited, Pipex PX Limited, Pipex Structural Composites Limited, Pridecomex Holding S. de R.L. de C.V., Pridecomex TA Industries, Procon Engineering Ltd., Profab Engineering Pte. Ltd., Profab Services Pte Ltd, Quality Tubing FSC, R&M C.V., R&M Canada Cooperatief U.A., R&M Energy Systems Australia Pty Ltd., R&M Energy Systems de Argentina S.A., R&M Energy Systems de Venezuela, R&M Environmental Strategies, R&M Singapore Holding LLC, R&M UK Holding LLC, RE.MAC.UT. S.r.l., RHI Holding LLC, ReedHycalog, ReedHycalog International Holding, ReedHycalog LLC, ReedHycalog UK Limited, Robannic Overseas Finance A.V.V., Robbins & Myers, Robbins & Myers (Suzhou) Process Equipment Company Limited, Robbins & Myers B.V., Robbins & Myers Foundation, Robbins & Myers GP LLC, Robbins & Myers Holdings, Robbins & Myers Holdings UK Limited, Robbins & Myers Inc, Robbins & Myers Italia S.R.L., Robbins & Myers N.V., Rodic S.A. de C.V., Romaco S.a.r.l., STAR Sudamtex Tubulares S.A., STBH2O TUNISIE, STSA, Screen Manufacturing Company Unlimited, Seabox AS, Slip Clutch Systems Limited, Smart Drilling GmbH, Soil Recovery A/S, South Seas Inspection, Subseaflex Holding ApS, T-3 Energy Preferred Industries Mexico, T-3 Energy Services, T-3 Energy Services Cayman, T-3 Energy Services Cayman Holdings, T-3 Energy Services India Private Limited, T-3 Energy Services Mexico, T-3 Investment Corporation IV, T-3 Mexican Holdings, TVI Holdings, Telluride Insurance Limited, Tianjin Grant TPCO Drilling Tools Company Limited, Tube-Kote, Tubo-FGS, Tuboscope & Co. LLC, Tuboscope (Holding U.S.) LLC, Tuboscope Brandt de Venezuela, Tuboscope Machining Services AS, Tuboscope Norge AS, Tuboscope Pipeline Services Inc., Tuboscope Services, Tuboscope Vetco (Deutschland) GmbH, Tuboscope Vetco (France) SAS, Tuboscope Vetco (Oesterreich) GmbH, Tuboscope Vetco Canada ULC, Tuboscope Vetco Capital Limited, Tuboscope Vetco Moscow CJSC, Tuboscope Vetco de Argentina S.A., Tubular Coatings Solutions Ltd., Tucom Composites Polyester Sanayi Ticaret Ltd., Varco BJ B.V., Varco CIS, Varco Canada ULC, Varco I/P, Varco International de Venezuela, Varco L.P., Varco US Holdings LLC, Vetco Coating GmbH, Vetco Enterprise GmbH, Vetco Saudi Arabia Ltd., Visible Assets, Wilson International, Woolley, XL Systems, XL Systems Antilles, XL Systems Europe B.V., XL Systems International, voestalpine Middle East Free Zone Establishment, voestalpine Tubulars Corporation, voestalpine Tubulars GmbH, and voestalpine Tubulars GmbH & Co KG.
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Rivian or Lucid Motors: Which Emerging EV Stock Gives Investors a Charge?

Rivian or Lucid Motors, Both Look Good For the Long Haul, Which is Best Right Now? Electric vehicle (EV) stocks remain one of the most intriguing plays for investors. After a sharp sell-off earlier this year, stocks of EV companies are beginning to reinflate.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Accenture: (Accenture Endustriyel Yazlm Cozumleri Limited Sirketi), 2nd Road, ?What If!, ?What If! China Holdings Limited, ?What If! Holdings Limited, ?What If! Limited, ACN Consulting Co Ltd, AD.Dialeto (Digital Agency acquired by Accenture), AGS Business and Technology Services Limited, AIG Shared Services Business Processing Inc, ASM Research Inc., ASM Research LLC, ATAN, Accenture (Botswana) (Proprietary) Limited, Accenture (China) Co. Ltd., Accenture (Shenzhen) Technology Co. Ltd., Accenture (South Africa) Pty Ltd, Accenture (UK) Limited, Accenture 2 Business Process Services S.A., Accenture 2 LLC, Accenture A/S, Accenture AB, Accenture AG, Accenture AS, Accenture Africa Pty Ltd, Accenture Agencia Interativa Ltda, Accenture Australia Holding B.V., Accenture Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, Accenture Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture B.V., Accenture BPM Operations Support Services S.A., Accenture BPM S.C.R.L., Accenture BPS Services S.p. z o.o., Accenture Branch Holdings B.V., Accenture Bulgaria EOOD, Accenture Business Services for Utilities Inc, Accenture Business Services of British Columbia Limited Partnership, Accenture Business and Technology Services LLC, Accenture C.A., Accenture Canada Holdings Inc, Accenture Capital Designated Activity Company, Accenture Capital Inc, Accenture Central Europe B.V., Accenture Chile Asesorias y Servicios Ltda, Accenture Cloud Services GmbH, Accenture Cloud Software Solutions Limited, Accenture Cloud Solutions Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions LLC, Accenture Cloud Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Co Ltd, Accenture Co. Ltd, Accenture Communications Infrastructure Solutions Ltd, Accenture Company Ltd, Accenture Consulting Pty Ltd, Accenture Consulting Services Ltd Tanzania, Accenture Consultores de Gestao S.A., Accenture Consultoria de Industria e Consumo Ltda, Accenture Consultoria de Recursos Naturais Ltda, Accenture Credit Services LLC, Accenture Customer Services Distribution SASU, Accenture Customer Services Ltd, Accenture Danismanlik Limited Sirketi, Accenture Defined Benefit Pension Plan Trustees Limited, Accenture Defined Contribution Pension Plan Trustees Limited, Accenture Delivery Poland S.p. z o.o., Accenture Dienstleistungen GmbH, Accenture Digital Holdings GmbH, Accenture East Africa Limited, Accenture Ecuador S.A., Accenture Egypt LLC, Accenture Enterprise Development (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Accenture Federal Services LLC, Accenture Finance II Limited, Accenture Finance Limited, Accenture Finance and Accounting BPO Services S.p.A., Accenture Finance and Accounting Services S.r.l., Accenture Financial Advanced Solution & Technology S.r.l., Accenture Flex LLC, Accenture GP LLC, Accenture Global Capital Designated Activity Company, Accenture Global Engagements Limited, Accenture Global Holdings Limited, Accenture Global Services Limited, Accenture Global Solutions Limited, Accenture GmbH, Accenture HR Services S.p.A., Accenture Healthcare Processing Inc, Accenture Holding Brasil Ltda, Accenture Holding GmbH & Co. KG, Accenture Holdings (Iberia) S.L., Accenture Holdings B.V., Accenture Holdings France SASU, Accenture Hungary Holdings Kft, Accenture Inc, Accenture Industrial Software Limited Liability Company, Accenture Industrial Software Solutions Kft, Accenture Industrial Software Solutions SA, Accenture Insurance Services B.V., Accenture Insurance Services LLC, Accenture International B.V., Accenture International LLC, Accenture International Limited, Accenture Japan Ltd, Accenture Korea B.V., Accenture LLC, Accenture LLP, Accenture Lanka (Private) Ltd, Accenture Limited, Accenture Lithuania UAB, Accenture Ltd, Accenture Ltda, Accenture Maghreb S.a.r.l., Accenture Managed Services SRL, Accenture Management GmbH, Accenture Marketing Services LLC, Accenture Marketing Services Limited, Accenture Middle East B.V., Accenture Minority I B.V., Accenture Mozambique Limitada, Accenture Mzansi Pty Ltd, Accenture NV/SA, Accenture NZ Limited, Accenture Nova Scotia Unlimited Liability Co., Accenture OOO, Accenture Operations GmbH, Accenture Operations S.p. z o.o., Accenture Operations Services Private Limited, Accenture Operations Services Sdn Bhd, Accenture Outsourcing S.r.l., Accenture Outsourcing Services S.A., Accenture Oy, Accenture Panama Inc, Accenture Participations B.V., Accenture Participations II Limited, Accenture Peru SRL, Accenture Post Trade Processing SASU, Accenture Post-Trade Processing Limited, Accenture Process (Mauritius) Ltd, Accenture Pte Ltd, Accenture Puerto Rico LLC, Accenture Qiyun Technology (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd, Accenture S.C., Accenture S.L., Accenture S.R.L., Accenture S.p. z o.o., Accenture S.p.A., Accenture SASU, Accenture SG Services Pte Ltd, Accenture SRL, Accenture Saudi Arabia Limited, Accenture Sdn Bhd, Accenture Service Center SRL, Accenture Services (Mauritius) Ltd, Accenture Services AB, Accenture Services AG, Accenture Services AS, Accenture Services GmbH, Accenture Services Morocco SA, Accenture Services Oy, Accenture Services Pty Ltd, Accenture Services S.p. z o.o., Accenture Services SRL, Accenture Services and Technology S.r.l., Accenture Services s.r.o., Accenture Single Member S.A. Organization Information Technology & Business Development, Accenture Solutions Co. Ltd, Accenture Solutions Private Limited, Accenture Solutions Pte Ltd, Accenture Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Solutions S.p. z o.o, Accenture Solutions Sdn Bhd, Accenture State Healthcare Services LLC, Accenture Sub II Inc, Accenture Sub III Inc, Accenture Sub LLC, Accenture Systems Integration Limited, Accenture Sarl, Accenture Tanacsado Kolatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Accenture Technology Solutions (Dalian) Co. Ltd., Accenture Technology Solutions (HK) Co. Ltd., Accenture Technology Solutions (Thailand) Co. Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions - Solucoes Informaticas Integradas S.A., Accenture Technology Solutions GmbH, Accenture Technology Solutions Oy, Accenture Technology Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions S.A. de C.V., Accenture Technology Solutions S.r.l., Accenture Technology Solutions SASU, Accenture Technology Solutions SRL, Accenture Technology Solutions Sdn Bhd, Accenture Technology Solutions Slovakia s.r.o., Accenture Technology Ventures B.V., Accenture Technology Ventures SPRL, Accenture Tecnologia Consultoria y Outsourcing S.A., Accenture Uruguay SRL, Accenture Vietnam Co. Limited, Accenture Zambia Limited, Accenture do Brasil Ltda, Accenture plc, Accenture s.r.o., Acceria, Acquity Group, Adaptly LLC, Adaptly UK Limited, AddVal Technology, Adqptly, Advantium Inc., Advoco, Agilex Technologies Inc., Allen International, AlphaBeta Advisors, Altevie Technologies S.r.l., Altima, Altima (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Altima Asia Ltd, Altitude, Altitude LLC, Altius Consulting Limited, Altius Data Solutions Private Limited, Analytics 8 LP, Analytics 8 Pty Ltd, Analytics8, Aorui Advertising (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Apis, Apis Group Pty Ltd, Appaloosa Technology SASU, AppsPro, Arca, Arca Ingenieros y Consultoria S.L., Arca Telecom S.L., Ariba - BPO, Arismore, Artio People (Payroll) Pty Ltd, Artio People Pty Ltd, Aspiro Solutions (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Automation Partners Pty Ltd, Avanade (Guangzhou) Computer Technology Development Co. Ltd., Avanade Asia Pte Ltd, Avanade Australia Pty Ltd, Avanade Belgium SPRL, Avanade Canada Inc, Avanade Consulting Poland S.p. z o.o., Avanade Denmark A/S, Avanade Deutschland GmbH, Avanade Europe Holdings Limited, Avanade Europe Services Limited, Avanade Finland Oy, Avanade France SASU, Avanade Holdings LLC, Avanade Hong Kong Ltd, Avanade Inc, Avanade International Corporation, Avanade Ireland Limited, Avanade Italy S.r.l., Avanade Japan KK, Avanade Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Avanade Middle East Limited, Avanade Netherlands B.V., Avanade Norway AS, Avanade Poland S.p. z o.o., Avanade Schweiz GmbH, Avanade South Africa Pty Ltd, Avanade Spain S.L., Avanade Sweden AB, Avanade UK Limited, Avanade do Brasil Ltda, Avanade Osterreich GmbH, Avenai, Axia Ltd., BABCN LLC, BCS Consulting, BCT Solutions, BCT Solutions Pty Ltd, BENEXT, BPO Servicos Administrativos Ltda, BRIDGE Energy Group, Beacon Consulting Group Inc., Beijing Genesis Interactive Technology Co. Ltd., Beijing Zhidao Future Consulting Co. Ltd, Benext, Berico Technologies LLC, Bionic, Bionic Solution LLC, Blue Horseshoe, Boomerang Pharmaceutical Communications, Bow & Arrow, Bow & Arrow Limited, Brand Learning, Brand Learning Group Limited, Brightstep AB, Byte Prophecy, Byte Prophecy Private Limited, CAS, CRMWaypoint, CS Technology (Australia) Pty Ltd, CS Technology (UK) Limited, CS Technology Group LLC, CS Technology LLC, CadenceQuest Inc., Callisto Integration Europe B.V., Callisto Integration Europe Limited, Callisto Integration LLC, Callisto Integration Ltd, Capgemini - North American health practice, Capital Consultancy Services Inc, Certus Solutions Consulting Services Limited, Certus Solutions Ltd, ChangeTrack Research Pty Ltd., Chaotic Moon Studios, Chengdu Mensa Advertising Co. Ltd., Cimation, Cirrus Connect Australia Pty Ltd, Cirrus Connect Limited, Cirruseo, Clarity Insights, Clearhead, Clearhead Group LLC, ClientHouse GmbH, Cloud Sherpas, Cloud Sherpas (GA) LLC, Cloud Sherpas Japan G.K., Cloud Sherpas New Zealand Limited, Cloudeasier SAS, Cloudpoint Limited, Cloudsherpas Inc, Cloudworks, Cloudworks Consulting Services Inc, Cloudworks Technology LLC, Computer Research and Telecommunications LLC, Concrete Desenvolvimento de Sistemas Ltda, Concrete Solutions, Concrete Solutions Ltda, Context Information Security, Context Information Security LLC, Context Information Security Limited, CoreCompete LLC, CoreCompete Limited, CoreCompete Private Limited, Corliant Inc., Creative Drive LLC, Creative Drive US LLC, CreativeDrive, CreativeDrive Digital Content Services (Shenzhen) Co Ltd., CreativeDrive EMEA Limited, CreativeDrive Singapore Pte Ltd, CreativeDrive UK Group Limited, Cutting Edge Solutions Limited, Cygni AB, Cygni Norrsken AB, Cygni Stockholm AB, Cygni Syd AB, Cygni Vast AB, Cygni Ost AB, Cygni Ostersund AB, DAZ Systems Inc, DAZ Systems LLC, DAZSI Systems (India) Pvt. Limited, DI Futures Corporation, Data Essential SARL, Davies Consulting, DayNine Consulting, DayNine Consulting (New Zealand) Limited, DayNine Consulting LLC, Declarative Holdings LLC, Decora Marketplace LLC, Decorado Marketplace Ltda-EPP, Defense Point Security, Deja vu Security, Design Strategy and Research de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Designaffairs LLC, Digiplug S.A.S., Digital Results Group LLC, Double Digit Limitada, Double Digit Pty SA, Droga5, Droga5 LLC, Droga5 Studios LLC, Droga5 UK Limited, Duck Creek Technologies, ESR Labs, ESR Labs AG, EdenOne Solutions Limited, Edenhouse ERP Holdings Limited, Edenhouse Solutions Limited, Enaxis Consulting, Enaxis Consulting LP, End to End Analytics LLC, End-to-End Analytics, Endorphin Medici (M) Sdn Bhd, Energuia Web S.A., Energy Management Brokers Limited, EnergyQuote JHA, Enimbos, Enimbos Global Services S.L., Enkitec, Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions LLC, Enterprise System Partners, Enterprise System Partners B.V., Enterprise System Partners Bilisim Danismanlik Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Enterprise System Partners Global Corporation, Enterprise System Partners Limited, Enthusian Pty Ltd, Entropia, Entropia (M) Sdn Bhd, Entropia Holdings Pte Ltd, Entropia Intercraft Sdn Bhd, Epylon, Espedia S.r.l., Ethica Consulting Group, Ethica Consulting S.p.A., Evopro Group, Exactside Limited, Experity, Exton Consulting, Exton Consulting Spain Strategy&Management S.L., Exton Germany GmbH, Exton International SAS, Exton Italia S.r.l., Exton SAS, FGM LLC, Fairway Technologies Inc, Farah BidCo Limited, Farah MidCo Limited, Farah Topco Limited, Filmproduction ApS, First Annapolis Consulting Inc., First Annapolis Consulting LLC, Fjord, Focus Group Europe, Formicary, Fruendo S.r.l., FusionX, Future State Consulting LLC, FutureMove (Beijing) Automotive Technology Co. Ltd., FutureMove Automotive, FutureMove Automotive Co. Ltd., GRA Supply Chain Pty Ltd, Gagel Group S de R.L. de C.V., Gapso Servicos de Informatica Ltda, Gapso Servicos de Informatica Ltda., Genfour, George Group Consulting L.P., Gestalt LLC, Gevity, Gren utvikling AS, H.B. Maynard and Co. Inc., HRC Retail Advisory, Hagberg Consulting Group, Hahntel Ltda, Halo Partners LLC, Hamilton Holding Company S.A, Hangzhou Aiyunzhe Technology Co. Ltd., Happen, Happen GP Limited, Happen Limited, Hjaltelin Stahl, Hjaltelin Stahl A/S, Hjaltelin Stahl K/S, Hytracc Consulting AS, Hytracc Consulting Malaysia Sdn Bhd, IBB Consulting, ICM.S S.r.l., IMJ Corp, IMJ Corporation, INSITUM, IQSP Consulting LLC, IT One Company Limited, ITBS Servicios Bancarios de Tecnologia de la Informacion SL, Icon Integration, Icon Integration (NZ) Limited, Icon Integration Pty Ltd, Imagine Broadband (USA) Limited, Imagine Broadband USA LLC, Imaginea Inc, Imaginea Technologies LLC, Industrie IT (Hong Kong) Ltd, Industrie IT (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Industrie IT Group Pty Ltd, Industrie IT Pty Ltd, Industrie&Co, Infinity Works Consulting Limited, Infinity Works Holdings Limited, Infinity Works Management Limited, Infinity Works Midco Limited, Informatica de Euskadi S.L., Innotec International EAD, Innotec International S.p. z.o.o., Innotec Marketing GmbH, Innotec Marketing International Ireland Limited, Innotec- Marketing Spain S.L, Insitum Consultoria Argentina SRL, Insitum Consultoria S.A. de C.V., International Biometric Group LLC, International Biometric Group UK Limited, Intrepid, Intrepid Futureworks Sdn Bhd, Intrigo Systems Inc, Intrigo Systems India Pvt. Limited, Intrigo Systems LLC, Inventor Technology Ltd, InvestTech, Investtech Systems Consulting LLC, ItSafer Continuity Services S.L., JKD Consulting LLC, Javelin Group, K Comms Group Limited, KSC Studio LLC, Kaper Communications Limited, Karma Communications Debtco Limited, Karma Communications Group Limited, Karma Communications Holdings Limited, Karmarama, Karmarama Comms Limited, Karmarama Limited, Knowledge Rules Inc., Knowledgent, Knowledgent Group LLC, Kogentix, Kogentix LLC, Kogentix Limited, Kogentix Singapore Pte Ltd, Kogentix Technologies Private Limited, Kolle Rebbe, Kolle Rebbe GmbH, Kream Comms Limited, Kunstmaan, Kurt Salmon, Kurt Salmon Canada LTD, Kurt Salmon US LLC, LEXTA, LINKBYNET, LINKBYNET Indian Ocean (L.I.O) Ltd, LabAnswer, Lexta GmbH, Lexta UK Limited, Lien par le reseau Inc, Lien par le reseau infrastructures Inc, Lin Bo (Shanghai) Network Technology Co. Ltd., Link By Net SAS, Link By Net SRL, Link By Net Vietnam Company Limited, Linkbynet East Asia Ltd, Linkbynet Singapore Pte Ltd., Loud & Clear Creative Pty Ltd, Lumenup S.A., MAXIM Systems Inc., MCG US Holdings LLC, Mackevision CG Technology and Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Mackevision Japan Co. Ltd., Mackevision Korea Ltd, Mackevision Medien Design, Mackevision Medien Design GmbH, Mackevision Singapore Pte Ltd, Mackevision UK Limited, Maglan, Maglan Information Defense Technologies Research Ltd, Maihiro, Matter, Maud Corp Pty Ltd, Maxamine International, Measuretek LLC, Media Audits Ltd., Media Hive, Mediasenz Pty Ltd., Meredith Specialty LLC, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing LLC, Meridian Informed Purchasing Ltd., Mindtribe, Mistral Wind Operations  Servicos Empresariais Unipessoal Lda., MobGen, Mortgage Cadence LLC, Mortgage Cadence an Accenture Company, Most Champion Ltd, Mudano, Mudano Limited, Myrtle Consulting Group LLC, N3 (Dalian) Business Consulting Co. Ltd., N3 Brazil Consultoria em Marketing Ltda, N3 Germany GmbH, N3 LLC, N3 North America LLC, N3 Results Australia Pty Ltd, N3 Results Ireland Limited, N3 Results Japan G.K., N3 Results Limited, N3 Results Malaysia Sdn Bhd, N3 Results Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., N3 Results S.A.S., N3 Results Singapore Pte Ltd, N3 Results Unipessoal Lda, NYTEC, Nanjing Demeng Advertising Co. Ltd., Nashco Consulting, NaviSys Inc., Nell'Armonia Israel Ltd, Nell'Armonia SAS, Nell'Participation SAS, NellArmonia, Neo Metrics Analytics S.L., Neo Metrics Chile S.A., New Content, New Content Editora e Produtora Ltda, New Energy Group, News Imaging LLC, NewsPage, NewsPage (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, NewsPage Pte Ltd, Northstream, Novetta Holdings LLC, Novetta LLC, Novetta Solutions LLC, Novetta Topco LLC, OCTO Technology, OPS Rules Management Consultants, Octagon Research Solutions Inc., Octo Technology Pty Ltd, Octo Technology SA, Odgaard ApS, Olikka, Olikka Pty Ltd, Openmind, Openmind S.r..l., Openminded, Openminded SAS, Operaciones Accenture S.A. de C.V., OpusLine, Orbium, Orbium AG, Orbium Consulting Limited, Orbium Inc., Orbium Ltd, Orbium Pte Ltd, Orbium Pty Ltd, Origin Digital, PCO Innovation, PLM Systems S.r.l, PRION GmbH, PT Accenture, PT Asta Catur Indra, PT Kogentix Teknologi Indonesia, PacificLink Group, Paja Finanssipalvelut Oy, Parker Fitzgerald Inc, Parker Fitzgerald International Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Limited, Parker Fitzgerald PTY Ltd, Parker Fitzgerald Services Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Solutions Limited, Pecaso Ltd., Pegasus Production A/S, Pegasus Production K/S, Phase One Consulting Group, Pillar Technology, Pollux, Pollux Automation Mexico S.A. de C.V., Pollux Canada Inc, Pollux S.A.S., Pollux USA LLC, Pragsis Bidoop, Pragsis Bidoop UK Limited, Pramati Technologies Europe Limited, Pramati Technologies Private Limited, Presence of IT Workforce Management North America LLC, PrimeQ, PrimeQ Australia Pty Ltd, PrimeQ Ltd, PrimeQ NZ Pty Limited, Procurian Inc., Prof. Homburg GmbH, Proquire LLC, PureApps Ltd., Qi Jie Beijing Information Technologies Co. Ltd., RBCP Fund 1-A Vapor Blocker LLC, RBCP Platform Vapor Blocker I LLC, REPL Consulting LLC, REPL Consulting Limited, REPL Digital Limited, REPL Group K.K., REPL Group Pty Ltd, REPL Group Worldwide Limited, REPL Pte Ltd, REPL Software Limited, REPL Technology Limited, Radiant Services LLC, Random Walk Computing Inc., Reactive Media Pty Ltd., Real Protect, Realworld OO Systems Ltd., Redcore, Redcore (New Zealand) Limited, Redcore Group Holdings Pty Ltd, Redcore Pty Ltd, Revolutionary Security, RiskControl, Root LLC, Rothco, Rothco Limited, S3 TV Technology Ltd., SALT Solutions GmbH, SEC Servizi, SOPIA Corp., Sagacious Consultants, Salt Solutions, Sandbox Studio LLC, Sapling Bidco Limited, Sapling Midco Limited, Sapling Topco Limited, Schlumberger Business Consulting, Seabury Aviation & Aerospace (UK) Limited, Seabury Consulting, Seabury Corporate Advisors LLC, Seabury Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Search Technologies BPO Inc, Search Technologies International LLC, Search Technologies LLC, Search Technologies Limited, Securiview SAS, Sentelis, Sentor Managed Secuirty Services AB, Servicios Tecnicos de Programacion Accenture S.C., Seven Seas Business Ventures LLC, Shackleton, Shackleton Chile S.A., Shackleton S.L.U., Shanghai Baiyue Advertising Co. Ltd., Shun Zhe Technology Development Co. Ltd., SigInt Technologies LLC, Silveo, Silveo Consulting India Private Limited, Simian Pty Ltd, SinnerSchrader, SinnerSchrader AG, SinnerSchrader Content GmbH, SinnerSchrader Deutschland GmbH, Sirvart S.A., Sistemes Consulting S.L., Skylink SAS, Soltians Limited, Solutions IQ LLC, SolutionsIQ, SolutionsIQ India Consulting Services Private Limited, Somers Ventures Ireland Limited, Somers Ventures LLC, Spacelink SAS, Storm Digital, Structure Consulting Group LLC, Sutter Mills, Synership LLC, Systor AG, TXF LLC, TargetST8, Tech - Avanade Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Tecnilogica Ecosistemas S.A., Tecnilogica, The Brand Learning Partners Limited, The Callisto Integration Corporation, The Monkeys, The Monkeys Pty Ltd, The Myrtle Group, Total Logistics, Tquila, Trivadis, Trivadis Austria GmbH, Trivadis Denmark AS, Trivadis Germany GmbH, Trivadis Holding AG, Trivadis Partner AG, Trivadis Services AG, Trivadis Services SRL, Troop Studios Pty Ltd, VanBerlo, Vector Acquisition Company LLC, Vector Topco LLC, Verax Solutions, Vertical Retail Consulting (Shanghai) Ltd, Vertical Retail Consulting Ltd, Vivere Brasil Servicos e Solucoes SA, Vivere Brasil Solucoes De Credito Ltda., Wabion GmbH, WaveStrike LLC, White Cliffs Consulting LLC, Wire Stone, Wire Stone LLC, Wise Partners SAS, Wolox, Wolox Colombia S.A.S, Wolox LLC, Wolox Mexico S.R.L de C.V., Wolox S.A., Wolox SpA, Workforce Insight, Workforce Insight LLC, Yesler, Yesler LLC, Yesler Limited, Yesler Singapore Pte Ltd, Zag, Zag Australia Pty Ltd, Zag Limited, Zag USA LLC, Zebra Worldwide Australia Pty Ltd, Zebra Worldwide Group Limited, Zebra Worldwide Media Pty Ltd, Zenta, Zenta Global Philippines Inc, Zenta Mortgage Services LLC, Zenta Recoveries Inc, Zenta US Holdings Inc, Zielpuls, Zielpuls (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zielpuls GmbH, avVenta, designaffairs, designaffairs Business Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., designaffairs GmbH, designaffairs group China Co. Ltd., dgroup, i4C Analytics, iDefense, solid-serVision.com GmbH, and umlaut.
SPDR Gold Shares' stock was trading at $153.93 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, GLD shares have increased by 7.5% and is now trading at $165.44.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.
VINCI SA engages in the concessions and contracting businesses worldwide. The company designs, finances, builds, and operates infrastructure and facilities comprising motorway, bridge and tunnel, airport, rail, and stadium facilities. It operates a motorway concession with a network of 4,443 kilometers in France; and 45 airports worldwide. The company also designs, finances, builds, and operates transport infrastructure and public amenities, such as motorways, bridges, tunnels, and urban roads with a network of 3,800 kilometers under public-private partnership arrangements; and provides industry, infrastructure, facilities management, and information and communication technology services. In addition, the company builds and maintains roads, motorways, railways, and urban infrastructure projects; produces materials, such as asphalt mixes; and operates quarries for aggregates, as well as designs and constructs residential and commercial property, civil engineering infrastructure, specialized civil engineering, water and pipeline infrastructure, c other projects. Further, it develops residential properties, business properties, and managed residences, as well as provides property services. VINCI SA was founded in 1899 and is headquartered in Rueil-Malmaison, France.

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Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi praised on Tuesday US President Donald Trump's support of Egypt over the past few years, which has resulted in a quantum leap in Egyptian-US relations.

El-Sisi's comments came during a press conference that followed a bilateral summit at the White House in Washington.

The Egyptian president also said that his country is looking forward to strengthening cooperation with the US in all fields, including economically and militarily.

"We have never had a better relationship between Egypt and United States than we do right now," El-Sisi said.

President Trump, welcoming El-Sisi to the White House on Tuesday, said that a lot of progress had been made with Egypt in terms of terrorism.

Trump, with El-Sisi at his side, also told reporters that they had important things to discuss about military issues and trade.

During the summit, Trump also hailed the warm welcome US first Lady Melania Trump received in Egypt during her visit last October. Trump also expressed his admiration for Egypt's ancient heritage.

El-Sisi's visit to Washington is his second since he assumed office in 2014.

US-Egyptian Relations

In early January, the US State Department released a fact sheet on US-Egyptian relations, describing Egypt as one of the United States longest-standing strategic partners in the Middle East.

The fact sheet said that the "deep commercial, security, and people-to-people relationships between our two countries are rooted in mutual interest and respect, as well as our shared commitment to combating terrorism and fostering the conditions for prosperity."

In the fight against terror, the State Department highlighted that "the US and Egypt share many security interests and enjoy a strong security partnership, which includes cooperation on overflight requests and Suez Canal transit, and an unwavering commitment to the defeat of ISIS (the Islamic State group). Egypt also works to counter the flow of foreign fighters, material, and financial support to terrorists."

The fact sheet also praised Egypt's mediating role in the Middle East in cooperation with the US.

On promoting joint economic opportunities through a stable and prosperous Egyptian economy, the release affirmed that Egypt has one of the most diversified economies in the Middle East.

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ATTICA, Ind. (WLFI)  Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment becoming law, which gave women the right to vote. A state bill to celebrate this historic law is in the works.

State Representative Sharon Negele of District 13 is authoring the bill. She said it would consist of a Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission made up of 19 members.

Their task would be to organize and promote educational activities for communities throughout the state. This would be a year-long effort.

Negele said this bill is something every state could benefit from.

Each state has their own specific story and women and men that were involved, pushing towards this ratification, said Negele. So pretty good story that each state can tell.

Negele said Indiana won't be the only state celebrating.

As the United States, we like to recognize those hundred-year marks in many ways so this one is a very significant one and I think that we'll see this all across the United States, said Negele.

This bill is awaiting a signature from Governor Holcomb. State Representative is confident the bill will become law.
Clouds & a few showers are possible Wednesday morning to midday as warm front lifts northward.

High temperatures will vary from upper 40s in the north to lower 60s in the south & around 55 in Greater Lafayette.

Everyone will skyrocket into the 70s Thursday with strong south to southwest winds gusting to 42 mph at times.

Squall line of storms is likely in the evening, generally in the 5-11 p.m. time frame.

Main threat is wind, though an isolated brief tornado cannot be ruled out, nor can some small hail.

Better tornado threat looks to develop where squall line intersects warm front in southern Michigan.

SLIGHT RISK of severe weather remains for the viewing area, per NOAA Storm Prediction Center.

It won't produce as much severe weather as it could, as the deep moisture with much more unstable air will be directed well southeast of us.

Nonetheless, a few isolated to scattered severe t'storms are possible given the good dynamnics & shear.

This is a major spring storm with potentially-historic blizzard for parts of the Plains & Minnesota with +20" snow & wind gusts of 60 mph. Considerable icing will occur just south of the snow.

Friday looks mostly cloudy & windy with strong west-southwest winds (gusts to 40 mph) & potentially a few sprinkles. After morning highs in the 50s, we should settle into the 40s in the afternoon.

After a lot of sunshine & lows in the lower to middle 30s Saturday morning (with west wind at 10-14 mph giving a wind chill in the 20s), high & mid clouds will increase Saturday.

The sun will gradually fade in the afternoon with highs around 50 to the mid 50s. Winds will turn to the north by evening at 8-13 mph after a northwest winds at 8-13 mph during the afternoon.

So, for the Challenge 5K at Purdue, dress warmly!

Sunday is starting to look nasty. It looks like a cold, wind-driven rain for a good chunk of the day with an east-northeast to northeast wind at 20-35 mph.

Highs will run in the 40s after 30s & 40s in the morning.

However, temperatures may fall to 34-38 over the area in the afternoon. A period of some wet snow is possible over Newton, Jasper & Pulaski counties with light, brief, grassy accumulation. Up to 7" of snow may fall in Michigan & up to 2-3" of snow is possible in the Chicago area.

With clearing skies & diminishing winds, lows Monday morning may drop to 27-32 over the area with highs in the lower to middle 50s.

After frost & 30-35 Tuesday morning, highs in the 50s to lower 60s are likely.

Temperatures should warm nicely late month & to early May. There may be a patchy frost with 32-36 thrown in there briefly.

There will be opportunities for a couple of rounds of severe weather late April to the start of May.
HOWARD COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI)  The daughter of Howard County Sheriff Jerry Asher was killed in a two-vehicle crash Monday night, according to Indiana State Police Sgt. Tony Slocum.

It happened around 10:30 p.m. on U.S. 35 just west of the U.S. 31 bypass.

State police said 21-year-old Jordan Asher of Kokomo was driving a northbound on U.S 35 near County Road 80 West.

For an unknown reason, her vehicle and another vehicle, driven by Jennifer Eastwood of Logansport, hit each other head-on.

Asher was pronounced dead at the crash scene by Howard County Coroner Steve Seele.

Eastwood had to be cut from her vehicle and airlifted to an Indianapolis hospital. Her condition is unknown at this time.

The crash is still under investigation
LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) -- The Lafayette School Corporation is searching for the best way to protect its students and staff when facing any sort of threat.

Throughout the school year many specialized trainings have been researched to see what would be the best fit.

LSC has narrowed it down to two options between ALICE training and CRASE.

Monday at the school board's work session Lafayette police demonstrated the pros and cons of each program.

Both teach proactive response strategies that do not include confrontation of the threat.

ALICE training was used most recently at Noblesville West Middle School.

LSC's superintendent said something has to be done to best prepare for any form of violence in the schools.

"We want the adults to have some type of training so that they can react in the most appropriate way possible," said Les Huddle.

A decision will be made by the next school year, but it will take a few years for the program to be implemented because of training.
NEWTON COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) - Christopher Channing Mathis, a 27-year-old from Kentland has been taken into custody by Investigators from the Newton County Prosecutor's Office. Officials had issued a warrant for "assisting a criminal" on Friday in connection to the alleged murder of Nicole Bowen.

Three other people have been arrested after the initial investigation. Garrett K. Kirts of Lebanon was arrested for the alleged murder of Bowen with Jasmine Parker and Ashley Garth arrested for "assisting a criminal".

Bowen's body was found just north of Kentland on Saturday, March 30th.
W&M grad student employs the power of story from the military to the classroom

Toni Gay is a doctoral student in the W&M School of Education, following a career in the Coast Guard. Photo by Stephen Salpukas Photo - of - Hide Caption

William & Mary has produced scores of amazing, influential women who profoundly impacted this campus during their college careers. Any of them would make for fascinating reading. During this celebration of 100 years of coeducation, were offering an occasional profile of a few who presently make this university one of the nation's most respected. - Ed.

For Toni Gay, doctoral student at William & Mary in the Higher Education Program, its always been about the story.

With a career marked by storytelling for others, Gay also brings her own unique story to the university, having recently retired from 25 years of military service, 22 of which were spent in active-duty for the U.S. Coast Guard. During her time in the military, she learned the tools for engaging audiences  whether as a public affairs specialist or educator at the Coast Guard Academy. Those 25 years, she described, equipped her with the essential appreciation for difference, aptitude for storytelling and repeated resilience that she brings to her work at William & Mary.

An unexpected career

Asked whether a career in the military was a fixed goal in her youth, Gay responded with rapid certainty.

Oh no, no, no, she said. When I first got involved with the military, I think the majority of people who would have heard that news would have gone What?!

An arts-loving young woman from Birmingham, Alabama, Gay described her choice to join the military as the product of meaningful relationships and mentors she developed at crucial periods in her life. During her time working with a group of nurses who had served in a variety of military branches, Gay was informed that the military had its own journalism school.

It sounded like a lot of fun, and these women seemed to have had amazing experiences, she said.

The accounts shared by that group of women motivated her to pursue a path within the military, beginning as a student at the militarys journalism school. As a student of journalism, she described developing a propensity for storytelling and an interest in the Coast Guard, specifically, because of its ripe potential for stories.

Recounting the history of the Coast Guards establishment, she explained her motivations for choosing the branch. She detailed how the branch was born out of Alexander Hamiltons Department of the Treasury to prevent smugglers from taking essential post-revolution revenue. Once a part of the Department of Transportation, the Coast Guard took on a distinct law enforcement mission, she said. Now, the Coast Guard has found its current home in the Department of Homeland Security. This multifaceted history of the Coast Guards role was exactly what excited Gay.

There is that humanitarian aspect, that law enforcement aspect and that search and rescue aspect, she said. As a public affairs person, I was especially interested in being involved in these types of activities because there would always be something interesting to write about and to share with others. I wanted to tell that story.

And tell that story she did.

In her early days in the Coast Guard, Gay expressed how she used her tools as a public affairs specialist to convey information to the public.

I was telling the story daily, she said. Local, international news: I found every format.

Whether disseminating information to Congress to obtain funding, or to the public to gain widespread support, Gay was at the heart of information sharing between the Coast Guard and outside entities. She described believing in her branchs missions and feeling responsible to the public  and how her work served both groups at once.

As Gays time at the Coast Guard developed, she never lost sight of her desire to share information with others. She inspected ships to keep the public aware and safe. She even provided threat information to senior policy decision makers, which launched her pursuit of a masters degree in strategic intelligence. Her specialized knowledge in intelligence and security rendered her the ideal candidate for a program at the Coast Guard Academy for security studies, where she was later asked to teach.

Finalizing her Coast Guard career as a teacher, she reinvigorated her love for storytelling and discovered her desired post-retirement path: higher education.

I had a great time there, she said, describing her experience teaching at the academy. I loved teaching. I loved the community and the cadets I interacted with. I thought, Well, lets explore this higher education thing at the university level.

Bringing her story to W&M

After retiring from the military in 2014, Gay was accepted to pursue her Ed.D. at the William & Mary School of Education. Her choice of the Ed.D. program sparked from her desire to be what she termed a doctor of practice.

With my interest in experiential education, study abroad and international education, I could really see myself doing more boots-on-the-ground experiences with students, she said.

During her time at the university, shes already put her boots on the ground, employing her experience and drive to tell creative stories. In summer of 2018, she traveled to Ireland with the School of Educations Global Studies class where she was able to marry her interests in global education and digital storytelling techniques.

On my study abroad trip last summer, my advisor allowed me to do a creative final project, she said. I did a transmedia digital story using different visual aspects, whether it be videos, photos, interviews or audio. It unlocked for me this reflective process. It made me make connections and have a transformative learning experience that I wouldnt have had writing in a journal.

Gay is now focused on employing digital storytelling to unlock this reflection for more students and to create an avenue where the stories of a more neurodiverse student population can be disseminated.

Paving the way

Reflecting on her development to her position today, Gay remarked on how her 25 years in the Coast Guard equipped her with the tools to tell the right stories.

Leadership is a huge component of my previous work in the military that can be applied throughout the course of a lifetime, she said. I now have the skill of being able to engage with my students or anyone Im talking to. Ive had to.

Even more, Gay explains that her success has been far from linear, and that her time in the Coast Guard has given her the resilience to pave her own path forward.

Things dont happen overnight. Having had my experiences, I know that when things dont go exactly as planned, youve just got to hang in there and persevere, she said.

Throughout her career, she described moments where she had faced challenges that appeared insurmountable. Despite those challenges, Gay explained that forward is the direction prior generations of women have signaled for her.

I was the first woman in my family to serve on active duty in the military, she said. That was a big deal for a lot of people. During my time, I encountered levels of gender bias and sexual harassment. But my great aunt was one of the Rosie the Riveters during World War II, an aircraft mechanic. She was a trailblazer, like a lot of other women who came before me.

These women, she said, are those who created the path for her to walk on.

In many ways, I am reaping the benefits of being able to do what I did, she said. It was the generation or two that came before me who really laid the groundwork, blazing the trails for me to be able to do what I do.

To fellow and future William & Mary women, she encourages them to pay the same homage to those who came before them.

To future generations, I would say that things will not always be easy  we will have hard days. But we need to remember to thank those who came before us because they did smooth the way, she said. Our path as women has been a little easier because of those before us who truly did the heavy lifting.
Everything you need to know about Songkran

Songkran is the world's biggest water fight

Ready for the world's biggest water fight? Here's everything you need to know about Songkran, Thailand's New Year's Festival.

What is Songkran?

Songkran is the most famous festival in Thailand, attracting thousands of people from around the world to its lively celebrations. An important date in the Buddhist calendar, the festivities mark the start of the traditional Thai New Year.

When is Songkran?

Songkran takes place between 13th and 15th April every year and lasts for three days. These dates were the official date of the new year in Thailand until 1888 when the date was moved to 1st April. The date was then shifted again in 1940 to the Western 1st January, although Songkran remains a public holiday across Thailand.

Where does Songkran take place?

Although most people know it as a Thai celebration, in actual fact Songkran is celebrated across South East Asia. Neighbouring Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar celebrate the festival, as well as Sri Lanka, parts of India, China and Vietnam.

How do you celebrate Songkran?

Although you might think Songkran is simply one big water fight, that's not what the festival was about originally. Traditionally, it's a celebration that symbolises purification where people can wash away their sins or bad luck from the previous twelve months, ready for the new year.

For many Thais, Songkran means heading back to their hometowns, spending time with their family and visiting temples. Wherever they celebrate, people across Thailand grab buckets, bottles and water pistols and hit the streets to take part in the world's biggest water fight.

Where's the best place to celebrate Songkran?

That depends on what kind of Songkran celebrations you're looking for, but it's safe to say that wherever you are in Thailand you'll be able to enjoy the festivities!

One of the most popular places to experience the magic of Songkran is the northern university city of Chiang Mai, which is transformed into one giant water fight for the entirety of the festival. Celebrations here can last up to six days and are often the most riotous in the country so it's well worth the visit!

Many of Thailand's popular southern islands are also great places to soak up the Songkran vibes, with Phuket's lively Patong beach area transformed into a heady three-day street party that attracts people from around the country.

For a family-friendly Songkran, go to ancient Ayutthaya where more traditional festivities take place amongst the ruins of the ancient Siamese capital. Alternatively, head to a temple and experience a more sedate Songkran in the company of Buddhist monks.

Can you celebrate Songkran in Bangkok?

Yes! The effervescent capital of Thailand is a great place to enjoy Songkran. As many locals head back to the provinces for the three-day holiday, the capital is oddly quiet during Songkran, but there's still plenty of fun to be had!

Foreigners flock to the backpacker haven of the Khaosan Road but there are parties across the city that cater for every taste, from temple ceremonies to music festivals. And if you don't want to get wet, Bangkok is probably your best option for a dry Songkran.

Can foreigners celebrate Songkran?

Of course! Thailand is an excellent country to visit throughout the year but Songkran is a great time to see the locals really let their hair down! If you decide to visit any temples during your Songkran experience, remember to follow local customs and traditions and act respectfully at all times.

How should you behave?

The most important thing to remember when heading to your first Songkran is to simply go with the flow! It will be impossible for you to even step out of your hotel without encountering local revellers and you won't be able to resist the festivities for long.

However, don't forget you're visiting a foreign country with its own customs and laws that you should respect at all times. Dress conservatively when visiting rural areas and temples and avoid getting drunk in public as this will be frowned upon by locals and could see you falling on the wrong side of the law.

And don't check in without travel insurance...

Keen to join the festivities in Thailand? It's essential to get the right travel cover. At World First we offer dedicated travel insurance for holidays in Asia that'll give you peace of mind when exploring unforgettable Thailand.
United States law enforcement consists of federal agencies, state police, sheriff departments, and local police. City police officers are responsible for apprehending criminals, investigating suspected criminal activities, the temporary detention of suspects, presenting suspects to the courts, and ensuring order in communities.

Major US cities have large police enforcement and investigation agencies that employ thousands of officers and personnel. Looking at the 50 biggest ones in the country, New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles hold the top three spots.

1. New York City Police Department (NYPD)

Established in 1845, The New York City Police Department (NYPD) is one of the most well-known law enforcement agencies in the world. As the largest in the US, it currently has about 36,008 full-time active officers and 19,000 civilian employees. This is almost three times as many as the country's second-largest police department in Chicago. NYPD consists of 10 bureaus, six of which are strictly devoted to enforcement. Their proposed 2021 budget was $5.92 billion for the fiscal year 2020, and $5.64 billion for fiscal 2021.

2. Chicago Police Department (CPD)

Coming in at number two is the Chicago Police Department, one of the oldest local law enforcement agencies in the United States. It was formed in 1837 and is commonly known as the Chicago P.D. There are 11,965 full-time active officers, plus another 2,000 administrative employees. Their total budget totaled $1.76 billion in 2020.

3. Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD)

With 9,870 active officers and nearly 3,000 administrative and executive staff, the City of Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is the third-largest local law enforcement agency in the U.S. According to their website though, there is only one officer for every 433 residents. This gives L.A. one of the countrys lowest police officer to resident ratios. The LAPDs operating budget is around $1.86 billion.

4. Philadelphia Police Department (PPD)

As the oldest municipal police department in the U.S., the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD was formed in 1828. Also known as the Philly PD, this citys force has about 6,031 full-time active officers, and a ratio of about 430 officers per 100,000 residents. In mid-June of this year, the City Council approved a $4.9 billion budget for the 2021 fiscal year.

U.S. Police Presence

In total, there are 17,985 local and state law enforcement agencies in the United States that employ at least one permanent officer that is sworn in.

12,501 are local police departments

1,733 are special jurisdiction offices

3,063 are sheriffs offices

638 are other types of agencies.

The role of the police is to serve and protect. Police presence varies greatly across cities in the U.S. and is driven by populations, call volumes, municipal budgets, and other factors. It is apparent that small cities do not need as many law enforcement officers as large ones, but as a general rule, there are approximately 336 law enforcement officers and civilians for every 100,000 people in the United States.
A fjord is a long and narrow inlet of the sea that is created by past glaciation events. A fjord is usually surrounded by steep mountains on three sides. They are deep water bodies whose depth increases with distance from the sea. Norway is one of the countries of the world whose coastline is indented with numerous fjords. Below is a list of the countrys longest fjords.

The Five Longest Fjords Of Norway

1. Sognefjord

Also known as Sognefjorden, this fjord is the longest and deepest fjord in Norway. It is located in the Western Norwegian county of Sogn og Fjordane. Sognefjord is also nicknamed the King of the Fjords. It has a length of 204 km. It extends from the Skjolden village in Norways Luster municipality to the open ocean. Sognefjorden has a maximum depth of 4,291 ft. For about 100 km of its length, this fjord has a depth of over 3,300 ft. A sill is located at its mouth about 330 ft below sea level. The cliffs rising on both sides of the Sognefjorden are extremely steep and about 3,300 ft high. The area in and around the fjord is a popular tourist destination. The spectacular natural landscape of the region and the cultural villages attract visitors to the Sognefjorden from all corners of the globe.

2. Hardangerfjord

Norways second longest fjord, the Hardangerfjord, is also known for its awe-inspiring natural scenery. It has a length of 179 km and is located in the Hordaland County of the country. The fjord extends from Odda town in the mountainous interior of the country to the Atlantic Ocean. As the fjord reaches inland, it branches off into several smaller tributaries that are separately named. Tourism supports the economy of the settlements located along the fjord. Fish farming also flourishes in the region. In fact, the Hardangerfjord is one of the worlds largest fish farming locations.

3. Trondheim Fjord

The 126 km long Trondheimsfjorden is the countrys third longest fjord. It is located in the Trndelag county and stretches from Steinkjer municipality to the rland municipality. The fjord has a maximum depth of 2,024 ft. The Trondheimsfjorden is known for its rich marine life including 90 fish species. Deepwater corals and four giant squids were also discovered here in recent times. Many of the best salmon rivers of Norway also empty into this fjord. Trondheim Fjord also serves as an important waterway.

4. Porsangerfjorden

With a length of 123 km, Porsangerfjorden is Norways fourth most extensive fjord. It is located in the Finnmark county and stretches from the Lakselv village to the Barents Sea. The Helnes Lighthouse is located at its mouth. Several islands are also located on the fjord.

5. Storfjorden

The 110-km long Storfjorden is the fifth longest fjord in Norway. It is located in the Mre og Romsdal county and extends from the Hareid village to the sea. The fjord is surrounded by tall mountains and has several islands at its mouth. It also branches off into several smaller fjords. Its maximum depth is 2,228 meters.

Fjords Of Norway As Tourist Attractions

The stunning and dramatic natural beauty associated with the fjords attracts many tourists to Norway. Many tour companies operate cruises on the Norwegian fjords. Such cruises include visits to the natural areas and islands on these fjords as well as interactions with various fishing communities and other locals living along the shores of the fjords.
Ceylon was a British crown colony that existed from 1815 to 1948 when it was granted independence and became an independent country within the Commonwealth of nations from 1948 to 1972. In 1072, it became a republic but remained within the Commonwealth and the name changed to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is an island country in the Indian Ocean located in South Asia. The island country is situated to the southeast of the Arabian Sea and Southwest of the Bay of Bengal. Sri Lanka is home to diverse cultures, ethnicities, and languages, with the majority of the population of 21.7 million being of Sinhalese ethnicity.

History of Ceylon

Before the Dutch began administering the area, Ceylon Island was shared by the Kingdom of Kandy and the Portuguese Empire who were constantly at war for full control of the island. The Dutch were invited to the island by the Sinhalese King to help them in the fight against the Portuguese and soon imposed their rule on the island. The Dutch became weakened towards the end of the 18th century by their war against the British and were soon conquered by the Napoleonic France. Their leader fled to London to seek refuge. Being unable to fully govern the island, the Dutch leaders surrendered their rule to the British, a move that was opposed by the Dutch living there. As soon as the British gained the control of the island, they set out to make the Kingdom of Kandy as part of its protectorate, an offer that the king initially rejected. The kings refusal led to a war which led to the capture of the Kandyans. In 1815, the Kandyan Convention was signed, outlining how the Kandyans were to live under the British Protectorate. Under the terms, Buddhism would be protected by the Crown and the people would not be forced to adopt Christianity. Two years after the treaty, the Kandyans began a rebellion and a guerrilla war against the British, leading to an open rebellion which started in 1817 at Uva (Uva Rebellion). The British brutally dealt with the rebels and annexed the Kingdom of Kandy to the British Ceylon the same year.

Independence

After the Second World War, the public call for independence increased, leading to independence on February 4, 1948. The British granted Ceylon independence under the 947 Ceylon Independence Act. The amended constitution came into effect on the same Independence Day. Military treaties with the UK ensured that the British sea and air base remained preserved in the country as well as British officers who continued to serve in higher ranks of the Ceylon Army. When the Ceylon applied to join the UN later that year, the application was vetoed by the Soviet Union, claiming that the country was nominally independence/ in 1971, Ceylon experienced a brief Marxist insurrection with the Peoples Liberation Front attempting to overthrow the government. However, the rebellion was quickly suppressed with the help of the Soviet, British, and Indians. In 1972, the current constitution was adopted and the countrys name was changed to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka also officially became a republic within the Commonwealth in the same year.
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest, shallowest, and coldest of the five world oceans. Although the Arctic Ocean is small, it has some of the worlds biggest marginal seas, including the Barents Sea, Greenland Sea, and the East Siberian Sea. The Greenland Sea is the oceans second-largest sea and the 22nd largest in the world, covering an estimated 1.205 million km2. However, some sources consider the Greenland Sea to be part of the Atlantic Ocean.

Where Is The Greenland Sea?

Caption

The Greenland Sea is located to the east of Greenland and west of the Svalbard archipelago. It borders the Arctic Ocean on the south, with the Fram Strait separating it from the ocean. The Barents Sea is to the east of the Greenland Sea, while the Norwegian Sea is to the south. Some sources consider the Greenland Sea as part of the Nordic Seas, alongside the Iceland Sea and the Norwegian Sea.

The seas northern extent is marked by a line joining Svalbards northernmost point to Greenlands northernmost point, marking the border with the Norwegian Sea. The island of Spitzbergen forms the eastern limit, while the western limit is on Greenlands Northeast and East Coast. The southwest limit is a line joining Cape Nansen to Straumnes, and the southwest limit is between West Spitzbergens extreme southern point and Jay Mayen Islands northern point.

Geography

Spitsbergen, Svalbard, in the Greenland Sea.

The Greenland Sea is the Arctic Oceans second-largest sea after the Barents Sea. It has an average depth of 1,444 m, with a maximum volume of 1.75 million km3. Its drainage basin covers three countries: Iceland, Norway, and Greenland (autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark).

An arctic climate characterizes the Greenland Sea, with air temperature as low as -50 C in the winter. The Odden area, an ice formation that appeared in the winter, once extended from the East Greenland Ice edge towards the east. The seas major islands include the Svalbard Archipelago, Jan Mayen, Ella, Norske, Godred Hansen, Gamma, and Lynn. Only Svalbard Island is inhabited permanently, while Jan Mayen is inhabited temporarily by military staff.

Marine Life

A walrus and her pup on the coast of Greenland.

There are numerous vascular plant species on the Greenland Sea's shores, especially on the Greenland mainland. The common species are low-lying shrubs like crowberries and dwarf willows. Some colorful flowers and heaths contrast the icebergs surrounding the sea.

The Greenland Sea has numerous organisms that support the ocean food chain. Common fish species include redfish, cod, herring, plaice, and halibut. Marine mammals include seals, whales, and walruses, while land mammals are caribou, musk ox, Arctic wolf, polar bear, Arctic fox, and Arctic hare.

Brief History

The first scientific study of the Greenland Sea was undertaken in 1876-78. Since then, several countries, including Norway, Russia, and Iceland have carried out scientific expeditions in the area. The Greenland Sea was an important hunting ground for whales in the last 300 years, until 1911. However, the whaling industry became less profitable in the years following because of the depleted whale population. Currently, whales in the sea are protected, but the species are regenerating at a slower rate than was expected. In 2017, Fiann Paul led a team of rowers for the first man-powered crossing of the sea.

According to the US Geological Survey, the Arctic Ocean has approximately 13% of the worlds oil yet to be discovered and 30% of gas pockets, and the Greenland Sea might be a source of natural gas. Thus, the Parliament of Greenland has given permits to various potential hydrocarbon extractions. In 2013, three joint companies, Eni, Chevron, and Statoil were granted hydrocarbon extraction rights to explore four large hydrocarbon areas in the Greenland Sea.
The Durand line refers to the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Durand line came into existence on November 12, 1896, when the border which was used to separate the British and the Afghanistan territories came to life. The main reason for establishing the Durand line was to improve diplomatic and trade relations within the two regions.

Before the signing of the agreement that led to the establishment of the Durand line, the British Empire and Afghanistan had engaged in two major wars. The first war was referred to as the First Anglo-Afghan war and took place in the year 1839. During the First Anglo-Afghan war, the British army which was made up of Britain-led Indian forces was defeated by the Afghan military. After the first war, the British troops left Afghanistan. The Second Anglo-Afghan War occurred in the year 1878 where the British forces conquered a portion of land that belonged to Afghanistan. The Treaty of Gandamak was signed during the second war which allowed the British to retain the control of the areas it had conquered.

The Treaty Of Gandamak And Its Impact

The signing of the Treaty of Gandamak resulted in some peace between the warring groups. To reduce conflict concerning the governance of the two distinct territories, the British Empire sent Mortimer Durand to Afghanistan to sign an agreement in 1893. The Durand Line agreement was established on November 12, 1893. Upon the establishment and recognition of the Durand line in 1896 the border geographically separated the Pashtuns, Baloch and other ethnic groups in Afghanistan.

Upon the signing and acknowledgment of the Durand line, the British empire began building railway lines in its territory to ease the movement of goods and services within its border. However, not everyone was happy with the drawing of the border, and it wasn't long before instability and violence broke out. The third Anglo-Afghan war which took place in 1919 further escalated the friction between the British Empire and Afghanistan.

The Current State Of The Durand Line

On July 26, 1949, the Afghanistan government explicitly stated that it did not recognize the Durand line. The area along the Durand line does not have any law and is therefore known as a kind of "no man's land" where numerous illegal activities take place. To date, the area is known for kidnapping, the trade of firearms, ammunition, the smuggling of narcotics, electronic products, and precious metals. Over the years numerous Muslim leaders have come together in an attempt to settle the feud concerning the Durand line.
East Pakistan was a non-conterminous province of Pakistan between 1955 and 1971. It was initially known as East Bengal. East Pakistan waged an armed struggle for independence in 1970 and declared independence on March 26, 1971, as the state of Bangladesh. It was officially recognized as a sovereign state on December 16, 1971, and it drafted its first constitution on November 4, 1972.

History of East Pakistan

East Pakistan was part of the Bengal region of India and was under the rule of the same empire who ruled over central India. The British Crown established the Raj Kingdom between 1858 and 1947, which also included East Pakistan. During the petition and independence of British India, the Muslim-dominated regions of Bengal and Punjab were separated from India and awarded to Pakistan for it was a Muslim state. After India gained independence in 1947, the Bengal region became a non-contagious province of Pakistan known as East Pakistan while India regained Punjab.

The region was in an odd position because it was separated from the rest of the country by a 1,000-mile stretch of Indian territory. It was also linguistically and ethnically different from Pakistan. The region suffered political and economic neglect from the rest of the country for 24 years, leading to political unrest and coups as the military constantly overthrew elected governments. Political leaders in the province began rallying for the separation and creation of an independent state. The separatist Awami League Party won all the parliamentary seats, in the 197071 elections, further fueling the calls for secession. Talks between West and East Pakistan failed to find an amicable solution prompting Sheikh Mujib Rahman of East Pakistan to declare independence on March 27th, 1971. West Pakistan sent the military to quell the secessionists, but India responded by sending its troops to support the secession of Bangladesh. In January 1972, Bangladesh declared itself an independent parliamentary democracy. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman became the first leader of the newly formed state until he was assassinated in 1975.

Post Secession

The secession of Bangladesh delivered a psychological setback and a humiliating defeat to Pakistan. State and military leaders were rebuked and defend for their inability to protect the sovereignty of the country. Protests and demonstrations erupted in the cities of Pakistan prompting General Yahya Khan to step down from office. Pakistan launched a project to develop the atomic bomb in 1972 as a defense mechanism to prevent further secession and encroachment of its territory. Thousands of Pakistani loyalists migrated to conterminous Pakistan and established a colony in Karachi. Despite independence, Bangladesh remains politically unstable as frequent coups continue to destabilize the government. Poverty is widespread although there is an improvement in public education and health.
Ontario is the largest Canadian province by population. It is also the second-largest province in Canada by total area. Its capital city is Toronto, which also happens to be the countrys most populous town. Ontario hosts the capital city of Canada known as Ottawa. Conceptually, the province of Ontario is usually divided into two regions: Southern Ontario and Northern Ontario. Most of the arable land is found in the south. Besides, a large portion of the population lives in southern Ontario. Ontario borders Manitoba, Hudson Bay, James Bay, and Quebec. It also borders some US states namely New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Ohio. Most of Ontarios borders with the United States fall along inland waterways.

Manitoba

Manitoba is a Canadian province that borders Ontario to the west. It is located at the longitudinal center of the country and covers 250,900 square miles of land. The population of Manitoba is approximately 1.3 million people. The Ontario-Manitoba border was designated in 1953 and included in the constitution of Canada. This inter-provincial boundary was surveyed and marked by commissioners who were appointed for that sole purpose. According to the Ontario-Manitoba Boundary Line Act of 1953, the boundary demarcations that exist to date were placed at the twelfth baseline located on Monument No.220 to the southern shore of Hudson Bay.

Hudson Bay

Hudson Bay was named after an explorer called Henry Hudson who sailed into the land and possessed it for England in 1611. The British setup trading posts at the bay. Later, it got into a struggle against the French for the possession of Ontario. After seven years of war, they took over Ontario to Quebec regions. Today, Hudson Bay is a part of the Nunavut territory and borders Ontario. The bay has a watershed known as Ruperts Land.

James Bay

James Bay is a large water body located on the southern tip of Hudson Bay. It extends from the Atlantic Ocean and forms part of the Nunavut territory. The bay is located between the provinces of Quebec and Ontario. It consists of many islands including Charlton, Akimski, and North and South Twin as well as dozens of other smaller islands. Besides, hundreds of rivers flow into the bay such as the Cheepash, Albany, Rupert, Eastmain, Muketei, and Moose. James Bay is home to the Cree and Inuit Indian peoples. The indigenous settlements are located within the Eastmain, Chisasibi, and Attawapiskat regions. James Bay has not had any major border issues. The only dispute that has been witnessed was in regards to the hydro-electric project which was initiated in 1971. The project raised environmental concerns arising from the diversion of water flowing from four main rivers into the dam.

Quebec

Quebec is a province in Canada which is located east of Ontario. It covers a land area of 527,079 square miles occupied by people numbering slightly above 8.4 million. Quebec and Ontario share a long border, much of it passing through remote surrounding areas.
Is This The Last Leg Higher for the DOW Stock Market Index?

Our researchers, at Technical Traders Ltd., believe this current upside price move is nearing the end of any immediate upside potential. Yes, back in December 2018 and before, we called for an Ultimate Low pattern setup followed by an incredible run to new all-time highs when almost everyone else was calling for a continued downside price move. Now, that the YM/DOW is only 640 points away from reaching all-time highs again, we believe a new price peak will setup sometime near June/July 2019.

Our researchers believe the continued upside price bias will stay in place for at least another 30 days and that the YM.DOW will establish new higher all-time highs in late April or early May 2019. We believe once a scouting party type price move completes above the all-time highs near $27,000, a sideways price rotation will begin that may last as long as 25 to 55 days. Our predictive modeling systems are suggesting that June/July are important months for the global equities/stock markets and we believe well know more about the setups that will prompt bigger moves as we get closer to these dates.

Right now, our researchers are suggesting the upside move in the YM/DOW is likely to push higher by +2.5 to +3% or slightly more. Once the $27,000 level is breached to the upside, traders should begin to become much more cautious of price rotation and volatility. As we head into June/July/August 2019, be prepared for a spike in volatility/VIX as price rotation is likely to become much more aggressive.

Read our most recent research to learn more about what we believe will happen over the next few months. Get ready for some bigger price swings and prepare for the last bit of upside price trending before a price peak sets up near June/July. Ultimately, we believe there is an opportunity for skilled traders that can see and create opportunity from these moves. Weve been warning that 2019 is going to be an incredible year for skilled traders  our call near the end of 2018 that this move higher would target new all-time highs is proof of the opportunity that exists if you pay attention to our research. Do you know of any other firm that called this move as accurately as we did?

On September 17, 2018 our Predictive Trading Model Suggests Falling Stock Prices During US Elections.

Please visit www.TheTechnicalTraders.com to learn more about how we help our members learn to find and execute incredible trading opportunities. Weve recently launched a new technology solution for our members that delivers our incredible research and trading solutions. 2019 is going to continue to be an incredible year for skilled traders  you wont want to miss these big moves that are setting up.

Chris Vermeulen

www.TheTechnicalTraders.com

Chris Vermeulen has been involved in the markets since 1997 and is the founder of Technical Traders Ltd. He is an internationally recognized technical analyst, trader, and is the author of the book: 7 Steps to Win With Logic



Through years of research, trading and helping individual traders around the world. He learned that many traders have great trading ideas, but they lack one thing, they struggle to execute trades in a systematic way for consistent results. Chris helps educate traders with a three-hour video course that can change your trading results for the better.



His mission is to help his clients boost their trading performance while reducing market exposure and portfolio volatility.



He is a regular speaker on HoweStreet.com, and the FinancialSurvivorNetwork radio shows. Chris was also featured on the cover of AmalgaTrader Magazine, and contributes articles to several leading financial hubs like MarketOracle.co.uk

Disclaimer: Nothing in this report should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. Technical Traders Ltd., its owners and the author of this report are not registered broker-dealers or financial advisors. Before investing in any securities, you should consult with your financial advisor and a registered broker-dealer. Never make an investment based solely on what you read in an online or printed report, including this report, especially if the investment involves a small, thinly-traded company that isnt well known. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report has been paid by Cardiff Energy Corp. In addition, the author owns shares of Cardiff Energy Corp. and would also benefit from volume and price appreciation of its stock. The information provided here within should not be construed as a financial analysis but rather as an advertisement. The authors views and opinions regarding the companies featured in reports are his own views and are based on information that he has researched independently and has received, which the author assumes to be reliable. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content of this report, nor its fitness for any particular purpose. Lastly, the author does not guarantee that any of the companies mentioned in the reports will perform as expected, and any comparisons made to other companies may not be valid or come into effect.

Chris Vermeulen Archive

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




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After seven weeks of mass protests demanding the fall of the Algerian military dictatorship and the armys announcement last week of President Abdelaziz Bouteflikas resignation, the gulf separating the officer corps from millions of protesting workers and youth is coming to the fore.

Large sections of the Algerian population have correctly concluded that Bouteflikas resignation by itself is not the victory they were hoping to obtain. It is plainly obvious that Bouteflika, who was confined to a wheelchair and could not speak since suffering a stroke in 2013, was no longer leading the dictatorship. Now, there are growing demands for the ouster of officials who are to oversee the transition while a new president is elected, including speaker of the house Abdelkader Bensalah, and growing opposition to army chief General Ahmed Gaid Salah.

After last Fridays protestswhere workers chanted slogans like Gaid Salah, the people are not fooled and No repeat of the Egyptian scenario, referring to the 2013 military coup that crushed a wave of revolutionary struggles in Egypt that toppled Hosni Mubarak in 2011the National Liberation Front (FLN) regime and the army are preparing the ouster of other top officials.

On Sunday, the pro-regime daily El Moudjahid carried an article and an editorial that raised the possibility of removing Bensalah. Bensalah must go, constitutional law specialists were quoted as saying in the paper according to RFI, while the dailys editorial, titled Nothing is impossible, said that a presidential transition without Bensalah is neither unreasonable nor impossible to do.

The most prominent target within the upper ranks of the regime was intelligence chief Major General Athmane Tartag, the director of Algerian domestic intelligence. After rumors that Tartag had been removed on April 5, on April 7 it was announced that Gaid Salah would replace him as head of the powerful Directorate of the Security Services (DRS) agency.

This was followed by Gaid Salahs firing of Major General Boura Rezigue Abdelkader, who led the Directorate of internal Security (DSI), and General Abdelhamid Bendaoud, who led the General Directorate of External Security (DGSE). Gaid Salah is concentrating power in his own hands, reorganizing the chain of command so that the DGSE and DSI now report directly to the general staff of the army.

Through the purge of the intelligence services, the army is above all trying to limit popular opposition to the regime and prevent the regimes crimes during the 1992-2002 Algerian civil war from becoming a focal point for working-class opposition to the army. There is already speculation in the Algerian press that Tartags dismissal could lead to his facing charges related to his bloody record during the civil war.

Last week, relatives of prisoners disappeared during the civil war held a rally outside the main post office in Algiers, holding up pictures of their loved ones and demanding full investigations. Mondafrique commented, President Bouteflika always refused to open investigations on these disappearances; This protest certainly did not escape the attention of Ahmed Gaid Salah, the head of the general staff, who is trying to ride the waves of anger and popular demands in order to lead the transition.

Relatives of the disappeared have denounced Tartag as the monster of Ben Aknoun, one of the main centers where prisoners suspected of Islamist or other oppositional politics were taken, tortured and often shot. He directed the Ben Aknoun facility, formally known as the Principal Military Investigation Center (CPMI) from 1990 to 2001. He is suspected of personal involvement in the murder of FLN veteran Kasdi Merbah, who was killed in 1993 as he tried to negotiate a truce with Islamist forces. Tartags name has also come up as one of French intelligences main contacts in Algeria.

As workers and youth move into struggle against the Algerian regime, the critical question raised by the history of the Algerian military dictatorship in the civil war is the need for the independent political organization and the revolutionary mobilization of the working class.

No confidence can be given to Gaid Salah or to the Algerian officer corps to lead a democratic transition. They serve a regime that has for decades plundered Algerias oil and gas wealth, which they sent overseas to bank accounts in France and beyond, while workers were left in poverty and unemployment and repressed by a bloody military regime. The generals are terrified of what they would have to answer for if trials could be freely held and will do all in their power to maintain a dictatorship in Algeria.

The 1992-2002 Algerian Civil War emerged from the last failed attempt to democratize the Algerian military regime, the 1988 reforms and transition to multiparty democracy. The regime suspended the Islamic Salvation Fronts (FIS) 1991 electoral victory, plunging Algeria into a 10-year civil war costing 200,000 lives. While the armys ostensible targets were Islamist terrorist groups, it also infiltrated the Islamist organizations to carry out attacks and murdered a range of workers and political figures to suppress opposition to the FLNs right-wing economic and social policies.

A 2005 report issued by the Movement of Free Algerian Officers (MOAL) and Algeria Watch, titled Algeria: the Death Machine, gives a detailed and gruesome picture of this bloody military repression and, in particular, of the operations Tartag oversaw at Ben Aknoun.

It writes, As early as spring 1992, Tartag received orders from his chief, General Kamel Abderrahmane, to not hand over unredeemable fundamentalists to the courts: this was clearly a license to kill. But before that, they were systematically tortured. There followed punitive expeditions in 1993-1994 that claimed between 10 and 40 victims per day. All-out death squads were trained in this center, that were tasked with pursuing Islamists, liquidating them, and terrorizing the population.

Another important part of Tartags operations, according to this report, was killing top officers suspected of opposition to the FLN and the army. It describes how Tartag and his assistant, Lieutenant Mohammed, tortured Navy Commander Mohammed Abbassa, who was electrocuted, beaten, stabbed and burned. Finally, it reports, On the evening of the second day, it was a barely recognizable body, swollen and burned even on the eyes that passed away, murmuring a few barely audible words. The corpse was denied the right to a decent burial.

Attempts to present the Algerian military dictatorship as a democracy waiting to flourish, through the intervention of Gaid Salah or perhaps of the FLNs state-controlled General Union of Algerian Labor (UGTA), are reactionary political frauds.

The only way to establish a democratic regime in Algeria is through a struggle led by the working class to take power, expropriating the regimes ill-gotten wealth in the context of a broad international struggle of the working class against capitalism and for the building of socialism.
On Sunday, Cassandra Fairbanks, an online journalist, published an article containing previously unreleased testimony from Julian Assange at a court hearing last October.

The WikiLeaks founder and his lawyers had issued a legal challenge, seeking an urgent injunction to block an Ecuadorian government protocol, imposed earlier that month, which banned him from making any political statements, and placed a series of other restrictions on his asylum. In a highly political decision, the case was dismissed late last year.

Shortly after Fairbanks article was published on the right-wing Gateway Pundit website, a full transcript of the WikiLeaks founders statement was anonymously uploaded online. A link to the document was tweeted by WikiLeaks, effectively confirming its authenticity.

The release of the testimony came amid heightened dangers facing Assange.

On Friday, WikiLeaks reported that a high-level source within the Ecuadorian government had reported that Assange would be expelled from the countrys London embassy within hours or days and handed over to British police. While the Ecuadorian regime has denied that it will imminently evict Assange, it has not given any guarantee that it will not do so in the future.

Assanges October testimony is particularly significant because it is the only extended statement by the WikiLeaks founder since Ecuador cut off his internet access and communications in March, 2018.

Speaking via video link on October 29, Assange began by outlining the impact of his protracted detention in the embassy building.

I have been in this embassy without sunlight for six years and essentially isolated from most people for seven months, including electronic communication, the telephone etc, from my young children, he stated.

Thats been a difficult experience and it has also interfered with my ability to work, to make a living and with my deeply held principles that I have fought for all my life, which is to uphold the right of freedom of expression, the right of people to know, the right of the freedom of the press and for everyone to participate in their society and the broader society.

Assange noted that because of the ban on his communications, he had been unable to participate in the debates around me. This had resulted in a climate of libels and fake news that might be expected for someone who has been in the business of exposing very large and very powerful corrupt organisations or organisations that abuse human rights.

The WikiLeaks founder expressed sadness that those denigrating his character included senior representatives of the Ecuadorian government. He was immediately cut off by the presiding judge. Under the draconian provisions of the protocol, Assange was not permitted in court to make statements criticizing the actions of the regime.

Assange then explained that he had sought political asylum from Ecuador in 2012, after publishing information about the US crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan, the most significant revelation ever about those two wars, and the US diplomatic cables.

He noted that the alleged source of the documents, Chelsea Manning, had been seized, brutally treated in an American prison, and ultimately sentenced to 35 years under the Obama administration. At the same time, the US and its allies had begun a worldwide investigation into WikiLeaks. Even my own country Australia, in my view improperly, participated in that investigation, Assange said.

The WikiLeaks founder explained that he had turned to Ecuador because neither the UK nor Sweden would give a guarantee that he would not be extradited to the US, where he likely faces bogus charges for his publishing activities.

The Swedish investigation into concocted allegations of sexual impropriety against Assange was dropped without any charges being laid. Despite this, Britain maintained the threat of arresting Assange on trumped-up bail charges and refused to provide any assurance against extradition to the US. The British authorities spent 13.6 million to spy on Assange and on besieging this embassy.

The WikiLeaks founder later read a series of provisions in the Ecuadorian Constitution, upholding freedom of the press, free speech and the right to unimpeded communication.

He then turned to the Ecuadorian governments decision to terminate his communications in March 2018. He said that the regime had played a game where it has tried to present these very grave restrictions on my human dignity as if its about the internet. Its not. Its restricting all my telephone calls.

Three jammers were installed in the building to suppress Assanges electronic communications.

Assange declared: The fact that a government controls a particular piece of space does not mean it can violate its Constitution, can violate UN-mandated rights, that it can engage in punishment without process

It cannot be that a journalist giving their opinions on a social network is effectively considered to be a crime and where they would be expelled and placed in prison, in the UK initially and then in the United States for 45 years to life. That cannot be the case.

Assange later powerfully stated: No journalist, no citizen, should accept that what they speak about can be defined from day to day by reasons of political expediency.

He referenced a split within the Ecuadorian ruling party, pitting supporters of former President Rafael Correa, who had granted Assange asylum, against a faction headed by Lenin Moreno, who assumed the presidency in 2017. The WikiLeaks founder noted that the government had been weakened and had started to lean on the US and the UK. This had led to an undue amount of influence by the United States.

Assange was cut-off by Ecuadors attorney-general, who hysterically denounced him for making malicious and perverse insinuations about what Ecuador is doing.

When Assange was permitted to resume, he reviewed in detail the close collaboration between the Moreno regime and the Trump administration. This included a meeting between Moreno and US Vice President Mike Pence last June which the White House stated had featured a constructive conversation on Assange.

The WikiLeaks founder explained: What is occurring is not about the Protocol. What has occurred since March 28 is something much more serious. It is the Ecuadorian Government positioning itself in order to violate the asylum. Positioning itself in terms of public discourse.

Assange stated that the attempts to terminate his asylum had come on the back of WikiLeaks publication, in early 2017, of Vault 7, a trove of documents from the US Central Intelligence Agency exposing its global hacking and spying operations.

So lets not play games here, Assange said. The Ecuadorian State, for various political reasons, seeks to violate the law and conduct a public campaign in order to make it acceptable to hand over a persecuted journalist to the United States as a result of pressure, well-documented pressure, from the United States government.

Assange concluded his testimony by stating that the restrictions imposed upon him were deep and humiliating. He declared And it needs to stop. Now.

Assanges defiant comments acquire even greater significance amid the heightened threats to expel him from the embassy.

The speech will doubtless be viewed by historians as a powerful defence of democratic principles by a persecuted journalist and publisher who was giving voice to the hostility of millions of workers and young people towards the turn by governments internationally to authoritarianism and war.

It demonstrates the urgency of mobilising the widespread support that exists for the WikiLeaks founder to secure his freedom and to defend all democratic rights.
The Salvadoran and Guatemalan legislatures are simultaneously discussing amnesty bills regarding war crimes and human rights abuses during the counterinsurgency wars waged by the brutal US-backed dictatorships between 1960 and the 1990s.

For decades, survivors and supporters of the hundreds of thousands of victims have pursued investigations and prosecutions hoping to expose the truth, hold accountable those responsible and lay the basis for others never to suffer the same fate.

Jesus, a survivor who lost his mother, father, brother and four-year-old son in a 1982 massacre by a US-trained Salvadoran death squad, told Amnesty International, At night, I felt that I was not crying, but others said I was crying. I didnt feel like I was crying. It took years and years until it passed a little. I would walk down the road crying, I would eat to cry, I would eat dinner to cry, every meal, crying.

Since the peace accord was signed in 1992, like many others, he has fought for a trial for this crime to no avail, even after the Salvadoran Supreme Court ruled in July 2016 that a 1993 blanket amnesty law was unconstitutional, and ordered Congress to draft a new regulation guaranteeing truth, reparations and justice for victims.

In Guatemalas case, an amnesty law blocking prosecution of war crimes among combatants was imposed following the 1996 settlement between the government and the guerrillas. Sixty-five military and paramilitary soldiers have been sentenced for crimes against civilians and about a dozen are awaiting trial.

The new bill sends us back to the darkest era of state terrorism, Ana Lucrecia Molina told reporters. Guatemalan military officials were convicted for the disappearance of her brother and raping of her sister during the war. The legislation would free those sentenced within 24 hours and block new prosecutions completely, with the fascistic legislator who introduced it, Fernando Linares Beltranena, boasting The right is empowered now.

In El Salvador, the bill was recently drafted by an ad hoc legislative commission formed in June 2018 and chaired by Rodolfo Parker, general secretary of the Christian Democratic Party (PDC)itself part of the military junta that carried out the worst war crimes during the 1980s. We hereby grant broad, absolute and unconditional amnesty to everyone, regardless of the sector they belonged to [during the war], the draft begins, allowing war crimes to be investigated but blocking all prosecutions, and pardoning all those who were convicted and sentenced.

The UN, the Inter-American Human Rights Court, the European Union and the US government have all expressed opposition to the amnesty bills. A June 2017 leaked diplomatic cable from the US embassy in San Salvador noted that the processing of those accused of responsibility for the 1981 El Mozote massacre is an important, positive step for rule of law and ending impunity. The same cable, however, then opposed a 1973 Procedural Code that allows private accusers to submit evidence, call witnesses, and cross examine witnesses and defendants as opposed to later reforms to have a judicial system driven by institutions.

It adds that the Access to Public Information Institute (IAIP) in charge of releasing information for these judicial processes is financed by the USAID, while the Ministry of Defense has withheld and deliberately destroyed evidence, and the Attorney Generals office has worked to undermine the cases.

Through these institutions, and their Guatemalan counterparts, whose officials frequently parade through the offices of the US foreign-policy establishment, the US State Department has pulled the strings in a charade of reconciliation that its regional puppets have exploited since the 1990s to legitimize their rule and enforce the austerity, privatizations and super-exploitation dictated by the US financial aristocracy.

Moreover, while backing a limited exposure of these crimeseven jailing a few top officials in GuatemalaWashington has continued strengthening the same repressive apparatuses, in spite of reports of new death squads formed by elite forces across the region.

While Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales has said hell respect the congress vote on the issue, Salvadoran president-elect Nayib Bukele has criticized the amnesty bill, seeking to distance himself from the widely hated parties associated with the civil war, the ex-guerrilla Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) and the fascistic Republican Nationalist Alliance (ARENA). This is expected to lead promoters of the bill to speed up its approval before Bukeles June 1 inauguration. A former FMLN mayor, Bukele leads a coalition of former Arena and FMLN politicians with close ties to US imperialism that seeks to streamline a further shift to the right under a new facade, the Great Alliance for National Unity (GANA).

On March 18, Rodolfo Parker quit the Salvadoran legislatures ad hoc commission, but it was furnished with three other members implicated in possible crimesa colonel, a commander and a guerrilla leader. The FMLN and ARENA have both expressed opposition to any legislation that grants less than total amnesty. Expressing broader sentiments in the ruling class outside of those implicated directly, former vice-president Enrique Borgo Bustamente (1994-1999) said last month that, for the sake of stability, its time to forget what happened in this country 30 years ago.

At the same time, US imperialism is explicitly discarding democratic sensibilities as it promotes far-right governments dominated by the military with the aim of prying the region awaythrough bullying and possibly even warfrom the economic and political influence of its global rivals, namely China and Russia.

This shift back to a US policy of backing naked military and fascist rule is being accelerated by the resurgence of the class struggle internationally, paired with economic stagnation in the region and concerns of another financial crisis.

Moreover, Central America is a social tinderbox. Hundreds of thousands of migrants risk their lives each year and defy Washingtons troops on the border, attacks against the right to asylum and concentration camps, all to escape intolerable poverty and violence in Guatemala and El Salvador, where 80 and 72 percent of the respective workforces scrape by in the informal sector, without social security benefits or job security.

Trumps mass deportations and the cutting of US aid to force the local elites to turn these countries into open air prisons can only result in a social explosion.

Reflecting this shift of US policy across the region, the Trump administration named Elliot Abrams as special envoy to oversee the ongoing US coup operation in Venezuela. Abrams oversaw the cover-up of human rights abuses by US-backed forces in Central America during the 1980s. His office in the State Department published a 1984 report defending that years approval of Decree 50 or Law of Criminal Procedure Upon the Suspension of Constitutional Guarantees that handed the judiciary to the military in El Salvador as necessary to face state of emergency crimes. It then dismissed widespread claims of systematic killing of non-combatants by gunfire and aerial bombardment as bogus. Similar reports were produced regarding the rest of Central America.

When asked in a congressional hearing last February if he would back a faction in Venezuela involved in war crimes like those he helped cover up in Central America, Abrams said Im not going to answer that question.

Whether its the full amnesty demanded by the local ruling elites or the threadbare facade of justice regarding these crimes still advocated by the US State Department, the message is clear to the armed forces that they can ruthlessly crack down on any challenge from below with impunity and US support, just like the Sisi dictatorship in Egypt, the fascistic regime in Israel, the monarchy in Saudi Arabia or the Honduran regime that has employed murderous repression against the mass rebellions that followed the US-backed coup in 2009 and electoral frauds ever since.

Nearly a quarter million people were killed between 1962 and 1996 in Guatemala, 93 percent at the hands of pro-government forces. The UN-backed Commission for Historical Clarification classified the massacre of Mayan Indians, treated by the military as a potential constituency for guerrillas, as genocide, including the destruction of up to 90 percent of the Ixil-Mayan towns and the bombing of those fleeing. In El Salvador, 988 of the 75,000 killed between 1980 and 1992also overwhelmingly by pro-government forceswere massacred in the Morazan Department in the El Mozote case, whose prosecution is at risk.

Most of the victims were children, who were shot down, burned and raped en masse or hung upside down and bled from their throats. Refuting claims by defendants that victims were combatants, the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team has stated: We only found marbles, toys, coins, cooking utensils, sandals and flip-flops next to their bodies. It was the largest single documented massacre in modern Latin American history.

What the ruling class wants to be forgotten is the fact that their only response to the crisis of global capitalism is dictatorship, war and barbarism.

No reconciliation is possible with imperialism and national bourgeoisies bound politically and financially, without exception, to US and foreign capital. The working class and youth in El Salvador and Guatemala can only face imperialism as part of an international struggle with their brothers and sisters across the region and, most importantly, in the United States, under a socialist and internationalist program to overthrow capitalism across the world and establish an economy based on satisfying the social needs of all humanity.
The Sri Lankan governments Counter Terrorism (CT) Bill, which was approved by the cabinet last September, is expected to be soon presented to parliament, following final scrutiny by a special committee. If approved, the law will mark a significant step by the crisis-ridden United National Party-led government and President Sirisena towards a police state.

Under the bogus banner of fighting terrorism, capitalist governments around the world are imposing repressive measures to suppress the working class, the poor, refugees and asylum seekers, and political opponents, targeting socialists in particular. In the US, Trump has branded immigrants as invaders and terrorists and is deploying the police and the military. In France and the United Kingdom, laws are used to deploy armed forces against anti-government protests.

The official purpose of Sri Lankas CT Bill is to replace the infamous Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), which was enacted in 1979 on the pretext of combatting Tamil militant groups. It was widely used during the almost 30-year communal war against Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), leading to arbitrary arrests, protracted detentions without trials and torture. Colombo also used it to suppress rural unrest in the period 19881990 during which tens of thousands of youth were killed.

Attempting to capitalise on the widespread opposition to the PTA during the 2015 presidential election campaign, Maithripala Sirisena promised to repeal the hated law if he came to power.

In 2016, the Sri Lankan cabinet approved a new counter terrorism bill. The bill, however, was even more repressive than the PTA and was denounced by civil liberties groups and other organisations, forcing the government to withdraw it.

According to human rights groups, the latest version of the bill is little different from the previous one and, in fact, bans virtually all activities and propaganda against Sri Lankan governments.

According to section 3 of the CT Bill, anyone found guilty of terrorism will be punished with 20-year or lifetime jail terms.

Terrorism offences include:

* intimidating a population;

* wrongfully or unlawfully compelling the government of Sri Lanka, or any other government, or an international organisation, to do or to abstain from doing any act;

* preventing any such government from functioning;

* causing harm to the territorial integrity or sovereignty of Sri Lanka or any other sovereign country.

* causing serious damage to public or private property

* obstruction to essential services

These vague clauses could be used to ban and punish any political party or group within or outside Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan president already has the power to declare any service or industry an essential service and ban strikes. Under the planned CT measures, strike action, protests and demonstrations by workers, students or the poor could be defined as terrorist offences.

The new bill can also limit or ban freedom of expression. According to section 10, intentionally and unlawfully distributing or otherwise making available any information to the public, having intent to incite the commission of the offence of terrorism is an offence. Under this sweeping provision, any anti-government literature could be deemed to be abetting terrorism.

It is an offence to gather confidential information in an unauthorised manner and for the purpose of supplying such information to a person who commits an offence under this act.

All these clauses are wide open to interpretation and could be used by the government to punish and imprison anyone it chooses. Hence political exposures, investigative journalists and whistle blowers will be easily targeted.

Section 13 of the bill states that those who fail to provide information or provide false or misleading information in response to a question put to him by a police officer conducting an investigation under this Act will be punished with up to two years imprisonment and fines.

Any police officer, an officer or member of the armed forces or a coast guard officer can take any one into custody without a warrant if the officer receives information or a complaint which he believes to be reliable that a person has committed or concerned in committing an offence under this Act.

In other words, the police and armed forces will have the power to arrest anyone at any time on suspicion of committing an offence. This is a direct violation of the fundamental rights supposedly guaranteed by Sri Lankas constitution.

Police officers and armed forces personnel will also have the right to stop and search any person, vehicle, vessel, train or aircraft; question any person; enter and search any premises or land; and take into custody any document [related to committing an offence].

Those arrested can be held for two days without being brought before a magistrate, which implies that they will not be permitted to get prior legal assistance. The magistrate can keep suspects in remand for up to six months, which can be extended indefinitely on an application by the Attorney General to the High Court.

Senior police officers can authorise the detention of the suspect in an approved place of detention under approved conditions of detention. This detention can be renewed every two weeks and for up to eight weeks. Sri Lankan police are notorious for maintaining torture chambers in their detention facilities.

Police authorities are also empowered to appoint teams of investigators and to establish a specialised Counter Terrorism Agency to maintain records which could be used and manipulated against anti-government political tendencies, including socialists.

Cosmetic changes have been made to the CT Bill in a crude attempt to make it appear less repressive than the PTA. Under the PTA, confessions from suspectsoften extracted through torturecan be used against the accused. Under the new law, the burden of proof falls on the prosecuting authorities.

The media have nervously voiced concerns about the CTA. Sunday Times columnist Kishali Pinto Jayawardena on March 10 stated: These [small changes] are ingenious traps set by deep state security agents who have learnt to survive governments and political regimes with consummate ease. Flippant assessments of the gazetted draft CTA are a deadly mistake. Unquestionably this is an aggravation of the existing counter-terror regime, not a reduction, as blissfully believed by some.

Former president and current opposition leader Mahinda Rajapakse told the media chiefs on April 1 that the CT Bill would destroy democratic rights of people and lead the country to a repressive police state.

Rajapakses attempts to posture as a democrat are utterly cynical. His government ruthlessly prosecuted the communal war against the separatist LTTE and used the reactionary PTA and emergency laws to the hilt. He is desperately attempting to exploit the mounting opposition against the UNP-led government, in a bid to return to power.

The current cash-strapped UNP-led government has been slavishly implementing the International Monetary Fund (IMF) austerity measures and suppressing the protests of workers, students and farmers on a daily basis. If Rajapakse and his political supporters come to power they will continue these attacks.
Miguel Roldan Espinosa, a Spanish firefighter, is under criminal investigation and faces a potentially lengthy prison sentence and large fines and legal fees for rescuing thousands of migrants in the Mediterranean Sea.

Espinosa is one of 24 men and women under criminal investigation by the Italian authorities for rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean. They are accused of facilitating illegal immigration and aiding human traffickers. Ten of them, including Espinosa, were serving on the Iuventa, a ship owned by the German NGO Jugend rettet [Youth rescue] that was seized on orders from an Italian court in the summer of 2017, halting its rescue operations. The ship had saved an estimated 14,000 lives over the course of one year.

Those investigated face sentences of up to 20 years in prison, fines of 15,000 [$US16,900] per saved person and legal costs that could add up to 500,000.

Roldan Espinosa, who describes the plight of migrants as one of continuous death and total mayhem  helpless people who dont get any support, conducted his first rescue in 2017 off the coast of Lesbos, Greece, with the Spanish NGO PROEM-AID that helped thousands of migrants from drowning in the Aegean Sea.

The Spanish firefighter described to Euronews the moment during the summer of 2018 when the Iuventa arrived in international waters, off the coast of Libya, to save migrants drowning at sea. As per international law, the ships crew radioed the Italian authorities for permission to bring the migrants on board. Rome denied permission and told them to call Libyan authorities. The crew then radioed Libyan authorities and were eventually granted permission.

This delay cost the lives of more than half of the migrants that day. Roldan Espinosa, who watched migrants drown while waiting for permission to save them, says he will never forget their desperate cries for help.

Right-wing Italian authorities are now conducting a probe into the Iuventa crews activities, with a view to bringing a case to trial by the end of this year. Neither the accused nor their attorneys have been able to get information about the investigation.

The criminal allegations fall under the vicious Decree-Law on Security and Immigrationknown as the Salvini Decree, after ultra-right Lega leader and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvinithat ends humanitarian protection for migrants, downsizes the protection system for asylum seekers and refugees, provides for longer detention times in repatriation centres and hotspots, enables Italy to withdraw citizenship for alleged terrorism, tightens restrictions for permits and allows the revocation of refugee status for those convicted of certain crimes.

In a March 7 interview with Euronews, Roldan Espinosa said he realised that the solution to the refugee problem was not the NGOs: I am aware that it is [only] a patch  but as long as European governments do not come up with a solution, NGOs are very good there in the Mediterranean, they do a very good job, they save many lives.

It is estimated that as many as 3,000 rescued migrants have been denied entry to Italy since the Lega-M5S coalition government came to power in Italy in June 2018. Most recently, on April 5, Salvini denied safe port to the Alan Kurdi, a vessel operated by the German NGO Sea-Eye. The ship is German property, with a German flag and a German crew ... Its their problem, they must deal with it, Salvini said on the sidelines of a meeting of G7 interior ministers in Paris. Salvini said he personally wrote to the captain of the Alan Kurdi, warning him the ship would not enter Italian territorial waters.

This January, 49 stranded migrants rescued by German NGO-owned ships Sea-Watch 3 and Sea-Eye were finally allowed to disembark in the Maltese capital of Valletta. Maltas prime minister said he planned to send the migrants to Italy, France, Germany, Portugal, Ireland, Romania, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. However, Salvini, who was in Poland at the time visiting leaders of the right-wing Law and Justice Party, said that he would not authorise the migrant arrivals in Italy and accused the European Union of succumbing to the blackmail of smugglers and NGOs.

Italys criminal prosecution of Roldan Espinosa and his comrades conforms to the Fortress Europe policy of sealing the borders, criminalizing humanitarian aid and terrorizing migrants with deportation and incarceration.

Last year, Hungary passed a law making it illegal for organisations and individuals to help asylum seekers and irregular migrants. Late last year, a court in France convicted four French citizenspart of the group known as the Briancon 7for transporting migrants, in the face of fascist attacks, across the Alps from Italy to France.

In Spain, after making a big show of accepting the migrant ship Aquarius last June, the government is now reversing its brief open-arms policy and denying humanitarian vessels the right to depart, citing supposed failures to meet safety standards.

In a January 28 El Pais article, a source at Spains Interior Ministry is quoted as saying, This is not a retreat. We are under enormous migratory pressure, and the rules are not being applied in the Central Mediterranean. We need a lasting solution for everyone.

In the United Kingdom, a group of activists known as the Stansted 15 received suspended sentences or community orders for their work preventing immigrants from removal from Londons Stansted Airport in 2017. Upon receiving the verdict, defendant Alistair Tamlit, commented, Not going to jail is a partial victory, but we are going to keep campaigning to end charter flights, immigration detention and the hostile environment.

The US government is the first among equals in illegalizing humanitarian aid and vilifying immigrants as animals and criminals. While President Donald Trump pursues billions of dollars in funding to build a wall to close off the border between Mexico and the US, volunteers with humanitarian aid group No More Deaths have been arrested for leaving bottles of water for undocumented immigrants from Mexico crossing the US border.
In what is now a consistent pattern in court-cases involving terrorist acts committed by violent Hindu supremacists against Muslims, an Indian special court in late March exonerated four Hindu extremists who had been implicated in the February 2007 bombing of the Samjhauta Express.

Dubbed as a peace train, the Samjhauta Express plies biweekly between Indias capital, New Delhi, and the city of Lahore in Pakistan to facilitate mutual visits by family members permanently torn apart by the reactionary 1947 communal division of the subcontinent into India and Pakistan.

The bomb blasts occurred while the train was en route to Pakistan. The resulting inferno in two passenger carriages burned 68 people, including children, alive. Forty-three of the victims (44 according to Pakistan) were Pakistani citizens and ten were identified as Indian citizens. Fourteen of the charred corpses have never been identified.

The acquitted, all of them linked to the shadowy Hindu terrorist organization Abhinav Bharat, include Swami Aseemanand, a self-styled extremist Hindu monk, and his cohorts, Kamal Chauhan, Rajinder Chaudhary and Lokesh Sharma. Aseemanand, who has been implicated in several other bombings against Muslims, was named by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) that carried out the botched investigation, as one of the ring leaders of the Abhinav Bharat terror network.

In delivering his verdict, the presiding judge said there were gaping holes in the evidence the prosecution had presented. He observed that very strangely the NIA, after learning that suitcases with unexploded bombs retrieved from the train had their covers stitched by a tailor in Indorea city in Madhya Pradesh know to be hotbed of Hindu extremistsdid not attempt to determine the tailors customers and investigate them.

Thus, the investigating agency [lost] a very valuable piece of evidence by not conducting investigation properly in this regard.

Although the judge expressed deep pain and anguish that a dastardly act of violence remains unpunished for want of credible and admissible evidence, he himself summarily dismissed a last-minute appeal by Rahila Wakeel, a Pakistani citizen and the daughter of Muhammad Wakeel who was killed in the blast.

In pleading with the court to hear her and other Pakistani eyewitnesses, Rahila pointed out that they had either never received the previous court summons issued by one or another of the eight judges who presided over this protracted case or had been denied visas by Indian authorities, making it impossible for them to appear in court.

BJP celebrates the acquittals

Home Minister Rajnath Singh of the ruling Hindu Supremacist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has categorically ruled out any appeal of the verdict to a higher court. He added that it is his personal stand that Pakistan is always responsible for such terrorist attacks.

For his part, Prime Minister Narendra Modi immediately seized on the verdict in the Samjhauta Express case to pounce upon the Congress Party, whom he charged had coined the term Hindu terror. He thundered in front of his supporters: How can the Congress be forgiven for insulting the Hindus in front of the world? Werent you hurt when you heard the word Hindu terror? How can a community known for peace, brotherhood and harmony be linked with terrorism?

Singhs cabinet colleague, the multimillionaire Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, also denounced the Congress Party for having pointed to the involvement of persons with longstanding ties to the Hindu right, including the RSSthe Hindutvaite organization to which Modi and most of the BJPs principal leaders and activists belongin bombings that targeted Muslims. Jaitley demanded that the Congress Party, which headed the government when the existence of a Hindu terrorist network was first exposed, issue a public apology to Hindu society.

The foul, celebratory statements being made by Modi and other high-officials of the BJP government over the Samjhauta Express verdict only serve to further demonstrate that violent Hindu communalist groups enjoy the patronage and the protection of the Modi government. Over the past five years of BJP rule, Hindu extremist violence, including the lynching of Muslims, attacks on Dalits and Christians and execution-style killing of critics of Hindu supremacism have all increased dramatically.

In Uttar Pradesh, Indias most populous state, Modi installed as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, a mahant (Hindu high priest), who was facing numerous criminal charges for inciting violence by members of the Hindu youth militia that he had founded, the Hindu Yuva Vahini. While UP has subsequently been the scene of numerous outrages against Muslims, including a wave of summary police executions under a government ordered shoot-to-kill crackdown on crime, the Chief Minister has ordered all the complaints the state had filed against him and his accomplices withdrawn.

There is a long history of communal mob violence incited and facilitated by RSS and BJP leaders. Modi himself first came to national prominence when as Chief Minister of the western state of Gujarat in 2002, he incited and presided over a pogrom against Muslims. Despite ample evidence that he and his henchman, the current BJP president Amit Shah, ordered police to effectively stand down allowing days of violence across the state that killed over 1,400 persons and drove hundreds of thousands from their homes, neither of them has been made to juridically answer for their criminal role.

A Hindu supremacist terror network

The exposure in the fall of 2008 of a Hindu terrorist-bombing networkone moreover with connections to active and retired military personnelwas something new, however. When evidence emerged tying some of those implicated to senior BJP and RSS leaders, the Hindu right responded with great nervousness. BJP leaders sought to distance themselves from the accused, while denouncing the concept of Hindu terrorismi.e., of terrorist atrocities committed by Hindu supremacists akin to that perpetrated by Islamist terroristsas a fabrication and political conspiracy of the Congress Party.

Subsequently, the BJP and RSS seized on the November 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack, carried out by a Pakistan-based group, to drown out any and all discussion of the Hindu terror network. In this they were aided by much of the corporate media and by their sympathizers throughout the state apparatus.

As for the Congress Party, it oscillates between cowering before and conniving with the Hindu right. Indias police and courts have systematically failed to prosecute and convict those responsible for numerous communal outrages, including the 2002 Gujarat pogrom, the 1992 razing of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, and the 1984 Congress-led anti-Sikh riots.

One by one the court cases against the accused in the Abhinav Bharat have unraveled. In some cases, the Hindu extremists have been freed due to lack of evidence, bungled investigations and prosecution witnesses suddenly going hostile. In others, the cases are stalled in the courts, with many of the accused, including alleged ringleaders like former Military Intelligence officer Lieutenant-Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit, allowed to remain at liberty on bailsomething otherwise unheard of in Indian terrorist cases.

In addition to the aforementioned Samjhauta Express bombing, these cases include:

#The 2006 Malegaon bombing: In September 2006, Hindu extremists planted explosives in a cemetery next to a mosque in the town of Malegaon in the state of Maharashtra. The blasts killed 40 persons, mostly Muslims, and injured over 125. Initially, Muslim suspects were rounded up and charged. After years in custody, the nine Muslim accused were freed after a court concluded the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad had fabricated the evidence against them, so as to allow the true perpetrators to go free. In the meantime, Hindu extremists belonging to Abhinav Bharat were implicated in the Malegaon bombings. Years on, they have not been brought to trial. Special Prosecutor Rohini Salian was sacked after she complained of high-level pressure from the NIA to go soft on the accused.

The Makkah Masjid bombing: In May 2007, former members of the RSS planted bombs in Makkah (Mecca) Masjid in the city of Hyderabad located in the southern India. Swami Aseemanand and four others were charged and brought to trial. Despite Aseemanand voluntarily confessing in the presence of a magistrate, he and his co-defendants were all exonerated at trial.

The Ajmer bombing: In October 2007, three persons were killed in a blast at a Muslim shrine in the town of Ajmer in the northern state of Rajasthan. Two former RSS members were given life sentences, but Swami Aseemanand was acquitted. However, in August last year, the Rajasthan High Court suspended their life-sentences based on an appeal filed on their behalf by other Hindu extremists and they have now walked out of prison on bail.

The 2008 Malegaon and Modasa bombings: In September 2008, bombs exploded for a second time in Malegaon and in Modasa, a town in the state of Gujarat. Five were killed in the former and a 15-year old boy died in the latter blast. The NIA has closed the Modasa case and has yet to frame any charges in the second Malegaon bombing. The Hindu extremists arrested in connection with the 2008 Malegoan case, including Lt. Col. Purohit, have all been released.

While the authorities have systematically failed to convict those responsible for the wave of anti-Muslim bombings between 2006 and 2008, there has been a series of unsolved assassinations of prominent opponents of the Hindu supremacist right.

Dr. Narendra Dabholkar, a medical doctor and crusader against self-styled godmen, was assassinated on August 20, 2013 during his morning walk with all the evidence pointing to Hindu extremists who had denounced him as anti-Hindu.

On February 10, 2015, Communist Party of India national executive member Govind Pansare and his wife were shot dead by two men on a motorcycle when they were returning home from their morning walk. Pansare was a strident opponent of the vile Hindu caste system and was in the crosshairs of Hindu extremists.

Dr. Malleshappa Kalburgi, a 76-year old retired professor and vice-chancellor of Karnatakas Hampi university, was shot dead by two assailants August 30, 2015, who came to his home posing as students. Kalburgi had been vehemently denounced by Hindu supremacist groups such as the VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad or World Hindu Council) and the RSS, after having declared his opposition to idolatry during a June 2014 seminar in Bengaluru (Bangalore).

On September 5, 2017, Gauri Lankesh, a 55-year-old former Times of India journalist and the publisher/editor of a Kannada-language weekly named Gauri Lankesh Patrike, was shot dead by Hindu extremists as she was entering her home in Bengaluru. She was targeted because of her trenchant criticism of the noxious Hindutva ideology developed by V.D. Savarkar and today espoused by the BJP and RSS.

The author also recommends:

Journalist who exposed Hindu right assassinated in Bangalore

[9 October 2017]

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[6 November 2018]
Socialist Equality Party (SEP) campaign teams won a strong response from workers and youth in Australia last weekend to the partys call for the defence of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange.

There is a deep well of opposition to the persecution of Assange for exposing the war crimes, regime-change conspiracies and mass surveillance operations of the US and its allies.

Julian Assange

The SEP issued an urgent statement on Saturday condemning the stepped-up preparations to expel Assange from Londons Ecuadorian embassy and hand him over to the British police. He faces the threat of extradition to the US on trumped-up espionage charges, for which he could face the death penalty.

The SEP statement made clear that the party and its candidates will make a central feature of its campaign for the forthcoming Australian election the defence of Assange and the courageous whistleblower Chelsea Manning. Manning has been jailed again in a desperate attempt to force her to give perjured testimony against the WikiLeaks founder.

The statement reiterated the demand, issued at recent rallies organised by the SEP in Sydney and Melbourne, that the Australian government must use its legal discretion and diplomatic powers to compel the British government to allow Assange, an Australian citizen, to leave the UK and return to Australia, with a public guarantee against extradition to the US.

In Sydneys southwest, Jan, a retail worker, denounced the attacks on Assange. The establishment is trying to suppress the truth and intimidate those who will tell the truth, he said. This is a democratic country, so the Australian government should let the truth prevail and let the public decide.

Asked why every Australian government had refused to defend Assange, Jan commented: Australia is in an alliance with the US and they are keeping quiet because they dont want to threaten that.

Jan agreed that the working class has to be mobilised in the defence of democratic rights. The only way forward is to talk to the working class, to appeal to them and explain that their government is not acting in their interests.

Stefan

In Melbourne, Stefan, who works in event management, said: Anyone who goes after information is locked up. Australia is on a leash with America. They dont stand for anything. It will give a lot of fear to people if Assange goes to jail. It would mean you cant speak the truth.

I have heard about the Ecuadorian president. He is working with England and the US. It is a big setup. The reason the US went to Iraq was for the oil. They want to cover things up, a lot of things.

Joe, an unemployed worker, said: Assange should be protected by some agencythe Australian government for instance. He hasnt done anything wrong. He exposed what they were doing. He revealed their targets. This is damaging for them. They have a lot of things to hide.

Paul

In Inala, a working class suburb of Brisbane, Paul, a retired auto electrician, said Assange has been persecuted for informing people about the true character of the US-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.

The big wigs in the world dont want us to know the truth. They want to control the oil and power and everything else, so they can control us, so we have to pay for fuel, electricity and everything else and theyre just more rich.

Afghanistan was invaded because it is the gateway to all the oil and gas in central Asia, and the Americans and British could not get in there. Its landlocked between China, Russia and Iran, which they dont like ...

Thats why they want to shut WikiLeaks down, so Assange cant tell the truth to the ordinary people. We are just being brainwashed by the mainstream news, which is just a cover-up

The Australian government should get his release. If they cant get a case against him, they should set him free. [Prime Minister] Julia Gillard called him a criminal, but shes the real criminal She just wanted to wash her hands of Assange, and side with the Americans.

Louis

Louis, a transport operations worker, said the refusal of both Coalition and Labor governments to defend Assange was disgusting.

Its unjust. The guy has provided valuable information that embarrassed the US and now they are trying to condemn him for doing something thats right. Its kind of pathetic that the Americans can do such a thing. To be honest, they are losing it, actually.

They are so afraid of the truth because they have done a lot of bad things. When you bring out the truth, they dont want to hear it. The truth hurts! Technically, the Americans have done terrorist acts during the war, with all the war crimes they have committed. WikiLeaks raised all these issues.

Leanne

Leanne, a hospitality worker, said the threat to expel Assange from the Ecuadorian embassy was wrong and absolutely corrupt.

Assange hasnt had a fair run. He shouldnt have to hide and be afraid for his life for doing something that is exposing all the people who want to exploit everybody, and letting us ordinary people know what is going on in the world. Bring him back to Australia, like you say!

The governments are afraid of the truth, because theres more of us than there is of them They want to keep us just like working ants, so they can run the world, and have us at their disposal. We are nothing for the people in power.

They want to lock Assange away because hes strong. He wants to break out the news about whats happening and what theyre doing Anyone who speaks out is going to be stomped on...

I dont trust the mainstream media. Its all false, to make us ignore what is really going on, fill our heads full of nonsense and see a different picture than what the truth is.

Thomas

In Newcastle, Thomas said: Assange and Wikileaks are important because the public has the right to know what their governments are up to. The entire world should know whats happening. If he is extradited to the US that will set a precedent for limiting free speech and the press internationally.

The recent [social media] censorship bills that went through parliament will be used to even further censor what is happening in the world. Now they can get rid of things they disagree with politically. The mainstream media is a bit of a joke, theyre not focussing on the real issues. Theyre used to distract people.

Maram, a University of Newcastle student, said: If Assange is evicted, it means that he will likely disappear, he will be killed. If this happens, it means that everywhere, a government can murder and suppress not only journalists but the people. They will try to put important journalists in jail and censor any type of opposition among the people.

This is about protecting the interests of the corporations, about getting more and more money, to hide the military preparations. Its the whole system. They want to know everything. Theyre increasing the censorship of the internet: on Google, Youtube, whatsapp.

They want to prevent people from speaking out on this type of thingthe growth in social inequality, increasing poverty. They want to more and more divide people along racialist hateful lines, preventing a proper understanding of what is happening.

This is what the attack on Assange and Chelsea Manning is about. There is a connection.
In an unprecedented move, the Trump administration on Monday took the US closer to military conflict with Iran by designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organization.

It marked the first time ever that the US government has officially listed a foreign state entity as a terror group. The move, which came after months of internal debate and over the objections of top Pentagon and CIA officials, sets a precedent that, opponents within the state fear, could rebound against US forces around the world.

President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other officials placed the step within the context of the administrations maximum pressure campaign against Iran, which was launched last year with Trumps decision to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear accord and re-impose harsh economic sanctions.

In their statements announcing the move, Trump and Pompeo made a point of threatening other foreign countries, officials and businesses with retaliatory sanctions and possible criminal prosecution for engaging in financial transactions or other contact with entities linked to the IRGC. Since the powerful paramilitary organization exerts strong influence over critical sectors of the Iranian economy, including construction, auto, telecommunications and energy, this is tantamount to a demand for ending business relations with Iran.

In announcing the action Monday morning, Trump said, The IRGC is the Iranian governments primary means of directing and implementing its global terrorist campaign. He then declared that the terrorist designation, which takes effect on April 15, makes crystal clear the risks of conducting business with, or providing support to, the IRGC.

In his statement, Pompeo called Iran the worlds leading state sponsor of terror and said: Businesses and banks around the world now have a clear duty to insure that companies with which they conduct financial transactions are not connected to the IRGC in any material way.

Brian Hook, the State Departments principal adviser on Iran, who claimed that the IRGC controls 50 percent of Irans economy, said, [W]ere adding an additional layer of sanctions on the IRGC to make radioactive those sectors of Irans economy that are influenced or controlled by the IRGC.

This economic blackmail is directed in the first instance against Russia and China, which have extensive economic relations with Iran, but also against Europe. The European powers continue to support the nuclear accord, which they had hoped would provide an opening to gain control of Irans energy resources and develop new markets for their exports.

The US previously imposed heavy sanctions on the IRGC as a supporter of terrorism, but with this designation it declares the military force itself to be a terrorist organization. Any material support for it carries a potential punishment of up to 20 years in prison.

Iran issued an angry response. The state news agency IRNA reported that the Supreme National Security Council of Iran had designated the government of the United States as a supporter of terrorism and the Central Command, also known as Centcom, and all of its affiliated forces as terrorist groups.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry joined in condemning the decision, declaring: Syria strongly condemns the US decision on the IRGC, which is a flagrant violation of Irans sovereignty. The irresponsible step of the US administration was taken in the framework of the US unspoken war against Iran

The announcement by the Trump administration was timed to provide a lift to the reelection campaign of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the eve of Tuesdays poll. It follows last months announcement of support for Israeli annexation of Syrias Golan Heights, captured by Israel in the 1967 Six Day War.

Netanyahu, in a tight race with former Army Chief of Staff Benny Gantz, has lurched ever further to the right in an effort to whip up anti-Iranian and anti-Palestinian hysteria. Last week he declared that if reelected, he would begin annexing the West Bank. In a tweet on Monday, he thanked Trump for the action against Iran and stressed that it had come at his own request: Thank you for responding to another one of my important requests, that serves our interests and the interests of regional countries.

Among those governments opposing the move is the Iraqi regime, which maintains close relations with the IRGC and its foreign fighting arm, the Quds Force. It is unclear what impact the decision will have on Baghdads relations with pro-regime Shiite militias that work with the IRGC. Iraq has also been seeking to import electricity from Iran to bolster its power system, which remains crippled by the impact of US sanctions, invasion and occupation. The IRGC is said to largely control Irans energy industry.

Within the administration, the move was pushed by Pompeo and White House National Security Adviser John Bolton. It was reportedly opposed by the military Joint Chiefs of Staff and top intelligence officials who have warned of the consequences for the 5,200 US troops stationed in Iraq, the 2,000 who remain in Syria, the US 5th Fleet, which operates in the Persian Gulf from Bahrain, the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, and the many hundreds of Special Operations forces and CIA paramilitary elements who operate clandestinely in the region.

While former Obama administration national security officials have denounced the move, there has been general silence from congressional Democrats. In the past, Democrats have pushed aggressively to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization. In 2007, when the Bush administration imposed sanctions on the Quds Force as a supporter of terrorism, then-senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton signed onto a bill urging Bush to extend the terrorist designation to its parent organization, the IRGC.

Trita Parsi, the founder of the National Iranian American Council and a supporter of the Iran nuclear accord, warned of the international implications of Trumps decision, writing: This move closes yet another potential door for peacefully resolving tensions with Iran. Once all doors are closed, and diplomacy is rendered impossible, war will essentially become inevitable.

Jason Rezaian, the Washington Posts correspondent in Iran from 2012 to 2016, wrote of the domestic considerations behind Trumps escalation against Iran in a Post column Monday: The signs of a coordinated push to prepare the public for an unnecessary military confrontation with Iran are growing. As the 2020 election campaign starts to heat up, we should all brace ourselves for a carefully orchestrated administration threat of war with Iran. This is the first installment.

In fact, the American public is overwhelmingly opposed to war with Iran or any other country. But the broad anti-war sentiment can find no expression within a political establishment controlled by the corporate elite and monopolized by two pro-war imperialist parties.

The Trump administrations reckless assault on Iran must be seen within the broader context of the national security and defense strategies announced at the end of 2017 and beginning of 2018, in which the military/intelligence apparatus declared that the axis of US foreign policy was no longer the war on terror, but rather the struggle against revisionist countries (China and Russia) and great power competition.

Washingtons campaign against Iran has the potential for rapidly implicating nuclear-armed Russia or China, or both. It is, moreover, part of a broader struggle for global hegemony that leads inexorably, if not prevented by the international working class, to nuclear world war.
The elections taking place today in Israel are the most right-wing in its 71-year history.

The country that claims to be the only democracy in the Middle East is offering its electorate a choiceopenly fascistic policies or redoubled militarismto ensure a Jewish majority in Israel/Palestine.

The rival campaigns are inextricably linked to the Greater Israel project of Zionist expansion upon which the wealth of Israels elite depends.

That in turn necessarily involves the further displacement and suppression of the Palestinians in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, the economic cost of which is to be borne by both the Palestinian and Jewish Israeli working class.

While Israels nine million citizens, including its 1.8 million Palestinian citizens, have the right to vote, those most affectedthe 370,000 permanent residents of East Jerusalem, illegally annexed after the June 1967 war, the five million Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and the Syrians in the occupied Golan Heights, all of whom are subject to Israeli military ruleare barred from the polls.

The timing of the election is bound up with the thoroughly corrupt nature of Israeli political and economic life, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announcing an early election in December to face down Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit over his expected indictment for corruption in several serious cases. They centre on his dealings with businessmen to whom he allegedly granted regulatory concessions in return for lavish gifts or favourable news coverage.

Netanyahu joins a long line of Israels leading politicians tainted, if not convicted, of corruption and other charges. As in every country, including Israels patron the US, corruption and criminality have become the norm, as politicians seek both personal gain and political power for themselves and their sponsors.

The indictment of a sitting prime minister is evidence of the terminal decay of Israeli democracy, which has withered in the face of the twin pressures of the decades-long military suppression of the Palestinian people and the rising social inequality within Israel itself, which ranks among the highest in the developed world.

Despite Mandelblits February announcement of his intention to prosecute the prime minister, Netanyahu refused to resign, claiming he was the victim of a deep-state putsch. If he wins the election despite the indictment, he will take it as a mandate to strengthen his position and purge the legal apparatus in such a way as to enable him to get off scot-free. He is expected to introduce a retrospective bill that would make it impossible to prosecute a sitting prime minister for fraud, bribery and breach of trust.

Such is the fractured and unstable nature of Israeli politics that some 40 parties are contesting the elections, as parties splinter and regroup in new and ever more right-wing alliances. Most are nothing more than personal political vehicles for politicians on the make, and few last longer than a couple of electoral campaigns. Because the electorate votes for party lists and not individual candidates, and a party list must achieve a minimum of 3.25 per cent of the popular vote, in practice only about a dozen parties will make it into the 120-seat Knesset, Israels parliament.

As no party has ever won an outright majority, the largest party must also be able to assemble a coalition capable of securing at least 61 votes in the Knesset. This, combined with the electoral threshold, requires the building of electoral alliances, without which the largest party may not in practice be able to form a government.

Netanyahu embodies the emergence of a fascistic tendency within Israel. He heads a coalition made up of openly racist and fascistic parties that last year introduced the so-called Nation-State Law, enshrining Jewish supremacy as the legal foundation of the state, at the expense of Israels Palestinian citizens, as part the Zionist states determination to build an ethnocentric society by means of apartheid-style oppression of the Palestinian people.

More recently, Netanyahu formed an electoral alliance with the fascist and anti-Arab terrorist Jewish Power party to bolster his support in the forthcoming elections. They, and the other small parties in his electoral bloc that represent the settlers, ultra-nationalists, Jewish supremacists and ultra-orthodox, have every intention of taking advantage of his weakened position to extort further concessions for their own supporters.

Two of his cabinet members, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and Education Minister Naftali Bennett, have quit their own nationalist-religious Jewish Home to launch their New Right party that is part of Netanyahus electoral bloc. Shaked has made it her stated aim to limit the power of Israels judiciary, while strengthening the influence of both the executive and the Knesset over the courts. Bennett wants to free the armed forces of all legal constraints, declaring that they fear prosecution more than Hamas officials, and that they cannot properly defend the country with their hands tied by legalized thinking.

Despite early polls predicting a comfortable win for Netanyahu and his Likud party, he has faced unexpectedly strong opposition from a slate of generals assembled by the so-called Blue and White coalition, headed by former chief of staff Benny Gantz.

Gantzs coalition includes the main opposition bloc, the Zionist Union, whose main faction is the Labor Party headed by Avi Gabbay, who dumped his alliance partner, Tzipni Livni, leader of the Hatnua Party, on live television in the hope of salvaging his party, which is hemorrhaging supporters. With both parties facing electoral wipe-out with the official burial of the so-called two-state solutiontheir original raison detre and swan songfollowing President Donald Trumps decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, Livni and her Hatnua withdrew from the elections and political life.

While Gantz is viewed as the great white hope of the peace camp to unseat a prime minister mired in corruption, he has stressed his credentials as Mr. Security, who had taken a tough line on Hamas in Israels murderous wars on Gaza in 2012 and 2014. His election slogans are Only the strong win and Israel Before Everythingindicating that no crime is too great for Israels ruling elite.

This merchant of death speaks in vague terms about striving for peace andif that proves impossibleshaping a new reality. This is nothing less than a promise to Netanyahus nationalist base to expand the West Bank settlement blocs, already home to 450,000 Israeli settlers, and retain control of the Jordan Valley, a strategic section of the West Bank.

To counter the Blue and White bloc, Netanyahu has leveraged Trumps support to appeal to his right-wing support base, announcing his intention of extending Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, captured in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, if he is re-elected. Giving succour to his support base among fascistic layers of the settlers and religious nationalists will drive Israels capitalist political setup ever further towards outright apartheid, fascism and military dictatorship. It is a prelude to intensified Israeli military aggression in the occupied West Bank, Gaza and the broader Middle East.

Gantz, for his part, has not challenged Netanyahus annexation pledge, resorting to verbal obfuscations and calls for a regional conference or secure separation, thereby signifying consent.

Almost entirely missing from the election campaign is any mention of the economic and social problems facing the working class, let alone any solutions to the soaring cost of housing that sparked the 2011 demonstrations, overcrowded hospitals and schools and the totally inadequate transportation systems. Wracked by social tensions, Israel has the highest poverty rate of any of the so-called developed countries, and the most extreme social inequality, with the exception of the United States, leading to mounting working class protests and strikes.

The ever more corrupt, fascistic and militaristic nature of Israels political partiesin a country whose founding was defended with the claim that it would provide a refuge from fascism and anti-Semitismmirrors similar trends internationally and demonstrates the bankruptcy and reactionary dead-end of the entire Zionist project.

Jewish and Arab workers in Israel and throughout the region must reject such forces and unite in a common struggle to overthrow the Zionist state and the various bourgeois Arab regimes in the region and replace them with a United Socialist States of the Middle East.
Teachers across Tennessee have been holding walk-in protests before classes and have called a sickout and noon rally at the state capitol in Nashville for today, April 9. Educators are voicing their opposition to a proposal by the states new governor to increase charter schools and implement a voucher scheme. Teachers are also demanding increased salaries and school funding.

There are a lot of teachers holding second jobs because they cannot support themselves at the salaries they are being paid, and the state seems to be moving as fast as it can in the wrong direction, Nancy, a school volunteer, told the World Socialist Web Site.

Because the district cannot provide us another body, another teacher, those children sufferand its because of the money, school counselor Constance Wade said at a town hall in February. She described first-graders almost packed in like sardines.

Teachers and their supporters have organized informational pickets in the morning before classes during the past two weeks. More than 150 protesters also demonstrated at the Knox County Lincoln Day dinner last Saturday as Republican Governor Bill Lee promoted his educational savings account (ESA) program with the oft-used lie that such a program, which would drain money from public schools, would help the underprivileged. He stated, Ive signed this education savings account to specifically target low-income kids that are stuck in a failed school that is not giving them a quality education.

While states like Kentucky, West Virginia, Arizona, and Oklahoma have seen wildcat strikes and student walkouts, anger in Tennessee has been kept to a simmer until now. But Governor Lees decision to make the voucher plan a legislative centerpiece has rapidly brought anger to a boil.

Lees plan, projected to begin in the 2021-2022 school year, would set aside $75 million over three years to launch the ESA program. It is estimated that ultimately 15,000 students from public schools would be funneled into alternative, private schools. By 2024, Lee is proposing to spend $125 million on the voucher-style program. In a vicious anti-immigrant rider to the reactionary legislation, the state Department of Education would be required to verify a recipients legal status.

Lee, a multimillionaire raised on a 1,000-acre cattle farm in Franklin, Tennessee, in the wealthiest county in the state, welcomed billionaire Betsy DeVos, US Secretary of Education, to Nashville on April 1. She warmly embraced Lees plan, which is entirely aligned with the Trump administrations proposal for $5 billion federal allocation to support such state-run tax scholarship programs.

DeVos and Lee made a point of visiting a Nashville charter middle school together. However, the pair failed to reference the recent abrupt collapse of the Nashville charter school New Vision Academy that stranded 158 students mid-year following federal and state investigations over finances.

The sickout is being chiefly organized by a new Facebook group, TN Teachers United, not the Metro Nashville Education Association (MNEA) or the Tennessee Education Association (TEA). Lauren Sorensen, one of three founders of the group, who was the former president of the Knox County Education Association, has made some criticisms of the unions policies, saying, The go-along to get-along approach of the state teachers association, which means working with the enemies of public education, has been a pipe dream for almost a decade, and its time for teachers to wake up.

However, TN Teachers United offers no viable alternative. Like the unions, it is encouraging teachers to place their faith in the Democratic Party, which is just as vicious an enemy of teachers and public education as Trump and the Republicans. While it criticizes the unions for not fighting hard enough, it insists that teachers can pressure the unions to change. The group is allied with the Labor Notes publication, which insists that teachers and other workers must abide by the authority of the unions, while promoting illusions in supposedly progressive section of the Democratic Party.

Sorensen indicated their pro-Democratic Party stance, stating, All the emailing and phone calls in the world wont stop politicians bankrolled by billionaires like the Koch brothers and DeVos family from pursuing devastating legislation that hurts our schools, students, and communities. Such remarks carefully omit the devastating effects of the eight years of defunding education under the Obama administration and the bipartisan policies which have left Tennessee 45th in the nation in school funding. Democrats in California, New York and other states, along with big cities, like Los Angeles and Chicago, have spearheaded the closing of public schools and vast expansion of charters.

Last year, public school teachers asked for a 2.5 percent raise. Officials in Nashville, which is led by Democratic Mayor David Briley, claimed the city couldnt afford the meager raise. Fearing growing backlash, the Nashville school boards budget committee recently proposed adding $77 million for the 2019-2020 education budget, which would include a 10 percent raise for teachers.

I found a paycheck stub. We dont get those anymore, but it was from a couple of years ago, high school teacher Susan Norwood told local media. My paycheck nowtheres not even a hundred dollars difference. Prices are going up in Nashville, and I really dont know how we can attract and keep teachers if we dont pay well.

City officials have also pitched a real estate gimmick purportedly to make the rising cost of living in the It city bearable for underpaid teachers. The deal would turn 11 acres now used to store and repair school buses into a compound of affordable housing for school teachers. The city, which has stopped using the expression workforce housing, would swap the land with a developer to build the affordable homes for teachers on the 11-acre site.

While teachers continue paying for classroom materials out of their own pockets, in what has been a bipartisan policy, the state and city combined their money to give $106 million in tax breaks, incentive, job credits and outright cash to Amazon to build a regional hub here.

One of the wealthiest corporations in the world, valued at $795 billion, and owned by Jeff Bezos, the richest man in the world with $110 billion, recently handed Nashville schools a philanthropic gift of $106,000 to be divided by more than a dozen schools. The gift, no doubt a tax write-off, was a mere one-one thousandth of what the city and state handed Amazon.

While a starting teacher would make barely half ($43,000+) of what it takes to live comfortably ($84,000+) in Nashville, according to the Nashville Business Journal, the city council pitched in almost $14 million to help build a hotel-guests-only $90 million water park at the Gaylord Opryland Resort.
The series of firings of top US security officials over the past few days has brought to the surface a profound crisis within the Trump administration and the national-security state as a whole.

On Friday, Trump withdrew the nomination of Ronald Vitiello, acting head of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a unit of the Department of Homeland Security, to become the permanent director, telling reporters, We want to go in a tougher direction. On Sunday, he fired Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, reportedly because she objected to resuming the policy of forcible separation of parents and children for refugees seeking asylum. On Monday, he fired Randolph Alles, the director of the Secret Service, which supplies the presidents personal bodyguard. Like ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Secret Service is a unit of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the second largest US government department, created as an all-encompassing domestic police agency in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Trumps principal adviser on immigration issues, the fascistic Stephen Miller, was reportedly the driving force in the purge of DHS officials. Miller previously spearheaded the Muslim ban against visitors and refugees from mainly Muslim countries and has developed close relations with the most vicious right-wing elements in American political life. The firing of Nielsen came after demands for such action were voiced by the fascist Daily Stormer publication, by Breitbart News, and by leaders of the Border Patrol union.

According to a CNN report, during Trumps visit to the California-Mexico border area on Friday, he told a group of border agents that he wanted them to stop letting refugees cross the border to make asylum claims, although this procedure is laid down in US and international law and has been repeatedly upheld by the federal courts. Only after the president left the room did supervisors tell the agents that what Trump had asked them to do was illegal, and that they should disregard his request.

The Department of Homeland Security will be run, at least temporarily, by Kevin McAleenan, who has been director of the Customs and Border Protection unit. As a result, DHS, as well as three of its major units, ICE, CBP and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will all be run by acting officials. The Department of Defense is also under an acting secretary, former Boeing executive Patrick Shanahan, following the ouster of Secretary James Mattis, a retired Marine general, in December. A slew of other top posts in the Trump administration are now held by acting officials: White House chief of staff, budget director, UN ambassador, secretary of interior.

There are two reasons for Trumps reliance on such appointees. The acting officials conduct themselves as direct instruments of the White House, hoping to gain a permanent appointment by ingratiating themselves with the president. And these officials are not subject to Senate confirmation: there are no committee hearings at which they must testify, undergo questioning, or defend the policies they plan to implement. In this way, the executive branch of the US government more and more conducts itself independently of the legislative branch, rejecting any shred of democratic accountability.

It is significant that such appointments are concentrated in the military-police agencies. This must be understood as an effort by Trump to establish personal control of all the major security forces in the US government, surrounding himself with a network of loyalists. He seeks to create a sort of praetorian guard to protect the administration, not merely from its political opponents within the ruling elite, but from an expected upsurge in social struggles from below.

What is taking place in America is not merely the outcome of the installation in the White House of Trump, the gangster billionaire from the worlds of real estate, casino gambling and reality television. Or more precisely, there is an objective social logic to the turn by the US ruling elite to gangsterism as its method of class rule. The constitutional framework through which the United States has been governed for more than two centuries is breaking apart under the stress of class tensions fueled by the unprecedented growth of social and economic inequality.

There is a certain resemblance between the methods of the current White House and those of Mussolini during the first period of his rule. Italy maintained a semblance of constitutional government, although the fascist leader more and more sought to free himself from the constraints of bourgeois parliamentarism, culminating in the murder of the socialist deputy Matteotti after a speech in parliament denouncing the fascists.

Trump, too, seeks at every point to free himself from traditional constitutional restraints, as in the 35-day shutdown of the federal government, followed by his declaration of a national emergency, on a completely illegal and unconstitutional basis, to obtain funds for building a border wall after Congress had refused to provide the money. Now he seeks to incite murderous attacks by the Border Patrol on vulnerable immigrants and refugees fleeing repression and state violence in Central America, while railing against judges who declare his anti-immigrant persecution to be against the law.

There are, of course, important differences between Trump and Mussolini. Trump does not command a mass fascist movement or thousands of black-shirted thugs. But his preparations for violent repression are just as dangerous because they involve the mobilization of the police, the military and the intelligence agencies of the most powerful imperialist state.

The Trump administration is gripped by fear of a social explosion in America, particularly amid signs of an economic slowdown and return to recession conditions, which would explode Trumps right-wing populist demagogy about restoring jobs in the deindustrialized Midwest and Appalachia.

When Trump rants against socialism and pledges to destroy it, he is reacting to a powerful movement that is developing from belowstrikes and protests by teachers, service employees and industrial workers; the prospect of a major clash with autoworkers in the fall; the widespread oppositional sentiments among young people. This terrifies the White House and the entire American financial elite, because its objective logic is to challenge the profit system as a whole.

The Democratic Party, far from representing an opposition to the drive towards authoritarian rule, is merely an alternative route to the same destination. Both capitalist parties--the Republicans under George W. Bush, the Democrats under Barack Obama--have built up the powers of the national-security state, carried out illegal wars, and attacked the democratic rights and social gains of the American working class. Trump invents nothing new. He merely takes hold of instruments forged by his predecessors to use against his political opponents in the ruling class and, above all, against the working class.

There is a chasm between the ruthless and aggressive posture of Trump and the feckless response of the Democratic Party. The Democrats are more frightened of the implications of appealing to the American people to oppose the government than they are of anything the Trump administration might do. Herein lies Trumps political advantage: his own inclinations better correspond to the desperate position in which the American ruling elite finds itself, with its social order crumbling, the working class coming forward, and the world position of American imperialism in decline.

The Democratic Party fights Trump on a right-wing basis, appealing to the national-security apparatus through its bogus campaign over Russian meddling in the 2016 election. It attacks Trump from the right on foreign policy, demanding a more aggressive approach to Syria, Russia, North Korea and China. Even after the Mueller report has debunked their claims, the Democrats continue to promote allegations that Trump is a Russian puppet.

The real threat to democratic rights in America comes from the capitalist state itself, to which both capitalist parties are loyal, the Democrats as much as the Republicans. While the two parties employ the methods of palace coup against each other, they will use even more violent means against a mass movement of the working class.
Philadelphia Community College teachers should reject the sellout contract announced last week by the Faculty and Staff Federation of Community College (FSFCC), Local 2026 of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). Voting will reportedly take place this week.

The deal, which would block a strike overwhelmingly approved by the rank-and-file, meets none of the most critical demands facing teachers, support staff and the schools 28,000 students. It creates a permanent category of educatorseveryone who is hired after the contracts ratificationwho would work more hours for the same pay.

Few details have been made public, but the union also touts a meager wage increase. However, this would reportedly be dribbled out over six years and would reportedly bring the minimum wage for the lowest paid support staff to $15 an hour by 2026. Even at full-time hours such a wage would not keep a family out of poverty.

Local union leadership could scarcely conceal the abject betrayal. Co-president John Braxton admitted that the imposition of heavier workloads on new hires was forced overtime, and that in the longer run it might divide teachers against each other. He nonetheless advocated passage, calling the deal a victory under the circumstances were living in.

The circumstances Braxton refers tochronic funding shortageshave been created by years of budget cutting at the state and city level. When Pennsylvania founded its community college system in 1963, the state and city each pledged to provide one-third of PCCs funding, with students paying the final third. Now students pay 56 percent, with the state and the city splitting the remainder. Average annual tuition at CCP, which serves socially distressed layers of the population, is now $17,532.

The budget-cutting has been overseen by decades of Democratic Party administrations in Philadelphias city hall, while, at the state level, Democratic and Republican governors and legislatures have worked together to impose the cuts. All of this has been done with the express intent of benefiting the states corporationswho command resources counted in the hundreds of billions of dollarsand its billionaires, who dispose of combined personal wealth approaching $25 billion, according to Forbes. CCP, which performs the socially necessary task of educating workers who cannot afford to attend elite institutions, has a budget of $130 million, roughly one-tenth the personal $1.2 billion fortune of the poorest billionaire in Pennsylvania, financier Alfred West, Jr.

Any strike waged by teachers must identify these inescapable political and social questions. On such a basis, it will win support from students and workers throughout the city.

It is clear that teachers and staff at CCP face the same conditions as educators throughout the state, the US, and internationally. Yet the AFT, along with the National Education Association (NEA), work consciously to divide education workers. Since the eruption of the statewide teachers strike in West Virginia last year, AFT President Randi Weingarten has traveled the country to block strikes, shut them down once they start and ensure that no two strikes of educators happen at the same time.

Weingarten, whose annual salary is $514,000, putting her in the social and political orbit of the very rich, appeared in Philadelphia over a week ago with this last purpose in mind. Within a week of her departure, the deal averting the strike was announced.

To defend their wages and conditions, CCP teachers and staff must chart their own course. They will have to vote down the sellout contract and then take the struggle out of the hands of the bureaucrats through the formation of a rank-and-file committee that appeals for the broadest support among students, workers and educators throughout the country and beyond.
As part of an international rebellion by teachers, on Monday April 8, over 80 percent of Polands 400,000 teachers joined an indefinite, nationwide walkout. This is the first national strike by teachers in the country in 25 years, and one of the biggest strikes in Poland over the past several decades.

The strike was declared by the trade union ZNP (Zwiazek Nauczycielstwa Polskiego, Union of Polish Teachers) after month-long negotiations with the government of the extreme right-wing Law and Justice Party (PiS) broke down on Sunday. The other teachers trade union, Solidarity, had accepted a government offer on Sunday for a gradual 15 percent wage increase, and had called upon its members not to join the national walkout. The union signed the deal with the government without any consultation with the membership and has still not disclosed its exact contents.

Outraged over the union leaderships deal with the government, teachers from the Solidarity trade union joined the walkout across the country. Many nonunionized teachers also joined the strike.

According to the ZNP, over 86 percent of Polands teachers participated. Polish media reports suggest that even these numbers might be an understatement. As one newspaper remarked, silence in the class rooms reigned in most of the countrys schools.

The strike has already badly shaken the PiS government ahead of the European elections in May, and the Polish parliamentary elections in the fall. For the first time since 2015, when PiS received the majority of votes in the parliamentary elections, there is a real possibility that it will lose its majority in the countrys parliament and suffer major losses in the European elections.

Behind the strike lies enormous social and political anger. Thirty years after the restoration of capitalism in Poland, teachers and their families are forced to live on poverty wages. The starting salary for a teacher in Poland is 2,538 Zloty ($666), and the maximum salary is around 5,603 Zloty ($1471). Meanwhile, prices in Poland for basic food items and clothing are similar to those in Western European countries.

The past years have also seen a massive reduction in the teaching workforce. Just a few years ago, there were about 670,00 teachers in Poland; now they number just around 400,000.

There is also widespread anger over the PiSs education policies and reforms. Teachers are under enormous pressure to comply with the governments nationalist and historical revisionist agenda, which includes the whitewashing of the crimes of Polish nationalists against the countrys Jewish population. Any mention of the latter was banned by law last year (see: Anti-Semitic propaganda distributed at Polish parliament as government witch-hunts Holocaust historians).

In recent months, there have been numerous signs that anger among teachers is reaching the boiling point: In December, some 10,000 teachers handed in sick-notes to protest their low wages; in March, teachers in Cracow occupied the school boards building and went on a hunger strike for weeks.

Although the national walkout comes just days before high school exams, it enjoys broad support within the population. In cities like Lublin, in the east of Poland, high school students have announced protests in support of their teachers. Protests and meetings are also being held at institutions of higher education, including Warsaw University.

Students and workers throughout Poland and the world have declared their solidarity with the teachers on social media. Thus, one twitter user wrote, I am proud of my mumtoday she is protesting alongside other Polish teachers over low pay and funding issues in the education sector. Teachers are the backbone of society and they deserve our respect and better pay. A resident of Warsaw tweeted, I've seen too many teachers among friends and family take second jobs, get burnt out, quit, or all three. Teaching is too important and teachers dont deserve poverty wages. So its good to hear reports of 80 percent schools closed in Warsaw, 90 percent in some other parts.

One teacher from Connecticut wrote on Twitter, Jestesmy z wami! [We are with you!] You all have always had our back, after all!:) Solidarity from a teacher in CT, USA. Down with austerity, up with workers!!

The Polish teachers strike is part of a global upsurge of the class struggle, which has found particularly sharp expression among teachers and educators. Over the past year, hundreds of thousands of US teachers and educators have gone on strike in multiple states; educators have struck in Britain, Mexico, Brazil and many countries in Europe, Africa and Latin America. Most of these strikes were organized in defiance of the unions. Whenever the unions regained control over the movement of workers, they betrayed the strikes and shut them down as soon as possible.

The Polish trade unions are no different, and Polish teachers must place no confidence in the ZNP. In talks with the government, the ZNP has already made numerous concessions, reducing its initial demand of a 1,000 Zloty wage increase across the board to a 30 percent wage increase. Throughout the talks, the ZNP has pursued the reactionary strategy of demanding to gut other social programs in order to fund wage increases for teachers. As of this writing, the ZNP has not declared whether or not it will accept the governments offer to re-enter negotiations and immediately end the strike.

In talks with the ZNP, the government has remained intransigent, arguing that there is no money and offering an insulting maximum 15 percent wage increase. The main motivation for this zero compromise line has been the governments fear that any concession to the teachers would trigger unrest among broader sections of the working class.

The argument that there is no money is a blatant lie. Working in close alliance with the imperialist war planners in Washington and NATO, the PiS government has been pursuing a massive military build-up against Russia. In March, the Polish government announced that it would spend $48 billion by 2026 to expand and equip its armed forces. By 2030, the government is planning to raise military spending to 2.5 percent of GDM. Just a few weeks ago, Poland ordered 20 mobile missiles from the US, worth $411 million. In March 2018, the government ordered a US Patriot missile defence system worth $4.7 billion.

While harbouring differences of a tactical nature over foreign policy alliances with PiS, the main bourgeois opposition party Civic Platform (PO) has likewise pursued a policy of austerity when in power. Throughout the past decades, the PO has supported the US-led military build-up against Russia and has helped transform Poland into a potential staging ground for a Third World War.

The striking teachers face important political issues. The struggle to defend public education and fight for decent wages is inseparable from the struggle against the growing danger of war, and attacks on democratic rights. In order to carry out this fight, teachers must break from the nationalist and pro-capitalist unions, form rank-and-file committees and appeal to the broadest possible support among the working class in Poland and internationally. This strategy requires a socialist and internationalist program, and the building of a revolutionary leadership in the working class. We urge teachers in Poland who are ready to discuss these issues to contact the WSWS Teachers' Newsletter today.

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The global struggle of teachers

[26 February 2019]
As the Trump administration stepped up its fascistic crackdown on immigrants, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders made a point of echoing the president's rants against open borders.

At a town hall event in Iowa on Sunday, Sanders categorically rejected the call for free movement of people across the border, a policy supported by tens of millions of Americans, on the grounds that the United States, with more billionaires than any other country in the world, cannot afford to take in poverty-stricken migrants and refugees.

When a member of the audience asked how he would deal with the social services connected with opening the borders, such as health care, medical care, Sanders replied, Im afraid you may be getting your information wrong. Thats not my view.

He continued: You open the borders, theres a lot of poverty in this world, and youre gonna have people from all over the world. And I dont think that this is something that you can do at this point. Cant do it.

Just two days before, at a staged anti-immigrant event in the border town of Calexico, California, Trump had declared, The system is full. When its full, its full. You cant take them.

Also on Friday, the Trump administration said it could take two years for it to identify the thousands of children separated from their parents under its criminal family separation policy.

And on Sunday, the very day Sanders raised the alarm over impoverished workers coming to the US, Trump fired his right-wing homeland security secretary in order to move in an even tougher direction in his war on immigrants. It was widely reported that this included barring asylum seekers from entering the country, in violation of US and international law, and resuming the policy of separating immigrant children from their parents.

Far-right immigrant bashers praised Sanders statement. Richard Spencer, the neo-Nazi leader who helped organize the fascist riot in Charlottesville, Virginia, applauded Sanders on Twitter, exclaiming, Bernie returns to form.

Trump has repeatedly attacked the Democrats for supporting open borders, which is a lie since no prominent Democrats take such a principled and humane stand. On the contrary, for the most part they are petrified at being associated with a policy of decriminalizing undocumented immigrants. Sanders is no different. Despite his fraudulent claims to be a socialist, he responds to Trumps attacks by adopting his anti-immigrant rhetoric.

Sanders denunciation of open borders is nothing new. The Vermont senator has long sought to blame immigrants and foreign workers, rather than capitalism, for the destruction of the jobs and living standards of native-born workers. This is linked to his promotion of the trade union bureaucracy, which uses economic nationalism and xenophobia to pit American workers against their class brothers and sisters in Mexico, China and around the world, and line them up behind their own corporate exploiters.

In a 2015 interview with Vox, as he was launching his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sanders denounced open borders as a Koch brothers proposal, adding, Thats a right-wing proposal, which says essentially there is no United States  It would make everybody in America poorer.

The fact is, for all his rhetoric about the billionaire class, Sanders is perfectly capable of capitulating to the billionaire con man Trump just as he did in 2016 to Hillary Clinton, the favored candidate of Wall Street.

Many of Sanders supporters, who are unaware of his political history and take his self-described socialism to mean he is opposed to xenophobia, were no doubt shocked to learn of his statement. But his right-wing positions on immigration flow naturally from his nationalist orientation, which is incompatible with genuine socialism.

Sanders accepts the framework of the nation-state, with its bodies of armed men, of which the Gestapo-like ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is one, because he accepts the legitimacy of the capitalist system and private ownership of the means of production. He explicitly rejects the nationalization of industry and fully supports American imperialism, declaring in 2016 that a Sanders presidency would see drones, all that and more.

Genuine socialism is internationalist and insists on the unity of workers of all countries. It unconditionally defends the right of workers to live and work in the country of their choice, with full rights and protections.

Those who put their hopes in the Vermont senator should draw a lesson from this squalid episode.
More than 10,000 teachers, students, parents, and their supporters rallied outside the Ontario legislature in Toronto last Saturday to protest attacks on public education by the right-wing Progressive Conservative government. Coming just two days after well over 100,000 high school students walked out at schools across the province, the large turnout underscored the mounting militancy developing within the working class in opposition to the ruling elites austerity measures.

More than 10,000 teachers, students, and parents demonstrated at Queen's Park, the site of the Ontario legislature

Demonstrators expressed their anger at plans to cut thousands of teaching positions, increase class sizes, slash funding for children with autism and other social needs, and gut aid for college and university students (OSAP). As well as attendees from Toronto, protesters from many other parts of the province, including as far away as Ottawa, Sudbury, and Windsor, arrived in buses to attend the demonstration.

Participants were eager to express their determination to wage a counteroffensive against the Ford governments attacks. Their determination to wage a struggle in defence of public services and decent-paying jobs is in line with the reemergence of the working class internationally as a mighty social force, including through the mass strike in Matamoros, Mexico, strikes by teachers across the US in defence of public education, the revolutionary upsurge in Algeria, and Frances Yellow Vest protests.

In stark contrast to the mood of the protesters, the five unions representing teachers and school board support staff that called Saturdays Rally for Education were in full damage control, seeking to maintain the protest within narrowly circumscribed limits. If the unions called Saturdays protest it was with the aim of placing themselves in front of the growing groundswell of popular opposition to the governments education reform, so as to prevent it escaping their suffocating grip.

Over the past three months, the union bureaucrats have looked on with increasing concern as demonstrations by college and university students, parents of children with special needs, and Thursdays walkout by students were organized largely independently of their control.

As the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) explained in a statement distributed at Saturdays rally, The unions who have called todays protest, the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation, the other Ontario teacher unions, and the Canadian Union of Public Employees, are bitterly hostile to mobilizing the working class in a political struggle against the destruction of education, and the Ford government. They all have long records of collaborating intimately with the former Ontario Liberal government to suppress strikes by workers, including teachers, ram through austerity budgets, and gut workplace benefits.

From the unions standpoint, todays protest is a cynical manoeuvre aimed at associating themselves with the growing anger and opposition to Ford, so they can divert it into futile appeals to the government, and bring it under the wing of the pro-austerity Liberals and NDP.

Effigy of Ontario Premier Doug Ford

The accuracy of this assessment was borne out by the speeches the union leaders made at the rally. Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario head Sam Hammond demagogically invoked Thursdays student walkout, which was organized entirely independently of the unions, to justify the bureaucracys rotten alliance with the pro-austerity and pro-war Liberals and NDP. Dont forget, Doug Ford, those students are going to be voting in the next provincial election, proclaimed Hammond. And were voting with them.

While Hammond no doubt deemed it politic to avoid specifying precisely who he and his fellow union bureaucrats intend to vote for in over three years time, the Ontario Federation of Labour has made no secret of the fact that it is pushing for a progressive government, i.e. a pro-corporate government committed to enforcing attacks on the working class led by either the Liberals or NDP. On its website, the OFL deliberately seeks to discourage workers from waging a struggle against austerity, offering them instead a countdown clock telling them that their next opportunity to elect a progressive government will be due in a little over three years and two months time.

The union bureaucrats also sought to keep the protest at the lowest political level, so as to avoid any challenge to their own right-wing, anti-worker record. No mention was made in the union leaders speeches of the devastation wrought on the education system by over 15 years of Liberal Party rule, during which time the unions collaborated in the enforcement of budget cuts, attacks to teachers pension rights, and pay freezes. Instead, all of the focus was on demonizing Ford, the millionaire businessman and Trump wannabe whom big business has brought forward to spearhead an intensified assault on the working class.

For his part, Ontario Public Service Employees Union president Smokey Thomas released a hollow and hypocritical statement to coincide with the rally that called on Ontarians to fight fear with fearlessness and unite for a fair Ontario. This is the same Thomas who in August last year ordered OPSEU members not to protest or strike, because we are already engaged in dialogue with the new government, and Ive had a number of meetings with a host of new cabinet ministers.

If Thomas now advocates unity, it is the unity of the union bureaucracy with the big business Liberals and NDP to ensure that burgeoning working-class opposition to the Ford governments attacks is diverted into futile appeals to the Tories to see reason and change course.

In contrast to the cynical political posturing of Hammond and Thomas, teachers and other workers who spoke to the World Socialist Web Site expressed their determination to mount a struggle to defend public education.

The government is raising the "average" high school class-size to 28 students, meaning many classes, including for core subjects, will have classes well in excess of 32, even 35, students.

Im against the cuts, said Rich from Hamilton. I am a French as a second-language teacher and some of the first programming thats going to be gone as a result of the increasing class sizes is elective programming, including senior languages like French, German, and Spanish. He also addressed the ruling elites motivation in slashing public education. I think Ford sees the value of an assembly line manufacturing-based economy and to hell with being educated, because the more educated the students become the more enlightened they become about the agenda that he and his government is following.

Ellen, another teacher with a family of her own, explained, Im worried about my students and Im worried about what a classroom is going to look like with 30, 35 kids, especially kids with special needs without adequate support. And Im worried about my kids, I have a three-year-old and an 8-month-old and theyre going to be starting school soon.

Cassie, a teacher for six years, passionately defended the right of students to a decent public education system, telling our reporter, We want to have programs that let students find their talents and succeed, but theyre cutting programs that might be a kids only chance or best chance at having a career.

Cassie, Tasha and Christina

Tasha criticized Fords comments about Thursdays student walkout, which he contemptuously dismissed as a stunt organized by the teachers unions. She said, He was insinuating that teachers were forcing kids to walk out, but when you hear them speak, these kids know what theyre talking about.

To save even more money, the Ford government is imposing mandatory online learning modules for students, which will not be supervised by teachers. Beth, a French teacher, warned of the negative consequences this would have: These students arent going to pass. Those courses are a lot harder than people let on. A lot of students struggle with e-learning. I am a French teacher and we have students do e-learning courses because we cant offer every course all the time in a small francophone high school and its hard, harder than a regular course because there is no filtration, theres no teacher that is giving guidance.

The critical task now facing teachers, young people, and other workers is to translate the militant opposition to the ruling elites austerity agenda into an independent political movement of the working class fighting to defend public education, all public services and worker rights and for the socialist reorganization of society. As the SEP stressed in its statement to Saturdays demonstration, Teachers, workers, and young people must advance their own initiatives, based on the understanding that their struggle must consciously orientate to joining forces with the growing international working-class offensive.

If public education from kindergarten to university is to be defended, workers and students must launch a political struggle independently of the unions and in opposition to the entire political establishment, including the Liberals and NDP. They must organize their own committees of struggle in schools, universities, factories, other workplaces, and residential neighbourhoods to coordinate protests and strikes, and begin preparations for a political general strike to bring down the Ford Conservative and Trudeau Liberal governments. Above all, they must adopt a socialist-internationalist perspective to realize the demands of working people for quality education, decent well-paying jobs and other social rightsthe fight for a workers government committed to placing the central economic levers of society under the democratic control of working people so they can be used to meet social needs, not serve personal enrichment.
In this video statement, released on Monday morning, Cheryl Crisp, the assistant national-secretary of the Socialist Equality Party (Australia), calls for workers and young people to come to the defence of Julian Assange. She condemns the reported plans to evict him from Ecuadors London embassy and indicts the Australian government and all of the major parties for their role in the persecution of the WikiLeaks founder.

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CET ARTICLE a pour objet daider le public a mieux comprendre les questions traitees a lOMC. bien que tout ait ete fait pour garantir lexactitude des renseignements qui y figurent, larticle ne prejuge pas des dispositions des gouvernements membres.

M. Brent Symonette, Ministre des services financiers, du commerce et de l'industrie et de l'immigration, qui dirigeait la delegation des Bahamas de Nassau, a declare ce qui suit: "Nous voulons acceder a l'OMC car nous pensons que la participation au systeme commercial mondial fonde sur des regles est interessante pour notre economie. Le fait de participer permet d'affirmer l'importance de ce systeme pour la stabilite et la croissance de l'economie mondiale. Toutefois, nous voulons egalement nous assurer que notre statut de Membre offre en permanence a notre population des possibilites de croissance et de prosperite grace a une participation significative dans la maitrise et l'essor de l'economie. Compte tenu de la dualite de ces interets, nous sommes tres prudents." Sa declaration est disponible ici.

Le President du Groupe de travail, l'Ambassadeur Andrew Staines (Royaume-Uni), a declare ce qui suit: "Le processus d'accession a l'OMC des Bahamas, qui a officiellement repris en septembre dernier, commence a montrer que les reformes interieures menees par Nassau sont a la hauteur de son ambition d'integrer le systeme commercial multilateral. Je pense qu'aujourd'hui, nous avons a nouveau pose des bases solides pour la prochaine etape du processus." Il a rappele au Groupe de travail qu'il restait 12 mois pour conclure les travaux et atteindre l'objectif fixe par les Bahamas d'achever le processus, qui dure depuis maintenant 18 ans, avant la douzieme Conference ministerielle. Il a declare: "Le projet est entre vos mains, et meme s'il ne me revient pas d'en prejuger, je pense qu'avec la determination necessaire, il est techniquement possible de le realiser. J'espere que je peux compter sur votre appui ces prochains mois."

L'Ambassadeur Staines a ajoute ce qui suit: "Depuis la creation de l'OMC en 1995, 36 accessions  de petits et grands pays  ont renforce le systeme commercial multilateral, de nouveaux protagonistes ayant ainsi valide et defendu les valeurs et principes fondateurs du systeme. Une fois le processus acheve, les Bahamas, seule nation de l'hemisphere occidental n'ayant pas encore accede, enverraient un signal fort concernant la pertinence du systeme, y compris pour les petits acteurs vulnerables de l'economie mondiale."

Depuis la derniere reunion du Groupe de travail en septembre 2018, la delegation des Bahamas a tenu des discussions bilaterales avec les Membres. A la reunion du 5 avril, les Bahamas ont fait savoir qu'en marge de la reunion du Groupe de travail, elles avaient conclu un accord bilateral sur l'acces aux marches et realise avec d'autres Membres des progres concrets.

Les Membres ont juge encourageant que le Groupe de travail se reunisse seulement six mois apres la reunion precedente du fait des resultats tangibles obtenus dans le cadre de l'examen des reformes interieures en cours a Nassau.

Prochaines etapes

L'Ambassadeur Andrew Staines a decrit les prochaines etapes des travaux a accomplir. Il a vivement encourage les Bahamas et les Membres de l'OMC a accelerer les negociations bilaterales en matiere d'acces aux marches dans les mois suivants. Il a declare que les progres realises dans le volet bilateral des negociations en vue de l'accession etaient essentiels pour faire avancer l'ensemble du processus d'accession.

Le President a invite les Membres a continuer d'examiner le regime de commerce exterieur des Bahamas et a presenter a cette fin des observations et des questions supplementaires. Il a en outre prie le Secretariat de l'OMC d'elaborer les elements d'un projet de rapport du Groupe de travail.

Afin de permettre au Groupe de travail de suivre les progres accomplis par les Bahamas dans la mise en uvre d'un regime commercial compatible avec les regles de l'OMC, la delegation bahamienne a ete invitee a presenter un plan d'action legislatif revise, accompagne des nouvelles lois promulguees qui concernent l'OMC, pour examen par le Groupe de travail a sa reunion suivante.

Le President a dit que la date de la reunion suivante dependrait de la disponibilite des donnees requises et des avancees sur le plan de l'acces aux marches.

Contexte

Le Groupe de travail de l'accession des Bahamas a ete etabli en juillet 2001 et a tenu sa premiere reunion en septembre 2010 et sa deuxieme reunion en juin 2012.

A la fin de 2017, le Premier Ministre bahamien alors nouvellement elu, Hubert Minnis, a contacte le Directeur general de l'OMC Roberto Azevedo pour l'informer que son gouvernement etait pret a reprendre le processus d'accession. La troisieme reunion du Groupe de travail a eu lieu en septembre 2018.
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Former US assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs Mark Kimmitt has said Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi's upcoming visit to the US is very important, given the strong relations with Egypt.

Speaking to Extra News channel on Monday, the Bush-era official said El-Sisi and US President Donald Trump are expected to discuss bilateral relations and cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

One-on-one meetings are very important, Kimmitt said, adding that it is good that El-Sisi will be in Washington for talks with Trump.

El-Sisi is beginning a three-day visit to the US on Monday.

It will be his second official visit to Washington and his seventh to the US since he assumed office in 2014.

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Hungarys foreign ministry has summoned the Ukrainian ambassador to a meeting on Monday to address the ban on entry to Ukraine of Hunor Kelemen, the leader of Romanias ethnic Hungarian RMDSZ party, the ministrys state secretary said.

Kelemen said in a social media post Saturday that he was banned from entering Ukraine for a period of one-and-a-half years, without explanation, on his way to attend the 30th anniversary of Ukraines Transcarpathian Hungarian Cultural Association (KMKSZ) in Uzhhorod.

Foreign Ministry state secretary Tamas Menczer told MTI that the entry ban was unacceptable and anti-Hungarian.

Kelemen told MTI by phone that he had been travelling with a Romanian diplomatic passport. He said he had informed the Romanian foreign minister of the matter and would complain and seek an explanation at the Ukrainian embassy in Bucharest on Monday.
Sounds Like: Heartland rock in the vein of working-class heroes John Mellencamp and Tom Petty, but distinguished by a power-pop sheen

For Fans of: The Avett Brothers, Rhett Miller, Wilcos Summerteeth

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Why You Should Pay Attention: Robert and Scott Cerny grew up in a self-described musical black hole in Rock Island, Illinois, where the only albums their folks owned were the Superman soundtrack and Fleetwood Macs Greatest Hits. MTV and the college experience brought them up to speed, however, introducing them to artists as varied as Radiohead and Bob Dylan. But it was an Avett Brothers gig that helped them find their own rootsy sound, one theyre not afraid to strip down to the bare essentials: they often perform thrilling sets as a two-man band, with Scott on a foot drum and guitar, and Robert on piano. It never feels right to open for country bands with cowboy hats and stuff, but weve done it, says Scott. We can be chameleons, adds Robert.

They Say: We grew up in the heartland, in Illinois, but after college we went to L.A. and had a completely different experience. And touring you meet all sorts of people, says Robert of the inspiration for their new album Looking for the Good Land, recorded in Nashville at Cowboy Jack Clements onetime studio and due May 3rd via the resurrected Cleveland International Records. Everyone is looking for the same thing, their own little piece of the American story. And we wanted to encapsulate that with this album. Were looking for ourselves as men and artists, but also asked, What does it mean to be an American?'

Hear for Yourself: Stepping off with an ooh-ooh hook, I Wanna Love You is a slice of irresistible power-pop crossed with Americana, with the brothers declaring, I got the whole damn world in my hand. Its delivered so convincingly that you cant help but believe them.

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Four people have been found dead inside a building at a North Dakota property management company in what police said was an incident involving multiple homicides, PEOPLE confirms.

According to a press release obtained by PEOPLE, Mandan police responded to a medical call around 7:30 a.m. at RJR Maintenance and Management in southeast Mandan. Once there, officers discovered the bodies of three males and one female deceased inside the facility.

This is not common for our community to have multiple homicides, Mandan Police Deputy Chief Lori Flaten tells PEOPLE. It is a tragedy. We hope to have more information in the next few days as our investigation continues. This has been quite the day.

It is not clear how the deceased were killed. Police say the bodies have yet to be identified.

Mandan Police are investigating with the assistance of North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Morton Sheriffs Office, Morton County Public Information Officer Maxine Herr tells PEOPLE.

It is unknown if the deceased are employees of the company.

Blake Nicholson/AP/Shutterstock

Judy Praus, a friend of the owners family, told the Stamford Advocate she had just seen the owners of the management company on Saturday and knew many of the employees. It is unclear if the owners are still living.

When I was notified, I [was] shattered. Unbelievable, she said.

Gina Kessel, 52, said her son Mitchell, a company employee who was not among the deceased, called her that morning and told her something is going on but didnt say what happened, the Advocate reports.

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Mandan resident Suzette Wall said she planned to wait around to make sure the owners were okay. Theyre great people to lease from, she told KFYR News.

According to its website, RJR Maintenance and Management is a family-owned business that has collected rents, advised, and provided financial statements for our clients for over 20 years.

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Our hands-on approach to property management gives us a competitive advantage over other companies, it reads.

PEOPLE could not reach the company for comment.

Mandan, a city of 25,000, is located just across the Missouri River from Bismarck, the state capital.

The Mandan police have scheduled a press conference for 5 p.m.
Beloved School Secretary Is Murdered, and Husband Who Shot Himself and Survived Is Charged

A school secretary is dead after her husband allegedly killed her before fleeing and shooting himself.

On Monday, Damien Shields, 42, was taken into custody after being released from a Missouri hospital where he was receiving treatment for a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation announced in a press release obtained by PEOPLE.

Authorities allege Shields tried to kill himself after murdering his wife, 38-year-old Lori Shields. He has been charged with first-degree murder.

Loris body was discovered by Norton County Sheriff deputies Sunday at a home in rural Norton. With the help of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, investigators were able to determine Loris husband as their main suspect.

Lori and Damien Shields

 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

The following day, in Cape Girardeau, Missouri  700 miles away  police officers responded to a hotel room where a man was shouting for help.

Upon arrival, officers found Shields suffering from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. They transported him to a local hospital for his injuries.

Lori was a well-loved secretary at Eisenhower Elementary School.

[Lori] touched the lives of students and staff in so many positive ways. We are thinking of her children and other family members during this difficult time, Norton Community Schools said in a statement, WIBW reports.

Damien Shields

Damien had a history of domestic violence, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. In November 2010, he was sentenced to prison for aggravated battery, violation of a protection order and domestic battery. He was released in December 2015.

Authorities are still investigating Loris death. It is unclear whether Shields has an attorney.
Colombian director Ciro Guerra (Birds Of Passage) has been appointed head of jury for Critics Week, which runs parallel to the Cannes Film Festival and is dedicated to first and second films. The jury is rounded out by actress Amira Casar (Call Me By Your Name), Danish producer Marianne Slot (The House That Jack Built), Congolese critic Djia Mambu and Italian director Jonas Carpignano (A Ciambra). Guerras critically acclaimed 2015 black-and-white pic The Embrace of the Serpent won the top prize at Cannes Directors Fortnight and was nominated for a foreign-language Oscar in 2016. His most recent film Birds Of Passage also world premiered at Directors Fortnight. Critics Week, headed by Charles Tesson, has previously helped launch the careers of Jacques Audiard, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Ken Loach, Francois Ozon, Wong Kar-wai and Jeff Nichols.

John Waters is to receive the Locarno Film Festivals highest honorary distinction, the Pardo dOnore Manor, during the 72nd edition of the festival which runs from August 7-17. The U.S. director, screenwriter and actor, will be in Piazza Grande on Friday, August 16 to present a screening of his film Cecil B. DeMented (2000). Other Waters films to screen in Switzerland will include A Dirty Shame and Female Trouble, while Polyester will be shown as it was on first released with scratch and sniff cards. The Hairspray and Cry-Baby director became known as the Pope of Trash in the 1970s thanks to a string of transgressive cult films such as Multiple Maniacs, Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble and Desperate Living. Lili Hinstin, Artistic Director of the Locarno Film Festival, said For my first edition, offering John Waters the highest distinction of the festival is a perfect manifesto. His playful work, full of boldness and joy, is a symbol of freedom far removed from the political correctness ruling today. His political and aesthetic commitment is vital in these times and I am extremely happy and honored to share his incredible work with the audience of Locarno. Previous recipients of the award include Jean-Luc Godard, Ken Loach, Sydney Pollack, William Friedkin, Jia Zhang-ke, Werner Herzog, Agnes Varda and Michael Cimino.

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Discovery and Science Channel are teaming up with urban explorer Justin Fornal on Uncharted, TheWrap has learned exclusively. The new series will use modern technology and historical maps to investigate historical mysteries and legends.Premiering this fall, the series follows Fornal as he cross-references information from old maps to seek long-forgotten information on legends such as a treasure ship buried in the middle of a California desert, and whether the Knights Templar secretly brought their treasure to the New World a century before Columbus arrived.With the use of old-school maps and the latest technology, Justin may have found just the right combination of tools to find the answers to mysteries that others before them have come up short in solving, Science Channel general manager Marc Etkind told TheWrap.Also Read: TLC 'Long Lost Family' Host Chris Jacobs Joins Discovery's 'Egypt Live' Team (Exclusive)Fornal is the man behind the Baron Ambrosia character, which he played from 2006-2013. Ambrosia called himself quaffer of culinary consciousness, and traveled around New York City visiting different ethnic cultures and sampling their cuisines. Fornals alter-ego eventually made its way to the Cooking Channel with The Culinary Adventures of Baron Ambrosia.In 2016, Fornal participated in efforts to identity the skull of Nat Turner, leader of an 1831 slave rebellion, and return it to his descendants. He has also traveled to Iraq, Afghanistan, and East Africa as part of his investigations, and in 2018 Mens Journal named him 3 on their list of the 18 most adventurous people in the world right now.Uncharted (which is a working title) is produced by Karga Seven Pictures (a Red Arrow studios company) for Discovery and Science Channel. Kelly Mcpherson, Sarah Wetherbee, Emre Sahin, and Jason Wolf executive produce, with Johnny Fountain as Co-executive producer and Neil Laird executive producing for Discover and Science Channel.Read original story Discovery, Science Channels Order New Justin Fornal Treasure-Hunting Series Uncharted (Exclusive) At TheWrap

Discovery and Science Channel are teaming up with urban explorer Justin Fornal on Uncharted, TheWrap has learned exclusively. The new series will use modern technology and historical maps to investigate historical mysteries and legends.

Premiering this fall, the series follows Fornal as he cross-references information from old maps to seek long-forgotten information on legends such as a treasure ship buried in the middle of a California desert, and whether the Knights Templar secretly brought their treasure to the New World a century before Columbus arrived.

With the use of old-school maps and the latest technology, Justin may have found just the right combination of tools to find the answers to mysteries that others before them have come up short in solving, Science Channel general manager Marc Etkind told TheWrap.

Also Read: TLC 'Long Lost Family' Host Chris Jacobs Joins Discovery's 'Egypt Live' Team (Exclusive)

Fornal is the man behind the Baron Ambrosia character, which he played from 2006-2013. Ambrosia called himself quaffer of culinary consciousness, and traveled around New York City visiting different ethnic cultures and sampling their cuisines. Fornals alter-ego eventually made its way to the Cooking Channel with The Culinary Adventures of Baron Ambrosia.

In 2016, Fornal participated in efforts to identity the skull of Nat Turner, leader of an 1831 slave rebellion, and return it to his descendants. He has also traveled to Iraq, Afghanistan, and East Africa as part of his investigations, and in 2018 Mens Journal named him #3 on their list of the 18 most adventurous people in the world right now.

Uncharted (which is a working title) is produced by Karga Seven Pictures (a Red Arrow studios company) for Discovery and Science Channel. Kelly Mcpherson, Sarah Wetherbee, Emre Sahin, and Jason Wolf executive produce, with Johnny Fountain as Co-executive producer and Neil Laird executive producing for Discover and Science Channel.

Read original story Discovery, Science Channels Order New Justin Fornal Treasure-Hunting Series Uncharted (Exclusive) At TheWrap
A California man accused of stabbing his former girlfriend to death with scissors, killing her dog and setting her apartment on fire has been charged with murder, the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office said Monday.

Chaumon Wayan Tyner, 50, also faces charges of cruelty to an animal and arson of an inhabited structure after the March 18 death of Ronnie Sue Wall, 58, and her dog, the DAs office said in a press release.

Tyner allegedly used scissors to kill Wall, then ransacked her apartment and set it ablaze, though the flames were extinguished by the apartments sprinkler system, Deputy District Attorney Phillip Stirling said in the release.

He allegedly fled the scene in Walls car, but was arrested outside his Inglewood home March 27 with the help of witness statements and physical evidence, Sgt. D. Brown of the Pomona Police Department said in a statement.

Brown said the killings took place at the senior housing development Serenity Villas Apartments in Pomona, and that homicide investigators found obvious signs of a struggle and evidence that pointed to arson at the scene.

 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

Tyner is being held at the North County Correctional Facility with a bail set at $2.45 million, online records show.

He faces a maximum sentence of more than 76 years to life in state prison, according to authorities.

Tyner is next scheduled to appear in court May 2. Its unclear if he has retained a lawyer.

He was set to be arraigned Monday, but the hearing was continued to next month, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The DAs office said Tyner has a prior rap sheet that includes convictions for felonies like robbery, burglary and grand theft.
UPDATE, 5:47PM: Deadline has confirmed what we heard earlier and that is Netflix will definitely stream the Felicity Huffman comedy feature Otherhood late this summer, specifically Aug. 2. Huffman plays one of three empty nester mothers who hops in the car and heads to New York to visit their sons.

Earlier today Dominic Patten exclusively reported that Netflix Fuller House star Lori Laughlin was slammed with a new money laundering charge, and still has yet to enter a plea in the college bribery scheme despite Huffmans plea of guilty yesterday.

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PREVIOUS, 9:48AM: The Netflix comedy movie Otherhood starring Felicity Huffman, originally set to stream on April 26, has been pushed after the Emmy winning actress and Oscar nominee pleaded guilty yesterday in a college bribe scheme in which she is accused of shelling out $15K to boost her daughters SAT score.

When we reached for comment, Netflix did not provide any, with no specific future streaming date mentioned for Otherhood. Otherhood which also stars Angela Bassett and Patricia Arquette, will stream in August Deadline hears. The pic follows three mothers (Huffman, Bassett, Arquette) who are empty nesters and decide to drive to New York City to reconnect with their adult sons. In the process, they realize their sons are not the only ones whose lives need to change.

That said, Ava DuVernays Central Park Five Netflix miniseries When They See Us which stars Huffman as Linda Fairstein, the former sex crimes chief in the Manhattan D.A.s office, will still stream on May 31. Fairstein prosecuted five teenagers who were wrongfully convicted in the rape of a young woman who was jogging through Central Park when she was attacked on April 19, 1989.

It is also reported that Lori Loughlin, who was also charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services fraud, wont be returning to her guest-starring role on Netflixs Fuller House. Loughlin is out on $1 million bail and has surrendered her passport. She has not entered a plea, yet.

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During the fall of 2017, Netflix had to contend with the fallout from the multiple sexual assault allegations made against House of Cards star Kevin Spacey. He was fired from the streaming giants flagship series and the studio shelved the Gore Vidal biopic he had finished at the time.

After pleading guilty yesterday, Huffman apologized saying I am in full acceptance of my guilt, and with deep regret and shame over what I have done, I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions.

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Lori Loughlin was seen out running errands in L.A. just as the U.S. Attorney announced she and her husband were hit with an additional charge in the college admissions scandal. The Full House star was spotted getting her car washed Tuesday in West Hollywood, one day after Felicity Huffman revealed she will be pleading guilty to the []

Lori Loughlin

Lori Loughlin was seen out running errands in L.A. just as the U.S. Attorney announced she and her husband were hit with an additional charge in the college admissions scandal.

The Full House star was spotted getting her car washed Tuesday in West Hollywood, one day after Felicity Huffman revealed she will be pleading guilty to the charges of mail fraud.

Keeping it casual in pastel jeans and a white shirt, Loughlin even flashed a grin while on the phone. However, she may not have been notified that the U.S. Attorney announced she and Mossimo Giannulli have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for money laundering.

As The Blast reported, Huffman took responsibility for her involvement in the admissions scandal after being charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. According to the Massachusetts Department of Justice, she has agreed to plead guilty pursuant to plea agreements.

Prosecutors appear to be going hard on the defendants who refused to cut a deal early on, and now Loughlin and her husband may be looking at real prison time if convicted.

The post Lori Loughlin Keeps Her Cool During Errand Run After Indictment for Money Laundering appeared first on The Blast.
Finlands Kaiho Republic and Chiles Parox unique trans-Atlantic co-production Invisible Heroes will screen at Cannes MipTV, with Eccho Rights handling international sales in the events market.

Invisible Heroes tracks the remarkable work done by fresh off the boat Finnish diplomat Tapani Brotherus who risked his career, his freedom and his life to covertly help secure asylum in Europe for more than 2,000 Chilean citizens whose lives were under threat during the brutal 1973 coup headed by general and future dictator Augusto Pinochet. The series was penned by the playwrights Tarja Kylma from Finland and Manuela Infante Guell from Chile.

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The series features stunning recreations of sites which no longer exist from a time that most Chileans can no longer remember, but all still feel the consequences of.

In addition to astonishing VFX scenes at the national stadium, Santiago airports and of era-appropriate bombers flying overhead, the production was the first ever to shoot in Diego Portales, the headquarters of Pinochet and his government.

The series was commissioned by Finnish public broadcast network YLE, in association with Chilevision, and will premiere on YLE on April 21 with other Nordic public broadcasters  SVT, NRK, DR and RUV  following shortly after. The Chilevision premiere is planned for late 2019.

Variety talked with Parox Films Leonora Gonzalez, Kaiho Republics Liisa Penttila-Asikainen and director Mika Kurvinen during MipTV.

Finland-Chile is not a partnership that many expect in high-end TV drama, but considering the nature of the series narrative it makes sense. Was it always your intention that each country be represented in the co-production scheme?

Penttila-Asikainen: Yes, the real-life events made this an organic co-production. We wanted to make sure that the story would open up the dramatic events from sides, the Chilean people and the Finns, that were trying to survive during the coup in 1973.

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How did it work out logistically? Were there any unexpected challenges, difficulties or even benefits?

Gonzalez: One of the main difficulties was that the story is spoken in five languages. The Finnish actors had to learn their lines in Spanish and that was a great challenge. Also, a 20-hour plane ride is neither simple nor cheap, and many actors from Sweden and Germany had to come to film in Chile.

What did each country bring to the production?

Penttila-Asikainen: The co-production was very solid. We had two scriptwriters and directors, one from each country. This way the artistic collaboration could create its own unique world for the series.

Gonzalez: In Chile, we have great actors, and in the series that can really be appreciated. Even in small roles they make history shine. The Finnish actors were great, and were easily able to find a common tone. I also feel that the Finns contributed very clear and precise methods of approaching filming. They immediately know what they are looking for and where the most dramatic part of a scene is.

What sources did the writers rely on to do their job?

Gonzalez: The writers leaned on the book La Ruta Finlandesa by the historian Heikki Hiilamo. They also used a biography written by Luis Guastanivo and Ismael Huerta and many documentaries about that time.

The series visuals are stunning. How did you re-create Santiago during the time of Pinochet? And what responsibility did you have in doing so?

Kurvinen: Even though it was important to re-create the actual events as accurately as possible, the main focus was on the characters. To see what was real effect was to the Chilean and foreign people and their lives. We want to create the feeling as real as possible without even noticing the period production design.

Gonzalez: It was not easy to recreate the scenes. First of all, Santiago is a very different city today, which required great effort in searching for important locations. We also had to do a lot of graphic research, and then use of special effects to recreate the National Stadium, the Santiago Airport, the scenes of the Hawker Hunter planes that bombed La Moneda, the tanks, etc. Every image, every character construction and their costumes, involved extensive research.

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After N.Y. Teacher Is Found Slain and Burned, Husband and Pregnant Girlfriend Are Charged N.Y. Teacher's Husband, His Pregnant Girlfriend Accused of Murder

The burned, dead body of a New York City mother of three was found last Thursday inside a storage container. The following day, the womans estranged husband and his mistress were charged with murder, PEOPLE confirms.

The second-degree murder charges against Michael Cammarata, 42, and Kangi-Ayisha Egea, 41, follow the death of 37-year-old Jeanine Cammarata who was discovered in a storage facility in the borough of Staten Island.

Cammarata and Egea are also charged with concealment of a human corpse and tampering with physical evidence. Both were arraigned Friday and are being held without bail.

Cammarata has been in police custody since Tuesday, when he was charged with misdemeanor harassment and stalking.

Jeanine, a public elementary school teacher, had been missing for six days when her remains were discovered in the Staten Island storage facility.

Jeanine Cammarata | NYPD 120th Precinct

Jeanines divorce attorney believes that on the night she disappeared, Cammarata lured her to his home.

I think he used the children as bait and lured her there and whatever happened happened, Eric M. Gansberg tells PEOPLE. I think the love for her children and dedication resulted in her doing what she could to see the children, and the results were devastating for her. I can only imagine the terror she endured.

She was terribly afraid of him, he adds.

Gansberg says Jeanine had recently filed for divorce. A hearing about custody issues was scheduled for Monday but she never showed up. I think this is his reaction to her initiating divorce and immediate custody while the divorce was pending, he says.

RELATED: Charred Remains Found in New York Storage Unit as Police Search for Missing Mom of Three

The former couple, who had been separated since 2017, didnt have a custody or parenting agreement and Cammarata was putting walls up, says Gansberg.

The children were his weapon, he says.

Jeanine Cammarata | GoFundMe

 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

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According to NBC 4, it was Egea who allegedly told police where they could find Jeanine. The station reports she was found in a garbage bag, surrounded by air fresheners.

Investigators are also in possession of surveillance video that allegedly shows Michael with a bag in his hand walking out of his Queens apartment, according to ABC7. Police also allegedly have video from the storage unit that appears to show him with the same bag.

Her cause of death is still under investigation, Ryan Lavis, communications director with the Staten Island District Attorneys Office tells PEOPLE.

Police began investigating Jeanines disappearance Tuesday. At the time, Jeanines landlord Jose Perez told ABC7 that the missing mother had been concerned about her safety, alleging that she had experienced harassment, following her in the car.

Gansberg says Jeanine was not only a dedicated parent but a dedicated teacher. That is why it so heartbreaking, he says. My belief is anyone who has come in contact with her loved her. I never ever heard a bad word about Jeanine.

A hearing for the suspects is scheduled for April 11.

Attorneys for Cammarata and Egea could not be reached for comment.
Netflix recently released Our Planet, a beautifully-shot, eight-part nature documentary series on the manmade threats that are affecting the Earth and all the beautiful, bizarre and brave creatures that live here.

The series, narrated by David Attenborough, has many stand out moments, but one in particular is getting the attention of animal lovers around the world.

In the second episode of the series, Frozen Worlds, Our Planet explores the effects climate change, specifically melting sea ice, is having on the arctics wildlife.

The arctic is now warming at twice the rate of anywhere else on the planet, Sophie Lanfear, the producer and director of the Frozen Worlds episode of Our Planet told PEOPLE.

Having spent her teenage years in northern Norway, Lanfear was excited to capture the arctic  an area close to her heart. In her episode, Lanfear wanted to explore some of the unusual animal behaviors that have arisen in the arctic over the past few years.

RELATED: Is Climate Change Making This Allergy Season the Worst Ever?

One of the changes that interested her was the increasing number of walruses hauling out on the rocky cliffs around Russia. Each year, Lanfear describes, thousands of walruses spend their summer eating clams revealed by the thaw of warm weather. In the past, after tiring themselves from foraging, walruses would sit on the nearby sea ice to rest up until they were ready to eat again. Now that the sea ice has melted away due to climate change, walruses are forced to swim miles out of their way to find land where they can haul out and rest.

Unfortunately, the land nearest to their feeding grounds is treacherous, rocky cliffs.

After two and a half years of research and logistics, including priceless help from Russian biologist Anatoliy Kochnev, Lanfear and her crew found one of these haul out sites and figured out to best way to shoot this mass spectacle.

Jamie McPherson/Netflix

According to the producer, Kochnevs 35 years of research in walrus haul outs shows that sites like the one shown in Our Planet have been used much more frequently in recent years because of sea ice loss in much larger numbers, Lanfear said.

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During filming, Lanfear watched the large mammals flop there way up the steep rocks and climb higher than she ever expected the animals to go. Once the walruses reached a flat space about 80 meters up, they all stopped to rest.

I didnt think they would be capable of getting that high up. We watched them up there for several days, these walruses perched on these high cliffs, and teetering on the edge, the producer said.

RELATED VIDEO: Swedish Environmental Activist Greta Thunberg, 16, Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

It was when it was time for the animals to return to the sea that filming took a traumatic turn. The walruses now had to find their way back down the steep verges to the water.

Youre rooting for them not to go over the edge and for them to go back down the way they came, and a few small groups did go back the way they came, and you are just celebrating, Lanfear said of filming the animal exodus. Sadly, the majority of the ones on the cliffs did not work that out.

Very social animals, according to Lanfear, many of the walruses started to move once they heard other animals leaving.

They are drawn to go, she said. They could hear them leaving, so they just stepped off the cliff.

Lanfear and her crew watched countless walruses die this way, falling from the cliff after a misplaced step and tumbling over the rocks to land on the shore dead.

We were surround by lots of dead walruses every day, Lanfear said. I dont think Ive ever been around that many dead bodies. It was traumatic.

RELATED: How Reindeer Are Being Threatened by Climate Change: Something Is Really Wrong

The producer hopes enduring this shoot, and sharing what is happening to arctic animals in the far corners of the world, will encourage people to make changes in their own lives to prevent more tragedies like this.

We all need to pay attention and think about how we consume energy, Lanfear said. I would like people to think about their lives and the fossil fuels they use in their lives and be inspired to support renewable energies and to try and find solutions to this problem.

This message of taking responsibility and making changes resonates through all of Our Planets episodes. The series hopes to inspires viewers to tackle the big manmade challenges that are negatively affecting wildlife around the world.

While the scene of mass walrus death in Frozen Worlds may make it seem like Our Planet is all doom and gloom, Lanfear assures that it is not. The series also focuses on how small changes made by many humans can have a profound, positive affect on our planet.

The producer noted that since placing bans on commercial whaling worldwide, many whale population have started to increase in number for the first time in years.

To learn more about how you can make a change and help protect animals like these walruses, Our Planet has a website filled with useful resources.
Photo credit: Courtesy - Getty Images

From Esquire

CJ Wallace was five months old when he lost his father. And while his dad's memory lives on through platinum records, grainy freestyle videos, dorm room posters, Instagram captions, and the larger-than-life persona of The Notorious B.I.G., it was the man, Christopher Wallace, that CJ had long sought to know and understand. That search led him a number of places-talking to family, friends, even portraying his father in 2009's Notorious-that would ultimately inspire CJ, alongside co-founders Willie Mack and Todd Russaw, to launch Think BIG, a social movement and company centered around cannabis and its uses as a tool for "creativity, contemplation, and healing."



It's no news to fans that Biggie was an avid cannabis user ("Smoking blunts was a daily routine"), but the stories CJ gathered about the late artist helped paint a picture of the man-one who fueled his genius, like many others before him, with a generous helping of marijuana smoke.

"I got to talk to my uncle...I think he was actually the first person my dad smoked weed with, and I found out that we actually smoked weed around the same age. I was 16," said Wallace. "His first experience was way cooler than mine, in Jamaica. You know, in his homeland. I can only imagine the experience that he had. And he was with family, so he was probably very comfortable."

Photo credit: Courtesy

Today, Think BIG, in collaboration with Lowell Herb Co., is releasing its first cannabis product: The Frank White Creative Blend. Named for Biggie's iconic "Frank White" alter-ego (inspired by the mafia kingpin played by Christopher Walken in King of New York), it's a pre-roll pack made from "signature sun-grown California cannabis, custom blended with Orange Sherbet, Banjo, and Rattlesnake Sour Diesel." It's available at LA's Rose Collective and Sweet Flower for $40, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit California's Prison Arts Project.

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CJ Wallace and Willie Mack hopped on the phone with Esquire to talk about Think BIG, cannabis legalization, and reversing the damage done by the war on drugs.

Photo credit: Courtesy

Cannabis has always been a part of their lives.

Wallace: Cannabis has sort of been in my family for as far back as I can remember. My youngest brother, Ryder, was diagnosed with nonverbal autism-my mom was always against using pharmaceuticals like Ritalin and opioids-so cannabis, CBD, was definitely an option we looked at and researched. We started giving him CBD gummies; as he's gotten older, he loves the Jayden's Juice product.

Mack: My first experience with cannabis came from growing up in D.C. in the '80s and watching a war on drugs devastate D.C. and New York. And watching the AIDS crisis, and people fighting to get legalization for cannabis seeds for nausea and things of that nature. Me, knowing I was a gay man, I was like, wow, a lot of things were in my head about fear-fear from AIDS, fear from having sex, and also fear from this drug that was going to fry my brain. So we both kind of had this familiar connection to cannabis that really put the foundation for what we wanted to start. We said, well, how do we change the conversation around what cannabis means?



Music and marijuana were part of growing up.

Wallace: Just living in Atlanta for a moment when my mom was working on Bad Boy. Everybody was living in the country club, like Usher. Bobby and Whitney were living there. A couple of the guys from 112 were living there. People were always in and out of our crib. We had this dope studio in the basement, and me and my brother and my sister, we were music heads. We were a musical family. We just loved being around that whole process. And cannabis was always part of the process.

Photo credit: Getty Images

"Frank White" is CJ's tribute to his dad's creativity.

Wallace: I've always been inspired by my dad and his alter-ego, by the ghostly figure of Frank White. I've always wanted to play with that, and this was my chance to do it. A lot of people don't really know this, but my dad actually went to jail a few times. His longest stint was about nine months. And that's when he made his decision to take his writing, his craft more seriously.

He'd always been writing, journaling, doing stuff like that before, but those nine months is when he really took it seriously. I think he wrote in over 10 composition notebooks. Probably some of his songs from Ready To Die and Life After Death were written in jail. So when you think about the darker songs, like "Suicidal Thoughts" and "N***as Bleed" and songs like that, I don't know what it takes to go to that place, but jail could be one of them. And that's definitely a story I want to share with the world, just as a creative to be able to take yourself out of that darkness and come up with such beauty is amazing to me.

Everyone should be fighting for legalization.

Mack: It just makes sense for the entire industry to be fighting for legalization, which would and should include social equity and criminal justice reform. From a purely economic standpoint, you're going to get a lot of people out of jail who knew the industry really well and who are consumers! When you add in the moralistic value aspect of it, it's like, how can you sit here and build a business when there are people in jail for doing the same thing you've done? Who actually built this industry?

Photo credit: Courtesy

They see a lot of hypocrisy in the legal cannabis market.

Wallace: We talk about this almost every day now. Just every other brand that's out there, if they don't have a criminal justice angle, they're doing a huge disservice to everybody. Everybody has, or should have, a responsibility to speak on that and do as much as they can to correct those wrongs.

Mack: It's disconcerting to see people like John Boehner and all these people who were sheriffs and D.A.'s now sort of having these...you know..."My views have evolved, and now I want to cash in." But not talk about, "Oh, I should make up for the fact that I was instrumental in putting lots of people in jail, breaking up lots of families, and writing policies that were created to criminalize communities." It's like, really? That's how you want to come out? The hypocrisy is astounding.

What are you doing to correct the wrongs? I'm happy your views have evolved; great. Have your views also evolved to start to lobby and petition for decriminalization and making up for the mistakes that you made? Otherwise, it's just lip service.

Photo credit: Jim Smeal - Getty Images

But we can all join the fight to right the wrongs of the past.

Mack: I was talking to a guy that was from NORML, who has been fighting for decades to get the laws changed. He had a good point. He's like, "If every person who bought weed had donated five bucks over the last 20 years, we'd probably have more money than the NRA." And I'm like, you know what? You're right. So I gave him $50. I'm like, "Here's $50 from me. Sorry. I'll send some more. I'll make up the last 20 years of not supporting you guys." We can all make a donation.

For Think BIG, Frank White is just the beginning.

Wallace: [I've got] so many different people in my head that I really want to work with. Just figuring out what's the right way. Puff is on the list, of course Jay is on the list. But you know, we want to make sure it's done right. So, you know, we've got some great ideas coming.

('You Might Also Like',)
Universal has acquired the rights to The News of the World from director Paul Greengrass that has Tom Hanks attached to star, shifting the project from Fox 2000, an individual with knowledge told TheWrap.

The move is the first such deal since Disney finalized their acquisition of Fox and announced that Fox 2000 would be closing.

Greengrasss film reunites the director with his Captain Phillips star. The project is based on a novel by Paulette Jiles, which was nominated for the National Book Award for fiction. Luke Davies, who penned Lion, is writing the screenplay.

Also Read: Tom Hanks in Talks to Join Untitled Elvis Biopic as Presley's Manager

The book takes place in the wake of the Civil War and follows Cpt. Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Hanks) as he travels through Northern Texas, giving live readings from newspapers to paying audiences hungry for news of the world. He is then tasked with delivering a young orphan girl, Johanna, to her relatives in San Antonio after a band of Kiowa raiders killed her parents and sister. Captain Kidd must hand Johanna over to an aunt and uncle she does not remember  strangers who regard her as an unwanted burden. A respectable man, Captain Kidd is faced with a terrible choice: abandon the girl to her fate or become  in the eyes of the law  a kidnapper himself.

Hanks and Gary Goetzman will produce the film through their Playtone banner with Gail Mutrux through her Pretty Pictures banner. Gregory Goodman, who also produced Greengrass most recent 22 July and Jason Bourne, is also producing.

TheWrap reported in March that Fox 2000 would close its doors in late March and that Disney would complete films that were currently in production.

Also Read: Tiffany Haddish Rules, Disney Dominates and Other Takeaways From CinemaCon 2019

Hanks will next voice Woody in Toy Story 4 and star as Mister Rogers in Its a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.

Greengrass returns to Universal where his credits include multiple Jason Bourne movies, as well as Green Zone and United 93, the latter of which earned him an Oscar nomination. He most recently directed the Netflix drama 22 July.

Deadline first reported the news of Universals acquisition.

Read original story Paul Greengrass-Tom Hanks Film News of the World Moves to Universal From Fox 2000 At TheWrap
Whether you think [Terry] Gilliams a genuine hero or a self-aggrandizing Don Quixote, theres no denying his go-for-broke originality, it read in the pages of EW, in the review of the VHS (yes) of GilliamsThe Fisher King, in March 1992.

That was over a quarter-century ago, but the name Quixote is one that the filmmaker hasnt been able to shake  in more ways than one. Since 1989 Gilliam has been trying to make a film about the iconic character, only for the project to fall apart, in spectacular fashion, time and time again. Until now. The three-decades-in-the-making The Man Who Killed Don Quixote finally shot in the spring of 2017, premiered at Cannes last year, and will hit theaters for a one-night theatrical Fathom event on April 10. Check out an exclusive clip from the film  in which Jonathan Pryces Quixote battles windmills, naturally  above.

Ive always been drawn to madmen, to fantasists, to people who refuse to accept the world for what it really is, Gilliam tells EW. Once [Quixote] got the hook into me I couldnt escape. He just reeled me in. I fought. But he got me in the end And you become Quixote-esque as you get hooked into that man. Im sure its happened to everybody whos tried to make it. The character takes you over at a certain point.

Gilliam decided he wanted to make Quixote 30 years ago, after finishing 1988s The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (a somewhat fraught production itself). I called Jake Eberts up, who was the executive producer on [Munchausen]. I said, I need $20 million, Jake. Ive got two names: One is Gilliam the other is Quixote, the filmmaker recalls. And he says, Youve got the money. We actually had the money at the start!

But oh, they lost it. Gilliam got a better offer, which Eberts encouraged him to take  it was better, after all  and then they kept me captive for a while, and then failed, says Gilliam, whose energy and cheer never falter, even when recalling these decades-old frustrations. And its been, [since] that moment, up and down.

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At the time of that first attempt, the script was about old men sitting around a little plaza in a village in Spain, and they were all saying, if only, Gilliam says. If only I had done this, or if only I hadnt done that. And it was just one guy who said, Ah, forget about this, all this moaning is ridiculous. And he decided to go out and behave like Quixote. Thats not the shape that the plot ultimately took, but it speaks to the directors own disposition: I dont spend much time looking at all my mistakes, he says. I try to learn from them, but I dont [look back].

The narrative evolved when Gilliam and co-writer Tony Grisoni developed it further for the next attempt, beginning in the late 90s. In this new version, a modern man meets Don Quixote when he travels back in time. Johnny Depp was set to star as Toby, the time-traveler, with Jean Rochefort as Quixote. Gilliam went into production in 2000, and the disastrous shoot lasted only six days before self-destructing, fraught with countless logistical issues and ultimately losing Rochefort, who had to return home to Paris with a double herniated disc. The doomed effort became the subject of the 2002 documentary Lost in La Mancha (a follow-up, He Dreams of Giants, is currently in post-production). The problems werent of the corrupt, art-versus-commerce variety, EW summed it up in a 2003 review of the doc. They were mostly acts of God.

Gilliam would probably agree, sort of. I think God doesnt like me, is the problem, the filmmaker says of his many trials in getting Quixote to the screen. Because I dont believe in God, I think hes trying to punish me. If he punishes me long enough, I will begin to believe in his existence. But I dont.

Cannes Film Festival

The years that followed that botched attempt were filled with more up and down, as the director described it. Just glancing through the EW archives, theres a 2003 cover story about Johnny Depp in which Gilliam expressed his pleasure that the stars high profile after Pirates of the Caribbean would enable them to raise the money to try again (in 2010, Ewan McGregor would be named as Depps replacement); Robert Duvall told the magazine in 2014 that Terry Gilliam came to my farm, and he wants me to play Don Quixote; and a 2015 news story announced that the filmmaker had Jack OConnell and John Hurt on board to play Toby and Quixote, respectively, on a deal with Amazon.

The completed film stars not any of the men named above, but Adam Driver and Jonathan Pryce. Gilliam wouldnt have it any other way. I always believe a film is making itself, Im just one of the helpers along the way, he says. The film waited until the right people came along. Gilliams daughter Amy, a producer on Quixote, first suggested Driver, but the filmmaker wasnt convinced until he met the Star Wars actor. When we were talking about [Drivers] military experience, when 9/11 occurred and he joined the Marines, I thought, Thats extraordinary! Its almost Quixote-esque! That is a very foolish thing to do! Gilliam recalls. I thought, hes the guy. It was as simple as that.

Pryce had been involved on the long-gestating project for years, but never in the title role. Jonathan had been in the wings for 15 years, [but] he was never my image of Quixote, even though hes a good friend and an extraordinary actor, Gilliam admits. When he hit 70, everything fell into place. I think, waiting that long, he just exploded on the screen  once I got the right nose on him. Always the nose is the problem. But we got a good prosthetic nose, and he became Quixote, just like that.

Even after the Depp-and-doc debacle, the lowest point, by Gilliams estimation, was still yet to come. It was in August 2016, having been involved with [producer] Paolo Branco for four months, and he pulled the plug on it, the filmmaker says. Gilliam had announced the Branco-funded new production at Cannes that spring, along with the casting of Driver as Toby. Just a few months later, however, [Branco] pulled the plug, because he didnt have the money, Gilliam recalls. All the actors were in cars heading to airports to convene in Lisbon for our first read-through! It crashed, and to try to resuscitate it was really hard.

Production had to be delayed once again, but that brought new problems. Drivers wife was pregnant at the time, and the actor was not going to available in the spring of 2017. That was when I had this first stroke, because that was an incredible pressure. I woke up and realized Id lost a chunk of my left vision, the filmmaker says. So I thought that was quite ironic, for a visionary director to lose half his vision. But thats the great thing about irony  thats the only god to believe in!

Ultimately, Driver was able to work that spring, but Gilliam hadnt overcome every bizarre obstacle quite yet. Branco soon came after the production, claiming it was patently illegal and accusing Gilliam of making it clandestinely behind his back; the films producing team responded that the allegations were preposterous. Branco fought with Gilliam for a year to prevent the films release, and the legal nightmare lost the filmmaker his distribution deal with Amazon. In May of 2018, Gilliam suffered a medical episode that was widely but erroneously reported as a stroke. Finally, in the summer of 2018, a French court ruled that Gilliam owed Branco $11,600 in damages for a messily terminated contract, though the director retained the rights to the film. Now here we are, finally, on the eve of American distribution.

Cannes Film Festival

In the final story, Drivers Toby is a cynical advertising director shooting a campaign in Spain, where he revisits the small village that provided the backdrop for the student film he had made about Quixote years prior. There, he finds that the old man he had cast in the title role truly believes, since making their film, that he is the legendary knight-errant and Toby is his squire Sancho Panza.

The addition of Tobys student-film backstory was the biggest change to the original script, and it also gave us a good parallel between the books of romance and chivalry that Quixote, in the 17th century, was reading, and movies [today], Gilliam says. It became very much this tale about the dangers of cinema, both what you see on the screen and how it affects you if youre part of the process.

The director is well aware of the latter, and not because of the decades he spent toiling to get Quixote made. What that was really was about was what happened when we made Monty Python and the Holy Grail in this little village in Scotland, Gilliam explains. So many peoples lives were turned upside-down by a film crew. Marriages broke up, people came down to London with hopes of careers  all failed. So it was my guilt trip about that.

Even after all these years of difficulty, Gilliam believes that the movie came together exactly as it should have. I think all my instincts were wrong, and the film was right, he says simply. Time chose the right everything. And those comparisons to Don Quixote, his elusive inspiration, another hero with an impossible dream? His co-writer Tony Grisoni has a theory: I was much more the Sancho Panza in the piece, Gilliam says. I was not Quixote. The film was Quixote.

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote will hit theaters for a one-night theatrical Fathom event on Wednesday. Check out an exclusive clip from the film above.

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Texas Moms Body Is Found in Lake, 2 Months After Boyfriends Remains Recovered After Cryptic Text Texas Moms Body Is Found in Lake, Boyfriend Also Dead

The search for Weltzin Garcia has ended in tragedy.

The body of the missing 26-year-old mother was found last week in a Texas lake, ending a two-month mystery.

Authorities had been searching for Garcia since February 5, when she and her estranged boyfriend, Alfonso Hernandez, were reported missing.

A body pulled from Dallas White Rock Lake in late February was identified as belonging to Hernandez, 28.

Police confirm to PEOPLE Garcias remains were found in Mountain Creek Lake by a kayaker.

The lake is situated just outside her hometown of Grand Prairie, Texas.

RELATED: Tx. Mom Vanished After Estranged Boyfriend Sends Goodbye Text to His Family

The couple is survived by their two children, ages 3 and 6, who are now in the custody of her twin sister, Atziry Garcia Mireles.

Before they disappeared, Hernandez sent a text message to his family, that simply read, Goodbye, according to police.

Authorities found Hernandezs car at the lake soon after the pair were reported missing.

Weltzin Garcia and Alfonso Hernandez | Facebook

A police spokesman previously told PEOPLE Hernandezs phone was found in the car. Garcias phone was recovered from Hernandezs pants pocket, according to investigators.

Police have yet to reveal how the couple died.

Garcia vanished a week after a judge granted her request for a protective order against Hernandez.

Police were on the lookout for Hernandez, who had an active arrest warrant for domestic violence.

 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

Mireles told NBC 5 in February the youngest of the couples two children believes that she is his mother.

Hes thinking Im his mom, but hes little, you know, she said. Hes calling me mommy every time so its like very emotional for me, but Im not gonna break down because I need to be strong for them and they need to know that everything is going to be okay.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text home to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
Marcus Lemonis is used to making other people cry on his wildly successful CNBC show, The Profit  so it might come as a surprise to viewers to see the 45-year-old businessman breaking down in tears on Tuesdays episode.

The emotional moment, exclusively previewed by PEOPLE, airs in a special 90-minute episode of The Profit subtitled My Roots. The original documentary sees Lemonis traveling for the first time back his birthplace in Beirut, Lebanon, to visit the orphanage he lived in until 1974, when his Greek/Lebanese parents adopted him at 9 months old and moved him to Miami.

Stepping foot in the orphanage  which has remained unchanged so that people who return there can see what it was like  is hard enough for Lemonis, but laying eyes on the crib that he slept in as a newborn brings him to tears.

When I went into the actual room that the nun told me I slept in and saw the actual crib and the fact that it had casters, thats probably what really lit my emotions for me, says Lemonis, recalling how his mother used to tell him that he would shake his crib around to mimic that. It put it all together and it made it very real.

RELATED: Inside The Profit Star Marcus Lemonis Sweet Love Story & Intimate Southern California Wedding

Marcus Lemonis | CNBC

Opening up to PEOPLE about the episode, Lemonis explains that he never anticipated he would have that moment.

His mother, who died before the first Profit episode even aired, had long asked him not to go back and look for his birth parents. Out of respect for her, he put visiting Lebanon out of his mind. Were always trying to please our mothers, he says.

Even after he arrived in the country to film the special, which also explores the business market in Lebanon and the importance immigrants have on American business, Lemonis wrestled with whether or not he wanted to go to the orphanage.

I was very conflicted, Lemonis remembers. I wasnt sure I was actually going to go. I didnt go for the first three days I was there, because I was still on the fence about it. I was emotionally scared. I was mentally scared. I didnt know if I was going to fracture my soul or not, and I know that sounds super meek, but to do it on television is kind of another thing.

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Marcus Lemonis | Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Walking into the orphanage was ultimately a pretty powerful experience for him, he says.

While there, he had a peek at his birth certificate, where he got to see (among other things) his birth mother and birth fathers names.

For a brief moment, I felt like I was living two lives, confesses Lemonis, who married wife Bobbi Raffel last year. I felt like, Is the life Im living today a fraud, and thats my real life? Or is that who I was and this is who I am? It was very confusing to me. I was emotional because I was like, The name Ive been telling people is my name is not even really my name. Im not even heritage wise, who I thought I was.

Tears where shed there, too, but the 84-year-old French nun who runs the orphanage helped snapped Lemonis out of it. She made me laugh because she told me, in French, Kleenex are very expensive, please stop crying,  Lemonis jokes. And I said to her, Dont worry, I did okay in my life, I can buy you a lot of Kleenex. 

Marcus Lemonis | Paul Drinkwater/NBCUniversal/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty

The Profit: My Roots follows previous specials Lemonis has produced about the massive growth of the cannabis industry, the crisis in Puerto Rico, thriving small businesses in Cuba and the industry in Las Vegas.

Lemonis says the idea of the trip back to Lebanon came from CNBC Chairman Mark Hoffman, who spent a year trying to convince Lemonis that viewers wanted him to pull back the curtain on his life.

He really just said to me, Listen, Marcus, youre an important part of our network at CNBC,  Lemonis recalls.  Youve taken us on 94 episode through 94 different families and businesses. We want to go on your journey now. We need to know more about who you are. And we need to understand, why do you do what you do? Because its sort of head-scratching for us. You deal with crazy people, it doesnt always work out, you have a lot of aggravation. Im dying to know what your motivation is. 

Of course, Lemonis always knew what his motivation was  or so he thought. Going on the trip, he says that his eyes were opened.

I used to give people a glib answer: I do it to help people and save jobs,  Lemonis says. And while that is absolutely true, after doing all of this, it clicked for me why I do what I do. What I end up asking myself is, is my necessity  my obligation to do things for other people  born out of my gratefulness for what was done for me? I needed to learn the answer to that myself. And while that sounds a little corny, I think when people watch the episode, theyll see the gravity of what I discovered and the gravity of who I am today.

The specifics of that lesson Lemonis learned is something hes still keeping under wraps (You have to watch the episode, he teases throughout our chat). But the one thing he did have reinforced is that its important people take the time to do that type of reflection, even if thats not always easy.

I want to give people the courage to explore their own path, Lemonis says. Youre going to learn some stuff that you may not like or that you may like, but thats okay. You have to uncomfortable sometimes and you have to vulnerable. Because only then can you really understand the reason to do things.

And while hes excited for viewers to see what happens to him, theres one person Lemonis is still worried about: his father.

I dont know if my dad knows what happens, Lemonis says. He knows I went to Lebanon, but I think he just thinks I went on a trip, not to also find out information about my birth parents. Hes going to see the episode for the first time when I do go, so Im not sure how my dad is going to feel when he watches that.

Im a little nervous about that, Lemonis jokes.

The Profit: My Roots airs Tuesdays (9 p.m. ET) on CNBC.
As Democrats' deadline approaches for Trump's tax returns, Treasury secretary grilled on Capitol Hill originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

Right out of the gate on Tuesday, House Financial Services Chairwoman Maxine Waters used her first question to ask Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin whether he would comply with a Democratic request for copies of six years of the presidents personal and business tax returns by Wednesday's deadline.

I want to acknowledge we have received the request, Mnuchin said, dancing around any solid commitment but repeating the gist of testimony he provided at another hearing earlier in the day. As I said before, we will follow the law. We are reviewing it with our internal legal department and I would leave it at that.

Given the rate of turnover of senior officials forced from their jobs in the Trump administration, Waters then asked Mnuchin whether hes afraid hell be fired if he complies with the request.

Im not afraid of being fired at all, Mnuchin answered.

A senior Democratic aide at the Ways and Means Committee told ABC News that since chairman Richard Neals request didnt include an explicit hour deadline, the deadline is technically at midnight."

The aide added that if the IRS does not comply with the chairmans request, the next step would be to send a second letter  though that wont be sent immediately either. There will not be a subpoena issued immediately to the IRS when the deadline passes. the aide said. .

We will not be moving to subpoena the IRS tomorrow, the aide says. The next step would be a second letter. The aide says the timing of that letter is a little up in the air because leadership has asked the committee not to drop the letter in the middle of the Democratic Issues Conference in Leesburg, Virginia, which ends Friday morning.

The hearing ended before all lawmakers had an opportunity to question Mnuchin, as the secretary was eager to rush to the Treasury Department to meet with a foreign leader at 5:30 p.m. After she refused to dismiss him, Mnuchin squabbled with Waters about whether he would return voluntarily to testify again at the committee in May.

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In testy exchange, Rep. Maxine Waters tells Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, "no other secretary has ever told us the day before that they were going to limit their time." "You're ordering me to stay here .... that's not what I want to do," Mnuchin says https://t.co/tFCpfQzXeL pic.twitter.com/H7je3oxk6G  ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) April 9, 2019

Treasury Secretary Mnuchin after being asked to stay at hearing by Rep. Maxine Waters: "I've just been advised that I'm under no obligation to stay ... I've withdrawn my offer to voluntarily come back." Waters: "You may choose to do whatever you want" https://t.co/tFCpfQzXeL pic.twitter.com/1ZCyGJPB6i  ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) April 9, 2019

Earlier Tuesday, Mnuchin testified that a White House lawyer communicated with Treasury Department lawyers before they received a request from House Democrats for President Donald Trump's tax returns.

Mnuchin appeared before a House Appropriations subcommittee on the Treasury budget request when he was asked by the Democratic chairman, Rep. Mike Quigley, whether he had spoken with White House officials about the request.

"I have not spoken to the White House chief of staff or the president about this decision," Mnuchin said, but later added that there had been communications between the two legal teams, which he described as "purely informational."

Mnuchin later defended the president's decision to not release his tax returns, saying that Trump has complied with financial disclosures and that the decision to release tax returns is an "individual decision."

"There is a requirement for presidents to have financial disclosure. I believe this president has complied with that, as other people, and the general public when they elected President Trump made the decision to elect him without his tax returns being released, Mnuchin said.

"I am sure there are many prominent Democrats who are relieved that when Kevin Brady was chairman of the (House Ways and Means) committee that he didn't request specific returns. But anyway, it is a pleasure to be here with you today," Mnuchin said.

Democrats gave the IRS commissioner until Wednesday to respond to Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal's request, which Mnuchin said Treasury's legal department was still reviewing. "It is our intent to follow the law," he said.

Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney has said Democrats will "never" get their hands on copies of Trump's tax returns.

IRS commissioner Charles Rettig is being asked to provide Neal with six years of the president's personal and business filings. When making the request, Neal pointed to a law from the 1920s that empowers three members of Congress to review the documents of any U.S. taxpayer.

(MORE: Here's how the battle for Trump's tax returns could play out)

PHOTO: Rep. Richard Neal leaves a meeting of the House Democratic Caucus in the Capitol, Jan. 4, 2019. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Newscom)

A senior Democratic Ways and Means aide told ABC News on Monday that the chairman has not heard any sort of response from the IRS or Treasury Department regarding his request, but still maintained the expectation was that the IRS would comply by Wednesday.

"But," the aide added, "we'll see."

(MORE: House Democrats ask IRS for Trump's tax returns)

On Sunday, Mulvaney predicted Democrats will "never" obtain the documents, days after Trump said he was not inclined to cooperate and stressed that voters "litigated" the issue by electing Trump in 2016.

"Voters knew the president could have given his tax returns, they knew that he didn't and they elected him anyway, which is, of course, what drives the Democrats crazy," Mulvaney said on Fox News on Sunday. "But they know they're not going to get this."

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin speaks to the news media after giving a television interview at the White House in Washington, Dec. 3, 2018. (Leah Millis/Leah Millis/Reuters, FILE)

(MORE: Partisan bickering highlights aftermath of request for Trump's tax returns)

An obscure 1924 provision in the tax code allows the chairmen of certain Congressional committees to privately examine anyone's tax returns to conduct an investigation. If obtained, the returns could be released to the full House of Representatives with a majority vote from that committee, effectively making them public.

This scarcely used measure dates back to the 1920s Teapot Dome bribery scandal during President Warren G. Harding's administration. It was invoked in the 1970s to investigate tax fraud by President Richard Nixon and again in 2014 to investigate whether the IRS discriminated against certain conservative groups.

PHOTO: Charles Rettig, President Donald Trump's nominee to be Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, testifies during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee on Capitol Hill, June 28, 2018, in Washington, DC. (Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images, FILE)

A legal challenge is widely expected, and Neal could invoke his committee's subpoena power to press the issue if Rettig misses Wednesday's deadline.

Rettig testified Tuesday afternoon at the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government on the IRS budget and 2019 filing season. On Wednesday, Rettig is set to return to the Capitol to testify at the Senate Finance Committee's hearing on the 2019 tax filing season and the 21st century IRS.
ABC News

Scientists have long predicted that sea level rise will be one of the most disastrous consequences of global warming -- and now, they're discovering that the northernmost region, the biggest contributor to sea level rise, is warming at unprecedented rates. Climate change is transforming the Arctic into a "dramatically different state," with the region warming at a rate more than twice as fast as the rest of the world due to the melting of white and sea ice, according to the 2021 Arctic Report Card released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Tuesday morning. The substantial decline in Arctic sea ice extent since 1979 is one of the most iconic indicators of climate change, according to the report. The average surface air temperature over the Arctic in the past year, October 2020 through September 2021, was the seventh-warmest on record, and this is the eighth consecutive year since 2014 that air temperatures were at least 1 degree Celsius above the long-term average.
Trump denies he'll revive family separations, distorts Obama border policy: Analysis originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

President Donald Trump denied reports Tuesday that his administration was considering reviving a policy that led to thousands of migrant children being separated from their families.

Then he grossly mischaracterized the facts by repeating his assertion that President Barack Obama "separated the children" and that "I'm the one that stopped it."

The president's statements to reporters in the Oval Office came after Trump forced out top officials at the Homeland Security Department, including Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, out of frustration that more wasn't being done to curb record-setting migration of families from Central America.

After ABC News' Jon Karl asked Trump repeatedly whether he planned to separate families again, Trump said no but added that families are coming in droves to the U.S. because there are no repercussions.

"President Obama separated children. They had child separation. I was the one that changed it," he said.

This significantly misrepresents U.S. immigration history.

Under Obama and President George W. Bush, the U.S. border officials separated families in rare circumstances when the child's safety might be at risk. Officials have said this typically happened when authorities questioned whether the child belonged to the adult, or if a serious crime like drug smuggling was committed.

In contrast, the Trump administration enacted a "zero-tolerance" approach in April 2018 that called for stepped-up prosecutions of any adult crossing the border illegally, even without evidence of a serious crime. The result was some 2,700 children were separated from their families in a matter of weeks.

(MORE: 'Zero-tolerance' approach not very effective, experts say)

Trump backed down in June 2018 amid a fierce public backlash, and a federal judge ordered that the administration reunite the children.

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While the president said his administration was not looking to bring back zero-tolerance, he added that migration numbers were on the rise without family separations.

"I will tell you something -- once you don't have it, that's why you see many more people coming," he said. "Theyre coming like it's a picnic. Because 'Let's go to Disneyland.' "

U.S. officials predict that the number of undocumented migrants stopped at the border could top 1 million this year, almost double of Trump's first year in office. The number is not quite on par with the early 2000s, but it represents a dramatic shift in the types of people coming. Rather than single men from Mexico looking for work, officials say most people stopped at the border are families from Central America.

According to numbers released Tuesday by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the number of families apprehended in the month of March alone  about 53,000  is double of what it was just two months ago. And almost 9,000 older kids and teens traveling alone were apprehended last month.

(MORE: US border officials predict the number of migrants attempting to cross the southern border could reach as high as 1 million this year)

The influx raises questions about whether the administration may have inadvertently encouraged migrants to travel to the U.S. because of zero-tolerance. After a federal judge ruled against the policy, it became clear to the public that there was little the administration could do to detain anyone traveling with a child for a long period of time. A court mandate prevents children from being held in custody for longer than 20 days.

(MORE: US to stop detaining some migrant families apprehended at border)

Trump also accused Obama of building "cages" that he thought were "very inappropriate."

"They were built by the President Obama's administration, not by Trump," the president said.

Trump is likely referring to 2014 photos, taken by The Associated Press, that some liberal activists circulated online last year and falsely tying the photos to Trump. The photos showed children being held temporarily at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Nogales Placement Center in Nogales, Ariz. After young migrants are processed, if they are traveling alone, they are released into the care of the Department of Health and Human Services. Families are typically released pending a court date.

Cecilia Munoz, President Obama's Director of the Domestic Policy Council told NPR last year that in 2014, amid a surge in unaccompanied minors from Central America, U.S. officials were strained in trying to process the children quickly. As a result, "kids ended up kind of piling up in Border Patrol lockups, which are no places for children."

ABC News' Quinn Owen and Jon Karl contributed to this report.
After two years of speculation about which of them is best suited to bring the Trump era to a merciful end in 2020, Democratic politicians who have been spending their free time forming exploratory committees, soliciting donations, giving inspiring speeches, and hanging out in Iowa diners are at last announcing formal bids to become the next president of the United States. Over the next few weeks, we'll take a look at each of the front-runners: Who are they? What do they stand for? And in order to have a shot at winning the nomination they seek, what tough questions will they have to answer first?

Previously, we looked at Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Joe Biden, and Beto ORourke. Next up: South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg.

Why is the mayor of a mid-sized Midwestern city running for president?

With apologies to ORourke, a three-term congressman who lost a Senate race and is now running for President of the United States, Buttigiegknown around South Bend and/or the Internet as Mayor Peteis the most obvious answer to the question, Which serious Democratic hopeful is perhaps furthest out over his proverbial skis?

Since graduating from Harvard College in 2004, Buttigieg (thats BOOT-a-judge, which is why Mayor Pete comes in so handy) has worked on a handful of unsuccessful campaigns in Indiana, studied at Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship, and spent stretches at two consulting firms, including three years at global behemoth McKinsey and Company. In 2011, he was elected mayor of his hometown, and won a second term in 2015; a Naval reservist, he spent seven months in Afghanistan as an intelligence officer in 2014. These are extremely impressive credentials! Compared to the senators and governors and former vice presidents in the running, though, Buttigiegs resume reads like it accidentally got cut off after the first few lines.

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The reason he isnt seeking a job that somewhere between medium-sized-city-mayor and President of the United States is probably the same one that nudged Beto into the race: Buttigieg has the misfortune of being a bright Democratic star in a solidly-Republican state, which leaves him with few appealing prospects for seeking higher office. South Bend sits squarely in a red congressional district once represented in Washington by Mike Pence. Indiana hasnt elected a Democratic governor since 2000. The state does not have a Senate election until 2022, and neither the 2016 nor 2018 contests were particularly close. Recently-ousted Democratic senator Joe Donnelly can credit his surprise 2012 win mostly to the fact that his opponent, Richard Mourdock, opined during the campaign that pregnancies caused by rape are something that God intended. (Mourdock still lost by fewer than six points.)

Perhaps Buttigieg surveyed his options and decided that if youre bound to be a long shot in your next election, you might as well get ambitious about it. But deciding instead to mount a Senate or gubernatorial bid in the next few yearseven a Beto-esque spirited losing effortwould do wonders for his national profile. (Buttigiegs unsuccessful bid to chair the DNC in 2017, for example, did exactly that.) His challenge in this contest will be to articulate why he is so well-suited for the White House right now.

Can a millennial make a viable candidate?

Its time for a new generation of American leadership, reads the splash page on Buttigiegs web site. The 37-year-old has been widely touted as the first millennial major-party presidential candidate, as recently exhibited by his made-for-virality participation in the most online of all online debates: Is a hot dog a sandwich? (His ruling, for the record, is no.)

This distinctionthe being-the-first-millennial-candidate one, not the hot dog onesounds like a promising data point until you remember the people who actually elect this countrys leaders are...old. In 2016, people under 30 comprised just 13 percent of the electorate; good tweets, as the classic political science saying goes, are not the same as votes. The demographic groups most inclined to participate in elections might not be ready to cede the White House to the next generation just yet.

This is not an impossible barrier for a good politician to overcome. John F. Kennedy was 43 when elected president, and Barack Obama was 47. But like those men didand to a greater extent than some of his more experienced 2020 competitors will have to doButtigieg has to rely on cobbling together a coalition of his more enthusiastic younger supporters and the more plentiful older voters in order to make a dent.

Buttigiegs military service is one obvious distinction that he could argue demonstrates his maturity and fitness for the job; so is his purported ability to connect with conservative heartland voters. (More on this later.) Sometimes, the youthful, upstart underdog displays just enough charisma to sway just enough voters; sometimes, Marco Rubio loses his home state in humiliating fashion and has to suspend his campaign a few days later.

Where...where are his beliefs?

For someone who wants to be president, Buttigieg has exhibited a notable reluctance to talk about policy. His web site, incredibly, does not even have an issues page. The first tab is...a store. The rest of the site is just a short bio, a list of events, and a Donate prompt.

When asked about this dearth of specifics, Buttigieg explained to VICE that he wants to articulate...values and lay out our philosophical commitmentsboth of which, he argues, the right has done more successfully than the leftbefore getting into specifics. He goes so far as to suggest that candidates who claim to have their beliefs all figured out on day one of their campaigns might be a little bit dishonest.

Its fair to point out that beliefs can change over time, and that early, grandiose campaign promises often get candidates in trouble down the line. Still, as Current Affairss Nathan J. Robinson points out, its not at all clear why he treats asserting values and espousing policies as mutually exclusive propositions, and the mayors underdog status does not leave him a ton of room for strategic missteps. When asked why he wants to hold an office, Robinson concludes, Buttigieg talks much more about who he is than what he will do.

In interviews, Buttigieg has provided a few tangible hints about how hed govern. He says he backs the Green New Deal, for example, and a transition to single-payer health care, and abolishing the Electoral College. He supports statehood for D.C., and for Puerto Rico if it so chooses. His plan for reforming the Supreme Courtan expansion to 15 justices, five of whom may be seated only by unanimous consent of the other 10is robust, if a little ambitious. (Because the Constitution requires the Senate to provide advice and consent on Supreme Court nominees, for example, transferring part of that power to some of its sitting justices might require a constitutional amendment.)

This is a solid foundation. Mayor Petes problem, though, is that hes competing in a race in which already-more-established candidates like Bernie Sanders and (especially) Elizabeth Warren have unveiled a torrent of specific, wonky proposals: dueling wealth taxes, a tech industry reform framework, universal childcare, and so on. By failing to do the sameand, more importantly, by expressing a weird affirmative disinterest in doing soButtigieg risks being dismissed as a lightweight. This dynamic might be particularly challenging during debates, if he comes across as obviously unprepared relative to the other candidates onstage. Values are good; having a plan for putting them into practice is just as important.

Can he be the Democratic Partys elusive connection to the Upper Midwest?

So far, Buttigieg is one of two 2020 candidates hailing from one of the six Midwestern-ish states that Barack Obama won once or twice, but that Hillary Clinton lost: Iowa, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. (Ohio congressman and longer-than-long-shot Tim Ryan is the other one.) The mayor began dangling this carrot in front of Democrats well before he became a presidential candidate. Why not have somebody from the industrial Midwest at a time where my party...has struggled to connect in these parts of the United States? he asked Mehdi Hasan on The Intercepts Deconstructed podcast. In a 2016 Medium post titled A letter from flyover country, he noted that he won 80 percent of the vote in a rust belt city in the seat of a county that would split its vote evenly between Clinton and Trump.

Perhaps the deftest recent demonstration of Buttigiegs fluency in the culture wars lingo came during an appearance on The Breakfast Club, when he was asked about where he stands on Chik-fil-A. The chain was the subject of nationwide protests in 2012 after its CEO expressed opposition to same-sex marriage, and then nationwide counter-protests after customers who opposed same-sex marriage went out and bought a ton of waffle fries as a show of support. I do not approve of their politics, allowed Buttigieg, who is openly gay. But I kind of approve of their chicken. The message isnt subtle: If Democrats want Middle America back, Mayor Pete is the guy who can deliver it.

Given the Democratic Partys dominance of South Bend politicsit hasnt elected a Republican mayor since 1964Im not sure his record of electoral victories there, by itself, constitutes clear evidence of broad bipartisan appeal in the heartland. But in a recent Iowa poll, Mayor Pete finished a surprising third, trailing only Sanders and Biden, and in a late 2016 New Yorker interview, none other than President Obama named the then-34-year-old Buttigieg as a future party leader who could pose a legitimate challenge to Trump. For Democratic voters still reeling from the Midwest shellacking they endured in 2016, the possibility of finding a hero who can take back the region in decisive fashion may be too tantalizing to ignore.

That Iowa caucuses first in the incremental primary process could be a huge advantage for Buttigieg, because success begets media attention and media attention begets more success. If he wins there, or even just beats out a few of his big-name competitors, the ensuing HERE COMES MAYOR PETE-style coverage will boost his name recognition among voters in New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina, and the dozen states that vote on Super Tuesday a month later. Because Buttigieg is more dependent on Iowa than, say, Harris or Biden or Sanders, look for him to invest heavily in this contest to try and ride a wave of momentum afterwards.

How well did he actually do as South Bends mayor?

The history of local politicians who have decided to run for president is, to put it delicately, not kind to local politicians who have decided to run for president. In 1992, Irvine city councilman Larry Agran earned some grassroots support in California and among mayors in other cities, but was excluded from debates and managed to receive only three votes at the Democratic National Convention. Before launching his career as Donald Trumps chief cable news apologist, Americas Mayor Rudy Giuliani finished fourth in the GOPs 2008 New Hampshire primary and dropped out a few weeks later. The only office Green Party candidate and recount grifter Jill Stein held before launching her White House bids was a seat on her Massachusetts hometowns legislative council, and we all remember how that shitshow turned out.

Some aspects of being a mayor could, in theory, play to a presidential candidates advantage. Unlike many legislators, mayors see the impact of their work every day, because they live and work in the middle of it. Mayors can be especially attuned to the needs of their constituents for the simple fact that they have fewer constituents than a senator or governor or member of Congress. By and large, mayors are less interested in partisan politics than they are in solving problems, because they know if the potholes dont get fixed, voters blame the chief executive before they blame anyone else. There are ways, in other words, for Buttigieg to spin his mayoralty-heavy resume as a strengthone that no other 2020 candidate can offer.

Again: in theory! Because Buttigieg has had only this one job, his performance will be subjected to especially close scrutiny. His efforts to reduce blight by razing decrepit South Bend homes might be an inspiring example of a no-nonsense, roll-up-your-sleeves brand of politics; they might also be a fancy way of describing government-facilitated gentrification. Even as hes spearheaded a revitalization of the downtown corridor, 40 percent of South Bends African-Americans and one-third of Hispanic residents are below the poverty line. A bizarre incident in which he demoted the citys black police chief for secretly recording officers who had made racist commentsButtigieg explained that the chiefs potential violations of federal wiretapping laws forced his handis sure to draw renewed media interest.

Perhaps the portrait that emerges from the forthcoming examinations of South Bend is one of a city in which Americans of all backgrounds and income brackets would want to live. If it does, maybe Buttigieg becomes the nominee notwithstanding his lack of traditional national experiencethe affable, neighborly Mayor Pete, as likely to officiate your quickie wedding or dazzle with his Norwegian language skills as he is to ask for your vote. If its anything different, though, Buttigiegs candidacy will be in trouble, because hell have nothing else to turn to in order to make his case.
Add Jordan Rodgers to the growing list of celebrity groomsmen. The Bachelorette personality and fiance of former season lead JoJo Fletcher served as the best man at his brother Luke Rodgerss wedding on Sunday, April 7.

The springtime ceremony was held at the Riverwood Mansion in Nashville, Tennessee. Jordan, 30, was captured standing tall in support of his brother and new sister-in-law Aimee Wathen during the ceremony in one particular post on social media. Guests also posted additional scenic pictures of the couple and other family members and friends. (Its unclear whether Aaron Rodgers attended the wedding after a well-known family rift.)

View this post on Instagram Congrats @thelukerodgers & @aimwathen!! A post shared by Michael Reddish (@mredd) on Apr 7, 2019 at 5:22pm PDT

TK

Wathen, whos a blogger, wrote that she got engaged to Luke in July 2018. Leading up to the nuptials, the couple hosted a rehearsal dinner attended by both Jordan and JoJo. Wedding Day for these two! Jordan expressed on Instagram Sunday morning. Couldnt be happier to add a sister to the family! @joelle_fletcher we are up next!

The Bachelorette couple, now engaged for two years, will soon begin unveiling information about their upcoming nuptials. We said that 2019 was going to be the year that we set our date, so now were actively thinking about when the date is going to be, Fletcher previously said on her web series. The couple announced that they were holding off from sharing details until after Lukes wedding.

See more photos from Luke and Wathens wedding below.

View this post on Instagram I AM MARRYING @aimwathen TODAY!!! #loveofmylife #weddingday A post shared by Luke Rodgers (@thelukerodgers) on Apr 7, 2019 at 8:02am PDT

View this post on Instagram Lets get married today @thelukerodgers A post shared by AIMEE WATHEN (@aimwathen) on Apr 7, 2019 at 4:11am PDT

Secure your ideal wedding vision by starting with The Knots Style Quiz, here.

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From ELLE

You know K-Beauty. You know J-Beauty. But there's another emerging global beauty trend on the rise, and it's coming from Down Under: A-Beauty. Know for their less-is-more approach to beauty regimens, Australian companies are staking claim in the beauty industry and bringing a host of natural ingredients with them.

Kirsten Carriol, founder of Sydney-based brand Lano, defines A-Beauty as "the opposite of K-Beauty." Carriol says, "Aussies are much more laid back with much less time invested. We prefer to be at the beach. Some may call us lazy! But we love to cut corners-and a beauty hack-and we are very no-nonsense and no bullshit, which is why a lot of our products are multi-use," she says. "Its about less, but better. One product that does eight things-not eight products." Jess Hatzis, co-founder of Melbourne-based Frank Body agrees, claiming Australian women take a "more benefits, less worries" approach to their routines. To her, A-Beauty is defined by choosing products that are so effective you don't have to work so hard. "This effortless-yet-effective philosophy is grounded in highlighting natural ingredients that protect, nourish, and soothe skin without complex routines, steps, and formulas," she explains. "It's the antithesis of the multi-step modern skincare routine."

Read on for more about A-Beauty, plus the Australian beauty brands that should be on your radar.



Lano is best known for its ultra hydrating lips and body moisturizers that all harness the power of lanolin (a natural, human oil-like byproduct made from sheared sheep wool). Carriol came up with the idea for Lano when she experienced dry lips during a long-haul flight. "Aussies are really hardcore about flying-for us, 12 hours is nothing. 24 hours is pretty much standard," the founder says. "I wanted to formulate wake-me-up ingredients to really give your skin a proper jolt during and after a long flight." Recently, introducing face products to the brand, one standout is the Aussie Flyer Mask. It includes caffeine, mint, and ginger, which all create a mild "buzzing" sensation on the skin as it boosts circulation. "You're left with a really juice just-had-a-facial-skin-feel," she says.

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You've probably heard of Frank Body-the brand's coffee scrub debuted in 2013 and instantly took over Instagram with its playful product. After all, how could anyone resist 'gramming their body covered in the coffee grinds exfoliant that helped minimize the looks of cellulite and moisturize? Since then, Frank's expanded to face masks, cleansers, and lip products.

"As an Australian founded and made brand, we have long prided ourselves in our local roots. Our natural ingredient philosophy is the focal point of all products," Hatzis says. See: Frank Body's latest launch, the A-Beauty scrub, created with native Australian ingredients like Vitamin C-rich kakadu plum, eucalytpus, and finger lime, a naturally occurring AHA exfoliant. The combo of ingredients fight hyperpigmentation and help fade scars.

Sand & Sky is a big on A-Beauty-in fact, they have a whole page on their website that outlines the time-saving, multitasking philosophy. True to its minimalist approach, the brand just has two products, including a wildly popular pink clay mask boasting Australian botanical ingredients that clean and smooth the skin.

Founded by Jose Bryce Smith, O&M originally started as a salon in Sydney. Carriol calls O&M "a clean beauty pioneer" and never travels without the natural haircare brand's Thickening Spray. Expect the look and feel of luxury products with ultra clean formulas free of harsh chemicals like parabens, phtalates, and sulfates. Instead, the brand uses native Australian ingredients sourced from the country's vast geographical offerings from the desert to the ocean. The product catalog is massive and caters to every hair concern- from protecting color treatment and taming frizz, to pumping up volume and repairing strands.

If you're looking for a nail polish with clean ingredients, insiders suggest Kester Black. Founded in 2014 by Melbourne designer Anna Ross, the brand calls itself "Australia's most ethical beauty brand." Its vegan, mostly organic polishes are 10-free and water permeable, which means they allow water penetration and better breathability for the health of your nails. The permeability also makes it halal-certified so Muslim customers can use the lacquers, a win on the inclusivity front. As for the actual shades, there's something for everyone: pastels, metallics, neon brights and more.

This haircare brand uses the best of Australia's native ingredients including kakadu plum, frankincense, macadamia oil, passionflower, and acai berry. The products are minimalist in packaging and formulas, created without parabens and sulfates, and PETA-certified. True to its Aussie roots, the brand aims to make hair care simple with a high-fashion sensibility. It's been used backstage at fashion week for runways like Noon by Noor, Area, and Brandon Maxwell.

"The Foundation is the best thing that ever happened to my limp hair," Hatzis says of the brand's pre-styling volume-boosting protectant.

Former beauty editor Zoe Foster Blake used her 15 years of experience to create this effective, clean, BS-free line of skincare. Go-To has all your face and body basics (made with plant-derived ingredients), garnering a cult following.

"Minimal ingredients, maximum results" is the mantra of Dr. Roebuck's, a skincare brand founded by sisters Kim and Zoe Roebuck. The duo's line is inspired by their own experience with dry, sensitive skin and eczema caused by spending long days under the sun and swimming at Bondi Beach. 30 years ago their parents, both doctors, developed a minimalist formula that healed them and would inspire their line of multi-tasking masks, moisturizers, scrubs, cleansers, and more. Expect botanical ingredients even the most sensitive skin can benefit from, like jojoba, primrose oil, kakadu plum extract, and rosehip oil.

"If you wouldn't put it in your mouth, we won't put it in our products," reads the Edible Beauty Australia website, founded by Anna Mitsios, a Sydney-based naturopath. Her philosophy is to create skincare products so clean they're safe enough to eat-that means the wildcrafted, botanical goods are free of parabens, sulfates, artifical fragrances, and instead chock full of antioxidant-rich, Australian native herbs.

This line of hair products prides itself on vegan formulations powered by Australian ingredients like kakadu plum, olive leaf extract, and grape seed extract. Hair and scalp health is the priority, so the plant-based shampoos, conditioners, and more are free of any harsh chemicals and parabens. Davroe also specializes in caring for colored hair, with a range of gentle products that won't strip dye.

Supermodel Miranda Kerr has long been a green beauty devotee, first launching this line in 2009 in Australia-and now it is in 25 countries. The certified organic skincare and makeup products use ingredients like rosehip oil, noni, and chamomile for spa-quality results. Every product will make you glow, glow, glow.

Eleven Australia is the brainchild of hairdresser Joey Scandizzo and photographer Andrew O'Toole, who took what they learned from working on photoshoots and runway shows to launch the brand in 2011. The products-many of which are vegan friendly-use plant ingredients like avocado oil, papaya extract, Australian macadamia nut oil, argan oil, and more to infuse ultra nourishment in styling products.

Australian model Jessica Hart, a self-professed natural beauty lover, brings the A-Beauty approach to makeup with Luma. True to the less-is-more philosphy, the brand is all about a no-makeup makeup look with BB creams, subtle cheek and lip tints, and highlighters. The line also includes unfussy skincare products meant to simplify your routine and make skin look radiant with crushed pearl powder, jojoba oil, and hyaluronic acid.

Amy Jean, Australia's resident eyebrow queen, has shaped everyone from Naomi Campbell to Mel B-opening her first studio in 2004. She now has five studios across the country from Brisbane to Melbourne and launched her own line of products in 2018. Carriol recommends the eyebrow gel: "So good to take on the edge of my brows when they go dark in the winter," she says. Skinny pencils that mimic microblading, concealer sticks, and a "veil" for shading the arches are also a part of the collection.

This Byron Bay, New South Wales-based skincare company was founded by Ross Macdougald, a chemist committed to proving organic ingredients can outperform manmade ones. Biologi is a 100 percent active natural plant serum (other products have active ingredients at only 2 percent), made without chemicals, additives, perfumes, and even water. It uses homegrown ingredients like Davidson Plum, great for anti-aging and acne prone skin, finger lime, great for hydration, and kakadu plum, which treats hyperpigmentation.

No A-Beauty guide would be complete without the O.G., Aesop. The Melbourne-based brand's black and white, glass jars are status symbols, elevating every vanity they occupy. There's a reason they've maintained popularity since 1987-the plant-based formulas are effective and the luxe experience is incomparable.

Jurlique is another leader of the A-Beauty wave-Carriol calls the brand "a genuine natural beauty pioneer in Australia." The founders, Ulrike and Jurgen Klein, launched the brand over 30 years ago using their backgrounds in botany and biochemistry to make high performing, plant-based products. All the ingredients are harvested from a sustainable farm in Adelaide Hills, South Australia where flowers like lavender, rose, and calendula thrive.

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It was a fete to remember. Yes, for the glamour of it all. Not every wedding celebration stars a world-class celebrity and his dashing groom. The storied venue, The Grill and The Pool (no less iconic for having shed their Four Seasons affiliation), thus boasted a dazzling crowd with a through-the-roof glitterati quotient. Upwards of 650 guests came together at Saturday nights party to celebrate the marriage of Marc Jacobs and Char Defrancesco, everyone dressed to the nines and eager to revel, many dancing under the huge disco ball well past the wee hours. There was talk of a 6 a.m. departure for some. I can personally attest to 4 a.m.

Indeed, the party provided serious people-watching ops for the mere mortals in the room, yet less so than at other events at which the famous and not comingle under one roof, drinking from the same Champagne cache and nibbling (or not) on the same passed hors doeuvres, here, wasabi lobster canapes, crab cakes, pigs in the blanket and sliders.

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It was hard not to notice the likes of Christy Turlington; Naomi Campbell; Kate Moss with beautiful daughter Lila in tow; the Sisters Hadid; Lil Kim; Frank Ocean; Miss Fame; Rita Ora; Chloe Sevigny; Anna Wintour, and the ever-Divine Miss M.

Yet what was most special about this wedding is that, for all its celebrity, the glitter, the sparkle, the feathers, the disco ball and five-tier, 6-foot-tall cake, it all felt wondrously intimate, the stars and mortals aligned in singular celebration, deeply happy for Marc and Char. So Naomi bopping on the dance floor to the Talking Heads with a store employee she didnt know from Adam? Why not? Such crossover interaction was the evenings norm.

Often at a wedding, many of the guests know one half of the couple far better than the other. On Chars side, his parents, Sonya and Gary Hallmark, and siblings Jonathan Defrancesco, Jennifer Stoltz and Jamie Stoltz flew in from California, and some extended family, from Switzerland. Chars L.A.-based barber, Jim Baker, arrived in time, despite flight trouble when his Wednesday redeye was delayed until Thursday morning after the original pilot fell ill. Jims date for the evening: his sister, Jori Baker. The Cleveland natives proved delightful, if a tad smug about the woeful trade that sent Odell Beckham, Jr. from the Giants to the Browns.

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Among the Marc Jacobs family folk, chief executive officer Eric Marechalle deserves to take pride in what feels like a sound turnaround for the company that prior to his arrival went through a series of missteps. Unlike Marechalle, a relative newcomer to Marcs sphere, many go way back with the designer and company, whether on-staff or in long-term affiliations. Of course, Robert Duffy, with whom Marc launched the company, attended. So, too, did Nick Newbold, the designers right hand and officiant of Fridays marriage ceremony; stylist extraordinaire Katie Grand, who can work an outrageous feathered frock as well as any model shes ever dressed (she can also work a dance floor, as this chronic non-wedding dancer pulled into her orbit can now attest); Michael Ariano, Marcs p.r. and wedding logistics captain; Sean Donovan, executive assistant; creative director Joseph Carter; design director Emily Diamond; atelier head Danuta Denuree; Laura Bond, also in design; Leslie Clements, longtime business-side guru; Bookmarc director Jen Baker, who fabulously rocked a Patti Smith homage; Kate Waters, beauty and fragrance consultant; Sylvie Rouaix, from Kendo, which produces the beauty line; advertising exec Jen Sagum; art director Peter Miles, and from KCD, show-production wizard Julie Mannion and p.r. Renee Barletta (looking way too young to be scheduling college-visiting tours with her oldest), and former KCD publicist Meghan Wood.

Members of the press were there not to cover, but as guests: Grace Coddington, whose exquisite illustrated book with Marc is about to be released; Cathy Horyn, accompanied by her handsome son Jacob and his girlfriend, Sarah; Hamish Bowles; Glenda Bailey, Candy Pratts Price, Laura Brown, Emmanuelle Alt, Jessica Iredale and Bryanboy. Marcs dear friend and onetime designer-turned-editor Ricky Vider attended as well, also with her dashing son, James.

Designer guests included Anna Sui (she and Marc go way back), Stuart Vevers, Lazaro Hernandez and former MJ intern Jack McCollough. Cynthia Rowley arrived with the artist Genieve Figgis, whose work inspired Marcs spring collection. Peter Copping and Julie de Libran, each of whom worked with Marc at Louis Vuitton, also made the trip. And speaking of LVMH types past and present, Phoebe Philo, Kim Jones, Virgil Abloh and Delphine Arnault turned out as well.

Theres an intimacy to fashion, some of it manufactured out of necessary convenience and some that runs deep and real, so theres genuine integration of professional and personal relationships. Its no secret among those who know Marc that he has dealt with a great deal in his life, fighting through both personal and business challenges. Nor is it a secret that, for all the global fascination with the fashion world, there remains an insider aspect.

This is our lives in fashion for the last 30 years, said millinery maestro Stephen Jones, casting about the room that, in addition to the afore-mentioned partiers offered sightings of Ellen Saltzman, Pat McGrath, Guido Palou and more. As for Jones himself, a starstruck guest meeting him for the first time said she felt as if she were meeting the president. Not this one, I hope! he shuddered. No, she clarified. The last one. Or the next one!

Such went the glorious aura of community, everyone honored to be included and uplifted to share in this powerful expression of happiness. The festivities occurred almost exactly a year after the couple became engaged at a Chipotle, and were positioned between both of their birthdays, Chars on April 4 and Marcs, tomorrow, April 9. The couple chose to hold the ceremony in front of about 40 friends on Friday in Rye, N.Y., at the Frank Lloyd Wright house they recently purchased, which will become their primary residence.

Im 55 years old; Im getting married, Marc told me recently, when talking about the house and perhaps subliminally, about Char. This feels like really a new chapter.Its like, you know when people say when you find the right one, youll know it?

Achieving that level of serenity has been a long and sometimes difficult journey for Marc, which makes his and Chars wedding celebration all the more moving  a feeling registered en masse when Nick introduced a video of the couple exchanging their vows.

Never in my life would I ever have imagined a happier ending for myself, and then you came along, Char said to Marc. I was so amazed and so humbled that such a remarkable and brilliant man would want to love and be with just a regular guy like meI love you with all my heart, body and mind, and I vow to you today that Ill never float away.

From Marc to Char: It is a privilege to be with you and have you in my life.What you have given me that I have never had before is the dream of the happy forever, and I promise you that I will never, ever float away.

Heres to Marc and Char, and to that dream made real, that happy forever, and never floating away.

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A deadly "superbug fungus" is spreading across the United States and health officials are growing increasingly concerned.

The fungus, a type of yeast called Candida auris, can lead to an infection of the bloodstream, heart, or brain, and these infections are difficult to treat. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced in March that nearly 600 cases in 12 states have been confirmed so far in 2019. Alarmingly, more than one-third of patients who develop an invasive infection from Candida auris die, according to the CDC.

For more on infectious diseases, check out our Infectious Disease Condition Center

The fungus isn't just hitting the U.S.: It's been detected in Asia, Australia, Europe, South America, and Africa. There are three main classes of antifungal medications, and some Candida auris infections are resistant to all of them. This is why some are calling Candida auris a superbug, a name typically given to bacteria that's resistant to antibiotics.

Candida auris infections may be difficult to recognize, Bernard Camins, MD, medical director for infection prevention at Mount Sinai Health System in New York, tells Health. "The symptoms may not be any different from any other infection you see." They include fever, weakness, low blood pressure, and feeling tired.

A similar fungus, Candida albicans, muddies the waters further, Dr. Camins adds. "Candida albicans can cause bloodstream infections in health care settings as well," he says, and it's hard, even for doctors, to distinguish between the two. The drug-resistant nature of Candida auris, however, "makes it harder to treat," he says. "That's the difference."

Before you freak out: Candida auris has only been reported among hospitalized patients in health care facilities, and only 587 cases have been confirmed in the entire country. People in hospitals, nursing homes, and clinics have a higher risk of falling ill from Candida auris, which lives on contaminated equipment and surfaces in such settings. The fungus can live on your skin and not cause an infection. But if it infects a wound or your blood, it can be fatal. Infections are most common in people with already weakened immune systems, who take lots of antibiotics, or have devices like feeding or breathing tubes going into their bodies, according to the CDC.

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RELATED: British Doctors Are Warning That This Sexually Transmitted Infection Could Be the Next Big Superbug

However, a recent New York Times report highlighted the fact that it's not always clear which facilities are affected.

That's because hospital staff members don't have to announce to the public if Candida auris has been detected within their facility. In fact, the CDC isn't allowed to publicly recognize hospitals that are trying to manage the spread of Candida auris and other potentially dangerous bugs, according to the Times report.

Some say announcing the spread of a deadly fungus at a hospital would do more harm than good, keeping people from seeking medical care when they need it. Others say withholding that information isn't fair. "Who's speaking up for the baby that got the flu from the hospital worker or for the patient who got MRSA from a bedrail? The idea isn't to embarrass or humiliate anyone, but if we don't draw more attention to infectious disease outbreaks, nothing is going to change," Arthur Caplan, PhD, told the New York Times.

States handle such outbreaks differently, Dr. Camins says. For example, in New York, health care professionals are required to report cases of Candida auris to the state's health department, he says. The health department then lets the CDC know about the presence of the fungus at a facility.

RELATED: What Is Hantavirus? We Talked to an Expert About the Rare, Life-Threatening Virus Carried by Rodents

Health care facilities are taking certain precautions to prevent the spread of Candida auris, Dr. Camins says. Largely, these precautions are "the same things we've done for other resistant bacteria." That includes disinfecting facility surfaces with bleach, he says, and insuring hospital workers wear a gown and gloves when in contact with a patient with a Candida auris infection.

Healthy Americans "probably have a low chance of Candida auris infection," according to the CDC. Still, it can't hurt to wash your hands carefully and frequently if you're visiting or caring for someone in a health care facility. If you're going to be there often, you might want to consider wiping surfaces around you down with bleach every now and then.

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As a firefighter, Eddy Weiss traveled around the country to help people who had just gone through a natural disaster. But helping the people of Joplin, Missouri, in 2011 after a devastating tornado would turn out to be disastrous for his health.

Joplin was the home of old lead mines, Weiss tells Yahoo Lifestyle. The tornado stirred up lead fragments, dust, and other toxins, and made a lot of people sick as a result, he says. What I didnt realize is that there had a been a lot of people that had gotten infected in Joplin and that there were first responders who had lost their lives because of an infection they had inhaled, Weiss shares.

He went home after helping with the disaster and says he had a horribly sore throatscratchy, coughing, sneezing, and it got worse. At one point, the cough got so bad that he passed out. He was hospitalized and diagnosed with COPD (or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), an umbrella term that encompasses several different lung problems, including emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and refractory asthma.

Weiss says his doctor told him that he had five years to live if he kept going with his lifestyle, or 10 years if he made changes. COPD is not something you can screw around with. Its debilitating, he says, noting that he has breathing attacks at night and wonders if hell die. My poor wife, how many times I woke her up. I didnt wake her up to help me. I woke her up just to see her one more time because what if thats it, he says. COPD put me in a much darker place than my career had already put me.

Now, Weiss says he has a panic attack if an escalator or elevator is out. Im trapped. I cant take the stairs, he says. Halfway down those stairs could be the last step I take. Theres a psychological side to COPD that is evil because you can make yourself worse by worrying about how bad you are.

While living with the disease is scary, Weiss says hes trying to make the most of every moment, including having a baby at age 55. Hes also doing a podcast with his grown son, Jon, called In the Arena. The name stems from the 1910 speech by Teddy Roosevelt  my hero  who admonished the world by saying that it is not the critics that count at the end of the day, but those who stand in the arena getting their boots dirty, losing blood to save the rest.

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Weiss adds: Im still making every second count. Im not going to stop moving. I dont want to die on the day I did nothing. If I die, its going to be a high-speed death because Im going to be moving.

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Inside Marc Jacobss Fashion-Filled Wedding at the Grill

Photo: Robert Fairer

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Photo: Hannah Thomson For Robert Fairer

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Photo: Hannah Thomson for Robert Fairer

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Photo: Hannah Thomson for Robert Fairer

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Photo: Hannah Thomson for Robert Fairer

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Photo: Hannah Thomson for Robert Fairer

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Photo: Robert Fairer

Photo: Robert Fairer

Photo: Robert Fairer

When the groom proposed to the groom with a flash mob at Chipotle, you knew the wedding party was going to be endless fun. Sure enough, decades of uber fashion, art, style, and club gurus collided at the Grill and the Pool for the joyous nuptial celebrations of Marc Jacobs and dashing funster candlesmith Char Defrancesco. (The ceremony itself took place Friday afternoon at the couples house in Rye, New York, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1955.)

In one of many fleeting vignettes of the night, Christy Turlington introduced her husband, Ed Burns, to Gigi Hadid; Kaia Gerber was caught in a tableau with Amber Valletta and Helena Christensen; and Kate Moss swanned past channelling Julie Christie in a plum-color jersey slink with her daughter Lila Grace in a gilded micro mini on her arm.

I first met Marc in the 80s when I was a junior fashion editor at Harpers & Queen in London and he was a Saturday boy at Charivari who was beginning to make a name for himself with his playful trompe loeil sweaters and exuberant fashion. We crossed paths in his showroom and at such achingly stylish nighttime boites as Club 57 on St. Marks Place, and then, as now, I marveled at Marcs uncanny ability to capture the zeitgeist of the moment and translate it into clothing.

At his wedding festivities, decades of my own club days flashed before me as legendary 80s London DJ Fat Tony spun the up-tempo discs whilst Bette Midler collided with Debi Mazar and Andre Walker and Anna Sui and Patricia Field, and more glittering Drag Race contestants than you could shake a fistful of Swarovski crystals at, whilst the ageless Susanne Bartsch reigned supreme in a jet beaded catsuit swathed in enough soft pink tulle to fashion the tutus for a Swan Lake corps de ballet.

You know its a fashion happening when Sarah Andelman, legendary retail guru of Colettefamed for her no-nonsense, no-makeup looksports a full smoky eye and fire engine red lip. The restaurant was packed with hundreds of jostling celebrants giving their fashion alleverywhere you looked there were ruffles and flounces from Jacobss joyful recent collections, and swooningly hot guys in pastel suits and florals. Meanwhile, Jacobss pagoda shoulders, crafted by cutter Ralph Fitzgerald of the storied Savile Row tailor Huntsman; his glossy vanilla-color custom Gucci Chelsea boots, courtesy of Alessandro Michele; Chanel purse; David Webb white enamel lions head cufflinks; and chic Cartier golden wedding band proved that god is in the details, and Defrancescos deep emerald velvetanother Huntsman triumphcustom Louboutins, and one of the couples twinned Art Deco diamond and onyx penguin pinsa symbol of fidelityset the bar for sartorial elegance. The turnout from Jacobss community of fashion colleagues was a powerful testament to the love in the room. Everywhere you turned there was a style iconfrom Phoebe Philo and Naomi Campbell to Stefano Pilati, from Rachel Feinstein to Debbie Harry and Lil Kim.

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But despite the high-voltage guest list, the atmosphere was essentially family. Jacobs had invited his former collaborators at Louis Vuitton, and the behind-the-scenes alchemists at his eponymous brands, including Peter Copping, Stephen Jones, Katie Grand, Camille Miceli, Olympia Le-Tan, and his makeup and hair magicians Pat McGrath and Guido Palau. Everyone was in a party mood.

Downstairs, a playful photography studio included cartoonish cutouts of Lady Bunny hairdos and giant earrings. After amusing myself to no end with these possibilities, there was a race to the Pool room as Jacobs and Defrancesco officially welcomed their guests. We could not ask for a greater gift than your presence, said Jacobs. Grab a hoodie on your way out, joked Defrancesco, because this shit was not free!followed by a video montage of their life together. Set to Barry Whites Cant Get Enough of Your Love, Babe, it revealed the couples playful complicity and glamorous lifestyle of private planes, island villas, and hilarious Halloween costumes. The happy couple, framed by Ariel Dearies towering flowers, cut the magnificent five-tier wedding cake by Ron Ben-Israel, Deco dancers in white tie and tails or tap shorts and top hats cavorted poolside, the caviar bars opened, and then all eyes turned to footage of the couples earlier wedding ceremony in Rye, New York, officiated by Nicolas Newbold, that brought a tear to the eye. Char, my love, in my darkest, loneliest moment you came into my life like some giant happy face, said Jacobs, and made me laugh and smile. In that moment I felt safe and loved . . . what you have given me is . . . the dream of the happy forever. I vow to try my best to make you smile every day, Defrancesco told Jacobs, and make you the happiest man you deserve to be. Cue Benj Pasek and Justin Pauls soaring For Forever from Dear Evan Hansen, and the floodgates opened.
If you weren't already convinced that Starbucks international locations get all the best menu items, then here's a bit of news for you. Starbucks is rereleasing the Pink Flamingo Frappuccino just in time for Summer - but this time around, it's getting a roll-out in a handful of Latin American countries.

The drink, which made its exclusive debut at Disney Springs back in 2017, is heading to locations in Colombia, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, and Central America, where guests will be able to order a revamped version of it from April 10-14. The updated Pink Flamingo Frappuccino is a blended strawberry beverage that's topped with whipped cream and cookie pieces, and it'll be available for purchase while supplies last.

In addition to that, Starbucks Asia is adding two brand-new Frappuccinos to its lineup. The drinks in question are the new Mixed Berry Frappuccino With Pomegranate Pearls and the Yuzu Honey Jelly Yogurt Frappuccino, both of which sound like two perfect ways to cope with the Summer heat. The former item is a blend of mixed berries and milk topped with pomegranate pearls, while the Yuzu Honey Jelly Yogurt concoction is made with real yogurt, honey, and yuzu jelly. Both cold beverages are now available in Starbucks locations all across Asia. Catch a glimpse of all three drinks and their descriptions ahead.

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One need only look at the charms that hang around Tessa Trans neck to know where the 31-year-old jewelry designer has been last. Theres coral from Kauais Anini Beach, vintage cameos found in Italy, and turquoise pendants found in Santa Fe by the brains behind the bohemian label Chan Luu, which was founded by her aunt. Im always collecting things and searching for newness everywhere I travel, says the born-and-bred Angeleno, whos known to mix flea-market findsa straw bucket hat bought in Tokyo, say, or a 50-cent Oaxacan market totewith Injiris flowy frocks, Dries Van Noten denim, and, of course, her own handcrafted bijoux.

Tran began nine years ago as an intern at Chan Luus downtown L.A. headquarters (I started at the bottom, she says with a laugh), but she has certainly risen through the ranks. The creative director now oversees everything from new collections and lookbooks to marketing and branding, a career change that is reflected in her working wardrobe: Im a little more conscious in how I dress for my age and how I want to be perceived in a professional environment, she confessesthough that doesn't mean shes immune to experimenting from time to time: I just bought a Prada top with orange feather trim to wear to my wedding after-party. Its crazy, but I love it.

Here, Tran decodes her look, from the easygoing essentials that get her work-ready to her favorite flea markets across the globe.

Rely on Good Basics to Get You Out the Door . . .

My outfit depends on my mood. (The only time I plan what Im wearing ahead of time is when Im trying to make it to a 6:00 a.m. Pilates class!) When I dress for work, I tend to dress simply. Vintage Levis and Petit Bateau T-shirts are staples, [as are] an Organic by John Patrick slip dress in camel, a Maison Margiela trench coat, a nylon Prada bucket bag, and a vintage white cotton and lace dress.

Photo: Courtesy of Tessa Tran

. . . But Dont Be Afraid to Throw In a Wild Card

I definitely like to experiment. Im a designer, so the excitement and discovery of something new is what keeps me going. Every season I try to bring in an investment piece that I can mix into my wardrobe. I just bought a Prada top with orange feather trim to wear to my wedding after-party. Its like a glammed-up Muppet look. Its crazy, but I love it.

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Photo: Courtesy of Tessa Tran

Find Freedom in Wearing Flats . . .

Working gals need to be able to move around quickly and comfortably! Im wearing less heels and more flats. Manolo Blahnik mules are classic and look great with skirts, dresses, denim . . . I love toning down a dressier outfit with a pair of sneakers, [like] my cream low-top Vans.

Photo: Courtesy of Tessa Tran

. . . And the Personal Joy of Signature Jewelry

Two things I know Ill never take off: my engagement ring from my fiance and another ring passed down from my grandmother. Youll always see me wearing a pearl. Ive had a pearl obsession ever since I was a kid, mainly because of my aunt Chans influence. I remember her always wearing South Sea pearl earrings or a large baroque pearl necklace. Right now, summer is approaching and the weather is warming up, so Im layering more necklaces and anklets. I just designed new 14-karat toe rings with tiny rose-cut diamonds and sapphires, which I cant wait to wear. During colder seasons, I wear lots of big, cozy knit sweaters and turtlenecks, so this is when Im wearing more earrings and bracelets.

Photo: Courtesy of Tessa Tran

Scout Your Local Flea Markets. . . .

I love searching for flea-market finds whenever I travel. Even something I bought at a flea market for a couple of bucks could mean so much to me. Its not all about the designer and what its worth; its about finding special pieces that mean the same to you [as your expensive designer pieces]. My favorite flea markets are Puces de Clignancourt and Saint-Ouen in Paris. You can find the most beautiful laces and buttons and beads and silverware. My favorite thing I bought is a vintage pepper grinder. In L.A., I love Rose Bowl and Long Beach, which is a little farther, so its sometimes less crowded. I also travel a lot to Mexico. There are a couple in Oaxaca that are more like mercados that sell artisanal craftwork; the one in Chiapas is stunning, too.

Photo: Courtesy of Tessa Tran

. . . And Look Out for Tiny Treasures Wherever You Go

When Im traveling Im always buying different charms and stones. Im always searching for newness at all of these craft markets and flea markets. I pick up things here and there, so Im always incorporating them into some kind of jewelry item. Whats special about charms is that every component has a backstory, and I know exactly where each came from.
IDENTITY CASE CONTINUES: A French man accused of impersonating photographer David Bellemere via social media and soliciting models is expected to return to court in Lyon, France, later this year.

Yann Labrosse, a European model is alleged to have pretended to be Bellemere online, asking models for videos and photography content for castings. Bellemeres attorney Eric Morain said a court appearance last month at Lyons Tribunal de Grande Instance resulted in Labrosse agreeing to a plea bargain, but then the magistrate in charge of the homologation  official confirmation  decided to reject it.

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Morain said, He had the right to do that, but it was very unusual that he refused to homologate this agreement. He sent the case to a public hearing that will be at the end of the year.

Labrosse did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

Bellemere said Wednesday that the problem with Labrosse affected his professional relationships with agencies and models, because most of the models didnt realize that Labrosse was an imposter and they believed that he was behaving awkwardly. Bellemere claimed that Labrosse used social media to keep track of who he was shooting, and in some cases Labrosse contacted those models within hours after Bellemere had worked with them. That very confusing. Bellemere said.

During some castings, Bellemere and his agent met some models, who complained about those messages without knowing and understanding it was the imposter harassing them to get nude content. Bellemere alleged. He was watching who I was shooting. He hacked my Facebook account and took it over. Facebook didnt believe at that point that I was the real David Bellemere. It took weeks to get that settled.

In a January WWD interview, Bellemere said he personally phoned Labrosse at one point and asked him to stop. When that didnt happen, the police in Lyon were notified.

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Bellemere was among a handful of high-profile photographers named in a Boston Globe article for allegedly mistreating models. The New York-based lensman has vehemently denied any wrongdoing in regards to those incidents as well as any others.

Morain said the judges reason is not known and such instances are very rare, adding that he has only seen one other similar situation in the past 10 years. Perhaps he thought it wasnt enough. Perhaps he thought I was too much. It was inexplicable. But both sides had agreed to a plea bargain, Morain said. So in a few months there will be a public hearing  a classic trial.

Twelve plaintiffs are involved  Bellemere and 11 models, whom Bellemere worked with in the past and Labrosse allegedly propositioned trying to pass himself off as Bellemere, Morain said. Bellemere is not obligated to attend that but his attorney said it would be a good idea for him to be present. As of yet, there has not been explanation by Labrosse, Morain said. He hasnt had to explain anything. We will talk about that in the public hearing.

Labrosse was said to have initially agreed to a plea bargain that called for a sentence of one-year suspended imprisonment, with two years of probation and the obligation to compensate the victims. Morain and Labrosse did not speak directly at any point, Morain said. The fact that this was Labrosses first offense may have been a factor in the judges rejection, as well as the heft or levity of the plea bargain (depending on ones view), according to Morain. Im waiting for the public hearing. I cannot tell the future. Im just waiting and we have to have an explanation from Yann to the tribunal and what it cost David and the other girls [professionally].

As for his advice to Bellemere, Morain said, I will tell him directly. Im sorry,

If found guilty, Labrosse would have to pay some money to Bellemere, Morain said, declining to pinpoint a potential amount.

In theory, Labrosse could receive a jail sentence but Morain said he does not expect that to happen. It is the first time for him, and for this kind of case you dont go to jail.

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Photo credit: Rui Wu

From ELLE Decor

In 1950, the European luxury suitcase company Rimowa, beloved by designers and celebrities, alike, added its now signature grooves to the aluminum shell of its cases, inspired in part by the silhouettes of airplanes. It is only fitting, then, that for his collaboration with Rimowa, timed to Milan Design Week, Spanish designer Guillermo Santoma used this same ridged aluminum in a sculpture based on another emblem of modern travel: the car. The installation entitled Gas, which is on display at the Spazio Maiocchi through April 14th and is presented in conjunction with the creative studio Kaleidoscope, features a fully-functioning car customized with Rimowa aluminum, a nod to Ed Ruscha artists book Twentysix Gasoline Stations. It is accompanied by a photographic zine and short film by Thibaut Grevet. Here, Santoma discusses the thinking behind his work.

Photo credit: wu rui ph.

How and why did American artist Ed Ruscha, and specifically his iconic series, Twentysix Gasoline Stations, become an inspiration for your collaboration with Rimowa?

I was thinking about Ed Ruschas early photographic works, which focused on the relationship between the city of Los Angeles and the car seen from an urban, architectural point of view. This series is a vision of what you see from the car window in a city where it is no longer viable to walk-the motels and gas stations that punctuate the urban landscape are almost domesticated. Ed Ruscha appropriates the symbol of the car to address the meaning of things. In a similar way, in my work, Im always interested in that ability to tell a story through metaphors.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Rimowa

Did you know immediately that you wanted your installation to center on cars? Why was that an important expression of Rimowa?

The car is a technological object but its also highly nostalgic, and that makes it a pop icon. Id wanted to work on a car for a long time, or at least work on the idea of car. We all know that it would involve an industry to produce a car, so wanting to make one is almost a contradiction in itself. The idea behind this project was really shaped by the material qualities of the Rimowa aluminum plates, plus the fact that the exhibition site, Spazio Maiocchi, was previously a garage. Then of course there are some interesting metaphoric connections between a suitcase and a car, but it is important to me that the spectator draws them.

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How did Rimowas aluminum material inspire you and what was it like working with it?

I had never worked with aluminum before, but when seeing the sheets, it immediately came to me how we could use it. When dismantling the preexisting car to reconstruct it, the main challenge was to provide a structure to the material, which is otherwise very flexible, and create tension points in order to make it rigid. In the end, it is not so different from the idea behind the suitcases, where the maximum strength is provided by rounded corners. I am interested in the idea of pushing the material to the limit.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Rimowa

Where will the car youve designed live once the exhibition is over?

The life of the car has already been. It has lived a life before I even bought it. It has lived during the construction-the idea of the process as performance is very important to each project of mine. And after working on it, we went to the Monegros desert [in northeastern Spain] to drive it. Im not interested in sculptures as dead objects-I believe in objects that exist in flux. After the exhibition, the car will live on-but we still dont know exactly where it will go next.

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Children in classroom on floor reading books.

On a recent trip to Disney World with my family, I had the pleasure of watching artist Stephen Fishwick create a painting of Goofy. While darting around his easel, flinging paint at the canvas, Stephen shared his history of growing up with developmental disabilities. What he had to say seemed to me to be a message worth sharing during Autism Awareness Month.

Like far too many individuals on the autism spectrum, or those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), Stephen was told he was stupid and that he wouldnt cut it when he was just a child in elementary school. In fourth grade, a teacher went so far as to erect a wall of cardboard boxes around him in an effort to prevent him from distracting other students. Stephen had the last word, though. Or more aptly, he had the last picture: at the end of the school year, the boxes were covered with intricate artwork.

Related: When I Feel Emotions Intensely as an Autistic Person

In high school, a supportive teacher helped to channel that talent by encouraging Stephen to go to art school. And that changed the course of his life forever. Want proof? Consider this: the painting of Goofy that I watched him create  and which only took him 10 minutes to complete  sold for nearly $2,000. Hows that for not cutting it?

Stephens story resonated deeply with me. I lead an organization serving children and adults with autism and other complex behavioral health challenges. While many of our clients are not able to live independently, and few will have the opportunity to become celebrated artists, their stories often have themes similar to Stephens. His words are a reminder that no student should ever be considered a lost cause. No matter what a persons challenge, whether autism or developmental disabilities, they can make remarkable progress when given the right supports and encouragement. At the moment, however, our public education system is struggling to provide these tools.

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Related: I'm Proud to Label Myself Autistic

What happens when a childs needs cant be met in a mainstream or even special education classroom? Without the resources to accommodate and nurture them, we are failing the growing population of autistic children in our country.

There are signs that we are headed in the right direction. In 2017, the Supreme Courts ruling in Endrew F. v. Douglas County reconfirmed that public schools have an obligation under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act to provide more than the bare minimum to students with autism and other developmental challenges. Two parents filed the case on behalf of their autistic child who was given the exact same goals and objectives each year and making no discernible progress. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, The goals may differ, but every child should have the chance to meet challenging objectives.

I couldnt agree more. But how do we do this? The answer isnt simple; the Endrew outcome has created additional complexity in terms of the advancement criteria for these children.

Related: How I Moved Forward After 'Diagnosis Day' for My Son With Autism

My organization, Grafton Integrated Health Network, has spent the last six decades serving individuals on the autism spectrum. With this long history to draw from, I believe we have lessons that may be of use in a post-Endrew environment. Here are a few things I would encourage states, schools and communities to bear in mind as we strive for progress:

Look at existing models. For the past 20 years, Virginia has created an environment recognizing the needs of individuals with autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities. The state blends funding from a variety of sources (educational, behavioral health, and local funds, among others) into comprehensive systems of care to support people, regardless of their particular diagnostic label. With the Endrew ruling, other states would benefit from implementing a similar system.

Consider what success looks like. For individuals with autism, establishing goals and measuring success can be complex. As the Endrew case rightly determined, assessing what and how much a student can achieve must be done on a highly individualized basis. Setting appropriate long- and short-term goals creates momentum for progress. At Grafton, the goals set for clients are tailored to their unique abilities. This can be as simple as washing their hands or as complex as securing a job. Like Stephen Fishwicks early artistic endeavors, we also focus on what each student enjoys doing, building plans around their individual strengths. We believe kids learn best when learning is based around their own affinities and interests. Most importantly, we know this approach works  we have seen an 80 percent success rate in the goal mastery of our clients across the entire organization.

Use a trauma-informed approach. Children with disabilities  particularly those with intellectual disabilities, behavioral problems, and communication or sensory related disabilities  are disproportionately secluded and restrained in classroom settings. According to data from the U.S. Department of Education, students with disabilities comprise two-thirds of the 277,000 children who are secluded from their classmates or restrained annually, despite representing only 12 percent of the overall student population. Yet behavioral research indicates that these techniques are not only ineffective, but that they can cause, reinforce and maintain aggression and violence. At Grafton, despite working with clients who have significant challenges  many of whom also have complex, co-occurring diagnoses  we are 99.8 percent restraint free and have eliminated seclusion entirely. After more than a dozen years of hard work to minimize the use of restraint and seclusion, our data shows that this keeps everyone (clients and staff) safe and improves outcomes.

These suggestions are only the starting point for an important conversation that needs to continue. The challenge is complex, but it is one we must solve.

April is Autism Awareness Month, but awareness alone is not enough. We must enable children to learn so that they are able to live a meaningful life. Whether that means becoming a successful artist or simply learning to dress and eat independently, society will be better for it.

Read more stories like this on The Mighty:

The Other 'A' Word in My Life Parenting a Child With Autism

We Must Stop the Shaming of Autistic Children in School

New A&E Show Puts Spotlight on Employment for People With Autism and Tourette Syndrome
Photo credit: CHU BABON/YOUTUBE

From Women's Health

Theres nothing that can truly prepare someone for a devastating injury. And when youre a competitive athlete? An unexpected accident can change the course of your entire career. For Samantha Cerio, an Auburn University gymnast, her Friday floor routine at the NCAA gymnastics regionals in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, went anything but planned.

The senior went for her first tumbling pass, attempting a handspring double front according to ESPN, landed awkwardly, and fell to the ground clutching both legs in pain. She was carried off the mat on a stretcher, and it was later revealed by hear coach, Jeff Graba, that she dislocated and tore multiple ligaments in both of her knees.

Graba took to Twitter to explain Cerio's injuries. "Senior Samantha Cerio suffered two dislocated knees Friday in Baton Rouge with multiple torn ligaments in both knees," he wrote, adding that Sam is slated to undergo surgery this afternoon. "Sam is a fighter and in great spirits. We couldn't have a better leader for this team."

You can see the moment Cerio injured both of her knees below, but be aware that the video is pretty gruesome.

On Sunday, Cerio gave us all the feels when she took to Instagram saying that Friday was her final night as a gymnast.

And despite the horrific ending to her career, shes proud of how far shes come and so, so thankful for the support shes received from friends, family, and fans far and wide.

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All,

I wanted to reach out and thank everyone who has sent me encouraging messages. I truly appreciate all of the support and prayers that I have have received! I am doing well right now and getting lots of rest! From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much! - sam_cerio (@sam_cerio) April 8, 2019

Talk about having some grace, right? Mustve been super difficult, to end her college career like this. The good news? The aerospace engineering major recently told the school newspaper that shes looking forward to life after gymnastics come graduation in May, and that she already has a job as a structural design analysis engineer with Boeing in Seattle.

"[My parents] reminded me that gymnastics will end eventually, and you need to have something to fall back on, something that you can be passionate about just as equally."

Sending all of the healing vibes your way, Sam! You get a 10.0 from us.

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Women are at the forefront of the uprising in Sudan, in which citizens have taken to the streets to demand the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir.

Women are at the forefront of protests in Sudan by citizens who are calling for the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, who has been in power for 30 years, a fact captured by one powerful photograph that went viral after it was shared yesterday on Twitter.

Demonstrations began in December against a hike in the price of bread, and since then, tens of thousands across the country have taken to the streets to call for an end to al-Bashirs autocratic regime. The recent movement is being led by members of the Sudanese Professionals Association, an umbrella group of independent professional unions, many of which include women doctors, nurses, lawyers, university professors, and morean estimated 70 percent of people in the streets are women, according to the BBC.

Sudan technically adopted Sharia law in 1983; under al-Bashirs government, Sudanese women have been subject to strict public order laws that can be used to punish them for a myriad of offenses, from committing indecent acts in public to causing an annoyance to public feelings. In addition to arbitrary jail sentences, human rights groups report women being arrested and flogged by the police. The mushrooming of resistance against al-Bashir since the protests began in December can be credited in large part to womens rights activists who have seized the moment to protest gender discrimination and violence in the country.

Journalist Zeinab Mohammed Salih reports that a group of Sudanese feminists have launched a campaign called Waqto wa naso, which means The time has come. The protests have already ignited intense debates on social media surrounding the role of women in the resistance, including around the use of the term Kandaka, which is used specifically to refer to female protestors.

Photographer Lana H. Harouns image of a young woman leading protestors in chants and song on April 8 captured the spirit of the women on the front lines of the demonstrations.

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Haroun told CNN, She was trying to give everyone hope and positive energy and she did it. . . . She was representing all Sudanese women and girls and she inspired every woman and girl at the sit-in. She was telling the story of Sudanese women. . . . She was perfect. According to Arabic media, her name is Alaa Salah ( ).

Writer and activist Hind Makki then expanded on the significance of the womans traditional clothing on Twitter, called a tobe: The white tobe is worn by working women in offices and can be linked [with] cotton (a major export of Sudan), so it represents women working as professionals in cities or in the agricultural sector in rural areas, she wrote. With her gold moon earrings, her entire outfit is also a callback to the clothing worn by our mothers and grandmothers in the 60s, 70s, and 80s who dressed like this while they marched the streets demonstrating against previous military dictatorships.

Activists have compared images of protests in Khartoum and elsewhere to those from 2011 at Tahrir Square in Cairo, teasing connections between uprisings in Sudan, Algeria, and Libya as a potential second Arab Spring. The movement in Sudan has already seen a crackdown by the military in the capital, where activists report that 22 people have been killed since the weekend by police, including five soldiers, in breaking up a sit-inbut images of the protestors, including groups of young female students, are filled with hope.

While capturing the photo that went viral on her smartphone, Haroun told CNN what she thought: This is my revolution and we are the future. . . . We have a voice. We can say what we want. We need a better life and to stay in a better place.
A 4-year-old girl was the star of an adorable photoshoot after doctors declared her officially in remission from cancer.

Molly Hughes was just 5 months old when she was diagnosed with stage-four neuroblastoma, a rare type of cancer that typically occurs in the adrenal glands on top of the kidneys, but can also spread to other areas of the body, according to St. Jude Childrens Hospital.

Neuroblastoma accounts for 50 percent of all cancers in infants, and most children are diagnosed with the disease before they reach the age of 5, the hospital reports.

Over the course of 15 months, Molly had to undergo chemotherapy, surgery, radiation and other intensive procedures, according to WBKO. After going through her last chemotherapy session in January, doctors finally informed her family that Molly is officially in remission.

She is doing really good, you cant even tell she was ever sick, mom Chelsea Hughes tells PEOPLE. Shes playing and is wild just like any other 1 year old.

To celebrate, the family  from Bowling Green, Kentucky  recently had a photoshoot starring Molly, who announced the news with a sign.

OH HAPPY DAY! Chelsea wrote in a Facebook post last month that included Mollys picture. Molly has some BIG news to share! Her scans were clear & showed no evidence of disease!! There is NO active cancer left in her little body!

Molly Hughes

RELATED: Husband And Wife Battle Cancer Together: We Push Through for Our Three Kids

While the news is positive, Molly still has to participate in further treatment to prevent cancer from recurring.

Neuroblastoma has a high risk of relapse, so she started a trial drug yesterday that helps prevent relapse, and she will take this for two years and will have scans every three months, Chelsea explains to PEOPLE. A lot of people have been saying shes cancer free but shes not technically cancer free for five years, but she is in remission and her scans showed no evidence of disease.

While the family is still looking forward to Molly being deemed cancer-free, theyre a step closer to that day  and they hope others in similar situations will find hope in their story.

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RELATED VIDEO: Marcia Cross Is Sharing Her Anal Cancer Story in the Hopes of Ending the Stigma

When Molly was first diagnosed, hearing other encouraging stories helped give us hope, so I just hope that others who hear her story can find hope and strength, Chelsea says. It is a long and hard journey but staying hopeful and faithful will help you get through.

She adds, You have to take it day by day, and know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.






U.S. Attorney General William Barr testifies before the House Appropriations Committee during a U.S. Department of Justice FY 2020 budget hearing, on Tuesday, April 9, 2019. Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM



U.S. Attorney General William Barr said he expects to hit a mid-April timetable for releasing a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller IIIs report to the public.



Barrs comments came during a budget hearing before a U.S. House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees spending for the Justice and Commerce departments. But Democrats on the panel, who are demanding the full release of Muellers findings, still used the opportunity to badger Barr with questions.



From my standpoint, within a week, I will be in a position to release the report to the public and then I will engage with the chairmen of both judiciary committees about that report, about any further requests that they have, Barr told lawmakers.



Tuesdays hearing came the same day a federal judge in Washington rejected a nonprofit groups bid to fast-track a Freedom of Information Act that demands Muellers report.



The attorney general said the Justice Department will color-code redacted portions of the report and provide explanatory notes that describe the basis for each redaction. Hes identified four types of information that could be redacted, including grand jury information, and material that could interfere with ongoing prosecutions or compromise sources and methods.



Barr reiterated he is working with Mueller to identify areas in the report that could fall under those redaction categories.



Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawaii, questioned Barr on whether he intends to directly ask a federal judge to make sensitive information in Muellers report public. Although Barr has said it would be illegal to release grand jury material, he could ask the judge presiding over Muellers grand juryChief Judge Beryl Howell of Washington's federal trial courtto permit the release.



My intention is not to ask for it at this stage, Barr told Case. He noted Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-New York, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, could make that request himself. Nadler has threatened to subpoena the Justice Department for Muellers findings, if he and Barr cant come to an agreement over redactions.



In an exchange with Rep. Nita Lowey, D-New York, Barr defended how quickly his four-page March 24 letter to lawmakerssummarizing Muellers main findingscame together. The thinking for the special counsel was not a mystery to the people of the Department of Justice prior to the submission of the report, Barr said.



Barr noted that before Mueller submitted his findings, Mueller interacted with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosensteins office, who initially oversaw the special counsel probe. The attorney general said he met with Rosenstein and Mueller on March 5, too.



Barr said earlier in the hearing that Muellers team was not involved in drafting Barrs March 24 letter. The attorney general said he offered Mueller a chance to review it, but the special counsel declined. Various news reportssuggest members of Mueller's team were dissatisfied with Barr's initial summary, believing it only provided a limited picture of the special counsel's findings.



Under questioning from Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Alabama, Barr said he is reviewing the conduct of the Mueller investigation, and trying to get my arms around all the aspects of the counterintelligence investigation that was conducted during the summer of 2016.



He noted that DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitzs pending investigation into possible abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is expected to conclude in May or June.



Read more:



DC Judge Spurns Push to Force Quick Release of Mueller Report



Stormy Weather Lies Ahead: Lawyers React to Barrs Obstruction Call



Judges Have No Inherent Power to Disclose Grand Jury Records: DC Circuit



Prosecutors Back Lobbyist Sam Patten's Push for Leniency in Mueller Case
Algiers (AFP) - Agence France-Presse bureau chief Aymeric Vincenot was expelled from Algeria on Tuesday after the authorities refused to renew his press accreditation for 2019.

Vincenot, 45, who has been in post in Algiers since June 2017, had to depart the country after his residency permit ran out and a final police deadline to leave expired.

His expulsion comes amid political tensions in Algeria and weeks of unprecedented protests, which forced president Abdelaziz Bouteflika first to abandon hopes of running for a fifth term and then to resign on April 2.

First launched on February 22, and fuelled mainly by the country's burgeoning youth, the huge protest movement is continuing despite the resignation of the long-time leader.

Apart from seeking the departure of Bouteflika and his entourage, demonstrators are demanding the dismantling of Algeria's whole political system which has ruled the country since independence from France in 1962.

"This decision taken under the presidency of Bouteflika is unacceptable and it is out of the question for us, in these circumstances, to appoint a successor for the time being," said AFP chairman Fabrice Fries in a statement.

"By depriving us of our bureau chief, this decision seriously affects our presence in Algeria, which is there to provide exhaustive and rigorous coverage of the historic events that are currently underway."

- Historic events -

Fries stressed that AFP is "not giving up" on covering the events in Algeria, highlighting that the agency had been given permission to send several special envoys to the country in recent weeks.

AFP would also continue to request further visas for other journalists to cover the events, Fries said.

Vincenot's residency permit expired on February 28 and he had been left without press accreditation since the end of 2018.

His request to renew his press card for 2019, which is a key requirement in order to obtain a residency permit, received no response from the Algerian authorities, despite AFP's best efforts to obtain an explanation.

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Vincenot had to leave on Tuesday when the final deadline given to him by the police ran out.

Algerian authorities have never officially informed the agency of their decision nor their reasons for expelling Vincenot. They simply outlined verbally various grievances to a senior member of AFP's management, during a visit to Algiers in March.

These included the AFP bureau chief's coverage of the current events and the health of Bouteflika. But they failed to provide evidence of any wrongdoing, and Vincenot was not given any right of reply.

AFP is one of the world's leading news agencies, covering the news across the world 24 hours a day in text, video, photo and graphics in six languages. It is present in 151 countries, and it has maintained a bureau in Algeria since 1962.

- Solidarity 

In its last report on press freedom, Reporters without Borders ranked Algeria in 136th place out of 180 countries.

In late March, Reuters special envoy, Tunisian journalist Tarek Amara, was expelled from Algeria where he had spent several days covering the anti-government protests.

The Algerian authorities gave no explanation for his expulsion. Reuters told AFP he had been given proper accreditation as a special envoy.

Several weeks earlier, about 10 journalists were arrested and held for several hours after taking part in a protest to denounce the pressures and restrictions imposed by their bosses on their coverage of the demonstrations.

Reporters without Borders condemned the arrests, and "the brutal intervention of the security forces."

In his statement, Fries voiced AFP's "solidarity" with "Algerian journalists, who are bravely doing their work in particularly difficult conditions".

A veteran journalist, Vincenot joined AFP in 2000 and has been sent on various missions by the agency especially in Africa.

He was deputy bureau chief for central Africa, based in Libreville, from 2004-2008, a special envoy in Afghanistan in 2011, and was posted in Nairobi from 2012 to 2016 covering east African nations.

AFP has some 1,500 journalists, serving media clients around the world.
PARIS (Reuters) - Algerian authorities have expelled Agence France-Presse's bureau chief from the country, the French news agency said on Tuesday, as the North African country is rocked by weeks of protests against its government. "This decision taken under the presidency of Mr Bouteflika is unacceptable," AFP Chief Executive Fabrice Fries said in a statement. "In these conditions, it is out of the question for us to immediately name a new Algiers chief." Aymeric Vincenot, who was AFP's Algiers bureau chief since June 2017, has seen his visa extension request turned down by Algerian officials and returned to Paris on Tuesday, an editor at the agency in Paris told Reuters. (Reporting by Michel Rose; Editing by Leslie Adler)
Appearing before Congress for the first time since submitting his summary of special counsel Robert Muellers investigation of the 2016 campaign, Attorney General William Barr pushed back against giving more details of the report, which he said found no collusion between President Trump's campaign and Russia.

Still, members of the House Appropriations subcommittee for the Commerce and Justice Departments opened the hearing by calling attention to the elephant in the room.

This Congress voted unanimously to see that report, said subcommittee Chairman Jose Serrano, D-N.Y. It would strike a serious blow to our system and yes to our democracy if that report is not fully seen.

Rep. Nita Lowey, chairwoman of the full Appropriations Committee, accused Barr of cherry-pick(ing) from the report to draw the most favorable conclusion possible" for Trump.

In his first appearance on Capitol Hill since taking office, Attorney General William Barr appears before a House Appropriations subcommittee on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. (Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

In his opening statement, Barr didnt defend or even address his summary of the report but instead focused on Trumps 2020 budget request for the Department of Justice.

Lowey pressed Barr about the process behind his summary, asking how many discussions or debates took place around the evidence and conclusions and the number of staff that helped summarize a 400-page report into four pages.

How did you do it? asked Lowey.

The thinking of the special counsel was not a mystery to the people at the Department of Justice prior to his submission of the report, said Barr. He had been interacting and his people had been interacting with the deputy attorney general and lawyers supporting the deputy attorney general in his supervision of the special counsel.

There was some inkling as to some of the thinking of the special counsel, added Barr. He said hed met with Mueller and his team early March and had a preliminary discussion about the report. So we had an inkling as to what was coming our direction, he said.

Barr said after receiving the full report from Mueller on Friday, March 22, his team worked about two and a half days to prepare the summary for Congress by Sunday.

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Barrs calm was shaken by a barrage of questions about whether the president has seen the report.

Did the White House see the report before you released your summarizing letter? Has the White House seen it since then? Have they been briefed on the contents beyond what was in your summarizing letter to the Judiciary Committee? asked Lowey.

House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., questions Barr on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Ive said what I'm going to say about the report today, said Barr. Ive issued three letters about it, and I was willing to discuss the historic information about how the report came to me and my decision on Sunday. But Ive already laid out the process that is going forward to release these reports, hopefully within a week. And Im not going to say anything more about it until the report is out and everyone has a chance to look at it.

Barr told Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., that the White House was not alerted about his letters before they were sent to Congress. But later in the hearing, he changed his account.

I checked with my staff and was told that just before the letters were out  after they were finalized and just before they went out  we did advise the White House counsels office that the letters were being sent, but they were not allowed or even asked to make any changes to the letter, said Barr. But we notified them before we issued them.

I think it may have been read to them, but they did not get to see the letter, he added.

I have not read the Mueller Report yet, even though I have every right to do so. Trump tweeted on April 6. Only know the conclusions, and on the big one, No Collusion. Likewise, recommendations made to our great A.G. who found No Obstruction.

Hoping to see the full, unredacted report, Democrats voted last week to authorize a subpoena.

Barr outlined his process for redacting the report and stated the four areas to be blacked out will include information that is relevant to a grand jury, that the intelligence community finds will reveal sources and methods, that would interfere with ongoing prosecutions, and would implicate the privacy of "peripheral players who havent been charged. Barr said Mueller is helping the Justice Department select what will be redacted.

Ill be in the position, as Ive said, in a week to release the report, said Barr. People can then read the report. Ive already promised the Judiciary Committees that I would appear as soon as theyre able to schedule a hearing after the report is released. So, Im not going to discuss it any further until after the report is out.

Barr appears before a House Appropriations subcommittee on Tuesday to make his Justice Department budget request. (Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP)

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said Sunday that he opposes open borders, because such a policy would cause migrants from poverty-stricken parts of the world to flood into the U.S.

The Vermont senator corrected an audience member at a town hall in Oskaloosa, Iowa, who described him as an advocate for open borders and asked him how the U.S. would be able to fund health care and other services while also embracing such a policy.

Im afraid you may be getting your information wrong. Thats not my view, Sanders responded. What we need is comprehensive immigration reform.

If you open the borders, my God, theres a lot of poverty in this world, and youre going to have people from all over the world, he continued. I dont think thats something that we can do at this point. Cant do it. So that is not my position.

Sanders, who has yet to release his official immigration proposal, has long backed a pathway to citizenship for so-called Dreamers, undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children by their parents.

In the summer of 2015, during his first presidential run, the 76-year-old senator even pinned the policy of open borders on the other side of the aisle.

Thats a right-wing proposal, which says essentially there is no United States, Sanders told Vox at the time. It would make everybody in America poorer. Youre doing away with the concept of a nation state, and I dont think theres any country in the world that believes in that.

Bring in all kinds of people, work for $2 or $3 an hour, that would be great for them, he continued. I dont believe in that. I think we have to raise wages in this country, I think we have to do everything we can to create millions of jobs.

More from National Review
Beirut (AFP) - A double bomb attack Tuesday in the northern Syrian city of Raqa, a former bastion of the Islamic State group, killed 13 people, mostly civilians, a war monitor said.

A car bomb and explosive ordinance struck a crowded street, killing nine civilians and four US-backed fighters, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack near a military outpost of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) who have been fighting IS.

A Raqa resident said he saw black smoke rising above the site of the attack as ambulance sirens rang out.

He said he saw "blotches of blood on the ground".

"There is panic and fear in the area after the bombings," he added.

Raqa city was captured by the SDF in 2017 after a massive operation against the jihadists.

The SDF declared it had defeated the jihadists' so-called "caliphate" last month, after a months-long offensive in Syria's east.

IS fighters, however, retain a presence in Syria's vast Badia desert and various other hideouts, and continue to claim deadly attacks in SDF-held territory.

Earlier on Tuesday, a car bomb targeted a patrol of the US-led coalition in the northeastern town of Shadadi, the war monitor said.

But it failed to hit its target, leading only to the death of the suicide bomber, it said.

- Sleeper cells -

Last month, IS fighters killed seven US-backed fighters in an attack on the northern city of Manbij.

The SDF has warned that a new phase has begun in anti-IS operations, and appealed for sustained coalition assistance to help hunt down sleeper cells.

IS seized a large swathe of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in 2014, declaring a "caliphate" in the lands it controlled.

After various offensives saw the jihadists lose their main cities in 2017, the SDF on March 23 declared they had vanquished its last patch of territory in the eastern village of Baghouz near the Iraqi border.

Story continues

At the height of their rule, the extremists ruled millions of people in a proto-state the size of the United Kingdom.

They collected taxes, minted their own coins, and meted out brutal punishment on anyone who disobeyed or opposed them.

Saturday's deaths are the latest in Syria's devastating eight-year war, which has killed more than 370,00 people since starting in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-regime protests.
Brussels (AFP) - European leaders were grudgingly preparing to postpone Brexit on Tuesday, after Prime Minister Theresa May made last-ditch visits to Paris and Berlin to beg for more time.

May asked to be given until June 30 to arrange Britain's orderly departure, but EU leaders fear that won't be long enough and are now expected to offer her up to a year.

"There are times when you need to give time time," EU Council president Donald Tusk tweeted, as he issued invitations to an emergency EU summit in Brussels on Wednesday, just days before Britain's latest departure date.

Summit host Tusk said in his invitation letter that the evidence of recent months gives EU leaders "little reason to believe" that British lawmakers will ratify the Brexit withdrawal treaty before May's preferred June 30 departure.

"One possibility would be a flexible extension, which would last only as long as necessary and no longer than one year, as beyond that date we will need to decide unanimously on some key European projects," he said.

Tusk's suggestion does not bind the other EU leaders to accept the extension plan when they meet on Wednesday, but his ideas chimed with what diplomatic sources were suggesting as May made her latest tour of key EU capitals.

Some members, led by France, are sceptical of allowing too long a delay that would see British candidates competing in EU parliamentary elections next month and possibly lead to disruption of future deeper EU reform.

But others -- notably Germany and Britain's close neighbour Ireland -- are more fearful that if May runs out of time then a dramatic "no deal" Brexit would do more harm in the long run.

On Tuesday, after flying to Berlin to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel, May visited Paris, where an aide to President Emmanuel Macron said France was open to solutions.

"We've never been closed to the idea of finding an alternative solution to 'no deal' within certain limits and not at any price," the aide said, on condition of anonymity.

Story continues

Discussions in Brussels are to focus on the length of the delay -- the French aide said a 12-month extension "seems too long" -- and arrangements to limit Britain's influence within the EU during this time.

"There would be a transition period for the United Kingdom as an intermediary member, which is present and applying the rules, but not taking part in decision-making," the aide said.

"There would need to be clear commitments and then a mechanism for monitoring them."

EU members are keen to ensure a semi-detached Britain does not seek leverage in Brexit talks by playing a spoiling role on issues such as choosing the next head of the European Commission or setting the next multi-year budget for the EU.

Briefing conservative German lawmakers after she hosted May, Merkel said the option of a Brexit deadline in early 2020 would be discussed at the EU summit, according to a source.

- Extra time -

May is hoping the extra time, if granted by EU leaders, will enable her to finally get a divorce deal through parliament.

British MPs have rejected a deal May negotiated with the EU three times, but the PM is now in talks with the opposition Labour party to try break the deadlock.

These discussions are moving slowly, and EU negotiator Michel Barnier said May must explain what another postponement would achieve.

"The length of the extension must be linked to the purpose -- what it's for -- and that depends on what Mrs May will say to European leaders tomorrow," he said, after meeting EU ministers in Luxembourg.

A "no deal" -- in which Britain crashes out of the EU -- is still a possibility.

The International Monetary Fund said Tuesday that Britain risks a serious shock if it leaves the EU without an agreement.

- Delay conditions -

Ahead of the main EU summit, Belgium will host a meeting of the EU members most exposed to the dangers of a no-deal Brexit, such as France and the Netherlands.

EU ministers no longer hide their irritation at the turmoil in London, where MPs cannot agree on how to leave the EU almost three years after the referendum vote for Brexit.

"We are in a very, very frustrating situation here," said Germany's Europe minister Michael Roth as he arrived in Luxembourg.

May had requested only a short delay to avoid having to take part in European Parliament elections, which begin on May 23, but a long postponement would mean Britain participating.

May's chances of ratifying the withdrawal agreement she signed in Brussels in November last year rely on either rebel MPs in her Conservative party and her Northern Irish allies backing her deal at the fourth time of asking -- or a compromise with the opposition.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Monday he was still waiting for signs of compromise from May and talks have been suspended until the summit in Brussels.

His top team met Tuesday with some of May's senior ministers, including leading Brexit supporter Michael Gove and her more pro-European finance minister Philip Hammond.

burs-adp-dc/dcr
Gordon Caplan



Every part of him was cool and wet moving swiftly through the water, nothing, nothing in his way.



Thats a quote from the yearbook page of ex-Willkie Farr & Gallagher co-chairman and Greenwich, Connecticut resident Gordon Caplan, who graduated from Manhattan's Trinity School, in 1984. It turns out I know several of his classmates, who shared the yearbook.



I have reservations about mining high school yearbooks a la Brett Kavanaugh for insight into a man 35 years later. But this particular quotea standalone sentence on his page that's attributed to G.R.CCaplans initials is so striking in its imagery. His exact reference is unclear, but it suggests a slippery, stealthy person racing ahead without obstacles.



Not anymore.



Caplans attorneys on Friday said he plans to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraudcharges which carry a maximum of 20 years in prisonin connection with the college admissions scandal.





Gordon Caplan, in the year book of Trinity School in New York, 1984.

Gordon Caplan, in the year book of Trinity School in New York, 1984.



It's a spectacular downfall, from The American Lawyers Dealmaker of the Year in 2018 to being fired last week by Willkie Farr and facing certain disbarment as an admitted felon.



Caplan is certainly not the first Big Law partner to find himself on the wrong side of the law, but this is not your average, stole-from-an-IOLTA-account, bad lawyer story.



Its headline news: A heady mix of celebritiesother defendants include actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffmanplus wealth and privilege, all laid bare to confirm our worst suspicions that elites are gaming the system. The story, as they say in the news business, has legs. Its not going away, and people wont quickly forget it. Moreover, Caplan has the misfortune of having been recorded delivering one of the most damning and widely quoted lines in the 204-page affidavit: Its just, to be honest, Im not worried about the moral issue here.



Ouch.



So what will become of him now?





Story continues

Daily Dicta Jenna Greene

His attorney Joshua Levy at Ropes & Gray did not respond to a request for comment, but I think its safe to assume Caplan will not be getting anything close to 20 years behind bars. Its even conceivable he wont get any time at all, maybe just supervised release, community service and a fine.



Because as much as we the nation are collectively disgusted and angry, Caplan has one of the more sympathetic criminal motives: He wanted to help his daughter get into a good college.



Yes, he demonstrated the ethical compass of shark (Cool and wet, moving swiftly through the water?), but still. Who doesnt want to help their kid?



By comparison, other ex-Big Law partners currently doing time share a far less laudable motive: Greed.



For example, former Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld partner Jeffrey Wertkin is currently incarcerated at a minimum security prison camp in Talladega, Alabama, where hes slated for release on January 24, 2020, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.



Wertkin pleaded guilty in late 2017 to stealing sealed whistleblower complaints from the Justice Department before he left his job there to join Akin Gump. He then attempted to sell one of the complaints for $310,000 to an undercover FBI agent.



Or take Evan Greebel, Martin Shkrelis former attorney and co-defendant. The former partner at Katten Muchin Rosenman and Kaye Scholer is doing time at FCI Otisville in New York (named one of Americas 10 cushiest prisons by Forbes), where hes slated for release on Feb. 5, 2020. He was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud, working with Shkreli on what prosecutors called an elaborate Ponzi scheme.



Keila Ravelo, a former partner at Hunton & Williams and Willkie Farr, admitted to cheating the firms and a former corporate client, Mastercard Inc., in a $7.8 million fraud involving dummy litigation support companies. Shes at FPC Alderson in West Virginia (the same prison camp where Martha Stewart did her time), scheduled for release on May 23, 2023.



Theres also Walter Chet Little, an ex-partner at Foley & Lardner and Bradley Arant Boult Cummings. He pleaded guilty in late 2017 to one count of conspiring to commit securities fraud, using confidential client information about mergers, earnings and other events to make stock trades. Little is doing his time at FCP Montgomery in Alabama (also on the cushy prison list), due to get out this year on December 13.



And then what happens? What do once high-flying ex-lawyers do with themselves after theyve served their time?



Theres no common answer.



Plaintiffs giant Melvyn Weiss, who pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy, retired to Florida and did a lot of fishing. He died last year.



His former partner William Lerach, who also went to prison, is mounting a comeback of sorts. The Financial Times reported in September that Lerach and his company, Pension Forensics, are acting as consultants to his lawyer wife, Michelle Ciccarelli Lerach, in a lawsuit against Blackstone and KKR in Kentucky state court over losses in one of the states largest pension plans. The FT reports that the suit is already being blamed for private equity and hedge fund managers pulling their business from Kentucky.



Likewise, former Greenburg Traurig lawyer/ lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who served 43 months in prison in connection with a bribery scandal, is back working as a political operative. EE news reported in February that Abramoff is now the honorary chairman of the Protect American Values political action committee and has been sending out fundraising emails attacking efforts to combat climate change.



Former DOJ official Robert Coughlin II, who was caught up in the Abramoff scandal for accepting meals and gifts in exchange for favors, was sentenced in 2008 to three years of supervised release. In 2016, he had his law license restored by the D.C. Bar.



But the most feel-good post-prison story is that of Dickie Scruggs, the legendary plaintiffs lawyer who made a fortune suing the tobacco and asbestos industries. In 2008, he pleaded guilty to attempting to bribe a judge and was sentenced to five years in prison.



Mississippi-based Oxford Magazine in 2017 ran a lengthy profile of Scruggs, where he spoke of his time behind bars.



Because of his wealth and the fact that he had a home in the Bahamas, he was considered a flight risk. No cushy minimum security prison for himhe did the first portion of his sentence with hardened criminals. It was like a casting call of The Walking Dead, he told David Magee writing for Oxford.



Eventually he was transferred to a lower-security facility and landed one of the most coveted prison jobsas a teacher, helping fellow inmates earn high school equivalency degrees.



The experience inspired in him a crusade to improve adult education. After Scruggs was released from prison in 2013, he founded a nonprofit dedicated to adult basic education called Second Chance Mississippi. It now has a formal relationship with Mississippis community colleges system and focuses on education and job training for adults.



Magee described dining out with Scruggs, who is now 72, in Oxford. It feels at times like being at the table with Archie Manning or Robert Khayat, since most everybody knows him and showers him with adoring affection.



Scruggs described himself as happier today than I have ever been before. And he quoted Rhett Butler (one of the books he had time to read in prison was Gone with the Wind): Until youve lost your reputation, you never realize what a burden it was or what freedom really is.



Whether Caplan will come out on the other side a changed man is unknown, but at least theres the hope of finding something better in the end.



Read more:



Willkie Cuts Ties as Gordon Caplan Plans Guilty Plea in College Cheating Case



Willkie's Gordon Caplan Appears in Court to Face College Admissions Charges




By Stella Qiu and David Shepardson BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Ethiopia, Indonesia and at least five other major regulators are expected to join the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) review panel on the Boeing 737 MAX, officials said on Tuesday. China confirmed on Tuesday it would join the review, while Canada, the United Arab Emirates, and Singapore previously said that they would join the panel. Officials told Reuters that Australia, EASA, Brazil, Indonesia and Ethiopia are also expected to take part. Former National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Christopher Hart, who is chairing the review, told reporters on Friday that it would begin later in April and would take about 90 days. Hart said the review is in response "to the growing need for globalization ... because these airplanes are all over the place" and to the need for a "uniform response." The FAA said last week it was forming an international team to review the safety of the aircraft, grounded worldwide following two deadly crashes - in Indonesia in October and in Ethiopia last month - that killed nearly 350 people. American Airlines and Southwest Airlines Co said this week they were extending flight cancellations due to the grounding until early June. China was the first to ground the newest version of Boeing's workhorse 737 model last month following the Ethiopian Airlines crash, prompting a series of regulatory actions by other governments worldwide. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has decided to send experts to be part of the FAA panel, an official in the regulator's media relations department told Reuters. Chinese airlines operated 97 of the 371 737 MAX jets in service before the grounding, the most of any country, according to Flightglobal data. Hart said the "accidents of the future" will not be mechanical problems like an engine falling off but rather like the two fatal MAX crashes where anti-stall software and pilot actions have been raised. "A person and the automation don't work together right," Hart said. "It's going to be tougher to decide what's the bright line for grounding this thing, what's the bright line for ungrounding this thing." It will be much harder in the future to decide in the cases of "automation that usually works but sometimes doesn't work" and when it does not work "most pilots can still handle but sometimes they can't." (Reporting by Stella Qiu and Brenda Goh; Additional Reporting by Jamie Freed in Singapore; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Muralikumar Anantharaman and Jonathan Oatis)
The Independent

Scientists say they finally have an explanation for a mystifying, bright blue light that came from deep in space. Three years ago, astronomers were stunned to see a bright blue flash that came out of the spiral arm of a distant galaxy, some 200 million light-years away. It looked like a supernova, but it was even brighter and faster than those already extreme events. Scientists found that it consisted not only of the bright flash of light, but also pulsing and powerful X-rays, with hundreds of millions of such pulses being traced back to the same object.
Gordon Caplan.

Gordon Caplan.







Every part of him was cool and wet moving swiftly through the water, nothing, nothing in his way.



Thats a quote from the yearbook page of ex-Willkie Farr & Gallagher co-chairman Gordon Caplan, who graduated from Trinity, an elite private school in Manhattan, in 1984. It turns out I know several of his classmates, who shared the yearbook.



I have reservations about mining high school yearbooks a la Brett Kavanaugh for insight into a man 35 years later. But this particular quotea standalone sentence on his page that's attributed to G.R.CCaplans initials is so striking in its imagery. His exact reference is unclear, but it suggests a slippery, stealthy person racing ahead without obstacles.



Not anymore.



Caplans attorneys on Friday said he plans to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraudcharges which carry a maximum of 20 years in prisonin connection with the college admissions scandal.



It's a spectacular downfall, from The American Lawyers Dealmaker of the Year in 2018 to being fired last week by Willkie Farr and facing certain disbarment as an admitted felon.



Caplan is certainly not the first Big Law partner to find himself on the wrong side of the law, but this is not your average, stole-from-an-IOLTA-account, bad lawyer story.



Its headline news: A heady mix of celebritiesother defendants include actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffmanplus wealth and privilege, all laid bare to confirm our worst suspicions that elites are gaming the system. The story, as they say in the news business, has legs. Its not going away, and people wont quickly forget it. Moreover, Caplan has the misfortune of having been recorded delivering one of the most damning and widely quoted lines in the 204-page affidavit: Its just, to be honest, Im not worried about the moral issue here.



Ouch.



So what will become of him now?





Daily Dicta Jenna Greene

His attorney Joshua Levy at Ropes & Gray did not respond to a request for comment, but I think its safe to assume Caplan will not be getting anything close to 20 years behind bars. Its even conceivable he wont get any time at all, maybe just supervised release, community service and a fine.



Because as much as we the nation are collectively disgusted and angry, Caplan has one of the more sympathetic criminal motives: He wanted to help his daughter get into a good college.



Yes, he demonstrated the ethical compass of shark (Cool and wet, moving swiftly through the water?), but still. Who doesnt want to help their kid?



By comparison, other ex-Big Law partners currently doing time share a far less laudable motive: Greed.



For example, former Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld partner Jeffrey Wertkin is currently incarcerated at a minimum security prison camp in Talladega, Alabama, where hes slated for release on January 24, 2020, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.



Wertkin pleaded guilty in late 2017 to stealing sealed whistleblower complaints from the Justice Department before he left his job there to join Akin Gump. He then attempted to sell one of the complaints for $310,000 to an undercover FBI agent.





Story continues

Gordon Caplan in the yearbook of Trinity School in New York, 1984.

Gordon Caplan in the yearbook of Trinity School in New York, 1984.



Or take Evan Greebel, Martin Shkrelis former attorney and co-defendant. The former partner at Katten Muchin Rosenman and Kaye Scholer is doing time at FCI Otisville in New York (named one of Americas 10 cushiest prisons by Forbes), where hes slated for release on Feb. 5, 2020. He was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud, working with Shkreli on what prosecutors called an elaborate Ponzi scheme.



Keila Ravelo, a former partner at Hunton & Williams and Willkie Farr, admitted to cheating the firms and a former corporate client, Mastercard Inc., in a $7.8 million fraud involving dummy litigation support companies. Shes at FPC Alderson in West Virginia (the same prison camp where Martha Stewart did her time), scheduled for release on May 23, 2023.



Theres also Walter Chet Little, an ex-partner at Foley & Lardner and Bradley Arant Boult Cummings. He pleaded guilty in late 2017 to one count of conspiring to commit securities fraud, using confidential client information about mergers, earnings and other events to make stock trades. Little is doing his time at FCP Montgomery in Alabama (also on the cushy prison list), due to get out this year on December 13.



And then what happens? What do once high-flying ex-lawyers do with themselves after theyve served their time?



Theres no common answer.



Plaintiffs giant Melvyn Weiss, who pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy, retired to Florida and did a lot of fishing. He died last year.



His former partner William Lerach, who also went to prison, is mounting a comeback of sorts. The Financial Times reported in September that Lerach and his company, Pension Forensics, are acting as consultants to his lawyer wife, Michelle Ciccarelli Lerach, in a lawsuit against Blackstone and KKR in Kentucky state court over losses in one of the states largest pension plans. The FT reports that the suit is already being blamed for private equity and hedge fund managers pulling their business from Kentucky.



Likewise, former Greenberg Traurig lawyer/lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who served 43 months in prison in connection with a bribery scandal, is back working as a political operative. EE news reported in February that Abramoff is now the honorary chairman of the Protect American Values political action committee and has been sending out fundraising emails attacking efforts to combat climate change.



Former DOJ official Robert Coughlin II, who was caught up in the Abramoff scandal for accepting meals and gifts in exchange for favors, was sentenced in 2008 to three years of supervised release. In 2016, he had his law license restored by the D.C. Bar.



But the most feel-good post-prison story is that of Dickie Scruggs, the legendary plaintiffs lawyer who made a fortune suing the tobacco and asbestos industries. In 2008, he pleaded guilty to attempting to bribe a judge and was sentenced to five years in prison.



Mississippi-based Oxford Magazine in 2017 ran a lengthy profile of Scruggs, where he spoke of his time behind bars.



Because of his wealth and the fact that he had a home in the Bahamas, he was considered a flight risk. No cushy minimum security prison for himhe did the first portion of his sentence with hardened criminals. It was like a casting call of The Walking Dead, he told David Magee writing for Oxford.



Eventually he was transferred to a lower-security facility and landed one of the most coveted prison jobsas a teacher, helping fellow inmates earn high school equivalency degrees.



The experience inspired in him a crusade to improve adult education. After Scruggs was released from prison in 2013, he founded a nonprofit dedicated to adult basic education called Second Chance Mississippi. It now has a formal relationship with Mississippis community colleges system and focuses on education and job training for adults.



Magee described dining out with Scruggs, who is now 72, in Oxford. It feels at times like being at the table with Archie Manning or Robert Khayat, since most everybody knows him and showers him with adoring affection.



Scruggs described himself as happier today than I have ever been before. And he quoted Rhett Butler (one of the books he had time to read in prison was Gone with the Wind): Until youve lost your reputation, you never realize what a burden it was or what freedom really is.



Whether Caplan will come out on the other side a changed man is unknown, but at least theres the hope of finding something better in the end.



Read more:



Willkie Cuts Ties as Gordon Caplan Plans Guilty Plea in College Cheating Case



Willkie's Gordon Caplan Appears in Court to Face College Admissions Charges










Warri (Nigeria) (AFP) - Dozens of people have been killed in four Nigerian states, security officials and local sources said Tuesday, bringing the toll from a week of sporadic clashes to more than 100.

The violence coincides with chronic insecurity in the country's northeast, where 2,000 people were evacuated on Tuesday ahead of an expected government operation against Boko Haram jihadists.

In the southeastern state of Rivers, eight people were killed early Monday when armed men attacked the village of Emohua in the Ogoni region, said local chief Sunny Odum.

State police spokesman Nnamdi Omoni said the attack was a "cult-related incident," a term typically denoting gangs or criminals who are hired for political gain and often blend belief or black-magic rituals in their acts.

In the northern state of Katsina, 14 people were killed on Sunday in clashes between cattle thieves and a civilian militia armed by the government to support the security forces, police said.

The fighting took place in Tsamiyar Jino, in Kankara region, claiming the lives of seven rustlers and seven vigilantes, said Katsina police spokesman Gambo Isa.

"The volunteers went into the forest and engaged the bandits despite being warned by the police never to confront the bandits on their own... because of the sophisticated weapons the bandits have and their good knowledge of the terrain," Isa said.

In contrast, village chief Jaafaru Bello told AFP 36 people had been killed by the thieves and people were afraid to retrieve the bodies.

Cattle theft is a chronic, and frequently violent, problem in the states of Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna and Niger, and thieves are acquiring more and more sophisticated weapons.

On April 2, at least 50 people were killed in Sakajiki village in Zamfara, the worst-hit state, the state government said last Friday.

- Anger -

After two police were killed at the weekend at Birnin Gwari, around 200 angry protestors on Monday blocked the road between Kaduna and Zamfara to demand better security.

Story continues

"People are kidnapped on daily basis along this highway," complained Isah Muhammad Galadima, the spokesman for the local chief.

"Thousands of IDPs (internally displaced persons) are still waiting to go home. Enough is enough."

Separately, the Nigerian media on Tuesday reported that 20 people had been massacred in the region of Kajuru, in Kaduna state, in fighting between crop farmers and nomadic herders.

A state police spokesman confirmed the incident but declined to give further immediate details.

In the southwestern state of Ondo, a bank holdup late Monday turned bloody, leaving seven people dead, including a policeman, and five wounded.

The authorities have repeatedly said they are taking action.

The governor of Zamfara state has announced that 1,700 "traditional hunters" will be hired to strengthen local self-protection groups, in addition to 8,500 who were recruited in 2018.

These vigilantes have been criticised for lacking training and modern weapons and for abusing human rights.

On Saturday, newly-reelected President Muhammadu Buhari said "there is no issue that dominates my mind every 24 hours like security.

"(...) Protecting the citizens of my country is one of the primary functions of my administration," he said.

On Tuesday, facing a mounting toll from attacks and reprisals, Buhari appealed for peace and condemned the culture of "an eye for an eye."

- Boko Haram -

In the northeastern state of Borno, the authorities evacuated around 2,000 people from the village of Jakana and took them to the city of Maiduguri, the state capital, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) away.

They were taken "for their safety as a result of ongoing operations to flush out insurgents in the area", said Abdulkadir Ibrahim, a spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

Evacuees told AFP that soldiers had come to their homes that morning and told them to get into trucks. They had no time to pick up their possessions.

Around 27,000 people have died since Boko Haram launched its bloody insurgency nearly a decade ago.

The jihadists have in the last few weeks been under assault from intensive air and ground offensives from coalition forces involving Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon against militant camps in Lake Chad, according to military sources and militia groups.
Ankara (AFP) - Turkey's Supreme Electoral Council rejected a demand from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party for a recount of all ballots cast in Istanbul in last week's election, the party's deputy chairman said on Tuesday.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) challenged the results of Istanbul's March 31 mayoral ballot after their candidate Binali Yildirim narrowly lost against the main opposition CHP's Ekrem Imamoglu.

The Supreme Electoral Council (YSK) "rejected our call for all votes to be recounted in Istanbul," the AKP's Ali Ihsan Yavuz said on Twitter. "It is incomprehensible for a decision like this to be made when the irregularities are clear to see."

He said the AKP would make an "extraordinary challenge" to the electoral council, indicating the party would not accept defeat in Istanbul.

Erdogan on Monday questioned the results, claiming there had been "theft" at the ballot box and "organised crimes" were carried out in Istanbul, the country's economic hub.

A separate recount of just voided ballots in Istanbul is almost complete.

The AKP already lost the capital Ankara, and defeat in Istanbul, the country's largest city, would be another blow to Erdogan's party after a decade and a half in power.

Both Istanbul candidates claimed victory after preliminary tallies showed a dead heat.

Electoral officials later said Imamoglu was ahead but the gap has narrowed to around 15,000 votes.

Recep Ozel, the AKP's representative on the YSK board, told reporters in Ankara early Tuesday that the electoral council accepted the party's challenge of "irregularities" in ballot boxes.

But there would only be a partial recount of 51 ballot boxes in 21 Istanbul districts.

The AKP had called for a full recount in most of the 39 districts of Istanbul, but the council rejected that.

A decision for one Istanbul district, Buyukcekmece, had been delayed because of an investigation into fraud claims.

Story continues

Istanbul police were investigating claims 11,186 people changed their addresses to Buyukcekmece before the local elections, DHA news agency reported.

Ozel also said the difference between Imamoglu and Yildirim was now just 14,604 ballots, while the latest figures from the CHP suggested the difference was around 15,000.

Electoral authorities last week said Imamoglu was ahead by 28,000 votes before the recount of void ballots begun.

A CHP official said the YSK's decision would "not affect" the result for Imamoglu.
By Philip Blenkinsop, Tim Hepher and Susan Heavey

BRUSSELS/PARIS/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the United States would impose tariffs on $11 billion (8.4 billion pounds) worth of European Union products, heightening tensions over a long-running transatlantic aircraft subsidy dispute that threatens to become a broader trade battle.

The two sides have been locked in a years-long spat over mutual claims of illegal aid to plane giants, Netherlands-based Airbus and U.S.-based Boeing Co, to help them gain advantage in the world jet business.

The case has been grinding its way through the World Trade Organisation for almost 15 years and is reaching a climax as both sides approach the final stages of arbitration.

"The World Trade Organisation finds that the European Union subsidies to Airbus has adversely impacted the United States, which will now put Tariffs on $11 Billion of EU products!" Trump said on Twitter. "The EU has taken advantage of the U.S. on trade for many years. It will soon stop!"

His comments came a day after the U.S. Trade Representative proposed a list of EU products targeted for tariffs, ranging from large commercial aircraft to dairy products and wine, as retaliation for European aircraft subsidies. The final list is expected this summer.

In response, the European Commission said earlier Tuesday it had started to draw up plans to retaliate over Boeing subsidies.

"The Commission is starting preparations so that the EU can promptly take action based on the arbitrator's decision on retaliation rights in this case," a Commission spokesman said. "The European Union remains open for discussions with the United States, provided these are without preconditions and aim at a fair outcome."

Both sides have won partial victories in claiming Airbus and Boeing received unlawful subsidies but disagree on the amount involved and whether each has complied with earlier WTO rulings.

Story continues

Airbus said it saw no legal basis for the U.S. move and warned of deepening transatlantic trade tensions.

The EU is already facing U.S. tariffs on its steel and aluminium exports and Trump has repeatedly threatened to hit EU cars with punitive duties.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told a conference in Paris that the two sides needed to reach a friendly agreement.

"When I see the situation global growth is in, I don't think we can afford to have a trade conflict, even if only on the specific issues of the aircraft industry in the United States and Europe," he said.

'MORE TIT-FOR-TAT'

The U.S. tariffs proposal put pressure on shares in European makers of aircraft and aerospace suppliers, wine, cheese and luxury goods.

Airbus fell nearly 2 percent, while Boeing dropped 1.5 percent. Airbus suppliers such as Safran and Leonardo also were down.

Analysts were divided over whether the ramped-up dispute would lead to greater global trade issues.

"Get ready for more tit-for-tat scrapping to follow," said John Woolfitt of London brokerage Atlantic Markets.

Germany is particularly apprehensive of possible U.S. tariffs on car imports. The United States is a major market for Volkswagen, Mercedes maker Daimler and BMW.

Moody's said on Tuesday that potential U.S. tariffs on imported autos and parts represented a significant risk to global growth and would hinder economic momentum in Germany, Japan and Korea.

" ... The U.S. wants to pressure the EU to engage in meaningful trade talks, but without having to apply the more painful measure of automotive tariffs, said Cailin Birch, global economist at The Economist Intelligence Unit.

Fabiana Fedeli at Robeco sees the latest moves as tactical.

"The new tariffs ... are a drop in the ocean as a percentage of the overall trade between the U.S. and Europe and we view them as a negotiating tool to set the tone for what the really important negotiations are, namely autos," she said.

(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; Additional reporting by Tim Hepher, Richard Lough and Leigh Thomas in Paris, Helen Reid, Thyagaraju Adinarayan and Georgina Prodhan in London and Susan Heavey in Washington; Writing by Bill Rigby; Editing by Keith Weir and Jeffrey Benkoe)
By Francesco Guarascio and Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU data protection authorities are investigating whether the European Commission and other EU institutions comply with the bloc's strict data privacy rules in their software deals with Microsoft.

The 28-country European Union adopted the landmark General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) about a year ago, giving Europeans more control over their online information and privacy enforcers the power to impose hefty fines.

The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS), which monitors the bloc's 70 institutions on their GDPR compliance, launched its investigation on Monday.

The probe will look into the Microsoft products and services used by the institutions and whether the contractual agreements between them and the U.S. software company are GDPR-compliant.

"When relying on third parties to provide services, the EU institutions remain accountable for any data processing carried out on their behalf," said Assistant EDPS Wojciech Wiewiorowski.

"They also have a duty to ensure that any contractual arrangements respect the new rules and to identify and mitigate any risks," he said.

The EDPS can impose fines up to 50,000 euros for each infringement.

Microsoft said it was ready to assist its customers in the EDPS investigation.

"We are committed to helping our customers comply with GDPR, Regulation 2018/1725, and other applicable laws and are confident that our contractual arrangements allow customers to do so," Microsoft said.

The EDPS said some of the data protection worries could be similar to Dutch concerns raised in November about the data collected through Microsoft ProPlus, which includes popular software such as Microsoft Word writing software and Microsoft Outlook email.

The concern related to information stored in a database in the United States in a way that the Netherlands said posed major risks to users' privacy. The company subsequently made some changes to comply with EU rules.

(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio; Editing by Alissa de Carbonnel, Susan Fenton and Frances Kerry)
Brussels (AFP) - European capitals are increasingly worried that ongoing Brexit chaos will carry a political and economic cost to the continent, but despite warnings from Paris, most seem ready to accept a lengthy postponement to Britain's departure.

British Prime Minister Theresa May still has meetings with the leaders of France and Germany before Wednesday's EU summit, the last before the next notional Brexit deadline at midnight on Friday.

May has said she will ask for Brexit to be delayed only until June 30, but officials and observers here expect the other 27 EU leaders to study the idea of a longer "flexible" extension into 2020.

As floated by EU Council president Donald Tusk's office last week, the delay could last up to a year but be cut short if May manages to get an orderly withdrawal deal past UK lawmakers.

Tusk's Council represents EU member governments in Brussels, and he will host Wednesday's emergency Brexit summit -- but officials were clear he was proposing the "flextension" on a personal basis.

"It's Mr Tusk's position, not the position of the council," one diplomatic source told AFP, after the former Polish leader's leaked initiative caught the other 27 EU capitals by surprise.

In Paris, a diplomatic source dismissed Tusk's suggestion as a "clumsy trial balloon", as French President Emmanuel Macron's government continued to insist May must present a "credible plan" for orderly divorce.

In public at least, France has struck a more strident tone in demanding British commitments in return for further extensions to a Brexit process that was due to have come to an end on March 29.

Most of the 27 insist, for example, that Britain must be ready to take part in the European Parliament elections that start on May 23 if it is still a member, and May has reluctantly begun contingency planning for a vote.

But other countries such as Germany and, most notably Ireland, are pushing for London to be given space to come up with a solution to avert a cliff-edge no-deal Brexit they fear would cause economic and legal chaos.

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"We'd need a strong political reason to delay," insisted a diplomat from the hardline camp, suggesting that London undertake to hold a general election or a second Brexit referendum to break the political logjam.

"Otherwise, why would the European Union itself take on such a responsibility?", the source demanded, pointing to the risks posed by indefinite Brexit uncertainty or British eurosceptic mischief-making.

Many EU capitals share the concern that an endless series of inconclusive postponements could undermine the election, the formation of a new European Commission after the vote or decision-making within EU institutions.

- Veto 'extremely unlikely' -

Nevertheless, "no-one is really opposed to Mr. Tusk's flextension," another diplomat who has attended high-level talks in Brussels between the 27 non-British representative delegations told AFP.

"This option could be useful for May," she said, arguing that a flexible delay would allow the British premier to tell her own hardline eurosceptics that they can leave Europe any time they like, just by approving the deal.

Ireland's Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who was meeting EU negotiator Michel Barnier on Monday ahead of the summit, said at the weekend he thought it "extremely unlikely" that any member state would veto a Brexit delay.

And thus far in the lengthening negotiations, Brussels has stood in strong solidarity with the position of Ireland, a continuing member that stands to lose out greatly in the event of its neighbour crashing out without a deal.

Diplomats here, however, admit that they're following the news from London "three times a day" and that trust in May's ability to deliver on her undertakings is slipping.

"The next few days or hours are going to be critical," Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said Monday.
By Devjyot Ghoshal and Manoj Kumar NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's Hindu nationalist ruling party vowed on Monday to strip decades-old special rights from the people of Jammu and Kashmir, making an election promise that provoked warnings of a backlash in the country's only Muslim-majority state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)is widely expected to retain power after a general election that starts on Thursday, though with a much smaller mandate, hit by concerns over a shortage of jobs and weak farm prices. It pledged to spend 100 trillion rupees ($1.44 trillion) on infrastructure in the next five years, to help create jobs for the millions entering the workforce each year. Pollsters say the BJP's re-election bid got a boost from recent hostilities with arch-rival Pakistan, after a militant group based there claimed a February suicide bombing that killed 40 Indian security forces in the Himalayan region of Kashmir. "Nationalism is our inspiration, economic development of the poor and backward sections our philosophy, and good governance our mantra," Modi said after releasing the election manifesto at BJP headquarters in New Delhi, as supporters chanted "Modi, Modi". The BJP has consistently advocated an end to Kashmir's special constitutional status, which prevents outsiders from buying property there, arguing that such laws have hindered its integration with the rest of India. "In the last five years, we have made all necessary efforts to ensure peace in Jammu and Kashmir through decisive actions and a firm policy," it said in the manifesto. "We are committed to overcome all obstacles in the way of development and provide adequate financial resources to all the regions of the state." The party also reiterated its long-held desire to abolish Kashmir's autonomous status. BJP supporters have sought the removal, expressing anger at many Kashmiris' resistance to rule by India, which, for three decades, has battled an armed insurgency in the region also claimed by Pakistan. "The BJPs campaign is largely around nationalism, national security and this is what is getting echoed in their manifesto," said Sanjay Kumar, director of thinktank the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies. Repeal would bring widespread unrest, Kashmiri political leaders warned. "Let them do it and it will pave the way for our azadi," Farooq Abdullah, president of Kashmir's National Conference party, told an election rally, referring to freedom for the region. "They are wrong. We will fight against it." Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, the leader of a left party in Kashmir, warned of "disastrous and unimaginable repercussions". Voting in the general election https://reut.rs/2KhaQlG begins on Thursday, but with about 900 million eligible voters, will be spread across several weeks, with ballots counted on May 23. TAX REFORM In its manifesto last week, the main opposition Congress party pledged to create more jobs, hand money to India's poorest and change a law on special powers for troops in Kashmir. It dismissed the BJP manifesto as anti-farmer, despite its pledge of a pension scheme for small and marginal farmers who make up more than 80 percent of India's estimated 263 million farmers, with landholdings smaller than 2 hectares (5 acres). "Remember the good old days before 2014 when Indians had jobs and a PM that didn't lie to them," Congress said on Twitter, with a hashtag calling the BJP manifesto a gimmick. The BJP pledged to simplify the goods and services tax, which disrupted businesses and hurt growth when Modi introduced it in 2017. It will also work to cut tax and boost credit to small businesses to 1 trillion rupees ($14.4 billion) by 2024. (Writing by Sanjeev Miglani and Krishna N. Das; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Clarence Fernandez)
Nur-Sultan (Kazakhstan) (AFP) - Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Tuesday called a snap election for June as the Central Asian nation seeks a new leader following the shock resignation of its longtime ruler.

Nursultan Nazarbayev, the only leader an independent Kazakhstan had ever known, announced suddenly he was stepping down last month after nearly three decades in office.

Nazarbayev, who retained significant powers following his resignation, named Tokayev to replace him for the remainder of his term due to finish next year.

On Tuesday, Tokayev said the presidential election would be held on June 9 instead.

In a televised address to the nation, Tokayev said he had consulted with Nazarbayev -- known as "Elbasy" or "Leader of the Nation" in Kazakh -- and other top officials before making the decision.

"We must continue to work on the implementation of the strategy of Elbasy," Tokayev said.

"This can be done only by the direct expression of the will of the people... As the acting head of state I guarantee that the elections will be held honestly, openly and fairly."

Tokayev did not immediately say whether he would run though most analysts have tipped him to succeed Nazarbayev, at least in the short term.

"I don't think there is much doubt it will be him," independent political analyst Aidos Sarym told AFP.

Sarym described Tokayev's decision to call the election as a move to ensure calm and stability in the country of 18 million people following Nazarbayev's surprise resignation.

"Firstly, this was important for investors, both foreign and local. Business has been bothered by all the uncertainty," Sarym said.

"Secondly, geopolitical -- many partner countries were surprised by Nazarbayev's sudden resignation. Finally, there is the state machine bureaucracy itself, which is unaccustomed to working under conditions of instability."

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With all this taken into account, the leadership had "little choice" but to move towards a snap election, Sarym said.

- Daughter 'not going to run' -

Nazarbayev's daughter, 55-year-old Dariga Nazarbayeva, has been widely tipped as a possible successor to her father but on Tuesday reportedly ruled out running in the June vote.

"No, (Nazarbayeva) is not going to run," her spokeswoman Saule Mustafayeva told the private Tengrinews outlet.

Still, she was among those Tokayev said he consulted before calling the vote and her elevation to senate speaker on the same day he was inaugurated raised concerns the family is looking to put in place a dynastic succession.

The speaker position, which Tokayev previously held, is second in line to the presidency according to the constitution.

Whatever happens, observers doubt the election will be a real contest.

"Announcing elections and the possibility of holding an honest vote are two different things in Kazakhstan," Dosym Satpayev, another analyst, wrote on Facebook Tuesday.

"The political field has been cleaned of opposition," Satpayev said.

Nazarbayev, 78, has the constitutional status of "Leader of the Nation" as well as chairmanship of the ruling Nur Otan party and a lifetime position as chief of the security council.

The strongman was credited with transforming the country into an energy powerhouse with growing diplomatic clout, but also accused of clamping down on the opposition and tolerating little dissent.

He ruled Kazakhstan since before it gained independence with the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

The capital was quickly renamed from Astana to Nur-Sultan in his honour following his resignation.

Tokayev visited key ally Russia in his first trip abroad as president last week and discussed strengthening cooperation with President Vladimir Putin.

During the visit, Putin raised the prospect of Russia building a nuclear power plant in the country, a move that would bring Kazakhstan even closer into Moscow's orbit.

The government faces a challenge to tackle growing discontent over falling living standards after Kazakhstan's economy was hit by the 2014 drop in oil prices and western sanctions against Russia, a key trading partner.

Dozens have been arrested while attempting to hold anti-government protests in the country's two largest cities, Nur-Sultan and Almaty, since Tokayev took office.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  The Latest on the situation in Afghanistan (all times local):

6:20 p.m.

Afghan officials say the Taliban have stormed army checkpoints in southern Kandahar province near the Pakistani border overnight, killing 20 troops.

Mohammad Yousof Younosi, a provincial council member in Kandahar, said Tuesday that eight other security forces were wounded in Monday night's attack in Shorabak district.

An official from the provincial governor's office, who was not authorized to speak with the media, also confirmed the attack and said there were casualties among the Afghan forces, but couldn't provide exact figures.

Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility for the attack and said their fighters also seized weapons and ammunition.

Rahim Faiez in Kabul, Afghanistan;

___

12:10 p.m.

An Afghan official says at least five members of the country's security forces were killed when the Taliban attacked a joint army and police base in northern Sari Pul province.

Zabihullah Amani, the provincial governor's spokesman, says the Monday night attack in Sangcharak district also wounded seven other troops.

There was no immediate comment from the Taliban. Amani says four insurgents were also killed in the ensuing clashes.

Earlier, around noon on Monday, an Afghan army officer shot and killed two of his fellow soldiers and later fled to join the Taliban.

Sayed Hashim Bayan, the provincial police chief's spokesman, says the shooter seized a Humvee along with some ammunition before making his getaway.

The Taliban praised the soldier's actions and confirmed he joined their ranks in Dari Suf district.
Dozens of people have been reported killed and scores more injured in clashes on the edge of Libyas coastal capital Tripoli after warlord Khalifa Haftar ordered his troops to take the city from the U.N.-backed government April 4. The offensive by the military chief Haftar, who has U.S. citizenship, has pushed Libya to the brink of civil war.

The Tripoli based-government announced on April 7 it was launching a counter-offensive it called Operation Volcano of Anger. On April 8, an airstrike the U.N. blamed on Haftars self-styled National Libyan Army (NLA) shut down Tripolis only functioning airport. The Health Ministry of the Tripoli-based government said at least 27 people, including civilians, have been killed since the offensive began. The media office of Hafters army said 22 of their troops had been killed in the same period. The U.N. has called in vain for a truce and international powers have evacuated their personnel.

The escalating violenceaudaciously launched during the U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres visit to Tripolicomes less than two weeks before a planned conference aimed at reconciling Libyas numerous armed factions and paving the way for democratic elections in the country, which has been riven by political instability and violence since the 2011 killing of Muammar Gaddafi.

Heres what to know about the conflict:

Who is Khalifa Haftar?

Described by CNN as the ultimate pragmatist, the 75-year-old was an officer in the coup that brought Gaddafi to power in 1969 but fell out with the dictator in the late 1980s. He exiled himself in the U.S., where he took citizenship, but returned to Libya in time to participate in the NATO-backed civil war in 2011 that ended Gaddafis 42-year reign.

He rose to prominence in Libya again in 2014, when he railed against the failure of the then-mandated General National Congress (GNC) to guard against the rise of insurgent groups and began a military campaign against Islamist militias called Operation Dignity.

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From its stronghold in the countrys east, his LNAwhich incorporates a band of loosely-aligned militiaseventually expelled Islamist militias from Libyas second city Benghazi and its surrounds. Early this year, the LNA swept Libyas southern oil fields, and now virtually surrounds Tripoli on the Mediterranean coast.

What does he want?

Haftar has cast himself as a national protector and his offensive in terms of security. The LNA vowed to cleanse Libya of terrorist groups before its troops advanced on Tripoli from the south and west. But his opponents fear he is attempting to return Libya to authoritarian rule similar to Gaddafis or that overseen by Egypts President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, reportedly one of his principal international backers.

While Haftar declared war on Islamists he also enjoys the support of Libyas conservative Salafist factions, who follow a fundamentalist version of Islam and have implemented strict Islamic law in some areas he has controlled. The conflict is basically a struggle for the spoils of the country, says Libya expert Frederic Wehrey, author of The Burning Shores. The mask of ideology that perhaps was one division in the past has fallen away and now its just a scramble for pure economics and power.

Why is the advance on Tripoli happening now?

Some analysts regard Haftars advance as a bid to change the facts on the ground before the U.N.s planned national conference on April 14. Announced in March, the conference will discuss national unification and a timetable for long-delayed elections. On March 6two days after Haftar announced his advancethe U.N. said it would still go ahead.

But there may also be a financial motivation for Haftars actions. A banking crisis has taken hold in Libyas east, with foreign exchange reserves hit particularly hard. Haftars army is a collection of self-interested groups who have latched onto his campaign for their own agendas, so he needs to keep in constant movement, says Wehrey. So much of Haftars momentum has been through cash payments and hes got to sustain that somehow.

Who are Haftars international backers?

Officially, they are few and far between. Every major state condoned the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), and Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj. But in reality, some were also having parallel conversations with different actors and that enabled those actors to disregard the legal process and go with the military process, says Elham Saudi, co-founder of London-based NGO Lawyers for Justice in Libya (LFJL).

Those states include Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, which want to curb the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood in Libya; Russia, which has treated wounded soldiers and reportedly printed money on behalf of Haftar; and France, which views him as key to stabilizing Libya and slowing the flow of migrants into Europe. Italy, which also wants to prevent migration through Libya, has fallen out with France over its tacit support of Haftar. Nominally, of course, theyre on the same side, that of the U.N.-backed government, says Joost Hiltermann, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at the International Crisis Group. But in reality Italy and France are on opposite sides of this.

The U.S. has supported armed groups fighting ISIS and al-Qaeda, which include those allied to the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has condemned Haftars advance and called for forces to return to their status quo ante positions. But Libya is just not a top priority for America, Hiltermann adds.

How has the rest of the world responded to the offenive?

Guterres, the UN chief, met Haftar in person on April 5 but apparently failed to convince him to stop his advance. He left the country with a heavy heart and deeply concerned that conflict could break out, he said. I still hope it is possible to avoid a bloody confrontation in and around Tripoli.

The U.K. attempted to pass a security council statement condemning Haftar but it was vetoed by Russia, which urged all sides to show restraint. French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly called Libyas U.N.-backed Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj to discuss security. His foreign minister has said there is no military solution to the crisis.

But no state has threatened sanctions or acted to affirm the legitimacy of the internationally-backed government in Tripoli. As such, Haftar has interpreted their warnings as an amber, rather than a red light, according to International Crisis Group. For LFJLs Saudi, the current crisis is the natural culmination of the international communitys inconsistency and failure to affirm the rule of law in Libya. The international agenda has been pure carrot and no stick, she says. What is the incentive now to play by the rules?

What is the situation like for people in Tripoli?

Even before the offensive, Tripoli was groaning under the strain of internally displaced people who had fled fighting elsewhere in the country. The citys residents have for years endured intermittent power supply, high inflation, a plunging currency, and sporadic outbreaks of violence. Conditions are direr still in the citys migrant detention campsa consequence of the human trafficking trade that flourished amid the instabilitywhere overcrowding, food shortages, torture and sexual violence have been extensively documented.

But Haftas advance could dramatically worsen the situation. Human Rights Watch says fighters from the LNA have committed indiscriminate attacks on civilians, summary executions of captured fighters, and arbitrary detention. Even if he were able to secure a military victory, analysts are skeptical Haftars governance would bring stability. Haftar is deeply unpopular in many places and given the fragmented state of Libya and the proliferation of armed groups its going to be very hard to impose his rule throughout the country, says ICGs Hiltermann.
Tripoli (AFP) - The United Nations on Tuesday postponed a Libyan national conference aimed at drawing up an election roadmap because of fighting raging near the capital, in another setback to peace efforts.

The move came as the North African country's warring parties faced mounting international pressure to halt violence that has caused thousands to flee and left several dozen people dead.

"We cannot ask people to take part in the conference during gunfire and air strikes," UN envoy Ghassan Salame said.

He expressed hope that the meeting, which had been scheduled for next week, would take place "as soon as possible".

The UN Security Council is to hold closed-door consultations on Wednesday on the crisis in Libya and hear a briefing from Salame, diplomats in New York said.

UN chief Antonio Guterres called for an "immediate halt" to hostilities, after Tripoli's only functioning airport was hit in an air strike on Monday by strongman Khalifa Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA).

After a night-time lull, fighting resumed on Tuesday morning south of the city, a security source said.

The suburb of Wadi Rabi was under the Government of National Accord's (GNA's) control, its spokesman Colonel Mohamed Gnounou said on Tuesday, adding that Haftar's forces had been pushed back towards the regions of Soug Al-Khamis and Al-Aziziya to the south.

Gnounou said the Tripoli based unity government had carried out several air raids against LNA positions south of Tripoli, and also hit supply lines in central Libya.

- 'Hands of terrorists' -

The UN's high commissioner for refugees, Filippo Grandi, called on Tuesday for the warring parties to "spare civilians, including refugees and migrants trapped in the country".

The UN's refugee agency said it had evacuated more than 150 refugees from a Tripoli detention centre, and that migrants elsewhere might also need to be moved.

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The oil-rich country has been rocked by violent power struggles between an array of armed groups since the NATO-backed overthrow of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

Led by Fayez al-Sarraj, the GNA's authority is not recognised by a parallel administration in the east of the country, which is allied with Haftar.

LNA spokesman Ahmad al-Mesmari accused the unity government of "allying itself with Islamist militias".

"The battle is no longer in the hands of al-Sarraj -- it is henceforth in the hands of terrorists", Mesmari said, citing pro-GNA militias coming from the city of Misrata 200 kilometres (120 miles) east of the capital.

Haftar's forces, which launched a surprise offensive on the Libyan capital last week, claimed responsibility for Monday's air raid on Mitiga airport.

It caused no casualties, but left a metre-deep (yard-deep) crater on a runway.

Salame said the air strike constituted "a serious violation of international humanitarian law which prohibits attacks against civilian infrastructure".

Flights were suspended on Monday, but the airport was due to be reopened to night-time flights late on Tuesday.

Hafter has defied international calls to halt the advance, including from the UN Security Council and the United States.

The GNA's health ministry on Monday put the death toll in the fighting at 35. Haftar's forces have said 14 of their fighters have died.

The UN said the clashes have displaced some 3,400 people.

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Sarraj to voice his "total opposition to the offensive against the capital and the endangering of civilian lives", the unity government said.

The French presidency said in a statement that Macron had also been in contact with Haftar and said it was "imperative" that the fighting ends immediately.

International efforts to end the Libyan conflict have repeatedly failed.

Rival leaders agreed last year to hold elections before December 10, 2018 under a French plan, but that vote never materialised.

The national conference, which had been scheduled for April 14-16 in the central city of Ghadames, aimed to fix dates for legislative and presidential elections, and work towards a new constitution.

- 'Protect civilians' -

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, urged all parties to remember "their obligations under international law to ensure the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure".

Haftar is a former Kadhafi military chief who has emerged as a major player in Libya's political struggle.

His offensive threatens to plunge the country into a full-blown civil war and has thrown into sharp relief the divisions between world powers over how to end the chaos that has riven Libya since 2011.

Haftar's key allies are the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and increasingly Saudi Arabia, while he is strongly opposed by their regional foe Qatar as well as Doha's chief supporter Turkey.

Russia has said meanwhile it is not taking sides in the fighting in Libya but behind the scenes, experts say, Moscow is firmly backing Haftar.

"He is supplied with Russian weapons and gladly takes them. He is Moscow's man," said analyst Alexander Shumilin of the Centre for the Analysis of Middle East Conflicts in Moscow.

On the other side of the fight, Sarraj's UN-backed government retains substantial support from former colonial power Italy.
Kano (Nigeria) (AFP) - Boko Haram fighters attacked the northeast Nigerian city of Damaturu for the first time since late 2014, residents said, after troops forced thousands to flee a village across the state border because of a planned military offensive.

Two locals in the Yobe state capital said suspected IS-linked Boko Haram fighters were behind the attack, which began late afternoon.

"Boko Haram jihadists launched an attack on Damaturu at about 5:45 pm (1645 GMT), firing guns and throwing explosives," Adamu Sani, a trader in the city's Maisandari area, told AFP.

"Residents and businesses all closed as we fled into the city to avoid being caught up in the attack. While fleeing into the city, I saw truckloads of soldiers heading to Maisandari."

Hashimu Idris, a civil servant, added: "Everybody is indoors. We pray the soldiers push them back otherwise it will be another disaster in the city.

"This is the first attack on the city since 2014."

Boko Haram fighters loyal to the faction headed by Abubakar Shekau launched a dawn raid on Damaturu on December 1, 2014. More than 150 people, including 38 police, were killed.

That raid followed a bomb attack on June 18 that year that killed some 21 football fans watching a World Cup match at a public viewing centre.

The previous October, 30 people, all of them thought to be soldiers, were killed in a gun and bomb attack on police buildings in Damaturu.

The latest attack followed the evacuation of some 2,000 people from Jakana village, some 90 kilometres (55 miles) from Damaturu on the road to Maiduguri, in neighbouring Borno state.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said troops escorted the residents to the Bakassi camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Maiduguri "for their own safety".

NEMA northeast coordinator Abulkadir Ibrahim said the move was "a result of ongoing operations to flush out insurgents in the area".

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Jakana residents said they were given no notice. One of them, Modu Kaka, said: "The soldiers came this morning and told us to assemble and began herding us into trucks.

"We left all our possessions in Jakana and we are now dependent on food aid."

- Crossing point -

Bakassi is one of several IDP camps housing tens of thousands of displaced people, who live in squalid shelters and rely on food handouts from aid agencies.

An unnamed military official said the evacuation was in preparation for a "big operation" against Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), the IS-linked faction of Boko Haram.

Jakana lies on a known crossing route for ISWAP fighters moving between their camps in the Benisheikh forest area of Borno and their hideouts in the Buni Yadi area of Yobe.

In January ISWAP sent letters to Jakana and Mainok residents asking them to vacate their homes for an impending raid on the military.

The jihadists have in the last few weeks been under assault from intensive air and ground offensives from coalition forces involving Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon against militant camps in Lake Chad, according to military sources and militia groups.

"We know they are going to use their traditional route to escape," the military source said.

Boko Haram's decade-long insurgency has killed more than 27,000 people in the northeast with 1.8 million still displaced from their homes.

The conflict has spread to neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting a regional military coalition against the jihadists.
U.S. Justice Department headquarters in Washington, D.C. (ALM photo)



Without recommending a specific sentence, prosecutors said Monday that Washington lobbyist Sam Patten should receive credit for his cooperation with the government when he is sentenced this week for failing to disclose to U.S. authorities his past consulting work for a Ukrainian political party.



Patten, a onetime associate of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, pleaded guilty in August to violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, an 80-year-old law that came to renewed prominence following Manaforts prosecution on charges related to his past lobbying work for the Russia-aligned government of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Manaforts prosecution at the hands of the special counsels office, led by Robert Mueller III, marked the beginning of the Justice Departments renewed scrutiny of advocacy for international clients after decades of lax FARA enforcement.



Pattens case was referred to career prosecutors by Special Counsel Robert Mueller IIIs office.



In a court filing, prosecutors said Patten faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison but recommended that he be credited for the cooperation and the substantial assistance he has provided to the government.



Consistent with the practice of the Special Counsels Office, the government does not take a position with respect to a particular sentence to be imposed, the prosecutors said.



Patten had been prepared to testify against Manafort in Washington, prosecutors said, adding that his experience as a political consultant overseas made him a valuable resource for the government in a number of other criminal investigations. He met with government investigators, either on the phone or in person, on nine separate occasions.



Patten, represented by Schertler & Onorato partner Stuart Sears, was charged last year with failing to register as a foreign agent in connection with his work for the Opposition Bloc, a political party in Ukraine. Prosecutors alleged that Patten sought to arrange for his Russian business partner and a member of the Opposition Blocidentified in court papers as a prominent Ukrainian oligarchto meet with members of Congress and their staffs, but failed to disclose those activities to the U.S. Justice Department.



Sears argued that Patten should avoid jail time, in a court filing that downplayed Pattens offense and appeared to draw distinctions between his case and Manaforts.



Mr. Patten was never hired to lobby U.S politicians or to advocate for or against any specific U.S. policy. Mr. Patten did not create or hire intermediaries for the purpose of concealing from the American public or government his work on behalf of a foreign client. He did not charge exorbitant fees to advance his clients causes and did not hide his assets around the globe and far away from the IRS, Sears said in a sentencing memo posted Monday.



Patten's defense lawyers continued: And perhaps most importantly for a FARA case, he never concealed who his clients were. Instead, during the course of a long business relationship where Mr. Patten advised his clients on matters related solely to Ukrainian politics and elections, he did a few favors for his clients that crossed the line into FARA-registrable activity.



U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson is set to sentence Patten on April 12. In a letter to Jackson on March 28, Patten said he accepted complete responsibility and that he should be punished for this.



Patten, prosecutors said, focused his efforts on members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Committee on Foreign Affairs but also worked to arrange meetings with State Department officials and reporters. His failure to disclose the lobbying dated back to 2014, prosecutors said, adding his company raked in more than $1 million between the spring of 2015 and 2017 from its work for the Opposition Bloc.



The activity was undertaken to promote the interests of the Ukrainian oligarch and the Opposition Bloc to influence U.S. policy, prosecutors said in the charging documents. Prosecutors also alleged that Patten helped the Ukrainian oligarch draft op-eds targeted at the U.S. press.



As part of his plea deal, Patten admitted to brokering access to President Donald Trumps inauguration for a pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarch in a scheme designed to circumvent the federal prohibition on foreigners donating to such ceremonies.





Story continues

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson

Judge Amy Berman Jackson, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM)



At his sentencing Friday, Patten will find himself in front of a judge who has been immersed in foreign-lobbying issues for more than a year now.



Jackson presided over the special counsels prosecution of Manafort in Washington, a case that included allegations that the longtime Republican operative failed to register under FARA and, through an unknowing attorney, misled the Justice Department about the nature of his work for Ukraine.



Bermans sentencecoming weeks after a federal judge in Alexandria, Virginia, sentenced Manafort on financial fraud chargeselevated Manafort's prison term to 7 years.



At Manaforts sentencing, Jackson stressed that FARA was a criminal statute and not merely a pesky regulation, as many lobbyists came to view it after years of light enforcement.



When people dont have the facts, democracy cant work, she said, adding that Manafort had effectively lied to Congress and the American public by failing to properly disclose his work for Ukraine.













READ MORE:





Manafort Judge Says Foreign Lobbying Law Is No 'Pesky Regulation'



DC Lobbyist Pleads Guilty in FARA Case, Agrees to Cooperate



Registering as a 'Foreign Agent'? Why Law Firms and Lobby Shops Might Demur.



Skadden Registers Ukraine Advocacy After Settling DOJ's Lobbying Case



The Curious Case of Joe Liebermans Work as a Lobbyist Who Isn't Advocating
Strasbourg (France) (AFP) - Russia violated the human rights of anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny, a leading opponent of President Vladimir Putin, by holding him under house arrest for a lengthy spell in 2014, Europe's top rights court said Tuesday.

It is the second time the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has condemned Russia over Navalny, and comes as questions grow over whether Moscow will remain a member of the Council of Europe (CoE), to which the court belongs.

"The restrictions on him, including tight limits on his communicating, had been out of proportion to the criminal charges he had faced," the ECHR said, ruling that Russia had violated the European Convention on Human Rights.

"It was also apparent that he had been treated in that way in order to curtail his public activities," it added.

Navalny hailed the decision as a "victory" in a message on his Instagram account.

"I am sure that the decision will have important consequences for those in Russia who are subject to such lawlessness all the time," Navalny wrote.

Russia was ordered to pay Navalny 20,000 euros ($22,550) in damages and 2,665 euros ($3,000) in costs and expenses

The latest ruling relates to almost a year that Navalny spent under house arrest starting in February 2014 after he was charged with fraud and money laundering along with his brother Oleg.

The pair were convicted in December 2014, with Alexei Navalny given a suspended sentence and his brother sent to prison. Both have denounced the charges as politically motivated.

- 'Suppression of pluralism' -

The ECHR had already condemned Russia in November over a series of arrests of Navalny, saying seven arrests between 2012 and 2014 had violated his rights to security, a fair trial and the freedom of assembly.

The court said the restrictions on Navalny pursued the "same aim of the suppression of political pluralism" in Russia.

The rulings come as questions grow over whether Russia will remain a member of the Council of Europe, the pan-European rights body of which the ECHR is a part.

Story continues

After Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, the council's Parliamentary Assembly deprived the Russian delegation of voting and other rights.

In retaliation, Russia has suspended its annual 33 million euro ($37 million) payment to the Strasbourg-based council -- about seven percent of its budget -- and has not participated in PACE sessions.

After two years of non-payment of contributions -- which would be in June this year -- Russia could be suspended from the council in what some have dubbed a potential "Ruxit".

Navalny has over the last decade emerged as one of the key opponents of Putin, with his exposes of high-level corruption touching a nerve with many Russians especially in Moscow.

But his legal troubles have prevented him from taking on Putin at the ballot box, in what supporters argue is a brazen attempt by the Kremlin to keep a dangerous opponent from the stage.
By Richard Lough, Thomas Escritt and Gabriela Baczynska PARIS/BERLIN/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders will grant Prime Minister Theresa May a second delay to Brexit but they could demand she accepts a much longer extension as France pushed for conditions to limit Britain's ability to undermine the bloc. A "flextension" until the end of the year or until March 2020, under which Britain could leave much sooner if its warring political tribes can find a majority, was shaping up to be the most likely, EU diplomats said, after envoys met in Brussels late on Tuesday to prepare for Wednesday evening's summit with May. In a sign of just how far the three-year Brexit crisis has sapped British power, May dashed to Berlin and Paris to ask Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron to allow the world's fifth-largest economy to put off its divorce from April 12. While it was not immediately clear what Merkel and Macron, Europe's two most powerful leaders, agreed with May, an advance draft of conclusions for Wednesday's emergency EU summit said Britain would be granted another delay on certain conditions. "The United Kingdom shall facilitate the achievement of the Union's tasks and refrain from any measure which could jeopardize the attainment of the Union's objectives," read the draft seen by Reuters. As a full member state of the EU, Britain could in theory exercise a veto on any major policy decision. May has asked the EU for a Brexit delay to June 30 but the draft left the end-date blank pending a decision by the other 27 national leaders on Wednesday evening in Brussels. More than a week after Britain was originally supposed to leave the EU, May, the weakest British prime minister in a generation, has said she fears Brexit might never happen as she battles to get a divorce deal ratified by a divided parliament. After her pledge to resign failed to get her deal over the line, she launched crisis talks with the opposition Labour Party in the hope of breaking the domestic deadlock. "People are tired and fed up (with Britain's indecision) - but what to do?" one EU diplomat said. "We won't be the ones pushing the UK off the cliff edge." HOW LONG? Another EU official involved with Brexit said no European power wanted the chaos that they fear a "no-deal" exit would sow through financial markets and the EU 27's $16 trillion economy. "Nobody wants to pull the plug by 13th April," said the official. "But for how long - I don't know. And France will ask a lot of questions in Brussels." But as May arrived at the Elysee Palace in Paris to a guard of honor, she was unable to trumpet any breakthrough with Labour. Shortly before she landed in Paris, an official in Macron's office said that "in the scenario of an extended delay, one year would seem too long for us". He added that if Britain did delay its exit, it should not take part in EU budget talks or in choosing the next president of the EU's executive commission - and that the other 27 member states should be able to review its "sincere cooperation". Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said Macron would not veto May's extension but wanted conditions attached. "He (Macron) certainly wants to know about conditionality, particularly the issue of the United Kingdom being involved in future (EU) decision-making," Varadkar said. "STOP BREXIT" Earlier in the day, May met Merkel at her riverside Chancellery, a short walk from Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, and departed with a warm exchange of kisses. While they discussed Brexit, Germany's opposition liberal FDP party drove an advertising van past the Chancellery with a slogan reading: "Dear Theresa May. Just do it. Stop Brexit. Make the most of Europes opportunities." Several EU diplomats said the 12-month extension proposed by European Council President Donald Tusk, who will chair the Wednesday summit, was unlikely to fly and several capitals had agreed with France that this would be too long, fearing a protracted distraction from other pressing EU business. In London, British Solicitor General Robert Buckland said May would "listen carefully" to any constructive suggestions made by the EU on the length of the extension. He conceded that the government might not have managed to ratify an exit deal in parliament before European elections are held on May 23-26. According to the draft conclusions, if Britain did not take part in EU parliamentary elections properly, it would have to leave on June 1, 2019. The pound, which has seesawed so much on Brexit news that some investors have stepped away from the sterling market, rose and then dipped on speculation Merkel could offer May a better deal. Germany denied that. [GBP/] DIVIDED KINGDOM The 2016 referendum revealed a United Kingdom split over much more than EU membership, and has sparked impassioned debate about everything from secession and immigration to capitalism, empire and what it means to be British. Yet nothing is yet resolved. Unable to convince enough of her own Conservatives of the merits of her deal to get it passed, May is courting socialist Jeremy Corbyn, whose Labour Party wants to keep Britain more closely tied to the bloc after Brexit. Labour's demands include keeping Britain in a customs union with the EU, something that is hard to reconcile with May's desire for Britain to have an independent trade policy, and potentially a second referendum on any deal. After Tuesday's round of talks, Labour said it had not yet seen a clear shift in May's stance. "We had further detailed and wide-ranging talks with cabinet ministers and officials today," a Labour representative said. "We have yet to see the clear shift in the governments position that is needed to secure a compromise agreement." A customs union with the EU, seen as the most likely area for compromise but so far resisted by May's government, was the first item on the agenda for the talks, which were to include finance minister Philip Hammond. Talks resume on Thursday. The idea of a softer Brexit is anathema to euroskeptics in May's Conservative party who have helped to defeat her divorce deal three times this year. Meanwhile, British lawmakers on Tuesday approved by a 420-110 margin May's plan to seek to delay Brexit to June 30 while she tries to strike a compromise with Labour. The government was forced to hold the vote after parliament passed a law on Monday giving themselves power to scrutinize and make changes to May's request to extend the Article 50 negotiating period a second time. (Additional reporting by Kylie MacLellan, William James, Elizabeth Piper and Costas Pitas in London, Gabriela Baczynska in Luxembourg, Alastair Macdonald in Brussels, and Padraic Halpin in Dublin; Writing by Guy Faulconbridge and Kevin Liffey; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Lisa Shumaker)
ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party said Tuesday it will seek a re-run of the March 31 mayoral election in Istanbul, citing alleged irregularities.

Ali Ihsan Yavuz, a ruling party deputy chairman, announced the decision hours after Turkey's top electoral authority rejected a request for a full recount of the votes cast in Istanbul.

Yavuz told reporters that the vote in Turkey's financial and commercial hub was marred by "organized irregularities."

"We will say that there were events and situations that clearly affected the result of the election and that we are using our right for an extraordinary appeal (to) demand a renewal of the election in Istanbul," Yavuz said.

Erdogan's Justice and Development Party, or AKP, suffered a major setback in the country's March 31 local elections. Opposition candidates won in Turkey's capital, Ankara, and squeezed out the ruling party in Istanbul, where Erdogan rose to power as mayor and which has been governed by his party and its Islamist predecessor for the last 25 years.

The opposition's mayoral hopeful, Ekrem Imamoglu, criticized the ruling party's plans and again called on the party to accept the results, saying Istanbul had no time to lose.

"The winner of the election is clear and the people on the street have accepted it," he said.

Earlier, the Supreme Electoral Board rejected the AKP's demand for a full recount in Istanbul but allowed a recount of 51 ballot boxes in the city's 21 districts, Recep Ozel, a member of the board from the ruling party, told reporters early on Tuesday.

Separately, the party is seeking a repeat of the vote in the district of Buyukcekmece, as it says thousands of people were wrongly registered.

On Tuesday, police were carrying out inspections at addresses around the Buyukcekmece district, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

The opposition has accused the party of being a "bad loser" and has repeatedly called on Erdogan to concede that his party lost.
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The UN Security Council will hold urgent closed-door consultations on Wednesday on the crisis in Libya, where fighting has derailed UN-led efforts to prepare for elections.

UN envoy Ghassan Salame will brief the council on his decision to postpone a national conference aimed at drawing up an election roadmap, diplomats said.

Thousands of people have fled Tripoli after forces under the command of Khalifa Haftar, who controls part of eastern Libya, launched an offensive last week to take the capital.

"We cannot ask people to take part in the conference during gunfire and air strikes," Salame said Tuesday in announcing the postponement of the conference that was due to open on Sunday.

Tripoli is controlled by a UN-backed unity government, but its authority is not recognized by a rival administration in the east, allied with Haftar.

Britain and Germany, which holds the council presidency, called for the meeting a day after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate halt to the fighting.

Oil-rich Libya has been rocked by violent power struggles between an array of armed groups since the NATO-backed overthrow of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

Rival leaders agreed last year to hold elections before December 10, 2018 under a French plan, but that vote never materialized.

The national conference, which had been scheduled for April 14-16 in the central city of Ghadames, aimed to fix dates for legislative and presidential elections, and work towards a new constitution.
Washington (AFP) - The US State Department on Monday barred entry to 16 Saudi nationals over what it described as their role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The announcement by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo comes as the administration of President Donald Trump has faced pressure from Congress over its response to the killing in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October, which sparked unprecedented international scrutiny of the kingdom's human rights record.

A statement by the State Department listed the individuals and said that they had been designated under under Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act of 2019.

The section "provides that, in cases where the Secretary of State has credible information that officials of foreign governments have been involved in significant corruption or gross violations of human rights, those individuals and their immediate family members are ineligible for entry into the United States.

"The law requires the Secretary of State to publicly or privately designate such officials and their immediate family members."

The State Department previously revoked the visas of nearly two dozen Saudi officials and froze the assets of 17 others.

A critic of the Saudi regime, Khashoggi was killed and dismembered October 2 in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by a team of 15 agents sent from Riyadh. His body has never been recovered.

After having denied the murder, Saudi Arabia said the operation was carried out by agents who were out of control. A trial of 11 suspects opened earlier this year in Saudi Arabia.

But much of the case remains shrouded, beginning with the role of Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince and de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman.

The US Senate, after a closed-door briefing by the CIA, adopted a resolution in December naming the crown prince as "responsible" for the murder, while President Donald Trump has refused to publicly take a stand.
By Andy Sullivan and Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration stepped up pressure on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday, raising the likelihood that he might fire more senior officials as the agency struggles with a surge of immigrants on the U.S.-Mexico border. Two days after Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced her departure, a senior administration official said others at DHS were not doing enough to enact Trump's promised immigration crackdown, a top priority for him since he announced his candidacy for the White House four years ago. Several DHS officials could be forced out soon, said an official familiar with the matter. Among them were the department's acting No. 2 official, Claire Grady, DHS general counsel John Mitnick and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Francis Cissna, the source said. A DHS spokesman did not respond to a request for comment on the officials' expected tenure. Trump denied that he was overhauling DHS and said his administration was fighting "bad laws" on immigration and a court system that "never ever rules for us" - a frequent refrain of his as a succession of policies to curb entry to the United States have been met with legal challenges by civil rights advocates. "Nobody ever said I was cleaning house," Trump told reporters at the White House. Nielsen announced her resignation on Sunday after a meeting with Trump in which the two disagreed on the best way to handle border security. The personnel changes could further destabilize the U.S. domestic security agency as it tries to stem rising numbers of immigrants arriving at the border, many of them families fleeing violence and poverty in Central America. DHS said it arrested or denied entry to more than 103,000 people along the border last month, more than double the March 2018 figure. The U.S. Secret Service said on Monday that its chief Randolph "Tex" Alles would depart his job next month, and Trump last Friday withdrew the nomination of Ronald Vitiello to serve as director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Several top DHS jobs are either vacant or filled on an acting basis, including positions responsible for disaster response, immigration enforcement, finance, policy, and science and technology. "It's not good to have all these people performing in an acting position," said Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson, a Republican. FRUSTRATIONS Trump has grown increasingly frustrated as DHS officials have told him that the dramatic immigration changes they seek are not possible under current law and would require the cooperation of Congress, several sources say. Trump has repeatedly pressed Nielsen over the past several weeks to bring back last year's controversial policy of separating migrant children from their parents, one source said. Trump abandoned that policy last year in the face of widespread public outrage, and it was subsequently struck down in court. Trump denied on Tuesday that he was reviving the separation policy. Johnson, the Senate Homeland Security Committee chairman, said that policy would have "no support" in Congress. A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said one option may be to give migrant families a choice of staying in long-term detention together while they await a court hearing or splitting up, an idea known as "binary choice." The administration may also move to detain migrant children for longer than the 20 day maximum set by a court ruling, in order to set in motion a legal challenge that could overturn that limit, the official said. The official said DHS has been too slow in drafting new rules that would tighten immigration. The official singled out U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, saying it had not moved quickly enough to tighten H-1B visas for skilled workers and has granted an "astronomical" number of asylum claims. Asylum officers at the agency found that applicants had a "credible fear" of persecution in their home countries in 78 percent of the cases they decided between October and February, according to USCIS data. The White House could anger allies in Congress if it fires USCIS head Cissna, who has previously worked with Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Republican Senator Chuck Grassley said on Twitter that Cissna was "doing what voters asked4 w PresTrump election." Any move to fire Cissna or other DHS leaders would likely complicate the department's leadership woes. U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan is due to take Nielsen's place on a temporary basis, starting on Wednesday. That will leave a vacancy atop DHS on the front lines of the border crisis and could also force the departure of the No. 2 Grady, who is legally supposed to fill Nielsen's shoes. Trump has interviewed several candidates for the top job over the past week and a half, including former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, former Virginia attorney general Ken Cuccinelli, and former acting Immigrations and Customs Enforcement head Thomas Homan. All three have expressed hard-line views on illegal immigration, and could have difficulty winning confirmation in the U.S. Senate, which Trump's Republicans control by a 53-47 margin. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said Congress needed to set aside its differences to overhaul immigration laws, which it has repeatedly failed to do over the past 15 years. (Reporting by Andy Sullivan and Roberta Rampton; additional reporting by Makini Brice, Jeff Mason, Yeganeh Torbati, Susan Cornwell and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Grant McCool)
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Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed Middle East peace efforts during talks in Washington with White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, according to a statement by the Egyptian presidency.

El-Sisi pledged that Cairo will continue to support efforts to ensure a just, lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on resolutions of international legitimacy, the two-state solution and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.

El-Sisi urged the international community to take action to end human suffering in occupied Palestinian territory, namely in the Gaza Strip.

The Egyptian president is set to meet with US President Donald Trump in the White House on Tuesday.

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Despite their advanced age, longtime activists continue to support political parties battling for seats in the next parliament.

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These six activists have already seen everything in Israeli politics. Heading into the 2019 elections, they are trying to mobilize all their combined 511 years of experience for the success of the political parties they support.

Eli Goren, 87. 'The Labor Movement is my home'

"The Labor Movement is my home, I was born into it and I believe in it to this day," says Eli Goren, (87), of the Kibbutz Geva in the Northern Israel.

Goren has never left the party, not even for a moment. He worries his children will vote for other left leaning parties, and due to the unflattering polling results, knows he must "make a significant effort to convince them to vote for Labor.

"I have managed to persuade at least 300 or 400 people to vote for Lieberman," says Boris Groisman, (91), of Upper Nazareth, an activist in Yisrael Beiteinu since 1999. "From the time I get up I'm busy with the elections, I come here and walk around convincing people, I don't rest, I'm full of energy. If I were to stay at home, I would just be bored"

Gabi Deus (81) was treasurer of Meretz until seven years ago and voted for the party since 1988. He continues to attend party conferences and advises on financial issues.

"I never thought about changing party," he says. "Even now, I am convinced that Meretz is still relevant and am certain that it will pass the threshold (of votes needed to get seats in the next Knesset)."

Gabi Deus, 81, former treasurer of Meretz

Tawfiq Husri (86) from Umm al-Fahm, has 21 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. He will vote for Hadash. Even at his age, he continues to come to the at Umm al-Fahm headquarters to help.

"I have been active in the Communist Party since the 1950s," he says. "In 1958 we protested against the military rule. I was arrested and sentenced to two years in prison. I was active during the most difficult days and clashed with security forces often.

Avraham Fried, (76), chairman of the Likud branch on the outskirts of Haifa, tries to explain to his volunteers that the elections are a "battle" for the future of the state.

"today the activists work inside the party offices. There are no stalls on the streets, no pamphlets. Everything is computerized.

Boris Groisman, 91; 'I have managed to persuade at least 300 or 400 people to vote for Lieberman'

Though warning of complacency Fried is still confident: " Bibi surely has something up his sleeve for the last minute. I want a crushing victory. "

Sarah Levy, (90), of Jerusalem, is the mother of MK Mickey Levy, number 22, on Beni Gantz's list.

"I have been a member of Irgun since the age of 14," she says, referring to the Zionist paramilitary organization that operated in Mandatory Palestine. "My husband was a Prisoner of Zion in the Soviet Union and when he came to Israel, he fought, as I did, in the Irgun."

"For most of my life I voted for Herut and then Likud. But just over 15 years ago, I stopped voting for the Likud. I felt the party no longer represent the values I fought for. I will now vote for the Blue and White list because they have beautiful ideas, which I hope will be fulfilled."
President Reuven Rivlin voted Tuesday in the general elections in the capital of Jerusalem, and called on all Israelis to go out and exercise their right to vote.

"Those who will determine who will be the next prime minister is not the president or any party leaders. Those who will decide the outcome is you," he said.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday defended the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as protectors of Iran a day after the United States labeled the group as a foreign terrorist organisation.

"The Guards have sacrificed their lives to protect our people, our (1979 Islamic) revolution ... today America that holds a grudge against the Guards, blacklists the Guards," Rouhani said in a speech broadcast live on state TV. US President Donald Trump designated Iran's Guards a foreign terrorist organisation on Monday - an unprecedented step that will raise tensions in the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia welcomes the US decision to designate Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a foreign terrorist organisation, Saudi state media said on Tuesday.

"The US decision translates the Kingdom's repeated demands to the international community of the necessity of confronting terrorism supported by Iran," SPA news agency said, citing a foreign ministry source.
The New York City Health Department has ordered all ultra-Orthodox Jewish schools in a neighborhood of Brooklyn to exclude unvaccinated students from classes during the current measles outbreak.

In issuing the order Monday, the health department said that any yeshiva in Williamsburg that does not comply will face fines and possible closure.

City health officials say the measles outbreak among Orthodox Jewish communities continues to increase "at an alarming rate."
Clouded by a series of looming corruption indictments, Netanyahu is seeking a fourth consecutive and a fifth overall term in office, which would make him Israel's longest-ever serving Prime Minister, surpassing founding father David Ben-Gurion.

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But his various corruption scandals have created some voter fatigue, and in recent days he's vowed to annex Jewish West Bank settlements if re-elected -- a prospect that could doom the already slim hopes of establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel, which Netanyahu has previously wavered on.

2019 elections

Netanyahu faces a stiff challenge from retired military chief Benny Gantz, whose Blue and White party has inched ahead of Netanyahu's Likud in polls. Netanyahu still appears to have the best chance of forming a coalition, though, with a smattering of small nationalist parties backing him.

Candidate Gantz at polling station (Photo: Getty Images)

Netanyahu and Gantz have ruled out sitting together in government, so the next prime minister will likely come down to how many supporters each candidate can recruit.

Israel's president, Reuven Rivlin, could play an important role. Though largely a ceremonial post, the president is responsible for choosing the candidate with the best chance of building a stable coalition government as prime minister.

In the campaign's final days, Netanyahu has veered to the right and embarked on a media blitz in which he portrays himself as the underdog and frantically warns that "the right-wing government is in danger."

Voters in Jerusalem (Photo: Reuters)

Arab turnout will be a major issue this time as well. Netanyahu's campaign against Arab politicians, together with the new alliance with anti-Arab extremists and the passage of last year's contentious nation-state law, which enshrined Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people alone, have deepened calls for a ballot boycott in Arab communities.

But some hope these blows will have the opposite effect, fueling enough frustration to drive up the Arab participation rate, which is typically lower than that of Israeli Jews. A big Arab turnout could push smaller right-wing parties into the margins and even threaten Netanyahu's long rule.

The Palestinian issue has been largely sidelined in the election campaign that has been long on scandal and short on substance. But in a reminder, the military says it imposed a 24-hour closure on the West Bank and Gaza throughout election day, based on its security assessments.

Even if he is re-elected, Netanyahu could have a difficult time governing. Some of his allies have indicated they will no longer back him if formal charges are filed.

Israel's attorney general has recommended indicting him on bribery and breach of trust charges in three separate cases. Rivals have also begun to question a deal in which Netanyahu reportedly earned $4 million on a German submarine sale to Egypt by owning shares in one of the German manufacturer's suppliers.

Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing and claims the accusations are part of a liberal media's orchestrated witch hunt against him.

Netanyahu has generated much of his popularity from projecting a tough image in the face of Iran's rising power and for keeping Israel safe and prosperous in a hostile region.

But in Gantz he has encountered the rare opponent who can match his security credentials. Along with two other former military chiefs on his ticket, Gantz has attacked Netanyahu for failing to halt rocket fire from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. The telegenic Gantz, who has been vague on key policy fronts, has presented himself as a clean, scandal-free alternative to Netanyahu
Leaders of the main political parties in Israel came out Tuesday to exercise their voting rights in their respective hometowns, in what is expected to be a close contest between the ruling Likud and Blue and White party. Voter turnout by 2pm appears to be lower than in 2015 elections, and currently stands at 35.8 percent.

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - who earlier took to social media to directly address the voters - cast his vote in a polling station near the Prime Ministers Residence in Jerusalem.

Netanyahu and his main challenger Gantz cast their votes (Photo: Yael Friedson, Reuters)

"Voting is a holy act, the very essence of democracy," Netanyahu said at the polling station, where he arrived with his wife Sara.

When asked about the issue of hidden cameras being placed by Likud supporters in Arab polling stations, the prime minister said surveillance cameras should be everywhere to ensure a kosher voting process."

Netanyahu with wife Sara

The premiers main challenger, former military chief Benny Gantz has also cast his ballot, calling for a "new dawn, a new history" for the country. Gantz voted earlier in his hometown of Rosh Haayin in central Israel alongside his wife, Revital. He called on all Israelis to get out and vote, saying they should "take responsibility" for their democracy.

Gantz's Blue and White party colleague, Yair Lapid, claimed that his party is "just a step away from victory  We need two more seats to win these historic elections in Israel. A vote for any party except Blue and White is a vote for Netanyahu."

Gantz meets with supporters in Ashdod after casting his vote (Photo: Avi Roccah)

President Reuven Rivlin also voted in the Yefe Nof school in Jerusalem and called on all Israelis to go out and exercise their right to vote. Neither the president, the party leaders or the prime minister will decide the next government. The only people who decide who will be the next government and prime minister are you, he said.

For 50 years, my wife and I have voted together. I hope and pray, and am sure, that we will do it together again next time, here near our home, Rivlin added referring to the recent hospitalization of his wife following a lung transplant.

Rivlin at the polling station (Photo: GPO)

Netanyahus potential coalition partners - leaders of the New Right party - Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked also voted early Tuesday.

These elections are about one thing - will Israel go back to winning ways? Will Israel support its soldiers even if they make mistakes sometimes, Bennet said at a polling station in Raanana. Will we defeat the enemy, and become united - everyone - religious and secular. Our nation is wonderful and today, with the New Right, well go back to winning ways.

Bennett voting in Raanana (Photo: Nimrod Glickman)

Labor Party Chairman Avi Gabbay - who accompanied his wheelchair-bound mother Sarah to a polling station in Jerusalem - said she is voting for his party for the first time in her life. There are many others like her, who read our platform and will, for the first time, vote Labor today, he said. Youll be surprised by how many people will vote for us.

Avi Gabbay with his mother (Photo: Amit Shaabi )

Kulanu party founder and chairman, Moshe Kahlon, cast a ballot in his hometown of Haifa and expressed optimism over the elections outcome despite sliding down in the polls prior to the vote, adding that he without a doubt believes he will stay on as a treasury minister in the next government.

Moshe Kahlon (Photo: Elad Gershgoren)

Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman slammed the prime minister at the entrance to his polling station in the West Bank settlement of Nokdim. "Netanyahu's recent hysteria is meant to harm the right-wing parties in order to weaken them, because Netanyahu has already promised to transfer $40 million to Hamas, said Lieberman.

Tamar Zandberg (Photo: Yariv Katz)

Meretz Chairwoman Tamar Zandberg, who voted in Tel Aviv, called it a fateful day. We depend on all those women, and people in general, not to be dragged along by the big parties, but rather to keep Meretz safe  because it means keeping the left in the Knesset safe."

By Wednesday afternoon, the results of some 90%-95% of the vote will be published, and by Thursday evening or Friday morning, the final official results - including ballot boxes from the IDF polling polling stations, hospitals, prisons, detention centers and the Israeli diplomatic missions abroad - will be available.
Israel's elections website becomes overwhelmed by voters trying to find out where they should be voting.

The Central Elections Committee is also jammed by callers.
Israeli military arrested Tuesday three Palestinians who had breached the security fence in the northern Gaza Strip.

The suspects were taken for further questioning.
It is very likely that Benjamin Netanyahu is on the cusp of his fifth term in office. This is an impressive political achievement by any standard, both in Israel and on the international stage. Netanyahu will undoubtedly be remembered in the annals of the State of Israel, if only for his lengthy stint as prime minister.

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If Netanyahu does win Tuesday's vote and assembles the next government, he will soon break the record of David Ben-Gurion and become the prime minister who served the longest term in the history of the state.

Benjamin Netanyahu voting in the 2019 elections in Jerusalem (Photo: Reuters)

Nonetheless, it is clear to the entire political system that Netanyahu's time in office is nearing its end. Saving some unexpected legal development in the coming months, this will be his last term as prime minister.

There are those who are happy at this prospect, while others genuinely fear for the fate of the country post-Netanyahu, but wherever you stand, this is the reality. In the end, the political system will not allow for a prime minister who is under indictment, and as a result it will be the end of the Netanyahu era.

This is not a distant reality or an opportunity for airy speculation about what might happen next. The fact that the Netanyahu era is coming to a close makes these elections far more intriguing  and significant - than previous campaigns.

The enduring pro-Bibi/anti-Bibi divide around which the entire Israeli political system has centered is coming to an end, and the rest of the political players will have to adjust accordingly. As such, the current elections are not only a vote for the 21st Knesset, they are also the starting point for reshaping the political system in the post-Bibi era.

The first impact will, of course, be felt by the right-wing camp. The assumption that the Likud is the right-wing's ruling party will have to be re-examined, perhaps for the first time in the history of the state.

On the right, in its broadest sense, there are at least two parties and two leaders who see themselves as suitable candidates to replace Netanyahu as the leader of the right and the Likud as its ruling party. The two leaders are, of course, Naftali Bennett and Moshe Feiglin, with their New Right and Zehut parties respectively.

Naftali Bennett voting in the 2019 Israeli elections in his hometown of Raanana (Photo: Nimrod Glickman)

How these two leaders and their parties fare in the exit polls on Tuesday night and the actual results that will begin to take shape on Wednesday will determine to a great extent whether either will emerge as potential heirs to the right-wing throne and the Netanyahu government. A bad showing for either would take them out of the line of the succession.

But the right-wing camp is, of course, not the whole story. In the post-Netanyahu era, the leftist camp will also undergo a shakeup. In this case, the elections results will impact on whether Blue and White becomes the leader of the leftist camp or whether the party that was hastily thrown together in the run-up to the elections will crumble just as quickly.

If Labor manages to pull off a last-minute, poll-beating surprise and secures more than seats in the single digits, it too may make a comeback as a contender to the left-wing throne.

Either way, the outcome of the current elections is a bellwether for the future of Israeli politics. And that is something that every voter should bear this in mind when they cast their ballot.
The Central Elections Committee says midday voter turnout stands at 24.8% -- or down 2 percentage points from the 2015 elections.

But the statistic may not be a prediction of the overall turnout as polling stations close at 10 pm, and many anticipate a last-minute surge of voters heading to the polling stations.
As Israel decides its fate at the ballot box, it is worth pointing out that no ideology is up for election this time. There are no urgent issues to consider such as the volatile security situation, the sensitive economic situation, the catastrophic state of our health system, or ordinary issues such as religion and state or Jews and Arabs. All these matters will be left for other days.

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In other election campaigns - when the state returns to normality - these issues will again top the agenda. When Israel goes back to election campaigns that are conducted as in any civilized country and not as on a battlefield where it is acceptable to hurt the enemy in any way, on any subject, in an election campaign that is a mess of crude lies, manipulations, malice and corruption.

Netanyahu at the polls on Election Day (Photo: Reuters)

We must not forget why Israel is holding an election eight months before the date enshrined in law. It is because Netanyahu wanted the elections to happen before the decisions about his legal woes became public. Israelis are voting because Netanyahu wanted to preempt any decision by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblitt, and let the voters make a decision without all the pertinent information.

But Israelis already know. And they also know more information that could well lead to further legal proceedings. Like a ball of yarn with a loose end that is unravelling wildly, Netanyahu's investigations could spin out of control in the coming months. Therefore, as Israelis vote, they must not forget that they are there purely because Netanyahu wanted to save himself from legal peril. All that concerns him at this point in time is saving himself from three serious indictments, one for bribery, and the other two for fraud and breach of trust.

He believes that if he wins the elections, it will be far more difficult to demand his indictment, and a right-wing government that he heads, like the one he dreams of, will find a way to keep him in power through another term.

Netanyahu and Mandelblitt (Photo: Reuters)

The only issue before the public is if it truly wants the Netanyahu government to continue - under a prime minister who will be blackmailed during coalition negotiations, pressured by the pillars of his next government - Bezalel Smotrich, Moshe Feiglin, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Naftali Bennett, Aryeh Deri, Yaakov Litzman and Moshe Gafni, swayed by his wife Sara and son Yair.

It will be a right-wing ultra-Orthodox government, racist, homophobic and xenophobic, and - after we all saw the bizarre footage of Feiglin smacking an interviewer's bare feet - one could even say lunatic.

A government led by a prime minister whose only interest in the election is to be elected, and once elected will be devoted to meetings with his lawyers, lengthy court hearings, attacking and slandering his opponents. Is this what we want  more of what we have had so far - or after 13 years of Netanyahu's rule, do we want change? Are we satisfied with what we have, or do we want to give someone else a chance?

Do we even remember what we once looked like? Not in the eyes of the world, but rather in our own eyes. Not the eyes of the young people born into a world in which Netanyahu is prime minister, but in the eyes of us, the adults. Have we lost faith that things can be different, that this is not our inevitable destiny, that this is not an inescapable part of reality - a cacophonic culture of lies, endless scandals, incitement, abuse of power and hedonism?

Are we tired of yearning, hoping and dreaming? Are we even willing to try something else, something cleaner, something quieter?

Now is not the time for soul-searching. This is an emergency situation. In every election campaign we say that this is the most important election campaign that has ever been or ever will. But this time, more than ever, we must understand what we are up against.

This is not a decision about crucial issues regarding the future of the country. This is a decision regarding the fate of the country. How our country look like on Wednesday morning? Who will be the education minister responsible for teaching our children and grandchildren? Are we prepared let a finance minister who has no sensitivity or social compassion decide on the fate of our parents?

Moshe Feiglin (Photo: Yair Sagi)

Don't say it could never happen. Netanyahu is willing to go even further to survive than entrusting the education portfolio to the hands of Smotrich and have Feiglin as his finance minister. Look at what he was prepared to do in recent days, namely endanger the very existence of other right-wing parties, such as Shas, a party that has totally rallied in his support over the last few months, and the New Right party, whose leaders Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked pledged to back Netanyahu to form the next coalition.

On Monday, at an event at the prime minister's residence, Sara Netanyahu called Shaked and Bennett "leftists" and suggested to the journalists who came to interview the prime minister that they should check the bedroom activities of Shaked, the justice minister in her husband's cabinet, and Bennett, his education minister.

Benny Gantz is not the ideal candidate. He has made a lot of mistakes. Some of these errors he has corrected, and others we could discover in the future and be perturbed by then. It would have been nice to have had someone with more political experience, and with more ambition.

But Gantz has proven that he knows how to put up a fight, especially when none of the things said about him made him an unworthy candidate. It is also true that he will need far more to form a coalition than the Labor Party and Meretz, many of whose voters he has already stolen. But he is the hope for change. For something new. And we should be giving Gantz a chance.

So at the polls, Israelis should not have thought about the big questionsbut one simple one: Bibi or not Bibi.

There was no point thinking about a two-state solution, just of the country we want to live in.

And if Bennett and Shaked are "leftists" - so too can we all be.
TEL AVIV - Get out of the water and vote for me, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged beach-goers during an election day visit to the Mediterranean seashore on Tuesday.

Wearing a sport jacket over an open-neck shirt and surrounded by bodyguards in suits and ties, Netanyahu went to Poleg beach, north of Tel Aviv, and posted a video of his appeal on his Twitter page.

"If you want to continue with the Likud and me, then you have to go vote," he said, referring to the right-wing party that he leads. "Go to the beach later."

Otherwise, Netanyahu said, those enjoying a day at the beach would "wake up tomorrow morning" and find a left-wing prime minister had replaced him.

Election day is an official holiday in Israel, with schools and offices closed. It was also warm and sunny, and with polling stations open until 10 p.m., voters had plenty of time to hit the beach.
NEW YORK - New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a public health emergency in parts of Brooklyn on Tuesday in response to a measles outbreak, requiring unvaccinated people living in the affected areas to get the vaccine or face fines.

The city's largest measles outbreak since 1991 has mainly been confined to the Orthodox Jewish community in the borough of Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood, with 285 cases confirmed since October, de Blasio said at a news conference. That compares to only two reported cases in 2017.

"This is the epicenter of a measles outbreak that is very, very troubling and must be dealt with immediately," de Blasio said. He was joined by health officials who decried what they called "misinformation" spread by opponents of vaccination.

The Brooklyn outbreak has been traced to an unvaccinated child who became infected on a visit to Israel, which is also grappling with a measles outbreak, according to New York City's Department of Health.

The mandatory vaccination order follows an order from the Health Department last week requiring yeshivas and day-care programs serving Williamsburg's Orthodox Jewish community to exclude unvaccinated children or face fines or closure.

Another outbreak has hit Orthodox Jewish families in New York's Rockland County. Officials there banned children not vaccinated against measles from public spaces last month.

That order was overturned by a state judge on Friday, who said the reported number of cases fell short of an epidemic, local media reported.

A growing and vocal fringe of parents oppose vaccinations, believing, contrary to scientific evidence, that ingredients in the vaccines can cause autism or other disorders.
WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump is welcoming Egyptian President Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi to the White House on Tuesday for a second official visit.

The two leaders are expected to address topics including human rights, natural gas development in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and Egypt's efforts to defuse tensions in Gaza through negotiations with Hamas.
With time running out in Israel's elections, the different parties embarked on a final push Tuesday evening to persuade potential voters to cast their ballots.

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As of 6pm, only 52 percent of eligible Israeli citizens had exercised their democratic right to vote. This is a slight drop from the 2015 election turnout, in which some 54.6% people had voted by the same time of day.

Gantz and Netanyahu make final pleas to potential voters

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement Tuesday evening, warning Likud voters that "leftists: were voting in large numbers in comparison to the rightist camp.

My friends the Likud voters, I must be honest with you. This is an emergency," he said.

At 4pm today, some 61% of the leftist camp had voted, while only 41% of Likud supporters went to vote. If you dont go out to vote well lose the elections, and there will be a leftist government, he said, giving his followers information whose veracity could not be ascertained.

In the other leading campaign, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz posted a video saying, the statistics are good, but not good enough.

We have to try harder, the Likud is spreading lies, said Gantz. We mustnt get confused. We have to try hard to make sure we put the ballot slip in the envelope in the correct manner (so that the envelope wont be disqualified).

In the New Right Party, fear abounded that other rightist parties would draw away their voters as they competed with parties such as the Likud, the Union of Right-Wing Parties and Zehut for the same electorate.

Ayelet Shaked, one of the leaders of the New Right, pleaded with the National-Religious Zionist sector. We are in a bad state. Netanyahu is soaking up our votes with his 'Gevald' (Yiddish for alarm!) campaign, as is Rabbi Peretz (leader of the Union of Right-Wing Parties.)

Were going back to the 2015 disaster, said Shaked, referring to the disappointing result for her former party, Jewish Home. Were in a sharp decline, so sharp we are actually in danger (of not passing the threshold).

A couple kisses next to a Blue and White election poster (Photo: AFP)

Bezalel Smotrich of the Jewish Home Party was quick to respond to Shaked, accusing her of "not being truthful.

Were doing badly because of your 'Gevald' campaign, Smotrich said, referring to the fact that Shaked and Naftali Bennett left Jewish Home to form the New Right Party. "After you bailed, youll be held responsible for erasing the National-Religious sector off the political map, just so you can win one more seat in the Knesset.

Former defense minister Avigdor Lieberman also slammed Shaked, saying that both she and Bennett are lying through their teeth while also breaking the law.

Blue and White party and New Right party banners next to a polling station in Jerusalem (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

The New Right must have understood that they arent going to pass the threshold and are therefore hysterical, Lieberman said. They are calling on Yisrael Beiteinu voters in Russian in audio and written messages. Weve asked the Central Election Committee to act.

In leftist circles, all are worried about Blue and Whites potential to draw away their votes. Amir Peretz and Shelly Yachimovich of the Labor Party issued a statement saying that, the Blue and White campaign to wipe out the Labor Party is working.

Meretz leader Tamar Zandberg also sent a message to her voters, warning that the party is in the danger zone, and that it is fighting for every vote.

Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, who leads the Kulanu Party, warned his supporters that they might wake up and find a government that has no compassion. Every vote can make a difference and decide whether I will be the finance minister or someone else.

Israelis enjoy their holidays after the vote and visit parks, hold barbecues (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

Gesher leader Orly Levy-Abekasis said her party had fallen victim to fake news, and that her supporters received text messages that said voting for Gesher means supporting Gantz. Theyre afraid! Theyre disrespecting your intelligence, she said on Twitter.

In Shas, party head Aryeh Deri said he was receiving messages saying the party isnt doing well. We must work hard to save the legacy of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, he said referring to the late spiritual leader of the party.

In the Arab sector, many were worried about the low turnout. Both heads of parties and local municipal leaders worked together to get Arab voters to the polls, since many traditionally boycott the Israeli elections.

MK Ahmad Tibi of the Taal Party said the low turnout in Arab communities posed "a genuine danger for the two Arab parties.
JERUSALEM - Challenger Benny Gantz claimed victory over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel's election on Tuesday after two out of three TV exit polls gave his centrist party the biggest showing in parliamentary seats.

"We won! The Israeli public has had its say!" Gantz's Blue and White party said in a statement. There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu's conservative Likud.

However, two exit polls predicted a parliamentary majority for a Netanyahu-led bloc of rightist parties. The third exit poll predicted this bloc would be tied with centre-left parties that Gantz would have to enlist to form a coalition government.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed victory in the Israeli elections Tuesday evening, even though all exit polls gave his Likud Party a slight disadvantage in comparison to Benny Gantz's Blue and White Party.

In terms of forming a government, however, both KAN and Channel 13 predict that the right-wing bloc will have more seats, while Channel 12 predicts that the two blocs are tied on 60 seats apiece.

"The rightist bloc, with Likud in the lead, is clearly the winner. I thank the citizens of Israel for their trust in me. I'll start forming a rightist government with our natural political partners tonight," said Netanyahu.
We won, the people of Israel have spoken, said Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz on Tuesday night after the exit polls gave his party a slight advantage over the ruling Likud Party.

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"These elections have a clear winner and a clear loser," said Gantz. "Netanyahu promised to win 40 seats and lost big time. The president sees the full picture and has to grant the winner the right to form a government."

Gantz and Netanyahu both claim the win (Photo: Reuters, MCT)

I want to thank the thousands of activists who labored throughout the campaign and more the one million voters," Gantz said.

According to the public broadcaster KAN, Blue and White will win 37 seats, while Likud will win 36 seats. Channel 12 had Blue and White also on 37 seats, but Likud fell behind with just 33.

Blue and White party activists celebrate the exit polls reults (Photo: EPA)

According to Channel 13, however, both parties will win 36 seats.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also claimed victory, despite all exit poll giving Blue and White party the lead.

Blue and White party activists celebrate the exit polls reults (Photo: EPA)

In terms of forming a government, however, both KAN and Channel 13 predict that the right-wing bloc will have more seats, while Channel 12 predicts that the two blocs are tied on 60 seats apiece.

"The rightist bloc, with Likud in the lead, is clearly the winner. I thank the citizens of Israel for their trust in me. I'll start forming a rightist government with our natural political partners tonight," said the prime minister.

The Labor party took a big blow, with exit polls giving it between 6-8 seats, after it 24 seats in the 2015 elections.

"This is a hard blow", said Shelly Yachimovich from Labor. "This is the worst the party has done since it was founded."
WAKEFIELD POST 86's new Michigan State Police troopers, from left, Stefin Robinson, of Gladstone; Paul Maxinoski, Montreal Wis.; Evan Fezatt, Negaunee; stand ready to help the community.

By BRYAN HELLIOS

[email protected]

WAKEFIELD - The Michigan State Police Wakefield Post 86 recently had three troopers join its ranks.

Stefin Robinson, Paul Maxinoski and Evan Fezatt completed 28 weeks at the MSP's training academy and all three said the training was "intense."

"I thought I was in good shape going in, but I'm definitely in better shape now," Fezatt said.

F/Lt. Donald Horn, commander of the Wakefield Post, recognized how difficult it is to become a trooper.

"For a recruit to make it through the MSP Academy, it is quite an accomplishment," he said. "We're proud of...
News

Phoenix, Arizona - Governor Doug Ducey today announced $5 million in funding for the purchase of 45 new school buses for rural school districts and charter schools across Arizona.

In June 2018, Governor Ducey released a $38-million plan to purchase an estimated 280 school buses utilizing settlement funds from the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust. After completing four waves of funding totaling $31.8 million for the purchase of 285 buses, Arizona had remaining funds available to allocate additional buses.

Arizona chose to allocate the remaining funds for school buses to schools in rural counties, working directly with 13 rural county school superintendents. The state removed all requirements for receiving a bus except for those criteria required as part of the original settlement agreement and used a consistent application process to ascertain the needs of those rural districts. Many of the school districts receiving buses in the final allocation did not receive a bus during the first four waves.

Investing in our K-12 schools remains a top priority, said Governor Ducey. Arizona found an innovative way to use these settlement funds to invest in public education. The new school buses have gone a long way to benefit Arizona schools, especially those in low-income districts and rural communities. And with this last round of funding, every rural county in Arizona received at least one bus. Rural schools can use freed up funds to meet other capital needs.

We are extremely grateful to Governor Ducey for prioritizing rural school districts when deciding how to allocate the remaining school buses, said Jill Broussard, Pinal County School Superintendent. The additional funding for new school buses is an incredible help. Not only can we rest assured that our students will be able to get to and from school safely, we can also focus on funding other pressing projects in our districts.

With the last wave of funding, Arizona has allocated a total of $36.8 million for the purchase of 330 school buses at 141 school districts and charter schools.

See the list of applications awarded in the fifth wave of funding HERE.

BACKGROUND ON THE SETTLEMENT: In January of 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice filed suit against Volkswagen for violating the Clean Air Act by modifying its vehicles to cheat emissions tests. The suit resulted in a settlement agreement that requires Volkswagen to spend $10 billion to buy back vehicles or compensate vehicle owners and $4.7 billion to offset pollution from the modified cars. Arizona will receive $57 million over the next two years. The plan also includes funding other mission critical projects such as supporting wildland fire crews and equipment for the Arizona Department of Transportation.
Arizona News

Phoenix, Arizona - Governor Doug Ducey and First Lady Angela Ducey received the Childhelp Diamond Jubilee Voice of Children Award at the Childhelp National Day of Hope Breakfast in Washington D.C. At the event, hosted by U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Martha McSally (R-AZ) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Governor Ducey and the First Lady were recognized for Arizonas efforts to improve child welfare.

Childhelp, a national nonprofit organization based in Arizona, works to prevent and provide treatment for abused, neglected and at-risk children. The organization is celebrating its 60 year anniversary and the milestone of reaching 10.5 million children since its founding.

Angela and I are honored to accept this award on behalf of all of the foster, adoptive and kinship families, caseworkers, mentors, teachers, faith leaders, volunteers and more who work tirelessly each day to serve Arizonas children and families, said Governor Ducey. Arizona has turned around its child welfare system - becoming a model for improving outcomes and providing kids safe and loving homes. Were proud of this progress, but we are never going to stop fighting for Arizonas kids.

Turning things around in our state has been a truly collective effort, said Mrs. Ducey. Childhelp has been indispensable in this effort and making lasting and impactful changes in the lives of our children, and we are grateful for their service. We look forward to continue partnering with them to prevent child abuse and to give at-risk children hope for years to come.

Under Doug Duceys administration, we have seen a turnaround of the child welfare system, said Childhelp Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO Sara O'Meara at the breakfast. Governor Ducey and Mrs. Ducey have brought Arizona's child welfare system from the very bottom to the top. They are creating a national model for trauma-informed care.

Arizona has worked to improve outcomes at the Department of Child Safety (DCS). The state moved from last place to first place in foster care reduction, safely decreasing the number of children in out-of-home care 25 percent from a record high of 19,000 in 2016. Arizona has also reduced the caseload for DCS caseworkers by 70 percent, helping caseworkers better serve Arizonas most vulnerable children.
Arizona News

Phoenix, Arizona - The Arizona Senate Thursday passed with bipartisan support HB 2569, legislation to remove barriers to work for those who move here. Sponsored by Representative Warren Petersen, the bill would make Arizona the first state in the nation to allow for such broad recognition of out-of-state licenses and was a priority the governor acknowledged in his State of the State address.

With bipartisan passage in both the House and Senate the bill now heads to the governors desk for signature.

Weve heard too many stories of licensed, experienced professionals denied the opportunity to work upon moving to Arizona, said Governor Ducey. With this first-in-the-nation reform, Arizonans who have recently moved here will be able to put their skills to work faster and without all the red tape. I thank Representative Petersen for his leadership and for sponsoring the bill and members of the House and Senate for their bipartisan support.

For qualified professionals who move to our state looking to work, lets get government out of the way and let them get to work. Im proud to have introduced this important legislation to help put Arizonans to work and I thank my colleagues for their support to pass this bill, said Representative Petersen. We look forward to Governor Duceys signature on this bill.
Latest News

Phoenix, Arizona - After experiencing much-needed winter moisture, Arizona needs to remain vigilant for this years wildfire season.

In 2018, there were 2,000 wildfires for a total of 165,000 acres burned on private, state, federal and tribal lands. In 2017, however, the state had 2,205 fires resulting in 420,000 acres burned.

To keep our state and communities safe, Governor Ducey and the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management (DFFM) are sharing the following tips to prevent wildfires.

Heres what you can do:
Bihar: A fire broke out in a jute godown near Sonali Chowk in Bihar's Katihar City on Tuesday morning. Rescue personnel and three fire tenders rushed to the spot to douse the flames.

The fire erupted due to a short circuit in the area. The blaze destroyed several shops in the area.

Light drizzle at the time of the incident aided in the fire-fighting operations.

Traffic and vehicular movement has been suspended in the area.
Electing a government to govern the nation/states for next five years by casting vote in a polling booth is an onerous responsibility on shoulders of every voter in a democratic country. Unfortunately, even after seven decades of independence and numerous elections held in the country so far, in spite of extensive appeals by the Election Commission, government and other celebrities, large number of voters still perceive, voting is an optional luxury enjoying low priority.

Enormous expenses out of taxpayer's revenue, precious time of serving government officials and the quantum of influence that every election result wreaks on everyone's life and future, are almost obscure to them. Electing a government is a democratic activity of utmost significance and voters' indifference to casting vote is a profligacy nation can no more afford.

Owing to burgeoning complexity of governance, high aspiration of the masses, technological advances, intense international pulls and pressures, country's diplomatic status in comity of nations with respect to treaties and agreements, transformation of social values, frequent natural calamities, low intensity wars etc, have rendered it all the more essential rather inevitable for every voter to unhesitatingly exercise his/her right to vote to elect a responsible, accountable and determined government to steer the country forward amidst turbulence of all sorts. Any negligence or indifference towards elections in view of these developments within and outside the country, would now amount to an offence against the nation.

The idea of making voting compulsory by law has arrived as an idea of national importance. All eligible voters holding valid voter cards must cast their votes compulsorily. In case of those who are unable to visit polling booth for any inevitable reason whatsoever, may be allowed to cast their votes digitally.

Yes, provisions for digital voting must be raised as quite a significant number of voters may not be available on the appointed day of polling at their designated addresses. A national English newspaper had conducted a campaign too, in this regard and response appeared to be fairly positive. A certain penalty may be imposed on those who refuse or fail to cast their votes and the amount may be automatically deducted from their Aadhaar-linked bank accounts invoking Direct Benefit Transfer channels.

After the idea of compulsory voting is successfully implanted, popular opinion must address the menace of legislators qualifying to enter the House with less than 50% of votes polled in a constituency. The root-cause of the menace is hidden in the multiplicity of political parties and a few bogus/non-entities contesting elections, who may well be dubbed mischief-mongers.

History is witness to one common man, J Dharatipakada, who used to contest every Presidential election, forcing full scale polling when opponent happened to be a unanimous candidate who had the support of all recognised political parties. That compelled the government to enforce 'Terms & Conditions' for Presidential contestants. This example may be enlarged to include as many levels of elections as possible. Multiple regional parties came into being as a direct reward of Constitutional high-handedness of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who never cared a damn to regional aspirations or accorded even minimum courtesies to state leaders.

The examples of T Anjaiah from Andhra Pradesh and HN Bahuguna from Uttar Pradesh are too well known to be described. It was Anjaiah's humiliation that prodded NT Rama Rao to float his Telugu Desam Party to reclaim the honour of 'Telugu Bidda'.

As the Indian National Congress vehemently pursued 'Divide, Rule And Destroy Policy' bequeathed by British colonials stoking regionalism all over leading to almost every other state having their own regional political party.

Whenever these 'pocket' versions of parties entered into ramshackle political alliances to claim power at the Centre, they led to 'waiting-room' Prime Ministers with resignation letters in their front pockets and regional satraps demanding their share of flesh, much to the detriment of national interest.

The political scenario has started gradually drifting towards equipoise concurrently with expansion of an all-inclusive BJP across length and breadth of the country. The BJP has been acting as a pain-balm on bruised regional aspirations, self-respect and egos too. I am quite optimistic, in years to come, unfortunate development of narrow-minded regional parties shall be relegated into oblivion and nation shall evolve into a matured democracy with two or three strong nationalistic political parties.

The next issue to be addressed is the weird phenomenon of NOTA. Dr Subramanian Swamy had dubbed it a Naxalite provision with the sole intention to destroy elections and bring in anarchy. The RSS chief too had spoken strongly against NOTA in one of his widely attended and circulated evocations held at Vijnana Bhavan. In the run up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, RSS has decided to embark on door-to-door campaign against NOTA. It is a debilitating feature in our election process that allows even criminals to enter legislatures and it must be abolished by law.

The country is not a stranger to the doctrine of compulsory voting. Gujarat Local Authorities Laws (Amendment) Act, 2009, introduced an 'Obligation To Vote' at the municipal and panchayat levels in the state. The Act empowered an election officer to serve notice to a voter on the ground of failure to vote. Such a voter is called upon to submit credible reason(s) within a period of one month failing which the voter would be liable to be declared a "defaulter".

A defaulter-voter enjoys the privilege of challenging the order before a designated appellate officer whose decision shall be final and mandatory. The Act allows exemptions for individuals from voting if incapable due to illness, absence from the state of Gujarat on the day of polling or for other reasons laid down in Rules. Outside India, several countries have introduced compulsory voting for their citizens viz Australia (beginning with Queensland in 1915), Belgium in 1894, Brazil, Ecuador in 1936, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, North Korea (only one candidate appears on the ballot), Nauru in 1965, Peru in 1933, Singapore, Uruguay in 1934, Switzerland in 1974 and Slovakia.

It is for certain, if casting vote is not rendered mandatory by law, sooner than later shall we be compelled to comb for remaining traces of democracy in our country.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)
New Delhi: The Supreme Court Tuesday dismissed a petition filed by a Congress activist seeking stay on the release of biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The apex court said it was not entertaining the petition for the stay on the release of the film as the plea is "premature" as the movie has not yet been certified by the Censor Board.

It said even if the film is released on April 11, as claimed by the Congress activist, it will be appropriate for him to seek a redressal from the Election Commission.

"We, therefore do not consider it fit to entertain the petition", a bench comprising Chief justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna said.
New Delhi: A convoy of BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi was attacked by Naxals in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada on Tuesday. The political leader and another four people have lost their lives in the incident which took place with less than 36 hours remaining for voting in the first phase of Lok Sabha 2019 election.

Apart from Mandavi, head constables Chagan Kuldip and Ramlal Oymi, driver Diteshwar Maurya and Somdu Kavasi lost their lives. (Also read: Top security official says BJP MLA was advised against taking the route)

P Sundar Raj, DIG-Anti-Naxal Ops: We have information of BJP MLA Bheema Mandavi, his driver and 3 PSOs getting killed in IED blast in Dantewada, today evening. It was a powerful IED blast. Bodies to be evacuated at the earliest for identification. #Chhattisgarh pic.twitter.com/5liSjynJSO  ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

News agency ANI quoted Central Reserve Police Force officials as saying that the attack took place between Kuakonta and Syamgiri in Dantewada. The escort vehicle of State Police came under the blast. The attack was carried out by an improvised explosive device (IED) buried in the road on which the convoy was travelling. CRPF reinforcement has been rushed to the spot.

Zee News has learnt that Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel has cancelled his work-related programs for the day and has returned to his residence to take stock of the situation. Top officials of CRPF and state police have been summoned.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi strongly condemned the attack. Former state CM Raman Singh also expressed his shock at the incident while also pointing fingers at the Congress government here. "I'm in contact with central ministers; spoke to PM an hour ago. I'll go to Dantewada & meet families of deceased...Congress ki boli aur goli ka asar dikhne laga hai," he said.

The Dantewada region has a Naxal-related problem with groups targeting people and politicians repeatedly - especially before elections. This year, a blanket security cover has once again been put into place with 80,000 security personnel deployed in Bastar - another Naxal-infested area. While Bastar votes in the first phase on April 11, Dantewada votes in the second phase on April 18.

Tuesday's attack on the BJP convoy is the second such attack in the day with an RSS leader being targeted by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir earlier on Tuesday. Chandrakant Sharma succumbed to his injuries.
New Delhi: Telecom operator Bharti Airtel has received market regulator Sebi's approval to raise up to Rs 25,000 crore through rights issue, according to sources.

The board of the company had approved the rights issue proposal in February.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has given green signal to the rights issue of Airtel, the sources said.

When contacted, Bharti Airtel spokesperson said, "the company is in process of obtaining requisite approvals and shall make necessary announcements at an appropriate time".

The board has earlier approved the rights issue to raise up to Rs 25,000 crore through issuance of fully paid up shares at a price of Rs 220 per share, and an additional Rs 7,000 crore via foreign currency perpetual bond issue.

The company had said the capital infusion will help it continue investments in future rollouts to build large network capacity and create content and technology partnerships to ensure the strong customer experience.

Last month, Airtel received commitment from its single-largest shareholder Singtel, promoters, and GIC Singapore to participate in the Rs 32,000 crore capital raising programme.

Singapore telecom major SingTel said it will infuse Rs 3,750 crore in Bharti Airtel by subscribing to the proposed Rs 25,000 crore rights issue of the company, while GIC Private Limited, on behalf of Singapore government and Monetary Authority of Singapore, has made a commitment of Rs 5,000 crore in the proposed programme.

Indian telecom players, including Airtel and Vodafone Idea Ltd, have outlined mega fund raising programmes to arm themselves with firepower to take on market competition intensified by Reliance Jio as well as pare debt.

Recently, the board of directors of India's largest telecom operator Vodafone Idea cleared the planned Rs 25,000-crore rights issue at a price of Rs 12.50 per equity share.
New Delhi: Singapore government on Monday sold 6.8 crore shares of DLF for Rs 1,298 crore through an open market transaction, leading to the realty major's stock plunging over 8 percent.

Singapore government held around 7.32 crore shares in DLF as on December 31, 2018. These shares were worth 4.11 percent stake in the realty company.

In a bulk deal transaction on the NSE, Singapore government has sold nearly 6.8 crore shares of DLF at Rs 191.01 per share, translating the deal at Rs 1,298 crore.

Sources said Singapore government has probably sold its share to rejig its portfolio and book profit as the company has significant exposure of about USD 1.7 billion through its two joint ventures.

Singapore government through its sovereign wealth fund GIC has two joint ventures with DLF. In December 2017, GIC invested Rs 9,000 crore to acquire 33.43 percent stake in DLF's rental arm. It had also invested around Rs 2,000 crore to pick up 50 percent stake in DLF's two housing projects at Moti Nagar in Delhi.

As per NSE bulk deal data, French investment fund Societe Generale has picked up 2.08 crore shares of DLF at Rs 191 per share.

According to the sources, HSBC and other investors who had participated in DLF's recent QIP issue have also bought shares in this block deal.

The bulk sale of shares by Singapore government has come close in the heels of DLF's Rs 3,200 crore QIP issue where the realty company sold 17.3 crore shares at Rs 183.4 per share.

When contacted, GIC Real Estate Chief Investment Officer Lee Kok Sun said that as a long-term investor, GIC has steadily grown its investments in DLF since 2011.

"Today, we remain invested significantly in DLF across various investment groups in our diversified portfolio... GIC believes in India's long-term potential and will continue to strengthen our partnership with DLF to tap on investing opportunities in India's real estate sector," he said.

Shares of the company closed at Rs 184.60, 8.43 percent lower on the NSE, while at BSE it cracked 8.36 percent to Rs 184.65.
India's supersonic cruise missile BrahMos is all set to get an enhanced range to hit targets 500 kilometres away. BrahMos currently has a maximum range of 400 kilometres and work has already started on increasing its range.

BrahMos Aerospace company managing co-director Alexander Maksichev told Russian news portalsputniknews.com that the range of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, produced jointly by Russia and India, is planned to be increased to 500 kilometres (311 miles) from 400 kilometres. "We will come to hypersound via an increase in range. We have already confirmed 400 kilometers, in order to increase the range to 500, it is needed to increase the speed. Now the missile flies at speeds of 2.8 mach. We will achieve the speed of hypersound through modernization, it is more than 4.5 mach," Sputnik.com quoted Maksichev as saying.

While the Indian Amry, Indian Air Force, and Indian Navy have BrahMos in their arsenal, the current range limits their ability to hit targets deep inside the enemy territory.

A newer and lighter version of the missile called BrahMos NG (Next Generation) is also in the pipeline. BrahMos NG is likely to be test fired in the next two to three years with the missile expected to join active service in about four years.

BrahMos NG is being developed for the IAF which can fit it in its fighters like the Sukhoi Su-30MKI and Tejas Light Combat Aircraft. The new version of the missile will weigh 1.5 tonnes whereas the one in service with the IAF has a weight of 2.5 tonnes, limiting the number of missiles which can be fitted in Su-30MKIs.

While the Su-30MKIs can carry just one BrahMos at present, the jet is being reconfigured to carry five missiles once the lighter version enters service. While one BrahMos NG will be fitted under the Su-30MKI's fuselage, the two wings of the fighter will carry two missiles each.


New Delhi: The Central Investigation Bureau (CBI) on Tuesday filed a counter affidavit opposing Lalu Prasad Yadav's bail in the multi-crore fodder scam case.

In the counter affidavit, CBI stated that in the "garb of political activities during the elections, Lalu sought for bail, which should not be granted."

Lalu Prasad's bail application before SC in fodder scam case: CBI has filed a counter affidavit opposing the bail. CBI, in its counter affidavit, stated that in the garb of political activities during the elections, Lalu sought for bail, which should not be granted. (file pic) pic.twitter.com/287jb44LYV  ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

It also said that in any case Lalu has been in a hospital ward for over eight months and indulging in political activities. He has been undergoing treatment at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi.

"During the period in which the petitioner (Lalu Yadav) remained in hospital, he is not only granted a special paying ward with all facilities but he is virtually conducting his political activities from there which would be clear from the list of visitors," the CBI in its reply said, PTI reports.

"It is submitted that simultaneous raising of pleas for bails on medical grounds and bail to guide the party and to carry out all essential responsibilities as a party president in ensuing Lok Sabha elections are mutually contradictory and manifest that in the garb of bail on medical ground the petitioner, in essence, wants to pursue his political activities which is impermissible in law," it added.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo was has been convicted in three cases related to the fodder scam and the Supreme Court had decided to hear his bail plea on April 10.

Last week, a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had asked the CBI to file a reply by April 9 and said that his bail plea will be taken up for hearing on April 10.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who is appearing for Lalu, sought urgent listing of the bail plea saying notice has been issued in the matter.

However, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that the agency needs to file a reply in the matter. "You (CBI) file the reply by April 9. We will take up the matter (Yadav's bail plea) on April 10, the bench said.

Lalu is currently serving his jail term in Ranchi's Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi.

The three cases in which he has been convicted are related to the over Rs 900-crore fodder scam, which pertains to fraudulent withdrawal of money from the treasuries in the Animal Husbandry department in the early 1990s, when Jharkhand was part of Bihar.

(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: The Income Tax raids (I-T) raids continued on Tuesday morning at the residence of Ashwin Sharma, an associate of Praveen Kakkar, who is officer on special duty (OSD) to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath. Security has also been beefed up at his residence.

Bhopal: Visuals of I-T raids underway at the residence of Ashwin Sharma, associate of Praveen Kakkar (OSD to Madhya Pradesh CM). #MadhyaPradesh pic.twitter.com/nDR8VdHueW  ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

The I-T officials have recovered over Rs 10 crore cash including some documents from Sharma's residence and are now examining them. Sharma is a manager of a non-government organisation.

Raids began on Sunday morning at the residences of Kakkar in Indore and former advisor to Kamal Nath R K Miglani in Delhi, on charges of alleged tax evasion.

At least 50 locations in Indore, Bhopal, Goa, and NCR were under the radar of the I-T department.

The I-T Department collected unaccounted cash of about Rs 281 crore. After which, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) hinted at the transfer of "cash to the headquarter of a major political party" in Delhi, PTI reported.

"A part of the cash was also transferred to the headquarter of a major political party in Delhi including about Rs 20 crore which was moved through hawala recently to the headquarters of the political party from the residence of a senior functionary at Tughlak Road, New Delhi," said the CBDT in a statement.

"Searches in Madhya Pradesh by Delhi Directorate of Income Tax have detected widespread and well-organised racket of the collection of unaccounted cash of about Rs 281 crore through various persons in different walks of life including business, politics and public service," it added.

ANI earlier reported that Kakkar`s son Salil was also interrogated by the I-T officials while raids were being carried out. Sharma allegedly had got most of Kakkar's companies registered in the name of Salil.

Kakkar termed the raids as 'political operation,' and told ANI, "Despite the two-day-long raid, they (I-T Department) didn`t find any document that they could seize, they didn`t recover any cash or jewellery. They didn`t find anything objectionable, it was a political operation."

A huge amount of cash, gold and silver jewellery were recovered from Kakkar`s home. Documents linked to transfer of government officials was also seized.

On Sunday night, a heated argument also broke out between CRPF and Madhya Pradesh Police officials when I-T officials went to raid Sharma's home.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who is also a former MP CM, slammed the Kamal Nath-led state government and said that what Mamata Banerjee did in West Bengal, the same is happening in Madhya Pradesh.

"I am surprised that the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh instead of cooperating, he is trying to stop the Income Tax Department`s proceedings. What Mamata ji did in West Bengal, the same game is being played in MP," Chouhan said at a press conference, adding that the chief minister is trying to save the corrupt by stopping the proceedings of I-T Department.

BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya also launched a scathing attack on the state government and said, "Black money worth crores was recovered during the Income Tax department's raid at the house of private secretary of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath. This has made one thing clear that those who are thieves have a complaint against the watchman."

However, Kamal Nath is yet to give a statement on the I-T raids. When he was asked for a comment on the raids on Saturday, he evaded the questions and said he has no clue and is not aware of the situation.

(With inputs from agencies)
New Delhi: Census 2021 data could make use of advanced mobile technology for the first time ever in India with officials of Registrar General of India saying on Tuesday that enumerators would be encouraged to use their own mobile phone.

Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba said at a conference here that 33 lakh enumerators would be mobilized for data collection for which notification has already been issued. Enumerators are people specifically employed to collect census data. Gauba said that mobile apps could greatly assist in collecting census data in the country - a practice which started here 140 years ago. Gauba also added that enumerators would be paid appropriate remuneration if they make use of their mobile phones of even if they collect data through regular means and then submit them electronically.

Making use of technology has its fair share of pitfalls but Gauba has said that confidentiality would be maintained at all costs. He further asked participants  representatives from Ministries of Central and State governments, academic institutions and international organizations-- to deliberate on the strategy and questionnaire for the census to maximize the benefits from this exercise.

Census 2021 data has been described as the world's largest such exercise and reference date is 1st October 2020 for Jammu & Kashmir and snow bound areas of Himachal Pradesh & Uttarakhand while for the rest of country the reference date is 1st March 2021.
INDORE: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath`s officer on special duty (OSD) Praveen Kakkar on Tuesday broke his silence over the two-day long raids conducted by Income Tax officials at his residence and offices, calling it a political operation.

"Despite the two-day-long raid, they (Income Tax Department) didn`t find any document that they could seize, they didn`t recover any cash or jewellery. They didn`t find anything objectionable, it was a political operation," he told ANI.

The I-T department officials from New Delhi raided the residences of Kakkar in Indore and former advisor to Kamal Nath R K Miglani in Delhi in the wee hours of Sunday. The raids against Kakkar and Miglani were conducted on charges of alleged tax evasion. I-T department officials raided several locations in Indore, Bhopal, Goa, and NCR.

On Monday, the I-T officials questioned Kakkar's son Salil and continued to raid various locations across the country. The I-T officials also raided the residence of Ashwin Sharma, a close aide of Praveen Kakkar.

Sources told ANI that Ashwin was responsible for getting most of Praveen`s companies registered in Salil's name.

Meanwhile, a heated argument broke out between CRPF and Madhya Pradesh Police officials on Sunday when I-T officials went to raid Ashwin Sharma's home. Sharma is a businessman by profession.

Commenting on the heated argument between CRPF and MP police, former Chief Minister and senior BJP Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that Mamata Banerjee did in West Bengal, the same is happening in Madhya Pradesh under Kamal Nath's watch.

"I am surprised that the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh instead of cooperating, he is trying to stop the Income Tax Department`s proceedings. What Mamata ji did in West Bengal, the same game is being played in MP," Chouhan said at a press conference.

Launching a direct attack on Kamal Nath, Chouhan accused the chief minister of trying to save the corrupt by stopping the proceedings of I-T Department.
President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday launched 'CRPF veer pariwar mobile' application to help the families of martyrs.

Earlier, President Kovind paid tribute to martyred CRPF personnel at National Police Memorial on the occasion of CRPF Valour Day 2019. He also presented medals to families of CRPF personnel martyred in line of duty. The president also presented medals to 40 CRPF personnel who lost their lives in February 14 terror attack in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind pays tribute at National Police Memorial on the occasion of CRPF Valour Day 2019; President presents medals to families of jawans killed in line of duty, including the 40 CRPF jawans who lost their lives in the Feb 14 Pulwama terror attack pic.twitter.com/kW5vJlqwsE  ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

The app will show the financial benefit provided to the families of martyrs and the app will also be used to provide other kind of help to martyrs' families.

This was President Kovind's first visit to the memorial located in Chanakyapuri area of New Delhi. The president was accorded a "national salute" and presented a guard of honour by a joint column of troops from all the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) such as the CRPF, BSF, ITBP, CISF and SSB.

CRPF Valour Day is celebrated to remember a gallant fightback mounted in 1965 by the CRPF personnel at the Sardar post in Gujarat's Rann of Kutch.

The National Police Memorial was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 21 last year. The 30-foot-tall structure was unveiled on the occasion of the police commemoration day.

It may be recalled that Bollywood star Akshay Kumar had launched an app named 'Bharat Ke Veer' for helping families of martyred central paramilitary forces in 2017. The App and website was launched by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

(with PTI inputs)
New Delhi: The Supreme Court will Wednesday pronounce verdict on the preliminary objections raised by the Centre that the documents on which it was claiming "privilege" cannot be relied upon to re-examine the verdict in the Rafale fighter jet deal with France.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi will pronounce the verdict.

On March 14, the apex court had reserved verdict on the preliminary objections raised by the Centre on admissibility of privileged documents annexed by former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie as also activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan in their review petition against the top court's December 14 judgement that dismissed all petitions against the Rafale jet deal.

"Only after we decide the preliminary objection raised by the Centre, we will go into other aspect of the review petitions," the bench said, adding that "only if we overrule the preliminary objection, we will go into other details".

The Centre had claimed privilege over documents pertaining to the Rafale fighter jet deal with France and said those documents cannot be considered in evidence as per Section 123 of the Indian Evidence Act.

Attorney General K K Venugopal, appearing for the Centre had contended that no one can produce them in the court without the permission of the department concerned as those documents are also protected under the Official Secrets Act and their disclosure is exempted under the Right to Information Act as per Section 8(1)(a).

Bhushan had contended that the Centre's objections were "mala fide and totally untenable arguments".

The top court had further noted that according to the AG's submissions "there are three Rafale documents whose publication comes under Official Secrets Act, 1923. These documents were unauthorisedly published. You claim privilege under section 123 of Evidence Act. You want us to adjudicate and strike down the review on this basis".

Bhushan had submitted a note countering the preliminary objections raised by the centre on maintainability of the review petitions, stating that "preliminary objection are mala fide and totally untenable arguments".

He had said government cannot claim privilege over the documents which are already published and is in public domain.

Bhushan had said that Section 123 Indian Evidence Act only protected "unpublished documents".

While the Centre was making submission that the documents can be withheld from disclosure under the RTI Act in view of the national security, the top court said Section 22 of the RTI Act gave it an overriding effect over the Official Secrets Act.

It also said that under Section 24 of the RTI Act even security and intelligence establishments are not exempted from disclosing information in relation to corruption and human rights violations.

"The RTI Act brought a revolution. In 2009, your own government said file notings can be made available under the RTI. Let us not go back now," the bench has said.

Bhushan further said that provisions of the RTI Act say public interest outweighs other things and no privilege can be claimed except for documents which pertain to intelligence agencies.

He also said that there is no government-to-government contract in purchasing Rafale jets as there is no sovereign guarantee extended to India by France in the Rs 58,000 crore deal.

He had submitted why the government didn't lodge any FIR when these documents started coming out in November 2018.

He had further said that the government has itself filed a detailed CAG report regarding as many as 10 defence purchases and it is untenable on their part to now claim privilege.
Kishtwar, J&K: Terrorists on Tuesday attacked RSS leader Chandrakant Sharma inside a hospital in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar. Sharma worked as a medical assistant in the hospital.

He has suffered injuries during the attack while his security guard, a J&K police officer, has been killed.

J&K: Medical Assistant Chandrakant Sharma working at district hospital in Kishtwar injured in an attack by terrorists, his PSO shot dead. Sharma is also associated with the RSS  ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

According to eyewitnesses, a man carrying a gun barged inside the hospital and shot at the leader and his PSO. Curfew has been imposed in Kishtwar and internet services were also snapped as precautionary measures.

A similar incident was also reported last year in Kishtwar, where BJP state secretary Anil Parihar and his brother Ajit were shot dead by terrorists. The killing triggered fears of unrest and a curfew was imposed in the area.

Before that, two National Conference workers and a PDP leader in Srinagar were also killed.
SRINAGAR: An encounter began between terrorists and security forces in Sofigund village in south Kashmir's Tral district on Tuesday morning.

The terrorists and security forces exchanged fire in the upper reaches of jungle area of the village. At three to four terrorists are hiding in area.

A search and cordon operation was launched following intelligence inputs on the presence of terrorists in the area.

This comes two days after a gunfight between the security forces and terrorists in the Kahilil forests of Tral. Joint security forces comprising of Rashtriya Rifles (RR), Special Operations Group (SOG) of the state police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel launched a search operation in the area.

"As the security forces tightened the cordon, the militants started firing which triggered the ongoing gunfight," the police added.
New Delhi: Kerala Congress veteran leader and former state Finance Minister K M Mani passed away on Tuesday at a private hospital in Kochi. Mani, 86, is survived by his wife and six children.

According to hospital sources, Mani breathed his last at 4.57 PM on Tuesday. He had been undergoing treatment at the VPS Lakeshore hospital for the pulmonary disease for the last several weeks. He fell ill barely days after he declared his close confidante and Kerala Congress(M) leader Thomas Chazhikadan as UDF candidate in Kottayam constituency.

Mani had been suffering from Chronic Obstructive pulmonary disease for several years and had frequently been hospitalised for chest infection.

His son and KC(M) leader Jose K Mani is a member of the Rajya Sabha.

He holds the distinction of being the longest-serving minister in the Government of Kerala and having continuously represented Pala legislative constituency since its inception in 1964. He had been a minister for 24 years in various ministries and as the Finance Minister. He presented 13 budgets in the state assembly. He also had a brief stint as a minister in CPI(M)-led LDF Ministry in the early 1980s.

Expressing his grief on the demise of Mani, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Mani's rich contributions to the state would be remembered.

"Shri KM Mani was a stalwart of Kerala politics. His impeccable electoral record indicated his deep connect with the citizens of the State. His rich contribution to the state will be remembered. Pained by his demise.

Condolences to his family and supporters. RIP," PM Modi tweeted.

Shri KM Mani was a stalwart of Kerala politics. His impeccable electoral record indicated his deep connect with the citizens of the state. His rich contribution to the state will be remembered. Pained by his demise. Condolences to his family and supporters. RIP.  Chowkidar Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 9, 2019

Kerala Congress(M) is a key ally of the Congress-led UDF in Kerala.
Gandhinagar: With the last day of withdrawal of nominations on Monday, as many as 371 candidates were left in the fray for the 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat which would go the hustings in the third phase on April 26.

According to the Chief Electoral Officer`s office, 81 candidates withdrew their forms on Monday leaving 371 candidates, including 26 each of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, in the race.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) had received total 572 nominations from across Gujarat for the 26 Lok Sabha seats. The CEO office, after scrutinizing the forms, had rejected 120 of these with 452 candidates valid for contesting.

The maximum number of candidates, 31, will be fighting it out for the Surendranagar Lok Sabha constituency, and the minimum six contestants are in the fray for the Panchmahals seat.

The maximum 17 withdrawals were reported from the Gandhinagar parliamentary seat where BJP candidate Amit Shah is facing Congress` sitting MLA CJ Chavda.

Gujarat will go to polls for the Lok Sabha elections on April 23 in a single phase for all the 26 seats. The results will be out on May 23.
Amaravati: The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is locked in a fierce battle for power with the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) as the stage is set for single-phase polling for simultaneous elections to 175-member Andhra Pradesh Assembly and for 25 Lok Sabha seats on April 11.

Over 3.93 crore voters, including 1.98 crore women, are eligible to vote to decide the fate of over 3,800 candidates in the Assembly polls, including Chief Minister and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu, YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and Jana Sena leader and actor Pawan Kalyan.

Former Union ministers Kishore Chandra Deo and Ashok Gajapathi Raju (both TDP), D. Purandeswari (BJP) and former CBI joint director VV Lakshminarayana (Jana Sena) are among about 500 candidates in the fray for the Lok Sabha elections.

The high-decibel campaign is coming to an end on Tuesday for the first full-fledged election in the truncated state of Andhra Pradesh as 2014 polls were held a couple of months before the formal bifurcation.

Both the main contenders for power are going it alone. The Congress and the BJP are also contesting on their own, but both the national parties look more or less like ringside spectators of the Naidu-versus-Jagan fight.

Naidu, who led TDP campaign, roped in National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for a couple of meetings and roadshows.

The narrative in these elections has been around the special category status for the state as Naidu targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reneging on the commitment.

The TDP chief tried to play the card of Andhra self-respect by alleging that Modi has hatched a conspiracy against the state in collusion with Jagan and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao.

He also raked up corruption cases pending against Jagan and asked people if they want to make somebody a chief minister who is a `brand ambassador of crimes`.

"Your future is my responsibility" was the slogan of Naidu`s campaign as he tried to woo all sections of voters, especially farmers, women and youth by promising to continue welfare schemes launched over the last few months.

The Election Commission`s action in transferring three top police officers, including Director General, Intelligence, and later shunting out Chief Secretary AK Punetha kicked up a row with Chandrababu Naidu accusing the poll panel of acting at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Jagan has been drawing massive crowds with his speeches delivered in his distinct style. His mother YS Vijayamma and sister YS Sharmila too campaigned for the party.

Jagan promised to usher in `Rajanna Rajyam`, a reference to the rule of his late father YS Rajasekhara Reddy during which several schemes were implemented for welfare of poor and weaker sections.

The 46-year-old targeted Naidu for enjoying power with BJP for four years and then severing ties with that party to draw political mileage.

Analysts say actor Pawan Kalyan`s Jana Sena, which is making its political debut and contesting the polls in alliance with Bahujan Samaj Party, CPI and CPI-M, may tilt the balance of power by cutting into the votes of the TDP or the YSRCP.

Pawan may do well in a few constituencies with sizeable population of Kapus, a community to which the actor belongs. In the previous elections, Pawan had campaigned for TDP-BJP alliance.

Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and Congress president Rahul Gandhi have addressed only a couple of rallies each.

In 2014 elections, the TDP had won 102 seats in the 175-member Assembly while its then alliance partner BJP secured 4 seats. YSRCP emerged as the only opposition bagging 67 seats. Two independents were also elected.

Interestingly, the YSRCP polled 45.01 per cent votes, a mere 1.6 per cent less than the votes polled by the TDP-BJP combine.

Out of 25 Lok Sabha seats, the TDP bagged 15 seats while BJP got two. The YSRCP secured eight seats.

Facing people`s wrath over bifurcation, the Congress was completely wiped out drawing blank in both the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls.

A key feature of these polls is the electoral debut of Naidu`s son Nara Lokesh, who is contesting for Assembly from Mangalagiri in the capital region of Amaravati. Naidu is seeking re-election from Kuppam in his native Chittoor district while Jagan is contesting once again from Pulivendula, his family stronghold in Kadapa district.

Pawan Kalyan is contesting from two Assembly constituencies - Bhimavaram and Gajuwaka.
BJP MLA Bheema Mandavi and four others lost their lives on Tuesday in a dastardly attack carried out by Naxals in Dantewada. While the incident is extremely tragic, a top security official has said that Mandavi had been advised against using the route his convoy eventually took.

Dantewada has a clear and present danger from Naxals and has seen attacks in the past as well. According to DM Awasthi, Special DG (Anti-Naxal Operations), Mandavi had been told the security presence near Kuakonda was not adequate. "BJP MLA Bheema Mandavi, his driver and three PSOs have lost their lives. The MLA was in a bullet-proof vehicle and was going to Kualkonda when he refused security. He was informed that adequate security was not present on the route near Kuakonda and that he should not go there," he said.

Awasthi also said that security forces have been put on alert and that anti-Naxal operations are underway. "More than 17 Naxals have been killed in this month alone. This incident (Tuesday's attack) could have been prevented."

Speaking to the SP of Dantewada - Abhishek Pallav, news agency ANI reported that Mandavi had reportedly been told not to visit the area where the attack eventually took place. "BJP MLA Bheema Mandavi was advised by police not to visit the area. After the attack, firing from both sides continued for half an hour. There were 5 more security personnel in a car following the BJP MLA's car, we are locating them," he said.

Abhishek Pallav, SP Dantewada on naxal attack: BJP MLA Bheema Mandavi was advised by police not to visit the area. After the attack, firing from both sides continued for half an hour. There were 5 more security personnel in a car following the BJP MLA's car, we are locating them. pic.twitter.com/rVyfC0e0yb  ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

Naxals used an improvised electronic devise which was planted in the road on which Mandavi's convoy was to pass. After the blast, it is reported that the Naxals opened fire.

CRPF rushed in reinforcement and the injured were evacuated to medical facilities. Mandavi and four others, however, died in the attack.

While PM Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi have both condemned the attack, a political blamegame is likely to erupt in the runup to Lok Sabha election. The attack took place with less than 36 hours remaining for the first phase of voting and former state CM Raman Singh pointed the finger at the Congress government in Chhattisgarh. ".Congress ki boli aur goli ka asar dikhne laga hai (The effects of Congress' words and of bullets are being seen). I am in contact with central ministers; spoke to PM an hour ago. I'll go to Dantewada and meet families of deceased," he said.

In state capital of Raipur, a BJP leader - Brijmohan Agarwal - reached the office of state Election Commission and questioned why Mandavi was not prevented from taking the ill-fated route. He also demanded that the task of security arrangements be given to him if the administration cannot ensure safety.

Meanwhile, state CM Bhupesh Baghel cancelled his work-related programs for the day and reached his residence for a top-level security meeting.

Election Commission has said that election will go on as per schedule. Dantewada votes in the second phase - on April 18.
Latur (Maharashtra): The bickerings of nearly four years behind them, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray will share the dais - for the first time in 28 months - at an election rally in Ausa here on Tuesday.

The last time they came together was for performing the `jal pooja` for the proposed grand memorial of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, in the Arabian Sea, off Chowpatty in Mumbai.

Later that day, on December 24, 2016, they had addressed a joint public meeting in Bandra Kurla Complex where Thackeray faced a major embarrassment as Bharatiya Janata Party supporters kept chanting `Modi, Modi` during his address.

As relations between the two saffron allies continued to worsen, at one of his rallies, Thackeray had repeated Congress President Rahul Gandhi`s jibe of `Chowkidar Chor Hai`, much to the BJP`s chagrin.

In the past four-plus years, the BJP ally in the centre and state left no opportunity to hit out at Modi, BJP President Amit Shah, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and other top leaders on various issues ranging from demonetization to the Ram temple.

Nevertheless, the past was hastily buried last month when the BJP-Sena re-entered their alliance and now are contesting the 48 Lok Sabha seats in the ratio of 25:23 and have announced plans to contest the assembly elections together.

Post-alliance, Thackeray has again warmed up to Fadnavis, Shah and Modi and held joint rallies with the Chief Minister.

The two allies had contested the 2014 Maharashtra Assembly elections, the 2017 BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections and the 2018 Palghar Lok Sabha by-election separately and against each other.
The Election Commission (EC) has called the revenue secretary and chairman, Central Board of Direct Taxes on Tuesday to hold discussions over the raids by Income Tax (I-T) department in Madhya Pradesh and some other parts of India.

PTI reported that the EC has called Revenue Secretary A B Pandey and CBDT Chairman P C Mody to explain the raids amid Congress' claims that enforcement agencies are being used by BJP to target the party ahead of the Lok Sabha poll.

On Sunday, the EC had "strongly advised" the Finance Ministry that any action taken by enforcement agencies during election time should be "neutral" and "non-discriminatory". The EC had also advised the Ministry to keep in loop the officials of the poll panel about such actions.

The advice was issued by the EC following the I-T raids in Madhya Pradesh Sunday and in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in the recent past on opposition leaders and their associates.people connected to them.



On Monday, the I-T department had said that it had unearthed a "widespread and well-organised" racket of collection of unaccounted cash of about Rs 281 crore after conducting raids against some close aides of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath.

Sources told PTI that I-T officials have succeeded in recovering Rs 14.6 crore of "unaccounted" cash and seized diaries and computer files exposing dubious payments made between Madhya Pradesh and Delhi.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said on Monday that a trail of Rs 20 crore suspect cash was also found by I-T and this money was allegedly moved to the "headquarters of a major political party in Delhi".

Meanwhile, the I-T raids continued on Tuesday morning at the residence of Ashwin Sharma, an associate of Praveen Kakkar, who is officer on special duty (OSD) to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath. Sources said that over Rs 10 crore cash and some documents have been recovered by I-T sleuths from Sharma's residence. Sharma is the manager of a non-government organisation.
Amaravati: Janata Dal (Secular) supremo H D Deve Gowda pitched Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu as the opposition's choice for the next Prime Minister.

Dropping hints that Naidu could replace Narendra Modi in the upcoming Lok Sabha Election 2019, Gowda said the country is looking towards the TDP president's leadership. The JD (S) supremo said this while addressing two election rallies at Tiruvuru and Pamarru in Krishna district on Monday.

The former prime minister started his address at the first rally in Tiruvuru referring to TDP chief Naidu as "honourable Prime Minister" and then corrected it to "would-be Prime Minister, reported news agency PTI.

"Who is going to challenge Modi is an issue. That has been going on in the media. Naidu is the person taking up the challenge saying 'I am only the person, I can challenge'," Gowda said.

"Naidu has taken the lead to fight Modi's undemocratic ways of destroying democratic institutions," he said.

Naidu, however, denied vying for PM's post. I am not an aspirant for any post, he said.

DMK chief M K Stalin had proposed Congress president Rahul Gandhi's name as the next Prime Minister last month. However, the proposal drew lukewarm response from several opposition leaders.

Last week, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati hinted at her prime ministerial ambition, stating that she would use the experience gained as UP Chief Minister to give the "best government" at the Centre "if we get an opportunity".

"I have a lot of experience. I will use that experience at the Centre and work for people's welfare," said Mayawati, the four-time chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.

Speculations around West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee as opposition's choice of prime minister in 2019 had gathered wind last year. Banerjee, however, shot down all rumours, saying the winning the elections and defeating BJP is the primary goal.

The opposition is not likely to name any prime ministerial candidate till the general elections are underway. Lok Sabha election 2019 will be held on April 11, April 18, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray Sunday challenged the opposition to name a PM candidate.

"Our dream is for the country, what about you? Your dream is only power. Our prime minister will be Narendra Modi tomorrow also. And I want to ask the opposition to announce one name for the PM's post," said Thackeray.
PV Narasimha Rao took over as the Prime Minister in 1991 when the country was on the verge of going bankrupt. Just months before heading out of office, the Chandra Shekhar government had pledged 67 tons of India's gold reserves as collateral security to the Bank of England and Union Bank of Switzerland. It was on PV Narasimha Rao's government to bring India stability back to the country at a time when it was facing its worst economic crisis. The extent of the crisis was that India was not even left with enough foreign exchange reserves so as to last for approximately three weeks. Immediate and aggressive steps had to be taken. Narasimha Rao roped in Manmohan Singh as the Finance Minister to steer what has been since remembered as the historic economic liberalisation in India.

Also Read: History of Lok Sabha elections

India implemented a wide range of structural reforms with the aim to deregulate the economy and shed the path of treading on relatively protected inward looking industrialisation to a new phase and move to one based on greater competition in the domestic markets. It adopted a more open policy for trade and investment, as well as integration with the global economy ensured a strategic end to the 'license raj'. The radical measures are to date credited to the Narasimha Rao-Manmohan Singh 'jugalbandi'.

While Narasimha Rao was lauded by many of even his critics for transforming the economy, he faced massive condemnation when the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya was demolished triggering one of the worst Hindu-Muslim riots in India. It has been widely said that though Narasimha Rao had an idea of the extent of the action planned led by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) but he failed to bring in a contingency plan to prevent the demolition of the mosque. The Liberhan Commission report on the demolition, however later exonerated the then Prime Minister on the grounds that enough central forces needed for such a scenario could not have been deployed beforehand. It also evaluated the criticism over why a President's Rule was not imposed and concluded that such a step could not have been taken on the basis of mere rumours or media reports.

Although Narasimha Rao had spearheaded several historic measures during his term, he failed to showcase himself as an icon of the people. He was undoubtedly a mass leader judging by the number of times he was elected to the Lok Sabha since the first election in 1951-52 but his quiet persona was what might have worked against him.

In the 1996 election, the Congress faced a direct challenge from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a United Front coalition comprising of the Left Front and the Janata Dal (JD).

For the 543 elective Lok Sabha seats at stake, the ruling Indian National Congress party of Prime Minister Narasimha Rao was mainly challenged, on the one hand, by the second-placed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and its allies and, on the other hand, by a broad United Front coalition comprising the Left Front and the Janata Dal (JD).

While Narasimha Rao campaigned on the economic reforms that his government had undertaken in the last five years, the Bharatiya Janata Party spoke about Hinduism and against the government's stand on foreign investment appealing for restrictions on them. The saffron party also campaigned on the need for an independent nuclear weapons policy which was not to be impacted by the Western countries.

The results threw up a hung assembly with no party even close to the majority of 272 seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as the largest party with 161 seats. The party made maximum gains in Uttar Pradesh where it bagged 52 seats, followed by 27 seats in Madhya Pradesh. The other states where it made a mark were Bihar where it won 18 seats, 13 more than it won in the 1991 election; 18 in Maharashtra, 16 in Gujarat and 12 in Gujarat.

In an extremely fragmented Parliament, Congress won 140 seats with major losses in the South where it had considerable hold in the 1991 election. As opposed to the 28 seats that Congress won in Tamil Nadu in the previous election, the party could not win even a single seat in the southern state in 1996. It managed to win 15 seats in Maharashtra, 8 in Madhya Pradesh, 7 in Kerala, and 5 in Karnataka as opposed to its previous tally of 38, 27, 13, 23 in the last election. The party also bagged 10 in Gujarat, 16 in Odisha (then Orissa), 12 in Rajasthan and 9 in West Bengal.

The Congress's loss was attributed to several factors like a lack of support among Muslims, untouchables, and members of the backward castes as well as loss of support of Hindu who had backed the Bharatiya Janata Party. Factionalism in the party is also said to have contributed to its loss. Corruption, especially the bribery scandal due to which seven members of the Cabinet had resigned, was also a key reason for a dent in the party's popularity.

The Janata Dal bagged 46 seats of the 196 that it contested on, winning majorly in Bihar where it secured 22 seats and in Karnataka where it won 16. It also won 4 seats in Orissa, 2 in Uttar Pradesh and 1 in Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala each.

Among the two communist parties, the Communist Party of India bagged 12 seats while the Communist Party of India (Marxist) secured 32 of 75 seats it named its candidates on.

Overall, 13,952 candidates were in the fray which included 10,635 independents of which just 9 won. Across eight national parties, 1817 candidates had contested of which 403 had won while 761 candidates of states parties had participated of which 129 won. There were 738 candidates from unregistered parties too who tried their luck in the election but only 2 of those won.

CONGRESS BHARATIYA JANATA PARTY JANATA DAL STATES SEATS STATES SEATS STATES SEATS ANDHRA PRADESH 22 ASSAM 1 BIHAR 22 ASSAM 5 BIHAR 18 JAMMU & KASHMIR 1 BIHAR 2 GUJARAT 16 KARNATAKA 16 GUJARAT 10 HARYANA 4 KERALA 1 HARYANA 2 JAMMU & KASHMIR 1 ORISSA 4 HIMACHAL PRADESH 4 KARNATAKA 6 UTTAR PRADESH 2 JAMMU & KASHMIR 4 MADHYA PRADESH 27 KARNATAKA 5 MAHARASHTRA 18 KERALA 7 RAJASTHAN 12 MADHYA PRADESH 8 UTTAR PRADESH 52 MAHARASHTRA 15 CHANDIGARH 1 MANIPUR 2 NATIONAL CAPITAL TERRITORY OF DELHI 5 MEGHALAYA 1 MIZORAM 1 NAGALAND 1 ORISSA 16 PUNJAB 2 RAJASTHAN 12 UTTAR PRADESH 5 WEST BENGAL 9 ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS 1 DADRA & NAGAR HAVELI 1 DAMAN & DIU 1 NATIONAL CAPITAL TERRITORY OF DELHI 2 LAKSHADWEEP 1 PONDICHERRY 1 TOTAL 232 120 46

As Bharatiya Janata Party was the largest party, President Shankar Dayal Sharma invited Atal Bihari Vajpayee to form the government. Confident of the support of allies, he took oath as the Prime Minister on 16 May. While the Bharatiya Janata Party sought the support projected itself as a government which believed in moderation, it kept its commitment of the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, ban on cow-slaughter, among other issues which portrayed its Hindutva image. The party failed to get the backing of the 'secular' outfits and just 13 days later, Vajpayee conceded that he was unable to prove his majority in the House and stepped down as the Prime Minister.

The ball was then in Congress's court but the grand old party refused to stake claim to form the government. The then Karnataka chief minister HD Deve Gowda then assumed charge of the United Front coalition government headed by Janata Dal and supported by the Congress. On 1 June 1996, Deve Gowda Gowda took oath as the Prime Minister.

However, running a coalition government of parties from diverse ideologies did not materialise and India was looking at holding elections within just 18 months.

As a measure to defer the polls, the Congress and the United Front agreed to give the government yet another chance, but this time under a new leader. In less than two years, IK Gujral took over as the third Prime Minister of the 11th Lok Sabha on 21 April 1997. But again only for less than a year.

Looking forward:

Before his term was about to end, Narasimha Rao had set the path for India's nuclear programme. He personally handed over the charge of the programme to his successor Atal Bihari Vajpayee after the latter took over as the next prime minister. Narasimha Rao along with Abdul Kalam, the then scientific adviser to the defence minister, went to meet the new prime minister to ensure its smooth takeover. However, as the Vajpayee's government lasted for merely 13 days, the nuke test plans could not be carried out.

They would be subsequently carried out in his second term as the Prime Minister in 1998. Recalling Narasimha how Rao's energised the national nuclear security and ballistic missiles program, which resulted in the 1998 Pokhran nuclear tests, Vajpayee had himself narrated Rao's words where he said: "Saamagri tayyar hai. (Rao had told me that the bomb was ready.) I only exploded it."
Speaking to reporters outside his Chennai residence, barely ten days before Tamil Nadu goes to the polls, superstar Rajinikanth clarified about his political stance and also expressed his opinion on the BJP manifesto which made a mention of linking rivers. Rajinikanth was to leave for Mumbai, where his latest film Darbar is to go on floors from Wednesday.

When asked about his political stance, Rajini said that it was as mentioned earlier and it remains unchanged. In a statement issued in February this year, Rajini had mentioned that he or his party would not be contesting the Lok Sabha polls and that their partys aim would be the Tamil Nadu Assembly Polls that are slated for 2021.

Responding to questions about him backing fellow veteran actor Kamal Hassans political party Makkal Needhi Maiam, Rajini said, I dont wish to speak anything about this anymore. Kindly dont blow up this issue and spoil our friendship.

While he ducked the question pertaining to Kamal Hassans party and his support for it, Rajini spoke at length about his admiration for the project to link Indias rivers.

Rajini recollected that he had been a long time supporter of the project to link Indias rivers. It was the dream of our Late Prime Minister AB Vajpayee. When he was the Prime Minister I had met him once and discussed with him about the same. Since it was a big project I also requested him to name it Bhageeratha Yojana, which he liked it very much and smiled. Bhageeratham means making the impossible possible.

Making a reference to the ruling BJPs election manifesto he said, In the manifesto that the BJP released yesterday they have said that they would link the countrys rivers and they would appoint a committee for the same, that is a welcome move. With gods blessings and peoples support, (we dont know what result they will give) if the NDA front forms a government at the central level, they should first link all the rivers in the country.

Rajini also added that, if that (river-linking) alone is done half the poverty in the country can be eradicated, crores of people can be employed, farmers lives and condition can be improved. Hence, I request them to implement it.

Rajini however ended on a cautious note, he said, please dont mistake me, this a very sensitive time(election season), I dont wish to speak anything further.

But there seems to be a larger context to what Rajini has spoken. In the statement that he issued on 17th February, he had mentioned that, Water shortage is the main issue that Tamil Nadu faces. Ahead of the upcoming polls I lovingly request you to analyse, think and vote for a decisive majority at the national level, which you think could solve the water woes of Tamil Nadu and introduce adequate schemes to bring a permanent solution.

Despite Rajini not contesting in the upcoming polls, his words could certainly be of significance for millions of his fans who are to cast their vote.
Mathura: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday said if Congress president Rahul Gandhi believes terrorism in not a poll issue then he should give up his Special Protection Group cover.

Addressing a BJP workers meet organised by the party's social media wing here, Swaraj said,"Opposition parties cannot feel the pulse of the nation like Prime Minister Narendra Modi can, which is why he managed to give Pakistan a befitting reply after the Uri and Pulwama terror attacks."

The union minister alleged the Congress does not consider terrorism to be a problem, "which was reflected in the party's election manifesto".

"If such is Rahul Gandhi's view, then I request him to give up his Special Protection Group cover. This could be done with a simple letter to the government. This will save the country huge sums of money," Swaraj said.

She said the opposition leaders do not trust the words of the country's defence forces, instead listen to the assertions of the Pakistan Army.

"It is a matter of shame that when our soldiers risk their lives and fight terrorists, our opposition members want to know how many were killed and demand proof for the same," she said.

She asked party workers to promote works done by the BJP government, including Ujjwala, Jan Dhan schemes, lengthened highway network, among others.

She said in the last five years the number of passport offices had grown from 73 to 159 and there were 46 new offices in Uttar Pradesh alone.

"Presenting the manifesto, Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned the three main focus areas of our party -- nationalism, uplifting the poor and good governance. We will stay committed to these issues," Swaraj said.
Islamabad: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said he thinks there may be a better chance of peace talks with India if Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wins the Lok Sabha 2019 election due to begin on Thursday.

Khan said that if the next Indian government were led by the opposition Congress party, it might be too scared to seek a settlement with Pakistan over Kashmir, fearing a backlash from the right.

"Perhaps if the BJP - a right-wing party - wins, some kind of settlement in Kashmir could be reached," Khan told a small group of foreign journalists in an interview.

He said PM Modi, like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was electioneering based on "fear and nationalist feeling".

The BJP's pledge this week to propose stripping decades-old special rights from the people of Jammu and Kashmir, which prevent outsiders from buying property in the state, was a major concern, though it could also be electioneering, Khan said.

Khan did appear to offer India an olive branch, saying that Islamabad was determined to dismantle all Pakistan-based militias in the country, and that the government had full support from Pakistan`s powerful army for the programme. Those to be dismantled include groups involved in Kashmir.

Khan said Kashmir was a political struggle and there was no military solution, adding that Kashmiris suffered if armed militants from Pakistan came across the border, leading to Indian Army crackdowns.

Relations between India and Pakistan, which have fought three wars since gaining independence from Britain in 1947, two over Kashmir, reached a crisis point in February after a suicide bombing killed 40 paramilitary police in Kashmir.

Islamabad denied responsibility for the February 14 attack, which was claimed by Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed, but the bombing prompted India to carry out a cross border air strike against a militant training camp in Pakistan.

Pakistan responded with air strikes of its own.

Pollsters say Modi and the BJP`s re-election bid got a boost from a wave of patriotism after the suicide bomb attack and the Indian government`s fast response.

Khan said there was still the possibility if the polls turn against Modi in the next few weeks that India could take some further military action against Pakistan.

The rolling election is held in phases and does not finish until May 19. The result is not due until May 23.

Khan also said that it was vital for Pakistan to have peace with its neighbours, Afghanistan, India and Iran, if it was to have the kind of economy needed to pull 100 million people out of poverty.
VIKARABAD: Reaffirming his support for special category status to Andhra Pradesh, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday hit out at his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Chandrababu Naidu saying that Naidu is set to face defeat in upcoming Lok Sabha poll and the Andhra CM is "abusing" him every day out of fear of defeat.

"Our MPs have spoken in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha in support of giving special category status to Andhra Pradesh. Even now we have the same stand. After winning seats in the elections, our MPs will offer support in bringing special category status to Andhra Pradesh," he said while addressing a rally in Vikarabad.

The demand to grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh intensified after the division of the region into two states in 2014, when Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh during the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre.

Andhra Pradesh`s capital Hyderabad, which is home to several IT firms, was also shifted to Telangana. At present, 11 states - Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Tripura, Uttarakhand and Mizoram - have been granted special status category. These states receive special financial aid from the Centre because majority of them have hilly-terrain and have a considerable population of tribal people.

The funds to special and general category states are allocated by the central government on the basis of Madhav Gadgil-Pranab Mukherjee formula, which was proposed in 1969.

Meanwhile, TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday made a controversial remark calling TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao and YSRCP chief Jaganmohan Reddy the "pet dogs of Modi".

"Shameless Jaganmohan Reddy is eating dog biscuits; he is distributing them to us also. Jaganmohan Reddy and KCR are pet dogs for Modi, they will be at his feet for a single biscuit. Jagan is going to share those biscuits with you too, beware," Naidu said at a rally.

The Andhra CM claimed that YSRCP is getting money from BJP and TRS for their political campaigns but the party will fail to win the election despite spending crores.

"Modi and KCR have spent Rs 1000 crores (Referring to being given to Jagan for spending in elections). KCR, why did you send that money? Why did you send your state money to us? Even if you send 10,000 crores you won`t get even a single vote here. Our people are so angry with you", said Naidu.

Andhra Pradesh is scheduled to witness simultaneous polling for both Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies on April 11. Counting of votes will take place on May 23.

(with ANI inputs)
Kottayam is one of the 20 parliamentary constituencies of the state of Kerala. Out of the seven assembly segments  Kottayam, Ettumanoor, Puthuppally, Piravom of Kochi Dist, Kaduthuruthy, Vaikom and Palai, Vaikom is reserved for candidates belonging to the Scheduled Castes.

Polling in this seat will be held in the third phase of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections on April 23. In the outgoing Lok Sabha, the Congress-led United Democratic Front had 12 seats and the ruling Left Democratic Front the remaining eight.

This constituency has remained a stronghold of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) for the last few elections, although traditionally this seat was a vote-bank pride of the Congress since its formative years.

Kerala Lok Sabha constituencies: All you need to know

Kottayam Lok Sabha constituency of Kerala: Full list of candidates, polling dates

The current sitting member of parliament of the Kottayam constituency is Jose K. Mani of KEC(M), who had won from the seat after defeating Janata Dal (Secular)'s Mathew T Thomas with a margin of 120599 votes.

Lok Sabha election 2014:

Jose K Mani (KEC): 424,194 (50.96%)

Mathew T Thomas (JDS): 303,595 (36.47%)

Total electoral: 1161465

Total number of votes: 832421

Poll percentage: 71.67%

Lok Sabha election 2019 will take place in seven phases across the country  on April 11, April 18, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19. The results would be declared on May 23.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed public rallies in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu on Tuesday. In Latur, he shared the stage with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray for the first time after the BJP-Shiv Sena inked their alliance for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

On the other hand, Congress president Rahul Gandhi addressed rallies in Assams Hailakandi and Bihars Gaya district. Congress General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh East Priyanka Gandhi Vadra held a Delhi-Saharanpur-Delhi road-show on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the campaigning for the first phase of April 11 Lok Sabha polls ended by 5 pm on Tuesday.

Below, we present updates of Lok Sabha Election 2019 live from the battleground:

* As many as 331 (17%) out of 2,007 candidates in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections have declared criminal cases against themselves while 220 (11%) have declared serious criminal cases, as per Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

* Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami expressed confidence that Narendra Modi will be re-elected Prime Minister and ridiculed the opposition for not having chosen a prime ministerial candidate.

* PM Narendra Modi takes a dig at Rahul Gandhi for contesting from Wayanad seat, says "fear of losing in Karnataka forced the latter to opt for a safe seat in the neighbouring state".

* Election Commission asks probe agencies to take strong action against those using black money to vitiate poll process

* A total of 172 candidates file nomination papers on Tuesday, the last day for submitting the papers for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in Rajasthan.

* Platform for scribes at Rahul rally venue collapses in Assam's Hailakandi, four journalists injured

* Rs 116 crore in cash seized since March 10 in Andhra Pradesh: Poll officer

* Naxal attack in Dantewada: Election Commission says polling for Lok Sabha Election will go as per the schedule in Chhattisgarh's Bastar constituency .

* Uttarakhand: Election Commission's flying squad recovers Rs 4 lakh in cash from a car at NTD crossing in Almora.

* Campaign ended on Tuesday evening for four Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar Gaya, Jamui, Nawada and Aurangabad all of which go to polls in the first phase of elections on April 11.

* Lok Sabha election: Rahul Gandhi to file nomination for Amethi on April 10

* Photo Gallery: Tragic photos of Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada

* Dantewada attack: BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi along with four security personnel killed in IED blast carried out by Naxals, said police. The incident comes two days before Chattisgarh goes to polls on April 11.

#SpotVisuals: Convoy of BJP MLA Bheema Mandavi attacked by Naxals in Dantewada. The escort vehicle of Chhattisgarh State Police also came under the blast. 5 personnel of Chhattisgarh State Police are critically injured. pic.twitter.com/ZastP8hrQe  ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

* Campaigning for Uttarakhand's five Lok Sabha seats going to polls on April 11 ended on Tuesday evening. The Prime Minister addressed rallies at Rudrapur and Dehradun while Amit Shah addressed rallies in Uttarkashi and Dehradun.

* Dantewada attack: The Naxalites blew up a vehicle in the convoy with an IED and opened fire at the occupant. At least four security personnel were in the attack, police officials said.

* Breaking: BJP convoy attacked by Naxals in Dantewada. BJP Dantewada MLA Bheema Mandavi was also in the convoy. The incident occurred at Shyamgiri hills when the MLA's convoy was heading towards Kuwakonda from Bacheli area. Further details awaited.

* Rajnikanth wants BJP to fulfil promise of river-linking project if it wins election. Read full report

* RSS leader succumbs to injuries in J&K hospital after terrorist attack. Read full report

* Byelections to 4 vacant assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu to be held on May 19.

* West Bengal: Election Commission of India transfers Abhishek Gupta from the post of Superintendent of Police of Coochbehar and has posted Amit Kumar Singh in his place.

* BJP candidate Babul Supriyo heckled in Asansol while campaigning for polls. Locals started agitating and asked him where he had been in the last one year. Later his security guards cleared the way.

* CPI(M) appeals to Jammu electorate to vote for secular candidates Jammu in the upcoming Lok Sabha election.

* When the world stood with India after Balakot air strike, those in 'mahamilavat' condemned me, says PM Narendra Modi in Karnataka rally.

* PM Modi lashes out Congress-JDS government in Karnataka, says 'the two parties came together for sake of power'.

* Day after BJP's manifesto release for upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Aam Aadmi Party slams the saffron party for not offering any relief to the traders. "The BJP, which harassed the traders of Delhi through sealing has also not mentioned any relief from the sealing," says AAP's New Delhi candidate Brijesh Goyal.

* The crowd cheers for Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at Gol Kothi and other places during her Road Show in Saharanpur. Priyanka held the road show in support of Congress party's candidate Imran Masood.

* Former JNU students' union leader Kanhaiya Kumar files nomination as Communist Party of India (CPI) candidate from Bihar's Begusarai constituency.

Former JNU students' union leader Kanhaiya Kumar files nomination as Communist Party of India (CPI) candidate from Begusarai constituency. #Bihar #LokSabhaElections2019 pic.twitter.com/dW8nnoeZq0  ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

* CPI (M) holds a massive rally in West Bengal's Bolepur

Glimpses of the massive rally at Bolepur LS Constituency as LF nominated CPIM candidate Comrade Ramchandra Dom submitted his nomination. Defeat BJP-TMC, elect Left and ensure Secular Govt at the Centre. #Vote4Left #LokSabhaElection2019 pic.twitter.com/MeQYsQOGeI  CPI(M) WEST BENGAL (@CPIM_WESTBENGAL) April 9, 2019

* SP leader and former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav's wife took to Twitter:

                                                  ? https://t.co/0QBJIiuhf8  Dimple Yadav (@dimpleyadav) April 9, 2019

* Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray Tuesday and PM Modi addressed a poll rally in Maharashtra's Latur for the first time in 28 months. "Our government today doesn't just talk about teaching Pakistan a lesson," Thackeray said. "Pradhan Mantri ji, our only expectation from you now is that deal Pakistan such a blow that nothing of it remains to mess (with India) again," he said.

In his speech, Modi called Uddhav his 'younger brother' and recalled that the Congress had 'withdrawn' citizenship of late Bal Thackeray.

* Asaduddin Owaisi attacks BJP: "For how long will you continue deceiving the government in Kashmir over Article 370 and 35A of the Constitution. You've now been in power for five years."

* Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath files nomination for bye-election to Chhindwara assembly seat. His son Nakul Nath files nomination for Lok Sabha Election 2019 to the Chhindwara parliamentary constituency.

* On one hand, is our policy and intention, and on the other hand is our opponent's double-sided attitude: PM Modi at Latur

* I have come to know that you are sitting here since 9.30 AM. You are sitting here in this extreme heat. I won't let your 'tapasya' go in vain. I will return this to you with interest: PM Modi at Latur

* PM Modi addresses a rally in Maharashtra's Latur:

* Smriti Irani on Rahul Gandhi's tweet: Rahul Gandhi has a special obsession with BJP. Had he been focussed on the country, the nation would have come to know his vision for it.

Despite having a vision, there's a question mark on his efficiency as the nation knows the condition of Amethi. On one hand, there's an efficient govt which has taken the resolution to build a New India, on the other there's a man who stays restricted to making announcements, she added.

* Tamil Nadu: Residents of Melasirupothu village in Ramanathapuram district took out a protest march on Monday. The villagers have decided to boycott Lok Sabha Election 2019 alleging non-availability of basic facilities in their area and non-payment of crop insurance money 2017-18. "There's no proper road connectivity or drinking water facility here, no good schools for children. We didn't receive payment under rural employment scheme or crop insurance money for 2017-18. Despite repeated pleas to admn, we didn't receive anything. So boycotting polls," said a local.

* Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's campaign schedule in Uttar Pradesh, on April 9:

11:00 am: Arrival at Bijnaur

11.30 am-12.30 pm: Roadshow

12.45 pm: Departure from Bijnaur

1.10 pm: Arrival Saharanpur Airfield

1.45 pm: Roadshow from Gol Kothi to Qutub Sher (Distance- 1.7 km)

3.30 pm: Departure for airport

3.45 pm: Swagat at Kairana while en route to the airport

4.30 pm: Departure for Delhi

* BSP releases a list of five candidates for upcoming Lok Sabha poll

BSP releases a list of 5 candidates for #LokSabhaElections2019 pic.twitter.com/LyGEm1OJBJ  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 9, 2019

* CPI candidate Kanhaiya Kumar, who is fighting the Lok Sabha election from Begusarai in Bihar, will file his nomination today.

* "The Congress manifesto was created through discussion. The voice of over a million Indian people it is wise and powerful. The BJP Manifesto was created in a closed room. The voice of an isolated man, it is short sighted and arrogant," tweets Congress chief Rahul Gandhi.

The Congress manifesto was created through discussion. The voice of over a million Indian people it is wise and powerful. The BJP Manifesto was created in a closed room. The voice of an isolated man, it is short sighted and arrogant.  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 9, 2019

* The port city of Visakhapatnam is set to witness a contest between a political heavyweight and three debutants in the first phase of the Lok Sabha election on April 11. Former Union minister Daggubati Purandeswari (BJP), former IPS officer V V Lakshmi Narayana (Jana Sena Party), Stanford graduate M Sri Bharath (Telugu Desam Party) and realtor M V V Satyanarayana (YSR Congress) are the main contenders for this parliamentary seat. Read more.

* The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is locked in a fierce battle for power with the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) as the stage is set for single-phase polling for simultaneous elections to 175-member Andhra Pradesh Assembly and for 25 Lok Sabha seats on April 11. Read more

* Modi, Trump campaigns similar, both play with people's emotions: Congress leader Sam Pitroda

* Janata Dal (Secular) supremo H D Deve Gowda pitched Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu as the opposition's choice for the next Prime Minister. Naidu, however, denied vying for PM's post. I am not an aspirant for any post, he said. READ MORE

* Shahjahanpur: Sanyukt Vikas Party's candidate Vaidh Raj Kishan rode a horse dressed as a bridegroom, to file his nomination yesterday for #LokSabhaElections2019 . He says "Rajniti ka daamad bann ke jaa raha hoon. Dulhan toh 28 May ke baad aaegi." (08.04.2019) pic.twitter.com/2wUiSliEbB

 ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 9, 2019

* THe AIADMK has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against DMK's newspaper and television advertisements. In its complaint, the party said the DMK election campaign ads allege the state government purposely opened fire at the protestors against Sterlite Copper smelter plant in Thoothukudi last year. The AIADMK said the DMK has violated Election Commission`s order that states no political party should use funeral photos, coffins and dead bodies in their campaign.

* Non Cognizable Offence Information Report registered against sitting BJP MP from Unnao, Sakshi Maharaj for allegedly violating Model Code of Conduct (MCC): ANI

* Based on the post-poll scenario, the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party alliance to take a call whether to include Congress, said sources in the two parties. The reaction from these two parties came after AICC general secretary (west Uttar Pradesh) Jyotiraditya Scindia said the option to be a part of the SP-BSP alliance is open for the Congress after the Lok Sabha polls.

"The SP and BSP will take a call on having the Congress in the alliance based on the circumstances post polls," senior leaders of the alliance told news agency PTI on condition of anonymity.

* Trinamool Congress will play a crucial role in forming the next government at the Centre, party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said. "There will be no government formed without the TMC. They (the BJP) have only one arrogant man in him (Prime Minister Narendra Modi). But we have so many leaders who have credibility... So, we will decide it (on the PM face of the opposition alliance) later.. Let the elections be over," she told a Bengali news channel.

"I do not want power. I want Bengal to show the path and help form a new government at the Centre. When nobody can, it's Bengal that can show the light," she added.

* For the first time in 28 months, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray will share the stage at an election rally in Latur on Tuesday. The last time they came together was for performing the 'jal pooja' for the proposed grand memorial of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, in the Arabian Sea, off Chowpatty in Mumbai. Read more.

* PM Modi to hold election rallies in Maharashtra's Latur, Karnataka's Chitradurga and Mysuru, and Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore.

PM Modi program schedule

- Public meeting at Tulajapur Corner, Nilanga Road, Ausa, District Latur (Maharashtra)- 10 am

- Public meeting at Government Science College Ground, B.D. Rd, District Chitradurga (K'taka)- 12 noon

- Public meeting at Maharaja College Ground, Mysore (Karnataka)- 2:40 pm

- Public meeting at Codissia Grounds, Avinashi-Peelamedu Road, Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu)- 4 pm

* Congress president Rahul Gandhi to campaign in Assam's Karimganj and Barak Valley, Bihar's Gaya and Odisha's Digapahandi.

* BJP national president Amit Shah to participate in Puri roadshow. As per reports, the roadshow will begin from Singha Dwara (Lion's Gate) of Shree Jagannath Temple and end at the Puri's Mausi Maa Temple.
Tripura will go to polls for Lok Sabha election 2019 in two phases. Polling will be held in Tripura West Lok Sabha constituency in the first phase on April 11. Tripura East will go to poll in second phase on April 18.

The total number of voters in the state is 26,05,325, including 13,19,693 while the number of female voters is 12,85,618 and 14 third gender. The first time voters in the age group of 18-19 years are 39,077 in number. The state has 100% Elector Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) coverage. The total number of polling stations set up are 3324.

Days before the Lok Sabha elections, in a major blow to the IPFT, its Vice President Ananta Debbarma on Monday quit the party and announced his support to the Congress in the Lok Sabha polls.

Tripura Pradesh Congress President Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarman, welcoming the Indigenous People`s Front of Tripura (IPFT) leader, told the media that Debbarma and many other leaders would support the Congress candidates in the ongoing parliamentary polls to fight against both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ally IPFT.
Ahmedabad: The BJP in Gujarat aims to cast a "magic spell" on voters as it mounts a mega campaign to repeat its 2014 performance of winning all the 26 Lok Sabha seats in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The ruling party has roped in 52 magicians to woo voters as part of its campaign for the Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat, which will vote in a single phase on April 23. They will be part of the BJP's campaign team in the state.

As many as 52 LED vans carrying the party's slogan, `Phir Ek Baar Modi Sarkar' (Modi government once again),' will also go around Gujarat with video clips showcasing the achievements of the BJP-led ruling coalition at the Centre.

Magicians from Gujarat and neighbouring states have been asked to perform tricks to regale voters, especially in rural areas, and also canvass for party candidates, state BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya said.

These illusionists will tour rural areas across all the 26 Lok Sabha constituencies and enchant voters with tricks like pulling out cloth with the BJP's symbol "lotus" etched on it from an empty pot and creating a portrait of Modi on a blank slate.

While the magicians will regale the crowd, others in the team will talk about achievements of the Modi government and seek their support for BJP candidates.

"We have involved 52 magicians in small teams who will visit rural areas in the state and campaign for the BJP. They will display tricks like pulling out cloth with `lotus' symbol from an empty pot, among others," Pandya said.

They will also entertain the rural populace with folklores, he said.

"We will go to all villages and gather crowd in the name of magic. When the public gather, we will show them magic tricks and appeal them to vote for BJP," said a magician.

The party had used the same trick to engage voters during the 2014 general election.

The magicians are part of a large-scale campaigning that the party has planned in Gujarat, which is also the home state of BJP chief Amit Shah, who is in the fray from the Gandhinagar seat.

As part of the campaigning, the 52 LED vans will also highlight people-oriented decisions taken by the Modi government and promises made by the BJP in run-up to the elections.

A special kit with more than 51 campaign paraphernalia will also be distributed across over 50,000 booths in the state, Pandya said.

The saffron outfit had won all the 26 Lok Sabha seats in 2014 and its leaders have been saying the party is hopeful of repeating its performance in 2019.
Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh): Madhya Pradesh BJP Chief and Jabalpur candidate Rakesh Singh has been issued a show-cause notice for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

The notice has been issued to Singh for allegedly taking more than five people to the returning officer`s room while filing nomination.

District Administration has also registered a First Information Report (FIR) report against eight people in this regard.

Singh had filed his nomination earlier in the day in the presence of former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Jabalpur.

In Madhya Pradesh, polling will take place in four phases - on April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19. Counting of votes will take place on May 23.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday strongly condemned the dastardly Naxal attack on a convoy carrying BJP MLA Bheema Mandavi. The political leader and four others lost their lives in the attack.

Offering his condolences to the families of Mandavi and others who lost their lives, PM Modi said that their sacrifices won't go in vain. "Strongly condemn the Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh. My tributes to the security personnel who were martyred. The sacrifices of these martyrs will not go in vain," he said.

PM Modi also remembered the BJP MLA for his courage and for reaching out to the people of Chhattisgarh. "Bhima Mandavi was a dedicated Karyakarta of the BJP. Diligent and courageous, he assiduously served the people of Chhattisgarh. His demise is deeply anguishing. Condolences to his family and supporters. Om Shanti."

Congress president Rahul Gandhi too condemned the attack and offered his condolences to the families of those killed.

The attack took place with less than 36 hours remaining for the first phase of Lok Sabha 2019 election. While Dantewada votes on April 18, Bastar - another Naxal-infested area - will vote on April 11. Naxals have warned locals to boycott the election even as thousands of security personnel have been deployed to ensure peace prevails.
New Delhi: The Bihar Police arrested Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Navneet Himanshu Kumar, who had been absconding in two cases, from Mokama area in Patna. Navneet had arrived in Mokama along with his supporters to file his nomination on a BSP ticket for Munger Lok Sabha constituency when he was arrested by the police.

As per reports, Navneet had been on the run in a loot and robbery case and a dowry harassment case. The police arrested the accused after he filed the nomination papers for the upcoming Lok Sabha election.

According to sources, the supporters, who had joined the accused for nomination filing, were highly disappointed after his arrest. The sources added that the police did not even let the supporters put garlands on the BSP leader after he was done filing his documents.

One of the BSP supporters, who was present at the spot said that they were dispirited after Navneet was arrested by the police.

According to headquarters DSP Md Shibli Nomani, two cases are registered against Navneet in Mokama police station and the accused had been on the run for some time. He added that the arrest was made in a joint operation by Munger Police and Mokama Police.
New Delhi: "One must maintain respect, a decorum in every situation," said businessman Robert Vadra in a post on Facebook, in a purported reply to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's jibe at him.

On Sunday, Vadra, husband of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, had announced that he will campaign for the party in the upcoming national election. Taking a jibe at him, Jaitley had said, "I don`t know if he (Vadra) will be an asset for the campaign of the Congress or for the campaign of the BJP."

Responding to the jibe, Vadra on Tuesday added a photo with Jaitley and wrote, "One must maintain respect, a decorum in every situation, it shows character and that's what I was taught by my parents and in sport. Healthy competition will only bring out the best in a person that people will judge. Best wishes to all for the brighter future the people of India need."

"I just want to say that wherever Robert Vadra wants to go campaigning, people of that place should save their lands," Irani had told news agency ANI.

Vadra is currently facing allegations of money laundering in the purchase of a London-based property.
Tirupati: YSR Congress Party chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy Tuesday hit out at the ruling Telugu Desam Party for allegedly ignoring the poor and middle class in the last five years.

Reddy alleged that subsidy facilities, including education and 'Arogyasri' introduced for the poor and middle classes by the former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy, were completely abandoned by the Chandrababu Naidu government leaving the people to their own fate.

Addressing a well-attended election rally in the temple city on the last day of campaigning for the first phase of elections on April 11, he claimed unemployment was on the rise in the State after Naidu came to power in 2014 with 2.3 lakh vacant posts not being filled.

Referring to Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Raos support for Special Category Status for Andhra Pradesh, Reddy said it would be easy to achieve SCS with combined efforts of 25 MPs from AP and 17 MPs from neighbouring Telangana.

"The TDP government has failed to meet all-round development of the state and welfare of the people," Reddy said, urging people to vote for his YSRCP for good governance.

Reddy also faulted some sections of the media in the State for their alleged demonstration of fake videos, photos, audio clips and pre-poll surveys to deliberately malign the image of YSRCP.

Andhra Pradesh, which is going to the polls for 175 assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats, is witnessing a multi-cornered contest involving the ruling TDP, YSRCP, Jana Sena of Pawan Kalyan, the Congress and the BJP.

In Tirupati, the main battle would be between two former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Chairmen Bhumana Karunakara Reddy of YSRCP and Chadalavada Krishnamurthy of Jana Sena Party and ruling TDP MLA M. Suguna.
Mumbai: A structural audit is valid only for six months and the foot-over-bridge (FOB) outside the CSMT station here collapsed two years after his firm carried out an audit, Neeraj Kumar Desai, an accused, said in his bail plea on Tuesday.

Six persons were killed when the FOB collapsed during the evening rush hour on March 14.

Desai, a structural engineer whose firm had carried out audit of the bridge and declared it safe despite finding some corrosion, was arrested on the charge of negligence.

After a metropolitan magistrate denied him bail, he moved the court of additional sessions judge M S Azmi Tuesday.

"By no stretch of imagination the mishap can be attributed to him or his company," the application said.

"The FOB collapsed on March 14, 2019, almost after two years and three months from the date of structural audit undertaken by his company, without giving any warning of distress," it added.

The audit report was valid for only six months, and it can by scrutinised by a professional organisation such as the Indian Society of Structural Engineering (ISSE), the bail plea said.

The mishap was a result of interplay of several factors, it said.

Public Prosecutor Mangesh Arote said the matter will be argued on April 11.

Besides Desai, two officials in the bridges department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporaton (BMC) have been arrested in the case.

As per a preliminary report of the BMC, the structural audit was not carried out properly.
LUXEMBOURG: European Union ministers said on Tuesday the bloc was ready to grant Britain a second Brexit delay but that British Prime Minister Theresa May must come up with a clear plan of how to ratify the stalled divorce deal in the overtime.

EU ministers are meeting in Luxembourg a day before 27 national leaders of the bloc will decide during afternoon talks in Brussels on whether to allow Britain another extension to try to break the deadlock in London over Brexit.

Without an extension, Britain is due to leave the EU at 2200 GMT on Friday, without a deal to cushion the economic shock. German, Dutch, Irish and Luxembourg ministers made clear in comments on arriving to the meeting that a no-deal Brexit must be avoided.

"Everybody this week are open to an extension but they certainly want to see a plan attached to that extension," Ireland`s Foreign Minister Simon Coveney told reporters.

His Dutch colleague Stef Blok echoed: "It`s in the Dutch interest to avoid hard Brexit and if more time is needed to avoid no-deal Brexit, we should provide more time."

"I really hope the UK will find a solution to avoid this no-deal Brexit. We are hoping for a specific plan from the UK side on how to avoid this no-deal Brexit."

Luxembourg`s Jean Asselborn said the EU side would do "everything we can" to avoid a no-deal Brexit.

But the German Minister Michael Roth made clear that May must come up with a clear plan to convince EU leaders on Wednesday to postpone Brexit beyond the current cliff-edge date of Apr.12.

"I must unfortunately note that the conditions set... have not been met," he said.

"We are of course thinking about an appropriate extension of the deadline and also about a longer extension. They must, however, come with very strict conditions," Roth said, citing British participation in May`s EU parliament election as one such condition.

George Ciamba of Romania, which currently holds the EU`s rotating presidency, said the EU welcomed Britain`s readiness to organise European Parliament elections in May, but made clear that was not enough.

"It is important for us to understand why the UK wants to stay (longer), you have to stay with a view to something," he said.

"We have been in the same situation just a couple of weeks ago, we cannot afford to be discussing the same issue every two weeks without a plan," he said.
Shortly after the Donald Trump designated Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist group, the West Asian country hit back by designating US military forces as 'terrorist organisation' late on Monday.

The decision to designate IRGC as a terrorist organisation was made by Donald Trump administration and formally announced by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Shortly after, Iran's state-run TV, according to Reuters, hit back. "Irans Supreme National Security Council has labelled American military forces as a terrorist organization," it announced.

The designating of each others' military as a terrorist organisation is likely to further worsen already strained relations between the US and Iran. Never before Monday had the US deemed an element of another government as a terrorist organisation. According to Pompeo, it was absolutely necessary due to prevailing situations. "This is the first time that the United States has designated a part of another government as an FTO. Were doing because the Iranian regimes use of terrorism as a tool of statecraft makes it fundamentally different from any other government. This historic step will deprive the worlds leading state sponsor of terror the financial means to spread misery and death around the world," Pompeo announced.

The US move has been welcomed by close ally Israel with the country's Prime Minister - Benjamin Netanyahu. "Thank you for responding to another important request of mine, which serves the interests of our countries and countries of the region," he said in a message for Trump.

Iran, however, is hardly impressed and hardly willing to let the development slip by. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said that a country which is the leader of world terrorism has no right to pass judgements on terrorism itself. He also reportedly said that the IRGC has been at the forefront in fighting terrorism since its creation in 1979.

Meanwhile, the global community has largely been rather silent on the development. As of Tuesday, most countries refrained from putting out public statements which would reveal their stand on the issue.
JERUSALEM: Israelis vote in an election on Tuesday that could hand conservative Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a record fifth term or see him dethroned by an ex-general who has pledged clean government and social cohesion.

Dubbed "King Bibi" by both Time and Economist magazines, Netanyahu has rallied a rightist camp hardened against the Palestinians and played up Israeli foreign policy boons that are the fruit of his ties with the Trump administration.

But the 69-year-old Likud party leader`s hope of overtaking Israel`s founding father, David Ben-Gurion, as longest-serving premier in July has been dented by a looming graft indictment. He denies any wrongdoing.

Critics warn of "Bibi fatigue" and argue that the parliamentary election should bring fresh faces to high office.

Stalking Netanyahu in the opinion polls has been Benny Gantz, a former chief of the armed forces and centrist political novice. Buttressed by two other former generals at the top of his Blue and White party, Gantz, 59, has sought to push back against Netanyahu`s self-styled image as unrivalled in national security.

"This is a choice between a strong right-wing government under Netanyahu or a weak leftist government under Gantz," Likud said in a statement.

Gantz told Reuters in response: "Netanyahu is not the messiah, nor an irreplaceable legend. The people of Israel long for something else."

With little policy daylight separating the two candidates on Iran and the Palestinians, or on Israel`s humming economy, much of the voting will by guided by the question of their character.

In vitriolic campaigns waged largely over social media rather than in town squares or street corners, they have exchanged escalating allegations of corruption, of fostering bigotry and even of conspiring with Israel`s adversaries.

Netanyahu casts himself as the victim of media bias and judicial overreach. Gantz casts himself as a salve for Israel`s religiously and ethnically riven society and its relations with liberal Jews abroad.

"This election is about one thing - whether or not Netanyahu should remain in office. It`s the only thing that really defines 12 out of the 13 parties which will be in the next Knesset," said Anshel Pfeffer, author of the biography "Bibi: The Turbulent Life and Times of Benjamin Netanyahu".

Which man wins is unlikely to be decided when the polling stations close at 10 p.m. (1900 GMT). No party has ever won an outright majority in the 120-seat parliament, meaning days or even weeks of coalition negotiations will lie ahead.

Israels president, Reuven Rivlin, will consult with the leaders of every party represented in the Knesset and choose whoever he believes has the best chance of forming a government.

Although both Netanyahu and Gantz have publicly ruled out a future alliance in a "national unity" coalition, some analysts predict a rethink - especially if the candidates agree to tackle together a widely expected U.S. plan for Middle East peace.

That plan`s sponsor, President Donald Trump, offered an unusually clement observation on the election, telling his Republican Jewish supporters on Saturday: "I think it`s going to be close ... Two good people."
LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday to argue for a Brexit delay while her ministers hold crisis talks with Labour to try to break the deadlock in London.

Britain`s departure from the EU has already been delayed once but May is asking for yet more time as she courts veteran socialist Jeremy Corbyn, whose opposition Labour Party wants to keep Britain more closely tied to the bloc after Brexit.

"The Prime Minister has not yet moved off her red lines so we can reach a compromise," Corbyn said ahead of further talks between his team and government ministers on Tuesday.

While May travels to Berlin and Paris ahead of an emergency EU summit in Brussels on Wednesday, British lawmakers will hold a 90-minute debate on her proposal to delay Britain`s EU departure date to June 30 from April 12.

The debate has been forced on the government by parliament passing a law on Monday which will give lawmakers the power to scrutinise and even make legally binding changes to May`s request to extend the Article 50 negotiating period again.

Labour`s demands include keeping Britain in a customs union with the EU, something which is hard to reconcile with May`s desire for Britain to have an independent trade policy.

The Telegraph reported Labour and the government were still discussing both a customs union and the idea of holding a confirmatory referendum on any deal they agree.

Both ideas are anathema to many in May`s party, whose rebels have helped trigger three parliamentary defeats of the withdrawal deal she negotiated with the EU last year.

"I`ve said many times before, we can be more, much more ambitious in our future relationship with the UK," EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier told a news conference with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar in Dublin on Monday.

BREXIT DELAY?

The 2016 referendum revealed a United Kingdom divided over much more than EU membership, and has sparked impassioned debate about everything from secession and immigration to capitalism, empire and what it means to be British.

Yet, more than a week after Britain was originally supposed to have left the EU, nothing is resolved as May, the weakest British leader in a generation, battles to get a divorce deal ratified by a profoundly divided parliament.

If Britain`s exit is delayed beyond May 22, the EU has said it will have to take part in European Parliament elections. The British government on Monday took the legal steps necessary to take part in that vote.

"It does not make these elections inevitable, as leaving the EU before the date of election automatically removes our obligation to take part," a government spokesman said.

EU leaders, fatigued by the serpentine Brexit crisis, must decide on Wednesday whether to grant May a further delay. The decision can be vetoed by any of the other 27 member states.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said it was "crucial to know when and on what basis (the) UK will ratify the Withdrawal Agreement as the EU considers May`s request to delay.

Without an extension, Britain is due to leave the EU at 2200 GMT on Friday, without a deal to cushion the economic shock.

While the EU is not expected to trigger such a potentially disorderly no-deal exit, diplomats said all options were on the table - from refusing a delay to granting May`s request or pushing for a longer postponement.

But May is boxed in at home.

Brexiteers in her cabinet insisted on at most a short delay, while Mark Francois, deputy chief of the Conservatives` hardline eurosceptic faction in parliament, demanded she resign and called on the party to vote on forcing her out - even though there is no formal provision to do so before December.
LONDON: Britain`s parliament approved legislation on Monday that gives lawmakers the power to scrutinise and even change Prime Minister Theresa May`s request that the European Union agree to delay Brexit until June 30.

May has already asked Brussels to extend Britain`s EU membership to allow talks with the opposition Labour Party in search of different exit plan - a last-ditch attempt to keep control after parliament rejected her Brexit deal three times.

But lawmakers want additional legal guarantees against a "no-deal" exit happening on April 12 - the current exit day - and have crafted a law forcing ministers to consult with parliament on Tuesday before May goes to Brussels.

"Both houses of parliament have tonight strongly made clear their view that a no deal would be deeply damaging to jobs, manufacturing and security of our country," said lawmaker Yvette Cooper, one of those responsible for proposing the legislation.

The bill gives lawmakers the chance to make legally binding changes to May`s requested departure date during a debate scheduled to last 90 minutes on Tuesday. The prime minister would retain some freedom to agree a different date with the EU.

May is due to travel to Paris and Berlin on Tuesday to press her request for a short delay, before it is formally discussed by EU leaders at a special summit on Wednesday.

The bill passed through the Commons by a single vote last week and was then approved with minor changes in the House of Lords, an unelected body whose role is to refine and scrutinise legislation, which the Commons then had to sign off on.

The passage of the bill represents a significant blow to May`s authority, overturning the long-standing convention that the government has sole control of the agenda in parliament, allowing it to control what laws are passed.

It also creates another flashpoint in a deeply divided body of lawmakers that could undermine May`s attempts to persuade Brussels she can get parliament to back a Brexit deal if the EU gives her more time.

The government had warned that the legislation was poorly drafted, rushed through parliament and set a dangerous constitutional precedent. Pro-Brexit lawmakers also fiercely opposed the bill.

"(It) is like tossing a hand grenade into our constitutional arrangements," said eurosceptic Conservative lawmaker Bill Cash.
Washington DC: The United States on Monday (local time) barred the entry of at least 16 Saudi nationals into the country over their alleged involvement in the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year.

The 16 Saudis banned from entering the US are -- Saud al-Qahtani, Maher Mutreb, Salah Tubaigy, Meshal Albostani, Naif Alarifi, Mohammed Alzahrani, Mansour Abahussain, Khalid Alotaibi, Abdulaziz Alhawsawi, Waleed Alsehri, Thaar Alharbi, Fahad Albalawi, Badr Alotaibi, Mustafa Almadani, Saif Alqahtani and Turki Alsehri, according to a press release issued by the State Department.

"These designations are made under Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act of 2019 (Section 7031(c))," the statement said.

"Section 7031(c) provides that, in cases where the Secretary of State (Michael Pompeo) has credible information that officials of foreign governments have been involved in significant corruption or gross violations of human rights, those individuals and their immediate family members are ineligible for entry into the United States," it said."The law requires the Secretary of State to publicly or privately designate such officials and their immediate family members," the statement further said.

Khashoggi, who was a journalist with The Washington Post and a vocal critic of the Saudi regime, was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 last year, where he had gone to obtain paperwork certifying his divorce with his former wife Alaa Nassif in order to be able to marry his Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz.

After presenting several contradictory theories, Saudi Arabia acknowledged that Khashoggi was killed in the consulate premises in what it had described as a "rogue operation".According to US intelligence agencies, Khashoggi`s murder was enacted upon orders given by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

However, Saudi Arabia has repeatedly rejected all the allegations against its Crown Prince, adding that it is committed to bringing the perpetrators to justice.
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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Washington is looking to boost cooperation with Egypt to resolve challenges in the Middle East during his talks with President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in Washington on Tuesday, Egypts presidency said.

El-Sisi received Pompeo at his residence at Blair House, the official presidential guest house, in his first official talks after he arrived in Washington on Monday for a four-day visit.

The president and Pompeo discussed boosting the US-Egyptian strategic partnership as a mainstay of security and stability in the Middle East, presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement late on Tuesday.

The Egyptian president said he looks to boost political and security cooperation with the US in the coming period, the spokesman added.

The two addressed the crises in Libya, Syria and Yemen, stressing that political solutions are the only way out.

El-Sisi and Pompeo also discussed Palestinian-Israeli peace efforts, and ways to prevent escalation in violence in the Gaza Strip.

The Egyptian president is set to meet with US President Donald Trump in the White House on Tuesday.

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Four police personnel and three civilians including a six-year-old boy were killed and at least 26 others were injured in a suicide bombing on Tuesday afternoon in a Sheikh Zuweid market in North Sinai governorate, Egypt's interior ministry said.

According to the ministry, a 15-year-old suicide bomber detonated explosives at a security checkpoint in the local market in the heart of Sheikh Zuweid city.

Two police officers and two low-ranking policemen were killed in the attack.

The injured have been transferred to a nearby hospital to receive treatment.

Security forces from the police and Armed Forces are currently sweeping the area.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing in a statement published online. The terrorist organisation said that the attack was revenge for recent operations against the group in Syria.

The military has been carrying out Operation Sinai 2018, a counter-terrorism campaign, since February 2018. The campaign involves land, naval and air forces, as well as the police and border guards.

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A blog about business, strategy and applying science to the benefit of society. We are passionate about liberty and free enterprise.
Veterans seeking VA compensation for illnesses that may be connected to their service in the waters off Vietnam saw another choke point cleared April 1, but their path to long-sought benefits remains uncertain.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals will lift a stay that prevented any decisions on such Blue Water Navy appeals, a hold that had been in place since October, according to an April 1 board memo. That stay was connected to the Procopio vs. Wilkie lawsuit, in which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Court ruled Jan. 29 that the statutory phrase 'the Republic of Vietnam' included the 12 nautical mile territorial sea of that nation, per the memo.

[TAKE ACTION: Ask Your Legislators to Back Blue Water Navy Veterans]

That means Blue Water Navy veterans serving in those waters would have the same presumption of herbicide exposure as those who served on land and on inland waterways. The announcement follows a decision from VA Secretary Robert Wilkie not to appeal the ruling

But many factors remain unsettled, including the precise definition of Vietnam's nautical boundaries and the diseases that will be considered connected to herbicide exposure; a VA official told a Senate panel in March that a decision regarding the addition of bladder cancer, hypertension and other ailments would come within 90 days.

MOAA applauds all moves by the VA that will result in these veterans receiving the benefits they deserve, said Dan Merry, MOAA's vice president of government relations. That's why we've backed legislation all along that will not only clear up the eligibility rules, it will expand the benefits to more deserving veterans.

MOAA supports H.R. 299, which will provide relief to Blue Water Navy veterans as well as veterans exposed to Agent Orange on the Korean DMZ. It also expands benefits to the children of veterans who served in Thailand and suffer from spina bifida.

Late in 2018, Congress attempted to pass a bill granting presumptive exposure of Agent Orange to Blue Water Navy veterans. That bill passed in the House, but failed in the Senate when two members blocked separate attempts at a unanimous-consent vote.

Amanda Dolasinski is MOAA's staff writer. She can be reached at amandad@moaa.org. Follow her on Twitter @AmandaMOAA.
[April 09, 2019] PFS has been Granted a New E-Money License by the Central Bank of Ireland Challenger FinTech PFS, one of Ireland's largest issuers of payment cards, is Brexit-ready after receiving a license from the Irish financial Regulator, the Central Bank of Ireland. This is a significant boost for one of Europe's leading payment operators which is also licensed by the UK Regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority. This means that PFS will continue to operate as usual throughout the European Economic Area post-Brexit. Noel Moran, CEO at PFS said: "The future looks even brighter now for PFS with this announcement. It ensures that no matter what happens with regards to Brexit, our business is prepared for all scenarios and there will be no impact to our customers and partners. We look forward to enjoying an excellent working relationship with the Central Bank of Ireland in the years to come." In 2019, PFS continues to lead the way in FinTech and the exponentially growing mobile payments and wearables market. It has advanced expertise in successfully delivering payment solutions at speed from its agile Innovation Hub in Ireland and its Technology Centre in Malta. About PFS p> PFS provides world-class payment technology solutions offering comprehensive innovation in electronic money. As a pioneer in the evolution of the FinTech ecosystem, its award-winning solutions include e-wallets, physical and virtual prepaid cards and IBAN accounts in the UK and Eurozone. Prepaid Financial Services Limited, trading as PFS, is Authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom. PFS Card Services (Ireland) Limited, trading as PCSIL, is Regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. PFS is one of Europe's largest e-money issuers and has returned profits for 10 consecutive years. With programmes active in 25 countries and growing, the company has the ability to transact in 23 currencies. PFS' products and state-of-the-art technology platforms are trusted by governments, local authorities, NGOs, mobile network operators, banks and corporate clients globally. PFS is an agile FinTech chosen by other FinTechs to revolutionise the digital economy securely and in real-time. The company develops a range of trendsetting mobile payment and wearable solutions securely and seamlessly providing quick and easy integrations into mobile payment applications. Explore the future of prepaid financial solutions today as the world moves towards a cashless society tomorrow by visiting https://prepaidfinancialservices.com and discover more about PFS' next-generation payment solutions. Contact [email protected] Ends ### View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005517/en/

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Parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aa also said that stability in Libya is very important to Egypt and to regional stability. Gamal Essam El-Din reports

Egypt's parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aal discussed internal developments in Libya in a meeting with speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives Aqila Saleh on Tuesday.

According to a statement released following the meeting, Abdel-Aal said that Egypt fully supports the Libyan national army's current battle against armed groups and militias.

"The existence of a national Libyan army is a guarantee that the Libyan state recovers stability and sovereignty, and will be able to build its own political institutions," said Abdel-Aal, adding that "Libya will remain living in a state of instability as long as different armed groups and militias still possess weapons in an illegal way and use them against the state."

Abdel-Aal urged the world community to prevent foreign interference in the internal affairs of Libya, help a peaceful solution to the conflict there and support the rebuilding of the state.

"Foreign interventions are part of the problem in Libya, and these should stop because conditions in Libya are very important to stability in the region," said Abdel-Aal.

Saleh said that Libya highly appreciates Egypt's support and role in recovering stability.

"I want to assure you that the Libyan national army now controls 90 percent of Libya's land, and that all armed militias and groups should be dismantled in the coming stage in order to pave the way for holding free and fair elections," said Saleh, who also called for an end to foreign interference in Libyan affairs.

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This article is part of State of Health, a series examining health disparities, how they affect Michigan's children and seniors, and the innovative solutions being developed to address them. It is made possible with funding from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund.

Within 30 minutes of being approved for their Michigan foster home license in 2009, the Isham family received details of their first placement: a four-month-old girl with a cleft palate and a genetic diagnosis of chromosome 16p11.2 microdeletion syndrome.

Since then, Heather Isham has navigated many unique challenges as she's become both mom and full-time caregiver to her now adopted daughter, Gracie*.

Heather and Gracie Isham.

"Gracie isn't on the autism spectrum, but the research shows that everyone with her deletion struggles with autism-related symptoms," Isham explains. "She has very specific sensory needs and often doesn't like to be touched. That makes it difficult for us to help her brush her teeth, take her pills, and even put in her hearing aid. We try to talk her through every activity, but it usually ends with her angry and yelling, or crying."

Everywhere they go, the Ishams keep a close watch on Gracie, as she has seizures, struggles with severe food allergies, and battles chronic fatigue. Isham says people's judgments and assumptions about her daughter's condition can be emotionally exhausting as well.

Support is crucial for a family like the Ishams, but it can be hard to find. Support groups for parents with medically fragile children are few and far between, with most resources being available online. When Isham needs a break, she turns to her husband for support  or her pediatrician, although she says it's "rare" to find such a helpful medical professional.

The importance of a support network when caring for a loved one can't be understated. Whether caring for a child, an elderly person, or a person with a disability, becoming an unpaid caregiver requires significant commitment and dedication. That's why a number of Michigan organizations are working to better understand what caregivers need and make it more accessible to them.

Caregivers need support from medical staff

Two of those organizations are the Michigan Health Council (MHC) and the Area Agencies on Aging (AAA), who have collaborated on a series of focus groups to determine what Michigan caregivers and patients need most. Kristin Sewell, a research and data analyst for MHC, says one of the biggest problems caregivers identified was difficulty communicating with doctors.

"They told us that physicians often refuse to engage with them outside of a patient's presence, which usually leaves the patient upset, or feeling betrayed and diminished," she says.



Kristin Sewell.

Another issue caregivers raised was that physicians completely discounted their expertise and intimate knowledge of the patient.

"They reported feeling alone and unsupported, which is very frustrating for them," Sewell explains. "Physicians' offices are woefully unwilling and unprepared to make referrals to community resources."

All too often caregivers were told to search online for what they needed, instead of given suggestions for where they could get help locally. To address that issue, MHC created a list of resources for clinicians to share with caregivers on its Center for Caring website, funded by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund. MHC also shared its findings at local physicians' association conferences, hoping to bridge the gap between caregivers and their patients' doctors in future.

But breaking down communication barriers between medical staff and caregivers isn't the only challenge organizations face in getting caregivers the help they need. Sometimes making them aware that help is available is a challenge itself.

"Meeting people's needs when they need them"

According to the University of Michigan's National Poll on Healthy Aging (NPHA), only 27 percent of caregivers surveyed said they'd made use of caregiving resources in the past year. Forty-one percent of those who hadn't used any resources indicated an interest in using them, and 78 percent agreed that they find caregiving to be stressful. That's a lot of people who could use some help and, for varying reasons, aren't connecting with it.

Charlotte resident Lou Sobleskey has spent the last eight years caring for her mother, who has dementia. Sobleskey's main caregiving resource is her brother. She says one of them is always at her parents' house, because her 80-year-old father "simply can't manage on his own."

"When (Sobleskey's brother) needs a break he calls me, and when I need a break I call him," she says. "The Tri-County Office on Aging sends someone out every six months or so to check on Mom, but other than that it's just us."



Lou Sobleskey.

Sobleskey and her brother prepare meals, attend doctor's appointments with their mother, attend to all of her personal care, and ensure that she gets her medications on time. Sobleskey says she's heard about support groups for caregivers, but doesn't know if any meet in her area.

"It might be helpful," she admits. "But to be honest, I just don't really have the time to spend talking to strangers about caring for my mom. It may sound harsh, but when I'm not with my mom, I would rather be doing my own thing, like spending time with friends. I don't really want to go to meetings."

It's not an uncommon issue, according to NPHA associate director Dr. Erica Solway.

"The challenge is meeting people's needs when they need them, and making the resources available in ways that they can access, as needed," she says. "... People don't always want to spend time talking about it, or reading about it. Sometimes they just want a break."

Caregivers need care too

Caregiver support groups are available across Michigan for those caregivers who do desire such an environment. CareWell Services, the AAA serving Barry and Calhoun counties, has had caregiver support groups in place for over 12 years. CareWell Services Southwest CEO Karla Fales says CareWell's informal support groups and classes have helped many caregivers over the years. The catch, she says, is getting caregivers to realize how important self-care is.



Karla Fales.

"Support groups just aren't as utilized by caregivers as they could be," she says. "The challenge is that caregiving is generally a 24/7 focus, and many caregivers find it difficult to break away from their obligations to give attention to their own self-care."

CareWell Services and its partner agencies also provide an in-home caregiver support program, health and wellness workshops, in-home counseling for caregivers, respite care, and adult day services. Fales says several caregivers have told her the meetings and classes they attended saved their lives.

"I wish we could get this message to more caregivers, so they would prioritize self-care," she says. "People need to know that they're supported in their caregiving."

Providing support in desperation

Solway notes that NPHA data about caregivers may be incomplete because only those who had the time to participate provided answers.

"We may not have enough data from people whose caregiving responsibilities are significant, simply because they didn't have the time to answer our questions," she says.

And those are often the people who need the most help. Desperation plays a role in caregivers reaching out for help, Solway notes.



Erica Solway.

"We need to recognize that many people only seek help when things have gotten really bad," she says. "At that point, they don't have time to dig through a mountain of information online, or read several books. They're desperate, and they need help now."

So what supports could be made available to help caregivers who feel trapped, or are overwhelmed? Solways says more respite care would be helpful, as would expanding a variety of current programs that are already working well for people.

"Most caregivers in Michigan are very busy," she says. "They have jobs and families in addition to their role as caregiver. So they have a lot on their plates and very limited time available. The more we can offer in the form of different types of supports, the more helpful we can be. And caregivers need all the help they can get."

* Name changed at request of the Isham family.

Sarah Hillman is the news editor at Capital Gains and has been writing stories about issues that impact people's lives for years. She is also the writer and illustrator of a children's book about leadership qualities.

Lou Sobleskey and Heather and Gracie Isham photos by Roxanne Frith. All other photos courtesy of the subject.
HARRISBURG  Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn announced $335,000 in Keystone Recreation, Parks and Conservation Fund grant funding for restoration efforts at Farmstead Park in Upper Moreland Township. This restoration project is key to helping with our efforts to expand recreation opportunities for all Pennsylvanians and we are proud to support Upper Moreland Township...
Care and Share donates to Shop with a Cop
State gives grant for Farmstead Park restoration in Upper Moreland Township
Parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aal will head a mini-committee that will take charge of formulating the final draft of the amendments. Gamal Essam El-Din reports

The Egyptian parliament's constitutional and legislative affairs committee began on Tuesday deliberating on proposed amendments to the country's 2014 constitution.

The deliberations, led by parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aal, will continue on Wednesday.

"At the end of this two-day deliberation, a mini-committee will be formed to take charge of drawing up the final draft of the proposed amendments," said Abdel-Aal.

"I will chair this mini-committee, which will do its job with the aid of a report prepared by a sub-committee on the remarks and comments submitted to parliament, either in a written form or expressed verbally, during a number of national dialogue hearing sessions between 20 and 28 March."

Abdel-Aal said he hopes that the final deliberations will pave the way for the final discussion and vote on the amendments in the House next week.

"I hope that we will be able to make it clear to all the Egyptian people that the constitutional amendments primarily seek to achieve different objectives, and not just aim to amend Article 140 in terms increasing the presidential term," said Abdel-Aal, explaining that "the main goal of the amendments is to reinforce stability in Egypt, widen the scope of participation in political and parliamentary life, and create a more balanced relationship between the state and the judicial authority."

According to Abdel-Aal, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has by no means any connection with the proposed constitutional amendments.

"Let me stress in clear-cut terms that President El-Sisi has never been consulted at any time on these amendments, and that amendments only come upon an initiative from MPs," said Abdel-Aal.

The vote on the proposed amendments to Egypt's 2014 constitution is expected in parliament next week.

Bahaaeddin Abu Shoqa, the head of parliament's constitutional and legislative affairs, told Al-Ahram on Tuesday that the final vote on the constitutional amendments will be held on 16 April.

"We will discuss the amendments article by article, and then take a vote on all of them at one time," said Abu Shoqa, adding that "the amendments should gain the approval of a two-thirds majority of MPs in order to be passed and referred to the National Committee for Elections, which in turn will invite citizens to cast their votes in a public referendum."

"Upon hearing his/her name, each MP should use the microphone to say 'yes' or 'no' to the amendments," Abu Shoqa added.

"We have been keen throughout this period that all the debate on the amendments are held in a climate of transparency, openness, and integrity," said Abdel-Aal, adding that "the national dialogue held in this respect showed that the amendments failed to gain consensus, but this is natural and we respect diversity of opinion."

"The most important result of the two-week dialogue is that it forced me personally to change some of my convictions and opinions about the amendments, and led me to develop some of the thoughts on them, and this shows that the dialogue was genuine and influential, and I think that this will have its impact on the final draft of the constitutional amendments."

Abdel-Aal insisted that the guarantee stipulated by Article 226 of the constitution is not related to presidential terms.

"It is directly and exclusively related to the two-term limit, and this is a principle we observe and it is not a part of the amendments," said Abdel-Aal, adding that "we just want the presidential term to be increased from four to six years, but at the same time I can't draft a text that might stipulate that the current president can't be allowed to run again."

"This is against the principles adopted by the Supreme Constitutional Court," said Abdel-Aal, insisting that "the amendments do not serve a certain figure, but it also open the door for the incumbent president to run again in line with the constitution."

The debate saw leftist MPs Aboul-Maati Mostafa and Diaaeddin Dawoud attack the amendments.

Dawoud said the amendments violate Article 226, and that allocating a certain quota of seats to women in parliament goes against the principle of equality and helps divide society. Mostafa also said that the creation of a second house will be costly and violates the principle of separation of powers. He also criticised the amendment of Article 200, which tackles the role of the Armed Forces.

In response, Abdel-Aal said the guarantees stipulated by Article 226 were well-observed.

"The fact that the amendments aim to reinforce stability in terms of reinstating the post of the vice president, recreating a forceful second house by the name of 'the Senate', and keeping the two-term limit in place are all part of the guarantees which Article 226 cover."

Abdel-Aal argued that the proposed Senate cannot be granted full powers as this goes in violation of Egypt's political system.

"This can be achieved only if we write a new constitution," said Abdel-Aal, adding that "the amendments related to the role of the Armed Forces as the main guardian of the state and constitution institutions do not say anything new."

"The Armed Forces are not granted any roles, and the amendments only state that they continue exercising their existing roles," said Abdel-Aal.

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Dr. Francis R. Souder, 85, formerly of Telford, died Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2007 in the skilled nursing unit of Peter Becker Community, Franconia Township. He and his wife Marion R. (Parker) Souder celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary in July.

Born in Souderton, he was a son of the late Elvin B. and Mary (Rittenhouse) Souder.

A 1938 graduate of Souderton High School, he received his undergraduate degree in 1941 from the University of Pennsylvania where he was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa. Dr. Souder went on to receive his medical degree from Hahnemann Medical College in 1944 and completed his internship at Hahnemann Hospital from Oct. 1944  July, 1945.

He served with the U.S. Navy Medical Corps for 30 months in San Diego and Long Beach, Calif. during WW II and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant prior to his discharge. He entered his second tour of duty during the Korean War where he served in Panama City, Fla. as the medical officer for the Panama City Naval Air Station and the Tyndal Air Force Base.

Dr. Souder owned and operated his family practice on Main Street in Telford from 1947-1989. He served on the staff of Grand View Hospital, and as its president, and taught at the Grand View Hospital Nursing School. He was a member of the Pa. Medical Society, the Bucks County Medical Society, Diplomat American Academy of Family Practices, and served on the board of trustees at Grand View Hospital, Sellersville.

He was a member of Trinity United Church of Christ in Telford, where he sang in the church choir. He was also a member of the MacCalla Lodge #596 in Souderton, the Raja Shrine, and Lehigh Consistory.

In addition to his widow, he is survived by a son, Dr. Ronald L. Souder, and his wife Susan L. of Green Lane; a daughter, Susan J. Souder, and her husband Stephan Russo of New York, N.Y.; five grandchildren: Jennifer A. Souder of Philadelphia; Emily E. Souder of Philadelphia; Kathryn A. Souder of Washington, D.C.; Noah Russo of New York, N.Y., and Rebekah Russo of New York, N.Y., and two brothers: Attorney Elvin B. Souder of Souderton and Dr. Lawrence Souder of Souderton.

Memorial services will be held on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 12 p.m. in Trinity United Church of Christ, 101 S. Main St., Telford, with calling hours following the service.

Interment will be private in Trinity UCC Cemetery Telford.

Memorial contributions may be made to Grand View Hospital, 700 Lawn Ave., Sellersville, Pa. 18960.

Arrangements are by Sadler-Suess Funeral Home, Telford.
Education

Montgomery County Community College will present the spring installment of the interview/talk show program Issues and Insights April 20 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in Science Center room 214, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The programs will be simulcast to the Colleges West Campus in South Hall room 216, 101 College Drive, Pottstown. Dr. Kolsky will offer a humorous presentation, Carrots, Sticks and Politics: A State of the Nation and the World Message. In this speech, he will provide his interpretation of domestic and international politics and then welcome questions from the audience for discussion. Issues and Insights, is free and open to the public. For information, contact Dr. Thomas Kolsky, professor of political science, at 215-641-6380 or tkolsky@mc3.edu.

Montgomery County Community Colleges STEM Scholars Program will host a STEM Jam! open house April 25 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Advanced Technology Center at the Colleges Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The drop-in event is designed for students interested in learning more about careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Activities will include STEM program information and career advising, STEM speakers throughout the day from industry and academia, micro-helicopter and robotics competitive obstacle courses and demonstrations and static models of STEM student and faculty work. For more information about STEM Jam! or STEM programs at MCCC, contact William Brownlowe at wbrownlowe@mc3.edu or 215-641-6644, or Robin Zuhlke at 215-619-7440 or rzuhlke@mc3.edu.

Temple Ambler, located at 580 Meetinghouse Road, presents the following events:

International Club Global Bazaar April 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. The Ambler Campus International Club invites all students, faculty, staff and the community to celebrate a multitude of diverse cultures, which will be showcased at the organizations Global Bazaar. This family friendly event will highlight cultural traditions and celebrations in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South American, North America and Africa through music, entertainment, food and informative displays developed and presented by students at the Ambler Campus. Young visitors will be provided with passports, which they may get stamped at each country they visit. Prizes will be awarded to world travelers who talk to cultural representatives, answer questions about the countries theyve visited and take part in fun-filled activities designed to help them learn about the rich diversity of cultures found throughout the world. Refreshments will be served. The event is free. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail tuc36466@temple.edu.

EarthFest 2011 April 29 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. More than 75 exhibitors, including the Philadelphia Zoo, The Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Elmwood Park Zoo and the Insectarium, will take part in EarthFest 2011. School students of all ages are invited to attend and develop displays of their own. EarthFest partner the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society also offers its Kids Grow Expo, featuring the Junior Flower Show, as part of the event. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail duffyj@temple.edu.

Annual Spring Plant Sale May 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The plant sale  an Ambler Campus tradition dating back to the early 1900s  will feature woody plants and perennials in portable sizes, hardy trees, shrubs, and vines, native plants that are attractive to wildlife, herbs, and hanging baskets. There will also be numerous special plants for sale to highlight Amblers special anniversary year. Garden books and garden tools will also be available for sale. Students, staff, and volunteers from the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture and the Ambler Arboretum Advisory Committee will be available to answer questions. All proceeds from the Spring Plant Sale will support the Ambler Arboretum Fund and the Pi Alpha Xi National Honor Society. Information: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

June Homecoming/Louise Bush-Brown Garden Dedication June 5 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. (June Homecoming), Bright Hall Lounge; 2 p.m. (Garden Dedication), Ambler Campus Formal Perennial Gardens. Tickets  June Homecoming: Participant  $18 per person; Sustainer  $25 per person; Benefactor  $40 per person. The 2011 June Homecoming, sponsored by the School of Environmental Design Alumni Association, will include the Alumni Association annual meeting and luncheon. June Homecoming will be followed by the formal dedication of Temple University Amblers Formal Perennial Gardens as the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Gardens. During this 100th anniversary of the campus, Temple University Ambler and the Ambler Arboretum of the Temple University is honoring Louise Bush-Browns many contributions to the history of the campus by formally dedicating the gardens in her honor. During the program, campus Executive William Parshall will welcome guests, Ambler Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey will speak about the Bush-Browns and the history of the garden, and an official ribbon cutting will be held for the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Garden. Following the ribbon cutting, guests are invited to take a tour of the gardens, which will wend their way to the Campus Greenhouse for the School of Environmental Designs annual Plant Auction. Information (Garden Dedication): 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Information (June Homecoming): 215-482-0722. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

Northview Garden Tour and Fundraiser for the Ambler Arboretum June 12 from noon to 5 p.m. Call for reservations. Tickets: $15 per person or $20 at the door. In addition to the gardens of the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University, Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey has a garden oasis all her own right in Ambler  Northview. Visitors will have the opportunity to take self-guided tours throughout the many gardens, where garden experts will be available to answer questions about the various designs. The Ambler Keystone Chapter of the Womans National Farm and Garden Association will also provide tea and refreshments. All proceeds from the tours will support the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University. Information or to register: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

The Senior Adult Activities Center of Montgomery County, 536 George Street, Norristown, will hold the following events:

SAAC Adult Day Care, an alternative to Nursing Home Care is available  for information call 610-275-1960

Volunteers are needed for Meals on Wheels Program (call the number above)

SAACs Fifth Avenue Boutique opens Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Exercise with Theresa will be held every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1 p.m.

Dance class is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Tai Chi is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Yoga is held every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.

Line Dancing is held every Thursday at 10:30 a.m.

Dancing with Joan is held every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.

Sculpture Class is held Wednesdays from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Why Should I Learn Spanish? will be held Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.

Generations On-Line computer classes for seniors will be held Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.  4 p.m.  computers are available during those hours.

Health Living will be held every Tuesday at 1 p.m.

Boomer U will hold the following events. Boomer U is located at 45 Forest Avenue, Ambler. Registration & payment is required for all events: 215-619-8863.

Pilates Class is held Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30 a.m. First class is free; please bring a mat. For information call 610-291-5376.

Blue Bell School of Dance, 921 Penllyn Blue Bell Pike, Blue Bell, hosts Argentine Tango Classes and a Milonga dance party every Friday evening. Lessons start at 8:30 p.m. followed by dancing at 9:30 p.m. Andrew Conway, master Argentine Tango dancer, instructor and performer and his partner Linda Chase will instruct. All levels welcome and no partner is needed. Refreshments will be served. Fee is $12 per person and includes lesson and dancing. Information: 215-634-1101 or www.amoretango.com.

The Montgomery Hospital Medical Center will offer the following classes:

Childbirth Education Class- all parents are invited to participate, including those who are delivering at

other hospitals. For more information on maternity services or classes, call 610-270-2020.

CPR and First Aid Courses are offered for beginners to experiences health care providers. Call 610-270-2313.

The Ambler SAAC (Senior Adult Activities Center), located at 45 Forest Ave in Ambler will hold the following events:

Tai Chi every Monday and Thursday at 11 a.m.

Yoga is every Tuesday at 1 p.m. and Friday at 10:30 a.m.

Strength and balance training every Wednesday at 10 a.m.

Armchair Aerobics is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Gourmet Weight Wise every Thursday at 12:30.

Fitness Center and Pool Room open daily 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

The Diabetes Education Center will offer day and evening classes each month. Health insurance pays for diabetes education classes. Preregistration is required. Call 610-270-2301.

For Kids & Families

The Ambler Kiwanis Club will host its annual Easter Egg Hunt April 26 at 10 a.m. in Ambler Borough Park, located just off of the intersection of Hendricks Street and Valley Brook Road. Members of the Wissahickon Key Club will assist Kiwanians in hiding thousands of wrapped chocolate eggs in a designated area of the park. Also hidden will be plastic colored eggs, which are redeemed for prizes. Elementary school children are separated by age.

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation will hold its 21st annual Storybook Egg-Stravaganza April 15 fom 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Upper Dublin Township Building. Toddlers and preschoolers love this annual event where photo opportunities with favorite friends abound! Treasures are collected from UDP&Rs assortment of lifesize cutouts of favorite cartoon characters from Disney, Sesame Street, Nickelodeon and other well-known animation. Children can have their picture taken with Bugsy OHare; bring your own camera. And dont forget a basket for goodies! $7 for UD residents; $12 for non-residents. Pre-register at 215-643-1600 ext. 3443.

Splash Week is a free week-long program that teaches children and families basic swimming skills and water safety practices. All YMCA branches will host multiple classes each day from April 11 to 15. For more information, contact the Ambler Area YMCA at 215-628-9950.

Healthy Kids Day is April 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The day is filled with fun, engaging and artistic activities that cultivate healthy living as part of the YMCAs larger efforts to help more kids and families become physically active. All activities are free and open to the community. For more information, contact the Ambler YMCA at 215-628-9950. No reservation is required.

The Ambler Area YMCA has added several new programs for area youngsters. Classes are held late afternoons or evenings on various weekdays. For more information, visit philaymca.org or call 215-628-9950.

Basic Beading: Ages: 10+. Wednesdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. This class will teach you the fundamentals of wiring and stringing along with how color can be used to create unique and vibrant beadwork design. You will create various jewelry including earrings, bracelets, charm pendants and much more! Supplies will be provided. Bringing your own jewelry pliers or tools would be a plus.

Messin with the Masters: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. Learn about some of the worlds greatest artists. You will be inspired to create your own Starry Night with oil pastels and tempera paints, a tissue paper painted Monet garden, a Picasso head using scraps of paper, a Georgia OKeeffe clay flower bowl and a Rousseau jungle collage.

Super Scientist: Ages: 5-7. Mondays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Well be concocting chemistry experiments such as making slime, mixing potions and having fun with magnet magic. Your budding little scientist will enhance his/her creative thinking and motor skills and to top it off will learn that science can be serious fun.

Wacky Junk Art: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 6 to 6:45 p.m. Why throw it away! Instead join us to make household junk into aliens from outer space, wacky specs, crazy hats, body masks or a recycled train.

Globe Trotters: Ages: 4-6. Tuesdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Youre never too young to start thinking globally. Each week, we explore a new country through crafts, games, music, stories and even some taste-testing. A perfect introduction to our great big world!

Crazy about Crafts: Ages: 5-7, Thursdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Let your childs creative juices flow with our fun arts and crafts projects each week. Fine motor skills and creative thinking skills will be enhanced with this crafty class.

Come out and join the Ambler Area YMCAs Teen and Junior Leaders Club. Participants are given the freedom to plan community service projects year round and truly make a difference in the lives of people in need. Those in Teen and Junior Leaders also attend leadership retreats all along the East Coast three times a year and meet other leaders who are doing the same great work in their respective areas. Dont miss out on this inspiring opportunity. Teen Leaders, ages 13-17, meet every Wednesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Junior Leaders, ages 10-12, will begin in the spring and will meet every Monday. For more information, contact Mike Miles, Teen Director, 215- 628-9950 x 1540 or mmiles@philaymca.org.

Did you know that the new Ambler Area YMCA holds childrens birthday parties at its site for members and non members as well. The Ambler Y does all the work from start to finish and birthday parties include a personalized cake, ice cream, beverage and paper products. Parties are held on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and include two party hosts to lead activities, set-up, clean-up and assist with serving. You can have a Splash Party for children ages six to 12 in the new zero depth entry pool with water slide and spray fountains. Up to 25 children have exclusive use of the pool area with 30 minutes in the party room. Sports Parties are offered for kids ages four to 12 with age appropriate activities and games, and sports such as floor hockey, soccer, basketball or dodge ball. Children ages three to five years of age will enjoy parties in the Family Active Center with use of the Moon Bounce and organized activities, such as parachute play and songs. For information, 215-628-9950 ext. 1583.

Community Events at the Ambler Y:

-YAchievers YMCA Achievers is a developmentally based, extracurricular, educational and team mentoring program designed to help students in grades five through 12 prepare for fulfilled livelihoods in college and beyond. Participation is free and all students in this program receive a free YMCA membership. Registration for the 2009 program begins now. You do not need to be a YMCA member to utilize these special services. Call 215-628-9950 to register.

Greater Norristown Art Leagues Childrens Weeklong Summer Art Camps will be held at 800 West Germantown Pike in East Norriton, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday throughout the summer. The cost per session is $125 per student for ages 6 and up. Jo Ann Cooksey Bono teaches an introduction to basic drawing skills and techniques from 10 a.m. until the lunch break each day. In the afternoon sessions, Mary Vogel Lozinak involves the students in hands on projects such as collage, papermaking, T-shirt printing, 3D design and sculpy clay. Fridays Graduation Day includes an art show, awards ceremony and reception for parents, siblings, grandparents and friends. All supplies are included. Students provide their own lunch. A refrigerator is available and the building is air-conditioned. This is the 15th year to run this successful program. Both instructors are professional artists with State Police and Child Abuse Clearances. To register, call Jo Ann at 610-279-1008, or register on-line at www.gnal.org.

Health

Dresher Physical Therapy is hosting an interactive seminar discussing its Golf Assessment Progam April 30 from 10 a.m. to noon at Dresher Physical Therapy, 1075 Virginia Drive, Suite 200, Fort Washington. Physical therapist Chris Miller, certified through the Titleist Performance Institute, will discuss why your body may be the most important piece of golf equipment you invest in and how this can drastically improve your game. $10 in advance; $15 at the door. Call 215-619-4545 to reserve your spot.

The Chestnut Hill Center for Enrichment, Center on the Hill and Chestnut Hill Hospital will host a Senior Health and Resource Fair April 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church, 8855 Germantown Ave. The event is free. For more information, call 215-248-0180 or e-mail chseniors@cavtel.net.

The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is hosting Help Yourself to Health, a new six-week workshop for older adults with ongoing health conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety, heart disease and others. The free workshop will take place at the Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center, 45 Forest Ave. on six Thursdays, May 12 through June 16 from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Although there is no charge to participate, registration is required. To register, call 215-619-8863.

The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is sponsoring an eight-week program called A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns About Falls. Presented by the Montgomery County Health Department, this workshop will be held on Tuesdays, May 3 to June 21 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Ambler Center, 45 Forest Ave. If you pre-register by April 27, the fee is only $5! Registration at the first class is $10. (Checks should be payable to SAAC and will benefit our Meals on Wheels program that serves homebound seniors.) A workbook will be provided and refreshments will be served. Call 215-619-8863 to register or for more information.

Fort Washington Wellness Center classes are ongoing. There are several offered during lunch or right after work, for your convenience: Boot Camp from noon to 1 p.m. on Monday; Zumba is MWF from 11 a.m. to noon and Friday at 4 p.m.; there are 25 cycling classes; Ashtanga and Vinyasana Yoga and Pilates; and a group Womens Strength Training class M-F from 10 to 11 a.m. Questions, call Cathy DeMarco at 215-641-1245.

Following the success of other local area programs, Impact Sports and Upper Dublin Parks and Recreation are delighted to team up again to offer a spring program for the 2011 season! Upper Dublin area children ages 3-5 years old can attend a Sports Program featuring their favorite sports games; soccer, rugby, hockey, track and field, basketball, and more. The program will start on April 27 and run through June 1. Cost for the program is $85 for the six weeks. The classes will be running 12- 1 p.m.; 1- 2 p.m.; 2- 3 p.m. For more info or to register, call Upper Dublin Township on 215 643 1600 or visit their website a http://www.upperdublin.net.

Spring Aquatic Programs  UDHS Pool:

-Summer is just around the corner  Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool can help get you into shape! Programs begin in March; preregistration is required.

 Shallow Water Aerobics  Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 8-8:45 p.m., $40R/$50NR.

 Adult Swim Instructions  Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 7-8 p.m., $50R/$60NR

-Open Rec Swims are fun for the whole family! Come out on Fridays from 7-9 p.m. or Saturdays from 1-4 p.m. and enjoy use of the pool and diving area. Fridays are offered through June 17; Saturdays are offered March 12-May 21.

-Join a growing group of adult lap swimmers and water walkers. Lanes are set aside evenings and weekends for use; lanes are shared. Monday  Thursday from 7:30-9:30 p.m.; Fridays from 7-9 p.m. and Saturdays (March 12-May 21) from 1-4 p.m.

-Private Swimming & Diving Lessons for ages 3-adult are offered at the UDHS Pool through a partnership with the Upper Dublin Aquatic Club (UDAC). Visit the UDAC website for more information, www.udac.us, and click the link to UDHS Private Lessons.

-Looking for local programs for US Masters Swimming (adults) or Water Polo (all ages)? UDAC and UDSD are working together to develop programs that will be offered at the UDHS Pool. Add your name to Interest Lists by emailing slohoefer@upperdublin.net. emails will be sent about clinics and program start dates.

Questions about Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool, group use of the pool or pool rental? Contact Susan Lohoefer, Facility & Community Affairs Manager at slohoefer@upperdublin.net or call 215-643-8800 x8994.

SilverSneakers Fitness Program. The Healthyways SilverSneakers Fitness Program is a result-oriented program that enables older adults to take charge of their health. The program is an innovative blend of physical activity, healthy lifestyle and socially oriented programing. Members of the program are eligible for a free YMCA membership, with use of the pool and exercise equipment, along with customized classes designed for older adults who want to improve their strength, flexibility, balance and endurance. If you are a subscriber to Independence Blue Cross (Personal Choice 65 PPO) or Keystone 65 HMO, Bravo Health, or Health Options Programs (HOP), call the Ambler Area YMCA, 215-628-9950 or Hatboro Area YMCA, 215-674-4545. You can also visit www.silversneakers.com.

Zumba Fitness offers Zumba dance/fitness classes at Academy of Dance and Music/BBAD Studio located at 1524 DeKalb Pike in Blue Bell (behind Sherwin Williams). Classes are offered three times a week: Tuesdays at 6 p.m., Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 8 a.m. For a free trial pass for your first class, email us at info@danceandmusic.biz or call 610-277-2557. For more info, visit our site at www.academyofdanceandmusic.org.

Chestnut Hill Health Systems presents the following Health Education Programs:

FITNESS CLASSES

Golden Yoga: A Breathing, Stretching and Relaxation Class. Fridays, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Lea Auditorium, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. Registration for four classes at a time required. Golden Yoga is Classical Yoga, adapted by the SKY Foundation, to accommodate those who have difficulty getting up and down from the floor. The program includes postures, breathing, relaxation and meditation techniques, all performed while sitting in a chair and standing. Registration required. Call 215-247-3029. Cost: $20 for 4 classes per month.

Tai Chi: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 8:30  9:30 a.m. Springfield Residence, 8601 Stenton Ave. Classes, for the novice or beginner/intermediate student, are designed to improve balance, power, posture, coordination, flexibility and mental focus. Slow, gentle movements are modified to most everyones abilities. For more information or to sign up for a free introductory class, call 215-882-2804. Cost: $8 per class/paid monthly.

SUPPORT GROUPS

Weight Loss Surgery Support Group: Fourth Wednesday of the month, 7-8 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. Join us for a monthly get-together where well share information for those interested in weight loss surgery, learn from guest speakers discussing current news on issues including lifestyle modification, nutrition and exercise and provide ongoing support for those who have completed surgery. Registration required. Call 215-753-2000.

Breast Cancer Networking Group: Fourth Tuesday of the month 5:30  7 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. A free, confidential support group for women living with a diagnosis of breast cancer designed to provide a forum for sharing information, feelings and concerns associated with breast cancer. Facilitated by Tish Wakefield, LCSW, Oncology Social Worker. Registration required. To register or for more information, call 215-248-8047.

New Moms Support Groups Tuesdays 10:30 a.m.  12 p.m.; contact Jeanine ORourke, MSW or 2:30  4 p.m.; contact Susan Schack, Ph.D Volunteer Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. The Center for Postpartum Depression at Chestnut Hill Hospital is pleased to offer two new support groups to support new moms. Both groups will be run by experienced mental health professionals who really get it when it comes to new motherhood and juggling relationships, extended family, work/family balance and self-care. If you are experiencing new mom challenges that often heighten anxiety and involve hormonally driven depression, join us for an informative and supportive forum to connect with other moms. Infants are welcome. $30 per session (flexible based on need). Registration is required. Call Dr. Schack, 646-265-2484, or Ms. ORourke, 215-206-2931.

Man to Man Prostate Cancer Support Group Third Thursday of the month 8-9 a.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. A networking group for men diagnosed with prostate cancer designed to provide education, support and encouragement. Spouses and partners welcome. Harry M. Baer, MD, Chief, Urology Division, will host Ask the Doctor. Registration required. Call 215-248-8325.

Contact the Senior Center by phone 215-248-0180 or email (chseniors@cavtel.net) with your questions about these programs or any of our on-going activities and classes.

Holy Redeemer HomeCare and Hospice seeks compassionate and emotionally mature volunteers to provide support to local hospice patients and their families in Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. Volunteers may also assist with pet therapy and administrative work within the hospice department and are requested to have daytime availability. Hospice patient care volunteers visit with patients in their homes or nursing facilities once a week for two to three hours. They provide emotional support and companionship to patients and family members, assist with errands or provide respite for caregivers. Bereavement volunteers support the families of hospice patients following the loss of a loved one, while administrative volunteers assist with typing, mailings and/or filing. Hospice care workers provide a great service to families and loved ones of hospice patients. Many volunteers also report a great deal of personal satisfaction as a result of their services. Patient care and bereavement volunteers complete an application and attend an 18-hour volunteer training program that covers the medical, psychological and spiritual aspects of hospice volunteering. Day and evening training programs are offered. To sign up for volunteer opportunities in Pennsylvania, contact Holy Redeemer Volunteer Coordinator Jean Francis at 215-698-3737 or email jfrancis@holyredeemer.com.

Librarytalk

Upper Dublin Public Library, 805 Loch Alsh Avenue, Ft. Washington, 215-628-8744

www.upperdublinlibrary.org

APRIL CHILDRENS PROGRAMS:

Storytimes: Please register in the library.

o Wee Ones: 0 to 23 months Thursdays and Fridays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m.

o Tiny Tots: age 2. Wednesdays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m. and Fridays 11 to 11:20 a.m.

o Jr. Book Lovers: ages 3 to 6. Tuesdays 10:30 to 11 a.m.

o Bedtime Storytimes: 7 to 7:30 p.m. April 20 and 27. Wear your jammies, bring your teddy & hear Miss Barbara read bedtime stories! For ages 3 to 6.

APRIL TEEN PROGRAMS:

North Hills Library Teens April 28 from 4 to 6 p.m. Movie Matinee

APRIL UDPL ADULT PROGRAMS:

NEW! ESL Conversation Group. Tuesdays from 7 to 8 p.m. Interested in practicing your English in a safe and caring environment? Come to our conversation group and improve your skills! Please register with Kay Klocko at 215-628-8744 or kklocko@mclinc.org.

One-on-One Computer Mentoring. Get personalized assistance from experienced computer volunteers! Sign-up for a one-hour session. Limit one session per month. Please register  contact info above.

Book Groups Please register with Kay Klocko 215-628-8744.

o Daytimers: April 21 at 1:30 p.m. Tired of book groups where you all read the same book? Read any fiction or non-fiction book on this months theme: Explorers. Please register.

Meetings:

Annual Meeting of the Friends of UDPL: April 14 at 1 p.m.

Board of Directors: April 20 at 7 p.m.

Blue Bell Library www.wvpl.org Upcoming Events: The Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 650 Skippack Pike (Route 73) in Blue Bell, is diagonally across from the Blue Bell Inn. Call 215-643-1320 or visit their website at www.wvpl.org.

For children and teens at Blue Bell:

* Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian.

* Mondays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages.

* Fridays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Family Movies, new releases, second Saturdays of the month at 1:30 p.m.

* May 14  Despicable Me

* June 11  Alpha and Omega

* Special Events

* April  watch for date of spring/Easter events

* April 14 at 4:30 p.m.  Junior Lego Club for children ages 3 through 5. Parents and caregivers need to stay with children.

* April 14 at 7 p.m.  Jeopardy for ages 11 to 18. Test your book and library knowledge for prizes. Sign up to be a contestant. No sign up to be in the audience. Snacks provided.

* April 16 at 1 p.m.  Adult Mystery Book Group discussing The Beekeepers Apprentice by Laurie King.

* April 16 at 1:30 p.m.  Childrens event for One Book, Every Young Child celebration. Story and craft for book Whose Shoes?

* April 19 at 7 p.m. and April 26 at 1:30 p.m.- Adult book group discusses The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester. Group led by Adam Button.

* April 30 through May 3  Friends book sale with about 10,000 items for sale for children, teens and adults.

* May  sign up for Science in the Summer

* June  sign up for Enrichment Programs for Elementary-Age children

* June  sign up for Summer Reading, all ages

For adults at Blue Bell:

* Daytime Book Discussion Group  fourth Tuesday, Jan  April at 1:30 p.m.

* April 26  The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

* Night-time Book Discussion Group  third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.

o April 19  The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

* Art Series with Dr. Sheldon Weintraub, docent at The Barnes and speaker at local colleges

o April 27 at 2 p.m. The Art of Looking at Art-Is She Nude or Is She Naked?

*Mystery Book Discussion Group, third Saturday of the month at 1 p.m.; new mystery theme each month; www.wvpl.org/programs

* Yoga on Mondays at 1:30 p.m. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop-in class.

* Tai Chi on Mondays at 3 p.m. with Dr. Kurt Findeisen. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop in class.

* Philadelphia Museum of Art presents class on their Marc Chagall exhibit, April 13 at 2 p.m.

* Giant Book Sale, April 29  May 3

o Starts with almost 10,000 items for children and adults!

o Held during library hours.

o Preview for members of the Friends of the Library, April 28 at 7 p.m.

o Join the Friends and attend the preview sale. Modest fee to join.

* Blooms at Blue Bell Gardening Series

o May 11 at 1 p.m.  Summer Bulbs by PA Horticultural Society

* Knitting group Mondays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. Work on your project or observe and learn. The groups continue year-round in the community room.

* Socrates Cafe discussion group every Monday at 7 p.m. You pick the topic to discuss each week. No sign-up, nothing to read.

* Bridge every Friday at 12:30 p.m. New players welcome.

* Mah Jong every Wednesday at 1 p.m. New players welcome.

*Chess every Wednesday at 7p.m. for adults and teens 14 and older.

* Movie Matinee showing recent releases every Thursday at 2 p.m. April 14: Maos Last Dancer; April 21: Welcome to the Rileys; April 28: Conviction; May 5: Inception; May 12: Inside Job; May 19 The Kings Speech; May 26 The Fighter; June 2 Rabbit Hole; June 9 Black Swan; June 16 127 Hours

* Ongoing like-new, year-round book sale for adults & children during library hours

* Library opening at 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday!

Ambler Library, a branch of the Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 209 Race St., 215-646-1072. www.wvpl.org. All the following events occur at the Ambler Library.

* Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian.

* Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages.

* For adults:

* Beading Group meets the first and third Monday of every month at 1 p.m. Work on your own projects or come to watch and learn.

* Free Family History Lookup with Connie Briggs. Email Connie for an appointment at the Ambler Library. conniebriggs@comcast.net

* Special Events:

* April 14 at 1:30 p.m.  Book Group discusses Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian.

* April 19 at 7 p.m.  Travel to Paris with world traveler Harry Balin. Tea and scones at 6:30 p.m.

* April 21 at 7 p.m.  Art with Sara for children in fourth through seventh grades.

*May 2 at 6:30 p.m.  Discuss the movie Lone Star with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time.

*May 10  Robert Capucci discusses Art into Fashion. Tea and scones served at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m.

*May 12 at 1:30p.m.  Book Group discusses The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman.

*May 17  Tour the gardens of Devon and Southwest England with Lois McMullen. Tea and Scones at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m.

*June 13 at 6:30 p.m.  Discuss the movie Blade Runner with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time.

Meetings and Lectures

The Unisys Blue Bell Retiree Group will meet in the Church on the Mall in the Plymouth Meeting Mall April 14 at 1:30 p.m. Kathy Sacket Young, director/trainer with the North Penn YMCA, will speak on Keeping Fit in Retirement. For more information, contact Membership Committee Chairperson Jerry Feldscher at 610-275-3538 or President Al Rollin at 215-368-4833.

The next FWBA meeting will be April 28 at the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Networking begins at 11:30 a.m.; meeting from noon to 1 p.m. Leon Singletary, Principal, First Contact HR and FWBA Executive Board, will present: Social Media: How to Use It To Get More Business. Lunch is provided courtesy of the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Members are welcome to bring a guest. An RSVP is requested by return email or 215-628-0313.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern PA is hosting a information sessions over the next few weeks on how to become a Big Brother. The information sessions will take place: April 16 at noon, April 19 at 8 a.m. and April 28 at 6 p.m. All sessions will be held at the groups Norristown Office,t 530 DeKalb St., Norristown. For more information, call 610-277-2200.

The North Penn Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) normally meets on the third Tuesday of each month from now until May. Meetings are held at the William Penn Inn on Route 202 and Sumneytown Pike, Upper Gwynedd, PA. Social hour starts at 5:30 p.m., dinner is served at 6:30 p.m., and the technical program begins at 7 p.m. Cost with reservation is $28 for members. Members without reservations and guests pay $30. Students with reservations pay $15. Reservations may be made by noon on the Monday preceding the meeting by phoning 215-371-1854 or emailing the reservation to northpennima@yahoo.com northpennima@yahoo.com. Information about the North Penn Chapter is available at http://northpenn.imanet.org/.

LeTip, a professional organization of men and women who are dedicated to the highest standards of competence and service meets every Tuesday at Cedar Brook Country Club, 180 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell at 7 a.m. -meeting officially starts at 7:16 a.m. and ends at 8:31 a.m. Our purpose is the exchange of business tips, leads, and referrals. Each business category is represented by one member and conflicts of interest are disallowed. Guests are welcome to visit any of our breakfast meetings.

Every third Thursday of month, Sunrise Assisted Living of Blue Bell (795 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422, 215-619-2777) serves as a satellite site to 148th Legislative district PA congressman Mike Gerber from 10 a.m. to noon. Stop by for help needed with things such as disability placards and license plates, vehicle registration, utilities issues, birth/death certificates,property tax/rent rebates, etc. Notary services arranged by appointment.

The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce is an action-oriented organization dedicated to promoting its members and the economic health of eastern Montgomery county. The Chamber is committed to serving as a catalyst by uniting business, community agencies, government and education to make our county a great place to live and work. For information, call 215-887-5122 or visit www.emccc.org.

Do you have a fear of public speaking? Blue Bell Toastmasters Club can help. We meet from 7 to 9 p.m., on the second and fourth Tuesday at the Marriott Courtyard, located on Route 202, directly across from the Montgomeryville Mall. Learn how to improve communication and leadership skills in a friendly and supportive environment. Guests are welcome. Admission fee: $5. For more info, visit www.bbtoast.org.

The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will hold the following meetings (for reservations to any of the following, email info@PennSuburban.org)

-Breakfast News Network, 7:30-8:45 a.m. at Normandy Farm Hotel (1401 Morris Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422) $15 members, includes full buffet breakfast. Join us for a networking program at Normandy Farm Hotel every Thursday morning for breakfast, business news, informative speakers, and plenty of networking. The cost includes a full breakfast buffet. Copies of the business cards will be made available to those who would like them.

The BNI, Fort Washington Chapter meets every Monday at The Hilton Garden Inn, 520 Pennsylvania Ave., Fort Washington for a networking meeting. Meetings are from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. Visitors are welcome. The only cost to attend is the cost of your meal. For information or a reservation to attend, please call Luanne Cram at 215-947-7784, or visit our Internet site at: http://www.BNIDVR.Com and click on the menu item Find a Chapter.

For the past seven years, people have enjoyed participating in WVWAs Adopt-a-Tree program. Individuals can support the Association in its reforestation efforts by purchasing native trees to be planted. Supporters can plant their adopted tree or have WVWA volunteers will plant it. Trees cost $30 each. If you would like to volunteer or purchase a tree(s), please contact: Bob Adams at Bob@wvwa.org or call: 215-646-8866 for more information. Check www.WVWA.org for directions and maps.

Sustainable Upper Dublin, http://sustainableupperdublin.org, meets the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m., at the Upper Dublin Township Building, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington, PA 19034. Please send any questions to suec@sustainableupperdublin.org or call 610-996-6316. To learn more about Sustainable Upper Dublin, view or join the discussion at http://googlegroups.com/group/sustainableupperdublin.

Special Events

The Mattie N. Dixon Community Cupboard will hold its first nutrition class April 19 at 10 a.m. at the Community Cupboard, 150 N. Main St., Ambler. Lynne Sinclair, a nutritionist from Abington Memorial Hospital specializing in diabetic nutrition, will conduct the class. Topics will include healthy eating, beneficial foods, recipes, making meals with every day foods, and how to use unfamiliar produce. A healthy snack will be provided.The class is is open to all residents in Montgomery County.

The Historical Society of Fort Washington presents The History of Conshohocken April 19 at 8 p.m. at the Clifton House, 473 Bethlehem Pike, Fort Washington. Jack Coll will present an illustrated program on the history of the Borough of Conshohocken. Coll is a longtime resident of Conshohocken and a member of the Conshohocken Historical Society. He is co-author with his son, Brian, of the Arcadia Then and Now Series book Conshohocken. He has also done books Conshohocken and West Conshohocken Sports and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Italian Feast. He has taken many photos for the Conshohocken Record and the Norristown Times Herald. This program is free. Refreshments will be served. For additional information, call 215-646-6065.

Taste of the White House Soiree featuring former White House Chef Walter Scheib will take place April 29 at 6 p.m. at Manufacturers Golf & Country Club in Fort Washington to celebrate HealthLinks 10th anniversary and honor its founders, the Eugene Jackson Family. The evening will heat up with a Chef Meet & Greet, followed by a specially selected presidential menu. Gala tickets are $150 per person. Proceeds benefit HealthLink, a free clinic providing compassionate, quality medical and dental care to uninsured, working adults in Bucks and Montgomery counties who fall in between the health care cracks. Go to http://tasteofthewhitehouse.charityhappenings.org to make reservations online or lend support through sponsorship. For event information, call 267-699-0124 or email jmarushak@healthlinkmedical.org.

The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association will hold an open house at the Evans-Mumbower Mill April 17 from 1 to 4 p.m. The Mill is at the corner of Swedesford and Township Line Roads in Upper Gwynedd. The open house is free but donations are welcome. For more information, call 215-646-8866 o email info@wvwa.org.

The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce will host Breakfast With Your County Commissioners and State Representatives April 21 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Fort Washington, 432 W. Pennasylvania Ave. Commissioners: James R. Matthews (Chairman), Joseph M. Hoeffel (Vice Chair), State Representatives: Todd Stephens (District 151) and Josh Shapiro (District 153). Register onlineat www.emccc.org. $10 for EMCCC member; $20 for non-members.

Upper Dublins Districtwide Allied Art Show will be held April 27 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. in the Upper Dublin High School Athletic Complex.

The Rev. Alfred Muli, chaplain at Fort Washington Estates, will be the featured speaker at the Kiwanis sponsored breakfast observing the National Day of Prayer May 5 at 7 a.m. at the William Penn Inn. The breakfast is open to the public ($15). Reservations can be made by calling 215-646-4356 or by emailing georgesaurman@Juno.com.

The Upper Dublin Shade Tree Commission invites people to participate in its spring bare root planting events, sponsored in part by Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Friends of Robbins Park. On April 9, zix trees will be planted at the Evelyn B. Wright Park & Community Pool, 401 Logan Ave., North Hills, at 9 a.m., followed by the planting of 10 trees at Sheeleigh Park, Loch Alsh Avenue and Douglas Street, Ambler, at 10:15 a.m. On April 29, students from Upper Dublin High School will join the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to plant 16 trees in Robbins Park, Butler Pike and Meetinghouse Road, Ambler, to help launch the societys Million Trees campaign. This event will occur in conjunction with Temple Amblers EarthFest. Experienced tree-tenders are sought to assist the students. For more information,contact Ron Ayres at 215-653-0421 or 215-483-4348.

The Friends of the Wissahickon and the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association are teaming up once again to clean the Wissahickon Creek from top to bottom April 30 from 9 a.m. to noon. This spring marks the 41st anniversary of Wissahickon Valley Watershed Associations annual Creek Clean Up, and the second year that FOW has teamed up with WVWA. Volunteers of all ages will clean the creek, the surrounding trails and the many tributaries of the Wissahickon Creek. Armed with bags, volunteers will be assigned to sections of the creek. Following the clean up, all volunteers are invited to WVWAs Talkin Trash picnic in Fort Washington State Park, with food provided by Whole Foods Market of North Wales. The pavilion is located on Mill Road in Flourtown. To help out in Montgomery County, all volunteers must be pre-assigned a section of the Wissahickon Creek to clean. Please contact Bob Adams, WVWA director of stewardship, at 215-646-8866 ext. 14 or bob@wvwa.org. To work with the Friends of the Wissahickon in Philadelphia, meet at the pavilion along Forbidden Drive, a short distance south of the intersection of Forbidden Drive and Northwestern Avenue. Limited parking is available along Northwestern Avenue and other nearby streets. Volunteers are encouraged to bike or carpool to the event. To participate, register at www.fow.org. Contact Kevin Groves with questions at 215-247-0417 ext. 105 or groves@fow.org.

Montgomery County Community Colleges International Club invites the community to the second annual International Festival April 20 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The rain date is April 26. The International Club will transform the outside quad area into multicultural celebration with various performances by dancers, singers and musicians. Artists will share their artwork at various display tables. Activities include games, raffles, Easter egg decorating and henna tattoos. Students will have samples of international cuisine at tables representing different countries and will serve food from various local ethnic restaurants. Throughout the evening, volunteers will accept donations and will raffle gift baskets and prizes to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity. Donations of food, international clothes and prizes are needed. Volunteers, including artists and performers, are welcome. For more information or to sponsor an activity, contact Gillian Nel, International Club president, at gnel9277@students.mc3.edu or 267-974-0163.

The Arts and Humanities Division at Montgomery County Community College is partnering with the Philadelphia Writers Conference to host Memoirs Matter: How Life Stories (Including Yours) Can Transform Your Relationship to Literature April 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. in Advanced Technology Center room 101, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The event is free and open to the public. In the first part of this two-hour seminar, professor and author Robert Waxler will explain how writing his two memoirs affected his life as well as his relationship to literature. In the second part, blogger and workshop leader Jerry Waxler will present a sequence of steps to help writers find their own story. For information, contact Dana Resente at dresente@mc3.edu.

The Maple Glen Garden Club will hold its fourth annual Plant Sale on May 7 from 8 to 11 a.m. Perennials, shrubs, vegetables and native plants grown by the club members will be sold. The club uses the plant sale proceeds to fund community projects, a college scholarship and community plantings. The sale will be held in the 500 block of Coach Road, Horsham, as part of a neighborhood garage sale. Plants will be sold at bargain prices. For more information, email MapleGlenGardenClub@gmail.com.

The Relay for Life Craft Show is looking for local crafters to participate in show, which will be May 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Wissahickon High School track, 521 Houston Road, Ambler. There is a $10 entry fee, and 20 percent of sales are donated to the American Cancer Society. Participants will receive a 6-foot table under a tent. For information, contact Joanne at joannescoles@comcast.net or Mindy at mcamsilver@comcast.net.

Spring House Estates is hosting its annual book fair on April 18 from 4 to 7 p.m. and April 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Included will be hardback and paperback used books. Spring House Estates is located at 728 Norristown Road, Lower Gwynedd.

The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will present the Penn Suburban/Hatfield Joint Business Card Exchange April 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Univest Bank Lansdale Area Financial Service Center, 120 Forty Foot Road, Hatfield. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. Join Univest National Bank and Trust Co. for a spring-inspired Business Card Exchange at its newest office in the Hatfield Pointe Shopping Center. Come out and meet members of Univests executive management team while enjoying fine food and beverages.

13th Annual Community Reading Day Kick-off Breakfast Get Together April 26 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the North Wales Area Library, 233 Swartley St., North Wales. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. For more information, contact the chamber office at 215-362-9200 or info@pennsuburban.org. Join presenting sponsor Verizon, chamber staff and fellow members for the Community Reading Day volunteer get together. The Community Reading Day program allows volunteers to read a designated book to second-grade students throughout 38 area public and private schools and present the book as a gift to each class. Even if you are not a volunteer, you are cordially invited to stop by to network, enjoy coffee and pastries.

Ambler Mennonite Church is hosting a Spring Craft Show and Flea Market May 21 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Rain date will be May 28. The community is invited to shop the great craft booths, find some gifts and deals, as well as enjoy home baked goods and tasty lunch specials. Childrens activities are planned. All vendors are encouraged to contact the church at 215-643-4876 or AmblerMennonite@verizon.net. Advertising, signage, customer parking and a shuttle to auxiliary parking at nearby lots for vendors will be provided. 10 foot by 10 foot spaces can be rented for $5 each and tables for an additional $5 each. All proceeds from space and table rentals go toward school kits for children around the world. The church is located at the corner of East Mt. Pleasant Avenue and North Spring Garden Street, Ambler.

The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association presents The Life & Times of Aquatic Insects in the Wissahickon Creek April 16 from 1 to 3 p.m. Join WVWA for a hands-on program. RSVP required: www.wvwa.org or 215-646-8866. WVWA member fee: $5 per person / $15 per family. Non-WVWA member fee: $10 per person / $20 per family.

The photography exhibition Natures Palette by photo-artist Judy Miller will run March 18 to May 19 at the Art in the Storefront gallery, 41 E. Butler Pike, Ambler.

JPRN  Networking For People in Transition & People Who Can Help Them  Unemployment remains high. JPRN, the Jarrettown Professional Relationship Network can help. Are you trying to network your way to a new job? Do you have expertise or contacts that can help people in transition? Is your company or organization looking for people in the area? This is a free outreach program to support those seeking work, involve people with contacts and networking know how, and involve local companies. Meetings held monthly at Jarrettown United Methodist Church, Limekiln Pike.

Pennsylvanias Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) grant program is now open for the 2010-11 heating season. Grants are based on income, family size, type of heating fuel and region. Additional information, such as specific income limits, and applications for LIHEAP grants are available online via the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Access to Social Services (COMPASS) website at www.compass.state.pa.us. Applications are available at most public officals district offices, county assistance offices, local utility companies and community service agencies, such as Area Agencies on Aging or community action agencies.

Begin your holiday shopping at Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation! Entertainment books for 2011, Philadelphia North, are now on sale at $30 each. Regal/United Artists movie tickets are on sale for just $7.50 each, and tickets to the Adventure Aquarium, Baltimore Aquarium, and the Philadelphia Zoo are also available. Discounted ski vouchers to area mountains will be arriving in December; call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information. Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

RSVP of Montgomery County and the Wissahickon Valley Public Library have partnered again to offer the public their popular free mock interview sessions. The mock interviews are conducted by RSVP volunteers who are retired professionals, some of whom were in hiring positions themselves. Packets of information which include a sample employment application and interviewing tips with mock interview questions are available at the library to pick up prior to a scheduled mock interview or will be sent via email once the interview is scheduled. To schedule your interview, please contact Janis Glusman at RSVP 610-834-1040, ext. 16. The library is also offering a free resume review service. Bring in your current resume and the professional reference staff will assist you with hints and tips on capturing your work history accurately.

Registration for Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation summer playgrounds, Camp B.I.G. and Small Folks, X-Zone, and sports camps has began. Register online at www.upperdublin.net/store, or at the UDP&R office, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington. Call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information.

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Danielles Espresso Cafe presents Mornings at Mondaug Bark Park April 16 and May 21 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Meet fellow dog lovers. These events include complimentary coffee, treats for people and pups and raffles/giveaways.

Upper Dublins Annual Spring Flea Market will be held June 4 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Reserve a table, or come and shop. Tables are $15 for UD residents, $20 for non-residents. This successful event occurs rain or shine. Refreshments available. Call 215-643-1600 ext. 3443 to register for a table.

Regal movie tickets available for purchase at Upper Dublin Township Parks & Recreation. Reduced rate: $7.50 per ticket. Some restrictions apply. Call 215-643-1600 x3443.

Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation movie tickets $7.50 Regal Cinemas, United Artist & Edwards Cinemas on sale throughout the year Monday  Friday from 9 a.m.  4 p.m.

Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation Camp Sign-ups for Stony Creek Day Camp  Stony Creek Tracers and Park n Tots. Register on-line at www.whitpaintownship.org OrCome to Township Building with check or Visa MasterCard Monday  Friday from 9 a.m.  4 p.m. For additional information call 610.277-2400 ext. 374

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation offers exciting new programs for the fall:

-Returning favorites include UK Elite Petite Soccer, Tiny Dancers, Kiddie Tennis, Fun-nastics, Messy Playtime, Little Chefs, and more. Babysitters Training will be offered in November and December. Continuing Adult Fitness Classes include Cardio Circuit, Core & More, Yoga, Boxing, and Adult G.Y.M. For more information call 215-643-1600 x3443. Register for programs online at www.upperdublin.net/store.

Music and Theater

The community is invited to a Cantors Concert April 16 at 8 p.m. Congregation Beth Or, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen. Listen and hum-along to the Yiddish, pop tunes and classical music performed by Congregation Beth Ors own Cantor David Green and his special guest, Cantor Irvin Bell, from Temple Beth Israel in Deerfield Beach, Fla. The cantors will be accompanied by Mark Sobol and his Klezmer musicians. Tickets are $18 in advance and $25 at the door. RSVP with payment to Barb Murtha, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen, PA 19002, or call 215-646-5806 ext. 220.

Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse will host the Jameson Sisters May 14. Doors open at 7:30 pm, performance at 8:00 pm. Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse is located at the corner of Rte. 202 & Sumneytown Pike, Gwynedd. $5 suggested donation. Light refreshment available at a modest cost. For further information, call 215-393-9576 or visit gwyneddmeeting.org/coffeehouse.html.

Celebrate patriotism through song with Gwynedd-Mercy Colleges choir, the Voices of Gwynedd, as it presents Hear America Singing April 15 at 8 p.m. The choir will perform song selections from all over the country, including Georgia on My Mind, New York State of Mind, and a medley including Philadelphia Freedom and Allentown. The performance will end with When the Saints Go Marching In to acknowledge the choirs upcoming tour in New Orleans. Hear America Singing will take place in the Julia Ball Auditorium, located in St. Bernard Hall. Parking is available in lots A, C and D. Admission is free.

The Choristers will present Anton Dvoraks Stabat Mater April 16 at 7:30 p.m. at Upper Dublin Lutheran Church in Ambler. The choir will be accompanied by a 41-piece orchestra. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens, $10 for students and children are free. Tickets will be sold in advance or at the door. For more information, call 215-542-7871 or visit TheChoristers.org

Religious News

The Staircase Gallery at Or Hadash: A Reconstructionist Congregation in Fort Washington will feature the work of Emily Ennuat-Lustine. The artist will be showing paintings and graphics inspired by her own personal spiritual journey and quest for meaning. Some of the works to be shown have been inspired by Biblical Psalms and writings. Her work has been shown at Abington Art Center, Cheltenham Arts Center and Old City Gallery of Jewish Art among others. The exhibition is open Friday evenings starting Feb. 18 after Shabbat services. Gallery hours are: Mondays through Thursdays 10-4:30, Fridays 10-3 and following Shabbat Services and Sundays 10-1. The synagogue is located at 190 Camp Hill Road in Fort Washington. For additional information contact the synagogue office at 215-283-0276.

Reunions

St. Matthews High School Conshohocken Class of 1961 is looking for classmates. For details, contact Greg Marincola at 215-646-2239, 215-740-1296 or gregcola@comcast.net.

Olney High School Class of 1971 is Lloking for classmates for a 40th reunion Oct. 28. For details, contact Judy at ohsclassof71@yahoo.com or 215-870-7572.

Abington High School Class of 1961 is seeking classmates for a 50-year reunion to be held Oct. 14-15, 2011.Visit the website, www.abington61.com, for details or call 215-947-1779.

Overbrook High School class of January 1956 is having a 55 year reunion on May 22, 2011 at the Bala Golf Club in Philadelphia. For information please contact overbrookreunion56@comcast.net

Germantown High School Class Of January 1961 is looking for classmates for 50th year reunion to take place in May of 2011. Please contact: 215-362-9148, 856-577-0659 or samdelcomo@comcast.net

The June 1961 class of Germantown High School is holding their 50th reunion on May 15, which will be a brunch. For further details please contact Linda Dorfman Alten at lindaalten@yahoo.com or call 215-441-8411.

Support

New Life Presbyterian Church in Dresher, will host GriefShare, a special seminar and support group which will run on Monday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m., from March 7 through June 6. At each meeting there will be a DVD about the grief process, discussion and reference to a grief workbook. Preregistration is required to secure a place in the group and to purchase a GriefShare notebook (for a one-time fee of $15). The notebook goes along with the 13-week schedule covering such topics as: living with grief, the effects of grief, and stuck in grief. For more information or to register, call: Sandy Elder at 215-884-5149.

PUPS (People Understanding Parkinsons) A self-help group for those adjusting to a new diagnosis or dealing with the early stages of Parkinsons Disease. Meets fourth Tuesday of the month from 1 to 2:30 p.m., at Abington Health Center, Schilling Campus, Willowood Building, 2510 Maryland Road, Suite 251, Willow Grove. For more information or to RSVP, contact Lorna at 215-542-2931.

The North Penn Visiting Nurse Associations Meals on Wheels program is looking for volunteers to pack or deliver meals to the elderly and infirmed. Meals are packed and delivered mornings, Monday through Friday. You can volunteer for as many days per week or month as you would like. Packaging meals requires approximately 2-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves making sandwiches, packaging food into individual serving containers and packing coolers with the meals. Delivering meals requires approximately 1-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves loading coolers into your car and delivering a route of approximately 10 to 15 stops. The Meals on Wheels program is also in need of emergency, winter-weather volunteers to pack and deliver meals in bad weather. North Penn VNA is located at 51 Medical Campus Drive in Lansdale and delivers meals in the Lansdale, North Wales and Blue Bell areas. For more information or to volunteer, please call Bridget, North Penn VNA Meals on Wheels coordinator at 215-855-8296.

Elkins Park Area CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) meets the first Tuesday of every month, 7- 8:30 p.m., at Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital in Elkins Park. For information on CHADD or ADHD, please see our website www.chadd.net/249 or call Claire Noyes at: 215-779-6656.

Center for Loss and Bereavement, 3847 Skippack Pike, Skippack (610-222-4110) www.bereavementcenter.org Offers professional counseling for individuals, couples, children and families dealing with issues of loss and bereavement. Six-week adult support groups: Newly forming young adult grief support group  every other Wednesday, 7  8:15 p.m. (free of charge); Monthly loss of child support  second Mondays, 7-8:15 p.m.; Six-week young loss of spouse/partner  Thursdays, 10-11:15 a.m.; Other groups scheduled as interest is shown for suicide loss support, adult loss of parent, motherless daughters, adult loss of sibling, coping with chronic illness and disability and mens loss of spouse. Nellos Corner Family Bereavement program offers peer grief support groups for ages 4 through teen and their caregivers  Every other Tuesday or Wednesday (free of charge) Local chapter of Parents of Murdered Children also meets at the Center. Registration required. Call for further information.

CHADD is a national organization for children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, providing education, advocacy and support for individuals and their families with AD/HD. Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital, 60 Township Line Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027, will host children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder on the First Tuesday of each month 7  8:30 p.m. Free, no childcare provided.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphias Kehillah of Old York Road is sponsoring a free Caregiver Support Group for individuals who care for an elderly person with cognitive and/or physical impairments. The group meets at SarahCare Adult Day Care Center, 101 Washington Lane, Suite G-6, Jenkintown, Pa., on the first Wednesday of each month. Patty Rich,
Tracking the sources of plastic pollution

Plastic pollution in the world's oceans is now widely recognised as a major global challenge - but we still know very little about how these plastics are actually reaching the sea. A new global initiative, led by the University of Birmingham shows how focussing on rivers and river mouths can yield vital clues about how we might manage this plastic crisis.

The 100 Plastic Rivers Project is engaging with scientists in more than 60 locations worldwide to sample water and sediment in rivers. The aim is to better understand how plastics are transported and transformed in rivers and how they accumulate in river sediments, where they create a long-lasting pollution legacy.

First results of the project will be presented at the General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU), held in Vienna, Austria, from 7-12 April 2019. They show a complex picture, with a huge diversity in types and sources of plastic in selected river estuaries in the UK and France.

Professor Stefan Krause, of the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham, explains: "Even if we all stopped using plastic right now, there would still be decades, if not centuries-worth of plastics being washed down rivers and into our seas. We're getting more and more aware of the problems this is causing in our oceans, but we are now only starting to look at where these plastics are coming from, and how they're accumulating in our river systems. We need to understand this before we can really begin to understand the scale of the risk that we're facing."

The 100 Plastic Rivers programme analyses both primary microplastics, such as micro-beads used in cosmetics, and secondary microplastics - from larger plastic items that have broken down in the environment or fibres from clothing.

A key part of the project is to establish a standard method for the sampling and analysis of microplastics which can be used to provide an assessment of the plastic pollution of our river networks. The Birmingham team have produced a toolkit, with detailed instructions for sampling water and river sediments at locations where stream flow is known or measured and developed methods of automating and thus, objectifying the identification and analysis of microplastics.

In a recently completed pilot study, the University of Birmingham team collaborated with the Clean Seas Odyssey citizen science project to test parts of the developed methodology based on sampling water and sediments from river estuaries around the UK and France Channel coast. By analysing the samples taken by interested members of the public, they were able to test the sampling protocol and develop a picture of the different types of polymers accumulated in river sediments at their confluence with the sea.

The results of this initial survey showed a much wider variety of plastic types in the samples than had been anticipated. This shows that, even in relatively well-regulated countries like the UK and France, there are a variety of different sources contributing to a high concentration of microplastics in river systems.

###

The research is funded by the Leverhulme Trust, the EU Horizon 2020 Framework, the Royal Society, and the Clean Seas Odyssey.

For further information please contact Beck Lockwood, Press Office, University of Birmingham, tel: 0121 414 2772: email: r.lockwood@bham.ac.uk

Notes to editor:

100 Plastic Rivers Project

The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world's top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, teachers and more than 6,500 international students from over 150 countries.

The European Geosciences Union (EGU) is Europe's premier geosciences union, dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in the Earth, planetary, and space sciences for the benefit of humanity, worldwide. It is a non-profit interdisciplinary learned association of scientists founded in 2002 with headquarters in Munich, Germany. Its annual General Assembly is the largest and most prominent European geosciences event, attracting over 14,000 scientists from all over the world. The meeting's sessions cover a wide range of topics, including volcanology, planetary exploration, the Earth's internal structure and atmosphere, climate, energy, and resources. A list of press conferences is available here: https:/ / www. egu. eu/ gamedia/ 2019/ press-conferences/

The EGU General Assembly 2019 is taking place in Vienna, Austria, from 7 to 12 April 2019. For information and press registration, please check https:/ / www. egu. eu/ gamedia , or follow the EGU on Twitter and Facebook.

, or follow the EGU on Twitter and Facebook. The Leverhulme Trust was established by the Will of William Hesketh Lever, the founder of Lever Brothers. Since 1925 the Trust has provided grants and scholarships for research and education. Today, it is one of the largest all-subject providers of research funding in the UK, distributing approximately 80m a year. For more information about the Trust, please visit http://www. leverhulme. ac. uk and follow the Trust on Twitter @LeverhulmeTrust

This story has been published on: 2019-04-09. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Welcome to Morningstar.co.uk!

You have been redirected here from Hemscott.com as we are merging our websites to provide you with a one-stop shop for all your investment research needs.To search for a security, type the name or ticker in the search box at the top of the page and select from the dropdown results.Registered Hemscott users can log in to Morningstar using the same login details. Similarly, if you are a Hemscott Premium user, you now have a Morningstar Premium account which you can access using the same login details.
SOUTHINGTON  Five businesses are slated to open this summer in a year-old plaza on West Street.

Developer Mark Lovley said the new tenants for 1095 West St. are a takeout restaurant specializing in Polish food, a physical therapy center, a national mortgage company, a sushi restaurant, and a chiropractic office. All have signed leases, he added.

[The businesses] all will be moved in and open by the end of July this year, Lovley said.

The plaza, near Corporate Drive, is already home to Silk Nail Salon, Southington Orthodontics and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, a standalone restaurant in the parking lot. An adjacent Marriott Courtyard hotel opened in Nov. 2018.

Lovley said its been a year since he began leasing spaces in the plaza. He said Koshi Sushi will be the first of the new tenants to open, probably in June.

Owner Taho Lee said the restaurant will offer sushi and Korean cuisine. Lee, who currently works in a Japanese restaurant, he is excited to open his own restaurant. Interior construction still needs to be finished, he said. He is also busy planning the menu and choosing table settings.

I wanted to open a restaurant years ago, Lee said. It takes a long time.now I have a restaurant.

jroman@record-journal.com

203-317-2420

Twitter: @JenieceRoman
Under Egypt's current chairmanship of the African Union (AU), Africa is highly likely to witness a significant improvement in the healthcare services, especially those related to treating communicable and chronic diseases, Executive Director of UNAIDS Michel Sidibe said.

During a meeting with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly on Tuesday, Sidibe praised the advanced medical and pharmaceutical sector in Egypt, Cabinet's Spokesman Nader Saad said in a press release.

Hailing Egypt's pioneering role in providing free detection and treatment services for patients with Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and non-communicable diseases, Sidibe noted that Egypt could help African nations to improve their disease prevention and treatment services.

Madbouly stressed that Egypt will spare no efforts to provide the African nations with any medical or pharmaceutical assistance lauding President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's initiative to cure one million African citizens from Hepatitis C virus and provide free HCV detection and treatment services for the African expats in Egypt.

Moreover, the PM asserted Egypt's willingness to bolster cooperation with all the regional as well as international organizations concerned to step up efforts aimed at preventing diseases and endemics in Africa.

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MERIDEN  The City Councils Human Services Committee voted unanimously this week to raise the age to purchase tobacco and vape products locally from 18 to 21.

If the full City Council agrees at its next meeting, Meriden would join a growing number of municipalities raising their tobacco-purchasing age to 21.

In December, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams declared vaping an epidemic, citing statistics that show teen use of e-cigarettes increased by 78 percent in the past year. He also urged municipalities to take action, such as bans on indoor vaping and retail restrictions.

Meridens ordinance would ban the sale of all tobacco and vaping products to persons under 21 and would take effect within 180 days after City Council adoption. A person or business who sells tobacco to someone under 21 would be issued a written warning, followed by fines of $100 and $250 for a second and third offense.

"The city recognizes that youth vaping is an epidemic, City Health Director Lea Crown said this week. Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable illness and death in the United States. Increasing the sale age for tobacco products to 21 is a promising intervention to reduce youth tobacco use initiation, and a way to reduce the staggering healthcare cost, death, and suffering from tobacco-related illness.

Although there is limited local data on teen vaping, the latest survey of Meriden students found 8.9 percent in grades 7 through 12 used a vaping device in the previous 30 days. Proponents of raising the age to 21 hope it will deter children from becoming addicted at an early age.

Hartford became the first Connecticut municipality to raise its tobacco purchasing age to 21 last year. Surrounding municipalities, including Southington and Wallingford, have also recently passed similar local ordinances.

Earlier this year, the Health Department used an online survey to gauge attitudes on raising the age to 21. A total of 68 percent of respondents favored the move.

Only one member of the public, a representative from the American Cancer Society, attended a public hearing held Monday prior to the Human Services Committee vote, according to Crown.

While teen use of traditional cigarettes continues to decline nationwide, teen use of e-cigarettes has sharply risen in recent years in large part because the e-cigarettes come in flavors like cucumber, mango, and creme brulee. E-cigarette manufacturers have also been accused of launching ad campaigns targeting younger audiences in an attempt to hook a new generation of tobacco users.

mzabierek@record-journal.com

203-317-2279

Twitter: @MatthewZabierek
International

99 militants killed in Afghan battle

Kabul, Apr 8 (IANS) | Publish Date: 4/8/2019 12:53:55 PM IST

At least 99 Taliban militants and 12 government security personnel have been killed in a fierce and lengthy battle in Afghanistans Badghis province, officials said on Monday. The fighting has been raging since Saturday in Bala-Murghab district of the province and left 25 insurgents and 34 security personnel injured, the Defence Ministry said in a statement cited by Efe news. On Saturday, government forces launched a major counter-attack against militants to push them back from the centre of the district, days after the Taliban overran several security checkpoints in the area on April 4. Security forces had retreated to their headquarters to avoid civilian casualties as the Taliban were using residential houses as their fighting positions, the statement said.

It added that the Air Force aided Afghan Army commandos, special forces of the police and the National Directorate of Security in their offensive against the militants.

As bodies of the militants lay scattered in the battlefield, the security forces seized or destroyed their weapons and several vehicles, the report said.

According to the Ministrys statement, the 34 injured security personnel were airlifted to hospitals amid heavy fighting.
International

Dhaka seeks US help to deport Rohingyas

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen shakes hands with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington, DC during a meeting on Monday.

Dhaka, April 9 (IANS) | Publish Date: 4/9/2019 1:04:15 PM IST

Bangladesh has sought help from the US in pressurising Myanmar to offer safeguards for the return of thousands of Rohingya refugees who have fled the country since August 2017.

Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen sought the US assistance during a meeting on Monday with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington, the government of Bangladesh said in a statement on Tuesday.

During the meeting, Momen discussed the importance of repatriation of Rohingyas and creation of credible international pressure on Myanmar in that respect, the statement said.

According to the statement, Pompeo reiterated that the US would stand beside Bangladesh (both politically and financially) in finding a permanent solution to the Rohingya crisis, Efe news reported

It is the responsibility of the Myanmar government and military to create a conducive environment for Rohingyas to feel safe to return home, he said.

Momen told Pompeo about Dhakas plans to transfer a group of Rohingya to the uninhabited Bhashanchar island in the Bay of Bengal. The island has been prepared to host 100,000 refugees from the overcrowded camps in the Coxs Bazar district.

Over 738,000 Rohingyas have arrived in the camps since the beginning of the crisis on August 25, 2017, following a wave of violence and persecution, which has been described by the United Nations an attempted ethnic cleansing.

Most refugees of the majority-Muslim community live in harsh conditions in the Kutupalong camp -- located near the border between Bangladesh and Myanmar. It has become the biggest refugee camp in the world.

Although Bangladesh and Myanmar signed an agreement on November 23, 2017, the repatriation attempts have failed due to absence of conditions necessary for safe and voluntary return of the refugees.
State

Governor Acharya calls for supporting entrepreneurs

Acharya interacting with NABARD officials and Dr Pardeshi Lal at Raj Bhavan Kohima on April 8.

DIMAPUR | Publish Date: 4/8/2019 12:27:16 PM IST

Governor of Nagaland, PB Acharya has called on Nagaland University and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Nagaland Regional Office to support entrepreneurs till they are able to sustain themselves.

The goal of educational institutions should not only be to impart knowledge but to also make students stand on their feet he stated.

According to a press release by the Raj Bhavan PRO, Acharya was speaking at a review meeting held at Raj Bhavan Kohima on April 8 with Nagaland University and NABARD officials. Appreciating the institutions for taking up the challenge of creating entrepreneurship in the field of agriculture, the Governor expressed hope that skill development programs would be introduced in all colleges in Nagaland.

Acharya called for identification of the States natural resources and the needs of the State and society and introduce academic skill courses as per these requirements to turn students into entrepreneurs once they are done with their education. He opined that it will strengthen society economically. This should be the agenda of educational institutions he added.

NU vice chancellor, Dr. Pardeshi Lal and NABARD Dimapur general manager, SK Dhumal, highlighted for the Governor the initiatives of the two institutions. They stated that 62 students studying in the School of Agriculture Studies & Rural Development (SASRD), NU who were sensitised on various avenues in the agricultural field by NABARD AGM, HV Biswas. Interactions were also held with university staff on NABARDs various promotional and developmental initiatives.

Acharya had earlier called on NABARD to work with universities in the State for all round development. The meeting was also attended by other officers of NABARD.
The US Navy and Royal Thai Navy (RTN) began the 8th iteration of exercise Guardian Sea at the opening ceremony aboard the RTN frigate HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej in the Andaman Sea, April 7.

The US Navy and Royal Thai Navy (RTN) began the 8th iteration of exercise Guardian Sea at the opening ceremony aboard the RTN frigate HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej in the Andaman Sea, April 7.

HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej FFG 471 (Picture source: thaimilitaryandasianregion.blogspot.com)

The joint naval exercise called for coordinated missions between naval ships and anti-submarine aircraft. It called on the skills of navy officers in mission and planning exercises in the search, detection and containment of hostile submarines.

Guardian Sea 2019 marks the first time the RTN will deploy a towed array. The towed array sonar aboard HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej, used for detecting undersea contacts including submarines, demonstrates the increasing complexity and sophistication of the exercise with more advanced training objectives.

The US and Royal Thai Navy continues to work closely in anti-submarine warfare towards building upon our already-established combined capabilities, said Capt. Matt Jerbi, commodore of Destroyer Squadron 7.Guardian Sea 2019 is a premier exercise that demonstrates our commitment to each other in ensuring that we are ready to counter any threats together, both above and underwater.

The Guardian Sea naval exercise has been conducted yearly since 2012 and adapted to suit changing scenarios.
Sudanese security forces, firing shots into the air, launched a new attempt on Tuesday to disperse anti-government protesters camping outside the defence ministry, witnesses said.

They said the forces tried to break into the area using pickup trucks.

It was the second time that security forces had tried to clear demonstrators on Tuesday.

In the previous attempt earlier in the morning, government troops from the country's navy intervened to protect demonstrators.

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By Savannah Gilmore | Vol . 27, No. 13 | April 2019



Did You Know?

The federal Presidential Election Campaign checkoff participation peaked in 1980, with 28.7 percent of taxpayers contributing.

Colorados Nongame and Endangered Wildlife checkoff has had the highest dollar amount of donations among the states choices since fiscal year 2016.

New Yorks dedicated tax checkoff funds are subject to the states blanket sweep budget provisions, which allow the Division of Budget to redirect funds to the general fund.

The first place a taxpayer ever saw a tax checkoff was in 1973 on U.S. individual income tax returns for the Presidential Campaign Fund. In 1977, Colorado was the first state to introduce checkoff boxes on the state tax return to facilitate contributions to nongame and endangered wildlife preservation, known as the chickadee checkoff in certain states. Since then, state income tax choices have grown a lot.

In 2003, the Federation of Tax Administrators (FTA) counted 220 state checkoff programs. By 2018, that number had increased to 421. The growth in popularity of these checkoffs comes with administrative challenges. In response to the growth, states are developing processes to manage the number of programs that appear on their income tax returns.

State Action

The numbers and types of income tax checkoff programs vary widely across the states. In 2018, a total of 30 states and the District of Columbia offered anywhere from one to 15 checkoffs on their income tax returns and 11 states offered more than 15. The most popular checkoff programs this past tax year were those dedicated to military families and veterans, charitable health contributions focused on tackling a variety of diseases or providing health education, and organizations for children.

New Jersey and Oregon had the most income tax checkoffs available for taxpayers in 2018. Both states had more than 30 income tax checkoffs that taxpayers could choose from. Its worth noting that while Virginia taxpayers had 21 choices, three of those options allowed taxpayers to select a specific local foundation to donate to for public libraries, communities and public schools. Taxpayers could choose from 29 to 78 foundations, depending on the category. Nebraska and West Virginia had the fewest amounts in the country, with only one checkoff choice.

As income tax checkoffs continue to grow in number, states have monitored the total amount on their forms in different ways. Some states have enacted limits on the number of checkoffs that are offered on income tax returns, and those numbers vary. For example, Delaware capped the amount at 21 last year, Iowa limited them to four beginning with tax year 2019, Illinois limited the states amount to 15, and Colorados cap is 20.

Another route states have taken to manage the number of checkoffs is setting minimum contribution requirements. According to the Colorado Legislative Council, the state requires checkoff program funds to collect at least $50,000 in the first nine months of its third year on the tax return to remain on the form in future years. States also may include sunset dates for income tax checkoffs.

States generally add new income tax checkoffs through legislation. Oregon is an alternative example where a petition of voters is required to get on the income tax checkoff contribution list. Entities are required to submit eligibility petitions with at least 10,000 signatures with their application to be listed in the income tax booklet.

As checkoff choices have grown, so has the concern over their administrative costs. In 2015, Californias Senate Committee on Governance and Finance found that a significant portion of the voluntary checkoff donations were being spent on administration.

Some states have set aside a specified amount of funds from the donations received to cover the administrative costs. Connecticuts law has a method that allows taxpayer contributions made to certain charities to be withheld equal to programs administrative costs. Oregons Department of Revenue estimates the costs to administer each income tax checkoff and then sets aside 10 percent of the donations received each month until the reserves equal those estimated costs.

Federal Action

U.S. taxpayers initially were able to direct $1 of their tax liability to the Presidential Election Campaign Fund, which provides public funds to pay for certain expenses for candidates political campaigns in both primary and general elections. The amount grew to $3 for 1993 returns as a result of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993. However, taxpayer contribution rates have been waning for decades. According to the Federal Election Commission, just 3.9 percent of taxpayers contributed to the checkoff in 2018. In 2014, President Barack Obama signed legislation ending funding for party nominating conventions, which was one of the three recipient groups funded by the federal program.
Sunitha natti By

Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Lenders of troubled Jet Airways are placing all their bets on the bidding process that began on Monday. Sources said banks will end up owning the carrier if they fail to find a buyer by next month. If banks can find a new promoter or shareholder who can subscribe to the fresh share capital, then banks need not convert debt into equity, a former central banker said. As much as 75 per cent of Jets stake is on the block.

Last month, banks agreed to pick up a 50.1 per cent stake in Jet at a nominal cost of Rs 1, invoking RBIs controversial February 12 circular that allowed such conversions in companies with negative net worth. Subsequently, Jets shareholders approved the proposal to issue 11.4 lakh fresh shares to banks, but with the Supreme Court striking down RBIs stressed assets resolution framework, the move stopped in its tracks.

As per SBIs Expression of Interest published on Monday, the banking consortium comprises nine operational lenders, but the number of creditors picking up equity depends on the inter-bank agreement and the terms of debt restructuring, he added.

For its part, SBI has gone back to the drawing board to devise an alternative mechanism should it fail to find a buyer. In the meantime, sources said, RBIs revised resolution framework should be in place, allowing banks to pursue the debt-equity conversion.

The SC judgement doesnt prohibit one-on-one conversions (debt-equity). But we have to follow some compliances, said a banker.

In the absence of the circular, banks must reprice shares in line with Sebi regulations that insist on six months average price. This can be avoided if the government directs RBI to exercise its powers under Section 35AA of the amended Banking Regulation Act. Alternatively, prospective buyers can pick up stake going by the prevailing price.

The consortium comprises SBI, Punjab National Bank, IDBI Bank, Syndicate Bank, Canara Bank, ICICI Bank, Yes Bank, Indian Overseas Bank and Bank of India.

As per the norms, only secured creditors can get into a consortium. Operational creditors who have not joined the wills and means of finance, something which is not either working capital or a term loan, and which is secure, arent part of the consortium, he added.

The proposed additional funding to keep the airline afloat will be borne by these nine lenders. Nothing was approved. There are various possibilities and calculations regarding working capital gaps to get some kind of visibility and sustainability of the airline. We havent chosen a number, he explained.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on Monday said that it would decide on the insolvency of debt-ridden Reliance Communications (RCom) soon, with the company pleading for a go-ahead from the tribunal for insolvency proceedings.

While RCom wants to initiate insolvency proceeding due to its inability to pay back lenders, one of its creditorsSwiss telecom major Ericssonopposes the move. The NCLAT on Monday said that if RCom was to go into insolvency, Ericsson would have to pay back the Rs 550 crore it received last month from the Anil Ambani firm after a legal battle in the Supreme Court.

Why one party will take the amount and let the financial creditors suffer, asked the two-judge NCLAT bench headed by chairman Justice S J Mukhopadhaya. The NCLAT also said that it would consider, at the next hearing on April 30, the reply filed by the Department of Telecom (DoT) over RComs plea against a show cause notice issued by the government over unpaid spectrum charges. The NCLAT had stayed the two notices issued by the DoT to RCom over the cancellation of its spectrum licence on March 26.
Arshad Khan By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: After a momentous fall in demand in the second half of financial year 2018-2019 (FY19), auto industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) expects a 3-5 per cent growth in the sale of passenger vehicles (PVs) in FY20, backed by new launches, higher GDP forecast and pre-buying before the implementation of new BS-VI emission norms, which is expected to make vehicles expensive by 10-15 per cent from April 1, 2020.

Demand for vehicles usually slows down before elections and picks up after a stable government informed. Beside this, everybody believes in the Indian growth story and various reforms implemented by the government will aide demand, Rajan Wadhera, President, SIAM said.

As for the FY20 domestic sales outlook for other segments, commercial vehicles are expected to grow at 10-12 per cent, three-wheelers at 7-9 per cent and two-wheelers at 5-7 per cent during the fiscal. In FY19, these segments grew 17.55 per cent, 10.27 per cent and 4.86 per cent respectively.

Wadhera also commented on the below-expected sales in FY19, pointing out that the impact of the NBFC liquidity crisis was being felt by the sector. There is still difficulty in accessing funds to buy vehicles, he said. In FY19, PV sales grew by 2.70 per cent -- the slowest in five years -- to 3.37 million units as against 3.28 million units sold in FY18. SIAM, at the beginning of the year, had forecast PV sales to grow around 8 per cent in FY19.

Other factors casting a shadow on the PV industry is the emergence of shared mobility platforms like Ola and Uber.

SIAM believes that in cities, where a major chunk of sales take place, people have started opting for the services of cab aggregators.

There are many factors that have muted the market sentiment. Preference towards shared mobility is one. Others are the rise in insurance premium cost, fuel prices, lack of fund availability and more, Wadhera said.

Another segment facing the brunt of muted market sentiment is the two-wheeler industry. While urban markets continue to perform poorly, sales in rural belts have also declined in recent months. A difficult monsoon season will further drive away sales from the price-conscious segment.
Anuradha Shukla By

Express News Service

The Singapore government on Monday sold 6.8 crore shares of realty giant DLF for Rs 1,298 crore through an open market transaction, leading to the realty majors stock plunging over 8 per cent. The Singapore government held around 7.32 crore shares in DLF as on December 31, 2018. These shares comprised a 4.11 per cent stake in the company.

Sources said that the Singapore government has probably sold its share to rejig its portfolio and book profit as the company has significant exposure of about $1.7 billion through its two joint ventures.

The Singapore government through its sovereign wealth fund GIC has two joint ventures with DLF. In December 2017, GIC invested Rs 9,000 crore to acquire 33.43 per cent stake in DLFs rental arm. It had also invested around Rs 2,000 crore to pick up a 50 per cent stake in DLFs two housing projects at Moti Nagar in Delhi.

NSE data shows that French investment fund Societe Generale has picked up 2.08 crore shares of DLF at Rs 191 per share. According to sources, HSBC and other investors also bought shares in this block deal. This comes close on the heels of DLFs Rs 3,200 crore QIP issue where the realty company sold 17.3 crore shares at Rs 183.4 per share.
Preeja Prasad By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: Exactly two years after they were introduced in the city, Pink Hoysalas have been only been half successful in meeting their purpose. The bright pink and white-hued police patrol vehicles were launched with the aim of helping women and children in distress, and also to empower female police personnel who would be a part of the patrolling team. While the first goal is being met with relative success, the project has also brought to light an unpleasant truth  the low number of female personnel in the citys police force.

None of the 108 Pink Hoysalas out of the 273 in the city has a female cop on duty, according to police officials.The reason is said to be unwillingness on the part of the policewomen. Ideally, there should be at least two female cops in the Hoysala. As of now, all Pink Hoysalas are manned by policemen. After the launch of this initiative, we had trained 14 female officers for 40 days to get their licence. But none of them is willing to take up this role, K Ajay Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Control Room), told CE.

While 216 women cops would be required for patrolling duty in these vehicles, a senior police officer stated that their absence stems from the fact that they opt out citing several reasons. They give plenty of personal reasons such as household roles, and even periods, to avoid patrolling and night duty, the officer said.

According to Isha Pant, DCP (Southeast), there are women who do night duty and go for patrolling. We cant say they are not capable of doing the job, she added.There is indeed a shortage of female staffers in the city police, Police Commissioner T Suneel Kumar admitted. However, according to him, the presence of only one female policeperson is compulsory in the Pink Hoysala, along with a male cop.

We are understaffed but recruitments have taken place and they are undergoing training as of now. They should join within six months, he said, adding that they are also facing the issue of absence of policewomen for night patrolling due to staff shortage. According to the administration department, the recent recruitment has taken in 1,787 personnel, out of which 20 per cent are women.

When asked about two policemen patrolling in the Pink Hoysalas, Kumar said, We need to ensure that a policewoman is present during the day. I will check with the divisional DCPs to deploy women police personnel for patrolling.
Vaishali Vijaykumar By

Express News Service

CHENNAI : Something as simple as hand pumps, people commuting on various modes of transport, and ordinary objects finds place in the photographs displayed at Madras Literary Society. Chennai Weekend Clickers, a photography club based in Chennai, have put together the ninth edition of their annual photo exhibition. It is aimed at showcasing Indian diversity in photographs taken by their members. Photos are exhibited at four locations  Spaces at Besant Nagar, Cholamandal Artist Village at Injambakkam, Madras Literary Society at Nungambakkam, and The Marina Mall at Navalur.

Our platform provides opportunity for amateurs. The works are categorised as Solo, Instafest and Debut categories. Instafest is a 30-day challenge where each photographer clicks a series of photos of something that catches their attention. The pictures are compiled and displayed on a board under a hashtag suitable to the pattern. Solo is where photographers pick up a theme and go to different places around the country to shoot. Debut is for those exhibiting for the first time. We had to select around 75 out of 275 entries, said Shanmuga Nathan, member of the photo club.

Chennai Weekend Clickers organises local group walks. It has conducted over 700 walks so far. This is our ninth year and weve come so far. Earlier, people paid attention only to detailing. Nowadays the creativity has improved a lot. People come up with quirky ideas to stand out in a crowd. One of our photographers Naveen Gowtham has taken a 1,000-photo series to capture different kinds of smile. We have a mixed bag of experienced, celebrity and aspiring photographers, he says.

Photographer Pon Prabakaran has displayed works of wedding ceremonies in rural villages. Dinesh Arun has captured everyday life of people commuting through different modes of transport. Mali Lingeswaran is fascinated by miscellaneous objects like a screw, a lock, and a cylinder. Manikandans Maduraiveeran theme is about the folklore festival in Madurai. These are few among the works that are exhibited.

Every year, the group follows a different method of presentation to keep the exhibition innovative. Earlier they used to showcase only at Lalit Kala Akademi. They hope to go one step ahead in 2020 for the 10th year celebration. The event will be held till April 14 in the abovementioned locations.
Anna Binoy By

Express News Service

KOCHI: Packing and unpacking are irrevocable aspects of Goutham Rajan and Thara Nandikkaras life. For them, travel is almost as important as taking the next breath. They are the Clueless Compass. However, only one of them is allowed to be clueless at a time; the other has to point to the right direction like a compass (and not necessarily in that order). Since 2015, the Bengaluru-based couple has covered 20 states of the country and travelled to 17 other countries. Having just returned from Bhutan, they dont intend to stop. Their blog - with the tagline Because Earth is worth it - is popular among travel enthusiasts across and abroad the country.

It all began in 2012. We met on Facebook. Most of our discussions were about cinema; travel almost never came up. Our first trip together was to Kashmir when we were still dating. After marriage, we went on a honeymoon to Rajasthan. Two months later, we thought we would go abroad for another honeymoon, and it never stopped. After each trip, we would want to see another place and soon travel became a part of our lives. We were not travel crazy before we met each other, says Thara, a native of Malappuram.

Equipped with the experiences and high-resolution pictures of their journeys for some years, the couple soon began writing for leading Malayalam magazines. We had been documenting our travels for the sheer pleasure of it, to go back to our journeys and reminisce them when we feel like it. Our stories in the travel magazines became popular and people started appreciating it, says Goutham, a native of Thrissur.

Thats when he and Thara decided to start a blog to exclusively document their travel. On the New Years Day of 2018, we had just returned from Bali and were unpacking. Considering it was the new year, we wanted to do something novel, says Thara. Thus born were the travelling couples Instagram and Facebook pages, and a little later their own domain- with the eccentric name Clueless Compass.

Of all these places they have travelled, which is their most favourite place? Without thinking twice, the answer comes: Istanbul. We were there only for five days, yet it felt like we have been living there for many years. Because we explored the city on foot, we got familiar with the roads and streets. Istanbul is a cultural feast for travellers. The history, architecture, music and culture of this place will leave one wonderstruck. You can see a mix of European and Asian culture in the city. Also, the city has a variety of cuisines that are finger-licking good, says Thara.

The key to a safe and happy journey, according to them, is a low budget journey with a solid plan. We fund our travels on our own. We work, save and travel. Our regular private jobs give us just enough money to travel on a low budget. We plan our travels on our own and use public transport to explore places, stay in hostels or cheap hotels and keep a tab on other expenses while we travel, says Goutham.

Considered as travel influencers of the time, what advice would they give to travel enthusiasts? To experience a place, a different country and their culture, you must visit their places of worship, listen to their music, use their public transport system, eat their local cuisine, see how people go about their ordinary lives, walk through the streets and feel the vibe of that place. Also, we recommend travelling with a solid plan if you have time and money constraints. Going without plans sounds fancy, but it is not practical, says Thara. Having travelled extensively for the past five years, they have many cherishable highs for themselves. Getting to see beautiful places around the world itself is an accomplishment.

Apart from that, we got invited by the Ministry of Tourism of Indonesia to visit Jakarta last year. Also, being selected as the top couple travel influencer by Holidify was one of our achievements, says Goutham.

Not affected by jet lag, the couple is already planning their next getaway. We dont know where to yet, says Thara. But they have already packed their Nikon D610 camera and other essentials for the journey, just in case they have to head out tomorrow.
Merin Mariya By

Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Under Operation Bolt's new action plan Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Task (ADAPT), the City Police detected 169 'Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances' cases within one month. ADAPT is divided into two categories, 'supply side and demand side'.

Drug supply will be reduced by taking action against drug peddlers. Similarly the demand side focuses on reducing the demand for consumption by targeting those who consume drugs. It works on the basic idea - when the supply reduces, the demand will automatically fall.

The supply side primarily focuses on detection, a hardcore policing area where a more intensified surveillance will be done with a district-level team consisting of 15 police officers. The team, DANSAF (District Anti Narcotics Special Action Force), will collect intelligence and pinpoint detection of cases.

The third component is inter-agency cooperation where city police share intelligence with the excise department, special branch and detect cases. Surveillance and monitoring include verifying the list of drug peddlers by regularly visiting their houses, their economic sources, vehicles used and more. TC Vigil number (Thiruvananthapuram Citizen Vigil Number) has been introduced for providing information to the City Police Commissioner directly.

When 89 cases regarding drug abuse among schoolgoing children were detected in 2018, the city police confined it to the 'demand side'. 'Let's Discuss' an initiative under the 'demand side', aims to create awareness to monitor kids. The City Police Commissioner stressed on how drug and criminal activities are connected.

"Parents are unwilling to accept their child could be a victim of drug abuse. They fall prey to the 'Not My Kid' syndrome, which is based on the belief that their child can never be a victim, hence does not have to be monitored. We are making them realise the chances of their kids involved in drug abuse. This will eventually result in developing social responsibility in a parent's mind and thereby help to detect and reduce such cases," said Kori Sanjaykumar Gurudin, commissioner.

According to the City Police Shadow Wing, more than 80 per cent of drug abuse cases among children can be detected if monitored. "Sleeping patterns, friends circle, dressing style, red eyes, losing interest in studies, a sudden change in the behaviour pattern like violent tempers, violent breakouts, mood swings must be observed. Check their bags once in a while, also observe if they are calling on a particular number at a particular time," said an official-in-charge, shadow wing, city police.

Awareness classes at schools after vacations will be held. Focus will be on providing de-addiction and rehabilitation for those identified as drug victims. Police officials will be sent to different schools and will provide awareness along with a PPT session on the same.


Casualties from the battle for Tripoli mounted on Tuesday as a group loyal to Islamic State killed three people in Libya's remote centre showing how militants may exploit renewed chaos.

The United Nations' health body said local facilities had reported 47 people killed and 181 wounded in recent days as eastern forces seek to take Libya's coastal capital from an internationally-recognised government.

That was a higher toll than numbers given by either side, and appeared to be mainly fighters, although it also included some civilians including two doctors, World Health Organisation (WHO) spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told a Geneva news briefing.

The eastern Libyan National Army (LNA) forces of Khalifa Haftar - a former general in ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi's army - seized the largely desert south earlier this year before heading to Tripoli this month, where they are ensconced on the southern side.

The government of Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj, 59, is seeking to block them with the help of armed groups who have rushed from Misrata in pickup trucks fitted with machine guns.

The United Nations, United States, European Union and G7 bloc have all appealed for a ceasefire and return to a U.N. peace plan, but Haftar has so far not heeded them.

Far south of Tripoli, a group loyal to the Islamic State (IS) attacked the town of Fuqaha, killing three people and kidnapping another before leaving, residents said.

Fuqaha is controlled by fighters loyal to Haftar, who casts himself as a foe of Islamic extremism though he is also viewed by opponents as a new dictator in the mould of Gaddafi.

IS has been active in Libya in the turmoil since the Western-backed overthrow of Gaddafi eight years ago.

It took control of the coastal city of Sirte in 2015 but lost it late in 2016 to local forces backed by U.S. air strikes, and now operates in the shadows.

MIGRANT WORRIES

Libya's potential slide into civil war threatens to disrupt oil supplies, boost migration across the Mediterranean to Europe and scupper U.N. plans for an election to end rivalries between parallel administrations in east and west.

Libya has become the main conduit for African migrants and refugees trying to reach Europe, many of whom suffer torture, rape and extortion on their journeys.

Those who manage to board a boat to Italy risk drowning or being sent back into detention in inhumane conditions, according to the U.N. migration agency, which estimates that twice as many die in the Sahara desert as in the Mediterranean.

The U.N. refugee agency said it was extremely concerned about the rapidly deteriorating situation, and thousands of refugees and migrants were trapped in detention centres in the conflict areas.

On Monday, a warplane took out Tripoli's only functioning airport, and the number of displaced - 3,400 at the last U.N. count - is mounting alongside the casualties.

U.N. officials said they were also concerned migrants could be used as human shields or forcibly recruited to fight.

"The people of Libya have long been caught between numerous warring parties, with some of the most vulnerable suffering some of the gravest violations of their human rights," U.N. Human Rights High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet said.

"I appeal to all sides to come together to avoid further senseless violence and bloodshed."

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By Express News Service

KOCHI: Water shortage is a major problem that most of the states are facing this summer and Kerala is not an exception. Even after the disastrous floods, the lakes and rivers of the state have dried up. Director Stajan VJ has tried to convey the need to conserve water through his short film Rain of Life. The film was released on YouTube on March 22 as part of the World Water Day by actress Priyamani.

This is Stajan's first short film and he says, " Even the heirship to a kingdom is worthless when it is weighed against a drop of water." The short film tries to convey the value of water and the need for conserving every drop.

Through this 6-minute short film, Stajan conveys a message that in areas where water is abundant, nobody values it. The director wants to tell viewers that if water management techniques such as rainwater harvesting are followed, then these situations can be overcome. He says,  I wanted to do a short film based on some major issues. This is how I thought of doing a film on water conservation.

The short film begins with a young couple enjoying the beauty of nature in a helicopter. Their helicopter crashes in a deserted place in Kenya where they can't find a single drop of water. While desperately searching for water, they come across a tribal man with a vessel of water. They are in a situation where they are ready to pay the tribal man anything to quench their thirst but he is not ready to give them any. The film shows the difficulties the couple has to go through to get a few drops of water.

Produced by Seejo Ponnore, Rain of Life's characters are foreigners who have donned the roles of the young couple and the tribal man. The film is shot in the outskirts of Rajasthan around 70 km away from the popular tourist spots.

Saviour Mars who played the role of the tribal man is a theatre artist. Ekaterina Kabanova and Taha Salahasaanas who played the roles of the lady and the pilot were selected through an agency 'Impulse'.

Stajan has done over 200 promotional videos and runs his own ad film production company Burning Lights in Kochi. Presently, he is working on a feature film directed by Sreenivasan.

I wish to screen this short film across the world so that people find ways to conserve water, he said.
Ashameera Aiyappan By

Express News Service

I caught the 2006 Selvaraghavan film, Pudhupettai, on the big screen recently. Touted to be a landmark Tamil film, its one thats part of most must-watch lists. Several things have changed since the films release. For one, Vijay Sethupathi, who plays a cameo in it, is now a star, and in the theatre I caught the film in, the cheers he got were as loud as for Dhanush himself. Much may have changed, but the love for good cinema persists, and the playback craze seems to have caught on in the city.

Making the cut

At a time when even new films struggle to get a good release, what goes into picking an old film to be screened again? According to Ruban Mathivanan, managing director of GK cinemas, its about content that still works today. These films might have not received the reception they deserved back then. We pick films that we are sure will work for the discerning viewer of today, he says. Demand also plays an important role in determining these films, says Karthi T, senior manager (marketing), Jazz Cinemas, one of the first screens to join the playback trend. A 365-day calendar is created in advance, he shares, for releases in the theatre. Several aspects are focused on, including popularity, festivals and celebrity birthdays, and now, genres in vogue  political thrillers, for the moment. When we have a concept, a public poll usually decides which film we screen. This helps ensure good occupancy. Based on track records, we list the films and let the people decide, he says.

This supply to the demand policy works out well in terms of ensuring good occupancy averages, say exhibitors. We pick films that we are extremely sure will work. Lets say, 30-40,000 people vote, and 54 percent choose a certain film, this means that at least 20,000 people have voted for the film. Theres no doubt then that at least 300 people will come to see the film. In fact, playbacks have higher occupancy rates than new films, these days, points out Karthi. Owing to high demand, Gautham Menons Vaaranam Aayiram was screened as many as three times, recently.

Another example of an old film not doing too well at its time of release is Selvaraghavans Aayirathil Oruvan. However, it found enormous favour with viewers when it came back to screens, recently. We wanted to do something special for Selvaraghavan sirs birthday. Due to demand, the single show we had planned grew into eight separate shows. On seeing the response, the producer decided to watch one of the shows himself, says Ruban. This has since prompted the producer to announce plans of re-release across Tamil Nadu.

The how

Finding the holder of the films rights is a big task unto itself, say theatre owners. Usually, we dont know who has the rights. Sometimes, the rights go back to the producer after a few years. It is a challenge to figure this out and then, procure the content, says Ruban. Theres also the challenge of ascertaining whether the film is available digitally in good quality. While some producers converted their films for archival purposes, many havent. Sometimes, negatives get preserved. Before the negatives can be digitally converted though, they need to go through a restoration process. Once restored, the files reach us for conversion into the prescribed digital format for the theatres, explains Jayendra Panchapakesan, co-founder, Qube Cinemas.

All this process comes at a cost. On average, it costs around `50,000-70,000 to convert a film into digital format, and if it should be converted from a negative, the price is a steeper `2-4 lakh. Only after this process does the film reach the Digital Service Provider for the final conversion for the theatres. In the last few years, Jayendra shares that as many as 32 films have been re-released. There have been cases where stakeholders of old classics have approached us to convert it into digital format, so that they can find appropriate slots to release it. As the industry moves forward, it is important that every film be digitised and archived, he says.

Flop to hit?

Despite all this great response to re-releases, playbacks dont necessarily have the strength to change the financial status of a film. Theatre owners state that the money from these shows doesnt contribute significantly to a films box office status. This is perhaps why producers and distributors sometimes arent particularly inclined towards screening their films for a show or two.

Deals are struck with them on a case-to-case basis, with the ultimate aim being to provide an enjoyable experience for the viewer, says Ruban, who intends to make re-releases a regular feature in his theatre. Is it all simply a brand-building exercise? Not really, says Karthi. The crew of a film is proud when their film comes back. For example, when Uri was screened, we had the hero participate too, and give us bytes about the film. For us, it is about giving a great experience to our guests, he says.
By PTI

BOSTON: Zapping the brains of people over 60 with a mild electrical current can improve a form of memory -- enough to make them perform like 20-year-olds -- scientists say.

Someday, people might visit clinics to boost that ability, which declines both in normal ageing and in dementias like Alzheimer's disease, said Robert Reinhart, researcher at Boston University in the US.

The treatment is aimed at "working memory," the ability to hold information in mind for a matter of seconds as you perform a task, such as doing math in your head.

Sometimes called the workbench or scratchpad of the mind, it's crucial for things like taking medications, paying bills, buying groceries or planning, Reinhart said in a statement.

The study is not the first to show that stimulating the brain can boost working memory.

The research, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, showed success in older people and because the memory boost persisted for nearly an hour minimum after the brain stimulation ended.

"It's a superb first step" toward demonstrating a way to improve mental performance, said Barry Gordon, a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study.

More research is needed before it can be formally tested as a treatment, researchers said.

The electrical current was administered through a tight-fitting cap that also monitored each subject's brainwaves.

For study participants, that current felt like a slight tingling, itching or poking sensation under the electrodes for about 30 seconds, Reinhart said.

The researchers' idea was to improve communication between the brain's prefrontal cortex in the front and the temporal cortex on the left side, because the rhythms of activity in those two regions had fallen out of sync with each other.

So the researchers applied the current to those two regions to nudge the activity cycles back into a matching pattern.

The results provided new evidence that a breakdown in that communication causes the loss of working memory with age, Reinhart said.

Part of the study included 42 participants in their 20s, plus 42 others aged 60 to 76.

First they were tested on a measure of working memory.

It involved viewing an image such as a harmonica or broken egg on a computer screen, then a blank screen for three seconds, and then a second image that was either identical to the first or slightly modified.

The subjects had to judge whether it was the same image or not.

During a sham stimulation, the older group was less accurate than the younger participants.

However, during and after 25 minutes of real brain stimulation, they did as well.

The improvement lasted for at least another 50 minutes after the stimulation ended, at which point the researchers stopped testing.

It is not clear how long the benefit reached beyond that, Reinhart said, but previous research suggests it might go for five hours or more after stimulation stops.

Researchers got the same result with a second group of 28 subjects over age 62.
By Bloomberg

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Andrew Yang might not even be aware of it, but the controversial economic ideas espoused by the two young U.S. politicians are being tested in a national election thousands of miles away.

In Indias polls, which start on Thursday and go on for more than five weeks, 900 million voters will decide on whether to give Prime Minister Narendra Modi a second term.

Opposition leader Rahul Gandhis Congress Party is trying to undercut Modis appeal by promising 72,000 rupees ($1,038) a year to each of the countrys 50 million poorest families. The plan has a distinct resemblance to the $1,000-a-month universal basic income that businessman Yang, seeking a 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, has proposed for every American adult.

New York Representative Ocasio-Cortezs call for a jobs guarantee, the most ambitious part of her Green New Deal, also finds an echo in India, where unemployment and rural distress are central election issues. The Congress Partys manifesto vows to fill 3.4 million public sector jobs and bolster a taxpayer-funded rural employment program to 150 days of assured work. That would be up from 100 days at present (although even 50 days of work has proved hard to deliver).

Modis Bharatiya Janata Party has criticized the opposition for promoting policies it says will raise the tax burden on the middle class. In its own manifesto, the BJP pledged to cut taxes for middle-income families while promising a more modest 6,000 rupees a year cash transfer to all farmers.

The Congress Partys income supplement would cost 2 per cent of current GDP, once it ramps up. By then, sustained double-digit nominal GDP expansion will have lowered the programs cost to no more than 1.2 per cent to 1.5 per cent of GDP, according to the party's head of data analytics.

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However, if the extra purchasing power pushes up prices more than output, then politicians will almost certainly come under pressure to lift that initial Rs 69653.50 a year payment.

Even assuming that the government recouped some of the cost by taxing increased sales of goods and services and higher corporate profit, it would have to curb other subsidies and expenditure. Borrowing more isnt an option for India. Without a surge in household financial savings, which have ranged between 9 per cent and 11 per cent of GDP in recent years, having a public sector that eats up more than 8 per cent of GDP would place a very heavy burden on the private sector.

Leaving aside the funding challenge, though, the more interesting debate is on what has caused this sharp leftward turn. India is transitioning from being a development state to a compensatory state, as Rathin Roy of the New Delhi-based National Institute of Public Finance and Policy puts it, describing the new clamor to put money directly into the pockets of citizens.

But why? Sabyasachi Kar of the Institute of Economic Growth, also in New Delhi, offers three preliminary hypotheses: The Indian private sector is facing institutional roadblocks that politicians cant remove; the public sector, which once led the economy, has atrophied after decades of neglect; and theres an ongoing import of ideas of compensatory politics from the West, particularly from the U.S., where it has a completely different set of justifications.

India: Before Reforms

Between 1981 and 1991, almost a third of the gross value added in the economy went to workers as wages and allowances.

But are those justifications really so different?

The long slide in workers bargaining power in the West and a decline in their share of national income is well documented. Something similar has occurred in India too. Between 1981 and 1991, when the country was still sitting behind high barriers to foreign trade and investment, 32 per cent of the economys value added went to labor as compensation, according to an International Labor Organization working paper. Creditors claimed 27 per cent as interest, and less than 21 per cent accrued to shareholders as profit.

However, in the 1990s, New Delhi began to slash import duties and relax license restrictions. The price of imported machines dropped. Workers were still cheap, but as globalization gathered pace, they became three to four times more expensive to hire relative to capital goods in 2010 than they were in 2000, according to University of Manchester economist Kunal Sen.

This discouraged labour-heavy businesses and encouraged more capital-intensive enterprises. Between 2001 and 2013, labors share of Indias value-added dropped to 23 per cent, lenders take fell to 12 per cent, and profits share zoomed to almost 50 per cent.

India: After Reforms

Between 2001 and 2013, the share of workers' compensation, as well as interest payments in gross value-add, collapsed; profit's share soared.

As with western nations, workers are no longer fine about swallowing a shrinking portion of a growing pie. As NIPFPs Roy noted in a recent interview, Indias economy is producing goods and services for the 100 million people who have the education required for employment in capital-intensive manufacturing (and also, perhaps, talent-intensive software exports).

The remaining billion-plus population is unable to participate meaningfully as either producers or consumers. Politicians are now being forced to compensate those who were left out.

But whats their plan to stop losing competitiveness in lower-tech industries such as textiles, luggage and footwear to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, which would also disproportionately affect the worse off? The basic income debate has really only started in India.
By PTI

AUSA (Maharashtra): Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday held Congress responsible for the creation of Pakistan.

Addressing a poll rally at this town in Latur district of Maharashtra, Modi also appeared to be treading sensitive ground by asking first-time voters to dedicate their first vote to those who carried out air strike in Balakot.

"Can your first vote be dedicated to those who carried out air strike," Modi said, appealing to first-time voters.

Pakistan would not have born had Congress leaders acted wisely in the pre-independence era, Modi said, as he stepped attack on the Grand Old Party.

"Had Congress leaders acted wisely during the pre-independence era, this Pakistan would not have born," Modi said.

Modi said the Congress party's manifesto speaks the same language as that of Pakistan.

He accused the Congress and its ally NCP of standing with those who want a separate Prime Minister for Jammu and Kashmir.

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Modi was referring to National Conference leader Omar Abdullah's remark in this connection.

Hitting out at NCP chief Sharad Pawar on the issue, Modi asked if it behoved the Maratha strongman to join forces with the parties holding such a view.

On the other hand, Modi said under the BJP's watch it was the policy of 'New India' that it will kill terrorists barging into their dens.

The prime minister reiterated his allegation that the opposition parties that they were questioning the valour of the security forces post last month's Pulwama terror attack.

Modi also hailed the manifesto of the BJP, released in Delhi Monday, and said the party was committed to national security and farmers' welfare among others.

"Your trust is my biggest accomplishment in last five years," Modi told the crowd.

He also said his objective is to rid India of naxal and Maoist menace.
Pushkar Banakar By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Keeping the agrarian distress in mind, the BJP on Monday promised a slew of measures, including pension for small and marginal farmers upon attainment of 60 years of age, in its manifesto.

The BJP also reiterated its 2014 promise of doubling farmers incomes by 2022 while promising an investment of Rs 25 lakh crore in the agri-rural sector to boost productivity.

Another significant measure in the manifesto is an interest-free loan of up to Rs 1 lakh for farmers for a period of 1-5 years. However, the loan would be granted on a condition that the principal is paid back within the stipulated time.

Speaking of the feasibility of the pension scheme for farmers, former chairman of the Institute of Rural Development, Anand, YK Alagh said the step is in the right direction.

It is a good scheme but the delivery would be the key. For instance, if the scheme is implemented through the Panchayati raj system, the pension agents would benefit more than the farmers themselves. So, the implementation is the most important aspect of the promise. More comments can be made once the details of the scheme are furnished, he said.

The BJP has also promised to launch a mission to attain self-sufficiency and a National Bee-keeping and Honey Mission to double the honey production.

The manifesto also assured the formation of a new ministry  the Jal Shakti Ministry  to unify water management functions and expedite the river linking scheme.

The new ministry will also have a Jal Jivan Mission under which the saffron party has promised a Nal se Jal programme to ensure piped water supply to every household in the country by 2024.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission has called the revenue secretary and chairman, Central Board of Direct Taxes on Tuesday to discuss ongoing income tax raids.

Revenue Secretary A B Pandey and CBDT Chairman P C Mody have been called to explain the raids amid allegations by the Congress that the ruling BJP was using enforcement agencies to target it during the poll season.

The EC had on Sunday "strongly advised" the Finance Ministry that any action by its enforcement agencies during election time should be "neutral" and "non-discriminatory" and officials of the poll panel should be kept in loop about such actions.

The EC's advice had come against the backdrop of Income Tax Department's raids in Madhya Pradesh Sunday and in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in the recent past on politicians and people connected to them.

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Since the Model Code Conduct came into force on March 10, the I-T Department has carried out several raids on political leaders and their associates which the opposition has dubbed a misuse of central agencies during poll season.

The Income-Tax Department Monday said it has detected a "widespread and well-organised" racket of the collection of unaccounted cash of about Rs 281 crore during raids against close aides of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath and others.

ALSO READ | Poll-time raids welcome, but ensure neutrality

It said sleuths have recovered Rs 14.6 crore of "unaccounted" cash and seized diaries and computer files of suspect payments made between Madhya Pradesh and Delhi.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said the department has also detected a trail of Rs 20 crore suspect cash allegedly being moved to the "headquarters of a major political party in Delhi" from the house of an important person who lives on Tughlaq Road, home to many VIPs.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: In a bid to placate party stalwarts Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, who are believed to have been sulking after being denied tickets to contest the Lok Sabha polls, BJP president Amit Shah met the veteran leaders on Monday.

The meeting came on the day the party unveiled its manifesto  Sankalp Patra.

Sources said the veterans were miffed with the way they were informed that they wont be contesting this time.

Party leaders said Shah called on the stalwarts to seek their inputs on the partys manifesto.

However, insiders claimed the BJP president met the seniors to personally explain the rationale behind the partys decision not to field candidates over 75 years of age.

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The decision had been made at the partys parliamentary board meeting.

The meeting, in some quarters, is also being seen as an attempt at damage control.

Advani and Joshi are among the founding members of the BJP.

Last month, Shah personally conveyed to Advani that he wont be fielded from Gandhinagar, a seat he has held for six terms.

Joshi went public last month saying the party had decided against fielding him from Kanpur.
Sana Shakil By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The BJP on Monday promised to extend the controversial National Register of Citizens  to identify illegal immigrants  to all states and renewed its commitment to enacting the controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill in its manifesto.

The Congress promised its exact opposite  withdrawal of the Bill that caused widespread resentment in the Northeast.

At present, Assam is the only state to have NRC, but its draft did not include the names of around 40 lakh people. The final NRC list is to be released on July 31.

The BJPs manifesto proposed to implement the NRC in a phased manner in other parts of the country to combat the infiltration of illegal migrants, but political commentators raised serious concerns, citing lack of clarity about the process.

The NRC point in the BJP manifesto came as a surprise because in the past it had always claimed there was no proposal to extend it to other states. Union minister Hansraj Gangaram Ahir told Parliament on December 18, 2018: At present, there is no proposal to extend the National Register of Citizens to States other than Assam.

On NRC, the manifesto said, There has been a huge change in the cultural and linguistic identity of some areas due to illegal immigration, resulting in an adverse impact on local peoples livelihood and employment. We will expeditiously complete the National Register of Citizens process in these areas on priority. In future, we will implement the NRC in a phased manner in other parts of the country.

NRC has been opposed by many in Assam who have questioned the method of arriving at this list of genuine list of residents and several people have also alleged that they have been unfairly left out of the citizenship lists. Political commentator Mahendra Lama said, We do not know the intentions behind this promise but it does not seem like a good idea especially when there is a lot of confusion over how the process works. The process of arriving at this list is not scientific.

Lama added that the NRC process seems incomplete because there is no clarity as to what will happen to people who are declared foreigners.

How will we treat people who are found to be foreigners? There are no clear provisions for foreigners. We call them by different names-- infiltrators, refugees, illegal migrants, economic migrants, environment migrants. There is no clarity over this. They need to be treated accordingly.

The Citizenship Amendment Bill, which also featured prominently in the BJP manifesto, has also triggered immense controversy especially in North Eastern states where a lot of migrants reside and residents oppose this as they believe their resources are compromised due to these migrants.
Sana Shakil and Fayaz Wani By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI/KASHMIR: Kashmir found a special mention in the BJP manifesto on Monday just as it did in the Congress manifesto. However, promises made by both parties in the context of Kashmir are very different from each other.

While the BJP promised abrogation of Article 370 and annulment of Article 35A of the Constitution, Congress has said there will be no tampering with Article 370 which grants special autonomy to J&K.

BJPs announcement evoked sharp reactions from mainstream camp in the militancy-hit state with National Conference president Farooq Abdullah declaring that abrogation of Article 370 would pave way for freedom of Kashmiris and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti warning BJP to not play with fire.

After releasing the manifesto, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh reiterated BJPs intention to abolish the provisions which give special status and rights to Jammu & Kashmir and its residents.

Addressing a BJP rally in Suchetgarh, he asserted there will be no option with the government other than abolishing Articles 370 and if there is a demand for a separate PM in the state.

Singh was referring to a remark made by National Conference leader Omar Abdullah who, a week ago said his party will strive for restoring the autonomy of J&K that could include having a Sadar-e-Riyasat (President) and Wazir-e-Azam (Prime Minister).

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Reacting to the BJP manifesto, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah asked the BJP to try joining the hearts and not breaking them. The State Congress chief also said Article 370 was irrevocable.

Addressing workers in Srinagars Munawarabad, Abdullah said, Do they think that if they abrogate Article 370, we will be quiet? They are wrong. We will fight against it. If centre removes Article 370, then J&Ks Accession with India will be over. I think its Allahs will that they are trying to abrogate it. If they do remove it , we will get Azadi (freedom) from them.

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti too reacted strongly on Twitter saying, Why waste time in court. Wait for BJP to scrap Article 370. It will automatically debar us from fighting elections since the Indian constitution wont be applicable to J&K anymore. Na samjhoge toh mit jaoge aye Hindustan walo. Tumhari dastaan tak bhi na hogi dastaano main.

Other important aspects:

Ram Temple

We reiterate our stand on Ram Mandir. We will explore all possibilities within the framework of the Constitution and all necessary efforts to facilitate the expeditious construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

Uniform Civil Code

Article 44 of the Constitution lists the Uniform Civil Code as one of the Directive Principles of State Policy. BJP believes that there cannot be gender equality till such time India adopts a Uniform Civil Code, which protects the rights of all women, and the BJP reiterates its stand to draft a Uniform Civil Code...

Sabarimala

We will undertake every effort to ensure that the subject of faith, tradition and worship rituals related to Sabarimala are presented in a comprehensive manner before the Honble Supreme Court. We will endeavour to secure constitutional protection on issues related to faith and belief.
A double bomb attack Tuesday in the northern Syrian city of Raqa, a former bastion of the Islamic State group, killed 13 people, mostly civilians, a war monitor said.

A car bomb and explosive ordinance struck a crowded street, killing nine civilians and four US-backed fighters, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

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By Online Desk

Not long after having removed around 700 fake pages and groups related to the Congress and the BJP, social media giant Facebook has now expanded its battle against fake news by setting up 40 teams comprising 30,000 people around the world as watchdogs for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Facebook has joined hands with seven Indian accredited fact-checking firms to keep an eye on content created in Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Gujarati, along with English.

Facebook said its mission to clean up multiple platforms of any illegal activities for a fair conduct of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls began at least 18 months ago. The company is following a detailed plan, identifying key areas and prioritising major issues to work upon, Ajit Mohan, managing director and vice president of Facebook India said in a statement.

ALSO READ | WhatsApp fake news helpline of no use for 2019 elections

According to Mohan, the social media giant has identified blocking fake accounts and spread of fake news, attempts at foreign meddling, stopping abuse by domestic actors and checking inauthentic coordinated campaigns as their priorities in the run-up to the world's costliest elections.

Dozens of teams have been deployed inside and outside India to monitor and counter any such activities, he added.

The California-based company has also invited the Election Commission of India (ECI) on board, promising to train policymakers and their staff to improve cybersecurity.

FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE

"We recently joined other social media companies in a voluntary code of ethics for the general elections with the ECI. It includes measures like a dedicated communications channel for notice and take down after receiving valid legal order, processing of valid requests in the blackout period ahead of voting and voter education efforts. This builds on the ongoing dialogue weve had with the commission, as well as with the campaigns and political parties," Ajit wrote on his company blog.

ALSO READ | Reported on Facebook, fake news still thrives on other platforms

Politically motivated ads will be under the radar this poll season as the company has developed "political ad transparency tools" to make sure that the users get to see who is behind a video advertisement they are watching. From now on, it will be impossible for anyone to run any ad related to Indian politics without confirming their true identity and location. The site will also run a disclaimer reading Paid for by or Published by revealing the producers of the ads.

ALSO READ | Political ad spending on Facebook crosses Rs 10 crores; BJP continues to lead

Facebook will soon activate regional operations centres in Singapore and Dublin including data scientists and operations scientists to check on the misuse of the social media platform during the elections. More Artificial Intelligence features will be used to speed up the elimination of abusive content.

India, the largest democracy in the world, goes to the polls from April 11 in a general election spread over seven phases. The votes will be counted on May 23.
Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: In a renewed attack on BSP chief Mayawati for her Muslim vote appeal in Deoband on Sunday, UP CM Yogi Adityanath accused the alliance leaders of playing Muslim card and ruled out the possibility of Dalit-Muslim unity claiming that the treatment meted out to Dalits in Pakistan during partition was witnessed by the whole world.

INTERVIEW | Expose parties taking the side of 'deshdrohis': Yogi Adityanath

The UP CM, while addressing three back-to-back Vijay Sankalp rallies in Bareilly along with poll-bound Meerut and Ghaziabad, said if SP-BSP-RLD alliance trusted only Ali, BJP had full faith on Bajrangbali (Lord Hanuman) while bring the narrative back to religious discourse. He had kicked up a row by a similar statement in Rajasthan during state assembly elections last year.

Mayawati ji seeks Muslims support. I want to say that the SP-BSP might have faith in Ali, but we believe in Bajrang Bali as well. They 0Sp-BSP-RLD) have accepted that followers of Bajrangbali wont vote for them, Yogi Adityanath said.

ALSO READ | No matter how much BJP shout NaMo NaMo, people chanting 'Jai Bhim' will chase them out: Mayawati

He took a pot shot on Congress alleging that the party was hand-in-glove with traitors. You must have seen green-coloured flags during the nomination of the Congress chief in Wayanad, he said.

Those flags belonged to the Muslim League party, responsible for the countrys division. The green virus is scaring the entire nation; the opposition parties are not concerned about the security of the nation. Pakistan and the opposition is having problems with the strictness of the government, he stated.

FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE

Playing the temple card, Yogi reiterated BJPs resolve to build Ram temple at Ayodhya. A grand Ram temple will be built only by the BJP, he said adding that party had a firm resolve to build temple and was working in that direction.

Yogi Adityanath gave a detailed account of the achievements of five years of Modi government while seeking support for party candidates before the campaign for the first phase came to an end.
Abhijit Mulye By

Express News Service

AUSA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday appealed first-time voters to "vote for the nation", as he addressed a mammoth poll rally at Ausa near Latur in Marathwada region of Maharashtra.

In his first ever joint poll rally with Uddhav Thackeray in past five years, Modi also showered praise at the alliance party and its top family for their restraint shown by them in taking any post of power.

He also lashed out at the Congress over several issues right from their manifesto to questioning the authenticity of surgical strike and air strike and the corruption in over 40 minutes of his speech.



Towards the end of his over 40 minutes of speech, Modi made a conscious effort to strike a connect with the voters born in the twenty-first century.

"Whatever we do anything for the first time, we remember it for lifetime.... you all first time voters, all born in 21st century, are going to vote for the first time... you vote for the nation," he said amidst thunderous applause and cheers.

"Don't make any mistake..... vote for the nation when you are voting for the first time," he said, without making any direct references to the BJP, Shiv Sena or its allies.

"Give vote for the nation... the nation has given you a lot, the society has given you a lot... remember your parents, teachers, doctors...," Modi said, pointing out that whenever one draws his or her first salary or earn profits, they give it to their mother, Goddess or sister or for some cause. "The first vote is also important," he said.

"Give your vote to the jawans who died in Pulwama, give your vote to brave soldiers who conducted surgical strikes, air strikes, give your votes to the farmers who toil hard in scorching Sun, Give your vote to ensure water security for every farmer, Give your vote to ensure end to terrorism, Give your vote for ensuring robust national security," Modi added.

Modi also accused Congress for the creation of Pakistan and speaking the language of Pakistan in its manifesto.

"The Congress should peep in its past before talking of human rights. It was the same party that deprived Balasaheb Thackeray of his basic right to vote," Modi said while lashing out Congress and showering praise for Shiv Sena.

In his first election rally along with Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, PM Modi also praised Thackeray family for refraining themselves from taking any position of power.

"When I speak of dynasty in politics, I feel it should be like the Thackerays. Balasaheb could have become Chief Minister. But, he never chose to occupy any post of power. He mother let his son Uddhav do so," Modi said.

Modi arrived at the stage holding hands with Uddhav Thackeray and referred to him as "younger brother" as he began his address.
Ejaz Kaiser By

Express News Service

RAIPUR: Barely half an hour after the campaigning ended in the conflict zone of Bastar, the outlawed CPI (Maoist) triggered a powerful Improvised Explosive Device (IED) killing a BJP MLA and five police personnel accompanying him near Kuakonda in Dantewada, about 450 km south of Raipur on Tuesday.

The BJP legislator Bheema Mandavi (42 )was returning after holding a public rally at Kirandul in Dantewada when the Naxalites targeted his convoy on the Kuakonda-Bacheli route and his bulletproof vehicle was tossed up in the air following the IED blast.

ALSO READ | Sacrifice of those killed in Naxal attack will not go in vain: PM Narendra Modi

The Bastar Lok Sabha constituency is among the 91 seats, spread across 20 states, where the first phase polling will be held on April 11.

Mandavi's bulletproof vehicle was tossed-up in the air following the IED blast that created a 5-feet deep crater-like structure on the road. The ill-fated vehicle was split into three pieces, killing all passengers on the spot.

The spot is barely 4 km away from Kuakonda police station.

Its unfortunate incident. BJP legislator Bheema Mandavi and four district police personnel (including driver) were killed in the blast detonated by the Naxalites. The MLA who travelled this track a day before was advised by the local Bacheli police station not to take this route again as no road opening party (ROP) was deployed ahead of his trip on the hypersensitive route. But he ignored an advisory and took the risk.

Going by the impact it appears the rebels must have planted at least a 50 kg IED explosive, the Dantewada superintendent of police Abhishek Pallava said.

This is fourth Maoist-related incidents within a span of one week in Chhattisgarh. The incident suggests a better local intelligence network of the Maoists than the police who apparently failed to pick-up an input about the possible attack on the elected representative. Mandavi changed his plan at the eleventh

hour to take the risky route as he also stopped along the way to attend a local fair before proceeding on his way to Nakulnar. This information is believed to have reached the Maoists who got time to easily targeted his vehicle.

He was the only BJP MLA from 12 assembly seats of Bastar.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel condemned the attack expressed shock over the death of

BJP leader calling the incident as dastardly act. He convened a high-level meeting at the CM House to review the situation. However, the BJP criticised the new Congress government over lacking an effective vision to curb the Maoist menace.

Bastar has again turned unsafe. The attack is a political conspiracy. What could be the biggest failure for the 100-day old Congress regime, the former chief minister Raman Singh said. The Maoists had given a call for poll boycott and were nailing banners-posters, throwing pamphlets in interior areas of

various districts asking the people not to exercise their franchise.

The Election Commission and the Bastar police however calling the incident as

unfortunate claimed that all security-related preparedness have been accomplished to conduct free, peaceful and credible polling in the region. As many as 289 polling booths were recently re-located owing to threat perception.

We will review the security situations and take every necessary action required for peaceful polling at every polling booth, Chhattisgarh chief electoral officer Subrat Sahoo said.

The immediate concern is the apprehension likely to be felt by the polling staff who were air-lifted to inhospitable hypersensitive Naxal-affected areas forconductingg polling on Thursday, even as a big

question is being raised over the lack of timely intelligence inputs by the police ahead of the attack.

Dantewada is among the seven worst Maoist-affected districts in the strife-torn Bastar zone.
By PTI

SHIMLA: Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh Tuesday said he favours the construction of a Ram temple at the same spot where the Babri mosque stood in Ayodhya and accused the BJP of lacking the willpower to build it.

The veteran Congress leader's view is at variance with his party which has said it would abide by the judicial verdict on the issue.

Talking to PTI at his residence Holly Lodge here, the veteran Congress leader also said, "Islam came to India later. The mosque was built after demolishing the temple in Ayodhya."

"Ayodhya was the capital of Bhagwan Ram. When you have taken this step (of demolishing the Babri Masjid), build the temple. (Agar ye kadam uthaya to phir mandir bana do)," he added.

The former Himachal chief minister also accused the BJP of lacking the courage to build the temple.

"If they had the courage, they would have built the temple. The way should be paved for constructing the Ram Mandir there," he said.

The construction of a Ram temple at the same spot in Ayodhya was also a major poll plank of the BJP during the 2014 general elections.

Sitting by his side, the Congress Legislative Party leader, Mukesh Agnihotri said, "The BJP lacks the willpower for building the temple."

Singh, however, made it clear that his views on the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya are personal.

Claiming a "sure victory" for the Congress on Kangra and Shimla (SC) Lok Sabha seats out of the total four in the state, Singh said, "I will start campaigning in the state after attending the general house meeting (the party workers meeting) in Kangra on April 15."

Asked why he did not attend the party workers meeting in Mandi on Tuesday, Singh avoided a direct reply, saying he would start campaigning in Himachal from April 15.

On whether he would share dais with his "political bete noire" Sukh Ram during electioneering, Virbhadra Singh said he was not averse to it.

"If any such situation arises, I will definitely share the dais with him. I have no such differences with him as has been made out in the media. If the party has given its blessings to him and fielded his grandson Ashray (Sharma) from Mandi, I am fully with him," said Singh.

"I am, however, personally against the 'Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram' politics," he added, referring to the practice of switching parties.

Former Union minister Sukh Ram's grandson Ashray Sharma is fighting polls for the Mandi Lok Sabha seat as a Congress candidate.

Responding to a query on former Union telecom minister Sukh Ram's son Anil Sharma, who is a minister in Jai Ram Thakur-led BJP government in the state, Singh said, "Sharma will join the Congress sooner of later."

"Instead of hanging like a pendulum, he should start campaigning for his son Aashray," he added.

Responding to a question on the initial talks on fielding one of his family members from Mandi, he said, "Neither I nor any of my family members applied for the ticket."

Singh also sounded critical of the party leadership's decision to field sitting MLA Ram Lal Thakur from Hamirpur Lok Sabha seat.

Thakur has been a five-time MLA and a former minister in the state government.

"I favoured Sujanpur MLA Rajinder Rana's young son Abhishek Rana to be fielded from Hamirpur. Rajinder Rana defeated BJP's CM candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal in the last assembly elections from Sujanpur and his son Abhishek would have been a better choice for Hamirpur," he said.

In reply to a question on a section of the party leaders favouring CLP leader Mukesh Agnihotri's candidature for the Hamirpur Lok Sabha seat, Singh said, "As an aggressive politician, Agnihotri is required more in the state than the Centre at this juncture".

A section of Congress leaders had been rooting for the party ticket to Agnihotri from the Hamirpur Lok Sabha constituency, allegedly to oust him from the state politics.

Replying to a question on his MLA son Vikramaditya Singh's recent Facebook post expressing apprehensions of raids by the CBI and Income Tax Department at their residence like the IT raids at Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath's close aides, the former CM said, "My life is open to all and the property I own is my ancestral property."

Virbhadra Singh and some of his family members are facing trial in a Delhi court in a disproportionate assets case.

On poll campaigning by the top Congress leaders in the state, he said, "Party president Rahul Gandhi has already addressed a public meeting in Kangra a few weeks ago. He will definitely address more election rallies in Himachal in May."

"We will also like Priyanka Gandhi to address at least one rally in HP as she has a house in state capital Shimla," he added.

On a question on his "appreciation" for the present state government's work, he said, "I have never appreciated the Jai Ram Thakur-led BJP government's work in the state.

The chief minister and other BJP leaders are wrongly quoting me as appreciating his government in their rallies."

"If I have appreciated his work, let them show on record when and where did I do that. They should not spread false propaganda," he said.

On the Congress' "poll USPs" in the state, Singh said, "We will campaign on three points.

First, we will concentrate on unfulfilled promises of the Modi government, second, we will spread awareness about promises made in our manifesto and third, we will apprise people of the failures of the Thakur government.
By PTI

SIVAGANGA (TN): Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said Tuesday he suspected that the BJP wanted war and not peace and accused the saffron party of trying to cover up its government's "gross failures" by taking a hardline in its manifesto on "what they call national security."

Chidambaram, training his guns on BJP for its position on Articles 370 and 35A, said suggesting the repeal of these constitutional provisions would sow the seeds of a "major disaster" in Jammu and Kashmir.

To a question on how his party was going to counter the nationalism pitch of the BJP, reflected in its manifesto, Chidambaram in an interview to PTI in Sivaganga district, said, "The BJP cannot speak about what it did and failed and what it failed to do".

"BJP's manifesto does not speak about demonetisation. It no longer speaks about 2 crore jobs, which is an admission of failure. Because they have to cover up these gross failures they are now taking a hardline on what they call national security."

For 10 years during the UPA rule, he said, India was absolutely secure without any threat of war between India and Pakistan or China.

"There was no fear that any day, anytime war will break out between India and Pakistan. Therefore, to say that it is only BJP which can keep India secure is complete rubbish," he said.

"In fact it is the hardline and the boast and the exaggerated claims made by BJP which has aggravated tension on the border. People in border areas are living in fear that war may break out anytime. I have a suspicion that BJP wants a war. I don't think they want peace. They want a war."

Answering another question, he said an assurance to review the Armed Forces Special Powers Act was a demand from the Northeast and J&Kasmir and friendly political parties.

"It is also a reflection of the judgment delivered by Supreme Court in the Manipur enforced disappearance cases. We have said the immunity will be withdrawn only in three situations: enforced disappearance, sexual violence and torture," he said.

He demanded to know who in the BJP defended such things.

"They must specifically answer the question.

Do you support enforced disappearance, sexual violence and torture? Do you support immunity in these three situations?" Asked if BJP's assurances in its manifesto to extend the PM Kisan scheme to all farmers and pension for small farmers will overshadow the Congress's Minimum Income Support Scheme (Nyay), he said it "will not."

The PM Kisan scheme gives a paltry amount to farmers, he said adding Rs 6,000 per year per family works to Rs 17 per day per family and the PM Kisan amount goes to absentee (landlord) and owner-farmers but not to the tenant-farmer, he said.

"So roughly 2/3rd of the actual tillers do not get any benefit from PM Kisan Scheme," he said adding such nuances are understood by the common people and farmers in rural pockets.

On the other hand, Congress's Minimum Income Support Scheme is not targeting farmers alone but all the poor, he said.

On varying estimates in sections of the media on the cost of the Nyay scheme with some pegging it at over 5 per cent of the GDP, he said, "We know what the estimate is".

"Those who make these outlandish estimates neither understand mathematics nor economics. At its highest, when the scheme is fully rolled out, say in five years, when the entire five crore families are covered, it will cost Rs 3.6 lakh crore a year and that works out to, at today's GDP (size of which is Rs 210 lakh crore) 1.8 per cent."

In five years, the GDP will grow to about Rs 400 lakh crore and it will cost less than 1pc of the GDP then, he said.

On pre-poll surveys suggesting advantage NDA, he said, "I do not go by these surveys, because the sample size is small and the sampling method is not scientific".

Asked if aspects like scrapping the National Eligibility-cum Entrance Test and importance to autonomy of states in his party manifesto was an influence of the DMK over the Congress party, he said, "No".

"We are a national party. What we have said applies to all states in the country. The Congress believes that the time has come to transfer some subjects from concurrent to the State list."

On NEET, he said complaints against it did not come from Tamil Nadu alone.

Asked about Union minister Arun Jaitley stating that the BJP manifesto was aimed at "depleting poverty," he said "look at their record".

"Unemployment has increased and it is now at a 45-year-high of 6.1 per cent. That has aggravated poverty. Growth rate has declined," he said.

Farm sector is in distress and farm prices have declined in the last two years and real farm wages have not increased in the last 4 years according to the economic survey.

"So by any measure, by any standard, poverty has not reduced under BJP. The BJP is incapable of adopting and implementing policies that will reduce poverty," he alleged.

"The existing GST will go. We will put in place GST 2.0," he said.

On his partymen hailing him as the brain behind the Congress manifesto and a hero for them, he said, "The manifesto is the hero of this election, it is a collective effort not of party leaders, but of people."

Asked if he found any aspect in the BJP manifesto creditable, "Yes, they have continued our programmes, they have continued MGNREGA which is creditable... So wherever they have continued our programme why should I deny them credit?" he said.

On the prospects of victory for his son in the Lok Sabha election from here, he said he is confident the DMK-Congress alliance will sweep the polls in Tamil Nadu.
By PTI

PUNE: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Tuesday attacked the Congress Lok Sabha poll manifesto for its stand on powers of the armed forces in Jammu and Kashmir and sedition law by asking whether it belonged to the opposition party or terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Addressing a rally for the BJP candidate for Pune Lok Sabha seat, Girish Bapat, he hit out at the Congress for stating in its manifesto that deployment of armed forces in Jammu and Kashmir would be reduced if the party came to power.

READ | 'Happy to be blocked': Gautam Gambhir after Twitter war with Mehbooba Mufti over Article 370

"They are also saying that if they come to power, they will reduce the special powers given to the army in Jammu and Kashmir. What special power does the army have in Jammu and Kashmir? If terrorists are sighted, they have all the powers to eliminate them. They have powers to put stone pelters behind bars," said Fadnavis.

He claimed taking away these powers, as the Congress manifesto promises, will embolden terrorists to enter the restive northern state at will.

"I am wondering whether this manifesto belongs to the Congress or Jaish-e-Mohammed," he said.

FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE

He took a swipe at the Congress for claiming in its manifesto that section 124 A of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with sedition, will be scrapped.

"Maoists, terrorists, people who wage war against the country are tried under this law.

But after some students in JNU shouted anti-national slogans saying 'bharat tere tukde honge' and were arrested for sedition, it seems the Congress got disappointed and so want to withdraw this law," Fadnavis claimed.

He said the Congress-led UPA did not have the spine to retaliate against Pakistan after the 26/11 terror attack on Mumbai in 2008, adding that a "new India" had emerged with Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking over.

READ | BJP manifesto short-sighted, arrogant and voice of an isolated man: Rahul

"When the Uri attack happened, Modiji gave freedom to the Army to avenge the attack. Our brave soldiers carried out a cross-border surgical strike. After the Pulwama attack, IAF jets destroyed terror camps in Pakistan," he said.

Continuing the attack on the opposition party, he said, "When all nations acknowledged the IAF air strike on the terror camp in Balakot, only Pakistan and the Congress were demanding proof."

In a sarcastic vein, the Maharashtra CM added, "In case there was an idea that the Congress would demand proof (of the air strike), its leaders could have been tied to a missile."

He lauded the schemes of the Central government and lambasted the Congress minimum income scheme Nyay claiming the opposition party had spoken about eradicating poverty among people while going about eliminating poverty of its leaders and sycophants.
By PTI

AHMEDABAD: Former Gujarat Congress president Arjun Modhwadia said Tuesday only donkeys have a 56-inch chest, casting a slur at Prime Minister Narendra Modi that was condemned by the BJP.

Speaking at a rally in Deesa town in Banaskantha district, Modhwadia raked up a 2014 statement by Modi where the prime minister had said only someone like him with a "56-inch chest" can take bold decisions.

"A fit person has a chest of 36 inches, a body-builder can have a chest of 42, it is only donkeys who have a chest of 56 inches, and bulls have a chest of 100 inches," Modhwadia said.

"Bhakts (Modi fans) do not understand this point and are happy when someone says their leader has a 56-inch chest," he said.

FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE

State Congress in-charge Rajiv Satav and the party's Banaskantha candidate Parthi Bhatol were also present at the rally.

The state BJP condemned Modhwadia's comments.

"This proves that due to the fear of defeat, the Congress party has lost its mental balance. The words used are inappropriate, shocking and condemnable," BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya said.

"People of the state will give a proper response to this abusive and pro-Pakistani language of the Congress in elections," Pandya added.
By Express News Service

WAYANAD: Congress chief Rahul Gandhis stance that he will not speak anything against the CPM irrespective of what the Communist party says about him, is borne out of his value of tolerance, AICC general secretary Oommen Chandy has said. While singling out the BJP as the main enemy at the national level, Chandy added rivals may change in various states according to the prevailing political situation and in Kerala, the partys adversary was the CPM.

FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE

He was speaking at a meeting of UDF workers at Mananthavady to assess the progress of the election campaign for Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad. Chandy reminded that when secular forces unite at the national level, Left parties cant turn their back towards it. At the national level, its the Modi Government that has to be ousted and the Congress wishes that CPM also becomes a part of the grand alliance. However, the CPM is still stuck in the whirlpool due to an earlier decision taken at its party congress.

Though the Congress is with the believers, the party will not seek votes in the name of Sabarimala. Keralas voters are wise and they identify those who play politics in the name of Sabarimala. They know very well whom to vote for in this election, Chandy said.

The AICC leader said the state government should have exercised caution in handling the Sabarimala issue. If the Congress comes to power, the party will bring a legal solution to the imbroglio. Whether Rahul will retain Amethi or Wayanad is for him to decide. If the Congress president intervenes in anything, he never abandons it. Even after reaching Delhi, Rahul inquired over the phone the condition of the journalist injured while covering his roadshow. This is just an instance that proves his compassionate nature, Chandy said.
By Express News Service

NUAPADA: Targeting BJP over the unfulfilled promises, Chief Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik on Monday made a series of announcements including a provision of Rs 5 lakh loan to women self-help groups at zero per cent interest, if his party returns to power in the State for the fifth consecutive time.

The announcement was made by the Chief Minister at an election meeting here, a day after the BJP promised Rs 3 lakh interest-free loan to WSHGs. Four and a half crore people of Odisha are my family and I will serve them till my last breath, he said.

In a bid to woo women voters, Naveen also promised that the BJD Government would provide work worth Rs 5,000 crore per year to Mission Shakti workers. The Mission Shakti workers will be engaged in mid-day meal, PDS system, paddy procurement, Ashram school management, hospital management, tourism management and supply of school uniforms which will ensure Rs 500 crore per year, he said.

While addressing another election meeting at Komna during his Nuapada and Kalahandi visit on the day, the Chief Minister stressed on empowerment of women. Empowerment of women is the true double engine of development, he said adding that the BJD Government would make provision of Rs 25,000 for the marriage of girls of the poor family.

Naveen announced accident insurance for all members of self-help groups (SHGs). Provision of Rs 7 lakh for women under the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana will be raised to Rs 10 lakh. Besides, the BJD Government will also provide free education for girls, he said.

Criticising the BJP Government at the Centre for the unfulfilled promises, the Chief Minister asked what happened to the Bhawanipatna railway wagon factory and where is the hike in MSP for paddy and water to every agricultural field as promised by BJP. While insurance companies got the heavy amount, the farmers were denied benefits of crop insurance, he said.

Naveen campaigned for his party candidates addressing two public meetings and participated in a 40-km road show from Khariar to Sinapali in the district by using the specially designed bus for his election campaign. Later, he participated in a roadshow at Bhawanipatna. Kalahandi Lok Sabha seat will go to polls in the first phase on April 11.
British Prime Minister Theresa May toured Berlin and Paris on Tuesday to plead for an extension to the deadline for Brexit, which looked increasingly likely to be approved by EU leaders at a crunch meeting in Brussels.

May has asked for a second extension to the deadline for Britain's exit from the European Union from April 12 to June 30, which is set to be discussed by her EU partners on Wednesday.

After flying to Berlin to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel, May visited French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris who is seen as a hardliner in the negotiations and a key voice at the EU negotiating table.

Having raised doubts about whether an extension would be granted last week, meaning that Britain could crash out of the bloc without a deal, an aide to the French president underlined Tuesday that France was open to solutions.

"We've never been closed to the idea of finding an alternative solution to 'no deal' within certain limits and not at any price," the aide said on condition of anonymity.

Discussions in Brussels are set to focus on conditions such as length -- the French aide said a 12-month extension "seems too long" -- and arrangements to limit Britain's influence within the EU during this time.

"There would be a transition period for the United Kingdom as an intermediary member, which is present and applying the rules, but not taking part in decision making," the aide said.

"There would need to be clear commitments and then a mechanism for monitoring them," the aide added.

EU members are keen to ensure Britain does not have a say on issues such as the next head of the European Commission, which will be decided shortly, or the next five-year budget for the EU.

Briefing MPs from her CDU-CSU conservative bloc after she hosted May in Berlin, Merkel said the option of a Brexit deadline in early 2020 would be discussed at the EU summit, according to a source.

Extra time

May is hoping the extra time, if granted by EU leaders, will enable her to finally get a divorce deal through parliament.

British MPs have rejected a deal May negotiated with the EU three times, but the PM is now in talks with the opposition Labour party to try break the deadlock.

These discussions are moving slowly, and EU negotiator Michel Barnier said May must explain in Brussels what another postponement would achieve.

"The length of the extension must be linked to the purpose -- what it's for -- and that depends on what Mrs May will say to European leaders tomorrow," he told reporters after a meeting of EU ministers in Luxembourg.

A "no deal" -- in which Britain crashes out of the EU -- is still a possibility, but expectations of an extension helped lift the value of the pound on financial markets on Tuesday.

"There will be a real discussion. Things have not been written in advance," the French aide said of the leaders' summit in Brussels, adding that a "no deal" could not be ruled out.

The International Monetary Fund said Tuesday that Britain risks a serious shock if it leaves the EU without an agreement.

Delay conditions

Ahead of the main EU summit on Wednesday, Belgium will host a meeting of the EU members most exposed to the dangers of a no-deal Brexit ahead of the main meeting such as France and the Netherlands.

EU ministers no longer hide their irritation at the turmoil in London, where MPs cannot agree on how to leave the EU almost three years after the referendum vote for Brexit.

"We are in a very, very frustrating situation here," said Germany's Europe minister Michael Roth as he arrived in Luxembourg on Tuesday.

May had requested only a short delay to avoid having to take part in European Parliament elections which are scheduled for May 26, but a longer postponement would mean Britain participating.

EU Council president Donald Tusk's office has floated the idea of a "flexible" extension of up to a year, with an option for London to leave earlier if it finds a way through, but there is no agreement on this.

May's chances of success hinge on either rebel MPs in her Conservative party and her Northern Irish allies backing her deal at the fourth time of asking, or a compromise with the opposition Labour party.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Monday he was still waiting for signs of compromise from May and talks have been suspended until the summit in Brussels.

His top team was meeting Tuesday with some of May's senior ministers, including leading Brexit supporter Michael Gove and her more pro-European finance minister Philip Hammond.

British Prime Minister Theresa May toured Berlin and Paris on Tuesday to plead for an extension to the deadline for Brexit, which looked increasingly likely to be approved by EU leaders at a crunch meeting in Brussels.

May has asked for a second extension to the deadline for Britain's exit from the European Union from April 12 to June 30, which is set to be discussed by her EU partners on Wednesday.

After flying to Berlin to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel, May visited French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris who is seen as a hardliner in the negotiations and a key voice at the EU negotiating table.

Having raised doubts about whether an extension would be granted last week, meaning that Britain could crash out of the bloc without a deal, an aide to the French president underlined Tuesday that France was open to solutions.

"We've never been closed to the idea of finding an alternative solution to 'no deal' within certain limits and not at any price," the aide said on condition of anonymity.

Discussions in Brussels are set to focus on conditions such as length -- the French aide said a 12-month extension "seems too long" -- and arrangements to limit Britain's influence within the EU during this time.

"There would be a transition period for the United Kingdom as an intermediary member, which is present and applying the rules, but not taking part in decision making," the aide said.

"There would need to be clear commitments and then a mechanism for monitoring them," the aide added.

EU members are keen to ensure Britain does not have a say on issues such as the next head of the European Commission, which will be decided shortly, or the next five-year budget for the EU.

Briefing MPs from her CDU-CSU conservative bloc after she hosted May in Berlin, Merkel said the option of a Brexit deadline in early 2020 would be discussed at the EU summit, according to a source.

Extra time

May is hoping the extra time, if granted by EU leaders, will enable her to finally get a divorce deal through parliament.

British MPs have rejected a deal May negotiated with the EU three times, but the PM is now in talks with the opposition Labour party to try break the deadlock.

These discussions are moving slowly, and EU negotiator Michel Barnier said May must explain in Brussels what another postponement would achieve.

"The length of the extension must be linked to the purpose -- what it's for -- and that depends on what Mrs May will say to European leaders tomorrow," he told reporters after a meeting of EU ministers in Luxembourg.

A "no deal" -- in which Britain crashes out of the EU -- is still a possibility, but expectations of an extension helped lift the value of the pound on financial markets on Tuesday.

"There will be a real discussion. Things have not been written in advance," the French aide said of the leaders' summit in Brussels, adding that a "no deal" could not be ruled out.

The International Monetary Fund said Tuesday that Britain risks a serious shock if it leaves the EU without an agreement.

Delay conditions

Ahead of the main EU summit on Wednesday, Belgium will host a meeting of the EU members most exposed to the dangers of a no-deal Brexit ahead of the main meeting such as France and the Netherlands.

EU ministers no longer hide their irritation at the turmoil in London, where MPs cannot agree on how to leave the EU almost three years after the referendum vote for Brexit.

"We are in a very, very frustrating situation here," said Germany's Europe minister Michael Roth as he arrived in Luxembourg on Tuesday.

May had requested only a short delay to avoid having to take part in European Parliament elections which are scheduled for May 26, but a longer postponement would mean Britain participating.

EU Council president Donald Tusk's office has floated the idea of a "flexible" extension of up to a year, with an option for London to leave earlier if it finds a way through, but there is no agreement on this.

May's chances of success hinge on either rebel MPs in her Conservative party and her Northern Irish allies backing her deal at the fourth time of asking, or a compromise with the opposition Labour party.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Monday he was still waiting for signs of compromise from May and talks have been suspended until the summit in Brussels.

His top team was meeting Tuesday with some of May's senior ministers, including leading Brexit supporter Michael Gove and her more pro-European finance minister Philip Hammond.

British Prime Minister Theresa May toured Berlin and Paris on Tuesday to plead for an extension to the deadline for Brexit, which looked increasingly likely to be approved by EU leaders at a crunch meeting in Brussels.

May has asked for a second extension to the deadline for Britain's exit from the European Union from April 12 to June 30, which is set to be discussed by her EU partners on Wednesday.

After flying to Berlin to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel, May visited French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris who is seen as a hardliner in the negotiations and a key voice at the EU negotiating table.

Having raised doubts about whether an extension would be granted last week, meaning that Britain could crash out of the bloc without a deal, an aide to the French president underlined Tuesday that France was open to solutions.

"We've never been closed to the idea of finding an alternative solution to 'no deal' within certain limits and not at any price," the aide said on condition of anonymity.

Discussions in Brussels are set to focus on conditions such as length -- the French aide said a 12-month extension "seems too long" -- and arrangements to limit Britain's influence within the EU during this time.

"There would be a transition period for the United Kingdom as an intermediary member, which is present and applying the rules, but not taking part in decision making," the aide said.

"There would need to be clear commitments and then a mechanism for monitoring them," the aide added.

EU members are keen to ensure Britain does not have a say on issues such as the next head of the European Commission, which will be decided shortly, or the next five-year budget for the EU.

Briefing MPs from her CDU-CSU conservative bloc after she hosted May in Berlin, Merkel said the option of a Brexit deadline in early 2020 would be discussed at the EU summit, according to a source.

Extra time

May is hoping the extra time, if granted by EU leaders, will enable her to finally get a divorce deal through parliament.

British MPs have rejected a deal May negotiated with the EU three times, but the PM is now in talks with the opposition Labour party to try break the deadlock.

These discussions are moving slowly, and EU negotiator Michel Barnier said May must explain in Brussels what another postponement would achieve.

"The length of the extension must be linked to the purpose -- what it's for -- and that depends on what Mrs May will say to European leaders tomorrow," he told reporters after a meeting of EU ministers in Luxembourg.

A "no deal" -- in which Britain crashes out of the EU -- is still a possibility, but expectations of an extension helped lift the value of the pound on financial markets on Tuesday.

"There will be a real discussion. Things have not been written in advance," the French aide said of the leaders' summit in Brussels, adding that a "no deal" could not be ruled out.

The International Monetary Fund said Tuesday that Britain risks a serious shock if it leaves the EU without an agreement.

Delay conditions

Ahead of the main EU summit on Wednesday, Belgium will host a meeting of the EU members most exposed to the dangers of a no-deal Brexit ahead of the main meeting such as France and the Netherlands.

EU ministers no longer hide their irritation at the turmoil in London, where MPs cannot agree on how to leave the EU almost three years after the referendum vote for Brexit.

"We are in a very, very frustrating situation here," said Germany's Europe minister Michael Roth as he arrived in Luxembourg on Tuesday.

May had requested only a short delay to avoid having to take part in European Parliament elections which are scheduled for May 26, but a longer postponement would mean Britain participating.

EU Council president Donald Tusk's office has floated the idea of a "flexible" extension of up to a year, with an option for London to leave earlier if it finds a way through, but there is no agreement on this.

May's chances of success hinge on either rebel MPs in her Conservative party and her Northern Irish allies backing her deal at the fourth time of asking, or a compromise with the opposition Labour party.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Monday he was still waiting for signs of compromise from May and talks have been suspended until the summit in Brussels.

His top team was meeting Tuesday with some of May's senior ministers, including leading Brexit supporter Michael Gove and her more pro-European finance minister Philip Hammond.

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T Muruganandham By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: The BJP manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, released on Monday, skipped the important issues of Tamil Nadu  inter-State water disputes as well as the scrapping of NEET, but promised to safeguard traditional practices at Sabarimala.

Unlike the Congress manifesto, which has promised to fulfil two of the long-pending demands of Tamil Nadu  scrapping of NEET and bringing back education to the State list  which are reflected in the DMK manifesto too, the BJPs manifesto has not accommodated any of the promises made by its allies.

Of course, Congress promised to fulfil the second demand partially  bringing back school education to the State list while keeping the higher education in the Union List. Inter-State water disputes, as well as NEET, have affected not only Tamil Nadu but many States.

Speaking at the March 6 public meeting addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, PMK founder Dr S Ramadoss reiterated the demand for the release of seven convicts in the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE

The AIADMK, in its manifesto, promised a national poverty eradication initiative that will be named after the late CM, J Jayalalithaa and the MGR national skill upgradation scheme. Under the Amma National Poverty Eradication Initiative (ANPEI), a direct monthly transfer of Rs 1,500 will be made for the needy families.

The BJP manifesto, instead of putting forth its direct views on resolving inter-State water disputes, has promised to form a new Ministry of Water.

Besides, the manifesto has also promised to take forward the ambitious programme, conceptualized by the late BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee, for linking rivers from different parts of the country and ensure a solution to the problems of drinking water and irrigation.

The manifesto has proposed to initiate work on this programme by constituting an authority.

But the BJP manifesto has specifically mentioned the Sabarimala issue and said, We will undertake every effort to ensure that the subject of faith, tradition and worship rituals related to Sabarimala are presented in a comprehensive manner before the Supreme Court. We will endeavour to secure constitutional protection on issues related to faith and belief.

Ministry of water in offing

The BJP manifesto, instead of putting forth its direct views on resolving inter-State water disputes, has promised to form a new Ministry of Water unifying the water management functions to approach the issue of water management holistically and ensure coordination of efforts

04 The promise that all UNESCO heritage sites in the country will be upgraded to the international standard will be of some relevance as the State has four UNESCO heritage sites
Antony Fernando By

Express News Service

NAGAPATTINAM: "Have you finally come to take me away, asked 28-year-old Kanniyappan, who left his herd and came running to the people in formal clothes who arrived there in vehicles, and asked them with a desperate face. The NGO activists who had been speaking to him, held his shoulders, and reassured him, and said, Yes. This time, we are not alone. We brought the police and a big officer with us. You do not have to be afraid of your owner anymore. You are free now.  said the activists.

Kanniyappan has been held under the bonded labour for about 11 years since he was 17. His two younger brothers were brought into labour after that. He whistled and called his brothers and two other boys who left the herd and ran towards them. These are the five Adivasi boys from Villupuram district who had been sold into bonded labour have been rescued and freed near Nagapattinam on Tuesday.

The five youth is ageing from 10 to 28, belonging to Irular community, from Thirukovilur in Villupuram district, were held in several years of hard labour after herding grazing cattle in many districts before being rescued by revenue officials with the aid of NGO who tracked them for over a month. The youth have been identified as K Kanniyappan (28), K Mari (23), and K Tirupathi (14), N Chinraj (10), and R Sivaraj (14) from Irular community in Sittilingam Madam near Thirukovilur In Villupuram district.

Kanniyappan, Mari, and Tirupathi are the sons of Kannan, and Santhi, of the same family. The Kannan-Santhi couple, and the parents of Chinraj, and Sivaraj, namely Nagappan-Anjalai, and Ramachandran-Lakshmi are part of semi-primitive, Irular tribes from Sittilingam Madam, who were themselves, labourers.

It started with our usual interaction with the tribal community in Sittilingam Madam in late February where a family said their children are in bonded labour, and they cannot get them back due to the debt they owed. After collecting the details of identity, our activists went through districts like Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Sivagangai district to look for places where Kanniyappan once told their parents, said K Krishnan, the secretary of National Adivasi Solidarity (NASC).

The sold youth and their employer are like nomads and travel to several places in Tamil Nadu after herding cattle at a place for about six weeks. They were herding about 650 goats belonging to one, S Muthukrishnan, from Paramakudi in Ramanathapuram district, who had brought the youth from Thirukovilur after paying their parents for Rs 10000 to Rs 4000 depending on their age, separately over the years.

The five youth, K Kanniyappan, K Mari, and K Tirupathi, N Chinraj, and R Sivaraj had slept like nomads, wore old clothes, bathed at wherever water was available at ponds every few weeks. The eldest, Kanniyappan had the fortune of meeting their parents three years ago, but the rest other Adivasi children were not that fortunate. The group does not stay at one single place. They were arranged by their employer to travel in trucks once in six to seven weeks to find wherever pastures are available. Muthukrishnan had been abusive of the children if they had not raised the goats properly for the government procurement and fed them nothing but porridge.

The youth have to walk several kilometres per day for grazing and were abused at times for not sticking to work, or for talking to strangers over the years. The youth had to lie about the activists who had come for the rescue. So, the activists had a hard time following them as they were increasing kept moving away to place before they hop on a truck, and go to another district.

The NGO activists said they had been tracking the youth for over a month since they received the information for the first time in early March. They said they had to follow the youth without the knowledge of their employer and had to convince them for days. They finally located them in Thirukannapuram in Nagapattinam district. Four of the activists had been meeting the youth in the pastures where they were herding, and slowly tried to socialize with them. Initially, the children thought the owner is tricking them with spies. It took over ten days to gain their trust, as they finally requested the activists to rescue them from the hard labour. The activists added they had to be patient with their rescue mission, as he said there are chances the children could be whisked to another place if the owner had found out,or the children could get killed in the process.

Finally, daylight shined upon Kanniyappan on Monday evening, and the other boys were rescued by a team led by Sub Collector AK Kamal Kishore who got into the fields, met the children, and confronted the cattle owner Muthukrishnan, and got him arrested. Muthukrishnan was defiant in his argument that he would not let the children go as his parents owe him money. Muthukrishnan has been charged under Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Bill of 1976, Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act of 2015 and IPC 374 (Unlawful compulsory labour).

While speaking to Express, Sub Collector AK Kamal Kishore said, The youth have been given a Release Certificate from Bonded Labour on Tuesday afternoon and have been safely sent to Villupuram. The complete amount for their rehabilitation would be dispatched after completion of the ongoing investigation. But, at the moment, they can breathe free now.




By Express News Service

COIMBATORE: From Latur to Mysuru to Coimbatore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigned across the country on Tuesday, raising a wide range of issues. While he asked first-time voters in Latur to remember Pulwama victims and Balakot air strike when they set out to vote, in Mysuru he blamed the Congress for speaking the language of Pakistan.

In Coimbatore, he switched gears to gender empowerment. He asked how the DMK could protect women in the State when they had mistreated former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. The NDA government, on the other hand, has announced several measures like the Ujwala scheme, for women, he said, starting his address in Tamil.

Addressing the public, he blamed Communists and Congress for destroying culture in Kerala. They are politicising the Sabarimala issue for votes, he said. The BJP will continue to stand with the culture of Kerala and its people, he said. The DMK combine has fielded veteran Communist leader PR Natarajan in Coimbatore.

Addressing the small traders, Modi said his party would support the MSME sector. We reduced GST thrice based on the requests from MSME sector. We have also simplified the process. We have released subsidies worth Rs 7,000 crore to weavers to upgrade their machinery. About 2 lakh power looms have been upgraded of which 60 per cent are in Tamil Nadu, he said.Modi also recalled the 1998 bomb blasts that rocked Coimbatore, saying the city had experienced terror attack in the past.

FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE

Under NDA, price rise under control, says Modi

NATIONALISM remained the main plank of Prime Minister Narendra Modis election rally in Coimbatore on Tuesday. Its because of nationalism that every family in the country now has a bank account, he claimed. Its nationalism that made us launch the Ayushman Bharat scheme, which covers 50 crore Indians, he said.

Modi claimed the middle class would be forced to pay high taxes if the Congress comes to power. Under the NDA, price rise is under control. Under Mudra scheme, loans up to Rs 1 crore are available within 59 minutes, which is equal to the time taken to reach Chennai from Coimbatore Modi claimed.

Modi said, India can only realise its true potential if security concerns are addressed. The NDA government has attached top priority to the defence sector. In our vision for a secure India, Tamil Nadu has a special role. This is one of the States where a modern defence corridor will come up, making India self-sufficient in defence production.He alleged that India faced far more terror attacks when the Congress was in power.

Attacks Congress manifesto

Modi attacked the Congress manifesto, calling it as a document in favour of anti-India forces. I was shocked to read it. It will make terrorists happy. I was not surprised when I found it was prepared by former finance minister P Chidambaram, who heads their manifesto panel, Modi said.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Criticising both BJP and Congress for repeating old slogans, TRS working president KT Rama Rao on Monday said that BJP even cheated Lord Rama. Speaking at an election meeting with Resident Welfare Associations of LB Nagar, the TRS leader said: When I was in school, the BJP mentioned in its manifesto about the construction of Ram Mandir. The BJP released its manifesto today, again promising to construct Ram Mandir.

Congress, right from the time of Indira Gandhi to Rahul Gandhi, has been talking about garibi hatao (remove poverty). Both the parties are giving the same old slogans, he said. Their slogans will not be changed, as they had nothing to tell the people about what they did in their previous tenures.

FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE

Rama Rao asked the voters to see the difference between the three main contenders - the Congress, the BJP and the TRS - and give their vote. After the LB Nagar meeting, the TRS leader also tweeted: Congress partys new campaign slogan is #AbHogaNYAY ?? Lets all ask, Itne Saal Kisne Kiya AnYaY? You rule the country for over five decades and now say Ab Hoga Nyay!! Hypocrisy thy name is Congress ?? The TRS delivered the goods in the last five years, despite the apprehensions that the development of Hyderabad would take a back seat after the formation of the Telangana, he said.

Stating that the TRS won 75 per cent of the Assembly seats and polled close to 50 per cent votes in the last December Assembly elections, Rama Rao: Do not think that I am saying this out of arrogance. But, it is true, the Lok Sabha results too will be on the lines of Assembly elections. The TRS improved its voting percentage in the last three months. We are confident of winning 16 Lok Sabha seats.

Rama Rao called upon the resident welfare associations presidents not to think the polling day as a jolly day and come out of the homes to vote. While speaking about the developmental plans for Hyderabad, he said that the Hyderabad Metro Rail would be expanded to cover 200 km in the near future. The Metro would be extended from LB Nagar to Nagole from there to Hayatnagar. The Nagole line would be extended up to Falaknuma from there to Airport, he said.

Rama Rao also assured that the government is planning to provide 24X7 drinking water supply in Hyderabad. The system of 24X7 drinking water supply is in force only in some developed countries. But, we are planning to introduce the same in the city, he said.
By PTI

Brussels, Apr 9 (AP) China's prime minister is set to meet top European Union officials to discuss thorny issues including better access for European companies to Chinese markets and security concerns over high-speed 5G network technology.

The stakes are high with two-way trade between the EU and China worth around 1 billion euros (USD 1.1 billion) a day.

A senior EU official speaking on condition of anonymity because the meeting has yet to happen says that the EU wants "a more balanced financial-economic relationship" with Beijing and for European companies to have the same access to Chinese markets as Chinese businesses have to Europe's markets.

Tuesday's summit in Brussels comes two weeks after Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed during a visit to Paris to work with European leaders to seek fairer international trade rules.
By PTI

LONDON: Brexit may be postponed once again this week, perhaps by as much as a year. The British economy, though, will remain a prisoner of a confidence-sapping uncertainty.

British Prime Minister Theresa May will ask for an extension to the April 12 Brexit date in an effort to find agreement among lawmakers on what a deal should look like.

The EU is more inclined to grant a longer extension to make sure Britain has the time to sort out its political impasse.

While an extension reduces the likelihood of a 'no-deal' Brexit, which would see the country crash out of the EU on Friday with likely painful economic consequences, it prolongs the uncertainty for businesses.

That uncertainty has led a drop in businesses investments, foreign investment, and consumer spending.
By PTI

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Army on Monday said India has failed to provide any evidence of downing a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet during the February 27 aerial combat over Nowshera in Jammu and Kashmir, despite claiming that it has proof of the incident.

The statement came hours after the Indian Air Force on Monday released radar images as part of its "irrefutable evidence" to assert that it shot down an F-16 fighter jet of Pakistan during the airstrike.

In a tweet, Pakistani military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said, "Repetitions don't make truth of a lie. Despite claiming possession of evidence on shooting F-16, IAF still short of presenting it."

Graphic captures from an airborne warning and control system (AWACS) were shown by the IAF in New Delhi at a media briefing, reiterating that it has credible evidence that Pakistan Air Force (PAF) lost an F-16 fighter jet in the aerial engagement.

The IAF had issued a similar statement on Friday asserting that it shot down an F-16 in Nowshera sector after leading American magazine 'Foreign Policy' reported that a US count of the F-16s with Pakistan has found that none of them are missing.

Air Vice Marshal RGK Kapoor, the Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Operations and Space), said the IAF has more credible information and evidence that is clearly indicative of the fact that PAF has lost one F-16 in the air action on February 27.

"However, due to security and confidentiality concerns, we are restricting the information being shared in the public domain."

India has been maintaining that IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman had engaged with one of the Pakistani F-16s and shot it down before his Mig-21 Bison was downed, but Pakistan has denied losing any aircraft in the combat.

Varthaman was captured by Pakistan and was released after spending nearly 60 hours in Pakistani custody.

Ghafoor also reiterated that Pakistan destroyed two Indian jets and claimed the "wreckage seen on the ground by all".
By PTI

JERUSALEM: Israelis began voting Tuesday in the country's most closely-fought election in years that could propel incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces the ignominy of being indicted in a series of graft cases, to become the longest-serving premier in the Jewish state's history.

Over 10,000 polling stations opened around the country from 7:00 a.m. (local time) Tuesday to allow more than 6.33 million eligible voters to cast their ballots.

The results will start coming in at 22:00 (local time) Tuesday. Prime Minister Netanyahu, the leader of the right-wing Likud Party, is seeking a fifth term in office.

ALSO READ | Iran Guards terror designation: Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu thanks US

But he is facing serious corruption allegations and a stiff challenge from former army chief Benny Gantz in the polls that have been seen as heavily divisive.

Gantz, who voted in his hometown of Rosh Haayin, called for a "new path.

"I'm happy to stand for the good of the citizens on a new path," the 59-year-old retired general said after casting his ballot.

We shall respect democracy and call for a respectful and quiet day from all sides. All the recent poll surveys have shown Gantz's Blue and White party in a close race with Netanyahu's ruling Likud party, or even performing slightly better to emerge as the single largest party, but the 69-year-old prime minister looks much well placed to garner a coalition given the dominance of the right-wing bloc which looks set to win majority seats in the 120-member Knesset (Israeli parliament).

However, many analysts have not ruled out the possibility of a unity government, despite the two main rivals ruling out the possibility of joining hands, given that the elections may be followed by US President Donald Trump's peace plan which may drive a wedge in a possible right-wing coalition.

Trump has taken measures that have been seen by some as direct intervention in Israeli polls to help his friend Netanyahu, who is seeking a fifth term that would make him Israel's longest-serving leader, surpassing founding father David Ben-Gurion.

However, Netanyahu's campaign has been clouded by a series of looming corruption indictments.

He has been premier for a total of more than 13 years. He faces his stiffest challenge in a decade from Gantz, a former military chief making his first foray into politics, who has bolstered his chances by uniting his fledgling faction with Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid party and former defence minister Moshe Ya'alon's Telem party to create the Blue and White party.

At a rally in Jerusalem Monday, Netanyahu told his supporters not to be "complacent" and urged them to turn out at polling stations.

He warned that his "leftist" rivals could still win. Gantz Monday dismissed the prime minister's dire warnings about the right-wing, saying it was only Netanyahu's hold on power that was in a precarious position.

"The right is not in danger, Netanyahu is in danger. It is not a security threat, but a legal one," the former general told Army radio.

Israel needed to choose between "a direction of unity and connection and hope" and one of "extremism," he said and vowed to form "a cabinet of reconciliation, with representatives from the (current) coalition and opposition".

A jittery Netanyahu in the final days of his campaign veered to the right vowing to annex the Jewish West Bank settlements if re-elected, a move if executed would certainly kill the possibility of reviving Israel-Palestinian peace talks.

The issue of reviving the peace process with the Palestinians has in any case been pushed to the backburner with none of the serious contenders giving it any sort of prominence.

The controversial statement by Netanyahu on annexation of West Bank settlements is being viewed as a desperate attempt to cut into the votes of other right-wing parties to ensure that Likud emerges as the single largest party and gets a definite first shot at cobbling a government.

ALSO READ | Benjamin Netanyahu pledges to annex West Bank settlements after vote

A similar controversial statement by Netanyahu during the last general elections urging right-wing voters to go to vote as "Arabs were polling in droves" had helped boost Likud's prospects and some analysts see him as resorting to a similar gimmick by announcing the intent to annex.

Hanging over Netanyahu is a likely indictment in three corruption cases, including one charge of bribery.

He has been rumoured to be planning to condition, or tacitly link, entry to the post-election coalition he hopes to form on support for the so-called "French law," which would shelter him from prosecution as long as he remains in office.

He, however, denied seeking such legislation.

"There will be no French Law and no change to the immunity law. It's all spin," he told a television channel.

The final results are likely to be published on Thursday but the government formation is expected to take much longer.

By law, the final results must be published within eight days of the vote, but a spokesman for the Central Elections Committee said the counting would be finished on Thursday afternoon.

All the counting is done manually, following the closing of the polling stations.
By Associated Press

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted his Turkish counterpart in Moscow on Monday, discussing how to coordinate their next moves in Syria and how to deepen business ties, including the sale of advanced Russian missiles to Turkey that has riled the United States.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Russia, his third this year, underlined the increasingly close cooperation between the two countries and Turkey's readiness to defy the US.

Last week, US Vice President Mike Pence warned Turkey that it was risking its NATO membership and its participation in the F-35 fighter program by failing to heed Washington's demand to cancel the contract with Russia for the S-400 air defense missile systems.

After Monday's talks, Erdogan said that Turkey considers the Russian deal done and won't submit to pressure.

"On the issue of the S-400s, we have determined our road map, we have taken steps," Erdogan said. "Those who tell us to give up our plans, those who make recommendations do not know us. If we have made a contract, if we have reached a deal, then this business is finished. This is our sovereign right, this is our decision."

Putin described the S-400 contract as a top priority in cooperation between the two countries, adding that other weapons deals are in the making.

"We may reach agreements on the joint development and production of high-tech weapons," he said.

Turkey's purchase of the Russian missiles marked the first such contract for a NATO member. Turkey has ignored US demands to abandon the agreement, and Erdogan said Friday that deliveries of the S-400s will begin in July.

The Turkish leader noted that Washington had offered Ankara the US -made Patriot air defense system, but said the US offer isn't as favorable as Russia's.

The US and other NATO allies say the S-400s aren't compatible with the alliance's weapons systems. Washington has voiced concerns that their use by Turkey could compromise security of the state-of-the art US F-35 fighter jets that Turkey stands to receive.

Putin and Erdogan also talked about the completion of a pipeline that will carry Russian gas to Turkey, the planned construction of Turkey's first nuclear power plant, which is to start operations in 2023, and other economic projects.

Erdogan said the number of Russian tourists who visited Turkey last year reached a record 6 million.

Putin and Erdogan have developed a close personal rapport and held regular meetings. They called each other "my dear friend" throughout the talks, saying that the two countries plan to expand their annual trade, currently at about $25 billion, to $100 billion.

Putin said the construction of the underwater segment of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline crossing the Black Sea has just been completed, adding that it's set to come online later this year.

On Syria, Russia and Iran have thrown their support behind Syrian President Bashar Assad, while Turkey has backed his foes during the eight-year war. Despite that, the three countries have teamed up to broker a peace deal for Syria, united by their shared desire to undercut US clout in the region.

Russia and Turkey also have closely coordinated moves on Syria, where they struck a deal in September to create a security zone in the northern province of Idlib. That agreement averted a Syrian army offensive that had sparked fears of a humanitarian catastrophe.

Putin said Russia and Turkey so far have failed to fully implement September's agreement, but emphasized that significant progress has been made.

"We have moved forward, albeit not as quickly as we hoped," he said.

Erdogan also voiced support for the deal in Syria.

"We have taken the steps we need to take and we will continue to do so," Erdogan said. "There is no turning back."

The Turkish leader emphasized Ankara's intention to create a safe zone to keep the Syrian Kurdish militia  the People's Protection Units, or YPG  away from its border. Turkey views YPG as a "terrorist group" for its ties to outlawed Kurdish rebels inside Turkey.

"We have said that we will not agree to a structure in Syria's north that would threaten our security as well as Syria's territorial integrity," Erdogan said.

Putin and Erdogan vowed to continue efforts to encourage political settlement in Syria by pushing for the creation of a committee to draft the country's new constitution.
Banque Misr achieved net profits worth EGP 10.4 billion before tax deductions during fiscal year 2017/18 and EGP 6.3 billion after taxes.

In a statement on Monday, the bank said that the total financial position hiked 12.3 percent, reaching EGP 884 billion compared to EGP 787 billion in the previous fiscal year.

The decline in profits is attributed to the bank's offering of saving vessels in Egyptian pounds with high revenue (17 and 20 percent) following the state's plan for economic reforms.

The customer deposits grew 25.7 percent, recording EGP 670 billion compared to EGP 533 billion in the previous fiscal year.

The bank dominates 18.8 percent of the Egyptian deposit market with an increase of 1.2 percent.

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Dave Hinton is editor of The News-Gazette's Our County section and former editor of the Rantoul Press. He can be reached at dhinton@news-gazette.com.
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The Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Bureau is very concerned the Registration & Electoral Office has not recovered a Register of Electors for the 2016 Legislative Council General Election.

The office is searching for the Register of Electors of a polling station in Kwai Tsing.

The register contains information, including the names, genders, addresses and identity card numbers of about 8,000 electors.

The bureau asked the office to complete the verification and search within one week and give a full account of the findings immediately afterwards.

It instructed the office to notify the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data of the incident, and to confirm that should the loss of the register be ascertained, action would be taken to notify affected electors and to mitigate any possible damage.

The office said there has been no information so far showing any leakage of the relevant information and apologised for the distress to electors caused by the incident.

The Electoral Affairs Commission also expressed concern over the incident and instructed the office to confirm as soon as possible whether that register is missing.

It asked the office to launch a comprehensive review on the handling of voter registration information, electoral materials during election and the actual execution.

According to the Electoral Affairs Commission (Electoral Procedure) (Legislative Council) Regulation, election documents must be retained for at least six months from the date of an election.

The documents must be destroyed afterwards, unless directed by a court order relating to an election petition or criminal proceedings.

The Registers of Electors for the 2016 Legislative Council General Election have been kept for the ongoing investigation, while ballot papers of that election have been destroyed in accordance with the law.
A rich programme is promised for the 21st edition of the festival, with opening film 'We Are Not Princesses' directed by Bridgette Auger and Ittab Azzam, as well as guests from across the globe

Related Ismailia film festival to honour Congolese director Mweze Ngangura

Egypt is opening the 21st edition of the Ismailia International Film Festival for Documentaries and Shorts on Wednesday.

The festival is taking place in the coastal city between 10 and 16 April.

The annual event, organised by the Ministry of Culture's National Cinema Centre, will screen dozens of films participating in its various contests on six screens across the Suez Canal city, in addition to others in special panorama and other programmes celebrating African, Polish and French films.

"We promise a very well-organised edition full of valuable films as has come to be expected at the Ismailia festival," the centre's Khaled Abdelgelil told journalists, critics and cinema experts during a press conference held at the centre's headquarters on Sunday.

The organisers announced that they would print eight books related to the field and would host a number of workshops and seminars in addition to hosting a minor festival entitled 'Films and Jazz,' focusing on films made about the music genre. An international forum on the distribution and marketing of documentary and short films will also be held.

Khaled Abdelgeliel

Abdelgelil also said that he valued the support of ministry officials and Ismailia governorate, who have "offered continued cooperation" in the logistics of the festival, and praised the artistic effort of the festival's director Essam Zakaria, "who works hard with a very limited budget and mainly depends on the in-house resources and manpower of the centre."

"Our experience in the last three years of separating the festival's presidency from the centre proved successful, and I call on any president who follows me at the centre to do the same," he added.

Essam Zakaria

Zakaria echoed Abdelgelil's words of thanks and pledged a successful edition. He also revealed that there will be two separate juries because of the high number of films competing.

"The Ismailia Festival's success always prompts more filmmakers to take part, not to mention the rise of documentary and short production across the globe," Zakaria stated.

The documentaries competition will be headed by well-known Egyptian director Yousry Nasrallah, while the Short Film jury is headed by French actress and filmmaker Maryline Canto.

The Ismailia festival, held since 1991, will also honour the names of seven Egyptian, Arab and African filmmakers; including Egyptian DOP Said Shimi, Lebanese director Borhane Alaouie and Congolese Mweze Ngangura.

The festival's opening film will be 'We Are Not Princesses' (2018), directed by Bridgette Auger and Ittab Azzam, which tells the story of the "incredible strength and spirit of four Syrian women living as refugees in Beirut."

Ismailia is located 100km east of the capital Cairo, with various modes of transportation available to travel the Suez Canal city.

Accommodation costs in Ismailia are lower than in the capital Cairo, with several hotels and resorts available for different budgets.

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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The trial of a suspected serial fraudster who allegedly masqueraded as former High Court judge Justice Mafios Cheda and swindled several Government officials of large sums of money continued yesterday with one of the victims, Deputy Minister for Defence and War Veterans Affairs Victor Matemadanda testifying.





It is alleged Tinashe Munhuweyi (36), of Mufakose in Harare would call the victims and introduce himself as Justice Cheda and would pretend to be desperate and in urgent need of financial help.





Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Dr Sekai Nzenza and Member of Parliament for Bubi constituency Richard Moyo were also conned.





Other victims include Great Zimbabwe University Professor Ben Siyakwazi and a relative to the late retired High Court judge, Justice Simpson Mutambanengwe, Naboth.





According to the State, the named victims lost a total of over $12 000.





Cde Matemadanda yesterday took to the witness stand and narrated before magistrate Mrs Rumbidzai Mugwagwa how he lost his $600 to the suspected fraudster.





Cde Matemadanda said when he received the call for help from the imposter, he was made to believe it was Justice Cheda since they had met on several occasions.





He said he realised that he had been duped after Justice Cheda became evasive when he wanted his money back. At one point, I called him (Munhuweyi) and he said he was in Namibia on his way to Belarus for a court session, he said.





He then said he had instructed his wife to send me my money but nothing came through. He was always changing stories that is when I realised I had been played.





I conducted my own investigations and later spoke to the real Justice Cheda, who knew nothing about the transactions. Justice Cheda even said he had also received various complaints of people who had been duped in his name.





Munhuweyi denied the allegations.





Prosecutor Ms Patience Chimusaru alleged that on September 17 last year, Munhuweyi contacted Cde Matemadanda while purporting to be Justice Cheda and misrepresented that he had two trucks which had run out of fuel at Chirundu Border Post.





He allegedly requested for $600 to refuel the trucks and pay for other expenses. Munhuweyi allegedly asked Cde Matemadanda to transfer the money into a supplied EcoCash account and promised to repay the debt.





Munhuweyi allegedly became evasive. On November 28, Munhuweyi, the court heard, contacted Minister Sekai Nzenza masquerading as Justice Cheda and lied that his nephew had a truck carrying fertiliser which had a breakdown on its way from South Africa.





He asked for $825 to fix the truck before asking for a further $863 the following day which he said was for fuel.





The money was sent via EcoCash. Minister Nzenza became suspicious due to the unending demands and made her own investigations which unearthed the scam.





Using the same modus operandi, Munhuweyi allegedly defrauded Professor Siyakwazi after misrepresenting that his son Christian Cheda had died while on his way to India for medical attention.





He then said he was looking for financial assistance towards his sons funeral.





Meanwhile, in a separate case Pastor Admire Kasi yesterday appeared in court representing his real estate company, which is being charged with fraud that happened in 2002.





Husband to gospel musician Ivy Kombo, Pastor Kasi returned to Zimbabawe recently from his United Kingdom base.





He appeared before magistrate Mrs Vongai Muchuchuti-Guwuriro and was remanded out of custody pending trial.





Prosecutor Mr Sebastian Mutizirwa told the court that Pastor Kasi was not being charged in his personal capacity.





It is the States case that sometime in 2012, Priscilla Moyo saw an advert in a local newspaper that indicated Adsa Real Estate was selling a stand in Bluffhill, Harare.





She became interested and proceeded to Adsa Real Estate offices on February 22.





Moyo, the State alleged, paid a total of Z$1 495 537 in three instalmants for which she was given receipts.





After paying the full purchase price, Moyo who was then based in Botswana, gave his brother Kennedy power of attorney to sign the agreement of sale which was done on February 25.





It is the States case that on March 18, Moyo paid the balance of Z$580 000 to Adsa Real Estates secretary and was issued with a receipt.








SERIAL litigant Ignatius Masamba, who was on several occasions slapped with orders for perpetual silence at the High Court, will now undergo psychiatric examination to ascertain his mental status.





A number of High Court judgments were issued barring Masamba from suing anyone in relation to several specific court disputes, but this time he annoyed the court after bringing up fresh vexatious suits.





Masamba, who over-exercises his right to sue, has over the past five years bombarded the High Court with 49 cases and the Constitutional Court with 13 cases, the bulk of which were viewed as frivolous and vexatious.





At the Magistrates Court, Masamba also filed a number of civil cases. When he visits any public offices, the officers who attend to him risk being served with summons any time.





Judges have complained of Masambas disdain and disregard of court orders.





The hyper-litigious Masamba has picked fights with the Harare City Council, Zimbabwe School Examination Council, former president Robert Mugabe, Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company, the Judicial Service Commission and many others.





In one of the cases, High Court judge, Justice Joseph Mafusire ordered him to voluntarily be examined for mental health issues, but he did not comply.





In the latest case, Justice Felistus Chatukuta ordered that he be compulsorily examined by two different psychiatrists.





If Masamba does not go on his own, he will be forcibly taken to the psychiatrist in terms of the court order.





The applicant be and is hereby ordered to subject himself to an examination by two psychiatrists from Government institutions within 14 days of the issuance of this order. The two psychiatrists shall inquire into and report on his mental state.





In the event that the applicant fails to comply with paragraph 2 of this order, the registrar be and is hereby directed to issue a writ for personal attachment and the Sheriff be and is directed to execute this order, ruled Justice Chatukuta.








South Africa will return assets and cash stashed in the country by the slain Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, the Treasury said on Thursday.





The two governments agreed on the repatriation from South Africa of Libyan funds, totalling almost R10bn.





It is thought to include diamonds and gold. The assets were placed in South Africa by the Libya Investment Authority, the Libya Africa Investment Portfolio and the Libya Africa Investment Company  funds closely controlled by the Gaddafi regime.





The Treasury said the assets will be returned in line with UN rules. The deal was reached at a meeting between Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and a Libyan government delegation on June 4 (2013).





The decision was informed by the fact that the government of Libya established a single body in 2012 to co-ordinate the repatriation of assets to Libya, the government said. This body co-operated with the committee formed in terms of the UN Security Council Resolution 1970 (2011) and the panel of experts which co-ordinated repatriation to Libya of assets frozen in various countries.





South African media last week (2013) reported that Libyan investigators had approached the treasury with evidence that the assets were held by four local banks and two security companies. A letter sent by Libyan investigators said large amounts of cash from Libyas state investment funds had been uncovered in South Africa and neighbouring states.





South Africa opposed Natos military intervention in Libya during the rebel uprising against Gaddafis regime in 2011. The veteran leader was captured and killed in October 2011 while he was trying to flee his home town of Sirte.





Libyan investigators learned of state funds stashed in South Africa from Gaddafis former intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi. He is in a Libyan prison after being extradited from Mauritania. Part of the missing money is allegedly controlled by Gaddafis former chief of staff Bashir Saleh.





Saleh, who headed Libyas R400bn sovereign wealth fund, is wanted in Libya for fraud and is the target of an Interpol arrest warrant under the alias Bashir al-Shrkawi. Several high-ranking officials linked to Gaddafis regime, including members of his family, have been linked to corruption scandals that emerged after his death.








ZIMBABWE Electoral Commission (Zec) commissioner Dr Qhubani Moyo has won a legal battle against a Bulawayo widow with whom he was locked in a protracted house ownership wrangle for the past 18 years.





Dr Moyo bought a residential stand in Selbourne Park suburb from the late Mr Leonard Godfrey Masina and his wife, Regina, for ZW$260 000 in 2001 and developed it.





However, Ms Masina by virtue of being the surviving spouse of the seller of the property, had been refusing to sign all papers necessary to effect cession of his rights, title and interest in the property.





Dr Moyo, through his lawyers Shenje and Company, filed an application in terms of section 3 of the Titles Registration and Derelict Lands Act at the Bulawayo High Court citing the Estate of the late Leonard Masina, Ms Regina Masina and the Bulawayo City Council as respondents.





He sought an order directing Mrs Masina to sign all the required papers to effect cession of his rights, title and interest in the immovable property into his name or proxies within 10 days of the order.





Justice Maxwell Takuva ordered Ms Masina to sign the papers failure of which the Sheriff of the High Court was granted leave to do so in terms of section 3 of the Titles Registration and Derelict Lands Act.





The first respondent (Estate of the late Leonard Masina), his agents, nominees or proxies or administration of his estate as the case may be, be and are hereby ordered to sign all papers necessary to effect cession of his rights, title and interest in the property called stand 14395 Selbourne Park, Bulawayo into the names of the applicant, said Justice Takuva.





In the event that she fails to comply with the order, Dr Moyo wants to be granted leave for the Sheriff of the High Court to sign the papers in terms of section 3 of the Titles Registration and Derelict Lands Act.





In papers before the court, Dr Moyo said the late Mr Masina at the time of the sale was a holder of certain rights, title and interest in the immovable property which was at that time an undeveloped piece of land.





On August 14 in 2001, the first and second respondents sold the piece of land to me in terms of a written agreement in the sum of ZW$260 000, said Dr Moyo.





He said he developed the property in compliance with the terms in the principal agreement with the Bulawayo City Council.





Dr Moyo said the sale of the property had the full blessings of council after he had been on the housing waiting list.




Egypts non-petroleum exports to the United States stood at $1.6 billion in 2018, almost 15 percent more than the previous year, Egypts trade and industry ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

US imports to Egypt, meanwhile, went up by more than 26 percent to $5.56 billion in the same year, as opposed to $3.9 billion the year before, the statement added.

This means that trade volume between the two countries, of both petroleum and non-petroleum products, amounted to $7.5 billion, up 34 percent from 2017.

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Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Amon Murwira has ordered the scrapping of a $250 000 annual protocol budget provided for the minister by the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef) as he moves to stamp out corruption.

The abuse of the fund had gone unabated over the years, with the most notorious example being that Zimdef of former minister Professor Jonathan Moyo and his deputy Godfrey Gandawa who were exposed two years ago for abusing the slush facility.





Prof Murwira told a public consultation meeting on the amendment of the Manpower Planning and Development Act (Chapter 28:02) at Gweru Polytechnic College on Monday that the budget was being abused and in some instances had been used to buy bicycles for the ministers constituency.





We intend to reform the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund to align it with good corporate governance practice by putting in place a board to be appointed by the minister responsible for the administration of the Act, he said.





There used to be a $250 000 budget for the minister called protocol. To deal with corruption at Zimdef, I said lets scrap it. I said let us remove it because it was prone to abuse by the minister. Some were buying bicycles and wheelbarrows with the money which is some form of abuse while children had no funds or resources to develop skilled manpower in the country, he said.





In 2016, Prof Moyo was accused by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) of allegedly benefiting from close to US$270 000, which was siphoned from Zimdef.





Prof Moyo, through his personal assistant, allegedly used close to US$50 000 from the fund to buy bicycles, which he distributed to his constituency as well as a US$24 000 loan which he repaid.





So we will have the board and a chief executive with a contract of only two five-year terms whose duties will be to monitor and control the public funds and property so that they are not abused, said Prof Murwira.





He expressed concern that while Zimbabwe has a high literacy rate of over 94 percent, its skills level are at a mere 38 percent.





He said the need by almost everyone to import goods and services was a true reflection of this.





Prof Murwira said the country has an acute shortage of skills in the engineering and technology, natural and applied sciences, medical and health sciences as well as the agricultural sectors.





From the colonial era to date we have been in a cage, in a box where we were being trained to look for jobs and not to create jobs and that has to come to a stop now. With this 94 percent literacy rate, the success of our basic education system must now be translated into national competitive advantage through equipping graduates that pass through our higher and tertiary education system with more relevant modern skills for economic prosperity, he said.





Prof Murwira said for Zimbabwe to attain the vision of a middle income by 2030 and address social challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality, there was need to invest in relevant education, training and skills development and thus the need to amend the Manpower Planning and Development Act.
Fairbanks, AK (99707)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low -37F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low -37F. Winds light and variable.
The Daily News-Miner encourages residents to make themselves heard through the Opinion pages. Readers' letters and columns also appear online at newsminer.com. Contact the editor with questions at letters@newsminer.com or call 459-7574.

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Japan decided Tuesday to extend its sanctions against North Korea for two years, maintaining pressure on Pyongyang to denuclearize and resolve its past abductions of Japanese nationals.

The sanctions approved for extension by the Cabinet before they expire on Saturday impose a total ban on bilateral exports and imports, and forbid the entry into Japan of North Korean-registered ships, as well as vessels that have stopped at a North Korean port.

The two-year extension is designed to prod North Korea to take specific steps toward achieving the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula as pledged, as well as resolving the abduction issue, a priority for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

As the United States continues its dialogue with North Korea over denuclearization, Japan has also made some conciliatory gestures.

Abe has expressed willingness to engage with North Korea through direct talks with leader Kim Jong Un to resolve the abduction issue.
South Africa: SA makes its mark in fisheries economy

South Africa is no longer a spectator country in the business of the ocean and fisheries economy, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Senzeni Zokwana said on Tuesday.

I am proud about the strides we have made as government within the fisheries sector. The path we have started will put us on a higher plane in creating more opportunities for our people," said the Minister when he briefed media on the strides South Africa has made in the ocean economy, especially in fisheries.

Fisheries management remains a complex sector given the challenges of the need to provide fair access to all in the ever shrinking resource, while having to balance the conservation of such stocks for future generations.

In the world of tuna management, South Africa has quickly emerged as a leading light and a role model looked up to by many developing nations that are participating in these RFMOs [Regional Fisheries Management Organisations].

South Africa has not only improved and achieved a clean slate in terms of their compliance with adopted conservation management measures and reporting requirements, but also makes a significant contribution to the scientific investigations and management of tuna and other large pelagic species, he said.

No less than 20 papers and presentations were prepared and delivered by South African fisheries scientists this year, an unprecedented contribution which was specifically acknowledged during the meeting of the Standing Committee on Research and Statistics and International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna.

Zokwana said departmental scientist, Dr Henning Winker, has developed a stock assessment tool - originally developed for assessments of the South African line fishery - which is now being launched in Spain.

South Africa is gaining influence and starts to increase pressure on countries that fish unsustainably. South Africas strategy  improvement of its own allocation were possible with concurrent recovery of the stocks - was successful and our fishery will be able to reap the benefits of the increasing number of fishes in our waters in the years to come, said Zokwana.

Unlike in the inshore fisheries, which are severely oversubscribed in South Africa, the domestic tuna quotas remain largely underutilised. Also, large parts of the stocks of Southern Bluefin, Bigeye and Yellowfin tuna are fished by distant water fishing nations.

The value of the fish right on South Africas stoep is close to a Billion Rand and South Africa, with its excellent infrastructure, is well placed to net increased benefits from this resource to alleviate the pressure on its nearshore resources.

The net has been cast, now it is time to start the long haul, said Zokwana.

The Minister said the department is also looking at establishing multispecies hatcheries in the Eastern Cape and Northern Cape that will support community based aquaculture farms, stocks enhancement and skills development.

To promote transformation of the sector and to ensure support for small scale and rural aquaculture enterprises, Zokwana said that the department is developing a small scale aquaculture model and transformation strategy.

To create an enabling environment, DAFF is implementing Aquaculture Development Zones (ADZs). These are areas earmarked for aquaculture value chain activities with all relevant authorisations in place and relevant basic infrastructure in order to reduce the cost of doing business, the Minister said.

All the authorisations were received for Saldanha Bay in the Western Cape as well as Qolora and Coega in the Eastern Cape ADZs.

The environmental impact assessments for the Amatikulu in KwaZulu-Natal and Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape ADZs are still underway. The department in partnership with provincial departments are piloting aquaculture in the Van der Kloof Dam in the Northern Cape, Nandoni Dam in Limpopo, Disaneng in the North West and Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal.

He said he was proud that government has started to introduce small scale fisheries in coastal provinces which will see massive jobs creation while at the same time building new economic players within the fisheries sector.

We will continue to drive transformation and diversification within the sector bringing those who were previously disadvantaged as critical players.

The number of Operation Phakisa projects has increased from 24 to 35. These projects have committed to increase production in the sector from 5000 to 25 000 tons, create over 3000 additional jobs and increase GDP contribution by over R 1 billion per annum.

South Africas fish consumption is comparably low at around 8kg per person per annum versus the global average of 19kg per person per annum. Therefore, in order to increase the consumption of fish locally, the department is to embark on a marketing and awareness programme nationally.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2019-04-09. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The wife of former Nissan Motor chairman Carlos Ghosn says she left Japan for France to fight for her husband's human rights following his rearrest in Tokyo.

Carole Ghosn was speaking to a French radio station in an interview broadcast on Monday evening, local time.

Ghosn was arrested for the fourth time last Thursday by Tokyo prosecutors, on suspicion of aggravated breach of trust. Ghosn and his wife have been staying at a temporary residence in Tokyo since he was released on bail in early March. Following his rearrest, Carole secretly left Japan for France.

She told the radio station in France that Japanese prosecutors had confiscated her mobile phone and Lebanese passport.

She said that she decided to leave for France as she was afraid of being alone in Tokyo where she has no acquaintances.

She added that she was told by Ghosn's lawyer that she would not be able to see her husband for a couple of weeks.

She decided to head to France to raise the issue of human rights in terms of what had happened to her and her husband in Tokyo.

When Ghosn was taken away by prosecutors, she said about 20 officials entered their apartment and took photos of everything, including personal computers, smartphones and documents, before seizing them.

The wife said officials stayed for four hours and followed her everywhere, even when she visited the toilet and took a shower. She described the experience as "humiliating" and compared it to being treated like a terrorist.
A 39-year-old Brazilian man has died after he was arrested for attacking a police officer in a koban (police box) in Ebina, Kanagawa Prefecture.

According to police, the Brazilian man entered the police box in front of Sagamino Station at around 2:15 a.m. Sunday and started yelling at a 40-year-old officer. The man then picked up a folding chair and hit the police officer on the head, Fuji TV reported. Other police officers subdued the man and he was arrested for assault and obstructing police in the performance of their duty.

However, about 10 minutes after his arrest, the manas breathing weakened and his face became visibly pale. Police took him to a hospital where he died at around 3:25 a.m.
Carlos Ghosn has accused Nissan Motor executives of sacrificing the interests of the company by playing a "dirty game" to oust him as chairman, in a video statement recorded shortly before his fourth arrest in Tokyo last week.

"I'm worried, because the performance of Nissan is declining and I don't think there is vision for the alliance being built," Ghosn said in the seven-minute video, which was made public by his defense lawyers on Tuesday.

Dressed in a suit and white shirt, Ghosn spoke calmly in the video and while he did not mention any Nissan executives by name in his accusations, he was scathing about the direction of the company.

"Frankly, sitting around a table being consensual about a decision, this is not a vision in an industry as competitive as the car industry," he continued, describing Nissan's recent performance as "absolutely mediocre" and pointing to a decline in share price. The stock price has declined about 7% since Ghosn's arrest last November.

"You need to show the future," Ghosn continued. "People who say [leaderships is] either consensus or dictatorship, they don't know what leadership is about."

Ghosn said this "plot" was driven by "a few executives, who for their own interest and selfish fears, are creating a lot value destruction."

"Names? You know them. We are talking about people who played a very dirty game."

The remarks were Ghosn's boldest criticism against Nissan since his arrest in November. Nissan formally ended its 19-year relationship with the former executive when it voted to remove him from its board at an extraordinary shareholders meeting on Monday. Ghosn was rearrested for the fourth time last Thursday on fresh allegations of improperly using company funds, this time allegedly to pay an Omani distributor for his own benefit.
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has threatened to embark on a one-week national strike over the alleged failure of the ...

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has threatened to embark on a one-week national strike over the alleged failure of the Federal Government to implement the agreement it reached with the union recently.









Mr Chris Nkoro, ASUP National Publicity Secretary, said the decision was taken during the 94th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the union, held from Monday to Friday at the Shehu Idris College of Health Science and Technology, Makarfi, Kaduna State.









It was gathered that the union had early in February, suspended its two-month industrial action over non-implementation of the said agreement by the federal government.









Nkoro did not, however, say when the planned strike would commence.









The union views the persistent lethargic disposition of the Federal government and its agencies towards re-negotiation of FGN/ASUP agreement as a ploy to cripple the system and perpetuate suffering on members.









The NEC urges the federal government to without further delay, commence the re-negotiation process.









The NEC, sadly observed that while the union had agreed on the terms of enrolling of the sector into Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS), some rectors have continued to use a backhand ploy to enrol some institutions without recourse to our unions documented peculiar concerns.









The NEC, therefore, calls on the government to promptly call these erring rectors to order.








Abdulrosheed Adewale, oluwo of Iwoland, says it is wrong to castigate people that chose to bleach their skin, adding that it amounts t...





Abdulrosheed Adewale, oluwo of Iwoland, says it is wrong to castigate people that chose to bleach their skin, adding that it amounts to an infringement on their human rights.





The monarch said this in a statement on Monday against the backdrop of the recent ban placed on skin bleaching products by the government of Rwanda.





Every action has it causative and effects. As an informed mind, the duo factors are considered before application of cosmetic products while the decision is personal, said Adewale.





Recently, the government of Rwanda pronounced ban on skin bleaching products on the claim that the materials are harmful to human body.





The monarch also insisted that individuals should be held accountable for the consequences of using cosmetic products.





He added that using skin bleaching or body enhancement among the Blacks should not lead to castigation, bullying or a change of identity.





Appearance is a personal interest. Even, the white people do a process called tanning to enhance their looks, applying products to look brown just as black men in Africa apply bleaching products to look white, the Iwo monarch said.





Such a decision of skin treatment is a personal decision of which restriction is an affront on personal right. And denial can never stand the test of time in a developed nation.





Contact lens is equally body enhancement product. Must we ban contact lens because it will give our eyes colour? The world is digital.





Body treatment is a personal decision. As an identity, we need not shun the grace of our era. Go for the best products while treating your body.





Everyone has personal reason. As an African, you can decide to make your skin lighter through body enhancement products in as much as you pleases yourself just like the white men are tanning to look darker or brown. It is your choice in as much it doesnt change your identity or who you are. Your look is your personal asset.




A 200-level Linguistics student of the Usmanu Dan Fodio University, Sokoto State, has lost both hands, following an attack by some sus...





A 200-level Linguistics student of the Usmanu Dan Fodio University, Sokoto State, has lost both hands, following an attack by some suspected armed robbers.




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The picture shows the aircraft carrier Liaoning (Hull 16) and other vessels and fighter jets in the maritime parade conducted by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy in the South China Sea on the morning of April 12, 2018. Photo: eng.chinamil.com.cn

Friends and global counterparts of China's military will not be influenced if US warships do not participate in China's international parade of ships in late April, and the US will lose another opportunity to get to know the Chinese Navy, Chinese experts said on Monday after media reports signaled that the US will not send any of its warships to the naval review.

The Trump administration has blocked US naval ships and officers from taking part in China's multinational naval parade, which is to be held to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy on April 23 in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province, although the PLA has sent an invitation, US media outlet the Washington Free Beacon reported last week.

The non-presence of the US will not affect the friendships and trust built by the PLA Navy and its counterparts around the world, an insider who asked not to be named told the Global Times, noting the naval celebrations have been widely and well received by international society.

Naval leaders from dozens of countries plan to attend and multiple countries will send warships for the international fleet review, including naval powers from five continents, the insider said.

More than 60 countries will send delegations, according to information released by China's Ministry of National Defense in late March. Japan, the Philippines, India, South Korea, France and Russia will reportedly send ships.

Ni Feng, deputy director of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of American Studies, told the Global Times on Monday that while the US sent vessels to China for the celebration parade 10 years ago, the Chinese military has significantly developed over the years and the US now sees China as a strategic competitor, so it is unwilling to lend support to the Chinese military this time.

In April 2009, US Navy sent missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald to Qingdao to attend an international fleet review to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the PLA Navy.

The military relations between the two countries will remain to be a stabilizer for the two countries' overall relations when it comes to keeping military conflict in check, but that does not mean the US military will support the Chinese military especially as it sees the latter grow stronger, Ni said.

Chinese analysts said it's not surprising that the US declined China's invitation, as it is in line with the US military's policy on China of recent years.

The Washington Free Beacon report also said China's invitation was aimed at using the presence of US warships to bolster its international standing, and the US motive for not participating in the Chinese parade could get US allies to cancel their plans to take part.

A Chinese expert who also asked not to be named told the Global Times that it is ridiculous to say the presence of US warships could bolster China's international influence, because China has done that on its own through international cooperation and communication.

The expert noted that "Military exchanges will benefit both sides as they will boost understanding and prevent misjudgments. By reducing interaction with China, the US is eliminating opportunities to get to know the Chinese Navy."

If the US Department of State does block US warships from joining the Chinese parade, China will not be surprised as some people in the US still maintain a faulty Cold War mentality that sees China as an imaginary enemy.

This ossified way of thinking is harmful to China-US relations, said the expert.
Fighting has resumed in Libya. The eastern Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar ordered his troops to advance on the capital city of Tripoli controlled by the UN-recognized Government of National Accord.

In general, such a case would be seen as a rebel force's attack against government troops, but the current Libya is in a more complex situation.

Libya is among countries that have borne the brunt of "Arab Spring" since 2011. The West, led by France and the UK, interfered in Libya and overthrew the regime of Muammar Gaddafi. The US also took part. The country has been politically divided since then. UN-recognized government controls the capital and certain western parts; some areas are controlled by the House of Representatives and the Government of National Accord; while other regions are anarchic.

The complexity of this question lies in that Haftar is not simply a warlord, but backed by international forces. The deep division of the Arab world on the Libyan situation is clear.

The US announced Sunday it withdrew some of its forces from Libya which protected diplomatic facilities and carried out counter-terrorism missions there. Although it didn't clarify the number, it is supposed to be a small contingent.

It is generally believed that the political power in Tripoli is legitimate while Haftar has a more complicated background. Nonetheless, the Libyan situation is now intertwined with oil interests. Thus, no clear-cut camps have been formed. Haftar once served as Gaddafi's military chief of staff. He obtained American citizenship in the 1990s. His troops are regarded as a secular force against extremism and terrorism.

Libya is one of the biggest failures since the Arab Spring, and has lost the strategic attention of the West. The West used to have a clear enemy - Gaddafi. Stimulated by the ideological concern, the West interfered in Libya with considerable investments regardless of the consequences. This interference was trumpeted as a righteous fight at that time. In the succeeding years, Libya has almost been forgotten except for its refugees.

In the wake of recent fighting, the US didn't send more troops to Libya but withdrew its a few soldiers left there. Other Western countries couldn't come up with a clear solution either.

Tripoli is not an ideological target and geopolitical significance has declined. The West couldn't care less about it. After the fall of Gaddafi, undermining the Bashar regime in Syria supported by Russia and Iran has become a geopolitical goal that thrills the West. The West only cares about promoting democracy but walks away on rebuilding. When Libya faced another crisis, the US obviously sent a negative signal by withdrawing soldiers. If the international community cannot promote a cease-fire and take the sides involved to the negotiating tables, Libya will suffer again and bleed.

The West-hailed Arab Spring eight years ago has been proven to be one of the least effective revolutions ever in history. Libya, Syria and Yemen continue to suffer. Egypt has restored a de facto military regime while US allies in the Gulf were barely affected. Tunisia is the only relatively stable country that underwent a lot.

The per capita GDP of Libya fell from the world's 56th position in 2010 to the 108th in 2017. This was definitely not the result of Gaddafi's governance alone. If the West doesn't want to assume the responsibility of helping Libya regain stability and development, they should at least admit to the world that the Western model is not almighty and means huge risks for many developing countries.
(KABC) Rescue workers are searching the area around Mount Baldy and Cucamonga Peak in California's San Gabriel Mountains for two missing hikers who haven't been seen since April 6, 2019. (SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) -- A search is intensifying for two Southern California hikers, who have been missing for days in the Mount Baldy area.



Eric Desplinter, 33, and Gabrielle Wallace, 31, were last seen at about 10 a.m. Saturday and believed to be headed toward Cucamonga Peak, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department.



Desplinter  an experienced hiker  and Wallace were supposed to return by 7 p.m., and when they still weren't back by 8 p.m., a friend notified authorities, said the sheriff's office.



They are believed to have limited food and water, said the sheriff's office.



Some local hikers have said conditions are icy and dangerous, reported ABC Los Angeles station KABC.



Helicopters are involved in the search and rescue teams from the Los Angeles and San Diego areas are helping as well, authorities said.

LASD assisting our partners at San Bernardino County Sheriff on search for 2 missing hikers near Cucamonga Peak. pic.twitter.com/Js2ZWTlZgA  Montrose SAR Team (@MontroseSAR) April 8, 2019

Deputies have found their car, authorities said.



Desplinter, of Chino Hills, was last seen wearing a yellow jacket and green pants, authorities said. Wallace, of Rancho Cucamonga, was last seen wearing a gray sweater and jeans, authorities said.



Anyone who may have seen Desplinter or Wallace is asked to call the sheriff's office at 909-387-8313.



Copyright  2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Harvey Whitehouse in New Scientist:

Todays small-scale societies tend to favour infrequent but traumatic rituals that promote intense social cohesion  the kind that is necessary if people are to risk life and limb hunting dangerous animals together. An example would be the agonising initiation rites still carried out in the Sepik region of Papua New Guinea, involving extensive scarification of the body to resemble the skin of a crocodile, a locally revered species. 

With the advent of farming,  [and their] larger populations,  new kinds of rituals seem to have provided that shared identity. These were generally painless practices like prayer and meeting in holy places that could be performed frequently and collectively, allowing them to be duplicated across entire states or empires. 

A puzzle, however, is that many of these early civilisations also practised the brutal ritual of human sacrifice. This reached its zenith in the so-called archaic states that existed between about 3000 BC and 1000 BC, and were among the cruellest and most unequal societies ever. In some parts of the globe, human sacrifice persisted until relatively recently. The Inca religion, for example, had much in common with todays world religions: people paid homage to their gods with frequent and, for the most part, painless ceremonies. But their rulers had divine status, their gods werent moralising and their rituals included human sacrifice right up until they were conquered by the Spanish in the 16th century. 

Instead of helping foster cooperation as societies expanded, Big Gods appeared only after a society had passed a threshold in complexity corresponding to a population of around a million people.  something other than Big Gods allowed societies to grow.  that something was the shift in the nature of rituals from traumatic and rare to painless and repetitive.  human sacrifice was used as a form of social control. The elites  chiefs and shamans  did the sacrificing, and the lower orders paid the price, so it maintained social stability by keeping the masses terrorised and subservient.  the practice started to decline when populations exceeded about 100,000. 

Piecing all this together, here is what we think happened. As societies grew by means of agricultural innovation, the infrequent, traumatic rituals that had kept people together as small foraging bands gave way to frequent, painless ones. These early doctrinal religions helped unite larger, heterogeneous populations just enough to overcome the free-riding problem and ensure compliance with new forms of governance. However, in doing so they rendered them vulnerable to a new problem: power-hungry rulers. These were the despotic god-kings who presided over archaic states. Granted the divine right to command vast populations, they exploited it to raise militias and priesthoods, shoring up their power through practices we nowadays regard as cruel, such as human sacrifice and slavery. But archaic states rarely grew beyond 100,000 people because they, in turn, became internally unstable and therefore less defensible against invasion.

The societies that expanded to a million or more were those that found a new way to build cooperation  Big Gods. They demoted their rulers to the status of mortals, laid the seeds of democracy and the rule of law, and fostered a more egalitarian distribution of rights and obligations. (more)

It makes sense that complex intense rituals can only work for small societies, while larger societies need simpler rituals that everyone can see or do. It also makes sense that moralizing gods help promote cooperation. But Im not convinced that we understand any of the rest of these patterns. The human sacrifice part seems to me especially puzzling. I can sort of see how it could serve a function, but I dont see why that function would be especially effective in societies of population 10-100K.

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On the afternoon of Thursday, April 4, Shannade Clermont learned her fate in a downtown Manhattan federal court room. As one-half of model and reality star siblings the Clermont Twins, she was facing fraud charges sure to further cement the pair's now-infamous reputation among their fans on the internet. But as a human being, in real time, Shannade's character traits, flaws and all, were under scrutiny that few who have followed her will ever experience.

The felony wire fraud charge was in connection with a 42-year-old real estate broker named James Alesi, with whom she had a prostitution date on the night of January 31, 2017. During the meeting, Alesi reportedly drank alcohol and took cocaine mixed with fentanyl before passing out. Shannade then allegedly used the opportunity to copy info from two of Alesi's debit cards, then left without telling anyone Alesi was incapacitated. The next morning, maintenance workers in Alesi's East Side apartment building found him dead.

Related | Shannade Clermont Sentenced to 12 Months

The court found Shannade guilty of said wire fraud, which involved stealing his debit card information while he was passed out, and making illegal purchases in the weeks following, including for rent, luxury clothes, and plane tickets. Court documents reveal that Shannade created fake email accounts to wire more than $20,000 of Alesi's money to herself. She used it to pay for phone bills, Valentino shoes, a Philipp Plein jacket, Beats headphones, and a gift certificate for a beauty salon.

For her actions, Shannade was sentenced to one year in prison and ordered to pay more than $5,000 in restitution.

---

Inside the courtroom, 10 minutes before the scheduled 2:30 pm sentencing, Alesi's family occupied every seat in the far right two rows of benches and talked quietly among themselves. I sat in the empty left-side benches opposite them. A few minutes later, Jeffrey Lichtman, the lawyer defending El Chapo's drug trafficking case, came in and set his bag down. He paced back and forth, visibly taking deep breaths.

After saying hello to Alesi's family and conferring with the plaintiff's lawyer, Lichtman left the room for a moment before guiding Shannon and Shannade Clermont to their seats, along with family members and friends. There was unnerving silence when the Clermonts entered, both sporting blonde, angular bobs and matching gray trench coats with splashes of blue. When they sat in the row directly in front of me, they stiffened and stared straight ahead, expressionless and stoic. Shannade sat on the outside row closest to the chamber floor facing the judge. Shannon grasped their mother's hand tightly, her heavy lashes flickering as she swatted away tears.

Alesi's family stared over at the Clermont crew in faces that registered, to me, as slow-burning disgust and curiosity  a mixed reaction that's similar to how the public has often viewed the polarizing Clermont Twins. Disgust and curiosity from the public seem to go hand-in-hand with notoriety and success, as shown throughout the history of fame.

---

When the presiding judge, Southern District of New York's Naomi Buchwald, entered the chamber, all rose and all sat.

Lichtman was beckoned forward by Buchwald to present his final arguments for Shannade's freedom. By this time, Shannade was sitting up front between her counsel, a blue tissue box just within her reach. Lichtman expressed his condolences to the deceased man's family, announcing that he died of an accidental overdose, and stating that Shannade Clermont had "no responsibility in what happened" to him.

Buchwald nodded, but expressed doubt: "As a legal matter, whether civil or criminal, is Ms. Clermont responsible [for Alesi's death?] I'm not totally sure, because I don't know what happened in the three and a half hours that she was in his apartment," Buchwald said. "[Shannade] won't answer those questions now... Had she called 911 before she left him, we don't know what would've happened."

Lichtman responded: "If it's possible for her to be charged in this man's death, she would have been by now. I can appreciate the pain the family is going through... [Shannade] is an easy target because she is presumably the last person who saw [Alesi] alive."

Alesi's apartment building had a doorman and security cameras. Lichtman noted that if Shannade called 911, it would've absolved her of any involvement if she knew Alesi was in any kind of distress. "She didn't know this," Lichtman said. "She didn't buy the drugs or give him the drugs."

Buchwald interrupted: "Or maybe she didn't want to be caught... or [she thought], I don't want to be involved with law enforcement as a prostitute." Then the judge clarified: "I could totally care less if someone wants to prostitute," she said.

Lichtman went on to say that Shannade became a victim of harassment, online threats, and real-life bullying once the news broke of her involvement with Alesi. "This happened to someone who has lived a law-abiding life," he said. "The attacks [Shannade] has received on email, on the internet, in person... she was on the verge of suicide [because of the negative attention]." He later argued that Shannade's pre-sentence interview detailed that she was experiencing suicidal ideation, and was impetus for her and sister Shannon's starting of The Clermont Foundation to raise awareness for mental health issues.

"Excuse me," Buchwald interjected. "Haven't I given her six times to travel for public appearances? That doesn't seem like a person on the verge of suicide, at least not to me."

Lichtman rebutted, saying that in light of the scandalous case, Shannade's profile has been devalued. Over the last couple years, following their appearance of Bad Girls' Club, the Clermont Twins became fixtures of New York's underground and high-profile fashion scenes. They launched their own label, Mont Boudoir, which has been described as a luxe collection merging "Western cowboy and gothy '90s starlet" influences. They sat front row at shows like Vaquera, Laquan Smith, and Area, and walked the Gypsy Sport runway a few seasons ago. Perhaps most notably of their recent achievements, they starred in Yeezy Season 6's clone-themed campaign, alongside Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, and Jordyn Woods.

Now, "[Shannade] has been reduced to making appearances in gentlemen's clubs, half-naked," Lichtman said.

He argued that her extreme visibility and the harassment she has received are sufficient punishment for Shannade's actions. "Imagine the worst thing you've ever done being dragged out by the media," Lichtman said. "She's endured punishment no other person [without her public profile] in a fraud case would have to... plus, she's got genuine remorse."

Lichtman went on to cite other cases involving stock and bottling fraud, in which those accused received reduced sentences, as a reason why Shannade should not receive prison time. He also suggested that aligning Shannade with her on-screen persona on Bad Girls' Club was akin to character assassination.

"What about the focus on her life when no one was watching?" he said. He went on to tell the story of how the Clermont Twins came to be what they are today, from humble beginnings in small town Georgia, a period during which they were so poor they "made their own clothes and bathed in pools," to striving for success in New York. Shannade studied fashion design at Parsons School of Design, before appearing on reality TV. "The show made it impossible for her to achieve what she wanted to, and she became a prostitute," Lichtman said. "You may not hold it against her, Judge, but she holds it against herself."

He continued. "Her conduct in this case was rare and aberrational. Judge her entire life, not only this moment, as you hand down your sentence."

---

When Shannade rose to address the court, she was extremely choked up as she unfolded a piece of paper with her statement. The reporters sitting next to me scribbled furiously in their notebooks to capture each word, uttered between sobs and sniffles. "I wish we were brought together under different circumstances," she opened.

"I want to apologize to everyone in this courtroom," Shannade continued, turning toward Alesi's family. "I made a terrible, selfish decision. I feel like I'm in a recurring nightmare that's happening... I can't pretend to be perfect because [if I were] I wouldn't be here. I want to take full responsibility. Your honor, I ask for you to give me a second chance... this will never happen again. I lost sight of who I was during that time in my life."

Since the sentencing, the Clermont Twins have been silent online, save for one post which implies Shannade doesn't "want to take full responsibility," as she suggested to Buchwald. On Instagram, the twins posted a photo with the caption, "Any Bitch in our situation would've been fold," alongside the hashtag, "#freeshannade." Famous followers like Munroe Bergdorf, Murda Beatz, Tanisha Thomas, and City Girls all commented with support.

But at the sentencing, Shannade's family huddled together after her statement. Shannon squeezed their mother's hand.

Alesi's family didn't find out what happened between their relative and Shannade until two months after his death, when they were handling the sale of his estate. This was the basis of the family's legal argument  that Shannade "took advantage of the situation."

"She did this out of greed to keep up with her public image," their lawyer argued. "Identify theft is all too common, and her 1.2 million followers need to know that there are serious consequences for these actions... She stole from the man right in front of her."

Alesi's sister Joelle spoke before the court, calling Shannade "deceptive and thoughtless." She asserted that Shannade's actions caused so much heartbreak within their family, that her mother and father "died six months within each other." What Shannade did after knowing her brother died "tells [you] who she really is," Joelle said.

"Your honor, it takes five seconds to call 911," she continued. "She took the time to steal my brother's credit card info. It takes longer to do that [than to make a 911 call]. Ms. Clermont waited six weeks to start shopping. It was all calculated in advance, done out of greed and with malicious intent." Joelle concluded: "My brother died and [Shannade] went shopping."

---

As Judge Buchwald prepared to give her final verdict, the Clermont and Alesi families sat upright and seemed to lean forward in anticipation. The room was completely silent.



Buchwald noted that first she had to consider the seriousness of the offense, and find a just punishment  then consider the sentence's broader impact on the community. In this case, those who might look at Shannade Clermont's actions and consider them somehow iconic, even if they are proven to be criminal. Though Buchwald didn't offer this specifically, our current fascination with millennial scam culture is a prime example, as seen with someone like Anna Delvey. The judge explained that the sentence had to be carried out regardless of press or emotions present. The mandatory sentence of 12 to 18 months for wire fraud, if the accused was found guilty, therefore had to be imposed.



"When faced with a real test of character, Ms. Clermont close to leave [the victim's] apartment with his debit card information without calling 911," Judge Buchwald said. "No foundation, established after her arrest, can account for that lack of character."

She continued, adding that she thought Shannade had become "enamored with surface values," and so the sentence of 12 months in prison and supervised release for three years was delivered. The judge noted that she had several other hearings that day and so everyone was ordered to leave the courtroom immediately.

The courtroom remained silent, even as Shannade burst into loud sobs and was surrounded by her family. A handful of reporters lingered, eagerly anticipating the Clermont and Alesi families' exits. I rode the elevator down with the Alesis, who exited first.

Outside the courtroom, I noticed something surprising. For all the buzz surrounding the Clermont Twins, one would be hard-pressed to find the fans or supporters who defend them online. I'd at least have expected some of their 1.2 million Instagram followers to be waiting outside to offer words of support, or even words of vitriol for the family in mourning. Now was their chance to show up in a real life moment dramatically altering the Clermont Twins' lives  especially on a sunny Thursday afternoon in New York, outside a sentencing that was open to the public. Where were they?
Dmitriev, an envoy for Moscow in the Middle East in general and Saudi Arabia in particular, had in recent months said it was still too early to terminate output cuts, echoing the position of OPEC's de facto leader, Saudi Arabia.

Dmitriev, head of Russian sovereign wealth fund RDIF, was the first Russian official to predict a deal with OPEC in 2016 and since then has become a key defender of the pact despite pressure from domestic oil firms to drop the agreement.

One of the key Russian officials to foster a supply pact with OPEC, Kirill Dmitriev, signaled on Monday that Russia wanted to raise oil output when it meets with OPEC in June because of improving market conditions and falling stockpiles.

But in an apparent change of position, Dmitriev said on Monday supply cuts may not be required after June. "It is quite possible that given the improving market situation and falling stocks, [OPEC and its allies] could decide in June this year to abandon supply cuts and subsequently increase output," Dmitriev told a conference in Moscow.

"This decision will not mean the end of the deal, but a confirmation that participants continue their coordinating efforts when it is important not only to cut but to increase output depending on market conditions," he told the conference.

Speaking to reporters on Monday evening, Dmitriev added that it could be appropriate for Russia to increase output by 228,000 barrels per day, by which it had previously cut production, "and maybe even further."

"It is possible that as part of the June [meeting] a decision may be taken, subject to market conditions at that time, that it is necessary to remove these reductions," he said.

Dmitriev and energy minister Alexander Novak have come under increased pressure over the past year from firms such as Rosneft , whose boss Igor Sechin, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, has said Russia should abandon output cuts.

Sechin is arguing that Russia is losing market share to the United States, which is not participating in production cuts and has hence been boosting output to record levels of some 12 million barrels per day. Russia and Saudi Arabia produce around 11 million and 10 million barrels respectively, but could raise output fairly quickly if needed.

In January, Dmitriev said Russia should not unleash an oil price war against the United States but rather stick with output cuts even at the cost of losing market share in the medium term. Saudi Energy Khalid al-Falih has also said it was important to extend oil cuts until the end of the year.

But on Monday he said the market was moving towards balance and added that the picture would become clearer in May.

Global oil markets have tightened despite booming U.S. production after Washington imposed new sanctions on Iran and Venezuela, reducing their output and exports and effectively grabbing their market share.

OPEC and its allies had to cancel their meeting in April and will now convene on June 25-26 as officials said they needed to see first what new sanctions Washington will impose on Iran in early May.
Nikta Dragun has built a reputation off her transformative makeup tutorials and relatable life advice. But when the influencer posted a video in response to transphobic remarks by Victoria's Secret's then Chief Marketing Officer Ed Razek, it went viral, making her an integral voice for the transgender community.



The YouTuber and beauty expert, who has been candid about her experience of being a trans woman, routinely talks about the lack of representation in the beauty industry at large  a discourse that resonates and reflects within her millions of engaged followers (2.1 million on YouTube and 4.1 million on Instagram, to be exact).

So it's no surprise that when the influencer debuted Dragun Beauty, one of the first beauty brands owned by and made for trans people, the full line ended up selling out within a single night. "Brb, gonna go lay some more Dragun Eggs," she wrote on Instagram to celebrate the massive success.

Dragun Beauty is currently limited to a color corrector and a face powder, both of which are truly "transformative," she says. This fantasy comes wrapped in a purple dragon egg  her signature packaging  and includes both the DragunFire Skin Perfecting Potion and The DragunHeart Transformation Powder. All items are vegan and cruelty-free, which is also part of the reason the influencer chose to launch her brand independently.

The "fantasy" Dragun consistently refers to has been a vital part of her platform since coming out online as trans three years ago. Once simply a beauty-focused YouTube channel, Dragun's authentic approach to addressing the lack of diversity in her industry has quickly pushed her to global ubiquity.



Today, Nikita Dragun announces she's restocking Dragun Beauty products, much to her fans' delight. The burgeoning entrepreneur recently sat down with PAPER to talk about manifesting her fantasy into a beauty brand, the idea behind all her products and the lack of representation within beauty.

Full Look: Wesley Berryman

Where did the idea for Dragun Beauty come from? Starting a beauty brand was never my super fantasy because I had seen such a saturated market. We see so many Instagram gurus doing beauty collaborations and coming out with a lipstick or a basic ass eyeshadow. And I've been approached by every brand you can think of to just slap my name onto something, but I never really stood behind the product itself. I wanted to be passionate about it and I felt like I wanted to do something different. So I decided to put my big girl panties on and have a boss up moment. I knew that these big conglomerate brands coming to me would never approve of this idea that I had about being a trans-owned brand for trans people and for all people. I can't for sure say I'm the first, but I'd like to think I'm one of the pioneers right now in terms of the beauty space.

Were there any products you were particularly excited about creating? I wanted to create a color corrector, which was very important to me in my transition... correcting my five 'o' clock shadow, my under eye bags and my hyper-pigmentation because I'm ethnic. It also corrects hickeys and bruises and all sorts of crazies from a night out.

It's a step that's a primer to the primer  the step that a lot of people are missing in their makeup routine and so it's not really replacing anything; it's not a new product, for sure. But at the same time, have I mastered and perfected this product? Have I formulated it to its best possible quality with amazing ingredients like Shea Butter, vitamin A, vitamin E, and all sorts of ingredients? Is it the top of the line? Have I done the work to educate people? Absolutely.

So I encapsulated this into a transformation egg  the tongue-in-cheek is TRANSformation. Because this is something that I wanted as a kid that I could have given myself three years ago or to a friend, or to someone who was transitioning. These are products that are truly transformative, and on that same token, my transformation face powders are very hammer and nail of the beauty routine. I use makeup not only for artistry, but for the transformation aspect.

"I just want people to have the opportunity to live their fantasy."

What sort of research did you need to do to perfect these looks? I've spent so long studying the male and female faces, and how they differed. I would look at human anatomy books and see how the light hits a man's face versus a woman's face, and that's really what it all came down to. So I wanted a product that could cheat that in terms of feminizing my face. I was able to create these brightening powders that basically create these face filters on the skin. It's not a highlighter, there's no sort of iridescence to it at all. It's a truly transformation face powder that you apply under your eyes, down your nose, center of your forehead, your chin, and that just gives you this instant spotlight effect. Anywhere you are, any lighting you're in, it always looks like you're glowing. But it's not a shimmery product. So I guess I had this crazy idea and no one fucking stopped me. Anyone can live their life, but not anyone can live their fantasy and I just want people to have the opportunity to live their fantasy.

Have you had this idea for a while?



I had the idea for a very long time in terms of the products that I've always wanted to see in the beauty industry. I never thought that I would be the person to create that. I feel like I'm a part of this group of people that is not necessarily being served to. I felt like there were certain products that I needed in terms of feminizing my face and there wasn't anything like that. So I had to step up and have that moment. It was obviously a vision of mine and a far-fetched thing of living this dream of having my own brand. But I never thought I'd have the opportunity to do this 100 percent on my own, or have this be 100 percent my vision, from the packaging to the formulas to the label to the text that's on the back of the sticker. It's a lot of pressure, especially at this young age.



After the Victoria's Secret viral moment that I had, I realized that the world hasn't seen a trans person in this light. It's not my job to be going crazy for my community, but at the same time I feel like I do owe it to do something with my platform other than take selfies and do nothing with five million followers.

Clearly, there's a big market out there for the products you've created, but why do you think other mega brands have failed to cater to it? Because it is a niche market, people are always weary. We're just getting into the age now in the beauty world where we're starting to be inclusive of skin tones and skin colors, which is outrageous. In terms of the beauty industry, things are dated. My brand and the vision behind it was to create something different that the world has seen  to create a beacon of hope, but also to create really great products for my community. These are products for an everyday girl, these are products for a boy, these are products for literally everyone. I do want to address my community because it is under served, and we constantly get a door slammed in our face. The Victoria's Secret moment was just one instance.



To have people stand up and to have such a movement behind it just really shows that the world is changing. It's so foolish for brands not to come up to the times and to think that, This is not a mass market that we can sell to or this is not going to make our sales. It's ridiculous. I'm hopefully changing that. I'm like, You guys have been on the snooze for too long.

"Anyone who's behind the times is going to be left behind, so get with the future."

The beauty industry is starting to make diversity and inclusivity a big part of the conversation. But it often feels inauthentic. Do you think a lot of it is just marketing or is it genuine?



I do think sometimes they try to get a token in terms of like, We need an ethnic girl or we need a plus-size girl, we need a trans model. So in some cases, it's about checking the box. We see that in every industry. Is it maybe for the right or wrong reasons? We can't necessarily say that. But I'm excited to be a trans-owned brand serving to my people and to everyone.



Maybe these brands are doing it just to check the box, but at the same time at least something is being done  at least they do feel the pressure. And in this day and age, my generation can sniff bullshit and we can sniff authenticity in a second. That's what's so hard for these bigger brands to understand. They're constantly like, Why can't we get sales from this market, why are they not buying anything, why are they not owning cars, why are they not owning houses? It's a constant new age versus old age debate, what we always see with technology and social media. Anyone who's behind the times is going to be left behind, so get with the future.

Full Look: Wesley Berryman

Over the years, in what way have you felt marginalized by the beauty industry?



Well, in a couple different ways. Experiencing two different lives growing up as a little boy in Springfield, Virginia, I always wanted to become more of myself and I've always been a woman on the inside. Even walking into major makeup departments I felt like I was marginalized by being a male at the time trying to buy makeup.



Having that thing of, Makeup is only for women... that was the biggest thing for the longest time. There was also the part about being from an ethnic background. I'm not super pale, so sometimes not having my right undertones, not having my skin tones, not having things that cater to my specific needs was an issue. Even today, I do feel marginalized in terms of being a trans person, and a woman in general, just feeling like I don't have these products that I definitely need.



Have you seen improvements? Over the years, things have gotten so much better. I'm excited for the beauty industry and I'm obviously just a big fan. At the end of the day, I don't think it's a competition at all. I'm a beauty connoisseur and I'm a beauty lover, so I'm hopeful for this space. Ultimately the idea of beauty is this idea that beauty comes from within and all sorts of cliche stuff. But at the end of the day, it's makeup. It comes off. It wipes off your face. With all the craziness in the world, beauty should be the one space that shouldn't have any type of marginalization or any kind of status quo. it's a space that's supposed to be beautiful, and what makes everyone beautiful is their unique qualities. So everyone should be celebrated for their own unique individual beauty.

"My generation can sniff bullshit and we can sniff authenticity in a second."

Do you have any beauty icons that you look up to?

Yes, Selena Quintanilla  Bidi bidi bom bom  hit the floor with that red lipstick,and purple jumpsuit! I'm from a Mexican heritage, so obviously being biracial is a whole different topic but I think she represented being such a powerful woman in the industry. I also always loved my classic beauties like Marilyn Monroe, because she was able to create this Norma Jean fantasy. I feel like that's what I've created over the years with Nikita Dragun: this dragon energy. Also I've had so many important women in my life. Obviously my mother and my grandmother were glamazons and taught me beauty in different ways. I think a woman looks beautiful when she comes back home to her kids after a 10-hour shift at her job. I truly find beauty in so many different ways.

Why was the line limited to four products? It was limited because, first of all it's 100 percent me and I don't have that crazy amount of budget to just drop 20 million products, but also I really felt it was important to keep it very singular and focused to what I wanted to do. This is a transformation kit. By having those other basic products  which eventually I will get into  I just wanted to focus on one key thing for my first launch. I wanted to have people die over the egg moment.



Full Look: Wesley Berryman

What are your favorite beauty brands or products? I love everything that Fenty beauty has done in terms of their inclusivity and Rihanna's idea of wanting to be inclusive of all skin tones  creating that loud noise in the beauty industry. I also appreciate Kylie Cosmetics for her entrepreneurship in terms of how she was able to market her brand. I think she has set up a great business model in the way she is now considered a self-made billionaire. Having these strong women and seeing something disruptive and different in the beauty space is what's amazing.

Do you have a skincare routine?



I think skincare is the fundamental of everything. I keep it very basic. It's all about taking care of my skin after the makeup; I feel like that's important for me. I learned this new two-step system from Asia where you do a cleansing oil or cleansing balm and then you do a real cleanser, so I've been trying to be good about moisturizing  moisturizing my neck, my ass, my hands, all about it. That's my biggest thing.

"Having these strong women and seeing something disruptive and different in the beauty space is what's amazing."

So you don't have like a 17-step intensive routine? No I don't. I wish I did. I'm jealous and envious of people like that. My skincare is very simple. It's like two cleansers, one to take off makeup and one to really wash my face. I obviously do my serums, essences, and eye creams and my moisturizers, but nothing too extraneous.

Outside of Dragun Beauty, do you have a go-to product?



I love African Black Soap. I think it's really great in terms of its cleaning properties if you're able to find the right kind. I really appreciate it especially because I get a lot of body acne. I also really like witch hazel. As much as I can, I try to stick to more natural things.

Full Look: Wesley Berryman

You also mentioned that you'll probably be adding more products to your line. Is that true?



100 percent I'm adding more. I want a full line eventually, but for now I'm focusing on a diverse range of things that we hadn't seen in the beauty industry and that are gonna go in line with my idea of transformation. I'm like, Girl, I've got plenty of eggs in the works, it's crazy. I'm actually so excited  not that I'm more excited for the egg, but it goes with the whole theme so I'm excited it's coming back.

Were you expecting the collection to sell out so quickly?



It's something that you hope for. But I ordered a lot of units because I hate when people go on sold out just to say they sold out. I feel like customers get so annoyed. I just wanted to have enough, but obviously still didn't. I've never put my name on a makeup product so I didn't know what I could sell or how I could sell it. It was very surprising but I'm super excited about it.

Would you be open to a collaboration in the future?



Yes! Now that I have my own brand, some of my friends have come out of the woodwork being like, I would love to do a collab.
Taylor Swift has donated $113, 000 to the Tennessee Equality Project, and helped publicize a series of proposed laws that threaten her home state's LGBTQ community. Nicknamed the "slate of hate," the bills would make it harder for same sex couples to adopt, make it easier for businesses to determine their own anti-discrimination policies without government intervention, and support school districts which force transgender students to use bathrooms that match assigned birth gender.

Tennessee Equality Project leader Chris Sanders announced on Facebook that he'd received a handwritten letter from Swift alongside her financial contribution. Swift thanked Sanders for his inspiring work and added that she's pleased he is working with a number of pro-LGBTQ faith leaders to campaign against the controversial legislation. "I'm so grateful that they're giving all people a place to worship," she wrote.

On Facebook, Sanders called Swift "a long-time ally to the LGBTQ community" and was "honored and grateful" to receive her support.

There are a number of ways Tennessee residents can help fight against the "slate of hate"  contacting your member of the Tennessee House of Representatives or the full House Judiciary Committee could help. Read more about how to do that here.
Half dozen countries help Iran flood survivors as UN sets up channel for cash donation

04/09/19

Source: Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, April 8, IRNA- Three intense weeks have past since Iran has been hard hit by flash floods that have taken the lives of dozens of people and left a huge trail of destruction behind. International aid supplies have been sent from several countries but no cash donation has been received due to the US sanctions.



Residents departing Atish village in Khuzestan province due to floods

(source: Islamic Republic News Agency)



Many regional countries have announced their readiness to help the Iranian Red Crescent should there be a formal request.



Afghan and Azerbaijani Red Crescent as well as the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) have all announced they will help Iran in addressing the consequences of the natural disaster.



However, several countries have already sent in their humanitarian aid and some others are preparing it or finding out ways to coordinate efforts to help those affected by the floods.



German Red Cross has shipped 40 lifeboats with outboard motors as well as 80 sets for water rescuers such as helmets, vests and boots. The consignment also includes nine river rescue kits, containing ropes, backpacks and pulleys.

German humanitarian assistance delivered and on the way to the people in #Khuzestan, #Golestan and #Mazandaran. @roteskreuz_de, @Iranian_RCS

           . pic.twitter.com/CAa6mnqxh4  MichaelKlorBerchtold (@KlorBerchtold) April 8, 2019

The Iranian Red Crescent Society has confirmed receiving the cargo. Logistics Deputy of the Red Crescent's Relief And Rescue Organisation Saeed Matani says "80% of the equipment will be used in Khouzestan Province".



Flash floods are currently hitting the southwestern Khuzestan Province, home to nearly five million people. Officials have ordered evacuation of thousands of people in two counties, six cities and more than two hundred villages in the region.



Also, Turkish Red Crescent has sent five trucks of aid supplies to Iran flood-affected regions. The aid includes 320 tents, 500 bedsteads, 100 hygiene kits, 1,625 blankets, 360 kitchen kits and 60 stoves. Red Crescent's Relief And Rescue Organisation says the aid has been handed out to the inhabitants of Tazeh Abad village, Aqqala county in the northern province of Golestan that was the first to be hit by the flash floods. The northern region is still trying to recover from the disaster.



70 people have lost their lives in the recent deluge, thousands of others injured and hundreds of thoudsands left homeless following three weeks of the deadly floods that started in northern Iran and moved west and now going down towards southwest.

Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit has sent two tons of shipment to flood-hit areas. The relief items include: two water modules that can supply drinking water to 10,000 people per day as well as five water disinfection kits.



Norwegian Ambassador to Iran Lars Nordrum met last week with Iranian Red Crescent Society to coordinate efforts on what is needed most for assistance. He said Oslo is ready to offer a helping hand should need be.



Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah ordered the country's Red Crescent Society to send aid to flood victims in Iran. The Persian Gulf country has already sent two consignment of aid supplies to Iran. The Kuwaiti aid includes medical and food supplies.



The first consignment, weighing 40 tons, includes four water pumps, 600 food packs (23 kilograms of rice, sugar, dry milk, edible oil, macaroni, salt, green peas, dates, beans, sardines and lentils).



The second shipment, 35 tons, contains one thousand 23-kilo packs of foods for families, 600 food packs weighing 10 kilos as well as 200 five-kilogram rice packs for affected families.



The Kuwait Red Crescent has also sent five tons of pharmaceuticals and medical equipments.

France has announced it will deliver aid supplies to the Iranian Red Crescent in the coming days to be used in Iran's flood-hit regions. The aid includes 114 motor pumps, 300 kitchen kits and 5,000 blankets.



In the meantime, the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry has also sent aid supplies, including four thousand tents, blankets and folding beds to its regional station in the Armenian capital Yerevan.



"Responding to Iran's request and in joint cooperation with Armenia's Emergency Situations Ministry, humanitarian aid for the people hit by the floods has been sent," reads Russia's Emergency Situation Ministry statement.



The Russian government created the centre in 2015 in the city in a bid to serve as a regional basis for humanitarian aid for Armenia and surrounding countries.

The European Union has announced an initial amount of 1.2 million in response to the floods in Iran. The cash donation will be sent to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Societies Societies to be later transferred to the Iranian Red Crescent Society.



However, due to the US sanctions, no monetary transfer will be realized to Iranian accounts. The Iranian Red Crescent says it has not received any cash donation.



"No foreign cash aids have been made to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, as there are basically no financial channels for such purpose," said the Iranian Red Crescent in a statement.



"Even though, certain countries and organisations have announced their readiness to offer cash contributions, given the inhumane US sanctions against Iran, there is no channel for cash aids to be sent to IRCS as of this date," it added.



"There is no obstacle for sending or receiving relief consignments, but cash donations are still not possible due to the US sanctions," according to the statement.



However, now the UN in Iran says the international organization has opened a special financial channel to funnel the cash donations to the survivors of recent devastating floods in Iran.



"The United Nations has established a banking channel so cash assistance makes their its way into Iran," UN Resident Coordinator and Representative of Secretary General in Iran, Ugochi Daniels told reporters on Monday in Tehran.



"This is the result of efforts that have been made at the UN headquarters," she added.



Her remarks come at a time when Iranian officials have criticised the US sanctions for blocking all banking channels that allow international donation for flood assistance be transferred to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, a humanitarian organization.



"The UN has always reiterated support for the JCPOA (Iran nuclear deal of 2015) and declared that US sanctions are not lawful," she stressed.



Daniels added that part of the aid supplies that have been arrived in Iran were purchased from outside Iran.



She emphasized that there are efforts being made at the highest levels of the UN not to allow that humanitarian aid be blocked from being sent to Iran.



The UN resident coordinator in Iran said that UN has allocated $1,420,000 for fast assistance and provide water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), health and shelter for those devastated by the floods.



Also the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) will send aid supplies to the Ministry of Health for immunization of flood-affected areas as well as nutrition of young children in those areas, according to a statement by the UNICEF office in Iran.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Bolgatanga Central, Mr Isaac Adongo, has observed that Ghanas economy is suffering from a crude and repulsive fiscal consolidation that is delaying the forward march of the country and pushing the economy to the brink of a fiscal crisis.



He cited the consistent cutting of public spending to match low revenue outturns, reduction in capital expenditure in favour of consumption spending and strong appetite for debt as evidence of an economy being strangled in the name of fiscal consolidation.



He, therefore, called for urgent and credible measures to help boost spending in productive sectors, increase revenue generation and halt excessive spending in goods and services to help stimulate growth and slow down spending on non-productive sectors.



At a lecture on the economy organised by the Coalition For Restoration (CFR), the MP, who is also a member of Parliaments Finance Committee, said the governments current fiscal consolidation was artificial and unsustainable.



The event, which was graced by a former President and Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr John Dramani Mahama, and other bigwigs of the NDC, sought to give the partys version of the state of affairs on the economy.



Mr Adongo and the NDC also used the event, which was on the theme: The State of the Ghanaian Economy: Myths and Truths, to respond to the Economic Management Teams Town Hall Meeting that was addressed by the Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, on April 3.



Worrying trends





This is worrying because by continuously cutting spending to match the historic lag in revenues, the government is delaying the forward march of our dear country through artificial and unsustainable fiscal outcomes, Mr Adongo stated.



According to him, a good fiscal strategy must centre on mobilising adequate tax and non-tax revenue to finance critical expenditures.



This should be accompanied by investments in critical growth-enhancing expenditures such as infrastructure, he said at the conference room of the Mensvic Hotel in Accra, which was filled to capacity.



We are not just living from hand to mouth but also borrowing excessively to pay for consumption expenditure, he said.



Prioritising consumption expenditure



The MP also pointed out that the focus of the government had been to prioritise consumption expenditure over spending on critically needed infrastructure.



This is why we are borrowing not to build schools, hospitals, provide potable water and build our roads but rather to pay salaries and goods and services.



This is the new prioritisation and efficient public spending, he noted.



Mr Adongo indicated that between 2017 and 2018, about 94 per cent of tax revenue went into servicing just two budget items: compensation of public sector workers and payment of interests on public debts.



He said, compensation to public sector workers had ballooned from GH14 billion in 2016 to a projected GH22.8 billion in 2019.



In nominal terms, he said, a whopping GH8.8 billion had been added to the Public Wage Bill.



What the government does not know is that this reckless addition to the public service is crowding out about US$1.83 billion of fiscal space that could go into funding infrastructure, he added.



Borrowing for goods and services



Mr Adongo said the government had between 2017 and 2018 borrowed an amount of GH7.63 billion to pay for goods and services, with a projection to borrow a total of GH13.93 billion to pay for same by the end of 2019.



Within the same period, he said a staggering GH16.43 billion had been borrowed to pay for consumption expenditure made up of workers salaries, interest payment and goods and services.



By the end of 2019, the government would have borrowed an unholy amount of GH23.43 billion to pay for consumption expenditure. That is, we would have borrowed about US$5 billion to pay workers, interest on loans and goods and services, he explained.

Source: Graphic.com









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A chimpanzee can be enameled with the best of clothes imported from Italy but that would not in anyway change its true nature.



Dress up a goat in silk woven in India, bring Gucci shoes from Europe, perfume it with a fragrance made in Paris, the vicissitudes of time would whisk away these fine materials, leaving the goat standing naked.



The passage of time, very much often, exposes the bare facts to the world, and this analogy soundly describes the Kwame Nkrumah Inter-change (Dubai).



Mr. John Mahama thought beautifying that rickety of an interchange with powerful lights which illuminate the entire edifice when darkness falls would take away the defects therein.



For political expediency, the project was rushed through its construction. No major drains were constructed to wheel away water during rainfalls.



The skies above let down their tears yesterday, and this, for many reasons, should come with good luck. Rains are heartily embraced especially when the weather we live with has proven to be unfriendly.



Just 30 minutes of rainfall last night and the most beautifully built edifice in the whole of West Africa, Circle Dubai, gets flooded simply because the government at the time decided to do a shoddy job when constructing the interchange.



Despite its huge size in terms of the cost of construction, Circle Dubai, the Paris during the night, the New York City when night falls, is but a slummy precipitous edifice which exudes pain to the many who live close to it.



Blame the old wine who wants to bottle himself in a new wineskin (John Dramani Mahama). He indeed, caused financial loss to Ghana!



P.K. Sarpong, Whispers from the Corridors of the Thinking Place.





Source: P.K.Sarpong









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Another attempt to destroy government property and temper of power supply in the country has been foiled as unknown arsonists attempted to torch some gas pipelines within the Tema enclave.



According to Public Relations Officer for the Energy Ministry, Nana Damoah, the gas pipelines supply fuel to the generating center of the Authority at the Tema industrial area.



Nana Damoah who was speaking in an interview on Citi Eyewitness, Monday, indicated that Last night (Sunday), some security men doing some regular checks along the pipelines that take one of the generating plants within the Tema enclave discovered that some persons had packed car tyres over some pipelines that were transmitting fuel to the generation plant and had torched these tyres, so they were burning.



He expressed sadness over this development especially as it comes on the back of the destruction of some pylons near the head office of state power transmitter Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo).



Nana Damoah says "it gets more confusing and it gets sadder that as we are facing challenges and working hard to get the people of Ghana out of the challenges that we are facing, there are some very determined persons who also wish that we will stay in the condition for a longer period. Investigations into this development have begun.



He has however assured that the incident at Tema will not cause any power outage.



Energy Minister, John Peter Amewu, had condemned the destruction of some pylons near the head office of state power transmitter Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo), describing the perpetrators as thieves and animals.



The pylons, which were destroyed on Monday, 25 March 2018, were discovered by some GRIDCo staff.



Mr Amewu, who inspected the destruction, pointed out that there were measures to protect such installations and other strategic national assets.



He, however, added that the authorities cannot be everywhere at every time and some of these thieves, some of these animals in our society will do things just to outwit the security.



In his opinion, the action by the suspects constitutes a complete sabotage of the work of the power distributors.





Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Ghanas Ministry of Health (MOH) together with Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) On Thursday, April 4, 2019 in Cuba signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Cuban Republic through its Medical Brigade to train about Two Hundred and Twenty-Seven (227) medical doctors and specialists.



The Executive Director for GNPC Foundation, Dr. Dominic Kwesi Eduah who represented GNPC on this august occasion said the corporation will remain focused on its core mandate and deliverables and will not rest until there is remarkable improvement in the quality of life of the people of Ghana. Thus, GNPCs quest to empower and impact the lives of Ghanaians is our primary responsibility.



At the international level, Ghana and Cuba have maintained cordial diplomatic relations since 1959. Indeed, Ghana was the first African country to establish diplomatic relations with the Government of the Cuban Revolution. Since then, officials of the two countries have exchanged a high level of pleasantries.



As part of the special treaty between the two countries, Six Hundred (600) Ghanaian students have been given scholarships by the Cuban government since the year 2000, with some three thousand (3,000) Ghanaians benefitting from this arrangement in previous years.



The delegation from Ghana to Cuba included high ranking members from the Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Education (MOE), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Bank of Ghana (BOG) and Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC). The event coincided with the visit of the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo to the Cuban Republic.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The CEO of Menzgold Nana Appiah Mensah popularly known as NAM 1 has won his court case in Dubai.



The court which pronounced judgment Tuesday morning has also ordered the company, with which he had had issues, to pay him all outstanding debts, Starrfm.com.gh has learnt.



NAM 1 has been in Dubai cell since November 2018 over a gold deal gone bad.



Background



A Dubai-based businessman reported Mr Mensah for fraud in May 2018. Unaware that he was on the Dubai polices wanted list, Mr Mensah went to the Emirates with the hope of receiving a huge amount of money due him as a result of his earlier transactions with the Emirati, only to be arrested when he presented his passport to undergo immigration formalities.



Several customers of his defunct gold firm have on several occasions demonstrated in Accra, Takoradi and Tarkwa calling on government to intervene and help them retrieve their locked up cash.

Source: Starr FM









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The two sides wrapped up the latest round of talks in Washington late last week and will be resuming discussions this week remotely. "We're making progress on a range of things, and there's some stuff where we're not satisfied yet," Clete Willems, a top White House trade official, told Reuters on the sidelines of a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event on Monday.

U.S. officials are pressing China to make changes to address longstanding concerns over industrial subsidies, technology transfer and intellectual property rights.

The United States and China have been embroiled in a tit-for-tat tariff battle since July 2018, roiling global financial markets and supply chains and costing both of the world's two largest economies billions of dollars.

U.S. officials are "not satisfied yet" about all the issues standing in the way of a deal to end the U.S.-China trade war but made progress in talks with China last week, a top White House official said on Monday.

He declined to get into specifics on which issues remained unsettled. Last week, President Donald Trump said a deal could be reached in about four weeks. Willems also declined to specify a timeline for the pact, noting: "It should be a good sign for people that we're not rushing into this we want to get it right and we need to nail down specifics."

Willems said that the two sides were still trying to settle on how to handle existing tariffs. The United States has slapped tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of Chinese goods, and the Trump administration sees those as leverage to ensure Beijing keeps any promises made in the deal. Chinese officials want the levies removed.

The United States and China have agreed on an enforcement structure that would give Washington the right to retaliate if Beijing was not honoring the terms of the agreement, Willems said.

European Union leaders did not take issues with Chinese trade policy as seriously as they should have in the past, but the United States and the EU are now "working hand in hand" at the World Trade Organization on China's non-market economic policies, Willems said earlier in remarks at the Chamber of Commerce.

The United States and the EU want to work together on joint projects that provide market-based alternatives to state-led initiatives "that can come with strings attached," he said.

This month China is hosting its second summit for its Belt and Road initiative, which envisions connecting China with Asia, Europe and beyond with massive infrastructure spending, but the United States will not be sending high-level officials to the event.

Washington views Beijing as a major strategic rival. The United States has said it views the initiative as a way of spreading Chinese influence overseas and saddling low-income countries with unsustainable debt using opaque projects.

Willems, who has been a key figure in negotiations with China, said last month he will be leaving the White House in the coming weeks to spend more time with his family after the birth of a new baby.
Director-General of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), Dr. John Ofori-Tenkorang, says its possible for all Ghanaians to live happily after retirement if they diligently make contributions to the Trust while in active service.



According to him, many Ghanaians do not properly contribute to the Trust to ensure happy retirement despite knowing the important role of SSNIT in their old age.



Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang disclosed this while addressing students and some youth groups at the Navrongo Campus of the University for Development Studies as part of the SSNIT Info Shop series.



Today many of us here are in active service and enjoying whatever comes with it and for those of you in school, you are hopeful of getting a good job and life after school. One thing that happens along these stages unnoticed is aging.



The SSNIT Info Shop series, spearheaded by SSNIT, is an initiative of the University Students Association of Ghana (USAG) to sensitize university students on the need to start investing as early as possible.



So far, five universities have benefitted from the SSNIT Info Shop series since it started in 2018.



The Navrongo forum is the first in 2019.



Touching on the role of SSNIT in the development of Ghanas human resource base, Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang said that SSNIT has contributed immensely to the development of tertiary education in terms of infrastructure, sponsorships and students loans.



According to him, SSNIT hostels in the various universities across the country accommodate almost 5,000 students to enable them learn and properly prepare towards their future.



President of USAG, Kingsley Sarpong Akowuah, said that the USAG-SSNIT relationship will last for a long time, saying the SSNIT Info Shop series, for example, has been very beneficial to students on the various university campuses.



He revealed that many young people outside these universities would also benefit from the SSNIT Info Shop series because the students would also spread the message.



Persons aged 15 can start contributing to SSNIT, but individuals above the age of 45 cannot contribute to the first tier of the pension scheme.

Source: Daily Guide









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The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has appealed to President Akufo-Addo to give Ghana the chance to lead the cybersecurity awareness drive across the West African sub-region.



Minister of Communications Ursula Owusu-Ekuful made this known on Friday at the Lansdown Hotel, Aburi, during the opening session of the National Cyber Security Technical Working Groups first retreat for 2019.



She says ECOWAS and the World Bank have also adopted Ghanas National Cyber Security Technical Working Group concept for implementation in other parts of the sub-region.



According to her, the concept has been touted as very being effective in the fight against cyber crimes.



Statistics



According to the minister, from 7.9 million Internet users in 2017, Ghana has recorded a total of 10.3 million users in 2019, representing 3 million increase in a spate of two years.



She stated that government was working hard to secure the cyber ecosystem in Ghana, urging the Technical Working Group to also assist their counterparts in West Africa.



Cyber Hygienic Practices



Meanwhile, Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful called on the youth across the country to be mindful of the dangers of social media and the sort of items or pictures they share of themselves online.



She stated that young people must be aware of the long-term adverse implications of posting nude pictures of themselves on the Internet.



Representatives of major state institutions like the Attorney Generals Department, Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO), Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), National Communications Authority (NCA), Defence Intelligence (DI), among others, are taking part in the retreat.

Source: Daily Guide









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Peacefmonline.com is reliably informed that Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of defunct gold dealership firm, Menzgold, Nana Appiah Mensah, popularly known as NAM 1, will be in the country soon, possibly before the end of April.



It is however unclear if the embattled CEO will spend Easter in Ghana.



The news of NAM 1's likely appearance in the country is premised on reports this morning that he has won his court case in Dubai.



The court, which pronounced judgement on Tuesday, 9 April 2019, also ordered Horizon Diamonds, the said company which had issues with the embattled Menzgold CEO, to pay him all outstanding debts.



Head of Communications at Zylofon Media, Samuel Atuobi Baah, popularly known as Sammy Flex, confirmed the reports in an interview with Peacefmonline.com a short while ago.



"Yes, i have confirmed reports that Nana Appiah has won the court case in Dubai....it certainly is good news....i cannot exactly say when he will be back in Ghana...he has a few things to put in order...hopefully next week, we might get to know when he is due to arrive...," he stated.



Background



Nana Appiah has been in the custody of the Dubai authorities since November 2018 over a gold deal that went bad.



He was charged with fraud.



NAM 1 was being held for a misdemeanour charge over a US$23-million deal gone bad. On the 4th of March, 2019, he was granted bail but due to the red alert notice on him, he was rearrested on the instructions of INTERPOL in Dubai.



A Dubai-based businessman reported Mr Mensah for fraud in May 2018. Unaware that he was on the Dubai polices wanted list, he went to the Emirates with the hope of receiving a huge amount of money due him as a result of his earlier transactions with the Emirati, only to be arrested when he presented his passport to undergo immigration formalities.



Extradition?...Not Possible



The Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, COP Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, at a press briefing last week, revealed that Nana Appiah Mensah cannot be extradited to Ghana.



According to the CID Boss, NAM 1 can only be brought to Ghana after the completion of his trial in UAE.



There have been several demonstrations by aggrieved customers demanding for the release of locked up investment with Menzgold.

Source: Eugene Osafo-Nkansah/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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Audio Attachment: Listen to Ernest Owusu Bempah in an interview on Peace FM Midday News bulletin.

The Ghana Gas Company Limited has sucessfully completed its tie in works to the Volta River Authority at the Takoradi Regulatory and Metering System at Aboadze in the Western Region.



Speaking to journalists after a working visit of the project site at the Aboadze VRA site, the Head of Communications at Ghana Gas, Ernest Owusu Bempah revealed that ninety percent of the projected work is complete.



"We are ahead of time and have been able to complete the major works that is a tie in to VRA doing about 110 million cubic feet of gas to generate about 600 mega watt of energy," he added.



He said this development will ensure a reverse flow of gas and boost the Nigerian Gas flow of 90 million cubic feet of gas which is 500 negawatt in the event of any shortfall to forestall any further power outages popularly known in local Ghanaian parlance as 'dumsor'.



He said there will be commissioning and testing of the work undertaken for a period of time as some civil works are undertaken.



Ghana Gas Complete Tie In





Ghana Gas Complete Tie In





Ghana Gas Complete Tie In





Ghana Gas Complete Tie In





Ghana Gas Complete Tie In





Ghana Gas Complete Tie In





Ghana Gas Complete Tie In





Ghana Gas Looking To End Current Power Outages Before 12 days Deadline

The Government has attributed the recent intermittent power outages experienced by domestic and commercial power consumers to the total shutdown of the Ghana Gas pipeline system to ensure effective inter-connection with the West Africa Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCo).



The tie-in of the two companies systems is to ensure reverse flow of surplus gas at the Aboadze Thermal Power enclave to Tema Power enclave for power generation.



This is expected to increase the countrys natural gas capacity from 120 million standard cubic feet (SCF) of gas per day to 330 million SCF/per day.



Government had said it will need 12 days to end the current power outages being experienced across the country.



But the Head of Communication for the Ghana Gas Company Limited, Ernest Owusu Bempah said Ghana Gas is working harder to complete it before the 12 days.



Ghanaians have in the last week been experiencing unannounced disruptions in electricity supply to their homes and offices, heightening fears of a return to power crisis, popularly referred to as 'dumsor'.







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Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Ms Sarah Adwoa Sarfo, the Deputy Majority Leader of Parliament, has called for a high-quality research finding for Parliament to use as evidence in decision making and come out with good policies.



The gathering of evidence and the use of such data by Parliament to carry out the function of overseeing the activities and spending of the executive is relevant in the democratic dispensation of every country, she added.



Ms Sarfo made the call on Monday in Accra at the opening ceremony of a three-day training workshop on Evidence Generation and use of Legislative Oversight Function in Ghana and ECOWAS Parliaments.



The workshop brought together ECOWAS Parliaments and administrative staff of Parliament of Ghana, hosted by the Centre for Learning on Evaluation and Results (CLEAR) of Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) in collaboration with CLEAR South Africa with support from the World Bank.



She said most of the evidence in policy-making were not necessarily scientific, but emanated from statistical data, public opinion, input from think tanks, reports of stakeholders, consultation and evaluation of seminars, which were not empirical enough for effective decision making.

Ms Sarfo who is also the Minister for Public Procurement and a Member of Parliament for Dome-Kwabenya, said the availability of research and reliable information were critical factors for evidence policies and laws in parliamentary procedures.



She expressed concern about the existing bureaucracies within the executive, which occasionally slows down access to critical information, thereby impeding decision making processes of parliament on its oversight functions.



Parliament is empowered to control the expenditure of public of the country and also exercises oversight function over the executive, which is imperative in article 93(2) of the 1992 constitution.



She said Legislative function of Parliament includes passing bills into laws and scrutinizing statutory instruments, authorized the granting of loans and monitors the exchange receipts and payments, which was imperative in article 184 of the Constitution.



Ms Sarfo said the passage of the Right to Information Bill would enhance evidence generation of use by Parliament and its various committees as well as the general citizens, adding that the digitalization of Parliament activities into e-procurement was a further enhancement of evidence gathering to promote proper oversight over the executive.



The training programme will promote evidence used by Parliament through building the capacity of parliamentarians to use monitoring and evaluation as part of its oversight functions.



Mr Frederick Opare Ansah, a representative of ECOWAS Parliament Delegation, said the training would empower participants with the needed skills to improve service delivery in public administration.



Professor Philip Duku Osei, the Deputy Rector of GIMPA, said training and development of public and private institutions had been the institutes hallmark, urging participants to make good use of the knowledge acquired and impact it positively to their various countries.



Dr Charles Amoatey, the Coordinator for CLEAR GIMPA, said participants would be taken through topics including National Monitoring and Evaluation Policy, Evidence-informed Policy, and Approach to Assessing Evidence.

Source: GNA









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The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has called on government to abandon the newly drafted Public Universities Bill.



The bill when passed will provide the procedure for the establishment of Public Universities, principles of management of Public universities, the legal status of Public universities, the procedure for financing Public universities and administration and supervision of the activities of Public universities and related matters.



However, some educationists have kicked against it because according to them it will fight the autonomy of Public Universities.



In a statement, the MP also appealed to President Akufo-Addo to without any further delay withdraw and abandon this repulsive and contemptuous policy. This cannot be a sound policy path for a Democrat...President Akufo-Addo, respectfully, you do not deserve to be remembered by posterity as the General Idi Amin Dada of university education in Ghana.



Read his statement below



REPULSIVE AND CONTEMPTUOUS PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES BILL MUST BE ABANDONED WITHOUT DELAY



I shall now highlight some of the problematic and offensive provisions in the draft bill more specifically:



1) Clause 3(1) which seeks to give the President powers to appoint a majority of five members of a proposed nine member governing council.

This proposal will successfully place the University Councils and by logical extension the entire university under political control. If this is allowed, it will effectively mark the death of the notion of an independent university. Suffice to add that university dons who espouse views which may be at variance with the ruling party risk endangering their academic careers since Clause 5(h) requires the new politically controlled Councils to approve professorial level appointments.



2) Clause 3(5) grants the President sweeping powers to dissolve and reconstitute governing councils at his pleasure in cases of emergencies. Perhaps, even more worrying is the fact that the act fails to define what it means by emergencies in the interpretation section. This nebulous and amorphous animal called emergencies will only create fertile grounds for abuse and a further attack on university councils especially in times when the Government disagrees with a Council decision. The recent KNUST impasse is a classical example. Another point to consider is that Council members will be beholden to the President, living in constant fear of being dissolved or removed much to the detriment of the institutions they serve.

In any case, I would have thought that in times of emergencies  whatever emergencies stand for, the rich wisdom available on the university councils will be relied upon to help the powers that be to overcome such emergencies instead of this indecent hurry to do away with the Councils perhaps in times they are needed most.



3) Clause 24 dangerously arrogates approval of all financial matters in public universities solely in the hands of the Minister responsible for Finance in ways that appear inconsistent with Article 179 of the 1992 Constitution which gives such powers strictly to Parliament.



4) Clause 34 contemplates a Centralised Admission Platform and for which I read in the newspapers some weeks back that a committee has already been set up to recommend modalities for implementation.



This is yet another unwarranted assault on our universities. There is absolutely no basis for wanting to deny public universities their right to conduct their own admission processes and determine for themselves based on merit who they decide to invite into their student fold. The current system of admissions have worked quite well without controversy over the past decades. There is no need for any kind of unsolicited political interference whatsoever in admissions which as we have seen with many of such schemes in other sectors controlled by Government, soon meritocracy gives way to cronyism, clannism and whom-you-knowism.



If it is that Government seeks to make policy interventions in the kind of programmes we should prioritise as a nation, the practice has been to establish norms under the auspices of the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE)  this practice could be strengthened instead of virtually hijacking the admission process.



Again, learning from history; if the Prof. Kwapong Sub-Committee on Admission Policy in May 1963 rejected similar attempts to interfere with admission modalities as was then spearheaded by the powerful Kojo Botsio who doubled as Minister of Education and Chairman of the National Council for Higher Education, I do not see how the current Government will succeed with this latest attempt. Of course, except if contemporary university management across the country is willing to allow the Government a foothold.



5) Clause 35 envisages that student governance must be restructured to be consistent with provisions of this obnoxious bill. As a former NUGS President, and to the extent that this law flies in the face of the tenets of academic freedom and institutional autonomy, I expect student leaders to appreciate the harm this new law, if passed, will do to the quest for world class academic excellence and its impact on their degrees. This is the time for student leaders to forge strong coalitions with their lecturers and other interest groups to resist oppressors rule. Fewer an occasion in the history of the student movement has required defining and decisive mobilization.



6) Clause 36 is perhaps more insulting as it pushes for all public universities to come under harmonised statutes. This attempt to make our public universities glorified Junior High Schools without taking into account their unique missions and social anthropology is most offensive to say the least.



7) Clause 42 presents another bizarre provision which states that: The Minister may from time to time give policy directives through the National Council for Tertiary Education to the University and the University shall comply.

This is most unacceptable! Why are we pouring such scorn on our university dons? Enough of the disdain and utter disrespect!



The history of higher education in Ghana teaches us that not all policy directives from Government have been found to be helpful or noble and therefore requiring strict compliance. On 11th April, 1964, a presidential directive setting up an Appointments Committee which demanded that all the university institutions in Ghana use that body for appointment of their staff was politely disobeyed. So was the case when Government in 1977 decided to prematurely retire two University of Ghana Professors of the Medical School in a rather strange development  the university, for good reason refused to comply in an act of defiance worthy of commendation.



If this law is passed, we run the real risk of Ministers of Education who are often activists of political parties making our universities their political playground especially in this era of extreme political polarisation.



I shall conclude with a passionate appeal to President Akufo-Addo to without any further delay withdraw and abandon this repulsive and contemptuous policy. This cannot be a sound policy path for a Democrat.



No doubt, the worlds worst tyrant would be jealous of our President if he proceeds on this despotic and inglorious pursuit to assail academic freedom and institutional autonomy in our globally acclaimed and thriving universities.



President Akufo-Addo, respectfully, you do not deserve to be remembered by posterity as the General Idi Amin Dada of university education in Ghana.



Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (MP)

[Former Deputy Minister for Education]



8th April, 2019.

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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Dean of the School of Performing Arts at the University of Ghana, Prof. Kofi Agyekum, popularly known as Opanyin Agyekum has asked the ruling government to halt a draft bill to regulate public universities in the country.



This bill according to government officials, will "provide the procedure for the establishment of Public Universities, principles of management of Public universities, the legal status of Public universities, the procedure for financing Public universities and administration and supervision of the activities of Public universities."



Some of the proposals in the Bill grant; a) the President power to dissolve the University Council; b) Allow the University Council to appoint a Chancellor and c) Allow unions to appoint only one representative on a rotational system to serve on the Council at each cycle.



Member of Parliament for North Tongu constituency, Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa and other minority Members of Parliament, have also spoken against it.



Adding his voice to this during a panel discussion on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo', Opanyin Agyekum said the government cannot control universities like they do Senior High Schools and that to bring peace, the bill should be put on hold.



Watch video below







Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]









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The Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr has said, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia will be visiting Cuba soon.



According to him, once President Akufo-Addo has been there to see the goodies in Cuba, his Vice would also go there to see them for himself.



It is good he went on the Cuba trip; I am sure Bawumia will also go there later this year, he indicated.



Kwesi Pratt, who was speaking to the Presidents trip to Cuba during a panel discussion on Peace FM's morning show Kokrokoo, was glad that some agreements that were halted before Akufo-Addos government have been renewed.



Watch video below





Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/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 opposition National Democratic Congress (NDCs) grip on the Asawase Constituency in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region is coming under threat.



This is because the Asawase Napo Fun Club, a vibrant group affiliated to the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), has vowed to end the long reign of the incumbent Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka of the NDC.



We are snatching Mohammed Mubarak Muntakas seat for the NPP for the first time in the upcoming 2020 parliamentary elections and nothing can stop us, Umaira Eliasu, the chairperson of Asawase Napo Fun Club, who is also the NPP Deputy Women Organiser for Asawase Constituency, declared last Saturday.



She said, Hon. Muntaka and the NDC can do whatever they can, including indulging in propaganda and blatant lies, yet they will lose. The Asawase seat is for the NPP in 2020.



Umaira Eliasu told DAILY GUIDE after her group had joined the Manhyia South executives of the NPP to clean the surroundings of the Manhyia Palace.



She stated that Muntaka Mubaraks days as the Asawase lawmaker is numbered, saying we shall uproot him like cassava.



According to her, the Asawase Napo Fun Club members have started a massive campaign to point out Mubarak Muntakas deficiencies to the constituents.



Umaira Eliasu flatly debunked the assertion that the Asawase seat is a bonafide property of the NDC, saying that we have a strategy to win the seat for the first time in 2020.



As part of our grand agenda, we shall embark on clean-up exercise within the constituency every Saturday, among other activities, to win the seat from Muntaka.



Abdul Aziz, chairman for the Asawase Napo Fun Club, on his part, expressed the members gratitude to Napo for his invaluable support.



He said the group was formed about four years ago and they have since worked tirelessly to make the NPP popular and attractive within Asawase and beyond.

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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North Korea is seeking to build more coal-fired power plants to solve its chronic electricity shortage, which could have devastating consequences for air quality across the peninsula.

"An increase in thermal power generation is essential," the official Rodong Sinmun daily said Monday. "We need to give priority to coal mining to operate thermal power plants at full throttle."

Hydro power accounts for 61 percent of the North's electricity generation but is falling way short of demand, partly because there was not enough rain last winter. The rest is thermal power generation, but oil supplies are also severely restricted by international sanctions, so the only option is coal, which it has in abundance.

In 2015 the North's energy consumption was equivalent to a mere four percent of South Korea's, but it emits 280,000 tons of fine dust particles per year, 2.7 times as much as South Korea's 104,000 tons.

Most of North Korea's thermal power plants have no air filters or other equipment to reduce emissions.

Environment Minister Cho Myung-rae told the National Assembly on March 11 that about 13 percent of high-density fine dust that shrouded the South that month came from the North.


Raylene Marks is shown in this undated handout image. Marks says she quit her job at a Claire's accessories store in Edmonton after refusing to pierce the ears of a sobbing seven-year-old who begged her mother to go home. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Raylene Marks
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B.C. Attorney General David Eby and Federal Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction Bill Blair speak to media following a meeting to discuss money laundering during a press conference at Legislature on March 27, 2019. British Columbia's attorney general says he's troubled by a report that finds there are no federal Mounties dedicated to money laundering investigations in the province. David Eby says despite two years of headlines that organized crime is laundering billions in illegal cash in B.C., the only dedicated RCMP presence is a provincially funded team fighting the crime in casinos. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
There were lots of buzz of After You Dessert Cafe is opening in Central Festival Mall in Hatyai earlier this year. It was supposed to open in April according to many websites out there but it has postponed to June 2019.

We read so many rumours about After You Dessert Cafe in Central Festival Mall in Hatyai. Thus, we were in Hatyai last weekend, we went to check out Central Festival Mall to clear the rumours.

There are NO pop up After You Dessert Cafe in Central Festival Mall Hatyai now. The opening date is delayed until June 2019 and there is no specific opening date yet.

This will be After You Dessert Cafe first outlet in Southern Thailand. They just opened on in Terminal 21 Pattaya and most of their outlets are based in Bangkok. There is still no news on the upcoming After You Dessert Cafe in Malaysia or Singapore.

For your information, After You Dessert Cafe is one of the most successful businesses in Thailand. They adapted the popular toast in Tokyo and renamed it as Shibuya Toast and they have been selling the same item for 8 years! After You Dessert Cafe start to sell kakigori (shaved ice) on the 8th year in business.

They went for public listing a few years ago and it is a first for a dessert cafe in Thailand. Now, they are dozens of After You Dessert Cafes in Bangkok and plan to expand to other parts of Thailand and ASEAN.

Be patient and wait for the opening of After You Dessert Cafe at Central Festival Mall in Hatyai. Congrats Mheng and May for the opening of their latest outlet in Hatyai Thailand. Hatyai wont be the same anymore with the opening of After You Dessert Cafe.

Wilson Ng A Father and traveler who enjoys to eat, shop, travel and taking pictures with Samsung S21 Ultra. Im a full time blogger, youtuber and father for two. I used to travel around 17 International trips per year but now staying at home. Remember to follow us at www.instagram.com/placesandfoods and www.youtube.com/placesandfoods. For advertisements or features, contact me at [email protected] See author's posts
Overview

On March 27, 2019, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies held a hearing titled, NASAs FY 2020 Budget Request.

Members in Attendance:

Subcommittee Chairman Jose Serrano (D-NY)

Subcommittee Ranking Member Robert Aderholt (R-AL)

Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY)

Rep. Martha Roby (R-AL)

Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA)

Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-MS)

Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL)

Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)

Witness

James Bridenstine, Administrator, NASA

Chairman Serranos Opening Statement

Mr. Bridenstines Opening Statement

Sample Q&A

Chairman Serrano: Over the past few weeks we have had the Presidents Budget Request (PBR), your statement about looking alternatives to the SLS with commercial rockets to make an Orion lunar test in June 2020 for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) at a recent Senate hearing and now the Vice Presidents statements about SLS yesterday at the National Space Council meeting. Is this a political timeline?

Mr. Bridenstine: SLS has had slips in the schedule. If there are slips in schedule without changes in behavior, NASA must look at other options that are feasible and can fit within cost and schedule. The schedule for SLS needs to be accelerated to make the June 2020 launch.

Chairman Serrano: Can you provide more details into what the costs will be to accelerate?

Mr. Bridenstine: NASA now has 45-day study underway which will provide those answers.

Ranking Member Aderholt: Can you provide any insight how NASA will manage this new goal to land humans on the moon in five years?

Mr. Bridenstine: The 45-day study will have options. One opportunity is to horizontally integrate SLS, rather than vertically. Management must change as well. There is a big difference between operations as opposed to development, therefore NASA is creating a new mission directorate for Moon and Mars.

Rep. Meng: Many were excited at the idea of the all-female spacewalk. Why did it have to be canceled because of problems with space suits?

Mr. Bridenstine: NASA works constantly on having to be able to include more women at NASA. The suits are used only when they are safe and can ensure mission success. NASA made the right call.

Rep. Roby: SLS employs 13,000 jobs in Alabama and is critical for exploration. Can you tell us what SLS will provide for future missions?

Mr. Bridenstine: We need large up-mass capability and only SLS can do it. Especially the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) is essential for delivering landers, habitation modules and of course Orion.

Rep. Roby: How does SLS help us lead our partners and when can we expect an announcement of a crew for the 2022 flight?

Mr. Bridenstine: Our partners want us to have a rocket like SLS. We are already looking at what the crew will be like for 2022.

Rep. Palazzo: Is the space debris problem getting worse?

Mr. Bridenstine: Yes. NASA is part of an international working group on space debris. Estimates now state we can expect every 5 - 9 years that there will be a major space collision. The U.S. Air Force needs to complete their Space Fence program for Space Situational Awareness (SSA). Next we need to address is Space Traffic Management (STM) and finally, remediation capability needs to be created.

Rep. Crist: Im concerned about possible cuts to SLS hurting Florida, how will NASA make sure this doesnt happen? How will we get humans to Mars by 2033?

Mr. Bridenstine: We need SLS to achieve the Vice Presidents timeline that was announced. We also need new technologies and the Moon is to be proving ground.

Chairman Serrano: Why is there no money in the budget for WFIRST?

Mr. Bridenstine: WFIRST and JWST are paired together. One needs the other. JWST is a flagship mission but it is also behind schedule and over budget, however. NASA needs to get JWST completed before work on WFIRST.

Ranking Member Aderholt: How can SLS be used for other kinds of missions?

Mr. Bridenstine: We need to utilize SLS for all kinds of missions. SLS needs a surge capacity more than the current cadence. Europa Clipper needs SLS, but if SLS cannot meet those mission requirements, NASA will look at other options.

Rep. Roby: What is the status for contracting for the SLS core stage for EM-3?

Mr. Bridenstine: We will be contracting very soon. As well we need to do the same for EM-4,5 and so on.

Chairman Serrano: What can you tell us about funding for ISS beyond 2025? Will the US give up a presence in LEO?

Mr. Bridenstine: We do not want to give up LEO. We want to commercialize LEO. There can be many market opportunities. NASA can be one of many customers.

Ranking Member Aderholt: Nuclear power in space is supported by Congress. Can you tell us what NASA is doing about nuclear power in space? How will those efforts help the new timeline announced by the Vice President?

Mr. Bridenstine: Nuclear thermal power efforts are now in Phase One. This administration wants to accelerate nuclear space efforts. NASA will provide more detailed information to this committee soon.
More than 40 percent of women giving birth in Korea still opt for Caesarean sections, according to a study.

The Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs studied 1,784 women between 15 and 49 who gave birth from 2016 until September last year, and 42 percent chose C-sections. In the last study in 2015, the figure was 39 percent.

The World Health Organization recommends C-sections only in emergency cases, which would be at most 10 to 15 percent of childbirths. Worldwide the average rate of C-sections is 19 percent, with the highest in Latin America at around 41 percent followed by North America (32 percent) and Oceania (31 percent). Asia ranked relatively low at 19 percent.

According to the study, the older the woman, the more likely she is to opt for a C-section. Among women between 25 and 34, the rate of C-sections stood at between 38 to 40 percent, but that rose to 47 percent among women over 35 and 65 percent if they were over 40.

Korean first-time mothers were on average 32.8 years old last year, up two years from a decade ago, according to Statistics Korea. And the proportion of women over 35 who gave birth jumped from 14 to 32 percent over the same period.

A spokesperson for the Korean Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said, "Although we cannot say old age directly leads to an increase in C-sections, an increase in the number of women giving birth later in life accompanies a rise in the instances of C-sections in all countries."

"Women who gave birth to their first child via C-section tend to have their second child by the same method, which contributes to the rise," the spokesperson added.

There are also regional differences, with the highest proportion of C-sections recorded in rural areas at 47 percent, followed by small or mid-sized towns at 45 percent and in major cities at 39 percent. Experts believe the reason is the difference in quality of medical equipment, which prompts clinics in rural areas to plumb for safer C-sections if they sense the slightest complication.


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Some 537 Korean victims have joined a class-action suit against Japanese companies that forced them to labor for them in World War II, an advocacy group in Daegu said Monday.

The group, which also supports victims of wartime sexual slavery, said it will file the suit in Gwangju at the end of this month.

A study by the Prime Minister's Office has tallied the number of forced labor victims at around 140,000, which means more lawsuits can be expected.

The Japanese government is furious that Korean courts have recognized the claims for victims in a couple of cases and authorized the seizure of Japanese companies' assets here.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday once again called for the Korean government to take proper action when he was visited by outgoing Korean Ambassador Lee Su-hoon. Tokyo insists all compensation claims were settled by a lump sum payment in 1965.

Tokyo has also threatened retaliatory measures like punitive tariffs on Korean exports should the former forced laborers go ahead and sell the companies' assets. Seoul has not responded to Tokyo's calls for talks saying it respects the courts' decisions.

"We are preparing to deal with all possible measures taken by Japan," a Foreign Ministry official said.

The problem looks increasingly intractable since Abe needs to shore up his rightwing support base and Japan seems incapable of coming to terms with its war crimes, while Korean anger has become highly ritualized.

Lee Won-deog at Kookmin University said, "It appears as if the government is ignoring the problem, but it will become increasingly difficult to look the other way once the scale of the lawsuits grows and Japan takes concrete retaliatory steps."

Lee warned the case may even be taken to the International Court of Justice. "We are not in a disadvantageous position," he added. "We could gain valuable time by taking the case to the ICJ and seek to normalize ties with Japan once the political climate changes."


This article originally appeared in RECOIL Issue 42

Photos by Q Concepts

Justice from Above: RECOIL Goes Airborne With the Countrys First Parachute Qualified SWAT Team

One thousand 

Two thousand 

Three thousand 

Four thousand 

Five thousand 

SIX THOUSAND 

Check canopy! Gain canopy control!

OK  good  f*ck this job.

Thats when I could feel my heartbeat again. The 10 seconds prior had been like holding my breath underwater. At jump altitude, 1,500 feet in this case, every nut, bolt, and rivet of our Cessna-182 seemed to rattle and bang as if trying to get out of the plane before I could. It made me wonder, what ever did happen to DB Cooper?

One minute!

The Jump Masters command brought me back to the inevitable reality that I was going to jump into thin air on the assumption that an oversized bedsheet and a bunch of string was going to keep me from dying prematurely at terminal velocity. Honestly? I was way more stressed out and way less excited than I had hoped to be. But I remembered something I had heard from one of my NCOs way back in my butter bar Second Lieutenant days:

All due respect, sir, Jesus hates a p*ssy.

It was my last conscious thought before the release point.

Execute! Execute! Execute!

Followed by the aforementioned six seconds of falling to my death before all those snaps, straps, and rubber bands did what they were supposed to and I found myself tugging on the toggles of an SF-10A canopy and flying myself toward a bright pink X made of VS-17 panels in the middle of the grass between runways. That, for me, was when stress evaporated and exhilaration took its place.

Jump Boots and Badges

When a severe natural disaster hit the small island nation of Haiti in 2010, America sent its large-scale Rapid Reaction Force  the 82nd Airborne Division. These soldiers offered a unique capability to an area ravaged by natural disaster. Overland convoy was impossible, and travel by sea is slow and cumbersome. Add unsafe or impossible if high winds or rough seas are involved anywhere along the charted course. But the ability to airdrop pallets of supplies and hundreds of people to render immediate aid to people in need could potentially mean the difference between life and death for entire cities. At a minimum, its the difference between having no power and no food for a couple of days or a couple of weeks.

Fast-forward to 2017. A similar situation struck the island of Puerto Rico which, at time of writing, is still a long way off from anything resembling a full recovery. Whats the difference? In a foreign nation, such as Haiti, its perfectly acceptable for military units to conduct humanitarian aid, policing actions, and operations to restore and maintain civil order. But both of the latter missions usually require some application of force, up to and including the lethal kind.

Units from the National Guard are often seen rendering medical aid or distributing supplies, but they cannot use force against U.S. citizens. With most experts agreeing that a complete breakdown of law and order can occur within 72 hours or less of a major disaster, being able to rapidly deliver peace officers to a large-scale crisis zone becomes a very high priority very quickly.

This logic is what prompted a small training company based out of Miami, known as Dynamic Solutions Training Group, to attempt a not-insignificant feat. Theyre trying to mainstream an entirely new area of crisis-response police training: Law Enforcement Airborne. I was fortunate enough to participate in the pilot course of this program, alongside officers from the Greenville County, SC Sheriffs Office SWAT Team  the first in the nation (that I know of) to train officers in this specialty.

Chute and Shoot

The HMFIC over at DSTG is both a SWAT officer and Army veteran. After witnessing the results of devastating hurricane strikes in both Key West and Puerto Rico, they began working on a grant proposal to FEMA to develop a method of training for delivering specially trained police officers directly into the disaster area. Dynamic Training Solutions goal isnt just to teach police officers to jump out of airplanes. Theyre building a full spectrum course that offers a standardized parachutist certification while also reinforcing the hard skills needed for post-crisis law enforcement operations.

What the military calls static line jumping is known as round canopy parachuting in the civilian world. For this portion of training, DSTG partnered with the U.S. Round Canopy Parachute Team, or RCPT. The RCPT is a national organization of parachute enthusiasts specializing in the static line/round canopy discipline. Many of these folks started jumping static line in the military, and have had long careers in airborne or special operations units. All of our jump masters and riggers learned their respective trades from the military, and several of them are still on active duty. The RCPT holds several certification courses throughout the year that are open to the public. Once you complete a course, you can register with the Team and participate in any of their events, which range from casual jump weekends to full-blown historical reenactments in which members jump from actual World War II-era aircraft wearing full period kit (dont worry, the parachutes are new).

The Law Enforcement Airborne course I attended included the full RCPT certification curriculum. Day one started with a pass/fail physical training test including push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, and a run, all performed wearing plate carrier or body armor. I ran the test in my Tyr Tactical Basic Plate Carrier, which accompanied me on 11 deployments overseas as a contractor, and Spartan Armor lightweight level IIIA plates. Bringing steel plates to this event is not recommended and you do not get bonus points if you do. (Note that the PT test is part of the Dynamic Solutions LE jump school, not the regular RCPT round canopy class.) With the PT test out of the way, we spent the rest of day one in class, learning the basics of round canopy jumping. This included nomenclature, how to don the parachute and harness, technical specifications and characteristics of the SF-10A parachutes wed be jumping with (thats the MC-6 if youre still on active duty) and general jump safety protocol. All told, it was nearly a 12-hour training day.

Day two opened with pre-jump and Airborne Sustainment Training. This is all hands-on practical rehearsal. We buddy-rigged each other into actual parachute harnesses suspended from ceiling and did detailed rehearsals of emergency procedures on descent including tree landing, wire landings, water landings, and jumper collisions. We got inside the actual aircraft wed be jumping out of and reviewed all the proper jump master commands in sequence followed by a practice aircraft exit. We also got intimately familiar with the infamous PLF  the Parachute Landing Fall  which, in essence, is a highly refined way for your ass to hit the ground from 1,500 feet that poses the lowest possible risk of injury on impact. Note that I said lowest risk and not no risk. As I sit here typing approximately 48 hours after my last jump, my back, neck, one knee, and both shoulders are still sore enough that Im on a strict regimen of naproxen sodium accompanied by bourbon and ginger ale.

Once we were done with pre-jump, it was time to go. We spent the rest of day two doing solo jumps. Only one student in the air at a time. We were able to get three of our required five jumps in this way, all out of the aforementioned C-182. This took us pretty much to sundown, which is when regulations require students stop jumping.

Day three started with a brief refresher of pre-jump and actions in the aircraft. This time wed be jumping three at a time out of a Kodiak. The Kodiak we flew in had two short bench seats that ran down either side of the aircraft. Jumpers went up six at a time, with half of them jumping per pass over the DZ. Group jumps added a whole new dynamic as now I had to not only go through all the proper exit procedures and then navigate to the objective, but also avoid collisions and entanglements with other jumpers on descent. Not to mention that a Kodiak travels about 50 knots faster than a Cessna, which means as soon as you set foot in the slipstream you get just about sucked out of the plane. Kodiaks are also too small to stand up in. So try bunny-hopping into a 150-knot slipstream wearing 50 pounds of parachute gear and not smack the side of the airplane as your static line feeds out. Spoiler alert: I couldnt do it.

Both jumps out of Kodiak resulted in big twists in my riser lines, which means I couldnt steer properly. Fortunately, twisted risers are a relatively easy problem to fix, and I got practice without losing my cool. After our final jump, we rolled into our force-on-force training scenario that required a full briefing to the team leader, dismounted movement to an object where officers were faced to deal with an armed aggressor, friendly informant casualty care under fire. After completion, the scenario was assessed and critiqued by fellow SWAT officer Jared Reston of Reston Group Critical Solutions. Jared has 15 years of SWAT experience under his belt, including a shooting that resulted in him receiving the Medal of Valor and a nod as the State of Floridas Law Enforcement Officer Of The Year. In spite of these accolades he is laid back, approachable and wholly focused on student experience. Students were also awarded their jump wings, airborne tabs and course certificates upon completion of their fifth jump.

Day Four was all live fire training with Jared. His focus on disciplined accuracy and deliberate cadence fire is refreshing in the age of tenth-of-a-second split times at three yards. His first exercise of the day was six strings of 10 rounds shot from 25 meters. Each string was scored on a bulls-eye. This immediately set the tone not just for accuracy, but for accountability of each round fired  paramount for any law enforcement officer, but especially for those serving in the SWAT or SRT community, who may be called on to make low-percentage shots under demanding conditions.

All OK, Jump Master

For me personally, it was a roller coaster thrill ride. The literal up-and-down adrenaline bumps combined with a couple of subpar landings have left me battered, bruised, smiling and self-reflective. When I walked off the Drop Zone after jump number five, I was awash with relief that it was finally over and Id never have to do it again. But a couple of days later, I find myself wondering if maybe that line in the sand isnt a little more flexible. In the end, time will tell but, for now, Ill be happy to keep my next couple of assignments on terra firma.

This course was graciously hosted by the folks of Skydive Palatka in Palatka, Florida. If your department has access to the right air assets and range space, Dynamic Solutions Training and their partners will bring the course to your department. For civilians, you can go direct to RCPT-USA and catch one of their open enrollment round canopy courses. If youre physically able and not deathly afraid of heights, Id encourage anybody reading this to consider stepping out of an airplane, and out of your comfort zone. Your next adventure may only be six seconds away.

Drop Tested

From an editorial standpoint, one of the great opportunities afforded by this class was being able to put some gear to the ultimate test. Chances are if something is uncomfortable, poorly designed, or cheaply manufactured, youre going to figure that out real quick when you take it with you out the door of an airplane. I brought a few pieces of kit with me that performed admirably under the circumstances

Disruptive Tactical Pants:

The Disruptive Pants, available through Chase Tactical, have a number of features that made them particularly nice to jump in. The fully gusseted and articular crotch region is made of soft, breathable material that cushioned me well from the harsh, cutting fit that sometimes happens when you cinch down the inner-thigh straps of a parachute harness. The removable kneepads are firm, but not rigid. They provide bump protection when you take a knee on tough ground for shooting, but also padding for when you hit the ground descending at 10 feet per second and dont stick the landing quite right. Seen throughout this story in coyote tan, theyre available in a variety of colorways.

Viktos Johnny Combat Merc Boot:

Ive been spoiled wearing low-cut hikers and trail-running shoes for the last few years, but jumping requires a sturdy-soled shoe with at least a modicum of ankle support. The mid-height Merc boot proved itself lightweight and breathable in muggy marshland of north central Florida, but also provided ankle structure and impact cushioning throughout its medium thickness sole. The rear-zip closure makes getting in and out of them a breeze and, to date, they show little to no scuffing, smudging, or discoloration. Comfortable enough to wear daily, I look forward to putting these boots through their paces. (See what I did there?)

Hard Headed Veterans ATE Helmet:

Protecting your brain shell is pretty paramount when falling from a thousand-plus feet in the air. Ive had this Hard Headed Veterans Above-The-Ear (ATE) helmet for a few months now. Its one thing to wear a helmet when youre on the range or walking a shoot house. Its another thing when that first blast of wind hits your face on aircraft exit. Im happy to report that the ATE helmet only titled on my head once, and it was because I didnt recheck my straps between jumps. The four-point suspension combined with a dial-adjustable headband and thick, heavy comfort pads made this NIJ IIA-certified helmet comfortable to sit in for hours at a time and, when I was unfortunate enough to bounce my head off the ground on a landing, I felt fine, and the helmet didnt show so much as a paint scrape.

Dynamic Training Solutions

www.facebook.com/dynamicsolutionsTG

www.instagram.com/dynamic_solutions_training

Round Canopy Parachute Team  USA

https://rcptusa.org

Reston Group Critical Solutions

www.restongrouptraining.com

Skydive Palatka

www.skydivepalatka.com
Corte Madera, CA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 04/09/2019 --Svitla Systems is pleased to announce its acknowledgment as a Service Organization Control (SOC) 2 certified company. The SOC 2 certification is an auditing procedure issued by outside auditors who assess the extent to which vendors comply with the overall practices of securing data, protecting client privacy, and protecting the interests of an organization.



The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), which is the largest member association that represents accountants and their profession, developed the SOC 2 certification to attest that participating vendors comply with one or more of the five trust service principles based on the systems and processes in place. The five trust service principles are security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy.



By being certified as a SOC 2 compliant company, Svitla Systems affirms its commitment to best practices to ensure data and processes are secure, protected, and confidential. The SOC 2 type certification addresses whether an organization's system is designed and presented in accordance with stringent controls providing assurance that the Svitla's service commitments and system requirements are achieved based on the applicable trust service criteria.



Svitla Systems, through the effective placement of detailed policies, procedures, and practices, demonstrates compliance of the SOC-2 requirements. "As our commitment and strategy for a secure and conscious environment for the protection of client data and processes, we are thrilled to declare that our compliance of the SOC 2 certification represents a positive reinforcement that adds value to the service offering we deliver to our clients," said Svitla Systems CEO, Nataliya Anon.



Svitla Systems is devoted to the adherence and ratification of the necessary security standards to continue to provide the highest quality solutions and safest, most secure IT services for the sensitive data of its clients. Our security values are further reflected by the SOC 2 certification, which diligently conveys our engagement to safeguarding our processes and controls.



About Svitla Systems

Svitla Systems is a proven custom software development company and testing provider headquartered in Corte Madera, California, with sales and development offices throughout the US, Mexico and Europe (Ukraine, Poland, Germany, and Montenegro). Svitla's global operations are built on lasting relationships with some of the world's most prestigious companies. Svitla's wide range of services spans from web and mobile development, design, system support and testing, Big Data architecture design, Internet of Things product deployment, Consulting and much more. Delivering top-notch quality is a key ingredient of Svitla Systems' success and it recently joined ranks as an ISO 9001:2015 certified company. This certification validates that Svitla's structure, responsibilities, and procedures are in place to deliver outstanding quality management and services. For more information, visit https://svitla.com/.



About AICPA and the SOC 2 certification

Since 1887, the American Institute of CPAs has a history of serving the public interest with over 431,000+ members across 137 countries and territories, representing many areas of practice, including business and industry, public practice, government, education and consulting. The SOC 2 certification is an auditing practice and a set of standards designed to help measure how a service organization adheres to trust principles, as attested by independent certified public accountants who determine how a company safeguards data and processes through security policies and procedures that encompass security, availability, confidentiality, processing integrity, and privacy.
TV personality Robert Holley, also known by his Korean name Ha Il, was arrested on Monday on charges of taking crystal meth.

Police in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province said Holley was arrested on Monday afternoon on charges of buying the drugs online and taking them in his home in Seoul.

Police obtained an arrest warrant after being tipped off, and Holley has admitted some of the charges.

Holley (60) is a colorful character. California-born, he spent his childhood in Utah, where he became a Mormon, and first arrived in Korea as a missionary for the religion.

In 1997 he took Korean citizenship after marrying a Korean woman. He became famous for speaking Korean not only fluently but with a regional accent.

In 1999, he established his own international school in the southwestern city of Gwangju and he still heads the board.


BJP President Amit Shah on Monday met party veterans L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi hours after top party leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, unveiled the party's 'Sankalp Patra' for the Lok Sabha polls.

Shah drove to the residences of Advani and Joshi, who have been virtually sidelined in the party and were reportedly upset with the way they were denied party tickets from the constituencies they represented.



Although there was no official word by the party about the meeting, the party leaders asserted that Shah shared the party manifesto and took their inputs.



However, sources said Shah explained them about party's decision of not fielding candidates above 75 years of age.





Shah's meeting with Advani comes four days after the party veteran appeared to take a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership by saying that the party never viewed its political foes as "anti-national".



Advani, who has been denied ticket from the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat, wrote a blog saying the BJP has never considered its political opponents as "enemies" or "anti-nationals".



"The essence of Indian democracy is respect for diversity and freedom of expression. Right from its inception, the BJP has never regarded those who disagree with us politically as our 'enemies', but only as our adversaries.



"Similarly, in our conception of Indian nationalism, we have never regarded those who disagree with us politically as 'anti-national'," Advani said.



The comments were seen as a message by Advani to the Modi leadership which has been alleging that those raising questions over the Balakot air strike in Pakistan were working against national interests.



Opposition leaders, including Congress and its President Rahul Gandhi, have hit out at Modi and Shah for "disregard" shown to veterans.



Amit Shah is now contesting from Gandhinagar, a constituency Advani has represented in the Lok Sabha since 1991.



After being denied ticket, Joshi had issued a statement saying the BJP told him that he would not be nominated by the party from Kanpur. Joshi has been replaced by Satyadev Pachauri for the seat.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called up Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Monday and complimented him on the victory of his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) in the recent parliamentary elections in the Indian Ocean archipelago nation.

A MEA release said that during their telephonic conversation, Modi noted that the significant victory of MDP signifies a "resounding endorsement of the policies and efforts of its leaders", who have worked with deep commitment for the people of Maldives.



He welcomed the successful completion of the elections, which marked consolidation of democracy and strengthening of democratic institutions in the Maldives.





Modi reiterated India's deep commitment, in keeping with its 'Neighbourhood First' policy, to work closely with the Maldives in further deepening their partnership and assist it as per its requirement in its socio-economic development.



He also spoke to former President Mohamed Nasheed and congratulated him on the momentous electoral victory.



The Prime Minister lauded the participation of all democracy-loving forces in deepening the roots of democracy in the Maldives, and offered India's continued assistance for the objective.


Prime Minister Narendra Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday made a passionate appeal to the millennial generation exhorting them to select the nation above everything else while exercising their first-ever vote in the 2019 elections. Addressing a rally at Ausa in this Marathwada district, Modi said that this generation, born in the 21st century, has got a lot from their families, people and the country as they stepped into adulthood.



"This is the opportunity to repay it... I ask you, will you ensure that your first vote will be for the Pulwama martyrs, for the poor to get homes, water or the farmers and health for all countrymen?



"You must only vote for the country and for a strong government," Modi urged.



He said that every vote that is cast for the Bharatiya Janata Party would "come directly to me..." and asked the Millennials to now vote only in favour of national interest.



Sharing the dais for the first time in 28 months with ally Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray, Modi assured that he would not let the aspirations of the people in backward Marathwada region go in vain and would take up developmental activities and ensure their faith is not belied.



After harsh criticism of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and its President Sharad Pawar in the past few rallies here, Modi on Tuesday warned the Maratha supremo of consequences of allying with the Congress.



"The manifesto of the Congress and its allies are anti-national... For decades, they have pushed the nation into insecurity and nobody has any expectation from the Congress... But you, Sharadrao, you? Does it suit a person of your stature to ally with such people," Modi thundered.



Accusing both the Congress and the NCP of pursuing 'dynastic' politics and promoting their families, he said they should learn from the late Shiv Sena founder-patriarch, Bal Thackeray.



"If he wanted, he could have become the Chief Minister or nominated his son Uddhav for the post... But he never did that and allowed other people in the party to come up."



Modi also attacked the Congress for promising to speak with separatists and not remove Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir in its Lok Sabha elections manifesto.



He said: "This is exactly what Pakistan wants... This will help Pakistan and the separatist forces. The Congress manifesto will break the country."



He blamed the Congress leadership for not standing up courageously to prevent the Partition in 1947 and said "Pakistan would never have existed in the first place."



Reiterating that the Congress and its allies were working against the country, he said: "They are after me... They are abusing me. They allege that we did not shoot down any Pakistan fighter plane, believing some report from somewhere and exploiting it to spread canards. How many proofs will you demand from the Indian Army and Indian Air Force?"



"This is the time to punish these people who have compromised on national security for electoral politics... They should be made to lose their (election) deposits... I have stopped all their dirty games and now all our decisions are only in the national interest," Modi told the gathering.



He claimed that the Congress manifesto was to strengthen the family of 'naamdar' (Gandhis). He said the BJP's manifesto was to strengthen the country and the Congress' was only for votes.



In his address, Thackeray termed the Congress manifesto as 'fibbing' and lauded Modi for the BJP manifesto's promise to make farmers the 'centre' of development.



He also urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was also present on the dais, to iron out the creases in the farmers loan waiver and crop insurance schemes in Maharashtra.



Taunting Congress President Rahul Gandhi for the party manifesto, Fadnavis said that "when your great grandfather and grandmother could not eliminate poverty, how will you do it".



Tuesday's Ausa rally marked the first time that Modi and Thackeray shared the stage after 28 months.



Earlier, they had joined hands on December 24, 2016 for performing the 'jal pooja' for the proposed grand memorial of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the Arabian Sea, off Chowpatty in Mumbai, and later addressed a public meeting in the Bandra Kurla Complex.




Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/08/2019 -- Aerospace antimicrobial coatings are used in the interiors of aircraft and space vehicles to prevent or reduce the growth of bacteria without any side-effects on passenger health. These coatings help lower the costs associated with disinfection of passenger decks. These coatings also help prolong cleaning cycles. Rise in concerns about passenger health is driving the aerospace antimicrobial coatings market. Aerospace antimicrobial coatings effectively prevent the breeding of microbes on surfaces in cabin of aircraft and their transmission to food and passengers. Of late, the outbreak of Ebola and Zika viruses has emphasized the focus on health and safety in aircraft.



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Aerospace Antimicrobial Coatings Market: Segmentation



Based on material, the aerospace antimicrobial coatings market can be segmented into silver, copper, and others. In terms of fit, i.e. when the coating is applied, the aerospace antimicrobial coating market can be bifurcated into OEM and aftermarket. Based on end-user, the aerospace antimicrobial coating market can be segregated into commercial and defense. In terms of application, the aerospace antimicrobial coatings market can be divided into air supply & management system, thermal management & control system, cabin pressure & control system, sanitary facilities & kitchen, and cabin seats & interiors.



Aerospace Antimicrobial Coatings Market: Trends & Developments



The aerospace antimicrobial coatings market is expected to expand steadily in the next few years. The aerospace sector is expanding, as the number of people travelling via air is rising at a significant pace. This has increased the risk of transmission of harmful diseases caused by microorganisms. Aerospace antimicrobial coatings address this issue; thus. These are likely to gain prominence in the near future.



Aerospace Antimicrobial Coatings Market: Regional Outlook



In terms of region, the global aerospace antimicrobial coatings market can be split into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America is the major region of the global aerospace antimicrobial coatings market. The aerospace antimicrobial coatings market in North America is estimated to expand at a healthy pace during the forecast period, as the region is the hub of aerospace original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) such as Boeing and Airbus. Europe is another key region of the global aerospace antimicrobial coatings market due to the presence of strong aerospace industry in the region. Asia Pacific offers immense potential for the aerospace antimicrobial coatings market in terms of demand. However, market growth in Asia Pacific has not been rapid owing to the lower number of profitable airlines operating in the region. Middle East & Africa and Latin America are relatively smaller regions of the aerospace antimicrobial coatings market. Latin America is estimated to create lucrative opportunities for aerospace antimicrobial coatings market, led by the rise in interest of aerospace OEMs in the region.



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Aerospace Antimicrobial Coatings Market: Key Players



Prominent players operating in the aerospace antimicrobial coatings market include PPG Industries (the U.S.), AkzoNobel (the Netherlands), Sherwin-Williams (the U.S.), BASF (Germany), Mankiewicz (Germany), Henkel (Germany), Hentzen (the U.S.), MAPAERO (France), Permagard (France), Dunmore (the U.S.), Hexion (the U.S.), and Polymer Technologies (the U.S.).



MRR.BIZ has been compiled in-depth market research data in the report after exhaustive primary and secondary research. Our team of able, experienced in-house analysts has collated the information through personal interviews and study of industry databases, journals, and reputable paid sources.



The report provides the following information:



- Tailwinds and headwinds molding the market's trajectory

- Market segments based on products, technology, and applications

- Prospects of each segment

- Overall current and possible future size of the market

- Growth pace of the market

- Competitive landscape and key players' strategies



The main aim of the report is to:



- Enable key stakeholder's in the market bet right on it

- Understand the opportunities and pitfalls awaiting them

- Assess the overall growth scope in the near term

- Strategize effectively with respect to production and distribution



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Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/08/2019 -- Aerospace glass is used in aero-structures in order to save weight, increase payload capacity, and improve fuel efficiency. It is commonly found in secondary structural parts such as cargo liners, floors, seats, and other interior applications where weight-saving up to 20% is easy to achieve. Fiberglass composites are the commonly used aerospace glass products in the aviation industry. Fiberglass composites are distinguished by their excellent fatigue, impact, and temperature resistance. Other applications of aerospace glass include primary structural parts such as tail fins, flaps propellers, air brakes, small plane fuselages, helicopter shells and rotor blades, and motor parts. Multiple layers of glass are bent in order to create a typical windshield used in commercial aircraft. Key properties of aerospace glass include appropriate refractive index, chemical composition, softening point, tensile strength, and modulus.



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https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/aerospace-glass-market.html



The aerospace glass market is primarily driven by the increase in demand for glass fiber composites for applications in the aviation industry. Furthermore, there is an upsurge in the demand for aerospace glass from various sectors, especially the defense. The light weight and excellent strength of aerospace glass attract manufacturers, retailers, and consumers, and thereby have become key factors driving the expansion of the market. Moreover, increase in usage of aerospace glass for manufacturing of various structural applications in the aviation and defense sector is further propelling the expansion of the market. Though the raw material is cheap, it requires advanced technologies for the processing purposes.



Based on the type of glass which is used in the glass fiber, the aerospace glass market can be categorized into E-glass and S-Glass. Glass fibers can be used in the form of composites as well. Based on the application, the aerospace glass market can be classified as secondary structural parts and primary structural parts. Secondary structural parts where aerospace glass finds applications include cargo liners, floors, seats, and other interior applications. Based on the primary structural part application, the global aerospace glass market can be divided into tail fins, flaps propellers, air brakes, small plane fuselages, helicopter shells and rotor blades, and motor parts.



The global aerospace glass market witnessed robust expansion in 2016, and the trend is estimated to continue during the forecast period. North America accounted for a significant share of the aerospace glass market due to availability of raw material processing and technological advancements in the region. The aerospace industry in North America is a key market and is anticipated to expand further due to fleet expansion activities. Demand for fuel-efficient vehicles and strong protective coating is increasing in the region.



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The aerospace glass market in Europe is expanding. Germany and France are considered the key countries in Europe. Demand from the aerospace industry fuels the aerospace glass market in Europe. Asia Pacific is also considered a key region for the market of aerospace glass due to strong demand from China and India. Changing lifestyle, the nature of emerging economy, and overseas studies are key factors that fuel the expansion of the aerospace glass market in Asia Pacific. In Latin America, demand for aerospace glass is primarily from Brazil due to the recent progress in the aviation sector in the country. Middle East & Africa, considered a global connectivity hub, is expected to be an attractive market in the near future.



Key players operating in the global aerospace glass market include PPG Industries, Inc, Advanced Materials Composites Private Limited and 3B-the Fiberglass Company.
New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/09/2019 -- The market intelligence report on the Antifouling Coating market forecasts its growth during the years 2019 to 2026. It examines the market size, share, demand, trends, gross revenue, total earnings and net value after a historical analysis of the data collected from the years 2019 to 2026 while taking 2017 as the base year. The study focuses on the driving factors, restrains and hurdles for the growth of the market. The researcher gives market insights relating to the upcoming areas in the business and the impact of technological innovations on the growth of the market.



Request for Sample Copy of Antifouling Coating Market Report@ https://www.marketexpertz.com/sample-enquiry-form/33686



It sheds light on the major companies that contribute significantly to the global sector. The report studies the presence of these companies in major geographical regions and their individual placement in the worldwide business. It helps in projecting the growth of Antifouling Coating through the years and in predicting its expansion in the forecasted time span. The increase in the demand for the product is boosting the overall production to ensure a smooth functioning demand-supply chain.



The research segments the market based on product type, applications and end-use. It profiles the key players of the business and their individual contribution to the global economy. The report focuses on significant investments, business ventures, mergers, acquisitions, collaborations along with the technological developments in the field. It also evaluates the upcoming and niche areas in the business. The researcher aims to offer expert insights related to the industry and the new opportunities available in the market.



Scope Of The Report

The study aims to provide a forecast of the growth of the Antifouling Coating market by examining the market size, share, demand, trends, and gross revenue of the industry. Further, it provides a competitive analysis and SWOT analysis. The report segments the industry based on product type, application and end-use. It highlights the emerging trends as well as the novel technology that are visible in the market. The research offers a clear look at the trends observed in the market, the contributing factors, major stakeholders, key companies and prime areas that exhibit a potential for growth.



Buy Antifouling Coating Market Report @ https://www.marketexpertz.com/checkout-form/33686



In market segmentation by manufacturers, the report covers the following companies-

AkzoNobel (Netherlands), Hempel (Denmark), Jotun (Norway), PPG Industries (U.S.), Sherwin-Williams (U.S.), Advanced Marine Coatings (U.S.), BASF(Germany), Chugoku Marine Paints (Japan), DuPont (U.S.), Kansai Paint (Japan), Nippon Paint Holdings (Japan)



In market segmentation by types of Antifouling Coating market, the report covers-

- Copper-Based

- Self-Polishing

- Hybrid



In market segmentation by applications of the Antifouling Coating market, the report covers the following uses-

- Drilling Rigs & Production Platforms

- Constructions

- Shipping Vessels

- Others



The report on the Antifouling Coating market employs both primary and secondary research to examine its import and export, demand and supply, consumption power, spending capacity and distribution channel worldwide. The report evaluates the market standing of key manufacturers and sheds light on the strategies they have adopted to stay competitive.



The study also applies qualitative and quantitative methods to assess the annual and financial performance of the top vendors and insights from market leaders. Extensive coverage of the recent trends and developments including joint ventures, collaborations, investments, product launches and acquisitions and mergers constitute a substantial part of the research on the Antifouling Coating market for the forecast period from 2019 to 2026.



The research provides answers to the following key questions:

- What will be the growth rate of the Antifouling Coating market for the forecast period, 2019 to 2026? What will be the market size and the share occupied by the prominent vendors by the estimated period?

- What are challenges and threats faced by the prominent vendors operating in the Antifouling Coating market?

- Who are the prominent vendors and what has been their business strategy so far to maintain a competitive edge over their competitors?

- What are the past, present and emerging trends likely to influence the growth rate of the Antifouling Coating market for the forecast period, 2019 to 2026?

- What are the opportunities prominent vendors can bank on to generate more profits during the estimated period?



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There are 16 chapters to cover the vital aspects of the Global Antifouling Coating Market.



The report is distributed over 14 Chapters to display the analysis of the global Antifouling Coating shop market.



Chapter 1 covers the Antifouling Coating Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;



Chapter 2 talks about the top manufacturers and analyses their sales, revenue and pricing decisions for the duration 2016 and 2017;



Chapter 3 displays the competitive nature of the market by discussing the competition among the top manufacturers. It dissects the market using sales, revenue and market share data for 2016 and 2017;



Chapter 4, shows the global market by regions and the proportionate size of each market region based on sales, revenue and market share of Antifouling Coating, for the period 2012- 2017;



Continue



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Sarasota, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/09/2019 -- The "Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market Is Anticipated To Reach Around USD 17.8 Billion By 2025", (Sample Copy Here) is the most blooming and promising sector of the industry. This overall Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market has been ascending at a higher rate with the enhancement of inventive strategies and a raising customer tendency. The wide-coming to Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market is a wide field for players offering gigantic entryways for advancement. The overall Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market is the establishment of the all-inclusive enhancement perspectives and prospects, as the headway of a specific thought requires diverse mechanically supported considerations, theories, and techniques.



The worldwide geological analysis of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market plan has furthermore been done cautiously in this report. The dynamic establishment of the overall Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market depends on the assessment of item circulated in various markets, limitations, general benefits made by every association, and future aspirations. The major application areas of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market are also covered on the basis of their implementation.



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The global Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market report offers point by point viewpoints on the major and furthermore minor factors that may impact up or limit the market expansion. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market report gives explanatory data that can change the forceful components in the market and will give a topographical division of the general market on an overall measurement. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market report gives in-detail data to grasp the critical market parts that help with settling on business decisions dependent on creation, demand, and supply of the thing as demonstrated by the examination of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market segments at regional and application preface. It gives Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market estimates data for the upcoming years subjected to the advancement desire and structure of the market.



To receive a copy of our corporate presentation, please fill and submit the form below@ https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/sample/artificial-intelligence-in-healthcare-market



The global Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market report offers a knowledge-based summary of the global Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market. It demonstrates the new players entering the global Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market. It emphasizes the basic summary of the global Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market. The perfect demonstration of the most recent improvements and new industrial explanations offers our customer a free hand to build up avant-garde products and advanced techniques that will contribute in offering more efficient services.



There are 15 Chapters to display the Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market:

Chapter 1, Definition, Specifications and Classification of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market, Applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market Segment by Regions;

Chapter 2, Overall Market Analysis, Capacity Analysis (Company Segment), Sales Analysis (Company Segment), Sales Price Analysis (Company Segment);

Chapter 3, Regional Market Analysis that includes United States, China, Europe, Japan, Korea & Taiwan, Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market Analysis (by Type);

Chapter 4, The Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market Analysis (by Application) Major Manufacturers Analysis of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market;

Chapter 5 and 6, Regional Marketing Type Analysis, International Trade Type Analysis, Supply Chain Analysis;

Chapter 7 and 8, Chapter 9, The Consumers Analysis of Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market;

Chapter 10, Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.

Chapter 11 and Chapter 12, Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market Research Findings and Conclusion, Appendix, methodology and data source;

Chapter 13, 14 and 15, conducts the region-wise study of the global Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market based on the sales ratio in each region, and market share from 2016 to 2025;



Promising Regions & Countries Mentioned In The Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market Report:

-North America ( United States)

-Europe ( Germany, France, UK)

-Asia-Pacific ( China, Japan, India)

-Latin America ( Brazil)

-The Middle East & Africa



Also, the emotional effect is charted by the examination of different provincial regions together with segments. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market globally is the cornerstone of the development angles and prospects, as the improvement of a specific arrangement needs numerous mechanically upheld hypothesis, thoughts, and systems. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market report contains in general successful system, confinements, and top to bottom illumination of the past information alongside the present and future needs that might concern the development. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market report affirms an exhaustive synopsis of the present development, variables, enumerating, and creation. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market report additionally conveys a total dynamic of the money related good and bad times concerning request rate and satisfaction proportions.



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The report gathers the essential information including the new strategies for growth of the industry and the potential players of the global Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market. It enlists the topmost industry player dominating the global Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market along with their contribution to the global market. The report also demonstrates the data in the form of graphs, tables, and figures along with the contacts details and sales of key market players in the global Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market.



Major Points Covered in Table of Contents:

1 Study Coverage

2 Executive Summary

3 Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market Size by Manufacturers

4 Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market Production by Regions

5 Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market Consumption by Regions

6 Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market Size by Type

7 Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market Size by Application

8 Manufacturers Profiles



Reasons for Buying Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market

This report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamics

It provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growth

It provides a six-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to grow

It helps in understanding the key product segments and their future

It provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitors

It helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segments



Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.
Pune, Maharashtra -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/09/2019 -- The Graphical Research report titled "North America DPMS (Dental Practice Management Software) Market" that represents the broad information comprising methodology and scope, industry insights, growth drivers, applications insights, company profiles and industry background, business trends, porter's analysis, pestel analysis, product landscape, swot analysis to 2024.



"North America Dental Practice Management Software Market based on Component, Delivery Mode, Application Potential, Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2018  2024", estimated to exceed USD 1 billion by 2024.



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Growing geriatric population suffering from dental problems is set to drive the demand for dental procedures in forthcoming years. According to United Nations, in North America, geriatric population is forecasted to reach 104.8 million by 2030. Dentists are adopting advanced technologies that enable efficient treatment to cater to ever increasing burden of geriatric population in the region.



Increasing government and venture capital funding is forecasted to positively impact North America DPMS industry growth in forthcoming years. Growing federal funding for workforce expansion and oral health services favors market expansion. This enhances quality of patient care along with experience. For instance, in June 2018, iDentalSoft announced about funding by FCA Venture Partners, that will help the firm in enhancing its financial performance. However, dearth of skilled IT professionals in Canada can hinder business growth in the upcoming years.



Patient communication component segment will grow at remarkable rate of 11.3% CAGR throughout the projected period. Easy and efficient patient communication makes the component preferable. Furthermore, features enabling the dentist to send e-mails, messages, setting reminders and accessing patient responses escalates the demand for patient communication component, thereby augmenting segmental share over the forecast period.



Cloud-based delivery mode segment will progress at 14.2% CAGR over the forecast period owing to lower cost associated with data management. Reduction in data theft risk makes it preferable for usage. Benefits including cost-effectiveness coupled with suitable accessibility at any location will impel segmental growth over the upcoming timeframe.



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U.S. will drive North America DPMS market with revenue share of 87.7% in 2017. Canada DPMS market will witness significant growth at CAGR over 10%. Canadians are largely found to be suffering from oral disorders. According to the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) conducted by Statistics Canada, nearly three quarters of Canadian population visits dental clinics every year. The Canadian Oral Health Roundtable (COHR) also works to offer dental services to immigrants and Canadian citizens contributing to increasing demand and awareness. Rising adoption of DPMS in Canada will further boost market growth during the forecast timeframe.



Major market firms operating in North America dental practice management software include Carestream, Curve Dental, Henry Schein and Patterson Companies. Prominent players are concentrating efforts on strategic initiatives such as partnerships and collaborations for market expansion and for enhancing customer reach. For instance, in February 2016, Curve Dental collaborated with Lighthouse 360, an automated patient communication system. This partnership will enable the integration of its software with Lighthouse 360, to provide better solutions to its clients.



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Segments We Cover:



North America Dental Practice Management Software Market, By Component

Payment Processing

Insurance Management

Scheduling

Patient Communication

Invoice/Billing

Dental Charting

Others



North America Dental Practice Management Software Market, By Delivery Mode

On-Premise

Web-based

Cloud-based



The above information is provided for the following region and countries:

U.S.

Canada



Related Reports:



1. Europe Dental Practice Management Software Market Size By Component (Scheduling, Patient Communication, Invoicing/ Billing, Payment Processing, Insurance Management, Dental Charting), By Delivery Mode (On-premise, Web-based, Cloud-based), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (Germany, UK, France, Spain, Italy, Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Switzerland, Belgium, Austria, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Sweden), Application Potential, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2018  2024



https://www.graphicalresearch.com/industry-insights/1078/europe-dental-practice-management-software-market



2. Asia Pacific Dental Practice Management Software Market Share By Component (Scheduling, Patient Communication, Invoicing/ Billing, Payment Processing, Insurance Management, Dental Charting), By Delivery Mode (On-premise, Web-based, Cloud-based), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (Japan, China, India, South Korea, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, Philippines, Vietnam), Application Potential, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2018  2024



https://www.graphicalresearch.com/industry-insights/1079/asia-pacific-dental-practice-management-software-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.
New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/09/2019 -- Joint compound is the white color powder made up of plaster of Paris or gypsum. The compound also is known as mastic or drywall compound. The compound is mixed with water at the time of use which will become a hard stone-like consistency in less than an hour. The compound is used for sealing joints between walls and creating a seamless base for interior walls. The global joint compound market is expected to have significant growth rate, attributed to growing construction industry across the globe. Asia-Pacific except Japan accounts for significantly high revenue share in the global joint compound market, attributed to growing population and robust marketing of the product in the region over the forecast period.



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Global Joint Compound Market Dynamics:



The growth of the global joint compound market is driven by growing construction and adhesive industry. The macroeconomic factor responsible for the growth of the global joint compound market is the rapid rate of urbanization and rising disposable income. The advantages of a joint compound including be easy-to-use, hand-applying simple textures, and skim coating also fueling the global joint compound market. Joint compound may lead to delamination problem if not used according to specification with high price can result in restraining global joint compound market. The company providing the joint compound have significantly high opportunity in regions such as North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, owing to the significant demand for a joint compound with growing construction industry in the regions. The joint compound market also has a significant opportunity in Latin America and the Middle East and Africa region as these are the emerging market, attributed to rising disposable income of consumers in these regions.



Global Joint Compound Market Segmentation:



Basically, the global joint compound market is segmented on the basis of product type, end-use, distribution channel, and region. On the basis of product type, the global joint compound market is segmented as single joint compound and ready-to-use. Among the product type segment, single drywall compound contribute for the significant revenue share over the forecast period in the global joint compound market, whereas ready-to-use has significant growth rate over the forecast period. On the basis of end-use, the global joint compound market is segmented as industries and household, wherein industries segment have relatively high revenue share whereas household segment is growing at a significant growth rate. On the basis of distribution channel, the global joint compound market is segmented as e-Commerce and retail shop. Retail shop segment is further sub-segmented as hypermarket or supermarket, independent shop, and convenience store. Among the distribution channel segment, hypermarket/supermarket segment contribute for the significant revenue share over the forecast period in the global joint compound market.



Based on product type, the global joint compound market is segmented into:



Single Joint Compound

Ready-to-use



Based on end-use, the global joint compound market is segmented into:



Industries

Household



Based on Distribution Channel, the global joint compound market is segmented into:



e-Commerce

Retail Shops

Hypermarket/Supermarket

Independent shops

Convenience Stores



Global Joint Compound Market Regional Outlook:



Based on the geographies, the global joint compound market is fragmented into seven key regions -- North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific except Japan, Japan, and the Middle East & Africa. Among the regions, North America accounts for a significant share of the global joint compound market, owing to relatively high-value share of the region in the construction. Western Europe is followed by North America region in the global joint compound market. The Asia-Pacific except Japan region accounts for significantly high volume share in the global joint compound market, owing to the rapid rate of urbanization in the region. Eastern Europe and Japan also accounts for significant value share in the global joint compound market. The developing economy such as Middle East Africa and Latin America have a moderate opportunity in the global joint compound market, owing to the substantial growth in the construction industry over the forecast period. Overall, the outlook for the global joint compound market will have a positive growth over the forecast period, owing to the increasing demand for the joint compound in the construction industry as an anti-counterfeiting measure.



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Global Joint Compound Market Player:



Few players in the global joint compound market include United States Gypsum Company, Irrational Propensity Renovations, Sheetrock, Georgia Pacific, USG, Wickes.co.uk, ASG, Everbuild, Drywall, DuPont, and Continental.



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Rockville, MD -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/09/2019 -- Automotive brake friction materials are made of several components, such as brake pads and brake linings, and are used to retard the speed of the vehicles by changing kinetic energy to thermal energy. Automotive brake friction materials are used in brake and clutch systems, which are attached to components made from cast iron and other materials. The automotive brake friction materials are utilized to back off a vehicle by changing active vitality to warm vitality with the assistance of erosion and warmth in encompassing condition. The automotive brake friction materials are given unpleasant surfaces to enhance erosion. Manufacturers produce automotive brake friction materials that diminish the ceasing separation after brakes are connected. Likewise, they center on reducing the heaviness of the erosion automotive brake friction materials. The automotive Brake Friction Materials Market are gaining growth opportunities through the increase in the competitive environment among manufacturers.



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Increasing Demand for Commercial Vehicle Likely To Boost Automotive Brake Friction Materials Market



The growing demand for automotive brake friction materials, mainly from the automotive industry, is due to the adoption of disc brakes to enhance the braking system in vehicles. The market is driven by rising interest for commercial and passenger vehicles, which prompts the development of automotive brake friction materials utilization in auto parts. The absence of materials showcase advancement crosswise over end-use ventures, such as agricultural equipment and others, in the MEA region, which may control the development of the automotive brake friction materials market. The aforementioned factor is contributing to the growth of the global automotive brake friction materials market with single digit growth rate over the forecast period.



Automotive Brake Friction Materials Market Growth Triggered by Automotive Industry Growth



The automotive brake friction materials market can be segmented on the basis of product type as brake pad, brake disc, brake drum, brake shoe and brake liner. The automotive brake friction materials market can also be segmented on the basis of disc materials as ceramic disc, metallic disc and composite disc.



The automotive brake friction materials market can be segmented on the basis of end-use application as automotive, construction equipment, agricultural vehicles and other end-use applications. The growing automotive industry is likely to contribute to the growth of the global automotive brake friction materials market over the forecast period. Moreover, the automotive brake friction materials market can also be segmented on the basis of vehicle type as passenger vehicles, light commercial vehicle, heavy commercial vehicles and others.



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Asia Pacific to grow significantly in the Global Automotive Brake Friction Materials Market



The global automotive brake friction materials market is segmented into Latin America, Western Europe, North America, Asia and Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ), Eastern Europe, Japan, and the Middle East and Africa (MEA). The regional segment includes emerging countries such as China, India, and Russia in the automotive brake friction materials market. Among the segmented regions, the automotive brake friction in Asia and Pacific region for sales and demand are expected to hold a considerable share in the global automotive brake friction materials market. The Asia Pacific automotive brake friction materials market is growing due to the substantial growth in the automotive and aerospace industry in the region. The automotive brake friction materials market growth is driven by rapid industrialization and increasing demand for personal automotive vehicles across the globe.



Automotive Brake Friction Materials market: Competition Analysis



The key players in the global automotive brake friction materials market are Nisshinbo Holdings, Akebono Brake Industry, Aisin Seiki, Fras-Le, Federal-Mogul Holdings, ITT Inc., Yantai Hi-Pad Brake Technology, Carlisle Brake & Friction (CBF), Valeo Friction Materials India Private Limited and Miba AG among other players. The market players are inclined towards the geographical expansion of their business, which is anticipated to contribute to the growth of the global automotive brake friction materials market in the forecast period.



The research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the automotive brake friction materials market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data and statistically supported and industry-validated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The automotive brake friction materials market research report provides analysis and information according to market segments such as geographies, application and industry.



The automotive brake friction materials market report is a compilation of first-hand information, qualitative and quantitative assessment by industry analysts, inputs from industry experts and industry participants across the value chain. The automotive brake friction materials market report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macro-economic indicators and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The automotive brake friction materials market report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies.



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Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/09/2019 -- Biological safety cabinets, are enclosed ventilated workstations that facilitate safe handling of biological samples, contaminants, and other potentially hazardous materials from exposure to biohazards and cross contamination during laboratory procedures. These are also referred to as biosafety cabinets or microbiological safety cabinets. The primary purpose of these biological safety cabinets is to provide protection to personnel, products, and working environment from biological containments and other hazardous material contained within and surrounding the cabinets. Biological safety cabinets are designed to provide different levels of protection in order to obtain optimum control over product quality by reducing potential risk of exposure to biohazards materials. There are three different classes of biological safety cabinets in the market based on the need for specific application and level of bio-containment required. Increasing number of clinical research organizations due to upsurge in R&D activities in last decade and increasing pressures of minimizing level of contamination and errors are anticipated to drive the for global Biological Safety Cabinates Market.



Biological safety cabinets are widely used by R&D organizations, scientific laboratories, and medical and clinical research institutes and related organizations. The global biological safety cabinets market is estimated to expand due to increased R&D budget by governments as well as commercial players for new product development and to serve the unmet needs in the medical and healthcare sector. The increase in R&D budgets is likely to create new opportunities for the establishment of new research labs and expansion of existing facilities, which is anticipated to increase the demand for biological safety cabinets. Current trends of laboratory automation for sample preparation, storage, and movement of samples and related products has improved the work efficiency with less human errors and minimized levels of contamination.



Technological advancements in development of automated biological safety cabinets provides the integration of laboratory accessories and other instruments, which minimizes the need for human manipulations and improves product as well as personnel safety. Moreover, key factors that are likely for propel the global biological safety cabinets market are increasing demand for laboratory automation processes and integration of lab services with enhanced product quality. However the high cost of biological safety cabinets, safety issues, and lack of skilled professionals for operating and maintaining biological safety cabinets are estimated to hinder the expansion of the market during the forecast period.



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The global biological safety cabinet can be segmented into type of biological safety cabinet, end-user, and geography. In terms of type of biological safety cabinet, the market can be segmented into Class I, Class II, and Class III safety cabinets. These cabinets are provided with high efficiency particulate air filters in their exhaust and or supply systems. Class I cabinets provide protection to personnel and environment and not to products and sample. Class II biological safety cabinets are further classified into type A1, type A2 and type B1, type B2. Class III cabinets are gas-tight enclosures with non-opening view window designed to work with high risk biological agents and provide maximum protection for environment and personnel. In terms of end-user, the biological safety cabinets market can be segmented into clinical and contract research organizations, pharmaceutical and biotechnological companies, educational institutions, and general healthcare institutions.



In terms of geography, the global biological safety cabinets market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America dominates the global biological safety cabinets market due to advanced healthcare infrastructure and availability of skilled professionals in the region. It is projected to maintain its dominance during the forecast period. Europe follows North America in terms of market share in the global market. The European Union (EU) has set a target of raising R&D investments to 3 % of GDP by 2020. Asia Pacific is projected to expand at a significant CAGR during the forecast period due to increased R&D expenditure by the governments and commercial players in the region. According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics' new data tool, China has increased its R&D budget by 18.03 % over 2015. The increased R&D budgets by India, China, South Korea, & Japan are likely to drive the growth of this market during the forecast period.



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Key players operating in the global biological safety cabinets market include Germfree Laboratories, Inc., NuAire, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Erlab DFS, Esco Micro Pte Ltd., MRC ltd., Labconco Corporation, The Baker Company, Kewaunee Scientific Corporation, and BIOBASE Group. Companies are focusing on development of automated biological safety cabinets to enhance work flow efficiency and minimize human errors.
New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/09/2019 -- Breathable membranes are used while constructing roof in order to breathe the roof for ventilation. They are useful as unsupported and supported beneath slated pitched or tiled roofs, in cold ventilated roof, timber frame wall, and warm or cold non-ventilated roof. The global breathable membrane market for the construction industry is expected to have significant growth rate, attributed to growing construction industry across the globe. Asia-Pacific except Japan accounts for significantly high revenue share in the global breathable membrane market for the construction industry, attributed to the rapid rate of urbanization and increasing awareness about the safety in the region over the forecast period.



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Global Breathable Membrane Market for Construction Industry Dynamics: The growth of the global breathable membrane market for the construction industry is driven by growing construction, regulation over the safeguarding of construction, and growing awareness about the safety. Breathable membrane minimizes the energy consumption lead to fuel the global breathable membrane market for the construction industry. The factor trending the demand for global breathable membrane market for construction industry include growing construction and building industry across the globe. The company providing the joint compound have significantly high opportunity in regions such as North America, Eastern Europe, and Asia-Pacific, owing to the significant demand for a breathable membrane in the construction industry in the regions. The breathable membrane market for construction industry also has a significant opportunity in Latin America and the Middle East and Africa region as these are the emerging market, attributed to growing construction industry in GCC region.



Global Breathable Membrane Market for Construction Industry Segmentation: Basically, the global breathable membrane market for the construction industry is segmented on the basis of raw material, application, and region. On the basis of raw material, the breathable membrane market for the construction industry is segmented as polyethylene and polypropylene. Among the raw material segment, polyethylene contribute for the significant revenue share over the forecast period in the global breathable membrane market for the construction industry, whereas polypropylene has significant growth rate over the forecast period. On the basis of application, the global breathable membrane market for construction industry is segmented as pitched roofs and timber frame walls, wherein pitched roof is expected to grow at a substantial growth rate, owing to numerous advantages of pitched roof including help maintain thermal efficiency and safeguarding the building materials from extra moisture



Based on Raw Material, the global breathable membrane market for construction industry is segmented into:



Polyethylene

Polypropylene



Based on Application, the global breathable membrane market for construction industry is segmented into:



Peached Roofs

Timber Frame Walls



Global Breathable Membrane Market for Construction Industry Regional Outlook: Based on the geographies, the global breathable membrane market for the construction industry is fragmented into seven key regions -- North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific except Japan, Japan, and the Middle East & Africa. Among the regions, Western Europe accounts for a significant share of the global breathable membrane market for the construction industry in terms of both value and volume, owing to the growing timber frame construction industry. North America is followed by Western Europe region in the global breathable membrane market for the construction industry. The Asia-Pacific except Japan region accounts for significantly high volume share in the global breathable membrane market for the construction industry, owing to the rapid rate of urbanization in the region. Eastern Europe and Japan also accounts for significant value share in the global breathable membrane market for the construction industry. The developing economy such as Middle East Africa and Latin America have a moderate growth rate in the global breathable membrane market for the construction industry, owing to the moderate growth in the construction industry over the forecast period. Overall, the outlook for the global breathable membrane market for construction industry will have a positive growth over the forecast period.



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Global Breathable Membrane Market for Construction Industry Player: Few players in the global breathable membrane market for construction industry include IKO PLC, Soprema, Saint-Gobain SA, GAF Material Corporation, Cosella-Dorken, Kingspan Group PLC, and E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.



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Philadelphia, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/09/2019 -- Ensuring that a residential or commercial property stays protected from the elements is critical. The first line of defense is to make sure that the proper roofing installation is in place. Poor maintenance, natural disasters, and several other issues all contribute to why people in the Philadelphia area would consider a new roofing installation. C.R. Thompson Roofing provides expert roofing contractors for Levittown, PA as well as rubber roofing installation at some of the most affordable rates in the area. Parties who are interested in this unique and even more popular style of roofing should get in touch with this full-service roofing company today.



Rubber roofing is among the most economical roofing options seen on the market today. Distinct from the often-seen metal or shingle roofing, rubber roofing is manufactured from slate dust, recycled tires, and sawdust. This kind of roofing installation is perfect for reducing maintenance costs, which frequently follow heavy rain or winds. Rubber roofing has an almost impenetrable sealing that allows customers to save money on repairing leaks later on.



Those who are seeking a roofing company for Bensalem, PA and other local areas, are encouraged to go with C.R. Thompson Roofing. With this amazing full-service roofing company, the installation process will be a breeze as their seasoned professionals will completely strip away the old roofing while ensuring it is clear of all debris, dirt, and nails, and easily roll out the pre-measured rubber roofing. Those who opt for rubber roofing will also benefit from the unique durability of this style of roofing.



Those who are interested in learning more about the pricing and installation process of rubber roofing should reach out to C.R. Thompson Roofing today at 215-375-7904 or visit https://www.crthompsonroofing.com/ for more information.



About C.R. Thompson Roofing

C.R. Thompson Roofing is a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based roofing company that serves home and commercial property owners in and around Philadelphia and South Jersey. The company can install and repair shingle roofs, slate roofs, rubber roofs, and many others. C.R. Thompson Roofing not only offers roofing services but can also install and repair siding and windows, perform brick pointing, clean gutters, and much more.



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Pune, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/09/2019 -- Decanter Centrifuge is a highly efficient centrifugal separation device, which employs a high rotational speed to separate, clarify, or classify solid materials from liquids in slurry. It plays an important role in petrochemical industry, wastewater treatment, chemical, oil and food processing industries.



Key players in details:



Alfa Laval, GEA, ANDRITZ GROUP, Flottweg SE, IHI, Mitsubishi Kakoki Kaisha, Pieralisi, US Centrifuge Systems, Hiller, Vitone Eco, Sanborn Technologies, POLAT MAKINA, Tomoe Engineering, Centrisys, HAUS Centrifuge Technologies, GTech Bellmor(NZ), ROUSSELET ROBATEL, Thomas Broadbent & Sons, SIEBTECHNIK GMBH, Swaco, Drycake, Elgin, Pennwalt, Noxon and Others.



The worldwide market for Decanter Centrifuge is expected to grow at a CAGR of roughly xx% over the next five years, will reach xx million US$ in 2024, from xx million US$ in 2019, according to recent research.



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Market is segmented on the basis Type, Application and Region:



Global Decanter Centrifuge Market segment by type: Two-phase Decanter Centrifuge, Three-phase Decanter Centrifuge.



Global Decanter Centrifuge Market Segment by Applications: Sewage Treatment Industry, Food Processing Industry, Chemical Industry, Oil Industry, Pharmaceutical Industry, Beneficiation Industry, Others.



Scope of the report:



Regionally, Western Europe, the United States and Japan are dominating the market, -specially the high-end market. China is also an important producer, but the products are some low-end products, and the critical component has to import from Western Europe, USA and Japan.



Geographically, EU accounted for 36% of the market share during 2015 and is predicted to retain its leadership until the end of 2022. The increased demand from the sewage treatment industry and food process industry in this region is the key driver for the growth of the market.



By application, decanter centrifuge market is segmented into petroleum, chemical, pharmaceutical, mineral processing, metallurgy, light industry, food processing, environmental protection and other industries. In addition, the sewage treatment sector dominates the market during 2016 with a market share of 23.95%. Other application sectors are estimated to hold on 18.38% (Food Processing Industry), 10.21% (Chemical Industry) and 20.48% (Oil Industry) respectively in 2016.



In the future, the new growth points of decanter centrifuges is from the emerging countries, like China, India, Southeast Asia and Latin America, benefited from the economic development and the environmental protection.



Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with Sales, revenue, Market Share (%) and Growth Rate (%) of product in these regions, from 2017 to 2024 (forecast), covering United States, North America (Canada and Mexico), Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.), Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa), RoW (Rest of World).



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There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Decanter Centrifuge market:



Chapter 1, to describe Decanter Centrifuge Market Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;



Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Decanter Centrifuge, with sales, revenue, and price of Decanter Centrifuge Market, in 2016 and 2017;



Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;



Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Decanter Centrifuge, for each region, from 2013 to 2019;



Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the Decanter Centrifuge Market by countries, by type, by application and by manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;



Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2013 to 2019;



Chapter 12, Decanter Centrifuge market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2019 to 2024;



Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Decanter Centrifuge Market sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source



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New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/09/2019 -- The latest market research report titled Dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) market offers a detailed evaluation of the market situation within a specific geographic region. This Dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) Market study contains vital data on market shifts owing to social, economic, cultural and technological changes worldwide. Explaining market opportunities remains the key focus of the study. Industry experts analysing the business environment also take a closer look at the organizational alignment as well as the capital structure.



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Scope of the Report:

The research methodologies used for evaluating the Dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) market are inventive and also provides enough evidence on the demand and supply status, production capability, import and export, supply chain management and investment feasibility.



The investigative approach applied for the extensive analysis of the sale, gross margin and profit generated by the industry are presented through resources including tables, charts, and graphic images. Importantly, these resources can be easily integrated or used for preparing business or corporate presentations.



Major Players in Dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) market are:

Zeon, LyondellBasell, Shell Chemicals, Texmark, Kolon, NOVA Chemicals, Dow, Braskem.S.A, JX Nippon Oil&Energy, ExxonMobil Chemical, Cymetech, Chevron Phillips, JSR, Maruzen Petrochemical, Shanghai Petrochemical, Jinhai Deqi, Shandong Yuhuang, Zibo Luhua, Shandong Qilong, Fushun Yikesi



Market split by Type, can be divided into:

- High Purity

- Polyester Grade

- Hydrocarbon Grade



Market split by Application, can be divided into:

- Petroleum Resin

- Unsaturated Polyester Resin

- PDCPD

- EDPM Elastomer

- Others



The market intelligence study for the Dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) market further provides an inside-out overview of necessary aspects associated with the product classification, important definitions, major orders and other industry-centric parameters. An underlying part of the study also maps the important factors associated with the recent events such as mergers and acquisition, collaboration and new product launches.



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Understanding the market size:

The size of the Dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) market is viewed in terms of the Share of Market, Total Available Market as well as Served Available Market. Not only does the study present the combined revenue for a particular market but also the market size for a specific geographic region. Analysis of percentage or the size of the Total Available Market based on the type of product, technology, regional constraints and others form an important part of the Dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) report.



Market share:

The report discovers market's total sale that is generated by a particular firms over a time period. Industry experts calculate share by taking into account the product sales over a period and then dividing it by the overall sales of the Dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) industry over a defined period. Subject matter experts further use this metric to offer a general idea of the share and size of a firm and its immediate rivals. By providing an in-depth knowledge of the position a company as well as an entrepreneur holds in the Dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) market



Attracting the target audience:

First, the comprehensive report finds out why customers need a certain product or service. The study focuses on what problems a certain product and service can solve. Apart from target demographics industry experts weigh up on the factors including audience type, as well as others vital attributes about the target customer segment.



The research provides answers to the following key questions:

- What is the estimated growth rate of the Dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) market for the forecast period 2019 - 2026? What will be the market share and size of the industry during the estimated period?

- What are prime factors expected to drive the Dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) industry for the estimated period?

- What are the major market leaders and what has been their winning strategy for success so far?

- What are the significant trends shaping the growth prospects of the Dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) market?

- What are the key challenges expected to restrict the progress of the industry for the forecast period, 2019 - 2026?

- What the opportunities product owners can bank on to generate high profits?



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There are 16 Chapters to deeply display the global Dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) market.

- 1 Dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) Market Overview

- 2 Global Dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) Market Competition by Manufacturers

- 3 Global Dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2013-2019)

- 4 Global Dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2013-2019)

- 5 Global Dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type

- 6 Global Dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) Market Analysis by Application

- Continue



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Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/08/2019 -- With global growth for tourists only expected to increase there are endless opportunities for the growth of the tourism industry. Technology has played a major part in the tourism industry further giving rise to the e-tourism or electronic tourism. The design, implementation as well as application of IT with the e-commerce solutions has helped the travel & tourism industry to grow. There is an emergence of e-commerce sector in tourism known as e-tourism. E-Tourism involves digitization of the whole processes including the value chain members involved with the tourism, travel, and hospitality industries. It is a way of establishing commercial relationships using the internet for offering tourism related products such as flights, hotel reservation, car rental and so on, enabling organizations to maximize the overall efficiency and effectiveness. For tourism businesses, internet offers immense help by making information and booking facilities available to a large numbers of tourists at a lower cost. This also provides a tool that is helpful for communication between tourism intermediaries, suppliers as well as end-consumers. The global e-tourism market has been segmented by system type, application and geography. Based on system type the global market has been segmented into computer reservation systems, property management systems, social media and global distribution systems among others. Hospitality, aerospace and medical among others form the major application areas for the global e-tourism market.



Global e-Tourism market geographically has been segmented into Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, Latin America and Middle East and Africa.



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The comfort factor associated with application and implementation of e-tourism market has been a major driver for this market. Electronic tourism allows customers to access all the relevant information from the desired and related websites. Moreover, the processes associated with e-tourism is fast and secure along with giving on the control and freedom to plan the trip accordingly. Access to the complete travel package as well as strategic access to know about all the relevant information related to the place has helped customers making them opt for electronic media for making their travel plans. Additionally, this also helps in saving time along with reducing the need for physical exertion that has also been a major benefit for this market forming another major driver for this market. With all these drivers that positively drives the market, there are presence of certain restraints that limits the market growth. One such important factor being the technological dependency of the customers that poses as a major restraint for this market. People not having access to a computer or internet cannot benefit from all its functions posing limitations for this market. Another important restraint being the misleading of information interpretation that may provide problems to different customers. After considering all these drivers and restraints technological advancement along with internet penetration for providing various services is expected to provide growth opportunities for this market in the coming years.



Geographically, it is North America followed by Europe that forms some of the major regions for this market. Technological advancement along with better access to information has been some major driver for this regions. Asia Pacific accounted for a major region along with accounting one of the fastest growth globally. Japan, India and China are some of the major regions contributing to the growth. The advent of technology along with growing demand for secure information access has been a few major drivers for this region.



Some of the key players present in the global e-tourism market include Aban Offshore Ltd. (India), Crown Ltd. (The U.S.), Accor Group (France), Balkan Holidays Ltd. (The UK), Fred Harvey Company (The U.S.) and G Adventures (Canada) among others.



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MRR.BIZ has been compiled in-depth market research data in the report after exhaustive primary and secondary research. Our team of able, experienced in-house analysts has collated the information through personal interviews and study of industry databases, journals, and reputable paid sources.



The report provides the following information:

-Tailwinds and headwinds molding the market's trajectory

-Market segments based on products, technology, and applications

-Prospects of each segment

-Overall current and possible future size of the market

-Growth pace of the market

-Competitive landscape and key players' strategies



The main aim of the report is to:

-Enable key stakeholder's in the market bet right on it

-Understand the opportunities and pitfalls awaiting them

-Assess the overall growth scope in the near term

-Strategize effectively with respect to production and distribution



MRR.BIZ is a leading provider of strategic market research. Our vast repository consists research reports, data books, company profiles, and regional market data sheets. We regularly update the da-ta and analysis of a wide-ranging products and services around the world. As readers, you will have access to the latest information on almost 300 industries and their sub-segments. Both large Fortune 500 companies and SMEs have found those useful. This is because we customize our offerings keeping in mind the specific requirements of our clients.



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New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/08/2019 -- The report on the Embedded Box Computers market gives an in-depth statistical analysis to examine the fastest growing sectors in the market while speculating the demand and supply, consumption power, spending capacity and distribution channel globally. The report identifies the overall growth in the import and export and derives the future trends that the industry might witness.



The study also applies primary and secondary research methods to assess the annual and financial performance of the top vendors and insights from market leaders. The researcher also discusses the recent trends and developments including joint ventures, collaborations, investments, product launches and acquisitions and mergers constitute a substantial part of the research on the Embedded Box Computers market for the forecast period from 2018 to 2026. The report will empower companies to understand the opportunities, adapt to their consumer demands, needs, and concentrate on their best end-users.



Researchers eyeing the business landscape aim at uncovering vital statistics about the actual composition of the target market and where the new opportunities lie. Data on the ever-changing trends and gaps in the market forms an important part of the study. The environment research further covers facts associated with government regulations, demographics, market trends and size as well as different marketing channels.



The major manufacturers covered in this report:

ADLink, Advantech, Axiomtek, Dell, IBASE, IEI, Intel, Technexion, Aaeon, Kontron, Artesyn, Abaco, DFI, Avalue, Eurotech, Nexcom



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The Embedded Box Computers market research is carried out at the different stages of the business lifecycle from the production of a product, cost, launch, application, consumption volume and sale. The research offers valuable insights into the marketplace from the beginning including some sound business plans chalked out by prominent market leaders to establish a strong foothold and expand their products into one that's better than others.



Most important types of Embedded Box Computers products covered in this report are:

- Fanless Embedded Box Computer

- Industrial Embedded Box Computer



Most widely used downstream fields of Embedded Box Computers market covered in this report are:

- Railway

- In-vehicle

- Marine

- Industrial



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For those who want to learn how certain drivers are influencing the overall objectives of business owners will have plenty of data to scan through in the Embedded Box Computers market report. A quick run over the external factor influencing the business worldwide will help product owners to know their customers better. The research not only monitors the effectiveness of the product sales but also talks about the quality of services offered by the competitors. Besides, there is a section on the distribution channels and growth strategies adopted by the prominent leaders operating in the Embedded Box Computers market.



Market segment by Region/Country including:

- North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)

- Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia and Spain etc.)

- Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia and Southeast Asia etc.)

- South America Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Chile etc.

- Middle East & Africa (South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia etc.)



In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Embedded Box Computers are as follows:

History Year: 2013-2017

Base Year: 2017

Estimated Year: 2018

Forecast Year: 2018 to 2026



The study objectives of this report are:

- To analyse and study the global Embedded Box Computers capacity, production, value, consumption, status (2013-2017) and forecast (2018-2026);

- Focuses on the key Embedded Box Computers manufacturers, to study the capacity, production, value, market share and development plans in future.

- Focuses on the global key manufacturers, to define, describe and analyse the market competition landscape, SWOT analysis.

- To define, describe and forecast the market by type, application and region.

- To analyse the global and key regions market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks.

- To analyse the opportunities in the market for stakeholders by identifying the high growth segments.

- To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyse their growth strategies.



Key Points from TOC:

9 Global Embedded Box Computers Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data

9.1 ADLink

9.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors

9.1.2 Embedded Box Computers Product Category, Application and Specification

9.1.3 ADLink Embedded Box Computers Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2018)

9.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview



9.2 Advantech

9.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors

9.2.2 Embedded Box Computers Product Category, Application and Specification

9.2.3 Advantech Embedded Box Computers Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2018)

9.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview

Continue



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Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/09/2019 -- Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common sexual problem among men, wherein they are unable to maintain erection during copulation. The problem is age related and can be caused due to diabetes, kidney disease, prostate cancer, high blood pressure, physical injury to the prostate, penis, and pelvis. Emotional and psychological issues such as depression, stress, and anxiety can also cause erectile dysfunction. Additionally, intake of prescription medications such as antidepressants, opioid painkillers, chemotherapeutic agents, hormone drugs, amphetamines, and some sleeping pills can lead to this condition.



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Rise in number of individuals experiencing erectile dysfunction is the major factor contributing to the growth of the market. According to estimates, 1 in 10 men suffer from ED globally. In the U.S. alone, more than 30 million men suffer from ED and the number is expected to rise in the next few years. Globally, men aged between 20 and 29 have around 65% chance of having ED as compared to older men aged 75 years and above, who have 77.5% probability of having ED. According to a United Nations study, the number of people aged 60 years and above was around 962 million in 2017, comprising 13% of the global population. In 2017, the number of people aged 80 years and above stood at 137 million and it is expected to triple by 2050 to reach 425 million and rise further to 909 million by 2100. The exponential rise in the geriatric population is anticipated to increase the number of patients suffering from ED which in turn is projected to drive the market. Rise in the number of individuals with diabetes is also a key factor contributing to the growth of the market. Nearly 35% to 75% men suffering from diabetes experience some degree of ED. The rapid rise in the diabetic population, which reached 422 million in 2014 (WHO estimates), is expected to increase the population of men with ED. This in turn is likely to drive demand for products used in the treatment of ED.



Pharmaceutical companies are increasingly focusing on new product development as part of their growth strategy. In November 2017, Qualigen launched Tadalafil Qualigen EFG, which is bioequivalent to Cialis marketed by Eli Lilly and used for the treatment of ED in men. The launch of Tadalafil Qualigen EFG along with its existing drug Sildenafil Qualigen has helped the company broaden its portfolio of erectile dysfunction products. In December 2016, Apricus Biosciences launched Vitaros, a novel on-demand topical cream, in Lebanon to be used in the treatment of ED. The product is marketed by Elis Pharmaceuticals Ltd. and is aimed at tapping the highly attractive ED market in the Middle East.



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The global erectile dysfunction treatment market can be segmented based on treatment type, end-user, and region. In terms of treatment type, the market can be divided into drug-based treatment, device-based treatment, and others. Based on drug type, the drug-based treatment segment can be classified into avanafil, sildenafil, tadalafil, and vardenafil. In terms of end-user, the global erectile dysfunction market can be categorized into hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, and specialty clinics.



Geographically, the global erectile dysfunction treatment market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America dominates the global market due to high awareness levels among men about the disorder and launch of new products by pharmaceutical companies for the treatment of ED. The market in Asia Pacific is anticipated to grow at a rapid pace during the forecast period due to rise in prevalence of ED because of increase in geriatric population in the region.



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Key players operating in the global erectile dysfunction treatment market are Apricus Biosciences, Inc., Bayer AG, Eli Lilly and Company, Meda Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Pfizer, Inc.



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Pune, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/09/2019 -- The report on Silicone Adhesives and Sealants Market by type (one-component, two-component, and UV cured), technology (PSA, and non-PSA),end-user (building & construction, packaging, healthcare, electrical & electronics, construction, and automotive) trends analysis and forecasts up to 2024 studies the market sizes, key trends, Industry Analysis, Trends, Size, Share and Forecasts to 2024 and opportunities in the main geographies such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Rest of the World. According to the report the Global Silicone Adhesives and Sealants Market is projected to grow at a CAGR in terms of value over the period of 2018-2024. The growth in the world market is primarily driven by a significant contribution by North America (Leading region) region to this market. the global silicone adhesives and sealants market are projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.1% over the forecast period of 2018-2024.



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Silicone Adhesives and Sealants Market: Industry Insight



Silicone adhesives and sealants are used for bonding metals when the higher flexibility and resistance to low temperatures balances the low bond strength. They are also inert to chemicals and have excellent resistance to moisture and weathering. Silicone adhesives and sealants are used in sealing glass, in commercial and home construction and in the manufacturing of a wide variety of durable goods, from automobiles to appliances due to its ability to withstand extreme temperatures.



Silicone Adhesives and Sealants Market: Drivers and Opportunities



The growing applications of silicone adhesives and sealants in the manufacturing industry as well as for commercial and residential purposes primarily drives the growth of the market. Silicone adhesives and sealants are used in the manufacturing of automobiles and electronic goods. It has the ability to withstand extreme temperatures that make it an ideal bonding agent for manufacturing durable goods. In addition, it is also effective for numerous automobile engine applications such as in-car gaskets that have a high-temperature environment. Moreover, the growing demand for lightweight vehicles is anticipated to create further growth opportunities for the silicon adhesives and sealant market over the forecast period.



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Silicone Adhesives and Sealants Market: Segmentation



The report on global silicone adhesives and sealants market is segmented into type, technology, and end-user. Based on the type, the market is classified into one-component, two-component, and UV cured. Based on technology, the market is bifurcated into PSA and non-PSA. The end-user segment is further segmented into building & construction, packaging, healthcare, electrical & electronics, and automotive. Silicone adhesives possess excellent electrical properties and develop high dielectric strength and conductivity that increases its demand in the electronics industry. In addition, silicone adhesives and sealants are used in PCB modules and system assembly owing to its performance and flexible processing.



Silicone Adhesives and Sealants Market: Regional Insights



The Asia Pacific dominates the silicone adhesives and sealants market. The growth of Asia Pacific as a manufacturing hub mainly contributes to the growth of the silicone adhesives and sealants market. In addition, the major investments of the key Chinese e-commerce giants, Alibaba and Tencent, into South-East Asia over the recent months have brought the region into sharper focus and introduced cross-border payment solutions thus creating significant scope for growth of the silicone adhesives and sealants market.



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Silicone Adhesives and Sealants Market: Competitive Analysis



The silicone adhesives and sealants market are a highly fragmented market. The major players in the silicone adhesives and sealants market are DOW, H.B. Fuller Company, 3M, Delo Industrial Adhesives LLC, AVERY DENNISON CORPORATION, Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd, Illinois Tool Works Inc. Momentive, Sika, and Wacker Chemie AG. The companies are focusing on product innovations to gain competitiveness in the market. For instance, Dow Corning Corporation, one of the prominent players in silicones adhesives market has developed weatherproofing silicone sealants of the high-end life cycle, resisting cracks or splits and extremely suitable for diverse applications industries like construction high-volume packaging operations have taken to using this Earth-friendly adhesive.
New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/08/2019 -- The Top key vendors in Glucose Acid Market include are BASF SE, Premier Malt Products, Inc., Novozymes, Roquette Freres, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Reckitt Benckiser Grou, Jungbunzlauer, Ferro Chem Industries, Xiwang Sugar, Shandong Fuyang biotechnology, Kaison Biochemical, Xingzhou Medicine Food, Xinhong Pharmaceutical, Tianyi Food Addictives, Ruibang Laboratories, Gress Chemicals



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Apart from this, the valuable document weighs upon the performance of the industry on the basis of a product service, end-use, geography and end customer.



The industry experts have left no stone unturned to identify the major factors influencing the development rate of the Glucose Acid industry including various opportunities and gaps. A thorough analysis of the micro markets with regards to the growth trends in each category makes the overall study interesting. When studying the micro markets the researchers also dig deep into their future prospect and contribution to the Glucose Acid industry.



A high focus is maintained on factors such as demand and supply, production capacity, supply chain management, distribution channel, product application and performance across different countries. The report not only offers hard to find facts about the trends and innovation driving the current and future of Glucose Acid business, but also provides insights into competitive development such as acquisition and mergers, joint ventures, product launches and technology advancements.



A quick look at the industry trends and opportunities



The researchers find out why sales of Glucose Acid are projected to surge in the coming years. The study covers the trends that will strongly favor the industry during the forecast period, 2019 to 2025. Besides this, the study uncovers important facts associated with lucrative growth and opportunities that lie ahead for the Glucose Acid industry.



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On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, and market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into



Sodium Salt of Glucose Acid

Calcium Salt of Glucose Acid

Iron Salt of Glucose Acid

Glucono Delta-lactone



On the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, including



Food and Beverage

Phamacetical



Region wise performance of the Glucose Acid industry

This report studies the global Glucose Acid market status and forecast, categorizes the global Glucose Acid market size (value & volume) by key players, type, application, and region. This report focuses on the top players in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia India and Other regions (Middle East & Africa, Central & South America).



Key points from TOC

7 Global Glucose Acid Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis



7.1 BASF SE

7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors

7.1.2 Glucose Acid Product Category, Application and Specification

7.1.2.1 Product A

7.1.2.2 Product B

7.1.3 BASF SE Glucose Acid Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)

7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview



7.2 Premier Malt Products, Inc.

7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors

7.2.2 Glucose Acid Product Category, Application and Specification

7.2.2.1 Product A

7.2.2.2 Product B

7.2.3 Premier Malt Products, Inc. Glucose Acid Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)

7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview



7.3 Novozymes

7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors

7.3.2 Glucose Acid Product Category, Application and Specification

7.3.2.1 Product A

7.3.2.2 Product B

7.3.3 Novozymes Glucose Acid Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)

7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview



Continue..



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This Glucose Acid market report holds answers to some important questions like:



- What is the size of occupied by the prominent leaders for the forecast period, 2019 to 2025? What will be the share and the growth rate of the Glucose Acid market during the forecast period?



- What are the future prospects for the Glucose Acid industry in the coming years?



- Which trends are likely to contribute to the development rate of the industry during the forecast period, 2019 to 2025?



- What are the future prospects of the Glucose Acid industry for the forecast period, 2019 to 2025?



- Which countries are expected to grow at the fastest rate?



- Which factors have attributed to an increased sale worldwide?



- What is the present status of competitive development?



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Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/09/2019 -- Global Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) Simulation Market Size, Status and Forecast 2019-2025 is latest research study released by HTF MI evaluating the market, highlighting opportunities, risk side analysis, and leveraged with strategic and tactical decision-making support. The study provides information on market trends and development, drivers, capacities, technologies, and on the changing capital structure of the Global Hardware-in-the-Loop Market. Some of the key players profiled in the study are DSpace GmbH, National Instruments, Vector Informatik, Siemens, Robert Bosch Engineering, MicroNova AG, Opal-RT Technologies, LHP Engineering Solutions, Ipg Automotive GmbH, Typhoon HIL, Speedgoat GmbH, Eontronix, Wineman Technology & Modeling Tech.



Enquire for customization in Report @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/enquiry-before-buy/1733591-global-hardware-in-the-loop-7



This report focuses on the global Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) Simulation status, future forecast, growth opportunity, key market and key players. The study objectives are to present the Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) Simulation development in United States, Europe and China.



Hardware-in-the-Loop Market Overview:



If you are involved in the Hardware-in-the-Loop industry or intend to be, then this study will provide you comprehensive outlook. It's vital you keep your market knowledge up to date segmented by Automotive, Aerospace, Power Electronics, Research & Education & Other, , Open Loop HIL & Closed Loop HIL and major players. If you have a different set of players/manufacturers according to geography or needs regional or country segmented reports we can provide customization according to your requirement.



Hardware-in-the-Loop Market: Demand Analysis & Opportunity Outlook 2023



Research study is to define market sizes of various segments & countries in previous years and to forecast the values to the next 5-8 years. The report is designed to comprise each qualitative and quantitative elements of the industry facts including: market share, market size (value and volume 2012-17, and forecast to 2023) with admire to each of the areas and countries concerned inside the examination. Furthermore, the report additionally caters the detailed statistics about the vital elements which includes drivers & restraining factors which will define the future growth of 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.



You can get free access to samples from the report here: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/1733591-global-hardware-in-the-loop-7



The designated segments and sub-section of the market are explained below:



The Study is segmented by following Product Type: , Open Loop HIL & Closed Loop HIL



Major applications/end-users industry are as follows: Automotive, Aerospace, Power Electronics, Research & Education & Other



Some of the key Manufacturers Involved in the Market are  DSpace GmbH, National Instruments, Vector Informatik, Siemens, Robert Bosch Engineering, MicroNova AG, Opal-RT Technologies, LHP Engineering Solutions, Ipg Automotive GmbH, Typhoon HIL, Speedgoat GmbH, Eontronix, Wineman Technology & Modeling Tech



For each region, market size and end users are analyzed as well as segment markets by types, applications and companies. If opting for the Global version of Hardware-in-the-Loop Market analysis is provided for major regions as follows:

- North America (USA, Canada and Mexico)

- Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)

- Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)

- South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)

- Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)



Buy this research report @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=1733591



Key Answers Captured in Study are

Which geography would have better demand for product/services?

What are the strategies adopted by big players in the regional market?

Which country would see the steep rise in CAGR & year-on-year (Y-O-Y) growth?

What is the current & expected market size in next five years?

What is the market feasibility for long term investment?

What opportunity the country would offer for existing and new players in the Hardware-in-the-Loop market?

What is risk involved for suppliers in the geography?

What factors would drive the demand for the product/service in near future?

What is the impact analysis of various factors in the Global Hardware-in-the-Loop market growth?

What are the recent trends in the regional market and how successful they are?



Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/1733591-global-hardware-in-the-loop-7



There are 15 Chapters to display the Global Hardware-in-the-Loop market.

Chapter 1, About Executive Summary to describe Definition, Specifications and Classification of Global Hardware-in-the-Loop market, Applications [Automotive, Aerospace, Power Electronics, Research & Education & Other], Market Segment by Regions United States, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India & Central & South America;

Chapter 2, objective of the study.

Chapter 3, to display Research methodology and techniques.

Chapter 4 and 5, to show the Overall Market Analysis, segmentation analysis, characteristics;

Chapter 6 and 7, to show the Market size, share and forecast; Five forces analysis (bargaining Power of buyers/suppliers), Threats to new entrants and market condition;

Chapter 8 and 9, to show analysis by regional segmentation[United States, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India & Central & South America ], comparison, leading countries and opportunities; Regional Marketing Type Analysis, Supply Chain Analysis

Chapter 10, focus on identifying the key industry influencer's, overview of decision framework accumulated through Industry experts and strategic decision makers;

Chapter 11 and 12, Market Trend Analysis, Drivers, Challenges by consumer behaviour, Marketing Channels and demand & supply.

Chapter 13 and 14, describe about the vendor landscape (classification and Market Positioning)

Chapter 15, deals with Global Hardware-in-the-Loop Market sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.



Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia or Oceania [Australia and New Zealand].
New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/09/2019 -- The market intelligence report on the High-Alumina Refractory market forecasts its growth during the years 2019 to 2026. It examines the market size, share, demand, trends, gross revenue, total earnings and net value after a historical analysis of the data collected from the years 2013 to 2017 while taking 2018 as the base year. The study focuses on the driving factors, restrains and hurdles for the growth of the market. The researcher gives market insights relating to the upcoming areas in the business and the impact of technological innovations on the growth of the market.



Request for Free sample report to understand the structure of complete report @ https://www.marketexpertz.com/sample-enquiry-form/33908



Scope Of The Report:

The study aims to provide a forecast of the growth of the High-Alumina Refractory market by examining the market size, share, demand, trends, and gross revenue of the industry. Further, it provides a competitive analysis and SWOT analysis. The report segments the industry based on product type, application and end-use. It highlights the emerging trends as well as the novel technology that are visible in the market. The research offers a clear look at the trends observed in the market, the contributing factors, major stakeholders, key companies and prime areas that exhibit a potential for growth.



In market segmentation by manufacturers, the report covers the following companies-

LONTTO GROUP, Dalmia, Rongsheng Kiln Refractory, Dense Refractories, Durga Ceramics



It sheds light on the major companies that contribute significantly to the global sector. The report studies the presence of these companies in major geographical regions and their individual placement in the worldwide business. It helps in projecting the growth of High-Alumina Refractory through the years and in predicting its expansion in the forecasted time span. The increase in the demand for the product is boosting the overall production to ensure a smooth functioning demand-supply chain.



Most important types of High-Alumina Refractory products covered in this report are:

- 55% Alumina

- 65% Alumina

- 75% Alumina

- Others



On the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications:

- Steel Furnaces

- Iron Making Furnaces

- Glass Kiln

- Ceramic Tunnel Kiln

- Cement Kiln



The research segments the market based on product type, applications and end-use. It profiles the key players of the business and their individual contribution to the global economy. The report focuses on significant investments, business ventures, mergers, acquisitions, collaborations along with the technological developments in the field. It also evaluates the upcoming and niche areas in the business. The researcher aims to offer expert insights related to the industry and the new opportunities available in the market.



Purchase Full report @ https://www.marketexpertz.com/checkout-form/33908



Geographically, this report studies the top producers and consumers in these key regions:

- North America

- Europe

- China

- Japan

- Southeast Asia

- India



We can also provide the customized separate regional or country-level reports, for the following regions:

North America, United States, Canada, Mexico, Asia-Pacific, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Rest of Asia-Pacific, Europe, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, Russia, Rest of Europe, Central & South America, Brazil, Argentina, Rest of South America, Middle East & Africa, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Rest of Middle East & Africa



In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of High-Alumina Refractory are as follows:

Historical data: 2014-2017

Base Year: 2018

Estimated Year: 2019

Forecast Year 2019 to 2026



The research provides answers to the following key questions:

- What will be the growth rate of the High-Alumina Refractory market for the forecast period, 2019 to 2026? What will be the market size and the share occupied by the prominent vendors by the estimated period?

- What are challenges and threats faced by the prominent vendors operating in the High-Alumina Refractory market?

- Who are the prominent vendors and what has been their business strategy so far to maintain a competitive edge over their competitors?

- What are the past, present and emerging trends likely to influence the growth rate of the High-Alumina Refractory market for the forecast period, 2019 to 2026?

- What are the opportunities prominent vendors can bank on to generate more profits during the estimated period?



There are 15 chapters to cover the vital aspects of the Global High-Alumina Refractory Market.

The report is distributed over 15 Chapters to display the analysis of the Global High-Alumina Refractory market.

Chapter 1 covers the High-Alumina RefractoryHigh-Alumina Refractory Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;

Chapter 2 talks about the top manufacturers and analyses their sales, revenue and pricing decisions for the duration 2016 and 2017;

Chapter 3 displays the competitive nature of the market by discussing the competition among the top manufacturers. It dissects the market using sales, revenue and market share data for 2016 and 2017;

Chapter 4, shows the global market by regions and the proportionate size of each market region based on sales, revenue and market share of High-Alumina RefractoryHigh-Alumina Refractory, for the period 2012- 2017;

Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, are dedicated to the analysis of the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;

Chapter 10 and 11, talk about the application and types of High-Alumina Refractory in the market using the same set of data for the period 2012-2017;

Continue.



Browse complete report description @ https://www.marketexpertz.com/industry-overview/high-alumina-refractory-market



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Hamilton County Sheriff(CINCINNATI) -- A convicted felon who impersonated an Ohio boy missing since 2011 was ordered Tuesday to remain in jail until his case is resolved.



Brian Michael Rini, 23, made a brief appearance in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati, where Magistrate Karen Litkovitz said she was concerned that the suspect was a flight risk based on his lengthy criminal record, lack of permanent residence and his mental health history, according to ABC affiliate station WCPO-TV in Cincinatti.



A preliminary hearing for Rini is scheduled for April 19.



Authorities said that Rini led law enforcement officials in three states on a wild goose chase on April 3 when he was found wandering around the streets of Newport, Kentucky, and then telling police he was Timmothy Pitzen -- the Aurora, Illinois, boy who disappeared when he was 6 years old in 2011 and would be 14 years old now. Rini allegedly told police he had escaped from two kidnappers, both white males with "body-builder' type builds, who had been holding him at a motel in the Cincinnati suburb of Sharonville.



Detectives from the Cincinnati Police Department and agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Chicago probed the claims made by Rini, who refused to submit his fingerprints but gave investigators a DNA sample that showed he was an imposter, according to a criminal complaint.



"It's devastating," Timmothy's aunt, Kara Jacobs, told reporters after authorities revealed the imposter's true identity. "It's like reliving the day all over again," she said. "Timmothy's father is devastated once again."



Timmothy was last seen in 2011 being checked out of his Aurora school by his mother, Amy Fry-Pitzen, police said. The search for him and his mother spanned the region before his mother was found dead by suicide in a motel room in Rockford, Illinois.



Fry-Pitzen left a note saying Timmothy was safe with people who were caring for him, but would never be found, police said.



After he was confronted with the DNA test results that confirmed he was not Timmothy, Rini confessed to his alleged lie and said he learned about the boy from a report on the case that aired on ABC's "20/20," according to the criminal complaint.



"He stated that he wanted to get away from his own family," Cincinnati Police Detective Mary Braun, who is also a member of an FBI Task Force on missing and abused children, wrote in the criminal complaint. "When questioned further, Rini stated that he wished he had a father like Timmothy's..."



According to the criminal complaint, Rini, who has a long criminal record, was released from an Ohio prison on March 7. Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction officials said Rini served an 18-month sentence for burglary and vandalism.



On two previous occasions, Rini falsely "portrayed himself as a juvenile sex trafficking victim," according to the complaint.

Copyright  2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/09/2019 -- HTF MI released a new market study on Global Home Fragrance Market with 100+ market data Tables, Pie Chat, Graphs & Figures spread through Pages and easy to understand in depth analysis. "Global Home Fragrance Market by Type (, Product Type Segmentation, Premium Products & Mass Market Products), by End-Users/Application, Industry Size, Organizations, and Region - Forecast and outlook to 2025" 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, focused opinions, details, and industry certified market data. The research study provides estimates for Global Home Fragrance Forecast till 2025*. Some of the key players profiled are Arechipelago, Johnson SC, Nest, Gold Canyon, Sedafrance, Northern lights, Illume, Virginia candle company, Paddywax, Voluspa, Newell Brands, P&G & Allure Home Fragrance etc.



Get Access to sample pages @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/1424799-global-home-fragrance-market-5



The Global Home Fragrance market report more focuses on top industry leaders and explores all essentials facets competitive landscape. It explains potent business strategies and approaches, consumption propensity, regulatory policies, recent moves taken by competitors, as well as potential investment opportunities and market threats also. The report emphasis crucial financial details of major manufacturers including year-wise sale, revenue growth, CAGR, production cost analysis, and value chain structure.



In 2017, the Global Home Fragrance market size was USD XX and is forecast to reach Million YY USD in 2025, growing at a CAGR of xx%. The objectives of this study is to define, market segment having opportunity, and to project the size of the Home Fragrance market based on company, product type, application and key regions.



Besides, the report also covers segment data, including: type segment, industry segment etc. cover different segment market size. Also cover different industries clients' information, which is very important for the Major Players. If you need more information, please contact HTF MI at sales@htfmarketreport.com.



**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.



Competition Analysis



Global Home Fragrance Market - Vendor Landscape: The analysts authoring the publication explain the nature and future changes in the competitive scenario of the worldwide companies that are profiled in the publication guide, some of key players that includes in the study are Arechipelago, Johnson SC, Nest, Gold Canyon, Sedafrance, Northern lights, Illume, Virginia candle company, Paddywax, Voluspa, Newell Brands, P&G & Allure Home Fragrance



The Study is segmented by following Product Type , Product Type Segmentation, Premium Products & Mass Market Products



Enquire for customization in Report @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/enquiry-before-buy/1424799-global-home-fragrance-market-5



Region Segmentation: North America Country (United States, Canada), South America, Asia Country (China, Japan, India, Korea), Europe Country (Germany, UK, France, Italy) & Other Country (Middle East, Africa, GCC)



** Customized Report with detailed 2-level country level break-up can also be provided.

North America (United States, Canada)

South America (Brazil, Argentina, Rest of South America)

Asia (China, Japan, India, Korea, RoA)

Europe (Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Rest of Europe)

Others (Middle East, Africa)



In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Global Home Fragrance are as follows:

- History Year: 2013-2017

- Base Year: 2017

- Estimated Year: 2018

- Forecast Year 2018 to 2025



Buy full research report @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=1424799



Key Stakeholders/Global Reports:

- Home Fragrance Manufacturers

- Home Fragrance Distributors/Traders/Wholesalers

- Home Fragrance Sub-component Manufacturers

- Industry Association

- Downstream Vendors



Following would be the Chapters to display the Global Home Fragrance market.



Chapter 1, to describe Definition, Specifications and Classification of Home Fragrance, Applications of Home Fragrance, 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 Home Fragrance, Capacity and Commercial Production Date, Manufacturing Plants Distribution, 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, United States, Canada, Mexico, Asia-Pacific, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Rest of Asia-Pacific, Europe, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, Russia, Rest of Europe, Central & South America, Brazil, Argentina, Rest of South America, Middle East & Africa, Saudi Arabia, Turkey & Rest of Middle East & Africa, Home Fragrance Segment Market Analysis (by Type);

Chapter 7 and 8, to analyze the Home Fragrance Segment Market Analysis (by Application) Major Manufacturers Analysis of Home Fragrance;

Chapter 9, Market Trend Analysis, Regional Market Trend, Market Trend by Product Type [, Product Type Segmentation, Premium Products & Mass Market Products], 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 Home Fragrance;

Chapter 12,13, 14 and 15, to describe Home Fragrance sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.



Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/1424799-global-home-fragrance-market-5



Thanks for reading this article, you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia. Also, If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.
Saint Peters, MO -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/09/2019 -- Pet owners want nothing but the very best for their furry friends. And everyone knows that Americans love their family pets. In fact, according to a recent American Pet Products Association National Pet Owners Survey, 68 percent of U.S. households, or about 85 million families, own pets. So, in recognition of National Pet Month this April, Jerry Kelly Heating & Air Conditioning is revealing five important HVAC tips for Missouri pet owners to keep their pets and families safe and healthy this spring.



This top-rated HVAC company recommends these steps to keep HVAC systems running at top efficiency this spring:



1. Clean and vacuum. Regular vacuuming and dusting improves HVAC performance. Homeowners should clean vents regularly and vacuum daily to eliminate excessive pet hair getting lodged in ductwork.



2. Schedule grooming appointments. Keeping dogs and cats bathed and groomed cuts back on the amount of hair and dander that accumulates indoors.



3. Change filters. Regular filter changes always improve indoor air quality and HVAC function. Customers who need assistance finding the proper filter for their system can count on Jerry Kelly for answers. The company offers an online filter store.



4. Install an air purifier. Households with pets benefit greatly from an air purifier. These systems remove pet smells, airborne bacteria, dust particles, mold, pollen, kitchen odors and more. Customers looking to upgrade to purer air can call Jerry Kelly for information on their Breathe Easy Indoor Air Packages.



5. Protect the outside unit. Keep dogsand outside catsaway from outdoor units. Pet urine and excessive scratching will cause unwanted damage.



For more information on how Jerry Kelly can assist with indoor air quality issues, heating repairs and air conditioning maintenance in St. Charles County, MO, and beyond, contact the HVAC company today at 636.757.8506.



About Jerry Kelly Heating & Air Conditioning

For over 40 years, Jerry Kelly Heating & Air Conditioning has been focused on providing residents in Saint Charles and the surrounding communities in West County, MO, with ideal indoor comfort solutions. This high-quality residential and commercial HVAC provider prioritizes satisfaction in everything it does and stands behind its workmanship 100 percent. Using its experience and knowledge of all things heating, cooling and indoor air quality, Jerry Kelly will always provide top quality service to "simply make it work."
Northbrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/09/2019 -- According to the new market research report "Hydraulic Workover Unit Market by Application (Onshore, And Offshore), Service (Workover, and Snubbing), Installation (Skid Mount and Trail Mount), Capacity (0 to 50, 50 to 150, and Above 150) and Region - Global Trends and Forecast to 2024", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Hydraulic Workover Unit Market is expected to grow from USD 9.8 million in 2019 to USD 12.0 million by 2024, at a CAGR of 3.97% during the forecast period. The major factors driving the Hydraulic Workover Unit Market include upsurge in oil and gas production after decline in oil prices and growing shale gas production.



Ask for PDF Brochure:

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=207073031



The onshore segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR in the Hydraulic Workover Unit Market during the forecast period



The onshore segment is the fastest growing segment in the Hydraulic Workover Unit Market. North America, followed by the Asia Pacific and the Middle East region, is expected to be the most attractive in this segment, because of the increasing oil and gas activities during the forecast period. Major contractors include Halliburton, NOV, Nabors, and Superior.



Browse and in-depth TOC on "Hydraulic Workover Unit Market"

101 - Tables

37 - Figures

138 - Pages



View detailed Table of Content here:

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/hydraulic-workover-unit-market-207073031.html



The trailer mount segment is expected to hold the largest market share during the forecast period



Trailer mount being the most common type of hydraulic workover is expected to hold the largest market share during the forecast period. North America, followed by Asia Pacific and the Middle East, is expected to be the most attractive region in this segment, during the forecast period.



North America is expected to hold the largest market size in the hydraulic workover market during the forecast period



North America is expected to have the highest growth rate during the forecast period, due to growing shale gas production activities. The Hydraulic Workover Unit Market is driven by the growth in unconventional resources in the US and Canada and demand from the onshore & offshore fields in the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf of Mexico is one of the major sources of conventional oil & gas in the North American region. Moreover, North America has one of the biggest advantages with 14% of the world's crude oil and 6% of natural gas reserves. All these factors are expected to drive the Hydraulic Workover Unit Market during the forecast period



Request Sample pages of the Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=207073031



Major vendors in the Hydraulic Workover Unit Market include NOV (US), Halliburton (US), Nabors (Bermuda), Superior Energy (US), Archer (Norway), Basic Energy (US), CEEM (UAE), and CUDD (US).



About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions.



Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model  GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.



MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets.



Contact:

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Rockville Pike, MD -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/09/2019 -- Fact.MR conveys vital insights on the hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber market in its report, entitled "Hydrogenated Nitrile Butadiene Rubber Market: Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2018-2027".In terms of revenue share, the global hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber market is projected to enlarge at the growth CAGR of 7.6% over the forecast period (2018-2027), owing to abundant factors, about which FMR offers precise insights and forecast in our report.



Request a sample of this premium report @ https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=2534



The global market for hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber can be segmented by product type, by application, by end use industry and by region.



Preference for Synthetic Rubber likely to boost the Market Growth



Rubber is a staple commodity in industrial supply chains but the price is extremely volatile and is currently at record lows. Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia account for almost 70% of natural rubber and they have cut their exports as a result of plummeting prices. Thus, there is a shift towards synthetic rubbers such as hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber, especially in emerging economies. As the world's population is growing rapidly, urbanization is the need of the hour. A large middle class demands real estate and self-mobility as both are usually viewed as a status symbol. Synthetic rubbers find widespread application in high-performance products directly contributing to the growth of the hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber market.



The automotive industry is growing at a healthy clip and this is forecasted to continue in the medium term. Global auto sales have been largely driven by countries such as China, India, Indonesia, and Mexico. The automotive industry is the largest customer of the hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber market. Products such as O-rings, seals, synchronous timing belts, suspension parts, mountings, hoses, fan belts all necessitate frequent replacement benefiting the global hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber market.



Synthetic rubber such as hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber is deployed in a wide variety of end-uses. Hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber is used in industries ranging from the automotive, pharmaceutical, construction, and chemical industry. The tire producing industry consumes the bulk of the global production of hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber. Along with automotive tires, hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber is useful in the manufacturing of industrial rubber, automotive components, footwear, and adhesives. Due to its low heat buildup hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber is used by major tire manufacturers and is heavily promoted by them as a superior alternative to natural rubber. In the construction industry, hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber is used in windows, pipes, flooring, sound insulation, and roofing.



In the past few years, the governments of rubber producing countries such as Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and India have been providing economic assistance to farmers engaged in the cultivation of rubber. Furthermore, the government is supporting rubber manufacturing units with favorable policies including tax breaks, subsidies, custom duty waivers, etc. For e.g.  Excessive monsoonal rainfall in India almost five years ago reduced the rubber production of that year. The Indian govt. helped rubber manufacturing firms and growers various offers such as planting, trade fairs, buyer-seller meets, and exhibitions.



Access Detailed Report Summary: https://www.factmr.com/report/2534/hydrogenated-nitrile-butadiene-rubber-market



In the report, FMR suggests that the price volatility of natural rubber and the demand-supply mismatch makes key stakeholders look at an alternative such as hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber. Moreover, the automotive industry is the largest end-user of hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber and is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. The aforementioned factors are anticipated to drive the growth of the global hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber market during the forecast period.



Regional Overview



APEJ upholds its dominance for the production and demand for the hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber market by 2027. The global market of hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber is growing due to the subsequent growth in regional demand from North America and the APEJ market. The increase in the local demand from the automotive industry and regional presence of key manufacturers is expected to contribute to the growth of the global market.



In 2016, the National Energy Administration began canceling licenses for the construction of new coal-powered fuel stations, and this was followed up by a countrywide program of environmental inspections. A number of hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber plants had to close down in October 2017 as they were using coal-furnaces. Although electrically-powered plants are replacing them, the China hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber market should see challenging times in the short term. Prices are poised to rise in the other Asian behemoth India as well as South Korean suppliers have raised their exports to the subcontinent following the latter's decision to impose anti-dumping duties on European and Thai hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber suppliers.



Germany is an automotive hub, and the country hosts the headquarters of renowned automobile manufacturers such as Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, BMW, and Volkswagen. Hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber is the most popular rubber used to manufacture automotive components because of its numerous attributes. The demand for hydrogenated nitrile butadiene is anticipated to grow in Europe, particularly in Germany.



Key Players



The manufacturers operating in the global hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber market include Rahco Rubber, Inc., JSR Corporation, Kumho Petrochemical Co., Ltd., Zeon Corporation, Sibur Holding, ARLANXEO, Versalis S.p.A., OMNOVA Solutions Inc., Lianda Corporation, Synthos S.A., and others located across the globe.



The prominent market players in hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber market are concentrating on the extension of their production abilities and vertical integration for business development. Moreover, the players are investing to expand the distribution network and empower the business relationship. The marketing strategy by manufacturers is expected to contribute for the growth of hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber market in the forecast period, 2018-2027.



For more Details Speak to Our Analyst @ https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=AE&rep_id=2534



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.



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Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/09/2019 -- HTF MI released a new market study on Global Industrial Automation Motion Control System Software 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 Industrial Automation Motion Control System Software Forecast till 2025*. Some are the key players taken under coverage for this study are Siemens, Rockwell Automation, Automation World, Kollmorgen, B&R Automation, KINGSTAR, ORMEC, Adept, Pilz, More Control, BOSS Control Systems, Inc., Delta Electronics, Inc., GE Automation, Looptechnology & Trinamic Motion Control.



Click to get Global Industrial Automation Motion Control System Software Market Research Sample PDF Copy Here @: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/1742503-global-industrial-automation-motion-control-system-software-market-1



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 "Siemens, Rockwell Automation, Automation World, Kollmorgen, B&R Automation, KINGSTAR, ORMEC, Adept, Pilz, More Control, BOSS Control Systems, Inc., Delta Electronics, Inc., GE Automation, Looptechnology & Trinamic Motion Control"



** 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, Southeast Asia, India & Central & South America

** 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/1742503-global-industrial-automation-motion-control-system-software-market-1



To comprehend Global Industrial Automation Motion Control System Software market dynamics in the world mainly, the worldwide Industrial Automation Motion Control System Software 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 Industrial Automation Motion Control System Software Product Types In-Depth: , Runtime Software, Engineering Software & Other Softwares



Global Industrial Automation Motion Control System Software Major Applications/End users: Semiconductor and Electronics, FPD, Medical and Bioscience & Others



Geographical Analysis: United States, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India & Central & South America



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 Siemens, Rockwell Automation, Automation World, Kollmorgen, B&R Automation, KINGSTAR, ORMEC, Adept, Pilz, More Control, BOSS Control Systems, Inc., Delta Electronics, Inc., GE Automation, Looptechnology & Trinamic Motion Control 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.



Buy Full Copy Global Industrial Automation Motion Control System Software Report 2018 @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=1742503



In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Global Industrial Automation Motion Control System Software are as follows:

History Year: 2013-2017

Base Year: 2017

Estimated Year: 2018

Forecast Year 2018 to 2025



Key Stakeholders/Global Reports:

Industrial Automation Motion Control System Software Manufacturers

Industrial Automation Motion Control System Software Distributors/Traders/Wholesalers

Industrial Automation Motion Control System Software Subcomponent Manufacturers

Industry Association

Downstream Vendors



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Actual Numbers & In-Depth Analysis, Business opportunities, Market Size Estimation Available in Full 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.
New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/08/2019 -- The Inosine Pranobex Market is further segmented in terms of applications, end-user, end-use, geographic presence, by-products as well as services. In addition, the subject matter experts evaluating the industry provide an all-inclusive category-specific industry outlook. A comprehensive collection of data on major companies occupying a strong foothold in the industry adds immense value to the overall research.



It sheds light on the major companies that contribute significantly to the global sector. The report studies the presence of these companies in major geographical regions and their individual placement in the worldwide business. It helps in projecting the growth of Inosine Pranobex through the years and in predicting its expansion in the forecasted time span. The increase in the demand for the product is boosting the overall production to ensure a smooth functioning demand-supply chain.



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The major manufacturers covered in this report:

Newport Pharmaceuticals Limited, Elivera Pharmaceuticals, Medicinesmexico, Nootropicsmexico, Gods Pharmacy Limited, Bristol Pharma, Royal Pharm, Superama, Josenchem, Jinan Ruisheng Medical, Jinan Jiage Biotech, Wuxi Jingyao Biotech



Geographically, this report studies the top producers and consumers, focuses on product capacity, production, value, consumption, market share and growth opportunity in these key regions, covering

- North America

- Europe

- China

- Japan

- Southeast Asia

- India



Importantly, the research sheds a lot of light on their winning strategies to help stakeholders, business owners, and field marketing executives stay ahead in the competition. Besides, the industry is thoroughly weighed upon on the basis of the total revenue generated as well as the output/volume produced year after year. Other aspects including but not limited to the market drivers, key opportunities and probable restraints are thoroughly assessed during the study.



The assessment of the wining strategies followed by these companies can help business owners not only strategize but also execute business operations by referring the statistics about competitor analysis. Careful assessment of the industry analysis across different regions along with vital information on the market size, share and growth rate makes this report a wonderful resource for business evangelists.



Most important types of Inosine Pranobex products covered in this report are:

- Tablet

- Syrup

- Powder



Most widely used downstream fields of Inosine Pranobex market covered in this report are:

- Human Immunomodulation

- Human Antiviral

- Other



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The research segments the market based on product type, applications and end-use. It profiles the key players of the business and their individual contribution to the global economy. The report focuses on significant investments, business ventures, mergers, acquisitions, collaborations along with the technological developments in the field. It also evaluates the upcoming and niche areas in the business. The researcher aims to offer expert insights related to the industry and the new opportunities available in the market.



In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Inosine Pranobex are as follows:

History Year: 2013-2017

Base Year: 2017

Estimated Year: 2018

Forecast Year: 2018 to 2026



The study objectives of this report are:

- To analyse and study the global Inosine Pranobex capacity, production, value, consumption, status (2013-2017) and forecast (2018-2026);

- Focuses on the key Inosine Pranobex manufacturers, to study the capacity, production, value, market share and development plans in future.

- Focuses on the global key manufacturers, to define, describe and analyse the market competition landscape, SWOT analysis.

- To define, describe and forecast the market by type, application and region.

- To analyse the global and key regions market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks.

- To analyse the opportunities in the market for stakeholders by identifying the high growth segments.

- To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyse their growth strategies.



Key Points from TOC:

8 India Inosine Pranobex (Volume, Value and Sales Price)

8.1 India Inosine Pranobex Sales and Value (2014-2018)

8.1.1 India Inosine Pranobex Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2018)

8.1.2 India Inosine Pranobex Revenue and Growth Rate (2014-2018)

8.1.3 India Inosine Pranobex Sales Price Trend (2014-2018)

8.2 India Inosine Pranobex Sales Volume and Market Share by Players (2014-2018)

8.3 India Inosine Pranobex Sales Volume and Market Share by Type (2014-2018)

8.4 India Inosine Pranobex Sales Volume and Market Share by Application (2014-2018)



9 Global Inosine Pranobex Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data

9.1 Newport Pharmaceuticals Limited

9.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors

9.1.2 Inosine Pranobex Product Category, Application and Specification

9.1.3 Newport Pharmaceuticals Limited Inosine Pranobex Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2018)

9.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview



9.2 Elivera Pharmaceuticals

9.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors

9.2.2 Inosine Pranobex Product Category, Application and Specification

9.2.3 Elivera Pharmaceuticals Inosine Pranobex Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2018)

9.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview

Continue



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Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/09/2019 -- The intellectual property software has become a sine quo non as many institutions, such as universities and public research entities have done away with solely research oriented policy targets mainly based upon unremunerated publication of research results, and moved towards policies aimed at commercially exploiting research results. IP software rights function as lubricants as it form the basis upon which commercial exploitation may be way of exploitation through spin off companies owned by the institutions, exploitation leading to collaboration in consortia which may incorporate commercial partners and academia alike.



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Software has been a good candidate for scrutinizing how intellectual property rights (IPRs) have provided an environment for open innovation. Besides, the adoption and introduction of software technologies and the development of an industry to underpin and supply software products have panned out during the phase of rising focus by consortia on open innovation.



These insights are according to the intelligence report, titled, "Intellectual Property Software MarketGlobal Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2018-2026," which has been freshly added to Market Research Reports Search Engine's (MRRSE) ever-growing repository.



Intellectual property software underpins the business across a myriad of applications, including intellectual property filings, art search, product teardowns, patent portfolio analysis, patent landscape, business strategies and litigation support. The rising adoption of intellectual property software across developing countries such as Brazil, India, Indonesia and robust development in the field of information and communication technologies have provided a new impetus to the rapid growth of intellectual property software market.The report offers a robust analysis on the intellectual property software market through deep dive analysis. Besides, the report delves into the segregation of the market to offer an exhaustive assessment on the intellectual property software market. The report also delves into drivers, trends, opportunities and restraints having significant influence within the intellectual property software market.



The report incorporates preface, executive summary and overview section which offers coherent analysis on intellectual property software market. The market overview section also includes intellectual property software ecosystem analysis along with case studies across industries. The report also delineates product overview section which offers top 20 software products overview, including features, deployment, developments and profit model. The section also includes the product positioning matrix along with consumer analysis. Furthermore, the report on intellectual property software market embodies the market outlook and market attractiveness analysis which are aimed at offering a robust analysis on the intellectual property software market.



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A robust analysis of competitive scenario of the intellectual property software market is propelled by the inclusion of Porters' Five Force Analysis. The Porters' Five Force Analysis sheds light on the potential strategies employed by pertinent companies. The report is bolstered by company profile, SWOT analysis, annual revenue and strategic overview. A few of the companies included are Ambercite, Aistemos, Clarivate Analytics, Innography Inc., Gemalto NV, to name a few.Primary research and secondary research provide a dynamic analysis on intellectual property software market. On one hand, primary source includes telephonic interview, honest views of experts which can be relied upon, unbiased views from seasoned analyst and surveys. On the other hand, the secondary sources include SEC filing, Factiva, trade journals, resourceful database and authentic paid source. The report also is bolstered by analysis through absolute dollar opportunity analysis which showcase the development of the intellectual property software market.



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Pune, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/09/2019 -- L-cysteine is a proteinogenic amino acid contributing to building protein and includes the element sulphur. It can be synthesised in the human liver and is therefore not an essential amino acid. While L-cysteine hydrochloride is a less popular supplementalform of the amino acid L-cysteine.



Key players in details:



Wacker, Nippon Rika, Ajinomoto, Bachem, Ningbo Zhenhai Haide Biochem, Wuhan Grand Hoyo, Wuxi Bikang, Donboo Amino Acid, Huaheng Biologgical Technology, Shine Star (Hubei) Biological Engineering and Others.



The worldwide market for L- Cysteine and Its Hydrochloride is expected to grow at a CAGR of roughly 1.2% over the next five years, will reach 620 million US$ in 2024, from 570 million US$ in 2019, according to recent research.



For More information Register free sample copy of this report here:



https://www.verifiedmarketreports.com/download-sample/?rid=37244&mode=BRG10



Market is segmented on the basis Type, Application and Region:



Global L- Cysteine and Its Hydrochloride Market segment by type: L-Cysteine, L-Cysteine Hydrochloride , Others.



Global L- Cysteine and Its Hydrochloride Market Segment by Applications: Food, Pharmaceutical Industry, Cosmetics Industry, Animal Feed, Beverage, Others.



Scope of the report:



Currently, there are several companies in the world can produce l-cysteine product, mainly concentrate in China. The main market players are Wacker, Nippon Rika, Ajinomoto, Ningbo Zhenhai Haide Biochem, etc. The production of l-cysteine increased from 12187 Tonnes in 2011 to 14066 Tonnes in 2015, with an average growth rate of 3.72%. Global l-cysteine capacity utilization rate remained at around 83% in 2015.



In consumption market, the growth rate of global consumption is smooth relatively with the 3.56% of average growth rate. China and Europe are still the mainly consumption regions due to the advanced production technology and rapid development of economy.



L-cysteine product can be classified into two types: L- Cysteine and L-Cysteine Hydrochloride. L-Cysteine Hydrochloride is widely used in food industry, while L- Cysteine mainly used in pharmaceutical industry. Survey results showed that l-cysteine take 32% of the market.



Currently, there are two kinds of commonly used production process of l-cysteine. It includes chemical synthesis and biological fermentation. Due to the different process, the major raw materials for l-cysteine are different. On the global market, supply of raw materials is full. Fluctuations in the price of the upstream product will impact on the production cost of l-cysteine industry.



We tend to believe this industry is a mature industry, and the consumption increasing degree will show a smooth growth curve. For product prices, the slow downward trend in recent years will maintain in the future as competition intensifies. Besides, prices gap between different brands will go narrowing gradually. Also, there will be fluctuation in gross margin.



Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with Sales, Sales, revenue, Market Share (%) and Growth Rate (%) of product in these regions, from 2017 to 2024 (forecast), covering United States, North America (Canada and Mexico), Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.), Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa), RoW (Rest of World).



To know more about this report:



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There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global L- Cysteine and Its Hydrochloride market:



Chapter 1, to describe L- Cysteine and Its Hydrochloride Market Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;



Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of L- Cysteine and Its Hydrochloride, with sales, revenue, and price of L- Cysteine and Its Hydrochloride Market, in 2016 and 2017;



Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;



Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of L- Cysteine and Its Hydrochloride, for each region, from 2013 to 2019;



Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the L- Cysteine and Its Hydrochloride Market by countries, by type, by application and by manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;



Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2013 to 2019;



Chapter 12, L- Cysteine and Its Hydrochloride market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2019 to 2024;



Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe L- Cysteine and Its Hydrochloride Market sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source



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Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/09/2019 -- HTF Market Intelligence released a new research report of 200 pages on title 'Global Laparoscopy Device Market Size study, by Product (Laparoscopes, Energy Devices, Insufflators, Robot-Assisted Surgery Systems, Suction or Irrigation Systems, Closure Devices, Hand Instruments, Access Devices, Accessories, Others), by Application and Regional Forecasts 2018-2025' with detailed analysis, forecast and strategies. The study covers key regions that includes North America, U.S., Canada, Europe, UK, Germany, Asia Pacific, China, India, Japan, Latin America, Brazil, Mexico, Rest of the World and important players such as Johnson & Johnson, Karl Storz GmbH & Co KG, Boston Scientific Corporation, Medtronic PLC, Olympus Corporation, Conmed Corporation.



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Summary

Global Laparoscopy Device Market valued approximately USD 10.5 Billion in 2017 is anticipated to grow with a healthy growth rate of more than 5.92% over the forecast period 2018-2025. The Laparoscopy Device market is developing and expanding at a significant pace considering the global scenario. Laparoscopy is a minimally invasive surgical technique mainly preferred for surgeries related to the pancreas, liver, colon and bile duct. The laparoscopes are more like an apparatus with various parts including viewing device, CCD camera, energy supply devices, and lens cleaners. The market growth is primarily driven by increasing demand for bariatric surgery like gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy owing to the growing incidence of obesity. However, several post-operative risks with laparoscopy and requirement of trained professionals are expected to hamper the market growth considering the forthcoming years.



The regional analysis of Global Laparoscopy Device Market is considered for the key regions such as Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Latin America and Rest of the World. North America is the fastest growing region across the world in terms of market share. Whereas, owing to the countries such as China, Japan, and India, Asia Pacific region is anticipated to be the dominating region over the forecast period 2018-2025.



The leading market players mainly include-

 Johnson & Johnson

 Karl Storz GmbH & Co KG

 Boston Scientific Corporation

 Medtronic PLC

 Olympus Corporation

 Conmed Corporation



The objective of the study is to define market sizes of different segments & countries in recent years and to forecast the values to the coming eight years. The report is designed to incorporate both qualitative and quantitative aspects of the industry within each of the regions and countries involved in the study. Furthermore, the report also caters the detailed information about the crucial aspects such as driving factors & challenges which will define the future growth of the market. Additionally, the report shall also incorporate available opportunities in micro markets for stakeholders to invest along with the detailed analysis of competitive landscape and product offerings of key players. The detailed segments and sub-segment of the market are explained below:



By Product:



 Laparoscopes

 Energy Devices

 Insuffalators

 Robot-Assisted Surgery Systems

 Suction or Irrigation Systems

 Closure Devices

 Hand Instruments

 Access Devices

 Accessories

 Others

By Application:



 General Surgery

 Bariatric Surgery

 Gynecological Surgery

 Urological Surgery

 Colorectal Surgery

 Others



By End User:



 Hospitals

 Clinics

 Others



By Regions:

 North America

o U.S.

o Canada

 Europe

o UK

o Germany

 Asia Pacific

o China

o India

o Japan

 Latin America

o Brazil

o Mexico

 Rest of the World



Furthermore, years considered for the study are as follows:



Historical year  2015, 2016

Base year  2017

Forecast period  2018 to 2025



Target Audience of the Global Laparoscopy Device Market in Market Study:



 Key Consulting Companies & Advisors

 Large, medium-sized, and small enterprises

 Venture capitalists

 Value-Added Resellers (VARs)

 Third-party knowledge providers

 Investment bankers

 Investors



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Chapter 1. Global Laparoscopy Device Market Definition and Scope

1.1. Research Objective

1.2. Market Definition

1.3. Scope of The Study

1.4. Years Considered for The Study

1.5. Currency Conversion Rates

1.6. Report Limitation

Chapter 2. Research Methodology

2.1. Research Process

2.1.1. Data Mining

2.1.2. Analysis

2.1.3. Market Estimation

2.1.4. Validation

2.1.5. Publishing

2.2. Research Assumption



Chapter 3. Executive Summary

3.1. Global & Segmental Market Estimates & Forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)

3.2. Key Trends



Chapter 4. Global Laparoscopy Device Market Dynamics

4.1. Growth Prospects

4.1.1. Drivers

4.1.2. Restraints

4.1.3. Opportunities

4.2. Industry Analysis

4.2.1. Porter's 5 Force Model

4.2.2. PEST Analysis

4.2.3. Value Chain Analysis

4.3. Analyst Recommendation & Conclusion



....Continued



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About HTF Market Report

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".
Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/09/2019 -- Global Marketing Account Intelligence Software Market Size, Status and Forecast 2019-2025 is latest research study released by HTF MI evaluating the market, highlighting opportunities, risk side analysis, and leveraged with strategic and tactical decision-making support. The study provides information on market trends and development, drivers, capacities, technologies, and on the changing capital structure of the Global Marketing Account Intelligence Software Market. Some of the key players profiled in the study are ZoomInfo, DiscoverOrg, Marketo, Act-On, InsideView, Datanyze, Adapt, LeanData, Infer, 6sense, Demandbase & RelPro.



Enquire for customization in Report @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/enquiry-before-buy/1589845-global-marketing-account-intelligence-software-market-size-status



In 2018, the global Marketing Account Intelligence Software market size was xx million US$ and it is expected to reach xx million US$ by the end of 2025, with a CAGR of xx% during 2019-2025.



This report focuses on the global Marketing Account Intelligence Software status, future forecast, growth opportunity, key market and key players. The study objectives are to present the Marketing Account Intelligence Software development in United States, Europe and China.



Marketing Account Intelligence Software Market Overview:



If you are involved in the Marketing Account Intelligence Software industry or intend to be, then this study will provide you comprehensive outlook. It's vital you keep your market knowledge up to date segmented by Large Enterprises & SMEs, , Cloud Based & Web Based and major players. If you have a different set of players/manufacturers according to geography or needs regional or country segmented reports we can provide customization according to your requirement.



Marketing Account Intelligence Software Market: Demand Analysis & Opportunity Outlook 2023



Research study is to define market sizes of various segments & countries in previous years and to forecast the values to the next 5-8 years. The report is designed to comprise each qualitative and quantitative elements of the industry facts including: market share, market size (value and volume 2012-17, and forecast to 2023) with admire to each of the areas and countries concerned inside the examination. Furthermore, the report additionally caters the detailed statistics about the vital elements which includes drivers & restraining factors which will define the future growth of 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.



You can get free access to samples from the report here: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/1589845-global-marketing-account-intelligence-software-market-size-status



The designated segments and sub-section of the market are explained below:



The Study is segmented by following Product Type: , Cloud Based & Web Based



Major applications/end-users industry are as follows: Large Enterprises & SMEs



Some of the key Manufacturers Involved in the Market are  ZoomInfo, DiscoverOrg, Marketo, Act-On, InsideView, Datanyze, Adapt, LeanData, Infer, 6sense, Demandbase & RelPro



For each region, market size and end users are analyzed as well as segment markets by types, applications and companies. If opting for the Global version of Marketing Account Intelligence Software Market analysis is provided for major regions as follows:

- North America (USA, Canada and Mexico)

- Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)

- Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)

- South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)

- Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)



Buy this research report @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=1589845



Key Answers Captured in Study are

Which geography would have better demand for product/services?

What are the strategies adopted by big players in the regional market?

Which country would see the steep rise in CAGR & year-on-year (Y-O-Y) growth?

What is the current & expected market size in next five years?

What is the market feasibility for long term investment?

What opportunity the country would offer for existing and new players in the Marketing Account Intelligence Software market?

What is risk involved for suppliers in the geography?

What factors would drive the demand for the product/service in near future?

What is the impact analysis of various factors in the Global Marketing Account Intelligence Software market growth?

What are the recent trends in the regional market and how successful they are?



Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/1589845-global-marketing-account-intelligence-software-market-size-status



There are 15 Chapters to display the Global Marketing Account Intelligence Software market.

Chapter 1, About Executive Summary to describe Definition, Specifications and Classification of Global Marketing Account Intelligence Software market, Applications [Large Enterprises & SMEs], Market Segment by Regions United States, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India & Central & South America;

Chapter 2, objective of the study.

Chapter 3, to display Research methodology and techniques.

Chapter 4 and 5, to show the Overall Market Analysis, segmentation analysis, characteristics;

Chapter 6 and 7, to show the Market size, share and forecast; Five forces analysis (bargaining Power of buyers/suppliers), Threats to new entrants and market condition;

Chapter 8 and 9, to show analysis by regional segmentation[United States, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India & Central & South America ], comparison, leading countries and opportunities; Regional Marketing Type Analysis, Supply Chain Analysis

Chapter 10, focus on identifying the key industry influencer's, overview of decision framework accumulated through Industry experts and strategic decision makers;

Chapter 11 and 12, Market Trend Analysis, Drivers, Challenges by consumer behaviour, Marketing Channels and demand & supply.

Chapter 13 and 14, describe about the vendor landscape (classification and Market Positioning)

Chapter 15, deals with Global Marketing Account Intelligence Software Market sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.



Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia or Oceania [Australia and New Zealand].
Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/09/2019 -- As per TMR's estimations, the demand for edible oil co-products and by-products is expected to rise from 388,944.3 tons in 2015 to 559,775.89 tons by 2024 end, expanding at a CAGR of 4.20% between 2016 and 2024. In terms of value, the market is expected to report a CAGR of 5.0% during the same time period. Dried soap stock, pure soft oil fatty acid distillate, hard oil fatty acid distillate, mixed soft oil fatty acid distillate, sludge, palmitic acid, pure acid oil, stearic acid, and earth distillate have been considered as the key products available in this market in this report. Among these, the demand for dried soap stocks is projected to rise considerably in the near future, establishing them as the leading product segment, notes the market study.



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Egypt to Maintain Dominance on Middle East Edible Oil Co-Products and By-Products Market



In terms of domestic markets, the report bifurcates the Middle East edible oil co-products and by-products market into Iran, Sudan, Egypt, Morocco, Turkey, Algeria, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Among these, Egypt has acquired the dominance, thanks to a significantly high demand of dried soap stock in this country. With the rising demand for personal care products in Egypt, this domestic market is likely to remain on the leading position over the forthcoming years, states the research report.



Dried soap stock adds nutrient value as feed improves pelletizing and provides flexibility in utilization and processing. It is often treated with a strong mineral acid and is converted into a crude mixture of fatty acids, known as acidified soap stock. This mixture is widely used as a calorific component in animal feed. However, factors such as increasing feed prices, food shortages, and shrinking water resources are likely to hinder the growth of the dried soap stock market in KSA. In addition, pure acid oil is cheap and acts as a good source of biodiesel. Both palmitic and stearic acids add hardness to soaps and is widely available in Saudi Arabia. The market for both the acids is expected to develop further in the future. Moreover, increasing concern towards prevention of various diseases coupled with low price of dried soap stock is likely to fuel the growth of this market in Saudi Arabia during the forecast period.



Due to increasing environmental concern, there is huge demand for eco-friendly, biodegradable products with natural ingredients. Thus, dried soap stock is likely to find extensive application in soaps and detergents. In addition, Consumers have strong hygiene habits and are focused on preventing the spread of virus and bacteria. Thus, there is huge demand for soaps and detergents in Saudi Arabia, which in turn is likely to accelerate the growth of the dried soap stock market. Furthermore, The market for soaps and detergents in Iran represents an enormous and developing market in the Middle East. The strength of the dried soap stock industry is demonstrated by strong growth in the production of surfactants, household detergents and other raw materials in recent years. Moreover, factors such as increased competition in the private sector, consumer demand, and favorable government policies have resulted in introduction of new products with significant improvements in quality and performance.



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Increasing Investment in Oil Industry Supports Middle East Edible Oil Co-Products and By-Products Market



"The increasing investments in the edible oil industry in the Middle East, resulting in a considerable increase in workforce, rising number of factories, and improvement in the overall manufacturing capacity, is the main factor that has been boosting the Middle East edible oil co-products and by-products market. The rising affluence of people residing in this region is also propelling the growth of this regional market remarkably, reports the research study.
Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/09/2019 -- The study covers a detailed analysis segmented by key business segments i.e. by type (Anti-Collision Lighting, Side lighting, Taxi lighting, Stroboscope Lamp and Floor Lighting) , by application (Marine Navigation Lights and Aviation Navigation Lights) and major geographies. Research Analyst at AMA predicts that Germany Manufacturers will contribute to the maximum growth of Global Navigation Lighting market throughout the predicted period.



A new business intelligence report released by Advance Market Analytics with title "Global Navigation Lighting Market Insights, Forecast to 2025" has abilities to raise as the most significant market worldwide as it has remained playing a remarkable role in establishing progressive impacts on the universal economy. The Global Navigation Lighting Market Report offers energetic visions to conclude and study market size, market hopes, and competitive surroundings. The research is derived through primary and secondary statistics sources and it comprises both qualitative and quantitative detailing.



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Major Key Players in This Report Include,

Glamox (Norway),Daeyang Electric (South Korea),Osculati (Italy),Aveo Engineering,Hella Marine (Germany),Lopolight (Denmark),Perko (United States),Beghelli (Italy),Philips (Netherlands),GE (United States),OSRAM (Germany)



The report focuses on Global Navigation Lighting Market major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials, equipment and downstream consumers analysis is also carried out. What's more, the market development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.



The market study is being classified by Type, by Application and major geographies with country level break-up that includes South America (Brazil, Argentina, Rest of South America), Asia Pacific (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, Rest of Asia-Pacific), Europe (Germany, France, Italy, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Rest of Europe), MEA (Middle East, Africa), North America (United States, Canada, Mexico).



The research methodology used to estimate and forecast the Navigation Lighting Market began with capturing data from the key vendors' revenue and market size of the individual segments through secondary sources, industry associations, and trade journals, such as the World Analytics Association and the Cloud Native Computing Foundation. The bottom-up procedure was employed to arrive at the overall market size of the market from the individual segments. After arriving at the overall market size, the total market was split into several segments and sub segments, which were then verified through primary research by conducting extensive interviews with the key industry personnel, such as Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), Vice Presidents (VPs), directors, and executives. The data triangulation and market breakdown procedures were employed to complete the overall market engineering process and arrive at the exact statistics for all the segments and sub segments.



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Strategic Points Covered in Table of Content of Navigation Lighting Market:

Chapter 1: Introduction, market driving force product Objective of Study and Research Scope the Navigation Lighting market

Chapter 2: Exclusive Summary  the basic information of the Navigation Lighting Market.

Chapter 3: Displayingthe Market Dynamics- Drivers, Trends and Challenges of the Navigation Lighting

Chapter 4: Presenting the Navigation Lighting Market Factor Analysis Porters Five Forces, Supply/Value Chain, PESTEL analysis, Market Entropy, Patent/Trademark Analysis.

Chapter 5: Displaying the by Type, End User and Region 2013-2018

Chapter 6: Evaluating the leading manufacturers of the Navigation Lighting market which consists of its Competitive Landscape, Peer Group Analysis, BCG Matrix & Company Profile

Chapter 7: To evaluate the market by segments, by countries and by manufacturers with revenue share and sales by key countries in these various regions.

Chapter 8 & 9: Displaying the Appendix, Methodology and Data Source



Finally, Navigation Lighting Market is a valuable source of guidance for individuals and companies.



Data Sources & Methodology



The primary sources involves the industry experts from the Navigation Lighting Market 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  Postal Surveys, telephone, Online & Face-to-Face Survey were considered to obtain and verify both qualitative and quantitative aspects of this research study. When it comes to secondary sources Company's Annual reports, press Releases, Websites, Investor Presentation, Conference Call transcripts, Webinar, Journals, Regulators, National Customs and Industry Associations were given primary weight-age.



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New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/08/2019 -- The latest market evaluation report on the PET Substrate Siliconized Film market explores how the PET Substrate Siliconized Film market will continue to expand for the forecast period 2019 - 2026. The study further serves as a unique research for stakeholders, product owners, and field marketing executives looking for actionable data and unique resource on market size, share, and growth. The market intelligence report gives business evangelists an authority to review the major trends, opportunities, and challenges expected to shape the future of the industry during the estimated period. Importantly, the study not only helps spot the major vendors but also their winning strategies. The real-time data accumulated through qualitative and quantitative research technique further help business owners determine where they stand in comparison to their region, country, and product category.



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Major Players in PET Substrate Siliconized Film market are:

Loparex, Polyplex, Siliconature, Avery Dennison, UPM Raflatac, Mondi, Laufenberg GmbH, Infiana, Nan Ya Plastics, Rayven, Toray, Mitsubishi Polyester Film, YIHUA TORAY, NIPPA, Fujiko, TOYOBO, Mitsui Chemicals Tohcello, SJA Film Technologies, HYNT, 3M, Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, Molymer Group, Garware Polyester, Ganpathy Industries, HSDTC, Xinfeng Group, Xing Yuan Release Film, Zhongxing New Material Technology, Road Ming Phenix Optical, Hengyu Film



Market segment by Region/Country including:

- North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)

- Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia and Spain etc.)

- Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia and Southeast Asia etc.)

- South America Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Chile etc.)

- Middle East & Africa (South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia etc.)



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PET Substrate Siliconized Film Market share

The report discovers market's total sale that is generated by a particular firms over a time period. Industry experts calculate share by taking into account the product sales over a period and then dividing it by the overall sales of the PET Substrate Siliconized Film industry over a defined period. Subject matter experts further use this metric to offer a general idea of the share and size of a firm and its immediate rivals. By providing an in-depth knowledge of the position a company as well as an entrepreneur holds in the PET Substrate Siliconized Film market



Market by Type

- Universal Siliconized Film

- Electrical Insulating Siliconized Film

- Capacitor Siliconized Film

- Laminating Siliconized Film



Market by Application

- Labels

- Tapes

- Medical Products

- Industrial

- Others



Knowing the trends influencing the industry performance

Stakeholders, marketing executives and business owners planning to refer a market research report can use this study to design their offerings and understand how competitors attract their potential customers and manage their supply and distribution channels. When tracking the trends researchers have made a conscious effort to analyze and interpret the consumer behaviour. Besides, the research helps product owners to understand the changes in culture, target market as well as brands so they can draw the attention of the potential customers more effectively.



Our trend analysts look for the crucial connection between consumer trends, behaviour and values, to provide context for the sectors, demographics and global themes that matter to you.



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The study dives deep into the profiles of top market players and their key financials. This comprehensive report is not only for business analysts and any existing and new entrant can use it when designing their business strategies. The research is one of its kind global analyses of aspects such as import and export status, supply chain management, profit and gross margin worldwide for the forecast period 2019 - 2026. Extensive coverage of statistics associated with recent events including acquisition and mergers and strengths and weaknesses of a company forms an important part of the study on the PET Substrate Siliconized Film market.



The research provides answers to the following key questions:

- What will be the market size and growth rate of the PET Substrate Siliconized Film market for the forecast period 2019 -2026 across different regions?

- What are the key driving forces expected to shape the future of the industry worldwide?

- What strategies are the prominent vendors adapting to stay ahead of their competitors?

- Which major trends are impacting the development of the PET Substrate Siliconized Film market worldwide?

- Which factors can hinder, challenge or even restrict the expansion of the PET Substrate Siliconized Film market worldwide?

- What are the opportunities or future prospect for the business owners operating in the market for the forecast period, 2019 - 2026?



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Key Points From TOC

Chapter 8 Upstream and Downstream Analysis of PET Substrate Siliconized Film

8.1 Industrial Chain of PET Substrate Siliconized Film

8.2 Upstream of PET Substrate Siliconized Film

8.2.1 Raw Materials

8.2.2 Labor Cost

8.2.3 Manufacturing Expenses

8.2.4 Manufacturing Cost Structure

8.2.5 Manufacturing Process

8.3 Downstream of PET Substrate Siliconized Film

8.3.1 Leading Distributors/Dealers of PET Substrate Siliconized Film

8.3.2 Leading Consumers of PET Substrate Siliconized Film



Chapter 9 Development Trend of PET Substrate Siliconized Film (2019-2026)

9.1 Global PET Substrate Siliconized Film Market Size (Sales and Revenue) Forecast (2019-2026)

9.2 Global PET Substrate Siliconized Film Market Size and CAGR Forecast by Region (2019-2026)

9.3 Global PET Substrate Siliconized Film Market Size and CAGR Forecast by Type (2019-2026)

9.4 Global PET Substrate Siliconized Film Market Size and CAGR Forecast by Application (2019-2026)

9.5 Global PET Substrate Siliconized Film Market Size Forecast by Sales Channel (2019-2026)



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Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/08/2019 -- Several companies across the globe are working on advanced technology that will help them cut through the general product portfolio and expand their customer base. For instance, recently, Arm, a British semiconductor and software design organisation partnered with a Cambridge-based company PragmaticIC for developing an ultra-thin electronic gadget that can be easily printed on super flexible plastic. This smart-wrap is capable of carrying some data about the product and the location of the products. The sensor in the smart film allows tracking of the product lifecycle from the factory to the retail outlet to ensure the authenticity of the product.



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Leading restaurants across the globe as well as food and beverage stores are identifying the advantages associated with the use of cling film as more people are using them on a day-to-day basis. Most companies are manufacturing cling films and supplying these at wholesale prices to retail outlets, hence making these films available to end consumers at affordable rates. Intensifying urbanisation in emerging economies such as India and China has led to the growing adoption of on-the-go food products, especially by the working population. Cling films are extensively used as an effective material for the packaging of ready-to-eat food products, hence boosting growth in demand across the global food and beverages industry.



Considering all the leading scenarios, Future Market Insights (FMI) projects that the global cling film market will exhibit a CAGR of 5.8% from 2018 to 2028. The market was worth US$ 1,045.3 Mn by 2017 and is estimated to rise to a valuation of US$ 1,924.5 Mn by 2028 end.



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Cost-effectiveness and Durability to Push Demand for Cling Films  Though cling film is thin it is highly durable and solid at the same time. Cling films can hold up against any object for an extended period of time. Even if the item is dropped, moved or tampered with in any way, the cling wrap will hold up and continue to protect the item. Cling film is one of the most cost-effective products to protect items compared to other materials. These films also help save space and keep stored products organised by consolidating items together without any added bulk, which is particularly useful when moving offices or homes. Cling films also keep the items fresh and even extend the shelf life of the products. Additionally, cling films are convenient to use as there are no restrictions and work with any kind of object that needs to be shipped or moved.



Evidence Suggests Cling Films May Have Negative Impact on Human Health  For decades now, doctors have been cautioning people about the toxic impact of plastic. New evidence suggests that heat causes the chemicals in cling film storage boxes to contaminate food products, causing grave concerns to human health. Cancer Research UK has been warning that cling film should not be allowed to touch the food it covers, when the food is heated in a microwave. The chemical causing the most concern is Bisphenol A (BPA), mainly used in the manufacture of plastics. Laboratory studies have linked BPA with breast and prostate cancer. These negative factors may restrict revenue growth of the global cling film market to a certain extent.



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Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/09/2019 -- The significant rise in lifestyle-related diseases and the developments in healthcare infrastructure are expected to influence the demand for pharmaceuticals in Saudi Arabia. In 2016, the Saudi Arabia pharmaceutical market is anticipated to procure value worth US$ 5,209.5 Mn at a y-o-y growth of 6.0 % over 2015. The mounting demand for branded drug products will continue to incite the growth of the Saudi Arabian pharmaceutical market in 2016.



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The demand for pharmaceuticals in Saudi Arabia is expected to register substantial growth owing to the increasing penetration of health insurance companies and the rising incidence rate of non-communicable diseases. Furthermore, the exceptional rise in the per capita income of Saudi Arabia is also expected to foster the demand for branded pharmaceutical drugs. Another key factor driving the growth of the pharmaceutical market in Saudi Arabia is the country's strategic move to allow 100% FDI in the pharmaceuticals sector. Although, the shortage of profound indigenous research capacity in the pharmaceutical industry and the delayed registration of drug and medicine patents is expected to limit the expansion of the market in 2016 and beyond.



Based on the product type, the pharmaceutical market in Saudi Arabia is expected to witness an upsurge in the prescription-type branded drug products. In terms of market value, the branded drugs are estimated to reach US$ 2,760.8 Mn by 2016-end. The demand for generic drugs is projected to secure steady growth, attributing to the insisting promotion of generic drug adoption by healthcare insurance providers.



On the basis of the diseases, the pharmaceutical drugs used for treatment of cardiovascular diseases will continue exhibiting robust growth in 2016. The demand for cardiovascular medications will continue to surge due to the prominence of circulatory disorders in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, the rising prevalence of disorders related to body sugar levels is expected to make diabetes a rapidly growing disease-based sub-segment in the Saudi Arabia pharmaceutical market.



The pharmaceutical market in Saudi Arabia is also segmented on the basis of distribution channel, where retail pharmacies will continue to account for 80% market share compared to hospital pharmacies. The westernised modernisation of retail pharmacies in Saudi Arabia has led to the availability of a wide range drugs and medicinal products, thereby attaining a considerable growth in the retail pharmacy sub-segment in 2016 and further.



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The rising resource potential in Saudi Arabia is projected to positively reform the production environment for pharmaceutical manufacturers. In order to expand the market's size, structuring alliances with well-established native companies is predicted to be a key strategy for global pharmaceutical leaders. The key players in the Saudi Arabia pharmaceutical market include Novartis AG, SPIMACO, Pfizer Inc., and Glaxosmithkline plc., Jamjoom Pharma, and Tabuk Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Co. among others.
Northbrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/09/2019 -- According to a new market research report "Software Defined Networking Market by SDN Type (Open SDN, SDN via Overlay, and SDN via API), Component (Solutions and Services), End User (Data Centers, Service Providers, and Enterprises), and Region - Global Forecast to 2023", published by MarketsandMarkets, the SDN market size is expected to grow from USD 8.8 billion in 2018 to USD 28.9 billion by 2023, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 26.8% during the forecast period. The adoption rate of SDN is expected to grow owing to the growing demand for data center services in businesses.



The rising need for enterprise mobility is one of the reasons for the growing deployment of personal devices such as smartphones, notebooks, and tablets to access corporate networks. The incumbent IT infrastructure is under pressure to configure these devices robustly, while meeting compliance standards and norms.



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57  Tables

36 - Figures

117 - Pages



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Among components, the SDN overlay segment to hold the largest market size during the forecast period



An SDN overlay involves running a logically separate network or network component on top of existing infrastructure. The overlay optimizes network resources by distributing bandwidth into channels and allocating each channel to a particular device or service. In this setup, the current physical network is left untouched with networking devices and their configurations unchanged. On top of that network, SDN hypervisor-based networks are created; thereby, reducing major hardware expenses. The SDN via overlay segment is expected to hold the largest market size in 2018 and projected to and expected to witness strong growth characteristics in the coming years.



Among end users, the data center segment to hold the largest market size during the forecast period



A modern data center networking leverages the SDN framework to accommodate multiple data center tenants with demanding workloads and applications. Network traffic within data centers is leading to congestions due to high-performance workloads. SDN is quite effective in handling congestion related issues in data centers as it provides global visibility and control over the flows in a network. The data center segment is expected to hold a significant market share during the forecast period owing to the increasing demand for data centers in all growing industry verticals.



In terms of regions, North America to hold the largest market size duringthe forecast period



North America is expected to be the major revenue contributor to the global SDN market by region, as the region is a front runner in terms of adopting the latest technologies, such as cloud computing, network functions virtualization, mobility services and bring-your-own-device (BYOD). With the current advancements in fields of 5G and LTE technologies, North America is a huge market for telecom operators for deploying SDN and NFV.



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In the SDN market, the key and emerging market players include Arista (US), Big Switch (US), Cisco (US), Ciena (US), Cumulus (US), Dell (US), Extreme Networks (US), Huawei (China), HPE (US), Juniper Networks (US), Nokia (Finland), NEC (Japan), Nokia (Finland), Pluribus (US), and VMware (US).



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From the ground, the dance of the northern lights, or aurora borealis, can look peaceful. But those shimmering sheets of colored lights are the product of violent collisions between Earths atmosphere and particles from the Sun. Understanding the contribution that aurora make to the total amount of energy that enters and leaves Earths geospace system is one of the major goals of the NASA-funded AZURE (Auroral Zone Upwelling Rocket Experiment) mission. On April 5, 2019, the mission was successfully conducted from the Andya Space Center in Norway: two Black Brant XI-A sounding rockets were launched at 6:14 and 6:16 p.m. EDT carrying scientific instruments and visible gas tracers  trimethyl aluminum (TMA) and a barium/strontium mixture, which ionizes when exposed to sunlight.

AZURE is the first of eight sounding rocket missions launching over the next two years as part of an international collaboration of scientists known as The Grand Challenge Initiative  Cusp.

These missions will launch from the Andya and Svalbard rocket ranges in Norway to study the processes occurring inside the Earths polar cusp  where the planets magnetic field lines bend down into the atmosphere and allow particles from space to intermingle with those of Earthly origin  and nearby auroral oval.

AZURE will study the flow of particles in the ionosphere, the electrically charged layer of the atmosphere that acts as Earths interface to space, focusing specifically on the E and F regions, NASA scientists said.

The E region  so-named by early radio pioneers that discovered the region was electrically charged, and so could reflect radio waves  lies between 56 to 93 miles (90-150 km) above Earths surface. The F region resides just above it, between 93 to 310 miles (150-500 km) altitude.

The E and F regions contain free electrons that have been ejected from their atoms by the energizing input of the Suns rays, a process called photoionization. After nightfall, without the energizing input of the Sun to keep them separated, electrons recombine with the positively charged ions they left behind, lowering the regions overall electron density. The daily cycle of ionization and recombination makes the E and F regions especially turbulent and complex.

AZURE will focus specifically on measuring the vertical winds in these regions, which create a tumultuous particle soup that re-distributes the energy, momentum and chemical constituents of the atmosphere.

On April 5, two AZURE rockets released visible gas tracers over the Norwegian Sea at 71 through 150 miles (114-241 km) altitude.

These mixtures, using substances similar to those found in fireworks, created colorful clouds that allow the researchers to track the flow of neutral and charged particles with the auroral wind.

By tracking the movement of these colorful clouds via ground-based photography and triangulating their moment-by-moment position in 3D, AZURE will provide valuable data on the vertical and horizontal flow of particles in two key regions of the ionosphere over a range of different altitudes, the scientists said.
Vasco da Gama (ex Pacific Eden) is the sixth ship to join the CMV fleet as the cruise line celebrates 10 years in operation. Her maiden voyage sails from Singapore to London Tilbury April 22.

Mike Hall, Head of Marketing CMV, said, We are exceedingly happy to announce that at 19:48 Singapore local time we officially took delivery of our new ship Vasco da Gama. After the formal renaming ceremony, she officially entered the CMV fleet and we are delighted to welcome her into the CMV family.

At 55,820gt the new ship can accommodate 1,220 passengers in 630 cabins including 120 balcony cabins and 29 suites.

Vasco da Gama joins the CMV fleet alongside Columbus (1,400pax), Magellan (1,300pax), Marco Polo (800pax), Astor (600pax) and Astoria (550pax).

Named after Portuguese explorer

The ship is named after Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama, famous for being the first European to reach India by sea.

Following in the footsteps of the famous explorer, her maiden voyage sails from Singapore via India to London Tilbury.

Vasco da Gamas maiden voyage sails on a 43-night voyage calling in Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Cochin for tours to the Taj Mahal, Goa and Mumbai, Oman, Egypt, Jordan, Transit the Suez Canal, Israel, highlights of the Mediterranean, Morocco and Portugal arriving in London Tilbury.

Europe in summer, Australia in winter

Vasco da Gama will spend the summer cruising in Europe and sail from London Tilbury October 9, on a 53-night voyage to Australia calling in Barbados, the Panama Canal, Acapulco, islands of the South Pacific, Auckland concluding in Sydney, Australia, where she will cruise for the winter season.

A first for CMV, Vasco da Gama will offer flexible dining and timings will not be restricted to specific sittings. Guests will be able to dine at any of three main restaurants between 17.30 and 20.30.

One offering a classic menu with a twist of British cuisine will be open for all three main meals. For dinner the other restaurants will offer a choice of styles, one Asian and the other Mediterranean. The Club Bistro will offer buffet style food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Passengers can choose to dine at The Grill or the Chefs Table at a supplement.

Vasco da Gama was fully refurbished in 2015 and has had new livery painted and revised signage, plus some technical work completed before joining CMVs fleet.
In his speech to the opening ceremony Minister Puthucheary noted that despite the current turmoil the maritime sector remained more relevant than ever before with 90% of global trade carried by sea and demand continuing to grow each year, with Asia one of the strongest growing regions for the next few years. Asean too was a key driver with a population of 650m and projected to become the worlds fourth largest economy by 2030.

However, many challenges also lie ahead with disruption and digitalisation, tighter environmental regulations and the manpower crunch. But it is not going to be business-as-usual for the maritime sector, it cant be business as usual, the Minister stated.

Puthucheary noted the challenges faced by shipping from non-traditional players such as Alibaba and Amazon, and new business models that could disrupt players with traditional business models.

He spoke of the opportunities presented by digital connectivity, and also noted the hype cycle around some of the technology, but that these technologies would bring change.

For Singapore this means harnessing the power of digital technologies to remain competitive and one such example was Singapores shipping community and government agencies coming together to develop an electronic Bill of Lading (eBL) under Singapores TradeTrust Framework.

Seatrade Maritime News is reporting Live from Sea Asia 2019

On the challenge of cleaner shipping the Minister said that Singapore was prepared for the introduction of the IMO 2020 0.5% sulphur cap for marine fuels with minimum disruption to the industry. He noted Shell and BP had selected Singapore as key location where low sulphur fuel would be available and there was a list of 49 licensed bunker suppliers of low-sulphur fuels in the port.in

On the competition for talent Singapore continued to invest in people to ensure a continuous pipeline of maritime manpower. Included in this investment is the Maritime Cluster Fund Manpower Development Programme, administered by Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore, which co-funds training for more than 5,000 individuals a year.

Chris Hayman, chairman of Seatrade, Informa Markets, also spoke of the opportunity Sea Asia presents industry players to collaborate and address the challenges posed by digitisation, the global economic outlook and the sulphur cap.

Singapore Maritime Foundation chairman, Andreas Sohmen-Pao, commented on the challenges faced by the industry and the need for events such as Sea Asia to gather together to share ideas and find solutions to the numerous challenges ahead.

Singapore has an important role to play in this, as a leading maritime centre, and as a wonderful gathering place for talent and ideas. You all know what a responsive government we have here, channeling efforts to support business success, Sohmen-Pao said.

Those of you from overseas might be amazed to see how much innovation is happening here. This year we have the Innovation Arena at Sea Asia, which will showcase eight start-ups. As some jurisdictions around the world become less friendly to business, you may wish to consider beefing up your presence here.
Sohmen-Pao was one of the panellists speaking at the Global Forum of the Sea Asia conference held in Singapore on Tuesday as part of the Singapore Maritime Week.

Near term, (Im) pretty optimistic from now and the next few years because I think supply and demand is getting quite interesting, Sohmen-Pao said.

On a macro level, Chinas economic growth continues to be strong growing at 6.6% last year, adding $1.2trn to the world economy. Secondly, a growing middle class population from 1.8 billion in 2009 to 3.2 billion by 2020 will lend firm support to global demand.

Thirdly, even amid the US-China trade war, China exports to the US are at 4% of its GDP and US exports to China are at 3%.

Fourthly, the global orderbook now is extremely low. It is less than 10% now for many sectors having been up at 50%. LNG is at 25% and its a bit worrying but most of the others are at 10% or less.

Seatrade Maritime News is reporting Live from Sea Asia 2019

And my last point is financing  yes there is too much availability of capital but capital discipline is coming back and banks are being more careful about lending. So there are a lot of reasons in the near term to be quite excited, he said.

But in the medium to long term we still have to be a little bit concern about these big shifts, he said.

Long term, one has to be very brave to invest in newbuilding today. You will get your ship in 2021, it will live until 2040-45, and we have no idea what the world looks like in 2030 let alone 2040. So if you look at technology ships, fuel ships, energy ships, decarbonisation, I think thats a big question mark in the very long term.
Press Release

April 9, 2019 As military tension escalates in Tripoli

NANCY URGES DFA, DOLE-OWWA TO ACTIVATE HOTLINE, ONLINE PORTALS FOR OFWs IN LIBYA With thousands of migrant workers trapped in buildings, and civilians caught in the fighting between rival military forces, Sen. Nancy Binay called on government agencies to activate emergency hotlines where families of OFWs can call and be updated of the safety status of their relatives in Libya. Binay added that an inter-agency team--composed of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Labor and Employment, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration including representatives from employment agencies--is necessary so that relatives in the Philippines can be apprised of the situation and the repatriation plans of the government. "Sa ganitong sitwasyon, napakalaking bagay ang komunikasyon para makontak ang ating mga kababayan sa Libya, at para na rin sa peace of mind ng kanilang mga pamilya na hindi alam kung ano ang kalagayan nila doon," she said. According to Binay, government, with the help of recruitment agencies that have OFWs deployed in Libya, can put up hotlines and social media channels for easier and faster communication. "DFA can setup an online info-center which will consolidate all Libya-related information and have it regularly updated. Yung mga agencies na nakapag-deploy ng OFWs sa Libya ay kailangan tumulong din sa pagbigay ng listahan sa DFA, at pag-contact ng kanilang mga migranteng nagtatrabaho sa iba't ibang facilities doon habang di pa pinuputol ang komunikasyon," the senator pointed out. Binay wanted to know if agencies have provided insurance coverage for their workers, noting that it is their responsibility to give the DFA details and other pertinent information of OFWs including the company they're working in, contact number/s, addresses, email address/es, etc. REPATRIATION PLANS With the closure of the Mitiga Airport, the senator likewise urged manpower agencies to start planning for contingencies, including the possible evacuation of their deployed OFWs. She also called on OFW families to inform DFA of their relatives who are staying in Libya undocumented. "Documented man o di-rehistrado, tulungan din po natin ang ating mga kababayan sa Libya, at isama natin sila sa contingency plans," Binay added. There are more than 1,000 registered Filipinos in Libya, but about 90% of foreign/migrant workers in the country do not have proper travel documents, and seldom receive consular support. The DFA has raised Alert Level 3 in several districts in Libya in the wake of escalations and violence that erupted on Monday. Embassy officials has urged Filipinos in Tripoli and nearby areas within a 100-kilometer radius of the capital to consider voluntary repatriation.
MENSAHE PARA SA ARAW NG KAGITINGAN

Kaakibat ng paggunita natin sa Araw ng Kagitingan ang ating pagpupugay sa mga beterano, sa ating mga sundalo, at sa bawat Pilipinong lumaban sa pang-aapi ng dayuhan at ipinagtanggol ang kasarinlan ng Inang Bayan.

Freedom from colonial yoke was not achieved overnight. It became possible because there were Filipinos who had the courage and determination to fight for what is just and right; they were true leaders who stepped up to inspire others to reclaim our national dignity and stand up for the future of our country. Silang mga walang takot na hinarap ang mga bala at bayoneta, silang mga nagbuwis ng buhay sa napakahabang martsa, sa ngalan ng kalayaan at pagtatanggol ng para sa atin.

Ngayon po, may mga bago at mas matinding hamon pa ang hinaharap natin. Ang pamahalaan na inaasahang maging kakampi ng taumbayan, ay siya pa mismong pumapatay sa mga Pilipino, gumagahasa sa hustisya, nilalabag ang ating mga karapatan, hinahayaan ang dayuhang angkinin ang ating mga teritoryo, at yurakan ang ating kasarinlan.

Kaya naman ang panawagan sa lahat: Sa ating pagbabalik-tanaw at pagsasabuhay sa mga aral ng Araw ng Kagitingan, suriin din natin ang ginagawang kapabayaan ng gobyerno para ipagwalang bahala ang sakripisyo ng magigiting na Pilipino, iparamdam sa kanila ang ating pagkadismaya, at matinding hangarin para sa tunay na pagbabago.

Kasabay ng walang maliw na pasasalamat sa ating mga beterano, nagpapasalamat din po tayo sa mga walang takot na lumalaban ngayon para sa kapakanan ng kapwa at bansa-mula sa mga obispo at kaparian na di-natitinag sa pagkondena sa baluktot na mga polisiya, sa mga kawani ng media sa patas at makatotohanang pagbabalita, sa mga miyembro ng oposisyon sa pagsusulong ng katarungang panlipunan at demokrasya, at sa mga ordinaryong kababayan natin na nagmamalasakit sa bayan at tumitindig para sa lahat.

Mahigit isang buwan na lang mula ngayon, magaganap na ang halalan, kung saan nasa kamay po natin ang magiging kapalaran ng bansa sa mga susunod na taon. Nagkakaisa at buong loob sana nating gampanan ang ating tungkulin na bumoto nang naaayon sa ating konsensya, at piliin ang mga pinunong tunay na magtatanggol sa Pilipino at sa Pilipinas.

Isang mapagpalayang araw po sa inyong lahat!
Press Release

April 9, 2019 De Lima grateful over US resolution calling for her release Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has thanked five members of the United States (US) Senate for their concern over the human rights situation in the Philippines and for calling for her release from illegal detention over trumped-up drug charges. De Lima, the first prominent political prisoner under the Duterte regime, said she greatly appreciates the time they devoted in examining the situation in the country and in calling out the political persecution she is subjected to under the Duterte regime. "I express my deepest gratitude to the five honorable members of the US Senate not only for calling out the political persecution I have to endure under the present administration but also the human rights abuses in the country," she said. "I am both humbled and thankful for their concerns not just for my plight but for the protection of human rights, democracy, rule of law and political freedom in the Philippines where the culture of fear and impunity reign," she added. Last April 4, Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) filed a bipartisan resolution, logged as Senate Resolution 142, condemning the ongoing human rights abuses in the country, including the persecution of human rights defenders and detention of political prisoners like De Lima. SR 142, which was also supported by US Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Chris Coons (D-DE), called on the Philippine government "to immediately release Senator De Lima, drop all charges against her, [and] remove restrictions on her personal and work conditions." Aside from urging the Philippine government to allow human rights defenders to "operate freely without fear of reprisal," the six-page resolution also pressed the Duterte administration to value press freedom and drop all the charges against online news media Rappler and its chief executive officer Maria Ressa. "The Duterte government [c]ontinues to chip away at respect for fundamental freedoms and human rights. This bipartisan resolution condemns their government's troubling behavior and calls for the release of political prisoners, including Senator de Lima, and journalists who have been imprisoned under bogus charges," Durbin said. Markey, on his part, lamented how "the Duterte government is turning the law against the very voices promoting the rights of the Philippine people" instead of working to hold human rights offenders accountable for their crimes. De Lima, a former justice secretary, said she continues to see the support she is receiving from different organizations and personalities as a "great source of hope" which drives her to remain steadfast in lending her voice to the causes of human rights. "Amid the vilification before the whole world by the most powerful official in the Philippines, I stand here fighting, knowing that there are still many out there who believe in me and my causes," she said. "Criticisms over the support I'm getting from the international community, much less the US Senate, will never remove the fact that the five senators and other foreign dignitaries before them are speaking in behalf of all the unjustly treated human rights defenders in the Philippines," she said. "Instead of bewailing their alleged 'meddling', those who negatively reacted to the US Senators' move should recognize that these foreign entities are simply advancing universal causes of justice, human rights and democracy," De Lima added. Senators Durbin, Blackburn and Coons pointed out that it is the duty of the Philippine government to "respect" the fundamental rights of its people at all cost, with Coons adding how he "look[s] forward to working with this bipartisan group of senators to promote respect for human rights in the Philippines." Last March 14, US California Rep. Jackie Speier introduced House Resolution 233 "[c]ondemning the Government of the Philippines for its continued detention of Senator Leila de Lima, calling for her immediate release, and for other purposes." HR 233 was co-sponsored by US Reps. James P. McGovern of Massachusetts, Henry C. Johnson of Georgia, Jamie Raskin of Maryland, Brad Sherman of California, and Lloyd Doggett of Texas. It was referred to the US House Foreign Affairs Committee. Likewise, US Senator Bob Menendez, a ranking member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has also called for the immediate release of De Lima and other women political prisoners, last March 9.
Press Release

April 9, 2019 LT. JAMES LEONARD T. GORDON, HAILED AS WORLD WAR II HERO As the nation celebrates the 77th Araw ng Kagitingan and Philippine Veterans Week, the late Olongapo City Mayor James Leonard Tagle Gordon, was hailed as a hero of World War II. Gordon was given a posthumous award for his heroism in fighting for the resistance during a ceremony held at the Armed Forces of the Philippines' General Headquarters recently. He had the rank of a first lieutenant and joined the resistance on November 1, 1943. "His contributions during the World War II have made a lasting and indelible mark in the Philippine military history. His selfless sacrifices for the love of country will serve as guiding inspiration to the Filipinos, to uphold the values of our race and to protect and fight for our nation's freedom whatever maybe the cost," the plaque of recognition read. Lt. Gordon was assigned as a junior officer under the Intelligence Staff engaged in intelligence gathering in the Province of Zambales, especially in enemy concentration camps. Their reports ensured that enemy camps were victoriously taken over by the Allied Forces. His unit was also assigned to monitor the area of San Antonio, Zambales. Senator Richard J. Gordon, who received the award for his late father and stood as the guest of honor and speaker during the event, was asked to accompany Gen. Benjamin Madrigal, Jr., AFP Chief of Staff, in conducting the Inspection of Troops before handing over the plaques of recognition to 15 other Filipino veterans who also fought in the war. Also known as the Father of Olongapo, Lt. Gordon, led the move to free Olongapo from the United States. He was also an untiring crusader against graft and corruption; fearlessly fighting well-entrenched politicians and exposing anomalies that bedeviled the new municipal government. The crusade of Olongapo's first elected mayor earned him enemies who tried all types of harassment, including threats of suspension, hand grenade attacks and planned ambushes. Three cowardly attempts on his life were made before a fourth and final attempt was made on February 20, 1967. While talking with a constituent on the first floor of City Hall, Mayor Jimmy Gordon was gunned down by an escaped inmate of the National Penitentiary bringing inconsolable loss to his family and to the people of Olongapo. Lt. Gordon's valor and heroism was inherited from his grandfather, Col. Jose Tagle, who led the country's first victory against the Spanish colonizers in Imus Cavite on September 3, 1896.
OMV says early success in its planned drilling campaign in the Great South Basin could require as many as 10 wells to be drilled.

The companys primary target is the Tawhaki structure, which lies in about 1,200 metres of water 130 kilometres south-east of Balclutha.

OMV, which also operates the offshore Maui and Pohokura gas fields, expects to begin drilling towards the end of the year  potentially using the COSL Prospector. The four-year-old rig is designed for North Sea conditions and is due in New Zealand waters next month.

OMV says it GSB programme could potentially involve drilling 10 wells, up to three for exploration and up to seven for appraisal.

The first exploration well drilled will target the Tawhaki structure. If a discovery of commercial volumes of hydrocarbons is made, up to five appraisal wells may be drilled in this structure, the company says in its 154-page application to the Environmental Protection Authority.

There are a number of geological structures which may also be of interest in the event that the initial exploration well drilled on the Tawhaki structure makes a substantial commercial discovery. These prospects may also be targeted as a part of future drilling campaigns.

In the event that no indications of potentially commercial hydrocarbons are detected in the exploration wells, no appraisal wells would be drilled.

The potential of the deep sedimentary rock in the Great South Basin, and the Canterbury Basin to the north, has long been recognised. There are proven petroleum systems in the region but drilling has been sporadic since the 1970s and activity dried up after the plunge in oil prices late 2014.

In a presentation to potential partners last year, Vienna-based OMV noted that 10 of the 14 wells drilled in the Canterbury-GSB basins had encountered hydrocarbons, with four delivering sub-commercial discoveries.

It estimated the potential resource in just the key prospects in the existing permits within the region at the equivalent of almost 3.7 billion barrels of oil and gas. The two basins cover roughly 160,000 square-kilometres  four-times and six-times larger respectively than the producing, and geologically related, Taranaki basin and the Gippsland basin off the coast of Victoria.

OMV and partner Mitsui have been exploring in the GSB for 12 years but are yet to drill a well. Their 16,715 square-kilometre permit, extended by the government last year, expires in July 2022 and requires the drilling of a well by July 2021. If drilling is successful the permit can be extended out to 2030.

The Labour-led government last year banned the issuing of new offshore exploration licences.

Greenpeace called OMVs application disgraceful and said the extension granted last year made a mockery of the ban and the Ardern governments credibility as a climate change leader.

The International Energy Agency has forecast global gas use will have to increase by more than 30 percent during the next 20 years to meet rising energy demand while also displacing emissions from higher-emitting fuels like coal and oil.

OMVs discharge application, released by the EPA today, is the result of a technical anomaly in the legislation policing the countrys Exclusive Economic Zone.

It requires OMV to apply for a consent for the immeasurably small trace quantities of potentially harmful substances that may  if spilled  end up washing off the deck of a drilling rig through its rainwater run-off systems.

Two governments and the Ministry for the Environment have so far refused to fix the error. The EPA spent $30,000 running a two-day public hearing in New Plymouth last year for a similar application. That figure doesnt include the applicants cost for staff and lawyers.

For its application, OMV took a worst-case approach and modelled the potential impact if a cupful of the most ecotoxic chemical it uses was washed overboard. It used rainfall data from Stewart Island to calculate potential rain patterns more than 100 kilometres out to sea.

Its analysis, prepared by environmental consultants SLR, shows that, should there be a chemical spill on deck, any trace amounts left after clean-up would be diluted in the rigs settling tank. Were they then to enter the sea, those trace amounts would not be detectable more than 200 metres from the discharge into the high-energy marine environment.

Accordingly, the risk to marine and bird life in the area is negligible.

OMV will have to seek a separate marine consent for the drilling programme, which will involve actual discharges to the sea. That won't require public notification.

OMV noted the discharge consent is only a minor component of the total programme and says it will include an estimate of the economic benefit from the proposed drilling programme in its other applications.

A discovery and future development would provide substantial economic benefits, OMV said, without providing an estimate. As a guide, it noted that in the 16 years it has operated in New Zealand, it has invested more than $2 billion and paid more than $1 billion to the Crown in taxes and royalties.

(BusinessDesk)

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New Zealand's screen industry revenue shrank for the first time in five years as fewer big-budget films were produced and television broadcasting activity declined.

Total screen industry revenue shrank 8 percent to $3.28 billion in 2018, the first time it's contracted since 2013, Stats NZ figures show. The bulk of the decline was in production, where revenue shrank by a fifth to $1.01 billion; there was also an 11 percent drop in TV broadcasting to $1.21 billion.

"We had a big year in 2017 for film production, while in 2018 we saw a cooling of production work," business performance manager Geraldine Duoba said. "Although there were fewer films, those being worked on in New Zealand over the 2018 year included Mission: Impossible  Fallout, Daffodils, and Mulan."

The lack of studio capacity in Auckland has been raised as a reason the country may miss out on an Amazon Studios TV series based on the Lord of the Rings novels, although major studios have successfully played off more favourable tax incentives in other countries to get bigger subsidies out of New Zealand's government in the past.

The year after the screen industry's previous contraction, the then-government increased its incentives to secure 20th Century Fox's greenlight for three Avatar movies to be produced in New Zealand. Filming is set to begin on the first of those sequels next month.

Screen production grant funding almost doubled to $95 million in 2018, going to 12 businesses - half for local productions and half for international. In 2017, the $49 million of grants were allocated to 18 firms, of which 15 were for domestic productions and three international.

NZ On Air Funding increased 4 percent to $92 million for 105 firms, up from $89 million across 93 firms.

While TV broadcasting revenue shrank, production and post-production revenue for TV was up 20 percent at $601 million while online programming climbed 43 percent to $38 million.

Duoba said the drop in traditional TV revenue could reflect the audience shift from pay-TV to online streaming platforms such as Netflix and Lightbox.

The survey also tracks employment in the sector, albeit with a year lag. It shows 16,200 people were employed in 2017, up from 13,900 the year earlier. The median wage for screen workers of $37,981 compared to $35,042 in 2016.

Stats NZ data show the median income for a wage or salary earner was $45,000 in 2017, up from $42,963 in 2016. It rose to $45,673 in 2018.

The Labour-led coalition government set up a Film Working Group last year to deal with concerns of a power imbalance in a sector dominated by contractors who are blocked from collective bargaining. That group came up with a series of recommendations based on the view that the industry is unique and needs its own labour laws.

Separately, filmmakers James and Suzy Cameron were announced as keynote speakers at the Just Transition summit in New Plymouth next month. where they will discuss how New Zealand can make the most out of its symbolic global leadership.

The Camerons have a particular interest in sustainable agriculture and have built up an organic vegan farming operation in Wairarapa.

(BusinessDesk)

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It was a mistake to make the Reserve Bank the prudential supervisor of the general insurance industry, according to former bank governor Don Brash.

His criticism is backed by Tower Insurance chief executive Richard Harding who says the current regulatory and supervisory framework administered by the Reserve Bank has proven to be "materially flawed and urgent overhaul is required.

However, the pair part company on what the correct remedy should be.

And the Insurance Council of New Zealand, which says it represents general insurers that insure about 95 percent of New Zealands market with policies covering about $1 trillion worth of property and liabilities, would clearly like to let sleeping dogs lie.

We support the enhancement of the status quo rather than more radical change, and the current regime has worked well, the council says in its submission on the second part of the review of the Reserve Bank Act.

But both Brash and Harding cite CBL Insurances failure in early 2018. The collapse was a red flag for the effectiveness of the existing regime, as Harding puts it.

Brash says that when an insurance company starts getting into trouble and only the Reserve Bank is aware of that, the bank is in an almost impossible position.

If it discloses its concern to the market, the insurance company is almost certainly in potential jeopardy. If it fails to indicate concern, and worse still, if it forbids the insurance company concerned from making others aware of the banks concern, the bank is blamed for not disclosing that concern, he says.

The Reserve Bank initially forbade CBL from telling NZX about the central banks concerns.

Instead of the current prudential supervision, Brash suggests reverting to the model in the early 1990's when all insurance companies were obliged to disclose a rating from a specialist insurance rating company, either A M Best or Standard & Poors, whenever an insurance contract was written or renewed.

That provided a strong incentive for insurance companies to strengthen their claims-paying rating, knowing that by doing so they were enabled to charge slightly higher premiums, he says.

That system also capitalised on the knowledge of the rating agencies about the strength of the international companies with which New Zealand insurers were writing reinsurance contracts. Brash disclosed that he was a member of the committee that recommended the system of mandatory rating.

Of course, no system will prevent the failure of all insurance companies. AMI collapsed following the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and, though it had been expanding its business at least in part by under-cutting other insurance companies and was rated below many of those other companies, the then government undermined the system by paying out in full under all the insurance policies which the company had written, Brash says.

The government at the time was led by the National Party, a party Brash once led, and the AMI bailout cost the taxpayer about $1.5 billion.

Clearly, obtaining a credit rating is hardly foolproof.

CBL itself had a relatively strong rating prior to the Reserve Bank effectively closing its doors. But the benefit of a system which creates a strong incentive on insurance companies to strengthen their own claims-paying ability is surely to be preferred to one where insurance companies have an incentive only to meet the minimum standards imposed by the Reserve Bank, Brash says.

Towers Harding argues for a new regulator, separate from the Reserve Bank, along the lines of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority. He rejects the approach Brash suggests.

The light touch, or laissez faire, attitude to regulation and supervision is out of step with the inherent exposure of the New Zealand population and economy to risk, Harding says.

The Reserve Bank lacks focus of clarity and purpose with regard to prudential regulation and supervision. The supervisory activities of the Reserve Bank are under-resourced, lacking in sufficient capability and capacity to meet the necessary objectives, unlike offshore regulators, he says.

Harding highlights the Australian ownership of two-thirds of New Zealands general insurers and the particular risk to New Zealand with these well-resourced and empowered regulators focused solely on protecting local consumers, economic stability and interests over other interests such as the interests of New Zealands consumers and economy.

Australian-owned insurers account for 66 percent of general insurance premiums paid in New Zealand, according to the International Monetary Fund.

Tower strongly advocates for the adoption of a regulatory and supervisory approach and framework that moves away from the existing light touch model to a more robust approach.

About the only thing Hardy and ICNZ agree on is the need to recommence a review of the Insurance (Prudential Supervision) Act that has been on hold since late 2017.

We are supportive of the Reserve Bank retaining its responsibility for prudential regulation and supervision of insurers, ICNZ says.

(BusinessDesk)

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Some form of bank deposit protection is starting to look inevitable since three former Reserve Bank governors are now supporting it.

However, they also continue to support the open bank resolution system the central bank began developing when Don Brash was governor.

Thats despite the many OBR critics who have described it as unconscionable because it pushes risk onto those least able to manage it, and that its something no government will ever allow to happen.

OBR is clearly politically unpalatable because it means forcing all the mums, dads and their kids with bank deposits to take a financial haircut to help shore up a failing bank.

New Zealand is the only OECD country without some form of deposit protection.

In his submission on phase two of the review of the Reserve Bank Act, Brash actually takes the most expansive view of deposit insurance, while at the same time taking a swipe at current governor Adrian Orrs plans to force the big four banks to lift their risk-weighted equity capital to at least 16 percent from the current minimum 8.5 percent level.

Brash says he doesnt have a view on how much capital banks should have, although he suspects its higher than the current minimum, but he says its almost certainly less than the remarkably high 16 percent figure.

When Brash was governor, the minimum tier 1 capital banks had to hold was just 4 percent and could include hybrid type securities, those that behave like debt most of the time but which can be converted into equity when required, as well as pure equity. Hybrid securities cost about a fifth of the cost of equity.

Brash says higher minimum equity levels for systemically important banks  he includes Kiwibank and TSB Bank in that category as well as the big four Australian-owned banks  would materially reduce the risk of their getting into trouble.

But in addition, to make it politically feasible to adopt an OBR solution in the unlikely event that, despite the high level of mandated equity, a systemically important bank got into trouble, I would recommend that deposits up to some level  perhaps $100,000  should be protected by a government guarantee funded by a levy on all individual deposits up to that agreed level in systemically important banks, Brash says.

Former acting governor Grant Spencer and the man he replaced until Orr took over, Graeme Wheeler, opt for a much smaller de-minimus level of government guarantee, both suggesting $10,000 per customer per bank, although Spencer suggests up to $20,000 might be considered.

To put these amounts in perspective, Australias government guarantees deposits up to a cap of $250,000 per depositor in any authorised deposit-taking institution, including credit unions and building socities, in the event of a bank or other business failure.

The status quo is not satisfactory as depositors are not protected in a systematic or politically sustainable manner, Spencer says in his submission.

While the finance minister of the day would have the discretion to protect a small unspecified level of deposit per customer, I agree that a more explicit level of support should be established, Spencer says.

But he doesnt like the idea of deposit insurance. While it would meet the objective of enhanced consumer protection, it would potentially generate the greatest moral hazard problems, he says.

He noted that when the GFC era deposit guarantee scheme was introduced in 2008, authorities were reluctant to apply larger premia to the smaller, riskier institutions, resulting in the net risk-adjusted returns biased in favour of the riskier institutions.

Wheeler says he doesnt support depositor protection schemes that involve the government pre-committing to protect depositors up to a large specified amount.

Such a scheme undermines the current approach to the RBNZs prudential framework where considerable emphasis is placed on the board of a bank as a primary governance body, he says.

Although it has the power to prosecute bank directors, the Reserve Bank has never done so.

Providing an explicit guarantee in advance of any bank failure changes the incentives facing managers within the bank. It could lead to a greater appetite for risk taking by management, less effective governance by the board of the bank and reduced oversight of banks by depositors, Wheeler says.

Theres scant evidence that depositors do exercise oversight of banks.

Even if the government pre-commits taxpayer funding or additional public borrowing in advance of any bank failure, there could be no assurance that the governments fiscal risk would be capped at the level of the pre-commitment. There have been several examples of countries in recent years that have bailed out deposit holders at higher levels than previously committed, Wheeler says.

Protecting deposits also changes the order of ranking of other bank creditors. in turn, wholesale funders and other investors will seek to offset this risk by demanding higher returns for financing the back. This would raise bank-funding costs and banks would seek to offset the higher funding costs by lowering the returns to depositors that have the depositor protection, Wheeler says.

Limiting the protection to $10,000 per depositor would provide some transparency as to the governments position and help reduce some of the negative effects outlined above of pre-committing to very large sums of a deposit insurance scheme.

(BusinessDesk)

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Former Plexure Group virtual chief financial officer Mark Talbot's guilty plea to breaching disclosure obligations and his admission of insider trading were bottom-lines for the Financial Markets Authority.

Talbot pleaded guilty to a representative charge for a breach of disclosure obligations last month and will pay $150,000 in lieu of a penalty. He's also agreed to an enforceable undertaking with the FMA banning him from being a director, promoter, or manager of a listed issuer for the next five years.

His family still owns shares Talbot wrongfully bought for his father. However, a 1-for-25 share consolidation has meant that although the value of the stake has doubled to $21,600, a $12,000 fine ordered by the High Court for his breach of disclosure obligations, wiped out the gain before the FMA penalty.

FMA head of enforcement Karen Chang said she never would have simply accepted the $150,000, without the guilty plea on non-disclosure and the public admissions of insider trading.

She said the $150,000 penalty was symbolic and that it doesn't matter how much or how little the amount of the misconduct, because it ripples through the wider market.

"It's really important to be vigilant on any kind of behavior like this regardless on the scale," she said.

The reputational impact of the criminal conviction and public admission were a proportionate censure, she said. That also helped inform the wider market in a way that wouldn't necessarily be available in a jury trial, because the verdict isn't supported by a judge's reasoning.

"We're careful that this isn't the cost of doing business and that there are sufficient deterrent outcomes for a person who does take this sort of risk," Chang said. "I think in this case, and Mr Talbot probably agrees, the consequences have been serious for him."

He was virtual CFO of Plexure, then known as VMob, between 2011 and 2014. During the time, he bought 1 million shares at 1 cent apiece, or $10,000, knowing that the firm was at the front of the queue for a large contract with McDonald's in Japan.

The agreement with the FMA shows that after the trade in 2014, he asked the board about whether he could buy shares, and was told he should not.

In the undertakings, Talbot admitted that the trading was against the Securities Markets Act that was in place at the time, and that it wasn't a defence for him to say he'd bought the shares for his father.

The FMA said Plexure wasn't part of the investigation and cooperated fully with the regulator throughout.

Talbot said in a statement that he conducted the transaction based on inaccurate and incomplete advice from people he trusted.

With the benefit of hindsight, he said the scope of the role was too great for him and he didn't have the level of support he was promised.

"The NZX listing rules are an essential part of the capital markets and I suggest anybody who accepts a role in a public company takes adequate care to ensure that they fully understand all the required responsibilities, including the disclosure obligations of relevant interests," Talbot said.

(BusinessDesk)

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New Zealand should drop its plan to try and tax borderless digital economy firms and focus instead on a "very damaging threat" from global proposals to change how exporters' income is taxed internationally.

John Cuthbertson, of Chartered Accountants of Australia New Zealand, says the country needs to be careful that the "tokenism" of the proposed unilateral digital economy levy doesn't end up costing a lot more than it will ever bring in.

"Whether that's in retaliation because we do something unilaterally or whether it's because we haven't been strategic enough in our thinking and woken up too late at the OECD that things have moved on significantly and we've got a problem," he told BusinessDesk.

"That opportunity cost is the bigger one."

In February, Revenue and Finance Ministers Stuart Nash and Grant Robertson announced their intention to impose a digital services tax that could collect between $30 million and $70 million a year, depending on its design. This would be an "interim measure" in response to how slowly international efforts, led by the Organisation for Economic and Cultural Development, had been moving to tighten the rules on borderless tech companies, which can effectively choose which jurisdictions they pay to tax in, if at all.

They also cited moves by Australia in the same direction.

But Cuthbertson, the New Zealand tax and financial services leader for peak accounting body, said Ireland and Germany were now backing off earlier proposals to impose such a tax - effectively a levy on the revenues booked by a digital services company within a country - because of wider changes emerging in the OECD work.

A January policy note from the OECD's tax avoidance project, known as BEPS, says the proposals it is now assessing "may reach into fundamental aspects of the current international tax architecture" by changing the presumption that profits earned by a company should, generally, be taxed in their home country.

"The very danger for New Zealand is that these talks are now heading down the path of a worldwide taxation system based on where customers are located, an idea that underpinned digital services taxes," Cuthbertson said.

"As an exporting nation, a customer-centric regime represents a very damaging threat to our tax base. There is a high risk that a large part of the business tax base will go offshore."

The proposed digital services tax could turn out to be "a Trojan horse for countries like New Zealand", he said, exposing the local tax base to claims from other countries that tax should be paid there rather than in New Zealand;

"Under the US proposal, currently favoured at the OECD, part of the tax revenue paid by exporters, such as Fonterra and Zespri, is at risk of migrating offshore," Cuthbertson said.

While the BEPS process had been glacial - and had spurred some countries to act alone as New Zealand proposes to do - it had "morphed" quickly into a bigger global conversation about the impact of digitisation on all economic activity across borders, not just tech company activity.

"Taxation based on source, and bricks and mortar, has served the global economy well since the 1920s, but it is becoming outdated as a basis for tax allocation," he said.

The January OECD note says the proposals "go beyond the limitations on taxing rights determined by reference to a physical presence generally accepted as another cornerstone of the current rules".

Concepts such as "significant economic presence" in a market were being examined to replace the long-standing rules requiring tax to be paid where a firm was judged to have a "permanent establishment" in a country.

A discussion document is due on the New Zealand digital tax proposal next month.

Cuthbertson said CAANZ questions whether it was "even worth going down that track", especially if it diverts finite tax policy resources that would be better applied to the potential for major shifts in long-standing in cross-border tax principles to be up-ended.

He said there was growing traction for the US-led proposals at the OECD.

"Something has to happen in the next year and it could be the starting point for the long term. If we're not happy with that starting point, it's a bit hard to change those foundations," he said.

(BusinessDesk)

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Adjusting electricity network pricing to enable the uptake of new technologies is an absolute prerequisite for good long-term energy policy, a visiting Australian regulator says.

Cost-reflective pricing  which attempts to charge homes and businesses for the type of service they receive  has been largely left on the table by policymakers, says Tim Nelson, executive general manager of strategy and analysis at the Australian Energy Market Commission.

But he said the change in tariffs will be critical to maintaining networks as solar panels, batteries and electric vehicles change the way people use power and reshape the movement of electricity on local distribution grids.

And the change needs to be started before a lot of people have invested in solar, expecting big savings from current volume-based, average-cost network charges, he says.

Cost-reflective pricing ahead of any significant uptake of batteries, EV or solar PV, again, is really important, Nelson told officials and executives at a Mercury NZ function in Wellington last night.

Dont wait until you have a situation whereby one-in-four households now views any change to tariff structures as something that they will lose from, rather than something they will gain from through a more efficient deployment of capital in the first place.

Many New Zealand power distributors are already changing the way they bill users, with some adding new charges to ensure owners of solar panels still contribute to the cost of the network they remain connected to, and others also moving to time-of-use pricing. The Electricity Networks Association last week issued a roadmap for member companies to help them navigate the change.

But the Electricity Authority wants faster action from some firms. The governments electricity price review panel appears to back the change but is also concerned that new tariffs are introduced in a way that softens potential price shocks for households.

Nelson said that in some parts of Australia one-in-four homes now have solar  often subsidised with previously generous feed-in tariffs.

For some homes, their biggest use of local power lines is when they export surplus power back to the grid, yet lines companies arent able to charge for that service.

Nelson said New Zealand is blessed with a high penetration of smart meters which will profoundly change the way consumers interact with their power suppliers in future. Abundant renewable supplies are another huge advantage the country has.

He urged policymakers to avoid trying to regulate energy prices, as they have in Australia and the UK.

He said such moves can have significant unintended consequences, including putting at risk some of the digital enablement now underway using smart meters.

On renewables policy, he warned politicians not to try favouring certain technologies or fuels when the best driver is a charge on the greenhouse emissions themselves.

In New Zealand, government ministers continue to publicly push for a 100 percent renewable generation system by 2035 despite the Interim Climate Change Committee already warning against the cost and risk from such a strategy. The coalition, which last year banned new offshore gas exploration, has also funded pilot projects for hydrogen development for use by industry and heavy transport, while Greenpeace continues to press for solar subsidies.

Nelson said Australia had suffered in the past decade from a tendency of governments to over-regulate without a clear idea of what they were trying to fix.

The national renewable energy target was effectively a production subsidy that encouraged renewable power generation whether it was needed or not and has tended to accentuate boom and bust cycles in generation development.

Nelson said the surprise early closure of some coal-fired generation, coupled with increased demand for gas for export, had resulted in a really tight supply-demand balance and contributed to a 50 percent increase in power prices since 2010. Export-parity gas prices had also been a huge shock for heavy industry.

Nelson said constant policy change had also contributed. In the past decade, carbon prices were introduced and repealed at both state and national level. The Renewable Energy Target had also been reviewed five times and materially changed three times.

Not great for investor confidence.

Nelson said the earlier New Zealand discusses the potential for gas imports and exports, the better the policy outcome will be. It should also keep firmly focused on emissions reduction as its policy goal.

Price the externality  dont pick a winning technology, he said.

That has been a huge issue that we have struggled with in Australia.

The literature is really clear on this. The best way to get emissions down is to have some form of externality pricing and thats what we dont have back in Oz.

(BusinessDesk)

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New Delhi: The Punjab National Bank (PNB)'s 13 per cent stake sale in PNB Housing Finance for Rs 18.5 billion will strengthen the bank's capital, said Moody's on Monday.



The report said that it estimates the sale will increase PNB's Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio by about 40 basis points from the 6.9 per cent reported in December 2018.





It added that coupled with the government capital infusion in February 2019 that increased the bank's pro forma CET1 ratio by around 150 basis points, the overall pro forma ratio is nearly 9 per cent.



"The bank's pro forma CET1 ratio comfortably exceeds the Basel III March 2019 regulatory requirement of 7.375 per cent, which includes a minimum CET1 requirement of 5.5 per cent and a capital conservation buffer of 1.875 per cent."



Upon the completion of the sale, the report said, "PNB will retain a 19.8 per cent stake in PNB Housing Finance worth around Rs 30 billion ($440 million)", which will remain a key potential source of capital for PNB given its limited access to the equity capital markets following the substantial decline in its share price over the past year".



"We estimate that sale of the remaining stake at a valuation similar to the current deal would increase PNB's CET1 ratio by approximately 70 basis points."



The late-March stake sale provided timely support to the bank's capitalisation, which has been challenged by high credit costs and investment losses, in addition to the negative effects of fraudulent transactions PNB discovered between February and March 2018.



Despite the bank's losses over the past few quarters, PNB's reported CET1 ratio has improved as a result of government capital infusions and a reduction in risk weighted assets, noted the report.



PNB's core profitability remains robust given its strong franchise as one of the leading public sector banks in India supported by a superior funding profile and strong net interest margins.



"We expect the bank's internal capital generation to improve gradually as declining credit costs alleviate pressure on its capitalisation..."
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pays a courtesy visit to Finance Minister."

The relationship between the Caribbean Netherlands and Suriname is her main focus and on Monday Consul General of the Republic of Suriname in Curacao Ms Agnes Daniel visited the island and held a very fruitful discussion with Finance Minister the Honourable Perry Geerlings.

The Consul Daniel is on her first official visit to St. Maarten and is scheduled to meet with Governor of St. Maarten His Excellency Eugene Holiday. She will be present her credentials to the governor for inspection and is looking forward to a fruitful dialogue with him on various topics of possible collaboration between Suriname and St. Maarten.



During her courtesy visit with Minister Geerlings, the two spoke briefly about her role as Consul General. She is presently stationed in Curacao and has as her government's primary objective, establishing a closer working relationship with the six Dutch Caribbean Islands. As a consul general, she hopes to develop the kind of cooperation between Suriname and the islands in the area of agriculture, tourism, and entrepreneurship amongst others, that

will have a mutual benefit.



Minister Geerlings presented the Consul General with a welcome gift as a token of his appreciation for her electing to visit him while on her official visit to the island. It is, however, not Daniel's first visit to the island. The former Police Chief Commissioner, now Consul General has visited the island on two occasions as a tourist. Daniel expressed her love for the "beautiful island." She said while here in her official capacity she has already seen some opportunities for Suriname and St. Maarten to collaborate to the benefit of the islands.



Daniel expressed her pleasure to have been received by Minister Geerlings and said it was certainly an honour to visit the island and to meet with the various ministries and for them to allow her to discuss with them the ideas her government has for collaborative efforts to take place between the countries.



Finance Minister of St. Maarten the honourable Perry Geerlings (left) presents a token of appreciation to Consul General of Suriname in Curacao Ms Agnes Daniel (right).
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Cincinnati's District 3 was the first Net Zero Energy police station in the country. Provided

In celebration of Earth Day, PBS will air Blue Goes Green, a short documentary by Laure Quinlivan, local filmmaker, broadcast journalist, and former City Council Member.



The film covers how Cincinnati built the first Net Zero Energy police station in the country, and how this green construction project improved police-community relations and saved taxpayer money.



Local viewers in Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky will be able to see the film on Cincinnatis WCET on April 21st at 5:00 p.m.; on Daytons Think TV on April 17th at 11:00 p.m. and April 21st at 5:00 p.m.; and Kentuckys KET on April 12th at 10:30 p.m.
Alachua County Sheriffs Office(GAINESVILLE, Fla.) -- A good Samaritan was fatally shot over the weekend while handing out $20 bills and paying for meals at a Florida restaurant, according to police.



Police arrested Ezekiel Hicks, 25, on murder charges early Sunday in the death of 41-year-old Craig Brewer, who was shot and killed at a Waffle House, in Gainesville, Florida, just a few miles west of the University of Florida.



Officials with the Alachua County Sheriff's Office said the restaurant's surveillance camera captured an altercation between the two on video. Witnesses said the victim was arguing with a female acquaintance of the suspect, who was reportedly upset because Brewer's generosity didn't include her.



Hicks intervened and got into a physical altercation with the victim, police said. At one point, Hicks left the Waffle House and retrieved a 9mm Glock pistol, which was later recovered at the scene, according to the sheriff's office.



The altercation "lasted only a few seconds" and ended with Hicks firing multiple shots towards the victim's head, killing him on the scene, the sheriff's office said.



Lt. Brett Rhodenizer, an Alachua County Sheriffs Office spokesman, said officers received a call about the restaurant reaching its maximum capacity and were en route when the shooting occurred.



"They feel like they were so close and just far enough away to where they couldn't change the outcome," Rhodenizer told ABC News on Monday. "This incident went from a verbal altercation to a homicide in minutes, if not seconds."



"The speed at which it happened and how quickly it went so bad -- for both the victim and the suspect -- is really kind of the thing that resonates the most with a lot of the folks that have been a part of the investigation," he added.



Hicks was arrested in the parking lot, where he admitted to shooting Brewer, according to the sheriff's office. Investigators are now looking to see if the victim may have had a prior issue with the suspect or his acquaintance that led to the argument.



"The why of this case will persists for days and weeks as we conduct follow-up interviews, but the how is incredibly straightforward," Rhodenizer said. "Out of all the investigations that I've seen, very seldom do you have an incident from start to finish on video that ends in a murder."



"It was literally in the single digits worth of minutes from the time we received the initial call from the Waffle House, saying, 'Hey, there's too many people here, we'd like a hand clearing the restaurant,' to deputies are on the scene, told about a shooting, and we have a suspect in custody and a firearm recovered," he added.



Hicks was being held without bail on charges of premeditated murder in the first degree and carrying an unlicensed firearm. His attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment from ABC News.



Copyright  2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
French MPs approve digital tax, defying US ire



Paris, April 8 (AFP) Apr 08, 2019



French lawmakers on Monday approved a new tax on digital giants such as Facebook and Apple that has angered the United States, with Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire boasting that France was proud to be in the vanguard of such a move.

The United States has urged its NATO ally to drop the plan, with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warning last week that it would hurt both the American firms and the French citizens who use the platforms.

The measure was approved by 55 votes against four in the National Assembly, with five abstentions. It will then be put to vote in the Senate, or upper house, before becoming law.

The legislation, dubbed "Gafa" after Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple, comes amid rising public outrage at the minimal tax paid by some of the world's richest firms.

"France is honoured to be leading on such subjects," Le Maire told parliament before the vote, saying that the draft constituted a "step... towards a fairer and more efficient taxation for the 21st century."

Responding to the criticism from the United States, Le Maire said France was "determined" to press on with the legislation and would be "sovereign" on fiscal issues.

He said it was "unacceptable" that digital giants could make considerable profits from user data so that the "profits are made in France but the taxes are imposed abroad".

Last month, France unveiled the draft legislation to set a three percent tax on digital advertising, the sale of personal data and other revenue for any technology company that earns more than 750 million euros ($840 million) worldwide each year.

France is seeking to agree the legislation on a national level after a European Union-wide effort was scuttled by low-tax countries such as Ireland, which have wooed big technology firms.

But Le Maire insisted that a "good solution in the long term will be a multilateral solution," vowing not to let up in efforts for an agreement within the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

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Boeing released sales data for the 737 MAX line that reveal there were no new orders for the troubled jet in March, and simultaneously said that deliveries and orders for all 737 models fell in the first quarter. Overall orders were down by nearly half, to 95 from 180 in the first quarter of 2018.

After delivering 184 aircraft in the first quarter of 2018, Boeing released just 149 this year; of those 89 were for all variants of the 737. Boeing has halted deliveries of all MAX variants until software updates can be completed and approved and announced earlier that it would cut production of the MAX from 52 to 42 units a month.

Boeing has orders for more than 5000 of the single-aisle airliner on the books, though several airlines have indicated their intention to cancel or slow the delivery of the MAX. Indonesian airline Garuda has officially canceled its order of 50 MAX aircraft.

On Monday, Wall Street downgraded both Boeings and Southwest Airlines stock based on the continuing 737 MAX saga and the continuing capacity disruptions to carriers using the troubled jet. Boeings stock is currently trading at around $370 a share from a high of $440 in late February. Market analysts say the companys slide has obliterated more than $20 billion in market capitalization. Bank of American Merrill Lynch on Monday changed its recommendation on Boeing from buy to neutral, resulting in a 4% drop in stock value that day. Analysts are now predicting a much longer recovery period for Boeing, believing that the MAX will remain grounded for another six to nine months. And thats likely to be in the U.S. alone. Currently, Canada, China and the European Union are signaling that they want to independently verify the aircraft before permitting it to fly in their countries again.

Spirit AeroSystems, which builds components for the 737 MAX, saw its stock prices fall from a recent high of $99 a share on March 1 to $84 a share today, is among several contractors likely to feel the pinch of the 737 MAX slowdown.

The same can be said for domestic airlines having the 737 MAX in their fleets. Although the MAX makes up only 4% of Southwests fleet, market analysts believe the extended grounding of the aircraft will negatively impact the airlines schedule and revenue. Southwest itself said that it expects to lose $150 million in the first quarter due to a variety of factors including the MAX grounding.

American Airlines has announced that it will cancel all of its MAX-based flights through June 5. The airline has 24 of the aircraft expected to fly roughly 90 flights a day.
Kiwi defence attache on trial for embassy toilet camera



Wellington, April 9 (AFP) Apr 09, 2019



One of New Zealand's most senior naval officers has gone on trial for placing a secret camera in the unisex toilet of the country's Washington DC embassy.

Commodore Alfred Keating has been charged with attempting to make "an intimate visual recording" and is currently on trial in Auckland, local media reported.

According to court documents, Keating is alleged to have installed a small camera "in a unisex bathroom on Level 3 of the New Zealand Embassy" in the US capital in 2017.

"It had been purposely mounted inside a heating duct unit in the bathroom," and was only discovered when the panel fell to the floor.

The embassy employed around 60 people at the time.

"A thick layer of dust on the homemade platform the camera was mounted on indicated the device had been in place for many months."

The camera's media card had traces of Keating's DNA and his computer contained the camera's driver and related software.

Ahead of the trial, Keating tried to prevent the public from knowing his identity, arguing it could make it "difficult to obtain future employment" and sully the military's image.

A judge rejected that application. Keating has pleaded not guilty.
German IS woman on trial accused of letting Yazidi 'slave' girl die of thirst



Berlin, April 9 (AFP) Apr 09, 2019



A German woman who joined the Islamic State jihadist group goes on trial Tuesday accused of the war crime of letting a five-year-old "slave" girl die of thirst.

Prominent London-based human rights lawyer Amal Clooney is part of the team representing the dead Yazidi girl's mother, but Clooney was not expected to appear in the Munich trial on Tuesday.

The defendant, identified only as Jennifer W., 27, faces life in jail if found guilty of committing a war crime, murder, membership in a terrorist organisation and weapons offences.

According to news weekly Der Spiegel, the defendant, herself the mother of a small girl, had incriminated herself while talking at length to an undercover FBI informant in a bugged car.

German prosecutors allege her IS husband had purchased the Yazidi child and her mother -- a co-plaintiff in the trial -- as household "slaves" whom they held captive while living in then IS-occupied Mosul, Iraq, in 2015.

"After the girl fell ill and wet her mattress, the husband of the accused chained her up outside as punishment and let the child die an agonising death of thirst in the scorching heat," prosecutors charge.

"The accused allowed her husband to do so and did nothing to save the girl."

German media said the defendant's husband, Taha Sabah Noori Al-J., had beaten both the Yazidi mother and child, and that Jennifer W. allegedly also once held a pistol to the woman's head.

The trial will start at 0730 GMT under tight security in a Munich court that deals with state security and terrorism cases, with hearings initially scheduled until September 30.



- FBI informant -



Jennifer W., who reportedly left school after the eighth grade and converted to Islam in 2013, left Germany in August 2014 and travelled via Turkey and Syria to Iraq where she joined the IS.

Recruited in mid-2015 to an "anti-vice squad" of the group's self-styled Hisba morality police, she patrolled city parks in IS-occupied Fallujah and Mosul.

Armed with an AK-47 assault rifle, a pistol and an explosives vest, her task was to ensure that women complied with IS behaviour and clothing regulations, said prosecutors.

In January 2016, months after the Yazidi child's death, Jennifer W. visited the German embassy in Ankara to apply for new identity papers.

When she left the mission, she was arrested by Turkish security services and extradited several days later to Germany.

For lack of actionable evidence against her at the time, she was allowed to return to her home in the German state of Lower Saxony, but quickly sought to return to IS territory.

Der Spiegel reported that an FBI informant had posed as an accomplice who offered to take Jennifer W. back to the IS "caliphate", and who chatted with her in a bugged car while they drove through Germany.

Jennifer W. allegedly said that the death of the little girl had been "hard-core even for the IS" and unjust because only God had the right to use fire as punishment.

Her husband had later been beaten as punishment by the IS, she said.

Police followed close behind her vehicle for several hours and listened to a live audio feed as Jennifer W. spoke and then arrested her at a highway stop.

Clooney, the wife of Hollywood star George Clooney, has been involved in a campaign with Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Murad, a former IS sex slave, to have the IS crimes against the Yazidi minority be recognised as a "genocide".
Saudi hails US terror blacklisting of Iran Guards



Riyadh, April 9 (AFP) Apr 09, 2019



Riyadh welcomed Tuesday Washington's blacklisting of arch-rival Tehran's elite Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation, state media reported.

"The US decision (follows) the kingdom's repeated demands to the international community to address the issue of Iranian-backed terrorism," the official Saudi Press Agency quoted a foreign ministry source as saying.

The source welcomed the US move as a "practical and serious step" in curbing what the kingdom describes as Iranian meddling in the region.

Washington's decision on Monday marks the first time that the US has branded an arm of a foreign government a terrorist group.

It effectively means that anyone who deals with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could face prison in the United States.

President Donald Trump called the corps -- which has some 125,000 troops and vast interests across the Iranian economy -- Tehran's "primary means of directing and implementing its global terrorist campaign."

Tehran swiftly retaliated by blacklisting US Central Command as a terrorist organisation, affecting US troops serving in the wider Middle East from the Horn of Africa to Afghanistan.

Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia and Shiite-dominated Iran have a longstanding rivalry based as much in geostrategic interests as religious differences.

Facing off across the Gulf, the two major oil producers have taken opposing sides for decades in conflicts across the Middle East.

Riyadh broke off diplomatic relations with Tehran in 2016 in protest at the torching of its diplomatic missions by Iranian protesters angry over its execution of a leading Shiite cleric.

The Trump administration has maintained a close relationship with the Saudi leadership, despite mounting opposition over the high civilian toll from the kingdom's military intervention in neighbouring Yemen and the October murder in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul of US-based Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi.
German IS woman accused of letting Yazidi 'slave' girl die of thirst



Munich, Germany, April 9 (AFP) Apr 09, 2019



A German woman who joined the Islamic State jihadist group went on trial Tuesday accused of the war crime of letting a five-year-old Yazidi "slave" girl die of thirst in the sun.

The case against Jennifer Wenisch, 27, is believed to be the first anywhere in the world for international crimes committed by IS militants against members of the Yazidi minority.

She faces a maximum term of life in jail if found guilty of committing murder and of murder as a war crime, as well membership in a terrorist organisation and violations of the German War Weapons Control Act.

It is Germany's first trial of a female IS returnee, prosecutor Claudia Gorf told the Munich court.

Wenisch -- wearing a white blouse and black jacket, her dark hair not covered -- showed no emotion and did not speak, but shielded her face with a paper folder while photographers were in the room at the start.

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Nadia Murad, herself a Yazidi survivor of IS enslavement and torture, said in a statement that the trial "is a very big moment for me and for the entire Yazidi community".

Prominent London-based human rights lawyer Amal Clooney is part of the team representing the dead Yazidi girl's mother, although Clooney did not appear on the trial's opening day.



- 'Agonising death' -



German prosecutors allege Wenisch and her IS husband "purchased" the Yazidi woman and child as household "slaves" whom they held captive while living in then IS-occupied Mosul, Iraq, in 2015.

"After the girl fell ill and wet her mattress, the husband of the accused chained her up outside as punishment and let the child die an agonising death of thirst in the scorching heat," prosecutors charge.

"The accused allowed her husband to do so and did nothing to save the girl."

German media said the defendant's husband, Taha Sabah Noori Al-J., had beaten both the mother and child, and that Wenisch allegedly also once held a pistol to the woman's head.

The trial is being held under tight security in a court for state security and terrorism cases, with hearings initially scheduled until September 30.



- Morality police -



Wenisch -- who reportedly left school after the eighth grade and has no job or qualifications -- converted to Islam in 2013 and travelled the following year via Turkey and Syria to Iraq where she joined the IS.

Recruited in mid-2015 to the group's self-styled hisbah morality police, she patrolled city parks in IS-occupied Fallujah and Mosul.

Armed with an AK-47 assault rifle, a pistol and an explosives vest, her task was to ensure strict IS rules on dress code, public behaviour and bans on alcohol and tobacco.

In January 2016, months after the Yazidi child's death, she visited the German embassy in Ankara to apply for new identity papers. When she left the mission, she was arrested and extradited days later to Germany.

For lack of actionable evidence against her at the time, she was allowed to return to her home in the German state of Lower Saxony, but quickly sought to return to IS territory.



- FBI informant -



Der Spiegel reported that an FBI informant posed as an accomplice who offered to take Wenisch and her two-year-old child back to the IS "caliphate".

While they were sitting in a bugged car, headed for Turkey, Wenisch allegedly spoke of her time at the IS and incriminated herself.

She said that the child's death had been "hard-core even for the IS" and unjust because only God had the right to use fire as punishment, adding that her husband had later been beaten as punishment by the IS.

Police followed her car for several hours and listened to a live audio feed, then arrested Wenisch at a highway stop.

Amal Clooney, the wife of Hollywood star George Clooney, has been involved in a campaign to get IS crimes against the Yazidi recognised as a "genocide".

"I hope this will be the first of many trials that will finally bring ISIS to justice in line with international law," the lawyer said in a statement, using an alternative acronym for the group.
Russia demands 14 years of jail for Norwegian on spy charges



Moscow, April 9 (AFP) Apr 09, 2019



Russian prosecutors on Tuesday demanded a 14-year prison sentence for a Norwegian citizen accused by Moscow of spying on its nuclear submarines.

Prosecutor Milana Digayeva demanded that 63-year-old Frode Berg serve the sentence in a strict penal camp, according to the Interfax news agency.

The verdict is expected on April 16, she said.

The hearing was held behind closed doors and Berg rejected the charges against him.

Berg was detained in Moscow in 2017 following a sting operation by Russia's FSB security service.

A former Russian police officer was accused of handing Berg files on the Russian navy and given a 13-year prison term in December.

Berg admitted to acting as a courier for the Norwegian intelligence services several times, but said he thought he was only shuttling money.

Norway, a NATO member, normally enjoys good relations with neighbouring Russia, with which it shares a short land border.

But these have grown more tense since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and a pro-Russian insurgency erupted in eastern Ukraine.
Mali soldiers, spooked by friendly fire, shoot civilians



Bamako, April 9 (AFP) Apr 09, 2019



Malian soldiers shot dead at least one villager and injured others after a detonation they mistook for an attack in a region plagued by jihadist violence, residents and a military source said Tuesday.

The shooting took place Monday in Dioura in central Mali, where a jihadist attack on March 17 killed 26 soldiers.

In a statement, the military said a group of soldiers, on their way back to base after fetching water from the village, were "surprised" by mortar test fire "which they believed to be an enemy attack as the shells fell near them."

The soldiers "opened fire on a group of people that was, unfortunately, present at the moment" -- killing one civilian and injuring four, it said.

One witness said the shooting was sparked by a soldier dropping a grenade, which exploded, and spooked nearby troops.

"In the panic, civilians were hit, and two died on the spot," resident Babrou Niang told AFP. Four injured people were evacuated by helicopter.

Allaye Toure, a local leader, said "the soldiers thought it was an attack against them, that is why they opened fire."

Not far from Dioura, at the village of Petedougou near the border with Burkina Faso, Malian soldiers with backing from France's anti-jihadist Operation Barkhane force, "neutralised" 15 suspected jihadists on Sunday, military sources said.

They also seized motorcycles, arms, explosives, ammunition and took a number of prisoners, the Malian army said in a statement.

Extremists linked to Al-Qaeda took control of Mali's vast desert north in early 2012, but were largely driven out in a French-led military operation that began in January 2013.

Huge areas however are still in the grip of lawlessness, despite a 2015 peace agreement with armed groups.

Since then, the jihadist threat has shifted from the north towards the more densely-populated centre of the country, where it has fanned the flames of local ethnic conflicts which date back years.
Iran president says US 'leader of world terrorism'



Tehran, April 9 (AFP) Apr 09, 2019



Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday accused the United States of being the real "leader of world terrorism", hitting back after Washington blacklisted Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation.

Tehran was quick to retaliate on Monday by declaring US troops "terrorists" following Washington's move, which was welcomed by Iran's regional arch-rivals Israel and Saudi Arabia.

It was the first time that Washington has branded part of a foreign government a terrorist group, meaning that anyone who deals with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could face prison in the United States.

"Who are you to label revolutionary institutions as terrorists?" an angry Rouhani demanded in a speech broadcast live by state television.

Rouhani hailed the Guards for fighting terrorism since their creation in 1979, and accused US forces of having always been involved with terrorist groups or acts of terrorism.

"You want to use terrorist groups as tools against the nations of the region... you are the leader of world terrorism.

"Who is propagating and encouraging terrorism in today's world? Who wanted to use ISIS (the Islamic State group) as a tool?" Rouhani asked, saying that the US is "hiding" the leaders of the jihadist organisation.

The Revolutionary Guards are the ideological arm of the country's military and deeply embedded in Iranian political and economic life.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised the Guards on their National Day, saying they were at the "forefront' of defending the country and its interests, according to his official website.

He lashed out at US officials, saying: "Their vice and deceit will return boomerang on them, leading the enemies of the Islamic Republic such as (US President Donald) Trump and those around him at the US ruling apparatus to go down the drain."



- 'Everything imaginable' -



To support his accusations, Rouhani cited the downing of Iran Air Flight 655 in July 1988 by missiles fired from the US naval ship the USS Vincennes.

"You have done everything imaginable. Which force was it that shot down our civil airliner in the waters of the Persian Gulf?" he said, adding that it was aimed at intimidating Iran.

"You wanted to tell the Iranian nation that we do not have any red lines, you wanted to say that we also kill children, you wanted to say that we also kill women," Rouhani said, concluding that the US was transmitting "a message of terrorism in the whole world."

The US move comes on top of Trump's decision last year to pull the United States out of an international deal with Iran that was meant to lift crippling economic sanctions in return for curbs on its nuclear programme.

Washington had been encouraged to blacklist the Guards by Trump's allies Saudi Arabia and Israel, which both cheered the declaration.

"The US decision (follows) the kingdom's repeated demands to the international community to address the issue of Iranian-backed terrorism," the official Saudi Press Agency quoted a foreign ministry source as saying on Tuesday.

The source welcomed the US move as a "practical and serious step" in curbing what the kingdom describes as Iranian meddling in the region.

The US decision came hours before an Israeli election in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a close race for re-election.

In a statement, Netanyahu thanked his "dear friend" Trump who he said had responded to a "request of mine".

In a statement carried by the Iranian official news agency IRNA, the Supreme National Security Council declared the United States a "state sponsor of terrorism" and its forces in the region "terror groups".

Quickly adapting to the decision, the semi-official Fars News Agency, close to ultra-conservatives, described the US casualties in the latest suicide bombing on a military convoy in Afghanistan as "terrorists."

In a report on the attack, Fars said Tuesday: "American army terrorists killed in Afghanistan."

NATO announced on Monday that a suicide car bomb on a convoy in Iran's eastern neighbour had killed three US troops and a military contractor and wounded three more.
Russia seeks 14 years for Norwegian on spy charges



Moscow, April 9 (AFP) Apr 09, 2019



Russian prosecutors on Tuesday called for a 14-year prison sentence for a Norwegian accused by Moscow of spying on its nuclear submarines.

A verdict in the trial of 63-year-old Frode Berg is expected on April 16, prosecutor Milana Digayeva was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying.

She urged that Berg serve the sentence in a strict penal camp, Interfax said.

Berg's trial was held behind closed doors and he rejects the charges brought against him.

The Norwegian was detained in Moscow in 2017 following a sting operation by Russia's FSB security service.

A former Russian police officer accused of handing Berg files on the Russian navy was sentenced in December to 13 years in prison.

Berg admitted to acting several times as a courier for the Norwegian intelligence services, but said he thought he was only carrying money.

President Vladimir Putin commented on the case Tuesday during a meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg after hosting the International Arctic Forum in Saint Petersburg.

"As in any country, our courts determine the punishment, responsibility and guilt or innocence" of a person accused of committing a crime, Russian agencies quoted Putin as saying.

Asked if Berg could possibly be pardoned, Putin remarked that "a person can only be pardoned if he has been convicted. He has not been convicted yet."

Norway, a NATO member, normally enjoys good relations with neighbouring Russia, with which it shares a short land border.

But those relations have grown more tense since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and a pro-Russian insurgency erupted in eastern Ukraine.
Guaido says maintaining contacts with Venezuela's military



Lima, April 9 (AFP) Apr 09, 2019



Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido said Tuesday he has been keeping up "very discreet" contacts with Caracas' military, insisting that the armed forces were part of the overwhelming majority of people who wanted a change of government.

Guaido is recognized as interim president of the crisis-torn country by more than 50 countries in his power struggle with President Nicolas Maduro, but Maduro retains control of the army and the country's institutions.

"We have had very discreet communications of course with the military, but it's not the moment to give certain details, because unfortunately here there is a dictatorship," Guaido told Peru's RPP Radio.

"Persecution is the order of the day."

He said 91 percent of Venezuelans want a change of government and "that doesn't escape the army."

"The military family and all those who are linked to the crisis in Venezuela know what they are living through," he said.

According to Guaido, there are some "significant signs of unease" in the armed forces, which he described as the last vestige of support "for the dictatorial regime". The military leadership has consistently pledged loyalty to Maduro.

He said opposition forces "will continue to fight peacefully, not violently, but very forcefully" to regain democracy.
Image: USAF

And then there were none. The last surviving member of the Doolittle Raiders died today at the age of 103. Retired Lt. Col. Richard E Dick Cole was Jimmy Doolittles copilot in the lead bomber during the 1942 raid on Tokyo. He was there by chance, as Doolittles original copilot became ill before the mission launched.

Cole was interviewed by HistoryNet.com in 2016 about the raid, and was asked how he felt to help lead the bombing mission on Tokyo. I guess I felt the same way as the rest of the people aboard, he told HistoryNet. There was a lot of jubilation and so forth, and then it got kind of quiet as people realized what they were getting mixed up in. But nobody jumped ship and nobody bailed. Cole described what it was like just before the bomb run. As we were flying over the Japanese countryside, I was impressed by the beauty of the place, and as we came over Tokyo I was amazed that nobody was jumping us and that there was no ack-ack. This was the first time that any of us who were on the raid had seen combat, and I thought, So far, so good.'

Launched on April 18, 1942, the so-called Doolittle raid was a success mainly in the sense that it boosted morale in the dark days after Pearl Harbor, and was a dramatic show of force demonstrating that U.S. air forces could attack mainland Japan. Sixteen B-25 Mitchell bombers were launched from the USS Hornet that Saturday morning, having been modified to carry significantly more fuel than normal, at the expense of defensive weapons. The raid was conceived with no way to return, so the bombers were expected to continue into China. All crash landed but 77 of the 80 crewmen survived the raid.
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New York, April 09, 2019 (SPS) - The UN Security Council is scheduled to hold a consultation on the situation in Western Sahara on Wednesday morning in New York in the light of the UN Secretary-General's report, during which the Council will hear a briefing by Personal Envoy Horst Koehler, And another directly to the Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), Mr. Colin Stewart.

As part of the communication with the members of the Security Council, Dr. Sidi Mohamed Omar, representative of the Frente POLISARIO to the United Nations, sent a letter to Ambassador Christoph Hooschen, Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations and current President of the Security Council, Through which he expressed the position of the Frente POLISARIO of series of issues included in the report of the Secretary-General as well as prospects for the United Nations-led political process in Western Sahara.

Following the Full Text of the letter:

H. E. Mr Christoph Heusgen

Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations

President of the Security Council

Your Excellency,

I would like to express the Frente POLISARIOs sincere congratulations on your assumption of the Presidency of the Security Council. We wish you every success as you work to support the efforts of the Secretary-Generals Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, President Horst Kohler.

The Secretary-Generals report (S/2019/282) of 1 April 2019 details Moroccos significant violations of the ceasefire and related agreements, which are a cause of great concern to us. Moroccos growing violations seriously undermine the new momentum created by the Personal Envoy and run contrary to the good spirit in which we, the two parties, were meant to embark on the peace process.

As described by the Secretary-General in paragraphs 32 through 35 of his report, the Moroccan army has built and operationalised over 110 km of new sand wall parallel to the existing military wall, in direct violation of Military Agreement No. 1. To this effect, Morocco has built and continues to operate a new sand wall near Mahbas, currently extending 80.26 km north to south at a distance of 8 15 km from and parallel to the existing military wall. A second sand wall, approximately 30 km long and 15 m from the existing wall, has also been built near Awsard. The Moroccan army has established 16 additional new observation posts in Bir Gandouz and 38 new observation posts in two separate areas near Oum Dreyga all in the Restricted Area. According to the Secretary-Generals report, these new military installations and observations posts constitute a significant violation of Military Agreement No. 1. They also violate Security Council Resolution 2440 (2018), which called upon the parties to respect their relevant obligations and assurances, and refrain from any actions that could undermine UN-facilitated negotiations or further destabilise the situation in the Western Sahara (OP 7).

At a time when the two parties are urgently called upon to demonstrate good faith and to build trust in the UN political process, Moroccos significant violations of the ceasefire and related military agreements seriously risk undermining the propitious climate necessary to achieve progress on the political track. As the Security Council has repeatedly stressed, maintaining peaceful and stable conditions on the ground is essential for the peace process to progress. We therefore urge the Security Council to call upon Morocco to immediately dismantle all of its illegal military installations and to desist its destabilising actions, which are fuelling further tension in the Territory and imperilling the UN peace process.

As highlighted by the Secretary-General, Morocco continues to restrict the Sahrawis rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association. It deliberately targets human rights defenders, journalists and bloggers covering human rights violations in the Territory. In addition, Morocco subjects Sahrawi political prisoners, including the Gdeim Izik Group of prisoners, to torture and ill-treatment. It continues to deny access to the occupied Western Sahara for independent human rights observers and media, including representatives of the OHCHR, in total disregard for Security Council resolution 2440 (2018), which stressed the importance of improving the human rights situation in Western Sahara and strongly encouraged enhanced cooperation with OHCHR, including through the facilitation of visits to the region.

The Frente POLISARIO is also concerned by Moroccos longstanding restrictions on MINURSO, which drastically hinder the Missions ability to access local interlocutors in the occupied Western Sahara and inhibit its operation and functionality. We urge the Security Council to call on Morocco to remove these constraints and to allow the Mission free access to local interlocutors in the occupied Western Sahara. It is unacceptable that MINURSO vehicles continue to bear Moroccan number plates, as detailed in paragraph 56 of the Secretary-Generals report. It is no less problematic that Morocco affixes its stamps on the passports of MINURSO staff members upon entry to and exit from Western Sahara. These longstanding practices should end or risk further detracting from the Missions perceived impartiality and credibility.

The Frente POLISARIO strongly supports the efforts of the Personal Envoy to build trust between the two parties. We believe that confidence-building measures and concrete gestures of good faith are essential for the next phase of the political process to succeed. As recognised by the Secretary-General, with the destruction of its last remaining stockpile of landmines, the Frente POLISARIO has already taken a commendable first step in that regard. It is regrettable that the other party has failed to initiate similar acts of good faith and refuses to discuss confidence-building measures  even as millions of landmines buried along the Moroccan military wall threaten Sahrawi civilians and their livestock. We strongly encourage the Security Council to call on the other party to initiate good faith gestures and demonstrate the political will necessary to move the political process forward. Progress with respect to landmines, access to the Territory by human rights monitors and the release of Sahrawi political detainees are all areas where Morocco can and should be pressed to demonstrate good faith.

In closing, I would like to reiterate the Frente POLISARIOs strong and constructive commitment to the UN peace process and our full cooperation with the Secretary-General, his Personal Envoy, President Horst Kohler, and the Special Representative and Head of MINURSO, Mr Colin Stewart.

As the Secretary-General states in his report, finding a solution to the conflict in Western Sahara will require strong political will from both parties and the international community. We hope that the upcoming renewal of MINURSOs mandate will be another opportunity for the Security Council to renew its strong support for the UN peace process and for President Kohlers efforts to relaunch the process of direct negotiations between the Frente POLISARIO and Morocco in line with relevant Security Council resolutions. We are prepared to proceed without preconditions and in good faith throughout the next round of UN-led talks, with the firm objective of achieving our peoples inalienable right to self-determination and independence.

I would be most grateful if you would bring this letter to the attention of the Members of the Security Council.

Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Dr Sidi M. Omar

Representative of the Frente POLISARIO at the United Nations SPS

125/090/
Politics is problematic and increasingly becoming irrational and a burden on mans conscience. Now, it is up to the focused mind of Man and the spirited Humanity to assume the new-age responsible leadership for a navigational change.





by Mahboob A. Khawaja, PhD.





The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who dont do anything about it. Albert Einstein





The global systems of political governance are dominated by the power politics of the few and fast becoming irrelevant and unrepresentative of the primary concerns and priorities of the vast majority of global humanity. The UNO or superpowers take no preventive measures to protect the mankind in critical situations like Myanmar-Burma (Rohingas), people of Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kashmir, Yemen and Palestine, the global governance tends to be a fantasy than a reality. You wonder if the UNO has lived up to its role and the Charter-based responsibility to safeguard the people of the world from the scourge of wars, horrors of planned violence, devastation of human cultures and habitats in good many raging conflicts. All in all, it is the humanity subjected to untold miseries, bloodbath and catastrophic consequences lingering on and unending for the generations to come. These few are the source of evil driving the mankind to unrestrained tyranny. The Statute of the International Criminal Court states planning and waging a war of aggression is a crime against humanity.





The Global War Agenda against Reason





The author intends to share a critical analysis of some of the contemporary issues and to inspire global rethinking for a navigational change of the redundant structures and role of the international institutions, inept leadership, obsolete systems of power politics and approaches to peacemaking, security and conflict management. Perpetuated fear and political chaos overwhelms the obsolete global political governance. The war-agenda has shifted actions from the Western industrialized societies to the oil producing Arab world. The Middle East is in ruins by the sectarian warfare, indiscriminate bombing, terrorism, destruction of life and habitats and the natural environment. Nobody can rebuild, what has been destroyed by the war agenda.





To us - the living and conscientious humanity, image of time and accountability makes it clear that global systems are operating contrary to reason. Amongst all the creations on Planet Earth, humans are the only one equipped with thinking, language and intelligence to claim morality as an attribute of life and value. This reality emphasizes and differentiates us from the other creations of God. If we propel uncertainty in our thoughts and behavior, nothing can stop us from surpassing the limit of immorality and insanity. With knowledge-based 21st century human communications improving global collaboration, we are not moving in the right direction that human logic and truth spell out for our conduct in peaceful relationships. The impulse and actions for cruelty and sadistic behavior are increasingly sending alarming trends for the present and future generations to be informed of our implicit wickedness and resulting failure in global affairs. As humans, we are not thinking or moving for the unity of mankind to be at peace and harmony being the chief creation of God. Unless, we are overwhelmed philosophically to imagine that we are something else than humans populating the Earth by chance.





We the People of the Universe and Tyranny of the Few





The 21st century knowledge-based critical thought highlights the unilateral absolutism as the corner stone of superpowers policies and practices. David Armstrong (Dick Cheney Songs of America: Information Clearing House: 09/19/2011), points out how the US politicians view the world to be governed by the American strategic dictates:





It was published as Defense Strategy for the 1990s. The Plan is for the United States to rule the world. The overt theme is unilateralism, but it is ultimately a story of domination. It calls for the United States to maintain its overwhelming military superiority and prevent new rivals from rising up to challenge it on the world stage. It calls for dominion over friends and enemies alike. It says not that the United States must be more powerful, or most powerful, but that it must be absolutely powerful. The Plan is disturbing in many ways, and ultimately unworkable. Yet it is being sold now as an answer to the new realities of the post-September 11 world, even as it was sold previously as the answer to the new realities of the post-Cold War world. For Cheney, the Plan has always been the right answer, no matter how different the questions.Another new theme was the use of preemptive military force. The options, the DPG noted, ranged from taking preemptive military action to head off a nuclear, chemical, or biological attack to punishing or threatening punishment of aggressors through a variety of means, including strikes against weapons-manufacturing facilities.





Under George W. Bush administration, America continued the same approach to global affairs. Reasoned politics and safeguard of the global humanity were not the purpose of such a belligerent plan. The USSR was already dismantled as a challenger and the US politicians saw the opportunity to determine the future of the global mankind by militarization and occupation of the poor and vulnerable nations. Its first victim was Afghanistan, then Iraq and Libya and onward to whole of the Arab world. Under NATO, America continued its influential role to destabilize the USSR and former allies of the Eastern Europe. There was no balancing of reason. Where power beyond human capacity is entrusted to the few, the chances are it will be misused against the people. The political tensions of militarization of the globe led to oppression and miseries for the people of the world. We have not seen any tangible movement in political behavior to lessen the unstable clash of fanaticism and evil imposed on the innocent victims of humanity. The UNO was overwhelmed by the same scenarios of inept outcomes in situations that warranted urgent and swift humanitarian action to safeguard the civilian population in places like Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Palestine and Kashmir. Why the prevention of man-made tyranny, oppression and conflicts are fast becoming acceptable norms in global systems of governance? Should the contemporary leaders of the world answer this vital question or should it be left to the impulse of history to explain it to the futuristic generations?

To Imagine Change in the Working of the Global Institutions





The global institutions were aligned to the formative history at the end of the 2nd WW, not to the knowledge-based proactive 21st century of technological innovation, reason and change. The global leadership and systematic working of the international political affairs are managed by wrong thinking, wrong people and wrong priorities. None seem to have the capacity to further the cause of global humanity, peace, conflict resolution and security. The global humanity looks for change but there seems to be no systematic mechanism for integrated change to ensure continuity of encompassed human thoughts, hopes and ideals for tomorrow, the near future or distant future. Despite the sketchy illusions of freedom, democracy, human rights, liberty and justice, we are encroached, stuffed and at terrible risk of annihilation more accidental and by error of judgment than planned scheme of things by Man against Man. The Western political mythology enflames hatred against Islam and blames Muslim as being terrorists. The raging wars in the Arab Middle East are a net outcome of ignorance and lack of wisdom against Islam. Western installed puppets Arab leaders do not represent the masses. Often false propaganda, deception and prejudice are combined in a trajectory of plans to sell weapons and console the egoistic leaders as allies of the Western military alliance. This political delusion is full of inherent inconsistencies. Gary Wills (What the Quran Meant and What It Matters. Viking, NY, 2017), a leading American scholar explains the reality in his new book:





Our enemy in this war is far less localizable than it was in the World War 2 or the Cold War. Terror is a tool, not a country. Declaring a war on it is less like normal warfare, country versus country, there is No VE Day or VJ Day in such wars living with fear is corrosivethe less we know about the reality of Islam, the more we will fight shadows and false emanations from our apprehension. Ignorance is the natural ally of fear. It is time for us to learn about the real Islam beginning with its source book - The Quran.





Global Leadership and Its Moral and Intellectual Decadence and Humanity





That conscious realization is absent from the global thinking and observations of the outcomes of the major international institutions. None of the global institutions seem to reflect the sacred nature of life and the role of Man (human being) in preserving life and its encompassing standards as the pivotal role of obligations on the planet. What is the cure to the raging indifference and embolden cruelty to the interests of the people of Syria, Iraq, United States and Western Europe and for that matter to the whole of the mankind?





Remember that civilizations and humanity are not developed by the political-military-industrial complexes led economies, or IMF operative bankers, ruling elite, speculatory stock markets, legal judgments, kings and queens, morally and spiritually decadent generations and crime riddled authoritarian ruler, but are the tangible progressive outcomes of the proactive intellectual and moral visions of the societal thinkers, poets, philosophers, knowledge, truth, compassion and continuous movement by man to support the humanity and its natural strive for new thinking, change and progress. Politics is problematic and increasingly becoming irrational and a burden on mans conscience. Now, it is up to the focused mind of Man and the spirited Humanity to assume the new-age responsible leadership for a navigational change. We, the People, We the Humanity are capable to envisage a navigational change for a reasoned dialogue to change and a sustainable future  new proactive visions and new reformed global systems of the working of international institutions to unite the humanity and contribute peace, harmony, security and respect amongst the diverse fabrics of mankind.





Dr. Mahboob A. Khawaja specializes in international affairs-global security, peace and conflict resolution and international affairs with keen interests in Islamic-Western comparative cultures and civilizations, and author of several publications including the latest: Global Peace, Security and Conflict Resolution: Approaches to Understand the Current Issues and Future-Making. Lambert Academic Publishing, Germany, October 2017.
by Beth Van Schaack

Human rights lawyers have sued Sri Lankan presidential hopeful Gotabaya Rajapaksa in federal court in the Central District of California. Rajapaksa, who is a joint Sri Lankan-U.S. citizen, was served with process in the parking lot of a Trader Joes, of all places.





Plaintiff Roy Samthanam, who is a Canadian citizen, alleges that he was detained and tortured from 2007-2010 by the Terrorism Investigation Division of the Sri Lanka police. He tells his harrowing story of physical and mental torture here and in this video. He is represented by the International Truth & Justice Project, under the leadership of the indomitable Yasmin Sooka, and a private law firm. The U.N. Human Rights Committee, which evaluates states compliance with the International Covenant on Civil & Political Rights, has already ordered Sri Lanka to pay him compensation. A separate case was apparently filed on behalf of the family of assassinated journalist Lasantha Wickrematunga. Rajapaksa is known to own property in California, which could be attached for the purpose of any civil judgment against him.





Just Security has extensively covered the aftermath of the war in Sri Lanka, which is characterized by an entrenched impunity. In particular, we have offered a number of proposals for how the Department of Justice could prosecute Rajapaksa under the U.S. War Crimes Act, which has never been activated to date. That statute grants jurisdiction over war crimes committed by, or against, U.S. citizens.





There has been some discussion that Rajapaksa has given up his U.S. citizenship in order to run for higher office in Sri Lanka. This does not affect the viability of these civil cases because he was served with process while in the United States, and wasin any casea U.S. citizen at the time he allegedly acted. The Torture Victim Protection Act (28 U.S.C.  1350 note) is expressly extraterritorial, so does not raise the extraterritorial issues presented by the Alien Tort Claims Act.
Air navigation law hinges itself on the heading of liability. The issue is bifurcated into criminal liability and civil liability.





by Dr. Ruwantissa Abeyratne

Writing from Montreal





Whether it is a design defect or manufacturing defect, courts, particularly in The United States, have been inclined to treat both the same, on the basis that in both instances the product would be equally dangerous and the attendant damage to the consumer (or bystander) would be the same. In the United States, The Restatement of the Law of Torts, Section 402 A of which says that one who sells any product in a defective condition unreasonably dangerous to the user or consumer or to his property is subject to liability for physical harm thereby caused to the ultimate user or consumer, or to his property, if the seller is engaged in the business of selling such a product - applies which extends the damage caused by a product rendered defective by a manufacturing fault to a design defect, where the manufacturer must bear the cost of compensation which is usually covered by insurance, placing the ultimate burden is on the insurer. Many States in the United States adhere to the doctrine of strict liability in such cases, where liability accrues irrespective of fault. Strict liability is distinguished from fault liability, the latter requiring the establishment of fault i.e. negligence on the part of the manufacturer.





Directly in point is the case of the case of Sikkelee v Precision Airmotive Corporation. The case involved a pilot who, in July 2005 was piloting a Cessna aircraft that crashed shortly after take-off. The pilot's wife filed a wrongful death action against the defendant engine manufacturer  who claimed during adjudication that he was only the designer of the product - among others, alleging that the engine carburetor was defective and was responsible for the crash. The engine in question had been manufactured in 1969 and the defendant was aware that the engine was defective. The federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had sent a communication in 1971 to the manufacturer and subsequent communications thereafter about 17 issues regarding defects in screws in the engine. The court held that even if, as claimed, the defendant was just the designer of the product  he would have the same duty of care to the plaintiff as did the manufacturer.





The question arises whether an aircraft manufacturer must merely ensure that an aircraft is safe to fly and that there is no attendant responsibility for the manufacturer to make an aircraft safe to crash. This distinguishes between the manufacturers liability for not making the aircraft perform safe navigation, and not making the aircraft safe to land in water in an emergency. In other words, the manufacturer would be liable for avionics but not necessarily liable for fixing an apparatus that could be deployed in a landing on water. This principle was enunciated in the 1966 analogy of Evans v. General Motors Corp where the court held that it was unreasonable to expect a manufacturer to make a motor vehicle accident proof or fool-proof when the danger to be avoided is obvious to all. What the court held was that the vehicle must be reasonably fit to carry out its major function of providing safe transport, but it cannot be expected that it would be equipped with a pontoon if it accidentally fell into the water.





The above analogy does not apply where the defect would lie in the core function of the vehicle  that of providing safe transport. In other worlds a car cannot be equipped by the manufacturer with defective brakes or a defective steering wheel. Similarly, an aircraft manufacturer cannot claim immunity from liability if a defective piece of avionics equipment is installed in an aircraft.





A good analogy in this regard involves faulty aeronautical charts. There are private individuals and companies producing aeronautical charts for air navigation and an incorrectly produced aeronautical chart could be a serious safety impediment. An accident caused as a result of the technical crew being misled by an aeronautical chart could ground an action for products liability and civil damages. An early case in this regard is Aetna Casualty v. Jeppesen where an aircraft operated by Bonanza Airlines crashed in 1964 while landing in Las Vegas, Nevada. The survivors of the crew, alleging that the crash was caused by a defective approach chart, sued Jeppesenthe manufacturer of the chart. Jeppesen was found to be liable as there was evidence of a flaw in the chart. The flaw was that the graphic depiction of the profile in question which covered a distance of 3 miles from the airport was the same depiction of the plan which covered a distance of 15 miles. The trial judge found this discrepancy one which radically departed from Jeppesens usual standards of graphic depiction which would have misled the pilot in his approach to the airport.





In the 1978 case of Times Mirror Co. v. Sisk where the case concerned the crash of a Pan American Boeing 707 cargo freighter into a mountain located on the approach path to Manila International Airport in the Philippines. the court was faced with the fact that, while the approach path had been approved by the Government of Philippines and the chart used for the approach by the pilot was a standard Jeppesen chart, it had not shown the presence of the mountain. The court had no difficulty in concluding in favour of Jeppesen, on the ground that the pilot had been so off track that the chart could not be considered the proximate cause of the crash.





Aeronautical charts are products that could impugn the manufacturer if they are defective. However, it has to be proved that the manufacturer of the chart had misled the pilot with the information provided in the chart. The 1985 case of Fluor Corp. v. Jeppesen & Co, which was similar in circumstances to the Sisk case, concerned the crash of a Lockheed L-1329 Jet Star on approach near Lake Saranac, New York. The plane hit a mountain which 2,140 ft while attempting to land on a night when it was snowing, and the weather was inclement. The mountain was not shown in the Jeppesen chart. The crash took the lives of all passengers. The plaintiffs sued Jeppesen on breach of warranty, negligence and strict products liability. Jeppesen claimed that the crew were responsible for the accident as they were flying too low in adverse weather conditions. While the trial judge did not instruct the jury on strict products liability, he exonerated the chart-maker on the counts of breach of warranty and negligence.





There was an interesting issue in the Fluor Corp case where, while the trail judge accepted that an aeronautical chart was a product he opined that it did not come under the heading of strict liability as only items whose physical properties rendered them innately dangerous, such as machines and mechanical devices, explosives could be susceptible to actions grounded on strict products liability, The Appeal court judgeJustice Gatesdisagreed, saying that although a sheet of paper might not be dangerous per se, it would be difficult indeed to conceive of a saleable commodity with more inherent lethal potential than an aid to air navigation that, contrary to its on design standards, fails to list the highest land mass immediately surrounding a landing site.





The next issue is the liability of the State which certifies an aircraft with a defective product.





Annex 8 to The Chicago Convention which addresses issues of airworthiness of aircraft provides that the State of manufacture is required to ensure that each aircraft, including parts manufactured by sub-contractors, conforms to the approved design, and that the State taking responsibility for the production of parts manufactured under the design approval has to ensure that the parts conform to the approved design.





In the United States, the Federal Government is a potential defendant in this context and could be liable in negligence. In the 1982 case of Medley v. United States it was alleged on behalf of the plaintiff that the Federal Government had not only created an unsafe flight route but had also perpetuated that destructive error in an aeronautical chart that did not indicate the error. The surviving victims of the crash and the carriers insurers sued the Federal Government for death, personal injury and property damage. It was argued for the Federal Government that the acts of the government in this instance came under the discretionary function exception under the Feral Tort Claims Act. District Judge Aguilar held that the alleged acts of the government are clearly of an operational character and so not within the discretionary function exception to liability. The judge also held that the government had a duty to perform acts with and functions with due care. When this duty is discharged in a negligent manner, the government is guilty of negligence and it cannot escape liability by invoking the discretionary function exception. As there is no discretion to conduct discretionary operations negligently.





Air navigation law hinges itself on the heading of liability. The issue is bifurcated into criminal liability and civil liability. These two areas in turn affect three categories of respondents: the State: the corporate entity and the private individual. With privatization rapidly becoming a prolific tool of the aviation industry, the corporate entities who are responsible for the various industries within the aviation spectrum will be liable under legislation.





The author is former Senior Legal Officer at the International Civil Aviation Organization and is currently Senior Associate, Air Law and Policy at Aviation Strategies International








Scrapping the presidency would solve the problems that the present political leaders face. All of them seem to be in a quandary and weighed down by their personal vendettas and ambitions, and unable to take a decision that is good for the country.





by N.A.DE S. Amaratunga





Presidential system is a burden on the country and its people, and when it is like the present arrangement where the president and the parliament do not see eye to eye, it could be disastrous as being proved now. During the last four and a half years, nothing was done to develop the country as consensus was not possible on any issue, and investors sensing the discord would not take a chance with their money. At present the president is trying to enhance his image and the prime minister his, in view of the elections that hover in the horizon. The two have conflicting interests, and nothing gets done except heaps and heaps of promises. Therefore, the people would be better off without an executive presidency, and the burden of maintaining a more or less useless institution.





Maithripala Sirisena

The recent budget allocation for the president shows the magnitude of this issue. Further, a presidential election would cost about Rs. 500 Million, which this almost bankrupt country can ill afford. Moreover, the parliament is also proving to be ineffective in solving the country's problems as it depends on minority ethnic parties for its existence, and has to dance to their tune forgetting the people's woes. We need a stable government instead of a weak president and a tottering parliament.





There is no guarantee that future elections would bring in a better arrangement. Future elections too could result in a situation such as the present, with the president and prime minister belonging to two rival political parties with opposing national policies. It has happened in the past and may happen in the future. Consequently there will be two heads vying for supremacy and they will be eternally at loggerheads, and the country would slowly decay. This weakness will be exploited by corrupt politicians to make money, minority political parties to demand the moon, separatists to plot for a separate state, and foreign powers to pursue their geopolitical agenda, with the president and the prime minister tripping each other to please these devils.





The argument in support of an executive presidency is that the central control it has on the provincial council system is essential, without which the tendency for secession could be high. We must remember that the presidency came before the provincial councils, and neither made the other compulsory. One problem cannot be solved by another problem as clearly seen. We realize this after a long haul and great expense. Provincial councils are worse than the presidency, both in terms of cost and benefit. Our small economy cannot carry this dead wood any longer. However, an attempt to get rid of both at the same time might jeopardize the whole project and end up in total failure. Until Tamils realize that PCs are an "Anna round the neck" our poor people may have to carry the Tamils burden as well.





Another argument is that the war would not have been won if not for the presidency. On the contrary, a strong government and a determined prime minister would have done the job equally well. We have had presidents before, but none had the determination and the courage to fight to a finish. The preservation of the unitary nature of the state is said to be dependent on an executive president elected by the entire country. On the contrary, a strong parliament with a good majority, and with crossing over of MPs prevented by law, would be able to achieve whatever that an executive president could achieve.





Scrapping the presidency would solve the problems that the present political leaders face. All of them seem to be in a quandary and weighed down by their personal vendettas and ambitions, and unable to take a decision that is good for the country. If none of them take a step backward and all of them enter the fray, a chaotic and uncertain situation could result and the country could get into anarchy. To avoid such a situation all of them could get together and pool their resources to get rid of the inimical presidency, revise the electoral system according to the recommendations of the Dinesh Gunawardena Committee, bring the PCs under the control of the parliament, in the same way that the president has control over them at present, and enact necessary laws to prevent cross-overs by MPs.





Such an action plan would solve the problem of the incumbent president and also those who are vying to get presidential nomination and their supporters, who are waging a battle within their parties to the consternation of all concerned. These battles, if they continue in their present intensity and venom, have the potential to divide these composite parties irreparably, which in effect would be a tremendous loss to the country at large. Abolition of the presidency would also pave the way for an easier merging of fractions of like minded parties and forge stronger alliances to face the common foe. Also, a stronger common front against separatism and foreign interference could be coalesced if the intra-party bone of contention is removed. These parties must realize that their personal differences had not only cleaved their parties, but it had created an opportunity for separatists and foreign powers to exploit the political weakness thus created. And at present the country is in such peril due to the personal weaknesses of our leaders. To pursue with a presidential system, with all its immediate destructive possibilities and its long term cost to the people is to court disaster.





Small political parties may want the presidential system to continue for they fear that an abolition of the presidency would have concomitant electoral reforms, with a change in the present PR system which they think would be disadvantageous to their parties. This is a selfish attitude. If these leaders of small parties cannot win on their own, but has a role to play in the country's politics and governance, the best for them would be to be absorbed into their respective patron parties; instead of holding those parties to ransom and forcing them to follow a policy inimical to the country. After all it is the votes of the patron party that carry them through, their inability to win on their own prove the point.





Abolition of the presidency, changing the electoral system, and enactment of other laws mentioned above would entail a constitutional reform. Time may not be enough to do all that before the declaration of the next presidential election. Yet, it may be possible to postpone the presidential election by a few months to find the time to do what is good for the country and all the present leaders. Let the leaders get together and do themselves a favour.




English08/04/2019

20TH ANNIVERSARY OF BATTLE OF KOSARE ON TUESDAY

BELGRADE, April 8 /SRNA/ - Tuesday marks the 20th anniversary of the Battle of Kosare border post in Kosovo and Metohija which left 108 Serbian soldiers killed in an uneven battle against forces of the terrorist Kosovo Liberation Army /KLA/, the regular Albanian Army and NATOs air support.



The Battle of the Kosare post at the border between the then Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Albania is considered the greatest battle in the recent Serbian history, when a little over 1,000 young Serbian soldiers without enough ammunition defended their homeland from between 5,000 and 6,000 Albanian troops and their aides.



The majority of Serbian forces at Kosare were regular soldiers serving compulsory military service whose average age was 19 or 20, while Serb volunteers from abroad as well as Cossacks also took part in the battle.



According to military experts, defence of the Kosare outpost prevented a ground invasion on Serbia and a break-down in communications between Serbian formations.



The Battle of Kosare officially ended on June 14, 1999 when the Yugoslav Army withdrew from the post in line with the Kumanovo Agreement signed with the NATO-led international peacekeeping Kosovo Force /KFOR/.



Unlike in other parts of Kosovo and Metohija, there were no incidents during the withdrawal. /end/ds
English08/04/2019

BiH EXCLUDED ITSELF FROM PACE ACTIVITIES

SARAJEVO, April 8 /SRNA/ - A former SNSD representative in the BiH House of Representatives Milica Markovic says Bosnia and Herzegovina excluded itself from participating in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe /PACE/ by failing to appoint a delegation to the major European institution.



"This failure to appoint a delegation is a result of the failure to appoint the new Council of Ministers, which is why neither the House of Representatives nor the House of Peoples are in session, Srna learnt from Markovic, who used to be a member of BiH parliamentary delegations to PACE.



She elaborates that appointment of the delegation, which comprises ten members - five permanent and five replacements - is the competence of the Parliamentary Assembly.



"Given that the houses do not hold sessions, no delegation has been appointed and this means that BiH excluded itself from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europes activities in 2019, Markovic warned.



According to her, the delegation is appointed for a four-year term but delegation members receive accreditations for every calendar year usually in January.



"Since BiH is in a post-election stage, a six-month-after-election rule applied to us, meaning that BiH was supposed to notify the Council of Europe of a new delegation ahead of its April session, added Markovic.



As it was not done before April 6 when the deadline expired, Markovic made a conclusion that BiH was definitely not going to take part in PACEs activities until the end of the year.



The House of Representatives and the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly have held their inaugural sessions but their permanent and joint committees have not been formed as the Council of Ministers was not appointed. /end/ds
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An artist's impression of the new hotel.

Windsor Street residents angry with the approval of a new hotel on the site of Stratfords Picturehouse cinema, are calling for more measures to protect their properties and health to be imposed.

late last month a number of residents and businesses met to discuss the issue, expressing fears that work to demolish the cinema and build the hotel could damage their properties, situated yards away from the site.

Worries about potential damage to residents health through noise and dust were also aired.

The group say they are angry that the permission for the 81-bedroom hotel was granted, arguing that a lack of conditions were included in the application to protect residents during construction.

Liz Willetts, who is co-ordinating the groups efforts said: We believe that inadequate information was presented to both Stratford District Council and Stratford Town Council before planning permission was granted, I accept that the developer may not have all the details at hand before a builder is appointed, but there should have been more information.

Responding to residents concerns, Igor Kolodotschko owner of the Picturehouse site explained that the full conditions of the demolition and construction project would be agreed with Stratford District Council at a later date.

He explained that such discussions were normal as methods of construction had yet to be formalised.

A spokesperson for Stratford District Council explained that the developer would have to agree a construction management plan with the authority before work could get underway.

Such a plan would have to provide details of measures to control dust, noise and vibrations.
John Kani. Photo: RSC

South African actor, activist and playwright John Kani (The Island, Sizwe Banzi is Dead, Black Panther) stars alongside fellow South African Tony Sher in his new play Kunene and the King, which is on at the Swan Theatre at the Royal Shakespeare Company until 23rd April. He talks to Gill Sutherland about his life and the play, which marks 25 years since the first post-apartheid elections in his homeland.

Without a doubt John Kani is one of the most heroic and talented people I have ever met. Not only is he a brilliant actor and writer he is a man of tremendous honour  an artistic warrior during the evil apartheid regime in South Africa. In person he is warm and friendly  he chuckles infectiously, chats animatedly and tells the most jaw-dropping stories. Hes the sort of person that makes you feel better about the world having met them. Heres an edited script of our meeting over coffee at the RSC offices

This is your third time at the RSC, how is it to be back?

Its incredible! The first time I was here we did Hamlet [in 2006] and I was playing Claudius and we had a great time. I met lots of great people and we had a discussion about Shakespeare and the impact of Shakespeare in African cultures  or actually the other way round, as African cultures are much older than Shakespeare!

The second time was in 2009 when I was Caliban in The Tempest and Tony [Sher] was Prospero. During a conversation over lunch I said to Tony its been great to work together but I would love to work on something that I have an idea for both of us. Its for two actors: one is sick and one is not, one looks after the other and I never thought or mentioned it again.

Then at the beginning of last year after Black Panther and before doing Lion King [John is the voice of Rafiki], I thought right I need a bit of time to myself and then the idea surfaced again, and I did a first draft of Kunene and the King.

Why did you think nows the time?

Its a genesis  stories live within you as a writer and some of them get overtaken by other stories that want to be told much sooner. Because I weave King Lear through this story of two South Africans, I thought Ill send the draft to Tony [who played Lear at the RSC last year] for his comments. Suddenly the whole thing exploded! We want to do it! said Tony thats how it all began.

So Tony got excited  and cast himself in it!

Yes, he was very enthusiastic! So then I came in June last year to spend time with Tony  and I got to see his final performance of King Lear, which was a great gift that the RSC gave me.

What was your first encounter with Shakespeare?

I grew up around Port Elizabeth and I can remember at my high school in 1959 my teacher saying were going to do Julius Caesar in isiXhosa [the melodic South Africa language known for its distinctive clicks and Johns native tongue]. There was great excitement, I had never read Julius Caesar before, just Romeo and Juliet over and over  as a love story it wasnt considered politically threatening.

Once in a while a brave school would do The Merchant of Venice  the problem with that was the innate racism; the white apartheid government would not want us to interpret that Shakespeare was on our side!

After I finished school I bumped into the English version of Julius Caesar  because I had known the original in my indigenous tongue and I was a bit let down by Shakespeare. He didnt capture the pathos, power and the use of the language of that isiXhosa does. [Here John delivers the O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth speech first in English then in isiXhosa  the latter is ear-poppingly brilliant, and wins the quote-off!]

So when I was writing Kunene, that was what I was trying to capture: my attitude towards this great writer, and who is just like African great storytellers.

How did you get into acting?

I am descended from great storytellers. My grandfather died at 101  he had three wives and could not spell polygamy! So I had Grandma One: she was traditional  who we are and where we are from, we had great kings and kingdoms. Grandma Two was education and religion. Grandma Three was beauty and dignity  she was from the Bonda tribe and so beautiful. They all taught us different things  the storytelling came from these three women in my life.

When did you decide to be an actor?

When I finished school I was preparing to go to university when unfortunately my uncle  who was like my elder brother  was arrested for being a member of the African National Congress Youth League and was sent to Robben Island. My father spent his life savings on his defence.

I wanted to study law at and be a human rights lawyer. I would have been dead by now if I had! Anyway my father came back from the trial and said Im sorry I thought I would work and save money to go to university so I got a job at the Ford Motor Factory, assembling engines sent over from Dagenham in England  I always remember that.

I got involved in community work around Port Elizabeth. Then I met Athol Fugard [the legendary dramatist] in 1965 and joined The Serpent Players. When I met Athol it was the first time I had never met a white man and been introduced on a first-name basis. You were always John, but then it was Master or Mister so and so  but we were John and Athol. I was like OK this is a different white dude It doesnt mean Im not going to kill him if the revolution comes  I will [laughs heartily]. So thats how it began.

With Athol and your long-term writing partner Winston Ntshona [who died last year] you gave underground performances of your political plays to mixed audiences which got you in trouble

It was illegal to have a mixed race audience. We gave performances in private. Then after winning a Tony award in New York, I came back to South Africa in 1975 to do a performance of Sizwe Banzi is Dead [the anti-apartheid play he wrote with Fugard and Ntshona]. We got a little bolder and decided to put the play on in a town hall and 320 white people turned up. We thought uh-oh were in trouble here. We had to make the decision to make it mild and about nothing or are we arrested for telling our truth? Winston and I communicated telepathically and hit it harder that night. As we took our curtain call thats when it happened  the police had been waiting by the exits and moved in. The audience went wild  the white audience were like whats wrong with you, its a play!  but the police pulled out there guns.

Then you were arrested

Yes. Twenty-three days later I was released because of massive demonstrations in London. When I was in solidary confinement on the 14th day a slip of paper appeared under the cell door. I looked at it for two hours before I touched it because I though it was some sort of entrapment. I had the time, dear  I was in solitary confinement! So I spent two hours being excited about what it might be. Slowly I unfolded it and it was an article in a local newspaper  it was Actors in London demand that actors Winston and John Kani are released. I tell you what made me weep in the corner of my eye  I saw Albert Finney, Glenda Jackson, Vanessa Redgrave, Janet Suzman and, wait for it, Robert Morley. I would never thought he would have an iota of political conscience  Im happy for all the others but Robert Morley! I was like oh my God. And for the first time in 15 days I fell asleep that night, because I thought I know they cant kill me now  the world knows they have me. I fell asleep with a smile. Later I found out there were demonstrations everywhere - New York and Paris  and so we were released.

But of course in 1985, after performing Sizwe in South Africa, the authorities did get you

Yes that was something else in my life. I carry 11 stab wounds. I was left for dead  I literally heard them say come on hes dead. [John also lost an eye during the beating.]

During the apartheid years did you envisage the fall of the regime?

Oh yes. Even as a child during primary education we used to sing songs. One thing that our mothers and fathers drummed into us was this is your country: You are Gods child, like the stars, like the wind, even like the white people, and one day the land will be returned to the rightful owners. And your struggle is eternal until it is achieved  the oppressor can hold on as long as he likes but he will fall.

We grew up with that incredible confidence and passion. We were told if you love your country you are a patriot, and if you are a patriot you must be prepared to die  as a combatant it is noble to die for your country.

As teenagers, aged around 18, all you wanted was to be was arrested so you could have that qualification [indicates badge of honour] during the struggle. The very best would be to be sent to Robben Island because that was the university of life and the struggle. And then you would speak to your grandchildren about When I was on Robben Island with Nelson Mandela.

Did your uncle get released from Robben Island?

He came out never spoke a word about those five years. Whenever I did an interview before 1994 he would say to me be careful, those Boers are ruthless  they will break your horns. I had this image of an ox having its horn broken at the root  that is the only clue I have of the torture he went through during his arrest.

And you did go on to meet Mandela?

Yes when he was released in 1990 I was chosen as a cultural activist along with eight others to visit him  along with all the politicians and businessmen. When I walked in to meet him he said Ah the native that caused all the trouble  and he called me that until he died. We called him Tata  my father.

Back to Kunene  what are you hoping to bring out with the play?

When I tell a story Im always fascinated by the individual. I talk to one individual and I say how are you now? Has the country changed? Has your life changed? And if someone is still standing in front of a shack in the Township then they have a different story from the black people that have moved up and enjoyed economic benefits  and they also have a different story from white South Africans who dont even know theres a place called Soweto. Its those stories that fascinated me and I wanted to look at our 25 years of democracy and take a critical look at it. So we see apartheid through the eyes of Jack, a white liberal and his nurse Lunga, who lived under the regime.

Finally, what do you think an audience will get from it?

All I do in my life is hold a mirror up to you, what you see is your problem, deal with it!

Kunene and the King is on at The Swan Theatre until 23rd April. See review in Thursday's Stratford Herald. Book tickets at www.rsc.org.uk
Panasonic has unveiled the latest addition to its PTZ lineup at NAB 2019, the AW-HE42.

The AW-HE42 full HD remote PTZ camera offers a wide range of interfaces including 3G-SDI, HDMI, IP and Genlock. The HE42 features a wide horizontal viewing angle of 65.1 degrees, a 20X optical zoom, and 30X i.Zoom.

Panasonic also revealed further information on its 8K ROI (Region Of Interest) multi-camera system (AK-SHB800GJ), which was introduced at IBC 2018.

Scheduled for release in July 2019, it features a compact, box-type shape and is equipped with an EF lens mount.

Providing a wide-angle 8K image from a single CMOS image sensor, the camera allows up to four different HD videos to be cropped, panned, tilted, and zoomed individually, reducing the cost and complexity from four HD cameras to one.

Sivashankar Kuppusamy, Marketing Manager Broadcast & ProAV EMEA at Panasonic said, Panasonic leads the market in PTZ, so its exciting to be able to demonstrate the latest technological advances in the range at NAB. The AW-HE42 provides the highest quality video, precise control and movement that our customers are demanding for their productions.

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Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Last summer, we discussed the possible fate of one of Princess Elisabeth of Denmarks grandest jewels: the Russian Coronation Brooch that belonged to her great-grandmother, Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna. Now we know where its headed!

Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (Wikimedia Commons)

The brooch, which was made by Faberge, was commissioned by Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia to celebrate their coronation in 1896. The firm constructed the brooch out of gold and set it with 137 diamonds, including two that measured more than 6 carats. Eighteen were made and presented to the grand duchesses attending the festivities. One of them, Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna, was the mother of the Queen Alexandrine of Denmark. Alexandrine inherited the brooch in 1922.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

The brooch was bequeathed by Alexandrine to her son and daughter-in-law, Hereditary Prince Knud and Hereditary Princess Caroline-Mathilde. In turn, they passed the brooch along to their only daughter, Princess Elisabeth. She wore the brooch often at grand gala events in Denmark until her death in 2018. In her will, she bequeathed the important brooch to the Danish Royal Collection, to be housed at the Amalienborg Museum.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

The acquisition was revealed in the royal collections annual report, which was recently shared at the Royal Jewels of the World Message Board. Along with the brooch, she also left other items to the royal collection, including a bracelet decorated with portraits of King Frederik VIII and Queen Lovisa. The report highlights the significance of the brooch  only three of the original eighteen are still known to exist  and its links to the Russian imperial heritage of the Danish royal family. The brooch will reportedly go on display at Amalienborg some time later this year.
Recent news that the used-fashion market is on track on reach a value of $64 billion in the US

Here are some of our best pre-loved finds: However, no one knows the value of a second-hand bargain like The National Students contributors.Here are some of our best pre-loved finds:

Brand new TU ankle boots, 6, Save the Children

Image credit: Caitlin Clark

The best the perfect boot.

Wool blazer, 9, British Heart Foundation

Image credit: Charli Torode

This could easily have cost me ten times this much had I bought it brand newI feel so smug when I wear it!

Bella Freud jumper, 12, eBay

Image credit: Ruby Naldrett

I dont think [the seller] realised how much theyre worth!

Oversized shirt and silk scarf, 15 per kilo, vintage kilo sale

Image credit: Carly McMillan

Vintage kilo sales > Missguided any day.

Checked shirt, 1, charity shop

Image credit: Caitlin Clark

My fave checked shirt!

UNIF trousers, 45, Depop

Image credit: Charity Swales

They dont stock UNIF in the UK and their RRP is over $90!

Vintage denim jacket, 5, French flea market

Image credit: Eve Willis

Ive had it for eight years now and the quality is so much better than anything Ive ever seen in high street shops my fave piece in my wardrobe!

Yellow cable jumper, 4.50, charity shop

Image credit: Caitlin Clark

My latest purchase.

Vintage jacket, $15, American thrift shop

Image credit: Daniella Theis

Faux fur coat, 15, vintage fair

Image credit: Francesca Thompson-Smith

Its literally the cosiest thing ever!

Paisley windbreaker, 18, vintage shop

Image credit: Charli Torode / University of Bristol Fashion Federation

The perfect spring jacket!

M&S polka dot shirt, 2, charity shop

Image credit: Caitlin Clark

Ive worn this so much in the office and at interviews.

Faux leather mini skirt, 4, eBay

Image credit: Charli Torode

My go-to in the winter; I dressed it up for parties with heels and wore it casually with DMs and jumpers.

Strapless maxi dress, 15 per kilo, vitage kilo sale

Image credit: Carly McMillan

Its my pride and joy.

As you can see, the second-hand clothing market is bursting at the seams (no pun intended) with treasures waiting for a new wardrobe to call home; next time youre on the hunt for something, definitely consider checking out your local charity shop or getting online before you buy something brand new. Often, you can get something of much better quality for much less money! Its a win-win situation, really.
The Deputy Ministry of Tourism for Cyprus has commissioned not one, but TWO new exciting pop-up restaurants, displaying the tasty goodness and showing us Brits exactly what Cyprus has to offer.

Image courtesy of Rooster PR

For those of you who haven't tried the squeaky treat, this Cypriot-born delight has a robust and unique texture, which is perfect for grilling or frying. Its unique salty flavour is perfect for fresh summery meals! Halloumi first came to our shores in 2000 and has even since absolutely boomed as a popular ingredient. Whether it be lunches, as a side or for the main role for brunch, us Brits absolutely cannot get enough of it. In fact, we're the world's second biggest halloumi consumers after Cyprus itself.The Deputy Ministry of Tourism for Cyprus says: We are incredibly excited to take our sell-out halloumi pop-up to Liverpool and Edinburgh this April. Halloumi cheese is a huge part of Cypriot culture, and to see it enjoyed so much in the UK is wonderful. We are pleased to yet again present restaurant-goers with exciting new menus that both justify how adaptable our national cheese is." Seems even the big guys are just as excited as we are for the halloumi tour to return.

Image courtesy of Rooster PR

The tour is heading up north to both Liverpool and Edinburgh during April to showcase two new menus, handcrafted and perfected by the head chefs at each restaurant. The dishes include a variety of different flavours, textures and colours to satisfy everyones tastebuds, including ingredients such as duck, egg and asparagus - but dont worry if youre not into the fancier dishes, there are some simpler sides for those who want to savour the cheese in all its glory. And you not only have the chance to sample one meal, but the restaurants are also offering diners an opt-in for a full tasting experience, with the addition of halloumi sharing platters to the menu for only 19 for two. The tour will be at the Otro Restuarant in Edinburgh between Monday 8th April until Sunday 21st April and will be at Liverpools Clockworks restaurant from Thursday 11th April until Sunday 14th April 2019. A perfect day out during the Easter holidays after a stressful term, dont you reckon? Be sure to reserve a place sooner than later, we're absolutely bubbling at the cheees-ance to sample the halloumi-crazy dishes the tour has to offer.

Lead image courtesy of Rooster PR
No one knows how things will turn out for Great Britain in the crisis known as Brexit.

At this writing, Prime Minister Theresa May has submitted three proposals for the nations withdrawal from the European Union (all of which have gone down to defeat) and she is poised to submit a fourth proposal. The irony is that the three proposals already submitted and defeated in Parliament were essentially the same offer.

Prime Minister May has assured an unflattering legacy for herself. Her own Conservative Party is ready to dump her. And the opposition Labour Party, led by Jeremy Corbyn, is hungry for an election. It would take nothing short of a miracle for Prime Minister May to be returned to power.

But Prime Minister May is not the only one to blame in this travesty known as Brexit. Mr. Corbyn shares much of the blame. Like Mrs. May, he feigned his support for Great Britain to remain in Europe during the Brexit campaign in 2016. It was the position of all players in the political establishment. And he is still what is known in Great Britain as a Euro-Skeptic.

Mr. Corbyn showed his true colors after Brexit had passed, resisting calls within his own Labour Party to support a second Brexit vote by the people. He was enjoying the crisis because it was a threat to Prime Minister Mays government. Mr. Corbyn then (only a few weeks ago) stated that he was open to a second popular referendum.

Now he is in negotiations with Prime Minister May to agree on a so-called soft Brexit (which would have Great Britain break from the European Union but remain in the customs union until the end of 2020).

Boris Johnson, who serves as a Conservative member of Parliament and resigned his position months ago as Foreign Secretary in Prime Minister Mays government is another player. Mr. Johnson is a hard-core supporter of breaking with Europe. But in the third proposal submitted by Prime Minister May, Mr. Johnson pledged his support. Why? Because Prime Minister May offered to resign should the proposal be ratified by Parliament. Like Mr. Corbyn, what really matters to Mr. Johnson is to become prime minister, not to do what is best for Great Britain.

Perhaps the worst villain in the Brexit crisis is the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), a Northern Ireland faction which enabled Prime Minister May to form a minority government in 2017. The DUP supports breaking with the European Union. But the DUP (all 10 members led by Arlene Foster), opposed all three of Prime Minister Mays proposals to Parliament because the agreements maintained an open border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The problem is that an open border between the Republic of Ireland and the British-run Northern Ireland is not just part of the provisions of membership in the European Union. It is also called for in the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 (which has fostered peace in Northern Ireland). The DUP can live with an open border in terms of the European Union. But maintaining the open border with the Republic of Ireland in a post-Brexit era would seem too much like giving peace a chance between the Catholics and the Protestants (as the 1998 agreement has delivered).

Great Britain is facing its worst crisis since the outbreak of World War II. And this begs the question looming over the Brexit crisis: What would Churchill do?

On the one hand, Churchill supported the concept of a European Union, but did not want Great Britain to be part of it. His support for a European Union was limited to the continent. But Churchill was also a realist who supported open trade. It is most conceivable that he would have come around to the idea of Great Britain joining the European Union.

Watching Parliament argue over Brexit brings to mind Churchills famous speech to the House of Commons in the wake of the Dunkirk mission in 1940. The great leader declared that future generations would say of Great Britain (along with its empire and Commonwealth) that this was its finest hour.

What will be said about the Brexit crisis is unknown. But you can bet that it wont be Great Britains finest hour.

John ONeill is an Allen Park freelance writer. He has a degree in history from Wayne State University.
The Perspective

Atlanta, Georgia

April 9, 2019

Under Ex-President Ellen Sirleafs regime, the suspicious deaths of two prominent figures, a lawyer and an opposition politician, by drowning in the Atlantic Ocean, stood out. Now in just a little over one year into the new George Weahs regime, it too, is fast gaining a reputation for itself in the wake of sudden deaths of prominent people, via motor accident. And like its predecessor, these car crash victims were engulfed in highly sensitive controversial state matters and slated to face investigation prior to their death. Journalist James Kokulo Fasuekoi, examines circumstances surrounding Rep. Lawrences recent car crash.

The hazardous motor-road situation in Liberia which has reportedly led to countless deaths in recent weeks has hit public crisis level. The latest came just last week, resulting to the tragic death of Montserrado District #15 Rep. Adolph Lawrence, a female, and wounded several passengers when a disabled truck collided with their car. The sad news hit-hard, a nation still divided by war and recovering from the recent death of a senator, Geraldine Doe, who lost a fight with cancer. Mr. Lawrences widow, Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, a senator for Grand Bassa, together with families and friends, have been shattered by grief due to the loss, and are struggling with the painful question, why?

The latest is among scores of such tragic road motor disasters during the past few years along the Roberts International Airport Road, which many refer to as RIA, or Robertsfield Highway, although it doesnt measure to the standard of a modern highway. Monday accident has enraged people in the West African nation and has continued to be noised abroad, with citizens blaming the police and their government and contending the latest mishap plus, many similar past accidents could have been avoided; providing, the Transport Ministry and Liberian National Police authorities had been serious about maintaining safety standards, curbing excessive police bribery (which remains a major impediment), and rigorously enforcing proper traffic laws.

Whatever the case, Senator Nyonblee Lawrence is perhaps, one of the most hardest hit by such tragedy in recent times resulting apparently from what many now view as glaring but outright neglect and failure by two main government institutions to render better services to the masses. For those who may not know, in 2016, Senator Lawrence also lost a son, Cyril Allen Jr. on the same Robertsfield Road. This writer has been informed by a family member that late Allen Jr.s death was also caused by a defective car left abandoned on the main road. And now comes the case with Nyonblees husband, Adolph Lawrence, whose death also was similarly caused by a disabled freight truck on the same route.

Unless those in authority feel numb to present-day realities in Liberia, its completely needless to say this situation has reached a serious crisis level that requires immediate intervention nationally. For now, this question persists: how many more Liberians and international visitors would have to die on Robertsfield highway and other accident-prone roads particularly around Monrovia before the Weah-led Government's attention is claimed by this epidemic?

Tragedy, a huge Loss to Liberia

The accident divvied out a major blow to the government, parliament, and all spheres of Liberian society including the youths. For it took the life of one of the finest and outstanding parliamentarian, described by many as a philanthropist. A big blow because late Lawrence was among a few in kept pressing for fairness and accountability in a society where so many have been compromised in many ways. And finally, the accident shattered lives of a cream of New Generation leaders for Liberia who had celebrated Mr. Lawrences natal day with him in Buchanan and were traveling back to the capital with him when tragedy erupted.



Rep. Lawrence made substantial contributions to the countrys political landscape which shall be recorded in our history for the benefit of other generations to come. He stood up to power thereby, serving the publics interest above all else. He was one determined to seek justice for the dead and voiceless and would have been very much useful in the establishment of a war and economic court that his dear country so yarns.

Perhaps, what seems more adorable about the man, for which so many will miss, is the kind of down-to-earth lifestyle he embraced, according to some who met him; such a humble lifestyle that has become too hard to see in the New Liberia, especially among the new group of bourgeois that runs state affairs, from the executive to the parliament. Sure, Lawrence had to have come from a humble background and with plain heart in order to be with CDC while his darling wife remains a leading stalwart in the rival Liberty Party in such male-dominated society as Liberia, used to silencing or dictating to women.

And I must hasten to add that unlike many new bourgeois of Liberia, Lawrence, was a very hard working man; one said, to have owned wealth before entering the Liberian Parliament. Hence, the action taken earlier by his widow to snub burial funds offered by the CDC led government didnt come as a surprise, especially in wake of the increased political hostilities the deceased faced weeks and days before his death, at the hands of loyalists of the CDC party, the same party he fought so hard to bring to power.

How Power didnt Change Him

In a country that has become consumed in utter selfishness and wickedness, much of what has come to the full glare of public view lately mainly on social media, dubbed by some media experts as citizen journalism, wake of Lawrences untimely demise, one finds it absolutely necessary and prudent to examine some personal testimonies that people who knew Rep. Lawrence are giving about an accomplished life they say he had. The experience seems necessary to share so that others might learn what it take for one to live a humble life as Lawrence did.

Days after the deadly car crash, one of Rep. Lawrences own teenager from his household, Milky Trice Karnga, was among thousands who took to social media and punched in a couple of commentaries regarding the life of their deceased father. He described him to be someone who was just an extraordinary person, so down to earth. He could do anything to make others happy while he be sad. He was just different!!! he said.

Yet, in another post, the teen indicated that the acquisition of political power didnt in any way dictate their fathers life, let alone did power change the way Lawrence treated people even in their home and in the community. This cant be said of many in todays Liberia where title and power matter so much; an example being the recent dismissal of two officials for conferring the highest traditional title, Dakpanah upon another official rather than Pres. Weah.

However, what even struck Milky most is the day he said, they (teens in the home) were about to go and hang out but unfortunately, he stated, all the cars were down, there was only one in the yard and we didnt know he[Lawrence] was getting ready to go out too and wanted to use that particular car.

The boy continued: We went out [to] the front together and he [Lawrence] asked: Oh yall going out and using the car?? Our reply was yes, but well cancel our appointment and you can carry the car. Moreover, youre our father, lawmaker and the owner of the car.

What Rep. Lawrence said next, according Milky, had all the teens shock. He explained that their father told them to use the car and that his own appointment for that day wasnt more important than theirs. Besides, as narrated by the boy, Mr. Lawrence had indicated he was heading to Logan Town, Bushrod Island, which is just about a half-way journey to central Monrovia, where the teens were attending an event.

But thats not all. Milky said, they, boys, [having excused him, Mr. Lawrence], laughed about it thinking that hell just stay home for a while and call one of the drivers to come and pick him up and take the representative to Logan Town. That turned out to be a miscalculation on the teens part as their father caught a bike ride (the most common form of transportation in the Liberia nowadays) to get to his appointment.

But to my utmost surprise while we were in traffic at St. Paul Bridge, we saw him passing on bike and waving at us, Milky said.

In a recent conversation with writer, one of Lawrences in-laws, Mrs. Mary Karnga Dahn, a resident of Jacksonville, Florida, also spoke highly of the deceased, tearfully noting: I say, He [Lawrence] would come to our door soon morning, asking whove got clothes to press? Mrs. Dahn was referencing her stay at the couples Virginia, Liberia home during a 2016 Worldwide Mission Church conference she attended.

Also for Minnesota resident, Martha, who was among delegates from the U.S. that lodged at the couples home during the churchs conference, the loss of Mr. Lawrence seems unbearable. He wont sit and let the housemaids do the work alone, says Martha. He will ask have you eaten breakfast or do you want me fix your breakfast?

And if it was afternoon, she said, Mr. Lawrence would ask Do you want to eat fufu? knowing that shes Bassa and would love fufu which can be produced from cassava.

Another of Rep. Lawrences son, Arsenio Allen who resides in the United States, also described the deceased as a wonderful father and a perfect fit for us and added, We will always love you.

Rep. Adolph Lawrence, no doubt will be missed by so many, including people whom he never met during his lifetime.

Police, Government, to be blamed

Liberia seems one of the places worldwide where local traffic police officers devote much of their day towards extorting money from drivers at the expense of safety rather than enforce traffic laws. Its a habit which continues to compromise traffic safety regulations to the detriment of all who travel those routes in Liberia, particularly, Monrovia area. Despite such reality plus more, authorities like the Police and Transport Ministry have remained indifferent to the plight of the people even in the face of increasing death toll by motor accident. The sour experience has caused public confidence in the LNP to dwindle and also cast a dark cloud over its own image.

Bribery of traffic police, especially in Africa, as weve come to know may never stop till the end of time. However, to often carry out extortion and bribery at the expense of peoples lives, contrary to police duties, can be troubling and incomprehensible; worse, when such corrupt practices reach epidemic proportion which seems the case in Liberia now. Reckless it is that in the Monrovia area, traffic police officers can be seen abandoning their assigned post and joining cargo fleets leaving the Freeport and heading to town to offload goods. This is termed as a special escort and most do so in order to get some tips. Whats so dangerous about it is that goods are transported on forty-foot containers using dilapidated 24-tired cargo trucks across crowded Monrovia, with minimal public safety rules taken by their police escorts.

Another frightening sign is the wicked tendency by operators of commercial car and cargo trucks to abandon their cars in middle of roads or streets, and highways without posting a sign whenever they experience a breakdown. Some do walk away without the use of tree branches to alert oncoming cars. And there have been cases where operators of disabled vehicles left cars occupying the middle of roads or the half, then ran to town to buy gas or spare-parts, find a mechanic who would go and work on vehicle. Repair works are performed on such disabled vehicles in the middle of roads while cars drive around them; all the while, police authorities would cruise by unmoved, and not issue fines.

During a couple of my journeys to Liberia in recent years, I came across such road death traps (as I would call them) and didnt hesitate capturing the scenes on camera as shown in photographs. For instance, a convoy I was riding in got caught up in one such dangerous road hazards in late February 2018, in Liberia, just about the Tower Hill area on RIA Road where Rep. Lawrences car crashed recently. Fortunately, our convoy had a police escort and we were traveling daytime and that afforded us a clear visibility. I was escorting three bishops who were on their way to the United States. They had traveled with me to Liberia on church mission, broke grounds for a new Bible College and also participated in crusades held by Rev. Dr. Christian Dagadus Evangelistic Christian Ministries.

As our convoy approached the Tower Hill area, we spotted a disabled truck (as seen in photos). The area seems a tact spot apparently after a bridge and like every other road and highway in the country, without shoulders. One car ahead of our convoy stopped. But an oncoming blue jeep (from RIA side) stopped right across the road from the big disabled truck, leaving little room for passage. This in itself indicated Liberian drivers might not be getting proper trainings in defensive driving before being licensed or that it could just be a case of recklessness. As it happened, the convoy managed and whizzed by without an incident. In nighttime, it may have perhaps, turned differently.

Returning to Monrovia, the disabled truck was still seen at the same spot. It probably may have remained there for days or even weeks, like in some other instances before being removed but without polices issuance of a warning or citation to owner. What had me astonished is when the police bike rider that earlier led us to the RIA failed to stop to make an inquiry regarding this deadly road trap. For my concern stemmed from the dangers the old truck posed to the general safety of everyone traveling along the RIA route including local officials. Other patrolled police cars traveling the same route were similarly unmoved by this situation. Though it seems normal to locals; its erring to visitors.

But not just cars alone, its quite common to see a heavy yellow crane left the middle of streets in Monrovia despite the abandonment of such equipment on roads in the country may have resulted to alarming human tragedies. In the summer of 2011, for instance, I captured countless images of one such disabled earth-moving machine, said to be owned by Public Works Ministry. It remained at the Tubman Boulevard and GAS Junction in Paynesville for weeks and was positioned right in the middle of the road as depicted in photographs. Nearby shop owners said such act has become normal in Liberia. According to one, Public Works will not remove it till they can find some spared parts before going ahead to do repair work and move it.

And like the RIA death trap as referenced earlier, it perplexed me that not a single traffic warning sign was mounted near the yellow machine-it didnt seem to matter to everyone who drove pass around the heavy equipment day and night-and police troopers too, whizzed by the same way daily and heading to the nearby Police Academy but didnt make a big deal of it.

Now, the question is raised: Could the death of Rep. Lawrence, others, have been easily avoided? The answer unquestionably is resounding yes! And thats if Police and Transport Ministry authorities had taken their work seriously by enforcing proper traffic guidelines which include doing an annual nationwide vehicles inspection exercise which from all indications, could have kept such worthless truck that killed Rep. Lawrence, others, off the highways. And can the police and government be held responsible for those tragedies? Answer again is yes. But whether authorities can use the recent road disaster as rallying point to do better by enforcing traffic laws, as well as expanding the RIA Road, from where foreign visitors get their first impression of Liberia, remains to be seen.

Concluding Comments

In Africa today, most leaders and their overzealous supporters barely careless to adhere to democratic principles once they get in power. For them, democracy cant be treated as a 50-50 basis like the way the West and others practice it. Their political fanatics and sycophants view democracy a one way: Either for or against, as people see happening now in Liberia. It has reached to such dangerous level that a mere criticism of the president and or new dictator, seems worth being paid with ones precious life. As a result, well-known campaigners of free speech and press freedom in the country have been often forced to at time get out for their personal safety.

Frankly, for the war-traumatized population, living in this Negro Republic, which once generously offered asylum to thousands from around the globe, this isnt the type of life they had expected or hoped for. They certainly had looked forward to some optimism; with the ushering in of the new CDC administration, believing such could offer a respite from those nefarious acts under Ellen Johnson Sirleaf where prominent figures like Harry Greaves and Michael Allison mysteriously died by drowning. It seems people were wrong! Needless to cite that the sudden deaths Ballah, Innis, and now Lawrence, are concerning. Further, their deaths occurred while they were about to perform very important tasks for the republic just as Allison and Greaves, a situation that leaves more to desire.

Of course, even more, worrisome in all of the recent car crashes is the way the LNP has managed crimes scenes and witnesses. Yes, the public now know that the CBLs chief driver Kollie Ballah died in Lofa County by accident and luckily, a second rider with him survived. Also CBLs former executive, Matthew Innis is said to have similarly died near his home in a suburb of Monrovia. The case of Rep. Adolph Lawrence happened last week on Tower Hill. Yet, the police have continue to shield all so-called witnesses, including the runaway driver from the truck (which ran into Lawrences) from news media interviews. And then crime scenes were quickly cleared by police in all cases which is also universally unprecedented.

So far, only the police plus individuals they have identified to be eyewitnesses remain the only witnesses. Meanwhile, the mass media have not been able, or allowed to independently interview witnesses police identified for authenticity; though a police officer is reported to have been seen around Monrovia sporting victim Innis car following his alleged accident. If these developments plus many others not cited, arent reasons to cause suspicions, pointing to foul play in those deaths, then I cant tell what else will.

Under the circumstances, the police and government have got more explanation to give, especially, considering Rep. Lawrences persistent quest to press for answers in the death of Matthew Innis alleged to have been caused by a car accident. Unless the police can show convincing proofs and tell why it conducted investigations into accidents in the manner as presented here, it sure shall continue to be dogged by accusations of foul play and sheer negligence in those events.





James Kokulo Fasuekoi is an award-winning journalist, a documentary writer and news photographer who, for a decade, covered civil wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone for the Associated Press. He became a Bush Foundation Scholar twice in 2017. He lives in Minnesota and is also head of the Midwest chapter of the Association of Liberian Journalists in the Americas.




The Perspective

Atlanta, Georgia

April 9, 2019

Xenophobic violence has resurfaced once again in South Africa, in a cycle that is now being fueled by politicians ramping up anti-immigrant rhetoric in a country where foreigners are easy targets.

The wave of attacks on foreign-owned shops in some (South African) townships raises uncomfortable questions about xenophobia in South Africa. These unfortunate episodes raised certain questions that one must ask: To what extent can South Africa's inconsistent immigration policy be blamed for xenophobia? Do foreigners really 'steal' South African jobs? Do foreign-owned small businesses have an unfair advantage over those owned by South Africans? Are other African nationals residing in South Africa being targeted for reasons that have nothing to do with the economic disparities presently prevailing in the country? Are the present killings of fellow Africans, Nigerians in particular, an attempt by unknown forces to create tension between the citizens of Nigeria and South Africa, thereby undermining their social-economic and political cooperation on the continent?



Scenery: Attacks on foreigners in South African

Nigerians as a people and as a nation have done well when one talks of African Liberation. Over the years, Nigerians committed their resources in support of other African nations who were endeavoring in the 1960s and the 1970s, to free their respective countries from the yoke of European colonial rule. The South the African National Congress (ANC), in particular, was one of the major recipients of Nigerian generosity.

Nigeria's commitment to Africa's liberation was pursued most actively after Murtala Muhammad successfully backed the Movements Popular de Libertacao de Angola's ascent to power in Angola in 1975, by providing the swing vote in the OAU decision to recognize the MPLA. Nigeria had played a role in the independence of Zimbabwe and in the late 1980s, was active in assisting Namibia to achieve Namibian independence. In the latter years, Nigeria contributed about US$20 million to assist the South West Africa People's Organization in the 1989 elections and other preparations for Namibian independence. (Abegunrin).

Nigeria also contributed financially to liberation movements in South Africa and to the front line states of Zambia, Tanzania, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe, which were constantly harassed by South Africa. Although Nigeria's armed forces were among the largest in black Africa in the early 1990s, sizable military might has rarely been used in foreign policy (see Local and Bilateral Issues; African and Regional Issues, ch. 5). The army participated in peacekeeping forces, either alone or through the OAU and contributed personnel to United Nations peacekeeping missions. In line with its ECOWAS commitment, Nigeria was one of the main contributors of troops to the ECOWAS Cease-fire Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) sent to Liberia August 23, 1990, after the peace talks there failed. Additional forces were sent in late September 1990 under a Nigerian field commander, General Doganyaro (Kluwer Law International).

In addition, Nigeria gave aid and technical assistance to several African states, often through the African Development Bank of which it was a major benefactor. In 1987 a Technical Aid Corps, operating along the lines of the United States Peace Corps, was established. Under it, young Nigerian professionals served in other African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries where their expertise was needed. Nigeria also provided scholarships and fellowships, training facilities, grants, equipment, and medical supplies, and subsidized oil during the 1970s' oil crisis to African countries under certain conditions (Helen Chapin Metz,)

In July 1974, the Gowon government decided to sell crude oil at concessionary rates to African countries on condition that they had their own refineries and would not re-export to third countries. The decision came despite Nigeria's role as an Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) member generally in favor of higher prices and after more than two years of deliberations. Nigeria acted largely in response to external pressures.

International actors attempted to divide Third World countries into OPEC members and non-oil producers; various African countries, especially Liberia, begged for less expensive oil; and both the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries had established programs to aid poor countries while encouraging other oil producers, especially African nations, to follow suit. Providing subsidies for African countries was a safe move for Nigeria because Africa comprised only a small portion of the country's total oil export market, it enhanced Nigeria's position and influence in Africa while building African solidarity, and it protected security interests by preventing economic decline. (Helen Chapin Metz).

Moreover, this example of generosity aided Nigeria in its efforts to create ECOWAS. In November 1990, Babangida suggested that Nigeria might again offer concessionary prices to other African countries as the Middle East crises pushed oil prices upward."

Conclusion:

It is shameful and disgraceful for any African Nation to discriminate against other Africans, irrespective of their nationality, considering the unfortunate history of the African continent. All over the world, from China to the Americas, Europe, Africans are discriminated daily, due to their skin color. The attacks against other Africans, especially Nigerian own businesses in South Africa, have been going on now for sometimes and it is about time these acts of violence come to an end. The Government of South Africa, without doubt, has the capacity and the resolve to identify and root out those responsible for fostering xenophobic activities in the country. These violent attacks have the propensity to undermine the goals and objectives of the African Union.



However, on April 5, 2019, it was reported that in response to the follow-up meeting between the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Lindiwe Sisulu and the Minister of Police Bheki Cele with Heads of the Diplomatic Missions represented in South Africa to find a lasting solution to xenophobic attacks in the country, Shenilla Mohamed, Executive Director of Amnesty International South Africa, said: Longstanding criminal justice failures and populist rhetoric are some of the reasons behind the latest round of xenophobic violence against refugees, migrants and asylum seekers in South Africa. (https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/04/south-africa-authorities-must-tackle-longstanding-impunity-to-end-xenophobia/)



Perhaps, there is a need for the African Union (AU) to draft or revisit its policies, especially those relevant to the promotion of basic human rights and the safety of other Africans who reside in other African countries. Xenophobia, unfortunately, is becoming a prominent aspect of life in Africa. From Kenya to the Maghreb and across Southern Africa, discrimination against non-nationals, particularly fellow Africans, has been on the rise according to international media reports (Crush, 2008).

The South African Government, it is hoped, will endeavor to stop and put to an end the various "xenophobic attacks and violence against fellow Africans residing in South Africa. Let us, as Africans, reflect on the words of the African Union Anthem. Let the words be reflected in our thinking and in our actions.

Long Live African Unity!!

About The Author : Mr. Edmund Zar-Zar Bargblor is an Educator, Author and a retired Mathematician from the Rhode Island School System. He is member of the late TARTY TEHS Social, Political and Economic Rights Activists that is Committed and Dedicated in keeping TEHS legacy and memory ALIVE through Writing and Telling the Stories of Edmund Zar-Zar Bargblor African people. Mr. Edmund Zar-Zar Bargblor is an Educator, Author and a retired Mathematician from the Rhode Island School System. He is member of the lateSocial, Political and Economic Rights Activists that is Committed and Dedicated in keepinglegacy and memory ALIVE through Writing and Telling the Stories ofAfrican people.

One may want to know who this TEH is! Bloju TARTY TEH is the late Liberian Literary Genius, Writer, Storyteller, Human, Civil and Constitutional Rights Activist who hails from the village of Pallipo, River Gee County, Liberia (1946-2012).

Mr. Bargblor is on Twitter and is one of the administrators of The African Intellectual Forum on Facebook. He can be contacted at: edmundbargblor@gmail.com &https://www.facebook.com/groups/Africanintellectualforum/)




Montreal, CA (H4T1V6)

Today

Mostly cloudy with snow developing during the afternoon. High near 2C. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 100%. About one inch of snow expected..

Tonight

Cloudy. Some light rain is likely. Low 1C. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%.


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The writer is a former city councilor in Attleboro.

Editors note: The hunting ordinance is expected to be voted out of city council committee tonight and voted on by the full council next Tuesday.
MANZINI  Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned! Bongiwe Ziyane, 41, from Timbutini was arrested on Sunday and charged with breaching the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence (SODV) Act.



This was after she allegedly lost her cool and scalded her husband, Majaheni Ziyane, with boiling water on his back.

According to the charge sheet, Bongiwe, who is a subject of Chief Mgebiseni, did not only scald her husband with the boiling water but she further hit him with a kettle on his head several times.



This resulted in Majaheni sustaining injuries to the head as well.



intentionally



The said accused did wrongfully and intentionally assault one Majaheni Ziyane by scalding him with boiling water on the back of the body; and further, hit him with a kettle several times on the head with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm, thus committed the said offence, reads the charge sheet.



When she appeared at the Manzini Magistrates Court yesterday, Bongiwe was denied bail and remanded in custody at Mawelawela Womens Correctional Facility. She will appear at the magistrates court again on April 16, 2019.



This is because Majaheni is still under medical care as he was recuperating in hospital.

On the other hand, it is said after allegedly scalding her husband with the boiling water, Bongiwe phoned the police.



anger



Meanwhile, this is not the first incident wherein, in a fit of anger and alleged self-defence, a woman scalded her husband with boiling water.

Phumaphi Agnes Sacolo (49) of Sankolweni had alleged that her businessman husband, Patrick Sacolo, had always abused her, both physically and emotionally.

She alleged that the abuse started in 2012 when they both started a forestry business in Piggs Peak.



Phumaphi alleged that in 2015, while she was at her home at Sigombeni, her husband returned home and assaulted her for failing to attend a church service. She alleged that the businessman poured some holy water on her.



strangled



He then strangled me and threw me to the ground, assaulting me in the process while our children watched. I sustained injuries to my eye and knee and had to be attended to in hospital.



When the recent incident occurred, my husband had returned from church and sent the house helper to call me in my bedroom as he wanted us to talk.

I told the helper to inform him that we would talk in the morning, Phumaphi alleged.



The incident happened on May 17, 2017. She alleged that Patrick came to her bedroom door and knocked as it was locked. She also alleged that Patrick got angry as she was refusing to open the door and started kicking it, breaking it into half.

I did not know what he was carrying.

However, I knew that if he gained entry, he would kill me as he had always been violent.

Since I had been boiling water, preparing to bath, I spontaneously took the kettle and emptied it on my husband, Phumaphi said.

handed

After the incident, Phumaphi handed herself over to the police after calling the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) toll-free line 999. I was arrested by the Manzini police after I had spent the night at a community police members house.

My husband was aggressive and violent towards me, I was defending myself on the day as I knew he wanted to assault me. He had threatened to kill me several times, she alleged.
MBABANE  I was also his lawfully wedded wife.A woman of Bhunya has emerged to claim that she was also the lawful wife of the late top detective Solomon Mavuso.



During his lifetime, Mavuso was known to be married to one woman, Phumzile Dlamini, who is employed by Shoprite Supermarket in Mbabane.

His obituary also reflected that he was married to Phumzile.



The crack detective died at the age of 49 after succumbing to heart and kidney-related illnesses.

Nana Tsabedze, who claims to have been Mavusos rightful wife, has since taken Phumzile to court.



compel



She wants the court to compel the respondent (Phumzile) to release a copy of Mavusos death certificate, copy of his national identity card and a copy of her (Phumzile) marriage certificate to Mavuso.



In her application, Tsabedze submitted that on November 21, 2010, she got married to the late Mavuso, through Swazi Law and Custom.

According to the applicant (Tsabedze), two children were born out of the union between her and Mavuso.



During the lifetime of my late husband, he supported me and his children and I was introduced to his whole family. Upon his death, his brothers were siding with Phumzile; that is to say, they were alleging that I am not a wife to their deceased brother, submitted Tsabedze.



She asserted that in or about the month of August 2015, together with the late Mavuso, they started the process of obtaining a marriage certificate.

Tsabedze claimed that the process was almost finished at the time Mavuso met his death.



requested



Upon his death, I requested that I be furnished with a copy of my late husbands national identity card, the death certificate and a copy of her (Phumzile) marriage certificate to our late husband, alleged the applicant.



She narrated that in or about the month of February 2019, they (Phumzile and Tsabedze) and Mavusos brothers approached the Mbabane Magistrates Court for a peace- binding. Tsabedze explained that the purpose of the peace-binding was to try and find amicable ways in which her children could be assisted as most of the documents relating to their late father were not in her possession at the time of his death.



She claimed that all the documents were with Phumzile.

Tsabedze said the court had instructed that she be given the necessary documents to enable her children to also benefit from their late fathers estate.

Phumzile, according to the applicant, pretended as if all the requirements were to be handed over to her (applicant).

She alleged that those documents had not been handed over to her.



I have started the process of claiming for my children and at the SNPF, I have been advised to get a marriage certificate, which will be used to show that I was legally married to the late Solomon Sipho Mavuso, averred Tsabedze.



veracity



These are allegations contained in an affidavit whose veracity is still to be tested in court and Phumzile is yet to file her papers.

Tsabedze went on to tell the court that on March 24, 2019, she received a call from the Mbabane Police Station, wherein she was advised to avail herself for the collection of certain documents, which had her name and that of the late Mavuso.



Tsabedze said she availed herself and she was allegedly given an original copy of the application for a marriage certificate.
MBABANE  Asati lutfo! (We are clueless!) These were the words of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Thuli Dladla. This was in relation to the allegations published by South African weekend publication, The Sunday Times, wherein, it alleged that millions belonging to assassinated Libyan President, Muammar Gaddafis missing E422 million (US$30m) were in the country.



The minister said her ministry was clueless on these allegations and in a communique with the South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Lindiwe Sisulu, what was published was not part of it.



In the communique, we did not address what was published in that publication; anyway, their minister (Sisulu) responded well to the allegations, she said.

Dladla referred further questions to the Government Press Secretary, Percy Simelane  who in yesterdays publication said: We have elected to wait until this newspaper publishes evidence.



Simelane was quoted as having said it was that evidence that would make the story credible to the country.



Waiting



He said former President Zuma was still waiting for evidence to be published by The Sunday Times, relating to a previous article that insinuated that he (Zuma) bought a mansion in Dubai.

Evidence has not been coming since last year after the publication claimed he owned a house there. We therefore need to be cautious.



Meanwhile, following the publication of the article by The Sunday Times, a number of publications have picked it up. Talk show radio, 702, hosted Qaanitah Hunter, a political journalist from The Sunday Times relating to the allegations that former South African President, Zuma had moved the millions belonging to the deceased former Libyan leader to hide them in the country.



The Sunday Times reported that Libyan military authorities had asked President Cyril Ramaphosa to help recover the stash of cash, estimated to be about E442m, belonging to Gaddafi, that was now believed to be in Eswatini though no official confirmation has come forth.

Gaddafi died while being chased by rebels in Tripoli in October 2011.



The Sunday Times was unable to get a comment from Zumas spokesperson, Vukile Mathabela. Ramaphosas spokesperson, Khusela Diko, confirmed that the president had travelled to Eswatini last month but would not confirm what transpired at that meeting with the countrys authorities or at the subsequent meeting at the airport.



Recover



According to the circulating publications, President Ramaphosa was asked to help recover the millions of dollars belonging to the late Gaddafi, which government sources alleged was hidden at former president Zumas Nkandla residence before being secretly moved to Eswatini, earlier this year.
LOBAMBA  It was an explosive start to the PAC as Clerk to Parliament Ndvuna Dlamini yesterday sang like a canary as he accused presiding officers of abusing government vehicles.



Dlamini further said some of the presiding officers did not have any respect for him as they would tell him point black to not only shut up, but that he was not their boss and they were not answerable to him.



Basically, Dlamini claimed that he was being bullied by some of those in charge of Parliament.

Dlamini made these shocking allegations yesterday morning during the first annual sitting of the 11th Parliaments, Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which is chaired by Matsanjeni North MP Phila Buthelezi.



Comfortable



At one point, Dlamini asked that he would be more comfortable to divulge the information in a caucus form, but MP Buthelezi said the PAC platform was the proper platform where Dlamini should speak the truth, without fear or favour.



Although Dlamini did not mention names, it is common knowledge that the previous presiding officers were former Speaker Themba Msibi, and former Senate President Gelane Zwane, who, however, did not finish her term and former Deputy President Ngomuyayona Gamedze acted on her behalf.

However, the clerk also mentioned that he was being faced with similar challenges with one current presiding officer.



The 11th Parliament Presiding Officers are Senate President Lindiwe Dlamini and Speaker in the House of Assembly Petros Mavimbela.

Dlamini further stated that one of the presiding officers was also being wasteful in communication charges or telephone use.



He said already, there was a presiding officer who was abusing some of the vehicles and therefore he needed the assistance of the PAC to bring that officer to order.



The matter came to the fore after the auditor general had observed in the report ended during the Financial Year March 31, 2017 that Parliament had an overexpenditure of E321 880.25 under the Central Transport Administration (CTA) vehicle charges. Parliament had initially been given a budget of E1 270 727, but used a total of E1 592 607.



This, according to the AG, was done without the proper authorisation from Parliament.

In his initial response, Dlamini said he would have loved to discuss the concerns in private, because Parliament played the oversight role over the Executive and it was improper for it to also be cited under the AGs report.
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The GCCs FinTech sector, supported by an evolving regulatory environment and government-led initiatives, will play a crucial role in driving innovation in the regions business landscape, said accountancy and finance body ICAEW.



ICAEWs Corporate Finance Faculty roundtable was recently held at the Capital Club in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), in association with award-winning data room provider Drooms.



Following an introduction by Andrew Tarbuck, partner and head of Equity Capital Markets, Al Tamimi, panellists and invited guests discussed how innovative financial technology is being adopted by the GCC business landscape and the development of a regulatory framework around it.



Panellists agreed that cutting edge technologies are emerging at a fast pace in the GCC, ramping up accessibility to financial services as businesses look for ways to embrace digital transformation and become more efficient.



Alexandre Grellier, CEO at award-winning data room provider Drooms, said: Transformative technologies present the world of business a massive opportunity to increase efficiencies in compliance and across their whole business model. From a technology provider point of view artificial intelligence, machine learning, and analytics have reduced the time taken for due diligence and accelerated the screening process of deals.



Our virtual data rooms, with integrated machine learning software, assist firms on a daily basis to massively boost the efficiency of their due diligence. For the practical improvement of due diligence processes in the Middle East, we have included Arabic to English document translation to the tool. Technological innovation will most certainly continue to disrupt the financial services industry, revolutionising systems and processes, and remaining a major driver for deal-making, Grellier added.



Speakers agreed that it is normal for technology to arrive faster than regulation and those GCC governments have proven their commitment to developing sound regulation as fast as they can, while not stifling innovation potential. Speakers emphasised that the regulatory ecosystem is still a work in progress, but there is willingness on the regulatory side to adapt to new business models and to the pace of startups.



Panellists agreed that regulatory sandboxes developed by governments across the GCC have contributed greatly to the acceleration of the development of FinTech in the region. Regulatory sandboxes have now been set-up by the DIFC, Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), Bahrain Central Bank, and the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA), allowing governments to test and adopt innovative FinTech products and services while developing regulation that keeps up with the fast pace of innovation.



DIFCs regulatory sandbox run by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), allows firms to apply for a financial services licence referred to as an Innovation Testing Licence (ITL). Sarwa, an online financial robo-advisory platform that offers low-cost investment solutions, is the first firm to be granted an ITL. The business has brought an exciting financial solution to society as it aims to democratize investing in the region.



Panellists applauded the various pro-FinTech government initiatives that are driving innovation across the GCC. Among them are FinTech Hive - the region's first and biggest FinTech accelerator and hub at DIFC; Bahrains FinTech Bay; Fintech Saudi; and the Emirates Blockchain Strategy, which supports the UAE's plans to become a world leader in adopting the technology.



Michael Armstrong, FCA and ICAEW regional director for the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA), said: As GCC nations embrace the opportunities presented by FinTech, the emerging sector will play a crucial role in the development of the regions future financial landscape.



These advanced technologies are helping to make financial markets more efficient and make financial services more accessible to society. They have the potential to improve the lives of many. The willingness and initiative showed by GCC governments to support and develop the regions dynamic FinTech ecosystem will continue to drive innovation and enable growth opportunities for many sectors across the economy.



The event was attended by more than 80 ICAEW members and senior business representatives from the major global and regional financial organisations.  TradeArabia News Service
More than 500 leading professionals and industry stakeholders are in Dubai to take part in the 5th Annual RetrofitTech Mena Summit being hosted by Etihad Energy Service Company (Etihad Esco).



The two-day event, which kicked off today (April 9) at Le Meridien Hotel and Conference Centre, is being hosted in co-ordination with Taqati, the dedicated programme management office for the Dubai Demand Side Management (DSM) strategy.



The summit will see participation from leading government departments from the UAE and the region, Escos and private sector companies that are investing in retrofit projects.



Bringing together top industry professionals and stakeholders to exchange ideas, network and gain new insights, the 5th edition of the summit will draw attention to the latest technologies that are being used in the UAE, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait and other countries to achieve energy and water efficiency savings.



Moreover, the forum will also review the progress of programmes that have been implemented in the region and will provide an update on recent retrofitting strategies adopted by the Middle East and North Africa region, said the statement from Etihad Esco.



The Emirati firm will join Taqati for a panel discussion titled Choosing the right path to energy efficiency: (Energy Optimisation, retrofitting and Renewables (Solar).



CEO Ali Al Jassim said: "As the regions retrofit market continues to grow, joint efforts through the sharing of knowledge, expertise and experiences are also becoming more and more important to sustain and drive this growth."



"This is what the Dubai Summit aims to achieve by bringing together more than 500 industry stakeholders together. I am confident that the forum will generate positive outcomes through discussions on some highly relevant topics that will help understand the current trends and define roadmap for the future," stated Al Jassim.



As part of the 2019 edition of the Summit, energy efficiency management services companies and solution providers will be showcasing their innovative technologies and products, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Conqueror Freight Network, the largest independent freight forwarders network in the world, recently brought together more than 120 attendees representing over 50 countries to discuss latest challenges and solutions in the sector at an annual meeting in Phuket, Thailand.



The meeting offered plenty of networking opportunities with the scheduled one-to-one meetings of the members together with all the unofficial business discussions held in course of the cocktail party, lunch, dinner and coffee breaks, said a statement.



At the meeting members were given a personal demonstration of the FreightViewer - a new freight rate management software created to provide instant online door to door quotations 24/7, it said.



Antonio Torres, president and founder of Conqueror Freight Network, said: The meeting gave our members a chance to meet each other, promote their business and discuss matters face to face which is undoubtedly much more productive and congenial than months of discussions over video calls or emails.



It was indeed great to be back at Phuket- the place where we started off our very first annual conference back in 2012, he said.



Additionally, the technological challenges faced by independent forwarders and the issues related to the logistics industry were addressed in course of the 2 and a half days of the meeting, it added.  TradeArabia News Service
Top international artists including Vasilis and Stavroula Michalopoulou from Greece, Nora Al Gahtani from Saudi Arabia and Haider Al Shaibani from Iraq, will be showcasing their works at On the Wall 2019, a dedicated event to promote Bahrain Artists to a wider audience which is being held as part of this year's Interiors Expo.



The biggest integrated business-to-business showcase for the interiors sector in the Northern Gulf region, Interiors Expo 2019 will be held under the patronage of HRH Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain from April 23 to 25 at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre, said the event organisers Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions (HCE).



"Bahrains fledgling art show is gaining acclaim in the artworld in only its second edition," remarked the events curator Ali Shafiq of Bahrain Art Gallery.



The On the Wall 2 will feature paintings, sculptures, photography, art installations and calligraphy from leading international Artists.



HCE Managing Director Jubran Abdulrahman said: "We have created a home for On the Wall within our Interiors Expo, which runs alongside the Gulf Property Show and Gulf Construction Expo to provide the visitors an insight of the creative talents in Bahrain and Internationally; because for all of us the On the Wall" is a concept to promote the medium of art as collectible and desirable across the whole community."



Aprat from Vasilis and Stavroula and Al Gahtani, the other global artists on view at the On the Wall gallery include Haider Al Shaibani from Iraq, Abdul Razak Hamouda from Switzerland, Alaa al Rayan from Jordan and Mon Chouk from Tunis.



"The On The Wall event not only showcases these and leading Bahraini artists but will also feature a number of workshops, live painting classes and tutorials from artists. These classes will be live streamed for the first time in Bahrain," stated Abdulrahman.



"Bahrain Art Gallery is committed to encourage the development of the creative artist talents of Bahrain. On the Wall 2 is our not-for profit contribution to delivering on our aim, noted Shafiq.



"As curators we have been reliant on the support of two of Bahrains leading lights of the art world, Abbas Al Mosawi and Mahdi Jallawi who have acted voluntarily as brand Ambassadors for On the Wall," he stated.



"Our gallery, which is located on Exhibition Road, has now expanded its network to Bahrains City Centre with a new outlet," he added.



A major industry event in the Northern Gulf region, Interiors Expo is strategically sponsored by Hempel Paints and Tamkeen.-TradeArabia News Service
Scottish-headquartered German Doner Kebab (GDK) has announced plans to expand into Saudi Arabia.



The gourmet doner kebab chain has signed-up The Ajlan Company as the master franchisee for the oil-rich kingdom.



The Ajlan Company are one of the richest groups in Saudi Arabia and have worked with some of the biggest brands in the world in growing their presence in the Middle East.



Plans are now in place to open 100 outlets over the next 10 years, with the first store scheduled to open its doors in Riyadh by August this year.



The expansion into Saudi Arabia further strengthens German Doner Kebabs presence in the Middle East, where it already has 19 stores across UAE, Bahrain, and Oman. GDK also has stores in the UK and Sweden.



German Doner Kebab is part of the Hero Brands fast-food portfolio and is owned by the Glasgow-based Sarwar family.



Global CEO Imran Sayeed said: We are very excited to be announcing our ambitions for Saudi Arabia as our growth plans for the Middle East gather further momentum.



Our idea of bringing a gourmet kebab that is healthy and nutritionally balanced has truly resonated with consumers in the region, disrupting and opening up a new area of the fast-food market place."



We are very much looking forward to our first opening in the middle part of this year and working with them to relentlessly expand the German Doner Kebab footprint over the next decade, he said.



A spokesperson from the Ajlan Company said: We very much welcome the growth of German Doner Kebab and we are excited to bring this brand into Saudi Arabia and beyond. We have ambitious growth plans for the restaurant chain and are glad to be working with the Hero Brands team to achieve this.



The Ajlan Company has interests in retail, manufacturing, real estate, tourism and transport.



German Doner Kebab will join some of the world's most iconic brands in Ajlan's Saudi portfolio, in developing their growth plan across the Middle East and beyond. - TradeArabia News Service
The second edition of TechExpo, organised by Expertise Contracting Company, a leading industrial service provider in Saudi Arabia, will be held at the companys corporate office in Jubail on April 24 and will be bigger than the previous edition last year.

Expertise is expecting the presence of more than 500 personnel from the petrochemical, oil and gas, steel, drilling, EPC, cement under one roof as it showcases cutting-edge technological advancements made by companies all over the world.

The show will also be an eye-opener on how Expertise is bringing in international technologies for better and enhanced industrialisation of the kingdom.

Saudi majors including Saudi Aramco, Sabic, Tasnee, Sahara, Sasref and PetroRabigh have been invited to attend this expo and Expertise is expecting major end-users of Saudi Arabia from the Eastern, Central and Western Provinces to attend the event.

TechExpo this time will see companies from the segments of engineering, operations and maintenance, process equipment, static equipment manufacture and decontamination taking part.

Last years TechExpo was one of the biggest and most successful events held by an industrial service provider contractor based in Jubail Industrial City.

Expertise had invited overseas exhibitors/participants to the event where it showcased its three latest technologies which would help to optimise and lend more efficiency in the field of plant maintenances and turnaround services. On show were the Conco Technology, the Convection Coil Technology and the Laser Technology.

Expertise believes that it is changing the world with technology. The most important agenda last year was to promote more efficiency in plant maintenance and turnaround services, which would result in less cost, less time, more efficiency, eco-friendliness and easy to handle issues. 333 guests had attended the show last year. -- Tradearabia News Service
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is making strides against its expansion strategy in Russia, CIS and Georgia, as it opened three new hotels in recent weeks with a further five set to open over the coming months.



These openings illustrate IHGs commitment to growth in the region, with a further 18 hotels in the development pipeline.



So far in 2019, IHG has opened Crowne Plaza Ufa  Congress Hotel and Holiday Inn Express Moscow, as well as entering the Armenian market with Holiday Inn Express Yerevan in February. This momentum is set to continue throughout the year and a new Crowne Plaza has been signed in Krasnodar, set to convert and open later this year. This new signing joins Holiday Inn Perm, Crowne Plaza Moscow - Park Huaming, Holiday Inn Aktau-Seaside (Kazakhstan) and Holiday Inn Telavi in Georgia, which are all set to open their doors in 2019.



The region at large is showing a strong appetite for branded properties.



Aron Libinson, vice president operations and development, Russia, CIS and Georgia, IHG, commented: We are seeing strong growth in Russia, CIS and Georgia, as we successfully implement our strategy. Growth in the region has been fuelled by a number of factors, including an increase in domestic travel, growth in tourism from visa-free countries and demand from European travellers who are attracted by new travel experiences and lower costs. Our outlook for Russia, CIS and Georgia is long-term. We have expanded our local office in Moscow and are acting to ensure we provide options from across our brand portfolio to meet the demand from a range of consumer needs  whether it is business or leisure travel.



IHG currently has 33 hotels operating under six brands in Russia, CIS and Georgia, including InterContinental Hotels and Resorts, Hotel Indigo, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, and Staybridge Suites. - TradeArabia News Service
The number of Qatari nationals visiting Turkey in the first two months of 2019 reached 11,748, according to the latest data released by the Turkish Consulate General Cultural and Tourism Office in Dubai.



However, this is a fraction of the total number of visitors from Qatar, when expatriate residents are included.



Turkey is one of the largest outbound tourism markets for people living in the Gulf countries. In February 2019, around 1.67 million international tourists visited Turkey, which is 9.38 per cent more compared to the same period in 2018.



In 2018, the number of Qatari national visitors to Turkey nearly doubled to 96,327 in 2018, up from 48,764 in 2017.



Tourist flow from GCC to Turkey continues to rise, due to a number of factors that include increased number of attractions and relaxation in the visa formalities.



Tourism revenues increased 12.3 per cent reaching $29.5 billion in 2018, in comparison with $26.2 billion the revenues collected in 2017.



Official data revealed that 81.8 per cent of the income came from foreign visitors and 18.2 per cent from Turkish citizens living abroad.



Salih Ozer, attache of Culture and Information, Turkey said, Tourist flow from the GCC countries to Turkey continues to grow and I am happy to see the growth trend continues this year, despite headwinds in the global economy."



Turkey and the Gulf countries share centuries-old social, cultural and economic ties. The repeated visits of the friendly visitors from the GCC countries help fuel the growth of our economy, he said.



Turkey welcomed just over 46 million visitors in 2018, including 39.49 million foreigners and 6.62 million Turkish citizens from abroad.



Nearly six million foreigners coming to Turkey in 2018 were from Russia -- an increase of 26.49 per cent compared with 2017 -- and 4.5 million visitors were from Germany, up by 25.88 per cent from the previous year, according to the ministry's statement. - TradeArabia News Service


The UN office in Ashgabat hosted a briefing for the mass media on the upcoming WHO European High-level Conference on Non-communicable Diseases titled Prevention and Management of Non-communicable Diseases. The briefing brought together the staff of the WHO office in Turkmenistan, representatives of the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan and international experts.

It was noted that the WHO European High-level Conference would discuss issues relating to the conversion of commitments made under the Political Declaration of the third United Nations High-level Meeting on NCDs into actions at the country level. The briefing participants were presented with an overview of the situation in the world regarding the spread and prevention of non-communicable diseases and Turkmenistans achievements in this area.

According to experts, Turkmenistans positive experience in combating non-communicable diseases (NCDs) can be applied in all countries of the European region and, as such, it will be of great importance in strengthening international cooperation.

 TURKMENISTAN.RU, 2021
In addition to the fact that limousine travel is very glamorous, it is also the most comfortable trip you can...
UW AHCs Simpson Institute Partners with LCCC to Host Economic Discussion

The University of Wyoming American Heritage Centers (AHC) Simpson Institute for Western Politics is partnering with Laramie County Community College (LCCC) in Cheyenne to host a moderated discussion, Breaking the Boom and Bust Cycle in Wyoming: Viewpoints from Southeast Wyoming, Thursday, April 18.

The event, which is free and open to the public, is set for 6:30 p.m. in the Clay Pathfinder Building on the LCCC Cheyenne campus. For more information about the LCCC campus and directions, visit http://lccc.wy.edu/about/maps/.

The discussion will be moderated by former state representative and UW administrator/instructor Pete Simpson. It will focus on Wyomings vision for the future from a socio-economic standpoint.

Panelists include current state Reps. Sara Burlingame, Sue Wilson and Cathy Connolly; former state Rep. Michael Madden; Jerimiah Rieman, executive director of the Wyoming County Commissioners Association; and author and poet Sam Western.

The Alan K. Simpson Institute for Western Politics and Leaders is a program of the AHC that focuses on the acquisition and preservation of collections from prominent individuals, businesses and organizations that have provided leadership -- political, economic, social and cultural -- for Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain West.

For more information, call Leslie Waggener at (307) 766-2557 or email lwaggen2@uwyo.edu.
UW Medical Education Students Learn from Local Practitioners

Cy Cass, from the Laramie Fire Department, demonstrates a procedure to University of Wyoming WWAMI Medical Education Program students. Observing, from left to right, are Ivinson Memorial Hospital Dr. Dave Kasarda and UW students Marcus Couldridge, from Casper; Allana Hall, from Rock River; Jesse Hinshaw, from Kemmerer; Aleksandra Zarzycka, from Cheyenne; and Trey Thompson, from Cheyenne. (UW Photo)

Learning clinical skills is a vital part of the University of Wyoming students medical education.

While exemplary faculty instructors in UWs WWAMI Medical Education Program teach these skills as part of the students classroom instruction, the opportunity to provide additional training beyond the classroom is a clear benefit for a medical students learning experience.

WWAMI is the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho Medical Education Program.

UWs WWAMI program is fortunate to have local community support, says Tim Robinson, WWAMI director.

Several physicians and other health care providers have helped facilitate learning in optional activities outside of the WWAMI classroom. In February, local physicians John Haeberle, David Kasarda and Ken Robertson met with the students at the Family Physicians of Laramie office to discuss the clinical concepts of sepsis, to further understand EKGs and to practice skin lesion biopsies and removal.

The opportunity to interact with health care providers in the community is fantastic, says Logan Taylor, a first-year WWAMI student from Sinclair. It gives us a taste of the real world and a chance to step outside of the classroom.

More recently, the students were joined by several members of the Laramie Fire Department as well as Kasarda for an airways skills lab, which took place in the clinical simulation laboratory located in UWs Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing facility. The students were instructed on procedure and gained valuable practice in airway management, intubation and cricothryotomies.

UW WWAMI Medical Education Program student Trey Thompson, of Cheyenne, and Ivinson Memorial Hospital Dr. Dave Kasarda observe Reed Ritterbusch, from Sheridan, performing a procedure during a recent clinical session. (UW Photo)

This is not the first time the students have worked with health care professionals in the community, Robinson says. Last December, Ivinson Memorial Hospital, in Laramie, hosted the students and Laramie fire personnel for an intravenous access skills lab.

The new curriculum offered through the WWAMI Medical Education Program provides students with more clinical training early in their educational experience, Robinson says.

Teaming up with local providers, who offer both time and clinical learning space, and giving UW faculty increased opportunity to work with students in a real-life clinical setting is a winning combination for the medical students, according to Yvette Haeberle, WWAMI Medical Education Program clinical director.

The support from local health care providers outside of the WWAMI curriculum is a vital part of the students education. Students appreciate the interprofessional aspect of medicine by working with nurses, emergency responders, community physicians and many other team members, Robinson says.
Facing pressure from the U.S. to ditch Huawei, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has stated that her administration will talk with relevant American authorities on the subject. However, the final call on whether to ban Huaweis 5G equipment will only be made by the German government, Merkel reiterated.

Huawei in Germany

Security, particularly when it comes to the expansion of the 5G network, but also elsewhere in the digital area, is a very important concern for the German government, so we are defining our standards for ourselves We will also discuss these questions with our partners in Europe, as well as the appropriate offices in the United States, Merkel said in a statement (CNBC).

Recently, the U.S. ambassador, Richard Grenell, asked Germany not to allow Huawei to deploy 5G networks in the country since doing so could compromise critical communications infrastructure. In a letter, Grenell warned that Washington will have to scale back on sharing intelligence with Germany if Huaweis 5G equipment is used. Huawei has been accused of spying for the Chinese government several times. As such, it wouldnt make sense for American intelligence agencies to share sensitive information through Huawei equipment.

German authorities assured that they would implement strict rules to ensure that the 5G equipment supplied by Huawei is completely secure. Some measures in the works include adding a non-spying clause, a requirement to publish source code used in the infrastructure, as well as allowing independent laboratories to carry out tests on the components used, according to Business Standard.

Vendors interested in Germanys 5G spectrum have been asked to sign a declaration of trustworthiness to be reviewed by authorities. The document will include a vendor guarantee that they will not hand over sensitive data to their home governments. The clause has been added to specifically address security concerns surrounding Huawei.

However, being a Chinese company, Huawei is obliged to share all data it collects with the government when requested. Even if Huawei signs the declaration of trustworthiness, there is no guarantee that the company will not violate the agreement. After all, how will German authorities even know whether Huawei has shared user data with the Chinese regime? This alone should be enough to make one realize the futility of trusting Chinese companies like Huawei, especially with something as critical as a countrys communication infrastructure.

A cyber Pearl Harbor?

With the Chinese government hell-bent on dominating the international 5G market, security experts warn that cyberspace will soon become an important battlefield  after land, sea, air, and space. In fact, Declan Ganley, an Irish telecommunications entrepreneur and founder of Rivada Networks, believes that the Chinese threat to digital networks is akin to that of Pearl Harbor.

Most Americans were unaware and completely unprepared for the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which made it an important incident in U.S. history. Similarly, Declan warns that the world is completely unprepared for the huge destructive changes that Chinese control over 5G will bring.

Its going to touch every aspect of our lives. And this domain is the cyber domain Thats where the Pearl Harbors of the future will take place. And whoever dominates the architecture of 5G has got enormous strategic security and, frankly, economic advantage, he said in a statement (The Epoch Times).

A report by Deloitte states that China has budgeted US$400 billion in 5G-related investments over a 5-year period. Chinese investments in mobile technology spending have already exceeded that of the U.S., thereby putting Americas technological dominance at risk.

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Govt Announces Major In-Harbour Development at Coaling Island

Government has announced today it has agreed commercial terms for the creation of a new reclamation project and subsequent development within the harbour, in Port waters, to be known as Victoria Keys.

The development project will be undertaken by Harbour Developments Limited, a consortium made up entirely of locally based developers.

The reclamation, situated in a prime location to the West of Coaling Island, aims to create up to 60,000 sqm of new land area. The Government statement says that this new land will provide approximately 100,000 sqm of residential buildings with leisure, community, retail and commercial use for a wide spectrum of local needs.

The statement continues;

'The land created will provide for the sustainable growth and expansion of the City of Gibraltar on the western side of the Rock, inside Port waters, for the next decade, much as the reclamation carried out by the GSLP did in the late 1980s.

In consideration for carrying out the entire reclamation at practically no cost as contractor for the Government, the developer will be granted a lease for 50% of the northernmost side of the reclaimed plot.

The reclamation costs will be financed by a Government owned company on a fully secured basis using funds raised from the 300 million institutional investment in Gibraltar.

Once the reclamation is complete, the Government owned company will be repaid, with interest, and additionally will also receive a prime site (being 50% of the southernmost side of the reclaimed plot) with a guaranteed value of 25 million.

This mechanism ensures that the entire reclamation is carried out at practically no cost to the taxpayer.

Government will also, as part of the transaction receive a 20% share in the equity of the developer.

The overall deal also ensures that this site of approximately 11,500 sqm is developed in unison with the reclaimed plot.

Together with the Coaling Island site, the Victoria Keys development will complement the natural growth of our modern city for decades to come. It will create significant recreational areas for the community and provide public access along new stretches of our harbour and marinas. In addition the developer intends, in keeping with the Governments policy to reduce traffic, to eliminate most of the road traffic by having all the parking and vehicular traffic below ground, thus creating a magnificent pedestrianised area which will be an inviting public realm, open and inviting for the whole of our community.

The development project will nonetheless be required to go through all proper procedures relating to the Town Planning Regulations and in particular the Environmental Impact Assessment procedures. Statutory consultations with Government representatives and all interested agencies and parties are due to be scheduled shortly.'

Commenting on the project, the Chief Minister, Hon Fabian Picardo said: This deal represents yet another great vote of confidence in our tiger-like economy, and the timing could not be any better. It is with a huge sense of pride that we are able to announce yet another multi-million pound project at this important juncture. Now is the time when we showcase our benefits to our widest ever worldwide audience. Our press coverage over the past year has served us in good stead. Our international prominence appears to have had a positive influence on the budding businesses and high net worth individuals that we strive to attract to Gibraltar. It is precisely projects like these that encourage and facilitate these relocations; they ensure that new businesses wanting to relocate to our Rock are able to secure accommodation for themselves and their workers. Importantly, it also provides a new offering for local residents, a demand that has and is proving insatiable given the popularity of more recent private developments.

As the use of this area was considered by Government, it became increasingly clear that the eventual development of the reclamation needed to be carried out cohesively with the existing Coaling Island. A larger site would deliver the best future proofed project for our community. With the continued requests for commercial space, and its knock-on demand for residential accommodation, it was essential that we exploit this opportunity to its fullest, given that no reclamation is planned outside of Port waters before the General Election or the next two years. There will therefore be no reclamation outside of Port waters before the end of the currently envisaged transition period under the EU Withdrawal Agreement, if there is one. The agreement over Coaling Island, however, dates back to the former administration.

Additionally, another advantage of this development now getting under way is that the reclamation will be created in keeping with all environmental protection rules, with the guidance of the DPC and using the rubble mountain on the east side, which has become unsightly and which needs to be cleared for the affordable housing project to proceed on the Eastside reclamation, where coastal and revetment protection and improvements works will form part of that development.

Our community will also be pleased to hear that the Victoria Keys development will have an extensive landscaped public promenade, solely for pedestrians and cyclists, along the entire waterfront perimeter. There will also be wide tree-lined avenues running east to west retaining the historical views across the bay. The success of Commonwealth Park already demonstrates that the greenery of urban living has captivated our community. I would like to see this extended to mixed- use developments and as we will also be seeing with Mid-Town as it completes. This part of our city will become our very own garden city by the sea. The developers have demonstrated their continued confidence in our economy and I wish them every success in their endeavour.
UK Gibraltar Brexit Meeting in London

The United Kingdom and Gibraltar Governments have agreed to continue with the structure of Joint Ministerial Council (JMC) meetings for intergovernmental business going forward into the future.

The decision was taken at the latest meeting of the JMC which took place in London this afternoon. The structure for regular fixed meetings between Ministers and senior officials of the two Governments has worked very well during the EU exit process.

The latest meeting was chaired by Parliamentary Undersecretary of State at the Department for Exiting the European Union Robin Walker MP and also included Armed Forces Minister Mark Lancaster MP and Robert Jenrick MP Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury.

The Gibraltar delegation was led by the Chief Minister Fabian Picardo MP. It included the Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia MP, who is responsible for work related to our departure from the European Union, Health, Care and Justice Minister Neil Costa MP, Attorney General Michael Llamas, Financial Secretary Albert Mena and UK Representative Dominique Searle.

There was a detailed discussion on Brexit contingency matters with the different departments present like the Treasury, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for Exiting the European Union, the Department of Health, of Education, of Transport, of Culture, Media and Sport and DEFRA.

The range of Ministers and officials present in the meeting demonstrates the commitment of both Governments to making a success of the process.

The proposed future relationship negotiations, which will open immediately in the event of the adoption of the Withdrawal Agreement, was also discussed. The meeting ended with a discussion of bilateral UK-Gibraltar issues.
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By WestKyStar Staff

Apr. 09, 2019 | PADUCAH

By WestKyStar Staff Apr. 09, 2019 | 09:43 AM | PADUCAH

"Fifty years rolls around fast',"and that's what the classmates from Paducah Tilghman High School Class of 1969 are saying and hearing as they plan a 50-year get together during the 2019 Barbecue on the River in downtown Paducah - September 27 and 28.



Today at 3 pm at the McCracken County Public Library 2nd floor), classmates will meet to continue making plans for the celebration. The group will meet on the second floor for a couple of hours to put more details in place. Anyone from the PTHS class of '69 is invited come be part of the process.



"Finding members fifty years later is the biggest challenge we have," said Tana Brown Foster, committee co-chair. "In a class of over 400, we've only located about 130 of us. If anyone reads this, please tell classmates you are in touch with to email their current contact info to PTHS.reunion69@gmail.com or call/text 270-519-321.




By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 08, 2019 | 08:45 PM | GRAVES COUNTY

A Graves County man was arrested Sunday night on drug and stolen property charges.

According to the Graves County Sheriffs Office, deputies received information Sunday afternoon that 36-year-old Jason Avery was involved in a burglary at a home in Calloway County Friday afternoon. A search warrant was obtained and executed at Averys home on Wilson Creek Road in Lowes.



During the search of the property, deputies reportedly found items stolen from the home in Calloway County, along with methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

Avery currently is under the restrictions of a Kentucky EPO/DVO. Deputies said they found nine firearms at the home, with one of them within four feet of the methamphetamine.

Avery was arrested and charged with trafficking in methamphetamine, possession of controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, receiving stolen property under $10,000 and violation of a Kentucky EPO/DVO. He was lodged in the Graves County Jail.
Worker says she risked discipline if she left job amid storm
By Bill Hughes Apr. 08, 2019 | 07:00 PM | PADUCAH

Some local billboards are becoming a hot conversation topic in Paducah.The local Sons of Confederate Veterans group has purchased two billboards to raise awareness for their group. Randy Beeler says they did it since they have been unable to get the County Judge-Executive's office to issue a proclamation declaring Confederate Heritage Month since 2010. But, once photos of the billboards were published on social media, some people, and at least one political group, have criticized their presence, especially with the AQS Quilt Show and Contest later this month in Paducah.On the McCracken County Democrats Facebook page, a post on Saturday night referred to individuals calling Lamar Advertising, which sold the billboards, encouraging them to be respectful. The post added, "Hate has no home here. What an embarrassment to our city, just in time for the Quilt Show." As of Monday night, over 150 comments have been posted, and other social media posts on the topic have had similar responses."The billboards are simply to educate people," Beeler said, "We wasn't trying to do anything other than make people aware that we're here, and all we want to do is enjoy what we enjoy. We've never done anything to hurt anybody, we've never trashed anybody, we've never trashed any organizations, but every time we turn around somebody's jumping on us with both feet because it's politically correct."The phone number connects callers to the headquarters of the Sons of Confederate Veterans in Columbia, Tennessee. The organizations' mission, as stated on their Facebook page, is "to encourage the preservation of history, perpetuate the hallowed memories of brave men, to assist in the observance of Memorial Day, to aid and support all members, widows and orphans, and to perpetuate the record of the services of every Southern soldier."Beeler said, "When we celebrate our history, we simply celebrate the soldiers. We're not talking about the causes of the war."He said his group would love for people to inquire what they do. In fact, Beeler and others from SCV have attended City Commission meetings each month to have conversations with city leaders after a resolution was in May 2017 limiting participation in the Veteran's Day parade to only those groups who represent veterans of the United States Armed Forces under the flag of the United States. The SCV had participated in the parade in previous years, and still participated in 2018, even though they couldn't carry the Confederate battle flag.When asked to comment on the billboards, City Commissioner Richard Abraham, who attempted to rescind the parade resolution earlier this year, said it's not illegal to have a billboard, and if anyone doesn't like this expression of free speech, they shouldn't look at it.Abraham said, "Here's the cool thing: we live in a country where you can put it up there, and you can voice your opinion for it or against it, so I like where we live."Beeler added, "There's nothing on that billboard that is insulting to anybody. How politically correct do you have to get for the word, 'confederate,' to be an insult?"Lisa Guill, General Manager for Lamar Advertising of Paducah, wouldn't give details about the length of the contract for the ads. She said their company has gotten numerous calls - both negative and positive - about the billboards. She elaborated with Lamar's corporate position, saying they support the First Amendment and the rights of advertisers to use their medium for messages. She said copy is not accepted or rejected based on its content, and the content is the viewpoint of SCV, not Lamar.Guill added, "We also required Sons of Confederate Veterans to remove the Battle Flag from the copy if they wanted to use it and for us to accept it."She said customers can request specific billboard locations but that is based on availability. Beeler said they simply got two billboards that were available.Abraham said he was glad the flag was not on the billboards, and said he knows the men are sensitive to how use of that imagery affects response from others, based on his conversations with SCV representatives."I hope they continue to show more sensitivity than, possibly, they have received," Abraham said.Confederate Heritage Month is a designated observance in seven states - Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia - but not Kentucky. The Commonwealth was a border state that did not secede from the union, but declared its neutrality at the beginning of the Civil War.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Apr. 08, 2019 | LEXINGTON

By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 08, 2019 | 10:52 PM | LEXINGTON

Opportunity Costs of Pleasing Unions Tragically High for Charter-less Minorities - By Jim Waters



New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is claiming to address income inequality by demanding the city's elite magnet high schools trash their rigorous entrance exams and implement a racial quota system.



At the same time, de Blasio's imposed an arbitrary cap on charter schools, which, if lifted, would result in even more poor black and Hispanic kids getting admitted to those elite high schools without lowering standards and achieving a head start on addressing the very income-inequality problem the mayor wants to tackle.



Poor minority students from the city's well-known Success Academy network of charters are accepted to these high-performing high schools at double the rate of their peers in traditional settings.



Wouldn't getting more poor minority children an elite education rather than lowering the bar and denying new charters be the preferred way of achieving greater equality for largely disadvantaged students?



Yes, but it's not how twisted minds of teachers'-union bosses and their political lackeys work.



Eva Moskowitz, Success Academy's founder and CEO, recently wrote in the New York Post that 79,600 families last year vied for fewer than 27,000 seats in the city's charter schools, "leaving 52,000 kids on waiting lists."



Moskowitz has tried for several years to co-locate three new charters in empty public-school space  an approach that's previously yielded tremendous results from collaborative efforts between the traditional and charter schools' staff members and students in both schools.



De Blasio denies her requests, meaning, as she writes, "instead of three new high-quality schools (an added 1,500 seats) the city continues to hoard half-empty buildings."



If the mayor's denials were based on sincere questions about charter schools' effectiveness and he was open to genuine debate, the dynamics would be different.



Instead, it's about a political cocktail made partly of power, partly of fear, a grab for complete control and even retribution.



Moskowitz, while chair of the New York City Council's education committee, held a heavily covered multi-day hearing 16 years ago in which she and other witnesses exposed how union contracts imposed inane work rules on public schools and made it nearly impossible for principals to fire bad teachers.



Unions never forgave her and worked overtime to defeat her in the next election.



De Blasio demonstrates his insecurity regarding teachers' unions by doing all he can to please them  including insisting during his 2013 mayoral campaign that Moskowitz "has to stop being tolerated, enabled, supported"  and undermining her plans for new schools.



A similar environment has created a charter-school funk in Kentucky.



Ironically, during the 2017 legislative session, the state House  under Republican control for the first time in nearly a century  passed long-fought-for bills but then abruptly deflated when it came to charter schools.



GOP leaders obstinately refused to vote on a bill that would have made Kentucky one of the nation's strongest charter-school states, instead caving to union threats that supporting truly effective legislation would result in all-out political war in the next election.



No charter schools have started here more than two years later because the impotent law that eventually passed provided no funding mechanism for them and was generally so watered down it could have ended up floating down the Kentucky River and made just as much difference.



It's not because lawmakers don't know that charters are effectively closing gaps and catching many poor, minority students in danger of falling through the cracks in traditional schools.



Rather, too many politicians care more about the next election than the next generation.



Kentucky students who by now could have been leaving failing schools behind and entering high-performing charters are being denied opportunities that won't come their way again, thanks to antagonists who talk of closing gaps and ending disparities while remaining the biggest obstacles toward the only public-education policy that's ever done just that.



Jim Waters is president and CEO of the Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions, Kentucky's free-market think tank. Read previous columns at www.bipps.org. He can be reached at jwaters@freedomkentucky.com and @bipps on Twitter.
The year ahead: From legal rights for robots to a Cyber 9/11

Artificial Intelligence will be maturing over the next 18 months with Africa becoming ground zero for 4IR disruption.

Africa as the Cradle of Humankind has also been the Cradle of Innovation where our earliest ancestors were the first techies on the planet, developing stone tool technologies and early culture.

Now, with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) we are seeing Africa as ideally placed to be the Cradle of Disruption in digital innovation, says Philip Kiracofe, adventurist and CEO/co-founder of Startupbootcamp Africa.

He was speaking at the 5th 4IRSA Partnership workshop for representatives from the financial services and business sectors held in Sandton on 2 April 2019.

4IRSA (Partnership for the 4th Industrial Revolution in South Africa) is an alliance between the Universities of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg and Fort Hare, and Telkom and the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services (DTPS). It has held four workshops to date that aim to gather broad insight from South Africans with the purpose to stimulate and facilitate an inclusive national dialogue to shape a coherent national response to the 4thIndustrial Revolution in South Africa.

2019 and beyond

In his keynote address, Kiracofe shared predictions around the 4IR and how South Africans can respond, relying on the State of Tech 2019  an annual report compiled by Startupbootcamp, the worlds largest network of multi-corporate backed accelerators, predicting the top strategic technology trends for the coming year.

[Slideshow: https://issuu.com/startupbootcamp/docs/state_of_tech_final_issu-compressed]

AI hits critical mass

Artificial Intelligence will fully mature in 2019 and hit critical mass, Kiracofe said. There is already heavy corporate research and development (R&D) spending globally on AI technologies, automation and robotics.

The industrial robotics industry market will this year reach $135 billion globally; and there are already 25 000 collaborative robots, or cobots, working side-by-side with humans in factories around the world. By 2021 the virtual assistant market will be worth $16 billion.

Kiracofe said robots are now such an integral part of our lives that the International Federation of Robotics has developed a new Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for robot density, measuring: the number of robots per 10 000 workers in a country or ecosystem:

The global average for robot density in 2018 were 74 robots per 10 000 workers;

In Europe, the average is about 99 robots per 10 000 workers;

In South Korea, that average is staggeringly 631 robots per 10 000 people.

As AI gets more intelligent it is learning faster than we can anticipate and learning in ways we do not necessarily understand. The problem is that this can lead to AI making decisions that we no longer understand. One of the trends we are seeing is efforts now to design explainable AI into AI, asking: Please help me understand how you came to that decision.

We are now at that precedent where the AI is far beyond where we can anticipate and we are seeing that AI is making ethical decisions, therefor, our prediction for 2019 is that AI and robots will gain legal rights.

Kiracofe said the European Parliament is already debating rules and regulations that relate to legal rights for AI and robots. One of the concerns, for example, is a Tesla self-driving car finding itself in a situation where it has to make an ethical choice between do I protect the driver or do I protect a pedestrian?

These kinds of decisions and the ethical and legal implications are being debated currently from a regulatory perspective and we believe that by the end of this year we will begin to see those rights being formalized, said Kiracofe.

A Cyber 9/11

From satellites to smart cities to smartphones, massive troves of data will be generated at a scale that has never dealt with. This will lead to new business models across sectors but worrying it also increases concerns around cybersecurity.

Roughly one percent of the entire worlds GDP is being lost to cybercrime. In 2017 the damages from cybercrime was about $600 billion, and this is going to increase to close to $6 trillion by 2021, the data in the report predicts.

Long gone are hackers in T-shirts in dark rooms. We are now seeing cyber mercenaries and data mafias banding together in organised crime, as well as state actors employing cyberattacks that are much more professional and institutional, said Kiracofe. We are seeing cyber-units from state actors infiltrating into factories. In the hardware that is used by Amazon and Apple, and other large corporations, we are finding embedded chips that are smaller than a size of a pencil tip that are doing things that we do not yet know.

He added that event the press release has become a weapon in our #FAKENEWS world. Last year there was over a $100 million made in cyberattacks by individuals who benefitted through stock price movement as a result of fake press releases that were distributed through major news networks and PR wire services.

Our prediction is the likelihood of Cyber 9/11 in the next 12 to 18 months. This cyberattack(s) on the scale of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, can lead to catastrophic failure in either infrastructure, or the banking sector, or national communications networks, or even crippling a regions electricity grid, he said.

Optimising real-time

Other predictions include moving to a sensor-based economy where not just the devices themselves become ambiguous but the data becomes so massive that and overwhelming that protecting everyones data now becomes an existential necessity.

Where going to see that these sensors embedded in really in every aspect of our cities and our communities; and that these sensors are recording every element of life across the board. And that data-driven algorithms that make those decisions and determination are going to be far beyond what we as humans or at lease individuals can decide. There is going to have to be a collaborative relationship with AI that is helping us to do this, Kiracofe said.

About the workshops

Previous sector workshops include:

For the latest news on Wits Universitys involvement in the #4IRSA Partnership visit http://www.wits.ac.za/future/; and for news from the #4IRSA alliance visit https://4irsa.org/.

Follow the conversations on Twitter:

@Wits_News

#Wits4IR

@4IRSA

#4IRSA

About the #4IRSA Partnership

The Partnership for the 4th Industrial Revolution in South Africa (#4IRSA) is an alliance between Telkom and the Universities of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg and Fort Hare, and the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services (DTPS).

Its purpose is to stimulate and facilitate an inclusive national dialogue to shape a coherent national response to the 4thIndustrial Revolution in South Africa. It aims to complement and support other national activities relating to the 4IR, most notably the Presidential Commission on the 4IR.

The 4IRSA Partnership recognises that there are several 4IR-related processes and dialogues underway in South Africa: in government, industry, academia and society at large.

However, these are, in the main, fragmented, eclectic and divergent, and indeed there is a high level of unawareness of each other between these processes. The 4IRSA Partnership aims to provide a platform for all these processes and stimulate shared conversation, so that they become mutually visible, thereby facilitating progressive coherence between them, moving from fragmented divergence towards complementarity.

Following a host of workshops early in 2019, the next steps will be:

A Summit of Principles (SOP) is scheduled for later this year. This will include representatives of all of the above industries, related government departments, labour and other stakeholders. The objectives of the Summit of Principles are: to build alignment, participation and momentum for the 4IRSA process; share sector workshop outputs; agree on key areas for further research and deliberation; and agree on a framework for further action and the roadmap towards the Summit of Declarations.

The Summit of Declarations is anticipated to be held in the 4th quarter of 2019. The objective of the Summit of Declarations are: to consolidate all workstream reports into a comprehensive national response; for all stakeholders of each sector represented to table and commit to a short, medium and long term response by that sector to the 4th IR, in the form of a declaration for that sector; to agree monitoring and evaluation mechanisms; to agree further areas of dialogue and research.
An artist from Jiangsu Women's Traditional Orchestra performs at the Cairo Opera House in Cairo, Egypt, April 8, 2019. At Egypt's renowned Cairo Opera House, a Chinese musical band played traditional Chinese and Egyptian music on Monday, winning applause of the audience. The show was part of the seventh edition of the Damanhour International Folk Festival, which lasts to April 11. [Xinhua/Wu Huiwo]

At Egypt's renowned Cairo Opera House, a Chinese musical band played traditional Chinese and Egyptian music on Monday, winning applause of the audience.

The show was part of the sixth edition of the Damanhour International Folklore Festival, which lasts from April 6 to 11.

The festival, which hosts 26 Arab and foreign bands from 13 countries, extended for the first time from Beheira province in Delta to Cairo and Alexandria.

The open air theatre at the Cairo Opera House was packed with Chinese and Egyptian audiences who enjoyed the festive and famed Chinese folk melodies performed by artists from Jiangsu Women's Traditional Orchestra, which is the first professional women orchestra that performs traditional Chinese folk music.

The famous band has previously played in countries, including the Neitherlands, Australia, Lebanon, and Morocco.

Ghada Ahmed, 15-year-old student who plays piano, said it was her first time watching a live Chinese musical show.

"I'm a musician and I really admired what the Chinese band has performed," said the girl, who came to the concert with her parents.

Ahmed said there are many similarities between the Egyptian and Chinese music as they use similar instruments and musical scales.

Her father, Ahmed Mahmoud, who learns Chinese at the Chinese Cultural Center in Cairo, said he liked the performance of an old Egyptian musical piece.

"They Chinese artists played the piece skillfully. It was a pure Egyptian music with a Chinese soul," Mahmoud said.

The man added that the performance showed that music is a common language between different cultures and a strong bridge linking the people of the globe.

Cultural exchanges benefited from China and Egypt upgrading their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2014, with artists, cultural and musical delegations paying mutual visits.

Through such moves, both countries want to boost friendly ties and enhance mutual understandings and future development.

Ge Chengli, deputy director-general of Lianyungang's Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau, said the orchestra's participation in the festival is meant to enhance cooperation between China and Egypt.

"We're able to know more about the Chinese culture and the Egyptian audience can know what Chinese folk music is like," he told Xinhua. "Through folk music, we can tell the story of China to the world."

He added that the performance is meaningful under China's Belt and Road Initiative, stressing that Egypt is one of the most important Belt and Road countries.

Yan Yan, chief performer of the orchestra, said the music and songs performed at the festival are well-known in China, such as the Jasmine Flower.

"We can feel the passion of the audience. We hope to study more Chinese folk music, in order to make our performance more joyful for the audience," she told Xinhua.

Artists from Jiangsu Women's Traditional Orchestra perform at the Cairo Opera House in Cairo, Egypt, April 8, 2019. At Egypt's renowned Cairo Opera House, a Chinese musical band played traditional Chinese and Egyptian music on Monday, winning applause of the audience. The show was part of the seventh edition of the Damanhour International Folk Festival, which lasts to April 11. [Xinhua/Wu Huiwo]

(Source: Xinhua)
Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attends a tree-planting activity in Tongzhou District in Beijing, capital of China, April 8, 2019. Other Party and state leaders, including Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan, also attended the activity. [Xinhua/Xie Huanchi]

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday stressed efforts to carry forward the Chinese nation's tradition of loving, planting and protecting trees, and to involve the whole society in promoting afforestation.

Wide participation by everyone in China should be encouraged in pushing for large-scale afforestation of the country to achieve more tangible results, said Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission.

He made the remarks while attending a tree-planting activity in east Beijing's Tongzhou District and planting saplings of different types of trees.

Other Party and state leaders, including Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan, also attended the activity.

Xi talked with school children who are also attending the tree planting activity, asking about their study and sport exercise, urging them to foster awareness about environmental protection starting in childhood, and encouraging them to build a more beautiful motherland with their own hands.

Xi said this year marks the 40th anniversary of National Tree Planting Day. In the past 40 years, China's forest area and forest stock volume have doubled, respectively, and China is home to the world's largest man-made forest. The proportion of China's contribution to the world's vegetation increase also ranked first.

At the same time, the lack of forests and vegetation, and fragile ecological environment are still problems that need tremendous efforts, said Xi.

Xi stressed that the Chinese nation has a good tradition of loving, planting and protecting trees. Wide participation by everyone in China should be encouraged and officials at all levels should set examples as volunteer tree planters.

Efforts should be taken to promote the high-quality development of afforestation, coordinate management of mountains, waters, forests, farmland, lakes and grassland, continuously advance the building of forest city and forest countryside, Xi said.

Xi called for solid efforts to improve people's living environment, develop a green economy, and strengthen forest management and protection to achieve more tangible results.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, waters a sapling with school children as he attends a tree-planting activity in Tongzhou District in Beijing, capital of China, April 8, 2019. Other Party and state leaders, including Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan, also attended the activity. [Xinhua/Xie Huanchi]

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with school children as he attends a tree-planting activity in Tongzhou District in Beijing, capital of China, April 8, 2019. Other Party and state leaders, including Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan, also attended the activity. [Xinhua/Ju Peng]

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with school children as he attends a tree-planting activity in Tongzhou District in Beijing, capital of China, April 8, 2019. Other Party and state leaders, including Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan, also attended the activity. [Xinhua/Ju Peng]

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attends a tree-planting activity in Tongzhou District in Beijing, capital of China, April 8, 2019. Other Party and state leaders, including Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan, also attended the activity. [Xinhua/Ju Peng]

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with school children as he attends a tree-planting activity in Tongzhou District in Beijing, capital of China, April 8, 2019. Other Party and state leaders, including Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan, also attended the activity. [Xinhua/Ju Peng]

(Source: Xinhua)
As a doctoral supervisor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xu Ying has been leading a team to develop the ground system and augmentation technology of China's Beidou navigation satellites. [For China Daily]

With a faint smile, shoulder length hair and wearing a black leather jacket with arms across her chest, Xu Ying graces the cover of a youth magazine.

Is Xu a rock star? No, she is a scientist.

The 36-year-old leads a team at China's prime natural sciences research institute developing the ground system and augmentation technology of China's Beidou navigation satellites.

Named after the Chinese term for the Big Dipper constellation, Beidou is one of the four space-based navigation networks operating globally, along with the United States' GPS system, Russia's GLONASS and the European Union's Galileo.

Born in Southwest China's Sichuan province, Xu went to school at the age of 4 and attended university in Beijing at the age of 16. Her interests from an early age were in science, especially physics.

"I enjoy the process of finding and solving problems, which gives me a sense of accomplishment," Xu said.

She participated in the application research of the Beidou 2 satellites in 2006. Three years later, she started work at the Chinese Academy of Sciences after her postgraduate studies. At the age of 32, Xu became the academy's youngest doctoral supervisor in 2015.

Many see her as a genius, but Xu sees herself as a young researcher and an ordinary woman who likes "eating snacks and shopping to disengage from work and release stress".

When she was asked whether women are suited to scientific research, Xu replied, "Judging by gender is no different from judging by star signs. It is not scientific at all!"

Xu rose to fame after a public lecture in 2016.

At that time, the second-generation Beidou system was completed, with a network of 14 navigation satellites offering positioning, velocity measurement, timing and communication services to the Asia-Pacific region.

To help the public understand the Beidou system and its development, Xu drew amusing analogies in her lecture.

Beidou satellites can provide short message services to millions of subscribers. "You all probably know the story of Robinson Crusoe," she said. "Let's imagine a man washed ashore on a remote desert island. If he had GPS, he would only know where he was, but could not call for help, and so he would still have to struggle in the wild.

"But if he had a Beidou receiver, the situation would be completely different. It would tell him where he was, and could send details of his position to people hundreds, or even thousands of miles away."

Xu recalled a tense moment during the first Beidou satellite launch, when a sudden equipment failure was solved just four minutes before liftoff. She described how the ninth satellite was launched during a thunderstorm, adding that it successfully avoided being hit by lightning. She presented applications of the system which included tracking wild animals, controlling forest fires, and searching for ships in trouble.

She explains esoteric research in a language people can understand, said science writer Wang Dapeng.

"She is a rare young scientist who has made outstanding achievements in both research and science popularization," Wang said.

Like every celebrity, she had to deal with her own share of rumors.

A popular rumor went around in 2011 that a college student had broken the codes of the Beidou system, suggesting that its precision and reliability were inferior to those of foreign rivals.

Xu pointed out that Beidou provided signals for both civilian and military users, but the student only cracked the civilian codes, which were not actually encrypted and posed no risk to the system.

Like GPS and GLONASS, Xu said Beidou has a free civilian service and there are no special civilian codes. "We hope the Beidou system can be used by people around the world," she said.

She also has a message for anyone wanting to crack Beidou's military codes.

"Make a time machine that can take you back to the day we designed the military codes, and then stand by and eavesdrop. Technically, making a time machine would be easier than breaking the codes," she said.

Xu's frank, witty, and well-founded explanations have attracted millions of hits and shares on China's social media, where she is known as the "Beidou Goddess".

People's Daily commented that "science popularization needs more Xu Yings". The newspaper said her speech was "wonderful" and should be a lesson for other scientists.

Since then, Xu has been a regular public speaker, frequenting science television programs and lectures. Last year, Beidou started to provide global services, and Xu's audience expanded to include more scientists from other countries.

Xu has been named an ambassador for China's Scientific Communication by the China Association for Science and Technology, along with Ouyang Ziyuan, chief scientist of China's lunar exploration plan, and Yang Liwei, the country's first astronaut.

China will launch 10 Beidou satellites this year and will complete the global network by 2020.

Though Xu is busier than ever, she still continues to promote science publicly. She believes scientists have a duty to share their research with the public.

"Good science popularization must be veracious, entertaining, and to fight scientific fraud and misconduct," Xu said. "I will continue to work on science popularization, and inspire more people to explore the unknown world and respect science."

(Source: China Daily)
In 2018, flexible workspace centre supply in Kuala Lumpur grew by 36%, making it the fastest growing key city in the APAC region, outpacing fast-growing markets in Gurugram, Chennai, Brisbane, Hong Kong, Sydney and Singapore.Research by Instant Offices highlights why Kuala Lumpur remains a dynamic hub of activity for domestic and international markets, despite some of the most expensive markets for office space falling in the Asia-Pacific regionLast year in Kuala Lumpur, supply of hybrid office space increased by 31%, while pure co-working space and serviced offices saw 10% and 7% growth respectively. An average desk rate of RM 886 across the city indicates the strength of the market. Demand for space in the city continues to rise, and more businesses swap the constraints of traditional offices for flexible workspace and corporates. International firms are also making use of this low-cost, low-risk way of sampling the local market.As reported in the Asia-Pacific Flexible Workspace Report last year, two innovative workspaces had been delivered in Kuala Lumpur for AMEX and IT company Datacom. The managed office solution saw 90,000 sq. ft. of flexible office space being delivered for over 1,100 employees.In Kuala Lumpur, the government also has plans to use the tech in areas like safety, environment, energy, waste management and more. Outside of China, the region is the first to implement Alibaba's City Brain tech, an AI platform that tracks cameras citywide to monitor traffic control and accidents.The innovative and collaborative business culture has seen demand for flexible workspace grow in key cities across Malaysia.
Councillor calls for assurances over delivery of new Welsh-medium school

This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Apr 9th, 2019

A proposed two-year delay in opening a new Welsh-medium school has prompted calls for assurances that the new school in Borras will now open in September 2021.

Executive board members will today be asked to delay the development of the new school after no first preference reception applications had been submitted for this September.

Just two first preference applications for the nursery class had been submitted.

A new seed school was set to be based at the former Hafod Y Wern site in Caia Park ahead of the relocation to Borras Park Infants School in two years time.

The primary school would have capacity for 210 pupils and would accommodate 15 places for nursery and 15 places for reception classes at Hafod Y Wern for the next academic year.

However Cllr Phil Wynn, lead member for education, will this morning ask senior councillors to delay the implementation of opening the school until September 2021  where it will be based permanently at the site in Borras.

This would include an annual intake of 30 places at nursery and 30 at reception to meet the growth in demand.

The proposed changes also mean that the intended works programmed for the Hafod y Wern site will no longer go ahead, with the capital funding expected to be directed elsewhere within the education department.

Cllr Carrie Harper, who chairs the councils lifelong learning committee said: Its disappointing to hear about the two-year delay for opening Borras but I believe a number of factors have contributed to the decision.

Delays in terms of naming the school to give parents confidence in applying, along with additional Welsh-medium capacity coming on stream at Ysgol Bro Alyn in Gwersyllt at the same time have meant this was a likely course of action.

The original plan was to use Hafod y Wern from this September and then move to the new site in Borras in two years time, there were always questions as regards how practical this proposal was.

Weve seen a dramatic increase in demand for Welsh-medium education in Wrexham over the last 10 years and that is set to continue.

Its easy to understand why, given the cultural and economic benefits of being bilingual, the majority of the demand is coming from non-Welsh speaking parents, which is also very encouraging in terms of the future.

I know lots of local parents will be looking forward to the new primary school, which will also potentially free up space at our other Welsh medium primaries.

Cllr Harper added: With our Welsh-medium schools in Wrexham being at or near capacity, the Borras school is needed to cater for growing demand on this side of town.

We also know that where new schools are located, demand increases in the surrounding areas as well so the growth will continue.

We now need categorical assurances from the council leadership that the new Borras primary will open in 2021 to meet this demand.

Among those looking forward to the new school is Rhosnesni parent Michael Harper, who is looking forward to sending his one-year-old son Charlie to the new Welsh-medium school in Borras when it opens: We decided early on that we want Charlie to be a Welsh speaker and have the benefits of a Welsh-medium education, with the location of the new school being in walking distance for us its just perfect and were really looking forward to it.

Im not a Welsh speaker myself unfortunately and neither is Charlies mum Becca but we wish wed had the opportunity. Children can learn so easily but its much more difficult for adults.

Now were getting an increasing number of Welsh schools in Wrexham, I think its great that everyone who wants their child to have this chance will have the assurance that there will be a school place for them.

Executive board members will be asked to note the number of applications for the September 2019 entry and give officers approved to delay the new school until September 2021.

The report will be considered for approval by executive board meetings this morning at 10am. The meeting will also be webcast live on the Wrexham Council website for those who want to view the debate from the comfort of their own home.



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Dont fall prey to cruel fraudsters after victim scammed out of 140k

This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Apr 9th, 2019

The boss of a regional centre that supports crime victims has warned elderly people to be on their guard against fraudsters after one victim was scammed out of their life savings.

Sioned Jacobsen, the operations manager at the North Wales Victim Help Centre, revealed they had seen an increase in the number of fraud cases involving victims aged 70 or over being targeted over the phone or online.

In recent weeks they have been providing support to one victim who was conned out of 140,000 of their life-savings.

Ms Jacobsen was horrified to discover that her much-loved Taid had been duped by fraudsters who persuaded him to give them his bank details.

They contacted the 87-year-old claiming that the telegraph pole outside needed repairing, otherwise his phone would be cut off so he gave his bank details and PIN over the phone.

They didnt take any money because he contacted my mum straight away and said he thought hed done something stupid, so she phoned the bank on his behalf, explained Ms Jacobsen.

But he said they were so believable and assured him it was absolutely fine to give them his PIN number and his card details over the phone.

Its horrible. It just goes to show it can happen to absolutely anyone. My Taid would like to think he is quite clued up and he is quite with it, but he felt awful and embarrassed by it.

Ms Jacobsen highlighted the increase of fraud cases at the official launch of two videos made to raise awareness of the help available to victims of crime.

The North Wales Victim Help Centre, which his based in St Asaph, is funded by the North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones. It has 12 members of staff including caseworkers who specialise in modern day slavery, mental health and hate crime.

They are supplemented by a network of trained volunteer helpers located across the region.

Demand for the centres services has increased every year since it was established in 2015 and last year they made contact with 34,500 victims.

Most are referred to them by the police and other agencies but victims are also encouraged to call he centre themselves if they need expert support and guidance.

However there has been an increase of fraud cases involving older people  particularly over the age of 70 and over, being referred to the service.

Ms Jacobsen added: Weve had victims take support when theyve lost 70, 80, 90 thousand pounds and last week someone who was defrauded out of around 140,000.

Its particularly despicable that these fraudsters target older people because they are generally more vulnerable to this type of crime.

Very often the victims feel ashamed so one of the things the staff is trying to do is tell them its not their fault and that they shouldnt feel embarrassed about it.

These people who are committing the crimes are clever, they know who to target, so its just a case of reassuring them really that they havent done anything wrong, and its not their fault. The con artists are very credible, very plausible, thats the trouble.

The key message to victims is that they should get in touch because help and support is available. If they feel like theyve been victimised in any way then they should please contact us.

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones said he was concerned about the increase in fraud cases and the suffering it is causing people.

He said: I would like to see a dedicated economic crime unit being set up in North Wales to investigate these crimes and this is a conversation I need to have with the force.

I think every force in the country could do more but its not something the police can solve on their own.

We also need to educate people to educate themselves as well as catching the perpetrators.

The big banks do a lot of anti-fraud work but I think the regional managers in Wales could and should be doing more to fund either victim support officers or fraud investigators.

I think the work they do nationally should be spread out regionally, especially in areas were bank branches are disappearing left, right and centre leaving rural communities and the people living in them quite vulnerable.

To find out more about the North Wales Victim Support Centre please visit www.victimhelpcentrenorthwales.org.uk



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Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-08 20:19:27|Editor: xuxin

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An Iraqi customer looks at a Chinese smart phone in Baghdad, Iraq, March 30, 2019. Over the past seven years, the Iraqi customers have gradually been attracted to the Chinese smartphones for their usability and advanced technologies. (Xinhua)

BAGHDAD, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Over the past seven years, the Iraqi customers have gradually been attracted to the Chinese smartphones for their usability and advanced technologies.

In 2008, the Chinese-made phones first entered into Iraqi market from unknown manufacturers, but found a foothold due to their considerable low prices, new technologies such as touch screen, loud speakers, and deferent designs.

Shortly after, due to the constant breakdowns and short life, the Chinese phones were out of the competition compared to the dominant mobiles of Nokia and Samsung.

However, new class of Chinese smartphone manufacturers quickly came up as tech giants in the world markets, many of them found profitable niches in the Iraqi markets as well as in the world markets.

The crowded thoroughfare of al-Rubaie in eastern Baghdad has become the hotspot of wholesalers of cellphones, accessories, and spare parts. The shops there are also supplying other smartphone markets in other Baghdad's districts and across Iraq as well.

The Chinese smartphones widely spread in the thoroughfare, and Iraqis can easily point their fingers on any shop sign and they can find a Chinese smartphone logos.

In 2013, Huawei was the first Chinese smartphone manufacturer that played instrumental role in changing the stereotype of the Chinese smartphones among the Iraqi consumers.

The company, introduced itself with competitive priced devices with modern technology, as it has slowly built its base in the country over the past seven years, is now reaping the benefits.

Ahmed Hashim, sales manager of Huawei for central and south of Iraq, told Xinhua that his office managed to penetrate the market and gained the customers trust gradually.

Nowadays, Huawei has surpassed Apple and it comes second only to Samsung in the Iraqi market. The company's market share is growing steadily year after year, powered by a cutting-edge technology.

According to Hashim, Huawei sold between 1,400,000 to 1,600,000 devices valued at 280 million dollars in 2018, and that made Huawei the second selling company in Iraqi tech market.

Now, Huawei is selling no less than 150,000 devices a month in all over Iraq.

"We were number one in the world in selling the Huawei P Smart with 1,800 devices sold on the first day," Hashim added.

"Huawei phones are increasingly getting more attention and trust from the Iraqi customers because of its reliable hardware, modern technologies, reasonable value, and cheap spare parts compared to other phone manufacturers," Hashim added.

"Huawei, like many other companies in the Iraqi market, faces two major problems, unstable customs procedures and tariffs that lead to a fluctuation in the market," Hashim concluded.

The Iraqi customers also knew Honor, which is the sub-brand of Huawei group, since it is part of Huawei production line. Honor company entered the Iraqi market about one year ago.

Ali Abbas, marketing manager of Honor for central and south of Iraq, told Xinhua that "in one year, Honor smartphones reached a market share of 11 percent and are going up steadily."

"The high demand on Honor phones is due to the marketing plan, high quality devices and state-of-the-art designs," said Abbas whose office is the exclusive authorized distributor in Iraq.

"We have got the first place in the Middle East for selling the 8X midrange device and we surpassed Samsung sales in Iraq in the first quarter of 2019," Abbas added.

Iraqi consumers knew Oppo smartphones through grey market traders (with no official supplier authorization) in 2016 which was making weak presence in the Iraqi market, but after Oppo managed to get global attention in mid-2018 with their unique and innovative Oppo Find X, the Iraqi consumers became attentive as well.

Ayman al-Badri, sales manager of Oppo Iraq, told Xinhua that "Oppo phones have done exceptionally well in the still-developing markets of India and Southeast Asia, where it shoved aside the former leader Samsung with low-cost, high-quality phones that look much more expensive than they are."

"We believe it will do the same in Iraq in the foreseeable future," al-Badri said as he was showing one of Oppo's smartphones.

"Oppo will open a regional office in Iraq soon in order to promote its products and assist the authorized distributor," he said, adding that opening the office "reflects the importance and potentials of the Iraqi market to Oppo."

Al-Badri also said that in the first quarter of 2019, our market share in Iraq went up from three percent to five percent.

"We currently sale about 10,000 device a month, and that's only the beginning," he added.

"The Iraqi market is so active and the purchasing power is high, a recent statistic shows that 350,000 device sold and activated monthly in all over Iraq," al-Badri said, adding "due to that, the number of retail shops in Baghdad alone increased 12 percent from 1,200 to 1,350."

Samsung, which ousted Nokia from the Iraqi market about a decade ago, remains number one, but is feeling the heat of the Chinese phones as well as its market share decreasing bite by bite.

Mahmoud al-Anbagi, a retail shop owner in al-Mansour upscale neighborhood, told Xinhua that "Chinese phone sales has become a powerhouse nowadays."

"A lot of Iraqi consumers prefer it over other expensive devices because of its beautiful design, up to date technology, and reasonable prices," al-Anbagi said.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-08 21:25:19|Editor: xuxin

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CAIRO, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The Arab League (AL) Secretary General Ahmed Abul Gheit discussed here on Monday with the Speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives Aqilah Saleh about the latest political and security developments in Libya.

"The mutual talks tackled ways to put an end to the Libyan crisis through democratic transition process," Mahmoud Afifi, spokesman of the AL chief, said in a statement.

"Dialogue among Libyan factions is the only way to reach a peaceful solution to the crisis," the spokesman added.

Abul Gheit stressed the AL's efforts to preserve Libya's territorial integrity and its national unity.

Libya has been struggling to make a democratic transition amid insecurity and chaos ever since the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011.

The country is politically divided into western and eastern governments.

The the eastern-based army, led by Khalifa Haftar, has launched a military campaign on Thursday to take over western Libya, particularly Tripoli where the UN-backed government is based.

The operation left so far 21 killed and 27 wounded, according to Libya's Ministry of Health.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-08 23:17:19|Editor: yan

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MALE, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The Maldives Democratic Party (MDP), led by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, won the parliamentary elections held on Saturday, local media reported on Monday, quoting the provincial results released by the elections commission.

According to the provincial results released on Sunday and Monday, the MDP won a two-third majority at the parliament, securing 65 of the 87 seats.

The Jumhooree Party secured five seats and the Progressive Party of Maldives and People's National Congress together had seven seats. Independent candidates won seven seats while the Maldives Development Alliance won two.

In a statement, the president congratulated all winners, especially in the MDP which he said had secured a huge majority at the parliament.

The elections commission said it hopes to announce official results by April 12.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 02:54:37|Editor: yan

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ADEN, Yemen, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's internationally-recognized government welcomed on Monday the United States' decision to designate Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) as a "foreign terrorist organization."

According to an official statement revealed through the country's Foreign Ministry, "the Republic of Yemen welcomes the decision of the United States of America to recognize Iran's IRGC as a terrorist organization."

"The U.S. move comes in the right direction for its upcoming positive impact upon security and peace in the region and world," the statement said.

The statement stressed the importance of this decision in "pushing the regime in Iran to change its behavior and stop its practices in destabilizing the region's security and stability interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries."

Yemen's government expressed hope that the U.S. administration's decision will lead to restoring stability in the region, calling on the international community "to exert more pressure on Iran in order to compel it to respect its obligations as a member state of the United Nations."

Yemen and the Saudi-led Arab coalition accuse Iran of aggravating instability in Yemen by backing and supplying Houthi rebels with weapons, which has been repeatedly denied by both Houthis and Iran.

Saudi Arabia is leading a mostly Arab military coalition to fight Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen since March 2015.

The Houthi rebels have been controlling much of Yemen's north by military force, including the capital Sanaa since 2014.

Grinding into its fifth year, the war has killed tens of thousands of people mostly civilians, displaced three million and pushed over 20 million into the brink of famine.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 07:48:43|Editor: Wu Qin

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People walk past a poster of Chinese TV series during the 2019 Cannes International Series Festival, or Canneseries 2019, in Cannes, France, April 8, 2019. Many TV series, documents and cartoons presented by Chinese exhibitors drew people's attention during the big event running from 5 to 10 April. (Xinhua/Jack Chan)
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 10:07:32|Editor: Liangyu

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Chinese Ambassador to South Africa Lin Songtian speaks during a job fair in Johannesburg, South Africa, April 8, 2019. A job fair for South African students who recently completed their internships in China was held in Johannesburg on Monday to facilitate their employment. The event was held by South African Department of Higher Education and Training, South Africa-China Economic and Trade Association and Chinese Culture and International Education Exchange Center. (Xinhua/Chen Cheng)

JOHANNESBURG, April 8 (Xinhua) -- A job fair for South African students who recently completed their internships in China was held in Johannesburg on Monday to facilitate their employment.

The event attracted about 1,000 students to seek jobs at famous Chinese companies such as Air China and China Unicom and at least 40 Chinese companies based in South African took part in the event.

Lefa Makhubedu, a 24-year old electrical construction student at Ekurhuleni West College, told Xinhua that she had been in China for a one-year internship.

"At first it was challenging, but we learnt a lot. I spent three months attending classes and then in July, I began to intern at three different companies," she said.

The event was held by South African Department of Higher Education and Training, South Africa-China Economic and Trade Association and Chinese Culture and International Education Exchange Center.

"Mass opportunities are being opened to our students," said Mvalo Lumkile, chief director of Construction Education and Training Authority in Higher Education and Training Department.

He added that most training the students received in China are in areas such as mechanical engineering, automation, artificial intelligence and robotics.

Chinese Ambassador to South Africa Lin Songtian said that there's a need for more Chinese companies to come and invest in South Africa and be part of its economic development.

"We are ready to encourage more Chinese investors to come here and join the efforts of the South Africans in its sustainable development and industrialization," the ambassador said.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 10:17:36|Editor: mingmei

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MEXICO CITY, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Monday reiterated his willingness to promote a negotiated solution to Venezuela's political crisis.

"Mexico's doors are open to finding a peaceful solution to the Venezuelan conflict," Lopez Obrador said at his daily press conference.

His statement came after Venezuela's embattled government over the weekend called on the international community to renew a push for dialogue between the ruling socialist party and the U.S.-backed far-right opposition.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza on Sunday specifically lauded the Montevideo Mechanism, which was jointly proposed by Mexico and Uruguay and was backed by Bolivia and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), among other countries, as the best option so far to address the political crisis and avoid armed conflict.

Lopez Obrador said that it was not enough for one side in the conflict to agree to negotiate.

"We have proposed the two sides sit down to talk ... it's just that you need both camps to agree. In this case, you also need to have the consent of the opposition group. Both sides have to request it, ask for it, and we will help," the president said.

On Monday, Arreaza again cited the Montevideo Mechanism and its four-step plan to diffuse the rising tensions between the left and right, and promote negotiation as the "most logical" alternative.

According to Arreaza, Venezuela's moderate conservatives would welcome talks, even though the more outspoken far-right elements reject dialogue.

Countries, including Mexico, "have felt a wall in the Venezuelan opposition that doesn't want dialogue," but there still are sectors willing to negotiate, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 10:37:45|Editor: mingmei

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WASHINGTON, April 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to Chile, Paraguay, Peru, and Colombia to discuss ties with these nations and Venezuela-related issues, U.S. State Department said here on Monday.

Pompeo will travel on April 11-15 to "deepen U.S. partnerships in the Western Hemisphere" and "rally support for democracy in Venezuela," said a statement issued by State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus.

Pompeo will also make a brief stop in Cucuta, Colombia, on April 14. Cucuta is on the border with Venezuela. Venezuela has closed its border with Colombia and announced the severance of his country's diplomatic and political relations with Colombia following the latter's support for Venezuela's opposition and military defectors.

The United States has been pursuing a policy of economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation against the Venezuelan government in support of the opposition leader Juan Guaido. The Trump administration recognized Guaido as the nation's "interim president" on Jan. 23, days after incumbent President Nicholas Maduro was inaugurated for a second term.

In response, the Maduro government severed "diplomatic and political" ties with the United States.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 10:42:48|Editor: Lu Hui

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HANGZHOU, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Every October, small umbrellas with chinoiserie designs are placed neatly on the shelves of Spanish convenience stores. Before the onset of the rainy season along the Mediterranean coast, "Oriental umbrellas" from the other end of the Eurasian continent become popular.

In eastern China's Yiwu, Janey Zhang's umbrella shop is bustling. Merchants from all over the world are purchasing umbrellas. When it comes to the popularization of her products, Janey said having good quality products is essential, as well as on-time delivery.

Her products are mostly shipped to countries along the Belt and Road through China-Europe freight trains. Thanks to the trains, umbrellas usually arrive at their destination within 16 to 18 days. The freightage not only reduces storage costs but also greatly saves logistics time, she said.

As the biggest "small commodity market" in China, Yiwu has brought increasing opportunities for the development of the China-Europe freight trains. According to customs data, in 2018, Yiwu Customs moved 23,000 TEUs of China-Europe freight trains, totaling 178,000 tons, up 62.8 percent and 81.7 percent, respectively.

"Yiwu customs has shortened clearance time and strengthened the protection of containers by adopting the 'paperless' customs clearance in order to facilitate the export via China-Europe trains," Yiwu customs staff told reporters.

Yiwu's exports reached 252.156 billion yuan (about 37.6 billion U.S. dollars) in 2018, up 985.02 percent from 2011, according to the Yiwu Commerce Bureau. Exports to countries along the Belt and Road totaled 124.293 billion yuan, up 6.01 percent year-on-year.

"The China-Europe freight train service will further extend the industrial chain and become a comprehensive service platform for the integrated development of finance, customs clearance and distribution home and abroad, thus further promoting the opening of the market," an official with Yiwu Municipal Commerce Bureau said.

During her 20 years in business, her umbrellas have been exported to more than 100 countries and regions around the world. She identified that her success was due in large part to the development of export trade. "I feel warm even if I sign a small order," she said.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 10:47:54|Editor: Liangyu

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WASHINGTON, April 8 (Xinhua) -- China is catching up with the United States in innovation, according to the indicators shown in an American think tank report released Monday.

China during the past decade has been closing gaps with the United States rapidly and now even leads the latter in some indicators, says the report published by Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF).

In 2017, China's investment in R&D was 33 percent less than that invested in the United States. But by 2017, China had significantly closed the gap by reaching 76 percent of U.S. levels and surpassing the EU, according to the report.

Chinese government institutions spent more on R&D as a share of GDP than the United States, going from 84 percent of the U.S. levels in 2007 to 119 percent in 2017.

Chinese venture capital markets were extremely small in 2006, at 3.7 percent of U.S. venture capital funding. But in 2016, venture capital firms in China provided half as much funding as the firms did in the United States.

China's research universities scored just 9.5 percent of that of the United States in 2009, but closed the gap to 28 percent by 2018, based on the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities.

In 2004, Chinese articles were cited only 62 percent as frequently as the average article was cited globally in the three years following publication, compared with 141 percent for U.S. articles. By 2014, however, Chinese articles had nearly reached the global average, at 96 percent of the expected citations.

In 2006, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted 1,066 Chinese patents, 1.2 percent of which went to U.S. inventors while in 2016, the number had risen to more than 11,000, the equivalent of 8 percent of U.S. patents.

Also, China's high-tech manufacturing value-added grew from 30 percent in 2006 to 77 percent in 2016. If this growth rate were to continue, China would exceed the United States in high-tech manufacturing value-added by 2020.

The report concludes that considering China a copier is misconception and China can and does innovate. The report's co-author Robert Atkinson, ITIF president, calls for an American national innovation and competitiveness strategy to maintain the country's leadership.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 10:47:57|Editor: Liangyu

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HELSINKI, April 8 (Xinhua) -- An Airbus 330 operated by China Tibet Airlines landed at the Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport late on Monday, opening the weekly direct flights between Jinan, Shandong Province of China and Helsinki, capital of Finland.

Kimmo Maki, CEO of Finnish airports group Finavia, greeted the flight at the entrance of the bridge. "We have been waiting for this moment for years," he told Xinhua.

The new flight route will provide unique opportunities for Finnish and European tourists to travel to Jinan and Lhasa, said Maki.

Tibet Airlines is also the first Chinese airlines to run commercial flights to Finland, he added. Currently there are seven direct flights between Finland and China, all run by Finnair. Tibet Airlines has one flight to Finland every week in April and will possibly run two weekly flights in June.

Vantaa and Jinan have been sister cities since 2001, and actual efforts for direct flights have been made for three years, said Mayor of Vantaa Ritva Viljanen. With the opening of the new route, the twin cities are made "neighbors just a couple of hours apart," she stressed.

"Last year when the Mayor visited Jinan, we promised we will start the air route on April 8," said Bai Weishan, general manager of Tibet Airlines, "and now we are here." Bai believed the huge population and massive industrial base of Shandong Province will ensure the prosperity of the new air route.

Viljanen agreed that great opportunities lie between the two cities despite their difference in size -- Vantaa has 250,000 inhabitants whereas Jinan has 9 million. Both cities have developed rapidly and thus share common interest like innovation, as start-ups can gain a lot of potential possibilities via this new route, said Viljanen.

The new route starts from Lhasa in the morning to Jinan at mid-day, then continues to fly to Helsinki until about 8 p.m. local time (1800 GMT). The whole flight takes about 13 hours, with 9 hours between Helsinki and Jinan, and three and half hours between Jinan and Lhasa.

The headquarters of Tibet Airlines is located in Chengdu, and its operating base is Gongga Airport in Lhasa. It has an all-Airbus fleet with 32 aircraft and over 3,000 employees. Its corporate vision is "to be the world's leading very high elevation flight."
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 10:53:03|Editor: Xiaoxia

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A helicopter lands for the rescue of an Australian tourist and the local guide after severely injured in a rhino attack in Chitwan National Park in Chitwan, Nepal on April 8, 2019. The incident took place some 160 km south of the country's capital Kathmandu when the duo was visiting the Chitwan National Park, a pioneering hub for elephant adventures, especially for jungle safari. (Xinhua/Nepal Mediciti Hospital)

KATHMANDU, April 9 (Xinhua) -- An Australian national and his local tour guide were severely injured in a Rhino attack in Nepal's Chitwan National Park on Monday, police said.

Police officer Devendra Chand told Xinhua over the phone that the injured Australian tourist has been identified as 18-year-old William Peter. His local guide Jitu Mahato, 50, was also injured in the incident.

The incident took place some 160 km south of the country's capital Kathmandu when the duo was visiting the Chitwan National Park, a pioneering hub for elephant adventures, especially for jungle safari.

Local authorities immediately rescued the duo and airlifted them to the capital city for further treatment. "The Australian national's condition is very critical," the police officer added.

Chitwan district is Nepal's popular tourist destination located in the southern part of the country.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 10:53:05|Editor: mingmei

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CANBERRA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Attorney-General Christian Porter has called for an investigation into an animal rights group responsible for nationwide vegan protests on Monday.

Porter on Tuesday asked the Information and Privacy Commission to investigate Aussie Farms after their protestors trespassed on private farms to stage their protests and chained themselves to farming and abattoir equipment.

The group also posted a map on its website of Australian livestock farms, calling on protestors to disrupt their operations.

"There are strong grounds to conclude that Aussie Farms Inc is engaging in a systematic effort in collecting, using and disclosing personal information to the detriment of farmers and agricultural producers," Porter wrote to Information and Privacy Commissioner Angelene Falk on Tuesday, as reported by News Corp Australia.

"Further, it would now appear that despite being aware of its prescription under the Privacy Act, Aussie Farms Inc continues to ... play a significant role in spreading disruptive protest activity from Australia's farms to our capital cities."

Protestors also took to the streets of Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne calling on Australians to stop consuming animal products.

Responding to the protests, Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday described them as "green-collared criminals" who should face the "full force of the law."

"I think state and territory governments should ensure the full force of the law is brought against these green colored criminals," he said.

"I also say this, if there are pastoralists, farmers, graziers that are in a position to bring a civil action against these groups, looking to undermine their livelihood, the Commonwealth is totally open to supporting them in a test case to show these green criminals."
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 10:58:09|Editor: mingmei

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YANGON, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar and Bangladesh will cooperate in border area security and rule of law, according to a meeting of senior officials of border guard forces of the two countries held in Myanmar's capital Nay Pyi Taw.

The sixth Myanmar-Bangladesh border guard forces' senior officials meeting on Monday was co-chaired by Chief of Myanmar Police Force General Staff Police Brig-Gen Myo Than and visiting Bangladesh Border Guards Director-General Maj-Gen Md Shafeenul Islam.

The meeting focused on combating illegal drug trade and terrorism, prevention of illegal border crossing and exchange of citizens who had served their prison terms.

The meeting also covered preparation of a first meeting between border liaison offices of the two countries, exchange of news and information related to security of the border region and continued joint patrol along the borders.

Shafeenul also met with Chief of Myanmar Police Force Police Lt-Gen Aung Win Oo and the two sides had discussions on activities of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), which Myanmar designated as a terrorist organization, and local insurgent group of the Arakan Army (AA) along the border areas of the two countries.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 11:13:18|Editor: Liangyu

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BEIJING, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The following is a summary of recent science and technology news briefs.

BRONZE PROTECTION

What protected the terracotta army bronze weapons from metal corrosion after being buried for over 2,000 years? A new article by Chinese and British researchers shows that the soil where the bronze weapons were buried may have contributed to their good preservation.

HIGH ELASTIC MATERIAL

Chinese researchers have developed a type of high elastic material made from castor oil derivative. The material has passed the high tensile strength test of over 200 MPa. Previous artificial elastic material was only dozens of MPa.

COST-EFFICIENCY of DRIVERLESS VEHICLES

Chinese scientists have made progress in helping cut down the cost of driverless vehicles used in special areas like airports or scenic parks.

According to a research team at the Hefei Institute of Physical Science affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, cost-efficiency could be obtained by optimizing an environment-sensing algorithm and laser radars.

The technology can help reduce the price of a ferry vehicle to below 100,000 yuan (about 15,000 U.S. dollars) per unit.

BEIJING BOTANIC GARDEN

The greenhouse of the Beijing Botanic Garden run by the Institute of Botany under the Chinese Academy of Sciences will reopen to the public Wednesday after a massive renovation since late 2017.

The greenhouse now has more than 2,000 kinds of tropical and subtropical plants. After its reopening, visitors will have the chance to see rare plants from countries along the Belt and Road, such as the baobab tree and papyrus.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 11:23:26|Editor: Liu

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CANBERRA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The agency responsible for conducting Australia's elections will deploy computer modelling to reduce queuing time for voters in May's general election.

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has been working with experts from Melbourne's Deakin University to design the software that can predict how many staff will be required at polling booths nationwide to reduce waiting time.

"We have worked very hard this electoral cycle to further improve the voter experience," AEC spokesperson Evan Ekin-Smyth told News Corp Australia on Tuesday.

"For the 2019 federal election there will be an increase in the number of AEC polling officials issuing votes, an increase to the number of voting screens in polling venues, improvements to the setup of polling places to allow easier throughput, and the use of mini-queues to assist the flow of voters."

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is expected to call the general election for May in the coming days, with May 18 or 25 the most likely dates, according to local reports.

Deakin project leader Michael Johnstone said the system uses data gained from recent elections to conduct simulations and predict the busiest polling booths.

"Queues at polling places are unfortunately unavoidable due to variations in the arrival rates of electors but our model can provide an estimate of queue times and behavior, helping electoral officers to more accurately predict resource requirements for materials and personnel, and to find the right balance between polling place performance and cost," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 11:28:28|Editor: Liu

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CANBERRA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government's proposed tax cuts for middle and high-income earners will cost the nation 30 billion Australian dollars (21.3 billion U.S. dollars) per year by 2030, a report has found.

An analysis by the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO), an arm of Parliament charged with "providing independent and non-partisan analysis of the budget," released on Tuesday found that the cuts will cost 18.7 billion Australian dollars (13.3 billion U.S. dollars) in lost revenue in the financial year 2024-25, rising to 30 billion Australian dollars (21.3 billion U.S. dollars) by 2029-30.

Under the third stage of the proposed cuts, which were included in Treasurer Josh Frydenberg's Federal Budget for 2019-20, a 30 percent tax rate will be implemented for all Australians earning between 45,000 Australian dollars (32,054 U.S. dollars) and 200,000 Australian dollars (142,465 U.S. dollars) per year.

Forecasts included in the budget projected that those cuts would cost 95 billion Australian dollars (67.6 billion U.S. dollars) over the six years from their planned introduction in 2024-25 but the PBO found they would cost 147.2 billion Australian dollars (104.8 billion U.S. dollars), jeopardizing the surpluses projected by Frydenberg.

Chris Bowen, the opposition Australian Labor Party's (ALP) treasury spokesperson, said that the PBO analysis proved the true impact of the plan on Australia's finances.

"(Prime Minister) Scott Morrison has famously repeated in the last week his view that income tax cuts aren't a 'cost' to the budget," Bowen told Fairfax Media on Tuesday.

"That underscores just how fiscally reckless the Liberal Party is, locking into the budget, massive tax cuts for high-income earners.

"This says all Australians need to know, not just about the competing choices and priorities at this election, but how the Liberals will stop at nothing to implement their ideological, flat tax agenda."

The ALP has committed to supporting the first stage of the tax plan, which includes cuts for low-income workers, but has ruled out doing so for either stage two, which will benefit middle-income earners, or three.

Labor's own economic agenda, which Bowen will explain further detail in a speech to the National Press Club on Wednesday, features larger tax cuts to Australians earning less than 40,000 Australian dollars (28,492 U.S. dollars) per year.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 13:04:17|Editor: Lu Hui

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NANCHANG, April 9 (Xinhua) -- A forest fire broke out in the city of Jingdezhen, east China's Jiangxi Province, at around 4:20 p.m. Monday, local authorities said Tuesday.

More than 280 people have been dispatched to quench the blaze as of Tuesday morning, according to the provincial emergency management department.

No casualties were reported.

The fire broke out on Monday afternoon in Yinkeng Village and spread to a forest farm at around 2 a.m. on Tuesday. Data showed that the fire had spread over an area of around 20 hectares.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

Jingdezhen is synonymous with ceramics in China. The city boasts a long history of pottery production.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 13:09:22|Editor: mingmei

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VIENTIANE, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The Lao Recovery Consultation meeting on Monday brought together Lao government and development partners to discuss the way forward and build on the findings of the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) conducted in 2018.

In 2018, Laos suffered its worst floods in a decade, heavy rain during Tropical Storm Son-Tinh and the collapse of a dam at the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy hydropower plant in Attapeu province led to an unprecedented flash flood downstream, which affected more than 600,000 people in all 17 provinces and Lao capital Vientiane.

The floods also destroyed around 1,700 houses, while severely disrupting education and health services across the country.

Lao Minister for Labor and Social Welfare and Chairman of the National Disaster Prevention and Control Committee, Khampheng Saysompheng, said Laos, alongside the United Nations and the World Bank, together with other development partners and civil society, had been working to restore livelihoods and strengthen resilience, local dailay Vientiane Times reported on Tuesday.

UN Resident Coordinator to Laos, Kaarina Immonen, said the PDNA report estimated the total damages and losses at 3,167 billion Lao kip (about 372 million U.S. dollars), equivalent to 2.1 percent of the countrys projected 2018 GDP.

The recovery needs were estimated at 4,423 billion Lao kip (some 520 million U.S. dollars), she added.

The assessment identified priority sectors including transport and agricultural waterways, along with the critical needs in each sector. Its findings are essential to help Laos obtain urgent funding from domestic and external sources.

The UN put forward a Disaster Response Plan towards which 10 million U.S. dollars has been mobilised, with additional funding committed by partners towards the recovery. Emergency shelters have been constructed for people who lost their houses.

The government has re-established basic services, provided food to affected communities, and conducted urgent emergency repairs in the roads sector, using the National Road Maintenance Fund.

To provide immediate support to the roads sector, the World Bank has restructured the ongoing Lao Road Sector Project ll to provide four million U.S. dollars to priority areas.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare is coordinating recovery planning under the overall leadership of the National Disaster Prevention and Control Committee, with the goal of restoring and improving access to basic social services and employment opportunities and improving resilience to floods and other natural hazards.

Strategic principles for recovery planning include the rapid rebuilding of peoples livelihoods and the revitalisation of the local economy, focusing on the most vulnerable and socially disadvantaged groups; securing of development gains; coordinated and coherent approaches to recovery; and building back better.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 13:09:24|Editor: zh

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The first trapped person is rescued to a helicopter in Changji, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 9, 2019. Ten people have been rescued Tuesday after being trapped by avalanches in a mountainous area in Changji, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, according to Xinjiang forest fire brigade. They were rescued by two helicopters and transported to Urumqi, the regional capital of Xinjiang. Among them, two people who were lightly injured have been taken to the hospital. (Xinhua/Wu Shike)

URUMQI, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Ten people have been rescued Tuesday after being trapped by avalanches in a mountainous area in Changji, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, according to Xinjiang forest fire brigade.

They were rescued by two helicopters and transported to Urumqi, the regional capital of Xinjiang. Among them, two people who were lightly injured have been taken to the hospital.

The snowslide was first reported on Monday to hit a valley in Urumqi, but later confirmed to strike a grassland in the Ashili township in Changji, a city near Urumqi, said Urumqi's fire brigade.

The rescue forces could not reach the site at around 3,500 meters above sea level as the avalanches blocked the road. The local emergency department asked for helicopters to join the rescue efforts.

According to the Xinjiang forest fire brigade, several people decided to climb mountains during the Tomb-sweeping Day holiday. They encountered avalanches on Saturday and got trapped.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 13:39:32|Editor: mingmei

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WASHINGTON, April 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. designation of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) as a "foreign terrorist organization" (FTO) on Monday could disrupt U.S. economic and diplomatic links around the globe and further escalate Middle East tension, U.S. experts said.

"This designation will be the first time that the United States has ever named a part of another government as an FTO," U.S. President Donald Trump said in a statement, adding that the designation "will significantly expand the scope and scale of our maximum pressure on the Iranian regime."

According to The Wall Street Journal, the designation bans companies and individuals from providing any type of material support or resources to the IRGC-controlled companies, and those who deal with them would be subject to civil or criminal penalties, including prosecution.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif indicated via twitter the alleged link between the U.S. designation decision and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is seeking a fifth term in the April 9 elections but faces a tough fight from former Chief of General Staff Benny Gantz and a series of allegations over fraud and bribery.

"A(nother) misguided election-eve gift to Netanyahu. A(nother) dangerous U.S. misadventure in the region," noted Zarif, who also posted a report of Israeli media saying the Trump administration's decision was made at the request of Netanyahu.

Wayne White, former deputy director of the Middle East Intelligence Office of the State Department, told Xinhua in an interview that it is "quite possible" that "this move also was timed to suggest ... Israeli voters that Prime Minister Netanyahu is the only Israeli leader with the personal ties to President Trump who can deliver on such Israeli supported matters."

However, Washington has claimed that the move is merely part of its pressure campaign and "broader effort to counter Iran-backed terrorism around the world."

In response to media's question why the U.S. administration had decided to make the designation on Monday, Nathan Sales, U.S. coordinator for counterterrorism, only said that "it's the next step in our maximum pressure campaign."

"This administration previously designated the IRGC for providing support to terrorism. Today, we have stripped away the plausible deniability," Sales said.

White believes that the Trump Administration is "determined to pressure and hurt Iran as much as possible, and this is one more such action since the U.S. backed out of the Iranian nuclear agreement."

Speaking of the spillovers of the U.S. move, Dan Mahaffee, senior vice president and director of policy at the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, told Xinhua that the U.S. unprecedented step, which actually listed a foreign government's organization as a terrorist entity, "does raise the risk of further escalation and confrontation with Iran, and we are already seeing this as the Iranians are declaring U.S. forces to be a terrorist entity as well."

Iran's Supreme National Security Council has responded to the U.S. designation by announcing U.S. Central Command forces in West Asia as a "terrorist group."

"Because the IRGC has links to so many individuals and institutions abroad (mostly through its civilian economic empire), such a sweeping designation also could disrupt everything from American economic to diplomatic links to quite an array of global contacts," White said.

U.S. media quoted analysts as saying that the U.S. move, together with possible retaliation from Iran and the Shiite forces in Middle East nations, would further escalate the regional confrontation, and complicate the mission of U.S. forces and diplomats in the region that have to engage with governments that may have close links to Iran, and even with Iran itself over a group of sensitive issues.

According to U.S. media, the Pentagon and the U.S. intelligence community also feared that the move could lead to a backlash against U.S. forces in the region "without inflicting the intended damage on the Iranian economy."

When asked about whether Washington has provided safety measures to the U.S. forces operating very closely to the IRGC members in the Middle East, Brian Hook, senior policy advisor to the secretary of state and special representative for Iran, said at a press briefing that the U.S. side has "taken all measures that are appropriate and prudent in the context of this designation."

The stated goals of the Trump administration's Iran policy are also under question.

Last year, Pompeo rolled out U.S. new strategy on Iran, outlining 12-point requirements for Iran to change its behaviors.

Brookings Institution senior fellow Michael O'Hanlon said he has "lots of qualms about Trump's overall Mideast policy -- the 12-point Pompeo speech on Iran last year with entirely unrealistic goals."

(Matthew Rusling also contributed to the story.)
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 13:49:37|Editor: mingmei

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VIENTIANE, April 9 (Xinhua) -- World Heritage-listed Lao ancient capital Luang Prabang, nestled among the Mekong river and mountains, has become more popular among Chinese tourists, local media reported on Tuesday.

In 2019, the number of Chinese visitors to Luang Prabang and other provinces is expected to grow, under the ongoing Visit Laos-China Year campaign, local daily Vientiane Times reported on Tuesday.

Deputy Director of Luang Prabang provincial Information, Culture and Tourism Department Soudaphone Khomthavong was quoted by the report as saying that the city is currently riding a wave of popularity with Chinese visitors with some traveling in groups of hundreds of vehicles.

As a result, some Chinese restaurants were opened to cater to their culinary tastes.

"We recommend that restaurants add Chinese language to their menu so people can order the food they like," she said.

Local authorities expect Chinese tourists to top all nationalities visiting the world heritage city in 2019.

The ancient city of Luang Prabang, listed in 1995, is one of Laos' two UNESCO World Heritage Sites with the other being the Vat Phou temple complex in southern Laos' Champassak province, which was listed in 2001.

More than 4.1 million visitors came to Laos during Visit Laos Year 2018, an 8.2 percent increase over 2017, according to the Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism.

Officials forecast that more than one million Chinese will spend their holidays in Laos in 2019 with 4.5 million visitors in total expected.

Popular events throughout the year are the lively Lao New Year celebrations, the boat racing festival, festivals to mark the start and end of the Buddhist Lent Day, and the lighted boat festival.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 13:59:42|Editor: xuxin

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A worker prepares before the vote at a polling station in Jerusalem, April 9, 2019. Israel on Tuesday morning started day-long general elections to choose its next parliament and decide the premiership. (Xinhua/Guo Yu)

JERUSALEM, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Israel on Tuesday morning started day-long general elections across the country to choose its next parliament and decide the premiership.

Voting started at 7 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) at 10,720 polling stations across the country and is due to end at 10 p.m. (1900 GMT) in the closely-fought elections mainly between long-serving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party and ex-army chief Benny Gantz's newly formed party.

According to Israel's Central Election Committee, about 6.34 million Israeli citizens are eligible to vote.

More than 40 parties are vying for the 120 seats in the one-chamber Knesset (parliament). Recent opinion polls show a tight race between Gantz's centrist Blue and White with about 30 seats and Netanyahu's rightwing Likud with some 28 seats.

Adam Cohen, 43, told Xinhua on Tuesday morning at a polling station in Tel Aviv that he had voted for the Blue and White.

He said that for him, the most important thing was to replace Netanyahu because of a series of corruption cases that he has been entangled with.

In February, Israel's attorney general said he intended to indict Netanyahu in three separate cases of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.

He said he hoped the new leadership could bring peace and welfare to Israel.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 14:24:53|Editor: zh

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A pupil shows a handmade pig-shaped dough figurine at Fensiting Primary School in Dongcheng District of Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 22, 2019. China is likely to witness a rebound in births this year because of people's favorable attitude toward having a baby in the Year of the Pig, Tuesday's China Daily reported. "It is almost certain the number of births this year will be higher. Traditionally, population peaks occur during the Year of the Pig," Xu Congjian, president of Shanghai-based Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital at Fudan University. A traditional belief exists in many areas of China that the pig symbolizes wealth and productivity, and a baby in that year will have good luck. The newspaper quoted Yan Songbiao, president of Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, as saying that the lunar calendar plays an important role in some couples' plans to have a baby. In 2014, which is the Year of Horse, an animal favored by Chinese, 17,250 babies were born in Yan's hospital, the highest number recorded in the past 60 years. But the following year, which was the Year of the Goat, the number fell to around 12,000. The number of births on the Chinese mainland in 2016 increased by 1.3 million to 17.86 million, the highest since 2000, but the number fell by more than half a million in 2017, according to the newspaper. (Xinhua/Zhou Liang)

BEIJING, April 9 (Xinhua) -- China is likely to witness a rebound in births this year because of people's favorable attitude toward having a baby in the Year of the Pig, Tuesday's China Daily reported.

"It is almost certain the number of births this year will be higher. Traditionally, population peaks occur during the Year of the Pig," Xu Congjian, president of Shanghai-based Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital at Fudan University.

A traditional belief exists in many areas of China that the pig symbolizes wealth and productivity, and a baby in that year will have good luck.

The newspaper quoted Yan Songbiao, president of Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, as saying that the lunar calendar plays an important role in some couples' plans to have a baby.

In 2014, which is the Year of Horse, an animal favored by Chinese, 17,250 babies were born in Yan's hospital, the highest number recorded in the past 60 years. But the following year, which was the Year of the Goat, the number fell to around 12,000.

The number of births on the Chinese mainland in 2016 increased by 1.3 million to 17.86 million, the highest since 2000, but the number fell by more than half a million in 2017, according to the newspaper.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 14:34:58|Editor: Liangyu

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SHENZHEN, April 9 (Xinhua) -- China's integrated circuit (IC) industry sales reached 653.2 billion yuan (about 97.3 billion U.S. dollars) in 2018, according to an official with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

The industry's compound annual growth rate from 2012 to 2018 was 20.3 percent, nearly three times the global average, said Ren Aiguang, who heads the IC office in MITT, at a meeting held in the southern city of Shenzhen.

The industry also saw a better structure with the sales share of IC design and manufacturing increasing and that of IC packing and testing shrinking in 2018, Ren said.

Despite the progress, Ren noted mid-range and low-end products still occupy a large share in the IC design market and the industry still lags behind in storage manufacturing compared with global leaders.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 14:50:08|Editor: mingmei

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MANAGUA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The Nicaraguan government confirmed on Monday that it had reached an agreement with the opposition Civic Alliance for Justice and Democracy (ACJD) for the release of prisoners detained during last year's unrest.

"We have advanced, agreed on and approved a road map, an agenda of negotiation, an agreement for the strengthening of rights and guarantees, and an agreement on the release of prisoners with the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross," said a statement from the delegation of the Government of National Reconciliation and Unity (GRUN).

The statement also called for implementation of the accords already agreed upon and the advancement of issues still under discussion.

The GRUN delegation affirmed its commitment to advancing conversations with sectors of the local opposition, grouped under the ACJD, which demands institutional reforms and early elections.

The general elections are scheduled in November 2021 according to the calendar of the Supreme Electoral Council, while the ACJD demands that the date be moved up.

Nicaragua has experienced political instability since April last year, when police shot rubber bullets and tear gas into a crowd of protesters against social security reforms.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 15:05:19|Editor: zh

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BEIJING, April 9 (Xinhua) -- China's electric vehicle (EV) market will continue to boom in the second quarter of 2019 despite subsidy cuts, according to the Fitch Ratings.

The rapid growth was supported by more attractive product offerings, wider commercial application of passenger EVs and "pull-forward" effect, said in a research note.

Last month, Chinese authorities announced to scale back subsidies in the new energy vehicle (NEV) industry to push for the sector's high-quality development with a three-month transition period.

The changeover period could stimulate EV manufacturers to encourage rush-buying through consumer subsidies and promotions.

With a large number of EV offerings to launch this year, Fitch Ratings believes that China's medium-term EV market will expand.

The intensifying competition would compel the EV automakers to improve the quality and performance of EVs, which will boost consumer demand, according to the research note.

China's support policies over the past few years have made it one of the fastest-growing NEV markets. Last year, the country's NEV sales soared 61.74 percent to 1.26 million units, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 15:10:25|Editor: xuxin

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DAMASCUS, April 9 (Xinhua) -- A total of three soldiers were killed on Tuesday when a rebel group attacked a military position in the northern countryside of Hama province in central Syria, state news agency SANA reported.

The rebels, some wearing bomb vests, attacked the military post before daybreak Tuesday and were discovered by the soldiers.

The soldiers clashed with the assailants and killed them along with the three suicide bombers who detonated their vests during the clashes.

It's the latest in a string of attacks in the countryside of Hama and the nearby Idlib province in northwestern Syria recently.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said six soldiers were killed in the attack that was carried out by the rebel group called Ansar al-Tawhid.

It said the three suicide bombers were killed when they detonated their bomb vests.

A day earlier, the observatory said the Syrian army was heavily shelling the rebel positions in the Hama countryside and Idlib.

The Syrian government has repeatedly accused the rebels of violating and breaching the de-escalation zones' deal that was brokered by Turkey and Russia last September about Idlib and the nearby countryside of Hama.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 15:25:23|Editor: xuxin

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Children play at a temporary camp after a flood just outside Ahvaz city, southwestern Iran, April 8, 2019. The unprecedented floods across Iran over the past weeks have claimed the lives of at least 70 people, the chief of Iran Emergency Organization told official IRNA news agency on Friday. Also, a total of 791 people were injured in the incidents, Pir Hossein Kolivand was quoted as saying. (Xinhua/Ahmad Halabisaz)
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 15:22:31|Editor: xuxin

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Children wade through flood water at a village in Khuzestan province, southwestern Iran, April 8, 2019. The unprecedented floods across Iran over the past weeks have claimed the lives of at least 70 people, the chief of Iran Emergency Organization told official IRNA news agency on Friday. Also, a total of 791 people were injured in the incidents, Pir Hossein Kolivand was quoted as saying. (Xinhua/Ahmad Halabisaz)
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 15:25:41|Editor: Yamei

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VIENTIANE, April 9 (Xinhua) -- A group of 1,000 Chinese tourists, organized by the Chinese and Lao governments, is visiting Laos, to promote Visit China-Laos Year 2019.

The group, organized by Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Chinese Embassy in Laos and Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, is currently visiting tourist attractions in Vientiane and some of the Lao provinces during their stay in Laos till Tuesday.

The tourists from Beijing, Shanghai and other provinces arrived in Laos from Friday to Sunday and welcomed by Lao minister of Information, Culture and Tourism at the airport.

Bosengkham Vongdara said that the group was the first officially-arranged Chinese tour group to visit Laos as part of this tourism promotion. Participants from both Laos and China gained a deeper insight into each other's culture through a series of performances.

"Chinese Stye 2019 -- Special Exhibition of Chinese Contemporary Artists' Painting and Calligraphy" was jointly held Monday by the two countries' tourism authorities in Lao National Museum in Vientiane, as to introduce Chinese traditional culture to Lao people.

During their stay in Laos, travel agents from both countries held a seminar to discuss pragmatic cooperation potentials.

Bosengkham said the governments of Laos and China hoped to attract a large number of Chinese visitors to Laos this year while encouraging Lao people to visit China. In a bid to attract Chinese visitors, the Lao government has reduced the tourist visa fee for Chinese nationals from 20 U.S. dollars to 10 dollars.

Laos recorded more than 4.1 million foreign visitors in 2018, an increase of 8.2 percent compared with 2017. More than 800,000 tourists came from China in 2018, an increase of 26 percent compared to 2017.

This year, the government projected that more than one million Chinese will visit Laos and hopes to attract about 4.5 million visitors in total.

The Visit China-Laos Year 2019 was launched on Jan. 25, in Vientiane. Based on the working plan, Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism will sign cooperation agreements and organize projects throughout the year, such as tourism promotion, forums, cultural performances and food introduction.

In addition, both ministries will set up dialogue platforms for tourism authorities and enterprises of the two countries, jointly design tourist routes, promote tourism brands of Laos and increase two-way tourist arrivals.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 15:30:45|Editor: xuxin

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TEHRAN, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) started the installation of IR6 centrifuges on Tuesday, official IRNA news agency reported.

The installation of a chain of 20 advanced IR6 centrifuges began in the Natanz enrichment facility in central Iran, following a decree of President Hassan Rouhani, said the report.

"We are happy to announce the installation of the IR6 centrifuges. This will be a big achievement for the Iranian nation," Rouhani was quoted as saying at a video conference.

With the installation of the centrifuges, subsequent tests will be carried out, according to the report.

In July 2018, Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the AEOI, said that Iran had set up a factory to manufacture rotors used in advanced centrifuge machines.

In February, Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for the AEOI, said Iran was ready to boost the capacity of its uranium enrichment and to increase the level of enrichment to 20 percent of purity.

Under an international nuclear deal in 2015, which put an end to the Iranian controversial nuclear issue, Iran agreed to reduce the purity of its enriched uranium to 3 percent.

Following the withdrawal of Washington from the Iranian nuclear deal in May last year, Tehran has threatened that it might reconsider its approach to the deal, if other signatories fail to guarantee Iran's benefits from the accord.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 15:40:48|Editor: zh

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BEIJING, April 9 (Xinhua) -- China will launch a national crackdown on spreading online vulgar content to create a clean cyberspace environment, according to official sources Tuesday.

The crackdown, initiated by the National Office Against Pornographic and Illegal Publications, will run for eight months starting April.

The office ordered local authorities to inspect platforms of online literature, live streaming, videos, online games, microblogging and WeChat.

Items that are obscene and pornographic or violate the right marriage values and family ethics or promote violence, bloodiness, cruelty or terror will be taken down. Platforms that spread illegal content will be investigated and punished.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 15:45:55|Editor: xuxin

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GHAZNI, Afghanistan, April 9 (Xinhua) -- At least 13 militants have been killed after fighting aircraft struck Taliban hideouts in the eastern Ghazni and neighboring Paktika provinces, an army statement said here Tuesday.

According to the statement, the sorties targeted Taliban hiding places in Ghazni's Andar district and adjoining areas, killing five insurgents. And the attack in Paktika's Barmal district and its vicinities killed eight militants.

A number of militants have also sustained injuries in the raids, the statement said.

Taliban militants haven't commented yet.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 15:56:14|Editor: xuxin

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WASHINGTON, April 8 (Xinhua) -- A recent shakeup at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has raised concerns among lawmakers, including allies of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Senate Chuck Grassley, a Republican Senator from Iowa who previously served as Judiciary Committee Chairman, said in an interview with U.S. media Monday that he was "very concerned" over the possible ousting of more DHS senior officials, after Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen and Director of the Secret Service Randolph Alles exited.

"They are the intellectual basis for what the president wants to accomplish in immigration," Grassley said, after rumors circulated Monday that Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Lee Cissna, another DHS senior official, is in danger of being dismissed.

"The president has to have some stability and particularly with the number one issue that he's made for his campaign, throughout his two and a half years of presidency," Grassley said. "He's pulling the rug out from the very people that are trying to help him accomplish his goal."

Senator Ron Johnson, another Republican lawmaker who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said in a statement Monday he was "concerned with a growing leadership void within the department tasked with addressing some of the most significant problems facing the nation."

It was not immediately clear why Nielsen and Alles exited, U.S. media widely attributed the shakeup to a push back from department officials in response to a White House drive to toughen border security.

The White House said earlier Monday that Alles "will be leaving shortly", while Trump announced Nielsen's exit in a tweet Sunday.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner, Kevin McAleenan, has taken over the DHS as acting secretary, while James Murray, a career member of the Secret Service, will replace Alles.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 16:01:23|Editor: Yamei

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URUMQI, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The freight train service linking Chinese cities with Europe are breathing new life into the ancient Silk Road with its rapidly expanding network.

In May 2011, a rail route was opened between Chongqing and Duisburg in Germany, marking the start of the China-Europe cargo train service.

Boosted by the Belt and Road construction, the international train service has been expanding fast over the past eight years.

A total of 48 Chinese cities have launched 65 freight train routes, reaching 14 countries and more than 40 cities in Europe in 2018. Over 13,000 trips have been conducted by the China-Europe trains as of March.

Nan Jun, deputy general manager of the Xinjiang Xintie International Logistics Company, operator of Urumqi China-Europe train logistics center, has been a witness to the development of the train service, as 70 percent of the China-Europe trains exit or enter China through Xinjiang.

According to Nan, when the logistics center was opened in May 2016, only four international lines were available, with trains operating once per week. Now there are 21 international lines, with at least three trains operating daily.

International trains starting from Urumqi can reach destinations in Kazakstan in 48 hours, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in 72 hours, Russia in eight days, the Netherlands in 16 days and Italy in 19 days.

Cargoes traveling on the China-Europe rail routes have also been expanding in categories, from electronics and grocery products initially to some 200 categories including mechanics, chemical products, textiles and foods.

Local products in Xinjiang have also caught these trains heading for Europe. For example, locally produced tomato ketchup has arrived at the dinner tables of Italians, thanks to the train service.

The Alataw Pass and Horgos of Xinjiang are the two ports through which the trains enter or exit China.

Wang Chuanjie, head of the Alataw Pass Customs, said the port now sees an average of seven international trains passing through it every day, compared to only one every month several years ago.

Staff at the two ports have been working to improve customs clearance efficiency for the trains, from 24 hours previously to less than 14 hours.

Ning Jizhe, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, said earlier this year that more places would be connected by the China-Europe trains.

China will continue promoting the commercialization of the trains and upgrade the trains with digital technologies, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 16:06:27|Editor: xuxin

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LONDON, April 8 (Xinhua) -- One of the leading killers during volcanic eruptions is a fast-flowing mixture of hot gas, ash, and debris known as pyroclastic density currents. Now scientists may have found out why such pyroclastic flows travel so fast.

A new study, which was published Monday in the scientific journal Nature Geoscience, revealed that the pyroclastic flow is able to move so fast and so far because it can glide along on a cushion of air.

Together with his colleagues, Gert Lube, first author of the study from Massey University in New Zealand, created mini pyroclastic flows in a large-scale outdoor experimental setup by piling volcanic material into a giant hopper and heating the rock up to 130 degrees Celsius.

After using an elevator-like device to hoist the hopper into the air, the researchers dumped the hot volcanic material down a 12-meter shoot and tracked the flow with high-speed video.

The researchers discovered that the speed of the base of the flow is different to that higher up, which results in a lowering of the air pressure at the base of the flow. When the gas is pushed downwards, a film of air is formed at the base of the flow.

The team said this cushion of air effectively can carry the volcanic material down the slope, with the lack of friction meaning the flow moves much faster.

"Pyroclastic flows are the most devastating and deadly aspect of volcanic eruptions," Michael Manga, a geologist at the University of California, Berkeley, told online magazine Science News. He is not involved in the work. This new understanding may lead to better hazard models that inform where people build infrastructure and plan evacuation routes, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 16:21:45|Editor: xuxin

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SEOUL, April 9 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in will visit Washington this week to consult with U.S. President Donald Trump on concrete ways for the Korean Peninsula's complete denuclearization, Moon's office said Tuesday.

Moon will leave for Washington on Wednesday for his two-day visit. The Moon-Trump summit will be held Thursday (U.S. Eastern Standard Time), according to the presidential Blue House.

The summit will be held based on a shared recognition that consultations between the two countries are important to rapidly restore the momentum for dialogue following the Hanoi summit in February, Kim Hyun-chong, deputy director of the National Security Office (NSO) of the Blue House, told a press briefing.

The second summit between Trump and Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), ended with no agreement in late February in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi.

During the upcoming Moon-Trump summit in Washington, the two leaders were anticipated to consult on concrete ways to achieve complete denuclearization of and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula while maintaining a top-down approach, the NSO deputy director said.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 16:57:08|Editor: zh

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NANJING, April 9 (Xinhua) -- China's two rocket-carrying ships have recently completed their first medium maintenance after trail voyages, preparing for future missions.

Docked at a port in east China's Jiangsu Province, Yuanwang-21 and Yuanwang-22 are the country's first cargo ships designed to pick up and transport Long March rockets.

According to Cao Zhiyi, head of the fleet, the ship maintenance has greatly improved the power system and safety performance and strengthened the reliability and operability of onboard equipment.

After a short rest, the two ships will carry out rehearsals of container lifting operations.

The Yuanwang ships, built in 2012, completed a series of missions including the maritime transport of the Long March-7 and the Long March-5 carrier rockets in 2016.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 17:12:24|Editor: Li Xia

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SEOUL, April 9 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in will visit Washington this week to consult with U.S. President Donald Trump on concrete ways for the Korean Peninsula's complete denuclearization, Moon's office said Tuesday.

Moon will leave for Washington on Wednesday for his two-day visit. The Moon-Trump summit will be held Thursday (U.S. Eastern Standard Time), according to the presidential Blue House.

The summit will be held based on a shared recognition that consultations between the two countries are important to rapidly restore the momentum for dialogue following the Hanoi summit in February, Kim Hyun-chong, a deputy director of the National Security Office (NSO) of the Blue House, told a press briefing.

Moon's trip to Washington will come after the second summit between Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), and Trump ended with no agreement in late February in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi.

During the upcoming summit, Moon and Trump would consult on concrete ways for complete denuclearization of and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula while maintaining a top-down approach, said the NSO deputy director.

A senior Blue House official, who declined to be identified, told the press briefing that South Korea and the United States were on the same page regarding the "end state" of the complete denuclearization and the need for a roadmap to achieve the goal.

The comment indicated Moon and Trump may discuss a detailed roadmap for the peninsula's denuclearization and corresponding measures that can be taken by the United States and South Korea.

The DPRK leader said he would seek the peninsula's complete denuclearization if Washington takes corresponding measures.

The Moon-Trump summit could be followed by another Moon-Kim summit or Moon's dispatch of his special envoy to Pyongyang.

Moon and Kim met three times last year, the latest in Pyongyang in September when the DPRK leader promised to visit Seoul to reciprocate Moon's Pyongyang visit.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 17:27:31|Editor: Li Xia

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TOKYO, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn said in a video message released Tuesday by his lawyers that he is innocent of all charges of financial misconduct facing him and has been the victim of a conspiratorial plot.

"...I'm innocent. It's not new, you have heard it from me in January, and I repeat it today," said Ghosn, who was served his fourth arrest warrant last week for alleged aggravated breach of trust connected with Nissan funds being paid to a dealer in Oman.

"I'm innocent of all the charges that have been brought against me, and I'm also innocent of all the accusations that came around these charges that are all biased, taken out of context, twisted in a way to paint a personage of greed, and a personage of dictatorship," Ghosn added.

The ex-auto tycoon who, after his first arrest on Nov. 19 on charges of under-reporting his remuneration for years in Nissan's securities reports, went on to spent 108 days in detention, talked of his love of Japan and of Nissan, and about the automaker's accomplishments since he was sent to Japan in 1999.

He initially served as the automaker's chief executive officer following the Japanese automaker's capital alliance made with Renault and as Nissan president from 2000 and its chief executive officer from 2001 to 2017.

"We've done many things in Nissan that I'm proud of. We have also contributed to the economy of Japan, to the development of the management in Japan," the 65-year old said.

The once-feted executive, in his third point, said in the video that he had been the victim of a conspiratorial plot.

"The third point I want to tell you is that this is a conspiracy. This is not about specific events, this is not about greed, this is not about dictatorship," Ghosn said.

"This is about a plot, this is about conspiracy, this is about backstabbing, that is what we're talking about," he said, adding that the conspiracy was down to people and even the automaker itself feeling its autonomy was being threatened.

Ghosn, whose defense team said it will file an appeal with the Supreme Court on Wednesday against the Tokyo District Court's decision to detain him, went on to underscore his support for the autonomy of Nissan, highlighting the point, however, that it must be based on performance.

"I've been the fiercest defender of the autonomy of Nissan and I've made it very clear that no matter what the steps are in the future, this would continue. But this autonomy must be based on performance," stated Ghosn.

"Nobody gets autonomy for the sake of autonomy, people get autonomy because they can be more performative with autonomy and that was where the fear came because the performance of Nissan is not good. It has degraded a lot," he said, adding that the company had been issued multiple profit warnings and had been caught up in previous scandals that led to mistrust.

He said there were problems with the management of the company and that a few executives out of self-interest and selfish fears had created "a lot of value destruction."

"We're talking about people who really played a very dirty game into what's happening. But hopefully the truth will happen and the facts will happen," said Ghosn.

Ghosn, having explained the complexities of management and that of the alliance, said that as far as he was concerned he was a leader and not a dictator. He closed his address by saying he wanted nothing more than to have a fair trial.

"Finally what I would like to say is my big hope, my biggest wish is to have a fair trial. I am privileged to have three competent lawyers around me who are going to defend the case, but they don't share with me a lot of serenity about the fairness of the trial," said Ghosn.

"I'm not a lawyer, I'm not competent in this matter, but I will leave it to them to explain to you what specific conditions are required to ensure a fair trial that I can be hopefully vindicated," Ghosn said.

On Monday, Nissan Motor Co. shareholders removed Ghosn from its board severing a nearly two-decade relationship.

Renault SA and Mitsubishi Motors Corp., who comprise the Ghost-created alliance with Nissan, have said that Ghosn will step down as a director in June.

On April 4, the Brazilian-born businessman who also has French and Lebanese nationality was re-arrested by Tokyo prosecutors over new allegations of aggravated breach of trust causing Nissan a loss of around 5 million U.S. dollars.

Ghosn's lawyer Junichiro Hironaka has, meanwhile, slammed Japan's judicial system as being akin to "hostage justice."
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 17:27:32|Editor: Li Xia

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BEIJING, April 9 (Xinhua) -- China has launched a program to establish chief teachers at middle schools and primary schools in rural areas in central and western China, according to a circular released by the Ministry of Education Tuesday.

The program is to cultivate a rank of leading talent in basic education in those areas, the ministry said.

The positions will be open to all county-level middle school and primary school teachers.

Chief teachers will be given 3-year contracts and will be encouraged to further explore and innovate their educational concepts and methods, in order to lift the quality of education in central and western rural areas, according to the circular.

The provinces of Anhui, Henan, Shaanxi and Gansu will become the pilot regions of the program this year, and each of them will pick five cities or counties with a relatively poorer economy to carry out the program.

Based on the experience drawn from these pilot regions, the program will be further launched in central and western Chinese provinces in the next phase, the circular reads.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 17:37:41|Editor: Li Xia

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ASTANA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Kazakhstan's interim President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called an early presidential elections scheduled for June 9 in a televised address to the nation on Tuesday.

"In accordance with the Constitution, I made a decision to call for the extraordinary presidential elections of the Republic of Kazakhstan on June 9, 2019. On this matter I have consulted with the Leader of the Nation Nursultan Nazarbayev," said Tokayev. The presidential elections were originally scheduled for 2020.

The president instructed the Central Election Commission to organize the elections and ordered the government to take necessary measures for organizational, logistical and financial support of the elections.

Tokayev took office as Kazakhstan's interim president on March 20 following the sudden resignation of Nazarbayev who had served as the country's president for nearly three decades.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 17:52:49|Editor: Li Xia

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by Keren Setton

JERUSALEM, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Israelis began voting Tuesday in a general election to select the country's 21st parliament and government.

Over 6 million Israelis are eligible to vote.

The last elections were held in 2015 with a voting rate of 72 percent, which is expected to remain this time.

There are 120 seats in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset. Incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, head of the Likud party, is expected to lead the right-wing bloc.

In Israel, if a party has never won 61 seats, it will need to build a coalition. It will be difficult, however, for the right-wing bloc to form a coalition with only slim majority in parliament.

A record number of 42 parties are running for seats this year, with a new threshold level of 3.25 percent.

Here are the main parties running in the race:

Likud

Led by Netanyahu for over a decade, the Likud is the biggest party in Israel's right-wing bloc. Although the party's official documents are vague, party members have repeatedly voiced their opinion against the establishment of a Palestinian state and have promoted settlement expansion in the West Bank.

In a recent TV interview, Netanyahu promised he would officially annex the Jewish settlements in the West Bank, a move to woo voters in the elections but likely to spark international criticism.

The Israeli leader has also held a tough stance against Iran, Israel's arch-rival, which was generally accepted by all political parties.

Netanyahu is considered by many in Israel as a master of political maneuvers. But this time, he was haunted by the scandal of three possible corruption indictments.

Blue and White

Headed by former Chief of General Staff Benny Gantz, Blue and White unites Gantz and centrist party Yesh Atid, which was headed by former journalist and Finance Minister Yair Lapid.

Campaigning for "clean politics," it seems that the Blue and White differs from Likud in stances on Israeli democracy and security issues.

Gantz leads a trio of three former generals with Lapid. While Gantz has been steadily leading polls ahead of Likud, it is unlikely for him to form a coalition. The party has vowed not to sit with Netanyahu as long as allegations over him remain.

Labor

Headed by Avi Gabbay, the Labor party was the largest and dominating one in the country. At the beginning of the election campaign, the party has barely crossed the threshold line but with a sleek social media campaign and a diverse team of experienced parliamentarians, they seem to have recovered in the polls.

The party said it will recommend Gantz to form the next coalition.

Zehut

As an ultra-right wing party headed by Moshe Feiglin, Zehut might be a surprise of the election. At the beginning of the campaign, the party did not cross the threshold line but in recent weeks, they are expected to win at least six seats in the Knesset.

Advocating for extreme free market policies, Zehut completely denies any Palestinian rights of territories in the West Bank or elsewhere. But its main ticket throughout the campaign, and the one thought to have brought it to excel in the polls, is the complete legalization of marijuana.

Although Feiglin would be considered a shoe-in to recommend Netanyahu as the candidate to lead the next coalition, he has refused to commit himself to any party or bloc.

The New Right

An offshoot of the former Jewish Home party, the New Right is headed by Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked.

Polls showed they are expected to win about six seats and they have said they will recommend Netanyahu as the next Prime Minister.

Shaked has vowed to continue to limit the influence of the Israeli Supreme Court, and Bennett is coveting the defense portfolio, promising a tougher stance against the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip.

Shaked and Bennett are staunch opposers of a Palestinian state and supporters of full Israeli annexation of the West Bank.

Hadash-Taal

This party is expected to be the largest party representing the Arab population in Israel. Led by prominent Arab-Israeli politicians, Ahmed Tibi and Ayman Odeh, the party is expected to win approximately eight seats.

Traditionally, Arab parties do not join coalitions and they are unlikely to recommend any party leader.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 18:07:56|Editor: Li Xia

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MADRID, April 9 (Xinhua) -- China has become the world's biggest importer of Iberian ham and Spain's exports of the product to China has increased by 408 percent over the past five years, according to Spain's Inter-professional Association for Iberian Pigs (ASICI).

Spain's champion ham slicer, Anibal Falcon, told Xinhua recently that the demand for professionals able to expertly slice jamon iberico (cured ham) is also increasing around the world in recent years, including in China.

Falcon said that the demand for expert ham slicers has already taken him to China and other Asian nations.

"It is wonderful for me to see how the product is so highly valued. As ham slicers, we receive a lot of affection and respect when we travel to Asia," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 18:18:00|Editor: Yamei

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AYBAK, Afghanistan, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Six people were killed and another injured as part of a coal mine collapsed in the northern Samangan province of Afghanistan on Monday, a local official said Tuesday.

"A group of workers were busy inside a coal mine in Dara-e-Suf Payan district when it collapsed on Monday afternoon, killing six persons on the spot and injuring another," district governor Ahmad Ali Hasani told Xinhua.

According to the official, part of the coal mine collapsed following a blast.

An investigation is underway to determine the reason of the deadly incident, Hasani said.
File photo of South Sudanese President Salva Kiir (R) and major opposition leader Riek Machar signing on the final deal on power-sharing and security arrangements between South Sudan's conflicting parties, in Khartoum, capital of Sudan, Aug. 5, 2018. (Xinhua/Mohamed Khidir)

JUBA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan President Salva Kiir and several opposition figures will meet in Vatican on Friday to discuss implementation of a peace agreement signed in September 2018, Kiir's spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny said on Monday.

Kiir, his longtime rival and opposition leader Riek Machar and other signatories to the peace deal will meet for a "spiritual and peace retreat" at the Vatican, Ateny told Xinhua.

The factions will also hold a joint peace prayer for South Sudan, Ateny said. "All the stakeholders who signed the peace agreement are going to be part of the prayer."

Lam Pual Gabriel, deputy military spokesman for Machar's Sudan People's Liberation Movement/ Army-in Opposition (SPLM/A-IO), also confirmed the meeting to Xinhua.

The meeting comes just a month after the South Sudanese leader visited the Vatican and discussed the country's peace process with Pope Francis.

South Sudan descended into civil war in late 2013, and the conflict has created one of the fastest growing refugee crises in the world.

The UN estimates that 4 million South Sudanese have been displaced internally and externally.

A peace deal signed in August 2015 collapsed following renewed violence in the capital, Juba, in July 2016.

Under the latest peace deal, opposition leader Machar, along with four others, will once again be reinstated as Kiir's deputies.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 19:24:07|Editor: xuxin

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KUALA LUMPUR, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Rosmah Mansor, the wife of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, was temporarily arrested by the country's anti-corruption body on Tuesday and is set to be charged again for her involvement in a solar power project for rural schools.

Rosmah, who was summoned for questioning before being arrested to facilitate investigations, was released on bail shortly after and is scheduled to be charged at a Kuala Lumpur court on Wednesday, the anti-corruption body said in a brief statement.

Last November, Rosmah and her former special officer were separately charged for attempting to solicit 44.8 million U.S. dollars, 15 percent of the contract value, from the company awarded the contract.

Rosmah was also charged with receiving bribes from the company director to assist him in obtaining the contract.

Her special officer, Rizal Mansor, faced four charges, two counts of soliciting and another two counts of receiving bribes.

Both pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Prior to the solar power project case, she had been slapped with 17 money laundering and tax-evasion offences involving 1.6 million U.S. dollars.

It was alleged that the solar panel project, involving more than 300 schools in the country's eastern state of Sarawak, was awarded to a company without an open tender with the endorsement by Najib.

Najib himself faces 42 counts of corruption, criminal breach of trust, abuse of power and money laundering charges, with the first trial started last week.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 19:34:17|Editor: xuxin

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WINDHOEK, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The Southern African Development Community (SADC) will launch a regional appeal for humanitarian assistance on Thursday after tropical Cyclone Idai battered parts of southern Africa, the SADC chairperson said Monday.

Hage Geingob, who is also Namibian president, said the regional appeal will be a formal request to the international community to provide immediate assistance to the three affected countries -- Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

The assistance includes food, shelter, clothing, potable water, sanitation and medical support given the occurrence of diseases such as cholera, diarrhea and malaria, the SADC secretariat said in a statement.

The support will help the affected districts rebuild their lives and economies, according to the statement.

The devastating tropical Cyclone Idai has affected an estimated 3 million people in the three SADC member states.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 19:39:25|Editor: xuxin

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JUBA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan's peace monitors are hopeful that a new transitional unity government would be set up next month despite growing skepticism over delays in the implementation of the September 2018 peace deal.

Augostino Njoroge, interim chairman of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), said the peace deal is battling too many challenges, but he stressed that the new government can be formed if the signatories take bold steps before the May deadline.

"With more efforts, it is possible to achieve the critical ones, I'm optimistic that this government can be formed," Njoroge told state-owned South Sudan Broadcasting Cooperation (SSBC) on Tuesday after a meeting with South Sudanese President Salva Kiir.

As the May 12 deadline for the formation of a new power-sharing government approaches, parties to the peace pact are already behind schedule and there are concerns that the new government may not take effect as the parties have failed to implement key provisions of the accord.

Signatories to the peace deal warned last week that the deadline may be missed due to lack of resources to establish cantonment sites, and to train and integrate rival forces.

South Sudan descended into civil war in late 2013, and the conflict has created one of the fastest growing refugee crises in the world.

The UN estimates that about four million South Sudanese have been displaced internally and externally.

A peace deal signed in August 2015 collapsed following renewed violence in the capital, Juba in July 2016.

Under the new peace deal, opposition leader Riek Machar, along with four others will once again be reinstated as Kiir's deputy.

Kiir, Machar and other signatories to the peace deal will meet in the Vatican on Friday to discuss implementation of the fragile peace agreement.
Li Changgui (L), General Manager at China Road and Bridge Corporation (Kenya) and Guo Ce (R), Economic and Commercial Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy pose for a group photo with some of the employees from Kenya-China Economic Trade Association (KCETA), in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, April 8, 2019. (Xinhua)

NAIROBI, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The first batch of 28 outstanding Kenyan employees working for Chinese companies on Monday set off on an eight-day tour of the Asian country sponsored by their employers, with itinerary including visiting major cities like Beijing and Shanghai.

Guo Ce, economic and commercial counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Kenya, said during the flag-off ceremony that "the outstanding employees travelling today represent some of the best Chinese companies here."

"I believe they are our industry ambassadors who will connect our two countries more closely," Guo said.

More than 20 Chinese enterprises based in Kenya in December 2018 selected 55 outstanding local employees to visit the world's second largest economy as part of the 55th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the countries.

Guo said the visit to China by Kenyan employees who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to duty will strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

"I believe after this trip, you will have a deeper understanding of China and Chinese culture, which will help you more in your future work with Chinese companies," Guo told the employees.

The second batch of the rest 27 outstanding Kenyan employees will set off for the tour on April 15 to join their colleagues.

Li Changgui, representative of Kenya-China Economic and Trade Association (KCETA), said the employees who were rewarded with the trip to China include senior managers, technicians and ordinary workers.

"They are all outstanding representatives of Chinese enterprises and the pride of their family," said Li.

He said the Kenyan employees will gain new insight into rich Chinese culture, advanced economy and technological prowess during their trip that will also include stops at headquarters of major corporations like Huawei and China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC).
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 20:04:41|Editor: Li Xia

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TEHRAN, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Iranian senior officials on Tuesday unanimously condemned the recent U.S. listing of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) as a "foreign terrorist organization."

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tuesday that the United States will not succeed in its anti-Iran measures by blacklisting the IRGC.

"The United States and the ignorant enemies of the Islamic republic have failed in their anti-Iran measures over the past 40 years," Khamenei was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency.

They will never succeed in their "malicious" plots against Iran or the IRGC in the future either, he stressed.

On Tuesday, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani also expressed full support for the IRGC, saying that nobody would endorse such a move by Washington which is itself committing acts of terrorism around the world, according to IRNA.

The IRGC has served greatly to the Iranian nation since the victory of the Islamic revolution in 1979 and is the basic pillar of the Islamic republic, Rouhani said.

"Today, the global arrogance and the United States seek to express their hostility by labeling a group (IRGC) as terrorist, while the IRGC's biggest goal, aspiration, act and devotion have always been fighting against terrorism," said Rouhani.

The United States itself is using terrorist groups against regional nations and is the biggest "sponsor of terrorism" in the world, Rouhani added.

In the meantime, Iran's Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said that the U.S. decision on IRGC is "an explicit sign of an old grudge and discloses the stupidity of the U.S. regime," according to IRNA.

The IRGC is "forerunner in the campaigns against terrorist groups, including the Islamic State militants, in the region and has inflicted the harshest blows to the dreadful terrorist groups in the region," he said.

Besides, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif described U.S. President Donald Trump's move to blacklist the IRGC as another "misguided" election gift to the Israeli prime minister on the eve of the Israel's election, according to Tasnim news agency.

Iranian Ambassador to Britain Hamid Baeidinejad made the similar comment by saying that the White House's decision is a gift to Netanyahu to assist him in the Israeli upcoming elections.

On Tuesday, The Iranian lawmakers appeared in the IRGC's uniforms at the parliament session to express solidarity with the force amid U.S. "hostile" move, according to Tasnim.

They also chanted "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" in the parliament.

Trump said on Monday that the United States decided to list the IRGC as a "foreign terrorist organization," a move that will further worsen U.S.-Iran relations and is expected to further complicate the Middle East situation.

Iran's Supreme National Security Council on Monday announced U.S. Central Command forces in West Asia as "terrorist group."
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 20:14:52|Editor: zh

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DOHA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- A senior Chinese official has called for cooperation from parliaments of all countries to promote peace and development.

Shen Yueyue, vice chairwoman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, made the remarks during the 140th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Qatar's capital Doha on Monday.

"Parliaments from all countries should make contribution to removing misunderstanding, solving problems and promoting development," Shen said.

The world now is faced with changing situation, and peace and development are still the theme of the era, she said, adding that the mankind is a community of shared future, with cooperation needed for common developments.

Peace and development are the original aspiration and unremitting pursuit of the IPU, Shen said.

During the assembly, Shen met with parliamentary leaders from Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Russia, Mongolia and Qatar.

Delegations from more than 160 countries attended the assembly, which started last Saturday.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 20:19:55|Editor: xuxin

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KUWAIT CITY, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait is following up with the U.S. decision to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a "foreign terrorist organization," the Kuwaiti deputy foreign minister said Monday evening.

Khaled Al-Jarallah made the remarks on the sidelines of a ceremony held by the Argentine Embassy in Kuwait to mark the South American country's national day.

"It is still early to talk about details about the decision," he noted.

On the Gulf crisis, he expressed his country's optimism to reach a solution, pointing out that the mechanisms of meetings in the Gulf Cooperation Council continued in the presence of all the Gulf parties.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Monday the designation of IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 20:19:57|Editor: zh

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BEIJING, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese automaker SAIC Motor Corporation Limited reported Tuesday a 15.88 percent year-on-year decline in its overall sales in March, despite its strong performance last year.

SAIC Motor sold 558,558 vehicles in March, according to the company's report filed to the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

Auto production in March dropped 17.96 percent year on year to 573,389 vehicles.

Last year, SAIC Motor sold 7.05 million vehicles, up 1.8 percent from 2017. Meanwhile, its profits rose 4.65 percent despite a decline in the country's overall automobile sales.

China sold 28.08 million autos last year, down 2.76 percent year on year, remaining the world's largest auto market, data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed.

SAIC Motor's shares in Shanghai rose 1.78 percent Tuesday.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 20:30:07|Editor: xuxin

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TEHRAN, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Mahan Air has launched direct flights to the Venezuelan capital Caracas, Press TV reported on Tuesday.

A number of Iranian Foreign Ministry officials as well as delegates from Mahan Air visited Caracas to discuss maintaining regular flights between the two countries, spokesman of Iran's Civil Aviation Organization Reza Jafarzadeh was quoted as saying.

The move is aimed at strengthening bilateral ties as the United States tightens sanctions on both countries.

It is also a boost to Mahan Air's bid to break free from U.S. sanctions on the airline which Washington accuses of providing financial and other supports to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The United States imposed sanctions on the Mahan Air in 2011. France and Germany banned the airline's flights earlier this year under the U.S. pressures.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 20:30:10|Editor: Li Xia

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HAIKOU, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The 2019 Buffett Cup bridge competition will be held from April 24 to 28 in China's southern coastal city of Haikou, capital of Hainan Province, with 24 players from Europe, the United States and China set to take part.

First held in 2006, the event comprises doubles, team and individual tournaments and is named after its sponsor, American businessman Warren Buffett.

The Buffett Cup is supported by the International Bridge Federation and the North American Bridge Federation. The American Bridge Magazine will send reports to Haikou to cover the event, and the Bridge Base Online website will broadcast the competition live.

The Buffett Cup is the latest international sporting event to be held in Hainan, after the Formula E electric motor racing series held a race around the streets of Sanya last month.

Local officials said that holding competitions like these will boost the publicity and promotion of Hainan, in the hope that more tourists from China and overseas will visit the tropical island province.

China has announced ambitious plans to grow Hainan into a globally influential tourist destination by 2035.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 20:35:21|Editor: xuxin

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SYDNEY, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Scientists from Australia and Singapore have created a quantum device capable of representing all possible futures in a simultaneous quantum superposition, a study revealed on Tuesday.

Inspired both by science fiction and the work of physics icon Richard Feynman, Assistant Professor Mile Gu from Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, conceived of the idea that a quantum computer could examine all possible futures by placing them in a superposition.

"When we think about the future, we are confronted by a vast array of possibilities," Gu explained.

"These possibilities grow exponentially as we go deeper into the future. For instance, even if we have only two possibilities to choose from each minute, in less than half an hour there are 14 million possible futures. In less than a day, the number exceeds the number of atoms in the universe."

Joining forces with a team from Australia's Griffith University, led by Professor Geoff Pryde, Gu and colleagues created a device capable of representing potential futures in the form of photons - quantum particles of light.

While currently limited to only 16 simultaneous futures, the team says that the device can in principle scale without bounds.

It is also capable of representing bias towards potential outcomes based on their probability of occurrence, helping researchers to understand how much that bias impacts the future as well as to provide a framework for some very innovative applications.

"Many current artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms learn by seeing how small changes in their behavior can lead to different future outcomes, so our techniques may enable quantum enhanced AIs to learn the effect of their actions much more efficiently," co-author Farzad Ghafari from Griffith University said.

The true potential of the breakthrough is yet to be seen however, because as the science tells us, the future is a vast range of possibilities.

"Just as few could imagine the many uses of classical computers in the 1960s, we are still very much in the dark about what quantum computers can do," Pryde said.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 20:35:25|Editor: xuxin

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MANAMA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Bahrain rejects statement of Israeli Prime Minister Banjamin Netanyahu pledging to annex Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank if he wins the Israeli elections, a statement by the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirms that the Israeli plans would undermine efforts to reach a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and the two-state solution," Bahrain News Agency quoted the ministry's statement as saying.

The ministry called on the international community to pressure Israel to stop all illegal activities and to show respect to the relevant resolutions of international legitimacy.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 20:40:33|Editor: xuxin

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SANAA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Visiting UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths on Tuesday extended his condolences to the victims' families of Sunday's explosion in the Yemeni capital Sanaa that killed 13, including seven schoolgirls.

In a statement, Griffiths called on the warring sides to put an end to the suffering of Yemeni civilians and allow young Yemenis to grow up in peace.

The envoy offered his sincere condolences to those "affected by this tragic loss of life" in Sawan area in Sanaa on April 7, he said.

"I strongly urge all parties to make every possible effort to put an end to civilian suffering and allow young Yemenis to grow up in peace and safety. Only an inclusive political solution will end this cycle of violence and destruction," Griffiths added.

On Sunday, the United Nations said on its website that the explosion in a warehouse in Sawan, east of Sanaa, killed at least 13 civilians, including seven schoolgirls, and wounded more than 100 others.

The Houthi rebels, who control Sanaa, accused the government-allied Saudi-led coalition of carrying out an airstrike on Sawan quarter. However, the coalition denied conducting any operation on the area on that day.

The warehouse is located few meters from two schools. The rebels prevented journalists from reaching the site following the explosion.

Griffiths arrived on Monday in Sanaa to push the rebels for implementing a stalled peace deal they agreed upon in Stockholm in December last year.

Griffiths met Abdulmalik al-Houthi, the chief of the rebel group, on Monday evening to discuss the crisis, according to the group spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam.

Griffiths has been shuttling between the Iranian-allied Houthi rebels in Sanaa and the Yemeni government in the Saudi capital Riyadh to end over four years of civil war, which erupted after the rebels seized much of the country's north in late 2014.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 20:40:34|Editor: xuxin

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DAR ES SALAAM, April 9 (Xinhua) -- A Tanzanian government official said on Tuesday that Tanzania will continue to cherish the ties with China by doing all that's necessary to make it work for the best interests of people in both countries.

"This is also possible because our current foreign policy and Chinese foreign policy share one common ideology; respect for each other and cooperation based on a win-win situation," said Hassan Abbasi, director of the Tanzania Information Services and chief government spokesperson.

"We all believe in working together for our common good future," he told Xinhua in an exclusive interview in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam.

Abbasi said the cooperation between Tanzania and China has now extended from investments and infrastructure support through the Belt and Road Initiative to people-to-people interactions through cultural and education exchanges, to tourism and exchange of skills.

Last week, Tanzanian Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Palamagamba Kabudi, described China as Tanzania's all weather friend.

"Be it during hard times and during glorious times, China has steadfastly remained Tanzania's friend," said Kabudi at a commemoration event to salute the tragic loss of Chinese workers and technicians who died during the construction of the 1,860 km TAZARA line in the 1970s.

The railway connects Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and New Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia.

He said the construction of TAZARA, which is also known as the Uhuru Railway, was a very difficult undertaking.

"It was constructed at the time when western countries and the World Bank rebuffed the ideas, claiming that the project was economically not viable," said the minister.

Kabudi said during that testing time, China accepted a joint request made by former Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere and former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda to fund and construct the railway line.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 20:40:36|Editor: zh

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MUNICH, April 9 (Xinhua) -- China's Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science & Technology Co., Ltd, has stressed localization during the process of internationalization, Zhan Chunxin, CEO of Zoomlion, has told the press at the bauma 2019 construction machinery trade fair here.

"Most of our products presented here were produced in Europe by German and Italian companies we have acquired, which shows that Zoomlion's internationalization stressed localization," said Zhan on Monday.

Zoomlion, one of China's largest heavy machinery companies, has made a series of acquisitions, including the purchase of Italy's dry-mixed mortar equipment maker CIFA in 2008; German cement mixer maker m-tec in 2014; and German tower crane company Wilbert last year.

"We have never sent over anyone from Zoomlion to manage these companies. Instead, we rely on local teams to perform management tasks," Zhan said, adding they consider these companies they have acquired as members of a big family, "there is a lot of trust between us," Zhan stated.

"M-tec is getting a maximum of freedom to define its own business strategy in Europe and other key markets. In fact, m-tec also grew globally by more than 30 percent in the last three years and its profitability is constantly growing," Michael Meding, general manager of m-tec, told Xinhua. "The freedom to manage the global markets independently is encouraging the global m-tec team very much because they feel highly respected and recognized by Zoomlion."

M-tec's sales volume in China has quintupled since 2014, when it entered the Chinese market.

In 2018, the amount of CIFA's sales revenue (excluding in Italy and China) of the total revenue rose to 79.2 percent from 46.3 percent before the acquisition, and Zoomlion's competitive products, such as truck cranes, catwalk cranes or tower cranes, have been produced in Italy.

The Chinese and Italian machinery makers stepped up technical cooperation and harnessed more business opportunities under the the Belt and Road Initiative.

The new all-terrain truck crane jointly developed by CIFA and Zoomlion made its debut at the bauma trade fair. This machine exemplifies CIFA's business expansion as well as Zoomlion's efficient collaboration with CIFA.

The German bauma trade fair is held every three years in Munich. This year it is open on April 8-14.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 20:45:40|Editor: xuxin

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ADDIS ABABA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopia Ministry of Peace (MoP) said on Tuesday it needs 700 million U.S. dollars to rehabilitate 2.7 million displaced people.

In a press statement, the ministry said the money is needed to rehabilitate the displaced in three phases, from repatriation to home areas to rehabilitating the formerly displaced in their home areas.

"Once the 700 million U.S. dollars is provided, the Ethiopia Ministry of Peace plans to repatriate 800,000 Ethiopians to their home areas in the first phase within a one-month period," the statement said.

The second and third phases will need six months and one year respectively, it said.

The Ethiopian government has already allocated 24.6 million dollars from domestic financial sources to rehabilitate the displaced.

Ethiopia was spared significant climate-related calamities last year, but spikes in conflict-induced displacements, which led to a near doubling of internally displaced population, contributed to high humanitarian response needs in 2019.
European Union (EU) chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier (L) and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar attend a press briefing after their meeting at Government Buildings in Dublin, Ireland, April 8, 2019. (Xinhua)

DUBLIN, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) hopes that the ongoing cross-party discussions in Britain will produce a positive outcome, EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said here on Monday.

Barnier made his remark at a press briefing following his meeting with the Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.

"As you all know, there are intensive cross-party discussions ongoing in London....We all hope these talks will produce a positive outcome," said Barnier.

He said that "the Political Declaration provides for a range of outcomes including a customs union. We are ready to make this clearer if it helps and its work can be done extremely quickly".

The Political Declaration is a legally none-binding document on the future relationship between the EU and Britain after Britain exits from the EU.

Barnier said that the most important aim of his trip to Ireland, the fifth of its kind for him as a chief Brexit negotiator of the EU, is to take stock of the latest developments in London and to discuss the summit meeting of the European Council convened by its president Donald Tusk in Brussels on Wednesday.

The upcoming EU leaders' meeting will decide whether the latest request by the British Prime Minister Theresa May to seek a further extension to the Brexit date to June 30 should be granted or not.

Barnier said that during his meetings with the Irish PM and other senior Irish officials they also discussed what would happen in Ireland in a possible no-deal scenario.

He said "our goal is to protect the Good Friday Agreement, peace on this island and integrity of the single market".

He admitted that to achieve such a goal is not an easy task, but he said that "We are confident that we will find operational solutions."

"One thing is certain whatever happens the EU will stand fully behind Ireland. You will have our full support," he said, adding that "the backstop is currently the only solution we've found to maintain the status quo on the island of Ireland."

The backstop refers to a temporary arrangement to ensure that no hard border will occur between Ireland and Britain's Northern Ireland after Brexit until and unless a better alterative is found.

"If the UK will have to leave the EU without a deal, let me (be) very clear, we will not discuss anything with the UK until there is an agreement for Ireland and Northern Ireland as well as for citizens' rights and the financial settlement," he warned, adding that the EU 27 member states will remain fully united as they have been from the very beginning of the Brexit negotiations.

Irish Prime Minister Varadkar, in his speech at the press briefing, expressed his thanks for the solidarity that Barnier and the EU have showed for Ireland over the Brexit issue.

He reiterated his government's stand that Ireland is open to extending the Brexit deadline to allow talks in the UK to reach their conclusions so long as Theresa May's government has a clear plan that is focused on a future relationship with the EU rather than trying to reopen the Withdrawal Agreement negotiations.

"What we want to avoid is an extension that just allows for more indecision and more uncertainty," he told the local media prior to his Monday's meeting with Barnier.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 20:55:51|Editor: zh

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BEIJING, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Continuous growth in China's foreign exchange reserves points to the country's better economic fundamentals and prospects of more gains in capital inflow, an analyst said Tuesday.

China's foreign exchange reserves rose to 3.099 trillion U.S. dollars by the end of March, marking a five-month consecutive increase, data from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) showed.

As China continues to be a key stabilizer of the world economy, its economic fundamentals will be a major influencer of market expectations, said Li Chao, chief analyst of Huatai Securities.

Successive rises in the past five months could be the prelude to a burgeoning trend of capital inflow into China, Li said, adding that China's international balance of payments had reached an equilibrium that left more room for the central bank to manoeuver monetary policy for stable growth and employment.

"We remain staunchly bullish on yuan-denominated assets," Li said.

Commenting on the growth streak, SAFE spokesperson and chief economist Wang Chunying said earlier that China would maintain stable forex reserves with its economy running within a reasonable range despite rising volatility in the global financial market.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 21:21:21|Editor: zh

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BEIJING, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Students from China's rural and poor areas will continue to enjoy favorable policies when they apply for major universities in 2019, according to a circular released by the Ministry of Education Tuesday.

The poverty-stricken counties entitled to special enrollment plans will continue to enjoy such policies in 2019, even if they have already shaken off poverty, the circular said.

With disparities in teaching standards among different regions, high school graduates from underdeveloped areas are at a disadvantage in the competition for a spot in the country's major universities.

However, Chinese education authorities have rolled out favorable policies for students from remote rural areas in recent years as the country eyes higher education's role in poverty relief.

Local authorities and colleges are required to ascertain the qualifications of the applicants, and strict review is needed to standardize college admission, the circular said.

It also noted that irregularities in the process would be severely punished. Students who fabricate their personal information and provide fake application materials will be disqualified both in the special enrollment plans and the college entrance examination.

In addition, those who are found to do so will be suspended from sitting various national education-related examinations for one to three years, the circular said.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 21:36:35|Editor: zh

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WASHINGTON, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday revised up the 2019 growth projection for China to 6.3 percent, up 0.1 percentage point from its previous estimation in January, according to the newly released April 2019 World Economic Outlook (WEO).

The upward revision reflected the combined impact of recent developments in the China-U.S. trade talks, China's stronger-than-expected expansionary fiscal policy, and a slowing global economy, Changyong Rhee, director of the IMF's Asia and Pacific Department, told Xinhua.

"We have to revise our growth forecast due to more fiscal expansion, at the same time, the global economy has started to slow down, that actually has negative impact on that," Rhee said, adding that the IMF made the latest projection taking into account both positive and negative factors.

In its latest annual government work report, China set the 2019 gross domestic product (GDP) growth target at 6-6.5 percent. The world's second-largest economy also pledges to continue pursuing high-quality development.

The IMF's medium-term forecast sees a gradual slowdown in China "as internal rebalancing toward a private-consumption and services-based economy continues and regulatory tightening slows the accumulation of debt and associated vulnerabilities."

In the latest WEO report, it projected a 6.1 percent growth rate for China in 2020, slightly down from the previous estimation of 6.2 percent.

The report highlighted trade tensions as one of the key sources of downside risk to the global outlook, noting that raising tariffs would lead to higher prices for consumers, and trade policy uncertainty would reduce business investment, disrupt supply chains, and dampen productivity growth.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 21:51:51|Editor: xuxin

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JERUSALEM, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The Likud party hired hundreds of activists to use hidden cameras to film Arab voters in polling stations during the Israeli elections Tuesday, officials said.

A police spokesman told Xinhua that "dozens" of cameras were seized by the police in Arab-majority towns throughout Israel.

The Hebrew-language Walla news site reported that there were some 1,200 hidden cameras installed in polling sites.

Video footages emerged on social networks showed polling representatives of the Likud with cameras hidden in their shirts or bags. The footages were taken by activists with the Arab-Jewish Hadash-Ta'al list, who first exposed the hidden cameras.

An official with Likud party, led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, confirmed that the party was behind the move.

Kobi Matza, the Likud's representative in the Central Elections Committee, told Kan Bet Radio that the cameras were tracking possible voter fraud. "They aimed to preserve the purity of the election," said Matza.

Netanyahu himself defended the hidden cameras, telling reporters that they were placed in order to "ensure a fair vote."

Supreme Court Justice Hanan Melcer, who is also chairman of the Central Elections Committee, banned the cameras. In a special statement released Tuesday, Melcer said it was forbidden for polling station committee members to film voters or the voting process. He said filming was permitted only "in extraordinary circumstances," such as violence or alleged fraud.

Ahmad Tibi, a lawmaker and co-leader of the Hadash-Taal Arab-Jewish list, said the Likud wanted to intimidate Arab voters by using the cameras.

Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported that the Likud spent "hundreds of thousands of shekels" on the move. A senior Likud official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the newspaper that the move aimed to ensure that Balad-Taal list, a coalition of two nationalist Palestinian parties, will not pass the electoral threshold by forging votes.

Netanyahu is in a closely-fought election race with Israel's former Chief of General Staff Benny Gantz, who leads the centrist party of Blue and White.

The voting began at 7 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) at over 10,000 polling stations across the country and is due to end at 10 p.m. local time (1900 GMT).
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 21:56:53|Editor: xuxin

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NAIROBI, April 9 (Xinhua) -- International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, will extend a 10 billion shillings (100 million U.S. dollars) subordinated loan to Equity Bank to support financial inclusion and green finance in Kenya.

Jumoke Jagun-Dokunmu, regional director for Eastern Africa at IFC said that the IFC's loan facility will assist Equity Bank in increasing its capital base and expanding its lending program to SMEs and climate finance operations that support renewable energy, green buildings, energy efficiency, and climate smart agricultural projects in Kenya.

"Our loan to Equity Bank helps an existing client expand and strengthen its lending in key areas. It promotes IFC's climate action strategy in the financial sector, mainstreaming climate across different areas, including small and medium businesses," Jagun-Dokunmu said in a statement released in Nairobi.

The new loan supports the World Bank Group's Climate Action Plan, which aims at increasing IFC's global climate-related portfolio to 28 percent by 2020, with a total potential financing of 29 billion dollars annually by 2020.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 22:02:03|Editor: xuxin

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ENTEBBE, Uganda, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Uganda has set up a national task force to advise government on domesticating technological advance from the fourth industrial revolution to fast track the country's economic development.

The 23-people task force, which comprises of engineers, scientists, policy makers and the academia will also advise government on disruptive technologies that can be avoided.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who launched the team, 40 km south of the capital Kampala, urged the committee to focus on technologies that address local issues like increasing agricultural production, on which the biggest percentage of the country's population relies.

Museveni said focusing on domesticated technologies is critical in avoiding the draining of the country's foreign exchange.

He said African countries should desist from foreign pressures that advocate for specialization for instance in services and leaving manufacturing. He said there must be a holistic approach.

"The new technologies should help people produce products and services according to the principles of comparative advantage," Museveni said on Monday.

John Nasasira, head of the task force dubbed "Expert National Task Force on Fourth Industrial Revolution", said the country can not afford to lag behind in harnessing the opportunities in emerging technologies.

"Uganda has to be a user and beneficiary of the technologies of the fourth industrial revolution," Nasasira said, noting that the cyberspace is free for all countries to use.

"In Europe, they may be talking about automated vehicles but we know for a fact that technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) can work in agriculture," said Vincent Bagiire, permanent secretary ministry of Information, Communications Technology (ICT) and national guidance said.

SETTING PACE

As the task force embarks on assessing the appropriate technologies for Uganda, Frank Tumwebaze, minister of ICT and national guidance, said the ICT infrastructure is in place upon which everything else is built.

Tumwebaze said over 8,000 km of fiber optic cables have been laid across the country by government with support from China under the 106 million U.S. dollar National Data Transmission Backbone. Private telecommunication companies have also laid their fiber in areas where government has not reached.

Tumwebaze said areas where the fibre cables can not be laid, like in mountainous districts, satellite connectivity would be used.

"By next year 116 districts will be connected to the internet," he said.

Ministry of finance figures show that as a result of the connectivity, the number of internet users has increased by 45 percent to 18.8 million in 2017 from 13 million in 2015.

Active telephone subscribers are now 22.4 million and the number of mobile money subscribers increased to 23 million in 2017 from 2.8 million in 2011.

Tumwebaze said since there is connectivity in many parts of the country, government is now working on how effectively it can use the internet to fast track development.

The country is building a national innovation hub that will house 300 innovators. The innovators will be mentored to develop applications that provide solutions to the development problems the country faces.

Government, according to Tumwebaze is already supporting five private innovation hubs that are also producing solutions.

"The solutions are the equivalent of what is already in the market but which we import, like Uber, WhatsApp," Tumwebaze said.

"From the support we are giving, we have been able to support 12 applications that are already in the market being consumed," he added, noting that another 50 applications would be supported this financial year.

He said there are over 600 applications for innovation grants and a selection process would soon start.

DEBATE

There are varied global opinions regarding whether emerging technologies will be the ones to revolutionize the economic development.

Experts at the World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland, early this year argued that technologies like AI will drive the next generation of industrial revolution.

Museveni argued that as the world pushes for the fourth industrial revolution, there are gaps of the second and third revolutions in places like Africa that must be plugged for proper development to happen.

He said Africa needs to overcome bottlenecks including infrastructure development such as roads, rail and electricity, human resource development, market integration to lower costs of doing business and attract investments.

Tumwebaze argued that whereas there are gaps to fill, adoption of appropriate new technologies can be used as enablers to economic development.

"Everybody talks about AI. This technology will facilitate other sectors. People are talking of computers that can think like humans, recognize complex patterns, process information and draw conclusions," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 22:07:09|Editor: zh

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BRUSSELS, April 9 (Xinhua) -- China and the European Union (EU) welcomed progress in cooperation on 5G technology between respective business communities, according to a joint statement issued here on Tuesday.

"China and the EU welcome progress and further exchanges in the China-EU dialogue and working mechanism on 5G based on the 5G Joint Declaration of 2015, including on technological cooperation between respective business communities," the statement said.

The statement was issued after the 21st China-EU leaders' meeting co-chaired by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 22:07:10|Editor: Yamei

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BRUSSELS, April 9 (Xinhua) -- China and the European Union (EU) on Tuesday reaffirmed in a joint statement their commitment to multilateralism.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, President of the European Council Donald Tusk, and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker met here Tuesday for the 21st China-EU leaders' meeting and issued the statement.

The two sides reiterated their respect for international law and fundamental norms governing international relations with the United Nations (UN) at the core.

They committed to uphold the UN Charter and international law, and all three pillars of the UN system, namely, peace and security, development and human rights, according to the joint statement.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 22:21:17|Editor: Yamei

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BRUSSELS, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The following is the full text of a joint statement that China and the European Union (EU) issued Tuesday during a visit by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

China-EU Summit Joint statement

Brussels, 9 April 2019

Introduction

1. H.E. Li Keqiang, Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, H.E. Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, and H.E. Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, met in Brussels today for the 21st China-EU Summit and issued the following statement.

2. China and the EU reaffirm the strength of their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, their resolve to work together for peace, prosperity and sustainable development and their commitment to multilateralism, and respect for international law and for fundamental norms governing international relations, with the United Nations (UN) at its core. The two sides commit to uphold the UN Charter and international law, and all three pillars of the UN system, namely peace and security, development and human rights.

The EU reaffirmed its one-China policy.

Bilateral relations

3. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to deepening their partnership for peace, growth, reform and civilisation based on the principles of mutual respect, trust, equality and mutual benefit, by comprehensively implementing the China-EU 2020 Strategic Agenda for Cooperation. China and the EU commit to strengthen cooperation, notably in the framework of their ongoing bilateral Dialogues. Both sides welcome the recently held High-Level Strategic Dialogue. In order to further expand and deepen exchanges and cooperation beyond 2020, China and the EU will adopt a new cooperation agenda by the next China-EU Summit.

4. China and the EU commit to build their economic relationship on openness, non-discrimination, and fair competition, ensuring a level playing field, transparency, and based on mutual benefits. The two sides commit to achieve in the course of 2019 the decisive progress required, notably with regard to the liberalisation commitments, for the conclusion of an ambitious China-EU Comprehensive Investment Agreement in 2020. The high level of ambition will be reflected in substantially improved market access, the elimination of discriminatory requirements and practices affecting foreign investors, the establishment of a balanced investment protection framework and the inclusion of provisions on investment and sustainable development. Both sides agree to establish a political mechanism to continuously monitor the progress in the negotiations and to report to leaders by the end of the year on the progress made.

5. China and the EU commit to ensure equitable and mutually beneficial cooperation in bilateral trade and investment. They reiterate their willingness to enhance bilateral economic cooperation, trade and investment and to provide each other with broader and more facilitated, non-discriminatory market access. With this in mind, China and the EU will intensify work towards finding mutually agreeable solutions to a number of key barriers as identified by both parties, with a stocktaking taking place at the next China-EU Summit. Against this background, the two sides will meet as soon as possible and work expeditiously towards concrete progress through existing channels. The two sides reaffirmed the importance of adhering to international scientific standards.

Both sides agree to promote their bilateral trade in agri-food products whilst respecting international standards on sanitary and phytosanitary matters in particular the zoning principle. The two sides agreed to explore applying the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) zoning principle to trade, based on OIE analysis. Both sides are committed to expanding mutual market access for food and agricultural products in a transparent and predictable manner. Both sides will seek guidance of international standard setting bodies on the question of official certification for low risk food products.

6. The EU supports China to seek faster progress towards joining the WTO Government Procurement Agreement, and China is willing to improve its offer in an ambitious manner. China will actively push related work forward in an expeditious manner.

Both sides underline the importance of following international standards in intellectual property protection and enforcement. They will continue to work towards tangible results in the mutually agreed priority areas such as bad faith registrations of intellectual property rights, enforcement and trade secrets. They commit to ensure a legal environment in which creators, inventors and artists can license their rights on market terms and effectively enforce these rights before courts and relevant authorities.

China and the EU take note of recent progress of the negotiations of the China-EU Agreement on the Cooperation on, and Protection of, Geographical Indications (GI) and welcome the fact that provisional agreement has been reached on the text of the agreement and on protection for the majority of the GI names of each side. China and the EU commit to work together in the coming months to resolve the remaining issues, in particular in relation to the outstanding GI, which is necessary in order to be able to formally conclude the negotiations in 2019.

China and the EU look forward to the early launch of the joint feasibility study on deepening cooperation in the wines and spirits sector.

7. China and the EU welcome the signing of of the Terms of Reference of the China-EU Competition Policy Dialogue and the Memorandum of Understanding on a dialogue in the area of the state aid control regime and the Fair Competition Review System, and will continue to enhance practical cooperation, so as to foster fair competition in the market for operators of all countries, including the companies of the two sides, and promote the sound growth of the bilateral and global economic and trade relations.

8. China and the EU are actively working towards signing the China-EU Civil Aviation Safety Agreement and the Agreement on Certain Aspects of Air Services as soon as possible. China and the EU welcome the holding of the 8th China-EU Energy Dialogue and signing of the Joint Statement on the Implementation of China-EU Cooperation on Energy and endorse the start of implementation of the newly established China-EU Energy Cooperation Platform. China and the EU commit to actively engage in the China-EU Mobility and Migration Dialogue and to swiftly conclude the parallel negotiations on the agreements on visa facilitation and on cooperation in combating illegal migration.

9. China and the EU reiterate their commitment to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. Both sides will increase their exchanges on international development cooperation and explore cooperation with other partner countries in a joint effort to work for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development.

10. China and the EU reaffirm that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated. Both sides welcome the holding of their regular Human Rights Dialogue on 1-2 April 2019 and will continue to conduct exchanges on human rights at the bilateral and international levels on the basis of equality and mutual respect, including at the UN human rights mechanisms. China and the EU will explore areas for enhanced cooperation in the future, in particular in UN fora.

11. The two sides welcomed the ongoing discussions and agreed to continue to strengthen their exchanges and cooperation under the China-EU Cyber Taskforce aimed at upholding an open, secure, stable, accessible and peaceful information and communications technology (ICT) environment. They recall that international law, and in particular the Charter of the United Nations, is applicable and is essential to maintaining peace and stability in cyberspace.They work to promote the development and implementation, within the framework of the UN, of internationally accepted norms of responsible state behaviour in cyberspace. They will strengthen their cooperation under the China-EU Cyber Taskforce against malicious activities in cyberspace, including on the protection of intellectual property.

5G network will provide the basic backbone for future economic and social development. China and the EU welcome progress and further exchanges in the China-EU dialogue and working mechanism on 5G based on the 5G Joint Declaration of 2015, including on technological cooperation between respective business communities.

12. China and the EU welcome the successful holding of the 4th China-EU Innovation Cooperation Dialogue. The two sides also confirmed their intention to renew the China-EU Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement.

The two sides committed to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the fields of education, tourism, mobility of researchers, culture, media, youth, and sport through the High-level People-to-People Dialogue. China and the EU look forward to hold the 5th China-EU High-level People-to-People Dialogue in Brussels. They welcomed the successful outcomes of the 2018 China-EU Tourism Year and committed to further facilitate cooperation between their tourism industries and two-way people-to-people exchanges.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 22:42:56|Editor: yan

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ADDIS ABABA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- East African countries, under the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) umbrella, on Tuesday disclosed a draft protocol on conflict prevention, management and resolution (CPMR) for the IGAD region.

The draft protocol, which is under scrutiny by IGAD's Mediation Support Unit (MSU) in an ongoing two-day meeting that brought together legal and security officials of IGAD member states, is expected to effectively respond to regional security challenges through early warning mechanism.

The legal and security experts meeting of the ministries of justice and foreign affairs of East African countries will inform and shape the CPMR draft protocol which "will serve a standardized guide and mechanism for member states to jointly, effectively, efficiently and transparently design interventions," the East African bloc, IGAD, said in a statement on Tuesday.

Siraj Fegessa, Director of IGAD's Peace and Security Division, underscored during the meeting the IGAD's vision "to build and strengthen member states' capacity in preventive diplomacy and mediation."

Fegessa also stressed IGAD's aspiration in guiding its member states on prevention and response capabilities "to tackle conflicts in an efficient and timely manner towards regional peace, stability and development."

Agabio Mutembei Mutegi, IGAD's focal person from Kenya's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also commended the East African bloc for its effort in boosting member states' capacity in mediation and prevention of possible security threats.

Mutegi also emphasized IGAD's role in "taking a leading role in conflict resolution, prevention through early warning and mediation in the region."

The regional protocol on conflict prevention, management and resolution is expected to be endorsed and adopted by the IGAD policy organs after discussion by legal and security organs of IGAD member countries, it was noted.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 22:47:59|Editor: yan

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DAMASCUS, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Two bombings rocked Syria's northern city of Raqqa on Tuesday, killing 15 people, a war monitor reported.

The explosions took place near a military post of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the city, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Britain-based watchdog group said four of the dead were fighters of the SDF.

It said the death toll could likely rise due to the number of critically wounded people.

It is not the first explosion that rocked Raqqa as sleeper cells of the Islamic State (IS) group had previously carried out similar bombings to take revenge on the SDF, after the city, the former de facto IS capital, was liberated from the IS rule in 2017.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 22:53:05|Editor: yan

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TOKYO, April 9 (Xinhua) -- An F-35 fighter jet of the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) disappeared from radar in northern Japan on Tuesday during a drill, the ASDF quoted by local media said.

The fighter jet, specifically an F-35A deployed at Misawa Air Base in northeastern Japan, lost contact over the Pacific at about 7:27 p.m. (local time) on Tuesday during the drill, according to the ASDF.

The fighter jet was flying with three other jets off the coast of Japan's Aomori Prefecture, about 135 km east of the base, when it disappeared, the ASDF said, adding that a search operation has been launched.

The ASDF will ground the 12 remaining F-35As for the time being, Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya said.

Japan began deploying the F-35As in January 2018 to replace the aging F-4 fighter jets.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 22:53:06|Editor: yan

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CAIRO, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Four policemen and three citizens were killed and 26 others were wounded on Tuesday in a suicide bomb attack in Sheikh Zuweid city of Egypt's North Sinai province, Egyptian Interior Ministry said in a statement.

"The attack was carried out by a suicide bomber who is about 15 years old," the ministry said, adding that a six-year-old child was among the seven killed.

The bombing took place while a police patrol was combing a marketplace area in Sheikh Zuweid.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 22:53:08|Editor: yan

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CHENGDU, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Construction on the first China branch of the Westminster School, one of Britain's leading public schools, began in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Tuesday.

The branch is expected to begin its first autumn semester in 2020, offering bilingual education to about 2,000 Chinese and foreign students aged one to 18.

According to Rodney Harris, the Chengdu branch's headmaster, 50 percent of the teaching staff will be from the United Kingdom. He said the pupils enrolled will receive both the Chinese national curriculum and an English curriculum to prepare them for the international GCSE examinations as well as English A-levels.

He also said 10 percent of the enrollment will be reserved for students from poor families, with scholarships offered to cover the tuition.

Westminster School was founded in 1179. Its notable former pupils include many Nobel Prize winners, well-known authors, artists and politicians.

The school signed an agreement in 2017 with a Hong Kong education group called HKMETG to create branches in six major Chinese cities by 2028.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 23:08:20|Editor: yan

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (L) meets with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel in Brussels, Belgium, April 9, 2019. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

BRUSSELS, April 9 (Xinhua) -- China is willing to expand imports from Belgium of high value-added products that suit the demands of the Chinese market, Premier Li Keqiang said here on Tuesday.

Li made the remarks in here when meeting with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel.

He also invited Belgium to attend the second China International Import Expo slated for later this year.

Hailing the current bilateral relations, Li said China stands ready to enhance cooperation with Belgium in various areas and intensify coordination on international and regional issues in open, substantial, exploring and innovative spirit so as to well implement the consensus reached by both sides and promote the development of bilateral all-round partnership of friendship and cooperation.

He said China will implement the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on third-party cooperation and forge ahead bilateral cooperation in Africa.

Li arrived Monday for the 21st China-European Union (EU) leaders' meeting.

Calling China-Belgium relationship an important part of China-EU ties, Li said China wishes to see a united and prosperous Europe with its integration process keeping moving ahead.

China is willing to expand two-way opening with Europe and jointly uphold free trade, Li said, adding that China looks forward to seeing Belgium continue to play an active role in promoting China-EU ties.

For his part, Michel said Belgium attaches great importance to the relationship with China and is ready to further strengthen communication and dialogue with China and deepen cooperation on trade, agriculture and vessels.

He wished the EU-China leaders' meeting a success, hoping that the two sides could jointly safeguard multilateralism and boost EU-China trade.

Belgium is glad to see that China plays a bigger role in international affairs, he added.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 23:23:34|Editor: yan

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BEIRUT, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh on Tuesday announced the release of a new package of subsidized loans valued at about 1 billion U.S. dollars, the National News Agency reported.

"The new subsidized loans include 500 million U.S. dollars for the productive sectors, 220 million U.S. dollars for housing loans, 100 million U.S. dollars for Lebanese expatriates which will be mostly used to purchase apartments in Lebanon," Salameh said in his speech at a business and financial forum held in Beirut.

Salameh added that the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development has also offered Lebanon a loan valued at 165 million dollars to be used for housing loans.

The governor said that this new stimulus package will likely result in an increase in GDP growth by 1.5 percent in 2019.

He added that the cost of borrowing has increased in Lebanon but subsidized loans will help reduce it.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 23:28:40|Editor: yan

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BRUSSELS, April 9 (Xinhua) -- China and the European Union (EU) on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to the continued, full and effective implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal.

The reaffirmation came as China and the EU issued a joint statement after their 21st leaders' meeting held here on Tuesday afternoon.

The two sides recalled that the JCPOA is a key element of the global non-proliferation architecture and a significant diplomatic achievement endorsed unanimously by the UN Security Council in its Resolution 2231, the statement said.

The two sides "reaffirm their commitment to its continued, full and effective implementation, as well as their efforts to preserve economic benefits for Iran," it said.

China and the EU recalled the importance of the Arak modernization project, and the need to continue their common efforts in this regard, it said.

Both sides welcomed the fact that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed in 14 consecutive reports the continued adherence by Iran to its nuclear-related commitments, it said.

On the situation in Venezuela, the statement said China and the EU are following closely the evolving situation in Venezuela and are willing to work with other parties on a political, peaceful and democratic solution decided by the people of Venezuela.

The statement also said that China, the EU and its member states are parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and respect the maritime order based on international law and uphold freedom of navigation and overflight enjoyed by all states in accordance with international law.

The EU welcomes the ongoing consultations between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) aimed at the conclusion of an effective Code of Conduct (COC) for the South China Sea.

China and the EU call upon all relevant parties to engage in dialogue, to settle disputes peacefully, and to refrain from actions likely to increase tensions, the statement said.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 23:28:43|Editor: yan

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MOSCOW, April 9 (Xinhua) -- A delegation of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Tuesday wrapped up a four-day visit to Russia where they talked with Russian party members about promoting exchanges and cooperation between the two countries' parties as well as between the two countries.

The delegation, led by Deputy Director of the International Liaison Department of the CPC Central Committee Qian Hongshan, met with senior members of four Russian political parties during their trip that started Saturday.

The two sides held in-depth talks on strengthening contacts between the Chinese and Russian parties, boosting pragmatic cooperation and promoting the development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination.

The Russian party members include Member of the Supreme Council of the United Russia Party Vladimir Pligin, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Gennady Zyuganov, Chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia Vladimir Zhirinovsky, and Chairman of A Just Russia party Sergei Mironov.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 23:33:54|Editor: yan

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WINDHOEK, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Namibia has called up 34 senior women netball players for the training camp ahead of the 2019 edition of the Debmarine-Netball Pent Series slated for Windhoek from May 7 to 12.

The southwestern African country's netball body extended invitations to Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, Netball Namibia public relations officer, Conny Samaria told Xinhua on Tuesday.

Malawi will participate for the first time. The tournament saw Uganda make their first appearance last year.

Last year, Namibia won the tournament for the first time after beating Zambia. Zimbabwe had the inaugural triumph in 2017.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 23:39:00|Editor: yan

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DAR ES SALAAM, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian President John Magufuli who was elected in 2015 has honored his election campaign promises beyond imagination, a senior government official said Tuesday.

Hassan Abbasi, director of the Tanzania Information Services and chief government spokesperson, said the president and his government are vigorously continuing to work towards transforming peoples' lives.

Abbasi said Magufuli's transformation effect can be seen across all fronts including fighting corruption, controlling wasteful spending and poverty alleviation.

On fighting corruption, Abbasi said Magufuli came into power at a time when Tanzania like many other countries in Africa was marred by allegations of prevalence of corruption in many sectors and no serious actions were being taken.

"After he had taken the oath of office, he first pursued his anti corruption crusade by instilling institutional reforms including revamping of the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau by appointing new leadership and directing them to act promptly in all anti-corruption cases, petty or grand," he told Xinhua in an exclusive interview.

In July 2017, the president honored his promise to establish a special court for prosecuting corruption and other economic crimes, said the chief spokesperson.

The court has received more than 50 cases by now, and trials for some of them have been completed, and others are still ongoing.

With the establishment of the court, one simple and clear message is, corruption is seriously being pursued in Tanzania, he added.

As a result, government revenues have increased from merely 850 billion Tanzanian shillings (about 367.6 million U.S. dollars) a month to a staggering 1.3 trillion Tanzanian shillings (about 562 million U.S. dollars) a month.

On controlling wasteful spending, the president has pursued this promise to greater heights, said Abbasi, adding that apart from ensuring the government revenues go up, he has ensured that taxpayers' money is well spent to transform peoples' lives than individuals.

"Towards that end, he (Magufuli) has restricted foreign travels by public officials to save money from huge delegations, giving more mandate to the country's diplomats abroad to represent the country," said the chief spokesperson.

Magufuli, on several occasions, has ordered that funds designated to be used for costly public celebrations of national festivals to be channeled to fund people oriented projects like construction of roads, bridges or hospitals.

Another level of controlling wasteful spending include making sure the government pay roll is clean.

As a result, 19,708 ghost workers who were receiving a total of 19.8 billion Tanzanian shillings a month without being in the work place were removed, said Abbasi, adding that the president also removed from public service other 14,000 public servants who did not have the minimum academic qualification.

The president did not stop there, in the education sector which is government funded through subsidy or direct student loans, more than 50,000 ghost students were all relieved of their studies.

"The president's philosophy which is also supported by many Tanzanians for now is clear: we are not poor, we are endowed with everything to make Tanzania a donor country, but we must carefully spend every cent of our revenues towards changing lives of majority of Tanzanians," he said.

According to Abbasi, all these efforts, coupled with others including the industrialization of the economy and modernization of the health sector are meant to pull Tanzanians out of poverty through increased income generation.

The Tanzania Bureau of Statistics rebased data of 2019 indicates an improved GDP per capital income, from 1.6 million Tanzanian shillings in 2013 to 2.33 million Tanzanian shillings in 2017.

Asked how he sees Tanzania in the next 10 years, Abbasi said Tanzania will be a case for the rest of Africa and the world to study.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 23:49:07|Editor: yan

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MANILA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines continues to grapple with prison overcrowding as more and more people are locked up in jail, the jail authorities said on Tuesday.

The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) of the Philippines, which is a government agency to direct, supervise and control all jails in the country, said the percentage congestion in jail facilities across the country is at 441.72 percent.

The bureau said the increased congestion percentage in jails from 2016 to 2018 was due to intensified anti-crime operations of law-enforcement agencies, particularly against illegal drugs.

As of March 2019, the bureau said it accommodates 136,881 inmates even as the 476 jail faculties nationwide under its management can only cater to almost 30,000.

Of the total number of inmates, BJMP data showed about 96,620 or 70.65 percent of the total population in jail facilities face cases related to illegal drugs.

BJMP officer-in-charge Allan Iral told a press conference that the congestion rate at jail facilities in the Metro Manila is 608 percent, higher than the nearly 442 percent average nationwide.

Iral stressed the need to build more jail facilities across the country, especially in Metro Manila, to decongest the overcrowded jail facilities.

Even before the current Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who took office on June 30, 2016, launched his anti-drugs crackdown, the Philippines already had congested jail facilities.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 23:49:16|Editor: yan

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ADDIS ABABA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU) on Tuesday urged African countries, regional blocks and pan African institutions to exert more efforts in a collective manner towards continental integration and development.

The call, which came ahead of African leaders first-ever mid-year coordination meeting, was made by the AU's Leadership Academy Manager, Muna Abdalla.

Abdalla emphasized the need for human and institutional capacity development as a critical component to drive the continental transformation and integration aspirations.

Abdalla also stressed the imperative to have "frank deliberations and evaluation on the progress made at the national level, the regional blocs and the continental level, on fostering the integration agenda for socio-economic development."

"These three levels have their own unique attributes and characteristic, and it is my conviction that we can use that diversity to drive the transformation agenda we seek," Abdalla said.

"There is no shortcut to inclusive prosperity without a collective accumulation of our capacity," AU's Leadership Academy Manager stressed.

Abdalla's call followed African leaders' recent determination to accelerate the realization of the aspirations of Agenda 2063 and the first ten-year implementation plan of the 50-year continental development plan, which followed the adoption of a framework of institutional reforms in 2017.

Institutional reform mechanisms have been elaborated to define the working methods of the AU, and led to the reduction of the AU summits to one annual summit in the month of February complemented by a Mid-Year Coordination Meeting in the month of July.

Amid African leaders call for ensuring the effectiveness of delivery against identified priorities, a clear division of labor and effective collaboration has become a major reform agenda among the AU, the regional economic communities, the regional mechanisms, the member states, and other continental institutions, in line with the principle of subsidiary.

The 55-member pan African bloc is also presently gearing up for the first-ever meeting set to be held in Niamey, Niger.

According to the AU, the upcoming mid-year coordination meeting "is expected to redefine the modus operandi for the continental organization."

Issues related to political affairs, peace and security, economic integration and enhancing Africa's global representation and voice are said to be among the major agendas of the meeting, according to the AU.

Ahead of the meeting in July, the AU and other pan African institutions are scheduled to undertake a high-level meeting in Cairo, capital of Egypt, as part of the preparations for the upcoming coordination meeting, the AU revealed on Tuesday.

The Cairo meeting, which will be held on April 11 under the theme "The road to Niamey: Taking the Agenda of Regional Integration Forward," is expected to articulate and sharpen a common understanding of the objectives set for the Mid-Year Coordination meeting, it was indicated.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 23:54:18|Editor: Xiaoxia

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Health officials of the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) attend an opening ceremony of the First Conference of the Gulf Health Council in Kuwait City, Kuwait, on April 9, 2019. The First Conference of the Gulf Health Council started on Tuesday in Kuwait City, with participation of health officials of Kuwait and other member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). (Xinhua/Asad)

KUWAIT CITY, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The First Conference of the Gulf Health Council started on Tuesday in Kuwait City, capital of Kuwait, with participation of health officials of Kuwait and other member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

At the conference, Kuwaiti Minister of Health Bassel Al-Sabah said one of the sustainable development goals on the country's 2030 agenda is universal medical coverage, which tackles motherhood welfare, health of the newly born and children, as well as communicable and non-communicable diseases.

The topics of the conference will be re-examined at a high-level UN meeting on universal health coverage due in September on the sidelines of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly, he said.

Sulaiman Al-Dekheel, director general of the GCC health council, said the conference will address challenges facing sustainable health care, the role of the private sector, the updating of technological means and full care.

According to Ahmed Al-Mandhari, World Health Organization's regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, the main topic of the conference is full health services.

The two-day conference aims at sharing and presenting experiences and research in health area, and discussing the latest concerns and practical challenges in the area.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 23:59:22|Editor: yan

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ABUJA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian police on Tuesday confirmed 21 people were killed in an attack by unidentified armed group in the country's northern state of Kaduna.

State police spokesman Yakubu Sabo told media that Ungwan Aku and Banono, two communities in Kajuru area of the state, were raided on Monday by the gunmen.

Sabo said 21 bodies were recovered, and three people sustained gunshot wounds while 10 houses were razed by the attackers.

Despite unleashing mayhem on the communities, the bandits also rustled up to 50 cows during the attack.

The gunmen invaded the two remote communities riding on motorbikes, said the police spokesman.

An investigation of the attack has been launched, he added.

Kaduna, located in the north part of Nigeria, is among states earlier listed by the government as one of the flashpoint areas in the country. Violence has been on the rise in the state since last year.

In February, about 130 people from eight settlements in Kajuru were killed by gunmen.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 23:59:24|Editor: yan

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ADDIS ABABA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia is taking various measures to attract more Chinese tourists, a government official said on Tuesday.

Ethiopia encourages foreign and local business people to invest in accommodations that cater to the needs of Chinese tourists, Gezahegn Abate, public and international relations director at Ethiopian Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MoCT), told Xinhua.

"Although the number of Chinese tourists to Ethiopia is increasing, Chinese tourists face various difficulties during their stay in Ethiopia, including lack of food that meet their standards and lack of Chinese-language signs at various tourist spots," he said.

"In Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, you can easily see lots of Chinese restaurants, but outside Addis Ababa, there are few Chinese restaurants," Abate said. "MoCT is encouraging possible joint ventures between Ethiopian and Chinese business people to meet the culinary needs of Chinese tourists."

Abate called on Ethiopian and Chinese business people to enter into joint ventures in the hospitalities sector in Ethiopia.

In the past fewe years, Ethiopia has undertaken cultural exchanges with China, showcasing Ethiopia's numerous touristic sites, he said.

Abate said his ministry is working with Ethiopian Airlines (ET) to facilitate the needs of Chinese tourists in Ethiopia, especially in domestic flights.

"MoCT is working with ET to make sure ET domestic flights services can accommodate the needs of Chinese tourists. These include Chinese-language promotional flyers and the stationing of Chinese-language translators at airports," he said.

ET operates passenger and cargo services to five Chinese destinations -- Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Chengdu and Guangzhou. It also plans to start passenger flights to Shenzhen and Chongqing.

Aiming to become Chinese travelers' favorite carrier, ET inaugurated the largest Chinese restaurant in Africa in January.

Ethiopia recorded 190 million U.S. dollars in revenue from 50,626 Chinese tourists that visited the country in 2018, according to MoCT data.

China is the third largest source of tourists visiting Ethiopia, only after the United States and Britain.

The number of Chinese tourists visiting Ethiopia in 2018 represented a surge of 11.7 percent from the previous year's 45,307.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-09 23:59:27|Editor: Liangyu

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Peng Liyuan (R), wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, meets with Lis Cuesta Peraza, wife of Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, in Beijing, capital of China, April 9, 2019. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

BEIJING, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, met here Tuesday with Lis Cuesta Peraza, wife of Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel.

Peng asked Lis Cuesta Peraza to convey President Xi's sincere regards to Miguel Diaz-Canel, saying the visit by Lis Cuesta Peraza fully demonstrated their friendship with China and the Chinese people.

Peng said the two countries share a profound traditional friendship, and the new generation of Cuban leaders actively support the construction of the Belt and Road and are committed to strengthening all-round bilateral cooperation. She expressed the hope that Sino-Cuban cooperation would score fruitful results and bilateral friendship last forever.

Peng spoke highly of Lis Cuesta Peraza's active efforts to promote bilateral people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and expressed the hope that the two countries would cement exchanges and cooperation in culture, art and tourism.

Peng also introduced her work as UNESCO special envoy for the advancement of girls' and women's education and a WHO goodwill ambassador for tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, shared China's experience in promoting education and health and expressed the hope that the two countries would enhance exchanges and cooperation in these fields.

Lis Cuesta Peraza asked Peng to convey the greetings and good wishes of Miguel Diaz-Canel to President Xi, saying that the Cuban people love Chinese culture and are full of friendly feelings toward the Chinese people.

Lis Cuesta Peraza said Cuba admires the achievements China has made in the past 70 years and expressed gratitude to China for its long-term support and help.

She said the Cuban side is willing to take the opportunity of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries next year to promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and consolidate the Cuba-China friendship.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 00:09:31|Editor: yan

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VILNIUS, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Nine candidates will contest Lithuania's presidential election in May, the country's Central Electoral Commission (CEC) announced on Tuesday.

Economist Gitanas Nauseda; Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis; Members of Parliament Ingrida Simonyte, Mindaugas Puidokas and Naglis Puteikis; philosopher Aryvdas Juozaitis; European Commissioner Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis; and Members of the European Parliament Valdemar Tomasevski and Valentinas Mazuronis will compete for the top post on May 12.

On April 12, the candidates will receive their documents and will acquire legal immunity, the CEC said.

In order to be officially registered as candidates, the presidential hopefuls needed to collect at least 20,000 supporting signatures.

Simonyte collected more than 68,000 signatures, Nauseda was second with over 43,000 and Skvernelis third with 37,000 signatures.

According to the latest poll commissioned by the Lithuanian daily Lietuvos Rytas and conducted by the public opinion research company Vilmorus, 54-year-old economist Nauseda is currently the most popular candidate, with 23.5 percent of respondents seeing him as the next leader of Lithuania.

Former Minister of Finance Simonyte, 44, is ranked second with 22 percent voter support, while 48-year-old Prime Minister Skvernelis is third with 18.4 percent.

The survey was conducted on March 7-15.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 00:09:36|Editor: yan

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RAMALLAH, April 9 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian official said Tuesday that Egypt is exerting efforts with Israel to meet the demands of the Palestinian prisoners on a hunger strike in Israeli jails.

"Egyptian mediators are making efforts with Israel to implement what has been agreed upon between the prisoners and the Israeli prisons services," said Qadri Abu Bakr, head of the prisoners' affairs section in Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

Abu Bakr said the Egyptian efforts "are conducted directly with the Israelis side on one hand and with Hamas Movement on the other within a truce understanding between Palestinian factions and Israel in the Gaza Strip."

He also pointed out that the prisoners are watching what result could come out from the Egyptian efforts in order to decide whether to proceed with the strike or suspend it.

The PLO official expressed the hope that Israel would respond positively and bring the situation in the prisons back to what it used to be before the strike.

The Palestinian Prisoners' Club announced that dozens of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons began Monday afternoon an open hunger strike.

Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas politburo chief, said last week that the question of Palestinian prisoners' living situation in Israeli jails was discussed in the truce talks held between Gaza factions and the Egyptian security delegation.

Haniyeh said in a meeting with writers and political analysts held in Gaza last week that the prisoners' demands include ending the sanctions that were imposed recently by Israel on the prisoners.

He added that leaders of the Palestinian factions demanded, through the Egyptian mediators, Israeli guarantees of a decent life for the prisoners and allow their families to visit them as they used to do before the sanctions were imposed.

Israel is currently holding more than 6,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 27 who have been in Israeli jails for more than three decades.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 00:29:48|Editor: yan

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By Ndalimpinga Iita

WINDHOEK, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Namibian youths are embracing Chinese to seize opportunities coming with the robust bilateral ties between Namibia and China.

Jacobina Aumbandja, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Namibia (UNAM), registered for a Chinese language course at the Confucius Institute in the University in Windhoek in February 2017.

"Interest for the Chinese culture, language and customs attracted me to the course," Aumbandja said Tuesday.

She said she found the course enthralling.

"Chinese grammar at the beginner level is significantly simpler than English. Mandarin characters are the hardest part in the beginning, and characters take more than one practice, a challenge which for a moment looks insurmountable," she said.

At first captivated by the culture and language, it is believed learning Chinese would present breakthroughs in careers.

Yang Xingang, a Chinese teacher at the Institute, said that Chinese language aids young Namibians to diversify social and economic prospects in light of robust investment between China and Namibia.

According to Aumbandja, the course taught her how to compete effectively in the business environment.

The language helps me in negotiating for bargains at the industrial China town shops in Windhoek, she said.

"You are most likely to get discount if you know how to speak a bit of mandarin," she said.

She is not the only one in the learning.

Mon Shifotoka enrolled for the course this year. She said that studying Chinese is an extension of the studies in China a year back.

For the communications and media graduate, fluency in Mandarin will increase her chances of getting employment in international development agencies.

"It enables me to continue nurturing relations with Chinese people, embrace multiculturalism and boost prospects," Shifotoka said.

Since its establishment in 2013 with support from the University of Namibia and China University of Geosciences, the Confucius Institute has made great progress, training more than 3000 students so far.

Zhang Fan, director of the Confucius Institute, said that more locals have shown interest in the program, with more learners enrolled compared to last year's figure of 1,153 students.

"Chinese course is open for UNAM students and all locals. We have daytime and evening course for basic Chinese. We also have Chinese course for bankers and will have a course for tour guides in 2019," he said.

The institute has over the years transformed into a platform to learn Chinese. It is also a name card to display Chinese culture and a bridge of China-Namibia cultural exchanges.

In addition to language skills acquisition, students like Aumbandja have been exposed to many cultural activities.

The institute hosts the Chinese proficiency competitions both in college and secondary school level, with summer camps to China. It provides scholarship programs and has established a radio program to introduce China called "Hello, China!"

"I developed an appreciation for Chinese culture and history. I learned how to cook Chinese food and dance. Learning a language is a good skill," said Aumbandja.

Meanwhile, plans are underway to expand the teaching of the Chinese language.

"We are planning to introduce the Chinese language in schools in the Khomas region. The application to introduce the Chinese language as a foreign language as part of the Namibian curriculum has been submitted to National Institute for Educational Development through the Khomas Directorate of Education under the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture," Zhang said.
File Photo: U.S. Attorney General William Barr speaks at a press conference on law enforcement actions related to elder fraud, in Washington D.C., the United States, on March 7, 2019. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

WASHINGTON, April 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday he will release a redacted version of the Mueller report from the Russia probe "within a week" at a hearing in Congress.

"This process is going along very well and my original timetable of being able to release this by mid-April stands, so I think that from my standpoint, within a week I will be in a position to release the report to the public," Barr told a Democrat-led House panel.

Barr told the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies that part of the report, the result of the investigation into the alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia and obstruction of justice, would need to be blacked out, such as information that is subject to grand-jury secrecy rules.

Barr did not commit to providing the full report to Congress, despite requests by Democratic lawmakers.

Barr on March 24 released a synopsis of the report on allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, suggesting that special counsel Robert Mueller did not reach a conclusion on whether President Donald Trump had obstructed justice, and that Mueller's findings are "not sufficient" to support a charge. Trump has touted Barr's summary as a "complete exoneration" and agreed to releasing the report, saying he had "nothing to hide."

Mueller submitted his report on March 22. He took over the Russia probe in May 2017 after Trump abruptly fired former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey.

Russia has denied any meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 00:55:09|Editor: yan

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WASHINGTON, April 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. fast food chain Burger King on Tuesday apologized after one of its commercials featuring chopsticks drew global backlash.

"The ad in question is insensitive and does not reflect our brand values regarding diversity and inclusion. We have asked our franchisee in New Zealand to remove the ad immediately," Burger King said in an emailed statement.

The commercial, uploaded to the chain's New Zealand social media page, featured actors struggling to eat burgers with large red chopsticks to promote a Vietnamese-flavored product, but social media users said the ad was culturally insensitive and played to stereotypes.

It is unclear if the controversy will deal lasting damage to the brand's image and performance.

In a similar episode last year, Italian fashion brand Dolce & Gabbana ran an ad in China depicting a Chinese model unsuccessfully trying to eat large portions of Italian food with a pair of chopsticks. The ad, coupled with a slow apology, sparked outrage among Chinese consumers, and forced the brand to cancel a show in Shanghai.

Chinese e-commerce platforms also pulled its products from their websites, crippling its sales. According to media reports, the company still feels the pain months after the firestorm, as a-list celebrities and social media influencers around the world continue to shun the brand.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 01:05:14|Editor: yan

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SKOPJE, April 9 (Xinhua) -- After the meeting with his Czech counterpart Jan Hamacek, North Macedonia's Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski declared here on Tuesday that the Czech Republic would donate 1 million euros (around 1.12 million U.S. dollars) to North Macedonia to strengthen the latter's border police capacities.

According to the donation agreement signed by the two sides, the donation would focus on the accomplishment of joint objectives of high and qualitative security standards in the people's interest.

"The funds are allocated for activities related to the capacity strengthening of the border and migration departments, for fighting organized crime and for the aviation units of the Interior Ministry," Spasovski said.

For his part, Hamacek said that his visit is a concrete example of the excellent bilateral cooperation of the two countries.

Moreover, Hamacek underlined that the Czech Republic will continue to support North Macedonia in its Euro-Atlantic integration process.

"This is the best way to help fight against organized crime, organ trafficking and all the problems we are faced with," Hamacek said.

Czech police officers have been deployed at North Macedonia's southern border since 2016.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 01:15:22|Editor: yan

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GAZA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The armed wing of the Islamic Hamas movement on Tuesday threatened to mistreat the Israeli captives in Gaza Strip in tit-for-tat retaliation for Israel's mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners.

Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including Hamas members, who are imprisoned in Israeli jails, have been going on a hunger strike for two days to protest the sanctions on them and their mistreatment by Israeli prison services.

Calling the hunger strike in Israeli prisons "the battle of dignity," the Palestinian prisoners and Palestinian factions demanded Israeli prison services lift all the sanctions and stop mistreating the Palestinian prisoners.

Abu Obeida, spokesman of the al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' armed wing, said in a press statement that the prisoners issue "is our top priority," warning that "the Israelis who are captives in the Gaza Strip will be also mistreated."

"The Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, who was a captive in Gaza from 2006 to 2011, had received good treatment," said Abu Obeida, adding that "the Israelis, who are captives now, won't receive the same good treatment as long as our prisoners are mistreated."

Israel is currently holding more than 6,000 Palestinian prisoners including 27 prisoners who have been jailed for more than three decades.

In 2011, Egypt brokered a prisoners' swap deal between Israel and Hamas, under which Hamas freed Shalit in exchange for the release of over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

Hamas had said in previous statements that it holding four Israelis, including two soldiers and two civilians, but declined to give any further details on their fate.

The Islamic movement, which has been ruling the Gaza Strip since 2007, said that it will only give data on the fate of the four Israeli captives only if Israel releases Palestinian prisoners re-arrested by Israel in the West Bank in 2014.

Earlier on Tuesday, a Palestinian official said that Egypt is exerting efforts with Israel to meet the demands of the Palestinian prisoners on a hunger strike in Israeli jails.

"Egyptian mediators are making efforts with Israel to implement what has been agreed upon between the prisoners and the Israeli prisons services," said Qadri Abu Bakr, head of the prisoners' affairs section in Palestine Liberation Organization.

Abu Bakr said the Egyptian efforts "are conducted directly with the Israelis side on one hand and with Hamas Movement on the other within a truce understanding between Palestinian factions and Israel in the Gaza Strip."

He also pointed out that the prisoners are watching what result could come out from the Egyptian efforts in order to decide whether to proceed with the strike or suspend it.

The PLO official expressed the hope that Israel would respond positively and bring the situation in the prisons back to what it used to be before the strike.

The Palestinian Prisoners' Club announced that dozens of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons began Monday afternoon an open hunger strike.

Qadoura Farres, the association's chairman, told Xinhua that the hunger strike came after the Israel Prison Service (IPS) was "intransigent" in responding to the prisoners' demands for improving their conditions inside the prisons.

He said that the prisoners are demanding for the upgrading of prison services by removing the jamming devices for cell phones that threaten their health and providing necessary care for the sick and child prisoners.

Farres added that the prisoners also demanded for lifting the Israeli sanctions imposed on the prisoners of Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements, including a ban on their families' visits.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 01:20:29|Editor: yan

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LONDON, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Arts Minister Michael Ellis placed an export bar Tuesday in a bid to keep a 17th century baroque cabinet by a famous European maker from leaving Britain.

The stunning cabinet, one of four created between 1669 and 1687 by Rome's leading cabinet maker Giacomo Herman, faces leaving the country unless an asking price of 4.3 million U.S. dollars is matched by a buyer in Britain.

Herman was Rome's leading cabinet maker during the 1660s and 1670s and worked for successive Popes and a number of leading Roman families. The German furniture-maker was most active in Italy, having settled in Rome in 1655.

Ellis said: "This intricate cabinet is an outstanding example of the work of 17th century Italian cabinet makers. I hope that a buyer can be found to keep it in Britain so that future generations can admire it and learn about our rich heritage."

Veneered with lapis lazuli, a blue semi-precious stone, and jasper gemstones and mounted in gilt bronze, the cabinet includes 14 gouache miniature paintings depicting Roman basilicas and the city-wide processions that took place following the coronation of a new Pope.

Documented works of significance from this period are very rare. The ebony veneered cabinet, valued at 3.3 million pounds, is one of four created in Herman's workshop between 1669 and 1678, said the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

Art expert Christopher Rowell said: "This is the only one of the set of four cabinets to have been acquired for an English collection. This remarkable composite work of art may well have been in England since 1738. It is very much to be hoped that the funds will be raised for it to remain in this country."

The other three cabinets making up the series of four by Herman works are now housed at the Chapel of the Virgin of Loretto in Krakow, Poland, and at Rosenborg Castle and Fredensborg Castle, both in Denmark.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 01:20:31|Editor: yan

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PHNOM PENH, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Fifteen Cambodian ancient artifacts will be on display in Beijing, capital of China, before the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, Kong Vireak, director of the National Museum of Cambodia, said on Tuesday.

Held at the National Museum of China in Beijing, the exhibition will bring together ancient objects from various museums in countries that have joined the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), he said.

"It is a big event at the National Museum of China in Beijing," he told Xinhua. "We have selected 15 objects to join that exhibition. Now, our staff is there working with Chinese counterparts to put those objects on display."

The selected items, according to Vireak, include bronze drums, a stone-made Buddha statue, lintels, bronze statues, and ceramics.

"We tried to select objects that reflect the relationship between China and Cambodia through the history," he said.

He added that the exhibition is very important to promote cultural exchanges.

Cambodia had its ancient objects displayed in China in 2014, according to Vireak.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 01:25:35|Editor: yan

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MANILA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian kidnap victim Jari Bin Abdullah, who was rescued from the Abu Sayyaf kidnappers in a volley of gunfire five days ago, passed away on Tuesday in the southern Philippines, the Philippine military said on Tuesday.

The military said in a statement that Abdullah was surrounded by some members of his family and Malaysian Embassy staff when he died at 1:17 p.m. local time on Tuesday at a local hospital in Zamboanga City.

Abdullah was shot in the back while trying to escape when Philippine Marines were attempting to rescue him.

The military said Abu Sayyaf militants abducted Abdullah and two other Indonesian hostages off Sabah, Malaysia on December 6 last year and brought them to the remote jungles of Sulu province in the southern Philippines.

"We extend our heartfelt sympathy to the families of Abdullah," Lieutenant General Arnel Dela Vega, the Philippine Western Mindanao Command chief, said, adding Philippine troops "are exhausting all efforts to defeat the Abu Sayyaf and bring justice to the victims of terror."

Meanwhile, the Philippine military said the rescued Indonesian kidnap victim Heri Ardiansyah, who was plucked from the waters by marines aboard a gunboat, was formally turned over to the Indonesian Embassy in Manila on Tuesday.

The body of another Indonesian kidnap victim Hariadin, who had drowned while trying to escape his captors, was also brought to Manila Monday night, the military said.

Ardiansyah and Hariadin were also rescued on April 5 by Philippine troops while on the pursuit of Abu Sayyaf militants in the seawaters off Simusa Island.

The marines killed three Abu Sayyaf militants during the two-day rescue operations on the island.

With the rescue of the three, the military said the Abu Sayyaf militants are left with only three hostages - Dutch bird watcher Elwold Horn, who was kidnapped in 2012, and two Filipinos.

Abu Sayyaf gained notice in the southern Philippines in the early 1990s, with demands for an Islamic state. It acquired worldwide notoriety with a series of kidnappings and beheadings.

Philippine authorities referred to the Abu Sayyaf group as nothing more than a collection of bandits.

The Philippine government has formed an entire army division to hunt down the militants blamed for a series of kidnapping and bombings in the southern region, including twin bombings on January 27 this year in a church in Jolo city, Sulu province that killed 23 and injured more than 100.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 01:25:36|Editor: yan

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TIRANA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Europe Matthew Palmer urged here on Tuesday the opposition parties of Albania to end the boycott and take part in local elections in June.

Palmer, who is on a two-day official visit in Albania, said that he does not agree with the opposition's decision to boycott parliament and that boycotting elections would be really bad for the country.

"The decision to boycott parliament cannot be the right solution to this crisis. The opposition needs to find a way to take part in the elections. It would be a really bad thing if opposition didn't take part in this democratic process," Palmer said.

The U.S. official said that he did not come to Albania to negotiate on solving the political crisis, adding that it belongs to the political class to negotiate among them.

When asked about what the Albanian government should do to persuade the opposition to participate in June's local elections, Palmer said that it is not the government's responsibility to persuade the opposition to participate in the elections.

"It is the opposition's responsibility to do so and to work for the electoral reform agenda that is in the interests of Albania and of the Albanian people, to make it public as a political party, and to show the goals they have," he said.

Palmer noted that Albania has a legitimate government, saying that "I'm sure this government will take the country forward."

During his visit in Tirana, the U.S. official held meetings with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party Lulzim Basha and leader of the Socialist Movement for Integration Monika Kryemadhi on current political crisis in the country.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 01:25:38|Editor: yan

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VIENNA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Austrian interior minister Herbert Kickl has written to the European Union, warning of a renewed migrant crisis and calling for immediate preventative measures to be taken, local media reported on Tuesday.

The letter, published by the Krone newspaper, was specifically addressed at three European Commissioners -- Dimitris Avramopoulos of migration, Johannes Hahn of neighborhood policy, and Guenther Oettinger of budget and human resources.

Kickl said figures from European Union law enforcement agency Europol suggested that a "large-scale movement of people from Turkey to Europe" is about to take place, with both the eastern Mediterranean and Balkans migration routes likely to be traversed as they were during the migrant crisis in 2015 and 2016.

There are presently "tens of thousands" of migrants in these areas already, including about 5,000 each in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, as well as about 60,000 asylum seekers in Greece, and about 5.6 million Syrian refugees in the Middle East, according to Kickl.

All of this points to "clear potential for a massive new migration wave if action is not taken quickly", the minister wrote.

He called on the three commissioners to act quickly and send a clear signal to relevant EU member states, by "reconciling our respective contingency plans".

In addition, it is particularly important to learn "what measures and initiatives are planned by the European Commission", he said.

Austria is prepared to take "every available measure" to prevent illegal migration, he said, adding that countries in the Western Balkans as well as Turkey have an obligation to play their part in hindering the further travel of migrants and refugees.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 01:30:40|Editor: yan

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BAGHDAD, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi President Barham Salih on Tuesday called for reducing the tension in the Middle East, while highlighting the importance of strengthening cooperation in combating extremism and terrorism.

Salih's comments came during his meeting with Kenneth McKenzie, commander of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), Salih's office said in a statement.

"President Salih stressed on the need to reduce tension in the region in a way that consolidates joint action and enhances regional and international security," the statement said.

The Iraqi leader also "emphasized the importance of strengthening security and military cooperation in combating extremism and terrorism," it added.

For his part, McKenzie confirmed his country's continued support for the Iraqi forces to eradicate terrorism, it said, adding that the two sides also reviewed the latest political and security developments on Arab and international levels.

The U.S. military delegation's visit to Iraq came a day after the United States designated Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) as a "foreign terrorist organization," a move that will further worsen the U.S.-Iran relations and further complicate the Middle East situation.

In retaliation, Iran on Monday designated CENTCOM and all its affiliates as "a terrorist group."

Over 5,000 U.S. troops have been deployed in Iraq to support the Iraqi forces in the battles against the Islamic State (IS) militants, mainly by providing training and advising services.

The troops were part of the U.S.-led international coalition that has also been conducting air raids against IS targets in both Iraq and Syria.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 01:30:42|Editor: yan

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BERLIN, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Mercedes Benz has registered a year-on-year sales decline of 5.6 percent in the first quarter of 2019 with 560,873 passenger cars sold, the German car manufacturer announced on Tuesday.

Sales in the first quarter of 2019 exceeded 550,000 units for the third year in a row, according to Mercedes Benz. In March, 227,644 vehicles were delivered to customers, a decline of 4.1 percent compared to the same month last year.

"The first three months of the year were challenging worldwide due to the ongoing model changes for SUVs and compact cars," said Britta Seeger, member of the board of management of Daimler AG responsible for Mercedes-Benz cars marketing and sales.

However, in China, with 174,343 passenger cars sold in the first quarter, "the strongest-selling quarter of all time was achieved", according to the company. Sales in March even grew by 5.9 percent.

"We are delighted with the best quarter ever for Mercedes-Benz in China and the successful market launch of the new B-Class in Europe," Seeger added.

Sales of Mercedes' compact van B-Class, which could be ordered since December 2018, increased by 5.3 percent in March. Main growth drivers were Germany, Britain, France and Spain.

According to Mercedes Benz, the first three months of the year were marked by "important model changes" in the SUV and compact-car segments, which are the segments with the highest sales volume.

Based on increasing vehicle availability in the coming months, Mercedes Benz is expecting a slight increase in worldwide sales in 2019.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 01:30:44|Editor: Xiaoxia

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The United Nations Security Council listens to a briefing by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi at the UN headquarters in New York, on April 9, 2019. Filippo Grandi on Tuesday warned against toxic political language against refugees as well as migrants and foreigners. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, on Tuesday warned against toxic political language against refugees as well as migrants and foreigners.

There is strong solidarity with refugees around the globe, but also hate speech of unprecedented scale, Grandi told the Security Council in a briefing.

"I have worked with refugees for well over three decades. I have seen in my career, in this field of work, much solidarity, even heroes in some of the responses that are provided on the ground," said Grandi. "But also in this three and a half decades, I have never seen (until recently) such toxicity, such poison in the language of politics, in media, in social media, even in everyday discussions and conversations around this issue -- toxicity that focuses, sadly, tragically, often on refugees, on migrants, on foreigners."

"That should be of concern to us all," he said, noting that the tragic shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, is the result of such toxic political language.

If unchecked, such toxic language will have grave consequences, Grandi told reporters later on Tuesday.

He asked to restate the values that underpin solidarity with refugees and reaffirm that societies will not be really prosperous, stable, and peaceful if they do not include all.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 01:35:51|Editor: yan

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PARIS, April 9 (Xinhua) -- France on Tuesday called for efforts to avoid any move that would rekindle tension in the Middle East region after U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to designate Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organization.

At an e-press briefing, Foreign Affairs Ministry's spokesperson Agnes von der Muhll said that "We call for efforts to prevent any further escalation or destabilization in the region".

"We will continue to support the JCPOA (the Iran nuclear deal) as long as Iran continues to implement its nuclear obligations," she added.

Von der Muhll recalled that individuals and entities linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard have already been subject to EU sanctions since 2010 because of their support for Iran's ballistic missile program and terrorism offences.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 01:35:53|Editor: yan

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LONDON, April 9 (Xinhua) -- British MPs in the House of Commons voted in favor Tuesday of seeking to delay Britain's membership of the European Union until June 30.

Following debate, lawmakers backed the call by 420 votes to 110.

They want the EU to agree to what would be a second extension to Article 50, the measure that determines Britain's departure date from the bloc.

Without an extension or a potential withdrawal deal with Brussels, Britain is due to leave the EU this coming Friday.

The vote will be seen as a boost for Prime Minister Theresa May who will be asking for a delay when she addresses leaders Wednesday April 10) of the 27 other member states of the EU in Brussels.

May has spent the day in Europe seeking support for an extension ahead of tomorrow's emergency summit meeting of the EU council, called specifically to discuss the Brexit crisis.

May met Germany's chancellor Angela Merkel Tuesday before heading to Paris to meet French President Emmanuel Macron.

In London May's top ministers were holding talks with the main opposition Labour Party to seek a potential deal to break a Brexit logjam.

Britain had originally been scheduled to reach a deal with the EU by March 29.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 01:40:55|Editor: Liangyu

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Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua (C), also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, inspects agricultural science and technology innovation work at China Agricultural University in Beijing, capital of China, April 9, 2019. (Xinhua/Liu Bin)

BEIJING, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua Tuesday stressed enhancement of agricultural technology innovation to ensure effective supply of grain and major produce and support rural industrial vitalization.

Efforts should be made to speed up development of an agricultural technology innovation mechanism that integrates industries, education and research, Hu said during an inspection at China Agricultural University.

Hu also called for acceleration in breakthroughs in major core technologies such as agricultural machinery and produce processing.

Agricultural technology institutional reforms should be deepened to give full play to the roles of agricultural universities and other institutions and stimulate vitality of talents in this field, Hu added.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 01:45:57|Editor: xuxin

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Italian President Sergio Mattarella (C) visits the Zaatari refugee camp, about 70 km north of the Jordanian capital Amman, on April 9, 2019. Italian President Sergio Mattarella on Tuesday said his country is committed to continuing supporting Jordan to overcome the consequences of the Syrian refugees crisis. The Italian president made the remarks during a visit to the Zaatari camp for Syrian refugees on the start of his visit to the kingdom, during which he will hold talks with King Abdullah II, the state-run Petra news agency reported. (Xinhua/Mohammad Abu Ghosh)

AMMAN, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Italian President Sergio Mattarella on Tuesday said his country is committed to continuing supporting Jordan to overcome the consequences of the Syrian refugees crisis.

The Italian president made the remarks during a visit to the Zaatari camp for Syrian refugees on the start of his visit to the kingdom, during which he will hold talks with King Abdullah II, the state-run Petra news agency reported.

Mattarella voiced appreciation of Jordan's efforts to aid the refugees, while calling for increased international support to ease the pressure on Jordan.

Jordanian Minister of State for Investment Affairs Muhannad Shehadeh, who accompanied the Italian president, commended the strategic ties between the two countries.

The minister also highlighted the burden on Jordan in several arenas due to the influx of Syrian refugees.

The Italian president was briefed on the services offered to the refugees at the camp, one of the largest refugee camps for the Syrians fleeing the civil war back home.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 02:01:03|Editor: yan

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LONDON, April 9 (Xinhua) -- British MPs in the House of Commons voted in favor Tuesday of seeking to delay Britain's membership of the European Union until June 30.

Following debate, lawmakers backed the call by 420 votes to 110.

They want the EU to agree to what would be a second extension to Article 50, the measure that determines Britain's departure date from the bloc.

Without an extension or a potential withdrawal deal with Brussels, Britain is due to leave the EU this coming Friday.

The vote will be seen as a boost for Prime Minister Theresa May who will be asking for a delay when she addresses leaders Wednesday (April 10) of the 27 other member states of the EU in Brussels.

May has spent the day in Europe seeking support for an extension ahead of tomorrow's emergency summit meeting of the EU council, called specifically to discuss the Brexit crisis.

May met Germany's chancellor Angela Merkel Tuesday before heading to Paris to meet French President Emmanuel Macron.

In London, May's top ministers were holding talks with the main opposition Labour Party to seek a potential deal to break a Brexit logjam.

Britain had originally been scheduled to reach a deal with the EU by March 29. Her Brexit deal, reached between London and Brussels in November 2018, has been rejected by the parliament three times since January.

Downing Street said Tuesday that the government and the opposition Labour Party will resume talks on Thursday in order to break the current Brexit deadlock.

Three days of cross-party talks ended on Friday without progress in finding a way out of the Brexit impasse. However, a British government spokesman said Tuesday that both sides were "working hard to agreeing a way forward".

The final decision on a Brexit delay lies with the European Union. The leaders of all the 27 other European Union member states have to decide whether to grant or reject an extension.

If the UK is still a member of the European Union on May 23, it will have to take part in European Parliamentary elections.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 02:06:07|Editor: yan

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BERLIN, April 9 (Xinhua) -- A German museum on Tuesday handed over the remains of an indigenous chief from Australia that has been in Germany's possession since 1889, the German Press Agency (DPA) reported.

In a ceremony, the Munich's Five Continents Museum gave back the remains that had been placed in a coffin draped with indigenous flag to a descendent of his people, the Yidinji people.

The mummified corps is reported to have been stolen by researchers at a funeral ceremony in 1876 and then shipped to Germany and held there ever sine.

In the coming days, two more return ceremonies are planned in Stuttgart and Berlin, as a total of 53 remains of Australian aboriginals were scheduled to be returned by Germany in April.

Other remains will be returned to representatives of the Yawuru people, and still others will be examined for their communities of origin upon their return to Australia.

Skeletal remains of Australia's native peoples were taken by scientists and researchers in the late 19th and early 20th century and placed in museums and universities in their home countries.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 02:21:14|Editor: yan

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VILNIUS, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Lithuanian scientists have developed a blood analysis sensor to take blood readings without breaking through the skin, the country's Agency for Science, Innovation and Technology (MITA) announced on Tuesday.

The laser-based technology has been developed by scientists from the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU) and Lithuanian technology company Brolis Semiconductors.

The laser-based sensor can constantly measure levels of glucose, lactate, urea and serum albumin in blood without breaking through skin, says MITA.

"Because of this innovation people in Lithuania and around the globe will take their blood samples faster, simpler, cheaper and without pain," Kestutis Setkus, the head of MITA was quoted as saying in an announcement by MITA.

Lithuania scientists say with the laser-based blood analysis sensor blood analysis will be painless and avoid risks of infection.

"Now it is possible to measure changes in blood constantly and in any environment -- at home, at work, at the gym or outdoors," said Zilvinas Dambrauskas, the professor from LSMU, in the statement.

According to Setkus, the blood analysis technology is the result of cooperation between the medical scientists and private business, a family-owned hardware company of engineers and scientists.

Augustinas Vizbaras, the cofounder of Brolis Semiconductors, says their sensor is also capable of measuring levels of ammonia and alcohol.

"Our technology is not just a single device, this is a sensors' technology platform," Vizbaras was quoted in the statement.

In coming years, the sensor will be integrated with smartphones and wearable devices, according to MITA.

Vizbaras told local media on Tuesday, the sensor is currently in the phase of laboratory testing, commercial operations are planned in two years.
File Photo: Refugees seeking reunion with family members in Germany take part in a hunger strike in Athens, Greece, on Nov. 1, 2017. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

UNITED NATIONS, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, on Tuesday warned against toxic political language against refugees as well as migrants and foreigners.

There is strong solidarity with refugees around the globe, but also hate speech of unprecedented scale, Grandi told the Security Council in a briefing.

"I have worked with refugees for well over three decades. I have seen in my career, in this field of work, much solidarity, even heroes in some of the responses that are provided on the ground," said Grandi. "But also in this three and a half decades, I have never seen (until recently) such toxicity, such poison in the language of politics, in media, in social media, even in everyday discussions and conversations around this issue -- toxicity that focuses, sadly, tragically, often on refugees, on migrants, on foreigners."

"That should be of concern to us all," he said, noting that the tragic shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, is the result of such toxic political language.

If unchecked, such toxic language will have grave consequences, Grandi told reporters later on Tuesday.

He asked to restate the values that underpin solidarity with refugees and reaffirm that societies will not be really prosperous, stable, and peaceful if they do not include all.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 02:26:18|Editor: yan

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JERUSALEM, April 9 (Xinhua) -- A leading Israeli pollster reported on Tuesday record-low voting rates among Israel's largest minority group on Tuesday's Election Day.

Camil Fuchs, a prominent pollster and a professor of statistics at the Tel Aviv University, told Channel 13 TV news that exit polls revealed an exceptional drop in Arabs' turnout.

"We have never witnessed such a thing," Fuchs said. "It might be the biggest drama in these elections."

If the figures are correct, it means most Arab parties, which represent the Arab minority in Israel, might not pass the electoral threshold needed to get into the Israeli parliament, or the Knesset.

Mtanes Shihadeh, leader of Balad, a nationalist Palestinian party, urged Arab citizens to get out and vote.

"The right wing plans to destroy the Arab parties," he said in a statement. "They want to erase us from the political arena."

Channel 12 TV news reported that loudspeakers in the mosques in Arab towns and villages across the country were used in the evening to urge people to go to the ballots.

Arab citizens of Israel are mostly Palestinians who stayed put during the 1948 Middle East war, which led to the statehood of Israel. Official figures show they suffer a lack of job opportunities and less government spending on education, health and infrastructure.

Earlier in the day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party hired hundreds of activists with hidden cameras to film Arab voters in polling stations.

Ayman Odeh, leader of the Arab-Jewish Hadash Party, called the move "racist," saying it aimed at deterring Arab voters from arriving at the polling stations.

According to figures provided by the Central Elections Committee, the overall turnout among the general population at 6 p.m. local time (1500 GMT), four hours before the closing of the ballots, was 52 percent, slightly lower than the corresponding 54.6-percent turnout in the last elections in 2015.

The major rivalry in the parliamentary elections stands between Netanyahu, who struggles for his political survival amid corruption allegations, and Benny Gantz, former chief of forces and leader of the newly-formed centrist party of Blue and White.

The elections were widely perceived in Israel as a referendum on the decade-long consecutive ruling of Netanyahu, who is fighting to avoid being indicted in at least three separate cases of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

The voting began at 7 a.m. local time at more than 10,000 polling stations and is due to end at 10 p.m. local time.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 03:16:41|Editor: yan

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TORONTO, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Police are searching for suspects connected with a shooting after a two-vehicle collision near a busy highway in Toronto, Canada Tuesday, according to CTV.

The shooting occurred Tuesday morning when the occupants got out of the collided vehicles and started shooting, and then fled the scene on foot.

Police found one person suffering from non-life-threatening injuries at the scene, but they believe the injury likely came from the collision itself.

A police canine unit is searching the surrounding area for the suspects. Police said the suspects may be armed and cautioned the public to avoid the area while they investigate.

A CTV Toronto helicopter captured images of the two damaged vehicles involved in what appeared to be a head-on collision along with numerous police cruisers at the scene.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 03:16:44|Editor: yan

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (C), European Council President Donald Tusk (L) and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker co-chair the 21st China-EU leaders' meeting in Brussels, Belgium, April 9, 2019. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

BRUSSELS, April 9 (Xinhua) -- China and the European Union (EU) on Tuesday reaffirmed in a joint statement the dynamic of their comprehensive strategic partnership, pledging to uphold multilateralism and oppose protectionism.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, President of the European Council Donald Tusk, and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker met here on Tuesday for the 21st China-EU leaders' meeting and issued the statement.

The two sides reiterated their respect for international law and for fundamental norms governing international relations, with the United Nations (UN) at the core.

They commit to upholding the UN Charter and international law, and all three pillars of the UN system, namely peace and security, development and human rights, according to the joint statement.

China and the EU firmly support the rules-based multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core, fight against unilateralism and protectionism, and commit to complying with WTO rules, it said.

The two sides reaffirmed their joint commitment to cooperate on WTO reform to ensure its continued relevance and allow it to address global trade challenges. They agreed to intensify discussions to strengthen international rules on industrial subsidies, and continue working to resolve the crisis in the WTO Appellate Body.

They also underlined their support to the G20 in continuing to play its active role as the premier forum in international economic and financial cooperation, and agreed to promote the G20, in the spirit of partnership and the principle of consensus, to make more contributions in upholding multilateralism, improving global economic governance and boosting global economic growth.

Meanwhile, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to building their economic relationship on openness, non-discrimination, and fair competition, ensuring a level playing field, transparency, and based on mutual benefits.

They aim to conclude a comprehensive bilateral investment agreement in 2020.

China and the EU commit to achieve in the course of 2019 the decisive progress required, notably with regard to the liberalization commitments, for the conclusion of an ambitious China-EU Comprehensive Investment Agreement in 2020, said the statement.

The high level of ambition, the statement added, will be reflected in substantially improved market access, the elimination of discriminatory requirements and practices affecting foreign investors, the establishment of a balanced investment protection framework and the inclusion of provisions on investment and sustainable development.

The EU has been China's largest trading partner for 15 years in a row and China has become the EU's second largest trading partner, according to China's Ministry of Commerce.

Official statistics from the ministry show that two-way trade between China and the EU hit a record high of 682.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2018, up 10.6 percent year-on-year.

"China and the EU commit to ensure equitable and mutually beneficial cooperation in bilateral trade and investment," the statement said, reiterating the two sides' willingness to enhance bilateral economic cooperation, trade and investment, and to provide each other with broader and more facilitated, non-discriminatory market access.

"With this in mind, China and the EU will intensify work towards finding mutually agreeable solutions to a number of key barriers as identified by both parties," the statement said.

They also welcomed progress in cooperation on 5G technology between respective business communities, according to the statement.

"China and the EU welcome progress and further exchanges in the China-EU dialogue and working mechanism on 5G based on the 5G Joint Declaration of 2015, including on technological cooperation between respective business communities," the statement said.

The Chinese premier arrived in Brussels on Monday. It is the first stop of his five-day tour to Europe.

Li arrived in Zagreb on Tuesday evening to pay an official visit to Croatia, where he will also attend the eighth leaders' meeting of China and Central and Eastern European Countries.

Full text of China-EU summit joint statement
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 03:32:04|Editor: yan

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NAIROBI, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday arrived in Port Louis, capital city of Mauritius, for a four-day state visit in an effort to boost bilateral ties, his office said in a statement on Tuesday.

Kenyatta's visit to Mauritius is largely aimed at boosting the economic, cultural and social ties between the two nations, the statement said.

During his visit, Kenyatta will attend a business forum organized by the Economic Development Board Mauritius in collaboration with the Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Kenya Private Sector Alliance and the Kenya Investment Authority, which will be used to showcase trade and investment opportunities in Mauritius and Kenya.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 04:07:23|Editor: yan

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) casts his ballot at a polling station in Jerusalem, April 9, 2019. Israel on Tuesday morning started day-long general elections across the country to choose its next parliament and decide the premiership. (Xinhua/JINI/Emil Salman)

JERUSALEM, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz, an ex-general and leader of a centrist party, both claimed victory on Tuesday night in the closely-fought election race.

At 10 p.m. (1900 GMT) after ballots were closed, the country's three main TV stations released exit polls but showed contradicting results.

Gantz, Israel's former chief of forces and the leader of the Blue and White party, claimed victory over the country's long-serving incumbent prime minister.

Gantz's statement followed an exit poll on Channel 12 TV news, Israel's highest-rating TV station, which showed he has won 37 seats while Netanyahu lags behind with 33 seats.

"The Israeli people have spoken in this election there are clear winners and losers... Bibi (Netanyahu) lost big time," Gantz said.

Netanyahu also claimed victory, saying the overall number of seats won by the right-wing bloc was larger.

He based his statement on results of two other major TV stations' exit polls, showing Netanyahu and Gantz's parties were tied and right-wing bloc won 8-12 seats more than the left-centrist bloc.

"The right-wing bloc won a clear victory," Netanyahu said.

He thanked his voters and said that as soon as tonight he "will begin working on forming a right-wing government with natural potential partners."

In the Israeli system, a governing coalition needs at least 61 seats in the 120-seat the Knesset (parliament). No single Israeli party has ever won enough seats to form a government, and all governments have been coalitions of several parties.

Netanyahu is seeking a fifth term in office. Gantz has been the toughest challenger to his consecutive ten-year-long ruling.

The results of the elections will determine Netanyahu's political future, as he is facing serious corruption allegations and a possible indictment.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 04:52:51|Editor: yan

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RABAT, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Morocco and Spain on Tuesday discussed ways to further strengthen and diversify defense cooperation in Morocco's capital Rabat.

During the meeting between Abdeltif Loudyi, Moroccan minister-delegate for national defense, and visiting Angel Olivares Ramirez, Spanish Secretary of State for Defense, they agreed on the promising prospects for bilateral and regional cooperation in the defense industry, according to a statement by the Moroccan National Defense Administration.

The two countries should establish a mutually beneficial partnership, particularly in the areas of shipbuilding, aeronautics and mobility vehicle manufacturing, the statement said.

The two officials also highlighted the satisfactory results achieved in the fight against terrorism and the management of the migration crisis.

Ramirez is leading a large delegation on a two-day visit to Morocco.
Iranian soldiers march during the Army Day parade in Tehran, Iran, on April 18, 2010. (Xinhua File photo)

TEHRAN, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Armed Forces would spare no effort to combat the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces in West Asia, Iran Armed Forces Headquarters said in a statement on Tuesday.

Over the past years, the United States has destabilized the West Asia region with the aim of creating a safe haven for Israel, official IRNA news agency cited the statement as saying.

The announcement by Iran's Armed Forces follows the decision on Monday by U.S. President Donald Trump who said that the United States designates Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) as a "foreign terrorist organization."

Accordingly, Iran's Supreme National Security Council on Monday announced the U.S. Central Command forces in West Asia as "terrorist group."

"The U.S. government's move to designate the IRGC as a terrorist group is a desperate attempt to take revenge and cover up its failures in the region," the Iranian Armed Forces' statement said.

"The U.S. unwise action lacks an operational value and is doomed to fail," it said.

The IRGC's Chief Commander Mohammad Ali Jafari said Tuesday that his forces will grow stronger in its defensive and offensive power in the next year despite U.S. "ridiculous" attempts, according to the state IRINN TV.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 05:23:00|Editor: yan

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KHARTOUM, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The United States, the United Kingdom and Norway on Tuesday urged the Sudanese government to respond to demands of protesters for a political transition with legitimacy.

"The Sudanese people are demanding a political system that is inclusive and has greater legitimacy. The Sudanese authorities must now respond and deliver a credible plan for this political transition," said the three countries in a joint statement.

The three countries further warned that failure to achieve the protesters' demands would risk greater instability, noting that the Sudanese leadership has a grave responsibility to avoid such an outcome.

The three countries also called on the Sudanese government to release all political detainees, stop violence against peaceful protesters, ensure freedom, lift the state of emergency and allow credible political dialogue.

According to the statement, the three countries promised that if the Sudanese authorities took these steps, they would support such a political process and help resolve some of the long term economic challenges that Sudan faces.

The Sudanese capital Khartoum saw on Saturday and Sunday huge protests and sit-in in front of the Sudanese Army General Headquarters and six protesters were killed during clashes.

Since Dec. 19 last year, Sudan has been witnessing popular protests over the deteriorating economic conditions and price hikes of basic commodities.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 05:43:06|Editor: yan

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ALGIERS, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Algerian interim President Abdelkader Bensalah on Tuesday said his top mission is working to overcome the current political crisis and pave way for the election of a new president as soon as possible.

Algeria's state run and private media broadcasted the first speech of Bensalah to the nation as he hailed both the people and the security forces who behaved responsibly and professionally during the mass protest marches across the country since Feb. 22 as no big violent acts have been reported so far.

He also thanked the support of the military institution while "sticking to the Constitution as the only passage to overcome the current political crisis."

He described the current situation as "crucial turning point in the history of Algeria," stressing that his top mission is "guaranteeing power transition to a democratically elected president within 3 months in free and fair election as stipulated by the Constitution."

"An independent and free commission for preparing the presidential election will be established soon as it is should be composed of a group of independent personalities," he noted.

The interim president further called for "working collectively with all parties to draw up adequate laws that frame this commission, and thus set up the cornerstone of a new Algeria."

He concluded by calling Algerians to remain calm and serene ahead of choosing their new president.

Bensalah is a senior official at the second ruling party of National Democratic Rally (RND) and Speaker of the Council of the Nation (upper house of parliament).

He was named earlier on Tuesday interim president to run the transition era after the resignation of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika last week.

The appointment of Bensalah as interim president was proceeded through a joint session of the two houses of parliament amid the boycott of the opposition and independent members of parliament.

Abdelkader Bensalah, 76, should assure the post of interim president for a period of 3 months ahead of electing a new president, in accordance to Article 102 of the Constitution.

The two ruling parties of the National Liberation Front (FLN) and the RND control the majority of seats in both houses of parliament, which facilitated naming Bensalah interim president despite objection of the opposition parties.

According to the constitution, the head of state (interim president) is not entitled to dismiss the government or dissolve the parliament, or even declaring a state of emergency, state of siege or war.

When the session of naming Bensalah as interim president was taking place, Algerian students in the capital city of Algiers and several other provinces took to the streets as they chanted slogans calling Bensalah to quit.

Activists on social media called for another massive march on Friday to reject the naming of Bensalah.

Bouteflika resigned from presidency on April 2 after mass popular protests erupted across the country since Feb. 22 demanding the departure of incumbent system.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 05:48:09|Editor: Lu Hui

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel (L) shakes hands with British Prime Minister Theresa May at the German Chancellery in Berlin, capital of Germany, on April 9, 2019. British Prime Minister Theresa May visited Berlin on Tuesday to discuss a way out of the deadlock of the Brexit process with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. (Xinhua/Shan Yuqi)

LONDON, April 9 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May returned to London on Tuesday night at the end of a day of whistle-stop diplomacy in her race to win a delay to the country's departure from the European Union (EU).

As May was holding talks in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron, a team of her top ministers were negotiating in London with Labour's Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell and leading shadow ministers from the main opposition party.

Media in London reported on Tuesday that European Council President Donald Tusk has written to all 27 EU member state leaders urging them to offer Britain a flexible extension to the article 50 process of up to one year. It would allow Britain to leave at any point within that period.

May heads to Brussels Wednesday almost certainly feeling comforted that a Friday no-deal departure deadline has been averted.

But the EU is likely to insist on a string of conditions to enable Britain to stay as a member of the bloc while it seeks its elusive departure deal.

Article 50 is the EU mechanism that sets a timetable for a country wishing to leave the bloc.

May's strategy was boosted by a vote in the House of Commons on Tuesday when MPs voted by 420 to 110 to request an extension of article 50 until June 30, a comfortable majority of 310.

The cross party talks in Westminster, looking to break the impasse that has so far blocked the House of Commons finding majority support for a Brexit deal, concluded Tuesday night.

Although no consensus has yet been reached between the ruling Conservatives and their rivals, the Labour Party, both said later there was hope of progress being made.

The Environment Secretary Michael Gove said the talks with Labour had been open and constructive, but the two sides differed on a number of areas.

Labour's Rebecca Long Bailey, who took part in the latest round of talks, said they were hopeful progress will be made. Bailey, who is the Shadow Business Secretary, said discussions with the government will continue in the coming days.

A Labour Party spokesperson said after the talks: "We had further detailed and wide-ranging talks with cabinet ministers and officials today. We have yet to see the clear shift in the government's position that is needed to secure a compromise agreement."

The two sides have agreed to hold further talks on Thursday in an effort to break the Brexit deadlock, and find a compromise that can win support in Parliament and bring the country together, said the spokesperson.

Labour is holding out for a consensus Brexit deal that keeps Britain linked in some way to the European Customs Union and the European Single Market.

Conservative Brexit-supporting politicians want to ensure Britain is free to strike its own trade deals by leaving the customs union and the single market.

Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, sent a letter Tuesday to leading Conservatives that a customs union for Britain would be the "worst of both worlds" and would leave Britain unable to set its own trade policy.

In his four-page letter, Fox said: "We would be stuck in the worst of both worlds, not only unable to set our own international trade policy but subject, without representation, to the policy of an entity over which MPs would have no democratic control. This is something that Labour do not presently seem to understand."

Fox claimed countries that negotiated new free trade agreements with the EU would have automatic access to the British market with Britain having no reciprocal access.

May needs to win backing on Wednesday for a delayed Brexit from an emergency meeting of the EU Council, made up of the leaders of the remaining 27 member states.

With both sides faced with the prospect of Britain crashing out of the bloc on Friday with no deal, May now looks almost certain to win the crucial delay she desperately needs to give her more time to convince a squabbling House of Commons to back a Brexit deal.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 05:53:11|Editor: yan

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Supporters of Israel's Blue and White party celebrate after watching a TV poll at the alliance headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel, on April 9, 2019. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz, an ex-general and leader of a centrist party, both claimed victory on Tuesday night in the closely-fought election race. (Xinhua/Gil Cohen Magen)

JERUSALEM, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's main rival, Benny Gantz, declared victory in parliamentary elections on Tuesday night, vowing to unite Israel and be "everyone's prime minister."

"This is a historic day for Israel," Gantz said at the headquarters of his newly-formed centrist party of Blue and White in Tel Aviv as hundreds of supporters cheering and shouting "the next prime minister is coming!"

"I will be the prime minister of everyone and not just those who voted for me. No one from a party that is not ours should worry. We all need to think about how we can work together, how we can bring everyone into the discussion," he said.

Gantz, ex-chief of forces and a political newcomer, said Israel's long-serving incumbent prime minister needs to step down.

"We wish to thank Benjamin Netanyahu for his service for the state of Israel," he said, promising to form Israel's next government.

"The will of the voters should be respected," he said.

Exit polls on Israel's three main TV news channels showed contradicting results, with one poll indicating a landslide victory to Gantz's Blue and White Party while the other two showing a tied.

Both Gantz and Netanyahu claimed victory in the closely-fought parliamentary elections.

Official results are expected early on Wednesday morning.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 05:58:13|Editor: yan

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UNITED NATIONS, April 9 (Xinhua) -- More than 175 million children, about half of all pre-primary-age children globally, are not enrolled in pre-primary education, said the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in a report released Tuesday.

In low-income countries, the picture is much bleaker, with only one in five young children enrolled in pre-primary education, said UNICEF's first-ever global report on pre-primary education.

"Pre-primary schooling is our children's educational foundation -- every stage of education that follows relies on its success," said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. "Yet, too many children around the world are denied this opportunity. This increases their risk of repeating grades or dropping out of school altogether and relegates them to the shadows of their more fortunate peers."

The report revealed that children enrolled in at least one year of pre-primary education are more likely to develop the critical skills they need to succeed in school. Children in pre-primary education are more than twice as likely to be on track in early literacy and numeracy skills than children missing out on early learning.

The report noted that household wealth, mothers' education level and geographical location are among the key determinants for pre-primary attendance. However, poverty is the single largest determining factor.

Across 64 countries, the poorest children are seven times less likely than children from the wealthiest families to attend early childhood education programs, according to the report.

More than two-thirds of pre-primary-age children living in 33 countries affected by conflict or disaster are not enrolled in early childhood education programs. Yet, these are the children for whom pre-primary education has some of the greatest benefits.

Pre-primary education helps young children affected by crises overcome the traumas they have experienced by giving them a structure, a safe place to learn and play, and an outlet to express their emotions, the report said.

Across countries with available data, children born to mothers who have completed secondary education and above are nearly five times more likely to attend an early childhood education program than children whose mothers have completed only primary education or have no formal education, finds the report.

Pre-primary education remains acutely under-funded, said the report.

In 2017 an average of 6.6 percent of domestic education budgets globally are dedicated to pre-primary education, with nearly 40 percent of countries allocating less than 2 percent of their education budgets to this sub-sector.

This lack of worldwide investment in pre-primary education negatively impacts the quality of services, including a significant lack of trained pre-primary teachers, said the report.

Together, low- and lower middle-income countries are home to more than 60 percent of the world's pre-primary-age children, but scarcely 32 percent of all pre-primary teachers.

"If today's governments want their workforce to be competitive in tomorrow's economy, they need to start with early education," said Fore. "If we are to give our children the best shot in life to succeed in a globalized economy, leaders must prioritize and properly resource pre-primary education."

UNICEF is urging governments to make at least one year of quality pre-primary education universal and a routine part of every child's education, especially the most vulnerable and excluded children.

To make this a reality, UNICEF urges governments to commit at least 10 percent of their national education budgets to scale up early childhood education and invest in teachers, quality standards, and equitable expansion.

With expanding populations, assuming an ideal pupil-teacher ratio of 20 to 1, the world will need 9.3 million new pre-primary teachers to meet the universal target for pre-primary education by 2030, according to the report.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 06:08:22|Editor: yan

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MADRID, April 9 (Xinhua) -- An opinion poll published on Tuesday predicts that the Socialist Party (PSOE) of current Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez would win the April 28 general election in Spain but would fall well short of an overall majority.

A theoretical coalition of right-wing and center-right parties -- the People's Party (PP), Vox and Ciudadanos -- would also fail to hold a majority in the Spanish Congress.

The poll, carried out by Spain's Center for Sociological Research (CIS), came out just 19 days before the general elections and was based on over 16,000 interviews carried out between March 1 and March 18.

According to the poll's findings, the PSOE is predicted to take 30.2 percent of the vote in the forthcoming election, winning between 123 and 138 seats in the 350-seat Congress -- well short of the 176 seats needed for an overall majority.

Sanchez's party is followed by the right-wing PP, which appears to be heading for its worst ever general election result with just 17.2 percent of the vote, which translates into between 66 and 76 seats.

To put that into perspective, the PP won 33.03 percent of the vote and 137 seats in the June 2016 election, so their support has almost halved in just under three years.

The center-right Ciudadanos party would claim 13.6 percent of the vote and between 42 and 51 seats, while the left-wing Unidos Podemos (and its Catalan and Valencian branches) has 15.1 percent support and would win between 34 and 43 seats.

Finally, the extreme right-wing Vox party is in line to win its first seats in Congress, with 11.9 percent of voters saying they would support the party, which has based much of its campaign on anti-immigration and anti-feminist rhetoric.

If these predictions are correct, the PSOE and Ciudadanos could form a coalition government, although the leader of Ciudadanos, Albert Rivera, has already ruled out that possibility.

The PSOE would also be able to govern in alliance with Unidos Podemos (as they did in the recently ended parliament) and the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV).

However, a key factor in the CIS poll is that a record 41.6 percent of respondents said they had not decided who they will vote for on April 28, meaning that when the election campaign officially opens this weekend all options will remain open.
Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-10 06:18:26|Editor: yan

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HELSINKI, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Five Finnish companies have registered to take part in the second China International Import Expo (CIIE) slated for November this year in Shanghai.

The information was disclosed at a road show event at the Chinese Embassy in Finland on Tuesday. Over one hundred business people attended the event that was aimed to promote the CIIE.

Last year, around 100 Finnish companies participated in the first CIIE, and 20 different agreements were signed to the tune of several billion U.S. dollars, said Jusa Susia, a representative from Business Finland.

As the head of region in charge of east Asia affairs, Susia said Finland was probably one of the biggest CIIE participants if considering the size of its population and number of companies in the country.

Besides the commercial agreements, according to Meltwater, a media intelligence company, Finland also achieved media hits that potentially reached millions of readers. "Therefore, Finland sees CIIE a great potential opportunity for further promoting Finnish export to China," he added.

Addressing the event, Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Bingnan affirmed that the CIIE denotes "a new round of high-level opening up" of the Chinese market.

The visiting vice minister said China, with its 1.4 billion strong population and a huge consumption base, is expected to import goods worth over 30 trillion U.S. dollars and services exceeding the value of ten trillion U.S. dollars in the next 15 years.

"China will provide a stable source for global economic growth. We also offer great opportunity for business across the world," he said.

Over 1,800 companies were reported to have registered for the second CIIE by early April, and 900 of them have confirmed participation as exhibitors. The reserved exhibition area exceeded 200,000 square meters in total.
Vesti bune, inainte de Sarbatori! Pensii mai mari din ianuarie 2022

Pensii mai mari pentru romani, incepand cu 1 ianuarie 2022. Guvernul are pe ordinea de zi a sedintei de miercuri un proiect de ordonanta de urgenta care prevede majorarea punctului de pensie la 1.586 lei si cresterea pensiei minime la 1.000 lei, dar si majorarea [citeste mai departe]
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The younger generation of politicians should change the system of government, the economic model and the current monetary policy. There are no soft options for such a shift, there are only more rigid and uncompromising ones. It is not so difficult to carry out the reforms. The only question is how strong their political will is. Structural reforms are easy and simple, but it is necessary to show political will and, of course, abandon embezzlement, corruption schemes and the system of enrichment in power.



As analysts noted in the World Banks April review of the Europe and Central Asia economies, Ukraine will be able to restore economic growth to 4% in the medium term only in case of increasing the pace of reforms. Otherwise, if reforms are not conducted, growth may fall below 2%.



This report emphasizes: The growth forecast for Ukraines economy largely depends on maintaining the momentum for reforms to support investment and mobilizing sufficient funding. In 2019, growth is projected at 2.7%, since investments are still limited by difficult external conditions, the uncertainty associated with the election, and, as a consequence, the high cost of external borrowing."



By the way, back in January of 2019, the World Bank predicted a slowdown in the growth of our country's economy, and, accordingly, it worsened the forecast for Ukraines GDP growth from 2.9% to 2.7% this year. At the same time, the growth of the Ukrainian economy in 2020 remained at the level of 3.4%, and in 2021 it was lowered to 3.7%.



In turn, analysts of the Morgan Stanley investment bank also suggested a decline in Ukraines GDP growth rate to 2.7% in 2019 and to 2.6% in 2020; they predicted the current account deficit in 2019 at 4% of GDP and 3.6% in 2020. They also expect that by the end of 2019, the hryvnia- dollar exchange rate will decline by 4 hryvnias - to 31 UAH / USD and up to 32.5 UAH / USD by the end of 2020.



Frankly speaking, I wondered how Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman, with such forecasts of leading Western analysts, could contradict the fact that if working productivity is lower than the level of social expenditures, then we inevitably go to ruin.

Fitch Ratings agency mentioned that the state still guarantees a significant part of Naftogazs debt (30% of gross debt as of the end of 2018), and the financial indicators of the company are controlled by the main creditor of Ukraine, the International Monetary Fund.



On April 5, our Accounts Chamber also reported that the state of implementation of the income plan indicates the shortcomings of the planning, and while we are maintaining the current economic trends, there are additional risks of non-fulfillment of the state budget revenues of 2019 in the context of slowing economic growth, as Ukraines real GDP in January - February has grown only by 1.6%.

It is also true that there will be no easy way out of this big crisis. We should not forget the historical examples, in particular, the consequences of the Great Depression in the United States. In America, then, after a sharp drop in markets during the year, there was a rise in GDP and a rise in the stock market. After that, for as many as 10 years, the United States entered a deep recession. And Americans remember it well.

So, it is clear that we are in a very difficult economic situation. We urgently need to make a choice, here and now.



And, in my opinion, the choice is simple: either the economy will collapse after a few months (and its guaranteed, taking into account external factors and internal skills), or we will be able to resist.



And after the elections of 2019 from the next 2020, we would begin to crawl away from the edge of the financial abyss.



In a word, now the question of a fundamental political choice is - what should be done in order to hold on?!

Read the original text at 112.ua.
Two weeks are left before the second round of the presidential elections in Ukraine. It is more or less clear, which strategies were chosen by candidates Volodymyr Zelensky and Petro Poroshenko. The latter is going to fight to the finish, lagging behind the competitor though

Zelensky - per stadium ad victory

Open source

The result of the first round shocked not only the social media users but also the Zelensky team itself. According to sources 112.ua in the headquarters of the race leader, the team expected that the gap with the current president, Petro Poroshenko, would be within 5%.

Some people are embarrassed to admit that they support the authorities, the interlocutors explained. But the official voting results indicate that Zelensky is ahead of Poroshenko almost twice (30.24% against 15.95%). In absolute figures, he was supported by a little more than 5.7 million voters, which is more than the current president and Yulia Tymoshenko, Batkivshchyna party head, combined.

And the reserves for growth in the race leader are more than enough. According to the study of the Rating group, Zelensky can count on the support of 15% of Anatoliy Hrytsenkos voters in the second round. And he has actually declared support for Zelensky. In addition, in Zelensky might rely on 19% of the voters of Yulia Tymoshenko, 16% of Oleksandr Vilkul and Yuriy Boyko (each), presidential candidates, majorly popular in southern and eastern Ukraine, as well as almost a fifth of those who supported Ihor Smeshko. Also, the list of Zelensky fans might potentially replenish part of the supporters of Oleg Lyashko, head of Lyashkos Radical Party, and Ruslan Koshulynsky, far-right Svoboda party nominee. At the same time, 43% of respondents, according to social scientists, have not decided whom to support.

According to the calculations of our sources in Zelenskys team, their leader will defear the current head of state with an advantage of about 20% - 58-62% against 38-42%. But these are only forecasts.

According to Dmytro Razumkov, Zelenskys political adviser, the strategy of Zelenskys campaign would not differ from what was in the first round. It is planned to declare war against the incredible corruption under the current government and to be ironic about Poroshenkos key points. At the same time, another task is to mobilize the supporters for the second round.

Television debates with Petro Poroshenko remain the biggest challenge in the campaign of Volodymyr Zelensky. The candidate himself said that he was ready for them, although earlier his team stated they did not see the need for such a conversation. Zelensky has no political experience and lacks experience in some economic matters. In addition, Petro Poroshenko is rightly considered one of the best speakers in Ukraine, which means it will not be easy to defeat his professional augmenting skills (recall Poroshenkos numerous knocking cell phones out of peoples hands, slapping on the face of the voters, who come to his election meetings and asked unpleasant questions, etc, - ed.) and diplomatic experience (recall Poroshenkos super-diplomatic labeling of Zelensky as Kolomoyskys puppet, Little Russian, etc, - ed.).

However, the winning team of the first round of elections is not scary, and, according to 112.ua sources in the headquarters of the candidate, they are ready for the TV port and are not going to refuse from it. That is why the previous week was marked by video messages and analyzes before the debate.

They add that it would not be beneficial for Zelensky to run away from the TV lodge under the pretext of nothing to talk about, and therefore it was decided to throw the ball at Poroshenkos team, offering unconventional battle conditions at the stadium and an obligatory drug test.

Sociology shows that public demand for debates (a survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology and the Democratic Initiatives Foundation says that 73% of respondents support holding of the debates before the second round of elections, 112.ua) is too high... Now the television duel is trendy, not the theses of our opponents that Zelensky is Moscows revenge, that this is an extremely desirable candidate for Russia. They dont even talk about cheaper gas prices for the population (Ukraines Cabinet of Ministers decided to reduce gas prices by 17 kopecks or 0,6 cent, - ed.), Zelenskys team said, expecting that the candidates would most likely meet two days before the second round of elections. By the way, Poroshenko wants to conduct the elections on this Sunday, April 14th. In this case, the current presidents team will have more time to convert the results of the debate into a result.

Poroshenko: impossible is nothing

Petro Poroshenko, video message on April 5, screenshot YouTube/ScreenShot

Poroshenko has entered the final part of the presidential election campaign with a frankly bad result. The head of state was supported by 15.95% of voters who came to the polling stations. Volodymyr Zelensky was ahead of Poroshenko by more than 2,5 million votes. Similar situation in the second round was with Petro Symonenko, leader of the Communist Party of Ukraine. In the first round of the presidential elections of 1999, Symonenko lost to Leonid Kuchma 3.7 million votes. The reserves for the growth of the rating of the current head of state are minimal. According to a survey of the Rating group, the head of state in the second round can count on a little more than 10% of supporters of Anatoliy Hrytsenko. However, given that Hrytsenko did not rule out a unification with Zelensky, this figure might change. In addition, according to social scientists, Poroshenkos team can count on the support of 4% of supporters of former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, about 10% of ex-SBU chairman Ihor Smeshko, 14% of far-right Ruslan Koshulynsky, and also rely on 3% from Oleg Lyashko, which is clearly not enough to win. Poroshenkos team needs to convince millions of Ukrainians to change their mind.

And on March 31, the head of state has remembered the recipes of political technologists of Ukraines former president Leonid Kuchma. Just like 20 years ago, Ukrainians were called upon to unite against the red threat (in the second round, Petro Symonenko fought against Leonid Kuchma in 1999, - ed.), now the thesis is a little different: We will not give Kolomoysky any chance.

And, Poroshenko has already practiced this trick with former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. His team was trying to tie their opponent to Russia. Bloggers, who are considered close to the Presidential Administration, are reminiscent of Zelenskys business in Russia, saying that Russian politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky spoke in support of him. The social networks say that Zelensky is supported by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukraines former Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, and head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk Peoples Republic Denis Pushilin.

However, "multiplying by zero" of your competitors does not mean an automatic increase in the number of your own supporters. Petro Poroshenkos plan is to agitate the voters in a new way.

(Mikheil Saakashvili, former Odesa region governor and former Georgian President, and Ukraines MP Serhiy Leshchenko assure that Moshe Klughaft, Israeli political technologist, is assisting Poroshenkos in his reelection. Klughaft is known for his aggressive, negative style of campaign management. Poroshenkos press people denied this. Klughaft is known for campaigning for Jewish Home party, Georgias Salome Zurabishvili, Bidzina Ivanishvili, etc.  ed.)

In addition, according to our sources in the pro-presidential faction, they count on the support of labor migrants who will return to Ukraine on Easter.

Prior to the second round, Volodymyr Zelensky was considered the best sparring partner for the current head of state. But the gap in the first round was such huge (15%) that Poroshenkos final victory was in jeopardy.

Read the original text at 112.ua.
An employee of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine died during the clearance of the territory near the water pipe of the pumping station in Donetsk region due to the explosion. Another two workers of the Civil Protection Service sustained injuries as Interior Ministry of Ukraine reported on Facebook.

Today, about 10:30 a.m., the group of workers of the Emergency Service of Ukraine got blown up near Zaitseve, Bakhmut area, Donetsk region during the clearance of the territory near the water pipe of the pumping station Siversky Donets-Donbas (the grey zone), the message said.

According to the message, Petty Officer of the Civil Protection Boitsov A. L. died, while Senior Lieutenant of the Civil Protection Slepkan D.H. and Staff Sergeant Bezkorovainy E.A. sustained injuries.

As we reported, pro-Russian militants performed 13 attacks in the Joint Forces Operation zone, they used Minsk-banned weapons seven times. One Ukrainian soldier died on April 8.

Besides, Yaroslav Chemny from Ivano Frankivsk died in Donbas. Earlier Ukrainian soldiers Dmytro Streknev and Ivan Lysytsia died in Joint Forces Operation zone near Khutir Vilny, Luhansk region.
The suit will not be considered at least until April 16; Kolomoysky, the ex-owner of the bank, asks the court to recognize the respective agreement of sale and purchase invalid

Open source

The Commercial Court of Kyiv has delayed the consideration of the lawsuit by Ihor Kolomoysky and Triantal Investments Ltd. The lawsuit concerns the purchase of Privatbank by Ukraine's Finance Ministry. The document will not be taken for consideration until April 16. Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported that on April 9.

The sale and purchase agreement, signed between the Finance Ministry and the bank's shareholders was signed in December 2016. Kolomoysky, the oligarch who supports comedian Volodymyr Zelensky in his electoral campaign asked the court to recognize this document invalid. He also demands to give him Privatbank's shares back. The court granted this motion.

The Finance Ministry requested that the court leave this lawsuit without consideration; the request was declined.

Earlier, Kolomoysky, the Ukrainian oligarch and former owner of Privatbank, demanded to give him back two billion U.S. dollars of the bank's assets. He might, in turn, give up this financial institution. Kolomoysky said that in his interview with Ekonomichna Pravda.

'I don't get the government's position. Do they want to keep Privatbank? Let them. I don't need Privatbank. But there were 2 billion dollars of assets. Let them return it, and we're good,' Kolomoysky said.
If Turkey accepts delivery of a Russian S-400 missile system, it will be sanctioned as required by American law, U.S. experts warn

By the end of the year, Turkey will have either F-35 advanced fighter aircraft on its soil or a Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile defense system. It will not have both.

The choice made by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey will have profound consequences for his countrys place in the world, its relationship with the United States and its standing in NATO.

The F-35 program is the worlds largest fifth-generation fighter aircraft program, with more than a trillion dollars in investment from a dozen international partners, including Turkey, and customers. In large part, the ability of the United States and its allies to maintain a military advantage in the skies is riding on the program.

In July 2017, Turkey announced that it would purchase the S-400 surface-to-air missile defense system from Russia. The S-400 is the most advanced system produced to date in Russias quest to defeat stealth technology  the system Russia built to shoot down the F-35 fighters.

Turkeys purchase of the S-400 would be incompatible with its commitments to NATO and reduce its interoperability with allies. Purchasing the S-400 would create an unacceptable risk because its radar system could enable the Russian military to figure out how the F-35 operates. That threat compelled the Pentagon to suspend some activities associated with Turkeys F-35s last week.
Ignoring the above principles is a direct violation of the Constitution of Ukraine, which has all the signs of betrayal of the national interests of a country in which more than 130 nationalities and ethnic groups live. The OSCE member states should address the issue of the rights of national minorities in an effective way, that is, in the spirit of Article 31 of the Copenhagen Document, which encourages these states to take special measures to ensure full equality of representatives of national minorities. In the same context, Article 33 of the Copenhagen Document requires that states protect the ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious identity of national minorities living in the territory of these states, and create the conditions for promoting this identity. However, this draft law does not contain mechanisms for the implementation of the constitutional regulation, as well as the Charter of Regional Languages and Languages of National Minorities and a number of other international acts on the protection of human rights to self-determination in the choice of language. But it contains politically motivated provisions of a repressive nature, which limit the natural right of a person to freely choose the language of communication.



It seems that the authorities intend to implement the provisions of the bill, using the police repressive apparatus, which, according to the norms of this document, will impose on citizens the duty to think and speak exclusively in the Ukrainian language. And citizens will be under the Damocles sword of administrative liability and many thousands of penalties for failure to fulfill such obligations.



In this way, the ideologists of nationalism intend to assimilate the population of Ukraine, driving everyone under the titular nation. They just need to legitimize the superiority of Ukrainians over other nations and nationalities of Ukraine with the ability to use for this "achievements" of Viatrovich and his anthropology. It is about replacing the concept of "titular nation" by "citizens of the state" living in the same country and representing the Ukrainian nation on the basis of language and ethnic minority. Thus forming the internal enemy in the face of foreign-speaking (Russian-speaking) compatriots, the national-chauvinists see as their goal an exclusively monolingual nation, cemented by the ideology of the superiority of the Ukrainian language and the discrimination of the Russian language and other languages of national minorities. And this is nothing more than a targeted linguocide.
It is believed that Myrotvorets database was re-sold to president Poroshenko's entourage to use this website in his campaigning

Presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelensky Deutsche Welle

The SBU, the State Security Service of Ukraine, received the address from Myrotvorets database, initially designed to "fight against separatists," but soon transformed into an instrument for fighting president Poroshenko's rivals. Myrotvorets asks that the SBU consider possible funding of Volodymyr Zelensky's electoral campaign by Russian special services.

SBU promised to look into the case, as Olena Hitlyanska, the authority's spokeswoman said, being quoted by Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

In February 2019, Myrotvorets reported they received the notions about 'special services of the Russian aggressor and the terrorist organizations directly participating in the funding of the electoral campaign of President Volodymyr Zelensky'. The photocopy of the address was made public via Twitter.

The address went to the SBU, the National Security, and Defense Council and the Ukrainian Parliament. The National Security and Defense Council said that within the current legal framework, it could not perform any investigation activity; so the materials were handed over to the SBU.

Myrotovorets is a Ukrainian website that reveals personal information of people who are considered to be "enemies of Ukraine." Myrotvorets is curated by the security and intelligence services of Ukraine. In April 2015, Myrotvorets published the home addresses of Ukrainian writer Oles Buzyna and former Verkhovna Rada parliamentarian Oleg Kalashnikov, just days before they were assassinated. On 2 June 2016, G7 ambassadors to Kyiv released a joint statement expressing deep concern about disclosures of journalists' personal data on the Myrotvorets website and called on the Myrotvorets team to withdraw personal data from public access.

Personal data of numerous international journalists, who came to Ukraine to reveal Donbas conflict, were published on Myrotvorets. "The New York based Committee to Protect Journalists issued a statement denouncing the leak, which contains private information, including cell phone numbers and email addresses of around 4,500 journalists from across the world. Some of those in the list have acknowledged having experienced extreme ordeal in the detention centers of Donetsk," International Business Times wrote.

Storming of Ukraine's Information Ministry by members of far-right Right Sector and C14 after a lawsuit against Myrotvorets was initiated.

Myrotvorets has revealed personal information on MP Nadia Savchenko, presidential aspirant Yulia Tymoshneko, oligarch Ihor Kolomoysky, former Odesa region governor Mikheil Saakashvili, etc.

Ukrainian far-right, who tried to disrupt Poroshenko's visit to Cherkasy as part of his election tour, were immediately put on the list of "Ukraine's enemies."

It is believed that Myrotvorets database was re-sold to president Poroshenko's entourage to use this website in his campaigning, as those who do not support Poroshenko appear on the list.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin has welcomed his Turkish colleague Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Moscow. The leaders discussed the sale of advanced Russian missiles to Turkey that has riled the U.S.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin and his Turkish colleague Recep Tayyip Erdogan Associated Press

President of Turkey Recep Tayyip arrived in Russia for his third visit in 2019, emphasizing the increasingly close cooperation between the countries and Turkeys readiness to defy the U.S., as Deutsche Welle reported.

Erdogan's visit comes on the heels of warnings from US Vice President Mike Pence against purchasing Russia's S-400 air defense missile systems. Pence said Turkey was risking its NATO membership and its participation in the F-35 fighter program by failing to heed Washington's demand to cancel the contract with Russia, the news agency reads.

Recep Tayyip stated Turkey would not submit to pressure over Russias deal.

"We have determined our road map, we have taken steps on the issue of the S-400s. Those who tell us to give up our plans, those who make recommendations do not know us. If we have made a contract, if we have reached a deal, then this business is finished. This is our sovereign right, this is our decision," Erdogan said.

As Putin said, Russia and Turkey must "strengthen cooperation in the military-technical sphere.

The leaders discussed the construction of the pipeline, which will carry Russia gas to Turkey.
Open source

The general decrease of the railway passenger traffic at the direction Ukraine-Russia for five years makes almost 64% as UNN news agency reported citing Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukraine's railway state company.

According to Ukrzaliznytsia, 2,2 million of passengers traveled at the direction Ukraine-Russia in 2014 and there were 772,900 passengers at this direction in 2018. It is less for 1,4 million or by 64,3%.

2,1 million passengers used Russia-Ukraine direction in 2014, while only 760,300 passengers used it in 2018. Thus, the total decrease in passenger traffic in the direction Russia-Ukraine makes 1,3 million or 63,7%.

On April 3, 2019, Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers banned irregular direct flights with the Russian Federation.

Earlier Ukraines Infrastructure Minister Omelyan reported that Ukrzaliznytsia would reduce the number of trains to Moscow and other Russian cities twice.

Also, Omelyan claimed he signed a "historical document" concerning the restriction of the traffic with Russia. Transport Ministry of Russia has worked out the parcel of the responsive measure in the case Ukraine cancels the railway and bus traffic with Russia.
The European Commission intends to hold the gas negotiations in the trilateral format of the EU, Ukraine and Russia. Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission said that at a press conference in Brussels. Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported that.

He reiterated that the three sides agreed to continue the talks in mid-May. 'So far, and I understand this, due to the election campaign in Ukraine, we still haven't got the response [on the meeting]. But I can tell you for sure that we'll do everything possible so that the trilateral meeting takes place before the summer or the summer vacation', the official said.

'We all should realize that the winter is already behind the corner. We should resume situation with the gas supplies not only for the next winter; as you know, the EU top priority is to provide security for the long-term transit contract across Ukraine for at least next 10 years (...) We want to hold the meeting as soon as possible after the presidential election in Ukraine', Sefcovic concluded.

In April 2018, Russian energy monopolist Gazprom declined the option to extend the gas contract with Naftogaz company. The Russian side stated that the talks on the gas transit across Ukraine have not begun yet, merely assuming such possibility.
Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutors Office Head accused the NABU of the intentional prolonging of the investigation of embezzlement in the defense sector

Nazar Kholodnytskyi NABU

The detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) sabotage the investigation on the embezzlement in the defense sphere, as Depo.ua reported citing Nazar Kholodnytsky, the Head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutors Office of Ukraine (SAP).

He made such a statement about the investigation of the embezzlement case in the defense sphere: We listened to all criminal proceedings; the NABU detectives have about 15 of them. In fact, we have seen that investigation in all proceedings is sabotaged.

Kholodnytsky added that the complaint with the identified violations was sent to the Council of the Public Control this week: We are waiting for its response.

On April 3, SAP accused NABU of the intentional prolonging of the investigation of embezzlement in the defense sector.

February 25, journalist investigations Bihus.Info, Nashi Hroshi program alleged that Igor Gladkovsky, the son of close Poroshenko ally Oleh Gladkovsky, deputy secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, organized a corruption scheme to smuggle spare military-equipment parts from Russia in 2015. State defense facilities purchased the smuggled spare parts from private companies linked to Hladkovsky and his friends at highly inflated prices. Ukroboronprom state concern knew the origin of the smuggled parts but agreed to purchase them.

Igor Gladkovsky, along with Vitaliy Zhukov and Andriy Rogoza were supplying smuggled Russian components and components from the Ukrainian military units through straw companies at prices 2-4 times higher than market ones.

On March 4, President Petro Poroshenko dismissed Oleh Gladkovsky, deputy secretary of the National Security and Defense Council from his post. he replaced his close associate with Maksym Kryvonos, one of the presidential nominees, who withdrew his candidacy in favor of Poroshenko and was soon appointed NSDC high-ranker.

As it was reported earlier, the investigators of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutors Office detained the acting and former directors of the State Foreign Trade Enterprise SpetsTechnoExport on suspicion of embezzling $2,225 million, according to NABU.

According to the investigation, Poroshenko's enterprise Kuznia na Rybalskomu was one of the straw companies, which participated in the embezzlement.
The workers of the secretariat of the Ombudsman gathered and transferred $1,173 to bear the travel costs of the POWs' relatives

Another so-called court session in the trial of 24 Ukrainian sailors will be held in Moscow next week, as Ukraines Ombudsman Lyudmyla Denisova reported on Facebook.

Guys have been kept in Lefortovo prison for almost five months. They undertake pressure all the time, they need their relatives support. Their families want to attend the so-called court sessions to see their sons, brothers, and husbands, Denisova wrote.

The Ombudsman noted that tickets to Moscow cost quite a lot.

The workers of the secretariat of the Ombudsman gathered and transferred 30,500 hryvnias ($1,173, - ed.), she informed.

On November 25, the coast guard ships of the Russian Navy attacked the ships of the Ukrainian Navy, which have been carrying out a scheduled transition from Odesa port to Mariupol port in the Sea of Azov. Ukrainian ships were rejected passage via the Kerch Strait, Russian coast guards opened aimed fire on them.

All 24 sailors on board were captured and delivered to Moscow  21 of them were delivered to Lefortovo remand center, the rest came to the hospital of Matrosskaya Tishina prison.

Facing an extension of the sentence term, Ukrainian POWs detained in the Kerch Strait refused to testify in Lefortovo court. Sailors were distributed into six groups, four people in each. On January 15, 2019, Moscow's Lefortovo district court decided to keep 20 Ukrainian sailors in remand until April 24. On January 16, the court extended the detention term for another 4 sailors.
Zurab Alasania, the Chairman of the Board of the company 112 Agency

National TV Company is ready for the holding of the official debates with the one-hour duration between the candidates for the presidency in Ukraine, who entered the second tour. The debates should take place on April 19, at 8:00 p.m. as 112 Ukraine reported citing Zurab Alasania, the Chairman of the Board of the National TV Company.

The National TV Company is ready for holding such debates, despite the things, which take place around; we see this activity in our circles and political circles. And I am very happy that the Central Election Commission took up its position: from the very beginning it strongly and clearly stated, where and how the debates should be held, Alasania noted.

He also added that the candidates can hold the additional debates if they want to.

Chairman of the Central Election Commission Tatiana Slipachuk added that the candidates can meet anywhere they want after the official debates but for their own funds.

All other things on which the candidates can agree, for example, the talk-show format, in the form of the debates in any other place: lets refer to Article 58 of the law, which regulates holding of the election campaign; it also provides the candidates with the possibility to make a joint event, talk-show or debates as they wish, if they agree, Slipachuk noted.

On April 3, Zelensky replied to Poroshenko's invitation to participate in debates and put forward his conditions. He wanted to hold debates at Olympic Stadium. Poroshenkos team said, the President does not perform at stadiums. A few hours later Poroshenko changed his mind and agreed to participate in the debates.

On April 7, Poroshenko stated that he waits for Volodymyr Zelensky on April 14 at Olympic Stadium.

In his turn, Zelensky reported that he wants to hold the debates with Poroshenko on April 19 at Olympic Stadium.

Let us recall that during the presidential campaign in 2014, Poroshenko himself refused from participating in the debates with another presidential aspirant Yuliya Tymoshenko, his key competitor. Poroshenko explained his unwillingness by the fact that Ukraine "is in a state of war. All people emphasize that the country needs unity. If we start quarreling now, our rivals would benefit from it."
A coordinated session in this regard was held on April 9

The coordinated meeting of the National Police with other officials before the political debates of presidential candidates Zelensky and Poroshenko, April 9, 2019 Olga Atamanova Facebook

National Police of Ukraine are preparing to maintain public order at Olimpiyskiy stadium in Kyiv during the presidential debates. In particular, a coordinated meeting was held, as Olga Atamanova, the Deputy Director of the National Police Communication Department, reported on Facebook.

Olga Atamanova Facebook The coordinated meeting of the National Police with other officials before the political debates of presidential candidates Zelensky and Poroshenko, April 9, 2019 Olga Atamanova Facebook The coordinated meeting of the National Police with other officials before the political debates of presidential candidates Zelensky and Poroshenko, April 9, 2019 Olga Atamanova Facebook The coordinated meeting of the National Police with other officials before the political debates of presidential candidates Zelensky and Poroshenko, April 9, 2019 Olga Atamanova Facebook The coordinated meeting of the National Police with other officials before the political debates of presidential candidates Zelensky and Poroshenko, April 9, 2019

National Police Head Sergiy Knyazev, Deputy Internal Minister Sergiy Yarovy, and Chairman of Ukraines State Emergency Service Mykola Chechetkin, the leadership of the National Guard and the management of the stadium had a coordinated meeting at the stadium where the debates of the presidential candidates are to be held, she wrote.

Even foreigners want to watch the debates of Volodymyr Zelensky and Petro Poroshenko. They have even appealed to the administration of the stadium to book the tickets.

As it was reported, the leaders of the presidential run are taking tests before the debates  it was one of the conditions of Volodymyr Zelensky.

Petro Poroshenko took tests at the medical center of Olimpiyskiy stadium, Volodymyr Zelensky - at the Eurolab medical diagnostic center.
The rights and freedoms of each candidate will be secured during the agitation campaign and on the day of the elections

Ivan Varchenko, the advisor of the Minister of Internal Affairs Internal Ministry Facebook

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine will be politically neutral concerning both presidential candidates, who entered the second round of elections. Ivan Varchenko, the advisor of the Minister of Internal Affairs, stated this on the session, broadcasted by 112.Ukraine.

Concerning both candidates, who entered the second round of elections, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will keep the political neutrality. The rights and freedoms of each candidate will be secured during the agitation campaign and before the second round, Varchenko said.

The first results of the national exit poll after the second round of the presidential elections will appear at 8:00 PM on April 21.

Ukraine's Central Election Commission has announced the final results of the first round of presidential elections in Ukraine. According to the report, showman Volodymyr Zelensky received 5,714,034 votes (30.24%), while the current president of Ukraine received 3,014,609 votes (15.95%). Yulia Tymoshenko, who ranked third, got 2,532,452 votes (13.40%).

We recall that the first round of the presidential election in Ukraine took place on March 31. Overall turnout in the country was 62.78%.
Russian propaganda, dubious statements made by politicians and profanes aim to drive a wedge in the army, which is currently the greatest threat to the national security, Viktor Muzhenko said

Open source

Despite the spread of the Russian propaganda, which aims for intimidation and division within the army, the Ukrainian Armed Forces will not kneel before the enemy of the state. Viktor Muzhenko, the Chief of Army's General Staff said that as quoted by the East Operative Command on Facebook.

'Lately, there have been many dubious statements and threats made by politicians and a number of profanes about the servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Russian propagandist cliches are used, aiming to intimidate and drive a wedge within the army. That is, they cynically dishonor the role of the Army in keeping Ukraine an integer state, which is the greatest threat to the national security', he said.

He admitted that the army is one of the key factors of the state's integrity.

'I will always stand by the Army as the key factor of the stability of the state, urging politicians and the society to respect the dignity of every serviceman - soldier or general. We serve the Ukrainian nation, and we will not be kneeling before the aggressors and the enemies of Ukraine. It's a basis of combat spirit of the Armed Forces', Muzhenko said.
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Runs through 05/18/2019.

Named after the wounded Fisher King of Arthurian Legend, A Prairie Fisher King espouses the notion of home as both a site of idealization and a locus for wounding. Drawing from memory, a narrative is woven in the form of photographs and text of the rural Iowa countryside where my family has lived for generations.

A Prairie Fisher King is an ongoing body of work reflecting on the nature of familial hardship and generational connection through the lens of place. An undertone of violence embodies the emotional distress accumulated with age as well as a looming threat posed upon the landscape.

Initially conceived as a bittersweet love letter to home, A Prairie Fisher King considers the various myths we construct in order to survive in the face of inevitable change. Through the accumulation of intimately described detail a search for reconciliation becomes palpable. I assume the role of reluctant hero and return to seek the damaged king, to seal old wounds and to salve the land.

__________________________________________

Chelsea Darter received her MFA at Columbia College Chicago in 2018 and her BFA from The University of Iowa in 2013. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and featured online by Light Leaked, Aint-Bad, and Fraction Magazine. Her personal work explores themes of place attachment, class, familial connection and local mythologies. She lives and works in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Information sessions on the program are given.

Santa Fe Community College will present two information sessions on the New Mexico Environmental Job Training Program at 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 9 in the Administration Building/Eagle Cafe areaon the Northern New Mexico College campus, 921 N. Paseo de Onate in Espanola. The free five-week intensive training will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, May 20 through June 21, at NNMC in Espanola.

An Environmental Protection Agency grant will cover the training costs for unemployed, underemployed or low-income applicants who are accepted into the program.

Graduates of the program will receive federal and state recognized certifications such as, but not limited to: Hazardous Waste and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER), 40 hour; CPR and first aid; fork lift operator, and OSHA Construction Standards, 30 hour.

Find out more about the program and apply on line at: https://www.sfcc.edu/programs/environmental-job-training/. This program is supported by the EPAs Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training (EWDJT) grant (JT-01F39901-0).

To apply you must meet the following criteria: Be able to attend all five weeks, be 18 or older, be able to lift at least 30 pounds, be unemployed, underemployed or low-income (see guidelines on the website). Veterans are encouraged to apply. Space is limited and applicants may be accepted on a first-come, first- served basis.

Participants who successfully complete the program are eligible for job placement assistance. Most entry-level positions offer benefits with an average starting wage between $12 and $16 per hour.

For additional information, contact Janet Kerley at janet.kerley@sfcc.edu or call Evelyn Gonzales at 505-428-1866.
RTHK: British lawmakers vote to ban 'no deal'

British MPs on Monday passed a new law aimed at preventing a no-deal Brexit this week by obliging the government to ask EU leaders for a delay.

The law has been rushed through both chambers of parliament over the past week and was opposed by the government, which has said it could limit its room for negotiation with the European Union.

"This is a huge dog's dinner," Andrea Leadsom, who represents the government in parliament, told MPs. "I fundamentally object to it on the grounds that it is totally unconventional," she said.

The law was passed on the initiative of MPs, subverting the normal order in which parliament debates and passes government-proposed legislation.

As a result of the law, the government now must put forward a motion in parliament on Tuesday setting out the delay that it will request at an EU summit on Wednesday.

MPs will be allowed to vote on this and make their own suggestions as to the length of the delay.

It allows the government to seek any extension from May 22 onwards. Prime Minister Theresa May has asked for a delay until June 30, but ultimately this is up to EU leaders and it could be longer. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2019-04-09. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
A group of Upper West Side residents and elected officials are calling on the city to stop construction of a controversial residential tower following a court decision that found that the building permit was wrongly issued for the 670-foot-tall project.

In just the last fortnight, weve seen this building rise above the height of the nearby buildings, said city councilmember Helen Rosenthal on Tuesday, speaking at a joint press conference she and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer held at the construction site on 69th Street and Amsterdam Avenue.

I think the developer is pulling a fast one, she added.

In an uncommon decision for New York zoning cases, a state Supreme Court judge last month ruled that the city must send the plans at 200 Amsterdam Avenue back for another review by the citys Board of Standards and Appeals, on the grounds that the building's height relied on illegally assembling air rights from unrelated parcels.

However, the judge did not call for a halt in construction. As a result, developers SJP Properties and Mitsui Fudosan have forged ahead with construction. The building appears to be nearly halfway done. Opponents are worried that the projects tapered shape will allow the smaller upper floors to be finished within the next month.

The developers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Board of Standards and Appeals, which consists of mayoral appointees, is expected to review the plans as early as late May, according to Carlo Costanza, the agencys executive director.

Nevertheless, Brewer has said she does not want to wait that long and has called on the DOB to issue a stop work order. Thats what should be happening today, she said on Tuesday.

Rosenthal agreed, saying, "I think the DOB can issue a stop work order now. Theres nothing in the court order that doesnt allow them to do that."

The DOB has referred questions about the project to the city's Law Department. A spokesperson for that department recently told Gothamist that the judge's decision does not "invalidate the construction permits for this project." Construction, he added, "is allowed to proceed under the current permits."

Last year, the Committee for Environmentally Sound Development and the Municipal Art Society filed a joint lawsuit against the city and the developers. The two groups argued that the previous owner of the site had purchased air rights from separately owned parcels that were connected by thin strips of land, in what they said was an illegal assemblage that they compared to gerrymandering.

The current developers bought the site, which was formerly home to the Lincoln Square Synagogue, in 2015 for $275 million from American Continental Properties. They paid the price based on their understanding that the transfer of air rights was legal.

The two community groups are now seeking a temporary restraining order on the project. They are due in court on April 29, according to William Raudenbush, of the Committee for Environmentally Sound Development.

Developers in New York have a history of continuing construction during legal challenges, often because the courts have upheld the citys permitting process. In the cases where they do lose, developers can apply for a variance by arguing that it would pose an undue hardship to dismantle the project.

It would not be unprecedented for the city to ask the developer to raze an already completed building. In 1988, the New York State Court of Appeals backed the citys decision to raze the top 12 floors of a 31-story apartment building at 96th Street just off Park Avenue which had exceeded its allowable height after a series of mistakes made by city employees and the developer. At the time, it was believed to be the first time in New York City that construction workers had demolished the top floors of a fully built project.

More than three decades have passed since that unusual case. Opponents are hoping 200 Amsterdam will be another one for the history books.

This will fix the public policy so they cant do this, Raudenbush said at the press conference, motioning to the busy construction site. We had a huge victory, but in the meantime, the vanguard example continues to be built.

UPDATE: A spokesperson for the developer SJP Properties issued the following statement:


For Beatriz Guzman, the mission to get an apartment in the Lower East Sides new Essex Crossing development began with the accidental discovery of a faded letter.

The letter, which had belonged to her mother, was a piece of New York urban renewal history. In 1967, when Guzman was six years old, she and her family were forced to move from their tenement on Clinton Street as part of a so-called slum clearance project that had been initiated by the city's master planner Robert Moses. Nearly 2,000 families, most of them poor and Puerto Rican, were displacedin Guzman's family's case, first to New Jersey, later to Brooklynwith the vague and distant promise that they could return someday when new affordable developments were built.

City officials eventually put this pledgeknown in urban renewal circles as the right to return in writing. In July 1978, the city sent Guzmans mother a letter stating that she should have a priority to return to the area.

In 2014, disabled and living in public housing in the East Village, Guzman found the document among her mother's things in storagefive years after her mother had died and nearly 50 years since their Lower East Side tenement had been razed.

In what felt to her like a miraculous bit of timing, the city had recently approved Essex Crossing on the site, after it had sat empty for decades while assemblymember Sheldon Silver worked behind the scenes to thwart development for fear that changing the neighborhood demographics would dilute his Jewish voting base. Of the roughly 1,000 apartments to be built, half were to be below market rate.

As a former site tenant of what had become known as the Seward Park Extension Urban Renewal Area, Guzman was eligible for one of the affordable units. She was even profiled in the New York Times, prior to the launch of Essex Crossing's affordable housing lottery.

It was meant to be, she recalled thinking to herself at the time.

But if Guzman thought the letter would immediately guarantee her a spot in a coveted development, she soon learned it wasn't going to be that simple.

Guzman applied for Essex Crossing in March 2017, on the first day the lottery opened. Not long afterward, the development's management company rejected her for having an income too low to qualify at 40 percent of the area median income level, the most affordable category. Realizing that she had additional income she had forgotten to add, she appealed, but lost. She submitted another appeal. She later applied to another building in the development, but never heard back. She was eventually able to determine that her second application had been denied on the basis of her credit history.

According to housing advocates, Guzman's experience underscores the practical difficulties faced by many low-income applicants who apply to the citys affordable housing lotteries. Vying for a limited number of units, these individuals are often hampered by checkered credit histories or incomes that dont fall within narrow designated bands.

Credit history has been used as a proxy by a lot of owners and developers [of a persons ability to pay rent], said Mary McCune, a staff attorney at Manhattan Legal Services who represents low-income tenants applying for affordable housing. It unfortunately is not a reliable indicator.

In fact, the affordable housing application process can be a catch-22, where poverty is both the prerequisite and the disqualifier. For example, low-income individuals often apply to affordable housing because they're struggling to pay market rents, which will then be reflected in their credit histories. But the reason they couldnt pay an unaffordable rent is because its by definition unaffordable, McCune said.

To date, 26 former Seward Park Extension Urban Renewal Area tenants have signed leases to live at Essex Crossing, spread across three buildings, according to a spokesperson for the developers, a group called Delancey Street Associates that consists of L & M Development Partners, Taconic Investment Partners, BFC Partners, the Prusik Group, and Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group. (One former tenant died shortly after moving in.) The city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development could not immediately provide figures for how many former site tenants had applied.

By most measures, Essex Crossinga nine-building 1.9-million-square-foot mixed-use redevelopment spread across six acresis a significant achievement of urban planning. The level and type of affordabilityhalf of the planned 1,000 units will be kept below market rate in perpetuitywas a testament to years of community activism that channeled local outrage over both the original demolition of buildings and the political machinations that kept the site dormant. Many community organizers had sought even greater affordability, but most came away convinced that Essex Crossing was the best deal we could get, according to Steve Herrick, executive director of the Cooper Square Committee, which took part in the planning process.

The first building, which opened last year at 175 Delancey Street, held 99 affordable units, all of them for seniors. The building was named the Francis Goldin Apartments in tribute to the Lower East Side activist who had fought for affordable housing on the site.

It stands as a model that other people can point to, said Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani, an urban studies scholar and author of Contested City, a book on the history of the Lower East Sides urban renewal programs and the protests that sprung from them. Thats a powerful thing.

Former site tenants receive priority on roughly a quarter of the project's affordable units. But in order to be considered they still have to go through the citys housing lottery system, in which they are vetted for income, family size, and credit history. Applicants must also undergo a background check.

For some, the degree of scrutiny comes as a surprise. Bendiner-Viani said many interpreted the right of return as that the people who have first dibs were the people who were displaced. But in this case, they are still having to win the lottery if they are getting these apartments.

One of the biggest hurdles for former site tenants is coming up with proof showing that they once lived in the urban renewal area. Under the guidelines developed under a task force consisting of city housing officials, the developers, and community members, former residents are required to provide government-issued documentation under either their names or that of their parents, with an address in the designated boundaries of the urban renewal site between 1965 and 1973.

Were talking about 50 years ago, said Maisha Morales, who during her time as a program coordinator at the community organization Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES) helped people with the Essex Crossing application process. To find proof that you used to live there was very hard.



Guzman sitting in Seward Park in February 1963. (Photo courtesy of Beatriz Guzman)

From the start, the city elected not to assist in locating former residents. A group called the Seward Park Area Redevelopment Coalition did the early work of spreading the word: holding vigils, distributing postcards, and setting up a Facebook page to find former tenants. At one point, it assembled a list of 200 people. Groups like GOLES stepped in to assist applicants, most of whom were elderly and low-income, through the process.

Morales would start by helping people find school records, but even then, they often ran into obstacles. One public school, P.S. 12, no longer existed, and even those that were still around could not always locate student records from half a century ago.

Ruth Santiago, a former site tenant in her 60s, said she had looked without success for records at P.S. 12. She ultimately was able to get a two-bedroom apartment through the lottery by using church records.

Time was another factor. Applicants called for an interview had roughly two weeks to come up with their documents, an impossible deadline for those seeking paperwork during the summer months when schools were closed. GOLES was eventually able to convince HPD to grant extensions.

The inability to find the proof left many devastated. Because they really lived there, Morales said. They said, I have no reason to lie. They would talk about the memories of growing up.

Many were now living in poor housing conditions in walk-up tenements or public housing. Two individuals, Morales recalled, were homeless at the time. It was heartbreaking to see, she said.

Morales said that of roughly a dozen people she counseled, only two got into the first Essex Crossing site to hold an affordable housing lottery, a 211-unit building at 145 Clinton Street called the Rollins.

In at least two other cases, Morales added, former site tenants who were living in public or Section 8 housing turned down the apartments once they realized that unlike in their current housing, they would have to pay the full cost of utilities on top of rent. As much as they wanted to move in, they couldnt take that chance. It would have been choosing between paying rent and paying for their medication, she said.

Four units at the affordable senior building at 175 Delancey were originally designated to accept Section 8 rent vouchers. Later, after pressure from the community, four additional Section 8 units were added.

Attorneys at Legal Services NYC have initiated conversations with the city as well as leasing agents about the struggles faced by low-income tenants. Leasing agents are supposed to receive training from the city's Housing Preservation and Development agency, McCune said. (A spokesperson for HPD did not respond to Gothamist's request for an interview.)

Still, there is an inherent tension in the process.

For-profit developers, McCune explained, are used to evaluating people a certain way. The alternative involves investing more time to parse out the financial lives of low-income applicants.

She said the question for the city is: How do we create a process that is fair and transparentand also fills the units?

On June 8, 2018, Guzman was finally notified that she would be offered a unit at 125 Delancey. It was her third application; after initially being rejected for bad credit, she was accepted after she filed an appeal with McCune's help. She moved into a one-bedroom unit in January.

Earlier this month, Guzman sat in her new apartment and sifted through a stack of papers accumulated during the application process. She has meticulously held on to every single piece of paper. A 57-year-old former community organizer who once worked with Goldin at the Cooper Square Committee, she has advice for other former site tenants applying for the two additional lotteries that will open later this year.

Dont take no for an answer, she said.

UPDATE: The address of Guzman's building is now 125 Essex Street, according to the developer. It had been changed.
An employee at Manhattan's Jane Hotel used a master key to sneak into a guest's room as she slept and rape her, according to court documents filed Monday.

The woman, a 39-year-old artist from Honolulu, had been traveling to Spain and spent her one-night layover at the Jane on June 3rd, 2018, according to the NY Post. Her attorney, Shanin Specter, told Gothamist that she talked with the employee in the hotel restaurant earlier in the evening, but did not consent to his entry into her room after she went to bed. According to court documents, he "battered and assaulted" the woman, raping her after he gained entry.

The complaint alleges that the Jane Hotel hired staff "who were careless, unskillful, negligent, reckless, and acted in a willful and wanton manner, and who had previously committed, and/or had the propensity to commit, sexual attacks, sexual assaults, assaults, batteries, and/or rapes." (Specter could not confirm whether or not the worker had a criminal record.) As a result, the woman has suffered "serious personal injuries, emotional distress, conscious pain ..., nightmares, insomnia, mental anguish, and/or physical manifestations thereof," all of which have created ongoing medical expenses, on top of the emotional trauma. She now seeks unspecified compensatory damages, to be determined by a jury.

"Being sexually assaulted while asleep in your hotel room is everyone's nightmare," Specter said. "We hope this case will result in greater security precautions."

Reached Tuesday morning, a spokesperson for the Jane Hotel declined to comment. An NYPD spokesperson told Gothamist that the woman filed a police report, stating that "she woke in her hotel room to find a man touching her sexually, in an inappropriate manner," and that "she recognized him as an employee." No arrests were made, and the investigation, which the NYPD classified as rape, remains open.
Embattled City Councilmember Kalman Yeger was officially ousted from the body's Immigration Committee on Tuesday, weeks after sparking outrage for his repeated claim that Palestine does not exist.

Council Speaker Corey Johnson had called for the vote in the wake of the incendiary comments, prompting a hateful counterprotest outside the Brooklyn rep's Borough Park office. On Tuesday, Yeger's colleagues voted for his removal from the committee by a 35-7 to margin  with two abstentions.

Yet even in face of overwhelming censure, Yeger remained defiant in his description of Palestine. "There is no state, nothing I say or what we vote will change it," he told the council, insisting that this assessment was "not denying the existence of Palestinian people." In earlier tweets, Yeger had referred to "so-called 'Palestinians,'" whose ultimate goal was the destruction of the Jewish state.

Yeger doesnt apologize over comments. Says his removal is to satisfy some bizarre desire for political correctness. pic.twitter.com/54GP2UhdJ2  Ivan Pereira (@IvanPer4) April 9, 2019

For the small group of Yeger-supporters in the council, his removal from the immigration post was an example of political correctness and censorship run amok. Councilmember Ruben Diaz, who was recently stripped of his committee post over repeated homophobic statements made throughout his career, framed the issue as a violation of free speech: "People don't have to like what I say. They don't have to like what Yeger said. But they have to respect it."

Speaker Johnson, who'd previously ripped Yeger's comments as "dehumanizing," countered that members of the council should be held to a higher standard, particularly when serving a committee aimed at helping vulnerable New Yorkers. Keeping Yeger on the body, he suggested, would send a message to Palestinians that they were not valued in the city.

Meanwhile, some of the councilmembers who voted in favor of Yeger's removal seemed to regard the vote as a futile exercise, and to acknowledge that the decision would have little bearing on anyone's feelings about the divisive subject.

"I hope we can find a path away from polarization here in this Council, one that enables us to disagree with each other, even quite sharply, but still in ways that include all New Yorkers, and build bridges of understanding in our city," lamented Councilmember Brad Lander in a lengthy statement.

"That will not happen through battles on Twitter, or through votes that remove people from committees," he continued. "That will require all of us to do hard work, across sharp lines of differences, to find higher ground."

Efforts to reach Councilmember Yeger were unsuccessful.


Mayor Bill de Blasio has declared a public health emergency amid an ongoing outbreak of measles in Brooklyn's ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods. According to health department officials, confirmed cases of the infectious disease in New York City have more than doubled in the last six weeks, and have now spread to at least 285 people since October, most of whom are children.

The emergency declaration will allow the city to compel residents of four Brooklyn zip codes  11205, 11206, 11211, and 11249  to receive the measles vaccination. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will be empowered to check vaccination records of individuals who have been in contact with infected patients, and to potentially levy fines of $1,000 on those who don't comply with the vaccination orders after three days.

"The measles vaccine works. It is safe, it is effective, it is time-tested," said the mayor during a news conference on Tuesday, before apologizing for his previous comments about there being a "debate" about vaccines (there is not).

Those people are at risk... its a terrible thing in the middle of the outbreak, says Dr Palacios of people who have compromised immune systems like those with cancer or small babies. you are defacto making the decision for the people around you.  Gwynne Hogan (@GwynneFitz) April 9, 2019

Health officials on Tuesday also noted the jump in measles cases following the Jewish holiday of Purim, adding that they were concerned about a similar spike when Passover begins next week. "The outbreak could especially spread because soon it will be Passover and families will be together," de Blasio said. "So we are taking urgent steps right now to make sure we can stop this. It's not our goal to issue a violation. Whenever people comply promptly, we will not levy fines."

Details on how the fines will be collected remain vague, and city officials said they still needed to speak to attorneys about what happens if people continue to refuse the vaccinations after being fined. According to New York state law, children are required to be vaccinated to attend public and private schools, though parents are allowed to seek religious exemptions. In Rockland County, where there have been 168 confirmed measles cases since the fall, children without the vaccination were permitted to return to school yesterday, due to apparent confusion regarding a judge's ruling on the county's state of emergency.

During Tuesday's press conference, city authorities also said they'd learned of some parents bringing their children to "measles parties," where kids are intentionally exposed to the disease so that they might prove their immunization after recovering. "Getting vaccinated is far safer than getting the measles," assured Dr. Oxiris Barbot, the city's Health Commissioner.

Some ultra-Orthodox leaders came out in support of the mayor's order, including Rabbi David Niederman, head of United Jewish Organizations of North Brooklyn and Williamsburg. "We want every child to be vaccinated," he said. "People will learn how the Department of Health is committed and it will never get to fines because everybody is going to be vaccinated."

Outside mayors press conference on measles outbreak, this mom questioned the science of vaccines and called mandated vaccinations unethical. pic.twitter.com/XCghz6wM5q  Yoav Gonen (@yoavgonen) April 9, 2019

Even as city officials mount an increasingly aggressive campaign to stop the spread of measles, some members of the ultra-Orthodox community remain fiercely opposed to the vaccines. Citing advice from her spiritual advisor  who she declined to name  a woman named Ester told reporters on Tuesday that it was "completely ridiculous and unethical" for the city to "force me to inject something into my child's body." She added that all of her children have had measles.

But another woman passing by, Blimie Klien, 22, also a mother, said the vast majority of the community supports vaccination and would agree with the city's mandatory vaccination rule. "They are one percent, they're really a one percent," she said. "People are taking it very serious...it's because the mayor is saying it and because this is what our doctors are saying and we know we have to follow rules from our doctors."
"Now, for the Western Hemisphere, we see this as a critical moment for Venezuela , for Nicaragua, and for Cuba. Our cooperation with like-minded nations, like the ones that the Secretary's going to be visiting, can help the citizens of less fortunate and less free societies in our hemisphere turn the tide towards democracy ," he underlined.
Gobernador de #Cusco: resaltamos la voluntad del Ejecutivo para honrar compromisos, como el desarrollo de esta reunion de dialogo y trabajo. El encuentro de hoy muestra que la mejor manera de generar consensos es a traves del dialogo entre el gobierno nacional, regional y local. pic.twitter.com/jggwOetfFn
Green Card Hell

When Martin Tijerina collapsed in January, his wife Ana Velasco was trapped in Mexico.

by Eve Silberman

From the April, 2019 issue

Ironically, Velasco had gone to Guadalajara in November to regularize her immigration status. Though Tijerina is a U.S. citizen, as are their two children, she'd never applied for status as a permanent resident.



When she came to Ann Arbor twenty years ago, she hadn't expected to stay: she was just escorting a young niece to join her mother, Velasco's sister. Entering the U.S. through Arizona was no problem back then, Velasco says--the border agents didn't even ask to see her passport.



Decent-paying work as a caregiver for the elderly and the prospect of sending her own five-year-old daughter Alicia to good schools persuaded her to stay. Several months later, she sent for Alicia, now a student at WCC. Her children with Tijerina, eleven-year-old Sebastian and Ana Lucia, almost seventeen, attend Scarlett and Huron.



Her niece and sister are now naturalized U.S. citizens. But it was only last year that Velasco, alarmed by President Trump's attacks on immigrants, decided to apply for permanent residency--a status better known, for the identification it confers, as having a "green card." To do that, she had to return to Mexico.



Since Velasco didn't have legal status, her immigration lawyer, Krystle-Marie Medina, had to get a waiver before she left. In the past, Medina says someone like Velasco--married to an American citizen, paying taxes, and with no criminal record--would have been quickly interviewed at a U.S. consulate and been back in a week or two. But she cautioned her client that since 2017, some consulates had been flagging people involved in "alien smuggling"--and Velasco had arranged for her daughter to cross the border.



Since it was her own child, that "wouldn't have been a problem" in the past, the lawyer says. But the Trump administration "is just applying anything they can to make it more difficult" for immigrants to get green cards. In Velasco's case, that meant extending her review from a few weeks to twelve to eighteen months.



After her husband was hospitalized,

...continued below...

Velasco applied for an emergency waiver that would allow her to return while her application was pending. She was granted the waiver--but then her visa application was held up. As the Observer went to press, Velasco was still in Mexico, waiting and worrying.Her family desperately needs her income. Even before the aneurysm, her husband was disabled from injuries accumulated while working construction. He'd also gone through cancer. Though Ana Lucia works two after-school jobs to help with the bills, their power was shut off for a time.Velasco is grateful that a group of volunteers called Michigan Support Circle paid that bill. They're also paying Medina, and schools staff are supporting Sebastian and Ana Lucia. But she is now worrying about her own health: a diabetic, she's running out of the insulin she brought from Ann Arbor, and restocking is an issue.Michigan Support Circle activist Rosalie Lochner predicts that "Ana will ultimately be granted permanent residency."[Originally published in April, 2019.]
A group of diverse but like-minded individuals, the members of ARC have come together in their common desire to fight hatred, bigotry, intolerance and violence because of the harm these antisocial behaviors cause to our society. In that effort, we will not use or sanction the use of illegal actions (such as violence or intimidation) in pursuit of our desired aims and if we learn of anyone who does use these unethical methods we will report those individuals to the authorities. Instead, we will use the guarantees found in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that ensure freedom of legal speech and expression.
YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian, who is in Portugal on a working visit, on April 8 visited the National Museum of Ancient Art in Lisbon, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

The Armenian President toured the Museum where the most significant works and collections of art of Portugal, such as paintings, sculptures, jewelry, furniture, are being kept.

Armen Sarkissian watched the displayed cultural heritage and the works of art which were declared by Portugal as national treasures.

The National Museum of Ancient Art has been created in 1884. It is the home to the most important Portuguese public collection of art, ranging from paintings to sculpture, and gold and silverware, as well as decorative arts from Europe, Africa and the Far East. Comprising over 40,000 items, the MNAA collection has the largest number of works classified by the State as national treasures. In its various sections, it also has a number of major works of art in the context of the world artistic heritage.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS. Armenian alcoholic drinks and juices will soon be exported to Denmark as part of a new initiative by Anna Karapetyan, Director of HEY JAJ IVS entrepreneurial company, the founder and co-chair of the Armenian-Danish Association.

With my every visit to Armenia I saw new products, she said. Here we have drinks that amaze with their quality and taste, Karapetyan told ARMENPRESS.

Karapetyan decided to present the production of Armenia in Denmark, where she is living more than 25 years.

The Danish market doesnt have much Armenian products, most being very few types of alcoholic drinks.

Karapetyan says she has already reached preliminary agreements with Armenian companies and most probably the first batch will be exported to Denmark in May.

Our agreement with the exports concerns paperwork because our entrepreneurial company is still new. But I think these issues will be solved shortly, she said, adding that she has great expectations from the initiative.

According to her, exports might also include food products and cotton.

She said the Armenian Velvet Revolution of 2018 is inspiring and exciting to start a new initiative and to support in any way.

The revolution that took place in Armenia shook the entire world.

An unprecedented revolution took place in the world, where not a single loss took place in the nation. Indeed, I can confidently say that this new situation caused confidence in many, Karapetyan said, adding that two of her Danish friends have joined her initiative. Karapetyan first sought to export wine and juice, while her friends also proposed adding beer and mineral water.

While certain politicians who cooperate with us expressed desire to join with another project  Green Energy  an idea of introducing wind power, she said.

Interview by Anna Gziryan

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS. The Japanese Government has made a decision on April 9 to extend the unilateral sanctions against North Korea by two years. The term of the initial sanctions was to end on April 13, Kyodo reported.

The move comes after failure to achieve progress in the capture of Japanese citizens by North Korean special services.

Tokyo also says it is unlikely that a full de-nuclearization and abolition of ballistic missiles will be achieved in North Korea.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Immortal Regiment Patriotic NGO will organize the Immortal Regiment March on May 9 in Yerevan jointly with the Ministry of Defense.

The march will begin at 13:00, May 9 from the Aram Khachaturian statue in Yerevan.

The event will honor the Great Patriotic War, the Artsakh Liberation War and the 2016 April War heroes.

War veterans, students, diplomats of CIS countries in Armenia and others will participate in the march, the organization said in a news release.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Parliament adopted the bill on making amendment in the Law on Holidays and Remembrance Days, reports Armenpress.

According to the bill, last Saturday of April will be celebrated as the Day of Citizen of the Republic of Armenia. In case when May 1 coincides with Saturday, the Citizens Day will be celebrated on the last Sunday of April.

97 MPs voted in favor of the bill, 3 voted against and 6 abstained.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan today visited the Araratyan Auto Customs Department in Yerevan to review the operations.

The PM saw a motorist who was in process of clearing his vehicle from customs, and joined him.

The customs clearance process took only 20 minutes with the participation of the prime minister.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, Pashinyan said theyve agreed with the customs agents to make the operations more efficient.

We agreed that the vehicle must clear customs in 20 minutes, Pashinyan said.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has clarified his statement on bringing to account those behind fake news.

Speaking to reporters today, the prime minister said only those who spread inter-ethnic hate speech and violence will be held responsible.

He brought an example on how a fake social media account using symbols of the velvet revolution movement was spreading hate speech and calls for violence against Republicans. He said they couldnt leave it without a response and had to tackle the problem.

Earlier on April 4, Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting that certain criminal circles are spending millions to manipulate public opinions in the press and social media. He told the National Security Service to investigate. I believe the legislation enables this, certainly without doubting the freedom of speech and freedom of expression. This is a red line that we cannot cross.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says he hasnt decided yet how he is going to celebrate the Citizens Day scheduled on the last Saturday of April.

The PM said everyone must decide to celebrate that day or not.

Let the people decide whether they are citizens or not. If they are citizens, that is their day, if not, that cannot be their day, he told reporters.

On April 9 the Parliament adopted the bill on making amendment in the Law on Holidays and Remembrance Days. According to the bill, last Saturday of April will be celebrated as the Day of Citizen of the Republic of Armenia. In case when May 1 coincides with Saturday, the Citizens Day will be celebrated on the last Sunday of April.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS. The US Embassy in Armenia has released a video introducing Ambassador Lynne Tracys activity priorities in Armenia, reports Armenpress.

The US Ambassador expressed confidence that good times are expected in Armenia. A lot has changed here since April 2018. Our countries are united with common democratic values. During my tenure I am ready to support Armenias agenda of democratic reforms, she said.

According to the Ambassador, all conditions exist in Armenia for agriculture development thanks to the countrys favorable geographical position. I am familiar with the field because my family is engaged in agriculture in Ohio. I know how its important to assist farms and I am happy to see that the exchange of agricultural experience with Armenia has been under the spotlight of the US government during the 25 years of partnership, Lynne Tracy said.

The US Ambassador says bright future is expected to Armenias IT industry. Many young Armenians, by using their creative talent in this field, contribute to Armenias being competitive in the IT global market. I will continue directing the Embassys efforts to the development of business and commercial ties with Armenia in IT sector, she said.

Ambassador Tracy adds that the countrys security is the most important factor for each state. We have firm relations with Armenia also on this matter, the vivid evidence of which is the partnership program with the US state of Kansas. I highly value Armenias engagement in peacekeeping missions in Afghanistan and Kosovo and the cooperation with the NATO and the UN. In the current world we should make all efforts for ensuring peace and settling the conflicts, she said.

Mrs. Tracy also highlighted the cultural ties, expressing pride that they are assisting the preservation of Armenias centuries-old cultural heritage through the Embassys foundation for the preservation of cultural values.

The US Ambassador also shared her impressions over the Opera house, stating that she was very excited to see that historic building. I first heard the world-renowned Sabre Dance when I was a school child, but today I understood that it is still one of my favorite works.

At the end of the video the Ambassador also says some words in Armenian.

She added that she got a warm reception in Armenia and is looking forward to further expand the partnership.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS. The moment Lilit Martirosyan was granted an Armenian passport, the person was granted all rights and obligations of a citizen, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told reporters, addressing the discussions about a highly publicized speech by Lilit Martirosyan, a transgender woman who is the Chairperson of the Right Side NGO. Martirosyan delivered remarks during public hearings on human rights in parliament on April 5, which even sparked a minor demonstration.

In 2015, a citizen named Vaghinak Martirosyan was issued a passport, he was issued a passport by the name of Lilit Martirosyan, the passport states  Lilit Martirosyan, gender  male. The moment the HHK [Republicans] gave this person a passport of an Armenian citizen, they included this person in the electoral lists and bestowed the person with all rights of an Armenian citizen, Pashinyan said.

He said he has demanded the State Protection Service, in charge of security at the parliament building, to issue an explanation on how the person entered the building. He said the document provided by the security service shows that the list of citizens invited to the hearings was given by MP Naira Zohrabyan.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS. State Oversight Service Director Davit Sanasaryan has been summoned to court for questioning regarding the case of Andrias Ghukasyan, Chairman of the Armenian Constructive Party.

Sanasaryan has been subpoenaed as a witness.

Ghukasyan is accused in supporting the Sasna Tsrer armed group during the 2016 Yerevan hostage crisis. The same accusations were also brought against Sanasaryan in the past, as well as Heritage party chairman Armen Martirosyan and several other politicians, however the charges were dropped agasint all but Ghukasyan.

Sanasaryan served as Yerevan City Councillor in 2016.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS. The work of the Council of Europes Commissioner for Human Rights should not be politicized. The CoE Human Rights Commissioner should always be able to travel any part of the Council of Europe, CoE Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic said in PACE in response to the question of Head of Armenian parliamentary delegation to PACE, chair of the parliamentary standing on foreign affairs Ruben Rubinyan.

Mrs. Commissioner, what do you think the Council of Europe can do to protect the rights of people living in conflict zones? This question has been on the table for many years with no tangible results. Do you think it can help the process?, Ruben Rubinyan asked.

In response Dunja Mijatovic said people living in conflict zones or the so-called Gray zones do need to be also seen as a part of this organization.

My view and this is very clear: Commissioner for Human Rights should always be able to travel in any part of the Council of Europe. And the reality is different, this is not the case. But nevertheless I am trying, I am engaging, I am pushing for access in all those zones in order to do my human rights work. What also needs to be stressed is that the work of Commissioner should not be politicized. The role of the Commissioner is not to recognize territories or to engage in the political dialogue in order to solve the conflict. But to reach out the people who are also part of our Council of Europe family. I am sure they all feel neglected and they all feel that nobody cares about them. How to do this? This is something I said in my introductory remarks. I cant do it on my own, I need your help, I need help of the governments in order to be able to reach out these areas as well, Dunja Mijatovic said.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS. Defense minister Davit Tonoyan on April 8 received UN Resident Coordinator for Armenia Shombi Sharp, the ministry told Armenpress.

During the meeting the Armenian minister introduced details over the results of his recent visit to New York aimed at participating in the UN peacekeeping conference, drawing the attention on the possible coordination of works between the Armenian humanitarian mission in Syria and the UN structures providing humanitarian aid.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS. In March of the current year the two airports of the Republic of Armenia served 199 855 people in total, thus exceeding the indicator of the same month of 2018 by 7%, "Armenia" International Airports" CJSC told Armenpress.

As compared to March 2018, a 7.6% increase in passenger flow was observed at Zvartnots International Airport of Yerevan in the 3rd month of 2019. In March 2019 Zvartnots served 188 946 passengers against 175 605 of the past March.

As for Shirak Airport of Gyumri, this March it served 10 909 passengers, while this indicator was 11 138 in March 2018. Thus there has been a decrease of 2.1%.

Since the beginning of the year passenger flow at the two airports of Armenia has been 578 575 people, which exceeds the indicator of the same period of the previous year by 10.2%.

In January-March 2019, at Zvartnots and Shirak airports there has also been recorded an increase of 8.3% in the number of takeoff-landings, as compared to the same period of the previous year.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. A hearing is underway at the Court of Appeals over former President Robert Kocharyans complaint against a lower courts earlier decision on keeping him jailed for another two months pending trial.

Robert Kocharyan is personally expected to deliver a statement at court today.

The hearing is presided over by Judge Ruzanna Barseghyan.

Kocharyans jail term was extended on February 15 by a First Instance Court.

Second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan, who ruled the country from 1998 to 2008, spent two weeks in jail in summer of 2018, but was eventually freed. But on December 7, a higher court overruled the release and ordered him to be remanded into custody pending trial again.

At the time the court announced the verdict, Kocharyan turned himself in to authorities.

Kocharyan is charged with overthrowing constitutional order during the 2008 post-election unrest, when clashes between security forces and protesters left 10 people dead, including two security officers, during his final days as president. He is also charged with bribery.

He vehemently denies wrongdoing.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS. Acting minister of Diaspora of Armenia Babken DerGrigorian today received Canadian-Armenian entrepreneur, CEO of Metrasshipping, member of the Board of the Armenian Trade Network, Vahram Pirjanian, the ministry told Armenpress.

During the meeting issues relating to the future composition of the Diaspora ministry, promotion of investments and organization of the next forum of the Armenian Trade Network were discussed.

Babken DerGrigorian introduced the ministrys future status, the future activity of the special commissioner for Diaspora affairs and his office. He added that the Office aims and is ready to work with everyone on equal basis. One of the functions of the commissioner is to get acquainted with the problems existing in the community and try to contribute to their solutions. The Office will remain the home of the Diaspora-Armenian in Armenia, and there is an address which will be maintained, he said.

In his turn the Canadian-Armenian businessman attached importance to the continuation of the work with the ministry and the readiness for cooperation.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS. Armenia is an important partner for the Czech Republic in the South Caucasus, Czech Defense Minister Lubomir Metnar said during a joint press conference with Armenian Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan in Yerevan.

Metnar is in Armenia on an official visit.

Metnar said the development of bilateral military cooperation circles is an important point in the joint agenda with Armenia.

He said tomorrow he will meet with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Speaker of Parliament Ararat Mirzoyan. Thank you for the meeting held in constructive atmosphere. Czech industry has lots to offer to Armenias defense sector. We seek to deepen military-technical cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries, he said.

Metnar stressed that during the cooperation they offer Armenian military doctors to undergo training in the Czech Republic and to continue cooperation in the military educational sector.

The Armenian and Czech defense chiefs have also touched upon the NK conflict during the meeting.

The Czech Republic supports a peaceful settlement of the conflict, Metnar said.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian humanitarian aid sent to flood-hit Iran has already reached the country.

Now, the humanitarian group will be escorted by the Iranian Red Crescent Society to Tabriz, the final destination.

Yuri Poleshchuk, the head of the Russian side of the Russian-Armenian Humanitarian Center, the organization that sent the aid, told reporters that the mission has crossed the border into Iran yesterday. He said the aid is already being escorted to Tabriz.

He said they expect the aid will be provided tomorrow morning, and the group will return to Armenia.

Pavel Gyozalyan, head of the Armenian side of the Russian-Armenian Humanitarian Center, said the dispatched group stayed in Kapan, Syunik Province overnight for preparations. They began heading at 8 in the morning today, he said.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations of Armenia sent the humanitarian aid to Iran on April 8 to help in assisting the victims of floods.

Armenia has sent 4000 blankets, 250 beds and 30 tents.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Armed Forces are in the phase of increasing its offensive units and the Defense Ministrys vision in terms of arsenal and military equipment is aimed at this, Armenian Deputy Minister of Defense Gabriel Balayan told reporters after the session of the parliamentary committee on defense and security affairs.

Balayan was addressing Minister of Defense Davit Tonoyans statement in New York on the Armenian military plans to increase its attacking units.

The defense minister not only has announced that we must increase, but I can also say that we are at this stage, including in terms of arsenal and military equipment our vision is aimed at this, he said.

He said that perceiving Tonoyans statement as an aggression is naive. Balayan said perhaps the adversary isnt looking into the meaning of the ministers speech and is commenting on it out of context.

Balayan stressed that the entire society must be able to realize that no one has gifted peace to Armenia. The relative calm that exists has been imposed on the adversary. And if the adversary were to attempt to unleash again, we will again impose peace, he said, adding that the ways of imposing peace differ  military, diplomacy, personal contacts, and others.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, 9 APRIL, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 9 April, USD exchange rate is down by 0.78 drams to 486.54 drams. EUR exchange rate is up by 0.83 drams to 548.53 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate is up by 0.07 drams to 7.52 drams. GBP exchange rate is up by 0.40 drams to 636.69 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price is up by 148.36 drams to 20335.41 drams. Silver price is down by 1.24 drams to 236.83 drams. Platinum price is up by 149.43 drams to 14297.36 drams.
YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received Defense Minister of the Czech Republic Lubomir Metnar on April 9.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister of Armenia, the PM noted that Armenia and the Czech Republic effective cooperate in different spheres, including defense sphere, and the relations of the two countries have a potential for development. Pashinyan emphasized that the Czech Republic is an important partner for Armenia also in the European Union.

The Czech Defense Minister thanked the Armenian PM for the reception, noting that this is his 1st visit to Armenia and he is happy for his visit. He congratulated Nikol Pashinyan on the occasion of the 1st anniversary of the velvet revolution and democratic changes in Armenia, informing that this year the Czech Republic will also mark the 3oth anniversary of the velvet revolution.

Lubomir Metnar noted that Armenia is an important partner for his country in the South Caucasus region, and the Czech Republic is interested in the future development of the bilateral relations.

The interlocutors discussed issues referring bilateral partnership in defense sphere. In this context the sides highlighted ensuring regional stability and security.

The sides exchanged views on Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement issue. Nikol Pashinyan thanked for the balanced position of the Czech Republic on NK conflict settlement process, emphasizing that Armenia sees the settlement of the conflict through exclusively peaceful means in the sidelines of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs format. Lubomir Metnar added that the Czech Republic supports the peaceful settlement of the conflict and the efforts aimed at ensuring regional stability.

The Armenian PM highly appreciated the contribution of the outgoing Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Armenia Petr Mikyska to the development of relations between the two countries.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan
YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh Masis Mayilian received Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk on April 9.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MFA Artsakh, during the meeting, the sides touched upon the results of the visit of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic Miroslav Lajcak to the region.

The situation on the Line of Contact between the armed forces of Artsakh and Azerbaijan was also discussed. In this context, the importance of maintaining stability in the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict zone was stressed.

The sides also touched upon a range of issues related to the monitoring implemented by the Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office.
YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian, who is in Portugal on a working visit, met with the representatives of the Armenian community at Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation on April 9.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Presidents Office, noted that though the Armenian community in Portugal is small, but small is always a relative thing. You are a small community, but Calouste Gulbenkian was just one person with a powerful sense of national identity. Its enough to read about or get acquainted with his life to make sure how deep-rooted the Armenian identity was in him, Armen Sarkissian said.

Addressing the Armenian community in Portugal, President Sarkissian said, I am confident that each of you will finally return to Armenia. You will return, bringing with you your success in science, arts, culture and business. You will return to Armenia with your kids, you will bring them and return to the Motherland, because they are our future and the greatest value.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan
YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS. The initiative on recognizing the Armenian Genocide is being debated in the Italian Chamber of Deputies, according to which the country's government will be obliged to officially recognize it and give an international assessment, ARMENPRESS reports repubblica.it informs, adding that it caused Turkey's dissatisfaction. As a result, Massimo Gaiani, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Italy to Ankara, was summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

The heads of the Chamber of Deputies if Italy expressed hope that the adoption of the Armenian Genocide recognition initiative will lead to peace between the Armenian and Turkish peoples.

According to them, the purpose of the initiative is first of all to pay tribute to the victims of the crime.

The website notes that on April 8 Italy's Deputy PM Matteo Salvini made clear assessments over Turkey. "Turkey is not and will never be Europe. The membership process must be halted, it must be stopped completely. As far as I know, Turkey will never ever enter the EU, "said Salvini.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan
A $380 million effort to unclog and modernize the Long Island Rail Roads hectic Jamaica station will bring new amenities, track infrastructure, and even an additional platform for riders, but also could complicate the travels of tens of thousands of Brooklyn-bound commuters.

Although the long-discussed Jamaica Capacity Improvements project, or JCI as its known, promises several upgrades needed to handle the booming demand at the 106-year-old station, one key aspect of the effort  the construction of a new track and platform on the far south side of the station that will be used for shuttle trains on the Brooklyn line  could spell the end of one-seat rides or easy connections for the railroads 30,000 daily Atlantic Terminal commuters.

Hey, remember one of the reasons for the Vanderbilt Yard upgrade? It's supposed to help fuel Long Island Rail Road shuttle service between the hub in Jamaica and Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn. And the delays in finishing the upgraded yard--finally due this year--have been less damaging because plans for the upgraded LIRR service have been delayed as well.Newsday, in a 3/25/19 article headlined New amenities coming to Jamaica station, but it might be bad marriage for Brooklyn , reported:In other words, lots of Long Islanders are understandably used to getting on their train and exiting in Brooklyn, without having to transfer in possibly inclement weather and/or wait on a platform. Though the shuttles would be more frequent, the transfer time could make a trip longer.The new platform is due in late 2021 and will include, among other things, a glass-enclosed waiting area, according to Newsday. It's all part of an expansion of service with East Side Access--also delayed--which will by 2022 deliver LIRR trains directly to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan's Midtown East.In response to commuter concerns, the LIRR is studying the issue, and may retain some one-seat rides. In a 3/27/19 editorial, Don't lose the one-seat LIRR ride to Brooklyn , Newsday praised the overall improvements at Jamaica but said some of the 137 weekday one-seat rides should remain.So stay tuned.
(Photos: Getty)

Both major parties have now shown their budget hand, and are now well into campaigning for the upcoming federal election.

The Coalition is promising a surplus next financial year, and tax cuts for low and middle-income earners struggling to meet everyday living expenses.

Labor is also promising to make life easier for low income earners, while pledging to beef up Medicare for those suffering from cancer.

But do these pledges get to the heart of what is fundamentally wrong with the Australian economy?

Lets look into it a little bit.

China

I cant tell you how many times sources have told me that Australias budget, and the fortunes of our economy, are dependent on Chinas economy.

To put it bluntly, if Chinas economy were to fall over tomorrow, make no mistake, Australia would slip into a long and protracted recession. The problem is a third of all our exports are absorbed by China. Its impact on our economy is immense.

Recently, theres been an increase in the revenue we receive from our exports due to a number of different factors, including less supply of iron ore coming from Brazil. Its all led to the government being able to credibly forecast a budget surplus next financial year.

Should the government take credit for Chinas increasing demand for Australias exports? At some level, yes. However much of it is just good fortune.

The real test for the government is how it spends the windfall.

The best way for the government to spend the extra cash is on vital infrastructure. You could argue it is doing that. The Coalition has also promised to spend $100 billion on roads and rail over a decade.

So what about the merits of tax cuts and offsets? Which is another way its spending the extra money.

Well no one is going to argue with receiving a little extra cash from the tax office come the end of the financial year. However, the consistent message Im getting from economists is that the tax system itself needs major reform.

There have been numerous royal commissions over the past two years. They have been vital for the community. What we also need is an official review of our tax system so it works better, basically.

Story continues

Wage growth

Nothing seems to budge wage growth these days! Its incredibly frustrating for the hundreds of thousands of Australians who are prepared to work hard to get ahead.

The Coalition, and most business groups, argue in order to get wage growth (pay rises all round) we need to lift productivity. Traditionally productivity has been the way wage growth has lifted. And, as much as I hate to say it, official records of productivity have been stagnant now for some time. So, while the majority of workers may think theyve boosted productivity, the data show they havent.

That said, businesses are increasingly profitable, so there is an argument to say its worth handing over more of the profit pie to workers. That should, fairly instantaneously, increase spending in the economy, which would boost overall growth, and perhaps allow increased business investment into the sorts of technologies that would help workers become more productive.

Theres always a smart way out of these problems.

The budget, however, I think, has its head in the sand on the wage growth problem.

The 2018/19 budget made optimistic forecasts about the growth of wages for Australian workers, forecasting a 3.25 per cent increase in 2019-20, up from 2 per cent.

This years budget forecasts that by June 2022, wages growth will be back at 3.5% annual growth.

Currently its nowhere near 3 per cent.

The obvious question here is, how are wages going to rise if the unemployment rate, according to several financial institutions, is forecast to rise?

As retail slows and the construction sector contracts, jobs growth will slow. Its accepted wisdom that for wage growth to lift, along with increased productivity, the unemployment rate needs to be falling.

Its one thing to debate how to lift wage growth, its another thing to pretend its going in the right direction and do nothing about it.

Politics trumps pragmatism

Im sure you can see the conclusion Im drawing.

Tax cuts for low and middle income Australians is brilliant policy, especially in a slowing economy where households are facing rising costs.

And financial relief for those suffering from cancer is also most welcome.

But where are the policies to safeguard Australias long-term financial position, and lift living standards?

Without strategies to ensure Australia can ride out another major global economic downturn, and workers can expect pay rises to keep them financially afloat and able to help build the economy, well continue to muddle through.

Then again, we had a lot of luck this financial year, maybe the lucky country well continue to be just that.

@DaveTaylorNews

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Brooke Blurton, who placed third on the 2018 Bachelor season, has revealed the Honey Badgers big dirty secret. Photo: Channel Ten

Nick Cummins famously shocked Australia last year when he picked no one at The Bachelor finale.

Now Brooke Blurton, who placed third on the 2018 season, has revealed the Honey Badgers big dirty secret.

Tonights premiere episode of Bachelor In Paradise showed Brooke tell some of her female co-stars that Nicks devastating decision to stay single at the end of the show was no last-minute decision.

In fact, she knew before anyone else, and it was the real reason she decided to walk away on her own terms before the rose ceremony had commenced.

My last date with Nic, we were on a motorbike. I thought there was chemistry there, she told Alisha, Cat and Cass as they settled into paradise in Fiji.

Brooke revealed all when speaking to her female co-stars on Bachelor In Paradise tonight. Photo: Channel Ten

Then he stopped the cameras and smothered his mic to tell me he wasnt going to pick anyone in the end.

Boom. There it was.

When the other girls asked Brooke why she hadnt warned grand finalists Jess and Sophie about Nicks lack of commitment, Brooke said, He told me not to tell anyone and I protected him.

I couldnt tell the other girls and I felt that was really s**t, she admitted.

I dont regret the decision to leave. I dont want to be with someone whos not committed. Im not going to waste my time and I feel like thats what he did to us.

Contestant Cass Wood was absolutely gobsmacked. Photo: Channel Ten

Its really hurtful, said Alisha. Why would you take these two beautiful women to New Caledonia if youre just planning to say, No thanks?

When speaking to producers, Brooke revealed Nic pretty much just broke my heart and made me feel like I have to keep the secret.

But now it was time for her to let her co-stars and the rest of Australia know.

With the revelation also came an opportunity to take a big swipe at her reality TV ex.

Last year Nick told Sophie Tieman at the grand finale that he wasnt in lover with her. Photo: Channel Ten

Then he told Brittany Hockley that he didnt see a future with her either. Photo: Channel Ten

As the Bachelor, you know what youre going in for, she said.

You know and should be in that point in your life that you want to spend time with someone and I feel like Nic was definitely not in that space and it was definitely a s**t move being the Bachelor.

Story continues

When speaking to Yahoo Lifestyle Australia, Brooke explained that it was once she got to Fiji that she decided to spill the beans.

Brooke appeared be one of the frontrunner on Honey Badgers Bachelor season, but decided to walk away on her own terms, finishing third on the show. Photo: Channel Ten

I didnt realise it was eating at me till I got to Paradise and it starting to be on my mind a lot more, she tells us.

I thought, They need to know this, she explains. Its something on my mind and Im a pretty open and honest person.

Bachelor In Paradise continues on Wednesday at 7:30pm on Channel Ten.

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Is heading to Mt Everest on your bucket list? Photo: Getty

When it comes to the Himalayas and Mt Everest, a trip to Nepal to see one of the seven wonders of the world is probably on a lot of peoples bucket lists.

And even if you arent up for climbing the entire mountain, the 62-kilometre long trek leading to Everest Base Camp is one of the most popular hiking destinations in the world.

Base camp is situated 5,364 metres above sea level and mountain lovers from across the globe come here to catch a glimpse of the huge peak.

But while you may think there isnt much else to the mountain, here are a few surprising things you may not have known about Mt Everest.

The only way isnt up

Once you arrive at Lukla Airport, after a short flight, you will actually descend 300 metres of elevation.

After that you will walk up, then down again, and then up. This is essential for acclimatisation and to give your body the necessary time to adapt to the new environment in the Everest region.

On the way back, the situation is similar, a succession of ups and downs.

7000 people, young and old, have reached the peak of Everest. Photo: Getty

Everest is not the tallest mountain on earth

You read it correctly. It is the highest peak above sea level.

But the tallest mountain on our planet is actually the Mauna Kea of Hawaii measuring 10,200 metres, thats 1,352 metres more than Everest, but it is mostly submerged in water. Above sea level Mauna Kea is only 4,205 metres high.

But Everest is still growing. It adds up to 40 centimetres each new century.

You need permission from the Gods to climb Everest

The Buddhist culture considers Himalayas Everest as a sacred place  it is the Goddess Mother of Mountains.

Consequently, any mountaineers are required to ask for permission and blessing to climb the mountain.

This happens during a Puja ceremony, that is organised in the Base Camp, before the start of the climb. The Puja ceremony is held by a Buddhist Lama accompanied by several monks who pray and ask for protection and good luck for their endeavour. This is a century-old tradition and the Sherpa people never start the trek without it.

Story continues

Himalayan Steps is a tour operator in the Himalayas, aiming to improve the trekking experience and provide the best possible service for travellers from all over the world.

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European leaders were grudgingly preparing to postpone Brexit on Tuesday, after Prime Minister Theresa May made last-ditch visits to Paris and Berlin to beg for more time. May asked to be given until June 30 to arrange Britain's orderly departure, but EU leaders fear that won't be long enough and are now expected to offer her up to a year. "There are times when you need to give time time," EU Council president Donald Tusk tweeted, as he issued invitations to an emergency EU summit in Brussels on Wednesday, just days before Britain's latest departure date. Summit host Tusk said in his invitation letter that the evidence of recent months gives EU leaders "little reason to believe" that British lawmakers will ratify the Brexit withdrawal treaty before May's preferred June 30 departure. "One possibility would be a flexible extension, which would last only as long as necessary and no longer than one year, as beyond that date we will need to decide unanimously on some key European projects," he said. Tusk's suggestion does not bind the other EU leaders to accept the extension plan when they meet on Wednesday, but his ideas chimed with what diplomatic sources were suggesting as May made her latest tour of key EU capitals. Some members, led by France, are sceptical of allowing too long a delay that would see British candidates competing in EU parliamentary elections next month and possibly lead to disruption of future deeper EU reform. But others -- notably Germany and Britain's close neighbour Ireland -- are more fearful that if May runs out of time then a dramatic "no deal" Brexit would do more harm in the long run. On Tuesday, after flying to Berlin to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel, May visited Paris, where an aide to President Emmanuel Macron said France was open to solutions. "We've never been closed to the idea of finding an alternative solution to 'no deal' within certain limits and not at any price," the aide said, on condition of anonymity. Discussions in Brussels are to focus on the length of the delay -- the French aide said a 12-month extension "seems too long" -- and arrangements to limit Britain's influence within the EU during this time. "There would be a transition period for the United Kingdom as an intermediary member, which is present and applying the rules, but not taking part in decision-making," the aide said. "There would need to be clear commitments and then a mechanism for monitoring them." EU members are keen to ensure a semi-detached Britain does not seek leverage in Brexit talks by playing a spoiling role on issues such as choosing the next head of the European Commission or setting the next multi-year budget for the EU. Briefing conservative German lawmakers after she hosted May, Merkel said the option of a Brexit deadline in early 2020 would be discussed at the EU summit, according to a source. - Extra time - May is hoping the extra time, if granted by EU leaders, will enable her to finally get a divorce deal through parliament. British MPs have rejected a deal May negotiated with the EU three times, but the PM is now in talks with the opposition Labour party to try break the deadlock. These discussions are moving slowly, and EU negotiator Michel Barnier said May must explain what another postponement would achieve. "The length of the extension must be linked to the purpose -- what it's for -- and that depends on what Mrs May will say to European leaders tomorrow," he said, after meeting EU ministers in Luxembourg. A "no deal" -- in which Britain crashes out of the EU -- is still a possibility. The International Monetary Fund said Tuesday that Britain risks a serious shock if it leaves the EU without an agreement. - Delay conditions - Ahead of the main EU summit, Belgium will host a meeting of the EU members most exposed to the dangers of a no-deal Brexit, such as France and the Netherlands. EU ministers no longer hide their irritation at the turmoil in London, where MPs cannot agree on how to leave the EU almost three years after the referendum vote for Brexit. "We are in a very, very frustrating situation here," said Germany's Europe minister Michael Roth as he arrived in Luxembourg. May had requested only a short delay to avoid having to take part in European Parliament elections, which begin on May 23, but a long postponement would mean Britain participating. May's chances of ratifying the withdrawal agreement she signed in Brussels in November last year rely on either rebel MPs in her Conservative party and her Northern Irish allies backing her deal at the fourth time of asking -- or a compromise with the opposition. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Monday he was still waiting for signs of compromise from May and talks have been suspended until the summit in Brussels. His top team met Tuesday with some of May's senior ministers, including leading Brexit supporter Michael Gove and her more pro-European finance minister Philip Hammond. burs-adp-dc/dcr Discussions in Brussels are set to focus on conditions such as the length of the extension Timeline of major developments in Brexit since January and what happen's next.


Farm owners are being urged to arm themselves with video footage and complain to police if vegan activists storm their properties.

More than 20 people invaded the Carey Bros Abattoir near Warwick in southeast Queensland before dawn on Monday as part of a national day of action by animal rights activists.

Last month a distressed farmer fought back tears after 150 vegan protesters stormed his familys Southern Queensland property, chanting meat is murder.

An enraged Queensland farmer can be heard screaming at protesters as they climb through the fence in March. Source: Facebook/Ryan MH

Queenslands Agriculture Minister Mark Furner has pushed for farmers to help police by gathering evidence against the vegan zealots.

What they are doing is breaching the law. Im extremely angry and have really had a gutful of these people.

Mr Furner promised on-the-spot fines for activists would be rolled out within weeks but said farmers needed to take action.

They need to take video footage with their phones or whatever they have available and give that to the police as evidence so that a prosecution will be successful but they need to complain to police to start the process.

Vegan protesters stopped traffic in Melbournes CBD. Source: AAP

No right to invade property: Bob Katter

Federal and state politicians are going into bat for Aussie farmers who have been under attack by animal activists in a cross-border campaign.

KAP Leader Bob Katter said vegan activism targeted two-thirds of employment in North Queensland, namely coal, beef and horticulture.

Every Australian has the right to put forward his or her point of view  but you have no right to impose your viewpoint upon other Australians and invade their privacy.

Vegan activists, pictured on Saturday, are staging another protest in Melbourne. Source AAP

If the government cant protect a persons right to privacy, their right to food, their right to private property, then you are not a government and you are taking your wages under false pretences, Mr Katter said.

Story continues

Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said the states must beef up trespass laws so farm invaders would face serious penalties.

If I broke into a suburban house in Melbourne or Sydney, Id expect to be arrested, handcuffed and taken away. Breaking into a farm should be no different.

Activists refusing to move are apprehended by police. Source: AAP

Push to tighten up criminal trespass laws

Attorney-General Christian Porter wrote to Privacy Commissioner Angelene Falk to consider investigating Under the Privacy Act the group allegedly behind the activism.

Mr Porter also wrote to the state and territory attorneys-general and police ministers to urge them to tighten up their criminal trespass laws.

Privacy laws were changed last Friday which exposed Aussie Farms website to significant penalties for publishing farmers addresses and contact details.

A Queensland farmer broke down as he confronted vegan protesters. Source: Instagram/ Animal Liberation Photography

Farmers already doing it tough through drought: Scott Morrison

Prime Minister Scott Morrison slammed the actions of Aussie Farms as being un-Australian while speaking on 2GB radio.

He said it was wrong that farmers should be targeted when they are doing it tough during the drought.

The activists are demanding state and federal agricultural ministers acknowledge cruelty in the process of killing animals for food, clothing and entertainment and to add warning labels on animal products.

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Polish novelist Olga Tokarczuk, who scooped last year's Booker International Prize for fiction, was named Tuesday among five female nominees for this year's prestigious literary award. Six writers in total have been shortlisted for the British-based prize which celebrates the translated English-language versions of novels from around the world. Tokarczuk, who won the 2018 award with the translation of "Flights", is nominated this year for "Drive Your Plow Over The Bones Of The Dead". She is nominated alongside Jokha Alharthi from Oman -- the first shortlisted writer from the Gulf -- France's Annie Ernaux, Marion Poschmann of Germany, Juan Gabriel Vasquez from Colombia and Chile's Alia Trabucco Zeran. The winner is to be announced in London on May 21. The 50,000 ($65,000, 58,000 euro) prize is divided equally between the winning book's author and translator. "Wisdom in all its forms is here," said historian and author Bettany Hughes, who chairs the judging panel. "Unexpected and unpredictable narratives compelled us to choose this vigorous shortlist. Subversive and intellectually ambitious with welcome flashes of wit, each book nourishes creative conversation. "We were struck by the lucidity and supple strength of all the translations." The International Prize, which has been running since 2005, is the counterpart to the Booker Prize, which is awarded for books originally written in English. The International Prize is open to books translated into English and published by British publishers between May 1, 2018 and April 30, 2019. - The novels - "Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead" by Tokarczuk, considered the most talented Polish novelist of her generation, starts with the disappearance of an eccentric woman's dogs. When two local hunters are murdered, she is drawn into the investigation. Alharthi's "Celestial Bodies", translated from Arabic, tells of Oman's transformation through the loves and losses of three sisters. Ernaux's novel "The Years", originally written in French, is a narrative of France from 1941 to 2006, told through memory and impressions of the past. "The Pine Islands" by Poschmann, who has won both of Germany's premier poetry prizes, is about a journeyman lecturer who flees his cheating wife for Japan and goes on a pilgrimage following the travel writings of a poet. "The Shape of the Ruins" by Vasquez is a fictional account of his investigations into conspiracy theories surrounding the assassinations of Colombian politicians. "The Remainder" by Trabucco, also translated from Spanish, tells the story of three children of ex-militants overcoming Chile's complex past. The shortlist: -- Jokha Alharthi (Oman): "Celestial Bodies" -- Annie Ernaux (France): "The Years" -- Marion Poschmann (Germany): "The Pine Islands" -- Olga Tokarczuk (Poland): "Drive Your Plow Over The Bones Of The Dead" -- Juan Gabriel Vasquez (Colombia): "The Shape Of The Ruins" -- Alia Trabucco Zeran (Chile): "The Remainder" Six writers in total have been shortlisted for the British-based prize which celebrates the translated English-language versions of novels from around the world
A German museum handed over the remains of an Aboriginal ancestral king to Australia Tuesday in the first of three such ceremonies across Germany this month in what Canberra called a record return. The Australian ambassador to Germany, Lynette Wood, and elder Gudju Gudju Fourmile of the Yidinji people received the skeletal remains at Munich's Five Continents museum. They had been in German possession since 1889. Skulls and bones from Australia's native peoples were removed by scientists in the late 19th and early 20th century and taken to museums, universities and collections in Australia and around the world. There they were subjected to "research" purporting to explain human biological variety. In a statement, Australia's Minister for Communications and the Arts Mitch Fifield welcomed the planned repatriation of a total of 53 Australian indigenous remains from Germany in April, saying it would be "the largest number of ancestors returned from Germany to date". A further ceremony is planned at Stuttgart's Linden Museum on Friday for the repatriation of eight Aborigine remains. "These ancestors will be returned to Australia under Australian government stewardship, so they can be cared for closer to home while further work is undertaken to identify their communities of origin," Fifield said. On Monday in Berlin, 37 ancestors' remains from the Saxony state ethnographic collections as well as five ancestors from Martin Luther University will be returned to Yawuru community representatives and the Australian government. "The Government would like to thank the German state governments and the collecting institutions for their commitment to recognising the significance of repatriation for all Australians, which contributes to healing and reconciliation," Fifield said. Bavaria's arts and sciences minister Bernd Sibler, who attended Tuesday's event, said the state was committed to a "transparent approach to collections from the colonial era", in coordination with indigenous representatives. Australia's Department of Communication and the Arts said it had supported the "unconditional" return of more than 1,500 Australian indigenous ancestral remains from overseas and private collections for more than 30 years. It said it was in talks with 35 institutions across 10 countries on the return of further ancestral remains. Germany has until now returned 51 human remains to Australia. The native Aboriginal population, who have occupied Australia for 50,000 years, were dispossessed of their lands by the arrival of settlers two centuries ago. As the colonisers pushed into the vast interior of the island continent, they were resisted by the local population and thousands of men, women and children were killed. Aboriginal elder Gudju Gudju Fourmile (C) of the Yidinji people received the skeletal remains at Munich's Five Continents museum
The government of President Daniel Ortega said Monday it was ready to continue talks with the opposition on resolving Nicaragua's deadly political crisis. The Central American country has been gripped by a year of political crisis since months of street protests erupted last April leaving more than 325 people dead, most of them opposition demonstrators. Month-long talks between the government and the opposition Civic Alliance coalition broke up last week without agreement on political reform in the crisis-torn country. But Ortega's leftist government said in a statement its "will and commitment to continue working towards national understanding" was unchanged. It said it was not responsible for any "deadlock or delay" in the talks, which broke up last Wednesday. More than 600 opposition supporters have been jailed and thousands of Nicaraguans fled into exile. Ortega, a 73-year-old former guerrilla leader, has refused to step down to facilitate early elections in 2019 -- a key opposition demand. Threatened by United States and European Union sanctions, the government on March 20 pledged to release all political prisoners within 90 days in an operation to be overseen by the International Committee of the Red Cross. So far only about 200 prisoners have been released. The opposition says more than 800 people were jailed during a crackdown on protests, but the government has put the number at less than 300. Opposition politicians said Saturday that police refused to allow an opposition march in the capital Managua, despite a recent pledge by Ortega to restore protest rights and press freedoms. The leftist government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, pictured in 2018, said its commitment to working towards "national understanding" was unchanged It said it was not responsible for any "deadlock or delay" in the talks,
Police on Tuesday charged an Indian bishop with repeatedly raping a nun at a rural convent in a case that has cast a new shadow on the Roman Catholic church's global sex abuse crisis. Franco Mulakkal was charged with raping the nun several times between 2014 and 2016, K. Subash, police deputy superintendent in the district of the southern state of Kerala where the investigation was carried out, told AFP. The bishop also faces charges of unlawful detention, unnatural sex and abuse of authority. Mulakkal -- who faces a maximum punishment of life imprisonment -- has vociferously denied the allegations. The police report backing the charges ran to more than 100 pages and contained statements from nuns, priests and other bishops, media reports said. The victim filed a complaint in June last year, but police only started formal questioning in September as fury over the case mounted. In a rare public show of dissent within the church five nuns staged days of protests with dozens of supporters to force authorities to take the allegations seriously. Mulakkal was arrested in October before being released on bail. Senior members of the church in the southern state have supported the 55-year-old bishop, however, and he was cheered when he returned to his diocese. - Truth the only weapon - Sexual abuse by clergy and the failure to take action has mired the Roman Catholic Church in scandal across the world in recent years. In February, Pope Francis publicly addressed the sexual abuse of nuns by clerics for the first time, insisting the Vatican takes seriously reports of sexual abuse and the "sexual slavery" of nuns. Mulakkal is accused of repeatedly assaulting the nun from the Missionaries of Jesus order at the St Francis Mission in Kerala. The bishop was the head of the order. Speaking to AFP, Sister Anupama Kelamangalath, one of the five nuns who protested outside Kerala's High Court, said they had sought to draw attention to Church authorities who were misusing positions of power. The sister, from the Jalandhar diocese in the state, said she was relieved and delighted at the charges. "We were able to achieve this despite stiff opposition from all sides. We had no-one on our side to fight for us, but Christ." She insisted the protests were not against the church but aimed "at certain figures who misused the holy powers vested in them," she added. "Other than truth as our weapon, we never had anything else on our side." She told how repeated approaches to senior church officials were ignored. "When they realised that we wouldn't back down, they had us transferred and then made false cases against our families," she said. These included allegations they had made death threats against the accused bishop. "We were then left with no option but to approach the police and register a case against the bishop. What else could we do?" Police say they are looking into other cases of abuse of nuns and allegations that four Kerala priests blackmailed women during confession to force them to have sex. Christians -- overwhelmingly Catholic -- are the third-largest religious group in India. Around 80 percent of the country's 1.3 billion population is Hindu, followed by a sizeable Muslim minority. Indian Christian nuns and Muslim supporters protest in September 2018 as they demand the arrest of Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who is accused of raping a nun, outside the High Court in Kochi in the southern Indian state of Kerala


A British mum has been arrested and faces two years in a Dubai jail for calling her ex-husbands new wife a horse on Facebook two years ago, campaigners say.

Laleh Shahravesh, 55, has been arrested in Dubai with her teenage daughter over the Facebook posts.

She faces two years in jail and a $91,000 fine over posts written after she discovered her former partner Pedro had remarried, the Detained In Dubai group said.

Laleh Shahravesh, left, posted a comment about her ex-husband and new wife. Their wedding photo is pictured right. Source: Detained In Dubai

In one post, she wrote: I hope you go under the ground you idiot. Damn you. You left me for this horse.

Ms Shahravesh, from Richmond, in southwest London, was arrested with her daughter Paris, 14, at Dubai Airport when the pair visited on March 10 for Pedros funeral, one week after his death from a heart attack, aged 51.

They were held for 12 hours before Ms Shahraveshs passport was seized, human rights organisation Detained In Dubai said.

She had been married to Pedro for 18 years and they lived together in Dubai, where he worked for HSBC, for eight months before she returned to Britain with their daughter.

A few months later, in 2016, she unexpectedly received divorce papers and saw from photos on Facebook that Pedro, who is Portuguese, had remarried.

One of the posts which campaigners have claimed has left Laleh Shahravesh facing two years in jail in Dubai. Source: Detained In Dubai

In another comment, which she wrote in Britain, she said: You married a horse you idiot.

Detained In Dubai said her arrest, under strict cybercrime laws which also include a ban on sharing charity pages online, was simply unreasonable.

The posts, written in Farsi, were reported by Pedros new wife, Samah Al Hammadi, 42, from Tunisia, the group said.

Ms Shahravesh said: I had no idea he was getting married again, and so soon after our own marriage broke down.

I reacted badly. I lashed out and wrote two unpleasant comments about his new wife on his Facebook page.

Story continues

British mum deserved to be punished: New wife

But Ms Hammadi, 42, the woman who reported her late husbands ex-wife to police in Dubai, said Ms Shahravesh deserved to be punished.

Ms Hammadi told the Evening Standard she made the complaint after suffering in silence for more than a year, and claimed Ms Shahravesh called her a b**** in emails to Mr Santos and to his boss at HSBC.

She added: If she is innocent she will go free, but if not she has to pay.

Samah Al Hammadi (pictured above) wanted her late husbands ex-wife, Laleh Shahravesh, punished for cybercrime. Source: Detained in Dubai

Ms Hammadi defended Dubais cybercrime laws, saying: It is a crime in Dubai. It is right. I dont feel sorry. She made him [Mr Santos] suffer in the last year of his life. Let the law take part.

However, Ms Hammadi has since told The National she was considering backing down for the sake of her late husbands daughter.

I am pursuing this case because I believe it is my duty to honour my late husband and protect him from further defamation, she told the news outlet.

One of the last messages he tearfully gave me before his death was that he deeply loved his daughter. I am willing to withdraw this case to honour my husbands love for his daughter.

Paris has been allowed to return to Britain but Ms Shahravesh must remain in the country and faces further court proceedings on Thursday.

Ms Shahravesh said: I am terrified. I cant sleep or eat And my daughter cries herself to sleep every night.

My life is in ruins, and that is even before the huge fines and jail I am facing here, she said.

A Foreign Office spokesman said its staff are supporting a British woman and her family following her detention in the United Arab Emirates.

The spokesman added: We are in contact with the UAE authorities regarding her case.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

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In Japan's picturesque Ago Bay, a couple sits in a little hut picking out oysters from a net, cleaning them carefully one-by-one before replacing them gently back in the water. Their hope: in several months, these oysters will produce a glistening white pearl from a cultured farming technique invented in Japan that is in decline as experts die out in the ageing country. Cultured pearl farming was first commercialised in Ago Bay and spread throughout the world. There are still dozens of farms plying the trade there, which look from the sky like a series of rafts floating between the steep coast and a string of tiny islets. In 1893, an Ago Bay local called Kokichi Mikimoto became worried the oyster pearls avidly sought in his waters were becoming extinct. So he began introducing artificial foreign bodies into the oysters in a bid to replicate the natural process in which they secrete thousands of layers of nacre when a grain of sand or shell finds its way inside the pearl pocket. After several setbacks -- including a bacterial virus that decimated his crop -- Mikimoto finally hit the jackpot: one day in July 1893 a semi-spherical pearl appeared, clinging to the oyster. A decade or so later, he had refined his method to produce a perfectly round specimen and immediately patented his technique -- the cultured pearl. Success was not immediate -- several viewed the cultured pearl as a vulgar replica of the "natural" variety -- but eventually Mikimoto built a global empire and Japan became the reference for the small pearls known as "Akoya." Around the same time, two other Japanese, Tatsuhei Mise and Tokichi Nishikawa, applied for a patent. - Top five percent - The Sakaguchi family has been crafting these valuable pearls between three and 10 millimetres in diametre for three generations. Kasuhiro, 73, and Misayo, 68, are now supported by daughter Ruriko. "Our job is to look after the oysters as well as we can for three to four years," explained the energetic 43-year-old Ruriko, sporting an apron and headscarf. "From harvesting the young oysters, introducing the graft, right up to extracting the pearl," she added, as she dragged oysters from the net for inspection. The whole delicate operation rests of the insertion of a nucleus -- a small round polished ball made out of shellfish -- and the "graft", a piece of donor mantle tissue from another oyster. Over a period of several months, the oyster reacts to the foreign bodies by secreting thousands of layers of nacre which form the pearl. The pearls are harvested in December, when the water is around 15 degrees, said Ruriko. "Below this, the pearl will lack strength. Above that, it will lack shine," she explained. It is a thankless task. Of the 100,000 oysters harvested annually, half die immediately after the operation. The vast majority produce either mediocre pearls or nothing at all. Only around five percent of the oysters harvested will result in pearls of sufficient quality to adorn the windows of chic jewellers far away in Tokyo. - 'Family heirloom' - The Sakaguchis are lucky to have Ruriko take up the family trade, which is suffering -- like many other traditional Japanese crafts -- from an ageing population and a flight from the country to booming cities. The number of specialised pearl farmers has dropped from 3,760 in the 1960s to just 680 in 2013, according to the most recent data from the Fisheries Agency. But despite this, Japan still dominates the global market, accounting for around 30 percent in terms of value -- helped by concentrating on the best quality pearls. Japan has produced around 20 tonnes of farmed pearls annually over the past 10 years, bringing in around 16.6 billion yen, and is aiming to reach 20 billion yen by 2027. But even that would be a far cry from the heady days of the late 1980s when Japan produced around 70 tonnes with a value of 88 billion yen. So what sets Japanese cultured pearls apart from competitors in Tahiti, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines or Australia? Aside from centuries of know-how, Japan is helped by its climate, said Yuichi Nakamura, vice-chairman of the Mie Pearl promotion council. "The key is the winter season in Japan. It gives the pearls a better shine and sets them apart from the rest of world," Nakamura told AFP. Rivals from China at one point looked set to threaten Japan's dominance but "they focused in quantity... whereas we concentrated on quality to stay in the race." That quality is on glittering display at the luxurious, multistory flagship store of Mikimoto, in the plush Tokyo district of Ginza. Here a mannequin wears a priceless pearl necklace but pearls can range from a few hundred to a million dollars. "For the Japanese, pearls are a family heirloom. We give them as necklaces to women about to marry or as earrings or rings," said Mikimoto boss Hiroshi Yoshida. They then wear them at grand occasions for the rest of their lives. But perhaps an indication of a shift in the global economy: more than half of Mikimoto's customers are Chinese. After them come Americans, other Asians such as Singaporeans, and then Europeans. A glistening white pearl from a cultured farming technique invented in Japan that is in decline as experts die out in the ageing country Cultured pearl farming was first commercialised in Japan's Ago Bay and spread throughout the world. There are still dozens of farms plying the trade there Only around five percent of the oysters harvested will result in pearls of sufficient quality to adorn the windows of chic jewellers in Tokyo The number of specialised pearl farmers in Japan has dropped from 3,760 in the 1960s to just 680 in 2013, according to the most recent data from the Fisheries Agency Japan has produced around 20 tonnes of farmed pearls annually over the past 10 years, bringing in around 16.6 billion yen, and is aiming to reach 20 billion yen by 2027
A French court has sentenced two Polish truck drivers to 14-month jail terms for trying to smuggle an Iraqi migrant across the Channel to Britain in a coffin, local authorities said Tuesday. The men showed up at the Calais entrance to the Channel Tunnel linking France to England on April 2 in a van filled with coffins, local prosecutor Pascal Marconville told AFP. Marconville said they told border officials they wanted to "carry out a delivery of coffins to Britain". When guards searched the consignment they found an Iraqi national lying inside one of the boxes. The smugglers feigned surprise, saying they were not aware of his presence. But the court noted that "the coffin wasn't accessible from the outside without destroying a lock" meaning that the man could not have climbed aboard en route without help from the drivers," Marconville added. The men received 14-month custodial sentences for "helping transport undocumented foreigners", a crime aggravated by the fact that they hid their charge in a coffin. "To make someone lie in a coffin for transport purposes is undignified," Marconville said. Under French law, sentences of less than two years in jail are often changed on appeal to non-custodial community service. The men arrived at the Calais entrance to the Channel Tunnel linking France to England in a van filled with coffins, one of which contained an Iraqi migrant
Russia violated the human rights of anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny, a leading opponent of President Vladimir Putin, by holding him under house arrest for a lengthy spell in 2014, Europe's top rights court said Tuesday. It is the second time the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has condemned Russia over Navalny, and comes as questions grow over whether Moscow will remain a member of the Council of Europe (CoE), to which the court belongs. "The restrictions on him, including tight limits on his communicating, had been out of proportion to the criminal charges he had faced," the ECHR said, ruling that Russia had violated the European Convention on Human Rights. "It was also apparent that he had been treated in that way in order to curtail his public activities," it added. Navalny hailed the decision as a "victory" in a message on his Instagram account. "I am sure that the decision will have important consequences for those in Russia who are subject to such lawlessness all the time," Navalny wrote. Russia was ordered to pay Navalny 20,000 euros ($22,550) in damages and 2,665 euros ($3,000) in costs and expenses The latest ruling relates to almost a year that Navalny spent under house arrest starting in February 2014 after he was charged with fraud and money laundering along with his brother Oleg. The pair were convicted in December 2014, with Alexei Navalny given a suspended sentence and his brother sent to prison. Both have denounced the charges as politically motivated. - 'Suppression of pluralism' - The ECHR had already condemned Russia in November over a series of arrests of Navalny, saying seven arrests between 2012 and 2014 had violated his rights to security, a fair trial and the freedom of assembly. The court said the restrictions on Navalny pursued the "same aim of the suppression of political pluralism" in Russia. The rulings come as questions grow over whether Russia will remain a member of the Council of Europe, the pan-European rights body of which the ECHR is a part. After Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, the council's Parliamentary Assembly deprived the Russian delegation of voting and other rights. In retaliation, Russia has suspended its annual 33 million euro ($37 million) payment to the Strasbourg-based council -- about seven percent of its budget -- and has not participated in PACE sessions. After two years of non-payment of contributions -- which would be in June this year -- Russia could be suspended from the council in what some have dubbed a potential "Ruxit". Navalny has over the last decade emerged as one of the key opponents of Putin, with his exposes of high-level corruption touching a nerve with many Russians especially in Moscow. But his legal troubles have prevented him from taking on Putin at the ballot box, in what supporters argue is a brazen attempt by the Kremlin to keep a dangerous opponent from the stage. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, seen here at a 2018 anti-Putin rally, hailed the court's ruling as a "victory"
A group of Republican state senators want additional hearings to discuss legislation that would affect farms across New York.

State Sens. Jessica Ramos and Jen Metzger, chairs of the Senate Labor and Agriculture committees, announced in March that there would be three hearings on the Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act. The hearings will be held in Morrisville, Madison County, the Hudson Valley and on Long Island.

Republican lawmakers, all of whom represent upstate districts, don't believe that's an adequate number of hearings to gather feedback on the legislation. They also don't feel the hearing schedule allows for farmers in the North Country and western New York, among other regions, to share their perspective.

State Sen. Fred Akshar, an Endwell Republican, said there are more farms per capita in his district than any other state Senate district in New York.

"Before passing legislation that could drastically change the lives of thousands of upstate farmers and their families, the new Senate (Democratic) leadership should at the very least agree to go out and meet with the people their proposals would affect," Akshar said.

Akshar and 10 other Republican senators, including state Sens. Bob Antonacci and Pam Helming, signed a letter to Metzger, D-Rosendale, and Ramos, D-Queens, urging them to hold more hearings.

Ramos is the sponsor of the Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act. The bill would grant farm laborers certain rights, including a day off each week, overtime pay if they work more than eight hours in a day or 40 hours in a week, collective bargaining and the ability to unionize.

The legislation has been panned by the New York Farm Bureau, an advocacy group representing farmers across the state. The farm bureau, citing analysis conducted by Farm Credit East, projected that labor costs would increase by nearly $300 million if the overtime pay mandate is adopted.

As the bill's sponsor, Ramos has said she is open to feedback. However, she believes the legislation is needed to ensure New York recognizes "the dignity of work."

"In New York, there is a Jim Crow-era law still on our books that denies human beings  mostly black and Latino taxpaying New Yorkers  parity with nearly every other worker in the state," Ramos said in a statement last month.

For now, the hearings will commence in late April and conclude in early May. The first hearing will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, April 25, at SUNY Morrisville. From 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Friday, April 26, the second hearing will be held at the Suffolk County Legislature on Long Island.

The final hearing is planned for 1 p.m. Thursday, May 2, at SUNY Sullivan.

The hearings are open to the public.

Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

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Seven years ago, Howie Hawkins declined.

The Syracuse resident was asked to run as the Green Party's presidential candidate in 2012. While he had been a candidate for governor two years before and ran for local offices, he was able to balance those campaigns with his job at the UPS hub in Syracuse.

A presidential campaign, one that would require him to crisscross the country, wasn't possible. He still had to "punch a clock," he said in a phone interview last week about his UPS job. He opted not to run for president.

With the 2020 election 19 months away, Green Party members are urging Hawkins to run. Now that's he retired from UPS, he has more time to commit to a presidential campaign.

"When people want you to run that bad, it's hard to say no," he said.

Hawkins announced Wednesday that he launched an exploratory committee  a first step toward a presidential run in 2020. His decision to explore a run came in response to the "Draft Hawkins" movement launched by members of the Green Party.

The push came to Hawkins' attention after he finished a temporary job at a Syracuse post office. He began working 12-hour shifts at the post office about a week after the election. He said he took the job for additional income since his UPS pension is 19 percent less than what he earned  a product of a reform measure approved by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama in 2014.

After finishing the short-term assignment, he planned to read and possibly write a book. There were other items on his to-do list that he hadn't addressed because of the gubernatorial campaign.

His reading list and other tasks will have to wait.

Through his likely presidential run  Hawkins will officially decide in the next six to eight weeks, he said  he wants to build the Green Party and highlight issues important to the party.

Hawkins calls himself the "original Green New Dealer" because he proposed the economic and environmental agenda long before it gained mainstream attention and the endorsement of prominent elected officials, namely U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

His version of the Green New Deal would not only shift the country to 100 percent clean energy in 10 years, it would alter the economy  everything from agriculture and manufacturing to transportation and waste management.

Before he formally launches his presidential campaign, he is working with an economist to develop cost estimates for his Green New Deal proposal.

Hawkins is aware of the criticism Green Party candidates have faced for splitting the vote with Democrats. Some Democrats have blamed the minor party for electoral defeats in the past.

In 2000, Green Party candidate Ralph Nader was labeled a spoiler because of the close race between eventual winner George W. Bush, a Republican, and Democratic candidate Al Gore.

"We've been telling the Democrats since Nader you can solve that problem with ranked choice voting, instant runoff voting, national popular vote so people can choose who they want as their first choice and rank their candidates," Hawkins said. "It gets rid of splitting the vote."

When Hawkins co-founded the Green Party, he said an eventual presidential bid wasn't his focus. He was more concerned about building the party and electing candidates at the local level.

Hawkins has played a major role in the party's growth. He has been a candidate for offices in Syracuse  mayor, city council and city auditor  and has received the party's gubernatorial nomination three times. He also ran for U.S. Senate in 2006 and the House of Representatives in 2008.

In 2010, his first run for governor, he received enough votes to secure automatic ballot access for the Green Party.

His experience will be an asset. As he prepares for a presidential bid, he believes he will need roughly $1.5 million to help collect at least 750,000 signatures to get on the ballot in every state. There are some states he can collect signatures in right away. Others have later periods to circulate petitions.

"I don't want to run if we're not aiming for every state ballot," Hawkins said. "I think we need that to be taken seriously."

There are at least three other candidates seeking the Green Party presidential nomination. Sedinam Kinamo Christin Moyowasifza-Curry was the first candidate to enter the race. Dario Hunter, a Youngtown, Ohio, school board member, and Ian Schlakman, the Green Party's gubernatorial nominee in 2018, are also seeking the 2020 presidential nomination.

Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

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Since we are approximately one year from entering a full-blown presidential election cycle and all that goes with it  debates, primaries, conventions, etc.  Ive chosen to make a preemptive strike and give our readers a completely different way of looking at the health care debacle. While the right talks about the free market, they never define it. The left is still giving away a house they don't own. So both sides talk about free in their own way. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as free. Somewhere, somehow, someone always pays. Just because its free for you doesn't make it free.

The starting point of this conversation is understanding the difference between health care and health insurance. Politicians like Bernie Sanders talk about health care. Health care is the service you receive. Health insurance is how the majority of services get paid for. The problem is that politicians don't mean health care, they mean health insurance. But if they come out and say health insurance, their campaign money will evaporate. The average person never wonders, let alone realizes, why UnitedHealth Group's stock price is $245 a share. It is simple: They take your insanely inflated premiums, pay out as little as possible in benefits to your health care providers, and they pay off politicians to leave them alone and keep the health insurance system just the way it is. As an example, Aetna reimburses your provider 13.5% of what is billed, UnitedHealth Group 19% and Excellus 21%.

The health insurance system can be broken down into four basic components: Private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid and fee for service. People in the private insurance and Medicare areas are reluctant to pay cash for services because of the ridiculous price they pay for insurance, so naturally they want their insurance to pay the bill. Medicaid recipients have difficulty finding providers outside of the hospital setting that accept Medicaid because of the absurdly low reimbursement rates.

The top five health insurance companies are UnitedHealth Group, Anthem BC/BS, Aetna, Cigna and Humana, and they function much like the five families of the mafia. Each one controls a piece of the pie. This is how they form a monopoly for the industry. The only way to break up the monopoly is to alter the rules that they have been hiding behind for decades. The first rule is the rule of economics: supply and demand. Supply is low right now because of how the state and federal governments allow access. This has put the five insurance families in the drivers seat with all of the control. Because of this, premiums are sky high and continue to rise.

How do we drive a wedge between the five families? First there has to be an alternative to private health insurance. That alternative is an unlimited personal HSA program with no connection to an employer. The second is to remove the cash cow handed over to the insurance industry known as Obamacare. The Affordable Care Act was not affordable and was merely a one-time cash payment to the five insurance families. Before everyone loses their minds, Obamacare can be dismantled while preserving the pre-existing condition clause. Thirdly, health insurance has to be disconnected from employers. This removes a second source of shakedown money to the insurance crime families. All private insurance should have to be purchased individually. The fourth item is changing antitrust laws, opening up competition between providers and insurance companies. Currently, a providers competitive ability to negotiate with the insurance families is nonexistent because of antitrust laws.

If we had taken a fraction of the Obamacare money, put it into Medicaid, and improved Medicaid so that private providers could afford to accept these patients, it would have a lasting effect on the system. Hospitals would no longer be used as family doctors. Prevention always costs less than treatment.

Medicare as it sits is a Ponzi scheme. Bernie wants to expand a Ponzi scheme. Remember, a Ponzi scheme is what put another Bernie in jail: Bernie Madoff. If the over-regulation of Medicare was cut, Medicare would no longer be a Ponzi scheme and it could thrive without cuts and raising taxes. What it cannot do is be everything for everyone. It was never meant to do that, and it should not attempt to do that.

There are many intricacies within each component of health insurance that are impossible to cover in this article. If the general foundational elements that I have outlined are followed, the system will be competitive and it will provide the insurance industry an opportunity to compete and survive rather than be eliminated, as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders have recommended. At the end of the day, the only way to make health insurance and subsequently health care more affordable is to force the five insurance families to play by the same rules we do.

Dr. Dale Buchberger is a licensed chiropractor, physical therapist, certified strength and conditioning specialist, and a diplomate of the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians, with 30 years of clinical sports injury experience. He can be contacted at (315) 515-3117 or activeptsolutions.com or shouldermadesimple.com.

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A 42-foot bus offering free mammograms will be parked at East Hill Family Medical in Auburn Saturday.

Through a partnership with Rochester Regional Health's Mobile Mammography Center, East Hill will be hosting its first free mammogram screening event funded by the state Department of Health's Cancer Services Program. Intended to offer services to women who haven't had regular screenings, the event is the first of a few mobile mammogram screenings planned for this year.

"They've placed a lot of emphasis on getting everybody screened. And they mean everybody, regardless of their ability to pay," said Kim Bartholomae, East Hill's director of health information and performance improvement. "As part of that, Rochester Regional Health has put together a mobile mammography."

The custom-built bus is equipped with the same expert staff and state-of-the art technology as would be found in a breast imaging center, Bartholomae said. The bus is "really nice inside," she added, and the appointments are both easy and private.

When women enter the bus, there are two spa-like dressing rooms on each side. Women are given robes, and then called into the screening room straight from their individual dressing room. When done with the screening, which is anticipated to last 15 minutes or less, women return to their own room and the next patient is allowed to enter from the other dressing room.

"Not only is it efficient, but I found it to be a lot more private than some of the imaging centers where I've had it done," Bartholomae said.

"Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers women can have. But caught early, it's also one of the most treatable cancers. So it's important to get everybody screened and screened early," she continued. "So in order to do that, we wanted to make it more accessible for people."

Making mammography accessible means that nobody pays anything, Bartholomae said. Insurances will be billed if possible  as most plans do cover well-check visits  but if women don't have insurance or have a high copay, they won't be charged. Having the bus come on a Saturday, rather than a weekday, also helps with accessibility, as it doesn't interfere with most women's work schedules, Bartholomae added.

In order to get patients registered for the event, which begins at 10 a.m., East Hill's referral specialist, Tammy Carnicelli, individually invited women. She began with women who haven't had regular screenings.

"I tried to start at first with people with no insurance, and they were very excited," Carnicelli said. She added that women seemed to like the personalized calls and invitations to get screened. In a matter of three days, she filled more than five hours of screening by signing up more than 20 people.

East Hill also supports walk-ins for the event, Bartholomae said, regardless of whether or not a woman is an East Hill patient. As results from the screening are sent to primary care providers, East Hill will also take in women and become a primary care provider for them so the center can deal with the results of the screening.

The screenings are open to any woman who is older than 40, has not had a mammogram in the past year, is not pregnant or breastfeeding and doesn't have record of a pre-existing breast-related condition, Carnicelli said.

Bartholomae said the 3D screenings provided are initial screenings, not diagnostic screenings. If someone has had issues in the past, though, she said there is assistance through the Cayuga County Health Department and the state's Cancer Services Program. Any followup appointments recommended due to the results of the screenings  which typically means something needs a second look, Bartholomae said, and not necessarily a problem  can also be managed through the county.

For women who can't make the event Saturday, Bartholomae said the county health department can also help arrange a mammogram at one of the area screening centers.

"It's an awesome program," she said. "We're reaching people that have been putting it off because of the cost. ... We don't want anybody to not be screened because they think they can't afford it."

Staff writer Megan Ehrhart can be reached at (315) 282-2244 or megan.ehrhart@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter @MeganEhrhart.

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Here at Tyburn Academy on Clymer Street, a common goal in each classroom is to not only meet state standards, but to surpass them and enrich the educational experience of each individual student. One example of how this is accomplished can be found in our Global 9 History class, where students are given a variety of historical fiction novels to read. These novels provide our students with a vivid encounter with the past. When this happens, our students are able to move beyond observing the past as disengaged scientists and are enabled to learn the timeless lessons of the common human experience.

New York state standards provide a curriculum for Global 9 that categorizes the course as a social science. As such, the past is examined by the student as a disinterested party who is taught how to compare and analyze primary sources, use and interpret data, and articulate how historical events have a causal relationship between each other. This method of approaching the past is incredibly useful and has its proper place in the historians toolbox, so to speak. However, to limit our approach to the past utilizing this methodology does a disservice to history and to the past.

History is filled with dramatic stories of heroism and villainy, and it is precisely this element that is lost when history is restricted to being merely a social science. Without the narration of a story, many of the lessons that can be learned from the past are missed. While it is important to understand how the struggle between the Greeks and Persians in 480 B.C. contributed to a temporary political unification of the Greek city-states, or how the Crusades led to an increase of trade between Asia and Europe, ending at that level of analysis does injustice to the people who lived their lives and left behind incredible stories to tell. There is a lesson for all people of every era to learn from King Leonidas, a human being, and his personal guard of 300 Spartan warriors who held their ground at the Battle of Thermopylae against the invading Persian army, accepting death for the freedom of their people. There are also lessons to be learned from King Baldwin the Leper who, having been afflicted with leprosy from the days of his youth, did not descend into bitterness, but found the commitment and courage to command his men in battle in order to protect the crusader states of the Holy Land.

To extrapolate all of the benefits from studying history, it is necessary to stimulate the imagination. This is where the use of historical fiction can be of great service. A well-written historical novel is able to recreate the world of the past in the mind of the student, with descriptions of buildings, dress, food and characters who communicate the common human experience. Of the historical novels assigned in our ninth grade year, one of the most popular is "The Outlaws of Ravenhurst." Written by Sister M. Imelda Wallace, "Outlaws" introduces the reader to the story of a boy named Charles Gordon, who is taken from his adopted family in 17th century Maryland and returned to his blood relatives at Ravenhurst Castle, Scotland. What ensues then is a daring adventure where Charles discovers that in post-Reformation Scotland, the rightful heir to Ravenhurst has been displaced and the Catholics of the land face persecution and grave danger. Sister Wallace does a fantastic job in this novel of weaving an intriguing story that also draws the reader into a near-tangible experience of Scotland in the 1600s.

Despite the fictitious nature of the particular characters and their actions, the book does well to place the reader in the historical scenario. While Charles Gordon may have never existed, there were families who were persecuted for their beliefs in 17th century Scotland. Experiencing this fact through the lens of the story naturally leads students to ask themselves pertinent questions: What would I do if I was in Charles place? Would I compromise my most inner beliefs when there are hostile companions around me? History often repeats itself, and the answer to these hypothetical questions will inevitably become real scenarios. If the student is able to answer the questions in a manner similar to Charles, they can be well on their way to living a life worthy of historical note. Leonidas or Baldwin would not be worthy of remembrance if they had not led their lives with courage. By using the historical novel, Tyburn inspires her students to live a courageous life comparable to the heroes of history.

Conor O'Donnell teaches theology, philosophy, history and economics at Tyburn Academy in Auburn, and also coaches basketball and organizes student activities. He is a graduate of Christendom College and is finishing his master's in theology with a concentration in sacred scripture this summer. For more information, call (315) 252-2937 or visit tyburnacademy.com.

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Although state legislators voted to ban the release of mugshots as part of the state budget, Cayuga County and Auburn law enforcement agencies say they plan to continue releasing booking photos.

The budget bill the mugshot ban is a part of allows law enforcement agencies to release mugshots if the images "will serve a specific law enforcement purpose and if disclosed is not precluded by any state or federal laws," the law states. Supporters of the provision believe releasing images is an invasion of personal privacy.

Last Wednesday, days after the state budget was approved, the New York State Police announced it will no longer release mugshots nor provide them when requested by the press. The agency said it will only release mugshots "for specific law enforcement purposes," such as for help locating a wanted suspect.

New York State Police no longer releasing mugshots The New York State Police will no longer release mugshots, the agency announced Wednesday.

Despite the stance of state police, several other police agencies around the state have stated their intentions to continue making the photos publicly available. That includes at least two agencies in Cayuga County.

"At this time the Auburn Police Department is continuing to provide booking photos as we have in the past," APD Chief Shawn Butler said in a statement.

Although still working his way through the state's budget bill, he said the "broad and generic" verbiage "leads me to believe that because our objective and goal of being a department with a foundation built on transparency, we must at this time continue our practice of releasing recent arrest information to include booking photos."

He said APD will review and adjust policies as necessary in the future if "specific law enforcement purpose" becomes more clearly defined.

Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck also said in an email he believes he has the discretion to release or withhold booking photos.

"I intend to continue to release booking photos as I feel the public, and the media, has a right to this information. The Sheriff's Office will continue to be committed to transparency," Schenck said.

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PORT BYRON  The village of Port Byron spontaneously voted against renewing the school resource officer contract with the Port Byron Central School District Monday night  something the district and parents have been seeking renewal of for weeks.

Unless something changes, June 30 will be SRO Frank Ryan's last day. On March 25, parents and district representatives asked the village to renew the SRO contract. The support for the renewal followed the district's announcement that its attempts to engage the village to make updates to its SRO contract were ignored.

Currently, the school district pays SRO Ryan directly. The Cayuga County Civil Service Commission has since asked the district and the village to change the current arrangement, which is set to expire June 30, so that the village pays the officer. The commission reported to village Mayor Ronald Wilson that the school never reported having an SRO, which meant the district wasn't complying with civil service rules.

Port Byron village, school district in dispute over school resource officer contract The Port Byron Central School District has grown increasingly concerned over what it feels i

When opening the public to be heard portion of Monday's meeting to about 17 community members, Wilson asked that those with nothing new to add "just keep your mouth shut."

"I would really like to stress that this has turned into a thing about personalities and not really about positions. Really, all that we're asking the village to do is to negotiate with us to approve a position for an SRO for the school district," district Board of Education President Melinda Quanbeck said. "What we need is to be able to reassure that we can protect the students."

If the village isn't willing to negotiate, she said it would still be better for the school to know that so it can come up with a solution. She noted that while the contract doesn't expire until June, it isn't currently operating legally.

"What I find here is disrespect," said parent and school employee JoAnn Mapley. "The fact that you just disregard the safety of our students, my child, so flippantly I don't agree with that."

"Well if you read the Facebook crap that's out there," Wilson said, "it's been insulting to the village, it's been insulting to the village board, it's been insulting to me."

Wilson said nobody has asked to be on the agenda with enough time to do so. He also only got one email asking to have a sit-down meeting to talk about the issue, but said in response to a question that he never replied to the email.

"I'll be here until this is resolved and I'll speak every single time as is my right," said Angelee Hitchcock, a parent, teacher and union president. "This has gotten out of control."

After about 15 minutes of discussion, Board member Jeff Girvin said "we should just end this," then immediately made a motion not to sign the contract with the school for the renewal for the 2019-2020 year. When asked why, he cited liability to the village. Wilson agreed liability was a big concern.

Board member Patrick Fenton seconded the motion and said he, and all the board, believe there should be an armed officer at the school but that the relationship with the school isn't working. State troopers can get to the school in two minutes, he added.

"The school has tons of options on their own without the village being involved," he said.

Without the village as part of the equation, school district attorney Matthew Fletcher said an officer in the school could carry a gun, but could not "exercise police powers in that capacity."

"Personally, I think the school has been big bullies in this whole thing," Girvin said. "How many times will you constantly use 'the kids, the kids'?"

Board members Mary Jump and Jeffery Emerson both said they were willing to enter negotiations with the school. When it came time to vote on whether or not to renew the contract, Jump and Emerson opposed while Fenton, Girvin and Wilson passed the motion.

"Right now, it's dead," Wilson said in response to a question on if voting to not renew the contract meant that the board was also not interested in negotiating a new contract.

"So if something happens to one of our kids, we can come back and blame it on you? You can live with that on your shoulders?" Kim Blaisdell asked Girvin.

"I got more blood on my hands than you'll ever understand," Girvin replied.

"It would just be really nice to hear from the village that ... it was interested in finding a solution," said Trista O'Hara.

Staff writer Megan Ehrhart can be reached at (315) 282-2244 or megan.ehrhart@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter @MeganEhrhart.

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" " Early logos of two American powerhouses, rivals from the beginning  the Dodge Brothers Motor Company and Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company. Wikimedia Commons/HowStuffWorks

When it comes to great American feuds, there's Hamilton and Burr, Hatfield and McCoy, and, of course, Cardi and Nicki.

Sure, some of the most famous disputes in history have been settled in all kinds of ways  with pistols, murders and, yes, even rap battles. But the truly American way of handling big beefs is to hand them over to lawyers and drag them into the courts.

The legal tussle that took place between Henry Ford and brothers John and Horace Dodge helped shape the auto industry as we know it. The feud also laid the groundwork for how judges, even today, look at the relationships of businesses with their shareholders, employees and competitors.

"The number one reason that case is cited is for Ford supposedly wanting to do right by his workers," says Marc Hodak, an adjunct professor in New York University's business school. "The idea that he was actually trying to squeeze out the Dodge brothers is something that's often lost."

" " Henry Ford circa 1919. Wikimedia Commons/Library of Congress

There is no Henry Ford without John and Horace Dodge. And there is no Dodge v. Ford Motor Co. if a once formidable partnership hadn't devolved into infighting for a leg up on the burgeoning American automobile market.

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Competitive Juices

Ford and Dodge are some of the most iconic names in U.S. car making history. It turns out that the guys behind both brands started out on the same side.

The Dodge brothers  an unruly pair known in Detroit for their red hair, drinking prowess and affinity for knocking people out cold in bar brawls  got started in the car business in 1900, building Oldsmobile transmissions.

Just a few years later, they were the chief supplier and outside machinists for Ford Motor's Model A, the company's first automobile. They also ponied up a large portion of the $28,000 that investors gave to Henry Ford to get started. That investment soon paid off: Ford Motor turned a $37,000 profit less than three months after selling the first Model A, the company said.

But the Dodges had bigger plans. They used the Dodge Brothers Motor Company banner in 1914 to launch their own car, the Model 30-35. The vehicle was intended to compete directly with the Ford Model T.

Henry Ford didn't take kindly to the new competition. He made a pair of decisive moves to try to take the wind out of Dodge's sails. Ford stopped paying dividends to the Dodge brothers and other investors. Then, he slashed nearly two-thirds off of the price tag on his cars.

The Dodge brothers were the "primary target," Hodak says, "but Ford didn't want any shareholders. He considered shareholders to be parasites."

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Court Battle Offers Mixed Result

The ensuing legal battle  the Dodges promptly sued Ford  eventually found its way up to the U.S. Supreme Court. The case is often described as a win for the Dodges, but Hodak and some legal experts say that's only half the story.

The court upheld an order directing Ford to pay a dividend to the Dodge brothers and other shareholders. In doing so, it rejected Ford's claim that he wanted to reinvest the money to bolster the company's production and boost workers' wages.

The decision is often cited for the legal theory of "shareholder supremacy," or that businesses should maximize profits for the benefit of shareholders.

"A business corporation is organized and carried on primarily for the profit of the stockholders," Judge Russell Ostrander wrote for the court. "The powers of the directors are to be employed for that end."

But the court also acknowledged another important legal theory, commonly referred to as the "business judgment rule." That principal assumes that corporate directors generally act in the best interests of the company and have wide leeway to do so, as long as their moves are reasonable. The court cited it in rejecting the Dodges' attempt to block Ford from expanding his factory.

"The judges are not business experts," Ostrander wrote. "It is recognized that plans must often be made for a long future, for expected competition, for a continuing as well as an immediately profitable venture. The experience of the Ford Motor Company is evidence of capable management of its affairs."

Ford may have had that part of the decision in mind when he made his next move against the Dodges. After the court ruling, Ford announced he was selling the company to his son. He also planted a rumor that he might start a new car business, driving down the value of the shares in Ford Motor Co.

That was enough to spook the Dodges and other investors, who sold their shares back to the Ford family.

Now That's Cold The lawsuit John and Horace Dodge filed in 1916 claimed that Henry Ford had priced his cars too low, thereby cheating shareholders of potential income. It was filed the day after Henry's son Edsel Ford's wedding to Eleanor Clay. The Dodge brothers had been guests at the reception.
LAS VEGAS, NVTrac-B Exchange, the only local harm reduction center that provides services tailored to sex workers, has begun a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds so that its programs can expand.

Established in 2017, Trac-B provides free health services to the community including HIV and Hepatitis testing and linkage to care, safer sex kits, syringe exchange, Naloxone (opioid reversal medication), and wound care. All services are provided free of charge.

Trac-Bs resources for sex workers include:

* Free harm reduction supplies: condoms (of every kind and size, including female condoms), dental dams, lube, pregnancy tests, drink-testers, discounted Plan B pills.

* Free HIV and Hepatitis C testing, referrals to healthcare specific to sex workers such as free counseling, referrals to exiting resources, referrals to free/low-cost access to PREP and PEP.

* A Bad date list.

* Monthly peer support group meetings led by a sex worker for sex workers, to assess community needs, give referrals and resources/supplies, and provide harm reduction resources.

A leading edge provider of healthcare and harm reduction resources, Trac-B currently has three vending machines in the Las Vegas metropolitan area: at Huntridge Family Clinic (1830 E. Sahara Ave.), The Center (LGBTQ center) (401 S. Maryland Pkwy.), and the Center for Behavioral Health (3050 Desert Inn Rd., Suite 116).

The machines currently vend safer sex kits (including condoms and lube), pregnancy tests, clean syringes, sharps containers, hormone syringe kits, Naloxone, first aid kits, hygiene kits, and safe smoking kits. Trac-B is currently looking to put free Plan B morning-after pills in its vending machines.

In the near future, Trac-B plans to add harm reduction and safety workshops for sex workers; training sessions for social workers and healthcare providers on how to work with sex workers; and additional supplies for sex workers in vending machines.

Christina Parreira, Trac-Bs Sex Work Harm Reduction Coordinator and an out sex worker, said, We are trying to raise $20,000 in the next year to fund more office space, the addition of more staff, the expansion of the sex worker harm reduction program, and to install more harm reduction vending machines around Nevada, increasing access to free Naloxone to save lives.

Trac-B is also dedicated to bringing the voices of current sex workers into its program development.

Trac-Bs GoFundMe page can be viewed here. The center is located at 6114 W. Charleston Blvd., on the corner of W. Charleston and Jones, in Las Vegas.

For the latest news and events from Trac-B, follow it at its official site HarmReductionCenterLV.com; on Twitter @TracBExchange; on Instagram @tracbexchange; on Switter @TracBExchange; and on Reddit.

Sex workers who would like their email address or phone number added to Trac-Bs list of individuals to be sent reminders of the monthly meeting, can email [email protected].
MELBOURNE, AUADULTEX 2019, Australias largest annual adult B2B trade show and exhibition, concluded on Wednesday, April 3, after three successful days showcasing the latest and most innovative products from the worlds leading manufacturers of pleasure products, lingerie, lubricants, sexual wellness and novelty items.

Now in its 15th year, ADULTEX 2019 was sponsored by Pipedream and CalExotics and held at a luxury 5-star beachfront resort on the Gold Coast, attracting 33 exhibitors and hosting over 170 guests.

We are thrilled with the overwhelming response from all vendors who supported ADULTEX 2019," said an ADULTEX spokesperson. "I would like to thank Calvista's new and exclusive partners, Intimate Earth, Nexus, Pornhub and EROS."

The ADULTEX proceedings were kick-started by the Welcome Party sponsored by CalExotics new range (or line), California Dreaming. The welcome party took place by the pool of the beachfront resort and all guests were greeted with fire twirlers and cool beachy tunes from a leading DJ, while the combi photo booth was extremely popular amongst all guests. California Dreaming prizes were also given away during the limbo competition.

This year's focus was to educate key retail partners on the five pillars that makes for a successful business. Keynote presentations were given regarding retail marketing and social media, merchandising, product quality, sales and the art of customer engagement. Also, Frank Kok, Sales Director of Pornhub and Kiiroo, discussed emerging markets of the industry.

The annual ADULTEX Awards were presented at the lavish Palazzo Versace 5 Star Hotel on the Gold Coast. This year's fancy dress event had a Hollywood flavor and was sponsored by Pipedream. The night began with guests walking the red carpet and having their photos taken as if they were movie stars. This spectacular themed Hollywood party featured a live band and was fitted out with professional casino tables that were enjoyed by all guests.

Winner of Service to the Industry 2019 Award was Mr. Paul Whyte from Gel Works, who has been a leader and innovator in the development of lubricants for over 30 years. Mr. Whyte developed and maintained collaborations with world leaders in the research of condoms and public health, has dedicated years of research relating to sexual wellness, HIV and AIDS and started several mens help groups.

ADULTEX continues to be the premier adult tradeshow in the southern hemisphere and we look forward to hosting our 16th ADULTEX next year! We have a big job on our hands to top this years ADULTEX, but planning has already commenced to make ADULTEX 2020 bigger and better," said Roger Sheldon-Collins, General Manager of Calvista.

The winners of the ADULTEX 2019 Awards were:

Best Fetish Range: Sinful by NS Novelties

Best LGBTI Range: Colt by CalExotics

Best Lubrication or Lotion Range: Swiss Navy

Best Marketing: COTR, Inc

Best New Product: Womanizer Liberty by WOW Tech

Best Female Product Range: Nu Sensuelle

Best Male Product Range: Main Squeeze by Doc Johnson

Best Product Packaging: Fredricks of Hollywood by Xgen Products

Best Novelty/Game Product: 50 Positions of Bondage Game by Kheper Games

Best Sexual Health & Wellness/Product Range: Intimate Care by JimmyJane

Best Female Product: Womanizer Premium by WOW Tech

Best Male Product: Hydroxtreme7 by Bathmate

Most Innovative Product: Axis Premium Versatile Controller by Electrastim

Best Luxury Toy Range: LELO

Best Brand: Pipedream Extreme by Pipedream

Company of the Year: CalExotics

Customers Choice Award: NU Sensuelle

Service to the Industry: Paul Whyte, Gel Works

For more details about ADULTEX, visit adultex.com.au.
LAS VEGASNeon, flashy sequins, new packaging, new products, major milestones  all of it is easily found on the show floor of the first Altitude Intimates Show of 2019.

Altitude returned to the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino for a three-day run, April 8-10. Lingerie and pleasure product manufacturers exhibited at the trade show, where buyers and other attendees could find the hottest fashions and latest trends.

In lingerie this season, there is plenty to choose from, as everything from bright neon colors to faux fur to oversized sequins were all the rage. In the Roma booth, there was plenty of sparkle, as booth models showcased outfits that caught the light and brightened the room. J Valentines booth also featured outfits adorned with sequins, as well as faux fur coats with bright colors and lights.

The trends are geared toward a younger market, whose members are looking for pieces that can be worn not just in the bedroom, but also outside the home, explained Primrose Boon, merchandise director for Fantasy Lingerie.

The younger market is looking for something that can serve multiple purposes, she said. To have a piece that makes you feel sexy and seductive in the bedroom and can be worn to a festival atmosphere is a big deal.

Fantasy Lingerie introduced a number of new pieces and collections at Altitude that fit that description, including its new Sheer range of boxed body stockings, and everything from teddies to babydolls to two-piece sets that feature unique details, including fishnet, animal prints, neon colors and removable garters.

The company also debuted new collections meant to redefine suburban livelihood, Boon said. The pieces in each collection are meant to take traditional representations of women from the 1950s and 1960s and give them new definition. The Spring & Summer Hanging Collection features lingerie outfits in pastel colors and floral patterns with names based on classic cocktails: The Man Tai is a kimono sleeve robe with a keyhole cutout in the back made of a light mesh with floral design and matching panties; the Pink Lady is a strawberry cream-colored bra with molded cup and thong panties paired with a tie-back gartered mini-skirt; and so on. The Premiere Hanging Collection features white bridalwear pieces based on the cult classic Valley of the Dolls: the Jennifer is a halter top with matching panty; the Annie is a bed jacket and panty set; and the Neely is a lace romper.

In a booth next to Fantasy Lingerie, Coquettea Canadian-based lingerie manufacturer celebrating its 40th anniversary this yeartreated visitors to their boxed lingerie collection, available in One Size and One Size XL, and featuring everything from costume sets to babydolls, teddies and two-piece sets.

Spartacus, a company known for BDSM-themed gear, showcased a new line of collars and cuffs lined with leather and featuring a white or pink snakeskin pattern on the outside. Another set is lined with soft faux fur and padded, with bright, shiny red PU stamped with a crocodile skin pattern on the outside. The company also offered educational one-sheets titled Spank: Pleasure Intensity Guide, Pinch: The Wide, Wild World of Clamps and Stretch: Guide to CBT.

In the Fun AF Products booth, reps from exclusive distributor SOS Distribution presented the new product Juicy AF!, a peach-flavored gummy sex supplement. The concentrated formula can be consumed as little as one-quarter at a timewith the rest stored in the resealable packagingwith results lasting up to 72 hours.

Several distributors were exhibiting at Altitude, each showcasing a number of manufacturers in one spot. In the Holiday Products booth, attendees were able to get up close and personal with the new Magic Wand Plus, the latest incarnation of the popular wand-style vibrator celebrating its 50th anniversary. Eddie Romero of Vibratex, the company that exclusively brings the wand-style vibrator to the American market, noted the Magic Wand Plus features all the legendary aspects of the corded original with some impressive updates. The Magic Wand Plus come with a removable charging cord and a silicone head (versus the vinyl head of the original), as well as an on/off button instead of the toggle switch used on the original. The three speeds vary between 2,700 rpms and 6,300 rpms. The new style also results in new packaging of all the models.

They each have a color scheme that makes them cohesive, but still distinctive from one another, Romero said.

The MD Science Lab booth showcased the Swiss Navy Lube brand, and reps hinted that new products might soon be on the horizon.

Satisfyerwhich sponsored much of the trade show, including gift bags for attendees and the poolside cocktail party on opening nightdebuted its Satisfyer Luxury range. They are crafted from either pure aluminum or metal with leather accents. The booth also was drawing attention for its recent team-up with Elle magazine, where the companies packaged their products together for more than 15,000 qualified subscribers.

The Nalpac booth was home to several manufacturers and new products, including the new Collection range from Blush Novelties, the newly packaged Coochy Cream brand from Classic Erotica and the Exercise Medical Pelvic Muscle Training Set from Shots America. With four modelsKegel balls, a rabbit-style stimulator, a G-spot version and a single-shaft vibethe set also includes a wearable FitBit-style watch that functions as a remote to control the stimulators as well as a tracker for usage and progress. Also proving popular in the distributors booth was the new Intense Travel Vibeavailable in Petite and Expert sizesfrom Nasstoys.

Shibari Wands showed off its new Voodoo range, which features some of the best-selling products from the Shibari Wands line a well as new items, all in color eye-catching packaging.

We will make our original Shibari Wands line available exclusively to Amazon, and the new Voodoo line will be exclusively for retailers, explained company rep Danielle Seerley.

The new range includes the Money Bunny, a rabbit-style USB rechargeable vibrator; the waterproof egg-shape vibe perfect for beginners, the Egg-Static; and the Plug Walk, a stainless steel anal plug safe for use with all lubricants.

Among the other exhibitors at Altitude were Touch of Fur, a manufacturer known for its metal anal plugs decorated with animal tails of both real and faux fur; Uberlube, a popular lubricant manufacturer that creates body-safe personal moisturizers in silicone- and water-based formulas, as well as a hybrid variety; Electric Novelties, which presented Hustler-themed novelties, the popular Glas line of hand-blown dildos, the Blue Line of C&B gear and more; Cousins Group, which displayed its Pornstar Signature Series of strokers; Sensuva, a company known for its creams and potions to enhance sexual activity; and UP 24-7, a manufacturer of sexual supplements.

Altitude Intimates Show continues through Wednesday, April 10. For more, visit AltitudeShow.com.
Porn is illegal in China, and in fact, its so illegal that the government offers a reward of $120,000about 12 times the average annual wage of a Chinese workerfor informing on porn producers. But none of that has stopped people in China from seeking out and viewing porn anyway, as a groundbreaking new study of Chinese porn habits reveals.

The study was conducted by Yummy, Chinas most popular site for womens sexuality, and found that Chinas upswing in porn viewing is driven largely by young city dwellers in the worlds most populous country, a group in which 70 percent of men and half of all women say that they watch porn at least once per week.

We already know that Chinese people do watch porn, Yummy founder Zhao Jing told the China news and culture site SupChina. However, we dont know much about what exactly they like to watch and how it influences them.

What the study found, according to Zhao, is that porn has value. In fact, it appears that Chinese millennials are turning to porn for answers to their questions about human sexuality. That may be why, the study found, Chinese porn preferences differ in some significant ways from what porn consumers want to watch in Western countries.

While according to Pornhub stats, the most-searched porn terms in 2018 were lesbian, hentai, MILF, and step mom, Chinese men said that they like realistic scenes with active and expressive women, and high-quality productions, according to SupChina.

Chinese men also show a clear preference for porn produced in Chinaan interesting finding given that producing porn in China can land the producer in prison. But Chinese men also enjoy porn made in Japan, which has a thriving and long-standing pornor as it is called in Japan, AVindustry.

As for Chinese women, their tastes run to content tailored to them and gay porn featuring Japanese, Korean, or Western actors.

Among the top-searched terms in China are Silk Labo and Xart, which SupChina explains are the distinctly Japanese porn genres that feature, a dominant man and idealized woman, and emphasize romantic storytelling over sexual action. But Chinese women were more likely to watch Western-produced porn than Chinese men, who preferred Asian-made adult videos.

Independent porn director Erika Lust is also among the favorite search terms for Chinese porn fans.

But perhaps most significantly, a majority of Chinese porn fans said that watching porn educated them, inspired their sexual practices, and improved their sex lives, according to SupChina.

The survey also showed that Chinese viewers had a sophisticated understanding of what they were viewing, as 90 percent said that they were aware that porn and real-life sex were different, SupChina reported. But at the same time, nearly half of the men and 30 percent of women said they have tried to recreate, with their sex partners, what they had seen in adult movies.

Photo By Running Toddler/Wikimedia Commons
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As President El-Sisis official visit to Washington was about to transpire, western media went berserk, utilizing the opportunity to vent against Egypt and its president. At first, I planned to ignore the rage and let it pass, then, as I usually do, I got too aggravated to forego the opportunity to rebuttal, so I decided to take one journalist in particular on.

Usage of words and phrases such as authoritarian regime, dictator, iron grip, terrible ally, and clampdown in various western media articles in reference to Egypt is nothing new, but when Declan Walsh, of the New York Times, stationed in Cairo, goes after Egypt in an even more questionable fashion, I thought I ought to respond.

Declan Walsh comes across as a journalist who knows much about Egypt, but half truths or twisted truths are the worst especially if they are geared to affect change in readers views and how they see matters. Quoting out of context is also quite vicious if its intention is just the same.

I found it quite bizarre, trivial in fact, that Walsh would exploit Egyptian Ramadan series, or soap operas as he calls them, to go after Egypt and extend his vicious attack on President El-Sisi since I really doubt that the presidents encouragement of better performances entails that he wants to clampdown on Egyptians with his iron grip.

Lets look deeper at Mr. Walshs attack on the president and in the process his attack on Egyptians. You see we love watching our cherished weepy melodrama, he says, and are easily swayed by soap operas that may make us hate the Muslim Brotherhood further than we hate them already, alter our stance on issues or points of view, or accept the reality that the army and police force are taking the brunt of terrorist attacks. And the photo he chooses to depict Egyptians is intentionally insulting. It is that of a very poor Egyptian family watching television. Walsh is not implying that Egyptians are hard hit, desolate folks; by choice, he is saying they are, fait accompli.

Walsh says that in his desire to wield sweeping power, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi " is extending his iron grip to a new corner of Egyptian society: the countrys cherished soap operas. Am I the only one who finds this a very trivial issue that the esteemed NY Times readers would not find very credible? Who in his or her right mind would?

Of course, the topic, soap operas, is a facade to an in to find fault with everything Egyptian. Irrelevant and unrelated issues such Uber facing government demands, the rage after the train crash, and Amr Wakeds visit to the Congress are highlighted to consolidate his fact finding search.

El-Sisis officials are dictating scripts and capping wages subjecting everyone to suffocating controls. In addition, filmmakers are told to follow only approved themes, like praising the army and the police, or vilifying the banned Muslim Brotherhood. Immediately though he quotes a writer who says, For Sisi, this is not just about politics or power He wants to re-educate the Egyptian public.

Lets stop here for a moment. When President El-Sisi suggests that television emulate the better side of Egyptians, he is not dictating his authority. Quite the contrary, he is confirming what millions of Egyptians believe. I suggest Walsh listen to Egyptians who reminisce about what had been lost in recent TV and movie productions.

I also suggest that Walsh watch Mohamed Ramadans latest show, which doesnt play by the dictated rules and has been found degrading and obnoxious by the majority of Egyptians. And I tell you there was no capping of ticket prices thereLE 1000 for a ticket to see Mohamed Ramadan is hefty by any standard. Although such a show was not censored by authorities, but found degrading by most Egyptians, it still played negating your farfetched views on "suffocating controls."

You approve of the ferment of raucous debate, that used to take place on Egyptian television, saying that talk shows have become so predictably pro-government that many Egyptians are tuning out. The truth of the matter is that Egyptians have become bored sick of the stream of talk shows that consumed the airwaves for years after January 25; they have indeed tuned out. And since these talk shows are not bringing in viewers as they used to, they arent produced as much anymore.

Walsh also says, The armys Engineering Authority has been charged with overseeing ambitious projects worth billions of dollars. What you fail to realize is that the army supervises projects, but Egyptian companies, workers (not army soldiers), and engineers handle the projects, but you wouldnt want to state the facts, would you?

This is as far as the amusement goes. Walsh says that President El-Sisi governs through a small clique of advisers, mostly drawn from the military, the security services and his family. This I find to be quite offensive and derogatory. I have yet to see any of President El-Sisis family members draw attention to himself or herself, appear in any event to speak out, or have a social media account that portrays them as authorities. Walsh, unless you can verify your facts, this is a made up embellishment on your part.

By the way, have you ever found something good or positive to write about as far as Egypt is concerned, or is it, according to you, the perfect place to dump your anger and frustration?

A government spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. Im glad none did; you wouldve managed to twist his words even further or quoted him out of context to emphasize your disdain. Better yet, government spokespersons have more important matters to discuss and comment on than soap operas.
Derby-based Birds Bakery has chosen WellChild and SSAFA as the charities it will raise funds for during 2019.

Throughout the year, staff at Birds Bakery will lead activities to raise money for both charities, in the hope of achieving a total of 100,000 to mark Birds 100 years in business.

Wellchild is a national UK charity, making it possible for seriously ill children and young people to be cared for at home rather than in a hospital, wherever possible. SSAFA, the armed forces charity, provides support to serving men and women and veterans from the British armed forces, as well as their families or dependents.

Fundraising activities will include sales of Birds specially created gingerbread hands  a nod to WellChilds Helping Hands projects, collection tins in stores, a carrier bag levy donation, family events in the stores and other seasonal activities.

WellChild said it was delighted to be a charity partner of Birds Bakery, particularly during its important centenary year.

We would like to thank the firm, its employees and customers for their kind support. All the money raised for WellChild will fund our work to help seriously ill children and their families across the UK, said Colin Dyer, chief executive at WellChild.

Jonathan Sandall, director of fundraising at SSAFA, said: We are honoured to be chosen as Birds Bakerys charity of the year for 2019. Were excited to help Birds Bakery celebrate and share its military roots with customers.

The money raised will go a long way in supporting the armed forces communi
Tsunami 'Go Kits' Now Assist Guests at N. Oregon Coast Hotel

Published 04/09/2019 at 5:33 AM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Manzanita, Oregon) - The Ocean Inn in Manzanita has come up with a special way to take care of their guests should one particular horrific disaster happen here.

That spooky  and hopefully far-off  geological upheaval that will someday hit the Oregon coast continues to loom over the region: the imminent threat of a massive underwater earthquake just offshore and the subsequent tsunami. Both are expected to do extensive damage to all beach towns, quite likely wiping some off the map entirely. Subduction zone earthquakes and their resultant tsunamis occur in this region approximately every 300 to 500 years, and the last one happened in 1700.

Ocean Inn owners Larry and Janice Zagata, with the help of two other north Oregon coast residents, helped create the Go Kits in case of a major tsunami. Jason Johnson, owner of Seaside hiking and sporting goods store Tonquin Trading Company, created the actual product, and Linda Cook of the Emergency Volunteer Corps of the Nehalem Bay helped steer the groups direction.

Tonquin Tradings emergency kits are lightweight backpacks that contain a watertight first aid kit, water packets, two food bars, two emergency blankets, two emergency ponchos, and two hand warmers. They also contain a light stick that lasts as long as 12 hours.

They hang in every closet at the Ocean Inn, along with a laminated set of instructions of what to do in case of a tsunami. Its not rocket science, Larry Zagata points out in a video about the product: you turn right and walk away from the ocean. But evacuation procedures need some explaining sometimes, and the cards will come in handy during a time of panic and desperation.

Janice said she had the idea awhile back, but they only came to fruition this winter.

The idea of Go Bags for our guests rooms began a few years ago after attending an Emergency Preparedness meeting of the Emergency Volunteer Corps (EVC) of Nehalem Bay, she said. I have to admit coming out of that meeting I was even more confused. I began wondering what my obligations to my guest's were. After some research we decided we needed to provide our customers with something that they can grab and go with in the event of a natural disaster of any kind.

Once people arrive at the tsunami meeting point up the road, they will get further instructions.





We believe that the items in the bag will assist our customers with the basic needs to sustain them until they get to the assembly area and for a short time after.

Together with Johnson and Cook, they created the go kits. Tonquin Trading Companys site is now opening them up for sale to other lodgings on the Oregon coast. The names and logos of any company can be printed on them.

They are designed to take care of two individuals, but Johnsons company can tailor-make them according to other needs.

The go kits arent just for tsunamis: they can work in case of any other kind of disaster. Indeed, Manzanita experienced a rare tornado touching down a few years ago that tore up numerous buildings and took down almost a third of the north Oregon coast towns trees, but flooding and other issues could arise as well.

One such disaster was the inspiration behind creating Nehalem Bays EVC. Back in 2007, a large chunk of north Oregon coast  from Wheeler up to Astoria  took the area by surprise when the Great Gale that December knocked out power in many little towns for about a week. Cook said her organization now includes a whopping 400 members who are educated in not just tsunami preparedness but other disasters as well.

Ocean Inn is at 32 Laneda Ave. Manzanita, Oregon. 503-368-7701. 866-368-7701. www.oceaninnatmanzanita.com. - Hotels in Manzanita, Wheeler - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours

















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This past week, NC house representatives in Raleigh addressed one of the biggest ideological battles of this legislative session - does government work for the taxpayer or for special interests, and the answer has come back to us loud and clear -- the NC House works for special interests, namely, such healthcare powerhouses as the North Carolina Healthcare Association (the state hospital) and Vidant Health.On Wednesday, April 3, the NC House voted to pass the anti-Folwell bill, HB-145 - a bill crafted by the big healthcare players in the state and forced upon the lowly taxpayers by (many) bill sponsors who clearly have ties to the medical field in order to remove NC Treasurer Dale Folwell from his task of fixing the State Health Plan mess, saving the state, state employees and retirees, and taxpayers money, and preventing a financial crisis all so that they can continue over-billing the state through the Plan in order that their status and interests remain strong and well-funded.HB-184 has one goal and one goal only, despite the title of the bill ("Study State Health Plan Design"), and that is to block implementation of Folwell's plan and the reforms to State Health Plan.We've all heard the phrasesorWe heard these at the time of the federal bail-out bills, when the federal government stepped in to rescue specific banks and businesses from financial crises. In other words, the government was picking those who it deemed were most important; it was picking and making "winners." It was this mentality and this action on the part of the federal government, with taxpayer money, that led to the start of the great Tea Party movement - a movement tasked and devoted to constitutionally limited government, fiscal responsibility, and oversight in government to identify abuse and over-reached. The Tea Party seeks nothing more than to ensure that government works as intended, and no more.When a government becomes more concerned with special interests, then it ceases to be a government "for the people." When a government is more concerned that hospitals, banks, car manufacturers, and other special interests are shielded from failure (despite their bad management decisions) than making sure the taxpayers are taxed only for those costs and services that touch on their lives and residency in the country or state and when government is more concerned with the financial solvency of those businesses and institutions rather than the financial well-being of its citizens, treating them like an endless source of revenue and nothing more, then it ceases to be a government "for the people." Gradually, the people become an enslaved taxing class, with hard-earned money going down rat-holes that provide not a single benefit to them. And that's the threat we are facing should the NC Senate pass HB184 and this horribly bad bill be signed into law.The first step, however, has been taken. The NC House has decided to remove Treasurer Dale Folwell completely from his responsibility of straightening out the State Health Plan mess. Reporters and commentators, and opponents of the bill have described the vote on Wednesday as "Dale Folwell losing to NC Healthcare and Vidant Health and other interested healthcare parties. But Folwell perhaps said it best to a reporter:House legislators who voted for the bill clearly did not see the issue in those terms. They cowered to the scare tactics that big healthcare monopolies like Vidant Health might have to close rural hospitals.State employees, retirees, and taxpayers are not the only ones who have been opposed to this bill. State conservative policy organizations, conservative policy think-tank organizations, conservative talk-radio shows, and conservative journals are united against it as well - the Civitas Institute, the John Locke Society, the Carolina Journal, the County Compass, Wake Up Call (107.1), the Chad Adams Show, etc.I.A.and theDale Folwell enjoys an outstanding reputation, and not only for being an all-around nice guy and a man of utmost integrity. He did an excellent job serving four terms in the NC General Assembly but an even more significant job when he served in Governor Pat McCrory's administration (2013-2015). Serving as Assistant Secretary of Commerce with the Division of Employment Security, he took the most "broke and broken" unemployment system in the United States and turned it into a national leader in debt-repayment, quality and customer service. This outstanding accomplishment continues to save North Carolina's employers significant sums annually.Folwell is known, and rightfully so, as a problem solver.In 2013, he resigned from McCrory's administration to run for the State Treasurer position. The State Treasurer is the keeper of the public purse. In North Carolina, the Treasurer over-sees such big ticket items as the State Pension Plan, from which one in every ten North Carolinians receive a check each month, and the State Health Plan, which for those who do not know, is the state-administered insurance plan used by state employees; it pays for the medical expenses of teachers, state troopers, firefighters, and other state and local employees, and retirees (retired state employees). The State Health Plan is equivalent in size to the domestic employment base of Amazon, Bircher-Hathaway, and JP Morgan combined.[To learn more about what the state Treasurer in NC does, check out Dale Folwell's presentation, "The Price of Promises" He begins talking about the State Health Plan at time 12:30]When Folwell took office as North Carolina's Treasurer, he was faced with a crisis concerning the State Health Plan and tasked with solving it. When he ran for the position of Treasurer in 2016, many voted for him expecting him to solve the Plan's problems as its administration was in the Treasurer's portfolio. And as soon as he won the election, he immediately went to work to reform the state's Plan. The State Health Plan is seriously underfunded and currently burdens the state with unsustainable unfunded liabilities (obligations to employees and retirees), and therein lies the crisis. In fact, a recent report by the Pew Charitable Trusts confirmed that NC's unfunded retirement and health care costs are among the worst in the country. The reality is that the Plan that Folwell inherited is only 5% funded, with $35 billion of the Plan's liabilities being unfunded. Current spending projections estimate that the Plan will be insolvent by 2023, and unable to pay providers, unless action is taken. Without action, the state Treasurer estimates that every man, woman, and child in the state would have to pay almost $3,200 each to cover our current promises of health care for state and local government retirees.Just a few days ago (April 4), Folwell gave even more troubling figures. He told the John Locke Foundation that the State Health Plan, which covers 720,000 state employees, retirees, and dependents, is less than 4% funded.Back in December, Folwell proposed a possible solution - to restructure reimbursement rates for the State Health Plan. His intention was to tie State Health Plan rates to the federally-set Medicare rates, setting reimbursements at up to 235% of Medicare rates, which he calculated would save hundreds of millions of dollars annually. That sounds more than reasonable, yes? Bur for many providers, this would be less than what they currently charge the Plan for their services. A December 2018 NC Health News article on the issue explained,Healthcare prices for the privately-insured, as well as those on the State Health Plan, are higher due to the lower rates paid by Medicaid and Medicare. This essentially means that North Carolinians pay for those programs directly though their state and federal tax dollars, then additionally subsidize the programs through higher insurance prices that are passed on to them by their private or state health insurers. Yet Governor Roy Cooper and some legislators want to add an additional half a million enrollees to North Carolina's Medicaid program through Medicaid expansion during this current legislative session. House Democratic leader Darren Jackson (D-Wake), for example, said too many patients use hospitals for routine care because they lack health insurance, and so his solution is Medicaid expansion.Medicaid expansion would likely further compound the financial burden on our state regarding healthcare.We can start to see what is coming down the road for taxpayers.Folwell's plan was/ is called the "Clear Pricing Project" (or "Clear Pricing Plan") to highlight the fundamental and essential elements of his reform - transparency in the costs of services, procedures, tests, scans, etc and what hospitals charge and establishing a standard formula to use in paying hospitals. The plan, which he planned to launch in January 2020, would require health care providers to publish their prices and not alter or inflate them, thus providing health care consumers pricing information upfront and giving them the opportunity to shop around and compare. The plan would spark competition and ultimately reduce costs. Folwell understands the benefits of a free market type solution.As Folwell moved forward with his reforms (again, the "Clear Pricing Project" or "Clear Pricing Plan"), NC Healthcare Association and Vidant Health began to push back. The big hospitals claim they will suffer if Folwell's Clear Pricing Plan goes into effect; they have threatening that if their reimbursements are cut, they may very likely have to close rural hospitals. The scare tactics have been circulated and people are buying into this fake media. On social media and on their website, the Partnership for Innovation in Health Care (PIHC) makes arguments regarding a potential loss of health care jobs if the state implements Folwell's plan, while claiming that the Treasurer already has transparency in hospital pricing. That last claim, of course, is patently false. In fact, it is the absolute lack of transparency by hospitals in their pricing that led Folwell to suspect that they were not dealing with the State Health Plan honestly and in good faith. And it was the absolute refusal of the hospitals to provide Folwell with pricing information that led the hospitals to seek to have his efforts thwarted and his inquiries stopped and his efforts thwarted. (See later, in the debate from the House floor). Meanwhile, the group that will be most directly affected by any change to the State Health Plan, the State Employees Association of North Carolina (SEANC) has endorsed Folwell's plan.
I am excited to share that today we are announcing the VMware vSphere 6.7 Update 2 release, with key enhancements that will deliver an efficient and more secure hybrid cloud platform to our customers. We are also announcing the new vSphere Remote Office Branch Office Enterprise edition, as well as updates going specifically into vSphere Platinum edition.

VMware vSphere 6.7 delivers a set of rich capabilities that provide key value and innovation to our customers. It delivers simple and efficient management to more easily run large infrastructure footprints.

Comprehensive intrinsic security capabilities protect applications, infrastructure, data, and access. Infrastructure teams are equipped to support both mission critical applications as well as new use cases such as AI/ML, VDI and new application architectures. Finally, customers looking to adopt public cloud benefit from seamless management and visibility across their entire hybrid cloud environment.

vSphere 6.7 Update 2

vSphere 6.7 Update 2 will deliver simplified operations, enhanced security, and support for new applications. It will include updates to the vCenter Server Converge Tool, new vCenter Server audit events and new VM maximums.

With vSphere 6.7 Update 2, VMware is announcing the deprecation of external PSCs. With VMware vCenter Server enhanced link mode introduced in vSphere 6.7, infrastructure teams can link up to fifteen vCenter Server instances in the embedded PSC topology, eliminating the need for load balancers and simplifying architectures. The vCenter Server Converge Tool introduced in vSphere 6.7 Update 1 enables VI admins to seamlessly migrate topologies with external PSCs to topologies with embedded PSCs. With the new vCenter Server Converge Tool UI in vSphere 6.7 Update 2, infrastructure teams now have an intuitive snapshot of their environments that enables VI admins to make informed life cycle management decisions. The UI provides topological and extended views of the relationships between components such as:

vCenter Server instances and PSC Embedded vCenter Server instances and other embedded vCenter Server instances Health checks Replication status

This delivers exceptional end-to-end user experience as customers migrate their topologies from vCenter Server instances with external PSC to vCenter Server instances with Embedded PSCs.

vSphere 6.7 Update 2 provides vCenter Server events and logging capabilities for single-sign-on operations such as user activity, user management, SSO group operations, identity source and policy updates. Customers now get extensive logging capabilities for detailed visibility into user activity for more secure access.

Customers who are using Intel Skylake or older processors continue to rely on the hypervisor or operating systems to protect against the L1TF security vulnerability. vSphere 6.7 Update 2 provides enhanced protection against L1TF with a modified scheduler that also recaptures performance impacted by the vulnerability.

And to top things off, new VM configuration maximums in vSphere 6.7 Update 2 of 256 vCPUs and 6TB of vRAM enable customers to virtualize database intensive applications such as SAP HANA.

Today, VMware also announcing the VMware vRealize Operations 7.5 release which, among other new capabilities, will deliver new integrated compliance and automated drift remediation capabiities for VMware vSphere, to help reduce risk and enforce IT and regulatory standards. You can read more abut these enhancements in the vRealize Operations 7.5 announcement blog post.

vSphere Platinum updates

vSphere Platinum is the new premier edition of vSphere and combines the rich security capabilities of core vSphere with VMware AppDefense. VMware AppDefense leverages machine learning to establish baseline application behavior and detects and responds to deviations from the baseline, effectively shrinking the attack surface. The vCenter Server AppDefense plugin is a powerful tool that provides deep visibility inside VMs directly from the vSphere client, empowering VI Admins to deliver more secure VMs to run data center applications.

We have introduced several new capabilities to AppDefense with this release, delivering increased application visibility and enhanced security lifecycle management. New scope level dashboards provide a real-time snapshot of application health and an overview of the security validation checks performed. Increased granularity for monitoring and event classification reduces the operational overhead for security incident response and remediation. By automatically adapting to security events that have been classified as normal application behavior, vSphere Platinum effectively reduces false positive alerts, reducing the operational burden on security operators.

vSphere ROBO Enterprise

We are excited to announce vSphere Remote Office Branch Office Enterprise as the new highest end edition of vSphere Remote Office Branch Office, an efficient and secure platform for your remote sites and branch offices. vSphere Remote Office Branch Office Enterprise brings key capabilities that deliver enhanced security and business agility to the infrastructure at your remote sites.

Customer data at remote sites is further away from the data center and hence, there is a critical need to secure this data. vSphere Remote Office Branch Office Enterprise helps secure this data through VM-level encryption capability designed to protect data against unauthorized access.

Moreover, vSphere ROBO Enterprise makes it easier for customers to perform maintenance on remote hosts by delivering Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) in Maintenance Mode. It automatically moves VMs out of a server when it goes offline for maintenance and brings the VMs back to the server afterwards. Maintenance can be done remotely from a central IT location, enhancing business agility and availability.

To learn more about vSphere Platinum and vSphere 6.7 Update 2, visit the product website or try the hands-on lab. You can get more details about vSphere Remote Office Branch Office Enterprise on this product page. You can also reach out to us on Twitter at @VMwarevSphere.


Yahoo! JAPAN



Yahoo! JAPAN
This blog is looking for wisdom, to have and to share. It is also looking for other rare character traits like good humor, courage, and honor. It is not an easy road, because all of us fall short. But God is love, forgiveness and grace. Those who believe in Him and repent of their sins have the promise of His Holy Spirit to guide us and show us the Way.
Trump's handpicked Attorney General Bill Barr says the report prepared by Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office will be ready for public release within about a week.

Barr also said: "I do not intend" to provide "the full, unredacted report" to Congress  even as House Judiciary has threatened to subpoena for it.

The Department of Justice is working with the office of the Special Counsel to color code its contents, redact, and add explanations for the basis behind each redaction.

Yes, that's right.

They're gonna color code it.

AG Barr says the Mueller report will be ready for release within a week. DOJ is working with the special counsel's office and DOJ will color code the report and add explanations for the basis of each redaction of the report.  Shimon Prokupecz (@ShimonPro) April 9, 2019

Attorney General William Barr: "I think that from my standpoint  within a week  I will be in a position to release the (Mueller) report to the public" https://t.co/1tSC6oaH46 pic.twitter.com/EFVOGAoKYm  CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) April 9, 2019

Barr shuts the door on Nita Lowey when she asks if the WH has seen or been briefed on Mueller report. "Im not going to say anything more about it."  Manu Raju (@mkraju) April 9, 2019

"I've said what I'm going to say about the report" AG Barr says in response to Dem Rep Lowey Qs about whether WH has seen the Mueller report. who inside DOJ he's consulted with adding he wont say anything more about it until it's out.  Deirdre Walsh (@deirdrekwalsh) April 9, 2019

Pretty big red flag that Barr, after discussing the report extensively, refuses to say whether he has briefed the WH on it.  Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) April 9, 2019

Just 10 days ago, Barr said: "There are no plans to submit the report to the White House for a privilege review." https://t.co/4F9BaoJfkG https://t.co/FphfmNkgFa  Josh Gerstein (@joshgerstein) April 9, 2019
Zain Qaiser, from Barking in London, scammed millions of pounds out of website visitors and is off to jail. He may be the world's most prolific ransomware distributor, reports the BBC, exposed in a trial that focused on easy-to-blackmail porn site visitors.

Qaiser, 24, was jailed for more than six years at Kingston Crown Court. The court heard he is the most prolific cyber criminal to be sentenced in the UK. Judge Timothy Lamb QC said: "The harm caused by your offending was extensive  so extensive that there does not appear to be a reported case involving anything comparable." 

Qaiser was first arrested almost five years ago  but the case has been delayed because of the complexity of the investigation and mental health concerns. Initially working from his bedroom at his family home in Barking, Qaiser began to make money through "ransomware" attacks when he was only 17 years old.
Featured Post O'odham Voice Against the Wall Holiday Drive Huge Success Ofelia Rivas and Victor Garcia. By Ofelia Rivas, Tohono O'odham Censored News Dec. 14, 2021 O'odham VOICE Against the WALL Holida...

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About Censored News Censored News is published by Brenda Norrell. Since 2006, Censored News has received more than 20 million pageviews. As a collective of writers, photographers and broadcasters, we publish news of Indigenous Peoples and human rights. Contact publisher Brenda Norrell: brendanorrell@gmail.com

From the publisher Censored News is published by Brenda Norrell, a journalist in Indian country for 39 years. Norrell created Censored News after she was censored and terminated as a staff reporter at Indian Country Today in 2006. She began as a reporter at Navajo Times during the 18 years that she lived on the Navajo Nation. She was a stringer for AP and USA Today and later traveled with the Zapatistas through Mexico. She has been blacklisted by all the mainstream media for 14 years. Contact brendanorrell@gmail.com

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News / Africa

by Staff reporter

A team of South African experts who recommended that Pelonomi Venson Moitoi should withdraw her challenge against President Mokgweetsi Masisi for the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) presidency have also recommended strategies to oust Masisi."Our attention has been drawn to the possibility of Mr Khama supporting independent candidates comprising mainly BDP members who allege to have been cheated in the primary elections. In carefully selected constituencies, at local government and parliamentary level, independent candidates with enough support can win against BDP official candidates hostile to Mr Khama. If they fail they can take away enough votes for opposition to possibly win the constituencies in question. The biggest loser in this scenario is Mr Masisi."The team further recommends that Khama should negotiate a deal with the opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) before making a commitment to help the oust President Masisi's government."Mr Khama retains affection in the hearts of many Botswana people. Footage of his community upliftement visits to communities show a man of magnetism and is still able to rouse the crowds. It is unlikely his predecessor in retirement could retain the appeal Mr Khama still does. In this context if the above options are considered unviable, Mr Khama can still resign from BDP and support opposition candidates well-disposed to him without him seeking return to office in the case of a change of government. The relationship between the new government and Mr Khama will be a subject of negotiations and agreements before any commitments can be made."The report further states that, "unlike any of his predecessors, and other presidents who will come after him, Mr Khama can count on a loyal following from his chieftainship territory. It is impossible for everyone in his areas of royal jurisdiction to support the paramount chief as already evidenced by activists in the territory backing Mr Masisi. But as a decidedly rural territory, we are confident Mr Khama's support for independents and selected opposition candidates can tilt the scales in areas which were previously impregnable if he reaches out to the multitudes who still regard the chief as more important than a political party. Again a separate, thorough feasibility study of individual constituencies in which support will be given to independents and opposition candidates will have to be done."Although the team of experts mooted the possibility of Khama reaching out to Masisi, they raised questions on whether Masisi would live up to his end of the deal."Mr Khama to reach out to Mr Masisi, personally or through emissaries for a truce to be negotiated in the interests of both men and for the sake of the party. In this regard, Mr Masisi having registered his hollow victory, achieved with the price of manipulation, intimidation and abuse of state resources and assets may be amenable to a settlement in order to turn his attention to the general elections. A big question mark is would Mr Masisi's conciliatory stance be genuine or only meant to buy him peace for purposes of the election after which he will return to haunt Mr Khama? Our analysis is that for Mr Masisi's project to become a success, Mr Khama and his associates must continuously be vilified and portrayed in the eyes of the nation as the perennial enemies of the nation.."The team also mooted the possibiolity of Khama helping to fiorm a new party."Mr Khama to aid the formation of a new political party. Mr Khama cannot lead the party in case he is accused of plotting what one of the Botswana ministers, Unity Dow referred to as a Putin strategy to return to power. But can a party formed after April with only 6 months to elections be organized and resourced in time for the elections? Will the new party be part of opposition coalition or go it alone? For the party to be of significant force it will have to rely on BDP members sympathetic to Mr Khama to make up the bulk of its leadership and rank and file. The viability of a new party will have to be studied in more depth."
News / National

by Staff reporter

GOVERNMENT has said the Cyclone Idai-induced floods that ravaged the eastern part of the country nearly a forthnight ago has unified politically-polarised Zimbabweans as they seek to assist survivors.Speaking at a ministers' briefing to ambassadors accredited to the southern African country, Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa said Zimbabweans had set aside their political differences to provide relief to those affected by the cyclone."I am very proud of the people of this country and well-wishers have, indeed, responded so overwhelmingly. This has actually brought Zimbabwean people into one. We have shown love for each other," she said.Zimbabwe, which is deeply divided along political lines, has failed to find solutions to political and economic problems hounding the nation, but political rivals Nelson Chamisa of the MDC and President Emmerson Mnangagwa have both toured the affected areas to offer support to the victims.Primary and Secondary Education minister Paul Mavhima said they were appealing for assistance in the education sector."There are 18 schools which were affected, particularly in Chimanimani and Chipinge. Some pupils were traumatised and we have established psycho centres to help them with counseling," Mavhima said."We are appealing for teaching and learning materials. We need books to restore some of the libraries. We also need furniture  1 500 desks and1 500 chairs."Speaking at the same event, Local Government minister July Moyo said the cyclone left a trail of destruction in Manicaland."In Manicaland, we have recorded 179 deaths, we have buried 102 bodies. There are also 12 unidentified dead bodies. One-hundred and eighty-six people were injured and eight of these had severe injuries and they were airlifted to hospitals. Those missing amount to 329, while those displaced are 6 788 and 3 600 of those are children," he said."There is Tongogara camp and it is located in a low-lying area and 2 000 refugees were displaced also. Seven-hundred and seventy-three houses were affected and 11 bridges were destroyed."According to Moyo, in Masvingo province, 6 257 houses were destroyed, 17 people injured, while 511 people were displaced by floods in areas such as Bikita, Zaka and Gutu.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Zimbabwe Anti-Domestic Violence Council (ZADVC) said unless a formal complaint has been filed they cannot charge Vice President Kembo Mohadi for alleged domestic violence.At a press briefing on the current statistics of gender-based violence, ZADVC chairperson Eunice Njovana said they only know of the incident based on an unverified newspaper article.The press briefing comes at a time when Mohadi allegedly threatened to kill his ex-wife Tambudzani Mohadi and vandalised her Beitbridge home over a domestic altercation on shared properties."We have not received official information on that incident. The principle of the nation is that domestic violence is wrong but we cannot go beyond that since we do not have sufficient details to discuss beyond what was read online," she said.According to statistics presented by Njovana, the cases of domestic violence dropped from 2016 to 2018. In 2016, 1 993 men reported cases of domestic violence to the police while 17 673 women reported, in 2017 2 461 men were victims and 16 067 were women.The 2018, statistics which were compiled until September showed that 2 461 men reported cases of domestic violence, while 10 064 women reported cases of domestic violence. "While the issue of gender-based violence affects both men and women as you saw from the statistics, women are disproportionately represented as they are most affected than men.So sometimes the actions come from that. There is an understanding that in order to end domestic violence there is a need to engage men as both perpetrators and survivors of domestic violence. There is a broader definition of domestic violence and gender-based violence which needs to be understood so that we do not have another layer of patriarchy all for the sake of male inclusion in the debate on domestic violence," Njovana said.
News / National

by Mandla Ndlovu

Dad asked if I knew where his briefcase was and I said, I don't know where it is. He then said Go back and get it. I was shocked and said You want me to go back where we came from? Under no circumstances am I going back to that border post.



During the reconnaissance trips to assess the situation, the brothers took the opportunity to enlist the help of the men from the military intelligence to collect Mnangagwa's brown briefcase from the car left behind at the border post. Collins says the police tried to prevent the military personnel from getting access to the vehicle, but the police and the intelligence operatives were beaten up. When Mnangagwa was finally handed the briefcase he was delighted to get it back. He still uses it today.



Tired the group prepared to put up for the few remaining hours before daybreak. Collins remembers that his father did not sleep; he just sat up with his Louis Vuitton by his side until dawn. At about 5:45 AM, Mnangagwa woke the group up. It was time to leave for Forbes border post between Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

Former Cabinet Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo says the controversial Louis Vuitton briefcase has spying capacity.Commenting on a discussion about the bag on Twitter Prof. Moyo aid, "He parted company with that bag and the people who gave it to him as a controversial gift with spying capacity, around May/June 2018. The consequences of the separation are a continuing story with deadly ramifications!"A book by Douglas Rogers called Two weeks in November narrates how Mnangagwa got angry when his sons almost lost the briefcase at Forbes border when he was running away from Robert Mugabe's killers.Here is an excerpt from the book:
News / National

by Staff reporter

A crowded field of fresh faces and bigwigs has lined up to seek the MDC's vice-presidential nomination. The diverse group vying to land the three VP posts, includes MPs and senators. A record four women are running, who would make history if more than one of them become the VP.Incumbent vice presidents Morgen Komichi and Welshman Ncube, deputy national chairperson Tendai Biti, secretary for elections Murisi Zwizwai, Women's Assembly boss Lynette Karenyi-Kore, treasurer-general Theresa Makone, deputy secretary-general Paurina Mpariwa; Midlands North provincial secretary Lillian Timveos have all launched campaigns to pursue a vice presidential bid, with Felix Magalela Sibanda joining the fray at the last minute, the Daily News reported.Magalela Sibanda, who is former Bulawayo deputy mayor and former provincial information secretary, has written to all the MDC provincial executives, requesting them to nominate him for the position of vice president.In his letter to all the provinces seen by the Daily News, Magalela Sibanda said his decision to contest for the position of deputy president at the May elective congress was informed not only by his desire to lead but also the fact that his participation will ostensibly "legitimise the congress""As a formality to yourselves, the esteemed provincial executive, I hereby seek your indulgence and support," Sibanda said, adding: "I implore you to nominate me as one of the MDC vice presidents in the forthcoming MDC elective congress."Sibanda said he believes he has what it takes to take the party to another level if elected owing to his "vast" experience in the MDC since its formation in 1999. "I'm of the conviction that, contesting a political post in a mass party like ours is not only my desire but it would also legitimise, legalise and democratise the internal electoral processes."Therefore, whoever shall win fairly will be representing me too in the standing committee," he assured the regional honchos.Sources said Magalela Sibanda hopes to land the post currently held by Ncube whom he thinks has no support in the party structures. A respected lawyer, Ncube returned to the MDC towards last year's general elections at the behest of the party's late founding president Morgan Tsvangirai, who died of colon cancer last year."Sibanda is trying his luck hoping to shake Welsh by portraying him as someone who once betrayed Tsvangirai and hence unelectable. He is however, failing to read the politics properly because the return of Ncube and Biti is an issue of the Tsvangirai legacy and anyone who fights them will be fighting against that inadvertently and chances of success range between zero and slim," a national executive member from Bulawayo said on condition of anonymity.Ncube and Biti broke ranks with Tsvangirai in 2005 and 2014 respectively and went on to form their own political outfits.The two former secretary- generals of the MDC bounced back last year when Tsvangirai decided to reunite the party before his death to form the MDC Alliance as part of his legacy.They stood by Chamisa who was chosen to succeed Tsvangirai amid fierce resistance from both Elias Mudzuri and former vice president Thokozani Khupe who felt they were entitled to take over.Their loyalty to Chamisa, according to insiders, has earned them respect from party supporters across the country, notwithstanding the attempts to spite them by their rivals."For someone who is politically astute, it is easy to see that it is suicidal to try and fight Biti and Ncube at this point in time because whatever outcome of the congress must reflect the commitment made by Chamisa to Tsvangirai that he will keep his legacy and that includes keeping Biti and Ncube close.That is why the two will be vice presidents come what may," the source said.
News / National

by newzimbabwe

VICE President Kembo Mohadi Friday said government was concerned about exorbitant rates charged by hotels and tour operators for accommodation and other leisure activities which make the country an expensive tourist destination.This is despite the country being named one of the best trending destinations in the world by various tourism organisations that have ranked countries.A few days ago, an international holiday rental search engine, HomeToGo named Zimbabwe number six out of the 10 best places to visit for United Kingdom-based tourists.This was based on the year-on-year increases in searches in January 2019 compared to January 2018.This follows similar awards for the most sustainable tourist destination at the International Tourism Bourse in Germany and third must-visit destination after Sri Lanka and Germany, as well as the 9th must-see tourism destinations in the world recommendation by National Geographic Traveler.A United Kingdom-based daily newspaper, Yorkshire Evening Post, has also listed Victoria Falls as one of the world's top must-visit holiday destinations in 2019.Addressing tourism players at a local hotel VP Mohadi said all these accolades are at a risk of falling away if operators do not reduce their rates."These accolades are a clear indication of good work and resilience by Zimbabwe tourism. However, as a government, we view the recent price hikes for the 2019 Zimbabwe International Trade Fair as irresponsible and unjustified."We want to urge you hospitality captains to review your costing structure so that you don't price yourselves out of industry through competition," warned VP Mohadi.Victoria Falls has been viewed as more expensive compared to other destinations such as Kasane in Botswana and Livingstone across the Zambezi River.Tourists now prefer to book for accommodation in neighbouring countries and cross into Zimbabwe for activities before going back, which costs the country of potential business.The Vice President, who earlier had led a clean-up campaign in the resort town, said operators should sensitive to the market.A few days ago, Zimparks also announced an increase in entrance fees to the Rainforest and national parks but this was reversed by the tourism minister during the week."I call upon you to be price sensitive when doing your packages. We don't want this destination to be expensive because we want to build a brand. Your ministry has reversed increase on park fees which is a demonstration of our commitment," said VP Mohadi.He said low prices will attract more tourists.
News / National

by Staff reporter

There is a new kid on the block at ZBCtv. Hazel Zisanhi, who exudes cool confidence, has within a short space of time charmed ZBCtv viewers during the weekend bulletins. The delectable and "forever young" Hazel is such a joy to watch and listen to.With a silky voice, she is not shy to show and prove that she is a beauty with brains.Jonathan Mbiriyamveka (JM) interviewed Hazel Zisanhi (HZ) who doubles up as the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) Corporate Communications and Industry Relations Manager on her newly found fame.JM: When did you start anchoring news on ZBCtv?HZ: I started in March 2019.JN: Which slot/slots do you anchor?HZ: At the moment, we're still training and are being allocated different slots to allow the producers to find which bulletins will suit us best. So far, I have anchored News Edition and the 11PM news.JN: Where did you learn to become newsreader?HZ: Well, I have always had a passion for broadcasting. I worked part-time at ZBC from 1990 to 1995. I had too many things going on so I settled for one of my other passions of travelling by working at Air Zimbabwe.JN: Who inspired you?HZ: My inspiration is Tariro Makanga-Chikumbirike and a friend from primary school, Taji George Liundi.JN: How is it anchoring news alongside Vicky Mlilo?HZ: Vicky is God sent. She literally goes out of her way to make me relax. She is very encouraging and makes small talk for me to forget how nervous I am.JN: You also work at ZTA, how do you balance that job with news anchoring?HZ: My job at the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority is full time therefore I only anchor during my spare time  weekends and after hours.JN: You mentioned that you worked at Air Zimbabwe. Tell us more.HZ: I joined Air Zimbabwe in 1995 as a Flight Attendant. I flew for 18 years before joining the airline's Public Relations Department. When I left the National Airline, I was the Acting Public Relations Manager and spokesperson.JN: Is that where you got the accent and voice for broadcasting?HZ: No (chuckles). I would like to attribute my accent to my educational background. I went to good schools known as "Group A Schools" back in the day.JN: Tell us more about yourself, marital status, age etc.HZ: A lady never reveals her age. Let's say I'm forever young. I'm a widow blessed with three kids  my son Takunda Denzel and two daughters Chido Tamia and Tadiwa Tatiana.
News / National

by Staff reporter

EXPELLED MDC-T spokesperson Linda Masarira has warned that the Thokozani Khupe-led opposition party risks disintegrating, accusing the faction of favouring men ahead of their female counterparts.Masarira also claimed a clique from Matabeleland was trying to make the MDC-T a tribal party.She warned that Khupe risked destroying her political career the same way former Vice-President Joice Mujuru did when she failed to grow her party, ZimPF and then National People's Party after leaving Zanu-PF."I stood with Dr Thokozani Khupe when she was accused of being a Zanu-PF project. Unfortunately, she decided to succumb to the pressure from my deputy Khaliphani Phungeni, a South African-based cabal and some tribalists based in Bulawayo who always seek to make the MDC-T a tribalist party. I gave them a long rope to tie themselves, which they have finally done. It is rather unfortunate that they don't realise that for every action taken, there is a consequence," Masarira said.The MDC-T standing committee on Monday expelled Masarira after a picture of her donning Zanu-PF regalia went viral on social media.Sources said Masarira had been given an option to resign or face expulsion, but the Harare Central losing candidate opted to apply for a sabbatical leave, which was turned down by the party leadership.MDC-T secretary-general Nixon Nyikadzino said Masarira's allegations were misplaced, as she was dismissed on charges which she was aware of."Those are false allegations and she must understand that we dismissed her on clear charges which she knows. We will not be seen trying to be swayed by her claims when the basis of her ouster are clear," Nyikadzino said.The charge sheet included an "undisputed fact that on March 24, 2019, several photographs of you wearing Zanu-PF regalia, commonly known as 'zambia' at some location located in rural Zimbabwe, were circulated by yourself on various social media platforms including, but not limited to WhatsApp".Khupe broke away from the MDC, claiming she was the legitimate leader of the opposition party when she was overlooked for the post of party president in favour of Nelson Chamisa following the death of founding president Morgan Tsvangirai in February, 2018.The MDC-T has often been being accused of being an a Zanu-PF project.It is one of the parties involved in dialogue with President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
I am a Constitutionalist. I became one shortly after returning to the U.S after four years in an openly socialist nation run by what amounted to a card-carrying communist Labor Party government. I became one because upon returning to the United States I found the same philosophy of governance here as I had found there. I began studying the Constitution, and our national history of dismantling it piece by piece, and I found out what is going on.

Put simply, we have been the victims of a concerted covert enemy insurgency that has been going on for so long, and has been so successful, its perpetrators are now going overt. They believe the Constitution no longer matters because no one knows what it says any more, no one believes in it any more (because they dont know what it says), and no one knows that it is one of the two most important and effective documents defining and protecting our liberty under the rule of law in the history of the planet. The other is the Declaration of Independence, upon which it is based.

But I know. Very shortly, you will know: It is capable of stopping the covert/overt insurrection against our liberties like a mosquito being swatted by a pile driver. .....
News / National

by Staff reporter

President Mnangagwa's administration has created an environment for equal access to economic opportunities between men and women since coming into power in November 2017, a senior Government official has said.Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement Douglas Karoro, revealed this while officially opening the inaugural Women in Agriculture Conference at ART Farm in Harare on Thursday.The conference was held under the theme "Embracing Technology in Agriculture".The deputy minister said Government was committed to empowering women, which it demonstrated by crafting a gender-sensitive land policy and setting up of a bank dedicated to supporting women.Deputy Minister Karoro, who is in charge of development of irrigation systems, dams and farm mechanisation, said women must take advantage of the equal access to opportunities in the domestic economy to improve their economic status."I want to acknowledge the role that His Excellency President Mnangagwa has played in creating a conducive operational environment in this country."And I want to salute all the women in this house for seizing that opportunity that has been created by His Excellency, President Mnangagwa and his Government."Most of you will agree with me that the operational environment has been levelled for you women in agriculture to take part in the economy," he said.Minister Karoro said President Mnangagwa had been to various countries across the world where he has been able to secure facilities for agricultural equipment that include tractors, which women will access."Our President, Mnangagwa, has been moving around the world trying to make deals with other companies that are into irrigation equipment manufacturing, companies in manufacturing of tractors and other implements."I m happy to tell you that we have a number of tractors and implements that are coming into the country as a result of President Mnangagwa's deals that have been negotiated when he went outside. "Now, I want to assure you women in agriculture that gone are the days when such equipment was distributed in such a way that men would get a lion's share and women would get just a few equipment," he said.Deputy Minister Karoro said the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement would make sure that going forward women receive an equal share of Government sourced agricultural implements. The deputy minister said women played a key role to household and national food security, as they represented the majority in agricultural labour. He said empowering women was akin to empowering a nation.He also said demand for land had continued to grow exponentially and Government was committed to empowering by facilitating access to agricultural land, as such a gender sensitive land policy was recently launched."His Excellency, The President Mnangagwa during his inaugural statement boldly stated that 'Zimbabwe is Open for Business'."I believe that as women you are moving on to embrace the open for business mantra, by working closely together to establish regional and international markets for your produce to bring the much needed foreign currency," the deputy minister said.He said the "Zimbabwe is Open for Business" mantra should challenge women in agriculture to realign their activities by coming up with feasible products, projects and initiatives that contribute to the success of agriculture."I am challenging you to embrace the 'Zimbabwe is Open for Business' mantra to create jobs, improve yields, quality of crops and yields to enhance livelihoods and to grow the economy through competitive exports."
News / National

by Staff reporter

ZIMBABWE'S Ambassador to South Africa David Douglas Hamadziripi and other African diplomats have appealed to South Africa's government to ensure SA political parties avoid inflammatory statements against foreigners as this could spark xenophobic attacks.In an interview, Ambassador Hamadziripi said African diplomats held a meeting with South Africa's government officials last Friday to discuss their concerns over xenophobic attacks.South Africa goes to the polls on May 8 and fresh xenophobic attacks resurfaced in some parts of Limpopo province and Durban in KwaZulu Natal recently, leaving three people dead.Ambassador Hamadziripi said since South Africa is in the election season, African diplomats were concerned about anti-migrant statements that may trigger attacks on foreigners."The message is that we are in an election period and we as the African diplomats have appealed to the SA government to ensure leaders of political parties refrain from making inflammatory statements that may trigger xenophobic attacks," said Ambassador Hamadziripi.He said a Zimbabwean truck driver was attacked in the neighbouring country while a Malawian man married to a Zimbabwean was also attacked during recent xenophobic attacks. Ambassador Hamadziripi said others could have been psychologically affected by the violent attacks which resulted in some foreigners losing their property.He said the South African government working closely with the African diplomats agreed to set up a Task Force to deal with xenophobic attacks."One of the things that was agreed at the meeting on Friday is the establishment of a Task Force comprising government officials drawn from several agents including the Department of International Relations and Cooperation and the Department of Home Affairs. African diplomats will also have an input into the Task Force's operations," he said.Ambassador Hamadziripi said the Task Force was expected to constantly monitor the situation on the ground with a view to taking pre-emptive action to avoid attacks. He said the South Africa government assured African diplomats that the security and safety of foreigners based in the neighbouring country was guaranteed.Ambassador Hamadziripi said South Africans should appreciate the fact that foreigners in the neighbouring country were also positively contributing to SA's economy."We must also balance that narrative with the fact that Zimbabweans and other foreign nationals are also making some positive contributions to the economy of this country. There are Zimbabweans and other foreigners who are gainfully employed who are making significant contribution in various sectors of the SA economy," he said.The ambassador said Zimbabweans on their part should ensure their papers are in order."Our message to all Zimbabweans is that they should be documented and respect the laws of this country and we will cooperate with the South African government in ensuring that our people live peacefully and also harmoniously with their neighbours," he said.
News / National

by Staff reporter

CHIEFS from Matebeleland region have lamented lack of respect they are given in their areas yet they are held in high esteem far away from home.Speaking during the installation of Mbusi Bekithemba Ncube as chief Dakamela in Nkayi district last Friday, Chief Siansali of Binga said chiefs are forced to queue for fuel but when they are in Harare they are recognised by their badges and are allowed to jump queues."In Bulawayo they will not allow a chief to jump a queue. They will insult you with unprintable words even when you are in full chief's regalia. In Harare when I go on Parliament business they don't even ask my area of jurisdiction but once they recognise Iam a Chief, they ask me to go straight to the front to be served," said Chief Siansali.He said it was time locals respected their traditional leaders as is the case in other areas.Said chief Siansili: "Yenzani amakhosi enu ahlonipheke kuzenza ukuthi lalapho besethula amazwi bawahloniphe, Umuntu ongahloniphekiyo ngeke ethule amazwi ahloniphekayo."He said while respect should never be demanded from people, the behaviour by locals was forcing them to plead for respect.Nkayi South MP Stars Mathe said in other areas Chiefs were highly respected and the same should happen in Matebeleland."I have been to many provinces of the country and I have observed that chiefs are highly respected but here in Matebeleland we are not giving them the dignity they deserve. I wish to see a change when it comes to respecting our Chiefs especially here in Nkayi," she said."Induna laph`ehamba khona ikhagelwa ngamehlo abuthiweyo, asiyithi nhlo emehlweni, Induna iyahlonitshwa ungayikhangeli uze uyibonisise,uze ubone longafanelanga ukubone.UJehova uthi isizwe esilahla amasiko silahlekile.Let us respect our chiefs," she said.Meanwhile, Chief Siansili also urged Government to urgently address some of the challenges facing people Matebeleland North province such as the issue of poor road network.
News / National

by Staff reporter

GOVERNMENT has started identifying and registering former farm owners who lost land during the country's agrarian reform to pave way for compensation after RTGS$53 million was set aside for the exercise, cabinet ministers have said.The compensation will be for improvements that were made on the land.In a joint statement, Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement Minister Perrance Shiri and Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube said under the new dispensation, Government is committed to paying compensation in accordance with the country's Constitution and Zimbabwe's obligations under the Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements."In this regard, the Ad Hoc Compensation working group, comprising Government officials and representatives of former farm owners, is working towards the computation and establishing the compensation quantum figure for farm improvements based on an agreed method of valuation. Given the significant progress made to date, it is anticipated that this comprehensive farm improvements valuation exercise will be completed by the end of May 2019," said the Ministers."The completion of the work of the Ad Hoc Compensation Working Group will enable Government and former farm owners, in conjunction with cooperating partners, to progress towards closure of the land issue."They said the process to identify and register former farm owners who want to participate in the interim advance scheme is being coordinated by the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) and the Compensation Steering Committee (CSC) representing former farm owners.The Cabinet ministers said the registration process and the list of farmers should be completed by the end of April this year."In the meantime, Government's accelerated farm valuation exercise for farm improvements is expected to be complete by end of this month. This will pave the way for both parties to reach an agreement on the Compensation Quantum figure for farm improvements by end of May 2019," said the cabinet ministers.Government said the interim advance payments will be paid directly to former farm owners by the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Settlement."Government will put in place institutional arrangements to expedite the disbursements for these interim advance payments and consultations on sustainable options for mobilising the requisite compensation resources are being explored in conjunction with the International Financial Institutions and other stakeholders," said the ministers.Government has since directed that all remaining white commercial farmers be issued with 99-year leases, a marked policy shift from the previous arrangement where they could only get five-year leases.
News / National

by Staff reporter

PROSECUTOR-GENERAL Kumbirai Hodzi has beefed up his staff complement and embarked on a drive to take over all high-profile corruption cases assigned to President Emmerson Mnangagwa's special anti-corruption unit.In a statement on Friday, Hodzi said he would now assign three experienced public prosecutors to specifically deal with graft cases."The prosecution of high-profile anti-corruption matters remains a top priority to us and we regard these matters with grave importance. In that regard, I have put in place stringent guidelines and measures to ensure that all high-profile anti-corruption matters are handled with speed and efficiency," Hodzi said."These are handled by a minimum of three highly experienced public prosecutors and of these three, one is a member of the elite specialised anti-corruption unit."There have been reports that the specialised unit was receiving orders from the Presidium, through its head Thabani Mpofu, but the recent development, which led to the acquittal of former ICT minister Supa Mandiwanzira, exposed Hodzi after the special prosecutors failed to respond to applications.Mandiwanzira's case was being handled by two specialised prosecutors, Michael Chakandida and Tapiwa Godzi, when his application for exception was dismissed by deputy chief magistrate Elijah Makomo after the State failed to respond to the application filed at the High Court.Hodzi then publicly denounced prosecutor Eddie Nyazamba for sleeping on duty, suggesting that there was no co-ordination between the National Prosecuting Authority and the anti-corruption unit.Several politicians who were arrested during the anti-corruption dragnet have been accusing the specialised prosecution unit of being used by their rivals to persecute them, but Hodzi insisted that he was in control of all prosecutions in Zimbabwe.
News / National

by Staff reporter

THE MDC-T led by former Deputy Prime Minister Thokozani Khupe, has said it will continue participating in dialogue meetings with President Emmerson Mnangagwa not because they support the present government, but as a sign of maturity.Khupe's MDC-T and several other parties have been attending the dialogue meetings with Mnangagwa, a platform which has been snubbed by the Nelson Chamisa-led MDC over the question of the Zanu PF leader's legitimacy following the disputed July 2018 elections. MDC also takes exception to Mnangagwa being the convener.Abednico Bhebhe, chairperson of the MDC-T, on Friday said the opposition party will continue engaging Mnangagwa not because they support him, but as "mature citizens" to find solutions to the country's multi-faceted problems."This government is recognised by Southern African Development Community, African Union, European Union, United States and the United Nations, therefore, to any logical person it becomes apparent that any way forward can only come through dialogue," Bhebhe told journalists at the Bulawayo Centre on Friday."Does this mean we agree with this government? Of course we don't, hence the dialogue, but for us the welfare of Zimbabwe and her people trumps any personal ambition. It is not going to be easy, but the dialogue needs mature people and if we did not participate who was going to be the adult in that room?""Our Constitution states that the change we advocate for will be achieved only through democratic and peaceful means," Bhebhe said.Churches in Bulawayo under the Churches Convergence on Peace (CCOP) banner have frowned against the political parties' dialogue meetings describing them as elitist, saying the trend set in 1979 at the Lancaster House talks is to blame for the country's ills.The CCOP has suggested that Zimbabweans, even outside the political realm, must participate in the talks to ensure an all-inclusive process for a shared national vision and prosperity.
News / National

by Mandla Ndlovu

The Opposition MDC Bulawayo Province has been rocked by infighting as it gets near to its Provincial Congress which has seen a camp aligned to National Chairperson Tabitha Khumalo hatching a plot to brand their rival as HIV positive.Reports emanating from the Province are that one of Khumalo's loyalist Tendai Masocha is leading a spirited fight to stop one Sibusisiwe Dinah Adams being elected as National Executive Member representing Bulawayo.Masocha allegedly connived with a number of youths to travel all around Bulawayo telling the structures not to vote for Adams because she is HIV positive and will be too occupied with her sickness instead of focusing on party issues.So severe was the mudslinging campaign that it made Adams take a public HIV test which came out negative.Commenting on the matter the Bulawayo Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS (BAPLA) said it condemns in strongest terms the use of HIV status as stigmatization and decampaigning strategy by some aspiring leaders of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)."It has come to our attention that as MDC leaders jostle for power, a woman named Tendai Masocha has been on the forefront of alleging that Sibusisiwe Dinah Adams must not be elected into any position because she is allegedly living with HIV. Organising for one's political power on grounds of discrimination of any nature is undemocratic and archaic." BAPLA said."While as an organisation we are not privy to Adams' HIV status we believe that it should never be an issue in determining her leadership qualities. Discrimination of people living with or allegedly living with HIV is medieval conduct which must have no place in modern life, let alone amongst people who aspire to lead."As BAPLA we insist that it is a criminal offence to publish or announce someone's HIV status without their consent and would ordinarily provide legal support for people discriminated on account of their HIV/AIDS status regardless of whether or not they are HIV positive. We, however, leave it up to Adams to decide whether or not to seek legal recourse on the matter, lest we be accused of taking sides ininternal MDC processes."
News / National

by Staff reporter

Pastor Admire Kasi yesterday appeared in court representing his real estate company, which is being charged with fraud that happened in 2002. Husband to gospel musician Ivy Kombo, Pastor Kasi returned to Zimbabawe recently from his United Kingdom base.He appeared before magistrate Mrs Vongai Muchuchuti-Guwuriro and was remanded out of custody pending trial. Prosecutor Mr Sebastian Mutizirwa told the court that Pastor Kasi was not being charged in his personal capacity.It is the State's case that sometime in 2012, Priscilla Moyo saw an advert in a local newspaper that indicated Adsa Real Estate was selling a stand in Bluffhill, Harare. She became interested and proceeded to Adsa Real Estate offices on February 22.Moyo, the State alleged, paid a total of Z$1 495 537 in three instalmants for which she was given receipts. After paying the full purchase price, Moyo who was then based in Botswana, gave his brother Kennedy power of attorney to sign the agreement of sale which was done on February 25.It is the State's case that on March 18, Moyo paid the balance of Z$580 000 to Adsa Real Estate's secretary and was issued with a receipt. She was promised the title deeds.Moyo, the court head, did not develop the stand but was later surprised to see someone else developing it.
News / National

by Staff reporter

The trial of a suspected serial fraudster who allegedly masqueraded as former High Court judge Justice Mafios Cheda and swindled several Government officials of large sums of money continued yesterday with one of the victims, Deputy Minister for Defence and War Veterans Affairs Victor Matemadanda testifying.It is alleged Tinashe Munhuweyi (36), of Mufakose in Harare would call the victims and introduce himself as Justice Cheda and would pretend to be desperate and in urgent need of financial help.Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Dr Sekai Nzenza and Member of Parliament for Bubi constituency Richard Moyo were also conned. Other victims include Great Zimbabwe University Professor Ben Siyakwazi and a relative to the late retired High Court judge, Justice Simpson Mutambanengwe, Naboth.According to the State, the named victims lost a total of over $12 000. Matemadanda yesterday took to the witness stand and narrated before magistrate Mrs Rumbidzai Mugwagwa how he lost his $600 to the suspected fraudster.Matemadanda said when he received the call for help from the imposter, he was made to believe it was Justice Cheda since they had met on several occasions. He said he realised that he had been duped after "Justice Cheda" became evasive when he wanted his money back."At one point, I called him (Munhuweyi) and he said he was in Namibia on his way to Belarus for a court session," he said."He then said he had instructed his wife to send me my money but nothing came through. He was always changing stories that is when I realised I had been played."I conducted my own investigations and later spoke to the real Justice Cheda, who knew nothing about the transactions. Justice Cheda even said he had also received various complaints of people who had been duped in his name."Munhuweyi denied the allegations.Prosecutor Ms Patience Chimusaru alleged that on September 17 last year, Munhuweyi contacted Matemadanda while purporting to be Justice Cheda and misrepresented that he had two trucks which had run out of fuel at Chirundu Border Post. He allegedly requested for $600 to refuel the trucks and pay for other expenses.Munhuweyi allegedly asked Matemadanda to transfer the money into a supplied EcoCash account and promised to repay the debt. Munhuweyi allegedly became evasive.On November 28, Munhuweyi, the court heard, contacted Minister Sekai Nzenza masquerading as Justice Cheda and lied that his nephew had a truck carrying fertiliser which had a breakdown on its way from South Africa. He asked for $825 to fix the truck before asking for a further $863 the following day which he said was for fuel.The money was sent via EcoCash.Minister Nzenza became suspicious due to the unending demands and made her own investigations which unearthed the scam.Using the same modus operandi, Munhuweyi allegedly defrauded Professor Siyakwazi after misrepresenting that his son "Christian Cheda" had died while on his way to India for medical attention. He then said he was looking for financial assistance towards his son's funeral.
News / National

by Staff reporter

A deputy director in the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development on Saturday appeared before a Chipinge magistrate facing charges of stealing Cyclone Idai donations worth $3 000.The accused, Christine Chideme (63), of Southerton, Harare, appeared before resident magistrate Mr Farai Gwitima, who denied her bail and remanded the matter to tomorrow for trial.She pleaded not guilty.Prosecuting, Mr Themba Dhliwayo told the court that on April 3 at around 7pm, Chideme, who was driving a Toyota Landcruiser (WAG-CD23), was stopped by Terrence Majonga, a soldier, while she was coming from Silver Stream Cyclone Idai command centre, between Chipinge and Chimanimani.She was searched and her vehicle was found with an assortment of goods donated to the victims of the cyclone.Last Thursday police officer Constable Edward Dhumukwa (32) stationed at the Silver Stream command centre was arrested and appeared in court for alleged looting of donations valued at tens of thousands of United States dollars earmarked for cyclone victims in Chipinge.Dhumukwa allegedly hired a kombi to ferry his loot from for about five kilometres to a roadside where he loaded it into a Harare-bound bus.Investigators allegedly recovered two red and black large bags with 20x400g washing paste, 10x400g spaghetti, 5kg kapenta, 4x2kg washing powder, 20x500g sugar beans, 20x2kg white sugar, 1x3kg washing powder, 4x2kg washing powder, 4x2kg 2 in 1 Sunlight washing powder, 6x6x400g packs of candles, 10x500g Mega Rice, 6x2kg Mariana Rice, 1x2kg Excella Rice, 2x2kg Red Seal Rice, 1x2kg Probrand Rice, 1x2kg Ideal Rice, 2x12x375ml Dovi (Mama), 4x1kg Iodised Red Seal salt, 1x1kg Probrand salt, 1x1kg Mega iodised salt, 1x1kg Royal salt, 10 double blade shaving machine, Smooth Air clinic set, 2x12x2l Zimgold cooking oil, 10x2kg Probrand Rice, 12 Meiban tissues, 1 khaki short, 4 white drying towels, 52 assorted pairs of ladies' shoes and eight blankets.S7 Jackets, 26 pairs assorted female shoes, 16x200g tablets FA bathing soap, 3 x tins dark brown shoe polish, 2 jerseys, 12 T-shirts (mixed), 1 pair of shorts, 2 ladies' jackets, 1 checked blouse, 1 grey striped tie, 1 black cap, 1x250ml Vaseline Blue Seal, 5x100ml Vaseline bottles, 1 shoe brush, 1x50ml Colgate, 1x375ml Dovi.ice President Constantino Chiwenga last week said officials implicated in abuse of Cyclone Idai donations must face lengthy jail terms.Chiwenga said this while addressing a crowd gathered at Chipinge District Hospital last Wednesday where he was assessing the progress in Government relief intervention in Chimanimani and Chipinge. He said those implicated in abuse of donations must not be granted bail during court processes."I want to warn civil servants, workers in different organisations and all those involved in distribution of goods donated to victims of Cyclone Idai that if implicated, they will go to jail straight without any consideration for bail whatsoever."We are not joking about this. Surely, you cannot deprive that old man I just saw in the male ward who lost his entire family during the cyclone simply because you want to fatten your pocket," said Chiwenga.
Contrary to the Views of Some,

The Constitution Is NOT Dead

By Don Cline. April 7th, 2019

I am a Constitutionalist. I became one shortly after returning to the U.S after four years in an openly socialist nation run by what amounted to a card-carrying communist Labor Party government. I became one because upon returning to the United States I found the same philosophy of governance here as I had found there. I began studying the Constitution, and our national history of dismantling it piece by piece, and I found out what is going on.

Put simply, we have been the victims of a concerted covert enemy insurgency that has been going on for so long, and has been so successful, its perpetrators are now going overt. They believe the Constitution no longer matters because no one knows what it says any more, no one believes in it any more (because they dont know what it says), and no one knows that it is one of the two most important and effective documents defining and protecting our liberty under the rule of law in the history of the planet. The other is the Declaration of Independence, upon which it is based.

But I know. Very shortly, you will know: It is capable of stopping the covert/overt insurrection against our liberties like a mosquito being swatted by a pile driver.

I have spent a great deal of time searching out members of what I call the opposition  the Leftists, the gun-banners, the anti-rights apparatchiks and their useful idiot doofuses, the legislators at the State and federal levels who perjure their oaths of office daily  and informing them of what I am now informing you. I believe I have had some measure of success, especially on the March For Our Lives (MFOL) Facebook forum where I have pretty much dominated the conversation, if you dont count the hundreds of one-line rah-rah-sis-boom-bah support messages. Most of them come from either fake accounts or aging 1960s-era hippies who never outgrew kindergarten. (MFOL finally got around to blocking me two days ago after six months.)

It dawned on me yesterday that I have been missing the most important group at all if the object is to preserve and protect our nation of liberties under the rule of law: Gun owners. Specifically, gun owners who have fallen for the NICS-check scam, who think they have a civic duty to give up every right they have in exchange for government permission to keep and bear arms in the interest of keeping guns out of the hands of people who shouldnt have them.

Lets face reality: You are not, EVER, going to keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldnt have them. The claim that you are, or that you have a civic duty to try, is part of the scam you have been suckered into to deprive you of your rights  ALL of your rights.

The fact is, no crime or criminal access to a firearm has ever been prevented by a background check, nor were background checks ever intended to: The objective of that scam is not only to deprive you of your right to keep and bear arms by converting the right into a revocable government-issued permission, but to sucker you into waiving every other right you have in exchange for that permission.

The democratic socialists trying to bring down our freedom-based nation are just salivating over the prospect of one day declaring the permission revoked, and declaring all our other rights are gone too because we waived them all in exchange for unauthorized government permission we dont need.

Again, lets face reality: The federal government doesnt even have the lawful authority to license firearm dealers. It doesnt have the authority to compel us to ask permission to exercise a right. It doesnt have the authority to restrict, monitor, oversee, infringe, permit, deny, or interfere in any way with our RIGHT  NOT privilege  to keep and bear arms:

The 10th Amendment says The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Nowhere in the Constitution is the power delegated to the federal government to even license firearm dealers. Nowhere in the Constitution is the power delegated to the federal government to compel us to ask permission of government to purchase or transfer a firearm. No federal law requiring this is valid, but rather, is null and void from the moment of its inception for want of subject matter jurisdiction.

The 4th Amendment guarantees our right to be secure from unwarranted search and seizure of our rights or our property in the absence of probable cause of criminal conduct  not maybe, possibly gonna, but CRIMINAL CONDUCT. This prohibits both the federal and State government from searching our records on government databases fishing for some reason to deny us our rights, and it prohibits so-called Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO), or so-called Red-Flag Laws. If a citizen is not accused of a crime, confiscating his property OR his rights is a violation of the 4th Amendment. Further, if the property to be confiscated is not particularly described  make, model, caliber, design  it violates the 4th Amendment.

The 5th Amendment guarantees our right, among others, to DUE PROCESS before any of our rights may be taken. The purchase or transfer of a firearm between law-abiding citizens is not evidence or probable cause or even suspicion of a crime. Being compelled to ask for government permission to exercise a right is a TAKING of the right and converts it into a revocable government-issued permission. No government at any level has any lawful authority to TAKE any right without due process by conviction of criminal conduct in a Court of Law.

The 9th Amendment guarantees our long-standing doctrinal right to be secure from being compelled to give up any right in order to exercise any right. No government at any level has the lawful authority to compel us to give up the aforementioned rights, or any of them, in order to be allowed to purchase or transfer a firearm.

The 10th Amendment guarantees our right to be secure from the federal exercise of power not delegated and State power prohibited by the U.S. Constitution. The federal government is not delegated the authority to abridge, infringe, monitor, permit, deny, or interfere in any way with the aforementioned rights, and the State governments are prohibited the authority to abridge, infringe, monitor, permit, deny, or interfere in any way with the aforementioned rights. (States have the Police Power to regulate the USE of arms, but is prohibited the power to regulate or interfere with the right to keep and bear them.)

The Brady Act, which brought this evil and illegal background check into existence, needs to be abolished, and it would be better to do it now than wait until the democratic socialists declare their power and then have to do it kinetically. It has had no effect whatever on the crime rates and was never intended to. Like all gun control laws, it exists for the purpose of stripping us of our right to keep and bear arms in preparation for the take-over. They cant impose it without our help, and we need to stop helping them. We need to start demanding our rights be honored  by the hundreds  every time a gun banner opens his mouth, every time a legislator introduces gun-related legislation, every time a cop enforces a color of law on a victim exercising his or her rights.

We can stop this anti-rights insurrection. But we have to stop helping the insurrectionists.

--Donald L. Cline.

frdmftr@frdmftr.net

www.frdmftr.net

"The right of the people to bear arms shall not be infringed." The right of the whole people, old and young, men, women and boys, and not militia only, to keep and bear arms of every description, not such merely as are used by the militia, shall not be infringed, curtailed, or broken in upon, in the smallest degree; and all this for the important end to be attained: the rearing up and qualifying a well-regulated militia, so vitally necessary to the security of a free State. Our opinion is, that any law, State or Federal, is repugnant to the Constitution, and void, which contravenes this right, originally belonging to our forefathers, trampled under foot by Charles I. and his two wicked sons and successors, reestablished by the revolution of 1688, conveyed to this land of liberty by the colonists, and finally incorporated conspicuously in our own Magna Charta! And Lexington, Concord, Camden, River Raisin, Sandusky, and the laurel-crowned field of New Orleans, plead eloquently for this interpretation! And the acquisition of Texas may be considered the full fruits of this great constitutional right. Ga. (1 Kel.) 243 (1846)

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News / National

by newzimbabwe

Marondera Central MP, Caston Matewu had to escape from rowdy MDC Marondera Central members who wanted to assault him at the party's district elections.It was the second time in a week that the party's internal polls in Marondera had turned violent and had to be aborted.Hundreds of MDC members on Sunday gathered at the party's offices in Morningside for the election ahead of the party's national congress to be held next month in Gweru.However, the process was aborted for the second time as two rival factions, contesting the composition of the voter's roll, fought running battles.Some party members also wanted to attack Matewu whom they accused of supporting Ward 7 councillor, Dominic Matangira who is vying for the district chairperson position.Matangira is being challenged by Witness Muzavazi.Matangira is reported to be supporting incumbent MDC president, Nelson Chamisa while Muzavazi is backing the party's secretary-general, Douglas Mwonzora at the national congress.Mwonzora and vice president, Elias Mudzuri have shown interest in contesting Chamisa if they are nominated.Last week, the Marondera Central election was aborted when the MDC members fought over names on the voter's roll.The Sunday election was presided over by MDC Mashonaland East chairperson, Piniel Denga and it was unclear how the flawed process will proceed as elections for the provincial executive are expected to be held next weekend.
News / National

by Staff reporter

THE Parliamentary Public Accounts Portfolio Committee (PAC) last week grilled Univern over its supply of 80 graders with snow ploughs to the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) in 2012 at a cost of $8 million in breach of procurement regulations.In 2015, the firms also charged $6,5 million for the graders' repairs.Univern directors appeared before the committee last Friday to respond to issues raised in Auditor-General Mildred Chiri's audit report on Zinara for 2016 which showed that Univern had secured most of its contracts without going to tender.Dzivarasekwa MP Edwin Mushoriwa (MDC Alliance) asked Univern chief executive Phillimon Mushosho, directors Sage Levy, Musekiwa Kumbula and chief operations officer Jason Smith to explain the purchase of the graders because it appeared that 40 graders, costing $200 000 each, were tendered for and purchased properly, but 40 more were bought without a tender being issued."You (Univern) also promised to deliver those graders to Zinara in eight weeks and you further promised that payment of those will be done after delivery, but you failed to deliver within eight weeks," Mushoriwa said."The contract also said for every week that you failed to deliver the graders, you will pay a penalty and you were supposed to pay a penalty of $2 million which you did not pay to Zinara," he said.Smith said the first batch of 40 graders was properly tendered for. On the other 40, which did not go for tender, Levy said the question must be directed to Zinara. He said they entered into a service agreement and they supplied the 80 graders as per specifications in the contract. "I am not aware that we breached the contract," Levy said.PAC chairperson Tendai Biti then asked why they supplied snow graders, to which Levy said they supplied according to specifications.The committee said the audit had also revealed that Univern had supplied faulty graders to Zinara which were later delivered to several local authorities.Kambuzuma MP Willias Madzimure (MDC Alliance) said: "Your contract also said you will service the graders, but at a cost to Zinara and you also wanted Zinara to transport the graders at a charge for that. The graders were defective and you charged them to repair your own faults and by 2015 alone $6,5 million had been paid for repairs of the graders."The PAC said yellow machines like graders were not prone to breakdowns, adding the defective machines were just meant to milk Zinara. But Levy maintained that the graders that they delivered were as per specification leading to the committee asking how many hours that the graders had done to date. Levy said the local authorities using them were the ones that could give such information.But the PAC said it was corruption and they should have been subjected to competitive tender, according to the State Procurement Act.Univern and Zinara got away with it after they were fined $900 by the State Procurement Board to regularise the graders' tender after breaching procurement regulations.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Former vice president and National People's Party (NPP) leader Joice Mujuru has said she is not re-joining Zanu-PF, following claims that she was on her way back to the ruling party.Speaking on the sidelines of victory celebrations for Zanu-PF councillor Kidwell Mujuru - who won Bulawayo's only council seat in a recent by-election in Cowdray Park - Zanu-PF secretary for administration Obert Mpofu, said Mujuru was re-joining the party."The President of our party wants everybody in Zanu-PF and he has called for all the former members who broke away for whatever reason to come back into the fold of the party and be part of our new dispensation," said Mpofu is quoted as having said.The former Home Affairs Minister, now permanently working at Zanu-PF headquarters as part of a new set-up since Mnangagwa took over from former President Robert Mugabe in the aftermath of the November 2017 coup reportedly added: "I am aware of comrades who have indicated that they would like to come back, Mai Mujuru is one of them and her party (NPP). Ambrose Mutinhiri is already back in the party."We have others that have approached us recently indicating their willingness to come."Mujuru left Zanu-PF in a huff late 2014, after a series of rallies addressed by then First Lady Grace Mugabe, at which she was accused of an elaborate plot "kill Mugabe."FORMER Zanu-PF secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa and ex-Mashonaland East provincial Minister Ambrose Mutinhiri have confirmed they are retracing their steps back to the ruling party, after brief but unfruitful flirtations with opposition politics.Mutasa was kicked out of Zanu-PF, at the same time as then Vice President Joice Mujuru in the mayhem that characterised the former guerrilla movement ahead of the 2014 congress. An attempt at opposing Zanu-PF through the Zimbabwe People First party suffered a still-birth after members of the Gamatox' group, as the Mujuru faction was commonly referred to, turned on each other and broke into two before everything fizzled out.Mutasa Sunday confirmed he was back."It happened a long time ago. I have been back in the party for sometime now, unless they expel me again."In the first place I never resigned," the straight talking Mutasa said.Asked if he has been able to set foot at Zanu-PF headquarters, Mutasa retorted: "That headquarters is there because of me. Of course I have been there."When Mnangagwa was fired by Mugabe November 6, 2017, Mutasa rubbed it in, arguing the then Vice President who later returned to take over power on the back of a military coup only three weeks later, was the "author of his own problems.""I have got a soft heart for everybody, not only Mnangagwa but anybody who is treated unfairly. However, in this case I don't think Mnangagwa was treated unfairly," Mutasa reportedly said then.He added that Mnangagwa had "popped champagne" when the Mujuru group that included him as secretary for administration in the ruling party had been sacked.Mutinhiri, a career soldier, left Zanu-PF in the aftermath of the 2017 coup. He met former President Robert Mugabe early last year and was anointed interim leader of a loose coalition of individuals known as the National Patriotic Front initially known as the G40 faction of Zanu-PF, that was bitterly opposed to Mnangagwa's rise to power.However, Mutinhiri performed dismally in the presidential election in which he was a candidate. The former Mashonaland East provincial Minister, in a short response, also confirmed he was rejoining Zanu-PF."Yes it is true," was all Mutinhiri could say when contacted for comment.On the other hand, former Vice President Joice Mujuru who according to State media is among former Zanu-PF senior making their way back, was not immediately available for comment.A facebook character claiming to be the war heroine dismissed the claims."I will never rejoin Zanu-PF. I am not that desperate. There is my son to support. He is the president. The only way forward is forward not backwards," the character said in a post.Mujuru has in the past referred to MDC leader Nelson Chamisa as her son. However, the two failed to agree on a coalition ahead of elections last year and all took part as candidates in which the former Vice President scrapped a tiny vote. Chamisa has consistently claimed he won last year's presidential election only for Mnangagwa to rig his way to power.
News / National

by AP/Bloomberg

Former Botswana President Ian Khama slammed the ruling party after a candidate he backed withdrew from a leadership contest, saying it was rigged in favour of current president, Mokgweetsi Masisi.Former foreign minister, Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi withdrew her candidature a few hours before a vote by party members last Friday, denouncing the process as a "sham".It was the first time in the history of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which has ruled the country since independence more than half a century ago, that the presidential incumbent faced a public challenge for the top job.Venson-Moitoi's withdrawal from the vote in Kang, 400 kilometers northwest of the capital, Gaborone, left Masisi to stand unopposed. After she made a failed bid in the High Court to delay the contest, she said she stood down because she was treated unfairly and her supporters were intimidated."We have witnessed a situation in this ruling party that has never happened before," Khama, 66, told Bloomberg. "The measures and the extent they've gone to, the irregularities that we have seen creeping in, the cheating, the intolerance and the intimidation of opponents and the opponent's supporters is unprecedented."Khama, who left office a year ago, has disagreed with Masisi, who was his vice president, over plans to reverse some his signature policies, including shortened hours for outlets that sell alcohol and a hunting ban in the nation with the world's biggest population of elephants. He called the steps a "gimmick" to win votes in what's expected to be a tightly fought national election in October."One of the first things the government did was to quash that and extend the hours the people can drink alcohol," he said. "It was an election gimmick. Let people drink themselves to death, as long as they are enjoying it, then if they vote for us because they think it's a good thing then so much the better."Khama, the son of Botswana's iconic first President Seretse Khama, said he didn't travel to the meeting in Kang because he didn't want to legitimise a "farce." Venson-Moitoi would have won a fair contest, he said."I would like to put my head on the block and says she would have won," he said. "It's the party that's been taking steps to disadvantage her, and of course he is the head of that party so it wouldn't have been a fair contest, it wouldn't have been credible. It's the kind of thing that during my time in office I would criticize in other countries where I saw elections were rigged."The ruling Botswana Democratic Party's popularity has declined in recent years to a record low of 47 percent of votes in the last election in 2014.Masisi is widely expected to be elected president at nationwide polls in October, facing a fragmented opposition.In his acceptance speech, Masisi promised to "do my utmost best to lead this party not only to victory in 2019, (but also) in 2024"."Thank you for your endorsement," he told delegates to the party meeting.Botswana has a two-term presidential limit. Masisi took over the country's leadership from Ian Khama last year, after being hand-picked, but will contest his first election this year. If he wins, his first official term will start then.Masisi commended Venson-Moitoi's "gallant and spirited campaign" and urged party members "to embrace the democratic practice of competition".He vowed to reach out to Venson-Moitoi "and ask her to join me in uniting this party".About a thousand delegates attended a two-day meeting in the small, rural Kalahari Desert town of Kang.BDP congresses have traditionally been rubber stamps for the incumbent's bid for re-election.There had been concerns that Venson-Moitoi's unprecedented challenge against a sitting president would upset the stability of the party and even lead to a split.Venson-Moitoi, who had Khama's backing, said: "I withdraw from running because I will not promote a sham."That election has been rigged before (voting) started. Contesting will be legitimising a flawed process."The 57-year-old BDP has ruled Botswana uninterrupted since independence in 1966, presiding over diamond-driven prosperity that stands out in a continent where poverty and turbulence are rife.Masisi and ex-president Khama have fallen out publicly, with Masisi reversing some policies introduced by his predecessor.The rift between Masisi and his predecessor was laid bare last month when Khama accused his protege of betrayal.Khama had picked his then-vice president Masisi to succeed him. But Masisi has moved to break with the past and establish his own authority since his inauguration a year ago.In an interview with the SABC public broadcaster in neighbouring South Africa, Khama said he regretted picking Masisi to follow him."He had a nature, a character which I just felt very close to and part of. What I'm seeing now is a totally different person than the one I knew," Khama said."Regrettably and very unfortunately I have come to realise that maybe I had misjudged (him) and now we have a situation where there is a bit of a standoff between himself and myself."
News / National

by Mandla Ndlovu

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice Virginia Mabhiza told members of the Matabeleland Collective on Tuesday that families who have relatives who died during the Gukurahundi Genocide will be able to exhume and rebury their departed ones.."Exhumation of those who died during Gukurahundi must be carried out legally and in an orderly manner. The Min of Home Affairs will engage the affected people and start on the process."Mabhiza further said that the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Health will assist victims in getting documentation and being treated."The Ministry of Home Affairs will be engaging people to facilitate issuing of birth and death certificates for all Gukurahundi victims Mabhiza and pain not transformed is pain transmitted hence the Ministry of Health and Child welfare has been mandated to provide medication for Gukurahundi victims.""Considering that these are issues that have burdened the people for so long there is a time frame set, citing that relevant ministries implement this immediately."We need to bear with the assigned ministries to have time to raise funds to implement some of the projects which need to be carried out."Mabhiza added.
News / National

by Mandla Ndlovu

Zimbabweans have made an outcry after a Kadoma magistrate Takudzwa Gwazemba on Monday sentenced ZANU PF thug Litten Chikore, to eight months in jail for attempted murder, but the whole sentence was conditionally suspended.He was told to175 hours of community service at Kadoma General Hospital.Journalist Zenzele Ndebele showed his displeasure at the unjust sentence by comparing Chikore's to a Bulawayo man who was sentenced for stealing a plough."A man steals a plough valued at $250 he gets 5yrs in jail. Chikore is charged with attempted murder, he is not a first offender and he gets community service."Another resident Nduna said, "Names carry weight, which household you come from counts too. The scales didn't balance well for the poor fella."Speaking from his base in South Africa Political Analyst Fortune Mlalazi said, "This judgement is a laughing stock to the justice system of our country. It shows clearly that we have a captured judiciary that bends down to the dictates of ZANU PF."When Mnangagwa took over Zimbabweans thought we were going to see a departure from a ZANU PF capturing state institutions. Now we see worse than what used to happen under Mugabeism. Zimbabweans and legal practitioners must condemn the continued of capturing of the state institutions by the party."
News / National

by Staff reporter

Former Zanu-PF Politburo member Didymus Mutasa and Retired Brigadier General Ambrose Mutinhiri have been formally welcomed back to the ruling party, with the former declaring that he never left Zanu-PF.When Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration, Dr Obert Mpofu made an announcement of the two's return to the revolutionary party last week, many might have taken it as mere talk.One week later, this Tuesday (today) was the day and the stage was the Zanu-PF headquarters in Harare, where the two cadres were formally welcomed back to the revolutionary party they had in the past served with passion."I never left Zanu-PF," roared Mutasa, adding that he was only a victim of a purge masterminded by former president Robert Mugabe who wanted his wife to succeed him."It is the former president and his wife who pushed us out because he wanted to elevate his wife to become president. Let him hear now that I have rejoined Zanu-PF," said Mutasa, who is one of the few surviving Zanu-PF founders.Retired Brigadier General Mutinhiri, who is one of the few surviving ZIPRA commanders, expressed joy for being readmitted after his colleagues forgave him for his mistake."If you make a mistake and repent and your colleagues welcome you back, it is time to rejoice," he said.The two's return to Zanu-PF comes in the wake of President Emmerson Mnangagwa's call for unity and re-admission of all members purged during the Mugabe era."The President of our party wants everybody in Zanu-PF and he has called for all the former members who broke away for whatever reason to come back into the fold of the party and be part of our new dispensation," said Dr Mpofu, during the welcoming ceremony."We have others who have approached us recently indicating their willingness to come, and my mandate is to ensure that whoever wants to come back is readmitted," Dr Mpofu added.Mutasa and Retired Brigadier General Mutinhiri left the ruling party in 2014 and 2017 respectively and after their readmission today, Mutasa has been assigned to serve at the Herbert Chitepo Ideological School.Obert Mpofu was joined by other Politburo members; Edna Madzongwe, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, Lewis Matutu and Dr Sydney Sekeramayi in welcoming the two back to the party.
News / National

by Staff reporter

A 29-YEAR-OLD man from Bulawayo has appeared in court for escaping from Bulawayo Central Police Station.Lewis Moyo (28) from North End suburb pleaded guilty to an escaping from lawful custody charge when he appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Franklin Mkhwananzi.He was remanded to Wednesday for sentencing.Moyo was arrested on April 5 this year at around 12.50PM at Private Lounge, Corner 3rd Avenue and Fife Street, Bulawayo.Prosecuting, Mr Nkathazo Dlodlo said Moyo pointed a pellet gun at a stranger's chest and threatened to shoot him.More to follow.....
News / National

by Methusi Ncube

The government has with immediate effect approved measures to assist victims of the 1980 genocide popularly known as Gukurahundi, which include exhuming bodies that were buried in mainly unmarked mass graves.The government will also ensure that Gukurahundi, where at least 20 000 unarmed civilians were butchered in Matabeleland and Midlands by government forces, will be talked about freely.Hitherto, it has been a taboo subject in the country.The government pledged to prioritise projects in Matabeleland like the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project that has been on the drawing boards since 1912.In a follow up to a meeting that President Emerson Mnangagwa had with the Matabeleland Collective (NGOs and civic groups in the region) at State House in Bulawayo last month, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Mrs Virginia Mabhiza said the measures were a response to calls for compensatory development, national healing and devolution."The government will facilitate the exhumation and reburial of Gukurahundi victims and the issuance of birth certificates and death certificates for victims."We're also implementing protection mechanisms for those affected by Gukurahundi to be free to discuss their experiences," said Mrs Mabhiza.She said the government will provide medical assistance to victims of Gukurahundi."The government will also prioritise the completion of the Zambezi Water project, which is expected to unlock economic value to communities," said Mrs Mabhiza.The project, if completed, is expected to create a green belt of agriculture through the region and restore Zimbabwe to its historical status as the bread basket of Southern Africa.She said the government would give monthly updates on the pledges which also include devolution and decentralisation of service from Harare to the rest of the country.Matabeleland Collective convener Pastor Trevor Masuku said the government did well by responding to concerns raised by the civic society.He said he was particularly impressed by the decriminalization of discussing Gukurahundi issues.More than 70 organisations represented by over 100 civic made up the Matabeleland Collective that had the Indaba with the President last month.
Cornflake Christians: Women Are Being Subjected To Female Genital Mutilation In The Heart Of America

Early this month a Kentucky woman reported that she had been forced to undergo female genital mutilation (FGM) along with her sister as a child by her white, Christian parents. Now in her 40s, Jennifer (a pseudonym used by Reuters for her interview) is calling for Kentucky to outlaw the practice. She recounts her parents telling her to never speak of it again. Her story follows Renee Bergstroms, who revealed she had been cut at a church clinic when she was three because her mother thought she was touching herself. As the second white American woman to recently come forward with her story, Jennifer is presenting a new face to the issue of FGM nationally and globally. She recounts the teachings of the church leaders: We were taught men were the leaders and God made women to be submissive, she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. [] For a woman to be sexual was seen as a sin, for her to have pleasure was a sin.

FGM is an umbrella term for any practice regarding the mutilation of female genitalia, the most common form being a clitoridectomy, the removal of the clitoris or the clitoral hood. The most severe form is vaginal fusing which includes the removal of the clitoris and the inner labia, the inner walls of the vagina scratched to cause bleeding, the outer labia cut or scraped, and then sewn together.

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While FGM has been illegal federally since 1996, there are still 21 states where FGM is still legal. These states range from more conservative states such as Kentucky, the Carolinas, and Alabama, to supposedly more liberal ones like Washington, Massachusetts, and Vermont. Ohio only just made the practice illegal this past January. There are an estimated 513,000 girls at risk or who have experienced FGM in the U.S. according to the AHA Foundation.

Implemented as a way to cleanse women of sexual desires, FGM has been medically proven to be dangerous and harmful, rather than helpful as many religious extremists believe. FGM contributes to life long health problems including difficulties in engaging in sexual activity, giving birth, the risk of infection (often life-threatening), chronic pain, and more.

While the AHA foundation largely focuses on the affects of Islamic extremism in regards to FGM, stories like Jennifers are coming to the forefront. The focus of FGM in the U.S. has been diasporic, Muslim communities who have immigrated from African countries where FGM is commonplace.

Jennifers story also brings to mind other recent issues concerning children and childrens sexuality. In the past few years stories of white, American child brides forced into marriage by their conservative, Christian parents, another practice often regarded as a brown problem, have emerged into the public eye. The horror stories from women if African countries come off as a third-world problem in most reporting, a them problem rather than an us problem. Westerners are now forced to confront oppressive practices their own neighbors are forcing their young daughters into.

Genital mutilation is not an uncommon practice in the U.S. Those who are intersex, individuals born with XXY chromosomes and/or exhibit traditional male and female sex characteristics, are often subjected to multiple invasive procedures to cosmetically fix their genitals as infants or young children. These surgeries can range from conventional sex assignment surgeries to sterilization. Nearly all of these irreversible procedures are performed without their consent.

In 2017, two Michigan doctors were brought to court on charges of illegally performing FGM procedures. The judge dismissed a number of their charges and declared the federal law banning FGM unconstitutional.

Jennifer herself said that it is hard to believe that [she] is the only [white woman] who has suffered from FGM at the hands of conservative Christians. It is possible that many more women will come forward, sharing their own experiences with FGM in conservative Christian communities.

The inspiration for the Tori Amos song Cornflake Girl came from a conversation she and a friend had about FGM in Africa. In a 2012 interview, Amos explains that she and her friend were talking about the idea that women are being betrayed by a grandmother, or a mother, or an older sister. That the women you trust the most are taking you into this butchery. And we had a term for those people, those girls, that would turn on you, [] would expose something that you trusted them with, and really let you down. [] So those girls were called Cornflake girls.

Cornflake Girl was written as a shockingly modern commentary on FGM. The single was released in 1994, over 20 years ago.

With young girls own families turning on them, allowing their daughters to be mutilated, the American public will have to confront the modern butchery occurring in their own communities. We must acknowledge FGM and child marriage now transcends religious and racial boundaries. This is not just a Muslim or African problem, but also a white one, a Christian one, an American one, and a global one.

Currently, Jennifer has a petition up on change.org to make FGM illegal in Kentucky. You can donate to the AHA Foundation here to stop FGM and child marriage.

Header Image via Pexels

More From BUST

These Activists Are Fighting To End Female Genital Mutilation

A Detroit Doctor Was Arrested For Performing Female Genital Mutilation On 7-Year-Old Girls

UK Takes On New Law To Protect Girls From FGM

Kat McQuade is an Editorial Intern for BUST. She is currently pursuing a B.A. in writing and literature. Originally from the Seattle area, Kat has been drinking coffee every day since she was eleven. You can follow her on Twitter at @Kat_McQ3.
Growing plant shoots on coins

Finding high-yield quality dividend stocks can be a challenge. After all, good dividend stocks are highly sought after, which means they often garner high premiums. However, investors dont always have to break the bank to get their hands on high-quality dividend stocks. Lets consider two cheap high-yield stocks: Polaris Infrastructure Inc (TSX:PIF) and Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp (TSX:AQN)(NYSE:AQN).

Polaris Infrastructure Inc

Polaris operates several renewable energy facilities in Latin America, a continent whose potential for growth in this sector is remarkable. However, the region is not as economically mature as North America, and various political factors present a risk to companies that operate in the region. Polaris recently learned this lesson the hard way. The companys main power plant is a 72 megawatts (MW) geothermal project located in Nicaragua, a country that has been rocked with political instability.

Polaris share price decreased substantially last year on the heels of Nicaraguas tense political climate. Despite these headwinds, though, the Toronto-based energy company was able to post respectable financial results. Polaris 2018 end of year results revealed an average net energy production increase of 10%, while the companys revenue, net earnings, and earnings per share increased by 15%, 629%, and 700%, respectively.

Further, Polaris currently has various ongoing growth projects. One such project, the Karpa project (located in Peru) is in its development phase. Once completed, the plant is projected to have 20 MW capacity. The company possesses various projects in the U.S., including geothermal projects in California and Nevada.

Polaris currently offers a dividend yield of 7.05%, and while its 81.08% payout ratio seems high, dividend payouts make up a much smaller portion of the companys free cash flow. Polaris latest dividends declared represented about 37% of its free cash flow, which isnt too bad for a company currently trading at just over $11 per share at writing.

Story continues

Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp

Algonquins operates primarily through two business units: Liberty Utilities Group and Liberty Power Group. Liberty Utilities operates throughout approximately 10 U.S. states, providing electricity, natural gas, and power to over 750,000 homes. Liberty Power is Algonquins renewable energy branch, which operates throughout North America, with various hydroelectric, wind, solar, and thermal facilities in its portfolio. Though Algonquins utilities services generates the bulk of its earnings, renewable energy revenues have been increasing at a faster rate recently.

During Algonquins latest reported quarter  Q4 2018  Liberty Utilities posted operating profits of $132.9 million, down from $144 million compared to the corresponding period of the previous quarter. Liberty Power, on the other hand, increased its profits to $78.7 million, up from $55.7 million. Full-year results show a somewhat similar story, with Liberty Powers 57.5% increase in operating profit vastly outpacing Liberty Utilities 1.2% increase.

It isnt difficult to see why Algonquins utilities revenues have been relatively subpar. The company is struggling to add new customers. Renewable energy facilities have performed better partly due to higher exposure to the U.S. recent tax overhaul. Algonquin sees in renewable energy a huge opportunity for growth and is currently undertaking various projects to expand its portfolio in the sector.

Algonquin performed better than most on the market last year, and the companys stock price is up 13% this year. The Ontario-based firm is currently yielding 4.55% and trading at $15.17 per share at the time of writing.

The bottom line

Both Polaris and Algonquin are interesting prospects for income investors. With growing revenues and numerous undergoing projects within a high-growth sector, both companies are set to keep rewarding investors with dividends for years.

More reading

Fool contributor Prosper Bakiny has no position in the companies mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of Polaris Infrastructure Inc.

The Motley Fools purpose is to help the world invest, better. Click here now for your free subscription to Take Stock, The Motley Fool Canadas free investing newsletter. Packed with stock ideas and investing advice, it is essential reading for anyone looking to build and grow their wealth in the years ahead. Motley Fool Canada 2019
FILE PHOTO: A Canadian dollar coin, commonly known as the "Loonie", is pictured in this illustration picture taken in Toronto January 23, 2015. REUTERS/Mark Blinch/File Photo

By Fergal Smith

TORONTO (Reuters) - The Canadian dollar edged lower against the greenback on Tuesday, pulling back from an earlier near three-week high, as increased tariff tensions added to the list of uncertainties discouraging investors from taking bets on the currency.

Wall Street and the price of oil, one of Canada's major exports, fell as U.S. President Donald Trump said he would impose tariffs on $11 billion of European goods and after the International Monetary Fund cut its global economic growth forecasts.

U.S. crude oil futures settled 0.7% lower at $63.98 a barrel.

"There are just so many factors that are keeping investors on the sidelines," said Blake Jespersen, managing director, foreign exchange sales at BMO Capital Markets.

The U.S.-China trade dispute, the potential for a messy Brexit and inversion of the U.S. and Canadian yield curves have all worried investors in recent weeks.

"Given the dovish stance by all the central banks recently I think investors are looking for signs that maybe the economy will do slightly better and maybe central banks will be forced to change their stance," Jespersen said.

The Bank of Canada has been one of the central banks to turn more dovish. It has raised interest rates 125 basis points since July 2017, but data from the overnight index swaps market shows investors have shifted this year from expecting further tightening to seeing about a 40% chance of a cut by December.

At 3:32 p.m. (1932 GMT), the Canadian dollar was trading 0.1% lower at 1.3325 to the greenback, or 75.05 U.S. cents. The currency touched its strongest intraday level since March 21 at 1.3285.

Despite the decline, the loonie was up 0.2% since the start of the month. It has advanced in 11 of the last 13 Aprils, a winning streak strategists link to seasonal vitality in stocks and energy products.

Canadian government bond prices were higher across much of the yield curve in sympathy with U.S. Treasuries. The two-year rose up 2.5 Canadian cents to yield 1.602% and the 10-year was up 7 Canadian cents to yield 1.727%.

(Reporting by Fergal Smith; Editing by Tom Brown)
LJUBLJANA, April 9 (Reuters) - Tourists who visit Ljubljana can now stay in the Slovenian capital's first sleeping capsules after the city's Central Hotel put up 10 capsules in a former telephone switchboard room.

"This is a new story in Slovenia," said Matej Rigelnik, chief executive officer of the hotel.

Slovenia, the native country of US First Lady Melania Trump, has seen a surge in tourism since it joined the European Union in 2004 and the eurozone in 2007.

The Alpine state's capital has a picturesque medieval center that stretches along the Ljubljanica river and a castle on a hill above the center.

Last year the number overnight stays by foreign tourists in Slovenia jumped by 15.4 percent, with most of them coming from Germany, Italy, Austria, Netherlands and Croatia. (Reporting by Marja Novak Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
A Pointe-du-Chene man who lost his leg in a motorcycle accident in 1997 uses a prosthetic leg so worn out that parts of it are wrapped in duct tape.

Marc Polley says he can't afford a new leg that would allow him to teach yoga and do other activities, and New Brunswick doesn't cover anything more than a basic model.

Polley told Radio-Canada that he may move to Nova Scotia, where he believes the coverage is better.

But others in the system disagree, saying that navigating the labyrinth of funding in New Brunswick is difficult but comparable, if not better, than other provinces.

Kirsten Simonsen, a prosthetist at Eastern Prosthetic Clinic in Moncton who has worked in the field for 28 years, lost part of her foot as a child. She said she is familiar with accessing prosthetics in different provinces.

At Simonsen's clinic, she and her staff determine what will best suit a patient's needs based on a variety of factors such as age, health, level of activity and cost.

The prosthetic is built on site at a shop in the back. Once the mechanical limb is place, patients are taught how to use it, then return to the clinic for followup and adjustments as needed.

Jean-Philippe Hughes/Radio Canada

Simonsen said any prosthesis is expensive, and her clinic ensures every patient has one that fits and works properly.

A patient in New Brunswick receiving a prosthesis through the Social Development Department gets the equivalent of what any person accessing a publicly funded system in the country would get.

There is no such thing as a "welfare" leg, Simonsen said.

But there are people who slip through the cracks.

Sydonyia Crossman of Little Lepreau was born with spina bifida and doesn't receive any provincial funding for her prosthetic.

"My right foot was turned out and twisted, so when I was a year and a half I had to do some corrective surgery, and I lost my foot and part of my ankle to that surgery."

CBC

She was fitted with a boot-type prosthesis and sent home. But she said thanks to her parents' commitment, she was walking again by the age of two.

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Later, because of health problems she had another amputation, this one below the knee.

It's easier physically, because you don't have to think all the time where you are  because the leg thinks for you. - Clarence Allain

Her last prosthetic leg lasted 14 years, but in December, she replaced it with one that cost more than $9,000.

Crossman said many people assume prostheses are paid for by the province, but that's not a given. In New Brunswick prostheses fall under Social Development, which requires patients to prove a financial need.

Because Crossman has a life insurance policy, considered an asset by the department, she doesn't qualify for provincial money.

She turned to War Amps, which paid $4,000, to her husband's insurance, which covered $2,400 and to her church, which raised the rest.

CBC

Crossman is grateful for the much needed help but worries about others who may not be so lucky.

"The issue is that if our church had not taken up an offering, we would have been responsible for thousands of dollars out of pocket," she said.

"It's a lot of money."

A government spokesperson said the department couldn't speak about specific cases but it has not refused a prosthesis deemed medically necessary in the past 12 months.

Social Development bought 25 prostheses for the year 2017-2018 and 13 in 2018-2019. None of the "basic model" claims by patients exceeded the maximum of $20,000.

Few can pay on their own

Simonsen's clinic specializes in trauma, so other clinics may have different numbers, she said, but workers' compensation covers a quarter of her patients and Social Development covers 15 to 20 per cent.

"I ran some numbers and it looks like  somewhere between three to five per cent of patients are paying out of pocket."

Some of those people, however, have received money from lawsuits to cover expenses such as prostheses, she said.

A claim often involves one of many insurance companies, each with its own policies, War Amps, and the Department of Social Development, which requires a patient to prove a financial need.

Simonsen said the RCMP, Correctional Services Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces all have their own departments for dealing with claims.

"It takes a NASA engineer to navigate some of it."

Two people at her clinic work full time to help people get through these complicated systems.

And money can make a difference, Simonsen said.

CBC

For example, Serge Morneau of Saint-Isidore lost his leg in a snowmobile accident when he was six.

Because he was a child, War Amps stepped in and covered all the costs and continues to do so.

Morneau is thankful to have his prosthetic, a crucial tool in his life, and he walks with only a slight limp. But his mechanical leg makes it difficult to walk in crowds or in the dark.

He takes stairs one by one, and there is no walking backwards. He said he's always concerned about falling.

$100,000 for leg with computer

If there were any way to pay for it, Morneau would opt for a much more expensive "robotic leg."

These more expensive prosthetics, called microprocessors, can cost more than $100,000. The leg comes with a computer and sensors, and it needs recharging.

Morneau had the opportunity to try one once, and he's wanted one ever since.

"You walk way better with that."

He said he'd take a personal loan out if he thought he could afford it.

Clarence Allain knows first-hand that microprocessors make walking, and life in general, much easier.

CBC

Allain lost his leg in 2003, when he was T-boned while driving his motorcycle. Allain learned to walk again in about three months, starting with a mechanical leg.

"It was a more simple leg, just like a piston and that was it," he said. "When you were walking you had to concentrate all the time."

But his insurance policy through his employer covered prosthetics, so he upgraded to a micro-processor model.

"It's easier physically, because you don't have to think all the time where you are  because the leg thinks for you.

"You can turn on a dime if you have to."

Allows him to work

Allain won't say how much money he paid out of pocket, but 80 per cent was covered by insurance.

"This one here, I paid quite a bit," he said.

But mentally and physically he's better off with his pricey prosthetic. He doesn't think he'd still be able to work with a mechanical version.

Both Morneau and Allain would like to see microprocessors available to more people and wonder if it would cost the province less in health care in the long run.
Toronto's board of health will develop a strategy to counter false information about the safety of vaccines, officials decided on Monday after hearing from a polio survivor.

"Babies and children cannot speak for themselves. They rely on us adults and parents and caregivers to make the best decisions for them. Not only is vaccinating responsible, it has been proven time and time again that vaccines work," Safia Ibrahim, a polio survivor originally from Somalia, told the board.

"Living with polio has been difficult, but what's comforting is the knowledge that it is preventable with immunizations. Please protect your children and vaccinate them."

Coun. Joe Cressy, who represents Ward 10, Spadina-Fort York and is chair of the board, said the strategy may include a public education campaign as well as restrictions on misleading advertising by anti-vaccine groups on city-owned property.

City staff will report back to the board on details of the strategy in September.

YouTube

The board also plans to call upon Health Canada to restrict advertising of anti-vaccine messages nationally. Details of the strategy have yet to be worked out.

Cressy said Toronto has seen an increase in vaccine hesitancy, which means an increase in parents choosing not to vaccinate their children, in recent years.

"This is deeply problematic for many reasons primarily because vaccines work. There is no debate because the science is crystal clear. In fact, immunization has saved more children's lives than any other health-care intervention in the last two centuries," he said after the meeting.

"In 2019, it's deeply distressing that we have to once again reprove science."

Toronto Public Health figures show that just 76 per cent of seven-year-olds were up to date on their measles vaccinations last year, but officials have said the number may be due to a delay in parents informing the public health unit that their child has been immunized.

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The board heard from a series of speakers for and against vaccinations.

Survivor says polio forced her to the sidelines

Ibrahim, who continues to suffer from post-polio syndrome, says she doesn't think twice about vaccinating her children. Polio took much from her life, she said.

Tina Mackenzie/CBC News

"Why a parent would take a risk by refusing to vaccinate, when we are aware of the ramifications that measles, mumps, rubella and polio and all the other diseases that immunizations protect against, is mind boggling," she said.

Ibrahim contracted polio when she was one year old. Within days, she had paralysis and weakness in both legs and she spent six years of her life crawling.

When she was eight, she emigrated to Canada and received treatment at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children. She got braces on her legs and was given crutches. She said she falls constantly because of continued weakness in her legs.

She now suffers from post-polio syndrome and had to have a hip replacement. She also has arthritis in both elbows from using crutches.

Ibrahim said society has forgotten how polio can cripple a person physically, emotionally, socially and financially. Now, she still sits on the sidelines as she watches her children ride their bikes or roller skate but she knows she has protected them from diseases.

YouTube

Other speakers said vaccines come with risks.

Writer says hysteria being created around issue

Rosemary Frei, a former medical writer and journalist, said there is hysteria being created around measles and people opposed to vaccinations. Anyone who questions the safety of vaccines is seen as spreading false information, she argued.

The pharmaceutical industry, with its "pernicious influence," is trying to silence those who raise concerns because vaccines are "huge money makers," she added.

"I've discovered there's a ton of evidence that vaccines cannot be considered to be universally safe and effective," Frei said.

Dr. Vinita Dubey, associate medical officer of health, told the board on Monday that vaccine hesitancy is a term defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a "reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines."

WHO identifies this phenomenon as one of the top 10 threats to global health.

Sean Holden/CBC

Dubey said the board strategy must respond to misinformation, provide clear and truthful messages supporting vaccines and enable health-care providers to answer parental concerns. The strategy must counter the beliefs that lead to vaccine hesitancy, she said.

To provide accurate information about vaccination rates, the Ontario government could set up a provincial electronic vaccine registry, conducted in real time, that contains reports of vaccines administered by doctors at the time of vaccination.

About 20 per cent of parents are vaccine hesitant and unsure about the safety of vaccine, she noted.

She said the problem is caused by a lack of confidence in vaccines, including parental concerns about side effects, inconvenience in accessing vaccines and complacency that stems from low incidence of the diseases being vaccinated against.
By Khalid Abdelaziz KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Around 20 people have been killed and dozens wounded in dawn attacks on a sit-in outside Sudan's defense ministry by protesters calling for President Omar al-Bashir to step down, the head of the main opposition party said on Tuesday. Veteran leader Sadiq al-Mahdi also called in a statement for "a select military command" to negotiate a transition toward democracy, following more than three months of protests that represent the most sustained challenge to Bashir's 30-year rule. Mahdi's remarks came as several thousand protesters continued for a fourth day a sit-in outside the compound in central Khartoum housing the defense ministry, Bashir's residence and the country's security headquarters. Early on Tuesday, Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Service tried twice to disperse the protesters, breaking into the area using pickup trucks, witnesses said. Security forces also tried to disperse the sit-in early on Monday, but witnesses and activists said soldiers moved to protect the protesters. An opposition doctors' committee put the death toll in Sudan since the sit-in began on Saturday at 21, including five soldiers, with more than 150 injured. Amnesty International said in a statement that nine people had reportedly been killed in Sudan since Saturday, and it had verified two deaths on Tuesday, one of them outside the compound. The interior ministry could not immediately be reached for comment. A senior leader of the Sudanese Professionals' Association (SPA), the main anti-government protest organizer, called on Tuesday for the sit-in to continue and for similar protests "in front of all armed forces headquarters throughout Sudan". In the first public comments by a senior SPA leader, Omar Saleh Sennar also said his group wanted a civilian transitional government and would only negotiate with the army, considering it "the guarantor of the political system in Sudan". "I am now, from the leadership of the Professionals' Association, present at the sit-in and more leaders of the association will subsequently appear to the public," he told Reuters by phone. ECONOMIC CRISIS Since Dec. 19, Sudan has been rocked by persistent protests sparked by the government's attempt to raise the price of bread, and an economic crisis that has included fuel and cash shortages. The protests escalated on Saturday, when activists, trying to persuade the country's armed forces to side with them, marched toward the defense ministry compound. Mahdi, leader of the main opposition Umma Party, said the march and sit-in - timed to coincide with the April 6 anniversary of a 1985 military coup that forced long-time autocrat Jaafar Nimeiri to step down after protests - were "unprecedented" and had received a "kind of hospitality from the armed forces". Mahdi was Sudan's democratically elected prime minister when Bashir led his overthrow in 1989 in an Islamist-backed military coup. On Monday, the interior ministry said 39 people, including three security forces personnel, had died since protests began on Dec. 19. A spokeswoman for SPA put the death toll at nearly 70. Early on Tuesday, Reuters witnessed dozens of young men blocking Nile Street, a main road in the capital where ministries are located. The protesters used scrap metal barriers to block traffic on the street, which is located around one kilometer away from the presidential palace. Soldiers on armored vehicles were guarding the presidential palace but not moving against demonstrators, a Reuters witness said. Britain, the United States and Norway said Sudanese authorities must deliver a credible plan for a political transition or risk causing greater instability. A Sudanese police spokesman was quoted by state news agency SUNA as saying police had been instructed "not to confront citizens and peaceful gatherings". (Additional reporting by Cairo bureau; Writing by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Giles Elgood)
Police Believe They've Found Bodies of New York Couple Missing in Dominican Republic Police Believe They've Found Bodies of Couple Missing in Dominican Republic

Relatives of a missing New York couple are worried after they went missing late last month while on vacation in the Dominican Republic.

Numerous outlets are reporting that the U.S. Department of State was made aware of the situation and are working with authorities in the Dominican Republic to locate Orlando Moore, 43, and Portia Ravenelle, 32.

The Mount Vernon couple boarded a plane bound for the tropical island on March 23, reports New Yorks PIX 11.

According to NBC New York, they failed to return from their brief vacation on March 27.

Orlando Moore and Portia Ravenelle | Instagram

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Im very worried, Moores aunt told the New York Post Monday. I am hoping that somewhere, theyre being held against their will and theyre alive. But as time goes by, we start thinking that something strange has happened.

PEOPLEs email to the Consulate General of the Dominican Republic was not returned Tuesday.

A State Department official tells PEOPLE, We are aware of reports regarding a U.S. couple missing in the Dominican Republic. The welfare and safety of U.S. citizens abroad is one of the highest priorities of the Department of State.

The official added, Due to privacy considerations, we have no further information to offer at this time.

CNN reports that locals warned Moore and Ravenelle about muggers.

Cheryl Freeman and her boyfriend Carter Washington spent time with Moore and Ravenelle and told CNN they befriended the couple, who apparently had an early, pre-dawn flight home from an airport 100-plus miles from the resort they stayed at.

PEOPLE was unable to reach Moore or Ravenelles family for comment.

According to the Post, relatives say the couple never checked out of their hotel and never returned their rental car. Both their phones are off.

When these things happen, you always think of the worst, but we are hoping for the best, Edith Walters, Moores grandmother, told CNN.
How does a parent measure on paper the bond they have with a child? Christina Schiller has three weeks to answer that question or face deportation.

Schiller, a 44-year-old mother originally from Hungary, needs Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to reassess whether separating her from her four-year-old son, Jayden, would cause him harm.

"Jayden, as a Canadian, has a right to both a mother and a father," Schiller said. "Hopefully, they'll let us stay."

The boy's Canadian father, who shares custody of the boy, has a court order that prohibits the child from leaving the country.

Schiller applied for permanent residency on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. An immigration officer denied her application in Nov. 2018.

In a written decision, obtained by CBC News, a senior Immigration officer ruled that separating the mother and child would cause "emotional hardship" but would not "sever the bonds that have been established."

Schiller's deportation has been put on hold until a different IRCC officer reviews her case. She has until the end of April to submit documents for that reassessment.

She is now working to gather evidence about her bond with her son and his best interests. It includes support letters from teachers and Jayden's father, academic studies about the harmful consequences of forcible separation, and psychiatric assessments of her children.

Residency rejected

Schiller, a dual citizen of South Africa and Hungary, moved to Canada in 2011 with her two daughters to marry a Regina man. The marriage collapsed within a year. Schiller said she couldn't afford airfare back to Hungary.

After a brief relationship with another man, Ray Wuschenny of Regina, she gave birth to a son in 2014. Schiller is the primary caregiver, but they share joint custody.

Wuschenny said he was concerned about Schiller's immigration status so he got a court order shortly after his son's birth to keep the boy in Canada.

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Bonnie Allen/CBC News

Schiller's visitor permit expired. She said she stayed in Canada illegally because she wasn't willing to leave Canada without her son.

In 2017, Schiller applied for permanent residency based on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. Federal authorities are legally obligated to consider the best interests of any child affected by the decision.

The immigration officer who reviewed and rejected Schiller's application wrote that there was "insufficient evidence" related to the best interests of the child.

"There is very minimal information provided about the children in Canada," the officer said.

Children are 'resilient'

The report concedes that separating mother and child will be hard on both.

"I am sympathetic to the emotional hardship that they may experience due to their separation and recognize it will be difficult for all to have to separate," it says. "However, I am not satisfied that separation from the family here in Canada would sever the bonds that have been established."

Schiller's youngest daughter, Mia, moved to Canada when she just a toddler. Now eight years old, Mia only speaks a half dozen words in Hungarian. She said she doesn't want to leave Canada.

"I feel bad. I don't want to leave. I don't want to leave my brother," Mia said during an interview at her Regina home.

The immigration officer's report says, "children are more resilient and adaptable to changing situations therefore I find that returning to Hungary with their mother would not significantly impact their lives."

IRCC declined to comment on Schiller's case.

'It's terrifying'

Evguenia Rokhline, an immigration lawyer in Toronto who frequently handles deportation cases involving non-custodial fathers, said it seems as though IRCC has a default position to separate families.

"It's not surprising. It's terrifying," Rokhline said.

"Time and time again, we get those refusals where it feels like it's a copy and paste decision from many, many years ago when they used that kind of wording."

Rokhline says the written decisions repeat the same phrases that children are resilient, that it will be hard but the parents can Skype or make phone calls and that eventually they can visit each other.

Rokhline says that Schiller's application, which was handwritten without the assistance of a lawyer, likely lacked some of the legal reasoning that can sway an immigration officer. Rokhline has recently taken on Schiller's case.
(This April 8 story deletes reference to contractor being American in first paragraph) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three U.S. service members and a contractor were killed in Afghanistan by an improvised explosive device on Monday, the NATO-led Resolute Support mission said in a statement. Three U.S. service members were also wounded in the incident near Bagram air base close to Kabul, the statement said. Violence has been relentless in Afghanistan even though Taliban militants have held several rounds of talks with U.S. officials about a peace settlement. The talks began late last year, raising hopes for an end to the conflict. Colonel David Butler, a spokesman for U.S. Forces- Afghanistan, said a car bomb had detonated near the security convoy, which lead to deaths and injuries. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. The latest deaths bring the number of U.S. service member deaths in Afghanistan to seven in 2019, and a total of 68 U.S. military deaths since January 2015, according to U.S. government and NATO reports. The death toll is one of the deadliest recent attacks against U.S. personnel. In November, a roadside bomb blast killed three U.S. service members near the central Afghan city of Ghazni. Last month two U.S. service members were killed in Afghanistan while conducting an operation. The war has taken a much larger toll on Afghan security forces and civilians. President Ashraf Ghani, speaking at the World Economic Forum in January, said that about 45,000 Afghan security forces have been killed since he took office in September 2014, which works out to an average of 849 per month. The Resolute Support Mission consists of 17,000 troops, about half of them from the United States. A smaller number of U.S. troops operate in Afghanistan under a counter-terrorism mission. (Reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by Phil Berlowitz, Susan Thomas and David Gregorio)
The continued yammerings of one guy about comics, books, movies. Sometimes I write stories. And I finally got that scanner.
Religious beliefs are part of the humanity of every individual. In a civilised society, individuals respect each others beliefs. This enables them to live in harmony.  Lord Nicholls

Religious freedom is a hallmark of every free society. The ability to act in accordance with a moral will is a fundamental right, enshrined both within the principles of democracy and hundreds of years of Australian public policy and common law. Being compelled to act in a manner that is inconsistent with these beliefs, is morally unjust.

While religious liberty is a freedom in its own right, it is not a standalone concept. Being free to live in accordance with a religious worldview, requires that other basic freedoms are met.

Religious freedom should therefore be viewed as a group of rights, with freedom of speech, conscience, and association being necessary conditions for its existence. Collectively, these enable individuals to operate according to religious ideals without threat of State interference.

Legislative Interference

This is where various state and federal anti-discrimination laws come under question. While the importance of discrimination regulation cannot be understated, a plethora of recent legislation has given rise to a new and unique threat to the fundamental freedoms of Australian citizens. Instruments such as Queenslands Anti-Discrimination Act, and Victorias Equal Opportunity Act share several common characteristics.

They each establish prohibitions on behaviour that is deemed discriminatory against another on the basis of a discrete range of protected attributes. This, inevitably, can conflict with the ability of faith-based organisations to operate according to their conscience. At home and abroad, these provisions have been successfully used against individuals and small businesses. Additionally, they have been used to ensure institutions of faith-based education remain tightly regulated on matters of curriculum and policy.

So, have the governments of Australia exceeded their executive boundaries?

Well, the problem does not reside in the implementation of the respective Acts themselves, in fact, each of these instruments play a vital role in safeguarding against social discrimination. The underlying issue is that both the premise of several of these legislative provisions and nature of their construction across the Australian judicature is one which opposes dignitary harm.

The problem arising from the concept of harm with respect to dignity is that it is impossible to adjudicate with any degree of certainty or objectivity and is therefore plainly arbitrary. In addition, enforcement against dignitary harm creates social biases as the law prioritises some rights over others. The concepts of individual autonomy and dignity are inherently bound.

As such, legislation which demands that a sector of the population forfeit their autonomy for the dignitary benefit of others, in effect, denies both ideals. Loss of autonomy is itself a loss of dignity. Therefore, employing such a low, indeterminate threshold as a legal basis, serves to trim religious freedoms almost to the point of non-existence.

Sufficiency of Current Legislative Protections

The Constitution: Section 116 of the Constitution restricts the Commonwealth from making laws for establishing religion, imposing religious observance, or prohibiting its free exercise.

Sufficient or insufficient? Insufficient. While the Commonwealth cannot legislate to limit the free exercise of religion, it remains susceptible to state regulation.

International Law: The Commonwealth government is a signatory to several international treaties that uphold civil liberties such as religious freedom (e.g. Clause 18 of the ICCPR).

Sufficient or insufficient? Theoretically sufficient, however practically insufficient. International treaties do not automatically form part of domestic law. They must be implemented by parliament, under the external affairs power. Historically, the ICCPR has never been implemented in this way. It also contains stringent provisions on anti-discrimination which may be viewed by the Court to nullify religious protections.

Legislative Exemptions: Each of the aforementioned provisions provide exceptions for religious institutions where their acts/omissions are reasonable to comply with their religious doctrines.

Sufficient or insufficient? Insufficient, in two ways. Firstly, the scope of exceptions is limited to religious institutions. It does not cover organisations or individuals. Secondly, it requires the court to decide what reasonable religious beliefs are. This leaves room for misinterpretation.

Securing Liberties into the Future

Religious beliefs affect the lives of many Australians. Both state and federal governments must begin addressing the aforementioned concerns by reviewing laws that restrict a persons ability to exercise these beliefs. To that end, I advance the proposition that:

Freedom of speech can be protected by redefining legislation which enforces against dignitary harm, to a reasonably objective standard such as harassment. Freedom of association can be safeguarded by redrafting legal exemptions, so that protections are not limited to religious organisations, but extend to a general protection for freedom of conscience for all Australians, including individuals and businesses.

David is a law student, elite athlete & business owner, from Brisbane, Australia.

David Leans previous articles may be viewed at https://www.pressserviceinternational.org/david-lean.html
What fascinates me about entrepreneurship

A couple years ago I discovered this show called Shark Tank and loved it immediately. I forgot about it ever since but just recently stumbled across a YouTube video that was a segment from the show. I decided to watch a couple of episodes and realized once again how much I enjoy the show.

If you havent heard of the show, thankfully the premise is simple. Entrepreneurs pitch their product or company out to 6 sharks who are business men and woman that are potentially interested in investing.

I really enjoy seeing people and their inventions, but on a different note, I enjoy seeing people make a deal. Their faces usually light up instantly and you can clearly see the face of someone who just had years of hard work pay off.

Thinking deeper about the show

When I thought about the show and the aspects that make me enjoy it, I thought also about the behind the scenes that the show doesnt broadcast. As I said previously, these people pitching to the sharks have most likely been working for years or even day after day on their companies.

Occasionally, there will be someone who comes out and stutters or is even speechless because of the anxiety of being both in front of the sharks and also on a widely watched television show.

How does this relate to life as a Christian?

I think that this show is a good analogy for what life should look, or could look like for a Christian. I think theres a view held by many Christians that once someone is a Christian their life will just look amazing and there wont be any problems (or at the least less problems) in their life.

Although I often wish it was that way, it just isnt. Christians are like these entrepreneurs in many ways. Like these entrepreneurs that work behind the scenes for years until finally having the opportunity to make their pitch, Christians struggle with sin that comes in many different forms behind the scenes.

Is there hope?

For these people on the show, there is hope that they will be able to get one of the sharks to invest in their company.

For Christians, there is hope that God will help them rebuild relationships, fight sin, and live better and more fulfilled lives. The smiles and joy that comes from these people when they finally get what theyve been working for is amazing to say the least.

I hope that we as Christians can have that same kind of joy when God helps us to better our lives in small and sometimes seemingly insignificant ways, but also in major ways.

Jackson Laninga is a student at Auckland University of Technology. He grew up in Arizona, but moved to New Zealand to study communications.
On the 15th of March 2019, fifty lives were taken by a terrorist in two mosques across Christchurch, New Zealand.

AI was originally going to write about my experiences on how my life and mindset have changed entering University life as a Christian with outside life experiences, but the events that unfolded on Friday have filled me with a rage, sadness, and disbelief I can barely describe.

Many of those slain had immigrated to New Zealand for a better life, a way to escape war and other horrors of their homeland. As an immigrant myself, reading the terrorists manifesto was a chilling reminder of evil that permeates this world.

However, as I watched the nation unite in solidarity, my spirits soared. Most reactions to the massacre showexactly the kind of peace and unity we all need to strive for.

Then, I made a terrible mistake. I went on Twitter.

As I scrolled down, many messages were that of supportthen I reached the ugly, shameful cesspool of account-holders who claimed to be Christians, and yet were posting the most unchristian messages.

Majority of them were disparaging the New Zealand governments generosity towards survivors of the attack and the families of those murdered. They claimed that the charity and financial aid promised by the Prime Minister were over-the-top.

Their reasoning was that Muslims did not deserve it, despite of the tragedy that had unfolded. Many brought up the numerous acts of violence against Christians worldwide.

Beyond the differences

When the New Zealand Parliament invited various Faith leaders (Christian, Jewish, Muslim) to the first opening of Parliament since the terrorist attack, a remarkable scene unfolded.

For the first time I can remember, an Imam (Muslim faith leader) stood before Parliament and delivered a prayer condemning the attack and calling for peace and love.

We do not need to agree with the workings of anothers faith; I am a Christian, and I disagree with many teachings of the Muslim religion, and I am sure many disagree with ours. But I respect our differences. There comes a time when we must go beyond differences and look at the meaning others might get from an act like this.

What does it mean for an Imam to be invited by Parliament? It means that should a tragedy like this unfold upon another faith (and I pray nothing like this happens again in New Zealand) we can expect the same level of love and respect. Doing unto others what you want done to you. That includes us.

Non-defensive

Some Christians tend to be defensive when confronted with tragedies like Christchurch. It is almost as if they are incapable of feeling sincere sympathy for others,irrespective of their background, their religion, their culture. This is the very opposite of Jesuss teachings.

When you are approached with news that Fifty people died in two mosques last Friday, our responses must not be defensive, such as, Thats sad. But what about Christiansbeing killed in the Middle East? What about the discrimination of Christians elsewhere?The danger theyre in?

And sadly, based on the posts I have seen online, more people than I can swallow to accept believe and spread this kind of selfish sentiment.

Is this the Christian way to react? Wouldnt it make more sense to respond with pain to match their own, to show that we feel and understand and sympathize? Instead of a defense, wouldnt it make more sense to say,with absolute truth, I know. Im heartbroken. Is there anything we can do?

The pain, suffering, and grief of one communitydoes notminimize another; in fact, it gives us an opportunity to extend our empathy, to connect and mourn as one people not a divided one, to show our love, our truest and deepest sympathies, our realest pain.

We can mourn the loss of Christian life without ignoring the massacres towards people of other faiths. There is no race to boast of tragedies. I will mourn for my Muslim neighbour the same way I will mourn for my Christian friends.

Because that is what I have learned from experiencing Gods love myself; it is free and freeing, it sees beyond all things until nothing much less matters, except recognising the equal worth of every life.

Today in the Kelburn Campus of Victoria University, there is a memorial wall set up I pray they never take down. On these black plywood walls, I saw,in colourful chalk, writingsin many different languagesandmessages from diverse groups and many faiths.

An out-pouring of love like, I pray that God brings you peace and strengthThey are usYou are welcome here. And, larger than many other writings,

And the dust returns to the Earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.(Ecclesiastes chapter 12, verse 7)

Megan Fermo is a writer who dreams of publishing her novel one day. She is learning and growing her faith every day.
With no shortage of opportunities to rebel, teenagersstill choose Jesus.

Let's not forget what youth ministry involves  the sparking of untapped potential, the awakening of spiritual life, support from a diverse community. Without a doubt, God sees this and rejoices.

Think of all the truth proclaimed, the wisdom excited, the comfort experienced and the steady growth. It's pure and virtuous. Teenagers, who are struggling to find out who they are, can find refuge in a youth ministry. Thats beautiful.

Grasping Christ-likeness

When a person hears about Jesus, and they are told to model him, the first question is -how? It's a valid question. How do I emulate an invisible God?

A fresh believer turns to their church for the answer. They begin to desperately scan left and right looking for some type of resemblance of Jesus. Looking for Jesus made manifest. When they find it, they begin to conceptualize this idea of Christ-likeness.

The beginnings of the reality of reflecting Christ on this earth, can come from the influence of a youth leader. It's amazing when you really think about it.

Learning emotional resilience

They don't teach this at school. Nobody is being taught how to identify their emotions, how to be positive, how to change their perspective. Yet, these life skills are essential.

At church, we actually teach emotional resilience indirectly. We preach about things like joy in the midst of a storm. We preach about endless hope because of who we serve. We preach about changing your perspective into something healthier.

It's deeply needed. When you are a teenager, your emotions have a tendency to govern you. The whole world crashes down on you when you are rejected or hurt by somebody.

Identifying, expressing and being comfortable with emotions are key skills. Youth ministry and church can contribute to the formation of these.

Healthy role models

"Choose your heroes, or your heroes will be chosen for you" - Russell Brand. This means if you don't choose your role models, societys role models will be forced upon you without you noticing.

The role models presented at church starts with Jesus. A man who welcomed all. A deity who emptied himself and took the form of a servant.

The rolemodelsthat worldly culture chooses are rebellious. They are the rich and famous who live superficially.

Youth leaders fill this yearning for somebody to look up to and become desperately needed role models.

Learning identity

Identity is learnt from a mirror. It is learnt from seeing ourselves in something else. A musician will find their identity by watching artists perform. They watch a performance and think, I could do that. They see themselves in that mirror.

We learn identity through interacting in diverse communities. Youth ministry provides a space to do this. It provides mirrors to learn our spiritual identity.

I want to pray like that, I want to encourage like that, I want to evangelise like that. These resonating thoughts are the seeds of learnt identity.

A mirror from youth leaders, a mirror from peers, a mirror from the word of God,helps youth kids learn who they are.

Vulnerability

At church we are told about a forgiving and empathetic God. Youth are given the opportunity to be vulnerable to their peers. And how do their peers respond? With prayers. Not jeers.

In schools around the world, children are being ridiculed for being weak. In God's house, children are receiving prayer, prayer filled with love, encouragement and hope.

An opportunity to prepare

Most crucially,youth ministry holds an opportunity to prepare. The transition from teenager to adult is not always smooth sailing. After all, independence can be tricky. Youth kids finish high school and gain access to a wide range of experiences.

With this, comes spiritual challenges from all directions. Youth Ministry helps to prepare, helps build skills and mentalities that are healthy.

What if our youth were truly ready and prepared?

What if all stayed committed to hearing God's voice day after day because it became an ingrained practice in their youth? What if youth kids grew to make disciples?

You just might witness the harvest of a beautiful ministry.

Roden Meares is a student studying mental health. He enjoys playing basketball, reading comics and going to the gym. He has a passion for evangelising and helping others in their faith through writing.
Black Works Studio has announced the return of the S&R, the companys second release. S&R returns with the same sized Lancero and Corona Gorda releases as the 2018, but with one additional twist  literally. For 2019, a limited edition culebra will also be offered to select retailers. The small batch release of S&R is scheduled to hit retailers the week of April 15, 2019.

S&R was released in 2018. It is the first Sumatra blend by James Brown in his portfolio. The remainder of the blend consists of a Nicaraguan Habano binder and Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers. Each cigar is finished with a pigtail cap. Production is handled out of the companys Fabrica Oveja Negra in Esteli, Nicaragua.

We are very excited for the second release of S&R. This cigar represents the broad spectrum of cigars produced under the Black Works Studio line. Its medium bodied with tons of complexity and the perfect amount of white pepper spice to let you know this is a BLK WKS cigar. The Nicaragua & Dominican blend is wrapped in a beautiful cafe colored Sumatra wrapper and topped with the S&Rs signature pigtail. This year, playing on the serpent theme we made a very limited number of Lancero Culebras, so keep your eye out for those! said James Brown, creator of BLK WKS and partner at Fabrica Oveja Negra in a press release.

The following retailers will receive the S&R Culebras:

BNB Cigars

Boling Springs Cigars

Cousins Cigar

East End Cigar Co.

Kings Leaf Cigar Lounge

Marker Cellars Family Winery

Maxamar Ultimate Cigars

Omerta Cigar Co.

Skallywag Cigars

Smokers Abbey TX

Underground Cigar Shop

Willys Cigars.

The 2019 release also features a slightly modified band design. At a glance, here is a look at the Black Works Studio S&R 2019 release:

Blend and Origin

Wrapper: Sumatra

Binder: Nicaraguan Habano

Filler: Nicaragua & Dominican

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Factory: Fabrica Oveja Negra

Vitolas Offered

The Lancero and Corona Gorda sizes are presented in 20-count boxes. The Culebra is packaged in individual coffins.

Lancero: 6 3/4x 42 (SRP $9.50)

Corona Gorda: 5 1/2 x 46 (SRP $9.50)

Culebra: 6 3/4x 42 (SRP $35.00)
Pure Aroma Cigars, best known as the makers of the DCrossier brand of cigars, is set to resurrect an old Cuban brand. This month the company will bring back the Lords of England line. This was a Cuban brand that was introduced to the U.S. market in 1905.

Lords of England was a cigar line that was originally popular in Europe. It carried the trademark of the Estabrook & Eaton Cigar Company. Around 1905, Don Gustavo Bock introduced the cigar to the U.S. market. Once introduced, Lords of England became a popular cigar in hotels and cigar clubs in the U.S. Bock produced the brand out of Havana, Cuba. Bock was a partner in Henry Clay & Bock Company. Eventually, that company was purchased by American Tobacco Trust (which Bock would head up.)

The brand eventually became dormant and disappeared from the market. However, the history of the brand caught the attention of Pure Aroma Cigars owner Santana Diaz.

In my research, I found out that the Bock company produced at least three different versions of this elegant cigar. A modest version came in large cedar boxes of 50 in several shapes and sizes with the Lords of England logo stamped in brilliant colors with the Estabrook & Eaton name engraved in the middle, a tribute to the original English importers and distributors of that cigar, commented Diaz in a press release.

The second and third version bore the name of Don Gustavo Bock and E&E, and it was considerably more upscale with an elegantly wrapped box designed with bright colors, gold filigree, and classical themes  a fitting precursor to the highly designed cigar labels and boxes of modern times. Bock was really the father of the modern cigar, as we know it. After all he introduced the Cuban ring and was the architect of the big business approach to producing and marketing fine cigars, added Diaz. It is around 114 years since the Lords of England was introduced in this country. Id like to recapture some of that history of my native island and make the Lords of England cigar the premium brand it once was.

Diaz is teaming up with Tabacalera Perdomo to produce the cigar. The Lords of England line returns in two blends  the Lords of England Connecticut and the Lords of England Maduro which feature an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade and Mexican San Andres wrapper respectively. Both cigars are available in three sizes: Robusto, Toro, and Churchill. Each is packaged in 25-count boxes.

Believe me, I have worked diligently to find the right blend of tobaccos to recreate this Cuban legend, commented Diaz.

At a glance, here is a look at the Lord of England line:

Lord of England Connecticut

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Factory: Tabacalera Perdomo SA

Robusto: 5 x 50

Toro: 6 x 50

Churchill: 7 x 50

Lord of England Maduro

Wrapper: Mexican San Andres

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Factory: Tabacalera Perdomo SA

Robusto: 5 x 50

Toro: 6 x 50

Churchill: 7 x 50

Photo Credit: Pure Aroma Cigars
SMTA Silicon Valley Chapter Membership Drive and Technical Presentation Meeting to be Held at Intel Published: 09 April 2019 by Mike Buetow by Mike Buetow

SAN JOSE -- The SMTA Silicon Valley chapter will hold its first technical meeting of the year on Apr. 18 at Intel in Santa Clara.

The topic for this meeting is New Challenges and Opportunities in Packaging, Manufacturing Process for High-Density Multi-Chips. Sign-in and registration is 2:15 to 3:00pm, and presentations will be from 3 to 6pm. A reception will follow.

The meeting takes place at Intel SC12, 3600 Juliette Lane, Santa Clara. (Light refreshments to be served during breaks and registration.)

SMTA members and any guests may attend for free. Nonmembers: $20 (payable by cash or by check to SMTA Silicon Valley Chapter at the door.)

Schedule for the event:

2:15 - 3:00pm: Membership Presentation/Drive/Sign in table

3:00 - 3:30pm: Robert Blum  Director of Strategic Marketing and Business Development  Intel Silicon Photonics / The Datacenter  Integrated Photonics Manufacturing and Technology

3:30 - 3:40pm: Q&A

3:40  4:10 pm: Ken Brown  Senior Director, Packaging at Intel / Packaging - More Choices, More Complexity

4:10  4:20: Q&A

4:20 - 4:35pm: Bio/Coffee Break

4:35 - 5:05pm: Herb Reiter - eda 2 asic Consulting, Inc / Changing Market Requirements Bring New Challenges and Opportunities in Packaging

5:05 - 5:15pm: Q&A

5:15 - 5:45pm: James Rathburn - HSIO Technologies, LLC / Manufacturing Process for very high density multi-chip modules and circuits utilizing high performance Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) material sets in multi-layer constructions.

5:45 - 5:55pm: Q&A

5:55  6:00pm: Wrap Up

6:00  7:00pm: Social Hour

Speakers

Robert Blum, Intel Corporation

Topic of Presentation The Datacenter: Integrated Photonics Manufacturing and Technology

Robert Blum is Director of Strategic Marketing and Business Development for Intels Silicon Photonics Product Division. Prior to joining Intel, Robert was Director of Strategic Marketing at Oclaro Inc., and held various Director of Product Management and Marketing roles for Oclaros telecommunications products and consumer laser portfolio. Before joining Oclaro, Robert was Product Line Manager for optical transmission components at JDS Uniphase Corporation and held various engineering and marketing management roles at Gemfire Corporation, all in California. Robert worked at Deutsche Telekoms research labs in Darmstadt, Germany, while completing his masters thesis and holds a doctorate degree in Physics from the University of Technology in Hamburg. He has also studied and done research at Ecole Polytechnique Federale in Lausanne, Switzerland, and at Stanford University, California.

Abstract: The rapid growth in data center traffic is driving the need for increased performance and overall bandwidth of networking equipment, including optical interfaces and Ethernet switches, which are based on pluggable transceivers today. But looking just a few years ahead, bandwidth scalability challenges are looming in terms of density, cost, and power; challenges that require tighter integration of optics and networking silicon. We will review motivation for integration and the enabling technology elements, and discuss how co-packaged Silicon Photonics enables higher density, reduced power per bit, and ultimately the continued scalability of network bandwidth and performance.

Ken M. Brown, Intel Corporation

Topic of Presentation: Packaging - More Choices, More Complexity

Ken Brown is the Senior Director for Packaging at Intels Silicon Photonics Product Division, and splits his time between Santa Clara, California, and Chandler, Arizona. Ken joined Intel in 1998 following Intels acquisition of the Digital Equipment Corp. (DEC) semiconductor business in Massachusetts. At Intel, Ken has held a variety of positions, with 20 years in Intels Assembly and Test Technology Development (ATTD) group - as Director of ATTD-Asia responsible for packaging development of Intels Communication and Wireless products in China, Malaysia, and the Philippines; as ATTD Senior Director of Package Design; and prior to his current role, as Senior Director of Packaging for Intels Custom Foundry business. Before joining Intel, he had worked in a variety of positions over 17 years at DEC in assembly, boards, advanced development, and semiconductor packaging, He has been in the electronic packaging field for more than 30 years. Ken holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Northeastern University. He also holds several packaging patents, chaired the Semiconductor Research Corporation Packaging Committee, and has authored packaging chapters for University texts. Outside of Intel, Ken is an award winning photographer, and was fortunate enough to receive an Intel Sustainability in Action grant to create the worlds largest full-color, high resolution, underwater photograph of the Bloody Bay Wall reef in the Cayman Islands to highlight the reefs changing biodiversity.

Abstract: Back in the old days of packaging, the REALLY old days, you just had a few choices. You went with a standard leadframe package or tooled up a custom leadframe if your volumes were high enough, dropped your chip on it, did the wirebonding and molding, and voila ! you had your packaged chip. Or alternatively, you got a hunk of ceramic, printed a circuit on it with thick film metal and dielectric, attached and wirebonded your chips, and once again you had your product. Not to turn this into a packaging history lesson, but then we started surface mounted packaging, at least doubling the choices with thru-hole packages and surface mount. Next came along limited and then broad application of flip chip packaging, migration from ceramic to organic flip chip packaging, and the growth continued. The growth of packaging has really followed the growth and diversity of the product needs for the chips. There is no end in sight, which I guess for the packaging engineer is a good thing ! This presentation will discuss the growth, diversity, and increasing complexity of packaging.

Herb Reiter, eda 2 asic Consulting

Topic of Presentation: Changing Market Requirements Bring New Challenges and Opportunities in Packaging

After 10 years as board-level and system designer, Herb worked for about two decades for ASIC and EDA companies in both Europe and California. In 2002 he founded his own company " eda 2 asic Consulting, Inc." to focus on reducing the gap between the IC design and manufacturing camps. Since 2008, when he started the GSA's 3D-IC Working Group, Herb consulted on 2.5/3D-IC design and manufacturing topics with SEMATECH, Si2 and EDAC/ESD Alliance to contribute to the industry's transition from single-die SoCs to multi-die solutions in advanced packages. Herb frequently blogs about multi-die IC-related topics at 3D InCites, see http://www.3dincites.com/3d-context/ . He earned an MSEE and MBA in Austria, an MBA at San Jose State University and attended 40+ Continuing Education Courses at Stanford University.

Abstract: The increasing demand for higher performance per Watt, integration of heterogeneous functions, smaller form-factors, lower unit and development cost as well as shorter times to profit are just a few of the reasons why the semiconductor industry is making significant changes to traditional strategies and practices. The most visible and impactful of these changes is our focus on advanced packaging technologies. They are shifting a major part of the value creation from single-die SoCs to multi-die (sub) system solutions in a package. Unlike multi-chip modules (MCMs) in the past, today's multi-die packages are becoming more and more cost-effective and, thanks to the emerging die-package-board design flows, much easier to develop, manufacture and deploy. This presentation outlines major market changes, explains the resulting challenges for our industry and shows how innovative companies turn these challenges into opportunities for growing revenues and profits.

James Rathburn - HSIO Technologies, LLC

Topic of Presentation: Manufacturing Process for very high density multi-chip modules and circuits utilizing high performance Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) material sets in multi-layer constructions.

James is the founder and President of HSIO Technologies, located in Maple Grove MN near Minneapolis. He was previously the founder of Gryphics, Inc. which was sold to Cascade Microtech in 2007. James is the author of over 80 patents related to high speed electrical interconnect and circuit fabrication and is responsible for advanced technology development at HSIO. James has over 30 years of semiconductor industry experience, and attended Marquette University's College of Engineering.

Abstract: HSIO Technologies has developed a new method for production of very high density multi-chip modules and circuits utilizing high performance Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) material sets in multi-layer constructions not possible with historical fabrication methods. The intended paper will describe the basic process sequences compared to conventional circuit fabrication methods, and identify unique design rules to enable much higher density and performance than previous use of LCP and like dielectric materials. Heterogeneous Integration examples aligned with the DARPA CHIPS program will be described and demonstrated with high layer count LCP SiP substrates with sophisticated Micro-Electronics Assembly techniques extending from surface mount through embedded active semiconductors with passive device integration. A manufacturing relationship with Benchmark Electronics and Lark RF Technologies focused on a RF and High Speed Design Center of Innovation will be described to illustrate the manufacturing process highlighting Test at Assembly technology highlighting the importance of Known Good Die (KGD) for any multi-die assembly especially when devices are embedded within internal layers of a high layer count substrate. The paper will use true to industry relevant examples of high density modules developed to validate process, performance and reliability requirements for high reliability applications in the Mil/Aero/Defense/Sat/Auto and Tele/Comm/Mobile/Computing industries. Signal Integrity analysis normalized from empirical measurement data from DC to 112 gbs and 110 GHz RF will be explained to highlight the benefits of LCP vs conventional material sets.
It will take a fairly detailed scrutiny by RBI before they give a go ahead to the deal, said Sandeep Parekh, Founder, Finsec Law Advisors.

What has changed from the last time to now for RBI to approve the bank license for Indiabulls because if anything, there has been more damning situation when linking Banga's name to Panama Papers.

Nothing has really changed. The key difference is that, at that time it was a regular application for a banking license and they are now doing it through a merger with the Lakshmi Vilas Bank. So in a way, it is a short-cut to getting a bank license.



What they have not got in hand till now is an RBI approval and that is going to be critical.



And do you think it will be an easy process to get the RBI approval?

I do not think so because of the very same reason. They were not given that license when they were eligible for a direct license, should they be given a license at this stage? That is the kind of question which RBI will face from logical and regulatory perspective.

The challenge some would argue was the exposure of the group to the real estate sector at the NBFC level and even at an operating level, because they have a large company called Indiabulls Real Estate. The earlier factors factors have not changed, the business model has not changed. Can I put two and two together and assume that this deal may just stop at RBI?

There will be lots of things RBI will consider before giving a go ahead. The asset-liability mismatch is, of course, inherent in most financial institutions, and in banks, because deposits are typically low cost which means that they can be withdrawn at any point of time and assets are much longer term.



That is the nature of the beast and by itself, it is a problem but given that Lakshmi Vilas Bank itself has faced some regulatory scrutiny, it will take a fairly detailed scrutiny by RBI before they give a go ahead.



This is the fourth merger where NBFC has been merged into the bank now. Is this a tell-tell sign that NBFCs will only exist if they become a bank or merge themselves with a bank because that seems to be the real trend at play here?

For an NBFC, it is a big jump and which is why RBI has opened itself for giving licenses to a whole range of NBFCs and even corporates lined up. It can be captured in a single sentence which is lower cost of funds.



Compared to an NBFC borrowing at 14-15%, banks can borrow at 7% to 10% in today's environment. The biggest difference between the two is cost of capital.

Source: Economic Times
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New York, April 8, 2019  Saudi Arabian authorities must immediately release journalists Thumar al-Marzouqi, Bader al-Ibrahim, Mohammed al-Sadiq, and Abdullah al-Duhailan and stop their brazen campaign against the media, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

The four journalists were among at least 12 activists and writers detained by Saudi authorities on April 4, according to The Associated Press and the London-based human rights organization Al-Qst.

The journalists locations have not been made public, and no charges against them have been announced. CPJs emailed request for comment to the Saudi embassy in Washington, D.C., did not receive a response.

With the arrests of these four journalists, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is showing the world that his attitude toward journalists has not changed as a result of the blowback following his governments killing of Jamal Khashoggi last year, CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour said from Washington, D.C. Saudi Arabia must immediately release all detained journalists, and the international community must demonstrate that business as usual cannot continue with the kingdom as long as it so blatantly disregards values such as freedom of the press.

Three of the four journalists wrote for Al-Arabi al-Jadeed, a U.K.-based news website owned by a Qatari company. Saudi authorities have censored Qatari media outlets and demanded their closure since the countries diplomatic relations began to deteriorate in 2017, as CPJ has reported.

Al-Sadiq and al-Ibrahim write regularly for Al-Arabi al-Jadeed, according to their author pages on the website. Both have written about sectarian conflicts between Sunni and Shia Muslims and contemporary issues in Saudi Arabia like the kingdoms economic policies and female guardianship laws, according to a CPJ review of their writing. Al-Ibrahim is a dual U.S.-Saudi citizen, according to news reports.

Al-Marzouqi publishes articles on his own blog, and contributed to Al-Arabi al-Jadeed and the Saudi newspaper Okaz, according to his author pages on each website. He has written about sectarianism and about freedom of speech in Saudi Arabia, according to a CPJ review of his writing.

Al-Duhailan writes for the London-based newspaper Al-Hayat and also hosts the talk show Al-Markaz, which is broadcast on social media, according to his author page on Al-Hayat and his social media accounts. Al-Duhailans reporting for Al-Hayat has included interviews with women who drove cars in defiance of Saudi Arabias ban on women driving, which was lifted last year, according to a CPJ review of his writing.

All four journalists are associated with activists who campaigned against the now-lifted ban on women driving in the country, The New York Times and Reuters reported.

Al-Marzouqis wife, feminist writer Khadija al-Harbi, was also detained on April 4, according to The New York Times. CPJ is also investigating the reported arrests of activist Salah al-Haidar and Yazid al-Faifi, a journalist for the Saudi newspaper Al-Sharq.

At least 16 journalists were behind bars in Saudi Arabia as of December 1, 2018, according to CPJ research, and a recent report in The Guardian detailed the harrowing conditions in prison faced by at least four journalists.
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In 2011, I observed an astonishing spectacle in the Respublika newspaper offices in Almaty, Kazakhstans financial capital. Journalists were putting a modern-day twist on samizdat, a practice in the Soviet Union whereby dissidents laboriously copied illicit material to circumvent censorship.

This was both a throwback to a totalitarian past and a premonition of the future for the press under Nursultan Nazarbayev who, until his resignation last month, had ruled for three decades.

Samizdat had arisen anew in the internet age because of efforts by Nazarbayevs regime to gag media that refused to toe the official line. Respublika was facing a selective refusal by printing houses to publish it. Hence samizdat, to keep the presses rolling. Printers spewed out sheets of newsprint; reporters collated makeshift newspapers for delivery to press kiosks in the dead of night.

Respublika, closed by court order in 2012, became a symbol of media muzzling under Nazarbayevs ruleand of the indefatigable spirit of the journalists asserting their right to freedom of expression.

Kazakhstan insists it assures free speech, but its record tells a different story: gagging the press, jailing journalists, harassing reporters, violating citizens rights to freedom of expression and access to information. The situation is, unfortunately, alarming, and the tendency is toward deterioration, Tamara Kaleyeva, of Adil Soz (Free Speech), a local non-governmental watchdog, said. Kaleyeva cited planned changes to media law that would impose further restrictions on journalists and the general public.

I think that during the transition period, the ever-more tightening media environment will keep being pressured, as authorities repeatedly said they want the smoothest transition of power, said freelancer Aigerim Toleukhan.

Toxic legacy

After the USSRs collapse in 1991, feisty outlets sprang up. But, by 1998, Nazarbayev was threatening critical media with well-deserved punishments. Then the firebombing of an opposition-linked newspaper heralded a rollback of media freedoms.

Intimidation and violence, or the threat of it, became a recurrent feature in the early 2000s, as CPJ and other international rights groups documented at the time. Masked attackers assaulted prominent journalist Gulzhan Yergaliyeva. Respublikas office was firebombed, its editor received a funeral wreath, a decapitated dog was pinned to its wall. Assailants beat up another well-known journalist, Sergey Duvanov, then he was jailed on rape charges that CPJ decried as designed to silence his critical reporting about official corruption. CPJ is investigating at least two other killings to see if they were connected to the journalists work: Gennady Pavlyuk, who was hurled from a window in 2011, and Askhat Sharipzhanov, who was killed in a road accident in 2004, while preparing an expose.

Other cases included the near fatal attack in 2012 on Lukpan Akhmedyarov, who was shot and stabbed. While four attackers were jailed, investigations have so far failed to identify and bring to justice a mastermind. In 2017, Ramazan Yesergepov, previously imprisoned on charges of disclosing state secrets, was stabbed while traveling to brief diplomats on press freedom, prompting CPJ to express concern about journalists security.

Under Nazarbayev, the state acquired an armory of legal weapons, from punitive defamation laws and the criminalization of false information to stringent controls over media operations and powers to block online communications. Journalists can be banned from practicing their trade, as Zhanbolat Mamay was when he was convicted on money-laundering charges in 2017 that CPJ deemed were aimed at silencing dissenting voices and muzzling independent media.

Reporters face restrictions covering stories that officials wish to hush up, watchdogs including Adil Soz and Freedom House have found. In 2016, around 50 reporters were detained on one day, covering demonstrations against land reforms. Last month, RFE/RL reported how one of its reporters, Saniya Toiken, was arrested while covering protests and convicted of disobeying police orders. After Nazarbayevs resignation, RFE/RL correspondent Svetlana Glushkova was detained covering demonstrations, then convicted on assault charges that she described as an order from above. These cases were trumped up to close the mouths of independent journalists, Kaleyeva, of Adil Soz, told CPJ.

The Ministry of Information and Communication did not immediately respond to CPJs request for comment.

Media silenced

In 2015, I visited Gulzhan Yergaliyeva, who had taken a radical step to protest legal maneuvers to close her magazine, Adam bol, for allegedly incendiary reporting. Yergaliyeva was on hunger striketo no avail: a court ordered the shutdown. A successor publication was closed on a legal technicality over its registration.

This was one of the few independent sources for news left after the mass closure of over 30 outlets in 2012 for allegedly promoting extremism in their reporting on fatal unrest in the town of Zhanaozen. CPJs appeal to Nazarbayev to halt the crackdown fell on deaf ears. Nowadays, a tiny number of independent media exist, precariously.

For the authorities, the press is not a fourth estate to hold the powers-that-be accountable, but a tool to shape public opinion in their favor. The government spends around $150 million annually on subsidies for reports painting a positive picture of life in Kazakhstan, according to 2017 figures from a Kazakhstan-based non-governmental watchdog, Legal Media Center. Now, state media are glorifying the outgoing president.

This is the beleaguered media environment that Nazarbayev bequeaths his country. With his considerable post-retirement powers, including the chairmanship of the powerful Security Council and the right to intervene in policy-making, journalists are pessimistic about the future.

Prospects for an improvement in the situation with freedom of speech are not on the horizon, said Duvanov, who is now a campaigner at the non-governmental watchdog Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law. There can be no liberalization on this front because nothing fundamental has occurred, in principle, with Nazarbayev shifting to the position of Security Council chairman. Conceptually, nothing has changed with respect to the rights and liberties of citizens.

Another reporter, who spoke on condition of anonymity for safety reasons, said, Given the general political situation in Kazakhstan and the further tightening of the screws on civil liberties, I dont see any improvements coming in the media sphere. The reporter added, I dont think the authorities will allow any liberalization of the media environment because this might upset the balance during the political transition. I see people getting annoyed with the latest political developments, and in order to stifle public dissent, the authorities wont allow the media greater freedoms.

Amirzhan Kosanov, a veteran journalist and opposition activist, said he believes a free media would create an existential threat to the system the powers-that-be wish to preserve. With Kazakhstan on the threshold of presidential and parliamentary elections, I dont think there will be any liberalization of state information policy. This is not about specific personalities but the system itself  it would not survive in conditions of free speech.
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Pakistani journalists are a fractious lot. The unions have split into competing factions. TV networks snap at each other on air. So it takes something really threatening to prompt journalists to come to a common point of view. Thats happened as the governments latest plan to create a new media regulatory body has provoked a virtually unanimous response from journalist unions, publishers and editors, lawyers groups, and press freedom advocates that boils down to something very simple: Dont! A statement by leaders of the All Pakistan Newspaper Society (APNS) dubbed the proposal the most regressive measure against the media.

The proposal to combineand expandexisting regulatory authority under the umbrella of a new Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority, or PRMA, is the brainchild of Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry, who was appointed following the electoral victory in July of Prime Minister Imran Khan and his PTI party. Chaudhry is a lawyer by training, but has been in and out of politics, servicing different parties, and has also worked as a TV anchor.

Critics argue that the proposed PMRA would usher in an era of heightened government control and censorship. With the media already suffering from a withering degree of intimidation from security forces, as documented by CPJ, and a business environment that has forced mass layoffs, in part because of government cutbacks in advertising, media groups are highly suspicious of government intentions.

In several conversations with CPJ, Chaudhry described his proposal as the most natural evolution of the governments role in the wake of the digital transformation of the news business. He said its aimed at preserving what he describes as the freest media sector in the Muslim world. We are not bringing in something new, he told CPJ in a telephone interview. We are just converging existing bodies to bring more efficiency to the regulator.

Under the proposal, a new regulator would oversee separate divisions for electronic media (TV and radio broadcasts and cable), digital media, and print. Existing regulators, including the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), would become defunct. The new body would also supersede self-regulatory panels such as APNS. The regulator would have powers to censure, fine, or withhold licenses from media operations. The aim, according to an early draft of the bill, is to broaden choice and optimize the free flow of information. A concept paper from the government says it aims to establish Pakistan as a major global center and hub for multimedia information and content services with no mention of the traditional watchdog role of media in a democratic society.

Opposition has come from many directions.

For starters, the proposal does in fact introduce regulation where none existed. For example, printed newspapers in Pakistan are hardly regulated. New titles must register at the province to obtain a license, which is granted as a matter of course so long as no one else has claimed the title, Zaffar Abbas, editor of Dawn, told CPJ in an interview. Under the PMRA proposal, however, newspapers would have to renew licenses annually, a requirement that promises to increase pressures for self-censorship to avoid offensive articles that could jeopardize the license. They have absolutely no idea that newspapers do not require a regulatory body and its a dangerous trend, said Abbas, pointing out that regulations under past dictatorships were abolished after a long struggle by journalists. First everything will be under one regulatory body. Tomorrow even if this government doesnt have this kind of intention, all the bureaucrats, they will start issuing notices, notices to internet users, peoples violations of code of ethics, laws, etc.

Chaudhry dismissed this concern, arguing that print is a dying industry as newspapers move online, meaning that all would be subject to a different means of regulation anyway. My intention is not to squeeze the media, Chaudhry said. My intention is to come up with a transparent method of regulation.

Transparent or not, existing regulatory structures for electronic media can be extremely heavy handed. For example, PEMRA bans criticism of the judiciary, has imposed a sweeping code of conduct, and has suspended broadcast rights over coverage. At the same time, PEMRA last year proved ineffective when it ordered cable companies to restore news programs they had dropped at the apparent behest of more powerful forces.

Also worrisome to many is the structure of the new regulator, which, in the early draft, calls for the PMRA governing body to be appointed by the government. Chaudhry conceded that this is a potentially valid concern and told CPJ hes considering having leadership selected by the media industry, essentially making PMRA a self-regulatory body.

That, of course, begs the question of why its needed at all. Abbas, for example, points out that APNS already has a self-regulatory function and a complaints procedure, to which Dawn responds when complaints about its coverage arise.

Underlying deep apprehension about the government intentions are the bitter long- and short-term memories of pressure on the media, from killings and assaults on journalists to, more recently, behind-the-scenes pressure put on publishers and editors, which were the subject of CPJs special report last year. Sadaf Khan, co-founder and program director of the Islamabad-based nonprofit media training and advocacy organization Media Matters for Democracy, sees PMRA as an effort to introduce legal measures in place of extra-legal methods to control the media. I feel this is an effort to ensure that nobody can openly go against the national narrative that is being built by the state itself, she told CPJ. They do have some means [today], but its the difference between having a legal versus non-legal mechanism. Action by the state to control the media, Khan says was branded as censorship, but once a law is there it is no longer censorship. Its the government upholding the law.

In that sense, Khan is suggesting that, as Chaudhry put it, the PMRA proposal may well be aimed at greater transparency in what has been an extremely murky process of media manipulation by the state. Of course, having a formal regulatory structure also would not guarantee the end of threats and violence that have characterized the past. Chaudhry tells CPJ, Most people have not understood the concept, and admits that most people see a hidden agenda. On that point, hes certainly right.
Question: Regarding my posts about the terrible perversion of Torah and halacha that Rav Shmuel Kaminetsky has engineered with his prod...

https://outorah.org/p/6293/ Just as we may not legitimize an idolatrous prophet by asking for more information, we may not encourage a ...

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Important!! email - yadmoshe@gmail.com
Pakistan: China-Pakistan cooperation helps former fishing village prosper

April 09,2019 | Source: Pakistan Today

A regular job at the business center of the free zone in Gwadar port, southwestern Pakistan, once a small backward fishing village, has brought a great change in Younis Ghulam Qadirs life by lifting him from a fishing compound to a five-star working atmosphere, reports Chinese news agency Xinhua. Qadir, a 22-year-old former fisherman, looked very happy and satisfied with his job now as a housekeeper at the Gwadar Free Zone business center because a regular and handsome monthly salary has helped his 10-member family solve financial issues.



The young housekeeper is the eldest child among a laborer fathers six daughters and two sons. He told Xinhua in Gwadar that he had to quit his studies and started work at the age of 16 as a fisherman to help earn food for family. I was much worried about my future and family. We couldnt afford food, medicine and education even after I worked whole day out for 300 rupees (around two US dollars), said the young housekeeper, adding that he couldnt find a job as the town has been seeing an extremely high level of unemployment.



In January 2019, on the advice of friends, the hopeless young man sent an application to the business center from where he received a quick call from Chinese staff for an interview and he got the job instantly to join dozens of other local people working there. Qadir considers the China-Pakistan Economic Center (CPEC) as a blessing for bringing fast growth and a number of jobs to Gwadar. Gwadar is developing so fast that I have never dreamed about it. Chinese have done quick miracles by completing several projects, including roads, schools, and health centers for locals, said Qadir, who is also learning the Chinese language after his working hours.



Gwadar, the small fishing town located near the Arabian Sea and a vital part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), has witnessed a great change during the last five years with a number of completed projects, including the first phase of the free zone, the arrival of cargo ships regularly and a water desalination plant. In late March, the small town welcomed its new international airport, the expected second largest airport of the country. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan broke ground for the construction. The new airport would establish direct links between the town and the outside world.



The prime minister said that CPECs main target is to bring people oriented developments. And CPEC has transformed Gwadar into an energetic town from a lethargic village. Abu Bakar, a local fisherman who has been in the business for 25 years, told Xinhua that development projects and economic activities in Gwadar are giving direct monetary benefits to locals, especially by increasing demand and prices of their fish by several times.



In the past, our fish was sold at the rate of around 40 rupees per kg but now it can be sold by up to 200 rupees (around 1.5 US dollar) per kg, said the 45-year-old fisherman, adding that activation of the Gwadar port and construction of the superhighway linking Gwadar with southern port city Karachi have eased up their fish supplies and exports. Bakar is assured that once the under-construction East Bay Expressway, linking the new Gwadar international airport and the free zone with the countrys national highway network, is completed, their fish business would flourish further.
Indonesias Supreme Court has officially denied the second appeal by Meliana, the woman who was found guilty of blasphemy for complaining about the volume of her neighborhoods mosque, meaning the 44-year-old Indonesian woman of Chinese descent will still have to undergo her 18-month prison sentence as there is no higher court to appeal to.





The appeal has been denied, the ruling, which was decided on March 27, read on the Supreme Court website, as picked up by Detik today.





Meliana, through her attorney, submitted her appeal to the Supreme Court to overturn the decision in November after her appeal to the Medan High Court was denied in October.





She was originally sentenced to 18 months in prison by Medans District Court in August for allegedly committing blasphemy against Islam.









Soon after, the head judge in her trial was arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on suspicion of bribery, though those charges were not directly related to Melianas case.





The case began back in July 2016, when rioters in the city of Tanjung Balai, North Sumatra, attacked and burned several Buddhist temples.





The riot was allegedly triggered by Melianas complaints to neighbors about the high volume of the loudspeaker used by the mosque in front of her house.









Her sentence drew outrage from many in Indonesia, especially considering those responsible for the violent riots received far more lenient punishments, ranging from one to two months in prison.





Even religious officials and politicians joined the chorus of criticism against this particular application of the blasphemy law.





Human Rights Watch researcher Andreas Harsono wrote about the heartbreaking human costs of Indonesias controversial blasphemy law in relation to Meliana and her family, such as the loss of their salted fish shop, having to abandon their home, and Melianas son being forced to leave university.

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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
Almost immediately, Democratic presidential candidates lined up in support, calling capital punishment a moral outrage infected with racial bias. Senator Kamala Harris of California, a former prosecutor, called for a federal moratorium on executions. Former Representative Beto ORourke of Texas did the same.





The moment marked a generational shift for a party where some candidates long supported the death penalty to protect themselves from being portrayed as soft on crime.





But Democrats arent leading a national debate; they are following a decades-long trend that has seen support for the death penalty drop from nearly 80 % in the 1990s to just over 50 % now.





Still, many feel that Mr. Newsom was doing his party no favors politically by forcing Democrats to talk about an issue that can still be fraught in a general election. Even in solidly Democratic California, voters in 2016 rejected a ballot initiative to end the death penalty and instead approved one to expedite executions.





In short, the moment captured what has changed significantly and what has not with an issue that is hard-wired into the nations psyche. Like the proliferation of guns, capital punishment distinguishes the United States from other Western democracies, virtually all of which have banned it.





Bill Whalen, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution who once advised Pete Wilson, a Republican former governor of California, wrote in a column: Every Democrat who wants to unseat President Trump now must figure out where they stand on the death penalty.





He continued: For some triangulating Democrats, thats a tricky balancing act given that capital punishment is despised by the partys progressive base but is far more popular in the crime-and-order Heartland.





The new attention notwithstanding, presidents are limited in their power over capital punishment, several experts pointed out in interviews. A president could clear federal death row, but that includes only 62 people compared to more than 2,500 condemned inmates in state prisons.





The federal government has executed only three people since it reinstated capital punishment in 1988  one of them was Timothy McVeigh  and the last one was in 2003.





The president has far greater power to determine the future of capital punishment in the United States by appointing justices to the Supreme Court. Experts expect the court to eventually rule on whether the Constitution allows executions at a time of increasing recognition of the enormous financial costs of the death penalty, high-profile exonerations and research showing persistent racial bias in capital cases.





The president, and what the president does, will bear very much on the Supreme Courts thinking on this, because the president does reflect the national electorate, said James S. Liebman, a professor at Columbia University who specializes in the death penalty.





New positions and different risks





You dont have to look back very far to see what a shift there has been in the positions taken by Democratic candidates.





In 2016, for the 1st time, the Democratic Party platform called for the abolition of the death penalty. But Hillary Clinton, the partys nominee for president, supported capital punishment. President Barack Obama never called for its end, either. Al Gore was a supporter, and so was Bill Clinton.





Some fear it could still be a losing issue in a general election against President Trump, who has talked about expanding those eligible for execution to include convicted drug dealers and could use the issue to rally his base and portray Democrats as weak on crime.





A spotlight on the people reshaping our politics. A conversation with voters across the country. And a guiding hand through the endless news cycle, telling you what you really need to know.





In a Twitter post about Mr. Newsoms moratorium, Mr. Trump wrote, friends and families of the always forgotten VICTIMS are not thrilled, and neither am I!





The issue illuminates ideological and generational divides among many Democratic voters. Many of the presidential candidates are on record opposing capital punishment; Joseph R. Biden Jr., the former vice president who is expected to enter the race in the coming weeks, has supported it.





As a senator in the 1990s, Mr. Biden supported many get-tough-on-crime policies that liberals now disavow, including limits on appeals for death row inmates.





Biden was one of the major proponents of the 1994 amendments that severely limited the ability of death row prisoners to obtain meaningful judicial review, said Robert Dunham, the executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, a nonprofit group that provides analysis and information on capital punishment. Other people who have sponsored that bill have said they thought that was a mistake. And I think that voters will have to decide whether candidates for office have made mistakes and learned from them, or whether they are professing new views because the views of the public have changed.





While Ms. Harris has long opposed capital punishment, she has a somewhat complicated history on the issue. As the district attorney in San Francisco, she refused to seek a death sentence for a defendant accused of murdering a police officer, provoking outrage from the right. But she defended Californias death penalty as the states attorney general, and twice, in 2012 and 2016, she refused to take a stand on ballot initiatives that proposed to abolish it.





Aside from Mr. Biden, most of the other candidates have opposed the death penalty. In addition to Ms. Harris and Mr. ORourke, who have said they would support a federal moratorium, Senators Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillibrand all said they support Mr. Newsoms moratorium. 2 former governors in the race  John Hickenlooper of Colorado and Jay Inslee of Washington  imposed moratoriums in their states.





Its kind of interesting that they are talking about it because it had pretty much dropped off the radar for national campaigns, said Kent Scheidegger, the legal director of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, a group based in Sacramento that has led campaigns in California and across the country in support of the death penalty. Id love to see it made an issue.





He predicted that it may drop back off the screen in the national campaign. I dont think Democrats want this to be an issue in a general election, because it would be a loser for them.





Limiting executions, but not ending them





For all the shifts on the death penalty, its status now is defined by two things. The Supreme Court, which determines its legality, seems firmly in favor of it. And at the state level, where prosecutors, jurors and local courts administer the justice system, the number of death sentences and executions is plummeting.





A very different Supreme Court declared executions unconstitutional in 1972, saying the arbitrary use of capital punishment constituted cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment. Four years later, after states began remaking their death penalty systems, the court ruled that executions could resume. (The first new federal death penalty statutes were approved in 1988.)





Executions soared during a period of high crimes rates in the 1980s and 1990s. The high point for death sentences was 1996, when 315 people were condemned to die. In 1999, 98 people were executed, the most in any year since 1976.





Since then, as crime has fallen, the number of new death sentences dropped to 31 in 2016, a modern-era low, and 20 states have ended the practice.





In 3 important cases in recent years  in 2002, 2005 and 2008  the court has narrowed the death penaltys scope, ruling that juveniles and those with intellectual disabilities cant be executed, and limiting the types of crimes  mostly only murder  that are eligible for a capital sentence.





But the court  with 2 new conservative justices appointed by Mr. Trump, Neil M. Gorsuch and Brett M. Kavanaugh, and a 5-4 conservative majority  is seen as solidly behind the death penalty.





That was vividly illustrated by a bitterly divided recent case in which the court ruled 5-4 to allow the execution of an inmate in Missouri who said a rare medical condition would make him choke on his own blood during his lethal injection.





Justice Gorsuch, writing for the majority, said the Eighth Amendment does not guarantee a prisoner a painless death.





If President Trump is able to nominate additional justices who are confirmed, his successors influence on the death penalty would be limited to enacting a federal moratorium, nominating district court and appeals court judges and using the bully pulpit to make a case against capital punishment.





The most toxic issue





The death penalty has long played a powerful role in presidential politics, especially in the 1980s and 1990s.





It helped sink the candidacy of Michael S. Dukakis, a Democrat, in 1988 when he said in a debate that he would oppose an execution even if his wife, Kitty, were raped and murdered.





4 years later, Bill Clinton rushed back to Arkansas from the campaign trail to oversee the execution of a mentally disabled man convicted of killing a police officer, burnishing an image of being tough on crime.





It was just the most toxic issue, said Stephen B. Bright, a professor at Yale Law School, who noted that during this time many state judges were removed from office for their opposition to the death penalty. Gov. Mario Cuomo of New York lost his re-election bid in 1994 partly because he was against capital punishment, Mr. Bright said.





Now, the politics have shifted. Not only are Democrats more willing to speak out against the death penalty, but many Republicans  though not Mr. Trump  are turning against capital punishment on limited-government grounds and, especially, because of high costs.





One study has shown that capital punishment has cost California $5 billion since the 1970s. Another study, by Ernest Goss, an economics professor at Creighton University, found that each death penalty prosecution in Nebraska cost $1.5 million more than when prosecutors sought life without parole.





Those more complex realities do not negate the potential for contentious politics in 2020.





I think the Democratic primaries may be the first one in which candidates outflank one another on the left on criminal justice issues, said Carol S. Steiker, an expert on the death penalty at Harvard Law School.





But while Democratic candidates would likely appoint judges and officials who support criminal justice reform broadly, few expect the death penalty to become a litmus test issue like abortion.





And its not clear what will carry more weight in 2020 politics  the complex realities of the justice system or the history of the death penalty as a potent political weapon, particularly in the hands of Mr. Trump.





Youve already got socialism and immigration, and you can add this to it, Mr. Bright said. The question is if it will resonate.





 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
any of the Democrats' potential nominees would beat him handily. What has to be disturbing about the poll for Elizabeth Warren, though, is that both Biden and Bernie would beat Trump more decisively than she would. Worse yet-- for her-- is that with younger voters breaking for Sanders, and older voters breaking for Biden, they are both beating her decisively in the primary, where Bernie leads and Biden comes in second: Emerson did another one of their close-up polls , this one in the very blue state of Massachusetts. With Trump's approval at a mere 29%, it can't be a surprise to anyone thatof the Democrats' potential nominees would beat him handily. What has to be disturbing about the poll for Elizabeth Warren, though, is that both Biden and Bernie would beat Trump more decisively than she would. Worse yet-- for her-- is that with younger voters breaking for Sanders, and older voters breaking for Biden, they are both beating her decisively in the primary, where Bernie leads and Biden comes in second:













Politico yesterday, She isn't the only one with bad new from the new poll though. Beto probably isn't thrilled with the 8% result-- between Mayor Pete at 11% and Kamala at 7%. The Massachusetts poll isn't the first that is showing Beto not quite catching on the way his backers had hoped he would. The original excitement has largely petered out. As David Siders wrote atyesterday, reality is biting him in the butt . He's not anywhere near the one percent club but he's also nowhere near front-runners Bernie and Biden and he's seen the excitement for Mayor Pete cut into his own magic. "The euphoria that greeted ORourkes entry into the race three weeks earlier," wrote Siders, "has started to subside. The inevitable slog of competing in a packed Democratic primary is underway, and ORourke has not yet drawn the wave of national adulation from the left that his Senate run against Ted Cruz last year received.





In Iowa, where everyone is fighting it out, it is "Sanders-- not O'Rourke-- [who] remains far ahead in polling and fundraising, while the putative front-runner, former Vice President Joe Biden, inches toward running."

ORourke was conciliatory after a rally-goer in Grinnell questioned his record on climate change while in the House, acknowledging there are some votes that I would rethink or maybe cast in a different direction.



Asked what votes he would reconsider, ORourke told reporters, Ill try to get you a more complete answer in the future, because I would need to take a look at those votes. I dont have them all memorized.

Until recently a basically unknown congressional backbencher with no legislative accomplishments, it was definitely not policy that has propelled Beto's political celebrity. But now people are starting to wonder where he stands on issues-- in Chris Hayes' formulation, who and what he'll fight for.













The Hill that he Sunday he stepped into the political minefield known as Israel, where he botched an attempt to take a progressive stand but wound up freaking out strong supporters of Israel. Zack Budryk reported forthat he called Netanyahu a racist , not an unreasonable accusation but one that politicians pay dearly for by saying out loud. Trump is looking for these kinds of remarks to clobber Democrats with.
Medicare-For-All original co-sponsor Josh Harder (CA) raked in a stupendous $800,000 in the first quarter. Just imagine how much he would have raised if he was also co-sponsoring the Green New Deal and a $15 minimum wage



If the Democrats don't deliver on the expectations voters have of them-- Medicare-For-All, a $15 minimum wage, the Green New Deal, etc-- 2022 is going to be a banner year for the GOP-- akin to 2010. But 2020 is not going to be a banner year for the GOP. It's more likely to be even worse for them than 2018 was. There's a good chance they will lose seats in the Senate and they could gain as many as 50 seats in the House, despite the DCCC being burdened with the most inept chair in recent memory.





Republicans had hoped to win back seats in red districts that Democrats stumbled into last year. Right now the closest thing to a sure loss I see is the Oklahoma City seats, where Blue Dog Kendra Horn is disappointing and alienating her Democratic base without picking up enough support anywhere else to make up for it. Meanwhile though, Democratic freshmen, reports the Washington Examiner, "are posting huge fundraising numbers...signaling trouble for Republicans hoping to reclaim the House... [T]he stellar numbers from relatively obscure, freshman House Democrats have caught the attention of Republican operatives. Rep. Josh Harder (D-CA) raised $800,000 from Jan. 1 to March 31; Rep. Antonio Delgado (D-NY) raised $750,000; and Rep. Joe Cunningham (D-SC) raised $650,000, to name a few.

Fatigue typically sets in after an election as donors retrench and the grassroots bask in victory. To the extent robust, post-midterm election activity continues, presidential candidates usually benefit. But House Democrats-- even those not named Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)-- are maintaining their 2018 momentum.



The Democrats liberal base is still motivated by their white-hot hatred of President Trump, said Michael Steel, a Republican operative.



Democrats collectively raised more than $1 billion in 2017 and 2018 on their way to flipping 40 House seats and winning control of the chamber after eight years in the minority. The party lost a net of two Senate seats but successfully defended a handful of targeted seats while capturing two from the GOP in the key battlegrounds of Arizona and Nevada. In doing so, Democrats vastly outraised the Republicans.



Some Republicans assumed that the progressive energy fueling the Democratic Partys green wave of fundraising and activism in 2018 would cool down post-election. According to this line of this line of thinking, seizing the House, and exercising the power it afforded, would satisfy some of the hunger to combat Trump.



But some Republicans are warning colleagues to ignore this conventional wisdom after seeing the initial wave of first quarter fundraising figures from House Democrats who were elected just last November and are far from household names. Democrats are serious about defeating the president and they want a House that will be helpful, said a veteran Republican strategist, who requested anonymity to avoid publicly criticizing the party.



In 2018, Democrats were just getting started, this operative added.



...With Trump on the ballot in 2020, Republicans are not going to have an enthusiasm or turnout problem.

But neither will Democrats. Trump is the most polarizing political figure in contemporary American history. Republicans will turn out in great numbers to support him and Democrats will turn out in great numbers to oppose him. Independents will determine who wins and right now, Trump continuing to poll very badly with them.





Other freshmen in districts targeted by the NRCC who have been raising prohibitively large amounts of money include Democrats from all wings of the party:

 Max Rose (Blue Dog-NY)- $600,000

 Haley Stevens (New Dem-MI)- $565,000

 Katie Hill (New Dem-CA)- $560,000

 Andy Kim (D-NJ)- $550,000

 Harley Rouda (New Dem-CA)- $500,000

These are the freshman members supporting 3 key pieces of legislation-- Pramila Jayapal's new-and-improved Medicare for All Act (H.R.1384), AOC's Green New Deal Resolution (H.Res.109) and Bobby Scott's $15 minimum wage bill (H.R.582):

 Veronica Escobar (TX)- Medicare for All, $15, GND

 Chuy Garcia (IL)- Medicare for All, $15, GND

 Debra Haaland (NM)- Medicare for All, $15, GND

 Jahana Hayes (CT)- Medicare for All, $15, GND

 Mike Levin (CA)- Medicare for All, $15, GND

 Andy Levin (MI)- Medicare for All, $15, GND

 Joe Neguse (CO)- Medicare for All, $15, GND

 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez- Medicare for All, $15, GND

 Ayanna Pressley (MA)- Medicare for All, $15, GND

 Rashida Tlaib (MI)- Medicare for All, $15, GND

 Lori Trahan (MA)- Medicare for All, $15, GND



 Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (FL)- $15, GND



 Katie Hill (CA)- Medicare for All, $15

 Ilhan Omar (MN)- Medicare for All, $15

 Susan Wild (PA)- Medicare for All, $15



 Jared Golden (ME)- Medicare for All

 Josh Harder (CA)- Medicare for All



 Joseph Morelle (NY)- $15

 Kim Schrier (WA)- $15

 Donna Shalala (FL)- $15

 David Trone (MD)- $15

 Susie Lee (NV)- $15

 Tom Malinowski (NJ)- $15

 Jennifer Wexton (VA)- $15

 Sylvia Garcia (TX)- $15

 Elaine Luria (VA)- $15

 Mary Gay Scanlon (PA)- $15

 Katie Porter (CA)- $15

 Gil Cisneros (CA)- $15

 Andy Kim (NJ)- $15

 Harley Rouda (CA)- $15

 Steven Horsford (NV)- $15

 Jason Crow (CO)- $15

 Ed Case (HI)- $15

 Mike Sherrill (NJ)- $15

 Haley Stevens (MI)- $15

 Max Rose (NY)- $15

 Madeleine Dean (PA)- $15

 Chrissy Houlahan (PA)- $15

 Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ)- $15

 Elissa Slotkin (MI)- $15

 Abigail Spanberger (VA)- $15

NY Blue Dog Anthony Brindisi isn't cosponsoring a $15 minimum wage, isn't cosponsoring the Green New Deal and isn't cosponsoring Medicare For All-- but expects Democrats to vote for him next year

And these are the Democratic freshmen who are supporting NONE of the progressive initiatives, not even the $15 minimum wage, which should be easy as pie for any Democrat. This list is of non-co-sponsors, not necessarily opponents. Some of these members will vote for the bills but for one reason or another just haven't signed on as co-sponsors. Some though, are opponents.
Japan has recalled 18,168 chili sauce bottles from Vietnam for violating food safety and food labeling laws.

The Osaka Information Portal reported Tuesday that the bottles were imported from Vietnam to Japan by the Osaka-based Javis Co., Ltd last December, and sold to the Kobe-based ISC Industrial Co., Ltd.

Javis Co., Ltd never mentioned that the imported chili sauce contained benzoic acid, which is banned from all chili sauce in Japan, before selling it to ISC Industrial Co., Ltd, the portal said.

Japanese authorities determined that the bottles contained between 0.41 to 0.45 grams of benzoic acid per kilogram of chilli sauce, after suspicions arose that ISC Industrial Co., Ltd was violating the countrys laws on food safety and food labeling.

The Masan Group, which produced the chili sauce under the brand name of Chin-su, said it never exported the chili sauce to either Javis Co,. Ltd or ISC Industrial Co. Ltd. It said it only exported the product to the United States, Australia, Russia, the Czech Republic, China and Taiwan.

"As we have no [chili sauce] sample in hand right now, we have no official conclusion on the origins of the bottles. However, it is likely that they are either exclusive for the Vietnamese market, or their origins are unknown," the group stated in a press release.

Vietnams Ministry of Health has yet to receive any official statements from Japan about the Chin-su case, Tran Viet Nga, deputy head of the Food Safety Department, said Saturday. But it is taking steps to clarify the matter, she added.

"Benzoic acid is allowed as a food preservative according to the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), in which both Vietnam and Japan are members. In accordance to standards from the CAC, the levels of benzoic acid found in the chili sauce revoked by Japan were still within international standards," she said.

"Maybe Japan just has tougher requirements."

Japan bans benzoic acid in its chili sauce, but allows its presence in certain food products like syrup, margarine or soft drinks. Vietnam allows a maximum amount of one gram of benzoic acid per kilogram of chili sauce.

The World Health Organization says a person can consume five milligrams of benzoic acid per kilogram of body weight daily without adverse health effects.
The Ministry of Finance has proposed that scrap stuck at ports is auctioned and/or re-exported towards mitigating adverse environmental impacts.

The ministry says there are over 23,400 scrap containers stuck at Vietnamese ports, of which 42 percent have not been claimed for over 90 days.

The port in the southern Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province has the highest number of unclaimed containers at 9,400, followed by the northern port city of Hai Phong with over 6,000 and Ho Chi Minh City with over 4,600.

The ministry is proposing that containers that meet environmental standards are auctioned and shipping companies are asked to take back the rest.

If the shipping companies do not obey this instruction, their licenses in Vietnam might be revoked and the unclaimed containers destroyed.

The Ministry of Finance has also requested the Ministry of Transport to strictly control the delivery of containers containing environmentally polluting material and force them to get out of the country.

The latest proposal comes as Vietnam has been seeking to limit the import of scrap since last year. Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung last month said that the country will not accept plastic scrap imports as feedstock starting 2025.

Last July, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc ordered a temporary stop to scrap imports, saying Vietnam must not become a dumping ground for other countries waste, leaving thousands of containers stuck at ports for months. His orders followed a surge in imports in the first six months after China banned imports of certain wastes.

Vietnam imported 9.2 million tons of scrap last year, up 14 percent from 2017, according to Vietnam Customs.
For more than 40 years, a small boat anchored in a Saigon mangrove forest has been home for a content couple.

On the Ba Giong River in the Can Gio mangrove forest is this small boat, the home of Dang Van Trieu, 70, and his wife Nguyen Thi Ngoc Van, 68.

After the Vietnam War ended in 1975 Trieu and his wife left the rural district of Can Duoc in Long An Province in the Mekong Delta and moved to Can Gio District to start a new life.

"I left my hometown because I could not catch much fish there," Trieu says. "Since my ancestors spent their lives on the river, living with the water is a part of my life no matter where I go."

After nearly half a century of living in the forest, the couple's life has not changed much. The firewood stove in the rear of the boat is where meals, mainly comprising shrimp and fish, are cooked.

Van explains: "It takes nearly half an hour to get here from shore. But there is only plant and no residential area on land, so gas and electric cookers are inconvenient.

"Nearly 30 years ago this area had plenty of shrimp and fish that I couldn't trade for rice. There was a day I had to find wild vegetables in the forest and cook it with congee for the family.

"Now, we are comfortable with just two meals a day."

All five of their children are married. Only the couple still live on the boat.

As Van takes care of the cooking, Trieu rows into the mangrove forest to collect wood or set traps to catch crabs.

For nearly half a century the family has swam in this river every day.

Trieu says: "For freshwater, I ask forest rangers or passing boats to buy some for us. The water is used for cooking and making tea. We use river water to wash clothes and use fresh water for the final rinse."

While most of their children have moved elsewhere, one of their sons got a house nearby. He visits his parents whenever he does not go fishing.

Dang Thanh Phat, 38, says: "I tried but couldn't persuade my parents to move and live on shore. They go to shore for important occasions and then rush back to the boat. Even during Tet (Lunar New Year), they just want to stay in the forest."

They used to use oil lamps, then switched to battery lamps and then to electricity from solar panels on top of the boat.

For years now the radio has been their only link with the outside world. Trieu listens to the news while Van likes to hear music, cai luong (Vietnamese folk opera) and late-night stories.

At night, they pull up the net they cast earlier in the day to check.

Inside are some squid, shrimp and small fish.

Trieu says: "In the past there were lots of fish here, but lately it is getting less. The catch is better during the rainy season. If we are lucky and have a great catch, we will sell it off to earn some money. But we do not overharvest."

They feel anything but lonely. In fact, they find life peaceful without neighbors or the bustle of the city.

Trieu says: "I am glad we are able to live a happy and healthy life at this age. I've never needed to visit a hospital.

"Our children are not wealthy, but they have a stable life and still remember and visit us when they can. That is enough for us."
Children wore T-shirts that said "Cung Nhau Len Tieng Bao Ve Tre Em Gai" (Raise our Voice to Protect Little Girls). Photo by Le Nam

Residents of the Saigon apartment building where a child was molested recently are wearing T-shirts calling out the crime.

Last week, Nguyen Huu Linh, a former senior prosecutor, was caught molesting a young girl inside an elevator on camera. The footage went viral online, triggering widespread outrage. People threw dirt at his house and someone painted au dam (paedophilia) on his gate.

On Sunday, residents of the apartment, adults and children, wore T-shirts that said "Lam Dung Tinh Duc Tre Em La Toi Ac" (Sexual Child Abuse is A Crime) and "Cung Nhau Len Tieng Bao Ve Tre Em Gai" (Raise our Voice to Protect Little Girls).

Thao Nguyen, a resident, said: "Normally, I take my child to the playground after she comes back from school. But now I don't want to take a risk because if we don't take the case seriously, there will be more abusers. Not just in apartment buildings or in uninhabited and unfrequented areas, we have to raise our voice to protect children everywhere."

Nguyen Tran Phuong Thu, another resident with a little daughter, also expressed her anger and frustration. "I have kept up to date with recent news with the hope that there will be a stiff sentence for the child molester."

She said other women should get to know their own children better and establish a relationship that gives the little ones confidence to confide in their parents.

About 2,000 cases of child abuse are discovered in Vietnam every year, according to data from the Ministry of Labor. Over 60 percent of them are sexual in nature.

Over 1,500 cases of child sexual abuse were reported in the country in both 2018 and 2017, a labor ministry report stated.
Nguyen Quang Chung (C), stands trial in November 2018, where he received 24 years imprisonment for raping third-grade girls. Photo by VnExpress/Nghi Xuan

A former primary school teacher in Da Nang will spend the rest of his life in jail for raping third-grade girls.

An appeal court in Da Nang on Monday overturned a lower courts 24-year jail term awarded to Nguyen Quang Chung, and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

Chung, 50, was found guilty of raping and molesting several third-grade girls for over a year, and had received the 24-year jail term at a trial in November last year. However, prosecutors appealed to the higher court, asking for a heavier sentence.

Having sex with a child under 13 years of age is considered rape, punishable by death under Vietnams Penal Code.

According to the indictment, for about a year until March 2016, Chung asked several third-grade students to come into his office during break time at school under various guises and raped them.

After the girls told their parents, a complaint was filed with the school board and a criminal probe launched by the police.

Chung taught ethics and was in charge of the school's Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneer Organization, a youth organization which is part of all public primary and junior high schools in Vietnam.

Le Thi Thanh Thao, then the schools principal, told VnExpress that she talked to the students and heard details of the abuse.

"One student said she was asked to clean his office room, another was asked to see him in the computer classroom... According to them, the abuse happened many times, and for a long time," Thao said.

According to official reports, approximately one in four children in Vietnam is a victim of abuse and at least 1,300 cases of sexual violence against children are reported each year. The United Nations estimates that the true numbers are higher and consistently alarming.

Vietnam recorded 1,547 child sex abuse cases in 2018, down 2.8 percent from a year ago, according to figures from the Ministry of Public Security.
HCMC would deploy an inspection team to investigate the implementation of the Vietnamese Law on Children, in wake of a highly controversial child abuse case. Photo by Shutterstock/HTWE

A HCMC task force will inspect implementation of the Vietnamese Law on Children from April 16-26.

The 20-member team will be led by Thi Thi Tuyet Nhung, head of the Division of Culture and Society under the HCMC Peoples Council, which acts as the municipal legislature.

The team is being established following several cases of sexual assault against children that have recently come to light wherein it has been said that there was insufficient evidence to treat the actions as crime and perpetrators as criminals to be prosecuted, said Nhung.

"There are cases reported by local media... but when investigations happen, the evidence found is too weak," Nhung said.

Phan Nguyen Nhu Khue, a HCMC National Assembly delegate, said recent cases of children being physically and sexually abused were "alarming," and showed that Vietnams legal system still has too many loopholes.

Last week, an elevator camera at an apartment building in the city's District 4 caught a man molesting a young girl, wrapping his arms around her neck and kissing her. He said that he was merely petting her because she was cute.

He was identified as Nguyen Huu Linh, a retired deputy chief prosecutor of Da Nang, Vietnam's third largest city. However, Linh has not been charged with any crime.

The camera footage sparked widespread anger on social media, and the Vietnam Association for Protection of Childs Rights called for the ex-prosecutor to be charged with child molesting.

The prosecution process for the case was moving too slowly, Khue said in a Monday meeting.

"Linh saying that he only petted the girl is an interpretation and language usage that aims to distort his violation of the law on childrens rights. This case needs to be thoroughly investigated," he said.

"No one is above the law, and even more so for Linh who was part of the judicial system, [which is why] he needs to be punished even more strictly."

Khue said there needs to be a common interpretation among different agencies on what constitutes a case of sexual abuse against children by law. He also said that authorities should investigate such cases as soon as possible once they were exposed, an opinion echoed by Nhung, who said prompt action would protect victims and secure necessary evidence.
West Lake fish go belly up in Hanoi again

Sudden weather change has been blamed as fish died again in Hanois biggest lake and the stench spread.

On Monday afternoon, thousands of dead fish washed up along the edge of West Lake, as the citys largest freshwater body, and an overpowering stench assailed the nostrils of local residents.

A carp weighing more than 2kg floating on the surface of the lake is brought ashore.

Around 3 p.m., sanitation workers collected trash and picked up the dead fish.

Perch, carp and other fish joined plastic and other trash on the lake edge.

A dead tortoise washed ashore near the statue of two dragons on the West Lake.

Strangely, fishing enthusiasts dangled their lines even as dead fish stank up Nhat Chieu Street.

A senior official from Hanois transport department has blamed the fish deaths on the sudden shift in the weather. However, no official conclusion has been reached.

Dead fish alongside coconuts thrown from nearby cafes. Residents and passers-by have complained about the foul smell.

The West Lakes management board estimates that 4,000 cubic meters of untreated wastewater is discharged into the lake every day by households, restaurants and hotels on the banks.

A local man caught a big fish from the West Lake, but did not dare take it home.

Hanoi has become notorious for its foul water in recent years. In 2016, fish dying en masse in the capital citys West Lake, estimated at around 200 tons, shocked the country. This was followed by fish dying in the Linh Dam, Van Quan, Ngoc Khanh and Hoang Cau lakes.

Hanoi has over 100 ponds and lakes scattered across the city, but many of them are polluted by sewage and rubbish.

The city hopes to mitigate the problem with a $726 million sewage treatment plant, work on which began in October 2016 and is scheduled to finish in three years. The system will treat 270,000 cubic meters of sewage collected from the Lu, To Lich and Nhue rivers every day.
A Chinese-flagged vessel is chased from Vietnamese waters for illegal fishing. Photo courtesy of the 1st Fisheries Resources Surveillance Force

Vietnamese surveillance forces Sunday gave chase and drove away many foreign vessels trespassing its waters for illegal fishing.

At around 10:30 a.m. Sunday, the 1st Fisheries Resources Surveillance Force based in the northern city of Hai Phong dispatched two patrol ships to stop the illegal fishing after spotting many foreign ships trespassing in the Gulf of Tonkin near Bach Long Vy Island.

The fishing boats fled towards China. Among them are two steel-hulled vessels with Chinese flags.

The Vietnamese ships sped up and sprayed water cannons to drive the vessels away, even as Vietnamese officers issued warnings and ordered the Chinese fishermen to stop illegally fishing in Vietnamese waters.

Vietnam repels Chinese-flagged vessels for illegally fishing in its waters Vietnam repels Chinese vessels illegally fishing in its waters (EDITED)

Vo Khoi Thanh, deputy head of the 1st Fisheries Resources Surveillance, said foreign steel-hull vessels, many of them from China, have been taking advantage of bad weather and poor visibility to trespass into Vietnamese waters for illegal fishing.

"Though the Chinese-flagged fishing boats were chased from Vietnamese waters but they still could return. In order to protect Vietnams sovereignty, maritime territory and exclusive economic zone, Vietnamese surveillance ships have to increase patrolling of the waters," Thanh said.

Last month, Chinese vessel numbered 44101 rammed and sank a Vietnamese fishing boat while it was fishing in the Da Loi (Discovery) Reef off Vietnams Hoang Sa (Paracel) Archipelago, according to the National Committee for Incident, Natural Disaster Response and Search and Rescue.

Following the incident, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs handed over a diplomatic note to representatives from the Chinese embassy in Hanoi to protest the Chinese vessels action and demanded due compensation for Vietnamese fishermen.
Indonesian authorities destroy foreign illegal fishing vessels in waters off Belawan in Medan, North Sumatra province on April 1, 2019. Photo by AFP/Gatha Ginting

11 Vietnamese fishermen who have been arrested for fishing in Indonesian waters could be jailed for up to six years.

Two Vietnamese-flagged fishing vessels with 11 crew members on board were intercepted last Tuesday afternoon as they illegally trespassed through the North Natuna Sea, between the Natuna Islands and Cape Ca Mau on the southernmost tip of Vietnam, the Jakarta Post reported Sunday.

The Vietnamese fishermen were also found using a trawl to catch fish, which is forbidden in Indonesia, the newspaper said.

The vessels have violated the Law on fisheries in Indonesia and their crew could be subject to a maximum sentence of six years imprisonment and 20 billion rupiah ($1.4 million) fine.

As of January, Indonesias Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry had detained 23 fishing vessels - 18 foreign and five domestic - for flouting the law. Of the foreign vessels, 11 were Vietnamese and the remaining seven were Malaysian.

Last year, Indonesia destroyed 86 Vietnamese fishing boats for illegally catching fish in its waters. Vietnam has several times called on Indonesia not to use violations against Vietnamese fishing boats and fishermen in a manner that goes against the strategic partnership between the two countries.

Vietnams Fisheries Resources Surveillance Department has also said it is working to raise awareness of maritime boundaries and international maritime laws among its fishermen, apart from conducting frequent patrols to prevent potential violations.
This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For over 14 years and 30,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.
On March 29, 2019, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency awarded two grants to Companhia Pernambucana de Saneamento S.A. (Compesa), a water utility company in the State of Pernambuco. One grant supports a study for implementing energy efficiency measures throughout the utility's network. The other grant supports technical assistance to develop a smart utility road map which will enable Compesa to make a range of automation and technology upgrades to its water and wastewater treatment assets. Both the feasibility study and technical assistance will produce specifications and requirements for implementing the recommended investments.

With energy and water loss challenges, water utilities in Brazil seek to modernize their operations. Improving efficiency in the water pumping process will improve Compesa's bottom line and save resources to be dedicated elsewhere. The grants will also help address the high water loss rate in Compesa's distribution system as well as low deployment of automation. These advancements will result in operational efficiencies and the expansion of water supply and sewage services to new regions across the state.

"U.S. companies are leading innovators of energy efficiency and automation solutions," said Nathan Younge, USTDA's Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. "We believe that cutting-edge U.S. solutions can ultimately contribute to Compesa's strategic objectives. We look forward to seeing the positive results that will come from these projects."

U.S. businesses interested in submitting proposals for the USTDA-funded feasibility study and technical assistance should visit the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) website at www.fbo.gov. A link to the FBO announcement will be posted to USTDA's website at https://www.ustda.gov/business-opportunities.

About USTDA The U.S. Trade and Development Agency helps companies create U.S. jobs through the export of U.S. goods and services for priority development projects in emerging economies. USTDA links U.S. businesses to export opportunities by funding project preparation and partnership building activities that develop sustainable infrastructure and foster economic growth in partner countries.
Nautilus, through its full-service platform, provided early-stage development capital and will be responsible for long-term asset management services and maintenance for the projects. The projects will be owned by an affiliate of Virgo Investment Group, which is also a minority shareholder of Nautilus Solar Energy. The energy provided by the portfolio directly benefits local community off-takers located offsite by providing energy cost savings while also advancing subscriber's sustainability goals.



"This transaction once again demonstrates the strong project development and subscription sales capabilities of our Minneapolis-based community solar team," remarked Hal Galvin, General Manager, U.S. Midwest Region of ReneSola Power Holdings, the U.S. project development arm of ReneSola. "Our prior successful experience partnering with the Nautilus team continued to give us confidence in their transaction execution capabilities and their expertise in community solar," added Doran Hole, CEO, North America and Group VP -- Strategy of ReneSola.



"With this acquisition, we significantly expand our presence in and commitment to the Minnesota community solar marketplace," said Jim Rice, CEO of Nautilus Solar. "The size of this transaction further demonstrates Nautilus's goal of becoming a leading acquirer of community solar projects in Minnesota and throughout the country" added Jeffrey Cheng, COO of Nautilus Solar.

About ReneSola

Founded in 2005, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2008, ReneSola (NYSE: SOL) is an international leading brand of solar project developer. Leveraging its global presence and solid experience in the industry, ReneSola is well positioned to develop green energy projects with attractive return around the world. For more information, please visit www.renesolapower.com.

About Nautilus Solar Energy, LLC

Founded in 2006, Nautilus Solar Energy, headquartered in Summit, N.J., is a leading national solar acquisition, development and asset management company. Nautilus focuses on developing, acquiring, executing and managing distributed and utility-scale generation solar projects. Over its 12+year history, Nautilus has invested over $1B in capital and asset manages an additional 150MW located throughout North America. Nautilus is minority owned by Virgo Investment Group, LLC. Join Nautilus Solar Energy on LinkedIn and Twitter and visit www.nautilussolar.com for more information.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains statements that constitute ''forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Whenever you read a statement that is not simply a statement of historical fact (such as when the Company describes what it "believes," "plans," "expects" or "anticipates" will occur, what "will" or "could" happen, and other similar statements), you must remember that the Company's expectations may not be correct, even though it believes that they are reasonable. The Company does not guarantee that the forward-looking statements will happen as described or that they will happen at all. Further information regarding risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's annual report on Form 20-F. The Company undertakes no obligation, beyond that required by law, to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made, even though the Company's situation may change in the future.

For investor and media inquiries for ReneSola, please contact:

In China:

ReneSola Ltd

Ms. Ella Li

+86-(21)-6280-9910 x206

ir@renesolapower.com

The Blueshirt Group Asia

Mr. Gary Dvorchak, CFA

+86 (138) 1079-1480

gary@blueshirtgroup.com

In the United States:

The Blueshirt Group

Mr. Ralph Fong

+1 (415) 489-2195

ralph@blueshirtgroup.com

For media inquiries for Nautilus Solar, please contact:

Nazli Ekim

+1 (917) 355-9650

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Cathy McAuliffe

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Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) plans an approximate $84 million investment to upgrade the electric transmission network serving customers in Delaware County in eastern Indiana.

The Southern Muncie Area Improvements Project involves:

Upgrading about 3 miles of 34.5-kilovolt (kV) power line to 69-kV standards

Expanding several local substations

Building the new Fuson Substation in the commercial park north of West Fuson Road

The improvements ensure electric reliability for I&M customers and support economic development.

The company plans to rebuild some sections of the power line in its existing right-of-way. Other sections of the project may include re-routes and require new easements.

I&M invites community members and landowners to learn more about the project at an upcoming open house. The public event takes place on Thursday, April 25 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Muncie Central High School Student Center, located at 801 N. Walnut St. in Muncie.

There is no formal presentation, so attendees can arrive at any time to review maps and talk with project representatives. I&M values the opportunity to educate customers on the project.

Construction begins in Summer 2020 and concludes late 2022. For more information, including detailed project area maps, visit IndianaMichiganPower.com/SouthernMuncie.

Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) is headquartered in Fort Wayne, and its 2,450 employees serve more than 593,900 customers. More than half of its generation is emission-free, including 2,278 MW of nuclear generation in Michigan, 450 MW of purchased wind generation from Indiana, 22 MW of hydro generation in both states and approximately 15 MW of large-scale solar generation in both states. The company's generation portfolio also includes 2,600 MW of coal-fueled generation in Indiana.

American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions to our customers. AEP's more than 17,000 employees operate and maintain the nation's largest electricity transmission system and more than 224,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.4 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation's largest electricity producers with approximately 33,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including 4,200 megawatts of renewable energy. AEP's family of companies includes utilities AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP also owns AEP Energy, AEP Energy Partners, AEP OnSite Partners and AEP Renewables, which provide innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide.
Pablo Casado presenting his electoral program in Barcelona. Carles Ribas (EL PAIS)

In March 1996, the governing Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) commissioned a campaign video that depicted its rival Popular Party (PP) as an enemy of progress, and illustrated the idea with ominous black-and-white images that included a large barking dog. The TV ad about the Socialist doberman made waves at the time, but these days it wouldnt even scare kindergartners.

The Popular Party leader says that Sanchez is promoting a social-engineering project

In order to properly frighten people in these frenzied times, it appears necessary to resort to more fabulous figures than a mere hound. With a general election coming up on April 28, followed by local, regional and European polls on May 26, parties are turning to horror stories and even to Greek mythology in an attempt to strike fear into the hearts of voters.

The term Frankenstein government has already become commonplace, following last years successful no-confidence vote against the PPs Mariano Rajoy. The motion was led by PSOE leader Pedro Sanchez with support from a loose coalition of leftist and regional parties, including Catalan separatists. This led critics to compare a hypothetical executive made up of all these varied groups with Mary Shelleys famous patchwork monster.

And now comes the eight-headed Hydra, in the words of PP leader Pablo Casado, who used this figure from Greek mythology at a Barcelonarally on Monday, when he listed some the heads on this serpent-shaped monster: Separatists, coup-plotters, terrorists, communists, Chavistas, Castro sympathizers...

The fact that the PP leader chose the Catalan capital for his campaign program presentation was already an indication that there would be a lot of verbal artillery on display. And Casado, who took over the party presidency in July with a more conservative agenda than his predecessor Rajoy, did not let his supporters down. He even accused Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of accepting hands stained with blood, alluding to EH-Bildu, a Basque party that grew out of the radical leftist movement that used to support the now-defunct terrorist group ETA.

Ciudadanos leader Albert Rivera. Oscar del Pozo (Europa Press)

Casado held that Sanchez is promoting a social engineering project, that his friends are coup plotters and terrorists, and that as a result he is a public danger to Spain.

Sanchez, who has been heading a minority government since the successful no-confidence vote, was forced to call a snap general election after failing to secure enough support for his budget plan earlier this year. His blueprint was also rejected by the Catalan separatists whom Casado accuses of attempting a coup against Spain with their unilateral independence declaration of October 2017.

Meanwhile Ciudadanos (Citizens), a center-right protest party that grew out of the economic crisis and has become one of the leading groups in parliament, is striking a somewhat less strident tone but still warning about the dangers ahead.

Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias presenting his campaign platform. Eduardo Parra (Getty)

Party leader Albert Rivera, who is competing with Casado for right-of-center votes, said on Sunday that the need for Sanchez to be kicked out of office is a national emergency. Ciudadanos, which was originally founded as a Catalan non-nationalist party and opposes independence for the northeastern Spanish region, recently released a campaign video with a direct message for the prime minister: Pedro, WE are not going to sell out Spain. The video also shows three Catalan government leaders sitting in front of a telephone that doesnt ring because the new PM, Albert Rivera, isnt calling them.

On the left of the political spectrum, the word Catalonia is mostly reserved for times when party leaders show up in the region. On Monday, for instance, Podemos chief Pablo Iglesias talked a lot about the Spanish Constitution at an event in Madrid, but never once mentioned the thorny Catalan issue.

Instead, he took a page out of the book of an old master, former United Left leader Julio Anguita, who used to brandish the Spanish Constitution and recite the passages about recognized social rights such as the right to a job and to housing. On Monday, Iglesias backed Unidas Podemos campaign platform with Article 128.1 of the highest law in Spain: The entire wealth of the country in its different forms, irrespective of its ownership, is subordinate to the general interest.

As for the governing PSOE, it is conducting a low-profile campaign with little desire for confrontation. Voting intention polls show the Socialists in the lead, but critics note that the party followed a similar strategy at last years regional elections in Andalusia, and the outcome was disastrous for the PSOE, which lost its 36-year hold on power to a PP-Ciudadanos coalition backed by Spains new far-right party, Vox. The latter is hoping to replicate this success at the upcoming elections, and polls show that its message is resonating with voters, a fact that has pushed the PP and Ciudadanos to ramp up their own rhetoric.

English version by Susana Urra.
Antoni Molons, one of the Catalan officials facing trial. Albert Garcia

While Spains Supreme Court continues its trial of Catalan separatist leaders in Madrid, another major judicial investigation into the 2017 independence drive is coming to an end.

Judge Alejandra Gil of a Barcelona court has ended her preliminary probe into the unauthorized referendum of October 1, 2017, and has charged 30 people with offenses ranging from the misuse of public funds and disobedience, to the disclosure of secrets. Another 15 people under investigation will not be prosecuted.

The judge has dropped the sedition charge that her predecessor at the helm of the investigation had been considering

Most of these individuals were on the second line in the government of Carles Puigdemont, the former Catalan premier under whom the referendum took place, and who fled Spain to avoid arrest soon after separatist parties passed a unilateral independence declaration in the regional parliament.

The investigating judge considers that they played a decisive role in organizing the referendum, and has set a global bond of 5.8 million for 17 of them, on the basis that this is the amount of money that was allegedly spent or tied up to hold the referendum.

According to the investigation, all these people were aware of the illegal nature of the actions required to organize the referendum, yet followed the guidelines set by various Catalan departments with the goal of holding the unauthorized vote. Each of the 30 individuals, within his or her scope, contributed decisively in making the referendum a reality.

No sedition

But Judge Gil has dropped the sedition charge that her predecessor at the helm of the investigation, Juan Antonio Ramirez Sunyer, had been considering against some of the targets of the probe. Sunyer passed away in November, and defense lawyers for top separatist leaders who are being tried at the Supreme Court have complained that this latter tribunals investigation was largely based on Sunyers own preliminary work.

Judge Ramirez Sunyer, who headed most of the investigation, passed away in November. EFE

Among those who have been cleared of all charges are Carles Viver Pi i Sunyer, considered the legal architect of the independence bid, and Santiago Vidal, a former judge and former senator for the Catalan Republican Left (ERC). The investigation was originally triggered by public statements made by Vidal to the effect that the Catalan government was engaging in illegal acts to organize the referendum.

Violence

It was this investigation that led to a court order to search the Catalan department of economic affairs on September 20, 2017. This is a key date in the timeline because the police raid triggered a response by pro-independence activists, who congregated in large numbers outside the building and vandalized patrol cars. A court official sent to oversee the police raid has told the Supreme Court that she feared for her own safety and asked to be escorted out using an alternative exit. This has become a cornerstone of the rebellion charges against top independence leaders, as the charge requires proving the existence of violence.

The 30 people who will face trial worked as top aides to the consellers, or regional department chiefs. There are four secretary generals and two director generals, none of whom enjoy the aforado status that would have made them immune to action from the lower courts, as opposed to regional department chiefs. A former secretary who was in charge of the promotional campaigns for the referendum, Antoni Molons, has also been formally charged.

English version by Susana Urra.
A voting station at the 2016 general election. Albert Garcia

The Socialist Party (PSOE) will win the upcoming general election in Spain with between 123 and 138 of the 350 seats in Congress, followed by the conservative Popular Party (66-76), Citizens (Ciudadanos, 42-51), Unidas Podemos and En Comu Podem (the former a coalition of the United Left party and Podemos, and the latter the Catalan formation of Podemos with other parties), and far-right group Vox (29-37). Thats according to the latest opinion poll carried out by Spains CIS public research institute, the results of which were made public on Tuesday.

The only guaranteed absolute majority would result from a deal between the PSOE and Ciudadanos

If these predictions turn out to be correct, the only guaranteed absolute majority would result from a deal between the PSOE and Ciudadanos  but the latter party has already categorically ruled out doing any kind of deal with the Socialists. But depending on the exact outcome of the election the PSOE could also form a government with the support of Podemos, the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) and left-wing Valencian coalition group Compromis  without having to rely on Catalan nationalist parties for support.

The snap elections of April 28 were called earlier this year by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez after his 2019 budget plan failed to find support in Congress. Sanchez has been in a delicate position since he came to power in June 2018 thanks to a successful motion of no confidence he filed against then-PP Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy over the corruption cases that had plagued the party for years. The PSOE currently enjoys just 85 seats in the 350-seat chamber, where 176 votes are needed for a majority, and has had to depend on cross-party support from groups including Catalan pro-independence parties to pass legislation.

This latest CIS poll has also revealed a large number of undecided voters ahead of the April polls. A total of 41.6% of those interviewed stated that they had not completely made up their mind yet as to who they will vote for  a record high.

In terms of the share of the vote, the CIS poll predicts that the PSOE will take 30.2% of the vote, and the PP with 17.2%. The latter party  which took 33% of the vote at the 2016 general elections  has shifted to the right since its new leader, Pablo Casado, took over, partly as a reaction to the growing support for far-right Vox, which garnered a shock result in the Andalusian regional elections late last year and proved to be kingmaker for a deal that saw the PP and Ciudadanos take power, throwing the PSOE out after 36 years of uninterrupted government.

Meanwhile, third place, according to the CIS, would be very tight, with Ciudadanos taking 13.6%, Unidas Podemos 12.9% and Vox 11.9%. By blocs, the left  the combination of PSOE, Podemos and its branches and Compromis  would beat out the center-right by two points.

If the poll is correct, Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC)  a pro-independence party known in English as the Republican Left of Catalonia  would see a significant increase in seats, jumping from its current nine to 14-15.

Conversely, the Catalan European Democratic Party (PDeCAT), which will be running at the upcoming elections under the name JxCat, would fall from its current eight deputies in Congress to 4-5.

Both ERC and PDeCAT were the driving force behind the 2017 pro-independence drive that saw an illegal referendum on secession held in October of that year, followed several weeks later by a unilateral declaration of independence. The leader of ERC, Oriol Junqueras, is currently being tried in the Supreme Court for his role in those events, while former PDeCAT leader and ex-regional premier Carles Puigdemont fled Spain to avoid arrest and continues to live in self-imposed exile in Belgium.

A total of 41.6% of those interviewed stated that they had not completely made up their mind yet as to who they will vote for

This latest CIS study was based on 16,194 personal interviews that were carried out between March 1 and 18. The number of respondents is much higher than usual  the February opinion poll, for example, used responses from 3,000 interviews. A survey of this scale normally has a cost of around 300,000.

According to the latest estimates carried out by EL PAIS data expert Kiko Llaneras, who creates averages from the surveys published across different media outlets, the PSOE will win the elections with 28.5% of votes, followed by the PP with 20.3%, and then Ciudadanos (15.8%), Podemos (13.6%) and Vox (10.9%).

English version by Simon Hunter.
Joint Statement by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair Countries

LIVE

International Court of Justice will deliver its decision on the request for provisional measures in the case of ARMENIA v AZERBAIJAN

Statement of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia

OPEC Fund Partners Ameriabank to Address Problems and Help to Improve the Life of People in Armenia. T. Alnassar.

Google Ad

Generation A: Edition 14. Exclusive Chance to Begin Your Professional Career with Ameriabank

Katna Armenian cheeses enter the market: the new project of Galaxy Group of Companies

US$30m OPEC Fund loan to Ameriabank to promote sustainable energy and support small businesses in Armenia

Black Friday at ucom: up to 70% discount for smart home devices, gadgets and smartphones

116 million AMD assistance to minors with disabilities in Shirak Province from Mikayel Vardanyan

Discussion on the topic IT infrastructure as the basis of the digital economy with the participation of the heads of telecommunication companies in Armenia

Statement nn the ongoing Aggression by Azerbaijan against the Republic of Armenia

"We condemn any attempts at borderisation, as observed since the incursion of Azerbaijani troops into Armenian territory on 12 May" Joint statement

The United States is deeply concerned about reports of intensive fighting today between Armenia and Azerbaijan.ANTONY J. BLINKEN

Statement of the MFA of Armenia

Ookla has awarded Ucom with The fastest fixedline network in Armenia award

UCOM keeps on supporting the 42 YEREVAN programming school

Google Ad

Recognizing the One-Year Anniversary of the Ceasefire Declaration Between Armenia and Azerbaijan

They should not be positioned near civilian communities neither in Armenia nor in Artsakh

Humanitarian and human rights protection needed following the 2020 outbreak of hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh

Galaxy Group of Companies expands its activities in Belarus: a new TIME and Pandora store launched

I think its a good moment to invest in Armenia. Head of Markets at Symbiotics Vincent Lehner

Ameriabank has Raised USD 17.5M Tier 2 Capital

UNIGHT TO UNITE. UCOM CELEBRATED ITS REBIRTH

Ameriabank and HSBC Armenia to provide their customers access to each others ATMs without additional fees

Ameriabank. 62.5% Growth in Taxes YOY

Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans have provided 300 million AMD to overcome the infertility in Armenia

UCOM has officially launched the sale of IPHONE 13

Six servicemen were wounded by the attack of the Azerbaijani armed forces in Artsakh, two of them in critical condition

S&P Improved the Outlook on Ameriabank to Positive
Anna Hakobyan attends gala celebration in LA

Anna Hakobyan, spouse of Prime Minister of Armenia, chair of the Board of Trustees of the City of Smile Charitable Foundation, attended the 34th anniversary gala celebration of the Armenian American Medical Society on April 6, her Office reports. Mrs. Hakobyan was accompanied by Armenias Ambassador to US Varuzhan Nersesyan, CEO of the City of Smile Foundation Ester Demirchyan, Armenian Consul General in Los Argeles Armen Bayburdian. The whole proceeds during the gala celebration have been transferred to the City of Smile Charitable Foundation. Over 800 people participated in the event, including Congressman Adam Schiff, world-renowned rock musician Serj Tankian, Mayor of Glendale Ara Najarian, former mayor of Glendale, City Council member Zareh Sinanian and others. Anna Hakobyan was invited to the event as a keynote speaker. In her speech she thanked the organizers of the event, the Armenian American Medical Society, doctor Shant Shakherdemyan who made a lot of efforts during these months for the event to take place. This event has a very important mission  to help children suffering cancer in Armenia. Today we are uniting for one goal  to ensure healthy, peaceful and happy childhood for Armenian kids. 100 children in Armenia are diagnosed with cancer annually. We are here to assist these children. Together we can fight for the life of each child suffering cancer, and this is our duty not to allow their lives to stop due to absence of finance. You are more aware than me that today cancer is not the one as it was in the past. It is no longer that terrible and incurable disease as it was years ago. The humanity and you  the doctors, have found the ways of overcoming cancer. Today we mainly can win in the fight against cancer, but there are still cases when we fail, and medicine and science have not yet found the magical key against cancer for everyone, Anna Hakobyan said, adding that the main reason is that a lot of money is needed for the battle. According to her, today mostly in rich and developed countries, for example in US, cancer is just a disease, but in less developed countries cancer and death are synonyms. After the Velvet revolution that took place in Armenia last year I am confident that our country will soon be included in the list of the worlds developed countries. But today, our children who suffer cancer now cannot wait for this development, our kids wait for treatment and they need our support. The City of Smile Foundation has been created to change lives, to take these lives to positive direction and return smile to children and their parents. We are starting to keep one smile at the same time bringing smile to a family because as I have once said  by saving ones life we save the world. Most of you have helped our homeland many times, I know this, and you have done it without any expectation, your only one concern was for your support to reach the right place, she said.

In this regard the Armenian PMs spouse assured that each money donated to the City of Smile Foundation will serve its goal  to treat a child suffering cancer, save the lives of these angels and return happiness to their families. The worst thing in the world is when you imagine the parents who are sitting next to their kids who are sick in bed and are unable to help them. Today several hundreds of people gathered here and this means how many people stand together with these children and their parents. Once again thank you for being here, I want to thank the team that made this event a reality, thank you for the cooperation and standing with Armenia, Anna Hakobyan said. The Armenian American Medical Society awarded certificates to Anna Hakobyan for the works conducted in the City of Smile Foundation and inspiring Armenian women all over the world.
Joint Statement by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair Countries

LIVE

International Court of Justice will deliver its decision on the request for provisional measures in the case of ARMENIA v AZERBAIJAN

Statement of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia

OPEC Fund Partners Ameriabank to Address Problems and Help to Improve the Life of People in Armenia. T. Alnassar.

Generation A: Edition 14. Exclusive Chance to Begin Your Professional Career with Ameriabank

Katna Armenian cheeses enter the market: the new project of Galaxy Group of Companies

US$30m OPEC Fund loan to Ameriabank to promote sustainable energy and support small businesses in Armenia

Black Friday at ucom: up to 70% discount for smart home devices, gadgets and smartphones

116 million AMD assistance to minors with disabilities in Shirak Province from Mikayel Vardanyan

Discussion on the topic IT infrastructure as the basis of the digital economy with the participation of the heads of telecommunication companies in Armenia

Statement nn the ongoing Aggression by Azerbaijan against the Republic of Armenia

"We condemn any attempts at borderisation, as observed since the incursion of Azerbaijani troops into Armenian territory on 12 May" Joint statement

The United States is deeply concerned about reports of intensive fighting today between Armenia and Azerbaijan.ANTONY J. BLINKEN

Statement of the MFA of Armenia

Ookla has awarded Ucom with The fastest fixedline network in Armenia award

UCOM keeps on supporting the 42 YEREVAN programming school

Google Ad

Recognizing the One-Year Anniversary of the Ceasefire Declaration Between Armenia and Azerbaijan

They should not be positioned near civilian communities neither in Armenia nor in Artsakh

Humanitarian and human rights protection needed following the 2020 outbreak of hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh

Galaxy Group of Companies expands its activities in Belarus: a new TIME and Pandora store launched

I think its a good moment to invest in Armenia. Head of Markets at Symbiotics Vincent Lehner

Ameriabank has Raised USD 17.5M Tier 2 Capital

UNIGHT TO UNITE. UCOM CELEBRATED ITS REBIRTH

Ameriabank and HSBC Armenia to provide their customers access to each others ATMs without additional fees

Ameriabank. 62.5% Growth in Taxes YOY

Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans have provided 300 million AMD to overcome the infertility in Armenia

UCOM has officially launched the sale of IPHONE 13

Six servicemen were wounded by the attack of the Azerbaijani armed forces in Artsakh, two of them in critical condition

S&P Improved the Outlook on Ameriabank to Positive
The Economic Development and Trade Ministry of Ukraine has assessed growth of real Ukraine's GDP at 1.2% (a change of plus or minus 0.2 percentage, p.p.) in January and February 2019 year-over-year.

The ministry said on Tuesday that active operations of construction enterprises and enterprises providing services (transport, retail trade, education, health care and banking sectors) contributed to growth.

In particular, the volume of construction of engineering structures increased 36.9%, nonresidential buildings 18.6%, and capital expenditures of the consolidated budget increased 30.9%.

At the same time, the aggregated indicator of the real sector of the economy  the composite index of production of goods and services by main types of economic activity (CIP)  for the first two months of this year decreased 0.5%.

The ministry said that this is better than in January, when the decline was 1.5%, but worse than the results of the two months of 2018, when the CIP grew by 4%.
Ukraine's integration in economy of EU to create very positive conditions for investors

The EU-Ukraine Association Agreement is producing positive results, and Ukraine is integrating economically in the EU, Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine Hugues Mingarelli has said.

The EU already sees the first positive results of this agreement, Mingarelli said at the Kharkiv SME Day Forum in Kharkiv on Tuesday.

He said that five years ago, 25% of Ukrainian exports went to European markets, and last year 42% of Ukrainian exports went to European markets. This means that Ukraine is economically integrated into the European Union, he said.

According to him, the integration of Ukraine into the European economy will improve the investment attractiveness of the country.

If we can integrate Ukraine into the common market, into the European economy, this will create very positive conditions for investors, for trade and, finally, for creating jobs in Ukraine and in Kharkiv region, the diplomat added.

He noted what he said is the huge potential of Kharkiv region for the development of cooperation with the EU, in particular in the field of innovation, small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), energy efficiency, decentralization and health care.

The head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration, Yulia Svitlychna, said she highly appreciated the level of cooperation between the region and the EU countries and the EU Delegation in Ukraine.

"We have very powerful and dynamic relations with the EU Delegation in Ukraine both in foreign trade issues and in the implementation of humanitarian and economic programs. In 2018, Kharkiv enterprises increased exports to EU countries by 30%. And we have very clear plan for further cooperation," Svitlychna said.
The volume of remittances to Ukraine in 2018 increased by 19% and reached a record level of $14 billion, according to a press release from the World Bank.

This surge in Ukraine also reflects the revised methodology for estimating incoming remittances, as well as the growing demand for migrant workers in neighboring countries, the document says.

According to the report, Ukraine is the largest recipient of remittances in the Europe and Central Asia region, in which, overall, over the past year they increased by 11%, to $59 billion.

According to the World Bank's estimates, officially registered annual remittance flows to low- and middle-income countries in 2018 reached $529 billion, increasing by 9.6% from the previous record high of $483 billion in 2017.

According to the NBU, last year private remittances to Ukraine, according to the balance of payments methodology, reached a record $10.89 billion, which is 17.5% more than in 2017 and is about 8.3% of GDP compared to 8.2% of GDP a year earlier.
Representatives of the team of candidate to the post of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, political advisor Dmytro Razumkov and Head of the election headquarters Ivan Bakanov on Monday met with Estonian Ambassador to Ukraine Gert Antsu and Head of the Office of the President of Estonia Teet Reensalo.

"Among other things, they discussed the course of the electoral process in Ukraine, the development of international partnership, ways to combat corruption, and the concept of e-government proposed in the program of presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelensky," the Zelensky team's press service reported.
Russia's hybrid military forces mounted 13 attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas in the past 24 hours, with one Ukrainian soldier reported as killed in action (KIA) and another three as wounded in action (WIA), the press center of the headquarters of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) reported on Tuesday morning on its Facebook page.

The Russian occupation troops fired at the positions of the JFO 13 times, while using weapons prohibited by the Minsk agreements seven times at a rate of 40 explosive items of 122 mm caliber, 31 mortar shells of 82 mm caliber, also using anti-tank missile systems, grenade launchers of various systems, large-caliber machine guns and small arms, the press center said.

In the area of responsibility of the Vostok (East) operational-tactical group, the militants attacked the positions of the Ukrainian troops eight times: using 82 mm mortars, automatic stun grenade launchers, large-caliber machine guns and small arms  near Vodiane; 82 mm mortars and heavy-duty anti-tank grenade launchers  near Pisky; 82 mm mortar mortars near Avdiyivka; anti-tank missile systems and machine-gun anti-tank grenade launchers  near Opytne; grenade launchers of various systems, large-caliber machine guns and small arms  near Lebebdynske; grenade launchers of various systems  near Avdiyivka; machine-gun anti-tank grenade launchers and large-caliber machine guns  near Verkhniotoretske; easel anti-tank grenade launchers  near Kamianka.

In the area of responsibility of the Sever (North) operational-tactical group, the enemy fired on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine five times: using the 122 mm artillery systems and 82 mm mortars from the Novotoshkivske; the 122 mm artillery systems near Krymske; 82 mm mortar and heavy anti-tank grenade launchers  near Zolote-4; 82 mm mortar mortars  near Luhanske; grenade launchers of various systems and large-caliber machine guns  also near Luhanske.

"No shelling of the enemy was left without an adequate response from the United Forces," the press center reported.

According to Ukrainian intelligence, on April 8, seven militants were killed and six wounded.

"Since the beginning of the current day, enemy attacks on positions of the United Forces have not been recorded," JFO HQ said.
Deputy Head of Kherson Regional Administration Yevhen Ryschuk following Head of Kherson Regional Administration Andriy Hordeyev tendered his resignation.

"As everyone knows, on Friday [April 5], Head of the Regional Administration, Hordeyev, submitted resignation. My step is the same. I came to the Regional Administration at the invitation of Andriy Hordeyev and leave with him," Ryschuk wrote on his Facebook page.

He said that he had worked in this position for three years, "three fruitful years of joint teamwork," noting that during this period much has been done for the region.

"I will continue working for people, only in the role of deputy of the regional council," Ryschuk also said.

As for the organization of the murder of Kherson activist Kateryna Handziuk, the deputy head of the Regional Administration expressed the conviction that "sooner or later we will find a person who really ordered the murder."

"I told everything to Ukraine's SBU State Security service. I took a polygraph and am ready to help everyone who is looking for the person who really ordered the murder," he said.

On April 5, Hordeyev resigned from the post of head of the Kherson Regional Administration of his own volition.
Over 150 soldiers of elite U.S. airborne division soon to arrive in Ukraine for training Ukrainian soldiers

Over 150 soldiers of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division (Screaming Eagles) will arrive in Ukraine in coming days to train Ukrainian soldiers in the Joint Multinational Training Center in Yavoriv, Lviv region, Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Valeriy Chaly has said.

"Screaming Eagles" are flying to Ukraine! In coming days over 150 soldiers of U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division will arrive in Ukraine to train our soldiers in the Joint Multinational Training Center in Yavoriv and mutual exchange of experience," he wrote on his Facebook page.

The Ukrainian ambassador said that he recently discussed the importance of military strategic partnership of Ukraine and the United States with Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, General Mark A. Milley, "who was proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump to run the post of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff."
First tests of the "Grim-2" ("Thunder-2") tactical missile system within the framework of military technical cooperation with Saudi Arabia are scheduled for 2019, Ukrainian Defense Ministry advisor Yuriy Biriukov has said. The land-to-air missile system has a range of up to 300 kilometers.

Biriukov said on his Facebook page that Russian media over the past several days were upset about the successful test of the anti-ship "Neptun" ("Neptune") cruise missile system, which was designed by the Kyiv-based Luch Design Bureau. That missile system has a range of up 300 kilometers. He said Russians a year ago were surprised by Ukraine's new artillery rocket system "Vilkha" ("Alder") with a range of 120 kilometers.

"Let's imagine how the Russians will react when this year we test the "Grim-2," Biriukov said, adding "the 'Grim-2' is being produced for a foreign customer, for now  Saudi Arabia."

The presidential adviser said the range of the "Grim-2" complies with The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, as well as Ukraine's obligations under the Missile Technology Control Regime, according to which Ukrainian missiles manufactured for export cannot exceed a 300-kilometer range.

"The declared range of the system is 300 kilometers," he said, adding that the potential range could be increased to up to 300 kilometers.

As reported, on April 5, Ukraine's Armed Forces at the Alibey testing range in Odesa region successfully tested Ukraine's "Neptun" coastal missile system.
Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman has said that the Cabinet of Ministers received a motion from President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko to dismiss Maksym Stepanov from the post of head of the Odesa Regional State Administration and the government will consider it on April 10.

"The president's appeal has been received by the government today and the government will consider it tomorrow," he told reporters during a working visit to Dnipro on Tuesday.

According to earlier reports, decrees according to which Poroshenko removed Stepanov from the post of head of the Odesa region's state administration and made Serhiy Parashchenko first deputy head of the Odesa region's state administration, acting head of the region's state administration, which are dated April 6, were posted on the Ukrainian president's website. However, Stepanov said on Monday at a briefing that he was refusing to leave his post as he considered the decree to be illegal.
Presidential candidate of Ukraine showman Volodymyr Zelensky thanks the Ukrainian military for the support and protection of Ukraine, promises that he will return all prisoners to their homeland.

"I want to thank every military serviceman for his support. You are real heroes for me and for every Ukrainian citizen, heroes not from films, not from books, but real heroes who protect the freedom and democracy of Ukraine ... I thank everyone - from Shyrokyne to Stanytsia Luhanska, every patriot," Zelensky said in a video address posted on his Facebook page.

He expressed gratitude to all and assured that "we will bring you all back for sure." "... Our national guardsmen, our pilots, our sailors, our prisoners. We will return them all for sure," Zelensky assured.

The presidential candidate added: "I will not let you down."
On Wednesday, April 10, at 14.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host a press conference entitled "Customs Office Illegally Locking Supplies of Fabric for Armed Forces." Participants: Deputy Director of Wooltex-S LLC Yevhen Ovsiyenko and representatives of a group of companies from Sumy. The affected companies import fabrics and raw materials, which are later, among other things, also sent for the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Now the enterprises are not able to complete customs clearance due to illegal actions of officials and refusal to pay bribes (8/5a Reitarska Street). Registration requires press accreditation.
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 9

Trend:

The hearing on the criminal case of former chairman of board of the International Bank of Azerbaijan Jahangir Hajiyev, accused of embezzlement, has recently continued at the Baku Court of Heinous Crimes, Trend reports.

The criminal case also concerned Hajiyevs relative Ismayil Idayatzade, former MP Dunyamin Khalilov, Jamal Hasanov, Sarhan Rasulov, Natig Imanov, Samir Hajiyev, Tabriz Abdulgamidov, Mahir Gafarov, Sadikh Murtuzayev, Tarlan Maharramov, Fakhraddin Heybatov, Ramin Ahmadov, Fariz Muradov, Salahaddin Gadirov, Erkhan Javad, Arif Ramazanov, Navai Shirinov, Svetlana Asadullayeva, Arif Madatov, Adil Mikayilov and Ramiz Karimov accused of embezzlement.

Elshan Mammadzade gave testimony at the trial, chaired by Judge Faig Ganiyev.

Mammadzade said that he currently works as director of the cashless settlement department in the International Bank.

"The loans were sometimes allocated in the bank upon someones order, he added. During that period I was a member of the creditors' committee. I was ordered to issue a loan to the companies belonging to Dunyamin Khalilov - Sabail Mebel Ltd. and others.

However, the loans were issued on the basis of an agreement, Mammadzade said. No illegal actions were taken. But there were exceptions when certain irregularities were observed during the issuance of loans. I did not oppose this because it was an instruction of the management. Akif Aliyev gave the main instructions. He said that this is the managements order but I dont know whom he specifically meant.

It became known that the witness worked in various positions in the bank without higher education.

Akif Aliyev also gave testimony as a witness. Aliyev said that from 1990 till 2017 he worked in the bank in various positions, from 2001 to 2011 he worked as chairman of the creditors' committee, from 2011 to 2015 - as director general of the bank and then as chairman of the problem loans committee. Aliyev is currently unemployed.

He said that during his work in the committee of creditors, the highest limit was 2.4 million manats.

The loans were issued upon the order of the banks board, Aliyev said. The bank financed various projects, most of the projects were controlled by Dunyamin Khalilov. He appealed to us for obtaining loans. Jahangir said that Dunyamin Khalilov has a project which should be financed. We just fulfilled this order.

According to the official information, reasonable suspicions were revealed during the investigation that the contracts for the purchase and sale of promissory notes worth $3.4 billion and 987 million euros (at the then rate of 3.8 billion manats) and illegal bill transactions were conducted upon the order of Jahangir Hajiyev, who was the chairman of the board of the International Bank of Azerbaijan in 2001-2015.

During the investigation, reasonable suspicions were also revealed that Hajiyevs acquaintance Dunyamin Khalilov, 20 more people, as well as other people caused damage to the International Bank of Azerbaijan, misappropriating 4.7 billion manats and that in 2011-2014, Hajiyev avoided paying taxes of Aztorg LLC, which was actually managed jointly with Khalilov, to the budget in the amount of 1,752 manats.

Hajiyev was previously sentenced to 15 years, Dunyamin Khalilov to 13 years and Ismail Hidayatzade to seven years in prison upon the decision of the Baku Court of Heinous Crimes.

Khalilovs term of sentence was reduced from 13 years to 12 years and nine months upon the decision of the Baku Court of Appeal. The Supreme Court reduced Hidayatzades term of sentence to five years.
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 9

Trend:

Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 26 times, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said April 9, Trend reports.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 9

Trend:

The Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson, in accordance with its mandate, plans to conduct the next ceasefire monitoring on the line of contact on April 10 in the direction of the Aghdam district, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

The Personal Representative's field assistants Simon Tiller, Ghenadie Petrica and representative of the HLPG Lieutenant-Colonel Ralph Bosshard will carry out the monitoring on the territory of Azerbaijan.

Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk, the Personal Representative's field assistants Mihail Olaru and Ognjen Jovic, Colonel Yuri Dudchenko will carry out the monitoring on the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan occupied and controlled by the armed forces of Armenia.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 9

Trend:

Regular statements by Armenian Defense Minister David Tonoyan have no logic and are full of nonsense, Colonel Vagif Dargahli, spokesperson for Azerbaijans Defense Ministry, told Trend.

He was commenting on Tonoyans statement by about alleged activation of Armenia's intelligence units in order to cause chaos in the territory of Azerbaijan.

Dargahli noted that the chaos is namely among the new authorities of Yerevan, if a person representing the official power of Armenia speaks the language of international terror, is guided by similar logic and makes statements threatening the civilian population.

The recent speeches by the defense minister of the occupying country are part of an insidious plan directed against Pashinyans power and designed for Tonoyans political career, Dargahli said.

He stressed that the Azerbaijani army is ready to fight for the liberation of the countrys lands from occupation, and the militant threats of Armenian officials have no meaning.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 9

Trend:

Head of the State Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Ambassador Parvin Mirzazade met with the newly appointed Charge d'affaires of Montenegro Zeljko Radulovic, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani ministry.

At the meeting Mirzazade wished every success to Radulovic during his diplomatic tenure in Azerbaijan.

Noting that the diplomatic representation of Montenegro has started to operate in Azerbaijan, Zeljko Radulovic stated that he will spare no efforts for the development of cooperation between the two counties. In this regard, he presented the letter of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro to Ambassador Parvin Mirzazade on opening the diplomatic representation of Montenegro in Azerbaijan.

At the meeting the sides discussed development perspectives of relations between Azerbaijan and Montenegro.
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 9

Trend:

Armenias illegal activity in the Azerbaijani territories harms the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through negotiations, said Hikmet Hajiyev, head of the foreign policy department of the presidential administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Trend reports with reference to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

Hajiyev made the remarks at the international conference Impact of Illegal Economic Activities in Conflict Areas on Human Rights held in Geneva with the organizational support of the Azerbaijani missions to the UN and other international organizations, as well as the UN University for Peace.

Vagif Sadigov, the permanent representative of Azerbaijan to the UN, who opened the event, announced the objectives of the event and spoke about the impact of illegal activities in conflict areas on human rights.

Rector of the UN University for Peace Francisco Rojas Aravena stressed that in the absence of peace there will be no development and progress, and illegal activities will increase.

Hikmet Hajiyev in his opening speech noted that as a result of the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia, illegal economic activities were carried out there, resources were used illegally and property rights of IDPs were violated.

In this regard, Hajiyev drew the attention of participants to a number of such practical examples and spoke about the illegal activities of the famous Swiss company Franck Muller, as well as Airbnb.

He noted that the illegal activities carried out by Armenia in the Azerbaijani territories are detrimental to the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through negotiations and serve to protract the conflict.

Hajiyev also stressed that Azerbaijan is making active contribution to the development and mainstreaming of the topic of illegal activities in the conflict areas.

The conference was held with the participation of experts from Italy, the Netherlands, the UK and Azerbaijan in the form of two working sessions. During the event, representatives from Angola, Azerbaijan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sierra Leone highlighted the current situation in these countries in this area.

The speakers who delivered speech during the first session stressed that the respective states are responsible for the illegal activities of companies in conflict areas. During the speeches, the need to create specific instruments of binding nature in this area was noted.

During this session, the speakers also voiced opinions on the resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council in connection with the Armenian occupation of the Azerbaijani territories, the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights in connection the case of Chiragov and Others v. Armenia, illegal remittances to the occupied territories and other issues.

During the second session, the rapporteurs noted that other countries are responsible for non-recognition of the illegal regimes established in the occupied territories.

During this session, Azercosmos OJSC presented satellite imagery showing the illegal economic activities of invading Armenia in the occupied Azerbaijani territories, environmental damage, burning forests and other violations.

During this working session, the issue of the destruction of the material and cultural heritage in the conflict areas was also discussed, and information was provided that Armenia is pursuing a targeted policy in the occupied Azerbaijani territories aimed at the complete removal of Azerbaijans trace.

Permanent missions under the UN Office in Geneva, international lawyers conducting research on the topic, as well as more than 120 NGO representatives took part in the event.

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.
Details added (first version posted on 19:20)

Baku, Azerbaijan, April 9

Trend:

Armenias illegal activity in the Azerbaijani territories harms the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through negotiations, said Hikmet Hajiyev, head of the foreign policy department of the presidential administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Trend reports with reference to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

Hajiyev made the remarks at the international conference Impact of Illegal Economic Activities in Conflict Areas on Human Rights held in Geneva with the organizational support of the Azerbaijani missions to the UN and other international organizations, as well as the UN University for Peace.

Vagif Sadigov, the permanent representative of Azerbaijan to the UN, who opened the event, announced the objectives of the event and spoke about the impact of illegal activities in conflict areas on human rights.

Rector of the UN University for Peace Francisco Rojas Aravena stressed that in the absence of peace there will be no development and progress, and illegal activities will increase.

Hikmet Hajiyev in his opening speech noted that as a result of the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia, illegal economic activities were carried out there, resources were used illegally and property rights of IDPs were violated.

In this regard, Hajiyev drew the attention of participants to a number of such practical examples and spoke about the illegal activities of the famous Swiss company Franck Muller, as well as Airbnb.

He noted that the illegal activities carried out by Armenia in the Azerbaijani territories are detrimental to the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through negotiations and serve to protract the conflict.

Hajiyev also stressed that Azerbaijan is making active contribution to the development and mainstreaming of the topic of illegal activities in the conflict areas.

The conference was held with the participation of experts from Italy, the Netherlands, the UK and Azerbaijan in the form of two working sessions. During the event, representatives from Angola, Azerbaijan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sierra Leone highlighted the current situation in these countries in this area.

The speakers who delivered speech during the first session stressed that the respective states are responsible for the illegal activities of companies in conflict areas. During the speeches, the need to create specific instruments of binding nature in this area was noted.

During this session, the speakers also voiced opinions on the resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council in connection with the Armenian occupation of the Azerbaijani territories, the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights in connection the case of Chiragov and Others v. Armenia, illegal remittances to the occupied territories and other issues.

During the second session, the rapporteurs noted that other countries are responsible for non-recognition of the illegal regimes established in the occupied territories.

During this session, Azercosmos OJSC presented satellite imagery showing the illegal economic activities of invading Armenia in the occupied Azerbaijani territories, environmental damage, burning forests and other violations.

During this working session, the issue of the destruction of the material and cultural heritage in the conflict areas was also discussed, and information was provided that Armenia is pursuing a targeted policy in the occupied Azerbaijani territories aimed at the complete removal of Azerbaijans trace.

Permanent missions under the UN Office in Geneva, international lawyers conducting research on the topic, as well as more than 120 NGO representatives took part in the event.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 9

By Elchin Mehdiyev  Trend:

Twelve political parties in Azerbaijan did not submit a financial report for 2018 to the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Azerbaijan, commission secretary Mikayil Rahimov said at a meeting of the CEC, Trend reports.

According to him, the chairmen of 6 of these parties have passed away. Although members of 2 of these parties submitted a report, they were not accepted due to the lack of the signature of the chairman, Rahimov noted.

"It was not possible to contact the other political parties," Rahimov added.

The CEC secretary also said that the process will be completed by the end of the week, which the Ministry of Justice will be notified of.
Baku, Azerbaijan, April9

By Matanat Nasibova - Trend:

Russia hopes that the directions, which are fixed in the field of agricultural engineering, will be developed taking into account the availability of a good market for agricultural production and the support of Azerbaijan in the purchases of agricultural equipment, Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov, who is on a visit in Baku, told Trend.

The minister noted that Russia sees serious prospects for cooperation in this direction.

"The fact that in February 2019 we laid the foundation for cooperation in Azerbaijan with AzerMash on the assembly and production of light commercial vehicles jointly with the Russian partner GAZ group also shows a bilateral interest in the partnership cooperation of our countries, and in particular in the creation of new conscientious manufacturing enterprises. Of course, all areas of bilateral cooperation that were discussed today should be secured by the relevant agreements, after which it would be possible to talk about the time frame for the joint production. As for the timing of the implementation of joint projects in the field of agricultural machinery, and the industrial sector, everything will depend on how effectively bilateral economic cooperation will develop," the Russian minister said.

Baku hosted a meeting of Azerbaijani and Russian entrepreneurs. The event was attended by Azerbaijans Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev, Chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijan-Russia Business Council Samad Gurbanov, Acting President of the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) Yusif Abdullayev, and Chief Director of the Russian Export Center Andrey Slepnev.

The Russian delegation consisted of representatives of more than 60 Russian companies operating in various sectors of the economy, including agriculture, ICT, automotive engineering, chemical industry and other sectors.

According to Azerbaijans State Customs Committee, Azerbaijans trade with Russia amounted to $2.55 billion in 2018, including the export of Azerbaijani products worth $665.74 million to Russia.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @MatanatNasibova
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 9

By Matanat Nasibova - Trend:

Azerbaijani engineering company Texno-Atinak plans long-term partnership as part of the implementation of new projects in Uzbekistan, Elnur Ahmadov, executive director of the company, told Trend.

He said that the company plans to implement the next three projects in this country.

"We are actively negotiating with Uzbek partners on laying water pipelines and sewage lines in the regions," said Ahmadov. "In this regard, tomorrow I will fly to Tashkent, where I plan to discuss in more detail the conditions for implementing new projects in Uzbekistan."

He noted that the general sponsor of projects being implemented by Texno-Atinak is the World Bank, which fully provides funds for their implementation.

"We, in turn, actively participate in tenders, and if possible we make efforts to win," he added.

He noted that the company also rents various types of equipment and technical means, including excavators, loaders, mobile and tower cranes for the implementation of infrastructure projects.

Texno-Atinak was established in 2011 to implement infrastructure projects in the region.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @MatanatNasibova
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 9

By Sara Israfilbayova - Trend:

The German-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce presented the book "Marketing Analysis Azerbaijan 2019" in Baku, Trend reports.

Tobias Baumann, executive director of the German-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce, said at the books presentation that the book contains information on the development stages of various sectors of the Azerbaijani economy.

"We spent about two years on this project and we are pleased with the results," Baumann said.

The executive director noted that the book also focuses on Azerbaijani-German relations and their development.

Moreover, head of Market Analysis and Communication Nigar Bayramli also gave some information on the book. She noted that the book covers 14 sectors of the Azerbaijani economy.

"The book describes current trends and projects, as well as opportunities for the German economy," she said.

According to the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan, the trade turnover of the country with Germany amounted to $1.44 billion in 2018. Over $780 million accounted for the export of Azerbaijani products to Germany.

To date, Germanys investments in Azerbaijans economy have reached $555.8 million. Today, over 200 companies with German capital operate in Azerbaijan.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @IsrafilbekovaS
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 9

By Rashid Shirinov  Trend:

Kazakhstan's Karaganda region plans to increase the yield of cabbage from 14,000 to 20,000 tons by planting it on 100 additional hectares, Trend reports via Kazakh media.

The reason for this is a strong rise in cabbage price in the region - by 70.7 percent - since the stocks of cabbage in the region are over and now it is imported from Uzbekistan.

Prices for other vegetables and grocery products are regulated thanks to stocks in the stabilization fund. Presently, there are 1,198 tons of potatoes, 50 tons each of carrots and beets, 68 tons of buckwheat, rice and sugar. Some 136 tons of sugar and 50,000 liters of sunflower oil are purchased additionally.

It should be noted that next year construction of a 27-hectare large shopping center will begin in Karaganda, where about 130,000 types of food will be sold.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @ShirinovRashid
1. Yes. Patrol cars in the lot and armed officers inside would deter would-be criminals.

2. Yes. Police should announce their plans and be highly visible during store hours.

3. No. The citys police officers have other obligations. More private security is the answer.

4. No. Perhaps, but installing more surveillance cameras would be a better deterrent.

5. Unsure. More police might help, but it could also stretch KPDs resources too thin.

Vote

View Results
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 9

By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:

Prices for secondary housing increased in Baku in March, but prices for primary housing decreased, general director of the consulting company MBA Group, real estate expert Nusrat Ibrahimov told Trend.

He said that the prices for secondary housing grew 1.13 percent in March and 5.81 percent during the year.

He noted that the prices for primary housing decreased 3 percent during the month, but grew 5.68 percent during the year.

The prices for the primary housing market decreased because they have grown significantly so far and are now beginning to decline, Ibrahimov said.

The expert added that prices for country houses have also increased. He noted that during the month the prices for these houses increased by 4.75 percent, and during the year by 2.18 percent.

Ibrahimov noted that the rise in prices is typical for this period of the year.
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 9

By Matanat Nasibova - Trend:

Orelay, an Azerbaijani confectionery manufacturer, is considering to export its products to a new market in the near abroad, a source at the company told Trend.

The company plans to export various types of marmalade, caramel, as well as varieties of chocolate, the source noted.

"At the moment we are negotiating with our partners in Georgia, and we plan to arrange deliveries to this neighboring country by the end of 2019," the sourcce said.

The source added that the company's plans include increasing the volume of exports to the Russian market.

The products manufactured by Orelay have a certificate of conformity issued by the State Committee for Standardization, Metrology and Patents of Azerbaijan.

The company uses equipment made in Germany, Turkey and Austria.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @MatanatNasibova
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, April 9

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

Russias Chelyabinsk Pipe Plant (ChelPipe) Group PJSC has signed a contract for shipping more than 150,000 tons of large-diameter pipes (LDP) to Turkmenistans Turkmengas state concern for the construction of the linear part of the TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) gas pipeline, Trend reports referring to the press service of ChTPZ.

The first delivery of steel pipes with a diameter of 1,420 millimeters with an external anti-corrosion coating will take place during the second quarter of 2019. It is expected that about 200 kilometers of the TAPI gas pipeline passing through the territory of Turkmenistan will be laid out of pipes provided by ChelPipe.

"Within the framework of the TAPI project, the company will ship the largest batch of LDP over the past few years to Turkmenistan. ChelPipe has offered the best delivery and service conditions among 94 companies from Russia and the world that participated in the tender," the press release said.

For the implementation of the project in accordance with the requirements of international and Islamic banking, its financing was provided by 3 financial organizations. Among them was Russias Sberbank  a state-owned Russian banking and financial services company and a partner of ChelPipe, as well as the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and the State Bank for Foreign Economic Affairs of Turkmenistan.

These institutions organized international cooperation and structured the deal confirming the obligation to pay for the pipe worth over $200 million, the report said.

Construction of the Turkmen section of the TAPI, with an annual capacity of 33 billion cubic meters of gas, was launched Dec. 13, 2015.

The IDB issued a loan for Turkmenistan in 2016 to finance the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline. An agreement worth $700 million was signed with the State Bank for Foreign Economic Affairs of Turkmenistan.

Turkmenistan supplies gas to China and Iran. The ChelPipe group at one time shipped large-diameter pipes for the construction of the third stage of the Central Asia-China gas pipeline.

ChelPipe Group is comprised of ferrous industry enterprises and companies including: Chelyabinsk Pipe Plant; Pervouralsk Pipe Plant, a warehouse complex selling the Groups tubular products in Russian regions, RIMERA Group oilfield services provider; META scrap metal procurement and processing company; Pipeline Bends, ETERNO and MSA (Czech Republic) manufacturers of main-line equipment.

ChelPipes main goal is to fully meet the needs of Russian and global fuel and energy companies through the development and delivery of integrated solutions for main-line and intra-field pipeline transport.

With its sufficient capacities for the production of a wide product range of welded and seamless pipes, as well as its highly developed warehouse system, ChelPipe Group is poised as an effective universal player on the Russian and CIS pipe market, offering tubular products for all major economic sectors, as stated in the groups website.
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 9

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Azerbaijans oil output will see modest declines in the next five years, Neil Atkinson, head of oil Division at the International Energy Agency (IEA), told Trend.

In our recent five-year oil market outlook, we noted that in Azerbaijan oil output is expected to see modest declines over the period, even as international companies push ahead with new projects. These include major investments by Equinor and BP, he said.

Atkinson pointed out that clearly, for Azerbaijan to succeed in maintaining or expanding its production the attractiveness of terms offered to foreign companies is very important.

 It is for the government of Azerbaijan to decide how best to meet the needs of its domestic markets and how to maintain an important position in international markets. At the same time, resources must be developed in a sustainable way, he added.

Azerbaijan has submitted data on the country's daily oil production for February 2019 to the Joint Technical Commission (JTC) of the OPEC monitoring committee.

The daily oil production in Azerbaijan amounted to 806,000 barrels last month, including 722,000 barrels of petroleum, and 84,000 barrels of condensate.

About 572,900 barrels of petroleum, 84,000 barrels of condensate and 18,000 barrels of oil products were exported daily.

The average daily oil production made up 793,000 barrels in January, and 792,600 barrels last year.

In particular, Azerbaijan produced an average of 814,600 barrels per day in January 2018, 806,000 barrels in February, 794,000 barrels in March, 785,700 barrels in April, 801,000 barrels in May, 792,000 barrels in June, 773,000 barrels in July, 774,000 barrels in August, 796,000 barrels in September, 783,000 barrels in October, in 801,000 barrels November, and 790,000 barrels in December.

On December 7, 2018, an agreement was reached at the fifth ministerial meeting of the non-OPEC member and non-OPEC countries in Vienna to cut daily oil production by 1.2 million barrels. As part of the agreement, Azerbaijan has reduced daily production by 20,000 barrels since January 1, 2019.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 9

By Azad Hasanli - Trend:

In the 1Q2019, the number of requests from Azerbaijan's state agencies related to computer security increased by 27.7 percent compared to the 1Q2018 and amounted to 899, the Computer Security Emergency Response Team (CERT) of Azerbaijan told Trend.

In the 1Q2019, 93.77 percent of the total requests received by CERT were reviewed and dealt with. On the basis of the audit of information security, 65 reports were prepared by CERT and sent to the relevant structures.

In the first three months of 2019, 10 domains and 22 sub-domains were registered in the Azerbaijani segment of the internet.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Hasanli_Azad
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 9

Trend:

AzerTelecom LLC - the Internet backbone provider that connects Azerbaijan to the global Internet network has acquired the status of an official partner of the world-famous companies Trend Micro, Symantec, ESET, Quest, and One Identity, specializing in cybersecurity.

The partnership with the above-mentioned popular companies allows AzerTelecom to provide solutions to corporate customers in the field of cybersecurity. Partnership with these global companies allows AzerTelecom to protect the systems, networks, and software of its corporate customers from various digital attack with the advanced cybersecurity solutions from above-mentioned companies and thus to contribute to safer and more reliable business operations of its customers.

Currently, in the background of providing a significant attention to information security issues around the world, AzerTelecom strives to provide its customers with high-quality solutions and state-of-the-art approaches in the field of cybersecurity. Thus, the adoption of effective preventive measures is especially difficult today since the various devices and platforms are improving day by day. The solutions provided by AzerTelecom allow companies to effectively respond to the challenges they face in the field of security, in keeping with the requirements of the time. Note that the staff of the Commercial Department of AzerTelecom LLC also participated in specialized training on cybersecurity and received corresponding certificates.

AzerTelecom LLC was established in 2008 and is the subsidiary of the countrys first mobile operator - Bakcell. The company offers a wide range of advanced services for local and foreign companies in the telecommunications sector. Currently, AzerTelecom, in addition to the statuses of Azerbaijan as an Energy and Transport Center, is implementing the Azerbaijan Digital Hub program to transform Azerbaijan into a Regional Digital Center. The goal of the Digital Hub program is to turn the country into a Digital Center for the Caucasus, the CIS, Central and South Asia, the Middle East, and adjacent regions.
20 years of the OSCE presence in Kyrgyzstan are 20 years of successful cooperation in all three areas, in particular, in the military-political, economic-environmental, humanitarian and human rights, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia Miroslav Lajcak told in Bishkek at the conference 20 years of OSCE presence in the Kyrgyz Republic, reports Trend with reference to kabar.kg

We see concrete results, we discussed them with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic today. We can especially note the activity connected with the democratization of the process, as well as the involvement of young people, women, PWDs and their full participation in the functioning of society, he said. The OSCE Chairman-in-Office pointed out that further cooperation is expected in the future.

We are very pleased that the Government of Kyrgyzstan perceives the OSCE mission as its partner, and there are a number of projects on which we will work in the future. We are confident that this is a collaboration that benefits both sides, he added.

In particular, the diplomat noted the projects of digitalization of society, environmental protection, the project of regionalization and cooperation with regional authorities.

Miroslav Lajcak expressed his intention to monitor the upcoming parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, April 9

By Huseyn Hasanov Trend:

In 2018, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the percentage of smokers in Turkmenistan was 3.4 percent, which is the best indicator not only in the European Region, but also in the world, Trend reports via "Neutral Turkmenistan" newspaper.

It was earlier reported that in 2016 the level of smoking in Turkmenistan was 8.3 percent of the population. Turkmenistan intends to become a tobacco-free country by 2025.

The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) was adopted on May 21, 2003 by the World Health Assembly and entered into force on February 27, 2005. Turkmenistan ratified the document in 2011.

Turkmenistan has adopted a national action plan for tobacco control, which includes a number of areas, such as raising public awareness on the issue, strengthening relevant legislation and regulations governing the sale of tobacco products to minors and strengthening cooperation with international organizations.
On April 9, 2019, the Director of the Capital Market Development Agency Atabek Nazirov met with representatives of the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), led by the Head of the Sukuk and Capital Markets Program, Tarik A. Malaika, who arrived from Saudi Arabia.

During the meeting, Tarik A. Malaika shared his experience of successfully introducing Islamic finance instruments, in particular Sukuk, in other developing countries and expressed interest in cooperating with the Agency on development of similar instruments in Uzbekistan.

In addition, during the discussion, the question about issuing municipal and corporate bonds in Uzbekistan was discussed in accordance with the principles of Islamic finance, where Atabek Nazirov stressed the importance of increasing the share of financial instruments in local currency to stimulate the development of the Uzbek capital market and minimize currency risks.

Following the meeting, the parties agreed to conclude a memorandum of cooperation, within which, ICD also expressed its readiness to provide technical support to the Agency.
Tehran, Iran, April 9

Trend:

Iran's Mahan Air has launched its first direct flight from Tehran to Caracas from the Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKIA) on April 8.

The first flight from Tehran to Caracas, carrying the deputy foreign minister of Iran and accompanying staff, left IKIA in the early hours of Monday morning, Trend reports citing IRNA.

The flight left the Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKIA) at 2 am for Caracas the capital of the Venezuela, Spokesman of Iran's Civil Aviation Organization Reza Jafarzadeh said.

Jafarzadeh said a delegation from Mahan Air was also traveling to Caracas to discuss maintaining regular flights between the two countries.

Alireza Manzari former Deputy Chief of Iran's Civil Aviation Organization called this flight not suited to the goals of the prosperity and development of the tourism industry of the two countries.

"It's not the first time that this direct flight is going between the two countries, he said. Earlier, during the Ahmadinejad administration, Tehran-Caracas flight was established by a Venezuelan airline.

He said that the people of Venezuela will definitely not be able to buy airline tickets for distant destinations due to the country's economic conditions.

The non-stop Tehran-Caracas flight will take 16 hours. We do not have any accurate information on the rate of the tickets, but the price of a plane ticket for this distance should not be less than $1,800. Of course, the people of Venezuela will not be able to afford such expenses, he said.
Tehran, Iran, April 9

Trend:

Iran's Agricultural Jihad minister Mahmoud Hojjati said that the US sanctions on Iran have been implemented in all sectors, including food.

The US with its unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA did not allow Iran to get food for the revenues gained from oil exports," he said, Trend reports via the official website of the Ministry of Agricultural Jihad.

Iran's commitment to nuclear deal demonstrates the goodwill of our country to the international community, he said. "Some countries, like the United States, are seeking to maintain their domination over the world's food supplies, even if this is at the expense of the destruction of the environment.

Referring the importance of self-reliance on food production, he mentioned Japan that relies on production of its own food.

He went on to say that development of oilseed rape and rapeseed oil production programs is under way in Iran, adding that it is vital for the country.
Britain's Parliament approved legislation on Monday that would provide UK lawmakers the power to scrutinize and even alter Prime Minister Theresa May's request that the European Union agree to delay Brexit until 30 June, Trend reported citing Sputnik.

The legislation, proposed by Labour MP Yvette Cooper, aims to force May to request an extension for Brexit, which is currently set for Friday. Later on Monday the bill got its final rubber stamp approval from Queen Elizabeth. The law will reportedly allow lawmakers to make legally binding changes to May's requested departure date during a debate slated for Tuesday.

The United Kingdom has already been given one Brexit deadline extension by the European Council, but it appears in need of another one. At the moment, unless a new delay is granted, the United Kingdom risks tumbling out of the EU on 12 April without a deal.

The UK Parliament has rejected the government's withdrawal deal three times, although it has also voted against leaving without an agreement. After the deal was last voted down in late March, European Council President Donald Tusk called for a special council meeting on 10 April. The European Commission said at the time that a no-deal Brexit had become a possible scenario.

May has advocated giving up access to the EU customs union and using the post-Brexit transition period to agree a UK-EU trade deal that would allow her country to become a global trading nation.

Meanwhile, the EU has reportedly been preparing for all scenarios for a long time, and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said last week that there would be no short Brexit delay past the new deadline of 12 April.
British lawmakers endorsed Prime Minister Theresa Mays request to the European Union to delay Brexit until June 30 at a vote in parliament on Tuesday, adding weight to the pitch she will make to EU leaders in Brussels, Trend reports citing Reuters.

The majority of Mays Conservative Party voted alongside the opposition Labour Party to back the prime ministers approach by 420 votes to 110. The main rebellion came from pro-Brexit Conservatives who want Brexit to happen sooner.

We should all be very clear what this extension would be for - it is all about making sure we leave the EU in a timely and orderly way and that means leaving with a deal, government Solicitor-General Robert Buckland said ahead of the vote.

The debate came as May traveled to Berlin and Paris to drum up support for her request for more time to try and find a new plan for Britains EU exit that can command the support of her political opponents at home.

The vote itself was the culmination of an unprecedented power grab in parliament by lawmakers who this week passed a law against the governments wishes, seeking guarantees that May would not let Britain leave the EU without a deal on April 12.

But because May has already requested a delay, and with no alternative dates chosen to be voted on by lawmakers on Tuesday, the vote was not a major flashpoint in the countrys long-running political crisis over how to deliver Brexit.

Nevertheless, the process of passing a law to trigger Tuesdays debate has further undermined Mays political authority, proving parliament is able and willing to circumvent the government if they disagree with her choices on Brexit.

Labour Party junior Brexit spokesman Matthew Pennycook said his party supported Mays extension plan, but warned the extra time must be used to try and find a compromise with Labour and not to pass her own thrice-rejected deal at a fourth attempt.

The public will not forgive the government if an extension is sought and agreed under the pretence of efforts to secure cross-party compromise, he said.
An explosion rocked the town hall in Rymarov, east Czech Republic on Tuesday afternoon, but no one was injured, according to police, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

Police have detained a person who is now under investigation, said the Policie CR in a tweet.

"Moravian-Silesian Region: Police detained a person who is currently being examined in connection with the explosion, which took place around 5 pm today in the Rymarov Town Hall. At this point, police officers are conducting crime scene scans and tracking. There was no personal injury," tweeted the Policie CR.
Israelis began voting in an election on Tuesday that could hand conservative Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a record fifth term or see him dethroned by an ex-general who has pledged clean government and social cohesion, Trend reported citing Reuters.

Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. (0400 GMT) across the country and close at 10 p.m. (1900 GMT). But the victor may not be decided immediately. No party has ever won an outright majority in the 120-seat parliament, meaning days or even weeks of coalition negotiations will lie ahead.

Dubbed King Bibi, Netanyahu has rallied a rightist camp hardened against the Palestinians and played up Israeli foreign policy boons that are the fruit of his ties with the Trump administration.

But the 69-year-old Likud party leaders hope of overtaking Israels founding father, David Ben-Gurion, as longest-serving premier in July has been dented by a looming graft indictment. He denies any wrongdoing.

Critics warn of Bibi fatigue and argue that the parliamentary election should bring fresh faces to high office.

Stalking Netanyahu in the opinion polls has been Benny Gantz, a former chief of the armed forces and centrist political novice. Buttressed by two other former generals at the top of his Blue and White party, Gantz, 59, has sought to push back against Netanyahus self-styled image as unrivalled in national security.

This is a choice between a strong right-wing government under Netanyahu or a weak leftist government under Gantz, Likud said in a statement.

Gantz told Reuters in response: Netanyahu is not the messiah, nor an irreplaceable legend. The people of Israel long for something else.

With little policy daylight separating the two candidates on Iran and the Palestinians, or on Israels humming economy, much of the voting will by guided by the question of their character.

In vitriolic campaigns waged largely over social media rather than in town squares or street corners, they have exchanged escalating allegations of corruption, of fostering bigotry and even of conspiring with Israels adversaries.

Netanyahu casts himself as the victim of media bias and judicial overreach. Gantz casts himself as a salve for Israels religiously and ethnically riven society and its relations with liberal Jews abroad.

This election is about one thing - whether or not Netanyahu should remain in office. Its the only thing that really defines 12 out of the 13 parties which will be in the next Knesset, said Anshel Pfeffer, author of the biography Bibi: The Turbulent Life and Times of Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israels president, Reuven Rivlin, will consult with the leaders of every party represented in the Knesset and choose whoever he believes has the best chance of forming a government.

Although both Netanyahu and Gantz have publicly ruled out a future alliance in a national unity coalition, some analysts predict a rethink - especially if the candidates agree to tackle together a widely expected U.S. plan for Middle East peace.

That plans sponsor, President Donald Trump, offered an unusually clement observation on the election, telling his Republican Jewish supporters on Saturday: I think its going to be close ... Two good people.
Early exit polls are placing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party and former Israeli general Benny Gantz's Blue and White Alliance at a tie as numbers trickle in, Trend reports citing Sputnik.

With both parties neck and neck, some polls suggest that the Likud Party will win 36 seats versus to Blue and White's 37, others that Gantz's party may have four seats on Likud.

Noting differing projections, Reuters has reported that Netanyahu may be on pace to securing his fifth term as the nation's prime minister, allowing him to become the longest-serving individual in that position.

Gantz was the first to claim an election victory.

But Gantz wasn't the only politician calling a victory early on. Netanyahu, too, is claiming a "clear" election victory for the Likud Party.

"I thank the citizens of Israel for the trust," he said in a tweet. "I will start by assembling a right government with our natural partners tonight."

Gantz and journalist-turned-politician Yair Lapid joined forces in late February, creating the Blue and White Alliance in a bid to challenge the Likud Party. Both politicians have stated that they would rotate as prime ministers, with Gantz taking the first two and a half years if they were to win, Sputnik previously reported.

Gideon Rahat, a political science professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and senior fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute, previously told Sputnik that while alliances rarely succeed, the Blue and White bloc could have a shot at winning if it were to win votes from the moderate right.

"I think that basically, alliances in Israeli politics are not successful, because it is easier to get more seats by yourself and when you give voters more things to choose from [But] if they would be able to get votes from soft-right, from moderate right, they can do it [win in the elections]," Rahat said.

Netanyahu teamed up in late February with the far-right Habayit Hayehudi aka the "Jewish Home Party," which has been described as Israel's version of the KKK.

Official election results are still being reported.
The number of displaced people fleeing from the fighting in Libyas capital Tripoli has reached 3,400, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) spokesperson Russell Geekie told Sputnik, Trend reported citing Sputnik

We are seeing the increasing humanitarian impact of the escalation of violence in and around Tripoli, Geekie said on Monday. So far, some 3,400 people have fled their homes for comparatively safer areas of Tripoli, Tarhouna, Bani Waleed and Tajoura.

Geekie explained the number of civilians who remain trapped in areas where fighting is taking place remains unknown.

The United Nations have issued an appeal for a temporary humanitarian truce in Libya that would allow the passage of civilians who wish to leave Tripoli and provide the provision of humanitarian assistance, Geekie said.

On Thursday, the Libyan National Army (LNA) headed by Khalifa Haftar announced an offensive against Tripoli in a bid to oust "militias" from the city.

Forces loyal to the Tripoli-based and UN-supported Government of National Accord (GNA) said on Sunday that they were launching a counteroffensive operation dubbed Volcano of Rage.
Iraqi forces killed four Islamic State (IS) militants in the country's western province of al-Anbar, while a policeman and a child were killed in the central province of Salahudin, security sources said, Trend reported citing Xinhua.

The Iraqi army, backed by paramilitary tribal fighters, clashed with IS militants at a desert area west of the town of Haditha, some 200 km northwest of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

It killed four of the extremist militants, said Qasim al-Mohammadi, commander of al-Jazira Operations Command in Anbar.

In a separate incident, a mortar round landed on a security checkpoint east of the town of Shirqat, some 280 km north of Baghdad, killing a policeman and an eleven-year-old school child, said Mohammed al-Bazi, from Salahudin Provincial Police Command.

The school child was in the checkpoint waiting for a car to take him to his village after he left his school, Bazi said.

In December 2017, Iraq declared full liberation from the IS after the security forces and the paramilitary Hashd Shaabi units, backed by the anti-IS international coalition, recaptured all areas once seized by the extremist group.

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.
Thousands of protesters rejected the Algerian parliaments choice of an interim president on Tuesday after the resignation of Abdelaziz Bouteflika, demanding immediate steps to remove the old guard and introduce sweeping democratic reforms, Trend reports citing Reuters.

The appointment of upper house chairman Abdelkader Bensalah accords with Algerias constitution but many people oppose him because he is part of a ruling caste that has dominated Algeria since independence from France in 1962.

The protest movement demands the overhaul of a secretive political system built around veterans of the 1954-1962 war of independence against France, ruling party figures, big businessmen and the army.

Appointing Bensalah will fuel anger and it could radicalize the protesters, said taxi driver Hassen Rahmine.

The critical question is how Algerias powerful military - long seen as a highly effective backstage player in politics - will react to Bensalahs appointment and any opposition that arises.

I thank the army and all security services for their work, Bensalah told parliament after his appointment.

Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Gaid Salah carefully managed Bouteflikas exit after declaring him unfit to stay in power and expressed support for protesters, who have put up little resistance to the military.

But demonstrators are determined to quickly remove figures like the interim president.

Even though Bensalah is almost certainly just an interim figure, Algerians see him as one of many politicians who are too old and out of touch, and want rapid change.

He was a prominent figure in the 1990s and has been re-elected as leader of the upper house since the early 2000s.

All in all, the way in which the vacancy of the Presidency of the Republic has been filled does not bring our country closer to the end of the crisis, said Ali Benflis, leader of the opposition Talae El Houriyet party.

On stepping down, Bouteflika promised that elections would be held after 90 days as part of a transition he said would usher in a new era.

According to the Algerian constitution, Bensalah will remain interim president until new elections are held.

We must work to allow the Algerian people to elect their president as soon as possible, Bensalah told parliament.
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 9

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

The Turkish Central Election Commission (CEC) rejected the demand of the Turkish ruling Justice and Development Party to recount the votes in several districts of Istanbul during the municipal elections, Trend reports referring to the Turkish media on April 9.

While commenting on this step, the party said that this was the gross violation of the voters rights.

"The ruling party proved the falsification of the election results in Istanbul, the party said. But for some reason, the CEC rejected the demand for election recount."

The municipal election results in Istanbul were almost completely rigged, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier.

He noted that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) appealed to the Turkish Supreme Electoral Council (YSK) to identify the perpetrators.

Meanwhile, the Justice and Development Party presented facts of falsification of 11,000 votes in Istanbul in favour of the candidate of the opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP) Ekrem Imamoglu.

Earlier, Bayram Senocak, head of the Istanbul branch of the Turkish ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), stated that the ruling party has evidence of the election results in Istanbul being falsified in favor of candidate of the opposition Republican People's Party Ekrem Imamoglu.

Imamoglu gained 4.159 million votes, while Yildirim got 4.131 million votes in Istanbul.

The coalition of the ruling party and the Nationalist Movement Party gained 51.67 percent of votes in the municipal elections throughout the country.

Following the elections, candidate of the Republican Peoples Party Mansur Yavas became mayor of Ankara.

Thirteen political parties took part in the municipal elections held March 31. These included the Felicity Party (SP), the Independent Turkey Party (Bagmsz Turkiye Partisi), the Communist Party of Turkey (Turkiye Komunist Partisi), the Patriotic Party (Vatan Partisi), the Great Unity Party (Buyuk Birlik Partisi), Free Cause Party (Hur Dava Partisi), Republican Peoples Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi), Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalknma Partisi), Democratic Party (Demokrat Parti), Nationalist Movement Party (Milliyetci Hareket Partisi), Iyi Party (IYI Parti), Peoples Democratic Party (Halklarn Demokratik Partisi) and Democratic Left Party (Demokratik Sol Parti).

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 9

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Turkeys ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) demands holding of repeated municipal elections in Istanbul, deputy chairman of the party Ali Ihsan Yavuz said, Trend reports referring to the Turkish media on April 9.

He said that the AKP has all facts proving that the election results were rigged.

The AKP will very soon present all the facts of falsification of the election results in Istanbul, he added.

The municipal election results in Istanbul were almost completely rigged, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier.

He noted that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) appealed to the Turkish Supreme Electoral Council (YSK) to identify the perpetrators.

Meanwhile, the Justice and Development Party presented facts of falsification of 11,000 votes in Istanbul in favour of the candidate of the opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP) Ekrem Imamoglu.

Earlier, Bayram Senocak, head of the Istanbul branch of the Turkish ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), stated that the ruling party has evidence of the election results in Istanbul being falsified in favor of candidate of the opposition Republican People's Party Ekrem Imamoglu.

Imamoglu gained 4.159 million votes, while Yildirim got 4.131 million votes in Istanbul.

The coalition of the ruling party and the Nationalist Movement Party gained 51.67 percent of votes in the municipal elections throughout the country.

Following the elections, candidate of the Republican Peoples Party Mansur Yavas became mayor of Ankara.

Thirteen political parties took part in the municipal elections held March 31. These included the Felicity Party (SP), the Independent Turkey Party (Bagmsz Turkiye Partisi), the Communist Party of Turkey (Turkiye Komunist Partisi), the Patriotic Party (Vatan Partisi), the Great Unity Party (Buyuk Birlik Partisi), Free Cause Party (Hur Dava Partisi), Republican Peoples Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi), Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalknma Partisi), Democratic Party (Demokrat Parti), Nationalist Movement Party (Milliyetci Hareket Partisi), Iyi Party (IYI Parti), Peoples Democratic Party (Halklarn Demokratik Partisi) and Democratic Left Party (Demokratik Sol Parti).

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 9

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

The leader of the Nationalist Movement Party of Turkey (MHP), Devlet Bahceli, did not rule out repeating the municipal elections in Istanbul, Trend reports via Turkish media.

Bahceli noted that repeating the municipal elections in Istanbul will help to resolve controversies on the results of the elections.

Regarding the victory of Mansur Yavas, the candidate from the Peoples Republican Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi), at the Ankara municipal elections, Bahceli noted that Yavas is not the head of the municipality for him.

This is while deputy chairman of Turkeys ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Ali Ihsan Yavuz said that the party demands holding of repeated municipal elections in Istanbul.

He said that the AKP has all facts proving that the election results were rigged.

The AKP will very soon present all the facts of falsification of the election results in Istanbul, he added.

The municipal election results in Istanbul were almost completely rigged, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier.

He noted that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) appealed to the Turkish Supreme Electoral Council (YSK) to identify the perpetrators.

Meanwhile, the Justice and Development Party presented facts of falsification of 11,000 votes in Istanbul in favour of the candidate of the opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP) Ekrem Imamoglu.

Earlier, Bayram Senocak, head of the Istanbul branch of the Turkish ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), stated that the ruling party has evidence of the election results in Istanbul being falsified in favor of candidate of the opposition Republican People's Party Ekrem Imamoglu.

Imamoglu gained 4.159 million votes, while Yildirim got 4.131 million votes in Istanbul.

The coalition of the ruling party and the Nationalist Movement Party gained 51.67 percent of votes in the municipal elections throughout the country.

Following the elections, candidate of the Republican Peoples Party Mansur Yavas became mayor of Ankara.

Thirteen political parties took part in the municipal elections held March 31. These included the Felicity Party (SP), the Independent Turkey Party (Bagmsz Turkiye Partisi), the Communist Party of Turkey (Turkiye Komunist Partisi), the Patriotic Party (Vatan Partisi), the Great Unity Party (Buyuk Birlik Partisi), Free Cause Party (Hur Dava Partisi), Republican Peoples Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi), Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalknma Partisi), Democratic Party (Demokrat Parti), Nationalist Movement Party (Milliyetci Hareket Partisi), Iyi Party (IYI Parti), Peoples Democratic Party (Halklarn Demokratik Partisi) and Democratic Left Party (Demokratik Sol Parti).

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
A U.S. judge on Monday halted the Trump administrations policy of sending some asylum seekers back across the southern border to wait out their cases in Mexico, stopping a program the government planned to expand to stem a recent flood of migrants, Trend reported citing Reuters.

The ruling is slated to take effect on Friday, according to the order by U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg in San Francisco. The preliminary injunction will apply nationwide.

In a late night tweet, U.S. President Donald Trump said, A 9th Circuit Judge just ruled that Mexico is too dangerous for migrants. So unfair to the U.S. OUT OF CONTROL!

The program was launched in January and was one of many policies aimed at slowing rising numbers of immigrants arriving at the border, many of them families from Central America, that swelled last month to the highest in a decade.

Because of limits on how long children are legally allowed to be held in detention, many of the families are released to await U.S. immigration court hearings, a process that can take years because of ballooning backlogs.

The Trump administration said last week it planned to expand the program of sending some migrants to wait out their U.S. court dates in Mexican border cities under a policy known as Migrant Protection Protocols, or MPP.

The government argued MPP was needed because so many asylum seekers spend years living in the United States and never appear for their court hearings before their claim is denied and an immigration judge orders them to be deported.

Seeborg said the Immigration and Nationalization Act, however, does not authorize the government to return asylum seekers to Mexico the way the government has applied it.

He also said the policy lacks safeguards to protect refugees from threats to their life or freedom.

Justice Department data show that while the percentage of immigration court cases completed in absentia - when the foreign citizen fails to show - has risen in recent years, the majority of immigrants show up for their hearings.

A U.S. Department of Justice spokesman declined to comment on Mondays ruling. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Mexican foreign ministry considers the ruling an internal decision of the United States, a spokesman said.

Seeborg said the government shall permit the 11 plaintiffs in the case to enter the United States beginning on Sunday. He said the government still retained the right to detain the asylum-seekers pending the outcome of their case.

The ruling can be appealed, and the government could seek a stay of the injunction until the appeals process runs its course.
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Tuesday told lawmakers the Trump administration is preparing for the possibility of a hard Brexit, Trend reports citing Reuters.

I think at this point we need to be prepared for a hard Brexit as a very realistic outcome, Mnuchin said at a hearing of the US House Committee on Financial Services.

The United States is monitoring the developments around United Kingdoms exit from the European Union and has been working with regulators to prepare for any market or trade disruptions, he said.
The US Air Force has reportedly identified six military bases that could house the US Defense Departments newest combatant command, the US Space Command, according to an Air Force memorandum, Trend reports citing Sputnik.

US Air Force officials are currently considering four locations in Colorado, namely the Buckley Air Force Base, Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, Peterson Air Force Base and Schriever Air Force Base. The Army's Redstone Arsenal in Alabama and the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California are also contenders.

The memo also noted that the expected manpower for the US Space Command is 390 military officers, 183 enlisted personnel, 827 civilians and 50 contractors.

Defense Department confirmed that some bases have been identified as potential Space Command locations, but said no decisions have yet been made, Military.com reported.

"I don't think there's any single base that is 100% a good fit," Brian Weeden, director or program planning and technical adviser for national and international space security for the Secure World Foundation, told Military.com on Monday. "But there are a couple that make more sense than the others," he added, noting that other than the Peterson Air Force Base, the Schriever Air Force Base "is where most of the command and control for military satellites is done from."

In addition, it is unknown whether current Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson will make the decision regarding the location of the base, since she is expected to resign from her position on May 31 to become the next president of the University of Texas at El Paso. A successor for Air Force secretary has not yet been declared.

In December, US President Donald Trump established the Space Command, which is to become a new branch within the Pentagon.

"Pursuant to my authority as the Commander in Chief and under section 161 of title 10, United States Code, and in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, I direct the establishment, consistent with United States law, of United States Space Command as a functional unified combatant command," Trump said in a memo to then-Defense Secretary Defense Jim Mattis.

The creation of the new command is seen as a step towards developing a new US military branch, the "Space Force," separate from the unified combatant command.

Following Trump's announcement, Republican Reps. Michael Waltz and Bill Posey, members of the House Armed Services Committee, and 11 other Florida lawmakers sent a letter to Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, requesting that the Space Command be located in Florida
By Matthew Carland, KYODO NEWS - Apr 9, 2019 - 04:56 | Arts, All

Japanese artist and activist Yasuyo Tanaka has launched an exhibition in New York centered on the risks posed by nuclear development as the country marks the 40th year since a partial meltdown at Three Mile Island, the worst nuclear accident in U.S. history.

Featuring work by the late Yutaka Matsuzawa, three New York artists and Tanaka herself, the exhibit titled "if the wind blows" draws parallels between the March 28, 1979 nuclear power plant incident near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and the March 11, 2011 disaster at Fukushima Daiichi, triggered by an earthquake and massive tsunami in northeastern Japan.

It also includes a monthlong event series through Saturday with experimental films, documentaries and public discussions on the dangers of exposing civilian populations to radioactivity, whether through accidents or nuclear waste disposal.

"I have been antinuclear since I was 11 years old," said Tanaka, 56, who is originally from Japan's Tochigi Prefecture and immigrated to New York in 1996.

The artist explained that her "chief concern" in the early stages of her career had been the history of nuclear weapons, but she expanded her research into nuclear power plants after the 2011 Fukushima disaster.

Her concern grew even further in 2012 when a forest in her home prefecture north of Tokyo became the first candidate as a disposal site for radiation-tainted waste from Fukushima.

Due to strong local opposition, the Japanese government was compelled to move the site to a neighboring town, though Tanaka pointed out the change in location "does not solve any problem."

In 2015, she made her first trip to Harrisburg to research the U.S. nuclear accident and meet with locals, efforts that culminated in the art books "Under This Sky" and "Visible, Invisible." The latter, on display in the present exhibition, draws on testimony from Harrisburg residents including Mary Stamos, a collector of misshapen plants whose deformities may have been caused by radiation.

Tanaka returned to Harrisburg this year for the 40th anniversary of Three Mile Island. Joined by two other Japanese researchers, she interviewed locals and participated in the March 28 candlelight vigil held annually in the pre-dawn hours outside the power plant, which is still in operation.

The three discussed the experience at a March 30 panel called "A Report Back from Three Mile Island" at the exhibition venue in midtown Manhattan.

Hiroko Aihara, an independent journalist from Fukushima, noted the similarities between Fukushima survivors, whom she encountered as an emergency aid volunteer in the aftermath of the 2011 disaster, and those she interviewed in Pennsylvania who have been coping with uncertainty and risk for decades.

"I had a flashback because of the strong similarities (of the situations) -- especially the survivors," she said. "They were anxious, anxious about the future and health issues."

Kyoko Sato, a sociologist and associate director of Stanford University's science, technology and society program, said the emotions surrounding the Three Mile Island incident remained intense, especially for mothers who regretted letting their children play in areas that may have been contaminated.

After the discussion, audience member Steven Thrasher reflected that "Americans don't think much about nuclear energy, and so it's great that Tanaka and Kyoko Sato are encouraging us to do so."

"Many of the conditions which affected Fukushima exist in California, too, so it would be better to consider them now before disaster strikes," added the New York University PhD candidate.

Although U.S. authorities have not directly linked the 1979 accident to any deaths or adverse health effects in the surrounding communities, the failure sparked nationwide protests and shook the country's faith in nuclear energy.

Despite a precipitous decline in new construction of nuclear facilities, the country has continued to supply roughly 20 percent of its own energy through nuclear power plants each year over the past three decades.

The reactor at Three Mile Island that did not malfunction in the infamous partial meltdown has continued to operate -- one of 98 still active in the country as of 2018 -- though its owners have announced a September 2019 closure date unless regulatory changes under consideration by the Pennsylvania legislature are passed.

According to a Gallup poll published a day before the 40-year anniversary of the U.S. nuclear disaster, Americans are split evenly at 49 percent each on whether the country should use nuclear energy.

The poll also indicates that 47 percent of Americans say nuclear power plants are safe, as compared to 49 percent who say they are not.
BERLIN: On Tuesday, a German woman who joined the ISIS goes on trial accused of the war crime of letting a five-year-old "slave" girl die of thirst. It is to be noted that Prominent London-based human rights lawyer Amal Clooney is part of the team representing the dead Yazidi girl's mother, but Clooney was not expected to appear in the Munich trial on Tuesday. Here it is to be noted that the defendant, identified only as Jennifer W., 27, faces life in jail if found guilty of committing a war crime, murder, membership in a terrorist organisation and weapons offences.

also read A UK court rejected the petition of Vijay Mallya against extradition to India

According to Source report, it is found that the defendant, herself the mother of a small girl, had incriminated herself while talking at length to an undercover FBI informant in a bugged car. German prosecutors allege her ISIS husband had purchased the Yazidi child and her mother -- a co-plaintiff in the trial -- as household "slaves" whom they held captive while living in then ISIS-occupied Mosul, Iraq, in 2015. The trial will start at 0730 GMT under tight security in a Munich court that deals with state security and terrorism cases, with hearings initially scheduled until September 30.

Prosecutors charge "After the girl fell ill and wet her mattress, the husband of the accused chained her up outside as punishment and let the child die an agonising death of thirst in the scorching heat, The accused allowed her husband to do so and did nothing to save the girl". German media said the defendant's husband, Taha Sabah Noori Al-J., had beaten both the Yazidi mother and child, and that Jennifer W. allegedly also once held a pistol to the woman's head.

also read India turned down Chinas Invitation on Belt and Road Initiative forum
By Ruth Anderah.

Born again pastor has been dragged to Commercial court by a money lending company for allegedly failing to pay 190 million shillings.

Pastor Patrick Makumbi of International Gospel Healing Center has been sued by Patoz Capital Solution through its loans manager Adrine Kobusingye.

Kobusingye states that on February 23rd 2018 Pastor Makumbi approached him at their offices located at Nkrumah road in Kampala requesting for a loan offer of about Shs 190m from their company.

He contends that the defendant has since defaulted on the payment of the loan amount with its accrued interest to date despite several remainders.

According to the loans agreement between Patoz Capital Solution and Pastor Makumbi was to pay the amount of the loan together with accrued and unpaid interest and all other charges, costs and expenses on or before March 23rd 2018.
By Damali Mukhaye.

The opposition forum for democratic change have started the country wide consultation meetings on whether they should enter any coalition with any party ahead of 2021.

This is after the Democratic Party president Nobert Mao said that the opposition is going to forward one candidate come 2021.

The FDC party deputy spokesperson John Kigonyogo says that they have started consulting all their party members at the district level on what coalition to enter and what they expect from FDC come 2021.

He says that they have been traversing all district across the country over the same asserting that they will decide what step to take after the consultations are done.

He however says that police has been blocking them during their meeting go that transpired last week in western Uganda.

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FDC ask Mao to apologize
By Juliet Nalwooga.

The US ambassador to Uganda her Excellency Deborah Malac has dismissed claims that they fund and support some political parties in Uganda

In an interview with KFM Deborah Malac maintained that the US does not engage in partisan politics and that they stand for a transparent, predictable electoral processin which all voices are heard and respected.

The remarks come at a backdrop of public claims and allegations that political pressure groups like people power championed by kyandondo legislator Robert Kyagulanyi among other political groups are funded by international powers

The national general poll in 2021 is just a year away.
By Ritah Kemigisa.

The US government is demanding for the arrest and prosecution of the kidnappers who had abducted American tourist Kimberly Sue and her Ugandan tour guide Jean Paul while in Queen Elizabeth National park.

Appearing on the KFM hot seat last night, the US Ambassador to Uganda Deborah Malac said subjecting the kidnappers to the law would be the only way government of Uganda can be held accountable to its people.

The US president Donald Trump has since in a tweet message also demanded that the Ugandan government finds the kidnappers and bring them to justice openly and quickly.

Malac meanwhile said the US government did not pay the shs 1.8 billion as ransom to the kidnappers dismissing circulating media reports.

Related Stories.

Tourists used Boda boda to find their way back

Uganda Tourism Board applauds security agencies
MADISON - If caught early, nearly all cases of colon cancer are curable. Though this should make screening tests straightforward, colon cancer screening suffers from a paradoxical combination of low compliance rates and overdiagnosis.

In a study published April 8, 2019 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a group of University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists has identified four blood-based fingerprints - human protein markers - associated with the pre-cancerous forms of colon cancer that are most likely to develop into disease.

The scientists expect their findings will ultimately lead to a blood test for the cancer, adding a method to help increase screening rates while reducing overtreatment.

"This study is the first peek at the possibility that there will be blood markers for a minimally-invasive procedure that can reduce over-diagnosis. They do exist," says senior author Bill Dove, professor of oncology and genetics with the McArdle Laboratory for Research and Carbone Cancer Center at UW-Madison.

The gold standard for colon cancer screening is optical colonoscopy, where patients must complete a day-long prep to empty their bowels before undergoing an invasive procedure - factors that contribute to low screening compliance.

When a doctor finds growths in the colon during the procedure, in most cases, they will remove those polyps and have them analyzed as either cancerous or benign (which are further divided into high or low-risk of becoming cancerous).

Another screening option, computed tomographic colonography, requires a similar bowel prep but provides a non-invasive image of the colon. This method requires a follow-up optical colonoscopy and polyp removal if it reveals an area of concern. In many low-risk cases, physicians will recommend a monitoring approach instead.

In studies of patients undergoing computed tomographic colonoscopy, researchers have found that the majority of small polyps detected during screening will never become cancerous and treating them is unnecessary.

To cut down on over-treatment, the researchers in this study looked for proteins that are elevated in the blood of only those patients who have growing polyps or cancerous polyps but not elevated in patients with non-growing polyps or no polyps at all.

They examined blood samples from 90 optical colonoscopy patients - split into groups of no, low- or high-risk pre-cancerous polyps - and 31 computed tomographic colonography patients who were monitored without polyp removal.

Next, the scientists selected 19 proteins they previously found to be elevated in rodent models of colon cancer and performed a technique known as mass spectrometry to measure protein concentrations in the patients' blood.

Because they already knew the results of each patients' colonoscopy, the researchers could correlate patient blood marker findings with their outcomes, allowing them to identify which markers, if any, are specifically associated with growing or cancerous polyps.

Lead study author Melanie Ivancic found four elevated proteins that are associated with early colon cancer in the patients studied.

"There's good evidence they're being conserved in early disease in humans," Dove says. "We didn't expect we could find blood markers for such small, early, pre-malignant polyps in humans, but we did."

The group at UW-Madison is just one of many studying ways to improve early detection of colon cancer. Dove notes that others, including Exact Sciences Corporation, also in Madison, have already developed effective, non-invasive screening tests. He views a potential blood-based test as a complement to these others.

"We believe success may come from combining multiple strategies that are statistically independent from each other- called 'orthogonality,'" Dove says. "Our study reports markers that, though modest in power, may contribute to orthogonal quantitative marker panels to detect the growing pre-malignant adenoma in the colon."

###

The project was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.

Author Perry Pickhardt is co-founder of VirtuoCTC, consultant for Bracco and Check-Cap, and shareholder of SHINE, Elucent, and Cellectar. Authors Melanie Ivancic, Perry Pickhardt, Mark Reichelderfer, Michael Sussman and Bill Dove are inventors on patent application PCTUS2015065049 submitted by The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation that covers the quantitative proteomic analysis, animal model, and patient resource design described in this report.

Sarah Perdue, saperdue@wisc.edu, 608-262-6062

Download a photo of Prof. Bill Dove: https://uwmadison.box.com/s/lmmhvzj4e2y0h9k3hps7taktyz0oy746
* Wynn ends deal on "premature disclosure" of discussions

* Crown discloses offer price, deal details

* Deal could have been Australia's biggest in 2019

* Wynn shares down 3.2 percent (Adds context on the aborted talks)

April 9 (Reuters) - Wynn Resorts Ltd, the world's No. 2 casino operator, said on Tuesday it scrapped preliminary talks to acquire Crown Resorts Ltd for A$10 billion ($7.1 billion), after the Australian Financial Review broke news of the negotiations.

Wynn's backtracking illustrates how media leaks of deal talks can test the resolve of potential acquirers. Crown shares jumped as much as 22 percent on the news to A$14.37, close to the $A14.75 per share level that Crown said Wynn's latest cash-and-stock offer valued the company.

This can make deal negotiations more difficult by emboldening acquisition targets to drive a hard bargain, analysts said. In this case, Wynn's inexperience with pursuing big deals also likely played a factor, some analysts added.

"(Wynn) management's experience with acquisitions is limited, so when you target synergies it'll be nice to have more of a track record for such a large transaction," said Roth Capital Partners analyst David Bain, calling the termination of the deal talks a positive development for Wynn.

After the Australian Financial Review revealed Wynn's takeover approach, Crown not only confirmed the confidential talks on Tuesday, but also disclosed the price that Wynn was offering. It added that Crown's board had not yet considered Wynn's latest offer.

Wynn then issued two statements, first confirming the talks, and, a few hours later, stating that they had ended.

"Following the premature disclosure of preliminary discussions, Wynn Resorts has terminated all discussions with Crown Resorts concerning any transaction," the company said in a statement.

Wynn's shares were down 3.2 percent at $140.21 in New York at mid-afternoon.

Examples of companies confirming acquisition talks only to back out hours later are few and far between, because they reflect a lack of conviction on the part of the aspiring acquirers.

Last year, drug maker Allergan Plc confirmed it was in the early stages of making an offer for peer Shire Plc, after Reuters broke news of the deliberations, only to issue a second statement a few hours later stating it would not make an offer.

Story continues

Insurer Aon Plc said last month it would not pursue a merger with rival insurance brokerage Willis Towers Watson Plc , a day after it confirmed it was in early stages of considering an all-stock offer for the Irish company following a Bloomberg News report revealing the deliberations.

HEDGE AGAINST MACAU

Wynn was founded in 2002 by Steve Wynn, who started his casino business in Las Vegas in the 1960s and created some of the city's most iconic landmarks  the Mirage, Bellagio and Treasure Island - before selling them. Beset by sexual misconduct allegations, Wynn left the company and sold his entire 11.8 percent stake in Wynn Resorts for $2.1 billion last month.

Wynn operates large resort-and-casino complexes in Las Vegas and Chinese gambling hub Macau, with another under construction in Massachusetts. The deal would have offered a hedge against Macau, where its licences are up for renewal, by giving it two lavishly revamped Australian casinos and a third being built on the prized Sydney harbour front.

Buying Crown would also fit in with Wynn's strategy to diversify geographically to protect its growth prospects if its Macau licences are not renewed.

The company's efforts so far have included ramping up promotion of a resort in Japan, a market seen as the next potential goldmine to Macau and a former expansion target for Crown.

"Wynn has typically grown through building their own facilities, not through acquisition," said Bain, the Roth Capital Partners analyst.

For Crown's 47 percent owner James Packer, who re-badged his father's media empire as a gambling concern in 2007 only to withdraw from business engagements last year due to mental illness, the deal would have ended his career as a casino mogul with a A$4.7 billion payout.

He would have ended up as Wynn's biggest shareholder with 9.8 percent of its shares, based on its current number of shares on issue.

"We think Wynn's strategy was mostly defensive, but if they have a strong strategic rationale for wanting to acquire Crown, they would likely come back to the table when things settle down," said John DeCree, Union Gaming Securities' director of North America research.

(Reporting by Byron Kaye, Tom Westbrook and Paulina Duran in SYDNEY, Devika Syamnath and Nivedita Balu in BENGALURU, and Greg Roumeliotis in NEW YORK; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila, Shounak Dasgupta and Richard Chang)
FILE PHOTO: A company logo on BOSCH building is pictured at the company's new research and advance development centre Campus Renningen during a guided media tour in Renningen, Germany, September 30, 2015. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski/File Photo

STUTTGART (Reuters) - German auto supplier Robert Bosch sees a further downturn in China this year after the country's car market posted its first decline in almost two decades last year, the head of its core auto parts unit said.

"The skid marks in the Chinese car market will be seen again this year," Stefan Hartung on Monday said, adding that China's auto market saw a double-digit decline in the first quarter of 2019.

Hartung said he was optimistic about sales in the company's biggest foreign market in the medium and long term due to China's still low saturation level of private vehicles, adding that a stabilisation was possible.

He said mobility services such as car-sharing and shuttle-services would grow faster in China than in the U.S. or Europe.

Bosch's sales in China in 2018 rose by just one percent, after a 25-percent rise the year before.

(Reporting by Ilona Wissenbach; writing by Riham Alkousaa; Editing by Tassilo Hummel and Kirsten Donovan)
Americas most prominent bank CEOs, preparing to be grilled by Congress this week, say their institutions are much safer in the 10 years since the financial crisis, thanks in part to regulation.

Big bank executives  including Citigroup's (C) Michael Corbat, Bank of America's (BAC) Brian Moynihan, JPMorgan Chase's (JPM) Jamie Dimon, Goldman Sachss (GS) David Solomon, and Morgan Stanley's (MS) James Gorman  are expected to testify on Wednesday for several hours before the House Financial Services Committee's 59 members.

The nations top bankers released their prepared marks on Monday evening ahead of the hearing. The event, ominously entitled Holding Megabanks Accountable, could spark fireworks given the power shift to House Democrats and the widening national debate over income inequality.

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon

JPMorgans Dimon, the sole remaining CEO to have shepherded his bank through the crisis and still holds the reins, wrote that theres no doubt the strength, stability, and resiliency of the financial system has fundamentally improved since the 2008 financial crisis, and the deep recession that followed.

When bank CEOs appeared before this Committee in February of 2009, the nation was still in the process of reacting to the depths of the crisis, we were still taking stock of the impact and had only begun to contemplate legislative and business changes that needed to be made, Dimon wrote.

Ten years later, this experience continues to shape the perception of the U.S. economy and has had broader implications around Americans faith in our institutions and the values that underpin our democratic system, he added.

In the aftermath of Washington passing far-reaching regulations, we have fundamentally improved the safety and soundness of our financial system, substantially raised capital and liquidity requirements at our largest institutions and established a credible resolution planning process to ensure that taxpayers will no longer be on the hook in the event of failure, Dimon added.

Searing experience

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Citis Corbat also acknowledged the U.S. taxpayers role in bailing out his firm  a hugely unpopular move that continues to be debated to this day. The CEO vowed never to be put in that position again.

As it was for many Americans and institutions, the crisis was a searing experience for our firm, Corbat wrote. We were fortunate to receive assistance from the U.S. taxpayers and equally fortunate to be able to repay those debts with a significant return to the taxpayer. The experience also made it a mission for us never to be in that position again.

He added that Citi has become a smaller, safer, stronger and far less complex company.

We have gone back to our roots as a bank, Corbat wrote. We are no longer the financial supermarket of the past.

For his part, Goldmans Solomon pointed to regulations such as Dodd-Frank that made the financial system more sound.

In the wake of banking reforms, today the U.S. financial system is substantially safer and more resilient against failure or disruptions in critical services, and the largest financial institutions are more resolvable under stressed conditions without threatening the financial system or needing any government capital support, the investment banking chief wrote.

Financial institutions have significantly more capital and usable total loss-absorbing capacity (TLAC), Solomon added.

They have also reduced the percentage of their liabilities that consist of short-term wholesale funding and other runnable liabilities, while at the same time significantly increasing the percentage of their assets consisting of cash and other high quality liquid assets, he said.

Bankers talk diversity, pay gap

The CEOs prepared testimonies also highlighted a common theme of diversity, culture, and philanthropy. Corbat noted that Citi was the first firm to voluntarily report its unadjusted median pay gap between men and women, and pay differences between minorities and non-minorities.

We found that the median pay for females globally is 71 percent of the median for men, and the median pay for U.S. minorities is 93 percent of the median for non-minorities. These numbers underscore the importance of achieving the representation goals we have set for more females and U.S. minorities to hold senior and higher-paying roles at our company, Corbat wrote.

The banker also noted that the firm has made ethics a top priority.

We recognize that rebuilding trust is harder than rebuilding your balance sheet. Coming out of the crisis, we faced a number of legacy issues and also identified other areas where our conduct fell short of our standards, he is expected to say.

As a result, we decided that it was not enough to change our structure. We needed to and did invest in our culture, and have made ethics a foundational part of our firm, Corbat added.

Meanwhile, Solomon reiterated that he has aimed to promote diversity at all levels of the firm since taking the helm in October.

The fundamental task is to build our diverse pipeline from analyst to partner  that is the work that leadership at the firm has been focused on and where we still need to do better, Solomon added.

Morgan Stanleys Gorman highlighted the firms recruitment efforts for women and said there is still work to be done around diversity  a sentiment echoed by Dimon.

We are committed to creating an inclusive organization and understand that with diversity comes strength, Dimon wrote, adding that the number of black managing directors has risen in recent years.

A good start  but just the beginning, he added.

Julia La Roche is a finance reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter.
Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders released an updated version of his Medicare-for-all proposal on Wednesday, as the policy gains momentum among some Democrats in the run-up to the 2020 election.

The idea behind the proposal is to expand coverage of the government-run program to all Americans, not just those over the age of 65. These types of plans would largely eliminate the role of the private insurance market. They would also eliminate deductibles, co-pays and insurance premiums.

One controversial point is how such a policy would be paid for. According to one estimate, which was disputed by Sanders campaign, Medicare-for-all could cost more than $32 trillion over the course of a decade.

Sanders revised bill includes long-term care coverage. It would also cover dental, vision and hearing. The legislation allows for a four-year phase-in period. More than a dozen other senators have signed onto the bill as co-sponsors.

Earlier this year, California Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris, a 2020 contender, announced support for a Medicare-for-all plan that would also potentially eliminate the entire private insurance market.

Sanders unveiled his initial bill in 2017, which, at the time, received support from Harris, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker  all of whom are vying for their partys nomination. The same lawmakers also support the most recent bill.

Democrats in the House of Representatives unveiled a Medicare-for-all proposal in February, which has support from more than 100 members in the chamber. According to estimates from the bills supporters, it would save Americans up to 14 percent on health care costs each year. The bill does not include cost estimates or financing strategies.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP

One potential 2020 contender that does not support Medicare-for-all? Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, who said during a Fox News townhall last week that the policy was not a good idea. Instead he voiced support for universal catastrophic coverage  an income-based health insurance plan.

Story continues

Meanwhile, President Trump appears to welcome a battle over health care. As the White House recommits to efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, the president has said that the Republican Party will soon become the party of health care.

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China Travel International Investment Hong Kong Limited (HKG:308), which is in the hospitality business, and is based in Hong Kong, saw significant share price movement during recent months on the SEHK, rising to highs of HK$2.6 and falling to the lows of HK$1.96. Some share price movements can give investors a better opportunity to enter into the stock, and potentially buy at a lower price. A question to answer is whether China Travel International Investment Hong Kong's current trading price of HK$1.96 reflective of the actual value of the small-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Lets take a look at China Travel International Investment Hong Kongs outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change.

View our latest analysis for China Travel International Investment Hong Kong

What's the opportunity in China Travel International Investment Hong Kong?

The stock seems fairly valued at the moment according to my relative valuation model. Ive used the price-to-earnings ratio in this instance because theres not enough visibility to forecast its cash flows. The stocks ratio of 15.56x is currently trading slightly above its industry peers ratio of 15.34x, which means if you buy China Travel International Investment Hong Kong today, youd be paying a relatively fair price for it. And if you believe that China Travel International Investment Hong Kong should be trading at this level in the long run, theres only an insignificant downside when the price falls to its real value. Is there another opportunity to buy low in the future? Since China Travel International Investment Hong Kongs share price is quite volatile, we could potentially see it sink lower (or rise higher) in the future, giving us another chance to buy. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for how much the stock moves relative to the rest of the market.

Story continues

Can we expect growth from China Travel International Investment Hong Kong?

SEHK:308 Past and Future Earnings, April 9th 2019

Future outlook is an important aspect when youre looking at buying a stock, especially if you are an investor looking for growth in your portfolio. Although value investors would argue that its the intrinsic value relative to the price that matter the most, a more compelling investment thesis would be high growth potential at a cheap price. China Travel International Investment Hong Kongs earnings over the next few years are expected to increase by 22%, 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 already priced in 308s positive outlook, with shares trading around its fair value. However, there are also other important factors which we havent considered today, such as the track record of its management team. Have these factors changed since the last time you looked at 308? Will you have enough confidence to invest in the company should the price drop below its fair value?

Are you a potential investor? If youve been keeping an eye on 308, now may not be the most advantageous time to buy, given it is trading around its fair value. However, the optimistic forecast is encouraging for 308, which means its worth further examining other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, 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 China Travel International Investment Hong Kong. You can find everything you need to know about China Travel International Investment Hong Kong in the latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in China Travel International Investment Hong Kong, you can use our free platform to see my list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.



If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, a former prosecutor, is making fighting gun violence a central theme of his presidential campaign.

The Iowa native is pushing for a ban on military-style semi-automatic assault weapons.

"We should take the most dangerous weapons out of the hands of the most dangerous people," Swalwell says in his 2020 launch video.

California Rep. Eric Swalwell, an Iowa native and former prosecutor, is making fighting gun violence a central theme of his newly launched presidential campaign.

The congressman, who announced his bid in the crowded Democratic on Monday, is proposing a ban on and federal buyback of all 15 million assault weapons in the U.S. The 38-year-old congressman wants to exempt law enforcement agencies and shooting clubs.

"We should take the most dangerous weapons out of the hands of the most dangerous people," Swalwell said in his campaign launch video . The video also plays up his roots in Iowa, a state that could be critical because it's the first to hold a caucus for the 2020 presidential elections.

Swalwell, who sits on the House Intelligence and Judiciary committees, has been a frequent critic of President Donald Trump and his policies, charging they are hurting ordinary Americans. Also, he has said Americans are struggling and feel "disconnected" and hurt by the policies of President Donald Trump .

"You look your family in the eyes and ask, 'how is our future any better off than before this guy came around,' " Swalwell says in the campaign video. He made his 2020 announcement on Monday evening on CBS' "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."

Swalwell has proposed a variety of initiatives to create more jobs and opportunities, including workforce training, infrastructure investment and tax changes to boost growth in low-income communities.

Still, Swalwell is seen as a long-shot candidate with several other rivals already showing stronger polling among likely voters, including former Vice President Joe Biden , Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. An Iowa Poll released a month ago of likely caucus participants in the state found Swalwell wasn't a first choice of any survey participants.

Story continues

Swalwell, a four-term lawmaker, is scheduled to hold a town hall event Tuesday in Florida with parents who lost kids when a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The massacre left 17 students and teachers dead.

As a prosecutor in Oakland, Swalwell tried murder cases and crimes involving the use of military-style assault weapons. He comes from the same San Francisco Bay Area district attorney's office as another 2020 presidential candidate, Sen. Kamala Harris of California.

Also, Swalwell's father is a former police chief in Iowa, and two of his three brothers are in law enforcement.

"My dad used to take me hunting when I was a kid," Swalwell told CNBC in February. "When I was a prosecutor, I would go to the range and shoot to understand the weapons on the streets."

In 2013, he co-sponsored a bill to ban assault weapons shortly after being sworn in as a member of Congress. The legislation, similar to a ban that expired in 2004, failed to get through Congress.

His positions on gun legislation have been criticized by gun lobby groups , including the National Rifle Association.

Besides an assault weapons ban, Swalwell wants background checks on all gun purchases and investments to prevent gang violence. He also reintroduced a bill in February to help protect victims of domestic violence from being killed with guns.

The Democrat's campaign headquarters is in California, and he has already hired staff in several early voting states, including Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Swalwell is scheduled to return to Iowa and South Carolina later this week.

A frequent guest on cable shows, Swalwell was elected to his first term in Congress in 2012 by defeating Rep. Pete Stark, a 40-year Democratic incumbent . Besides serving as a prosecutor, he also was a city councilman in Dublin, a suburb in the East Bay Area.

The lawmaker has said he's the first in his family to go to college and is prepared to give up his seat in Congress to run for president. He pledged not to appear on the ballot for both president and Congress.

"Americans need a leader who can connect to them," Swalwell told CNBC in February, noting he and his wife, Brittany, have two young kids and nearly $100,000 in student loan debt. "We're very connected to grit and struggle and the belief that if you work hard, you do better and dream bigger. I think you need to have that in the Oval Office."





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FILE PHOTO: Canada's Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland attends a news conference on media freedom as part of the G7 Foreign Ministers' meeting in Dinard, France, April 5, 2019. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/File Photo

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada is looking at ways to boost the effectiveness of its retaliatory tariffs against the United States, Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Tuesday, but did not address remarks by a senior official who revealed what Ottawa might do.

Canada imposed tariffs on C$16.6 billion ($12.5 billion)worth of U.S. exports in May 2018 after Washington slapped punitive measures on exports of Canadian steel and aluminum. The initial Canadian list included orange juice, maple syrup, whiskey, toilet paper and a wide variety of other products.

"We are certainly constantly looking at ways to refresh the retaliation list ... to have an even greater impact," Freeland told reporters.

David MacNaughton, Canada's ambassador to Washington, told U.S. agricultural reporters on Monday that Canada could announce a new list of targets as soon as next week, the Progressive Reporter and Politico websites reported.

The retaliation would include a significant number of agricultural products, possibly including apples, pork, ethanol and wine, they quoted the envoy as saying.

Freeland referred in general terms to MacNaughton's remarks but did not mention the details he gave. A spokesman for the minister declined to comment further.

The Canadian embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for a copy of MacNaughton's remarks.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
HENDERSON, NV / ACCESSWIRE / April 9, 2019 / As per the report, "The Cannabis Energy Report: Current and Evolving State of Cannabis Energy Consumption" published by New Frontier Data, cannabis cultivation (legal and illicit) in the US consumed an estimated 4.1 million MWh of electricity in 2017. This is over 1% of total US electrical consumption! It's like 554,054 Israeli people consuming electricity for an entire year! Not only does this magnitude of energy use create an alarming impact on the environment, but it is a financial concern for the grower as electric costs are one of the top overhead expenses in a grow operation.

According to a 2014 report produced by the NPCC, indoor cannabis production can consume 4,000 to 6,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy per kilogram of product. The equivalent would be a half year of average household consumption. The three main methods of cannabis cultivation used today are: outdoor, greenhouse, and indoor.

One company that could lead the way in solving this major issue is CleanSpark, Inc. (CLSK). The company has developed a microgrid power solution for the cannabis industry, which can reduce energy costs by up to 82%. This represents a huge potential revenue stream for the company. Due to this fact, the company has stated that marketing to cannabis companies is one of their top initiatives for 2019. Recently, the company closed on $5 million round of funding, engaged a firm to navigate their up listing and as far as currently operation go, announced the near completion of a $900k contract to install a CLSK microgrid at a U.S. Marine Corps Base and have been progressing on a $18.3 million deal with NYSE company MAC. This could be big, so start your research today.

Today we are highlighting: CleanSpark, Inc. (CLSK), Constellation Brands (STZ), Canopy Growth Corporation (CGC), Correvio Pharma Corp. (CORV), DURECT Corporation (DRRX).

In recent news, CleanSpark, Inc. (CLSK) (Market Cap: $142.312M; Share Price: $3.43) announced that it has delivered approximately $357,000 in custom electrical equipment to customers and received new orders of approximately $438,000 since the closing of the definitive agreement on January 22, 2019 to acquire the intellectual property of Pioneer Critical Power Inc. The custom equipment backlog has increased to approximately $3.9 million, an increase of approximately 8.3% from the backlog levels on the date of acquisition. Their acquisition of intellectual property of Pioneer Critical Power Inc. has already been a boon for their bottom line.

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Beer and wine sales at Constellation Brands (STZ) (Market Cap: $36.509B; Share Price: $192.34) led their industry in the fiscal year ending February. However, the cash it made from booze was dwarfed by gains on its investment in the cannabis business Canopy Growth (CGC) (Market Cap: $14.659B; Share Price: $42.71) according to the company reported earnings of last week. Recently, it has signed an agreement with E. & J. Gallo Winery to divest approximately 30 brands from its wine and spirits portfolio principally priced at $11 retail and below and related facilities located in California, New York and Washington for $1.7 billion, subject to closing adjustments. The transaction is also subject to the satisfaction of certain closing conditions, including the receipt of regulatory approval, and is expected to close at the end of the company's first quarter of fiscal 2020. The company is trying to reposition itself in the competitive landscape.

Constellation Brands, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, produces, imports, and markets beer, wine, and spirits in the United States, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, and Italy. The company sells wine across various categories, including table wine, sparkling wine, and dessert wine. It provides beer primarily under the Corona Extra, Corona Light, Modelo Especial, Modelo Negra, Modelo Chelada, Pacifico, and Victoria brands, as well as Funky Buddha, Obregon Brewery, and Ballast Point brands. Constellation is the No. 3 beer company in the U.S. with high-end, iconic imported brands such as the Corona and Modelo brand families and Pacifico.

Canopy Growth Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in growing, possession, and sale of medical cannabis in Canada. Its products include dried flowers, oils and concentrates, softgel capsules, and hemps. The company offers its products under the Tweed, Black Label, Spectrum Cannabis, DNA Genetics, Leafs By Snoop, Bedrocan Canada, CraftGrow, and Foria brand names.

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Correvio Pharma Corp. (CORV) (Market Cap: $119.742M; Share Price: $3.04), a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on commercializing hospital drugs, announced last week that seven abstracts featuring Zevtera/Mabelio (ceftobiprole medocaril sodium), an intravenous (IV) cephalosporin antibiotic with rapid bactericidal activity against a wide range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, were selected for presentation at the 29th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Disease (ECCMID), being held April 13-16, 2019 in Amsterdam , the Netherlands.

Correvio Pharma Corp., a specialty pharmaceutical company, provides various products to meet the needs of acute care physicians and patients worldwide. It develops, acquires, and commercializes various brands for the in-hospital acute care market segment. With a commercial presence and distribution network covering over 60 countries worldwide, Correvio develops, acquires and commercializes brands for the in-hospital, acute care market segment.

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DURECT Corporation (DRRX) (Market Cap: $107.3M; Share Price: $0.6621) announced in March that it has commenced patient enrollment in a Phase 1b trial with oral DUR-928 in patients with NASH. DUR-928, the lead investigational product in the company's Epigenetic Regulator Program, is an endogenous, first-in-class small molecule, which may have broad applicability in chronic hepatic diseases such as NASH, acute organ injuries such as alcoholic hepatitis and acute kidney injury, and in inflammatory skin disorders such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis.

DURECT Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company, researches and develops medicines based on its epigenetic regulator and pharmaceutical programs. The company offers ALZET product line that consists of osmotic pumps and accessories used for experimental research in mice, rats, and other laboratory animals; and a range of biodegradable polymers for pharmaceutical and medical device clients for use as raw materials in their products under the LACTEL brand.

_________

Signed by

Priyanka Goel, CFA

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This article was written by Regal Consulting, LLC ("Regal Consulting"). Regal Consulting has agreed to a three-month term consulting agreement with CLSK dated 9/12/18. The agreement calls for $10,000 in cash, and 30,000 restricted 144 shares of CLSK per month. Regal and CLSK have signed an amendment to extend the contract for twelve months starting 10/10/18, and increased the cash component to $20,000 per month. CLSK has paid an additional $12,000 for services provided in November. CLSK has paid an additional $88,000 for services provided in December. CLSK has paid an additional $100,000 for services for January. CLSK has paid an additional $100,000 for services for February. Regal was paid an additional $100,000 for March services. CLSK has paid All payments were made directly by Clean Spark, Inc. to Regal Consulting, LLC. to provide investor relations services, of which this article is a part of. Regal Consulting also paid one thousand dollars cash to microcapspeculators.com to distribute this article. Regal Consulting may have a position in the securities mentioned in this article at the time of publication, and may increase or decrease its position without notice. This article is based on public information and the opinions of Regal Consulting. CLSK was given an opportunity to edit this article. This article contains forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from any results predicted herein. Regal Consulting is not registered with any financial or securities regulatory authority, and does not provide or claim to provide investment advice.

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FILE PHOTO: Employees walk by the end of a 737 Max aircraft at the Boeing factory in Renton FILE PHOTO: Employees walk by the end of a 737 Max aircraft at the Boeing factory in Renton, Washington, U.S., March 27, 2019. REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson/File Photo

By Stella Qiu and David Shepardson

BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Ethiopia, Indonesia and at least five other major regulators are expected to join the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) review panel on the Boeing 737 MAX, officials said on Tuesday.

China confirmed on Tuesday it would join the review, whileCanada, the United Arab Emirates, and Singapore previously said that they would join the panel. Officials told Reuters that Australia, EASA, Brazil, Indonesia and Ethiopia are also expected to take part.

Former National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Christopher Hart, who is chairing the review, told reporters on Friday that it would begin later in April and would take about 90 days.

Hart said the review is in response "to the growing need for globalization ... because these airplanes are all over the place" and to the need for a "uniform response."

The FAA said last week it was forming an international team to review the safety of the aircraft, grounded worldwide following two deadly crashes - in Indonesia in October and in Ethiopia last month - that killed nearly 350 people.

American Airlines and Southwest Airlines Co said this week they were extending flight cancellations due to the grounding until early June.

China was the first to ground the newest version of Boeing's workhorse 737 model last month following the Ethiopian Airlines crash, prompting a series of regulatory actions by other governments worldwide.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has decided to send experts to be part of the FAA panel, an official in the regulator's media relations department told Reuters.

Chinese airlines operated 97 of the 371 737 MAX jets in service before the grounding, the most of any country, according to Flightglobal data.

Hart said the "accidents of the future" will not be mechanical problems like an engine falling off but rather like the two fatal MAX crashes where anti-stall software and pilot actions have been raised.

Story continues

"A person and the automation don't work together right," Hart said. "It's going to be tougher to decide what's the bright line for grounding this thing, what's the bright line for ungrounding this thing."

It will be much harder in the future to decide in the cases of "automation that usually works but sometimes doesn't work" and when it does not work "most pilots can still handle but sometimes they can't."

(Reporting by Stella Qiu and Brenda Goh; Additional Reporting by Jamie Freed in Singapore; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Muralikumar Anantharaman and Jonathan Oatis)
BRUSSELS (AP)  China and the European Union agreed Tuesday to strengthen their trade relationship, pledging to work toward making it easier for foreign investors to get access to China, the world's second biggest economy.

In a joint statement, the two sides said they committed to widening market access and eliminating discriminatory requirements for foreign companies and agreed that businesses should not be forced to transfer their technology  issues that foreign investors in China have long complained about.

EU leaders Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker and Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang discussed the issues at their summit before claiming a breakthrough in their trade relationship.

"Negotiations have been difficult but ultimately fruitful," Tusk said." We managed to agree a joint statement which sets the direction for our partnership based on reciprocity."

The stakes at the annual summit were high, with two-way trade between the EU and China worth around 575 billion euros ($648 billion) annually. The EU is China's biggest trading partner, while for the EU, only the United States is bigger.

The EU and China also said they reaffirmed the "rules based multilateral trading system" with the World Trade Organization at its core and plan to intensify discussions aimed at beefing up international rules on industrial subsidies.

China wants a bigger role in the WTO and other international organizations like the United Nations and the International Monetary Fund. But China's ample financial support for state-owned companies has been the target of Western trade officials. EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom has in the past called out China for "unfair trade practices" including government subsidies intended to give its companies a competitive advantage.

The summit statement shows "China is willing to make some concessions and that's important," said Mikko Huotari, deputy director of the Mercator Institute for China Studies, a Berlin-based think tank. The promises don't mean China will quickly transform from a state-led economy into a market driven one, but "it's about getting back on track with regard to reform promises and ambitions that the Chinese themselves have expressed," he said.

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The leaders discussed China's policy of forcing foreign companies to turn over intellectual property as a condition for access to its big and growing market  an issue that Washington has also made a centerpiece of its trade dispute with Beijing.

In their closing statement, they said: "Both sides agree that there should not be forced transfer of technology."

The EU in December stepped up a WTO legal challenge filed in 2018 against China's forced tech transfers, calling it a major issue affecting European companies.

Li strongly denied that Beijing is behind industrial espionage, saying the government has never called on Chinese companies to infringe intellectual property rights or steal trade secrets.

The EU's executive Commission said last month in a strategy report that China was a "systemic rival" which preserves its domestic markets for national champions while placing "onerous requirements" on EU companies doing business there.

Li said after the summit that will change.

"We will not treat EU companies, especially those registered in China, with discriminatory policy, including solely foreign-owned companies in China," he said. "And likewise Chinese companies should not be discriminated against in their operation in the European Union."

The summit comes two weeks after Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed during a visit to Paris to work with European leaders to seek fairer trade rules.

____

Chan reported from London.
Tuesday, April 9, 2019



The U.S. auto industry braces for impact this morning, as border delays with Mexican auto parts deliveries are currently experiencing serious delays into our country. The integrated North American auto industry  where parts often cross the border several times before finally being installed in an automobile  is now threatened by policy shifts for the business of automakers and suppliers on both sides of the border.



This industry generates $1.7 billion in trade per day, but gridlock has dwindled the number of shipments reaching their destinations by roughly half. Popular pickup truck brands like Chevy Silverado GM and Fiat Chryslers FCAU Ram trucks are among those to be most deeply affected.



The Trump administration has transferred 750 border agents away from commercial processing to deal with growing immigration realities at the southern border, where a new influx of families prepare to cross into the U.S. from various troubled countries in Central and South America. While immigration from our neighbors to the south had subsided in recent years, these numbers are expected to spike up in 2019.



Last year, 2.6 million autos were exported from Mexico to the U.S.  the best year ever for this integrated industry. In fact, more than 15% of U.S.-sold cars, pickups and crossovers were sold in the U.S. in 2018. Now, gridlock threatens the businesses of not only the big auto companies, but parts suppliers and car dealerships, as well.



The White House has also set its sights on imposing new tariffs on European goods imported to the U.S., such as wine, cheese and things like passenger helicopters. This is in response to what the administration feels are unfair subsidies to airplane manufacturer Airbus, the main competitor of U.S.-based Boeing BA.



Approximately $11 billion in goods from the European Union (EU) is reportedly expected to be affected. The U.S. Trade Rep awaits a ruling by the World Trade Organization (WTO) this summer. These tariffs appear to follow similar trade policy the Trump administration has implemented with Chinese trade, which has led to tensions that have affected economies both in China and the U.S. since last autumn.



Mark Vickery

Senior Editor



Questions or comments about this article and/or its author? Click here>>

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Investing.com - Gold prices rose to their highest levels in two weeks on Tuesday as the International Monetary Fund again cut its forecast for global growth this year, stoking demand for haven assets.

As of 10:00 AM ET (1400 GMT). the gold futures contract on Comex was up $5.85, or 0.5%, at $1,307.95 a troy ounce. Spot gold was up 0.5% to $1,303.93 an ounce.

The IMF shaved another 0.2 percentage point off its forecast for world gross domestic product growth this year and now sees it rising only 3.3% - the slowest rate since 2016. It's the third time the IMF has cut its growth forecast in the last six months.

"The possibility of further downward revisions is high, and the balance of risks remains skewed to the downside," the Washington-based Fund said in its World Economic Outlook, released ahead of its spring meeting at the weekend.

The IMF again highlighted threats to free trade as one of the greatest risks to growth, a warning that came only a day after President Donald Trump raised the specter of new tariffs on European Union imports in response to what he said was damage sustained by the U.S. from EU subsidies to aerospace giant Airbus.

Analysts were not too frightened by the outburst, pointing to the fact that the EU's promise of swift retaliation when Trump last threatened to slap tariffs on European cars helped keep a lid on that dispute for more than a year.

The news flow nonetheless supported other haven assets as well as gold. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury Note dipped to 2.49% from 2.51%.

Sentiment toward gold remains buoyed by the reassurance of solid central bank buying. At the weekend, China's central bank announced it had bought another 360,000 ounces in March for its reserves, while Russia's central bank reserves data suggest it has bought more than $2.3 billion worth of bullion since the start of the year, according to Investing.com calculations.

Elsewhere, silver futures rose 0.3% to $15.26 an ounce, while palladium futures rose 1.1% to $1,368.20 an ounce. Copper, meanwhile, shrugged off suggestions of a global slowdown, adding another 0.3% to $2.9410 a pound.

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Investing.com - Major cryptocurrencies dropped on Tuesday morning in Asia, with the market cap staying at around $181 billion.

Bitcoin dropped 1.05% to $5,185.1 by 12:08 PM ET (04:08 AM GMT), after reaching as high as $5,299.4 the day before.

Ethereum lost 2.64% to $175.89, XRP slid 3.29% to $0.34981 and Litecoin shed 5.95% to $85.874.

QuadrigaCX, one of Canadas biggest crypto exchanges, was officially declared bankrupt after the court monitor Ernst & Young recommended that this should be the case earlier this month. Ernst & Young will be granted enhanced investigative powers as a trustee under the federal Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act.

The crypto exchange is said to be owing 115,000 users more than $260 million in cash and cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin and Ethereum.

After its founder Gerald Cotton suddenly died in India last year, the crypto exchange was not able to access the money locked in the cold wallets as Cotton was the only person who held the passcodes.

Elsewhere, Lithuanias Ministry of Finance proposed legal amendments for operating crypto-related businesses.

The move aims to bring more legal certainty to the operation of companies relating to crypto exchanges, crypto wallet operators and initial coin offerings. The financial regulators also plan to introduce requirements to ensure effective prevention of money-laundering and terrorism funding.

"We want to create a transparent legal environment for virtual currency exchanges, depository wallet operators and ICO initiators. We also want to contribute to ensuring better consumer protection," said Sigitas Mitkus, director of the Finance Ministry's financial market policy department.

Clients identity will be checked before they receive services if the operation value exceeds 1,000 euros. The move means Lithuania could become the worlds first country to implement recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force.

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Australia's maritime officials are keeping a wary eye on the oceans around north west Australia as Cyclone Wallace menaces the Pilbara-region coastline. The harbour master for Port Walcott directed that the port be cleared. However, it was a narrow miss for iron ore export facility, Port Walcott, as the cyclone swerved away. And so the harbour master cancelled the direction to clear the port. Iron ore exports are, nonetheless, likely to disrupted. But it's not over yet as, to the north east of Wallace, a "tropical low" is threatening to build up into a cyclone too.

Australia's north west region, known locally as the Pilbara, is significant to the international maritime markets owing to the exports of iron ore, liquefied natural gas, and oil (see details below).

At approximately midday local time yesterday, Sunday April 7, Tropical Cyclone Wallace stood over open waters 500 km (311 miles) and was forecast to slowly strengthen and track the coast offshore. Port Walcott, a 185 million metric ton capacity port (one metric ton is equal to 2204.6 U.S. pounds), was forecast to be hit by "significant swell and wave heights" today (Monday April 8).

The harbour master, marine safety, at the Department of Transport in Western Australia declared that Port Walcott should be cleared by midday, today. It would have been a blow to Port Walcott, which was recently clobbered by Cyclone Veronica and which put several berths out of operation.

We understood from a Rio Tinto statement that all berths would have been cleared by midday today and inner anchorages by 18:00 today.

However, cyclones are fickle beasts.

It swerved off to the south east.

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Although the cyclone is forecast to strengthen to a peak by 14:00 (local time) on April 9, the current forecast is that Wallace will track some distance offshore from the coast and will blow out at sea. Port Walcott will not be hit by the Cyclone..

Accordingly, the harbour master's directions to clear Port Walcott were cancelled this afternoon. Local port and shipping operators will assess wind and swell over the next few days.

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However, as will be seen from the picture above, a tropical low has formed in the north of Australia. It is entirely possible that this low could strengthen into a cyclone. Even if it does not strengthen into a cyclone it could well bring adverse weather and ocean conditions. The new moon appeared only a few days ago (Friday April 5) which means, owing to the gravitational pull of the moon on the waters of the Earth, there will be higher tides (spring tides). Add in the effects of a storm surge and there could be very large swells too.

We understand that the port operator at Port Walcott/Cape Lambert is warning that vessels will be loaded sporadically over the next few days until both the cyclone and tropical low disappear. So, at the very least, the international dry bulk market should expect disruptions from Port Walcott.

One executive speculated to FreightWaves that it's likely the operator of Port Walcott, Rio Tinto, will finish off loading ships that are already present at the port but the executive thought that the operator will probably not accept new vessels.

Ports along the Pilbara coast

There are numerous, internationally significant, ports along the Pilbara coast of Australia.

Port Hedland is thought to be the world's biggest iron ore bulk export port. It handled 519.4 million metric tons of exported bulk cargoes in the 2017-2018 financial year. As a metric ton is 2,204 U.S. pounds, Hedland's volume equates to 572.5 million U.S. tons (all further volumes will be given in metric tons). Just over 98 percent of Hedland's throughput is iron ore.

Dampier, is 1,258 kilometers (782 miles) north of Perth. Dampier mostly exports iron ore, salt, liquefied natural gas and anhydrous ammonia. It also handles project cargo, break bulk and general cargo. In the 2017-2018 financial year, Dampier handled 177.3 million metric tons of cargo, of which 82.6 percent was iron ore for export. It's thought to be the second-biggest iron ore export port.

Port Walcott is owned and operated by Rio Tinto. It has a capacity of about 185 million metric tons per annum of iron ore. The throughput of Port Walcott was 170.3 million tons; 128 million went to Chinese buyers and the other 42.3 million went to other north Asian buyers (Japan, Korea). It may well be the world's third largest iron ore bulk export port.

There are also several oil and gas facilities in the region. Ashburton, a liquefied natural gas export facility handled 2.6 million metric export tons in 2017-2018 and 90 vessels. Barrow Island, a significant West Australian oil export facility, is operated by oil major Chevron. There are also several offshore floating oil and gas facilities in the region.

Image sourced from Pixabay

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(Bloomberg) -- Two U.S. senators introduced a bipartisan bill that would ban "manipulative" design features and prompts that let large websites such as Alphabet Inc.s Google or Facebook Inc. "trick consumers into handing over their personal data."

Democratic Senator Mark Warner and Republican Senator Deb Fischer introduced the bill on so-called "dark patterns" on Tuesday, according to a news release from Warners office. Such features, based on behavioral psychology, include pre-checked boxes or pop-ups in the middle of an activity -- such as an e-commerce purchase or reading a story online -- that prompt users to consent to the collection of personal data.

The bill, which would only apply to websites with more than 100 million monthly active users, comes as anger with large internet platforms has led to rising calls for regulation. Although the bill introduced Tuesday is bipartisan, key committees that would have to legislate on the issue have not yet picked up the effort. So far, congressional efforts to pass a national privacy law have gained the most momentum with lawmakers.

For years, social media platforms have been relying on all sorts of tricks and tools to convince users to hand over their personal data without really understanding what they are consenting to," Warner, who serves as vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement. The legislation is dubbed DETOUR, for "Deceptive Experiences to Online Users Reduction" Act.

Representatives for Facebook and Twitter declined to comment beyond saying the companies would review specifics of the bill. A representative for Google didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

The term "dark pattern" was coined by design researcher and cognitive scientist Harry Brignull in 2010 to refer to any tricky or coercive website or app design that tried to get a user to take -- or not take -- a certain action. In a series of tweets on Tuesday, Warner cited deceptions such as the placement of an apparent smudge or stray hair over an ad to get a click from a user trying to wipe it away. But dark patterns are all over the web, and are core to the way companies like Facebook, Twitter and Google do business, Brignull said on Tuesday.

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Facebook has a well-documented history of sending emails and text messages to users who havent visited the site for a while, urging them to return. Tech companies in the past have also turned on data-sharing by default, or have hidden the ability to opt out of sharing behind layers of settings.

In the last 10 years these tricks have become much more widespread, Brignull said. All of the big tech platforms use these kinds of tricks one way or another.

One of the goals of the landmark European privacy rules that came into force last year was to give internet users more clarity about what they were consenting to. Thats led to a battery of new pop-ups asking people for data every time they go to a website, prompting many to simply click yes to avoid the annoyance.

In addition to making it illegal for large platforms "to design, modify, or manipulate a user interface with the purpose or substantial effect of obscuring, subverting, or impairing user autonomy, decision-making, or choice to obtain consent or user data," the bill would prohibit dividing up consumers to perform behavioral experiments without their consent and would stop designs that are meant "to create compulsive usage among children."

The bill wont penalize big advertising platforms like Facebook and Googles YouTube for running ads that exhibited "dark patterns," because a third party is creating and paying for the ad, a Warner spokeswoman said.

The bill attracted praise from a policy executive at Microsoft Corp., Fred Humphries, who said the company supports the lawmakers efforts to protect people from exploitative and deceptive practices. Software giant Microsoft has previously called for ethics standards in its artificial intelligence business as well as regulations on privacy and content liability that could also affect large social media sites and their ad-driven businesses.

Earlier this month, top Republican senators expressed optimism about the efforts of a bipartisan foursome of lawmakers from the chamber who are seeking to write a comprehensive privacy bill, but they declined to say how close the legislation might be or if theyd reached compromises with Democrats on key divisions, including the role of state laws.

In addition to regulatory scrutiny, such as a Federal Trade Commission probe of Facebooks data-sharing practices, lawmakers and activists have also expressed concerns about -- or sought to regulate -- tech issues including inappropriate content, product placement aimed at kids, fake news, data lapses, election meddling and alleged political bias. Several bills have landed that are unlikely to pass, but incorporate ideas that could make it into future legislation as Washington comes to grips with policy issues related to technology.

On Tuesday, a House committee also held a hearing on white supremacy, where representatives from Google and Facebook testified.

--With assistance from Selina Wang.

To contact the reporters on this story: Ben Brody in Washington at btenerellabr@bloomberg.net;Gerrit De Vynck in New York at gdevynck@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Sara Forden at sforden@bloomberg.net, Jillian Ward

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2019 Bloomberg L.P.
Medtronic plc

Positive HVAD LATERALTM Study Results Also Now Published in

The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation

DUBLIN and ORLANDO, Fla. - April 8, 2019 - Medtronic plc (MDT) today announced data showing promising economic outcomes for the Medtronic HeartWare(TM) HVAD(TM) System after analyzing multiple clinical studies. The economic analyses of the HVAD System - a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) that helps a failing heart pump and increases the amount of blood that circulates through the body - were presented at the 2019 International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) Scientific Sessions.
ATHENS, Greece, April 08, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Diana Shipping Inc. (DSX), (the Company), a global shipping company specializing in the ownership of dry bulk vessels, today announced that, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, it has entered into a time charter contract with Uniper Global Commodities SE, Dusseldorf, for one of its Post-Panamax dry bulk vessels, the m/v Phaidra. The gross charter rate is US$10,800 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties, for a period of about fourteen (14) months to about sixteen (16) months. The new charter period is expected to commence on April 11, 2019.



The Phaidra is a 87,146 dwt Post-Panamax dry bulk vessel built in 2013.

This employment is anticipated to generate approximately US$4.37 million of gross revenue for the minimum scheduled period of the time charter.

Upon completion of the previously announced sale of one Panamax dry bulk vessel, the m/v Dione, Diana Shipping Inc.s fleet will consist of 46 dry bulk vessels (4 Newcastlemax, 14 Capesize, 5 Post-Panamax, 5 Kamsarmax and 18 Panamax). As of today, the combined carrying capacity of the Companys fleet, including the m/v Dione, is approximately 5.6 million dwt with a weighted average age of 9.19 years. A table describing the current Diana Shipping Inc. fleet can be found on the Companys website, www.dianashippinginc.com. Information contained on the Companys website does not constitute a part of this press release.

About the Company

Diana Shipping Inc. is a global provider of shipping transportation services through its ownership of dry bulk vessels. The Companys vessels are employed primarily on medium to long-term time charters and transport a range of dry bulk cargoes, including such commodities as iron ore, coal, grain and other materials along worldwide shipping routes.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Matters discussed in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides safe harbor protections for forward-looking statements in order to encourage companies to provide prospective information about their business. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other than statements of historical facts.

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The Company desires to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is including this cautionary statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. The words believe, anticipate, intends, estimate, forecast, project, plan, potential, may, should, expect, pending and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including without limitation, Company managements examination of historical operating trends, data contained in the Companys records and other data available from third parties. Although the Company believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies that are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond the Companys control, the Company cannot assure you that it will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections.

In addition to these important factors, other important factors that, in the Companys view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include the strength of world economies and currencies, general market conditions, including fluctuations in charter rates and vessel values, changes in demand for dry bulk shipping capacity, changes in the Companys operating expenses, including bunker prices, drydocking and insurance costs, the market for the Companys vessels, availability of financing and refinancing, changes in governmental rules and regulations or actions taken by regulatory authorities, potential liability from pending or future litigation, general domestic and international political conditions, potential disruption of shipping routes due to accidents or political events, vessel breakdowns and instances of off-hires and other factors. Please see the Companys filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a more complete discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement, or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Corporate Contact:

Ioannis Zafirakis

Director, Chief Strategy Officer and Secretary

Telephone: + 30-210-9470-100

Email: izafirakis@dianashippinginc.com

Website: www.dianashippinginc.com



Investor and Media Relations:

Edward Nebb

Comm-Counsellors, LLC

Telephone: + 1-203-972-8350

Email: enebb@optonline.net
By Agamoni Ghosh April 9 (Reuters) - Latin American stocks fell on Tuesday, led by declines on Brazil's Bovespa as investors awaited more clarity on the much- awaited pension reform, while currencies in the region were mixed against a softer dollar.

MSCI's index of Latin American stocks fell 0.7 percent, with broad-based losses across indexes.

Sao Paulo-traded stocks fell more than 1 percent, led by shares of financial companies, which are typically sensitive to news regarding the pension reform.

The House Constitution and Justice Committee will meet later in the day and Deputy Delegate Marcelo Freitas is expected to present an opinion favorable to the admissibility of the pension reform.

"The event will be an important thermometer of support for the agenda," economists at XP Investimentos said in a note.

The pension reform is seen as the single most important economic reform for Brazil and its mounting fiscal deficit. But delay in its implementation and alteration of the original bill has wobbled investor sentiment in the recent past.

A Reuters poll showed the outlook for Brazil's real has weakened for the first time since President Jair Bolsonaro took office, as political tension cast doubts on the pension reform drive.

The International Monetary Fund's cut in its growth forecasts for Latin America for the next two years amid uncertainty over the slowdown in global activity also weighed on sentiment.

In a contrasting opinion, however, ratings agency Moody's was bullish on Brazil's reform agenda, which it believes could potentially boost economic growth and support fiscal consolidation.

Mexico's peso rose 0.3 percent on higher oil prices, while stocks on the IPA index fell about half a percent.

Chile's peso rose marginally, tracking a gain in the price of copper, the country's top export, while stocks on the IPSA index slipped 0.4 percent.

Key Latin American stock indexes and currencies at 1445 GMT Stock indexes daily % Latest change MSCI Emerging Markets 1093.82 0.49 MSCI LatAm 2837.06 -0.42 Brazil Bovespa 96450.28 -0.94 Mexico IPC 45206.71 -0.51 Chile IPSA 5255.28 -0.37 Argentina MerVal 32841.70 -0.72 Colombia IGBC 13218.06 -0.26 Currencies daily % change Latest Brazil real 3.8561 -0.20 Mexico peso 18.9320 0.15 Chile peso 663.3 0.05 Colombia peso 3100.92 0.40 Peru sol 3.292 -0.12 Argentina peso 43.7900 -0.09 (interbank) (Reporting by Agamoni Ghosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Dan Grebler)
Niagara Falls, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 9, 2019) - EnerDynamic Hybrid Technologies Corp. (TSXV:EHT) ("EHT") along with its joint venture partner Unified Construction and Investments Limited ("UCI"), and in conjunction with the Government of Ghana and the Ministry of Works and Housing (Ghana), are pleased to announce the balance of the land to build the projects, an additional 1,800 acres, has now been transferred to the joint venture.

EHT and UCI advise that ownership title to the full 2,000-acres of planned sites has been transferred to the joint venture (initially announced September 10, 2018) in order to underpin the funding for Phase1 and future phases. This step provides security to the joint venture during the build period as the project moves forward. The additional lands now being provided will help the group to add a stronger partner which is necessary to secure the funding from Elevate Finance and EDC. The project now plans to start construction late in the third quarter of 2019, having been delayed, as announced, by the need to add a stronger subcontractor to fulfill the credit requirements of Elevate Finance and EDC.

The joint venture plans to build 10,000 house units per year, after an initial ramp up period. The houses will be built across the 10 regions of Ghana. The Ghanaian Ministry of Works and Housing will be responsible for the final design of the houses, providing the land and ensuring the sites have access to water, electricity and roads. This ministry will also assist EHT in providing all import permits, licences and documentation required.

UCI, a Ghanaian company involved in the design, engineering and construction of housing, infrastructure works and financing, will provide the construction of the houses in Ghana with EHT providing the ENERTEC system of housing construction material and solar integrated roof system.

The project is slated for 60,000 2-bedroom units and 40,000 3-bedroom units. The 2-bedroom units will sell for US$33,600 and the 3-bedroom for US$42,000. The EHT/UCI joint venture currently estimates a net margin of 7.5%-12% (approx. US$2,520-US$4,032 per each 2-bedroom unit) and will provide future updates as the project progresses.

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John Gamble, CEO of EHT, commented "This project is very critical to the Government of Ghana to get completed, by adding the additional lands at this time shows their commitment to the project. It also gives the JV the strength to get a subcontracting deal done with a larger company that meets the credit requirements required to get this project started."

About EnerDynamic Hybrid Technologies

EHT delivers proprietary, turn-key energy solutions which are intelligent, bankable and sustainable. EHT's expertise includes the development of its ENERTEC module structures with full integration of smart energy solutions. Using a proprietary skin and foam core that is stronger than traditional wood or steel structural insulated panels, EHT provides exceptional thermal energy efficiency in modular homes, cold storage facilities, residential/commercial out buildings and emergency/temporary shelters. EHT works with its partners worldwide to erect the buildings on-site utilizing EHT staff and local crews. In addition to traditional support to established electrical networks, ENERTEC buildings excel where no electrical grid exists.

About ENERTEC

The EHT advanced ENERTEC Modular Wall and Roof System uses a proprietary skin and foam core that is stronger and more energy efficient than traditional wood or steel structures providing the highest ratings for energy efficiency. EHT works with its partners worldwide to erect the buildings on-site utilizing EHT staff and local crews. After installation, each structure can be furnished and finished to meet the customer's requirements including siding, tile, kitchens and bathrooms or segregated commercial rooms. The finished wall product can be shipped on pallets and delivered via rail, truck or water in standard formats.

At the core of the ENERTEC product line is the ENERTEC Embedded Solar Roof Module. Solar cells can be embedded in a proprietary fire proof skin resulting in substantial cost savings by eliminating heavy glass panels and aluminum racking required for traditional solar panels. Two barriers to greater adoption of solar energy are weight limitations of the roof on which solar panels could be deployed and onerous shipping and labour costs. A lighter product at a better price point will open a larger market for solar due to the faster return of capital investment especially for rural and remote users looking to go off-grid. Furthermore, the entire EHT embedded solar roof becomes a massive solar panel capable of producing significantly more energy than the home requires, allowing the structure to then become an important source of power for the local micro grid or large battery storage systems.

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.

The statements herein that are not historical facts are forwardlooking statements. Forward-looking information relating to sales of the products (the "Opportunities") involves risk, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects, for the Opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Although EHT believes that the assumptions used in preparing the forward-looking information on the Opportunities outlined in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. EHT disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

John Gamble

Director

(289) 488-1699

jgamble@ehthybrid.com

info@ehthybrid.com

Website: www.ehthybrid.com

Corporate Logo

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43964
HENDERSON, NV / ACCESSWIRE / April 9, 2019 / It was a week where the U.S. crude benchmark reached its highest point in five months, owing largely to production cuts from the OPEC-led group of exporters and drop-in supply from Venezuela and Iran. The 'OPEC+ deal' (an alliance of OPEC, Russia and other non-member countries) is withholding output by around 1.2 million barrels per day until the end of June. U.S. sanctions against Venezuela and Iran also continue to tighten the commodity's fundamentals. Also, hefty draws in product inventories such as gasoline and distillate boosted bullish sentiment in the energy market. Data showing drillers in the United States removing oil rigs - an indicator of lower future output in North America - also contributed to the gains. With sentiment in the sector looking strong, we are highlighting a few energy stocks to research today.

The first company we're highlighting, Camber Energy (CEI), recently announced the execution of a letter intent relating to the proposed acquisition of a midstream pipeline integrity services, specialty construction and field services company, in an all-stock transaction. After showing recently that the company has improved their efficiency, this is another positive development to monitor.

Today we're highlighting: Camber Energy, Inc. (CEI), TransCanada Corporation (TRP), Forum Energy Technologies, Inc. (FET), Energy Transfer LP (ET), and TechnipFMC (FTI).

Camber Energy, Inc. (CEI) (Market Cap: $4.591M; Share Price: $0.3640) recently turned a nearly $30 million shareholder deficit into $2.3 million of positive shareholders' equity, increasing liquidity, extinguishing debt and fast tracking the company for regaining NYSE American compliance. Investors are starting to show support to management's progress and as more investors learn the story, the trend could continue. Oil & Gas investors seeking competent fiscal management and efficient operations should research CEI.

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________

TransCanada Corporation (TRP) (Market Cap: $42.791B; Share Price: $46.28) recently announced that it has notified the registered shareholder of the applicable dividend rates for Cumulative Redeemable First Preferred Shares, Series 7 (Series 7 Shares) and the Cumulative Redeemable First Preferred Shares, Series 8 (Series 8 Shares). As previously announced in a different news release, holders of the Series 7 Shares have the right on April 30, 2019 to convert, on a one-for-one basis, any or all of their Series 7 Shares into Series 8 Shares and receive a floating rate quarterly dividend, or retain any or all of their Series 7 Shares and receive a new fixed rate quarterly dividend.

TransCanada Corporation operates as an energy infrastructure company in North America. It operates through Canadian Natural Gas Pipelines, U.S. Natural Gas Pipelines, Mexico Natural Gas Pipelines, Liquids Pipelines, and Energy segments. The company transports natural gas to local distribution companies, power generation plants, industrial facilities, interconnecting pipelines, and other businesses.

With more than 65 years' experience, TransCanada is a leader in the responsible development and reliable operation of North American energy infrastructure including natural gas and liquids pipelines, power generation and gas storage facilities. TransCanada operates one of the largest natural gas transmission networks that extends more than 92,600 kilometers (57,500 miles), connecting major gas supply basins to markets across North America. TransCanada is a leading provider of gas storage and related services with 653 billion cubic feet of storage capacity. A large independent power producer, TransCanada currently owns or has interests in more than 6,600 megawatts of power generation in Canada and the United States. TransCanada is also the developer and operator of one of North America's leading liquids pipeline systems that extends approximately 4,900 kilometers (3,000 miles), connecting growing continental oil supplies to key markets and refineries.

________

Forum Energy Technologies, Inc. (FET) (Market Cap: $638.53M; Share Price: $5.82) announced recently that it will host its first quarter 2019 earnings conference call on Friday, April 26, 2019. Forum will issue a press release regarding its first quarter 2019 earnings prior to the conference call.

To participate in the earnings conference call, please call 855-757-8876 within North America, or 631-485-4851 outside of North America. The access code is 8747933.

Forum Energy Technologies, Inc. designs, manufactures, and distributes products to the oil and natural gas industry in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Drilling & Subsea, Completions, and Production & Infrastructure. The Drilling & Subsea segment designs and manufactures products, and provides related services to the drilling, energy subsea construction and service markets, and other markets, such as alternative energy, defense, and communications.

_________

Energy Transfer LP (ET) (Market Share: $41.203B; Share Price: $15.73) recently announced that it is expanding its presence in China to meet growing demand for ethane and liquid natural gas products by opening an office in Beijing, the first office for Energy Transfer outside the United States. This strategic move allows Energy Transfer to better leverage the increasing business opportunities in the exportation of much-needed energy products to the China and other Asian markets, and to facilitate growth across Energy Transfer's diverse platform of assets.

Energy Transfer owns and operates one of the largest and most diversified portfolios of energy assets in the United States, with a strategic footprint in all of the major U.S. production basins. It provides diversified energy-related services in the United States. The company owns and operates approximately 9,400 miles of natural gas transportation pipelines and three natural gas storage facilities in Texas and approximately 12,200 miles of interstate natural gas pipelines. It sells natural gas to electric utilities, independent power plants, local distribution companies, industrial end-users, and other marketing companies.

_________

TechnipFMC (FTI) (Market Share: $11.35B; Share Price: $25.28) recently has been awarded a substantial integrated Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation contract from Neptune Energy for the Duva and Gja P1 projects, located in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea at a water depth of 375 meters. The contract covers the delivery and installation of subsea equipment including umbilicals, rigid flowlines and subsea production system. In March, the company was also awarded a large integrated Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Transportation and Installation (iEPCI) contract by Eni for the Merakes project, located offshore Balikpapan Indonesia, at a water depth of approximately 1,500 meters.

TechnipFMC plc engages in the oil and gas projects, technologies, and systems and services businesses. It operates through three segments: Subsea, Onshore/Offshore, and Surface Technologies. The Subsea segment manufactures and designs products and systems, performs engineering, procurement, and project management, and provides services used by oil and gas companies involved in deep-water exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas.

_________

Signed by

Priyanka Goel, CFA

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(Combines German, Irish, Dutch, Romanian, French comments)

By Gabriela Baczynska

LUXEMBOURG, April 9 (Reuters) - European Union ministers said on Tuesday the bloc was ready to grant Britain a second Brexit delay but that British Prime Minister Theresa May must come up with a clear plan of how to ratify the stalled divorce deal in the overtime.

EU ministers are meeting in Luxembourg a day before 27 national leaders of the bloc will decide during afternoon talks in Brussels on whether to allow Britain another extension to try to break the deadlock in London over Brexit.

Without an extension, Britain is due to leave the EU at 2200 GMT on Friday, without a deal to cushion the economic shock.

German, Dutch, Irish and Luxembourg ministers made clear in comments on arriving to the meeting that a no-deal Brexit must be avoided.

"Everybody this week are open to an extension but they certainly want to see a plan attached to that extension," Ireland's Foreign Minister Simon Coveney told reporters.

His Dutch colleague Stef Blok echoed: "It's in the Dutch interest to avoid hard Brexit and if more time is needed to avoid no-deal Brexit, we should provide more time."

"I really hope the UK will find a solution to avoid this no-deal Brexit. We are hoping for a specific plan from the UK side on how to avoid this no-deal Brexit."

Luxembourg's Jean Asselborn said the EU side would do "everything we can" to avoid a no-deal Brexit.

But the German Minister Michael Roth made clear that May must come up with a clear plan to convince EU leaders on Wednesday to postpone Brexit beyond the current cliff-edge date of Apr.12.

"I must unfortunately note that the conditions set... have not been met," he said.

"We are of course thinking about an appropriate extension of the deadline and also about a longer extension. They must, however, come with very strict conditions," Roth said, citing British participation in May's EU parliament election as one such condition.

George Ciamba of Romania, which currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, said the EU welcomed Britain's readiness to organise European Parliament elections in May, but made clear that was not enough.

"It is important for us to understand why the UK wants to stay (longer), you have to stay with a view to something," he said.

"We have been in the same situation just a couple of weeks ago, we cannot afford to be discussing the same issue every two weeks without a plan," he said. (Additional reporting by Jan Strupczewski and Alastair Macdonald in Brussels Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
The German share price index DAX graph at the stock exchange in Frankfurt The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, April 9, 2019. REUTERS/Staff

By Aaron Saldanha

(Reuters) - European shares slid on Tuesday, with most sectors falling after the United States threatened to slap tariffs on goods from the European Union, with worries compounded by the IMF cutting its global growth forecast.

The U.S. Trade Representative proposed a list of European Union products late on Monday on which to slap tariffs in retaliation to more than $11 billion of EU subsidies to Airbus the World Trade Organisation has found cause "adverse effects" to the United States.

Piling on the uncertainty, the IMF on Tuesday cut its global economic growth forecasts for 2019, citing a potentially disorderly British exit from the European Union as a key risk.

"It's been long accepted that while Europe hasn't been strongly targeted yet, it was going to be the case once China wrapped up, and Europe would be next," said Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at OANDA in London.

The pan-region STOXX 600 index fell 0.3 percent, slipping away from an about eight month-peak seen earlier in the day. Germany's trade-sensitive DAX dropped 0.9 percent.

Airbus slid 1.6 percent after the United States included large commercial aircraft and parts on its proposed tariff list of EU products. The European planemaker said it saw no legal basis for the move.

"It's only natural that Airbus will be among those targets, because its such an important firm for Europe," said Oanda's Erlam, adding,"I think the timing of it probably is not too coincidental, given the fact there has been so much tension on Boeing."

Airbus's stock has broadly benefited from issues plaguing rival Boeing Co's after an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX plane crash spurred a production cut by the U.S. company.

Suppliers to Airbus such as Safran SA, Leonardo and Rolls-Royce Holdings shed between 1.3 percent and 2.1 percent on the day.

Safran's stock has been hit in recent weeks, as the French firm has been swept up in the turmoil around Boeing Co, to whom a Safran-General Electric Co joint venture supplies engines.

Story continues

Premier Li Keqiang of China, the United States' long-time trade enemy, promised his European Union hosts Beijing will no longer force foreign firms to share sensitive know-how when operating in China and was ready to address industrial subsidies.

European technology stocks had a particularly bruising day, falling 1.5 percent in their worst session in two and a half weeks.

SAP led losses on the sector index with a 3.4 percent slide after it was downgraded by UBS and HSBC. The stock fell for a fourth straight day.

Oil and gas stocks slipped 0.8 percent, after hitting a near six-month peak earlier on Tuesday. Global oil benchmark Brent fell on Russian comments signalling the possible easing of a supply-cutting deal with OPEC. [O/R]

Bank stocks edged up 0.1 percent, rising for the first time in three sessions to help restrain the broad benchmark from incurring a steeper loss.

The European Central Bank is expected to hold borrowing costs on Wednesday, the same day British Prime Minister Theresa May's request to delay Brexit until June 30 will be formally discussed by EU leaders at a special summit.

Swiss drugmaker Novartis ended 2 percent lower after completing the spin off of its eyecare unit Alcon, whose stock jumped about 40.2 percent.

Merck KGaA slid 2.6 percent after winning the backing of Versum's board for a sweetened $6.5 billion takeover bid, overturning Versum's agreed merger with Entegris.

Helsinki-listed DNA surged 8.6 percent after Norway's Telenor agreed to buy a 54 percent stake in the Finnish telecoms firm for 1.5 billion euros. Telenor shares ended 0.8 percent lower.

(Reporting by Aaron Saldanha, Additional reporting by Medha Singh and Susan Mathew in Bengaluru; Editing by Alison Williams)
A British flag flutters during the March to Leave demonstration in Parliament square in London, Britain March 29, 2019. REUTERS/Toby Melville

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The British parliament will on Monday hold a second round of indicative votes on various Brexit alternatives, and the customs union could emerge as a preferred solution for lawmakers who have rejected Prime Minister Theresa May's deal.

A customs union would allow an easier flow of goods between reduce, but would not itself guarantee frictionless trade and would limit, but not prevent, Britain's capacity to strike its own free trade deals.

HOW INDEPENDENT?

The European Union is itself a customs union and is also part of three other customs unions with Andorra, San Marino and Turkey.

In the case of Turkey, the arrangement does not include agricultural or coal and steel products. Other goods can circulate without paying customs duties and the whole zone applies the same import duties for products from third countries - such as the 10 percent rate for imported cars.

Unlike a free trade deal, a customs union removes the need for complex rules to determine whether a good is really from a given partner - such as a machine with multiple imported components. Such "rules of origin" can prove costly and time-consuming for exporters.

Being a member of a customs union limits, but does not prevent the separate participants from striking their own free trade agreements with other countries.

Turkey, the junior partner in the customs union with the EU, does face a challenge. The EU's recent free trade deal with Japan opens Turkey up to inbound Japanese cars without providing reciprocal access for Turkish products to Japan's market.

The junior customs union partner, which Britain would likely be, can find itself playing catch-up with a reducing bargaining position, given their own market is already open.

Turkey did for example begin a free trade deal covering goods with South Korea in 2013, two years after an EU-South Korea came into effect. It remains in exploratory talks with Canada, whose deal with the EU began in 2017.

However, Turkey is free is in those areas not covered by the customs union. So, following their agreement on goods, Turkey and South Korea also struck in 2015 a bilateral deal covering services and investment.

Story continues

Depending on the nature of an EU-Britain customs union, Britain would still be able to negotiate with others trade access covering its large financial services market, investment, public procurement, data flows and possibly agricultural quotas.

FRICTIONLESS TRADE

Delays that can even extend beyond 24 hours at the EU-Turkish land border show that a customs union in itself is no guarantee of frictionless trade.

Turkish trucks laden with goods bound for the European Union still need to show documents including export declarations and invoices and transport permits for each EU country through which the truck plans to travel.

So far the EU has limited deals on road transport access to countries that accept free movement of people, such as Norway and Switzerland.

The controls come despite Turkey having aligned its legislation with certain EU internal market rules, such as covering product standards, intellectual property rights and competition controls.

Goods also can be subject to inspections at the border to confirm they comply with EU regulations.

HARD IRISH BORDER

A customs union would ease the flow of goods across the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, but would appear unlikely on its own to prevent a hard border.

It would need to go beyond the EU-Turkey union to cover agricultural produce, notably dairy and beef. Britain would then find itself bound to retain EU measures to prevent diseases, pests and contaminants in plants and animals.

The EU and New Zealand already have such an agreement on sanitary measures without yet having a free trade deal, which for example allows New Zealand to export to the EU more than 200,000 tonnes of lamb.

A customs union, together with requirements to meet EU single market rules on products, which would be subject to European Court of Justice control.

Such an enhanced customs union would not so much replace as resemble the "backstop" agreed between London and Brussels, but rejected by British lawmaker, in which Britain would enter a "single customs territory" with the EU and Northern Ireland would be subject to additional EU single market rules.

(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
FILE PHOTO: Silhouettes of mobile users are seen next to a screen projection of Facebook logo in this picture illustration taken March 28, 2018. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

By Aditya Kalra and Saad Sayeed

NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Facebook has deleted 712 accounts and 390 pages in India and Pakistan for "inauthentic behavior", it said on Monday, many linked to India's opposition Congress party days before a national election, and others related to Pakistan's military.

Facebook has come under increasing pressure around the world to ensure its social media platform is not abused for political purposes or to spread misinformation.

The action against accounts with alleged links to Congress, the party led by the Gandhi family that has dominated Indian politics for much of its post-independence era, marks a bold move by Facebook.

The platform has more than 300 million users in India, where it has been a key political campaigning tool in the election - the largest democratic exercise in the world - starting on April 11.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his rivals use official Facebook accounts to send political messages to millions of followers, thousands of unverified pages also share posts to support or criticize politicians.

Among the most significant things it has removed, Facebook said it had taken down 549 accounts and 138 pages linked to India's Congress for "coordinated inauthentic behavior".

In a Tweet, Congress said none of its official pages or those run by its verified volunteers had been taken down. The party is awaiting a response from Facebook to provide a list of all pages and accounts which were removed, it said.

Also removed were 15 accounts linked to an Indian IT company which, among other things, issued posts on Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and alleged misconduct of political opponents including Congress, Facebook said.

The Digital Forensic Research Lab at think tank Atlantic Council, which partnered with Facebook for the review, said the accounts linked to Congress pushed satirical posts, while pro-BJP pages "carried vitriolic posts against opposition leaders".

"The fact that partisans on both sides resorted to such tactics is a troubling feature," it said in a blog post.

Story continues

In the face of increasing calls for tougher regulation of online content, Facebook has been taking similar measures elsewhere.

In Pakistan, it removed 57 accounts, 24 pages, seven groups and 15 Instagram accounts, also for inauthentic behavior, as part of a network that originated there and was linked to employees of a unit of the Pakistani military.

Nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan both sent warplanes to attack each other's territory in February after a suicide bomb attack claimed by a Pakistan-based militant group killed 40 Indian paramilitary police in the disputed region of Kashmir. The attack also led to a deluge of fake news, another issue social media companies have been grappling with.

CRITICISM OF POLITICIANS

Facebooks head of cybersecurity policy, Nathaniel Gleicher, said the firm had removed accounts based on their behavior, not their content.

The company's review found individuals using fake accounts and issuing posts including criticism of the BJP who were "associated with an INC (Indian National Congress) IT Cell".

Two of the samples shared by Facebook were of posts that criticized Modi's initiatives and called for supporting the Congress party and its president, Rahul Gandhi.

Separately, Facebook removed 12 accounts and one page, plus one group and one Instagram account, which linked to individuals related to an Indian IT firm Silver Touch. Asked what Silver Touch's link with politics was, Gleicher told Reuters earlier it was "associated with" a mobile app promoted by Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

After BJP's IT head, Amit Malviya, told Reuters both the party and the app had "nothing to do with Silver Touch", Facebook in a new statement late on Monday said it had "seen no evidence to date of Silver Touch being associated with the NaMo App on our platform," referring to the Narendra Modi app.

"We wont be speculating about off-platform connections of the actors we took down today," a spokeswoman said.

Facebook's actions on Monday also included the removal of a "pro-BJP" page called "The India Eye", which had more than 2 million followers, "was strongly nationalist", a vocal supporter of Modi and a critic of Gandhi, Atlantic Council said.

Facebook said it had also removed another 227 pages and 94 accounts in India for violating its policies on spam and misrepresentation.

In Pakistan, Facebook said it removed pages and accounts on Facebook and Instagram that spread information about Pakistani politics, the Indian government and the Pakistani military.

Those accounts were being run by employees of the Pakistani military's public relations arm, the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Facebook said.

No comment was immediately available from ISPR.

These Pakistani accounts, pages, groups and Instagram accounts removed from Facebook had more than 2.8 million followers.

Last week the firm removed a social media network in the Philippines and took the unusual step of linking it to a businessman who said he had managed the president's online election campaign in 2016.

It has also taken such action recently against accounts in Russia and Iran.

(Reporting by Aditya Kalra and Saad Sayeed; Additional reporting by Jonathan Weber and Munsif Vengattil; Editing by Martin Howell and Nick Macfie)
President Trump told reporters Tuesday he is not planning to reinstate the separation of parents and children at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Former New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez (R) said she believes America has become a magnet for those seeking asylum when they're not really the ones who should be given asylum.

People are coming and causing this crisis where there is a decision that has to be made whether we separate children from families, Martinez told FOX Business David Asman on Cavuto: Coast-to-Coast Tuesday.

Martinez is not in support of separation or incarceration of children because parents have made a bad choice and asylum does not apply to them.

We need to make sure those families stay together because we then release a child...are we releasing them to someone where there is no time to properly vet that person that we are turning that child over to? Because the system is overwhelmed, she added.

Martinez, who served as a New Mexicos district attorney at the border from 1997-2011, said she asked for DNA evidence for proof of their relation to the child when individuals claimed to be parents of a child.

I encouraged, when I spoke to [Homeland] Secretary Nielsen several months ago, I said, 'are we doing a DNA test to prove in fact this person who's claiming to be a family member truly is a family member and is truly better off in the equation than they were in their country?'", she said.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP

When asked what is the most important thing officials need to do to curb the immigration crisis, Martinez stressed, making sure Mexico is held accountable and Congress should act more proactive about changing the U.S. asylum laws.

I think with the president announcing he was going to close the borders or put tariffs on the economy and merchandise coming back and forth, one of the problems is that we cannot continue with the asylum laws that exist today. And this lays at the feet of Congress and their inability to do the people's work, she said.

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LUXEMBOURG, April 9 (Reuters) - France and Germany expressed concern over the independence of Polish courts at a meeting of European Union ministers on Tuesday, keeping up pressure on Warsaw to drop changes to the judiciary that the EU believes undermine the separation of powers.

Last week, the European Commission launched an infringement procedure against Poland over a new disciplinary system for judges, which the Commission argues is meant to scare them into sentencing in line with the wishes of the ruling euro-sceptic and nationalist PiS party.

"We hope that the infringement procedure launched by the European Commission last week regarding the new disciplinary regime for judges will allow some improvements, in particular regarding the right to an effective remedy before an independent and impartial court," a Franco-German statement said.

The Commission, guardian of the EU treaties, has already opened two infringement procedures against Poland, in mid-2017 and in mid-2018, over changes to retirement provisions for Polish judges and the possible impact on their independence.

Poland is also already subject to an unprecedented EU rule-of-law procedure, called Article 7 from the article of the EU treaty it is based on, since 2017 over judiciary reforms.

The process could in theory result in Poland losing its EU voting rights, though this is unlikely because all other 27 EU member states would have to agree. Hungary, also under the same procedure, has vowed to veto such a move.

"We want to seize the opportunity ... to stress, once again, our concerns regarding the overall situation created by the reform of the judiciary system in Poland," the joint statement said.

"In our view, the combined effect of the legislative changes could put at risk the independence of the judiciary and the separation of powers in Poland," it said.

Paris and Berlin said concerns over the rule of law in Poland that led to the launch of the Article 7 procedure had not been completely and properly addressed.

"We reaffirm our support to the Commission in this regard... In view of the recent developments, we propose to hold a new session of the hearing of Poland after the European elections ... in June." (Reporting by Jan Strupczewski Editing by Giles Elgood)
FILE PHOTO: The London Stock Exchange Group offices are seen in the City of London, Britain, December 29, 2017. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo

By Yadarisa Shabong and Shashwat Awasthi

(Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 lost ground as the U.S. and European Union exchanged tariff threats, the IMF cut global growth forecasts and oil majors slipped after Russia signalled an output boost, while investors awaited fresh Brexit updates.

The main bourse ended 0.4 percent lower, despite touching a six-month high earlier on the back of strength in financial stocks. The FTSE 250 slid by the same amount.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he would impose retaliatory tariffs on $11 billion (8.43 billion pounds) worth of EU products for damage the United States says has been done by EU subsidies to Airbus. This prompted a European Commission source to say the EU was preparing for possible countermove over subsidies for Boeing.

"Whilst at present it looks like a relatively contained problem relating to the ruling on Airbus subsidies, there is a risk of contagion if the EU decides to respond in kind," Markets.com analyst Neil Wilson said.

Adding to woes, the IMF cut its global economic growth forecasts for 2019 and said growth could slow further due to trade tensions and Britain's potentially disorderly exit from the EU.

Shell and BP were the biggest drags on the main index as oil prices slipped after comments from Russia signalled the possible easing of a supply-cutting deal with OPEC.

Also tugging the FTSE 100 lower were industrials that fell on the tariff threats. Melrose gave up 2.3 percent, while Rolls-Royce lost 1.3 percent.

On the Brexit front, France dampened the mood by laying down blunt conditions for another delay to Britain's exit from the bloc ahead of May's meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Blue-chip housebuilders, generally considered more vulnerable to Brexit jitters, were hit by the lingering uncertainty and fell between 1.5-2.4 percent.

But WPP added 2.1 percent after the Telegraph reported that buyout firm EQT was considering a bid for Kantar, the data analytics unit of the world's biggest advertising group.

Story continues

Reuters reported last month that a number of buyout funds including Advent and Blackstone (BX.N) were in talks with WPP on bids for a majority stake in Kantar.

Water utility Severn Trent shed 1.6 percent and its mid-cap peer Pennon slipped 0.8 percent after JP Morgan downgraded the stocks.

The brokerage said the threat of nationalisation of UK utilities was rising as the Brexit impasse may lead to a national election. The opposition Labour Party has proposed nationalising various businesses, including utilities.

(Reporting by Yadarisa Shabong and Muvija M in Bengaluru; Editing by Alison Williams)
Investing.com - Gold prices inched higher on Tuesday in Asia as equities eased following reports that the U.S. is considering imposing new tariffs on European goods.

Gold futures traded on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange were up 0.1% to $1,303.55 an ounce by 1:20 AM ET (05:20 GMT).

Meanwhile, the U.S. dollar index that tracks the greenback against a basket of other currencies was little changed at 96.613 after data showed the countrys factory goods orders were largely in line with expectations and did little to ease worries about a slowdown in the economy.

Equities and other risk assets lost momentum today after the U.S. Trade Representative proposed tariffs against the EU on new passenger helicopters, various cheeses and wines, ski-suits and certain motorcycles

The move is retaliation for over $11 billion worth of damage from EU subsidies to Airbus, a rival of Boeing (NYSE:BA), that the World Trade Organization said has repeatedly caused adverse effects to the U.S.

Traders are also monitoring development in the conflicts in Libya as more geopolitical flash-points in the Middle East could hurt risk assets and boost demand in the safe-haven gold.

In the U.K., Prime Minister Theresa May will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday before heading to the EU summit the next day to request another Brexit delay.

On the Sino-U.S. trade front, officials from the two sides will resume negotiations this week remotely after the last two rounds of trade talks concluded in Beijing and Washington respectively earlier this month.

It was reported that the two sides are moving closer and closer to a trade agreement, although they are still trying to work out certain details concerning the deal.

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By Park Hyong-ki







BC Card and Indonesia-based Bank Mandiri have agreed to develop a joint digital transaction service and platform, the Seoul-based credit card company said Tuesday.







The two sides will work together in electronic barcode payments and launch an Indonesian BC Card service via Mandiri's network.







This comes amid a growing number of people are using their smartphones to settle their transactions in the region, the card company said.







Mandiri is Indonesia's largest bank by assets.







BC and Mandiri forged ties to develop the latter's credit card system and expand merchant networks in 2014.







The partnership is in line with BC's efforts to seek opportunities abroad for new growth.







The Korean card firm also has ties with Vietnam-based LienVietPostBank in QR code payment services. LienVietPostBank is one of the top 10 commercial banks in the Southeast Asian country, with retail networks in more than 60 cities.







BC also has a strategic partnership with National Payments Corp. in India.







"With our expertise in digital settlements, BC seeks to further expand into global markets," said BC Card CEO Lee Mun-hwan in a press statement.







BC Card has a domestic alliance with Shinhan Card and Lotte Card in QR code payments.










ZURICH (Reuters) - The head of UBS Europe SE, Thomas Rodermann, will leave the bank when his contract expires at the end of November, UBS Group said on Monday.

Switzerland's biggest bank gave no reason for the departure, which it said in a statement was by mutual consent.

It declined to comment on a report in German newspaper Handelsblatt, which said the 54-year-old Rodermann was leaving after a turf war with Christine Novakovic, the Zurich-based head of wealth management for UBS's Europe, Middle East and Africa region.

Rodermann joined what was then UBS Deutschland AG as management board head in 2015 and has been in charge since, restructuring the Frankfurt-based business and expanding its wealth management arm.

In 2016 he helped found UBS Europe SE which, as the main centre for Europe, oversees branches in 11 countries. He will remain head of UBS Europe SE and country head for Germany and Austria until a successor is named, the bank said.

Handelsblatt, citing unidentified "insiders", said Rodermann had chafed over the fact that UBS Europe had regulatory responsibility for the branches it oversaw, but Novakovic ran their operations.

Rodermann's exit leaves Novakovic on the inside track to run UBS Europe in addition to her current post, the paper said.

(Reporting by Angelika Gruber, Writing by Michael Shields; editing by John Stonestreet)
By Nidhi Verma

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian refiners are holding back from ordering Iranian oil for loading in May pending clarity on whether Washington will extend a waiver from U.S. sanctions against the OPEC-member, four sources said.

In November, U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and re-imposed broad economic sanctions.

Washington, however, gave a six-month waiver to eight nations including India, allowing them to import some Iranian oil until early May. India, Iran's top oil client after China, was allowed to buy about 9 million barrels a month.

India hopes to get clarity in seven to 10 days on any extension of the waiver, as well as the amount of oil that could be purchased if an extension is given, the sources said.

"We don't know about U.S. thinking, whether they will allow India to buy oil or not," said one of the sources, all of whom declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.

Under the current waiver, India can buy about 300,000 bpd of Iranian oil - about half the amount before the sanctions were imposed - and New Delhi wants to keep buying Iranian oil at that level, Indian sources said last month.

Since November only state-run Indian Oil Corp, Bharat Petroleum Corp, Hindustan Petroleum and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals have been buying Iranian oil.

State-refiners and India's oil ministry did not respond to Reuters request for comments.

Brian Hook, the special U.S. envoy for Iran, in March said Washington is pursuing its plan to bring Iranian crude exports to zero. Last week Hook said three of eight importers granted waivers by Washington have cut shipments to zero.

"Sanctions against IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) have also added to the uncertainty over supply of Iranian oil ... in the current scenario when enough alternatives are available it is better to wait for a clarity," said another of the sources.

Trump on Monday designated Iran's Guards a foreign terrorist organization. Iran's president Rouhani said Tehran will resist U.S. pressure and hailed IRGC as defenders of Iranians.

(Reporting by Nidhi Verma; editing by Richard Pullin)
By Beh Lih Yi

KUALA LUMPUR, April 9 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - I ndonesia has arrested eight suspects in what police on Tuesday called the country's biggest ever human trafficking bust, involving 1,200 victims taken abroad as domestic workers.

Police said they had uncovered four syndicates that trafficked victims to Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Turkey with the promise of high-paying jobs since 2014.

When the victims arrived, their wages were withheld and some were sexually abused.

"This is the biggest case that the national police have uncovered because it involved more than 1,000 victims," national police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said on an official Twitter account.

He did not say whether the victims were male or female, but most of the Indonesians who go abroad to do domestic work are women.

The suspects were arrested in March, according to local media, and are expected to be charged under anti-trafficking laws that carry a jail term of up to 15 years.

Hundreds of thousands of Indonesian women go to Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan every year for domestic work, despite reports of widespread abuses and near slave-like living conditions.

Since 2015, Indonesia has banned women from going to 21 Middle Eastern countries following a series of abuse cases, but high demand for maids has encouraged traffickers to find ways around the curbs.

Labour rights campaigners lauded the announcement on Tuesday but said it showed human trafficking remained widespread in the country of 260 million people.

"The government has tried to address this issue, but the latest arrests show a lot more needs to be done and it is still a major problem," said Anis Hidayah from the non-profit Migrant Care, which campaigns for migrant domestic workers.

"We hope the arrests will serve as a deterrent," the executive director told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone from Jakarta.

(Reporting by Beh Lih Yi @behlihyi; Editing by Claire Cozens. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights, and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)
(Adds comments the joint letter from Indonesia and Malaysia)

By Bernadette Christina Munthe and Philip Blenkinsop

JAKARTA/BRUSSELS, April 9 (Reuters) - The leaders of Indonesia and Malaysia, the world's two biggest palm oil producers, sent a letter of objection to the European Union criticizing its decision to no longer consider palm oil as a green fuel and threatening the bloc's ties with the countries.

Last month, the European Commission determined that palm oil has resulted in excessive deforestation and that it should no longer be considered a renewable transport fuel, albeit with some exemptions.

It will become law unless a majority in the European Parliament or in the group of EU countries objects. So far, there are no indications that either will do so.

Indonesia and Malaysia have both threatened a World Trade Organization challenge against the EU plan.

"Both our governments view this as a deliberate, calculated and adverse economic and political strategy to remove palm oil from the EU marketplace," Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said in an April 5 letter that was reviewed by Reuters.

"Should this delegated regulation enter into force our governments shall review our relationship with the European Union as a whole, as well as its member states. This may include the reviewing of our partnership negotiations, procurements contracts and key imports from the EU," the letter said.

With the planned regulation, the EU plans to increase its use of renewable energy sources and to take into account deforestation when it determines what products can be labelled renewable.

Delegations from both countries arrived in Brussels for an official visit on Monday and Tuesday.

Indonesia's coordinating minister for economic affairs Darmin Nasution said the country would definitely file a World Trade Organization (WTO) complaint once the new rules were adopted. Tan Yew Chong, secretary general for Malaysia's ministry of primary industries, said his country would do the same.

Story continues

The joint mission of the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries, which also includes Colombia, have a series of meetings with EU officials, lawmakers and national governments to convey their disappointment and to fight the act put forward by the European Commission.

Indonesia, the world's largest palm oil producer, argues that rather than promoting sustainability in the vegetable oil sector, the regulation is more about protecting and promoting the European Union's home-grown vegetable oils, such as rapeseed and sunflower.

European spirits makers said last week they are facing difficulties exporting drinks to Indonesia as tensions over palm rise, but an Indonesian official denied that it was a retaliation against EU's renewable energy policy. (Additional reporting by Wilda Asmarini, Maikel Jefriando; writing by Fransiska Nangoy; editing by Michael Perry, Christian Schmollinger and Jan Harvey)
Shares of Ingevity Corporation NGVT have soared around 52% over a year. The company has also trounced its industrys rise of roughly 7.5% over the same time frame.



Ingevity has a market cap of roughly $4.8 billion and average volume of shares traded in the last three months was around 389.9K. The company has an expected long-term earnings per share growth rate of 12%, higher than the industry average of 10.5%.





Lets take a look into the factors that are driving this Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stock.



What's Working in NGVTs Favor?

Sustained earnings outperformance, upbeat outlook, strong execution, cost discipline and organic and inorganic initiatives have contributed to the growth story of this producer of specialty chemicals and activated carbon materials.



Ingevity is gaining from on strength in oilfield business, growth in activated carbon demand, focus on high margin application areas and significant synergy capture from Georgia-Pacifics asset buyout.



Sales growth in the oilfield industry on the back of strong U.S. drilling is driving revenues in the companys Performance Chemicals division. Higher adoption of tall oil fatty acid (TOFA)-based products is also benefiting the segment. Higher TOFA pricing is driving sales in industrial specialties.



Moreover, sustained adoption of the companys solutions geared to meet the U.S. EPA Tier 3 and California LEV III emission regulations is also contributing to the growth in the Performance Materials segment.



Ingevity is poised to benefit from an expected rise in activated carbon demand on the back of the anticipated early adoption of Chinas new gasoline emissions standards (the China 6 national standard) by some municipalities and regions. The company is expected to gain strong foothold as China gradually shifts to new standards.



Ingevity is also benefiting from its buyout of Georgia-Pacifics pine chemicals business. The acquisition is contributing to strong growth in sales of the Performance Chemicals division. The buyout is driving sales in oilfield technologies and industrial specialty. Synergy capture from the acquisition has also exceeded the companys initial expectations.



Moreover, the recently completed acquisition of the Capa caprolactone business is expected to contribute to the growth of the companys revenues and earnings in 2019. Capa is a market leader in the manufacture and commercialization of caprolactone and high-value downstream derivatives. The company expects the acquisition to be accretive to its earnings and margins in the first year.



Ingevity, in its fourth-quarter call, provided an upbeat outlook for 2019. It expects sales between $1.30 billion and $1.36 billion for 2019. Adjusted EBITDA for the year has been forecast in the band of $390 million to $410 million. The company expects revenues to increase roughly 18% and earnings to rise around 25% year over year at the mid-point of its guidance factoring in its acquisition of the Capa caprolactone business.



The company also has an impressive earnings surprise history, having outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters. In this timeframe, the company delivered a positive average earnings surprise of 22.8%



The trend in earnings estimate revisions also indicates a strong earnings outlook for Ingevity. Over the past two months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2019 for Ingevity has increased by around 2.7%. The same for 2020 also rose 1.5%.



The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings for 2019 is currently pegged at $4.87 per share, reflecting an expected year-over-year growth of 17.9%. Earnings are also expected to register a 22.2% growth in 2020.

Story continues

Ingevity Corporation Price and Consensus

Ingevity Corporation Price and Consensus | Ingevity Corporation Quote

Stocks Worth a Look



Other stocks worth considering in the basic materials space include Innospec Inc. IOSP, W. R. Grace & Co. GRA and Israel Chemicals Ltd. ICL.



Innospec has an expected earnings growth rate of 3.5% for the current year and carries a Zacks Rank #1. Its shares have rallied roughly 22% in the past year. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



W. R. Grace has an expected earnings growth rate of 10.4% for the current year and carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Its shares have gained around 18% in the past year.



Israel Chemicals has an expected earnings growth rate of 10.8% for the current year and carries a Zacks Rank #2. The companys shares are up around 21% over the past year.



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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Measles took place at two hospitals, with 33 people confirmed to have the infectious disease. / Yonhap



By Kang Seung-woo



Measles is spreading, with at least 33 confirmed cases of the infectious disease, according to the health authorities, Monday.



The infections took place at two hospitals, one in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, and the other in Daejeon, and health officials are trying to stop the disease from spreading into local communities.



Twenty-five cases have been confirmed at Hallym University Medical Center in Anyang. Twenty-two of these are doctors, nurses and medical students at the hospital, while three are patients.



Fourteen have been placed under mandatory home quarantine as a precaution to stop the virus spreading, and one has been hospitalized. The remaining 10 have been released from quarantine, according to the provincial government.



The local government is keeping close tabs on 4,349 people who came into contact with the 25 patients. Officials also checked all 2,000 workers at the hospital and found 179 did not have measles antibodies. These workers were vaccinated and have been excluded from work for the time being.



In Daejeon, a seven-month-old girl caught measles, which spread to seven more children.



The infant was admitted to hospital at the end of last month with cold-like symptoms after being taken to Vietnam, where measles is also spreading. Doctors suspect she contracted the disease there.



Four more babies aged from nine months to three years old, who shared the hospital ward with the girl, caught measles. They have been isolated at home or in hospital.



Daejeon health authorities have been monitoring more than 170 people who had contact with the babies, including other patients, caregivers and medical staff.



It was believed that measles had been eradicated in Korea thanks to vaccinations, but there have been a growing number of cases recently, mostly involving people infected while overseas.



Measles is very infectious with a long incubation period. It has high chances of spreading because the initial symptoms are similar to those of a cold, making diagnosis difficult. The virus is transmitted through the air by coughing or sneezing.


Israeli voters head to the polls in one of the 'most unsavory' campaigns in country's history

Roughly 6.3 million Israeli voters are expected to cast their ballots today in an election that will have major implications for both Israelis and Palestinians.

Incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces his toughest challenge yet after months of being dogged by corruption and bribery allegations.

Top opposition candidate Benny Gantz, a former army general, leads a center-left coalition but is currently trailing in close polls.

Roughly 6.3 million Israelis are expected to cast their ballots today in an election that will have serious implications for the legacy of incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , for Palestinians, and for Israel's relationship with the rest of the Middle East.

Netanyahu faces his toughest challenge yet after months of being dogged by corruption and bribery allegations . His top competitor Benny Gantz, a former army general, who leads a center-left coalition. If Netanyahu wins  and polls are currently giving him a lead, though it remains close  the 69-year-old will become the longest-serving prime minister in the country's history.

The 2019 election campaign was marked by scandals and mudslinging; Netanyahu's Likud party, in one example, edited a TV interview of Gantz to frame him as mentally unstable, while Gantz has painted Netanyahu as a corrupt traitor who sold his country out for money. Likud also leaked that Iranian hackers had compromised Gantz's cell phone and found incriminating information including that of an alleged mistress.

"No doubt this campaign was one of the most unsavory in Israeli history," Yossi Mekelberg, professor of international relations at Regent's University London told CNBC's Squawk Box Europe on Tuesday. "The language, the attitude, the smearing campaign against rivals, this was not very pleasant to see."

The government also claimed that Gantz was Iran's favorite candidate, while calling him a left-winger who wouldn't keep the country safe. Netanyahu's critics have accused the prime minister of allying with far-right and borderline fascist players to win votes.

Story continues

New parties and old faces

Gantz allied with center-left former finance minister Yair Lapid to create the new and avowedly centrist party Kahol Lavan, known in English as the Blue and White Party. Gantz has called for pursuing peace with the Palestinians, while maintaining Israel's security priorities. His platforms include granting territorial concessions to the Palestinians but he's avoided the issue of Palestinian statehood; he also wants to establish term limits for the prime minister and invest in education.

Netanyahu has been prime minister of Israel four times, beginning in the 1990s as the country's youngest elected head of government and is now the only prime minister to have been elected to three consecutive terms.

His tenure has seen Israel take an increasingly hard line on the Occupied Palestinian territories , expanding Israeli settlements into the West Bank that have been designated by the UN as illegal under international law. He prides himself on his nickname of "Mr. Security" and also serves as Minister of Defense.

Thanks to enthusiastic support from the Trump administration, Netanyahu has been emboldened to pursue right-wing policies  he now says that if he wins, he will annex the West Bank , home to around 2.5 million Palestinians.

While Netanyahu's recent pledge to "extend sovereignty" over the West Bank settlements triggered harsh condemnation from overseas, "they will likely only have a marginal effect on the political contest within," according to a Eurasia Group note by Middle East analyst Henry Rome, who believes most Israelis will just write it off as campaign rhetoric.

"At this point, Netanyahu's comments more likely represent a flimsy campaign promise than a definitive new Israeli strategy," Rome wrote Tuesday.

Gantz, for his part, says he opposes unilateral annexation, and has called Netanyahu's promises "meaningless."

The end of the two-state solution?

"This government's composition would not be all that different from Netanyahu's current coalition, but it may pursue a very dangerous path by opting to start annexing parts of the West Bank," Ilan Goldenberg, Middle East Security Director at the Center for a New American Security, wrote in an op-ed for Slate Magazine.

"Such a decision would lead to irreversible steps that make it impossible to form a contiguous and viable future Palestinian state and could lead to the dissolution of the Palestinian Authority In short, this outcome could mark the end of the possibility of a two-state solution."

The U.S. under Trump, in a stark rejection of policy norms, has recognized Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights and the status of Jerusalem as Israel's capital , issues that had been previously regarded by the international community as subject to negotiation between the Israelis and Palestinians.

Security and economy remain top issues for many Israeli voters. Despite a booming economy driven by an internationally acclaimed start-up culture , inequality remains high and many young Israelis want to see progress on housing and living costs.

"Security is the basic threshold that everybody thinks about when they make their decision, and if they're comfortable with most candidates on security then they'll vote on other issues," Michael Granoff, founder of Tel Aviv-based venture fund Maniv Mobility, told CNBC's Hadley Gamble on Tuesday.

"The tech sector has really been the engine of Israel's economy over the last decade or more, and I think any government that comes in is going to want to continue to see that growth ... The polls are showing a close race but any leadership is going to want to preserve the economic gains that we've seen over the last decade."

The ability to form a governing coalition is crucial

Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party is not likely to win a plurality of seats, analysts say, but if his wider right-religious bloc of parties win enough seats in the Israeli parliament (the Knesset) to have a shot at forming a government  that's 61 seats or more  then he'll likely keep the premiership.

"Aside from his Likud party, the prime minister must secure the support of nearly all small right-wing parties to build a governing coalition," wrote Rome. This means that he's been catering to the hard right rather than trying to attract centrist or undecided voters.

Gantz, whose center-left coalition includes the Labor party and Arab-majority parties, would need to ally with them and win over some of the smaller parties in Netanyahu's coalition by convincing them of his potential success. "If Gantz can credibly claim to prevent Netanyahu from forming a government, he then can try to peel away one or two parties and form a governing coalition," Rome said.

Many observers say that Gantz currently does not have the force required to create a governing coalition.

Within a week of the election, Israel's president Reuven Rivlin must choose the member out of the parties that won seats he thinks has the best ability to form a government, and then that person has up to 42 days to form a coalition. If this fails, the president chooses different party members to attempt government formation; if that too fails, the country holds early elections.

Polls will close Tuesday at 10 p.m. Israeli time.









More From CNBC


(Bloomberg) -- Jaguar Land Rover is offering an easy way for car-less Londoners to impress with a cool set of wheels on the weekend.

InMotion Ventures, the carmakers venture capital fund, has started an app to request a flashy rental thatll be delivered straight to the front door. Customers in the capital can book one of 50 Land Rover Discovery Sports, and the company hopes to add a wider variety of models in the future.

The idea is to cater to a premium market that may have a specific car in mind because they want to go to a wedding or a festival said Sebastian Peck, managing director of InMotion Ventures. This is designed around a new urban demographic that doesnt see much financial and emotional incentive in car ownership.

London has the lowest rate of car-ownership anywhere in England, with 41 percent of the capitals households owning neither a car nor a van in 2017, according to Department for Transport statistics. That compares with just 20 percent for the rest of the country.

Home-delivered rentals via The Out app are adding to Jaguar Land Rovers push into new services to get drivers behind the wheel of one of its cars. Last year the company joined peers like Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche in offering subscription services to motorists that dont want to commit to buying a vehicle.

The British carmaker has had a difficult start to the year and announced it would cut roughly 10 percent of its worldwide workforce in January, after slumping sales in China, a Brexit-induced slowdown in the U.K. and flagging demand for diesel vehicles.

To contact the reporter on this story: Lucca de Paoli in London at gdepaoli1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Anthony Palazzo at apalazzo@bloomberg.net, Elisabeth Behrmann

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2019 Bloomberg L.P.
(Bloomberg) -- European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said less is more when it comes to the delicate trans-Atlantic trade truce and U.S. President Donald Trumps social-media habits.

Amid signs of fresh EU-U.S. commercial tensions, Juncker said Trumps penchant for using Twitter to make surprise announcements risks putting a July 2018 cease-fire -- halting threatened tariffs against European cars -- a key stroke away from being broken.

I hope the provisional end of the trade war between Europe and the U.S. will also withstand the Twitter energy of the White House, he told a conference in Brussels. That is important.

The quip by Juncker, president of the European Unions executive arm, comes at a sensitive time for trans-Atlantic ties.

Envoys from EU member states on Thursday will discuss giving the commission the go-ahead for talks with the U.S. to slash industrial tariffs. The negotiating mandate is a bid to show Trump progress in enacting the political accord he reached with Juncker nine months ago.

Separately, the Trump administration this week announced a plan to impose tariffs on $11 billion of European goods as a result of alleged subsidies to plane maker Airbus SE. The commission reacted by saying it was preparing similar action against American products in a tit-for-tat case at the World Trade Organization concerning aid to Boeing Co.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jonathan Stearns in Brussels at jstearns2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Chris Reiter, Iain Rogers

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2019 Bloomberg L.P.
The head of the largest organized creditor group representing the former users of failed bitcoin exchange Mt Gox is stepping down amid what he described as a protracted legal quagmire that could take years to resolve completely.

Andy Pag, the founder and coordinator of Mt. Gox Legal, told CoinDesk in an exclusive interview this week that he now believes ongoing legal issuesA a in particular, aA single massive claim by startup incubator and former Mt. Gox partner CoinlabA a may hold up the crypto exchanges civil rehabilitation process for up to two more years.

Pag, who started Mt. Gox Legal roughly 18 months ago with the intent to advocate for the reimbursement of creditors, first revealed his opinion of the expected timeline in a private forum post last week, obtained by CoinDesk, which told creditors he would be stepping down from his role as coordinator at the end of the month.

Former Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpeles to Appeal Conviction

The viewpoint put forth in the letter (attached in full below) conflicts with more optimistic assessments that creditors may be paid before the end of 2019.

Mt. Gox, at one point the worlds largest crypto exchange, went into bankruptcy in 2014 shortly after its operators discovered that some 850,000 bitcoins had been stolen from its wallets. While some of these funds were later recovered, the exchange never did.

However, partly due to the massive increase in price between 2014 and 2017, Mt Gox went from a bankruptcy proceeding to a civil rehabilitation process that remains ongoing.

That this occurred is significant: under bankruptcy proceedings, the exchanges customers would receive the fiat equivalent to their holdings at the time Mt Gox entered bankruptcy. Under civil rehabilitation, the customers will actually receive the amount they lost in bitcoin instead.

Mt Gox Creditors Warn Mass Sale Could Put Bitcoin Fork Prices At Risk

When the Tokyo District Court, which is overseeing the case, first announced that Mt Gox would enter civil rehabilitation last June, claimants expected that they may receive their missing bitcoin as soon as this year. The claim byA Coinlab, however, has since putting this timeline in jeopardy.

Story continues

Now it appears to be impacting other efforts by creditors to self-organize to achieve reimbursement.

Legal slugfest

Coinlab, which has been backed by Tim Draper, Barry Silbert and Roger Ver (among others), entered into a partnership with Mt. Gox in 2012 to essentially act as the exchanges U.S. branch. However, Coinlab sued Mt Gox in 2013 alleging that the exchange had failed to honor the agreement and asking for $75 million.

Mt. Gox then counter-sued, claiming it was Coinlab who breached their agreement. Neither case was resolved prior to Mt. Goxs bankruptcy filing, though Coinlab did stake a claim against the exchange at the time of the filing.

Coinlab originally put in a bankruptcy claim originally of $75 million which people thought was excessive a When we went to civil rehabilitation, everyone refiled the same claim, but Coinlab filed $16 billion, Pag explained.

Edgar Sargent, a U.S. based attorney for Coinlab, told CoinDesk that he could not speak to the amount filed in Japan, and was not familiar enough with Japanese law or court proceedings to discuss the matter. Coinlabs Japanese attorneys could not be reached for comment. Coinlab founder Peter Vessenes did not respond to a request for comment.

The first problem stems from the fact that the Mt Gox trustee, Nobuaki Kobayashi, normally attributes voting rights to creditors based on the size of their stake. This cannot happen with Coinlab until the claim is assessed.

Pag explained:

Because itas pending and itas still disputed, the trustee cant attribute fair voting rights if itas accepted or zero voting rights if itas rejected but a until itas [resolved] the trustee canat give them voting rights a It looks like itas stalled.

It could take the bankruptcy judge anywhere from several months to a year just to assess the claim. If Coinlabs claim is rejected, the company can then litigate it in court, which would take another year. If the court rejects Coinlabs claim, the company can then appeal, which would also take some time.

All told, Pag estimates that resolving whether or not Coinlab has a credible claim can take between 18 and 24 months.

Once that is resolved, only then can the creditors vote on a civil rehabilitation plan (and there is always a chance that there may be competing plans). Depending on the outcome, the potential payout to creditors will be dramatically different as well.

Weave started that process but itas not finished and itas not confirmed, itas not confirmed that weare in civil rehabilitation until the creditors vote on a civil rehabilitation plan, Pag said.

Coinlabs claim

Speaking generally, Sargent told CoinDesk that Coinlabs suit comes from a good claim, adding that its not just something that we made up.

He confirmed to CoinDesk that he participated in a brief AMA on Reddit a few weeks ago, where he noted that Mt. Gox did not obtain a dismissal when Coinlab first sued the exchange, which it could have done if the case were frivolous.

In an email, however, former Mt Gox CEO Mark Karpeles told CoinDesk that Coinlab performed close to zero work for the exchange.

Courts are likely to consider CoinLabs case with some matter of urgency today and will likely try to get things handled quickly, but CoinLab has likely no interest of bringing a losing battle to its conclusion, and will likely try to extend the process as much as possible, he said.

Coinlab is in a position of strength right now, as they hold hostage the whole of Mt Goxs distribution process, though the company could end the situation quickly by signing a settlement. If a settlement is signed quickly, bitcoin distribution can begin by the end of 2019.

This might be the plan tooA a according to Pag, a lot of creditors feel like itas a very conscious strategy to try and force a settlement from the trustee. Most creditors dont want them to receive a penny.

While both Pag and his attorney have tried to reach out to the Wada Law Firm, which is representing Coinlab in Japan, neither has received any response.

Hibernation

Mt. Gox Legal is, in Pags words, the largest creditor group for Mt Gox. There are currently more than 1,000 members claiming more than 150,000 bitcoin, good for roughly 15 percent of the total value owed to creditors.

The group was founded in fall 2017 to advocate for Mt Goxs shift from bankruptcy to civil rehabilitation.

It started around 18 months ago when it became clear that the price of bitcoin was rising and the assets of the Mt Gox trustee was going to be more than the liabilities, Pag explained. Top Japanese lawyers are very expensive so [we pooled together].

Mt. Gox Legal filed for the shift, possibly setting a number of legal precedents in Japan along the way. Pag explained that under such a transition, a company does not normally move from bankruptcy to civil rehabilitation, adding:

Itas rekindling the legal entity enough that you can distribute assets but not restart it as a business.

Pag is currently the coordinator for the group, with his activities overseen by a board of governors. Over the last 18 months, hes flown to Japan a number of times to communicate with Kobayashi and gather updates for the members of the group.

Weare quite a considerable creditor body and weave spent some time building up a relationship with all the players, the trustee, other creditor groups [and] law firms, he said.

At the end of April, hell be stepping down.

The more bitcoinas price goes up, the more vultures are circling around. My personal worry is that weare just going to be bogged down in litigation, he said. For me personally, and itas a personal decision, it makes more sense to sell my claim.

Mt. Gox Legals board has already begun the process to replace him, opening up nominations to bring in a new coordinator. While a new coordinator has not yet been confirmed, Pag expects that the group will likely shift into a hibernation state, as there will not be a lot that can happen until the legal claims have been sorted out.

Moving on

Rather than wait for the court system to sort out whether Coinlab has a legitimate claim, Pag said he intends to sell his claim, step down from Mt. Gox Legal and move on with his life.

Iave put my career on hold for 18 months and a Itas just a big regret that weave kind of been outplayed by other parties, he said:

In 2014 I had this money sitting there and it was this great big windfall and it was amazing and I had all these plans that I was going to put into place with it. Itas not losing the money that stung, itas losing those plans and not being able to doing those things I wanted to do, and thereas a bit of a repeat here.

A New York-based investment firm will purchase Pags claim for $600 per bitcoin. While he declined to name the firm, Pag said if other creditors reached out, hed be happy to put them in touch.

This isnat the windfall that I was hoping for but itas still a windfall and itas a windfall today, he said.

Pag said he has seen some backlash for this decision, which he understands. However, this is a really personal decision that everyone needs to make for themselves, he added.

He is not making a recommendation for other creditors to sell or not sell, Pag said, noting that many creditors have a shared identity born out of the fight to recoup their missing coins.

That being said:

I had to ask myself how far do I stand on principle? When do I say enough is enough. Do I want to be right, or do I want to be happy? Iave decided Iad rather be happy and get on with my life. Andy Pag by on Scribd

Mt. Gox image via Shutterstock

Related Stories
Credit: Panchenko Vladimir/Shutterstock.com

(Photo: Panchenko Vladimir/Shutterstock.com)



Under the right circumstances, the use of hidden cameras to monitor employees suspected of improper conduct can be an effectiveand legalmeans of catching workplace wrongdoers, legal experts said. But the alleged use by a San Diego-area hospital likely was not under the right circumstances, they agreed.



A recent lawsuit alleges that Sharp Grossmont Hospital secretly recorded, between July 2012 and June 2013, 1,800 patients via hidden cameras inside three labor and delivery operating rooms at the womens health center. The recordings, which in some cases captured patients faces, included footage of Caesarean births, hysterectomies, dilatation and curettage following miscarriages, and other procedures, the suit states.



In a statement, Sharp HealthCare president and chief executive officer Chris Howard said that motion-activated cameras were placed in each of the operating rooms to determine how anesthesia drugs were going missing from carts in the rooms.



Although the cameras were intended to record only individuals in front of the anesthesia carts, others, including patients and medical personnel in the operating rooms, were at times visible to the cameras and recorded without sound, Howard wrote, adding that determining the cause of the missing drugs through interviews and other investigative methods was unsuccessful and that this method identified the individual removing the drug.



Regardless, the incident raises serious privacy concerns for both patients and employees, labor and employment and privacy lawyers told Corporate Counsel.



This should never be OK, plaintiffs attorney Allison Goddard said in an interview. There are a lot of different ways to investigate whether drugs were going missing.



Art Silbergeld, a labor and employment partner at Thompson Coburn in Los Angeles, agreed, noting that the use of recording equipment in operating rooms should be limited to medical education purposes only, and in those instances the camera lens should be zoomed into the incision and procedure site so that patients faces are not shown.



There are better ways to determine whether an employee is stealing drugs, said Silbergeld, adding that these methods include maintaining accurate counts of the number of drugs that enter and exit an operating room, along with detailed logs of all the people present in the room, as well as inspecting employees personal property, including, for example, lockers, jackets and briefcases, per a company policy stating that employers may engage in such conduct.



Such notification generally would allow employers to videotape employees workplaces, said Diana Maier of employment and privacy law firm Maier Law Group. Although that notice can be provided via the company policy, employers also may consider using a separate signoff form or sending emails when there is an update regarding the use of cameras as a monitoring device.



Employers also will want, she added, to get the least information you need for the purposes that you need it for, noting that, in the California hospital case, this would mean recording operating room activity only before or after the procedure, since the person taking the drugs arguably would not do so when the patient is in the room.



Whenever youre collecting information, you want to make sure you arent overbroad, Maier said.



Stephen Breidenbach, an associate at Long Island, New York-based Moritt Hock & Hamroff and former cybersecurity professional, said in addition to narrowly restricting the camera angle so that it doesnt capture excess information, there are other considerations when employers opt to video record employees. For example, if the information is stored somewhere, encryption or other measures should be taken to ensure that only those who need to see the footage are able to.



Employers also should be aware of the limits of consent, he added, noting video recordings that also contain audio footage may present additional privacy issues.



Regardless of the fact that youre collecting this information for a purpose, there are still privacy laws, Breidenbach said.
Today is LGBTQ Advocacy Day in New York. Its a day when people from every corner of the state travel to Albany to speak face-to-face with their representatives in order to educate and advocate. And LGBTQ people know from experience that this pressure makes a difference.



This year is already historic for LGBTQ people in New York. In January, both chambers of the Legislature finally passed GENDAa measure to protect transgender and gender non-conforming people from discrimination statewide. Passage was a victory some seventeen years in the making. It took aggressive and sustained advocacy from community members, particularly transgender New Yorkers, and allies in order to achieve the most basic protections.



For 41 years, members of LeGaL, The LGBT Bar Association of New York have been fighting to ensure full justice and equality for members of the LGBTQ community. This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Stonewall uprising.





Rainbow flag LGBT movement on the sky background

Photo Credit: Shutterstock



Perhaps more than ever before, well-rounded advocacy means not just pursuing traditional civil rights victories in the courtroom, but also taking proactive steps to counter policy threats as they continue to emerge from the very institutions that exist to protect us.



It is no secret that the status quo facing transgender inmates in New York, and across the nation is one of stark and dire crisis. Transgender inmates routinely face discrimination, harassment and abuse. A recent California study showed that transgender people were thirteen times more likely to report being the victim of a sexual assault while incarcerated.



Legislation requiring New York correctional facilities to treat all inmates in a manner consistent with their gender identity would simply mean that all inmates are referred to by their correct names and pronouns, have access to necessary commissary items and appropriate housing. This legislation will increase safety for all inmates and inject a modicum of dignity into the daily lives of some of the most vulnerable members of society.



LGBTQ people also face discrimination in the court system. LeGaLs judiciary committee screens and evaluates candidates to help ensure that judges in New York are fair and impartial. But that is not enough. For example, a partys LGBTQ status should never be a consideration when a parent is involved in a custody battle. Neither should the discovery of that status be a defense to a crime against a gay or transgender person. Measures enshrining these positions as a matter of New York law must pass during this legislative session.



Another urgent need is to ban the use of so-called gay and trans panic defenses from New York courts. Someones sexual orientation or gender identity must never be used as an excuse for violence against them. These defenses have no place in our criminal justice system and New York should follow the lead of states like California and Illinois by ending their usage.



Today, and every day, LeGaL stands with members of the community and LGBTQ legal professionals in our fight for a fairer New York.



Kristen Browde is the president of LeGaL, the LGBT Bar Association of New York. Justin Teres is chair of LeGaLs Legislative Committee and attorney at Kelley Drye & Warren.
FILE PHOTO: The Barclays logo is seen in front of displayed stock graph in this illustration taken June 21, 2017. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo

By Iain Withers and Kirstin Ridley

LONDON (Reuters) - A London jury has been discharged in a landmark fraud trial of four former Barclays executives accused of paying Qatar undisclosed fees to help rescue the bank at the height of the credit crisis in 2008.

Judge Robert Jay told the jury at Southwark Crown Court on Monday he was required to discharge them. No further details could be published due to continued reporting restrictions.

Former chief executive John Varley, Roger Jenkins, Tom Kalaris and Richard Boath are charged with conspiring to commit fraud by false representation when Barclays raised more than 11 billion pounds ($14 billion) from investors in 2008, allowing the British bank to avoid a state bailout.

Prosecutors allege the bankers excluded from public documents and hid from other investors around 322 million pounds in fees paid to the Qatari investors through so-called advisory service agreements (ASAs).

The defendants deny wrongdoing and said they had relied on legal advice.

The prosecution, brought by the UK Serious Fraud Office, is the first jury trial of a leading banks CEO over conduct during the financial crisis.

Qatari investors ploughed around 4 billion pounds into Barclays during two fund raisings in June and October 2008.

(Reporting by Iain Withers and Kirstin Ridley; Editing by Rachel Armstrong/Keith Weir/ Kirsten Donovan)
German chancellor Angela Merkel welcomes British prime minister Theresa May as they meet to discuss Brexit in Berlin. Photo: Reuters/Fabrizio Bensch

British prime minister Theresa May flew to Berlin on Tuesday to drum up last-minute support to extend the Brexit date to 30 June  and prevent the UK from crashing out of the European Union without a deal later this week.

May met with German chancellor Angela Merkel for 90 minutes in the chancellery in central Berlin, before May left for Paris to meet the French president.

Deutsche Presse Agentur reported that during a meeting with the CDU faction in the Bundestag on Tuesday afternoon, Merkel indicated she would be open to a possible flextension to the end of 2019 or the beginning of 2020. Last week, European Council president Donald Tusk suggested granting a flexible extension of up to a year to leave.

UK House of Commons leader Andrea Leadsom said Tuesday that it would be fantastic  if Angela Merkel will try to support a proper UK Brexit by agreeing to reopen the withdrawal agreement. A German government spokesperson later denied that Merkel would be open to revisiting the withdrawal agreement.

While the 27 EU leaders must make a joint decision on whether or not to grant Mays petition for an extension, Merkel is a powerful influencer. The German chancellor said at a press conference in Dublin last week that she would try to avoid a no-deal Brexit until the last hour, and has emphasised that a no-deal Brexit would damage Germanys national interests too.





Michel Barnier, the EUs lead Brexit negotiator, said Tuesday morning that the UK could stop a no-deal Brexit by revoking Article 50, but maintained that the withdrawal agreement would not be reopened. Barnier added that an extension on the withdrawal date would need a clear purpose.

May faces a tougher task convincing a skeptical Macron to support her request for another delay. The French president expressed his frustration with the British government last week, arguing that the EU cannot continue to be held hostage to the resolution of a political crisis in the UK. Macron appears open to extending the Brexit deadline if the UK abides to strict, clear conditions.

Story continues

READ MORE: Varadkar: EU must be open to new UK Brexit proposals

Mays desperate dash to Germany and France comes ahead of a special meeting of EU leaders on Wednesday in Brussels, where they will approve the short delay  or not.

If a Brexit extension goes beyond 23 May, Britain will have to participate in the European parliamentary elections. The British government said on Monday that it had taken the legally required steps to take part in the elections, but noted that it does not make these elections inevitable, as leaving the EU before the date of election automatically removes our obligation to take part.
Microsoft MSFT recently collaborated with OpenClassrooms, a notable online education provider, with an aim to offer students in-demand skills and knowledge required for artificial intelligence (AI) jobs.



Per the terms of the deal, Microsofts strength in AI content will be leveraged by Paris, France-based OpenClassrooms to conduct a new online program providing masters-level diploma degree.



The companies will work together in empowering candidates with robust AI skills to fill in the significant talent gap for AI and data science. Notably, this talent gap has been hindering growth of the technology industry.









Coming to price performance, shares of Microsoft have gained 34.3% in the past year, outperforming the industrys rally of 30.6%.



Program in Detail



OpenClassrooms aims to recruit around 1,000 promising candidates across France, the U.K., and the United States, for the latest program.



The candidates are guaranteed of securing a job within six months of completion of the program or else they are entitled to 100% money back from OpenClassrooms, which strengthens the prospects of the latest deal.



In addition, OpenClassrooms courses are already recognized in France, and the company is striving to gain accreditation in the United States and the U.K.



Notably, OpenClassrooms employs a mentor to personally guide and monitor candidates through their progress every week. This provides it an edge over other online education providers.



Attempt to Address AI Skills Crisis: A Key Catalyst



As AI and robotics are becoming mainstream, the work place is transforming, paving the way for more skilled jobs to sustain digital transformation. Lack of skilled workers particularly from STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields in the United States has been hindering technology players for quite some time.



We believe the latest development is in sync with Microsofts aim to address the much-hyped AI skills crisis. Per the estimate quoted by the tech-giant, by 2022, a talent shortage will leave as many as 30% of AI and data skills jobs open.



Strategic Initiatives to Spur Microsofts Ed-Tech Goals



Microsoft is looking to improve educational outcomes with its ever-expanding platforms and tools. Notably, the company has rolled out lower-priced Surface laptop to take on Apples budget iPads, and Alphabets GOOGL lower-priced Chromebook.



The tech giant is expanding footprint in education with its productivity suite Office 365, to counter Googles G Suite. The company also has a special version of Windows 10 for students.



Furthermore, Microsoft remains focused on developing software expertise among youth which enables them to build and enhance their professional career. Notably, with Github buyout, the company is well poised to enhance its machine learning (ML) base further, which is likely to improve the capabilities of the professional programs.



Additionally, the company acquired Flipgrid in the past to counter Googles Classroom app, and other peers. In fact, Microsoft made the Flipgrid app free for schools in a bid to expand customer base. Moreover, the company conducts various certified courses across EdX, Coursera, among others.



Per ResearchAndMarkets, the global EdTech market is forecast to reach $40.9 billion at a CAGR of 18.3% between 2017 and 2022. We believe Microsoft is well poised to capitalize on the lucrative opportunity.



Zacks Rank & Key Picks



Currently, Microsoft carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).



Some better-ranked stocks in the same industry are Cadence Design Systems, Inc CDNS and Synopsys, Inc. SNPS, both sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



Cadence Design and Synopsys have a long-term earnings growth rate of 12% and 10%, respectively.



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* Dubai Investments nears 5-month high * First Abu Dhabi Bank slides after Qatar's lawsuit * Saudi's Walaa soars on FY dividend, capital increase * Kuwait index retreats from highest level since 2016 By Ateeq Shariff April 9 (Reuters) - Dubai's stock market edged up on Tuesday stretching its rally for the ninth consecutive session, aided by its industrial and financial shares, while trading was mixed across other major Gulf markets.

The Dubai index closed 0.2 percent higher, with Emirates Integrated Telecommunications rising 1.6 percent.

Dubai Investments rose 2 percent to reach its highest level since November. On Sunday, the firm signed an $86 million contract with ABB Industries to commission a new Dubai Electricity and Water Authority substation.

United Arab Emirates' Finablr said it expects to register to launch an initial public offering in London. The payments and foreign exchange firm said that the deal could raise at least $200 million.

The Abu Dhabi index traded flat with First Abu Dhabi Bank, the country's largest lender, slipping 0.7 percent.

Qatar filed lawsuits against three lenders including First Abu Dhabi Bank, accusing them of causing damage to the tune of billions of dollars to its economy by what it called overseas currency manipulation in the wake of an Arab boycott in 2017.

National Bank Of Fujairah jumped 11.9 percent. On Sunday, the lender said that it launched a representative office in Antwerp.

Saudi Arabia's index inched up 0.1 percent, with Walaa Cooperative Insurance surging 9.9 percent after the insurer announced a full-year dividend of 1 riyal ($0.27) per share and proposed a capital increase to 528 million riyals from 440 million by way of a bonus shares issue.

United Electronics Co gained 4.6 percent after posting a rise in its first-quarter net profit and sales.

The Qatari index edged down 0.1 percent, led by a 2.8 percent fall in Mesaieed Petrochemical.

Qatar National Bank reported a first-quarter net profit of 3.56 billion riyals ($978 million), a 4 percent rise. At the time of the announcement the market was shut and the stock was flat.

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The Egyptian index slipped 0.2 percent as most of its blue-chip stocks pressured the index.

Egypt Kuwait Holding was down 1.1 percent and Palm Hills Developments closed 4.6 percent lower.

Kuwait's index dropped 1.6 percent to retreat from its highest level since 2016, as it was pulled down by bank shares. Kuwait Finance House fell 2.7 percent and Ahli United Bank declined 2.8 percent.

SAUDI The index was up 0.1 pct to 9,048 points ARABIA ABU DHABI The index was flat at 5,076 points DUBAI The index rose 0.2 pct to 2,802 points QATAR The index slid 0.1 pct to 10,218 points EGYPT The index fell 0.2 pct to 15,089 points BAHRAIN The index declined 0.4 pct to 1,441 points OMAN The index was flat at 3,972 points KUWAIT The index dropped 1.6 pct to 6,105 points ($1 = 3.6400 Qatar riyals) (Reporting by Ateeq Shariff in Bengaluru Editing by Keith Weir)
NVIDIA Clara AI Toolkit Enables New ACR AI-LAB, Giving 38,000+ ACR Members and Other Radiology Professionals Ability to Develop and Deploy AI at Their Own Institutions

BOSTON, April 08, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- World Medical Innovation Forum  NVIDIA and the American College of Radiology today announced a collaboration to enable thousands of radiologists nationwide to create and use AI for diagnostic radiology in their own facilities, using their own data, to meet their own clinical needs.

Following a successful three-month pilot program by both parties, ACR is integrating the NVIDIA Clara AI toolkit into the newly announced ACR Data Science Institute ACR AI-LAB , a free software platform that will be made available to more than 38,000 ACR members and other radiology professionals to build, share, locally adapt and validate AI algorithms, while also ensuring patient data stays protected at the local institution.

The NVIDIA Clara AI toolkit is a key part of the NVIDIA Clara developer platform, which is designed to enable software-defined medical instruments and intelligent workflows. A platform to create data and algorithm pipelines, NVIDIA Clara consists of libraries for data and image processing, AI model processing, and visualization. For AI, the toolkit includes libraries for data annotation, model training, model adaptation, model federation and large-scale deployment.

Making the vision of the ACR AI-LAB a reality requires the collaboration of the entire ecosystem, including industry leaders GE Healthcare, Nuance and NVIDIA, along with a vast network of healthcare startups and leading research institutes. NVIDIA Clara powers GE Healthcares Edison AI platform and the Nuance AI Marketplace, both of which are supporting the AI-LAB and are key solutions for the deployment of AI within the radiology workflow.

This collaboration marks a significant milestone in an extraordinary ACR Data Science Institute project, helping enable the launch of the ACR AI-LAB, giving radiologists in any practice environment an opportunity to become involved in AI development at their own institutions, using their own patient data to meet their own clinical needs, said Bibb Allen Jr., M.D., FACR and chief medical officer of the Data Science Institute at the American College of Radiology.

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NVIDIA builds platforms that democratize the use of AI and we purpose-built the Clara AI toolkit to give every radiologist the opportunity to develop AI tools that are customized to their patients and their clinical practice, said Kimberly Powell, vice president of Healthcare at NVIDIA. Our successful pilot with the ACR is the first of many that will make AI more accessible to the entire field of radiology.

Successful Pilot Paves Way to Democratized AI for Healthcare

An initial pilot with the Ohio State University (OSU) and the Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Womens Hospitals Center for Clinical Data Science (CCDS) helped NVIDIA and ACR define the assets and pathways necessary to enable facilities to work together and with industry to refine AI algorithms without sharing potentially sensitive patient data. Bringing an AI model to the patient data, instead of patient data to the model, can help increase diversity in algorithm training, facilitate validation of the algorithms and enable radiologists to learn the steps needed to adapt algorithms to their institutions clinical needs.

Using the NVIDIA Clara AI toolkit, OSU was able to quickly import a pre-trained model developed by CCDS. This model was customized to local variables and successfully labeled OSU data for further testing and improvement of the algorithm, all of which took place behind their own firewall. It resulted in a highly accurate and enhanced cardiac computed tomography angiography model, and the shared approach reduced algorithm training, validation and testing times by days.

This software will offer radiologists, without computer programming experience, the ability to build and improve AI algorithms without the need to share their data, said Keith Dreyer, D.O., Ph.D., chief data science officer at Partners Healthcare and associate professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School. Algorithms typically work best within the sites where they were trained, but those limited training sets are not always representative of the population at large. Training AI models on data from diverse sites helps ensure resiliency while reducing algorithm bias, resulting in improved inference across broader populations.

Enabling a network of artificial intelligence between hospitals will create more robust algorithms, greater efficiencies and likely lead to better patient outcomes, said Dr. Richard White, chair of the department of Radiology and Medical Imaging Informatics at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. This will give us access to high-quality algorithms that will help us accelerate deep learning and machine learning in healthcare.

The architecture used in the pilot program, powered by the NVIDIA Clara AI toolkit, enables data aggregation, image annotation, image pre-processing and transformation, algorithm transfer and local computing for algorithm improvement, all of which are necessary to achieve the ultimate goal of the democratization of AI.

Ecosystem Support for ACR AI-LAB and NVIDIA Clara

Strong support for the ACR AI-LAB comes from NVIDIA Clara AI platform users and industry leaders GE Healthcare and Nuance.

Democratizing AI takes not only state-of-the-art technology, but also close collaboration among industry leaders, said Keith Bigelow, senior vice president of Edison Portfolio Strategy at GE Healthcare. By supporting the ACR communitys AI-LAB efforts and harnessing the power of NVIDIAs Clara AI platform, GE Healthcare can lower costs and improve patient outcomes by accelerating the number of algorithms created and seamlessly deployed to Edison-powered healthcare devices and applications in hospitals nationwide. GE Healthcare looks forward to enabling the fastest path to compliant and productive use of ACR AI-LAB algorithms in our world leading medical devices and workflow applications.

Combining the strength of the NVIDIA Clara AI platform with the scale of the Nuance AI Marketplace for Diagnostic Imaging will empower ACR AI-LAB developers to rapidly build and seamlessly deploy AI algorithms into the existing clinical workflows of over 70 percent of all radiologists across more than 5,800 connected healthcare facilities, said Karen Holzberger, vice president and general manager of Healthcare Diagnostics at Nuance. Furthermore, the ubiquitous footprint of Nuance PowerScribe radiology reporting and PowerShare image-sharing solutions provides subscribers of our AI Marketplace with immediate access to the largest storefront of imaging AI algorithms that can be automatically integrated into the radiology reporting and interpretation tools they use every day.

ACR-AI LAB Planned Debut and Availability

The initial version of ACR AI-LAB will be shown at the 2019 ACR Annual Meeting in Washington, from May 18-22. Attendees will be able to explore and experiment with the AI tools necessary to modify and refine AI models.

Soon after, ACR plans to provide online access and sample data from publicly available patient datasets.

The ACR AI-LAB builds upon the ACR TRIAD (Transfer of Images and Data), a platform that already connects thousands of radiology practices for ACR research, accreditation and registry program. Through the ACR AI-LAB, these same radiologists will now be provided with user-friendly computational tools that will help them learn about annotating datasets and training AI models as well as sample the AI tools that can be used to train and modify existing AI algorithms.

About the American College of Radiology

The American College of Radiology (ACR), founded in 1924, is a professional medical society dedicated to serving patients and society by empowering radiology professionals to advance the practice, science, and professions of radiological care.

About NVIDIA

NVIDIA s (NVDA) invention of the GPU in 1999 sparked the growth of the PC gaming market, redefined modern computer graphics and revolutionized parallel computing. More recently, GPU deep learning ignited modern AI  the next era of computing  with the GPU acting as the brain of computers, robots and self-driving cars that can perceive and understand the world. More information at http://nvidianews.nvidia.com/ .

For further information, contact:

Kasia Johnston

PR Manager for Healthcare and Industries

NVIDIA Corporation

+1-415-813-8859

kasiaj@nvidia.com

Shawn Farley

Media Relations

American College of Radiology

+1-703-648-8936

pr@acr.org

Meghan Swope

Media Relations

American College of Radiology

+1-703-390-9822

pr@acr.org

Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to, statements as to: NVIDIA and the American College of Radiology accelerating adoption of AI in diagnostic radiology across thousands of hospitals; NVIDIA Clara AI toolkit enabling ACR AI-LAB and giving ACR members and radiology professionals the ability to develop and deploy AI; the benefits and impact of the collaboration between NVIDIA and the ACR, including the use of AI; ACR integrating the NVIDIA Clara AI toolkit into ACR AI-LAB, its availability and its ability to protect patient data; the benefits, performance and abilities of NVIDIA Clara and ACR AI-LAB; making ACR AI-LAB a reality requiring the collaboration of the entire ecosystem; the collaboration enabling the launch of ACR AI-LAB and giving radiologists an opportunity to become involved in AI development; NVIDIAs platform democratizing the use of AI; the NVIDIA Clara platform giving radiologists the opportunity to develop customized AI tools; the collaboration with ACR being one of many that will make AI more accessible to the entire field of radiology; the benefits and impact of being able to refine AI algorithms and use the software without sharing patient data; the benefits of bringing the AI model to patient data; the software enabling radiologists to build and improve AI algorithms without the need to share data; the benefits of training AI models on data from diverse sites, including improved inference across broader populations; enabling a network of artificial intelligence between hospitals creating more robust algorithms, greater efficiencies and likely leading to better patient outcomes, and it giving access to high-quality algorithms that will accelerate deep learning and machine learning in healthcare; and what the architecture enables and its contribution to the democratization of AI; the benefits of the AI-LAB and NVIDIAs Clara platform for GE Healthcare and it enabling the fastest path to the use of these products in its devices and applications; NVIDIA Clara and Nuance AI Marketplace empowering the deployment of AI algorithms and Nuance products providing access to imaging AI algorithms and their integration into use; and the availability of ACR AI-LAB are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: global economic conditions; our reliance on third parties to manufacture, assemble, package and test our products; the impact of technological development and competition; development of new products and technologies or enhancements to our existing product and technologies; market acceptance of our products or our partners products; design, manufacturing or software defects; changes in consumer preferences or demands; changes in industry standards and interfaces; unexpected loss of performance of our products or technologies when integrated into systems; as well as other factors detailed from time to time in the most recent reports NVIDIA files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, including, but not limited to, its annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on the companys website and are available from NVIDIA without charge. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, NVIDIA disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

 2019 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved. NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo and NVIDIA Clara are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. Features, pricing, availability and specifications are subject to change without notice.
By Sonali Paul

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - France's Total and its partners signed a long-awaited deal with Papua New Guinea on Tuesday that will allow initial work to start on a $13 billion plan to double the country's liquefied natural gas exports.

Developing the Pacific island nation's gas reserves is seen as crucial to its economy as LNG is its biggest export earner, while demand for the fuel is surging globally.

Total's partner Oil Search said the agreement would allow the parties to start engineering and design work for a project dubbed Papua LNG also involving Exxon Mobil.

They now aim to make a final investment decision in 2020, targeting first production in 2024, Oil Search said.

Patrick Pouyanne, chairman and CEO of Total, said the project would further strengthen its position in the Pacific basin and ensure its future LNG portfolio growth.

Australia's Oil Search had first hoped the agreement with the government would be sealed in 2018, as the partners race LNG projects in Canada, Mozambique, Qatar and the United States to meet an expected supply gap in Asia in the early 2020s.

The agreement was delayed after an earthquake hit PNG in February 2018, which sapped government resources and slowed negotiations over issues such as how much gas from Papua LNG would be reserved for the domestic market.

Papua LNG plans to develop the Elk and Antelope gas fields to feed two new production units, or trains, to be built at the PNG LNG plant run by Exxon Mobil.

Total said the Papua LNG project of 5.4 million tons per annum (Mtpa) capacity will consist of two LNG trains of 2.7 Mtpa capacity each and will unlock more than 1 billion barrels of oil equivalent of natural gas resources.

At the same time, Exxon Mobil plans to add a third train at PNG LNG, to be fed with gas from its existing fields and a new field, P'nyang, down the track.

INEVITABLE EXPANSION

Together, Papua LNG and the Exxon Mobil expansion are set to roughly double exports from the PNG LNG plant to 16 million tonnes a year. Analysts estimate the overall expansion will cost around $13 billion.

"It has taken longer to get the gas agreement signed than expected. But it is completed and on reasonable terms. LNG expansion is now inevitable," Bernstein analysts said in a note.

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An agreement on the P'nyang development is expected to be signed in the current quarter, said a spokesman for PNG's state-owned Kumul Petroleum.

"Dialogue is ongoing with the PNG government to conclude the required gas agreement for the P'nyang project," Exxon Mobil said in an emailed statement.

Under the deal signed on Tuesday, the government will gain a 22.5 percent equity stake in the Papua LNG project.

Total, Exxon and Oil Search have agreed to shoulder the government's share of the costs incurred until a final investment decision is made.

"We are particularly pleased that the joint venture partners have agreed to assist Kumul ... and that brings certainty to (Kumul) exercising its full equity entitlement of 22.5 percent," Kumul Petroleum Managing Director Wapu Sonk said in a statement.

However, the government will have to fund its equity share of the projects, which would be roughly $900 million, assuming construction is 70 percent debt financed.

The agreement requires the companies to reserve around 5 percent of the gas for the domestic market, a key provision to boost power supply in the impoverished South Pacific nation.

(Reporting by Sonali Paul; Additional reporting by Devika Syamnath in Bengaluru and Bate Felix in Paris; Editing by Joseph Radford and David Holmes)
Forging ahead with its divestment goals, Petrobras PBR is set to offload 90% stake in its natural gas pipeline unit, Transportadora Associada de Gas (TAG) to Engie SA-led consortium for $8.6 billion. Markedly, this will be the largest-ever single asset sale for the Brazilian energy giant, which has been making serious efforts to trim its huge debt burden.

Petrobras to Finally Sell TAG

Investors should note that Petrobras had first announced to jettison its TAG unit in 2017 to boost its financials and credit metrics, which were hugely impacted by the multi-billion dollar Operation Carwash Scandal. However, in June 2018, the Brazilian Federal Court halted the sale of the pipeline, putting the companys divestment plans in jeopardy.

At that time, the court passed a ruling against the sale of TAG to France-based Engie for $7 billion, due to discrepancies in Petrobras way of advancing with the sale. It was believed that the sale was not publicized well enough to stimulate ample competition.

Nevertheless, the TAG divestment program got a new boost when the state-held company reopened the pipeline units auction process, wherein new bids were allowed. In the final rounds of the bid, Engie in conjunction with Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec (a Canadian pension fund) presented the highest bid of $8.6 billion, outdoing Macquarie Group as well as a joint bid from EIG Global Energy Partners and Mubadala Development Co. Upon closure of the deal, Engie and Caisse will own 58.5% and 31.5% stakes in TAG, respectively.

TAGs gas pipeline system, spanning 4,500 kilometers, is primarily located in the north and northeast of Brazil. It can transport up to 74.7 million cubic feet per day, which is fully contracted through long-term agreements with ship-or-pay clauses.

Deal Motives

The acquisition of TAG assets complements the business plans of Engie, which has been vending oil and coal assets of late to fuel investment in renewables, and gas and power, in hopes of generating better returns. Frances leading supplier of natural gas, Engie  having the largest gas distribution network in Europe  aims at using its expertise to accelerate the development of TAG, which is likely to benefit from rising fuel demand in Brazil.

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For Petrobras, the divestment is in sync with its aim to cut debt levels. Notably, while the companys net debt of $100 billion peaked in 2015, concentrated efforts to lower leverage, boost liquidity through operational efficiency and divest non-core assets have helped Petrobras in deleveraging to a considerable extent. Its net debt declined to $69.4 billion in 2018, decreasing from $84.9 billion a year ago and $96.4 billion in 2016.

As it is, last month, Petrobras CEO Branco stated his plans to sell around $10 billion of assets by April 2019, signaling the divestment of TAG assets. The finalization of the sale of TAG assets is likely to give a considerable boost to the financials of the company, which is also set to receive around $10 billion from the Brazilian government for settlement of the transfer-of-rights dispute. Petrobras is also in talks with PetroReconcavo to jettison 34 oilfields in northeast Brazil.

As we know, Petrobras revved up its five-year plan in March, and now intends to offload $26.9 billion through 2023, streamline portfolio and sharpen focus on other profitable segments for achieving top-tier results. The firm is entering into various strategic partnerships with foreign oil giants to drive exploration momentum.

In this regard, the Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company has inked deals with major players like TOTAL S.A. TOT, Royal Dutch Shell plc RDS.A and Equinor ASA EQNR. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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(Bloomberg) -- Pinterest Inc. is seeking to raise as much as $1.28 billion in an U.S. initial public offering that could value the company below the amount it reached in its last private valuation.

The maker of online inspiration boards is offering 75 million shares for $15 to $17 apiece, according to a filing Monday. Based on the total number of Class A and Class B shares outstanding after the offering, if it priced at the top of the range, that would give Pinterest a market valuation of about $9 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Its fully diluted value could be higher.

In its last private funding round in 2017, the company raised $150 million for a total valuation of about $12.3 billion. Pinterest will start its IPO roadshow in New York Monday and travel to cities including Boston, San Francisco and Chicago to market the shares, according to a term sheet reviewed by Bloomberg. It aims to price the stock after the market closes on April 17.

San Francisco-based Pinterest accelerated its offering to capitalize on the hot U.S. market for IPOs, which expects to see a flurry of U.S. tech companies go public this year. In March, No. 2 U.S. ride-hailing giant Lyft Inc. priced its shares at $72 in the largest offering from a tech upstart since Snap Inc. went public two years ago. Lyft was the biggest U.S. listing after the partial government shutdown dampened first quarter listings momentum. After dipping below the IPO price, Lyft is now trading around $75.

Pinterest earlier revealed about $756 million in revenue from online advertisements in 2018, a 60 percent growth rate that accelerated from the year prior. Its net loss shrunk to $63 million in 2018 from $130 million in 2017. Pinterest says 265 million people use the digital scrapbook at least once a month.

Pricing Reasonable

The companys pricing decision was influenced by Lyfts IPO, as well as slowing U.S. growth, said Michael Lin, a consultant at IPO adviser MorganFranklin. The syndicate wants to be more conservative to avoid a situation like Lyfts, he said.

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This pricing is reasonable, Lin said. Investors are going to be a little more selective going forward. Especially with how many IPOs are going out and in the queue.

The share sale will be led by banks including Goldman Sachs Group Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Allen & Co. Pinterest applied to list on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker PINS.

(Updates with comments in sixth paragraph.)

--With assistance from Crystal Tse.

To contact the reporter on this story: Olivia Zaleski in San Francisco at ozaleski@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Elizabeth Fournier at efournier5@bloomberg.net, Amy Thomson

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2019 Bloomberg L.P.
ST. LOUIS, April 08, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Post Holdings, Inc. (POST), a consumer packaged goods holding company, today announced that one of its subsidiaries has confidentially submitted a draft registration statement on Form S-1 to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) related to its proposed initial public offering of its active nutrition business (the Active Nutrition business). The number of shares of stock and the price range for the proposed offering have not yet been determined. The proposed offering is subject to, among other things, completion of the SEC review process and market conditions.



On November 15, 2018, Post announced its plan to pursue an initial public offering of shares of common stock of a company which will be comprised of its Active Nutrition business, which markets and distributes ready-to-drink protein shakes and other beverages, protein powders, nutrition bars and other nutritional supplements under the Premier Protein, Dymatize, PowerBar, Supreme Protein and Joint Juice brands.

There can be no assurance that the confidential submission of a draft registration statement on Form S-1 will result in any transaction or other action by Post. Post does not intend to comment on or provide updates regarding these matters unless and until it determines that further disclosure is appropriate or required based on the then-current facts and circumstances. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any security and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any jurisdiction in which such offering, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on the current expectations and assumptions of Post and are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. These forward-looking statements include, among others, statements regarding the initial public offering of Posts Active Nutrition business. There is no assurance that the initial public offering of Posts Active Nutrition business will occur and there are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements made herein. For a discussion of additional risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see Posts filings with the SEC, including, but not limited to, the risk factors set forth in its most recent Form 10-K, and any updates to such risk factors contained in subsequent Forms 10-Q or Forms 8-K. These forward-looking statements represent Posts judgment as of the date of this press release. Post disclaims, however, any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

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About Post Holdings, Inc.

Post Holdings, Inc., headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, is a consumer packaged goods holding company operating in the center-of-the-store, refrigerated, foodservice, food ingredient, and active nutrition food categories. Through its Post Consumer Brands business, Post is a leader in the North American ready-to-eat cereal category offering a broad portfolio including recognized brands such as Honey Bunches of Oats, Pebbles, Great Grains and Malt-O-Meal bag cereal. Post also is a leader in the United Kingdom ready-to-eat cereal category with the iconic Weetabix brand. As a leader in refrigerated foods, Post delivers innovative, value-added egg and refrigerated potato products to the foodservice channel and the retail refrigerated side dish category, offering side dishes and egg, sausage and cheese products through the Bob Evans, Simply Potatoes, All Whites, Bettern Eggs and Crystal Farms brands. Posts Active Nutrition platform brings good energy to a wide range of consumers looking to live healthy lives through brands such as Premier Protein, PowerBar and Dymatize. Post participates in the private brand food category through its investment with Thomas H. Lee Partners in 8th Avenue Food & Provisions, a leading, private brand centric, consumer products holding company. For more information, visit www.postholdings.com.

Contact:

Investor Relations

Jennifer Meyer

jennifer.meyer@postholdings.com

(314) 644-7665

Media Relations

Lisa Hanly

lisa.hanly@postholdings.com

(314) 665-3180
(Bloomberg) -- Qualcomm Inc., whose technology dominates in smartphones, said its going to offer a new chip for use in data centers that will help accelerate artificial intelligence processing, joining a crowded race to provide the fundamental building blocks of new forms of computing.

The company will use its mobile expertise, and ability to design chips made with the latest manufacturing technology, to start supplying the new products that will compete in a market worth $17 billion by 2025, Keith Kressin, a Qualcomm executive, said at a company event Tuesday in San Francisco. Their key attribute will be power efficiency, he said.

Qualcomm, whose growth has stalled amid a slowing smartphone market, increasing competition and legal battles that threaten its technology licensing business. In response, the company is seeking new markets to try to reverse that. The business of recognizing images, speech and making data-based decisions by computers is expanding rapidly and stretching the capabilities of the type of chips that have dominated since the birth of the personal computer in the early 1980s.

Semiconductor companies are scrambling to either optimize traditional types of chips or offer completely new approaches to companies such as Alphabet Inc.s Google, Amazon.com Inc.s AWS and Facebook Inc. In turn, these cloud-computing providers are increasingly moving toward designing their own components.

Facebooks computers currently make 200 trillion predictions daily, Joe Spisak, a product manager at the social media company said at the Qualcomm event. That increasing workload makes it difficult to keep up with the growing demands of supplying data centers with power, a need that doubles annually and is unsustainable, he said.

Such testimonies highlight the urgency for new solutions, which hasnt been missed by Qualcomms competitors. Intel Corp., whose processors are pervasive in data centers, has bought smaller companies that make different types of chips with attributes helpful in handling work for AI accelerators. Its also adding capabilities to its processors to try to make them more efficient and better at making sense of the increasing flood of data created by phones and machines. Qualcomm is also playing catch up with Nvidia Corp. which has built a multibillion-dollar annual business adapting its graphics chips for data-center use.

Story continues

Kressin said Qualcomm will provide more details of its new product, called the Cloud A1 100, later this year. The chip is aimed at inferencing work  making decisions based on analysis of data streams such as digitized voice or images. More than just a repurposed mobile phone processor, he said, its more than 50 times as powerful in processing AI workloads as the companys flagship mobile chip. The new offering will be in production in 2020, he said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Ian King in San Francisco at ianking@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jillian Ward at jward56@bloomberg.net, Molly Schuetz, Andrew Pollack

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2019 Bloomberg L.P.
(Updates with statement of outgoing director, adds statement from Senator Feinstein)

By Roberta Rampton

WASHINGTON, April 8 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump has ordered a shake-up of the leadership of the Department of Homeland Security, the head of the U.S. Secret Service said on Monday, after the White House said the official would be soon be leaving his post.

The Secret Service said Randolph "Tex" Alles would depart his job next month. The announcement came a day after Trump ousted Alles' boss, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, with whom he had clashed over immigration issues.

"No doubt you have seen media reports regarding my 'firing.' I assure you that this is not the case, and in fact was told weeks ago by the administration that transitions in leadership should be expected across the Department of Homeland Security," Alles said in a message to Secret Service agents.

Neither Trump nor the White House has explained the overhaul of DHS, but the president's anger over a recent surge in migrants from Central America has been well documented. The DHS oversees immigration and border security.

The Republican president made stopping illegal immigration a centerpiece in his run for office in 2016, promising to build a wall on the southern border with Mexico. Trump has said he will make border security a key part of his campaign for re-election in 2020.

Senior senators from both parties said they were concerned about a vacuum in leadership at the agency, which also oversees the Secret Service, the Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Transportation Security Administration, among other critical functions.

Ron Johnson, the Republican chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, said in a statement that he was "concerned with a growing leadership void within the department tasked with addressing some of the most significant problems facing the nation."

Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said at least 10 top positions in the department were being filled with acting officials.

"The purge of senior leadership at the Department of Homeland Security is unprecedented and a threat to our national security," Feinstein said in a statement.

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The Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting senior U.S. officials including the president and vice president, former presidents and visiting heads of state, came under scrutiny last week after a Chinese woman carrying electronic devices was charged with bluffing her way through security checks at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said James Murray, a career Secret Service agent, would take over the agency in May.

Alles had run the Secret Service for two years and served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 35 years before retiring as a major general in 2011.

LONG LIST OF DEPARTURES

Alles was the latest in a long list of senior officials to leave the Trump administration, including the secretaries of state, defense, homeland security, interior, veterans affairs and health and human services, the attorney general and numerous senior White House aides.

The first sign of Trump's overhaul of Homeland Security came late on Thursday, when he abruptly pulled his nomination of Ron Vitiello as director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, part of DHS.

Trump addressed the decision perfunctorily to reporters as part of a policy change "going in a tougher direction."

It was followed by the resignation of Nielsen on Sunday. A senior administration official said Trump asked Nielsen to step down. On Twitter, Trump said Kevin McAleenan, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection commissioner, would become acting DHS secretary.

CNN reported that L. Francis Cissna, director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency, and department General Counsel John Mitnick were also expected to leave their positions soon. The White House and DHS did not respond to requests for comment.

Trump in recent weeks empowered his hard-line conservative aide Stephen Miller to lead the administration's border policies, CNN said.

Nielsen had been a trusted aide to John Kelly, Trump's first DHS secretary and later his chief of staff, with whom he had an often-difficult relationship.

Nielsen and Trump had often clashed over immigration issues during her 16 months in the job. Her departure had been long rumored particularly after criticism of the administration's 2018 family separation policy at the border with Mexico and as U.S. border officials estimated that 100,000 migrants were apprehended at the southern border in March, the highest level in a decade.

Trump was so frustrated about the surge in migrants that he announced he would cut off U.S. aid to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Additional reporting by Makini Brice and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Will Dunham and Peter Cooney)






























State Sen. Jeff Brandes. Courtesy photo.

State Sen. Jeff Brandes. Courtesy photo.



Everyone agrees a constitutional amendment that appeared on the November ballot was designed to automatically restore the right to vote for some of Floridas convicted felons.



But a sharp divide over who exactly the amendment was aimed at has become one of the 2019 legislative sessions most contentious issues.



House Republican leaders believe the proposal, which appeared on the ballot as Amendment 4, was aimed at felons whove completed all the terms of their sentences, including repayment of all financial obligations. Theyre relying on words in the ballot initiative and what backers of the measure said in court and on their website before and after more voters approved the measure.



But the amendments supporters are also relying on language in the proposal, which they maintain is less restrictive than the GOP plans to carry it out. Theyve likened House and Senate proposals to Jim Crow-era policies, such as poll taxes, aimed at keeping black voters from casting their ballots. In this case, the amendments supporters say, lawmakers are trying to exclude low-income felons from the automatic rights restoration process.



On Monday, a key Senate panel made what appeared to be significant concessions toward what proponents of the measure, who maintain that the amendment does not need legislation to take effect, had sought.



The constitutional amendment granted restoration of voting rights to felons who have completed all terms of their sentence, including parole or probation. The voter-approved amendment excluded people convicted of murder or a felony sexual offense.



Wordsmithing over what constitutes murder, felony sexual offense, and completion of all terms of their sentence is the source of the firestorm.



The Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday revised an earlier version of a Senate bill (SB 7086) to strip out attempted murder as an offense that could prevent felons from getting the right to vote. The proposal, approved by the committee in a party-line, 3-2 vote, also eliminated fees and fines that have been converted to civil liens from the financial obligations that felons would have to repay to be eligible for voting restoration.



And the Senate plan would define felony sexual offense as a crime that serves as a predicate to registration as a sexual offender, while the Houses version of the proposal (HB 7089) includes more than three dozen sex-related crimes, including a third conviction of prostitution.



Both the House and Senate measures would require full payment of restitution, including restitution that has been converted to a civil judgment, the main point of contention during Mondays vetting of the bill.



With time running out in the committee meeting, Desmond Meade, executive director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, spoke on behalf of dozens of the amendments supporters who didnt have a chance to address the Senate panel.



Meade, a felon whose voting rights were restored as a result of the amendments passage, said he and other returning citizens turned to the ballot initiative because the Florida Legislature refused to act.



They walked away from people like me who served our time and all we wanted to do was just be part of this democracy, and all we wanted to do was move on with our lives. But the Florida Legislature ignored our cries, ignored the cries of our family, for years and years and years, an emotional Meade, choking back tears, said.



Meade and others called the Senate proposal a step in the right direction, but they remained opposed to the bill because of the requirement of full repayment of restitution.



Meade pointed out that 5.1 million Floridians supported the constitutional amendment.



They were votes that were based on love, forgiveness and redemption, he said, adding that felons have done our time and  just want to move on.



He pleaded with lawmakers to look beyond the partisan politics and stop that partisan drumbeat from drowning out the voices of the people.



But Sen. Jeff Brandes, a St. Petersburg Republican whos sponsoring the legislation, said the Senate measure reflects what former University of Florida law school dean Jon Mills told the Florida Supreme Court during an argument of the proposal and on information provided to the public by backers of the amendment.





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Brandes remained in the committee room after the meeting ended to speak with advocates, at his invitation, who lined up to share their frustrations about the legislation.



I was a supporter of Amendment 4. But I truly believe this language needs to be clarified. The simple fact is that I cant get a straight answer for what the definition of murder is. That is just telling about some of the deeper questions that have to be answered here. And the Legislature has the responsibility to put forth their ideas, hear from the public, refine and hone this legislation as we put an implementing bill forward, Brandes, who has long been an advocate for criminal justice reform, told The News Service of Florida.



Brandes said he thinks the Senate is moving in the right direction, and that the House and Senate still have many, many conversations ahead before they reach consensus on a final bill.



The House plan goes further by requiring full payment of fines and fees that have been converted to civil judgments and including the laundry list of sex-related offenses not covered by the Senate measure.



Even if the House and Senate finally settle their differences before the legislative session ends on May 3 as expected, that may not be the end of the debate on the issue.



I think everybody expects that this all will probably end up back before the Supreme Court at some juncture. Were going in, providing what we think is the voters intent here, as we clarify those three areas. What does all terms of sentence mean? What does murder mean? And what is felony sex offense? Brandes said. I fully expect at some juncture it will be litigated.

















































Dara Kam reports for the News Service of Florida.
(Bloomberg) -- Tesla Inc. followed a disappointing deliveries report by cutting another swath of sales staff across the country, as the electric-car maker continues to pare back personnel and shift its ordering process online.

The company dismissed several dozen sales team members on Thursday in Chicago; Brooklyn, New York; and Tampa, Florida; according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because the details were private. Tesla confirmed the cuts but declined to discuss specifics including the number of personnel affected.

The latest round of staff reductions are part of the retail retrenchment Tesla announced in February. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk has said the decision to close some showrooms and embrace an online-only ordering model is designed to save money as the company ramps up production of cheaper Model 3 sedans and prepares to launch new models including the Model Y crossover next year.

The cuts made last week affected teams known internally as inside sales, which were tasked with reaching out to potential customers and inviting them to test drive cars, the people said. After the retail strategy revamp, these employees were reassigned to tasks such as taking inbound calls, helping with deliveries and even washing and detailing vehicles, the people said.

Tesla still has operations at the three locations, including employees who can field customer questions and support car owners, according to the company. It still has inside sales teams in Fremont, California, and Las Vegas, the people said.

One impacted employee in Tampa, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that 20 inside sales advisers and two managers were informed around noon Thursday that their positions there were being eliminated. Another employee who worked in Brooklyn said the team there was also informed Thursday. Both said the teams were informed of the terminations via conference call and that it was effective immediately.

Story continues

The dismissals are just the latest shakeup at Tesla as part of a zigzagging approach to its retailing strategy that has rattled investors and stoked confusion. Ten days after signaling an almost complete withdrawal from physical stores, the company backtracked and said more locations would stay open than planned, though some would continue to be evaluated.

Musk, 47, wrote to employees in February that Tesla would evaluate all areas of its sales and marketing organization in the following weeks, with some being cut and other employees transitioning to different parts of the company.

To contact the reporter on this story: Dana Hull in San Francisco at dhull12@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Craig Trudell at ctrudell1@bloomberg.net, Chester Dawson

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2019 Bloomberg L.P.
TOTAL S.A. TOT announced that the company and its partners ExxonMobil XOM and Oil Search have signed a Gas Agreement with the Independent State of Papua New Guinea to develop the Papua LNG Project.



TOTAL operates the Elk and Antelope onshore fields in Papua New Guinea and is the largest shareholder of the PRL-15 permit with a 31.1% interest, alongside partners ExxonMobil (28.3%) and Oil Search (17.7%), post the State back-in right of 22.5%.



The finalization of the Gas Agreement will eventually lead to a final investment decision on the Papua LNG Project. This project of 5.4 million tons per annum (Mtpa) capacity will consist of two LNG trains of 2.7 Mtpa capacity each and will unlock more than 1 billion barrels of oil equivalent of natural gas resources.



TOTALs Long-Term LNG Plan



Per the LNG outlook of Royal Dutch Shell PLC RDS.A, global demand for LNG will increase in the range of 4-5% within the 2015-2030 time period. Given massive long-term growth prospects of LNG, TOTAL has undertaken various initiatives to strengthen its position in the LNG market. Massive growth of LNG projects across the globe will help address the need for cleaner fuel.



Given growth prospects in LNG business, TOTAL has been actively expanding LNG business globally via acquisitions, collaborations and partnerships. Post the acquisition of Engies LNG assets, TOTAL is the second-largest player in LNG business on a global scale. Its position is further strengthened with the startup of Cameron LNG project.



The acquisition of a stake in Arctic LNG 2 will help the company cater to the rising demand for clean energy in the Asian markets. Additionally, the development of Papua New Guinea project and its proximity to Asian markets will enable TOTAL to cater to the rising demand in this region.



Recently, TOTAL and Tellurian Inc., a U.S.-based company, have inked several deals to develop the Driftwood liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Louisiana. (Read more: TOTAL, Tellurian Ink Deal Related to Driftwood LNG Project)



TOTAL has also signed a MOU with Sempra Energy SRE for the development of North America LNG Projects.



Zacks Rank and Price Movement



TOTAL currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here

Story continues

Year to date, TOTALs shares have gained 8.8%, underperforming its industrys growth of 14%.







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Trump just made it even harder for any future US government to negotiate with Iran, analyst says

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group, ratcheting up already tense relations between Tehran and Washington.

That move will make future negotiations "more difficult," according to Emily Hawthorne from geopolitical intelligence firm Stratfor.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday designated a powerful branch of Iran's state military as a terrorist group , ratcheting up already tense relations between Tehran and Washington DC .

That move, however, "creates another tangle of legislation" that both countries will take years to get through, according to Emily Hawthorne, a Middle East and North Africa analyst at geopolitical intelligence firm Stratfor. Speaking with CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Tuesday, she added that Trump's unprecedented move will make future negotiations with Iran "more difficult."

"The future U.S. government, if they want to negotiate with Iran or negotiate with the Iranian military in any way, they're going to have to take the (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) off of this list," Hawthorne said. "Otherwise, they would be technically negotiating with a terrorist organization."

Set up after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) is the elite security arm of Iran's armed forces. It has significant influence in Iran's political system, economy and military.

Monday's decision  set to officially take effect on April 15  marks the first time the U.S. Department of State has ever labeled a country's state military as a terrorist organization and adds yet another layer of sanctions on Iran.

"The IRGC is the Iranian government's primary means of directing and implementing its global terrorist campaign," Trump said in a White House statement released Monday .

Currently, Washington and Tehran are coming from "very different planes of negotiation," Hawthorne said.

Story continues

"The U.S. wants to try and damage the economy to the extent where there's civil unrest, and an increasing pressure between the different political factions in Iran. They want that to pressure the Iranian government to negotiate with the U.S. or to engage in some changes," she added.

However, Hawthorne said Iran's government sees that as "very threatening behavior." After Trump's announcement, Iran's Supreme National Security Council said it would designate the U.S. Central Command as a terror group.

US-Iran military conflict unlikely

While Monday's historic designation is a "diplomatic tit-for-tat" and an "escalation politically," Hawthorne said it will not be a "direct cause for concern over more military escalation."

"It doesn't change the fact that Iran and the U.S. have been at loggerheads and often have faced off in some degree of military tension in the Persian Gulf over the past many years," she added.

Her sentiment was echoed by Richard Schmierer, the chairman of the board of directors at think tank the Middle East Policy Council, who said he is "very doubtful" that Monday's developments could escalate into a conflict.

Speaking to CNBC's "Street Signs" on Tuesday, Schmierer  who formerly served as the U.S. ambassador to Oman from 2009 to 2012  said the U.S. branding the IRGC as a terror group "is significant, but is not that different than what's already been in place."

"On the Iranian side, and I know certainly on the U.S. side, there will be efforts to avoid any actual conflict," Schmierer added. "Because that really then takes you into uncharted territory."





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FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., April 08, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The law firm of Securities Fraud Attorney Mark A. Tepper has filed claim against UBS [NYSE: UBS] on behalf of a Georgia couple who entrusted their inheritance and retirement accounts to UBS and its broker William D. Hobby. The Claim for damages also seeks recovery of losses that the couple suffered.



Among the Claims allegations is that UBS changed Claimants risk profiles to aggressive high risk, to match and conceal the brokers unsuitable speculative high risk recommendations and trading in Claimants accounts. UBS originally recorded Claimants risk profile as moderate, the Claim alleges.

The brokers disciplinary history at UBS shows a pattern of similar misconduct committed against other unsuspecting victims. If UBS exercised reasonable supervision, UBS would have detected and prevented violations of FINRAs consumer protection rules, the Claim contends.

The broker concentrated Claimants accounts in high risk development stage biotech as well as high risk, highly leveraged oil and gas, rather than diversify the investments in their retirement accounts, the Claim alleges. These included CEMPRA, INC. (CEMP), LinnCo, LLC, Breitburn Energy Partners LP (Breitburn) and high risk income funds, the Claim further alleges.

If you have information related to the Claim against UBS or William Hobby, or your broker made unsuitable recommendations, contact attorney Mark Tepper at askmark@marktepper.com or call (954) 961-0096 for a free case evaluation from the Mark A. Tepper law firm. Investors who believe theyve been defrauded should always investigate their legal rights to determine the merits of potential claims, Mr. Tepper said.

About Mark A. Tepper, P.A. ( www.MarkTepper.com )

Attorney Mark A. Tepper is the former Chief Trial Counsel at the New York Attorney Generals Bureau of Investor Protection and Securities. He has earned the reputation of Investor Advocate while practicing law for over 40 years representing individual investors. FINRA arbitrators have upheld stockbroker fraud claims filed by Mr. Tepper against many brokerage firms. A member of the Florida, New York and California Bars, Mr. Tepper is peer-reviewed for 18 consecutive years, AV PREEMINENT for ethical standards and legal ability, the highest rating of lawyers in the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory.
After reporting some strong results from its studies last month, cannabinoid biopharmaceutical company Emerald Bioscience Inc (OTC: EMBI) recently made headlines again.

The company formerly known as Nemus Bioscience is in the spotlight following a couple positive announcements, including a favorable decision out of the DEA regarding the companys proprietary CBD analog  CBDVHS, and its market cap surpassing the $100 million threshold.

Good Start To The Year

Earlier this year, Emerald Bioscience received a capital infusion from Emerald Health Sciences, a global operating company focused on the medical potential of cannabis and cannabinoids.

In the first quarter, the company reported a manufacturing deal with Noramco for the synthesis of its proprietary analog of CBD, CBD-valine-hemisuccinate (CBDVHS). This analog is based on technology licensed from the University of Mississippi.

Additionally, EMBI notified investors that their lead patented compound for glaucoma, NB1111, a prodrug of THC, delivered superior intraocular pressure (IOP) lowering capability when compared to multiple, currently approved drugs that form the standard of care. The mechanism of action of NB1111 was also validated and in addition to enhanced drainage of fluid leading to reduced IOP, the THC prodrug also lowered biomarkers associated with inflammation, fibrosis and neovascularization, the latter being a phenomenon associated with macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.

The Cannabis Capital Conference is coming back to Toronto! Click here to learn how you can join Tim Seymour, Jon Najarian and many others.

To close a great quarter, Emerald Bioscience received notice the DEA deemed its CBD analog not to be a controlled substance. This should allow the company to perform studies faster, across a more diverse population.

The company says it's looking to conduct a pre-IND meeting for NB1111 with the FDA in the second quarter with a targeted first-in-human glaucoma study for the end of 2019, to be conducted in Australia.

Story continues

CEO Weighs In

Emerald CEO Dr. Brian Murphy told Benzinga that the company appears to be the only cannabinoid company with a multi-cannabinoid platform to address diseases of the eye.

EMBI is unique in that it has a global patent footprint for our lead compound, NB1111, in addition to a strong relationship with our discovery partner, the University of Mississippi, and a supportive capital structure from Emerald Health Sciences which has taken a majority position in the company. We are now in a position to focus on execution, as we have demonstrated in the first quarter, Murphy told Benzinga.

The stock has more than doubled since the first of the year with a market cap now over $100 million.

Emerald's OTC shares traded around $1.01 at time of publication.

Editors's note: This article previously stated that Noramco was owned by Johnson and Johnson. However, the former divested from the publicly traded entity in 2016.

Related Links:

VPR Brands Kevin Frija: Vaping, Cannabis Industries Are Like 'Orange Juice And Oranges'

Nabis Execs Talks M Raise: 'It Takes A Unique Product Offering, Solid Development, Branding And Distribution'

See more from Benzinga

 2019 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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US labels Irans Revolutionary Guards as terrorists. But who are they? ALADIN

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Post: #1 US labels Irans Revolutionary Guards as terrorists. But who are they?

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The US has for the first time ever designated an official foreign military institution as a terrorist organization. RT looks at Irans Revolutionary Guard Corps, an elite and powerful military force.



The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was formed shortly after the Islamic Revolution back in 1979, when US-backed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran was overthrown. Soon the country became an Islamic Republic under the Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.



The Corps was created out of several paramilitary forces loyal to the new government  while the loyalty of the standing army was under question back then. The IRGC was tasked with protection of the gains of the Revolution itself, while the Army was entrusted with preserving the countrys territorial integrity and independence.



However, the IRGC was soon forced to act as a regular army, following the Iraqi invasion in 1980. The IRGC had to substitute for dwindling numbers of the regular army, which had been plagued by desertions  and political purges  after the Revolution. Eventually, the IRGC grew its own aerospace (AFAGIR) and naval (NEDSA) forces, duplicating many of the responsibilities of Irans regular military.

Branches of the Guard Corps



The secretive, elite-within-elite branch of the IRGC  called the Quds Force  is a product of the Iran-Iraq war. The branch was created as a Special Forces unit within the IRGC, yet it promptly outgrew this role, becoming an expeditionary branch tasked with operations abroad and unconventional warfare.



In 2009, the IRGC grew a whole Intelligence Organization of its own as well, which appears to be focused more on the domestic level.





The Quds Force commander Major General Qassem Suleimani.  AFP / HO / KHAMENEI.IR



The Iran-Iraq war also produced another paramilitary group  Basij volunteer militia. The militia was ultimately incorporated into the IRGC and currently serves as an auxiliary force, as well as a trained mobilization reserve. Basij made the headlines this February, when its base in the southeast of the country came under a terrorist attack.



https://www.rt.com/news/455928-who-are-i...ry-guards/



It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a ma s k on their nose and mouth ... US labels Irans Revolutionary Guards as terrorists. But who are they?The US has for the first time ever designated an official foreign military institution as a terrorist organization. RT looks at Irans Revolutionary Guard Corps, an elite and powerful military force.The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was formed shortly after the Islamic Revolution back in 1979, when US-backed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran was overthrown. Soon the country became an Islamic Republic under the Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.The Corps was created out of several paramilitary forces loyal to the new government  while the loyalty of the standing army was under question back then. The IRGC was tasked with protection of the gains of the Revolution itself, while the Army was entrusted with preserving the countrys territorial integrity and independence.However, the IRGC was soon forced to act as a regular army, following the Iraqi invasion in 1980. The IRGC had to substitute for dwindling numbers of the regular army, which had been plagued by desertions  and political purges  after the Revolution. Eventually, the IRGC grew its own aerospace (AFAGIR) and naval (NEDSA) forces, duplicating many of the responsibilities of Irans regular military.Branches of the Guard CorpsThe secretive, elite-within-elite branch of the IRGC  called the Quds Force  is a product of the Iran-Iraq war. The branch was created as a Special Forces unit within the IRGC, yet it promptly outgrew this role, becoming an expeditionary branch tasked with operations abroad and unconventional warfare.In 2009, the IRGC grew a whole Intelligence Organization of its own as well, which appears to be focused more on the domestic level.The Quds Force commander Major General Qassem Suleimani.  AFP / HO / KHAMENEI.IRThe Iran-Iraq war also produced another paramilitary group  Basij volunteer militia. The militia was ultimately incorporated into the IRGC and currently serves as an auxiliary force, as well as a trained mobilization reserve. Basij made the headlines this February, when its base in the southeast of the country came under a terrorist attack. ALADIN

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Post: #2 RE: US labels Irans Revolutionary Guards as terrorists. But who are they?

Quote: Why did US sanction them?



Washington claims that the IRGC actively participates in, finances, and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft, and serves as the main tool of Tehran in its global terrorist campaign. This includes the supposedly destabilizing activities of Iran  both confirmed, like the continuous support of Syrias legitimate government, and alleged ones  like the rumored ties with the Houthi rebels in Yemen.



The IRGC is also in charge of the rapidly growing Iranian missile forces, whose development Washington criticized while trying to drag the subject into the discussions of the countrys nuclear program. Iran insists that its nuclear program is peaceful and the ballistic missiles serve solely defensive purposes.



The International Atomic Energy Agency has so far said Tehran is complying with the 2015 nuclear agreement, even after the Trump administration pulled out of it last year.



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(Bloomberg) -- Startups, when they raise venture money to build their businesses, begin with a Series A round and then proceed through Series E, F or maybe G before going public. The Indian ride-hailing service Ola is a bit unusual: It just completed its Series J fundraising and is marching toward Series K, a letter almost unheard of by researchers that track such things.

Whats going on here is about more than money. Ola co-founder Bhavish Aggarwal is fighting to maintain his independence against SoftBank Group Corp. The Japanese conglomerate, led by Masayoshi Son, was an early backer of Ola, but Aggarwal has grown concerned about its influence as SoftBank took a stake in his archrival, Uber Technologies Inc., and then encouraged the rivals to merge.

Son struck a preliminary deal to put another $1.1 billion into Ola to boost his stake to more than 40 percent, according to people familiar with the matter. But Aggarwal tried to include terms to guarantee his own control over the startup, and the deal ultimately fell apart, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private. Instead, Aggarwal is piecing together smaller slices of funding from unaligned backers. This year alone, he picked up $300 million from Hyundai Motor Co. and about $90 million investment from Sachin Bansal, the co-founder of Flipkart Online Services Pvt.

Bhavish is spurning SoftBank money as he doesnt want to get diluted out of Ola, said Mohandas Pai, venture capitalist and former chief financial officer of Infosys Ltd. Founders become employees when someone sits on your board and tells you how to run the show.

Bangalore-based Ola denies there is a rift with the Japanese company.

Softbank has been a great partner for us as weve grown our business, a spokesman for the company said in a statement. There are so many emerging synergies with SoftBank that we envisage in the years to come, as we continue to build a global mobility business out of India.

Story continues

"We enjoy a cordial relationship with all our portfolio companies, including Ola," said a SoftBank spokeswoman. "Beyond this, we do not comment on specific individuals and internal matters."

Read More: 30-Year-Old Ola Founder Aims to Stop Ubers Passage to India

Aggarwal avoids gatherings with Son and his portfolio companies when he visits India, according to people familiar with the matter. Aggarwal, for example, was missing from a meeting of SoftBank-backed founders when a delegation including the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman visited a few weeks ago, the Economic Times reported. Saudi Arabia contributed nearly half of the capital for Sons $100 billion Vision Fund. Aggarwal has said he declined SoftBank invitations only because he doesnt visit New Delhi, according to one person familiar with the matter.

Aggarwal has also gone to the founders of Indias Snapdeal for advice on managing SoftBank, the people said. SoftBank invested in the e-commerce startup about five years ago and then tried to push the founders to sell out to a larger rival, Flipkart. When Snapdeal refused the deal, Son switched allegiances by stopping further investment in the company and put $2.5 billion into Flipkart.

The 33-year-old Aggarwal founded Ola, a brand of ANI Technologies Pvt, in 2011 along with Ankit Bhati, his classmate from engineering school. It currently has 1.3 million drivers on its platform in over a hundred cities and since last year has expanded to Australia, New Zealand the U.K. It also entered the food delivery business in India, burning cash in a bid to grab market share from Uber Eats as well as local food delivery operators, Swiggy and Zomato.

Son was an early champion of local ride-hailing startups in Asia. He backed Anthony Tans Grab in Southeast Asia and Cheng Weis Didi Chuxing in China, in addition to first investing in Ola in 2014. The relationship between Son and Aggarwal was a warm one early on. He is inspiring and aggressive and a visionary. He is making history," the Indian entrepreneur told one newspaper.

Read More: Its War Between Foreign Uber and Local Ola in Indian Court

Aggarwal and Son reached the preliminary deal to inject more cash into the India startup in 2017. Under terms of the agreement, SoftBank would invest $250 million right away and then plow the rest of the $1.1 billion within six months, the people said.

Yet as the two sides worked to finalize the agreement, SoftBank held talks to invest in Uber -- and Aggarwal grew more wary of the impact on Ola. Uber and Ola are bitter rivals in India, competing for customers and drivers, and have essentially split the market. Aggarwal sought conditions to assure his control, including a clause that founders would have veto rights over the appointment of any new CEO. Talks stalled as SoftBank resisted.

In the meantime, SoftBank made progress with Uber. In January 2018, the Japanese conglomerate completed its deal to spend about $9 billion to become the largest shareholder in the U.S. ride-hailing giant. Shortly thereafter, SoftBanks executives floated the idea of a merger between the rivals in India, according to people familiar with the matter. When Aggarwal balked, SoftBank attempted to buy out the stake of another Ola investor, Tiger Global.

Aggarwal found himself fighting for control of his company. Ola had modified its corporate bylaws so any sale between investors would need approval of the board -- effectively blocking the Tiger-SoftBank transaction. Aggarwal also knew that he couldnt take more money from SoftBank; the preliminary $1.1 billion deal died after six months when the two sides couldnt reach a compromise.

Ola did raise more money from Tencent Holdings Ltd., the Chinese internet giant. In its home country, the India company began raising tiny rounds, collecting as little as $50 million from investors. In the Indian e-commerce universe, there are very few investors who will write big checks of half-a-billion dollars or more, said Gautam Chhaochharia, managing director and head of India research at UBS.

Read More: A Ride That Almost Killed Me Changed My Mind About Hailing Apps

SoftBank has a lot more at stake with Uber and needs it to succeed to demonstrate the potential of its massive Vision Fund. The San Francisco-based ride-hailing giant is said to be preparing for an initial public offering at a valuation of as much as $120 billion.

Merger talks with Ola are off now as Uber prepares for the IPO. The U.S. company sold its operations in Southeast Asia to Grab last year, a move that trimmed its losses but also cut off growth potential in an important region. India is sure to be highlighted as a key example of overseas opportunity when Uber files its IPO paperwork.

Meanwhile, Aggarwal appears to be girding for a future onslaught. Hes collecting cash and hoarding what he can. Ola has become more prudent with its spending, cutting incentives for drivers and trimming subsidies for both ride-hailing and food-delivery businesses. If he expects Uber -- and SoftBank -- to come after him again, hell need all the money he can to protect his business.

Its a good strategy, said Pai, the venture capitalist.

To contact the reporter on this story: Saritha Rai in Bangalore at srai33@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Edwin Chan at echan273@bloomberg.net, Peter Elstrom, Robert Fenner

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2019 Bloomberg L.P.
Three U.S. service members and an American contractor have been killed in a roadside bombing near the main NATO air base in Afghanistan, U.S. forces in Afghanistan said on April 8.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.



The NATO-led Resolute Support mission said in a statement on April 8 that four Americans were killed on April 8 near Bagram Air Base, around 50 kilometers north of Kabul.



Three American soldiers were wounded in the blast and were receiving medical treatment, the statement also said.



Colonel David Butler, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said a car bomb had detonated near a NATO security convoy, which lead to deaths and injuries.



The names of the service members killed in action were being withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin, in accordance with U.S. Department of Defense policy.



The Taliban said a suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden car near the NATO base in the Bagram district of Parwan Province.

Local officials said at least five Afghan civilians were wounded in the blast.



The incident brings the number of U.S. service member deaths in Afghanistan to seven in 2019, and a total of 68 U.S. military deaths since January 2015, according to the U.S. government.



Afghan security forces have borne the brunt of the fighting since NATOs combat mission ended in 2014.



President Ashraf Ghani said that about 45,000 Afghan soldiers and policemen have been killed since he took office in September 2014 -- an average of 849 per month.

Based on reporting by AP and Stripes.com
KABUL,  Afghans are worried over the possible impact of growing tensions between Iran and the United States after Tehran reacted sharply to Washingtons designation of its Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) this week.

The ongoing tensions and conflict between the U.S. and Iran impacts Afghanistan in the security, political, and economic spheres, lawmaker Mohammad Daud Kalakani told Radio Free Afghanistan.

Kalakani, deputy head of the international relations commission in the lower house of the Afghan Parliament, says his country should not turn into an arena of competition between Tehran and Washington. Tensions between them are of no benefit to Afghanistan and other countries in the region.

Iran is prominent among Afghanistans six neighbors and has played a major role during the various phases of the now four-decade war in the country. The United States, on the other hand, still has 14,000 troops in Afghanistan and is the main supporter and donor of Kabul. Washington is currently engaged in delicate peace talks with the Taliban to end the longest war in its history in Afghanistan.

The Shiite clerical regime in Tehran quietly supported Washington in ousting the hard-line Sunni Taliban from power in late 2001. But its posture gradually changed after former U.S. President George W. Bush included Iran in his Axis of Evil during his State of the Union address in early 2002.

Still, the two mostly avoided clashing in Afghanistan directly. In recent years, Afghan and Western officials have accused Tehran of supporting the Taliban. Afghan officials even accused the Quds force, the IRGCs special operations arm, of advising insurgents in a western Afghan province bordering Iran.

Landlocked Afghanistan, however, has been careful to refrain from antagonizing its southern neighbor as it constantly juggled old and new disputes with another neighbor, Pakistan.

Successful lobbying by Kabul last year convinced Washington to exempt the Indian-build port of Chabahar in southeastern Iran from sanctions. Afghanistan views the port in the Gulf of Oman as key to breaking free of its reliance on Pakistani ports and routes. Iran has also hosted millions of Afghan refugees, and many Afghans still seek employment in the country.

Kabul-based analyst Qudratullah Zwak says growing tensions between the United States and Iran are not a good omen for Afghanistan. This is not good news for Afghanistan and might prolong the war and crisis in our country, he told Radio Free Afghanistan.

Zwak says Kabul will now require a balancing act. The Afghan government will particularly need to adopt a balanced approach toward Iran and America, he said.

But balancing relations between a global and a regional giant might prove an uphill task for Kabul.

Senior Iranian officials reacted angrily to the IRGCs designation. "With this stupidity, the American army and security forces will no longer have today's calm in the West Asia region," IRGC commander Mohammad Ali Jafari was quoted as saying by the IRGC-affiliated Fars news agency a day before the official designation on April 8.

In Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump said the unprecedented designation will significantly expand the scope and scale of U.S. pressure on the Iranian regime.

This action sends a clear message to Tehran that its support for terrorism has serious consequences, he said.
Cybersecurity center forms space information sharing site

The National Cybersecurity Center in Colorado Springs has formed the Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center to share cybersecurity information and analysis related to space.

The cybersecurity center will host the space information site make its expertise from commercial, academic, civilian agencies and military available to members of the information sharing and analysis operation. Information sharing and analysis centers are aimed at specific industries that collect, analyze and disseminate hazards, threat and mitigation information to members and related groups.

Aerospace and defense contractor Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc. is the founding member of the new information unit, which was announced Monday at the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, and will fund its startup costs. The company also said it will recruit other members.

"Kratos recognizes the need for an industry-led organization dedicated to security space assets," Frank Backes, Kratos senior vice president and acting president of the information unit, said in a news release. A search for a permanent president of the unit is underway.
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Prices can sometimes differ slightly from one region to another because of political, geographic and infrastructure factors, and quality can vary. But since various grades can be blended together to meet the processing specifications of a refiner, the spread between most grades is relatively narrow, ensuring that importers typically have ample choice in suppliers at market rates. Ultimately, a barrel of oil from Saudi Arabia usually ends up having comparable value to a barrel from Angola. Fungibility often allows the market to function globally in scale.

A useful comparison is natural gas. The commodity cannot be moved around the globe nearly as cheaply or easily as crude, so prices vary considerably more from one regional market to another. This is beginning to change as countries build out infrastructure for LNG. But the liquefaction process and associated infrastructure are still expensive enough  accounting for as much as 30-40 percent of the price of the commodity  to make LNG uncompetitive against compressed natural gas transported via pipeline in most cases. As a result, countries are far more likely to remain dependent on pipelines to meet their natural gas needs  and besides, pipelines themselves are expensive to build, and they are captive to a small number of suppliers (and vice versa). In the past couple decades, natural gas dependencies have taken on greater geopolitical importance than those stemming from crude. For example, Russias cutoff of natural gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine at the height of winter in 2006, 2009 and 2014 illustrated how an exporter can leverage natural gas dependencies for strategic gain.

Countries are rarely able to weaponize oil in such a manner. Exporters may band together to try to limit supply to affect global prices, as demonstrated with mixed success repeatedly by OPEC . Two countries may operate outside the global market by forging special arrangements that serve narrow commercial or strategic aims. (Around a fifth of global production is not sold on markets.) But in these situations, the global oil market otherwise still functions normally, with most importers still able to ensure stable supplies from various sellers at market rates priced transparently against a handful of benchmarks. Countries can easily avoid long-term dependencies. A major exporter like Saudi Arabia is rarely in a position to exploit its energy relationship with a major buyer like India in service of strategic aims. In other words, Riyadh cant expect to gain much by threatening to cut off oil supplies if New Delhi doesnt, say, end its partnership with Iran on the strategically important Chabahar port . It may take some time for India to adjust, and the risk of a short-term economic crunch may be problematic. But any leverage Riyadh has would be fleeting, as India eventually could just boost imports from a combination of Qatar, Nigeria and any number of other suppliers instead.

And for all the industry upheaval it has triggered, the shale revolution in the U.S. and elsewhere wont change this dynamic. The introduction of a new major oil exporter  one that happens to be the worlds largest oil consumer, the protector of global sea lanes and a non-OPEC member, to boot  will only help ensure an environment of plentiful supply and unhindered flows across the global commons. The Exceptions There are several exceptions to the global bathtub where oil buyer-seller relationships are determined by factors beyond supply and demand  and, thus, where it can matter quite a bit geopolitically from where an importer gets its crude or to whom a producer is selling it. In these circumstances, dependencies are most likely to form, and an importing countrys desire for the lowest possible price of crude could take a back seat to its broader strategic interests. When Buyers Lack Sellers This dynamic typically involves landlocked countries that cannot easily draw from the global bathtub, tethering them to suppliers by train or pipeline (or to transit states through which the crude is transported). Belarus is one such example. In 2017, Belarus produced enough oil to meet only around one-fifth of its consumption. It purchased more than 99 percent of its crude imports, valued at $5.23 billion, from Russia but accounted for just 5.5 percent of Russian oil exports that year. Theres a clear dependency here  and one that Russia, which sees Belarus as indispensable to Russian security , has a strategic interest in leveraging. Indeed, the two are locked in a yearslong dispute over plans to remove discounts on Russian oil  re-exports of which account for nearly a third of Belarus export revenue  with Moscow occasionally sharply reducing oil flows to the country in an attempt to strongarm Minsk into compliance. The dispute may be motivated, at least in part, by Minsks occasional efforts to find some strategic balance between Russia and the West. Regardless, Belarus is in an uncomfortable position. On March 1, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced that the country was exploring alternative sources of oil, potentially via ports in Ukraine and the Baltics, though Minsk has made several such proclamations in the past.

Dependencies can also stem purely from geopolitical isolation. North Korea is the most prominent example. The U.N. sanctions implemented in 2016 have only deepened its near-total oil dependence on China and, to a much lesser extent, Russia. In the unlikely event that China deemed it worth the risk of pushing the North to the brink of collapse, it could impose a blanket embargo on oil exports to the Hermit Kingdom . When Sellers Lack Buyers The second exception typically occurs when geographic, economic and geopolitical conditions limit the number of buyers available to an exporter. This often involves situations where a countrys crude cannot be moved to port easily or cheaply, making producers more dependent on markets that can be served by pipelines or, less often, rail. Canada, for example, has to sell nearly all of its oil mined in its central provinces to the United States, creating a growing dependency on its mercurial southern neighbor. Geopolitical factors like sanctions can also restrict producers access to the global market and force them into dependencies. The most prominent example here is Iran, which has been forced to court buyers that are willing to buck U.S. pressure since oil sanctions were reimposed in November.
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" " Microaggressions is a term that's gained popularity in the last few years but it was coined back in 1970. Turner Consulting Group

I grew up being asked the same question nearly every time I met someone new: "Where are you from?"

I would respond, "I'm from Washington D.C."

There was something about this answer that was unsatisfactory to whomever had asked. So, they would try again: "Oh, but I mean  like, where are you from?" They often squinted their eyes at this point for emphasis.

Eventually, I learned that to many people I have racially ambiguous features. I took these moments as opportunities. I would ask questions about their assumptions in return, and it would turn into a dialogue. Later when I started college, my classmates and I were taught that these kinds of questions about where people are from are "offensive" and should be avoided.

A few years later, I learned a word for it: "microaggressions."

The term arose from an effort to define the ways in which racism was changing, from more overt and public acts, to smaller day-to-day slights.

But what exactly is a microaggression, and is what I experienced necessarily a result of racism?

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Microaggression Versus Macroagression

The idea that racism is manifesting in less visible ways has spawned new areas of research. At Washington University in St. Louis, there's a whole lab full of researchers who are trying to understand hidden mental biases  what are often referred to as "implicit biases."

Professor Calvin Lai runs the Diversity Science Lab at Washington University and says that people often are not consciously aware that they harbor negative thoughts about certain groups.

These underlying thoughts, whether we're aware of them or not, influence our behavior. Lai includes microaggressions among these behaviors, and defines microaggressions as "verbal, behavioral or environmental negativity based on someone's group membership, be it race, gender, or otherwise."

The person who first coined the term "microaggression" was Harvard psychiatrist Chester Pierce back in 1970. Pierce wrote about how white racial aggression and violence against blacks works to keep blacks down in the U.S. He wrote that microaggressions are subtler compared to "a gross, dramatic, obvious macro-aggression such as lynching," but in the same way are meant to "brutalize, degrade, abuse, and humiliate another group of individuals." Pierce described racism as a mental illness, and argued that understanding these "small, continuous bombardments" is essential to treating the disease.

Since then, researchers have sought to further define microaggressions and their consequences. For example, psychologist Derald Wing Sue and his collaborators published a landmark paper in 2007 that laid out an entire framework for classifying different types of microaggressions and their impact. They gave examples of microaggressions such as being followed in a store or receiving poor service in a restaurant. They pointed out that even an expression like "I believe the most qualified person should get the job " could be considered a microaggression in certain contexts, for instance, to disparage affirmative action. And research links microaggressions to negative mental health outcomes such as lower life satisfaction and increased depression.

The microaggression terminology has gradually seeped into conversations about race in the mainstream media, college campuses and the workplace. A host of educational interventions have cropped up to meet the demand for solutions. For example, in 2018 Starbucks announced it would close its U.S. stores to provide anti-bias training to employees following an incident in which two black men were arrested at a store in Philadelphia after they declined to buy anything but wanted to wait in the cafe to meet a colleague.

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Are People Sometimes Just Overly Sensitive?

Use of the term "microaggression" has also been met with significant criticism. Some scholars argue that while it may be true that subtler forms of prejudice exist, the field has a long way to go in gathering robust evidence to support the theories proposed by Sue and others. Until then, they say it's premature for anyone to use the term microaggression, let alone claim they have already developed effective interventions.

"If Minority Group Member A interprets an ambiguous statement directed toward hersuch as 'I realize that you didn't have the same educational opportunities as most Whites, so I can understand why the first year of college has been challenging for you'  as patronizing or indirectly hostile, whereas Minority Group Member B interprets it as supportive or helpful, should it be classified as a microaggression? The MRP [microaggression research program] literature offers scant guidance in this regard," writes psychologist Scott O. Lilienfield of Emory University.

Other critics take issue with the idea that such small acts cause serious harm, especially when they are not ill-intended. They argue that some racial and ethnic minorities are being overly sensitive. But a study published in March 2019 found strong evidence that ethnic minorities are not any more sensitive to slights than white people. Both groups experienced the same decrease in happiness and life satisfaction after microaggressions. It's just that minorities experience microaggressions more often.

Lai of the Diversity Science Lab agrees with critics who say that the term is a bit fuzzy. It's nearly impossible to prove someone's intentions, and a lot depends on the context. What's reasonable, Lai says, is thinking about your local context and then doing research. For example, if you're a white doctor who primarily works in an African-American community, then you should educate yourself so that you can provide culturally competent service.

"You might not be acting out of implicit bias, you may just be ignorant," Lai says.

Yet, having a vocabulary to describe awkward situations is useful says Agnes An, an advertising professional who lives in New York City. She's Korean American and says she has experienced microaggressions in a variety of contexts  from the workplace to the dating scene.

"People will ask where I'm from and don't ask me anything else, that's it," she says. "Or when I respond, that's the remainder of the conversation, 'Oh I like K-Pop and kimchee,' when there are so many other aspects of me."

She says this happened a lot when she was growing up, but the term "microaggression" hadn't gone mainstream. She just ended up walking away from these interactions feeling bad. Now, An feels empowered to speak up.

"I appreciate that people have coined something because it's a recognition that it actually happened. It makes it real, and allows people to talk about it with each other," she says.

Now That's Interesting Sue and his colleagues argued that microaggressions are not limited to human interactions, and can also include interactions with the environment. One example they used in their 2007 paper was of a college or university with buildings all named after white heterosexual upper-class males. The implicit message? "You don't belong/You won't succeed here."
The Hope College Symphony Orchestra will perform Wednesday, April 17, at 7:30 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts.

The public is invited. Admission is free.

Works to be performed include Concerto Grosso op. 6, no. 2, by Archangelo Corelli; Loiseau de feu, by Igor Stravinsky; Serenade No. 6, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Capriccio Espagnol, op. 34, by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; and Uppin Adam, by Fred Sturm.

The orchestra is directed by Christopher Fashun. Fashun is an assistant professor of music at Hope, where he serves as the director of orchestras, the music director of the Brazilian Music Ensemble, the head of the string area and an instructor of instrumental music education. He has also served on the music faculties at St. Ambrose University and Goshen College. Additionally, his conducting experience includes leading orchestras and wind bands at the high school and middle school levels, and directing jazz ensembles, percussion ensembles and drumlines at the high school level.

The Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts is located at 221 Columbia Ave., between Ninth and 10th streets.
Houston-based Pason Power just inked a major deal that's giving it an edge in the industry. Getty Images
Remarks: This is one of the best-selling Christmas songs of all time in the US. It came out in 1994 but did not hit #1 in the US till 2019, and not in the ...

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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.




Ichabod explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, with an emphasis on UOJ, Church Growth, and Emergent Church heresies. The antidote to these poisons is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the mainline denominations.
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PSE plans to cut brokers ownership

posted April 09, 2019 at 08:30 pm by Jenniffer B. Austria April 09, 2019 at 08:30 pm

The Philippine Stock Exchange plans to issue preferred shares to prospective investors as a part of the plan to bring down brokers ownership in the exchange to 20 percent. PSE said in a regulatory filing its board of directors approved the plan to create preferred shares by reclassifying 14 million unissued common shares into 14 million preferred shares with a par value of P1 apiece. The proposed creation of preferred shares will be presented for shareholders approval during the companys stockholders meeting next month. The issuance of preferred shares will allow the company to attract prospective investors which will allow preference over common shareholders, in order to help bring down the broker ownership to 20 percent, PSE said.The voting preferred shares will be cumulative in payment of dividend, non-participating in any further dividends and non-convertible to common shares. PSE said earlier that brokers ownership in the exchange rose to 26.44 percent as of end-February 2019, higher than the 20-percent industry limit prescribed under the Securities Regulation Code.

COMMENT DISCLAIMER: Reader comments posted on this Web site are not in any way endorsed by Manila Standard. Comments are views by manilastandard.net readers who exercise their right to free expression and they do not necessarily represent or reflect the position or viewpoint of manilastandard.net. While reserving this publications right to delete comments that are deemed offensive, indecent or inconsistent with Manila Standard editorial standards, Manila Standard may not be held liable for any false information posted by readers in this comments section.
A-eye make-up

Photo & artworks credited to Tag Peleg

Kat friend Francesca Mazzi, from Queen Mary University London and Maastricht University, shares her feline musings on the implications of AI-generated make-up for copyright law.





The AI Empire strikes back. Open your Instagram account and you will discover intriguing pictures of Kylie Jenners half-painted face accompanied by captions written by Dazed Beauty, which reads: AI GENERATED MAKE-UP (see here ).





What does AI-generated make-up mean?





Dazed Beauty is a community platform dedicated to redefining the language and communication of beauty. The platform was launched by Dazed Media , an independent British media group specializing in fashion (see here ). Dazed Beauty uses Beauty_GAN, an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm written by two design studios (Selam X in Berlin and ART404 in New York City) to create hair and make-up looks without human intervention.





How does the algorithm work? Beauty_GAN is a generative adversarial network (aka GAN) that uses machine learning to produce imagery. This type of algorithm is made up of two components that, in effect, train each other. By processing data available online via social media, the first component studies shapes, colors and finishes of make-up and hair as well as human preferences for particular styles. The other component generates images that are then evaluated by the first component of the algorithm. The two components thus form a continuous feedback loop that enables the AI algorithm to learn and improve.





Jenner photographed by D Sannwald,

edited by Beauty_GAN

Here is an example of Kylie Jenner. Jenner was first photographed by Daniel Sannwald in a nude [read natural-looking] make-up style. Beauty_GAN subsequently modified the photograph by applying a new make-up style on Jenners face.





AI-making make-up follows a series of AI breakthroughs in art. One of the first pop albums composed by AI was released in 2017 (see here ), while one of the first clothing collections generated by AI was advertised last June 2018 (see here ). Also worthy of mention is the range of available AI-created paintings, with the first AI painting having been sold in auction (by Christies) in October 2018, going for $432,500 (see here ).





What about IP ?





Copyright sits there, amidst this buzzing swirl of AI creativity, wondering: do I subsist in any of those AI-generated creations in general? And, if so, do I exist in AI make-up, in particular?





Picture this scenario: I am the owner of a beauty company and I buy the algorithm that is able to produce so-called AI generated make-up. Do I also get some copyright protection in the creations generated by my AI? AI and make-up spell double trouble regarding copyright protection because neither type of creative expression is well settled in law. Further, the interpretation of the law on this question is likely to vary between jurisdictions.





Can AI be considered an author?





Naruto by Naruto

From the perspective of US law, it seems that the author must be human to be recognized as such under copyright. How do we know that? Thanks to Naruto, the macaque that took a selfie, with the camera of an English photographer in Indonesia. No luck for the Englishman in New York, as the selfie was declared unprotectable by a US court because it was shot by a non-human [see here , here and here for previous posts on this case]. It follows from this interpretation of the law that no copyright would likely be found in AI-generated works in the US, as the technology and the law currently stand.





What about Europe? Considering the traditional focus on the mythical figure of the author in civil law countries, it would be reasonable to assume that a European court would be unlikely to recognize copyright protection where there is no human involved.





However, countries with a common law tradition may take us down a different path. In the UK, for example, the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (CDPA) provides that the person who makes the necessary arrangements for computer-generated works shall be the one who receives protection for it (see Section 9(3) ). Having said that, it should be stressed that this provision was added in 1988, when AI technology was far from being able to produce creative works with the degree of autonomy it enjoys today, and therefore it should not be taken for granted that AI generated works might nevertheless fall within such category.





Is make-up copyrightable or not?





In the UK, the High Court ruled in the Adam Ant case that [f]acial make-up was not a painting within section 3 of the Copyright Act [referring here to the 1956 Copyright Act, which was subsequently repealed and replaced by Section 4 of the CDPA] (see Merchandising Corporation of America v Harpbond [1983] FSR 32 ) . The court held that 

[p]ainting was not defined in the Act but was a word in the ordinary usage of the English language, adding that [i]t was a question of fact in any particular case whether what was being considered was or was not a painting (at 33).

In this case, the surface played a critical role in assessing whether facial make-up could be a painting within the meaning of copyright law. The court explained:

a painting must be on a surface. If there were a painting in this case it must be the make-up marks plus the second plaintiff's face. If the marks were taken off the face, there could not be a painting. (at 33)

The court also suggested that if the design of facial make-up was drawn on paper, then it may receive copyright protection as a sketch or a drawing, but then, of course, the issue of the surface discussed above is resolved.





Adam Ant wearing his

"Prince Charming" look & make-up

Other jurisdictions adopting an open approach towards what may constitute a copyright work are also likely to extend copyright protection to make-up. Taking the example of France, such an interpretation of copyright law would be facilitated by the fact that: (a) the French Intellectual Property Code does not require that a creative work fit within a pre-defined category of protectable work, such as a painting (unlike the UK), so a court there would not be put in the position of debating the existence of an appropriate surface in facial make-up; and (b) fixation is not required for a copyright work to be protected.





Recent developments in Argentinian jurisprudence would also suggest that copyright protection for make-up work may be on the horizon. In 2011, a court there dealt with a case where the publisher of a magazine had named the wrong person in the credits for the make-up work (see, Judicial resolution "Expte. N 93.864/2011. "M., M. d. C. c/ H., A. R. s/ danos y perjuicios". Juzgado N 28, here ).





Cat "beautified"

via SnapChat

In first instance, the court considered that the make-up styling at hand was not sufficiently original to be protected by copyright. On appeal, the court affirmed this interpretation of the law, but recognized that the make-up artist had suffered moral and economic ( lucro cessante ) prejudice for not being credited for his work. The court of appeal noted the business needs of make-up artists in the industry, the value of make-up art in the fashion sector, and artists expectations to be credited, in justifying compensation for the absence of attribution.




know, a few days ago the European Parliament adopted the latest version of the draft Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market ('DSM Directive'). In a few days' time, the Council will cast the last vote on it and, after that, it will be published on the EU Official Journal. Individual Member States will then have 24 months to transpose this new piece of EU legislation into their own laws. As IPKat readers, a few days ago the European Parliament adoptedof the draft Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market ('DSM Directive'). In a few days' time, the Council will cast the last vote on it and, after that, it will be published on the EU Official Journal. Individual Member States will then have 24 months to transpose this new piece of EU legislation into their own laws.





[previous episodes, here and here , to address a number of points raised by the provisions contained in the directive. The IPKat is now running a DSM Directive Series, to address a number of points raised by the provisions contained in the directive.





Today I would like to address a provision, Article 14, that was not present in the original proposal, and was inserted quite late in the legislative process. It relates to "Works of visual art in the public domain":

Member States shall provide that, when the term of protection of a work of visual art has expired, any material resulting from an act of reproduction of that work is not subject to copyright or related rights, unless the material resulting from that act of reproduction is original in the sense that it is the author's own intellectual creation.

The rationale of this provision is explained in Recital 53:

... In the field of visual arts, the circulation of faithful reproductions of works in the public domain contributes to the access to and promotion of culture, and the access to cultural heritage. In the digital environment, the protection of such reproductions through copyright or related rights is inconsistent with the expiry of the copyright protection of works. In addition, differences between the national copyright laws governing the protection of such reproductions give rise to legal uncertainty and affect the cross-border dissemination of works of visual arts in the public domain. Certain reproductions of works of visual arts in the public domain should, therefore, not be protected by copyright or related rights. All of that should not prevent cultural heritage institutions from selling reproductions, such as postcards.

inter alia - in relation to Article 14. The first is whether, insofar as copyright is concerned, this provision represents a change in the law or, instead, a mere clarification thereof. The second is whether this provisions provides any broader teachings as regards copyright subsistence. The third is what relationship there is between Article 14 and Article 6 in the Term Directive. Three questions may arise -- in relation to Article 14. The first is whether, insofar as copyright is concerned, this provision represents a change in the law or, instead, a mere clarification thereof. The second is whether this provisions provides any broader teachings as regards copyright subsistence. The third is what relationship there is between Article 14 and Article 6 in the





Article 14: a change or a clarification?





here, whether the concept of originality as mandated by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in Infopaq and its progeny allows Member States to protect - by means of copyright - verbatim reproductions of public domain artworks. This blog has discussed on a number of occasions, eg, whether the concept of originality as mandated by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) inand its progeny allows Member States to protect - by means of copyright - verbatim reproductions of public domain artworks.





[see here for a recent application in the Netherlands] . The answer appears to be in the negative: to satisfy the required originality it is necessary that a work be its 'author's own intellectual creation', as resulting from 'free and creative choices' so that the 'personal touch' of the author is visible in the creative result





In this sense, therefore, Article 14 is a clarification - rather than a change - in the law as it already exists or - rather, as it has been developed by the CJEU. A simple reproduction of a work in the public domain is not sufficient to create a new copyright.





Hence, copyright notices like those below will - hopefully - disappear:

Broader teachings: a codification of CJEU case law on originality





The provision is also important because it somewhat codifies CJEU case law on originality. In fact , Article 14 relates the standard of originality required for copyright protection to the concept of 'author's own intellectual creation' in relation to 'any material resulting from an act of reproduction' (emphasis added).





Infopaq decision, the CJEU de facto harmonized this requirement for copyright protection and made the 'author's own intellectual creation' threshold applicable also to works falling within the scope of the InfoSoc Directive. So far, there has been a formal harmonization of the standard of originality only for computer programs, databases, and photographs. In its landmarkdecision, the CJEU de facto harmonized this requirement for copyright protection and made the 'author's own intellectual creation' threshold applicable also to works falling within the scope of the





Article 14 of the DSM Directive - though within the (limited) remit of reproductions of works of visual art - appears to assume that, under EU copyright, protection only arises when a work - 'a material' - is sufficiently original in the sense clarified by the CJEU.





This is in any case a welcome clarification, especially for those Member States (like the UK) that have traditionally envisaged a lower standard of protection, ie 'sufficient skill, labour or effort', and whose courts have showed a certain resistance towards the embracing the CJEU-mandated concept of originality





Relationship with Term Directive





The Term Directive is a piece of EU legislation that the DSM Directive neither leaves unaffected (see Article 1 and Recital 4), nor does it amend explicitly (see Article 24).





Article 6 of the Term Directive so provides:

Photographs which are original in the sense that they are the author's own intellectual creation shall be protected in accordance with Article 1. No other criteria shall be applied to determine their eligibility for protection. Member States may provide for the protection of other photographs.

here and This provision explicitly allows EU Member States to protect both original photographs (by means of copyright) and sub-original photographs (by means of related rights; recently this blog reported on the German Federal Court of Justice's decision concerning protection of digitzed images of works in the public domain:and here ).





With the introduction of Article 14 of the DSM Directive, the question that arises is whether and to what extent the possibility made available by the Term Directive of related rights in sub-original photographs has been affected by this new provision.





It would appear that a related right (if any) recognized by a certain Member State is due to become unavailable insofar as the photograph at issue is of a work of visual art in the public domain, but it might not go beyond that.





recognizes a 20-year right over simple photographs. With the implementation in Italy of the DSM Directive, something like my dinner: So, for instance, the Italian Copyright Acta 20-year right over simple photographs. With the implementation in Italy of the DSM Directive, something like my dinner:









might continue enjoying protection for the next 20 years (as the photograph is not, arguably, of a work of art), while this:









would be outside the scope of the right (to be noted that, already now, the Galleria degli Uffizi - unlike, eg, the National Portrait Gallery or Musee d'Orsay - does not claim to hold any copyright over the digitized image of this masterpiece by Botticelli).





***
The Securities and Exchange Commission issued draft guidelines on the revival of corporations whose terms had expired prior to the enactment of Republic Act No. 11232 or the Revised Corporation Code of the Philippines. The SEC said in a statement the proposed guidelines on the revival of expired corporations were pursuant to Section 11 of the Revised Corporation Code which provides for the perpetual existence of corporations. It said that as a part of the shift to a perpetual corporate term, the Revised Corporation Code allows an expired corporation to apply for the revival of its existence, together with all the rights and privileges under its certificate of incorporation and subject to all of its duties, debts and liabilities existing prior to its revival.The revival of expired corporations will ultimately benefit our society. This will translate to more market players competing, introducing innovations and more choices, and creating employment opportunities, among others, SEC chairman Emilio Aquino said. Under the draft guidelines, an expired corporation seeking to revive its existence should file with the corporate regulator a verified petition for revival, signed by a majority of the board of directors or trustees, the corporate secretary and corporate treasurer.




-- Well-known marks are famous (pun intended) for counting on extra legal protection. Which is why the 6th Civil Chamber of the Justice Court in Rio Grande do Sul has ruled in favor of the Brazilian insurance company, GBOEX and ordered ( here ) the owner (also being a partner in the company) of a blog site to remove the trademark GBOEX from the blog, as well as to refrain from further use. The blog in question ( here ) was devoted to exposing uncomfortable information about the company, which in turn, sued on the basis of confusion and surprisingly, dilution. Despite the defendant's allegations that the mark was not being used for commercial purposes, the court ruled in favor of the plaintiff.-- The Chilean National Institute of Industrial Property (INAPI) has released an official communication ( here ) regarding its performance as an ISA/IPEA for the PCT system. Designations for international searches increased 45% (380 designations) as compared to 2017. Currently, the INAPI offers its services as an ISA/IPEA for 12 countries, namely Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Republica Dominicana and Trinidad and Tobago. Mr. Henry Crew, head of the INAPI PCT Department, has stated that all processes have been certified under the ISO 9001:2015 standards.-- Ecuadorian authorities have signed an inter-ministerial agreement for the promotion and protection of denominations of origin. For this purpose, a working group has been established to identify appropriate producers and to advise them on obtaining a DO registration and how to benefit from it.-- INPI and DKPTO (Denmark) have agreed ( here ) on a Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot program. The program, which began on March 19th 2019, will be tested for a three- year period. Based on the memorandum of understanding, the program is still thin on legal details. However, it already will enable Argentinean inventors to facilitate their international applications, at least in Denmark, since Argentina is not a member of the PCT.-- The 9th Civil Chamber of the Justice Court of Rio de Janeiro has ruled unanimously in favor of Joao Gilberto ("father" of the bossa nova) in his legal battle against Universal Music. The decision ( here ) granted to Gilberto approximately 40 million euros for unpaid royalties back to 1964 as well as for moral damages. This case dates back to almost two decades and is related to the copyright in Chega de saudade (1959), O amor, o sorriso e a flor (1960), and Joao Gilberto (1961), the three first albums that EMI published for Gilberto. In a tangled acquisition of EMI by Universal Music, Gilbertos rights somehow got lost in transition, leading to legal action. If upheld upon the filing of any appeal, Gilberto will only receive part of the entire compensation awarded, because Bank Opportunity is entitled to one-half of the total sum as per an agreement with the musician ( here ) to assist him with the litigation costs.Picture by Tuca Vieira and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 2.0 Generic license.
The Associated Press provided an account of that summit and the document that emerged as a statement of the participants collective positions, and it indicated that at least some of the European Unions leadership was disappointed with glaring omissions such as the lack of reference to a United Nations resolution expressing support for the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in May of last year, triggering the re-imposition of sanctions on Iranian exports in two phases, in August and November. Since then, the remaining signatories have been working to keep the agreement in force despite the American absence. These include the E3 group consisting of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, each of which are also members of both the G-7 and the EU, pending the UKs contentious exit from the latter.

Over the past year, Iran has expressed dissatisfaction with the E3s contributions to the future of the JCPOA, and last week Irans Foreign Minister Javad Zarif went so far as to declare that the EU is both unwilling and incapable of defying US sanctions or other American policy initiatives. The UK, France, and Germany did jointly set up a special purpose vehicle for transactions with the Islamic Republic early this year, but it has yet to actually be utilized.

While the inactivity of the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges is partly attributable to Irans refusal to comply with the anti-money laundering standards of the Financial Action Task Force, it is also potentially indicative of European hesitance to enable Irans financial recovery in the midst of persistent malign behavior on the global stage, including provocative ballistic missile tests and an imperializing influence over regional affairs.

In this context, the lack of consensus on Iranian affairs at the G-7 was arguably further evidence of the growth of European skepticism about the future of Western relations with the Islamic Republic. This seems especially likely in view of the fact that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was absent from the Dinard summit and therefore unable to exert pressure on fellow G-7 states to accommodate the assertive Iran policy that has been spearheaded by the Trump administration.

Officially, the European Union remains committed to upholding the nuclear deal and working cooperatively with Iran on key areas of concern. But individual member states have taken steps on their own to condemn Irans support of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, its violation of the UN Security Council resolution calling for a halt to ballistic missile activities, and its ongoing support of terrorism and Islamic extremism.

This latter issue became part of the concluding document of the G-7 gathering, but was also a source of tension regarding collective attitudes about the future of Iran policy. An EU officials who spoke to the AP about the summit described the language of that section as exceeding the language that the EU tends to use. However, member states willingness to condemn Irans continuing support for terrorist organizations and armed militias has naturally increased since 2018, at which time half a dozen credible threats of Iranian terrorism were uncovered across Europe and the US. These included plans for the bombing of an Iranian expatriate rally near Paris and for a series of assassinations of opposition figures in Denmark.

The assassination threats generated renewed outcry from the Netherlands over successful and attempted assassinations in that country in recent years, and this in turn led to the only recent instance of the EU collectively applying new sanctions on Irans intelligence service over its connections to terrorism.

This collective action entailed the adoption of sanctions that had already been applied unilaterally by France in the wake of its investigation into the Paris bomb plot. The French government also acted unilaterally last month to sanction Mahan Airlines, Irans second largest carrier and a suspected conduit for military transport and arms smuggling associated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

On Monday, the White House announced that it would be designating the entirety of the IRGC as a terrorist organization and sanctioning anyone who does business with its affiliates or provides it with material support. American officials described this as the latest contribution to their strategy of maximum pressure on the Islamic Republic, which will ultimately depend upon buy-in from US allies in Europe and throughout the world. To the extent that the G-7 meeting shows progress toward that consensus among allies, it may reinforce Irans commitment to abandoning the West and turning toward other potential sources of support.

This commitment was clearly expressed by Foreign Minister Zarif in his remarks last week, which referred specifically to eastern partners such as China and Russia. At the same time, the Islamic Republic is reportedly working to build relations with other adversaries of the US, including those in the Western hemisphere.

Having recently lost access to the French and German markets, Mahan Airlines has just begun offering direct flights to Venezuela, according to the Associated Press. The first such flight carried a Foreign Ministry delegation to the South American country, where the Trump administration is using economic sanctions as part of an effort to compel the government to push out the dictator Nicolas Maduro and hand over power to opposition leader Juan Guaido.
Previous administrations had contemplated a similar action, but sanctions have so far been applied only to the foreign special operations branch of the organization, the IRGC Quds Force. Some critics of the Iranian regime have dismissed those sanctions as ineffectual half-measures. For instance, the National Council of Resistance of Iran has long held that the actions of the Quds Force are fundamentally inseparable from those of the IRGC as a whole.

The NCRI coalitions main constituent group, the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran has also gathered intelligence to show that the IRGC controls the majority of Irans gross domestic product, making it extremely difficult to isolate those revenue streams that end up contributing to imperialist foreign policy activities like Irans defense of the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad or its instigation of the Yemeni Civil War through IRGC-backed Houthi militants.

These sorts of activities were highlighted in President Trumps statement to support his description of the IRGC as the primary tool of Irans global terrorist initiatives. Paralleling oft-repeated NCRI talking points, the president also explained that the IRGC blacklist recognizes the reality of Irans tendency to use terrorism as a tool of statecraft.

In 2018, at least half a dozen Iranian terror plots were thwarted in Europe and North America, including the planned bombing of an international rally organized near Paris by the NCRI on June 30. The revelation of such plots may have hastened and helped to justify the White Houses decision, just as it motivated the European Union to impose sanctions on Irans intelligence service and some of its known operatives.

Those sanctions and the accompanying public criticism of the Islamic Republic contributed to a notable downturn in relations between it and the nations of Europe. Last week, Irans Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Foreign Minister Javad Zarif  ostensibly representatives of opposing political factions  both offered sharp public criticism of the West, suggesting for instance that the EU was incapable of standing up to the US over the issue of sanctions which were re-imposed after Trumps withdrawal last year from the seven-party Iran nuclear agreement.

Tehran has repeatedly threatened to walk away from that deal itself, if it failed to receive financial benefits from the Europeans in line with what Khamenei and his advisors deemed appropriate. At the same time, the Iranians have threatened to close off the Strait of Hormuz and have more vaguely threatened retaliation for each major action taken by the US government in service of the Trump administrations strategy of maximum pressure.

In an interview with Fox News, State Department deputy spokesperson Hogan Gidley stated in no uncertain terms that the forthcoming sanctions on the IRGC are part of that strategys development. Gidley also emphasized that the Iranian economy is already in freefall, owing to the regimes chronic mismanagement and the amplifying effects of the sanctions that have already been put in place. Meanwhile, supporters of these and other sanctions maintain that their effects tend to be limited to regime institutions, and do not generally extend to the civilian population, on account of the misplaced priorities of the Islamist regime.

In spite of the extensive control that the IRGC exerts over much of the Iranian economy, the Los Angeles Times stated that the pending blacklist can be expected to have limited impact. However, the same report goes on to set the stage for a debate over the strategic wisdom of the emerging plan, which could arguably complicate US military and diplomatic work as it concerns areas of Iranian influence in the broader region.

There is little question that the IRGC terror designation will intensify Iranian actions and statements against the US. Already, Iranian state media has declared the relevant sanctions unwise and illegal, and a threat to regional peace and stability. It is unclear whether the latter remarks were intended to suggest that the IRGCs foreign role is beneficial to the Middle East, to convey a vague threat at the hands of the group, or both. But a threatening interpretation of those remarks is certainly suggested by some of the accompanying public statements emanating from Tehran.

UPI reported, for instance, that a collective statement by Iranian lawmakers had promised that the nations retaliation would make the US regret the stupid move. The same report quoted Foreign Minister Zarif as saying that the American policy would constitute a disaster for US interests. Meanwhile, to the extent that Iranian state media intended to convey the message that neighboring countries should embrace the IRGC, this was contradicted by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, whom UPI quoted as saying, masquerades as a legitimate military organization when in fact it is purely a terrorist entity tasked with spreading Irans Islamic revolution both within Iranian society and beyond the countrys borders.

In spite of this professed role, or perhaps because of it, the IRGC has succeeded in finding regional partners, and this is arguably a major part of the reason why the Trump administration saw fit to take the unprecedented step of sanctioning a group that professes to be a state military institution. But these partnerships are also the basis of the LA Times aforementioned warning about the potential complications associated with the White Houses newest measures.

Those complications may prove to be especially apparent in Iraq, which has lately become a battleground for competing American and Iranian influences. IRGC-linked Shiite militias became entrenched in that country against the backdrop of the multilateral war against Sunni militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. And as a result, the Iranian proxies have successfully fielded candidates for high office, thereby acquiring enough political capital to explicitly challenge the presence of US assets.

These challenges have been openly encouraged by leading Iranian political figures including Supreme Leader Khamenei, who once again spoke out on the issue on Saturday, at the time of a trip to Tehran by Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi. As Reuters reported, Khamenei urged the Iraqi government to demand US forces depart as soon as possible, then attempted to convince Baghdad of an American conspiracy to remove Iraqi politicians who represent a threat to American interests.

As if to reinforce that message while also retaliating directly against the White Houses newest sanctions, Irans Supreme National Security Council reportedly issued its own terrorist designation for the entire US military. But neither this gesture nor the American action that instigated it are likely to exert much influence on the opinions of other regional actors. Indeed, existing allies and adversaries of the Islamic Republic have already publicly expressed their support for one of the two competing designations, as evidenced by reports that the Bahraini Foreign Ministry had welcomed the IRGC terror designation, recognizing the group as a source of support for Shiite militants opposing that nations Sunni leadership.

Naturally, the American sanctions will have a greater practical impact simply by virtue of the size of the American economy. But Iraq and some other countries of the region are sufficiently dependent upon Iranian trade that they will not be able to simply disregard Tehrans retaliatory measures. The White House is no doubt committed to diminishing that dependency, especially in the wake of the Iranian regimes efforts to foster it. During Mahdis trip to Tehran, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani boasted of plans to boost trade between the two countries from 12 billion dollars per year to 20 billion. Mahdi himself endorsed the plan, as well as embracing a declaration of shared security interests during a joint press conference.

Countering these trends will presumably require more than just the force of US sanctions. And it is largely for this reason that some Western officials have been quick to express doubts about the White Houses plan. Elaborating upon the warnings that were conveyed in the LA Times, the Associated Press reported that American intelligence agencies have urged the provision of waivers that would allow government entities and US allies to communicate with persons who have had contact with the IRGC, so as to challenge its influence directly.

Although there is presently no clear indication that such waivers are forthcoming, there is also no reason to assume that they will not be. In fact, it is possible that the current situation will parallel the re-imposition of sanctions that had been suspended under the 2015 nuclear deal. At the time of US withdrawal, the Trump administration expressed the desire to withhold all waivers for secondary sanctions on the Iranian oil industry. But by the time those sanctions came into force in November, waivers had been granted to the eight largest importers, reflecting a practical adjustment to the realities of the global petroleum market.

There has almost certainly been ample time for concerned parties to make the case for a similar compromise on maximum pressure where enforcement of the IRGC blacklist is concerned. In an editorial for Fox News, Brett Velicovich wrote that the White Houses move comes as no surprise to intelligence professionals like myself who have known for a long time the pure evil of the Iranian regime. And regardless of practical concerns about the effects of the terror designation, Velicovich entertains no doubt that the IRGC would be responsible for more deaths and more instability if we let them continue unchecked globally and that the US blacklist of the group is therefore long overdue.
Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. said it aims to sell another 1 million vehicles in the next decade despite challenges to the industry led by the tax reform program. MMPC president and chief executive Mutsuhiro Oshikiri said achieving another 1 million vehicle sales would be possible with the push for the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy program of the government. What we achieved in 44 years, I believe we can do it again in 10 to 11 years. In 11 years well have as much as 2 million units sold in the Philippines, he said in a briefing Monday night prior to Mitsubishis 1 million sales celebration in Makati City. The dream sales projection, he said, would also improve the companys market share to at least 20 percent. Mitsubishis current market share in the local auto sector is about 16.5 percent. The company said its plan to export the Mirage, its official entry to the auto incentives program, would help achieve bigger sales in the near term. Oshikiri said the mother company in Japan was assessing the prospects of bringing the Mirage to other Southeast Asian countries. MMPC sales dropped 8.3 percent in 2018 to 67,512 vehicles from 73,590 units in 2017 following the implementation of the first package of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law that effectively increased the excise taxes on vehicles.The company expects sales to remain flat in 2019 and rebound by late 2020. The company is also working on making electric vehicles and hybrid models more accessible and affordable to Filipinos. Pure electric vehicles are exempted from excise taxes in the Philippines, but plug-in hybrid electric vehicles pay 50-percent of the applicable excise tax. Mitsubishi is currently coordinating with the Trade Department and other agencies to help the industry negotiate for the removal of customs duties and bring down the cost of acquiring hybrid vehicles. Results of a joint study by Mitsubishi and government agencies will be out within the month to determine how hybrid vehicle makers can reduce the cost of unit acquisition and increase its footprint in the Philippines.
The government has started implementing development projects at Vigan Airport to further boost the tourism industry and trade activities in the city and other areas in the Ilocos Region. On Monday, officials of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Department of National Defense, the Armed Forces and provincial government of Ilocos Sur led the groundbreaking ceremony of the airports runway extension project. Once completed, the P69-million project will enable Vigan Airport to cater to bigger aircraft, which means more flights and more passengers for the airport. CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio said the infrastructure development project of Vigan Airport was launched to address the growing demand for improvement in the airport serving the general area of the Ilocos Region. He added that aside from the runway extension, projects such as the runway site acquisition, expansion of Passenger Terminal Building, construction of an Administration Building, and improvement of Vehicle Parking Area are also in the works. Transportation Undersecretary for Aviation and Airports Manuel Antonio Tamayo also said: When we build and improve our nations airports, we are also building platforms for mobility and connectivity that usher in economic and social development. Through this project, Vigan will be more accessible to Filipinos who wish to witness its historical charm. And we know that with more people coming in to Vigan, more jobs come to life for our kababayans, added Tamayo.The Vigan Airport Development Project is among four airport projects that proceed from the Memorandum of Agreement signed by the Transportation department and the DND in November 2018. The Armed Forces Task Force for Infrastructure Development, headed by M/Gen. Felipe Bejar will implement the airport projects through funds downloaded from the department. Vigan Airport, classified by CAAP as a community airport, presently caters to general aviation aircraft. In just a span of two years, passenger volume has tripled in Vigan. From a record of 14,645 passengers in 2016, the airport was able to register 47,856 passengers for 2018, a compelling indication that Vigan is swiftly gaining an influx of passengers. The City of Vigan, which also serves as the provinces capital, is located on the western coast of the island of Luzon, facing the South China Sea. Well-known for being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city boasts of cobblestone streets and unique architecture that fuses Philippine building design with colonial European architecture.
"What are we, part of their commonwealth? Senate President Vicente Sotto III, questioning the perceived meddling of 5 US senators in domestic affairs of the country

Senate President Vicente Sotto III bristled Sunday at a resolution filed by five American senators calling for the release of Senator Leila de Lima and the dropping of charges against Rappler chief executive Maria Ressa . What are we, part of their commonwealth? Sotto said in Filipino, referring to days when the Philippines was a colony of the United States. Sotto said the US lawmakers didnt even know how the judiciary works. If we file a resolution asking them to release a suspect, will they agree? he added. In a six-page resolution, US Senators Marco Rubio, Edward Markey, Richard Durbin, Marsha Blackburn, and Chris Coons asked the Philippine government to remove the restrictions on the personal and work conditions of De Lima and allow her to fully discharge her legislative mandate, especially as chairperson of the committee on social justice. De Lima is standing trial on drug charges after she was accused of receiving drug money from drug lords inside the New Bilibid Prison to bankroll her senatorial bid in the 2016 elections. The American senators also urged the government to guarantee freedom of the press by dropping the charges against Ressa. De Lima thanked five members of the US Senate for their concern over the human rights situation in the Philippines and for calling for her release from illegal detention over trumped-up drug charges. De Lima, the first prominent prisoner under the Duterte regime, said she greatly appreciates the time they devoted in examining the situation in the country and in calling out the political persecution she is subjected to under the Duterte regime. The five US senators also pressed the Duterte administration to value press freedom and drop all the charges against Ressa, whose online news service has been critical of the government. The Duterte government [c]ontinues to chip away at respect for fundamental freedoms and human rights. This bipartisan resolution condemns their governments troubling behavior and calls for the release of political prisoners, including Senator de Lima, and journalists who have been imprisoned under bogus charges, Durbin said. Markey lamented how the Duterte government is turning the law against the very voices promoting the rights of the Philippine people instead of working to hold human rights offenders accountable for their crimes.De Lima, a former justice secretary, said she continues to see the support she is receiving from different organizations and personalities as a great source of hope which drives her to remain steadfast in lending her voice to the causes of human rights. Amid the vilification before the whole world by the most powerful official in the Philippines, I stand here fighting, knowing that there are still many out there who believe in me and my causes, she said. Criticisms over the support Im getting from the international community, much less the US Senate, will never remove the fact that the five senators and other foreign dignitaries before them are speaking in behalf of all the unjustly treated human rights defenders in the Philippines, she said. Instead of bewailing their alleged meddling, those who negatively reacted to the US Senators move should recognize that these foreign entities are simply advancing universal causes of justice, human rights, and democracy, De Lima added. The Department of Justice on Tuesday turned down the call of the US senators. Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the appeal of American senators was hinged on the wrong premise that the rights of De Lima and Ressa were violated in their criminal indictment before the courts. These five US senators have obviously been fed with wrong information, Guevarra said. The Justice Secretary pointed out that cases against De Lima and Ressa involve illegal drugs and tax evasion, libel and dummy , respectively, and have nothing to do with human rights of press freedom as claimed by the US senators. Guevarra said De Lima and Ressa were accorded due process and given opportunities to answer the charges against them during preliminary investigations at the DOJ. Senator De Lima and Maria Ressa were charged with violation of Philippine laws, were given ample opportunity to present controverting evidence and were found to be probably guilty of the crimes charged. They are now undergoing a fair trial in a court of law, he said. Human rights and freedom of the press have nothing to do with it, as they continue to relentlessly attack and badmouth the government to this very day. The Philippine press is probably the freest in this part of the world, he said. The DOJ chief also rejected the senators call for the release of De Lima and Ressa from jail, believing they were misinformed. De Lima is not detained in a crowded city jail and Ressa is out on bail. Where should they be released from? Being a senator or journalist does not put them above the law, he said.
- Vic Sotto took Pauleen Luna and baby Tali Sotto to Los Angeles, California

- Some of their family members were with them in their USA vacation

- Photos and videos from their vacation went viral online

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Vic Sotto took his wife Pauleen Luna-Sotto, their daughter Tali Sotto, and some of their family members to Los Angeles, California.

KAMI learned that photos and clips from their awesome USA vacation went viral on social media.

One video shows Tali eating while waiting for their flight at an airport.

Pauleen also revealed that she got stressed because Tali only slept for two hours during their tiring 12-hour flight.

Photos of their arrival in the US were also uploaded, showing Tali inside a car with her parents.

She also bonded with mommy, daddy and lola in different locations in Los Angeles.

PAY ATTENTION: Using free basics app to access internet for free? Now you can read KAMI news there too. Use the search option to find us. Read KAMI news while saving your data!

KAMI previously reported that the celebrity family also had a vacation in Japan.

Vic Sotto and Pauleen Luna are both hosts of Eat Bulaga, the longest noontime variety program in the Philippines. Their daughter Tali Sotto is now one of the most popular celebrity babies in the country today, thanks to her viral social media photos and videos.

POPULAR: Read more news about Vic Sotto!

Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news!

What is the Tagalog of bag? We took to the streets to ask ordinary citizens some tricky and hilarious trivia questions. The answers we got are even more hilarious! Check out all of our exciting videos  on KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel!

Source: Kami.com.ph
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The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power announced its latest snowpack measurement in the Eastern Sierra Monday and it's at an encouraging 171% of what's considered normal (compared to the state reading of 153%).

It's a mark that matters because much of L.A.'s water supply comes from the snow that falls on the Eastern Sierra mountains, which is is ferried south via the Los Angeles Aqueduct when it melts.

But a surplus snowpack can actually present a different kind of challenge for Los Angeles water managers, who are getting ready to grapple with a bumper supply of water.

MOVING THE WATER

Think of the L.A. Aqueduct as a giant, 233-mile-long funnel capable of holding about 365,000 acre feet of water. That's about 70% of L.A.'s overall water demand.

It's not clear how much water this year's snowpack will produce, but the record snowpack in 2017 produced about one million acre feet of water. That's too much for a funnel only about one-third that size. That means that water managers have to figure out where to put the excess water as it melts off the mountains.

And the problem becomes potentially worse if a warm streak hits and melts the snow fast, said Anselmo Collins, who manages water operations for the L.A. Department of Water and Power.

The aqueduct could be overwhelmed, leading to flooding of roads and bridges in Inyo and Mono counties, along Highway 395.

Excess water could also flood and damage some $2 billion worth of dust control equipment and water control berms installed on the Owens Dry Lake Bed. The aqueduct takes water that would normally flow into the Owens Lake so all that equipment is important for preserving air quality in the region.

FLOOD CONTROL AND EMERGENCY DECLARATIONS

That 2017 surplus of water? Mayor Eric Garcetti actually declared a state of emergency to deal with it the historic 241% of normal at the time of his declaration, the most snow recorded since the Aqueduct was constructed in 1913. Later in the season the snowpack measured 204%, still twice as much as normal. The city spent $27 million to cope with the excess water.

A similar water emergency declaration won't be needed this year, Collins said. However they will duplicate some of the tactics of 2017 to deal with excess water.

For starters, DWP will route some of the water to spreading grounds in Mono and Inyo counties.

And some of the water will be used to recharge the water table in Los Angeles.

In 2017 the utility restored an old water tunnel called the Maclay High Line to move water from the end of the aqueduct near the I-5 in Sylmar to a flood control channel that feeds a water spreading ground in Pacoima. The tunnel has an interesting history, but had been taken out of service years ago.

WILL MY WATER BILL GO DOWN?

Yes, bills will go down a bit.

More water in the aqueduct means DWP doesn't have to buy as much imported water from the Metropolitan Water District. MWD has its own aqueducts that bring water from Northern California and the Colorado River.

During our drought years, purchased water from MWD has made up more than half the city water supply. But in this water-rich year, 70 percent of the city's water will come from the aqueduct. That leaves only about 30% of L.A.'s city water supply coming from Metropolitan's imported supply plus groundwater, recycled water and conservation, DWP spokeswoman Ellen Cheng said.

Less MWD water means a lower DWP bill. How much lower? The part of the bill that reflects purchased water will be about 25% lower, Cheng said.

DWP's board had already set the upcoming July through December rates with the added runoff in mind, so customers will get some benefit.

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly described the sources of non-aqueduct water that would be used in Los Angeles in the coming year.

This story is part of Elemental: Covering Sustainability, a multimedia collaboration between Cronkite News, Arizona PBS, KJZZ, KPCC, Rocky Mountain PBS and PBS SoCal.
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"A travesty."

"A tragic mistake"

"Suicide by architecture."

Those are a few of the reactions to LACMA's plan to tear down four of its older buildings, which date to the 1960s, and replace them with this, a broad, disc-like structure designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor.

The 2019 renderings for the new LACMA (Atelier Peter Zumthor & Partner)

The proposed new LACMA building (Photo courtesy Atelier Peter Zumthor & Partner)

A rendering of the building's interior (Photo Courtesy Atelier Peter Zumthor & Partner/The Boundary)

The current buildings are old and in need of renovation, according to LACMA director and CEO Michael Govan. So why are people so angry? Let's break it down.

THE DRAMA

LACMA's proposed new building has been a slow moving train of controversy since it was first announced six years ago.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is slated to vote Tuesday on whether or not to give the museum a humble $117.5 million to move forward with the plan (the total tab for the project is $650 million).

The structure would replace four older ones from the 1960s. The museum says they're too outdated and expensive to renovate although the renovation would cost less than building the new structure -- about $500 million, according to Govan.

Why has it taken so long? To answer that question, we have to travel back to 2013, when LACMA announced the plan and devoted an exhibition to the proposed structure. The original design, which looked like a giant, black amoeba, spanned both sides of Wilshire Blvd. and covered part of the La Brea Tar Pits.

Architect Peter Zumthor's 2013 LACMA building model, from the museum's exhibit. (Photo Courtesy Museum Associates at LACMA)

Zumthor was the main man behind the design. In 2009, when he won the prestigious Pritzker Prize (the Nobel of the architecture world), the jury told the New York Times that he only accepts a project "if he feels a deep affinity" for it, which makes sense given how long he's stuck with this LACMA plan.

Back then, Zumthor was best known for spending 30 years building a cave-like thermal spa in a Swiss commune, the interior of which looks eerily similar to the plans for the new LACMA building interiors.

Therme Vals, Zumthors thermal Swiss spa (Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

Here's Zumthor's current design for the LACMA interior. Look familiar? (Photo courtesy Atelier Peter Zumthor & Partner)

Zumthor described his LACMA design as "an organic shape, like a water lily." He and Govan had been brainstorming the idea since 2006, and they chose the blob based on the institution's proximity to the La Brea Tar Pits.

In the original proposal, the building had a back roof covered in solar panels.

"The idea is that the building is horizontal and can soak up the California sun," Galvan told KPCC when the plan was released. "It will give back more energy to the city than it uses."

While some critics liked the design -- Carolina Miranda of the Los Angeles Times compared it to the sleek Cylon Basestars in Battlestar Galactica -- others weren't fans of the building's dark-night-of-the-soul shade of black. The structure became known as "the inkblot."

The tar pit-inspired plan had another a flaw. Building a roof over an active archaeological site could interfere with the natural ecosystem.

In 2014, Zumthor released a new design. Architectural Record called it "The Blob That Ate Wilshire Boulevard". His 2016 model was criticized for looking like a boomerang.

NEW DESIGN, NEW PROBLEMS

The newest iteration of the design is getting flack for being basic. Critics say it's boring and tan. Miranda now says it, "bears the profile of a small-city airport terminal."

Critics are also unhappy because Zumthor's watered-down design will have less space to showcase LACMA's permanent collection.

The new structure is about 40,000 square-feet, or 10%, smaller than the original plan. That means the gallery space has shrunk from 121,000 square feet to 110,000 -- roughly the size of one exhibition hall.

And people still aren't happy about the shape. Some have compared it to a giant coffee table or a cartoon antler. Like the original design, the building crosses over Wilshire Boulevard. It's also only one story tall, which could make it hard to expand in the future. Due to size limitations, the offices of the museum's curatorial staff will be housed elsewhere.

Some critics have compared the shape of the new buildling design to a cartoon antler. (Photo courtesy Atelier Peter Zumthor & Partner)

L.A. Times art critic Christopher Knight has been an outspoken critic of the building since the new design was released last week. He called it the Incredible Shrinking Museum in a recent review.

"I do not know of another art museum, anywhere, that has ever raised hundreds of millions of dollars to have less gallery space than they started with," he told AirTalk on Monday.

L.A. Times readers responded with similar disdain. One reader, in a letter to the newspaper said, "The new structure looks like a motel that you'd find somewhere on Sunset Boulevard in the 1950s or '60s."

The Los Angeles Review of Books chimed in with an unfavorable analysis: "If you think disastrous shutdowns occur only in Washington, just drive over to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art."

Govan responded to that criticism by saying, "These projects are really complicated," and he compared it to other big cities' museum revamps, claiming LACMA's proposed rebuild isn't outrageous. The Whitney in New York City cost at least $750 million, Govan said.

"It's four-to-one private money," Govan said. "The taxpayers' money is a fraction. In fact, the taxpayers are investing far less than half of what it would cost them to repair the visible repairs of the old buildings that the county owns."

The new design, he said, is more attractive and exciting to donors, who wouldn't be as enticed to give money to fix the old building.

But some taxpayers want more than 25% of a say in the design.

"L.A. needs a BIG museum for the future not the vision of a couple of people, no matter how great," said Norma Edwards, in a letter to KPCC.

Members of the public will be allowed to deliver short statements at Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting.

Meanwhile, Knight wrote a new editorial asking supervisors to reject the plan altogether and start from scratch.

ENTER BRAD PITT

Even after all the not-so-subtle naysaying from California's most prominent art and architecture critics-- even New York Magazine's Jerry Saltz implored the L.A. art world to stop the Board of Supervisors from approving the design---almost all of the public speakers at the hearing were there to testify in support of the new building during the public comment period.

LA Art World: Implore your Board of Supervisors to stop this tragic mistake; stand-up for one of the world's great encyclopedic museums & against @LACMA Director Michael Govan's catastrophic breaking faith with art. https://t.co/XDDRhC52D9! pic.twitter.com/WWxpuqlDKh  Jerry Saltz (@jerrysaltz) April 8, 2019

Among them were some recognizable faces. Yes, Brad Pitt and Diane Keaton actually went to a Board of Supervisors meeting.

Ok weve started public comment. Audible murmur in the room when Brad Pitts name is called. Others waiting to speak lined up at the door to the stand. @LAist @KPCC pic.twitter.com/gyP24xPIbu  Emily Elena Dugdale (she/her) (@eedugdale) April 9, 2019

Pitt said he supported the new design, saying it would be a "jewel" of the city.

"I love architecture, so I'm excited to be here," says Brad Pitt, who is the first person at the LACMA hearing to pronounce Zumthor correctly. pic.twitter.com/hYIXVZmXAL  Alissa Walker (@awalkerinLA) April 9, 2019

Keaton, who is still rocking the Annie Hall style hat (as well as indoor sunglasses), ended her call for support of the LACMA design with enthusiasm: "I'm so excited! I don't have anything else to say. Yay, L.A!."

Among the celebrities, there are a lot of words of support from artists, architects, LACMA employees, and other LACMA institutions. There's really no opposition. But almost everyone is either affiliated with LACMA... or a celebrity.  Alissa Walker (@awalkerinLA) April 9, 2019

The Supervisors spoke with equal praise of LACMA's proposal.

"It's a lot of money that the county is investing, but I am proud that the county has been one of the early partners in this effort," said County Board Chair Janie Hahn.

Govan also spoke. "Our staff is very confident that this is the right amount of space," he said, noting that LACMA also sends collections outside of the museum.

"This architect, Mr. Zumthor, has been honored with 16 awards," says Diane Keaton, name-checking the Pritzker and RIBA. "So if you were an actor, that means you would have won 14 Academy Awards, which is never going to happen. So I think we're sitting pretty." pic.twitter.com/aFxu9QwzjF  Alissa Walker (@awalkerinLA) April 9, 2019

Other celebrities expressed their support via social media. Ryan Seacrest, who is actually a LACMA board member, took a break from tweeting about "American Idol" to praise the museum's vision.

Such an exciting read about the future of @LACMA! This new vision will make room for more inspiring collections, create a better experience for visitors, and contribute to the artistic life of LA. #InvestmentInTheArts #BuildingLACMA https://t.co/kucFJJVh3D  Ryan Seacrest (@RyanSeacrest) April 8, 2019

THE RESULT?

The decision was unanimous-- LACMA will receive $117.5 million in county funds to put towards the $650 million project.

Supervisor Sheila Kuehl released a statement on the vote:

"The County Museum hosts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, and this design--transparent, open, and unilevel -- will enhance their enjoyment and experience of our culturally diverse art and create a welcoming space for all ages and backgrounds. The design and its ambitions reflect the LA County of today and LA County's cultural leadership in the 21st century."

According to LACMA, demolition and construction will begin in late 2019 and finish by end of 2023.

Emily Elena Dugdale contributed to this story.

UPDATES:

1:25 p.m.: This article was updated with quotes from the Board of Supervisor's meeting as well as their final vote.

This article was originally published at 7 a.m.

This story has been edited since publication. The original version of the story misspelled LACMA CEO and director Michael Govan's last name.
Uphold PH sovereignty

Duterte rallies nation to protect rights, freedom

posted April 10, 2019 at 01:45 am by Nathaniel Mariano April 10, 2019 at 01:45 am

MEMORIALIZING A MEMORY. Anti-China protesters carrying the tricolors and placards march towards the Chinese Embassy grounds through the capitals financial district to oppose Beijings growing sway in the Philippines and as tensions rise over Chinas military presence in the disputed South China Sea. AFP MEMORIALIZING A MEMORY. While actors and volunteers replicate Filipino and Japanese troops during the infamous Death March in April 1942 following the surrender of Allied troops76,000 Filipino and American soldiersto the troops of Tomoyuki Yamashita in front of the Capas National Shrine in Tarlac, 106 kilometers north of Manila, west of the MacArthur Highway. READ: Corregidors heroic legacy President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday urged Filipinos to remain steadfast in upholding the countrys sovereignty , as about 1,000 protesters descended on the Chinese Embassy in Manila to oppose the Asian superpowers presence in the disputed South China Sea.In his message to honor the 77th commemoration of Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor), the President, hailed the heroism of Filipino and American soldiers who fought side by side during World War II. Today, we remember the heroism of the brave Filipino and American soldiers who stood side by side in the mountains and jungles of Bataan in defense of our liberty and democracy, Duterte said from Jolo, Sulu. As we hold this solemn observance, it is my hope that we will all be inspired to remain steadfast like our forefathers and their allies in upholding our sovereignty and in protecting rights and freedoms that our people enjoy today, Duterte added. At the Chinese Embassy, flag-waving marchers chanted China out and brandished a banner saying Defend our sovereign rights, referring to Beijings expansive claims to the resource-rich waterway. The government headed by President Duterte is not responding. What China is doing is almost an invasion, marcher Alex Legaspi, a 53-year-old teacher, said. While President Duterte has largely set aside the once-heated territorial standoff over the sea, tensions have flared since hundreds of Chinese vessels appeared recently near the Manila-held Pag-asa (Thitu) island. The Philippines called the boats presence illegal and Duterte threatened China with possible military action if it touches the island. However, the President has repeatedly said war with China would be futile and he has no intention of getting into a conflict with the rising power he has courted for trade and investment. Duterte has been criticized at home as being too eager to grow ties with Beijing and giving up too much leverage on the South China Sea issue. Meanwhile, the United States has moved to boost its relationship with long-time ally and former colony the Philippines. A small group of policemen monitored the protesters, who numbered around 1,000 according to journalists on the scene. The marchers dispersed peacefully after the demonstration. Protesters also voiced simmering unease over the terms Chinese loans for infrastructure in the Philippines, including a massive dam-building project. China is poised to loan some $210 million toward the construction of the Kaliwa Dam, a project that has been delayed for years and would fill gaps in the Philippines chronic need for infrastructure. We cannot allow... China to control Filipinos and the Philippines sovereignty, Wilma Quierrez, 53, member of the indigenous rights group, said.The loan agreement signed by [Chinese President] Xi Jinping and President Duterte will send us into debt trap, she added. In his address, Duterte also paid tribute to the countless civilians who aided the countrys armed forces and offered against the overwhelming force of the enemy. We may not be able to memorialize all of them, but we will forever remember and honor their epic struggle and unshakeable fortitude, he added. In a separate statement, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo echoed the President in honoring the fallen soldiers and surviving members of the Bataan Death March. These Filipino fighters demonstrated the highest form of love of country when they offered their lives in the liberation of the Philippines during World War II. Thousands perished from physical abuse, exhaustion, disease, and starvation during this dark chapter of our history so that we, the future generations, may live to enjoy the blessings of peace and freedom, he said. The Palace official said heroism in modern times does not only refer to valor in combat or physical courage. Nowadays, modern-day Filipino heroes range from Filipino scientists, devoted teachers, corruption-free government workers, and police officers who lose their lives in the war against illegal drugs. Indeed, the modern-day Filipino hero of today can be anyone who serves as an inspiration by going above and beyond their call of duty and whose positive influence is worthy of emulation in making a difference in our society, he said. Panelo also appealed to the people to set aside differences and throw out partisan politics in the name of unity. Vice President Leni Robredo, meanwhile, said she hopes Filipinos will strive to be as brave as their forefathers who fought colonizers and abusive regimes. LOOK: Kagitingan rites Robredo issued the statement as she led the commemoration rite of the 77th Araw ng Kagitingan or Day of Valor in Bataan.In our history, the Filipino has always stood up for the countrywhether it be against invaders or abusive regimes. The Philippines is the cradle of the valiant, and we must live up to that every day. Long live the bravery of Filipinos! she said in Filipino. READ: Philconsa chief pays tribute to war heroes

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The Palace on Tuesday urged the families of the slain farmers in Negros Oriental to file criminal charges after several human rights groups concluded that the farmers were victims of summary execution. In a statement, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo assured the families of the 14 slain farmers that President Rodrigo Duterte would not tolerate police abuse. President Duterte will not allow police brutality, nor will he tolerate police abuse, Panelo said. He said the Palace was awaiting the official copy of the report on the investigation. The Philippine National Police has also created a team from its national headquarters to conduct a probe in Negros Oriental. While there is a presumption of regularity on the police operations because of the search warrants, Nograles still urged the families of the slain men to file appropriate charges and let the law take its course. The families can always file criminal charges against the police officers and they should if the circumstances warrant, as this is the proper and legal recourse available to them, he said.After conducting a fact-finding investigation into the killings, 21 rights organizations contradicted the claim of the PNP that the farmers fought back during their legitimate police operation. They said the farmers were summarily executed. Accounts gathered by fact-finding teams from the victims families and witnesses showed a pattern[policemen in full combat gear and wearing balaclavas] barged into the victims houses, [showed] defective search warrants for alleged weapons, shot the respondents, then planted fabricated evidence such as firearms and ammunition, Danilo Ramos, chairman of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, said. Worse, the perpetrators took away money and other valuables from the victims.
Apparently, the HSR School trained nurse anesthetists was owned and run by AANH a Connecticut professional corporation.  The plaintiff was in the HSR School for about six months before she was dismissed, she claimed, because of " gender discrimination and retaliation for reporting a staff members inappropriate sexual conduct." Id. The plaintiff sought to join YNHH because that entity took over running an anesthesia school that had been, in some form, the HSR school.

The successor liability part is rather interesting, though largely devoid of facts from the transaction. The court ultimately concludes that even though YNHH resumed a similar school, it was not a successor entity and could not be joined.

A challenging part about the case is that entities are described, but often not clearly and with conflicting entity-type language. For example, although AANH was a "professional corporation," the court explained that " [t]he AANH anesthesiologists, who were also partners in AANH, were responsible for deciding how the HSR School would operate." Id. at *2. One of the doctors was also referred to as an "ownership partner in AANH." Id. at *3. I suspect that anesthesiologists, like lawyers, traditionally created firms that were partnerships, so the principals often call themselves "partners," regardless of their actual entity type. Still, it would be nice for courts to clarify the actual roles of those involved.

Furthermore, in describing the HSR School, the court states,

There is no evidence that the HSR School had an existence that was independent of AANH. In fact, the HSR School was going to cease operating due to the fact that AANH was going to cease operating. The HSR School was not a limited liability corporation (LLC), private corporation (P.C.), or other legal entity registered with the Connecticut Secretary of State. (Tr. 141-142). There is no evidence that the HSR School had its own assets, bank account, or tax identification number. There is no evidence that the HSR School itself (as opposed to AANH) ever paid anyone for rendering services to the HSR School. There is no evidence that anyone other than AANH had operated the HSR School. Consequently, the Court finds that the predecessor in interest, for the purpose of assessing successor liability , is AANH.
Nearly fifty years ago, police raided a New York City bar popular with homosexuals called the Stonewall Inn. Police often raided such bars in the 1960s.

But this time -- on June 28, 1969 -- patrons and workers at Stonewall fought back. People who lived near the bar joined in the fight, too.

For the next six days, police and the public clashed in an event known as the Stonewall Riots.

The riots are the subject of a recently opened exhibit at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. The exhibit shows how the uprising helped begin the modern gay rights movement in the United States.

Exhibit writer Christy Wallover says the exhibit aims to show the bravery of everyday Americans. She says that, over the years, gay rights activists have fought for the right to hold jobs, serve in the military, speak publicly about being gay and marry someone of the same sex.

First openly gay candidate for president?

This year, the gay rights movement in the United States may be taking a new step. If he runs, Pete Buttigieg would be the first openly gay person to campaign for president of the United States.

Buttigieg is currently the top official of a city of 100,000 in the Midwestern state of Indiana. He has not yet announced he is a candidate for the 2020 presidential election. But he has already raised $7 million for a possible campaign.

Buttigieg, who is 37 years old, is married to a man. His young age and limited government experience may be more notable for many voters than his sexual orientation. A public opinion study this year found 68 percent of Americans would accept a gay presidential candidate.

Buttigieg spoke this week at a fundraising event in Washington, D.C. that promotes openly gay public officials. There, he made note of U.S. Vice President Mike Pences position on gay rights.

Pence, who is Christian, has publicly supported a national law that would define marriage as only between a man and a woman.

Buttigieg is also Christian and speaks openly about his faith. During his speech, he addressed Pence by saying, Your problem is not with me -- your quarrel, sir, is with my creator. In other words, Buttigieg suggested that God made him who he is.

A 2017 Gallup study found that about 4.5 percent of Americans  around 10 million people  identify as LGBTQ. The letters mean Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer or Questioning.

Im Kelly Jean Kelly.

Kelly Jean Kelly adapted this story for Learning English based on reports from VOA. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

homosexual - n. sexually attracted to people of the same sex

exhibit - n. an object or a collection of objects that have been put out in a public space for people to look a
Indian voters begin marking ballots this week in a general election that will continue over the next six weeks.

The election will decide seats in Indias lower house of parliament. The winning party or coalition will choose Indias prime minister.

Current Prime Minister Narendra Modis Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, is seeking a second term in office. The main opposition Congress Party, led by Rahul Gandhi, is seeking to take control of the government.

The election will be held in several rounds of voting through May 19, with vote counting expected to begin May 23. The country has about 900 million eligible voters.

Experts say a high percentage of Indias citizens are getting election-related information from social media. They say this has raised concerns about fake news stories and images influencing the election.

Media watchdog groups say in the run-up to the election, they have seen fake, made up pictures being published by major news media. They have also seen hateful propaganda based on made up comments.

A lot of people seem to be believing the information they are seeing.

Ram Shankar Rai owns a store in the city of New Delhi. Rai told The Associated Press he spends at least two hours a day examining political news and videos shared by others on social media.

On the WhatsApp messenger service, Rai received a series of videos and images that were said to show results of an Indian airstrike in Pakistan. The information included pictures identified as the bodies of dead militants.

But Rai later found out the images were falsely identified. They were not militants. Instead, the pictures showed victims of a 2005 earthquake that killed thousands of people in Pakistan. Rai told the AP he could not tell the pictures were not real. Its news, he said. How can it be fake?

Another example of fake news appeared on Facebook in February after a suicide bombing in Kashmir, an area claimed by both India and Pakistan. The bombing killed 40 Indian soldiers and increased tensions between the two sides.

Two weeks after the attack, a Facebook user shared a recording of what he said was a telephone call in which the head of the BJP, Amit Shah, was speaking. Shah was supposedly heard saying, We agree that for election, we need a war. But the recording was not real. It was made by putting together different pieces of audio from older stories.

The Facebook post was seen by 2.5 million viewers and shared more than 150,000 times before it was removed by the company.

In India, Facebook has partnered with fact checking companies and increased efforts to block fake accounts. On Monday, Facebook said it had removed 1,126 accounts, groups and pages in India and Pakistan for inauthentic behavior.

One of the fact checking companies partnering is Boom. Jency Jacob directs the operation. He told the AP his biggest worry is the blatant misuse of old videos and images to suggest that one political party or leader is not good for the country. He added that most people do not take the time to go back and check whether what they are seeing is true or not.

Apar Gupta is head of an Indian-based group called the Internet Freedom Foundation. He said many Indian internet users seem to lack the knowledge and skills to judge that just because its on a screen does not mean its true.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English based on reports from the Associated Press, Reuters and VOA News. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

rounds  n. a series of repeated actions or events

eligible  adj. having the right to do or receive something

fake  adj. false, not true

watchdog  adj. involving or related to something that guards against loss, waste or undesirable actions

viewer  n. someone who watches or inspects something

check  v. to inspect or examine

inauthentic  adj. not real or true

blatant  adj. very obvious, with no attempt to be honest or behave well

screen  n. the area where information and operations are shown on an electronic device
The Trump administration announced this week that the head of the United States Secret Service is being replaced. The Secret Service says Randolph Tex Alles will leave office in May.

The move appears to be part of leadership changes at several agencies within the Department of Homeland Security. President Donald Trump has chosen James Murray, a career Secret Service official, to lead the agency.

The Secret Service protects the president and vice president, their family members and former presidents and their wives. It also protects foreign leaders during visits to the United States and major candidates in U.S. presidential campaigns.

In recent years, a series of scandals have damaged the image of the Secret Service. Some involved wrongdoing by agents while traveling with the president.

Protecting the president involves more than being willing to step into the path of gunfire. As part of their training, all of the several thousand Secret Service agents learn everything from operating firearms to emergency first aid. They also have to learn how to drive.

Agents are trained in the art of defensive driving with a single goal: get the protected individual out of the area and moved to a safe place, explains Thomas Murach. He works as Secret Service assistant to the special agent-in-charge.

One defensive driving move agents must learn is the J-turn, a move that will be familiar to lovers of action movies. The driver makes the vehicle turn in a half-circle, around 180 degrees, and then escapes.

However, to drive the president or vice-president requires additional training. Only about 60 percent pass the class, known as the Protective Operations Driving Course.

If an agent doesnt pass the advanced course, they would continue normal duty and can try again at a later date, says Julia McMurray, a Secret Service Public Affairs Specialist.

Once agents pass, they are permitted to drive the 9,000 kilogram presidential vehicle, which is called Cadillac One or The Beast.

Agents may also perhaps drive one of two buses known as Ground Force One. The million dollar black buses were last used in 2012 during then-President Barack Obamas re-election campaign. Both are used by the presidential candidates of the two main political parties.

Agents also learn to control large motorcycles.

Its almost like 400 kilograms, explained Secret Service Technical Officer Lloyd Llamas. They make you do things that you cant imagine that you could possibly do with that, he added.

Agents and officers must also learn special techniques to ride bicycles.

The Secret Service believes all this training will prevent a repeat of the Secret Services worst day on November 22, 1963. That was when President John F. Kennedy was shot and killed in the back seat of a car during a visit to Dallas, Texas.

As a result, formal training for Secret Service drivers began in 1970. For those in the Secret Service chosen to operate a presidential vehicle, there is a constant drive to guarantee the safety of its important passengers.

Im Susan Shand.

VOAs Steve Herman and the Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

scandal  n. an occurrence in which people are shocked and upset because of behavior that is morally or legally wrong

formal  adj. made or done in an official and usually public way

constant  adj. happening all the time or very often over a period of time
Zamboanga CityTwo Abu Sayyaf bandits, including a suspect in the Jan. 27 Sulu church bombing, were killed while three soldiers were wounded in a firefight in Sulu, military officials said Tuesday. Brig. Gen. Divino Rey Pabayo Jr., Joint Task Force Sulu commander, said the firefight broke out in Bangkal village in Patikul around 3:45 p.m. on Monday. Pabayo said troops from the Armys 41st Infantry Battalion were on combat operation when they clashed with some 40 Abu Sayyaf bandits under Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Almujer Yada. He said the firefight, supported by indirect fires and close-air support, lasted for 40 minutes and resulted in the death of bandits Barak Ingog and Nasser Sawadjaan. Pabayo said Ingog was involved in the explosion at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Jolo that killed 18 people and injured 80 others. Sawadjaan was the nephew of Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan.Pabayo said the troops found an M-16 armalite rifle and personal belongings from Ingog. Three of our troops were also slightly hurt due to shrapnel wounds, but they are now fine, he said. We also received information from residents in the area, who are also monitoring and reporting the whereabouts of the bandits in order to rid their presence in the community, that they overheard that another high-value ASG sub-leader is missing and probably dead, which is subject to the clearing and pursuit operations of our troops right now. Lt. Gen. Arnel dela Vega, Western Mindanao Command chief, said he was impressed with the initiatives of the Joint Task Force Sulu troopers. Their focus and dedication showcase the commitment, not only to end the menace brought by the ASG in Sulu that hampers peace but also of performing the soldiers mandate to protect the safety of the people in the locality, Dela Vega said.
A security adviser to an Australian prime minister said he warned a Chinese-Australian writer not to travel to China before the blogger and critic of Chinas Communist Party was detained on arrival at a Chinese airport in January.

John Garnaut was commissioned in 2016 by then-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to write a classified report on Chinese influence on Australian politics, leading to sweeping laws in 2018 banning covert foreign political interference and a diplomatic rift between Australia and China, its biggest trading partner.

Garnaut told Australian Broadcasting Corp. in an interview broadcast yesterday that he advised spy novelist and friend Yang Hengjun not to travel to China after Yang revealed he had been questioned by a Chinese government official in Sydney in 2018 about Garnauts investigation.

He was asked about me, what was the nature of our relationship, what was I doing. What was I working on, Garnaut said.

Yang, a 53-year-old visiting scholar at Columbia University in New York and a former Chinese diplomat, did not take Garnauts advice and flew to China with his wife, Xiaoliang Yuan, and his 14-year-old stepdaughter.

Xiaoliang said she had not seen her husband since they were separated by Chinese officials when they landed at Guangzhou Airport on Jan. 19.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in January that Yang was suspected of engaging in criminal activities endangering Chinas national security. He is being held in Beijing, where the Australian Embassy has been allowed consular access to him. ABC reported that Yang had yet to be formally charged.

The Australian government has urged China to treat Yang transparently and fairly.

Xiaoliang is living in Shanghai. She said she is not allowed to leave China and her husband has not seen a lawyer.

I have absolutely no idea whether he is well or even if he is alive or not, she said through an interpreter.

It gets harder as time passes, mainly because I cant see him. I would have felt better if the lawyers could see him and verify that he is all right, she added.

A friend of Yang, University of Technology Sydney academic Feng Chongyi, was detained for two weeks in 2017 while visiting China to research human rights lawyers.

Feng told ABC that he had been questioned for an entire day in detention about Garnauts investigation. Feng said his interrogators had known Garnaut was working for the prime minister.

They knew a lot about him. During the interrogation, they did not hide that they were angry with him, Feng said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said he had not seen the ABC report. But Lu said the Chinese government had always opposed any interference in the internal affairs of other countries.

As for activities carried out by Chinese embassies and consulates in other countries, these activities aim at promoting mutual understanding between China and the regions or countries where the diplomatic mission are based, and enhancing mutual understanding and friendship among the people, including serving as the bridge of cooperation between the business community of each other, Lu said.

I did not see any difference between the activities carried out by Chinese embassies and consulates in other countries and those conducted by foreign diplomatic missions in China, he added. Rod McGuirk, Canberra, AP
The spokesman of the Commission on Elections on Tuesday admonished candidates to spare animals from their campaign stunts after a photo of a dog with a sticker plastered on its body went viral online.

Seriously. Isnt it enough that politicking has already trashed the country you claim to love, youve got to harass dogs, too? Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said in a Twitter post. Leave. Dogs. Alone, he added.The poll body has been actively cracking down on illegal campaign posters as it vowed to take legal action against stubborn candidates who mount oversized tarpaulins or place the same in restricted areas. Jimenez has taken to social media to document and encourage voters to take photos of illegal campaign materials.
Chief Executive Chui Sai On announced yesterday in a statement from the Office of the Government Spokesperson that he will appeal the decision of the Court of Second Instance that last week ruled in favor of the former director of the Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau, Fong Soi Kun. The court ruled that the dismissal order issued by the CE to penalize Fong for a lack of accountability during Typhoon Hato was improper. According to the statement, the CE will appeal the decision, bringing the case to the Final Instance Court (TUI). In April 2018, the CE decided to issue the penalty of dismissal to Fong. However, the former official was already retired from office, and so the penalty was changed to a suspension of his pension for a period of four years.

PSP appoints new deputy head

The Public Security Police Forces (PSP) Assistant Commissioner Vong Vai Hong assumed office as deputy commissioner yesterday at the PSP headquarters, as noted in a statement released by the authority. Vong joined the PSP in 1988. After completing the Senior Police Officer Training Program in 1994, he served as division head of the Tactical Police Unit and the Traffic Department, among other roles, before being promoted as the head of the Traffic Department and later the head of the Operations Department. Vong has served as acting deputy commissioner of PSP since January 15 this year. He has also been awarded commendations repeatedly for his outstanding work performance and excellent leadership, the PSP stated.

Property prices drop slightly

The overall residential property price index for the December to February period is 262.9, a 0.9 percent drop from the period of November to January, the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) data shows. The indexes for Macau and the Islands dropped by 1 and 0.9 percent respectively. The index for pre-sale units (266.9) increased by 0.5 percent, and existing units (283.7) dropped by 1.1 percent. The indexes for existing units in Macau (278.9) and the Islands (304.4) fell by 1.2 and 0.9 percent respectively. A year-on-year comparison shows the overall and existing units indexes rose by 4.3 and 6.7 percent respectively, while that of pre-sale units dropped by 1 percent.
The government plans to submit a civil protection bill to the Legislative Assembly (AL) by the end of April or early May, according to Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak.

The text of the bill was completed last week and is expected to be submitted to the AL before the typhoon season arrives.

The bill will regulate how the government and the private sector should jointly respond to civil protection matters.

The government-led law advocates multi-social participation.

Wong stated that, although the current civil protection bill has not been officially promulgated, various governmental departments, especially members of the civil protection structure, have fully promoted civil protection-related work under the coordination of the police headquarters.

As for volunteer registration, training, management, and other matters, the civil protection law is needed to support the relevant works, thus the government is striving for the introduction of the civil protection bill as soon as possible.

The 2019 civil protection meeting will be held on April 9. According to Wong, there will be relevant civil protection equipment on display.

Later in the month, all members of the civil protection structure will jointly hold a typhoon exercise on April 27. This will mark the first time the public is invited to participate in a drill.

Moreover, during this years typhoon drill, the Public Safety Research Institute of Tsinghua University, together with the Macau SAR government, will test the emergency command system developed for Macau.

In June 2018, the government launched a public consultation process on the new rules that aim to shape the Civil Protection Basic Law.

The proposal includes the establishment of a new crime of false social alarm. Those who spread false rumors during crisis periods, such as catastrophes, accidents, outbreak of diseases or terrorist attacks, might be sentenced to between six months and three years of imprisonment. JZ
MGM donated MOP300,000 to the Macau Holy House of Mercys Welfare Shop project, financing the distribution of food hampers to over 360 local disadvantaged households.

Michelle Chiu, vice president of Human Resources of MGM, presented the donation check to Mr. Antonio Jose de Freitas, president of the Board of Trustees of Macau Holy House of Mercy, according to a statement issued by the gaming operator.

Nearly 40 Golden Lion volunteers took part in packing the daily necessities that included rice, noodles, canned food, oatmeal and cooking oil, into MGMs tailor-made eco-friendly handcarts.

These hampers were distributed to the disadvantaged households referred by the Macao Federation of Trade Unions, General Union of Neighborhood Associations of Macau, Holy House of Mercy, and the Associacao dos Familiares Encarregados dos Deficientes Mentais de Macau.

Over the past seven years of supporting this project, MGM has contributed a total of MOP2 million benefiting 7,500 people.

Sands China employees earn business management diploma

A group of 22 Sands China employees has completed the University of Macaus customized one-year Diploma Programme in Business Management  the fourth intake of staff to do so.

Sands China Ltd. and the University of Macaus Centre for Continuing Education recently honoured the group at a graduation ceremony at the university, according to a statement.

The graduating staff come from a variety of gaming and non-gaming departments at Sands China, including table games, facilities, concierge and others.

The diploma programme is both practical and adaptable by design, and has been tailor-made for Sands China employees.

The programme structure was adjusted this year based on the universitys observation and study of previous cohorts of employees.

Coursework was also updated to align with the companys real-life business situations.
China and North Korea opened a new border crossing over the Yalu River, signaling aspirations for deeper economic ties between the neighbors even as Pyongyangs trade remains crimped by international sanctions.

The border checkpoint at the foot of a new bridge opened yesterday, connecting the northeastern Chinese city of Jian with North Koreas Manpo, Chinese state media reported. The China-DPRK Jian-Manpo highway connection is for passenger and cargo transport and hosts an advanced customs facility, the China News Service said.

The opening was marked by several tour buses crossing from the Chinese side and then returning from North Korea, the Yonhap News Agency of South Korea reported, citing a person familiar with the matter. The ceremony appeared to show that local Chinese officials were ready to step up trade and exchanges with North Korea in response to its call for economic development, according to Yonhap.

China provides a lifeline to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his state has long been dependent on Beijings help to keep its meager economy afloat. Kims summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi broke down on Feb. 28 over sanctions that have cut Pyongyang off from global commerce and were imposed on North Korea for its pursuit of a nuclear arsenal.

It was unclear how the new border checkpoint  the fourth between China and North Korea  would operate under the sanctions, which ban or limit a broad range of goods from moving in or out of the country. The South Korean Unification Ministry declined to comment.

The economic penalties are expected to be a main topic of discussion when South Korean President Moon Jae-in meets Trump at the White House on Thursday. Moon, a long-time advocate of reconciliation with North Korea, has repeatedly played the role of mediator since he took office in May 2017 amid escalating threats of war between Trump and Kim.

The Manpo border area has drawn the attention of North Korea for years, with Kims father and former leader, Kim Jong Il, crossing there in 2010 in one of his rare trips outside the country, the Chosun newspaper of South Korea reported at the time. In the 2010 trip, Kim Jong Il visited the school his father and North Korean state founder Kim Il Sung attended on the Chinese side when he was a child.

China and North Korea agreed to embark on the bridge project in 2012 and completed construction in 2016, Yonhap reported. The opening was delayed by UN Security Council sanctions imposed on North Korea.

In 2017, Chinas overall trade with North Korea declined by more than 10 percent to about USD5 billion, as Trump secured Beijings backing for four escalating rounds of sanctions in response to North Korea nuclear weapons program testing.

While official trade with China has slowed, North Korea has turned to other methods to evade sanctions, with a main source of activity being illegal high-seas cargo transfers with North Korean vessels, the U.S. and UN Security Council said in reports in March. Jon Herskovitz & Dandan Li, Bloomberg
A baby white rhinoceros met with the public in Guangzhou, capital of southern Chinas Guangdong Province.

The baby white rhinoceros, named Da Zhuang, is the son of Little Prince, the first southern white rhinoceros bred at the Chimelong Safari Park.

The white rhinoceros is listed as near threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and consists of two subspecies, namely southern white rhinoceros and northern white rhinoceros. Last year, the worlds only remaining male northern white rhinoceros died, leaving just two female northern white rhinoceros on the planet.

The park started to introduce rhinoceros from South Africa since 1997. Now the park has 24 southern white rhinoceros and 13 black rhinoceros.

Da Zhuang was born on June 19 last year while his father Little Prince was born on March 3 in 2009. Da Zhuangs mother, named Nan Feng, was introduced from South Africa in 2015.

Nine months after his birth, Da Zhuang now weighs 445 kg, while he only weighed 48 kg when he was born, said Chen Siming, an animal expert with the park.

Da Zhuang is now learning survival skills with his mother such as looking for food, mud bathing, rubbing and scratching, as well as how to get along with other rhinoceros, Chen said.

The special body structure and the low fertility rate of the white rhinoceros make it difficult for the species population to increase, Chen said.

Experts at the park have made a lot of efforts to help the species mate and reproduce in recent years, and two other white rhinoceros are pregnant and the babies are expected to be born in November this year and the first half of 2020 respectively, the park said. MDT/Xinhua
Over the past five months, Macau has recorded two high-profile cases of alleged plagiarism involving a government bureau, meanwhile a plagiarism scandal involving the logo of a Turkish university that bears similarities to the official Macau emblem prompted ridicule and outcry both here and abroad.

Although plagiarism does not constitute a criminal offence in the SAR, the city protects literary and artistic works under the 43/99/M bill.

Thus, a relative protection for intellectual property is available in the SAR, with some exclusions.

These exclusions include daily news and reports of events, petitions submitted to public authorities and political speeches.

Since November, the SAR has recorded two high-profile cases where alleged plagiarism involving the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) occurred.

The most recent case, currently under investigation, was prompted by local designers who raised concerns over the weekend about the poster design of Cantonese opera performance, The Soul of Macau, which contained elements plagiarized from another designer.

The Cultural Affairs Bureau has sought to resolve the controversy by paying money to the plagiarized designer.

Although IC president Mok Ian Ian defended that the bureau has commissioned representatives to apologize to the owner, aside from pledging to purchase the copyright, netizens on social media were quick to criticize the bureau, with some noting that the bureau lacked culture.

Another case was the design and construction plan of the New Macau Central Library which, for a tender price of MOP18.68 million, bears similarities to an award-winning auditorium built in the early 2000s in the Spanish city of Leon.

Architect Carlos Marreiros, who won the bid, defended that the design was influenced by the modernist movement.

Marreiros previously held a press conference, noting that his team was only aware of the Leon Auditorium after a report was published by a Portuguese paper.

I did not know the building. I started knowing about it superficially now, through pictures and the Internet, he said.

In February, the Times reported that a Turkish university was using a logo almost identical to the SARs emblem.

The Government Information Bureau told the Times that the Protocol, Public Relations and External Affairs Office would follow up on the case.

According to readers from Turkey, who messaged the Times after the story was published, intellectual property rights are a relatively new cultural norm for Turkey.

However, the case is different in this region. The code became effective in the SAR on October 1, 1999, with a scope of six chapters and 223 articles.

The code regulates the content, regulation, protection period, international protection scope and usage of the authors right, as well as the legal responsibility of infringing the right of the author.

According to the bill, whoever publicly uses work of others to present it as his own creation shall be punished with imprisonment of up to two years or with a fine of up to 240 days.

However, if the original work was previously unpublished, the penalty shall be of imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to 360 days.
Authorities say a spectator faces assault and trespassing charges after tackling wrestler Bret The Hitman Hart while he was giving a speech during the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony in Brooklyn.

Bail was set at USD1,500 for Zachary Madsen of Lincoln, Nebraska at a hearing yesterday [Macau time]. The judge also issued orders of protection barring Madsen from approaching Hart, who wasnt hurt, and a security worker.

Other wrestlers helped subdue the attacker. Hart resumed his speech.

Prosecutors said in court that Madsen told police that he felt like it was right moment to go after the wrestling legend.

His lawyer said Madsen is agreeable and cooperative and has no criminal convictions.

WWE described Madsen as an over-exuberant fan.

Madsen had a previous run-in with a fighter in Lincoln.
Chief Executive Chui Sai On met with Shanghai Municipal Congress delegates at the government headquarters to discuss the scope of existing cooperation, as well as matters concerning the Greater Bay Area.

Yin Yicui, director of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal Peoples Congress and leader of the delegations, is conducting a visit in the Greater Bays four central cities, namely Macau, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong.

Yin expressed her appreciation for the SARs support for and participation in the first China International Import Expo, which was held in the eastern Chinese municipality last year. She especially noted the SARs assistance in terms of the convention and exhibition.

She said she hoped to build further cooperation between the cities on top of an existing foundation in areas of financial services, youth communication, trade, tourism, culture and health, among others.

In response, the CE noted that Macau and Shanghai have built long-term relations in such areas as Portuguese-language learning and civil servant training, sports, tourism, and youth-related work. Strong foundations have been built, agreed the CE, as he expressed his hope for further expansion.

Chui also introduced to Yin improvements of the SAR in the area of economic and livelihood development over the previous 20 years. After clarification from the Greater Bay Area plan, Macau commenced positioning itself as the Center and Platform, he said.

Both the CE and Yin expect that integration within the GBA will bring Macau more opportunities in future. Yin also complimented the vigor and planning of the four Greater Bay central cities. Staff reporter
TripoliUN chief Antonio Guterres on Monday appealed for an immediate halt to the fighting in Libya, after strongman Khalifa Haftars forces claimed an air strike on Tripolis only functioning airport. Thousands have fled violence in the capital city, according to the United Nations, since Haftar launched a surprise assault last week that has left dozens dead. Secretary-General Guterres urges the immediate halt of all military operations in order to de-escalate the situation and prevent an all-out conflict, said a UN statement late Monday. He strongly condemns the military escalation and ongoing fighting in and around Tripoli, including the aerial attack today by a Libyan National Army aircraft against Mitiga airport. The oil-rich northern African country has been rocked by violent power struggles between an array of armed groups since the NATO-backed overthrow of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. The UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) controls the capital, but its authority is not recognized by a parallel administration in the east of the country, backed by Haftar. The strongman has defied international calls to halt his advance on Tripoli, including from the UN Security Council and the United States. I make a very strong appeal to Libyan leaders and in particular to Haftar to stop all military activities... and to return to the negotiation table, the EUs foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said after talks with EU foreign ministers. The GNA said French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with its leader Fayez al-Sarraj of his total opposition to the offensive against the capital and the endangering of civilian lives. The French presidency confirmed the call took place, without releasing details of the discussion. Ahmad al-Mesmari, a spokesman for Haftars self-styled Libyan National Army, claimed Mondays air strike against Mitiga airport, east of the capital which targeted a MiG-23 military plane and a helicopter. A security source at the airport said the strike hit a runway without causing casualties. This attack constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law which prohibits attacks against civilian infrastructure, said the UNs envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salame. A spokesman for national carrier Libyan Airlines said the civil aviation authority decided to suspend aerial traffic until further notice. An airport source, who did want to be named, confirmed the suspension. Haftar is a former Kadhafi military chief who has emerged as a major player in Libyas political struggle.Having seized control of much of eastern Libya -- and buoyed by a series of victories in the desert south -- he turned his sights on Tripoli, vowing to cleanse it of terrorists and mercenaries. His offensive threatens to plunge the country into a full-blown civil war and once again thwart diplomatic efforts to find a solution to Libyas woes. Fierce clashes Sunday near Tripoli saw Haftars fighters and other powerful western Libyan armed groups exchanging fire including air strikes. Forces backing the GNA then announced a counteroffensive dubbed Volcano of Anger. After a pause, fighting resumed Monday around the capitals destroyed main airport, some 30 kilometres (18 miles) south of Tripoli, and the rural area of Wadi Rabi further east. The US has appealed for an immediate halt to combat operations and the UN Security Council has called on Haftars forces to stop their advance. On Sunday Russia, a key supporter of Haftar, along with Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, blocked the council from adopting a formal statement against the strongman. Instead the Kremlin on Monday urged all sides to reject actions that could provoke bloodshed in battle and the deaths of civilians. The unity governments health ministry on Monday put the death toll at 35. Haftars forces have said 14 of their fighters have died. The UN said the fighting has displaced some 3,400 people, up from an earlier estimate of 2,800. Clashes with heavy weapons are affecting residential areas, and an unknown number of civilians are unable to flee these locations, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York on Monday. We have no positive news to report on our call for a humanitarian truce. Haftar launched his offensive just days ahead of a planned UN conference aimed at uniting Libyas rivals and paving the way for elections. The UNs Salame has insisted the international community is determined to go ahead with the April 14-16 conference. The UN mission in Libya said on Twitter that Salame met Monday with Sarraj in Tripoli to discuss how to assist at this critical and difficult juncture.
One of Chinas top commodity traders, Tewoo Group, is selling copper at below market rates as it grapples with a liquidity crunch, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The company, which is owned by the local Tianjin government, is offloading some refined copper stocked in bonded zones as it unwinds financing deals with some banks, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the information isnt public. The metal is used as collateral in financing agreements or committed assets in so-called repurchase agreements with banks, they said.

The firm sold some copper to other trading houses at a premium of about USD10 per ton, the people said. That compares with the copper premium in Yangshan, or the fee payable on Chinese imports in addition to the London Metal Exchange price, of $54 a ton last week.

Tewoo has already sought support from its major creditors to extend debt maturities, asking lenders including ExportImport Bank of China and Agricultural Bank of China Ltd. to convert some short-term debt into longer-term liabilities at a meeting last week. An official from the Tianjin regional government pledged to inject assets and push forward a restructuring of the company.

At least 50,000 tons of refined copper, or 10 percent of the countrys total bonded inventory, were used by the company as collateral or assets for financing deals in the first quarter, according to the people.

Nobody answered calls and an email inquiry to Tewoos media office. MDT/Bloomberg
Fighting between rival forces over Libyas capital that began last week has displaced 2,800 people so far, the U.N. said yesterday as the death toll climbed to 49, including civilians.

The violence, triggered by a Libyan commander whose forces advanced on Tripoli and clashed with rival militias supporting the U.N.- backed government there, has threatened to ignite civil war on the scale of the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

The U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Libya, Maria do Valle Ribeiro, said the clashes have prevented emergency services from reaching casualties and civilians, and have damaged electricity lines.

The increased violence is also worsening the situation for migrants held in detention centers in the Libyan capital, she warned.

Fighting was underway at Tripolis shuttered international airport, some 24 kilometers from central Tripoli.

Ahmed Musbah, a resident who lives near the area, said he could hear shooting coming from the direction of the town of Bin Ghashir, south of the airport. The sound of fighting seems to be closing in, he said.

The self-styled Libyan National Army, led by Khalifa Hifter, said Saturday it seized the area. However, the militias supporting the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli claimed they recaptured the facility. The airport has not been functioning since fighting in 2014 destroyed much of it.

The Health Ministry of the Tripoli-based government said at least 27 people, including civilians, were killed and at least 27 wounded since Thursday, when Hifter forces began their offensive against the capital.

The media office of Hifters army said 22 of their troops had been killed since the offensive began.

The U.N. envoy for Libya, Ghassan Salame, said he met with Fayez Sarraj, head of the government in Tripoli to discuss how the U.N. mission can assist at this critical and difficult juncture.

Since Gahdafis ouster, oil-rich Libya has been gripped by unrest, governed by rival authorities in the east and in Tripoli, in the west, each backed by various militias and armed groups fighting over resources and territory.

In Cairo, Agila Saleh, head of Libyas east-based parliament, voiced support for Hifters offensive and the Libya National Army, saying that militias have been hijacking the capital.

The Libyan army moved towards Tripoli with one goal, to free Tripoli from armed militias, he told reporters after his meeting with the Arab Leagues secretary-general, Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

On Sunday, Marine Corps Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, the head of U.S. Africa Command said the United States has temporarily withdrawn some of its forces from Libya due to security conditions on the ground.

A small contingent of American troops has been in Libya in recent years, helping local forces combat the Islamic State group and al-Qaida militants, as well as protecting diplomatic facilities. Rami Musa & Samy Magdy, Benghazi, AP
A UniCredit SpA employee in China allegedly siphoned off about 100 million yuan of clients money over three years by taking advantage of shared passwords and other internal security loopholes, according to people familiar with the matter.

Local police and the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission were informed late last year, and the regulator will levy a penalty in the coming months, the people said, asking not to be identified because they arent authorized to speak publicly. The CBIRC has shared information on the matter with other banks, one of the people said.

UniCredit regrets this incident and apologizes to those affected. The safety and security of our clients assets is our primary concern and all efforts have been made to ensure that a similar malicious incident cannot reoccur, a spokesman for the bank said, though he didnt provide further details. The Group strictly complies with all rules and regulations in each market where it operates.

The CBIRC said in an emailed reply to queries that it has uncovered an incident involving a foreign bank employee misusing their position and powers of employment for embezzlement. It didnt identify the bank or the individual, and said it will disclose details and punishment at a later time.

The alleged fraud  one of the biggest among foreign banks in China  could become the latest headache for the Italian lenders Chief Executive Officer Jean Pierre Mustier, who took over about three years ago and inherited issues including a pile of bad debt and possible sanctions violations.

UniCredits employee in China allegedly used a group supervisors password to access clients accounts without authorization and fabricated transactions, the people said. The employee used the money to buy apartments in countries including the U.S., Greece and Japan, and intended to flip them at higher prices to repay UniCredit without raising any red flags, they said.

The employee allegedly confessed to the police after the bank detected that money was being illegally routed, they said. The people added that while Chinese banks have installed fingerprint and iris recognition technology in addition to password authorizations, UniCredit was still using only passwords.

While such a high-profile case is unusual for foreign lenders in China, their local counterparts have also seen recent scandals. State-owned Postal Savings Bank of China Co. was fined more than 90 million yuan last year when a branch manager misused 3 billion yuan of wealth management funds. An employee at a rural bank in the northern Jilin province embezzled 2.5 million yuan from seven clients to buy lottery tickets, according to the CBIRC.

The regulators chairman, Guo Shuqing, last year intensified his campaign to root out wrongdoings among the nations over 4,000 lenders by imposing record firms and removing senior executives. The agency had mostly focused on Chinese lenders. Bloomberg
Political gridlock and years of Brexit drama havent dampened demand from wealthy Chinese for U.K. investor visas.

Chinese applications for Tier 1 investor visas rose 19 percent to 144 in 2018 from a year earlier, according to data obtained from the Home Office by private equity firm Growthdeck. The number applying has almost doubled since 2016, when the U.K. voted to leave the European Union.

Chinese comprised 63 percent of the 228 applications last year, up from half in 2017, according to Growthdeck. Hong Kong was second with 26.

The Home Office announced in early December it was temporarily suspending the visas to implement changes designed to tackle money laundering and organized crime. Less than a week later, it said it hadnt imposed the freeze, without explaining why.

All applications are considered on their individual merits, a Home Office spokesman said in an emailed statement. The Tier 1 route has been reformed to better protect the U.K. from illegally obtained funds and ensure only genuine and law-abiding investors can secure visas.

Far from dissuading wealthy Chinese migrants, the uncertainty may have encouraged applications.

During this period, we saw a near fourfold increase in account applications, said Farzin Yazdi, head of the investor visa offering at Shard Capital, which says it has helped with about a third of all petitions.

U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May said last year that the government was reviewing the program after Labour Party lawmaker Yvette Cooper questioned the origin of money from 700 Russians granted the visas. The number of applicants fell sharply in 2015 after the government introduced anti-money-laundering checks and doubled the minimum investment for the permit to 2 million pounds (USD2.6 million).

Since its December U-turn, the U.K. introduced changes last month that require applicants to prove that theyve had control of the required 2 million pounds for at least two years, rather than 90 days under current rules, or provide evidence of the source of those funds. Investment in U.K. gilts are excluded from the plan.

The data show that applications from Russians fell by half to 24 in 2018. The U.K. has long been an appealing jurisdiction for ultra- rich Russians as a safe and stable place to do business, hold their wealth and educate their children  so much so that London has been nicknamed Londongrad.

The decline is the latest sign that such appeal may be fading after the government crackdown following the poisoning of a former Russian double-agent and his daughter last year on British soil. May retaliated by expelling dozens of suspected spies. Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich was among those caught up in the tension, with the British government declining to renew his visa. He has since received Israeli citizenship.

The U.K. remains an attractive haven for other nationalities. The slump in sterling has made U.K. assets cheap and other areas of the countrys economy offer attractive investment opportunities, according to Samuel Hu, head of overseas investors at Growthdeck.

Government-backed immigration programs are common in other parts of the world. The U.S. offers EB-5 visas that let immigrants who create jobs stay permanently. Portugal has a golden visa program that allows foreign individuals to buy property valued at 500,000 euros ($561,000) or more in return for residency. Tom Metcalf, Bloomberg
Niassa borders the southern Tanzanian border and at 42,000 square kilometres is twice the size of South Africas Kruger National Park and larger than the Netherlands and roughly the size of Massachusetts. Luwire forms its southern border. Niassas diverse ecosystems support many species - including globally important populations of elephant, lion, leopard, sable, zebra, hippo, and crocodile. Rhinos went locally extinct only in the last ten years.

Wildlife is my vocation, smiles Littleton. It is something that is worth fighting for. Niassa is one of the last big wildernesses we have left, but there are very few people who have been willing to fight for it.

Since then it has largely been down to the work of those dedicated individuals on the ground to protect elephants and the landscapes they depend on. Derek Littleton, Conservation Manager at the Luwire Wildlife Conservancy - the largest of Niassa s fifteen private concessions  has along with his loyal indigenous scouts, been on the front line of this fight. .

Nearly half of Mozambiques elephants were killed for their ivory in the five years up to 2015, a crisis that saw the population plummet from over 20,000 to an estimated 10,300. Within Mozambiques largest national park- the Niassa National Reserve  one of Africas last remaining unspoilt wildernesses, the crisis struck a bit later and harder. The elephant population declined massively from an estimated 13,000 to 3,000 by 2018.

African nations face some of the planets toughest challenges. For example, despite contributing little to global warming, Mozambique suffered horrific destruction when Cyclone Idai tore through the country last month. At the same time, the countrys once-bountiful wildlife is under constant threat from poachers working for international organised crime syndicates.

Littleton has been working in conservation for 36 years, and for the past 18 of those he has led a small team caring for Luwire, representing over one million acres of pristine Niassa. Luwire is truly remote with limited tourism infrastructure. Its is one of the few remaining places on earth where you can walk for a week and see no human being!

Littleton is hard as nails but friendly and outgoing. He is Niassas answer to Crocodile Dundee after several close encounters involving the snap-happy reptiles. But crocodiles have been low down on Littletons list of high-stakes challenges in recent years. He has faced threats on his life and has regularly come face to face with armed ivory poachers. At one point, he had to temporarily base his partner Paula Ferro outside the Reserve.

During the height of the crisis we had frequent armed interactions with poachers, we were poorly armed and we had no indemnity, he says. We have our own law enforcement team of game scouts but our effectiveness is resource dependent. The commitment and courage of our team has never failed but funding and political will has not always been consistent. 

We have benefited immensely over the years from the support of Dubais Aujan Group  Luwire s concessionaire. But defending Luwire against poachers has raised the stakes and the costs. The Aujan Group can no longer be expected to carry the burden alone.

In the Government of Felipe Nyusi, we finally have a champion who can help us protect this countrys incredible natural assets. When poaching levels started to rise again last year, the Government sent in special police troops to work alongside the Luwire team and Reserve teams. Simultaneously, and to act as a deterrent, the judicial system was strengthened to increase sentences for wildlife crimes Luwire has been the finger in Niassas dyke, but it is President Nyusis intervention that has avoided catastrophe.

We are really lucky that we now have a President who understands conservation, says Littleton. President Nyusi has a genuine passion and hes very much involved. I hope that part of his legacy will be to make conservation more mainstream in Mozambique. On our side, we cant be complacent and have lots more work to do to make conservation work for local Mozambicans.

Third party verification of the new approach in Mozambique comes from Max Graham, Founder of African conservation NGO Space for Giants.

We have been watching Mozambique for some time and have noticed the sea change in attitudes towards conservation. Mozambiques Gorongosa National Park is an excellent proof of concept as to how key stakeholders (Government, NGOs and local people)  once appropriately funded  can come together to make nature work for Mozambicans. We are already working with Luwire in Niassa and hope to step up our involvement later this year.

Now that the countrys leaders are doing their bit to fight illegal wildlife crimes, the last big piece of the puzzle to save Niassa is to secure long term investment.

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We need sustainable benefits for communities living in the Reserve. We need to transform the locals from consumers of nature into long term guardians of their natural heritage. We need to provide the initial spark in the form of education and jobs in security and eco-tourism.

In 2002, Luwire Safaris became the first legal operator to accept the challenges of pioneering safaris in Niassa. Luwire was set up as a hunting concession. Like many African nations, Mozambique still permits controlled hunting  but the hunting pressure is kept low, and ethics high. Further, one hundred percent of all hunting profits are recycled into conservation and all kills replace the hunting of and address the protein needs of local communities. Finally, the presence of hunters actually deters poachers.

Nonetheless, Littletons vision is to transition to a future that moves away from a financial reliance hunting.

Our overriding objective since inception has been conservation. Hunting has been a robust management and economic tool in a logistically remote region where the traditional photographic safari has struggled to take hold. Its still our intention to focus solely on conservation but we need secure multi-year donor funding to do so. Wildlife needs three things to flourish  food, water and protection. Conservation needs one more thing  reliable and consistent funding

As a conservationist it has become a rare privilege to work on this scale and open and develop a conservation concession from scratch. There is still a lot of work to do, but the potential is astounding. It would be great if Niassa became a better known reserve - simply having more focus offers protection of its own.

I hope we can hold on long enough for Niassa to receive more attention and for more hands to come on board to help us protect wildlife and the space it depends upon. The options for scale in conservation are rapidly disappearing."

In https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/campaigns/GiantsClub/urgent-investment-needed-to-preserve-one-of-africa-s-largest-protected-areas-a8853801.html?fbclid=IwAR1vDqc4GHianBK1cgLgxwrVpUkh_n87K26DYs_S4LjkOYSnUt3DTy3wrFI
Hong KongA group of Hong Kong activists face jail after being convicted Tuesday on colonial-era public nuisance charges for their role in organizing mass pro-democracy protests that paralyzed the city for months and infuriated Beijing. The convictions followed a trial that has renewed alarm over shrinking freedoms under an assertive China which has rejected demands by Hong Kongers asking for a greater say in how the financial hub is run. Nine activists were all convicted on Tuesday of at least one charge in a prosecution that deployed rarely-used colonial-era public nuisance laws over their participation in the 2014 Umbrella Movement protests, which called for free elections for the citys leader. It is the latest blow to strike the beleaguered pro-democracy camp which has seen key figures jailed or banned from standing as legislators since their civil disobedience movement convulsed the city but failed to win any concessions. Among the most prominent members of the group on trial were sociology professor Chan Kin-man, 60, law professor Benny Tai, 54, and Baptist minister Chu Yiu-ming, 75. All now face the prospect of jail. The trio founded the pro-democracy Occupy Central movement in 2013, which joined the student-led Umbrella Movement a year later that brought parts of the city to a standstill for months. All three were found guilty of conspiracy to commit public nuisance. Tai and Chan were also convicted of incitement to commit public nuisance although all three were acquitted of incitement to incite public nuisance. Of the remaining six defendantsa group of younger protest leaders, including two sitting lawmakersall were convicted of at least one public nuisance charge. In an unusual move prosecutors tried the group under Hong Kongs common law system, which carries a much steeper sentence than statutory public nuisance laws. Each protest leader could now face up to seven years in jail, rather than three months had the charges been brought under statutory law. In his verdict, Judge Johnny Chan ruled that the 2014 protests, which took over key intersections for many weeks, were not protected by Hong Kongs free speech laws because the demonstrations impinged on the rights of others. The unreasonableness of the obstruction was such that the significant and protected right to demonstrate should be displaced, he said. The act was one not warranted by law. After the verdicts were read out, the court was adjourned until the afternoon. It is not yet clear when the group will be sentenced.Human rights groups and critics hit out at the convictions, saying the use of the vaguely worded public nuisance lawsand wielding the steeper common law punishmentwould have a chilling effect on free speech in Hong Kong. Hong Kong courts, by labelling peaceful protests in pursuit of rights as public nuisance, are sending a terrible message that will likely embolden the government to prosecute more peaceful activists, said Maya Wang, a senior China researcher at Human Rights Watch. AFP Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong, said it was appallingly divisive to use anachronistic common law charges in a vengeful pursuit of political events which took place in 2014. Before their conviction the nine defendants struck a note of defiance as they greeted a large crowd of cheering supporters outside the courthouse in Hong Kongs Kowloon district on Tuesday morning. No matter what happens today, I have the confidence many people today will be together and continue to strive for Hong Kong democracy. We will persist on and do not give up, Tai said. I still believe in the power of love and peace. I have no regret for what I have done, Chan Kin-man added. The city enjoys rights unseen on the Chinese mainland, which are protected by the 50-year handover agreement between Britain and China, but fears are growing that those liberties are being eroded as Beijing flexes its muscles. At the trial, prosecutors argued that the mass protests had caused a common injury done to the public, who had been affected by the blockage of major roads, and that the leaders of the movement deserved to be punished. Judge Chan denied his ruling would impact the ability of Hong Kongers to protest. It cannot be reasonably argued that a charge of conspiracy to cause public nuisance would generate a chilling effect in society, he wrote. The Occupy movement highlighted widespread frustration, especially among the young, over Hong Kongs direction but failed to win any reforms from Beijing.
"Were the prosecutors so intimidated that not one took a stand and gave a different opinion afterward?" "Were the prosecutors so intimidated that not one took a stand and gave a different opinion afterward?"

The threat of President Rodrigo Duterte to suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus and to declare a revolutionary war rages on, despite the Palaces attempt to play down the presidential remark made at the convention of public prosecutors in Palawan. Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo who must have the most difficult job in the world in explaining his boss frequent outbursts said the Presidents statement was only an exasperated expression of the many problems confronting his office. Yeah, right. But to state it before government prosecutors that he will arrest critics who are enemies of the state and throw them in jail together with common criminals, drug traffickers , addicts and killers is a scary scenario to contemplate. Considering that what the President flaunted is a serious legal issue, none of the prosecutors present at the Palawan gatheringwho were all lawyers and officers of the lawspoke up even after the event against the President s ranting. Were the prosecutors so intimidated that not one took a stand and gave a different opinion afterward? It took some senators and other legal observers to point out that the presidential way of handling the law is way out of left field. The President likes to point out that he was a former public prosecutor before he became Davao City mayor. We hope that those whom the former public prosecutor failed to send to jail via the legal process were not arrested and jailed anyway by the strongman Davao mayor.Domingo Egon Cayosa, vice chairman of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, said the President may suspend the writ of habeas corpus only for 60 days and may do so only if there is an imminent threat of invasion against the country or a total breakdown of law and order. He also pointed out the expression revolutionary war is totally different from a revolutionary government, according to the Constitution. For sure, other senators will express a similar and as learned a view as IBP official Cayosa. Lets hear it candidates and enough talk of what you did, etc. Protection of the peoples right is just as paramount as lowering the cost of living and having ample supply of water. This is why laws are crafted and enshrined in the Constitution. They are not for those holding the lever of power to set aside and do as they please. There is a final reckoning at the end of their term and immunity from prosecution. In some instances, peoples patience reaches a tipping point before this. Look at what happened to former Presidents Ferdinand Marcos and Joseph Estrada although it took longer for Marcos to fall. Erap did not really suffer imprisonment because he was detained at his resthouse in Tanay and then immediately pardoned after his conviction for graft and corruption. The people of Manila hopefully will render a wiser verdict in the midterm elections where Erap is seeking a second term as mayor. The people of the countrys capital, however, have a limited choice with only Erap, former Mayor Fred Lim and former Vice Mayor Iskho Moreno to choose from. Is Manila so bereft of leaders? Take note that it is the national government agencies cleaning up Manila Bay, and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency on top of the rampant proliferation of drugs in the city. I used to be a Manila resident living in the once-fashionable Malate area but moved to Makati to escape the stench of a decaying city. Life in a high condominium tower in Makati with its accompanying high real estate taxes is more livable than living dangerously in Manila.
In Zambia Xago Africa and the Zambian company, Blue Chip Resources, have secured a $500 million contract to build a 300 MW solar park in the southern African nation.

The joint venture has associated Solarcentury East Africa, the subsidiary of Solarcentury, a British solar specialist into the project.

Zambia will act as a technical advisor and construction partner. Together the three companies will provide a 300 MW solar power plant.

For Xago Africa, it is one of its best contracts both in solar energy and in the other renewable energy sources it is operating in several African countries.

The Nairobi-based firm last joins GL Africa Energy, a firm owned by Kenyan tycoon Humphrey Kariuki but registered in the UK, in winning top dollar tenders across borders in African markets.

In Kenya, where its headquarters are located, it is currently building a 40 MW solar power plant with batteries for energy storage.

As for Solarcentury East Africa, the aim is to strengthen its presence in East Africa. Recently, the company commissioned two 2.25 MW mini-grids in Eritrea.

Zambia has attracted more private power producers in recent years. Last year, the French renewable energy company, Neoen and Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) commissioned the Bangweulu solar power plant in the north-east of the country.

With a 54 MW capacity, it was built as part of a public-private partnership (PPP).

The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) have also injected close to $50 million to support small solar projects in the country.
Credit: University of Gothenburg

A boy 48 centimeters long, weighing 2900 grams, is the first baby born after the technological shift in Swedish research on uterine transplantation. The birth, with the planned cesarean delivery (C-section), took place on Monday April 8, and the whole family is doing fine.

"It's a fantastic feeling to deliver such a special, longed-for child. To have been part of the whole process, from the first meeting with the couple to the uterus transplant, and now to see everyone's joy when what we've hoped for becomes reality. It's simply wonderful," says Pernilla Dahm-Kahler, a leading robot-assisted surgeon and gynecologist on the team and research scientist at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg.

This baby is the first to be born within the scope of this research project. He has come into the world after a uterine transplantation in which the donor, the recipient's mother, was operated on with robot-assisted keyhole surgery. This method is considerably less invasive for the donor than traditional open surgery.

Mats Brannstrom, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Sahlgrenska Academy, heads the research work.

"This is an extremely important step toward developing the surgery involved in uterine transplantation, and its safety. For the first time, we're showing that the less invasive robot-assisted surgical technique is practicable."

More robot assistance in the future

The donor is operated on through one-centimeter incisions in the abdomen. The robotic arms that perform the surgery are guided by two surgeons, one on each side of the patient. Each surgeon sits at a personal workstation a few meters away, with a joystick tool and magnified 3-D screen image that allows high precision for operating deep inside the lower abdomen.

Toward the end of the procedure, another incision is made so that the uterus can be removed. It is then immediately inserted in the recipient by means of open surgery. The new technique makes a big difference for the donors, who generally feel better afterward and get back on their feet faster.

Niclas Kvarnstrom is the transplant surgeon in charge within the project, and the physician who performed the intricate task of connecting vessels in the uterus recipient. "In the future, we're also going to be able to transplant the uterus into the recipient using a robot-assisted keyhole technique."

The transplantation was carried out at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in October 2017. Ten months later, an embryo fertilized via IVF before the transplantation was inserted into the transplanted uterus, and a few weeks later, the doctors were able to confirm pregnancy with a distinct heartbeat. The pregnancy has been free from complications, with the mother in good health throughout; now, it has thus ended with a planned C-section at 36 weeks.

The child now born is the ninth in Sweden following a uterus transplant and the first in what the researchers call "the Robot Project," in which more pregnancies and babies are expected in the years ahead. Six transplantations were performed in 2017 and 2018, and the team is also scheduled to perform the first uterine transplant using an organ from a deceased donor.

To date, a total of 15 babies worldwide have been born from a transplanted uterus. Besides the nine born within the scope of this Sahlgrenska Academy research, there are two in the United States and one each in Brazil, Serbia, India and China.

Mats Brannstrom points out the great importance of the technique, developed over more than 15 years' research at Sahlgrenska Academy, now also functioning elsewhere in the worldin several cases, following direct technology transfer from the team at Sahlgrenska.

Explore further First pregnancy after robot-assisted uterus transplant
(HealthDay)Chloroprocaine results in adequate anesthesia with quick recovery of sensory/motor functions for knee arthroscopy in the ambulatory setting, according to a study presented at the Annual Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Meeting, held from April 11 to 13 in Las Vegas.

Elsbeth Wesselink, Pharm.D., and Marcel de Leeuw, Ph.D., from the Zaans Medical Center in Zaandam, Netherlands, and colleagues conducted a prospective study involving 150 patients undergoing knee arthroscopy in day-case surgery. Patients were randomly assigned to either a spinal injection of 40 mg 2-chloroprocaine or hyperbaric prilocaine.

The researchers found that compared with prilocaine, chloroprocaine resulted in a shorter time to complete recovery from motor blockade (median, 60 versus 75 minutes), faster onset of sensory block (median, two versus four minutes), and shorter times to full regression of sensory block (median, 120 versus 165 minutes) and discharge home (mean, 3.7 versus 4.7 hours). The chloroprocaine group had higher peak sensory block (median T9 versus T10). At 20 minutes, mean arterial blood pressure was lower and use of vasopressor drugs was higher (22.7 versus 10 percent) in the chloroprocaine versus the prilocaine group. There was no difference between the groups in terms of frequency and type of medication for postoperative pain management. On days 1 and 7, patient satisfaction did not differ between the groups.

The results "confirm earlier observations that both short-acting spinal anesthetics chloroprocaine and prilocaine result in adequate anesthesia with quick recovery of sensory/motor functions for knee arthroscopy in the ambulatory setting," the authors write.

Explore further Less pain post TKA with addition of peripheral nerve blocks

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(HealthDay)People with severe pain from cancer or sickle cell anemia should not be denied coverage for opioid painkillers, a new clarification on federal guidelines states.

In the wake of the national opioid epidemic, various medical societies had encouraged doctors to rein in prescriptions for the powerful painkillers.

In 2016, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published guidelines that said for most patients seen by primary care doctors, opioids should be a last resort.

But there has been an unintended consequence: Some insurers have refused to pay for prescriptions for patients with cancer or sickle cell anemia, or for cancer survivors with complicated chronic pain conditions.

The new clarification was issued in a letter from the CDC to three medical societies who'd brought the insurance problem to the agency's attentionthe American Society of Hematology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

The letter, released Tuesday, stresses that the guidelines weren't intended for patients undergoing cancer treatment.

Beyond that, the letter says, the guidelines weren't designed to "deny any patients who suffer with chronic pain" the option of opioid medications.

Dr. Deepika Darbari, who is with the hematology society, treats young patients with sickle cell anemia at Children's National, in Washington, D.C. She said she's come up against the insurance barrier herselfnamely, plans that refused to pay for IV opioids for patients hospitalized with severe pain episodes.

And they've cited the CDC guidelines as the reason, Darbari said.

Sickle cell anemia is an inherited disease that causes red blood cells to be crescent-shaped, rather than disc-shaped. The cells also become "sticky" and prone to clotting. Because of poor blood circulation, patients can suffer periodic pain "crises."

Over time, Darbari explained, sickle cell anemia can cause chronic pain by damaging organs and joints throughout the body.

Patients can first try other pain relievers, like acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), along with nondrug therapies, according to Darbari.

But, she said, some need oral opioids, like Vicodin or OxyContin. And for severe pain episodes, patients may need to be hospitalized and given IV opioids.

The CDC agreed that managing sickle cell pain is complicated. The agency stated in its letter that treatment decisionsand reimbursementshould be based on medical guidelines created specifically for the disease.

Then there is the issue of cancer survivors who suffer lasting pain related to their treatment.

The CDC guidelines specifically said they do not apply to cancer patients undergoing "active treatment."

"But where does that leave cancer survivors?" said Judith Paice, the lead author of ASCO's guidelines on treating survivors' pain.

More and more people are surviving cancer, Paice saidand that means more people living with aftereffects of treatment, which can include chronic pain. Some cancer treatments damage the nerves, for example, leaving people with a form of pain called neuropathy.

Another example, Paice said, relates to the aromatase inhibitors that breast cancer survivors may take for years to cut the risk of recurrence. They can cause chronic joint and muscle pain.

"We have many different options for addressing pain in cancer survivors, and opioids are one," Paice said.

The CDC guidelines, she noted, were aimed at primary care doctors treating more common problems like lower back pain. Complex pain conditions, like those in cancer survivors, are different, Paice said.

In its letter, the CDC acknowledged that pain in cancer survivors is "unique," and that guidelines from groups like ASCO offer "useful guidance" on treatment.

Commenting on the letter, the trade group America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) said that health insurance policies have "always" recognized that patients under active cancer treatment do not fall under the CDC guidelines.

Beyond that, the AHIP said, "health insurance providers cover comprehensive, effective approaches to pain management that include evidence-based treatments, more cautious opioid prescribing, and careful patient monitoring."

The CDC's letter will be publicly available online, and Darbari said that doctors and patients can cite it if they run into problems with insurance coverage.

Paice called the letter "a beginning." But she also said the problem is broader: Even when patients are not denied coverage, insurers put up cumbersome prior authorization requirements for opioidseven for refills.

"That can leave chronic pain patients without any medicine," she said.

Paice said she reminds patients not to wait until their pills are almost gone to get a refillsince they may face delays.

Explore further Researchers study effect of chronic opioid therapy on pain and survival in sickle cell disease

More information: For advice on insurance coverage issues, visit the For advice on insurance coverage issues, visit the Patient Advocate Foundation

Copyright  2019 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Text messaging, mobile apps, and other digital technologies are being used in innovative ways to support nonspecialist health workers in increasing access to mental health care in low- and middle-income countries (LIMCs), according to a narrative review in the March/April issue of Harvard Review of Psychiatry.

"There is immense potential to leverage the increasing availability and reach of digital technologies to enhance the capacity, skills, and support for nonspecialist health workers in low-resource settings, all in an effort to alleviate the global burden of mental disorders," write John A. Naslund, Ph.D., of Harvard Medical School and coauthors. They summarize promising programs that use digital platforms to support delivery of mental health care in resource-poor areas around the world.

Digital Tech Supports Efforts to 'Extend the Reach of the Mental Health Workforce'

A shortage of trained professionals poses major obstacles to delivering adequate mental health care worldwide, and especially in low- and middle-income countries. "Task sharinginvolving community health workers and other nonspecialists in delivering evidence-based psychosocial treatmentshas emerged as a promising approach for addressing the global treatment gap.

Access to digital technology is expanding rapidly in most countries, opening new avenues to building the capacity of the mental health workforce through task sharing. Dr. Naslund and colleagues identify seven examples of programs using digital platforms to support nonspecialists in delivering mental health interventions:

In rural India, community volunteers are using smartphones and mobile apps to access training and information to identify and improve care for individuals with mental health disorders.

Nonspecialist health workers (all women) in Pakistan are using a tablet-based program to deliver a proven-effective, culturally appropriate psychosocial treatment for postnatal depression.

In Zimbabwe, nonspecialist health workers are delivering a program targeting depression and other common disorders, reinforcing program content with text messages and cell phone calls.

A mobile decision-support system is helping community and primary care health workers in rural India to provide screening, diagnosis, and management of mental disorders.

In low-income areas of Lima, Peru, primary care providers are using a digital platform and mobile app to improve detection and referral for mental disorders, including depression, anxiety, and problematic alcohol use.

A community-based program in rural China is using a digital platform to increase prescribed medication use and prevent relapse among people with schizophrenia.

In Nigeria, mobile technology is supporting a stepped-care intervention for postnatal depression, delivered by community midwives.

Representing a wide range of settings, targeted disorders, and research designs, the projects illustrate some of the possibilities of using digital platforms to support task-sharing interventions in LIMCs. While some programs use more-sophisticated digital platforms, others use readily available technologies such as text messages, voice calls, and smartphones. "Importantly, digital technology was largely used to support or strengthen the delivery of existing evidence-based programs for mental health care," Dr. Naslund and colleagues write.

While the seven projects provide highly promising examples, the researchers note that many challenges remain in exploring opportunities for digital technology to drive innovative models of mental health care delivery in lower-resource settings. The researchers add, "We observed that technology did not act as a replacement for human capacity but rather served as an important tool for supporting nonspecialist health workers in their roles."

Explore further Non-specialist health workers play important role in improving mental health in developing countries

More information: John A. Naslund et al, Digital Technology for Building Capacity of Nonspecialist Health Workers for Task Sharing and Scaling Up Mental Health Care Globally, Harvard Review of Psychiatry (2019). John A. Naslund et al, Digital Technology for Building Capacity of Nonspecialist Health Workers for Task Sharing and Scaling Up Mental Health Care Globally,(2019). DOI: 10.1097/HRP.0000000000000217
People see obesity as an accusatory thing, accusing someone of doing something wrong, Fatimah Cody Stanford said. Maybe theres a way to approach them potentially in a loving and respectful way about obesity. Photo: Courtesy of Fatimah Cody Stanford. Credit: Tufts University

At a recent obesity medicine conference, Fatima Cody Stanford was approached by a colleague who said she'd always been standoffish around Stanford and wanted to explain why. When they were five years old, she said, taking a dance class together, Stanford had told her she was fat.

"Part of me died inside. I see myself as an ally for those with overweight and obesity, and I influenced her whole life by my comment," said Stanford, the keynote speaker on weight bias and health at the third annual Breaking the Silence symposium, held March 29 on the Boston Health Sciences campus.

"We don't realize what we're saying can have huge implications for how people carry out their lives," said Stanford, an obesity medicine physician at the Massachusetts General Hospital's Weight Center. That lesson informed her talk, using the terms "people with overweight" and "people with obesity" instead of "overweight people" or "obese people." "Stating 'obese person' sets up a stigma before you begin the conversation," she said.

Stanford listed the many factors that contribute to a person's body weightfrom the gut microbiome and the hunger response to the quality of available food, weight gain-inducing drugs, and environmental toxins. "We spend all our time focusing on the biological factor, but there are others," Stanford said.

Weight bias is pervasive in our society, she said, citing an article saying that people associate the image of an obese person with adjectives such as "lazy," "undisciplined," and "careless." She also told the audience about a young female patient with severe obesityher BMI was 56who applied for a job at a Boston retailer and was immediately rejected; a few years later, after she had gotten her BMI down to 27, and she applied again. "She had no additional training or schooling, and she was hired within twenty seconds of starting the interview," Stanford said.

Examining when and how weight bias develops, Stanford pointed to a study revealing that infants whose mothers prefer images of leaner people versus people with overweight pick up that preference themselves. She also discussed how weight bias leads to negative health outcomes, citing a study that followed a group of boys ages seven to eleven who developed conduct and emotional problems and restrained eating behaviors after being teased about their weight. Another study showed that those who experience weight stigma suffer higher rates of stress, depression, low self-esteem, and substance abuse.

Turning her focus to the health-care field, she said weight bias is less common among health-care practitioners than the general public, but is still pervasive. Studies have shown that although implicit (or unintentional) weight bias has been going down among students at forty-nine medical schools surveyed in recent years, explicit weight bias has been going up. "We aren't doing as well as we'd like to think we're doing," she said.

And medical students receive little training about obesity, she added. To prove her point, she asked how many people had heard of Behcet's disease, a rare disordermany hands went up. Then she asked how to treat obesityfar fewer hands went up. "Which one should we really be learning about?" she asked. "We suckthat's my professional wordingat obesity education."

Weight bias harbored by health-care practitioners can be particularly damaging, Stanford said. "You go into the office, you have no place to sit, the blood pressure cuff doesn't fit your arm, someone is snickering behind the desk when you come in and get weighedit all sends cues that you don't belong here," Stanford said. "So you avoid and mistrust the provider and staff, you don't want to adhere to their recommendations, you don't want to communicate because you don't feel comfortable."

What can be done about weight bias in the health-care field? "There needs to be more training at the undergraduate medical education level. Then there need to be residencies," Stanford said.

It's also important to look at the bigger picture, Stanford said. In response to a question from Linda Hudson, assistant professor of public health and community medicine at Tufts School of Medicine, she said there is "significant synergy" between medicine and public health on this issue. "One of the best strategies for targeting obesity is fetal programming. If we target moms and dads pre-conception, that means we have to target the whole population," Stanford said. "But that's not the conversation we're having."

Finally, Stanford said, physicians and other health-care professionals need to learn to talk sensitively to patients about managing their weight. Joyce Sackey, dean for multicultural affairs and global health at the School of Medicine, brought up a situation handled poorly by a resident at another medical school in the past. A patient came in with knee pain, and the resident began to lecture her about managing her obesity. "Her agenda was not addressed, and she felt insulted," Sackey said.

Others have suggested that weight shouldn't be brought up at alla student in Friedman School's biochemical and molecular nutrition program brought up the "health at every size" movement, asking whether the focus should instead be on lifestyle and behaviors.

Stanford pushed back. "We do have to recognize obesity is a disease and treat it as such, and 'health at every size' sometimes does counteract that process," she said. The resident who lectured the patient about her obesity was right to bring up the issueit's the approach that could use work.

Most residents, and most health-care professionals, could stand to do some of that work, Stanford said. "People see obesity as an accusatory thing, accusing someone of doing something wrong," she said. "Maybe there's a way to approach them potentially in a loving and respectful way about obesity."
The New Development Bank (NDB), the arm of the BRICS that provides financing to the poorest countries has signed agreements with Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) Eskom, the South African national electricity transmission and distribution company for development of renewable energies and the construction of interconnection lines in the southern African nation.

South Africa is a member of BRICS, an association of five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

In a meeting held last week in South Africa, the President of the New Development Bank (NDB), announced a $2.3 billion investment plan for South Africa in 2019, in several sectors. Faced with a glaring energy deficit, South Africa is trying to green its energy mix.

The NDB has signed a $300 million loan agreement with the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA)to support the production of renewable energy and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The funds will be directed to the Governments Renewable Energy Supply Programme for Independent Producers (REIPPP).

The financial institution has also signed a $180 million with Eskom to build interconnection lines. The conclusion of this inaugural transaction with NDB will significantly contribute to the achievement of Eskoms objectives to reduce CO2 emissions in South Africa, said Calib Cassim, Eskoms CFO.
Credit: David Wagner/public domain

Alongside funding and regulatory support, understanding how housing affects health and safety can spur owners to make improvements to their properties, researchers from the University of Otago, Wellington and Waitara Initiatives Supporting Employment Trust (WISE) Better Homes have found.

The researchers carried out a voluntary housing warrant-of-fitness check on 83 properties in Taranaki, and then interviewed 40 of the homeowners to find out what improvements they chose to make.

Their research is published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.

The researchers found that while most of the properties failed the Warrant of Fitness, 76 per cent of the participants had addressed or planned to address at least one of the identified issues with the home.

Co-author Dr. Julie Bennett says: "This finding is in line with our previous research that shows that while hazards that are likely to affect health and safety are common in New Zealand homes, many of these defects can be easily rectified."

"This study has shown that when equipped with the knowledge the housing WOF provides, many people go on to make improvements voluntarily."

The research gave insight into why people elect not to make housing improvements. For some people cost was a factor. Other people did not believe that the identified improvement would make a difference to health and safety in the home.

Co-author Dr. Lucy Telfar-Barnard says this shows the importance of knowledge to encourage housing improvements.

"Some people said they wouldn't install a ground vapour barrier because it was dry under the house  not realising that even dry ground releases damp which rises into homes. Providing people with information on just how each housing defect affects health and safety may encourage people to make improvements."

While this research gives a number of insights into non-regulatory measures that would encourage owners to make housing improvements, the evidence suggests that a mandatory WOF would be required in order to ensure housing improvements were carried out on the large scale required.

Co-author Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman comments: "The enormous impact of housing on the health of New Zealanders means it is important we encourage improvements through subsidies and regulatory support, as well as clear and accessible information."

Explore further Insulating houses keeps children out of hospital

More information: Elinor Chisholm et al. Why don't owners improve their homes? Results from a survey following a housing warrantoffitness assessment for health and safety, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health (2019). Journal information: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health Elinor Chisholm et al. Why don't owners improve their homes? Results from a survey following a housing warrantoffitness assessment for health and safety,(2019). DOI: 10.1111/1753-6405.12895
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have identified for the first time an imbalance in a key neural pathway that explains how some people reactivate negative emotional memories. The finding could help scientists unlock new ways to treat psychiatric disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

The study, "Multiplexing of Theta and Alpha Rhythms in the Amygdala-Hippocampal Circuit Supports Pattern Separation of Emotional Information," is published today in the journal Neuron.

For decades, scientists have viewed emotional memory as a double-edged sword: while the entire emotional event is highly memorable, details of the event are often fuzzy. This lack of detailed recollection may lead to faulty reactivation of negative memories. For example, if someone is bitten by a dog, he or she may become anxious around dogs of all breeds and sizes. Understanding the nature of emotional memory could have implications for the treatment of PTSD and other mental disorders.

"Emotion exerts a powerful influence on how vividly we can remember experiences," said co-senior author Michael Yassa, professor of neurobiology & behavior, UCI School of Biological Sciences; professor of neurology and psychiatry, UCI School of Medicine; and director of UCI's Center for the Neurobiology of Learning & Memory. "However, studies in humans have shown that the impact of emotion on memory is not always positive. In many cases, emotional arousal can impair a person' ability to differentiate among similar experiences."

This neural computation is critical for episodic memory and is vulnerable in neuropsychiatric disorders, Yassa said.

According to this new study from UCI, an imbalanced communication between the brain's emotional center, the amygdala, and its memory hub, the hippocampus, may lead to the failure to differentiate negative experiences that have overlapping features. On the other hand, a balanced dialogue between the amygdala and the hippocampus allows one to separate overlapping emotional experiences and make distinct memories.

Further, two types of brain rhythmsa faster (8 cycles per second) alpha oscillation and a slower (4 cycles per second) theta rhythmdiametrically regulate communications between the amygdala and the hippocampus. Overamplified alpha rhythms from the amygdala to the hippocampus lead to faulty extrapolation of memories among similar experiences while balanced theta rhythms between the two brain regions promote correct discrimination and accurate recall.

"The teamwork between the amygdala and hippocampus is like a yin and yang and may be the key to disentangle overlapping emotional experiences and to overcome overreactions in a similar situation," said Jie Zheng, a UCI alumnus and the study's first author.

"Our findings provide a neural mechanism underlying this phenomenon and propose a circuit-level framework for possible neuropsychiatric therapy, such as deep brain stimulation, transcranial alternating current stimulation, and transcranial magnetic stimulation," said Dr. Jack J. Lin, co-senior author and professor of neurology, UCI School of Medicine, and professor of biomedical engineering, UCI Henry Samueli School of Engineering.

Measurements were collected from electrodes implanted by UCI Health neurosurgeons in seven patients with medication-resistant epilepsy as part of an assessment of their seizure activity. Electrode placement was guided exclusively by these patients' clinical needs, Lin said.

Explore further Horror movie scenes help team identify key brain circuits for processing fear
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

At least six states with high opioid abuse rates also have strong work restrictions that hinder nurse practitioners (NPs) in prescribing medication that can help treat the problem, according to a study by researchers at UC San Francisco.

These states, and others with restrictive scopes of practice for NPs, should reform their regulations to take full advantage of the health care workforce in addressing the opioid crisis and meeting primary care needs, the researchers said. Their study appears April 9, 2019, in JAMA.

"An important part of addressing the opioid crisis is helping people access treatment when they need it, and medication combined with therapy is the most effective approach," said corresponding author Joanne Spetz, Ph.D., associate director for research at Healthforce Center and professor at the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, part of the Department of Family and Community Medicine, and School of Nursing at UCSF. "NPs in states requiring that they practice under physician supervision or collaboration are much less likely to get waivers to prescribe these medications, and many of these same states have the highest rates of opioid overdose and addiction."

A shortage exists in clinicians authorized to prescribe medications for treating opioid abuse. Drugs like methadone are only available in licensed narcotics treatment programs. But in the early 2000s through the Drug Addiction Treatment Act (DATA), physicians were granted waivers to prescribe buprenorphine, which safely and effectively reduces opiate withdrawal symptoms and cravings, in office settings. A 2016 update to the law gave NPs and physician assistants (PAs) the same authority.

If an NP or PA practices in a state requiring physician collaboration or supervision, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has specific requirements regarding supervisor/collaborator qualifications. These requirements, along with the possibility a supervising physician simply may not want an NP or PA to be involved in opioid treatment, may reduce their ability to get buprenorphine waivers.

In the JAMA study, Spetz and her colleagues obtained state-level data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration on the number of DATA waivers for physicians, NPs and PAs as of September 2018. The percentage of physicians and NPs with waivers per state was determined by dividing by the total numbers of licensed physicians and NPs as reported in the 2016 Area Health Resource File, and the percentage for PAs determined by the 2016 National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants.

In their analysis, the researchers classified a scope of practice as less restrictive if NPs could prescribe medications without physician oversight, and whether state PA regulations included at least five of the six essential elements of practice recommended by the American Association of Physician Assistants, which primarily advise it be defined at the practice level rather than be restricted at the state level.

Overall, there were 44,916 physicians (5.57 percent of all physicians), 7,280 NPs (3.17 percent) and 1,913 PAs (1.66 percent) with buprenorphine waivers. Greater practice restrictions were associated with a lower percentage of NPs, but not PAs, receiving waivers: in more restrictive states, 75 percent fewer NPs received waivers than those NPs working in less restrictive states.

Less restrictive regulations were found in 27 states for NPs and 23 states for PAs. The average percentage of NPs with waivers was 5.58 percent in less restrictive states and 2.44 percent in more restrictive states. When adjusting for various factors, the rate of NPs with waivers was 4.73 percent in less restrictive states and 2.7 percent in more restrictive states. The PA scope of practice was not significantly affected.

States with high opioid abuse rates in which NPs can prescribe without physician supervision/collaboration and in which the researchers found high shares of waivers (at least 6.5 percent) included New Hampshire, Maryland, Connecticut, Maine, Utah, New Mexico, Rhode Island and Vermont, while states with low shares (less than 5 percent) included Kentucky, West Virginia and Delaware. States with high opioid abuse rates in which NPs must have physician supervision/collaboration to prescribe and had high shares of waivers (3.9 to 5.8 percent) included Ohio, Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey, while states with low shares (1 to 3.7 percent) included Missouri, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.

Other states with restrictive scopes of practice for NPs include California, Florida, Oklahoma, Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Mississippi, Texas, Indiana, South Carolina, Louisiana and Virginia. Legislation has been introduced in California to eliminate the physician collaboration requirement, as recommended by the California Future Health Workforce Commission.

The differences in NP and PA scope-of-practice restrictionssuch as regulations in all states requiring PAs, unlike NPs, to collaborate with a physicianmay explain the impact on NPs, Spetz said. To learn about other barriers and strategies clinicians are using to overcome this discrepancy, the researchers will make site visits through January 2020 to four states with high opioid mortality ratesWest Virginia, Ohio, Michigan and New Mexico.

"If their supervision or collaboration regulations cannot be changed, states should try to develop programs to help connect NPs with physicians willing to supervise them in offering buprenorphine," Spetz said. "They also should make sure that NPs and PAs, and the other advanced practice nurses now allowed to get waivers, are aware of this opportunity and know how to complete the education requirement to do so."

Explore further Why are doctors underusing a drug to treat opioid addiction?
Intermediate magnification micrograph of a low malignant potential (LMP) mucinous ovarian tumour. H&E stain. The micrograph shows: Simple mucinous epithelium (right) and mucinous epithelium that pseudo-stratifies (left - diagnostic of a LMP tumour). Epithelium in a frond-like architecture is seen at the top of image. Credit: Nephron /Wikipedia. CC BY-SA 3.0

Fewer than a quarter of breast cancer patients and a third of ovarian cancer patients diagnosed between 2013 and 2014 in two states underwent genetic testing for cancer-associated mutations, according to a study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and several other organizations.

The findings indicate that substantial gaps exist between national guidelines for testing and actual testing practices. In particular, the findings show that too few women with ovarian cancer are tested for the presence of mutations that could be used to guide health care decisions.

The study looked at about 83,000 women diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer in California and Georgia in 2013 and 2014.

"We initiated this studythe largest population-based study of multigene testing in breast and ovarian cancer patientsbecause we wanted to see what cancer genetic testing and results looked like in the real world," said Allison Kurian, MD, MSc, associate professor of medicine and of health research and policy at Stanford. "Now we can see that women with ovarian cancer are dramatically undertested. We also learned that between 8 and 15 percent of women with breast or ovarian cancer carry cancer-associated mutations that could be used to drive care decisions and influence family members' health care and screening choices."

Kurian shares lead authorship of the study, which will be published online April 9 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, with Kevin Ward, Ph.D., MPH, assistant professor in epidemiology at Emory University. Lynne Penberthy, MD, MPH, associate director for the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance Research Program, and Steven Katz, MD, MPH, professor of medicine and of health management and policy at the University of Michigan, are co-senior authors.

Changing guidelines

Researchers have known for decades that inherited mutations or variations in certain genes, notably BRCA1 and BRCA2, increase the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers. Genetic tests for mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 have been available for several years. But since 2013, genetic tests have incorporated many more potential cancer-susceptibility genes, and results have become much more complicated.

"Integrating genetic counseling and testing into the management of cancer after diagnosis has become much more challenging for patients and their clinicians," Katz said.

National guidelines recommend that all women with the most common type of ovarian cancer be tested for the presence of cancer-associated mutations; guidelines for testing breast cancer patients have been less expansive. Although the guidelines for genetic testing have expanded to include more patients diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer and the more extensive multigene panel tests, it's not been clear to what degree these guidelines are followed in real-world clinical settings. Furthermore, the prevalence of known cancer-associated mutations in breast and ovarian cancer patients who are racial or ethnic minorities, as well as in the overall population, is unknown.

For the study, the researchers tapped the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program, which tracks cancer diagnoses and outcomes in large populations across the United States. They linked data on cancer cases in California and Georgia with data from four laboratories conducting the majority of cancer genetic testing from 2013 to 2014. They found that only 24.1 percent of 77,085 women diagnosed with breast cancer and 30.9 percent of 6,001 diagnosed with ovarian cancer underwent any genetic testing.

Disparities in genetic testing

The researchers also observed disparities in testing, particularly among ovarian cancer patients. Although nearly 34 percent of non-Hispanic white women were tested, only about 22 percent of black women and 24 percent of Hispanic women were tested. Income and insurance status played a role in the prevalence of testing among women with ovarian cancer from all racial and ethnic groups, the researchers found. About 20 percent of patients with Medicare were tested compared with about 34 percent of patients with other forms of health insurance. Testing prevalence decreased to about 20 percent in areas where residential poverty equaled or surpassed 20 percent, and it was about 38 percent in regions where the poverty level was less than 10 percent.

The researchers found that among women with breast cancer in the study who underwent testing for a panel of guideline-designated genes, the prevalence of mutation variants of unknown significance was much higher in minority patients: 28.5 percent, 26.6 percent and 19.3 percent in African-American, Asian and Hispanic patients, respectively, versus 14.5 percent in non-Hispanic whites. The prevalence of pathogenic variants also varied along racial and ethnic lines.

"These differences underscore the need to improve the clarity of genetic test results, especially for racial or ethnic minority patients," Kurian said.
Map combining malaria prevalence and density of livestock and Anopheles arabiensis. Credit: Imbahale et al., 2019

An analysis led by ISGlobal identifies African regions where ivermectin administration to livestock would have the greatest impact on malaria transmission. The results, published in Scientific Reports, point to West Africa, below the Sahel, where malaria prevalence is very high.

Between 2000 and 2015, an estimated 663 million malaria cases were prevented worldwide, mostly due to the use of insecticide-treated bed nets and indoor spraying. However, these measures do not protect against malaria-transmitting mosquitoes that bite outside, during the day, and can also feed from livestock. Tackling this "residual" transmission will require strategies that go beyond household walls.

Ivermectin has been used for many years in livestock to control external and internal parasites. Recent studies show that ivermectin can also kill mosquitoes that feed on drug-treated animals, making it an attractive complement to vector control methods, particularly in areas with high malaria transmission.

In this study, ISGlobal researcher Carlos Chaccour and his colleagues performed a mapping exercise to identify African regions where a high malaria prevalence overlaps with high density of livestock and of the Anopheles arabiensis mosquito, which feeds on humans and cattle. In other words, they sought to identify the regions where ivermectin administration to livestock would have the greatest impact on malaria control.

The analysis shows that the West African region under the Sahel (particularly Burkina Faso, Guinea, Benin and Togo) would benefit the most from treating livestock with ivermectin. These regions are also those with the highest malaria prevalence among children under 10 years of age.

"This strategy can provide additional benefits for the community, by improving the overall health of their livestock," explains Chaccour. In addition, he points out, ivermectin is expected to be effective even against insecticide-resistant mosquitoes.

More studies are needed to evaluate if the strategy is effective in reducing malaria transmission, accepted by communities, and cost-effective. This is one of the aims of BOHEMIA, a project funded by Unitaid and led by ISGlobal. Launched recently, BOHEMIA will assess the impact of mass ivermectin administration in communities and/or livestock in two African countries (Tanzania and Mozambique). "Actually, the regions chosen for BOHEMIA are of special interest for ivermectin use in livestock, according to our maps," points out Chaccour.
Early detection of disease can be a double-edged sword. Credit: Shutterstock

Did you know the definition of high blood pressure (hypertension) in the United States was recently greatly expanded? Overnight, tens of millions of people were reclassified, leaving one in every two adults with a diagnosis of hypertension.

The move has been welcomed by some but also widely criticised, amid concerns the expanded definition may bring more harm than good to many people, from unnecessary illness labels and unneeded drugs.

What about the condition called "chronic kidney disease" (CKD), diagnosed by measuring blood levels to estimate kidney function? Because it does not account for normal ageing, the current definition labels up to one in two older people as having "CKD".

But many of those labelled will never have any kidney symptoms, chronic or otherwise, and there's been repeated criticism within the medical literature. That broad new "disease" was created at a conference sponsored by a major drug company.

Then there are the recent changes to the definition of gestational diabetes which mean up to one in five pregnant women may now be diagnosed. But it's unclear whether many among the newly diagnosed mothers or their babies might benefit from this expansion.

It's time for a major change in how disease definitions and diagnostic thresholds are set. We outline a proposal for how this might happen today in the the journal BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine.

The growing problem of overdiagnosis

In all these examples, the danger is that more and more people may be overdiagnosed. Overdiagnosis means receiving a diagnosis that isn't likely to benefit you.

Supporters of expanded definitions often have the best of intentions, motivated to diagnose ever milder problems and treat them early.

But early detection can be a double-edged sword. For some people you prevent serious illness, for others you overdiagnose and overtreat things that would never progress and never cause any harm.

One common example is prostate cancer. Researchers recently estimated that more than 40% of all the prostate cancer now detected via testing healthy men in Australia may be overdiagnosed. In other words, those cancers would not have caused symptoms or problems during a man's lifetime, yet they are now being detected and treated with surgery or radiotherapy, often with major complications.

Our research a few years ago studied the panels of experts who actually change the definitions of common conditions, such as high blood pressure or depression.

We found three things. When they made changes, panels tended to expand definitions and label more previously healthy people as ill.

Second, they did not appear to rigorously investigate the downsides of that expansion.

And third, these panels tended to be dominated by doctors with multiple financial ties to drug companies with interests in expanding markets.

A proposal to reform how diseases are defined

Today, an international group of influential researchers and family doctors launch a proposal to address this problem of expanding disease definitions. Published in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, our proposal is for new processes and new people.

The new processes include rigorously examining evidence for benefits and potential harms, before reclassifying millions of healthy people as diseased. This was proposed in a world-first checklist for groups seeking to change definitions, developed by the Guidelines International Network.

As for new people, today's article suggests new multidisciplinary panels led by generalists, rather than specialists. It calls for strong representation from consumer or citizen groups, and all members being free of financial ties to drug and other interested companies.

Where to from here?

Responding to overdiagnosis remains a complex and uncertain challenge, both for individuals, and those who run health systems.

But it's clearly being taken more and more seriously. The World Health Organisation is co-sponsor of the Preventing Overdiagnosis conference in Sydney this year, where the science of the problem and solutions will be debated.

And just last week, leadership of the Nordic Federation of General Practitioners endorsed this proposal to reform the way diseases are defined. It's likely others will follow suit, against strong resistance from vested interests.

But as we conclude in today's BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine article, the time for change is now. We shouldn't treat people as an ever-expanding marketplace for diseases, for the benefit of professional and commercial interests. We can no longer ignore the great harm to those unnecessarily diagnosed.

Explore further How to rein in the widening disease definitions that label more healthy people as sick

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
(HealthDay)Adolescent and adult women, including those who are pregnant and postpartum, should be assessed for anxiety as a routine preventive health service, according to a draft recommendation statement published online April 1 by the Women's Preventive Services Initiative (WPSI).

Noting that anxiety is more common in women than men and in adolescent girls than boys, the WPSI has released a draft recommendation on screening women for anxiety.

The optimal screening intervals are currently unknown, and therefore, physicians should use their clinical judgement to determine when screening for anxiety is warranted. Clinicians should consider screening women who have not recently been screened. Clinicians may consider screening for anxiety in conjunction with depression because of the frequent co-occurrence of these disorders. Validated instruments that screen for anxiety and depression simultaneously may be clinically efficient in practice settings. Although studies have not yet evaluated the benefits and harms of population screening for anxiety, trials support the effectiveness of managing anxiety among patients with clinically diagnosed anxiety. The recommendation is available for public comment until May 1, 2019.

"By screening, we're looking to identify patients who've not otherwise come to attention for their anxiety," James Stevermer, M.D., a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, said in a statement. "What proportion of these women will benefit from diagnosis and treatment for anxiety? What proportion could be harmed, for example by overdiagnosis, labeling, or an adverse effect of therapy?"

Explore further New research will improve diagnosis of antenatal anxiety

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Desmond Meade is the president of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition. The leader of the group that got Amendment 4 on the ballot and a Tampa lobbyist were named Floridian of the Year and Young Floridian of the Year, respectively, by the University of Floridas Bob Graham Center for Public Service. The recognition is an annual award.

Desmond Meade is the president of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, a group that was one of the creators of the amendment to the Florida constitution that ended permanent disenfranchisement of people convicted of felonies.

That amendment, which passed in November, is mired in controversy as the Florida Legislature has proposed bills that would require ex-felons to pay all their restitution before being eligible to vote.

What weve seen in Amendment 4 was people being willing to put aside partisan differences and racial differences and to come together to move something that was major, Meade said, adding that he was honored by the award.

The recognition itself is in the spirit of how Amendment 4 was passed and thats the spirit Im trying to relay to our Florida Legislature ... its about people over politics, he said.

Prior to his political activism, Meade overcame homelessness to graduate from Florida International Universitys college of law, according to the Center.

The Young Floridian of the Year is James Chan, the Florida director and a lobbyist for the the State Innovation Exchange, a group that helps advance progressive issues in state legislatures.

Chan has devoted much of his career to increasing the civic engagement of communities of color and he also leads the Tampa Bay chapter of the New Leaders Council, a national organization geared toward training young progressive leaders, according to the Center.
@doug_hanks

Cindy Lerner, a former mayor of Pinecrest, is running for the District 7 seat on the Miami-Dade County Commission that's being vacated by Xavier Suarez in 2020.

Lerner, a lawyer, served as mayor of Pinecrest between 2008 and 2016. The longtime Democrat said she's running to make the county finally grapple with the challenges of sea-level rise, traffic, drinking water and "failing infrastructure."

"For too long, leaders have danced around pressing issues," Lerner said in a statement."I am running...because we can no longer afford hollow promises that simply waste taxpayer dollars and provide little results."

Lerner was an advocate for Pinecrest's recent failed referendum to use property taxes to borrow money and fund bonds that would let village properties connect to the county's water and sewer systems.

District 7 straddles parts of Miami, Pinecrest, South Miami and Coral Gables already has a candidate: former school board member and 2016 mayoral challenger Raquel Regalado, a Republican. Regalado has raised $19,000 for her campaign in one month, including checks from auto magnate Norman Braman (who was her top backer in 2016), county vendor Transportation America, and lobbyists Jorge Luis Lopez and Eric Zichella. Commission elections are non-partisan, but the 2018 cycle saw both parties back their affiliated candidates.

The big question is whether the man who defeated Regalado three years ago, Mayor Carlos Gimenez, will run for the seat when he leaves office in 2020. Gimenez, a Republican also in a non-partisan post, said recently he is going to run for something, and will announce his plans this summer. The most talked about options for the former county commissioner and former Miami city manager are his old District 7 seat, Miami mayor and congress.

County term-limit rules restrict commissioners and mayors to two consecutive terms, and 2020 is poised to have open elections for mayor and six commission seats. Of the two incumbents up for election in 2020, Eileen Higgins has filed for reelection. Joe Martinez has not.
In the first event of his presidential campaign, California Congressman Eric Swalwell is headed Tuesday to Broward County, where the newly announced 2020 candidate plans to highlight his gun-focused platform with an event just 13 miles from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Swalwell, who declared his candidacy on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Monday evening, explained in a statement that hes making sure gun violence is front and center in our national policy debate. He said he wants to hear from families harmed by gun violence during his 6 p.m. town hall at the BB&T Center in Sunrise (a second location after a Coral Springa La Quinta proved too small).

I see a country in quicksand, unable to solve problems and threats from abroad, unable to make life better here at home, Swalwell, a Democrat, told Colbert. I talk to kids who sit in their classroom afraid that theyll be the next victim of gun violence, and they see Washington doing nothing about it after the moments of silence and they see lawmakers who love their guns more than they love their kids. And none of that is going to change until we get a leader whos going to go big on the issues we take on, be bold in the solutions we offer and do good in the way that we govern. Im ready to solve these problems.

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The Soudanese army Saturday opened fire on the anti-riot forces at the largest demonstration calling for the countrys President to step down.

Sudan has been embroiled in political crisis since December with repeated demonstrations demanding President Omar al-Bashir to leave power.

Saturday demonstration in capital Khartoum called by organizers took place around military headquarters of the army as demonstrators hoped to win the army on their side.

The army took the protestors by surprise by firing at security and intelligence forces tasked to disperse the march. The move is unprecedented and heralds a tilt on the side of the demonstrators.

The Government had cracked down on previous demonstrations and announced 32 people have been killed so far. The figures have been rejected by human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, which believe more people have been killed.

Sunday the government through the minister of communication warned against threats of civil war over mobilization of funds by opposition parties, the association of the professional Sudanese with the support of foreign communities in the country.
Georgia to Spend 1/4 of Its Budget on Education

By Tea Mariamidze

Georgian Prime Minister, Mamuka Bakhtadze stated the government will be obliged to spend 1/4 of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on education and human resources.The PM made the statement after the governmental sitting on April 4.We will initiate a new draft law, according to which the current or any future government will be obliged to spend 6% of our GDP, which is 1/4 of the budget should be always paid on education and human capital, Bakhtadze said.According to him, the education budget is increased by 1 billion compared to 2012 and this year it is about GEL 1 billion 600 million."We, at the same time, take a commitment that in 2020 the education budget will be 2 billion, in 2021  GEL 2.5 billion and in 2022 it will be equal to 6 percent of our GDP - 3 billion 400 million GEL, he added.The PM said education will help Georgia to solve its main problems  occupation and poverty.This money will be spent on all five levels of our education sector: pre-school education, secondary education, vocational education, higher education, and science, he added.Bakhtadze voiced the initiative in early March, during the presentation of the government initiative: Education - Way to Freedom.He said through investing one-fourth of the budget in education, Georgia will become one of the most educated nations worldwide.The PM claimed that the governments efforts to provide for high-quality education will also encourage the private sector to invest money in the field, which will result in new schools and kindergartens, high-educational institutions and new campuses.The large-scale reform means that our higher education institutions will be represented in the worlds top rankings, we will have the most innovative research centers, laboratories, and we will be able to establish Georgia as a hub of education and science in the region, which is our mission, explained Bakhtadze.
" " Examination of a bankrupt man before his creditors in the Court of King's Bench, Guildhall, London, 1808. Guildhall Library & Art Gallery/Heritage Images/Getty Images

Imagine falling behind on your credit card payments and, eventually, becoming unable to pay them at all. Now imagine being thrown into prison because of it.

It may seem an unlikely scenario today, but there was a time in history when debtors were jailed for failure to pay -- a sentence that made little sense since being imprisoned left them unable to work. Even in the U.S., debtors were jailed until the early 1800s. Now our legal system deals with the inability to pay using a complex federal bankruptcy code designed to offer protections to debtors, and, in some measure, to creditors. But how did the bankruptcy code come about?

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Bankruptcy laws are designed to liquidate the collective assets -- known as the estate -- of a debtor, and to dole out the proceeds to creditors. The creditors receive a portion of the proceeds according to claims they have filed with the bankruptcy court, which help satisfy what the debtor owes them. If the debtor owes more than the estate pays the creditor, as is often the case, then the balance of the debt is forgiven.

It's a concept that's been in play since the ancient Roman Empire, when creditors could have a debtor's estate sold to receive the proceeds. Bankruptcy proceedings were commonplace during the Middle Ages, and also included a selling of assets to relieve debts. The U.S. took its cues from England, modeling the largely unpopular Bankruptcy Act of 1800 -- adopted 11 years after the Constitution was ratified -- after the motherland's laws that provided protection to merchants, bankers and the like when bankruptcy charges were brought against them [source: Encyclopedia Britannica].

The Bankruptcy Act of 1800 was replaced by the 1841 Bankruptcy Act, which allowed -- for the first time -- a debtor to file bankruptcy voluntarily and receive a discharge. In addition, the protections were extended not only to merchants, but to all people. The Bankruptcy Act of 1867 allowed bankruptcy filers to choose whether to follow state or federal exemption guidelines. And the Chandler Act of 1938, which zeroed in on large corporate bankruptcy proceedings, was built upon the National Bankruptcy Act of 1898, when Congress passed the first permanent law governing bankruptcy.

President Carter signed the Bankruptcy Reform Act, the basis of modern bankruptcy, into law on Nov. 6, 1978. Known as the Bankruptcy Code, it created bankruptcy courts and, notably, no longer allowed student loans to be discharged [source: Federal Judicial Center]. The next major change came in 2005, with the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act (BAPCPA). Essentially, the act made it harder to file for bankruptcy by increasing the complexity of the law, as well as the fees and amount of paperwork required when filing. It made it more difficult to have debts wiped clean and to file for bankruptcy more than once. It also requires bankruptcy filers to take a credit-counseling course -- which is far more palatable than a debtor's prison [source: Hahn].
" " Pop-up ads are less common now, but there are many other ways advertisers annoy internet users. Busakorn Pongparnit/Getty Images

In the mid-1990s, Ethan Zuckerman worked for Tripod.com, one of the first free web-hosting services for creating personal websites. Zuckerman, now director of the Center for Civic Media at MIT, believed deeply in the ethos of the early internet, a global public square where every voice had equal footing. But keeping Tripod free to users meant that revenue had to come from somewhere else. Like millions of other web companies, they chose advertising.

Soon Tripod was selling online ad space directly on Tripod-hosted personal websites, which worked fine until a major car company noticed that one of its ads was posted on a site celebrating anal sex. Zuckerman, believing he was acting in the best interest of both the advertiser and internet users alike, wrote some code to display the car ad in a separate browser window instead of on the kinky sex page.

Zuckerman had just invented the pop-up ad.

Pop-up ads spread across the nascent internet like a plague. Pop-ups were beloved by advertisers because they flung the company's message in front of as many eyeballs as possible. Even better, users had to physically close the window, which forced them to interact with the ad, if only for a second. Blinded by the novelty and blanket exposure of the pop-up format, advertisers didn't foresee the user backlash.

It didn't take long for pop-ups to become the most universally hated part of online life. By the early 2000s, pop-up blockers were standard on most web browsers and the worst of the pop-up era was over. But that doesn't mean that advertisers stopped looking for "creative" ways to grab our attention online.

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Why Annoying Ads Work

While old-school pop-ups are rare nowadays, there are plenty of ways that advertisers still hold us hostage for content. There are "prestitial" ads that block the whole screen as a website loads, forcing you to wait 15 seconds before clicking "continue to site." There are "interstitial" ads that display after you visit the site. Some preloading ads on videos can be skipped after five seconds, others can't (has 30 seconds ever felt so long?). And there are videos that expand  with sound!  if you accidentally hover your mouse over the ad.

Why would advertisers and content providers continue to risk alienating users with ads that most people try to skip or close as quickly as possible?

One reason is that they work. In general, "rich media" ads that contain video or other interactive elements are more engaging to online consumers, says John Dinsmore, a marketing professor at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. That expanding video screen that launches when you hover your mouse over an ad for two seconds is called a lightbox ad or hover ad. Google, which created the lightbox format, claims that they are "six to eight times more engaging than a static video box," says Dinsmore.

One study showed that the top 10 highest-performing pop-up ads had an impressive conversion rate of 9.28 percent (conversion rate means a person took action  such as going to the advertised website  after viewing the ad). One marketing expert found that adding a hover ad to his site increased sales by 162 percent and newsletter subscriptions by 86 percent.

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The Better Way to Do Internet Advertising

Michael McNulty is the product marketing manager for rich media for Sizmek, a marketing company that gives advertisers a huge selection of online ad formats to play with, from standard banner ads to full-screen "expandables" (ads that expand to cover the whole screen when clicked on) and "pushdowns" (ads that push the site content down as they expand).

As with any piece of technology, McNulty explains, there are smart ways and careless ways to deploy it. It starts with targeting. Like it or not, your every move on the internet is likely being tracked and sold to advertisers. By analyzing your search terms and browsing history, for example, Google might know that you're in the market for a new vehicle, preferably a hybrid SUV that can seat seven. While McNulty would never advise a carmaker to blast a flashy video ad at every random web user, in your specific case, a high-impact ad for a seven-seater hybrid SUV could really pay off.

"If you have marketing agencies that go the extra mile to know what users want and what they respond to, you're giving them a reason to watch something you're putting in front of them whether it's obtrusive or not," McNulty says.

McNulty says at Sizmek, the default setting for all rich media ads is to only launch if it's user-initiated. Meaning, the user has to click "expand" before the interactive video window will launch  no videos that automatically play or pop-ups. But ultimately, he doesn't control what the client and their creative team want to do with the tools that Sizmek provides. Those settings can be tweaked to deliver whatever ad experience the client wants, including the bad kind.

Annoying, untargeted, unwanted ads poses a big threat to the future of the entire ad-supported internet. Instead of just turning on pop-up blockers in their browsers, more people are installing ad-blocking software that kills all ads, even the relatively benign ones.

If a content website can't serve you ads, it can't pay the bills. And that could mean less "free" internet and more charges for consumers to access a website, read a blog post, or watch a video.

Now That's Cool Starting in 2017, Google announced that it would demote mobile sites that launched with a full-screen pop-up or other kind of ad that stands between users and their content.
" " The Colorado Department of Agriculture's Industrial Hemp Program has already been regulating the cultivation of industrial hemp. Colorado Dept. of Agriculture

In fields across the United States, hemp is about to take over. The one-time staple of Revolutionary Age farms  Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and George Washington all grew it; caretakers at Mount Vernon still reap it  was banned for decades in the U.S. for its somewhat unfortunate association with its party-hearty cousin, marijuana.

But now that Congress has passed a new farm bill that contains a provision that will legalize and regulate the plant, hemp fields are poised to start edging out some of America's more traditional crops, from corn to cotton, from Washington state to Florida. The hemp plant holds great promise for beleaguered farmers everywhere ... though, for many, it remains largely misunderstood.

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The New Age of Hemp

Cory Sharp is the CEO of HempLogic, which provides services  from "seed to sale," the website claims  to fledgling hemp farmers.

"My web traffic quadrupled right after [the farm bill] passed. I'm getting 50 emails a day when I was getting 10. There's a lot of excitement," Sharp says. "I get asked this all the time: 'Does it feel like a gold rush?' Yes, it absolutely feels like a gold rush, and I'm the guy supplying the shovels and the wagons and the supplies."

A 2014 law allowed the growing of hemp by states and some universities for research. (The year before, forward-thinking Colorado allowed a farmer to grow a hemp crop  the first crop in decades  in a closely watched experiment.) By 2017, 19 states were growing hemp on some 25,000 acres, about three times more acreage than the year before.

Now, with the passage of the new farm bill, the shackles are off. "It's going to blow," Sharp says. "It's wide open. It's the wild, wild west."

In 2017, growing hemp was an $820 million industry in the U.S., according to Eric Steenstra, the president of the advocacy group Vote Hemp. In 10 years, there's no telling how much that might balloon.

"We're going to see a multibillion industry. We're going to see hemp become a full commodity, where it's not now  it's not a huge crop, not traded on the exchanges, that kind of thing," Steenstra says. "I think we're going to see hemp growing, hopefully, across all 50 states. I think we will see markets developing products in new ways to use this crop, in ways previously not thought of ... I think we're going to see this become the No. 1 crop in the U.S. eventually. I believe that."

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Crowding Out Other Crops

The rise of hemp may come at a cost to crops that require lots of water and pesticides, like cotton, soybeans and corn. The allure of hemp is strong, for many reasons. From Modern Farmer:

Hemp grows more vigorously than corn, but requires less water, pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizer, earning it a reputation as a sustainable crop. The plant has over 25,000 known uses and is potentially an eco-friendly alternative for other crops commonly produced on an industrial scale ...



Hemp is an ideal plant for organic farmers because it requires minimal inputs, is fairly resistant to pests and diseases, and grows so fast and tall that it outcompetes weeds, minimizing the need for hand cultivation  a major labor cost for most other organic crops.

"When I have farm wives calling me because they want to grow hemp to save their farms, their fourth-generation farm, and they start to cry ... it makes you want to help them," Sharp says. "But hemp is a very unique plant. You have to understand how it's grown. It grows very easily, but it has to be done correctly in order for it to have any value. And people are not understanding that. I always tell people, 'You want to grow 200 acres? Grow two.' You have to be very, very careful."

" " The stems of the hemp plant have fibers that can be spun into things like rope or used to make clothing. Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

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The Final Hemp Hurdle

With the passage of the farm bill, hemp overcomes, at least for many, a huge stigma: its association with marijuana. The two come from the same plant, Cannabis sativa, but are "significantly differentiated at a genome-wide level." Or, as Vote Hemp explains, they're just different, "just as Chihuahuas and St. Bernards are different breeds of Canis lupus."

They were lumped together in the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 and again with the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. But hemp doesn't contain nearly the levels of the psychoactive ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)  the stuff that creates a high  that marijuana does. Hemp is less than .3 percent THC, according to the Ministry of Hemp.

The hope from hemp backers and future hemp farmers is that, with this new provision in the farm bill, hemp again becomes legit in people's eyes and its myriad uses  among thousands, it can be used as a food, a fuel, its fibers can be spun into clothing or used in construction  will benefit all.

"It's kind of amazing how far we've come all the sudden," Steenstra says. "When we started on this, people like [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell had a beef with us. They absolutely did perceive this as being somehow connected to marijuana legalization. It took a lot of just basically knocking on doors, sitting in meetings and crafting the message, focusing on the economics of this, the potential for farmers and businesses, and that was a message that resonated with members of Congress."

NOW THAT'S INTERESTING Another product that figures to benefit substantially once the president signs the farm bill is cannabidiol (CBD), the non-psychoactive anti-inflammatory that has been shown to reduce pain and is an active ingredient in the only FDA-approved cannabis-based drug, Epidiolex. Hemp-based CBD products have experienced a 440 percent increase in sales  the CBD is mostly imported, which is not against the law  since 2014, according to Vote Hemp.
Celebration of 70 years of the transatlantic Alliance took place in Washington, DC

By Levan Abramishvili

NATO Foreign Ministers gathered in Washington D.C.'s Mellon Auditorium on Wednesday (3 April 2019), to celebrate 70 years of the transatlantic Alliance. The ceremony, hosted by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, took place in the same room where the Foreign Ministers of the 12 founding Allies met to sign the North Atlantic Treaty on 4 April 1949.NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg hailed the Treaty, saying: "its reach is vast, and it has stood the test of time - because we have united around our core commitment to protect and defend one another".Jens Stoltenberg addressed a joint meeting of the United States Congress, making him the first leader of an international organization ever to do so. The Secretary General's speech focused on the bond between Europe and North America, the enduring strength of the NATO Alliance and the importance of unity in the everchanging world that poses new types of threats to the world peace and democracy.Stoltenberg stressed the importance of NATO allies coming together and overcoming their differences."We face unprecedented challenges, challenges no one nation can face alone. The global balance of power is shifting. The fight against terrorism is a generational fight. We are only just seeing the beginning of the threats in the cyberspace. Artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and big data could change the nature of a conflict more fundamentally than the industrial revolution and we will need to continue to deal with more assertive Russia." Said Stoltenberg in his speech.Elaborating on the topic of Russia, he talked about the country's pattern of behavior that Georgia and Ukraine had to face in 2008 and 2014, respectively."In 2014 Russia illegally annexed Crimea. The first time in Europe that one country had taken a part of another country by force since the WWII and we see a pattern of Russian behavior, including a massive military buildup from the Arctic to the Mediterranean and from the Black Sea to the Baltic. The use of military-grade nerve agent in the United Kingdom. Support for Assad's murderous regime in Syria. Consistent cyber-attacks on NATO allies and partners, targeting everything from Parliament's to power grids. Sophisticated disinformation campaigns and attempts to interfere in democracy itself." Said The Secretary-General.Jens Stoltenberg went on to list all the collective defense reinforcements that NATO put in place in response to the aforementioned threats: "For the first time we have combat troops deployed in the east of our alliance, we have increased the readiness of forces, tripled the size of the NATO Response Force, modernized our command structure, bolstered our cyber defenses".Stoltenberg reaffirmed his support of Georgia and Ukraine from the US Congress floor: "...we have stepped up our support to our close partners, Georgia and Ukraine, sovereign countries with a sovereign right to choose their own path." This statement received a standing ovation from the members of The Congress.NATO Secretary General stressed that NATO isn't looking to provoke conflict, but to prevent it from happening: "we do not want to isolate Russia. We strive for a better relationship with Russia, but even without a better relationship, we still need to manage a difficult one. So we need to talk - and we do talk; to reduce risks, to avoid incidents, accidents, and miscalculations. we also need dialogue in order to work for arms control."Stoltenberg also emphasized the importance of the fight against all kinds of terrorism: "Terrorism comes in many forms: some perpetrators misuse religion, others misuse political ideology. They claim to be different from each other - fighting for different causes, but they are all the same. They believe in hatred, violence and killing innocent men, women, and children. They are nothing more than cowards."He mentioned the mosque shootings that happened in Christchurch, New Zealand last month: "Terrorists attack our freedom, our values and our way of life. Our answer must be more openness and more democracy. Our values will prevail. Freedom will prevail over oppression. Tolerance over intolerance and love will always prevail over hate. I see this in the flowers laid outside the mosques in Christchurch New Zealand, I see this in the lives led by the young survivors of the attacks in Norway and I see this in New York and Washington to indomitable cities, cities that were not intimidated, not defeated, but which rose stronger than ever from the horror of that September morning." - Recalling the terrorist attack of 9/11 in 2001 that completely reshaped the world politics and incited increased fight against terrorism all over the world.Stoltenberg highlighted the significance of increased budget for NATO defense: "In an ideal world, we would not need to spend any money on defense. But we do not live in an ideal world. Freedom has enemies, and they need to be deterred and if deterrence fails, we need to fight....Future enemies of freedom may choose violence again, our desire for a peaceful world is simply not enough. ...NATO allies must spend more on defense. This has been the clear message from President Trump and this message is having a real impact. After years of reducing defense budgets, all allies have stopped the cuts and all allies have increased the defense spending. Before they were cutting billions, now they're adding billions. In just lost two years European allies and Canada have spent an additional forty one billion dollars on defense. By the end of next year, that figure will rise to one hundred billion. This is making NATO stronger. That money will allow us to invest in new capabilities our armed forces need."Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Davit Zalkaliani also attended the ceremony. In his speech he reaffirmed Georgia's aspirations to join the Euro-Atlantic: "it's a fact that Georgia's foreign policy priority is the integration into Euro-Atlantic structures. It's already enshrined in the main document - The Constitution of Georgia, as well as numerous resolutions of the parliament. The program of the government declares the top priority the full integration into the European structures. Georgia is recognized as the frontrunner among other aspirant countries."Zalkaliani delivered some important statistics: "The aspiration of Georgian people is confirmed by the three main pillars: the first of all, Georgia is the most operational partner of NATO, it contributes significantly to the NATO operation in Afghanistan, biggest contributor - 870 Georgian soldiers serve in Afghanistan back to back with our allies. ...at the same time we are increasing our defense and security capabilities - we have already met the NATO requirement - 2% GDP on military spending. As well as 20% of major military acquisition. And the third dimension is the black sea security and here again, we are very actively engaged in the strategic dialogue with our NATO partners."Zalkaliani mentioned that Georgia has all the means to become a member of NATO and the only decision that remains to be made is the political one: "We have the Bucharest summit decision that there is a consensus among all NATO allies that Georgia will become NATO member. There was a reiteration of this decision during the next summits and reconfirmation that Georgia has all practical tools for eventual membership. The only decision now remains is the political one and we have to be ready for this moment. We are doing everything possible. We aren't discouraged by the fact there is no political decision taken yet."The Minister stressed the importance of bilateral collaboration with the NATO allies: "We are developing our very strong bilateral cooperation with the Allies and with one of the main strategic partner, the United States. The relationship with the United States is at an all-time high right now. We are developing defense and security, which increases our defense and resilience. We are developing bilateral cooperation with France, Germany, and other NATO allies and I hope that, by doing this, we are approaching the time for the political decision to be taken."The Ambassador of Georgia to the United States, Davit Bakradze, positively assessed that Georgia was present at the celebration of 70 years of the transatlantic Alliance in Washington DC. "We heard very clear messages of support regarding Georgia's integration" - said Bakradze.
South Africa has talented people with world-class technical skills working in its IT sector, according to the co-president of Workday, Chano Fernandez.

Fernandez was speaking to media at a recent event in Johannesburg, where he was asked about Workdays plans for transferring skills to locals after opening an office in South Africa.

He said that Workday invests heavily in the skills development of its employees and it will be no different in South Africa.

We invest 20-30 days per employee, per year, in terms of training overall.

Workday offers cloud-based human capital and financial management systems to enterprises. Among its key competitors in this space are SAP and Oracle.

Its South African clients include Absa and a large law firm whose name Fernandez said he was not at liberty to disclose.

Local branch

Before opening a South African branch, Workday was already installed at the local offices of several multinational companies. These included Dimension Data, Aon, Adobe, Rolls Royce, and TomTom.

Currently the employee training in South Africa is focussed on the service side of Workdays business. However, Fernandez said there is scope for South Africa to provide technical resources to markets that arent as cost efficient.

As were growing and investing here, I wonder if South Africa can become a little bit more of an onshore/nearshore centre for some of the projects we do in Europe.

Fernandez said that Workday is already providing remote development support for projects in Northern Europe and countries like the United Kingdom from places where costs are lower.

While it is necessary to have some people on the ground at the client during a project, a lot of the work can be done remotely from countries were development and technical support is more cost efficient, like Poland and Spain.

South Africa may be in a similar position, having excellent technical skills which are available at lower costs than elsewhere in the world.

Workday is not committing to developing its South African office into a support centre, but Fernandez said the potential is certainly there.

Now read: Workday looking for big growth in South Africa
We are ready for December, everything ...
DCI detectives on Monday gunned down three suspected highway robbers after they had allegedly hijacked a United Nations (UN) official at Mukuyuni area in Machakos County.

The suspects were part of a five-man gang that has reportedly been impersonating traffic police officers along major roads. On Monday, they were stationed along Machakos  Kitui Road where they were ambushed by DCI sleuths in the afternoon.

The detectives who had been following the robbers based on information received from their previous victims cornered them at Makuyuni. The suspects declined to surrender and instead opened fire at the officers prompting an exchange of fire.

Two of the suspects managed to escape, with the DCI detectives rescuing the UN official who had already been handcuffed by the gang.

Police recovered a pistol, several rounds of ammunition, traffic police uniform and a vehicle that the suspects were using.

According to the DCI, the gang poses as cops on major highways before handcuffing their victims & stealing their motor vehicles.

A manhunt has since been launched for the two suspects who managed to escape.
The owners of Dr. Wilkinsons Hot Springs Resort in Calistoga have sold the operation to a hotel investment company it was announced today.

After 66 years of service to our guests, employees, and community through our parents vision, we are excited to pass the resort to a uniquely qualified owner and operator that appreciates and will build upon the foundation that our family has laid in the world of health and wellness, said Carolynne Wilkinson Clair of Wilkinson Family, LLC in a statement.

The resort was sold to Chartres Lodging Group for an undisclosed amount.

We want to thank all of the people who worked with us over the years to make the resort the special place that it is for us, and for those who stayed, said Wilkinsons husband, Howard Clair.

The property, a 42-room lodging and wellness resort, is located downtown at 1507 Lincoln Ave. and features a bath house, and provides spa services such as mud baths as well as natural hot mineral springs pools.

This resort stands as one of the pioneering wellness facilities in all of Napa Valley, said Mark Wilkinson. The historic bath house accentuates the benefits of hot mineral springs and volcanic mud treatments. Our parents, the late Dr. John and Edy Wilkinson, played a major role in the development of Calistogas unique geography into a globally recognized resort area. This truly is an historic and one-of-a-kind property.

Robert Kline, CEO and Co-Founder of Chartres Lodging Group said, We are honored to have been chosen by the Wilkinson Family to be entrusted with this iconic property and to further evolve the pioneering legacy of Dr. Wilkinson. Amidst the many investments that are taking place in and around Calistoga, we look forward to providing a renewed experience to the surge of interest in wellness and this world-renowned area.

The new owners will be making some improvements to the property including upgrading guest rooms, the baths, mineral pools and grounds.

The resort will be managed by Kokua Hospitality, based in San Francisco. Kokua manages hotels and resorts throughout the U.S., including San Francisco, Lake Tahoe and Hawaii, according to Kirk Pederson, Kokua Hospitality president. Our focus will be to provide a targeted level of customer experience that reflects Calistogas special place in Napa Valley and the growing wellness space, he said.
Wednesday, April 3

0926  Report of a large pothole on the Pope Street bridge.

0941  A blue bike was found in Sulphur Creek near Hunt Avenue.

0946  A bike was found in Lyman Park.

0950  Report of cars speeding at over 45 mph on Spring Street.

1158  A person reported losing several pieces of jewelry in February.

1220  A woman received a fraudulent card from a company that transferred money around in her account. She wanted to inform the public of the current robocall scam involving a caller going by the name of Henry Wayne.

1302  Report of a woman violating a restraining order on McCormick Street.

1615  Several people were trying to open bank accounts under someone elses name. No money was taken from the would-be victims account.

1619  Report of a drunk woman slurring her words, getting into a dark BMW, and driving down southbound Main Street. She was last seen turning onto Adams Street. Police checked the area.

1645  A debit card was reported lost.

1717  A cell phone, shirt and beanie were found in some bushes two weeks ago.

1909  A caller asked police to check on three cars parked on Spring Mountain Road. Men have been seen standing around the cars over the last few weeks and the caller thought there might be drug activity. Police checked the area.

Thursday, April 4

1301  Bees were swarming around a car near Spring/Oak. Police contacted a beekeeper.

1807  Report of a man sitting on a bench near Railroad/Hunt, blasting music and drinking tall cans of beer. Police arrested the 25-year-old St. Helena man on suspicion of violating probation.

2315  Report of loud music coming from a car at La Quinta/Kennedy.

Friday, April 5

0018  Report of a possible drunk driver on Mark West Springs Road. Police notified the CHP.

1254  Report of a reckless driver on northbound Highway 29 in Rutherford.

1433  A caller asked for more police presence on Chardonnay Way due to cars speeding continually.

1748  Medical aid for a man having a heart attack on Main Street.

2157  A Crinella Drive resident came home and found that her door had been broken and the lock was on the floor. Police took a report.

2321  Police assisted with a driver who was failing to yield on Highway 29 south of Yountville.

Saturday, April 6

0913  Non-injury lift assist on Fulton Lane.

1606  A person who had been using the Carnegie Building was having trouble locking the door.

1657  A parked car was damaged in a hit-and-run.

2051  A suspicious person was seen on the backside of a Main Street hotel property. When someone asked him what he was doing, he jumped a fence and left.

2319  Police responded to a loud music complaint on College Avenue.

Sunday, April 7

0059  Cones were blocking the road near Oak/Tainter.

0209  A dark gray or black bike was stolen from Main/Spring.

0654  Police responded to a loud music complaint near Valley View Street.

1113  Report of a man violating a restraining order on Crane Avenue.

1125  Medical aid for a possible stroke victim on Adams Street.

1150  Report of two solicitors on Quail Court.

1814  A caller said a neighbor kept spilling oil in the street on Kennedy Court.

1912  Police were asked to check on a very young girl and boy who were riding their bikes unsupervised near the playground near Adams/Kearney.

2024  Police were told to be on the lookout for a patient whod walked away from a mental health facility in Angwin.

2242  A Napa man came to the police department with multiple electronic devices, reporting that someone had stolen his identity, entered his house in Napa, and left the electronic devices there. He wanted to talk to St. Helena police because Napa doesnt listen to him. Police told him to follow up with Napa police and the civil court regarding his issues.

Monday, April 8

0938  A caller reported that their light bulb had blown up. The caller said other residents have had the same thing happen.

1045  Report of a dog running around near Pope/College.

1046  Non-injury lift assist on Pratt Avenue.

1449  Police responded to a barking dog report on Christine Court.

1454  Medical aid for a woman feeling faint near Main Street.

1910  Police were notified of a child custody issue.

Tuesday, April 9

0313  Calistoga police were involved in a vehicle pursuit on southbound Highway 29 near Dunaweal Lane.

0418  Police checked on a suspicious noise on Quail Court.
The Napa Police Department is seeking the publics help in identifying four men who were videotaped crashing an SUV into a tobacco store, then stealing from it.

A dark green Chevrolet Suburban from the early 2000s was seen on tape smashing through the windows of the Riverpark Shopping Center Cigarettes and More store, shortly after 2:30 a.m. Friday, the department wrote in a Facebook post.

Four men can be seen using plastic bins to steal a lot of cigarettes and cigars, then left about two minutes later. The license plate seen in the video was stolen from a car near Sacramento, police wrote.

Police said they believe the men tried to steal a van parked near Marina Drive shortly before the incident.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Garrett Wade at 707-257-9509. People can also share a tip with Napa Valley Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-450-9543, or texting 274637 and typing NVCS before the tip.

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The relief Californias 66,000 kidney dialysis patients felt last fall after two serious threats to their survival were beaten back has turned out to be short-lived.

Not only are labor unions contemplating a second attempt to pass something like last years failed Proposition 8, but theres also an attempt to revive a legislative proposal that could throw thousands of patients who require dialysis to stay alive off the expensive treatment.

Because labor interests like the Service Employees International Union, which sponsored Proposition 8, lost by a solid 62-38 percent margin last year, that possible revival looks like the less threatening of this dangerous pair.

Proposition 8 aimed to put more union workers in hundreds of dialysis clinics, where patients with end-stage kidney disease sit for at least three hours, three times a week while their blood runs through filtering machines that cleanse it of toxins normally removed by healthy kidneys. It would have forced closure of an unknown number of clinics by demanding they withhold payment from key workers and officials.

(Full disclosure: The writer underwent six months of dialysis before receiving a kidney transplant.)

The other threat last year came from a legislative bill carried by Democratic state Sen. Connie Leyva of San Bernardino County. Her measure could have thrown dialysis patients off their health insurance plans if they accept third-party aid in paying premiums.

For some dialysis patients, such aid is critically important. Many are so exhausted and weakened by the constant blood interchanges they endure that they cannot work, living on fixed disability payments and other forms of welfare. Premium assistance can be the means for staying alive.

But Leyvas bill, known as SB1156, quickly moved through several legislative committees, eventually passing handily in part due to support from unions that saw it as somewhat similar in impact to their ballot initiative, which eventually failed. Fortunately for dialysis patients, then-Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed that bill.

But it is back, a near clone sponsored this time by Democratic Assemblyman Jim Wood of Healdsburg, whose district includes much of the states North Coast. It would require organizations providing charitable financial aid to dialysis patients to disclose their identities to insurance companies. This bill is part of a national effort by insurers to force such patients off their books and onto public coverage like Medi-Cal. Essentially, the insurance companies seek to transfer their expense to taxpayers.

Dialysis does cost a lot, often running more than $6,000 per month and sometimes above $50,000. So the new measure can have two major effects: Limiting some peoples ability to get dialysis and increasing insurance company profits.

No one yet knows how Woods new bill, known this time as AB 290, will eventually fare. But there are few new faces in the Legislature, and theres little new about the identity of their financial backers that will likely place the fate of thousands of dialysis patients in the hands of Gov. Gavin Newsom who has said nothing about this bill.

There are ironies here. One comes in the brief bio posted on Woods official website, where the longtime dentist brags that hes been successful in passing legislation to protect and expand (access to) medical, dental and mental health care

His new bill would have the opposite effect. Because it allows insurance companies to reimburse dialysis clinics at rates below the cost of providing care, some clinics might close or refuse care to patients with premium assistance.

Many of those patients are helped now by the American Kidney Fund (AKF), financed in part by large dialysis companies that run the majority of California clinics. The AKF gives premium help to about 74,000 dialysis patients in all 50 states, including almost 4,000 in California.

It called last years SB 1156 a thinly veiled attempt by insurers to prevent kidney patients from being able to choose their own insurance plan, if they accept charitable premium assistance.

The AKF claimed that bill aimed to let insurance companies rid themselves of sicker and more costly patients.

So at least some dialysis patients are once again back on notice that their needed care might not last long. Thats not a good thing for folks whose health is already seriously compromised.

Thomas D. Elias writes the syndicated California Focus column. He is author of the book, The Burzynski Breakthrough: The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Governments Campaign to Squelch It.
Recent decades have brought the slow collapse of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and its salmon runs. A half dozen species face extinction. Lacking natural flushing, the Delta now suffers outbreaks of toxic algae. The salmon fishing industry suffered a shutdown in 2008 and 2009, which cost thousands of jobs.

Science points to a clear cause: inadequate flows caused by excessive diversions. In some years, 90 percent of the Tuolumne River is diverted, leaving only 10 percent for salmon and the Bay-Delta. Every Central Valley salmon river also suffers from over diversion in many years.

Recent proposals from water users fall far short of what is needed by salmon and required by the law.

We need a new approach, alright, but the State Water Contractors solution as described by Jennifer Pierre offers potentially even less water for salmon and inadequate habitat restoration.

Current water sharing proposals fail to achieve the balance needed to restore our salmon runs. Meanwhile, additional massive increases in Delta diversions are planned by the Trump administration under these agreements, which would make conditions for salmon even worse. This is a formula for extinctions and the end of salmon fishing in California.

There is no support for this proposal among fishermen or conservationists.

Fortunately, the State Water Board has been working since 2009 to rebalance Central Valley diversions and river flows to bring them into compliance with the law and what salmon need. The Boards first step, to reduce water diversions on the San Joaquin River, was modest. Nonetheless, most San Joaquin River water districts dug in and opposed, even though theyve had a decade to develop an alternative plan of their own.

The State Water Board should be praised for its work, and should finalize comprehensive flows standards, and implement them as soon as possible.

We agree with Jennifer Pierre that restored floodplain habitat is essential to a healthy ecosystem and salmon runs. This is an area with the potential for fruitful collaboration.

But when it comes to water, heres a suggestion: Dont believe big tobacco about cancer. Dont believe big oil about climate change. And dont believe the big water users about flows needed to restore salmon and the Bay-Delta.

Editors note: This is a response to the CALmatters commentary Finally, a new path toward managing water, rivers and the Delta, published in the Napa Valley Register on April 8. John McManus is president of the Golden Gate Salmon Association. He wrote this commentary for CALmatters, a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how Californias Capitol works and why it matters.
Within the myopic world of domestic U.S. politics, President Donald Trump's decision to place Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on the list of foreign terrorist organizations won't be very controversial. But there are good reasons that we should be concerned.

There will be little pushback to the decision from Congress or much of a public debate. And it's vital that we take notice of several important points as we take the unprecedented step of labeling an entire branch of a sovereign nation's military as terrorists.

Although I was a direct victim of IRGC terrorism, I believe the blanket designation is ill-advised and will do little to change Iran's behavior. Even worse, though, it risks putting us one step closer to a military confrontation.

I have no problem with imposing sanctions on individuals and units within the IRGC who are responsible for activity that runs afoul of international law, whether those crimes are against American service men and women, human rights offenses against Iranians, or financial crimes.

Yes, it's true that the IRGC has a presence in Syria, Iraq and Yemen that is in many ways opposed to U.S. interests. And it's also true that the IRGC plays a major role in repression within Iran's borders. Yet the organization is also a conventional military force that we have in fact worked with when it made sense to do so, as in the fight to eradicate the Islamic State.

This is probably why our top military commanders and intelligence officials are advocating caution.

The biggest problems the IRGC poses to the United States are its use of improvised explosive devices against Americans as well as its methods for funding its activities (which include money laundering and hostage-taking). If our government really wanted to punish bad behavior, that's what it should target. Those activities qualify as terrorism.

Designating the whole branch, however, is shortsighted - yet another blunt and crude move in a situation that calls for more elegant solutions.

By all means, sanction and prosecute the offending officials and their families. We know who many of them are.

The listing may also put the lives of American service members at even greater risk from Iranian threats, but that's a reality they have been facing for over a decade. The greater concern to me is that it will entrench Iran's military elite even further, giving them few options for changing their behavior. It encourages conflict.

It should also present obvious problems to all those who claim that it's only a matter of time before Iranian military and security forces start to abandon the regime. Hundreds of thousands of Iranian men - with practical knowledge of how the country and its defensive capabilities work - would suddenly become terrorism suspects.

Military service in Iran is mandatory (with a few exceptions) for all Iranian males. Which branch a young conscript is assigned to in order to fulfill his nearly two-year obligation is not a matter of choice. The country's best and brightest end up in the IRGC, whether they like it or not.

What is gained by labeling hundreds of thousands of Iranian men as terrorists just because they're fulfilling a requirement of citizenship?

As time goes on, we will no doubt hear about proposed waivers for some of those people. But one wonders if the administration will actually be able to act on such a program. (The Washington Post reporting on the waiver program for the president's travel ban suggests we should not be too optimistic.)

I worry that this is another instance in which the U.S. government is guilty of criminalizing people simply for being Iranian.

Some have argued that this will precipitate acts of retaliation from the IRGC. Its top commander has promised a "crushing" response if the United States moves forward with the designation.

In all likelihood, though, little will change in the already fraught relationship between the U.S. military and the IRGC, who often cross paths in Iraq and Syria. The main difference now is that on issues of shared interest - such as the fight against the Islamic State - any coordination will become more complicated.

Options for de-escalation at moments of tension - as in the case of the Americans detained in Iranian waters in early 2016 - will also become harder.

The architects of this policy surely aren't worried about such eventualities. The hubris they've shown in their dealings with Iran thus far make that clear.

We do not need to exonerate the IRGC for its many transgressions. Casting such a wide net, however, is a mistake.

The signs of a coordinated push to prepare the public for an unnecessary military confrontation with Iran are growing. As the 2020 election campaign starts to heat up, we should all brace ourselves for a carefully orchestrated administration threat of war with Iran. This is the first installment.

Jason Rezaian is a writer for Global Opinions. He served as The Washington Post's correspondent in Tehran from 2012 to 2016. He spent 544 days unjustly imprisoned by Iranian authorities until his release in January 2016.
In early polling of likely Democratic voters, U.S. Senators Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are among those who have emerged as early favorites for president.

Add in celebrity Beto ORourke, plus a former vice-president, and the Democrats have a formidable field of candidates to oppose President Trump in 2020.

However, the candidate whom I will focus on in this piece is South Bends Democratic Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

For those who are geographically challenged, South Bend is located in Indiana, which lies east of Illinois, west of Ohio and south of Michigan. Donald Trump won these so-called Rust Belt states in 2016.

This area of your country is sometimes pejoratively described as flyover country by those who presume, for example, that the smug Bill Maher or unamusing Stephen Colbert serve as social arbiters for American culture. (So much for my contribution to our nations cultural and political divide.)

Mayor Buttigieg (Boot-edge-edge) is a former Rhodes scholar, Afghanistan veteran, and a native Midwesterner who is openly gay. At age 37, he is a voice from the millennial generation.

Unlike Sanders or the new rock star of the Democratic Party, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Mayor Pete is not a raving socialist nor is he calling for revolution.

As mayor, he worked within the same capitalistic structure now being maligned by Democratic Socialists and revitalized South Bend. He was able to draw in new residents and businesses, diversify the local economy and clean up blighted, abandoned homes.

Buttigieg was able to facilitate a formula of fixes that continues to elude our (myself included) collective efforts here in Lake County. He led his economically floundering city through a technological transformation by pivoting and preparing for the future economy.

His performance in a nationally televised town hall propelled him from obscurity to the position of most appealing underdog.

When he discusses public policy issues, he doesnt buy into a media narrative nor does he sound like a politician eyeing the highest office in the land. Mayor Petes authenticity is refreshing.

Buttigieg possesses a number of qualities that Democrats see as counters to President Trump: he is thoughtful, well-read and decent. Being from Indiana, he also understands Republicans. Mayor Pete might be the unifying leader Barack Obama promised but failed to be.

Michael E. Tabacchi

Middletown
There are approximately 300 research facilities in California at which animals are used in experiments. Federal agencies make it impossible to know how many animals are used in those laboratories, even as our tax dollars often pay for the experiments. But we have an opportunity to fix that.

Assembly Bill 889, the California Transparency in Research Act, would cover all facilities using animals in experimentation and collect accurate numbers of animals by species, for what purposes they were used, and what degree of pain and distress the animals experienced.

Whatever you think of animal experimentation, surely the public has a right to know. On Tuesday, April 9, AB 889 will come before the Health Committee, on which Assembly member Cecilia Aguiar-Curry serves. As a physician and a Californian, I hope Aguiar-Curry will vote to support this legislation.

Dr. Patricia Simpson

Napa
Yet another Kenyan public personality has opened up about her battle with endometriosis.

Following after the likes of media personalities Njambi Koikai, Ciru Muriuki, and Janet Mbugua, who have all been open about their struggle with the condition, is Kenyan comedian Zulekha Akinyi Suchn.

The Churchill Show comedienne, through a post on Facebook, says she has been battling endometriosis and has reached a point where she urgently needs surgery to contain the condition.

She is appealing to wellwishers to help raise funds that will go towards her treatment.

Friends kindly help me raise funds for an upcoming urgent surgery that I have to go through. I was diagnosed with #Endometriosis and I have been battling with the condition for some time now.

The doctor said its exceeding day by day and that I should go for surgery to control the disease. Kindly help me with anything little. May Allah bless you, she wrote.

Endometriosis is an often painful condition in which tissue that normally lines the uterus grows outside the uterus.

According to the Facebook post, Zulekha is currently measuring 1.53cm by 1/27. The smallest measurement should be 5mm.

We are appealing for medical assistance for Zulekha Akinyi, from YOU yes you as her fan and friend as well as well-wishers to raise Ksh 150k before 10th of April.
The opposition party on Tuesday termed the report of Union Minister Nitin Gadkaris family holiday with departmental funds as unfortunate.

Its unfortunate and its a war against the people, said CPM politburo member Nilutpal Basu.

Referring to the report that lakhs of rupees has been diverted for arranging holiday package for Gadkari and his family, Basu said, Brahmaputra Board is a critical agency for mitigating the flood problem in Assam. Its horrific to see that such scale of public resources is being spent for holiday package of union minister.

Also read: Assam: Nitin Gadkari family junket at expense of Brahmaputra Board!

Criticising the BJP government Basu said, Prime Minister Modi used to speak against the opposition parties and his government has been using different agencies against the opposition, but what is happening in his government.

An RTI report has revealed that more than Rs 62 lakhs has been spent from the Brahmaputra Board and National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited to charter aircraft fro and to New Delhi and Jorhat and accommodation in luxury resorts in Kaziranga from December 29, 2017 to January 1, 2018.
Newspaper: Crimes increase in Armenia

Newspaper: Armenia government underperforms grants

European Council chief: EU will provide expert mission/consultative group to help border delimitation, demarcation

Charles Michel: It was agreed to proceed with restoration of railway lines

Armenias Pashinyan: We reaffirmed with Azerbaijan president agreement on restoration of railway

Armenia delegation thwarts Azerbaijan anti-Armenian event at session of UN Convention against Corruption

Armenia Parliament Deputy Speaker receives Matthias Luttenberg

Newspaper: 3 sections of highway to Armenia's Voskepar will be on Azerbaijani border, alternative roads to be built

Yerevan court examining National Security Service's motion to arrest opposition 'Armenia' Alliance member

Karabakh State Minister: Lachin corridor can't be under any kind of control of Azerbaijan

Armenia President sends congratulatory message to Iran's Ebrahim Raisi on occasion of his birthday

Pashinyan-Michel-Aliyev meeting kicks off in Brussels

Armenia Ombudsman: We visited Armenian soldiers arrested after returning from Azerbaijani captivity

Israel, Azerbaijan hold security forces drill

Armenia justice minister discusses subjecting judges to disciplinary liability with Venice Commission President

Armenia's Pashinyan: Azerbaijan is trying to bring opening of regional communications to a standstill

Aliyev declares that checkpoint regimes of Zangezur and Lachin corridors need to match

Armenia's Pashinyan, Charles Michel express hope for effective meeting with Aliyev (PHOTOS)

Earthquake hits 2 km northeast from Armenia's Shorzha, felt in Gegharkunik, Kotayk and Tavush Provinces

Stoltenberg declares NATO neutrality towards Armenia and Azerbaijan

Aliyev and European Council head speak on normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia

Putin, Macron discuss Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, results of trilateral meeting in Sochi

Armenia justice minister attending conference with counterparts of CoE member states in Venice

Armenia's Pashinyan meets with European Council President in Brussels

NEWS.am daily digest: 14.12.21

Armenia Central Bank head on coronavirus vaccinations

Georgia to build road leading to border with Azerbaijan

Armenia Central Bank chief presents forecasts for economic growth in 2021 and 2022

Armenia Parliament Speaker receives Kazakhstan Ambassador

Azerbaijan opens new military unit on border with Armenia

TNI: Can Armenia and Azerbaijan settle differences at Eastern Partnership Summit?

Armenia Central Bank: National currency increasing in value

Armenia ex-FM on Pashinyan-Aliyev meeting in Brussels

Central Bank chief: 12-month normal inflation in Armenia has increased to 8.4%

Meeting of Charles Michel and Ilham Aliyev is taking place in Brussels

Dollar drops considerably in Armenia

Ruling force MP: Establishing diplomatic relations with Turkey is in Armenia's state interests

Armenia ex-foreign minister: Current objective of Co-Chairs of Minsk Group is to prove their viability

Armenia PM arrives in Brussels, to hold meetings with Charles Michel, Ilham Aliyev and European counterparts

Lawyer: Opposition Armenia Bloc member detained

Armenia ruling party MP fails to answer question about price to pay for normalization of ties with Turkey

Bloomberg: Turkey attempting to normalize Armenia relations to please Biden

Armenia Prosecutor General's Office files cassation appeal under case of Robert Kocharyan and other ex-officials

Turkey companies begin taking over Azerbaijan-occupied territories of Artsakh

Armenia ruling power MP questions role of former commander of Russia peacekeepers in Artsakh in releasing of captives

Opposition MP: Armenia still on Turkey-Azerbaijan agenda

Armenian advocate: Decision is rendered to detain NGO head and member of 'Armenia' Alliance

Armenia President, EU ambassador confer on regional security

Fellow soldier arrested for killing Armenia serviceman, wounding 2 others

Armenia high tech minister, Estonia envoy discuss several opportunities for cooperation

Man, 42, kills his mother, 77, in Armenias Kapan

1 more person dies of coronavirus in Karabakh

Armenia Central Bank raises refinancing rate by 0.5 percentage point

Armenia parliament majority to reserve right to elect deputy chair of one of committees

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan, former deputy PM now MP Gevorgyan case court hearing rescheduled again

Armenia NGO head detained

161 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Pilgrims, Artsakh residents visit Amaras Monastery, with Russia peacekeepers assistance

MFA spokesman: Armenia also will appoint special representative for dialogue with Turkey

Armenia PM heads for Brussels on working visit

Newspaper: Armenia authorities develop mechanisms to suppress, recruit

Newspaper: Armenia PM Pashinyan wants to become President with absolute power

Armenia famous singer turns herself in to police

Ex-deputy PM Avinyan: Armenian National Airlines CJSC is registered

Australia and South Korea sign $680,000,000-dollar defense deal

US, North Korea, South Korea and China agree to end Korean War

Turkish FM: Armenia and Turkey will designate special envoys to discuss normalization of relations

Why did the police summon Armenia ex-MP Ruben Hakobyan?

Yerevan Municipality spokesperson: Director of city's bus operating company resigns

Lukashenko thanks Erdogan for Turkey's principled stance on Belarus

Russian and Iranian FMs discuss JCPOA situation

NATO Secretary General to meet with Aliyev

Turkish man arrested for throwing Erdogan's portrait on the ground

Tractor that remained in Karabakh's Amaras after Azerbaijani shootings removed through Russian mediation

Georgia MFA is discontent with showing of Georgian national flag at '3+3' regional format meeting in Moscow

Armenia PM's Chief of Staff, France Ambassador discuss strengthening of trade-economic relations

Iran, Turkmenistan stress measures to strengthen transit ties

Iran's and Saudi Arabia's representatives hold security meeting in Amman

NEWS.am daily digest: 13.12.21

Armenia Constitutional Court president receives France Ambassador

55-year-old Yerevan pedestrian run over by 21-year-old with moped, hospitalized

Armenia education, science, culture and sport minister has new deputy

Armenia Prosecutor General attending Conference of States Parties to UN Convention against Corruption

Armenia President receives head of Higher Presidential Committee of Churches Affairs in Palestine

Joining up for Green Future: British Embassy and HSBC Bank Armenia promoting sustainability in Armenia (PHOTOS)

Armenia ruling force MP: Opposition demand for parliament speakers resignation is attempt to collect dividends

Armenian Zartonk political party issues statement on apprehension of 3 members

Dollar falls after long rise in Armenia

Charles Michel to hold trilateral meeting with Armenia and Azerbaijan Presidents in Brussels on Dec. 14

Opposition 'Armenia' faction MP: Armenian parliamentary speaker elections were unlawful

Tovmasyan Foundation: Christmas fair is held

Ruling party MP: Armenian POWs' issue is an exclusively speculative one for opposition 'Armenia' Faction

Armenia Armavir Province deputy governor sacked

Armenia Parliament Speaker receives German MFA official Matthias Luttenberg

Armenia representative at ECHR considers International Court of Justice decision on December 7 a victory

Armenia Supreme Judicial Council examining issue of subjecting Yerevan judge to disciplinary liability

Ambassador to Armenia on Russia peacekeepers indefinite presence in Artsakh: Life will show

'With Honor' Faction MP: We will definitely vote in favor of draft for Armenia Parliament Speaker's resignation

Armenia ex-police chief Vladimir Gasparyan's health condition is stable

Armenia PM attends reopening of high school in Vagharshapat
The Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, has explained her wife Anna Hakobyans statement, casualties for nothing, which she had made in an interview with the Voice of America Armenian Service.

Pashinyan explained what Hakobyan meant when she said, during these years of the history of the [Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh)] conflict, we have had numerous casualties from both sides, but we have sacrificed their lives for nothing.

Speaking about the Women for Peace initiative, she said (I quote): (). We appeal not to Azerbaijani women, but we actually appeal to all the countriespartiesinvolved in the Karabakh conflict, and to the countries conducting mediation. The call to them is but one: so that the ceasefire regime will be maintained irrevocably, Pashinyan wrote, in particular, on Facebook, quoting his wife. That is, the only meaning of this initiative is to protect the soldiers lives, and just not to sacrifice them for nothing. () because () those casualties did not bring us closer to the settlement of the conflict.

Now some are attempting to insist that Anna said that our soldiers had fallen for nothing. This is a simple manipulation because the meaning of the statement is exactly the opposite. (). That is, the essence of what was said is as follows that the Azerbaijani soldiers, who are attacking NK [Nagorno-Karabakh] borders by the order of their authorities () are falling for nothing because those attacks of theirs do not change anything in the situation of the Karabakh conflict.

The meaning of the unifying initiative is that it perceives all parties as one whole.

According to our information, the number of Azerbaijani casualties in the April [2016] war has passed one thousand.

And, ultimately, the defending party cannot be fallen for nothing because it falls for the security of the homeland, the defense of the homeland.
A Nairobi-based man reportedly committed suicide last week by consuming two months worth of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs and 5 litres of pesticide after testing HIV positive.

The deceased, 28-year-old Henry Mesha, is said to have taken his life in his home in Pipeline estate hours after going to the hospital complaining of chest pains.

He had called his sister informing her that he was going to Mbagathi Hospital for a check-up. However, test results revealed that his ailments were all linked to the HIV virus.

Reports by the Standard claimed a doctor prescribed 2-months worth of ARVs. Mr Mesha then switched off his phone and rushed home.

A neighbour, Joyce Kemunto, may have been the last person to see Mesha before he took his own life.

I saw him on the fateful day being ferried by a motorbike from the stage, 200 metres away from his house, which was uncharacteristic of him, but I could not imagine that he was rushing home to take his life, she told The Standard.

The deceased is said to have taken all the HIV drugs plus antibiotics and washed them down with pesticide- which he had bought at a nearby shopping centre before rushing home.

An empty 500ml bottle of insecticide, two empty tins of ARV drugs, and an empty five-litre container of pesticide were found next to his body.

According to Meshas family, Mbagathi hospital is to blame for what they claim to be a failure to counsel him.
ODMs loss in the Ugenya and Embakasi South parliamentary by-elections is not a big deal, Raila Odinga has said.

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader finally broke his silence at a press briefing in Nairobi where he downplayed the defeat in the two mini polls held last Friday.

He further dismissed claims that the party has lost ground following the perceived embarrassing loss in the polls, one of which was conducted in ODMs stronghold.

Elections are won or lost So the fact that someone has lost an election its not a big deal. Its not a big issue, said Odinga.

In the polls, Embakasi South Wiper candidate Julius Mawathe garnered 21, 628 votes against ODMs Irshad Sumra who managed 7,988 votes. The seat was up for grabs after Sumra successfully petitioned Mawathes win in the 2017 General Election.

In Ugenya constituency, ODM candidate Christopher Karan(14, 507 votes) was trounced by David Ochieng (18, 730 votes) of Movement for Democracy and Growth party.

Raila Odinga, who was addressing the press at his Capitol Hill office on Monday afternoon, also dismissed reports of wrangles between ODM and its NASA-affiliate party  Wiper Democratic Movement  which won the Embakasi South by-election.

In Embakasi South it was NASA versus NASA and Sumra congratulated Mawathe. Even us in ODM congratulated him (Mawathe) So why is the media making a big issue about it. People will make comments here and there, said Odinga.

He noted that there are no issues at all in ODM or any differences. ODM remains a very strong and united party.
The Czech Republic is carrying out an embargo on arms supplies to the region of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said Czech Defense Minister Lubomir Metnar in Yerevan at a joint press conference with Armenian Defense Minister David Tonoyan.

Asked to comment on the supply of Czech equipment to Azerbaijan, the minister noted that the topic is being discussed in the Czech media.

Czech Republic fulfills the requirements of international norms and its own legislation and strictly controls the process of licensing the export of military equipment, he said adding that deliveries of howitzers were not carried out by the Czech Republic, but by third parties.

The minister noted that Czech Republic complies with the requirements of the international embargo and do not license supplies to Azerbaijan.

The Czech Republic fulfills the requirements of the embargo, in particular, the OSCE on restrictions on the supply of military equipment to the region, he said adding that the country contributes exclusively to the peaceful resolution of the conflict.
The Armenian PM, Nikol Pashinyan, will pay a working visit to Strasbourg, Franceto the Council of Europe (CoE).

The PM on Friday will deliver speech at the PACE plenary session. Pashinyan will meet with CoE Secretary General Thorbjrn Jagland, PACE President Liliane Maury Pasquier, and CoE Venice Commission President Gianni Buquicchio. In addition, Pashinyan and Jagland will make a statement for mass media.

The PM, the CoE Secretary General, and the PACE President will officially openat the CoE headquartersthe photo exhibition, entitled The Velvet Revolution of Armenia.

Nikol Pashinyan is expected to meet also with representatives of the Armenian community of Strasbourg.

A statement issued on behalf of the EU delegation and the EU member states embassies resident in Armenia has reflected on transgender person Lilit Martirosyans recent speech during the National Assembly hearings, and the respective developments.

According to the statement, hate speech, including death threats directed at Ms. Lilit Martirosyan, her colleagues and the LGBTI community as a whole represent the latest in this worrying trend and amount to discrimination prohibited under the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms to which Armenia is party and which is reflected in the Constitution of Armenia.

The EU calls on all in Armenia who promote and believe in the universality of human rights to condemn hate speech and on law enforcement agencies to take urgent steps to guarantee the physical safety of Armenian citizens and to investigate allegations against those suspected of perpetrating hate crimes, the statement noted.

Armenians former police chief Vladimir Gasparyan has been interrogated as a witness during the preliminary investigation in the case of anti-competitive practices.

The Special Investigation Service refused to answer the question on the procedural status of Vladimir Gasparyan in the case, stating that the Service cant provide other details based on the interests of the preliminary investigation of the criminal case.

The Armenian Investigative Committee has obtained data in the criminal case under investigation in relation to the implementation of anti-corruptive practices and that in January and February 2012 Gasparyan using his official position and powers contrary to the interests of his service, promised to interfere and help former owner of King Delux to solve problems with passenger transportation, if he supports the Republican Party of Armenia in the parliamentary elections.

Congressmen Adam Schiff and Gus Bilirakis were joined by over 70 of their House of Representatives colleagues in introducing a new Armenian Genocide Resolution.

The resolution is aimed at establishing, as a matter of US policy, the rejection of Armenian Genocide denial, ongoing official US government recognition and remembrance of this crime, and the importance of education about the Armenian Genocide in preventing modern day atrocities.

The Armenian National Assembly on Tuesday adopted several laws in the second reading.

A total of 97 MPs voted for, 3 othersagainst, and 6 lawmakers abstained in the bill on making addenda to the law on national holidays and memorial days, and whereby the last Saturday of April shall be marked in Armenia as Citizens Day.

Citizens Day, which aims to emphasize the meaning of the Armenian velvet revolution, will be celebrated on the last Saturday of April.
Boniface Mwangi is a lucky man after his family came out unscathed from a bad road accident along the Namanga-Amboseli road at Lorubuko on Sunday.

The human rights activist was traveling with his wife and three children when their car skidded on loose gravel before losing control and flipping over.

Describing the accident as very scary, Mwangi said that they escaped with minor injuries, thanks to their safety belts.

We had passed some men grazing, slowed down, said Hello & then drove on, a few minutes later they heard kids screaming. They rushed to the scene and found us shaken but okay.

When all that very scary experience stopped, all five of us were still belted and in our seats, upside down. Safety belts are lifesavers. Belt up, wrote Mwangi.

Sharing pictures of the overturned green Toyota Landcruiser, Boniface Mwangi thanked Amboseli Serena Lodge for swiftly responding and sending a vehicle to rescue them.

Boniface also slaughtered a goat at the scene of the accident as a thank you gesture to the Maasai morans who rushed to their rescue.

Slaughtered a thank you goat for Sakita, Ngaiyai & co who came to our rescue. They found us outside the car and stared in disbelief, and then said Enkai (God) saved you. Told us we go, Maasais are good people and the car will be safe, lions and elephants dont eat or steal cars.
On 9 April, the Anti-Air Defense Coordinating Committee adjunct to the Council of Ministers of Defense of the CIS held its 50th anniversary session at the administrative complex of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, as the press service of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

According to the 2019 working plan of the Council of Ministers of Defense of the CIS, among the participants of the session were representatives of the defense ministries of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, the Secretariat of the Council of Ministers of Defense of the CIS and military production enterprises, as well as the heads of baseline organizations for the examination of anti-air defense issues and personnel preparation in the CIS.

Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia, Lieutenant-General Artak Davtyan attended the opening of the anniversary session. Attaching importance to the Committees session, Davtyan emphasized that the partnership contributes to the strengthening of readiness of the anti-air defense forces and reliable defense of the aerial borders of CIS countries.

The Committee summed up the actions carried out in 2018 and discussed the unified air-defense system of the CIS.
On 9 April, Minister of Territorial Administration and Development of the Republic of Armenia Suren Papikyan held a working consultation with governors of the Republic of Armenia and discussed several issues related to provinces and communities, as reported the press service of the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Development of the Republic of Armenia.

Suren Papikyan began the consultation by presenting the initial results of the collection of own incomes by the communities of the Republic of Armenia in the first quarter of 2019. The minister informed that the collection of own incomes of communities exceeded the own incomes of the same period of the previous year by 0.8% or approximately in the amount of AMD 1 billion.

In regard to proper completion of the assignments that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had given to eliminate the shortcomings in the payment of benefits, Minister Suren Papikyan stated that it is the governors duty to clarify the real reasons behind the gaps.

Talking about the future actions for unification of communities, Minister Papikyan stated that the unification of geographically and economically compatible communities provides them with the opportunity to be independent and enhance infrastructures.

Papikyan urged the governors to focus on the quality of asphalting of roads through subvention programs and programs requiring major solutions in the communities. The minister said the poor quality of recently renovated roads is inadmissible and said that unfaithful road construction companies must be brought to justice in order to rule out such a working style.
President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian, who is on a working visit to Portugal, had a meeting with representatives of the local Armenian community at Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, as reported the Department of Public Relations of the Staff of the President of the Republic of Armenia.

You are a small community, but Calouste Gulbenkian was just one person with a powerful national identity. He was a globally creative businessman and established companies from scratch. Gulbenkian was truly a creator, Armen Sarkissian said.

Sarkissian emphasized that Gulbenkian was not only a big businessman, but also a great master in human relations. In reality, it was impossible to create something tremendous from nothing without being a person with a great understanding of different cultures. Gulbenkian was an Armenian who bore world culture and the so-called culture of negotiating. If Calouste Gulbenkian didnt do business, perhaps he would be one of the best diplomats of the world, Armen Sarkissian stated.

He also talked about Gulbenkians high taste and his love for the arts.

I can go on and on about Gulbenkian since he was a genius, but first and foremost, Calouste Gulbenkian was a great Armenian. He was an Armenian not only by origin, but also with his mindset and his activities, the President said, emphasizing that it is obvious that he had to pay a visit to the Foundation and meet with the Armenian community during the visit to Portugal.

Addressing the members of the Armenian community of Portugal, Armen Sarkissian said the following: I am certain that each of you will eventually return to Armenia someday. You will return and share your success. You will return with your children and bring them back to the homeland because they are our future and our greatest asset, President Armen Sarkissian said.
Emeritus faculty lecture will look at leadership challenges ahead in Illinois and Washington, D.C

by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill.,  John Shaw, director of Southern Illinois University Carbondales Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, will discuss the leadership challenges facing political leaders in Washington, D.C. and in Springfield later this month.

Shaw will present Daunting but Different Leadership Challenges Loom in Springfield and Washington at 9 a.m., April 23, at Grace United Methodist Church, 220 N. Tower Road, Carbondale. The lecture is an Emeritus Faculty Organization event.

Admission is free and the lecture is open to the public.

2019 could be a challenging year

Shaw said it is likely that 2019 will be one of the most challenging and consequential years in recent Illinois and American history.

Meeting these challenges will require leaders in both Springfield and Washington to display qualities that have been in short supply in recent years: vision, courage, compassion, civility, fairness, and wisdom, he said. Our leaders must begin by asking what is best for our state and country and then fairly consider issues, weigh evidence, and render judgments, even if they clash with personal or partisan preferences.

Paul Simon Institutes Statesmanship Initiative, upcoming speakers

The Statesmanship Initiative will include the publication of a booklet later this year, The Urgent Need for Statesmanship: A Citizens Guide.

Two lectures this fall will include Betty Koed, U.S. Senate Historian on Sept. 9 and David Kennedy, a Pulitzer Prize-winning professor and historian from Stanford University on Sept. 23.

Shaws 26-year career includes reporting for a variety of influential publications

Prior to becoming institute director in January 2018, Shaw was a 26-year veteran congressional reporter with Market News International and covered political and economic issues for the global news service.

He was a contributing writer for the monthly magazine The Washington Diplomat for the past 20 years. Shaws People of World Influence column profiled international affairs leaders including Colin Powell, Madeleine Albright, James Baker, Sam Nunn and Zbigniew Brzezinski.

Shaw is the author of five books including Richard G. Lugar: Statesman of the Senate and JFK in the Senate: Pathway to the Presidency. His latest book, Rising Star, Setting Sun: Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and the Presidential Transition That Changed America was released last year.

A native of Peoria, Shaw earned his bachelors degree in political science from Knox College in Galesburg. He earned his masters degree in history from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia and did graduate work in international relations at The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

He has been a congressional analyst for media outlets including C-SPAN, ABCs 20/20, The PBS Newshour, and SkyNews Australia.
* Conditions for journalists in Kashmir worst in decades-reporters

* Government advertisement ban stokes anger among editors

* Journalists facing rising hostility from locals, security forces (Adds quote, last para)

By Alasdair Pal and Fayaz Bukhari

SRINAGAR, April 9 (Reuters) - Most nights in recent weeks, journalist Asif Qureshis phone vibrates with a message from a known number of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), a Pakistan-based militant group that killed 40 Indian paramilitary policemen in a suicide attack in Kashmir in February: "Allah always keeps you in safety and security."

"They want to tell us that we are monitoring you," said Qureshi, the Kashmir bureau chief for Delhi-based TV channel ABP News.

He is one of the many journalists caught in the crossfire  metaphorically and literally  between the Indian government and militant groups fighting for India-controlled Kashmir's independence.

Both sides are making increasing attempts to control the flow of information, journalists say, after the conflict in Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region claimed by both India and Pakistan, escalated dramatically over the past few months.

India blames Pakistan for harboring JeM, a claim Islamabad denies, and both nuclear-armed nations said they carried out air strikes and downed enemy jets after the suicide attack, to the alarm of world powers.

The present situation is the most dangerous and difficult for journalists in decades, according to dozens of journalists in Kashmir Reuters spoke to in recent weeks.

In the past two years, journalists in the scenic Himalayan valley have been threatened by militants, blinded by pellet guns fired by security forces, and murdered by unknown assailants.

Many reporters say that self-censorship is often the only option to keep working safely in the region.

"We have become a punching bag for both sides," Qureshi said.

LOCAL PRESSURE

Srinagar's Press Enclave, where many newspapers and TV channels have offices, has been under armed guard since Shujaat Bukhari, the editor of several newspapers and a high-profile moderate in Kashmir, was shot dead outside his office by unknown gunmen in June 2018. No one has been charged in connection with the crime.

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The physical danger they face is a major reason why India is one of the worst places in the world to be a journalist, according to international monitor Reporters Without Borders, that currently ranks it 138th out of 180 countries on its press freedom index.

Local newspapers, that rely overwhelmingly on government advertisements for revenue, are also facing increasing financial pressure.

Last month, the government stopped advertising in two of the largest newspapers, Greater Kashmir and Kashmir Reader, to protests from the Kashmir Editors' Guild.

"We have written to the government of India for a reason, but so far they have not provided it," said Sajjad Ansari, the vice president of the Guild and editor of the Kashmir Observer, another leading newspaper. "

Editors assume it is because the papers carried stories on human rights and other material critical of the authorities.

On March 10, fifteen newspapers, making up 95 percent of all sales in Kashmir, carried blank front pages in protest at the advertising decision.

It has had little effect. On April 2, the government pulled advertising from a third paper, Kashmir Uzma, according to the Guild.

Gulzar Ahmed Shabnam, the director of information for Jammu & Kashmir state, declined to comment on the withdrawal of advertising.

"I don't think the independent voice can survive here," said Morifat Qadri, the editor of Aafaq, an Urdu-language newspaper, of the situation in Kashmir. "An editor either has to surrender or leave this job."

NATIONAL TENSION

Reporters working for national outlets like Qureshi say they are facing renewed hostility from local people, who are often sympathetic to separatist groups and resent the Indian media's increasingly nationalist stance.

India goes to the polls on a rolling basis from April 11 to May 19 in a general election that is being dominated by the tensions with Pakistan, to the benefit of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, pollsters say.

"Everybody knows the (national) media is slanted towards the establishment right now," Qureshi said. "Right now you have to watch your back."

Qureshi said locals often become aggressive when they saw the ABP News badge on his equipment, recognizing it as a national outlet.

His cameraman, Arshad Hussein Shah, said he has been injured more times than he can count by security forces, often in scuffles involving batons and rifle butts.

But injuries can sometimes be more serious. In 2016, freelance photographer Zohaib Butt was covering a clash between protesters and security forces.

A policeman came towards him. Butt showed the man his cameras, but he raised a shotgun loaded with metal pellets, and fired in his direction from less than 20 meters away. The photographer sustained severe eye injuries.

"For the first five seconds I was shouting like a dog," Butt said. "It was like looking at a broken mirror."

Butt is one of several journalists injured over the last two years by pellet guns used by the security forces. In January, four were hit in a similar incident.

"Sometimes the authorities go beyond their powers and I will be investigating these cases," said Shabnam, who became the state's director of information in February.

A spokesman for Kashmir's police force declined to comment on Butt's case, and on injuries to journalists generally.

After multiple rounds of surgery, Butt is still partially blind, unable to work as a photojournalist. The man who shot him has never been identified.

Hundreds of metal pellets are still lodged under his skin, and he struggles with depression.

"Every day I relive those five seconds of my life. Sometimes when I am taking a shower I cover my eyes and think why didn't I do it at the time," he said. "I trusted the cop that he wouldn't shoot." (Reporting by Alasdair Pal and Fayaz Bukhari Editing by Martin Howell and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
Institut de Publique Sondage dOpinion Secteur (Ipsos) firm has sacked lead researcher Mr Tom Wolf.

Announcing his exit, Mr Wolf said Ipsos bosses in Paris, France have also banned political surveys in Kenya. He indicated that Ipsos in France decided that its Kenyan subsidiary, Ipsos-Kenya, should not include political survey results in its public releases for the foreseeable future.

I was therefore given notice, which took effect on 31st March this year. I am thus no longer associated with Ipsos, Wolf said in a notice sent to newsrooms on Sunday.

Wolf, additionally noted that the decision was not influenced by the Kenyan government.

As far as I know, there has been no Kenya Government interference which has led to this decision. However, on the basis of this decision, it was judged that my position as research analyst had become redundant, said Mr Wolf.

On the next chapter of his career, Wolf said that he has no intention of leaving Kenya and will be looking for ways to help the people fo Kenya.

I have no intention of leaving Kenya, I will be exploring other opportunities here where my knowledge and skills can contribute to the countrys development.

I am grateful for this opportunity, given that these scientifically designed and implemented surveys have revealed the awareness, perceptions and aspirations held by Kenyans regarding many critical issues. I am extremely grateful for the support I have received from countless Kenyans of all walks of life over these years, he stated.
(Adds statement from mayor, paragraph 5)

By Gina Cherelus

April 8 (Reuters) - The Baltimore City Council on Monday called on Mayor Catherine Pugh to resign as the state probes a deal in which a hospital chain where she served as director paid her $500,000 for copies of her self-published children's book "Healthy Holly."

Pugh, a 69-year-old Democrat first elected in 2016, last week said she would take an indefinite leave of absence for health reasons after the Baltimore Sun revealed the deal with the University of Maryland Medical System.

"The entire membership of the Baltimore City Council believes that it is not in the best interest of the city of Baltimore for you to continue to serve as mayor," the council wrote to Pugh in a letter signed by 14 members. "We urge you to tender your resignation, effective immediately."

Every member of the council signed the letter except Bernard "Jack" Young, the council president who is currently serving as acting mayor of the city. He was also sent a copy of the letter.

Pugh's office on Monday released a statement saying her leave of absence was solely related to her health. "She fully intends to resume the duties of her office and continue her work on behalf of the people and the City of Baltimore," the statement read.

Pugh was serving on the board of the University of Maryland Medical System when she received payments for the books from 2012 through 2018. She was among nine members of the board with some form of business arrangement with the medical system, the newspaper reported. She is no longer on the board.

The "Healthy Holly" series promotes healthy choices for children, such as exercise and eating vegetables.

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, a Republican, last week asked the state prosecutor to investigate the University of Maryland Medical System payments to the mayor.

Pugh has apologized for the book sales to the university and called the arrangement "a regrettable mistake."

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She said in a statement last week that she has been battling pneumonia for a few weeks and her physicians have advised her to focus on recuperating.

City Councilman Eric Costello said on Monday he was "deeply concerned" about the toll the scandal has taken on the city.

"The myriad of investigations underway into the various business dealings involving the mayor raises significant ethical and legal issues," Costello said on Twitter. "It will be impossible for Mayor Pugh to govern effectively." (Reporting by Gina Cherelus in New York; Editing by Scott Malone and Jeffrey Benkoe)
(Adds quote, background)

MOSCOW, April 9 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that he could not consider pardoning a Norwegian held in Russia on espionage charges as a verdict had not yet been reached in his trial, Russian news agencies reported.

Frode Berg, a retired guard on the Norwegian-Russian border, is being tried in Russia for allegedly gathering information about Russian nuclear submarines on behalf of Norway.

"A person can only be pardoned if he is convicted, and he has not been convicted," Putin was quoted by TASS as saying.

"We must wait for the court proceedings ... We will take a look at what we can do with this depending on the court's decision," Putin said.

Putin was replying to a question from a reporter during talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg, who was in the Russian city of St Petersburg for a forum about the Arctic.

Berg's trial, being held behind closed doors, is expected to be completed this month.

State prosecutors asked the court on Tuesday to jail him for 14 years. The maximum penalty for espionage is 20 years.

Berg has admitted to being a courier for Norways military intelligence but said he had little knowledge of the operation he took part in. He has pleaded not guilty. (Reporting by Maria Tsetvkova; Writing by Tom Balmforth; Editing by Catherine Evans and Giles Elgood)
* QIA sought approval for big Deutsche stake - sources

* Qatari officials haven't followed up - sources

* Sensitive issue amid merger talks with Commerzbank (Updates with further details, background)

FRANKFURT, April 9 (Reuters) - A plan by Qatar's sovereign wealth fund to make a significant investment in Deutsche Bank has stalled, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.

The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) approached financial regulators months ago to seek approval to buy a big stake in Germany's largest lender, the people said. Qatar's royal family already holds a combined 6.1 percent stake in Deutsche Bank.

But Qatari officials haven't yet provided the necessary documentation, which could derail the QIA's investment plans, they said. It was unclear whether the fund had lost interest or whether it was simply taking its time.

The QIA initially expressed an interest taking a stake well before Deutsche Bank announced on March 17 that it was in talks to merge with German rival Commerzbank. The issue is sensitive because the European Central Bank (ECB) may ask Deutsche to raise fresh funds to approve any deal.

QIA, Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank declined to comment.

Rumors of the investment have been reported by various media outlets for months.

Because of the Qatari royal family's existing stake in Deutsche Bank, an investment by QIA would trigger a standard background check by regulators on the shareholders to determine whether they were acting in concert to exert greater influence on the bank.

The royal family's stake is already among the largest of any shareholder. Other major shareholders include the U.S. investors BlackRock and Cerberus, and Chinese conglomerate HNA.

The royal family has lost money on its initial investment but the small Gulf nation considers itself a long-term strategic investor in Deutsche Bank.

Qatar is home to a financial center, which the family considers an important pillar of the economy. It also considers Germany an ally as it faces a blockade by its neighbors.

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Some major investors have been skeptical about a possible merger between Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank, questioning the logic and also the timing of a deal.

Deutsche Bank has said little or no capital may be needed for a deal.

But regulators have been worried about the tie-up amid doubts that a merger would strengthen Deutsche's sprawling global investment bank.

Deutsche has said it has already taken steps to shore up the investment bank, and a spokesman said on Friday there was "no basis" for the assumption that the ECB would ask it to raise fresh funds.

German government officials, led by Finance Minister Olaf Scholz, have pushed for the merger to create a national banking champion and end questions over the banks' future.

A preliminary decision on whether the banks plan to go forward with a merger is expected within days. (Reporting by Hans Seidenstucker, John O'Donnell and Tom Sims; Additional reporting by Saeed Azhar and Davide Barbuscia in Dubai; Editing by Ludwig Burger and Mark Potter)
Paris (AFP) - French tourism figures reached a new record in 2018 despite weeks of violent "yellow vest" protests that caused a late slump, the national statistics institute (INSEE) said Tuesday.

The number of nights spent by people at French tourist accommodation, including hotels, campsites and youth hostels, rose to 438.2 million in 2018, up 9 million on 2017, INSEE said.

The report did not include figures for home-sharing platforms such as Airbnb.

Foreign visitors fuelled the surge, with large increases in Italian, Spanish and German visitors reported by accommodation providers.

The surge came in a year "marked by large-scale nationwide social movements on two occasions," INSEE noted, referring to two months of rolling rail strikes between April to June and the "yellow vest" anti-government protests that began in mid-November.

The weekly demonstrations, which have frequently ended in rioting and looting in Paris and other big cities, caused a 5.3 percent dip in hotel stays in Paris in December, the statistics showed.

Nationwide, the effects were more marginal, with only a 1.1 percent drop reported over the month.

Tourist industry operators fear that this year will be less bountiful, with Britain's plans to leave the European Union causing fears of a decline in cross-Channel visits.

"Brexit is the big unknown," Gerard Pisano, commercial director of the four-star Splendid hotel in Cannes -- long a favourite retreat of well-heeled British travellers -- told AFP.
dkpatana/Shutterstock

There are some health problems that you don't expect to experience until your golden yearsor preferably, neverand bunions is one of them. But bunions can actually appear at any age. A bunion is a deformity of the foot. "It's a biomechanical imbalance of the foot, where the first metatarsal bone is shifting out of alignment," says podiatrist Miguel Cunha, DPM, founder of Gotham Footcare in New York City. The metatarsal bones are the long bones of the feet, and the first metatarsal is the one located behind the big toe. It's a misconception that a bunion is a bony growth on the inside of your footit only appears that way, Dr. Cunha says. What you're really seeing is the shifting of this bone.

How common are bunions?

Though the risk of developing bunions increases with age, research estimates that nearly one in four people between the ages of 18 to 65 have a bunion. For those over age 65, more than one in three people have them. Part of it is due to genetics (thank your parents or grandparents), but women are more likely to get them from years of wearing heels. "These shoes push your big toe over to the outside of your foot, creating an imbalance that makes the metatarsal bone shift inward," says Dr. Cunha.

How do I know if I have a bunion?

If you compare your feet to someone else's at the beach or pool, you'll see a pronounced bump on the inside of your foot at the big toe joint, says Dr. Cunha. Symptoms include pain and tenderness, redness and inflammation, a callous on the bump (from rubbing against your shoe), or stiffness in the joint, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Intervening early is key. "Bunions progressively worsen over time," says Dr. Cunha. Treatments depend on your level of pain. He recommends rating yours on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being severe pain. If yours is less than a five or six and you want to know how to get rid of bunions, then trying conservative, non-surgical treatment is a great place to start.

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Avoiding surgery when you have bunions

"Conservative treatment is directed at addressing symptoms," explains Dr. Cunha. "But once the bone shifts out of alignment, there's nothing you can do to shift it back in other than surgery." The following fixes can minimize your discomfort, treat any inflammation around the joint, and soothe irritation of the nerve and soft tissue. Try the following for a few weeks to see if there's any improvement in symptoms: Avoid heels. They may have gotten you into this mess in the first place. "Wearing them will not only feel bad in the short term, but it will exacerbate the bunion long-term. They can cause a moderate bunion to turn severe," says Dr. Cunha. Another thing that will help: Avoid the trend of wearing shows without socks whenever you can. Be smart when shoe shopping. Try on shoes at the end of the evening, when your feet are at their plumpest. (Your feet progressively swell throughout the day.) This ensures your shoes will be comfortablenot tightall day. If there's still a spot that pinches, gel pads or moleskin may provide some relief. Consider arch support. If you have flat feet, you're more prone to bunions. In this case, arch inserts (or shoes that specifically offer arch support) can help, says Dr. Cunha. You could also see a podiatrist about a custom orthotic. "Orthotics don't correct bunions but they assist you so you can walk comfortably, and slow down their progression," he says. Try a bunion splint. There are "bunion splints" or "big-toe straighteners" that you can find at the drugstore or on Amazon. But in terms of how to get rid of bunions, they won't do it alone. "There's an expectation that these will correct a bunion, but they never do. They shift the bunion more into alignment but this is temporary," says Dr. Cunha. These splints may enhance the comfort of muscles and soft tissues, but that bunion will reappear as soon as you take them off. Give your tootsies TLC. Treat sore and red feet with ice, a nice foot massage, and if necessary, by taking ibuprofen to reduce swelling, says Dr. Cunha. See your doctor. While it's tempting to try to address this yourself, it's worth seeing a podiatrist for more effective therapies such as ultrasound or electrical stimulation. "These decrease inflammation around the joint, interrupt the pain cycle, and promote blood flow that helps heal ligaments around the joint that are sprained or fraying because the bone is not in alignment," says Dr. Cunha. Your doctor may also take an X-ray to track the progression of your bunions. Discover 13 more things your podiatrist wishes you knew about your feet.

When to consider surgery

If, after all these efforts, you're still experiencing a high level of pain or the bunion compromises your ability to walk, you may need surgery. It's not as frightening as it sounds: This woman was up and walking three days after bunion surgery.
WASHINGTON  Attorney General William Barr told Congress on Tuesday that he would release a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller's report "within a week."

Barr used his first appearance before a House committee since the end of Mueller's investigation to offer a scattering of details about how he and other lawyers in his office were reviewing the nearly 400-page report summarizing the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Barr told lawmakers some parts of the report must remain secret because they contain grand jury information or national security secrets, and then pointedly declined to say more.

Barr would not answer questions about the details of the special counsel's investigations or whether any of its findings had been shared with the White House.

"I'm not going to say anything more about it until the report is out," Barr said.

The attorney general said Mueller and his staff were working to help remove sensitive information from the report so it could be released to Congress and the public. And he defended the summary conclusions he delivered to Congress last month and the speed with which those conclusions were made public.

The work of the special counsel was not a mystery to the people at the Department of Justice.  There was some inkling into the thinking of the special counsel, Barr said, referring to a March 5 meeting with Mueller at the Justice Department where the special counsel discussed his preliminary conclusions.

Lawmakers questioned Barr on his decision to release a bare-bones summary of the report last month in which the attorney general said Mueller had not found a conspiracy involving President Donald Trump's campaign and the Russian government.

The special counsel did not make a determination about whether the president's actions during the investigation amounted to obstruction. Instead, Barr and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, separately determined that Trump's conduct did not constitute a crime.

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The American people have been left with many unanswered questions; serious concerns about the process by which you formulated your letter; and uncertainty about when we can expect to see the full report, said Rep. Jose Serrano, D-N.Y., chairman of the appropriations subcommittee on Justice. It would strike a serious blow to our democracy if this report is not fully seen.

Appropriations Chairman Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., also called on Barr to release the report, asserting that the attorney generals abbreviated summary cherry-picked from the report to draw the most favorable conclusion possible for the president.

Even for someone who has done this job before, I would argue that it is more suspicious than impressive, Lowey said. Barrs summary was delivered to Congress two days after Mueller sent the report to the Justice Department.

Barrs testimony was meant to be about the Justice Departments $29 billion budget request, and he drew some questions from Republicans about the agency's border-security efforts and from Democrats about its new move to ask a federal court to overturn the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare. But much of the questioning focused on the still-secret details of the special counsel's work.

Democratic lawmakers spent much of the hearing pressing Barr for additional details about his handling of the report, which he largely declined to provide, instead telling them that he understood "the importance of releasing as much of the report as I can within the law."

Barr also said he had no plans to ask for a court's permission to disclose grand jury material but said he would consult with Congress after he releases the report to determine whether he can provide additional information.

Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., dismissed the Democrats queries related to the Mueller report and suggested members sought to support a grassy-knoll conspiracy theory, a reference to the cottage industry of conspiracy that emerged after President John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963.

The attorney general's intervention at the end of Mueller's investigation has set off a politically charged battle for access to the entire text of the special counsel's report, the fruit of a 22-month investigation that has shadowed the Trump administration since its first days.

More: Hundreds rally near White House to demand Mueller report

More: Barr plans to release report by mid-April: 'Everyone will soon be able to read it'

House Democrats vowed last week that they would seek Mueller's testimony in addition to that of Barr, who also is expected to address the matter for congressional committees in early May.

Justice, however, has defended Barr's handling of the report, suggesting that the full document was so packed with secret grand jury information that revealing even portions of it immediately would have been impossible.

Spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said last week that "every page" of Mueller's report was marked with a written warning that it could contain protected grand jury information. Federal law generally prohibits the government from revealing that information. Barr also said he would not disclose parts of the report that involved national security secrets, touched on ongoing investigations, or would implicate "the privacy and reputational interests of peripheral players."

He said officials would color-code the version of the report he releases to Congress so lawmakers would know his reason for keeping specific parts secret.

Mueller's report is not the only account of the Russia inquiry pending public release.

Barr said Tuesday that Justice's inspector general is expected to complete a separate examination of whether the FBI abused its authority to monitor a former Trump campaign aide in the coming months.

The attorney general also said he was reviewing the origins of the FBI's investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, launched in the midst of the 2016 presidential run. The inquiry was ultimately turned over to Mueller to complete after former Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the matter because of his work for the Trump campaign.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: William Barr tells Congress he expects Mueller's report within a week: 'I'm not going to say anything more'
Algiers (AFP) - Algerian lawmakers are set to confirm an interim replacement for Abdelaziz Bouteflika on Tuesday after the ailing president resigned last week in the face of massive protests.

The constitution stipulates that the speaker of the upper house of parliament -- currently 77-year-old Abdelkader Bensalah -- take the presidential reins for the next 90 days.

But with protesters demanding an overhaul of the political system, the interim leader's identity may not be a foregone conclusion.

On Friday -- in the first weekly protest since Bouteflika announced his departure after losing the military's support -- Algerians demanded regime stalwarts be excluded from the political transition.

Three men in particular have drawn ire: Bensalah, head of the constitutional council Tayeb Belaiz and prime minister Noureddine Bedoui.

Protesters' views appear to have registered with the regime.

An editorial in pro-government daily El Moudjahid on Sunday suggested Bensalah be relieved of his duties as upper house speaker, so as to preclude him from becoming interim president.

It suggested finding a "consensus" candidate acceptable to both the state and the people.

But the regime mouthpiece did not come up with any names.

Army chief General Ahmed Gaid Salah insists Bouteflika's succession must adhere strictly to the constitutional framework.

But the protesters "want it done outside the constitution", said Rashid Grim, who teaches political science at the Higher Institute of Management and Planning in Algiers.

The protest movement is calling for a new transitional framework that is committed to deep reforms and organising free elections.

In the increasingly probable event of Bensalah's withdrawal, his successor as upper house speaker would be in line to become interim president.

But Bensalah and "all other upper house members will be rejected by the streets", Grim told AFP.

And if the speakership of the upper house is left vacant, the constitution stipulates the similarly unpalatable Belaiz becomes interim president.

"This is where there is a real problem," Grim said.

"If the army doesn't soften its position, we head towards a breakdown and difficulty in controlling the streets", he warned.
Algiers (AFP) - Lawmakers named the speaker of the upper house as Algeria's first new president in two decades Tuesday, state television reported, after the resignation of Abdelaziz Bouteflika following mass protests.

The election of Abdelkader Bensalah as interim president follows constitutional rules but goes against the demands of demonstrators, who have pushed for him and other top politicians to stand down.

"I want to work towards fulfilling the interests of the people," Bensalah told parliament on taking up the 90-day interim presidency.

"It's a great responsibility that the constitution demands of me."

Opposition parties refused to back Bensalah's election and boycotted the session, as hundreds of students protested against him in Algiers.

"Resign Bensalah!" they chanted outside the main post office, which has become the focal point of weeks of mass protests in the capital.

Ahead of the parliamentary session, an editorial in pro-government daily El Moudjahid on Tuesday suggested Bensalah should step aside from the presidential post.

He is not only "not tolerated by the citizen movement, which demands his immediate departure, but also by the opposition" and various political groups in both houses of parliament, the newspaper said.
Algiers (AFP) - Agence France-Presse bureau chief Aymeric Vincenot was expelled from Algeria on Tuesday after the authorities refused to renew his press accreditation for 2019.

Vincenot, 45, who has been in post in Algiers since June 2017, had to depart the country after his residency permit ran out and a final police deadline to leave expired.

Fabrice Fries, chairman of AFP, condemned his expulsion as "unacceptable".

Vincenot's expulsion comes amid political tensions in Algeria and weeks of unprecedented protests, which forced president Abdelaziz Bouteflika first to abandon his hopes of running for a fifth term and then to resign on April 2.

First launched on February 22, and fuelled mainly by the country's burgeoning youth, the huge protest movement is continuing despite the resignation of the long-time leader.

Apart from seeking the departure of Bouteflika and his entourage, demonstrators are demanding the dismantling of Algeria's whole political system, which has ruled the country since independence from France in 1962.

"This decision taken under the presidency of Bouteflika is unacceptable and it is out of the question for us, in these circumstances, to appoint a successor for the time being," said Fries, in a statement.

"By depriving us of our bureau chief, this decision seriously affects our presence in Algeria, which is there to provide exhaustive and rigorous coverage of the historic events that are currently underway," said Fries.

Vincenot's residency permit expired on February 28 and he had been left without press accreditation since the end of 2018.

His request to renew his press card for 2019, which is a key requirement in order to obtain a residency permit, received no response from the Algerian authorities, despite AFP's best efforts to obtain an explanation.

AFP is one of the world's leading news agencies, covering the news across the world 24 hours a day in text, video, photo and graphics in six languages. It is present in 151 countries, and it has had a bureau in Algeria since 1962.

In its last report on press freedom, Reporters without Borders ranked Algeria in 136th place out of 180 countries.
By Lamine Chikhi and Hamid Ould Ahmed ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algeria's interim president, in a televised speech, promised on Tuesday to organize free elections within 90 days following weeks of protests that led to the resignation of leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika after 20 years in power. Abdelkader Bensalah, the interim president, was rejected by demonstrators right after he was named by Parliament to take charge during a volatile transition period after decades of autocratic rule. "I am committed to organizing elections," said Bensalah, who has been re-elected as leader of the upper house since the early 2000s. The army was aligned with the constitution as a pathway out of the crisis, he added in his 16-minute speech. The critical question is how Algeria's military, which has swayed Algerian politics from behind the scenes for decades, will react to Bensalah's appointment and any opposition that arises. THE MILITARY FACTOR Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Gaid Salah patiently managed Bouteflika's exit after declaring him unfit to stay in power and expressed support for protesters, who have put up little resistance to the military. Hours after Parliament made its choice, Salah said the military will do more to ensure peace for the Algerian people, state news agency APS reported. Bensalah said he would consult with the political class and civil society. A long-time ally of Bouteflika, he is seen by protesters as part of an aging and out-of-touch ruling caste that has dominated since independence from France in 1962. Bensalah promised to "set a national and sovereign commission to secure fair elections" in an apparent bid to placate demonstrators demanding sweeping democratic reforms and economic opportunities. More than one in four people under the age of 30 - some 70 percent of Algeria's population - are unemployed despite the country's vast oil wealth. The demonstrations, which erupted on Feb. 22, led to the disintegration of what has been described as the ruling elite's "fortress" - veterans of the war of independence against France, ruling party figures, businessmen, the army and labor unions. But Algerians want more radical change. "You go means you go," read banners at the protest in the capital on Tuesday, reiterating the desire of many Algerians to remove all remnants of a secretive political and military establishment that has dominated for decades. On stepping down, Bouteflika promised that elections would be held after 90 days as part of a transition to usher in what he said would be a new era. (Reporting by Lamine Chikhi and Hamid Ould Ahmed; Additional reporting by Aziz El Yaakoubi in Dubai; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky, Giles Elgood, James Dalgleish and Leslie Adler)
By Elias Biryabarema KAMPALA (Reuters) - An American tourist and her guide who were abducted in Uganda last week were released after a "negotiated settlement" was reached with the kidnappers, the firm that organized her safari told Reuters on Monday. Amid fears the incident could deter tourists from visiting the East African country, U.S. President Donald Trump called on Twitter for the kidnappers to be found. Ugandan authorities said on Sunday that Kimberley Sue Endecott, 35, and her driver, Jean Paul, had been rescued unharmed after being seized by gunmen in Queen Elizabeth National Park, near the border with Democratic Republic of Congo, on April 2. The kidnappers later demanded a ransom of $500,000 for Endecott's release. The acknowledgement of negotiations with the captors follows reports in several local media outlets, including state-owned daily New Vision, that a ransom was paid before the two were freed. "A negotiated settlement was arranged with the assistance of the American government," a spokesman for the tour firm, Wild Frontiers Safaris Uganda, told Reuters. "I don't have details of the final settlement" New Vision reported on Monday, citing undisclosed sources, that a ransom of $30,000 had been paid. In Washington, a State Department official said the United States maintains a "no concessions" policy that covers ransoms for Americans taken captive. "We firmly believe that making concessions increases the risks for Americans and others traveling abroad," the official said, adding that the United States had worked closely with Ugandan authorities for the release of Endecott. "We cannot get into the details of this case, but can confirm that we worked closely with our Ugandan counterparts," the official added. Uganda Police spokeswoman Polly Namaye said she could not confirm whether a ransom had been paid. It remains unclear who was responsible for the abduction, which took place in an area once roamed by fighters belonging to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an anti-Kampala rebel group that is now mostly dormant. The group is still believed to have camps in eastern Congo. "Uganda must find the kidnappers of the American Tourist and guide before people will feel safe in going there," Trump tweeted on Monday. "Bring them to justice openly and quickly!" Tourism is a key source of foreign exchange for Uganda and there are concerns the incident might raise safety fears and discourage visitors. In a tweet on Monday, President Yoweri Museveni promised to "deal with these isolated pockets of criminals." "I want to reassure the country and our tourists that Uganda is safe and we shall continue to improve the security in our parks. Come and enjoy the Pearl of Africa," he wrote. The last attack on tourists in a Ugandan park was in 1999. An American couple, four Britons and two New Zealanders were killed along with four Ugandan guides after being ambushed by gunmen in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a few kilometers south of the Queen Elizabeth park. Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of most visited in the East African country, with tourists flocking there to see lions, hippos, crocodiles and various types of antelope. (Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Additional reporting by Lesley Wroughton in Washington; Editing by Catherine Evans and Leslie Adler)
Thieves who stole a lion statue from a Pennsylvania home returned it  with flowers and a card  after police posted surveillance video of the crime.

West Chester Borough Police Department posted video of the lion statue bandits on Friday, asking anyone with information about the theft to contact the department. In the video, timestamped around 10:45 p.m. April 3, two individuals are seen opening a fence, picking up a lion statue and running away.

"Soon after we posted the video of the lion statue being taken from a residence in the Borough, it was returned... with flowers and a card," the police department shared on Facebook Sunday.

In a new video, the two individuals are seen carrying the lion statue back to the home, placing it in the lawn. Then, one runs to the door step and lays a bouquet of wrapped flowers on the front porch.

Police said the owner was glad to have the statue back and told the thieves it was a "smart move to return the property."

Authorities are no longer looking for the thieves and the lion statue owners do not want to press charges, West Chester Borough Police Department told USA TODAY.

Post by wcbpd.

Follow Ashley May on Twitter: @AshleyMayTweets

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Lion statue bandits' return with flowers and a card for Pennsylvania residents
Bryce Harlan Clausen never walked or crawled. Never spoke a word. Barely smiled.

But in the all-too-brief 14 months of his life, the tow-headed infant accomplished something that must people never do: He inspired the passage of a bill to give others born with the disease that afflicted him a better shot at life.

Bryce died Friday, finally succumbing to the rare disease with which he was born. He passed away in his sleep, while on a family vacation to Florida, his father Joel said on Facebook.

But just weeks before he died, Bryce lay in the arms of his mother, Andrea, as Gov. Eric Holcomb signed into law a bill bearing his name that requires all infants born in Indiana be screened for Krabbe disease, the malady that affected Bryce, as well as other terminal illnesses.

"I could spend all day talking about the impact he had on this world, but it doesn't even hold a candle to the impact he had on my life, my wife, and our families," Joel wrote on Facebook. "He was the bravest, toughest, most inspiring human I have ever met, and I am lucky to call him my son. His legacy is far greater than I could have ever imagined."

Not all states screen for Krabbe disease

Only 10 other states have added Krabbe to the list of mandatory newborn screenings, among them two of Indiana's neighbors, Illinois and Ohio.

With the passage of Bryce's law, Indiana now screens for 52 conditions, 5 of them added to the roster this year and last.

Holcomb tweeted Friday afternoon about Bryce's death, saying the infant left "a great legacy."

Had Bryce been screened at birth for Krabbe disease, his family could have sought a stem cell transplant that might have slowed or arrested the disease progress. Once the symptoms of the disease manifest themselves, it is too late for this therapy to have much of an effect, doctors say.

'He moved mountains'

For the first few months of his life, Bryce's parents had no inkling anything was amiss. At about four months of age, though, he stopped progressing and his condition continued to deteriorate as he missed milestone after milestone. His parents spent months looking for answers until Bryce was diagnosed last fall.

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By then, it was too late for Bryce. At the time of diagnosis, the doctor warned his parents he would likely die before his second birthday.

His parents could not save their son but they hoped to spare others his fate. They campaigned successfully for the bill that passed both chambers of the Indiana General Assembly without a single dissenting vote.

At the time of his death, his family was vacationing in Florida, where they had gone on a "Greatest Hit" vacation, his father wrote.

"Today my wife and I have shed more tears than we ever have, but we want the world to know how proud of Bryce we truly are. He moved mountains. He made a law!" Joel posted on Facebook. "He will save lives someday and what greater gift in life is that?"

The family asked that in lieu of flowers, people donate to St. Vincent to create a themed room at Peyton Manning Children Hospital in memory of Bryce.

Contact IndyStar reporter Shari Rudavsky at 317-444-6354 or shari.rudavsky@indystar.com. Follow her on Facebook and on Twitter: @srudavsky.

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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 'He moved mountains:' Baby with rare disease inspires life-saving law before he dies
Bogota (AFP) - The Colombian attorney general on Monday announced authorities had uncovered a suspected terrorist plot to target a meeting between President Ivan Duque and indigenous leaders over ongoing protests.

"We have reliable information that... some armed organized groups, which have infiltrated this social and indigenous movement, would like to carry out a terrorist act that could affect the safety of the president himself," said Nestor Martinez.

Without offering details, the attorney general said his office had "electronic evidence" and "testimony from reliable sources" on the suspected plot.

The meeting had been agreed between the government and members of the indigenous minga movement to end a protest that has for three weeks blocked a key route in the southwest of the country.

The prosecutor said intelligence about the alleged plot had been gathered since Friday, after clues "several weeks ago" of infiltration by armed groups in the minga.
Benny Gantz's centrist party is running even in the polls with Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud - REX

The Israeli military jeep rolled slowly through the dark streets of Beit Ummar, a Palestinian town in the southern occupied West Bank.

It was the summer of 1988. For the last six months, thousands of Palestinians had been confronting Israeli forces in an uprising that would later be known as the First Intifada.

In the front seat of the jeep was Benny Gantz, a young officer with the paratroopers. At nearly 6ft 5in he had to hunch his long frame to fit inside.

The night was suddenly lit up by Molotov cocktails exploding all around the jeep. The Israeli troops jumped out with assault rifles raised but their attackers had already fled.

Other commanders would just say shoot everywhere. But not Benny, said Dan Emergui, one of the soldiers in the jeep. Hes calm and hes cool. If he doesnt have a reason to shoot, he wont.

Three decades after the ambush in Beit Ummar, Mr Gantz is once again trying to hold his nerve under fire, this time in the midst of ugliest election campaign in recent Israeli history.

Mr Netanyahu has tried to win support from the Israeli right wing as corruption allegations take their toll Credit: Ariel Schalit/ AP

The 59-year-old, who rose from a paratrooper to Israels top general, has led his centrist Blue & White coalition to within striking distance of toppling Benjamin Netanyahu and ending the prime ministers decade in power.

The final polls before Tuesdays election show Blue & White winning more seats than Mr Netanyahus Likud party. However, the same polls also show Right-wing parties with a narrow majority in parliament, which might be enough to keep Mr Netanyahu in office.

In a last minute bid to win over Right wing parties, Mr Netanyahu promised over the weekend that he would annex all Israeli settlements in the West Bank, a step he has shied away from in the past.

Mr Gantzs campaign has been relatively light on policy. On the security questions which often decide Israeli elections he has taken similar positions to Mr Netanyahu and sometimes tried to outflank him in hawkishness.

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His main pitch to voters is that he is the candidate of decency and national unity while Mr Netanyahu, who is facing criminal corruption charges, is prepared to tear Israel apart to hold onto power.

We are speaking about a corrupt man who is destroying the country, Mr Gantz said. Something is wrong and Im telling you, we need to fix the house, its an internal emergency.

Mr Netanyahu and his allies have not taken the challenge lightly. They have pummelled Mr Gantz as a paranoid delusional and tried to scare Jewish voters with claims he would bring Israels Arab minority parties into government.

Mr Netanyahu (centre) and Mr Gantz (left) once worked closely together Credit: Photo by Jim Hollander - Pool/Getty Images

Someone leaked a classified report that Mr Gantzs phone was hacked by Iran, prompting Mr Netanyahu to claim his opponent was vulnerable to blackmail by Israels mortal enemy. Mr Gantz suspects the prime ministers aides were behind the leak.

Beyond the daily mudslinging, the election poses a larger question about Israels future: is the liberal Zionism of Israels early days still relevant or is Mr Netanyahus brand of divisive Right-wing politics now the countrys dominant force?

Several measures indicate that Israels shift to the Right, of which Mr Netanyahu is both a cause and a symptom, may be permanent. Around 63 per cent of Jewish Israeli voters identify as Right-wing, compared to just 15 per cent for the Left and 18 per cent who consider themselves Centre.

Surveys show that young Israelis, who grew up amid a wave of Palestinian suicide bombings in the early 2000s, appear more Right-wing than their parents generation. Demographically, religious conservatives Jews are having more children than their secular liberal neighbours.

Mr Gantz hopes his centrist appeals for national unity, bolstered by his military credentials, will be enough to turn the tide.

Benny has a calm and collected type of charisma that is not necessarily a sign of our populist times. The question is whether that type of leadership succeeds in this day and age. If it doesnt, that will tell us something about ourselves, said Peter Lerner, a former military officer who served with him.

Mr Gantz has no political experience and his centrist Blue & White party is an unwieldy coalition of several other parties. Two other Israeli generals serve in the party leadership and Blue & Whites parliamentary candidates come from across the ideological spectrum.

Mr Gantz has struggled to match the political skills of Mr Netanyahu, who has won four terms in office and is a master orator in both Hebrew and English. But the ex-officer has a quiet gravitas and has grown more publicly assured throughout the campaign.

His main advantage is a wave of anti-Netanyahu sentiment among liberal Israelis who will support anyone who can drive out the prime minister. At Blue & White campaign rallies, voters often say they are tired of Mr Netanyahu rather than enthused about Mr Gantz.

The biggest reason to support him is to just to get Netanyahu out, said Esti Nof, 26. I dont think he has clear definitive answers about what he wants to do.

Benny Gantz (right) while serving as a paratrooper in the late 1980s Credit: Courtesy: Dan Emergui

Mr Gantz is the son of two Holocaust survivors and grew up in an agricultural community near the Gaza border. He has four children of his own and his eldest son followed his fathers footsteps and joined the paratroopers.

Like Mr Netanyahu, Mr Gantz was a commando who fought on battlefields across the Middle East. In speeches, he jokes of having visited Arab countries without a passport.

In 2011, he was promoted to the chief of staff of the Israeli military, a role where he would work directly with the prime minister. Mr Gantz was in command of Israeli forces during the 2014 Gaza war, known in Israel as Operation Defensive Edge.

Human rights group have accused Israel of committing war crimes in the operation, during nearly 1,500 civilians were killed by Israeli strikes, according to the UN.

Israelis had their own criticisms. Some said that Mr Gantzs forces were unprepared and too slow to subdue Hamas while Israeli civilians were living under rocket fire for 51 days. Mr Gantzs elderly mother spent nights fleeing to a bomb shelter during the 2009 Gaza war.

Mr Gantz believes he struck the right balance in prosecuting the war while respecting human rights. We are strongest when we combine military strength and moral standards, he said.

Among those who hailed his performance was Mr Netanyahu, who praised the general as an officer and a gentleman, a warrior and a human being. Those warm feelings have evaporated in the heat of the election.

Blue & Whites best hope of victory is to defeat Mr Netanyahus Likud by at least four seats and then appeal to Israels president to give them a chance to form a government. It will take a series of backroom deals with Ultra-Orthodox parties and some Right-wing factions to cobble together a majority.

Politics is a new battlefield for Mr Gantz and at a recent public event an interviewer asked how he was coping with the public attacks. If its not easy then its not easy, he replied. But Ill tell you what: one day in Lebanon is by far harder and I served there for 23 years.
By John O'Donnell

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank's Chief Executive had a series of meetings with Germany's deputy finance minister before and immediately after it announced merger talks with a state-backed rival, according to information revealed by the government.

The contact underscores the attention Germany's finance ministry has given to the country's largest bank at a critical juncture that will determine whether the state becomes a shareholder in the group.

In a letter answering a question from a German lawmaker, seen by Reuters, the government said Deutsche CEO Christian Sewing had met three times this year with Germany's deputy finance minister, Joerg Kukies.

Two of those meetings happened in January, while the third was on March 18, the day after Deutsche and Commerzbank publicly confirmed they were in talks about a possible merger.

Fabio De Masi, the leftist lawmaker who made the information request, said the meetings showed finance minister Olaf Scholz, and his deputy, had been important in influencing talks, even though they have sought to distance themselves.

"In reality, Scholz and Kukies hold the key," he said, adding a merger would be a risk for taxpayers and cost thousands of jobs. "A banking champion is a dangerous idea. Putting two turkeys together won't produce an eagle."

A spokesman for the finance ministry said Kukies meets "with many representatives of banks ... on numerous occasions" because of his job, and declined to comment on the merger talks. Deutsche Bank declined to comment.

Deutsche Bank's exploratory talks with Commerzbank come after prodding by Germany's finance ministry, which is worried about the future of the country's biggest bank.

Any deal would see Berlin become a shareholder in the combined group, which one German official said would need up to 10 billion euros ($11 billion) of fresh capital because of restructuring costs and the fact losses on investments could be triggered.

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Through its stake in Commerzbank, the German government would become a top shareholder in a merged group, playing a central role in any fusion. Lawmakers fear this puts it on the hook to shoulder losses if the bank later runs into trouble.

Berlin could yet pull the plug if it believes a deal would be politically unpalatable.

(Reporting by John O'Donnell; Editing by Mark Potter)
Texas Health Resources tops the list of best health care companies once again, while AbbVie moves up to the top of the biopharma list in this annual ranking from Fortune partner Great Place to Work, which analyzed survey results representing nearly 730,000 U.S. employees. Take a look at this years companies below and learn more about the methodology behind the list here.

Top Health Care Companies

(Scroll down for the top biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.)

1. Texas Health Resources

Texas Health Resources

U.S. headquarters: Arlington, Texas

Industry vertical: Hospital

Number of U.S. employees: 22,395

Total worldwide revenue: $4,700,000,000

Employees say:

Faith-based organization that is as much concerned about its employees as they are for our patients. Its innovative and supports ongoing development through the various resources which are available to all employees.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

2. Encompass Health  Home Health & Hospice

Courtesy of Encompass Health

U.S. headquarters: Dallas, Texas

Industry vertical: Services

Number of U.S. employees: Confidential

Total worldwide revenue: $783,300,000

Employees say:

I have worked for the company for a little over a year now. I have met the CEO on three separate occasions and she knows my name!

Read Great Place to Work review here.

3. Livongo Health

Courtesy of Livongo Health

U.S. headquarters: Mountain View, California

Industry vertical: Services

Number of U.S. employees: 342

Total worldwide revenue: Confidential

Employees say:

I dont know how they do it, but our recruiters and hiring managers seem to find the most incredible talent. Our employees share an incredibly rare quality of balancing competent skills, devoted work ethic, and genuine kindness and compassion.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

4. Caring Nurses, Inc.

Courtesy of Caring Nurses

U.S. headquarters: Las Vegas, Nevada

Industry vertical: Services

Number of U.S. employees: 103

Total worldwide revenue: $9,000,000



Employees say:

I feel respected and supported by the management. They always have my back and Im proud of what our home care agency does for our community.

Story continues

Read Great Place to Work review here.

5. Aledade

Courtesy of Aledale

U.S. headquarters: Bethesda, Maryland

Number of U.S. employees: 225

Total worldwide revenue: Confidential

Employees say:

Highly collaborative and agile culture. Ideas and initiatives are generated and acted upon from all levels of the organization without restrictions around the organizational hierarchy.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

6. Southern Ohio Medical Center

Courtesy of Southern Ohio Medical Center

U.S. headquarters: Portsmouth, Ohio

Industry vertical: Hospital

Number of U.S. employees: 2,713

Total worldwide revenue: $365,410,766

Employees say:

They listen to ideas from all levels and make honest decisions that benefit the patients as well as the employees. I trust that SOMC will be in business, providing excellent care for many, many years to come, unlike some other local organizations.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

7. BayCare Health System, Inc.

Courtesy of BayCare Health System

U.S. headquarters: Clearwater, Florida

Industry vertical: Hospital

Number of U.S. employees: 23,853

Total worldwide revenue: $3,929,807,000

Employees say:

Our healthcare benefits are providing numerous healthy options for employees, from food, to walking paths, on site classes, etc. In 27 years as a healthcare provider I have never had so many opportunities regarding my own health through an employer.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

8. Baptist Health South Florida

Courtesy of Baptist Health South Florida

U.S. headquarters: Coral Gables, Florida

Industry vertical: Hospital

Number of U.S. employees: 16,541

Total worldwide revenue: $2,479,762,291

Employees say:

This is a place where patients, employees, family members, and the community in general is important. This organization goes far to improve the quality of health and life for everyone.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

9. Jackson Healthcare

Courtesy of Jackson Healthcare

U.S. headquarters: Alpharetta, Georgia

Industry vertical: Services

Number of U.S. employees: 1,403

Total worldwide revenue: $1,050,000,000

Employees say:

Jackson Healthcare is the only place Ive ever worked where the org chart is treated as a flat line in almost every conversation. I feel comfortable making suggestions all the way up the chain, and know that my ideas will be considered.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

10. Cottage Health

Courtesy of Cottage Health

U.S. headquarters: Santa Barbara, California

Industry vertical: Hospital

Number of U.S. employees: 3,475

Total worldwide revenue: $801,862,860

Employees say:

This company lives its values of Excellence, Integrity, and Compassion and you feel it when you walk through the front door. It is palpable.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

11. Forward

Courtesy of Forward

U.S. headquarters: San Francisco, California

Industry vertical: Specialty

Number of U.S. employees: Confidential

Total worldwide revenue: Confidential

Employees say:

World-changing mission and incredibly smart people who are bought into it. Everyone from leadership down is on the same page with regard to what Forward can be. We continue to prioritize passion for the mission highly as we hire additional people.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

12. St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital

Courtesy of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

U.S. headquarters: Memphis, Tennessee

Industry vertical: Hospital

Number of U.S. employees: 4,483

Total worldwide revenue: $883,206,069

Employees say:

The worldwide diversity of people that work here is amazing. St. Jude is a great place to work. I know what is expected of me when I come to work, and I am given the space and tools to accomplish my daily goals.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

13. myNexus, Inc.

Courtesy of myNexus

U.S. headquarters: Brentwood, Tennessee

Industry vertical: Health Insurance

Number of U.S. employees: 228

Total worldwide revenue: Confidential

Employees say:

The unique thing about this company is the access that you have towards the owner and upper management. I feel I could go and talk to any of the upper management and they would listen.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

14. Medical Solutions Supplier

Courtesy of Medical Solutions

U.S. headquarters: Glen Mills, Pennsylvania

Industry vertical: Medical sales/distribution

Number of U.S. employees: 60

Total worldwide revenue: Confidential

Employees say:

Transparency, the ability to overcome obstacles, the amount of feedback that is asked of employees, and the quick response to changes.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

15. Texas Rehabilitation Hospital of Fort Worth

Courtesy of Texas Rehabilitation Hospital of Forth Worth

U.S. headquarters: Fort Worth, Texas

Industry vertical: Hospital

Number of U.S. employees: 268

Total worldwide revenue: $25,181,541

Employees say:

Everyone is accepted for exactly who they are. Differences are celebrated.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

16. Vargo Physical Therapy

Courtesy of Vargo Physical Therapy

U.S. headquarters: Westlake Village, California

Industry vertical: Services

Number of U.S. employees: 127

Total worldwide revenue: Confidential

Employees say:

I am impressed with the companys culture. During my interview the message was loud and clear that employees are valued a great deal. And since I have been working the message is still the same. Employees matter. I truly enjoy working here.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

17. Atlantic Health System

Courtesy of Atlantic Health System

U.S. headquarters: Morristown, New Jersey

Industry vertical: Hospital

Number of U.S. employees: 12,680

Total worldwide revenue: $2,722,746,000

Employees say:

They appreciate their employees as human beings not just employees. They put the employees needs first and celebrate diversity.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

18. Licking Memorial Health Systems

Courtesy of Licking Memorial Health Systems

U.S. headquarters: Newark, Ohio

Industry vertical: Hospital

Number of U.S. employees: 2,012

Total worldwide revenue: $652,000,000

Employees say:

The organization feels family owned, where everyone from the CEO/Dept VPs to a physicians office clerk take care of each other. The kindness and generosity I have seen from LMH is something you do not find anywhere else.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

19. Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta

Courtesy of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

U.S. headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia

Industry vertical: Hospital

Number of U.S. employees: 9,587

Total worldwide revenue: $1,685,348,000

Employees say:

I love Fit for Life, Food Truck Wednesday, Wellness Wednesday, Summer Perks, cafeteria food, and all of the smiling faces.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

20. Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare

Courtesy of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare

U.S. headquarters: Memphis, Tennessee

Industry vertical: Hospital

Number of U.S. employees: 11,195

Total worldwide revenue: $1,997,578,000

Employees say:

I love the transparency, autonomy to ask and to make decisions within my scope of practice. I am allowed to take on opportunities if I want to.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

21. InformedDNA

Courtesy of InformedDNA

U.S. headquarters: St. Petersburg, Florida

Industry vertical: Specialty

Number of U.S. employees: 108

Total worldwide revenue: Confidential

Employees say:

There is a lot of care and focus given to innovation at all levels of the company. They encourage each employee to consider new ideas and bring those ideas to management for consideration. This creates a cooperative environment.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

22. Martins Point Health Care

Courtesy of Martin's Point Health Care

U.S. headquarters: Portland, Maine

Number of U.S. employees: 874

Total worldwide revenue: $785,107,298

Employees say:

I feel valued here. I know that I can come up with new ideas and better ways to do things and that those ideas will be heard and appreciated regardless of whether they get implemented or not.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

23. Anova Healthcare System

Courtesy of Anova Healthcare

U.S. headquarters: McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania

Industry vertical: Services

Number of U.S. employees: 289

Total worldwide revenue: $10,500,000

Employees say:

Everyone in upper management, from the company owner to the Branch Manager, makes it a point to know about important issues or events involving the employees. I have never worked for another company that cared so much about their employees.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

24. Kettering Health Network

Courtesy of Kettering Healthcare System

U.S. headquarters: Miamisburg, Ohio

Industry vertical: Hospital

Number of U.S. employees: 11,124

Total worldwide revenue: $1,753,794,000

Employees say:

I love our Monday morning prayer, as it gives you a chance to let go of what is weighing heavy on your heart or mind and allows you to focus on work. It really makes a difference when people can come together and pray for you and your family members.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

25. Orlando Health

Courtesy of Orlando Health

U.S. headquarters: Confidential

Industry vertical: Hospital

Number of U.S. employees: Confidential

Total worldwide revenue: Confidential

Employees say:

Radical data transparency and relentless focus on goals have been transformative this past year, enabling major positive change and enabling our teams to generate new and better ideas for improvement.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

26. Advanced Correctional Healthcare, Inc.

Courtesy of Advanced Correctional Healthcare

U.S. headquarters: Peoria, Illinois

Industry vertical: Services

Number of U.S. employees: 714

Total worldwide revenue: $59,491,070

Employees say:

I love the recognition program and the fact that I feel that the executive team wants me to grow as a person and in my role.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

27. Ignite Medical Resorts

Courtesy of Ignite Medical Resorts

U.S. headquarters: Niles, Illinois

Industry vertical: Services

Number of U.S. employees: 292

Total worldwide revenue: $14,000,000

Employees say:

I love working for owners who genuinely care about their employees and will go above and beyond to serve them.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

28. WellStar Health System

Courtesy of WellStar Health Systems

U.S. headquarters: Marietta, Georgia

Industry vertical: Hospital

Number of U.S. employees: 18,166

Total worldwide revenue: $3,276,000,000

Employees say:

I love the people, the atmosphere, the potential to grow, the many opportunities to advance in our career, and the benefits.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

29. Constellation Health Services

Courtesy of Constellation Health Services

U.S. headquarters: Norwalk, Connecticut

Industry vertical: Specialty

Number of U.S. employees: 538

Total worldwide revenue: $46,700,000

Employees say:

They make me feel I matter!

Read Great Place to Work review here.

30. Ballantyne Center for Dentistry

Courtesy of Ballantyne Dentistry

U.S. headquarters: Charlotte, North Carolina

Industry vertical: Specialty

Number of U.S. employees: 25

Total worldwide revenue: $5,300,000

Employees say:

This is the first place Ive worked that management truly cares about furthering your skills and works hands-on at developing them. They always encourage you to keep learningthere is no stopping point.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

31. Baylor Scott & White Health

Courtesy of Baylor Scott & White Health

U.S. headquarters: Dallas, Texas

Industry vertical: Hospital

Number of U.S. employees: 37,011

Total worldwide revenue: Confidential

Employees say:

Lots of help when needed. Management is available when we need any help. Staff are given every opportunity to raise their concerns and have their say in things that matter them the most.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

32. Nicklaus Childrens Health System

Courtesy of Nicklaus Children's Health

U.S. headquarters: Miami, Florida

Industry vertical: Hospital, Specialty, Services

Number of U.S. employees: 4,007

Total worldwide revenue: $701,398,600

Employees say:

NCH really promotes employees to engage in self-care. Every position is made to feel important and an integral member of the hospital.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

33. Title21 Health Solutions

Courtesy of Title 21

U.S. headquarters: Pleasanton, California

Industry vertical: Specialty

Number of U.S. employees: 23

Total worldwide revenue: Confidential



Employees say:

This company has a diverse team who shares a passion for serving others. Its fun to work with really smart people who love what they do and are willing to share their knowledge and experience with you.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

34. Service Corporation International (SCI)

Courtesy of Service Corporation International

U.S. headquarters: Houston, Texas

Industry vertical: Services

Number of U.S. employees: 24,023

Total worldwide revenue: Confidential

Employees say:

It is like a second family here.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

35. OhioHealth

Courtesy of OhioHealth

U.S. headquarters: Columbus, Ohio

Industry vertical: Hospital

Number of U.S. employees: 23,431

Total worldwide revenue: $3,837,210,000

Employees say:

What I like is the company as a whole. Management listens to the associates, hears them, and acts on what they heard.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

Top Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Companies

1. AbbVie

Courtesy of AbbVie

U.S. headquarters: North Chicago, Illinois

Industry vertical: Biotechnology

Number of U.S. employees: 13,642

Total worldwide revenue: $28,200,000,000

Employees say:

The executive leadership team is very approachable and very involved. They emphasize collaboration, respect for each other, and work-life balance. They understand that our greatest asset is the people and not the products.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

2. United Therapeutics Corporation

Courtesy of United Therapeutics Corporation

U.S. headquarters: Silver Spring, Maryland

Number of U.S. employees: 785

Total worldwide revenue: Confidential

Employees say:

It is an empowering and enriching place to work, learn, share, and care! Ive never worked with an organization or team as dedicated, talented, and genuine as my team.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

3. Horizon Pharma plc

Courtesy of Horizon Pharma

U.S. headquarters: Lake Forest, Illinois

Industry vertical: Pharmaceuticals

Number of U.S. employees: 900

Total worldwide revenue: $1,056,000,000

Employees say:

I really think people embody the For us, its personal mantra here. Everyone really feels connected to their work and the good they do. I also experience a very open environment that encourages new ideas and new ways to get things done.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

4. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Courtesy of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

U.S. headquarters: Tarrytown, New York

Industry vertical: Biotechnology

Number of U.S. employees: 6,291

Total worldwide revenue: $5,900,000,000

Employees say:

The organization gives you tools to do your job to the best of your ability. Employees are trusted to get the job done. Great sense of teamwork and friendship throughout the company.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

5. Genentech

Courtesy of Genentech

U.S. headquarters: South San Francisco, California

Industry vertical: Biotechnology

Number of U.S. employees: 14,279

Total worldwide revenue: $20,812,000,000

Employees say:

The company doesnt focus so much on your educational background as your abilities and your drive to improve yourself and learn. People genuinely care about your professional and personal development.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

6. Novo Nordisk Inc.

Courtesy of Novo Nordisk

U.S. headquarters: Plainsboro, New Jersey

Number of U.S. employees: 4,526

Total worldwide revenue: $17,871,000,000

Employees say:

We make insulin. This saves peoples lives! I also love the fact that we hire employees of all ages. There are full-time employees who are hired here in their 60s!

Read Great Place to Work review here.

7. Tec Laboratories, Inc.

Courtesy of Tec Laboratories

U.S. headquarters: Albany, Oregon

Number of U.S. employees: Confidential

Total worldwide revenue: Confidential

Employees say:

The CEO encourages everyone to think like a CEO. I am able to use my skills and interests to improve processes. Everyone treats each other like family.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

8. Takeda Pharmaceuticals

Courtesy of Takeda Pharmaceuticals

U.S. headquarters: Deerfield, Illinois

Industry vertical: Pharmaceuticals

Number of U.S. employees: 4,870

Total worldwide revenue: Confidential

Employees say:

The opportunity to take advantage of opportunities with the support of management. The ability to have management support you, when youre doing well, or when you make a mistake!

Read Great Place to Work review here.

9. Merck

Courtesy of Merck

U.S. headquarters: Kenilworth, New Jersey

Industry vertical: Pharmaceuticals

Number of U.S. employees: 22,972

Total worldwide revenue: $40,122,000,000

Employees say:

The company fosters a culture of collaboration and encourages both professional and personal growth, and provides ample opportunity for both.

Read Great Place to Work review here.

10. Second Genome

Courtesy of Second Genome

U.S. headquarters: South San Francisco, California

Number of U.S. employees: 57

Total worldwide revenue: Confidential

Employees say:

Great and friendly environment. Unique openness and flexibility to new ideas and ways of working to reach goals. Also, the company is willing to take the advice from employees and make it company policy.

Read Great Place to Work review here.
The Russian Navy and the Chinese Navy will hold joint Naval Interaction-2019 exercises in late April - early May, the Russian Defense Ministry recently said in a statement. This annual bilateral drill will be about joint manoeuvring, organization of communication, missile and artillery firing, as well as search and rescue support.

The Russian Navy and the Chinese Navy will hold joint Naval Interaction-2019 exercises in late April - early May, the Russian Defense Ministry recently said in a statement. This annual bilateral drill will be about joint manoeuvring, organization of communication, missile and artillery firing, as well as search and rescue support.

Chinese sailors awaiting for Russian ones during a Chinese-Russian naval exercise (Picture Source: Russian MoD)

"The Russian Navy and the People's Liberation Army Navy will hold annual bilateral Naval Interaction exercises in late April-early May", the statement reads.

During the drills, the Russian and Chinese sailors will practice joint manoeuvring, organization of communication, missile and artillery firing at sea and air targets, as well as search and rescue (SAR) support missions.

The Chinese Defense Ministry said last December that mutual political trust and military cooperation between Russia and China had reached record levels, as evidenced by the numerous bilateral military exchanges and joint participation in major drills. The ministry also praised Russian-Chinese cooperation on maintaining regional stability, as well as on vital international issues.

Russia and China maintain close cooperation in several areas including defence, energy and the economy, as well as a regular political dialogue at the UN Security Council and other international platforms. The Chinese Foreign Ministry defines Beijing's ties with Moscow as a "comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination".
Democratic White House hopeful Beto ORourke has branded Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, a racist and an obstacle to peace in the Middle East.

The former Texas congressman launched a scathing attack while discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Israeli leader's vow to annex Jewish settlements in West Bank if voters return him to power, CNN reported.

Speaking at the University of Iowa, Mr O'Rourke condemned Mr Netanyahu for not representing the US' best interests.

The US-Israel relationship is one of the most important relationships that we have on the planet, he said.

"And that relationship, if it is to be successful, must transcend partisanship in the United States, and it must be able to transcend a prime minister who is racist.

He warns about Arabs coming to the polls, who wants to defy any prospect for peace as he threatens to annex the West Bank, and who has sided with a far-right, racist party in order to maintain his hold on power.

President Donald Trump-hosted Mr Netanyahu at the White House in March and signed a proclamation formally recognising the contested Golan Heights.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump during a visit to the White House in March.(Reuters)

We must be able to transcend his current leadership to make sure that that alliance is strong, that we continue to push for and settle for nothing less than a two-state solution, because that is the best opportunity for peace for the people of Israel and the people of Palestine, he said.

"It is the best opportunity for the full human rights of everyone who is living in that region."

Mr ORourke remarks come as Israel prepares to hold elections in which Mr Netanyahu, who has been dogged by allegations of corruption, hopes to win a fifth term in office.

If he wins, he plans to form a coalition with the support of ultranationalist factions, including Jewish Power, whose members have called for the expulsion of Arabs.
Saul Loeb/Getty

Attorney General Bill Barr said Tuesday that he would be in position to release the special counsels report on Russian interference in the 2016 election within the week but that portions of it would be redacted in order to protect ongoing investigations and the privacy and reputation of individuals who have not been charged.

Setting up a potentially contentious showdown with lawmakers, Barr added that he had no plans to release a full, unredacted report to Congress, despite their demands for one.

I dont intend at this stage to send the full unredacted report to the [judiciary] committee, Barr said. He also said that he would not seek a court order to release grand jury information despite demands by judiciary chairman Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) for such information to be provided.

The attorney general answered questions about the Mueller report in a hearing in front of the House Appropriations Committee on the Department of Justices 2020 budget. Barr said that his team, along with members of the special counsels office, was still in the midst of redacting the report, including material related to grand jury testimonies. When released, the report will be color coded to show why each redacted section was being withheld from public viewing, Barr said.

Members of the committee, including the chair, Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), pressed Barr on the process he used to write his four-page summary of the report. Barr said that the attorney generals office consulted with members of the special counsels office in the weeks leading up to its submission of the report. He also said that he had offered Mueller a chance to review his summary of Muellers findings but that Mueller declined the offer. Since Barr released his four-page memo, it has been reported that investigators in the special counsels office felt that the report was more damaging to President Trump than Barr reflected in his summary.

Barrs summary said that the special counsels office did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election. It went on to say that the special counsels office stated in its report that while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.

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Should Barr follow through on his timeline of releasing the redacted version, the report could very well be released next week, when Congress is out on recess.

President Donald Trump had initially said that he would welcome the full release of the Mueller report. But in recent days he has taken to Twitter to insist that Democrats would not be satisfied even were a full release of the report to happen, and hinting at his own reservations about some of the reports details being made public.

Lowey asked Barr if he had consulted with the White House before releasing his summary. Barr declined to answer.

Ive said what Im going to say about the report today, he said, adding that he was prepared to testify in front of Congress about the report in May.

Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL) asked Barr if he let anyone outside of the Department of Justice read his March 24 letter to Congress summarizing Muellers work.

The answer, I am pretty sure, is no, Barr said.

Youre not sure? Crist asked.

I am sure, Barr said.

Later, Barr clarified that before the letter went out to Congress, the attorney generals office told the White House counsel that the summary was sent out.

I think it may have been read to them, Barr said, adding that he did not think that the White House actually saw the letter or that saying he doesnt believe they saw the letter and didnt get chance to change it.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here
Florida Democratic Congressman Darren Soto introduced a bill on Tuesday that would give the Federal Trade Commission $25 million in funding to go after nefarious actors in the digital asset market, The Block has learned.

In an earlier report, Politico wrote that the bill would also provide the agency, which aims to protect the interests of American consumers and fight anti-competitive business practices, with authority that "would supersede the Commodity Futures Trading Commission."

However, a Soto spokesperson told The Block that the Politico report was mistaken. "The Politico article is inaccurate."

"Nothing in this Act shall supercede the authority of the Commodity Trading Commission nor prevent treatment of digital tokens as commodities subject to the Commodity Exchange Act," the bill reads.

The CFTC and the Securities and Exchange Commission have both flexed their muscles in policing the nascent market, which stands close to $200 billion in total market capitalization. Still, regulatory fragmentation is one of the headaches that has hung over the market. Firms, including exchanges and wallet companies, answer to and must comply with numerous state and federal agencies.

Elsewhere, lawmakers reintroduced the so-called Token Taxonomy Act, which would except certain cryptos from U.S. securities laws. The new bill makes some clarifications on the definition of digital tokens and there are stricter rules around protecting consumers, as per a report by CoinDesk.
Sanaa (AFP) - An explosion near two schools in the rebel-held Yemeni capital killed 14 children and wounded 16, the UN said Tuesday, but the cause of the weekend blast remains unclear.

Most of the child casualties in the city's Saewan district were girls under the age of nine, according to statements by both the UN children's fund (UNICEF) and the UN special envoy for Yemen.

Yemen's Huthi rebels have accused a Saudi-led military coalition backing the government of carrying out an air strike.

The coalition denied conducting any air raids on the capital on Sunday.

"A blast in Sanaa this week killed 14 children and critically injured 16. This is what UNICEF was able to verify, with the actual number of children killed and injured likely to increase," said UNICEF's Middle East and North Africa director, Geert Cappelaere.

"It was almost lunchtime and students were in class. The blast shattered the windows and unleashed a burst of shrapnel and broken glass into the classrooms."

The United Nations and international aid groups have called for an investigation into the Sunday explosion but have not apportioned blame.

The World Health Organization estimates nearly 10,000 Yemenis have been killed since 2015, when Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened to prevent the defeat of the government in the face of a rebel offensive.

Human rights groups say the real death toll is several times higher.

The conflict has pushed millions of Yemenis to the brink of mass starvation, in what the UN has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Both sides stand accused of actions that could amount to war crimes. The coalition has been blacklisted by the UN for the killing of children.

Saudi Arabia and its allies accuse the Huthis of using civilians as human shields in densely populated areas.
WASHINGTON  U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended more than 92,000 immigrants trying to cross the border illegally in March, a 12-year high announced Tuesday as President Donald Trump moved to replace top leadership at the Department of Homeland Security and vowed tougher immigration policies.

In March, 92,607 immigrants were apprehended at the border  the highest monthly total since April 2007, when 104,465 immigrants were stopped trying to enter the country illegally.

Of those apprehended in March, 30,555 were single adults, 8,975 were unaccompanied children and 53,077 were family units, primarily from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.

The number of family units apprehended is an all-time high.

The Border Patrol is facing an unprecedented humanitarian and border security crisis," said Brian Hastings, the Border Patrol's chief of law enforcement operations. "Weve arrived at the breaking point.

More: Who is Kevin McAleenan, Trump's acting homeland security chief after Kirstjen Nielsen leaves?

More: Nielsen resignation: Donald Trump's Cabinet agencies are increasingly led by 'acting' secretaries

The 92,607 apprehensions in March are a 35 percent increase over February, according to CBP.

In the past six months, 361,087 individuals have been apprehended along the southwest border  more than double the number during the same period last year. Family apprehensions have jumped by 375 percent over the same time last year.

As more and more adults with children are released into the U.S. pending immigration proceedings, word of mouth and social media have spread news," Hastings said. "And more immigrants are emboldened to make the dangerous journey.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection temporarily shut

Despite the jump, the overall number of illegal border crossings remains lower than in the 1990s and 2000s, when Border Patrol agents routinely apprehended more than 100,000 people a month and topped 200,000 apprehensions during two separate months in 2000.

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The difference is that the majority of illegal border crossings back then were Mexican males trying to avoid Border Patrol agents, and now the majority are Central American families seeking out Border Patrol agents to request asylum.

Promising to take a "tougher direction" on immigration, Trump purged top leaders at the Department of Homeland Security.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen resigned Sunday after facing pressure from Trump and some of his aides to do more to stop border crossings. Last week, Trump withdrew his nomination of Ronald Vitiello to head Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

More: Migrant family separations, heckling: Key moments from Kirstjen Nielsen's troubled tenure as DHS secretary

More: Nielsen resignation: What does Trump's 'tougher direction' immigration plan look like?

Friday, Trump traveled to Calexico, California, near the Mexican border, where he toured a new section of border wall and issued a blunt message to migrants heading to the USA.

"Our country is full," Trump said. "Can't take you anymore. I'm sorry. Turn around. Thats the way it is."

Trump threatened two weeks ago to seal off the border to stop immigrants and drugs from flowing into the USA. He retreated from that threat and said Mexico had taken a more aggressive stance on apprehending Central American migrants in response to his words.

But Trump threatened to impose a 25% tariff on all cars made in Mexico and shipped into the USA if the Mexican government stopped apprehending immigrants who cross the border illegally. If that doesnt work, he said, he would close the border.

Contributing: Alan Gomez

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Border apprehensions hit 12-year high in March as Trump vows 'tougher direction'
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (AP)  To deal with a surge of migrating Central American families, the Trump administration has reassigned so many inspectors from U.S.-Mexico border crossings that truckers are waiting in line for hours and sometimes days to get shipments to the United States.

Truckers have been sleeping in their vehicles to hold spots in line in Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas. The city brought in portable toilets, and an engine oil company hired models in skin-tight clothing to hand out burritos and bottled water to idled drivers.

"My family doesn't recognize me at home anymore," Jaime Monroy, a trucker who lives in Ciudad Juarez, said after sleeping overnight in his truck hauling a load of wooden furniture. "I leave at 3 in the morning and come back at 10 at night."

The waits are a reminder that even though President Donald Trump walked back his threat to close the border, the administration has created significant impediments for truckers and travelers with its redeployment of customs agents.

Business leaders are starting to lose patience as they struggle to get products to American grocery stores, manufacturers and construction sites.

"This is a systemwide issue," said Paola Avila, chairwoman of the Border Trade Alliance, a group that advocates for cross-border commerce. "Everyone's feeling this."

The traffic congestion comes as a growing number of families from Central America have been arriving at the border in recent months, overwhelming the federal government.

The Border Patrol said Tuesday that it set a new monthly record for apprehensions of families in March. More than 53,000 family members were stopped at the border in March, an average of more than 1,700 per day. That breaks a record set in February, when 36,000 parents and children were apprehended.

Trump responded by shaking up the top ranks of the Department of Homeland Security, culminating with the resignation of Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

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The migrant families have forced many line agents into humanitarian roles and have strained detention facilities built when the Border Patrol primarily apprehended single adult men.

The administration has in turn reassigned 541 border inspectors to other jobs, including processing migrants, providing transportation and performing hospital watch for migrants who require medical attention. It is unknown when they will return to their regular job of screening people and cargo for smuggling.

Border Patrol agents, who guard areas between ports, are also doing jobs they were not trained to do, such as medical screenings for children and families in the migrant holding camps.

In El Paso, authorities have closed one bridge to truckers, directing them to two other nearby crossings. At San Diego's only truck crossing, two of 10 lanes are closed.

In Nogales, Arizona, the government on Sundays is closing a commercial facility that is crucial to cross-border trade. Up to 12,000 commercial trucks cross the border in Nogales every day, often bringing watermelons, eggplants, berries and grapes.

Wait times have doubled at the Santa Teresa, New Mexico, port of entry.

"What we're seeing is a lot of companies making their drivers sleep in their trucks to keep their place in line for the next day," said Jerry Pacheco, president of the Border Industrial Association and executive director of the International Business Accelerator.

In recent years, the rural outpost has become a boomtown of warehouses and industrial parks that funnel raw materials and products back and forth across the border.

"Here we are growing companies and growing jobs and everything is great. We added another industrial park with job prospects in tow and then all this happens," Pacheco said of the latest expansion.

The agency's commissioner, Kevin McAleenan, who was named acting Homeland Security secretary on Sunday, warned of traffic delays when he announced last month in El Paso that inspectors from across the border would be reassigned. Authorities raised the possibility that as many as 2,000 inspectors could be pulled from ports of entry.

A Customs and Border Protection mobile app suggested the bottlenecks may have eased by Tuesday. The wait time for truckers was estimated at three hours in San Diego, 2 hours in El Paso and two hours in Laredo. Still, truckers said wait times have lengthened considerably since authorities announced the reassignments.

"This all started about two weeks ago with Trump," said driver Arturo Menendez, 44, who first entered the line at 4 a.m. Friday with his tractor-trailer full of cardboard used in boxes for U.S.-made products like Toro lawn mowers.

At 6 p.m. he was told to leave ahead of the unprecedented closure of all lanes at the Bridge of the Americas on Saturday.

He tried again Monday, waiting in a line behind of hundreds of trucks passing through three security checks back at the Bridge of the Americas.

Avila, who is also the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce's vice president for international affairs, said the delays could encourage more companies to move to Asia, hurting jobs in the U.S. and Mexico.

"Now we're discouraging overseas production," she said. "We're cutting out the American manufacturer or the Mexican manufacturer that employs U.S. workers."

___

Associated Press writers Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Astrid Galvan in Phoenix and Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this report.
LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - EU leaders will discuss extending Britain's Friday deadline for Brexit when they meet on Wednesday but must make clear its Brexit plan to avoid a disorderly departure from the bloc, Germany's EU affairs minister said on Tuesday.

"I must unfortunately note that the conditions set by the European Council at its last sitting have not been met. That means that the deadline will expire on April 12," Michael Roth told reporters as he arrived for a meeting in Luxembourg of fellow ministers to prepare Wednesday's Brussels summit.

"We are waiting finally for substantive steps in the right direction. Up to now nothing at all has changed. We are of course thinking about an appropriate extension of the deadline and also about a longer extension. They must, however, come with very strict conditions," Roth said, citing British participation in May's EU parliament election as one such condition.

"We are in a very, very frustrating situation and the European Union must ultimately get on with matters about its own future. We must also possibly give the British time to finally clarify what it is that they actually want.

"Apparently the discussions with the British opposition, which were begun very late, have not led to any substantial progress."

Roth said Germany did not want a disorderly Brexit but the risk remained if Britain failed to come up with a clear plan.

(Reporting by Alastair Macdonald in Brussels)
BEIJING (Reuters) - Burger King pulled a promotional video in New Zealand showing customers trying to eat burgers with chopsticks after it sparked an outcry in China and demands for an apology from the U.S. fast food chain. The video posted on a franchisee's Instagram account showed Westerners with an oversized chopstick in each hand struggling to eat the company's new "Vietnamese Sweet Chilli Tendercrisp Burger". Burger King said it asked the franchisee to remove the video immediately. The video was deleted from the Instagram account by Tuesday afternoon. "The ad in question is insensitive and does not reflect our brand values regarding diversity and inclusion," Burger King said in a statement to Reuters. Social media users in China demanded an apology, saying Burger King had made a mockery of Asian customs and dining etiquette. The hashtag "Burger King apology" was viewed more than 50 million times on the Twitter-like microblog platform Sina Weibo by Tuesday afternoon. Others gave Burger King, which operates 1000 stores in China, the benefit of the doubt. "I am not sure if this is truly racial discrimination. But the people who made the ad really do not have brains," said one commentator on Weibo. Chinese media outlets compared the video to one issued by Italian luxury brand Dolce & Gabbana last year, which featured a Chinese model struggling to eat pizza and spaghetti with chopsticks. Dolce & Gabbana was forced to cancel a fashion show in China and social media users threatened a boycott over the campaign. The brand's co-founders later asked for forgiveness in a video apology. Burger King is a subsidiary of Toronto-listed Restaurant Brands International. (Reporting by Pei Li and Brenda Goh; editing by Darren Schuettler)
(Reuters) - Equifax Inc and its Canadian unit fell far short of their privacy obligations, a Canadian federal agency said on Tuesday following an investigation into the 2017 data breach at the credit reporting company. The agency, which is charged with protecting privacy rights of individuals, noted that poor security safeguards worsened the impact of the global cyber attack https://www.reuters.com/article/us-equifax-cyber/equifax-reveals-hack-that-likely-exposed-data-of-143-million-customers-idUSKCN1BI2VK that affected more than 143 million people worldwide, including 19,000 Canadians. "Given the vast amounts of highly sensitive personal information Equifax holds...it was completely unacceptable to find such significant shortcomings in the company's privacy and security practices," said Daniel Therrien, the privacy commissioner of Canada. The agency said Equifax Canada has entered into a compliance agreement to address these concerns and will submit third-party audit reports on its own security and that of its parent to the OPC every two years for the next six years. This will allow ongoing monitoring of compliance with Canada's federal private sector privacy law, including assessing the steps taken by Equifax since the breach, OPC said in a statement. (Reporting By Shradha Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
WASHINGTON  Controversial conservative Candace Owens said Tuesday during testimony before the House Judiciary Committee that Democrats' concerns about white nationalism are actually meant to send a message that "brown people need to be scared" ahead of the upcoming presidential election.

"Let me be clear, the hearing today is not about white nationalism or hate crimes, it's about fear-mongering, power and control," Owens said in her opening remarks at the hearing titled, "Hate Crimes and the Rise of White Nationalism."

She said the hearing was a "preview of a Democrat 2020 election strategy."

Last week, FBI Director Christopher Wray called white supremacist violence "a persistent, pervasive threat" during testimony before the House Appropriations Committee.

In November, the FBI released a report that showed a 17% increase in hate crimes from 2016 to 2017, although the bureau pointed out the number of law enforcement agencies reporting the data had also increased.

Candace Owens interview: He rapid rise defending two of Americas most complicated men: Trump and Kanye

More: Candace Owens fumes at Rep. Ted Lieu's use of her Hitler comments

There were 1,020 known hate groups in the country in 2018, the fourth straight year of growth, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors extremism in the U.S. Hate crimes, meanwhile, rose 30 percent in the three-year period ending in 2017, the organization said, citing FBI figures.

Owens said Democrats had "simply changed the data set points by widening the definition of hate crimes."

"What I mean to say, is they are manipulating statistics," she said.

Owens is the communications director for Turning Point USA, a conservative organization that aims to organize college students. She has pushed for more African-Americans to vote Republican, arguing Democratic policies have hindered, rather than helped, their community. She was invited to testify at the hearing by Judiciary Committee Republicans.

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In her opening statement, Owens said many journalists had appeared confused about why she was speaking at the hearing. She said she was there because she had been the victim of a hate crime when she was in high school.

She said few people knew that about her because the news media and journalists "on the left are not interested in telling the truth about me because I don't fit the stereotype of what they like to see in black people."

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Owens' grandfather, 75, sat behind her at the hearing. She said he was a sharecropper who "grew up in an America where words like racism and white nationalism held real meaning under the Democrat party's Jim Crow laws."

She also called the Ku Klux Klan a "Democrat terrorist organization."

"There isn't a single adult today that in good conscience would make the argument that America is a more racist or white nationalist society than it was when my grandfather was growing up," she said. "And yet we're hearing these terms sent around today because what they want to say is that brown people need to be scared, which seems to be the narrative that we hear every four years right ahead of a presidential election."

Democrats on the committee pushed back against Owens' remarks.

Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., called Owen's opening statement "despicable" and accused her of "desecrating the lives" of those who had been murdered in hate crimes.

"I thank the chairman for convening this hearing, and regret that there are some on this panel who have tried to hijack this hearing, and desecrate the lives lost to the hate crimes and violence of white supremacists, by attempting to use this as an opportunity to promote a political position, or a political party," Cicilline said.

"In congressional hearings, the minority party gets to select its own witnesses. And of all the people Republicans could have selected, they picked Candace Owens," Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., said.

Poll: Americans say Trump has made race relations worse

Warner Bros.: WB shuts down Trump 2020 video on Twitter for 'unauthorized' use of copyrighted music

"I don't know Ms. Owens, I'm not going to characterize her, I'm going to let her own words do the talking," Lieu said, before using his smartphone to play a clip of remarks Owens made about Adolf Hitler.

"If Hitler just wanted to make Germany great and have things run well, okay fine. Problem is he had dreams outside of Germany. He wanted to globalize," Owens said in the clip. In the excerpt played by Lieu, she explains why she thinks "nationalism" is good and "globalism" is bad.

In response, Owen said Lieu "purposely presented an extracted clip of her comments and she said it was apparent that Lieu believes that black people are stupid and will not pursue the full clip."

Hitler comments:After backlash, conservative pundit Candace Owens clarifies viral Hitler comment

On the House floor:Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks reads from Hitler's 'Mein Kampf' while bashing Democrats, media

That comment prompted a rebuke from Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y.

In February, Owens addressed the comment played by Lieu, which had then gone viral. She explained that she considered Hitler "a homicidal, psychotic maniac" and that her point was that he was not a nationalist. But she added that "I stand by my statements and that is that.

A YouTube livestream of the hearing was shut down because of a barrage of what the social media company called "hateful comments."

During the hearing, Nadler was handed a news report that included the hateful comments made on YouTube. He read them aloud, along with the users screen names, as the room quieted.

"This just illustrates part of the problem were dealing with," Nadler said

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Candace Owens says Democrats' hate crimes concerns are just '2020 election strategy'
Pamela Scully (left), Emorys vice provost for undergraduate affairs, introduced a panel discussion on Law, Academic Freedom and Higher Education. Panelists included (left to right) Mike Raeber, general counsel for the University of Georgia; Julie Seaman, associate dean for academic affairs at Emory Law; and Steve Sencer , Emorys senior vice president and general counsel. Emory Photo/Video.

Deborah Lipstadt, Emorys Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies, has spent her career defending free speech and calling out lies disguised as facts, including winning a high-profile legal battle with a Holocaust denier who sued her for libel.

Lipstadt drew on her experiences, and those of other academics and writers, as she delivered the first keynote lecture at the Emory-hosted conference Academic Freedom and Free Speech on Campus, which took place March 2123.

It is in the free exchange of ideas that extremists are revealed to be what they are, Lipstadt explained. We have to be the unwelcome dinner guest, not sitting silent in the face of bigotry.

The groundbreaking conference brought together leading faculty, staff and student voices, some from neighboring colleges and universities, others from institutions across North America. In an era that has witnessed violence on campuses over speaker selections, ranging from University of CaliforniaBerkeley to Middlebury College, conference participants focused on revising the terms of this fraught discussion, seeking to counter controversy with creative problem solving .

Shaping the debate

Representing a yearlong effort on the part of the offices of Undergraduate Affairs and Campus Life in the Office of the Provost, the organizing committee consisted of Michael Shutt, senior director for community in Campus Life; Alexander Sasha Volokh, associate professor of law; Henry Bayerle, associate professor of classics at Emorys Oxford College; and Pamela Scully, vice provost for undergraduate affairs and professor of womens, gender, and sexuality studies and African studies. Shutt and Scully were the conference co-hosts.

By coming together as administrators in undergraduate affairs and Campus Life as well as professors of law, history and classics, we represented the range of ideas and interests we wanted to capture through the conference, Scully explained.

What we delivered intentionally engaged academic theorizing about free speech and academic freedom with consideration of how such concepts play out in the daily life and ethics of universities, she noted. It is in those intersections that some of the most vital conversations are happening as part of our engagement in national civic life.

The conferences first day was designed to have a more academic, theoretical bent and to foster shared understandings of the relevant terms: How should academic freedom and free speech be understood? Is free speech identical to academic freedom? Or are they complementary concepts that protect different sorts of values?

Provost Jonathan Holloway of Northwestern University captured the current state of play at universities around the country, saying, The debate about free speech has been weaponized. And universities are soft targets for it. Referencing snowflakes, a term sometimes used for people who react emotionally to the speech of others, Holloway reminded attendees that students often included in that category have been historically underrepresentedAfrican American students, economically disadvantaged students, LGBT students. For Holloway, the way around overprotecting students is this: The classroom should not be a safe space, but the university must be.

Given the range of institutions represented, it was important to establish the differences guiding the conduct of public and private universities. The opening discussion, Law, Academic Freedom and Higher Education, made clear that public schools are legally bound to adhere to First Amendment principles, whereas private schools such as Emory choose to abide by them.

As Mike Raeber, general counsel at University of Georgia, pointed out, in May 2018 then-Gov. Nathan Deal signed into law SB 339, which declared that public universities in Georgia are open to any speaker invited by students or members of the faculty. The law also instructed the Board of Regents to establish a range of sanctions for speaker shout-downs.

Though Emory does not operate within these boundaries, Steve Sencer , Emorys senior vice president and general counsel, observed, Academic freedom is foundational. It is absolutely essential to how we operate, but it is part of our ethos rather than the result of a legally constructed doctrine.

The conference also shed new light on how speech can be suppressed. Nancy Leong, law professor at University of Denver, argued that sexual harassment is often not recognized as having a free-speech component. Sexual harassment suppresses important speech, and not exclusively by women, said Leong, who added that with increasing numbers of faculty not being tenure-track, they face fewer protections and greater risk.

Spotlight on students

On the second day, Emory shared its expertise in a panel titled Open Expression at Emory. Karen Andes, associate professor of global health at Emory, talked about what prompted the policys creation: the arrest of seven students  four from Emory, three from local colleges  on campus in 2011 after they refused to vacate a makeshift tent city they had occupied for several days to protest labor practices by the universitys food and beverage vendor at the time (Emory selected a new vendor in 2015).

That event spurred introspection about what the nature of community should be at Emory and what part open expression should play in students education. Then-President James Wagner formed a commission to move the university from a crisis-response model to a student-development model.

What is now known as the Respect for Open Expression Policy came into being two years later. Volokh chairs the University Senate committee that investigates policy violations. Emory also created the Open Expression observers, a group of more than 60 faculty and staff who protect the rights of community members to express their opinions in non-disruptive ways.

Emory has never embraced the idea of creating a free-speech zone, something that other campuses have elected. According to Shutt, during protests observers dont intervene just because hard conversations are happening; allowing those to go forward is how we grow stronger as a community.

Emory has earned a green light rating for protecting free speech on campus from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). During another conference session, Greg Lukianoff, president and CEO of FIRE, referenced a 2017 survey that his organization conducted of 1,250 college students in the United States about their attitudes toward free expression. The survey showed that a majority of students self-censor in class, support disinviting guests they disagree with and arent aware that hate speech is protected by the U.S. Constitution.

And it is not just students who self-censor; faculty at the conference acknowledged doing the same. Indeed, some have banished computers from the classroom so that their words cannot be recorded and disseminated. Across a number of the sessions, there was a focus on what the right classroom environment is from the standpoints of challenge and comfort.

Claudia Ordonez, an adjunct faculty member at Emorys Rollins School of Public Health, acknowledged the prevalence of trauma in many individuals. Although Ordonez champions a culture of respect in the classroom, which should include warning students about content that can create emotional distress, she noted that trigger warnings can become a distraction.

Addressing power dynamics requires more than adhering to a policy of trigger warnings or creating safe spaces, Ordonez said. How can we create true academic freedom and free speech among students who feel powerless?

A final and future conversations

A final keynote conversation between Sigal Ben-Porath of the University of Pennsylvania and Jacob Levy of McGill University contributed a sense for how schools outside the U.S. approach these issues, with Levy commenting about Canada and Ben-Porath about Israel, where there is rising demand for universities to demonstrate loyalty to the government. Ben-Porath noted that we value academic freedom because we live in a democracy. Yet, she said, in an academic setting, with its deeply entrenched hierarchies, that is not how we organize.

The conference concluded with a structured conversation led by Ed Lee, director of Emorys Barkley Forum for Debate, Deliberation and Dialogue. In the program describing the session, it acknowledges that the interplay of race and free speech remains a Gordian knot that higher education continues to struggle to untie.

Said Lee, I was honored to have the opportunity to lead the participants in what Jonathan Holloway, provost at Northwestern University and a conference attendee, identified as old-fashioned eye-to-eye conversation. 

As Shutt reflected on the two-day conference he had worked more than a year to bring about, he noted, Next year, Kent State University and the United States will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the killing of four students by the U.S. National Guard on Kent States campus. Our work related to free speech and protest on campus must never forget this moment.

Emory will continue to lead, convene and teach when it comes to free speech, academic freedom and creating an inclusive and just campus environment, Shutt said. We will explore ways to advance this as both a regional and national conversation.
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If you own shares in China Oil Gangran Energy Group Holdings Limited (HKG:8132) then it's worth thinking about how it contributes to the volatility of your portfolio, overall. In finance, Beta is a measure of volatility. Modern finance theory considers volatility to be a measure of risk, and there are two main types of price volatility. The first category is company specific volatility. This can be dealt with by limiting your exposure to any particular stock. The second sort is caused by the natural volatility of markets, overall. For example, certain macroeconomic events will impact (virtually) all stocks on the market.

Some stocks are more sensitive to general market forces than others. Some investors use beta as a measure of how much a certain stock is impacted by market risk (volatility). While we should keep in mind that Warren Buffett has cautioned that 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk', beta is still a useful factor to consider. To make good use of it you must first know that the beta of the overall market is one. A stock with a beta greater than one is more sensitive to broader market movements than a stock with a beta of less than one.

Check out our latest analysis for China Oil Gangran Energy Group Holdings

What we can learn from 8132's beta value

Looking at the last five years, China Oil Gangran Energy Group Holdings has a beta of 1.43. The fact that this is well above 1 indicates that its share price movements have shown sensitivity to overall market volatility. Based on this history, investors should be aware that China Oil Gangran Energy Group Holdings are likely to rise strongly in times of greed, but sell off in times of fear. Beta is worth considering, but it's also important to consider whether China Oil Gangran Energy Group Holdings is growing earnings and revenue. You can take a look for yourself, below.

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SEHK:8132 Income Statement, April 9th 2019

How does 8132's size impact its beta?

China Oil Gangran Energy Group Holdings is a rather small company. It has a market capitalisation of HK$144m, which means it is probably under the radar of most investors. Relatively few investors can influence the price of a smaller company, compared to a large company. This could explain the high beta value, in this case.

What this means for you:

Since China Oil Gangran Energy Group Holdings tends to moves up when the market is going up, and down when it's going down, potential investors may wish to reflect on the overall market, when considering the stock. This article aims to educate investors about beta values, but it's well worth looking at important company-specific fundamentals such as China Oil Gangran Energy Group Holdingss financial health and performance track record. I urge you to continue your research by taking a look at the following:

Financial Health: Are 8132s operations financially sustainable? Balance sheets can be hard to analyze, which is why weve done it for you. Check out our financial health checks here. Past Track Record: Has 8132 been consistently performing well irrespective of the ups and downs in the market? Go into more detail in the past performance analysis and take a look at the free visual representations of 8132's historicals for more clarity. Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore our free list of these great stocks here.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.



If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
This article is part of a regular series of thought leadership pieces from some of the more influential ETF strategists in the money management industry. Today's article features Joe Smith, deputy chief investment officer of Omaha, Nebraska-based CLS Investments.

U.S. large-cap multifactor ETFs represent a new way for advisors and their investors to gain access to a unique approach to active management.

These ETFs aim to outperform the market by ensuring the portfolio has a balanced amount of exposure from style factors, including value, momentum, quality, size and low volatility. These factors have been known to explain risk and returns in portfolios.

U.S. large-cap multifactor ETFs took in roughly $3.75 billion in new assets in the last 12 months through the end of February 2019, with total assets now topping $29 billion as of March 22, 2019, according to Morningstar.

Newer entrantssuch as the PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor U.S. Equity ETF (MFUS), the Oppenheimer Russell 1000 Dynamic Multifactor ETF (OMFL) and the BlackRock U.S. Equity Factor Rotation ETF (DYNF)take multifactor investing one step further by rotating among factors as market conditions and economic growth data evolves in order to enhance returns.

The 5 Ps Assessment

When it comes to evaluating multifactor ETFs, we believe investors should stick with the five Ps: people, philosophy, process, performance and price.

We evaluate the current universe of U.S. large-cap, multifactor ETFs under these dimensions.

1. People

Although factor investing in ETFs is relatively new, it has been implemented by a number of investment firms for years. We believe it is important to understand the team of individuals behind the design and implementation of the ETF, and whether or not the work is being sourced internally or outsourced to a third-party index provider.

For example, the Xtrackers Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor ETF (DEUS) is designed to track the Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor Index, run by FTSE/Russell. DYNF, a new actively managed multifactor ETF launched by BlackRock, is driven not by an index, but by the insights and factor rotation model maintained by a team of quantitatively focused investors and thought leaders on factor investing.

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The people dedicated to incorporating factors have a significant influence on the ETFs and their outcomes.



For a larger view, please click on the image above.



Source: ETF.com; data as of Feb. 25, 2019

2. Philosophy

Generally, most practitioners would agree that multifactor investing has inherent benefits. Simply having a strategic allocation to each factor in your portfolio, at minimum, has generally been shown to account for an additional 2% in excess returns per year above the market.

Aside from owning a strategic allocation to factors, others believe investors should tactically rotate between factors on a relative basis to add additional performance to the bottom line. This is often referred to as factor timing, where decisions to overweight or underweight a factor relative to a strategic-policy mix of factors is dependent on the factors current valuations, degree of momentum, variability in returns, and what part of the business or economic cycle we are currently in.

The great debate over a strategic versus tactical approach to factors can lead to very different outcomes and have meaningful turnover and transaction costs associated with them.

3. Process

There are two camps when it comes to constructing a multifactor portfolio. The first focuses on a top-down approach, whereby an investor owns a mix of individual factor sleeves and attempts to maintain a balanced allocation to each sleeve.

The alternative camp focuses on a bottoms-up approach, where the investor selects securities that have a reasonable amount of exposure to each targeted factor.

Both processes represent a series of active decisions made within each multifactor ETF, and can carry major implications for what returns are realized. As you can see below, in most cases, size (investing in smaller companies over larger ones) and value seem to be two of the largest factors driving how active these ETFs are.



For a larger view, please click on the image above.



Source: ETF.com; data as of Feb. 25, 2019

4. Performance

Due to the limited live track record of many multifactor ETFs, its difficult to determine what expectations investors should have for these funds and their ability to outperform the market.

On average, for all U.S. large-cap multifactor ETFs, the monthly batting average versus the iShares Russell 1000 (IWB) has been just under 43%. Assuming this is a baseline, we can determine a statistical estimate of each funds success rate based on their live data and the associated level of uncertainty.

We can clearly see that, for many U.S. large-cap multifactor ETFs, the rate of success may or may not be close to our empirical batting average, and may also carry a much higher degree of variance around the true expected success rate. What is refreshing to see, at least, is the expected batting average for each multifactor ETF has the potential to be statistically better than 50% (it likely requires more time to see if that actually plays out).



For a larger view, please click on the image above.



Source: ETF.com; data as of Feb. 25, 2019

5. Price

The pricing of many U.S. large-cap multifactor ETFs seems to be roughly in line with the broader smart-beta ETF universe, with a median net expense ratio of 0.20%. The largest fund, the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF (GSLC), comes with a price tag of 0.09% and is by far the cheapest. However, other multifactor ETFs have succeeded in gathering assets at much higher price points.

Whats more interesting to note is that for this universe of ETFs, three of the four most expensive U.S. large-cap multifactor ETFs appear more active in terms of factor timing. The John Hancock Multifactor Large Cap ETF (JHML) is the only exception, although the fund is based on the insights of Dimensional Fund Advisors.

The more important point here is that the universe of U.S. large-cap multifactor ETFs is not only competitively priced, multifactor ETFs with baked-in insight on which factors to favor most heavily will cost investors another 9 to 10 basis points in overall expenses.



For a larger view, please click on the image above.



Source: ETF.com; data as of Feb. 25, 2019

Bottom Line

U.S. large-cap multifactor ETFs represent another way for investors to access active decision-making. Despite the fact that the majority of these ETFs are technically deployed by tracking a rules-based index, there are a number of considerations to evaluate in order to select a multifactor ETF that suits an investors goals.

We believe that employing the five Ps as due diligence analysts and investment consultants do for traditional active mandates can help investors be better informed on the options available in the multifactor ETF space.

This information is prepared for general information only. Information contained herein is derived from sources we believe to be reliable, however, we do not represent that this information is complete or accurate and it should not be relied upon as such. All opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice. The graphs and charts contained in this work are for informational purposes only. No graph or chart should be regarded as a guide to investing.

0359-CLS-4/5/2019

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(The writer is a Reuters contributor. The opinions expressed are his own.)

By Chris Taylor

NEW YORK, April 9 (Reuters) - When college student Danny Franklin started thinking about jobs after graduation, his expectations were not very high.

The 21-year-old accounting major at Delaware State had the typical work experience of many young Americans: Not a whole lot.

Franklin's job history included stints at McDonalds, Sears, and Sams Club  but nothing that would really grab the attention of a big accounting firm.

No wonder Franklin's LinkedIn page did not generate any job leads. Then his adviser in junior year told him about Handshake (joinhandshake.com), a jobs community for college kids and young alumni.

After a month or two of building his Handshake profile, he was taken aback: Companies were starting to contact him, instead of the other way around.

I was very surprised and overwhelmed, says Franklin. Companies were telling me about internships, professional development events and inviting me to apply to all these things.

Among the big-name firms that got in touch were consumer products giant Procter & Gamble, and a couple of the nations largest accounting concerns, Deloitte and PwC.

Franklin ended up accepting a position with prominent investment managers Capital Group, in its Norfolk, Virginia. offices. He is slated to start a full-time position there in the fall, after his graduation this spring.

CULTIVATING EXPERIENCE

Franklin managed to solve a tricky puzzle young grads encounter when entering the workforce. How do you get that first job in your chosen field, when you do not have any experience yet?

LinkedIn is more of a mid-career tool, when you already have work experience and your professional network is established, says Garrett Lord, Handshakes CEO and co-founder. But many students dont have that work experience yet and may not even know what they want. Thats where Handshake shines.

After all, it is not easy for young adults to get on that first rung of the corporate ladder, even in a hot economy. In fact, 41.4 percent of recent grads are considered underemployed, or working in a lower-level gig that did not require a degree, according to a study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

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It is an easier leap to make for students at big-name universities  like, say, Harvard or Yale  since Fortune 500 companies will physically come to their campuses and job fairs and actively recruit. But for students at smaller colleges that may not be on recruiters radars, like Danny Franklin at Delaware State, how are they supposed to get started in life?

It was a familiar problem for Garrett Lord, himself a graduate of Michigan Tech, which was not exactly the first stop on the trail for Google or Apple recruiters. That is why he and his co-founders started Handshake, to create something akin to LinkedIn, but focused on college kids and young grads across the country and not just those in the Ivy League.

Handshakes numbers so far are impressive: 14 million college students and young alumni, more than 700 colleges in its network, 900,000 recruiters  and, notably, 100 percent of the Fortune 500.

It has obviously caught the attention of significant Silicon Valley movers, with backers like the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (yes, that Zuckerberg), the Omidyar Network (thats Pierre Omidyar, founder of eBay), venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, and more.

It is certainly a sea change from the college jobs offices of yore. Those of us of a certain age remember dusty and disorganized operations, with harried supervisors, cluttered desks and index cards of random job offers tacked up on corkboards.

By and large, job-hunting at colleges does not work like that anymore. In fact, Handshake has partnered with 70 percent of the top 500 universities in the country, matching them with 350,000 companies trying to fill slots.

Of course, students do not necessarily need to choose between career apps. They can leverage all of them and boost their odds of getting HR managers' attention.

When Danny Franklin racked up an impressive 3.5 GPA, joined his schools accounting club and put in some volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity, he uploaded it all  and, apparently, it paid off.

Without that profile, I would probably still be applying for jobs.

(Editing by Lauren Young and Dan Grebler)
Imagine that you are the czar of all building in San Francisco, and that you have been asked for your thoughts on the design of a new apartment building that is under consideration. What is your top concern?

If you are a halfway competent and benevolent dictator  and, goodness knows, history has shown us few enough of those!  then youd probably put affordability at the top of your list. The people of San Francisco and the surrounding areas are very much in need of new affordable housing: In the city itself, the median price of a house is now just over $1.6 million, more than 16 times the median household income. Affordable housing is a big issue not only for regular middle-class people but for the high-tech titans of Silicon Valley, who worry that some highly productive potential employees are looking elsewhere for their futures, not to mention that the housing market forces them to pay more for all their workers. There are other places that have faced such problems, notably resort communities such as Aspen, Colo., but it is unusual for a major city to become so comprehensively unaffordable. Even famously expensive New York City has its more affordable enclaves, without which many industries  from food-service to publishing  would have enormous human-capital problems.

But if the czar of building in San Francisco were presented with a design for the most affordable apartment building that possibly could be built (for the purpose of our thought experiment, there is no building code), he almost certainly would reject it, because it would lack certain health and safety features that most of us regard as essential. It probably would not be very attractive or very energy-efficient. It probably would not be very comfortable to live in, either.

A different building czar might believe instead that energy efficiency is the most important concern. But if he were presented with a design for the most energy-efficient building that possibly could be built, he almost certainly would reject it, because it would lack things that most of us regard as essential, like windows.

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What if we put safety and health first? We might say we want the maximum affordability consistent with safety and health. But even seemingly obvious concerns such as safety eventually put us in a bind: At some point, we will encounter a marginal improvement to safety that forces us to accept compromises in affordability, energy efficiency, or some other criterion that seems to us excessive or unreasonable.

In fact, the building czar making up a list of things that are legitimately important in the design of such a project might, off the top of his head, jot down: affordability, health and safety (which might very well include concerns ranging from fire and earthquakes to crime and terrorism), energy efficiency, accessibility for disabled people, comfort, aesthetics, externalities such as traffic and parking, any likely effects on neighboring residents and businesses, utility loads (a big concern for New York, lately), and a few other things. Some of these concerns are complementary: A building that is more energy efficient will demand less of its utility providers; a building that is well integrated into the mass-transit network will need less parking and contribute less to traffic, etc. But other concerns will clash: Many beautiful buildings sacrifice energy efficiency to aesthetics; some safety and accessibility features consume both energy and money; the cost difference between making a building very durable in an earthquake and making it very, very durable in an earthquake may be very high.

All of those tradeoffs will impose costs, some of which might not be obvious until you are faced with an unusual or extreme circumstance. There wasnt anything defective about the design of the World Trade Center towers, which very likely would have stood up just fine in the event of an ordinary fire or many kinds of possible terrorist attack. But they were not designed to stand up to having jetliners flown into them, even though the question had, oddly enough, come up when the project was being conceived in the 1960s.

So, you want your apartment building to be affordable, but you also want it to be safe  from what? Ordinary building fires? Terrorist attacks? Meteors? Earthquakes? Okay: How big an earthquake? You want it to be green, but you also want it to be attractive and comfortable. You want it to have few enough entrances to be secure but enough exits for people to get out quickly during a fire.

Thats one building, and one building gets pretty complicated all by itself. When you move into the larger realm of the entire housing stock of a city such as San Francisco, the problem gets exponentially more complex. As the locals sometimes like to remind us, the Bay Area is home to an enormous concentration of intelligence, engineering expertise, human capital, and ordinary capital, too. But for all those resources, it has made zero progress toward its goal of making housing more affordable. And there isnt anything nefarious behind that: It is a complex problem and would be even if everybody had exactly the same preferences and priorities  which, as it turns out, they dont.

Which is to say: The things that make people want to put czars in charge of complicated and intractable problems are also the things that make it a terrible idea to put czars in charge of complicated and intractable problems.

If designing an apartment building is complex, then how much more complex is designing, say, a national system of regulating and subsidizing health-insurance companies, medical providers, employers, state governments, and  oh!  just about every one of the 327.2 million residents of this country from sea to shining sea, in a way that optimizes at least a few hundred major criteria that are in many cases either rivalrous or incompatible? How much more complicated than that is reorganizing more or less the entirety of human economic activity in simultaneous pursuit of environmental and social-justice goals involving competing factors so complex that the relationships among them are literally incomprehensible?

The same bureaucracies and politician-dominated processes we expect to ensure substantial justice for the entirety of the human race while optimizing the sum of human material life in accord with certain slippery and vaguely defined environmental goals cannot figure out how to raise an apartment building in San Francisco  which in reality entails not figuring out how to develop the needed housing but how to let other people who want to use their own money and energy to develop that housing do so  or how to run a high school in Milwaukee, or how to ensure that all of the people on Death Row actually belong there. The federal government cannot even say with any confidence how many programs it currently administers. Dont ask its auditors where the money went.

All of the Instagram-ready chin-up posturing and declarations of moral urgency in the world will not change the facts of problems before us or render inoperative Immanuel Kants maxim that ought implies can. The adjectives ambitious, inspiring, audacious, and sweeping should be met with dread by those who value boring things like reason, responsibility  and reality.

More from National Review
By Stanis Bujakera and Giulia Paravicini KINSHASA/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Former Congolese President Joseph Kabila wanted his successor, Felix Tshisekedi, to appoint Albert Yuma, a Kabila ally and chairman of state mining company Gecamines, as prime minister, but Tshisekedi refused, sources familiar with the matter said. Yuma backed a new mining code adopted last year under Kabila that raised taxes on companies operating in Democratic Republic of Congo, the world's leading cobalt miner and Africa's top copper producer. The companies, which include Glencore and Barrick, have been lobbying the government to reconsider the law. Tshisekedi's administration, which took office in January, has said the law will remain in place but that it is open to dialogue with the companies. Tshisekedi has yet to name a prime minister. Under Congo's constitution, his choice must come from the ranks of the parliamentary majority, Kabila's Common Front for Congo (FCC), following consultations with the FCC. Kabila proposed Yuma several weeks ago, but Tshisekedi cited Yuma's checkered international reputation in turning him down, according to a source close to the presidency, two sources from Tshisekedi's CACH coalition and one from FCC. "The president told Kabila that Yuma was not an option, as he is compromised," the source close to the presidency said. "The president, however, clarified that this did not mean the end of their coalition," the source said, referring to an agreement between the FCC and CACH to govern together. Two foreign diplomats based in Kinshasa said the United States and European Union urged Tshisekedi not to nominate Yuma. Under Yuma's leadership, Gecamines has faced repeated allegations of corruption by local and international watchdogs, including the misappropriation of hundreds of millions of dollars. Yuma has always denied the accusations and says he is being targeted because of his hard line against foreign investors. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. The three CACH and FCC sources said Kabila has since proposed three names to Tshisekedi: Yuma, Finance Minister Henri Yav and Jean Mbuyu, Kabila's national security advisor. Tshisekedi's office said the selection process was continuing and declined to comment on specific candidates. EMERGING TENSIONS Kabila's coalition won parliamentary majorities in December's elections, even though then-opposition leader Tshisekedi defeated Kabila's hand-picked candidate, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, leading to Congo's first transfer of power via the ballot box. The runner-up in the election, Martin Fayulu, alleges that Kabila struck a deal with Tshisekedi to rig the vote in Tshisekedi's favor and deny victory to Fayulu, who was considered more hostile to Kabila's interests. Kabila and Tshisekedi's camps deny they struck any deal before the results were announced. Since then, they have said they intend to govern as a coalition, although signs of tension have emerged. In public comments during a visit last week to the United States, Tshisekedi said he intended to "kick out the dictatorial system that was in place". The FCC responded in a statement on Monday, accusing Tshisekedi of launching "gratuitous attacks and unfounded allegations". (Additional reporting and writing by Aaron Ross, editing by Larry King)
What happens when a central authority like the U.S. government tries to shape a decentralized technology? Well soon find out as a proposed law, called the Blockchain Promotion Act, picks up momentum in Congress.

The bill, introduced for the second time in February, has bipartisan sponsors in both the Senate and House of Representatives. It calls for the Department of Commerce to come up with a standard definition of blockchain, a technology that underpins bitcoin, and which can be loosely described as a tamper proof ledger run across multiple computers.

As businesses continue to explore and adopt distributed ledger technologies, a critical aspect of achieving real scale will be a common understanding of blockchain, Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Ca) told Fortune by email.

Matsui is sponsoring the bill in the House along with Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky), while Senators Ed Markey (D-Ma) and Todd Young (R-Id) introduced an identical companion version in the Senate.

According to people familiar with the bill, who spoke on condition of anonymity, lawmakers have spoken with companies like IBM and Intel, which are investing in blockchain technology and services. One of the goals, they said, is to pre-empt a patchwork series of blockchain definitions from state governments.

Another reported goal is to explore ways to address the issue of scalability. This refers to ongoing struggles of popular blockchains like Bitcoin and Ethereum to handle a high volume of transactions, which could inhibit their adoption in the business world.

Corporate Influence and conflicts of interest

While the bill shows how blockchain is becoming mainstream, some may bristle at the federal government trying to exert influence over a technology first designed as a means to money and information without a central authority. The role of major companieswhich have a vested interest in promoting their own versions of blockchainmay also create a potential conflict of interest.

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IBM, which is backing an open source version of blockchain known as Hyperledger, downplayed the companys role in the legislative process.

Given our deep expertise in blockchain, IBM regularly engages with members of Congress to explore policy that would harness the technology to drive economic development and competitiveness. We do this independently as well as through industry and trade associations, and we have not yet endorsed any specific bill, said an IBM spokesperson.

Intel did not immediately comment on the process, but pointed to a company tweet supporting the Blockchain Promotion Act:

The dangers of legislating innovation

The blockchain bill is hardly the first time members of Congress have sought to boost a new technology. According to Harold Feld, a lawyer at the non-profit policy group Public Knowledge, the arrival of the World Wide Web in the early 1990s brought a flurry of legislation aimed at helping its spread. These included laws to facilitate electronic signatures as well as a prohibition on states taxing Internet service.

Its not uncommon once a technology has been around for a couple years for Congress to come in and say this is in use and so were going to make it easier to use in commerce, and give it a stamp of approval, said Feld. Theres plenty of precedent and this is the right time [for blockchain] to see tech-minded members step in.

Theres also a risk of unintended consequences, however, when the government tries to shape the direction of a new technology. Feld points to the example of laws promoting fax machines, which are largely obsolete today, but which must nonetheless be maintained in thousands of government offices across the country.

Feld added that early efforts by Congress to support the Internet could provide a useful model for blockchain. Specifically, he credits the government for providing a legal framework to help the technology flourish, but also for backing away and letting the private sector step in once it had gained traction.

In the case of blockchain, theres also a question of which government agencies should be involved in encouraging its adoption. According to a person familiar with the draft bill, the process may involve the General Services Administration, the Departments of Defense and Commerce and the U.S. Postal Service.

The bills fate is also unclear. The proposed law, as currently drafted, enjoys bipartisan and bicameral support, and sources say they expect Congress to hold hearings on it this fall or early next year. Meanwhile, another blockchain-related bill was introduced on Tuesday. Titled the Token Taxonomy Act, the bill would place certain cryptocurrency activities outside the jurisdiction of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

According to Josh Mendelsohn, a venture capitalists and a board member of the trade group Blockchain Association, the bills are unlikely to pass on stand-alone votes during the current Congress, but could become law if the sponsors can attach them to broader pending legislation.
A major Australian coal mine project near the Great Barrier Reef was controversially approved by the federal government Tuesday, days before national elections are expected to be called.

The controversial Queensland project backed by India's Adani would significantly boost coal production, but must now get approval from state and local governments.

The project faces fierce opposition and has split the conservative government, with some Queensland supporters in favour and others in urban areas voicing environmental concerns.

"This project has been subject to the most rigorous approval process of any mining project in Australia," Environment Minister Melissa Price said in a statement as she announced federal approval for the mine's groundwater plans.

The decision -- the final green light required from federal government -- means that after years of regulatory and legal delays, Adani has just state government approvals to obtain before construction can begin.

Adani Australia's chief executive for mining Lucas Dow welcomed Price's approval and said the project would "achieve sustainable environmental outcomes" and deliver thousands of jobs in the state.

The decision was criticised by environmental campaigners, who questioned why it was made just before the election date is announced.

Conservationists have argued the mine would not only contribute to global warming and threaten local vulnerable species, but means coal will have to be shipped from a port near the World Heritage-listed Barrier Reef.

"Coal-loving coalition MPs appear to have strong-armed the environment minister into granting Adani access to Queensland's precious groundwater on the eve of the election," the Australian Conservation Foundation's Christian Slattery said in a statement.

Slattery added that there were also concerns about the amount of groundwater the mine would use in its operations.

The union-backed opposition Labor Party, which appears poised to win the election, has also had to balance calls to support coal mining jobs in Queensland with its pro-environment inner-city supporters.

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Labor leader Bill Shorten focused on internal government tensions over the mine in response to the decision, and did not say if he would overturn it if his party came into power.

Adani last year said it would scale back its plans and fund the multi-billion-dollar project itself.

The plan is to produce around 28 million tonnes of coal per year, half the amount initially projected, with most of the commodity expected to be sent directly to India.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An Afghan contractor who was believed to have been killed in a car bomb near Kabul is alive, the U.S. military said on Tuesday. Colonel David Butler, a spokesman for U.S. Forces- Afghanistan, told Reuters the Afghan contractor was initially believed to have been killed along with three other U.S. service members in the blast near Bagram air base close to Kabul. It was only later that they found out the contractor was alive. The blast, which the Taliban claimed responsibility for, also wounded three U.S. service members. Violence has been relentless in Afghanistan even though Taliban militants have held several rounds of talks with U.S. officials about a peace settlement. The talks began late last year, raising hopes for an end to the conflict. Monday's attack was one of the deadliest against U.S. personnel in recent months. In November, a roadside bomb blast killed three U.S. service members near the central Afghan city of Ghazni. The war has taken a much larger toll on Afghan security forces and civilians. President Ashraf Ghani, speaking at the World Economic Forum in January, said about 45,000 members of Afghanistan's security forces have been killed since he took office in September 2014, which works out to an average of 849 per month. (Reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Paul Simao)
* Crystal meth floods the streets of Basra

* Drug arrests have risen year-on-year since 2015

* Discontent over conditions prompted unrest in 2018

* Officials are wary of new protests in Basra

By Ahmed Aboulenein

BASRA, Iraq, April 9 (Reuters) - The southern Iraqi city of Basra is struggling to cope with a growing drug problem that has overcrowded prisons and strained police resources, only months after violent protests over poor municipal services.

Basra's prison system is clogged up and creaking. On a recent day in one police station, Reuters reporters saw about 150 men, their heads shaved, squatting in two small, cramped holding cells.

Arrests of drug users and dealers have shot up in the past year, further stretching prison services and police in a sign that the problems with municipal resources that prompted protests in Basra last summer have not gone away.

"Drugs spread because the youth are lost, they have no money, they are sick of life. It's escapism," Major Shaker Aziz, a senior member of Basra police narcotics unit, told Reuters.

"Prison authorities tell us: 'Ninety percent of inmates are convicted on drug charges, stop sending them.' So we keep them here," Aziz said of the holding cells.

The situation in prisons, worsened by a lack of treatment centers for recovering addicts, highlights the contrast between the wealth Basra province produces - its oil contributes over 90 percent of state revenues - and its poor living conditions.

Once known as the Venice of the East, Basra city, which has a population of 4 million, lacks clean water and does not have enough electricity to power air conditioners in the scorching summer heat. Unemployment is widespread, especially among youth.

Thousands protested against the conditions, unemployment and corruption last summer, when searing heat made matters worse and hundreds were treated in hospital after drinking unclean water. Protesters set ablaze government buildings and political groups' headquarters, and clashed with police.

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Officials fear a repeat of the violence this year, and while the drug problem is a concern in several areas of Iraq, Basra suffers from it the most.

STEADY RISE

Basra is struggling even though Iraq declared victory in the four-year war against Islamic State in 2017, and the city never fell to the militant Sunni Islamist group.

The number of drug arrests has risen year-on-year since 2015, Aziz said. By March, police had picked up 15 kilograms (33 lb) of illegal drugs this year, half of 2018's entire haul. Some 50 to 60 people are arrested each week on drugs-related offenses, compared to more than 1,000 all last year, he said.

Methamphetamine, known popularly as crystal meth, is the most widespread drug, said a police spokesman, Colonel Bassem Ghanem. Opium, cannabis and pill abuse are also common.

Basra's police department says 97 percent of drug users arrested in 2018 were unemployed, and more than two thirds were 25 or younger.

All the drugs come from abroad, said Colonel Ismail al-Maliki, who heads the Basra police narcotics unit.

Basra Police Chief Rashid Fleih said in November that 80 percent of drugs entering the city come from Iran. Tehran denied this but officials still point the finger indirectly at Iran, using euphemisms such as "neighboring countries."

Preventing drug trafficking is a serious challenge for Iran which borders Afghanistan, the world's largest opium producer, and Pakistan, a major transit country for drugs.

Iraq once had the death penalty for users and dealers but passed new legislation in 2017 under which judges can order rehabilitation for users or sentence them to jail for up to three years. In the absence of rehab centers, they are jailed. Under the new law, the health ministry was given two years to provide rehab centers.

Local health officials pledged to reopen and upgrade a 44-bed rehabilitation center this month but the police say 44 beds is not enough.

"All of Basra's oil and we can't afford rehab?" said Aziz.

Asked about the situation, the state-owned Basra Oil Company said it has pledged $5 million for a rehab center.

'SMOKING FOR FREE'

Inside a training complex on the edge of Basra province, police have re-purposed a building as a makeshift rehab center for users nearing release.

About 40 men live in comparatively comfortable conditions, sleeping six per room with access to television, a gym and books. Clerics, officers and teachers lecture on the sinfulness and dangers of drug use.

Experts say recovering users need treatment and rehabilitation when they first stop using, not towards the end of sentences. Prisoners say they suffer the worst withdrawal symptoms during the first 20 days, unable to eat or sleep.

"This is just a model, to get the health ministry to build real centers," said Ghanem, the spokesman.

Prisoners interviewed by Reuters were chosen by police, who sat in on interviews. Some were handcuffed.

One user-turned-dealer said he was recruited a year after he started buying, wooed by the idea of free crystal meth.

"I paid 50,000 dinars ($40) per gram as a user. I only paid 20,000 ($16) as a dealer. I would sell some and smoke some. I was smoking for free," he said.

He described a network of dealers that went up to a "big boss" whom he would not identify to police out of fear for his life. He faces a minimum of five years in jail.

Some said they were falsely arrested. Asked if the police offered suspects lighter sentences if the provided them with information, one police officer said they rarely needed to.

"They always cooperate," he said, asking not to be named as he was not authorized to discuss the matter. (Additional reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Timothy Heritage)
By Ahmed Aboulenein BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) - The southern Iraqi city of Basra is struggling to cope with a growing drug problem that has overcrowded prisons and strained police resources, only months after violent protests over poor municipal services. Basra's prison system is clogged up and creaking. On a recent day in one police station, Reuters reporters saw about 150 men, their heads shaved, squatting in two small, cramped holding cells. Arrests of drug users and dealers have shot up in the past year, further stretching prison services and police in a sign that the problems with municipal resources that prompted protests in Basra last summer have not gone away. "Drugs spread because the youth are lost, they have no money, they are sick of life. It's escapism," Major Shaker Aziz, a senior member of Basra police narcotics unit, told Reuters. "Prison authorities tell us: 'Ninety percent of inmates are convicted on drug charges, stop sending them.' So we keep them here," Aziz said of the holding cells. The situation in prisons, worsened by a lack of treatment centers for recovering addicts, highlights the contrast between the wealth Basra province produces - its oil contributes over 90 percent of state revenues - and its poor living conditions. Once known as the Venice of the East, Basra city, which has a population of 4 million, lacks clean water and does not have enough electricity to power air conditioners in the scorching summer heat. Unemployment is widespread, especially among youth. Thousands protested against the conditions, unemployment and corruption last summer, when searing heat made matters worse and hundreds were treated in hospital after drinking unclean water. Protesters set ablaze government buildings and political groups' headquarters, and clashed with police. Officials fear a repeat of the violence this year, and while the drug problem is a concern in several areas of Iraq, Basra suffers from it the most. STEADY RISE Basra is struggling even though Iraq declared victory in the four-year war against Islamic State in 2017, and the city never fell to the militant Sunni Islamist group. The number of drug arrests has risen year-on-year since 2015, Aziz said. By March, police had picked up 15 kilograms (33 lb) of illegal drugs this year, half of 2018's entire haul. Some 50 to 60 people are arrested each week on drugs-related offences, compared to more than 1,000 all last year, he said. Methamphetamine, known popularly as crystal meth, is the most widespread drug, said a police spokesman, Colonel Bassem Ghanem. Opium, cannabis and pill abuse are also common. Basra's police department says 97 percent of drug users arrested in 2018 were unemployed, and more than two thirds were 25 or younger. All the drugs come from abroad, said Colonel Ismail al-Maliki, who heads the Basra police narcotics unit. Basra Police Chief Rashid Fleih said in November that 80 percent of drugs entering the city come from Iran. Tehran denied this but officials still point the finger indirectly at Iran, using euphemisms such as "neighboring countries". Preventing drug trafficking is a serious challenge for Iran which borders Afghanistan, the world's largest opium producer, and Pakistan, a major transit country for drugs. Iraq once had the death penalty for users and dealers but passed new legislation in 2017 under which judges can order rehabilitation for users or sentence them to jail for up to three years. In the absence of rehab centers, they are jailed. Under the new law, the health ministry was given two years to provide rehab centers. Local health officials pledged to reopen and upgrade a 44-bed rehabilitation center this month but the police say 44 beds is not enough. "All of Basra's oil and we can't afford rehab?" said Aziz. Asked about the situation, the state-owned Basra Oil Company said it has pledged $5 million for a rehab center. 'SMOKING FOR FREE' Inside a training complex on the edge of Basra province, police have re-purposed a building as a makeshift rehab center for users nearing release. About 40 men live in comparatively comfortable conditions, sleeping six per room with access to television, a gym and books. Clerics, officers and teachers lecture on the sinfulness and dangers of drug use. Experts say recovering users need treatment and rehabilitation when they first stop using, not towards the end of sentences. Prisoners say they suffer the worst withdrawal symptoms during the first 20 days, unable to eat or sleep. "This is just a model, to get the health ministry to build real centers," said Ghanem, the spokesman. Prisoners interviewed by Reuters were chosen by police, who sat in on interviews. Some were handcuffed. One user-turned-dealer said he was recruited a year after he started buying, wooed by the idea of free crystal meth. "I paid 50,000 dinars ($40) per gram as a user. I only paid 20,000 ($16) as a dealer. I would sell some and smoke some. I was smoking for free," he said. He described a network of dealers that went up to a "big boss" whom he would not identify to police out of fear for his life. He faces a minimum of five years in jail. Some said they were falsely arrested. Asked if the police offered suspects lighter sentences if the provided them with information, one police officer said they rarely needed to. "They always cooperate," he said, asking not to be named as he was not authorized to discuss the matter. (Additional reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Timothy Heritage)
Maputo (AFP) - Daviz Simango, mayor of Beira on the Mozambican coast, had worked to shore up the city's climate defences, drawing on World Bank help to build deterrents against rising seas, flooding and storms.

But in just a few hours last month, Cyclone Idai devastated the city of half-a-million people, wiping out his efforts.

Packing winds twice the speed Beira was built to withstand, the superstorm swamped the city's drainage system, overwhelmed its floodgates and mocked its brand-new basin, designed to hold storm water.

Nearly 90 percent of the regionally-vital port city was damaged or destroyed.

"We have never seen this before. Our infrastructures were prepared to handle winds up to 120 kilometres (75 miles) per hour, but this time we were subjected to winds of 240 kph," the mayor said.

Idai made landfall on March 14, ripping roofs off buildings, pulling down electricity pylons, uprooting trees, and bringing heavy rains and floods that swamped an area larger than Luxembourg.

More than 600 people died, as well as nearly 200 in neighbouring Zimbabwe.

Mozambican former first lady Graca Machel, on a post-cyclone visit, declared Beira "will go down in history as having been the first city to be completely devastated by climate change."

- Science -

Climate scientists hesitate to attribute a single extreme-weather event to climate change, a long-term meteorological shift.

But many would agree that Cyclone Idai is entirely consistent with scenarios about the impact on weather systems of global warming -- the relentless buildup of heat-trapping greenhouse gases emitted by burning coal, oil, and gas.

A study in the journal Nature last November said average global warming of one degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) to date had boosted the amount of rain that hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones produce, and warned such storms will become wetter and windier in future.

Warmer oceans provide more of the raw fuel on which cyclones feed, and higher sea levels boost storm surges that may overcome coastal defences.

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The world's nations agreed in 2015 to cap the global rise in temperature at 2C from pre-Industrial Revolution levels.

"We can say with certainty: tropical cyclones will become more intense under global warming. And very strong tropical cyclones will become more frequent," physics professor Anders Levermann from the University of Potsdam in Germany told AFP.

- Mounting risk -

Cyclones that make landfall in southeast Africa are relatively rare.

But Mozambique is vulnerable, with a sub-tropical climate, a nearly 2,500-kilometre (1,600-mile) shoreline and entrenched poverty that makes it hard to raise funds for climate resilience or emergency response.

Beira, a city with poorly-planned settlements, inadequate housing and a fast-expanding population, is particularly exposed.

The city has grown rapidly in recent decades, fed by an influx of people fleeing the civil war that ended more than 20 years ago after claiming at least a million lives.

The World Bank ranks Mozambique, after Somalia and Madagascar, as the third-most at-risk country in Africa to climate change, with cyclones and floods among the top threats.

Prior to Idai, Simango had overseen projects funded under a $120-million (106-million euro) credit from the World Bank's International Development Association.

The work including rehabilitating the water drainage system, upgrading and building 11 kilometres (seven miles) of canals, creating floodgates, and building a large water retention basin.

These projects were supposed to mean "the end of the suffering of a whole population," Simango said last year.

But this was not to be.

- 'Alarm bell' -

Idai "may turn out to be one of the deadliest weather-related disasters to hit the southern hemisphere," according to World Meterological Organization (WMO) executive director Petteri Taalas.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres described it as "an uncommonly fierce and prolonged storm."

It sent "yet another alarm bell about the dangers of climate change, especially in vulnerable, at-risk countries".

Mozambique is no stranger to extreme weather.

In 2000, southern parts of the country -- including the towns of Chokwe and Xai-Xai -- were completely submerged following heavy rains brought by cyclone Eline. Some 800 people were killed.

Simango is determined to forge ahead with his plan to raise Beira's storm readiness.

"Now we have to adapt and we have to create conditions that allow us to mitigate this situation... these types of strong winds," he said.

Last month, the World Bank approved a $90 million grant for the Mozambican government's natural disaster resilience programme.

"Without changes in climate and disaster risk management and financing policy, climate change is expected to cause economic damages of up to US$7.4 billion during the period 200350 in Mozambique," it said.

str-mgu-pa-sn/mlr-ri
Washington (AFP) - Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell, a vocal critic of US President Donald Trump, on Monday announced he was running for the White House, joining an already crowded pool of 2020 hopefuls from his party.

The 38-year-old member of the House of Representatives announced his campaign on The Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS.

"I've already done a lot but I can do more," said Swalwell, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee and the House Judiciary Committee.

"I've been in Congress for six years. I've defended our country from the Intelligence Committee while democracy has been on the ropes."

Gun control reform is a key issue for the four-term lawmaker, whose district is in the San Francisco Bay Area.

"I've talked to kids who sit in their classroom afraid that they'll be the next victim of gun violence," he told Colbert.

"I see Washington do nothing about it after the moments of silence. And I see lawmakers who love their guns more than they love our kids."

"I'm ready to solve these problems," he said. "I'm running for president of the United States."

Swalwell is scheduled to hold a town-hall event on Tuesday, focused on ending gun violence, in Sunrise, Florida -- a short distance from Parkland where 17 people were killed last year in a shooting at a high school.

He also stressed the need for improved, affordable healthcare -- usually among the top issues on campaign trails in recent years.

"Americans need a healthcare guarantee: If you're sick, you'll be seen by a doctor, and if you're seen, you'll never go broke because of it," Swalwell said in a statement outlining his plans if he becomes president.

The plans include a focus on education, with interest-free federal loans for college students.

"We must re-associate college with opportunity instead of crushing debt that leaves many unable to launch businesses, buy homes, or start families," he added.

Story continues

- Large, diverse Democratic pool -

Swalwell is the 18th Democrat to launch a bid to become the party's nominee to challenge Trump next year.

The pool of Democratic candidates for 2020 is among the largest and most diverse ever, and Swalwell joins a crowded field that includes contenders with higher national profiles -- Senators Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren, Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke, and Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana.

"I'm a Democrat, no doubt about it," Swalwell said in a statement posted on his website.

"But I've deliberately charted a bipartisan course - and not just because I'm the son of two Republicans."

The son of a police officer, Swalwell has said he was the first in his family to go to college. He is married and has two children.

The Democratic nominating convention opens on July 13, 2020, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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In 2014 David Wild was appointed CEO of Domino's Pizza Group plc (LON:DOM). This report will, first, examine the CEO compensation levels in comparison to CEO compensation at companies of similar size. After that, we will consider the growth in the business. And finally we will reflect on how common stockholders have fared in the last few years, as a secondary measure of performance. The aim of all this is to consider the appropriateness of CEO pay levels.

View our latest analysis for Domino's Pizza Group

How Does David Wild's Compensation Compare With Similar Sized Companies?

At the time of writing our data says that Domino's Pizza Group plc has a market cap of UK1.1b, and is paying total annual CEO compensation of UK1.6m. (This figure is for the year to December 2017). While this analysis focuses on total compensation, it's worth noting the salary is lower, valued at UK510k. We looked at a group of companies with market capitalizations from UK767m to UK2.5b, and the median CEO total compensation was UK1.3m.

That means David Wild receives fairly typical remuneration for the CEO of a company that size. Although this fact alone doesn't tell us a great deal, it becomes more relevant when considered against the business performance.

You can see a visual representation of the CEO compensation at Domino's Pizza Group, below.

LSE:DOM CEO Compensation, April 9th 2019

Is Domino's Pizza Group plc Growing?

On average over the last three years, Domino's Pizza Group plc has shrunk earnings per share by 1.4% each year (measured with a line of best fit). Its revenue is up 13% over last year.

Unfortunately there is a complete lack of earnings per share improvement, over three years. There's no doubt that the silver lining is that revenue is up. But it isn't sufficiently fast growth to overlook the fact that earnings per share has gone backwards over three years. It's hard to argue the company is firing on all cylinders, so shareholders might be averse to high CEO remuneration. You might want to check this free visual report on analyst forecasts for future earnings.

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Has Domino's Pizza Group plc Been A Good Investment?

Since shareholders would have lost about 21% over three years, some Domino's Pizza Group plc shareholders would surely be feeling negative emotions. This suggests it would be unwise for the company to pay the CEO too generously.

In Summary...

David Wild is paid around the same as most CEOs of similar size companies.

Returns have been disappointing and the company is not growing its earnings per share. Most would consider it prudent for the company to hold off any CEO pay rise until performance improves. Whatever your view on compensation, you might want to check if insiders are buying or selling Domino's Pizza Group shares (free trial).

Important note: Domino's Pizza Group may not be the best stock to buy. You might find something better in this list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.



If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Warri (Nigeria) (AFP) - Dozens of people have been killed in a flareup of violence in three Nigerian regions, security officials and local sources said Tuesday.

In the southeastern state of Rivers, eight people were killed early Monday when armed men attacked the village of Emohua in the Ogoni region, said local chief Sunny Odum.

State police spokesman Nnamdi Omoni said the attack was a "cult-related incident," a term typically denoting gangs or criminals who are hired for political gain and often blend belief or black-magic rituals in their acts.

In the northern state of Katsina, 14 people were killed on Sunday in clashes between cattle thiefs and a civilian militia armed by the government to support the security forces, police said.

The fighting took place in Tsamiyar Jino, in Kankara region, claiming the lives of seven rustlers and seven vigilantes, said Katsina police spokeman Gambo Isa.

"The volunteers went into the forest and engaged the bandits despite being warned by the police never to confront the bandits on their own... because of the sophisticated weapons the bandits have and their good knowledge of the terrain," Isa said.

In contrast, village chief Jaafaru Bello told AFP 36 people had been killed by the thieves and people were afraid to retrieve the bodies.

Local resident Usman Abdullahi, a Tsamiyar Jino resident said around 100 vigilantes from surrounding villages had stormed the bandits' hideout but were outgunned and had been forced to retreat "in disarray".

Cattle theft is a chronic, and frequently violent, problem in the states of Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna and Niger, and thieves are acquiring more and more sophisticated weapons.

Last week, at least 50 people were killed in Zamfara, the worst-hit state.

Separately, the Nigerian media on Tuesday reported that 20 people had been massacred in the region of Kajuru, in Kaduna state, in fighting between crop farmers and nomadic herders.

A state police spokesman confirmed the incident but declined to give further immediate details.
Quito (Ecuador) (AFP) - Ecuador says it is reassessing its asylum for Julian Assange after WikiLeaks warned last week that the organization's controversial founder faced imminent expulsion from Quito's London embassy and arrest by the British authorities.

Foreign Minister Jose Valencia has remained coy about what Ecuador will decide, and when -- amid repeated signs that Assange has worn out his welcome.

"The Ecuadoran state will determine what it should determine when it considers it appropriate," Valencia told reporters in Quito.

So what's next for Julian Assange, who has spent more than six years cooped up inside the Ecuadoran embassy in London.

- Why is Assange there?-

Assange took refuge in the embassy in June 2012 having lost his appeal in Britain's Supreme Court against extradition to Sweden over accusations of sexual assault. The Australian fought extradition on the grounds that it was part of a Washington plan to extradite him to the US and try him over WikiLeaks' release of thousands of classified documents into the public domain.

Quito's then-president Rafael Correa said Assange's human rights could be at risk and granted him asylum in August.

However, Britain refused to give him safe conduct out of the embassy, given that he faced charges in London over violating his bail conditions.

Sweden's state prosecutor finally abandoned the sexual assault case in 2017.

- What's Ecuador's problem? -

Ecuador's attitude toward its guest in London changed with the arrival in power of Lenin Moreno. He has accused Assange of meddling in Ecuador's internal and external affairs.

Assange is accused of trying to influence the 2016 US elections as well as the Catalan independence process in Spain.

Moreno temporarily cut his communications with the outside world in 2018.

But what could cost him his stay in the embassy is the government's suspicion WikiLeaks hacked into Moreno and his family's communications and leaked videos and private conversations, giving ammunition to his political foes.

Story continues

Assange has wanted to remain a relevant "actor on the world stage," said Katalina Barreiro of the Institute of Higher Studies in Quito, but he ended up breaking "the minimum code that an asylee must have -- to not comment or involve himself in any type of political process."

- What is Assange's legal status? -

Assange's status is complicated by the fact that he became an Ecuadoran citizen in 2017. The government even appointed him to a diplomatic post in the Moscow embassy as a means of getting him out of Britain with diplomatic immunity.

London rejected his new designation, however, so the appointment was canceled.

Ecuador could now use its right "to revoke the asylum as granted," constitutional lawyer Rafael Oyarte told AFP. The government could also cancel his Ecuadoran nationality.

Amid signs of growing impatience with Assange, Quito last October tightened rules governing his stay in the embassy, including his visits and communications, and even insisted he be responsible for his personal hygiene.

Failure to comply would be cause for "termination of asylum," according to the protocol.

Even if asylum is withdrawn, in theory the state is obliged to protect him against the possible intentions of other countries to submit him to life imprisonment or the death sentence.

"If someone violated his rights, Ecuador would have the duty to request that the violation be suspended," former foreign minister Jose Ayala Lasso told AFP.

- What if asylum is withdrawn? -

Assange would have to leave the embassy even if he continues to hold Ecuadoran citizenship, unless he can demonstrate he needs protection and the country accepts that to be the case.

"Ecuador could tell him: Sir, you are no longer a person to whom Ecuador grants asylum. Please leave the embassy," said Ayala Lasso.

International legal expert Mauricio Gandara said, in that case, Quito could give the Australian a deadline to leave voluntarily.

"They can tell him 'You have 24 hours to leave.' If after 24 hours he hasn't left, the embassy will ask the British police to come in and take him away," said Gandara, a former ambassador to Britain.

Once outside the embassy, Assange would be arrested for violating the conditions of his conditional release in 2012, when he was fighting extradition to Sweden.

Any eventual sentence "would not exceed six months," according to Ecuador's attorney general Inigo Salvador, adding that London had given assurances "he would not be deported or extradited to any other country."
San Salvador (AFP) - Incoming El Salvador president Nayib Bukele will not invite regional counterparts Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua and Honduras' Juan Orlando Hernandez to his June 1 inauguration, a top aide said Tuesday.

"They're not going to be invited. El Salvador, in the next government, will be part of a group of democratic countries that believe in elections, in states where the people have to elect their governments in a democratic way," said Federico Anliker, secretary general of Bukele's New Ideas party.

The Salvadoran president-elect has labeled both Ortega and Hernandez as dictators and said last week that both are in power by force and "at the cost of many lives."

His position marks a shift in the foreign policy of outgoing President Salvador Sanchez Ceren, a leftist former guerrilla who maintains close relations with his Nicaraguan and Venezuelan counterparts.

Bukele, a conservative elected in February, said he would seek a closer relationship with the United States, home to 2.5 million Salvadorans.

"What's the difference between Hernandez and Ortega? One says he is from the right, the other from the left. But the reality is that both are in power by force, at a cost of many lives and without democratic legitimacy," Bukele wrote on Twitter.

Bukele has accused Ortega of being responsible for the crisis in Nicaragua, where a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests left at least 325 people dead, hundreds in jail and thousands of refugees, according to humanitarian agencies.
A report by the Centre for Responsive Politics (CRP) claims Atiku Abubakar is lobbying the US for recognition as the authentic Nigerian president, The CRP report says Atiku is making this effort through some lawyers in a contract worth $30,000 for 90 days. The report says the contract is firm in the promise that Atiku will be recognised as the authentic president of Nigeria.

The defeated presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, is allegedly lobbying the United States of America to recognize him as the duly elected in Nigeria. A media aide of the presidential candidate. Atiku, who lost the 2019 presidential election to President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is, according to a report by the Centre for Responsive Politics (CRP), lobbying the US through two lawyers in Washington DC. The research group dedicated to tracking money in US politics and its effects on elections and public policy, on Monday, April 8, said: Enlisting the assistance of two high-powered Washington, D.C. lawyers, a Nigerian presidential candidate is looking for help in his legal challenge after his election loss. The report claims Atiku has ties to those in Trumps circle, having hired political consultants like Riva Levinson, who worked with Paul Manafort, and Brian Ballard, a major Trump fundraiser. Like many other foreign leaders looking to bolster their standing with Trump, Abubakar stayed at the Trump International Hotel in Washington D.C.

The report claims further that the presidential candidate of the PDP, through this, is joining politicians like Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido in turning to lobbyists to garner American support. To achieve this, the report said Atiku made a payment of $30,000 for a 90-day contract, according to a FARA filing accessed using the Center for Responsive Politics Foreign Lobby Watch, on March 24, which showed that former Justice Department official Bruce Fein and his firm Fein & DelValle PLLC registered as foreign agents on Abubakars behalf. The report added that Fein would be joined in the effort by W Bruce DelValle, who is a rights activist. According to the report, Feins firm is explicit in promising to obtain official recognition that you are the authentic president of Nigeria based on an accurate counting of legal ballots




Enphase Energy, Inc. ENPH has recently entered into a multi-year supply agreement with Infineon Technologies AG. Infineon will supply 600 V CoolMOS G7 power transistors that will be used in the alternating current (AC) output stage of Enphase IQ 7 series of microinverters. The supply is expected to start in the second half of 2019.

Importance of Transistors in Microinverters

The seventh-generation microinverters are more efficient than the existing microinverters. The microinverters convert the direct current (DC) generated by a solar module to alternating current (AC). The various electrical and electronic components are used to make the circuit help in the conversion.

The transistor is used for reliable and high-performance power switching in microinverters. The IQ microinverter system simplifies solar installations and provides a safe solar solution to homeowners. The long-term deal is prudent to cope with the higher demand of microinverters.

Increase in Solar Generation

Per the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA),renewable generation provided a new record of 742 million megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity in 2018, nearly double the 382 million MWh produced in 2008. Renewables provided 17.6% of electricity generation in the United States in 2018, of which 90% were contributed by wind and solar generation.

U.S. solar generation has increased from 2 million MWh in 2008 to 96 million MWh in 2018. Solar generation contributed only 2.3% to electricity generation in 2018 and its contribution is expected to increase further from the current levels.

Solar Energy Gains Popularity

Apart from enjoying strong distribution network in the U.S. Solar market, Enphase Energy is successfully employing a robust distribution networking system across the United States, Canada and the Netherlands. Enphase has shipped more than 19 million microinverters in more than 125 countries.

In addition to Enphase Energy, Solaredge Technologies Inc. SEDG and SunPower Corp. SPWR also deal in microinverters.

Story continues

Price Movement

Enphase Energys shares have surged about 156% in a year, against the industrys decline of 5.6%.

Zacks Rank

Enphase Energy currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Another top-ranked stock in the same industry is Sunrun Inc. RUN. Sunrun also holds a Zacks Rank #2 .The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2019 earnings has risen 18% to $1.18 in the past 60 days. Long-term earnings growth of the company is pegged at 20.80%.

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Ankara (AFP) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AKP party on Tuesday said it will seek a re-run of Istanbul's disputed mayoral election after the ruling party lost and authorities rejected its demand for a full recount.

The Justice and Development Party (AKP) appealed citing irregularities after its Istanbul candidate was narrowly defeated last week in what would be a major setback after a decade and a half in power.

Erdogan's party also lost the capital Ankara.

The Turkish leader on Monday had questioned the Istanbul election results and hinted at a rerun because he said the vote was marred by ballot box theft.

AKP's deputy chairman Ali Ihsan Yavuz told reporters in Ankara that the party would push for a rerun: "We will take the path of extraordinary appeal... We will say that we want the election in Istanbul to be repeated."

Officials at the Supreme Electoral Council, known by its Turkish initials YSK, will decide whether the ruling party has a case.

Yavuz on Twitter denied local media reports that the AKP had already filed a demand for the re-run as "untrue", saying the party was considering the extraordinary appeal in the days ahead.

The AKP won most votes nationwide in the March 31 vote, but voters appeared to punish the ruling party in the two mayor cities partly because of an economic slowdown that followed Turkey's currency crisis last year.

Both opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) candidate Ekrem Imamoglu and the AKP's Binali Yildirim claimed victory soon after preliminary tallies showed them in a dead heat.

Election officials later said Imamoglu was ahead but the gap has narrowed to around 15,000 votes after recounting of void ballots this week.

Both won around four million votes in the election for Istanbul, the country's biggest city and economic hub.

Imamoglu, a little-known mayor of one of Istanbul's districts who ran a low-key campaign, has already declared himself Istanbul mayor. He urged electoral authorities to make the "right decision" and asked the AKP to accept the result.

Story continues

"Istanbul urgently needs a new leadership," he told a press conference. "You lost, I understand those who made mistakes, who are worried about their seats. But that's enough, don't damage this country and this city... don't play with Istanbul's destiny."

A defeat in Istanbul would be especially sensitive for Erdogan, who grew up in one of its working-class neighbourhoods and built his political career after being Istanbul mayor himself in the 1990s.

AKP representative Recep Ozel said the difference between Imamoglu and Yildirim was now just 14,604 ballots, while the latest figures from the CHP suggested the difference was 14,463.

"For debate about the election to be left behind, one of the steps to be taken... is for it to be repeated," Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told reporters.

- 'Organised crimes' -

Devlet Bahceli, leader of the right-wing MHP, the AKP partner, told reporters in Ankara there could be "consideration" of another election in Istanbul. He said the process would take 60 days.

"After 60 days, there could be an election on the first Sunday," he said.

Erdogan had personally campaigned hard in the city though he was not running in the election, and presented the vote as a matter of national survival. He put forward Yildirim, a former premier and AKP heavyweight, as the party candidate.

Soon after the election, AKP officials did manage to appeal for a recount of void ballots after saying they had discovered massive irregularities in voting in Istanbul and Ankara.

But Yavuz said the election council had rejected the AKP party's call for all votes to be recounted in the Istanbul mayor's race.

"It is incomprehensible for a decision like this to be made when the irregularities are clear to see," he said.

Erdogan on Monday questioned the results, claiming there had been "theft" at the ballot box and "organised crimes" were carried out in Istanbul. He said appeals and even re-runs were not unusual in other countries when there was doubt over votes.

Recep Ozel, the AKP's representative on the YSK board, said earlier that the electoral council had accepted the party's challenge of "irregularities" in ballot boxes.

But there would only be a partial recount of 51 ballot boxes in 21 Istanbul districts.

A decision for one Istanbul district, Buyukcekmece, had been delayed because of an investigation into fraud claims.

Istanbul police were investigating claims 11,186 people changed their addresses to Buyukcekmece before the local elections, DHA news agency reported.
ALGONA, Iowa  Rep. Eric Swalwell is running for president.

Swalwell, a Democratic congressman from California and a former Oakland prosecutor, has been teasing a 2020 presidential bid for months and made about 20 trips to Iowa since the 2016 election. On Monday night, he made his intentions national on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

He now must find a way to stand out among a crowded field of Democratic candidates. His work is cut out for him, including in his former home state. In an Iowa Poll in March of likely Democratic caucusgoers, Swalwell received zero votes. He was born in Sac City, Iowa.

As he prepares to campaign vigorously in Iowa in the coming months, he said he believes his message and his background can connect him with Iowans.

I want Iowans to know: I see you. I hear you. Im for you, he said. That Ive lived a life very much like yours.

U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-CA, introduces himself to Jack Hough and David Bleuer, both of West Bend, while they dine at Chrome Restaurant and Catering on Monday, April 1, 2019, in Algona. Swalwell was born in Iowa and has made several trips to the state while eyeing a run for president.

Iowa roots

In their attempts to woo Iowa voters, it's common for presidential candidates to play up their ties to the first-in-the-nation caucus state. But in the crowded 2020 campaign field, Swalwell boasts the most direct connection.

The 38-year-old lived in northern Iowa until he was 5. His father, Eric Swalwell Sr., worked in law enforcement in Sac City when Swalwell was born, then moved the family to Algona for three years to be police chief.

In one of Swalwells most vivid memories, his father lost his job as Algonas police chief in January 1986 after refusing to give ground in a small-town political brouhaha over parking tickets at the county fair.

Its where I learned about doing the right thing, Swalwell said. Its the roots of who I am.

How will Swalwell stand out?

Swalwell acknowledges he has room to grow as he kicks off his campaign. But he believes his youthful optimism and relatability can help him stand out.

Swalwell often repeats the slogan "Go big. Be bold. Do good," and he says he has a desire to "bring the promise of America to all Americans." He shares that he still has nearly $100,000 in college debt and is raising two children under 2 years old.

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"People know everything about me is real," he said. "I know what it's like to be in a family living paycheck to paycheck."

More: Who is running for president in 2020? An interactive guide

Swalwell said he has heard a lot of concern about health care during his Iowa visits. He supports affordable coverage for all and wants to offer "robust" funding to find cures for diseases.

Ive seen the hollowed-out candy jars at Caseys General Store with a picture of someone taped to the candy jar whos sick, he said, dropping a reference to the Iowa-based chain. That persons health care plan is the charity of a stranger at a checkout stand."

He wants to offer debt-free education to students attending public universities, zero-interest college loans and tax-free employer contributions to student loan debt. He envisions students emerging debt-free by completing work-study programs while attending school and logging volunteer service hours after they graduate. He also wants to fight the rural "brain drain" by forgiving college debt of students who return to work five years in areas that need skilled workers.

As he prepares to crisscross Iowa, Swalwell said he wants to bring his dad back to Algona for a visit. Because his parents often vote Republican, he joked that he might be courting their vote through this process, as well.

"My parents have a Trump-Pence magnet on their fridge," he chuckled. "I hope I have their vote. They're not going to make it easy for me."

U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-CA, poses for a photo in downtown Algona, where he lived for three years as a child, on Monday, April 1, 2019, in north central Iowa. Swalwell made the trip to Iowa about a week before announcing he'll run for president.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Eric Swalwell, congressman from California, joins crowded 2020 Democratic presidential field
Clarissa Pierburg told a divorce court judge how she still sometimes visits a hairdresser nearly 300 miles away in Dusseldorf, Germany.

The estranged wife of a wealthy German businessman has told a divorce court judge how she cannot find a very good hairdresser in England despite moving to London nearly two years ago.

Clarissa Pierburg said she still sometimes visited a hairdresser nearly 300 miles away in Dusseldorf, Germany.

She outlined her problem to Mr Justice Moor after being embroiled in a dispute with Jurgen Pierburg following the breakdown of their 35-year marriage.

Mr and Mrs Pierburg are fighting about where they should divorce.

Clarissa Pierburg told a divorce court judge how she still sometimes visits a hairdresser nearly 300 miles away in Dusseldorf, Germany.

Mr Justice Moor is overseeing a trial in the Family Division of the High Court in London and is expected to finish analysing evidence and legal argument later this week.

He has heard that both Mr and Mrs Pierburg are German and had lived in Switzerland.

Mrs Pierburg, who is in her 60s, says she now lives in London and wants to divorce in England.

Mr Pierburg, who is in his 70s, wants to divorce in Germany.

The judge has heard that the marriage broke down after Mr Pierburg admitted having an affair in late 2016.

He was told that the Pierburgs had lived in a chateau about an hour from Geneva.

Mrs Pierburg said, when living in Switzerland, she had been in the habit of flying to Dusseldorf to get her hair done.

She said she would visit her mother at the same time.

Mrs Pierburg said she still made trips from London to see her hairdresser in Dusseldorf.

Clarissa Pierburg told a divorce court judge how she still sometimes visits a hairdresser nearly 300 miles away in Dusseldorf, Germany.

I am still searching for a very good one (in England), she told Mr Justice Moor.

When I am visiting my mother, and there is time, I like to see my hairdresser (in Dusseldorf).

She said she stopped living in Germany nearly 20 years ago.

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London is the city of things I am interested in, she said.

There is nothing for me to go back to Germany for.

There is, for me, no culture. There is culture but not for me.

Story continues

She added: There is nothing for me now to go back to in Germany.

Mr Pierburg, an art collector, told the judge on Tuesday that he and his estranged wife were tied to Germany.

Our main connection, like an umbilical cord, to Germany has never been broken, he said.

We were living in Switzerland but our hearts were still beating in Germany.

He told Mr Justice Moor he had been fortunate to inherit a lot of assets.

Lewis Marks QC, who is leading Mr Pierburgs legal team, questioned whether Mrs Pierburg was really resident in England.

He suggested that the four-bedroom house she had in London was not big enough.

Mr Marks said Mrs Pierburg had been married for 35 years to an incredibly tax sensitive, wealthy man.

He said their life was a life of socialising, going to the opera and having dinner out.
Bitstamp, the Europe-based cryptocurrency exchange, announced Tuesday it has secured a much-coveted BitLicense; authorization that will allow the firm to conduct crypto business in the Big Apple.

Founded in 2011, Bitstamp is one of the oldest firms operating in the nascent market for digital assets. Its CEO Nejc Kodric told The Block that the stamp of approval from the New York Department of Financial Services will allow it to further expand into the U.S. after almost exclusively serving European clients.

"By nature, we are a European company and have been European-centric throughout our history," Kodric said. "Having a BitLicense is a key element in ramping up our presence in the United States."

Bitstamp is the 19th firm to clinch a BitLicence, after crypto brokerage Tagomi Holdings became the 18th earlier this year. Kodric said his firm has its sights set on institutional investors. Still, the firm, which purports to serve over 3 million users, is entering the market as new institutional marketplaces for cryptocurrencies are set to go online, such as ErisX and Intercontinental Exchange's Bakkt.

Despite its humble genesis out of a garage with two laptops, the firm has been able to weather numerous bear market cycles, an advantage its CEO says will allow it to compete with potential rivals.

"We didn't over-expand, we maintain very lean operations with over 200 employees, we haven't laid off thousands of employees," Kodric said. "We have been in the space since 2011 and have seen this cycle before and we took that into account. With that experience, we have the advantage."

Furthermore, the firm is in the process of making several improvements to its product offering, including upgrading its matching engine. The firm announced in November that it would replace its proprietary matching engine technology with Cinnober's TRADexpress Trading System, which will enable it to execute orders up to 1,250 times faster.

"Our matching engine will be on par with traditional exchanges in both speed and throughput," Kodric said at the time of the announcement.

In October, the firm announced that it was acquired by a European-based investment firm for an undisclosed amount in an all-cash deal.
Photo credit: ROBIN VAN LONKHUIJSEN - Getty Images

From Popular Mechanics

Talk about a self-inflicted wound. A Dutch F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet was reportedly damaged by its own gunfire back in January. The jet suffer considerable damage but the pilot escaped injury and landed the plane safely.

On January 21, two Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16s engaged a practice target on the ground at Vliehors training ground. One pilot fired his M61 Vulcan 20-millimeter Gatling gun, the F-16s built-in weapon. The jet was struck on the outside by one of the rounds, and the airplanes engine intake swallowed at least some part of a 20-millimeter round.

The M61 Vulcan Gatling gun has a rate of fire of 6,000 rounds a minute, or 100 per second. The F-16 carries 511 rounds, or enough for five seconds of sustained fire. The gun is designed for very close range air-to-air fighting or strafing targets on the ground.

Believe it or not, this sort of thing has happened before. In 1956, a Grumman F-11 fighter jet shot itself down by flying into a stream of its own bullets. The pilot had fired his four Colt Mk. 12 20-millimeter cannons and a minute later ran into his own gunfire, shooting down his own plane and severely injuring himself in the process. As Popular Mechanics wrote about that incident:

"The test pilot had assumed he had been the victim of a bird strike, but the accident investigation revealed another cause: in his fast descent, the pilot had actually flown into his own stream of 20-millimeter cannon rounds. Although the rounds had a head start (the air speed of the aircraft plus the muzzle velocity of the rounds) they slowed quickly due to drag passing through the surrounding air. The rounds decelerated, the Tiger accelerated, and the two reunited in the sky, with fatal (for the aircraft) consequences."

The Dutch Netherlands Defence Safety Inspection agency is investigating the incident. Here's an image of the fuselage struck by the 20-millimeter round, provided to the Netherlands' NOS News Agency by the Ministry of Defense:

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Photo credit: Dutch Ministry of Defense

The Netherlands plans to replace its 1980s-era F-16s with F-35 Joint Strike Fighters soon. The Dutch will buy at least 37 of the advanced jets , with further orders likely.

Via Airlinerwatch

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Google and Facebook are back at Capitol Hill on Tuesday. While both companies are no stranger to Congressional hearings at this point, this time the tech giants are talking about the growing threat of white nationalism on its platforms in the wake of the mosque shooting in New Zealand .

Facebooks public policy director Neil Potts and Googles public policy and government relations counsel Alexandria Walden will speak before the Democratic-controlled House Judiciary Committee for a hearing on hate crimes and the rise of white nationalism.

Online radicalization, specifically among white nationalists, is not exactly a new issue . However, since the New Zealand mosque shooting, which left 50 people dead, the rising concerns over the spread of white nationalism on the internet has been thrust to the forefront of the conversation. Read more...

More about Facebook, Google, White Nationalism, Congressional Hearing, and Candace Owens
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Monday that President Donald Trump would replace the head of the U.S. Secret Service, a day after Trump asked for the resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

Nielsen and Trump had long clashed over immigration issues, and her departure came amid a surge in migrants from Central America at the southern U.S. border with Mexico.

Trump announced on Twitter that Kevin McAleenan, the current U.S. Customs and Border Protection commissioner, would become acting DHS secretary.

Randolph "Tex" Alles, the outgoing head of the Secret Service, said he had not been fired but that his departure was part of a broader shake-up of the Department of Homeland Security.

The White House said James Murray, a career Secret Service agent, would take over in May.

The Secret Service came under scrutiny after a Chinese woman carrying electronic devices was charged with bluffing her way through security checks at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Trump's White House has had the highest turnover of senior-level staff of the past five presidents, according to figures compiled by the Brookings Institution think tank.

Here are some senior figures who have been fired, quit or otherwise changed roles in the administration.

2019

Linda McMahon - The Republican fundraiser was one of Trump's first Cabinet picks. She served as director of the Small Business Administration until March, when she resigned to join Trump's re-election campaign. Trump nominated U.S. Treasurer Jovita Carranza to the position in April.

Clete Willems - A key figure in trade talks with China and a deputy to Trump's top economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, Willems said in March he wanted to spend more time with his family.

Heather Wilson - The U.S. Air Force secretary, considered a top candidate to become the next defence secretary, decided to return to academia.

Bill Shine - Eight months after being hired as the White House communications director, he resigned to work on Trump's re-election campaign. A source close to Trump said the president had lost confidence in the former Fox News executive.

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2018

Jim Mattis - In a candid resignation letter that laid bare his growing divide with Trump over Syria and Afghanistan policies, the defence secretary abruptly quit, shocking allies and Congress. Trump named Mattis' deputy, Patrick Shanahan, a former Boeing executive, to the role in an acting capacity soon afterward.

Ryan Zinke - Trump's first interior secretary left at the end of 2018 amid investigations into his use of security details, chartered flights and a real estate deal.

John Kelly - A retired Marine Corps general, Kelly was hired as White House chief of staff to bring order to the chaotic Trump White House, but ultimately fell out with his boss. Trump named his budget director, Mick Mulvaney, to the job on an acting basis on Dec. 14.

Jeff Sessions - The former Republican U.S. senator from Alabama was finally forced out as attorney general on Nov. 7 after months of being attacked and ridiculed by the president for recusing himself from a special counsel probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. He was replaced briefly by Matthew Whitaker until William Barr was confirmed to the job.

Nikki Haley - The former South Carolina governor stepped down at the end of 2018 as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Trump first put forward State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert as her successor, but she later withdrew. Trump has since nominated Republican donor and U.S. Ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft for the position.

Don McGahn - Trump said in August the White House counsel would leave amid strains between the two over the Russia probe.

Scott Pruitt - The Environmental Protection Agency chief quit on July 5 under fire over a series of ethics controversies.

David Shulkin - White House officials said on March 28 that the Veterans Affairs secretary would resign.

H.R. McMaster - The national security adviser was replaced on March 22 by John Bolton.

Rex Tillerson - The secretary of state was fired by Trump on March 13 after long-standing tension between them.

Gary Cohn - The National Economic Council director and former Goldman Sachs president said on March 5 he would resign. Trump picked Larry Kudlow to replace him.

Hope Hicks - The White House communications director, a long-serving and trusted Trump aide, resigned on Feb. 28.

Rob Porter - The White House staff secretary resigned in February after accusations of domestic abuse from former wives.

2017

Omarosa Manigault Newman - The former reality TV star was fired as assistant to the president in December.

Tom Price - The Health and Human Services secretary quit under pressure from Trump on Sept. 29 over travel practices.

Stephen Bannon - Trump's chief strategist was fired by Trump in mid-August after clashing with White House moderates.

Anthony Scaramucci - The White House communications director was fired by Trump in July after 10 days on the job.

Reince Priebus - Replaced as chief of staff by Kelly, Priebus lost Trump's confidence after setbacks in Congress.

Sean Spicer - Resigned as White House press secretary in July, ending a turbulent tenure.

Michael Dubke - Resigned as White House communications director in May.

James Comey - The FBI director, who led the Russia probe before the special counsel was appointed, was fired by Trump in May.

Michael Flynn - Resigned in February as Trump's national security adviser. Flynn later pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.

Sally Yates - Fired in January by Trump as acting attorney general.

(Reporting by Washington Newsroom; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh, James Dalgleish and Peter Cooney)
Firefighters at the scene of a fire that destroyed Mt. Pleasant Baptist Chiurch located on La. 182 about three miles south of Opelousas.

Fires have destroyed three predominantly black St. Landry Parish Baptist churches in Louisiana in the last two weeks, as investigators seek clues into who might be involved.

It started last month, when St. Mary Baptist Church in Port Barre was destroyed in a fire early in the morning on March 26.

A week later, Greater Union Baptist Church in Opelousas burned down in the early morning of April 2. Two days later, Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, south of Opelousas, burned down on April 4.

In an emotional video, U.S. Representative Clay Higgins, R-La., implored whoever set the fires to step forward.

Here's what we know now about the fires:

Are the fires related?

State Fire Marshal Butch Browning acknowledged Thursday that theyve discovered several patterns at the three crime scenes.

There certainly is a commonality, he said. Whether that leads to a person or persons or groups, we just dont know. And thats not unusual for us not to know at this point.

The fact that it is three black Baptist churches in the same parish is obviously a pattern. And there are several other patterns, Browning added.

What's the status of the investigation?

As many as 200 people, including investigators at the federal level, have been dedicated to examining the details of the case.

In addition to the State Fire Marshal, the St. Landry Parish Sheriffs Office and the St. Landry Fire District 3, the Opelousas Police Department, the Louisiana Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the FBI also are investigating the fires.

St. Landry Sheriff Bobby Guidroz said he is working with Opelousas police to provide extra security and patrols to the parishs churches. He said hes willing to do whatever it takes to prevent these fires and to try to catch this individual.

Where are the churches meeting in the meantime?

On Sunday, the churches still held worship services, just in different locations. Mount Pleasant met at Morning Star Baptist Church, both of which are led by Rev. Gerald Toussaint, for a fiery sermon that referenced Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt. Members of St. Mary met at a storefront location in north Opelousas. Those from Greater attended services in a building on Lincoln Street in Opelousas.

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What are people saying about the fires?

U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins released a video Sunday urging anyone involved in these fires to turn themselves in to law enforcement.

If you participated in this, you have succumbed to evil, he said, wearing a cowboy hat and standing in front of the rubble at St. Mary Baptist Church. Powers of principality are controlling your life.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Fires destroy three churches in Louisiana in the past two weeks. Here's the status of the investigation
By Tim Hepher, Eric M. Johnson and Jamie Freed PARIS/SEATTLE/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Minutes after take-off, the pilots of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX were caught in a bad situation. As soon as the pilots retracted the flaps and slats, according to flight data, a key sensor began to feed faulty information into Boeing's Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), designed to prevent stalls. Flying at full take-off power, according to the flight data, the crew then struggled with nose-down commands from MCAS, four aviation experts told Reuters. The high speed and the jet's forward-leaning posture made it nearly impossible to use the controls to pull the nose up. Moments later, the Boeing Co jet hit the ground, killing all 157 people onboard after six minutes of flight. A complicated picture of what happened in the cockpit of Flight 302 on March 10 is emerging from the sparse commentary of a preliminary report and a new data plot showing how crew and technology interacted. Ethiopia's transport minister said on Thursday that the pilots followed all correct procedures in trying to keep the plane in the air. "The preliminary report confirmed beyond reasonable doubt that the crew followed the right procedures," Ethiopian Airlines said in a statement to Reuters on Sunday. "Under the circumstances, with a number of simultaneous warnings in the cockpit, the crew have performed professionally." The engines remained at full take-off power as the airline's youngest-ever but highly-experienced captain, a 29-year-old with 8,122 hours of flying time, and his 25-year-old co-pilot, with 361 hours, flew the aircraft out of its initial climb. That would be an unusual step in a regular flight, according to the experts and five current and former pilots interviewed by Reuters, most of whom were not authorized to speak publicly. "You would never, ever have full power for the whole flight," said Hart Langer, a veteran former senior vice president for flight operations at United Airlines. The reason the engines continued at full take-off power was not given in the report. But it is not part of a usual procedure for pilots dealing with the loss of key information such as the sensor data, the four experts said. ENGINE POWER The Ethiopian Airlines statement suggested the crew left the throttles at take-off power because they intended to continue to climb and were hampered by the nose-down commands of MCAS. By the end, the aircraft was traveling at 500 knots (575 mph, 926 kph), far beyond the Boeing jet's operating limits. The Ethiopian Airlines statement said "no excess speed was noted at the initial phases of the flight." The aircraft's gathering speed and its downward "trim" when MCAS switched on for the last time may have contributed to a situation in which the pilots were unable to fight flawed Boeing software that eventually sent the jet into an uncontrollable dive, the four experts said after studying the data. Trim is a manual or automatic setting that helps to keep the plane on a desired up or down trajectory by making it harder for pilots to pull the other way. The Ethiopian Airlines crash, and another in Indonesia five months earlier, have left the world's largest planemaker in crisis as its top-selling jetliner is grounded worldwide, and Ethiopia scrambling to protect one of Africa's most successful companies. All 737 MAX aircraft have been grounded and Boeing is working on an MCAS software fix and extra training that it says will prevent a repeat of such accidents. CEO Dennis Muilenburg said on Friday the two accidents were caused by a chain of events, "with a common chain link being erroneous activation of the aircraft's MCAS function." Sources who reviewed the crash data said the problems started barely 12 seconds after take-off. A sudden spike in black box data was consistent with a bird or other debris hitting the plane as it was taking off, shearing away a vital airflow sensor, said the four experts and two U.S. officials briefed on the data. Ethiopian Airlines on Sunday called that scenario "completely speculative". Chief investigator Amdye Ayalew Fanta said on Thursday there was no indication of such damage. Boeing said it would not comment on ongoing investigations. As with the Lion Air crash in Indonesia, faulty data from the 'angle of attack' sensor, which measures how the wing is cutting through the air, may have set off a volatile chain of events. In both cases, the faulty sensor tricked the plane's computer into thinking the aircraft was about to stall, or lose lift. The anti-stall MCAS software then pushed the nose down forcefully by intervening in the aircraft's trim system. The first time the MCAS software kicked in, flight data shows the Ethiopian Airlines pilots reacted quickly by flicking switches under their thumbs - they had recognized the movements as the same type flight crews had been warned about after the Lion Air crash. But data shows they were not able to fully counteract the computer's movements. At that point, they were a mere 3,000 feet above the airport, so low that a new warning - a computerized voice saying "don't sink" - sounded in the cabin. When MCAS triggered again, the jetliner's trim was set to push the nose down at almost the maximum level, flight data shows, while the control column noisily vibrated with another stall warning called a "stick shaker." This time, the pilots countered MCAS to greater effect, the experts said after studying the data. But when they turned off the system - as they were instructed to do by Boeing and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the wake of the Lion Air disaster - the nose was still trimmed downwards, making it harder to pull up the plane. The combination of the plane's speed - edging up towards design limits with the engines still at their take-off power - and the trim setting meant the pilots would have had to exert 50 pounds of force to pull back the control columns, the four experts and one of the pilots said, and moving a backup manual wheel instead was impossible. Ethiopian Airlines' position is that the control problems only resulted from the crew's losing battle with MCAS, a source familiar with the airline's thinking said. Boeing declined to comment. The preliminary report did not cover this issue. 'PULL UP, PULL UP' The captain called out "pull up" three times, according to the cockpit voice recorder. The co-pilot reported problems to air traffic control. In the meantime, the aircraft's speed remained abnormally high, the five pilots and four aviation experts said. Several experienced pilots said there was an array of stressful factors sapping the pilots' attention. Among the distractions was a "clacker" warning telling the pilots their aircraft was going too fast. This only kicked in after the MCAS system had started firing, the airline said. "As pilots have told us, erroneous activation of the MCAS function can add to what is already a high-workload environment," Muilenburg said Thursday, adding Boeing was "sorry for the lives lost" in the crash. "It's our responsibility to eliminate this risk. We own it and we know how to do it." As the nose gradually fell, the captain asked the co-pilot to try to trim the plane using the manual backup wheel in the center console to help the plane recover from the dive, according to the voice recorder. But it was too hard to move the wheel. Both men then tried to pitch the nose up together. The captain, according to the report, said it was not enough. MCAS RE-ACTIVATES Data shows the electric trim system was switched back on in an apparent effort to force the reluctant nose higher, the experts said. This in turn would have also reconnected MCAS. Reactivating MCAS is contrary to advice issued by Boeing and the FAA after Lion Air. The report did not address that. The airline did not comment. The pilots managed to lift the nose slightly using the electric thumb switches on their control column. The data readout shows they flicked those switches only briefly. The report does not provide a reason for this. It does show the pilots fully engaged in trying to save the plane. With its power restored, a final MCAS command kicked in, eventually pushing the nose down to a 40 degree angle at 500 knots, far beyond the plane's safe operating speed, defined by Boeing as 340 knots. As the 737 MAX plunged, G-forces turned negative, pulling occupants out of their seats. Just six minutes after take off, the plane crashed into a field. (Additional reporting by Jason Neely in Addis Ababa, Tracy Rucinski in Chicago, David Shepardson in Washington, and Allison Lampert in Montreal; Editing by Gerry Doyle and Daniel Wallis)
Coin Rivet recently spoke with Flubit co-founder Bertie Stephens while attending the CoinFest UK event in Manchester.

Flubit is currently the largest UK-owned online marketplace. To use Berties own words, I started Flubit with my co-founder in a walk-in wardrobe back in 2011. Flash forward to 2018 and Flubit was acquired by MonetaryUnit, the creator of the MUE cryptocurrency.

When speaking with Bertie, he revealed some fascinating insights into the struggles of running an e-commerce business that accepts crypto, his future plans for Flubit, and the bitter truth about the average persons take on cryptocurrency.

How to make a currency out of cryptocurrency

In 2018, the Flubit team realised that to make a currency out of cryptocurrency, they needed to provide people with real-world experiences. Fundamentally, people need to be given the chance to use crypto in the same way they use fiat.

To put into perspective the significance of Flubit entering the crypto space, the UK is the worlds third-largest market for online shopping. To have an e-commerce giant based in the UK accepting crypto is a large step towards providing the average Joe with tangible use cases for cryptocurrency.

Consequently, Flubits goal is to give non-crypto users the ability to easily spend and get on board with cryptocurrency, which does not come without challenges.

However, the bitter truth to swallow for the crypto space is that the average person doesnt really care about the blockchain or the technology behind it  all the user cares about is why am I using this tool.

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The end goal is, and always has been, user convenience and satisfaction.

Previously, Flubit had tried to market itself as a site that accepts crypto, only to discover this method was extremely challenging without widespread adoption.

Now when you go on the website there is little mention of crypto  it is more about savings and why you would even bother doing this, comments Bertie.

What happens now is that users will place an order in fiat and be offered a cashback of 50 MUE  all the user needs to do is download the wallet.

In effect, MUE acts as loyalty points on the site. So far, this has been a successful method for Flubit, which has seen a remarkable 875% surge in wallet downloads for MonetaryUnit since Flubit began enabling its users.

We made a mistake with the crypto angle

Bertie openly admits: We made a mistake with the crypto angle  people dont care about the crypto, they care about what crypto is going to give them.

These days, Flubit and MonetaryUnit are able to sell MUE without the often tedious photo identification uploads required by exchanges.

They still take Anti-Money Laundering and Know Your Customer checks seriously, but they arent bound by the same restraints exchanges are, which in turn enables their users to effortlessly buy crypto directly from their app using debit or credit cards. This once again reduces the barriers that prevent non-crypto users from entering the space.

Commenting on the 2018 bear market, Bertie revealed that ultimately a bear market does not affect Flubit. Investors and traders may look to make a quick buck in a bear market, but in the end, Flubits customers will value the crypto at the price they purchase it at and what they buy with it.

They can spend the MUE straight away, and in this sense crypto doesnt need to replace fiat, but rather it needs to find its own angle.

The struggles of running a business that accepts crypto

Perhaps the most interesting of Berties insights was his views on the struggles an e-commerce business faces when accepting crypto.

He claims when a refund is required on your credit card, the company who took the payment can hit a button to automatically refund the transaction.

You cant do that with crypto  you need to understand the receive address, you need to double-check they sent you the right receive address, and that is not a great user experience, reveals Bertie.

This is one prominent issue that serves to undermine what Flubit seeks to achieve.

He states: Getting a user experience where you dont need to copy and paste a string of characters is one area, and trust is another. You know if you place an order with your credit card, the bank can refund you if its fraudulent.

Customers need to trust Flubit if something goes wrong. Luckily our users do, but our new users need to learn about us and trust us.

Interestingly, when Flubit signed up to multiple services to conduct tests during the early days, no one had a refund solution.

This point serves to illustrate the complexities behind running a business that accepts crypto. With crypto still being relatively young, there are still a plethora of issues left to be chartered.

The future

During the CoinFest UK event, MonetaryUnit and Flubit announced that from April, they will be providing 25% off fiat prices when you pay with MUE.

This will allow Flubit to remain competitive while bringing in more and more non-crypto users.

To continue enabling non-crypto users, Bertie also revealed to Coin Rivet Flubits plans to build a crypto web wallet where users will not need a mobile app or any other wallet to store MUE.

The MUE will all be held on the site to continue providing users with an easy, fluid experience.

The post Flubit co-founder: People dont care about crypto, they care about what the crypto is going to give them appeared first on Coin Rivet.
Sergio Flores/The Washington Post via Getty

Kirstjen Nielsen will go down in infamy for claiming the Trump administration did not create a policy of separating families at the border, but the man taking her job as homeland security secretary actually implemented the policy and it was his agents who did the separating.

Kevin McAleenan was the commissioner of Customs and Border Protection until Monday, when he was named acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security after President Trump sacked Nielsen because he reportedly thought she wasnt tough enough on the southern border. But McAleenan has been plenty tough on the border, with his agents apprehending thousands of migrants for criminal prosecution and turning away thousands more asylum seekers.

Yet he is being portrayed by some as a relative moderate, with many noting his service as deputy CBP commissioner during the Obama administration, which increased deportations and hardened immigration policy. McAleenan served admirably enough for President Obama to grant him an award because he achieved extraordinary results in his position.

The fact that you served under Obama certainly doesnt absolve you from any possibility of being a hard-right immigration enforcer, said Matthew Kolken, an immigration attorney and frequent critic of both the Obama and Trump administrations immigration policies.

In April 2018, McAleenan co-authored a memo to Nielsen stating that DHS could direct the separation of parents or legal guardians and minors held in immigration detention so that the parent or legal guardian can be prosecuted...  The memo laid out several options for Nielsen to choose so DHS could help prosecute every unauthorized border crossing under the abandoned zero tolerance policy. Nielsen evidently chose the option that included widespread separation and signed her name to the memo.

Soon afterward, CBP was separating migrant parents from their children. More than 2,500 families were separated before the program was halted a year agoand not all have been reunited.

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In McAllen, Texas, CBP agents prevented parents from being reunited with their children, according to the DHS Office of Inspector General.

CBP may have been able to avoid separating some families, a 2018 OIG report states. However, CBP officials later arranged to have adults transferred directly from court to ICE custody, rather than readmitting them where they might be reunited with their children. According to a senior official who was involved with this decision, CBP made this change in order to avoid doing the additional paperwork required to readmit the adults.

Around the same time, CBP began turning away asylum seekers.

Agents stood at the dividing line between the U.S. and Mexico, preventing migrants from entering American territory where they are legally allowed to claim asylum, according to the Mexico Security Initiative at the University of Texas at Austins Strauss Center. Agents allegedly told them there was no room or that the U.S. wasnt currently accepting asylum claims at that time (a blatant lie), according to UT-Austin.

More recently, McAleenans agents have been implementing the administrations policy of sending asylum seekers back to Mexico to await their day in court, a policy known as Remain in Mexico. On Monday, a federal judge in San Francisco put a temporary stop to the policy, noting that the practice directly contradicts the governments acknowledged obligation to ensure aliens are not returned to unduly dangerous circumstances.

It has been McAleenans CBP agents who have been sending migrants back to those dangerous circumstances, either in violent Mexican border towns like Tijuana and Juarez via Remain in Mexico.

Its unclear whether Trump will nominate McAleenan to serve as permanent Homeland Security secretary as the White House purges the department. Meanwhile, immigrant advocates and attorneys are waiting to see what happens next. One thing is certain: McAleenans actions at CBP under Trump and Obama do not portend a softening of immigration policy at DHS.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here
Last month, Rep. Devin Nunes announced plans to sue Twitter, me and two parody Twitter accounts for several purported torts  fancy lawyer speak for unlawful actions as a matter of civil law.

The Twitter accounts, @DevinNunesMom and @DevinCow, posted not very nice things about the Republican California congressman. As for me, Nunes seems upset about my scrutiny, discussion and highlighting of publicly available information pertaining to him, and my criticism of his conduct, record and behavior  as well as my generally not having acted like a Miss Congeniality award winner toward him. In other words, he is suing me for doing my job as a political communications strategist.

Of course, a formal, legal response from me to Rep. Nunes lawsuit will be forthcoming.

But in the meantime, its vitally important that the entire nation understands what this lawsuit is really about: A sitting member of the U.S. government, specifically, a congressman, is trying to stifle free speech  mine, yours and every other Americans  by using litigation as a cudgel to bully and intimidate.

Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif.

Read more commentary:

Devin Nunes Twitter lawsuit is meant to lay the groundwork to regulate social media

Trump blocked me on Twitter. I sued (and won) because modern town halls happen online.

On July 4th, thank journalists from Colonial America to Capital Gazette for free press

The fact is, free speech is recognized and protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The Framers correctly considered it a God-given right, an inherent freedom so important to the system of government they were establishing that they explicitly stated its existence straight at the outset of the Bill of Rights.

James Madison, fourth president of the United States, father of the Constitution and co-author of the Federalist Papers, famously commented that the censorial power is in the people over the government, and not in the government over the people. Nunes lawsuit flips that notion entirely on its head.

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Nunes has sworn to protect free speech

As a congressman, Rep. Nunes will have sworn an oath to support and defend the Constitution. That includes the First Amendment. His action in filing this pleading draws into question not just his view of law applicable to this case, but also his belief in freedom of speech and his commitment and adherence to his own oath of office. Individually and collectively, all of these things should be extremely concerning to every American, no matter where they live, whom they vote for and where they fall on the philosophical spectrum.

Rep. Nunes lawsuit also rightly generates skepticism that he truly understands the United States history of broadly and firmly protecting liberties, and the truth about why the Bill of Rights  including the First Amendment  was drawn up and remains the law of the land to this day.

Pamphleteers during the colonial period were obviously highly critical of an undemocratic, illiberal, monarchical system against which those fighting Great Britain in the War of Independence rightly rebelled. They literally risked their lives and the vastly more limited liberty they had then to deliver the American republic, and champion the justifiably broad and expansive liberties that too many of us now take for granted and which some people are seeking to sharply curtail and constrain.

Foremost among those was the right of free speech. Rep. Nunes has benefited from it for his entire life, as have I. Very likely if youre reading this you have, too. And if you havent, its probably because you were born or lived somewhere that did not respect and value this fundamental liberty and now choose to live in the most freedom-loving country in the world, where your ability to criticize your government in public even in harsh terms is ironclad.

Rethink this lawsuit and assault on freedoms

The plain fact is, Rep. Nunes lawsuit constitutes a grave threat to the long recognized and respected civil liberties belonging to each of us, and indeed our system of governance writ large. Madison also said, All men having power ought to be distrusted to a certain degree. He was right, as was British historian Lord Acton when he said, Power tends to corrupt.

This is why Americans should scrutinize our public officials political committee expenditures  including those of leadership PACs  voting records, public statements, financial interests, behavior and conduct. Its what the Framers wanted, it is what the First Amendment guarantees a right to do, and it is sound policy to boot. True freedom and good, constitutional government are impossible to maintain unless each of us is able to question, research and review what our public officials do, based on publicly available information and interactions with them and their staff, and then engage in unimpeded, public debate about what we find. They work for us, not the other way round.

Rep. Nunes should rethink his lawsuit and his assault on our fundamental freedoms. Liberty matters  and America remaining a beacon of it around the world by virtue of our own citizens embrace of it is vital.

As President Ronald Reagan said, Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. The only way they can inherit the freedom we have known is if we fight for it, protect it, defend it, and then hand it to them with the well-thought lessons of how they in their lifetime must do the same."

I stand firm in my determination to continue championing American civil liberties, including the right of free speech, not just by talking about it but also by exercising it day in and day out. At the end of the day, our forefathers died for my right to do so.

Republican consultant Liz Mair, a veteran of campaigns for Scott Walker, Roy Blunt, Rand Paul, Carly Fiorina and Rick Perry, is the founder and president of Mair Strategies and strategist for the Swamp Accountability Project. Follow her on Twitter: @LizMair

You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Free speech means I don't have to be nice to Devin Nunes on Twitter. So why's he suing me?
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We've lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Gateley (Holdings) Plc (LON:GTLY).

Do Insider Transactions Matter?

It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, such insiders must disclose their trading activities, and not trade on inside information.

We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. As Peter Lynch said, 'insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise.'

View our latest analysis for Gateley (Holdings)

Gateley (Holdings) Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when the Finance Director, Neil Smith, sold UK391k worth of shares at a price of UK1.50 per share. That means that an insider was selling shares at around the current price of UK1.49. While we don't usually like to see insider selling, it's more concerning if the sales take price at a lower price. We note that this sale took place at around the current price, so it isn't a major concern, though it's hardly a good sign.

In total, Gateley (Holdings) insiders sold more than they bought over the last year. The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

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AIM:GTLY Recent Insider Trading, April 9th 2019

If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Gateley (Holdings) Insiders Are Selling The Stock

Over the last three months, we've seen significant insider selling at Gateley (Holdings). In total, insiders sold UK1.2m worth of shares in that time, and we didn't record any purchases whatsoever. Overall this makes us a bit cautious, but it's not the be all and end all.

Does Gateley (Holdings) Boast High Insider Ownership?

Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Insiders own 10.0% of Gateley (Holdings) shares, worth about UK16m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

So What Do The Gateley (Holdings) Insider Transactions Indicate?

Insiders sold stock recently, but they haven't been buying. And our longer term analysis of insider transactions didn't bring confidence, either. On the plus side, Gateley (Holdings) makes money, and is growing profits. Insiders own shares, but we're still pretty cautious, given the history of sales. So we'd only buy after careful consideration. If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future.

But note: Gateley (Holdings) 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.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.



If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) - German electronics firm Bury has asked European Union antitrust regulators to investigate Nokia's licensing practices on patents essential to car communications, the second such complaint after Daimler. While companies with key patents are expected to offer these on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms, the lack of clear rules on calculating license fees and terms inevitably lead to disputes when companies fail to agree on the charges. Bury, a family-owned company with production plants in Germany, Poland and Mexico, said it had filed a complaint to the European Commission. "Nokia refuses to license mobile components. Instead, Nokia insists on indirect licensing of the entire vehicle," Bury said in a statement. "Nokia does not own a vehicle-oriented standard essential patent. Therefore, Nokia cannot demand indirect licensing of the entire vehicle," it said. Nokia, which has a highly lucrative portfolio of patents dating from the time when it was a leading mobile phone maker, said it had started talks with carmakers and their primary suppliers in 2015. "Nothing in Bury's complaint changes our view on the matter," it said in a statement. The company's policy is to agree on licenses that cover internet connected cars and not the individual component. The Commission confirmed receipt of Bury's complaint and said it would assess it. (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Jan Harvey)
BRUSSELS (AP)  Tough-guy France softened its stance Tuesday and showed willingness to accept yet another delay in the long-awaited Brexit, diminishing the chances that Britain would crash out of the European Union this week without any future plan.

But British Prime Minister Theresa May still has a rough day ahead of her as she heads to an emergency summit in Brussels on Wednesday to plead for a new Brexit extension  for the second time in three weeks. Such gatherings aren't getting any friendlier.

With nearly everyone fully resigned to Britain's departure from the European Union, two questions took center stage Tuesday: How  and when  to get the U.K. politely out the door.

EU countries, especially France, have become increasingly exasperated with the political division and uncertainty in Britain about a way forward.

The bloc's leaders have tried to help May over the past two years of negotiations, even after she missed her hand-picked Brexit departure date on March 29 because of a parliamentary revolt. After obtaining a delay until Friday, she will be asking for another postponement that lasts until June 30 at the special EU summit.

On a charm offensive with key leaders, May flew first to Berlin Tuesday to plead for good terms with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and then set off for Paris for an encounter with President Emmanuel Macron, seen as her counterpart with the toughest demands.

"France is really trying to play bad cop here," said Larissa Brunner, an analyst at European Policy Center, referring to French insistence that another extension to her deadline must come with strings attached and assurances from London.

However, an official in Macron's office said Tuesday that France was ready to accept a new delay.

While Macron still has a long list of conditions, it was a notable shift in France's tone compared to last week. The reason for the change was unclear, though concerns have been growing about how badly a hard Brexit would hit the French economy, too. France was also encouraged by May's outreach last week to Britain's political opposition to find a compromise, and Macron may have been swayed in part by a meeting with the Irish prime minister.

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France, which has had a love-hate relationship with Britain for about 1,000 years, is now at the forefront to get the EU to take some decisive action.

"We won't be able to perpetually live with the exit of Brexit," French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said over the weekend. "At some point there is an exit."

Germany thinks likewise. "There isn't an endless readiness to keep talking about delays so long as there is no substantial progress on the British side," said Michael Roth, Germany's deputy foreign minister.

All eyes are now turned toward Macron, who has it in his power to force Britain to choose between a no-deal Brexit on Friday and cancelling its departure altogether. A drastic cliff-edge departure would have huge costs to businesses and trade across the English Channel and be very cumbersome to travelers as it would hit airports, ports, tariff rules and standard regulations overnight.

EU rules say that any extension to the Brexit deadline needs unanimity among the 27 other member states, and even if smaller member states would be hard-pressed to do it on their own, France has never shied away from being an EU leader  even at the expense of Britain.

After all, French President Charles De Gaulle twice vetoed British membership in the 1960s, and the two countries long fought tooth and nail over everything from farming to fishing rights to how much Britain should pay into the EU budget.

Add to that France's long-held championing of state oversight of the economy as opposed to Britain's staunch defense of free-market liberalism, and the potential for political infighting has always been there.

Among conditions France is now setting to agree to a new delay: A "credible prospect" of some kind of solution to the British political deadlock. A promise that Britain won't keep asking for more delays. And guarantees that Britain would not be involved in future EU decisions while its Brexit drama is playing out.

"The longer the extension might be, the more guarantees are needed," the French official said, speaking on condition he not be named in keeping with presidential policy.

Britain's Byzantine parliamentary disarray that has left Brexit in a state of a flux has added to continental annoyance.

"We are in a very, very frustrating situation here," Germany's Roth said as he arrived Tuesday at an EU meeting in Luxembourg. But, he added, a disorderly Brexit would be "the worst of all options on the table."

"So far absolutely nothing has changed," Roth said. "Within the European Union, there isn't an endless readiness to keep talking about delays so long as there is no substantial progress on the British side."

Every British initiative to get a deal has floundered so far. Several days of talks between May's Conservative government and the main opposition Labour Party tried to find a compromise Brexit deal have failed to produce a breakthrough. Labour favors a softer Brexit than the government has proposed, and wants to retain a close economic relationship with the bloc.

After further talks Tuesday over an informal lunch of sandwiches and sausage rolls, the two sides said they would resume their discussions after Wednesday's EU summit.

May's Downing Street office said the talks had been "productive and wide-ranging." Labour business spokeswoman Rebecca Long-Bailey said there had not been "any fundamental shift ... but we're hopeful that progress will be made."

For two years, March 29 was the date etched in law to get Brexit through. It has come and gone, and the new red line has become the May 23-26 European elections and the July 2 start of the new five-year EU legislative session.

European Council President Donald Tusk has offered up the possibility of a long-term delay, a one-year "flextension."

But some EU leaders worry that could have drawbacks  especially after British Brexit-backers suggested they would try to make life difficult for the EU.

Conservative lawmaker Mark Francois said that if the U.K. remained in the bloc, "then in return we will become a Trojan horse within the EU, which will utterly derail all your attempts to pursue a more federal project."

Little wonder EU leaders are looking for a true commitment of cooperation from May as a prerequisite for a long extension to the Brexit deadline.

__

Geir Moulson in Berlin and Danica Kirka and Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.

___

Follow AP's full coverage of Brexit at: https://www.apnews.com/Brexit
Berlin (AFP) - A German woman who joined the Islamic State jihadist group goes on trial Tuesday accused of the war crime of letting a five-year-old "slave" girl die of thirst.

Prominent London-based human rights lawyer Amal Clooney is part of the team representing the dead Yazidi girl's mother, but Clooney was not expected to appear in the Munich trial on Tuesday.

The defendant, identified only as Jennifer W., 27, faces life in jail if found guilty of committing a war crime, murder, membership in a terrorist organisation and weapons offences.

According to news weekly Der Spiegel, the defendant, herself the mother of a small girl, had incriminated herself while talking at length to an undercover FBI informant in a bugged car.

German prosecutors allege her IS husband had purchased the Yazidi child and her mother -- a co-plaintiff in the trial -- as household "slaves" whom they held captive while living in then IS-occupied Mosul, Iraq, in 2015.

"After the girl fell ill and wet her mattress, the husband of the accused chained her up outside as punishment and let the child die an agonising death of thirst in the scorching heat," prosecutors charge.

"The accused allowed her husband to do so and did nothing to save the girl."

German media said the defendant's husband, Taha Sabah Noori Al-J., had beaten both the Yazidi mother and child, and that Jennifer W. allegedly also once held a pistol to the woman's head.

The trial will start at 0730 GMT under tight security in a Munich court that deals with state security and terrorism cases, with hearings initially scheduled until September 30.

- FBI informant -

Jennifer W., who reportedly left school after the eighth grade and converted to Islam in 2013, left Germany in August 2014 and travelled via Turkey and Syria to Iraq where she joined the IS.

Recruited in mid-2015 to an "anti-vice squad" of the group's self-styled Hisba morality police, she patrolled city parks in IS-occupied Fallujah and Mosul.

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Armed with an AK-47 assault rifle, a pistol and an explosives vest, her task was to ensure that women complied with IS behaviour and clothing regulations, said prosecutors.

In January 2016, months after the Yazidi child's death, Jennifer W. visited the German embassy in Ankara to apply for new identity papers.

When she left the mission, she was arrested by Turkish security services and extradited several days later to Germany.

For lack of actionable evidence against her at the time, she was allowed to return to her home in the German state of Lower Saxony, but quickly sought to return to IS territory.

Der Spiegel reported that an FBI informant had posed as an accomplice who offered to take Jennifer W. back to the IS "caliphate", and who chatted with her in a bugged car while they drove through Germany.

Jennifer W. allegedly said that the death of the little girl had been "hard-core even for the IS" and unjust because only God had the right to use fire as punishment.

Her husband had later been beaten as punishment by the IS, she said.

Police followed close behind her vehicle for several hours and listened to a live audio feed as Jennifer W. spoke and then arrested her at a highway stop.

Clooney, the wife of Hollywood star George Clooney, has been involved in a campaign with Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Murad, a former IS sex slave, to have the IS crimes against the Yazidi minority be recognised as a "genocide".
Munich (Germany) (AFP) - A German museum handed over the remains of an Aboriginal ancestral king to Australia Tuesday in the first of three such ceremonies across Germany this month in what Canberra called a record return.

The Australian ambassador to Germany, Lynette Wood, and elder Gudju Gudju Fourmile of the Yidinji people received the skeletal remains at Munich's Five Continents museum. They had been in German possession since 1889.

Skulls and bones from Australia's native peoples were removed by scientists in the late 19th and early 20th century and taken to museums, universities and collections in Australia and around the world.

There they were subjected to "research" purporting to explain human biological variety.

In a statement, Australia's Minister for Communications and the Arts Mitch Fifield welcomed the planned repatriation of a total of 53 Australian indigenous remains from Germany in April, saying it would be "the largest number of ancestors returned from Germany to date".

A further ceremony is planned at Stuttgart's Linden Museum on Friday for the repatriation of eight Aborigine remains.

"These ancestors will be returned to Australia under Australian government stewardship, so they can be cared for closer to home while further work is undertaken to identify their communities of origin," Fifield said.

On Monday in Berlin, 37 ancestors' remains from the Saxony state ethnographic collections as well as five ancestors from Martin Luther University will be returned to Yawuru community representatives and the Australian government.

"The Government would like to thank the German state governments and the collecting institutions for their commitment to recognising the significance of repatriation for all Australians, which contributes to healing and reconciliation," Fifield said.

Bavaria's arts and sciences minister Bernd Sibler, who attended Tuesday's event, said the state was committed to a "transparent approach to collections from the colonial era", in coordination with indigenous representatives.

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Australia's Department of Communication and the Arts said it had supported the "unconditional" return of more than 1,500 Australian indigenous ancestral remains from overseas and private collections for more than 30 years.

It said it was in talks with 35 institutions across 10 countries on the return of further ancestral remains.

Germany has until now returned 51 human remains to Australia.

The native Aboriginal population, who have occupied Australia for 50,000 years, were dispossessed of their lands by the arrival of settlers two centuries ago.

As the colonisers pushed into the vast interior of the island continent, they were resisted by the local population and thousands of men, women and children were killed.
The San Francisco Giants acquired first baseman Tyler Austin on Monday from the Minnesota Twins and sent minor league outfielder Malique Ziegler in return.

Austin, 27, was on the Twins' Opening Day roster but was designated for release or assignment on Saturday after appearing in two games. He had one hit in four at-bats.

The New York Yankees sent Austin to Minnesota last season as part of the Lance Lynn trade. In 2018, he had 17 home runs and 47 RBIs but struck out 95 times in 244 at-bats between the two teams.

Ziegler, 22, was selected by the Giants in the 22nd round of the 2016 draft. In 143 minor league games in the organization, he had a .245 average with nine home runs and 47 RBIs, and he was 2-for-8 this year for high Class-A San Jose. He was assigned to high Class-A Fort Myers.

The Giants will add Austin to the 25-man roster and designate infielder/outfielder Connor Joe for assignment.

--Field Level Media
Gilead Sciences, Inc. GILD announced the submission of a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) to the FDA for Descovy (emtricitabine 200 mg and tenofovir alafenamide 25 mg tablets).

The company is seeking FDA approval for Descovy as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce the risk of sexually acquired HIV-1 infection among individuals, who are HIV-negative and at risk for HIV. While Descovy is already approved in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of HIV infection in patients weighing greater or equal to 25 kg, it is not indicated for PrEP yet.

A priority review voucher was submitted with the filing. Hence, the anticipated review time for the sNDA is expected to be six months.

The filing is based on the results of the phase III study, DISCOVER, which evaluated the safety and efficacy of Descovy compared to Truvada in men and transgender women, who sexually engage with men at high-risk of contracting HIV infection. The results showed that Descovy achieved non-inferiority to Truvada in study participants, who were at substantial and sustained risk of HIV acquisition.

Given the persistent decline in HCV sales, the company is looking to HIV and newer avenues to boost its top line.

The stock has gained 8.3% in the year so far, lagging the industry's growth of 12.2%.

However, Gilead will have to generate substantial revenues from its HIV franchise to offset the HCV sales decline. This will be a challenging task for the company with stiff competition from the likes of GlaxoSmithKline GSK in the HIV market.

The company is intending to foray into the non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and inflammation markets with late-stage candidates, selonsertib and filgotinib, respectively. Gilead and partner Galapagos NV GLPG announced encouraging interim safety information from four studies on filgotinib for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

However, the company recently announced the failure of its late-stage study on selonsertib, involving patients afflicted with compensated cirrhosis (F4) due to NASH.

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Gilead also collaborated with Agneus AGEN for the development and commercialization of up to five novel immuno-oncology therapies.

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Google believes it can convince businesses to use its cloud computing service by making its tools work with rival cloud companies like Amazon and Microsoft.

The search giant debuted its Anthos cloud tool on Tuesday, intended for companies to build modern, complex apps akin to popular services offered by companies like Snapchat or Uber. Anthos is essentially a rebranding of an older app-developing and IT-monitoring service that Google announced a year ago.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced the new tool during the companys annual Cloud Next conference in San Francisco. The fact that Pichai announced Anthos during an opening talk suggests Google wants to send a signal to audience members that the search giant is serious about its cloud computing business, which analysts place far behind Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure in the fiercely competitive cloud computing market. Whereas the older tool worked on both Googles cloud computing service and in-house corporate data centers, the new service works with other cloud computing services like AWS and Azure.

Anthos is based on Googles free, open source Kubernetes tool, used to build and manage apps using a trendy technology called containers. Numerous enterprise companies like Amazon, IBM, Oracle, and Microsoft have all created paid-versions of the Kubernetes tool, highlighting the softwares growing popularity with developers.

It brings together the simplicity of open source platforms and the freedom to choose the right cloud partner for your job, Pichai said. It allows you to keep using the technologies you are already using.

Get Data Sheet, Fortunes technology newsletter.

The fact that Google is making the Anthos tool compatible with rival cloud services underscores a trend of enterprise companies making their products work with competitors to follow customer demand and ensure that they can still make money if businesses choose to run their corporate infrastructure in rival cloud services. IBM, for instance, in February released a version of its IBM Watson data crunching service that customers can use on Azure, AWS, and other cloud services, as well as IBMs core cloud service.

It will be interesting to see if Anthoss software-driven approach will work. Azure Stack was supposed to be software-only, but Microsoft shifted to converged HW-SW because of performance concerns. #GoogleNext19  Blair Hanley Frank (@belril) April 9, 2019

A Google spokesperson said that the Anthos service works with AWS and Azure, but it does not currently support cloud computing services from IBM, Oracle, or Alibaba. The spokesperson said that could change if more Google customers use those other cloud services.
Managua (AFP) - The government of President Daniel Ortega said Monday it was ready to continue talks with the opposition on resolving Nicaragua's deadly political crisis.

The Central American country has been gripped by a year of political crisis since months of street protests erupted last April leaving more than 325 people dead, most of them opposition demonstrators.

Month-long talks between the government and the opposition Civic Alliance coalition broke up last week without agreement on political reform in the crisis-torn country.

But Ortega's leftist government said in a statement its "will and commitment to continue working towards national understanding" was unchanged.

It said it was not responsible for any "deadlock or delay" in the talks, which broke up last Wednesday.

More than 600 opposition supporters have been jailed and thousands of Nicaraguans fled into exile.

Ortega, a 73-year-old former guerrilla leader, has refused to step down to facilitate early elections in 2019 -- a key opposition demand.

Threatened by United States and European Union sanctions, the government on March 20 pledged to release all political prisoners within 90 days in an operation to be overseen by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

So far only about 200 prisoners have been released. The opposition says more than 800 people were jailed during a crackdown on protests, but the government has put the number at less than 300.

Opposition politicians said Saturday that police refused to allow an opposition march in the capital Managua, despite a recent pledge by Ortega to restore protest rights and press freedoms.
Paula Williamson, husband Geoff and sons Jack (left) and Ian (right) during a press conference at the Wentbridge House Hotel, Pontefract, April 9, 2019. (SWNS)

A dinner lady who scooped 1million on the lottery has today revealed how she kept the win a secret from her family for five weeks  and plans to return to work despite the life-changing jackpot.

Paula Williamson bought the winning EuroMillions ticket from Morrisons and walked around with it in her purse for more than a week before realising it was worth a million pounds.

The 59-year-old told her husband Geoff, 68, but the couple chose not to tell their sons Ian and Jack, who live with their parents at home in Yorkshire.

Mrs Williamson wanted to wait until Jack returned from a trip to Australia before she told him and his brother the news.

She said: There is no way we could have celebrated without our two sons being with us.

Paula Williamson and husband Geoff during a press conference at the Wentbridge House Hotel, Pontefract, April 9, 2019. (SWNS)

Paula Williamson, husband Geoff and sons Jack (right) and Ian (left) during a press conference at the Wentbridge House Hotel, Pontefract, April 9, 2019. (SWNS)

I did tell Geoff because that would have been so hard to keep the winning news from him, but we both decided we wanted to tell Jack and Ian at the same time.

It was tough being in the same house as Ian and keeping it from him but we did it. We just tried to keep ourselves as occupied as possible. I let it go over my head and forgot about it. We didnt speak about it much.

Celebrating the winning moment is something we wanted to ensure we would remember forever.

Jack, 26, only found out about the fortune this morning when he walked into a hotel to find his mother drinking champagne and brandishing a giant cheque for 1million.

Paula Williamson, and sons Jack (left) and Ian (right) during a press conference at the Wentbridge House Hotel, Pontefract, April 9, 2019. (SWNS)

Paula Williamson, husband Geoff and sons Jack (right) and Ian (left) during a press conference at the Wentbridge House Hotel, Pontefract, April 9, 2019. (SWNS)

The family now plan to treat themselves to a mini-break to Spain and a new three-piece suite.

The brothers thought they were attending a presentation for their mother at the Wentbridge House Hotel today to mark 20 years of service at a local school  but were greeted by Camelot staff.

Mrs Williamson said she kept the news a secret for five weeks so they could all be together as a family and share the celebratory moment.

Read more from Yahoo News UK:

Hacker who generated millions blackmailing porn users jailed

Doctor convicted over death of boy, 6, allowed to return to practise

Boy who egged Australian senator on camera given police caution

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The couple, who have five grandchildren between the ages of two and 13, currently live in a three-bed semi which retired lorry driver Mr Williamson has been in since 1980.

She now plans to buy a house each for Jack, a bus driver and father-of-two and Ian, 24, a ground worker and father-of-one, because they both still live at home and she wants to get rid of them.

Mrs Williamson usually buys a EuroMillions lucky dip ticket once a week while shopping in the supermarket with her husband of 23 years Geoff.

She bought her winning EuroMillions ticket from Morrisons in Dearne Valley Parkway, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, and scooped the win from the special EuroMillions draw on March 1.

Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK
Tbilisi (AFP) - Georgia is immensely proud of its ancient wine-making tradition, claiming to have been the first nation to make wine. Now it wants to be the first to grow grapes on Mars.

Nestling between the Great Caucasus Mountains and the Black Sea, Georgia has a mild climate that is perfect for vineyards and has developed a thriving wine tourism industry.

Now Nikoloz Doborjginidze has co-founded a project to develop grape varieties that can be grown on Mars.

"Georgians were the first winemakers on Earth and now we hope to pioneer viticulture on the planet next door," he told AFP.

After NASA called for the public to contribute ideas for a "sustained human presence" on the Red Planet, a group of Georgian researchers and entrepreneurs got together to propel the country's winemaking onto an interplanetary level.

Their project is called IX Millennium -- a reference to Georgia's long history of wine-making.

Since archaeologists found traces of wine residue in ancient clay vessels, the country has boasted that it has been making wine for 8,000 years -- longer than any other nation.

IX Millennium is managed by a consortium set up by the Georgian Space Research Agency, Tbilisi's Business and Technology University, the National Museum and a company called Space Farms.

While it might seem like the stuff of science fiction, the idea of humans quaffing wine on the fourth planet from the Sun is coming closer to reality.

NASA hopes to launch a manned mission to Mars within 25 years, while billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX company has set a goal of outstripping the US space agency by a decade.

- 'Breakthrough' results -

One of the scientists working on the project, astrobiologist Marika Tarasashvili, is developing bacteria that could turn Martian soil into fertile earth.

Researchers had already achieved "breakthrough" results in experiments, she said, smiling, as she gazed into a glass vial with faux-Martian soil in a cramped Tbilisi laboratory.

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The scientists collected bacteria from regions of Georgia with "extreme ecosystems" such as hot sulphurous springs, then bred strains capable of living in Martian conditions, she says.

The idea is for the bacteria to transform the lifeless surface of Mars into fertile soil "on which future colonists will be able to cultivate plants", she said.

Tarasashvili and her colleagues are also testing the skins of Georgia's 525 indigenous grape varieties to establish which are most resistant to the high levels of ultra-violet radiation hitting the Martian surface.

Preliminary results showed that pale-skinned Rkatsiteli grapes -- a popular variety that produces white wines with crisp green-apple flavours -- best endures ultra-violet rays.

"In the distant future, Martian colonists will be able to grow plants directly in Martian soil," said Tusia Garibashvili, founder of Space Farms company, part of the IX Millennium project.

"But first we need to create a model of completely controlled sustainable Martian greenhouses."

Her company is currently building a vertical farming laboratory, which she calls "the ideal technology for Martian agriculture of the future".

The plants will grow in a special facility located inside a trendy Tbilisi hotel, laid out in vertically stacked layers with carefully controlled temperature, light and humidity.

The next step will be to test Georgian grape varieties in a simulated Martian environment in a laboratory now under construction at the Business and Technology University.

"Plants will be subjected to sub-zero (Celsius) temperatures, high levels of radiation and carbon monoxide (and) high-altitude air pressure," said BTU Dean Nino Enukidze.

"Martian dreams aside, our experiments are providing information that is vital as humanity confronts a multitude of environmental challenges," said Enukidze.

"We will be able to identify and breed food crops resistant to the problems caused by global climate change."
What You Don't Know About Your Grocery Cash-Back Card Could Cost You

Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site.

Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site.

If youve chosen a particular cash-back credit card because it offers generous incentives for grocery purchases, you may not be reaping all of the benefits you expect.

Thats for one simple reason. Its not the fact that something happens to be a grocery item, like bread or milk, that makes it eligible for a cash-back reward, but the kind of store it's sold in. And to complicate matters even more, not all stores that sell grocery items are viewed the same way by credit card companies.

For example, if youre buying bread and milk from the corner convenience store when your card company credits grocery purchases only from bona fide supermarkets, you may in effect be leaving money on the table. Ditto the Brie and crackers you buy from your favorite specialty cheese store, depending on the terms of your particular credit card.

On the other hand, you may have a card that takes a more generous view, awarding cash-back rewards for grocery purchases made at, say, a bakery or cheese shop as well as a supermarket.

If your card rewards you generously for grocery purchases and you make many of them at stores that dont qualify for the rebate, you could be out a significant amount of money. A family of four spending about $6,000 a year, for example, would get almost $200 back using a 3 percent cash-back card.

To get the most out of your supermarkets rewards, follow this rule of thumb: Its not what youre buying but where you buy it that counts. Key, too, is knowing which kinds of stores your credit card company willand wontgrant grocery cash-back rewards for. Follow these tips to find out.

Crack the Credit Card Code

It all traces back to something called the merchant category code, or MCC, explains Ted Rossman, an industry analyst with Creditcards.com.

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The four credit card networksAmerican Express, Discover, Mastercard and Visaassign each retailer a four-digit code based on its primary line of business, and these tags can differ from network to network. But its not that easy to find this information.

Visa's online tool will give you the merchant category for each establishment that accepts the card. Unless its a chain, youll need to input the location of the store. The specific category should show up on your statement, but if you dont want to wait, call up the issuer and ask before you run up a tab.

Banks that issue cards have this information, too. Citibanks guide to MCCs (PDF) lists grocery stores and supermarkets as well as categories for at least six other kinds of food sellers: wholesale clubs, bakeries, stores selling dairy products, miscellaneous and specialty food stores, and even a distinct class for candy, nut, and confectionery stores.

Do Your Research

The next step is to figure out which stores your card will count in its grocery cash-back calculations. Many cards give you a grocery rebate only for purchases made at a store coded as a supermarket or grocery store; what this category includes can vary from network to network. Then you need to find out whether the stores you patronizeor would like tobelong to that category.

You can get some guidance from the terms and conditions spelled out in the card company's brochures or online FAQs. The American Express Blue Cash Everyday card, which pays 3 percent on supermarket buys (or its fancier cousin, Blue Cash Preferred, which gives 6 percent back for an annual $95 fee), basically restrict the benefits to bona fide market brands like ShopRite or Winn-Dixie. Smaller stores and specialty shops dont qualify.

But the Bank of America Cash Rewards card defines grocery stores more loosely to cover a wider range of categories, including bakeries and dairy-product storesso your favorite cake shop or cheese store might count. The trade-off is that this card gives a less generous 2 percent cash back.

Beware the Superstore Loophole

If you like stocking up on staples at a warehouse like Costco, beware: Purchases may be excluded from grocery cash-back deals with your card.

The major credit cards typically don't count stores like Costco, Target, and Walmart as grocery stores, even if you are buying groceries there, Rossman says.

In general, he says, big box and warehouse club stores will not get the cash-back incentive, although its worth noting that most of these chains have their own branded cards that give cash back.

An exception: The Bank of America Cash Rewards, which gives 2 percent back, also includes eligible wholesale clubs in its grocery store benefits category.

Maximize Your Spending at Stores That Work for Rewards

Once youve established that youre at a qualifying store, you can stop worrying about what will be counted as supermarket buys.

Almost all merchandise you buy there is automatically credited as a grocery item, be it lettuce or lightbulbsup to pricier products like pots and pans, lawn furniture, and even outdoor grills, which can be found at some of the bigger supermarket chains. And most have copious amounts of drugstore and hardware items that can add to your cash-back savings.

But watch your total monthly spending, because many of these cards have caps on rewards. Discover caps qualifying purchases at $1,500 per quarter (or $75 cash back); Amexs Blue Cash Preferred Rewards card has a $6,000 annual limit (or $360 cash back).

If you are well below your cap, it may be tempting to use the card for all sorts of merchandise not considered conventional supermarket items. But the more you stray from the proverbial bread and butter, the more you risk wiping out your savings if youre paying more for items you could get elsewhere for less.

A recent check of prices at a Stop & Shop in the New York City suburb of Dobbs Ferry, for example, found a wide array of prices in the health and beauty aisle, including a selection of Crest teeth whitening kits that cost up to $69.99 for a pack of 21 treatments. If youre shopping for one anyway, you could snap it up there because at least youre getting some money back. But we found the same kit online for $54.95 on Amazon.

Another rewards hack: Check out the gift card selection at your local market and buy them to save on clothing, restaurant meals, and items from other retailers. The cards could be wrapped into your total supermarket purchase and give you a bit of money back for that latte habit at Starbucks.

But check with the card company or store first. Under some cash-back programs, a prepaid card or a gift card isn't eligible for cash-back rewards.

Watch Your Statements

No one wants to go into debt to pay for basic necessities. The rewards game is for those who routinely pay their balances in full every month, says Greg McBride, an analyst at Bankrate. If you even carry a balance occasionally, forget about it. Your focus needs to be on minimizing your finance charges and getting your debt paid off." With APRs at close to 18 percent, thats advice to keep in mind.





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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.
By Khalid Abdelaziz

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Around 20 people have been killed and dozens wounded in dawn attacks on a sit-in outside Sudan's defence ministry by protesters calling for President Omar al-Bashir to step down, the head of the main opposition party said on Tuesday.

Veteran leader Sadiq al-Mahdi also called in a statement for "a select military command" to negotiate a transition towards democracy, following more than three months of protests that represent the most sustained challenge to Bashir's 30-year rule.

Mahdi's remarks came as several thousand protesters continued for a fourth day a sit-in outside the compound in central Khartoum housing the defence ministry, Bashir's residence and the country's security headquarters.

Early on Tuesday, Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Service tried twice to disperse the protesters, breaking into the area using pickup trucks, witnesses said.

Security forces also tried to disperse the sit-in early on Monday, but witnesses and activists said soldiers moved to protect the protesters.

An opposition doctors' committee put the death toll in Sudan since the sit-in began on Saturday at 21, including five soldiers, with more than 150 injured.

Amnesty International said in a statement that nine people had reportedly been killed in Sudan since Saturday, and it had verified two deaths on Tuesday, one of them outside the compound.

The interior ministry could not immediately be reached for comment.

A senior leader of the Sudanese Professionals' Association (SPA), the main anti-government protest organiser, called on Tuesday for the sit-in to continue and for similar protests "in front of all armed forces headquarters throughout Sudan".

In the first public comments by a senior SPA leader, Omar Saleh Sennar also said his group wanted a civilian transitional government and would only negotiate with the army, considering it "the guarantor of the political system in Sudan".

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"I am now, from the leadership of the Professionals' Association, present at the sit-in and more leaders of the association will subsequently appear to the public," he told Reuters by phone.

ECONOMIC CRISIS

Since Dec. 19, Sudan has been rocked by persistent protests sparked by the government's attempt to raise the price of bread, and an economic crisis that has included fuel and cash shortages.

The protests escalated on Saturday, when activists, trying to persuade the country's armed forces to side with them, marched towards the defence ministry compound.

Mahdi, leader of the main opposition Umma Party, said the march and sit-in - timed to coincide with the April 6 anniversary of a 1985 military coup that forced long-time autocrat Jaafar Nimeiri to step down after protests - were "unprecedented" and had received a "kind of hospitality from the armed forces".

Mahdi was Sudan's democratically elected prime minister when Bashir led his overthrow in 1989 in an Islamist-backed military coup.

On Monday, the interior ministry said 39 people, including three security forces personnel, had died since protests began on Dec. 19. A spokeswoman for SPA put the death toll at nearly 70.

Early on Tuesday, Reuters witnessed dozens of young men blocking Nile Street, a main road in the capital where ministries are located. The protesters used scrap metal barriers to block traffic on the street, which is located around one kilometre away from the presidential palace.

Soldiers on armoured vehicles were guarding the presidential palace but not moving against demonstrators, a Reuters witness said.

Britain, the United States and Norway said Sudanese authorities must deliver a credible plan for a political transition or risk causing greater instability.

A Sudanese police spokesman was quoted by state news agency SUNA as saying police had been instructed "not to confront citizens and peaceful gatherings".

(Additional reporting by Cairo bureau; Writing by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Giles Elgood)
The House on Tuesday approved by voice vote bipartisan legislation to change the Internal Revenue Service that, among other things, would bar the tax agency from creating its own free electronic tax filing system.

Companies like Intuit, the maker of TurboTax, and H&R Block have lobbied for years to block the IRS from creating such a system, ProPublicas Justin Elliott reported Tuesday morning. If the tax agency created its own program, which would be similar to programs other developed countries have, it would threaten the industrys profits.

Taxpayers who have adjusted gross income of $66,000 or less already have access to free tax-filing software, only its through private companies and not directly from the IRS. The Free File Alliance, a private industry group whose members include H&R Block and Intuit, says that about 70 percent of taxpayers are eligible, or about 100 million Americans. But only a small fraction of those taxpayers use the free program. Critics of the program say that companies use it as a cross-marketing tool to upsell paid products, that they have deliberately underpromoted the free option and that it leaves consumer data open to privacy breaches, Elliott writes.

The ProPublica report sparked a response from liberals on Capitol Hill, who threatened a last-minute rebellion, according to The Washington Post, but then gave up their fight, in part because of the value of other elements of the legislation. The Taxpayers First Act of 2019 also includes protections from private debt collectors and up to $30 million in matching grants for a program to help low-income taxpayers.

They were persuaded to see that stopping passage based on one objection would kill highly palatable aspects of the bill, said Brenda Jones, a spokesperson for Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), a sponsor of the bill, according to the Post. Jones also told the Post that supporters of the legislation will create a working group to study problems in the IRSs agreement with private tax preparers.

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BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary regards China's Huawei Technologies as a strategic IT partner, the Finance Ministry said on Tuesday, shrugging off security concerns about using its products among many western governments. In a statement issued after Finance Minister Mihaly Varga met a senior Huawei executive in Beijing, Varga was quoted saying Huawei would help Hungary develop its broadband internet network and meet its goal of high-speed internet access for 90 percent of families by 2025, as per an earlier agreement Huawei has faced growing scrutiny around the globe due to fears that the Chinese government could use its technology for spying. The United States has called on its allies not to use Huawei's products. The Chinese group has repeatedly denied allegations that its technology could be used for spying. Huawei employs more than 2,000 people and runs its biggest logistic center outside China in Hungary, Varga noted after his meeting with James Li, regional president of Huawei's European operations. In central Europe, Hungary and Poland have been building close relations with China in recent years, seeking economic opportunities. But in January Poland arrested a Huawei executive on spying charges and Warsaw is one of several European countries considering excluding Huawei equipment from its next generation network. Elsewhere in the region, the Czech Republic's largest telecommunications network operator CETIN said last month that risks related to Huawei's technology were manageable. Romania's Special Telecommunications Service (STS) has said Huawei equipment was not used in any of the state's critical infrastructure under its administration. But Romania's biggest opposition party will trigger a public inquiry into Huawei's contribution to critical infrastructure and seek to bar it from 5G network development, due to mounting security concerns, its IT expert said. (Reporting by Sandor Peto; Editing by David Holmes)
Photo credit: Jan de Rydt, Northumbria University, British Antarctic Survey

From Popular Mechanics

A gigantic rifting event is entering its final phase on the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica. Two enormous crevasses are predicted to intersect in the coming months. This will cause an ice berg measuring between 580 and 660 sq. mi. (1500 - 1700 sq. km.) and up to 820 feet (250 m) thick to break free from the Antarctic continent into the Weddell Sea. It will be largest ice berg to calve off the shelf since scientists started paying attention in 1915.

The first crack, called Chasm 1, had shown no movement in 35 years, but that changed in 2013. Since then, scientists have been watching Chasm 1 grow at a rate of about one to two miles (approximately 4km) per year. Then in late October of 2016, a second crack appeared perpendicular to Chasm 1. The Halloween Crack-which could be called that as much for its jagged Joker-smile edge as for the timing of its discovery-extends east from the McDonald Ice Rumples. The two cracks are projected to meet in the next few months.

As soon as the Halloween Crack appeared, scientists at the Halley VI Research Station knew they would need to close up shop and head inland, again. First established in 1956 to study Earths atmosphere, the station has been moved several times due to ice instability and movement. The latest move, which involved hauling individual modules propped on telescopic legs ending in giant skis, one at a time, 14 miles inland, began in December of 2016 and was completed ahead of schedule in just over a year.

Now on the safe side of Chasm 1, scientists speculate about whether the calving event will have an impact on the stability of the remaining ice shelf. The likely future loss of the ice on the other side of the Halloween Crack suggests that more instability is possible, says NASA/University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) glaciologist Chris Shuman, with associated risk to Halley VIa.

Professor Hilmar Gudmundsson of Northumbria University asserts that all this activity is to be expected as part of the natural life cycle of the Antarctic Ice Sheet: Ice shelves just do this. They grow with time and eventually chunks break off. So while what is happening now is new to us, for the ice shelf, this is most likely not a new thing, and its very plausible that something like this has happened in the past.

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Well soon find out whether the meeting of the Halloween Crack and Chasm 1 trigger an acceleration of calving events in Antarctica. If so, a team of specialized snow tractors rigged up like mechanized sled dogs will get busy hauling Halleys futuristic research pods farther up the Brunt to less fractured ground.

('You Might Also Like',)
Keeping busy doing lawyer things like writing and advocating. (Photo: Photo Courtesy of Haley Moss)

Nothing prepares you for the day your story goes viral. There is no guidebook or advice out there preparing you for your life story being summed up into three-minute videos, or synthesized into perfectly clipped vignettes.

I discovered this when my local newspaper wrote an article calling me Floridas first openly autistic attorney. Not long after the article came out, The Associated Press picked it up. Before I knew it, my story was being shared all over the world with a stream of overwhelmingly positive comments and reactions.

I was diagnosed with autism at 3 years old because I wasnt speaking  my only means of communication was intense crying and screaming, to the point that my family was asked to leave restaurants and other public places. Once, after I spent an entire airplane flight crying and screaming, all of the other passengers stood up and clapped as we got off the plane. I wasnt talking, or playing with other children. However, I was piecing together large jigsaw puzzles; prior to the diagnosis, my mom initially believed this was a clue I might have been gifted.

When I was 9 years old, my parents used my obsession with Harry Potter to explain to me that I had autism. I learned that like Harry Potter, I was different from my peers and had magical powers, including a photographic memory, good listening skills, and passion for the things I loved, including art. This foundation made it that I never saw autism negatively, but rather, as a difference to be celebrated.

Today, many are quick to say I am high-functioning, but I still face challenges, such as social difficulties, sensory overloads, executive functioning (prioritizing tasks, starting and stopping tasks, organization) and independent living skills (driving is my personal Mount Everest, along with cleaning my apartment and doing laundry).

Haley Moss, esquire, visible and ready to keep opening dialogue about autism and neurodiversity in the workplace. (Photo: Photo Courtesy Of Haley Moss)

One of the most common questions Ive been asked since my story went viral is what the term openly autistic means. Openly autistic gained traction after Joe Zumpano, one of the founding shareholders at the law firm where I work, Zumpano Patricios, coined it to describe me in the local newspaper article that covered my admission to the Florida Bar. The term sparked the #OpenlyAutistic hashtag on Twitter, as the online autistic community embraced the term as part of our continuing debate around disclosing autism in various situations.

Story continues

To me, being openly autistic means not having to hide or mask my autism; it is the freedom to be exactly who I am. Not everyone on the autism spectrum will be openly autistic in all aspects of their lives. Being open about our autism diagnoses subjects us to unfortunate negative stigmas and prejudices. Autistic people already face enough adversity, fearmongering, and potential discrimination in their daily lives. Because of this, some of us feel safe only being openly autistic online, or follow a dont ask, dont tell philosophy of disclosing autism diagnoses.

I have seen peoples attitudes change after the discovery I am autistic. All of a sudden, our intellectual conversations drop down to simpler levels, although I am still the same person I was moments before. Some people impulsively make comments such as, You dont look autistic (autism has no physical profile) or have trouble wrapping their head around my autism because I am able to speak (autism is a developmental disability that falls on a spectrum  some of us communicate with spoken language, and some of us do not).

I have been excluded from events, had my challenges minimized, and been treated differently, among other things. Sometimes I wondered if it might be easier if I were neurotypical, or if I ran the risk of constant autistic burnout by masking and pretending to be neurotypical.

But I have no choice other than to be openly autistic. I have been involved in the autism community for nearly 11 years now as an author, artist, and advocate. One Google search of my name shows I am clearly autistic. Hiding it is lying  and lying is not exactly a good look for anyone (it is also not something most autistic people are particularly skilled at).

I also currently feel as if I have nothing to hide or be ashamed of with my diagnosis  I am proudly and positively autistic.

I decided I wanted to go to law school while I was in college. Law is a perfect marriage of two of my biggest passions  writing and speaking. I also knew no matter what profession I entered, I wanted to help people.

As an autistic person, I am able to succeed in anything I am excited and passionate about. My family always encouraged me to pursue anything I was interested in and did not set limits on what I could or could not do.

Getting sworn into the Florida Bar with Judge Lisa Walsh. By far one of the best and most meaningful days of my life. (Photo: Photo Courtesy Of Haley Moss)

I am most certainly not the only autistic person to ever practice law or hold a position as an associate attorney. I am also not the first openly autistic attorney in existence. Im just one of the few who is willing to talk about being autistic as a woman in a field that boasts a 2018 representation of 0.46 percent for associate attorneys with disabilities  a decrease from the previous year. I am just one of the few who is able to use my voice to advance discussions surrounding neurodiversity in the workplace.

I also recognize Im in a position of privilege. I am gainfully employed as an attorney in accordance with my educational and professional background. My autism is accepted at work, I am friends with my colleagues, and in the office, we talk about greater accessibility and walk the walk on having neurodiversity in our law practice, rather than me being merely employed as a form of tokenism or a feel-good story. I have fewer support needs than others who may never have the option to mask or hide their autism.

But because I am openly autistic, members of the public and other lawyers will automatically make assumptions about me and my competence because of their own implicit biases and stigmas surrounding autism.

Being an openly autistic woman in the legal profession is an anomaly. Women and girls are diagnosed with autism more infrequently than boys and men, although women and girls may present differently, be more frequently misdiagnosed, self-diagnosed, or diagnosed later in life. Advocacy group The Arc reported that 50 percent of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, or I/DD, hold a high school diploma. People with I/DD are notoriously underemployed or unemployed. More troubling, a 2018 briefing showed an 85-percent unemployment rate for people with I/DD; on the higher end, the ARC reported in 2017 that 36 percent of people with I/DD are paid employees.

I originally began sharing my story in my early teens because I was hoping something I experienced could change one persons life or give hope. Over the past 11 years, my mission as an openly autistic woman has evolved to changing conversations and opening dialogue. Opening dialogue in the workplace is monumental in the latest chapter of my life story.

Being visible as an openly autistic professional opens the door for others to learn. It enlightens employers across all fields to consider the benefits of hiring neurodiverse folks of all abilities. It reduces the fears other autistics or people with disabilities may have about disclosing their autism or disabilities in the workplace or during a job search. I am looking forward to the day when neurodiversity is so widely accepted that it is the norm rather than the exception when an autistic person is gainfully employed in any field.

One day I hope to see and welcome fellow openly autistic attorneys with varying intersections of identities in all 50 states, because autism is as diverse as the rest of the human spectrum.

The autistic adults and other neurodiverse people are here, and we are here to stay and be productive and valued members of society.

Do you have a compelling personal story youd like to see published on HuffPost? Find out what were looking for here and send us a pitch!

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Imran Khan has also accused Narendra Modi of whipping up war hysteria for electoral purposes - AFP

Imran Khan has accused India's leaders of moral bankruptcy for trying to win votes by annexing Kashmir, after Narendra Modi pledged to remove its special autonomous status if re-elected.

In outspoken remarks just days before voting begins in India's upcoming election, Mr Khan said Mr Modi was flouting a United Nations resolution and his own constitution with his manifesto pledge.

Pakistan's prime minister also attacked Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, after he promised to annex Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank if he is re-elected on Tuesday.

Don't their people feel a sense of outrage and wonder at how far they will go simply to win an election? Mr Khan asked.

Mr Modi earlier this week told a crowd at Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters he would scrap the autonomous status Jammu and Kashmir has had since 1954. He would also remove laws that prevent outsiders from buying property in the state.

When ldrs in Israel & India show a moral bankruptcy in their readiness to annex occupied West Bank & IOK in defiance of int law, UNSC resolutions & their own Constitution for votes, don't their ppl feel a sense of outrage & wonder how far they will go simply to win an election?  Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) April 9, 2019

Scrapping the protections would help integration with the rest of the country, the BJP has argued. However political leaders in Muslim-majority Kashmir, where Indian forces are fighting a fierce armed insurgency, have predicted the repeal would stoke further unrest.

Kashmir and tensions with Pakistan have become a key election battleground in the election after a suicide bombing killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary police in the region in February. Both countries claim the disputed territory Kashmir, and it has been at the the heart of military tensions between the neighbours for decades.

Story continues

Mr Modi's manifesto pledge on Kashmir risks a backlash in the region Credit: Reuters

Mr Modi's decision to launch a retaliatory air strike inside Pakistan after the bombing was claimed by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad militant group led him to pose as a strong national security candidate. The clash is thought to have helped Mr Modi's electoral chances by distracting from his failed economic promises. But Mr Khan has accused the BJP of whipping up war hysteria to win the election.

Pakistan's government has accused India of plotting further military action to win votes, claiming it has reliable intelligence that India will attack again this month.

Voting in India's general election begins on Thursday but, with around 900 million people eligible to vote, the polls will be held around the country over coming weeks, and the votes will be counted on May 23.
Indonesian police said Tuesday they have arrested seven people linked to human trafficking cases that involved more than 1,200 victims who were smuggled to the Middle East and North Africa.

Between them, the alleged traffickers are suspected to have sent some 500 victims to work as domestic helpers in Morocco, 220 to Turkey, 300 more to Syria and another 200 to Saudi Arabia between 2018 and this year.

"This is the biggest case that the national police have uncovered," Herry Nahak, head of the Indonesian national polices criminal investigation unit, was quoted as saying by Indonesian media.

It was not immediately clear if there was any connection between the alleged perpetrators, or if any victims were men.

Some victims' wages went unpaid and others were sexually abused, he said, adding that all had since been repatriated to Indonesia.

The suspects were arrested last month and will be charged with trafficking-related offences, Nahak said in the first public announcement about the bust.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of Indonesians from the poorest parts of the Southeast Asian archipelago travel abroad in search of better paying work, including earning a living as maids and labourers.

Jakarta estimates some 4.5 million Indonesians are working overseas, the majority of whom are women and without official documentation.

In 2015, the government introduced a moratorium on sending new domestic workers to some 21 Middle Eastern countries due to the poor treatment of its workers there.

The vulnerability of domestic helpers was highlighted again last year when an Indonesian woman trafficked to neighbouring Malaysia died from serious injuries inflicted by her employer, who was later charged with murder.
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We've lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. The flip side of that is that there are more than a few examples of insiders dumping stock prior to a period of weak performance. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Global Strategic Group Limited (HKG:8007).

What Is Insider Buying?

Most investors know that it is quite permissible for company leaders, such as directors of the board, to buy and sell stock on the market. However, most countries require that the company discloses such transactions to the market.

Insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing. But it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. For example, a Harvard University study found that 'insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year.'

Check out our latest analysis for Global Strategic Group

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Global Strategic Group

Yu-Sheng Lao made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for HK$69m worth of shares at a price of HK$0.40 each. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price than the current share price (being HK$0.34). It's very possible they regret the purchase, but it's more likely they are bullish about the company. To us, it's very important to consider the price insiders pay for shares is very important. It is generally more encouraging if they paid above the current price, as it suggests they saw value, even at higher levels. Notably Yu-Sheng Lao was also the biggest seller, having sold HK$93m worth of shares.

In the last twelve months insiders purchased 413.2m shares for HK$168m. On the other hand they divested 228.0m shares, for HK$93m. Overall, Global Strategic Group insiders were net buyers last year. You can see the insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

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SEHK:8007 Recent Insider Trading, April 9th 2019

There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. So if that suits your style you could check each stock one by one or you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Does Global Strategic Group Boast High Insider Ownership?

Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Global Strategic Group insiders own about HK$164m worth of shares. That equates to 37% of the company. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Global Strategic Group Insiders?

The fact that there have been no Global Strategic Group insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. It would be great to see more insider buying, but overall it seems like Global Strategic Group insiders are reasonably well aligned (owning significant chunk of the company's shares) and optimistic for the future. Along with insider transactions, I recommend checking if Global Strategic Group is growing revenue. This free chart of historic revenue and earnings should make that easy.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.



If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
(Repeats story from April 9; no changes to text)

* Jet, lenders had showdown with lessors in Jan - sources

* Jet's operational fleet dwindles to 26 from 119 last year

* Challenge to make money in India, where budget carriers dominate

* Jet's lenders seek bids for up to 75 percent stake in airline

By Anshuman Daga and Aditi Shah

SINGAPORE/NEW DELHI, April 9 (Reuters) - In early January, Jet Airways and its main lender, State Bank of India, met with aircraft lessors to assure them there was a plan to rescue the debt-laden carrier so it could pay them, sources familiar with the matter said.

The idea was to shore up confidence in one of India's biggest brands, squeezed by low fares and high costs. But some lessors quickly lost patience as the bank did not provide details and Jet's founder angrily defied them to take back planes.

At one point, the airline's usually jovial founder and chairman, Naresh Goyal, banged his fist on a table, jarring some of the lessors who had flown to Mumbai from Dublin, Singapore and Dubai, said one person who attended the discussions.

"That meeting went horribly wrong," recalled the executive from a global leasing firm, who did not want to identified because the meeting was not public.

Goyal's emotional outburst and Jet's subsequent failure to pay up as promised may have pushed the relationship between the airline and its lessors to a breaking point, two other executives who were at the meeting said, prompting some to take the drastic step of pulling their planes from its fleet.

That has led Jet, which blazed trails in one of the world's fastest-growing air travel markets, to cancel hundreds of flights. Saddled with more than $1.2 billion in debt, and with dwindling revenue, the airline has said it also owes money to banks, pilots and suppliers.

It was not immediately clear how much money Jet owes.

Jet did not respond to multiple requests for comment but has said it is "actively engaged" with all its lessors. Goyal did not respond to requests for comment.

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"Aircraft lessors have been supportive of the company's efforts in this regard," Jet said in its most recent statement to the Mumbai stock exchange on April 2.

The loss of aircraft and friction with lessors is just the latest major setback for Jet, which has been struggling for years, beset by an insurgent group of low-cost Indian competitors.

Purchases of wide-body aircraft 13 years ago and ambitions for the international market may have set Jet on its current course, industry insiders say.

The 26-year-old airline has posted losses in eight of the past 10 years and its share of the domestic passenger market has fallen to about 15.5 percent in 2018 from 22.5 percent in 2015.

About 60 percent, or more than $600 million, has been wiped off Jet's market value over the past year.

Now, with the airline's running out of ways to make money, state-run banks, led by SBI, took a temporary stake in Jet, promised a new loan of 15 billion rupees ($216 million) and forced 69-year-old Goyal to resign as chairman.

On Monday, Jet's lenders laid out terms for potential bidders to buy up to 75 percent stake in the carrier. Expressions of interest are due on Wednesday, with final bids due on April 30.

But lessors remain concerned, and some, such as Avolon, SMBC Aviation Capital, Aircastle and a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corp, have asked India's aviation regulator to de-register a combined 18 planes, according to the regulator's website.

"Despite Goyal's departure from Jet, lessors don't seem to think the carrier can be rescued, judging by the urgency in repossessing aircraft," said Shukor Yusof, the head of aviation consultancy Endau Analytics.

That adds complications for any potential new investor, two industry sources said.

"How we do business with Jet in the future will depend a lot on the new investor and how they manage the relationship," said one of the executives who was at the January meeting.

Aercap Holdings, GE Capital Aviation Services, Avolon and BOC Aviation are among the big lessors grounding Jet's aircraft, leasing and industry sources say. Aercap, Avolon and BOC Aviation declined to comment. GE Capital Aviation Services said Jet was a long-standing customer and it remains in regular contact with the airline.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

The humbling of one of India's most successful international brands illustrates the challenge of making money in the country's aviation sector, dominated by low-cost carriers such as IndiGo and SpiceJet Ltd.

The Indian market is also highly price-sensitive, and airlines compete to keep fares low, even at a loss, to continue expanding. The domestic market has seen around 20 percent growth in the number of passengers over the past few years.

Carriers including IndiGo, SpiceJet and Vistara, a joint venture between Singapore Airlines and Tata Sons, have over 1,000 planes on order from Boeing Co and Airbus SA .

"India's aviation market is cut-throat and it is survival of the fittest. One needs not only deep pockets but a deep threshold for pain," said Yusof, adding that lessors will still seek business in the country despite the inherent risks.

When India's Kingfisher Airlines went bankrupt in 2012, lessors were forced to write off millions of dollars in losses and thousands of people lost their jobs.

FALL FROM GRACE

When Goyal and his wife, Anita, started Jet in 1993, state-run Air India was the only formidable opponent, and the country's aviation market was just taking off.

Goyal's pitch was ensuring the country's biggest private carrier had impeccable service - a world-class product built in India, industry executives said.

Jet's problems began when it embarked on an aggressive international expansion plan, said an industry executive who has been associated with the airline.

The carrier ordered 22 wide-body aircraft for delivery over about 18 months, starting in 2006, depleting cash, the executive said.

Then Jet bought a struggling Indian airline called Sahara for 14.5 billion rupees ($209 million) in 2007 that had an aging fleet and did not fit Jet's corporate culture, the industry executives said.

Meanwhile, a newcomer, low-cost carrier IndiGo, had begun chipping away at Jet's market share with cheap fares, one of the executives said.

In 2013, Jet was close to running out of cash, but survived collapse when Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways bought a 24 percent stake in the Indian airline. As part of the deal, Etihad also bought three pairs of Jet's landing slots at London's Heathrow airport and 51 percent stake in its frequent flyer program.

To compete with low-cost carriers, Jet has lowered prices without reducing its expensive services. High fuel prices and hefty taxes have compounded the spending issues, industry executives said.

Goyal, however, said in a statement last week after stepping down that the airline will "regain its rightful place in the company of global greats."

HUMONGOUS TASK

Goyal's penchant for control, which helped him build the airline, has been a stumbling block for potential investors. Tata Sons was in talks with Jet in November for a deal that never materialized, sources have said.

Etihad has also been reluctant to increase its stake in the carrier for similar reasons, sources have said.

If no suitable investors turn up at the auction, lenders will pursue alternative plans, they said, without specifying what those might be.

SpiceJet has been in talks with lessors to take some of Jet's aircraft, a source has said.

Indian rules cap foreign airline investment in domestic carriers at 49 percent, and the government is eager to see Jet remain with an Indian entity, sources have said. That narrows the list of potential investors, aviation financiers and leasing executives said.

"It will be a humongous task for whoever comes in," one of the industry executives said.

($1 = 69.5400 Indian rupees)

For an interactive link on the biggest airlines click https://tmsnrt.rs/2I7ITuI For an interactive link on Jet's average daily flights, click https://tmsnrt.rs/2FeFDel

For an interactive link on Jet's grounded planes, click https://tmsnrt.rs/2HTmgKl

(Reporting by Anshuman Daga in SINGAPORE and Aditi Shah in NEW DELHI; Additional reporting by Tanvi Mehta in MUMBAI and Gaurav Dogra in BENGALURU; Editing by Gerry Doyle)
By Julia Love

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (Reuters) - Isel Rojas put his dream of leaving Cuba on hold when the United States ended a generous immigration policy for island residents. But watching coverage of migrant caravans heading from Central America toward the United States on Cuban television last year, he began to see a new path.

One morning in January, he woke up and told his wife he was finally ready. Fifteen days later, he was gone.

"If they can do it, why can't we?" said Rojas, a 48-year-old who worked in agriculture in the eastern city of Holguin, recalling the images of young men and families travelling en masse to the Mexico-U.S. border.

Rojas is now waiting to apply for U.S. asylum in the Mexican border town of Ciudad Juarez, which has become a magnet for Cuban migrants.

Political repression and bleak economic prospects remain the primary reasons cited by Cubans for migrating from the Communist-ruled island, a Cold War foe of the United States. But some in Ciudad Juarez say news of the caravans also motivated them, giving them the impression the United States was accepting migrants.

Since early last year, the caravans have been a frequent target of U.S. President Donald Trump as he advocates for stricter immigration policies. Critics say the president's statements about the caravans, including a series of angry tweets, have ironically enlarged the groups and publicized asylum as a possible avenue to legal status.

"The person who created the media coverage and who drove the issue of the caravans has been President Trump," Tonatiuh Guillen, the head of Mexico's National Migration Institute, said on local radio last week.

The addition of Cubans to those flows is adding to the pressure on already overwhelmed shelters and border authorities in Mexico and the United States. More than 100,000 people were apprehended or presented themselves to authorities in March, the White House said on Friday, calling it the highest number in a decade. Trump has threatened a border shutdown or tariffs on Mexico in retaliation.

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What's more, some say Trump's harder line on Cuban relations has contributed to a sense of gloom on the economically weak and tightly controlled island.

The White House and the Cuban government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mexico's migration institute declined to comment.

'TREATED LIKE EVERYONE ELSE'

Like Rojas, many Cubans who reached northern Mexico in recent months ultimately travelled with a smaller group, and caravans were not a factor for all who left. But a caravan of 2,600 migrants currently contained by authorities in southern Mexico, the largest this year, includes dozens from the island. Mexican immigration officials said they flew some 60 Cubans home on Friday.

In Ciudad Juarez, Cubans represent 75 to 80 percent of some 3,600 migrants in town, said Enrique Valenzuela, director of the state commission for population. The wait to apply for asylum is about two months, shelter directors say.

The bottleneck highlights a new reality: Cubans do not enjoy the same advantages they once did in the U.S. immigration system.

"For the first time this year, Cubans are being treated like everyone else," said Wilfredo Allen, a Miami-based lawyer who works with Cuban migrants. "The special door for the Cubans has already closed."

In 2017, U.S. President Barack Obama ended the "wet foot, dry foot" policy, which allowed Cubans who reached U.S. soil to stay but returned any intercepted at sea, triggering a decline in immigration from the island.

In the first five months of fiscal-year 2019, 6,289 Cubans turned up at ports of entry on the U.S.-Mexico border without papers. That number is on track to nearly double the total for the whole of fiscal-year 2018, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

While Cubans generally face slightly better chances of receiving asylum than Central Americans because their tales of political persecution are often more clear-cut, success is anything but assured, Allen said.

Allen estimates only 20 to 30 percent of his Cuban clients will win their cases.

That message has not reached those in Ciudad Juarez, many of whom sold their vehicles, businesses or homes to finance the trip. Some have literally bet the farm.

"They say that we have priority, that (the United States) will accept us in one form or another," said Rojas, who sold almost half his cattle. "They always accept us."

A NEW ROUTE

Cubans lucky enough to get a U.S. visa, to visit family for example, can fly there legally and are eligible to apply for residency after a year in the United States. For most though, reaching the United States is no easy feat.

Even before "wet foot, dry foot" ended, Cubans began forging new routes, flying into countries in Central and South America with loose visa requirements and then heading north. Only a few countries, such as Guyana, do not require visas for Cubans.

Last year, Panama made it easier for Cubans to come to the country to shop, creating another opening for some from the island to reach Central America.

Arasay Sanchez, 33, said she was browsing the internet in a park one day when she saw a story about the caravans.

After selling her house and most of her belongings, Sanchez flew into Panama on Jan. 25, she said.

She relied on a seven-page guide she inherited from Cubans who had travelled to the United States, detailing everything from where to sleep to where to buy a phone. On the trail, it was among her most valuable possessions  she carried it in her clothes.

The route ended in Ciudad Juarez, regarded by many Cubans as a safer and more orderly place to seek asylum than other more crowded Mexican border crossings, despite its reputation as one of the world's most violent cities. Ciudad Juarez, just south of El Paso, Texas, received relatively few asylum seekers until late last year.

Many are dismayed by the long wait they find, shelter directors say, and they are increasingly concerned about safety after reports of Cubans going missing in Mexico. Few leave the shelters, 10 migrants said in interviews.

Sanchez and her partner arrived in Ciudad Juarez in late February, moving from shelter to shelter and struggling with spicy Mexican food.

"Even the candy" has chile, she said, clutching the extra folds of fabric in her jeans to show she had lost weight.

Experts do not expect the flow of Cuban migrants to ebb anytime soon. Obama made it easier for Americans to travel to the island, generating new business. But that money dried up after Trump tightened the rules, said Pedro Freyre, a lawyer who studies the U.S.-Cuba relationship.

What is more, a gradual opening of the island's private sector triggered a backlash from conservatives, creating headaches for small businesses, Freyre said.

Reaching the United States would end a long quest for Reinaldo Ramirez, a 51-year-old construction contractor from the western town of Jaguey Grande. Starting in 2006, he tried and failed to reach Florida seven times by boat  including the day Obama cancelled "wet foot, dry foot."

The new route has been just as arduous. After flying into Guyana in September, Ramirez and his wife had to hike across the Darien Gap, a remote stretch of jungle straddling Panama and Colombia. After they crossed the first time, Panamanian authorities deported them to Colombia, forcing them to repeat the trek.

Ramirez arrived in Ciudad Juarez about three weeks ago, and hundreds of asylum seekers are ahead of him in line. But he cannot help but feel that he is close.

"I've almost achieved my objective, my American dream," he said.

(Reporting by Julia Love; additional reporting by Jose Luis Gonzalez in Ciudad Juarez, Lizbeth Diaz in Mexico City, Sarah Marsh in Havana, Kristina Cooke in San Francisco and Yeganeh Torbati in Washington; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Peter Cooney)
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China All Access (Holdings) Limited (HKG:633) shareholders will doubtless be very grateful to see the share price up 68% in the last quarter. But spare a thought for the long term holders, who have held the stock as it bled value over the last five years. Five years have seen the share price descend precipitously, down a full 85%. So we don't gain too much confidence from the recent recovery. The real question is whether the business can leave its past behind and improve itself over the years ahead.

While a drop like that is definitely a body blow, money isn't as important as health and happiness.

See our latest analysis for China All Access (Holdings)

To paraphrase Benjamin Graham: Over the short term the market is a voting machine, but over the long term it's a weighing machine. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price.

Over five years China All Access (Holdings)'s earnings per share dropped significantly, falling to a loss, with the share price also lower. Since the company has fallen to a loss making position, it's hard to compare the change in EPS with the share price change. However, we can say we'd expect to see a falling share price in this scenario.

The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).

SEHK:633 Past and Future Earnings, April 9th 2019

Before buying or selling a stock, we always recommend a close examination of historic growth trends, available here..

A Dividend Lost

The value of past dividends are accounted for in the total shareholder return (TSR), but not in the share price return mentioned above. Many would argue the TSR gives a more complete picture of the value a stock brings to its holders. China All Access (Holdings)'s TSR over the last 5 years is -82%; better than its share price return. Even though the company isn't paying dividends at the moment, it has done in the past.

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A Different Perspective

We regret to report that China All Access (Holdings) shareholders are down 72% for the year. Unfortunately, that's worse than the broader market decline of 1.3%. However, it could simply be that the share price has been impacted by broader market jitters. It might be worth keeping an eye on the fundamentals, in case there's a good opportunity. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 29% over the last half decade. We realise that Buffett has said investors should 'buy when there is blood on the streets', but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality businesses. Most investors take the time to check the data on insider transactions. You can click here to see if insiders have been buying or selling.

Of course China All Access (Holdings) may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of growth stocks.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on HK exchanges.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.



If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Weather Alert

...HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM TO 9 PM CST WEDNESDAY... * WHAT...Southwest winds increasing into the 25 to 40 mph range with gusts from 50 to 65 mph. Peak gusts as high as 75 mph will be possible in localized areas. * WHERE...Portions of east central, northeast and southeast Nebraska and southwest and west central Iowa. * WHEN...From 9 AM to 9 PM CST Wednesday. The strongest winds will overspread southeast Nebraska from the south between 9 am and Noon. Winds will then increase over the rest of eastern Nebraska and southwest Iowa in the afternoon. A few hours with winds gusting over 50 mph are likely. * IMPACTS...Damaging winds will blow down trees and power lines. Widespread power outages could occur. Damage to structures will be possible. Travel will be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. Unsecured outdoor objects may be blown away. Areas of blowing dust could also occur in open areas or near construction zones. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...fire danger will reach into the extreme category over parts of southeast Nebraska and southwest Iowa in the afternoon or early evening. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... People should avoid being outside in forested areas and around trees and branches. If possible, remain in the lower levels of your home during the windstorm, and avoid windows. Use caution if you must drive. &&
Tehran (AFP) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday accused the United States of being the real "leader of world terrorism", hitting back after Washington blacklisted Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation.

Tehran was quick to retaliate on Monday by declaring US troops "terrorists" following Washington's move, which was welcomed by Iran's regional arch-rivals Israel and Saudi Arabia.

It was the first time that Washington has branded part of a foreign government a terrorist group, meaning that anyone who deals with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could face prison in the United States.

"Who are you to label revolutionary institutions as terrorists?" an angry Rouhani demanded in a speech broadcast live by state television.

Rouhani hailed the Guards for fighting terrorism since their creation in 1979, and accused US forces of having always been involved with terrorist groups or acts of terrorism.

"You want to use terrorist groups as tools against the nations of the region... you are the leader of world terrorism.

"Who is propagating and encouraging terrorism in today's world? Who wanted to use ISIS (the Islamic State group) as a tool?" Rouhani asked, saying that the US is "hiding" the leaders of the jihadist organisation.

The Revolutionary Guards are the ideological arm of the country's military and deeply embedded in Iranian political and economic life.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised the Guards on their National Day, saying they were at the "forefront' of defending the country and its interests, according to his official website.

He lashed out at US officials, saying: "Their vice and deceit will return boomerang on them, leading the enemies of the Islamic Republic such as (US President Donald) Trump and those around him at the US ruling apparatus to go down the drain."

- 'Everything imaginable' -

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To support his accusations, Rouhani cited the downing of Iran Air Flight 655 in July 1988 by missiles fired from the US naval ship the USS Vincennes.

"You have done everything imaginable. Which force was it that shot down our civil airliner in the waters of the Persian Gulf?" he said, adding that it was aimed at intimidating Iran.

"You wanted to tell the Iranian nation that we do not have any red lines, you wanted to say that we also kill children, you wanted to say that we also kill women," Rouhani said, concluding that the US was transmitting "a message of terrorism in the whole world."

The US move comes on top of Trump's decision last year to pull the United States out of an international deal with Iran that was meant to lift crippling economic sanctions in return for curbs on its nuclear programme.

Washington had been encouraged to blacklist the Guards by Trump's allies Saudi Arabia and Israel, which both cheered the declaration.

"The US decision (follows) the kingdom's repeated demands to the international community to address the issue of Iranian-backed terrorism," the official Saudi Press Agency quoted a foreign ministry source as saying on Tuesday.

The source welcomed the US move as a "practical and serious step" in curbing what the kingdom describes as Iranian meddling in the region.

The US decision came hours before an Israeli election in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a close race for re-election.

In a statement, Netanyahu thanked his "dear friend" Trump who he said had responded to a "request of mine".

In a statement carried by the Iranian official news agency IRNA, the Supreme National Security Council declared the United States a "state sponsor of terrorism" and its forces in the region "terror groups".

Quickly adapting to the decision, the semi-official Fars News Agency, close to ultra-conservatives, described the US casualties in the latest suicide bombing on a military convoy in Afghanistan as "terrorists."

In a report on the attack, Fars said Tuesday: "American army terrorists killed in Afghanistan."

NATO announced on Monday that a suicide car bomb on a convoy in Iran's eastern neighbour had killed three US troops and a military contractor and wounded three more.
Baghdad (AFP) - Baghdad tried to stop Washington from blacklisting Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a "terrorist organisation," Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi said Tuesday, warning that the decision could further destabilise the region.

The United States declared the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a "terrorist" group on Monday, prompting Tehran to quickly slap US troops with the same designation.

"We tried to stop the American decision. We reached out to all sides, to the US and the Saudis," Abdel Mahdi said during a weekly press conference on Tuesday.

He said he had warned Washington and its ally Riyadh that the move would have "negative repercussions in Iraq and in the region", but stopped short of denouncing it.

Any escalation, he said, "would make us all losers".

The premier has repeatedly said Baghdad would seek good ties with both Tehran and Washington, and the new sanctions have forced it to walk an even tighter rope.

They mark the first time Washington has branded part of a foreign government a terrorist group, meaning anyone who deals with the Revolutionary Guard could face US prison.

The IRGC was integral during Iraq's years of fighting against the Islamic State group, with the head of its foreign wing Major General Qassem Suleimani coordinating fighting across various Iraqi battlefields.

Since the battle against IS ended in late 2017, Suleimani has continued to meet with Iraq's top political brass.

Officially, the IRGC has no presence in Iraq, and it remains unclear whether these sanctions impact Iraqi figures, institutions or military groups.

Washington reimposed tough sanctions on Tehran's energy and finance industries last year, but granted Iraq several temporary waivers to continue importing Iranian gas and electricity to prop up its frail power sector.

At the same time, Iraq and Iran seem to be deepening trade ties, with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani visiting Baghdad in March and Abdel Mahdi returning the visit at the weekend.

The premier has also said he is planning trips soon to both Riyadh and Washington, Tehran's main foes.
Baghdad (AFP) - Iraq's water ministry sought on Tuesday to quell fears that dams could collapse, as the country's main water reservoirs reach or near capacity after a very wet winter.

"We are in control of the dams and reservoir levels", said water ministry spokesman Aoun Diab.

"We are not worried about their safety or stability," he told AFP.

Weeks of rain -- compounded by melting snowcaps in neighbouring Turkey and Iran -- have almost filled Iraq's four central reservoirs and swelled its two main rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates.

The Dukan reservoir in the northeast is holding more than its seven billion cubic metre capacity, with excess flowing out, Diab said.

Dukan dam manager Hama Taher said the structure "had not witnessed water levels this high since 1988" and called on people living nearby to leave.

The country's largest reservoir, held in place by the Mosul dam, holds nine billion cubic meters of water, some two billion short of capacity, Diab noted.

"The ministry has warned people living in flood zones, is coordinating with local governments, and is monitoring the reservoir and dam pressure levels," Diab added.

But environmental scientist Azzam Alwash said the Mosul reservoir was at risk.

Built in part with gypsum, a mineral that dissolves in water, the Mosul dam requires regular cement injections to fill cracks in its structure.

"If you don't fill them quickly, the foundation loses support and the smallest crack, if you don't catch it in time, will result in catastrophic failure," Alwash warned.

"If the dam fails when it's full, the area will be under five metres of water," he told AFP.

Heavy rainfall this winter led to floods in Iraq that killed dozens and forced hundreds of families to flee, alongside destroying crops and farmland.

Floods in neighbouring Iran have killed some 70 people in recent weeks.

Despite reassurances by the Iraqi government, recent heavy rains have sparked concerns among local officials, the United Nations and observers.

Story continues

The World Health Organisation said a downpour this week had displaced hundreds of families in Iraq's southern Missan province and another 2,000 were at risk of being forced to relocate.

The Tigris' waters have been noticeably high in recent days, in stark contrast to the summer, when people could wade across the river's diminished flow in southern Iraq.

Last month, more than 100 people were killed in Mosul when a ferry capsized on the Tigris, partly due to the high water levels.
Netanyahu votes in Jerusalem. The election looks to be tight - REUTERS

Benjamin Netanyahu launched a last-minute campaign blitz to urge Right-wing voters to support him in Tuesday's election, as he tries to see off a centrist challenger and secure a fifth term as Israels prime minister.

Standing outside a pub in the middle of a busy Jerusalem market, Mr Netanyahu warned on Monday that Right-wing Israelis were complacent because of media reports that he was on course to victory.

Some of our people are complacent and believe the media, which is trying to put them to sleep, Mr Netanyahu said. Right now we are behind by several seats.

The prime ministers strategy is to frighten supporters of small Right-wing parties into giving their vote to his Likud party at the last minute. A similar method helped propel him to victory in the last election in 2015.

Polls have shown Mr Netanyahus Likud trailing slightly behind Blue & White, which is led by former army general Benny Gantz.

Mr Gantz, 59, has attacked the prime minister as a corrupt politician who is prepared to tear Israeli society apart to hold onto office Credit: NIR ELIAS/ REUTERS

However, the same polls give Likud and other Right-wing parties a slim majority in parliament, which could be enough to keep the 69-year-old Mr Netanyahu in power.

After an election eve visit to the Western Wall, Mr Netanyahu, 69, voted at a polling station in Jerusalem on Tuesday morning, accompanied by his wife, Sara.

"This is truly the essence of democracy and we should be blessed with it," he said, shaking hands with election officials and posing for selfies. "With God's help the State of Israel will prevail. Thank you very much. Go to vote."

Casting his vote in Rosh Ha'ayin near Tel Aviv, Gantz, 59, said: "This is a day of hope, a day of unity. I look into everyone's eyes and know that we can connect."

Mr Netanyahu is facing criminal corruption charges and this year has been the most serious election challenge since he took power in 2009.

If Mr Netanyahu wins today - and is able to stay in office until July despite the indictments against him - he will become the longest-serving prime minister in Israeli history.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks as he visits Mahane Yehuda Market a day ahead of Israeli national elections Credit: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

Mr Gantz, 59, has attacked the prime minister as a corrupt politician who is prepared to tear Israeli society apart to hold onto office, while offering himself as a unifier with vast military experience.

I have presented Israeli society with an honest and clean alternative, he said. Netanyahu chose to incite and malign and to go to the lowest places that any Israeli prime minister has ever gone.

Election day brings an end to what many Israelis have seen as an especially ugly campaign, where more time has been spent on personal attacks than policy discussions.

Around 6.3 million Israeli citizens - around 74 per cent Jews and 21 per cent Arabs - are eligible to vote and turnout is expected to be around 70 per cent. The roughly 2.5 million Palestinians living in the Israel-occupied West Bank cannot vote.

More than 40 political parties are taking part in the election but either Mr Netanyahus Likud or Mr Gantzs Blue & White will be tasked by the Israeli president with forming a government.

Israeli Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men wait in line to cast their vote at a polling station

Shahar Levinson, who arrived to vote in Jerusalem with his wife and three young children, said he was voting for Netanyahu's Likud, citing security like many of the premier's supporters.

He also spoke of wanting a government that is "right-wing and capitalist".

Voting was also underway in Israel's settlements in the West Bank, the Palestinian territory under occupation since 1967.

In Elazar settlement, three parties had displays outside a voting station: Likud and two far-right parties, United Right and Zehut.

Saville, an accountant, said he was supporting Netanyahu as he did in the last elections in 2015 because he "is the best", but also because he finds Gantz "dangerous".

Likud won most votes in the settlement four years ago.

Yishai Dror, a 28-year-old banker, was voting for Zehut mainly because of its libertarian view of the economy.

He said he hoped for a coalition between Zehut and Likud.

"The right-wing bloc will be strong," he predicted.

In Jerusalem, most Palestinians do not hold Israeli citizenship and as a result cannot vote. They instead have residency cards.

Israel occupied east Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it. It now considers the entire city its capital.

A polling station was set up in Beit Safafa neighbourhood of mainly Palestinian east Jerusalem and saw only a handful of voters enter.

Marwan Alyan, 65, voted for Ahmed Tibi, one of the most popular Arab Israeli parliament members.

Arab Israelis are the descendants of Palestinians who remained on their land after the creation of Israel in 1948.

They account for some 17.5 percent of the population of nearly nine million people and hold Israeli citizenship.

They are largely supportive of the Palestinian cause and say they face blatant discrimination.
TEL AVIV, April 9 (Reuters) - An Israeli entrepreneur went the extra mile to vote in Tuesday's parliamentary election - 7,401 of them (11,910 km), to be precise.

Offir Gutelzon said he and at least 100 other expatriates flew back from the San Francisco Bay Area to make their mark in the heated contest between veteran conservative Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party and a variety of center-left challengers.

The result was, however, a mixed bag for Gutelzon, a 44-year-old tech CEO who lives in Silicon Valley.

Exit polls gave Likud's main rival, the Blue and White party led by former General Benny Gantz the lead. Netanyahu nevertheless still stood a better chance to form the next coalition government.

And the left-wing opposition Labour party Gutelzon voted for was poised to shrink by nearly two-thirds to seven members in the 120-strong parliament, according to exit polls.

"I seem to be optimistic that the total vote for the center-left seems to be good. It is pretty exciting. We worked really hard to make (the) change," Gutelzon said, speaking at the Labour party's campaign headquarters in Tel Aviv.

Israel does not allow absentee ballots, but any citizen can cast a vote within the country, even if his or her home is elsewhere.

Gutelzon said that his identity as an Israeli abroad, and discomfort with Netanyahu's policies, motivated his long trip.

"We've seen over the last four years more and more extremist points of view coming to Israel from right," Gutelzon said.

A looming graft indictment against Netanyahu has "made it much harder to be an ambassador" for Israel, he added.

Netanyahu has denied wrongdoing in the corruption scandal and taken credit for Israel's booming international start-up scene.

Gutelzon, who stayed abroad during three previous elections, co-founded a Facebook group called "Israelis in the Valley Go to Vote" to bring others in with him this time around. The group has several hundred members.

Any success Gutelzon might have had in drumming up expatriate votes might also be explained by the fact that this election comes 10 days before the Jewish festival of Passover, a time of homecoming for many Israelis.

"We came to visit for Passover, and along the way, we'll vote," said Roi Zaltzman, a 40-year-old realtor who lives in Denmark, after he flew in to Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport. (Reporting by Rami Ayyub Editing by Tom Brown)
By Jeffrey Heller JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main challenger Benny Gantz claimed victory in Israel's election on Tuesday, with several exit polls giving the veteran right-wing leader an advantage in forming a coalition government. Netanyahu, in power consecutively since 2009, is fighting for his political survival as he seeks a fifth term. He faces possible indictment in three corruption cases, in which the right-wing Likud party leader has denied any wrongdoing. Exit polls on two of Israel's three main TV channels showed Gantz's centrist Blue and White Party won slightly more seats than Likud in the 120-member parliament, while a third survey forecast a tie. Though neither party captured a ruling majority in the Knesset, according to the exit polls, two of the three surveys put Netanyahu in a stronger position to form a coalition government with the help of right-wing factions. Some political analysts cautioned it was too early to determine the outcome, with many hours to go before a final tally is in. If he wins, Netanyahu, 69, will be on track to be the longest-serving prime minister in Israel's 71-year history. Gantz, 59, a former military chief, is a political novice. Channel 13 forecast Netanyahu could piece together a ruling bloc controlling 66 seats compared with 54 for a Blue and White-led coalition of center-left and left-wing parties. Public TV Kan put the ratio at 64 to 56 in Likud's favor, while Channel 12 predicted a tie, at 60 seats each. "The rightist bloc led by Likud has won a clear victory," Netanyahu said in a statement. "I will begin forming a right-wing government with our natural partners this very night." Addressing a Blue and White rally in Tel Aviv, Gantz said exit polls showed the party had won the most seats and it should therefore be given the chance, by Israel's president, to form the next government. "We are the victors," Gantz said. "We want to thank Benjamin Netanyahu for his service to the nation." Israeli exit polls have been wrong in the past, however. Ofer Zalzberg, senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, said Likud and Blue and White would have to learn the fate of smaller parties to know whether they had garnered enough support for a coalition. "Netanyahu is more likely to establish another right-wing government, but we will have to wait and see," he said. NETANYAHU HIGHLIGHTS TRUMP TIES During the campaign, the rival parties accused each other of corruption, fostering bigotry and being soft on security. Netanyahu highlighted his close relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump, who delighted Israelis and angered Palestinians by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital in 2017 and moving the American Embassy to the holy city last May. In a rare turn during the race toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Netanyahu further alarmed Palestinians by promising to annex Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank if re-elected. Palestinians seek a state there and in the Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital. During the campaign, Gantz said a government under his stewardship would pursue peace, but stopped short of committing to the establishment of a Palestinian state. Commenting on the Israeli election, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told reporters in the West Bank: "We hope they choose the just path, in the right direction, to reach out for peace." Israeli-Palestinian peace talks collapsed in 2014. COALITION-BUILDING A close result in the election would put smaller parties in a powerful position, turning marginal political figures into kingmakers. Once the votes are tallied, President Reuven Rivlin will ask parties that have won parliamentary seats who they support for prime minister. He will then pick a party leader to try to form a coalition, giving the candidate 28 days to do so, with a two-week extension if needed. One factor may be the turnout of voters from Israel's 21 percent Arab minority. Many were angered by Israel's nation-state law, passed in 2018, which declared that only Jews have the right of self-determination in the country. Netanyahu supported the legislation. Netanyahu's party sent monitors equipped with body cameras to a number of polling stations with Arab constituents on election day. Arab politicians condemned the move as voter intimidation. Voting in Tel Aviv, businessman Dedi Cohen, 44, said he supported Gantz. "I considered voting for Bibi (Netanyahu). Life isn't bad: I've been around the world and seen that Israel is a good place in terms of the economy and security. "But still, a change is in order. After 13 years, it's time for some ventilation up top," Cohen said. Backing Netanyahu, Avi Gur, 65, a lecturer at Ariel University in a settlement in the West Bank, said he was "very excited". "I hope that rightism will win," he said (Additional reporting by Rami Ayyub in Rosh Ha'ayin, Ron Bousso and Rawan Sheikh Ahmad in Haifa, Rahaf Ruby, Stephen Farrell, Dan Williams and Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Sonya Hepinstall)
The Catholic Church in Japan said Tuesday it will launch an internal probe into claims of sexual abuse against children by its clergy, after a wave of paedophilia revelations worldwide.

The standing committee of the bishops' conference last week decided to investigate all 16 dioceses in Japan, a spokesman for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Japan told AFP.

Japan is home to a small community of Roman Catholics, believed to number around 450,000.

The decision comes a month after a landmark summit at the Vatican on the protection of minors, where Pope Francis vowed to tackle sexual abuse by priests.

It also comes ahead of Francis's planned visit to Japan in November, the first visit by a pontiff since John Paul II, nearly 40 years ago.

At least five reports of sexual abuse were made when the Japanese Catholic authorities conducted surveys in 2002 and 2012 throughout its dioceses.

The fresh probe will first review how bishops dealt with those cases, including "punishment of those who were involved, and response to victims," the spokesman said.

Details of the investigation "including the specific process and to what extent the result will be made public" will be decided later, he said.

A second stage of the probe is planned to investigate additional abuse allegations.

The probe was announced as a group of people who claim abuse at the hands of Catholic clergy met in Tokyo on Sunday, among them a 62-year-old man who reported being sexually abused as a child at a Catholic boys' school in western Tokyo.

The Mainichi Shimbun daily said Archbishop Joseph Mitsuaki Takami of Nagasaki attended the Sunday gathering and told the man he felt "sorry for having been unable to do enough" to uncover and resolve abuse.

Local media has previously reported allegations of abuse at a different Catholic school in Tokyo, and the scale of the problem nationwide remains unclear.

A slew of abuse scandals involving the church has spanned the globe, from Australia to Chile and the United States.

In February, Pope Francis addressed top bishops and described sexual abuse of minors as "a widespread phenomenon in all cultures and societies", while denouncing priests who prey on children as "tools of Satan."
Tokyo (AFP) - A Japanese F-35A stealth fighter jet with one pilot on board disappeared off the radar while on a training mission over the Pacific late Tuesday, the defence ministry said.

The fighter jet went missing around 7:30 pm (1030 GMT) as it was flying some 135 kilometres (84 miles) east of Misawa, northeastern Japan, a ministry spokeswoman said.

The plane lost contact about 30 minutes after taking off from Misawa Air Base with three other aircraft.

It was not immediately clear if the aircraft had crashed, Defence Minister Takeshi Iwaya told reporters.

"First we are trying our best to carry out search and rescue operations," Iwaya said.

"And then we will do our best to probe the cause," he said, adding that Japan's 12 remaining F-35A fighters will be grounded for the time being.

The fate of the pilot was also unclear, a ministry spokesman said.

"A total of eight airplanes were sent to the area, but we have not received any information about the fighter," the spokesman said.

"We will continue our search and rescue operations all through the night."

The Self-Defence Forces and coastguard separately dispatched vessels to carry out rescue operations, he added.

Japan is deploying F-35As, each of which costs more than 10 billion yen ($90 million), to replace the ageing F-4 fighter jet.

An 80-member squadron of the stealth fighters was just formed last month at the base, according to Kyodo News.
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's military said on Tuesday it lost contact with one of its Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighters over the Pacific Ocean close to northern Japan. Japan's first squadron of F-35s has just become operational at the Misawa air base and the government plans to buy 87 of the stealth fighters to modernize its air defenses as China's military power grows. The advanced single-seat jet was flying about 135 km (84 miles) east of the air base in Aomori Prefecture at about 7:27 p.m. (1027 GMT) on Tuesday, when it disappeared from radar, the Air Self Defense Force said. The military has launched a search for the missing aircraft and its pilot, it said in a statement. Lockheed Martin said in a statement that it was standing by to support the Japanese Air Self Defense Force as needed. The Pentagon said it was monitoring the situation. A crash would be only the second time an F-35 has gone down since the plane began flying almost two decades ago. It would also be the first crash of an A version of the fifth-generation fighter designed to penetrate enemy defenses by evading radar detection. A U.S. military short take off and landing (STOVL) F-35B crashed near the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort in South Carolina in September prompting a temporary grounding of the aircraft. Lockheed Martin also makes a C version of the fighter designed to operate off carriers. Japan's new F35s will include 18 short take off and vertical landing (STOVL) B variants that planners want to deploy on its islands along the edge of the East China Sea. (Reporting by Tim Kelly, Kiyoshi Takenaka and Stanley White. Additional reporting by Idrees Ali and Chris Sanders in Washington; Editing by Darren Schuettler and Cynthia Osterman)
The Department of Homeland Security has a new acting head, following Sundays resignation of Kirstjen Nielsen.

Kevin McAlneenan, the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, was named by President Donald Trump as Nielsens acting replacement.

Nielsens resignation comes at a time of great tension over immigration, with Trumps plans to build a border wall still in limbo, and with successive bouts of migration to the southern border attracting regular media attention. Nielsen was aggressive in her pursuit of Trumps goals to crack down on illegal immigration, but the two reportedly clashed over specifics  including, most recently, Trumps desire to totally close off ports of entry along the southern border.

I have determined that it is the right time for me to step aside, Nielsen said in her resignation letter. In a tweet, Trump said of her replacement: I have confidence that Kevin will do a great job!

Heres what to know about Kevin McAleenan.

Who is Kevin McAleenan?

McAleenan, 47, has been at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) since 2001, serving in both the Bush and Obama Administrations before becoming acting head of the department in January 2017 under Trump. He was confirmed by the Senate for that position in March of 2018.

In the summer of 2018, McAleenan steered CBP through controversy over the separation of migrant children from their parents.

What are Kevin McAleenans views on immigration?

As head of the CBP, McAleenans job is to reduce illegal immigration and smuggling across U.S. foreign borders. He has also been involved in overseeing the design and location scouting for Trumps proposed border wall. But McAleenan is not an ideologue or fire breather, according to a senior official quoted by CNN.

To continue to enforce the law, there should be a sanction for crossing the border illegally. Its not a victimless crime, he told The New York Times in an interview published in August, on the topic of family separation.

Story continues

But McAleenan did offer muted criticism of the policy. I dont think if a policy is implemented and then you have recalibration from the presidential level that it can be called a success, he said, referring to the executive order that ended family separations. Its challenging for law-enforcement professionals when they see the individual impact of the actions they are asked to carry out, he added.

How long is Kevin McAleenan expected to be in charge of DHS?

McAleenan is expected to be acting head of Homeland Security in the short term, according to a White House official quoted by CNN. Nielsen will remain in her role until Wednesday while handing over to McAleenan.
The work of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, which held its tenth ordinary plenary assembly in Rome from 4 to 7 April, continues with its program of learning, listening, assistance and protection of the most vulnerable.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The work of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Children, which held its tenth ordinary plenary assembly, in Rome from 4 to 7 April, continues with its program of learning, listening, assistance and protection of the most vulnerable.

In a communique, the Commission reports that in the effort to listen to and learn from the reality of abuse directly from the voice of the victims, the testimony of a sub-Saharan African mother who was the victim of child sexual abuse was heard. The testimony, which the Commission says it is grateful for, was useful for understanding the complex problems that victims / survivors of clerical sexual abuse face in their specific cultural context.

At the opening of the Assembly, the president of the Commission, Card. Sean Patrick O'Malley, O.F.M. Opening the April 4-7 Assembly, Commission President, Cardinal Sean Patrick OMalley, O.F.M. Cap. greeted members on behalf of the Holy Father.

He also conveyed Pope Francis appreciation for the Commissions assistance in initially proposing both the February Meeting with Presidents of Bishops Conferences on the Protection of Minors and the recently published safeguarding guidelines and norms for Vatican City State, the Vicariate for Vatican City and the Roman Curia.

Feedback from the February meeting indicates that the understanding of the critical role of safeguarding in the life and mission of the Church is maturing. It also indicates that much remains to be done.

In light of this and its specific mandate to advise the Holy Father and through him assist the local Church leadership, the Commission is pursuing a large number of projects including:

 Through its group Working with Survivors, the establishment of a Virtual Survivors Advisory Panel (SAP). This method of listening to, and learning from survivors in a safe and culturally familiar space, is in addition to those local SAPs already established and at various stages of development within the local Church in Brazil, Zambia and the Philippines.

 An internal study day with international experts regarding understanding sexual offending and its implications for preventing future abuse. This understanding is a key factor in proactively providing safe environments for minors.

 A substantial project on creating an audit instrument. This includes the study of materials on safeguarding guidelines and the analysis of models for monitoring the level of implementation with the aim of creating a resource to assist local churches in the creation, implementation, review and audit of safeguarding programmes.

 Research to assess the status of implementation of safeguarding education and formation in Catholic schools, beginning with pilot projects in South Africa, Colombia, India, the Philippines and Tonga.

An international academic seminar is also planned on issues related to "Confidentiality and transparency", with particular attention to canonical criminal procedures, scheduled for December 2019 and a "Latin American Symposium on Protective Environments in Churches and Civil Societies", assisted by PCPM and the Archdiocese of Bogota. The participation of the Confederation of Latin America and the Caribbean of religious men and women (CLAR), of the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM), of Catholic schools, government bodies, international NGOs and local, international media and Churches of other denominations.

The Commission's working groups have also continued their dialogue with the Congregations and dicasteries of the Roman Curia, which have particular responsibilities in the sector.
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We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Swallowfield plc (LON:SWL).

Do Insider Transactions Matter?

It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, most countries require that the company discloses such transactions to the market.

We don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. For example, a Harvard University study found that 'insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year.'

Check out our latest analysis for Swallowfield

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Swallowfield

In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Independent Non-Executive Director Roger McDowell bought UK98k worth of shares at a price of UK2.69 per share. That means that even when the share price was higher than UK1.85 (the recent price), an insider wanted to purchase shares. It's very possible they regret the purchase, but it's more likely they are bullish about the company. We always take careful note of the price insiders pay when purchasing shares. It is encouraging to see an insider paid above the current price for shares, as it suggests they saw value, even at higher levels. Roger McDowell was the only individual insider to buy over the year.

You can see the insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

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AIM:SWL Recent Insider Trading, April 9th 2019

There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Does Swallowfield Boast High Insider Ownership?

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. From our data, it seems that Swallowfield insiders own 11% of the company, worth about UK3.6m. We do generally prefer see higher levels of insider ownership.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Swallowfield Tell Us?

The fact that there have been no Swallowfield insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. While we have no worries about the insider transactions, we'd be more comfortable if they owned more Swallowfield stock. If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.



If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Port-au-Prince (AFP) - Haiti's President Jovenel Moise on Tuesday confirmed Jean-Michel Lapin as the country's new prime minister, just weeks after the Chamber of Deputies censured his predecessor's six-month-old government.

The new administration that Lapin -- currently the acting prime minister - must assemble with Moise will face pressing problems such as the high cost of living and the insecurity that plagues the capital.

Haiti is still recovering from widespread riots in February, when thousands of people took to the streets across the country -- one of the world's poorest -- to demand better living conditions and the departure of the head of state.

For about 11 days, all activities ground to a halt in Port-au-Prince and across most of the Caribbean country's cities.

Lapin, the former culture and communications minister, was named acting prime minister on March 21, three days after the Chamber of Deputies voted to censure the government of former prime minister Jean-Henry Ceant.

Lawmakers overwhelmingly voted for Ceant's resignation, saying he had failed to improve conditions in the six months since he took over at the head of government.

Lapin is the third head of government under president Moise, who has led the Caribbean island nation since February 2017.

The announcement was made by Moise via Twitter, and will be formalized by presidential decree later in the day.

The installation of a new government is an International Monetary Fund pre-requisite for the disbursement of the first tranche of a $229 million loan to Haiti.

In 2018, Haiti racked up a record $290 million deficit, while its national budget, the lowest in the Caribbean region, amounts to $1.8 billion.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas, with 60 percent of the population living below the poverty line.

Transparency International places the country at number 161 out of 180 in its corruption ranking.

Since the summer of 2018, a civic movement has mobilized to demand an accounting of the use of funds from Petrocaribe, a Venezuelan-financed aid program established in 2008.

Story continues

Haiti's High Court of Auditors in January published a report detailing the mismanagement of the fund and the possible diversion of nearly $2 billion.

One top opposition leader, Andre Michel, said Lapin's appointment changes nothing.

"We want a total change of this system of socio-economic exclusion," he told AFP.

"Our demands remain the same: first, the resignation of the president of the republic; secondly, the completion of the Petrocaribe trial," Michel added.

His comments reflect the high degree of polarization in Haiti as it moves toward legislative elections in October, which will renew the Chamber of Deputies and a third of the Senate.
BERLIN (AP)  The Latest on Brexit discussions (all times local):

7:25 p.m.

European Council President Donald Tusk is urging European Union leaders to grant the United Kingdom a flexible extension to its departure date from the bloc.

In his invitation to Wednesday's Brussels summit to discuss Prime Minister Theresa May's request for a delay to the U.K.'s scheduled Friday departure from the EU, Tusk says "I believe we should also discuss an alternative, longer extension. One possibility would be a flexible extension, which would last only as long as necessary and no longer than one year."

Tusk says such an extension would have to be conditional to allay fears Britain could stymie EU decision making if it remains a member. He says conditions would include not reopening the withdrawal agreement and the U.K. continuing to sincerely cooperate with the bloc.

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6:30 p.m.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is meeting French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris to discuss the possibility of a further delay to Brexit.

Macron greeted May in the Elysee presidential palace with a hug. They both smiled for photographers.

The two leaders are not scheduled to make any press statement.

May earlier met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.

The French presidency said all decisions on Brexit will be made on Wednesday at a summit of EU leaders in Brussels.

A delay requires the unanimous support of the EU's other 27 members. If they refuse, Britain faces a sudden departure on Friday.

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6:20 p.m.

Talks between the British government and its political opponents have failed to reach a Brexit compromise before the European Union decides whether to grant the U.K. a delay to its departure from the bloc.

But the Conservative government and the Labour Party say they will resume negotiations after Wednesday's EU summit.

Prime Minister Theresa May hopes to persuade the 27 other EU leaders that she has a plan to end Britain's Brexit impasse so that they will agree to postpone Britain's departure, currently scheduled for Friday.

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After failing three times to get her Brexit deal through Parliament, May opened negotiations with Labour, which favors a softer version of Brexit.

May's office said talks Tuesday had been "productive and wide-ranging" and both parties appreciated the urgency of finding a solution.

Labour business spokeswoman Rebecca Long-Bailey said there had not been "any fundamental shift ... but we're hopeful that progress will be made."

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6 p.m.

German news agency dpa reports that Chancellor Angela Merkel has told her party's lawmakers that delaying Britain's exit from the European Union may be possible.

Merkel held an hour of talks with British Prime Minister Theresa May in Berlin on Tuesday, a day before EU leaders are due to decide on London's request for another Brexit extension. The current departure date is April 12, but May has requested a delay to June 30.

The dpa agency quoted unnamed participants at a closed doors meeting of Merkel's Union bloc in parliament saying the chancellor had informed them that a delay until the end of the year or early 2020 would be possible.

Merkel reportedly also told participants that Britain would have to take part in European Parliament elections unless it leaves the bloc by May 22.

Merkel's office declined to comment on the meeting with May.

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5:55 p.m.

A top official at the French presidency says France is not ruling out the prospect of backing a further delay to Brexit.

Just ahead of a planned meeting between Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, the official said the key point for France is to get "solid guarantees" that the U.K.'s prolonged presence would not disrupt the functioning of EU institutions.

The official, who spoke anonymously ahead of sensitive talks in accordance with the French presidency's customary practice, said Macron expects from May to provide a "credible prospect" to avoid a 'no-deal' Brexit on April 12, including the possible outcome from ongoing talks between Britain's government and opposition Labour Party.

EU leaders meet in Brussels on Wednesday. Any extension to the Brexit deadline requires the unanimous support of the 27 other member states.

 By Sylvie Corbet in Paris.

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3 p.m.

The British prime minister's office says Theresa May and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have agreed on "the importance of ensuring Britain's orderly withdrawal from the European Union."

The two leaders held talks in Berlin as May tries to win backing from EU leaders for a further delay to Brexit.

The prime minister wants the 27 other EU leaders to postpone Britain's departure until June 30, and for the U.K. to be able to leave sooner if Parliament manages to ratify an EU divorce deal.

Downing Street didn't indicate Merkel's view on the best length for any extension.

If EU leaders refuse to grant an extension when they meet in Brussels Wednesday, Britain faces a chaotic "no-deal" departure from the bloc on Friday.

May plans to meet French President Emmanuel Macron later in Paris.

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1:45 p.m.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has left the chancellery in Berlin after meeting for about an hour and a half with German Chancellor Angela Merkel as she seeks European leaders' approval for another delay to Brexit.

May and Merkel made no comment to reporters as they left together and embraced. Merkel waved to May as her car set off.

May was heading to Paris later Tuesday to meet French President Emmanuel Macron, who has appeared to take a tougher line on giving Britain more time.

The prime minister is meeting all 27 leaders of the other European Union countries in Brussels on Wednesday. She needs their approval for a second extension to Britain's membership of the EU; if they refuse, Britain faces a sudden and chaotic departure Friday.

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1:30 p.m.

Half a dozen of EU nations are seeking to meet ahead of Wednesday's summit to coordinate their approach to the request of Britain to further extend the Brexit deadline.

An official, who asked not to be identified because the informal meeting was not officially announced, said leaders of France, Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Sweden and Denmark would discuss options some hours ahead of Wednesday's dinner summit.

The nations involved all would be directly implicated by a cliff-edge no-deal Brexit.

"It should be seen as coordinating the viewpoints," the official said.

By Raf Casert

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12:10 p.m.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has arrived at German Chancellor Angela Merkel's office in Berlin on a quest to secure the agreement of Britain's European Union partners to a further delay to Brexit.

May strode into the chancellery on a sunny Tuesday lunchtime for her meeting with Merkel, who came out to shake her hand for photographers. Merkel could be heard saying that "we ordered the best possible weather."

The two leaders were not scheduled to make any remarks to reporters. May will travel to Paris later Tuesday to meet French President Emmanuel Macron.

May will meet leaders of the EU's other 27 members in Brussels on Wednesday for a summit at which they will decide whether to allow Britain to delay its withdrawal beyond the current deadline, set for Friday. If they refuse, Britain faces a sudden and chaotic exit at the end of the week.

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10 a.m.

A senior member of Theresa May's government says cross-party talks aimed at breaking the impasse over Britain's divorce from the European Union are moving forward in a "genuine and sincere" way.

Justice Secretary David Gauke told the BBC that it's too early to say whether the talks between the government and opposition Labour Party will be successful but work is continuing to identify a compromise, two days before EU leaders decide whether to grant a further extension to the Brexit process.

If they refuse, Britain faces a sudden and chaotic departure on Friday, the current deadline set by the EU.

Gauke says people involved in the cross-party talks "are telling me that the process is being undertaken in a genuine and sincere way from both sides."

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9:45 a.m.

France is vowing that the 27 EU nations facing the United Kingdom in Brexit divorce proceedings will remain united at Wednesday's summit, where they need to agree whether to give Prime Minister Theresa May another deadline extension.

French European Affairs Minister Amelie de Montchalin said early Tuesday that the 27 will need commitments from May that the British government will continue to play a constructive role in EU decision-making if a long extension is to be granted.

"We have the question what role Britain wants to play" if a long extension of the deadline is granted, possibly to the end of the year. In Britain, some have threatened that the government should seek to undermine EU policymaking as a way to get more leverage for the U.K.

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8:45 a.m.

A senior German official is demanding "substantial steps" forward in Britain's Brexit standoff and insisting any delay must come with strict conditions, as Prime Minister Theresa May prepares to plead for more time in Berlin.

Michael Roth, Germany's deputy foreign minister, said as he arrived at a European Union meeting in Luxembourg Tuesday that "so far absolutely nothing has changed" and "we are in a very, very frustrating situation here."

May has asked for a new delay until June 30. The bloc's leaders are due to meet Wednesday to consider the request. May is visiting Berlin and Paris later Tuesday.

Roth said that "within the European Union, there isn't an endless readiness to keep talking about delays so long as there is no substantial progress on the British side."
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Latest on Attorney General William Barr's testimony to Congress (all times local):

11 a.m.

Attorney General William Barr is defending his decision to send a letter to Congress detailing special counsel Robert Mueller's principal conclusions because the public would not have tolerated waiting weeks for information.

Barr is testifying before a House appropriations subcommittee.

Mueller concluded his nearly two-year Russia investigation in late March. The special counsel submitted a nearly 400-page confidential report to Barr. The attorney general sent his four-page letter to Congress two days later.

Democrats have raised questions about how Barr was so quickly able to boil down Mueller's report into four pages.

Barr says a redacted version of Mueller's report will be made public within a week.

He says Mueller wasn't involved in preparing the letter to Congress because it was "my letter."

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10:20 a.m.

Attorney General William Barr says he had a general sense of the Russia investigation's findings weeks before it concluded.

Barr says he "had an inkling" of the findings after meeting with special counsel Robert Mueller about three weeks before Mueller turned in his final report. Barr says Mueller's thinking was "not a mystery" to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and other senior Justice Department leaders who had been supervising the probe for nearly two years.

Barr is responding to questions from House Democrats about how he reviewed Mueller's nearly 400-page report and released a letter laying out its principal findings within two days. Barr says he worked closely with Rosenstein in authoring the letter. He says he expects to release a redacted version of the report "within a week."

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10:00 a.m.

Attorney General William Barr says he will release a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller's report on the Russia investigation within a week.

Story continues

Barr is testifying before a House appropriations subcommittee Tuesday.

He says Mueller's report will have portions redacted but they would be color-coded to indicate why the information could not be made public.

Mueller concluded his investigation in late March and submitted a nearly 400-page confidential report. Barr sent a letter to Congress with Mueller's "principal conclusions." Barr said Mueller was given the opportunity to review that letter but declined to do so.

Barr says grand jury information, details that could reveal confidential intelligence sources and information that would interfere with ongoing cases will be redacted.

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9:50 a.m.

The chairman of a House appropriations subcommittee says it would be a serious blow to democracy if special counsel Robert Mueller's full report on the Russia investigation is not fully made public.

Attorney General William Barr is testifying before the subcommittee on Tuesday.

Rep. Jose Serrano, D-N.Y., said he has concerns about the process Barr used to draft a four-page letter of Mueller's "principal conclusions" last month.

Mueller concluded his investigation in late March and turned over a nearly 400-page report to Barr. Two days later, the attorney general then sent the four-page document to Congress.

The Justice Department has said a redacted version of Mueller's report will be made public in mid-April.

Serrano said Americans have been "left with many unanswered questions" about Mueller's investigation.

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12:40 a.m.

Attorney General William Barr is facing congressional lawmakers for the first time since receiving the special counsel's report on the Russia investigation.

Barr appears Tuesday before a House appropriations subcommittee, where he's expected to face questions about the forthcoming release of special counsel Robert Mueller's report.

The Justice Department is preparing to release within days a redacted version of Mueller's report into potential ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Barr said in a four-page summary of Mueller's main conclusions that Mueller didn't find a criminal conspiracy between the campaign and the Kremlin.

The attorney general has also said that Mueller did not reach a conclusion on whether the president obstructed justice. Barr said he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein decided the evidence was insufficient to establish obstruction.
When Lyft(LYFT) went public on March 29, it was valued at more than $20 billion, with shares priced at $72. Lyft shares have since declined and closed below the IPO price at $70.23 today, in part because of investors' worries over its nearly $1 billion in losses last year, and its high valuation.

The ride-hailing company should be trading closer to $59 per share, and valued closer to $15 billion, according to Aswath Damodaran, who teaches corporate finance and valuation at the Stern School of Business at New York University. That would imply about a 16% drop from today.

On CNBC's Fast Money, Damodaran explained there's fundamental problem with Lyft's business model that may have helped the company grow fast, but makes it hard for the company to make money:

"The driver is a free agent. The customer is a free agent. There is absolutely no stickiness in the business, and they know it. That's the basic problem I have with the ride-sharing business not just Lyft. What they have succeeded at is changing the way we use car service. I have Uber and Lyft on my phone and I never take a cab. What they haven't figured out is how to make me stay with them. I'm completely disloyal here. Same thing with drivers."

At least Lyft is focused, and not committed to expensive, risky side projects like Uber, Damodaran noted.

Uber recently spent $3.1 billion to acquire Careem, a ride hailing business that serves passengers in the Middle East. Uber also spent money to set up a research and development division, Uber ATG, that is working on everything from self-driving car technology to air taxis.

By contrast, Lyft is primarily focused on maintaining and growing its marketshare in North America.

Damodaran said: "I'd take Lyft over Uber because Uber wants to be all things to all people. You'd think they'd learn from their mistakes. They tried in China and had to back out of China. I think being less ambitious in this business, until you figured out a business model, is better."

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Lyft(LYFT)'s IPO kicked off a so-called "unicorn stampede," or string of public market debuts expected this year from tech companies that have raised copious amounts of venture capital and are privately valued over $1 billion. Among those expected to go public later this year are Uber, which was privately valued at $72 billion last year; Pinterest, which is aiming to go public at a valuation of up to $9 billion; and Slack privately valued at $6.7 billion.

They should learn from Lyft's experience, and from predecessors like Snap, the business school professor suggested.

"You don't want to go up against Facebook and Google. Create a niche and be in it," Damodaran said. "The mistake that Snap made, which Pinterest should not, is they thought they could be bigger than Facebook."
A U.S. Marine killed in Afghanistan on Monday was also a decorated New York City firefighter and father of three, officials said.

Christopher Slutman and his fellow troops were struck by a roadside bomb during a convoy Monday. The names of the other service members killed in the attack have not yet been released.

The Taliban has since taken credit for the explosion that also wounded three other U.S. service members and an Afghan contractor who were evacuated and are receiving medical treatment.

Slutman, 43, is survived by his wife and their three daughters, officials said. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Slutman had a long career as a firefighter, as a volunteer with the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department in Landover, Maryland, and as a 15-year member of the New York City Fire Department Ladder 27 in the Bronx.

A Facebook post by the Kentland department's fire chief, Oleg Pelekhaty, detailed Slutman's rise in the volunteer fire company as well as his dedication as a family man.

"Through this trying time, we will remember Chris for the father, husband, brother, son, and friend that he was, the moral character he displayed daily, and the courage and conviction to serve his fellow Americans, both at home and abroad," the post stated.

"We ask for your thoughts and prayers for his firehouse brothers, his fellow Marines, his friends  but most of all, his family."

Slutman grew up in Maryland, where his father, Fletcher Slutman, had worked as a firefighter. He wanted to follow in his dad's footsteps, and went to New York to do it, commuting there and keeping a place in the state while his family stayed in Delaware, his father said.

"He always wanted to be a New York City firefighter," Fletcher Slutman said today.

It was Chris Slutman's work in the Bronx where, in 2014, he won the Fire Chiefs Association Memorial Medal for rescuing an unconscious woman from the seventh floor of a high-rise apartment building, according to the Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York.

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Slutman and fellow firefighters forced open the door to the fire apartment and were met with a high heat condition and dense, black smoke, from floor to ceiling, the department said when his medal was awarded. They crawled along the apartment floor, and Slutman found the woman in a bedroom. He and another firefighter dragged the woman past the fire to emergency medical workers.

Slutman saved the woman at peril to himself, a battalion chief wrote in endorsing his honor.

More: 2 Marine pilots killed in Arizona helicopter crash

More: Marine veteran combats war wounds by trading boots for ballet shoes

Slutman was the fourth FDNY member to die while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan since 2003, the city said.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio commended the "fallen hero" before a press conference Tuesday regarding the city's measles outbreak, and remembered presenting the medal to Slutman in 2014.

"This, unquestionably, is an example of the measure of this man, Christopher Slutman, an American hero, a New York hero, and we mourn his loss today."

Firefighter Slutman bravely wore two uniforms and committed his life to public service both as a New York City firefighter and as a member of the United States Marine Corps, Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said in a written statement.

Christopher was a distinguished firefighter who had a profound impact on both of his firehouses, Ladder Companies 27 and 17, wrote Gerard Fitzgerald, president of the FDNY-UFA Firefighters Association. Together, all firefighters grieve the loss of our brother, Christopher, who dedicated his life to protecting the people of this city and our nation.

De Blasio ordered flags across New York City be flown at half-mast in a tribute to Slutman.

Contributing: Matt Spillane, The Rockland/Westchester Journal News, Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY and The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Marine killed in Afghanistan was decorated NYC firefighter
By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - Last May, millions across the world tuned in to watch Queen Elizabeth's grandson Prince Harry tie the knot with his American actress girlfriend Meghan Markle, with the media feting the couple as the epitome of glamor and royal modernity. But less than a year later, the couple have found themselves on the receiving end of much less flattering coverage as they prepare for the birth of their first child this spring. "Frown Jewels: Meg is banned by Queen from using Di gems," the front page headline on Britain's biggest-selling newspaper the Sun said on Thursday over a story which claimed the monarch had banning Meghan from wearing royal jewelry, a sign of growing tensions between Harry's wife and senior Windsors. "Meghan Markle 'pretty difficult' person to deal with  'Harry is Miserable,'" said a Daily Express headline last month, while the Daily Mail ran this story in January: "How Meghan's favourite avocado snack ... is fuelling human rights abuses, drought and murder". There is no doubting the enduring, global fascination with the British royals. On Tuesday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as Harry and Meghan are officially known, launched their first Instagram account. Two days later, it had 3.4 million followers. While much reporting by the British press on the royal family is respectful, verging on the sycophantic, at other times it can be harshly critical, even cruel. "The press here in Britain is very aggressive, and they don't hold back," said veteran Sun photographer Arthur Edwards who has covered the royals for more than four decades. The first public acknowledgement that Harry and Meghan were dating in November 2016 came in a statement criticizing the media for intruding into his then girlfriend's private life. It was indicative of how Harry views the media which he blames for the death of his mother Princess Diana. She died in Paris in 1997, when he was just 12, when her limousine crashed as it sped away from chasing paparazzi photographers. "If there is a story and something's been written about me, I want to know what's been said. But all it does is upset me and anger me," Harry said in a broadcast interview while on military service in Afghanistan in 2012. In his youth, Harry found himself in the headlines for under-age drinking, wearing a Nazi outfit to a costume party and scuffling with photographers outside London nightclubs. But his popularity grew both with Britons generally and the media who loved his antics when on official engagements, such as posing with the likes of Olympic gold medal sprinter Usain Bolt. "FANTASTIC" "When you went on tour with Harry before he was married, it was a fantastic tour. Every day he would make great pictures, he would do something that was spectacular," Edwards said. "We think he's the best thing in the royal family." But since Harry tied the knot, something changed, he said. Newspapers were given minimal access to the couple's wedding in May and there has some discontent among senior figures in the industry about the level of access to the royals who continue to be a huge draw for readers. "Suddenly he's turned completely the other way - he's Mr Cool," Edwards said. "He thinks, possibly, 'why should I do anything for them?'" The reason is likely to be the recent coverage of his wife. There have been numerous reports of excessive demands the new duchess has made of staff and of rifts between Meghan and Harry and his elder brother William and his wife Kate. Also, Meghan's family, particularly her father, have regularly made headlines with critical comments about her. Meghan herself said she avoided newspapers or Twitter. "I don't read anything, it's much safer that way," she told a panel discussion at King's College London in March. But in January, U.S. magazine People said five of Meghans close friends had broken their silence to speak about the lies and untruths and global bullying the duchess had suffered and their fears about how this would affect her and her baby. The following month, her friend, Hollywood film star George Clooney told Australian magazine WHO the media were harassing Meghan as they had Diana. "Shes a woman who is seven months pregnant and she has been pursued and vilified and chased in the same way that Diana was and it's history repeating itself," he said. Royal commentators and even those on the receiving end say media negativity is a rite of passage for the royals. "It was something that Prince Charles said years ago when he and Diana were receiving some negative coverage. People put you on a pedestal just to knock you off," Ingrid Seward, editor of Majesty magazine, told Reuters. Those who write about the royals say the problem is not so much the media itself, but vicious comments from online trolls and heated social media arguments involving Meghan's fans. The rise in such abuse led Britain's royals to unveil a new online protocol last month warning users of possible police action. "There's been an awful lot of negativity online, social media, racism, all sorts of vile abuse but that's not coming from the mainstream media," said Robert Jobson, veteran royal correspondent for the London Evening Standard newspaper. "The odd commentator may say something but actually on the whole it's been very, very positive," he added, saying people were shooting the messenger for covering negative stories coming from Meghan's own family. Readers, though, are not so sure. "I think she's been treated a bit unfairly from what I've seen," said student Savanah Edwards. "I see that she's criticized for a lot and I don't think that's fair to her." American student Laura Youngblood, 21, said: "I think that she gets a bit of bad rap. Marrying into the royal family is difficult coming from an American background which is a completely different culture. As Americans as a whole, we admire her so much - we think she's great." In a speech to 12,000 children and teachers at Wembley Arena in London last month, Harry made little secret of his ongoing dislike of the media. "Every day you are inundated with an over-exposure of advertising and mainstream media, social media and endless comparisons, distorting the truth and trying to manipulate the power of positive thinking," he told them. "But you dont let them sway you." Whatever the Windsors might think of the media, royal watchers say there is a symbiotic relationship between the two. "The bottom line is when they're doing their job they want to be seen doing what they're doing and they're quite happy to give access to the media," Jobson said. (Additional reporting by Jayson Mansaray; editing by Stephen Addison and Robin Pomeroy)
Washington (AFP) - The number of migrants detained entering the United States from Mexico without documents soared to more than 103,000 in March, with the number of families arriving jumping as well, US Customs and Border Protection said Tuesday.

The sharp upturn from the winter months, when the figure averaged around 60,000 a month, underscored the ineffectiveness of Trump administration efforts to stem the flow of migrants fleeing endemic poverty and violence in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.

The data was released as President Donald Trump launches into a sweeping shakeup in the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees most border policing activities including the CBP.

On Sunday DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen agreed to step down, reportedly over deep differences between her and Trump over how to crack down on migrants.

Several other Nielsen lieutenants are also reportedly being forced out, while Trump has named CBP commissioner Kevin McAleenan to replace her at least temporarily.

Of the 103,492 total migrants apprehended or deemed inadmissable last month, 57,271 came in family groups and 9,348 as unaccompanied children.

In February, the total was 76,535 apprehended, including 40,741 in family groups and 7,254 children traveling on their own.

Trump is reportedly angry about the continuing high numbers of migrants, many of whom are crossing the border illegally and then requesting asylum.

But Nielsen has maintained that her hands were tied by US laws over how much she could do to deter them.

"You have to fix the asylum situation," Trump told reporters earlier Tuesday.

"It's ridiculous. You have people coming in claiming asylum. They're all reading exactly what the lawyer gives them.... Read what that is and all of a sudden you're entitled to asylum. And some of these people are not people you want in our country," he said.

Trump accused courts and Democrats in Congress of blocking efforts to address the flow of immigrants.

"These are people coming into our country with criminal records. We have murderers coming in. We have drug lords coming in. We have gangs coming in. And we're stopping them," he added.




As news broke of the abrupt departure of Kirstjen Nielsen, Donald Trumps second homeland security secretary, reports swiftly followed that the move had been orchestrated by Stephen Miller, one of the administrations sharpest anti-immigration voices.

Nielsens resignation on Sunday, following months of speculation, cast a spotlight on the forces behind the presidents controversial policies on immigration, where Miller has been shown to be squarely at the center of influence.

The senior adviser and speechwriter is the architect of some of the most restrictive components of Trumps immigration agenda.

Related: Spare us the self-serving excuses, Kirstjen Nielsen. You were the worst | Richard Wolffe

Bolstered by Trumps frustration over promises including building a border wall and slashing legal immigration, Miller is poised to usher more hardliners into the administration, seeking to turn rhetoric into results.

But some immigration experts said the White House may soon learn that the challenge is not one of personnel, but one of policy and expectations.

Its fine for a White House adviser to have an outsize role in policy so long as there are demonstrable results, said Rory Cooper, a Republican operative who played a central role in creating the homeland security department.

But right now, weve got seeming chaos around the department emanating from the West Wing.

Miller, 33, has been a prominent figure inside the White House since the first days of Trumps presidency. He crafted the first iteration of Trumps travel ban against Muslim-majority countries, which also indefinitely suspended the US refugee program, a move that sparked chaos and confusion at airports across the country.

A rebuke from the courts followed but Miller, who famously dismissed the poem at the base of the Statue of Liberty which welcomes migrants to American shores, was undeterred.

A native of Santa Monica, California, Miller was raised in a liberal household but forged a conservative identity at a young age. His writings as a college student at Duke University showed a disdain for multiculturalism and hardened a reputation as a rightwing ideologue.

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Miller went on to work for the former Alabama senator Jeff Sessions, among the Republican partys fiercest immigration hawks and who later served as Trumps attorney general.

In 2013, from Sessions office, Miller fought against a bipartisan immigration reform bill that would have given a pathway to citizenship for the roughly 11 million undocumented migrants living in the US. Miller joined Trumps 2016 campaign as a senior policy adviser and is one of the few such staffers still by the presidents side.

According to a report in Politico, Miller recently began berating mid-level officials at several federal departments and agencies, over rates of illegal immigration.

As the head of the Department of Homeland Security, Nielsen soon bore the blame for failing to stem the flow of migrants at the southern border. Having forcefully defended the Trump administrations policy of separating families at the border last year, she insisted her hands were tied.

In the one spot where they were actually able to recruit strong people, it was the White House interference that was the problem.

Some of the presidents preferred approaches, such as reinstating family separations or shutting the border entirely, have invited legal scrutiny or threatened to derail the economy. Others have been rebuffed by Congress  such as funding for a border wall, which prompted Trump to lead the US into the longest government shutdown in history.

Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of the president, once complained that Millers presence in the White House made any immigration deal impossible.

Every time we have a proposal, it is only yanked back by staff members, Graham said last year. As long as Stephen Miller is in charge of negotiating immigration, were going nowhere.

Millers imprint on the Trump administration is so indelible that even members of his own family have distanced themselves from his worldview.

Related: 'You didn't get our message': key Trump aide Stephen Miller condemned by childhood rabbi

I have watched with dismay and increasing horror as my nephew, an educated man who is well aware of his heritage, has become the architect of immigration policies that repudiate the very foundation of our familys life in this country, Millers uncle, Dr David S Glosser, wrote in an essay last year with reference to the familys origins abroad.

Despite Trumps tough talk on immigration, migrants fleeing violence and poverty in Central America have continued to seek refuge at Americas borders.

Nothing they do at the border is going to stop a Honduran mother who wants to save her 13-year-old daughter, a Salvadoran family that wants to keep their 14-year-old boys out of the gangs, or a Guatemalan family who cant feed his family unless he goes to America, said Frank Sharry, the founder and executive director of Americas Voice, a progressive immigration reform group.

Nielsens dismissal had less to do with her leadership at the department, he noted, than it did Trump and Miller looking to pin the blame on others for the failure of their own strategy.

They dont have the levers to be as cruel and as mean and as lawless as they want to be, Sharry said.

Theyre using a sledgehammer for something that requires a multi-pronged, complex strategy.

Cooper said Trumps looming re-election bid was probably driving the White Houses handling of the issue, particularly amid pressure from far-right supporters increasingly turned off by the administrations inability to deliver.

I think that theyre looking ahead at 2020 and realizing theyre vulnerable on their record as opposed to their rhetoric, Cooper said.

Theyre speaking the language that some of their supporters want, but theyre not producing those results.
TOKYO (AP)  Nissan's former Chairman Carlos Ghosn maintained his innocence in a video released by his legal team Tuesday and accused some executives at the Japanese automaker of a "conspiracy" that led to his arrest on financial misconduct allegations.

"The first message is that I'm innocent," said Ghosn, wearing a white shirt and dark jacket and speaking calmly in the nearly 10-minute video shown at the Foreign Correspondents' Club in Tokyo.

"This is a conspiracy," he said. "This is not about specific events, this is not about, again, greed, this is not about dictatorship. This is about a plot. This is about conspiracy. This is about backstabbing."

His lawyer Junichiro Hironaka said the video was prepared in case Ghosn was not able to speak at a news conference planned for Thursday. Ghosn was arrested last week while out on bail and remains at the Tokyo Detention Center.

Ghosn said the executives behind the conspiracy were motivated by what he called "selfish fears," including what they saw as a merger with French alliance partner Renault SA. They mistook his leadership for greed and dictatorship, when he was the biggest defender of Nissan's autonomy, Ghosn said.

He also said he was worried about Nissan, wondering whether those executives were really watching out for the company.

Hironaka said a section of the video in which Ghosn mentioned names was removed on his legal advice.

Nissan Motor Co., while declining to comment on the criminal case, has said an internal investigation has found that Ghosn falsified financial documents to under-report compensation, and that he used Nissan money for personal gain.

"Nissan's internal investigation has uncovered substantial evidence of blatantly unethical conduct," company spokesman Nicholas Maxfield said when asked for comment on Ghosn's video. "The company's focus remains on addressing weaknesses in governance that enabled this misconduct."

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Ghosn's fourth arrest was on a fresh breach of trust allegation based on suspicion that payments from a Nissan subsidiary to an Oman dealership were diverted to a company effectively run by Ghosn.

On Monday, Nissan Motor Co. shareholders voted to oust Ghosn from its board and to approve the appointment of French alliance partner Renault SA's Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard as Ghosn's replacement.

Renault owns 43 percent of Nissan. Yokohama-based Nissan, which makes the Leaf electric car, March subcompact and Infiniti luxury models, was on the brink of bankruptcy when Renault sent Ghosn to turn it around two decades ago.

Ghosn stressed that he devoted 20 years to Nissan, and that he was worried about its future.

"I love Japan and I love Nissan," he said in the video, adding that the company had achieved much under his leadership.

He appeared to be saying he was the best leader for Nissan, while those behind the alleged conspiracy were failing.

"It's sad. For someone like me, it's sickening," he said.

Hironaka said he would appeal Ghosn's latest detention and would appeal to the Supreme Court about his new arrest. Multiple arrests and prolonged detentions are routine in Japan's criminal justice system, but an arrest after someone is released on bail is unusual.

Prosecutors say that the latest allegation is different, and that there is a risk that Ghosn may tamper with evidence. His defense team says the allegations are related, and authorities have already seized all the documents.

Ghosn's detention following his latest arrest was approved through Sunday but could be extended.

Ghosn's wife, Carole, who traveled to France after her husband's latest arrest, said she was not afraid of being arrested herself "because I am innocent as my husband is innocent."

She also said that her husband had not acted alone and that others at the company knew.

"With a company like that, one person alone can't sign off. There are eight signatures on each paper," she told France's RTL radio. "I know he is innocent, and I ask that he be given the presumption of innocence as are all French citizens."

The date of Ghosn's trial has not been set.

___

Associated Press writer Lori Hinnant in Paris contributed to this report.

Follow her on Twitter https://twitter.com/lhinnant

Follow Yuri Kageyama on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama

On Instagram https://www.instagram.com/yurikageyama/?hl=en
The city of New Yorks health commissioner on Monday ordered Orthodox Jewish schools in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn to stop admitting students who have not received a measles vaccination, and threatened a fine or closure if they refuse.

This outbreak is being fueled by a small group of anti-vaxxers in these neighborhoods, said Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot. They have been spreading dangerous misinformation based on fake science.

In response to the recent measles outbreak, which has proliferated particularly among the Orthodox Jewish community in Williamsburg, Mayor Bill DeBlasio declared a state of emergency and banned unvaccinated minors from public spaces.

There have been 285 diagnosed cases of measles in the city since October and children comprise 246 of those cases. Twenty-one people have been hospitalized as a result of the outbreak but there have been no fatalities.

City health officials have attributed 40 measles cases directly to the Yeshiva Kehilath Yakov in Williamsburg, which allowed unvaccinated students to enroll prior to the order. However, the Health Department said Monday that the school is now in compliance with the order.

Most Orthodox Jews in Williamsburg are vaccinated but because they live together closely in an insulated community, a small number of unvaccinated children can lead to a broader outbreak.

It has nothing to do with Judaism. People are afraid. Its damaging. People are afraid of the medicine, one member of the community told CBS News.

More from National Review
India's opposition Congress party unveiled a slick Bollywood-inspired theme song Sunday, bringing celebrity muscle to its campaign as polling showed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity soaring ahead of the start of voting next week.

Congress launched the track by superstar Bollywood composer Javed Akhtar as it announced its party slogan, "Justice for All", putting the final touches to its campaign before the biggest election in history gets underway.

There are 900 million Indians eligible to vote in the poll, which starts Thursday and lasts nearly six weeks, with results to be announced on May 23.

Modi and his main rival, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, have been criss-crossing the country speaking at huge campaign rallies since the poll was announced in early March.

The Congress theme song reinforces the opposition's campaign message that Modi has mismanaged the economy for struggling farmers, unemployed youth and ordinary families.

"We advise Narendra Modi not to doubt the intelligence of the people of this country," Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma told reporters in New Delhi on Sunday.

"They remember what you promised in 2014. He should speak about the real issues."

But Congress -- which ruled India for much of its modern history but was routed in the last election -- faces a formidable opponent in Modi, who has confidently told supporters he will return with another thumping victory.

Polling released in recent days suggests the Hindu nationalist leader is even more popular now than 2014, when his Bharatiya Janata Party won an outright majority, the first in India in decades.

A pre-election survey by the New Delhi-based Centre for the Study of Developing Societies found 43 percent of respondents wanted Modi to return as prime minister.

Only 24 percent wanted Gandhi as leader, found the poll of 10,010 respondents conducted in the last week of March and published Friday.

Researchers found that Modi had surged on the back of three policies: job quotas for poorer Indians, cash handouts to farmers and bombing Pakistan after a suicide attack in Kashmir.

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India launched the first air strikes inside Pakistan in decades after at least 40 troops were killed in a militant attack.

New Delhi blamed Islamabad for backing the militants behind the attack, a claim Pakistan denies.

The survey also found far fewer voters had heard about Gandhi's promise to pay a minimum guaranteed income to India's poorest citizens.

Congress has also not found traction over its allegation that Modi corruptly arranged a fighter jet deal to benefit a billionaire friend, the poll showed.
This is the moment a vehicle owner bravely fought back against knife-wielding thugs after being stabbed in a terrifying carjacking attempt on his doorstep.

Ryan Walsh, 24, was attacked from behind by masked thieves who pulled up outside his property on a moped on Sunday.

He was walking to his front door when one of the crooks approached him with a blade and demanded the keys to his black Fiat 500 hatchback.

But Ryan refused to let the robber get away with his vehicle without a fight and can be seen in dramatic CCTV grappling with his attacker.

Ryan Walsh, 24, was attacked from behind by masked thieves who pulled up outside his property in Norman Place Road, Coventry, on a moped on Sunday evening and attempted to steal his car. (SWNS)

Eventually have-a-go-hero neighbours rush to help before the pair flee from the scene on Norman Place Road, in Coventry, empty-handed.

Ryan suffered stab wounds to his arm, shoulder and waist during his terrifying ordeal and is now recovering at home after receiving hospital treatment.

West Midlands Police has launched an investigation to find the thugs while Ryans sister Claire Patricia is offering 5,000 for information leading to their capture.

She posted on Facebook: Probably sat there thinking youve got away with it but just know this: YOU will be found and I hope youre BOTH looking over you shoulder for the rest of your miserable lives!!

I love you Ryan Walsh we all do!!

Ryan struggled with his attackers who attempted to steal his Fiat 500 (SWNS)

Ryan, who also shared the footage online, added: Thank everyone for all the lovely messages Ive received and the neighbourhood and people that helped me.

On the mend and having and on recovery. Be careful everyone, these people have not remorse and arent even worth your energy.

CCTV footage from a neighbouring property shows Ryan wrestling with his attacker as he tries to get into the vehicle  even hitting him with his water bottle.

Luckily the struggle attracted the attention of neighbours who helped chase the thugs off. (SWNS)

Ryan can be seen kicking and dragging the thug from the car, before they grapple on the ground causing the crook to drop his knife.

His accomplice then picks up the blade and approaches Ryan as he is on the floor.

But at that moment the driver of a passing blue Subaru stop and neighbours come to his aid and the pair flee on the moped as the Good Samaritans give chase.

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Read more from Yahoo News UK:

Hacker who generated millions blackmailing porn users jailed

Doctor convicted over death of boy, 6, allowed to return to practise

Boy who egged Australian senator on camera given police caution

A West Midlands Police spokesperson said: A man in his 20s was getting out of his vehicle when he was approached by two offenders on a moped.

He suffered an arm injury, which is not believed to be serious. The keys to the car were taken but the offenders fled without it.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK
Despite Palestinian rocket attacks and rising tensions between Israel and Hamas, Tuesdays Israeli election, unlike many before it, is not about the Palestinian issue. In fact, the issue barely featured in a campaign season that focused heavily on personalities, rather than policies. More than anything else, its been about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main rival, Benny Gantz, the former army chief who recently entered Israeli politics and now heads the centrist Blue and White coalition.

Partly because this election has primarily become a referendum on Netanyahus leadership, the campaign largely ignored policy questions, particularly concerning Israels policies towards Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. There also appeared to be little reason to debate these policies because both of the leading candidates for the premiership, Netanyahu and Gantz, seem to share a broadly similar opinion on them, with both men supporting the Israeli armys continued control over much of the West Bank (at least for the foreseeable future), and Israels ongoing blockade of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

But Netanyahus Likud party and Gantzs Blue and White coalition do, in fact, have different perspectives on the future of the West Bank. Likud wants Israel to annex large areas of the West Bank  Netanyahu himself publicly pledged, in a bid to appeal to wavering right-wing voters mere days before the election, that he would annex all Jewish settlements there if reelected  while the Blue and White coalition does not (except for the major settlement blocs). Yet this significant disagreement was rarely even noted, let alone debated, in the run-up to the election.

This situation represents a major change: For roughly four decades following Israels conquest of the West Bank and Gaza in the 1967 Six-Day War, the question of what to do with these territories and their Palestinian inhabitants dominated Israels political agenda.

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Israeli elections were once fierce contests between competing approaches to the territories under Israels control. The left, led by the Labor party, advocated territorial concessions in exchange for peace agreements  land for peace. The right, led by Likud, opposed territorial withdrawals and championed Israels claim to possess, and populate, the entire Land of Israel.

This political contest reached a fever pitch in the 1990s after the Oslo peace process began. Although most Israelis initially supported the peace process, they soon became bitterly divided over it as terrorist attacks increased. In November 1995 a Jewish religious extremist who wanted to stop the peace process assassinated Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. In an election for the premiership the following year, Netanyahu narrowly defeated Rabins successor, Shimon Peres, partly by claiming, Peres will divide Jerusalem. Despite being a fierce critic of the Oslo Accords, however, Netanyahu did not renounce the peace process. Instead, his election campaign  run by an American political consultant and Republican operative  promised Israelis a secure peace.

So what changed?

Netanyahus first term in office as prime minister was marred by scandal, Israeli-Palestinian violence and a faltering peace process. Widely unpopular domestically, Netanyahu was trounced in the next election by Labor party leader, Ehud Barak, who persuaded many Israelis that he could make peace.

Peace, of course, never came. When Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat rejected an offer that most Israelis considered to be a very generous  but that he would have had a hard time selling to his own people  at the Camp David summit in July 2000, hosted by President Clinton, Israelis concluded they had no partner for peace, as Barak himself put it. And when the Second Intifada erupted months later, and became much more violent than the first, the Oslo peace process died, and with it the hopes of many Israelis that peace was attainable.

Terrorized by Palestinian suicide bombings in their cities, the majority of Israelis just wanted security and separation  physical and psychological  from the Palestinians. The Israeli government built a long, winding barrier in the West Bank to help accomplish this. It worked. Suicide attacks did decline, and the barrier has also allowed many Israelis to conveniently ignore the suffering of Palestinians living on the other side of the barrier in the West Bank.

The Israeli publics desire to separate themselves from Palestinians in the West Bank, however, has been frustrated by the perceived failure of Israels unilateral withdrawals from southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. The possibility of a unilateral withdrawal from the West Bank quickly lost its popular appeal.

By the time Netanyahu returned to power in 2009, the Israeli public was resigned to living with the status quo, however much they disliked it. All Israel could do, most Israelis believed, was manage its conflict with the Palestinians and maintain the status quo.

If nothing else, Netanyahu has done this during his decade in office, much to the frustration of his domestic and foreign critics. Perhaps his greatest accomplishment  if you can call it that  has been to shore up the belief among Israeli Jews that a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is impossible in the near future, if at all.

Since most Israelis have given up on the peace process and stopped believing that peace is within reach, theyve stopped arguing about whether Israel should withdraw from much of the West Bank. This popular consensus has reduced the salience of the Palestinian issue in Israeli politics, and allowed Israelis to focus on other things, like official corruption or the high cost of living.

When Israelis go to the polls on April 9, the Palestinian issue wont be their biggest concern and, for most, it wont determine which party they vote for. Whether it should or not is another question.

Dov Waxman is Professor of Political Science, International Affairs, and Israel Studies, and the Stotsky Professor of Jewish Historical and Cultural Studies at Northeastern University. He is also the director of Northeastern Universitys Middle East Studies program. His latest book, The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: What Everyone Needs to Know, will be published by Oxford University Press in May.
Children were not allowed to participate in an Easter-egg hunt at the University of California, Berkeley without their parents first signing a waiver  due to the apparent risk of injury or even death.

According to Reason, parents had to stand in line for up to half an hour to hand in the waiver before their kids could attend the 25th Annual Easter Egg Hunt Learning Festival. The waiver, which was obtained by Reason, listed risks including minor injuries, such as scratches, bruises, and sprains, major injuries such as eye injury or loss of sight, joint or back injuries, heart attacks, and concussions, and even catastrophic injuries including paralysis or death.

Yes  death. Truly, reading this waiver would give you the impression that these parents were about ready to send their children off to a swordfight to the death, and not an Easter-egg hunt.

Whats more, its not even like the hunt took place on any kind of dangerous terrain. Robert Strand, executive director and lecturer at the Center for Responsible Business at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, told Reason that he was at the event with his wife and two kids. He said the hunt took place in three different roped-off areas for kids of different ages and literally it was a flat grass surface where they would just place the eggs, rather than, say, an area that was heavily occupied by ISIS. He added that each child was allowed to pick up only five eggs, which meant that the whole thing was completed within a minute, because they were just placed there.

Up to 30 minutes in line for one minute of walking around on the grass? Seriously?

Apparently, the ridiculousness of it was not lost on Strand.

Were in Scandinavia for a chunk of the summer, and our kids just run around at parks, he said. Theyre jumping off things, and some of our friends there say we should be grateful for the small accidents, because then we learn from them, and that prevents the big accidents.

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Life is busy for most people, and Id imagine that this would be even more true for people with children. If I were a busy mom and had to waste 30 minutes of my life to sign a waiver before my five-year-old was allowed to walk around on grass, I would be pissed. In fact, this Easter-egg hunt seems like the least dangerous thing that kids could possibly be doing. After all, it seems like the kinds of games that younger kids enjoy making up the most include things like lets jump off of some really high stuff into the dirt and rocks! or lets roll around and punch each other  with biting!

Yes, I understand that UC Berkeley was probably just trying to cover its behind, but its the kind of thing thats so ridiculous it makes me worry about what might happen next. Lines for waivers before kids and parents can wait in line to meet Santa, perhaps? Actually, the way things are going, I probably just gave some mall an idea.

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Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump has said he's in love with Kim Jong Un, but Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday agreed that the North Korean leader is a "tyrant."

Pompeo, who flew to Pyongyang four times last year as the Trump administration sought an opening with North Korea, was taken to task as he testified before a Senate subcommittee.

Senator Patrick Leahy, a Democrat, pointed to Pompeo's denunciations of Venezuela's leftist President Nicolas Maduro as a "tyrant" and asked if he would use similar language for Kim.

"Sure. I'm sure I've said that," Pompeo replied.

The comment may irk North Korea, which has signaled it is open to a third summit with Trump after a February meeting in Hanoi ended in stalemate.

Seeking a potentially landmark denuclearization accord, Trump has repeatedly praised Kim and last month said he had blocked major new sanctions planned for North Korea out of affection for its young authoritarian leader.

North Korea has also been careful not to criticize Trump, while accusing his aides of "gangster-like" behavior.

Pompeo, however, was unwilling to label as a tyrant Egypt's military ruler turned president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who was hailed by Trump earlier Tuesday in a White House meeting.

"There's no doubt that it's a mean, nasty world out there. But not every one of these leaders is the same," Pompeo said.

"Some of them are trying to wipe entire nations off the face of the Earth and other are actually partnering with us to help keep Americans safe," he said.

"You might call them tyrant, you might call them authoritarian, but there a fundamental difference, and therefore a fundamental difference in the way the US should respond," he said.

Pompeo hailed Sisi's offensive against fighters of the Islamic State extremist movement in the Sinai peninsula.

Sisi took power in a 2013 coup against elected president Mohamed Morsi, an Islamist, with authorities shortly afterward killing 700 protesters who had assembled in two Cairo squares.

Human rights group say that North Korea has one of the world's most egregious records, with Kim's regime forbidding all dissent and running a massive system of political prisons in which between 80,000 and 130,000 people are detained along with their family members for suspected dissent.
By Vladimir Soldatkin and Andrew Osborn ST PETERSBURG/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday commented for the first time on Special Counsel Robert Mueller's completed report into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, saying Moscow had always said it would find nothing. U.S. Attorney General William Barr said in a summary released last month that Mueller had found no evidence of collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia in the election. Putin, speaking at an Arctic forum in the Russian city of St Petersburg, said on Friday that Mueller's findings were predictable for Moscow. "That it (Mueller's inquiry) would finish in that way - like a mountain giving birth to a mouse as they say - was clear to us in advance. I've been telling you this all along." "We said from the start that this infamous commission of Mr Mueller's would not find anything because nobody knows this better than us. Russia did not meddle in any elections in the United States. There was no collusion, as Mr Mueller said, between Trump and Russia." Putin said the original allegations of collusion were "complete nonsense" that had been invented for domestic U.S. political consumption and as part of what he described as America's internal political struggle. The U.S. Attorney General told lawmakers on Tuesday that he intends to release the Mueller report to the public within a week. While the Mueller report cleared Trump of colluding with Russia it did not clear Moscow of trying to meddle in the 2016 vote. U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia did interfere, with a campaign of email hacking and online propaganda aimed at sowing discord. When asked at the same event whether he wanted to see Trump re-elected next year, Putin declined to express a view, citing a long list of disagreements with the Trump administration and saying that the question of Trump's possible re-election was purely a matter for the American people. But Putin, who has praised Trump in the past, said he hoped Moscow and Washington would be able to work together to try to resolve their many differences on the international stage once what he described as the U.S. political crisis was over. Putin in July last year said he had wanted Trump to win the 2016 U.S. presidential election because Trump had spoken of wanting to repair U.S.-Russia relations. Overshadowed by the Mueller report and disagreements over everything from Syria to Ukraine, relations between Russia and the United States have in fact got worse under Trump. (Additional reporting by Maria Tsvetkova; Writing by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Christian Lowe)
By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm on Tuesday lost a court challenge against a demand for it to provide EU regulators with data in a long-running antitrust case. The world's no. 1 chipmaker had already provided the information after being ordered to pay a daily fine for withholding it, but the Luxembourg-based General Court's ruling is expected to strengthen the Commission's hand in future similar cases. Qualcomm has been under the EU spotlight since 2015, when it was accused of predatory pricing between 2009 and 2011 aimed at forcing out British phone software maker Icera, subsequently bought by Nvidia Corp. As part of the investigation, the Commission in January 2017 told Qualcomm to provide more information. The company said the request went beyond the investigation's scope and took its grievance to the General Court. While waiting for a judgment, Qualcomm however acceded to the EU demand to avoid a daily 580,000 euro ($655,000) penalty for its delayed response. The Luxembourg-based court on Tuesday dismissed the company's case. "The Court finds that the scope of the investigation as defined in the statement of objections, at the state-of-play meeting of 3 September 2015 and at the hearing on 10 November 2016 has not been extended," judges said. They said Qualcomm had failed to show that the requested data went beyond what was necessary for the investigation. Last year, the Commission fined Qualcomm 997 million euros for paying iPhone maker Apple to use only its chips to block rivals including Intel. (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; editing by John Stonestreet)
London (AFP) - Britain faces the prospect of breaking ties with its closest trading partner without a deal on Friday -- unless EU leaders agree on an alternative at a crucial summit on Wednesday.

Here are the main ways Britain would be affected in case of a "no-deal" ending to the 46-year partnership.

- Business planning -

Around 80 percent of British companies judged themselves ready for a "no-deal" exit, according to a Bank of England survey published on March 21, up from 50 percent in an equivalent January survey.

However, it also said many companies noted that the potential impact on tariffs, border frictions, exchange rate movements and recognition of regulatory certifications "were outside their control".

In February, the government said just 40,000 of 240,000 businesses that trade only with EU nations had obtained the required customs clearance numbers.

- Trade deals -

Britain will default to "third country" status with the EU, with trade relations run on World Trade Organization rules.

While the EU's average tariff rate for third countries is low a- around 1.5 percent -- they are bigger in certain sectors: for cars, the rate is 10 percent.

Britain will also lose access to major markets covered by EU trade agreements, although it has managed to replicate some of these, including with Switzerland and Israel.

- Border delays -

The EU says it would immediately begin customs checks, food safety inspections and verification of EU standards at its border with Britain, leading to long delays at busy crossing points.

Britain has moved to open up new routes and increase links from other ports to ease the pressure on the most important, Dover.

The government says it does not expect shortages of food, although there could be a reduction in choice of perishable goods, but MPs have expressed concern about "panic buying".

- Northern Ireland -

Britain says it would not immediately apply customs checks on the border with EU member Ireland, to avoid raising tensions in the once conflict-ridden province of Northern Ireland.

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But the EU says it would insist on monitoring goods moving across what will become the bloc's external frontier, although it would try to make these as minimally intrusive as possible.

Britain has suggested it may have to reimpose direct rule over Northern Ireland to manage a "no deal" situation, as the devolved government in Belfast has been suspended since January 2017 in a row between the two power-sharing parties.

- EU citizens' rights -

An estimated 3.5 million European citizens live in Britain, and around one million Brits are settled in the EU.

Britain and many other member states have already offered to protect their rights, although their long-term status would have been more clearly defined in May's thrice-rejected withdrawal deal.

British citizens travelling to the EU will be limited to 90-day stays and would immediately be subject to tighter passport checks.

- Medicines -

The British government has asked drug companies to stockpile six weeks' supply of an estimated 7,000 prescription or pharmacy-only drugs that come from the EU.

Ministers say the transportation of medicines will be prioritised and those with short shelf-lives, such as medical radioisotopes, could be flown in.

- Financial services -

Some stop-gap agreements have been reached on both sides including a one-year agreement to protect the massive financial derivatives market in London.

Traders buy these complex but vital financial instruments to insure themselves against sudden interest or exchange rate swings.

The total EU derivatives market was notionally valued last year at 660 trillion euros ($750 trillion).

- Planes and trains -

The EU has agreed to allow flights from the UK into the other 27 member states to continue until March 2020, if London reciprocates, but airlines might not be able to make intra-EU connections.

Another time-limited deal will allow trucks to keep carrying goods in and out of Britain -- provided London gives reciprocal treatment to EU operators.

The high-speed train link through the 50-kilometre (30-mile) Channel Tunnel running between Britain and France will be kept open for three months, as long as Britain adopts EU rail safety standards.

burs-ar/dt/bmm
Apprehensions at the southern border spiked in March as a record number of families were intercepted crossing into the country, according to data released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Tuesday.

The number of individuals apprehended who crossed the border between ports of entry was 92,607 last month compared to 66,884 in February. The total number of migrants apprehended or deemed inadmissible at a port of entry in March was 103,492.

8,975 unaccompanied children and a record 53,077 family units crossed the border without authorization in March. Border authorities also arrested 30,555 single adults.

The number of those attempting to cross the border, either legally or illegally, dipped slightly at the end of last year, but has spiked since January. President Trump has floated the idea of closing the southern border if Congress and the Mexican government cannot come up with a solution to address the increasing numbers of asylum seekers and other immigrants arriving at the border.

Border Patrol has done an incredible job, but the system is absolutely maxed out, and its a very unfair thing, he said last week.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders added that were at a breaking point, and Democrats have left the president absolutely no choice.

Democrats have long opposed and refused to approve funding in the budget for Trumps proposed concrete border wall. The presidents frustration with the mounting border crisis has reportedly contributed to the exodus of top Department of Homeland Security officials this week.

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Every single time I grow even slightly more optimistic about the state of American polarization and the prospects for true American tolerance, I get disappointed. Every time I think that we could perhaps see the light at the end of the tunnel of the culture wars, Im reminded that its just another oncoming train. And at the risk of saturating readers with analysis of the renewed Chick-fil-A controversy, I think its worth describing why this latest revival of hatred for a chicken restaurant is an ominous harbinger of an even more divisive national cultural debate.

For those few readers who havent followed the latest twists in the chicken wars, after ThinkProgress reported that the Chick-fil-A Foundation donated to the Salvation Army, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and a Christian home for troubled youth, the city council of San Antonio voted to block the restaurant from opening in the San Antonio airport. Shortly thereafter, the concessions vendor for the airport in Buffalo, N.Y., also moved to block Chick-fil-A.

Ive written previously that any government efforts to block Chick-fil-A from opening are flagrantly unconstitutional, but Im actually more concerned about three other aspects of the current controversy. Progressive intolerance is now directed at conventional Christian ministries (not just culture-war organizations), intolerance is driven by the progressive grassroots, and progressive corporations and governments are increasingly on an activist search-and-destroy mission against wrongthink.

First, its worth reflecting on the sheer depth of the intolerance on display. Not one of the offensive organizations supported by Chick-fil-A could fairly be described as a culture-war organization. Theyre standard Christian ministries that serve the poor and minister to young people. They have standard Christian rules of conduct. They are not remotely anti-LGBT but instead advance a different, biblical sexual ethic, one that applies to gay and straight individuals alike.

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There is zero difference between giving to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and giving to, say, a youth ministry at your local Baptist Church. Both organizations have similar conduct rules. Both organizations have similar sexual ethics. Both organizations reach young people in similar ways. Is it now contrary to the values of an American city to award contracts to companies owned by tithing Christians? As the recent controversy surrounding Karen Pences decision to teach at a church school demonstrated, now even engagement with conventional church ministries is problematic. Thats the level of anti-religious animus were dealing with.

Second, the sad reality is that comprehensive anti-religious discrimination is no longer a top-down imposition by a small, secular elite, but rather a grassroots demand from a large segment of the Democratic base. If you look at religious-freedom controversies across the country, rarely will you see any involvement by the federal government. I spent 20 years defending religious liberty in federal courts and only sued the feds once, when they came after Tea Party groups during the Obama administration.

If you spend any time in an American university, a major American corporation, or the governments of Americas deep-blue urban regions, youll find pervasive animus against religiously orthodox Christians. Christians working in those spaces write to me all the time, telling me that they must tightly regulate their speech and tightly control their social media, lest they endanger their careers. That is especially true if they raise any religious objections to any aspect of the sexual revolution  from abortion to gay marriage to debates over gender identity.

And this brings us to the third negative trend. It would be bad enough if this pervasive intolerance were confined to the workspace, but progressive corporations and governments are increasingly using power to attempt to expunge disfavored ideas from the public square. In a recent episode of my friend and colleague Jonah Goldbergs excellent Remnant podcast, we discussed the institutional drive on the Left towards performative wokeness. We essentially defined it as the drive for institutions to aggressively depart from their core, underlying missions for the sake of aggressively advancing social justice.

Apple, for example, is in the tech business, but it also is defining part of its mission in unrelated moral terms  using its immense financial, cultural, and political power to take specific stands against greater legal protections for religious liberty, to take one example. Citibank and Bank of America are using their financial power to advance gun control.

In each case, the woke organization took action well outside its core commercial mission for the purpose of defeating the ideas (and deterring the lawful conduct) of law-abiding customers and fellow citizens. In the government context, performatively woke universities and city councils often go well beyond enforcing valid non-discrimination laws and instead wield their financial power (and their raw police power) like a club, deterring private citizens from participating in the marketplace of ideas for fear of facing government retribution.

Even powerful and wealthy corporations such as Chick-fil-A  supported as it is by an adoring, hungry public  can find it easier to back down than to stand up. It has, in fact, altered its giving patterns under pressure. It turns out that standing up to the triple pressures of increasing intolerance, progressive grassroots anger, and search-and-destroy performative wokeness is hard. But that doesnt mean that intolerance will ultimately triumph, only that bitterness and polarization will deepen. A faith tradition that has thrived for millennia has faced far worse challenges. It faces far worse challenges still, in other parts of the globe. Americas traditional religious believers will not be bullied out of their deepest beliefs.

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Johnny C. Taylor Jr., a human-resources expert, is tackling your questions as part of a series for USA TODAY. Taylor is president and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management, the world's largest HR professional society.

The questions are submitted by readers, and Taylor's answers below have been edited for length and clarity.

Have a question? Do you have an HR or work-related question youd like me to answer? Submit it here.

Question: What do you do when upper management shows no interest in sending employees to training programs, continuing education or conferences or in providing opportunities for advancement? They seem too busy to want to do anything that helps make their employees better or prepares them for a higher level of work.  Anonymous

Johnny C. Taylor Jr.: Brace yourself for my answer because it may not be popular: Your professional development is your responsibility.

My mother always reminded me that knowledge, once acquired, is something no one can take from you. The truth of the matter is, given that employees today switch jobs every three to four years, employees  not employers  stand to benefit the most from career development investment.

With that said, many employers choose to pay for training and career development programs as a way to recruit and retain talented workers. In fact, when we asked HR professionals about recruiting for hard-to-fill positions, more than half said providing training opportunities for employees was the most effective strategy.

So, start by asking your manager specifically what training and development opportunities are available and how you can be considered for them. Be prepared to do some homework in advance so you can offer cost-effective solutions that will benefit you and the company. Keep in mind there are many options, including technology seminars, continuing education classes, community college courses and industry-specific training.

Given that employees today switch jobs every three to four years, employees  not employers  stand to benefit the most from career development investment.

Most people want opportunities for professional development and advancement. Unfortunately, two-thirds of employees are not very satisfied with their employers commitment to their development. The result? When employees are discontented, they often leave and find an employer who does care.

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Workplaces that make an investment in their people are investing in the company and the companys future. I believe it is critical.

Bully boss: What can I do if my boss is a bully?

TV at work: Can worker get written up for changing TV to Fox News?

Finally, keep in mind that some employers might refuse to honor your request for legitimate financial reasons. Outside opportunities such as seminars and conferences might be too costly for the company at the time you ask. If this is the case with your employer, consider internal training opportunities and online classes that can be less costly and just as effective. And who knows, your manager might even offer to mentor you, which would be amazing!

At the end of the day, if professional development is not available or supported, you have choices, including:

 Looking for an employer that does believe in and is committed to professional development; or

 Developing your own plan at your expense and asking your manager for time away from the office to attend.

Remember, this is about your career, your development and what's right for you.

Q: A company requires employees to wear personal protection equipment  aprons, gloves, hairnets, etc. It charges each employee $6 a week for the laundry of aprons. I thought OSHA guidelines said maintenance of personal protection equipment is to be paid by the company. Is the $24-a-month laundry charge to employees legal?  Patrick

Taylor: Generally, it would be illegal for an employer to require an employee to pay for the maintenance of personal protection equipment (PPE). But before assuming the employer is mishandling this situation, three questions must be answered.

First, is the apron, for example, really PPE?

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), an item is PPE if it protects employees from job-related injuries, illnesses and fatalities  and if it meets OSHA standards.

A rubber apron that protects an employee from chemical spills would be considered PPE, for example. But an apron used solely for keeping clothes clean would not.

If an apron qualifies as PPE, an employer is required to provide it, cover the cost and maintain it. Additionally, an employer is responsible for replacing worn or damaged items and training workers on how to care for them.

Second, what does the laundry expense entail? Regular, basic care and cleaning of PPE  such as machine washing and drying an apron  usually can be the employees responsibility. But when care and cleaning require greater attention and expense, such as professional dry cleaning, the extra cost and care fall to the employer.

Finally, is the fee a required charge or a service provided as a convenience? If the employer is providing a service for employees to have their aprons cleaned voluntarily (often at a discount from a business vendor), it is usually acceptable for an employer to collect a regular fee, but not to mandate one.

When dealing with PPE, businesses must consider state law requirements in addition to federal guidelines.

Some employers cover the reasonable costs of maintaining PPE as an employee benefit, especially when the item is required. This ensures the equipment is being treated properly and shows the employers commitment to cleanliness and safety standards.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is responsible for professional development? Ask HR
TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps, designated a "foreign terrorist organisation" by the United States, is an ideological military force with influence extending into politics and business.

Formed shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the Guards answer to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and boast their own ground, naval and air forces.

Working in parallel to the regular army, the corps' mission is to "guard the revolution and its achievements" as well as "to realise holy ideals and to propagate the rule of God's law".

"Their objective is not the promotion of largely secular traditional Iranian nationalism but to promote the religious ideology incarnated in the Islamic republic," said Clement Therme, research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).

- Overseas activities -

In the 1980-1988 war with Saddam Hussein's Iraq, many tens of thousands of its members died in battle defending their country.

In recent years the Guards have paid with their blood as they have been involved in "fighting terrorism" in Iraq and Syria, officially acting as "military advisors".

The activities abroad of their elite Quds force -- headed by Major General Qasem Soleimani -- have drawn accusations of dangerous meddling from Washington and its regional allies.

But Iran insists it is an example of regional cooperation aimed at shoring up stability and blocking Western interference.

Estimated to be around 125,000 strong by the IISS, the Guards have faced censure from the US over their role in Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

A branch of the corps is in charge of the country's ballistic missiles, and the force also controls the Basij paramilitary volunteer force.

Its naval arm, estimated to be more than 20,000 strong, is charged with the defence and security of the Gulf, including the strategic Straits of Hormuz.

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The current overall commander of the Guards is Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari.

- Business and politics -

Over the decades the Guards' influence has expanded well beyond military affairs and into politics and the economy as they became a powerhouse within Iran's complex ruling structure.

Former cadres entered most branches of power and its construction arm grew into one of the country's top contractors with projects ranging from petroleum to mining.

Many ministers and members of parliament, including current speaker Ali Larijani, served in the corps before entering politics.

The Revolutionary Guards have at times defied sitting presidents.

Reformist Mohammad Khatami was confronted by its tanks when he attended the inauguration of Tehran's international airport in 2004 following a disagreement over control of the facility.

In another incident Khatami received a letter from prominent Guards generals warning "patience is ending" over his policy of social freedoms and detente with the West.

Ultra-conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, his successor and greatly admired by the Guards to begin with, increasingly distanced himself from them as he claimed they were encroaching on his authority.

The trend has continued with the moderate incumbent Hassan Rouhani, who has publicly both criticised and in turn been criticised by the Guards.

Rouhani has tried unsuccessfully to curb the Guards' economic activities, sparking public rows.

But the president was still quick to leap to their defence against Monday's terrorism designation by the US, hailing them for fighting "terrorism".
By Parisa Hafezi DUBAI/LONDON (Reuters) - Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the United States had made "a vicious move" in designating the Revolutionary Guards as a foreign terrorist organization, and Tehran vowed to take action against U.S. forces in the region. "They wish to plot against our Sepah (the Guard corps) ... it is in the front line of confronting enemies of our (1979 Islamic) revolution and has always defended the country ... America has failed to block our advances," Khamenei, who controls the Guards, was quoted as saying by the state media. "In spite of all the pressure over the past 40 years, Americans have failed to do a damn thing and their vicious move will bear no fruit," Khameni said, a day after a decision by U.S. President Donald Trump that is likely to raise tensions in the Middle East. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also defended the corps as protectors of Iran, saying in a televised speech that the United States "holds a grudge" against the Guards who have "sacrificed their lives to protect our people, our revolution". Comprising an estimated 125,000-strong military with army, navy and air units, the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) also command the Basij, a religious volunteer paramilitary force, and control Iran's ballistic missile programs. The Guards' overseas Quds forces have fought Iran's proxy wars in the region. The United States has already blacklisted dozens of entities and people for affiliations with the Guards, but not the organization as a whole. The IRGC commander dismissed Washington's decision and said the Guards would upgrade their military capabilities. "This U.S. move was quite laughable since the Revolutionary Guards are in people's hearts ... The Revolutionary Guards will increase their defensive and offensive capabilities in the coming year," Mohammad Ali Jafari was quoted as saying by the state broadcaster. The long-tense relations between Tehran and Washington took a turn for the worse last May when Trump pulled out of a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, reached before he took office, and reimposed sanctions. Tehran retaliated by naming the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) as a terrorist organization and the U.S. government as a sponsor of terror. The Iranian Armed Forces' general staff, Iran's most senior military body which also oversees the IRGC, said it would "use all its means to fight" against CENTCOM, and a Guards commander on Tuesday warned the U.S. Navy to keep its distance. "Mr Trump, tell your warships not to pass near the Revolutionary Guards boats," ISNA news agency reported a tweet from Mohsen Rezaei as saying. Saudi Arabia, Iran's arch regional rival and a Washington ally, welcomed the U.S. action on Tuesday but Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said it "could have negative repercussions on Iraq and the region". Abdul Mahdi, speaking to reporters, said Baghdad had tried to head off Trump's decision and added that Iraq would do all it could to bring calm to the region since it maintained good relations with both Tehran and Washington. Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan told Fox News on Tuesday that listing the IGRC as a terrorist group was a policy decision by the administration and was meant to have "non-military effects," such as pressuring the Iranian economy. "Were going to continue to work in Iraq to strengthen security forces. We recognize Iraqs sovereignty. Its our role in-country to build security and well continue to do that," Shanahan said. Turkey, a NATO ally of the United States, was also critical. "Such decisions will lead to instability in our region and once you start stepping outside international law, it is unpredictable where it will stop," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a press conference in Istanbul. For its part, France called for steps to avoid any escalation of tensions in the Middle East. Revolutionary Guards commanders have repeatedly said that U.S. bases in the Middle East and U.S. aircraft carriers in the Gulf are within range of Iranian missiles. Tehran has also threatened to disrupt oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf if the United States tries to strangle Iran's economy by halting its oil exports. 'OUR PATIENCE HAS LIMITS' In a show of support, Iranian lawmakers wore Guards uniforms to parliament on Tuesday, chanting "Death to America as Iran marked the annual National Day of the Revolutionary Guards, the semi-official Fars news agency reported. "America's decision to label the Guards as a terrorist group was the peak of stupidity and ignorance of the American leadership," Fars quoted parliament speaker Ali Larijani as saying. Iran has so far continued to comply with the nuclear deal, but its clerical rulers have threatened to withdraw from it and to resume the suspended Iranian uranium enrichment program if other signatories to the pact fail to protect Iran's interests. "I am telling you (American leaders), if you pressure us, we will mass-produce IR8 advanced centrifuges," Rouhani said in the speech marking Iran's National Nuclear Day. Under the nuclear deal, sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union and United Nations were lifted in return for Iran agreeing long-term curbs on a nuclear program the West suspected was geared to developing an atom bomb. The Trump administration says the nuclear deal did not do enough to curb Iranian meddling in regional affairs or restrict its development of ballistic missiles. Tehran has stated its determination to expand the missile program despite mounting U.S. pressure to curb it. Co-signatories Britain, France and Germany are trying to salvage the nuclear deal and set up in January a mechanism to allow trade with Tehran and circumvent U.S. sanctions. (Additional reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin in London, Lisa Barrington in Dubai, Sudip Kar-Gupta in Paris, Ahmed Rasheed in Baghdad, Sarah Dadouch in Istanbul and Idrees Ali in Washington; Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Grant McCool)
Kampala (AFP) - A Saudi tourist drowned after he slipped and fell into the River Nile while apparently attempting to take a selfie, police said Tuesday.

"The Saudi national was on a tour on Uganda. He drowned as he was taking a selfie on the River Nile and the water swept him away," Uganda police spokeswoman Hellen Butoto told AFP.

"The body has been recovered by the police marine unit and taken for post-mortem."

The tourist was with a group of friends visiting Kalagala Falls in central Uganda, a popular spot whose raging rapids are popular among kayakers, when the accident happened on Saturday.

"The tourist slipped because the surface is wet and he had leaned backwards to take a selfie of fast-running water in the background," said Butoto.

She said his body was recovered some 10 kilometres (six miles) away on Tuesday.

A study by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in 2018 found there had been 259 selfie deaths around the world over the previous six years.

The highest toll was in India, followed by Russia, United States and Pakistan.
The day after Sears announced three new small-format stores would open in May, the company made a move to reclaim full ownership of part of the company it spun off in 2012.

Illinois-based Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores announced Monday that it received a proposal Friday from its largest shareholder and Sears Holdings chairman Eddie Lampert's hedge fund ESL Investments to purchase the remaining shares of the company for $2.25 per share.

Lampert, ESL and its affiliates have a nearly 59% stake in the business, according to records Sears Hometown filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The ownership offer is estimated at $21 million and a 23.6% premium, Lampert wrote in a letter to the Sears Hometown board of directors.

The start of a new Sears era?: The retailer announces openings, not closings

Store closings 2019: Payless, Gymboree and Victoria's Secret are just some of the brands closing stores

"We believe our proposal, which will provide certain value and liquidity at a considerable premium to the market price, presents a superior outcome for the Companys stockholders as compared to the uncertain outcomes facing the Company if it continues on its current path as a stand-alone company," Lampert wrote.

The transaction would be financed with "cash or loans from ESL and our other members," Lampert said.

Lampert said ESL intended to proceed only if the full board approved the proposal "upon the recommendation of the special committee of independent directors that we understand has been formed to consider any proposal from us."

In a statement on Monday, Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores said "the special committee concluded that a transaction on the terms contemplated by the Proposal would not be in the best interests of the Company's unaffiliated stockholders."

But, the statement said, "The parties are continuing discussions regarding potential transactions between the parties."

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Sears has closed more than 3,500 stores and cut about 250,000 jobs in roughly the last 15 years as sales cratered, leading to the company's Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing last October.

The company was on the brink of liquidation, but Lamperts hedge fund made a $5.2 billion offer for the company that was approved by a federal bankruptcy judge in February. About 425 stores and 45,000 employees were transferred to ESL.

Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores  which had 677 locations, including independent dealers and franchisees as of Feb. 2  has been facing collateral damage from Octobers Chapter 11 bankruptcy of the Sears department store chain.

If a deal were to happen in the future, it might reduce costs and extract short term gains, said Neil Saunders, managing director of retail consultancy GlobalData.

"From a brand consistency perspective, there is some logic in Eddie Lampert and his fund taking back control of Sears Hometown and Outlet," Saunders said. "However, the move does very little to guarantee future success. It just creates a larger entity with a lot of unresolved problems."

Follow USA TODAY reporter Kelly Tyko on Twitter: @KellyTyko

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sears Hometown & Outlet: Lampert offers $21 million for full control
The government of Chad, which currently supplies just 4% of its population with electricity, continues to explore off-grid solutions to power its 14 million population.

After it signed an agreement with Dubai energy company Amea Power to build a 120 MW solar farm earlier this year, the sub-Saharan nation has inked another MoU with FinLux Ellen, a company specializing in solar energy to multiply the number of plants in the country.

The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the USA governments development finance institution, has committed $10mn to support the introduction of off-grid solar kits and appliances in Chad.

The money will enable FinLux Ellen to deploy its project to market solar home kits and install off-grid systems in the central African nation.

The operation will be carried out through Alternaprod Tchad, the new Chadian subsidiary of FinLux Ellen.

According to OPICs CEO, promoting access to electricity is one of the most effective ways to empower people, improve their lives and promote economic growth.

The 10-million funding from OPIC is part of the Power Africa project, launched by former US President Barack Obama to promote access to electricity and the development of renewable energy.

The solar kits and appliances that FinLux is distributing in Chad are based on a battery produced in New York State and adapted for rural electrification in Sub-Saharan Africa.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham flatly rejected on Tuesday President Donald Trump's request to slash the budget for the U.S. State Department by more than 23 percent. That proposal "ain't happening," Graham, chairman of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that oversees the State Department, declared at the opening of the hearing with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Senator Patrick Leahy, the top subcommittee Democrat, said the administration has proposed "damaging funding cuts, with little to no logical explanation." The Trump administration requested about $40 billion to fund the State Department and its aid arm, the United States Agency for International Development, for the fiscal year starting in October. Pompeo noted the hearing comes days before his first anniversary as Trump's second secretary of state. Graham joked that Pompeo was the longest-serving member of Trump's cabinet, referring to the high turnover of senior-level staff at the White House. Pompeo smiled but did not reply. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen stepped down this week in the latest high-profile resignation, and Trump said on Monday he would replace the head of the U.S. Secret Service. Democrats and Republicans in the House of Representatives have also said they will reject the proposed cuts to the budget, setting the stage for a budget battle with the White House. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle and Lesley Wroughton in Washington; Editing by James Dalgleish)
Paris (AFP) - Lisa Harding jokes that she is going to choose a "nice cheery subject" for her next book before admitting that it is actually about children coping with alcoholic parents.

But if it gets anything like the acclaim of her debut novel, "Harvesting", a heart-wrenching yet utterly gripping account of two sex trafficked teenage girls, her publishers will be more than happy.

"Harvesting" has been hailed as "shockingly good" by the Irish writer Roddy Doyle -- the author of "The Van" and "The Commitments" -- a "brilliantly written... thought-provoking, anger-provoking, guilt-provoking" kick to the collective conscience.

The Irish First Lady Sabina Coyne Higgins was so moved by it that she put pen to paper to urge people to read it.

"This wonderful book records a hidden world of horror and pain that is hard to believe exists, but which sadly is a stark reality for so many."

Harding, an actress best known for her part in the Irish television soap "Fair City", tells the story of two young girls who are "tricked, cajoled and forced" into prostitution, using alternating first-person narratives.

She used real testimonies from trafficked 13- to 15-year-olds to "get into their heads", working with NGOs in Ireland and Moldova to build up a realistic picture of the girls and give "them back the voice they had been robbed of".

Sammy is an off-the-rails middle-class Irish teenager while Nico is a studious Moldovan child who is sold into marriage by her father at 12 before being trafficked through Europe to Ireland.

- 'Industrial scale' -

"People might find it difficult to believe that this kind of cruelty is going on on such an industrial scale, but it is happening and we are doing precious little about it," Harding told AFP in Paris as the book was published in French.

The girls end up being held in a house on a Dublin "ghost estate" left unfinished when the Irish property boom collapsed.

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It's an apt metaphor of the dark side of capitalism that Harding said was "very deliberate".

Sex trafficking is an enormous and growing global business making more than $100 billion a year on the pain of its victims, she said.

"When the authorities pull in a car full of girls usually they are too afraid to speak, afraid for themselves and for their families back home," she said.

"If it was a car full of drugs or arms it would be different -- the traffickers would go down.

"So it's a low-risk high-profit business, and the legislation as it stands across Europe is not looking after the most vulnerable," the author insisted.

While countries like France and Ireland have adopted the Nordic model of prosecuting the clients rather than prostitutes, Harding insisted there was a "lack of will to implement the law or to really take on trafficking."

For Harding, whose eyes were opened to the trade when she was asked to take part in an anti-trafficking campaign, change will only come when the women's suffering stops being swept under the carpet.

"Prostitutes in fiction are usually an object, a murder victim or 'Pretty Woman' figure. These girls have no voice. Nobody wants to know because it is too hard."

- 'Utterly silenced' -

Even the #MeToo movement has failed them, she argued.

"I don't think it is giving a voice to trafficked women. This is the utter silencing of people."

In the book, the two girls create a bubble in which "they hold onto a precious core of themselves" to survive the daily dehumanising horror they have to go through.

It is a coping strategy used by many trauma victims the writer found in the course of her research.

"There is lightness, humour and love in the book that people may not think possible," Harding said.

"I veer away from anything sensational or graphic, you stay with them and their unlikely friendship."

Indeed, several publishers rejected the novel "because they thought the subject was impossible to market, that it would be too difficult to get people to pick up."

But since it started winning awards it has been picked up for the big screen by the director of the hit British television comedy series, "Derry Girls".

Harding believes that getting into men's heads is the only way to tackle trafficking.

"It has to start early, you have to talk to young guys at school who are growing up with porn and getting inured to the idea of transactional sex," she said.

An experiment carried out by the Irish NGO Ruhama last year, using a fake prostitute advert, found very few clients were concerned when they found out that the woman was trafficked.

"No one tried to help her," Harding said. "The best one guy managed was saying, 'You'd better get yourself home.'"
New York (AFP) - Standard Chartered will pay $1.1 billion to settle charges it processed transactions that violated US sanctions on Iran and flouted anti-money laundering requirements, US and British regulators announced Tuesday.

The British bank moved through hundreds of millions of dollars of US transactions from Iran and other sanctioned countries, said US Treasury officials, who were joined in the action by other federal and state agencies.

Britain's Financial Conduct Authority -- which worked with the US bodies -- punished the bank for doing little to detect and counter the laundering of funds that may have come from crimes or which could have been used to finance terrorism.

"Standard Chartered's oversight of its financial crime controls was narrow, slow and reactive," said FCA Director of Enforcement and Market Oversight Mark Steward, who said the fine would have been "even higher" if the bank had not cooperated with the probes.

The British portion of the fine amounted to 102.2 million ($133.7 million).

A statement from the bank described the violations as "historical," adding that the "vast majority" of the problems predated 2012 and that none occurred since 2014.

"The circumstances that led to today's resolutions are completely unacceptable and not representative of the Standard Chartered I am proud to lead today," said Standard Chartered Group Chief Executive Bill Winters.

"Fighting financial crime is central to what we do and who we are; we do not tolerate misconduct or lax controls and we will continue to root out any issues that threaten the trust we have built over more than 160 years."

- Blindly accepting deposits? -

The FCA listed a number of flagrant instances in which the bank's money laundering controls fell short.

In one case, the Dubai branch opened an account for a customer with 3 million UAE Dirham ($815,000) in cash, apparently without investigating the source of the funds.

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The bank also did not sufficiently question a customer who exported a commercial product with potential military application to 75 countries, including two that had armed conflicts or where conflict was likely, the FCA said.

The penalties also cover some $600 million in US transactions from 2008 to 2014 that originated at Standard Chartered's London and Dubai offices and went through its US branch, the New York State Department of Financial Services said in a statement.

US regulators said a majority of the problem transactions violated US sanctions on Iran, with a smaller number involving Syria, Sudan, Cuba and Burma.

The US Treasury Department said the agreement requires the bank to conduct regular risk assessments and provide ongoing sanctions compliance training.

Other US bodies joining the agreement included the Federal Reserve and the Department of Justice, which extended a previously-written deferred prosecution agreement with the bank for two years.

"Global financial institutions serve as the first line of defense against money laundering and the financing of terrorist activities and those that fail to foster a strong compliance culture will be held accountable," said Linda Lacewell, acting superintendent of the New York agency.
Private citizens should not be subjected to government harassment for supporting causes they believe in, and charities should not have to worry about their funding drying up because donors fear reprisals. Yet many policy pundits on the left, and even a few on the right, have been doing all they can to convince lawmakers across the country that the government has a compelling interest in knowing to whom you give your after-tax money. In using popular language such as dark money and transparency, the Left really means that it wants to know who funds its opposition, so it can bring pressure to bear and suppress its opponents speech with coercion and threats.

Its no surprise that in blue states, including California, New York, Delaware, and New Mexico, the government is compelling 501(c) charities to disclose information about their donors. In recent years, some red states, too, including South Dakota, Utah, Alabama, and South Carolina, have also proposed legislation or regulation that would strip away donor privacy for charitable organizations, in the name of good government.

While transparency is what citizens require of their government, privacy is the constitutional right afforded to citizens. Conflating public requirements and private rights is clever but disingenuous. We should not allow proponents, from the Left or the Right, to get away with such sophistry.

In the Federalist Papers, a collection of 85 essays promoting the adoption of the United States Constitution, written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in 178788, the three founders used the pseudonym Publius. They did so because to advocate for something as radical and controversial as that revolutionary document was dangerous. Not everyone in power in 18th-century America agreed with these ideas.

The same was true of the supporters of the NAACP in the 1950s, when it was advocating for equal rights for every American. During those tumultuous times, many people of public influence and power were demanding to know the names of members or supporters of the NAACP. In NAACP v. Alabama (1958), Justice John Harlan II outlined the practical effects of compelling organizations to disclose their donor lists: It exposed them to economic reprisals, loss of employment, threat of physical coercion, and other manifestations of physical hostilities.

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Now imagine a person today who loses his job when his climate-zealot boss finds out that he gives money to a charity that opposes the Green New Deal. Or imagine the symphony director in a major city who is publicly shamed and harassed because he dared give to a charity that supports requiring people to use the public restroom that corresponds with their biological sex. Or how about an actual case in California, where the director of the Los Angeles Film Festival was forced to resign because he supported Proposition 8, the controversial rejection of same-sex marriage. California has been a proponent of forced disclosure of donor information for years, claiming that the information would be safe in the states hands. Yet Kamala Harris, the former California attorney general and now a U.S. senator and presidential hopeful, inadvertently allowed the names of donors to roughly 1,700 non-profits to be posted on a government website.

Nadine Strossen, a New York University law professor and former president of the American Civil Liberties Union, is a strong advocate of donor privacy. Individuals should be able to join and support organizations without having their names and other private information disclosed, she argues. These rights remain essential today for the ongoing advocacy of civil-society groups across the ideological spectrum.

Mississippi, where I live and work, has now become the second state, joining Arizona, to protect the privacy of non-profit donors. Governor Phil Bryant signed House Bill 1205 into law at the close of the legislative session last month. The bill codifies a long-standing practice of barring the government from demanding or releasing publicly the personal information of donors to 501(c) non-profits. At a time when partisanship seems to reign, the publication of personal information can expose citizens to intimidation and harassment from those who want to shut down speech with which they disagree. Fortunately, two states  and may others follow  have taken steps to ensure the fundamental American right of donor privacy.

In recent years, charitable donations have been weaponized by certain groups against individuals to punish donors whose political beliefs differ from their own, Governor Bryant said at the signing of the bill. I was pleased to sign HB 1205, which protects free-speech rights of Mississippians who make charitable donations. Lets hope more governors and state legislatures follow suit.

More from National Review
Washington (AFP) - Stephen Miller may have been denounced by fellow Republicans and his own family, but the White House anti-immigration ideologue has the one ear that counts: President Donald Trump's.

Miller's influence was clear this week with the sweeping shakeup of the Department of Homeland Security, including the ouster of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, amid Trump's frustration at its failure to halt hundreds of thousands of Central American migrants from entering the country.

The 33-year-old, self-avowed political provocateur now finds himself in charge of delivering on Trump's promise to stem uncontrolled immigration -- legal and illegal -- by whatever means available.

That could entail considering legally-problematic measures like ending asylum or restarting forcible separations of migrant families, according to reports, although Trump said Tuesday he is not considering returning to the contentious practice.

Equally controversially, it could also mean the eventual construction of the multi-billion-dollar southern border wall that was central to Trump's campaign, using Pentagon funds earmarked for other projects.

- From liberal family to far right -

The hard-charging, consciously controversial, ever argumentative Miller has bonded closely with Trump over their shared opposition to immigration.

Raised in a liberal Jewish family in cosmopolitan Los Angeles, he turned sharply against immigration and multiculturalism as a high school teen.

He developed a core conviction that refugees and other immigrants threaten American culture and, as a rule, align with liberal Democrats.

As a political science student at Duke University he was a polemicist and a firebrand, attacking Hispanics, Muslims, feminists and anyone tied to Democrats to spark anger and debate.

He associated with leaders of the budding white supremacy movement -- though he has kept a physical, if not ideological distance from the movement.

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As a congressional staffer he made his mark in 2013, helping mastermind the defeat of a bipartisan Democrat-Republican immigration bill that would have, with substantial public support, opened a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants who had been in the US for years and even decades.

- Presidential campaign -

That success made him a valuable addition to Trump's presidential campaign in 2016.

Trump made shutting down the US borders a central promise of his candidacy, and Miller, as speechwriter and sometimes warmup act for Trump on the campaign trail, fell into the position of crafting the details.

They were a good fit: like Trump, Miller takes pride in rhetorical bomb-throwing, trolling the left -- what he calls generating "constructive controversy."

When Trump took office, Miller helped design a ban on Muslim arrivals -- a move that was ruled illegal in courts several times, until it was forcibly recast.

And he provided Trump the arguments for a campaign to lock out the Guatemalans, Hondurans and Salvadorans crossing the southern border -- arguing that they are made up of rapists, murderers, human and drug traffickers and gang members.

"Thousands of Americans die year after year after year because of threats crossing our southern border," Miller says.

Although such arguments are often contradicted by evidence, he is an absolutist on the border.

"You cannot conceive of a nation without a strong, secure border," he said in an interview earlier this year.

"It is fundamental and essential to the idea of sovereignty and national survival to have control over who enters and doesn't enter the country."

- Unpopular across party lines -

Miller doesn't try hard to convince others of his views. He has just one audience: Trump, whom he has called a "political genius."

His sway over his boss was already evident in January 2018, when he persuaded the president to renege on signing bipartisan immigration legislation.

Republicans lashed out at Miller directly for killing a painstakingly-crafted deal.

"As long as Stephen Miller is in charge of negotiating immigration, we are going nowhere. He's been an outlier for years," Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, has said.

His stance has made the slim, prematurely balding Miller an unpopular figure in deeply liberal Washington, where he has been verbally assailed in restaurants.

After one bartender made a nasty gesture at him, the Washington Post wrote, Miller threw out $80 worth of sushi takeout because he feared it had been tainted.

More seriously, his stance had earned him the ire of his own family and the Jewish community.

His uncle David Glosser wrote last year of "dismay and increasing horror" over Miller's immigration views, which "repudiate the very foundation of our family's life in this country."

Miller is descended from refugees who arrived in the US in 1903 after fleeing violent anti-Jewish pogroms in what is now Belarus.

"Honestly, Mr Miller, you've set back the Jewish contribution to making the world spiritually whole," childhood rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels said in a sermon last year, "through your arbitrary division of these desperate people."
WASHINGTON  Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin scolded Democrats on Tuesday about their request for copies of President Donald Trumps tax returns, saying they ought to be glad Republicans didnt do the same.

House Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard Neal (D-Mass.) asked the Internal Revenue Service for six years of Trumps personal and business returns last week. By law, the treasury secretary, who oversees the IRS, is supposed to hand over the documents.

Mnuchin declined to say if he would do so but suggested the request was out of line since Trump won the election in 2016 and had already disclosed some information about his personal finances.

I am sure there are many prominent Democrats who are relieved that when [Texas Republican] Kevin Brady was the chairman of the committee, he didnt request specific returns, Mnuchin told Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) during a hearing on Treasurys budget.

Quigley pointed out that President Barack Obama voluntarily disclosed his tax returns each year.

I was referring to other members of Congress, prominent Democratic people who may support people, ordinary taxpayers, Mnuchin said.

Brady chaired Ways and Means until Democrats took control of the House of Representatives and its committees this year. Mnuchin is correct that during his chairmanship, Brady did not ask the Treasury Department for anyones tax returns, which is something tax committee chairs are allowed to do under a long-standing provision of the tax code.

But a previous Republican Ways and Means chairman did use his return-getting powers in 2014 when Republicans obtained and published private tax information relating to dozens of conservative and liberal nonprofit groups seeking recognition of their tax-exempt status from the IRS. Republicans said the information showed the IRS unfairly targeted conservative groups for audits.

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Rep. Tom Graves (R-Ga.) acted as though Republicans would never have done such a thing.

We all know this is a political stunt by the new majority who just couldnt wait to get a gavel and scour through all the rules of the Ways and Means Committee into how they might use their political power and influence to retaliate against a political opponent, Graves said.

Trump used to say he had no problem releasing his tax information, as every president has done since Richard Nixon, but he refused to do so once he assumed office.

Democrats have given the IRS until Wednesday to respond to their request.
Dogs provide us with unconditional love and support, remind us to be grateful and present, and keep us walking and healthy well into our golden years. But it turns out, theres another skill dogs have that can improve our lives tremendously. New research presented at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biologys annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, suggests that dogs highly evolved sense of smell can identify cancer in blood samples with about 97 percent accuracy.

Whereas humans only possess six million smell receptors in their noses, dogs have 300 million, which means theyre about 10,000 times better at detecting odors than humans. To conduct this new research, Heather Junqueira, the lead researcher at BioScentDx, and her colleagues used a form of clicker training to teach four beagles to distinguish between the blood samples of healthy patients and those with malignant lung cancer. Although one of the beagles was unmotivated to take part in the experiment, the other three managed to correctly identify the lung cancer samples 96.7 percent of the time and the normal samples 97.5 percent of the time.

This work is very exciting because it paves the way for further research along two paths, both of which could lead to new cancer-detection tools, Junqueira said. One is using canine scent detection as a screening method for cancers, and the other would be to determine the biologic compounds the dogs detect and then design cancer-screening tests based on those compounds.

The new study builds upon previous research, including a 2017 study that found a trained golden retriever and pitbull mix could identify the presence of lung cancer through breath samples with an extremely high accuracy rate. Prior to that, there was a 2013 study that found that trained dogs could detect breast cancer through blood samples 97 percent of the time. Then theres the 2011 study involving a black lab named Marine who was 97 percent accurate in detecting colon cancer among loose stool samples, which made her success rate even higher than the tests doctors do.

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In many of these studies, what was especially impressive was the fact that the dogs could detect cancer while it was still in its very early stages, which could make them even more useful than lab testing when it comes to detection. Although there is currently no cure for cancer, early detection offers the best hope of survival, Junqueira said. A highly sensitive test for detecting cancer could potentially save thousands of lives and change the way the disease is treated.

And cancer isnt the only disease that dogs can assist in detecting. For more on this, check out this new study about how dogs can smell seizures before they start.

To discover more amazing secrets about living your best life, click here to follow us on Instagram!
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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, we'll use ROE to better understand Summit Therapeutics plc (LON:SUMM).

Our data shows Summit Therapeutics has a return on equity of 18% for the last year. Another way to think of that is that for every 1 worth of equity in the company, it was able to earn 0.18.

See our latest analysis for Summit Therapeutics

How Do I Calculate Return On Equity?

The formula for return on equity is:

Return on Equity = Net Profit  Shareholders' Equity

Or for Summit Therapeutics:

18% = UK7.5m  UK43m (Based on the trailing twelve months to January 2019.)

Most readers would understand what net profit is, but its worth explaining the concept of shareholders equity. It is the capital paid in by shareholders, plus any retained earnings. You can calculate shareholders' equity by subtracting the company's total liabilities from its total assets.

What Does Return On Equity Mean?

ROE measures a company's profitability against the profit it retains, and any outside investments. 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 Summit Therapeutics Have A Good Return On Equity?

By comparing a company's ROE with its industry average, we can get a quick measure of how good it is. Importantly, this is far from a perfect measure, because companies differ significantly within the same industry classification. You can see in the graphic below that Summit Therapeutics has an ROE that is fairly close to the average for the Biotechs industry (18%).

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AIM:SUMM Past Revenue and Net Income, April 9th 2019

That's not overly surprising. ROE doesn't tell us if the share price is low, but it can inform us to the nature of the business. For those looking for a bargain, other factors may be more important. If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

The Importance Of Debt To Return On Equity

Companies usually need to invest money to grow their profits. The cash for investment can come from prior year profits (retained earnings), issuing new shares, or borrowing. In the case of the first and second options, the ROE will reflect this use of cash, for growth. In the latter case, the use of debt will improve the returns, but will not change the equity. In this manner the use of debt will boost ROE, even though the core economics of the business stay the same.

Summit Therapeutics's Debt And Its 18% ROE

Summit Therapeutics is free of net debt, which is a positive for shareholders. Its ROE already suggests it is a good business, but the fact it has achieved this -- and doesn't borrowings -- makes it worthy of further consideration, in my view. After all, with cash on the balance sheet, a company has a lot more optionality in good times and bad.

In Summary

Return on equity is useful for comparing the quality of different businesses. Companies that can achieve high returns on equity without too much debt are generally of good quality. If two companies have the same ROE, then I would generally prefer the one with less debt.

Having said that, while ROE is a useful indicator of business quality, you'll have to look at a whole range of factors to determine the right price to buy a stock. It is important to consider other factors, such as future profit growth -- and how much investment is required going forward. So I think it may be worth checking this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

If you would prefer check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.



If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
WASHINGTON  The war of increasingly personal words between Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg and Vice President Mike Pence's defenders escalated Tuesday as Republicans accused Buttigieg of trying to raise his profile through unhinged, mean-spirited attacks that are a complete reversal of the relationship the pair had when Pence was Indianas governor.

Republicans, including the vice presidents spokeswoman, distributed positive comments that Pence previously made about Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana.

Since some are asking: the last time we recall Pence even mentioned @PeteButtigieg was in 2015, after news that Pete came out, Pence said: I hold Mayor Buttigieg in the highest personal regard. I see him as a dedicated public servant and a patriot, tweeted spokeswoman Alyssa Farah.

In a rebuke retweeted by Pences daughter Charlotte, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro said Buttigieg is not pushing back honestly against Pences policies. Rather, You have maligned his religious beliefs and character, Shapiro tweeted.

And while Pence hasn't commented, his wife said Tuesday that people shouldn't be attacked for their religious beliefs.

"I dont think the vice president does have a problem with him," Karen Pence added on Fox News host Brian Kilmeade's radio show. "But I think its helping Pete to get some notoriety by saying that about the vice president."

Buttigieg has previously made a distinction between Pences views on homosexuality and his treatment of people, which he did again on Twitter Tuesday in an apparent response to the GOP criticism.

People will often be polite to you in person, while advancing policies that harm you and your family, he tweeted. You will be polite to them in turn, but you need not stand for such harms. Instead, you push back, honestly and emphatically. So it goes, in the public square.

The escalation came two days after Buttigieg made headlines by saying in a speech Sunday that he wishes the Mike Pences of the world would understand that he didnt chose to be gay.

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That if you have a problem with who I am, your problem is not with me. Your quarrel, sir, is with my creator, Buttigieg said at a fundraising brunch for a group that supports LGBTQ candidates.

The remarks were the most personal that Buttigieg has made about Pence. But the candidate, who is expected to make his presidential bid official on Sunday, has previously described Pences views as fanatical.

He has also said Pence embarrassed Indiana with his support for a religious freedom law that critics viewed as a license to discriminate against gay people.

And Buttigieg has questioned how an evangelical Christian like Pence could allow himself to become the cheerleader of the porn star presidency.

In a dig at both Pence and President Donald Trump, Buttigieg likes to say that he has more years of experience in government than Trump, more years of executive experience than Pence, and more military experience than the two of them put together.

In an interview with USA TODAY last month, Buttigieg said his frequent references to Pence were more a media phenomenon.

Im from Indiana so its natural that the question comes up, he said. Frankly, I think the less this election is about the president or the vice president, the better, because theyre going to come and go. And the problems that, in my view, produced their presidency is going to remain, unless were dealing with the root causes of a very chaotic and disaffected time for the American voting public.

Republicans, however, accuse Buttigieg of attacking Pence to raise his own profile.

After years of maintaining a positive, working relationship with Vice President Pence, Buttigieg has decided that its now more politically expedient for him to drag that relationship through the mud with personal attacks," Kyle Hupfer, chairman of the Indiana Republican Party, said in a statement.

In an email to supporters, the state GOP asked backers to #StandWithMike.

"Would you be willing to post your support for Vice President Pence on your social media account?" Hupfer asked.

Buttigieg devotes a chapter to Pence in his best-selling memoir, Shortest Way Home.

Having known Pences reputation as one of the conservative warriors on Capitol Hill, Buttigieg writes, he was surprised by how affable, even gentle Pence seemed when they first met in 2011 at an event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

After attending Pences gubernatorial inauguration in 2013, Buttiegieg said he caught up to him at a reception and mentioned his eagerness to work together.

He gave a sincere nod and heartily agreed, Buttigieg wrote, and a long and complicated relationship began.

In the book, Buttigieg praised Pence for championing as governor a visionary economic development effort that South Bend took advantage of. He includes Pences return praise of him  words that the Indiana GOP recirculated Tuesday  at an event at a former automobile factory being renovated into a technology center with help from the economic development program.

South Bend, Indiana, is so blessed to have an energetic, innovative, forward-looking, creative mayor in Pete Buttigieg, Pence said.

When Buttigieg, a member of the Naval Reserve, was deployed to Afghanistan in 2014, a noticeably moved Pence called Buttigieg the day he was driving to the base.

A year later, however, Buttigieg was a vocal opponent of the religious freedom bill Pence signed into law, setting off a furor that included a backlash from businesses and prompted Pence and the state legislature to amend the law.

A few months later, Buttigieg came out in a personal essay published in the South Bend Tribune. When a local television station asked Pence for his reaction, he didnt comment on the substance of the piece. Instead, Pence called Buttigieg a dedicated public servant and a patriot  the praise his spokeswoman and wife referred to Tuesday.

"Im just like, 'Pete, did you not like that?'" Karen Pence said on the Fox News radio show. "Because thats what the vice president said about him. Whats the problem with that?"

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tensions flare in 'long and complicated' relationship between Pete Buttigieg and Mike Pence
The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called on Libyan east-based rogue military general Khalifa Haftar to stop his offensive to control capital Tripoli.

The Libyan capital Tripoli has become since late last week the target of Haftars Libyan National Army (LNA) after the military strongman ordered his troops to capture the city, despite UN efforts to unify the factions and rivals through a forum scheduled for 14-15 this month.

Haftars move dealt a blow to UN efforts to unify the country that fell apart following the death of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 in a NATO-backed revolution.

Pompeo in a statement expressed Washingtons concern over the offensive and called for immediate halt of the operation.

We have made clear that we oppose the military offensive by Khalifa Haftars forces on Tripoli. Forces should return to status quo ante positions, The statement reads.

All involved parties have a responsibility to urgently de-escalate the situation, as the UN Security Council and G7 ministers emphasized on April 5. The statement adds.

Pompeo also said the US opposes military intervention and endorses political solution to the Libyan crisis.

There is no military solution to the Libya conflict. This is why the United States continues to press Libyan leaders, together with our international partners, to return to political negotiations mediated by UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General Ghassan Salame, the statement further adds.

Haftars soldiers have confronted the allied forces of the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) to the south of Tripoli in view of controlling the Mitiga International Airport, the unique operational airport near the Libyan capital.

LNA launched Monday airstrikes on the airport that was temporarily closed. However, the airport was partially reopened this Tuesday by the Libyan Civil Aviation Authority.

The Civil Aviation Authority ordered to open the airspace over Mitiga and resume night flights from 7:00 p.m. up to 7:00 a.m. (local time) until further notice, the body said on its Facebook page.

Amidst the deadly clashes, the US military command for Africa, AFRICOM, have temporally withdrawn US troops out of Libya.

In a statement, the US military command, which has worked in close collaboration with the GNA in the fight against terrorist groups, said it was evacuating a contingent of US forces due to unrest in Libya.

We will continue to monitor conditions on the ground and assess the feasibility for renewed US military presence, as appropriate, AFRICOM said.
The Commons approved a Government motion on the Brexit extension request by 420 votes to 110 (PA)

MPs gave their backing to Theresa May to ask the EU to delay Brexit again.

The Commons approved a Government motion on the extension request by 420 votes to 110, majority 310.

The Prime Minister was forced to bring forward the motion under legislation pushed by Labour former minister Yvette Cooper, as part of a parliamentary bid to prevent a no-deal Brexit on April 12  although any extension is subject to the decision of the EU.

80 Conservative MPs did not vote for the motion in protest against the idea of pushing back the Brexit date once again as Brexiteers voiced concerns about the impact of the UK being forced to take part in European elections in May.

The came as the European Union signalled it is likely to offer the UK a final Brexit extension after the 27 EU leaders meet tomorrow.

The EUs chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, said Brussels could amend the Political Declaration on future relations with the UK within a few hours or days to incorporate the customs union arrangement being discussed in cross-party talks between the government and Labour.

It has been reported that Mr Barnier asked the leaders of 27 EU nations to back prime minister Theresa Mays request for a Brexit delay until June 30.

Mr Barnier told a press conference in Luxembourg: The Withdrawal Agreement is not going to be reopened, is not up for negotiation again. That continues to be the case.

The Political Declaration, which will set the framework for future relations, can be improved, we can provide an increased level of ambition if that is the wish of the UK.

These ambitions for the future relationship, which could  for example  consist of adding to the free trade agreement on which we have agreed with the UK already a customs union, a genuine customs union.

We are willing to improve and amend the Political Declaration rapidly, within a few hours or days.

There were signs of resistance in Mrs Mays Cabinet to compromise with Labour, with International Trade Secretary Liam Fox warning that a customs union would leave the UK stuck in the worst of both worlds.

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Theresa May is reportedly considering offering MPs a vote on a second Brexit referendum (Picture: PA)

In a clear sign of opposition to concessions to Labours demands, Dr Fox sent a letter to the chairman of the Tory backbench 1922 Committee setting out in detail his opposition to a post-Brexit customs union.

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The letter, obtained by the Daily Telegraph, warns that such an arrangement would leave the UK unable to set its own trade policy but forced to open its markets to any country with which the EU struck a free trade agreement.

In such a scenario the UK would have a new role in the global trading system  we ourselves would be traded, he told Sir Graham Brady.

As the famous saying in Brussels goes, if you are not at the table, you are on the menu.

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Ohio U.S. Representative Warren Davidson has reintroduced the Token Taxonomy Act to congress, a bill which aims to amend the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to exclude "digital tokens" from the definition of a security. The full bill can be viewed here.

In addition to amending the Securities Act, the bill would also see virtual currencies held in retirement accounts treated in much the same way as bullion for the purposes of taxation. Furthermore, an exchange of one cryptocurrency for another would no longer be considered a taxable event, with crypto to cash transactions under $600 also being tax-exempt.

The bill was originally introduced in 2018, but never reached a vote during the most recent session of Congress. The newly introduced 2019 TTA largely mirrors last year's submission, with the inclusion preempting state laws in the Securities Act of 1933 to include digital tokens and a widened definition of digital tokens.

"The Token Taxonomy Act clarifies when a digital token is a security and when it is not. It largely mirrors the SECs approach to date but creates a sharper line in legislative language that should reduce uncertainty. Coin Center welcomes the introduction of this bill," Coin Center Executive Director Jerry Brito told The Block via email.

While what if any traction the bill gets in Congress remains to be seen, Davidson isn't alone in backing it. U.S. Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL) is also on board, fresh off introducing a bill of his own that would fund an apparatus to go after criminals in crypto. CoinDesk reports that joining Davidson and Soto are Reps. Josh Gottheimer, Tedd Budd, Scott Perry and Tulsi Gabbard, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for president.
TripAdvisor Launches Cruise Metasearch to Tap Into a New Revenue Stream

TripAdvisor upended the hotel sector by persuading travelers to post reviews of their stays online. Now, the company is asking them to look to it first when researching cruise vacations.

After years of collecting ship reviews from avid cruise-goers on CruiseCritic  a forum that TripAdvisor acquired in 2007  the online travel company has amassed a body of such user reviews. The company is using that as a base for TripAdvisor Cruise, a collection of reviews and search tools that it hopes consumers will visit as habitually as many travelers visit the site to read hotel reviews.

The company has begun offering price comparison search for 70,000 cruise itineraries in the U.S and UK. Cruise lines such as Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian are participating as advertisers, as are online travel agencies like Expedia, Cruise.com, and Priceline. They are buying advertisements via the metasearch format that TripAdvisor uses.

TripAdvisor also debuted pages that profile every cruise, even for cruise lines not participating in its metasearch. The so-called Ship-tinerary pages include a mix of content culled from cruise lines and user-generated content, such as reviews and photos, to help consumers research their trips.

Notably, shoppers compare cruise deals by clicking links that send them off to sellers or re-sellers, rather than book while remaining on TripAdvisors interface. The company appeared to be betting that by not competing with cruise operators to own the customer, its new metasearch offering will appeal to cruise operators looking to drive consumers directly to their sites and call centers. Some of the largest cruise companies have profit margins of more than 15 percent and sophisticated advertising operations that, until now, havent yet spent much on TripAdvisor as a platform.

However, the move has risks. Cruise is a complex product that may not lend itself to a text-and-photos-based reviews format for the first-time or even repeat shopper.

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Competitive Space

Cruises have been advertising online for more than a decade, of course.

For example, metasearch brands such as Kayak and Qunar have long-offered cruises in a price-comparison format.

Other companies have meta, though we believe we have more inventory and reviews than other meta players do, said Bryan Saltzburg, president of TripAdvisor Flights, Cruise, and Car.

Online travel agencies have gained more traction than metasearch companies in cruise sales by backing their services with call centers.

TripAdvisor said the number of cruise operators advertising in its metasearch as of today exceeds by four times the amount thats reselling with the global online travel agencies in the U.S. and the UK.

However, TripAdvisor is making a big bet on self-service knowledge without any call-center support.

In other words, some first-time cruisers and mass-market consumers may find sifting through their the various Ship-tinerary pages on their own to be overwhelming.

You cant take human agents out of the process because cruises are a complicated, high-touch product, said Heidi Allison-Shane, editor of cruise news site AllThingsCruise and co-founder of lead-generation site CruiseCompete.

Complexity is driving many uncertain consumers into agents arms for hand-holding, experts said. An exception may be the frequent users of CruiseCritic, which as a brand has focused on avid cruise-goers, who clearly find the reviews adequate given their familiarity with the product.

In the past few years, cruise lines have been differentiating aggressively with distinctive features, more tightly targeting specific demographics with specific itineraries, and trying to personalize offerings with an array of upsell offers, said Anthony Hamawy, president at Cruise.com, an online agency that promotes its call center heavily. You can be comfortable using the internet to do online shopping but still find cruise booking to be complicated and want some help.

Consumers increasingly want online videos of cruise ships for research, said Douglas Diggle, CEO of the cruise industry consultancy Across Oceans Group. Cruise lines looking to in-source direct sales have populated their sites with exclusive videos detailing all aspects of their floating paradises.

Cruise lines wont say it out loud, but theyre frustrated with the errors that some of the less professional home-based agents make, said Diggle. So theyve been staffing up their call centers with retired crew members who can talk smartly about products theyve actually sailed on. The overall goal is to ensure a consistent total guest experience by developing direct relationships with shoppers.

From the cruise lines point of view, the test will be if TripAdvisor saves them a lot of effort in that its platform attracts and convert the customer without the help of agents.

Hybrid Approaches

Humans are the secret sauce behind nearly every online travel company selling cruise as an agency. A case in point: Expedia CruiseShipCenters consists of a network of about 250 independently owned, retail travel franchises.

One up-and-coming online player in cruise, Dreamlines, an online agency focused on selling cruises, has been backed with cruise center support. It operates in 10 countries, and provides inventory from more than 100 cruise operators. The Hamburg, Germany-based company with 650 workers, has raised about $130 million (107 million) in funding since its launch in 2012, excluding last years $11 million (10 million) convertible debt investment by Global Ports Holding, a giant cruise ports operator.

Additional Revenue

TripAdvisor anticipates a few opportunities for additional revenue.

After a consumer books a cruise, theyll need a flight that matches up with their travel dates. In the future, TripAdvisor may help with that via cross-selling suggestions on the site and in email marketing, a spokesperson said. The company will also rev up its sales of cruise-related display ads.

Its so-called social feed is another opportunity. Last November, TripAdvisor revamped its homepage to provide advice and social feed to users. The plan is to make it more than reviews and news articles from travelers, influencers, and brands by adding merchandising placements that tout hotels, restaurants, and cruise linking to pages where customers can book. A user who has chosen to follow information on a popular cruise port or a cruise brand like Carnival will eventually see in the feed shelves of merchandised placements for suggested cruises.

In the future, TripAdvisor may launch review collection programs with cruise companies, a spokesperson said. For now, travelers have to find their way back to TripAdvisor to post a review.

The broader expansion into selling cruises and other products could help TripAdvisor buffer a multi-year hit to the margins its core hotel review and booking business. The company recently expanded its sales of tours and activities. Last year, CEO Steve Kaufer said that its attractions business should have commissions of 15 to 20 percent, similar to its online hotel business, but the addressable market would be only around half that of hotels.

What next? To support its attractions business, TripAdvisor bought Bokun, a reservation software tool used by many experiences operators. In cruise, the most widely used reservation, distribution management, and booking engine for the sector is Revelex, used by many retail travel agencies and cruise companies, with TravTechs agent tools a close rival. TripAdvisor would need to acquire a company like those to gain insights into the back-end sales of cruises and to gain an edge in metasearch beyond competing to provide the most reviews and inventory.

Kaufers famous motto is that speed wins. It took TripAdvisor a year to deliver its new vertical. TripAdvisor began reorganizing to build a cruise product last April with Saltzburgs appointment as the leader. It started ramping up its advertising for jobs for its cruise product last September.

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The Trump administration on Tuesday ordered Texas Tech University to stop considering the race of applicants when making admissions decisions.

The order, which was handed down by the Department of Educations Civil Rights Division, represents the culmination of a 14-year legal battle based on an agreement with the university that was reached in February, the Wall Street Journal first reported.

This is the first instance in which the administration has ordered a university to adjust its admissions criteria to reflect its interpretation of anti-discrimination law, which is narrower than the Obama administrations was.

This shows the Trump administration is taking seriously its responsibility to enforce civil rights in a way that protects all Americans, Roger Clegg, general counsel of the Center for Equal Opportunity, an anti-affirmation-action advocacy group, told the Journal. The more schools that dont use racial preferences, the harder it is for the remaining schools to justify their use of it.

While Texas Tech previously ended affirmative action in its pharmacy-school and undergraduate admissions processes, its medical school has continued to factor race into admissions, citing the importance of producing a racially diverse class of doctors who would be better-suited to serve different communities.

The Trump administrations lawyers, however, argued that the school must study whether other factors, including socioeconomic background and language abilities, might better contribute to overall diversity.

The Supreme Court has clarified that the academic judgment as to the educational benefits that exist from a diverse student body is entitled to some, but not complete, judicial deference, Education Department officials wrote to Texas Tech in a March letter obtained by the Journal.

The Tuesday order is the latest in a series of moves designed to correct what Trump administration officials believe was an overly permissive stance toward affirmative action on the part of the Obama administration. It comes after the Department of Education in July revoked Obama-era guidelines that instructed universities to consider race in their admissions processes in order to achieve greater campus diversity.

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The Department of Justice has also filed a brief in support of a coalition of Asian Americans who sued Harvard for holding their community to higher admissions standards in the name of racial diversity. The Department of Justice is currently investigating whether Harvard discriminated against Asians.

More from National Review
Donald Trumps purge of top officials at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has alarmed congressional Republicans, who warn the presidents immigration shake-up is creating a growing leadership void.

The presidents allies fear further sackings are on the cards following the ousting of a string of senior figures including homeland security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

The overhaul has been fuelled by Mr Trump's frustration with the increasing number of migrants at the US-Mexico border and was reportedly orchestrated by his adviser Stephen Miller, the impetus behind some of the administration's most controversial policies.

Ms Nielsen submitted her resignation on Sunday after meeting with the president at the White House. Three days earlier, the administration withdrew the nomination of Ron Vitiello to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The head of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, Lee Francis Cissna, and homeland security general counsel John M Mitnick are also expected to be forced out of their positions, officials told Associated Press.

Other long-time civil servants in agency posts also face the chop, said the officials, who spoke to on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly.

Court challenges, immigration laws and Mr Trumps own advisers have blocked several of his proposals as his re-election campaign looms.

But Republicans said a new immigration team was likely to face the same obstacles.

Its a mess, Texas senator John Cornyn told Politico. Strikes me as just a frustration of not being able to solve a problem. Honestly, it wasnt Secretary Nielsens fault. It wasnt for lack of effort on her part. I dont know if theres anybody whos going to be able to do more.

Wisconsin Republican Ron Johnson, chair of the Homeland Security Committee, said: "I am concerned with a growing leadership void within the department tasked with addressing some of the most significant problems facing the nation."

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Democrats have also voiced alarm over the dismissals.

"The purge of senior leadership at the Department of Homeland Security is unprecedented and a threat to our national security," said Dianne Feinstein, of California. "President Trump is trying to remake DHS into his own personal anti-immigration agency."

Beyond changing senior personnel, Mr Trump is also considering resuming the separation of migrant parents from their children at the border, a policy which provoked outrage before it was scrapped last year. That could mean he would have to violate his own executive order and possibly run afoul of a federal judge overseeing reunifications.

Gil Kerlikowske, who led Customs and Border Protection from 2014 to 2017, said: "I don't envy anybody in that position because these are policies that are White House policies, not DHS."
President Trump moved to clear out the senior ranks of the Department of Homeland Security on Monday, a day after forcing the resignation of its secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen, as he accelerated a purge of the nations immigration and security leadership.

The White House announced the departure of Randolph Alles, the director of the Secret Service, who had fallen out of favour with the president even before a security breach at his Mar-a-Lago club that the agency effectively blamed on Mr Trumps employees.

Government officials, who asked not to be identified discussing personnel changes before they were announced, said at least two to four more high-ranking figures affiliated with Ms Nielsen were expected to leave soon, too, hollowing out the top echelon of the department managing border security, presidential safety, counterterrorism, natural disasters, customs and other matters.

The wave of departures of officials originally appointed by Mr Trump underscored his growing frustration with his own administrations handling of immigration and other security issues. In recent days, Mr Trump has threatened to close the southwestern border altogether only to back off and give Mexico a one-year notice in the face of warnings about deep economic damage from such a move.

The shake-up, coming more than two years into Mr Trumps term, indicated that he is still searching for a team that will fulfil his desire for an even tougher approach to immigration. It also signalled the enduring influence of Stephen Miller, the presidents hard-line senior adviser who has complained about recalcitrant homeland security officials.

Some of the presidents allies complained that he was going too far, taking out subordinates who actually share his goals on immigration at the prodding of White House aides hunting for scapegoats for the failure to control the border as he has promised to do.

Without names, theres people in the White House that speak about immigration, Senator Charles Grassley, Republican of Iowa, said in an interview. They havent accomplished a whole lot, so they need to find some other way to make themselves look important.

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The latest shuffle came just a day after Mr Trump pushed out Ms. Nielsen for not doing enough in his view to secure the border and three days after Ronald Vitiello, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was told to step aside so the administration could go in a tougher direction, as Mr Trump put it.

Officials said they expect to see the departures of L. Francis Cissna, the head of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services; Kathy Nuebel Kovarik, one of his top deputies; and John Mitnick, the departments general counsel and a senior member of Ms. Nielsens leadership team. All of them were said to be viewed by Mr Miller as obstacles to implementing the presidents policies.

Since President Trumps inauguration, White House staffers and cabinet officials have left in firings and resignations, one after the other.

The White House is also pressing for the resignation of Claire Grady, the acting deputy secretary, who under law would normally fill in for Ms Nielsen. Mr Trump has already announced that he will install Kevin McAleenan, the Customs and Border Protection commissioner, as Ms Nielsens acting replacement, which he cannot do if Ms Grady remains in place.

The latest moves appeared to be a housecleaning of officials associated with John Kelly, the presidents former chief of staff and his first homeland security secretary, who was pushed out at the end of last year after months of tension with Mr Trump.

Mr Alles, a retired Marine major general who served with Mr Kelly in the military and goes by Tex, was the first person from outside the Secret Service to head the agency in more than a century and some administration officials said he had a hard time fitting in.

At Mr Trumps instruction, Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, told Mr Alles at least 10 days ago to expect a transition after two years in office and to develop an exit plan, according to officials familiar with the discussions.

Mr Trump, who talks with members of his own Secret Service detail, had soured on Mr Alles a while ago, convinced that as an outsider he was not popular among the agents, officials said. The president even made fun of the directors looks, calling him Dumbo because of his ears. But a Secret Service ally of Mr Alles disputed the notion that he did not fit in, saying that the director was well liked among the work force.

Mr Alles was told to develop an exit plan before the arrest of a Chinese woman carrying a malware-laced device at Mar-a-Lago, exposing holes in the security of the private club. The Secret Service was so disturbed that it issued a statement faulting the clubs staff for not tracking its guests closely enough.

Some Secret Service officials said on Monday that they suspected that Mr Alless departure was accelerated in part because of the episode.

The White House made no mention of that in its statement announcing Mr Alless departure issued shortly after it was reported by CNN.

Mr Alles has done a great job at the agency over the last two years, and the president is thankful for his over 40 years of service to the country, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, said in the statement.

She said he would be replaced in May by James M. Murray, a career Secret Service official who oversees protective operations.

Mr Alles was the focus of an early fight between Mr Trump and Mr Kelly in the first months of the administration. Mr Kelly threatened to resign as homeland security secretary if Mr Alles was not made Secret Service director, according to former administration officials.

Randolph Alles, the director of the Secret Service, received instructions 10 days ago to come up with an exit plan and was expected to leave on his own timeline.CreditDavid Goldman/Associated Press

In an email message to his work force on Monday, Mr Alles confirmed that his departure was ordered by the president last month.

No doubt you have seen media reports regarding my firing, he wrote. I assure you that this is not the case, and in fact was told weeks ago by the administration that transitions in leadership should be expected across the Department of Homeland Security.

The president has directed an orderly transition in leadership for this agency and I intend to abide by that direction, he added. It is my sincere regret that I was not able to address the work force prior to this announcement.

Regardless of when the decision was made, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, said Mr Alles should testify before Congress about the Mar-a-Lago breach.

The public and Congress need to know the extent to which adversarial governments  like China  and their agents are attempting to gain access to, or conduct electronic surveillance on, conversations or other information regarding national security at President Trumps properties, he said.

Not all of Mr Trumps allies were happy with the moves.

Theres no doubt that Cissna has proved his competence, in a lot of things hes doing  things that the president is for, Mr Grassley said. Referring to Mr Cissna and Ms Kovarik, both of whom once worked on his staff, Mr Grassley said, If he gets rid of these two, its self-defeating because I dont know anyone else in the department or at least in immigration who could do better.

One administration official said Mr Cissna angered Mr Miller by refusing to make changes to asylum policy without congressional approval. Under current law, unauthorized immigrants facing expedited removal may seek asylum before an immigration judge if found to have a credible fear of persecution or torture.

As for Ms Nielsen, she expressed no unhappiness about her departure on Monday and thanked Mr Trump for the tremendous opportunity to serve her country and the employees of her department for their efforts to secure the nation.

The latest departures, along with previous vacancies, will leave the Department of Homeland Security without a permanent secretary, deputy secretary, two under secretaries, Secret Service director, Federal Emergency Management Agency director, ICE director, general counsel, citizenship and immigration services director, inspector general, chief financial officer, chief privacy officer and, once Mr McAleenan moves, Customs and Border Protection commissioner.

The purge of senior leadership at the Department of Homeland Security is unprecedented and a threat to our national security, said Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California.

Senator Ron Johnson, Republican of Wisconsin and chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, complained about congressional dysfunction in addressing border security, but added, I am concerned with a growing leadership void within the department tasked with addressing some of the most significant problems facing the nation.

The New York Times
Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he won't resume separating children of undocumented migrants, but insisted the policy does prevent people from treating illegal border crossings like a trip to "Disneyland."

"We're not looking to do it," he told reporters at the White House.

However, Trump said the practice, which ended in June 2018 under heavy political and legal pressure, had in fact been useful in stemming the flow of illegal immigrants across the US-Mexican border.

"I'll tell you something: once you don't have it, that's why you have many more people coming," Trump said of migrants and asylum seekers.

"They are coming like it's a picnic, like 'let's go to Disneyland,'" Trump said. Just last week he referred to the asylum process as a "hoax."

Trump's battle to prevent illegal immigration and soaring numbers of asylum seekers has turned into the biggest political fight in the country ahead of next year's presidential election.

The Republican is pushing hard for construction of hundreds of miles of new border wall and layers of razor wire. He says that the United States is "full" and cannot take any more migrants or even people fleeing violence in Central America.

On Sunday, Trump abruptly announced the departure of the official in charge of fighting illegal immigration -- Homeland Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

According to US media reports, Trump's reshuffle could herald even harsher measures on the southern border.

- Confusion and rhetoric -

But Trump's latest comments reflect the confused nature of the White House's messaging on the sensitive immigration issue.

Trump claimed that he never wanted children to be taken away from their parents when they crossed the border illegally or sought asylum. Instead he blamed this on his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama.

"Just so you understand, President Obama separated the children. Those cages that were shown -- I think they were very inappropriate -- were by President Obama's administration, not by Trump. President Obama had child separation," Trump said.

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"You know it. We all know it. I'm the one who stopped it," he said.

Obama did crack down on illegal immigration, resulting in large numbers of deportations and children were detained along with their parents.

However, Trump hugely accelerated the tough measures with a so-called zero-tolerance policy.

This meant that anyone crossing illegally would face automatic prosecution, leading to jailing of adults and immediate separation of their children.

Before, families with children were largely allowed to stay together, whether on bail, in custody or being deported.

By the time Trump's policy was halted, thousands of children had been removed and placed in temporary accommodation, leading to harrowing images and reports of administrative chaos in which parents were later unable to find their children.

Last week, Trump threatened to impose steep import tariffs on Mexican automobiles if Mexico does not do more to stop would-be migrants on their trek north to the US border.

However, the timing and practicalities of this were unclear.

Previously, Trump said he would shut down the entire border to stop immigrants entering, but he then backed off in the face of worries over the economic impact.

Another controversial policy of automatically returning asylum seekers to wait in Mexico was blocked Monday by a federal judge in California.

The White House issued a statement Tuesday condemning the ruling and saying it would appeal.

The court impedes the president's ability to stop an influx "crashing our immigration system and overwhelming our country," Trump's press office said.
A day after Donald Trump designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organisation, reports are reemerging of the Trump Organization's alleged participation in a scheme that likely helped the IRGC launder money to fund its interests abroad.

The US government made the unprecedented move to blacklist another countrys military because, Mr Trump said, the IRGC actively participates in, finances, and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft.

The designation imposes sanctions including freezing assets the IRGC may have in US jurisdictions and a ban on Americans doing business with the organisation.

But according to a 2017 report by the New Yorker, the Trump Organization signed contracts in 2012 with developers to build a skyscraper in Azerbaijan that appeared to be a corrupt operation engineered by oligarchs tied to Irans Revolutionary Guard.

The family the Trumps partnered with on the Trump Tower Baku project were the Mammadovs, whose billionaire patriarch Ziya Mammadov was the then-Azerbaijani transport minister, on a reported salary of little over 9,000.

According to Transparency International, Azerbaijan is one of the most corrupt countries on Earth, and, according to one US diplomat  in comments made public by WikiLeaks eight years ago  Mr Mammadov was notoriously corrupt even for Azerbaijan.

In 2008, Mr Mammadov awarded a series of multimillion-pound contracts to Azarpassillo, an Iranian construction firm allegedly controlled by the IRGC as part of a larger scheme to export money from Iran in order to fund terror and other activities abroad.

The company was run by the Darvishi family, at least three members of whom were associated of the IRGC, the New Yorker reported. Two brothers in the family, Kamal and Keyumars, made frequent visits to Azerbaijan and reportedly developed a close relationship with the Mammadovs.

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The Trump Tower Baku project carried some classic hallmarks of a money-laundering operation, including firms being paid in cash, some of which was transferred in duffel bags.

I got a hundred and eighty thousand dollars one time, which I fit into my laptop bag, and two hundred thousand dollars another time, said Frank McDonald, who performed work on the buildings interior.

In response to previous sanctions, the IRGC came up with a clever scheme. It would create hundreds of "private" companies, owned by IRGC officers, that would fund terror, seek WMD, launder money and do other bidding of the central org.



1/  Adam Davidson (@adamdavidson) April 8, 2019

Trump Organization lawyer Alan Garten said the company learned in 2015 about the possibility the Mammadovs had ties to the IRGC, which was under US sanctions, but did not pull out of the deal until December 2016 as there was no rush because the project had stalled.

He also said the Trump Organization had binding contracts with the Mammadovs that they could not just abandon, something sanctions experts rubbished.

You cant violate sanctions just because you have a contract with someone, said Jessica Tillipman, an assistant dean at George Washington University Law School.

There is no evidence Mr Trump or any Trump Organization officials acted illegally in the deal. Mr Trump, in fact, was reportedly only lightly involved in the project, which was spearheaded by his oldest daughter, Ivanka.

Baku XXI Century, the firm owned by the Mammadovs, has denied involvement in corruption. Azarpasillo and the Trump Organization have been contacted for comment.
Nielsen offered a full-throated defence of Trump's most controversial policies - AFP

US President Donald Trump on Sunday announced the departure of Homeland Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, underscoring his intent to toughen immigration policy amid a surge in illegal crossings along the southern border.

Ms Nielsen's exit marks the end of a difficult relationship with her boss, who was said to be unhappy with her performance despite her unswerving loyalty and full-throated defense of the president's most controversial policies.

During her 18 months at the helm of the powerful agency, the 46-year-old became synonymous with the controversial practice of separating children from their parents, making her a frequent target of progressive groups and the Democratic opposition who repeatedly called on her to resign.

None of this, however, seems to have been enough for Trump.

"Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen will be leaving her position, and I would like to thank her for her service," Trump tweeted on Sunday.

He added US Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan would become acting secretary.

Nielsen walks with Trump during a visit to a section of the border wall in California Credit: Reuters

"Despite our progress in reforming homeland security for a new age, I have determined that it is the right time for me to step aside," Ms Nielsen said in a resignation letter she later shared on Twitter.

The move came just two days after she and Trump visited the Mexican border in California together, with the president delivering a stern message to would-be illegal immigrants and asylum seekers: "Our country is full."

Despite warnings of dire economic consequences, including by top Republicans, Trump has repeatedly threatened to close the US-Mexico border, demanding that Congress and Central American governments act to stem a flow of migrants that saw Nielsen last week order an "emergency surge" of personnel to handle the situation.

"System has been broken for many years. Democrats in Congress must agree to fix loopholes - No Open Borders (Crimes & Drugs). Will Close Southern Border If necessary..." he tweeted on Sunday evening.

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n Friday, US media reported that Trump also pulled his nominee to lead the Immigration and Customs Enforcement department - saying he wanted someone "tougher" at the helm of the Homeland Security sub-agency.

Together, the shake-ups were seen by observers as a sign the president wants to tack an even harder line.

Trump was said to be irritated at what he felt was 'lecturing' by Nielsen Credit: Getty Images

Border Patrol estimates put the number of migrants passing through Mexico at over 100,000 in March, most from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala: the highest monthly figure in nearly a decade, according to Ms Nielsen.

Mr Trump cut aid to those three countries last month in response to the surge.

"When even the most radical voices in the administration aren't radical enough for President Trump, you know he's completely lost touch with the American people," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Sunday.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi added it was "deeply alarming that the Trump Administration official who put children in cages is reportedly resigning because she is not extreme enough for the White House's liking."

Ms Nielsen initially joined the Trump administration in January 2017 as an assistant to Trump's first DHS secretary, John Kelly. When Kelly moved to the White House as Trump's chief of staff in July 2017, Ms Nielsen went with him as his deputy.

But by October of that year she was back at DHS, this time as secretary. Disaster relief, cyber security, transportation security, the Coast Guard, customs and policing the borders all fall under the department's purview.

She will be remembered most, however, as the face of the Trump administration's fierce anti-immigration policy, including the widely condemned practice - since revoked - of separating migrant children from their parents as part of a "zero tolerance" policy of prosecuting all illegal border crossers.

Images of sobbing children being taken from their parents last year fuelled a national outcry as condemnation poured in from the United Nations, human rights groups, and four former first ladies - all mothers - who called the policy "cruel" and "immoral."
The Algerian Parliament Tuesday elected leader of the upper chamber of the Parliament as the countrys interim President for 90 days in replacement of Abdelaziz Bouteflika who stepped down one week ago.

Both chambers of the Algerian Parliament met Tuesday to elect an interim President to fill in the vacuum left by ailing Bouteflika who resigned on April 2 under street pressure and after he was abandoned by the army.

The lawmakers of the opposition did not take part in the vote and it did not take long for the Algerians to take to the street again in Algiers and in other cities to voice their rejection of the appointment of Bensalah, a longtime ally of Bouteflika.

A Cacique of the regime, dominated by the National Liberation Front (FLN) since independence in 1962, Bensaleh has been at the head of the Council of the Nation  the Upper House of Parliament  since 2002, just three years after Bouteflika became President in 1999.

And after Bouteflika suffered a stroke in 2013, Bensalah has often represented him in events at home and abroad.

However, the tens of thousands of Algerians, who have been staging demonstrations since mid-February, are demanding a change of the entire Bouteflika clan.

During the huge demonstrations staged across the country last Friday, following Bouteflikas resignation, protesters called for the stepping down of the 3 Bs, namely Abdelkader Bensalah, current Prime Minister Nouredine Bedoui, and Tayeb Belaiz, head of the Constitutional Council for their connection with the Bouteflika regime.

On Tuesday, the thousands of protesters, mainly students, vowed to continue their protest as long as their calls for a total regime change are not heeded.

For the first time since the beginning of the peaceful protest movement in mid-February when Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced his plans to run for a fifth term, the police Tuesday tried to disperse the students with tear gas and water cannons, according to AFP.
Ankara (AFP) - Turkey on Tuesday condemned the US move to designate Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards a "terrorist group", saying the decision would create "instability" in the region.

Washington's move against the Revolutionary Guards was the first time that the United States has branded part of a foreign government a terrorist group.

"These kinds of decisions will pave the way for instability in our region," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters in Ankara.

The decision against the "official army of Iran... was incomprehensible," he said.

He also criticised previous "one-sided" American sanctions against Iran and "pressure" on other countries by Washington to adhere to them.

The Revolutionary Guards are the ideological arm of the country's military and deeply embedded in Iranian political and economic life.

Turkey and Iran have been working to develop pragmatic relations with each other, particularly over the Syria conflict despite being on opposing sides.

Tehran supports the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad while Ankara has repeatedly called for his ousting and has provided assistance to opposition fighters.

Cavusoglu added Turkey had itself opposed the Revolutionary Guards' actions in Syria.

There have been growing tensions with the US and Turkey over multiple issues including American support to a Syrian Kurdish militia viewed as terrorists by Ankara but whom Washington relied on to spearhead the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria.

Now the NATO allies are facing further strains and Turkey itself risks US sanctions over the push to buy Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems.
By Humeyra Pamuk

WASHINGTON, April 9 (Reuters) - Two U.S. senators on Tuesday introduced a bipartisan bill requiring the imposition of sanctions on Turkish officials responsible for the detentions of U.S. citizens and local consulate staff in Turkey, a statement on the legislation said.

The bill, introduced by Republican Senator Roger Wicker and Democrat Ben Cardin, also calls on President Donald Trump to urge Turkey to respect for the fundamental freedoms, saying thousands were victims of politically-motivated prosecution.

"The Turkish government's false imprisonment of Americans and Turkish citizens employed by the United States in Turkey is a gross violation of their human rights," Senator Cardin said in the statement. "Our bill makes clear that the United States will not tolerate years of Turkish recalcitrance on these cases."

The detention of U.S. consulate workers and American citizens is one of many issues dividing NATO allies Ankara and Washington, also at loggerheads over Syria policy and Turkey's planned purchase of Russian missile defenses.

Their detentions prompted Washington in October 2017 to suspend all non-immigrant visa applications from the country, triggering a reciprocal move from Ankara that contributed to a deep crisis in bilateral ties.

The bill introduced Tuesday would require the U.S. administration to impose sanctions on all senior Turkish officials responsible for the "wrongful" detentions of U.S. citizens and staff, including barring the officials from travel to the United States and freezing any U.S. assets.

Turkey has detained tens of thousands of people following a failed coup in July 2016, saying they were linked with the network of Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based Islamic cleric blamed by Ankara for orchestrating the putsch.

U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson was among those jailed in the aftermath of the coup. He was released last October.

"While the Turkish government made a step in the right direction with the release of Pastor Andrew Brunson last October, more needs to be done for Turkey to show good faith and act like a NATO ally," said Republican Senator Thom Tillis, one of six original sponsors of Tuesday's bill.

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Serkan Golge, a dual Turkish-U.S. citizen, was found guilty of being a member of an armed terrorist organization earlier this year and sentenced to seven years, six months in prison.

Three other Turkish citizens who were working at the U.S. consulates in Turkey have been under investigation or jailed over similar charges.

A Turkish court last month ruled that one of the consular workers, Metin Topuz, a translator and fixer in Istanbul, should remain in jail until his trial resumes in June. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk Editing by Tom Brown)
By Alessandra Galloni and Joshua Franklin NEW YORK (Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc expects it will be a long time before one of its biggest investments, self-driving cars, is ready for wide-scale deployment, a senior scientist said on Monday, as the ride-sharing firm gears up to go public. Raquel Urtasun, who is chief scientist at Uber Advanced Technologies Group (ATG) and heads the group's unit in Toronto, spoke about the challenges for self-driving development at a Reuters Newsmaker https://www.reuters.com/newsmakers event in New York. "Self-driving cars are going to be in our lives. The question of when is not clear yet," Urtasun said. "To have it at scale is going to take a long time." The more cautious tone marks a change from three years ago, when Uber embraced aggressive tactics to turbocharge its autonomous vehicle development in a bid to get more robot taxis on the street driving more miles. The company had been seen as an industry leader in the technology until one of its autonomous SUVs killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona, in March last year. Urtasun's comments fall in line with the rest of the self-driving industry, which after much hype and bold promises has tempered expectations and pushed out timelines for deployment. The extreme technical challenges of building cars that can predict human behavior and respond appropriately proved greater than even some of the industry's brightest minds had anticipated. The progress of Uber's self-driving car unit is in the spotlight as the company prepares to kick off its initial public offering this year. Uber, whose losses before taxes, depreciation and other expenses were $1.8 billion last year, has at times spent close to $200 million in a single quarter on its self-driving unit, sources told Reuters. Uber, last valued at $76 billion in the private market, is seeking a valuation as high as $120 billion in its IPO and may kick off its investor roadshow before the end of April, Reuters has reported. "It is true that when you go to an IPO, there is much more of a look into your finances," said Urtasun. "That being said, again because Uber understands that self-driving cars at scale is not something that's going to happen tomorrow, they understand the need for the science." Urtasun declined to offer any guidance on what mix of human-driven cars and autonomous cars Uber will have in the next 10 years, citing too many uncertainties in the industry. "What is clear is that in a 10-year timeframe there will be a mix of both (self-driving and human-controlled cars)," she said. UBER SEEKING PARTNERS The business of building self-driving cars is extraordinarily expensive and the timeframe to payoff is increasingly uncertain. However, some consider Uber's ability to successfully navigate the transition to autonomous vehicles as crucial to the company's long-term financial prospects. By removing drivers and adding automation, Uber will be able to pocket the full fare that passengers pay and create more efficient routes to move around people and packages. Uber opened ATG in Toronto in 2017 and named Urtasun, who is also an associate professor at the University of Toronto, as head of the Toronto organization. Uber said last year it would invest more than $150 million in Toronto to grow its self-driving car operations, open an engineering hub and expand its work in artificial intelligence. After the fatal Arizona crash, Uber removed its autonomous cars from the road, laid off hundreds of test drivers and shuttered operations in Arizona, its testing hub. Uber resumed very limited testing on public roads in Pittsburgh in December. Uber has recently taken a more collaborative approach, inviting General Motor Co's self-driving car unit Cruise and Alphabet Inc's Waymo to put their cars on Uber's ride-hailing network. Urtasun said on Monday that Uber encouraged every self-driving company to add their cars to the Uber network. "We've been very, very open that we would like every other company to be in our (autonomous vehicle) network," said Urtasun. A group of investors led by SoftBank Group Corp and Toyota Motor Corp are in talks to invest $1 billion or more into Uber's self-driving vehicle unit, Reuters reported last month. Toyota previously invested $500 million to jointly develop self-driving cars with Uber. (Reporting by Alessandra Galloni and Joshua Franklin in New York; Additional reporting by Heather Somerville in San Francisco; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
VIENNA, April 9 (Reuters) - British and Dutch spy agencies have heavily restricted the amount of intelligence they share with Austria, mainly because of ties between the ruling far-right Freedom Party and Russia, an Austrian opposition lawmaker said on Tuesday.

The Freedom Party (FPO) is the junior coalition partner to Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's conservatives but it controls much of the country's security apparatus. Its ministers head the Defence Ministry and the Interior Ministry, which in turn oversees Austria's main intelligence agency, the BVT.

Ties between the FPO and President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party, including a formal cooperation agreement, have long been of concern to Western security services, many of which see Russia as a dangerous adversary.

"Individual Western intelligence agencies are rejecting cooperation with the BVT," left-wing lawmaker Peter Pilz, who has been strongly critical of FPO Interior Minister Herbert Kickl, told Reuters.

"Those are to my knowledge British agencies, in particular MI5, and the Dutch intelligence agency," Pilz said, after newspaper Der Standard reported reduced contact with Dutch and British intelligence agencies.

Pilz added that the main reason was the FPO's proximity to Moscow and Putin.

Austria's Interior Ministry was not immediately available for comment.

Tensions with some European partners' intelligence agencies have increased since Kurz's conservatives and the FPO entered government in December 2017.

Invoking a tradition of neutrality, Austria last year declined to join the majority of European Union countries that expelled Russian diplomats over the poisoning in Britain of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, which London blamed on Moscow.

An Austrian army colonel was later arrested on suspicion of spying for Moscow for decades but Austria said it would still not expel any of the more than 100 Russian diplomats based in Vienna, a major diplomatic hub that also provides cover for foreign spies to operate with diplomatic immunity.

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Police raids last year at the offices of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counterterrorism (BVT) and at the home of the BVT's extremism department chief also led partner agencies to question whether it was safe to pass on intelligence to Austria.

Kurz has said he plans to make the BVT report to him and FPO Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache although it would still remain part of the Interior Ministry.

The BVT is not currently taking part in working groups of the Club of Bern, a network of European intelligence agencies, because of concerns among members about a club memo that was leaked to an Austrian newspaper, the head of the BVT said last week. He added, however, that Austria remains a member. (Reporting by Francois Murphy Editing by Frances Kerry)
London (AFP) - British police said Tuesday they were reviewing allegations against five men accused by Rwanda of involvement in the country's 1994 genocide.

Two days after the world commemorated the 25-year anniversary of the gruesome ethnic massacre, the Metropolitan Police's War Crimes Unit said it had "received a request from Rwandan authorities in January 2018 to investigate five individuals.

"Documentation relevant to this request has been passed to the War Crimes Unit and the unit is currently assessing this material," it said.

Some 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis and moderate Hutus, were beaten, shot, or hacked to death with machetes in 100 days of slaughter.

Citing human rights concerns, a British court in 2017 denied a Rwandan extradition request for the five men: Vincent Brown, Charles Munyaneza, Emmanuel Nteziryayo, Celestin Ugirashebuja and Celestin Mutabaruka.

It said they could not be extradited for fear of not facing a fair trial.

They are accused by Rwanda of genocide, complicity in genocide, crimes against humanity, conspiracy to murder, forming a criminal gang and inciting disorder.

All five have reportedly denied the allegations against them and involvement in the genocide.

Speaking in parliament, Britain's Security Minister Ben Wallace said the investigations into the men could take up to five years.

"The government is not shielding any war criminals, nor should it and we would not. We are doing our best," he told MPs.

"The counter-terrorism police, I have raised the issue with them. They say that for the investigations they are involved in the timescale is not 10 years, more like three to five years.

"This government, as previous governments, has been committed to bringing people to trial.

"If the police require more resources or they come up against an obstacle related to international relations, the government stands by to help to expedite and to make sure those suspected of war crimes face full justice."

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Wallace said officers had been sent to Rwanda to look into the allegations.

Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the creation of a commission of historians and researchers that will delve into the state archives for clarity on France's actions during the genocide.

Rwanda accuses France of having supported the ethnic Hutu forces behind most of the killing and of helping some of the perpetrators to escape -- allegations Paris rejects.
Geneva (AFP) - The UN said Tuesday it had evacuated more than 150 refugees from a Tripoli detention centre affected by recent clashes, and said refugees elsewhere might also need to be moved.

The operation came as warring factions in the North African country faced mounting international pressure to halt violence that has killed several dozen people and caused thousands of others to flee.

"In light of current insecurity in Libyas capital ... the UN Refugee Agency today relocated more than 150 refugees from the Ain Zara detention centre in south Tripoli," the UN agency said in a statement.

It noted that the detention centre had been "impacted by heavy clashes in the past few days," and added that the refugees were now in a nearby "safe zone".

UNHCR said this marked its first such relocation since fighting escalated recently in Libya.

The oil-rich country has been rocked by violent power struggles between armed groups since the NATO-backed overthrow of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

The UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) controls Tripoli, but its authority is not recognised by a parallel administration in the east of the country, allied with strongman Khalifa Haftar, who launched a surprise assault on the Libyan capital last week.

The UN said the clashes have displaced 3,400 people.

Refugees from the Zara centre told UNHCR they were "frightened and worried about their safety, given ongoing fighting in the vicinity, and that they were left with minimal supplies," the statement said.

The agency is looking into reports of similar situations at other detention facilities for refugees and migrants, and is working to secure additional relocations from such centres.

"Many refugees and migrants in Libya endure terrible depravations," UNHCR's Deputy Chief of Mission in Libya, Matthew Brook, said in a statement.

"They are now at grave additional risk, and must not be overlooked in the effort to get all civilians out of harms way," he added.

UNHCR reiterated a warning that "conditions in Libya are not safe for rescued or intercepted refugees and migrants, and that these people must not be returned there."
The UN mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has urged all parties to observe humanitarian truce in the suburbs of Tripoli to evacuate civilians and those wounded following the military offensive launched by General Khalifa Haftar of Eastern Libya to take control of the capital.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned on Monday the military escalation and ongoing fighting in and around Tripoli, including the aerial attack by a Libyan National Army (LNA) aircraft against Mitiga airport.

He also urged all parties to engage in immediate dialogue to reach a political solution, affirming that there is no military solution to the Libya conflict.

The UN Chief reminds all parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law to ensure the safety of all civilians. All Libyans deserve peace, security, prosperity and respect for human rights, said Mr. Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General.

Libyas UN-backed Prime minister, Fayez Sarraj, has called the action by Haftar an attempted coup. Haftar and his forces appear to have gained ground along the outskirts of the capital, but Sarraj said government troops are prepared to confront them.

In Washington, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo expressed deep concern about fighting near Tripoli. We have made clear that we oppose the military offensive by Khalifa Haftars forces and urge the immediate halt to these military operations against the Libyan capital, he said, warning that this unilateral military campaign against Tripoli is endangering civilians and undermining prospects for a better future for all Libyans.

He also urged Libyan leaders to return to political negotiations mediated by UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General, affirming that a political solution is the only way to unify the country and provide a plan for security, stability, and prosperity for all Libyans.
Bangui (Central African Republic) (AFP) - United Nations forces have clashed with a local militia in western Central African Republic (CAR), little more than two months after a deal aimed at restoring peace to the troubled country, the UN said.

Five members of the Democratic Front of the Central African People (FDPC) were killed after the UN peacekeeping force MINUSCA launched an operation against the group on Friday, according to an internal note seen by AFP.

The FDPC said it had lost three of its members.

MINUSCA "has launched discussions (with the FDPC), which are ongoing," the force's spokesman, Vladimir Monteiro, told AFP on Tuesday.

A UN peacekeeper was wounded in the fighting but left hospital on Tuesday, Monteiro said.

The UN accused the FDPC of setting up roadblocks at Zoukombo on Highway 1, the only road linking the capital Bangui to Cameroon, and of stealing a dozen pickup trucks.

The FDPC is one of 14 armed groups that signed a deal with the government on February 6 -- the eighth attempt to bring peace to one of Africa's most troubled and poorest countries.

CAR has been struggling to recover from the bloodletting that erupted when former president Francois Bozize, a Christian, was overthrown in 2013 by mainly-Muslim Seleka rebels.

Armed groups, typically claiming to defend an ethnic or religious group, control about 80 percent of the CAR, often fighting over access to the country's mineral wealth.

Thousands have lost their lives, nearly 650,000 have fled their homes and another 575,000 have left the country, according to UN figures as of December last year.

Under the peace deal, armed groups were offered seats in an "inclusive" government -- a process that proved long and turbulent as militia chiefs demanded high-status positions.

The new government took office on March 22, but without FDPC leader Abdoulaye Miskine, who declined the ministerial post that was offered him.

However, one of his aides was named "special advisor" to the prime minister, and another was appointed prefect to the Nana-Mambere region in the west of the country.
UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi on Tuesday blamed the "toxic language of politics" targeting refugees, migrants and foreigners for the Christchurch mosque attack.

Grandi told the Security Council he had never in his three decades of work at the United Nations seen "such toxicity, such poison" in the language of politics and in media targeting foreigners.

"That should be of concern to us all. What we have seen in Christchurch, New Zealand is the result also of that toxic language of politics," he said.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said the world should "take a leaf from New Zealand's exemplary response" to the March 15 attack that killed 50 Muslim worshipers.

A 28-year-old Australian, Brenton Tarrant, faces 50 murder and 39 attempted murder charges over the shootings at two mosques, which shocked the world and rattled normally peaceful New Zealand.

Grandi praised New Zealand for reaffirming that "our societies won't really be prosperous if they do not include all."

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has called the mosque killings a well-planned "terrorist attack" and taken immediate steps to tighten the country's gun laws.

Ardern was praised for her compassionate response after she donned the hijab and met with devastated families from the attack.

The government in Wellington has also said it will review laws dealing with hate speech and called for social media giants to do more to combat online extremism.
In the United States, excessive prescription of antibiotics has been observed in children who receive online consultations, reveals a study published Monday, April 8 in the Pediatrics review.

"Antibiotics are not automatic!" This campaign slogan from the beginning of the 2000s remains true today, when use of antibiotics is still high and resistance to these medicines has become a concerning factor in deaths worldwide.

In the United States, this phenomenon is particularly apparent in children using telemedicine, reveal new studies carried out on over 340,000 insured children who consulted a doctor between 2015 and 2016 for an acute respiratory illness.

The study revealed that 52% of children who opted for a remote consultation were prescribed antibiotics for infections such as sinusitis, streptococcus and bronchiolitis, as opposed to 31% of children who saw their doctor in person and 42% who received treatment from emergency services.



The results of this research show that a significant number of doctors using online consultations fail to consider recommendations to ensure the treatment corresponds to the diagnosis, particularly viral infections such as colds or flu, which can be treated without antibiotics.

These recommendations were not followed in 4 out of 10 cases for telemedicine, compared to 3 in 10 cases in emergency treatment clinics, and 2 in 10 cases in medical practices, the study highlights.

"As a general pediatrician, I'm interested in making care easier and less burdensome for families, and I think there are many technological innovations that aim to do this, but I think it also is important to make sure the quality of the care that children receive remains high," warns Dr Kristin Ray, who led the research along with her colleagues at the school of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. This problem is an even greater issue due to the rapid expansion of telemedicine.



According to a report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published in November 2018, antibiotic resistance could kill 2.4 million people between now and 2050 in north America, Australia and Europe.
The elite guard is in charge of Iran's ballistic missiles and nuclear programmes - AFP

Donald Trump, the US president, on Monday designated Irans elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a foreign terrorist organisation, marking the first time the US has formally labelled another countrys military a terror group.

Iran warned it will take reciprocal action against Washington for its move against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the countrys most powerful security organisation.

In a statement, Mr Trump said the "unprecedented step" recognises that the IRGC is the Iranian government's primary means of directing and implementing its global terrorist campaign.

The designation makes crystal clear the risks of conducting business with, or providing support to, the IRGC, Mr Trump said. If you are doing business with the IRGC, you will be bankrolling terrorism."

Mike Pompeo announcing the decision at the US State Department in Washington Credit: AFP

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have risen since Mr Trump pulled out of the joint nuclear accord last year.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a strident critic of Iran, has pushed for the change in US policy as part of the Trump administrations tough posture toward the Islamic republic. Mr Pompeo told a news conference the designation will take effect in one week.

Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, welcomed the move saying: The terrorist designation of the repressive IRGC has been the enduring and righteous demand of the Iranian people and Resistance and an imperative for regional and global peace and security.

However the move has been opposed by some military officials, and reportedly the CIA, who fear that the designation could incite violence against US forces in the region without having much of an impact on Iran's economy.

Critics have also warned that the move could open US military and intelligence officials to similar actions by unfriendly governments.

After reports of the designation emerged late on Friday, Iran warned it would take reciprocal action.

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We will answer any action taken against this force with a reciprocal action, a statement issued by 255 out of the 290 Iranian lawmakers said, according to IRNA.

Set up after the 1979 Islamic Revolution to protect the Shiite clerical ruling system, the IRGC is Irans most powerful security organisation. It is in charge of Iran's ballistic missiles and nuclear programmes. The group also holds sway over large sectors of the Iranian economy and has a huge influence in its political system.

The United States has already blacklisted dozens of entities and people for affiliations with the IRGC, but the organisation as a whole is not.

In 2007, the US Treasury designated the IRGCs Quds Force, its unit in charge of operations abroad, for its support of terrorism, and has described it as Irans primary arm for executing its policy of supporting terrorist and insurgent groups."
Los Angeles (AFP) - A US federal judge on Monday blocked President Donald Trump's policy of returning asylum seekers to Mexico to wait out the processing of their cases, saying the Department of Homeland Security had overstepped its authority.

The ruling by US District Judge Richard Seeborg in San Francisco marked a rebuke for the Trump administration's efforts to stop the flow of migrants seeking asylum through the US border with Mexico.

The decision, which goes into effect on Friday, comes just days after outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen had vowed to expand the controversial program.

Several hundred people seeking asylum have been returned to Mexico to await the outcome of their request under the policy first implemented in January at the San Ysidro port of entry in California and later extended to Calexico, a second California border point, and El Paso, Texas.

"A 9th Circuit Judge just ruled that Mexico is too dangerous for migrants. So unfair to the U.S. OUT OF CONTROL!," Trump furiously tweeted.

While any appeal against Seeborg's ruling will be heard by the federal Ninth Circuit appeals court -- a frequent target of Trump's ire -- Seeborg himself is not on the circuit.

Elsewhere, rights groups welcomed the ruling, saying the return policy failed to provide adequate safeguards to protect asylum seekers from persecution.

"Try as it may, the Trump administration cannot simply ignore our laws in order to accomplish its goal of preventing people from seeking asylum in the United States," said Judy Rabinovitz, deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Immigrants' Rights Project.

The ACLU and several other groups, including the Southern Poverty Law Center, had sought an injunction against the policy on behalf of 11 asylum seekers from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala who were returned to Mexico after seeking asylum at the US border.

In his 27-page ruling -- which can be appealed -- Seeborg said at issue was not whether the policy is "a wise, intelligent, or humane policy" but rather whether it exposes aliens to "unduly dangerous circumstances."

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He noted that the plaintiffs in the case were not challenging the "system" of expedited removal.

Trump, who originally dubbed the measure the "Remain in Mexico" policy, unveiled it last year as a series of caravans with thousands of Central American migrants made their way to the US-Mexican border.

Mexico said it was cooperating with US authorities concerning the migrants being sent back, but only for humanitarian reasons.

Migrants who reach US soil have a legal right to seek asylum and are usually held in detention facilities while their application is processed, or released into the United States.
San Francisco (AFP) - The US on Monday threatened to impose tariff counter measures of up to $11.2 billion on a host of European products in response to subsidies received by aircraft maker Airbus.

In a statement, the office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) said the World Trade Organization (WTO) had repeatedly found that EU subsidies to Airbus have caused adverse effects to the United States.

"This case has been in litigation for 14 years, and the time has come for action," said US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.

"Our ultimate goal is to reach an agreement with the EU to end all WTO-inconsistent subsidies to large civil aircraft. When the EU ends these harmful subsidies, the additional US duties imposed in response can be lifted."

The statement added that the final amount it would seek in duties was subject to arbitration at the WTO, the result of which was expected this summer.

The USTR's preliminary list extends to 14 pages and contains a number of products in the civil aviation sector, including Airbus aircraft.
Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump on Tuesday lashed out at the EU, vowing to impose tariffs on billions in imports over subsidies to the aviation giant Airbus, suddenly escalating a transatlantic skirmish that is more than a decade old.

His Twitter outburst rattled a fragile truce between the EU and the United States. Trump had sparked outrage in Europe last year by imposing steep duties on steel and aluminum and threatening new ones on autos.

"The World Trade Organization finds that the European Union subsidies to Airbus has adversely impacted the United States, which will now put Tariffs on $11 Billion of EU products!" Trump tweeted.

"The EU has taken advantage of the US on trade for many years. It will soon stop!"

Trump's remarks were likely to raise the temperature for US and EU negotiators, who have been meeting since last year ahead of proposed trade talks to resolve the dispute.

The threatened US tariffs are in response to subsidies received by aircraft maker Airbus and target a host of European products including helicopters, aircraft parts and gouda cheese.

However, the immediate consequences of Trump's remarks were unclear.

Hours earlier, on Monday evening, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer had said the final amount of any tariffs had yet to be determined and would not be announced until the outcome of a WTO arbitration process -- expected later this year.

For more than 14 years, Washington and Brussels have accused each other of unfairly subsidizing Boeing and Airbus, respectively, in a tit-for-tat dispute that long predates Trump.

The Boeing-Airbus spat is the longest and most complicated dispute dealt with by the WTO, which aims to create a level playing field in global trade.

Lighthizer said Monday that the World Trade Organization had repeatedly found European subsidies to Airbus harm the United States.

"This case has been in litigation for 14 years and the time has come for action," Lighthizer said in a statement.

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"Our ultimate goal is to reach an agreement with the EU to end all WTO-inconsistent subsidies to large civil aircraft. When the EU ends these harmful subsidies, the additional US duties imposed in response can be lifted."

- EU hits back -

The EU fired back on Tuesday, saying that the amounts claimed by Washington were "greatly exaggerated."

"The figure quoted by USTR is based on US internal estimates that have not been awarded by the WTO," a commission official said.

Both sides agreed that the size of the duties was subject to arbitration at the WTO, the result of which was expected in the summer.

And both aviation giants have scored points along the way in the marathon dispute.

The WTO ruled in March 2012 that billions of dollars of subsidies to Boeing were illegal and called on the United States to end them.

But a few months later, the European Union filed a new complaint, alleging Washington was not complying with that order.

In a split ruling published in June 2017, the WTO said the United States had mostly brought programs into compliance but agreed that Washington had not taken "appropriate steps to remove the adverse effects or... withdraw the subsidy" in one case.

Brussels was also reprimanded by the WTO during the Airbus-Boeing row, and the United States asked the WTO to determine the amount it could impose in sanctions against the European Union for failing to remove subsidies.

- Transatlantic tensions -

USTR said Monday that once that report is issued, it would announce a finalized product list.

Airbus in a statement said the list was "totally unjustified," while archrival Boeing said that it supports Washington's "ongoing efforts to level the playing field."

"Boeing has consistently supported US compliance with WTO rulings. It's now time for the EU to follow that example and end all illegal government support for Airbus," Boeing said.

The revived spat comes at a sensitive time for transatlantic relations.

Trump and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in July agreed to launch trade talks and refrain from imposing further tariffs in a bid to cool tensions.

"I plead for an amicable agreement," French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said at a news conference in Paris.

"When I look at the growth situation worldwide, I cannot believe we can allow a trade conflict, even in the sole area of aeronautics, between the United States and Europe," he added.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a French official told AFP on Tuesday the American side had struck first but that both sides had landed blows.

"We're coming to the end of the road for this dispute. Both sides have been found at fault, in reality," the official said.

The tariff threat also comes at a critical time for Boeing, caught in a crisis over its 737 MAX aircraft, grounded over safety fears following two fatal accidents.

burs-dg/wd
The Trump administration is threatening to impose tariffs on $11 billion dollars in imports from the European Union, including on goods such as wine and cheese. The move is being interpreted as retaliation for the EU allegedly providing subsidies to Airbus since 2004, which has caused strife between the U.S. and the WTO. President Trump tweeting this morning: The World Trade Organization finds that the European Union subsidies to Airbus has adversely impacted the United States, which will now put Tariffs on $11 Billion of EU products! The EU has taken advantage of the U.S. on trade for many years. It will soon stop!" Yahoo Finances Melody Hahm, Myles Udland, Ethan Wolff-Mann, and Rick Newman break down what the possible tariffs could mean for the relationship with the EU.
After CEO Tim Sloan's abrupt departure from Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) last month, the company announced that it would search for a replacement externally, to the delight of many investors and regulators.

However, Warren Buffett, the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-A) (NYSE: BRK-B), doesn't think that focusing on external candidates will be enough. He believes that candidates with a certain type of financial industry background would do little to change regulators' opinions of the bank's cultural issues.

Warren Buffett smiling and greeting investors.

Warren Buffett has some advice for Wells Fargo. Image source: The Motley Fool.

What Buffett thinks Wells Fargo should do

When a big bank or Wall Street firm is looking for a new CEO, it typically does one of two things. It either hires one of the company's existing executives -- like Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) recently did with David Solomon -- or it hires an executive from a competitor.

In Wells Fargo's case, the first option is out. The bank has already said that it's only going to pursue external candidates. But Buffett doesn't think the second standard option would be a smart way to go, either, especially if the competitor is one of the Wall Street investment banks.

In an interview this week with The Financial Times, Buffett said that regulators and key players in Congress wouldn't be happy if Wells Fargo hired another Wall Street executive. "They probably shouldn't come from JPMorgan (NYSE: JPM) or Goldman Sachs," he said.

To be clear, Buffett isn't advising Wells Fargo to avoid all banking executives. After all, Wells Fargo shareholders (of which Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway are the largest, with a nearly 10% stake) should want the next CEO to have a great deal of banking experience. For example, a former CEO of a large bank that isn't Wall Street-based could still be a good idea.

Wells Fargo's biggest issue, and how Buffett's advice would help

At this stage of the recovery from the scandals of the past few years, Wells Fargo's top priority should be to convince regulators that it has made enough changes to ensure the past won't repeat itself.

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Wells Fargo has clearly made some pretty big cultural changes, including getting rid of sales-based incentives for branch employees. In the minds of many regulators, however, the biggest lingering problem was that some of the executives that were in charge during the scandals were still there. And not only that, but the president and COO at the time, Tim Sloan, had been "rewarded" with the CEO job back in 2016 after the former leader stepped down in the wake of the fake-accounts scandal.

Now that Sloan is gone, a new CEO could be just what Wells Fargo needs to move on, especially in the all-important eyes of regulators. For example, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, personally requested that the Federal Reserve continue to restrict Wells Fargo's growth until Sloan was gone. And bank employees recently told Fed officials that Sloan's efforts hadn't transformed the bank's culture nearly as much as he had claimed.

However, a new external CEO might not be enough to satisfy everyone, especially if it's another Wall Street veteran, whom many in power (like Warren) see as part of the problem, not part of the solution. Wells Fargo can't truly move on until it's allowed to grow, and it needs the Federal Reserve's permission to start trying to grow again. Buffett may be right: A banking veteran who doesn't come from Wall Street could be the right person for the job.

The big question

Will Wells Fargo listen to Buffett? That's the billion-dollar question. While Wells Fargo hasn't publicly named any CEO candidates yet, the rumored short list includes former Goldman Sachs executives Gary Cohn and Harvey Schwartz (both deny interest in the job), as well as JPMorgan Chase CFO Marianne Lake. In a nutshell, Buffett is hoping Wells Fargo doesn't hire any of the three.

There are also some names from outside Wall Street who have been rumored as candidates, such as former U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB) head Richard Davis. Wells Fargo has refused to comment on any of the rumors.

Buffett continues to believe in Wells Fargo's business, saying that the scandals really haven't cost the bank a significant number of customers. However, being unable to grow in what's arguably the best growth environment for banks in decades isn't exactly what an investor likes to see. Buffett could be right: To really move on, Wells Fargo may need to steer clear of Wall Street.

More From The Motley Fool

Matthew Frankel, CFP owns shares of Berkshire Hathaway (B shares). The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Berkshire Hathaway (B shares). The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Moroccan Minister Delegate in Charge of National Administration of Defense Abdellatif Loudiyi conferred Tuesday in Rabat with secretary of State for Defense, Angel Olivares Ramirez on cooperation prospects between the two countries in the defense industry.

The two officials reviewed partnership opportunities in shipbuilding, aeronautics and armored vehicles manufacturing. They hailed the momentum gained by the Moroccan-Spanish military cooperation and the positive results yielded by their joint actions in the fight against terrorism and management of migration crisis.

The two ministers lauded the excellent, strong and friendly ties existing between King Mohammed VI and King Felipe VI, and between the governments and peoples of the two countries that share common regional and international strategic interests.

Senior members of the General Staff of the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces, the Spanish ambassador and the Spanish military attache in Rabat attended the talks between Loudiyi and Ramirez.
By Alastair Macdonald and Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS/LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - Brexit will not be on Friday, EU leaders will confirm when they meet British Prime Minister Theresa May at another crisis summit on Wednesday, but diplomats said they are still wrestling on how long it might be delayed and under what conditions. May, still unable to find a parliamentary majority to back the orderly departure deal she negotiated with Brussels, shuttled to Berlin and Paris for pre-summit talks, while EU ministers gathered in Luxembourg to prepare Wednesday's meeting. Two weeks after a summit at which the other 27 EU leaders granted London a fortnight's grace from the original departure deadline until April 12, EU ministers said May had failed to meet their conditions for a further extension - namely to show them a plan for using additional time to avoid crashing out. Yet EU diplomats said there was no appetite around the table to drop the axe on Britain just yet. They said that talks, which were to continue among national envoys in Brussels later on Tuesday, were now focused on a proposal from summit chair Donald Tusk to give Britain up to a year longer to organize its withdrawal. "People are tired and fed up - but what to do?" one said. "We won't be the ones pushing the UK off the cliff edge." However, a long extension would entail Britain holding an election on May 23 to return lawmakers to the new session of the European Parliament, which starts on July 2. The EU would also like to limit Britain's ability to influence key decisions, such as on the bloc's new executive leadership or budget, if it stays for longer - though that would be far from easy to do legally. A nine-month extension to Dec. 31 was gaining favor, diplomats said. But officials are also trying to come up with ways to pressure the British to take a decision sooner rather than later - in part, by offering a long delay that pro-Brexit critics of May's deal fear might mean Brexit never happens. EXTENSION? WHAT FOR? Michel Barnier, the EU's Brexit negotiator, told reporters after briefing ministers in Luxembourg: "Any extension should serve a purpose. The length should be proportional to the objective. Our objective is an orderly withdrawal. "No-deal will never by the EU's decision," he added. "In order to avoid no-deal, the UK needs to agree to a deal." An aide to French President Emmanuel Macron, who has taken a lead in pushing for the Union to be ready to show Britain the door if its parliament cannot ratify a withdrawal deal, said a full year would be too long. The aide stressed that Britain could be subject to reviews of its behavior to ensure it did not disrupt the bloc from within. May has renewed the request she made last month for an extension to June 30, saying that talks she launched last week with her Labour opponents gave her a chance of ratifying her Brexit deal after three previous defeats in parliament. EU leaders would much prefer Britain to be out by May 22, before the elections, and will insist on Britain holding its own vote on May 23, even if it expects to have left before the new EU legislature sits in July. May has planned for a contingency of giving six weeks' notice by Friday of an EU election. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel will host a meeting of Britain's closest neighbors, the ones who would be hardest hit by the disruption of a no-deal Brexit, just ahead of the summit. Officials expect the French, Dutch, Danish and Swedish leaders to attend - in principle to coordinate on trade arrangements, but also to discuss objectives for the summit in the evening. May is due to address the 27 at 6:30 p.m. (1630 GMT) before leaving the room while the others discuss over dinner whether and how to postpone Friday's deadline for Britain's departure. "Things are fluid," a senior EU diplomat said. Leaders were meeting and calling each other across the continent, trying to coordinate, leaving the summit outcome still very uncertain. (Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Khartoum (AFP) - The United States, Britain and Norway said Tuesday that Sudanese authorities must now deliver a "credible plan for political transition" as anti-government protests rocked Khartoum.

"The time has come for the Sudanese authorities to respond to these popular demands in a serious and credible way," the embassies of the three Western countries said in a joint statement in Khartoum.

"The Sudanese authorities must now respond and deliver a credible plan for this political transition," it added as thousands of protesters massed outside the army headquarters in the capital demanding an end to President Omar al-Bashir's iron-fisted rule of three decades.

The three countries also called on the authorities to release all political detainees and stop using violence against "peaceful protesters".

The protests "continue to grow and the demand for political change from the courageous and resilient people of Sudan is becoming ever clearer and more powerful," the statement said.

"The Sudanese people are demanding a transition to a political system that is inclusive and has greater legitimacy."

The three countries vowed to support such a political process to help resolve the economic challenges facing the country.

"This is a pivotal moment for the future of Sudan," the statement said.

"The decisions the Sudanese authorities take now, in an inclusive dialogue, will have a dramatic impact on the lives of 40 million Sudanese people and the stability of the region."

Sudan has been rocked by protests against Bashir's rule since December, with angry crowds demanding the veteran leader step down.

They accuse his government of mismanaging the economy that has led to soaring food prices, and regular shortage of fuel and foreign currency.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House aides would recommend President Donald Trump veto a bill to restore landmark net neutrality protections if reinstated by Congress, according to a document sent to lawmakers Monday and seen by Reuters.

The White House statement was sent the day before the Democratic-controlled U.S. House is set to vote on a bill to reinstate the 2015 open internet rules. The FCC under Trump in December 2017 reversed rules barring internet service providers from blocking or throttling traffic or offering paid fast lanes, also known as paid prioritisation.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)
Joe Biden has become arguably the most popular  and controversial  2020 Democratic candidate who has yet to officially launch their campaign for the White House.

The former vice president has garnered national headlines after numerous women described feeling uncomfortable with his physical greetings and other exchanges from over the years, including former Nevada Democratic lawmaker Lucy Flores, who recently wrote about her awkward experience with Mr Biden in The Cut.

But not everyone is apparently buying the accusations of inappropriate contact levelled against him.

Christopher Coons, a Delaware Democrat, said during an interview on Monday: There are folks who, I think, are coming forward and standing up about this because they support other candidates.

Speaking to CNN, the senator also added: There are folks who, I think, are coming forward out of a genuine sense of feeling disrespected or unappreciated.

At the end of the day, the best way to measure this is to see how former Vice President Biden does on the campaign trail, he continued.

Mr Coons has previously spoken out in defence of the former vice president, who has been mulling a 2020 bid in recent months.

He has said photos of Mr Biden had been taken out of context to claim wrongdoing in some cases, when the former vice president was actually being kind or thoughtful towards constituents.

In my many years on the campaign trail and in public life, I have offered countless handshakes, hugs, expressions of affection, support and comfort. And not once  never  did I believe I acted inappropriately, Mr Biden said in a statement addressing the controversy.

He added, If it is suggested I did so, I will listen respectfully. But it was never my intention.
Washington (AFP) - Newly-installed World Bank President David Malpass spent his first day at the global lender Tuesday hammering home the message that the most urgent issue facing the bank is addressing global poverty.

President Donald Trump's controversial pick to lead the bank appeared eager to distance himself from his past attacks on the institution and stressed the support he has received from developing nations and from staff.

The "clear mission and focus" of the World Bank is "alleviating and eliminating extreme poverty," as well as boosting "shared prosperity," he told a small group of reporters.

"The mission of the bank is urgent," he said. "There are still 700 million people in extreme poverty and that's 700 million too many."

In another surprise from a Trump administration official, he acknowledged that climate change represents a "key problem" that the World Bank has a role in addressing, especially since it can impact poverty in developing nations.

And he said he is concerned about slowing global growth which is "a key part of meeting goals on poverty, and shared prosperity."

In Trump's Treasury, Malpass has called the international financial institutions' lending practices "corrupt" and complained about financing to China and other relatively well-off countries that he says should have graduated from the institutions.

And his nomination to lead the bank was roundly criticized by many economists and former officials from the sector, including one Republican who said he would be a "disastrous, toxic choice."

But in the end he was the only choice, as no other World Bank member nominated a candidate.

Malpass, who spoke to many developing country leaders and officials as part of the selection process, including China, told reporters he was "heartened by breadth of support for my candidacy and the World Bank mission."

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He met with World Bank staff early Tuesday and was surrounded by well-wishers.

- Role for China -

"I want to listen very much to developing countries in meeting the goals of the bank," he said.

As for China, he noted that the agreement to increase funding for the World Bank, which he was instrumental in negotiating, calls for annual lending to Beijing and to other middle income countries, to decline "substantially."

The country has lifted nearly a billion people out of poverty, which is a welcome example to other countries, Malpass said.

And he stopped short of criticizing China's "belt and road" initiative which has raised concerns about opaque lending to developing nations that sharply increases their debt levels.

He said the focus needs to be on "high quality projects," providing transparency on debt levels and clear procurement rules with guardrails against corruption.

"It's all part of getting good development done."

China also has a growing role as a donor to the World Bank fund that provides low-cost loans to the poorest countries.
All things are in flux.  Heraclitus

The adage nothing last forever is an understatement. Far more accurate is something like nothing lasts until next week.

Saint-to-Sinner Silicon Valley

A decade ago, even most Republicans admired the rugged entrepreneurialism of the high-tech Masters of the Universe who had built a multitrillion-dollar, world-dominating Internet, and the computer, mobile-phone, online-sales, and social-media industries, defined by marquee companies such as Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, and Yahoo.

In turn, Democrats gave up their suspicions of big money, as they canonized liberal Jeff Bezos, Sergey Brin, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg. Their wealth was okay, since the creators of it were progressives and dressed like Woodstock hipsters as they spread their billions freely among progressive think tanks, foundations, and political campaigns.

Not now.

In a near blink of an eye, Republicans finally caught on, and they now see the new billionaires as rank partisans who rig Internet searches, censor social media, manipulate data to help warp elections, push far-left causes, bully their own nonconformist employees, and demonize their conservative critics.

Equally abruptly, Democrats see the new billionaires as our new robber barons, who set up monopolies, destroyed competition, snooped and surveilled their own consumers, and trumped the shenanigans of the old 19th-century Jay Goulds and James Fisks. In other words, unlimited and unaudited power and wealth are a timeless prescription for abuse, whether in ancient Rome or 2019 America  a forever law that not even Mark Zuckerberg in T-shirts and jeans could escape.

From Too Little to Too Much Oil

Less than 15 years ago, the conventional wisdom was that wed reached peak oil, or that the U.S., and indeed the world at large, had already extracted more petroleum than what remained beneath the ground.

Then, in unheralded fashion and quite silently, American frackers and horizontal drillers made such a term entirely obsolete. The U.S. went from a superpower hobbled by an insatiable need for imported oil to the largest producer of oil and natural gas in the world and, soon, the likely largest exporter of fossil fuels. In the same vein, the Middle East and especially the Persian Gulf transmogrified from being the nexus of American foreign policy to nearly irrelevant in U.S. strategic thinking. If Saudi Arabia was once accused of virtually running American foreign policy, it is now seen at the other extreme as a minor medieval bother. A few thousand people in obscurity in the fracking industry, without government grants and without the media fawning over them as they had green legends such as Al Gore, literally changed the lives of millions of Americans at home and their countrys status abroad.

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China: No Longer the Wave of the Future

Not too long ago the West was breezily talking of China as if the 1989 Tiananmen Square debacle and its aftermath that saw the Chinese government kill some 10,000 protesters and dissidents was a mere speed bump on the fated way to Chinese democracy and an open society. Beltway wisdom was that any year China could experience a moment akin to the collapse of the Berlin Wall.

Then status quo elite thinking in Washington was that even if the Chinese ran up huge deficits, treated their trading partners in ruthless fashion, jailed critics in a vast gulag archipelago, and mimicked the colonialism and imperialism of the former Japanese Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere of the late 1930s and 1940s, Beijing, nonetheless, would inevitably translate its new affluence and self-confidence into free elections and eventual liberal society  or at least become a benign world hegemon. After all, its high-speed rail, its solar-panel factories, and modern airports wowed American pundits  as if China offered a model of green modern authoritarianism that could supersede Neanderthal resistance to green central planners. A Chinese Carmel or Upper West Side was always proverbially right around the corner.

Just as it had been awed by Western money and technology, surely China would be even more wowed by Western magnanimity and so reciprocate by mimicking Western political and cultural institutions.

That fantasy has dissipated as Donald Trump shattered its glass veneer. The vision of China as always on the cusp of consensual government was always about as accurate as the old American dreams that the more powerful imperial Japan became in the early 20th century, the more apt Tokyo would be to assume a role as a sober and judicious Westernized protector of global norms. Again, ahistorical groupthink, fueled by globalist nonsense, simply ignored Chinese history and culture.

The Old New Nazi Slur

Between 2006 and 2008, George W. Bush was reduced by the anti-war Left left to a veritable Nazi. Op-eds, documentaries, plays, and novels fantasized without apology about his assassination. Mainstream politicians including Senators Robert Byrd, John Glenn, and Al Gore compared the Bush administration to Brownshirts, Fascists, and Nazis. Indeed, so hated was Bush by his critics that that they stooped to accuse him of plotting near genocide during the governments often incompetent response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster of 2005 that virtually destroyed large swaths of New Orleans. No slur or smear was too low to throw against the president.

Now this world of Nazi boilerplate has been turned upside down. In the age of Trump, Bush has been rehabilitated as a sober and judicious centrist by even his left-wing critics, in part to use him as an establishment club to batter the sometimes crass Donald Trump.

Bush supporters who were once slurred as Nazi neocons, such as Bill Kristol for his prior role as co-founder of the Project for a New American Century and frequent embrace of unapologetic national greatness, now themselves often accuse Donald Trump and his supporters of Nazi-like behavior for their Make America Great Again values.

Kristol, once the target of unfair vituperation, now suggests that Trump adviser Michael Anton (who sometimes wrote in Kristols Weekly Standard), by working for Trump, replayed the roll of Nazi puppet lawyer Carl Schmitt, as in Kristols tweet Carl Schmitt to Mike Anton: First time tragedy, second time farce.).This is among other frequent allusions Kristol and his circle have made to Trump and his supporters as having Nazi-like affinities.

George W. Bushs former CIA director Michael Hayden  himself often slurred and smeared as a veritable Nazi for green-lighting enhanced interrogation of terrorists  became a purveyor of Nazi slurs, when he posted a picture of the Nazi extermination camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau in order to libel Trumps border policies. In 2007, who would have believed that those who were likened to Nazis for supporting or working for George W. Bush would a decade later adopt the very smears of the Left  but in libeling their fellow Republicans who supported a Republican president?

What causes these radical changes in lifestyle, material conditions, perceptions, and politics? Or rather why do we fixate on the fleeting present without help from the past to fathom the future?

Most obviously, technology has no limits, either on its ability to transform utterly modern life or the speed at which it accomplishes such changes. Once fracking was mastered, it became ever cheaper and ever more efficient at a geometrical rate  and operated independently, as scientific breakthroughs do, from political consensus and convention.

Computer technology was just as unpredictable in its ability to alter the world as we know it. At first, the Internet and social media seemed simply to make life easier and more enjoyable. But soon such Frankenstein monsters devoured their idealistic creators and were recalibrated to contaminate almost everything they touched, as Twitter turned into an electronic lynch mob; Facebook, an instant tool of progressive intolerance; and Google, a Big Brother screen that snooped into its users living rooms for sport and profit. The tech revolution in communications simply accelerated and empowered the preexisting human desire of its creators to be all powerful and force others to believe as they do.

Groupthink explains radical transformations in conventional wisdom and received opinion. The status of China should always have been pretty clear: The Chinese government was a Communist autocracy with a long history of mass murder, racial and religious intolerance, and hatred of democracy  whether it lived hand to mouth in Maoist times or befooled naive journalists and buccaneer corporatists who bragged about its shiny new infrastructure.

What changed was not the essence of China, but its superficial veneer, which tricked the gullible or conniving Westerners into assuming its fascist brand of capitalism led to riches and on to eventual freedom.

Political differences are not always so different, or they at least pale before cultural, class, and social affinities. Often for the WashingtonNew York elite political classes, left and right, Democratic and Republican, conservative and liberal are not so much fault lines as cultural commonalities among like-minded elites juxtaposed against their assumed hoi polloi social inferiors. Keep that distinction in mind, and it may not seem so strange that those who were unfairly smeared as veritable Nazis go on to themselves unfairly smear others as Nazis, as if stooping to Third Reich vituperation is an in-house parlor game.

In some sense, the old French adage of plus ca change, plus cest la meme chose the more things change, the more they stay the same  remains timeless. Communists are Communists are Communists, whether or not they develop solar-powered cities or invest in unoccupied homes in Beverly Hills.

Free-market constitutional societies depend not so much on natural resources as on their own system of free markets, meritocratic and enlightened government, and free inquiry. Americans usually are the most creative and resourceful when they are written off as has-beens and doomed  as we saw when they went from being a hobbled oil importer to OPECs greatest nightmare.

Among the political classes, both being slurred or slurring others of like kind in disgusting fashion is no big deal. Apparently, it is just the usual foul water that such kindred fish always swim in.

More from National Review
(Reuters) - Wynn Resorts Ltd, the world's No. 2 casino operator, said on Tuesday it scrapped preliminary talks to acquire Crown Resorts Ltd for A$10 billion ($7.1 billion), after the Australian Financial Review broke news of the negotiations.

Wynn's backtracking illustrates how media leaks of deal talks can test the resolve of potential acquirer. Crown shares jumped as much as 22 percent on the news to A$14.37, close to the $A14.75 per share level that Crown said Wynn's latest cash-and-stock offer valued the company.

This can make deal negotiations more difficult by emboldening acquisition targets to drive a hard bargain, analysts said. In this case, Wynn's inexperience with pursuing big deals also likely played a factor, some analysts added.

"(Wynn) management's experience with acquisitions is limited, so when you target synergies it'll be nice to have more of a track record for such a large transaction," said Roth Capital Partners analyst David Bain, calling the termination of the deal talks a positive development for Wynn.

After the Australian Financial Review revealed Wynn's takeover approach, Crown not only confirmed the confidential talks on Tuesday, but also disclosed the price that Wynn was offering. It added that Crown's board had not yet considered Wynn's latest offer.

Wynn then issued two statements, first confirming the talks, and, a few hours later, stating that they had ended.

"Following the premature disclosure of preliminary discussions, Wynn Resorts has terminated all discussions with Crown Resorts concerning any transaction," the company said in a statement.

Wynn's shares were down 3.2 percent at $140.21 in New York at mid-afternoon.

Examples of companies confirming acquisition talks only to back out hours later are few and far between, because they reflect a lack of conviction on the part of the aspiring acquirer.

Last year, drug maker Allergan Plc confirmed it was in the early stages of making an offer for peer Shire Plc, after Reuters broke news of the deliberations, only to issue a second statement a few hours later stating it would not make an offer.

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Insurer Aon Plc said last month it would not pursue a merger with rival insurance brokerage Willis Towers Watson Plc, a day after it confirmed it was in early stages of considering an all-stock offer for the Irish company following a Bloomberg News report revealing the deliberations.

HEDGE AGAINST MACAU

Wynn was founded in 2002 by Steve Wynn, who started his casino business in Las Vegas in the 1960s and created some of the city's most iconic landmarks  the Mirage, Bellagio and Treasure Island - before selling them. Beset by sexual misconduct allegations, Wynn left the company and sold his entire 11.8 percent stake in Wynn Resorts for $2.1 billion last month.

Wynn operates large resort-and-casino complexes in Las Vegas and Chinese gambling hub Macau, with another under construction in Massachusetts. The deal would have offered a hedge against Macau, where its license are up for renewal, by giving it two lavishly revamped Australian casinos and a third being built on the prized Sydney harbor front.

Buying Crown would also fit in with Wynn's strategy to diversify geographically to protect its growth prospects if its Macau license are not renewed.

The company's efforts so far have included ramping up promotion of a resort in Japan, a market seen as the next potential goldmine to Macau and a former expansion target for Crown.

"Wynn has typically grown through building their own facilities, not through acquisition," said Bain, the Roth Capital Partners analyst.

For Crown's 47 percent owner James Packer, who re-badged his father's media empire as a gambling concern in 2007 only to withdraw from business engagements last year due to mental illness, the deal would have ended his career as a casino mogul with a A$4.7 billion payout.

He would have ended up as Wynn's biggest shareholder with 9.8 percent of its shares, based on its current number of shares on issue.

"We think Wynn's strategy was mostly defensive, but if they have a strong strategic rationale for wanting to acquire Crown, they would likely come back to the table when things settle down," said John DeCree, Union Gaming Securities' director of North America research.

(Reporting by Byron Kaye, Tom Westbrook and Paulina Duran in SYDNEY, Devika Syamnath and Nivedita Balu in BENGALURU, and Greg Roumeliotis in NEW YORK; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila, Shounak Dasgupta and Richard Chang)
By Lisa Rapaport (Reuters Health) - People with Parkinson's disease may have less anxiety and depression when they practice yoga focused on mindfulness and breathing exercises, a small experiment suggests. Parkinson's disease is one of the most common chronic neurodegenerative diseases. Classic motor symptoms include tremors, rigidity, slowed movements, and postural instability - but patients with Parkinson's can also experience a variety of cognitive problems as well as psychiatric disorders like depression and anxiety, researchers note in JAMA Neurology. For the study, researchers randomly assigned 138 adults with Parkinson's to participate in eight weeks of either a mindfulness yoga program or an exercise program focused on stretching and resistance training to improve mobility and stability. All of the participants could stand and walk without canes or walkers. Yoga was just as effective as stretching and resistance training for improving motor dysfunction and mobility, the study found. But people who did yoga experienced greater reductions in anxiety, depression, and perceived hardship related to their illness. Patients in the yoga group also reported greater improvements in what's known as health-related quality of life, or how well they're able to function in daily activities despite their disease. "Before the study, we knew that mind-body exercises such as yoga and stretching improve the physical health of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), however the benefit to their mental health was not known," said lead study author Jojo Kwok of the University of Hong Kong. "This study concludes that mindfulness yoga alleviates psychological distress, improves spiritual well-being and quality of life, not to mention motor symptoms and mobility," Kwok said by email. "What is exciting, is that yoga has now been proven to be a better strategy than just stretching." Each week during the study, people in the stretching and resistance training group had one weekly 60-minute group session. They were also encouraged to practice exercises at home for 20 minutes twice a week. People in the yoga group had one weekly 90-minute session of hatha yoga, which focuses on breathing and meditation in addition to specific poses. They, too, were told to practice at home for 20 minutes twice a week. Mindfulness-based training programs are designed to help people focus on the present moment and accept any pain or discomfort they may be feeling. This may involve meditation techniques to cultivate awareness of the present moment during ordinary daily activities such as driving or eating, or breathing exercises and practices such as yoga to help encourage body awareness and focus on the present. Four participants in the yoga group reported temporary mild knee pain, as did two people in the stretching and resistance training group. None of the patients had more serious side effects. One limitation of the study is that many participants dropped out. And, it's also possible results might be different for Parkinson's patients with more mobility limitations, who were excluded from the trial. Still, the results add to the evidence that hatha and other forms of yoga may be beneficial for Parkinson's patients, said Catherine Justice, an integrative physical therapist at Hennepin Healthcare in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Particularly with the motor symptoms of Parkinson's, however, it's crucial that people with this condition discuss it with their yoga instructor before trying a class to minimize their risk of injury, Justice advised. "Risk of falls could be quite high in standing or balancing poses or when transitioning to and from the floor," Justice said. "For this reason, I recommend that anyone with Parkinson's practice yoga next to a wall, with a sturdy chair positioned within reach with at least 2 feet of the chair on the mat." Parkinson's patients may still benefit from both the physical and mental activity of yoga practice, said Dr. Martha Nance, medical director of the Park Nicollet-Struthers Parkinson's Center in Minneapolis. If yoga isn't available where patients live, "it is still useful to exercise 150 minutes weekly, and other forms of mindfulness/meditation are likely to help with emotional (health) too," Nance, who wasn't involved in the study, said by email. SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2G5GUDN JAMA Neurology, online April 8, 2019.
New York City on Tuesday took the highly unusual step of declaring a public health emergency in parts of Brooklyn, ordering mandatory measles vaccinations amid a broad  and growing  outbreak of the highly contagious virus there.

The order focuses on four ZIP codes in the Williamsburg area inhabited by a large Orthodox Jewish community: 11205, 11206, 11211 and 11249.

Since Sept. 30, the area has produced 285 measles cases, city officials said at a press conference Tuesday, including 246 children. Of the 285, 21 people have been hospitalized and five have been admitted to the intensive care unit.

While a public campaign launched in coordination with local community leaders has resulted in 8,000 vaccinations in the area, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said it wasnt sufficient. An estimated 1,800 children in the neighborhood are still unvaccinated, so it was time to take a more muscular approach, he said.

Reports of people hosting measles parties to deliberately expose their children to the illness added additional urgency. Per the CDC, one to two children out of every 1,000 who contract the disease die from it.

Many Orthodox Jews believe vaccinations run counter to Jewish or Talmudic law, leading to low vaccination rates in some communities. Dr. Aaron Glatt, a rabbi and the chairman of the department of medicine at South Nassau Communities Hospital on Long Island, told Kaiser Health News last month its a mistaken belief.

Theres not a single opinion that says vaccination is against Jewish law, he told the outlet.

Of particular concern to health officials are Jewish yeshivas and daycare centers, which act as a hub for the outbreak. In December, New York ordered yeshivas not to admit non-vaccinated children until the outbreak passed. One yeshiva in Williamsburg failed to comply and is responsible for at least 40 cases of the disease.

We try always to respect religious rights, religious customs, but when it comes to public health, when we see a problem emerge, we have to deal with it aggressively, de Blasio said. We are absolutely certain this is an appropriate use of our emergency powers.

Story continues

Parents can call 311 to arrange vaccinations or visit the New York City Health Department website for more information. Parents or guardians who fail to comply face fines of up to $1,000.

Vaccines are safe, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Herminia Palacio said Tuesday. They are required.

They are in fact much safer than getting an actual disease, she said. This is not some little cold; people can be hospitalized; they can get pneumonia; they can get inflammation of the brain; they can die. This is serious.
Kamala Harris is in many respects the poster child of the Democratic coalition. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Put aside ideology for a moment, and you can quickly see why California Senator Kamala Harris is a demographic dream candidate for president. Her father is Jamaican, her mother is Indian, her husband is Jewish, and shes relatively young (54) and even more youthful looking, in a field dominated by septuagenarians, with a pleasant though entirely professional manner. The adjective you always hear about her is disciplined, which is a quality Democrats definitely want in gambling on anyone to take on Donald Trump and the savage hate-fest he is certain to unleash on his opponent.

But in competing for progressive support (which she needs to do as a prospective unity candidate in the left-leaning field of a left-leaning party), Harris has a problem: Her entire 13-year career in public office before her election to the Senate in 2016 was as a prosecutor, first as district attorney of San Francisco and then as attorney general of California. For some progressives, that alone is an issue, as encapsulated in the frequently heard taunt: Kamala Harris Is a Cop. For others, the concern is simply that Harris rarely if ever was front and center on major controversies relevant to her profession, from criminal-justice reform to prosecution of big-time corporate criminals. Indeed, some of her signature initiatives (like the fight against school truancy in San Francisco, in which she proposed criminal sanctions on parents for kids who missed classes) arguably aimed at insulating her from any attacks on her right flank.

This is a particular worry for her campaign manager  who also happens to be her sister  Maya Harris, a respected civil rights attorney who was an officer in the ACLU and helped edit Michelle Alexanders landmark book on mass incarceration, The New Jim Crow. While she can certainly vouch for her sisters soundness on such issues, she cannot always explain away the moderation  or some would say, lack of courage  that has marked the candidates public career, at least up until the time she ran for the Senate.

It appears the family/campaign narrative to explain the Harris sisters different paths (which have now converged) is that one chose the inside and the other the outside, as Jamileh King reports:

Maya has always been more of an advocate, while Kamala has chosen to work within some of the most systemically racist institutions in the country, says Lateefah Simon, a longtime family friend who also ran a program that aimed to keep people charged with first-time nonviolent offenses out of jail in Kamalas district attorneys office. The decision to go into law enforcement was one that Kamala described on many occasions as having to defendlike one would a thesis to her family. Theres an important role to play on the outside, banging down the door, on bended knee, trying to change the system, she recounted in an interview in 2018 on the popular hip-hop morning show the Breakfast Club. But we also have to be inside the room where the decisions are being made.

A more subtle but parallel argument for Kamala Harriss moderation is made in a long profile of the candidate by Elizabeth Weil:

Harriss demographic identity has always been radical. She was San Franciscos first female district attorney, first black district attorney, first Asian American district attorney. She was then Californias first female attorney general, first black attorney general, first Asian American attorney general. She was the second black woman, ever, to win a seat in the United States Senate. But in office, shes avoided saying or doing much that could be held against her. As attorney general, she declined to support two ballot measures to end the death penalty. She declined to support making drug possession a misdemeanor. She declined to support legalizing pot. She declined to support a ballot measure reforming Californias brutal three-strikes law. The point is: She had power. She kept most of it in reserve. More important than fixing the broken criminal-justice system, it seemed, was protecting her status as a rising star.

Its what Weil describes as Harriss long game, which infuriated constituents over the years who wanted Harris to take a stand and fight for them today, not when she reached a higher office. Thats part of a narrative in which all the audacity she stored up over the years to protect her career is now flowering fully in her progressive plans for the presidency.

This, of course, makes Harris very different from, say, Bernie Sanders, who for the most part is promoting the same agenda now as he did when he entered Congress in 1990. Elizabeth Warren is another rival who has been very consistent in a shorter political career. So even those who believe electing a multiracial woman as president would be a huge breakthrough moment for the country may struggle to prefer her to candidates who have been, to quote George McGoverns 1972 campaign slogan, right from the start.

Harris has in her favor a path to the Democratic nomination that is entirely plausible (its basically Barack Obamas in 2008, with the added factor of an early primary in her huge home state of California), combined with the vulnerabilities of so many others in the enormous field. If she can gain some momentum, she could indeed become a unity candidate, with her timid, moderate law-enforcement record perhaps even helping her party in a close general election. But first she needs to build some trust with doubting progressives, and that may mean sounding as tough on herself as she used to sound about the objects of her prosecutorial ill intentions.

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Last night was epic as top Canadian rapper Drake called out Wizkid to join him on stage in London.

Drake had a show at the O2 Arena and he tapped in Wizkid for a surprise performance on stage.

The two music stars performed Come Closer on the same stage with many of the fans raving on.

Wizkid also performed his 2018 hit track Sock to thousands of music lovers at the concert.

You can relish the highlights below.
The Federal Government on Tuesday warned some traditional rulers and highly placed individuals in Zamfara against colluding with bandits in the state to perpetuate nefarious activities.

The Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, in a statement issued by his spokesman, by Col. Tukur Gusau, on Tuesday said fresh intelligence had exposed the complicity of some highly-placed traditional rulers in the ongoing killings of Nigerians across the northern parts of the country.

He also accused those individuals as helping the bandits with intelligence to perpetuate their activities, as well as frustrating security agencies efforts to address the challenge.



Dan-Ali further warned that any person or group of persons who choose to sympathise with the bandits, to retract their steps or face the full wrath of the law.

According to him, the Armed Forces had been directed to deal decisively with anybody identified helping the bandits under whatever guise no matter how highly placed the person may be.

He said government had taken a number of measures to deal with the problem, including the establishment of 8 Division in Sokoto and the conduct of Exercise Harbin Kunama III, to combat banditry in Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto and Birnin Gwari axis of Kaduna state

Gusau called on the people of the affected states to cooperate with the security agencies by giving useful information.

(NAN)

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The Nigerian government on Tuesday ordered the military to go after those behind banditry in Zamfara and other states.

A statement by Colonel Tukur Gusau, Public Relations Officer to the Minister of Defence, said the government was concerned about the security challenges in the North-West, particularly in Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina states and Birnin Gwari axis of Kaduna state.

It said due to the recent prevailing security situation in the states, the Ministry through the Nigerian Army is now conducting Exercise HARBIN KUNAMA IV simultaneously in Zamfara, Katsina and Sokoto States.

The purpose of the exercise is to effectively flush out the activities of criminal elements in the North West, it noted.

The Nigerian Air Force has also intensified air strikes against the bandits in Zamfara. So far, the combined efforts have yielded to lot of successes leading to the killing of many bandits, rescue of many innocent persons including the renowned Islamic scholar Sheik Ahmad Suleiman.

The Government is also addressing the remote and immediate causes that gave room to high spate of armed banditry in the states.

Recently the government acted on the advice of the Ministry of Defence to suspend all mining activities in Zamfara State and environs following intelligence report that suggest close collaboration between the activities of the bandits and illegal miners.

It is instructive to mention here that insurgency and terrorism are global phenomena that cannot be addressed through military actions only. The whole society has to rise in unison to support the governments efforts to address the problem.

However, in spite of the concerted efforts of the Armed Forces and other security some unpatriotic persons including highly placed traditional rulers in the areas were identified as helping the bandits with intelligence to perpetuate their nefarious actions or to compromise military operations.

The statement added that as part of ways to provide security, the Nigerian Army has established 8 Division with headquarters in Sokoto to cover Kebbi, Sokoto, Katsina and Zamfara states while the Headquarters of 1 Brigade was relocated from Sokoto to Gusau.

Presently the tactical headquarters of 8 Division has since located to Gusau. Similarly, the Nigerian Air Force also established Quick Response Force in Gusau and landing areas in Gusau and Birnin Magaji respectively, Gusau said.

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Hong Kong: Govt duty to enact Article 23

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has the constitutional duty to enact Article 23 of the Basic Law and it will take the matter forward when the time is right.

Acting Chief Executive Matthew Cheung made the statement before attending todays Executive Council meeting.

He said enacting the legislation is a sensitive and complicated matter, adding the SAR Government has to take stock of the situation and take the matter forward at an appropriate time.

This story has been published on: 2019-04-09. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On April 8, Chinese power battery maker CATL released a review of its performance in the first quarter of 2019, with an expected net profit ranging from RMB992 million to RMB1.16 billion attributable to shareholders of the public company, surging 140% to 170% year on year.

The non-recurring-excluded net profit attributable to shareholders for the first three months was expected to reach RMB888 million to RMB969 million, skyrocketing 230% to 260% compared to the year-ago period.

CATL said the Q1 profit increase should be ascribed to three major reasons: (1) the domestic market demands for power battery is growing along with the fast development of NEV industry; (2) outputs and sales have been increased thanks to the gradual release of capacity and strengthened market development; (3) the cost-income ratio of the company has been lowered due to the intensified cost management.

In 2018, CATL gained RMB29.611 billion in gross revenues with a year-on-year leap of 48.08%, while its net profits attributable to shareholders of the listed company declined 7.71% from the previous year to RMB3.579 billion. Besides, the full-year non-recurring-excluded profits attributable to the listed company jumped 30.95% to RMB3.111 billion, the power battery maker announced on February 27.

CATL and the state-owned carmaker FAW Group set up a joint venture dubbed CATL-FAW Power Battery Company (CATL-FAW) at the end of January, according to tianyancha.com, a Chinese data search platform. In addition, it also builds joint ventures with Geely, SAIC Motor, GAC Group and Dongfeng Motor.
There is an alternative (for now). Photo: Peter Barreras/AP/REX/Shutterstock

If Democrats and Republicans can agree on anything these days, its that the tax-filing process should be cheaper and easier for the American people  and also, that the IRS should be legally prohibited from making the tax-filing process cheaper and easier for the American people.

In Washington, there is an official, bipartisan consensus that the tax code should be simplified, and that April 15 should be a less fearsome day in the American imagination. But there is also an unofficial bipartisan consensus that preserving the profitability of the tax-preparation industry is more important than making your life easier. For this reason, congressional Republicans will invite Americans to imagine filing your taxes on a form the size of a postcard  but never to envision a world in which the government could actually just fill out your tax forms for you. Even though we all already live in such a world.

In Japan and the United Kingdom, most citizens dont have to file any tax returns whatsoever. Instead, the state directly withdraws the exact amount its owned from workers paychecks, a process known as precision withholding. To account for potential deductions, the state simply examines public records for evidence of charitable donations, mortgage interest payments, or the like. Alternatively, the IRS could simply mail every American a pre-filled tax form, using salary data that the agency already possesses. Or better yet, the agency could develop free tax-filing software that Americans could use to access their pre-filled tax forms, review the information, correct any mistakes, and then submit to Uncle Sam  without even shelling out for a postage stamp.

Such a program would save virtually every American time, money, and worry. But it would also make TurboTax and H&R Block less profitable. And ordinary Americans do not have time to educate themselves about the Japanese tax system, or the money to pressure federal lawmakers into honoring their interests. The tax-preparation industry, by contrast, very much does. Thus, Congress is about to make it illegal for the IRS to develop free tax-filing software. As ProPublica reports:

Last week, the House Ways and Means Committee, led by Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., passed the Taxpayer First Act, a wide-ranging bill making several administrative changes to the IRS that is sponsored by Reps. John Lewis, D-Ga., and Mike Kelly, R-Pa.

In one of its provisions, the bill makes it illegal for the IRS to create its own online system of tax filingThis could be a disaster. It could be the final nail in the coffin of the idea of the IRS ever being able to create its own program, said Mandi Matlock, a tax attorney who does work for the National Consumer Law Center.

Its no surprise that Republicans support such legislation. For all their rhetorical concern for the tax codes complexity, the conservative movement has an investment in making taxation as conspicuous and painful as possible. (Grover Norquist once decried a proposal for return-free filing as a clear attempt to raise taxes in a way that leaves politicians with clean hands.) But how do Democrats rationalize backing such a provision?

The answer is simple (if unsatisfying). At present, the IRS has a memorandum of understanding with the tax-preparation industry: If the agency promises not to develop its own tax-filing software, the private tax-prep companies will provide free tax-filing software to all Americans who earn under $66,000. The pending bill would turn this (easily reversible) bureaucratic policy into binding law. Thus, Democrats can frame the proposal as an attempt to permanently secure free tax services for the bottom 70 percent of Americans.

But there are a couple of problems with such a framing. For one thing, theres no reason why the most powerful government in human history should have to rely on private companies to provide this service. After all, the federal government could do this job better than the private sector, if it were allowed to, because it has unparalleled access to salary data. For another, if the public sector developed the relevant software itself, it could make free tax-filing universal at little additional cost.

But the biggest problem with the existing arrangement is that when you make a free service means-tested and privately administered, many low-income Americans will not realize that it exists. And in this case, only 3 percent of eligible U.S. taxpayers use the industrys free program each year.

Americans deserve at least one political party that doesnt support privatizing services  that would be better performed by the state  for the sole purpose of protecting entrenched corporate interests. Democrats cannot help TurboTax undermine the IRS, and then claim to be such a party.
New post, The Adversarial System and the Torah Ethic of Justice on Nishma Policy
Incoming El Salvador president Nayib Bukele will not invite regional counterparts Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua and Honduras' Juan Orlando Hernandez to his June 1 inauguration, a top aide said Tuesday. "They're not going to be invited. El Salvador, in the next government, will be part of a group of democratic countries that believe in elections, in states where the people have to elect their governments in a democratic way," said Federico Anliker, secretary general of Bukele's New Ideas party. The Salvadoran president-elect has labeled both Ortega and Hernandez as dictators and said last week that both are in power by force and "at the cost of many lives." His position marks a shift in the foreign policy of outgoing President Salvador Sanchez Ceren, a leftist former guerrilla who maintains close relations with his Nicaraguan and Venezuelan counterparts. Bukele, a conservative elected in February, said he would seek a closer relationship with the United States, home to 2.5 million Salvadorans. "What's the difference between Hernandez and Ortega? One says he is from the right, the other from the left. But the reality is that both are in power by force, at a cost of many lives and without democratic legitimacy," Bukele wrote on Twitter. Bukele has accused Ortega of being responsible for the crisis in Nicaragua, where a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests left at least 325 people dead, hundreds in jail and thousands of refugees, according to humanitarian agencies. Presidents Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua and Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela shake hands during a regional meeting in Caracas in March 2018
Devin Nunes. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Devin Nunes, the congressman from California and a generally wretched human, is suing someone else for defamation. Last month, Nunes sued a pair of Twitter users who are pretending to be his mother and his cow, respectively (probably worth noting: the accounts are obvious parody as opposed to deceitful impersonation). Now, hes suing publisher McClatchy, the owner of the Fresno Bee, a newspaper that covers Nuness district. Both this lawsuit and the prior name Liz Mair, a Republican strategist, as a defendant.

Nuness new defamation suit concerns an article published last May in the Bee by Mackenzie Mays about a lawsuit against Alpha Omega Winery, in which Nunes is an investor. The article, conveying details of that lawsuit, described a fundraiser aboard a yacht that included drugs and prostitution. As the article noted at the time, Nunes did not respond to requests for comment, and Its unclear how much of Alpha Omega Nunes owns, if he was aware of the lawsuit or was affiliated with the fundraiser.

The Bee stated yesterday that Nunes never requested a correction to the story and drew attention to how much of the lawsuit harps on the effect of social media. The suit states that The Yacht/Cocaine/Prostitutes article was republished online and retweeted and posted on the internet hundreds of thousands of times. It traveled through social media like wildfire.

Still, there are hints that Nunes might be in a little over his head. For instance, one part of the suit references a tweet Mays published about the 2018 article to her 5,000 or so followers. By and large, having 5,000 followers on Twitter does not mean 5,000 people saw a tweet  its often a much smaller fraction.

OMG  did Nunes counsel do a Twitter keyword search for this reporters tweet and then accuse her of bolding the words on Twitter?! https://t.co/qNAJL2Hk8R pic.twitter.com/a2qq0aS3UV  Matt Pearce  (@mattdpearce) April 9, 2019

The same section also claims that Mays bolded the words woman, Devin, and cocaine in her tweet, presumably as some sort of grade-school coded message? Mays definitely did not do this, because Twitter does not supported formatted text like bolding or italicizing. The bolded words in the screenshot included in the lawsuit are there because Twitters search function bolds the search terms when displaying results. (An example: If I search for donald trump traitor on Twitter, the site might show me a tweet that looks like Donald Trump is not a traitor.)

Nunes, a baby boy zapped into premature adulthood by a magic Zoltar machine, has frequently decried the Fresno Bee as fake news and sent out a 40-page mailer last year in an attempt to argue that the paper is not credible. One might be inclined to believe that Nunes doesnt fullly comprehend how Twitter works  he is suing an account pretending to be his cow, after all  but this most recent suit feels like a page out of the Peter Thiel/Gawker playbook: a suit intended not to be won, but to tie up a critical media outlet in red tape.
I believe it. Hes protesting too much.



\_()_/.

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i agree. it seems like such an outsized reaction

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yep, Will is dumb since he's basically Streisand Effecting the whole thing now.

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Mte

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I completely agree.

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Idk. If someone was spreading fake affair rumors about me, Id be pretty mad too.

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mad is mad but "human rights violation"...?

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Mte. They have been quiet on more damaging stories put out but this is where the lawyers jump in? Hmmm.

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mte and in the weirdest way

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he's helping harry cover up fake baby, lol

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W&K must be praying for Meghan to go into labor so they can get past this news cycle.



Also lol of course I believe a rich man told since birth that one day by God's divine grace he gets to rule over a country would be able to justify having an affair.

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I totally loled, thank you for this

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lbr, most men have that sense of entitlement :(

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You aren't wrong

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Baby kings, all of 'em.

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yup

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for real

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lol met

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this



also mistresses have been normalized historically esp in the royal family (heck, his dad married his) so he probably didnt think this was a big deal and even his ~royal right~

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Lol

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For Kate and the kids sake, I really hope it isnt true.

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MTE

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I think it is. It contextualizes the whole strained relationship with Harry. Plus all this effort to eliminate rumors just gives them more validity imo

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The sad part is - even if it were true, I don't think she would divorce him tho... 

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Carole would stroke out if Kate tried divorcing him.



Edited at 2019-04-09 07:53 pm (UTC)

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IA



I like her and the kids are innocent

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I also hope so ... imagine the press, they wouldn't stop comparing her with Diana and they would be all day saying like father like son.

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I think Kate knows what she signed up for and, not that she doesn't mind him having affairs, but I think the deal is that he's supposed to be discreet.



I think the only way they'll divorce is if he wants to. like, if he falls in love with someone and Isabella or Jecca come running lmao

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Oh shit lol dude wtf

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A human rights violation?? Can they fucking not.

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You think he would've learned from his parents to not cheat

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Let's hope for another leaked telephone call about wanting to be her tampon

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Good god. Whats the story behind the tampon thing?

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i can see where EL james got her inspiration for that infamous tampon scene from now...

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But look at him...why

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Its bonkers for me to believe that Will was ever a heartthrob. Because ..... yikes.

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He was extremely cute in his early/mid 20s but the switch happened so. fast.

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He was a total babe in the late 90s. I was a teenager then and I recall him and Leonardo diCaprio (coming off of Titanic) were the major heartthrobs.

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Ha it's ingrained in the psyches of ppl of a certain age like me; and being for either Wills or Harry







She's obvi a Harry girl lol

Ha it's ingrained in the psyches of ppl of a certain age like me; and being for either Wills or HarryShe's obvi a Harry girl lol

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One of the biggest.

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even Rose's much older husband has more hair than William

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people don't cheat over looks

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what's it matter? Kate will never leave him.



Megan and Harry though, I'm worried about. I think the stress of the media shitstorm will eventually hurt their marriage.

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I can see them quietly fading into the background while still doing charity work. Hopefully being at Frogmore will give them the privacy they want.

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IA x 1000

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I didn't know anything about this until Who? Weekly covered it.

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I've read that William inherited a lot of his mother's character, but not her emotional intelligence. Who knows, but all signs point to arrogance and entitlement with no passion for anything in life.

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You only howl when you're hit.

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I image searched her and I think she resembles him.

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Following in his father's footsteps, I guess.

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Yeah, she really looks...British.

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yeah the "modeling" like come on... getting a gig in the fancy pheasant shooting magazine or society papers cause you're rich and connected isnt modeling...and looking like that

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meh, they're both his type

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So basically all the Harry/Megan stuff about them falling out with various royal family members is subterfuge to cover this. That really sucks that they're being used to cover for Wills being slimy.

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Yep. People have been speculating forever the falling out was between the brothers. Being used as Wills scapegoat probably pissed Harry off, considering how well he cleaned up his image

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hmmm, that's even worse tbh.

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i personally dont think so. i think the fight stories would have come out regardless. that stuff sells papers

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I mostly agree with this. They're would be gossip about them no matter what. The tabloids pitted Diana against Fergie back in the day. But I do think this actual falling out, the move to Windsor, the splitting of the households that have flamed the gossip and the negativity directed almost exclusively at Meghan wouldn't have happened if Will had kept it in his pants.

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I truly think they dont like her. Shes too much of an outsider and too Hollywood for them. She has thoughts and opinions and they cant handle that.

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Ya, don't think Harry cares where Will's been sticking his dick, but I can see him being beyond pissed that the palace has been using his wife to cover up whatever been going on with Will. Tabloids have been on some serious anti-Meghan campaign.

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I think it's probably a combination tbh. I don't want to give Harry too much credit, but Kate's been in his life for a long time too. If they have any kind of friendship (which they seem to), Harry probably does at least feel bad for her or at least can sympathize with what it'll do to their kids. I could see him being angry with Will for that. Plus, imagine being Meghan and marrying into the family as all of this is coming to the surface. Your new brother-in-law is a cheater, but also the future king. Realistically Kate's not going to leave him, but I'm sure it's not a happy household right now. It just all seems like loads of tension.



Basically, I'm sure they are all fighting, but the Kate vs. Meghan was the perfect way to take attention away from the real issue.

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The day after this came out in the UK press (when William starting threatening them) the Daily Mail "suddenly" remembered all the reasons why Kensington Palace staff hated Meghan and that the Queen wouldn't let Meghan wear Diana's jewellery.

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ontd, making it fact on page one

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You would think someone who saw the hell his mother went through publically and personally after his father cheated wouldn't repeat the behavior. But that's probably giving too much credit to any man.

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Apparently that's the real reason why Wills and Harry haven't spent much time together lately; Harry's pissed.

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jesus h christ

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My grandpa once told my mum that he 'could have cheated' on his wife (my grandma) as in it could have easily happened if he'd wanted to, but because his own father used to cheat on his mother when he was a child and he remembered growing up in a tense household, and what the cheating did to the family, he never would have done that to my grandma and to their kids. So some men are not too bad, I guess.

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The palace has been shooting down the rumors with a heavy hand, including threatening legal action and supposed violations of the European Convention to Human Rights, which is a contrast to how they usually just ignore stuff and let it blow over



he can't possibly be serious but why am i surprised



Edited at 2019-04-09 02:39 pm (UTC)

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If Hallmark Heffa gets no jail time from this, Im just going think whod she pay off? because apparently prosecutors are still wanting prison time tied to the guilty pleas.

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Please trademark Hallmark Heffa. I legit just lol'ed and the person next to me, who I've never seen before, turned and looked at me.

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hallmark heffa lol lol

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Hallmark Heffa



lmaoooooo that's awesome.

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LMAOOO

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LOL

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I hope this blows up in Aunt Becky's gave and she gets a lot of time.

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Same the brazen carefree attitude is disgusting. Apparently shes on the hook for more time because of the amount of money which I really hope pans out.

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Her attitude is so appalling.

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Shes really acting like shes too powerful to be touched tbh

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me too, what an asshole

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Mhm

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https://people.com/tv/lori-loughlin-signs-autographs-chats-fans-college-admissions-scandal-court-hearing/ Aunt Becky should get 20 years just for this:

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I think that jail time for Huffman may be exaggerated by Daily Mail. I thought (?) I had read somewhere else the sentencing guidelines were 0-6 months.



Martha Stewart was found guilty on three felonies after benefiting about $50K in insider trading. She served 5 months, and paid about $250K in fines and restitution.



Felicity Huffman plead guilty to one felony for $15K crime. It would be a surprise if Huffman gets similar or higher sentence than Stewart, for fewer charges and lesser amount.



(I believe they should all be punished including financial restitution, Im only curious about the prison time in comparison).

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Martha's three felonies were conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and making false statements to a federal investigators. Martha's sentence could've been harsher if she was charged for insider trading. But she was not a board member of affiliated with the company who's stock plummeted.



Felicity is one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest-services mail fraud.



Sentencing

A mail and wire fraud are punishable by imprisonment for not more than 20 years and a fine of

not more than $250,000 (not more than $500,000 for organizations), or fine of not more than $1

million and imprisonment for not more than 30 years if the victim is a financial institution or the

offense was committed in relation to a natural disaster. It is also subject to a mandatory

minimum two-year term of imprisonment if identify theft is used during and in furtherance of the

fraud.



Conviction may also result in:



- probation

- a term of supervised release,

- a special assessment,

- a restitution order, and/or

- a forfeiture order.



Sentencing guidelines will be key for how much Huffman gets in time and/or restitution. But what Martha and Felicity did are different.

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Yeah I was saying she benefited from insider trading, not that she was charged or convicted for that. Stewart was guilty of 3 felonies for $50K financial crime, whereas Huffman is guilty of 1 felony for $15K financial crime, so it would be unusual for Huffman to get the same or more prison time than Stewart.

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i thought i loved you lots for view posts but now you are really making me swoon xo

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I could punch Lori's smug-ass face.

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Somehow this retroactively justifies my deep hatred of Lynette.

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lol aww not Lynette

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she was always my least favorite of the [desperate] housewives

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On TMZ, they said Felicity is only facing 4 months.

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I really hope Lori gets hella jail time, shes not taking this seriously at all and its gross.

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I have a hard time believing Felicity or Becky will serve jail time for this. Not saying they shouldnt, Im still wrapping my head around the fact they will actually be held accountable for this. The disconnect between these women facing actual, serious consequences and Becky signing autographs at court like she has no worries or shame is absurd.

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MTE on all this. I don't see either of them getting jail time.

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Aunt Becky smiling and looking smug af for these cameras, you in danger heaux





I wonder how sedated she is lmao

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Lori Loughlin's smug suburban mother's face pisses me off.

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exactly my feelings

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Well aunt Becky just had money laundering added to her charge sheet because of the tax write off so bye bitch

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I just saw that. It's funny.

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I think the recommended sentence is 2 years?

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Lori gives me female American Psycho vibes...

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Chelsea Handler, much like ONTD, has a crush on Robert Mueller.



Name and shame.

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everyone mentioned in that sentence is a target tbh lol

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Who has a crush on Mueller again? Wha...How? And more importantly, the 25th letter of the English alphabet.

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Leaning Elizabeth Warren, but I will vote for whoever I think can win come Super tuesday.

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Still waiting for more names because that list isn't long enough!

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Lmao true. Was about to say that list is long but you got it nailed.

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smdh at Chelsea Handler. She also made excuses for Biden saying she thinks it diminishes what real victims go through and that he's just old and a grandfather type.

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it's so gross that people refer to biden like that and act like his behavior is nbd. i wonder what these celebs who are caping for biden said about gorge hw bush (if anything at all).

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once lincoln chaffee jumps in it's all over for the other candidates!!!!! #feelthechafe

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Gotta vote for a guy who champions granite.

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that poll is a joke at this point

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Still waiting on another candidate



WHO ELSE IS THERE???

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Stacy Abrams is rumored

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You don't want to know.

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Pretty sure Stacy Abrams is gonna run.

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This is like Derek's response to Odette in "The Swan Princess", substituting the "What" for "Who?"



On a serious note, that list is long.

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I'm also surprised Elizabeth Warren is so popular here on ONTD, She's my senator but I've noticed a few people not wanting to support her here in MA, Democrats from the Hilary side and the Bernie side. If Democrats in MA don't like then I have a really hard time trying to think she can win bc she's not really "likable" even tho she gets shit done. We all know how dumb Americans can be tho!

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She helped me save a lot of money on student loans, she's legit. Sadly I don't think Americans will take her seriously.

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I think concerns about her electability are valid, because as you said Americans are dumb and the electoral college leaves us vulnerable.

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She has a lot of good policies. I think she would be polling at the top of the list but imo what hurt her was when she fell for the bait and did the dna testing. She should've never listened to the pod save guys.

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I saw a poll over the weekend that says she came in 3rd in MA her own state, behind Biden and Sanders. I was surprised given how she seems so popular here (ONTD is a bubble lol)

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I will say this, everyone actually involved in politics, whether they like her or not, seems to universally say that Warren has the most substantial policies and a lot of ONTDers are very highly informed which makes the Warren popularity make sense to me.

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I like Warren and she's definitely one of the better options but I don't know if she can win looking at some of these polls and the fact that she isn't raising enough money

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Tbh her time was 2016. She couldve build a base and be where Bernie is today but no one knew what they were doing and anointed slay queen Hillary



Edited at 2019-04-09 09:28 pm (UTC)

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I'm also from MA and I agree! I don't think I see anyone but ONTD excited for Elizabeth Warren, I like her and she has great policies but she's definitely not going to get the nomination. Like someone echoed above her time was in 2016.

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She seems rly popular online but irl you don't rly hear much about her.

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also from MA and i agree. while i wish we would move past 'likeability' as a society, we haven't yet. if we did then warren would be polling #1 across the board. her policy knowledge is substantial. it doesn't help that all the other candidates essentially hop on board whatever policy she announces and vow to take it on as president so she doesn't get to lead with a progressive agenda--BUT she is going to set the agenda for whoever the nominee is so i guess that's a positive.

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She has fundraising issues and without money, it's hard to get a campaign off the ground. This is the reality.



She has great policies and is whip smart, which threatens white men the same as they were threatened by Hillary. She would make a great vice president as well.

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The dems are a mess.



surprised Bernie only has 2 votes since ONTD was feeling the Bern then threw away their votes on Jill Stein. lmao.

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Jill Stein reminds me of the FKA era of ONTD. I'm not sure if that user really believed in her or just did it to piss people off, prob the latter.

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LMAO. It wouldn't surprise me if it was the latter either. He still tried it tho.

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he did that shit to piss people off. he probably didnt even vote.

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Who voted for Jill Stein? Cause I voted for Bernie in the primary and Hillary in the general and most people I know irl voted that way

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this is such a baseless claim



i voted for bernie in the primary and hillary in the general election

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The more Bernie is being vetted, the faster his numbers drop.



This is one of the most lucid, thorough, and honest examinations of @BernieSanders' dismal entrance and continual presence in Democratic national politics I have ever read. #ItsOverBernie



Bernie Sanders, It's Over https://t.co/NlxDVmGlNc  Robert #Resist Sandy (@frodofied) April 8, 2019

Having a diverse field is not being a mess. The complaint last time was that the Democratic base wanted to anoint one candidate and there was no choice. Seems like they will be criticized no matter what they do.The more Bernie is being vetted, the faster his numbers drop.

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The fires at those churches just is so infuriating because barely has gotten any attention.

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This is the first I'm hearing about it. I was going to ask if there's been much coverage, I guess not.

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exactly

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is it me or did most of the men wait until a bunch of women announced they were running

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Jay Inslee - I'm curious to know if climate change is anything more than a talking point for him. I know he wrote a book about it at some point but has he proposed any transformative legislation? He's been in politics since the '90s.



Joaquin Castro - His record at HUD is kind of questionable considering gentrification got worse under his watch. A lot of activists were against Hillary picking him as her VP back in 2016 because HUD was selling off mortgages to Wall Street instead of helping communities of color.

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That's the false claim that Nina Turner got roasted on Twitter over. I believe that mortgage policy was created in 2010, long before Castro got on the job. He had nothing to do with creating the policy and in fact he did what he could to make it better for homeowners with economic problems.



"The facts about the HUD program under attack are that it prevented tens of thousands of people - disproportionately people of color - remain in their homes and avoid foreclosures. But under Castro, banks that would buy distressed loans were banned for foreclosing on those properties for 12 months, or from increasing interest rates more than 1 point a year for variable rate mortgages."



He's not my favorite by a long shot, but we need to stick to the facts when discussing candidates.



https://hinterlandgazette.com/2019/03/julian-castros-campaign-manager-claps-back-at-nina-turners-barefaced-lie-about-his-record-at-hud.html



https://www.reddit.com/r/Enough_Sanders_Spam/comments/azktsh/nina_turner_lies_about_julian_castros_record_at/ "HUD was selling off mortgages to Wall Street instead of helping communities of color."That's the false claim that Nina Turner got roasted on Twitter over. I believe that mortgage policy was created in 2010, long before Castro got on the job. He had nothing to do with creating the policy and in fact he did what he could to make it better for homeowners with economic problems."The facts about the HUD program under attack are that it prevented tens of thousands of people - disproportionately people of color - remain in their homes and avoid foreclosures. But under Castro, banks that would buy distressed loans were banned for foreclosing on those properties for 12 months, or from increasing interest rates more than 1 point a year for variable rate mortgages."He's not my favorite by a long shot, but we need to stick to the facts when discussing candidates.

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Not a fan of Inslee but I would love to see Joaquin Castro on the debate stage. He says what he means and isn't afraid to go on the attack.

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Interesting to see Mike Gravel with votes. Have I missed some big news about him?



All I know about Mike Gravel was that infamous, political ad from ten years ago where he stares intensely into the camera and then throws a rock into a pond.

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I think he said he wasn't serious about getting the nomination, he just wants to be in the debates and push some left policies.

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I mostly voted for him as a joke, but besides his weird sales tax plan, he's pretty progressive (and is blunt about it) and the only one out of this bunch that's explicitly anti-imperialist.

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isn't he just this side of death?

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He gave his Twitter account over to some teenagers who want him on the debate stage in order to push for leftist issues and then gracefully bow out. They've been posting a lot of memes and trying to raise money so he can actually get there. He's not a serious candidate but I loved Mike Gravel in 2008 and I would have voted for him in the primaries if I was old enough at the time.

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The 2020 Dem pool is a clown car. Where were these people in 2016?

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They didn't want to go against Hillary and they thought she had it in the bag. I wish more people would have run in 2016.

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The Clinton machine discouraged anyone else from running. She was the anointed one.

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Lol as others said, it was #herturn , so no one else was allowed to run.

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even biden's book outlines that most democrats had stepped aside from running and were made to feel that it was hillary's time.

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So like I've said before, I'm pretty ignorant on the process of wanting to be President. But for state representatives who know the political game, do they (democrats) not talk to each other about running? I'm mainly curious on if they have a plan on beating Trump because the number of candidates that announced, and who are still announcing, is pretty ridiculous. It's all really sloppy



Edited at 2019-04-09 08:49 pm (UTC)

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A lot of these people aren't in it for the win. They're running for name recognition, book deals, money, etc. Literally all of them have a huge ego, though, which is preventing some of them from dropping out despite having no chance in hell at the actual nomination.

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well that's promising /sarcasm





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Oil supermajor Shell has signed an agreement with Chinas Sinopec to jointly study the potential development of shale oil in eastern Chinaone of the few international majors venturing into the potentially vast but underexplored and underdeveloped Chinese shale oil resources.

Shell and Sinopec will jointly study the potential of the Dongying trough in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong, Reuters reports, citing a brief statement from the Chinese company.

Shell operates in shale oil and gas projects in North and South America, including in the Permian and in the Appalachia basin, in Alberta and British Columbia in Canada, and in Argentinas Vaca Muerta shale basin.

China, for its part, aims to develop its unconventional resources as its appetite for crude oil and natural gas continues to rise, while current domestic production cant meet growing demand.

Over the past year, Chinas biggest energy producers have started to tap more tight oil and gas wells, aiming to increase domestic oil and natural gas production at the worlds largest crude oil importer.

Earlier this year, China said that it had found massive shale oil reserves in its northern Tianjin municipality.

A PetroChina test oil well at a shale field in western China could finally mean a strong commercial potential for shale oil for the first time in the worlds top crude importer, Morgan Stanley said in February this year.

The shale boom in China, however, would be just a fraction of the U.S. shale revolutionMorgan Stanley expects Chinese shale oil production could be at 100,000 bpd-200,000 bpd by 2025, which is nothing compared to the millions of barrels of oil pumped in the United States every day.

According to an official at the Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources, quoted by Reuters this week, shale oil in China has very low permeability, meaning that production per well would be very low and the economics for production might not work.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
INVESTOR ALERT: Oilprice.com is finally launching its industry-leading energy intelligence service - Global Energy Alert. New members of this service will also receive our exclusive 5-part report on The Top 50 Oil & Gas Companies of 2019 for FREE. Claim your 100% 30-day risk-free trial here

(Click to enlarge)

(Click to enlarge)

(Click to enlarge)

(Click to enlarge)

- Between 2013 and 2017, Pennsylvania was the largest exporter of electricity, shipping out 59 million megawatt hours (MWh) on average each year.

- California, on the other hand, imported an average of 77 million MWh, the most out of any other state.

Market Movers

 Norways opposition Labor Party withdrew support for oil exploration off the Lofoten Islands in the Arctic, an environmentally sensitive area. With Labor moving against exploration, there is now a solid majority in parliament to keep the area off limits. Equinor (NYSE: EQNR) has said that the Lofoten Islands are key to preventing Norwegian oil production from declining in the long run.

 Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS.A) signed an agreement with Sinopec (NYSE: SNP) to jointly explore shale oil and gas in Chinas Shangdong province. Chinas shale oil has very low permeability, which means very low per well output that makes the economics hard to work, an oil and gas official with Chinas Ministry of Natural Resources told Reuters.

 Callon Petroleum (NYSE: CPE) agreed to sell non-core assets in the Permians Midland Basin to an unnamed buyer for $260 million.

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Oil prices hit a five-month high on Monday, with WTI surging above $64 per barrel and Brent topping $71. The mood is increasingly turning bullish, but several feedback loops are about to start spinning that stand in the way of a prolonged oil rally, Norbert Ruecker of Swiss bank Julius Baer told Reuters. Russia already signaled its willingness to raise oil output from June. Fuel remains costly in emerging markets, with soft currencies adding to high oil prices.

Related: Oil Hits $70 On Libya Unrest, Crisis In Venezuela

Libyan oil faces potential disruptions. Battling in and around Tripoli has intensified in recent days, with the Libyan National Army (LNA) conducting some airstrikes on the city and its airport. The international community, including the U.S., called on the LNA to cease fighting. Libyas main oil fields are away from Tripoli and are already in territory controlled by the LNA. They dont face immediate disruption, but because the LNA could become stretched by fighting for Tripoli, the potential for outages is on the rise. Oil prices spiked on Monday as a result of uncertainty.

Banks hike oil price forecast. A Wall Street Journal survey of 12 investment banks finds rising expectations for oil prices. The banks average forecast puts Brent at $68 per barrel this year, up $1 from the same survey in February.

India delays Iran oil purchases. Indian refiners are holding off on buying oil from Iran ahead of the expiration of U.S. waivers on sanctions, according to Reuters. India had been granted a waiver by the Trump administration to buy about 300,000 bpd, which was about half of what India was importing prior to sanctions. Until the White House offers clarity on next steps, India is delaying purchases, Reuters reports.

Shale industry risks output by maximizing short-term production. A blockbuster report from the Wall Street Journal posits that the shale industry, in its quest to aggressively ramp up output from wells, could be front-loading production but reducing overall output over time. In effect, frackers have jumped on a treadmill and ratcheted up the speed, becoming ever more dependent on new capital to keep oil production humming, even as Wall Street is becoming more skeptical of funding the industry, the WSJ wrote. Some wells are exhibiting an increasing proportion of natural gas output relative to oil, a sign of dropping reservoir pressure. In 2013, for instance, EOG Resources (NYSE: EOG) produced an average of 227,000 barrels of oil from a wells first year of production, but last year the average well only produced 134,000 bpd. At the same time, natural gas output jumped.

Shale industry using CO2 for more output. Bloomberg profiled Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY) and its campaign to inject CO2 at its Permian wells to increase production. We are trying to be very conservative, but certainly we believe that we can improve from 10-11 percent to 17-18 percent," Occidental CEO Vicki Hollub told Bloomberg in an interview. Its a lot. When you consider the scale of the Permian basin, to do that will be amazing.

Oil and gas ETFs performing well. Rising oil prices and strong economic performance have led to a soaring start for energy-related ETFs. The Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund is up more than 16 percent this year.

Trump to speed up pipeline approvals. President Trump is expected to sign an executive order on Wednesday that could accelerate the approval of new oil and gas pipelines by stripping states of some authority to hold up projects due to environmental or public health concerns. Still, the effect of the order is unclear since any such changes would require an act of Congress. An executive order cannot take off the table the ability of a state to say no for reasons it believes are appropriate, and the venue for adjudicating that is not the White House, Christi Tezak, managing director at ClearView Energy Partners, said in a Bloomberg interview. Related: Sharp Rise In Rig Count Pressures Oil Prices

Cheaper renewables makes climate challenge $10 trillion cheaper. Falling costs for solar and wind has trimmed the price tag for meeting climate goals, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). To meet the Paris Climate goals by 2050, the world needs $115 trillion worth of investment in clean energy, down from the $125 trillion estimate from last year.

New U.S.-Mexico gas pipeline about to come online. The imminent startup of the Sur de Texas-Tuxpan marine pipeline is days away from coming into operation, providing a new outlet for U.S. natural gas as well as new supplies for Mexico.

ExxonMobil leading in new discoveries. ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) has logged a series of new discoveries, which means the company accounted for about 40 percent of new oil and gas discoveries in the first quarter of the year.

Oil and gas industry face risks from heavy petrochemical investments. Some speakers at the World Petrochemical Conference sounded the alarm about slowing economic growth, trade risk and policy crackdowns on plastic, all of which could put the industrys major bet on petrochemicals in jeopardy. Plastic waste, I believe, is going to be the sustainability issue of our time, Jim Fitterling, CEO of Dow Chemical, said. He said a series of plastic bag bans threatens our industry.

By Tom Kool for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Already rocked by excessive volatility, the oil market could become even more volatile in the coming months, according to the chief strategist of JTD Energy Services, with geopolitical disruptions pushing prices higher.

"It's almost like 2011, when (former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi) was toppled. If ... Libya comes into play, that's only going to add more tightness to the market," John Driscoll told CNBC.

The situation in Libya escalated surprisingly quickly last week when the Libyan National Army, a formation affiliated with the eastern Libyan government, launched an attack on the UN-recognized cabinet in Tripoli. The attack followed a statement by LNA leader General Khalifa Haftar that Libya will soon have a single government, sparking hopes of a negotiation between the two rival governments.

Of course, Venezuela and Iran continue to be the usual suspects when it comes to near-term oil price projections with U.S. sanctions targeting the oil industry of both countries as a regime-changing tool.

"Things are terrible there [in Venezuela], Driscoll said. Oil output is plummeting, then you've got this wave of electrical outages that have halved their exports."

In fact, the latest shipping data from Reuters and TankerTrackers.com revealed that Venezuelas March oil exports remained surprisingly stable on February despite the string of blackouts, at a daily rate of around 900,000 bpd.

As for Iran, the analyst said Washingtons aim of bringing down the countrys oil exports to zero was unrealistic and possibly even delusional, adding that the higher prices rose, the more demand there will be for Iranian oil and it will find an outlet.

Brent crude passed the US$70 a barrel mark for the first time in months a few days ago and now, thanks to the new from Libya, it has continued rising. According to Driscoll, this price recovery will not be as short-lived as he himself predicted a month ago thanks to the events in Libya, Iran, and Venezuela.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Pope Erick strikes again. Photo: William B. Plowman/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Its hardly news that a lot of conservative Evangelical leaders sneer contemptuously at anyone practicing any other form of Christianity as inauthentically Christian. But they are usually a bit circumspect about presuming to judge the faith of other believers in a public way.

Not the famously voluble and extremely self-confident conservative commentator Erick Erickson. I once dubbed him Pope Erick for his presumption in denying that any true Christian could possibly fail to understand that homosexuality is condemned for all eternity. So its no surprise that Erickson is now taking up the cudgel against Pete Buttigieg for being outspokenly gay and Christian. Behold this arrogance:

I mean if Buttigieg thinks evangelicals should be supporting him instead of Trump, he fundamentally does not understand the roots of Christianity. But then he is an Episcopalian, so he might not actually understand Christianity more than superficially.  Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) April 7, 2019

Thus Erickson dismisses a Christian tradition dating back to the 16th century, and in its apostolic succession and creeds, much longer than that. But its part and parcel of an extended temper tantrum that Erickson and his colleagues at the Resurgent have been pitching over the ignominy of Buttigieg calling himself Christian. Heres a sample from Erickson himself:

Buttigieg wants to reject the inconvenient parts of faith he does not like. He is a gay man who got married; he does not think homosexuality is a sin despite express statements in scripture, and he thinks abortion is a moral issue and we cannot legislate our morality. Buttigieg wants to use the social obligations as Christians against the President, but wants to avoid any implication on the personal obligations of Christians in terms of clear Biblical sexual ethics and how we are to live our lives applying our faith even for the least of these.

To be clear here, Erickson is not simply asserting that he believes Buttigiegs interpretation of Christianity is in error (though as the tragedy of church history illustrates, this kind of sectarian disputation often involves un-Christian attitudes), but is judging Buttigiegs faith (hence the headline Pete Buttigieg Shows Why Progressive Christianity Is a Hypocritical Farce) as inauthentic on grounds that it makes no sense from the perspective of his own sectarian biblical-literalist viewpoint. Erkickson believes its clear that Christianity is incompatible with homosexuality and legalized abortion. Millions of people who go to Christian churches regularly and pray and try to follow Christ dont agree. Yet he dares demean their faith as a farce.

I occasionally succumb to the temptation to turn these accusations around 180 degrees:

Whatever else you want to say about the Christian Right, many of its leaders are definitely very secular. Their idea of a Christian Culture appears based less on the Bible than on the way things used to be in the United States of America the day before yesterday, before uppity minorities and women and unions and losers spoiled the capitalist patriarchal paradise God set up as the model of human behavior via the Founders. Pouring holy water over this very worldly vision or fishing around in the Bible for sanctions for it doesnt make it any less secular. So please, Pope Erick, leave Jesus Christ out of this and just admit you think itd be a more pleasant world without gay people.

But while my suspicions about the worldliness of the Christian right generally may be accurate, I recant any efforts to deny the authenticity of any individuals faith. I used to have some rural relatives who refused to acknowledge daylight savings time because standard time was Gods time. Thats precisely the kind of confusion between religion and secular traditionalism that I think many conservative Evangelicals tend to nourish. But I dont doubt my country cousins deeply felt desire to do Gods will. So I wont try to peer into Erick Ericksons soul and judge his faith. Its very unlikely hed ever reciprocate that token of respect and humility. Thats just a cross that progressive Christians must bear.
The oil patch is reeling from a political crisis in Algeria that first saw Exxon halt its prospective shale ambitions in the country, and has now spread to major trading houses and far beyond borders.

Earlier this week, Algerias state-run oil company Sonatrach shuttered plans for a trading joint venture just as it was about to choose a partner from among trading giants Vitol, Gunvor, French Total SA and Italian Eni.

And as far away as Greece, another deal for the sale of a 50.1-percent stake in Greeces largest refiner, Hellenic Petroleum, is also falling apart because a consortium of Algerias Sonatrach and trader Vitol were among those short-listed for bidding (though there were other Greek-style complications with this deal, too).

In an official statement, the Greek government attributed the lack of offers to reasons related to the short-listed parties and recent developments in the international environment. In other wordspolitical crisis in Algeria.

Exxons withdrawal from the Algerian shale patch should have been the first big sign to investors that the uncertainty is far too high.

Last month, The Wall Street Journal reported that Exxon, BP, and Norways Equinor had all put the brakes on investment plans for the North African country amid escalating protests. Exxon was about to sign a preliminary deal for a trading joint venture with Algerias Sonatrach, and BP and Equinor both have a long-standing presence in the countryboth with new investment intentions that were put on hold.

The markets are now responding to the heightened Algerian crisis because Algerias production of around 1.1 million bpd of crude oil puts it on par with todays Libyaanother venue of crisis that is reaching a violent tipping point.

Not only are Algerias oil reserves estimated at 12 billion barrels, but it is also a major natural gas producer and home to the third-largest shale gas reserves in the world, at 20 trillion cu ft, according to U.S. government data. Production was around 94.78 billion cubic meters for 2017, of which 53.89 billion cubic meters was exported. Oil exports account for roughly half of Algerias output. Related: Goldman: The Renewables Revolution Is Good For Big Oil

That production isnt being affected by the crisis for now; but thats largely because the countrys oil and gas fields are in remote areas; however, oil giants, oil traders and even Sonatrach itself have spoken out loudly about the state of affairs: Uncertainty rules the day.

For Sonatrach, the situation is extremely volatile. When mass protests forced long-time President Abdelaziz Bouteflika first to give up on designs to run for a fifth term and then to step down entirely, they set in motion a tricky transition period that could get messy for a state-run company dogged by high-profile corruption scandals.

Anyone entertaining deals with Sonatrach will want to keep a healthy distance right now because as the ruling elite of Algeria changes, so too will heads roll at Sonatrachthe company that is at the heart of Algerias revenues.

The protest movement that managed to get the military on its side hasnt been appeased simply by the resignation of Bouteflika: They want much deeper change, and protests continue to ensure that happens.

Sonatrach has had numerous changes in leadership recently and earning credibility and legitimacy in the eyes of the protesters wont be easy. The Algerian protests are protests against the regime, not just Bouteflikaand the regime in many ways encompasses Sonatrach. Exxon knows this, now everyone else does, too.

The political crisis also halts the introduction of a new hydrocarbons law that aimed to enhance productivity and investment.

Investors should also be watching what happens on a geopolitical level, paying close attention to Sonatrachs earlier agreement with Russian Lukoil that resulted in a gloomy dose of reality for Europe. To wit: That agreement suggested that Russia and Algeria could join forces to further squeeze European energy supplies because Europe has in part been banking on Algerian gas for independence from Russia.

Sonatrach also has its footprint in Yemen, Libya and Venezuelaand with respect to the first two, this means that powerful Arab nations also have a great interest in who comes to power next in Algeria.

While the world watches what unfolds next in Algeria as external actors start their meddling, billions of dollars in oil deals will be relegated to the sidelines.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Canadas oil and gas industry could shed another 12,500 and more jobs this year, which would bring the total job losses over the past five years to 23 percent of the 2014 total, which stood at 226,500. These are among the findings of a report by PetroLMI, the labor market information service for Canadas oil and gas industry, a division of Energy Safety Canada.

The reasons PetroLMI lists for the job losses expected for this year contain few surprises, and include low commodity prices, a decline in capital spending and uncertainty over market access.

Many exploration and production and oil sands companies reported only limited capital and production guidance for 2019 because of the uncertain market conditions, said PetroLMIs vice president, Carol Howes, in a comment on the reports findings.

This is the latest sign that Canadas oil and gas industry has a long way to go before it recovers despite the efforts of the Alberta government, which last year imposed obligatory production cuts on oil companies operating in the province to arrest the decline in prices.

While the move turned out to be successful, it had a boomerang effect, making Canadian crude less appealing to refiners. Chinese companies, which went on a shopping spree when Western Canadian Select was trading at a US$50 discount to WTI per barrel, completely stopped buying it when prices began to rise. U.S. refinersthe largest market for Canadian heavy crudealso became less willing to pay more for the crude. This led to a buildup in crude oil inventories in February, despite the cuts.

The natural gas segment is not faring much better, according to the PetroLMI report. Stalled progress on the development of new pipeline and liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure projects, heightened uncertainty, however, and lowered investor confidence, the reports authors said.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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India is not booking Iranian crude oil due to load in May, as refiners in one of Irans key oil customers are waiting for more clarity from the U.S. on whether India will get its sanctions waiver extended, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing four sources.

The U.S. waivers for eight key Iranian oil customers, including the biggest buyers China, India, Japan, and South Korea, expire in early May.

While the U.S. Administration says that it continues to pursue zero Iranian oil exports, analysts expect Washington to extend waivers to at least a few of the currently exempted buyers, with reduced volumes allowed under the new waivers, as the Administration wouldnt want to push oil prices too high.

According to Reuters sources today, India hopes to have more clarity within ten days on whether the U.S. will extend the sanctions waiver and on the volumes of oil that India would be allowed to purchase in case its waiver is extended.

Under its current exemption from the U.S. sanctions on Iran, India is allowed to buy some 300,000 bpd of Iranian oil.

As the waivers window is shrinking as we approach early May, buyers may be rushing to buy what they can before April to squeeze in under the current waiver in case waivers are not extended, according to analysts.

Japanese refiners, for example, are unlikely to continue buying Iranian crude from April onwards, the president of the Petroleum Association of Japan, Takashi Tsukuoka, said last month, as quoted by Reuters.

Two South Korean refiners have bought an unspecified amount of U.S. superlight oil to test it as a potential replacement for Iranian condensate, Reuters reported last week, citing sources.

South Korea, meanwhile, is discussing a waivers extension with U.S. officials and is calling on the Trump Administration to show utmost flexibility in allowing Seoul to continue importing Iranian oil, Korean outlet KBS WORLD reported on Tuesday, quoting a South Korean official.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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The Mexican government may consider creating a small network of gas stations that would sell gasoline at lower, fair prices, if gas station operators in the country dont keep gas prices in check, Mexicos leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday.

Lopez Obradorin office since December 1, 2018called on gas station operators in Mexico to sell gas at lower prices by cutting their profit margins, Reuters quoted the Mexican president as saying at a regular news briefing on Tuesday.

The government will publicize which gas stations in Mexico sell gasoline at the lowest prices, said Lopez Obrador.

If this doesnt work... to reach our goal of no price increases, we would consider creating a network of gas stations... enough so that stations sell at fair prices, Lopez Obrador said at todays briefing, as carried by Reuters.

At the end of last year, Lopez Obrador ordered the Mexican military to begin a major crackdown on fuel theft across Mexico, which resulted in days of gas shortages in Mexico City and other cities in the country.

Leftist Lopez Obrador also wants a greater role for Pemex in reversing the downward trend in Mexican oil production.

Pemexs crude oil production continues to declineaccording to Pemex figures, its crude oil production averaged 1.813 million bpd in 2018. To compare, Pemexs crude oil production averaged 2.429 million bpd in 2014, falling to 1.948 million bpd in 2017.



Related: Oil & Gas Discoveries On The Rise As Oil Majors Dive In

Lopez Obrador and Pemex have grand plans for reversing the decline, with the government coming to the rescue of Pemex, as the oil firm itself said in December. A new strategic plan aims to guarantee the countrys energy security and sovereignty and targets to raise crude oil production to 2.48 million bpd by the end of this administrations term in officethe end of 2024.

One hundred days into office, Lopez Obrador has already cancelled upcoming oil and gas auctions and banned fracking in moves undoing his predecessors energy reform that opened Mexicos oil industry to foreign investment in 2013 for the first time in seven decades.

For all practical purposes, energy reform in Mexico is dead, Tony Payan, director of the Mexico Center at Rice Universitys Baker Institute, told Houston Chronicles Sergio Chapa last month.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Venezuela will not stop shipping crude oil to its political ally Cuba despite U.S. sanctions, the countrys foreign minister said as quoted by Reuters.

When the conventional power of capitalism attacks you, you have to know how to respond through non-conventional means, always respecting international law, Jorge Arreaza said.

The officials statement follows the imposition of more sanctions by Washington on Caracas. This time the sanctions targeted 34 tankers owned or operated by PDVSA along with another vessel and two companies involved in shipments of Venezuelan oil to Cuba.

Washington is calling the oil deal between Venezuela and Cuba oil for oppression.

Cuba is heavily reliant on subsidized Venezuelan oil shipments, which is why Washington is apparently trying to hit two birds with one stone by stopping these shipments. The leader of the Venezuelan opposition, Juan Guaido, last month ordered the suspension of these deliveries, but PDVSAs management is still loyal to the Maduro government, so the order had more of a symbolic significance than anything else.

The Venezuelan crisis has already forced Cuba to adjust its energy sources, and the country increased its imports from Russia and also last year signed a contract for more oil product deliveries from Algeria, another long-term partner.

Yet Venezuelan oil and oil products have continued to play an important role in Cubas energy supply, not least because it has been, from a certain perspective, free. The two have a barter deal; Cuba sends highly trained doctors and other personnel to Venezuela in exchange for the barrels.

According to Reuters shipping data, the latest cargo of Venezuelan oil products to Cuba left the port of Jose last Thursday: liquefied petroleum gas. In the second half of March, Reuters added, four tankerstwo loaded with crude and two with oil productsleft Venezuela for Cuba.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Perceptions of the state of race relations are divided more by party than by race itself. Photo: Karla Ann Cote/NurPhoto via Getty Images

One of the major grievances of the coalition that elected Donald Trump president was the oppression of political correctness. There are, of course, varying definitions of that term, though Trump and his entourage have almost invariably interpreted it to mean any negative reaction to his crude bullying of vulnerable and marginalized people. And while some of the concerns about political correctness may indeed involve rigid campus-speech codes affecting a relative handful of elite students, its hard to avoid the impression that for the average MAGA fan the main beef is that you cant tell racist and sexist jokes at work any more without someone getting huffy about it.

But the Trump Era seems to have stimulated a wave of self-liberation among bigots. One alarming indicator is a sharp rise in hate crimes. But as a new Pew survey of racial attitudes shows, theres a corresponding rise in old-fashioned racist talk. 65 percent of Americans say since Trump became president it has become more common for people to express racist or racially insensitive views. Forty-five percent say such expressions have become more acceptable. Fifty-six percent believe Trump has made race relations in the country worse (only 25 percent feel that way about Barack Obama). What a token of restored American greatness!

Pew unsurprisingly finds a significant gap between white and black perceptions of racial justice and injustice. Seventy-eight percent of African-Americans think our country hasnt gone far enough in giving blacks equal rights with whites. Only 37 percent of whites agree.

But the partisan perception gap between white Democrats and Republicans is even larger.

White Democrats (64%) are far more likely than white Republicans (15%) to say the country hasnt gone far enough when it comes to giving black people equal rights with whites. About half of Republicans say its been about right, while a sizable minority (31%) says the country has gone too far in this regard.

Eight-in-ten white Democrats  vs. 40% of white Republicans  say the legacy of slavery continues to have an impact on black peoples position in American society today. And when it comes to views about racial discrimination, 78% of white Democrats say the bigger problem is people not seeing it where it really does exist, while a similar share of white Republicans say people seeing racial discrimination where it really does not exist is the bigger problem.

About half or more white Democrats say blacks are treated less fairly than whites in dealing with the police (88% vs. 43% of white Republicans); by the criminal justice system (86% vs. 39%); in hiring, pay and promotions (72% vs. 21%); when applying for a mortgage or loan (64% vs. 17%); in stores or restaurants (62% vs. 16%); when voting in elections (60% vs. 7%); and when seeking medical treatment (48% vs. 9%).

Pretty clearly, the direction of the country on race relations depends more on partisan control of government than it has since the preCivil Rights days when white racists were for the most part consolidated in the Democratic Party. And one can only imagine the sense of freedom the proudly politically incorrect would feel in a second Trump term.

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Kirstjen Nielsen, outgoing secretary of homeland security. Photo: Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images

Kirstjen Nielsen resigned on Sunday after President Trump asked her to. It is the right time for me to step aside, the outgoing secretary of homeland security said. She will remain at the White House until Wednesday to ensure an orderly transition of power. Chaos marked her tenure. It seems unlikely that order would grace her now. The transition has already been rocky. Trump announced Nielsens replacement, Kevin McAleenan, in a tweet. But his promotion means that Claire McGrady, the DHS under secretary for management and next in line to run the department, has to be fired. The New York Times reports that McGrady has no immediate plans to leave. Nielsen does not have a deputy secretary, who would otherwise take her place.

Nielsen, meanwhile, expects a hostile reception after she leaves. Fear of life after Trump is part of what kept her from quitting the administration sooner, according to the Times Maggie Haberman. [She] was aware how awful life would  be for her on the outside after defending his policies, Haberman tweeted. She has already had a foretaste: Activists with the Democratic Socialists of America drove her from a restaurant last summer. If kids dont eat in peace, you dont eat in peace, they said, citing her implementation of Trumps child-separation policy. Shame!

But while discord may be fueling her exit, Nielsen was never a foil to the president. The substantive difference is that she limited her cruelty to what was permitted by law. Trump pressured her to go further, often demanding in early morning phone calls that she block all migrants from seeking asylum at the United StatesMexico border  which is illegal. More telling was their overlap. Both Trump and Nielsen were unabashed liars. Both shared an immigration agenda that was white nationalist in all but open self-identification. Key to this function  white-label white nationalism  was a receptive public, so both were also adept at placing white nationalists on moral par with their enemies. Trump said there were fine people on both sides of a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017. Nielsen added that the rally was not a matter of one side is right, one side is wrong. Anybody that is advocating violence, we need to work to mitigate.

Among Trumps hallmarks as a statesman has been his ability to relativize violent behavior among bigots. He pursues white nationalist policies and parrots white nationalist talking points while insisting that white nationalist violence is both condemnable and unexceptional. This latter point, that white nationalist violence is no worse than any other kind of violence, is crucial. It argues a point that, under most circumstances, would be uncontroversial: that violence is a poor way to resolve conflict, no matter who commits it. And this grants him plausible deniability when critics call him a bigot  at least to those who assign bigotry according to who embraces the label.

This argument elides that fact that Trump is actually fine with some kinds of violence, and has a clear rubric regarding when it is acceptable and against whom. Protesters at his rallies, criminal suspects, and undocumented immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border fit the bill. White nationalists never have. On the contrary, the president makes special efforts to condemn violence against them and equate them with their detractors. [You] had a group on one side that was bad, he said of the Charlottesville clashes. And you had a group on the other side that was also very violent. Rather than be vilified as a singular pox, white nationalists find themselves with a president who shares many of their policy goals and believes they are no worse than those who greet them in kind. This is especially insidious in cases like Charlottesville, where their violence was demonstrably worse than the opposition: One of them killed a woman, 32-year-old Heather Heyer, by running her over with a car.

Kirstjen Nielsen is aware of this. During a panel at the Aspen Institute in July, NBC Newss Peter Alexander asked her, Does [it] make your job harder when the president says things that, at least in those [white nationalist] communities, are viewed as, Hes got our back? It should be noted that white nationalists did not need more hints than they already had. Trumps rhetoric and policies targeting Muslims and Mexicans were enough to secure endorsements from David Duke and Richard Spencer. But his Charlottesville comments made explicit what had previously gone unsaid. Trump had already cut grant funding to organizations that counter white extremism. Even if Nielsen believed her own absurd claims that he prioritized such efforts using law enforcement, she had the whole year after Charlottesville to realize that few others did  including the white nationalists themselves. We [at DHS] have to work with everyone to help communities understand, what are the warning signs? she said. And thats no matter who it is. I think whats important about that conversation is, its not that one side is right, one side is wrong.

The notion that white nationalists are neither right nor wrong will surely be news to some. And the idea that violence in general is the problem  instead of the context in which it is deployed  should give pause to an administration that celebrates it so openly when it furthers the presidents agenda. But Trumps hypocrisy is perhaps the least worrisome element here. That his officials parrot similar white nationalist talking points and implement them as policy is more troubling. Nielsen showed Americans what happens when the nations top immigration official believes that the violence this worldview produces is unremarkable. She became a willing vessel for it, and it still was not brutal enough for Trump. In her wake, it only stands to get worse.
" " Crooks have found all kinds of ways to launder money with crowdfunding scams. CSA-Archive/JoosMind/GettyImages (c) 2015 HowStuffWorks

May 1 is National College Decision Day, the final day for American high school seniors to commit to a college or university by mailing in a deposit. For many students and their families, it's a day to celebrate years of hard work and look ahead to a bright future. At the same time, a growing number of families are wondering how to pay for college. And that has meant coming up with some innovative strategies.

One of those is crowdfunding.

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The skyrocketing cost of college is shocking. Between 2000 and 2016, tuition and fees at public, four-year U.S. colleges have increased 94 percent. Blame state budget cuts that have slashed public education funding. Blame pricey campus upgrades like rock walls and lazy rivers. But the results are the same: Today's students pay more for college and owe more student loan debt  $35,000 on average per borrower  than ever before.

It's enough to make a desperate high school senior take to the street corner with a tin can and a handwritten sign. Yup, 18-year-old Emily Stutz panhandled for college tuition in her hometown of Lowell, Massachusetts, to draw attention to her financial plight and that of millions of college hopefuls. The stunt garnered international news coverage and directed empathetic readers to Emily's GoFundMe page, where the elated senior has received more than $24,000 in donations, mostly from complete strangers.

Panhandling for tuition is certainly extreme, but Emily's not the first cash-strapped student to turn to crowdfunding websites like GoFundMe for help with college tuition. Kelsea Little, media director at GoFundMe, says that fundraising campaigns in the site's Education, Schools & Learning have raised more than $100 million since the crowdfunding platform launched in May 2010.

To be fair, not all of the campaigns listed in GoFundMe's education section are for college tuition. There are plenty of middle school science teams raising cash for a trip to the big competition as well as memorial scholarship funds. Little was unable to share what percentage of campaigns on the education site were for college tuition or were fully funded. She did point out that campaigns at GoFundMe had no expiration date and fundraisers didn't have to meet their goals to keep the money donated.

A significant number of college tuition campaigns have launched on GoFundMe and similar crowdfunding sites like Generosity, DreamFund and PlumFund. And most of them tell a similar story: a hardworking kid who has good grades, is passionate about becoming a doctor/actor/architect, but who lacks access to low-interest federal student loans. Some are children of undocumented immigrants who are ineligible for federal student loans. Others have maxed out their federal loans and can't get private loans because they have no one to co-sign for them.

We talked to Ajifanta Marenah, a 19-year-old Bronx resident originally from the The Gambia in West Africa, who launched a GoFundMe campaign for $700 to cover the enrollment deposit for her first semester at St. John's University. Marenah, a standout student at the New Visions Charter High School for Advanced Math and Science, panicked when she realized that her scholarships wouldn't cover the room deposit, and that it was due in just two weeks.

Marenah considered writing emails to her principal, teachers and the staff at New York Presbyterian Hospital where she interned last summer, but then she remembered the GoFundMe posts that she'd seen on Facebook.

"A GoFundMe campaign felt better than asking people directly for money," Marenah says. "This way they don't have to feel obligated, plus they can share it with family and friends on social media."

Which is exactly what happened. In just two days, Marenah raised the full $700  plus $75 for good measure  mostly from school and hospital staff, but also from their extended families. The extra $75 will help pay for the fees charged by GoFundMe and the credit card processing service WePay  a total of 7.9 percent plus 30 cents per donation.

Would Marenah use a crowdfunding site again? She says she would. Even with two hard-won scholarships, including a prestigious award from The New York Times, she'll still need to cover $8,000 a year in tuition and fees. It's safer than panhandling.

Now That's Interesting Crowdfunding site Zerobound puts a twist on the education fundraising model. Donors can sponsor a recent college graduate who wants to volunteer in their community in exchange for help paying off student loans. In other words, you pay them to do good.
" " Authorities distributed this photo of the Somerton Beach man to try to help identify him, but came up short. Public domain

In December 1948, the body of an unknown man was found dead on Somerton Beach in Adelaide, Australia. He has never been identified, and the few clues unearthed leave investigators scratching their heads to this day. Did he commit suicide on the beach, maybe because of a broken heart? Or was he a spy, killed during the course of his work? That's exactly what Stuff You Should Know's Chuck Bryant and Josh Clark wondered when they heard the story. They dig into the details in this episode of Stuff You Should Know: The Baffling Case of the Body on Somerton Beach.

The nearly 70-year mystery has stumped authorities from the beginning. The unknown man was found in a sitting position, slumped over, with a cigarette either in or near his mouth. He wore a nice suit and polished shoes, but no hat. Two couples claim to have seen him as they walked along the beach, and one said he raised his arm and pointed at them. They thought he was probably drunk. Another witness claimed to have seen a man looking down on the body.

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Upon inspection, the dead man was found to have strong calves, like those of a dancer or an athlete, and his toes grew together in a way that suggested habitual wearing of high heels, or perhaps point shoes, again suggesting he could have been a dancer. He carried an American comb in his pocket, but no wallet.

His autopsy revealed he had a bleeding stomach and a spleen three times the normal size, though his body showed no cause of natural death. The coroner suspected he'd been poisoned with some kind of undetectable toxin, despite the lack of vomit or evidence of convulsions that accompany a poisoning, though the death certificate listed cause of death as unknown. Maybe the man was killed elsewhere and moved to the beach?

But authorities also didn't have proof the man didn't ingest a toxin himself. So, could it have been a suicide  or was it a homicide?

Police could not identify the body through fingerprint ID, and though they shared his information and picture internationally, no one knew who he was. They widened their search and found a suitcase that was abandoned at main railway station in Adelaide, suggesting he had come from out of town, but there were no identifying markers in its contents, and the case stalled.

" " Code breakers have tried to decipher this messaging on a scrap of paper found in the Somerton Beach man's watch for decades. Public domain

But then, police enlisted the help of a pathology expert to re-examine the dead man's body and possessions, and he found something the initial investigators didn't. A "secret pocket" sewn into the man's pants contained a watch fob, but inside the watch was a tightly rolled up piece of paper. It was a page torn from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, a book of 12th-century poetry. On it were two words: "tamam shud," which mean "ended" or "finished."

The book from which the page was torn was tracked down, and close examination yielded further clues  handwriting impressions of a telephone number, another unidentified number and what appeared to be an encrypted message. Could he have been a Cold War spy?

The telephone number was found to be the unlisted number of Jessica Harkness Thomson, an Adelaide resident. When she spoke with police, she said she didn't know the Somerton Beach man, and didn't know why he'd had her phone number. But when they showed her the plaster cast of his face, the investigator thought she acted "surprised, almost to the point of fainting," and that she refused to look at the face again, only repeated that she didn't know him. She did own a copy of the Rubaiyat, and had given it to an old friend named Alf Boxall, a military man who worked in intelligence. Authorities began to believe the Somerton Beach man was Alf Boxall, until they found out he was alive and well. His copy of the book of poetry was intact, and he didn't know the dead man either.

The encrypted message on the tiny piece of paper was never cracked  some code breakers thought that the unknown man had used some sort of shorthand, or that he was simply a disturbed mind. One theory was floated out that Jessica Harkness was also a spy; her daughter said in interviews that she knew Russian, but would never tell her why or when she'd learned. Maybe both the Somerton Beach man and Alf Boxall had worked for her. Perhaps the Rubaiyat was essential to understanding the code, and that's why both men had copies.

A more down-to-earth theory draws on genetic similarities between the Somerton Beach man and Jessica Harkness's oldest son, Robin Thomson. But we can't tell you everything. You'll have to tune in to the podcast to find out what rare genetic disorder Thomson shared with the Somerton Beach man, making it about a one-in-10-million chance that they weren't related. You just can't make this stuff up.
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

ARE business establishments and consumers ready for a single-use plastic-free Cebu City?

This is what the Cebu City Councils committee on environment wants to find out before it deliberates on a proposed ordinance that seeks to ban single-use plastics in the city.

In a committee report, Councilor Jerry Guardo, chairman of the environment committee, said they welcome the positive impact of the proposed measure on the environment.

But they also want to know what its impact will be on the business owners and end users during a public hearing scheduled on April 30.

Representatives of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, manufacturers and retailers of plastic, groceries, supermarkets, public markets, restaurants, fast food chains and department stores, among others, were invited to attend the hearing.

Councilors Raymond Garcia and Eduardo Rama proposed the Ordinance providing for the phase-out of single use plastic products within the territorial jurisdiction of Cebu City and for other purposes.

Single-use plastics, or disposable plastics, are those that can be used only once before they are thrown away or recycled, according to plasticfreechallenge.org.

If the ordinance is approved, the sale of plastic bags, straws, styrofoam, coffee stirrers, soda and water containers and other plastic food packaging will be prohibited in Cebu City.

The proponents hope to stop plastic pollution, which clogs drainage systems, rivers and other bodies of water.

During the clean-up activities of the Citys Task Force Baha headed by Guardo, different kinds of plastics, mostly plastic water bottles, were removed from drainage systems.

In the proposed ordinance, the councilors cited a report naming the Philippines as the third largest contributor to plastic pollution in Southeast Asia.

Plastic, they said, will not disintegrate even after 100 years.

At present, the City is implementing an ordinance that bans the use of plastics every Wednesday and Saturday.

This is partly in compliance with Section 2 of Republic Act 9003, which encourages the public to help implement the integrated, comprehensive, ecological waste management program. (From PAC of SuperBalita Cebu, LRC)
Donald Trump models a hard hat in support of miners during his rally at the Charleston Civic Center on May 5, 2016, in Charleston, West Virginia. Photo: Mark Lyons/Getty Images

Despite the electoral college win, Trumps last presidential campaign wasnt exactly known as an organized team making rational, policy-based decisions. Consider this May 2016 headline from New York: The Good News Is That Donald Trumps Campaign Is an Absolute Strategic and Managerial Garbage Fire.

Its hard to consider it good news anymore, but it appears that Trumps 2020 campaign is still ready to make strategically hot-garbage decisions. According to a report from Bloomberg, administration officials are developing talking points on climate change and cultivating a list of environmental success stories. Judd Deere, a deputy White House press secretary, told Bloomberg that President Trump believes you can grow the economy and protect the environment.

The quote is telling: The president treats the economy and the environment as church and state, and does not appear to understand that environmental protections and clean energy can in-and-of-themselves boost the economy. For example, in the decade between 2003 and 2013, EPA regulations imposed $45 billion in costs on the economy, but drove around $640 billion in benefits. In one telling instance, the EPA-mandated cleanup of the Chesapeake Bay is expected to create 35 times as many jobs as the Keystone Pipeline. Globally, a shift to sustainable energy could save as much as $26 trillion by 2030. In November, the Fourth National Climate Assessment determined that the U.S. economy would shrink by as much as 10 percent by the end of century under business-as-usual warming models  for comparison, the Great Recession knocked off 2.8 percent of U.S. GDP in 2009. In the coming decade, as the economic and human consequences of climate change begin to rapidly accumulate, the only way to grow the economy will be to protect the environment.

Instead, in the 2020 election, the Trump campaign reportedly intends to tout EPA deregulation as an avenue for environmental protection  because self-regulation by private interests works so well for other federal agencies. Deregulation does not always mean rolling back rules, acting EPA head Andrew Wheeler told Bloomberg. Through deregulation, Wheeler explained how the administration is providing greater certainty and encouraging the public to innovate and create cleaner and safer technologies.

According to Bloomberg, the Trump campaign is workshopping talking points, including a replacement for the Obama-era Clean Power Plan that does not exist yet and would require individual power plants to voluntarily cut their own emissions, which is a hard ask; and a rush job on an air-quality review that would be hurried at the expense of strong standards for smog and soot. The campaign intends to push its environmental record to appeal to swing voters. For the president to win these battleground states, hes going to have to have some record of environmental achievement to showcase, former Trump adviser David Banks told Bloomberg.

Its going to be a tough argument to make. In both outlandish verbal assaults and the very real bulldozing of important regulations, Trump has gutted environmental protections at a moment when they require a full investment to stave off climate disaster. In his first two years in office, Trump withdrew the United States from the vital  if nonbinding  Paris Agreement on climate change; put a stake in the Clean Power Plan; revived the sale of coal deposits on federal land; and relaxed standards on methane from oil wells and of carbon emissions from automobiles. Former campaign officials surely wont envy the staffer who has to keep Trump on target when discussing his deregulation as an environmental win. After all, this is the president who frequently expresses his love of nonexistent clean coal and recently claimed that the noise from wind turbines causes cancer.
MANILA, Philippines  The Department of Justice (DOJ) has deferred its investigation into the 10 public prosecutors who were included in the so-called narco-list of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said that while the department is bent on conducting a probe on these alleged narco fiscals, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) had been reluctant in revealing the names of the prosecutors and in sharing information with the DOJ.

It is regretful that PDEA announced it before validation because everyone in the prosecution service as well as judges in the judiciary became a suspect at this point when the names are being withheld, Guevarra added.

Guevarra said PDEAs decision to withhold the names of the prosecutors could place the whole National Prosecution Service (NPS) in bad light.

The DOJ chief said that he has already prepared a letter requesting the names of the 10 prosecutors.

He added, however, that PDEA DG Aaron Aquino has said that they cannot share the information yet pending the drug agencys validation of their report.

This prompted Guevarra to hold the transmittal of the letter and to just await the results of their validation.  Maris Federez

The post DOJ defers investigation on narco-prosecutors appeared first on UNTV News.
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte urged the Filipinos to uphold the country's sovereignty and protect the rights and freedom, as the nation celebrated Tuesday, April 9, the Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor).As

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte urged the Filipinos to uphold the country's sovereignty and protect the rights and freedom, as the nation celebrated Tuesday, April 9, the Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor).

As we hold this solemn observance, it is my hope that we will all be inspired to remain steadfast like our forefathers and their allies in upholding our sovereignty and in protecting the rights and freedoms that our people enjoy today, Duterte said in a statement Tuesday.

The President also lauded the heroism of both Filipino and American soldiers who fought in Bataan in 1942 during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines.

Today, we remember the heroism of the brave Filipino and American soldiers who stood side by side in the mountains and jungles of Bataan in defense of our liberty and democracy, Duterte said.

"We also remember the countless civilians who aided our forces so they could offer a valiant defense against the overwhelming force of the enemy. We may not be able to memorialize all of them, but we will forever remember and honor their epic struggle and unshakeable fortitude," he added.

I join our veterans, allies and the rest of the Filipino people in commemorating Araw ng Kagitingan. May we all have a meaningful celebration, he said.

Hundreds of Filipino and American soldiers died fighting against the Japanese soldiers in Bataan in 1942. After 93 days of resistance, the soldiers were forced to surrender.

The Japanese imprisoned some 60,000 Filipino and American troops and made them walk around 112 kilometers from Mariveles, Bataan to Capas, Tarlac under the sun, with no food and water for days. The incident is now known as the Bataan Death March. (LMY/With PNA/SunStar Philippines)
By Karen Lema MANILA (Reuters) - Bracing for life after Brexit, British hospitals badly need more nurses like Filipino Jobie Escalona, but she twice flunked a mandatory English language test that asked her to write up the merits of immigration and computer education in school. The 23-year-old Escalona, with three years experience in a private hospital in Manila, lost almost 3 months salary paying nearly $600 to sit the tests. Fed up, she was ready to give up on Britain and try Canada, one of several other countries short of nurses, until her father persuaded her to take the test a third time. "I was already losing hope," she told Reuters. Finally, in January last year, she passed, having at last got a subject she felt comfortable writing about in the tough written section of the test. Asked to compare team and individual sports, Escalona had little trouble: "I was able to relate to it because I am a swimmer." But, her tortuous experience doesn't bode well for Britain's chances of adequately filling alarming staffing gaps in its healthcare services. With Brexit looming, the supply of nurses from European Union countries has almost dried up, with lots going home. And of the many foreign nationalities employed in Britain, Filipinos made up the largest number, with 10,719, according to a parliamentary paper. As of June last year, 16 percent of nursing jobs in hospitals and community health services were held by foreigners - nearly a quarter of whom were Filipinos. Britain is already facing a shortage of 40,000 nurses, and once it leaves the EU, if it ever happens, the gap could widen to 50,000, enough to staff more than 40 small to medium-sized hospitals, according to a report commissioned by the Cavendish Coalition, a group of health and social care organizations. OUT OF THEIR COMFORT ZONE The staffing crisis is increasing Britain's dependency on hiring from low cost countries like India and the Philippines, where English is widely spoken, yet the language test has proved to be a major obstacle. Philippine recruitment firm Louis International Manpower Services has received 1,000 job orders for nurses since 2015. It has only filled a quarter of them. "It is not because of the lack of applications, but the English test," said Lilibeth Villas, documentation officer at the firm. "We have applicants who were interviewed in 2015, but they have not passed the test yet." Run by the British Council, IDP Education and Cambridge Assessment, the International English Language Test System (IELTS) gauges applicants' ability to speak, listen, read and write, and is used by employers around the world. Questions in the academic written section asks candidates to write short essays on diverse subjects. Examples given on the IELTS website included interpreting graphs on changes in radio and television audiences, and gender variations between full and part-time students, and discussing the pros and cons of nuclear technology and of regulating car ownership. Many candidates clearly find the weighty topics too daunting. Febin Cyriac, a business development manager at Envertiz Consultancy, a British healthcare recruitment firm that specializes in bringing in nurses from overseas, started a petition in change.org in 2014 that asked UK regulators to relax their IELTS scores. Working as a nurse himself, Cyriac said there are a good number of Indian or Filipino nurses with many years of experience working in Britain, but who are only working as assistant nurses in the National Health Service (NHS) and nursing homes. "IELTS is the only barrier for them to practice as a nurse in the UK," said Cyriac, himself a nurse working in Britain. Still, the number of Filipinos in the NHS has risen by almost a third in the last two years, according to British government figures. Late last year, the pass mark for the writing section was lowered, but there are no immediate plans to make further changes to the test standards, said Andrea Sutcliffe, Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Chief Executive and Registrar. "We will continue to carefully monitor the impact of the recent changes. This change is part of a wider review of our overseas registration processes aimed at making it more straightforward and user-friendly for people with the right skills and knowledge to join our register in a timely way", Sutcliffe said. There is an Occupational English Test (OET), more suited to medical professionals, that foreign nurses can take. If they pass that test they would still have to sit the IELTS, but they would be eligible for a lower pass mark. The OET is more expensive, however, making it unattractive for low paid nurses. A London-based recruitment agency visited Manila recently to find nurses for Cambridge University, East Surrey and Royal Cornwall Hospitals, while there have also been recent hiring drives for hospital trusts in Oxford, Hull and Dudley. Germany, Japan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are the other countries hiring Filipino nurses, said Bernard Olalia, head of the government's Philippine Overseas Employment Administration. In January alone, Olalia's office received 1,000 job orders for nurses from Saudi Arabia. "There are a lot of markets for our Filipino nurses," Olalia said, adding that it was understandable if they took jobs in places where the requirements were easier to fulfill. Filipino nurses who were recruited in the 1990s did not have to take the language tests, yet they are still in the NHS and providing good service, said Reydeluz Conferido, who was until recently the labor attache to the Philippines embassy in London. While there, Conferido called on British officials to review the requirements placed on overseas nurses to see whether they were serving the correct purpose or creating an artificial barrier. "If you really want these nurses, you would do something about your standards," he said. (Additional reporting by Andrew MacAskill in LONDON; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
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

I REMEMBER the first time I was introduced to arnis--or kali--as a third grade cub scout in South Cotabato. The unforgettable experience made me swear off anything related to the martial art, even if the instructors proudly said it was a Filipino art.

Heck, I dont think any of the hundreds of fellow scouts that time appreciated anything the instructors said. It was during one of the hottest days during the jamboree when the instructors made us all line up under the heat of the sun to teach us the basics of arnis. The absence of a sound system didnt help as we were reduced to mimicking whatever the instructors up the stage were doing.

Worse, while we the scouts had to deal with the sun, the instructors up the stage were under the shade, doing their own thing that only they understand. Scouts are naturally a disciplined bunch; that we had a revolt of sorts after almost three hours after doing kali should tell you how hellish the experience was. We didnt want to do any of their moves anymore because it was getting too hot and they were not giving us any water breaks.

That was my first experience with kali or arnis, and for years, Ive carried that with me. Ive always thought that arnis is just a martial art with a couple of sticks.

But thats wrong, and its a misconception that most Pinoys have of arnis and eskrima. And thats the challenge for the Philippine Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation. Changing the mindset of an ignorant populace.

A few years ago, while dropping by the Doce Pares headquarters in Sto. Nino Village, I was told there was an ongoing special session for Israeli special forces instructors, who had travelled all the way to the Philippines to learn the art from Supreme Grandmaster Dionisio Canete, so they, in turn, could teach their soldiers. That should tell you that eskrima is not just a martial art with a couple of sticks.

I dropped by the Pekaf tournament at SM Seaside the other day, and as always, I was impressed with the number of foreign participants. Foreigners love our martial arts so much that our grandmasters drool and wish that Filipinos also have the same love for the martial art.

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But for most, its just a martial art with a couple of sticks.

I also had a talk with Eric Mosqueda, the Wekaf country director for Qatar. And the master who learned from the legends like SGM Diony, Cacoy briefly showed why its not just a martial art with sticks as he used a ballpen to demonstrate how to parry or avoid a knife attack.

How to change that misconception, I think, is going to be Pekafs biggest challenge. And I believe they can do it. It already did the almost impossible job of uniting the fractured arnis community under one organization, playing under one set of rules. Coming up with something basic to be taught to the students or boy scouts is peanuts compared to that. And Im sure, unlike my first instructor, Pekaf-trained instructors will leave the right impression on the students, not make them swear off the martial art.
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

THE Operation Rainbow Australia is a non-profit organization dedicated to performing free facial reconstructive surgery for children and young adults in the Philippines for almost 25 years.

In Cebu, this is the eighth year that the Operation Rainbow has been conducting medical missions for children who are underserved, have limited or no access to medical care and could not afford to have reconstructive surgery, said Kate Marek-Salapak, the Operation Rainbow president.

This year about 100 children are expected to undergo the surgery for cleft lip and cleft palate.

Marek-Salapak said that on June 1 volunteer doctors will examine the children and prepare them for surgery, which will be performed by a dedicated Australian medical team who have volunteered their skills and expertise for free.

The childrens fitness and anaesthetic assessment will be done by a pediatric anaesthetist.

The surgery for the selected patients will start on the afternoon of June 1 until June 7 at the Dr. Ignacio M. Cortes General Hospital in Mandaue City.

Nanette Cortes, the hospital administrator and chief executive officer, said the hospital has been consistently coordinating with Operation Rainbow in the past seven years.

I am very thankful that through our hospital we were able to serve the people from all walks of life, especially the needy, thereby fostering better care and understanding, making lives better and smiles brighter, she said.

The medical mission is made possible with the assistance of Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, supported by its trustee Robinson Uy, the president of La Nueva Pharmacy.

Trustee Benny Que also volunteered his team to participate in this mission as part of the companys corporate social responsibility.

The Operation Rainbow has been doing the mission here in Cebu for the longest time. Aside from being a true-blooded Cebuano, we always have the heart for the children. This is the reason why we at Golden Prince Hotel are supporting this cause as we see the benefits will change the future of these less fortunate kids. Who knows they could be the one doing something great for Cebu in the future? he said.

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The children who will undergo surgery will be provided with meals and medicines while in the hospital.

A take-home bag, containing rice and food, will also be given to the children.

For more information on the Operation Rainbow and the surgery, call or send a message to 0917-624-7746 or 0922-857-0304 with the name of the patient, age, sex and address.
Singapore and Malaysia's leaders vowed to cooperate to solve disputes Tuesday after tensions between the neighbours over airspace and maritime boundaries, which followed a change of government in Malaysia. They have had fractious relations since Malaysia evicted Singapore from the Malaysian Federation in 1965, ending a brief and stormy union of the former British colonies. Ties have gone up and down over the years but have been shaky since Malaysia's Mahathir Mohamad -- who has long had a prickly relationship with Singapore -- returned to the premiership with a shock election victory last year. Tensions begin rising again a few months ago after Singapore accused Malaysia of sending government boats into its waters, and the city-state then proposed new landing procedures at an airport that Kuala Lumpur claimed would violate its airspace. But in recent days the neighbours suspended overlapping maritime claims to allow for talks and the city-state halted the contentious landing procedures, ahead of a visit on Tuesday to Malaysia by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. After holding talks in the administrative capital Putrajaya, Lee and Mahathir -- 93 and in his second stint as premier -- hailed the moves to ease tensions. "We agreed that the fundamental principle is to resolve issues of concern in a friendly and constructive manner," Mahathir told a press conference in the city. Lee added: "As close neighbours, Singapore and Malaysia must expect issues to arise between us from time to time but provided we can address them in a constructive spirit, we can manage... the side effects." The leaders also announced talks on their maritime boundaries would begin in a month. Ties were warm between the neighbours under the last Malaysian leader Najib Razak -- who lost power after being accused of plundering state coffers -- but have quickly started to fray since the return of Mahathir. Some observers trace Mahathir's long-running animosity towards Singapore back to his fractious relationship with the city-state's founding leader Lee Kuan Yew.
THE primary suspect in the killing of a mother and her two sons in San Jose Del Monte City in Bulacan last week was found dead inside a police detention facility.In a report, the police said Joselito Cortez,

THE primary suspect in the killing of a mother and her two sons in San Jose Del Monte City in Bulacan last week was found dead inside a police detention facility.

In a report, the police said Joselito Cortez, 48, hanged himself using an electrical wire from the ceiling of the San Jose Del Monte police stations comfort room.

An inmate found Cortez's body, which was rushed to the district hospital but he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Police said the body will undergo an autopsy.

Cortez was arrested on April 4 hours after he and his cohort, Wilson Nosal, allegedly killed Jaymee Casabuena, 28, a single mother and her two sons, Anton Gabriel, 8, and Joaquin Mateo, 4.

Cortez admitted a hand in the crime, saying he was under the influence of illegal drugs. (SunStar Philippines)
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday vowed to strengthen defence, as she sought support from the US and other countries to counter what she called aggression from mainland China.

Speaking during a video conference with three US think tanks in Washington, Tsai said the self-ruled island had faced coercion from Beijing, and it had worsened since she became president in 2016.

Because of the Taiwan Relations Act, the US has played a crucial role to help [Taiwan] reject coercion, she said, referring to aggression  including military intimidation and diplomatic isolation  from Beijing since she took office and refused to accept the one-China principle.

Tsai was speaking ahead of the 40th anniversary of the act, which defines US ties with the island in the absence of formal relations.

In terms of security, [the act] laid out a framework to not only provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character but also to consider any effort to determine the future of Taiwan by other than peaceful means, including by boycotts or embargoes, a threat to the peace and security of the Western Pacific area and of grave concern to the United States, she said.

Cooperation between our two countries has continued to fulfil the spirit of these articles. Already, a steady drumbeat of arms sales have been announced by the current US administration, and we have more in the pipeline.

She was referring to US President Donald Trumps approval of US$1.4 billion in arms sales in 2017 that included advanced missiles and torpedoes, followed by a second arms package worth US$330 million last year. In the last few weeks, the US Department of Defence announced two more contracts  a US$9 million deal for supporting Taiwans Patriot air defence system, on April 4, and a US$50 million contract as part of a radar restoration program for Taiwans navy, on March 26.

Tsai said Taiwan was not alone in facing threats from the mainland, including the spread of disinformation and fake news, saying democratic countries around the world faced the same problem.

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Taiwan is at the front line of these threats, she said, adding that there was a need for the US and other like-minded countries to fend off such threats.

As we speak, forces working against freedom and democracy are becoming more active around the world. For while we measure progress in terms of freedom and individual liberty, the metrics they use are fear and control, both at home and abroad.

Tsai also said Beijing was attempting to change the status quo and undermine Taiwans democratic system. One thing that we learned from the previous century is that the forward march of democracy is not a given, she said.

She said Beijing had broken a tacit agreement when it sent warplanes across the median line dividing the strait between the island and the Chinese mainland.

Less than two weeks ago, Chinas PLA sent two fighter jets across the median line of the Taiwan Strait, breaking a tacit agreement that has served the interests of peace and stability over the past two decades, she said.

Stressing the need to increase the defence budget because of the mainlands increasingly aggressive actions, Tsai said: We will continue to leverage our industrial capabilities to build new defence articles. That includes submarines, and we just completed the first phase last month.

As we speak, forces working against freedom and democracy are becoming more active around the world

Tsai Ing-wen

She said she expected the first Taiwanese-built submarine to be operational by 2024. And for items we cant build ourselves, we will continue to seek arms sales from the United States, as consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act.

Tsai said her administration did this not because it wanted confrontation. Quite the opposite, she said. We want to deter aggression by showing we are capable of effectively defending ourselves. This is what it will take to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwans ex-premier refuses to back down from Tsai challenge

She also sought the creation of a free-trade agreement with the US, saying the island had a real capacity to expand economic ties with the US given that the two economies are complementary rather than competitive.

Taiwans economic diversification is related to whether we can remain a free and open society, she said.

Chinas influence campaigns are undertaken using economic actors. By aligning ourselves with the United States and other free-market actors, we can reduce our economic reliance on China and their capacity to interfere in our media, politics and security.

She said a trade deal was particularly relevant amid worries over Chinese telecoms giant Huawei and the scramble for control over the future of 5G networks.

We need to shape the flow of this supply chain so that critical technologies, infrastructure and assets do not fall into the wrong hands, she said. The United States has been pressing for countries to avoid Huawei as they build their next-generation networks.

Calling Taiwan a full partner of the Trumps free and open Indo-Pacific strategy  basically to ally countries in the region to counter Beijings expansionism  Tsai said the island was working hand in hand to defend a rule-based region, based on our shared values and interests.

Huawei was under secret US surveillance, US fraud hearing told

Last month, Taiwan and the US announced the launch of the Indo-Pacific Democratic Governance Dialogue, which serves as a platform for like-minded countries in the region to pursue joint projects advancing good governance and human rights.

Tsai stressed Taiwans cooperation with Japan, which is one of US security allies in the Indo-Pacific region, and pointed out the goodwill the Taiwanese feel towards Japan and the fact it is Taiwans major trading partner and largest market for outbound tourism.

I spoke about our cooperation in the Indo-Pacific earlier, but I want to make clear that we dont limit that to the US. We also share the same vision of the Indo-Pacific with Japan, she said, adding she sees great potential for working together on enhancing economic prosperity, clean governance and shared regional security.

We are grateful that very senior Japanese officials have spoken out, quite forcefully, on Taiwans participation in international [forums] such as the World Health Assembly, she said.

This election, Taiwan must choose: Chinese cash or American freedom

Tsai was speaking with representatives of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, the Brookings Institution and the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars.

Observers said she was using the event, and the 40th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act on Wednesday, to seek support in the United States, including for her re-election bid next year.

Tsais first four-year term ends in 2020, and she is under pressure from all angles  from Beijing, the opposition Kuomintang and from members of her own party. After a crushing defeat at the local government elections in November, Tsai stepped down as head of the Democratic Progressive Party.

The independence-leaning DPP lost seven of 13 local government positions it used to hold, retaining just six  the least since 1989. Meanwhile, the KMT won control of 15 cities and counties, including the DPPs independence stronghold of Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan.

More from South China Morning Post:

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Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III

MANILA, Philippines  Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III has announced that a labor agreement is soon to be signed with the government of Thailand to hire hundreds of Filipino English teachers.

Bello said he is set to meet with the Thai Ministry of Employment officials to discuss the provisions of the agreement under the Thai governments English for All Project in the area of Eastern Economic Corridor.

Bello said, Filipino teachers are the preferred nationals needed by the government of Thailand because of the excellent English proficiency and competence of our teachers.

Under the proposed agreement, the Thailand Ministry of Education will hire teachers to teach English to students in primary and secondary levels in government schools.

Successful applicants will receive 25,000 baht per month or P45,000 salary, inclusive of housing allowance, according to Bello.

Likewise, they will be provided with personal accident insurance, round trip airfare, and work permit fees to be shouldered by the Thai government.

Meanwhile, Secretary Bello said Thailand is also opening job opportunities to other foreign professionals in in the field of accounting, architecture, engineering, medicine and dental medicine.

According to government record, there are 16,704 overseas Filipino workers in Thailand.

A total of 11,848 of them are professionals, mostly composed of teachers, musicians and other professionals.  Marje Pelayo

The post Thailand to open opportunities for Filipino English teachers  Bello appeared first on UNTV News.
In this photo taken on Sunday, April 7, 2019, an archaeologists dives next ancient amphoras from a 5th Century B.C. shipwreck, the first ancient shipwreck to be opened to the public in Greece, including to recreational divers who will be able to visit the wreck itself, near the coast of Peristera, Greece. Greece's rich underwater heritage has long been hidden from view, off-limits to all but a select few, mainly archaeologists. Scuba diving was banned throughout the country except in a few specific locations until 2005, for fear that divers might loot the countless antiquities that still lie scattered on the country's seabed. Now that seems to be gradually changing, with a new project to create underwater museums. (AP Photo/Elena Becatoros)

Near the northern Greek island of Alonissos lies a remarkable ancient shipwreck: the remains of a massive cargo ship that changed archaeologists' understanding of shipbuilding in antiquity.

Now this spectacular find is to become the first ancient shipwreck to be made accessible to the public in Greece, including to recreational divers.

Greece's rich underwater heritage has long been hidden from view, off-limits to all but a select few, mainly archaeologists. Scuba diving was banned throughout the country except in a few specific locations until 2005, for fear that divers might loot the countless antiquities that still lie scattered on the country's seabed.

Ancient shipwrecks and even many more recent ones are still off-limits.

Now that seems to be gradually changing, with a new project to create underwater museums.

Divers will be able to tour certain shipwrecks and non-divers will experience the sites through virtual reality in information centers on land.

The first of these sites is the Peristera shipwreck, named for the uninhabited Greek island opposite Alonissos where it was discovered in the early 1990s. The cargo ship was laden with thousands of amphoras, or vases, probably containing wine, when it sank in the late 5th century B.C.

In this photo taken on Sunday, April 7, 2019, divers visit a 5th Century B.C. shipwreck, the first ancient shipwreck to be opened to the public in Greece, including to recreational divers who will be able to visit the wreck itself, near the coast of Peristera, Greece. Greece's rich underwater heritage has long been hidden from view, off-limits to all but a select few, mainly archaeologists. Scuba diving was banned throughout the country except in a few specific locations until 2005, for fear that divers might loot the countless antiquities that still lie scattered on the country's seabed. Now that seems to be gradually changing, with a new project to create underwater museums. (AP Photo/Elena Becatoros)

All that survives is the cargo, the exposed parts of the wooden ship having long since rotted away. But the sight is spectacular.

Thousands of ancient vases, the vast majority intact, lie in layers. Fish, sponges and other sea creatures have made the amphoras their home, adding color and life to the site. In some places, the cargo towers above divers as they pass along the perimeter of the wreck.

"It is very impressive. Even I, who have been working for years in underwater archaeology, the first time I dived on this wreck I was truly impressed," said Dimitris Kourkoumelis, the lead archaeologist on the project preparing the site for visitors. "It's different to see amphoras ... individually in a museum and different to see them in such concentration."

The wreck still holds mysteries. Only a small part has been excavated, and experts have yet to determine how or why it sank, or what other treasures it might have carried beneath the estimated 4,000 amphoras in its hold.

In this photo taken on Sunday, April 7, 2019, divers visit a 5th Century B.C. shipwreck, the first ancient shipwreck to be opened to the public in Greece, including to recreational divers who will be able to visit the wreck itself, near the coast of Peristera, Greece. Greece's rich underwater heritage has long been hidden from view, off-limits to all but a select few, mainly archaeologists. Scuba diving was banned throughout the country except in a few specific locations until 2005, for fear that divers might loot the countless antiquities that still lie scattered on the country's seabed. Now that seems to be gradually changing, with a new project to create underwater museums. (AP Photo/Elena Becatoros)

There are indications a fire had broken out on board, but it's unclear whether that contributed to its sinking.

"Was it a piracy act? Was it overloaded?" said Elpida Hadjidaki, the first archaeologist to excavate the site. These questions remain unanswered.

The Peristera wreck is the largest ship of its time to have been found and its discovery was of major significance to historians.

"Up to then, we thought that large ships that were carrying 1,500 amphoras and were up to 70 tons, they were built by the Romans in the 1st century B.C.," Hadjidaki explained. "Well, now we have a ship that was not built in the 1st century B.C., it was built in the 5th century B.C., it carried 4,000 amphoras and God knows what else and it's 126 tons."

In this photo taken on Sunday, April 7, 2019, archeologists and visitors prepare to dive to a 5th Century B.C. shipwreck, the first ancient shipwreck to be opened to the public in Greece, including to recreational divers who will be able to visit the wreck itself, near the coast of Peristera, Greece. Greece's rich underwater heritage has long been hidden from view, off-limits to all but a select few, mainly archaeologists. Scuba diving was banned throughout the country except in a few specific locations until 2005, for fear that divers might loot the countless antiquities that still lie scattered on the country's seabed. Now that seems to be gradually changing, with a new project to create underwater museums. (AP Photo/Elena Becatoros)

Hadjidaki said she is thrilled the wreck is being opened to visitors.

"It's fantastic. Twenty-five years ago, I was the first person that proposed that and people were jumping at me, they thought I was crazy," she said. "Why should we keep it to ourselves? We have to give knowledge to people."

The first test for guided tours of the wreck, which lies at a depth of about 22-28 meters (72-92 feet), was carried out last weekend with small groups of recreational and professional divers.

A thorough briefing, complete with historical information and the rules of the dive, preceded the short boat ride from the tiny harbor of Steni Valla on Alonissos to the site. On the wreck itself, explanatory signs have been suspended along the perimeter.

In this photo taken on Sunday, April 7, 2019, ancient amphoras lie at the bottom of the sea from a 5th Century B.C. shipwreck, the first ancient shipwreck to be opened to the public in Greece, including to recreational divers who will be able to visit the wreck itself, near the coast of Peristera, Greece. Greece's rich underwater heritage has long been hidden from view, off-limits to all but a select few, mainly archaeologists. Scuba diving was banned throughout the country except in a few specific locations until 2005, for fear that divers might loot the countless antiquities that still lie scattered on the country's seabed. Now that seems to be gradually changing, with a new project to create underwater museums. (AP Photo/Elena Becatoros)

In this photo taken on Sunday, April 7, 2019, lead archeologist for the project of opening wrecks to visitors Dimitris Kourkoumelis dives to a 5th Century B.C. shipwreck, the first ancient shipwreck to be opened to the public in Greece, including to recreational divers who will be able to visit the wreck itself, near the coast of Peristera, Greece. Greece's rich underwater heritage has long been hidden from view, off-limits to all but a select few, mainly archaeologists. Scuba diving was banned throughout the country except in a few specific locations until 2005, for fear that divers might loot the countless antiquities that still lie scattered on the country's seabed. Now that seems to be gradually changing, with a new project to create underwater museums. (AP Photo/Elena Becatoros)

In this photo taken on Sunday, April 7, 2019, lead archeologist for the project of opening wrecks to visitors Dimitris Kourkoumelis, center, and archaeologist Elpida Hadjidaki briefs divers before the first visit to a 5th Century B.C. shipwreck, the first ancient shipwreck to be opened to the public in Greece, including to recreational divers who will be able to visit the wreck itself, near the coast of Peristera, Greece. Greece's rich underwater heritage has long been hidden from view, off-limits to all but a select few, mainly archaeologists. Scuba diving was banned throughout the country except in a few specific locations until 2005, for fear that divers might loot the countless antiquities that still lie scattered on the country's seabed. Now that seems to be gradually changing, with a new project to create underwater museums. (AP Photo/Elena Becatoros)

In this photo taken on Sunday, April 7, 2019, ancient amphoras lie at the bottom of the sea from a 5th Century B.C. shipwreck, the first ancient shipwreck to be opened to the public in Greece, including to recreational divers who will be able to visit the wreck itself, near the coast of Peristera, Greece. Greece's rich underwater heritage has long been hidden from view, off-limits to all but a select few, mainly archaeologists. Scuba diving was banned throughout the country except in a few specific locations until 2005, for fear that divers might loot the countless antiquities that still lie scattered on the country's seabed. Now that seems to be gradually changing, with a new project to create underwater museums. (AP Photo/Elena Becatoros)

In this photo taken on Sunday, April 7, 2019, archaeologist Elpida Hadjidaki stands at the harbor of Steni Vala, with Peristera island seen in the background, in Greece. Off the coast of Peristera island is a 5th Century B.C. shipwreck, the first ancient shipwreck to be opened to the public in Greece, including to recreational divers who will be able to visit the wreck itself. Greece's rich underwater heritage has long been hidden from view, off-limits to all but a select few, mainly archaeologists. Scuba diving was banned throughout the country except in a few specific locations until 2005, for fear that divers might loot the countless antiquities that still lie scattered on the country's seabed. Now that seems to be gradually changing, with a new project to create underwater museums. (AP Photo/Elena Becatoros)

In this photo taken on Sunday, April 7, 2019, a photo of the 3,500 amphoras lying on the seabed by a 5th Century B.C. shipwreck, the first ancient shipwreck to be opened to the public in Greece, including to recreational divers who will be able to visit the wreck itself, is seen, near the coast of Peristera, Greece. Greece's rich underwater heritage has long been hidden from view, off-limits to all but a select few, mainly archaeologists. Scuba diving was banned throughout the country except in a few specific locations until 2005, for fear that divers might loot the countless antiquities that still lie scattered on the country's seabed. Now that seems to be gradually changing, with a new project to create underwater museums. (AP Photo/Elena Becatoros)

This photo taken on Friday, April 5, 2019 shows the harbor of Steni Vala with the island of Peristera on the background, in Greece. Off the coast of Peristera is a 5th Century B.C. shipwreck, the first ancient shipwreck to be opened to the public in Greece, including to recreational divers who will be able to visit the wreck itself. Greece's rich underwater heritage has long been hidden from view, off-limits to all but a select few, mainly archaeologists. Scuba diving was banned throughout the country except in a few specific locations until 2005, for fear that divers might loot the countless antiquities that still lie scattered on the country's seabed. Now that seems to be gradually changing, with a new project to create underwater museums. (AP Photo/Elena Becatoros)

In this photo taken on Sunday, April 7, 2019, ancient amphoras lie at the bottom of the sea from a 5th Century B.C. shipwreck, the first ancient shipwreck to be opened to the public in Greece, including to recreational divers who will be able to visit the wreck itself, near the coast of Peristera, Greece. Greece's rich underwater heritage has long been hidden from view, off-limits to all but a select few, mainly archaeologists. Scuba diving was banned throughout the country except in a few specific locations until 2005, for fear that divers might loot the countless antiquities that still lie scattered on the country's seabed. Now that seems to be gradually changing, with a new project to create underwater museums. (AP Photo/Elena Becatoros)

The initial feedback has been positive.

"It was an amazing opportunity ... to dive at last on an ancient wreck," said Kostas Menemenoglou, a 39-year-old recreational diver from the central town of Volos. "It was a fantastic experience. It's really like diving into history."

Three other shipwrecks in the Pagasitic Gulf in central Greece are also included in the project, which is part of a European Commission-funded BlueMed program, which plans to expand the project to Italy and Croatia. More test dives will be held this summer and next year, with hopes of fully opening the sites to recreational diving in early 2021.

"Accessible archaeological sites are one of the most interesting projectsnot just a Greek project but a worldwide project," said Kourkoumelis, who noted it has taken a long time to get to the point of allowing visitors to access an ancient wreck.

In this photo taken on Sunday, April 7, 2019, lead archeologist for the project of opening wrecks to visitors Dimitris Kourkoumelis prepares to dive to a 5th Century B.C. shipwreck, the first ancient shipwreck to be opened to the public in Greece, including to recreational divers who will be able to visit the wreck itself, near the coast of Peristera, Greece. Greece's rich underwater heritage has long been hidden from view, off-limits to all but a select few, mainly archaeologists. Scuba diving was banned throughout the country except in a few specific locations until 2005, for fear that divers might loot the countless antiquities that still lie scattered on the country's seabed. Now that seems to be gradually changing, with a new project to create underwater museums. (AP Photo/Elena Becatoros)

"It took years. And that's logical, because underwater ancient sites and particularly ancient shipwrecks are exposed ... and fragile," he said, noting it was crucial to properly set up the project and the dive conditions, making sure the sites are protected before they can be opened to the public.

"All the conditions must be ensured so that these sites remain safe in the future and for future generations," he added.

 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
William Barr dodged some questions but did promise release of the Mueller report on schedule. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

Attorney General William Barr would have been happy if he could have just testified on funding for the Justice Department at todays House Appropriations Committee hearing. But since hes sitting on the years most important piece of information, the Mueller report, that wasnt going to happen. And so he was grilled on the whens and hows of the reports release, as the Washington Post reported:

Attorney General William P. Barr testified Tuesday that he thinks he will be able to release special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs report within a week.

That means hes on track to meet the mid-April time frame for release of the report to both Congress and the public that he indicated after sending Congress a synopsis of legal findings of the Mueller investigation on March 24. A lot of cynical media folk immediately predicted a weekend release like that of the earlier document, to limit public attention to the document.

As he had earlier stipulated, Barr noted there will be four areas in which material in the report will be redacted (i.e., blacked out):

He has told lawmakers that he will keep from public view grand jury material, information that could reveal intelligence sources and methods, information that could affect ongoing investigations, and details that would affect the privacy of people peripheral to Muellers investigation. He said Tuesday that he will color-code the redactions and provide explanatory notes so people know why various sections of the report are not being disclosed.

That will not satisfy congressional Democrats (and perhaps even a few Republicans) who can be expected to ask for broader disclosure of the reports contents, but the extent to which demands become formal will depend on the scope of redactions.

Eyebrows were raised during the hearing when Barr evaded questions about whether he had given a sneak peek of or briefing about the reports contents to the president or other administration officials, as the New York Times reported:

Representative Nita M. Lowey, Democrat of New York and chairwoman of the full Appropriations Committee, pressed Mr. Barr to say whether the White House has seen or been briefed on the contents of the Mueller report beyond what was in his letters about it to Congress. But Mr. Barr refused to answer.

Ive said what Im going to say about the report today, he said. Ive issued three letters about it. I was willing to discuss the historic information of how the report came to me and my decision on Sunday, March 24, when he wrote a four-page letter to Congress laying out the special counsels top-line findings.

If Trump did get more than the synopsis, it could have helped the White House with its efforts to spin the entire investigation as a time-wasting witch hunt that had nonetheless exonerated him, whether or not the report actually supported that interpretation. So this isnt the last time the question about who got the material when will be asked, particularly if the White House got to see an un-redacted version.

For now, all we know is that a lot of politicians and journalists in D.C. are trying to clear their schedules for the coming week.
Professor Thomas Muller. Credit: Ulrike Sommer

Professor Thomas Muller and Professor Hans Briegel have been carrying out research on a machine learning model for several years that differs significantly from alternative artificial intelligence (AI) learning models. The philosopher from Konstanz and the theoretical physicist from the University of Innsbruck have integrated methods of philosophical action theory and quantum optics. Their "Projective Simulation" learning model has already been successfully applied in basic research.

Together with the Innsbruck physicist Dr. Katja Ried, the researchers have now adapted this AI model for realistic application to biological systems. The current issue of the scientific journal PLoS One discusses how the learning model can be used to model and reproduce locusts' specific swarming behaviour.

Demand for models that are "closer to biology"

To carry out their interdisciplinary collaborative research, the scientists used data on locust behaviour from the Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour in Konstanz, which carries out research on collective behaviour. Biologists in particular are demanding that models explaining collective behaviour be designed to be "closer to biology."

Most current models were devised by physicists who assume that interacting individuals are influenced by a physical force. As a result, they don't necessarily perceive individuals within swarms to be agents, but instead, as points such as interacting magnetization units on a grid. "The models work well in physics and have a good empirical basis there. However, they do not model the interaction between living individuals," says Thomas Muller.

AI rules allow agents to learn

Projective Simulation is a learning model originally developed by Hans Briegel and is based on agents who do not react to events in a pre-programmed fashion. Instead, they are capable of learning. These "learning agents" are coded as individuals with different behavioural dispositions who interact with their environment by perceiving and reacting to sensory input. For this purpose, they follow AI rules that allow them to use their previous individual experiences to adjust their actions.

On the one hand, this learning process involves quantum physics-based random processes during which all potential courses of action are considered. On the other hand, the action theoretical principle of reinforcement learning comes into play, which is based on rewarding certain outcomes. "We give a reward if the agent moves with the others in a well-ordered manner. In time, an agent realizes: when perceiving certain things, it is better to react in a way that will lead to a reward. We do not preset the right course of action in a particular situation, but we do ensure that it is achieved through the interaction between the agents," explains Thomas Muller.

Learning model can reproduce collective behaviour

Thomas Muller, Katja Ried and Hans Briegel have applied this learning model to a locust's specific and well-researched swarming behaviour. In a confined space, the insect's movement behaviour corresponds to the size of the swarm. If there are only a few individuals, the locusts move in a disordered fashion. In larger numbers, they move together as a unit. In very large numbers, they move as a unit and in the same direction. Since the researchers were initially interested in simply testing their learning model, they utilized a qualitative description of the locusts' behaviour in place of raw data. In this way, they were, in fact, able to qualitatively reproduce the locusts' behaviour.

Looking ahead, Thomas Muller believes that future research in this area will benefit from large data sets on animals, such as schools of fish with their dynamic behavioural patterns. "Modelling fish would probably be a good but also very complicated next step in making our learning model even more realistic," concludes Muller.

Explore further Locusts interact with several neighbours to swarm together

More information: Katja Ried et al, Modelling collective motion based on the principle of agency: General framework and the case of marching locusts, PLOS ONE (2019). Journal information: PLoS ONE Katja Ried et al, Modelling collective motion based on the principle of agency: General framework and the case of marching locusts,(2019). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0212044
Brazilian researchers have identified robust signs of the existence of a giant object in the Cygnus constellation orbiting a binary system of a live star and a white dwarf. Credit: Leandro Almeida

In the past three decades, almost 4,000 planet-like objects have been discovered orbiting isolated stars outside the solar system (exoplanets). Beginning in 2011, it was possible to use NASA's Kepler Space Telescope to observe the first exoplanets in orbit around young binary systems of two live stars with hydrogen still burning in their core.

Brazilian astronomers have now found the first evidence of the existence of an exoplanet orbiting an older or more evolved binary in which one of the two stars is dead. The findings have just been published in the Astronomical Journal, published by the American Astronomical Society (AAS).

Leonardo Andrade de Almeida, first author of the article, said, "We succeeded in obtaining pretty solid evidence of the existence of a giant exoplanet with a mass almost 13 times that of Jupiter in an evolved binary system. This is the first confirmation of an exoplanet in a system of this kind."

Almeida is currently a postdoctoral fellow of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), having conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Sao Paulo's Institute of Astronomy, Geophysics and Atmospheric Sciences (IAG-USP), where he was supervised by Professor Augusto Damineli, a coauthor of the study.

Variations in eclipse timing (the time taken for each of the two stars to eclipse the other) and orbital period led the researchers to discover the exoplanet in the evolved binary called KIC 10544976, located in the Cygnus constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere.

"Variations in the orbital period of a binary are due to gravitational attraction among the three objects, which orbit around a common center of mass," Almeida said.

Orbital period variations are not enough to prove the existence of a planet in the case of binaries, however, because binary stars' magnetic activity fluctuates periodically, just as the sun's magnetic field changes polarity every 11 years, with turbulence and the number and size of sunspots peaking and then declining.

"Variations in the sun's magnetic activity eventually cause a change in its magnetic field. The same is true of all isolated stars. In binaries, these variations also cause a change in orbital period due to what we call the Applegate mechanism," Almeida explained.

To refute the hypothesis that variations in the orbital period of KIC 10544976 were due only to magnetic activity, the researchers analyzed the effect of eclipse timing variation and the magnetic activity cycle of the binary's live star.

KIC 10544976 consists of a white dwarf, a dead, low-mass star with a high surface temperature, and a red dwarf, a live (magnetically active) star with a small mass compared to that of the sun and scant luminosity due to low energy output. The two stars were monitored by ground-based telescopes between 2005 and 2017 and by Kepler between 2009 and 2013, producing data minute by minute.

"The system is unique," Almeida said. "No similar system has enough data to let us calculate orbital period variation and magnetic cycle activity for the live star."

Using the Kepler data, they were able to estimate the magnetic cycle of the live star (red dwarf) based on the rate and energy of flares (large eruptions of electromagnetic radiation) and variability due to spots (regions of cooler surface temperature and hence darkness caused by different concentrations of magnetic field flux).

Analysis of the data showed that the red dwarf's magnetic activity cycle lasted 600 days, which is consistent with the magnetic cycles estimated for low-mass isolated stars. The binary's orbital period was estimated at 17 years. "This completely refutes the hypothesis that orbital period variation is due to magnetic activity. The most plausible explanation is the presence of a giant planet orbiting the binary, with a mass approximately 13 times that of Jupiter," Almeida said.

Formation hypotheses

How the planet orbiting the binary was formed is unknown. One hypothesis is that it developed at the same time as the two stars billions of years ago. If so, it is a first-generation planet. Another hypothesis is that it formed out of the gas ejected during the death of the white dwarf, making it a second-generation planet.

Confirmation of its status as either a first- or second-generation planet and its direct detection as it orbits the binary could be obtained using the new generation of ground-based telescopes with primary mirrors exceeding 20 meters, including the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) installed in Chile's Atacama Desert. The GMT is expected to see first light in 2024.

"We're probing 20 systems in which external bodies could show gravitational effects, such as KIC 10544976, and most are only observable from the southern hemisphere. The GMT will enable us to detect these objects directly and obtain important answers on the formation and evolution of these exotic environments, as well as the possibility of life there," Almeida said.

Explore further Premature death of star confirmed by astronomers

More information: L. A. Almeida et al, Orbital Period Variation of KIC 10544976: Applegate Mechanism versus Light Travel Time Effect, The Astronomical Journal (2019). Journal information: Astronomical Journal L. A. Almeida et al, Orbital Period Variation of KIC 10544976: Applegate Mechanism versus Light Travel Time Effect,(2019). DOI: 10.3847/1538-3881/ab0963
In this Monday, April 8, 2019, file photo, Boeing 737 Max 8 jets, built for American Airlines, left, and Air Canada are parked at the airport adjacent to a Boeing Co. production facility in Renton, Wash. Orders and deliveries of Boeing's 737 Max plunged in the first quarter as the plane was grounded around the world following a second deadly crash. Boeing disclosed Tuesday, April 9, that it received no new orders for the Max in March. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

Orders and deliveries of Boeing's 737 Max plunged in the first quarter as the plane was grounded around the world following a second deadly crash.

Boeing disclosed Tuesday that it received no new orders for the Max in March. It took 29 net orders for 737s in the first three months of the year, but it appeared that only 10 of those involved the Max, the latest version of Boeing's best-selling plane. The buyers were not identified.

In the first quarter of last year, Boeing took 122 orders for 737s, including 112 for the Max, led by large orders from Southwest Airlines and Ireland's Ryanair.

Boeing suspended Max deliveries in mid-March after regulators grounded the planes. First-quarter deliveries of all 737s including Max models fell to 89 from 132 in the same period last year.

Last week, Boeing announced that it will cut production of 737s from 52 a month to 42 a month. Meanwhile, airlines that own the nearly 400 Max jets are canceling flights.

The drop in deliveries was expected and the damage to Boeing could be temporary if the company can complete a fix to key software on the Max and reassure regulators and passengers that it is a safe plane.

Many analysts believe the deliveries will only be delayed, not lost forever, unless airlines cancel orders for the plane.

In this Monday, April 8, 2019, file photo, a worker looks up at a parked Boeing 737 Max 8 built for Jet Airways as another 737 Max 8 made for Shenzhen Airlines stands behind at a Boeing Co. production facility in Renton, Wash. Orders and deliveries of Boeing's 737 Max plunged in the first quarter as the plane was grounded around the world following a second deadly crash. Boeing disclosed Tuesday, April 9, that it received no new orders for the Max in March. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

Regulators around the world grounded the plane last month after an Ethiopian Airlines Max crashed less than five months after a Lion Air Max plunged into the sea off the coast of Indonesia. In all, 346 people died.

Boeing has acknowledged that in each crash, a faulty sensor triggered an anti-stall system when it wasn't needed, pushing the plane's nose down. Pilots on each flight fought unsuccessfully to regain control, according to flight data retrieved from the planes.

The company is still working on the software update, which was delayed recently by several weeks because of the discovery of a second software problem. Boeing hasn't described the second issue but says it is not related to the anti-stall system.

Separately on Tuesday, American Airlines cut a key revenue estimate after canceling 1,200 flights in the first quarter due to the grounding of its 24 Max jets.

American, the world's biggest airline, said that it can't predict the future financial harm from the plane's grounding until it know how long the jets will be parked and the circumstances under which they will be allowed to fly again.

Over the weekend, American removed the plane from its schedule through June 5six weeks longer than beforeunderlining the realization among airlines that the Max will be parked longer than previously expected.

American says revenue for each seat flown one mile will be flat to up 1 percent, down from its initial forecast of flat to up 2 percent.

American also blamed the government shutdown and 940 cancellations due to faulty work by a contractor on the interiors of several other Boeing planes.

Explore further Boeing cutting production rate of troubled 737 Max jet

 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The first large-scale study of the views held by those working to protect the natural world has found agreement on the goals of conservationbut substantial disagreement on how to move towards them.

Latest research reveals a sizable consensus among conservationists for many core aims: maintaining ecosystems, securing public support, and reducing environmental impact of the world's richest.

However, the study also shows the global community is deeply split on whether to place economic value on nature. The necessity of protected areasand whether people should be moved to create themis highly disputed, as is the worth of "non-native" species.

Conducted by Cambridge University's Dr. Chris Sandbrook with colleagues from Edinburgh and Leeds universities, the new study collected the opinions of over 9,200 conservationists in over 140 countries. It is published today in the journal Nature Sustainability.

The research uncovers some demographic variation. For example, women and those from Africa and South America lean more toward "people-centered" conservation, which aims to benefit communities and give them a say in conservation decisions. Men and those from North America tend to favour a "science-led" approach associated with protecting nature for its own sake.

Next year's Convention on Biological Diversity meeting will see UN member states gather in Beijing to set global conservation goals for the following decade. The research team says their findings "raise important questions about whose voices get heard in conservation debates".

"A core set of aims must form the bedrock of any social movement," said lead author Sandbrook, from the Cambridge Conservation Initiative. "We can see that the world's conservation community is in general agreement on many fundamental beliefs and objectives."

"When it comes to the mechanisms for delivering conservation, we find significant rifts emerge. In some ways the conservation movement is like a political party, where some underlying beliefs bind together people who don't agree on absolutely everything. When big decisions need to be taken these splits come to the surface."

Researchers took great pains to reach as many conservationists around the world as possible. However, they say their sample is still skewed towards Europe and North America.

Sandbrook cautions that the diversity of opinion the study is helping to reveal is often underrepresented. "There will be huge decisions taken about the future of conservation in the next 18 months. Let's make sure we ask the whole global community, so we can build an inclusive and effective movement."

While the study's authors say conservation is facing "bitter internal disputes" over its future, their research confirms some key ideas around which the majority of conservationists coalesce.

The study finds 90% agreement for science-based conservation goals, as well as for giving a voice to people affected by those goals. Some 88% agree that the environmental impact of the rich must be curtailed, and only 8% think global trade is fine as it is.

Some 77% believe human population growth should be reduced, and only 6% think humans are separate from nature.

The fault lines in the global movement are also revealed. For example, only 57% think strict protected areas are required, and almost half (49%) believe it's wrong to displace humans in the process. Reports of 'eco-guards' suppressing local people in Africa's protected areas have recently brought these debates into sharp focus.

So-called invasive species also prove divisive. Some 35% think they offer little value to conservation, while 50% disagree. Sandbrook says that some examples of non-native species can help engage the public, but they are often bad news for local species.

"In the UK, many people love Ring-Necked Parakeets because they look beautiful and tropical. But these animals can threaten native wildlife and some argue they should be culled," he said.

The study shows the application of economics to nature is one of conservation's most contentious issues. "Some think assigning monetary value to nature is a pragmatic way to assist policy-making. Others believe it reprehensible to put a price tag on things that are priceless," said Sandbrook.

Only around half (52%) of conservationists think their movement "should work with capitalism". Some 61% believe "economic arguments for conservation are risky", and 73% think economic rationales risk displacing other motivations for protecting species.

However, a high numbersome 84% - believe corporations "can be a positive force for conservation" and 62% say the movement needs the support of corporations, suggesting many conservationists see both the pros and cons of economic approaches.

This "conservation through capitalism" is viewed more favorably by younger conservationists and those from Africa, but also among those in more senior jobs.

"Our study shows that conservation is a diverse movement, both in people and ideas," added Sandbrook. "As the Convention on Biological Diversity 2020 meeting approaches, we need to improve the representation of this diversity when debating how best to preserve life on Earth."

Explore further Measuring the success of East African protected areas
The Saturn V rocket, here launching SkyLab, also sent Apollo 11 to the moon. Credit: NASA

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing and a significant turning point in world history. The Israeli robotic mission Beresheet has just arrived in lunar orbit, with a scheduled landing on April 11  making Israel the fourth country to land on the surface of the moon. It follows China's exciting first ever landing on the moon's far side in January.

This new space race recently prompted the US vice president Mike Pence to commit to another manned moon mission within the next five years. But is this claim even possible, given that we haven't sent people there since 1972? And is there any point in doing so from a scientific perspective?

If governments have a failing when it comes to human space exploration programmes, it is not understanding the level of time and commitment required to ensure success. The new pledge follows US president Donald Trump's request in 2017 to get a manned mission to land on Mars before the end of his first term (2020).

This is an even more difficult prospect than a manned lunar mission  the time to reach the red planet varies based on the relative position of the Earth and Mars. The launch opportunities to Mars, when the travel time is the shortest, occur roughly every two years. With a travel time of six to nine months, such a mission would need to have left in April 2018 to arrive before the 2020 deadline.

Major challenges

One obstacle to getting to the moon in five years is funding. Space missions are not cheap. The excellent Cassini mission, an unmanned spacecraft to Saturn, cost approximately US$3.26 billion. The current estimate for the NASA 2019 budget is US$19.9 billion, and this has to cover new as well as ongoing missions, research centres, staff members, studentships and research and development.

While this sounds like a lot of money, the amount that NASA receives as a percentage of GDP has been dropping rapidly. In 1966, NASA drew 4.4% of national spending  this year's budget sits at slightly less than 0.1%. If the current US administration is truly serious about matching the commitments of presidents during the Apollo era, they will need to increase NASA funding to similar levels.

The Saturn V rocket, here launching SkyLab, also sent Apollo 11 to the moon. Credit: NASA

But even with a lower budget, why haven't we managed at least some manned missions? Naturally, each president wants to leave their own mark on human spaceflight missions. And while spaceflight requires long planning times, there is an unfortunate cycle of death and rebirth of lunar and Martian human spaceflight programmes.

For example, George Bush Jr cancelled the space shuttle program while Barack Obama cancelled the Constellation programme, which was aiming to return people to the moon by 2020. Set up under George Bush Jr, this programme had a more achievable 16 year timeline, comparable with Apollo's. Ultimately, the first step towards a new moon mission is sustained funding from state governments which span numerous electoral terms in office.

A technical difficulty with a manned mission in five years is that there is no launch vehicle currently available that is powerful enough to do the job. NASA is currently working on the Space Launch System (SLS), a relic of the Constellation programme, which is still yet to be flown for the first time. Without even a test flight, the ability to carry astronauts to the moon is still many years away.

Even the recently launched, commercial Falcon Heavy is unable to perform this mission in a single launch. It would instead require at least two launches, carrying different parts of the spacecraft which would then need to be docked in orbit, complicating and delaying the mission.

Why send people?

One of the bigger questions to ask ourselves is whether we need to send a manned mission at all. There have always been advocates for robotic missions over human ones. As technology advances, we have the ability to perform science with increasingly smaller and more sophisticated robots.

That's important given that the cost of launching material into low-Earth orbit is roughly 15,000 per kg. Sending people and everything they need is an expensive business compared to sending a camera. But this might change with commercial and reusable rockets being developed. SpaceX is claiming the launch cost of its Falcon 9 is only around 4,000 per kg.

China on the moons far side. Credit: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2019/01/china-returning-moon-change-4-mission/

The current US lunar mission plan is to send astronauts to the southern polar region of the moon with the aim of creating a staging post for long-term manned presence on the moon. In particular, the south pole has craters that are very rich in water ice, which is not only essential for human life but can also be used to produce fuel and oxygen to breathe. The ability to electrolyse water into hydrogen and oxygen has existed since the 1800s, and the power required can easily be supplied by solar panels.

A staging post could enable NASA to launch American astronauts to Mars and beyond. Other advantages include the ability to vary what is being studied and examine delicate geological records in place. We could also use the moon to set up an astronomical observatory, which would get an excellent view of the universe given the thin atmosphere there.

Militarisation of space

The reasons for the sudden rush to the moon is no doubt prompted by the possibility of a space race with China. The capabilities of the Chinese National Space Agency (CNSA) have advanced at a prodigious rate, from their first manned orbital flight in 2003 to their first space station in 2011.

They also managed to put a lander and rover on the moon in 2013 and again in 2018, which sent back incredible high definition images of the far side of the moon. A sample return mission is also planned for later this year  with a timeline of 15 years.

The major concern of a new space race is that space policies around the world will be in direct competition, and the number of nations involved could lead to the militarisation of space. President Trump's creation of another wing of the military, the "space force", is a sign of such a development.

Going back to the moon will certainly create exciting possibilities for scientific research and space exploration. But whether it is possible in the near future remains to be seen. The cooperation of global powers and private industry may, in the end, prove to be the best strategy to win this new race for everyone.

Explore further After the Moon in 2024, NASA wants to reach Mars by 2033

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Model presentation of the human bitter receptor TAS2R7, also known as Epsom salt receptor. Credit: Dr. Antonella Di Pizio / Leibniz-LSB@TUM Germany

A team of scientists headed by Maik Behrens from the Leibniz-Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich has identified the receptor responsible for the bitter taste of various salts. These include Epsom salt, which has medical uses. The discovery elucidates the physiological mechanisms by which Epsom salt affects the heart or gut. The team has now published their findings in the journal Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications.

Magnesium sulfate, also known as hair salt or Epsom salt, is probably the best-known bitter-tasting salt. The naturally occurring mineral is named after the British city of Epsom, where it was extracted from spring water in 1697. Today it is used for such medical applications as treating constipation or certain cardiac arrhythmias.

Maik Behrens and his team have now identified a receptor that reacts to Epsom salt or to salts containing magnesium or divalent manganese and iron ions. It is the bitter receptor TAS2R7, one of the 25 different bitter receptor types that people possess.

More than just taste sensors

As gatekeepers in the mouth, bitterness sensors warn against the ingestion of potentially toxic substances. In addition to phytochemicals such as caffeine, these also include drugs such as chlorphenamine, an antihistamine. Another group of substances represent certain salts that can cause significant side effects when consumed in too high doses.

Recent studies indicate that the receptors not only act as taste sensors, but also mediate physiological effects of bitter substances. Thus, bitter receptors are found in organs such as the heart or intestine. "Interestingly, both organs respond to the supply of magnesium salts," says study leader Behrens. An overdose of magnesium salts has been shown to cause a drop in blood pressure, cardiac arrest, severe diarrhea and vomiting, the researcher said. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the respective physiological reactions are still unclear.

The researchers are convinced that the discovery of the Epsom salt receptor will help to better understand the physiological effects of minerals and to develop new therapeutics for, for example, heart disease.

Explore further Man develops severe liver damage after taking epsom salts

More information: Maik Behrens et al, The human bitter taste receptor TAS2R7 facilitates the detection of bitter salts, Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications (2019). Journal information: Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications Maik Behrens et al, The human bitter taste receptor TAS2R7 facilitates the detection of bitter salts,(2019). DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2019.03.139

Provided by Leibniz-Institut fur Lebensmittel-Systembiologie an der TU Munchen
In this Dec. 17, 2018, file photo, a man using a mobile phone walks past Google offices in New York. Executives from Google and Facebook are facing Congress Tuesday, April 8, 2019, to answer questions about their role in the hate crimes and the rise of white nationalism in the U.S. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

Executives from Google and Facebook are facing Congress Tuesday to answer questions about their role in the spread of hate crimes and the rise of white nationalism in the U.S.

Neil Potts, Facebook's director of public policy and Alexandria Walden, counsel for free expression and human rights at Google, will speak to the House Judiciary Committee along with leaders of the Anti-Defamation League, the Equal Justice Society and others.

The hearing was prompted by the March shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, when a gunman killed 50 people at two mosques and livestreamed the attacks on Facebook.

The suspected shooter also published a lengthy post online that espoused white supremacist views.

But controversy over white nationalism and hate speech has dogged online platforms such as Facebook and Google's YouTube for years. The companies long extolled the value of free speech while trying to avoid acting as content editors, then were forced to deal with a resulting torrent of abuse directed at their users. In 2017, following the deadly demonstrations in Charlottesville, Virginia, tech giants began banishing extremist groups and individuals espousing white supremacist views and support for violence.

In this Jan. 9, 2019, file photo, media and guests mingle before a tour of Facebook's new 130,000-square-foot offices, which occupy the top three floors of a 10-story Cambridge, Mass., building. Executives from Google and Facebook are facing Congress Tuesday, April 8, to answer questions about their role in the hate crimes and the rise of white nationalism in the U.S. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)

In March, Facebook extended its ban on hate speech to include white nationalists in addition to just white supremacistsa distinction civil rights groups had long called meaningless.

Despite the ban, accounts such as one with the name "Aryan Pride" were still visible as of late Monday. This account's self-description read, in part, "IF YOUR NOT WHITE friend ur own kind cause Im not ur friend."

In addition, on Wednesday a Senate subcommittee will hold a hearing titled "Stifling Free Speech: Technological Censorship and the Public Discourse." This hearing will address the claim of perceived bias against conservatives by tech companies such as Facebook, Google and Twitter.

The companies have denied any such bias. While political figures from President Donald Trump on down keep levying the accusation, none have yet presented evidence of an anti-conservative or any other political tilt.

Explore further Facebook to tighten live stream access after mosque attacks

 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
The coffin with the remains of an Aboriginal ancestral king is draped with an Aborginal flag as the Five Continents museum in Munich handed it over to Australia

A German museum handed over the remains of an Aboriginal ancestral king to Australia on Tuesday in the first of three such ceremonies across Germany this month, which Canberra called a record return.

The Australian ambassador to Germany, Lynette Wood, and elder Gudju Gudju Fourmile of the Yidinji people received the skeletal remains at Munich's Five Continents museum where they have been stored since 1889.

"His journey now will be to be taken back home to Yidinji country," Fourmile said.

Yidinji representatives draped a black, yellow and red Aboriginal flag over the box containing the remains.

Skulls and bones from Australia's native peoples were removed by scientists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and taken to museums, universities and collections in Australia and around the world.

There they were subjected to "research" purporting to explain human biological variety.

In a statement, Australia's Minister for Communications and the Arts Mitch Fifield welcomed the planned repatriation of a total of 53 Australian indigenous remains from Germany in April, saying it would be "the largest number of ancestors returned from Germany to date".

A further ceremony is planned at Stuttgart's Linden Museum on Friday for the repatriation of eight Aborigine remains.

"These ancestors will be returned to Australia under Australian government stewardship, so they can be cared for closer to home while further work is undertaken to identify their communities of origin," Fifield said.

On Monday in Berlin, 37 ancestors' remains from the Saxony state ethnographic collections as well as five ancestors from Martin Luther University will be returned to Yawuru community representatives and the Australian government.

"The Government would like to thank the German state governments and the collecting institutions for their commitment to recognising the significance of repatriation for all Australians, which contributes to healing and reconciliation," Fifield said.

Stepping up repatriations

Bavaria's arts and sciences minister Bernd Sibler, who attended Tuesday's event, said the German state was committed to a "transparent approach to collections from the colonial era", in coordination with indigenous representatives.

Australia's Department of Communication and the Arts said it had supported the "unconditional" return of more than 1,500 Australian indigenous ancestral remains from overseas and private collections for more than 30 years.

It said it was in talks with 35 institutions across 10 countries on the return of further remains.

Berlin's Charite, one of Europe's largest university hospitals, was the first scientific institution in Germany to sign a repatriation agreement with Australia, in 2008.

In April 2013 it handed over the skulls and bones of 33 Aborigines to Australian representatives to be returned for burial.

Germany has until now returned 51 human remains to Australia.

The native Aboriginal population, who have occupied Australia for 50,000 years, were dispossessed of their lands by the arrival of settlers two centuries ago.

As the colonisers pushed into the vast interior of the island continent, they were resisted by the local population and thousands of men, women and children were killed.

Germany is stepping up efforts to return human remains in its museums, hospitals and private collections.

The culture and foreign ministries as well as regional and local cultural authorities signed a pledge last month to speed up the return of human remains and artwork from former African colonies.

Germany has on several occasions repatriated human remains to Namibia, where it slaughtered tens of thousands of indigenous Herero and Nama people between 1904 and 1908.

Explore further DNA from ancient aboriginal Australian remains enables their repatriation

 2019 AFP
Georgia's winemaking tradition stretches back thousands of years

Georgia is immensely proud of its ancient wine-making tradition, claiming to have been the first nation to make wine. Now it wants to be the first to grow grapes on Mars.

Nestling between the Great Caucasus Mountains and the Black Sea, Georgia has a mild climate that is perfect for vineyards and has developed a thriving wine tourism industry.

Now Nikoloz Doborjginidze has co-founded a project to develop grape varieties that can be grown on Mars.

"Georgians were the first winemakers on Earth and now we hope to pioneer viticulture on the planet next door," he told AFP.

After NASA called for the public to contribute ideas for a "sustained human presence" on the Red Planet, a group of Georgian researchers and entrepreneurs got together to propel the country's winemaking onto an interplanetary level.

Their project is called IX Millenniuma reference to Georgia's long history of wine-making.

Since archaeologists found traces of wine residue in ancient clay vessels, the country has boasted that it has been making wine for 8,000 yearslonger than any other nation.

IX Millennium is managed by a consortium set up by the Georgian Space Research Agency, Tbilisi's Business and Technology University, the National Museum and a company called Space Farms.

Nestling between the Great Caucasus Mountains and the Black Sea, Georgia has a mild climate that is perfect for vineyards

While it might seem like the stuff of science fiction, the idea of humans quaffing wine on the fourth planet from the Sun is coming closer to reality.

NASA hopes to launch a manned mission to Mars within 25 years, while billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX company has set a goal of outstripping the US space agency by a decade.

'Breakthrough' results

One of the scientists working on the project, astrobiologist Marika Tarasashvili, is developing bacteria that could turn Martian soil into fertile earth.

Researchers had already achieved "breakthrough" results in experiments, she said, smiling, as she gazed into a glass vial with faux-Martian soil in a cramped Tbilisi laboratory.

The scientists collected bacteria from regions of Georgia with "extreme ecosystems" such as hot sulphurous springs, then bred strains capable of living in Martian conditions, she says.

Georgia has already achieved 'breakthrough' results in developing bacteria that help make Martian soil fertile, says astrobiologist Marika Tarasashvili

The idea is for the bacteria to transform the lifeless surface of Mars into fertile soil "on which future colonists will be able to cultivate plants", she said.

Tarasashvili and her colleagues are also testing the skins of Georgia's 525 indigenous grape varieties to establish which are most resistant to the high levels of ultra-violet radiation hitting the Martian surface.

Preliminary results showed that pale-skinned Rkatsiteli grapesa popular variety that produces white wines with crisp green-apple flavoursbest endures ultra-violet rays.

"In the distant future, Martian colonists will be able to grow plants directly in Martian soil," said Tusia Garibashvili, founder of Space Farms company, part of the IX Millennium project.

"But first we need to create a model of completely controlled sustainable Martian greenhouses."

Her company is currently building a vertical farming laboratory, which she calls "the ideal technology for Martian agriculture of the future".

Scientists collected bacteria from 'extreme ecosystems' in Georgia and bred strains capable of living in Martian conditions, says Tarasashvili

The plants will grow in a special facility located inside a trendy Tbilisi hotel, laid out in vertically stacked layers with carefully controlled temperature, light and humidity.

The next step will be to test Georgian grape varieties in a simulated Martian environment in a laboratory now under construction at the Business and Technology University.

"Plants will be subjected to sub-zero (Celsius) temperatures, high levels of radiation and carbon monoxide (and) high-altitude air pressure," said BTU Dean Nino Enukidze.

"Martian dreams aside, our experiments are providing information that is vital as humanity confronts a multitude of environmental challenges," said Enukidze.

"We will be able to identify and breed food crops resistant to the problems caused by global climate change."

Explore further First on the Martian menu: spuds

 2019 AFP
An Impossible Burger sidewalk sign in San Francisco. Credit: Chris Allan/Shutterstock.com

People eat animals that eat plants. If we just eliminate that middle step and eat plants directly, we would diminish our carbon footprint, decrease agricultural land usage, eliminate health risks associated with red meat and alleviate ethical concerns over animal welfare. For many of us, the major hurdle to executing this plan is that meat tastes good. Really good. By contrast, a veggie burger tastes like, well, a veggie burger. It does not satisfy the craving because it does not look, smell or taste like beef. It does not bleed like beef.

Impossible Foods, a California-based company, seeks to change this by adding a plant product to their veggie burger with properties people normally associate with animals and give it the desired qualities of beef. The Impossible Burger has been sold in local restaurants since 2016 and is now expanding its market nationwide by teaming up with Burger King to create the Impossible Whopper. The Impossible Whopper is currently being test marketed in St. Louis, with plans to expand nationally if things go well there.

But what exactly is being added to this veggie burger? Does it make the burger less vegan? Is the additive from a GMO? Does it prevent the burger from being labeled organic?

I am a molecular biologist and biochemist interested in understanding how plants and bacteria interact with each other and with the environment, and how that relates to human health. This knowledge has been applied in a way that I did not anticipate to develop the Impossible Burger.

What on earth is leghemoglobin?

The Impossible Burger includes an ingredient from soybeans called leghemoglobin, which is a protein that is chemically bound to a non-protein molecule called heme that gives leghemoglobin its blood red color. In fact, a heme  an iron-containing molecule  is what gives blood and red meat their color. Leghemoglobin is evolutionarily related to animal myoglobin found in muscle and hemoglobin in blood, and serves to regulate oxygen supply to cells.

A cross section of a soybean root nodule. The red color is due to leghemoglobin. Credit: CSIRO, CC BY

Heme gives the Impossible Burger the appearance, cooking aroma and taste of beef. I recruited a scientific colleague in St. Louis to try out the Impossible Whopper, and he could not distinguish it from its meaty counterpart. Although he was quick to qualify this by noting all of the other stuff on the Whopper may mask any differences.

So, why aren't soybean plants red? Leghemoglobin is found in many legumes, hence its name, and is highly abundant within specialized structures on the roots called nodules. If you cut open a nodule with your thumbnail, you will see that it is very red due to leghemoglobin. The soybean nodule forms as a response to its interaction with the symbiotic bacterium Bradyrhizobium japonicum.

I suspect that Impossible Foods depicts a soybean without nodules on their website because people tend to be creeped out by bacteria even though Bradyrhizobium is beneficial.

My research group's interest in the symbiotic relationship between the soybean and its bacterial sidekick Bradyrhizobium japonicum is motivated by the goal of reducing humanity's carbon footprint, but not by creating palatable veggie burgers.

The bacteria within root nodules take nitrogen from the air and convert it to a nutrient form that the plant can use for growth and sustenance  a process called nitrogen fixation. The symbiosis lessens the reliance on chemical nitrogen fertilizers, which consume a lot of fossil fuel energy to manufacture, and which also pollute the water supply.

Some research groups are interested in extending the symbiosis by genetically engineering crops such as corn and wheat so that they can reap the benefits of nitrogen fixation, which only some plants, including legumes, can do now.

Root nodules occur on the roots of legumes associated with symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Within legume nodules, nitrogen gas in the air is converted into ammonia. Credit: Kelly Marken/Shutterstock.com

I am pleasantly surprised and a little amused that esoteric terms of my vocation such as heme and leghemoglobin have found their way into the public lexicon and on the wrapper of a fast-food sandwich.

Is leghemoglobin vegan? A non-GMO? Organic?

Leghemoglobin is the ingredient that defines the Impossible Burger, but it is also the additive most closely scrutinized by those seeking assurances of it being organic, non-GMO or vegan.

The leghemoglobin used in the burgers comes from a genetically engineered yeast that harbors the DNA instructions from the soybean plant to manufacture the protein. Adding the soybean gene into the yeast then makes it a GMO. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration agrees with the "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) designation of soybean leghemoglobin. Nevertheless, the U.S. Department of Agriculture prohibits the "organic" label for foods derived from genetically modified organisms. It is ironic that an innovation that may be eco-friendly and sustainable must be readily dismissed by groups that claim to share those goals.

Not all vegans are delighted by this new burger. Some insist that a GMO product cannot be vegan for various reasons, including animal testing of products such as leghemoglobin. In my view, the moral certitude of that position can be challenged because it does not take into account the cattle that are spared. Other vegans view GMOs as a solution to problems that are important to them.

Judging from its website, Impossible Foods is keenly aware of the constituencies that weigh in on their product. It includes a link describing how GMOs are saving civilization. But they also make the misleading claim that "Here at Impossible Foods, heme is made directly from plants." In reality, it comes directly from yeast.

The commercialization of leghemoglobin represents an unanticipated consequence of inquiry into an interesting biological phenomenon. The benefits of scientific research are often unforeseen at the time of their discovery. Whether or not the Impossible Burger venture succeeds on a large scale remains to be seen, but surely food technology will continue to evolve to accommodate human needs as it has since the advent of agriculture 10,000 years ago.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Photo: Devenorr/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Lets say youre really in a rush and need to use a computer. Stick with me. Maybe youre a hacker loading some horrible malware onto a computer, or youre a hacker stealing documents from a computer. Maybe theres a big presentation coming up and you need to get it done and put it on a drive to give to the projectionist operating your slide deck. Thats a third plausible scenario I just thought of.

In all of these situations, you are using a USB drive. As we all know, USB is short for Universal Serial Bus. USB drives are also known as flash drives or thumb drives or jump drives, maybe its a USB key, or in Spider-verse parlance, a goober. They are small hard drives that connect to a computers USB ports. (Young readers who might be lost: Before the cloud, you needed one of these devices to move data from one computer to another. They still exist. Ask Siri or whatever. While youre there, you might as well ask about floppy disks too.)

Computers have, historically, been very annoying about USB drives. Before undocking a drive, you should use the operating system to safely eject it. If you do not do this, and just rip the drive from the machine, the machine will yell at you. You idiot! the machine says. If you keep doing that, I might delete all of your data! Yet oddly enough, no person in the history of humankind has ever lost data from yanking a USB drive out of a computer before soft-ejecting it. This is 100 percent true and not hyperbole.

Beginning with recent versions of Windows 10, even Microsoft is ready to cop to this fact, as the Verge notes. In Windows, removable media can follow one of two policies dictated by the operating system. There is a quick removal policy, which manages storage operations in a manner that keeps the device ready to remove at any time. But you are probably more familiar with better performance, which boosts drive performance but demands that dreaded Safely Remove Hardware eject process. (This latter option applies to any external storage device, whether thats a flash drive, a hard disk, or an ebook reader, for example.) Better performance was Windows default setting for years. It is now no longer the default.

Good! The safe-eject process is easily one of the most insignificant problems in computing, made significant by how often one might need to use a USB drive. What if the one time you dont safely eject is the one time something goes catastrophically wrong? An entire pre-cloud generation of computer users, rendered anxious and fearful of data loss in exchange for saving five seconds. What a wretched system. I am glad it is dead  except on MacOS, where it continues to torment me.
A female Anolis maynardi Credit: Ruth Smith - University of Plymouth

A remote island in the Caribbean could offer clues as to how invasive species are able to colonise new territories and then thrive in them, a new study suggests.

Scientists from the University of Plymouth have recently completed extensive research into a lizard population on the Cayman Islands.

Up until the mid-1980s, there had never been a recorded sighting of the Maynard's Anole (Anolis maynardi) on Cayman Brac island despite it being less than 10km from its native territory, Little Cayman.

However, since the species was first discovered on Cayman Brac in 1987in what is thought to have been a human-assisted colonisationits population has spread right across the 39km island.

For this study, recent graduate Vaughn Bodden and Lecturer in Conservation Biology Dr. Robert Puschendorf conducted a detailed analysis of the invasive species.

They wanted to assess whether individuals at the forefront of the invasion have developed distinct biological traits that are advantageous for dispersal, and compared their findings to animals in the area of first introduction and the native population on Little Cayman.

They discovered the Cayman Brac population has diverged morphologically from the native population, and within the invasive range there was trend of increasing forelimb length from the core to range edge areas. This ran contrary to the expected findings that longer hindlimbs would be the trait selected as a dispersal-related phenotype.

A parasite inflicting a lesion on the hindlimb of a male Anolis maynardi Credit: Ruth Smith - University of Plymouth

They also showed that the introduced population had lower levels of parasite prevalence, and that both males and females were of significantly higher body condition than the native population.

Writing in the Journal of Zoology, they say the results are a perfect example of how a species can colonise a new territory, and the biological adaptations it can make in order to do so.

Vaughn, who graduated with a First from the BSc (Hons) Conservation Biology programme in 2018, said: "There has been a history of lizard studies indicating that longer hindlimbs are an important factor affecting movement ability, so to not find longer hind limbed animals on the range edge was a surprise. For parasites, we found a clear decreasing trend in prevalence within the invasive population from the area of first introduction to the range edge, indicating that the parasites lag behind the host during periods of range expansion. We think our findings add to the growing body of literature that demonstrates the complex dynamics of species' invasions. The results highlight that the animals on the range edge of an invasion are likely to be experiencing different ecological selection pressures that can result in changes in behaviour, morphology, and health for the animals."

Dr. Puschendorf has spent several years researching the consequences of emerging infectious diseases and climate change on biodiversity, with a particular focus on Central America. He added: "Biological invasions are an important conservation threat across the world. However, every invasion needs to be carefully investigated to identify impacts to native eco-systems and identify potential mitigation strategies. In this instance there is likely to be limited overlap with, and therefore a limited threat to, the endemic anole populationthe Cayman Brac Anole (Anolis luteosignifer) - because one inhabit the crowns of trees while the other is found closer to the ground. This in some ways highlights the challenges biodiversity managers face when managing species invasions with limited resources, and emphasises the need for greater collaboration among scientific and policy communities."

Explore further Possible hybrid threatens native iguanas in Cayman Islands
Sample swine (left) and poultry (right) facilities, with the original image (top) and a heat map of the way the algorithmic models processed the image (bottom). The red areas show where the model detected the likelihood of facility locations. Credit: National Agriculture Imagery Program / U.S. Department of Agriculture

How to locate potentially polluting animal farms has long been a problem for environmental regulators. Now, Stanford scholars show how a map-reading algorithm could help regulators identify facilities more efficiently than ever before.

Law Professor Daniel Ho, along with Ph.D. student Cassandra Handan-Nader, have figured out a way for machine learning  teaching a computer how to identify and analyze patterns in data  to efficiently locate industrial animal operations and help regulators determine each facility's environmental risk. The researchers' findings are set to publish April 8 in Nature Sustainability.

"Our work shows how a government agency can leverage rapid advances in computer vision to protect clean water more efficiently," said Ho, the William Benjamin Scott and Luna M. Scott Professor of Law, and a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research.

A basic problem, with complex consequences

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), agriculture is the leading contributor of pollutants into the nation's water supply, with substantial pollution believed to be emanating from large-scale, concentrated animal feeding operations, known also as CAFOs.

But environmental monitoring efforts have been stymied by a basic problem: Regulators have no systematic way of determining where CAFOs are located, Ho said. The United States Government Accountability Office reports that no federal agency has reliable information on the number, size and location of large-scale agricultural operations.

While the Clean Water Act does require some federal permitting, it only applies to operations that actually discharge pollutants into U.S. waterways  not facilities that could potentially cause contamination  intentionally or not, Ho said.

With no definite list to turn to, efforts to monitor potentially polluting facilities are difficult and, in some cases, impossible.

"This information deficit stifles enforcement of the environmental laws of the United States," Ho said.

Some environmental and public interest groups have tried to identify facilities themselves by scanning terrain manually or poring over aerial photos, but they have found it an incredibly time-intensive task. It took one environmental group over three years to look at images from just one state. Monitoring efforts like these could never scale or be done in real time, Ho said.

Using big data to fill in the gaps

Ho and Handan-Nader, then a research fellow at Stanford Law School and now pursuing a doctorate in political science, turned their attention to a type of artificial intelligence called deep learning. A subset of machine learning, deep learning algorithms have revolutionized the ability to detect complex objects in imagery.

With the help of several open source tools and a team of students in economics and computer science to assist with data analysis, Ho and Handan-Nader were able to retrain an existing image-recognition model to recognize large-scale animal facilities by using information collected by two nonprofit groups and publicly available satellite images from the USDA's National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP). The researchers focused on trying to identify poultry facilities in North Carolina because most are not required to obtain permits, Ho said.

The model, already savvy in scanning images based on an enormous corpus of digital images, was retrained to pick up on similar clues that the environmental organizations had been manually monitoring. For example, swine farms were identifiable by compact rectangular barns abutted by large liquid manure pits, and poultry by long rectangular barns and dry manure storage. By homing in on these prominent features, the model was also able to provide size estimates for the facilities.

The researchers found that their algorithm was able to identify 15 percent more poultry farms than what was originally found through manual endeavors. And because their approach could scale across years of NAIP imagery, their algorithm was able to accurately estimate growth within the vicinity of a recently constructed feed mill.

"The model detected 93 percent of all poultry CAFOs in the area, and was 97 percent accurate in determining which ones appeared after the feed mill opened," Handan-Nader and Ho write in the paper.

Complementary, interdisciplinary approach

Ho and Handan-Nader hope that machine learning can complement the human monitoring efforts of environmental agencies and interest groups.

"Now all kinds of researchers with programming ability can harness these open-source tools for novel applications," said Handan-Nader, a co-author on the paper. "You can stand on the shoulders of giants and expand on what experts in these kinds of machine learning techniques have done."

Using machine learning for rote tasks can free people to do more complex ones, such as determining the possible environmental hazards of a facility, Handan-Nader said. The researchers estimated that their algorithm could capture 95 percent of existing large-scale facilities using fewer than 10 percent of the resources required for a manual census.

Ho and Handan-Nader hope that, eventually, advances in aerial imagery will enable a computer model to detect actual discharge into waterways.

"Increasingly, complex social problems cannot be solved from the confines of a narrow discipline alone, and the ability to leverage innovation cross-campus can help address core problems of law and public policy," Ho said.

Explore further Stanford students deploy machine learning to aid environmental monitoring

More information: Deep learning to map concentrated animal feeding operations. Nature Sustainability. doi.org/10.1038/s41893-019-0246-x Journal information: Nature Sustainability Deep learning to map concentrated animal feeding operations.
Sexting is 'not done.' That's a widely shared opinion. It's considered as unwise and even dangerous to make and share sexual photos or videos of yourself. If a photo leaks, the photographer is quickly blamed. But instead of preventing the unwanted distribution of sexual material, this approach actually worsens the problem. This was shown in a research report by Marijke Naezer (Radboud University) and Lotte van Oosterhout (youth communication agency Jong & Je Wil Wat), which was commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and Safety.

The unwanted distribution of digital sexual visual material by young people is a major concern for parents, teachers and professionals. Up to now, information and interventions have been especially targeted at the victims. Hardly anything is known about the perpetrators. Naezer and Van Oosterhout were the first to study the motives of young people who spread sexual visual material of others without their consent. For their report, they interviewed 21 young people (15 to 21 years old): victims, bystanders and especially perpetrators.

Crucial role of adults

Van Oosterhout says, "Our study shows that young people adopt the negative associations of the media and adults about sexting." For some perpetrators, opposing sexting was even an important motive for sharing the victim's images. "I had to teach her a lesson so she wouldn't send any more photos," said a perpetrator. Van Oosterhout: "In this way, the opinion of adults about sexting plays a crucial role in the unwanted distribution of sexual visual material."

In addition, victims are often blamed if the visual material is distributed, bystanders remain passive and the perpetrators are often not called to account. One perpetrator said: "The team leader just sent me home without any punishment. He told me to go home and have a good weekend."

Naezer says, "This sort of reaction confirms and encourages the perpetrator's behaviour, and victims don't get the support they need. This worsens the problem of unwanted distribution rather than preventing it."

From problem to solution

The gap between young people and adults is sometimes a wide one. Victims often don't dare ask for help from adults when their material is being distributed without their permission because they are afraid of being misunderstood, blamed and shamed. Naezer says, "We think that the solution lies in interventions that aim to develop a more balanced idea of sexting and more understanding for the victims, and that focus on potential perpetrators rather than potential victims."

Explore further Social media help young people to explore sexuality
A glistening white pearl from a cultured farming technique invented in Japan that is in decline as experts die out in the ageing country

In Japan's picturesque Ago Bay, a couple sits in a little hut picking out oysters from a net, cleaning them carefully one-by-one before replacing them gently back in the water.

Their hope: in several months, these oysters will produce a glistening white pearl from a cultured farming technique invented in Japan that is in decline as experts die out in the ageing country.

Cultured pearl farming was first commercialised in Ago Bay and spread throughout the world. There are still dozens of farms plying the trade there, which look from the sky like a series of rafts floating between the steep coast and a string of tiny islets.

In 1893, an Ago Bay local called Kokichi Mikimoto became worried the oyster pearls avidly sought in his waters were becoming extinct.

So he began introducing artificial foreign bodies into the oysters in a bid to replicate the natural process in which they secrete thousands of layers of nacre when a grain of sand or shell finds its way inside the pearl pocket.

After several setbacksincluding a bacterial virus that decimated his cropMikimoto finally hit the jackpot: one day in July 1893 a semi-spherical pearl appeared, clinging to the oyster.

A decade or so later, he had refined his method to produce a perfectly round specimen and immediately patented his techniquethe cultured pearl.

Cultured pearl farming was first commercialised in Japan's Ago Bay and spread throughout the world. There are still dozens of farms plying the trade there

Success was not immediateseveral viewed the cultured pearl as a vulgar replica of the "natural" varietybut eventually Mikimoto built a global empire and Japan became the reference for the small pearls known as "Akoya."

Around the same time, two other Japanese, Tatsuhei Mise and Tokichi Nishikawa, applied for a patent.

Top five percent

The Sakaguchi family has been crafting these valuable pearls between three and 10 millimetres in diametre for three generations. Kasuhiro, 73, and Misayo, 68, are now supported by daughter Ruriko.

"Our job is to look after the oysters as well as we can for three to four years," explained the energetic 43-year-old Ruriko, sporting an apron and headscarf.

"From harvesting the young oysters, introducing the graft, right up to extracting the pearl," she added, as she dragged oysters from the net for inspection.

The whole delicate operation rests of the insertion of a nucleusa small round polished ball made out of shellfish and the "graft", a piece of donor mantle tissue from another oyster.

Only around five percent of the oysters harvested will result in pearls of sufficient quality to adorn the windows of chic jewellers in Tokyo

Over a period of several months, the oyster reacts to the foreign bodies by secreting thousands of layers of nacre which form the pearl.

The pearls are harvested in December, when the water is around 15 degrees, said Ruriko. "Below this, the pearl will lack strength. Above that, it will lack shine," she explained.

It is a thankless task. Of the 100,000 oysters harvested annually, half die immediately after the operation.

The vast majority produce either mediocre pearls or nothing at all. Only around five percent of the oysters harvested will result in pearls of sufficient quality to adorn the windows of chic jewellers far away in Tokyo.

'Family heirloom'

The Sakaguchis are lucky to have Ruriko take up the family trade, which is sufferinglike many other traditional Japanese craftsfrom an ageing population and a flight from the country to booming cities.

The number of specialised pearl farmers has dropped from 3,760 in the 1960s to just 680 in 2013, according to the most recent data from the Fisheries Agency.

The number of specialised pearl farmers in Japan has dropped from 3,760 in the 1960s to just 680 in 2013, according to the most recent data from the Fisheries Agency

But despite this, Japan still dominates the global market, accounting for around 30 percent in terms of valuehelped by concentrating on the best quality pearls.

Japan has produced around 20 tonnes of farmed pearls annually over the past 10 years, bringing in around 16.6 billion yen, and is aiming to reach 20 billion yen by 2027.

But even that would be a far cry from the heady days of the late 1980s when Japan produced around 70 tonnes with a value of 88 billion yen.

So what sets Japanese cultured pearls apart from competitors in Tahiti, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines or Australia?

Aside from centuries of know-how, Japan is helped by its climate, said Yuichi Nakamura, vice-chairman of the Mie Pearl promotion council.

"The key is the winter season in Japan. It gives the pearls a better shine and sets them apart from the rest of world," Nakamura told AFP.

Rivals from China at one point looked set to threaten Japan's dominance but "they focused in quantity... whereas we concentrated on quality to stay in the race."

Japan has produced around 20 tonnes of farmed pearls annually over the past 10 years, bringing in around 16.6 billion yen, and is aiming to reach 20 billion yen by 2027

That quality is on glittering display at the luxurious, multistory flagship store of Mikimoto, in the plush Tokyo district of Ginza.

Here a mannequin wears a priceless pearl necklace but pearls can range from a few hundred to a million dollars.

"For the Japanese, pearls are a family heirloom. We give them as necklaces to women about to marry or as earrings or rings," said Mikimoto boss Hiroshi Yoshida.

They then wear them at grand occasions for the rest of their lives.

But perhaps an indication of a shift in the global economy: more than half of Mikimoto's customers are Chinese. After them come Americans, other Asians such as Singaporeans, and then Europeans.

Explore further The wisdom of pearl farming

 2019 AFP
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Juan Del Toro, doctoral candidate in NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development finds that Black and Latino adolescent boys who are stopped by police report more frequent engagement in delinquent behavior thereafter.

New research by NYU Steinhardt doctoral candidate Juan Del Toro finds that black and Latino adolescent boys who are stopped by police report more frequent engagement in delinquent behavior thereafter. The study also demonstrates that police stops have a negative impact on the adolescents' psychological well-being.

"Our findings indicate that the single most common proactive policing strategy  directing officers to make contact with individual boys and young men in 'high crime' areas  may impose a terrible cost on Black and Latino youth across the country," said Juan Del Toro, doctoral candidate in NYU Steinhardt's Department of Applied Psychology. "Police stops are associated with harmful outcomes including subsequent delinquent behavior and psychological distress that may be even more harmful when they occur earlier in boys' lives. These consequences warrant urgent attention from social scientists and policymakers."

This research was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

The Problem with Proactive Policing

Police agencies across the country have sought out to reduce crimes by shifting to what is known as "proactive policing"  proactively deploying officers to places where crime is likely to be reported and to engage with people most likely to be accused of those crimes.

A recent review of research demonstrates that proactive policing is associated with reduced crime, however, the same research also acknowledges that proactive policing can negatively affect the public legitimacy of law enforcement and even push people to avoid law-related officials altogether. The research also ignores the potentially negative effects of proactive policing on racial disparities or youth criminality. The new research by Del Toro addresses the research gap by studying and finding that police stops increase the likelihood that Black and Latino adolescents' will engage in subsequent delinquent behavior.

Why Boys of Color

Boys, and nonwhite boys in particular, were the focus of Del Toro's research because they are far more likely to experience police stops, arrests, or other contact with law enforcement compared to their peers. Del Toro points to New York City notes that in 2016, more than 90 percent of people subjected to police stops were male  out of those 52 percent Black, 29 percent Latino, 10 percent White. Forty-seven percent were juveniles aged 14-24. Of the juveniles who experienced police encounters, only 7.2 percent were female and 7.5 percent were White.

Del Toro and his team recruited boys from six public high schools in high-intensity policing neighborhoods and studied their encounters with law enforcement over two years. The boys in the sample self-identified as Latino (57.5 percent of the sample), Black (23.1 percent of the sample), and other non-White (19.4 percent of the sample). All boys were equally susceptible to police stops and encounters, regardless of their prior engagement with delinquency.

Increasing Frequency of Criminal Behavior

The research also found that the more often a boy was stopped by the police, the more frequent his engagement with criminal behavior was six, 12, and 18 months later. Past criminal behavior did not predict more police encounters.

Additionally, the relationship between police stops and subsequent delinquency was partially mediated by psychological distress. The younger a boy was the first time he was stopped, the greater the increase in subsequent delinquent behavior six months later.

Explore further Unfair treatment by police linked to physiological impacts among black men

More information: Juan Del Toro et al. The criminogenic and psychological effects of police stops on adolescent black and Latino boys, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2019). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Juan Del Toro et al. The criminogenic and psychological effects of police stops on adolescent black and Latino boys,(2019). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1808976116
(from left) NTU Associate Professor Ng Kee Woei holding the FasRaP, JTC Group Director of Engineering Mr. Calvin Chung holding a concrete cylinder that was cracked under high pressure, and Prostruct Consulting Founder Dr. Ang Choon Keat holding a concrete cylinder reinforced with FasRaP, which can withstand twice the load compared to bare concrete. Credit: NTU Singapore

By protecting concrete pillars with a ready-to-stick wrap developed by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and JTC, existing structures can be easily repaired and reinforced to extend their lifespan. This new technology is especially useful for urban cities to rehabilitate aging infrastructure, including buildings and bridges that may have developed issues such as cracks and delamination of concrete.

This new wrap called FasRaPshort for Fast Wrapping Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP), is jointly developed by scientists and engineers from NTU, JTC and Prostruct Consulting Pte Ltd.

Key benefits of FasRaP

FasRaP is created using commercially available glass fibres, but with a proprietary glue-like resin developed by NTU materials scientists which acts as an adhesive for the wrap. The unique feature of the resin is that it will harden only when exposed to light, making it possible for it to be pre-applied in the factory and packaged into a ready roll of sticky wrap, similar to double-sided tape.

At the work site, FasRaP is ready for application directly on the wall or pillar. Only three workers are needed to complete the job, compared to FRPs currently available in the market which typically require a team of up to six workers to install, as the conventional resin needs to be manually applied on site.

A 2-ply FasRaP hardened by light exposure, a concrete cylinder reinforced with FasRaP (middle) that can withstand twice as the load as the bare concrete cylinder which was cracked under high pressure (right). Credit: NTU Singapore

Apart from halving the time and effort needed for installation, prefabricating FasRaP with resin glue in the factory also ensures consistency in quality since conditions can be better controlled and monitored compared to manual application of resin on-site.

In industry-standard blast tests and load tests, FasRaP has proven to be just as strong as conventional FRP. Comparing a bare concrete pillar without reinforcement and a pillar wrapped with FasRaP, the tests show that the latter can withstand an additional 80 per cent load.

Associate Professor Ng Kee Woei, lead project investigator from NTU's School of Materials Science and Engineering, said, "Our invention allows companies to save on manpower costs, increase efficiency and make structural reinforcement much easier to execute. This will help them to meet future building standards and prolong the life of older buildings and structures as Singapore and other urban cities age."

Mr Calvin Chung, group director of engineering at JTC, said, "By combining our engineering knowledge, NTU's research expertise and Prostruct's industry know-how, we can address real challenges faced by the construction industry such as manpower constraints and quality control. The development of new advanced materials such as FasRaP will help us meet the growing demand for the repair and rehabilitation of aging infrastructure in Singapore by significantly reducing the time and improving the quality of installation, thereby increasing productivity and cost efficiency."

Dr. Ang Choon Keat, founder of Prostruct Consulting Pte Ltd, a specialist professional engineer and certified blast consultant, was involved in the project as a co-investigator. He added, "Besides reinforcing existing structures, we have also conducted blast tests and demonstrated that FasRaP is suitable for strengthening any structure against blasts. This is an important application in view of the Infrastructure Protection Act passed by the Singapore Parliament in October 2017."

The joint research team is now working to commercialise their technology, which has intellectual property protection in the form of a technology disclosure filed through NTUitive, NTU's commercialisation and innovation company.

They are in talks with both manufacturers of FRPs and industry contractors using FRPs. To accelerate the adoption and commercialisation of this new technology, JTC will identify suitable infrastructure projects to deploy FasRaP.

This invention highlights the capability of the tripartite research partnership between a government agency, industry and academia, to generate new solutions to tackle challenges in the building and construction sector.

Established in 2011, the NTU-JTC I3 Centre aims to pioneer cutting-edge industrial infrastructure solutions to address challenges faced by Singapore and its companies in areas such as safety, productivity, as well as manpower and resource constraints.

Explore further New bendable concrete that is stronger and more durable
Unlike classical particles, quantum particles can travel in a quantum superposition of different directions. Mile Gu, together with researchers from Griffith harnessed this phenomena to design quantum devices that can generate a quantum superposition of all possible futures. Credit: NTU, Singapore.

In the 2018 movie Avengers: Infinity War, a scene featured Dr. Strange looking into 14 million possible futures to search for a single timeline in which the heroes would be victorious. Perhaps he would have had an easier time with help from a quantum computer. A team of researchers from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and Griffith University in Australia have constructed a prototype quantum device that can generate all possible futures in a simultaneous quantum superposition.

"When we think about the future, we are confronted by a vast array of possibilities," explains Assistant Professor Mile Gu of NTU Singapore, who led development of the quantum algorithm that underpins the prototype "These possibilities grow exponentially as we go deeper into the future. For instance, even if we have only two possibilities to choose from each minute, in less than half an hour there are 14 million possible futures. In less than a day, the number exceeds the number of atoms in the universe." What he and his research group realised, however, was that a quantum computer can examine all possible futures by placing them in a quantum superposition  similar to Schrodinger's famous cat, which is simultaneously alive and dead.

To realise this scheme, they joined forces with the experimental group led by Professor Geoff Pryde at Griffith University. Together, the team implemented a specially devised photonic quantum information processor in which the potential future outcomes of a decision process are represented by the locations of photons  quantum particles of light. They then demonstrated that the state of the quantum device was a superposition of multiple potential futures, weighted by their probability of occurrence.

A picture of the Experimental Device used for the experiment. Credit: Griffiths University

"The functioning of this device is inspired by the Nobel Laureate Richard Feynman," says Dr. Jayne Thompson, a member of the Singapore team. "When Feynman started studying quantum physics, he realized that when a particle travels from point A to point B, it does not necessarily follow a single path. Instead, it simultaneously transverses all possible paths connecting the points. Our work extends this phenomenon and harnesses it for modelling statistical futures."

The machine has already demonstrated one applicationmeasuring how much our bias towards a specific choice in the present impacts the future. "Our approach is to synthesise a quantum superposition of all possible futures for each bias." explains Farzad Ghafari, a member of the experimental team, "By interfering these superpositions with each other, we can completely avoid looking at each possible future individually. In fact, many current artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms learn by seeing how small changes in their behaviour can lead to different future outcomes, so our techniques may enable quantum enhanced AIs to learn the effect of their actions much more efficiently."

The team notes while their present prototype simulates at most 16 futures simultaneously, the underlying quantum algorithm can in principle scale without bound. "This is what makes the field so exciting," says Pryde. "It is very much reminiscent of classical computers in the 1960s. Just as few could imagine the many uses of classical computers in the 1960s, we are still very much in the dark about what quantum computers can do. Each discovery of a new application provides further impetus for their technological development."

The work is featured in a forthcoming paper in the journal Nature Communications.

Explore further How Einstein's equivalence principle extends to the quantum world
Brittany Bloodhart, Emily Fischer and Kristen Rasmussen received a National Science Foundation grant to study the prevalence of sexual harassment in field campaign settings. Credit: Bill Cotton

Scientists involved in a field campaign are away from their normal routines, offices and universities, including the support mechanisms available if sexual harassment or other inappropriate behaviors occur. Three Colorado State University researchers are examining the prevalence of sexual harassment in field-based research as part of a National Science Foundation-supported study.

The CSU team, which includes Emily Fischer, Kristen Rasmussen and Brittany Bloodhart, are also studying what psychological indicators might lead people to engage in  or intervene in  a harassment situation.

Part of their work is documenting how people respond when the issue of sexual harassment is openly discussed, and expectations for professional behavior are clearly set by team leadership. The goal: creating a policy and culture of collegiality and respect across field teams.

Their efforts are supported by nearly $300,000 from the National Science Foundation, awarded last year. The group used two recent CSU-led field campaigns as test cases and proving grounds for their project.

CSU campaigns as test beds

With field-based research an integral part of earth science scholarship, the researchers believe field teams can be powerful agents of change. Earth and atmospheric scientists frequently build collaborative, multi-institutional teams, and these networks can take years to establish. With already shared common goals, the researchers want to promote effective, fact-based practices for improving workplace climate and safety within these networks.

While sexual harassment has been studied extensively in workplaces and academia, very little research has focused on the problem in field settings. Those in "low-power" positions, the researchers say, such as graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, may be particularly vulnerable to those in positions of leadership.

"As scientific principal investigators, we are responsible for the safety of a lot of people," said Fischer, assistant professor in the Department of Atmospheric Science who led a large field experiment on wildfire smoke last summer. "I know from personal experience that sexual harassment can be an issue in these settings. I haven't experienced it since I've become a professor, but I doubt that our community culture has changed that dramatically in six years. Sexual harassment is about power. I'm in a different position now, and so I am working to create the best culture possible."

The researchers also pointed to a recent National Science Foundation policy change, addressing harassment, as further motivation for diving into the project.

Fischer's field campaign, called WE-CAN, brought together multiple universities and agencies for six weeks in Idaho last summer. Another field campaign that Assistant Professor Rasmussen co-led in November, called RELAMPAGO, was the largest land-based atmospheric science field campaign ever conducted outside the U.S. and was aimed at studying Argentina's thunderstorms.

Since her field campaign, RELAMPAGO, was led by early- to mid-career scientists like herself, Rasmussen saw an opportunity to establish a clear code of conduct for the campaign. And as the leader of a concurrent NSF-funded Advanced Study Institute that involved students from several universities, Ramusssen said she felt a particular need to "ensure that the underrepresented students I was bringing to an international setting to participate in field research were safe and protected."

The researchers sought to use the WE-CAN and RELAMPAGO campaigns as springboards for two new, multi-institutional, international networks of proactive scientists, including men, all invested in combating gender inequality. Now, the researchers are developing written materials for future field campaign managers to facilitate culture change around sexual harassment in the field.

"Sexual harassment is a culture issue," Fischer said. "We need practical guides that everyone can use to set a professional tone in their workplaces."

Trainings build on prior work

Another of the researchers' major objectives was to train participants in the two CSU field campaigns on how to recognize, report and confront sexual harassment. To do this, they relied on existing training materials developed by a separate group of researchers looking to improve work climates in geosciences.

That related work is called "ADVANCEGeo" and is an NSF-funded partnership among the Earth Science Women's Network, the Association for Women Geoscientists and the American Geophysical Union. ADVANCEGeo had previously developed workshops and materials for department heads, chairs, faculty and graduate students to respond to sexual harassment in their workplaces. The CSU team adapted these materials for their field campaigns, with an added emphasis on building effective teams.

Surveys before and after campaigns

Another key aspect of the CSU project was led by Bloodhart, a social psychologist previously with the Department of Psychology who has expertise in beliefs, attitudes and discriminatory behavior around gender equity. Bloodhart designed and administered surveys to field campaign participants before and after, asking about past harassment experiences, as well as observed climate and behaviors during the campaigns.

Bloodhart presented survey results at the American Meteorological Society meeting in January. The researchers issued a "call to action" after their session, and several attendees, many of them men, indicated a willingness to push for conversations and action around the topic.

Bloodhart reported that about half the surveyed women had experienced sexual harassment at some point in their careers. She found that a "hostile work environment" was the largest source of sexual harassment, and that men and women typically reported different forms of harassment.

The trainings during the two field campaigns were well received, Bloodhart said, but women were more likely than men to report that they had a "positive experience" during the trainings. She also found that men were more likely to intervene in harassment situations following the trainings.

"Overall I have been impressed with the department leadership and especially the male faculty who have been on board," Bloodhart said. "The fact that they are willing to put time and effort into this reflects the excellent leadership of this department."

Explore further Current sexual harassment penalties are too low: Study
Withered meadow near Kaarst, Germany at the beginning of July: The 2018 heat wave lasted from May to July and covered large parts of the northern hemisphere. Credit: Mimikry11, CC BY-SA 3.0

Without the climate change caused by human activity, simultaneous heatwaves would not have hit such a large area as they did last summer. This is the conclusion of researchers at ETH Zurich based on observational and model data.

Many people will remember last summer  not only in Switzerland, but also in large swathes across the rest of Europe, as well as in North America and Asia. Multiple places around the world experienced heat so severe that people died of heatstroke, power generation had to be curtailed, rails and roads started to melt, and forests went up in flames. What was truly sobering about this heatwave was that it affected not only one area, such as the Mediterranean region, but several across the temperate zones and the Arctic simultaneously.

ETH researchers have concluded that the only explanation of why heat affected so many areas over several months is anthropogenic climate change. These are the findings of the recent study that ETH climate researcher Martha Vogel presented today at the European Geosciences Union press conference in Vienna. The paper resulting from this study is currently in review for an academic publication.

Analysing models and observations

In the study, Vogel, a member of ETH Professor Sonia Seneviratne's team, looked at the areas of the Northern Hemisphere north of the 30th latitude that experienced extreme heat simultaneously from May to July 2018. She and her fellow researchers concentrated on key agricultural regions and densely populated areas. In addition they looked into how large-scale heatwaves are projected to change as a consequence of global warming.

To explore these phenomena, the researchers analysed observation-based data from 1958 to 2018. They investigated state-of-the-art model simulations to project the geographic extent that heatwaves could reach by the end of the century if temperatures continue to climb.

Massive increase in the areas affected by intense heat

An evaluation of the data from last year's hot summer reveals that, on an average day from May to July, 22 percent of agricultural land and populated areas in the Northern Hemisphere were simultaneously hit by extremely high temperatures. The heatwave affected at least 17 countries, from Canada and the United States to Russia, Japan and South Korea.

In Sweden, forests and peatbogs were burning. Credit: Colourbox

By studying the measurement data, the researchers realised that such large-scale heatwaves first appeared in the northern hemisphere in 2010, then in 2012, and again in 2018. Prior to 2010, however, the researchers did not find any instances of such large areas being affected simultaneously by heat.

Widespread heat extremes ever more likely

Model calculations confirm this trend. As the earth grows warmer, widespread heat extremes become more and more likely. According to model projections, every degree of global warming will cause the area of land in key agricultural regions or densely populated areas in the Northern Hemisphere that is simultaneously affected by extreme heat to grow by 16 percent. Should global temperatures rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, then one-quarter of the northern hemisphere will experience a summer as hot as the summer of 2018 every two out of three years If global warming reaches 2 degrees, the probability of such a period of extreme heat rises to almost 100 percent. In other words, every year extreme heat will affect an area just as large as the 2018 heatwave did.

"Without the climate change that can be explained by human activity, we wouldn't have such a large area being simultaneously affected by heat as we did in 2018," says Vogel. She is alarmed by the prospect of extreme heat hitting an area as large as it did in 2018 every year if global temperatures rise by 2 degrees: "If in future more and more key agricultural regions and densely populated areas are affected by simultaneous heatwaves, this would have severe consequences."

Heat puts food security in jeopardy

Professor Seneviratne adds, "If multiple countries are affected by such natural disasters at the same time, they have no way to help one another." This was illustrated in 2018 by the forest fires in Sweden: at that time, several countries were able to help with firefighting infrastructure. However, if many countries are battling major fires at the same time, they can no longer support other affected countries.

The food supply situation could also become critical: if broad expanses of areas vital to agriculture are struck by a heatwave, harvests could suffer massive losses and food prices would skyrocket. Anyone thinking these assumptions are overly pessimistic would do well to recall the heatwave that swept across Russia and Ukraine in 2010: Russia completely stopped all its wheat exports, which drove up the price of wheat on the global market. In Pakistan, one of the biggest importers of Russian wheat, the price of wheat rose by 16 percent. And because the Pakistani government cut food subsidies at the same time, poverty increased by 1.6 percent, according to a report by aid organisation Oxfam.

"Such incidents cannot be resolved by individual countries acting on their own. Ultimately, extreme events affecting large areas of the planet could threaten the food supply elsewhere, even in Switzerland," Seneviratne emphasises.

She continued by pointing out that climate change won't stabilise if we don't try harder. At present, we are on course for a temperature increase of 3 degrees. The Paris Agreement aims for a maximum of 1.5 degrees. "We are already clearly feeling the effects just from the one degree that the global average temperature has risen since the pre-industrial era," says Seneviratne.

Explore further Super-heatwaves of 55 C to emerge if global warming continues

More information: Vogel MM, Zscheischler J, Wartenburger R, Dee D, Seneviratne SI. Concurrent 2018 hot extremes across Northern Hemisphere due to human-induced climate change. Earth's Future, , in review.
Digital technology is rapidly transforming farming and it might not be for the better. Credit: Shutterstock

There's a lot of talk about digital technology and smart cities, but what about smart farms? Many of us still have a romantic view of farmers surveying rolling hills and farm kids cuddling calves, but our food in Canada increasingly comes from industrial-scale factory farms and vast glass and steel forests of greenhouses.

While the social and environmental consequences of agri-food industrialization are fairly well understood, issues around digital technology are now just emerging. Yet, technology is radically transforming farms and farming. And while different in scale and scope, technology is playing a growing role in small and organic farming systems as well.

In reality then, your friendly local farmer will soon spend as much time managing their digital data as they will their dairy herd. The milking apron is being replaced by the milking app.

The Canadian government is investing heavily in climate-smart and precision agricultural technologies (ag-tech). These combine digital tools such as GPS and sensors with automated machines like smart tractors, drones and robots in an attempt to increase farm profits while reducing pesticide and fertilizer use. GPS mapping of crop yields and soil characteristics help to cut costs and increase profits, so while seeds still grow in soil, satellites are increasingly part of the story. There's no doubt that ag-tech may be promising for governments, investors and corporations, but the benefits are far less clear for farm owners and workers.

There is little research on the potential social impacts of ag-tech specifically, so a group of researchers at the University of Guelph conducted a study to figure out some of the likely impacts of the technological revolution in agriculture.

While changes in agriculture show promise for increasing productivity and profits and reducing pesticides and pollution, the future of farming is not all rosy.

Corporate control of many agricultural inputs seeds, feed, fertilizers, machinery is well documented. Agricultural land is also increasing in cost and farms are getting bigger and bigger. It is likely that digital agriculture will exacerbate these trends. We're especially interested in what farm work will look like as the digital revolution unfolds.

Marginalized workers are set up to lose

While rising costs are always a concern for producers and consumers, we have two main concerns about how the digital revolution is changing farm work in particular.

First, who owns all of the data being produced in precision agriculture? Farm owners and workers produce data that has massive potential for commercial exploitation. However, just who gets to harvest the fruits of this digital data labour is unclear.

Should it flow to those who produce it? Should it be something that we own collectively? Unfortunately, if smart farms are anything like smart cities, then it looks like corporate control of data could tighten.

Factory farms are the norm in Canada. Credit: Shutterstock

Second, it's very likely that ag-tech will lead to an even more sharply divided labour force. So-called "high-skilled" managers trained in data management and analysis will oversee operations, while many ostensibly "lower-skilled" jobs are replaced. Remaining on-the-ground labourers will find themselves in working conditions that are increasingly automated, surveilled and constrained. For instance, in fruit and vegetable greenhouses inputs are increasingly being controlled remotely, but migrant workers still do much of the planting and harvesting by hand. And, they do so under conditions of severe physical and social immobility.

There is a wealth of research documenting the vulnerable position of migrant agricultural workers from coast to coast in Canada and elsewhere.

If we don't direct it in a humane way, the digital revolution in agriculture is likely to heighten these vulnerabilities.

The agricultural system was built that way

Our food system is built on centuries of Indigenous land theft, dislocation and the suppression of Indigenous foodways while relying heavily on exploitable (Indigenous, migrant and racialized) labour. Across North America, farm workers have long been excluded from basic labour laws, legal status and the right to unionize.

And now, increased productivity often relies on increased exploitationjust ask anyone working in a FoxConn factory. As a result, our current food system is rife with exploitative practices, from production through to distribution, with racialized immigrants bearing the brunt.

Meanwhile, there is evidence that automation tends to negatively impact already marginalized workers.

The digital revolution in agriculture has a double edge. Smart farms bring promise, but automation in agricultural production and distribution will eliminate many jobs.

Our concern is that the suite of jobs that remain will only deepen economic inequities with more privileged university graduates receiving the bulk of the well-paid work, while further stripping physical labourers of their power and dignity.

There is no magic pill, but our governments do have options. Policy and legislation can shift the path of ag-tech to better support vulnerable farm workers and populations. In doing so, the looming issue of land ownership and repatriation must be addressed in Canada, with Indigenous nations at the head of the table alongside marginalized workers and farmers. Supporting pathways to farming and permanent residency for migrant workers, as well as training for digital skill-building can help to close more immediate gaps.

We need to ready ourselves for how radical transformations in food production and distribution will impact land prices, property rights and working conditions. Our folksy view of farming is due for an update.

Explore further Farmers increasingly relying on agricultural contractors, new research shows

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his rally in Latur of Maharashtra, appealed to first-time voters to dedicate their votes to the Indian Air Force team that carried out the air strike in Pakistan's Balakot and also to the CRPF personnel killed in the Pulwama terror attack. Modi, who stressed on nationalism while releasing the BJP's manifesto on Monday, alleged that the Congress, if voted to power, is planning to repeal the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act. The BJP in their election manifesto has promised to eliminate Article 370 and do away with Article 35A of the Constitution. Article 370 gives autonomous status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Later, addressing a rally in Chitradurga, Karnataka, PM Modi attacked the Congress-led government in the state. He said both the JD(S) and the Congress were trying to benefit each other, forgetting the interest of the common people. "No one knows who's running the government in Karnataka. Both the defeated parties have got together for their own benefit so they are trying to accommodate each other," he added. Before that, he held a rally in Latur district of Maharashtra, and invoked India's airstrikes in Pakistan. He also appealed to voters, especially youngsters, to cast their votes "for the soldiers". Meanwhile, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi called the BJP manifesto "the voice of an isolated man", which is "short sighted and arrogant". He also said the PM was "scared of debating" with him on the issue of corruption.

All parliamentary constituencies in 10 states and UTs, including Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep, Telangana and Uttarakhand, will go to polls in the first phase on Arpil 11. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.

Lok Sabha Election 2019: Polling dates, full schedule, election results, constituencies' details, voting FAQs

Catch all the latest updates on BusinessToday.In live blog on the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

6:30pm: Report suggested that Dantewada MLA Bheema Mandavi along with five people were killed after Naxals targeted the convoy at Shyamgiri. The IED blast has occurred in Shyamgiri under Kuakonda Police Station.

5:30pm: "KALIA scheme is very important for the farmers particularly during this season when they need those funds," said Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar.

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar: KALIA scheme is very important for the farmers particularly during this season when they need those funds. Also disappointed to see that BJP has complained to EC about the KALIA Scheme. The farmers will give them a befitting reply. https://t.co/DAwXdhqw4P - ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

5:20pm: BJP convoy attacked by Naxals in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada. BJP Dantewada MLA Bheema Mandavi was also in the convoy, ANI reported.

Chhattisgarh: BJP convoy attacked by Naxals in Dantewada. BJP MLA Bheema Mandavi was also in the convoy, further details awaited. pic.twitter.com/MhNVtar2aD - ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

5:10pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday appealed to first-time voters to dedicate their votes for 'air strike' men during a rally at Latur in Maharashtra.

PM Modi: 1st-time voters se main prarthana karta hu, bahut soch-samajh kar vote dena hai. Aap apna vote desh ke liye shaheed hone waale veer jawano ko samarpit kar sakte hain.Aapka pehla vote kisi garib ko apna ghar, muft me aspatal mein illaj mile,iske liye samarpit ho sakta hai pic.twitter.com/noLqxu4keF - ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

5:05pm: Election Commission of India has transferred Abhishek Gupta from the post of Superintendent of Police of Cooch Behar (West Bengal) and has posted Amit Kumar Singh in his place, as per ANI report.

5:00pm: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on 100 years of Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh on 100 years of Jallianwala Bagh massacre: We wanted to observe it on a large scale, but EC isn't allowing. So on 12th evening we'll take out a candle light march, next morning Congress President is coming & he'll pay his respects at the memorial pic.twitter.com/yorGmHgO1l - ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

4:55pm: "We are very hopeful that we will win, there is a lot anger in the public against BJP and support for Congress. I request people to vote for our candidates here(Kairana,Saharanpur and Bijnor) so that we win with a huge margi," said Priyanka Gandhi Vadra after rally in Saharanpur.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Saharanpur: We are very hopeful that we will win, there is a lot anger in the public against BJP and support for Congress. I request people to vote for our candidates here(Kairana,Saharanpur and Bijnor) so that we win with a huge margin pic.twitter.com/GvOOfVmmrJ - ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 9, 2019

4:50pm: Election Commission on Tuesday announced May 19 as date for assembly by-elections for- Panaji(Goa), Sulur, Aravakurichi, Thiruparankundram, Ottapidaram in Tamil Nadu and Kundgol in Karnataka, ANI reported.

4.44pm: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has send a show-cause notice to the makers of popular TV serials 'bhabhiji ghar pe hai' and 'tuz se hai rabata' for promoting PM Modi's schemes ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The Congress party had complained to the EC that these serials are being used to promote Modi's image, reports ANI.

4.05pm: Mamata Banerjee in Bengal: "In five years Modi could not build Ram temple; whenever election approaches he rakes up the issue. Modi urging people to vote by highlighting achievements of soldiers, Army is not fiefdom of Modi and BJP."

4.00pm: "Just like air strike, they also raised questions on strike in the space. They didn't have the courage to sanction missile tests," says PM Modi in Karnataka.

Just like air strike, they also raised questions on strike in the space. They didn't have the courage to sanction missile tests.



They neither respect soldiers and nor science. It's about time to teach a lesson to such parties and people: PM @narendramodi#IsBaarNaMoPhirSe  BJP (@BJP4India) April 9, 2019

3.59pm: Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath in Meerut: "Mayawati in Saharanpur said that we only need Muslim vote, so I want to tell them if Congress, SP-BSP believe in Ali we believe in Bajrangbali."

3.55pm: The Congress has a clear thinking: "Whenever get a chance, divide the society," PM Modi in Karnataka.

3.49pm: "No one knows who's running the government in Karnataka. Both the defeated parties have got together for their own benefit so they are trying to accommodate each other," PM Modi in Karnataka.

3:30pm: Speaking at a rally, BJP President Amit Shah said that we don't engage in peaceful talks with countries that kill our soldiers.

We don't engage in peaceful talks with countries that kill our soldiers: Amit Shah Read @ANI story | https://t.co/Dcviw4GnEvpic.twitter.com/0fm694A9ON - ANI Digital (@ani_digital) April 9, 2019

3:20pm: Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra holds a road show in UP's Saharanpur.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra holds a road show in Saharanpur. #LokSabhaElections2019pic.twitter.com/kGA97z5sIa - ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 9, 2019

3:10pm: Taking a jibe at Congress, PM Modi said that we attacked terror in Pakistan, but some people in India felt the pain.

PM in Chitradurga,Karnataka: We attacked terror in Pakistan, but some people in India felt the pain. The CM here went a step further, he said talk of the valour of our forces should not be done, it damages his vote bank. I want to ask him, is your vote bank in India or Pakistan? pic.twitter.com/kN8SP0U8p2 - ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

3:05pm: Replying to allegations that he or Gadkari can be PM if BJP fails to get full majority, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said, "These are all imaginary situations; it is 'khyali pulao' and nothing else. We will get clear majority or even 2/3rd, the PM will be Modi ji, no doubt about that."

3:00pm: Punjab cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Tuesday tweeted that News channels should show a disclaimer before PM Modi's speeches that everything that he says is imaginatory and it has nothing to do with India's development.

2:45pm: Former JNU students' union leader Kanhaiya Kumar files nomination as Communist Party of India (CPI) candidate from Begusarai seat in Bihar.

Former JNU students' union leader Kanhaiya Kumar files nomination as Communist Party of India (CPI) candidate from Begusarai constituency. #Bihar#LokSabhaElections2019pic.twitter.com/dW8nnoeZq0 - ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

2.32pm:

  , , ,                                               pic.twitter.com/0lkW4FAFF9  Kanhaiya Kumar (@kanhaiyakumar) April 9, 2019

2.27pm: Rajinikanth on Narendra Modi and the BJP manifesto: The BJP released its manifesto yesterday, and like what I have been saying for long about the linking of rivers, it also talks about that. The effort is difficult to achieve but can be achieved. If they (BJP) come to power, this should be the first thing they work on.

2.10pm: Superstar Rajinikanth says "I have already told my fans my stand on elections there is no change in it."

2.00pm:

Dear PM,



Scared of debating me on corruption? I can make it easier for you.



Lets go open book, so you can prepare:



1. RAFALE+Anil Ambani

2. Nirav Modi

3. Amit Shah+Demonetisation #Scared2Debate  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 9, 2019

1.25pm: BJP will remove infiltrators from country after forming govt, says Amit Shah.

In our manifesto, we have promised to implement NRC in the entire country. Therefore, we will remove infiltrators from the country if we again form govt in the centre: Shri @AmitShah#IsBaarNaMoPhirSepic.twitter.com/MYa33iGSn2  BJP (@BJP4India) April 9, 2019

1.30pm: "Never said that Rs 15 lakh will come (to accounts of people). This was never said. (Bilkul nahi kaha tha ki Rs 15 lakh aenge. Ye kabhi nahi kaha tha). We had said that we will take action (karyawahi) against black money. Action is being taken against black money. It was our government which made SIT on the topic of black money," Rajnath told ANI in an exclusive interview.

1.18pm:

HM Rajnath Singh to ANI on Rahul Gandhis tweet BJP Manifesto is voice of an isolated man:I dont think in Indias political history so many people were involved in the making of a manifesto, so what he is saying is baseless, he keeps saying such things, dont take it seriously pic.twitter.com/MTz8019rZd  ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

1.17pm:

HM Rajnath Singh to ANI on raids being conducted on opposition leaders: Blaming govt is wrong. It's been going on for years, not started today. Unjust to say being done on somebody's instructions. EC asks for forces, and we provide.Deployments done on the orders of EC,not Centre. pic.twitter.com/VCECI5FG0a  ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

1.01pm:

PM Modi: Aapne dekha hoga kal-parson kaise Congress ke darbariyon ke ghar se bakson main note nikli hain, note se vote kharidne ka ye paap inki rajnaitik sanskriti rahi hai. Ye pichhle 6 mahino se bol rahe hain 'Chowkidaar chor hai' lekin note kahan se nikle? Asli chor kon hai? pic.twitter.com/0jqryrtwom  ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

12.40: PM Modi in Latur, Maharashtra: "I would like to ask my first time voters. Can your first vote be devoted to the heroic jawans who conducted air strikes in Balakot, Pakistan? Can your first vote be dedicated to our heroic jawans who were martyred in Pulwama?"

12.31pm: Modi's appeal to young voters, "Give your first vote to the country. Give your first vote to make the country strong. Give your first vote to make a strong government in the country."

12.20pm:

PM: Ye keh rahe hain ki desh se hum, deshdroh ka kanoon hataenge main zara Congress walon se kehta hun ki darpan main ja ke apna mooh dekho, aap ke mooh main manav adhikar ki baten shobha nahi deti. Congress walon ne Bala Sahab Thackrey ka matdaan karne ka adhikaar cheen liya tha pic.twitter.com/1ir1v8iH7S  ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

12.15pm: The BJP government will give farmers Rs 1 lakh without any interest on the kisan credit card, says PM Modi.

12.12pm: Modi in Latur: "How much evidence does the Congress need from the country's military? How much evidence is needed from the Air Force? Those who do not trust the government, brave soldiers, should be punished with a stern punishment."

12.00pm:

11.53am: "I have come to know that you are sitting here since 9.30 AM. You are sitting here in this extreme heat. I won't let your 'tapasya' go in vain. I will return this to you with interest," says PM Modi.

11.49am: "In 2014, we came to you with some goals. I will always be grateful to you for what you have done in fulfilling these goals," says Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

11.40am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi starts addressing a rally in Latur, Maharashtra.

Euphoric atmosphere in Latur. Addressing a large rally. Watch. https://t.co/PBvXiGdnmh

 Chowkidar Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 9, 2019

11.30am: The BJP introduces a new video to attract young voters.

The josh of exuberant first time voters across India is high. They are not only excited to cast their first vote but also make it count!



They are singing in unison.



My first to the one, one and only one who has got everything done



Join them. Tweet with #MyFirstVoteForModi  BJP (@BJP4India) April 9, 2019

11.29am:

2 days to go!

Don't be in a tight spot!

Remember Photo Voter Slip can not be used as identity proof for voting so carry one of these 12 documents on the day of voting as your identity proof to the Polling Station. #GoVote#DeshKaMahaTyoharpic.twitter.com/pbPUPM1ICe  ECI #DeshKaMahaTyohar (@ECISVEEP) April 9, 2019

11.13am: "I am not worried about Mayawati. Her ship is sinking. She is looking for support from Muslims to stay afloat," says PM Narendra Modi, in an interview with News 18.

11.00am:

Bhopal: Trophies of black buck, tiger, deer, leopard etc have been recovered from residence of Ashwin Sharma, associate of Praveen Kakkar (OSD to MP CM). Hide of spotted dear also seized. Forest dept says 'Action to be taken under Wildlife Protection Act, after scrutiny of paper' pic.twitter.com/DcHIvSi2fx  ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

10.50am: Smriti Irani on R Gandhi's tweet: "Rahul Gandhi has a special obsession with BJP."

Smriti Irani: Despite having a vision, there's a question mark on his efficiency as nations knows condition of Amethi. On one hand there's an efficient govt which has taken resolution to build a New India, on the other there's a man who stays restricted to making announcements. https://t.co/ekEU0awSAk  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 9, 2019

10.42am:

Polling for the single Parliamentary constituency in the Union Territory of #Lakshadweep will be held in the first phase on 11 April.#GoVote#LokSabhaElections2019pic.twitter.com/UZIA8u2Qek  ECI #DeshKaMahaTyohar (@ECISVEEP) April 9, 2019

10.30am: Several candidates cutting across party lines have taken to online crowd funding to finance their election campaigns, ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Cash-starved, these nominees are also advocating transparency in poll funding. Prominent among them are CPI candidate Kanhaiya Kumar, who is fighting the election from Begusarai in Bihar, Nana Patole, the Congress candidate from Nagpur, Raghav Chaddah of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi, and Mohammed Salim of the CPI(M) from Raiganj seat in West Bengal, reported PTI.

10.15am:

Locals: There's no proper road connectivity or drinking water facility here, no good schools for children. We didn't receive payment under rural employment scheme or crop insurance money for 2017-18. Despite repeated pleas to admn, we didn't receive anything. So boycotting polls. pic.twitter.com/cI7hTvBM8Y  ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

Tamil Nadu: Residents of Melasirupothu village in Ramanathapuram district took out a protest march y'day. The villagers have decided to boycott #LokSabhaElections2019 alleging non-availability of basic facilities in their area & non-payment of crop insurance money 2017-18. pic.twitter.com/U4g9Uc04JY  ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

10.08am:

#Meghalaya, known as 'the abode of clouds' will go to polls on its both Parliamentary constituencies in a single phase on April 11. #GoVote#DeshKaMahaTyoharpic.twitter.com/sfhie8zKG1  ECI #DeshKaMahaTyohar (@ECISVEEP) April 9, 2019

10.00am:

Bhopal: Visuals of I-T raids underway at the residence of Ashwin Sharma, associate of Praveen Kakkar (OSD to Madhya Pradesh CM). #MadhyaPradeshpic.twitter.com/nDR8VdHueW  ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

9.59am:

Non Cognizable Offence Information Report registered against sitting BJP MP from Unnao, Sakshi Maharaj for allegedly violating Model Code of Conduct (MCC). (file pic) pic.twitter.com/bIGOXIf5QY  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 9, 2019

9.47am:

Shahjahanpur: Sanyukt Vikas Party's candidate Vaidh Raj Kishan rode a horse dressed as a bridegroom, to file his nomination yesterday for #LokSabhaElections2019 . He says "Rajniti ka daamad bann ke jaa raha hoon. Dulhan toh 28 May ke baad aaegi." (08.04.2019) pic.twitter.com/2wUiSliEbB  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 9, 2019

9.40am: Other states where voting will be held in the first phase include Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Manipur, Odisha, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

9.30am: All parliamentary constituencies in 10 states and UTs, including Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep, Telangana and Uttarakhand, will go to polls in the first phase only.

9.15am: The BJP manifesto was created in a "closed room"; it is "short sighted and arrogant", says Congress President Rahul Gandhi.

The Congress manifesto was created through discussion. The voice of over a million Indian people it is wise and powerful.



The BJP Manifesto was created in a closed room. The voice of an isolated man, it is short sighted and arrogant.  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 9, 2019

9.01am:

Will be campaigning in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.



Looking forward to addressing rallies in Latur, Chitradurga, Mysuru and Coimbatore.



Do watch the rallies live on the NaMo App. @BJP4Maharashtra@BJP4Karnataka@BJP4TamilNadu  Chowkidar Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 9, 2019

8.57pm: BJP chief Amit Shah will hold three rallies today.

12pm: Telangana (Ranga Reddy)

3pm: Maharashtra (Nagpur)

6.30pm: Odisha (Grand Road to Balagondi Puri)

8.45am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold four rallies today.

11am: Maharashtra (Latur)

02.30pm: Karnataka (Chitradurga)

05.05pm: Karnataka (Mysuru)

07:05pm: Tamil Nadu (Coimbatore)

8.30am: The Income-Tax Department has said it has detected a "widespread and well-organised" racket of collection of unaccounted cash of about Rs 281 crore during raids against close aides of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath and others.

Searches in Madhya Pradesh have detected wide spread & well-organized racket of collection of unaccounted cash of about  281 cr through various persons in different walks of life including business, politics & public service.  Income Tax India (@IncomeTaxIndia) April 8, 2019

8.15am: As many as 129 FIRs and daily diary (DD) entries have been registered till date against various political parties and others for violation of the model code of conduct in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections, the poll body in Delhi said on Monday, reported PTI. The statistics surveillance team of the Delhi's chief electoral officer's (CEO) office has seized Rs 1.28 crore in cash and also seized 162.86 kg of narcotics and drugs.

8.00am: The poll campaigning in Uttarakhand, where both the BJP and the Congress top brass held big rallies over the past fortnight, will come to an end today.
The new wasp species Sathon oreo  inspired by the dark brown antennae with a thick white stripe in the middle. Credit: Dr Erinn Fagan-Jeffries

University of Adelaide researchers were inspired by everything from chocolate biscuits and Doctor Who aliens when choosing names for 10 new species of wasps.

"I named one wasp Sathon oreo as the antennae are dark brown with a thick white stripe in the middle like an Oreo chocolate biscuit," says Dr. Erinn Fagan-Jeffries from the University of Adelaide's School of Biological Sciences.

While the new species Choeras zygon is named for the Zygon race of aliens in Doctor Who.

"Zygon aliens consume their host whilst inhabiting them, a trait particularly relevant to parasitic wasps," says Dr. Fagan-Jeffries.

These wasps inject their eggs into live caterpillars, and the baby wasps slowly eat the caterpillar from the inside out. As gruesome as it sounds, they are very important in ecosystems for regulating native caterpillar populations.

One of the new wasps, Choeras bushblitz, takes its name from the Bush Blitz species discovery program, a unique multi-million dollar partnership between the Australian Government, BHP and Earthwatch Australia to document plants and animals across Australia.

"Less than 10% of this group of wasps have scientific names, which is why programs like Bush Blitz are so vital. We have discovered over 1,660 new species since 2010, and 17 of those are wasps," says Jo Harding Bush Blitz Manager.

Taxonomy, the scientific discipline of describing new species, is vital for understanding and documenting the living things around us. "Until taxonomists name and formally describe a species, it is difficult for other researchers, such as those working in conservation, or biological control, to do anything with it," says Ms Harding.

Inspirational taxonomists and entomologists that helped Dr. Fagan-Jeffries collect vital specimens for this research, as well as those who feature prominently throughout her career, were also honoured with species named after them.

"I always loved insects in school, and I had a lot of incredible support from entomologists, back then and also during my Ph.D., who fuelled my passion for following a scientific career path," Dr. Fagan-Jeffries says. "Naming species after those people is just a tiny way of saying thank you."

Species named after researchers include Dolichogenidea brabyi, Dolichogenidea garytaylori, Dolichogenidea forrestae and Dolichogenidea kelleri, after entomologists Michael Braby, Gary Taylor, Jan Forrest and Michael Keller.

The 10 new species of parasitic wasp have been published open access in Zootaxa, and the study was supported by the Australian Biological Resources Study and Bush Blitz.

More information: Erinn P. Fagan-Jeffries et al. New species of Australian microgastrine parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Microgastrinae) documented through the 'Bush Blitz' surveys of national reserves, Zootaxa (2019). Erinn P. Fagan-Jeffries et al. New species of Australian microgastrine parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Microgastrinae) documented through the 'Bush Blitz' surveys of national reserves,(2019). DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4560.3.1
Indian hybrid cotton seed producers feel work is cut out for any new government that comes to power. "The hybrid seed industry has seen subdued growth over the past five years largely in cotton, which contributes around 30 per cent to the hybrid seed market," says G V Bhaskar Rao, chairman and managing director of Kaveri Seeds.

Speaking to Business Today, he attributes much of the problems to farmer distress on account of pink bollworm pest attack, low cotton prices and changing climate conditions. Rao says the hybrid cotton seed price control has proved to be a major disincentive as it hinders research for better seeds. Prices have been reduced from Rs 930 for a 450-gram packet of cotton hybrid seeds five years ago to Rs 730 last year, leaving little differentiation between good and bad seeds. Due to this price cap, the seed industry has seen lower price realisation, leading to revenue loss of close to 20 per cent for all companies. There was also a lower crop acreage than earlier. He is, therefore, not in favour of a price cap.

What about its benefit to farmers? Rao says seeds account for just 5 to 6 per cent of the total cost a farmer has to incur. While rising input costs is a problem farmers are dealing with, Rao points out three important factors: Rising cost of labour, climate changes and anomalies relating to MSP (minimum support price).

He believes that whoever comes to power must provide incentives to seed companies to invest in research for better seeds that improve productivity. He says there are over 500 companies in the seed industry of which the 20-odd big companies, account for 80 per cent of total seed production.

Also Read:Aadhaar authentication rate improves, but fertiliser DBT far from perfect
Assuming that we can summon the courage to contain Beijing militarily, the next leg of the containment stool is to restrain China economically. Military containment will prevent China from overrunning other lands and peoples, but only economic containment can bring the Chinese Communist Party to its knees (or its senses).

In Cold War I, it was very difficult for the West to put economic pressure on the Soviets because the USSR existed almost entirely outside the global economy. If the Soviet Union couldnt produce a particular good, and couldnt import it from China, the country simply went without that goodeven if it was food.

Many observers believe that economic warfare against China is both difficult and unwise as a result of the opposite challenge: Because China is so fully incorporated into the global economy of today, the West cant hurt China without hurting itself.

But I suggest that hurt is a relative phenomenon. Yes, if we put economic pressure on China and the Chinese economy slows further, that will certainly affect global growth rates.

But its important to keep in mind that much of what has passed as legitimate economic growth over the past few decades has in fact been a kind of dirty growth, tainted by the suffering of millions of Chinese, Uighurs, Tibetans, Nepalese, Macanese, Hong Kong people and countless others. And it has been dangerous growth, simply increasing Chinas clout in the world.

In any event, whether we affirmatively seek to interfere with Chinese growth or not, the future world economy will very much play out against China anyway, as globalism continues its slow retreat almost everywhere. The economic aspect of Cold War II is intended simply to ensureand, if possible, to accelerateChinas relative decline.

Many people imagine that the reaction against globalism is a temporary phenomenon associated with Donald Trump, Brexit, yellow vests, and so on. As soon as the current fetish for populism passes, goes this way of thinking, newly elected leaders will return to globalism with pent-up zeal.

That, however, is wishful thinkingit ignores what has actually been happening over the past 30 years. To understand why, lets go back three decades, to 1989.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the world became unipolar for the first time since the peak of Roman power in the second century. (And even Rome had to contend with the mighty Persian Empire.) It was also the most unipolar world in history: most experts estimate that the U.S. military is seven-to-ten times more powerful than the militaries of the entire rest of the world combined.

Although you would never know it from what passes for education in American universities, the U.S. used its massive power more wisely and unselfishlyby farthan any power in history. (Although, of course, hardly without the occasional blemish.) The most important thing the U.S. did was to put the American military in charge of guaranteeing the security of trade routes all over the world, especially the sea and air lanes.

Although small, localized wars might break out in the Middle East or Africa or even Eastern Europe (Crimea, the Balkans), those conflicts didnt compromise international trade. If they had, the U.S. would have come down much, much harder on the belligerents.

The result of this long, secure peace was extraordinary economic growth in which the worlds peoples became wealthier by far than ever beforewealthier, indeed, than could ever have been imagined. Several billion people who had lived in abject poverty since the beginning of time now live in something approaching relative affluence.

It is hardly too much to say that, if you had to pick the best 30 years in which to be a human being over the entire course of human history, you could do a lot worse than choose to be alive between 1989 and 2019.

Still, when the USSR collapsed, Americas military might was vastly more dominant than Americas economic mightwe represented only about 25 percent of the global economy, not seven times the rest of the worlds GDP.

So why would a country producing only one-quarter of the worlds economic output agree to fund the entire bill for global security? It only made sense as long as two critical factors remained in place: the world had to remain unipolar, and America had to benefit from the system at least as much as anyone else.

Unfortunately, neither condition exists today. The aggressive rise of China has returned the world to something like the bipolar, two-bloc world that existed while the USSR flourished. China is, today, a legitimate challenger to American supremacy economically, diplomatically and, increasingly, militarily.

And it has turned out that Americans werent, in fact, the principal beneficiaries of global growth. Those beneficiaries were countries whose economies are powered by exports, especially China, Germany, South Korea, and the emerging markets. Exports represent only about 12 percent of U.S. GDP.

Worse, to the extent that America did benefit from the securer world it created, policed, and funded, far too much of that benefit went to a small elite that has, in effect, decoupled from the rest of America economically, educationally, and culturally.

Looking at the past three decades without the rose-colored glasses favored by Davos Man, what we find is that America created and protected a world that was designed to lead to its own demise. We funded Chinese growth and protected it from harm, while the Chinese (along with most of the rest of the world) were simply free riders.

Donald Trump is the first American President to act aggressively against the abuses of globalism, but he will not be the last. In fact, a Hillary Clinton Administration, although of course it would have been very different in style, might have been even more hard-nosed about asserting American interests against the Chinese.

Next week well look in more detail at how China is likely to fare in a world where globalism is in retreat.

Next up: Cold War II, Part 8
With a renewed interest in what kinds of people are represented in art museums, a new exhibition at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art offers some rarely seen faces. Mingled Visions: The Photographs of Edward S. Curtis and Will Wilson (March 30June 30) presents images of Native Americans taken a century apart and from different points of view, allowing viewers the opportunity to judge the effects for themselves.

Curtis is an iconic name in photography, having produced a massive project, The North American Indian (1907-30), containing 20 volumes of text and 20 volumes of photographs. These have stood as the main public image bank of our countrys indigenous population. Curtis felt that Native Americans were a vanishing race and that he wanted to document them. But, in the process, he called into question the idea that photography is the medium of truth. He posed and even dressed his subjects, sometimes in obsolete ways, romanticizing them in moving and majestic portraits according to his own beliefs and vision. His images primarily present stereotypes, such as those seen in Hollywood westerns, embedding false images in our imaginations.

Will Wilson came a century later. Wilson, a Dine (Navajo), created Native American portraits that he calls The Critical Indigenous Photographic Exchange (2012), which signaled a different approach. On one hand, its a continuation of the Curtis series. But it reflects contemporary ideas about portraiture as a dialogue between photographer and sitter, and the need to allow people to speak for themselves rather than have others, like Curtis, tell their stories, in the hope of rendering more honest and authentic images. Wilson encourages his sitters to choose clothes and objects that are meaningful to them.

By pairing images made by these two men, viewers are able to observe the differences themselves, while recognizing that indigenous people deserve the visibility that comes from being placed on the white walls of museums. Anne Kraybill, the new Westmoreland director who recently arrived from Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, initiated this dialogue following an exhibition at her previous institution, understanding the need to put the Curtis images, beautiful as they are, into a critical context and to expand it with public events.

Related events

Art on Tap featuring the 1491s: Friday, April 12, 69 p.m.: Art on Tap features the acclaimed Native American sketch comedy group, the 1491s. Self-described as a gaggle of Indians chock full of cynicism and splashed with a good dose of indigenous satire, they hail from Minnesota and Oklahoma.

Gallery Talk with Jami Powell & Will Wilson: Sunday, May 19, 2 p.m.: Jami Powell, associate curator of Native American Art at Dartmouth Universitys Hood Museum, and artist Will Wilson discuss his work, including the tintype photographic process.

Dinner with the Sioux Chef, Saturday, June 1, 6 p.m.: Sean Sherman, chef and author of The Sioux Chefs Indigenous Kitchen, the 2018 James Beard Foundation award winner in the Best American Cookbook category, comes to The Westmoreland to prepare a meal of foraged and other locally-sourced food in the tradition of the indigenous cultures of our region. Presented in partnership with 412 Food Rescue and Repair the World.

For more information, visit thewestmoreland.org/events.
False claims do not turn into truths-ISPR on Indian Claim

ISLAMABAD: Rejecting Indias latest reiteration of its claim that it downed a Pakistani fighter jet in February, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) chief Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor on Monday said that false claims do not turn into truths no matter how many times they are repeated.



He said that India only made false claims and could not present to the world any proof to support those claims.



The director general of ISPR, the public affairs wing of the military, was responding to a news conference held by the Indian air chief earlier in the day in New Delhi, where Air Vice Marshal R.G.K Kapoor presented irrefutable evidence that they had downed a Pakistani fighter jet in February.



The ISPR director general in a statement said that Pakistan was tight lipped over the damage caused to India in Februarys clash at the hands of Pakistani forces.



Do not overlook our silence. We did not beat drums over the truth. The truth is this, Pakistan Air Force downed two Indian Jets, the ISPR chief said, adding everyone saw the wreckage [of the Indian jets], Maj Gen Ghafoor said.



It is worth mentioning that the US-based Foreign Policy magazine has also rejected the Indian claim of shooting down a Pakistani F-16.



Indias claim that one of its fighter pilots shot down a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet in an aerial battle between the two nuclear powers in February appears to be wrong, read a report recently posted on the magazines website.



Following the Foreign Policys revelation, Prime Minister Imran Khan also rebuked the Indian leadership over its false claim of shooting down an F-16.



The truth always prevails and is always the best policy, the prime minister tweeted.



Pakistan believes that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted to win the elections through war hysteria and false claims of shooting down a Pakistani jet.



However, ignoring Pakistans rejection of the Indian claim as well as the American magazines report, the Indian Air Force on Monday made yet another claim, but could not produce any solid evidence to support its point.



According to AFP, Indias air force presented on Monday what it called irrefutable evidence that it had downed a Pakistan fighter jet in February during a dogfight over the skies in the disputed region of Kashmir.



India lost a Mig-21 Bison in the aerial skirmish and its pilot was captured by Pakistan and later returned, cooling one of the most serious military confrontations between the two countries in decades.



But India has since claimed that its pilot first fired on an F-16, sending the damaged jet crashing into Azad Kashmir  something Islamabad says never happened.



AVM Kapoor repeated this at the press conference in Delhi, reading out the evidence gathered by India and displaying radar images he claimed proved the Pakistan jet was struck and crashed.



There is no doubt that two aircraft went down in the aerial engagement on 27 February 2019, Kapoor said, reading from a prepared statement.



Indias air force has irrefutable evidence of not only the fact that F-16 was used on the day of the dogfight, but that it was shot down by the Indian jet, he added.



He claimed that further credible information and evidence backed this version of events but could not be released due to confidentiality concerns.



Foreign Policy magazine cited two unnamed senior US defence officials who said that US personnel recently conducted a count of Pakistans F-16s and found none missing. The magazine quoted one of the officials as saying that Pakistan had invited the US to physically count its F-16 fleet.



The dogfight happened after Indian aircraft carried out an airstrike on what it alleged was a terrorist training camp in Pakistan.



That in turn was in response to a suicide bombing on February 14 in India-held Kashmir that killed 40 Indian troops and which was claimed by a militant group based in Pakistan.



Doubt has also been cast over the success of Indias airstrike, which Amit Shah, president of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claimed killed 250.



Pakistan denied that there was any damage or casualties.Independent reporting by multiple local and international outlets who visited the site also found no evidence of a terrorist training camp or of any infrastructure damage.
11 hours ago

US stocks fall after jump in wholesale prices last month

Stocks fell in afternoon trading on Wall Street Tuesday as traders took in the latest sign that inflation is still running high ahead of the Federal Reserve's last meeting of the year. The S&P 500 index fell 1% as of 2:36 p.m.

Read Article
April 9, 2019 in Photo and Video (E)

[prMac.com] Vilnius, Lithuania - The Pixelmator Team today released the AI-powered Pixelmator Photo, a brand new app that gives photographers all the tools they need to edit photos on iPad - a collection of nondestructive, desktop-class color adjustments, AI that enhances photographs like a pro photographer, full RAW support, a magical Repair tool to remove unwanted objects from photos, a set of gorgeous presets inspired by analog photographic films, and more.



"Pixelmator Photo is an unbelievably powerful and incredibly easy to use photo editor for iPad," said Saulius Dailide, one of the founders of the Pixelmator Team. "It brings an extensive collection of tools that experienced photographers know and love but, thanks to its clean and intuitive interface, it makes these powerful tools accessible even to beginner users. And with ML Enhance, the most intelligent and advanced automatic photo enhancement tool in any app, truly anyone can create great-looking shots in seconds."



With an extensive collection of powerful, nondestructive color adjustments, Pixelmator Photo brings a desktop photo editing experience to iPad. It includes foundational tools like Brightness, Exposure, and Shadows & Highlights, time-tested photo editing classics, such as Levels and Curves, as well adjustments for adding film-style grain, selectively adjusting colors, correcting white balance, and many others. What's more, the Repair and Crop tools let photographers perfect all the details that go into great-looking shots, like removing blemishes or unwanted objects, as well as adjusting the composition of photos, their perspective, and more.



Pixelmator Photo takes full advantage of breakthrough artificial intelligence, using machine learning to power automatic image enhancement and automatic cropping. The ML Enhance feature automatically improves photos like a pro photographer. Using a Core ML-powered algorithm trained on 20 million professional photos, it intelligently enhances exposure, white balance, and every individual color range of an image. ML Crop, also powered by Core ML, crops photos to make them more striking and compositionally eye-catching. Photographers can use ML Crop freely or they can choose the best crop for their selected image proportions by using ML Crop together with aspect ratio presets.



The magical Repair tool, enhanced by machine learning, lets users easily remove blemishes, imperfections, and even entire objects from photos. The Repair tool recreates complex backgrounds with ease, so even if you didn't quite get the perfect shot the first time around, you can use image editing magic to make sure the final photo looks its best.



With a wide range of color adjustments presets inspired by analog photographic films, Pixelmator Photo lets users apply a specific style or look to a photo with just a tap. Included with the app are collections based on classic photographic films, modern films, as well as presets designed for landscape, urban, and night photography. Adjustment presets in Pixelmator Photo have also been developed to work seamlessly with ML Enhance. When a photo has already been automatically enhanced, the stylistic changes are applied alongside the most important automatic adjustments. This ensures consistently beautiful presets on every photo.

Founded in 2007 by two brothers, Saulius Dailide and Aidas Dailide, the Pixelmator Team develops powerful image editing apps for Mac and iOS. The team's apps have been honored with multiple Mac App of the Year awards, an iPad App of the Year award, an Apple Design Award, and many others. Pixelmator for iPad was featured at the Apple Special Event in October 2014. All Material and Software (C) Copyright 2007-2019 Pixelmator. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iPhone, iPad, and macOS are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other trademarks and registered trademarks may be the property of their respective owners.

###
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
IHC summoned record of Mumbai attacks case pending before ATC

ISLAMABAD: A division bench of Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday summoned the record of Mumbai attacks case proceedings pending before the anti-terrorism court (ATC) in two weeks.



The division bench sought the record while hearing an appeal filed by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) seeking cancellation of the post-arrest bail of Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, the alleged mastermind of the attacks.



An ATC in Islamabad had on Dec 18, 2014, granted the post-arrest bail to Lakhvi.



In the appeal against the ATC judges order, the FIA said: The fact remains that such like cases of defunct terrorist organisations are not so easy to be conducted and especially the prosecution in such cases is the most difficult job in our country for the last many years.



It added: In the present case, the learned trial judge (of ATC) after the terrorist attack in Islamabad courts (of March 2013) refused to visit Adiala Jail for a long time due to security reasons.



Even the prosecutors of this case have been receiving threats through cell phones during the proceedings which were duly conveyed to the concerned authorities. The witnesses are also not secured, and reluctant to depose against the accused persons in the given situation.



The appeal pointed out that the confessional statement of Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist arrested by Indian authorities after the Mumbai attacks, was still part of the evidence and it was at no stage discarded and that statement clearly established Lakhvis link to Mumbai attacks.



The prosecution claimed that it had sufficient evidence against Lakhvi and requested the court to cancel his bail. The counsel for the accused person argued before the court that the prosecution was not pursuing the case.



He said some witnesses in the case were Pakistani nationals and some were foreign citizens. The local witnesses are not appearing to testify and the ATC had issued their perpetual warrants for arrest.
Imran Khan met with CENTCOM Commander

Prime Minister Imran Khan Monday said the policy to seek direct engagement with Afghan stakeholders, including Taliban, to find a negotiated solution has the greatest prospects to end the prolonged conflict in Afghanistan.



He shared his long standing commitment to peace and stability in Afghanistan through political settlement with US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander General Kenneth McKenzie Jr during a meeting at the PM Office.



General McKenzie is on his first trip to Pakistan after assuming responsibilities last month.



Underscoring the need for an intra-Afghan dialogue, the prime minister stated that the Afghan stakeholders should sit together to discuss the contours of their future polity after the withdrawal of the foreign troops. He reiterated Pakistans desire to have good neighbourly relations with Afghanistan.



Welcoming General McKenzie to Islamabad, the prime minister apprised him of his governments commitment to implement the National Action Plan, which has the backing of all political parties in the country.



Sharing the priorities of his government, including human development and vigorous economic reforms, the prime minister reiterated Pakistans vision for normalisation of relations with all its neighbours including India. He also stressed the need for continued military cooperation between Pakistan and the United States to deal with the emerging threats, especially the ISIS which is concentrating on the Pak-Afghan border.



The CENTCOM chief also called on Naval Chief Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi at the Naval Headquarters in Islamabad to discuss matters pertaining to maritime security.



According to a Pakistan Navy statement, both the dignitaries discussed matters related to bilateral interests and the maritime security. The naval chief apprised the US commander about the steps taken by Pakistan Navy to curb maritime terrorism and piracy. General McKenzie assured to provide every possible cooperation for regional peace and stability. Separately, General Kenneth F McKenzie Jr called on Chief of Air Staff Mujahid Anwar Khan at the Air Headquarters.
Pakistan accepted India proposal for meeting on Kartarpur Corridor

Pakistan on Monday accepted Indias proposal for a technical meeting on the Kartarpur Corridor to be held on April 16. Continuing with #Pakistans spirit of constructive engagement, we have agreed to the Indian proposal for a technical meeting on 16 April. We expect positivity from #India so that the corridor becomes reality for 550th celebrations. #PakistanKartarpurSpirit, Foreign Office spokesman Dr Faisal posted on his Twitter handle.



The development comes days after India postponed a Kartarpur meeting which was to be held on April 2 on the Pakistani side. On March 29, Dr Faisal had announced via Twitter that India had postponed the scheduled Kartarpur meeting between the two sides at Wagah border. While announcing its decision to postpone the meeting, New Delhi had said it had sought clarifications from Pakistan on key proposals put forward by India at the last meeting held in Attari to discuss the modalities of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor. The statement by the Indian external affairs ministry had said that the next meeting on the modalities can be scheduled at an appropriate time after receiving Pakistans response.



Pakistan, in a statement, had regretted Indias decision, saying, Last minute postponement without seeking views from Pakistan and especially after the productive technical meeting on March 19 is incomprehensible.The Kartarpur Corridor is expected to provide visa-free access to Indian Sikh pilgrims to the Gurdwara in Kartarpur Sahib.
The EU

Google says the EU requires a notice of cookie use (by Google) and says they have posted a notice. I don't see it. If cookies bother you, go elsewhere. If the EU bothers you, emigrate. If you live outside the EU, don't go there.
Few people know the risks in todays economy and marketplace as much as David Rosenberg, chief economist and strategist at Canadian wealth management firm Gluskin Sheff & Associates. For years hes educated investors with his popular Breakfast with Dave newsletter, which you can subscribe to here. Hes also a regular contributor to the Globe and Mail and the Financial Post.

Considered by many to be a Wall Street permabear, Rosenberg successfully predicted the 2007-2008 financial crisis.

Now hes predicting another recession to make landfall as soon as the second half of this year. Why? In short, the Fed has been too aggressive tightening liquidity at a time when corporate debt is at an all-time high. Whats more, the Trump administration has already enacted fiscal stimulus in the form of tax reform, which has historically been reserved for times of economic turmoil, not expansion.

How are we going to stimulate fiscal policy [in the event of a recession]? he asked recently on CNBCs Trading Nation. We already did that at the peak of the cycle. We dont have the fiscal ammunition.

Corporate Debt Nearing Half of U.S. GDP

Rosenberg recently spoke at the CFA Societies Texas Investor Summit in San Antonio, U.S. Global Investors hometown, where he laid out his thought process.

Since the last recession, nonfinancial corporate debt has ballooned to more than $9 trillion as of November 2018, which is nearly half of U.S. GDP. As you can see below, each recession going back to the mid-1980s coincided with elevated debt-to-GDP levelsmost notably the 2007-2008 financial crisis, the 2000 dotcom bubble and the early 90s slowdown.

(Click to enlarge)

Through 2023, as much as $4.88 trillion of this debt is scheduled to mature. And because of higher rates, many companies are increasingly having difficulty making interest payments on their debt, which is growing faster than the U.S. economy, according to the Institute of International Finance (IIF). Related: What Causes Loss Of Purchasing Power?

On top of that, the very fastest-growing type of debt is riskier BBB-rated bondsjust one step up from junk. This is literally the junkiest corporate bond environment weve ever seen.

Combine this with tighter monetary policy, and it could be a recipe for trouble in the coming months.

During his presentation, Rosenberg reiterated the saying that business cycles dont die of old age, but rather theyre killed by the Fed. Take a look at the chart below. It shows commercial and industrial loan delinquency rates, overlaid by fed fund rates shifted 10 quarters ahead. What it suggests is that roughly 10 quarters after the Fed began to tighten, loan delinquencies surged.

(Click to enlarge)

The good news is that its been more than 10 quarters since the Fed started lifting rates in December 2015, and so far we havent seen a noticeable increase in delinquencies.

Could this be because the rate hikes this cycle have been small relative to those in past cycles? Not likely, says Rosenberg. According to him, its not the amount that matters so much as the change. Whether rates go up 2.50 percent or only 0.25 percent, it can still be a shock on the financial system.

To be clear, Im not predicting a recession any time soon, only passing along Rosenbergs expert opinion.

Related: Is Wealth Genetic?

But if his position makes sense to you, it might be time to consider your options on how to prepare. Rosenberg recommends overweighting fixed-income and REITs (real estate investment trusts).

I would add gold to that mix, as its performed well as a store of value during economic pullbacks. As always, I recommend a 10 percent weight in gold, with 5 percent in gold bars, coins and jewelry, and 5 percent in gold stocks, mutual funds and ETFs.

Global Gold Demand Forecast for 2019

I want to end by sharing some excellent news from Metals Focus. The London-based commodities research group just released the 2019 edition of its widely-read Gold Focus report, and the big news is that global gold demand will climb to its highest level in four years. The uptick is expected to be driven by an increase in jewelry fabrication, with India, China and Italy leading consumption higher.

(Click to enlarge)

Interest in gold jewelry has indeed improved in recent years, a phenomenon weve noticed with the success of such companies as Men?. Late last year, Google inquiries for gold jewelry hit an 11-year high.

But theres more to the story than the Love Trade. Metals Focus analysts see gold also benefiting from a more dovish Federal Reserve and fears of a global economic slowdown.

We expect U.S. real gross domestic product (GDP) to slow in 2019 and 2020, comments Metals Focus Director Nikos Kavalis. This reflects a natural tapering, following two very strong years, the fading of windfall gains from the late-2017 tax reforms and, eventually, also the impact of trade wars on U.S. consumer spending.

By Frank Holmes

More Top Reads From Safehaven.com:
Is it possible that the smartphones that have come to consume our lives are already knocking at the door of oblivion? The CEO of one of the worlds largest telecoms companies thinks so 

Back in the 1970s, when the very first mobile phone was released, it weighed more than two pounds, was priced at almost $4,000 and took 10 hours to charge, after which one could hold a half-hour conversation before the battery died.

Four decades later, and we have the smartphone, and no one can imagine life without themor without all the bells and whistles, including everything from 3D facial recognition to state-of-the-art cameras. Its gone far beyond making phone calls, an act that is going the way of the paper and pen itself.

Which brings us to the latest prophetic statement from AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson, who opined earlier this month that the smartphone is a crutch that is doomed.

Stephensons view is that were having another 1970s momentwhen we realize that what weve developed is cool, but primitive and just the beginning of something much more sophisticated.

And the sophistication comes in the form of  nothing tangible. Related: EV Superchargers Face One Key Hurdle

"We carry around these devices and they're bigger than they should be... I say they go awayIt is conceivable that we're going to be moving into a world without screens, a world where glasses are your screen, Stephenson said.

According to the AT&T CEO, the advent of 5G--whose development is so significant that its become the stuff of political campaigning--will move all the storage and computing power of mobile phones from the device to the network, rendering the physical phone itself irrelevant.

According to a recent Ericsson survey, 92 percent of executives from 100 major global telecom operators believe that 5G is the foundation for emerging new technologies not only for smartphones but also for self-driving cars, smart cities  the digital world that is clawing its way to the surface of our reality.

What does it mean for phones, exactly? Well, not much in the next few years, at all, as the main carriers in the U.S. are just now in the process of preparing to launch 5G networks. In much of the world, 5G will be released later this year, with a number of phones unveiled to support the network, including the Huawei Mate X, LG V50 ThinQ, Samsung Galaxy S10 and a handful of others. Apple was reported to be sitting out the technology until at least 2020.

Coverage will also be limited, and nationwide 5G coverage will take some time with some areas to be included closer to 2024.

Related: Goldman: Banning Buybacks Would Be Disastrous

But as far ahead into the future as we can reasonably see, the sentiment is that smartphones will eventually be replaced by augmented reality glassesthe apparent elixir to our obsessive phone use (or will it just replace one obsession with another?)

A number of big companies and emerging start-ups are already working in the field of smart and connected glasses, and quite of few are already on the market.

They havent, though, attracted much of a customer base just yet. Take Google Glass, for instance, or Microsofts HoloLens mixed reality headsets, which put you in touch with your favorite holograms but arent intended for walking around with; rather, they are for professionals taking medical and engineering technology to great new heights.

(Click to enlarge)

Google Glass

(Click to enlarge)

Microsoft HoloLens 2

The problem is that theyre not exactly attractive, and vanity still rules the day. Few want to be the lone wearer of large glasses on the street. Until its been deemed a fashion fad by a trendy designer, it's probably not going to gain much momentum.

But the brains behind the AR glasses know this, and recently theyve been making moves to team up with fashion companies to come out with something considered actually wearable. In collaboration with one Korean eyewear designer, Huawei announced it is entering the smart glasses market by July this year.

An Amazon-backed company called North is working on a similar idea with glasses called Focals, which are expected to go on sale by the end of this year.

Norths Focals

(Click to enlarge)

Source: CNBC

Some media speculate that even Apple is preparing to release its augmented reality glasses next year.

So, by next year we could already start seeing fewer phones and more glasses on the streets, and from that point, in the whirlwind of technology adoption, its probably not far-fetched to say we arent too many years away from the end of the smartphone.

By Michael Scott for Safehaven.com

More Top Reads From Safehaven.com:
Pakistan sending two planeloads of relief goods for flood-hit Iran

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is sending two planeloads of relief goods for flood-hit Iran to meet its immediate needs. This message was conveyed by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi to his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif in a telephonic conversation on Monday.



Foreign Minister informed Mr Zarif that as a gesture of goodwill the prime minister had instructed two C-130 plane loads of relief goods to be sent immediately to Iran [Ahwaz and Khorumabad]. The relief assistance by Pakistan would aim at meeting some of the urgent needs of the flood-affected population in Iran, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement.



The conversation took place a day after Prime Minister Imran Khan announced relief assistance for Iran through a tweet and offered his sympathies for the losses suffered by Iran.



Our prayers go to the people of Iran as they deal with unprecedented flooding. We stand ready to provide any humanitarian assistance required, PM Khan had tweeted a day earlier.







Foreign Minister Qureshi reassured Mr Zarif that Pakistan stood by its Iranian brothers and sisters in this difficult hour and would provide support required by Iran to address the humanitarian crisis, the FO further said.



Iran has been facing massive floods for the past three weeks in which nearly 70 people have lost lives, while thousands have been displaced and large scale losses to infrastructures have also been reported.


" " Mark McKinney/Flickr ( CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 The 12-color wheel used in modern color theory is basically the same as the one first created by Sir Isaac Newton in 1666.

The first day of your first chemistry class, somebody's going to bring up the periodic table of elements. Similarly, you can't get very far playing piano without learning about the concept of scales. And if you have just begun a course of study in art and design, buckle up, because somebody's going to start talking about the color wheel before too long.

The color wheel is a tool used in color theory that helps us understand the relationships between individual colors in order to use them well.

"Sometimes you walk into a room and you think to yourself, 'I hate this room but I don't know why,'" says Marcie Cooperman, who has taught color theory at Pratt Institute and Parsons School of Design and is the author of "Color: How to Use It." "It's probably the color."

When you know how different colors relate to each other, you can make your grocery store logo or living room walls or the sweater you're knitting look really good. If you don't know about the color wheel ... well, you might end up making ugly stuff.

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Isaac Newton. Yes, That Isaac Newton.

You've seen the color wheel before: It's just a circle that looks like somebody took the rainbow and attached the red end to the violet end, which is basically what Isaac Newton did when he created the first color wheel in 1666. Newton wanted to figure out where color actually comes from  he knew feeding white light through a prism would make the rainbow color pattern we all know and love on the opposite wall: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet (ROYGBIV, for short). What he didn't understand was why. So, in a darkened room, Newton let a tiny bit of sunlight through a chink in a curtain, making the light diffract through a prism. After messing around with feeding the individual colored lights through other prisms, he came to the conclusion that white sunlight isn't really white at all, but a combination of all the individual colors. He also noticed red and violet were similar (both contain red), so he twisted the band of color around to form a circle. Once he did that, a lot of mathematical relationships between colors became apparent.

And, with that little matter out of the way, Isaac Newton probably went to breakfast and later that day, moved on to inventing modern physics.

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Colors that Complement Each Other

After Newton completed his work on the color wheel, many others had a go at describing the nature of color (including, but not limited to, the 19th century German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe), but the 12-color wheel used in modern color theory is basically the same one Newton came up with. It includes the primary colors: red, yellow and blue; the secondary colors: green, orange and purple (each made by mixing two primary colors); and the tertiary colors, which are created by mixing primary and secondary colors next to each other on the wheel: red-orange, blue-green, yellow-green, and so on.

"Colors opposite each other on the color wheel  these are also called complements  have an especially strong relationship," says Cooperman. "Red and green, blue and orange, yellow and purple are all as different from each other as possible. Opposite colors look more themselves when they're next to each other. If you put blue next to any color at all  let's say a yellow  the yellow will look as orange as it can possibly be because it's next to the blue."

The triads are the colors 60 degrees apart on the wheel, like the primary and secondary colors. Analogous colors are next to each other on the color wheel, so they form families of color: red, orange and purple have red in common, and therefore are used differently together in art and design than colors in a triad that don't share a common hue.

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The Language of Color

So, colors have relationships to each other, but it's actually pretty hard to explain colors to other people. Sure, you can tell a friend you just bought a pair of red pants, but what they picture in their head might be anywhere on the red spectrum. How do we explain a color to each other so we know how to describe our new pants?

Here's some terminology that helps artists and designers talk to each other about color:

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Hue

Hue is just the color name: red, yellow, green, blue, etc.

"When we want to describe color accurately, we don't use words like 'khaki' or 'peach' because it's hard to be accurate with names like those," says Cooperman. "My khaki might be more green and yours might be more of a gray  a third person might say it's more of a brown. A peach could be considered a pink or an orange."

People who work with color eschew the names you'd find in a J. Crew catalogue and talk about blue-greens and orange-yellows  descriptions that are easy to agree upon.

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Color Value

Value is how light or dark a color is. A navy blue is a very dark color, so it's considered a very low value blue. Baby blue is a very light color  a tint  and so it's considered high value.

"If you said to a designer, 'I saw this blue I really liked  it's a low value red-blue,' you'd be describing a navy," says Cooperman.

" " A double color wheel helps demonstrate the relationships of colors as they play off each other. Flickr ( CC BY-ND 2.0

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Intensity

Intensity has to do with how in-your-face a color is, as opposed to dirty or gray. The highest intensity colors are from that experiment Newton did with the prism  red, orange, yellow, green blue, indigo, violet are all pretty high intensity and eye-catching. That camouflage jacket you got from the Army surplus store in college had a bunch low-intensity browns, greens and grays in it.

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Simultaneous Contrast

Something else we have to take into consideration when talking about color is that we perceive a color differently, depending on what color is next to it.

In the mid-19th century, a chemist named Michel Chevreul began creating dyes for the Gobelins carpet factory in Paris. He discovered customers were complaining about the colors in the carpets  that the whites were yellowish, for instance. Chevreul began to experiment with putting color next to color, and discovered that when it was next to purple, white looked as different from purple as possible  it looked yellow, which is the opposite of purple. It's just a visual effect  colors really affect each other. He called that simultaneous contrast because when you look at it simultaneously, they make each other look as opposite from the other as possible.

Learn more about color theory in "Secret Language of Color: Science, Nature, History, Culture, Beauty of Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, & Violet" by Joann Eckstut and Arielle Eckstut. HowStuffWorks picks related titles based on books we think you'll like. Should you choose to buy one, we'll receive a portion of the sale.

Now That's Interesting The Impressionist painter Claude Monet (1840-1926) made an entire painting career out of experimenting with opposite colors.
 "Declining Corporate Prosecutions" | Main | Big batch of federal plea deals (with relatively low sentencing ranges) in college admissions scandal 

The title of this post is the heading of this notable and lengthy press release from the US Department of Justice this afternoon. The full release (and its links) are must reads for anyone and everyone following closely the early implementation of the FIRST STEP Act. I may need a few posts to fully unpack all the particulars, but I will start here with the start of the release and a few choice specifics:

Today, the Department of Justices National Institute of Justice (NIJ), in accordance with the First Step Act, has announced the selection of the nonprofit and nonpartisan Hudson Institute to host the Independent Review Committee. The Committee, whose members will be appointed by Hudson Institute in accordance with the Acts requirements, will assist the Department as it develops and implements risk and needs assessment tools and evidence-based recidivism reduction programs.

The Department of Justice is committed to implementing the First Step Act, said Attorney General William Barr. The Independent Review Committee plays an important role in that effort by assisting in the development of a new risk and needs assessment system and improvements to our recidivism reduction programming. I am grateful to Hudson Institute for hosting this important Committee, which will lead to better policies at the Department and, ultimately, better outcomes for prisoners reentering society.

NIJ also announced today that it is contracting with outside experts and leading researchers, including Dr. Grant Duwe Ph.D., Dr. Zachary Hamilton Ph.D., and Dr. Angela Hawken Ph.D., for assistance and consultation as the Department develops the Risk and Needs Assessment System under the Act. Dr. Duwe is the Director of Research for the Minnesota Department of Corrections, and a nationally recognized expert on the development of recidivism risk assessment systems. Dr. Hamilton is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology and the Director of the Washington State Institute for Criminal Justice, and focuses on treatment matching through risk and needs assessment systems. Dr. Hawken is a Professor of Public Policy at the New York University Marron Institute, and is the founder and director of New York Universitys Litmus/BetaGov program, which assists in the development and validation of data-driven policies. Each of these experts will bring unique expertise as they augment NIJ and the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) efforts to implement the Act.

Todays announcements by NIJ are the latest in a growing list of accomplishments as the Department works diligently to implement the Act, signed into law in December 2018. Some other highlights of the Departments ongoing implementation efforts include...

The Acts retroactive application of the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 (reducing the disparity between crack cocaine and powder cocaine threshold amounts triggering mandatory minimum sentences) has resulted in 826 sentence reductions and 643 early releases....

BOP has issued procedures for compassionate release sentence reductions under 18 U.S.C.  3582 and 4205(g) (BOP Policy Number 5050.50), and 22 inmates have already received sentence reductions under this program.

BOP has issued procedures providing for participation in the Second Chance Act home confinement pilot program under 34 U.S.C. 65401(g) (BOP Operations Memorandum 001-2019), and 23 inmates are currently participating, with additional inmates currently being screened for program inclusion.
 Big batch of federal plea deals (with relatively low sentencing ranges) in college admissions scandal | Main | A few comments on implementing the FIRST STEP Act in written testimony from AG William Barr 

The title of this post is the headline of this first-rate New Yorker article by Adam Gopnik discussing lots of aspects of modern criminal justices systems and a lots of first-rate recent books about these systems. (Emily Bazeon's great new book titled "Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration.") I recommend the lengthy piece in full, and the subheadline summarizes just one of its themes: "A truly just system must do more than protect the rights of the innocent; it must also respect the humanity of the guilty." Here is a small excerpt from a long piece:

The heroic rhetoric of class warfare that sometimes inflects these books can mask the truth that the progress in the past decade concerning the crisis of incarceration has in large part been made on classically American reformist terms. As Bazelon ably reports, the reality of the anti-incarceration movement in this country is that rich philanthropists have been footing much of the bill, prompted simply by evident injustice. George Soross foundations have poured millions into supporting anti-incarceration initiatives, and so, astonishingly, have the Koch brothers  some libertarians really do like to see people at liberty, it seems.

But what all of these efforts appear to have in common is an attempt to move us out of the crisis of incarceration by moving us past the question of guilt, making us see that the categories of guilty and innocent, whether applied to the wrongdoer or to the one done wrong, miss harder social truths, and replace empathy with bureaucratized vengeance. The crime is what you did, its not who you are is an aphorism of anti-incarceration activists, and this perspective enlivens almost all the reformist literature.

And so the plethora of new books can sometimes seem to sit just outside the hardest issue. The hardest cases arent those of harmless victims of mandatory-minimum laws.... The cases that test our convictions involve offenders whose crimes have had real social and human costs. What do we do about the violent carjacker, the armed robber, the brutal assailant? Such people exist, of all kinds and colors, and wishing away the problem of impulsive evil by assimilating it to the easier problem of our universal responsibility for social inequities doesnt help solve it. Its often said that white-collar criminals should not be treated better than no-collar ones, and yet the taste for punishing the white-collar miscreant is no less vindictive  indeed, theres depressing social-science research showing that, once people are made aware of the inequities of the American criminal-justice system, they want even harsher penalties for white-collar offenders. We should all be in this misery together.
Mutual funds are investment models that enable you to pool your money with other investors to buy a collection of assets from the stock market. They offer investors means of diversification which is made possible by the fund pooled from investors. You can learn the nature of a mutual fund from its prospectus. This document spells out the funds objective, and it invests in what.



Different mutual funds have different investment profiles. Therefore, a new investor may find choosing a mutual fund a challenging task. As an investor, you may already know your investment objective and your investment horizon. But other technical issues like the costs involved may bring confusion.



Nevertheless, there is a lot of support available. You can seek the help of a fund manager who has expertise in the stock market arena. You can also get aid from adviser assisted platforms like iFast Global Markets and Fundsupermart.



An investor should understand that there are different types of mutual funds. There are money market funds, bond funds, stock funds, and mixed funds. Lets find out what each comprises.



Money market funds: These are relatively low-risk funds mostly high quality. They invest in short-term fixed-income instruments that mature in 3 to 6 months. Investing in money market Singapore may mean buying government boards, corporate bonds, commercial bills, and financial institutions deposits. Money market fund spreads its money over many institutions and also many different money instruments

Bond funds: Bond funds are high-risk funds as they tend to give high returns. This fund constitutes many different types of bonds. The risk of every Bond can vary from the other, but generally, they exhibit higher risks than money market funds.

Stocks funds/ equity funds: This fund invests in corporate stocks. There are different types of stock funds. There are growth funds whose stocks dont pay dividends regularly. Also, there are income funds whose stocks pay dividends regularly.

Youll also find index funds which focus on tracking a specific index like Strait Times Index (STI) to replicate its performance. Lastly, we have themed funds which target a certain industrial segment.



Story continues

The objective of your investment will guide you significantly in arriving at the mutual fund of your choice. Different funds cater to different goals. If you are looking to have a long-term investment, an equity fund will serve you best. If you need money within a shorter period like six months, a money market fund will be sufficient.



While your objective may seem easy to fulfill, it is essential to consider the performance of a mutual fund. Assessing the performance of a mutual fund can appear quite technical for an average Singapore investor. However, a fund manager is there for such matters. Fund managers use a benchmark index to measure a funds performance.



Most mutual funds gauge against STI. We at this moment save you the agony of calibrating various mutual funds to establish the best for your investment. We provide a list of best performing mutual funds based on best Net Asset Values (NAVs) during five to ten years. Here are the best performing mutual funds in 2019.





1. Fidelity Global Technology Fd A EUR

Fidelity Global Technology Fund is a long-term investment which invests in equity securities of companies in the line of technology. You need a minimum of $500 to invest in this fund. The fund measures its performance against the MSCI AC World Technology Index. Being an equity fund makes it a high-risk investment.



The performance of this fund appears top in the last 10 years, 5 years and 3 years cumulative returns categories. This is according to Philipcapital unit trust report. During these periods, it provided cumulative returns of 522.27%, 172.47%, 87.92% respectively.





2. First State Regional India Fund

This fund invests in diversified portfolio of companies that are in the Indian subcontinent. It has been in existence since the early 1990s. Its good returns owe to its low fees which include management fee which currently is at 1.75%. Its additional fees are also high as the trustees fees are low at 0.075%. It trades in SGD. This Indian fund tracks MSCI India Index.



The First State Regional India Fund was listed among the top performing in the last 10 years and 5 years categories. Its cumulative returns were 389.32% and 104.67% respectively. Therefore, if you have a taste for low-risk, this is your fund.





3. Janus Henderson Global Technology Fd

The Janus Henderson Global Technology fund provides investors with long-term capital growth. It invests in a globally diversified equity portfolio of tech-related companies. It aims to take advantage of the market trends internationally and operates with abroad assets allocation. It requires a minimum investment of $1000, and you can purchase in Singapore dollars.



The fund involves low fees with its management fees and trustee fees currently at 1.33% and 0.05% respectively. The Morning star rated it 4/5 in terms of consistent returns. It topped in three and five years cumulative returns with 78.56% and 105.01% respectively.





4. LionGlobal Vietnam Fund

The LionGlobal Vietnam Fund facilitates both medium and long-term investments. It invests in companies listed in Vietnam and also others not listed in Vietnam although they operate there or derive part of their income from this country and Indo-china region. This fund may also invest in short-term fixed income commodities listed on recognized markets around the Indo-china region.



This fund is highly diversified thus low in risk. You can trade the fund in SGD with an initial investment of $1,000. It top performed in two years, and three years cumulative returns of 40.45% and 83% respectively.





5. UOB United E-Commerce Fund

The UOB United E-commerce Fund provides long-term capital growth and invests primarily in common stocks traded around the world in authorized exchanges. These stocks are mainly involved in E-commerce. The characteristic feature of these funds is that they are high-risk assets.



To invest in this fund, you would require a minimum of $1,000 and you can trade it in SGD. The UOB fund continually shows a consistent return. It was top performing in three years and five years cumulative returns. This performance was 76.65% and 98.51% respectively.

The above five mutual funds are worth consideration if Phillip Capital and Morning Star reports are something to go by. Any investor wants to buy credible assets whether investment objective is short-term or long-term. These funds show credibility through their past performance.





Here are other interesting articles for you:

A Comprehensive Understanding of Unit Trusts Singapore 2019

How Do Mutual funds and ETFs Differ

A guide on Reits Investments in Singapore for 2019

(By Racheal Muriithi)

Related Articles

- Common Mistakes Investors Make when Investing in Mutual Funds or Unit Trusts (and How to Avoid Them)

- Top 8 Mutual Funds or Unit Trust to Invest in Singapore 2018

- This is the real difference between mutual funds and stocks
Newly-installed World Bank President David Malpass spent his first day at the global lender Tuesday hammering home the message that the most urgent issue facing the bank is addressing global poverty. President Donald Trump's controversial pick to lead the bank appeared eager to distance himself from his past attacks on the institution and stressed the support he has received from developing nations and from staff. The "clear mission and focus" of the World Bank is "alleviating and eliminating extreme poverty," as well as boosting "shared prosperity," he told a small group of reporters. "The mission of the bank is urgent," he said. "There are still 700 million people in extreme poverty and that's 700 million too many." In another surprise from a Trump administration official, he acknowledged that climate change represents a "key problem" that the World Bank has a role in addressing, especially since it can impact poverty in developing nations. And he said he is concerned about slowing global growth which is "a key part of meeting goals on poverty, and shared prosperity." In Trump's Treasury, Malpass has called the international financial institutions' lending practices "corrupt" and complained about financing to China and other relatively well-off countries that he says should have graduated from the institutions. And his nomination to lead the bank was roundly criticized by many economists and former officials from the sector, including one Republican who said he would be a "disastrous, toxic choice." But in the end he was the only choice, as no other World Bank member nominated a candidate. Malpass, who spoke to many developing country leaders and officials as part of the selection process, including China, told reporters he was "heartened by breadth of support for my candidacy and the World Bank mission." He met with World Bank staff early Tuesday and was surrounded by well-wishers. - Role for China - "I want to listen very much to developing countries in meeting the goals of the bank," he said. As for China, he noted that the agreement to increase funding for the World Bank, which he was instrumental in negotiating, calls for annual lending to Beijing and to other middle income countries, to decline "substantially." The country has lifted nearly a billion people out of poverty, which is a welcome example to other countries, Malpass said. And he stopped short of criticizing China's "belt and road" initiative which has raised concerns about opaque lending to developing nations that sharply increases their debt levels. He said the focus needs to be on "high quality projects," providing transparency on debt levels and clear procurement rules with guardrails against corruption. "It's all part of getting good development done." China also has a growing role as a donor to the World Bank fund that provides low-cost loans to the poorest countries.
An Australian woman joined human rights groups on Tuesday in condemning the "forced disappearance" of six Egyptians, including her husband, since April after being deported from Malaysia. They also demanded to know their whereabouts and fear the men -- accused by Malaysian police of being members of a North African terror outfit -- could be tortured. Rights groups have consistently criticised Egypt's ongoing crackdown but the government insists the measures are necessary to maintain stability and counter-terrorism. Australian Jodi Harris, 23, told reporters that her 28-year-old Egyptian husband Abdallah Mahmoud who was a student in Malaysia was arrested by police on February 2. Malaysian police previously said six Egyptian men and a Tunisian man were detained in early February, alleging they planned to carry out terror attacks in other countries and subsequently deported them to their respective countries on March 5. But to date, no official response has been provided from Egyptian authorities regarding the six deported men. "I want to know where is my husband. He is a victim of forced disappearance," she told reporters with tears rolling down her face. "He is not a member of Muslim Brotherhood or any terror organisations. But I know he will be tortured and ill-treated." Following the military ouster of president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, authorities have cracked down on dissent, targeting thousands of Islamists as well as secular activists. Egypt specifically outlawed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood deeming it a terror group in late 2013. Harris said the Malaysian police are responsible for her husband's safety and demanded Egypt confirm they are holding him. "We want to know where is my husband and the others are," she said. This is the first time a family member has come forward publicly while others have remained silent due to fear of possible action by authorities, activists said. Meanwhile, Latheefa Koya, rights group Lawyers for Liberty's executive director said the new government of Malaysia has failed to uphold human rights. "This is an international embarrassment for Malaysia. Why the rush to hand them over to Egypt?," she said.
Chinese workers in the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines  The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) urged the public to report through the Labor Departments hotline 1-3-4-9, illegal foreign workers or foreign nationals doing jobs that can be done by Filipino workers.

We would really appreciate any report from any sector or anybody about foreign workers doing works that can be done by Filipinos. We will start checking on foreign workers with special working permits, workers in the online offshore gaming, and foreign workers in economic zones, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said in an interview on Monday (April 8).

This, after Secretary Bello declared a ban on foreign nationals doing jobs that can be carried out by Filipinos.

He clarified, however, that he is against the total ban of foreign workers because there are some jobs that require special skills by professionals from other countries.

Bello said foreign workers who are doing jobs that Filipinos are capable of doing should be deported and blacklisted.

Mayroon talagang general rule na hindi natin pahihintulutan na magtrabaho ang dayuhan dito kapag iyong trabaho ay kaya ng Pilipino. Proteksyon iyan sa ating mga kababayan, he said.

The governments drive against illegal foreign workers was prompted by the influx of Chinese nationals in the countrys gaming industry.

According to Secretary Bello, offshore gaming firms may hire Chinese nationals to deal with their clients in China.

However, granting special permits to Chinese nationals in the construction industry is a violation of the Philippine Law, Bello said.

The Labor Secretary said that the governments inspection of establishments in the country is ongoing although the official admitted that their job is being limited by shortage of labor inspectors.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) already allowed DOLE to have additional 1,000 labor inspectors apart from the existing 800 to be able to speed up labor inspections in all commercial establishments across the country.  Marje Pelayo

The post Bello urges public to report foreign nationals doing Filipino jobs appeared first on UNTV News.
European leaders were grudgingly preparing to postpone Brexit on Tuesday, after Prime Minister Theresa May made last-ditch visits to Paris and Berlin to beg for more time. May asked to be given until June 30 to arrange Britain's orderly departure, but EU leaders fear that won't be long enough and are now expected to offer her up to a year. "There are times when you need to give time time," EU Council president Donald Tusk tweeted, as he issued invitations to an emergency EU summit in Brussels on Wednesday, just days before Britain's latest departure date. Summit host Tusk said in his invitation letter that the evidence of recent months gives EU leaders "little reason to believe" that British lawmakers will ratify the Brexit withdrawal treaty before May's preferred June 30 departure. "One possibility would be a flexible extension, which would last only as long as necessary and no longer than one year, as beyond that date we will need to decide unanimously on some key European projects," he said. Tusk's suggestion does not bind the other EU leaders to accept the extension plan when they meet on Wednesday, but his ideas chimed with what diplomatic sources were suggesting as May made her latest tour of key EU capitals. Some members, led by France, are sceptical of allowing too long a delay that would see British candidates competing in EU parliamentary elections next month and possibly lead to disruption of future deeper EU reform. But others -- notably Germany and Britain's close neighbour Ireland -- are more fearful that if May runs out of time then a dramatic "no deal" Brexit would do more harm in the long run. On Tuesday, after flying to Berlin to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel, May visited Paris, where an aide to President Emmanuel Macron said France was open to solutions. "We've never been closed to the idea of finding an alternative solution to 'no deal' within certain limits and not at any price," the aide said, on condition of anonymity. Discussions in Brussels are to focus on the length of the delay -- the French aide said a 12-month extension "seems too long" -- and arrangements to limit Britain's influence within the EU during this time. "There would be a transition period for the United Kingdom as an intermediary member, which is present and applying the rules, but not taking part in decision-making," the aide said. "There would need to be clear commitments and then a mechanism for monitoring them." EU members are keen to ensure a semi-detached Britain does not seek leverage in Brexit talks by playing a spoiling role on issues such as choosing the next head of the European Commission or setting the next multi-year budget for the EU. Briefing conservative German lawmakers after she hosted May, Merkel said the option of a Brexit deadline in early 2020 would be discussed at the EU summit, according to a source. - Extra time - May is hoping the extra time, if granted by EU leaders, will enable her to finally get a divorce deal through parliament. British MPs have rejected a deal May negotiated with the EU three times, but the PM is now in talks with the opposition Labour party to try break the deadlock. These discussions are moving slowly, and EU negotiator Michel Barnier said May must explain what another postponement would achieve. "The length of the extension must be linked to the purpose -- what it's for -- and that depends on what Mrs May will say to European leaders tomorrow," he said, after meeting EU ministers in Luxembourg. A "no deal" -- in which Britain crashes out of the EU -- is still a possibility. The International Monetary Fund said Tuesday that Britain risks a serious shock if it leaves the EU without an agreement. - Delay conditions - Ahead of the main EU summit, Belgium will host a meeting of the EU members most exposed to the dangers of a no-deal Brexit, such as France and the Netherlands. EU ministers no longer hide their irritation at the turmoil in London, where MPs cannot agree on how to leave the EU almost three years after the referendum vote for Brexit. "We are in a very, very frustrating situation here," said Germany's Europe minister Michael Roth as he arrived in Luxembourg. May had requested only a short delay to avoid having to take part in European Parliament elections, which begin on May 23, but a long postponement would mean Britain participating. May's chances of ratifying the withdrawal agreement she signed in Brussels in November last year rely on either rebel MPs in her Conservative party and her Northern Irish allies backing her deal at the fourth time of asking -- or a compromise with the opposition. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Monday he was still waiting for signs of compromise from May and talks have been suspended until the summit in Brussels. His top team met Tuesday with some of May's senior ministers, including leading Brexit supporter Michael Gove and her more pro-European finance minister Philip Hammond. burs-adp-dc/dcr
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MANILA, Philippines  A photo of a dog with a campaign sticker on its body has gone viral on social media.

No less than Commission on Election (Comelec) Spokesperson Director James Jimenez posted the image on his Twitter account with the caption:

Seriously. Isnt it enough that politicking has already trashed the country you claim to love, youve got to harass dogs too?

Seriously. Isnt it enough that politicking has already trashed the country you claim to love, youve got to harass dogs too?



Leave. Dogs. Alone. #VoterEd pic.twitter.com/PZ732Ce8AZ  James Jimenez (@jabjimenez) April 8, 2019

Netizens condemned what they claim as animal cruelty or a form of political gimmickry.

Jimenez did not mention any violation that corresponds the act but at the end of the caption, he called on the public to Leave.Dogs.Alone.  Marje Pelayo

The post Comelec spox calls on politicians to spare dogs from politicking appeared first on UNTV News.
A German woman who joined the Islamic State jihadist group went on trial Tuesday accused of the war crime of letting a five-year-old Yazidi "slave" girl die of thirst in the sun. The case against Jennifer Wenisch, 27, is believed to be the first anywhere in the world for international crimes committed by IS militants against members of the Yazidi minority. She faces a maximum term of life in jail if found guilty of committing murder and of murder as a war crime, as well membership in a terrorist organisation and violations of the German War Weapons Control Act. It is Germany's first trial of a female IS returnee, prosecutor Claudia Gorf told the Munich court. Wenisch -- wearing a white blouse and black jacket, her dark hair not covered -- showed no emotion and did not speak, but shielded her face with a paper folder while photographers were in the room at the start. Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Nadia Murad, herself a Yazidi survivor of IS enslavement and torture, said in a statement that the trial "is a very big moment for me and for the entire Yazidi community". Prominent London-based human rights lawyer Amal Clooney is part of the team representing the dead Yazidi girl's mother, although Clooney did not appear on the trial's opening day. - 'Agonising death' - German prosecutors allege Wenisch and her IS husband "purchased" the Yazidi woman and child as household "slaves" whom they held captive while living in then IS-occupied Mosul, Iraq, in 2015. "After the girl fell ill and wet her mattress, the husband of the accused chained her up outside as punishment and let the child die an agonising death of thirst in the scorching heat," prosecutors charge. "The accused allowed her husband to do so and did nothing to save the girl." German media said the defendant's husband, Taha Sabah Noori Al-J., had beaten both the mother and child, and that Wenisch allegedly also once held a pistol to the woman's head. The trial is being held under tight security in a court for state security and terrorism cases, with hearings initially scheduled until September 30. - Morality police - Wenisch -- who reportedly left school after the eighth grade and has no job or qualifications -- converted to Islam in 2013 and travelled the following year via Turkey and Syria to Iraq where she joined the IS. Recruited in mid-2015 to the group's self-styled hisbah morality police, she patrolled city parks in IS-occupied Fallujah and Mosul. Armed with an AK-47 assault rifle, a pistol and an explosives vest, her task was to ensure strict IS rules on dress code, public behaviour and bans on alcohol and tobacco. In January 2016, months after the Yazidi child's death, she visited the German embassy in Ankara to apply for new identity papers. When she left the mission, she was arrested and extradited days later to Germany. For lack of actionable evidence against her at the time, she was allowed to return to her home in the German state of Lower Saxony, but quickly sought to return to IS territory. - FBI informant - Der Spiegel reported that an FBI informant posed as an accomplice who offered to take Wenisch and her two-year-old child back to the IS "caliphate". While they were sitting in a bugged car, headed for Turkey, Wenisch allegedly spoke of her time at the IS and incriminated herself. She said that the child's death had been "hard-core even for the IS" and unjust because only God had the right to use fire as punishment, adding that her husband had later been beaten as punishment by the IS. Police followed her car for several hours and listened to a live audio feed, then arrested Wenisch at a highway stop. Amal Clooney, the wife of Hollywood star George Clooney, has been involved in a campaign to get IS crimes against the Yazidi recognised as a "genocide". "I hope this will be the first of many trials that will finally bring ISIS to justice in line with international law," the lawyer said in a statement, using an alternative acronym for the group.
In Japan's picturesque Ago Bay, a couple sits in a little hut picking out oysters from a net, cleaning them carefully one-by-one before replacing them gently back in the water. Their hope: in several months, these oysters will produce a glistening white pearl from a cultured farming technique invented in Japan that is in decline as experts die out in the ageing country. Cultured pearl farming was first commercialised in Ago Bay and spread throughout the world. There are still dozens of farms plying the trade there, which look from the sky like a series of rafts floating between the steep coast and a string of tiny islets. In 1893, an Ago Bay local called Kokichi Mikimoto became worried the oyster pearls avidly sought in his waters were becoming extinct. So he began introducing artificial foreign bodies into the oysters in a bid to replicate the natural process in which they secrete thousands of layers of nacre when a grain of sand or shell finds its way inside the pearl pocket. After several setbacks -- including a bacterial virus that decimated his crop -- Mikimoto finally hit the jackpot: one day in July 1893 a semi-spherical pearl appeared, clinging to the oyster. A decade or so later, he had refined his method to produce a perfectly round specimen and immediately patented his technique -- the cultured pearl. Success was not immediate -- several viewed the cultured pearl as a vulgar replica of the "natural" variety -- but eventually Mikimoto built a global empire and Japan became the reference for the small pearls known as "Akoya." Around the same time, two other Japanese, Tatsuhei Mise and Tokichi Nishikawa, applied for a patent. - Top five percent - The Sakaguchi family has been crafting these valuable pearls between three and 10 millimetres in diametre for three generations. Kasuhiro, 73, and Misayo, 68, are now supported by daughter Ruriko. "Our job is to look after the oysters as well as we can for three to four years," explained the energetic 43-year-old Ruriko, sporting an apron and headscarf. "From harvesting the young oysters, introducing the graft, right up to extracting the pearl," she added, as she dragged oysters from the net for inspection. The whole delicate operation rests of the insertion of a nucleus -- a small round polished ball made out of shellfish -- and the "graft", a piece of donor mantle tissue from another oyster. Over a period of several months, the oyster reacts to the foreign bodies by secreting thousands of layers of nacre which form the pearl. The pearls are harvested in December, when the water is around 15 degrees, said Ruriko. "Below this, the pearl will lack strength. Above that, it will lack shine," she explained. It is a thankless task. Of the 100,000 oysters harvested annually, half die immediately after the operation. The vast majority produce either mediocre pearls or nothing at all. Only around five percent of the oysters harvested will result in pearls of sufficient quality to adorn the windows of chic jewellers far away in Tokyo. - 'Family heirloom' - The Sakaguchis are lucky to have Ruriko take up the family trade, which is suffering -- like many other traditional Japanese crafts -- from an ageing population and a flight from the country to booming cities. The number of specialised pearl farmers has dropped from 3,760 in the 1960s to just 680 in 2013, according to the most recent data from the Fisheries Agency. But despite this, Japan still dominates the global market, accounting for around 30 percent in terms of value -- helped by concentrating on the best quality pearls. Japan has produced around 20 tonnes of farmed pearls annually over the past 10 years, bringing in around 16.6 billion yen, and is aiming to reach 20 billion yen by 2027. But even that would be a far cry from the heady days of the late 1980s when Japan produced around 70 tonnes with a value of 88 billion yen. So what sets Japanese cultured pearls apart from competitors in Tahiti, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines or Australia? Aside from centuries of know-how, Japan is helped by its climate, said Yuichi Nakamura, vice-chairman of the Mie Pearl promotion council. "The key is the winter season in Japan. It gives the pearls a better shine and sets them apart from the rest of world," Nakamura told AFP. Rivals from China at one point looked set to threaten Japan's dominance but "they focused in quantity... whereas we concentrated on quality to stay in the race." That quality is on glittering display at the luxurious, multistory flagship store of Mikimoto, in the plush Tokyo district of Ginza. Here a mannequin wears a priceless pearl necklace but pearls can range from a few hundred to a million dollars. "For the Japanese, pearls are a family heirloom. We give them as necklaces to women about to marry or as earrings or rings," said Mikimoto boss Hiroshi Yoshida. They then wear them at grand occasions for the rest of their lives. But perhaps an indication of a shift in the global economy: more than half of Mikimoto's customers are Chinese. After them come Americans, other Asians such as Singaporeans, and then Europeans.
FILE PHOTO: Dhany Osman/Yahoo News Singapore

The civil aviation authorities of Singapore and Malaysia will work together to develop Global Positioning System-based (GPS) instrument approach procedures at Seletar Airport, in place of the Instrument Landing System (ILS) procedures that Singapore had recently withdrawn.

Furthermore, the two countries are also working towards a supplementary agreement to suspend the Johor Baru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) project.

These two developments were announced by both countries Transport Ministers, Singapores Khaw Boon Wan and Malaysias Anthony Loke, in a media conference at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Monday (8 April), according to The Straits Times.

Procedures to improve safety for flights

Khaw said that the GPS-based procedures are expected to be implemented soon, and will improve safety for flights at Seletar Airport.

This development comes after Singapore agreed last Saturday to withdraw the ILS procedures for Seletar Airport, ending a dispute with Malaysian authorities over the airspace over the nearby Pasir Gudang area in Johor that began in November last year. Malaysia will also indefinitely suspend its Restricted Area over Pasir Gudang.

According to CNA, Khaw said, We will introduce GPS-based instrument approaches from both the north over Pasir Gudang and south over Singapore island. This is because airplanes take off and land into the wind.

With north-east and south-west wind directions at different times of the year, both approaches are needed.

Firefly to resume operations at Seletar on 21 April

Loke also revealed that Firefly, the Malaysias budget carrier which suspended its flights to Seletar Airport due to the dispute, will resume operations at the airport on 21 April, CNA reported.

Loke also said that another Malaysian carrier, Malindo Air, is keen to operate out of Seletar, and has approached Singapores airport authorities for approval.

I think this is so good for our cooperation and the way forward, said the minister during Mondays media conference.

Story continues

As for Malaysias wish to take over control of airspace over southern Johor, a high-level committee has been set up to review the existing airspace arrangement, in which Singapore air traffic controllers manage that airspace. According to The Straits Times, the committee will be co-chaired by Singapores permanent secretary for transport and Malaysias secretary-general of transport.

Khaw said at the media conference, Minister Loke stressed that the review was important to Malaysia. I assured him that Singapore would approach the review with an open mind, bearing in mind the many stakeholders involved and the critical need to ensure safety and efficiency in a very busy airspace.

With goodwill and compromise, I am sure that a win-win solution which does not undermine each others core interests can be found.

Malaysia to compensate for RTS project delay

Regarding the supplementary agreement for the RTS project, Loke said that it was needed following Malaysias decision to suspend the project for six months to review the costs involved.

When asked if Malaysia would be made to compensate for initiating the delay, he replied, It needs to be worked out by the Attorney-Generals Chambers. Yes, there are some costs involved, but I cannot tell you what the exact cost is right now.

Loke added that ticket prices was one of the important aspects being looked at, and quashed rumours of the project being cancelled outright.

He told the Malay Mail, Under the current agreement, the proposed fare is a bit on the high side. Both countries have agreed to lower the ticket price.

The Johor Baru-Singapore RTS Link, which will connect Bukit Chagar in the Malaysian state to Woodlands in Singapore, was initially projected to be completed by 2024, but is now behind schedule, with Malaysia repeatedly delaying confirmation of its joint venture partner.

According to CNA, Khaw said that the project is an especially important priority area, given the heavy traffic congestion at the Causeway.

He added, The RTS Link, when completed, will make a significant difference to commuters experience, being able to transport up to 10,000 passengers per direction per hour.



Related stories:

Loke: Malaysia, Singapore sorting out supplementary agreement after RTS suspension

Thanks Singapore, but high time Malaysia manages own airspace, says Loke

Singapore to withdraw ILS at Seletar Airport, while Malaysia will suspend Pasir Gudang restricted area
The end of anything is rarely pretty, but Singapores iconic Pearl Bank Apartments definitely isnt getting much of a swan song on its way out.

Just three weeks before residents of the building are to move out ahead of its demolition later in the year, the horse shoe-shaped condominium  Singapores tallest, most densely populated condo when constructed in 1976 has been turned into something of a rubbish dump.

On almost every one of the buildings 37 floors, trash piled above head-height blocks access to service elevators, in some cases blocking corridors and fire escape stairwells.

Photo by Robin Hicks

Coconuts Singapore found broken glass, fiberglass and waste food strewn on the floor by rubbish bins, as residents dump the contents of their apartments as they move out.

Refrigerators, washing machines, sofas, cupboards, mattresses, and splintered plasterboard used to divide apartments into smaller units litter the place, which is starting to resemble the aftermath of a tsunami.

About half of the apartments in the building are still occupied, mostly by residents on short-term contracts.

Photo by Robin Hicks

The building must be cleared and cleaned before it is handed over to the new owners, Capitaland, which acquired Pearl Bank following a S$728 million en bloc sale in February 2018.

Residents must vacate the building by the end of this month.

Pearl Bank managements requests for residents to hire contractors to remove their unwanted items, posted on walls and in lifts all over the building, appear to have been ignored.

Its a sad state of affairs, said Kym Ong, a resident of Pearl Bank for 40 years. These people [dumping their trash] are plain inconsiderate. Its a health and safety hazard. Emergency exits have to be kept clear and unobstructed at all times.

The iconic Pearl Bank Apartments was Singapores tallest and most densely populated condominium when constructed in 1976. Photo: Coconuts Media

Pearl Banks management told Coconuts they are trying to deal with the illegal dumping problem as quickly as they can, and have hired five extra staff to clear the mountains of rubbish. There are currently just two cleaning staff for the whole building.

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We have tried to clear the areas regularly, but the next day rubbish has piled up to the ceiling again, a spokesperson from Pearl Bank Apartments management said.

Photo by Robin Hicks

Located in Outram Park, Pearl Bank is one of Singapores most famous residential buildings, the unmistakably bizarre, brutalist creation of revered architect Tan Cheng Siong.

One resident, who preferred to remain nameless, said he has noticed that the building had rapidly gone into disrepair since the announcement of the en bloc sale last year.

Cracks have appeared in the walls and the buildings chronic dampness issues worsening, with leaks found on most floors and creeping damp seeping through the walls.

Its like when people retire. They age quickly, he said.

This article, Ahead of demolition, residents turn Pearl Bank into a rubbish dump (PHOTOS), originally appeared on Coconuts, Asia's leading alternative media company. Want more Coconuts? Sign up for our newsletters!
Today, a small but significant milestone will be marked: the 70th anniversary of the formation of the Gurkha Contingent.

For seventy years, the Gurkha Contingent has been Singapores elite guard and counter-terrorism force. To ensure their neutrality, they live in their own compound in Mount Vernon Camp, which caters to their housing, necessities, and recreation.

In Singapore, many of us view Gurkhas not as permanent migrants, but as foreign contractorsalbeit ones whom we accord much respect and admiration. The key difference, however, is that contractors tend only to see their families on video calls; Gurkha children are born and raised in Singapore, with the full knowledge that they will one day be repatriated from the country they grew up in.

There are no schools in Mount Vernon camp. The small Gurkha community may live in relative seclusion, but their kids are educated alongside the rest of Singapore, and are just as foreign to the country as I amthat is to say, not at all. Their passports, however, will always be a reminder of their marked difference, emblazoned not with a lion and tiger, but the mountains of their true home.

So what is it like growing up as the child of a Gurkha?

Namsang Limbu, 19, doesnt feel any different from the average Singaporean. Most Gurkha families are in Singapore on a dependant pass; Namsangs father, however, retired from the Gurkha Contingent several years ago. Namsang has been allowed to stay in Singapore on a student visa while he completes his studies in Republic Polytechnic. He resides in Mount Vernon Camp with his relatives, who are also a Gurkha family.

Over the years, Ive heard rumours floating around that Nepali students in Singapore face racist remarks and treatment in schools, but never witnessed any for myself; perhaps because Nepali students are so concentrated in schools near Mount Vernon.

And so I ask Namsang if hes experienced any racism.

Obviously I do, says Namsang, not really direct[ly], but we face indirect discrimination.

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I ask him whether he remembers any specific incidents.

I really have no idea, he says, shifting uncomfortably in his chair, It has been a while. We didnt really get discrimination from teachers, but the students  We are, you know, immigrants here.

They will just joke around and say: go back to your country! Yknow, I dont take it to heart, just joking. Its cool between us, but I will stand up for myself.

Questioningly, I punch my fist into my palm, while raising an eyebrow.

No, nowell, sometimes, when it gets seriousbut not really.

20-year-old Idha, another Nepali student, and Namsangs former schoolmate, had a slightly different experience.

My school was run by a bunch of racists who enjoyed picking on us because our parents are pretty docile, she says.

Idha admits that many of her memories are of herself personally getting into trouble with school authorities. However, she recalls some incidents and policies that involved many Nepali students.

The school is quite near to our camp; somehow all the people, teachers, higher-ups, used to think that we all lived in the same area: the two blocks that they could see.

Because of this, Nepali students had no excuse to be late for school, the administration reckoned. In actual fact, however, Mount Vernon Camp is fairly large, stretching from the school all the way to Joo Seng, and is set to expand further.

After several incidents of tardiness, the Nepali students were given a particular timing to report to school at; earlier than the rest of their schoolmates. A Singaporean student coming at 7:45 AM would be considered on time; a Nepali student doing the same was a latecomer.

The funny thing is, Idha says, There were [Singaporean] kids who lived right opposite from the school, in the terraced houses, and they would be strolling in while we were getting scolded. It was bizarre.

On a particular day, Idha recalls, it rained so heavily that Mount Vernon Camp flooded. Because of this, they had to take an alternate route through the camp, so all the Nepali students were later than usual. Once the rain stopped, they asked the students to line up outside the school in two rows.

Our discipline master threw a fit  He was shouting Im not going to let you into the school until you call your parents down! There was no reason to do this kind of thing.

Also, Idha notes, the Nepali children were often singled out during assembly and asked to stay back. They would then be lectured.

Idha explains that her experiences differ from Namsangs because of a change in school administrative staff (she is one year his senior). Also, Namsang was an Express student, while Idha was in the Normal (Academic) stream, which affected teachers perception and treatment of the students.

But this was half a decade ago, and at one school. Ditya, who is currently a student at a different secondary school, hasnt been through anything of the sort.

Once, though, she says, I heard someone say, Go back to your country.

It was a teacher, who directed it to one of my classmates.

Most of the staff, Idha explains, Had bad impressions of us. As long as were Nepali, were trouble. Everyone knew that we were second-class citizens.

Everyone knew that we [Nepali students] were second-class citizens.



Now that hes graduated from secondary school, Namsang picks up odd jobs in his spare time. While he doesnt have a work permit, he does freelance work in his field of study: sound engineering. Under the assumption that a Nepali education would be considered inferior to a Singaporean one, I ask Namsang why he chose to pursue his studies here, instead of back home.

Back home, A Levels and Uni  its quite recognised worldwide, because its from Cambridge, Namsang corrects me, But I wanted to pursue sound and media. Back in Nepal [it exists], but they dont really cater education-wise.

Once Namsang completes his diploma, he plans on furthering his studies in Canada.

Thats the path that most [Gurkha kids] take, they will branch out  usually [to] Australia. Its a popular country.

Australia is the location of choice for many Nepali students. Ditya (not her real name), who is 15, also plans on furthering her studies in Australia. In school, Ditya sometimes feels pressure to perform because her father is in the Gurkha contingent:

Sometimes I feel  Like Im being watched, and I cant do [whatever] I want, without bringing my fathers name down. So I always have to show only the side that others want to see.

Show, as in, to the rest of Singapore?

No, to the people who live where I live. At Mount Vernon.

Namsang, too, feels pressured by his family history.

Our Dads came from nothing, says Namsang, [Going] from a third world country to a first world country, thats a pretty big thing. My Dad and Mom really emphasise on education, so there is an extent of pressure to do well in my studies.

Idha, too, feels pressured by her fathers occupation, but for different reasons.

Its not an easy job for him  I know hes keeping it together for my family. He earns around two thousand-ish? No one else in the family is earning, so it can be quite a challenge. On dependant passes, a Gurkhas family members are not allowed to take up jobs in Singapore.

At home, their fathers are not allowed to talk about work.

Hes not a very verbal man, Idha shares, I dont have very good early memories with [him]. But I know he always has the best interests at heart for us.

Every three years, Gurkha families are allowed to take a trip to Nepal for a period of several weeks. During these holidays, they will visit and stay with their parents relatives. Undoubtedly, they feel somewhat different from other Nepali citizens.

I think, living in Singapore, the mindset we have is completely different, says Namsang, Back at home, people dont really have a sense of what the outside world looks like.

Namsang goes on to explain that people in Nepal are self-centred, unmindful, and prioritise themselves; in contrast, he feels that Singaporeans have developed greater consideration for others.

Its a tough life there, Namsang adds, If a person has the same qualification, works the same type of job, they get paid so much less [in Nepal] than in Singapore.

Ditya, however, feels there is little difference between herself and her cousins:

My mother and her sisters grew up together  so the way they treat their children is [the same as] how we were treated. Although [me and my cousins] did not grow up together, we have a similar way of thinking.

One would think that living in Mount Vernon Camp would make for a unique experience. It must be restrictiveeven stiflingto live in an enclosed compound.

Actually, I like it, Namsang disagrees, Theres a community of Nepalese, and I feel were comfortable living on our own.

Ditya adds that she feels safe and secure to live in Mount Vernon Camp, although inconveniences crop up. Friends are never allowed to come over, and for some reason, they arent allowed to keep pets.

I find it sad, because I would love to keep one, she laughs.

Gurkha children spend their whole lives here, but they arent Singapore citizens. Should they be?

Yes, replies Namsang, and gives me a searching look, as though trying to gauge my reaction.

Im fine being a Nepalese citizen lah, theres nothing wrong with it  [But] our fathers did 25 years of service here, serving this country.

Just like other foreigners, concurs Idha, It would be good if we had that option, to apply or not  Id also like better pay for our fathers; and letting other family members work!

Ditya, who is still a student, hasnt really thought about any changes she might want to see in Singapores treatment of the Gurkha community. Namsangs thoughts on the matter are more reserved:

I dont expectits not really [about] expectations. Our Dads are just doing their jobs; were just doing ours.

From a Nepalese standpoint, they are privileged to study and live in Singapore; from a Singaporean one, they are sometimes viewed as second-class residents, and many Nepalese children have distasteful or uncomfortable memories that testify to this fact. They are children living between two countries; two worlds that could not be more different.

A talking point of recent national discourse has been the work conditions and compensation for foreign workers in Singapore who, like any other under-represented group, are prone to exploitation. In this vein, on this anniversary, we ought to reflect on how we treat one of our least visible and, ironically, most valuable immigrant communitiesthe Gurkhas.

Have something to say about the story? Write in to community@ricemedia.co.

The post My Dad Is A Gurkha: On Growing Up Nepalese In Singapore appeared first on RICE.
Photo credit: Portrait (right) by Olivia Obineme

From ELLE Decor

In "60 Seconds With," ELLE Decor editor Charles Curkin chats with creatives and industry leaders, getting the scoop on their life and work in one minute or less. In this installment, he chats with Deana Haggag, the president and CEO of United States Artists, an arts funding organization in Chicago that has endowed more than 500 artists, from architects to visual artists to writers, with over $25 million in grants since it was founded in 2006. Haggag's one minute starts...now.



What makes United States Artists stand out in the realm of arts funding?

We give individual artists and other cultural practitioners unrestricted awards, i.e. its not a project-based grant. They can do whatever they want with it.

Photo credit: Erasmo Wong

On the USA website, you site a statistic from 2003 that 96% of Americans valued art but only 27% valued the artists. How do you explain that?

Isnt that wild? People can value reading a book, say, putting their child in a dance class, or taking their family to see a film. The leap to connect it back to the practitioner is difficult because its hard to quantify, in a capitalist model, the value of an artist's labor. I get really sad about that statistic, but then I remember that 96% of the people love art, so thats a win.

Do you think thats changed since then?

I can never tell if its getting better or worse. With the advent of social media and new ways of disseminating information, I think they should update the study. I wouldnt be surprised either way.

Photo credit: Courtesy of United States Artists





What have you learned lately from an artist?

We funded Roscoe Mitchell, a legendary jazz musician. He said something that blew all of our minds: "Silence is already perfect, you better think hard before you break it."



Youre also handing out 45 fellowships to artists at $50,000 a piece. What do you expect in return?

Nothing. They can literally ghost us.



Im a journalist. Do I qualify?

You do!



Score! Lets talk after the interview. What would you buy with the money if you could award it to yourself?

No one has ever asked me that before. If I won this award-and its sad-I would pay off student and medical debt. If I had to do something indulgent for myself, Id buy art or Id take an immersion year in Spain or China.

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Photo credit: Courtesy of United States Artists

If youre buying art, who would you buy?

So many! I dont even think I could name them.

Thats fine. What about Rembrandt? You can buy a nice "final state" etching for like $10 grand.

Oh someone dead? If $50,000 could be $500,000, Id buy an Alma Thomas.

Time to increase the grant.

If this interview leads to it being increased to $500,000, that would be amazing.

Photo credit: Courtesy of United States Artists

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Fans queuing for hours at VivoCity last Sunday (6 April). (PHOTO: Huawei)

Last Sunday (April 7) hundreds of fans throng VivoCity as early as 9pm the day before to get their hands on the Huawei P30 series: the Huawei P30 and Huawei P30 Pro. Coveted for the worlds first Leica Quad camera, the models sold out before noon.

Ms. Yvelyn Tey t ogether with her fiance were first in line since 9pm the night before. (PHOTO: Huawei)

Ms. Yvelyn Tey, age 29, was first in line since 9pm before the day of launch with her fiance and she will be using a Huawei smartphone for the first time. I started to know about Huawei since its launch of its previous Mate 20 Series and I have heard great reviews of the phone ever since. My fiance has also been raving to me about the cameras on Huawei. I often use my phone to take photos so having a good camera is really key for me. When I heard about the night mode of the P30 Series, I was very impressed.

The Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) recently crowned the Huawei P30 Pro as Best Photo Smartphone for its Leica Quad camera that comes with a revolutionary RYYB colour filter array  assisting avid photographers to capture images even in the dark. The phone is also equipped with a 50x digital zoom capabilities that can capture objects as far as 580 metres in distance.

Mediacorp Artistes Rebecca Lim  & Romeo Tan at the Huawei booth. (PHOTO: Huawei)

Innovative technologies has always been the hallmark of our brand. The new Huawei P30 Series features outstanding camera upgrades ahead of its time that will enable more freedom and room for creativity among users to capture the best moments in life, said Xu Chengfei, Managing Director of Huawei Consumer Business Group Singapore. The response at our public launch today has exceeded our expectations and is testament to consumers confidence in our line of smartphones. The Huawei P30 Series is our best-seller yet and we look forward to providing our customers with more quality and innovative products.

For more information, please visit: https://consumer.huawei.com/sg/
Photo credit: Roy Beeson

From House Beautiful

If you're familiar with Serena & Lily, you know the brand for its chic, high-end coastal-inspired furniture and decor. But if you've never stopped by their Connecticut flagship store, the Westport Design Shop, you're seriously missing out. It's an experience like no other, because it's more than just a store-it's also a collaborative, creative workspace for designers, and it's housed in a stunning historic home.

Photo credit: Roy Beeson

The home, a four-story Queen Anne Victorian built back in 1889 known as the Kemper-Gunn House, is a historic landmark in Westport. Originally slated for demolition, it wound up being moved to a new address in November 2014, before Serena & Lily took over and turned it into their shop (while still ensuring they honored the house's history, of course!). And as a real home, it's basically the ideal place to show off the brand's furniture and decor.

"When we took over the space, our goal was to preserve the original charm and character of the house, from the elaborate detailing in the exterior facade to saving the interior trim, hardware, hand-carved staircase, and stained glass windowshonoring the stores history while creating a contemporary retail experience," Allyson McGrath, Serena & Lily's VP of Design Shops tells House Beautiful.

Alongside a wide selection of Serena & Lily's products, you'll find other cool features, like an extensive swatch wall that includes more than 300 of the brand's original textile designs, a rotating art gallery full of original pieces, and a creative workspace for interior designers to use. The workspace, Allyson says, is open for private appointments and client meetings and presentations during and outside of regular business hours.

At the design shop, you'll also be able to talk to Serena & Lily's Design Advisors about products and take advantage of the brand's complimentary design services, which include in-home consultations, curated mood boards, floor plans, styling tips, and more.

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Photo credit: Roy Beeson

Any time is a good time to visit Serena & Lily's Westport Design Shop, but according to Allyson, springtime is the most fun time of year to make the trip. "We love transitioning the shop out of winter and showcasing our new outdoor collections on the back patio-ideal for planning home decor refreshes for the warmer summer months ahead," she says.

And whenever you go, don't forget to check out the attic on the third floor. The attic, in Allyson's opinion, is the most interesting part of the shop, because it's always changing and highlighting products in new, creative ways.

You can visit the shop in Westport, CT at 35 Elm Street, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. You can also shop Serena & Lily's selection any time online.

Follow House Beautiful on Instagram.

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In March, Norweigan Cruise Line launched a campaign to show just how much it loves America's teachers. And now, the cruise line announced its competition is getting even bigger.

The cruise line is seeking nominations of educators who are spreading the joy of learning in their classrooms from now through April 12. The contest is open to anyone in the U.S. or Canada, and, anyone can nominate their favorite teacher to win a free cruise on the Norwegian Joy. Teachers can even nominate themselves. And now, anyone can vote for their favorite nominated teacher or share their submission on social media to help gain more votes. After April 12, a few lucky teachers will be chosen as finalists.

And, as of Monday, the company announced they will be doubling the prizes to now include 30 winners instead of the original 15. As a huge bonus, the top three teachers will receive $25,000, $15,000, and $10,000 respectively.

This campaign has clearly resonated with the public, with nearly 45,000 nominations and 1.4 million votes in just three weeks, Andy Stuart, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line, said in a statement. We set out to gift 15 cruises in honor of our 15th ship, Norwegian Joy, but given the engagement and appreciation of this effort, we have decided to double the joy and award 30 educators who make an impact in childrens lives in a positive and meaningful way.

Stuart added that he encourages everyone to continue to nominate the teachers in their lives that have made a difference, and take the opportunity to recognize the outstanding work they do every day. He added, We are excited to see all the final submissions for the campaign and to celebrate the winners as we welcome Norwegian Joy to Seattle.

So, what are you waiting for? Get nominating and get voting.
Top image: Straits Times / Getty images

In 2019, we are living in 1984. At least according to critics of the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) that was read in Parliament on 1 April 2019 for the first time.

According to Law Minister K Shanmugam, the government will get to make the initial decision on what constitutes falsehoods, but the courts will remain the final arbiter of truth. Following criticism that POFMA would shut down free expression, the minister reiterated that the proposed law would only apply to false statements of fact, and not criticism, opinion, satire, or parody.

But before we get into anything else, lets cut the bullshit: POFMA is a direct result of actors who deliberately propagate irresponsible and malicious falsehoods under the guise of free speechthe States Times Review (now rebranded to the Singapore Herald) being a prime example.

Take also, for example, last years viral report in The Independent about an elderly hawker who allegedly passed away after working for long hours under NTUCs social enterprise scheme. Investigations revealed that the report had been fabricated.

Where falsehoods are concerned, it may be easy to dispute a blatantly false statement of fact like the sun rises in the West. But few falsehoods are as clear-cut, and to understand how to deal with this, we need to understand the contexts and political climate within which such false statements can seem so compelling.

For instance, the report on the NTUC hawker didnt spread because it was intentionally misleading or merely sensational. Its viral success was aided by existing social and cultural sentiments; the false report played on our general sympathy towards the elderly, the unhappiness surrounding the welfare of hawkers, and the growing distrust towards the social enterprise hawker centre model by NTUC.

According to a viral piece by Makansutra founder, KF Seetoh, these hawkers also dealt with unfair clauses in their contracts, including paying the management $600 a month to have them spot check their food quality and operation, monetary penalties like in a food court model for closures, and being expected to open 8 to 12 hours a day (minus preparation time).

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These prevailing conditions laid the groundwork for Singaporeans to believe that an overworked hawker had passed away due to the uncaring bureaucracy of a powerful corporation.

Faced with misinformation of this nature, and poor media literacy standards among Singaporeans, one might think that regulation is necessary.

Self-censorship can turn into learned helplessness.

Critics argue that the mere existence of POFMA undermines a healthy democracy. To a liberal, left-leaning demographic, POFMA signals that Singapore is quickly becoming an Orwellian state.

While this may be a valid concern, I am more inclined to question the kind of environmentas well as the culture and government that cultivates itthat makes it possible for deliberate falsehoods to thrive in the first place.

Minister Shanmugam might have tried to reassure Singaporeans this isnt the case, but the fact remains that POFMAs chilling presence alone will be enough to stoke the culture of fear that already exists amongst Singaporeans.

And the main victims of this culture of fear will not be prominent, vocal activists or journalists who do their due diligence before reporting on controversial topics. Neither is this impulse to self-censor really reserved for drastic scenarios, such as Operation Coldstore or getting hauled up by the Internal Security Department (as much as these are the most acceptable reasons for fear).

Rather, it targets ordinary Singaporeans. It will also tend to manifest in smaller, everyday occurrences, such as deciding whether to withhold a political opinion online, choosing not to speak to a journalist about genuine problems within a public agency, or warning a friend not to vote for the opposition.

Many of us have heard stories where doing or believing in something anti-establishment, or that didnt align with the governments values, might have affected someones personal or professional life. In the end, people draw tenuous links, and accept that perhaps its better to just self-censor.

Over time, self-censorship can turn into learned helplessness. The result: people consciously silence themselves not just because they fear consequences, but because they fear that speaking up wont make a difference.

This can, unfortunately, have a broader impact beyond restricting individual agency. After all, self-censorship is the enemy to journalism, especially if the industry believes in holding the government accountable.

Its realistic to expect that self-censorship might make whistleblowers and marginalised voices less inclined to come forward.

Over the past weekend, I attended the Workers Party roundtable on deliberate online falsehoods where journalists from both mainstream and independent news sites raised several concerns

First, any regular Singaporean who doesnt have the privilege, time, money, or will to potentially contest the government in court may decide to stay away from journalism. Not just as a career choice, but as an interviewee.

Secondly, under POFMA, its realistic to expect that self-censorship might make whistleblowers and marginalised voices less inclined to come forward, for fear that a journalist may be forced to give up their source. As it is, reporters find it difficult to get people to go on the record or to gain their trust on sensitive issues; even reliable sources often back out at the last minute because they fear losing their jobs, gaining unwanted attention, or affecting their personal relationships.

Finally, POFMA has wide latitude, which could give ministers and agencies the power to request for corrections based on mere word choice. Because of mere connotation, what might be an innocuous word or phrase to a journalist might be misleading, and therefore falsehood, in the eyes of a minister.

An example raised by professor Cherian George in a blog post involves the Singapore government accusing Reuters of publishing a fabricated headline. Based on an answer given by Minister Chan Chun Sing, where he said, All of us have to be prepared to do the job when called upon, Reuters had reported that he is prepared to become the next PM if called upon.

So instead of throwing platitudes at Singaporeans and expecting us to believe the government has our best interests at heart, perhaps Minister Shanmugam should consider the social and cultural conditions that have eroded trust in his party over time. He should also reflect on how the government may have played a role in creating these conditions through both policies and leadership.

After all, people fear what they dont trust, and fear is both the prime fuel for fake news and self-censorship. Neither are desirable outcomes in any kind of society.

When POFMA was first tabled, I was worried that it would make my job harder. A week later, I dont think my fears are unfounded, although Im less worried about unwittingly spreading a falsehood than having the far-reaching effects of POFMA affect the ease of speaking with people.

Still, while I dont speak on behalf of anyone, allow me to quote American journalist John Moe to summarise my stance: Anyone under the illusion that journalists will be frightened into silence has never met a journalist.

Have something to say about this story? Write to community@ricemedia.co. No fake thoughts please.

The post Under the Proposed Anti-Fake News Laws, Self-Censorship Could Be the New Normal appeared first on RICE.
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Summary

In Part 1, Franklin talks about his reasons for writing the Autobiography, saying that since you can't live your life over again, the next best thing is to recapture it by writing it down. He describes his early life in Boston, his love for reading, and his job training. Franklin apprentices as a printer to his brother James, but he hates working for him, and runs away to Philadelphia at age sixteen.



In Philadelphia, Franklin begins working for a printer named Keimer. The governor, Sir William Keith, offers to set Franklin up on his own as a printer and sends him to England to get supplies. Once in England, though, Franklin finds out that Keith's a liar and a cheat  and he's stuck in London without money or a way to get back to America. Franklin works hard at Watts' printing shop, learns about his craft, and makes some important connections. After he saves up enough money, he returns to America with his friend Mr. Denham, who's offered him a job.



Franklin works hard for Denham until his employer dies, and then he has to go back to Keimer. That doesn't last long, because Franklin quits. He decides to start his own business with another former Keimer employee, Hugh Meredith. Even though there's competition, they get a couple of lucky breaks, like printing the Pennsylvania Gazette. After Meredith bows out, Franklin gets some contracts to print paper money, and his rival Keimer retires. As the business really starts to take off, Franklin marries his old flame Deborah Read. He also helps found a gentleman's club called the Junto, which is for talking about and debating philosophical and scientific ideas. One of their first big projects is creating a subscription library. Franklin stops writing here because of the American Revolution.



Part 2 begins with Franklin writing from Passy, France, receiving letters from two of his friends, Abel James and Benjamin Vaughan. They basically tell Franklin that he is awesome, that his life story is awesome, and he should keep writing it. Franklin's persuaded. Let's face it: we probably would be too.



He goes back to where he stopped in Part 1 and tells us more about how the Junto created the Library system, then about his personal work on achieving the virtues of modesty and thrift. Franklin writes a list of virtues and works on them daily. He says he doesn't go to church, but prays by himself: he leaves religion out of his virtue list and says he'll get to it later in a book called The Art of Virtue, which he never writes. He ends this section by saying pride is the hardest virtue to overcome, and he's still working on it.



Part 3 picks up five years later, with Franklin in Philadelphia. He writes Poor Richard's Almanac; it and his newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette, are really successful. His business continues to expand. Franklin develops his ideas about religion in two encounters with preachers, both of whom he likes. The first, Samuel Hemphill, advocates virtue, but he's cast out by the public because he copies other guys' sermons in his own (yeah, that's plagiarism). The second, George Whitefield, is a great traveling preacher who, Franklin says, has amazing rhetoric. Franklin's club, the Junto, gets bigger and founds the first American fire department.



On a personal level, Franklin reconciles with his brother James, who's dying, and explains how his own son Francis died of smallpox. Professionally, Franklin is made General Assembly Clerk and Postmaster. He decides Pennsylvania needs two things: a better military and a better institution for higher education. Franklin writes Plain Truth, which calls for a better military, but turns down a position as colonel; however, he's still got a lot of influence over Pennsylvania's militia. He also talks about the problems Quakers face as pacifists trying to contribute to a system of defense. With the Junto, he founds the University of Pennsylvania. Franklin also works on creating the first American public hospital, better paving for Philadelphia's streets, and a better system for dusting London's streets.



The French and Indian War is coming. Franklin writes a plan for uniting all the American colonies, but it doesn't go over well. They stay organized by individual colony. He helps General Edward Braddock get military supplies on credit from Pennsylvania citizens; since they don't know Braddock, Franklin has to put up collateral. This will bite him in the butt, though. In the middle of doing important military stuff  preparing for a battle at Monongahela to take over Fort Duquesne  Braddock doesn't listen to Franklin's advice. They lose the battle and Braddock is killed. Luckily, he gives Franklin a large chunk of the money before that happens. Another general, Shirley, comes through for Franklin with more of the money. (Franklin never gets the rest.) Meanwhile, Franklin helps build forts in Pennsylvania for defense against the Native Americans and learns about the Moravian religion. He's briefly honored as a colonel, but turns down a position as general.



Franklin also has scientific success: he works on experiments in electricity with his friends Peter Collinson and Ebenezer Kinnersley. Collinson tells the Royal Society about Franklin's ideas, and his work is published. He gets into a scholarly fight with Abbe Nollet, who has competing ideas, but the scientific public promotes Franklin's as the best. He's made a member of the Royal Society.



The new governor, Denny, is having problems with the Pennsylvania Assembly. The Assembly wants to pass a law that taxes colonists and Proprietors (the guys who own the colonies) more fairly to gather money for defending the colonies, part of which will be under the direction of General Loudon, but Denny won't sign it. Despite being delayed by Loudon, Franklin finally gets to go to London on behalf of the Assembly to work on mediation. (He never gets the rest of the money he covered for Braddock.)



In Part 4, Franklin consults with his friend Dr. Fothergill about the problem the Assembly's having and meets with Lord Granville, head of the King's privy council, about it. Lord Granville says the King makes laws just by talking, but Franklin argues that he can only approve/deny the colonists' laws once  he shouldn't be able to go back on his word. Lord Granville disagrees.



Franklin and the Proprietors meet at Thomas Penn's house to talk about the dispute, and Franklin has to argue with the other side's attorney, Ferdinand Paris. He and the colonists spend one year waiting for the decision. Meanwhile, the Assembly and Governor Denny finally agree on the bill. The Proprietors petition to keep the bill from happening, because they don't want to be tasked, and everyone goes to court. There, Lord Mansfield mediates the case, and everyone comes to an agreement.



The autobiography ends with the Assembly celebrating Franklin and firing Governor Denny. The colonists try to sue him, but don't succeed  he's too well connected.
Climate change poses security risks, according to decades of intelligence reports

Posted on 9 April 2019 by dana1981

This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections

A series of authoritative governmental and nongovernmental analyses over more than three decades lays a strong foundation for concern over climate change implications for national security.

Most recently, the national intelligence community  including the Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other federal agencies  in January 2019 submitted the annual Worldwide Threat Assessment. In it, the intelligence agencies stated that climate change is an urgent and growing threat to our national security, contributing to increased natural disasters, refugee flows, and conflicts over basic resources such as food and water. These impacts are already occurring, and the scope, scale, and intensity of these impacts are projected to increase over time.

That report from National Intelligence Director Daniel R. Coats, a former U.S. Republican senator from Indiana, was just the most recent in a long string of analyses that any upcoming challenges to such conclusions will have to address. Those conclusions clearly are at odds with the Trump administrations efforts to undermine and reverse federal climate policies, and they cast doubt on the Presidents next day tweet that Perhaps Intelligence should go back to school!

With the White House now reportedly considering an executive order to establish a Presidential Committee on Climate Security that would contest such findings, its useful to review the history of climate change/national security official reports and findings. Although its unclear where the internal White House thinking on such a committee will lead, its been authoritatively reported that the push for such an effort is led by two individuals  Will Happer and Steven Koonin  widely known to have climate change views far different from those of the established science community as represented, for instance, by IPCC and the National Academy of Sciences.

Former Princeton physicist Will Happer, now with the White House staff, has a long history of scientifically challenged views about climate science. In the past a frequent favorite witness before House hearings overseen by members rejecting the climate science community consensus, Happer has acknowledged in a court case receiving funding from Peabody Coal and from other fossil fuel interests. In 2015 the New York Times reported that he was caught in a Greenpeace sting agreeing to take money from unknown Middle Eastern oil and gas interests in exchange for writing a report challenging climate science. Steven Koonin has written on blogs and in the Wall Street Journal pieces in stark contrast to the view of the overwhelming scientific consensus.

Concerned about reports of a potential new presidential review of climate change and national security, 58 former military and intelligence officials on March 5 sent a letter to the president cautioning that imposing a political test on reports issued by the science agencies, and forcing a blind spot onto the national security assessments that depend on them, will erode our national security.

Three decades of climate national security warnings

Climate and water resources expert Peter Gleick, in a recent review of more than 100 national security documents addressing climate change, has assessed decades of official national security strategy documents prepared to guide Democratic and Republican administrations on national defense priorities and military strategy. Those analyses began warning about threats to U.S. national security from environmental factors in the late 1980s, and in 1990, a U.S. Naval War College Report warned of potential climate change hazards:

Naval operations in the coming half century may be drastically affected by the impact of global climate change. For the Navy to be fully prepared for operations in this future climate environment, resources of both mind and money must be committed to the problem.

President George H.W. Bushs national security strategy in August 1991 acknowledged climate change as a security issue. In 2003, concerned by research documenting past instances of abrupt climate changes, the Pentagon commissioned a report with the name An Abrupt Climate Change Scenario and Its Implications for United States National Security. The report authors wrote:

an abrupt climate change scenario could potentially destabilize the geo-political environment, leading to skirmishes, battles, and even war  Violence and disruption stemming from the stresses created by abrupt changes in the climate pose a different type of threat to national security than we are accustomed to today.

They concluded their report cautioning about climate disruption and conflict becoming endemic features of life.

 increasing risks from climate change should be addressed now because they will almost certainly get worse if we delay.

Fast forward to 2007: A group of retired three- and four-star admirals and generals working with the Center for Naval Analyses wrote a report on National Security and the Threat of Climate Change. Their report recommended that The U.S. should commit to a stronger national and international role to help stabilize climate change at levels that will avoid signi?cant disruption to global security and stability. The authors concluded by saying:

Climate change can act as a threat multiplier for instability in some of the most volatile regions of the world, and it presents signi?cant national security challenges for the United States. Accordingly, it is appropriate to start now to help mitigate the severity of some of these emergent challenges. The decision to act should be made soon in order to plan prudently for the nations security. The increasing risks from climate change should be addressed now because they will almost certainly get worse if we delay.

A year later, the National Intelligence Council judged that more than 30 U.S. military installations were already facing elevated levels of risk from rising sea levels.

Then came the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review also warning of security threats posed by climate change:

Assessments conducted by the intelligence community indicate that climate change could have significant geopolitical impacts around the world, contributing to poverty, environmental degradation, and the further weakening of fragile governments. Climate change will contribute to food and water scarcity, will increase the spread of disease, and may spur or exacerbate mass migration. While climate change alone does not cause conflict, it may act as an accelerant of instability or conflict, placing a burden to respond on civilian institutions and militaries around the world.

The prognoses got no less worrisome when in 2014 the subsequent Quadrennial Defense Review again cautioned that climate change acts as a threat multiplier:

Click here to read the rest
Democratic presidential hopefuls like Elizabeth Warren have started talking openly about ending the Senate filibuster. But so far, Sen. Bernie Sanders hasnt been on board. Back in February, he said he wasnt crazy about the idea of nixing the rule, which effectively requires 60 votes to pass most major legislation.

This is a bit odd, for a couple reasons. Given that there is basically zero chance Democrats will hold 60 Senate seats in the Senate in 2021, keeping the filibuster in place would almost certainly make it impossible for a President Sanders to pass many of the big ticket items on his agendaespecially Medicare for All. Second, Sanders has in the past been a vocal proponent of reforming the filibuster. Back in 2013, when some Senate Democrats pushed to weaken the threshold, he was a big supporter of forcing senators to actually stand on the floor and talk, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington-style, if they wanted to stall a bill. He understands that something is wrong with Congresss procedural status quo.

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In an interview published Monday, HuffPosts Amanda Terkel pressed Sanders on the topic, asking how he planned to move ideas like the Green New Deal through the Senate. In response, the candidate suggested he could pass bills via the budget reconciliation process, which prevents filibusters on pieces of tax and spending legislation, allowing them to be enacted with a bare majority vote. He then reiterated that he wanted to reform, but not kill the filibuster entirely.

So we need real filibuster reform because, right now, for many many reasons, the Senate is dysfunctional. [] [T]here are ways through things like budget reconciliationhow do you think, you know, major pieces of legislation historically have been passed by 51 votes, or majority vote, through budget reconciliation. Where theres a will, theres a way. The problem is in terms of the filibuster, its an honest debate on both sides. Donald Trump supports the end of the filibuster. So you should be a little nervous if Donald Trump supports it.

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Sanders added later:

I do think that every piece of legislation that I am fighting for can be passed with good legislative processes, including budget reconciliation.

Coming from another candidate, with a different to-do list, this answer might be reasonable. Reconciliation is a powerful tool that can be wielded to create or eliminate entire government programs. Bill Clinton relied on reconciliation to pass his welfare reform bill. Republicans used to it push through their tax cut in 2017. An ambitious Democratic president could probably use it to implement a carbon tax or a child allowance, expand Medicare or bulk up Obamacare.

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But you know what almost certainly could not pass via reconciliation? The Medicare for All bill that Sanders has proposed. The problem is that, under the so-called Byrd rule, the Senate cannot use reconciliation to pass regulatory changes that only have an incidental impact on the budget. While the word incidental is open to some degree of interpretation, its a real limitation. When Republicans attempted to repeal Obamacare via reconciliation two years ago, the Senate parliamentarian concluded that important parts of their original bill violated the Byrd rule, such as a provision that would have locked adults out of the health insurance market for six months if they let their coverage lapse.

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Sanders Medicare for All plan would likely have trouble making it through reconciliation because it effectively bans comprehensive private insurance. Thats arguably the defining aspect of his proposal, the thing that makes it a true single-payer system, and it would almost certainly violate the Byrd rules restrictions on regulations that only have an incidental budget impact.

Using reconciliation would also make it more challenging to finance Medicare for All, since under the Byrd Rule, legislation cannot raise the deficit outside the official budget window. There are ways Democrats could try to get around that limitationthey could pass a 30 or 40 year budget resolution, for instancebut chances are, any health care bill passed via reconciliation would either have to be paid for in full, or designed to expire within a decade (much the way pieces of the GOPs tax bill are set to sunset).

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Sanders is not the only Democrat whose agenda could be tripped up by the filibuster. Any candidate serious about passing voting rights, criminal justice, antitrust, or immigration reform would run right into it. Its also worth remembering that, in the end, the president has no actual say over whether the Senate keeps the threshold in place; its up to the Senate, and the Senate only. But given that Medicare for All is his marquee proposal, and that the senator currently says hed reject more moderate compromises, its especially odd that hes still talking about keeping the filibuster around. Perhaps he thinks that by forcing Republicans to actually talk on the floor, he can neuter the rule without eliminating it entirely. But even that strategy seems a bit like magical thinking. As former Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin said back in 2013, a determined GOP could keep a talking filibuster alive indefinitely without too much of a problem, and more or less shut down the whole Senate in the process.

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The minority could say, Well, well take that first bill you come out here with, and were going to show you. If theres forty-five Republicans and they begin to speak around the clock, lets say they take two-hour intervals, which is not a heavy lift, each member only has to speak once every four days. They could plug the place up for two or three or four weeks. Nothing would happen.

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It is also, of course, possible that Sanders realizes his agenda would require putting the filibuster to bed for good, but doesnt want to acknowledge it yet. In his interview with HuffPost, he at least admitted that there was an argument for nixing the rule:

The problem, though, that I believe, is whether youre in the majority or the minority, I think you have to protect minority rights. I dont think you can just simply shove everything through. Theres an argument for that, by the way, but thats not where I am right now.

Hes not there right now. Maybe hell get there later.
Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney confidently declared this weekend that congressional Democrats will never see President Donald Trumps tax returns. House Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard Neal, who formally requested those returns last week, has predicted a long and grinding court battle before his committee can obtain Trumps tax filings. Both men may be underestimating the speed with which House members can get their hands on Trumps tax information. It need not take yearsor even months. Indeed, with a little help from Trumps home state, his tax filings could be in the Ways and Means Committees possession within a matter of days.

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As Frank Sinatra famously crooned, Its up to you, New York, New York.

Trump, as a lifelong Big Apple resident with business interests across the state, has been filing state income tax returns in New York for years. Those state income tax returns reveal much of the same information as his federal returns, and Trump also must submit various federal tax forms as attachments to his state tax filings. As a result, New York now possesses a trove of tax information relating to the president, his businesses, and his family trusts.

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Now, with top Trump administration officials indicating that they wont honor a lawful demand for Trumps tax returns, New York could play a pivotal role in putting Trumps tax filings in the hands of Congressand, potentially, bringing them into public view.

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There are at least three possible ways that some or all of Trumps tax filings might make it out of the Empire State and into the possession of congressional investigators. First, and most straightforwardly, the House Ways and Means Committee could subpoena Trumps tax records from state officials. Second, New York state lawmakers could authorize the state tax commissioner to share Trumps tax information with the House Ways and Means Committee. Third, state lawmakers could vote to release Trumps tax filings to the publicpotentially as part of a more comprehensive tax-transparency packagewhich, of course, would allow Ways and Means members to see them too.

Lets start with the first route, which is also the simplest: The House Ways and Means Committee would vote to issue a subpoena to the state tax commissioner for all of Trumps tax records from the past decade that New York now has. (And it has them. Indeed, the state appears to keep individual tax records from 1990 onward on hand.)

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According to the Supreme Court, Congress power of inquiryand its authority to subpoena documents and witnesses in the course of its inquiryis broad, though not unlimited. The subpoena-issuing committee must have a justification in terms of the functions of the Congress for its evidentiary demands. Neal, a Massachusetts Democrat, already articulated such a justification in the letter he sent to the IRS last Wednesday requesting Trumps returns dating back to 2013. The Ways and Means Committee, according to Neal, has a responsibility to ensure that the Internal Revenue Service  is enforcing the laws in a fair and impartial manner and the committee is conducting oversight related to  the extent to which the IRS audits and enforces the Federal tax laws against a President. The committee, in other words, wants to know whether the IRSa part of the executive branch under the presidents aegisis rigorously applying the tax laws to its own boss.

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The IRS already recognizes the risk of partialityor at least, the appearance of partialityin its examination of the presidents taxes. To minimize this risk, the IRSs manual mandates that the returns of the president and vice president will be audited each year by a team in Baltimore out of the view of other IRS employees. And its not just the president and vice president: The IRS also runs special audits of its own employees because, as the agency acknowledges, public trust in the tax system is bolstered when taxpayers know that the enforcers of federal tax laws fully comply with those laws themselves. This rationale applies doubly to the president because, under the Constitutions Take Care Clause, he is the person chiefly responsible for the enforcement of federal tax laws and all other federal laws.

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But the IRSs special audit procedure does not appear to apply to tax returns filed by a president before his inauguration that are still under examination when he takes office. This omission is especially significant with respect to Trump, whose lawyers said in March 2016 that his returns for every year from 2009 onward remained under review. The special procedure for presidential and vice presidential audits also does not appear to apply to returns filed by business entities affiliated with the sitting president. The Ways and Means Committee thus has ample cause for concern about possible pro-presidential bias in the IRSs handling of Trumps returnsa concern that would only be exacerbated if, as he has indicated he would do, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin takes the highly unusual step of intervening in the IRSs response to Neals request.

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Keep in mind that neither Mnuchin nor anyone else in the Trump administration should be able to block the Ways and Means Committee chair from obtaining these documents. Section 6103(f) of the Internal Revenue Code provides that upon written request from the Ways and Means chair, the treasury secretary shall furnish such committee with any return or return information specified in such request. A Section 6103(f) requestlike a subpoenamust be backed by a legitimate purpose, but Neals request for Trumps tax returns easily clears that bar.

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Congress could put the backup plan into effect tomorrow.

Unfortunately, it appears that the Trump Treasury Department wont follow the law without a court fight. Fortunately, nothing stops the Ways and Means Committee from pursuing a backup plan while the treasury secretary stalls for time.

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It could put the backup plan into effect tomorrow: The committee would issue a subpoena to the New York state tax commissioner, and the commissioner would be obligated to comply. Indeed, the Supreme Court has said that it is the unremitting obligation of all citizens to respond to subpoenas from congressional committees. In the event that New York refused, the full House could authorize the Ways and Means Committee to file a lawsuit in federal court in New York to enforce the subpoena.

But it would be surprising if New York resisted the Ways and Means Committees demands. New York officials would likely recognize that the law is on the Ways and Means Committees side. Ways and Means Committee members have thought that they would be ensnared in a knock-down, drag-out legal fight with the Trump administration over Chairman Neals Section 6103(f) request, but if the Ways and Means Committee sends a subpoena to New York, the committee could have access to a wealth of Trump tax filings in a matter of days.

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New York law, to be sure, restricts the conditions under which the state tax commissioner can share taxpayer information. But the states secrecy statute applies except in accordance with proper judicial order or as otherwise provided by law. A congressional subpoena would seem to satisfy the otherwise provided by law prong, and a federal court order enforcing the congressional subpoena would certainly meet the proper judicial order condition.

Federal civil and criminal penalties apply to the disclosure of tax returns, but these laws do not cover state returns or federal forms that are attached to state filings. This much can be gleaned from the statute itself, and the Joint Committee on Taxation has made this crystal-clear: According to the committee, the copies of the Federal returns or the return information required by a State or local government to be attached to, or included in, the State or local return do not constitute Federal returns or return information subject to the Federal confidentiality rules.

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Although a congressional subpoena would be the simplest and fastest way to get Trumps tax filings into the Ways and Means Committees possession, it would require the committee to take the initiative. Rather than waiting for Ways and Means to act, New York lawmakers are taking matters into their own hands and pursuing a second strategy: amending the states tax secrecy statute to explicitly allow the tax commissioner to release returns to congressional committees.

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State Sen. Brad Hoylman, a Manhattan Democrat, introduced a bill Monday to do just that. The bill would authorize the state tax commissioner to furnish the House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, or the Joint Committee on Taxation with any returns or return information filed with New York state if the chair of the requesting committee certifies in writing that the information is sought for a specified and legitimate legislative purpose and that the committee already attempted to obtain the information from the treasury secretary under Section 6103(f). After a Cuomo administration official initially criticized the bill, the governors office backtracked Monday afternoon and endorsed the legislation. And with Democrats now in control of both chambers of the state Legislature, Hoylmans billsupported by a powerful governorstands a strong chance of becoming law.

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Hoylmans bill would accomplish the same thing as a Ways and Means Committee subpoena, with one wrinkle. A separate part of Section 6103paragraph (p)(8)provides that the IRS cannot share federal return information with state officials unless the state adopts provisions of law which protect the confidentiality of the copy of the Federal return  attached to, or the Federal return information reflected on the states own returns. The Trump administration might arguerather dubiouslythat if New York passes Hoylmans bill, the state will no longer have adopt[ed] provisions of law which protect the confidentiality of federal return information. That wouldnt expose New York officials to civil or criminal penalties, but it could conceivably cause the IRS to cut off information-sharing with New York state tax authorities.

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This argument is dubious for two reasons. First, the Joint Committee on Taxation and the one federal court to address the issue have both said that a state satisfies Section 6103(p)(8) even if its own confidentiality statute isnt identical to federal law. New Yorks current tax secrecy statute, for example, allows state tax authorities to share taxpayer information with certain other state officials who administer state welfare, unemployment insurance, and child support laws, and with tax authorities from other states. If none of that trips up Section 6103(p)(8), its hard to see why adding three congressional committees to the list of potential recipients would. Second, even though states dont need to mirror federal confidentiality laws, Hoylmans bill essentially does. Federal law says that the House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, and the Joint Committee on Taxation are entitled to taxpayer information upon written request (at least when they have a legitimate basis for that request), and Hoylmans bill says the same.

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On top of all that, the threat that the IRS would cut off cooperation with state tax authorities under Section 6103(p)(8) operates somewhat like a Cold Warera nuclear deterrent: If the IRS followed through on this threat, New York would no doubt retaliate, and consequences for the administration of federal tax and nontax laws would be dramatic. As Arizona State University law professor Erin Scharff has documented, the IRS and other arms of the federal government are heavily dependent upon state authorities for a wide variety of datasuch as state death records that allow federal officials to detect fraudulent tax refunds and Social Security claims as well as licensing data that helps the IRS identify small businesses that have not filed federal taxes. Although its impossible to put anything past this president, for the Trump administration to cut off cooperation with New York state tax authorities would be slicing off its nose to spite its face.

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In sum, Hoylmans bill could accomplish virtually the same thing that a Ways and Means Committee subpoena would: It would allow New York state officials to share Trumps tax filings with congressional investigators. Perhaps the most significant difference between these two pathways is that a subpoena is mandatory, while Hoylmans bill is permissive. That is, Hoylmans bill says that the state tax commissioner may furnish return information with the Ways and Means Committeenot that he must. Although the Cuomo administration has not indicated that it would make use of this wiggle room, the subpoena route leaves state officials with no such discretion.

There is a third way for New York to get Trumps tax information into the Ways and Means Committees hands, and that is to release it everyone. A separate bill pending in the state Legislature would accomplish that end by requiring the state to release returns filed by all officials elected on a statewide basisincluding the president and the vice president (if they file returns in New York) as well as the governor, lieutenant governor, comptroller, and attorney general. A majority of the members of the state Senate and state Assembly have signed onto the legislation as sponsors and co-sponsors, and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie has said that Democrats in his chamber will consider the legislation at the end of this month. (Disclosure: for the past two years I have been an informal adviser to Assemblyman David Buchwald, a Westchester Democrat who has sponsored and tirelessly championed this bill.)

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Importantly, the three pathways to Trumps tax returns are not mutually exclusive: State lawmakers could, for example, move forward with Hoylmans bill and Buchwalds more comprehensive legislationwhich Hoylman has sponsored in the state Senateeven as they wait for a House Ways and Means Committee subpoena. And they are not entirely duplicative: The subpoena route and the Hoylman bill would get the tax returns into the Ways and Means Committees hands, whereas Buchwalds bill would serve the additional function of bringing them into public view. Note, though, that once the Ways and Means Committee has a copy of Trumps tax returns, there is nothing that stops a committee member from reading them aloud, line by line, on C-SPAN: While federal law says that the Ways and Means Committee can consider confidential return information only in closed executive session, the Constitutions Speech or Debate Clause shields any member of Congress from legal repercussions if she divulges return information during a committee meeting or on the chamber floor.

Last but not least, none of this excuses the Trump Treasury Department from complying with Neals request under Section 6103(f). Neal has asked not only for Trumps returns but also for the IRS work files that will allow the Ways and Means Committee to determine whether audits of Trumps taxes have been infected by bias. New York doesnt have the IRSs internal records, so it cant supply those. But it can aid the Ways and Means Committee in its important investigationnotwithstanding the Trump administrations apparent attempt to escape congressional oversight.

All of which is to say that neverwhich is when Mulvaney said Democrats would see Trumps tax returnsmay turn out to be not so long away. Despite formerly being a South Carolina state lawmaker, Mulvaney seems to have forgotten about Americas federalist system. The IRS isnt the only tax authority with Trumps filings, and Washington isnt the only place where this fight may play out. If the battle shifts to Albany, it could turn out to be very brief.
The Illinois Supreme Court ruled last week that a lobbyist for a teachers union was entitled to a public pension, potentially worth more than $1 million over his lifetime, after working just one day as a substitute for a middle school history class. How was that possible? Could anyone go work as a substitute teacher for a day in Illinois and get a pension?

No. David Piccioli, a lobbyist for the Illinois Federation of Teachers, took advantage of a very specific set of circumstances, which is partly why the Legislature triedand failedto negate his pension.

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The scheme started in October 2006, when a state House staff member asked Steven Preckwinkle, a director at the IFT, whether the union would be interested in supporting a bill about retirement funds. A stipulation tucked into the legislation allowed people to count their years as union employees toward a teachers pension. As long as those private union employees had a teaching certificate, worked in a classroom, and paid contributions before the bill was signed into law, they would be entitled to the public pension.

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The IFT ultimately decided to back the bill, and Preckwinkle notified approximately 40 employees, including Piccioli, in November of that year that they had only a few months to become eligible before the bill signing. Piccioli, who appears to have been the only person to fully pursue the opportunity, then worked for one day in December as a substitute and obtained his teaching certificate. He also paid $192,668 to cover the contributions. Two months later, Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who had received a reelection endorsement and more than $515,000 from IFT, signed the bill.

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In 2011, shortly after Blagojevich had been removed from office for trying to sell President Barack Obamas vacant Senate seat, the Chicago Tribune and WGN-TV uncovered the pension arrangement. Some lawmakers were disturbed by the news and moved to strike out the union-employee stipulation from the pension bill. The state Legislature enacted a law that effectively reduced Picciolis pension. He sued, and the state Supreme Court ultimately ruled that the law violated the state constitution, which dictates that established pensions cannot be diminished or impaired. (Piccioli was further allowed to keep his prior 401(k) plan with the IFT and a separate pension for his time as a House aide.)

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Not all the judges on the court agreed with that decision. Three of them joined in a dissent arguing that the pension bill violated the Illinois Constitutions prohibition against special legislation, which are laws that explicitly apply only to a particular set of constituents. For example, a state law benefiting only people in Chicago would be a clear case of special legislation. The dissenting judges contended that the bill essentially gave pensions to a specific subset of union employees who were able to gain teaching credentials and experience in the narrow, arbitrary window of time between the bills passage in the Legislature and signing by the governor. They further pointed out that Preckwinkle even told IFT employees that he would try to delay the bill signing to give them all time to work as a substitute teacher. Slamming a window shut before it ever opened smacks of special legislation, the dissent reads.

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However, special legislation prohibitions have weakened considerably since their heyday in the 19th century, and its rare now to see judges base decisions on them. In this case, the courts majority decided that while the bill did benefit a particular set of people, setting a deadline for the eligibility window wasnt arbitrary. The justices also cited the clause in the state constitution stating that pension benefits shall not be diminished or impaired. Though many state constitutions have similar clauses, the Illinois Court has been particularly stringent in its interpretation of the protections. In 2016, the Legislature attempted to change the way pensions were calculated. The court struck down the law and essentially ruled that there would need to be a constitutional amendment to make any adjustments.

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Since Piccioli was the only union official to take advantage of the pension bill, the decision is unlikely to have a broad impact. Yet the unusual facts of the case have further inflamed debates over the states pension system, which is more than $130 billion in debt. Some, like the editorial board of the Chicago Tribune, argue that the state Supreme Courts strict reading of the state constitutions pension clause has repeatedly allowed people to exploit loopholes. The Legislature could change the clause to relieve the strain on the system, but any amendment to the state constitution requires three-fifths of the members in the House and Senate to vote in favor, as well as a public referendum.

Explainer thanks Daniel Rodriguez, the Harold Washington professor at Northwestern Law School, and Nadav Shoked, professor of law at Northwestern Law School.
President Donald Trumps designation of Irans Revolutionary Guards Corps as a foreign terrorist organization is likely to spark more violence in the regionand may be intended to do so.

In one sense, the movethe latest escalation in Trumps maximum pressure campaign against the Islamic republicwill have only modest impact. The military unit (often abbreviated as the IRGC) was already sanctioned by the Treasury Department, in 2017, for its material support of terrorist groups, such as Hamas and Hezbollah. The Iranian government as a whole has been on the State Departments list of state sponsors of terrorism, which carries economic penalties, since 1984. (There are, today, only three other states on the list: Sudan, Syria, and North Korea.)

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The new designation, which was announced Monday and will take effect April 15, steps up the pressure in two ways: It imposes criminal penalties on anyone who knowingly does business with the IRGC (which controls about 20 percent of Irans economy), and it bars members of the IRGC and its affiliateswho number roughly 11 millionfrom travel to the United States.

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But the move also crosses a boldly drawn line. It marks the first time the United States has designated a branch of a foreign governments military as a terrorist organization. The IRGC is many things: a local economic powerhouse, a means of assisting and training Iranian allies and militias in the region; but it is also a praetorian guard and special forces unit of the Iranian military.

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For the United States and many other countries, the longer-term potential for blowback is considerable.

In the bureaucratic debates leading up to Mondays announcement, Trumps move was reportedly opposed by Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and by senior civilian officials in the Pentagon, for two reasons: It could harm American allies, and it could endanger American troops.

For some allies, the decision could have an immediate impact. Although the IRGC supports militias such as Hamas and Hezbollah, it also helps the Shiite-led government in Iraq fight off Sunni militias such as al-Qaida and ISIS. To designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization would make Iraqan ally of the United Statesa state sponsor of terrorism.

For the United States and many other countries, the longer-term potential for blowback is considerable. Many of the worlds special forces, air forces, and intelligence seriesincluding those of the United States and its alliescommit acts that kill or terrorize civilians, sometimes deliberately. Trumps move sets a precedent by which the victims of those acts, or their allies, might declare the attackers to be terrorist organizations.

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In fact, Irans Supreme National Security Council has already responded by labeling U.S. Central Commandwhich controls all U.S. military operations in the Middle East and Central Asiaa terrorist organization. Iran has no way to impose economic sanctions on the United States, but its militias and their allies might now regard any of the commands 200,000 personnel as legitimate targets in an attackjust as the U.S. military does for members of organizations that American leaders have labeled terrorists.

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Presumably Trump was briefed on the severe risks, and the modest benefits, of his decision. So why did he go ahead and make it anyway? There were, I suspect, three converging motives.

First, and perhaps above all, Trump did it to help his friend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, win his tight reelection contest this week. The timing was too close to be mere coincidence. Netanyahu, in fact, sent Trump a letter thanking him for the decision. Interestingly, according to the New York Times, in the Hebrew version of the letterwhich Netanyahu released to the publiche thanked Trump for accepting another important request of mine. In the English version, this passage was omitted. Was Netanyahu falsely taking credit for the decision to boost his chances of reelection? Or was the idea truly his, and by deleting the reference, was he shielding Trump from being seen, by American voters, as his puppet?

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Second, ever since taking office, Trump has been hellbent on hurting the Iranian governmentone of vanishingly few authoritarian regimes whose leaders he doesnt likein as many ways as he can, and this is but the latest move in that campaign.

Third, it is worth noting who was advocating this move inside the administrationSecretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton. Pompeo has spoken many times about encouraging the Iranian people to rise up against their oppressive leaders. Bolton, when he was a think-tank neocon and a Fox News pundit, spoke out, even more frequently and avidly, for a policy of regime change in Iran.

Bolton may be hoping that Trumps designation will provoke the IRGC to attack American service members in the regionbecause that would provide an opening to attack Iran.

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Whatever one makes of the Iranian government or the IRGC, it is hard to see how this stratagemTrumps designation or Boltons exploitation of its consequencesleads to a good place. If the regime in Tehran were somehow toppled, it is very unlikely that Western-leaning democrats would rise up to take their placeespecially if the ouster was traced to Americans. The successors would much more likely be the commanders of the IRGC. And if Trumps designation managed in the meantime to weaken the IRGC, the new leaders would likely be the shrewderand perhaps even more militantofficers from within its ranks. Either that, or anarchy would erupt. And, in a country twice as populous and three times as large as Iraq, with a history of mistrusting Western intruders, the chance is nil that U.S. interests will come out ahead in the ensuing struggle for power and resources.
Kirstjen Nielsens tenure as homeland security secretary will be remembered as a new standard for nativist viciousness. Nielsen executed the Trump administrations zero tolerance policy on the border. She began implementing the separation program that tore thousands of migrant children from their families. The government lost track of at least 1,500 children under her watch. She oversaw punitive operations along the southern border that included the tear-gassing of hundreds of desperate would-be refugees near the San Ysidro border crossing. Seven-year-old Jakelin Caal died in U.S. custody during her term. Nielsen also implemented the controversial Remain in Mexico policy that denies asylum-seekers the possibility to wait for the resolution of their application process in the United States, instead sending them back across the border, where they face threats and growing resentment.

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Herself a descendant of Danish immigrants, Nielsen not only implemented Trumps anti-immigrant agendashe defended it with zeal. She declined to apologize for the evidently brutal consequences of the administrations family separation policy and dutifully went along with Trumps declaration of a supposed national emergency on the border. Nielsen even tried to mimic her bosss immoral equivocation during the Charlottesville white supremacist rally in 2017. Its not that one side was right and one side was wrong, Nielsen said.

And yet, in a fine example of just how deep the Trump administration has fallen down into its nativist sunken place, Nielsen, a blatant enabler of modern cruelty, will be missed.

In a fine example of just how deep the Trump administration has fallen down into its nativist sunken place, Nielsen, a blatant enabler of modern cruelty, will be missed.

For Mexico, Trumps bete noire, Nielsens departure signals an abrupt and wearisome interruption in the painstaking development of a functioning relationship. Nielsen had led negotiations with both Marcelo Ebrard, secretary of foreign affairs, and the countrys influential secretary of the interior, Olga Sanchez Cordero, who met with Nielsen frequently.

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She was always kind and courteous to me, Sanchez Cordero told me. Still, the relationship between the two wasnt always simple. Last time we saw each other, she did question me over the number of migrants that had been detained at the border, Sanchez Cordero recalled. According to Sanchez Cordero, Nielsen told her that U.S. authorities expected that the number of migrants crossing in irregular fashion would climb up to 100,000 by the end of March, and that this was causing serious problems for the White House.

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Nielsen also mentioned the growing problem of shelters along the border reaching capacity as well as what the DHS secretary vaguely referred to as the rejection among the local population of potential refugees on the U.S. side of the border. Sanchez Cordero said she told a demanding Nielsen that Mexico would try to normalize the access of every person entering Mexico because its also a national security issue for us.

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Still, Sanchez Cordero told me she and Nielsen were starting to build a working relationship, one that could now be derailed if President Donald Trump chooses an immigration hard-liner as Mexicos next interlocutor. When I asked Sanchez Cordero whether she was worried by the possibility of Trump naming a more severe nativist ideologue as DHS head, she immediately rejected any concerns. This is not about people but about policy, she told me, We will work with whomever they choose. Foreign Secretary Ebrard, a bespectacled man of laconic style, agrees. In a recent interview with Spanish newspaper El Pais, Ebrard praised acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan. Hes a person we know well, said Ebrard. If he stays, I believe we will have a closer dialogue between the two countries.

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Both Mexican officials might be indulging in wishful thinking.

Policy matters, but people who enact it might matter even more. The nature of Nielsens resignationshe left after Trumps immigration demands became increasingly outrageous and perhaps even illegalshould be read as a warning: Something much worse might soon emerge from Trumps nativist coterie.

It appears unlikely Trump will settle on someone like McAleenan, despite the acting directors willingness to enact the White Houses border clampdown. If even Nielsen proved to be too much of a moderate for Trumps ruthless taste, the president will likely look at a rabid nativist ideologue to continue pursuing his anti-immigrant fantasies. Whether it be White House adviser and de facto immigration czar Stephen Miller himself (who, as Max Boot eloquently argues, should emerge and formally take the throne hes also been running from the shadows) or one of Millers anti-immigrant comrades, like the equally macabre Kris Kobach, Trumps radicalization of immigration policy will complicate the possible resolution of the growing humanitarian crisis from Central America and further tangle the relationship with Mexicos new government.

Things can surely get worse.
Things are going much better for Pete Buttigieg than he could have realistically hoped. This month has brought the South Bend, Indiana, mayor promising polling numbers, flattering coverage, and a stunning fundraising haul. He spent the first few days of his campaign teaching reporters how to pronounce his name; hes spent the past few getting profiled by The Daily Show and appearing on Meet the Press. Its been a remarkable rise for the 37-year-old, who unofficially entered the primary in late January with an exploratory committee but who wont formally launch his bid for president until this weekend.

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The latest batch of good news for Buttigieg came this week by way of two new national surveys, one each from HarrisX and Morning Consult, both of which have him solidly in the second tier of candidateswell behind Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, who remain out in front by a statistical mile, but right in the middle of the half-dozen credible contenders bunched up behind the two favorites. The RealClearPolitics national average is starting to tell a similar story. Last month, Mayor Pete was having a moment; this month, it looks like he has an actual chance.

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Still, a bucket of cold context is in order. Buttigieg may be the Democratic upstart of the moment or the hottest candidate in the land, in the words of some of this weeks coverage, but only when viewed through the lens of expectations. By most real-world metrics, hes performing roughly as well as Cory Booker or Amy Klobuchar, both of whom have far more endorsements, nearly as much cash, and roughly the same polling numbers as Buttigieg but who havent received the kind of fawning coverage he has of late. Kirsten Gillibrand might be willing to trade places with Buttigieg at the moment, but I dont think Elizabeth Warren or Beto ORourke wouldeven as the former struggles to raise money and the latter draws critical coverage for simply holding steady after entering the race with a record-breaking bang.

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Heres an oversimplified timeline of Buttigiegs ascent to the middle tier: He started campaigning in January, began to get noticed with some real talk about packing the Supreme Court in February, received rave reviews for his CNN town hall performance the following month, and then kicked off April with a fundraising report of $7 million, which ultimately placed him below Sanders ($18.2 million), Kamala Harris ($12 million), and ORourke ($9.4 million), and above Booker ($5.2 million) and Klobuchar ($5.1 million) on the unofficial first-quarter leaderboard. No one saw that coming.

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Along the way there was plenty of excitement about his potential to make history as the first openly gay nominee of a major party, along with the related conversation about how his sexuality intersects with his lived experience as a white man. There were also the charming anecdotes about his nerdiness that proved catnip for certain swaths of Twitter, a narrative that overshadowed the reality that his reputation as a Big Thinker has largely yet to translate into policy specificsunlike a certain other second-tier candidate who also has Harvard on her resume. All the while, Buttigiegs traditional biographyRhodes scholar, McKinsey consultant, Navy officerhas won him fans among the establishment set.

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After that impressive start, Buttigieg remains on the upswing. He was mentioned a total of 216 times on Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN between March 31 and April 6, according to FiveThirtyEight, which counted cable news mentions of the candidates in the race (i.e., not Biden). The only candidates talked about more were Sanders (551) and ORourke (300). Following Buttigieg on the list: Harris (198), Tim Ryan (165), Warren (163), and Julian Castro (69). The frequency with which Ryan was mentioned is telling: With 24 hours to fill in a day, the talking heads are desperate for something, anything, new to talk about.

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This isnt a knock on the media for looking beyond the usual suspects. This is how things are supposed to work, generally speaking. The political press casts an increasingly wide net, which gives more candidates the chance to make their pitches to voters, and then voters decide whether those candidates are worth more attention. Polling and fundraising are imperfect metrics, but theyre the best the media has when the first nominating contests are still 10 months away. In a Democratic primary that has so far been lacking in surprises, Mayor Pete is a clear exception. And given the ongoing concerns about Bidens behavior around women, it also seems like a particularly good time for moderate Democrats to consider their options.

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For all of Buttigiegs online buzz, its important to remember that Twitter is not the real world. He remains largely unknown IRL. He is currently at 2.9 percent in the RealClearPolitics national average, good for seventh place. If 2.9 percent doesnt sound like a lot, well, its because it isnt. Buttigiegs support was within the margin of error in five of the seven polls that make up that average, including the new one from HarrisX, which was released Monday evening. (A sixth survey, the Harvard-Harris Poll, did not calculate margin of error). The one exception was the Morning Consult survey, released Tuesday morning, which found Buttigieg at 5 percent nationally, up from 1 percent a month ago.

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Given how static the polling has been in the (very) early days of the primary, Buttigiegs subtle bump is importantelections by definition are popularity contests, after allbut it obscures the reality that 1 in 2 Democrats surveyed by Morning Consult still have not heard of him and roughly 2 in 3 have no opinion about him. His national profile really is on the rise, but he has a long way to go before hes in the same ballpark as Warren, ORourke, or Harrislet alone Biden and Sanders, who currently enjoy near-universal name recognition. For now, then, Buttigiegs standing is largely a matter of perspective: His current position looks remarkable given where he started, but its also a long way from where hell need to finish.
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Nogales is the biggest port in Arizona, and it has been a focal point of Trumps increasingly aggressive tactics on the border. How do the presidents efforts to shut down the border change a place like Nogales?

We first aired this episode on Feb. 2.

Guest: Mayor of Nogales Arturo Garino.

Tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or sending an email to whatnext@slate.com.

Follow us on Instagram for updates on the show.

Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Anna Martin.
One of the more interesting legal phenomena of the Trump administration has been the attention paid to previously obscure federal statutesand how the legal authorities they provide can be abused by a president who isnt bound by ordinary political checks and conventions.

Consider whats happening this week with the Department of Homeland Security. On Sunday, right after announcing that Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen would be resigning (almost surely at the presidents insistence), President Donald Trump announced that he was naming Kevin McAleenanthe commissioner of Customs and Border Protectionas acting secretary. After apparently discovering that federal law requires that the under secretary for managementClaire Gradybecome acting secretary in such a case (because there is currently no Senate-confirmed deputy secretary), the White House announced on Monday that it was removing Grady (a Trump appointee), apparently for no other reason than to clear the way for McAleenan.

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The Federal Vacancies Reform Act is the law that allows the president to bypass the background assumption that, when a government office is vacant, the next person in line to hold that office can exercise its functions on an acting basis. Thus, it was the FVRA that allowed the president to name Mick Mulvaney acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau even though that agency had a Senate-confirmed deputy director. It was also the FVRA that allowed the president to name Matthew Whitaker as acting attorney general even though Rod Rosenstein was the Senate-confirmed deputy attorney general. And Trump presumably intended to use the FVRA to appoint McAleenan over Grady as acting DHS secretary before he realized a different statute got in the way.

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Vacancies are inevitable in the executive branch. Even if the government tries to avoid long periods with unfilled offices (which used to be norm for the secretary of defensean office that has now been vacant for a record 99 days), some departures will always be unplanned. But it is not inevitable that the president should be able to fill vacancies however he sees fit and for however long he desires.

The Constitution is quite clear that the Senate is supposed to play a roleadvice and consentin the conformation of senior government officers. The more Trump relies upon the FVRA to fill vacancies on a temporary basis, the more he is depriving the Senate of its constitutional roleand in the process, of opportunities to vet his nominees, to reject those who are unqualified, and to conduct meaningful oversight of the executive branch.

Indeed, Trump has made no bones about his preference for relying on acting department heads as an end-run around the Senate. As he put it in January, I like acting [officers]. It gives me more flexibility.

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But what Congress giveth, Congress canand shouldtake away. There are several reforms Congress should adopt that would preserve the ability of Trump (or his successors) to temporarily fill otherwise unfillable vacancies without so transparently bypassing the Senates constitutional role.

First, time limits. One of the FVRAs innovations was supposed to be an overarching time limit on all acting appointments. But the statutes generous grace period210 dayscan be extended, perhaps indefinitely, so long as the president nominates someone to hold that office on a permanent basis, even if the Senate never acts on the nomination. This should be fixed. The time limit should be reduced to 60 days, subject to extension if and only if the president nominates a permanent successor during that period, and only until the Senate formally approves or rejects the nomination. Thus, so long as the president nominates a permanent successor within 60 days, the ball would be in the Senates courtto decide between confirming the presidents nominee, rejecting the nomination, or not acting on it (thereby leaving the acting officeholder in place).

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Second, even with such tightened time limits, Congress should be more specific about who the president may name as an acting officeholder. Under the FVRA, the president can choose between the first assistant to the relevant position (for Cabinet secretaries, this is typically their deputy); any officer holding a Senate-confirmed position anywhere in the executive branch; or certain nonSenate-confirmed senior officials within the same agency as the vacancy.

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The more Trump fills vacancies on a temporary basis, the more he is depriving the Senate of its constitutional role.

A better approach would be to require the president first to choose the first assistant; then, if that office is also vacant, from any Senate-confirmed officer in the same agency; then, to name a nonSenate-confirmed senior official only if no Senate-confirmed officers from that agency remain; and finally, to name a Senate-confirmed officer from a different agency only if no qualifying senior officials from the same agency remain (an issue more for smaller agencies than for larger ones). This way, the president must, in the first instance, rely upon the individual who is supposed to be next in line, and then someone the Senate confirmed to the same agency. Under this approach, the president could only take advantage of the statutes flexibility when its truly necessary.

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Of course, as with this weeks DHS contretemps, the president could simply fire the first assistant and all of the other Senate-confirmed officers in an agency in order to create conditions that would allow him to name someone else. But in a world in which the Senate could also refuse to confirm any of the presidents nominees, some degree of flexibility in extremis seems necessary to prevent giving too much power to the legislature.

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Finally, Congress should also consider limiting the functions that acting agency heads should be allowed to perform. Acting agency heads are usually allowed to take virtually all of the same actions as a permanent holder of that office, but only because Congress has so provided. Nothing would stop Congress from denying acting agency heads the power to, among other things, rescind regulations promulgated by Senate-confirmed predecessors, take action to apply regulations the agency has promulgated, or a host of other steps that would create strong incentives for a president to prefer a Senate-confirmed officerto reduce the flexibility Trump so unabashedly enjoys.

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It is easy to see how a Senate hostile to a sitting president could try to use such a constraint as a weapondepriving a president of the power to implement his agenda by refusing to confirm anyone he nominates to any post. But theres any easy fix for this concern: Congress should condition the reduction of an acting officeholders powers on the presidents refusal to submit a nominee to permanently hold that office.

Such a measure would mean that a president who wants an acting officeholder to have full authority need only send a name to the Senate (which, per the time limit proposal, would either confirm the nominee, reject the nomineeterminating the acting officers authorityor take no action, leaving the acting officer with full authority). So conceived, an acting officeholders power would only be reduced if the president refuses to even name a permanent nominee (as Trump has done with the secretary of defense). And if the president names an unconfirmable nominee as a ploy to give the acting officeholder full authority, the Senate can quickly vote to reject the nominee, thereby also terminating the acting officeholders ability to hold the office.

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In other words, theres a way to thread the needle so that all of the incentives militate in favor of the regular appointments process, regardless of whether the president and the Senate are on the same page or at loggerheads with each other. And its hard to imagine how these reforms would raise constitutional concerns. Even the staunchest defenders of the unitary executive theory of presidential power concede that the Senate is supposed to play a role in the appointments process and that allowing long-term acting officeholders is itself a constitutional problem.

Congress probably cant limit the class of individuals whom the president can nominate on a permanent basis, but the FVRA itself limits the class of individuals who can serve as acting officeholders. This proposal only tightens those existing constraints. Nor is there any argument against Congress power to reduce the authority of acting officeholders vis-a-vis their permanent predecessors and successors. There are some statutes that already so provide, and as a general matter it is up to Congressnot the presidentto define the duties and authorities of offices it creates.

These proposals would go a long way toward Trump-proofing the federal vacancies regimeand in the process, better balancing the presidents right to control the bureaucracy he oversees with the Senates constitutional responsibility to play a role in deciding who may hold the most important executive branch offices. It should be a no-brainer for any Congress to enactwhich, sadly, means it likely has no chance in this one.
Insider reports have now presented a consensus explanation for Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsens sudden Saturday resignation: Nielsen, it seems, was forced out because Donald Trump blamed her for the persistence of undocumented border crossings and resented her for not wanting to help him institute potentially illegal measures to stem the flow.

Now, you might be asking yourself: Didnt we just get done with an extended news cycle related to Trumps impetuous and legally dubious demands for some sort of border-related crackdown? And the answer is yes, the president shut down parts of the government for more than a month this winter because Congress wouldnt fund his famous wall, then came up with a plan to pay for the wall via a controversial national emergency declaration instead. (That declaration is currently being challenged in court.) Before that, in the summer of 2018, Trumps administration instituted a family separation policy at the border that caused a nationwide furor before being halted by a judge on due process grounds. And before that, in the first days of his term, Trump instituted a ban on travelers from Muslim-majority countries that was likewise struck down by courts. (A later, more limited revision of the ban was eventually upheld.)

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If theres a through line to Trumps wild, news-overload presidency, its this: Sooner or later, whatever his administration says about how it wants to use its time, the presidents attention is going to drift back to the idea that an immigrant group is invading or infiltrating the U.S.

The curious thing about this real-life Groundhog Daybut-its-not-funny is that it has not been a winning strategy for Trump. The Muslim ban coincided with the early plummeting of his approval rating, which took another dip during the recent wall-motivated shutdown. Family separation polled poorly, and it preceded midterm elections that went badly for Republicans even after Trump sent troops to the border in October in a stunt precipitated by the migrant caravan. His emergency declaration actually triggered a significant number of Senate Republicans to vote against him, something weve rarely seen during his time in office. If the past is any guide, Trumps rumored plan to close the El Paso port of entry and separate adults from their children even if they arrive in the U.S. legally will not make him more popular with Republicans in Congress or Americans as a whole.

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So why does he do it? It seems, given the available reporting, that there are several reasons. One is Stephen Millera campaign speechwriter turned senior presidential adviser and one of the only individuals not related to Trump by blood or marriage whos maintained a top White House role since the inauguration. Miller, who is said to have pushed for Nielsen to leave, is the longest-surviving Rasputin of the more high-profile figures whove had their time at Trumps right handRoger Stone, Corey Lewandowski, Paul Manafort, Steve Bannon, and John Kelly among them.

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The presidents other policy initiatives might have felt disjointed because he cant retain other staffers for more than six monthsbut Miller, as my colleague Dahlia Lithwick has observed, has kept himself in Trumps good graces by staying behind the scenes and maintaining a singular focus on punitive, white nationalistadjacent immigration policies that speak directly to the presidents political id. That id in turn is maintained and fueled by Fox News, which the president watches all the time and whose most prominent hosts long ago established a business model that depends on perpetually portraying the U.S. as being under attack. At the moment, Fox personalities are literally using their screen time to insist directly to the president that he should respond to Central American immigration by closing ports of entry.

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Trump also reportedly fixates on immigration because he believes he won the 2016 election by being an inflammatory hard-liner on the issue, leading chants about a border wall at every rally, etc. By his logic, he may have relatively low approval ratings right now, but the polls said he would probably lose in 2016 and he didnt, so what do the eggheads really know anyway? Whats tricky about that belief is that hes not necessarily wrong. And while his immigration initiatives have failed to create political momentum and frequently lead to ostensibly embarrassing losses in courtone relatively minor initiative just went down on Monday afternoonits also true that nothing hes done in office has been so offensive or ineffective as to convince his supporters to abandon him. Hes never fallen far below 40 percent in approval, and even the Republican defections on the national emergency issue were limited enough that the Senate was unable to override Trumps declaration.

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Also, media/personnel/strategic issues aside, the president has proven over and over again that he holds racist stereotypes about everyone in the world who isnt a white European, and Central American migrants arent white Europeans. So theres that.

And thus on this issue, as on so many others, we have a situation whose fundamentals will be locked in place until next Novembers referendumand perhaps longer, especially if Democratic candidates dont ever figure out what their party wants to do about migration. Like planes spaced out to land at an airport, you can almost see the next few crises lining up one after the other already.
A purge is currently underway in the Department of Homeland Security. In the wake of Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsens resignation Sunday, a slew of top DHS officials appear headed for the exits as President Trump and his dead-eyed policy adviser Stephen Miller look to ram their immigration priorities through no matter the cost or consequence. It is part of a broader seizure of power by the White House in an effort to implement its noxiousand typically illegalimmigration policies. In fact, Trump is reported to be keen to resurrect the most controversial and amoral of all his anti-immigration ideasseparating families at the border as a means of deterrent.

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With potential crimes against humanity in the offing, it should surprise no one that the Wall Street Journal reports Trump is handing over the reins on immigration in America to his trusted henchman, Stephen Miller.

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An administration official said Mr. Trump recently told Stephen Miller, one of his most hard-line advisers: Youre in charge of the administrations immigration policy Mr. Miller, the White House adviser, is also pushing to reinstate the [family separation] policy, according to people familiar with the discussions. In recent weeks, he has pushed officials at the Homeland Security and Justice departments to get in line with a more aggressive approach to immigration, one of the people said.

Administration officials told the Journal that while Miller has always been active in DHS immigration-related decisions, Miller has been newly empowered by a president spoiling for a fight on immigration.

Gulp.
Benjamin Netanyahu isnt the only Middle Eastern leader to visit Washington this spring in search of a Trump endorsement. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi stopped by the White House on Tuesday for a conversation and all-important photo-op with the U.S. president who has praised him in the past as a fantastic guy. Trump kept the compliments going Tuesday, saying Sisi is doing a great job and We have never had a better relationship between Egypt and United States than we do right now.

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The press availability for the two men in the Oval Office was overshadowed a bit, as everything now seems to be, by Trumps riffing about border security and accusing Barack Obama of creating the child separation policy, but Sisi still got what he needed. The meeting and warm welcome were a strong message to Egyptians back homeboth ordinary citizens and the military commanders who will actually determine whether Sisi gets to keep powerthat Egypts most important ally is fully behind him.

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Sisi needs that message to be loud and clear as he pushes through a controversial set of constitutional amendments to consolidate his own power. These include measures to give the president more control over the military and judiciary as well as changes that would extend the presidential term from four to six years and allow Sisi to run for two more terms, meaning he could be in power until 2034, when he is nearly 80 years old. The effective elimination of presidential term limits for Sisi would mark the end of one of the last tangible legal changes still on books from the 2011 revolution that overthrew longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak. Its as clear a sign as any that Sisi intends to follow in Mubaraks footsteps, although perhaps with an even greater degree of repression.

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Thats all fine with Trump and his team, who believe that Obama foolishly abandoned Mubarak and that a strong, autocratic (and, crucially, pro-Israeli) Egyptian government is a boon to regional stability. The Egyptian-brokered cease-fire between Hamas and Israel last month bolstered this view. Sure, all this praise for a dictator is a little hard to square with the Trump teams talk of democracy and human rights in Iran and Venezuela, but this is not a group thats been overly concerned with charges of inconsistency. Sisis government, though, has been making itself very hard to defend.

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Many of Sisis backers portray him as a defender of secular, modern values against Islamist extremism. Trump praised the Egyptian leader for moving his country to a more inclusive future after the opening of the largest cathedral in the Middle East in Cairo in January, and his daughter and adviser Ivanka also commended Egypt for major reforms aimed at empowering Egyptian women. But the showpiece cathedral aside, discrimination against Christians and other religious minorities remains rampant. Women who have reported sexual harassment have been arrested and prosecuted. Men arrested for homosexuality are subjected to brutal and humiliating anal exams.

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The notion that Egypt is a steadfast ally in the fight against terrorism is complicated by a recent report from Human Rights First documenting the scale of radicalization and ISIS recruitment in Egypts prisons. Its like a fire in a forest, said one former prisoner quoted in the report. When you start off with a cell of 200 people, you could have by the end of a year at least 100 of them radicalized. It was happening everywhere I was detained. The movement that became al-Qaida was born, to a large extent, in Egypts brutal prisons, but yet another generation of U.S. policymakers is looking on approvingly as Egypt tries to detain and torture radicalism into submission.

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This supposedly pro-American government is currently detaining around 20 U.S. citizens, many on farcical charges. Vice President Mike Pence, in fairness, has raised their cases in talks with Sisi, but theres been nowhere near the level of pressure that was applied to release U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson from Turkey.

Undercutting the notion that the country that receives more than $1 billion in U.S. military aid every year is a reliable security partner, U.S. human rights groups have been highlighting a 2015 incident in which Egyptian military Boeing Apache helicopters, provided by the United States, fired on a group of tourists in the Western desert, killing eight*. April Corley, an American survivor of the attackher Mexican boyfriend was killedaddressed a briefing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday morning, saying, Its shocking to me that the U.S. is about to sell another 10 Apaches to Egypt, the very same weapon that attacked our tour group that day. My hope is that President Trump wont sell new Apaches until Egypt takes responsibility for what it did.

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U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy has frozen this sale until the Egyptian government agrees to pay Corleys medical bill.

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Leahy was among several members of Congress, all Democrats, who spoke at Tuesday mornings briefing, sponsored by the Project on Middle East Democracy and a number of other organizations. An American government committed to human rights would not be welcoming to the White House, an Egyptian general right at the moment when he is about to become a dictator, said newly elected Rep. Tom Malinowski of New Jersey, who was previously the Washington director at Human Rights Watch.*

Additionally, a bipartisan group of senators released a letter this week calling on Trump to raise concerns about Egypts detention of Americans, arms purchases from Russia, and overall deterioration of human rights during his conversations with Sisi.

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Its not entirely absurd that something like this could happen. The Trump administration actually did suspend military aid to Egypt for a brief period in 2017 due to unspecified human rights concerns. Aid was restored last year despite no visible improvements in conditions.

For now, Trump seems to be doing his part to make Egypts dictatorship permanent.
This article is part of Forms From the Future, a series in which Rose Eveleth imagines the bureaucratic paperwork of tomorrow and what it says about our impending realities. Read more here.

Though the future often feels unknowable, theres at least one certainty that awaits us: death. But while death is inevitable (despite what hawkish hypercapitalists like Dave Asprey claim as they try to sell you things), that doesnt mean the gory details wont change in the future.

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Today, there are a few ways you can officially state how you want to be treated in an emergency medical situation or if you die. Advance directives offer a more general picture of your end-of-life wishes. A physician order for life-sustaining treatment form is a bit more specific and more common among people with terminal illnesses. These forms vary by state, but they all generally circle around the same questions: What kind of medical care do you want in an emergency situation? Do you want a feeding tube? Are you OK with intubation, cardioversion, antibiotics, IV fluids, and CPR? Or do you simply want something to relieve suffering? In the future, these forms will probably get even more detailed and complicated, as new forms of medicine arise.

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Already, doctors are using algorithms to guide their medical decision-making. In the future, experts predict, artificial intelligence could do everything from spot cancer to determine exactly when youll die. Right now, robots are mostly confined to the operating room, where they are still driven by human doctors doing delicate operations like laparoscopic surgeries. But some think that theyll make their way into examination rooms and even help doctors triage people as they come in. Nurse robots that assist in the care of the elderly, deliver medication, or show a human doctor on a screen are already in hospitals in both Japan and the United States.

Not everyone welcomes these kinds of algorithmic interventions, though. When robotic surgery entered hospitals in the United States 20 years ago, doctors and ethicists spilled a lot of ink pondering what informed consent really meant when it came to being sliced open by a robot. Patients have the option to decline robotic surgery, and it is reasonable to assume that in the future theyll be able to reject other treatments administered or assisted by robots. (Its less clear whether such consent will extend to the algorithms doctors use to make decisions like whether to operate. Today thats not something people have to agree to, but its possible that could change with a well-timed lawsuit.) The family of a man in San Francisco was not happy that it was a robotic aid (projecting a human doctor on a screen) that told Ernest Quintana he was going to die. If youre coming to tell us normal news, thats fine, his daughter Catherine told Sky News. But if youre coming to tell us theres no lung left and we want to put you on a morphine drip until you die, it should be done by a human being and not a machine. Maybe youll be able to opt out of remote communication by a doctor in the future.

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Should we turn off your livestreaming app while youre being treated?

The digital conditions of our deaths might change, too. If you believe one set of technological prognosticators, well all eventually walk around livestreaming our whole lives. Some people already do. But do you want the details of your death streamed as wellall the way down to the poor EMT giving CPR trying to save you?

And then theres the further-off prediction of mind copyingthe idea that one day you might actually be able to upload your brain to a server and live forever in digital form. Should that ever be the case (and experts think its unlikely, but that wont stop someone from trying to sell people on everything from cryonics to fresh brainuploading startups), your server information will be critical to those around you when you die.

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Our future death-related forms will likely reflect these complications. Are you OK with being treated by a robotic EMT? Can we use 3D-printed organs to replace ones you might have damaged? Should we turn off your livestreaming app while youre being treated? If youre going to die, do you want a human to deliver that news? Or is a robot just fine? Where should doctors upload your brain if theyre unable to save you, and whats the password to access that storage system? The form below imagines what this bureaucratic process might look like.

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Read more in Forms From the Future:

 The Future of Forms

 What if Your Social Media Activity Affected Your Credit Score?

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
This piece was originally published on Just Security, an online forum for analysis of U.S. national security law and policy.

Last week, Australias Parliament reacted to the Christchurch massacre by rushing an amendment to its criminal code on sharing abhorrent violent material that passed its Senate and House of Representatives in approximately 48 hours. While there is undoubtedly a grave and urgent need to prevent terrorists and violent extremists of all stripes from exploiting internet platforms to spread vile and inflammatory content, hastily drafted laws passed under pressure tend to create new problems while doing little to counter such threats. The history of the internet is riddled with problematic laws haphazardly passed in the wake of horrific violence.

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The USA Patriot Act, passed within weeks of Sept. 11, has become shorthand for broad expansion of security powers in the immediate aftermath of a terrorist attack. Passed with only one senator opposing it, the sheer breadth of its provisions defies easy summary. Its business records provision, which at the time it was enacted drew concerns about the government accessing library records, became infamous in 2013 when Edward Snowden revealed it provided the legal basis for the secret collection of the phone records of anyone in the United States. Although this program was defended as critical to combating terrorist attacks, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board would conclude that Section 215 was of minimal value in safeguarding the nation from terrorism. As one of the laws authors, Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, a Republican from Wisconsin, said: I can say that if Congress knew what the NSA had in mind in the future immediately after 9/11, the Patriot Act never would have passed, and I never would have supported it. Sensenbrenner went on to become a strong proponent of reform and original co-sponsor of the USA Freedom Act of 2015, a rare instance of the ratcheting back of surveillance powers.

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In November 2008, four days of coordinated shootings and bombings by Lashkar-e-Taiba shook Mumbai and prompted a call for greater government powers. At the time, Indias Parliament had already been considering significant changes to its Information Technology Act, with provisions on blocking websites and state surveillance initially proposed years before. But terrorism provided renewed urgency and led to the passage of the IT Act amendments within a month of the attacks, without parliamentary debate, together with a package of other counterterrorism laws. Recent landmark Supreme Court judgments in India have curtailed portions of the IT Act for infringing on freedom of expression and established an unambiguous right to privacy. But challenges to the governments opaque censorship and surveillance practices are pending even as new rules that would ramp up pressure on companies are under consideration.

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Following a similar pattern, the spate of terrorist attacks in France during 2015 and 2016 elicited a state of emergency and expansive new counterterrorism powers affecting both privacy and freedom of expression. These included broad powers to search computers as well as the ability to block websites that allegedly glorified terrorism, all without prior judicial authorization. Regularly visiting a website that incites or glorifies terrorism was criminalized in 2016, which was struck down by the Constitutional Court in February 2017. The government reintroduced an amended version of the law later that year, only for it to be struck down once again in December 2017. Of the hundreds of convictions for apology for terrorism in recent years in France, relatively few have concerned direct incitement to violence, raising the question of whether criminalizing speech is an effective means of countering terrorist narratives or preventing radicalization.

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Although France finally ended the state of emergency two years after it was introduced, many of these provisions were then established in ordinary law via new counterterrorism legislation. Following a May 2018 official visit, the U.N. special rapporteur on counterterrorism and human rights, professor Fionnuala Ni Aolain, expressed concern at the transposition of exceptional emergency-form powers into the ordinary law and the effect this may have on the protection of rights and warned of overly vague definitions for terms such as terrorism. Precision is essential in the use of exceptional counter-terrorism powers, and ambiguity must be remedied to ensure adherence to international human rights obligations, wrote the rapporteur.

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At the time of the Christchurch massacre, Australia had already earned the ire of both technology companies and privacy advocates for sweeping restrictions on encryption passed last year. We all share the shock and outrage at both the attack itself and the way it was amplified across social media and the internet, but the content of the new legislation as well as the speed with which it was developed is disquieting to say the least. The new law requires internet service providers and content and hosting companies to report to Australian authorities abhorrent violent material relevant to Australia, from anywhere in the world. Content and hosting companies that fail to expeditiously remove such content risk huge fines and up to three years imprisonment.

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This kind of strict liability goes against established human rights principles for intermediaries and will likely lead to vast over-censorship of all varieties of legitimate content, with negative consequences not just for privacy and free expression, but also for security. It is the kind of approach associated with the Cyberspace Administration of China or Thailands lese-majeste laws, rather than those of governments known to respect and uphold international human rights laws and norms. U.N. rapporteurs wrote the Australian government with the intention of expressing concerns with this approach, only to find the law had passed before they could send their communication.

There are understandable reasons for the rush to legislate the internet after terrorist attacks. Law enforcement and security services, under serious public pressure to do something, likely find proposing internet legislation a convenient path. Some may have proposals for new powers at the ready, which can be adopted with only a fraction of the scrutiny they would otherwise receive. Technology companies are a tempting target for legislation for reasons of varying fairness. And terrorist attacks in the digital age frequently present unprecedented challenges that may demand new approaches from both governments and companies alike.

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While speed may seem to be of the essence, caution is essential. It is far too easy to draw up legislation with vague terms such as violent abhorrent content which seem to have self-evident definitions in the wake of a livestreamed massacre, but which will undoubtedly prove problematic down the road. Meaningful consultative processes are needed to ensure that a wide range of experts across governments, companies, civil society, and academia can weigh in on such provisions. Rather than assuming that the removal of content online will automatically diminish support for terrorism offline, lawmakers should demand evidence to inform their efforts. As Daphne Keller of the Stanford Center for Internet and Society has written, For all the untold pages and grant dollars dedicated to the topic of online extremism, we still know remarkably little about when extremist speech leads to violence and how to prevent that from happening.

Resisting the rush to legislate will not be easy. It requires elevating the debate among elected officials and their constituents, and a recognition that solving the challenges at the intersection of technology, terrorism, and human rights online takes hard work. The alternative is to keep repeating the mistakes of the past while failing to effectively counter violent extremists and ideologues in the future.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
This piece was originally published on Just Security, an online forum for analysis of U.S. national security law and policy.

In June, the White House announced that the governments security clearance program, including for individuals in civilian roles, would be consolidated under the Department of Defense.

This reorganization, largely motivated by an enormous backlog of clearance investigations, is aimed at streamlining the clearance process, and in particular the reinvestigation of individuals with clearances that require periodic review. At the core of these new efficiencies, the DOD claims, will be a continuous evaluation system that autonomously analyzes applicants behaviorusing telemetry such as court records, purchase histories, and credit profilesto proactively identify security risks. The rollout is already underway: The DOD had enrolled upward of 1.2 million people in continuous evaluation as of November. But the program is far from uncontroversial, raising credible privacy concerns and the hackles of advocacy groups including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. As the DOD takes over millions of new civilian clearances, these worries will find a broader audience.

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And, thanks to machine learning, a type of algorithm that allows an A.I. to learn by example rather than being explicitly programmed, it seems that things may soon get a lot more complicated.

Defense One recently reported that the Defense Security Servicean agency within the DOD tasked with handling matters relating to personnel securityis piloting a new clearance evaluation system powered in part by machine learning. Rather than simply scanning for changes in financial or legal status that clearance holders havent reported, the pilot will mine a wide range of data sources to predictively flag potentially risky employees before they abuse their clearances. In addition to data collected during clearance applications, by existing continuous evaluation systems, and through broad digital activity monitoring, the pilot will aim to mine data acquired via relationships with private-sector companies and other government agencies.

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The pilots success hinges on the premise that this massive trove of data will capture small but significant behavioral changes in its subjectswhich can then be correlated with operational risk. Speaking to Defense One, Mark Nehmer, the DSSs technical director for research and development and technology transfer, argued that the system could protect national security while helping troubled clearance holders get the help they need, If we do our jobs right, we can help prevent suicides, data breaches, or things that people, when theyre under stress, things that they do.

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The attractiveness of an autonomous system capable of identifying security risks before they become security failures is obvious. But pinning individuals clearance statusesupon which many rely for their livelihoods and to work effectively in service of national securityto automated inference-making raises a range of troubling questions. Jonathan Zittrain of the Berkman Klein Center (at which I work) is fond of dividing challenges in machine learning into two broad categoriesthose that arise when machine learning goes off the rails and those that arise when it works as intended. Thats a useful framing here, as the DSS pilot presents a fair few of each. If development goes awry, the system could easily embed bias and a resistance to oversight and reviewall without human intention. Even if it doesnt, its very existence might jeopardize civil liberties, modify subjects behavior in troubling ways, stifle institutional adaptation, and reshape the role of algorithms in the workplace far beyond the clearance process.

What if the System Goes Off the Rails?

A machine learningenabled monitoring system of this scope and complexity will struggle to embed a vital pair of operational qualities: fairness and compatibility with human review. While existing systems face the same challenge, the specific role and context of the DSS pilot raise distinctive complications.

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First, fairness. The DSS systems focus on determining the riskiness of clearance holders will situate it within a particularly troubled subclass of predictive systems, risk assessment tools.

Risk assessment tools used in the criminal justice system, for example, have been shown (according to some definitions of fairness, at least) to be harsher toward certain demographic groups. And while theres undeniably value in approaches to risk scoring that force us to clarify our preferences and decision criteria more so than we do under the status quo, machine learning systems might accomplish just the opposite.

Thats because machine learning systems work by training on large datasets of past examples, extracting powerful correlations between relevant attributes. These correlations can then be used to make predictions about examples that werent in the training set.

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This data-centric approach means that discrimination can easily creep in to automated decision-making processes in unexpected waysdata is great at capturing existing patterns of structural bias, which then quietly embed themselves within systems during training. The DSS will need to ensure that its systemwhich, according to Nehmer, will be gobbling up just about any data that it can getdoesnt fall into this trap. Given that the system will be making high-stakes decisions on the basis of such a diversity of sensitive personal information, it could exercise harmful bias along any number of lines. It might decide, hypothetically, that people of color are more likely to present security risks, that pregnant women shouldnt be offered top secret clearance, or that individuals with brown hair demand closer scrutiny than those with blond hair. This presents an enormous data engineering problem, necessitating the implementation of checks and controls throughout the entire collection and analysis pipeline. Its often hard to determine which data will end up giving rise to bias, and setting aside too much data could prevent the system from functioning as intended.

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How will we know when the system messes up? That gets to the second challenge: enabling human review and oversight. Being flagged as a risk could be very costly, potentially implicating loss of livelihood, exclusion from projects or promotions, and the nuisances that come with an expanded review. As such, project overseers and, in some cases, subjects of evaluation themselves should have insight into the systems mechanics. Ideally, subjects would also have the ability to challenge and correct inaccurate information used to classify them as risks before any action is taken on the basis of those classifications. Since the use of machine learning systems to analyze anything so messy as human behavior almost always implicates a substantial false positive rate, detecting and addressing system errors is an absolute necessity.

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Part of the challenge of enabling human oversight and review will stem from the technical characteristics of the proposed system. Many of todays highest-performing machine learning systemsparticularly those reliant on so-called deep learningoffer little to no insight as to how their highly accurate predictions are actually made. The DSS system, which aims to identify patterns across a massive range of data streams useful in estimating risk, could likely benefit from the sorts of byzantine, unintuitive inferences that these black box models make so well. But its designers will have to navigate the balance between predictive power and explainability with careif a preference for olives on pizza is, for some unknown reason, tightly correlated with poor judgment (but only in individuals who own Toyota Priuses), should the system make use of that information? And could it be part of the basis for denying or revoking a clearance?

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To make matters even more difficult, the DSS will also have to balance these compelling transparency interests with considerations relating to intentional manipulation by bad actors seeking to cover their tracks. When subjects of evaluation understand the system that is being used to evaluate them, theyre much better equipped to willfully mislead it. Consider the case of machine learningbased spam filtration software: Spammers can often figure out which patterns of content and metadata will relegate their dispatches to the junk folder, then intentionally craft spam to avoid these patterns. The malicious clearance holders we would most like to identifyagents of foreign powers, for instancemay also be the most motivated and savvy, taking active measures to avoid being flagged as risky. As such, offering subjects of evaluation the opportunity to advocate for themselves within a convolutedand potentially unfairalgorithmic process could mean jeopardizing security by compromising sources and methods. Given that the national security establishment has a tendency to strongly privilege the protection of sources and methods over transparency concerns, this will likely make reviewing and challenging the system nearly impossible.

What if the System Works?

Now to imagine a world in which all of the thorny problems outlined above have been robustly addressed. The system exhibits no biases along demographic lines and can clearly point to the subtle but predictively powerful patterns in subjects financial lives, communications, online presences, routines, and consumer behavior that enable it to forecast risk effectively (and with a manageable false positive rate). But in winning acceptance through compliance, the system might actually generate deeper problems still.

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First, a system capable of ingesting and processing a huge proportion of the data an individual producesand leveraging it to flag that individual as a potential risk to national security, potentially jeopardizing multiple aspects of her lifewould have a very pronounced effect on the behavior of its subjects. It could establish and autonomously enforce norms and constraints on individual behavior that go far beyond the concrete rules to which clearance holders agree. Nehmer says of subject behavior that if its staying within a normative range then as long as there are no business rules that are broken, likely we dont have a problem. If their activity dramatically increases there is likely stress. But there are a lot of ways to measure activity. If it significantly decreases, its likely that there is some external controlling factor on that. That is, the system would aim to capture not only misdoings or clear precursors thereto, but also any internal emotional and cognitive states that fall outside of business as usual.

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In some sense, this subtle norm-setting could be very useful, proactively discouraging individuals from even thinking about leaving the straight and narrow. But given that the system will, by Nehmers account, dig deep into personal data streams including what individuals communicate and publish, a lot of innocuous or useful activity could also raise flags. A clearance holder subjected to a sufficiently pervasive monitoring system would be incentivized to carefully curate her internal and external life even in endeavors completely unrelated to work. Such a pervasive breakdown of the boundary between professional and private lifereminiscent of Chinas social credit scoring systemwould compromise the privacy and agency of the very people tasked with upholding national security.

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The costs of this penetrating algorithmic surveillance wouldnt end with civil liberties. It could also undermine the U.S. governments capacity to improve and adapt. Whistleblowers, even those who use internal processes, could be flagged as potential risks. As could others who have qualms about their work but want to push for reform through appropriate channels. It is often discontented employees who help institutions develop responsibly, but in this instance that very sentiment might deprive them of the standing to do so. The act of advocating responsibly against a broken status quo could trip just the wrong system, resulting in an invasive review process with potentially serious ramifications.

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Second, systems developed for extremely sensitive, high-stakes applications at the federal levellike the review of clearances granting information to the nations secretshave a history of, as Nathan Wessler and Mailyn Fidler have put it, trickling down to other applications at lower levels of government and in private industry. One canonical example is the stingray, a device that simulates a cell tower to track the locations and identities of nearby phones. While they were originally used primarily in terrorism investigations, stingrays are now accessible to many state and local police forces, which use them much more expansively. Andas is the case with many risk assessment systemsthe oversight and review of stingray use has been stymied by concerns that transparency would make it easier for criminals to evade detection.

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If the DSS pilot appears to be working, it could be the first of many. Law enforcement agencies could roll out similar systems to catch corrupt cops, with private companies doing the same to identify embezzlers, flag those who shouldnt be trusted with trade secrets, or designate seemingly uninvested employees as poor candidates for promotion. In each of these situations, the equities at play could be different than those we see in the context of security clearances. Even if the use of a powerful and pervasive risk assessment system can be justified in the context of protecting national securitywhich, as should be clear by now, is far from a foregone conclusionit may offer similarly severe harms with far less significant benefits in the hands of a widget company.

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The exact scope and specifications of the DSS pilot are still unclear. Were missing lots of specifics as to what the system will look like, which data it will touch, and how it will integrate with existing review procedures. But one thing is certainto roll out a prediction-based risk assessment tool of this kind would signal a dangerous new direction for personnel management at the federal level, one that could have expansive implications for civil liberties and national security far beyond its initial use case.

More From Just Security:

Citing Fake News, Singapore Could Be Next to Quash Free Expression

The Hidden Issue in Huaweis Suit Against the United States

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
Is fungus something that you should spend significant brain space worrying about? After the New York Times published an excellent and meticulously researched and reported story about the growing threat of a drug-resistant yeast called Candida auris this past weekend, a lot more people might be considering adding it to the list. The story is full of scary examples of people whove been infected and scary stats about how deadly the fungus isbasically, half of the people who get it seem to die, though its not clear if thats from the fungus itself or from other factors. Seems worrisome! The reality, though, is that you dont have to freak out about the fungus. As the Times story makes enormously clear, there are plenty of people who are currently freaking out about it for you.

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The piece painted a vivid picture of just how vexing this drug-resistant fungus has been to medical professionals across the globe: They dont understand what has caused its rise, they dont have a terribly effective treatment for it, and they dont even really know how to scrub it out of hospital rooms once its gotten in. Reporters Matt Richtel and Andrew Jacobs start their tale with the story of a C. auris case discovered in an elderly man at Mount Sinai Hospital in Brooklyn that makes that last problem unnervingly clear:

The man at Mount Sinai died after 90 days in the hospital, but C. auris did not. Tests showed it was everywhere in his room, so invasive that the hospital needed special cleaning equipment and had to rip out some of the ceiling and floor tiles to eradicate it. Everything was positive  the walls, the bed, the doors, the curtains, the phones, the sink, the whiteboard, the poles, the pump, said Dr. Scott Lorin, the hospitals president. The mattress, the bed rails, the canister holes, the window shades, the ceiling, everything in the room was positive.

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The fact that the only way to eradicate a deadly pathogen from this hospital room was via ripping out ceiling and floor tiles sure sounds alarming. And then, perhaps even more alarmingly, about a third of the way through the piece, we get to a subheadline that reads:  No need to tell the public. Here, Richtel and Jacobs explain the complicated situations in which many hospitals have found themselves as theyve tried to navigate C. auris outbreaks. As the subhed implies, hospitals have largely decided not to issue public-facing statements about whats happening. Its hard enough with these organisms for health care providers to wrap their heads around it, said Dr. Anna Yaffee, a former outbreak investigator for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its really impossible to message to the public.

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And yet, here we are, in the middle of a Times story, where the threat of Candida auris is most certainly being messaged to the public via the paper of record. Again, that piece is great journalismthe portrait it draws is thorough and complex. But as a means of risk communication, the piece has a murkier takeawayits tough for readers to understand just what, exactly, the news means for them. And thats even before taking into account that the story itself became news, getting picked up and reblogged with great alarm: We Should All Probably Freak Out About this Deadly, Drug-Resistant Fungus, wrote Jezebel. Candida auris: These alarming CDC maps show where the mysterious fungus is spreading, wrote Fast Company. Youd probably be an outlier not to feel a least a bit alarmed after reading through all of this.

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This is a perpetual problem in health reporting. Its very hard to bridge the divide between the personal and the global (and maybe not even journalists jobs!). Indeed, the problem we the media face when we write headlines about stuff like this new fungus is closely related to the problem hospitals face as they decide whether or not to release a public-facing statement about experiencing an outbreak: The fungus is a very legitimate public health issue, but for almost everyone in the world, it will not be a personal health issue. That is to say, your own actual risk of being harmed by this fungus is extremely, extremely, extremely low. (Being immunocompromised increases ones risk, but the absolute numbers on infection rates are still very low.) And yet, the disease is a big deal, because in comparison to other outbreaks, its growing relatively quickly and doctors dont know what to do about it yet.

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Youd probably be an outlier not to feel a least a bit alarmed after reading through all of this.

Which means that its extremely worthy of news coverage. Stories like this can help public health advocates in making their case for increasing research attention and funding. As Maryn McKenna wrote in a good Wired story on the fungus in the summer of 2018and as the researchers who spoke with the Times clearly also feelsuch support is likely to provide our best path toward triumphing over C. auris. That more research and money is the solution underscores exactly why public health officials likely decided not to put out public notices about which hospitals were dealing with infection. Its not because theyre trying to hide reality from anyone (theyre diligently reporting cases to the CDC), but because it simply wouldnt do much good. The action items when it comes to C. auris are on the public health side, not so much on the individual consumer side, which helps explain why numerous hospitals have all landed on the side of not releasing statements about outbreaks and have instead opted to deal with it internally.

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A patient advocate that the Times quotes and a Forbes contributor writing in reaction to the Times story both deployed the same analogy in arguing that the lack of disclosure is a bad thing: Each likened the decision not to announce the disease to a restaurant not saying publicly that its had a food poisoning outbreak. But hospitals arent restaurants in that most people end up there out of necessity, not because theyre hungry for a pizza. The danger of hospitals broadcasting these outbreaks might be to make people who need immediate medical attentionand who face relatively little risk of infectionfearful to get that help. The public benefit for the smaller number of people going in for elective surgery who might have canceled their procedures, meanwhile, is relatively minuscule, if it exists at all.

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Again, this hits up against the same problemthe problem of personal health risk versus population-level health risk, and how we calculate and communicate those things. Its extremely difficult to be clear about both at once because they often seem to contradict each other. Its also true, in my opinion, that journalism has a higher obligation to population-level risks than individual ones. Individual risk should be conveyed by your doctor or by a member of the actual medical establishment (again, its worth considering that in the case of the fungus, medical professionals decided that the individual risk wasnt worth conveying at all). The population-level concerns should be rigorously covered by the mediathis is what allows us to engage in a discussion about whats important on a policy level, what kind of science and research we should be investing in, and how our world should operate. (The Times story makes perfectly clear that the fungus problem reaches into questions of food production, pesticide use, and more.) With a threat as slow-building as drug resistance, incremental reporting is key.

We all want to feel as protected as possible against bad outcomes. No one wants the deadly fungus. But worrying about the fungus wont help you avoid it. The lesson of this Times story isnt to panic about your potential fungal infection, its to help the people who are worrying about it for everyone get the funding and attention they need.
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 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.
Ladislav Kamenicky will become new finance minister after Easter.

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It seems that Smer has found a replacement for Peter Kazimir, who will leave the post of finance minister to become the new governor of the National Bank of Slovakia.

The party will nominate its MP Ladislav Kamenicky, who currently presides over the parliamentary financial and budgetary committee.

I welcome the name of the new finance minister, said PM Peter Pellegrini (Smer) during a press conference in Kosice, which he attended with Smer chair Robert Fico. It is a man I know, and with whom I have worked.

Read also:

Read also: Kazimir appointed as new governor of Slovakia's central bank Read more

The name of the new minister is seen as a compromise between Pellegrini and Fico. The latter originally wanted Frantisek Imrecze, a former head of the Financial Administration, to become new finance minister, the Sme daily wrote.

Kazimir will take on his new post on June 1, but he will resign as the finance minister on April 11, Fico announced. However, Kamenicky will take up his office only after Easter. It is because the nomination must be carried out by Smer's leadership. Kamenicky is one of the 15 members of the party's senior management, Sme wrote.

For the time being, Pellegrini will temporarily lead the Finance Ministry.
I love coffee books. How to brew it, how to pour it real pretty, everything someone knows about it, new rules for it: if words are committed to paper about coffee, Im into it. It should come as no shock then that Sarina Prabasis new book The Coffeehouse Resistance: Brewing Hope in Desperate Times, released today, April 9th piqued my interest. Published by Green Writers Press, The Coffeehouse Resistance is a book about love, coffee, and the American dream.

Described as part coming-to-America story, part lyrical memoir and another part activists call to action, The Coffeehouse Resistance tells Prabasis story, from Nepal to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia before finally immigrating New York City, where along with her husband she started the Bronxs Buunni Coffee. Were that the sum total of the book, it would be a wonderful read, the story of new Americans finding a home and success thanks in some part to coffee. But as it did with many things, the 2016 presidential election shifted the narrative.

In a time where nationalism was spiking and moving into the mainstream, Prabasi and her family were left to question their place in their new home. Would they be accepted under this new regime? But instead of sitting back and waiting their fates to befall them, the proprietors of Buunni used their cafe to enact change by harkening back to one of the original roles of the coffeehouse: as a hub for local organizing and action. Per the website, the new narrative is one of moving from despair to hope about building community, claiming home, and fighting for our shared dreams.

To promote her new work, Prabasi will be hitting the road for readings and book signings all across the country, including Expo this week in Boston. Other events throughout the month includes stops in Denver, Seattle, New York, and Portland, where you will be able to pick up a copy of your very own. Or, if you happen to not live in one of these five cities, The Coffeehouse Resistance: Brewing Hope in Desperate Times is available for purchase online and in retail stores like Barnes & Noble and Target. For more information on the book or the tour dates, visit Sarina Prabasis official website.

Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

Top image via The Coffeehouse Resistance: Brewing Hope in Desperate Times
The first time I heard Jhone Milanez Lacerda, a coffee farmer from the Caparao region of Brazil, speak about all he has done to transform his familys farm, I was flooded with emotion. I had never before seen a young farmer so humble and kind, and yet so smart, inventive, and articulate. From that first day, I could tell Lacerda had big planstoday, I am thrilled to share a little bit of his story here.

Sitio Santa Rita, in the Caparao regiona national park in a rocky area between the states of Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo in Brazilwas founded in 1896. The Lacerda family is the fourth generation of coffee farmers in that farm area, and the first producing high-quality coffee.

Jhone Lacerda remembers the day his father, Tarcisio Lacerda, brought home a little can of coffee that smelled and tasted nothing like he had recognized as coffee to that point in his life. It was fantastic, and it was life-changing. He asked his father why this coffee tasted like that, and the elder Lacerda couldnt answer his sons question. So in 2008, Jhone Lacerda started taking courses on coffee grading and tasting and coffee farm management.

Between 2006 and 2010, we understood that good coffee was pulped cherry coffee, says Lacerda. It made sense at that time, as nobody was doing selective picking, and the simplest way to separate the greens out of the ripe cherries was to do so via pulped processing, Lacerda says. He started selectively picking a very small part of his crop and selling it at very low prices. His neighbor farmers would stop by and call him crazy, since the middlemen, being either naive or just plain cruel, would only pay improved commodity prices for itsomething like USD $8-10 above market price.

In 2012, Lacerda became certified as a Q-grader and created a tasting lab on his farm so he could host his green coffee clients. Around the same time, Miriam and Fred Ayres, Lacerdas sister and brother-in-law, started specializing in barista courses and transformed the space in a coffee shop.

Then, in 2013, at Brazils International Coffee Week, Lacerda attended a talk by Manuel Diaz on coffee fermentation. Until this point in time, my dad, my granddad, and every other farmer would instruct us to avoid fermentation at all costs. This guy told me to do the exact opposite: in order to be good, coffee has to ferment. That was mindblowing to me, remembers Lacerda. The next morning, Dr. Diaz presented some fermented coffees at the cupping table and Lacerda can still describe them as if hed tasted them yesterday: very fruity, citric, complex coffees.

Back on the farm, Lacerda had cupped a spectacular coffee from a neighbor whose coffee had been disqualified from a quality contest because of the humidity content. When I asked my neighbor what was the secret of that coffee, he got shy and did not want to share. I insisted, so he ended up confessing: he was picking the beans every day, storing them inside fertilizer plastic bags during the entire week, and on the weekends he would remove the coffee from the bags and lay them out in the sun to dry. There was my second confirmation that fermentation was the way to go.

Lacerda started testing. There were so many tests, he recalls. Many people would say it was too fruity, the old school folks would say it has gone bad or something like that. Eventually, I started getting it right. The coffee tasted so good, I started varying the fermentation by time. Eventually, I realized that time was not the most important variable, but temperature was. If I fermented a coffee in May for 72 hours, it wasnt going to taste the same as a coffee fermented in August for the same amount of time, since the average temperature in those months differs widely.

By 2014, Lacerda and his clients were able to find so many different fruit notes in his fermented coffee they nicknamed the coffee lots Fruit Salad, so the buyers would know what to expect. Other lots followed suit: Brazil Nuts, Sweet Caparao, Jasmine, Coconut Candy, and so forth.

The Bala de Coco (Coconut candy) lot comes from coffee trees located in a very steep area at the top of Pedra Menina rock, very hard to access, surrounded by eucalyptus trees. One day Lacerda was riding his bike up there and noticed the coffee trees had beautiful flowers and decided to proceed with the harvest. The coffee turned out to have candied coconut notes. It comes through a biannual crop only since it is completely shaded. Its one of his most sought afterand expensivelots.

Last year, Lacerda invested in a more elaborate fermentation process, which resulted in a coffee with black olive notes, nicknamed Olivia. Olivia went through a dry, pre-fermentation stage, then on to a dry, pulped fermentation, and lastly, a hydrated fermentation. I tried to unite three processes that we already do into one, and it created something very unique, with notes of black olives. From our trial and experience, we can tell the pre-fermentation adds flavor complexity, the second fermentation adds sweetness, and third fermentation contributes to a clean flavor and acidity, summarizes Lacerda. Due to climate change, photoperiod, rain season variations, etc, it was not possible to reproduce the olive notes in this years same experiment. I can only control my experimentation tests and harvest and post-harvest techniques, but I cant control nature, he jokes.

Lacerda, a Coffee Management graduate, is also a tinkerer. With his father, he developed a unique drying device for his microlots, which allows them to dry up to nine microlots at the same time. Hes also developed, with partner Wesley Coelho, a remote temperature measuring system that allows him to control his fermentation lots from anywhere. The system sends a reminder to Lacerdas smartphone when the coffee mass reaches preset target temperatures, so that Lacerda can move forward with the post-harvest process. They are working to make it available for sale to other farmers as well. As a pioneer in coffee fermentation in Brazil, Lacerda has traveled to Costa Rica and Colombia to implement processes similar to those of the Fruit Salad lot in farms in those countries.

None of this would have been accomplished had the tasks not been divided between my family and me, recognizes Lacerda. While Im in charge of quality and commercialization of our coffees, Fred and Miriam are in charge of the coffee shop and the roastery, my dad the plantation, and Miriam takes an additional role in financing and administration. Without them, I wouldnt have had so much time to focus on researching better practices of fermentation and quality improvement.

Farming is no easy task. Lacerda is surely very lucky to have such a dedicated family team behind Sitio Santa Rita, but also deserves much credit and recognition for being an inventive and fearless trailblazer in the mountains of Caparao.

Juliana Ganan is a Brazilian coffee professional and journalist. Read more Juliana Ganan on Sprudge.

Photos by Bruno Lavorato.
The Afghan Air Force carried out its first airstrike with smart bombs on March 2018. The Afghan pilot did this in one of the new A-29 aircraft the air force had recently received. By the end of 2018 Afghan pilots were doing it at night and by March 2019 were carrying out at least a dozen of these night smart bomb attacks a month. With a growing number of Afghan pilots trained to use smart bombs, the Taliban have had to change their tactics in areas where the Afghan Air Force provides most of the air support. The A-29s use a 250 pound (113 kg) bomb with an added Paveway laser guidance kit. This enables the Afghan pilots to attack Taliban forces safely when they are close to friendly forces or civilians. By using the laser-guided, instead of GPS guided bomb, the pilot has to see the target and uses the aircraft laser designator to mark the target location for the bomb to hit. After proving they can do this in daylight and have qualified for night flights, the Afghan pilots tend to become effective at night attacks very quickly. Currently, a dozen A-29s are equipped to carry out night bombing missions with the rest of the 19 A-29s used for training and reconnaissance.

Afghanistan began receiving the first eight (of twenty) A-29 trainer/attack aircraft in early 2016. Afghan pilots flew over a thousand sorties in these A-29s by the end of 2016, mostly for training and reconnaissance. The first attack sortie was carried out in April 2016. At about the same time Afghan pilots and maintainers managed to carry out a surge operation and enable A-29s to carry out 83 sorties in 24 hours. This was an important achievement for the maintainers, who have to be pretty good to surge and carry out that many sorties in one day. All twenty A-29s had arrived by 2018 although one has since been lost in an accident. The first eight Afghan pilots completed their training (in the United States) in late 2015 and additional A-29 pilot training now takes place in Afghanistan.

The A-29 Super Tucano is a single engine turbo-prop trainer/attack aircraft that is used by over a dozen nations. This aircraft carries two internal 12.7mm (.50 caliber) machine-guns. A 20mm autocannon is carried under the fuselage along with about a tons of bombs and rockets under the wings. It can stay in the air for 6.5 hours at a time. This aircraft can be equipped to carry over a half dozen of the GBU-28 smart bombs (or half a dozen dumb 500 pound bombs), giving it considerable firepower. The Super Tucano comes equipped with a GPS guidance system. Max altitude is 11,300 meters (35,000 feet) and cruising speed is 400 kilometers an hour.

Naturally, this aircraft can move in lower and slower than any jet can making it more effective for ground support. The Super Tucano is also equipped with armor for the pilot, a pressurized cockpit, and an ejection seat. Not bad for an aircraft with a max takeoff weight of 5.4 tons. It is rugged, easy to maintain, and cheap. The U.S. is paying about $20 million for each Afghan Super Tucano, which includes training, spare parts, and support equipment. Afghanistan already has hundreds of pilots who could quickly learn how to handle the Super Tucano and the U.S. will provide training for over a hundred pilots and maintainers.

The A-29 is not the only attack aircraft the Afghans have. In 2014 the U.S. agreed to provide Afghanistan with 62 more armed helicopters as well as the A-29s, including training for Afghan pilots and maintainers, by 2017. The helicopters are the MD-530F, which is the civilian version of the U.S. SOCOM (Special Operations Command) MH-6. Used for scouting and commando operations the MH-6 (and the similar AH-6) were developed from the 1960s era OH-6. Developed in the early 1980s, the MH/AH-6, or "Little Bird" is a 1.4 ton helicopter with a crew of two, top speed of 280 kilometers an hour. Average sortie is 3-3.5 hours. It can be armed with two 7.62mm or 12.7mm machine-gun pods, or two 70mm rocket pods (seven or 12 rockets each) or four Hellfire missiles. Without weapons, the MH-6 can carry six troops (usually Special Forces operators) externally. The MH-6 has an endurance of about 90 minutes as it usually carries a full load of weapons or passengers. The new MH-6 can also carry a day/night targeting system, including a laser designator and laser-guided missiles.

In mid-2017 the United States decided to pay for a major expansion of the Afghan Air Force and that led, in September, to an order for 150 MD-530F armed helicopters for about $9.25 million each. This includes delivery, pilot and maintainer training, maintenance equipment, spare parts and tech support. With the new order for MD-530Fs the size of the Afghan helicopter force will get faster sooner because the 150 new MD-530Fs will all arrive by 2022. The MD-530Fs used for ground attack only operate during the day. They are vulnerable to ground fire because they have to come in low to use machine-guns and rockets. The MD-530F also provide ground commanders with timely information about where the enemy is and what they are up to. The Taliban fear the MD-530Fs mainly because they not only report Taliban locations but can attack as well.

A major advance for the Afghan Air Force was training enough maintainers and weapons specialists who could not only add the guidance kits to the unguided bombs but quickly attach them to the A-29s.
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Question:

How long did the Taliban rule Afghanistan?

The Taliban:

It is unclear who first called Afghanistan the "graveyard of empires" but the Taliban seems to be capitalizing on this Afghan reputation as they continue their guerrilla war against the current American-backed administration. Throughout the 19th and 20th century, influential nations such as Great Britain and the Soviet Union have fought battles here in an attempt to control the country which only served to frustrate them and eventually left. Only time will tell how the American side of the story will end and the only thing certain is that there will be many more losses of life in the foreseeable future.

Answer and Explanation:

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Georgia Tech

At Georgia Tech, students have the opportunity to earn a 40-credit Master of Science in Medical Physics (MSMP) through an online program. Classroom lectures are recorded as they are delivered by an on-ground professor and then posted online. Students may periodically be required to travel to the Georgia Tech campus on weekends to complete labs. A clinical rotation may be completed close to students' homes. To apply, students should expect to submit transcripts, references, GRE or GMAT scores, a personal statement and a resume. This program is available with or without a thesis requirement.

Oregon State

Oregon State University provides a 45-credit Master of Health Physics through its online program. Students can pursue the majority of their courses in an online environment. A one-week on campus course in Corvallis will provide students with hands-on laboratory opportunities during the summer. To apply, students will provide transcripts, a resume, GRE scores, a statement of purpose, and recommendations.

Illinois Institute of Technology

The Illinois Institute of Technology offers a 31-credit Master of Health Physics program in an online environment, or via televised viewing at sites in the Chicago area. The program is designed for those working as health physicists who desire additional education to pursue leadership positions, and can be completed in under three years of part-time study. Students attend one on-campus lab session to learn about instrumentation. Students can also pursue a specialization in radiochemistry. To apply, students should expect to submit transcripts, a professional statement, a resume, and letters of recommendation. Undergraduate coursework in physics and calculus is expected.

Those who are interested in medical and health related physical science could consider earning a Master of Science in Medical Physics or a Master of Health Physics through an online degree program. Similar courses may be required, and either of these degrees might lead to challenging careers.
University of Oregon

Located in Eugene, the University of Oregon has an MFA art program that offers students a variety of different mediums to work with, including painting, drawing, printmaking, ceramics, photography, and sculpture. The program prepares students for an engaged art practice with a wide range of faculty members, all of which are professional artists. This roughly 90-credit program takes three years to complete. With cohorts limited to 30, graduate students have the chance to form a close community where they are able to work with peers and faculty members, along with gallery directors and some professional artists. A studio space and a wide selection of art equipment is provided for every student, so that they can successfully complete their projects.

Portland State University

At Portland State University, the MFA in studio practice encourages students not only to paint, but allows them to also experiment with other art forms as well. This program is full-residency and it takes three years to complete, which includes 90 credits total, divided up among different areas of study. Along with creating art, students also get to meet with visiting artists, attend seminars, and collaborate with peers both on projects and in critiques. There are multiple gallery spaces for students to show off their work as well. Toward the end of their third year, students get to work with an adviser in order to produce their own solo exhibit in these galleries.

Pacific Northwest College of Art

The visual studies MFA at PNCA in Portland is a mentor-based program that challenges students to take unique approaches when it comes to visual art. This program takes about two years to complete. Students can choose to focus on one specific discipline, including painting, photography, printmaking, or sculpture. In addition to the one-on-one structure that students get with mentors, students are also able to interact with local instructors, writers, and curators. Students also have the chance to attend lectures, seminars, and exhibition opportunities in order to help further their studies.

Oregon College of Art and Craft

At the Oregon College of Art and Craft in Portland, students can select an MFA in craft with a focus on critical studio practice. In this advanced craft studies program, students are able to try new techniques and approaches toward their art projects. It is important for individuals to utilize their problem-solving skills to successfully complete each assignment. It is a 60-credit program that features seminars and electives as well as a variety of courses, such as studio practice and cross media studies. A majority of the program is dedicated to studio work, and students are expected to continually work on their skills. Throughout the program, students get to regularly meet with a committee to assess their growth.
The war in Syria has displaced 13 million people, but the situation and realities on the ground are not helping to facilitate their return writes Al-Araby al-Jadeed.

As the bombardment of civilian targets in northern Syria by Assads regime and Russian forces continues, a key battle for the countrys future looms under the fog of war.

This battle centres on the rights of some 13 million displaced Syrians and the return to their homes in a safe and dignified manner.

It is precisely the displaced who hold the key to the future of the country and stability of the region. And even beyond the region, the political dynamics of Europe will also be significantly impacted if another wave of Syrian refugees hits its shores.

The narrative of Assads victory in the Syrian conflict permeates international discourse, and serves to fortify the false legitimacy of a regime that has killed hundreds of thousands of its citizens, and expelled millions, but is now considered the authority that is supposed to now guarantee the rights of those returning from displacement.

Not only is this narrative a perversion of the basic internationally recognised rights of the displaced, it is also patently false.

What has Assad won? Russia, Iran and its proxies are today the real owners of Syria, not Assads regime.

Nothing testifies to this as vividly as the reality of an Assad victory in areas under the control of his forces. They are a textbook example of a failed and illegitimate state on the brink of a complete social and economic collapse. The regimes political decisions are dictated by Russia, while Irans penetration of the security, military and economic sectors of the country has reached unprecedented levels.

It is not the myth of Assads victory, but the safe return of the 13 million displaced  more than half of countrys population  that will define the countrys future and any chance of durable stability.

Assad knows this and is frantically trying to demographically engineer a new reality through various means, including dubious legislation. Examples of this are the notorious Decree 66 and Law 10, designed to effectively strip the displaced of property ownership (mainly in areas where people first took to the streets in 2011), under the guise of reconstruction and rubble removal.

Once flattened, these areas are to be developed, to house loyalists and mercenaries, thus affecting lasting demographic change and control.

However, neither Assad nor his allies in Russia and Iran have money for reconstruction, and they are looking to the EU as the only viable funder of such a vast rebuilding effort.

As part of its EU-focused strategy, Russia has launched a persistent diplomatic offensive to promote the return of displaced Syrians to Assad-held areas, claiming that conditions  including security  already exist. As the situation in the Rukban camp in the north illustrates, the reality is drastically different.

Syrians pressured to return from Lebanon to the areas that witnessed reconciliation agreements with the Syrian regime (with Russian guarantees), were subjected to arbitrary detention and persecution by the security services.

There is clear evidence that many of those returnees have died after being detained by security forces. The men who return risk being forcibly recruited into Assads army, and sent to the frontlines in other parts of Syria as cannon fodder. This practice has been seen across most of the areas controlled by the regime, forcing more young Syrians to flee the country in recent months.

There is not a shred of doubt that securing genuine conditions for a safe and dignified return will be possible only under strict and meaningful international supervision.

The consequences of continuing down the Russian path to return would be catastrophic. It is highly likely that most of the refugees currently housed in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, if they are forced to return to Assad-held areas without proper international guarantees, would rather chose to risk it all, and reach the perceived safety of Europe.

On the other hand, if the status quo is to continue indefinitely, with millions housed in camps in humiliating living conditions and without the prospect of education or employment, refugee camps will likely become the target of ideologues, apt at turning despair into radicalism.

As a result, the issue of return must be front and centre of any effort to reach a lasting political solution to the Syrian conflict. And it is the displaced Syrians who must be called upon to define what those conditions constitute in reality.

First and foremost, there must be a realistic and practical political solution to the conflict with the relevant international guarantees and sponsorship. Such a political solution must include clear provisions on the voluntary, dignified and safe return of displaced persons and refugees to their homes. There must also be mechanisms for monitoring the security, rights and freedoms of the displaced people, especially those seen by the Syrian regime to be affiliated with the opposition.

In addition, no meaningful return can take place until there are constitutional amendments that limit the powers of the security services in general, and limit the authority of any Syrian government to prosecute individuals without the necessary and due judicial procedures.

Detainees held by the regime for political reasons must be released. Laws passed by the Syrian regime in recent years that give it the right to pursue and arrest political opponents must be repealed, as well as the laws that deprive Syrian citizens of their possessions, homes and properties because of their political background.

Syrian security services must be restructured to ensure that they adhere to the political agreement and the amended constitutional provisions, and their integrity ensured. This would include sacking the heads of the security services responsible for crimes committed against the Syrian people, and building a clear road map, under international supervision, for building a professional security apparatus.

These are just some of the minimum conditions for a voluntary, safe and dignified return that must be included in the agenda of peace talks.

Until this standard is reached, the international community must step up efforts to provide humanitarian support to the displaced wherever they are, to prevent forced early and unsafe return. Such conditions would include protecting their legal status, basic services, as well as providing education and employment opportunities.

Its worth reminding ourselves of how it all started: People rose up demanding their rights as free citizens of Syria.

Assad responded with brutal crackdown and murder of his own people, which ultimately led to the civil war.

Anyone who thinks that all these years later  after hundreds of thousands were killed by the regime and its foreign allies, and after more than 13 million have been displaced  our demands for rights have disappeared, is grossly mistaken.

On the contrary, we have suffered too much to give up on our dignity and inalienable rights that we are entitled to, whether in Syria or in displacement. And there are more than 13 millions of us. We are Syria.

*****

Nader Othman is a member of Board of Trustees of the Syrian Association for Citizens Dignity from Damascus. He is a civil engineer and co-founder of the Local Administration Councils Unit (LACU) based in Gaziantep, Turkey. He is the former head of Strategic Unit and former Deputy Prime Minister of the Syrian Interim Government.

Follow him on Twitter: @naderothman_

Mazen Kseibi is a member of the Homs Assembly of the Syrian Association for Citizens Dignity. Kseibi is a dentist, entrepreneur and community activist from Homs. He took part in the civilian uprising against Assads regime and was eventually exiled to Istanbul, where he currently lives.

Follow him on Twitter: @mazen_kseibi

Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Women and children were wounded when Russian rockets, fired from warships in the Mediterranean, hit targets in Idleb province reports Hurriya Press.

On Monday, a number of civilians were wounded when long-range rockets struck Idelb province, which were thought to have been launched by Russian warships in the Mediterranean Sea.

Hurriya Presss correspondent said that rockets hit the city of Jisr al-Shughour in western Idleb province, wounding 12 civilians, including 10 children and a woman, and destroying a large amount of civilian property and infrastructure.

The Syrian Civil Defense Forces responded to the attack, treating the wounded and inspecting the damage.

Assad regime forces also used rocket launchers to strike civilian homes in the towns of al-Tah and Tahtaya in southern Idleb, while the Kafranbl educational association suspended shifts at its schools as a result of the escalating breaches by the Assad regime in the de-escalation zone.

Previously on Dec. 31, 2018, a child was wounded by warships of the Russian occupation in the village of Kasriya, near Jisr al-Shughour, despite the entire area being part of the Sochi agreement.

Mondays long-range rocket bombardment coincided with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meeting his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the Russian capital Moscow to discuss Syria, and in particular Idleb.

The areas struck by Assads forces lie within the de-escalation zone, which Russia and Turkey agreed upon last September, but Assads forces and their Russian ally have not abided by the treaty, and have continued to bombard the area over the last two months, killing and wounding hundreds of civilians, in addition to destroying dozens of service facilities.

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.
State oppression and difficult living conditions has forced hundreds of Syrian refugees in Lebanon to return to their homes, although the fate that awaits them is unknown reports Hurriya Press.

On Monday, dozens of Syrian refugees in Lebanon returned to Assad regime-controlled areas through the new Yabous and al-Dabouseh crossings in the Damascus countryside.

Hurriya Presss correspondent in Lebanon said that a number of Syrian families, most of them women and children, had crossed the new border crossings on board two buses, accompanied by Lebanese security forces, the Lebanese army and the Red Cross.

Our correspondent added that among the returning refugees were 16 children, gathered in the Kamel Youssef Jaber Cultural Center in al-Nabatiyeh, and the Burj Hammoud Stadium Center, where the returning refugees papers were inspected by the Lebanese General Security and overseen by members of the Information Directorate.

The Assad regimes official SANA news agency said that dozens of displaced Syrians had crossed through the new Yabous center and Dabouseh center coming from Lebanon, most of them women and children. The relevant agencies received them, taking the necessary measures to register their name and the addresses of their permanent residence to bring them to their areas.

Over the last few months, hundreds of Syrian refugees in Lebanon have been returned to regime-controlled areas in batches, without any guarantees of their safety. They have been forced to return by the difficult living conditions in the refugee camps in Lebanon, in addition to the security restraints imposed by the Lebanese authorities and the racist practices that Syrian refugees face in Lebanon.

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.
The regime has been warned that, if it lifts the subsidies on gasoline, then the cost of living, which is already too high for many, will rise further reports Al-Iqtissadi.

An economic expert has warned the Assad regime against lifting subsidies on gasoline, saying that if approved it will have economic consequences on the lives of Syrian citizens, and will lead to an increase in prices of all goods linked to fuel.

Omar Youssef told Al-Iqtissadi: Raising the price of gasoline will directly lead to an increase in the cost of transport, and traders will take this as a pretext to increase food prices. It will also create a black market in gasoline through the well-known system of corruption in Syria.

The Car Is Not a Luxury

Youssef denied that the car was a luxury or symbolic of luxury, saying that it was a normal right for citizens and that there were many people who needed them because their houses were in remote locations or perhaps they used them for work. Limiting them to 120 liters will not be enoughthat is, lifting subsidies will not only affect the wealthy, but will also impact other segments.

He said: If government subsidies on gasoline are lifted, the citizen will face two choices: Either he submits to the decision and buys gasoline at the new price, which the state will set later, or he will set his car aside and return to public transport, which will create traffic and other problems and will make citizens hostage to the prices set by taxi drivers.

Standards Dont Meet Global Standards

Regarding the rumors about the gas price being made in line with global prices, the economic expert noted that: The standards of Syrian gasoline do not meet the gasoline standards of neighboring countries, but its price is higher.

He said: Syrian gasoline, in its highest range, does not exceed an octane rate of 88 percent, according to government statements, a low rate, considering that the new price proposed by the government is 9,500 Syrian pounds for a tank of gas. In neighbouring Lebanon, the price of a tank of 95 octane gas, according to the exchange rate, is about 9,500 pounds, and 10,500 for 98 octane.

Unacceptable Equation

Youssef said that lifting subsidies on basic goods, especially energy-related goods, was unacceptable. Individual incomes needed to be improved so that people could survive.

Youssef added that: The governments continuing threat to lift subsidies from citizens will have psychological consequences as well, especially in this periodthat is, a period of foreign economic sanctions. The Syrian people are not against lifting subsidies, but only with improved incomes and living standards to enable them to continue living.

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.
Heavy trucks such as these 18-wheelers contribute a significant fraction of the worlds greenhouse gas emissions. MIT researchers say these emissions could be drastically reduced by using flex-fuel plug-in hybrid powertrains instead of diesel engines. Credit: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Heavy-duty trucks, such as the 18-wheelers that transport many of the world's goods from farm or factory to market, are virtually all powered by diesel engines. They account for a significant portion of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, but little has been done so far to curb their climate-change-inducing exhaust.

Now, researchers at MIT have devised a new way of powering these trucks that could drastically curb pollution, increase efficiency, and reduce or even eliminate their net greenhouse gas emissions.

The concept involves using a plug-in hybrid engine system, in which the truck would be primarily powered by batteries, but with a spark ignition engine (instead of a diesel engine). That engine, which would allow the trucks to conveniently travel the same distances as today's conventional diesel trucks, would be a flex-fuel model that could run on pure gasoline, pure alcohol, or blends of these fuels.

While the ultimate goal would be to power trucks entirely with batteries, the researchers say, this flex-fuel hybrid option could provide a way for such trucks to gain early entry into the marketplace by overcoming concerns about limited range, cost, or the need for excessive battery weight to achieve longer range.

The new concept was developed by MIT Energy Initiative and Plasma Fusion and Science Center research scientist Daniel Cohn and principal research engineer Leslie Bromberg, who are presenting it at the annual SAE International conference on April 11.

"We've been working for a number of years on ways to make engines for cars and trucks cleaner and more efficient, and we've been particularly interested in what you can do with spark ignition [as opposed to the compression ignition used in diesels], because it's intrinsically much cleaner," Cohn says. Compared to a diesel engine vehicle, a gasoline-powered vehicle produces only a tenth as much nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution, a major component of air pollution.

In addition, by using a flex-fuel configuration that allows it to run on gasoline, ethanol, methanol, or blends of these, such engines have the potential to emit far less greenhouse gas than pure gasoline engines do, and the incremental cost for the fuel flexibility is very small, Cohn and Bromberg say. If run on pure methanol or ethanol derived from renewable sources such as agricultural waste or municipal trash, the net greenhouse gas emissions could even be zero. "It's a way of making use of a low-greenhouse-gas fuel" when it's available, "but always having the option of running it with gasoline" to ensure maximum flexibility, Cohn says.

While Tesla Motors has announced it will be producing an all-electric heavy-duty truck, Cohn says, "we think that's going to be very challenging, because of the cost and weight of the batteries" needed to provide sufficient range. To meet the expected driving range of conventional diesel trucks, Cohn and Bromberg estimate, would require somewhere between 10 and 15 tons of batteries "That's a significant fraction of the payload" such a truck could otherwise carry, Cohn says.

To get around that, "we think that the way to enable the use of electricity in these vehicles is with a plug-in hybrid," he says. The engine they propose for such a hybrid is a version of one the two researchers have been working on for years, developing a highly efficient, flexible-fuel gasoline engine that would weigh far less, be more fuel-efficient, and produce a tenth as much air pollution as the best of today's diesel-powered vehicles.

Cohn and Bromberg did a detailed analysis of both the engineering and the economics of what would be needed to develop such an engine to meet the needs of existing truck operators. In order to match the efficiency of diesels, a mix of alcohol with the gasoline, or even pure alcohol, can be used, and this can be processed using renewable energy sources, they found. Detailed computer modeling of a whole range of desired engine characteristics, combined with screening of the results using an artificial intelligence system, yielded clear indications of the most promising pathways and showed that such substitutions are indeed practically and financially feasible.

In both the present diesel and the proposed flex-fuel vehicles, the emissions are measured at the tailpipe, after a variety of emissions-control systems have done their work in both cases, so the comparison is a realistic measure of real-world emissions. The combination of a hybrid drive and flex-fuel engine is "a way to enable the introduction of electric drive into the heavy truck sector, by making it possible to meet range and cost requirements, and doing it in a way that's clean," Cohn says.

Bromberg says that gasoline engines have become much more efficient and clean over the years, and the relative cost of diesel fuel has gone up, so that the cost advantages that led to the near-universal adoption of diesels for heavy trucking no longer prevail. "Over time, gas engines have become more and more efficient, and they have an inherent advantage in producing less air pollution," he says. And by using the engine in a hybrid system, it can always operate at its optimum speed, maximizing its efficiency.

Methane is an extremely potent greenhouse gas, so if it can be diverted to produce a useful fuel by converting it to methanol through a simple chemical process, "that's one of the most attractive ways to make a clean fuel," Bromberg says. "I think the alcohol fuels overall have a lot of promise."

Already, he points out, California has plans for new regulations on truck emissions that are very difficult to meet with diesel engine vehicles. "We think there's a significant rationale for trucking companies to go to gasoline or flexible fuel," Cohn says. "The engines are cheaper, exhaust treatment systems are cheaper, and it's a way to ensure that they can meet the expected regulations. And combining that with electric propulsion in a hybrid system, given an ever-cleaner electric grid, can further reduce emissions and pollution from the trucking sector."

Pure electric propulsion for trucks is the ultimate goal, but today's batteries don't make that a realistic option yet, Cohn says: "Batteries are great, but let's be realistic about what they can provide."

And the combination they propose can address two major challenges at once, they say. "We don't know which is going to be stronger, the desire to reduce greenhouse gases, or the desire to reduce air pollution." In the U.S., climate change may be the bigger push, while in India and China air pollution may be more urgent, but "this technology has value for both challenges," Cohn says.

More information: Daniel Cohn et al. Flex Fuel Gasoline-Alcohol Engine for Near Zero Emissions Plug-In Hybrid Long-Haul Trucks, SAE Technical Paper Series (2019). Daniel Cohn et al. Flex Fuel Gasoline-Alcohol Engine for Near Zero Emissions Plug-In Hybrid Long-Haul Trucks,(2019). DOI: 10.4271/2019-01-0565
"Each of the phishing sites contained links to a distribution manifest, which contained metadata such as the application name, version, icon, and a URL for the IPA file," the researchers say in a blog post.



"All these packages used provisioning profiles with distribution certificates associated with the company Connexxa S.R.L."

"These included the use of certificate pinning and public key encryption for C2 communications, geo-restrictions imposed by the C2 when delivering the second stage, and the comprehensive and well-implemented suite of surveillance features," the researchers say.

Cybersecurity researchers have discovered an iOS version of the powerful mobile phone surveillance app that was initially targeting Android devices through apps on the official Google Play Store.Dubbed, as the malware is called, the iOS version of the spyware was discovered by security researchers at LookOut during their analysis of its Android samples they had found last year.Unlike its Android variant, the iOS version of Exodus has been distributed outside of the official App Store, primarily through phishing websites that imitate Italian and Turkmenistani mobile carriers.Since Apple restricts direct installation of apps outside of its official app store, the iOS version of Exodus is abusing the Apple Developer Enterprise program, which allows enterprises to distribute their own in-house apps directly to their employees without needing to use the iOS App Store.Though the iOS variant is less sophisticated than its Android counterpart, the spyware can still be able to exfiltrate information from targeted iPhone devices including, contacts, audio recordings, photos, videos, GPS location, and device information.The stolen data is then transmitted via HTTP PUT requests to an endpoint on the attackers controlled command and control server, which is the same CnC infrastructure as the Android version and uses similar communications protocols.Several technical details indicated that Exodus was "likely the product of a well-funded development effort" and aimed to target the government or law-enforcement sectors.Developed by Italy-based company called Connexxa S.R.L., Exodus came to light late last month when white hat hackers from Security Without Borders discovered nearly 25 different apps disguised as service applications on Google Play Store, which the tech giant removed after being notified.Under development for at least five years, Exodus for Android usually consists of three distinct stages. First, there is a small dropper that collected basic identifying information, like the IMEI and phone number, about the targeted device.The second stage consists of multiple binary packages that deploy a well-implemented suite of surveillance functionalities.Finally, the third stage uses the infamous DirtyCOW exploit ( CVE-2016-5195 ) to gain root control over the infected phones. Once successfully installed, Exodus can carry out an extensive amount of surveillance.The Android variant is also designed to keep running on the infected device even when the screen is switched off.While the Android version of Exodus had potentially infected "several hundreds if not a thousand or more" devices, it's not clear how many iPhones were infected by the iOS Exodus variant.After being notified of the spyware by the Lookout researchers, Apple revoked the enterprise certificate, preventing malicious apps from being installed on new iPhones and run on infected devices.This is the second instance in the past year when an Italian software company has been caught distributing spyware. Earlier last year, another undisclosed Italian firm was found distributing "," a dangerous Android spying tool that gives hackers full control of infected devices remotely.
Welcome to my blog! Wayne and I have been married twenty four years and we're blessed to have a teen daughter and a dog named Jack. We are BAMA fans living in "da boot" of Louisiana. I'm the happiest wife, the loudest cheer mom, and the craziest girlfriend you'll ever have. I'm a Southern Belle living in a Southern world!




HONG KONG, April 9: A Hong Kong court found leaders of the 2014 Occupy civil disobedience movement guilty on Tuesday of public nuisance charges during the mass protests, in a landmark verdict that comes as the China-ruled citys freedoms come under strain.





Scores of supporters clapped in support of the nine defendants including a law professor, two lawmakers and former student activists after the judge delivered his verdict following a trial that critics say highlights shrinking political freedoms in the former British colony.





Three of the defendants accused of playing a leading role in planning and mobilizing supporters during the 79-day street occupations in 2014 - Benny Tai, 54; Chan Kin-man, 60; and retired pastor Chu Yiu-ming, 75; were found guilty of conspiracy to commit a public nuisance.





Tai and Chan were also found guilty of incitement to commit a public nuisance. They appeared calm after the verdict was delivered, and Chan bowed to supporters, applauding them outside the court. The trio had pleaded not guilty to all charges, which each carry a maximum seven years jail.





Tai, speaking to Reuters earlier, said they would continue the struggle for full democracy.





The reason that we committed civil disobedience is that we want justice for Hong Kong people.





In a summary of his judgment, Justice Johnny Chan noted that while the concept of civil disobedience is recognized in Hong Kong, it wasnt a defense to a criminal charge.





The offense of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance does not have the undesirable effect of curtailing or suppressing civil disobedience at its formation stage or suppressing human rights as the defendants contended, the summary read.





Since the city returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997, critics say China has reneged on its commitment to maintain Hong Kongs high degree of autonomy and freedoms under a so-called one country, two systems arrangement.





In the nearly five years since the Occupy protests, democracy activists, diplomats and business leaders have expressed grave concerns over what they say is Beijings tightening grip on the citys freedoms.





Pro-democracy lawmakers have been kicked out of the legislature, a pro-independence party banned, and democracy advocates barred from contesting local elections. A senior Financial Times editor was also effectively expelled from the city after he hosted a talk with a pro-independence activist at the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents Club.





The six other defendants include pro-democracy legislators Tanya Chan and Shiu Ka-chun, two former student leaders Eason Chung and Tommy Cheung, activist Raphael Wong, and veteran democrat Lee Wing-tat, were also found guilty of at least one public nuisance charge.





No sentences were immediately given by the judge.





NAIVE





The nine defendants were accused of inciting and mobilizing protesters during the demonstrations that sought to pressure Beijing to allow full democracy.





Hundreds of thousands of people blocked major roads in several parts of the global financial hub for 79 straight days in late 2014, in one of the boldest populist challenges against Beijing in decades.





The demonstrators were finally cleared away by police, having won no democratic concessions from the government.





David Leung, the director of public prosecutions, had earlier argued that Tai, Chan and Chu were the main conspirators who had begun planning the protests a year in advance. He also said the protests had caused unreasonable public disruptions over nearly three months.





A public opinion poll by the Chinese University of Hong Kong that was cited in court found that of some 1,200 protesters polled during the demonstrations, 87 percent said they had participated to protect Hong Kongs liberty.




Kathmandu, Nepal, April 9, 2019: Clearing the looming clouds over the issue of capital gains tax labeled against Ncell and Axiata companies, the Supreme Court (SC), the apex court of the country, has on Tuesday issued a full text ordering the defendants to pay the tax within three months after necessary evaluation.





In the full text, the SC has ordered both the Ncell and Axiata companies to pay capital gains tax amounting to over Rs 61 billion to the Nepal government.





Likewise, the SC has also mentioned in the full text that the companys buyout, the sale of shares and distribution of bonus is also halted until the Ncell does so.




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.
The unprecedented popular uprisings shaking Algeria since February 22 reverberate in the Tindouf camps and risk to set them on fire.

Demonstrations, marches and sit-ins have been organized two to three times a week recently, in front of the headquarters of the Polisario Front in Rabouni.

On Saturday, several hundred Sahrawis aboard vehicles drove towards the Polisario headquarters in Rabouni, where they observed a sit-in to protest against the tightening of restrictions on travel outside the camps.

These measures, dictated by Algerian authorities, limit to once a month authorizations for vehicles to leave the Tindouf camps to go to Mauritania or to the demilitarized zones near the Moroccan defense wall.

Large rallies had already been held on Wednesday, April 3 and Friday, April 5, in front of the headquarters of the so-called Ministry of the Interior, in Rabouni, to protest against these restrictive measures of freedom of movement.

Following the drastic decline in recent years of food rations and medication and in the absence of employment opportunities, the majority of the inhabitants of the Tindouf camps have no other sources of income than trade and smuggling of products, both authorized and illicit, like fuel, cigarettes or even narcotics to meet their daily needs.

The camps inhabitants, tired of their appalling living conditions, express their rage through marches, sit-ins and demonstrations. The protests have so far been peaceful, but if there is no improvement and if the populations anger is not heeded, no one can predict the outcome.

According to local dissidents, the Tindouf camps are currently on fire and an implosion cannot be ruled out especially with the ongoing events in Algeria.
This site focuses on Republican politicians and conservatives that rip off their constituency. We have the Tea Party, fundamentalist churches, the corruption of ALEC and other special interests groups. But the site also supports progressive Democrats and the local Democratic Socialist of America. We must have ideas on how to replace regressive and corrupt politicians with something better. For comments steveotto2001@yahoo.com or ottozero2001@yahoo.com.
Luxembourg's government is debating whether or not to create Park & Ride facilities along the country's motorways.

Following a parliamentary question by CSV MP Leon Gloden, Minister for Mobility Francois Bausch explained that Luxembourg's roads and bridges department (ponts et chaussees) were currently debating the same question.

These parking facilities would facilitate carpooling and make bus transfers more convenient. This will for example be the case for the Mesenich Park & Ride in Wasserbillig. The parking facilities in this location will most likely be expanded significantly - from 250 to more than 1,700 parking spaces.

Officials are also currently investigating whether a similar project could be brought to life on the A13 motorway near Dudelange. The motorway will be widened from two to three lanes in both directions, making it a strategically excellent location for a Park & Ride.

Our neighbouring countries may follow suit and also develop similar facilities. Luxembourg would contribute 10 million to the construction of the parking lots along the A13 motorway in France. In Belgium, the parking of Stockem is another alternative awaited by Luxembourg's government.
Digital learning methods are key in Michel Pauly and Marie-Paule Jungblut's history class at the University of Luxembourg.

4th semsester history students at the University of Luxembourg are taking a class on the eventful history of Luxembourg City. But not everything is as it seems... What may be mistaken for a normal course at first sight is actually a modern pilot project.

The course is more interactive than traditional classes and takes a new approach to both teaching and learning. Rather than passing on information in traditional frontal instruction style, the professors try to involve students and get them to participate more by working with new means of communication.

 Christophe Hochard  Christophe Hochard  Christophe Hochard  Christophe Hochard The photos published on this site are subject to copyright and may not be copied, modified, or sold without the prior permission of the owner of the site in question.

The students can for example answer questions digitally (and anonymously) rather than speak in front of the class. One hopes that students will be less afraid of giving a wrong answer. Once everyone has answered a question on their computer, the professors reveal the correct answer and explain it to the students.

The course began in February and ends at the end of May. At the end of the semester, the new methods will be evaluated with the students and adapted to the summer semester.
Luxembourg's police participated in the international police film festival, which took place in Beaune, France from 3 to 7 April. Their Tesla car was a highlight for many visitors.

The main theme of the 11th edition of the film festival was "highway patrol."

30 intervention vehicles from 7 European countries put on quite the show when they participated in a parade between Beaune and Dijon.

After the parade, the vehicles were taken to a photo-shooting at Dijon's airfield.

Luxembourg's police represented the country with two highway intervention vehicles: a BMW 1200 RT motorcycle and the famous Tesla S - a clear favorite of many visitors.

Two Tesla S joined the fleet of Luxembourg's police in April 2018. The vehicles are primarily used for police missions on the Grand Duchy's motorways.
Qatar has launched a lawsuit against three banks for alleged currency manipulation and attempted sabotage, including Banque Havilland, which is based in Luxembourg.

According to Reuters, the three banks embroiled in the lawsuit include the United Arab Emirates' First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), Saudi Arabia's Samba Bank, and the Luxembourg-based Banque Havilland.

The lawsuit claims that the three banks attempted to artificially destablise the Qatari currency on American markets as part of the Arabic boycott against Qatar two years ago.

Banque Havilland has denied any involvement in currency manipulation, stating that "the Bank has launched an independent forensic investigation on the matter led by external legal counsel."


The TransGriot is available for speaking engagements, college lectures, panel discussions, media interviews, conferences or Trans 101 education efforts for your school, business or professional organizations.



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Please book as early as possible because my speaking and event calendar slots during the year rapidly fill up.
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A Vietnamese couple have raised eyebrows since photos of them posing nude in Da Lat, the capital of the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, were shared online last weekend, as many believe the photo shoot is a disgrace to the famed tourist city.

Eleven photos capturing the young man and woman without clothes, apparently shot in Tuyen Lam Lake, one of Da Lats must-visit attractions, were posted on a Facebook page on Sunday, sparking mixed reactions from Internet users.

The couple are seen walking in the woods or posing on board a boat on the lake, surrounded by a misty atmosphere, in the photos, winning praise from some Facebook users for being artistic or beautifully shot.

Supporters said the ideas and concepts for the photo album were well planned and executed, adding that posing nude should no longer be considered a taboo in modern society.

The public should not be too strict about nude photography as long as it complies with the law, one commented.

However, other Facebook users criticized that the photos are a shame to such a beautiful city as Da Lat.

A photo from the couple's nude photo collection

As of Tuesday afternoon, the identity of the couple remained unknown, according to the Lam Dong culture department.

As the logo of a studio in Hanoi is used as the watermark in the photos, the culture department has tried to contact it but received no response as yet.

From an insiders perspective, a photographer in Da Lat said that the nude photo shoot was neither an uncivil nor illegal act.

The couple took the photos in the forest, not on a street [with people around], so what they did did not affect anyone, he said.

A photo from the couple's nude photo collection

Echoing this view, photography artist Ly Hoang Long, chairman of the Arts Council under the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists, said the nude shots do not deserve so much criticism from the public.

Had the artistic ideas of the photos been better expressed, the photographer would not have received so many negative comments, he said.

In artistic creation, it is normal to fail to express ideas sometimes and the artists have to accept unwanted public opinion.

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Members of the Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Council on Monday voted to elect a new chair for the decision-making organ, following the retirement in January of its chairwoman Nguyen Thi Quyet Tam.

Nguyen Thi Le, deputy secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and head of the committees Organization Commission, was chosen for the position after winning 93.54 percent of the total votes from 93 delegates.

Le, 52, will assume the post for the remaining period of the 2016-21 tenure.

Delegates cast their votes during a meeting on April 8, 2019. Photo: Tu Trung / Tuoi Tre

Born in 1967 in Cu Chi District, Ho Chi Minh City, Le holds a bachelor's degree in literature and a masters degree in law.

The Politburo ratified her as deputy secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee in late March.

Nguyen Thi Le receives flowers after assuming her new position. Photo: Tu Trung / Tuoi Tre

She has been head of the Party Committees Organization Commission since April 2018.

From 1995 to 2015, she held multiple positions at the Peoples Committee and Party Committee in District 3, before becoming an official within the municipal Party Committee.

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Here are todays leading news stories:

Politics

-- Nguyen Thi Le, deputy secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, was elected Monday as the new chairwoman of the decision-making Peoples Council for the remaining period of the 2016-21 tenure, replacing Nguyen Thi Quyet Tam, who retired earlier this year.

Society

-- A ninth-grade student has been praised and awarded VND3 million (US$129) for saving three seventh graders from drowning in a local river in the north-central Vietnamese province of Thanh Hoa on Sunday.

-- Two people on a motorcycle were killed after their vehicle crashed into a trailer truck at the An Suong Intersection in Hoc Mon District, Ho Chi Minh City on Monday evening.

-- Confrontation continued to break out between employees of two companies in the northern province of Quang Ninh on Monday due to their conflict over the construction of a road leading to a local coal mine.

-- Police officers in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City have arrested a 30-year-old man who is suspected of attacking ten people between March 23 and early April with a sharp object, after which the victims had to receive treatment for HIV exposure.

-- A man and his son were brutally assaulted in the northern province of Nam Dinh on Sunday by a group of five people who used their pay toilet and insisted on paying only VND5,000 ($0.2), while the listed service price was VND2,000 ($0.08) per person.

-- The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Taxation is coordinating with the police sector to investigate a case where a local company abandoned its headquarters to evade taxes after receiving an income worth $11.2 million.

Business

-- The African swine fever epidemic has been put under control in Vietnam, with no new outbreaks discovered in the past 30 days, the Department of Animal Health under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said on Monday.

Education

-- Police in the northern province of Ha Giang on Monday initiated legal proceedings against three individuals, including two deputy directors of the provincial Department of Education and Training, for allegedly abetting the test-score manipulation in the 2018 National High School Examination, sending the total number of people probed in the case to five.

-- A female kindergarten teacher in the northern province of Thai Nguyen has been accused of putting a dirty substance on the genitals of a five-year-old girl, which caused her to suffer vaginitis.

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Police in the northern Vietnamese province of Quang Ninh have apprehended a former naval commando for beating up a group of debt collectors who were hired to retrieve a huge overdue payment from him last weekend.

An urgent arrest warrant was issued for Do Duc Lan, 45, who resides in Yen Tho Commune, Dong Trieu Town, the town police chief Nguyen Thanh Son said on Monday.

According to preliminary investigation, Lan has owed Thanh, a man residing in Dong Trieu Towns Mao Khe Ward, VND400 million (US$17,200) since 2014.

Thanh has recently run across an ad of Hung Thinh Co., a Ho Chi Minh City-based company which provides legal debt collection service, on the Internet and signed a contract to have the firm collect the debt for him.

On Saturday, five men wearing Hung Thinh Co. uniforms met Lan at his mechanics workshop in Yen Tho Commune, after having presented their debt collection permit to the local police.

Do Duc Lan is seen in this screenshot captured from a video uploaded on Facebook.

The debt collectors and debtor apparently got into an argument that quickly turned violent, with Lan, a former naval commando, beating three of the five men to a pulp. The other two debt collectors managed to run away and report the incident to Yen Tho police officers.

Lan also had his teaching the debt collectors a lesson filmed, with the footage later uploaded on Facebook.

Following the beating, the three men were also made to get on their knees and keep their faces close to the ground, as seen in the video.

One of the men was seen trying to wipe his bloody nose with a piece of tissue.

Two of the debt collectors were taken to hospital for emergency treatment as police arrived at the scene to handle the situation.

Police had summoned the individuals involved in the case for investigation before the arrest warrant was made for Lan.

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Two people died on Monday when a man rode a motorbike, crossing a road and slamming into a trailer truck in Ho Chi Minh City.

The man was carrying a woman on his motorcycle at 7:00 pm on National Road 1A from District 12 to Hoc Mon District, according to initial reports.

When he reached An Suong Intersection in Ba Diem Commune, Hoc Mon, the rider suddenly crossed the road and crashed into a trailer truck.

The two on the motorbike were instantly killed under the truck wheels while their bike was pushed 10 meters away and completely distorted.

The two bodies were stuck under the truck.

Police cleared the scene at 9:30 pm.

About 8,200 people died and 14,800 were injured in traffic accidents in Vietnam in 2018, according to police reports.

Onlookers gather at the scene of the crash in which two were killed when a motorbike crashed into a trailer truck in Hoc Mon District, Ho Chi Minh City, April 8, 2019. Photo: Minh Hoa / Tuoi Tre

On average, 52 accidents happened on a daily basis, killing 23 people, last year.

Eighty percent of the crashes occurred on roads, with the rest on railways and waterways.

Most of the accidents were caused by the drivers breaking regulations on speed, breath alcohol concentration, lane driving, and others.

The year 2018 saw many particularly serious crashes, claiming multiple lives at the same time.

A case in point is an accident in late July 2018, when a bus carrying 17 people crashed head-on into a trailer truck in Quang Nam Province, killing 13 people.

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A Vietnamese man who was wrongfully arrested for storing drugs has spent months after his release collecting evidence to prove his girlfriend had planted a stash of heroin in his car to frame him with suspicious help from a police officer.

The evidence supplied by Nguyen Van Thien, 44, to prove himself innocent in the case provides enough grounds for a criminal court in Hanoi to schedule a trial for his girlfriend, 37-year-old Nguyen Thi Van, on charges of stockpiling narcotics and slander this Wednesday.

According to the indictment, Thien and Van were involved in a romantic relationship when conflicts between them led the woman to devise a plan to throw her boyfriend into jail in 2016.

Van allegedly got in touch with V., a female police officer, and gave her his home address and the license plate number of Thiens car, telling the officer that her boyfriend would be using the vehicle for transporting illegal drugs.

V. works at an anti-smuggling department under the Ministry of Public Security.

On the morning of October 28, 2016, Van drove Thien to work in his car. After dropping the man off, Van collected a stash of drugs that had been left at a nearby tree by an unidentified supplier and put it in the glove compartment of the vehicle.

On the evening of the same day, while Thien was driving Van to a meeting with a client, they were pulled over by police officers, who conducted a search of the vehicle.

Thien was arrested after officers found in his car over seven grams of heroin and 1.4 grams of methamphetamine, which are banned in Vietnam.

Stockpiling narcotics weighing between 0.1 and below 0.5 grams carries a prison term of one to five years, according to Vietnams Penal Code.

Thien was released after eight days in police detention as investigators could not find concrete evidence to suggest he was guilty.

I was determined to collect evidence to bring justice upon those who framed me, Thien said.

Plot uncovered

All of his suspicion pointed to Van, with whom he shared real estate properties worth more than VND200 billion (US$8.63 million) in total.

The couple, though not married, had signed agreements dictating that all of these properties were mutual assets and that either of them would own half of the assets value.

In June 2016, just four months before his arrest, Thien demanded that they break up due to insolvable conflicts but Van refused.

After his release from prison, Thien was able to retrieve a detailed call history and text messages made from Vans mobile number as he was the registered owner of the number.

He found that Van had made hundreds of calls and sent numerous text messages to a contact saved as police," whom Thien suspected to be her accomplice.

Thien then published a post on Facebook, hinting that he had found out who had framed him with the intention of luring Van out into the light.

Van frantically contacted her alleged accomplices to discuss their next moves after reading Thiens post.

These phone calls and text messages were all recorded by Thien, he said.

On January 30, 2017, Thien told Van that he had known all about her actions and that he would forgive her if she admitted the foul play.

After the confrontation, Van made her confession to Thien through several calls and texts, oblivious to the fact that her boyfriend was having them recorded as evidence.

In February 2017, Thien filed an official denunciation against Van and convinced her to also submit a letter of confession to the Supreme Peoples Procuracy of Vietnam, the countrys top prosecutors office.

In April 2018, police in Nam Tu Liem District, Hanoi launched criminal investigation against Van for stockpiling narcotics and slander."

Van told investigators she had paid V. VND1 billion ($43,160) to help her throw Thien into jail.

V. has so far dismissed the accusation.

Officers have decided to investigate the two cases separately, citing insufficient evidence to suggest V. had worked as Vans accomplice in fitting Thien up.

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"Lebanon and the Lebanese people face a choice: bravely move forward as an independent and proud nation or allow the dark ambitions of Iran and Hezbollah to dictate your future, he said while standing next to the foreign minister, Gebran Bassil, after an afternoon meeting. Mr. Pompeo added that it would take courage for Lebanon to stand up to what he called Hezbollahs criminality, terror, and threats.

Mr. Bassil, who is an ally of Hezbollah, countered Mr. Pompeo in his own post-meeting statement, saying: For us, Hezbollah is a Lebanese party, not terrorists. Its members of parliament were elected by the Lebanese people, with high popular support." NY Times

*********

"Lebanese President Michael Aoun reportedly received a US-Israeli document detailing plans for creating a civil war in Lebanon, during US Secretary of State Mike Pompeos visit to Beirut, Lebanon on March 22nd.

The document outlines covert false flag operations and a possible Israeli invasion, Lebanese TV station, Al-Jadeed reported.

According to the report, the source of the document is Israeli and it was created in partnership with the US, it is unclear who exactly presented it to President Aoun." SF and al Jadeed

--------------

Well now, pilgrims, the trick in looking at this story is to figure out how much of this can possibly be true. "Al Jadeed" has a long history of tilting at windmills, but ... there is a certain madcap consistency in this story with the Trump/Bolton/Pompeo view of their role in history and willingness to "think big."

I don't think anyone would have been foolish enough to actually give the Lebanese a document that laid out this scheme, but that does not mean that Pompeo the Great did not verbally press this evidence of his mastery of the world on Aoun and company.

For him to do that would have required a presidential "finding" under the US National Defence Acts for what would undoubtedly be covert warfare, but that could be. There must by now be a number of findings signed by Trump to authorize such efforts as the march of freedom toward Caracas, etc.

Would the Israelis be goofy enough to have suggested/ordered such a plan? As I have written here before, Hizbullah's massive rocket and missile capability poses a strategic problem to Israel all the way down to Tel Aviv. This capability is protected from Israeli attacks by the Tabbouleh Line of entrenched Hizbullah militia, many of them very combat experienced in Syria. The Israelis do not want to repeat their 2006 experience against what was then a weaker TL but they yearn for an end to Hizbullah's retaliatory capability against Israel.



How much easier or possible it might be to take down Hizbullah by fomenting an anti-Hizbullah civil war within Lebanon.

Unfortunately for this hope Hizbullah is a fully integrated part of Lebanese society and government. President Aoun, a Maronite Christian, and his foreign minister made that clear to the Pomp. The notion that Lebanon can still be split like a melon by spreading a bucket full of money around is typical of the arrogance and ignorance with which Israeli policy still views its neighbors.

My SWAG is that this Al-Jadeed report represents the decision of some Lebanese politician to debrief to the TeeVee station concerning the verbal statements made by Pompeo in Lebanon.



pl

https://southfront.org/secret-document-outlines-us-israel-plan-for-syria-style-civil-war-in-lebanon-report/

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/22/world/middleeast/mike-pompeo-lebanon-hezbollah.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Jadeed
Notice the common thread that binds crazy Adam Schiff with crazy Donald Trump. They each hold a fervent belief that is devoid of fact and based on nothing more then feelings and impressions born of ignorance.

Then we have the preposterous policy announcement on Iran by the Trump Administration today.. Call it the Trump/Bolton/Pompeo Jabberwocky moment (for those unfamiliar with Lewis Carroll's creation, a Jabberwocky is a nonsense poem--sound and fury meaning nothing).

I consider myself a student of history. I have done quite a bit of reading over the years and believe I have a pretty firm grasp on the road we have already traveled. With this as my preamble I must say I have never read about a period in our history that is as batshit crazy and dangerous as what we are doing now. Let me be more specific. The anti-Russian hysteria and feckless attempts by Democrats and Republican Trump haters to paint Trump as a puppet or even a paramour of Putin is insane. It is a sentiment not grounded in reality.

Schiff's strident insistence that he has proof of Trump's collusion with Putin is beyond laughable. Notwithstanding the claim in the Christopher Steel crafted Russian dossier that Putin and the rest of his thugs were beyond eager to offer Trump special real estate deals. Yet nothing ever materialized. Devoid of irony, it was Schiff who got on the phone with two alleged Russian informants eager to dish dirt on naked pictures of Donald Trump (just the thought of that brings sour stomach juices to the back of my throat). He later discovered they were impish pranksters. But that setback has not dissuaded the homosexual California version of Joe McCarthy from pursuing his prey. Adam Schiff is channeling the gay version of Gregory Peck's Ahab.

Reflecting the same sort of mindless, factless quest for a mythical creature, Donald Trump announced that he was placing the Iranian military on the list of terrorist groups. His pronouncements, along with those of his Secretary of State, on Iranian support for terrorism sounds great at first blush as long as you know nothing of history. Iran is not the major sponsor of international terrorism. In fact, Iran has been in the lead in battling the very Islamic radical groups that attacked American civilians on 9-11-2001.

Publius Tacitus had a great piece on this (click here). PT is spot on. The truth about Iranian "terrorism" is that the Iranians, especially over the last 25 years, have focused on striking military targets. That is a legitimate target. We may not like it when our soldiers and marines are the targets, but they are carrying guns and wearing body armor in foreign countries.

Schiff and Trump's bellicosity in railing against truly imaginary enemies runs the serious risk of creating real enemies with the capacity to strike us and hurt us. If that comes the blame will rest largely with the American public who have willingly gone along with patent bullshit. But we are in an age where genuine truth no longer seems to matter. I do not recall a similar, more delusional period in our history. This one is very dangerous because of the toxic mix of enthusiasm and ignorance.
[April 09, 2019] Avaya Announces Open SIP Portfolio Enhancements Avaya (News - Alert) Holdings Corp. (NYSE:AVYA), a global leader in solutions to enhance and simplify communications and collaboration, today announced that the Avaya IX devices portfolio has been enhanced to serve additional UC software platforms, including SignalWire and Netsapiens, using the Open SIP standard. Avaya previously announced support for the Broadsoft platform using this standard, and support for these new platforms opens another group of businesses to the value, performance and intelligence of Avaya smart device technology. Avaya is also actively engaging new partners in the Open SIP market opportunity, and TeleDynamics is one new partner recently signed with Avaya. "Our customers have been asking for support of Avaya desktop devices, and we are excited to deliver on that promise," said Jason Byrne Senior Vice President of Products & Marketing at Netsapiens. "Our decision to partner with Avaya and TeleDynamics also signifies the next logical step in simplifying the sourcing, turn up and operations of a service provider's Unified Communications (News - Alert) solution. When coupled with Netsapiens' game changing SNAPvantage automated business management system, in a way we have created a 'service provider in a box' allowing service providers to turn up their business in a fraction of the time, and scale with ease." "Avaya has a great reputation in our industry and is recognized for its high quality," said Daniel Noworatzky, CTO, TeleDynamics. "With the rapid transition to VoIP and TeleDynamics' commitment to bring value to our channel, this association is a great match. Avaya's entry into the SIP endpoint business is a further validation of the direction this industry is headed." "We at SignalWire are excited to learn that Avaya has adopted the Open SIP standard, and this will allow their phones to communicate with SignalWire CLOUD, SignalWire STACK and FreeSWITCH. I look forward to working with Avaya," said Anthony Minessale, SignalWire CEO. Avaya also announced additional portfolio capabilities, including a new Open SIP DECT wireless conferencing device - the Avaya IX Conference Phone B169 - and a new Open SIP client for the award-winning Avaya Vantage portfolio - the Avaya Vantage Connect application. In addition to a premium end user experience, these and other Avaya devices deliver businesses the flexibility and cost savings of wireless connectivity. Frost and Sullivan predicts Open SIP IP Phone growth will reach 11.8% over the next seven years, building onto the estimated 50 million Open SIP phones have been shipped over the past six years. "Avaya's key value proposition and differentiator in the Open SIP endpoint space is its focus on the end user experience. A recent Frost & Sullivan survey of UCaaS investment stakeholders found that the user experience is a critical factor in provider selection, with 44% of respondents selecting a good user experience among the top decision-making factors in the final selection of a UCaaS provider," said Alaa Saayed of Frost and Sullivan. "Avaya has transformed itself into an Open SIP endpoint innovator with a solid commitment to become the preferred vendor in this space." For more details, access the free Frost and Sullivan report: "Eight Reasons UCaaS Providers Should Modernize their IP Device Portfolios," or view the webinar. Avaya IX Devices Open SIP Portfolio includes: Avaya IX IP Phones - Combining 100 years of experience with intensive end-user research to deliver a more intelligent desktop communications experience. This portfolio addresses a broad set of business desktop needs and packs powerful capabilities into an attractive, modern form factor.

- Combining 100 years of experience with intensive end-user research to deliver a more intelligent desktop communications experience. This portfolio addresses a broad set of business desktop needs and packs powerful capabilities into an attractive, modern form factor. The Award-wining Avaya Vantage - Delivering on the vision of bringing the consumer smart phone experience to the business desktop in a way that makes sense for businesses of all sizes - and including the industry's only Google (News - Alert) Play Store certified business desktop device.

- Delivering on the vision of bringing the consumer smart phone experience to the business desktop in a way that makes sense for businesses of all sizes - and including the industry's only Google (News - Alert) Play Store certified business desktop device. Avaya IX Conference Phones - Avaya's patented OmniSound&rg; technology is included in all of its conference phones, providing crystal clear audio performance. The new Avaya IX Conference Phone B169, provides a cord-free conferencing experience with complete UC integration using the DECT standard and battery power.

- Avaya's patented OmniSound&rg; technology is included in all of its conference phones, providing crystal clear audio performance. The new Avaya IX Conference Phone B169, provides a cord-free conferencing experience with complete UC integration using the DECT standard and battery power. Avaya IX Hospitality Phones - Deliver Avaya quality into the hotel guest room and provide a new level of guest experience personalization.

- Deliver Avaya quality into the hotel guest room and provide a new level of guest experience personalization. Avaya IX Collaboration Unit - Redefines huddle room economics with an all-in-one collaboration solution that can be purchased at a low up front cost or by monthly subscription.

- Redefines huddle room economics with an all-in-one collaboration solution that can be purchased at a low up front cost or by monthly subscription. Avaya IX Huddle Cameras - Attach these cameras to a laptop via USB to enhance the room conferencing video quality.

- Attach these cameras to a laptop via USB to enhance the room conferencing video quality. Avaya IX Handsets - Use the DECT standard to deliver campus-wide employee mobility in a range of handset styles.

- Use the DECT standard to deliver campus-wide employee mobility in a range of handset styles. Avaya IX Headsets - Avaya's AcousticEdge technology delivers contact center agent audio quality to every employee in five different headset styles.

Channel Partners Conference & Expo on April 9-12, 2019 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, NV. Additional Resources Avaya Open SIP brochure

Avaya Wireless Campus Brochure

Wireless Campus Video

Avaya IX Phones

Avaya Vantage

Avaya IX Conference Phones

Avaya IX Video Devices

Avaya IX Headsets Additional information on Netsapiens can be found at https://netsapiens.com

Additional information on SignalWire can be found at https://signalwire.com

Additional information on TeleDynamics can be found at https://teledynamics.com About Avaya

Businesses are built on the experiences they provide, and every day millions of those experiences are built by Avaya (NYSE: AVYA). For over one hundred years, we've enabled organizations around the globe to win - by creating intelligent communications experiences for customers and employees. Avaya builds open, converged and innovative solutions to enhance and simplify communications and collaboration - in the cloud, on-premise or a hybrid of both. To grow your business, we're committed to innovation, partnership, and a relentless focus on what's next. We're the technology company you trust to help you deliver Experiences that Matter. Visit us at www.avaya.com. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This document contains certain "forward-looking statements." All statements other than statements of historical fact are "forward-looking" statements for purposes of the U.S. federal and state securities laws. These statements may be identified by the use of forward looking terminology such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "might," "our vision," "plan," "potential," "preliminary," "predict," "should," "will," or "would" or the negative thereof or other variations thereof or comparable terminology and include, but are not limited to expected feature releases and statements about future products, expected cash savings and statements about growth, exchange listing and improved operational metrics. The Company has based these forward-looking statements on its current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. While the Company believes these expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections are reasonable, such forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond its control. The factors are discussed in the Company's Registration Statement on Form 10 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, may cause its actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. For a further list and description of such risks and uncertainties, please refer to the Company's filings with the SEC (News - Alert) that are available at www.sec.gov. The Company cautions you that the list of important factors included in the Company's SEC filings may not contain all of the material factors that are important to you. In addition, considering these risks and uncertainties, the matters referred to in the forward-looking statements contained in this report may not in fact occur. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law. Source (News - Alert) : Avaya Newsroom View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005386/en/

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Season 4 of Preacher will be the last for the US cult drama.

As revealed by TV Tonight filming is underway in Victoria for the AMC drama.

Based on the Vertigo Comics title, Preacher follows the quirky and violent adventures of Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper), Tulip OHare (Ruth Negga), and Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) as they, among other things, go on a quest to find God, and do battle with various villains, including the indestructible Saint of Killers (Graham McTavish).

Co-creator Seth Rogen posted a tweet confirming that the fourth season will is due in the US on August 4th.

It screens in Australia through Stan.

Source: Screenrant
SBS on Demand will premiere Eurodramas Raven & 54 Hours.

Raven

In Polish with English subtitles.

Thursday, 11 April.

All six episodes available.

Adam Kruk, a 40 year old police officer addicted to painkillers and psychotropic drugs, returns to the town he grew up in to find the paedophile who abused his friend, Slawek, years ago. Once there, he is unexpectedly called to investigate a new case  the kidnapping of a powerful mans grandson, which he undertakes to help set him free from his past mistakes. As he was unable to protect Slawek, he sees this case as a second chance to protect a child and an opportunity for justice. Adam must control the darkest corners of his mind to solve the kidnapping and as the case unfolds, he discovers answers which will reveal an unexpected link between these two cases.

54 Hours

In German with English subtitles.

Thursday, 18 April

All four episodes

54 Hours recounts the incredible yet true events of 1988, of an armed bank robbery gone awry and the unbelievable events that followed. While fleeing from the police, the two gangsters take an entire bus hostage. The ensuing manhunt, however, turns into a disaster. The police make fools of themselves with their amateurish operations and, above all, are obstructed by the nations media who swoop down on the events in their rat race for the juiciest pictures and live interviews with the kidnappers. As Rosner, the driving force of the duo, orchestrates their 54 hours of fame in cold blood, his accomplice Degowski derives sinister pleasure from manipulating the media. But Degowski is also unpredictable and violent. When he loses his nerve and kills a teenage passenger in the bus, the two men choose two young women as their hostages while leaping into another getaway vehicle. Thus begins an odyssey that goes completely out of control.
US actress Allison Mack, who played Clark Kents confidant Chloe in Smallville, has pleaded guilty to blackmailing two women as part of an alleged New York sex cult.

Mack, 36, was arrested last April on charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit forced labour. She is accused of recruiting women into a secret society known as NXIVM, led by self-help guru Keith Raniere. But US authorities allege it is a sex cult, charging both with multiple counts.

She entered her plea to racketeering and conspiracy charges before a federal court in Brooklyn, New York, admitting that she coerced the two unnamed women into performing services by threatening to release damaging information about them.

Fighting back tears, Mack said she had joined the organisation, led by Raniere, a decade ago to find purpose in life.

Through it all, I believed that Keith Ranieres intentions were to help people, she said.

I was wrong. I now realise that I and others engaged in criminal conduct.

There has been no mention yet of any agreement for Mack to assist prosecutors in their case against Raniere.

Raniere, 58, is currently being held without bail and is expected to go on trial next month.

Mack appeared in Smallville across 9 seasons. She also played played Amanda, the love interest of Elijah Woods character Ryan on the US adaptation of Wilfred.

Source: ABC
Actress Nadja Regin was born Nadezda Poderegin in Kraljevo in what was originally Yugoslavia and is now Serbia. She went on to appear in two of the early James Bond movies opposite Sean Connery in the lead role as 007, namely From Russia with Love and Goldfinger. In those days, Nadja was termed a Bond Girl. Please note that some media outlets are spelling her name as Nadja Rejin, but Regin is the correct surname.

Announcement by James Bond official Twitter account

As noted by Variety, the official James Bond Twitter account announced the news on Monday that Regin had passed away at the age of 87.

They wrote they are sorry to have learned that Nadja Regin had died at the age of 87 and passed on their thoughts to her family and friends at this sad time.

We are very sorry to learn that Nadja Regin has passed away at the age of 87. Nadja appeared in two Bond films, FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE and GOLDFINGER. Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this sad time. pic.twitter.com/PVriNun3MY  James Bond (@007) April 8, 2019

As reported by Deadline, no details of her passing were revealed.

Career of Nadja Regin

Nadja Regin was born Nadezda Poderegin on 2 December 1931 and started acting as a student. She had planned a career in journalism, but went on to graduate with a BA from the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade and also studied in the Faculty of Philosophy at Belgrades University.

Nadja then starred in several locally made films.

RIP Nadia Regin. Your impact on the Bond franchise was shocking in the best possible way. pic.twitter.com/tYCnCTcdl2  Jonathan Shiel (@JP_Shiel) April 8, 2019

Nadja landed her first major role with the surname Regin in Das Haus an der Kuste in 1954, which was a German/Yugoslav co-production and was filmed in Dubrovnik.

Via the Rank Organisation, the Film gained international exposure, leading to more film offers in Germany, including comedies and romantic films.

Glumila u filmovima o Jamesu Bondu: Preminula Nadia Regin https://t.co/hex9pGH0TV pic.twitter.com/1RwMT6fpuv  Milan Sostaric (@mtm800e) April 8, 2019

After Nadja married a Polish war veteran, she moved to Britain and as she had a natural talent for languages, soon became fluent in English.

IMDb cites Nadja as saying that her Serbian accent did tend to restrict her roles to slinky enticement characters or as a spy.

It was in the late 1950s/early 1960s that Regin started to appear in various British films, including a horror movie The Man Without a Body. She also starred in the 1959 comedy film Dont Panic Chaps!, which was reportedly her favourite role and also Solo for Sparrow, Edgar Wallace Mysteries, and The Fur Collar.

In From Russia with Love, Nadja played Kerim Beys (Pedro Armendariz) mistress. Bey was playing the role of the station chief for M16 in Istanbul, Turkey. She also starred as Bonita in Goldfinger as a belly dancer who sets out to trap James Bond.

Regin also had various television appearances including The Saint, Dixon of Dock Green and Danger Man. The 1970s saw Regin working for Rank Film and Hammer, the horror film producers. Her job was to select film scripts for film production. She went on to co-found Honeyglen Publishing Ltd. in 1980 and recently published her own book, The Victims and the Fools, which goes under her full name of Nadja Poderegin. The novel tells the story of a romance between a dancer and a poet during World War II.
The chairman of British American Tobacco (BAT) is to step down within months as it becomes the latest FTSE-100 company to confront City reforms which impose stricter time limits on directors' tenure.

Sky News has learnt that the board of BAT - the UK's largest cigarette maker by market value - has instructed headhunters at Korn Ferry to find a successor to Richard Burrows.

Mr Burrows, who has chaired the Lucky Strike manufacturer since November 2009, is the latest in a string of blue-chip chairs who have become 'timed out' by governance changes which mean they lose their independence after holding a boardroom role for more than nine years.

The news of his impending exit comes just days after BAT's new chief executive, Jack Bowles, took over from Nicandro Durante.

BAT's intention to begin succession planning for the chairman's role was disclosed in its annual report, published late last month, but has not previously been reported.

In the document's nominations committee report, the company said: "The board considers the length of service of the members of the board as a whole and the need for it to refresh its membership progressively over time.

"Board succession planning remains a priority for the committee in 2019."

It said directors had "given careful consideration to director transitions to ensure orderly board succession" and this year would be "focused on succession planning for the chairman and will have close regard to the requirements of the new Corporate Governance Code".

Mr Burrows, who also sits on the boards of Rentokil, the pest controller, and brewer Carlsberg, has retained a low profile relative to the 71.5bn market capitalisation of BAT.

A former governor of the Bank of Ireland, he is expected to step down by the time of next year's annual shareholder meeting.

The search for his successor is being run at board level by Kieran Poynter, BAT's senior independent director.

While corporate governance watchdogs offer some flexibility to the nine-year rule for company chairs, the expectation is that dozens of FTSE-100 businesses will have to undertake earlier-than-expected searches for new chairmen.

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Among those which have acted to comply with the new guidelines is Babcock International, the engineering group, which last week announced the appointment of its first female chair, Ruth Cairnie.

GVC Holdings, the betting group which owns Ladbrokes, is accelerating a search for Lee Feldman's successor as chairman following a row over the sale of shares by him and the company's chief executive.

At BAT, the change of leadership - which also includes the appointment of a new finance chief - follows a sector-wide share price decline prompted by investor concern over slowing sales growth.

The changing of the guard at the Lucky Strike and Dunhill maker came little more than 18 months after BAT announced the takeover of US tobacco group Reynolds in a $49.4bn deal.

Shares in the company have, though, slumped by more than a quarter during the last 12 months amid declining growth in core tobacco products and uncertainty about the future success of its range of so-called next-generation products.

The latter category, which includes BAT's vaping brand, Vype, and Glo, its tobacco pipe, are an increasingly important driver of cigarette manufacturers' profits.



Under Mr Durante, BAT's efforts to grow its next-generation division included a number of acquisitions, including Ten Motives, a UK-based e-cigarette company.

His successor said last month that 'new category' products would generate 5bn in sales by 2023-24.

BAT's London-listed rival, the Davidoff and West-maker Imperial Brands, has also seen its shares slide during the last year.

It, too, is seeking a successor to its long-serving chairman.

Despite its weak share price performance, BAT remains one of the five largest companies in the FTSE-100 by market value.

BAT declined to comment on the appointment of headhunters to find Mr Burrows' successor.
[April 09, 2019] CGS Survey Discovers that Security and Privacy are Top Concerns for Customer Service Interactions NEW YORK, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CGS, a global provider of business applications, enterprise learning and outsourcing services, today announced the findings from its 2019 CGS Customer Service Security and Compliance Survey . The results showed that despite demands for faster, more personalized interactions, consumers have strong opinions when it comes to their security and privacy rights. With reports from the latest Edelman Trust Barometer showing that only 49 percent of the U.S. general population trusts businesses (down from 52 percent in 2017), companies must work to strike a balance between providing a tailored customer experience and respecting their customers data preferences.

CGS surveyed more than 500 U.S. consumers to assess their preferences and concerns around customer service interactions. The survey looked at what types of information individuals are willing to share, how they are willing to share (e.g., through a human agent, social media, chatbot) and any apprehensions they have with sharing their personal data. Key findings from the survey include: Automated Technology Still Lacks Consumer Trust

Despite the rapid adoption of mobile and artificial intelligence (AI) technology, almost 60 percent of respondents still believe that phone interactions are the most secure customer service channel. In fact, more than two-thirds (68 percent) of respondents said they dont trust automated technology with personal data including birthdates, account numbers and social security numbers. As more businesses adopt automated and AI-driven service solutions, they must be transparent about how customer data will be stored and managed to encourage consumer confidence in next-gen technology. Companies must focus on the customer journey and not just on the newest technology, said John Samuel, EVP, CGS. AI can be beneficial to a business, including customer service, but it shouldnt be relied upon as a standalone solution; rather it should be assessed as a tool to complement customer support representatives. With low unemployment, companies will need to be more creative with theirresources and implement technology that can help automate processes that aid their staff, who in turn can focus on the businesss highest priorities  its customers.

Past Experiences with Data Exposures Leave Consumers Feeling Vulnerable

Data breaches have become commonplace for many consumers: 63 percent of respondents reported receiving an alert that their personal data had potentially been exposed or breached. Such experiences are affecting future interactions. Nearly 70 percent of respondents said they are unlikely to return to a company that has exposed their personal information. With data exposures and breaches happening more frequently, companies must have a plan in place as to how they will notify customers if an incident occurs. Being completely prepared for data vulnerabilities may be impossible, but offering remediations and additional protections in the future could help rebuild consumer trust. With talks of U.S. privacy legislation on the horizon, the time is now for businesses to adopt the technology and process that will address consumers security concerns, said Michael D. Mills, SVP, Global BPO Solutions, Contact Center division, CGS. In customer support services, we all need to be more cognizant of consumers privacy and the local compliance requirements, making it the forefront of the business. With ever-changing technology and consumer expectations, all industries need to ensure they are prepared for the regulatory needs of today and the future. Consumers Consent to Providing Information  If They Trust the Brand

Although consumers are looking for personalized interactions, they are wary of sharing their information with companies. When asked if they would give a company the authority to store their information for future interactions, only three percent of respondents said they would always give consent. More than half of the respondents (56 percent) would give consent if they trusted the brand, but 41 percent would never allow their information to be stored, citing security concerns. Additionally, consumers are uncertain about how their data is currently being managed by companies. Only 15 percent of respondents felt that they have a clear understanding of what information is being stored from their interactions with companies. While personalized customer service interactions are essential to success, organizations must demonstrate respect for their customers data privacy preferences. This means being transparent with customers about how their data will be used and protected. To view the findings, see our infographic . With optimized call center resources to serve global clients, CGS offers a unique hybrid approach through automation and live agents in its contact centers located in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Its AI-enriched chatbot and RPA technologies complement the customer support services provided by thousands of multilingual call center agents. CGS supports many of the world's industry-leading global brands from retail, hospitality, healthcare, technology and telecom. CGSs innovative, scalable and flexible business process outsourcing (BPO) solutions include technical and customer support, telesales, channel enablement and back office support. About CGS

For 35 years, CGS has enabled global enterprises, regional companies and government agencies to drive breakthrough performance through business applications, enterprise learning and outsourcing services. CGS is wholly focused on creating comprehensive solutions that meet clients complex, multi-dimensional needs and support clients most fundamental business activities. Headquartered in New York City, CGS has offices across North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. For more information, please visit www.cgsinc.com and follow us on Twitter at @CGSinc and @OutsourcingCGS and on Facebook. Media Contact:

Susan Sweeney, CGS

newsroom@cgsinc.com Kate Connors (for CGS)

kconnors@pancomm.com

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At 11pm on Friday, the UK will leave the EU without a deal unless leaders meeting this week in Brussels grant a further extension to the Article 50 withdrawal process.

What is a no-deal Brexit?

A no-deal break means Britain would immediately cease to be an EU member state and the 585-page Withdrawal Agreement would not apply.

That would mean the planned transition period to the end of 2020  intended to allow firms to carry on trading with the EU under the existing rules while they adapt to the new arrangements  would not kick in.

It would also affect citizens rights, the Irish border and UKs 39 billion divorce bill.

So what would that mean for trade?

The legal basis for the free movement of goods between Britain and the EU would disappear, and instead the UK would move to trading under World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules. That means a new tariff regime as well as new customs and regulatory checks.

The Government has announced that, as a temporary measure, there would be no tariffs on most goods coming into UK (87% by value compared with 80% at present) although there will be protections for some industries, including meat and dairy producers, car manufacturers and makers of ceramics.

For trade with non-EU countries, the Government has said it wants to carry on with the same arrangements with those countries that have trade deals with the EU.

So far it has managed to roll over a number of agreements, including those with Switzerland, Norway and Israel, but others, including those with Japan and Turkey, have yet to be agreed.

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(PA Graphics)

How will that work at the border?

Until it actually happens, no-one can be quite sure. The Government has said it will do what it can to ensure that goods continue to flow into the country as smoothly as possible, waiving checks where it can.

However there are concerns that many firms  particularly smaller traders  are still not properly prepared for dealing with the new procedures. That has raised fears of long tailbacks of lorries at the Channel ports, at least in the short term.

There will be new checks on livestock and food products being exported from the UK into the EU as Britain may no longer be considered compliant with EU regulatory standards.

There will be new checks on livestock being exported from the UK into the EU (Danny Lawson/PA)

What will be the effect in the shops?

With around 30% of the UKs food imported from the EU, supermarkets have warned of higher prices and empty shelves in the event of no-deal.

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney has said there could be a hike of 5% to 10% in food prices, while there are concerns about the impact on the supply of perishable goods if no-deal results in delays at the border.

Tariffs could add around 1,500 to the price of a typical car imported from the EU.

Brexiteers, however, argue that many of the concerns are exaggerated, with the UK importing a wide variety of fresh produce from non-EU countries.

Consultations with PM @AndrejPlenkovic yesterday evening and with Chancellor Merkel this morning on #brexit ahead of #EUCO.  Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) April 9, 2019

What about medicines?

The NHS imports large quantities of drugs and medical equipment from the EU and there are concerns about the impact of no-deal on costs and on complex supply chains.

The Government  which has been urging pharmaceutical companies to stockpile six weeks worth of essential medicines  has said measures are in place to ensure that patients will continue to get the drugs they need.

Extra shipping capacity has been secured and warehouses with refrigeration facilities rented to store medicines, while arrangements have made to fly in those which cannot be stockpiled.

However there have been reports that some hospitals are already experiencing shortages of drugs as the date for the UKs departure approaches.

Si le Royaume-Uni est en mesure d'approuver l'accord de retrait avec une majorite viable d'ici au 12 avril, alors l'Union europeenne devrait accepter une prorogation jusquau 22 mai. I will do everything to prevent a disorderly #Brexit.https://t.co/EOGpdIYpPr  Jean-Claude Juncker (@JunckerEU) April 3, 2019

What about citizens rights?

No-deal means that there is no agreement on the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and British nationals in the EU.

The Government has said it will continue to guarantee the rights of the estimated three million EU citizens in the UK, allowing them to gain settled status, as would be the case if there was a deal.

However Parliaments Human Rights Committee has warned that Government legislation means they could be denied access to benefits such as council housing and social security payments, even if there is a deal.

For the one million UK nationals in the EU, in the event of no-deal their future status will depend on the individual member states where they are resident. The European Commission has urged them to adopt a generous approach, but it remains unclear how they will respond.

Michel Barnier (left) and Leo Varakdar both want to prevent a no-deal Brexit (Clodagh Kilcoyne/PA)

How will the Irish border work?

Both sides have said there will be no return of physical checks on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, but have yet to spell out how it will work in practice.

The UK has said that, as a temporary measure, it will not impose any new checks or require customs declarations on most goods crossing the border into Northern Ireland, while a longer term solution is found.

Irish premier Leo Varadkar has also stated his commitment to an open border.

At the same time, he has assured fellow EU leaders that he will not allow Ireland to become a backdoor into the EU single market for goods coming via Northern Ireland, but has not so far explained how that can be achieved.
Lisa McGees hit comedy Derry Girls will return to Channel 4 for a third series.

The broadcaster revealed the news as the second season of the tale of adolescent highs and lows came to a close on Tuesday night.

Writer Lisa McGee, who used her own childhood as the basis for the show, said she was thrilled her band of eejits would continue their on-screen adventures.

She said: I love writing this show and Im so thrilled to be able to continue the Derry Girls story, thank you Channel 4, Erin and the eejits live to fight another day!

The show follows the antics of a group of friends growing up in Londonderry around the time of the IRA and loyalist ceasefires.

In Northern Ireland the series two launch became the most-watched programme across all channels since the first series aired.

Screen writer Lisa McGee drew from childhood experiences for the plot (Niall Carson/PA)

Channel 4s director of programmes Ian Katz said: At a time of great uncertainty about the future of the country thank God we have one unequivocally good piece of news to look forward to: the Derry Girls will be back to make our lives a bit brighter and more fun.

Head of comedy at the channel Fiona McDermott said: Its no surprise that Derry Girls continues to delight a growing legion of fans  a combination of magical writing and adorable characters make this show both timely and timeless.

Were delighted to confirm a third series  dont tell Ma Mary, but Im breaking open the Christmas cupboard in celebration.
European companies should have the same rights in China as Chinese firms in Europe, European Commission head Jean Claude Juncker has said at the annual EU-China summit in Brussels.The yearly gathering brings Beijing's number two leader together with the EU's top officials and serves as a litmus test on the state of ties between Europe and the Asian giant.This year's meeting comes a month after the European Commission branded Beijing "a systemic rival" in a special 10-point report that stressed China's unwillingness to play fair on trade."The Commission has a new strategy ... and we are insisting that European firms in China should enjoy the same rights as Chinese firms in Europe," Juncker told a conference just minutes before his meeting with China's Prime Minister Li Keqiang.The annual meeting, where little is actually decided, comes as Brussels is trying to better define its approach to the Asian giant on trade matters and security.Concerns about the Belt and RoadA major concern for Europe is China's ambitious "Belt and Road Initiative" (BRI), a trillion dollar network of transport and trade links stretching from Asia to Europe.EU powers such as France and Germany are growing ever more uneasy with project after populist-led Italy joined the scheme, becoming the first G7 member to do so.Italy's move ran against the Commission's 10-point plan proposing a more assertive relationship with Beijing.It also underlined Europe's struggles to maintain unity among its 28 members when it comes to China, allowing the superpower to pursue one-on-one deals, especially with countries hungry for investment, such as Italy, Greece and eastern Europe.Li Keqiang, Chinas Premier, will attend the 16+1 cooperation in Croatias capital Dubrovnik, later this week, where 11 EU members come together with five Balkan states and China as part of the BRI. The 16+1 cooperation started in 2012 and caused concern in Brussels as new EU members such as Hungary, Poland and the Baltic States made deals with Beijing without informing the EUs central authorities. More powerful EU states also go out on their own with China.Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron hosted President Xi Jinping for a summit, though he also invited German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the EU's Juncker for one leg of the meeting.But while Tuesday's meeting may not yield anything new in the EU's complex relationship with China, European officials insist it still has value in keeping up the pressure."There is broad agreement within the EU that it is important to communicate to China that we are at a point where we want to see concrete steps forward on their willingness to work with us at the WTO," an EU diplomat told AFP."What is important is that we give a signal to China that the EU is partner but also a competitor and requires Beijing to make some steps."

European companies should have the same rights in China as Chinese firms in Europe, European Commission head Jean Claude Juncker has said at the annual EU-China summit in Brussels.

The yearly gathering brings Beijing's number two leader together with the EU's top officials and serves as a litmus test on the state of ties between Europe and the Asian giant.

This year's meeting comes a month after the European Commission branded Beijing "a systemic rival" in a special 10-point report that stressed China's unwillingness to play fair on trade.

"The Commission has a new strategy ... and we are insisting that European firms in China should enjoy the same rights as Chinese firms in Europe," Juncker told a conference just minutes before his meeting with China's Prime Minister Li Keqiang.

The annual meeting, where little is actually decided, comes as Brussels is trying to better define its approach to the Asian giant on trade matters and security.

Concerns about the Belt and Road

A major concern for Europe is China's ambitious "Belt and Road Initiative" (BRI), a trillion dollar network of transport and trade links stretching from Asia to Europe.

EU powers such as France and Germany are growing ever more uneasy with project after populist-led Italy joined the scheme, becoming the first G7 member to do so.

Italy's move ran against the Commission's 10-point plan proposing a more assertive relationship with Beijing.

It also underlined Europe's struggles to maintain unity among its 28 members when it comes to China, allowing the superpower to pursue one-on-one deals, especially with countries hungry for investment, such as Italy, Greece and eastern Europe.

Li Keqiang, Chinas Premier, will attend the 16+1 cooperation in Croatias capital Dubrovnik, later this week, where 11 EU members come together with five Balkan states and China as part of the BRI.

The 16+1 cooperation started in 2012 and caused concern in Brussels as new EU members such as Hungary, Poland and the Baltic States made deals with Beijing without informing the EUs central authorities.

Story continues

More powerful EU states also go out on their own with China.

Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron hosted President Xi Jinping for a summit, though he also invited German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the EU's Juncker for one leg of the meeting.

But while Tuesday's meeting may not yield anything new in the EU's complex relationship with China, European officials insist it still has value in keeping up the pressure.

"There is broad agreement within the EU that it is important to communicate to China that we are at a point where we want to see concrete steps forward on their willingness to work with us at the WTO," an EU diplomat told AFP.

"What is important is that we give a signal to China that the EU is partner but also a competitor and requires Beijing to make some steps."
Exploding health costs have become an issue of grave concern in Kenya, where an estimated one million people are driven into poverty every year due to unaffordable medical bills. And Zimbabwe is to start paying compensation to thousands of white farmers who lost their land under Robert Mugabe.Hospital bills are said to have worsened in the Kenya where close to one-third of the population (17.4 million inhabitants out of 59.7) live with Sh92.4 (8 euros) per day, according to 2018 World Bank data.The Daily Nation reports on the nightmare of a once happy mother and businesswoman whose life was turned upside down by a simple cough. Diana Mwalili told the Nairobi-based newspaper how she spent all she had trying to treat her daughters poorly-diagnosed condition which worsened from a mere flu to spinal infection and then to brain damage, which has made it impossible for her to sit up, stand, walk or feed herself.Hospital prisons Aggrey Omboki who authored the report also raises another case gone viral on social media in the Kenyan capital -- that of a patient whose family is grappling with a medical bill worth 16,000 euros that must be paid before she is released from hospital. She is basically a prisoner until they can clear the debt, Ombeki found out. The Daily Nations correspondent says a lawmakers bill compelling hospitals to discharge patients who cannot pay, is still being debated in parliament. The sad and painful state of affairs is that more and more families are being forced to sell land, houses and even cars to get relatives and at times bodies released from hospitals," he says.Keep your jobless at home Renewed xenophobic attacks against Africans immigrants continue to dominate comments in the South African papers two weeks after sporadic outbreaks of violence in sensitive suburbs of Durban and Johannesburg. The Sowetan reports that 105 people including five babies fled to local police stations when unemployed youths in their neighborhoods kicked down their doors at 2 am.In related news the Citizen relays calls by South Africas Small Business Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu on foreign governments to stop undocumented nationals from crossing into the country. Zulu spoke during a crisis meeting with African ambassadors on Sunday.Several commentators arent convinced by President Cyril Ramaphosas argument that the violence was being spread by people with criminal intent.The Johannesburg Star warns that the government is trapped in the mantra of arguing that the problem is purely criminal as if that renders it less serious. Thabisi Hoeane a Political Science professor at Rhodes University who penned the article urges the government to call xenophobia by what it really is, so that it can be defeated.Zimbabwe's White Farmers see light at the end of the tunnelZimbabwe is to start paying compensation this year to thousands of white farmers who lost land under former president Robert Mugabe's land reform.Zimbabwes state-owned Herald publishes a government statement announcing that $18 million earmarked for the scheme, with full compensation to be paid later.In South Africa, Mail and Guardian points out that the package is for improvements the former farm owners made to the land  and not for the land seized from 4,000 of the countrys 4,500 white farmers to correct what Mugabe called colonial-era land ownership disparities.Critics blame the evictions for a collapse in agricultural production that forced Africas one-time bread basket to become dependent on imported food to feed its population, according to the newspaper.South Africas Times Live reports that President Emmerson Mnangagwa sees the paying of compensation to the White commercial farmers, as key to mending ties with the West.The Johannesburg-based Citizen says the farmers in Zimbabwe accepted the offer of interim payments under a two-year international legal initiative.Am I really rich?And a stunning revelation by Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote is causing a buzz in the press. Dangote says he withdrew $10 million from a bank just to look at it.Ugandas Daily Monitor reports that Africa's richest man, sparked an outburst of laughter in Abidjan at the weekend when he explained how he put the money in the boot of his car and brought it into his room to make sure it was real, before taking it back to the bank the next day. The manufacturing tycoon, who was speaking at a Mo Ibrahim forum in the Ivorian capital, had this advice for young African entrepreneurs. Dont get carried away by the first flush of success, he said.

Exploding health costs have become an issue of grave concern in Kenya, where an estimated one million people are driven into poverty every year due to unaffordable medical bills. And Zimbabwe is to start paying compensation to thousands of white farmers who lost their land under Robert Mugabe.

Hospital bills are said to have worsened in the Kenya where close to one-third of the population (17.4 million inhabitants out of 59.7) live with Sh92.4 (8 euros) per day, according to 2018 World Bank data.

The Daily Nation reports on the nightmare of a once happy mother and businesswoman whose life was turned upside down by a simple cough.

Diana Mwalili told the Nairobi-based newspaper how she spent all she had trying to treat her daughters poorly-diagnosed condition which worsened from a mere flu to spinal infection and then to brain damage, which has made it impossible for her to sit up, stand, walk or feed herself.

Hospital prisons

Aggrey Omboki who authored the report also raises another case gone viral on social media in the Kenyan capital -- that of a patient whose family is grappling with a medical bill worth 16,000 euros that must be paid before she is released from hospital. She is basically a prisoner until they can clear the debt, Ombeki found out.

The Daily Nations correspondent says a lawmakers bill compelling hospitals to discharge patients who cannot pay, is still being debated in parliament. The sad and painful state of affairs is that more and more families are being forced to sell land, houses and even cars to get relatives and at times bodies released from hospitals," he says.

Keep your jobless at home

Renewed xenophobic attacks against Africans immigrants continue to dominate comments in the South African papers two weeks after sporadic outbreaks of violence in sensitive suburbs of Durban and Johannesburg.

The Sowetan reports that 105 people including five babies fled to local police stations when unemployed youths in their neighborhoods kicked down their doors at 2 am.

Story continues

In related news the Citizen relays calls by South Africas Small Business Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu on foreign governments to stop undocumented nationals from crossing into the country. Zulu spoke during a crisis meeting with African ambassadors on Sunday.

Several commentators arent convinced by President Cyril Ramaphosas argument that the violence was being spread by people with criminal intent.

The Johannesburg Star warns that the government is trapped in the mantra of arguing that the problem is purely criminal as if that renders it less serious.

Thabisi Hoeane a Political Science professor at Rhodes University who penned the article urges the government to call xenophobia by what it really is, so that it can be defeated.

Zimbabwe's White Farmers see light at the end of the tunnel

Zimbabwe is to start paying compensation this year to thousands of white farmers who lost land under former president Robert Mugabe's land reform.

Zimbabwes state-owned Herald publishes a government statement announcing that $18 million earmarked for the scheme, with full compensation to be paid later.

In South Africa, Mail and Guardian points out that the package is for improvements the former farm owners made to the land  and not for the land seized from 4,000 of the countrys 4,500 white farmers to correct what Mugabe called colonial-era land ownership disparities.

Critics blame the evictions for a collapse in agricultural production that forced Africas one-time bread basket to become dependent on imported food to feed its population, according to the newspaper.

South Africas Times Live reports that President Emmerson Mnangagwa sees the paying of compensation to the White commercial farmers, as key to mending ties with the West.

The Johannesburg-based Citizen says the farmers in Zimbabwe accepted the offer of interim payments under a two-year international legal initiative.

Am I really rich?

And a stunning revelation by Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote is causing a buzz in the press.

Dangote says he withdrew $10 million from a bank just to look at it.

Ugandas Daily Monitor reports that Africa's richest man, sparked an outburst of laughter in Abidjan at the weekend when he explained how he put the money in the boot of his car and brought it into his room to make sure it was real, before taking it back to the bank the next day.

The manufacturing tycoon, who was speaking at a Mo Ibrahim forum in the Ivorian capital, had this advice for young African entrepreneurs. Dont get carried away by the first flush of success, he said.
US forces in Afghanistan have revised their death toll from a Taliban attack near the main American base in the country.

Three US soldiers were killed but not a contractor who was initially reported among the fatalities, they said.

Three US soldiers were killed (AP)

The US and Nato Resolute Support mission issued a statement on Tuesday to clarify initial reporting.

It said a roadside bomb attack during a convoy near Bagram Airfield killed three American service members and that the contractor who was reported as killed, is alive.

The attack was near Bagram Airfield (AP)

The statement said the contractor, an Afghan citizen, was initially treated along with other injured civilians, later identified as a contractor and treated at Bagram Airfield.
Hunter Ron Thomson claims to have killed thousands of animals (Picture: YouTube/True Green Alliance)

A hunter says he is totally unrepentant about killing more than 5,000 elephants, 60 lions and 50 hippos.

Ron Thomson, from Zimbabwe, who has been identified a prolific wildlife hunter in a new report on declining elephant populations, says he has no regrets about his killings.

The 80-year-old father-of-two, a game ranger in African national parks, claimed he didnt kill the animals out of bloodlust but to help their populations survive.

He insisted growing species would destroy their own habitats if their numbers werent reduced.

His comments came after a report found that elephant populations have fallen by about two-thirds in the past 30 years.

Mr Thomson also claims to have shot dead more than 800 buffalo and up to 40 leopards.

He accused conservationists of spreading fraudulent lies to make money from the public.

He told The Independent his job was major population reduction and denied being a trophy-hunter.

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Ive done enough in my lifetime to satisfy any bloodlust people may think I have. It wasnt bloodlust  it was my job, he said.

I didnt have any sentiment. Im totally unrepentant, a hundred  ten thousand  times over for any of the hunting Ive done because thats not the problem.

The problem is weve got a bunch of so-called experts from the west telling us what to do. Im a trained university ecologist  I must surely know something about this.

I wish I could take you by the shoulders and shake you hard and say, Dont assume everything youve heard is correct.

Elephant numbers have fallen by two-thirds in 30 years (Picture: PA)

The African elephant is nowhere near extinct. People who say this are animal-right-ist NGOs who ask for money and tell lies to get it.

When you have a healthy population you must ensure they dont increase beyond the capacity of their habitat.

Story continues

A report by the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting (CBTH) found that elephant numbers have fallen from 1.3 million in the 1980s to about 400,000.

It found that 1.7 million trophies were legally traded between 2004 and 2014, including 200,000 from threatened species.

Eduardo Goncalves, from the CBTH, said: Trophy hunting is a cruel and abhorrent hangover from colonial times. The recent surge in elephant hunting shows the industry is out of control.

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With just one day to go until the Israeli parliamentary election, FRANCE 24 visited the city of Haifa, often described as a model of religious co-existence. But some of the city's Arab inhabitants say they feel like second-class citizens. Haifa, on Israels northern coast, has been portrayed as a model of co-existence  a place where Jews, Muslims and Christians live side by side in perfect harmony.But despite efforts to promote this co-existence, parts of Haifas Arab population say they feel they are treated as second-class citizens, and are being discriminated against. Israeli Arabs currently constitute the third-largest block in the Israeli parliament, but it remains difficult for them to blend in as rightwing parties accuse them of being traitors, intent on destroying the Jewish state.Click on the player above to watch FRANCE 24s report from Haifa.>> Watch part two of our series on the election: Israeli extreme right set to become kingmaker

With just one day to go until the Israeli parliamentary election, FRANCE 24 visited the city of Haifa, often described as a model of religious co-existence. But some of the city's Arab inhabitants say they feel like second-class citizens.

Haifa, on Israels northern coast, has been portrayed as a model of co-existence  a place where Jews, Muslims and Christians live side by side in perfect harmony.

But despite efforts to promote this co-existence, parts of Haifas Arab population say they feel they are treated as second-class citizens, and are being discriminated against.

Israeli Arabs currently constitute the third-largest block in the Israeli parliament, but it remains difficult for them to blend in as rightwing parties accuse them of being traitors, intent on destroying the Jewish state.

Click on the player above to watch FRANCE 24s report from Haifa.

>> Watch part two of our series on the election: Israeli extreme right set to become kingmaker
LIMA, Peru (AP)  Peru's government has restored the independence of an agency charged with combating illegal logging after facing potential U.S. sanctions.

President Martin Vizcarra issued a decree published Tuesday removing the forest inspection agency from the Environment Ministry's jurisdiction.

The move comes nearly four months after U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer took an initial step toward potential sanctions against Peru for allegedly violating environmental protections aimed at combatting illegal logging.

Lighthizer and environmentalists expressed concern that officials were stripping the agency responsible for monitoring the logging trade of its independence by placing it under the Environment Ministry.

Peruvian officials contended the agency retained full independence.

The forest inspection office is required to be independent under the U.S.-Peru trade pact.

The World Bank estimates 80 percent of Peru's timber exports are illegal
Saudi leaders say they need nuclear energy to wean their country of its dependence on fossil fuels. But construction of a first reactor is sparking fears about the Gulf states quest for nuclear power in a volatile region. Satellite images of a nuclear reactor under construction on the outskirts of the capital, Riyadh, have reignited fears of an escalation in the tussle for regional hegemony pitting the Saudi kingdom against Iran. In a bid to allay such concerns, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has asked Saudi authorities to agree to additional safeguards verifying that the nuclear technology is used for peaceful applications.The Saudi reactor is within months of being completed, according to Robert Kelley, a former director of nuclear inspections at the IAEA, who identified the images first published by Bloomberg last week. I would guess they could have it all done, with the roof in place and the electricity turned on, within a year, Kelley told the Guardian newspaper.Scientific purposeWhen that happens, Saudi Arabias first reactor will not instantly propel Riyadh to the rank of major nuclear power, experts have cautioned. Its a small reactor that is essentially designed for research and development, said Laura Rockwood, head of the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, in an interview with FRANCE 24. The main purpose of such installations is to train scientists and carry out medical research in such fields as cancer treatment, added Rockwood, who worked at the IAEAs legal affairs office before joining the VCDNP.Saudi Arabias plans to build such a site have been known since 2015, when it signed an agreement with INVAP, the Argentinian state-backed nuclear company that is now building the reactor in the outskirts of Riyadh. Still, the satellite images mean the countrys desire to have its own nuclear plants is now proven", said Rockwood.Having spent over a decade looking for partners willing to share their nuclear technologies and know-how, Saudi Arabia now hopes to start building its first two nuclear power reactors in 2020, according to the US-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS).US, Russian, South Korean, Chinese firms have been short-listed by Riyadh and are hoping to clinch the multi-billion-dollar contracts. With the lucrative tenders in mind, President Donald Trumps administration has quietly approved six authorisations for US companies to do nuclear work in Saudi Arabia, the Daily Beast reported last month, in a move that has prompted sharp criticism in the US.Civilian or military?Critics of Washingtons decision fear it may ultimately lead to the Saudis developing a nuclear weapon with the help of US technology. They point to Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salmans warning in March last year that the kingdom would develop nuclear arms if Iran did so too.That was the only time Saudi Arabia publically expressed an interest in nuclear military capabilities", cautioned Rockwood. Riyadh has otherwise always stressed that its nuclear plans are strictly civilian.The idea is to broaden the Gulf states energy mix in order to to get away from the near-complete reliance on hydrocarbon resources to produce electricity", wrote Ali Ahmad, an expert in Middle Eastern energy policy at the University of Beirut, in a research paper on the Saudi nuclear programme.Such reliance is seen to lead to the depletion of national oil and gas reserves but is also perceived to have an opportunity cost associated with foregone export revenues, Ahmad added.Saudi Arabia has also been a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) since 1988, albeit with an important caveat: it later exempted itself from regular inspections by signing an additional protocol, known as a Small Quantities Protocol (SQP), in 2005. The IAEA has since amended the SQP to add extra safeguards, but Riyadh has refused to adopt the new rules.Saudi Arabia was the last country allowed to sign the old SQP. And they never agreed to adjust or rescind it, said Rockwood, describing this as a surprising choice, since with such neighbours [Iran] one could have expected Riyadh to opt for maximum transparency".She added: The Saudis should rescind their SQP and bring into force an additional protocol [] that offers greater safeguards.

Saudi leaders say they need nuclear energy to wean their country of its dependence on fossil fuels. But construction of a first reactor is sparking fears about the Gulf states quest for nuclear power in a volatile region.

Satellite images of a nuclear reactor under construction on the outskirts of the capital, Riyadh, have reignited fears of an escalation in the tussle for regional hegemony pitting the Saudi kingdom against Iran.

In a bid to allay such concerns, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has asked Saudi authorities to agree to additional safeguards verifying that the nuclear technology is used for peaceful applications.

The Saudi reactor is within months of being completed, according to Robert Kelley, a former director of nuclear inspections at the IAEA, who identified the images first published by Bloomberg last week.

I would guess they could have it all done, with the roof in place and the electricity turned on, within a year, Kelley told the Guardian newspaper.

Scientific purpose

When that happens, Saudi Arabias first reactor will not instantly propel Riyadh to the rank of major nuclear power, experts have cautioned.

Its a small reactor that is essentially designed for research and development, said Laura Rockwood, head of the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, in an interview with FRANCE 24.

The main purpose of such installations is to train scientists and carry out medical research in such fields as cancer treatment, added Rockwood, who worked at the IAEAs legal affairs office before joining the VCDNP.

Saudi Arabias plans to build such a site have been known since 2015, when it signed an agreement with INVAP, the Argentinian state-backed nuclear company that is now building the reactor in the outskirts of Riyadh.

Still, the satellite images mean the countrys desire to have its own nuclear plants is now proven", said Rockwood.

Story continues

Having spent over a decade looking for partners willing to share their nuclear technologies and know-how, Saudi Arabia now hopes to start building its first two nuclear power reactors in 2020, according to the US-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS).

US, Russian, South Korean, Chinese firms have been short-listed by Riyadh and are hoping to clinch the multi-billion-dollar contracts. With the lucrative tenders in mind, President Donald Trumps administration has quietly approved six authorisations for US companies to do nuclear work in Saudi Arabia, the Daily Beast reported last month, in a move that has prompted sharp criticism in the US.

Civilian or military?

Critics of Washingtons decision fear it may ultimately lead to the Saudis developing a nuclear weapon with the help of US technology. They point to Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salmans warning in March last year that the kingdom would develop nuclear arms if Iran did so too.

That was the only time Saudi Arabia publically expressed an interest in nuclear military capabilities", cautioned Rockwood. Riyadh has otherwise always stressed that its nuclear plans are strictly civilian.

The idea is to broaden the Gulf states energy mix in order to to get away from the near-complete reliance on hydrocarbon resources to produce electricity", wrote Ali Ahmad, an expert in Middle Eastern energy policy at the University of Beirut, in a research paper on the Saudi nuclear programme.

Such reliance is seen to lead to the depletion of national oil and gas reserves but is also perceived to have an opportunity cost associated with foregone export revenues, Ahmad added.

Saudi Arabia has also been a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) since 1988, albeit with an important caveat: it later exempted itself from regular inspections by signing an additional protocol, known as a Small Quantities Protocol (SQP), in 2005. The IAEA has since amended the SQP to add extra safeguards, but Riyadh has refused to adopt the new rules.

Saudi Arabia was the last country allowed to sign the old SQP. And they never agreed to adjust or rescind it, said Rockwood, describing this as a surprising choice, since with such neighbours [Iran] one could have expected Riyadh to opt for maximum transparency".

She added: The Saudis should rescind their SQP and bring into force an additional protocol [] that offers greater safeguards.
Photos like this will soon be banned. Source: Getty

Snap-happy tourists could face the death penalty if they fail to adhere to new legislation which bans them from visiting a popular beach in Thailand.

Mai Khao beach is just metres from Phuket Airport in Thailand, prompting herds of visitors to go there every day eager to land their latest social media photo of themselves perilously close to passing aircraft.

But local authorities have had enough, and in a bid to crack down on the growing numbers, a safety zone on the beach near the airports runway is being developed, the Bangkok Post reported.

Airport chief Wichit Kaeothaithiam told the publication stricter regulations are needed due to safety concerns and that violators must be subject to punishments under the Air Navigation Act.

People and tourists will not be allowed to enter this area to take photos, he said.

While fines and prison sentences are among punishments for those breaching the new laws, Kaeothaithiam said the consequences could be far more severe.

Story continues

The maximum penalty is the death sentence, he said.

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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang's Regular Press Conference on April 9, 2019

2019/04/09

Q: Media reports say that the fifth China-Japan High-level Economic Dialogue will soon be held. Could you tell us more about this event? Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono will lead a delegation to the event. Will he meet with Chinese leaders?

A: You may have seen relevant reports. What I can tell you now is that the Chinese and Japanese sides are in close communication with each other on the details regarding the next round of China-Japan High-level Economic Dialogue. I hope to release the official information of this event to you at an early date.

Q: Australian media is reporting that Chinese billionaire Huang Xiangmo paid tens of thousands of dollars to get access to Australia's Home Affairs Minister. What is your response to this?

A: I have seen relevant reports. You may have already noticed that many questions we responded to in the past few days were based on Australian media reports. When we say that China never interferes in other countries' internal affairs, we mean every word of it. We maintain that when it comes to international affairs, all countries should strictly abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and we oppose the attempt of any country to interfere in others' internal affairs under whatever pretexts.

We have noted that certain Australian media have built up their stories on hearsay or on nothing at all regarding this issue recently. To be frank, we are not interested in putting in so many efforts and resources to comment on each and every one of them. We hope that the relevant media can report on China's policy and China-Australia relations in an objective and unbiased way. We also believe that any responsible Australian citizen, including those in the political sector, can make responsible judgments.

Q: The first stage of a railway extension project in southern Sri Lanka was opened to traffic yesterday. It is said to be Sri Lanka's first railway built after its independence in 1948 and was contracted by a Chinese company. Can you confirm that? How can China's practical cooperation with foreign countries bring more benefits to the local people?

A: Indeed, the first stage of the railway extension project in southern Sri Lanka is the first railway project undertaken by a Chinese enterprise under the Belt and Road Initiative in the country. And as you said, it is Sri Lanka's first railway built after its independence. It will help provide more convenient transportation in the southern region and give a strong boost to local economic and social development. The people of Sri Lanka are happy with it and we feel happy for them, too. China stands ready to broaden and deepen practical cooperation with Sri Lanka under the Belt and Road Initiative to bring more tangible benefits to the Sri Lankan people.

Q: Hong Kong "Occupy Central" organizers were found guilty today on public nuisance charges for the "Occupy Central" movement in 2014. Some foreign critics say it shows Hong Kong's political freedoms are shrinking because the government in Beijing is taking control on the city. Do you have comment on that?

A: This verdict rendered in the Hong Kong SAR falls within China's internal affairs in the strict sense. Now that you talked about some foreign comments, I would like to state the official position of the Chinese government. We noted that a ruling has been passed on the case. You may have seen that the 79-day illegal "Occupy Central" movement had a severe impact on the rule of law in the Hong Kong SAR, the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and people's normal life order there. I believe that in whichever country or region, if such an incident occurs, it is indisputable for the government there to make decisions to uphold people's normal life order. The central government firmly supports the Hong Kong SAR in lawfully punishing the main organizers and plotters of the "Occupy Central" movement. I also want to remind those foreign critics that it makes no sense at all to distort the SAR government's effort to uphold public order and paint it as a harm to Hong Kong's social freedom. Just take a look at the situation in other countries and regions and you will draw a fair and unbiased conclusion.

Q: Further to what you said about the Sri Lanka railway, you said it is a project contracted by a Chinese company. Has it also been funded by China? If so, how much?

A: As you are referring to specifics about the cooperation project, I will need to get more information. In principle, under the Belt and Road Initiative, the Chinese government encourages companies to pursue cooperation with relevant countries following market principles.

Q: US President Donald Trump officially announced in a statement on April 8 that his administration will designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a foreign terrorist organization (FTO). It is the first time the US formally designates a country's military force an FTO. Iran's Supreme National Security Council said in a statement that this measure is "a major threat to regional and international stability and peace". As a retaliatory measure, Iran has labeled the US Central Command's forces as a terrorist organization. Do you have any comments?

A: We have taken note of relevant reports. When it comes to state-to-state relations, China always calls for countries to abide by the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and opposes power politics and bullyism. We hope relevant countries, especially non-regional major powers, will do more to contribute to peace and stability in the Middle East and refrain from actions that might lead to further escalation of tensions in the region.

Q: The United States says it is going to continue holding a Chinese woman who tried to gain access to Mar-a-Lago for at least a week. I'm wondering if the Chinese government thinks that's justified?

A: We have noticed relevant reports. As we said earlier, our consulate-general has made contact with the individual concerned after the incident took place and we will continue to provide necessary consular assistance to her. The Chinese government always requires overseas Chinese citizens to comply with local laws and regulations. We also expect the US to handle this case in a just and proper manner in accordance with law and see to it that the Chinese citizen's legal rights and interests are guaranteed.

Q: US official Clete Willems said yesterday that the US is not satisfied yet with China's pledges on the trade deal, and that the two sides had agreed to an enforcement structure that will give the US the right to retaliate if China does not live up to its promises. Do you have any comments on his remarks?

A: Regarding this round of trade talks that just concluded, both China and the US have already issued readouts. I hope you make an accurate judgment upon them. According to what I have learned, this round of talks did make new, substantive progress and both sides have shown the willingness to conclude the trade talks as soon as possible following the consensus reached by the two heads of state in Argentina on December 1. We hope that the two sides will properly resolve reach other's concerns and reach a result that satisfies both sides on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit. We noted that in this process there have been voices of this or that kind emerging in the US from time to time. I would refer you to the competent authority for specifics.
Rose Marie Bentley

A woman with a medical condition affecting one in 50 million people worldwide miraculously defied all odds and lived to the age of 99.

The incredible feat was uncovered in a class last year where university students were inspecting cadavers as part of their studies in Oregon Health and Science University in Portland.

Rose Marie Bentley was discovered to have lived nearly a century before dying of natural causes, despite her internal organs being positioned in the wrong places, according to an article by the university.

Her unicorn condition, called situs inversus with levocardia, meant most of her vital organs were a mirror image of typical human anatomy, meaning they were transposed right to left.

Rose Marie Bentley went through her life not knowing her organs were in the wrong places. Source: Bentley Family/Oregon Health & Science University

Rose had three organs removed during her life, but only the surgeon who removed her appendix noted its unusual location. Source: Bentley Family/Oregon Health & Science University

On inspection, students found the main vein leading to her heart drained to a completely different side to normal, and veins that typically drained the liver and other parts of the chest cavity were either in a different spot or completely missing.

Instead of having a stomach on the left, which is normal, her stomach was on the right, assistant professor Cameron Walker, who teaches the Foundations of Clinical Anatomy class at Oregon Health and Science University, told the publication.

Her liver, which normally occurs predominantly on the right, was predominantly on the left. Her spleen was on the right side instead of its normal occurrence on the left. And then the rest of her digestive tract, the ascending colon, was inverted as well.

Roses organs were a mirror image (left) of a regular internal system (right). Source: Oregon Health & Science University and Getty Images

The fact Rose lived to such an old age was particularly fascinating because people in other known cases of the condition normally suffered heart problems, which caused earlier death.

Aside from chronic heartburn, explainable by her unusual internal anatomy, Rose lived an active and healthy lifestyle, one of her daughters, Ginger, said.

We had no reason to believe there was anything like that wrong. She was always very healthy. She was always doing something, taking us to Campfire Girls, fishing, swimming. She was an excellent swimmer.

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Nathan Slater Conquers GUKPT Edinburgh Main Event for 42,110

April 09 2019 Matthew Pitt

A field of 309 entries took part in the 100,000 guaranteed Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) Edinburgh Main Event, the majority of whom hailed from Scotland, but it was an Englishman who conquered the 560 buy-in Main Event and secured a 42,110 payout.

2019 GUKPT Edinburgh Main Event Final Table Results

Place Player Prize 1 Nathan Slater 42,110 2 Michael Kane 27,860 3 Michelle Baldie 17,110 4 William Hanratty 10,900 5 Steven Macleod 7,420 6 Jamie Whyte 5,450 7 James Gray 4,260 8 Jamie Geraghty 3,480 9 Bernie McGinlay 2,880

Thirty-players received prize money in the GUKPT Edinburgh Main Event, meaning nobody wanted to finish in 31st place and burst the money bubble. Unfortunately, the very nature of tournament poker means the bubble has to burst at some point and it did in this event late on Day 2 when Clive Macey moved all-on on a king-high flop displaying three hearts, doing so with ace-king. Nathan Slater called with ten-deuce of hearts for a flopped flush, ouch!

Maceys elimination paved the way for the remaining 30-players to bank at least 1,060. The likes of Paul McTaggart, Andy Hills, and Dean Hutchinson were among those in-the-money finishers.

Day 2 ended with 12-players in the hunt for the title and it was Slater who entered the third and final day as the overwhelming chip leader and the only player to have a seven-figure stack in front of him.

The final table was reached three hours into the Day 3 and Slater was running away with things. William Hanratty held 824,000 chips in his stack ad was the second-largest stack at the nine-handed final table, but Slaters colossal stack contained 2,090,000 chips!

2019 GUKPT Edinburgh Main Event Final Table Seat Draw

Seat Player Chips 1 Bernie McGinlay 544,000 2 James Gray 156,000 3 Steven Macleod 724,000 4 Jamie Whyte 458,000 5 Nathan Slater 2,090,000 6 Michelle Baldie 526,000 7 Michael Kane 652,000 8 William Hanratty 824,000 9 Jamie Geraghty 313,000

It didnt take long for Slater to extend his lead as he sent Bernie McGinlay to the rail in ninth-place when his pocket queens stayed ahead of McGinlays ace-queen.

Jamie Geraghty then busted in eighth-place for 3,480 and in unfortunate circumstances. Geraghty found himself all-in with pocket kings against the jacks of Michael Kane and in great shape for a timely double-up. Geraghtys kings remained best on the flop and turn, then the jack of clubs reared its head on the river to gift Kane a set and give Geraghty a legitimate bad beat story.

Seven became six with the elimination of James Jambo Gray who committed his short stack with ace-nine and was snapped off by Steven Macleod who held the dominating ace-queen. Gray was followed to the cashiers desk soon after by Jamie Whyte who three-bet shoved his eight big blind stack with pocket eights only to run straight into Michelle Baldies queens.

Slater was already running away with the tournament when he added to his ever growing stack courtesy of his ace-queen coming from behind to crack the queens in the hand of Macleod, who was the last player not to walk away with a five-figure prize.

William Hanratty was the next casualty at the final table. The action folded to Kane in the small blind and he moved all-in to put Hanratty to the test for his last five big blinds. Hanratty called and tabled nine-seven to find himself up against the queen-five of Kane. Nine on the flop gave Hanratty the lead, but a queen on the river sealed the deal for Kane and reduced the player count by one.

Three-handed play lasted 20-minutes and ended with the exit of Baldie. The wait for the first female winner of a GUKPT Main Event continues after Baldie was busted by Kane, her ace-deuce being no match for Kanes ace-ten.

Kane went into the heads-up battle with 1,500,000 chips to Slaters 4,500,000. The one-on-one battle didnt last long, Kane moving all-in for 10-big blinds with queen-five and Slater calling with ace-nine. Neither player improved their hand, Slaters ace-high won him the pot, the tournament, and 42,110 in cash.

The GUKPT now goes on a mini hiatus until Jun. 6 when the tour heads to the poker hotbed that is Luton where a 200,000 guaranteed Main Event is the showpiece tournament of the festival. Win your 1,110 seat to the GUKPT Luton Main Event online at Grosvenor Poker where you can claim a 200 percent up to 700 first deposit bonus when you download Grosvenor Poker via UK & Ireland PokerNews.
Campervans allow holidaymakers to cover plenty of ground - istock

Robin Williams was on to a good thing with his 2006 comedy film RV, which mercilessly lampooned the idea of recreational vehicle holidays in America as lowbrow, high-risk and downright dangerous. The last laugh, however, is with a business currently experiencing the biggest boom in camping vacation history, having hit a record $20 billion (15.3 billion) in sales on the back of eight years of growth.

In simple terms, RVing has never been more popular in the US, and its increasingly tempting for visitors who want to see a lot in a short time but still in a great deal of comfort. For, while the rustic vehicle that Williams drove in his comic caper creaked at the seams, the modern RV is a multi-splendoured thing that comes in many shapes and sizes, has just about every home comfort imaginable, and is perfectly suited to holidays in the great outdoors.

To start with, there are eight types of RV, from the humble folding trailer to the mega-sized class A motorhome, a road-going monolith up to 45ft long that can sleep seven and offers everything from satellite television to multiple bathrooms. At the touch of a button, the sides slide out to create masses of living space, and many have an exterior kitchen and TV. The average caravan is Stone Age by comparison.

The industry has been in expansion mode since 2010, but it is the motorhomes  especially the easier-to-drive class C  that are fuelling the appetite of outdoorsy holidaymakers, sparking an exponential growth in travelling vacations. Want to visit all of Utahs splendid state parks? You can in a motorhome. Ready to tour the vastness of Yellowstone? The class A or C is your best friend.

Low petrol prices and a proliferation of rental agents  including RVShare, the camping worlds equivalent of Airbnb  have also combined to boost RV popularity. A motorhome rental can be as low as $100 a night while a typical campground, where you just plug in to a constant supply of electricity and water, costs around $50 and is even better value for stays of a week or two. Equally, you can stay off the grid for days at a time for free, thanks to a separate generator.

Story continues

RVs aren't just for Christmas Credit: istock

Perhaps the biggest surprise in a business viewed as largely traditional is exactly who is behind the boom. In the past, motorhome drivers were empty nesters and retirees looking to take advantage of their greater leisure time, but that has changed in recent years. Now they are just as likely to be couples with young children or millennials looking for a less structured holiday. And plenty are European, as companies increasingly bid to attract overseas visitors, who can holiday for longer and have a keen interest in the national parks.

Cruise America is the largest rental company in North America with a fleet of 4,500 vehicles, and Randall Smalley is the executive for global marketing and business development: In the last five years, RVing has become highly trendy. This is an adventure, what I call a digital detox, an escape from all the technology around us. The core value of a trip is about family and friends, where you go and what you do, not selfies and social media.

Smalley ticks off the elements that make this holiday increasingly appealing  an extended season in places like California and Florida; new destinations such as eastern Canada, Nashville and the South; smarter, easier to operate vehicles; more one-way rentals on routes like Vancouver to Calgary and Las Vegas to San Francisco, which appeal to international visitors; and a better understanding of transatlantic tastes.

More and more young people are taking to campervans Credit: istock

He adds: We know people in Europe have a strong tradition of camping, and it is very affordable if youre on a budget. Equally, it fills a lot of bucket-list requirements. Because of the size of our fleet, we can offer many one-way trips, and that works well for Europeans who have two or three weeks to spare. They want to see a lot and not have to retrace their steps. But customers who come for three weeks are also smart; they know you need to spend a week in some of the national parks to get the full experience, and theyll take the time to do it.

RV fans should head to Tampa Credit: GETTY

Anyone looking to get a full overview of the RV world should head to Tampa, Florida, next January. Thanks to a sales quirk that established a fledgling dealership here in 1976 and brought a small trade show in its wake, things have mushroomed in the past 20 years.

Lazydays is now Americas largest sales outlet and the annual RV Supershow has become the biggest showcase in the country. The Supershow attracts almost 80,000 visitors each January in a frenzied and bewildering array of sales, seminars and sizzle, including some of the most high-end vehicles in the business.

This year, the most expensive motorhome on show was a customised Prevost H3-45 VIP that retailed for a just under $2.5 million, with interior fittings that would make Liberace green with envy.
[April 09, 2019] The School District of Philadelphia Selects VOIP Networks as Unified Communications Partner

CHERRY HILL, N.J., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- VOIP Networks, a leading provider of Mitel-powered Unified Communications (UC) solutions, was recently awarded a UC contract by The School District of Philadelphia, one of the largest school districts in the country. The five-year agreement will replace and modernize a telecommunications system used to connect 228 schools with 20,000 endpoints. The project will connect the school's robust fiber optic infrastructure to a UC network powered by Mitel, a Gartner Magic Quadrant leader for UC five years in a row. This private-cloud, virtualized environment will provide greater security, reliability, and redundancy for the school district. The system will be scalable as the district's needs change. "We're pleased that the School District of Philadelphia has chosen VOIP Networks to partner with in this deployment," said VOIP Networks President/CEO Chuck Reagan. "We're excited about bringing state-of-the-art Mitel technology to their growing school district and providing a safe enviroment for their children. We look forward to a long, mutually beneficial relationship with the School District of Philadelphia."



The private cloud architecture, designed by VOIP Networks, is more centralized, more redundant, more scalable, and more secure than competing systems, giving the district a more reliable system that's easier to administer. About VOIP Networks

VOIP Networks provides businesses of all sizes with UC solutions. The Cloud 9 by VOIP Networks platform is powered by Mitel, the only business communications company ranked across five Gartner Magic Quadrants. Founded in 1984, VOIP Networks offers expertise in both traditional hardware systems and state-of-the-art cloud communications. For more information, contact Robert Handel at 212.776.4510. About Mitel A global market leader in business communications powering more than two billion business connections, Mitel helps businesses and service providers connect, collaborate and provide innovative services to their customers. The company's innovation and communications experts serve more than 70 million business users in more than 100 countries. For more information, go to www.mitel.com and follow us on Twitter @Mitel. Mitel is the registered trademark of Mitel Networks Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-school-district-of-philadelphia-selects-voip-networks-as-unified-communications-partner-300826528.html SOURCE VOIP Networks

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Donald Trump announced on Monday that the United States will declare the Revolutionary Guard of Iran, the elite military corps of the country, as a "foreign terrorist organization", in an action that seeks to raise pressure on the Tehran regime. This is the first time that the United States described a "part of a foreign government" as a terrorist group, the White House said in a statement.

"This unprecedented step, led by the State Department, recognizes the reality that Iran is not only a state sponsor of terrorism, but that the Revolutionary Guard actively participates, finances and promotes terrorism as a political tool," says the statement.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been behind this change in US policy, which is another step in the recent escalation of rhetoric against Iran.

The Trump Administration is confident that the measure, which will go into effect on April 16, will contribute to the isolation of Iran and make it clear that the United States will not tolerate Tehran's support for groups that destabilize the Middle East. The Revolutionary Guard and the Iranian Parliament have warned the United States, according to Reuters, that they would retaliate if they carried out the measure.

"This action significantly expands the scope and scale of our maximum pressure on the Iranian regime," the statement continues. "It makes clear the risks of providing support or conducting business with the Revolutionary Guard.

If you do business with the Revolutionary Guard, you will be financing terrorism."

Judicial action like sanctions and Iran

The designation allows the USA to act judicially, for violation of sanctions, against individuals or companies that provide material support to the Revolutionary Guard or its affiliates. It could also entail diplomatic complications, by preventing US military or diplomats from contacting Iraqi or Lebanese authorities who interact with the Pasdaran (a Persian term by which the members of this ideological army are known).

Discuss this news on Eunomia

Army officers and US intelligence services have expressed concern over this potential collateral effect of a measure that Washington has been studying for years.

Pentagon and CIA commanders, according to The New York Times, oppose a measure that could allow Iranian officials to justify operations against Special Operations and CIA units deployed overseas.

The United States considers that the Iranian regime "uses terrorism as a central tool of its policy and uses the Revolutionary Guard to lead and carry out its global terrorist campaign." Additionally, according to the White House, the Revolutionary Guard "provides financing, equipment, training, personnel, and logistical support to terrorist groups." Washington believes that the opaque structure of the Revolutionary Guard serves as a cover for terrorist activities that threaten Israel and European and American forces.

Israel elections

The Washington Times notes the announcement came on the eve of the elections in Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is supported by Trump, and key to his strategy for the Middle East, seeks re-election with promises to fight the threat of Iran in the region.

The Revolutionary Guard is an organization founded by Ayatollah Khomeini, in the wake of the Islamic Revolution of 1979, which acts independently of the regular army and whose mission is to defend the regime from any threat. Today it is the most crucial military corps in Iran, with important economic interests in the country. The State Department currently considers sixty groups as international terrorist organizations, including Al Qaeda, the Islamic State, and Hezbollah.
Hokie Focus give us an opportunity to explain what being a Virginia Tech Hokie really means, said Juan Espinoza, vice provost for enrollment management and director of Undergraduate Admissions. We get to showcase our beautiful campus and talk about the importance of research, innovation, and service. Most importantly, we get to host some amazing students and their families and get to witness that moment when they realize that Virginia Tech is going to be their home for the next four years."

During the course of the weekend, 414 students sealed the deal by officially becoming a Hokie. A little more than 60 signed their official acceptance on site during the weekend, while the others accepted off site.

One of these students was Cameron Pociask, who accepted his offer prior to attending Hokie Focus. Though he had been to campus several times with his family (his mom attended Virginia Tech in 1991 and 1992), it was coming on this final trip that crystalized his decision. According to his mother, Jen Pociask, he found his people with everyone being so active and soaking in the picture-perfect weather in hammocks on the Drillfield. As of now, Cameron is considering a business major in the Pamplin College of Business, with thoughts of attending law school.
A. Lange & Sohne just opened its first boutique in Thailand, located in the capital city of Bangkok. Society personalities and watch collectors (as well as the whole collection of Langes 2019 launches) gathered for the ribbon cutting ceremony, which took place a week ago. The opening continues the slow but steady expansion of the brand in the region, seven years after its first Southeast Asian boutique opened in Singapore.

Located in the enormous Siam Paragon, one of the largest malls in Thailand, the new Lange store is quite literally free-standing, the first such boutique for the German watchmaker. Opened in partnership with retailers Sincere Watch and Pendulum, the 50-square metre boutique is essentially a glass box that sits on the main floor of the shopping mall, with 360-degree visibility all around. And it is in good company, positioned along an alley that contains boutiques belonging to Louis Vuitton and Chanel, as well as watchmakers like Patek Philippe and Rolex.

A highlight of the boutique is the Experience Library, a collection of objects and texts that explain the brand and its craftsmanship. From posters with that detail Ferdinand Adolph Langes very own measuring tools to renderings of the Langes in-house balance springs, the Experience Library is meant to bring the visitor into the brands past and present.

Significant ornaments from Langes history, such as a piece of the Berlin Wall and a miniature Eiffel Tower, signifying the founders travels around Europe before he established the company, add to the nostalgia. On another wall, a collection of small human figures represent the brands first class of trainees from 1846, bring them to life in to three-dimensional miniature.

The Bangkok boutique is also notable for being dressed in the brands new look that relies on dark grey, stone and steel. A shade darker than the colour used for the earlier generation of boutiques, the grey livery of the boutique is accented by touches of silvery-gold metal  which was specially developed for the boutique interiors  intended to echo the German silver used in Lange movements. The look was inspired by the region around Langes home town of Glashutte, an area once so rich in metals like iron and silver as well as minerals it was named the the Ore Mountains.

Lange is gradually updating its stores around the world to reflect the new look, and the boutique in Bangkok is only the fourth in the world in this style, after Dresden, Shanghai, and Chengdu.

The A. Lange & Sohne boutique is open daily from 11:00am to 7:00pm.

Siam Paragon

Unit M51 M/F

991 Rama 1 Road

Patumwan, Bangkok 10330

Thailand
Around Midland and around the world, loving and leading all people to deeper life in Jesus Christ.
David Marcus at The Nation:

In the last weeks of 1954, Eric Hobsbawm and a small group of British historians set out on a goodwill trip to Moscow. It was a strange time to be visiting the Soviet Union, even stranger for a communist eager to see the achievements of actually existing socialism. Stalin had died the year before, and his corpse lay embalmed in a glass box in Red Square. After a vicious power struggle, Khrushchev had gained control of the government, but intrigue abounded. Beria, the longtime head of the security services, had been tried and executed in secret. Molotov and Malenkov, stalwarts of the old regime, were on their way out. Tens of thousands of prisoners, released after Stalins death, were returning from the gulag with horror stories of starvation and torture.

At first, nothing seemed amiss to Hobsbawm and his traveling companions. On their arrival in Moscow, they surveyed the citys elaborate subway system, before being whisked to Leningrad in the sleek overnight cars of the Red Arrow.

more here.
Sudip Bose at The American Scholar:

By turns dreamy, rollicking, and dramatic, Rip van Winkle shows just how well Chadwick absorbed the lessons of his German teachers, in that it marries 19th-century European symphonic technique to a quintessentially American subject. In 1880, the year Chadwick returned to Boston, he was invited to conduct the work with the citys prestigious Handel and Haydn Society. This early compositional period produced, among other pieces, a comic opera called Tabasco, which was so popular in its day that, in the words of the conductor Karl Krueger, some of its tunes were whistled from one end of the country to the other.

After a period of giving private music lessons, Chadwick accepted a position at the New England Conservatory, eventually becoming its directorhe would not relinquish the post until just before his death.

more here.
Natasha Gilbert in Nature:

For centuries, people across the globe have testified to the relaxing and invigorating qualities of tea. The traditional calming effects of the plant Camellia sinensis have elevated the drink, which is produced from its leaves, to a role beyond quenching thirst  it is drunk as an aid for meditation, to help soothe the nerves or simply to unwind. But although the mental-health benefits of C. sinensis are common knowledge among tea drinkers, scientists are only now beginning to examine how tea exerts its effects on mood and cognition.

Researchers have found, for instance, that drinking tea lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol. And evidence of long-term health benefits is emerging, too: drinking at least 100 millilitres (about half a cup) of green tea a day seems to lower the risk of developing depression and dementia. Scientists are also trying to identify the major active compounds that give tea its mental-health benefits, and whether they work alone or in combination with other compounds present in the drink. Tea catechins  antioxidants such as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)  account for up to 42% of the dry weight of brewed green tea, and the amino acid L-theanine makes up around 3%. EGCG is thought to make people feel calmer and improve memory and attention when consumed on its own. L-theanine is found to have a similar effect when consumed in combination with caffeine. Up to 5% of the dry weight of green tea is caffeine, which is known to improve mood, alertness and cognition.

The effect of tea on behaviour is slightly paradoxical, says Andrew Scholey, a psychopharmacologist at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. Tea is calming, but alerting at the same time, he says, while sipping a cup of Earl Grey tea.

More here.
Attorney General's impeachment process to be guided by Rapid City attorney

Sara Frankenstein has been selected by South Dakota House Speaker Spencer Gosch to act as special counsel to panel
When the great British actor Laurence Olivier, at the time head of the National Theatre, read Anthony Shaffers play Sleuth, he scoffed and called it a piece of garbage. Yet it was a resounding success on the West End and on Broadway and won a slew of awards. When it was made into a film two years later in 1972 Olivier had apparently had a change of heart, for he took on the role of Andrew Wyke, a successful crime fiction writer whose wife is in love with another man.

The film was also a great success, and Olivier and Michael Caine each received Academy Award nominations. In 2007, Shaffers crime thriller was adapted again into a film by the Nobel Prize winning playwright Harold Pinter, with Caine playing the older writer this time and Jude Law the younger man Milo Tindle, who is in love with Wykes wife.

There is no question that Sleuth is a very attractive play for the two actors who are the focus of the drama, and the Vortex Theatre is currently producing the play with Peter Shea Kierst in the role of Andrew and Micah Linford as Milo. Both Kierst and Linford are gifted actors, and under James Cadys assured direction each of them makes the most of the histrionic opportunities the play affords.

Sleuth is a dramatic study in the psychodynamics of power, and the insanity that ensues when power becomes an end in itself. While initially Andrew does not seem to mind that his wife has left him for another man, we soon find out that, while he may not love his wife anymore, his enormous ego has taken offense at the slight to its dignity. So, the crafty author of mystery novels crafts his most ingenious plot yet, but this time in the actual world with himself as master criminal and Milo as victim.

Milo, of course, turns out to be much more difficult to subdue than Andrew had thought, and the play spends its time tilting back and forth, each man gaining or losing the upper hand over the other. I must confess that this type of psychological thriller does not engross my attention the way it seems to engross most everybody elses, and it was only during the last 10 minutes or so that I really got pulled into the drama.

The actors are superb, however; especially Kierst as the old racist class snob hell bent on revenge. But over two hours of this gets a bit tedious, at least for me.

Set designer Mary Rossman has created a wonderful old Victorian living room, replete with the wide variety of bric-a-brac that an eccentric old writer like Andrew might have strewn about his home, including ornate sets of the various games he is obsessed with. Props designer and set decorator Linda Wilson surely deserves much of the credit for this, but this is the sort of intricate detail we have come to expect from a James Cady production.

Sleuth has been a real crowd pleaser since its inception in 1970, and this incarnation does not disappoint.

Sleuth is playing through April 14 at the Vortex Theatre, 2900 Carlisle NE, Albuquerque. Go to vortexabq.org or call 247-8600 for reservations.
Why should Sandoval Countys only domestic violence shelter have to scramble for roof repair money  seven months after a roof leak rendered two of the shelters eight housing units uninhabitable?

By the last US census count, about 71,000 women live in Sandoval County. Statistically, one in three of them  about 24,000  will suffer from domestic violence sometime in her life. Rio Rancho based Haven House is the only refuge for local abuse victims.

I learned of the shelters predicament when executive director Roberta Radosevich spoke at a community meeting held by Rio Rancho state legislators to review community requests for state capital outlay. While the legislators were sympathetic , Haven Houses request came after the legislators deadline for submitting funding requests to them.

Rio Rancho state legislators did soon step up to deliver a happy ending to the Haven House story. State Senator Craig Brandt, along with Representatives Jason Harper, Tim Lewis and Jane Powdrell Culbert, each allocated $80,000 of their individual discretionary appropriations  raising $320,000 for shelter repairs.

But that eleventh-hour rescue left many questions unanswered.

The shelter facility is owned by Sandoval County, which I thought would be responsible for the roof repairs. But I soon learned that a lease agreement dating back to 2010 holds Haven House responsible for day-to-day maintenance [and] any damage caused by Haven House during use of the building.

Its questionable whether the roof leak repair was day-to-day maintenance since faulty original roof work  skylights were installed improperly triggered a denial of Haven Houses insurance claim to cover the roof repairs. I find it difficult to hold Haven House responsible for repairs stemming from faulty installation that was no fault of theirs.

But pointing fingers about the roof leak at this juncture is  well, pointless. The truth is, under-funding of domestic violence services is a crisis that transcends city, county, state or private donors.

As someone famously remarked about raising a child: It takes a village.

I learned on the board of Albuquerques domestic violence shelter that there is still a stigma attached to domestic violence victims that makes normally generous business and private donors hold back in the face of fund-raising appeals.

Happily, in this case our state government became the village. As this is written, a $320,000 state budget provision for Haven House is awaiting the governors signature.

Other shelter villagers supporting the shelter include the City of Rio Rancho for steering $140,351 in federal grants over the last three years, and county officials who alerted legislators to the recent funding shortfall.

Going forward, the stigma of domestic abuse must end. Civic groups and private donors need to step up, not only as donors themselves but also as advocates for more generous support throughout the community. And I strongly urge the county to reconsider its shelter maintenance contract and assume full responsibility for the building they own.

Imagine what a difference this army of Sandoval County villagers could make.

( is a Rio Rancho resident and a former city councilor.)
WASHINGTON  Momentum is gaining in Washington for a privacy law that could sharply rein in the ability of the largest technology companies to collect and distribute peoples personal data.

A national law, the first of its kind in the U.S., could allow people to see or prohibit the use of their data. Companies would need permission to release such information. If it takes effect, a law would also likely shrink Big Techs profits from its lucrative business of making personal data available to advertisers so they can pinpoint specific consumers to target.

Behind the drive for a law is rising concern over private data being compromised or distributed by Facebook, Google and other tech giants that have earned riches from collecting and distributing consumer information.
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump and White House allies pressing for a harder line on immigration sped up their campaign Monday to clean house at the Department of Homeland Security with a mission far wider than just the departure of Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

The dismantling of the governments immigration leadership is being orchestrated by Trump adviser Stephen Miller, the impetus behind some of the administrations most controversial policies, according to three people familiar with the matter. Beyond changing names and faces, Trump is considering separating migrant families at the border again, resuming the practice that drew so much outrage last year, the same people said.

The shake-up is a result of Trumps frustration with the increasing number of migrants at the border and his diminishing options for action. Court challenges, immigration laws and his own advisers have blocked several of his proposals as his re-election campaign looms. The White House has lashed out by demanding new leadership, although a new team is likely to face the same obstacles.

The head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, L. Francis Cissna, and Homeland Security General Counsel John M. Mitnick are expected to be pushed out of their positions, the officials said. Nielsen submitted her resignation Sunday after meeting with Trump at the White House, and three days earlier, the administration withdrew the nomination of Ron Vitiello to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Other longtime civil servants in agency posts are also on the chopping block, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Adding to the turmoil, the director of the Secret Service is being forced out of his job, but that departure is said to be unrelated to the immigration upheaval.

Leading senators from both parties were displeased.

The purge of senior leadership at the Department of Homeland Security is unprecedented and a threat to our national security, declared Democrat Dianne Feinstein of California. President Trump is trying to remake DHS into his own personal anti-immigration agency.

Republican Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, criticized Congress for a crisis at the border but also said, I am concerned with a growing leadership void within the department tasked with addressing some of the most significant problems facing the nation.

Nielsen has dutifully carried out the administrations orders but often had to explain to Trump the legal limits of what he wanted to do. And he didnt like it.

She did months of diplomatic work with Central America and Mexico and brokered an arrangement in which asylum seekers were to wait in Mexico for their asylum cases to play out, an effort meant in part to discourage false claims. She moved to abandon long-standing regulations that dictate how long children are allowed to be held in immigration detention and was working to find space to detain all families who cross the border . She limited what public benefits migrants can receive and put regulations in place to circumvent immigration law and deny asylum to anyone caught crossing the border illegally.

And she took ownership over the most divisive of all the decisions, the separation of families at the border.

Nearly everything has been challenged or watered down by the courts. Just Monday, a judge blocked the administration from forcing asylum seekers to wait in Mexico, giving lawyers a few days before putting the block into effect.

DHS is really between a rock and hard place, said Doris Meissner, the former commissioner of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service and fellow at the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute.

There are some options not yet exhausted by Trump, including giving judges more deference in asylum cases and allocating more resources to diminish backlogs, she said. But the White House has shown little interest in those ideas because they conflict with its assessment that those seeking refuge are trying to cheat the system.

Nielsen finally had enough and resigned Sunday, in part because she hadnt been informed about the sudden decision to withdraw Vitiellos nomination, according to people familiar with her decision.

She was also pushing back at an effort to house an immigration or border czar within Homeland Security, they said. She wanted the person to be based at the White House and help coordinate immigration policy between the Justice Department, Health and Human Services and DHS, all of which have a piece of the complex puzzle. But the people said Miller was pushing to house the czar at DHS, in part over frustration with the rising number of migrants. There were more than 100,000 expected in March, border officials said, the highest tally in 12 years.

Trump announced Sunday that Kevin McAleenan, commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, would take over for Nielsen at Homeland Security on an acting basis. McAleenan had impressed Trumps inner circle, specifically son-in-law Jared Kushner, with his extensive border knowledge.

Trump spokesman Hogan Gidley expressed hope that McAleenans experience would lead to massive changes at the border.

But McAleenan is not an ideologue or politician. He refers to migrants as vulnerable families who need more humanitarian treatment, not as beefy dudes with tattoos trying to game the system, as Trump suggests. Hes pushed for asylum changes to make screenings faster and cases decided more rapidly.

Democrats said McAleenan should have told them about the death of a child in U.S. custody in December, but he largely has escaped the ire over family separations even though it was his agency that separated the children.

Gil Kerlikowske, who led Customs and Border Protection from 2014 to 2017, said illegal crossings can go up and down on a number of factors that are difficult to predict. He noted that stepped-up Mexican enforcement helped end a surge of Central American families coming to the U.S. in 2014.

I dont envy anybody in that position because these are policies that are White House policies, not DHS, said Kerlikowske, who promoted McAleenan to be his top deputy. I couldnt have been more disappointed to see Vitiellos nomination pulled, he said, describing Vitiello as a 30-year Border Patrol, deputy chief and youre saying, Well, youre not really tough enough? I find that kind of amazing.

Trump has seemed to be grasping at anything to stem the tide of migrants. That includes reinstating family separations, a policy that previously prompted international outrage and could mean he would have to violate his own executive order and possibly run afoul of a federal judge overseeing reunifications. The government just said in court filings it would take up to two years to reunify all the children already separated from their families.

The administration has been well beyond the bounds of the law for some time with respect to asylum and family separation. Theres no place for them to go that wont continue to break the law, said Lee Gelernt, the American Civil Liberties Union official whose lawsuit on behalf of a separated mother led to the reunifications.

Nielsens departure threw into sharp focus just how few full-time leaders are at the sprawling department of more than 240,000 people. Theres no confirmed secretary, no deputy secretary, no head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, no formal head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, no head of Customs and Border Protection once McAleenan moves over, and no head of the science and technology branch. In addition, the deputy undersecretary for management at the agency, Claire Grady, will have to be moved aside for Trump to install McAleenan as acting secretary.

___

Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Zeke Miller, Catherine Lucey in Washington and Elliot Spagat in El Paso, Texas, contributed to this report.
Copyright  2019 Albuquerque Journal

In the first three months of the year, there were 131 nonfatal shootings around the city  roughly three every two days.

And a violent April weekend just concluded Sunday evening with an 8-year-old girl shot and critically injured in a Northeast Albuquerque home. On Monday night, a man was shot and killed on Albuquerques West Side.

Although almost all other crime categories have started to decrease over the past year, nonfatal shootings have increased, rising 14 percent from 2017 to 2018.

Against that backdrop, the Albuquerque Police Department and Mayor Tim Keller held a news conference Monday afternoon to discuss several proactive and reactive initiatives designed to combat gun violence.

Initiatives include:

Using data from APDs Real Time Crime Center to focus on areas with a heavy concentration of gun violence and identify any patterns.

Forming units of officers called Problem Response Teams in each area command to work with the community daily outside of taking calls for service.

Identifying those who are selling firearms illegally to felons or juveniles.

Working with agencies and universities to conduct research on gun violence as a public health issue.

Implementing a standardized shooting response protocol that police must follow within the first 72 hours.

Purchasing new equipment, such as rapid DNA identification technology and gunshot detection systems and automating the entire DNA unit.

The city has already received state and federal money to create a Crime Gun Intelligence Center that will use new technology. And some of the initiatives discussed Monday, including increased use of the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network and the Problem Response Teams, have already been in the works for several months.

Public health issue

Keller and other speakers at the news conference referred to gun violence as a public health issue, saying such incidents can have lasting adverse effects on children and others in the community that can then lead to further problems down the line.

I believe we need to treat gun violence with a sense of urgency, Keller said. When you think of what is literally filling up our emergency rooms, it is a result of gun violence.

Rather than treating gun violence like its own issue, Keller said, the Police Department will start examining how guns are driving other crimes.

For too long, I believe we have fallen into a trap where we say gun violence is ancillary to a lot of the other crimes that are happening when it is part of that formula, he said. It is difficult to talk about crimes associated with addiction, with domestic violence, without also talking about the guns that are used in those crimes.

To treat the issue holistically on a community level, Deputy Chief J.J. Griego said, the Police Department implemented Problem Response Teams made up of officers who dont take calls but will be available to help community members as they need it. He said that after a violent crime, the teams, along with Albuquerque Fire Rescue, will visit the neighborhood and provide resources or information.

Teams are already stationed in the southeast and southwest parts of the city, but the department hopes to install them in each area command.

On Sunday, two days after a 5-year-old girl was beaten to death, allegedly by her own father, a Problem Response Team visited the apartment complex to provide contacts for community resources and help any neighbors who may be struggling.

What we want to accomplish is making sure that not only are we there at the time of the incident, but that we provide some aftercare and reduce the fears that occurred during these shootings, Deputy Chief Harold Medina said. A lot of times, the lack of information leads to uncertainty and unknowns, which increases their fears.

He said these meetings can also help generate new leads and witnesses, which can then be passed along to detectives.

New technology

The department also plans to get new equipment and technology that can assist officers and detectives in investigating gun crimes.

Cmdr. Chris George from the APD Crime Lab said the unit is hiring additional personnel and getting technology that will increase efficiency around testing DNA, including automating the entire unit.

With automation, it will let the scientists focus more on the results and interpretation of the results, he said.

He said the unit that tests DNA and the unit that tests latent fingerprints will be split in an attempt to reduce a backlog of evidence that needs to be tested.

For the past year or so, the department has been increasing its use of the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network program to identify which guns have been used in multiple crimes by analyzing all casings they can find at scenes.

In addition to collecting and testing all casings at shooting scenes, Police Chief Michael Geier said, officers will follow a set of protocols within the first 72 hours after a homicide or other violent crime.

Often, they happen overnight, and we dont always reach the witnesses and do a complete canvass, he said. Within that 72-hour response, were going to go back and do a canvass and identify other witnesses.
The Renewable Portfolio Standard will not get us to Paris in 2025 or 2030.

Twenty-three U.S. states have joined the U.S. Climate Alliance, a nonbinding agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with New Mexico joining in January 2019. As part of the 2015 Paris Treaty, the alliance pledges to reduce each states total emissions 26-28 percent by 2025 and 45 percent by 2030 from peak greenhouse gas levels recorded in 2005.

Over a 14-year period, 2005-2018, New Mexico reduced its greenhouse gas emissions 12-15 percent in large measure by replacing some coal-generated electricity capacity with methane and by bringing some renewable energy into the mix. We will not get to the Renewable Portfolio Standard benchmark  which mandates 20 percent renewable energy  by 2020, sadly, due to exceptions and cap structures written into the 2007 Renewable Portfolio Standard legislation. We will only achieve 12-15 percent.

However, following passage of the Energy Transition Act, SB 489, this session, New Mexico is now one of three states that has an RPS goal of 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2045. Many in government and some environmental groups are calling this RPS extension transformational.

New Mexicos greenhouse gas emissions in 2018 are projected to be roughly 80 million metric tons, with 35 percent  28 million metric tons  produced from making electricity. To achieve the first 26 percent reduction, New Mexico will need to reduce emissions by 13.4 million metric tons. By 2025 large utility companies will need to have 35 percent carbon-free power generation in their portfolios, which will likely result in a reduction of only 4.7 million metric tons. This huge 8.4 million metric tons shortfall is equivalent to converting all residential and commercial buildings in the entire state to using 100 percent renewable energy for heat in five years, a Pluto-shot by anyones calculation.

New Mexico will need to reduce emissions by another 20 percent to get to the 45 percent alliance level by 2030. The increase in the Renewable Portfolio Standard from 35 percent in 2025 to 50 percent in 2030 will only account for 2.6 million metric tons of new greenhouse gas emissions eliminated from the electricity sector. Another 14.5 million metric tons will need to be eliminated, which is equivalent to converting all our cars, trucks, and buses to 100 percent electric power in 10 years.

As it stands, New Mexico will not reach the Paris Treaty milestones without fundamentally changing its economy. Do we seriously believe our governing bodies can end our reliance on fossil fuels in the next five to 10 years, thus ending this huge tax base for the state in exchange for lowering our greenhouse gas emissions?

This past legislative session saw only one major energy bill (SB 489) pass, while two bills designed to allow residents freedom to choose by whom, and by what means, their electricity is generated from renewable sources (Local Choice and Community Solar); the securitization financing tool bill used to facilitate fossil-fuel power plant closures; a bill to open new renewable energy generation to a free-market bid procurement process; the 10 percent residential and commercial solar panel tax credit bill; an electric vehicle and home charging station tax credit bill, and others failed to get scheduled or make it through committee hearings.

Does New Mexico have the political will to become completely electrified using 100 percent renewable energy sources, a manufacturing hub for solar panels and wind turbines, in addition to exporting huge amounts of renewable energy from our abundant wind and solar potential? Could this transformation lead to economic prosperity for a state in desperate need, and fulfill our responsibility to lessen a disruption we have not yet fathomed?

Will incremental legislation and hesitation to provide bold transformative changes prevent New Mexico from succeeding in the new economy and meeting its obligation to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from its fossil-fuel based economy?

Richard Currie worked at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., before moving to Santa Fe in 2014.
A multi-jurisdictional team, six months of ground-laying, dozens of undercover drug buys and a hefty dose of community cooperation. Thats what it took for federal, state and local law enforcement agents to pull off an investigation that culminated March 29 in a series of pre-dawn raids in Albuquerques International District.

Twenty people  many with lengthy rap sheets  were swept up in the operation, along with drugs and guns. This was an impressive endeavor.

The joint investigation into the neighborhood involved the FBI, New Mexico State Police and the Albuquerque Police Departments armed robbery unit, operating under a federal initiative called Project Safe Neighborhoods. And calls from concerned residents, business and property owners appear to have planted the seeds for the investigation last fall. Its the kind of buy-in to public safety you see from people who care deeply about reclaiming their neighborhood from crime.

Once they had the information, it appears investigators worked to build a solid case from the ground up. The search warrant affidavit that has been released indicates the task force wasnt wasting time on small fry. The houses raided were believed to be drug supply houses, storefronts for the sale of methamphetamine, heroin and crack-cocaine. One particularly brazen anecdote from the affidavit described an armed suspect selling drugs in the parking lot of a drug rehabilitation facility.

In other words, this was the kind of case we want to see taxpayer money paying for: thorough, painstaking and concentrated on the worst types of career criminals.

The defendants arrested in the raid will move through the court system with the presumption of innocence. But with six months of homework under their belts, we expect investigators made arrests knowing they have the evidence to put dangerous and violent criminals behind bars. More than that, we expect such actions will lead to a safer neighborhood and this level of case-building is the new normal for fighting serious crime here.

Four days of violence

What worked in the March 29 raid seems even more important in the wake of a particularly violent four days in metro Albuquerque/Bernalillo County.

 Thursday, Carlos Armijo, 42, was gunned down outside his South Valley home; Bernalillo County sheriffs deputies say it was retaliation after a fight outside a taco truck.

 Friday morning, first responders found the battered and unresponsive body of 5-year-old Sarah Dubois-Gilbeau; her father has been charged in her death, allegedly beating her with a shoe for not doing homework he assigned.

 That same day, 19-year-old Eric Apisa was pronounced dead, three days after being shot in the head during an apparent drug deal.

 Also Friday, BCSO deputies found a body with signs of trauma in a ditch in the 1700 block of Bridge SW. They identified the man as Manuel Barraza, 49.

 APD officers shot Pedro Escalante, 26, Friday night after he fled an altercation in a stolen vehicle, crashed into a car and pointed a gun at police during a foot chase.

 Saturday, a woman was found slain in a home in the 1100 block of Via Chamisa NE.

 Also Saturday, a couple was found dead in a home in the 600 block of Princeton SE, south of the University of New Mexico.

 And Sunday, a young child was hospitalized after being shot in a Northeast Albuquerque home.

Mayor Tim Keller on Monday held a news conference to detail what the city plans to do to combat gun violence  a tough challenge, especially given the fact that often the victims know their killers. Family relationships, drug deals, disputes among acquaintances  they paint a picture of an ingrained culture of violence that can seem insurmountable.

Combatting this level of violence takes all of us to be engaged. If you see or hear something thats not right, pick up the phone to call police, not text a friend.

The brave people who called in tips to police in the International District serve as a reminder to all of us  even those in crime-plagued neighborhoods  that you dont have to remain silent in the face of crime.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
Copyright  2019 Albuquerque Journal

With child sexual abuse allegations against him surfacing publicly, St. Bernadette parish pastor Arthur Perrault had help from another Catholic priest at the church in relocating to Morocco more than two decades ago, according to testimony Monday in U.S. District Court in Santa Fe.

The Rev. James Moore, an assistant pastor at St. Bernadettes in northeast Albuquerque, had some friends in Morocco, and helped Father Perrault relocate and set up friendships, testified Dan Paulos, a longtime employee at the church who is now director of the Shrine of St. Bernadette at the church.

Paulos described himself as a spiritual friend of the 81-year-old Perrault, who is facing seven counts of federal sexual misconduct involving an 11-year-old church altar boy from 1991 to 1992.

Closing arguments are set for today in the jury trial that began April 2.

Paulos, called to testify for the defense, said on cross-examination he has sent about $200 a month to Perrault and visited him every other week in jail since the FBI brought Perrault back to New Mexico for federal prosecution in late September. Paulos also said Perrault gave him power of attorney authority.

Moore died in 2013. But Paulos said Moore would telephone Perrault in Morocco, where Perrault worked teaching at an American school.

Paulos said Moore would sometimes put him on the phone to speak with Perrault, who abruptly left St. Bernadette parish in about September 1992 after several alleged victims and their families contacted police and the media.

Morocco does not have an extradition treaty with the U.S., but expelled Perrault after learning of his indictment by a federal grand jury in New Mexico in 2017.

Officials with the Archdiocese in Santa Fe denied any knowledge of Perraults whereabouts for years. He has been accused of sexually abusing at least 38 children while working for the Catholic Church in the Albuquerque area beginning in the mid-1960s.

The federal prosecution involves only one former altar boy, who testified last week that Perrault had befriended him and sexually assaulted him on Kirtland Air Force Base, where Perrault was a chaplain, at the Santa Fe National Cemetery after funeral services, and at various places on the St. Bernadette church property, including Perraults room at the rectory, which had a bed.

The former altar boy, who is now 38, testified that he recalled being abused about five times in a bedroom at the church rectory.

Paulos testified that he has worked at St. Bernadettes since about 1990 and that there was no bedroom at the rectory, only offices. He testified that Perrault lived in a townhouse elsewhere in town. Paulos also testified that Perrault never went to the Santa Fe cemetery because the Archdiocese of Santa Fe handled burial services there.
Albuquerque Public Schools wants you to weigh in on what a longer school year would look like in the district.

It could be lengthened by 12 days after changes approved by the Legislature.

At last weeks board meeting, Superintendent Raquel Reedy said a longer year is optional and APS is exploring whether or not that would work for the district.

The district is looking to get feedback from the community by Friday.

People can go to www.aps.edu to give their thoughts to the APS Budget Steering Committee.

APS isnt alone. School districts across the state have to think about how to tackle a longer school year.

While more school sounds good for a state that ranks toward the bottom nationally, more school days cost more money.

PEC VS. PED: The Public Education Commission is pushing back on a decision by the states Secretary of Education Karen Trujillo.

The PEC voted not to renew the charter of La Academia Dolores Huerta charter school late last year. But the secretary kept the Las Cruces charter school open  overturning the PECs call  after the school appealed.

However, this month, the PEC filed its own appeal in 1st Judicial District Court in Santa Fe County, arguing against Trujillos decision and seeking a review by the court.

HITTING THE RIGHT NOTES: Districts in New Mexico are getting props for making music a priority in the classroom.

The National Association of Music Merchants Foundation recognized Albuquerque Public Schools, Farmington Municipal Schools, Rio Rancho Public Schools and Santa Fe Public Schools for their melodic efforts, and named them some of the best communities for music education.

The foundation looks at funding, staffing and access to music classes when making distinctions.

The four New Mexico districts are among 623 nationwide that were named.
The opioid epidemic has ravaged Philadelphia and many in the city feel that drastic measures are necessary to stem a scourge of overdoses, including a radical plan to provide a safe space where people can use illegal drugs while under supervision.

Though the plan for what is known as a safe injection site has garnered local support, the city now finds itself in the middle of a major legal fight with the federal government.

The Justice Department sued the nonprofit Safehouse in February, arguing that opening the facility in Philadelphia  the first supervised consumption facility in the United States  would violate federal law. Likening the idea to a crack house, federal officials say allowing the use of illicit drugs with impunity enables and exacerbates the intractable opioid problem; the United States attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania argued that opening Safehouse would violate the Controlled Substances Act, which makes it illegal to open or run a place where illegal drugs are knowingly used.

Safehouse and its backers are now arguing in a court filing and in interviews that innovative local action is the only thing that will help solve Philadelphias opioid crisis, one of the worst in the country, and that ensuring users dont fatally overdose is an immediate public need.

Philadelphia is home to one of the nations largest open-air drug markets and much of the heroin sold there is now laced with fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid that has killed tens of thousands of users in recent years. The death toll from opioids in Philadelphia has been staggering: Safehouse said in court papers that more than 2,300 Philadelphians have died of opioid overdoses in the past two years.

The overdose rate in Philadelphia is four times the homicide rate; were the statistics reversed, thered be absolute citizen outcry, theyd have National Guard in the streets, said former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, who is on the Safehouse board and said the organization plans to move forward, even with federal opposition.

Theres no harm that comes from a facility like this, and if we save, even on the low side, 25 lives  isnt that worth it? Rendell said.

In court papers filed recently, Safehouse argues that its model, which would provide sterile equipment, counseling, and access to medical care and to an FDA-approved drug to reverse opioid overdoses, is necessary to save lives in the city. Safehouse made clear that it will not provide illicit drugs to its clients.

The organization has asked for an injunction to prevent the government from shutting the facility down and a declaration that such a site would not be violating the law.

Under this model, Safehouse can offer assurance, to a medical certainty, that people within its care will not die of a drug overdose, the organization wrote. Safehouse will save lives by preventing and averting overdose deaths. It will also save lives by preventing death and serious health complications caused by infections and disease transmitted by intravenous drug use.

The lawsuit could serve as a test case: Cities nationwide are looking to open supervised injection facilities. City officials in Ithaca, N.Y., San Francisco, Seattle and New York have expressed interest in opening the facilities. The federal government has vehemently opposed the facilities, which operate in Australia, Canada and Europe. Safehouse is the first organization to be sued over its plans to open a facility.

The group also says preventing the facility from opening would violate the Religious Freedom and Restoration Act, stopping U.S. citizens from exercising their religious tenet of treating members of a vulnerable population.

Safehouse argues that the facility would be consistent with existing law, which it says encourages facilities to provide users with sterile equipment and immediate access to medical treatment. The law, the filing argues, does not prohibit overdose prevention services, including the medical supervision of drug consumption designed to provide immediate access to lifesaving care and to encourage entry into long-term drug treatment.

The federal law, Safehouse lawyers wrote, was intended to stifle party promoters and drug dealers looking to make money, not a medically driven enterprise hoping to save lives. The Safehouse mission is in line with state and federal efforts to expand access to medication-assisted treatment and Naloxone, a drug that can reverse opioid overdoses, the organization argues.
Do you like your tea served piping hot? Beware  you could be doubling your cancer risk, according to a new report.

Researchers from Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Iran recently conducted a study, published in the International Journal of Cancer, to determine the association between drinking hot tea and esophageal cancer.

To do so, they examined more than 50,000 people, ages 40 to 75, in Golestan, a province in northeastern Iran. They followed the participants for 10 years, tracking the temperature of the tea they drank as well as their overall health.

During the follow-up, 317 new cases of esophageal cancer were identified.

Furthermore, they found those who drank tea warmer than 140 degrees Fahrenheit and consumed more than 24 ounces of tea daily were 90 percent more likely to develop esophageal cancer, compared with those who drank less tea and at temperatures below 140 degrees.

Many people enjoy drinking tea, coffee, or other hot beverages. However, according to our report, drinking very hot tea can increase the risk of esophageal cancer, and it is therefore advisable to wait until hot beverages cool down before drinking, lead author Farhad Islam said in a statement.

Tea is rarely consumed at temperatures above 140 degrees in the United States or Europe. However, in such places as Iran, Russia, Turkey and South America, its more common to serve tea at that temperature or hotter, Peter Goggi, president of the Tea Association of the USA, told CNN last year.

The scientists do not know why drinking hot tea is linked with esophageal cancer, but this isnt the first study of its kind.

A 2018 study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, found that consuming hot or burning hot tea is linked with a twofold to fivefold increase in esophageal cancer, but only among individuals who also smoke or drink alcohol.

The analysts from that evaluation believe hot beverages may damage the tissue lining the esophagus, which could increase the risk of cancer from other factors, such as repeated irritation of the esophagus and the formation of inflammatory compounds.
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump had had it.

The flow of migrants at the southern border was surging. Another caravan appeared to be forming. And his government had run out of holding space, forcing the release of tens of thousands of families apprehended at the border.

During a meeting with senior aides on the last Thursday in March, Trump demanded drastic action to make good on the threat hed tweeted that morning: Shut the southern border. Curbing illegal immigration was his signature issue, he railed. Why couldnt he deliver?

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen urged the president to reconsider. Her agency had already diverted hundreds of border agents away from certain crossings to process migrant families elsewhere, creating what would soon become considerable bottlenecks. Closing ports completely, she reasoned, would only encourage migrants to cross elsewhere  illegally.

Trump wasnt having it. Shut the ports at El Paso, Texas, at noon tomorrow, he ordered. End of meeting.

The directive set off a frantic behind-the scenes push to get Trump to change his mind, and he ultimately relented. But the episode launched a turbulent 12-day stretch that would lead to the eventual resignation of Nielsen , the potential dismissal of much of her agencys top leadership and the beginning of a new phase in which immigration hard-liners at the White House are determined to wield considerably more influence over Homeland Security.

This account is based on interviews with 20 administration officials, congressional aides and people familiar with the events, many of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss internal deliberations.

___

ON BORROWED TIME

Trump and Nielsens relationship was never especially close. Nielsen had been picked for the top Homeland Security job at the urging of her predecessor, John Kelly , who left to become Trumps White House chief of staff . Trump had always been suspicious of her, in part because shed worked for former President George W. Bush. She had been widely expected to leave the department last fall after Kellys departure from the White House, but she appeared to get back on Trumps good side during the government shutdown, when she served as one of the top defenders of his push to build a southern border wall.

But Nielsen took the brunt of Trumps fury over rising border crossing numbers, and the situation was only getting worse. Aides spent months desperately trying to come up with new solutions, and some tried to steer Trump away from more drastic measures, including his talk of reinstating the family separation policy that prompted international outrage.

While Nielsen had doubts at times, she had dutifully carried out Trumps orders, taking ownership of his most divisive policies, including the family separations, and spending months trying to broker arrangements with Central American countries and Mexico. But it also fell to Nielsen to explain to Trump the legal limits of things he wanted to do. And he didnt like it.

It didnt help that Kelly had been critical of Trump in appearances since he left the White House  something Trump held against Nielsen. Or that John Bolton, Trumps national security adviser, had been pushing for Nielsens ouster since last fall, telling Trump he didnt think her leadership or policies were effective.

___

A TRIP CUT SHORT

Nielsen had just landed in Europe last week for her first time as secretary when she decided to rush back to Washington, landing early Tuesday morning.

Though aides had succeeded in talking Trump down from his border closure threat the week before, he had continued to crank up his rhetoric, warning by tweet that if Mexico didnt immediately stop ALL illegal immigration coming into the United States through our Southern Border, he would be CLOSING the border, or large sections of it within a week.

By Wednesday, Nielsen was at the border, overseeing efforts to keep asylum seekers in Mexico and preparing for the presidents Friday visit to Calexico, California.

But the night before Trumps visit, a puzzling notice arrived on Capitol Hill: Trump was withdrawing his nomination of Ron Vitiello to permanently lead the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. It had to be a mistake, staffers reasoned. Why would Trump be spiking his own nominee, a well-respected and longtime border official who appeared to be cruising to confirmation?

Vitiello got a call that night from senior Trump aide Stephen Miller informing him that he wouldnt be joining the president on his trip to the border the next morning. There was no explanation.

Nielsen had received no heads-up.

But word began to spread that his nomination was being yanked.

We want to go in a tougher direction was all Trump told reporters as he left the White House on Friday morning.

It was Step One of the plot to purge DHS leadership.

Nielsen joined Trump at the border, echoing his words at a roundtable with border officers and local law enforcement and standing by Trumps side as they toured a section of newly rebuilt border fencing, introducing him to local officials.

But inside she was fuming.

___

DUSTING OFF A LETTER

Nielsen returned to Washington on a Coast Guard Gulfstream as Trump continued onto California and Nevada to do some fundraising. By that night, murmurs were swirling that Vitiellos removal wasnt a one-off and that Miller was orchestrating a wholesale leadership overhaul of her department.

Already frustrated by what she saw as insufficient help from departments like Justice and Health and Human Services, with clear signs that White House hard-liners were on the ascent, Nielsen pulled up the resignation letter shed written months before  just in case.

She went into a Sunday White House meeting with Trump that shed requested not sure if shed be fired, resign or stay to fight another day.

It was, by all accounts, a cordial conversation in the Yellow Oval Room of the White House residence, with acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney in attendance. Nielsen had come prepared with a list of ideas to share with the president. But the two quickly agreed the arrangement was no longer working. Trump wanted to go in a different direction.

Nielsen resigned on the spot. Trump tweeted the news before she could get her letter out.

___

THE PURGE

Standing outside her home in Alexandria, Virginia, on Monday, Nielsen sounded just as loyal to Trump as she had at the border.

I will continue to support all efforts to address the humanitarian and security crisis, she said, thanking the president for the tremendous opportunity to serve this country.

By the end of the day, the department she had led appeared to be on the cusp of being dismantled, with the head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the departments general counsel among those expected to be pushed out.

Its time to do things a little differently, White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said on Fox News Channel. And so the presidents looking around to reshape his team so he can have the people in place to carry out his agenda.

___

Associated Press writer Zeke Miller contributed to this report.
The remains of a man reported missing in June 2017 were found in a remote area, Lincoln County Undersheriff Mike Wood reported Monday.

Jose Flores was 26 when he was last seen after his car was abandoned in the Hale Lake area east of Ruidoso Downs. The cause of death is not being released.

On April 5, the sheriffs office received a call about human remains found in what Wood described as a remote location.

The sheriffs lead investigator assigned to Flores disappearance was dispatched to the site to determine if the remains possibly could be Flores, according to Woods release on the discovery.

New Mexico State Police crime scene technicians were called to assist with evidence gathering at the site. Officials with the Office of the Medical Investigator took custody of the remains for positive identification.

On April 8, the sheriffs office received a call from the OMI positively identifying the remains as those of Flores, but did not release the cause and manner of death, Wood said.

The details of this investigation will not be released at this time, he said.

The public is encouraged to contact the sheriffs office at 575-648-2341 or CrimeStoppers at 575-257-4545, if anyone has information related to Flores death. They can remain anonymous.

The Lincoln County Sheriffs Office would like to express our condolences to Mr. Flores family and ensure them that we will continue to work diligently to find out what happened to their loved one, Wood said.

After Flores was reported missing, a search with dogs, horses and a helicopter was conducted in the area of Hale Lake Road for two days before being called off.

His car was found, According to reports at the time, Flores reportedly went with another man to the Hale Lake Road area to search for antlers sheds.

The man, who was not identified, called his father for a ride home about 6 a.m., and said he didnt see Flores. after they separated on different paths.

The family friend said Flores older white Nissan Pathfinder and his cell phone were found in the area. A family friend said Flores had been on Hale Lake Road before, but was not the outdoorsy type.

I think and I think the family does too that something happened to him, the friend, who asked that a name not be used, said at the time of the disappearance.



2019 the Ruidoso News (Ruidoso, N.M.)

Visit the Ruidoso News (Ruidoso, N.M.) at www.ruidosonews.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
WASHINGTON  A congressional hearing on online hate turned into a vivid demonstration of the problem Tuesday when a YouTube livestream of the proceedings was bombarded with racist and anti-Semitic comments from internet users.

YouTube disabled the live chat section of the streaming video about 30 minutes into the hearing because of what it called hateful comments.

The incident came as executives from Google and Facebook appeared before the House Judiciary Committee to answer questions about the companies role in the spread of hate crimes and the rise of white nationalism in the U.S. They were joined by leaders of such human rights organizations as the Anti-Defamation League and the Equal Justice Society, along with conservative commentator Candace Owens.

Neil Potts, Facebook director of public policy, and Alexandria Walden, counsel for free expression and human rights at Google, defended policies at the two companies that prohibit material that incites violence or hate. Google owns YouTube.

There is no place for terrorism or hate on Facebook, Potts testified. We remove any content that incites violence.

The hearing broke down into partisan disagreement among the lawmakers and among some of the witnesses, with Republican members of Congress denouncing as hate speech Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omars criticism of American supporters of Israel.

As the bickering went on, committee chairman Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., was handed a news report that included the hateful comments about the hearing on YouTube. He read them aloud, along with the users screen names, as the room quieted.

This just illustrates part of the problem were dealing with, Nadler said.

The hearing comes as the U.S. is experiencing an increase in hate crimes and hate groups.

There were 1,020 known hate groups in the country in 2018, the fourth straight year of growth, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors extremism in the U.S. Hate crimes, meanwhile, rose 30 percent in the three-year period ending in 2017, the organization said, citing FBI figures.

Democratic Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island grilled the Facebook and Google executives about their companies responsibility for the spread of white supremacist views, pushing them to acknowledge they have played a role, even if it was unintentional. Potts and Walden conceded the companies have a duty to try to curb hate.

But the challenges became clear as Cicilline pushed Potts to answer why Facebook did not immediately remove far-right commentator Faith Goldy last week, after announcing a ban on white nationalism on the social network.

Goldy, who has asked her viewers to help stop the white race from vanishing, was not removed until Monday.

What specific proactive steps is Facebook taking to identify other leaders like Faith Goldy and preemptively remove them from the platform? Cicilline asked.

Potts reiterated that the company works to identify people with links to hate and violence and banishes them from Facebook.

The hearing was prompted by the mosque shootings last month in Christchurch, New Zealand, that left 50 people dead. The gunman livestreamed the attacks on Facebook and published a long post online that espoused white supremacist views.

But controversy over white nationalism and hate speech has dogged online platforms such as Facebook and Googles YouTube for years.

In 2017, following the deadly violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, tech giants began banishing extremist groups and individuals espousing white supremacist views and support for violence. Facebook extended the ban to white nationalists.

Despite the ban, accounts such as one with the name Aryan Pride were still visible as of late Monday. The account read: IF YOUR NOT WHITE friend ur own kind cause Im not ur friend.

On Wednesday, a Senate subcommittee will hold a hearing on allegations that companies such as Facebook, Google and Twitter are biased against conservatives, an allegation leveled by political figures from President Donald Trump on down.

The companies have denied any such bias.

___

Ortutay and Lerman contributed from San Francisco.
Editors note: This story has been updated with a correct age of the child who died.

The man arrested in the death of his 11-month-old daughter originally told police he accidentally dropped her in the swimming pool at an Albuquerque hotel Tuesday morning but later confessed that he left her unattended for hours, strapped to a car seat in the bathroom.

Moses Johnson III, 39, faces a charge of child abuse resulting in death.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court, police responded to the San Mateo Inn and Suites at 2424 San Mateo NE, north of Interstate 40 around 10:30 a.m. for reports that a baby had drowned.

Paramedics were unable to revive her, and the baby was pronounced dead at the scene.

Johnson told police he was playing with the girl beside the pool and throwing her up into the air when she fell into the water.

Police say Johnson told them he jumped in to save the girl, but video surveillance showed nobody was near the pool except for a maintenance worker.

Witnesses reported seeing Johnson leave his motel room with the baby in his arms. Medics noticed bruising on her head and one told police that the childs injuries were not consistent with what Johnson said happened.

A hotel guest told a detective he heard a baby crying and banging noise coming from Johnsons room.

Then Johnson changed his story.

According to the complaint, he said his daughter was recently diagnosed with bronchitis. He said he partially strapped the baby into a car seat, turned the shower on to steam the room and left her on the toilet seat. He then had sex with a woman in the other room and fell asleep.

Johnson told detectives he woke up hours later and found the baby facedown in the tub. Johnson said he lied because he didnt want people to think he killed his daughter and his life was over.

This is the third tragic incident involving a child in the past five days. Thursday night police say a 5-year-old girl was beaten to death by her father in a southeast Albuquerque apartment. And on Sunday evening an 8-year-old girl was shot and critically injured in a northeast Albuquerque home.

Its the same guys that have been working very diligently for the last five days, Drobik said, referring to the Crimes Against Children Unit detectives.
Members of New Mexicos congressional delegation on Tuesday announced legislation preventing the sale of oil and gas leases on federally owned lands in a 10-mile radius surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park.

U.S. Sens. Tom Udall, D-N.M., Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and U.S. Reps. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., Xochitl Torres Small, D-N.M., and Deb Haaland, D-N.M., reintroduced the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act, a bill they feel will protect archeological and cultural heritage sites that are considered sacred by Native Americans.

The bill would withdraw 316,076 acres of minerals from the 909,000 acres of the Proposed Chaco Protection Zone of oil, natural gas, coal, gold, silver and other minerals owned by the federal government.

Udall said the Trump administration has attempted to sell leases a couple of times in the area but later withdrew the efforts because of push-back from the community  including the Navajo Nation and area Pueblo communities.

He said the area should not be under constant threat.

This bill defends the cultural heart of the Chacoan people, Udall said.

Chaco is a sacred landscape, revered by many, many New Mexicans, said Heinrich, who noted that Chaco is a UNESCO Heritage site. Its one of the most important cultural sites on the face of the earth.

Heinrich called for collaboration among the tribal communities, the Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Indian Affairs on future development in the San Juan Basin.

We have to be vigilant in defending Chaco throughout the whole process, Heinrich said.

Haaland  who called Chaco her ancestral home  said tribal communities had input on the legislation. She said they backed the 10-mile buffer around the park.

The tribes worked hard to make sure this bill would pass, Haaland said.

She said she was aware others would prefer a larger buffer.

But we wanted to be realistic on what could be protected, Haaland said.

Members of the Navajo Nation and the All Pueblo Council of Governors voiced support for the bill.

We dont want our lands to be exploited by outside interests, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said.

New Mexico Oil and Gas Association communication director Robert McEntyre said the industry supports the protection of archeological and cultural sites but questions what the 10-mile buffer would accomplish.

No one can tell you what a buffer zone would actually provide, McEntyre said. Its really irresponsible. There are landowners who own mineral rights in that area.  Were talking about taking huge swaths of land off the table.

He said there is a process through the National Environmental Policy Act that the industry must go through before it can drill.

McEntyre said if any archeological or cultural artifacts are found, drilling is forbidden.

He did say there were a few legacy oil and gas wells in operation within the proposed buffer zone.

When asked if the bill would affect any water and electrical-service projects for tribal communities in the area, Udall said the bill did not affect the use of mineral rights in tribal owned areas.

He also said the bill would protect some culturally important areas beyond the 10-mile buffer.

New Mexico State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard also announced an executive order placing a moratorium on oil and gas drilling on state trust land in the area. She called the area surrounding Chaco a checkerboard of state trust, tribal and BLM lands.

Udall acknowledged the bill would have an easier path in the U.S. House, where Democrats hold the majority.

But he and Lujan said they planned to educate their Republican and Democratic colleagues about the bill, and believed the bill would eventually have broad support.

Haaland and Lujan will be part of a congressional field hearing that will include a tour of Chaco Culture National Historic Park on Sunday and a hearing at the Roundhouse on Monday about the impact of oil and gas drilling near sacred sites.
Copyright  2019 Albuquerque Journal

University of New Mexico students may be paying more for college next year due, in part, to an effort by the state to bump the pay of employees at public colleges.

On the eve of UNMs Tuesday budget summit, Kate ONeill, the Cabinet secretary for the New Mexico Higher Education Department, sent a letter to officials at universities and colleges throughout the state notifying them that all of their employees are to receive a 4% raise. A proposed budget UNMs Board of Regents had been scheduled to vote on Tuesday would have given all faculty and staff at the states flagship university a 2% pay raise.

Regents postponed action on the budget so officials could address ONeills letter.

Bumping pay raises from 2% to 4% at UNM would cost about $16.6 million  in both salary increases and associated benefits at all of its campuses, said UNM president Garnett Stokes during Tuesdays budget meeting. She said funding an across-the-board raise of 4% would likely require a tuition increase.

It is hard to imagine that tuition increases wouldnt be a part of what we absolutely have to consider, Stokes said. We have a serious situation coming up.

The Governors Office didnt have an exact number on how much bigger pay raises would cost the university. But Tripp Stelnicki, a spokesman for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, said the office believes the cost of the raises would be quite a bit less than $16.6 million.

2% raises planned

In budget recommendations the UNM regents were going to consider, base tuition was going to stay the same next year but students were likely going to see an increase in fees, and some students were going to be assessed a tuition differential, which is additional tuition for students in certain programs. But the recommendations only called for employees to get a 2% pay bump.

I am keenly aware of the challenges this may present your institutions and that difficult decisions will have to be made, ONeill said in the letter.

She didnt immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday. But the Governors Office did issue a statement.

The governor and the Legislature agree that university employees deserve a raise, Stelnicki said in an email. The governor, in particular, wanted to make sure all university employees  including educators and support staff  saw a well-deserved, across-the-board increase for the first time in many years. The Legislature provided $23 million towards that goal.

A state spending bill for the 2020 fiscal year, which begins in July, included a 4% raise for college employees across the state. Lawmakers had included language that would have allowed state colleges and universities to hand out raises averaging 4%, but Lujan Grisham used her line-item veto authority to delete the average pay raise concept.

An average increase would have created the potential for schools to inflate top administrative salaries while leaving other university staff out in the cold, Stelnicki said.

ONeills letter said the raise is for all employees. The Governors Office didnt respond to questions about whether it would apply to high-ranking officials, such as Stokes or football coach Bob Davie, for instance.

Funding sources

UNM officials have previously said that state funding only covers employees whose salaries come from the university Instruction and General budget. At UNMs main and health sciences campuses, there are about 3,200 regular employees paid through Instruction and General funding and 3,400 other regular employees, according to university records.

Traditionally, the university has tried to match raises for all employees. Last year, the state allocated enough funding to UNM for a 2% raise for faculty whose salaries were paid through Instruction and General funding. But instead, all UNM employees were given a 1% raise, Stokes said.

The institution has always wanted to be fair to all of its employees and believed it had that kind of flexibility to provide raises across the campus, Stokes told the Journal. The change in the governors language and the letter from the Higher Education Department makes very clear the governors expectation that we would do an across-the-board of 4% for all employees, regardless of their funding source. That is a very clear direction that is different than anything weve practiced in the recent past.

To create the budget proposals for regents, university officials formed a budget leadership team, which has been meeting since last fall to work out various budget scenarios. The team recommended that university employees receive a 2% raise.

When we were presented with the 4% number, we immediately assumed it was not possible, said Pamela Pyle, the faculty senate president and a member of the budget team. I believe we do this out of respect for the university as a whole.

Justin Bannister, a spokesman for New Mexico State University, said NMSU had planned on giving faculty and staff a 2% to 4% raise, depending on the circumstances of the employee. Making the raises 4% across the board creates about a $3.8 million budget hole that NMSU will have to address before its regents take a vote on the budget next month, he said.
WASHINGTON  Attorney General William Barr told Congress Tuesday he expects to release his redacted version of the special counsels Trump-Russia investigation report within a week, while Democrats criticized his handling of the long-awaited document and demanded he turn it over in full.

Barr bluntly defended his dealing with the report and said portions must remain hidden to comply with the law. He said he could be open to eventually releasing some of the redacted material after consulting with congressional leaders, but he drew a line against grand jury information, which would require court approval. He said Democrats were free to go to court to ask for it.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said he could issue subpoenas very quickly if Robert Muellers report is released with redactions after Democrats failed to reach an accommodation with the attorney general under which we would see the report and the underlying evidence. He said of Barr: He has been unresponsive to our requests.

The attorney general appeared before a House appropriations subcommittee to discuss his departments budget request  normally a sleepy affair  but Democrats, in particular, were more interested in asking questions about the report. While opening the hearing, subcommittee Chairman Jose Serrano of New York called it the elephant in the room.

Barr wouldnt discuss the substance of the special counsels investigation into possible connections between Russia and Donald Trumps 2016 presidential campaign, but he did explain some of what to expect when the report is released: He said the redactions will be color-coded and accompanied by notes explaining any decisions to withhold information.

This process is going along very well and my original timetable of being able to release this by mid-April stands, Barr said.

Congress, the White House and the American public have been anxiously waiting for Barr to release the report since special counsel Mueller concluded his investigation and sent it to the attorney general more than two weeks ago. Justice Department officials are scouring the nearly 400-page document to remove grand jury information and details relating to pending investigations, among other materials.

Democrats say they will not accept any redactions.

At Tuesdays hearing, Democrats said they were concerned that a four-page summary letter of the reports main conclusions Barr released last month portrayed the findings in an overly favorable way for President Trump. The letter said that Mueller did not find a criminal conspiracy between Russia and Trump associates in the 2016 campaign, and that Barr did not believe the evidence in the report was sufficient to prove the president had obstructed justice.

Barr said the letter speaks for itself and revealed that he gave Mueller an opportunity to review the letter but the special counsel declined.

Rep. Nita Lowey, the Democratic chairwoman of the full Appropriations Committee, said she was taken aback that Barr had reduced Muellers report to a four-page letter in just two days. Even for someone who has done this job before, I would argue its more suspicious than impressive, Lowey said.

Barr said, I felt I should state bottom-line conclusions, and I tried to use special counsel Muellers own language in doing that.

Asked about reports that members of Muellers legal team were unhappy with his handling of the report, Barr said he suspected any discontent may have reflected their desire to put out more information.

Republicans defended Barr, with Alabama Rep. Robert Aderholt comparing Democrats questions to theories surrounding President John F. Kennedys 1963 assassination. So many of the questions here today have gone toward a grassy knoll conspiracy theory, Aderholt said.

Across the Capitol, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he had no concerns with the handling of the report: I think it really comes down to a question of whether you trust Bill Barr or not. And I do.

Barr said in the summary released last month that Mueller did not reach a conclusion on whether the president obstructed justice, instead presenting evidence on both sides of the question. Barr said he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein decided that the evidence was insufficient to establish obstruction.

Facing the intensifying concerns from Democrats that he may have whitewashed Muellers findings, Barr has moved to defend, or at least explain, his handling of the process since receiving the special counsels report. He said in a March 29 letter that he did not intend for his brief summary of Muellers main conclusions to be an exhaustive recounting of his work.

He is likely to be asked to further explain himself at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing Wednesday, though its unclear how much more he will say. At one point in the House hearing, he tried to cut off any more questions on the subject.

Im not going to discuss it any further until after the report is out, he said.

Barr said he would elaborate at hearings scheduled by the House and Senate Judiciary committees at the beginning of next month.

___

Associated Press writers Chad Day, Michael Balsamo, Laurie Kellman and Matthew Daly contributed to this report.
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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
(Mirror) I hate flying. OK, I said it. Funny because for decades I was the CEO of a company that supplied the avionics industry of Italy. I am fortunate to have traveled across the globe prior to 9/11. Since then getting on a plane is a major hassle, and that's not including the chronic delays before getting on, taking off, disembarking, and waiting for your luggage after having spent hours in a seat far too small for the medium sized American human frame, always with the soundtrack of the shrills and cries of obnoxious children and their parents.

Now I only fly if it is an emergency. I drive instead, it doesn't matter how near or how far but at least I know I am in control of my life. If I can't drive there I will not go there.

We are fortunate here in South Florida to have at our disposal various top notch destinations that can be reached by car. My favorite is two hours away from Fort Lauderdale: Naples, Florida.

After crossing Alligator Alley you are in a slice of paradise.

Our favorite place to stay is The Inn on 5th.

A chic boutique hotel on Fifth Avenue South in the heart of old Naples, with high end shopping, art galleries, dining, nightlife, and theaters just outside its doors. It boasts a rooftop pool, a spa, a gourmet restaurant and plush guest rooms for a luxurious escape. It is only a half mile from the famous Naples Pier, where every day as sundown approaches, a multitude gathers with folding chairs and drinks in hand to watch the spectacular sunset over the Gulf of Mexico. Naples is a walking city and it is yours to explore.

The Inn on 5th occupies a pair of Mediterranean Revival buildings on either side of Fifth Avenue South with chic awnings shading Juliet balconies, which makes it feel more Beverly Hills than Southwest Florida. Inside, the hotel is a study in measured red, black and white with sophisticated Art Deco-inspired furniture and a shiny marble floor in the lobby. Bathrooms are sumptuous and spacious in black and white Italian marble with rainfall showers and bathtubs in most rooms. Theyre equipped with televisions and Starbucks coffee makers. Wi-Fi is free as is parking with a valet service that welcomes each guest with warmth and a smile.

The staff is above anything I have ever experienced, even in European capitals at 5 star hotels. You feel at home. In fact my husband and I were considering buying a house in Naples but after we discovered the Inn on 5th and its Club Level we decided that it was more convenient to drive over anytime we felt like it and have a place we could call home without having to worry about its upkeep.

Case in point: A few months ago my husband and I were staying at the Club Level, which offers a fabulous free happy hour with the best selection of liquors anywhere. All the top shelf brands are there, well except one.

They did not feature Jack Daniels, my favorite after dinner drink. I mentioned it, as a joke, to Nancy and Miriam, the wonderful ladies at the concierge, and they confirmed that JD was not on their list. On our next visit we were greeted by a smiling and chuckling staff saying, We have something for you, come back later. Promptly at 4 p.m. I was invited to scan the array of liquors and they proudly pointed out that Jack Daniels was now part of their options. I had forgotten all about it but they were thrilled to tell me that they had done it for me.

That's what I call customer care.

If you want to treat yourself fo a stress and hassle free vacation, get in that car and go to Naples. Make sure you stay at the Inn on 5th. You will not be disappointed.

Check out all of SFGN's March Mirror Travel stories @
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, Calif. - Authorities are searching for two hikers near Mount Baldy that have been missing since Sunday.

Rescue teams have scoured the Cucamonga wilderness for Gabrielle Wallace and Eric Desplinter since Sunday morning.

The two went hiking with friends Saturday night in the San Bernadino region but turned back once they hit ice on the trail. They have not been seen and have not answered their cell phones

"It's relatively dangerous," said deputy Rene Garcia with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office. "It's the side of a mountain. A lot of people don't know that there is actually quite a bit of ice and think that's the main thing that gets people off guard."

Deputies said family members flew in from Iowa to help with the search. Authorities hope that the hikers are heading toward Cucamonga Peak.
BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. - Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey is honoring crime victims as part of National Crime Victims Rights Week.

Ramseys Victim Assistance Bureau will host a recognition ceremony honoring the service of the local community at 2 p.m. Tuesday.

The ceremony will take place in the Butte County Board of Supervisors chambers.

The Victim Assistance Bureau assisted over 4,100 crime victims last year.
CHICO, Calif. - As Butte County struggles to address housing shortages after the Camp Fire, Chico Mayor Randall Stone is opposing legislation from Assemblyman James Gallagher to address that shortage. And the Assemblyman is responding.

On Monday, Gallagher introduced Assembly Bill 430, aimed at streamlining the environmental review process for some housing in Butte County. The goal is to expediting housing projects. Assemblyman Gallagher recently met with building industry stakeholders to review various solutions.

Also on Monday, Chico Mayor Randall Stone submitted a letter to the State Assembly, opposing the bill in its current form. Mayor Stone said the Chico City Council has not yet reviewed the bill's language, which he says will impact land use in the city of Chico. Mayor Stone said the council has not yet taken a position, saying Assembly Bill 430 is an overreach, that could impact smart, yet efficient growth.

Lat Monday evening, Assemblyman Gallagher's office fired back in a press release.

"You would think given the severity of this situation the Mayor wouldn't be playing games like this," Gallagher said. "The first time my office reached out to him to discuss this housing solution, Stone took to Facebook to criticize it rather than responding to my office. Now today, we get blindsided with a last-minute opposition letter that we hear about through a third party. My message to Mayor Stone and the City of Chico is simple: If you don't want to be included in this solution to expedite housing, we'll take you out of the bill. The ball is in your court."

Assemblyman Gallagher said a broad coalition of individuals attended the hearing to express support of the measure, including representatives from Butte County, the City of Oroville, the City of Biggs, the Rural County Representatives of California, the California Chamber of Commerce, the California Building Industry Association, Sierra North Valley Association of Realtors, the Chico Chamber of Commerce, the Chico Builders Association, the Valley Contractors Exchange and the Chico-based Sustainability Management Association. Many small business owners, property owners, and Camp Fire survivors were also in attendance to express their support, including Paradise Town Councilmember Melissa Schuster, and former Paradise Mayor Scott Lotter.

"This is an emergency situation, and our region's economy is at serious risk," said Interim Oroville City Administrator Tom Lando. "The ridge provided housing for many of the region's employees due to its low cost. Housing prices have soared due to a lack of supply. It will take an innovative approach to solve this issue and I believe this bill is a critical piece of the recovery."

Assemblyman Gallagher said he is working with a group of stakeholder to develop amendments to the legislation. He said a new version of the bill voted in the Natural Resources Committee on April 22.
CHICO, Calif.  There will be a city council meeting on Tuesday proposing a new downtown homeless shelter, which could be built as early as June.

The shelter would be located at 388 Orange St. in the old Woof & Poof building that closed in 2015.

Back in November 2018, the Walmart Foundation donated $1 million for Camp Fire relief and an additional $1 million for organizations like the Jesus Center, The Torres Community Shelter and the Safe Space Winter Shelter to establish a year-round, low barrier shelter. Mayor Randall Stone told Action News Now that they won't use any of the $1 Million intended for Camp Fire relief for the shelter if they move forward with the proposal.

The building, which is two stories and 21,382 square feet, can house up to 100 people.

With its close proximity to Chico State, Rosedale Elementary and Notre Dame Catholic School parents are concerned that the shelter is low-barrier.

It's not that I'm against the shelter itself it's just the location is alarming because it is low barrier and the location so the people that are going to be there, we don't know," said Kami Denlay, a concerned parent. "And it's within .2 miles of elementary schools, the college kids ... and it's alarming."

The public can make their voices heard regarding the new shelter during Tuesday night's city council meeting starting at 7 p.m. at 411 main street, Chico.
CHICO, Calif. - The University Police Department at Chico State is investigating reports of a hate crime that occurred over the weekend.

In an email to Chico State Students, the department classified the crime as "Destruction/Damage/Vandalism of Property - Hate Crime."

A representative with the university told Action News Now that the crime involved "racist and homophobic graffiti vandalism inside Butte Hall."

The police department said that it happened between 12:30 p.m. on Friday, April 5, and 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 7.

Anyone with information is asked to call the University Police Department at (530) 898-5555.

Action News Now is working to learn more. Stay tuned for updates.
Chico Mayor opposes Butte County housing shortage bill; Assemblyman responds

Chico Mayor Randall Stone opposes Assemblyman James Gallagher's Camp Fire housing bill designed to speed up construction projects in its current form. Stone said the city council has not reviewed the bill's language. Assemblyman Gallagher responded saying Chico does not need to be in the bill if the mayor does not want it to be.

Crews continue to clean up storm debris in Shasta County

It has been eight weeks since the big storm and snow in Redding and crews are still cleaning up storm debris. If you know of an area crews need to focus on next you can make a request online by CLICKING HERE and looking under the public works section.

State legislative committee to consider 2 opposing bills on police shootings

Tuesday, a state legislative committee will consider two opposing bills on police shootings. One of the bills, which is considered a "first in the nation," would allow police to kill only if there is no reasonable alternative way to de-escalate. The other would require police departments to have policies on when officers should use non-lethal de-escalation.

Gas prices rising nationwide

Gas prices are rising nationwide and especially in California. Experts said the state's problems center on unplanned refinery issues and normal routine maintenance before the summer, travel season.

Man arrested on identity theft charges, more than 40 potential victims

The Butte County Sheriff's Office arrested James Dye on identity theft charges. The office said he stole checks and information from more than 40 victims, including Camp Fire victims. Deputies are searching for Ashley Buck in connection to the crime.

Red Bluff student arrested in connection with a school-shooting threat

Police arrested 18-year-old Thomas Trotter at Red Bluff High School for making terrorist threats. Police said he told a classmate there would be shooting at the school Monday.

City officials propose new homeless shelter location in Chico

Tuesday night, Chico City Council will discuss opening a new homeless shelter near downtown Chico. The proposed location is on Orange Street, near Depot Park. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. in the Chico City Council chambers.
(Mirror) Stay away from Venice, Italy in June, July or August. Unless you enjoy being smothered and choked by thousands and thousands of cheap, crassy tourists. This is a city of 59,000 people. Yet 24 million visitors a year make Venice one of their favorite stopovers.

Most of them in the summer months. It is a wonder it does not sink under its own weight.

Go in the second half of September, October, even November. The weather might not be the best but you will savor the real thing. Personally, I think Venice looks better and more mysterious in the soft rain, or with a light chill.

During the summer the city is a hot zoo filled to capacity. Herds crawl along the narrow alleyways, called calli, loaded with shopping bags and suitcases, snapping pictures on their cell phones and iPads. Families with strollers try to navigate the tiny bridges and passages. It's like watching a river of humanity slowly making its way to the various sites.

Venice. Mirror file Photo

The city was founded by people who were escaping Attila's invasion. The Huns despised going near water. Now a new breed of barbarians invade it on a regular basis. Cruise ships unload three or four thousand more bodies each day. It is what Babel must have been in biblical times.

Venice is a city that has to be experienced at a slow pace. The least number of people around you, the better. The best time I have ever had in Venice was in November, with my partner, in a semi deserted Saint Mark's Square, the mist coming in from the laguna and a violin player fiddling a passage from Vivaldi's Four Seasons. It was magic. It was as if the city had removed its mask, tears filled my eyes without warning.

Much of Venetian life has balanced itself for centuries on the concept of the mask: one face for society made of papier-mache and one only seen in private. It dates back to the late 1700s when the Carnevale lasted for months and Venetians lived behind the painted mask, bejeweled and bewigged, not knowing with whom they were playing, or making love to, as masks were seldom removed except at home or in church. These days the Mardi Gras lasts only a few days but its people spend most of the year getting ready for the elaborate party. The city's nickname is "The Drag Queen of Italy" and even though it doesnt have much of an official gay nightlife it has traditionally encouraged tolerance and individuality.

The Bellini was invented in Venice sometime between 1934 and 1948 by Giuseppe Cipriani founder of Harrys Bar. He named the drink the Bellini because its unique pink color reminded him of the toga of a saint in a painting by 15th-century Venetian artist Giovanni Bellini

The drink started as a seasonal specialty at Harry's Bar, a favorite haunt of Hemingway, Sinclair Lewis and Orson Wells.

For centuries Venice has also embraced the many famous gay travelers who went to Venice in search of their souls. Or to lose it. From Lord Byron to Jeannette Winterson. One of the first openly gay movies ever made is the 1971 Death in Venice with Dirk Bogarde based on the Thomas Mann's novel of the same name.

It was filmed entirely at the Hotel des Bains, one of Europe's most fabulous hotels. The movie is now considered a classic. When you are in Venice forget about getting a map or directions. Just walk, get lost in the labyrinth of narrow streets, you will savor and discover the city in all its mysterious haunting beauty. Make believe you are Donald Sunderland in Don't Look Now another classic movie set in Venice.

Venice. Mirror file Photo

You will eventually arrive in Piazza San Marco, preferably at twilight, to watch the last rays of the sun slip beneath the waters of the lagoon. Then watch the sky turn a cobalt blue and the wispy clouds a pinkish color with the gondolas lit up by the fading sun. There are few places on earth with the same chromatic intensity. For an enchanted moment you wonder if you are caught in a living painting or a living dream. The experience, depending who you are with, can be insanely romantic or slightly surreal.

Gore Vidal, another famous gay part time resident, wrote in his book Vidal in Venice, ...There is a strong need for magic, for a place that is outside of time, for a postponement of reality. For Venice.

Check out all of SFGN's March Mirror Travel stories @
In a recent development Rohit Tugnait & Rohit Void of 101 India along with Rajesh Pavithran of Eyecatcher Entertainment have joined hands to launch Phoenix Content Studio. Phoenix Content Studio is a digital content boutique entity that will cater to understanding a client's marketing objective whether it be ROI, brand building or brand perception. Basis which, Phoenix, will develop a content strategy to create impact with the relevant TG across digital platforms.

Rohit Vaid, Co Founder & CCO, explains, the youth today is exposed to 5000+ messages per day. Their attention spans are low, its only when a message strikes an emotional chord that they invest the most precious commodity which is mind space. This is what Phoenix will assist brands in capturing through engaging story telling.

Rajesh Pavithran, Co Founder & Director says, with over 75 years of collective creative and production experience, what we bring to the table is effective creative backed by price points. This will give the brands the best bang for their buck. All our arsenal is in place already as we have a roster of talented directors & writers on board. This is talent that has crafted some of the most impressive youth campaigns for brands and publishers across platforms.

Rohit Tugnait Co-Founder & CEO, sums up, as we all know the digital content space is exploding thanks to low mobile internet costs brought about by the Jio revolution add to this the smart phone penetration across the country. This will fuel the growth of the digital video business from $300 million as of 2018 to $1.5 billion by 2021. So the opportunities for specialists like us, who have the experience in creating engaging story telling via formats ranging from 3 seconds to 3 hours (and everything in between) will be huge.

Our initial focus is alliances, we are in talks with a select few leading agencies and OTT platforms to become preferred partners addressing their production needs and creation of joint IPs. We will have announcements coming in this space soon.
In a bid to strengthen its global creative agency mcgarrybowens India footprint, Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) has elevated Samarjit Choudhry to the role of President - Happy mcgarrybowen (HMB) India. In addition to this, the global media & marketing communications conglomerate has also entrusted Soumitra Karnik with the additional charge of Chief Creative Officer (CCO).

Choudhry joined the Network in 2017 as COO - Happy mcgarrybowen India. Armed with more than 20 years of experience, he has worked with agencies such as Ogilvy and Leo Burnett. At Leo Burnett, he was the Chief Growth officer for the Group and was also instrumental in setting up Orchard and Black Pencil for them. In addition, he has also worked to create Indias premier comic book content company, Virgin Comics.

Speaking on his appointment, Samarjit Choudhry, President  HMB, said, mcgarrybowen has a strong philosophy of solving real problems. They truly operate as a media-agnostic agency. In India the foundation for this is already there and the agency has been operating as Happy mcgarrybowen for over 2 years now. My mandate is to take it to the next level. Other than communication, we already have a strong design practice and in conjunction with the other offerings from DAN, today we offer our clients a one stop solution for whatever their needs might be. I look forward to taking the opportunity to take the legacy forward. And all we ask is Give us your biggest problem.

Soumitra Karnik joined the network in 2012. Prior to that, he was an ECD at JWT. In over 11 years spent there, he worked on a variety of clients, including Pepsi, Airtel, Nestle and Hero Honda. Karnik has also worked at Lowe and Percept. Amongst his notable campaigns are the Pepsi Yeh Hai Youngistaan Meri Jaan, Slice Aamsutra, Yaari Ki Gaadi for Hero Honda Splendour NXG, and the What Makes Us Click Campaign for Canon, to name a few.

Speaking about the role, Soumitra Karnik, CCO - HMB and Dentsu Impact, said, Happy mcgarrybowen is a phenomenal creative brand and has an enviable body of work to prove it. All these years, I have greatly admired them from a distance and I count my blessings for being given this opportunity to be a part of their creative trajectory. I assume this role with utmost confidence only because the culture of HMB will not have it any other way. I shall take my mandate from Gordon Bowen, our Global CCO, in the coming days and will talk about it soon. Personally, Id like to build a collaborative creative culture where everyone works with everyone and everyone learns from everyone. There is so much talent out there in the world and sometimes all it takes is a simple call to say, Hi, I have this idea and I need you to make it even more amazing. Most clients deserve a spectacular package. Anything less is just plain misfortune.

Happy mcgarrybowen India is going to be a key piece in Dentsu Aegis Networks India creative strategy.

Ashish Bhasin, CEO Greater South, Dentsu Aegis Network and Chairman & CEO India, commented, With its new leadership in place, I am more than confident that the agency is now in extremely able hands. Happy mcgarrybowen has always been a brand to reckon with and I have no doubt that Samarjit and Soumitra, together, will further fuel this brand legacy and help Happy mcgarrybowen scale new heights.
Lifestyle, part of Dubai-based retail and hospitality conglomerate The Landmark Group, celebrates its 20th anniversary this April by introducing a month long 20-20 bash. The brand has announced a slew of attractive offers across categories that customers can enjoy every weekend of April.

Lifestyle began its journey in Chennai and has expanded to over 44 cities in the past 20 years. In those years, the company has been the recipient of numerous awards and accolades, including Most Admired Fashion Retail Destination of the Year at Images Fashion Awards for 5 consecutive years; and No. 1 Indias Best Company to Work for in the retail industry for 2 consecutive years, among others.

This is a remarkable milestone for us! exclaimed Vasanth Kumar, Managing Director, Lifestyle International, adding, Completing two decades of successful operations in the country, we feel humbled by the support weve received from our customers who have been a critical part of this incredible journey. We, therefore, are dedicating the whole month of April to our customers and inviting them to enjoy great offers every weekend on our new collection.

Bollywood Actor Tiger Shroff, who inaugurated the event in Mumbai announcing their attractive offers to customers, said, Lifestyle is a brand that has been a part of the fashion retail story for over two decades in the country. I love their fashion offering, especially denim wear brand Forca. I am happy to be here for this significant moment and wish them many more years of similar success.

In conversation with Adgully, Srinivas Rao, Senior Vice President - Marketing, Lifestyle, speaks about the brands journey in the past 20 years and its commitment to serve the customer wherever they may be present.

Rao has over 20 years of experience in Sales and Marketing across FMCG, Consumer Durables and Retail industries, including more than 10 years at Lifestyle. He is an integral part of Lifestyles growth, contributing immensely in establishing Lifestyle as a youthful brand in the country besides building several brands such as Ginger, Forca and Melange, among others. He has a keen interest in consumer behaviour, data analytics and the intricate nuances of content marketing.

How do you view Lifestyles 20-year journey in India?

Today, Lifestyle has about 77 stores across 44 cities. We have an online presence  lifestylestores.com  delivering to about 26,000 pin codes. The journey has been spectacular, to say the least, largely because over the last 20 years we have been able to establish Lifestyle as a youthful and trendy brand. Weve been able to consistently expand. We have been able to do well across geographies in the country, be it north, south, west, east or Tier 1, 2, 3. We have been able to understand Indian consumer sensibilities and weve been able to adapt and deliver fashion to the taste and preferences of the Indian customer.

Whats really important is that we have evolved with the market, evolved with the customer. Today, Lifestyle is really a true omnichannel brand. We have developed omnichannel capabilities to serve the omnichannel customer. We have been able to serve our customers through all the initiatives we have pioneered until now.

When did you launch your online store?

Our online store launched in 2017. It has kind of stabilised and is doing well for us at this point in time.

How many brands are you associated with and what are the markets you are targeting?

Lifestyle has always been present across Tier 1, 2 and 3 cities. Even in the first phase we launched stores in many smaller cities, including Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Pune, and then went into cities like Vijaywada, Trichi, and Coimbatore. So, Lifestyle has been present across markets. We sell above 250 national and international brands across apparel, footwear, watches, fragrances, and kids wear. Of these 250 brands, 9 are our own or franchise brands. They are either brands that we have developed in-house or ones that we have franchised in India. Together, they constitute about 30 per cent of our topline and they are a significant part of our overall mix.

What has been the YoY growth of the brand?

Our compounded growth in the last 5 years in this region has been about 15 per cent. We have added about 9-10 stores in the last financial year. This year, we plan to add another 10 stores.

How do you plan to compete against e-tailers?

Our focus is much more on the customer. As the customer is omnichannel, we need to serve the omnichannel customer. Our focus is never on the competition. Our most important focus right now is to strengthen our omnichannel capabilities. We are using technology to serve our customers better in the store. One way is by using a Virtual Assistant, which we have launched in Chennai and Pune, where you can actually use your mobile and get a lot of style recommendations. Thats the technology that we are investing in. We are also investing in personalisation. We analyse data and are able to deliver personalisation either through the Lifestyle Buddy, our Virtual Shopping Assistant, or through communication such as email or SMS to our customers.

As a retailer, most of the time you find your competitor right next to you. What differentiation can you bring then to distinguish your brand?

When it comes to differentiators, there are multiple. Our entire business philosophy of curating merchandise and ensuring that the merchandise is relevant to the market we are operating in, is a big differentiator. Another is the layout of our stores, which help customers navigate easily.
YLG Salons, one of the leading beauty and wellness brands in India, completes 10 years, re-engineering and redefining the salon culture in India and to celebrate this, radicalises their marketing strategy once again.

To commemorate a decade in the salon and wellness industry, YLG has come out with a new logo, with the tagline, Tomorrow Begins Todayand also the You Look Great anthem, composed by Grammy Award Winner andUS Billboard #1 artist Ricky Kej sung in the tuneful voice of 2-time Grammy winner Laura Dickinson.

With their 47thstore opening in Bengaluru, earlier this year, YLG stands strong with 62salonsnationwide, across Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, providing the best service to a customer base of over 5,00,000 loyal customers. Since its conception in 2009, YLG has transformed the beauty services across India with its next-gen painless wax and industry-leading processes in training and consistent delivery across multiple locations.

Speaking on this achievement, Mr. Rahul Bhalchandra, Co-founder and CEO, YLG Salons and YLG Institut said, The last 10 years have been an impeccable journey for us, filled with learnings and an ever-growing vision to provide to the country, nothing but the best, in terms of the quality of products and services. Staunchly believing in, Tomorrow begins todaywe try to bring novelty in all that we do and create at YLG.

Adding to this, the co-founder and CTO of the brand, Vaijayanti Bhalchandra said, It is all, but the team, that has made it possible for YLG to be able to service such a large customer base, and at the same time ensuring the same world-class standards in all branches. To us, sometimes, it feels just like yesterday when we set out on this endeavour of ours, and sometimes it feels thats its been a lifetime, and with the honest efforts that we put in, and the love and well-wishes of our dear customers, we will continue to do not just good, but great.

To express gratitude to their customers, YLG has come up with some amazing offers to pamper them:

Offer 1:

Take FULL BIKINI - BRAZILIAN WAX -and get Rs 500 gift voucher (gift voucher can be redeemed on any service except Combo/discount/Ongoing offer & promotions)

Voucher validity: 30 days from date of issue

Offer 2:

Take any Hair Spa worth Rs 1100 and above & get Gift voucher worth Rs 500 (Gift voucher redeemable only on Manicure/Pedicure worth 500 and above)

Voucher validity: 30 days from date of issue

10-year Anniversary offer:

Offer 1: The Golden ticket Offer

10 lucky customers win an international trip to Bali next year in 2020.

Criteria for winning: The customer should have visited any YLG outlet across all three cities for a minimum of 10 times over the past year. The winners will be picked at the end of 2019.

Offer 2: 10 ON 10 Offer

On the 10th of every month, customers will get a flat 10% discount on any service they take across all stores.
What? THREE VACCINES? Yes. There is NO MEASLES VACCINE. Not since Merck stopped making it in 2009. Perhaps the Vaxstapo should be pounding on MERCK'S door, not local citizens. Even when you choose to vaccinate for measles, you really have no choice. You must vaccinate for mumps and rubella whether you need (additional) protection or not. And if you think the mumps vaccine component is effective we have both a bridge in Brooklyn AND a Navy Ship in quarantine at sea to sell you.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday declared a public health emergency in a heavily Orthodox Jewish section of Brooklyn amid a growing measles outbreak.

As part of the declaration, people living in select zip codes of Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood who have not been vaccinated against measles and may have been exposed to the highly-contagious virus will now be required to get the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. Source ABC News



To "fight" the measles outbreak amid the Hasidic community in an area of the borough of Brooklyn, New York (the city of New York is divided into 5 distinct boroughs, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and Staten Island) he is mandating vaccination for not just measles, but also mumps and rubella. Two diseases not currently in any sort of outbreak, unless you count a Naval ship that is sitting out of commission in the middle of the ocean, but that's another post.



Merck stopped making the MEASLES vaccine in 2009 . Parents who may well have opted for this single - monovalent - vaccine have said no to the combination MMR vaccine. Why should families have to choose to vaccinated for three diseases at once? The removal of the Measles vaccine may be at the root of many of the outbreaks. If public health officials were really concerned with health, and disease prevention, they would be pounding on MERCK'S door demanding the monovalent vaccination, not on the doors of religious families exercising their right to vaccine exemption.



Allison Chapman wrote a post for Age of Autism about Merck's decision to limit parental product choice back in 2009 (read the full post here.)
As a metallic asteroid such as Psyche cooled and solidified, iron volcanoes may have erupted onto its surface. (Illustration by Elena Hartley)

Metallic asteroids are thought to have started out as blobs of molten iron floating in space.

As if that's not strange enough, scientists now think that as the metal cooled and solidified, volcanoes spewing liquid iron could have erupted through a solid iron crust onto the surface of the asteroid.

This scenario emerged from an analysis by planetary scientists at UC Santa Cruz whose investigation was prompted in part by NASA's plans to launch a probe to Psyche, the largest metallic asteroid in the solar system. Francis Nimmo, professor of Earth and planetary sciences, said he was interested in the composition of metallic asteroids indicated by analyses of iron meteorites, so he had graduate student Jacob Abrahams work on some simple models of how the asteroids cooled and solidified.

"One day he turned to me and said, 'I think these things are going to erupt,'" Nimmo said. "I'd never thought about it before, but it makes sense because you have a buoyant liquid beneath a dense crust, so the liquid wants to come up to the top."

The researchers described their findings in a paper that has been accepted for publication in Geophysical Research Letters.

Metallic asteroids originated early in the history of the solar system when planets were beginning to form. A protoplanet or "planetesimal" involved in a catastrophic collision could be stripped of its rocky outer layers, exposing a molten, iron-rich core. In the cold of space, this blob of liquid metal would quickly begin to cool and solidify.

"In some cases it would crystallize from the center out and wouldn't have volcanism, but some would crystallize from the top down, so you'd get a solid sheet of metal on the surface with liquid metal underneath," Nimmo said.

As for what the iron volcanoes would look like, Abrahams said it depends on the composition of the melt. "If it's mostly pure iron, then you would have eruptions of low-viscosity surface flows spreading out in thin sheets, so nothing like the thick, viscous lava flows you see on Hawaii," he said. "At the other extreme, if there are light elements mixed in and gases that expand rapidly, you could have explosive volcanism that might leave pits in the surface."

NASA's Psyche mission is scheduled to launch in 2022 and reach the asteroid in 2026. Signs of past volcanism that researchers could look for include variations in the color or composition of material on the surface, and possibly features that look like volcanic vents. Large volcanic cones are probably unlikely, Abrahams said.

Unfortunately, because metallic asteroids would have solidified fairly quickly after their formation, there has been plenty of time (billions of years) for any surface features of volcanism to be degraded. "It's not clear what they might look like now," Abrahams said.

The best opportunity to find evidence of ferrovolcanism on metallic asteroids might actually come from studying iron meteorites already in collections on Earth, the researchers said.

"There are lots of these metallic meteorites, and now that we know what we're looking for, we might find evidence of volcanism in them," Nimmo said. "If material got erupted onto the surface, it would cool very fast, which would be reflected in the composition of the meteorite. And it might have holes in it left by escaping gas."

When they presented their findings at a recent Lunar and Planetary Science Conference [abstract (PDF): https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2019/pdf/1598.pdf], Abrahams and Nimmo discovered that another research team had independently arrived at similar conclusions about the possibility of ferrovolcanism (abstract (PDF): https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2019/pdf/1625.pdf).

"It's not a shocking idea, but we'd just never thought about iron volcanism before, so it's something new and interesting to investigate," Abrahams said.

Reference: "Ferrovolcanism: Iron Volcanism on Metallic Asteroids," Jacob N. H. Abrahams & Francis Nimmo, 2019, to appear in Geophysical Research Letters [https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/19448007, preprint (PDF): https://people.ucsc.edu/~janabrah/ferrovolcanism].

This research was supported in part by NASA.

Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.
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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Group spring meetings begin this week in Washington. As finance ministers and economic policy teams enjoy the cherry blossoms, the forecast for growth in the Middle East and North Africa looks more like winter. Real gross domestic product (GDP) growth across the Middle East and North Africa regions is expected to average 1.5% in 2019. Growth prospects are low, tied to low growth in the United States and Europe. There are pockets of higher growth inside the region, notably in places where reforms are underway  or the bounce back from war or bleaker times has begun. Where there are bright spots says a lot about the outlook for the region as a whole. For example, "notable expansions" are expected in Yemen and Iraq in 2019, according to the World Bank.

In Egypt, for example, the return of its tourism sector has been as important as new taxes and reduced subsidies as a boost to government revenue. Egypt has made some difficult reforms  with a very heavy hand and a cost to human capital  setting an example to the region wary of public reaction to structural reform. As conditions of Egypts IMF program, local fuel prices will be indexed to global ones and most energy subsidies will be eliminated by mid-2019. But Egypt has been rewarded already with praise from the World Bank and with its new status as the only country in the Middle East with higher expected growth in 2019 (at 5.5%) than its respective trend from 2011-2016, according to research by Standard Chartered.

But if Egypt is the best-case scenario of reform implementation (and not all analysts agree on its early success), there is clearly a regional dilemma. Breaking down the distortions in political economies of the region is fraught with political risk, but what has been accessible is debt. And there has been a surge in sovereign bond issues and loans, both commercial and multilateral, over the past four years.

In its new Regional Outlook, the World Bank warns that structural reforms have urgency  this to a region addicted to recycled petrodollars as a source of capital, inefficient subsidies of energy and water, and bloated and unproductive public sector workforces. So the World Bank suggests a "Moonshot" strategy to invest in digital economies and workforce productivity, especially for young people. The demographics of the region have impeded job creation for young people who have had good educational opportunities but few chances at climbing a career ladder, especially in private companies. To embrace subsidy reform and digitization are good ideas, but it will be hard to reach the moon when the medium term will be weighed down by debt.

There is a growing debt trap in the Middle East. Of the eight largest sovereign issuers of emerging market debt in 2018, half were countries in the Middle East.

Lebanon's debt to GDP ratio is around 151%. Jordan is also struggling. Jordan's agreement with the IMF, reached in February, marked the conclusion of the second review of Jordans $723 million Extended Fund Facility and came after parliament passed a politically difficult tax law. The terms of the IMF agreement also target reducing the public debt burden to 77% of the GDP by 2021 from 94% currently.

It's not just the oil importers who have been on a debt binge to finance government spending. It is the expansion of debt issuance from oil exporters in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) that is shifting the composition of emerging market sovereign debt globally. This debt is now more frequently traded as it becomes included in passive bond index flows. The staggered inclusion over nine months of GCC sovereign and quasi-sovereign debt in the JPMorgan EMBI series began this year. When the process is complete, GCC sovereign debt is expected to represent 12 to 14% of the index.

Bahrain and Oman are most vulnerable, as they lack the foreign reserve assets that their GCC peers can rely on in addition to plentiful debt issuance to meet their fiscal deficits and large spending commitments. They are now heavily indebted, with Bahrain's debt to GDP at over 90%, and Oman at 58% of the GDP.

Borrowing is an easy way out in the short term. Some Gulf oil exporters built substantial foreign reserve assets in the time of high oil prices of the 2000s. But even Saudi Arabia, with its massive sovereign wealth fund and government deposits of foreign reserve assets in the central bank, has a high burn rate. At its current spending levels and without access to debt issuance, Saudi Arabia would have just about seven years of wealth stored away in its Public Investment Fund and deposits with the central bank to cover its current and projected recurring fiscal deficit needs, according to research by HSBC. Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have 75 and 85 years, respectively, of current fiscal deficit coverage needs in reserves, respectively.

For now, debt is the preferred policy fix to enable continued spending. For those governments with more conditional loans from multilateral lenders, their reform agendas will face difficult domestic political hurdles. For those oil exporters able to access easy credit now, the more difficult fiscal policy choices are only a few years away. Some will face greater fiscal tradeoffs than others, though all will have to reckon with the inevitability of repayment. It is very possible that the low-yield, easy-to-come-by financing of today becomes much more expensive in the future. It is time for a moonshot, indeed.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears to be in good shape to win an unprecedented fifth term, according to exit polls from todays legislative elections in Israel. Early results show Netanyahus Likud Party trailing his main rival Benny Gantzs Blue and White coalition by one seat, with the Likud winning 36 Knesset seats to the Blue and White's 37. But a Likud alliance with right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties would garner 64 seats, past the 61-seat threshold needed to form a government.

Why it matters: Netanyahus reliance on right-wing allies means he could have a hard time climbing down from some of his more extreme promises during the campaign, including extending Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank settlements and opposing full Palestinian statehood.

The Trump effect: The Israeli leaders close relationship with US President Donald Trump helped Netanyahu win at the polls but could now come at a cost. Trump helped Netanyahu package himself as a winning statesman with his decisions to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem, recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights and label Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terror group. But now the US president may demand Israeli concessions for his yet-to-be-released peace plan.

A short-term victory? In July, Netanyahu will face a judicial hearing to challenge the attorney generals recommendation that he be indicted on corruption charges in three different cases. At least one of his potential coalition partners has said it would leave the coalition if he is indicted. At that point, Netanyahu could step down to focus on battling the charges in court, leaving another coalition leader to take over. If he tries to stay in power while indicted, that could trigger new elections this winter.

What's next: Next week, President Reuven Rivlin will meet with the heads of all parties to hear their recommendations for the next prime minister. A few days later, he will choose the one best positioned to establish the government.

Know more: Yossi Beilin reflects on how the election has been all about Netanyahu's record on governing and his legal issues.

-Danny Zaken
In a visit to the Kremlin on Monday, Turkish President Tayyip Recep Erdogan reiterated his determination to press ahead with the purchase of a Russian missile defense system that has strained ties with the United States.

We have determined our road map for the S-400, Erdogan said. No one can expect us to give up on this.

Not to be outdone, the Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate foreign affairs and armed services panels stated unequivocally in a New York Times op-ed today that US sanctions on Russian arms makers preclude the delivery of the US F-35 jet if Ankara moves ahead with the deal to buy the S-400, which the Pentagon fears Russia could use to spy on its aircraft. By the end of the year, the senators wrote, Turkey will have either F-35 advanced fighter aircraft on its soil or a Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile defense system. It will not have both.

Why it matters: Turkeys increasing closeness with Russia has been driving Washington and Ankara apart on a number of fronts, including military sales and negotiations over the future of Syria. Heres a look back at how the S-400 deal and other irritants have impacted the relationship.



2015

November  A Turkish F-16 downs a Russian jet on a mission in Syria. Moscow retaliates with economic sanctions and deploys S-400s to Syria.

2016

July  Turkish authorities arrest thousands of service members after a failed coup attempt that Erdogan blames on exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen.

August  Erdogan visits Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg in an effort to patch up economic ties. Turkish officials consult with the Russians to deconflict airspace and other operations in Syria.

2017

March  US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson travels to Ankara for meetings with Erdogan, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

April  Erdogan wins a narrow referendum vote approving constitutional changes that expand his presidential powers.

May  The US begins providing arms to Syrian Kurdish forces for the assault on the Islamic State-stronghold of Raqqa, angering Turkey.

July  Tillerson travels to Istanbul to meet with Erdogan and Cavusoglu.

August  Turkey reshuffles the heads of every branch of its military.

September  Erdogan tells reporters that Turkey has made a down payment on the purchase of the S-400 system and that he and Putin are determined on this issue. The deal is reportedly worth $2.5 billion.

Days later, the top Democrat on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Ben Cardin of Maryland, says Turkeys possible S-400 purchase could trigger fresh counter-Russia sanctions.

October  Turkey reportedly enters talks with the US to buy the Patriot air defense system. A NATO official says Turkey faces consequences if it buys the S-400.

December  Turkeys top defense procurement office confirms it has finalized a contract to acquire the S-400, targeting a 2020 delivery date.

2018

January  Turkey invades the Kurdish-held Syrian city of Afrin, forcing a temporary pause in US-led operations against the Islamic State.

June  Erdogan wins reelection for another five-year term as president. The United States hands over two F-35 jets to Turkey for training at Luke Air Force base in Arizona.

July  US Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., visit Erdogan in Turkey to demand the release of detained US pastor Andrew Brunson and urge the president to cancel the S-400 acquisition.

August  The Turkish lira drops after the Donald Trump administration imposes sanctions over Brunsons detention. Cavusoglu says during a visit to Lithuania that Turkey has rejected US warnings to abandon its S-400 purchase in order to salvage the F-35 sale.

October  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo travels to Turkey. Vice Adm. Mat Winter, the F-35 program director, says he doesnt see any indication at this time of a change in plans for the delivery of Turkeys 100 jets on order from Lockheed Martin.

November  Defense Secretary Jim Mattis delivers a classified report to Congress analyzing the potential fallout from Turkeys possible removal from the F-35 program.

2019

February  Cavusoglu says the S-400 acquisition is a done deal.

March  State Department spokesman Robert Palladino says the Turkish S-400 purchase will result in a reassessment of Turkeys participation in the F-35 program, prompting Cavusoglu to say that nobody can intervene in the purchase.

April 1  The Trump administration suspends delivery of F-35 equipment to Turkey.

April 4  A Pentagon spokesman tells Al-Monitor the agency rejects a Turkish proposal to set up a bilateral working group aimed at tempering US fears over the looming S-400 acquisition.

Whats next: Turkey insists that the S-400 will be ready to be installed by the fall.

Know more: Defense officials told Al-Monitors Pentagon correspondent Jack Detsch reports that the Pentagon has extended a discount offer to Turkey for the Patriot system and offered an interim air defense solution to woo Ankara away from the S-400.

-Jack Detsch
A day after being designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the Donald Trump administration, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is receiving a wave of support from home. The widespread backing from a commonly fractured elite notably came even from those who traditionally harbor striking differences with the powerful organization.

In an unprecedented gesture of solidarity, parliamentarians including speaker Ali Larijani and Reformist majority leader Mohammad Reza Aref appeared in the IRGC's green uniforms in an early morning session March 9. Of particular note, outspoken IRGC critic Mahmoud Sadeghi  another Reformist parliament member  also joined the gesture by donning IRGC fatigues.

"Despite all the differences over domestic issues, we stand united in solidarity with our armed forces against the irrational foreign enemy," tweeted Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, a senior Reformist figure, signaling that support for the IRGC under current conditions goes well beyond the partisan divide.

The Iranian parliament's reaction to the FTO designation does not appear limited to the symbolic move of showing up in uniform. Lawmakers also passed an urgent motion to "strengthen" the IRGC's position. But it was not immediately clear what the motion included. Similarly, only hours after the FTO designation, the Supreme National Security Council in a tit-for-tat measure designated the United States as a "state sponsor of terrorism." It also branded as terrorists US Central Command (CENTCOM) and its affiliated forces.

In his first public appearance following the US decision, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei downplayed the measure, predicting that it will only backfire against the Trump administration. Khamenei praised the IRGC for taking the "fight against the enemies thousands of kilometers beyond Iran's borders," referring to the Islamic Republics rising doctrine of forward defense over the past decade.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also echoed this stance. "The United States made the decision to vent its anger at the IRGC's victories in ousting terrorists from the region," said Rouhani, referring to the Iranian militarys role in fighting the Islamic State and other jihadist groups in Syria and Iraq. Rouhani made the comments at an event marking Iran's National Day of Nuclear Technology, where he unveiled new nuclear achievements. "You [US government] used to be worried about our [1970s era] IR-1 centrifuges. Today, we inaugurated [the initiation of the construction of] a cascade of IR-6 [centrifuges], and if your tyranny continues, you will witness IR-8 centrifuges as well," Rouhani said in a boastful message to Washington.

Of note, the apparent move to develop far more advanced centrifuges reportedly falls within the confines of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Meanwhile, Iran's leading papers reflected the same cross-partisan mood of solidarity. Reformist Ebtekar described the US decision "as twisting the lion's tail," while the governments official Iran daily called it an "adventurist move." But hard-line Kayhan had even harsher words: "With his stupid move, Trump issued the permit for the killing of American forces," the paper's editorial read, suggesting that now that they are branded terrorists by Iran, US soldiers in the region will effectively be within the target range of Iranian forces. The new terrorist label for US troops was in a way officially inaugurated by Iran's state TV as it reported that "four American terrorists were killed in Afghanistan," marking a significant change of terminology as it covered a deadly roadside bomb attack against American soldiers on April 8.

On his official Instagram page followed by millions of Iranians, the IRGC's perhaps most prominent commander Qasem Soleimani, who leads the force's overseas activities, reposted one of his older speeches in a video clip featuring footage of coffins of foreign soldiers slain in the Middle East, in which he reminded the US government of the "fruitlessness" of its mission there.

While opinions on the FTO designation varied on social media, multiple hashtags in solidarity were rapidly trending, such as "I am a Guard too"  which was the headline of the Reformist Etemaad daily. Users also highlighted the current relief operations conducted by IRGC forces in several Iranian provinces grappling with deadly flooding. "The US hurry to announce this decision at a time when the IRGC is aiding the flood-stricken with full force was but a gift to Netanyahu ahead of the Israeli elections," wrote Iran's Ambassador to Britain Hamid Baeidinejad.

The full implications of the US decision have yet to emerge as US-Iran tensions are likely to enter a fresh level. But immediate impacts on Iranian markets are already out there. Iran's national currency lost 7.5% of its value against the greenback in the 24 hours since the US measure was announced. Politically, however, the move could boomerang against the Trump administration. "The US passed the ball to the IRGC to score the goal and further boosted the Guards' position in international relations," said Reformist commentator Hassan Assadi Zeidabadi.

Militarily, Washington's decision could see the IRGC in a more confrontational posture. Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami has warned that if the US move becomes operational, "Iran will respond in kind with firmness." The warning was rephrased in a tougher tone by ultraconservative IRGC member and parliamentarian Javad Karimi Ghoddousi: "Trump must look forward to receiving coffins of American terrorists [soldiers] back home."
Tehran has been able to capitalize on sectarian ties with some Iraqi parties and armed groups with an eye toward gaining an advantage over the United States and perhaps even Iran's archrival Saudi Arabia, which has been drawing closer to Baghdad in the past two years. Now Iran is working to build relationships with Iraq's tribal leaders in an attempt to gain influence and ensure a greater footing in the country.

Iran's and Iraq's central governments are largely run by Shiite Muslims, while Saudi Arabia's government is run by Sunnis.

Iran is taking swift steps to prevent others from beating it to the support of Iraqi tribes, mostly Shiite ones.

Raed al-Freiji, a tribal sheikh from Shiite-dominated Basra, told Al-Monitor, Iran is trying to send a message to the US that it has managed to win over the sheikhs of Iraq and that it wants to wage war with the US in Iraq." He said government-affiliated Iraqi political parties "are implementing this agenda on [Iran's] behalf.

Former Ninevah province Gov. Atheel al-Nujaifi, a Sunni, said in statements published March 27 on the official website of his political party, Mutahidoun Coalition, Iran is trying to quarrel with the US by cementing its relations with the sheikhs of Iraqi tribes. For that reason, tribes are meeting and communicating with Iranian officials.

On March 12, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani gave a speech and met in Baghdad with many community leaders, including sheikhs, most of whom were Shiite. Dozens of the attendees appeared with him in a photo from the occasion, but the event wasn't coordinated with the Iraqi government.

An Iraqi Foreign Ministry source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, We didn't coordinate with Iranians for Rouhanis visit to include meeting with tribal sheikhs. We don't know who handled the coordination. Several sheikhs contacted us, and they said Iraqi President Barham Salih invited them. But we denied these allegations.

The source added, Our suggestion involved a Rouhani visit to the Faculty of Political Sciences at Baghdad University to give a lecture, since it is an academic institution [devoted to the study of politics]. But the meeting took place later with tribal sheikhs instead.

During Rouhanis visit that same day to Karbala, he met with a group of Shiite tribal sheikhs and talked about economic relations, fighting terrorism and promoting communication between Iraq and Iran.

Falah al-Meshaal, former editor-in-chief of Sabah, Iraq's official newspaper, told Al-Monitor, I think Iran realizes, through repeated [Iraqi] protests and the slogan 'Out with Iran!' that it is not welcome publicly, notably in central and south Iraq, [even though those areas] are considered Shiite.

He added, Iran made its gains through the loyalty of affiliated Iraqi militias. ... But [the people's] political memory won't help Iraqi tribal leaders who had pledged absolute allegiance to Saddam Hussein [after the US invaded Iraq in 2003] but ultimately abandoned him." This indicates that the same tribal leaders now offering their loyalty to Iran had done the same with Saddam, and that their loyalty may not be trustworthy.

Rouhani wasn't the only Iranian official to meet recently with tribal sheikhs. In mid-January, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif visited Iraq on a tour that included several Iraqi provinces.

Haidar al-Mulla, an Iraqi Shiite in a Sunni-majority party, didn't approve of Zarifs meeting with tribal sheikhs and tweeted, I ask [Iraqi] Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi and Foreign Minister Mohammed Ali al-Hakim, with what diplomatic or sovereign logic is Zarif meeting with tribal sheikhs and visiting residences?

In September, Iranian Ambassador to Iraq Iraj Masjedi met in Baghdad with 50 sheikhs from Basra and Wasit at the Iranian Embassy, Mulla said. Afterward, the official Iranian news agency Irna reported the sheikhs "from Basra, Kut and other Iraqi regions announced their solidarity with Iran and asserted their readiness to sacrifice their money and lives to defend Iran.

It may be that through the visits of Zarif and Rouhani, Iran is seeking to form a new image in the minds of Iraqi citizens that shows that Iran's Reformist government  as opposed to the hard-line Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the leader of the corps' Quds Force, Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani  is establishing direct ties with the people rather than through armed groups.

Freiji, the Shiite tribal sheikh from Basra, criticized the meetings with Iranian officials, telling Al-Monitor, Some sheikhs only think about their own interests.

He added, Officials and leaders of states who visit Iraq have to meet with government officials. If they want to meet with community leaders, too, they must coordinate with the government. But, unfortunately, the meetings with Iranian officials did not undergo governmental coordination.

Iran is well aware that the tribal base in Iraq plays a huge role in the elections and support for politicians, and it realizes that tribes, especially those in the south, have more power than the rule of law in some regions. Winning them over has become a necessity for Tehran.

Iran is influential in the Iraqi political process and wants to expand its social power. Rather than relying on its influence through affiliated armed groups in the future, it might instead be trying a soft-power approach  which would explain its outreach to tribal leaders.
An X-ray machine which uses space technology to generate crystal clear images that doctors can use to detect the early signs of cancer has been prioritised for 1.2m of funding by the European Space Agency and the UK Space Agency.

Cancers are often missed on normal X-rays, which produce slightly fuzzy images that can be difficult to interpret. This can mean the disease is more advanced and difficult to treat by the time it is discovered.

So engineers from UK company Adaptix have used technology developed for space to produce three-dimensional scans that generate much clearer images.

The device employs X-ray optics deployed on spacecraft such as ESA's XMM-Newton mission, which launched in 1999 and is observing stars at X-ray wavelengths.

Miniaturised, portable and connected through satellites, the machine should also allow patients to be scanned in GPs' surgeries, reducing the need for trips to hospital and shortening waiting times for patients.

Tony Young, national clinical director for innovation at NHS England, said: "Last year as we celebrated the NHS's 70th birthday, we challenged industry to bring technology designed for outer space into the NHS. Using stargazing technology to spot cancer is exactly the type of advanced innovation that could improve care for patients by speeding up diagnosis and helping to deliver our long-term plan which will save half a million lives."

Chris Skidmore, the UK science minister, said: "The challenge of working in space focuses some of the UK's most brilliant minds. These experts can also help transform our lives for the better here on Earth.

"The huge potential of space technology isn't just about reaching out into the universe--it's here on earth that its greatest impact can be seen, from 5G to tackling climate change or ensuring we can all benefit through space inspired healthcare technologies such as these."

Adaptix, the company that developed the cutting-edge machine, was nurtured at ESA's business incubation centre in Harwell, UK.

Nick Appleyard, head of Business Applications at the European Space Agency said: "This is a wonderful example of how ESA supports innovation. Adaptix started life in ESA's UK Business Incubation Centre and has grown to become a successful and innovative enterprise."

Mark Evans, chief executive of Adaptix Limited, said: "Working with ESA's business incubation centre hosted by the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Harwell has given us access to fantastic facilities and leading minds. ESA's focus on commercialising space-heritage technology to create tangible benefits for the EU population and the UK economy has helped us to create 33 high-value UK jobs in research and development and, increasingly, in manufacturing.

"Our vision is to create a business that will transform radiology through the export of high-science-content high-value products to achieve revenues of more than $100m. X-ray is the primary diagnostic in healthcare and one day we hope that Adaptix technology will touch the life of everyone that you know."

The 1.2m grant is due to come from an innovation fund drawn from ESA's Business Applications and Space Solutions programme, supported by the UK Space Agency.

Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.
QAIM, Iraq  The Islamic State (IS) might have lost all its territory in Iraq and Syria, but its ideology has not been defeated. Al-Qaeda may be able to exploit this situation and stage a comeback, taking advantage of its local roots along the Iraqi-Syrian border.

Though al-Qaeda and IS have fought each other across the border in Deir ez-Zor, most Iraqis use the two terms interchangeably, since the local branch, al-Qaeda in Iraq, eventually morphed into what is now known as IS.

In Syria, many acknowledge that there is scant difference between the two groups when it comes to ideology and oppressive methods. Yet many see al-Qaeda-linked groups as more locally rooted. Various opposition groups have even allied with them at times in an attempt to bring down the Syrian regime.

Qaim's Col. Moussa Hamad al-Karbouly, however, summed up the difference as follows. IS "used religion for military ends, while al-Qaeda used military means for religious ends," making it more amenable to those disillusioned with IS.

Karbouly is a former police officer and head of the Aaly al-Furat Brigade, which is part of the local Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) in western Anbar. Al-Monitor has interviewed him several times before, including after the liberation of his city, and most recently on April 3 in Qaim.

His father was killed by relatives who joined al-Qaeda. Karbouly has long tracked local members of the two terrorist organizations.

Members of the Karbouly tribe have been important IS leaders, including Omar al-Karbouly, who, as Al-Monitor reported last year, worked "closely with Abu Moussa al-Zarqawi as a top-level leader starting in 2003" and was captured in 2018 by Iraqi intelligence forces.

Karbouly told Al-Monitor he had seen Omar in a market in Fallujah in 2008 and grabbed him and put a gun to his head, handing him over to the police there. But he bribed them to get out and then bombed my home.

He told Al-Monitor the names of local IS members who he said "did not take part in recent battles" and who he thinks are likely to return to their roots in al-Qaeda.

"We have information that al-Qaeda is operating" in the area again, he said, mentioning local leaders Tariq Khalif Assi al-Karbouly and Adnan Sharif.

"They were al-Qaeda leaders who did not take part in recent IS battles," he added.

"Tariq al-Karbouly, a.k.a. Abu Ahmed, joined al-Qaeda in 2005," he told Al-Monitor. He was soon "detained for five years in Camp Bucca. He tried to escape several times. After his release he returned to making [improvised explosive devices] and has a great deal of experience in the field."

Some of them have left their families and fled to the Iraqi desert, Karbouly said.

"Their families are now staying in the al-Hawl camp after being in the Baghouz region, where having their families was a problem for them," he said. "Now that their families are safe in the camps, the fighters can move more freely and faster."

Alleged IS supporters in the Iraqi town of Tarmiya, meanwhile, grieved the death of a Syrian fighter with the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The fighter, known as Abu Ishaq al-Ahwazi, was killed in January in an attack attributed to IS, according to a security source from the town. (Counterterrorism expert Hisham al-Hashimi has called Tarmiya "the center of Salafi recruiting in the Baghdad area.")

Ahwazi had in recent years joined the SDF to return to his native Deir ez-Zor and to continue fighting IS, though his friends told Al-Monitor he supported al-Qaeda's ideology until his death. He was known for being "the first in his area of Deir ez-Zor to fight against IS," allegedly by killing two Tunisian fighters, area natives told Al-Monitor.

He had been a Syrian regime officer prior to joining the Free Syrian Army (FSA).

This correspondent interviewed Ahwazi several times during his years as an FSA commander, including when he fought in Idlib and northern Syria after the FSA was forced to withdraw from Deir ez-Zor. He repeatedly praised former al-Qaeda leader Abu Maria al-Qahtani, calling him a "hero."

Abu Maria al-Qahtani, an ex-policeman from Mosul whose real name is Maysar al-Jabouri, served on the Shura Council of Syria's al-Qaeda affiliate, Jabhat al-Nusra. He advocated early on for its split from IS.

Photos of Ahwazi in military attire continue to be used as profile photos by many from his area. It seems even Iraqis in former al-Qaeda strongholds grieved his death.

Meanwhile, in the eastern part of Syria now under the control of the SDF, local Arab sources have repeatedly told this correspondent that many IS fighters were "rehabilitated" and later used in the ranks of the SDF. This has prompted anger among many in an area that suffered a major tribal massacre after an uprising against IS.

Al-Qaeda may find the border area fertile ground once more, given its history of local recruitment during the post-2003 insurgency. Furthermore, some locals are aggrieved at the Kurdish-led forces, whom they see as "invaders" of Arab lands. Locals are also disillusioned with IS, and they reject Syrian regime control  all important factors in considering the potential for an al-Qaeda comeback.

The SDF has stressed that it cannot handle the multitudes in its jails, even before tens of thousands of IS fighters, supporters and their families were unexpectedly found in an area where "not more than a few hundred" were thought to have been holed up.

One longstanding source, who travels frequently between northern Iraq and eastern Syria, and is known to be in contact with the international coalition, told Al-Monitor that Kurdish leaders from eastern Syria have prevented the international coalition from discussing providing support to Arab groups in their local areas who are not subordinate to the SDF.

An attack in late March on regime positions near Shuheil  an al-Qaeda stronghold even before 2011  was said to have been the first in eastern Syria to be claimed by an al-Qaeda-linked group in almost five years.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other groups with previous or current links to al-Qaeda, meanwhile, remain strong in Idlib, where millions of internally displaced people from other areas of Syria are struggling to survive. Abu Maria al-Qahtani is thought to be in Idlib.

If former al-Qaeda commanders with experience and local knowledge were to "go back to their roots" and shift to the Iraqi-Syrian border area, where competing forces at times create grievances and confusion, areas hit hard by IS and the battles to defeat it may see fluid alliances among outlaws, and those with little to lose may switch back to al-Qaeda.

Karbouly expects this to occur "within months."
The two main ultra-Orthodox parties running in the April 9 elections are Ashkenazi Yahadut HaTorah and Sephardic Shas. The two parties traditionally target different constituencies and have their own rabbis and educational system. In fact, Shas was founded in 1984 over the discrimination against Sephardic Jews by the Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox establishment, and in order to offer a political alternative to Yahadut HaTorah.

But what happened on March 31 surprised even the most wizened veterans of ultra-Orthodox politics. Two outsiders, former Shas chairman Eli Yishai and his spiritual mentor Rabbi Meir Mazuz, participated in Yahadut HaTorahs election rally in Jerusalems Conference Center, with all the major Ashkenazi rabbis in attendance. A few days earlier, the two men, the head of a prominent Sephardic yeshiva and the former head of Shas, had publicly voiced their support for Yahadut HaTorah.

During the event, which took place entirely in Yiddish, Mazuz was given the unusual honor of addressing the crowd in Hebrew. He expressed complete support for Yahadut HaTorah. Dont think that the Sephardim wont vote [Yahadut HaTorah] this time, he said, noting that the first spiritual leader of Shas, late Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, had voted for Yahadut HaTorah as a young man.

In the evening before the event, Mazuz tried to explain to his followers what he was doing: The Ashkenazim are good people who care about everyone. They care about the Torah and sanctify Gods name." He said, "We had no choice, because Shas was acting as if they were angry with us and vetoing us at every turn. Shas leader Aryeh Deri had vetoed Yishai's ministerial appointment. But the veto was overturned.  Thank God, we're set free. This time were supporting Yahadut HaTorah, he concluded.

Ittai Gadasi, a commentator on Radio Kol Chai, thinks that the move could tear a historic rift in the Sephardic community and end its automatic support for Shas. Over the years, weve known that the division between the ultra-Orthodox parties has been rigid. Sephardic Jews voted for Shas while Ashkenazi Jews voted for Yahadut HaTorah. If this move really turns out to have increased the strength of Yahadut HaTorah, it will teach us something about voting patterns within the ultra-Orthodox frameworks, something that hasnt happened since the founding of Shas, Gadasi tells Al-Monitor. If Eli Yishai had joined up with the Likud or [Moshe] Kahlons Kulanu Party, it would have been less serious politically. The fact that the former chairman of Shas now supports a party that many consider to have mistreated the Sephardic community and is in many ways responsible for the discrimination they faced is a dramatic turn of events.

Yitzhak Shimon is the beadle of a Jerusalem synagogue who supports Mazuz and Yishai. He claims that given the current situation, he had no other choice. Shas played an important role in the history of the Sephardic community, but there were those who made cynical use of this holy party, so there is no reason to continue to support it, he explained to Al-Monitor. Today, Shas has veered off the course set by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, and anyone who votes for it despite all this is nothing more than a foolish enthusiast. Yahadut HaTorah is an excellent choice.

Shimon isnt bothered by the idea that the party was responsible for the discrimination faced by the Sephardic community. Historically, Sephardic Jews were a part of the Ashkenazi institutions, he says. Of course there were all sorts of claims about what they did, but thank God, the Sephardi public established glorious institutions. But there is something that will not go down in history,  and it is the suppression and discrimination faced by an important subgroup within the Sephardic community and against Eli Yishai and his mentor, Rabbi Mazuz. Why is no one talking about that? Why do we only scream for help when the Ashkenazim oppress us?

The story of Yishais break with Shas and his public support for Yahadut HaTorah is a long one. Yishai was appointed chairman of Shas in 1999, after Aryeh Deri was sent to prison for three years for corruption. Shortly before the 2013 election, Deri returned to politics. Yosef restored him to the Shas leadership alongside Yishai and he was given the second-place slot on the partys Knesset list. Later that year Yosef appointed him chairman and the conflict between him and Yishai intensified.

Yishai left Shas before the 2015 election and founded the Yachad Party, which did not pass the vote threshold. Since then, he has been waging a fierce battle with Deri, who stubbornly refused to include him in the Shas list this year and took steps to prevent him from joining the lists of other parties.

Over the years, there have been countless discussions of bringing Yishai back to Shas, but Deri consistently refused to include his political rival. He also took steps to block Yishais inclusion in the Union of Right-Wing Parties. Yishai was forced to run again with his Yachad, which once again the polls predict will not pass the vote threshold. He thus withdrew from the race and announced his support for Yahadut HaTorah.

What makes this story special is that Rabbi Mazuz is one of the figures most closely identified with Sephardic separatism. Nevertheless, he took this dramatic step and expressed support for an Ashkenazi party, researcher Nissim Leon, who wrote three books about Shas, said in a conversation with Al-Monitor. The fact is that Rabbi Mazuz saved ultra-Orthodox votes  in this case, Sephardic votes  from being wasted due to the anticipated failure of Eli Yishais party. It was a bold move, as far as he was concerned. He put aside sectoral differences and took steps to strengthen the ultra-Orthodox parties overall. While it is certainly true that some people wanted to wreak political vengeance on Deri, I believe that from a more comprehensive perspective, this was an attempt to boost ultra-Orthodox strength and that Rabbi Mazuz considered it the responsible thing to do.

Leon went on, "Mazuz is one of the clearest voices in all matters pertaining to the creation of Sephardic educational institutions, which are not only run by Sephardim for Sephardim, but also dont try to imitate the Lithuanian [Ashkenazi] approach to Torah study, preferring to stick to the Sephardic tradition instead. Mazuz believes that the failure to accept Sephardic students in Ashkenazi educational institutions is not the main problem. The main problem is that Sephardic Jews seek to be accepted in these [Ashkenazi] institutions.

While ultra-Orthodox politics has always been characterized by power struggles within the different factions, somehow these groups have always managed to link arms and work together before each election. If there is one thing that everyone agrees on, it is that the ultra-Orthodox parties are on unstable footing. The bonds between the various communities that make up these parties are under constant threat. It was a miracle that the rift in the Oct. 18 local council elections didnt spill over into the Knesset election, and the Shas unrest does not bode well for those seeking unity among the Sephardic ultra-Orthodox factions.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is Israels leading politician on social networks. He has 2.37 million followers on Facebook, 1.54 million followers on Twitter and 594,000 followers on Instagram. He is also active on Telegram, and has other social network channels associated with the Likud Party or the Prime Ministers Office. These are impressive numbers, especially given the fact that there are about 5.8 million Facebook subscribers in Israel (as of December 2018) and several hundred thousand Twitter users.

These open and identifiable platforms have seen a surge in activity during the current election campaign. In the final days, and especially on election day itself, these platforms can be expected to reach all-time record usage in Israel. Netanyahus digital team can target its messages with pinpoint precision on election day and even in the final hours if necessary, based on breakdowns of the population and user profiles. This data has been collected over time in preparation for the big day by a much larger and more sophisticated system than was available to Netanyahu in the 2015 election. Yet even then, Netanyahu was the Israeli politician with the most prominent presence on social media.

Everyone remembers the Arabs are going to the polls in droves video clip, which Netanyahu posted to his Facebook page in the heat of the last election day, on March 17, 2015. It sent its audience a very explicit warning that Israels right-wing government was in danger. This was a brief video of just 28 seconds, filmed in a very amateur style in his office, with a map of the Middle East and a flag in the background. Its message however, was also sent to a precise target of hundreds of thousands of right-wing voters via text message. It was intended to encourage them to get out of their homes and go vote for the Likud.

This is a classic example of how a politician can act quickly and precisely through social networks to market a specific message. It could even be used to spread fake news, since it is very difficult to neutralize the impact of propaganda of this sort.

Netanyahu has gotten even more sophisticated since 2015. He increased his number of followers and collected extensive data about them. In his 2019 campaign, Netanyahu gave up entirely on expensive advertising agencies, investing most of the partys campaign budget on a very sophisticated digital campaign. His Facebook followers received personal messages from him, intended to mimic a conversation, even though this is not permitted by Facebook.

It actually looks as if Netanyahu is everywhere, and certainly on every social media platform. The speed with which he can produce a video  and sometimes even more than one video per day  which then gets distributed to hundreds of thousands of potential voters has transformed the campaign entirely.

On April 7, just two days before the election, Netanyahu produced a video that was filmed on the patio of the prime ministers Jerusalem residence on Balfour Street. In it, he warned about the complacency of voters on the right. As usual, he blamed this phenomenon on the media. The left-wing media wants you to stay at home. It wants you to split your vote. Why does the media tell you that Netanyahu is winning, that the right-wing bloc is winning? Because they want to put you to sleep.  Dont make that mistake. Listen to me. Go vote Likud, and we will win. Well show the media that they cant fool us.

While activities of this sort are done openly, there are some things that are kept from public view. These are done anonymously as part of a wild campaign that includes fake news and mudslinging. There was, for example, a post by an American woman, claiming that Blue and White leader Benny Gantz sexually harassed her 40 years ago, when they were students at Kfar Yarok high school. The post went viral, receiving 780 shares. Gantz was forced to defend himself and sued the woman who posted the story for libel. The trail led to the office of Likud Minister of Culture Miri Regev, though her direct involvement has not been proven.

Itay Tsamir, a digital marketing and strategy consultant, told Al-Monitor that Netanyahu is in the lead on social networks, and that it is impossible to close the gap in a short time because the prime minister took years to achieve it. As an example, Netanyahus chief rival Benny Gantz has just 140,000 followers on Facebook, while the No. 2 man on his list, Yair Lapid, who is considered to be one of the most prominent politicians online, has 429,000 Facebook followers.

In contrast to Netanyahus aggressive Facebook campaign, some of which is done discreetly and out of public view, the Blue and White partys digital presence is respectable, but not outstanding. It is a new party and had no time to establish multi-follower platforms. Activities are conducted through accounts belonging to Gantz, Lapid and Moshe Yaalon (102,000 followers), but even taken together, they have nowhere near the same number of followers as Netanyahu. Nevertheless, some polls show that Blue and White is the biggest party. It achieved this despite its rather sparse presence on social networks compared with Netanyahu and the ugly negative campaign being waged against Gantz, which includes insinuations that he is emotionally unstable and claims that he was involved in sexual harassment. Although this was never proven, it created a buzz on social networks, amplified by Likud supporters, both known and anonymous.

Particularly interesting is the social network activity of the Zehut Party and its chairman, Moshe Feiglin, who is poised to become the surprise of the current election. Feiglin has managed to attract voters from both the right and the left, even though he emerged from ideological extreme right by using the internet to rebrand himself. Over the last few years, he has accumulated almost 150,000 followers, an impressive number, considering that Feiglin was practically anonymous. Polls now predict that he will win between five and seven seats. He communicates with his followers through long videos in which he lays out his revolutionary ideas, including the legalization of marijuana, overturning the welfare state and repealing the Oslo Accords.

The way it looks now, said Tsamir, digital activity in Israels 2019 election ranges from vocal and visible accounts to anonymous ones. These latter are places where it is difficult to gauge activity or assess their impact. Chances are that it wont be possible to fully assess the influence that social networks had on the various campaigns even after the election.
RAMALLAH, West Bank  Some thorny issues lie in store for the new Palestinian government when it emerges this month.

Fatah Central Committee member Mohammad Shtayyeh, whom President Mahmoud Abbas has chosen to lead the new government, is expected to take over soon as prime minister. He has wrapped up consultations with many Palestinian factions, seeking their participation, but shunned Hamas.

Shtayyeh has met with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), the Palestinian Peoples Party, the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front, the Palestinian Democratic Union, the Palestinian Liberation Front, the Arab Liberation Front, the Palestinian National Initiative and the Palestinian Arab Front.

Ahmed Majdalani, a member of the PLO Executive Committee and secretary-general of the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front, told Al-Monitor his party will be part of the upcoming government.

Abbas sent his recommendations for the new government's priorities to Shtayyeh last month. Abbas stressed the need to restore national unity and put an end to the internal division  though many observers fear his agenda will have the opposite effect. Other priorities include holding legislative elections in the West Bank, Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip; supporting the families of prisoners and those killed in fighting Israel; strengthening the steadfastness of Palestinians in the face of Israeli policies; defending Jerusalem; continuing to build Palestinian state institutions; and promoting partnership among the public, private and civil sectors.

These goals are in addition to following up on decisions of the PLO Central Council and its Palestinian National Council, determining political, economic and security relations with Israel, as well as setting forth steps toward disengaging from the Paris Economic Protocol.

The protocol, signed in 1994, was designed to regulate Israeli-Palestinian economic relations in the West Bank and Gaza during the transitional phase of the Oslo Accord, and was supposed to end in 1999. But it did not end and the protocol is still enforced.

Back in March 2015, the PLO Central Council decided to define relations with Israel politically and economically and stop all security coordination with it. In October 2018, the council reiterated the same decision, which still remains unimplemented. Meanwhile, the Palestinian National Council had decided in May 2018 to direct the Executive Committee to stop recognizing Israel until Israel recognizes the State of Palestine according to 1967 borders  another decision that has yet to be carried out.

Majdalani added that the upcoming government has to address the widening gap between Palestinians and the political authorities by taking a series of practical measures and restoring the peoples confidence. Majdalani believes the government will have to improve its performance during its first 100 days in office, and review the laws that were hurriedly passed by previous governments, including tax laws, in a bid to ease economic pressure on the public.

Informed sources told Al-Monitor on April 1 that four factions, in addition to Fatah and Majdalani's Palestinian Popular Struggle Front, have agreed to participate in the government: the Palestinian Democratic Union, the Palestinian Liberation Front, the Arab Liberation Front and the Palestinian Arab Front. There were rumors that the Palestinian Peoples Party also planned to join.

The PFLP, on the other hand, refuses to take part in the government, while the DFLP has set a series of preconditions for Abbas and Fatah before it will join.

Fatah rival party Hamas said in a March 10 statement that forming a new government without a national consensus is tantamount to a unilateral decision" and a bid to evade "solutions for reconciliation and unity."

"This would be a step toward separating the West Bank and Gaza and consolidating the division," the statement said.

DFLP Deputy Secretary-General Qais Abd al-Karim told Al-Monitor, This anticipated government will not be a solution to the Palestinian crises, whether with regard to Israel or at home.

He added that any upcoming government must seek to end the division, implement the reconciliation agreements and create a national consensus on holding legislative and presidential elections, which require a consensual transitional government tasked with holding elections.

We called on Shtayyeh to implement the decisions of the PLOs national and central councils with regard to determining the relations with Israel and stop the security coordination, and to review the Paris Protocol, protect the citizens democratic rights and freedoms and to adopt an economic policy that would take into account the popular demands, Abd al-Karim said.

As things stand now, it seems the government would be formed according to Fatahs vision exclusively, without any consideration for national unity and the participation of all factions. I don't think it will be able to meet any of the national requirements or implement Abbas recommendations, especially when it comes to holding elections. This requires a government accepted by all factions, he added, in reference to Hamas.

PFLP leader Omar Shehadeh told Al-Monitor that the government that is being formed will be unable to tackle current problems. We fear that this government will be a step toward deepening the internal split," he said. "The upcoming government is politically and economically troubled and does not represent us.

Shehadeh explained that the new government will be judged by its ability to fight corruption and implement the decisions of the PLO national and central councils, stressing that this government will either pave the way for the separation between the West Bank and Gaza Strip or end the division.

Wasel Abu Yusuf, secretary-general of the Palestinian Liberation Front, told Al-Monitor the new government should have one main role, which is to confront Israeli attempts to impose a new status quo in the Palestinian territories through building new settlements.

He also believes the government ought to ban Israeli goods from entering the Palestinian market, support the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement, thwart the establishment of a separate state in the Gaza Strip and implement Abbas recommendations for the new government.

Fahmi Shahin, a member of the Palestinian Peoples Party political bureau, told Al-Monitor his party presented its vision to Shtayyeh, stressing the need for a change in the governments public affairs management. He believes the government should serve as a tool to execute PLO decisions, strengthen the popular resistance, work on ending the division, implement reconciliation agreements, prepare for the presidential and legislative elections and ensure social and economic rights.

The new government seems to be looking at a long, bumpy road ahead and a seemingly impossible task to achieve  ending the division  as was the case for the governments that preceded it.
Congress is playing spoiler as the White House prepares to roll out the red carpet Tuesday for President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as the Egyptian leader looks to extend his rule for the next decade and a half.

Sens. James Risch, R-Idaho, and Bob Menendez, D-N.J.  the chairman and top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, respectively  led 15 of their colleagues in a letter today pushing back against Cairo. The bipartisan group asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to address three pressing issues with Sisi during his visit this week: the potential term-limit extension, Cairos pending purchase of Russian fighter jets and what senators said were at least a dozen US citizens unjustly detained in Egypt.

If adopted, proposed amendments to Egypts constitution that the parliament is currently considering would erode the independence of Egypts judiciary, giving President Sisi the power to hand-select the heads of judicial bodies, and may ultimately allow [him] to extend his rule until 2034, the senators wrote in the letter. The proposed amendments would also expand the militarys influence over government, politics and society.

The senators also expressed particular concern over Egypts recent $2 billion contract to purchase 20 Su-35 aircraft from Russia, which could trigger US sanctions.

As the United States provides significant military assistance to Egypt, we are concerned about their deepening relationship with Russia, the senators wrote. That includes a $25 billion loan that Moscow has provided to build Egypts first nuclear power plant about 180 miles northwest of Cairo.

The White House vowed to press Sisi on US concerns during a press call today previewing his visit.

We have been very frank and open with our Egyptian counterparts on the importance of continuing to develop Egyptian civil society, a senior administration official said. The president and the vice president, all the senior administration officials who will be interacting with Egyptian counterparts this week will continue to raise these cases, so thats something weve remained very, very focused on.

Several advocacy groups lobbied the foreign affairs panels in both chambers last month to raise the alarm over the proposed constitutional changes. The letter was a key ask at the second annual Egypt Advocacy Day, a coalition of groups critical of Sisi, including the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) and the Freedom Initiative, a nonprofit led by Egyptian American rights activist Mohamed Soltan.

A Senate staffer told Al-Monitor that Risch and Menendez pushed Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on the Su-35 sale and the possible sanctions during a meeting on Capitol Hill last month that was also attended by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the chairman of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations. Pompeo also pushed Shoukry on the issue in March, POMEDs deputy director for policy, Andrew Miller, said during a recent call previewing Sisis visit.

When China purchased 10 Su-35s from Russia last year, the United States slapped sanctions on Beijing under a 2017 law sanctioning countries for significant financial transactions with Russians defense sector.

We dont have a great deal of flexibility under the law, the senior administration official said. So countries that engage in those purchases need to know that we are extremely limited in what we can to mitigate and we have that situation with China.

POMEDs Miller said such sanctions would at the very least apply to Egyptian defense officials who were directly involved in the deal, creating possible headaches for US military assistance.

That could potentially create problems, Miller said, because if those individuals are sanctioned, theyre the same people who in theory are doing business with the United States and with US firms, and that can create some problems in terms of foreign military assistance.

However, the Senate letter does not go so far as to threaten cutting the $1.3 billion in annual military aid, an effort spearheaded in recent years by Graham and Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee. Neither Graham nor Leahy signed onto this weeks Risch-Menendez letter.

Efforts to cut Egyptian Foreign Military Financing, which provides Cairo with US taxpayer funding to pay US military equipment, have historically faced opposition from pro-Israel lawmakers in the House. Indeed, the Risch-Menendez letter highlights the strong, bipartisan support in Congress for a security partnership with Egypt and commends Cairo for its adherence to the peace treaty with Israel, its role in brokering cease-fires between Israel and Hamas, and its provision of military privileges to the United States."

Pressure from Capitol Hill has intensified as attorneys for April Corley, a US citizen grievously injured in an errant Egyptian airstrike on a group of tourists, lobby Congress and the Trump administration to pressure Cairo to reimburse her for her medical expenses. Corley beat Sisi to Washington last week, meeting with lawmakers, including Leahy and House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey, D-N.Y.

Leahy has notably asked the State Department to hold a proposed sale on Apache helicopters to Egypt until it pays Corleys medical bills. And Lowey signed onto a letter last year denouncing Cairo for its detention of US citizens and failure to reimburse Corley.

Asked if House appropriators would be open to cutting Egyptian military aid, a committee staffer told Al-Monitor that nothing is off the table.
As the results of Turkeys local elections emerged late on March 31, a meme featuring Vladimir Lenin went viral on social media. It showed the Russian revolutionary leader gazing at a computer, a cup of tea in his hand, saying, Weve taken Tunceli.

It was a playful tribute to Turkeys communists, a tiny but persevering community that won the mayoral race in the city of Tunceli, a left-wing bastion in eastern Turkey with a predominantly Alevi Kurdish population. Building on its debut in the nearby town of Ovacik five years ago, the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) clinched the victory  its first in a provincial capital  with 32.77% of the vote, outstripping heavyweight rivals such as the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) and the main opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP), which got 28.21% and 20.59% of the vote, respectively. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) mustered only 14% of the vote.

The TKP owes its victory to Fatih Mehmet Macoglu, the outgoing mayor of Ovacik, a town of about 7,000 people, where his unconventional rule since 2014 has earned him nationwide acclaim. Boasting the title of Turkeys first and only communist mayor, Macoglu now assumes the mayors office in Tunceli, the capital of the eponymous province of some 88,000 people.

Macoglus victory was front-page news, and even pro-government media commentators paid him tribute.

With the Lenin meme reprinted in his column, Hurriyet writer Ertugrul Ozkok praised Macoglus win as proof of how people can succeed on their own against mammoth institutions and what people can achieve when they do the right things, work decently and speak the truth.

Macoglu, for his part, hailed the outcome as the victory of the Dersim people, using the regions Kurdish name. His first post-election gesture was to stray cats and dogs, a fixture of Turkeys urban landscape and a focus of rising activism by animal lovers in recent years. No flowers, gifts, etc., sent to the municipality will be accepted, he tweeted. Instead, you can make donations [to the municipality] to be used for the care, treatment and rehabilitation of stray animals.

How did Macoglu win Tunceli for the TKP?

A native of the region, he was born in Ovacik in 1968. For many years, he worked as a health clerk and made a name for himself as a public-spirited figure in the community. Following his victory in Ovacik in the 2014 polls, he never cut his contact with the people. He even toiled alongside villagers in the fields. Transparency became a hallmark of his administration, with the municipalitys revenues and expenditures announced periodically to the public.

What made him a household name across Turkey, however, was the organic farm he started on 65 hectares (160 acres) of public land. Ovaciks legumes and honey became so popular that the local cooperative began to open grocery stores  named Ovacikdogal  in Turkeys biggest cities and even attracted buyers from overseas. Proceeds from the stores funded scholarships to support more than 200 needy students from the area. Macoglu also initiated a popular assembly, where all locals are able to participate and voice their views. He often made headlines in the national media, winning countrywide fame as the communist mayor.

When Macoglu announced he would run for Tunceli mayor earlier this year, many thought he was overplaying his hand and was doomed to lose, given the political might of both the HDP and the CHP in the region. He proved them wrong.

Arguably, the March 31 elections marked the rise of two new stars in Turkish politics: Macoglu in Tunceli and the CHPs Ekrem Imamoglu in Istanbul, who narrowly beat the AKP contender but is still fighting to have his victory confirmed amid an avalanche of AKP recount requests.

Among those congratulating Macoglu were right-wing activists who once embraced the slogan Communists, go to Moscow! in the 1970s, when political rivalries often degenerated into bloody street violence. One of them, former state minister Gurcan Dagdas, tweeted, He did not come with guns and cannons! He came with beans, honey and cheese! So, welcome.  My congratulations to the mayor who brought me from the point of chasing communists (when I was a student) to the point of applauding communists today.

Macoglus move to Tunceli has led some to worry that Ovaciks "communist grocery stores" might be shut down, with the CHP taking over the local administration in the town.

Macoglu, however, is confident that Ovaciks natural produce will continue to grow and the markets will expand because the local cooperative belongs to the people. In remarks to Al-Monitor, he said, The Ovacik groceries will go on. Their products are very important for the healthy nutrition of our people. We cultivate them only with seeds, soil, water and sun, using no chemicals. They are 100% natural, which is being certified via laboratory tests.

According to the mayor, plans remain in place to open grocery stores in five new cities, in addition to those in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Adana. If the cooperative experiences difficulties, we will give it a hand, he said. More students will receive scholarships from the revenues obtained.

On April 5, the day he received his certificate of election, Macoglu revealed that the Tunceli municipality  run by a government-appointed trustee since November 2016 as part of Ankaras crackdown on Kurdish mayors  has accumulated a debt of 67.5 million Turkish liras (some $12 million).

Stressing that the municipalitys iron gate would be kept open from now on, he outlined his priorities. In the short run, we will repay the municipalitys debt. Well be running a transparent, accountable administration, he said. We will establish popular assemblies within several months and run the municipality together with the people. Everybody will be able to participate and have a say.

Asked how his achievements have changed the popular perception of communism in Turkey, a NATO member, where leftist movements were often demonized and suppressed during the Cold War, Macoglu slammed capitalism as a system where a drop of oil is worth a drop of blood and which has ruined the people and gone belly up. He added, Our ideological standing, which prioritizes the basic needs of society and is based on participative governance, cooperativism and safe food production, has resonated with the hearts and the conscience of the people. Thats the secret of our success.
The United Nations has postponed next weeks national reconciliation summit on Libya, throwing into confusion the Donald Trump administrations hopes of reunifying the war-torn nation at the ballot box as erstwhile US ally Khalifa Hifter marches toward the capital.

UN envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame declared today that the world body cannot ask people to take part in the conference during gunfire and airstrikes. With the US-backed UN process in disarray, former US officials tell Al-Monitor the United States is becoming more open to Hifter commanding a unified Libyan military as a means of stopping his offensive, which has already left 47 dead according to the UN.

The US doesnt want Hifter to continue with this campaign, a former US official told Al-Monitor. I think theyd like to see him in a powerful position within the security apparatus of a unified Libyan state, but they want him to be incorporated into the state via a political solution to the conflict.

On Sunday, the Pentagon removed a small detachment of US troops from Tripoli amid concerns over their safety, but the United States retains a presence in the eastern city of Misrata to combat the Islamic State. Just hours later, Hifters forces carried out an airstrike on Tripolis last functioning airport.

Meanwhile, there is still no timeline for a Senate confirmation hearing for Richard Norland, the Trump administrations nominee to be US ambassador to Libya. The White House has yet to file the career diplomats background paperwork to the Senate Foreign Relations committee, an aide said (former Ambassador Peter Bodde has acted as charge daffaires ad interim, based in Tunis, since late 2017).

The United States has not emphasized Libya in its policy statements. Libya received just one mention in national security adviser John Boltons speech unveiling a new strategy for Africa in December. One official who left the National Security Council in 2017 said there was not a solid US policy for Libya.

Despite the United States signing on to a five-country statement rebuking Hifters advance on Monday, experts say Washington realizes the military map may be changing faster than the administration can draw up a policy response. Alice Hunt Friend, a former Pentagon official whos now a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the United States has displayed a real pragmatism about tolerating Hifter.

The United States hasnt been particularly verbal about discouraging Hifter from being a major player on the scene, she said. The Trump administration has not really leaned into any particular policy where Libya is concerned.

That pragmatism has been evident dating back to the Barack Obama administration, as the United States debated a potential role for Hifter in a future Libyan state, former US officials tell Al-Monitor. As the international community sought to build up the Tripoli-based governments military capabilities after the fall of Moammar Gadhafi in 2014, then-US Africa Command chief Gen. David Rodriguez wanted to pair Hifters eastern troops with Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarrajs forces in the west to battle the Islamic State.

We wanted to combine those [forces] under Hifter and have a Libyan-led offensive against [the Islamic State] with our support, said Donald Bolduc, the former commander of US Special Forces in Africa. [If we had been] successful with that, then you put Hifter in charge, and then you build a national military.

But Hifter balked at State Department-led efforts to rein in his authority. After Rodriguez retired in the summer of 2016, special envoy for Libya Jonathan Winer held two all-day meetings with Hifter in an effort to bring him under the authority of Sarrajs UN-backed government. Hifter could have potentially been the head of Libyas national military council or run for political office under the deal being contemplated.

He would not do that, said Winer, who stepped down in January 2017 and was never replaced. The gist of it was all of Libyas politicians are worthless, there should be no Libyan politicians, the country needed to be run by military rule, and when the country was ready for democracy hed go back to the barracks. He had to be commander in chief, with no constraints on him.

The talks collapsed after Donald Trump won the 2016 election, after which Hifters advisers pledged to take Tripoli by Christmas. However, extensive US military engagement has continued in eastern Libya, including C-17 cargo flights to Misrata detailed by the UNs panel of experts.

Successive US government failures to reach an interagency agreement on a Libya policy to deal with Hifter has allowed France to fill the vacuum, starting with President Emmanuel Macrons decision to invite the warlord and UN-backed President Sarraj to Paris last year. Some experts say Macrons decision to put his weight behind Hifter made it more difficult for the international community to criticize the warlord, even as he repeatedly threatened to march on Tripoli over the past several years.

When he did attack, people didnt realize he was meaning those words literally, said Jalel Harchaoui, a research fellow at the Clingendael Institute in The Hague. Now were in a different universe where all bets are off.
Wilcox Countys GD Copper USA plans to invest $3.5 million in its manufacturing facility, creating up to 40 new jobs.

The company has operated a $100 million, 500,000-square-foot plant in the Thomasville/West Wilcox Industrial Park since 2014, producing products for its U.S. market. By the expansions close, the plant could employ up to 400.

Thats big news for Wilcox County, which routinely has the highest unemployment rate in Alabama. In 2010, it reached 30 percent, and only within the last year dipped under 10 percent. KC Pang, GD Copper USAs vice president of HR, administration and corporate affairs, said about 80 percent of the plants employees are Wilcox and Clarke County residents.

Being a native of Wilcox County, Im especially proud to see GD Copper growing its workforce and preparing for the future in Wilcox County," Gov. Kay Ivey said in a statement. "This is a step forward for this company, for Wilcox County and the entire state.

The company has also developed and implemented a Career Path program to train and promote local employees to become part of the management team. AIDT, the states job training agency, has pledged workforce development assistance.

GD Copper Group Chairman Huang Ming said the company appreciates support from federal, state and local leaders.

Alabama Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield said the expansion plant anticipates the opportunity for long-term growth at this facility," while Thomasville Mayor Sheldon Day said the company has become a vital part of our economy.

Anything is possible when good folks work hand-in-hand to bring development to their community," he said.
Montgomerys National Memorial for Peace and Justice is one of several Alabama construction projects that took national honors from the Associated Builders and Contractors.

At a banquet March 27 in Long Beach, Calif., the 29th annual Excellence in Construction awards recognized several Alabama construction firms.

Among them was an Eagle award for Doster Construction, the general contractor for the Memorial project, in the $10 million to $100 million category. A six-acre park overlooking Montgomery, the project spearheaded by the Equal Justice Initiative is the first memorial in the country dedicated to the stories of more than 4,400 documented lynching victims.

General contractor Brasfield & Gorrie received four national awards: two first-place Eagle awards and two second-place Pyramid awards.

Were grateful for the partnership and trust of our clients, Brasfield & Gorrie CEO Jim Gorrie said. Strong collaboration with our clients, employees and trade partners contributed to the outstanding success of each of these projects."

The CSX Bayou Sara Swing Span Replacement in Mobile and Kiwanis Centennial Park in Birmingham earned first-place Eagle awards. ABC also recognized two projects with second-place Pyramid awards: UAB Collat School of Business and the Coosa River Dams Aeration Project in Ohatchee.

Also receiving an Eagle Award was M & D Mechanical Contractors Inc. for the Neely Henry Dam Dissolved Oxygen Enhancement project in Ohatchee, and BL Harbert International, for the Dynetics Test Stand Facility in Decatur.
An 18-wheeler hit a Tarrant daycare this morning, according to police chief Dennis Reno.

The incident happened on Alabama 79 near the intersection of Cedar Street. The 18-wheeler apparently collided with a dump truck, veered across multiple lanes of traffic and struck two other vehicles before driving into the Precious Seeds Learning Center.

Birmingham Fire Battalion Chief Sebastian Carrillo said five people in the vehicles were injured but no children or daycare workers were injured. The students and workers were in a room adjacent to the part of the daycare struck by the truck.

Two of those injured in the crash were taken to hospitals.

Highway 79 is closed in both directions. A large amount of diesel fuel was spilled as a result of the crash.

A Birmingham fire vehicle was sitting at a nearby red light and firefighters witnessed the crash, Carrillo said.

Courtney Whitehead said her husband of less than a month was one of those involved in the crash.

He said he was OK, she said. Thats all I know as of now is that hes OK. Hes the type who wants to make sure everyone else is OK before he admits hes not OK. I was at home I live an hour away. He seemed OK enough (to not go to the hospital) he called me and said that he had been in a wreck and thats pretty much all I heard. We havent even been married a month yet, she said.

This is a developing story and will be updated.
On Tuesday, April 9, officials from Churchill Downs Incorporated, in partnership with Keeneland Association, broke ground on a $150 million, state-of-the-art, live and historical horse racing venue in Oak Grove, Kentucky. CDI and Keeneland also unveiled the name and branding for the venue, which will be called Oak Grove Racing & Gaming.

The new facility will be constructed in two overlapping phases. The first phase will include the development and construction of the harness race course, overnight stable facility and race-day paddock stable facility which will be completed in time for an inaugural live race meet in October 2019. The second phase of the project, scheduled to open in the first half of 2020, will feature up to 1,500 historical horse racing machines; a 128-room hotel; a grandstand with seating capacity for 1,200 and event space for indoor events; a 3,000-person capacity outdoor amphitheatre and stage; an equestrian centre including indoor and outdoor arenas as well as a 30-pad RV park.



An artists rendering of some of the facilities at Oak Grove Racing & Gaming. An artists rendering of some of the facilities at Oak Grove Racing & Gaming.

Horse racing is an integral part of Kentuckys history and culture, and Churchill Downs is thrilled to further invest in our states signature industry through Oak Grove Racing & Gaming, Churchill Downs Racetrack President Kevin Flanery said. We have seen the tremendous impact Derby City Gaming in Louisville has already had on both the racing industry and local community, and we expect the same degree of success here in Christian County.

Keeneland is proud to play a role in strengthening the Commonwealths horse racing industry and creating new opportunities for horsemen and racing enthusiasts in Kentucky and beyond, Keeneland Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Vince Gabbert said. The jobs, tourism, and revenue generated by Oak Grove Racing & Gaming is good news, not just for Christian County, but for all of Kentucky. A win for horse racing is a win for us all.



An artists rendering of some of the facilities at Oak Grove Racing & Gaming. An artists rendering of some of the facilities at Oak Grove Racing & Gaming.

Oak Grove Racing & Gaming is the only venue of its kind in Kentucky and will be a welcome addition to Christian County. The facility is expected to create nearly 400 direct full- and part-time equivalent positions and an estimated 800 direct construction jobs. More information regarding job fairs and hiring will be released in the coming months.

In December 2018, CDI and Keeneland announced they had been awarded a racing license by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission for twelve live Standardbred racing dates in 2019 at Oak Grove. The new venue replaces important Standardbred racing opportunities lost due to the closure of Thunder Ridge Park in eastern Kentucky.

(Churchill Downs Incorporated / Keeneland Association)
State Attorney General Steve Marshall filed a brief with the Alabama Supreme Court on Monday explaining why the convictions against former state House Speaker Mike Hubbard should be upheld.

Hubbard, who was convicted in 2016 on 11 of 12 felony counts of violating the states ethics laws, including using his office for personal gain, is appealing his case to the Alabama Supreme Court after the state Court of Criminal Appeals upheld the verdicts. He has been out on bond while he makes his appeals.

Marshalls brief was filed in response to Hubbards brief. The former House speaker claimed in court papers that his convictions were legally baseless.

Alabamas Ethics Law helps prohibit conflicts of interest and promote Alabamians confidence in the integrity of their government, Marshall said in a statement Monday. As we explained in our brief, Mike Hubbard repeatedly violated those laws, and his convictions should be affirmed.

In his brief on behalf of the state, the attorney general disputed Hubbards contention that Alabama ethics laws did not bar him from being paid hundreds of thousands of dollars from people and businesses who pay lawmakers because of their public office.

Marshall pushed back against Hubbards claim that there was no evidence that he used his office for personal gain. The attorney general pointed to how Hubbard told his chief of staff that he had 100,000 reasons to use his time and office for a client that paid him $100,000.

The attorney general also disagreed with Hubbards assertion that his conduct was no different than private citizens who earn side income.

Hubbard asserts that he was just trying to make a living as other citizens do. But private citizens cannot earn a living through jobs that involve minimal work and training over scotch, the attorney general wrote. They cannot collect hundreds of thousands of dollars for occasionally calling a legislator. They cannot email lobbyists and expect riches. In short, private citizens cannot use a public office  for private gain. . And under the Ethics Law, Hubbard could not either. Hubbard broke the law and betrayed the public trust. His convictions should be affirmed.

Hubbards lawyers have 14 days to respond to Marshalls brief. The Alabama Supreme Court could either decide to schedule oral arguments in the case or make a decision based on the briefs.
Authorities raided four bingo halls across Jefferson County and arrested at least 11 people Tuesday morning.

Officials from the Alabama Attorney Generals Office raided the Spin It and Win It Charity Bingo hall in Graysville. The hall is located in the northwest part of the county, off Graysvilles Main Street in the Park West shopping center.

State officials raided three other gambling halls in the county on Tuesday morning, amid an ongoing disagreement between Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and Jefferson County Sheriff Mark Pettways stance on the issue. Those raids happened at Super Highway Bingo in Brighton, Fun-N-Games Arcade in Brighton and Southwind Bingo in Midfield.

According to a statement from the A.G.'s Office, the four search warrants led to the seizure of more than 1,100 electronic bingo machines, records, and an unspecified amount of money from the gambling halls.

In a statement issued Tuesday afternoon, officials from the A.G.s Office said the warrants were executed by agents from their office and the Alabama State Bureau of Investigation. Several people were arrested and charged with multiple counts of promoting gambling and possession of illegal gambling devices, according to the statement.

The names of those arrested were not released in Marshalls statement. However, at least 11 people were booked into the Jefferson County Jail just before 2 p.m. Tuesday. Some were almost immediately released.

Those arrested are:

Kelly Headley, promoting gambling

Sherita Gunter, promoting gambling

Tina Marie Anthony, promoting gambling

Latista Marlell Gates, promoting gambling

William Thomas Manning, promoting gambling and possession of a gambling device

Amber Marie Marello, promoting gambling

Danielle Rena McNeely, promoting gambling and possession of a gambling device

Shaunta Charlesse Smith, promoting gambling

Madge Rowena Warren, promoting gambling and possession of a gambling device

Sharon Young, promoting gambling

Walidah Young, promoting gambling

Bond for each charge, all misdemeanors, was set at $300 apiece.

The involvement of state law enforcement was necessary due to the opening of multiple facilities offering illegal electronic games and the failure of local law enforcement to enforce the law, the statement read.

Over the past several weeks, Attorney General Marshall and Lynneice Washington, District Attorney for the Bessemer Division of Jefferson County, attempted to curb these illegal establishments from opening or operating in Jefferson County. Cease and desist letters were issued to the facilities, as well as the municipalities that permitted them to open, the statement said.

Gambling machines being loaded in now pic.twitter.com/34Xzq7Rhi8  Ivana Hrynkiw Shatara (@IvanaSuzette) April 9, 2019

Graysville Mayor Julio Davis said he sent Marshall a letter Friday, stating the city wants to obey the law and that he believed the city was following state rules when setting up the bingo hall. He didnt hear back before the raid Tuesday morning.

I hate to see us losing the revenue, he said, I thought this was a good outlet. Davis said city attorneys had approved plans and permits for the bingo machines and he believed the establishment was legal. But, Davis said he understands Marshall must enforce state laws and that Graysville will have to find another outlet for revenue.

I hate it for our city... but were going to keep striving to do better," he said.

Davis said last month a new city ordinance allowed residents to buy a business license for charitable electronic bingo and he hoped revenue from those licenses will help replace revenue lost as the citys Lowes Home Improvement store closed earlier this year.

The ordinance allows qualified nonprofit organizations to buy a bingo hall permit, to be renewed on Oct. 1 of each year. Two different types of permits were created. A $250 Class A permit for only paper card bingo and a $2,500 Class B permit for any and all games of bingo. Each holder of a Class B permit must pay $100 per month per machine. The city council unanimously approved the ordinance in early February.

Bruce Pettways name is listed on a business license obtained in Graysville for the site of the old Lowes building. Bruce Pettway is the brother of Mark Pettway.

Mark Pettway has repeatedly said enforcing gambling laws is not a priority for his office, but Marshall sent the sheriff a letter last month requesting Mark Pettway advise him, Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr, and Bessemer Cutoff District Attorney Lynneice Washington if he learns of any electronic bingo halls opening or planning to open in the county.

Washington recently sent cease and desist letters to two bingo halls  Super Highway Bingo on Bessemer Super Highway and Fun-N-Games in Brighton  on the grounds the businesses are operating illegally. At least one of those halls was raided during Tuesdays operation.

The sheriff said he would assist any mayors or police chiefs who find illegal bingo taking place in their cities, but would not provide manpower nor make shutting down the illegal businesses a priority. Mark Pettway said its not his job to hunt down electronic bingo operators, adding hes more focused on stopping serious crimes.

The A.G.s Office said the raids were part of an ongoing and multifaceted criminal investigation and that no further details will be released at this time.
One Alabama lawmaker wants to make sure the Pledge of Allegiance doesnt get lost in the day-to-day of public schools.

House Majority Leader Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, said he was surprised last year to find that one of his grandchildren, a fifth-grader at the time, didnt know the Pledge of Allegiance.

Ledbetter said he found out that his grandchild's school wasn't reciting the Pledge every morning in spite of an Alabama Board of Education requirement to do so.

So Ledbetter filed House Bill 339, which would shift the authority over the Pledge away from the state school board, which, Ledbetter said, is not able to enforce it. Instead, state law would require every school start the day with the Pledge.

I guess this gives it some teeth, he said. It gives leaders of the schools and principals a law in place where they wont be afraid for their students to say it.

Forty-three states require the Pledge of Allegiance each day at school, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Ledbetter made clear that the law, in keeping with prior court rulings, would not require students to actually say the Pledge, just that schools would start their day with it.

"There may be some religious objections," he said, "We certainly don't want anybody made to do it. But it does keep the Pledge in our schools."

A 1943 U.S. Supreme Court decision, West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, prohibits schools from requiring students to stand for or recite the Pledge.

"My hope is this doesn't create a discipline problem," Ledbetter said. "If [students] just sit down, that shouldn't be a problem."

The state of Texas is currently embroiled in a lawsuit filed after a student who did not participate in reciting or standing for the Pledge were disciplined for doing so.

In Texas, an African American high school student was expelled in 2017 after the principal witnessed her refusal to stand for the Pledge, according to news reports. She was reinstated a few days later but filed a lawsuit alleging constitutional violations. The student, India Landry, settled the suit against the principal, but the state law, which requires parental permission for a student to opt out of participating, is still being questioned.

In August, a Colorado teacher pleaded guilty to child abuse charges after grabbing a middle-school student and forcing him to his feet after he refused to stand for the Pledge. The teacher, a 20-year veteran, received an 18-month deferred sentence and could have the guilty plea withdrawn if terms of the sentence are fulfilled.

In February of this year, an African American sixth-grade student in Florida was arrested after refusing to stand for the Pledge and becoming engaged in an argument with school officials. The student was charged with disrupting a school function and resisting an officer without violence according to news reports.

Meanwhile, an Atlanta public charter school made news last year when officials dropped the Pledge as a regular morning activity.

Ledbetters bill will be taken up in the House Education Policy Committee on Wednesday.

My concern is thats just a part of our country we patronize, Ledbetter said. Its part of our heritage.
Reporter Connor Sheets of Alabama Media Group has been named a finalist for the 2018 Investigative Reporters and Editors Tom Renner Award for his stories on Alabamas Beach House Sheriff.

The Tom Renner Award recognizes impressive investigative crime reporting. Sheets placed second behind the Associated Press report about war crimes in Yemen.

Sheets reporting revealed how former Etowah County sheriff Todd Entrekin personally benefited from public funds intended to feed the inmates in the county jail, 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.

Entrekin lost his re-election 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.

IRE judges applauded Sheets' reporting.

This category awards great coverage of organized crime, but sometimes the bad guys wear uniforms, IRE said. This is a strong example of journalism uncovering exploitation and wrongdoing by those who have the public trust.

Sheets was also named a finalist for the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting and the 2019 Selden Ring Award for Investigative Reporting.
A Birmingham college student is facing federal child pornography charges after a federal grand jury indicted him for advertisement, sale and possession of child pornography, the U.S. Attorneys Office announced Tuesday morning.

The five-count indictment charges 19-year-old David Drake with advertising child pornography on the internet and selling those images and videos on the internet. Drake is charged with one count of advertisement of child pornography, two counts of sale of child pornography and two counts of possession of child pornography.

Our law enforcement will continue to vigilantly monitor the internet using all available resources available to uncover child exploitation and abuse, said U.S. Attorney Jay Town. These predators need to know that they will be arrested, prosecuted and once convicted, sentenced to time in a federal prison where there is no possibility for parole.

The maximum penalty for advertisement of child pornography is a maximum of 30 years in prison. The maximum penalty for the sale of child pornography is 20 years in prison. The maximum penalty for possession of child pornography is 20 years in prison since the collection of images and videos include children under the age of 12 years, according to federal law.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and the FBI Birmingham Division Child Exploitation Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Leann White is prosecuting the case.
This is an opinion cartoon.

"Just a year ago, the heads of all three branches of our state government got their jobs through battlefield promotions. Their predecessors had been forced out or convicted of crimes.

Now a handful of Alabama lawmakers have a plan to fix Alabamas problem  by making corruption legal.

You dont have to break the law, when you make the law." - Kyle Whitmire

Alabama lawmakers are trying to turn corruption into their own cash crop.

SB 230, the ethics bill, introduced by State Sen. Greg Albritton and co-sponsored by State Sen. Pro Tem Del Marsh, is a blatant in-your-face-we-will-cover-our-own-butts-and-set-Mike Hubbard-free move.

Three years after his conviction on ethics charges, Hubbard has yet to spend one day in prison. Hes just biding his time while his GOP cronies work out the details of gutting the ethics reform laws he wrote and broke.

If this 'ethics bill passes, Alabama political corruption will spread like kudzu - a seven-headed hydra kudzu of corruption, for crying out loud. And no one will notice. Because its Alabama. And its kudzu.

These goobers are trying to legalize the wrong weed.

Read all of Kyle Whitmires coverage:

Rogues gallery: 100 characters of Alabama corruption

Check out more cartoons by JD Crowe
If you need something to make Tuesday a little sweeter, head to your local Ben & Jerrys this afternoon.

The ice cream shop is celebrating Ben & Jerrys Free Cone Day today (April 9). Participating Ben & Jerrys Scoop Shops will be giving away free cups and cones from noon to 8 p.m.

The idea of handing out free ice cream dates back to 1979, when co-founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield opened the doors of their renovated gas station and threw a party for the citizens of Burlington, Vermont.

The idea turned into an annual event.

"We're nothing without our fans," said Ben & Jerry's CEO Matthew McCarthy. "This is one of our favorite days of the year. It's a special tradition and I can't wait to see all the smiles and happiness Free Cone Day brings," he said. "It's all about saying thank you to our fans."

For fans who are not near a Scoop Shop, Ben & Jerry's is holding a sweepstakes. Three winners will receive a year's worth of free ice cream. Details can be found at www.benjerry.com.*

To find your nearest participating Scoop Shop, visit www.benjerry.com.
Gov. Kay Iveys press secretary has stepped down from that position to run for a vacant Montgomery seat in the Alabama House of Representatives.

Daniel Sparkman is one of six qualifiers for Republican nomination for the special election in House District 74, which was vacated by the death of Rep. Dimitri Polizos, R-Montgomery. Sparkman, who had been Iveys press secretary until last week, is planning a press conference about his candidacy on Wednesday.

Sparkman is one of six candidates for the Republican nomination for the House seat.

The others are Michael Fritz, Tobias Grant, Jesse Caleb Heifner, Jay King and Charlotte Meadows. The deadline to qualify with the parties was today. The primary is June 11.

Rayford Mack was the only Democrat to qualify.

Polizos, a restaurant owner who had held the District 74 seat since 2013, died on March 27 after a heart attack.

Updated at 7:11 p.m. to add that Rayford Mack qualified with the Democratic Party.
A manslaughter suspect is accused of driving under the influence of pills and marijuana in a 2017 Huntsville crash that killed a 28-year-old passenger.

Matthew Blake Wilkinson is indicted on a manslaughter charge in the DUI crash death of Billie E. BJ Spencer II, court records show. Wilkson, a 24-year-old from Hazel Green, is held in the Madison County jail. His attorney declined to comment.

The deadly crash happened Jan. 6, 2017 on Pulaski Pike near the North Huntsville Industrial Park. It was dark in the area that Friday night, according to a crash report obtained by AL.com. Wilkinson was driving northbound in a Chrysler minivan that ran off the road and flipped around 11 p.m., the report shows.

This diagram is included in a report about a deadly crash that happened Jan. 6, 2017 in Huntsville, Ala.

Spencer, a passenger in the minivan, was ejected and died at the scene, records show. He was a 28-year-old father to one daughter, according to his obituary.

The driver admitted to taking substances that would influence his driving, a police officer wrote in the crash report. Wilkinson suffered minor injuries in the crash that totaled the minivan.

Madison County Assistant District Attorney Shauna Barnett said blood tests detected alprazolam and THC in Wikinsons system. Once the Alabama Department of Forensic Science analyzed the blood samples, the case was presented to a grand jury for consideration of indictment.

The grand jury voted to indict Wilkinson, accusing him of recklessly causing Spencers death by driving under the influence of a controlled substance, court records show.

In an unrelated case, Wilkinson is indicted on charges of possessing of methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana, records show.

Wilkinsons bail is set at $22,000.

If convicted of manslaughter, he faces up to 20 years in prison.
Former state Sen. Myron Penn of Bullock County said today he is withdrawing from the race for chairmanship of the Alabama Democratic Party because of what he said are deep divisions and strong resistance to change in the party.

Penn had said in February he would challenge Chairwoman Nancy Worley, who has led the party since 2013. Worley was reelected party chair last August.

The credentials committee of the Democratic National Committee found merit to some complaints about how that election was conducted. The national party ordered Alabama Democrats to conduct a new election for party leadership.

Penn said today he has changed his mind about running in that new election.

One reason, Penn said, was a March 27 letter from longtime state Democratic leader Joe Reed to Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez.

Reed, a Worley supporter, denounced the challenge to the previous election and the decision to order another election as a power grab by those who want to replace Worley, including U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, the only Alabama Democrat to hold statewide office.

Penn said the tone of Reeds letter indicates the partys leaders might not be ready for the kind of changes he would like to promote.

It appears to me that it would be extremely difficult for me to put into place a lot of the goals that I actually ran on, Penn said. For example, to unify the party, to raise money and to attract candidates.

Penn said the Democratic Party needs to do more to harness the talents of younger Democrats and attract independents.

Penn said he did not know of any other candidates who have announced they will run against Worley.

Worley could not immediately be reached for comment.
Prince Edward Island will again be the site of the popular Pedigree Camp hosted by Norman Hall of Pedigree Matching.

Camp dates are June 28-30 and include sessions on pedigree basics for first-time attendees, sire selection, broodmare analysis and practical ways of doing your pedigree homework.

A night at the races at Red Shores, a lobster dinner, a bus tour of Island farms, and a matinee track are also on the program. Spouses and partners also welcome to enjoy the social events.

Registration is due by May 15 and can be done at www.pedigreematching.com.
A familiar story line played out Monday night for Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who condemned one of President Donald Trumps most trusted advisers only to end up being accused of anti-Semitism.

"Stephen Miller is a white nationalist," she tweeted on Monday afternoon. "The fact that he still has influence on policy and political appointments is an outrage." But because Miller, Trump's senior policy adviser, is Jewish, Omar's fervent detractors on the right saw her comments not as incendiary criticism of Miller's hard-line immigration policies but instead as part of a pattern of targeting Jews.

"During my time in Congress before @IlhanOmar got here, I didn't once witness another Member target Jewish people like this with the name calling & other personal attacks," Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., perhaps Omar's most relentless critic, wrote on Twitter. "In 2019 though, for @IlhanOmar, this is just called Monday."

On Tuesday, Trump took to Twitter to highlight another of Omar's critics, Jeff Ballabon, a conservative commentator and Trump campaign adviser.

In early afternoon tweets, Trump quoted Ballabon lambasting Omar and then sent out a clip from his morning appearance on Fox Business Network's "Varney & Co.," in which he argued that Omar is "more dangerous" than white nationalist and Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.

"Jews are the most victimized minority in this country, far more than blacks, Muslims and women, which is what Ilhan Omar keeps on being characterized as though she's being attacked," Ballabon said during the segment.

The latest spat comes just days after a New York man was arrested on charges of threatening Omar by pledging to "put a bullet in her [expletive] skull," rhetoric that the freshman congresswoman's supporters say has been emboldened by the heated accusations of Jewish bias coupled with Islamophobia. Omar, a Somali refugee, is Muslim.

Claims of anti-Semitism have vexed Omar since she took office this year, after she suggested that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), an influential Jewish lobbying group, wielded power over members of Congress through money. But to Omar's backers, the ubiquitous attacks from the right since then have amounted to a politically expedient smear campaign that trivializes the meaning of true anti-Semitism. To others, it's part of a greater effort to silence women of color in Congress, fueling vitriolic attacks and death threats.

Omar's remarks Monday were spurred by reports that Miller's desire for tougher candidates to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement contributed to Trump's decision to withdraw the nomination of Ronald Vitiello. Miller has been the architect behind numerous hard-line immigration policies, such as family separation, and has advocated for closing the entire U.S.-Mexico border.

Omar called Miller a "white nationalist" in a string of tweets decrying the Trump administration's immigration policies, including family separations at the border, while expressing concern about what a "tougher" Homeland Security secretary might look like. DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen submitted her resignation Sunday.

Critics from Donald Trump Jr. to pundits from various conservative news outlets immediately pounced on Omar, questioning how a Jewish person could be accused of being a white nationalist.

"I see that the head of the Farrakhan Fan Club, @IlhanMN, took a short break from spewing her usual anti-semitic bigotry today to accuse a Jewish man of being a 'white nationalist' because she apparently has no shame," wrote Trump Jr., referring to Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam.

Matt Wolking, deputy communications director for the president's reelection campaign, offered this straightforward take on Twitter: "He's Jewish, and Ilhan Omar is a racist anti-Semite."

The backlash reflects an apparent effort among some members of the GOP to use Omar's comments to sow division within the Democratic Party and among Jewish Democratic voters. Take Christian Ziegler, the vice chairman of the Florida GOP, who used the backlash to urge "my Jewish friends" to join the alleged "#jexodus" movement, encouraging Jews to leave the Democratic Party en masse.

Some mocked the critics for appearing to extrapolate an anti-Jewish bias from Omar's remarks, while others attacked Zeldin, the Republican congressman from New York.

"Rep. Zeldin is using his Jewishness to provide cover for a white nationalist regime that stokes hatred and terror for Jews (and many other peoples) in a US that until President Trump felt so safe and secure for us," wrote economist David Rothschild.

"Inappropriate accusations of anti-Semitism masks the ugliness of the real thing," Perry Gershon, a Democratic businessman who lost to Zeldin in 2018 and plans to challenge him for his seat in the next election cycle, wrote on Twitter, linking to Zeldin's comments.

Omar has long argued that her condemnation of the Israeli government's treatment of the Palestinian people has been erroneously conflated with condemnation of Jewish people. In February, she apologized for using what was criticized as an anti-Semitic trope when she suggested that AIPAC could buy support from members of Congress. "It's all about the Benjamins baby," she tweeted at the time, making a reference to $100 bills. Last month, she was accused of suggesting Jews harbor "dual loyalty" to the United States and Israel after slamming "the political influence in this country that says it is okay for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country."

In her apology, Omar said she either did not intend to offend Jews or was ignorant to the fact that she was using anti-Semitic tropes. The House passed a generic resolution condemning bigotry in response.

But the attacks on Omar didn't slow. On Saturday, one day after federal prosecutors announced charges against the man who allegedly threatened to kill Omar, Trump mocked her during a speech before members of the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas.

"Special thanks to Representative Omar of Minnesota," Trump told members in attendance, including casino magnate and prominent Republican donor Sheldon Adelson. "Oh, I forgot. She doesn't like Israel. I forgot. I'm so sorry."

Trump was also accused of expressing the same "dual loyalty" trope that critics said Omar had used. Speaking to the group of Republican Jews on Saturday, Trump described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "your prime minister," and asked the audience to explain "to some of your people" why they shouldn't oppose his tariffs on imported goods.

"Mr. President, the Prime Minister of Israel is the leader of his (or her) country, not ours," the American Jewish Committee tweeted. "Statements to the contrary, from staunch friends or harsh critics, feed bigotry."

A spokesman for Omar could not immediately be reached for comment early Tuesday regarding the latest accusations of anti-Semitism.
Efforts to bring the new U.S. Space Command  and more than a 1,000 jobs  to Alabama are heating up.

An Air Force memo obtained by CNN showed Huntsvilles Redstone Arsenal was on a list of six potential homes for the new military command. Four Colorado sites and one California base are also on the list.

Rep. Mo Brooks, whose Congressional district includes Redstone, said Huntsville, already home to the Armys Space and Missile Command, the Defense Intelligence Agencys Missile and Space Intelligence Center and NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center, is ideal for the next generation command.

I have urged key decision makers to locate the Space Command in Huntsville to leverage the aerospace talent and facilities of our high-tech community. With all the Space Force command related work already being done in the Tennessee Valley, our community and Space Force command are a perfect match, Brooks said.

The Air Force has not confirmed the reports but said they are still reviewing installations that could house the command.

No candidate basing lists have been sent to the secretary of the Air Force for consideration, service spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said Monday.

The command could bring as many as 1,450 personnel, including 390 military officers, 183 enlisted personnel, 827 civilians and 50 contractors to Redstone.

Other installations on the list include: Buckley Air Force Base, Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, Peterson Air Force Base, and Schriever Air Force Base, all in Colorado; and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Establishing the Space Command is the first step in the formation of a U.S. Space Force. The command will fall under the Air Force, similar to the structure between the Marines and the U.S. Navy.
The Southern Poverty Law Center today released a letter to Gov. Kay Ivey proposing solutions to the violence, sexual abuse, overcrowding and understaffing of Alabama prisons that the U.S. Department of Justice has alleged creates conditions that amount to cruel and unusual punishments in violation of the Constitution.

The letter, addressed to Ivey and Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn, is in response to last weeks DOJ report on the findings of an investigation into Alabamas mens prisons, launched in October 2016 and conducted by the DOJ and the three U.S. attorneys in Alabama.

The SPLC represents state inmates in a nearly five-year-old lawsuit against the Alabama prison system over inmate health care.

While we have disagreed about how to approach Alabamas prison problems in the past and are currently engaged in litigation, both ADOC and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) share the same goals: to efficiently use taxpayer dollars to ensure that prisons are safe for officers and incarcerated people, maintain constitutional standards of care, and protect public safety, the letter says.

The SPLC recommends building three prisons, adding more than 1,000 new correctional officers next year, changing sentencing laws, expanding protective custody units, and resolving the lawsuit over mental health and medical care.

The SPLC also recommends closing Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore and one other prison with the worst conditions and replacing them with two new prisons that house no more than 1,000 inmates each in 500-bed units.

The letter, signed by SPLC Deputy Legal Director Lisa Graybill and Senior Supervising Attorney Ebony Howard, calls for the ADOC to build a medical and mental health correctional campus to house about 2,000 prisoners with the most serious physical and mental illnesses.

That approach to prison construction differs from Iveys plan to construct three prisons for men holding at least 3,000 inmates each, with one of those three for prisoners with medical problems and other special needs. Ivey is considering an arrangement under which private companies would build the prisons and lease them to the state, which would operate them. Initial cost estimates for the new prisons are about $900 million. Iveys plan calls for closing most of the existing prisons and using savings that ADOC says would result from consolidating services to pay for the leases. Ivey has not said what prisons would close or where the new prisons would be.

The SPLC opposes leasing privately owned prisons. Private prisons are focused only on their bottom line, and often cut costs wherever possible, the SPLC wrote. Further, private prisons do not provide accountability or transparency for the public.

Some legislators have raised concerns about the governor making a commitment to lease privately owned prisons without seeking legislative approval. Others are concerned about the loss of jobs in their districts if prisons close.

As for increasing prison staff, Iveys budget request to the Legislature for next year includes funding to hire 500 correctional officers and to increase pay by 20 percent to help retain officers. The DOJ report said the prisons are woefully understaffed, with about one-third of about 3,300 correctional officer positions filled. The SPLC recommends that the ADOC more than double its request for new officers next year, to 1,100, as a larger step toward a longer range goal of adding 2,200. The SPLC recommends pay raises of more than 20 percent and other incentives for correctional staff.

The letter also calls for the Legislature to change sentences for certain crimes involving drugs, robbery, burglary and theft to reduce the prison population.

Alabama lawmakers passed a criminal justice reform plan in 2015 aimed at reducing the flow of inmates to prison. The prison population has dropped. But the DOJ report said the 13 mens prisons still house about 180 percent of the population they are designed to hold, not counting work release and other facilities.

The SPLC recommends that the ADOC expand protective custody units for prisoners who are targets of potential violence because of the nature of their conviction or the work they did before entering prison.

Finally, the SPLC recommends that the state resolve the lawsuit over health care for inmates, known as Braggs vs. Dunn.

Fighting this litigation has already cost the state millions of dollars that could instead have been directed toward improving conditions in ADOC prisons, the SPLC wrote. The cost of the continuing litigation flows directly to the taxpayers and incarcerated people who continue to suffer without adequate health care.

The DOJ report to Ivey included lists of immediate remedial steps and longer term measures to address the problems. It said the DOJ could file a lawsuit 49 days after the April 2 report if the state fails to adequately respond.

The DOJ report says the state has been deliberately indifferent to prison conditions and has failed to address known problems.

U.S. Attorney Jay Town of the Northern District of Alabama, who is the point man in the DOJs work with the state, said Ivey and other current state officials inherited systemic problems and said he believes they are committed to finding solutions. Town said hes not expecting to see DOJ file a lawsuit after the 49-day window.

Town said he expects sentencing reforms and alternatives to prison to be topics of discussion. He said the Legislature could consider adjusting sentences for some drug and property crimes.

We might have to rethink some of our laws in this state that put people on the Alabama Department of Corrections jurisdiction, Town said. And when I say jurisdiction, Im talking probation, parole, prison. Anybody thats on any of those three things is what I would consider under ADOC jurisdiction because they have the potential to touch the inside of an Alabama state prison.

In addition to the SPLC, the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program represents inmates in the federal lawsuit over health care for inmates. Anil Mujumdar, an attorney for ADAP, wrote Ivey and Dunn today to say ADAP expects to be part of any negotiations referenced in the SPLCs letter.

I cannot overstate what my client and I believe to be a crisis in Alabamas prisons which puts the lives of prisoners, especially prisoners with disabilities, at risk, as well as the lives of correctional officers at risk, Mujumdar wrote.

Updated at 8:50 p.m. with statement from ADAP.
Authorities are asking the public for help finding a 16-year-old girl who was reported missing from her north Alabama home on Monday.

Madison Toles was last seen at her home in the Hartselle area of Morgan County, authorities said. She was wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans, said Mike Swafford, a spokesman for the Morgan County sheriffs office. Authorities said Toles has braces.

MISSING TEEN: We are asking for your help in locating missing teen Madison Toles. She was reported missing Monday, April 8, 2019, and last seen wearing a White T-Shirt and Blue Jeans. Madison currently has braces.

If you have information, please contact Dispatch at 256.301.1174 pic.twitter.com/TO3cATwpf5  Morgan County Sheriff's Office (@morgan_sheriff) April 9, 2019

Toles could be headed to Texas, Swafford said, though she might still be in the north Alabama area.

Anyone with information is asked to call 256-301-1174.
A social media post about flickering lights led to a creepy, crawly discovery by a crew from Huntsville Utilities.

HU sent a crew to investigate after a customer posted on social media about flickering lights at her home. The crew opened the electrical box and found a giant ants nest.

Images of the nest were posted on HUs Facebook page.

It turns out ants have a penchant for setting up shop in electrical housing, including electrical disconnects, junction boxes, pad mounting transformers, etc. The sites are popular because they provide warmth during the winter months and a dry nesting site during heavy rains, as well as an undisturbed nesting site throughout the year, according to the Extension Service of Texas.

When a colony moves into an electrical box, worker ants import soil for nesting, extension agents said. This material can cause corrosion and interfere with maintenance operations.

If that happens, HU advises giving them a call.
A convicted killer was shot in the buttocks when he tried to escape from an Alabama prison on Monday.

Alabama Department of Corrections officials on Tuesday identified the inmate as 32-year-old Sedric Clayton. He is serving a 30-year sentence on a 2016 murder conviction in Elmore County.

About 2 p.m. on Monday, said ADOC spokesman Bob Horton, Clayton tried to escape Staton Correctional Facility in Elmore about 2 p.m.. After scaling the prisons perimeter fence and making his way over the razor wire and outside the facilitys secured perimeter, the inmate tried to run from the facility.

Clayton refused to follow an order to stop from an officer who was in the prison tower. The officer followed security protocol for an escape and engaged the inmate with a prison firearm, Horton said.

The inmate continued to run and was later located a distance from the facility while still on prison property. At about 2:15 p.m., a correctional K-9 team assisted by ADOC Investigations and Intelligence agents captured Clayton without further incident. He was taken to a local medical facility where he was treated for a minor shotgun wound to his buttock.

Clayton was convicted in the August 2014 slaying of his mother, 49-year-old Anita Washington. Her body was found wrapped in a sheet in a wooded area near Lakeshore and Caroline drives in Elmore County.

Washington was nearly killed by her ex-husband, Irilmoskomazzerella Washington, in 2008. He is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.

Clayton now faces charges for the escape.
One by one, Bessemer Cutoff District Attorney Lynneice Washington read the names of more than 100 people killed in western Jefferson County in years past.

For Daun Bozman, it was just too much.

Wearing a t-shirt that read Stop the bleeding - my son bled out, Bozman continues to grieve daily the slaying of her 18-year-old son, Cam, who was found shot in a vehicle on Interstate 65 in Homewood in October 2018. She had to step outside during the somber roll-call.

It hurts to hear all of those names, she said, and for people to think its OK to take our kids from us, she said. Bozman was one of more than 150 people who gathered at the Bessemer Courthouse Monday night at the invitation of Washington and her staff. As part of National Crime Victims Rights Week, the vigil was hosted by the District Attorneys Office, the City of Bessemer  Mayor and Council, the Jefferson County Commission, the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office, the Jefferson County Circuit Clerks Office and the Bessemer Area Chamber of Commerce.

Washington  who on Monday night was named Prosecutor of the Year by the statewide organization Victims of Crime Against Leniency  began the annual crime victims vigil in 2016. I saw quite quickly I serve a hurting community, she said. No one asks to be a victim.

The purpose of the event is to educate and empower victims and their loved ones by providing support and resources. My heart goes out to you, Washington told the standing-room-only crowd. Not only are you victims, you are survivors.

The keynote speaker was Pamela Bass, a domestic violence survivor who endured 15 years of abuse that led to a broken nose, a broken collar bone, broken ribs and a broken heart. She still suffers from fluid on her brain from the repeated battering and was often forced to play Russian Roulette.

Having lost both of her parents, Bass said, There was no one to tell me there were other things out there for me, she said. I saw myself as the monster, because I endured it.

The mother  who says her son has suffered in his own relationships because of what he witnessed as a child  was able to finally break free. Her abuser went on to kill his next wife, and then took his own.

Her message? If you want to get out, you can.

Representatives from a multitude of social service agencies were on hand to offer resources, including the YWCA. Parents Against Violence, the Wellhouse, and Latch and Live Foundation. Bessemer Police Chief Mike Roper was in attendance, as were Hueytown Mayor Stephen Ware, Bessemer Mayoral Assistant Torraine Norris, Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr and other law enforcement and judicial officers.

The tribute included a candlelight vigil and balloon release to commemorate those who lost their lives in violent crimes. By celebrating the lives of those lost, organizers said, it is their hope and prayer that they can end the cyclic nature of violent crimes.

Daun Bozman said it was a bittersweet night. She misses her son everyday and grieves equally for the loved ones of other victims. Its hard, she said of being around so many people who have experienced a pain similar to hers. It makes me want to help them, even though its still fresh for me.
Four people fired their guns on the morning that Birmingham police Sgt. Wytasha Carter was killed - suspect Jeremy Owens and three officers  but there is no forensic evidence to show whose bullet killed the veteran lawman.

Still, dash cam video from the morning of Jan. 13 showed multiple muzzle flashes coming from Owens gun toward three uniformed officers, and an 18-year-old who was with Owens at the time of the shooting told investigators he noticed Carter go down after the first couple of shots were fired by Owens.

Jefferson County Circuit Judge Teresa Pulliam on Tuesday found there was probable cause to send all of the cases against Owens to a grand jury. Her ruling followed a three-hour hearing in which an Alabama Law Enforcement Agency State Bureau of Investigation agent testified, chronicling for the first time publicly what officers and witnesses said happened that early Sunday morning that led to the death of Carter, the wounding of Officer Luke Allums and also the wounding of Owens.

The case is being prosecuted by District Attorney Danny Carr, Chief Deputy District Attorney Joe Roberts and Deputy District Attorney Neal Zarzour. Owens defense attorneys are John Lentine and Wendell Sheffield.

Allums  who returned to work last week - was in the courtroom and sat quietly through the testimony. Carters widow, Tiphanie, parents, brother and other family members attended the hearing, as did the suspects family.

The only witness in Tuesdays hearing, SBI Special Agent Jeff Rotenberry went through the written statements provide by officers, as well documenting what was on Allums body cam and dash cam video.

On the morning of the deadly shooting, Birmingham police Officer Aaron Smith was working undercover in the 800 block of Fifth Avenue North near the 4 Seasons Bar & Grill after a rash of car break-ins in the area. Sometime before 2 a.m., he was doing surveillance from his parked car when a dark-colored Volvo pulled up and three men got out of the vehicle. When he saw them looking into cars and pulling on some door handles, Smith called for uniformed officers to respond to the area.

When marked units began to arrive, two of the men  Owens and 18-year-old Michael Todd  got back into the Volvo. Allums was first to arrive on the scene, followed by Sgt. Talana Brown and Carter.

Allums and Brown, according to multiple statements, approached Owens in the drivers seat of the vehicle. Carter was at the passengers side with Todd. Officers reported an odor of marijuana and a visible open bottle of Hennessy in the vehicle. Carter ordered both men out of the Volvo, and quickly handcuffed Todd.

At that point, Brown was patting down Owens and felt something in his right front pocket. She asked him what it was, and he said he didnt know. At that point, he was facing the vehicle with his hands on the hood. He kept trying to bring his arms off the vehicle, Rotenberry testified. There were a couple of instances he was instructed to put his hands on the car. When he first exited, he hit the roof and that got the attention of Sgt. Carter.

Allums was instructed by Carter to cover Owens with his Taser stun gun, which Allums did. He was told that if Owens moved again, he was to be tased. Owens began to move again, and Brown then asked Allums for his handcuffs. Allums lowered his Taser to hand her the cuffs, and Owens tried to run.

Allums and Brown tussled with Owens, and thats when the first shots were fired. By then they were in the roadway, Rotenbbery said. He (Allums) heard gunshots. He realized during that time period he himself was shot, the agent testified. He felt like he had been shot multiple times in the back, but continued to wrestle Owens to the ground.

Brown reported she heard gunshots and saw Allums fall to the ground. She pulled her gun and returned fire. Smith got out of his surveillance car at that point and fired three shots. Though wounded, Allums discharged his weapon as well. Brown told investigators Owens said, Im dead, and fell to the ground. She kicked his gun out of the way.

She did not realize that Carter had been shot and went to check on Allums. Moments later she learned that Carter had been shot, but Smith was already aware of that and reported, Sgt. Carter was slumped over on the ground, bleeding from his head. The autopsy showed a bullet went in the front of Carters head, traveled through his brain and exited through the back of his head.

Carter, Allums and Owens all were rushed to UAB Hospital. Carter was pronounced dead a short time later. Allums was hospitalized and spent nine days in ICU. Its not clear how long Owens was hospitalized but he was released from UABs Spain Rehabilitation Center on Feb. 14 and taken into custody at the hospital by SBI agents and Birmingham police.

Rotenberry testified that Allums body cam and dash cam recorded parts of the incident. The actual shooting of Carter is not on any of the video. During Allums struggle with Owens, his body camera fell off and landed face down on the ground, but the audio was still recording. The dash cam was video only.

Carter  described by Rotenberry as the most vocal on the scene that morning  was not heard again after Owens initial shots, the agent testified. Video did show Owens firing his gun and said he got off multiple gunshots before Brown drew her weapon and returned fire.

Investigators recovered evidence that showed Owens fired at least 10 rounds from his Glock, which had been reported stolen in December 2018 during a vehicle break-in in Birmingham.

Todd  the teen with Owens  was arrested on the day of the shooting but released without being charged with any crime. On Feb. 14, however, he was charged with third-degree stolen property and first-degree possession of marijuana. Rotenberry testified that marijuana, scales and plastic baggies were recovered from the scene that morning.

Todd told investigators that Carter went to the ground, bleeding from the head, after the first one or shots he heard.

On cross examination, Lentine questioned the detective as to why he only had written statements from all of the involved officers rather than doing interviews with them. He also questioned whether they had the right to order Owens and Todd out of the vehicle in the first place, because he said the states open container laws dont pertain to parked vehicles, and also questioned whether there had been any reports of actual car break-ins in that area that morning. Rotenberry said there had not been, to his knowledge.

Under questioning by Lentine, Rotenberry said there is no independent forensic evidence or footage that proves which gun killed Carter.

Owens is charged with capital murder, two counts of attempted murder, certain persons forbidden to possess a pistol, third-degree receiving stolen property and first-degree possession marijuana, all for offenses committed on Jan. 13.

After the hearing, Lentine and Sheffield briefly spoke with the media. Owens, they said, was shot four to six times and is having to learn to walk again.

The attorneys said they were disappointed that the video footage was not shown in court Tuesday. The tape is the best evidence, Sheffield said.

Lentine called the entire incident tragic and said it was one of the worst days in Birmingham in recent memory. However, he said, its important to learn the truth about what happened. We dont know who killed Sgt. Carter, Lentine said. We dont know who shot who.
Two years ago, Baldwin County school officials claimed they were blindsided with the approval of a massive new 900-lot subdivision along Alabama State Route 181 in Daphne.

Already grappling with soaring enrollment and jammed classrooms, school officials made a plea: Include us is these development talks.

We had not been invited to any planning commission meetings about growth, said Superintendent Eddie Tyler. Wed hear about it whenever we saw shovels and bulldozers moving dirt.

A new piece of legislation, which is expected to be publicly introduced this week, could address those concerns.

The bill applies to Baldwin only, Alabamas fastest-growing county since 2010. It would require a developer petitioning for a multi-family housing project of more than 100 units or a residential subdivision of more than 100 lots to submit the following to either the Baldwin County or Gulf Shores school superintendents: - A copy of map or plat of the proposed development or subdivision.

-The phases, units, and lots of the proposed development or subdivision.

- The expected number of school-age children.

-The specification and size of units or home to be developed.

The school superintendent, in turn, would have 90 days to write a letter to a city planning commission or other granting authority that describes the impacts on student capacity and what actions might be necessary to address overcrowding.

Under the proposed bill, the granting authority would be able to weigh the superintendents letter in its decision-making process, although not necessarily block a development based on student capacity issues.

Its important to note whatever feedback a superintendent gives to a planning commission does not preclude the construction of a multi-family housing unit, said state Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Daphne, the bills sponsor. It does require a planning commission to take into account what a school system is saying.

Mixed reactions

Elliott said the developers hes spoken with have given him mixed reactions, with detractors concerned about an extra bureaucratic step.

He said that proponents understand  a large part of what makes Baldwin County so successful is its school system and they want to make sure these kids who live in these new developments have a great place to go to school.

The bill needs simple majority approval from the Baldwin County legislative delegation.

State Rep. Matt Simpson, R-Daphne, said he supports the spirit of the bill in that school boards should be aware of what is happening. But he said he has concerns about schools getting more involved in planning and zoning.

Daphne Mayor Dane Haygood said he supports the concept as well, but is generally worried when government gets too involved.

I wish there was better coordination and that government regulation wasnt the only way to achieve coordination between local entities and the school system, said Haygood.

He added, There are a lot of merits to the bill as schools are an integral part of the planning and growth process.

Haygood said the city is trying to improve communications with the school system after appointing Anthony Sampson, the director of prevention and support services with the Baldwin County School System, to the Daphne Planning Commission.

Longtime Daphne City Councilman Ron Scott said he thinks Elliotts proposal is a great idea, and doubts that responsible developers would try to defeat it.

It makes sense, said Scott. If they are selling their lots, they need to make sure there is adequate school space. One of the reasons that Baldwin County has grown the away it has grown is that the quality of public schools is perceived as better than average in the state of Alabama.

Growth pressures

Schools in Daphne are under plenty of growth pressures, even as more classrooms are coming on line. Daphne East Elementary welcomed 14 more classrooms and a cafeteria last year. Now, plans are in motion to set up two or three portable classrooms next year.

And there could be more portables coming after the opening of Belforest Villas Apartments, currently under construction a short distance from Daphne East Elementary.

Multi-family developments can have a quick impact on a school system and a particular feeder pattern, Elliott said. Weve seen that near Rockwell (Elementary School in Spanish Fort) with the multi-family developments that have popped up in recent years. People come and (the school) is a big selling point for those multi-family developments. But it also provides a significant burden to the elementary school to accommodate kids moving in overnight.

Baldwin County reigns as the king of growth in Alabama, rising more than 16 percent in population since 2010. The Eastern Shore cities of Fairhope, Spanish Fort and Daphne have all increased by 20 percent or more since the last Census.

Gulf Shores is also dealing with growth pressures, as the city embarks on a new city school system. Gulf Shores will become the countys first city-run school on June 1.

The legislation includes Gulf Shores city schools, applying the same developer requirements to the new school system.

Kevin Corcoran, school board president in Gulf Shores, said the city projects thousands of new dwellings being built within the coastal city in the next eight to 10 years.

I do think that municipalities and school systems work together to plan accordingly, said Corcoran.

Shifting boundaries

The legislation also comes as the Baldwin County School System is unveiling new redistricting plans for the 2020-21 school year for students in Fairhope, Daphne and Spanish Fort.

Elliott said that the recent boundary shifts underscore the importance of getting out ahead of things and for there to be communication between planning commissions and the schools instead of reactive responses.

He said of his bill: School feeder patterns are not set in stone and never will be. But this gives a developer some level of certainty that if he or she advertises Fairhope schools and you got a letter from the superintendent that says you will be zoned for Fairhope, that it wont change in the immediate future.

On Monday, Tyler and Baldwin County officials rolled out the new boundaries for elementary school students in Daphne and Spanish Fort during a public meeting at City Hope Church in Daphne.

The boundaries will change where students whose families live in Old Fields, Dunmore, Historic Malbis, Plantation Hills and Bay Branch subdivisions send their children.

Belforest Elementary School, a nearly $20 million new K-6 school, is scheduled to open in the fall 2020, and will take in students who live in Dunmore, Historic Malbis, Plantation Hills and Bay Branch. Old Field residents will send their elementary school-aged children to Daphne East.

Under the new proposal, children in the 5th to 10th grades will be grandfathered into the schools they currently attend: Historic Malbis, Plantation Hills, Bay Branch and adjacent areas will continue to go to Spanish Fort schools, while Dunmore and Old Field residents will go to Fairhope schools.

Younger siblings, in Pre-K to 4th grades, can also be grandfathered into the current schools they attend.

The deadline to be eligible for grandfathering is May 23.

Students who live in those subdivisions and who decide to be grandfathered into their current schools will not be transported by Baldwin County schools.

The Baldwin County School Board is expected to vote on the new redistricting plan on May 16.
The Trump Administration plans to place $11.2 billion of tariffs on European Union products, including the airplane parts shipped into Mobile, in retaliation to what it says are unfair European subsidies for Airbus.

President Donald Trump, in a tweet early Tuesday, criticized the EU for having taken advantage of the U.S. on trade for many years and that it will soon stop.

The World Trade Organization finds that the European Union subsidies to Airbus has adversely impacted the United States, which will now put Tariffs on $11 Billion of EU products! The EU has taken advantage of the U.S. on trade for many years. It will soon stop!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 9, 2019

His tweet comes in response to a World Trade Organization ruling in May last year that the EU had provided some illegal subsidies to Airbus, which is headquartered in Toulouse, France, and which has its largest North American manufacturing operation in Mobile.

The World Trade Organization finds that the European Union subsidies to Airbus has adversely impacted the United States, which will now put tariffs on $11 billion of EU products, Trump said in his tweet.

Trumps tweet comes one day after the U.S. Trade Representatives office released on Monday a preliminary list of EU products it would tax including a number of products in the aviation sector, including Airbus aircraft.

Airbus imports aviation parts such as fuselages and other airline sections that are assembled at the Mobile plant located at the Aeroplex at Brookley south of downtown.

Our ultimate goal is to reach an agreement with the EU and end all WTO-inconsistent subsidies to large civil aircraft, said U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, in a statement. When the EU ends these harmful subsidies, the additional U.S. duties imposed in response can be lifted.

Kristi Tucker, a spokeswoman with Airbus and who is based in Mobile, said the proposal is unjustified.

Airbus has taken all necessary measures to comply with the relatively minor elements highlighted by the WTO in May 2018 (which, even then, were less than 6% of all of Boeings subsidy claims) regarding alleged aid to Airbus, she said in an email to AL.com.

Airbus and Boeing remain in fierce competition for worldwide industry dominance, and both the EU and the U.S. have fought over a decade over claims about illegal aid to the two plane giants.

Both sides have been judged by the WTO to have paid billions in subsidies to gain advantage, and have been asked to stop or face potential sanctions, according to Reuters.

Tucker, in her statement, accused Boeing of not complying with past WTO decisions.

Boeing has not shown any willingness to comply with the March 28, 2019, WTO decision regarding the massive subsidies received by Boeing that are clearly contravention of WTO rules, she said. The adoption expected this week of the WTO report will allow EU to start sanctions proceeding with far larger countermeasures against the U.S. This all leads to unnecessary trade tensions, and that shows the only reasonable solution is a negotiated settlement.

The tariff talks on EU products come at the same time Alabama-based car manufacturers are worried about an ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China regarding a 25% tax on foreign automobiles and auto parts. Some auto manufacturers, including Toyotas Jim Lentz, have warned that it could reconsider up to $750 million in U.S. investments in five Southern states if the tariff talks arent resolved.

In Mobile, its uncertain how looming tariffs might affect Airbuss operations. The company broke ground in January on a massive new hangar where the Airbus A220-family of commercial planes will be built by 2020. The company plans to add more than 430 new jobs in Mobile by 2021.

In January, Airbus had 700 direct and indirect workers in Mobile, with anticipation that another 200 or so jobs would be added within 18 months.
The Coalition of Christian Nurse Practitioners Opposes the American Nurses Association Proposed Position Statement: 'The Nurse's Role When a Patient Requests Aid in Dying'

NEWS PROVIDED BY

April 8, 2019

BRISTOL, Tenn., April 8, 2019 / Standard Newswire / -- A draft statement by the American Nurses Association regarding a nurse's role when a patient requests physician-assisted suicide corrupts the role of a nurse. The nursing profession has a historical record of assisting patients with comfort, increasing and/or sustaining quality of life, seeing life's intrinsic value and providing holistic family support, not aiding in the death of their patients.

"We do not feel that any nurse has an ethical obligation to assist a patient with killing themselves, and we condemn the shift in verbiage from physician-assisted suicide to 'aid in dying,'" states Sara Hellwege, chair of the Coalition of Christian Nurse Practitioners (CCNP). "While the American Nursing Association (ANA) states that 'nurses are prohibited from administering AID,' it seems they are, in fact, advocating for the action to be included within the nursing scope of practice."

A patient's voluntary request for physician-assisted suicide does not make it ethical or permissible. The idea of a nurse acting as an accomplice by encouraging the transfer of a lethal dose of medication is morally repugnant to the foundational principles of nursing and those who value the innate dignity of human beings.

"We contend that it is our responsibility as professionals to be frank with patients about behaviors that could cause self-harm, and we have a fiduciary duty to them," Hellwege said.

"We also must consider what may occur with vulnerable patients' compounding socio-economic factors to which this may be a dangerous, persuasive agenda for those who may lack resources. These policies directly target kind-hearted citizens who may not want to financially burden their families, creating a duty to die," Hellwege continued.

Instead of advocating for such a dangerous policy statement shift by the ANA, CCNP recommends the following:

 Train more palliative care physicians and advanced practice nurses

 Encourage better identification and treatment of depression

 Promote perinatal and adult hospice

 Mobilize communities to provide emotional and relational end-of-life support to struggling patients and families

"We challenge our legislative bodies to modify laws to allow autonomous practice by certified palliative care NPs working to prescribe adequate pain control at the end of life-removing barriers of physician oversight which cause an undue burden on patients and the healthcare system. We must highlight that just because something is legal, does not make the action morally correct," Hellwege continued.

CCNP challenges the ANA to not adopt this policy, as it requires nurses to compromise their integrity by going against their religious and moral convictions, inhibiting their religious liberty and political freedoms, if they were to participate in facilitating the act by acquiring medication, arranging referral to a supportive provider or speaking of Physician-Assisted Suicide in a positive light.

The Coalition of Christian Nurse Practitioners is a Specialty Selection of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations.

SOURCE Christian Medical & Dental Associations

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In the eastern province of Kunar, spring usually brings more fighting, but this year could be different.

Asasabad, Kunar Province, Afghanistan  The arrival of spring has turned the fields green in the northeastern Afghan province of Kunar, which shares a border with Pakistan.

Bukharis, traditional Afghan heaters, have been switched off as the rapeseed blossoms.

As well as picturesque landscapes, with spring comes a new fighting season in Afghanistan. Every year, around this time, the Taliban announce their offensive.

It is not the announcement of the Taliban spring offensive that keeps us worried, Nur Alam, an elderly man in Asadabad, told Al Jazeera. This year, all our attention is on the peace talks.

Since last February, US and Taliban representatives have held several rounds of talks in Doha, the Qatari capital where the group has an office, to set the terms of a possible peace deal, leading to hopes that the new fighting season may not even begin.

But according to Barnett Rubin, an expert with New York Universitys Center for International Cooperation and a former adviser to the State Department and the United Nations,

if an agreement on the troop withdrawal will not be reached and the Taliban will announce the spring offensive, it will be intense as ever.

On April 7, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad issued a statement before leaving Kabul where he underscored the need to reduce violence across Afghanistan in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, the streets are full of chatter about the peace talks, and what they might mean for unstable provinces like Kunar.

We have been waiting for about 40 years for some security and prosperity, said Haji Nazeer Ahmad Pasarly, who lives in Dangam, a district in Kunars east. The talks have already had a strong impact on the Taliban, their fighting has certainly deescalated.

Others in Kunar share his sense of optimism.

Nur Alam, 60, says the Taliban should promote womens freedom if the group ends up sharing any power [Laura Cesaretti/Al Jazeera]

The idea of reconciliation is integral to Afghan cultural society. Instruments like the Jirgas, a democratic form of assembly used by Pashtuns to resolve disputes and community issues, have set the terms of resolutions for centuries.

The negotiations in Doha, many in Kunar believe, are simply a continuation of this tradition.

The three main tribes who control the region, Safi, Mamond and Shinwari, have negotiated with fighters since the Soviet invasion and past civil war.

Three years ago, the Taliban did an offensive which kept civilians hiding in their home for five days, said Alam, the elderly man. Civilians were starving. The provincial government call us to find an agreement with the Taliban and stop the fight. And we did.

There is hope that discussions in Doha and Washington will have similar outcomes.

We are all Muslim, said Alam. Our only concern is that they (Taliban) should allow our women to be [doctors], technicians, or any other [professionals]. If they accept that, there will be no an obstacle to peace.

In this rural, impoverished land, subjected to drone attacks and constant clashes between different groups, peace is a necessity.

According to locals, 80 percent of the province is under fighters control, leaving 20 percent is in the hand of the government.

Afghan forces have official control, but are surrounded by fighters.

On the highway that connects to Jalalabad then Kabul, there are checkpoints at about every kilometre.

If peace really happens, and all the Taliban will join the government, ISIL has little future here, said Alam. But if the peace negotiation fails, a new season of anarchy will probably start.

Despite being a recent phenomenon, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, or ISIS) has a presence in Kunar.

Residents told Al Jazeera that some foreign ISIL fighters have built ties with the population, marrying local women, and said in valleys like Mazar, the group is making attempts at state-building, running courts and tax systems.

Al Jazeera was unable to independently verify these claims.

The Kunar landscape as Spring sets in [Laura Cesaretti/Al Jazeera]

The valleys where ISIL reportedly has a strong presence, like Mazar and Dewagal, and in the mountainous areas of Narang, Watapur, Nurgal, and Sarkano, have typically low populations.

But, contrary to the Taliban, who usually rule alongside the government, ISIL has not allowed governmental facilities to run in their areas under their control.

The [ISIL] has taken advantage of the conflict between the Taliban on one side of the government and the United State on the other, to find the areas where it can establish itself, said Rubin. If the war  ends, it will be much harder for the [ISIL].

Some locals tend to agree.

When [ISIL] arrived to the land, the nation decided we will not let them spread, said Pasarly. We are already suffering from a war, and this will cause clashes and further bloodshed. This is why in upper Kunar, the districts of Shigal, Shultan, Asmar, Ghazi Abad, Nari, Dangam, and Marawara stand side-by-side with the Taliban.

In the rest of Kunar, there are some [ISIL fighters], but they remain a minority. If peace happens, lower Kunar will not let them be there.

There is further concern, however, because since ISIL established a footprint in eastern Afghanistan, hundreds of Taliban fighters have defected.

It was because ISIL is getting more funds, said Malik Abdul Wali Fazeli.

Afghans fear that if some Taliban fighters refuse to accept the peace talks, they might, too, join ISIL.

The Taliban controls more territory now compared with any other time since the September 11 attack, the event which led to the 2001 US-led invasion.

If a peace deal is struck, SIGAR recently said up to 60,000 Taliban fighters and their families could be reintegrated into Afghan society.

At least 500,000 people live in Kunar Province, with Asasabad as its capital [Laura Cesaretti/Al Jazeera]

Thomas Ruttig, cofounder of Afghanistan Analysts Network, is sceptical about the effect talks will have on stemming the bloodshed.

The logic of fighting and talking at the same time has been ingrained too deeply already, he said, adding that both sides assume they need to talk from a position of military strength.

Freelance splinter groups [could] emerge as additional actors when a decommissioning process follows a peace agreement, he said. [This is] not economically supported because the US [will] just walk away after a deal.

The Taliban, ISIL and other groups could deploy more forces in Kunar, and more broadly Afghanistan.

Back in Kunar, Alam, the elderly Afghan, said: Jihad started in Kunar, but we do not where it will end.
The political divide between the Russian-speaking east and Ukrainian-speaking west is one of the most frequently used cliches about Ukraine.

Following the Russian occupation of Crimea and military intervention in the east of the country, there was a widely shared perception that the Ukrainian political system has tilted towards the Ukrainian-speaking west. That was certainly the thinking behind President Petro Poroshenkos decision to emphasise nationalist politics in his re-election campaign and try to win over the votes of the Ukrainian-speaking (and supposedly more nationalistic) part of the population in the countrys centre and west.

But a cursory look at the voting map of Ukraine after the first round of the presidential elections reveals that the incumbents calculations were wrong. Comedian Volodymyr Zelensky  seen as a Russian-speaking moderate who rejects ethnonationalism  dominated the west, centre and parts of the Russian-speaking east.

There are a number of reasons for the Ukrainian nation choosing overwhelmingly to vote for Zelensky  a major one being the Ukrainian political elites utter failure to deliver on their promises and the demands raised by the Maidan revolution over the past five years.

But another, equally important reason is Ukrainians seeming rejection of ethnopolitics and polarising us vs them rhetoric.

The failure of ethnonationalism as an electoral strategy

Even though after the Maidan Revolution in 2014, Poroshenko was elected on a moderate platform, ahead of the 2019 vote, he chose to run under the banner of divisive ethno-nationalism. His campaign slogan  Army, Language, Faith  was meant to whip up support in the presumably nationalist-leaning Ukrainian-speaking part of the population.

Poroshenko reasonably assumed that former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko would be his main rival, so the emphasis was made on winning over her core electorate in the countrys centre and west. The incumbent clearly did not see Zelensky as much of a factor.

There was also a more sinister reason for Poroshenkos decision to play the nationalist card. Politicians all around the world have long used nationalism as a smokescreen to conceal corruption and authoritarian inclinations. As a Russian saying goes: When someone shouts about patriotism, be sure that something has been stolen somewhere.

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Likewise, Poroshenko, being deeply unpopular and embroiled in a number of corruption scandals, saw nationalism as a convenient tool to cover up the many failures of his presidency.

He also hoped that escalating his anti-Russia rhetoric would appeal to the West. In Eastern Europe, nationalism spiced with Russophobia (or anti-Russian sentiment) has been the surest way to dupe Western backers into believing that the country in question is firmly on the right side of the geopolitical barricade. The best example is Moldova, where billions of Kremlin-linked dollars where laundered through the local banking system on the watch of an ostensibly pro-Western and vehemently anti-Russian government.

As an aspiring nationalist, Poroshenko made all the right moves. He pushed for radical education and language laws aimed at squeezing the Russian language out of the public sphere. He secured the recognition of a newly-unified Ukrainian Orthodox Church, thus undermining Moscows ecclesiastical influence in Ukraine.

He strove to prove himself as a potent wartime leader when he pushed through a month-long martial law in the wake of the Kerch Strait crisis, in which Russia attacked and seized three Ukrainian navy vessels. He introduced severe restrictions on Russian citizens visiting Ukraine. All of these measures were designed and presented as symbolic victories over Russia, which back in 2014 occupied Crimea and triggered the simmering conflict in the eastern region of Donbas.

When it comes to the armed conflict, Ukraine appears to be reasonably united around the cause of repelling Russian aggression, so Poroshenkos political consultants felt it was safe to assume that anti-Russian rhetoric can only help rally more supporters.

But the outcome of the elections has clearly demonstrated the limitations of any effort to build a monolingual Ukrainian nation-state modelled on Ukraines western neighbours, Poland and Hungary.

Just like the Kremlins concept of the Russian world, which many chauvinists in Russia believe should include Ukraine, this ethno-nationalist project is way too radical in the way it strives to change the deep texture of Ukrainian society. This is why it has encountered a very similar backlash.

Ukraine cannot be a homogenous ethnic nation-state

It is hard to find two countries more intertwined, down to the family level, than Russia and Ukraine  perhaps Britain and Ireland can serve as the closest example. A poll conducted in 2011 showed that 49 percent of Ukrainians had relatives living in Russia.

Take the Ukrainian foreign minister, Pavlo Klimkin, for example, who was born and educated in Russia: His father-in-law is a Russian general awarded for seizing Crimea. President Poroshenkos own daughter-in-law Yulia Poroshenko (nee Alikhanova) is also from Russia and her family to this day still lives there.

Similarly, many in the top Russian leadership hail from Ukraine. These include Russias third most important official, Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko, as well as the rabidly imperialist culture minister, Vladimir Medinsky. Three million Ukrainian nationals (roughly seven percent of the total population) currently live in Russia on a permanent basis.

There is no real cultural frontier between Ukraine and Russia. The former blends into the latter  linguistically, religiously and in lifestyle terms  and as you move east, clear traces of Ukrainianness linger across the border hundreds of kilometres into Russian territory.

Although the war has certainly altered popular attitudes, a recent poll conducted by the independent Russian research centre Levada shows that 77 percent of Ukrainians and 82 percent of Russians think positively of each other as people.

The number of Ukrainians who feel positive about Russia as a country has risen to 57 percent from 30 percent at the height of the war in 2015. Almost half of Ukrainians (48 percent) are now supportive of open borders and visa-free travel between the two countries. Unsurprisingly, the attitudes towards Russian political leadership remain extremely negative.

Ukraine defies the simplistic and inherently racist dichotomy of the civilised world vs Russia, which debilitates post-Soviet discourse in the West and prevents this country from serving as a beacon of hope and role model for Russia itself.

Given its radicalism and close association with fascist ideology, Ukrainian nationalism has indeed been a godsend to the Kremlin, whose only goal in Ukraine is to show Russians what could happen to them if they rise up against the Russian authoritarian mafia state and embrace democracy.

Clearly inexperienced, not always honest (especially when it comes to his foreign assets) and with apparent oligarchic links, Zelensky may not be the answer to Ukraines political woes, but his electoral victory shows the right way to go.

It is futile to try building a united nation on the basis of a polarising ideology that strives to upend the organic texture of society. Ukraine can clearly be a successful and truly independent nation without embracing the ethno-nationalist value system that, at the end of the day, pushes it in the direction of Russia, not towards the liberal democracies of the West.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
The legislature made the announcement live on TV confirming the Senate president will replace Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

Algerias parliament has officially confirmed Senate President Abdelkader Bensalah as acting head of state for the next 90 days, replacing Abdelaziz Bouteflika who ruled the country for nearly two decades.

The move to designate Bensalah interim president follows the constitutional councils decision last week to declare the presidency vacant after Bouteflika submitted his resignation. He stepped down after nearly two months of protests.

I am required by national duty to take on this heavy responsibility of steering a transition that will allow the Algerian people to exercise their sovereignty, Bensalah said on Tuesday.

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We must work to allow the Algerian people to elect their president as soon as possible.

Bensalah will rule until fresh elections are held, in accordance with the countrys constitution.

Protests continue

Meanwhile, the announcement led to protests by students who gathered in central Algiers shortly after. Police fired tear gas and used water cannons to disperse the protesters.

Images posted on social media showed several students chanting anti-government slogans and holding placards reading they all have to be removed.

On Friday, three days after Bouteflika resigned, tens of thousands of Algerians had marched in cities across the country to demand a complete overhaul of the political system.

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In addition to Bensalah, protesters said they do not want Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui and Constitutional Council President Tayeb Belaiz  all known to be Bouteflika loyalists  to be involved in the political transition.

HRW welcomes Bouteflikas resignation

According to articles 102 and 104 of the constitution, which regulate the process of removing an ailing or deceased head of state, a new government cannot be appointed until a presidential election is held.

If they keep up the momentum for the next couple of weeks, they will definitely have their message heard by the military establishment, said Al Jazeeras Hashem Ahelbarra.

You cannot afford to have, in a country like Algeria, a disconnect between a political elite  which is more and more isolated  and a growing democracy movement which is saying the results that we are seeing so far fall short of our demands.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday welcomed Bouteflikas resignation as a first step in ending autocratic rule.

As Algeria finds itself at a crossroads, reform will be genuine only if it involves dismantling the repressive legal machinery that the authorities have used for years to repress dissenting voices, said Sarah Leah Whitson, the Middle East and North Africa director at HRW.
Campaigners say weapons sales break UK laws as Saudi Arabia uses British bombs and missiles in Yemen war.

London, United Kingdom  Judges in the United Kingdom are due to hear a landmark appeal seeking to block the sale of weapons worth billions of dollars to Saudi Arabia.

The case brought on Tuesday by campaigners against the arms trade could force Britain to halt exporting missiles, bombs and jets in a move that some observers say could curtail Saudi air raids in Yemen within weeks.

A halt to UK arms exports and engineering support would have a material effect on the Saudis being able to conduct their bombing missions, said Anna Stavrianakis, senior lecturer in international relations at the University of Sussex and an expert on the arms trade.

Some reports suggest the Saudi bombing missions would have to stop within seven to 14 days. It would have a material effect on the peace process in Yemen.

The UK has licensed at least 4.6 billion pounds ($6bn) worth of arms to Saudi forces since the bombing of Yemen began in 2015, and British weapons and military support  now accounting for half of the countrys arms exports  have become crucial to the war effort.

At the same time, there has been growing public disquiet about Britains role, with polls indicating that only six percent of people in the country now support arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

Serious violations

The Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) is attempting to overturn a 2017 ruling in the UKs High Court that allowed arms suppliers to continue exporting weapons to the Saudis.

A halt to UK arms exports and engineering support would have a material effect on the Saudis being able to conduct their bombing missions. Anna Stavrianakis, from the University of Sussex

CAAT insists the sales break UK laws blocking export licences if there is a clear risk of weapons being used in serious violations of international humanitarian law, and the Court of Appeal in London on Tuesday heard its bid to overturn the 2017 judgement.

We are taking this action because we believe these sales arent just immoral, they are also illegal, and they are playing a central role in the bombardment and devastation which has followed, said CAAT spokesman Andrew Smith.

Right now, as we speak, UK-made jets are flying over Yemen being flown by UK-trained pilots and firing UK-made missiles and dropping UK-made bombs, and we have no doubt this is being used to destroy civilian infrastructure and kill civilians, he said.

The crisis caused by the war in Yemen is described as the worlds worst humanitarian catastrophe, with nearly 10 million people at risk of starvation.

Human rights groups dismiss British government arguments that what it is doing is lawful, that it operates robust export controls, that its military advisers working with Saudi forces are not directing air raids, and that the Saudi-led intervention was endorsed by the United Nations.

Humanitarian catastrophe

In February, British ministers said they were providing an additional 200 million pounds ($261m) to Yemen to help feed 3.8 million people, bringing total UK humanitarian support to the war-torn country to 770 million pounds ($1bn), and had made strenuous efforts to support a political settlement to the conflict.

We are taking this action because we believe these sales aren't just immoral, they are also illegal... Andrew Smith, campaigner

Aid organisations such as Oxfam have said this incoherent policy means that what it gives with one hand, it takes away with another while other groups claim the UK is ignoring alleged Saudi war crimes.

Saudi strategy appears to include directly targeting and pressuring the civilian population  targeting them militarily and pressuring them economically, Stavrianakis said.

Both of those things are illegal under international law, so no amount of being involved in the peace process and no amount of aid can compensate for that.

If the CAAT appeal is not successful, Smith said, the message this will send to dictatorships everywhere is that you can inflict the worst humanitarian catastrophe in the world on another state, you can kill tens of thousands of people, destroy vital infrastructure all across the country, and the UK will still sell you arms.

What this case does is expose the utter hypocrisy at the heart of UK foreign policy, he added.

We are constantly being told that the country stands up for human rights and democracy  and all the while it is arming and supporting some of the most brutal authoritarian regimes in the world, none more so than Saudi Arabia.
NEWS PROVIDED BY

Americans For Truth About Homosexuality

April 9, 2019



CHICAGO, April 9, 2019 /Standard Newswire/ -- Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans For Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH.org), issued the following statement today about potential Democratic presidential candidate and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg's recent statements about God, homosexuality and Vice President Pence:

Mayor Pete Buttigieg is a living, walking and breathing example of the politicized sham that is religious-left "Christianity" today. He claims that God created him as a homosexuala self-serving blasphemy as audacious as it is biblically nonsensical. (And science has refuted his "born gay" crutch.)



Buttigieg quotes Scripture even as he defies it with his very public, and very fake, "marriage" to another man (See in the Bible: Matthew 19:4-6; Romans 1: 24-27; Jude 7; 1 Timothy 1:8-10; Leviticus 18:22). (Redefining marriage to accommodate sexual perversion is beyond the Supreme Court's pay grade.)



Predictably, "Mayor Pete" has quickly become the darling of a media who incessantly promote all things "gay" and "trans"and who loathe socially conservative Christians who actually believe the Bible in humility, and fear God in reverence.



The simple truth is that homosexual behaviors are wrong, unnatural, and often unhealthyyet can be overcome through the grace and power of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 6), as testified by countless ex-"gays" and former "transgenders." No faithful Christian proudly identifies by his or her besetting sins, nor seeks to justify them before a holy God.



Vice President Mike Pencea favorite target of Buttigieg and self-righteous LGBTQ political bullieshas been intimidated into silence, but he would do well to respond to the absurdities that flow out of Mayor Pete's lips on a daily basis. Buttigieg claims that Pence has a "quarrel ... with my Creator" because he opposes the aggressively anti-freedom, anti-Christian LGBTQ agenda. But it is Buttigieg himself who is defiantly living out his own quarrel with God every time he proudly celebrates his sexual sin and, worse, uses God to justify itman's ultimate folly.



Christians should pray that Pete Buttigieg repents of his proud homosexuality and dedicates himself to serving Christ in Truthrather than mocking Him for political gain.
Those barred include former close adviser to MBS and alleged leader of the 15-man squad that carried out the killing.

The US State Department has barred entry to 16 Saudi nationals over what it described as their role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The announcement on Monday by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo comes as the Trump administration faces pressure from Congress over its response to the killing in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October, which sparked unprecedented international scrutiny of the kingdoms human rights record.

The section under which the individuals have been designated provides that, in cases where the Secretary of State has credible information that officials of foreign governments have been involved in significant corruption or gross violations of human rights, those individuals and their immediate family members are ineligible for entry into the United States.

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The State Department previously revoked visas of nearly two dozen Saudi officials and froze the assets of 17 others.

A critic of the Saudi regime, Khashoggi was killed and dismembered on October 2 in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by a team of 15 agents sent from Riyadh. His body has never been recovered.

Those barred included Saud al-Qahtani, a former close adviser to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (also known as MBS), and Maher Mutreb, the alleged leader of the 15-man

execution squad.

After having repeatedly denied murdering Khashoggi, Saudi Arabia said the operation was carried out by agents who were out of control. A trial of 11 suspects started earlier this year in Saudi Arabia.

But much of the case remains shrouded, beginning with MBSs role.

The US Senate, after a closed-door briefing by the CIA, adopted a resolution in December naming the crown prince as responsible for the murder.

President Donald Trump has refused to publicly take a stand.

Hes the leader of Saudi Arabia. Theyve been a very good ally, Trump said in an interview in the Oval Office in December.





Asked if standing by the kingdom meant standing by MBS, Trump responded: Well, at this moment, it certainly does.

A report in the Washington Post earlier this month said Saudi Arabia gave Khashoggis four children million-dollar houses and monthly five-figure payments as compensation for the killing of their father.

The kingdom is trying to come to a long-term understanding with the Khashoggi family members to encourage them to continue to refrain from criticism in relation to their fathers killing by Saudi agents, the paper reported.

Larger payouts  possibly tens of millions of dollars apiece  as part of blood money negotiations could be offered in the coming months, the paper said, citing accounts by current and former Saudi officials as well as people close to the family.
Colombias lower house voted 110-44 to turn down the suggested changes in latest congressional defeat to the president.

Bogota  Colombias lower house has overwhelmingly rejected President Ivan Duques suggested modifications to the countrys transitional justice system  the latest in a series of congressional defeats for the president.

Duque asked legislators in March to review six parts of the law that regulates the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) tribunal.

The special tribunal was created as part of a 2016 peace deal between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels to try former rebels and military officials for war crimes.

Late on Monday, the lower house voted 110-44 to turn down the suggested changes.

The modifications were expected to be defeated because the peace accord, signed under former President Juan Manuel Santos, is part of the countrys constitution. Any changes would require a two-thirds majority in the legislature.

This is a huge defeat for the government, Sergio Guzman, director of Colombia Risk Analysis, a political risk consultancy firm, told Al Jazeera.

In spite of throwing all their heavy artillery, with the attorney general attending the congressional session, they were unable to amass sufficient votes which speaks volumes about the loss that the government is suffering, not just in this part of their agenda, but lately, in other areas of their agenda affecting governance, too, Guzman added.

Duque had previously said he would back the outcome of the vote but has yet to comment since the result was announced.

Alvaro Hernan Prada, representative of the Democratic Centre, who led the governments defence of the modifications to the peace accord, reiterated late on Monday that Duques motives were framed in the political sphere.

It is unlikely that the government will insist much on this issue, Yann Bassett, a political scientist at Bogotas Rosario University, told Al Jazeera.

The president has already announced that he would sign the law if the objections are not approved. It should also dissuade him from trying to make other reforms that touch on the peace agreements, he added.

L ong live peace

Duque, who belongs to the Democratic Centre political party which has repeatedly railed against giving congressional seats to the FARC, made promises in his 2018 election campaign to alter parts of the peace accord.

The JEP was established to investigate, hear prosecutions and sentence individuals responsible for human rights abuses, including sexual violence and massacres during the 52-years of conflict between FARC and the government.

Duques suggested changes included the clarification of extradition rules, tougher action against war crimes and the exclusion of sexual crimes from the tribunals remit.

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We made it clear that these objections would not proceed, that the government did what it did to object to a Constitutional Court ruling, that approving them would be a violation of the division of powers and that there is a large, broad and diverse force here, ready to defend peace-building, said Juanita Goebertus, a representative of the Green Alliance party, who led efforts in defending the peace accords signed in Havana.

Following Monday nights vote, many legislators shouted long live peace just as the result was announced.

Ultimately, I think that this is a warning to the government that suggests that they need to compromise more with the other parties and they need to reach agreements on legislative substance, Guzman said.
Groups call on US to oppose Sisis bid to extend rule, saying proposed constitution changes would worsen rights abuses

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is set to meet US President Donald Trump on Tuesday amid continued controversy at home over his bid to extend his rule and concerns over human rights violations.

The meeting will be Sisis second visit to the White House since he took office in 2014.

Relations between Cairo and Washington were tense under Trumps predecessor, Barack Obama. But they have warmed considerably under Trump, who has been willing to set aside human rights concerns to rebuild close defence and diplomatic ties.

On Tuesday, the two heads of state will discuss military, economic, and counterterrorism cooperation, according to a White House statement.

The two leaders will also discuss developments and shared priorities in the region, including enhancing regional economic integration and addressing ongoing conflicts, and Egypts longstanding role as a lynchpin of regional stability, a White House statement said.

Rights groups accuse Egypt of instituting a widespread crackdown on dissent, including the torture of political prisoners  allegations the Egyptian government has denied.

Rights concerns are not expected to top Tuesdays agenda, and groups accuse the US of overlooking abuses by Egypt.

In 2018, the Trump administration released $195m in military aid to Egypt after withholding the assistance the previous year over human rights concerns. The US said the decision followed steps Egypt took in response to specific US concerns, and it cited stronger US-Egypt ties in security and counterterrorism while also acknowledging remaining areas of concern about human rights and governance.

The Trump administration has asked Congress for $1.382bn in assistance for Egypt for the next fiscal year.

Earlier this year, Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, delivered a speechat the American University in Cairo where he outlined Trumps Middle East vision.

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During his visit, Pompeo praised Sisi as a partner in the fight against terrorism while dodging questions over rising human rights concerns under Sisi.

Critics have urged the White House to address human rights concerns during Sisis visit to the US, as well as the Egyptian presidents attempt to hold onto power.

Power grab

In February, Egypts parliament approved a set of proposed constitutional amendments that would allow Sisi to rule up until 2034 and give the military greater power. The amendments are expected to be put to a referendum later this month.

The fact that the trip is happening right now is directly tied to Sisis desire for the US and Trumps endorsement for [his] attempt to change the constitution to allow him to stay in power and bolster his power in other ways, said Amy Hawthorne, research director at the Project on Middle East Democracy (Pomed).

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Tuesday that the amendments, which would also increase the militarys political role and grant Sisi control over the judiciary, would institutionalise authoritarianism.

US officials have not publicly criticised efforts by the Egyptian parliament or Sisis supporters to advance amendments to the constitution, and some see Sisis White House visit as a way for the Egyptian president to secure the green light for the amendments.

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Sisi is in Washington to obtain a green light for proposed constitutional amendments that grant the military highly abusive powers and further institutionalise authoritarianism, said Michael Page, HRWs deputy Middle East and Northern Africa director.

Given President Trumps silence on abuses, Congress should step up and condemn this initiative, he added.

Magdelina Mughrabi, the deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Amnesty International, added that the amendments would worsen the devastating human rights crisis Egyptians are already facing.

On Monday, a bipartisan group of leading US senators called on the State Department to raise key concerns in meetings with Sisi.

In a letter to Secretary of State Pompeo, 17 senators urged him to convey concerns over the detention of American citizens by the Egyptian government, Egypts deepening relationship with the Kremlin including the reported purchase of Russian fighter jets, and the concerning erosion of political and worsening human rights in recent years.
Prominent scientists, artistes and intellectuals ask people to vote rationally as the country goes to polls on Thursday.

New Delhi, India  As Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seek re-election, a cross section of Indian celebrities and intellectuals has started campaigns in a bid to prevent a repeat of the 2014 elections.

Over 150 scientists issued a statement last week appealing people to reject those who lynch or assault people, those who discriminate against people because of religion, caste, gender, language or region.

Although circumspect about directly naming either Modi or the BJP, their messaging left little room for confusion. An atmosphere in which scientists, activists and rationalists are hounded, harassed, intimidated, censored, jailed, or worse, murdered, is not the future the country deserves. It is not the future we want to give our youth, a public statement by leading members of Indias research community read.

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The signatories, whose number has reached 220 now, say that we cannot endorse a politics that divides us, creates fears, and marginalises a large fraction of our society  women, Dalits [communities facing discrimination due to their so-called low castes], Adivasis [indigenous people], religious minorities, the persons with disabilities or the poor.

Diversity is our democracys greatest strength; discrimination and non-inclusivity strike at its very foundation, they said.

Vote rationally

The scientists said they want the Indian youth to awaken to a country that sees science as a means of democratic empowerment through sceptical, open-minded questioning, rather than just a commercial enterprise.

Many of the developments over the years have really not been conducive to cultivate a scientific temper and, more recently, one might even say that it is difficult to cultivate a scientific temper, Amitabh Joshi, an evolutionary biologist and professor at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, told Al Jazeera.

He said the decision to not specifically name a party was deliberate and the only thing the scientists wanted was for people to vote rationally.

The move was soon followed by many celebrities from the film and theatre world. Over 800 artistes issued a statement on artistuniteindia.com and appealed the Indian people to vote out divisive politics.

Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah is one of the prominent celebrities who signed the statement [File: Raajessh Kashyap/Hindustan Times/Getty Images]

They minced no words in their statement which called people to vote against the BJP and its allies and vote for love and compassion, for equality and social justice, and to defeat the forces of darkness and barbarism.

The statement was signed by many celebrities, including Girish Karnad, Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Anurag Kashyap and Lillette Dubey.

In their statement, the artistes said that for over 150 years, they have helped create the imagination of a secular, democratic, inclusive and just India with compelling human stories garnished with song and dance, humour and pathos.

Today, that very idea of India is under threat. Today, song, dance, laughter is under threatour beloved Constitution is under threat. The institutions that have to nurture argument, debate and dissent have been suffocated. To question, to call out lies, to speak the truth, is branded anti-national. The seeds of hatred have entered our food, prayers and festivals. The ways in which this hatred has seeped into our daily fabric are alarming, and it has to STOP, their statement said.

Dictatorial attitude

Anand Patwardhan, an award-winning Indian filmmaker and a signatory to the statement, told Al Jazeera that people in his fraternity were feeling very frustrated at the takeover of electronic and print media by Indias largest corporations. These corporates fully back this ultra-right-wing government, which is headed towards fascism.

He accused the Modi government of targeting minorities, destroying the economy and assuming a dictatorial attitude.

Exercise your right to choose who will lead us towards a better tomorrow  pic.twitter.com/UeBkQtEyEu  Soni Razdan (@Soni_Razdan) April 9, 2019

People are being told lies. People who are brave enough to speak against this situation should get together and speak loudly so that others will also get encouraged to speak out, he said.

Urmilesh, political analyst and former executive editor of Rajya Sabha TV, says that such statements by intellectuals and artistes are not new in the Indian politics. He said, People came out with such statements in 2014 also and in the elections after 1975 emergency as well.

The veteran journalist, however, believes that such statements will have an impact on the ground. People will think why such people have come out and spoken so courageously, he added.

BJP national spokesman Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, however, dismissed the campaign as ineffective. BJP will win this election and Narendra Modi will be the prime minister, he said.

Veteran Bollywood actor Anupam Kher, a known Modi supporter, tweeted: So some people from my fraternity have issued a letter for public to vote out the present constitutionally elected government in the coming elections. In other words they are officially campaigning for opposition parties. Good!! At least there are no pretensions here. Great.
Writer Alaa al-Aswany wants the United Nations to help end the persecution against him by the Egyptian government.

Accusing the Egyptian government of persecution, writer Alaa al-Aswany has sought United Nations intervention, a statement issued by his lawyers says.

Lawyers Francois Zimeray, Matthias Fekl and Jessica Finelle said they have sent a letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression to decry Alaa al-Aswanys fate in Egypt.

Al-Aswany, 61, is an internationally recognised writer and bestselling author of 2002 novel The Yacoubian Building.

He has been outspoken against the proposed constitutional amendments that would allow President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to stay in power until 2034 and keep Egypt under military rule.

On March 14, the Egyptian military prosecutor charged al-Aswany with the crime of insulting the president of the republic, the armed forces and the judicial institutions because of his public writings and criticism of government abuses and human rights violations.

Universal ideals

Freedom of speech is recognized by numerous international conventions ratified by the Arab Republic of Egypt, Matthias Fekl, al-Aswanys lawyer and former interior minister of France, said in a statement.

Alaa al-Aswany is a writer whose magnificent work is read in the whole world, and an intellectual with a strong commitment for the universal ideals expressed during the Egyptian spring.

In their statement, al-Aswanys lawyers denounced the flagrant violation of a fundamental right, such as freedom of expression and opinion, by the Egyptian authorities.

However, the letter did not say what action they would like the UN to take.

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Al-Aswany currently lives in the United States where he teaches literature and says he cannot go back to Egypt fearing his arrest. He also fears the fate of his family members, all living in Egypt, the letter said.

Sisi is currently in the US on an official visit and is expected to receive renewed military and economic support from President Donald Trumps administration.

Human rights groups accuse Sisis government of widespread repression and human rights violations.

President al-Sisi is in Washington to obtain a green light for proposed constitutional amendments that grant the military highly abusive powers and further institutionalize authoritarianism, said Michael Page, Human Rights Watch deputy director for Middle East and Northern Africa in a statement on Tuesday.

El-Sisi, a former army general, came to power in 2013 toppling the democratically-elected government of President Mohamed Morsi.

Other Egyptian intellectuals, including actor and filmmaker Amr Waked who is well-known for his roles in Hollywood films Lucy and Syriana, have also spoken out against the proposed amendments.

Waked and another known actor, Khaled Abol Naga, were accused of high treason after their March 25 appearance in Washington along with other human rights advocates in advance of a congressional briefing, titled Constitutionalizing Authoritarianism, called for international solidarity with Egyptian citizens.

Follow Ali Younes on Twitter: @ali_reports
The UK parliament has approved Prime Minister Theresa Mays plan to request an extension to delay Brexit until June 30.

The UKs parliament has approved Prime Minister Theresa Mays plan to request an extension to the countrys deadline for leaving the European Union, which could delay the process until June 30.

An extension is seen as necessary to avoid a no-deal scenario in which the UK would exit the bloc without agreements on key areas including trade, migration and security.

On Tuesday, members of parliament voted overwhelmingly to approve the extension request, with 420 votes in favour to 110 against.

Support from the opposition Labour Party was key to Mays victory, with only 31 percent of votes in favour coming from members of her own Conservative Party.

In the last week, the rival parties have been meeting to agree upon a mutually acceptable Brexit plan and are set to meet again on Thursday. The controversial cross-party negotiations have aggravated divisions within both parties.

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Twelve ministers from Mays own cabinet did not vote with the government, though it is unclear how many were deliberate abstentions and how many were approved absences.

Parliamentary approval secured, May will now have to request the extension at a key EU summit in Brussels on Wednesday.

There are no easy solutions

The EU, which has already granted the UK one extension, has remained open to granting another only if May can guarantee parliamentary approval for a Brexit deal and give a clear indication how the extra time would be put to use.

However, a letter from European Council President Donald Tusk to council members may suggest a thaw in Europes stance.

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In the letter, which was released shortly after the UK Parliaments vote, Tusk said there was little reason to believe that May could persuade parliament to back a Brexit deal before the end of June, based on the fact that parliament has so far rejected Mays Brexit plan three times.

Tusk proposed granting an alternative, longer extension or a so-called flexible extension that would last no longer than one year and could be terminated automatically once the UK and EU agree upon a Withdrawal Agreement.

This, he said, would avoid a rolling series of short extensions, which would almost certainly overshadow the business of the EU27 in the months ahead.

The continued uncertainty would also be bad for our businesses and citizens, Tusk said adding that with Brexit, there are no easy solutions.

May has been eager to avoid any extension that would require the UK to participate in the European Parliament elections, which begin on May 23.

May meets Macron, Merkel

Macron has repeatedly said May needs to provide a clear plan on how to deliver Brexit before a further extension can be granted [Philippe Wojazer/Reuters]

May travelled to Paris on Tuesday in an attempt to secure the support of French President Emmanuel Macron, who has been firm on Mays need to deliver a clear plan for delivering Brexit.

Al Jazeeras Natacha Butler, reporting from outside the Elysee presidential palace, said Macron may be adopting a more pragmatic approach.

What we are hearing from Elysee sources is that Emmanuel Macron would be open to an extension but an extension that would be short, that would not roll into next year.

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Its clear that the French president simply does not want this whole process to go any longer than it needs to, Butler said.

Following the meeting, a Downing Street spokesperson said the leaders had discussed the ongoing talks with the Labour party, the European Parliament elections and the situation in Libya, where renegade General Khalifa Haftars forces are fighting for control of the capital, Tripoli.

Earlier on Tuesday, May met German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, where the two discussed the importance of ensuring Britains orderly withdrawal from the European Union, along with Libya and the war in Yemen, according to the spokesperson.

Merkel has previously vowed to fight till the last hour to avoid a no-deal Brexit.
Paris, France  Last year, the 19-year-old elected leader of the Paris-based Sorbonne branch of the French National Students Union (UNEF) found herself at the centre of a frenetic controversy.

Maryam Pougetoux had appeared on a brief segment on national TV following demonstrations across France by students protesting against the changes to ways they can choose their universities after high school.

But it was not her comments that incensed TV pundits and French politicians alike. It was the fact that she wore a hijab, a headscarf worn by many Muslim women who feel it is part of their religion, which for a few weeks became the focus of polemic once again.

The hijab has for decades been a source of controversy in France, which in 2004 banned it from being worn in public schools.

Gerard Collomb, Frances interior minister, called Pougetouxs appearance shocking and likened her hijab to a symbol of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) armed group.

The countrys gender-equality minister, Marlene Schiappa, said she viewed Pougetouxs hijab as a form of promoting political Islam.

UNEF publicly condemned the comments as a wave of racist, sexist, and Islamophobic hatred.

One year after the firestorm, Maryam Pougetoux sat down with Al Jazeera and talked about how the backlash changed her life, the support she received and Frances fixation with the hijab.

Al Jazeera: Following the hostile public exposure you received last year, how has your life changed?

Maryam Pougetoux: Im still one of the co-presidents of the student union. In the professional area, nothing has really changed. Were still working on students rights within the university.

Im graduating in a few months. Whenever Im at university, Im just a normal 20-year-old student: I attend classes, have essays to write, meet up with my friends.

Pougetoux was elected leader of the national student union last year at the Sorbonne branch in Paris [Omar Havana/Al Jazeera]

The only thing thats completely different relates to my personal life, I guess.

Ive met incredible people, people I thought Id never meet, like the author, activist and filmmaker Rokhaya Diallo. I was also invited to speak at the French embassy in [Canada] to talk about my story and this whole controversy.

It was pretty challenging and a tough time to go through. The summer of 2018 will always be marked in my mind. It happened during my big finals exams. Managing a national controversy and having university on the other side was really hard.

Its pretty bizarre seeing your name on headlines, being quoted by famous authors  Its still a lot to handle.

Yet I decided to take from this experience only positivity. That kept me sane. The negativity is behind me. Thank God, I had such a supportive system around me. My family and friends really helped me to overcome all these obstacles.

One thing that is still strange to me is that people recognise me and come up to me in the streets. It still feels weird, and I havent adjusted to that yet.

Al Jazeera: In previous interviews, when you were asked your opinion on political Islam, you said you didnt know much about it. How has that changed now?

Pougetoux: The term was thrown at me several times. Why would anyone ask me my opinion about that? I still dont get it!

At the end, I decided to check on the internet what that meant because I had no idea. The answer was surprising. I still cant understand why theyd associate me with any of this. My position within the UNEF has never had any links with my religion or anything. In fact, we dont discuss that within the union.

My identity was used to serve the political agenda of these ministers and commentators. They used me as a political puppet, when, again, thats not who I am.

They thought that my position has something to do with my veil, or that I was hiding a political Islamic agenda  If only they knew that that was so far from the truth. They simply couldnt understand that I wanted to represent my fellow students. But no, to them it had to be something else, some ulterior plan something. This is completely insane.

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It was hard because by saying this, they took away all my ability to manage a union like UNEF. To them, I wasnt elected because of my ability to handle this position. It had to do with my hijab. Its frustrating, because they take away from you everything that makes you a human.

I separate my faith from any of my unionist actions. These are two different worlds. No one within the UNEF has ever mentioned my veil to me, or found it problematic. There are black people, Arab people, Asian people, poor and wealthy students within UNEF. I dont get why other people could reach this position with no backlash, but I received negative reaction because of the fabric I wear on my head? It makes no sense.

Al Jazeera: During this period, what has been the reaction of the faculty and the students?

Pougetoux: A few days after the controversy, the dean expressed to me his support. It was a private conversation, and no press release from the university was written or anything. Of course if he went public with it, it would have been a great gesture, but I didnt really need that back then.

All I cared about was the support shown by my family and the UNEF, the latter who published press releases. Back then, the president of National UNEF was Lila le Bas and she was interviewed by several media outlets regarding students issues. Eventually, some questions about my controversy came up, and she always showed maximum support, saying that theyll continue fighting for me.

Al Jazeera: What do you think of the role of media in how they portray Muslims and Islam in France?

Pougetoux: The real problem is, as minorities, we are not represented in the media. Its not even a question of religions. Minorities in general are misrepresented. The traditional media outlets are pretty reactionary on some many topics.

Old generations are still present in newsrooms, and analyse situations through their own prism, due to the lack of minorities present. This is a huge problem. They cover stories through one angle: the 50-year-old Caucasian man. If the newsroom were full of minorities, maybe this all stigmatisation wouldnt happen. There would be more discussion about it. The stigmatisation of so many communities is a direct consequence of lack of diversity in the newsroom.

Pougetoux says the stigmatism in France against the countrys minority populations is partly caused by their lack of representation in the media [Omar Havana/Al Jazeera]

Al Jazeera: What do you think of Frances war against the visibility of Islam in the country? Do you think these laws go against laicite (secularism) or do they cement that?

Pougetoux: Its neither way I think. I feel like both are the extreme and this is scary that its only seen as a binary choice. I understand Frances position on secularism. However, were the country of [ Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite ], and its a freedom to wear wherever you want. This applies to everything, not only to the veil. France always adopts a reactionary process. They react to a situation. When the 2011 full-face veil (niqab) ban was passed, France was reacting to a certain context.

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Yet, there will always be Muslim women in France, walking in the streets, veiled or not. A few weeks ago, another controversy hit France about a sport hijab being sold by Decathlon, which resulted in Decathlon removing it from its stores. But I will continue to practise a sport no matter what the government and the French society say. Its insane how every time we go back to the same controversy. Wearing a hijab is legal, Im not doing something illegal here. Theres an everlasting barrier here, on what women should wear or not. Its exhausting.

Al Jazeera: How do you feel about giving interviews to media outlets who would only want to discuss your hijab?

Pougetoux: Before the controversy, when I was getting interviewed by the media, theyd only ask me about the student issues. The veil wasnt a problem to them. No one asked me a question about my hijab when I did interviews with huge networks such as BFMTV or France 3. Then after the 10 seconds interview on M6 channel (which kick-started the controversy), the journalists approach totally changed.

After the controversy, journalists offered me to react to this. But quickly, theyd ask me to comment on other Islam-related controversies. They quickly put me in the box. To them, I became the Muslim womens spokesperson. It was frustrating.
Witnesses say security forces use force in a bid to disperse the demonstrators from the military complex.

Heavy gunfire has been heard at a protest outside the Defence Ministry in Sudans capital Khartoum and activists said in a statement that security forces were trying to break up the protest by force.

Witnesses also said that Sudanese security forces fired tear gas at thousands of anti-government protesters demonstrating outside the army headquarters.

Witnesses and a protester said on Tuesday that security forces of the powerful National Intelligence and Security Service and riot police were firing tear gas in a bid to disperse the demonstrators from the military complex.

The security officers are firing heavy tear gas. I can see protesters coughing and covering their faces with hands and medical masks, a witness told AFP news agency from near the demonstration site.

I can also hear gunshots but its unclear who is firing.





Live broadcast by Al-Hadath TV also showed heavy shooting.

Over the past four months, Sudan has witnessed widespread anti-government protests that were sparked by anger over rising bread prices but quickly morphed into broader calls to end President Omar al-Bashirs 30-year rule.

The Sudanese armed forces are not against the demands of protesters seeking al-Bashirs departure, the countrys defence minister has said, warning, however, that the army will not allow a fall into chaos.

The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), one of the groups spearheading the demonstrations, said a soldier was killed on Monday while trying to protect those rallying against Bashir.

Earlier, as crowds in Khartoum shouted slogans such as Sudan is rising, the army is rising to encourage the armed forces to back their demands, the protesting Alliance for Freedom and Change group sought direct talks with the army forming a transitional government.

We reiterate our peoples demand that the head of the regime and his government have to immediately step down, Omar el-Digeir, a senior member of the group, said in a statement outside the army headquarters.

We also call on the Sudanese armed forces to withdraw their support for a regime that has lost its legitimacy, Digei added.

Analysts, meanwhile, said senior military figures were eager to find a way for Bashir, whose power base is within the armed forces, to step down gracefully and initiate a transition of power.

The army would like to come out of this as the people who saved Sudan from chaos, Alex de Waal, an expert on Sudan, told Al Jazeera.
Tehran declares the US state sponsor of terrorism in tit-for-tat move, while Rouhani vows to defend the elite forces.

President Hassan Rouhani has defended the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as protectors of Iran and said that the US decision to label the Iranian elite force a terrorist group was a mistake.

The guards have sacrificed their lives to protect our people, our [1979 Islamic] revolution  Today America that holds a grudge against the guards, blacklists the guards, Rouhani said in a speech broadcast live on state television.

In an unprecedented step, US President Donald Trump designated the IRGC a foreign terrorist organisation on Monday.

Tehran took retaliatory action by naming the US Central Command (CENTCOM) as a terrorist organisation and the US government as a state sponsor of terrorism.

A(nother) misguided election-eve gift to Netanyahu. A(nother) dangerous U.S. misadventure in the region.  Javad Zarif (@JZarif) April 8, 2019

Rouhani called the US decision a mistake and other Iranian officials have warned that it will endanger American interests in the region, where Iran is involved in proxy wars from Syria to Lebanon.

This mistake will unite Iranians and the guards will grow more popular in Iran  America has used terrorists as a tool in the region while the guards have fought against them from Iraq to Syria, Rouhani said.

Hassan Rouhani said that the US decision to label the Iranian elite force a terrorist group was a mistake [Reuters]

Iran threatens nuclear production

Irans Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said the move was a misguided election-eve gift to [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu. Israelis are voting to decide if Netanyahu can win a record fifth term in office.





If the US continues to pressure Tehran, Rouhani said, Irans nuclear agency will produce advanced centrifuges  used to enrich uranium.

Relations between Tehran and Washington took a turn for the worse in May last year when Trump pulled out of a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers and reimposed sanctions on the country.

Iran has threatened to exit the deal and to resume its suspended nuclear work if other signatories of the pact fail to protect Tehrans interest.

I am telling you [American leaders], if you pressure us, we will mass produce IR8 advanced centrifuges, Rouhani said in the speech marking Irans National Nuclear Day.

IRGC commanders have repeatedly said that US bases in the Middle East and US aircraft carriers in the Gulf are within range of Iranian missiles.

An Iranian revolutionary guard commander warned the US Navy on Monday to keep its warships at a distance from revolutionary guards speed boats in Gulf waters.

Mr Trump, tell your warships not to pass near the revolutionary guards boats, ISNA news agency reported Mohsen Rezaei as saying in a Twitter post.

A prologue for war

Al Jazeeras Zein Basravi said the implications of labelling the IRGC a terrorist organisation could have far-reaching effects, putting more pressure on remaining international business links that Iran still has.

Iranians will tell you the latest move to isolate them and their country goes too far, Basravi said.

For many Iranians, being placed in the same category as groups like al-Qaeda or ISIL will be seen as a major escalation, he said, adding that Iranians are now more likely to support a more aggressive approach by their government when dealing with the US.

Analysts, meanwhile, said the US move caused an immediate unifying effect within the Islamic Republic.

[That was] seen in Parliament  where MPs showed up in IRGC uniforms  and in [the] media, where even reformist outlets have come up with headlines to rally people around the flag, said Mohammad Ali Shabani, associate editor of Al-Monitor, a US-based media outlet focused on the Middle East.

But in the capital, Tehran, Iranian citizens expressed concern the latest escalation of tensions between Washington and Tehran could be a prologue for war.

It seems that people close to Trump are dragging him into a conflict with Iran  now, if tensions escalate, a sequence of actions from both Iran and the US could easily turn into a battle, 33-year-old Hamed told Al Jazeera.

Reyhaneh, 27, said she also felt unsafe following the tit-for-tat terrorist designations.

I feel things are changing for the worse  this doesnt look good, she told Al Jazeera.

Financial pressure

The US has already blacklisted dozens of entities and people for affiliations with the IRGC, but not the organisation as a whole.

Trump on Monday confirmed earlier reports that the US was planning the designation, saying it will continue to increase financial pressure and raise the costs on Iran for its support of terrorist activity.

Tehran has in the past threatened to disrupt oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz if the US tries to strangle Tehrans economy by halting its oil exports.





Meanwhile, Irans regional rival, Saudi Arabia, welcomed the US decision on Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia, led by a Sunni Muslim royal family, has accused Iran of interfering in its and other Middle Eastern countries internal affairs.

Iran and Saudi Arabia have been fighting proxy wars for years, backing opposing sides in conflicts in Syria and Yemen.

The US decision translates the kingdoms repeated demands to the international community of the necessity of confronting terrorism supported by Iran, the official SPA news agency said, citing a foreign ministry source.

The latest designation allows the US to deny entry to people found to have provided the IRGC with material support or prosecute them for sanctions violations. That could include European and Asian companies and businesspeople who deal with the IRGCs many affiliates.

It also may complicate diplomacy. Without exclusions or waivers to the designation, US troops and diplomats could be barred from contact with Iraqi or Lebanese authorities who interact with IRGC officials or surrogates.

Al Monitors Shabani said Washingtons move was unlikely to pay off in the long-term as it was not in step with how the region works.

Those behind the  designation appear to seek to put pressure Iran by going after its allies and partners in the region with an either with us or against us approach, Shabani told Al Jazeera.

Unlike those behind the IRGCs FTO designation, Iranian leaders have one key advantage: consistency in leadership and the luxury of strategic patience; something that potential one-term White House residents can only dream of, he added.

If anyone is aware of Irans long game, it is indeed those in power in Beirut [Lebanon] and Baghdad [Iraq] today, many of whom have been in partnership with the Islamic Republic for almost 40 years.
Arab parties accuse Likud of attempting to infringe on the rights of Palestinian voters on election day.

Jerusalem  As voters in Israel head to the polls to choose the next party to lead the 21st Knesset, some 1,200 body cameras have reportedly been placed in polling sites in Palestinian neighbourhoods, prompting a police investigation.

Israels Central Elections Committee (CEC) chairman Judge Hanan Melcer filed a complaint to the Israel Police on Tuesday after the Likud party reportedly provided right-wing activists with 1,200 body cameras to monitor polling stations located in Palestinian-populated localities, Israeli media reported.

Incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is running against Benny Gantz  a former army chief of staff, responded to the police investigation saying there should be cameras everywhere to ensure a fair vote.

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The Hadash-Taal list, an alliance of two Arab parties, stated on Twitter that it had filed an urgent complaint to the CEC, demanding to immediately remove the illegally installed cameras.

Netanyahu does not want the Arab public to vote, but we will rush to the polls and topple the government, Hadash-Taal wrote on Twitter.

The comment alludes to Netanyahus statement on election day in 2015, urging his supporters to vote as Arab voters are heading to the polls in droves and could topple his right-wing government.

          -           .      ,       . pic.twitter.com/tZhZeGzVJf   '' (@Hadash_org) April 9, 2019

TRANSLATION: We have now submitted an urgent complaint to the election committee demanding to halt the illegal attempts of Likud operatives to plant recording devices and hidden cameras in the polling stations in the Arab communities. Netanyahu does not want the Arab public to vote, but we will rush to the polls and topple the government.

Underhanded and illegal tactics

Police have since confiscated the cameras after the CECs legal counsel said that officials cannot film voters nor the voting process.

A source told Haaretz newspaper that the move was aimed to preserve the purity of the election and to assure that [Arab political alliance] Raam-Balad wont pass the electoral threshold through falsifications.

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In a statement, the Haifa-based Mossawa Centre, The Advocacy Centre for Arab citizens in Israel, condemned what it called the continued use of underhanded and illegal tactics by the Likud party.

By infringing on the basic political rights of Arabs who vote in the Israeli elections today, the Likud party continues to ensue suspicion and fear of Arabs as an extreme right-wing political strategy, the statement read.

Netanyahu is seeking reelection for a record fifth term [Sebastian Scheiner/AP Photo]





Mesad Jarban, 32, from the coastal town of Jisr al-Zarqa, said that despite the reports of right-wing activists attempting to disrupt polling stations in Palestinian communities, he felt it was important to still vote for one of the Arab parties in the election.





I vote to support the Arab position, even though I dont really like the candidates. But Im an Arab and Id like to have a voice or someone to represent us in the Knesset, Jarban said.

Jafar Farah, director of Mossawa, told Al Jazeera that Netanyahu and his party continue to incite against the Arab community and sew divisions between Arabs and Jews in order to remain in power.

Farah noted that on Tuesday, Netanyahu posted a digitally altered image on Twitter showing Israeli politicians and Arab candidates standing alongside each other and urged voters to support Likud to prevent such a reality.
Police confiscate dozens of body cameras placed by Netanyahus Likud party in polling sites in Palestinian areas.

Jerusalem  Israelis voted on Sunday to choose the next party to lead the 21st Knesset, amid reports of hundreds of cameras being placed in polling sites in predominately Palestinian areas, prompting an investigation.

Israels Central Elections Committee (CEC) chairman Judge Hanan Melcer has filed a complaint to the Israeli police after Likud reportedly provided right-wing activists with 1,200 body cameras to monitor polling sites located in Palestinian populated areas, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

Incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the police investigation saying there should be cameras everywhere to ensure a fair vote.

Police have since removed the cameras.

The election pits Netanyahus Likud party against the Blue and White party led by Benny Gantz, a former army chief of staff, with about 40 parties in the running.

Polls are open from 7am (04:00 GMT) to 10pm (19:00 GMT) at 10,720 polling stations.

THREAD Israel is voting today for a party that will lead the next Israeli government. Heres what you need to know https://t.co/d5MXqzXSRk #IsraelElections2019 pic.twitter.com/InhcqZ4noY  Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) April 9, 2019

Israeli citizens aged 18 and over, including those living in illegal settlements in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank are eligible to vote. Israeli law excludes expats currently abroad from voting.

The 4.8 million Palestinians living under Israeli military occupation in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza do not have voting rights.

According to the polls, Netanyahu and Gantz are leading a close race for prime minister. The position is chosen by the Israeli president, on the recommendations of Knesset Members (MK).

At a polling station in the French Hill neighbourhood in occupied East Jerusalem, Yafit Scherer called voting an important privilege.

I voted for Gantz. I want to change the government. I dont want Netanyahu to continue being PM. [Netanyahu] is a very intelligent and smart person. Hes brilliant but he needs to go, she said, because of corruption charges levelled against him.

For real-estate agent Karen Hirshfeld the Palestinian question, which was largely ignored during the campaign, swayed her choice.

I voted for Meretz because I believe in a two-state solution. We have to separate from the Palestinians and ourselves and give them sovereignty. I think that would be best for this country.

The final poll published by Israels Channel 13 before the election showed the Likud and Blue and White in a dead heat with each gaining 28 seats.

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The poll also predicted that Netanyahus right-wing bloc would win 66 Knesset seats with Israels centre-left parties winning 54, as reported by Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

On Thursday Israels Channel 12 released a poll in which respondents were asked who they would prefer to see as prime minister: 37 percent answered Netanyahu and 35 percent said Gantz.

Last minute plea

Asked who they believe would form a governing coalition, 58 percent of respondents answered Netanyahu.

However, Netanyahu has been urging voters to head to the polls in a last-minute plea, warning that Likud was trailing behind the Blue and White party, according to Hebrew language media.

People think that were going to win, so theyre not coming to vote, Netanyahu reportedly said at a meeting late Monday night with MKs and Likud members.

Wake them up everywhere and tell them to bring their family and friends and get out and vote. Our mission is to quickly close the gap as much as possible, Netanyahu said, according to the Times of Israel.

Sixty-one of the 120-seat Knesset seats are needed to form a government. As no single party has ever won a majority of 61 seats on its own, coalition governments are the norm.





After the final votes are counted, President Reuven Rivlin decides which party leader has the best chance of forming a coalition government relying on recommendations from MKs.

Netanyahu told settler leaders in the occupied West Bank on Sunday that he did not think his Likud party would be able to put together a bloc to have the 61 recommendations that would prompt the president to choose him to form a government.

Thats in part because the Zehut party, led by Moshe Feiglin, said it would ally with whichever party won the most seats.

In a situation in which there is no bloc, then [Blue and White party heads Yair] Lapid and Gantz are the biggest parties. That is according to the polls in the media and that is according to our polling, Netanyahu reportedly said according to Israel Hayom.

Undecided voters

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Israeli newspaper Maariv reported a day before the election that half a million Israelis amounting to nine Knesset seats remain undecided as to who to vote for between the two frontrunners.

The election is largely seen as a referendum on Netanyahu who is mired in corruption charges.

Israels attorney general announced in February 2019 that he intends to indict Netanyahu for bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three corruption cases.

Gantz formed the Blue and White party in February to unseat Netanyahu.

Akiva Eldar, a senior columnist for Al-Monitor told Al Jazeera that Gantz provides an appealing alternative for those who dont want to vote for Netanyahu, but are not excited for voting for the left-wing Labor party either.

This was a way to vote in between the two of them for something new, for something that may succeed, Eldar said.

They dont believe that Labor has the power to get rid of Netanyahu and win the elections, while people believe Gantz can.

Gantz is not corrupt. Hes managed to put together a nice group of people from different parties and it seems that he is a good manager to form [a party] in less than two months [from elections], to be able to bring together three former chiefs of staff and to convince Lapid to give up his ambition, Eldar said.
Japanese Emperor Akihitos landmark abdication later this month has reignited concerns over the future of what is believed to be one of the worlds oldest royal families, given its hereditary male-only succession rules.

The fate of the Japanese imperial family rests on 12-year-old Hisahito, the son of Crown Prince Naruhitos younger brother and the last eligible male heir.

Japans centuries-old succession would be broken if Hisahito does not have a male child as the Imperial Household Law, in place since 1947, does not allow women to ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne.

That means Naruhitos only child, 17-year-old Princess Aiko, is not in line to inherit the throne.

While public attitudes seem to be shifting to change the succession laws to allow women to rule, the chance of concrete reform looks remote.

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According to a poll by the Yomiuri Shimbun between October and November 2018, nearly two-thirds want the law revised to allow women to be the rightful heir.

I just wonder why Princess Aiko cannot ascend the throne, Mizuho, a Tokyo resident in her 30s who only gave her first name, told AFP news agency.

If its just because shes a girl, then I think its out of place in the current era. Why dont we allow female heirs like Queen Elizabeth in the British monarchy?

Under the current rules, female imperial family members also lose their royal status upon marriage to a commoner, a point highlighted by the engagement of one of Akihitos granddaughters, Princess Mako, to her college sweetheart.

Traditionalists are vehemently opposed to any change in the law but there have been as many as eight empresses, with the last one, Gosakuramachi, on the throne about 250 years ago.

Japans Emperor Akihito, flanked by Empress Michiko, delivered his last New Years address in January this year [Issei Kato/Reuters]

And the imperial family, which has a myth-filled history dating back more than 2,600 years, is said to be descended from legendary sun goddess Amaterasu.

When the parliament passed a one-off rule allowing the ageing emperor to step down in 2017, it also urged the government to swiftly study reforms that would allow the sons of royal women to become emperor.

Tokyo has said these discussions will begin soon after May 1, when Naruhito ascends the throne.

But the government has also decided that only male royal adults will attend the main abdication ceremony, during which the new emperor will inherit the traditional regalia such as a sacred sword and jewel.

Politicians are dodging the looming issue of male-only succession because they do not want to shoulder the responsibility, according to Yuji Otabe, professor of Japanese history at Shizuoka University of Welfare.

If you think about the heredity system, a woman is also of imperial blood, he said, voicing concerns about the future of the Japanese royal line if the situation does not change.

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Another consequence of the male-only succession line is the enormous pressure to conceive boys to keep the line going.

The future emperor and empress were under huge pressure to have a boy but their only child  born in 2001  was Princess Aiko.

The crisis was averted when Prince Hisahito was born in 2006 to the Crown Princes younger brother Akishino, meaning the male blood line could continue.

After Crown Prince Naruhito takes the throne, Akishino is next in line, followed by Hisahito.

Crown Princess Masako, a former high-flying diplomat, has struggled for years with a stress-related illness after joining the tradition-heavy household, which some have put down to the pressure of producing a male heir.

Hideto Tsuboi, professor of modern Japanese literature and history at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies, argued that Masakos illness epitomises the difference between Japanese and British royals.

Japanese imperial family members do not enjoy normal human rights due to too much emphasis on the male-blood lineage succession system compared with the British monarchy, said Tsuboi.

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Analyst Otabe also pointed to the great pressure on any woman marrying into the imperial family to bear a son.

Who would want to marry [Hisahito]? he asked.

Tokyo resident Mizuho called for change, saying: I really dont think it has to be a man.

As long as the person has the qualities needed to take over the throne, whether the heir is male or female doesnt matter to me.
US judge issues injunction halting Trumps policy of sending some asylum seekers back to Mexico to await their cases.

A US judge on Monday issued an injunction halting the Trump administrations policy of sending some asylum seekers back across the southern border to wait out their deportation cases in Mexico.

The ruling is slated to take effect on Friday, according to the order by US District Judge Richard Seeborg in San Francisco. The preliminary injunction will apply nationwide.

The ruling removes at least temporarily a controversial Trump administration strategy aimed at slowing a flood of immigrants, many of them families from Central America, that swelled last month to the highest level in a decade.

Because of limits on how long children are legally allowed to be held in detention, many of the families are released to await US immigration court hearings, a process that can take years because of ballooning backlogs.

In response, the Trump administration in January started sending some migrants to wait out their US court dates in Mexican border cities, under a policy known as Migrant Protection Protocols, or MPP.

The Department of Homeland Security said last week that it planned to expand the programme.

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A US Department of Justice spokesman declined to comment. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Seeborg said his ruling turned on the narrow question of whether the Trump administration had followed administrative law in implementing the policy.

The legal question is not whether the MPP is a wise, intelligent, or humane policy, or whether it is the best approach for addressing the circumstances the executive branch contends constitute a crisis, wrote Seeborg.

The judge said the government will permit the 11 plaintiffs in the case to enter the United States beginning on Sunday. He said the government still retained the right to detain the asylum-seekers pending the outcome of their case.

Unable to get legal counsel

MPP was rolled out in January. The government argued it was needed because so many asylum seekers spend years living in the US and never appear for their court hearings before their claim is denied and an immigration judge orders them to be deported.

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MPP was based on a decades-old law that says that migrants who enter from a contiguous country can be returned there to wait out their deportation case, although the provision had never been used in the way the administration has applied it.

Civil rights groups sued, arguing the policy violated US and international law by returning refugees to dangerous border towns where they would be unable to get legal counsel or notices of hearings.

The plaintiffs include legal service organisations and migrants who fled Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to escape what they said was extreme violence, rape and death threats.

Apprehensions by border agents were on track to top 100,000 in March, the highest level in a decade, according to the US Customs and Border Protection.

While irregular border crossings were higher in the early 2000s, most of those apprehended at that time were single men, often from Mexico.

Mondays ruling comes a day after Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen resigned from her post. Nielsen is slated to leave on Wednesday.

Nielsen spearheaded Trumps controversial immigration policies, including MPP. Kevin McAleenan, currently commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), will take over as the acting secretary. He will be the fourth person to helm the agency under Trump.
Kazakhstans interim president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has called a snap presidential election, citing the need to eliminate political uncertainty in the oil-rich Central Asian nation.

Tokayev, who replaced Nursultan Nazarbayev following his surprise resignation last month, used a state television address on Tuesday to announce a polling date of June 9.

We must continue to work on the implementation of the strategy of Elbasy, Tokayev said, referring to Nazarbayev by his constitutional title which translates as Leader of the Nation.

This can be done only by the direct expression of the will of the people As the acting head of state I guarantee that the elections will be held honestly, openly and fairly.

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Tokayev said that he had consulted with Nazarbayev as well as other top officials including the ex-presidents daughter, Dariga Nazarbayeva, prior to announcing the vote.

Thanks to Elbasy we have built a successful state that is renowned throughout the world. Kazakhstan has taken up a respected place in the international community, Tokayev said.

Tokayev took office in a pomp-filled ceremony less than 24 hours after Nazarbayev, the only leader an independent Kazakhstan has known, suddenly announced he was stepping down last month.

Nazarbayev, 78, has been known for careful diplomacy that benefits key partners Russia and China while maintaining cordial ties with the West.

But the country has no history of holding elections deemed free or fair by Western vote monitors and is regularly criticised by rights groups for cracking down on dissent.

Tokayev was previously the leader of the senate, where he was succeeded by Nazarbayeva, triggering talk of an eventual dynastic succession.
BJPs Bhima Mandavi was among those killed in an IED blast in the central state of Chhattisgarh, police say.

Raipur, Chhattisgarh  A roadside bomb planted by suspected Maoist rebels has killed five people, including a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator, in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, according to police.

The explosion on Tuesday came just two days before polling begins in Indias general elections.

Bhima Mandavi, a BJP member of legislative assembly (MLA), was passing through Nakulnar village after a campaign event in Bade Bacheli town when his vehicle drove over a mine laid out earlier by suspected Maoist rebels, Sundar Raj P, a senior state police official, said.

Four members of security forces were also killed.

Police Superintendent for Dantewada district Abhishek Pallav said that security forces had warned Mandavi that the road was unsafe but he had opted to take the route regardless.

Mandavi, 41, was a popular tribal leader, who managed to retain his seat even after the opposition Congress party won 11 out of the 12 seats in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh in the legislative assembly elections in November last year.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the blast, describing Mandavi as a diligent and courageous worker.

He assiduously served the people of Chhattisgarh. His demise is deeply anguishing, Modi said in a Twitter post, which also paid tribute to the slain security force members.

Shri Bhima Mandavi was a dedicated Karyakarta of the BJP. Diligent and courageous, he assiduously served the people of Chhattisgarh. His demise is deeply anguishing. Condolences to his family and supporters. Om Shanti.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 9, 2019

Diligent and courageous worker

The incident comes days after suspected Maoist rebels, who have waged war for decades against what they call expropriation of their resources, killed five paramilitary personnel in two separate attacks in the state.

The rebels have asked local residents to boycott the upcoming polls in the states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra.

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People are being misled by making excuses for development  The solution of the problems of public is not the election, the struggle is the only way. So we have given a slogan for election boycott, Vikalp, the spokesman for Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee of the Maoists, said in a statement to Al Jazeera on Friday.

After Tuesdays blast, Chhattisgarhs Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel convened an emergency meeting at his house with top officials, including states Director General of Police DM Awasthi.

It is a tragic incident and it is an attack on democracy, Baghel said. Our government will deal with such incidents strictly. I have ordered officers that Maoist bullets should be answered in their language.

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When [a] public representative is not safe, then what about the common public? Its a political conspiracy, why only our leader was killed, asked Raman Singh, a former chief minister and BJP member of the legislative assembly.

The BJP demanded the cancellation of the upcoming polls in the area. But Chief Election Officer Subrato Sahu dismissed the request. He said that local security arrangements will be strengthened.

Tens of thousands of security forces have been deployed to defeat the Maoist rebels. According to government figures, the Maoist threat has decreased in central and eastern India in recent years.

The latest incident of violence has spread fear among the people of Chhattisgarh, according to political analyst Vikram Singhal, who argued that the attack will create panic among tribal voters and have an effect on the voting.
Refugees relocated to safe zone in Tripoli as a fierce battle for control of the capital intensifies.

The United Nations has evacuated 150 refugees from a detention centre in Tripoli, as fierce clashes for control of the Libyan capital led to the postponement of a peace conference planned for next week.

In recent days, forces loyal to renegade General Khalifa Haftar have advanced on the city, the base of the countrys internationally-backed government.

At least 47 people, including nine civilians, have been killed in the fighting since the launch of the offensive on Thursday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.

The escalating situation on the outskirts of Tripoli threatens to further destabilise Libya and triggered fears that it could spill into urban warfare inside the capital, which is defended by local militias and other groups, including battle-hardened forces from the city of Misrata.

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As fighting rages, rights groups and humanitarian organisations have also expressed deep concerns over the fate of thousands of refugees and migrants held in detention centres across Tripoli, including in active conflict zones.

In a statement on Tuesday, the UNs refugee agency said that in light of current insecurity in Libyas capital  [it] relocated more than 150 refugees from the Ain Zara detention centre in south Tripoli.

It noted that the detention centre had been impacted by heavy clashes in the past few days, and added that the refugees were now in a nearby safe zone.

Speaking to Al Jazeera on Friday, a refugee held at the Ain Zara detention centre said most of the guards in charge of them had left and food had run out.

Conference scrapped

The oil-rich country, which has been in turmoil since the NATO-backed removal of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, has two rival governments: an internationally recognised government based in Tripoli and headed by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, and an administration based in the eastern city of Tobruk, which is allied with Haftar.

The UN had scheduled a three-day conference on April 14 in the southwestern town of Ghadames to discuss a constitutional framework for elections as a way to end the North African countrys eight-year crisis.

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But on Tuesday, the UNs envoy for Libya on Tuesday announced the postponement of the summit.

We cannot ask people to take part in the conference during gunfire and air strikes, Ghassan Salame said, vowing to hold the event as soon as possible  on the day when conditions of its success are ensured.

His statement came a day after Tripolis only working airport was hit in an air raid, causing services to be temporarily suspended.

Al Jazeeras Mahmoud Abdelwahed, reporting from the capital, said that the civil aviation authorities have resumed only return flights to Mitiga airport, but departure flights are not allowed yet.

The situation is still very tense with attacks and counterattacks, he added.

International calls for ceasefire

The UN Security Council is due to hold urgent closed-door sessions on Wednesday dealing with the crisis.

The United States, European Union, UN and G7 bloc have called for a ceasefire, a return to the UN peace plan and the end of Haftars military push.

Separately, UN Human Rights High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet reiterated those calls and urged both sides to refrain from further escalation.

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The people of Libya have long been caught between numerous warring parties, with some of the most vulnerable suffering some of the gravest violations of their human rights, Bachelet said in a statement on Tuesday.

I appeal to all sides to come together to avoid further senseless violence and bloodshed, she added.

In addition to the 47 people killed, at least 181 people have been wounded in recent days, the WHO said.

At least 3,400 people have been displaced by the fighting, according to the latest UN count.

In central Tripoli on Tuesday, while there were no signs of military vehicles or personnel on the streets on Tuesday, residents were apprehensive about the prospect of violence.

War is war: I am not afraid of the Libyan National Army, but I am afraid of the destruction that will never be reconstructed, Mohamed Salem al-Sharwe, a taxi driver in Tripoli, told Reuters News Agency.
While many Libyans are trapped because of the fighting around Tripoli, others are crossing the border into Tunisia to seek safety.

As forces loyal to renegade General Khalifa Haftar and Libyas UN-based government fight for control of Tripoli, hundreds of residents are trying to flee the capital city.

Many Libyans in Tripoli have been cut off because of the fighting but others are crossing the border into Tunisia to seek safety.

Al Jazeeras Nicolas Haque reports from the Tunisian port city of Zarzis near the Libyan border.
Carlos Ghosn accuses Nissan executives of conspiracy, and says in video he is innocent of all the charges.

Former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn has claimed his innocence and accuses his former colleagues of backstabbing and conspiring, as he addressed the public for the first time since his initial arrest over financial misconduct last year.

In a pre-recorded video message released on Tuesday, Ghosn repeated that he was innocent of all the charges that have been brought against him.

Prosecutors rearrested Ghosn last week on fresh allegations that he used company funds to enrich himself to the tune of $5m.

The 65-year-old had been out on $9m bail for 30 days, during which he recorded the video screened by his lawyers at a press conference on Tuesday.

This is a conspiracy  this is not about greed or dictatorship, this is about a plot, this about a conspiracy, this is about a backstabbing, said Ghosn, wearing a dark jacket and a white shirt.

Carlos Ghosn blames Nissan executives for playing a dirty game by orchestrating his arrest and incarceration, and calls it a "conspiracy" https://t.co/BWMjHt1He8 pic.twitter.com/Jh0zF8Acd5  Bloomberg (@business) April 9, 2019

Ghosn did not name specific individuals at Nissan, with his lawyer saying that the defence team had opted to cut parts of the recording that pointed the finger at particular figures.

The conspiracy, he said, was borne out of concern that he would bring Nissan, Japans second-largest carmaker, closer to its alliance partner, top shareholder Renault SA.

There was fear that the next step of the alliance in terms of convergence and in terms of moving towards a merger, would in a certain way threaten some people or eventually threaten the autonomy of Nissan, he said.

The video comes a day after shareholders of Nissan Motor Corporation voted Ghosn out as a director at an emergency meeting, severing his last ties with the company. He was removed as chairman in November following his arrest.

Fresh allegations

On Friday, the Tokyo District Court approved Ghosns detention until April 14 after prosecutors took him into custody over a new allegation that he was responsible for Nissan sustaining a $5m loss.

Prosecutors said Ghosn had been arrested over transfers of Nissan funds totalling $15m between late 2015 and the middle of 2018 to a dealership in Oman.

They suspect around $5m of these funds were syphoned off for Ghosns use, including for the purchase of a luxury yacht and financing personal investments.





Prosecutors accuse Ghosn of having betrayed his duty not to cause losses to Nissan in order to benefit himself.

Ghosn already faces three formal charges: two of deferring his salary and concealing that in official shareholders documents, and a further charge of seeking to shift investment losses to the firm.

Ghosns case has defied expectations from the start, with his shock November 19 arrest after he landed in Tokyo on a private jet.

He spent 108 days in a detention centre in northern Tokyo before being dramatically released on bail of around $9m on March 6, emerging from incarceration dressed in a workmans uniform and face mask in an apparent bid to avoid the media.

He then lived in a court-appointed apartment in Tokyo without commenting on his situation despite huge international and Japanese media interest in his case.

However, just as reports began to surface that he could be rearrested, Ghosn emerged on Twitter to announce plans to hold a news conference on April 11.

His rearrest came just days after news that Renault, which Ghosn also once headed, had handed French prosecutors documents showing suspicious transfers worth millions of euros authorised by the car industry tycoon.
With both candidates pandering to the religious right, liberals and minorities wonder whether its worth voting at all.

Jakarta, Indonesia  As the Indonesian President Joko Widodo campaigns for a second term after coming into power five years ago on a wave of reformist optimism, the voters who once backed him are wrestling with disappointment.

Widodo  commonly known as Jokowi  promised to address human rights abuses and make Indonesia more inclusive. He won with 53 percent of the votes against former General Prabowo Subianto who has been implicated in past atrocities, including the torture and abduction of pro-democracy activists.

The two are facing off again in the April 17 election, but Widodos former backers are now considering boycotting the vote.

I feel estranged from the current political climate, 25-year-old Akmal Fadhlurrahman told Al Jazeera. I voted in 2014. It was my first presidential election and I was really excited. I was an enthusiastic Widodo supporter.

I expected him to be the leader of conscience, added Fadhlurrahman, explaining that Widodos decision to name Maruf Amin, a conservative Muslim leader, as running mate shocked him.

Placing Amin in the key office of vice president is a clear sign that Jokowi isnt worried about religious extremism.





Amahl Azwar is a gay man living in Jakarta. He also voted for Widodo in 2014 but now he said he was disappointed because the president failed to stand up for marginalised people like him.

As a gay man, my only option is to not vote, said Azwar.

Theres no way I could elect Maruf Amin as vice president. It would be like signing my own death sentence. Of course, I would never vote for Subianto but if I vote for Widodo-Amin, what if they introduce anti-LGBT laws or something else that would make LGBT communities even more marginalised than we already are.

I just cant do it, he trailed off, frowning.

The 2019 elections will be the first in which Indonesia will hold presidential and legislative polls on the same day. Voters will be presented with up to five different ballot papers to elect national, provincial and local representatives, as well as the president and vice president.

But with the choices on offer, particularly for the presidency, Indonesia has seen a trend that Rafiqa Quratta Ayun, a law lecturer at the University of Indonesia, calls political golput  not voting as a sign of protest.

A billboard for Indonesian presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto and his running mate Sandiaga Uno over a busy street in the capital, Jakarta [Kate Walton/Al Jazeera]

Golput

Golput is an abbreviation for golongan putih or white group, referring to piercing the white part of the ballot paper instead of a candidates logo. Indonesians make their choice by putting a hole through the ballot with a nail rather than marking a cross with a pen.

Golput is being used as a political attitude by voters trying to make rational choices, Ayun explained.

These voters are actually very politically aware and deeply respect the right to vote  they decide to golput as a form of protest against what is on offer.

Many abstainers are women as well as people from Indonesias minority groups: ethnic Chinese, Christians, and LGBT people.

Fadhlurrahman said he first became disappointed with Widodo after the president failed to defend then-Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama who was prosecuted on blasphemy charges in 2017 for comments made on the campaign trail.

Purnama, an ethnic Chinese, was freed in January after completing a two-year jail term.

As head of the Indonesian Ulama Council, 76-year-old Amin was among those pushing for the prosecution amid mass protests whipped up by the hardliners.

The presidential candidates are opportunists trying to get votes from both religious extremists and [secular] nationalists, said Fadhlurrahman.

No one truly stands for Unity in Diversity [Indonesias official guiding principle], so I cant, in good conscience, vote for them.





Many of those opting not to vote in the presidential elections will still vote in the legislative ones.

However, some wont be doing that either. Marantina Napitu, a 30-year-old Christian woman living in Tebing Tinggi, North Sumatra, is one of them.

There have been no improvements in human rights or fighting religious intolerance under Jokowi, said Napitu.

So, Im not surprised many people are questioning his commitment to these issues.

Religious intolerance has become a major issue across the archipelago since Widodo became president.

Churches and Ahmadi places of worship have been forced to close, despite operating without problems for decades.

A Buddhist woman was jailed for 18 months for insulting Islam after complaining about the volume of a mosque loudspeaker.

Some Islamic groups have also labelled Widodo supporters as non-believers.

Napitu voted for Widodo in 2014, believing that Jakarta and Solo had improved under his leadership. But, like Fadhlurrahman, his choice of Amin as running mate has proved hugely disappointing.

Indonesia has been divided in two since the 2017 Jakarta election, she said, explaining that Amin and intolerant religious groups were behind the deepening of religious-based political identities.

Im even more pessimistic about them [legislative candidates]. Theyre not getting better. Our representatives are leading society backwards. I will not vote for them.

Banners for candidates in Indonesias parliamentary elections on a street corner in Jakarta [Kate Walton/Al Jazeera]

No good candidate

University of Indonesias Ayun believes that the non-voters are small in number and unlikely to have a significant effect on the outcome of the election.

Most polls suggest that Widodo-Amin will defeat Subianto and his 49-year-old millionaire running mate, Sandiaga Uno.

But Ayun is worried the phenomenon is open to manipulation by Widodos opponents.

Because most of these protest voters are educated people and activists who previously supported Jokowi, their attitudes and statements could be used by their opponents to encourage voters still on the fence to vote for Subianto and Uno, she said.

This could happen even though these non-voters are making it clear that they will golput because there is no good candidate to vote for.

Bhagavad Sambadha, who is involved with an online project called Saya Golput, or Im Not Voting shares Ayuns concern.

We started Saya Golput to respond to the misperceptions and public misinformation about non-voters and protest voters, said Sambadha.

Our aim is to educate rational and politically aware voters about what a healthy and civilised democracy looks like, and how our government and political parties are failing on this regard.

For 21-year-old Prasuti Madhyaratri Arsah from Sidoarjo, East Java, the misinformation Sambadha referred to have been a major problem during the campaign, which wraps up on April 13.

I voted in the last presidential election, but this time Im going to golput, said Arsah.

There are so many lies and hoaxes going around that I cant even tell what the candidates really stand for.

We should be talking about infrastructure, economy and human rights, she added. But the political situation here has just become saturated with anger and yelling. Im tired of that.
As part of his push to make the City of San Diego as innovative as the people it serves, Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer was joined by City Councilmember Chris Cate and Verizon executives today to announce a multi-million-dollar agreement that will accelerate the deployment of small-cell facilities to enhance wireless capacity and services.

The agreement also lays the groundwork for the future introduction of 5G next-generation technology that offers cutting-edge resources to enhance public safety and bolster San Diegos economic competitiveness.

San Diego is a city of innovation with a long history of using groundbreaking technologies to make our city and the world a better place, Mayor Faulconer said. Working together with Verizon, this agreement is going to provide resources that will further enhance cellular service for residents, keep communities safer and lower costs for taxpayers. Its a win-win for San Diegans.

The new agreement will create a more connected and mobile-friendly city with expanded small cell infrastructure and a streamlined permitting process designed to get these technologies into communities faster and more efficiently. The state-of-the-art digital innovation coming to San Diego as part of this agreement will increase services to the public and expand smart city capabilities, without any increase in cost to taxpayers.

We are continuously improving our industry-leading 4G LTE network, densifying it through small cells to better serve San Diego residents, businesses, first responders, and visitors today while also being foundational to the future deployment of 5G network technology here, and were delighted to work closely with Mayor Faulconer and the City Council to make San Diego a leading connected city of the future, said Ed Chan, Verizons Senior Vice President of Engineering. Together, were creating a platform of innovation with the latest smart city technology, supporting the citys focus on creating a digitally inclusive and connected city that benefits all residents and businesses for decades to come.

As part of the agreement, the City and Verizon will work together to improve the citys information technology infrastructure and public safety. Verizon will give 500 smartphones to the San Diego Police Department and 50 tablets to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department to improve department communication and connectivity. Verizon has also agreed to install advanced traffic data gathering and sensing technologies at five crash-prone intersections to help the City better assess vehicular patterns and traffic flow using data.

San Diego is innovating, and we are accelerating. Ordinary is turning into extraordinary, and its happening each and every day, Councilmember Cate said. From smart streetlights on Mira Mesa Boulevard to Weather Based Irrigation Controllers in Clairemont, innovation is shaping how we are living and working in District 6. San Diegos partnership with Verizon will not only benefit San Diegans today, it will help all future generations.

The San Diego Police Department is excited about our partnership with Verizon, said Police Chief David Nisleit. Using their cutting-edge technology will allow us to carry out our mission of maintaining public safety by providing the highest-quality police services to all of our communities.

Verizon will also perform an inventory of roughly 60,000 city-owned light poles to update and digitize the Citys catalogue of light pole information and provide improved wireless capabilities to residents. Finally, Verizon will deploy fiber and small cells to city-owned light poles. Small cells are compact wireless equipment that extend network coverage and increase network capacity for users.

The City has agreed to work with Verizon to streamline its permitting processes to cut red tape, reduce review times and get these technologies installed faster. Under the terms of the agreement, the City will develop a master permit for the installation of digital fiber so that more users can get access to broadband capabilities. The agreement calls for more than $100 million in infrastructure investment and equipment deployment from Verizon.
The Sudanese armed forces are not against the demands of protesters seeking the departure of long-serving President Omar al-Bashir, the countrys defence minister has said, warning, however, that the army will not allow a fall into chaos.

Over the past four months, Sudan has witnessed widespread anti-government protests that were sparked by anger over rising bread prices but quickly morphed into broader calls against al-Bashirs 30-year rule.

Sudans armed forces understand the reasons for the demonstrations and  aspirations of the citizens, General Awad Ibn Auf said on Monday at a meeting of top military brass, according to the state-run SUNA news agency.

But he added: History will not forgive if the armed forces let the country lose its security.

Ibn Aufs statement came after activists said that soldiers in the capital, Khartoum, intervened in recent days to shield protesters amid a deadly crackdown by security agents loyal to the 75-year-old al-Bashir.

Protest organisers say forces belonging to the widely-feared National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) have used tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition in a bid to disperse thousands of demonstrators who have camped out since Saturday in front of the army headquarters, which also houses al-Bashirs residence.

The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), one of the groups spearheading the demonstrations, said a soldier was killed on Monday while trying to protect those rallying against al-Bashir.

In the last 72 hours, there has been a positive [development], to some extent  that army officers are supporting protesters and protecting them from the National Intelligence and Security Service, SPA spokeswoman Sara Abdeljaleel told Al Jazeera from Britains capital, London.

We keep asking for the army to  protect this revolution and keep it peaceful, she added.

Army officers have tried to defend the demonstrators during clashes with the security services [AFP]

Protesters seek army talks

As crowds in Khartoum shouted slogans such as Sudan is rising, the army is rising to encourage the armed forces to back their demands, the protesting Alliance for Freedom and Change group sought direct talks with the army to form a transitional government.

We reiterate our peoples demand that the head of the regime and his government have to immediately step down, Omar el-Digeir, a senior member of the group, said in a statement outside the army headquarters.

We also call on the Sudanese armed forces to withdraw their support for a regime that has lost its legitimacy, el-Digeir added.

Analysts, meanwhile, said senior military figures were eager to find a way for al-Bashir, whose power base is within the armed forces, to step down gracefully and initiate a transition of power.

The army would like to come out of this as the people who saved Sudan from chaos, Alex de Waal, an expert on Sudan, told Al Jazeera.

What we see on the streets in the moment is a clear division between some in the army and some in the NISS  which is overplaying its hand, added de Waal, a research professor and executive director of the World Peace Foundation at the US-based Tufts University.

De Waal also said enormous effort was being made by military leaders to keep the army together over fears any internal fractures in responding to the anti-government protests could raise the prospect of a full-blown civil war.

Protesters in front of the military headquarters in the capital Khartoum [AFP]

In an address to the Sudanese parliament on Monday, Interior Minister Bushara Juma said seven people had been killed and 2,496 arrested during demonstrations in Khartoum and other cities over the weekend.

The latest deaths take the overall toll to 38, according to officials. Human Rights Watch says more than 50 people have been killed, including children and medics, since the beginning of the protests in December.

In response to the nationwide anti-government demonstrations, al-Bashir in late February imposed a state of emergency which led to the protests largely being confined to Khartoum and Omdurman, the capitals twin city.

But the recent resurgence of the protests, coupled with possible fractures within the security structure, signalled that Sudan was heading towards an imminent crunch point, analysts said.

Either the military will have to side with the regime and aide and abet the crackdown  or they will have to take a stand and at least ask for the president to resign in the same way as has happened in Algeria, Abdelwahab el-Affendi, a professor of politics at the Qatar-based Doha Institute, told Al Jazeera.

Last week, Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned as Algerias president after weeks of mass protests demanding the end of his 20-year tenure.

Al-Bashir has so far refused to step down and has instead overseen a crackdown on critics accusing him of mismanaging the economy, leading to soaring food prices, regular fuel shortages and widespread cash shortages.

The president, who took power in a 1989 coup, has acknowledged that the economic concerns raised by protesters are legitimate but says his opponents should seek power through the ballot box when his term ends in 2020.
In the latest crackdown against protests in Sudan, security services loyal to President Omar al-Bashir have killed at least 14 anti-government protesters taking part in a mass sit-in outside the army headquarters in the capital, Khartoum, according to activists behind the demonstration.

Tuesdays deaths brought the total number of people killed during the protests since it started on Saturday to 22, including five soldiers who were killed while defending the protesters, the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors (CCSD), said in a statement.

The CCSD, which is affiliated with the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), the umbrella group at the forefront of the demonstrations, said 153 others were wounded. It said it expects the death toll to increase since some injuries were critical.

The government on Monday put the death toll since the weekend at seven.

The sit-in outside the complex, which also houses Bashirs official residence, is the latest in a succession of anti-government demonstrations which have plunged Sudan into a major political crisis.

The protests  organised by doctors, teachers and lawyers, among others  erupted in December over rising bread prices before morphing into demands for the president to step down after three decades in power. More than 60 people have been killed since the demonstrations began, according to activists.

Protest organisers alleged forces belonging to the widely-feared National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) used tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition in a bid to disperse the thousands of demonstrators who have camped out at the Khartoum complex, prompting some members of the army to attempt to protect those demonstrating.

Army chief: No military-NISS split

Protesters and the opposition Sudanese Congress Party (SCP) have called on the countrys military leadership to abandon Bashir, whose power base is within the armed forces. They insist, however, that they do not want a coup but the army to join their demand for the establishment of a transitional government.

We keep asking for the army to  protect this revolution and keep it peaceful, SPA spokeswoman Sara Abdeljaleel told Al Jazeera from Britains capital, London.

SCP secretary-general Khalid Omer Yousif said the army had no other option but to respond positively to the demands of the people, warning to do otherwise could unleash further unrest.

The leadership of the army, if they delay their response to the demands of the people and the call of the opposition, are endangering the unity of the army itself and this will lead the country into chaos, Yousif told Al Jazeera.

On Monday, Sudans Defence Minister General Awad Ibnouf had said that the military understood the reasons for the demonstrations against Bashir but would not allow mayhem to take hold.

History will not forgive if the armed forces let the country lose its security, Ibnouf said at a meeting of top military brass, according to the state-run SUNA news agency.

He also denied there were any divisions between the military and the NISS, saying the two were coordinating on how to deal with the protests.

US, UK, Norway call for political transition

Amid the unrest, foreign governments have called on Sudans leadership to deliver a credible plan for political transition.

In a joint statement on Tuesday, the embassies of the United States, Norway and the United Kingdom in Sudan said the time has come for the Sudanese authorities to respond to these popular demands in a serious and credible way.

The Troika (the United Kingdom, United States and Norway)

on the Current Unrest in Sudan

April 9, 2019

 (    )

    

9  2019 https://t.co/vY8YJp9zXc pic.twitter.com/CQ51YD0uIM  US Embassy Khartoum (@USEmbassyKRT) April 9, 2019

There remains a clear need for political and economic reform in Sudan that is fully inclusive, and which addresses the legitimate grievances expressed by the protesters, the joint statement said.

Economic stability cannot be achieved without first reaching political consensus  [and] political consensus cannot be achieved by imprisoning, shooting, and criminalising peaceful protesters, it added.

Despite the rising pressure, the 75-year-old leader has so far refused to step down. He has responded to the unrest with harsh measures, including a state of emergency declared in February, that have seen protesters, opposition leaders, activists and journalists detained.

Critics accuse him of mismanaging Sudans economy, resulting in high food prices, regular fuel shortages and widespread cash shortages.

The president, who took power in a 1989 coup, has acknowledged that the economic concerns raised by protesters are legitimate but says his opponents should seek power through the ballot box when his term ends in 2020.

Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague on charges of alleged war crimes and genocide connected with the suppression of a 16-year-old ethnic minority rebellion in the western region of Darfur.
Two soldiers have been killed by security forces as they tried to protect protesters, an opposition-linked group says.

At least two army soldiers have been killed by Sudanese security forces in the capital Khartoum while they attempted to protect protesters in front of the defence ministry, according to an opposition-linked group.

The Sudan Doctors Committee, a group affiliated with the opposition, said two soldiers were shot dead early on Tuesday as clashes erupted between government security forces and Sudanese soldiers  many of whom had responded to calls from the people to join anti-government demonstrations.

Eyewitnesses said government forces had attempted to break a sit-in staged by anti-regime protesters outside the army headquarters.

At around 2:00am, militias riding vehicles of the Rapid Support Forces began attacking protesters, Ramy Osman, a protester, told Anadolu news agency.





He said attacks escalated two hours later, prompting the army to intervene.

Another protester, who preferred to remain unidentified, said the army had allowed hundreds of protesters to enter the headquarters for protection.

At least seven dead

Thousands of people have been staging a sit-in for four consecutive days outside the complex, which also houses Sudanese President Omar al-Bashirs residence, calling for the leaders resignation.

Since April 6, when the sit-in began, at least seven people have been killed  including the two army soldiers and a protester in Omdurman, Sudans second most populous city, the Sudan Doctors Committee said.

Chanting Sudan is rising, the army is rising, crowds massed undeterred despite attempts to foil the demonstrations.

Forces belonging to the widely-feared National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) have used tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition in a bid to disperse the protesters, according to the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), one of the groups spearheading the demonstrations.

The latest rallies are an escalation of the four-month-long campaign for political change.

The protest movement began as a reaction to a government decision to triple the price of bread in December, but it has since escalated into growing demands for al-Bashirs departure after three decades in office.

Al-Bashir, meanwhile, has refused to step down, saying his opponents need to seek power through the ballot box.

No other option

Protesters have been appealing for solidarity with the military.

On Monday, the protesting Alliance for Freedom and Change group called on the army to hold direct talks with demonstrators about forming a transitional government.

Khalid Omer Yousif, a member of the Sudanese Congress Party, told Al Jazeera from London on Tuesday the opposition alliance was waiting to hear from the military.

Were waiting for the army leadership to respond to this initiative because we believe this is the only way out of scenarios that we want our country to avoid, Yousif said.





According to him, army officers have also joined the protesters.

They told the protesters that they are backing their demand; they are going to protect them  regardless of the position of the armys leadership.

Yousif warned that if the armys top ranks do not respond to the oppositions call, then they would be endangering the unity of the army itself.

They have no other option than to respond positively to the demands of the people, he said.

Defence Minister General Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf had vowed that the army would prevent any slide into disorder.

Sudans armed forces understand the reasons for the demonstrations and is not against the demands and aspirations of the citizens, but it will not allow the country to fall into chaos, Ibn Auf said on Monday, according to the official SUNA news agency.

In a separate statement, Army Chief of Staff Kamal Abdelmarouf said the military was discharging its responsibility in securing and protecting citizens.

Analysts, meanwhile, said senior military figures were eager to find a way for Bashir, whose power base is within the armed forces, to step down gracefully and initiate a transition of power.

While officials say 38 people have died since the protests erupted on December 19, Human Rights Watch has said at least 51 people have been killed during the demonstrations.
Erdogan travelled to Moscow to secure the purchase of Russias S400 missile defence system.

Russia and Turkey are ready to start joint patrols to secure the last rebel stronghold in Syria.

The deal for Idlib province was announced in Moscow during a visit by Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Both countries also reiterated their determination to go ahead with a missile defence deal, which is angering the United States.

Al Jazeeras Step Vaessen reports from Moscow.
Thousands rally in Algiers to denounce appointment of establishment insider Abdelkader Bensalah as acting head of state.

Police in Algerias capital have fired tear gas and water cannon at thousands of students protesting against the appointment of a new interim president who is a part of the ruling order they have been seeking to remove.

The demonstration in central Algiers on Tuesday took place as parliament officially confirmed upper house Speaker Abdelkader Bensalah as acting head of state for the next 90 days to replace Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who resigned last week under pressure from the weeks-long, youth-led protests.

Footage showed security forces moving in on the demonstrators shouting out with the system, dousing them with pepper spray, shooting from a water cannon and using batons to break up the crowd.

Bensalahs appointment is in accordance with Algerias constitution but the protesters who drove Bouteflika out after 20 years in office are unsatisfied with the move because he is a key ally of the former president and a seasoned establishment insider.

Naming a new interim president allows the country to organise elections.

Bensalah, who cannot run in the polls, does not have the support of the opposition parties, which abstained from Tuesdays session in parliament.

In a televised speech to the nation on Tuesday, the 77-year-old promised to organise free elections within his 90-day tenure and said he hoped they would result in a president committed to building a new Algeria.

Bensalah also announced plans to urgently create a sovereign body, with the help of the political class and civil society, to help lay down the required conditions for honest and transparent polls.

Bouteflikas departure has failed to satisfy the demonstrators [Anis Belghoul/AP]

Powerful army chief to speak

Bensalah is one of the three figures appointed by Bouteflika to key posts that protesters are demanding leave, dubbing them the three Bs. The others are Noureddine Bedoui, appointed last month as the head of government, and the chief of the Constitutional Council, Tayeb Belaiz, who would replace Bensalah in the case he resigned.

Out with Bensalah, Belaiz et Bedoui! protesters shouted on Tuesday as they massed at the square in front of the main post office, a symbol of the widespread rallies.

Ninety days is merely enough time for the system to maintain itself and give itself a new figure, a new facade, said Amina Afaf Chaieb, an Algerian activist taking part in weekly pro-Algerian democracy protests in Frances capital, Paris.

What we want is a democracy and huge institutional reforms, she told Al Jazeera.

I highly doubt that Bensalah, who is the product of the system, would be able to steer us towards that. What we need is a transitional government, a transition phase to put us on the right track  the real republic of a democracy where all Algerians would participate as real citizens.

Bouteflika, who suffered a debilitating stroke in 2013, yielded to the demands of protesters and renounced his bid for a fifth term in March, indefinitely postponing the presidential polls, originally planned for April 18.

That failed to appease protesters, who saw the moves as a trick to prolong his time in office. As protests continued, Algerias military joined the calls for Bouteflikas departure, which ultimately led to his resignation on April 2.

General Gaid Salah, Algerias powerful army chief, carefully managed Bouteflikas exit after declaring him unfit to stay in power and expressed support for protesters.

Algerias influential military says the countrys people are entitled to a peaceful atmosphere but hasnt commented yet on the appointment of Bensalah as interim president.

The Defense Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that the army will work to ensure the Algerian peoples legitimate right to enjoy total tranquility for the present and the future of the country.
Trump embraces Sisi despite concerns among US politicians, rights groups about human rights abuses in Egypt.

US President Donald Trump, welcomed Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to the White House on Tuesday, saying a lot of progress had been made with Egypt in terms of terrorism.

Trump, with Sisi at his side, also told reporters that the two had important things to discuss military issues and trade.

I think he is doing a great job, Trump said as he sat down for talks with Sisi in the White House. We have never had a better relationship between Egypt and United States than we do right now.

The United States government and US politicians are particularly concerned about Egypts reported signing of a two-billion-dollar deal with Russia to buy more than 20 Sukhoi SU-35 fighter jets as well as weapons for the aircraft.

Trump warmly embraced Sisi despite concerns among US politicians and rights advocates over human rights violations.

Rights groups accuse Egypt of instituting a widespread crackdown on dissent, including the torture of political prisoners  allegations the Egyptian government has denied.

In a letter released on Monday, key senators told Secretary of State Mike Pompeo there was strong support for the security relationship with Egypt but urged him to convey their concerns about democratic governance, political freedom, economic reforms and fundamental human rights in the country.

A strong and sustainable US-Egypt strategic partnership is vital for both countries but it requires Egypt to make a tangible effort to make those reforms, said the letter, signed by the Republican chairman and the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as well as 15 other senators.

Maduro is a tyrant, Kim Jong Un is a tyrant. Sisi changed the constitution, locking up thousands of political opponents and dissidents to try to stay in power, holding journalists and others and he is not a tyrant? Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy asked Secretary of State Pompeo at a Capitol Hill hearing on Tuesday.

Pompeo responded by saying, we have not been remotely bashful about calling out Egypts leader for human rights violations.

He added that he was deeply appreciative of the Egyptian governments cooperation with the US.

Pompeo said he raised concerns about US citizens who have been held in Egypt with Sisi in their meeting on Monday.

I met with him yesterday. We talked about these very things, asking him to do better, Pompeo said.

Constitutional amendments

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Later this month, Egyptians are expected to take part in a referendum to vote on constitutional amendments that could see Sisi extend his rule beyond the end of his second term in 2022.

The amendments would also increase the militarys political role and bring the judiciary under Sisis control.

In the run-up to Sisis meeting with Trump, Human Rights Watch urged Congress to condemn the amendments, saying the changes could institutionalise authoritarianism.

President el-Sisi is in Washington to obtain a green light for proposed constitutional amendments that grant the military highly abusive powers and further institutionalise authoritarianism, said Michael Page, HRWs deputy Middle East and Northern Africa director.

Given President Trumps silence on abuses, Congress should step up and condemn this initiative, Page added in a statement.

With additional reporting from William Roberts in Washington, DC.
The threatened US tariffs are in response to subsidies received by Airbus and target a host of European products.

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the United States would impose tariffs on $11bn-worth of European Union products, heightening tensions over a long-running transatlantic aircraft subsidy dispute that threatens to become a broader trade battle.

The two sides have been locked in a years-long spat over mutual claims of illegal aid to aeroplane makers, Netherlands-based Airbus and US-based Boeing Co, to help them gain advantage in the global jet market.

The case has been grinding its way through the World Trade Organization for almost 15 years and is reaching a climax as both sides approach the final stages of arbitration.

The World Trade Organization finds that the European Union subsidies to Airbus has adversely impacted the United States, which will now put Tariffs on $11 Billion of EU products! Trump said on Twitter. The EU has taken advantage of the US on trade for many years. It will soon stop!

His comments came a day after the US trade representative proposed a list of EU products targeted for tariffs, ranging from large commercial aircraft to dairy products and wine, as retaliation for European aircraft subsidies. The final list is expected this summer.

Retaliation plans

In response, the European Commission said earlier on Tuesday it had started to draw up plans to retaliate over Boeing subsidies.

The Commission is starting preparations so that the EU can promptly take action based on the arbitrators decision on retaliation rights in this case, a Commission spokesman said. The European Union remains open for discussions with the United States, provided these are without preconditions and aim at a fair outcome.

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Both sides have won partial victories in claiming Airbus and Boeing received unlawful subsidies but disagree on the amount involved and whether each has complied with earlier WTO rulings.

Airbus said it saw no legal basis for the US move and warned of deepening transatlantic trade tensions.

The EU is already facing US tariffs on its steel and aluminium exports and Trump has repeatedly threatened to hit EU cars with punitive duties.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told a conference in Paris that the two sides needed to reach a friendly agreement.

When I see the situation global growth is in, I dont think we can afford to have a trade conflict, even if only on the specific issues of the aircraft industry in the United States and Europe, he said.

More tit-for-tat

The US tariffs proposal put pressure on shares in European makers of aircraft and aerospace suppliers, as well as wine, cheese and luxury goods.

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Airbus fell nearly two percent, while Boeing dropped 1.5 percent. Airbus suppliers such as Safran and Leonardo also were down.

Analysts were divided over whether the ramped-up dispute would lead to greater global trade issues.

Get ready for more tit-for-tat scrapping to follow, said John Woolfitt of London brokerage Atlantic Markets.

Germany is particularly apprehensive of possible US tariffs on car imports. The US is a major market for Volkswagen, Mercedes maker Daimler and BMW.

Moodys said on Tuesday that potential US tariffs on imported cars and parts represented a significant risk to global growth and would hinder economic momentum in Germany, Japan and Korea.

The US wants to pressure the EU to engage in meaningful trade talks, but without having to apply the more painful measure of automotive tariffs, said Cailin Birch, global economist at The Economist Intelligence Unit.

Fabiana Fedeli at Robeco sees the latest moves as tactical, The new tariffs  are a drop in the ocean as a percentage of the overall trade between the US and Europe and we view them as a negotiating tool to set the tone for what the really important negotiations are, namely autos, she said.
Amid the crisis in Yemen, the UK Court of Appeal will hear an appeal in favour of overturning arms sales to Saudi Arabia,

Relations with Saudi Arabia are in the spotlight in Britain, where billions of dollars in weapons sales will come under discussion on Tuesday.

In a London courtroom, lawyers for human rights groups will argue the sales violate the UKs export policies.

Al Jazeeras Nadim Baba reports.
YouTube disabled the comments sections of a US congressional hearing on white nationalism after it was overwhelmed by hateful comments.

The section was turned off about 30 minutes after the House Judiciary Committee began its Tuesday hearing about the spread of white nationalism and hate crimes in the United States.

Hate speech has no place on YouTube. Weve invested heavily in teams and technology dedicated to removing hateful comments/videos, YouTube, a Google company, tweeted on Tuesday. Due to the presence of hateful comments, we disabled comments on the livestream of todays House Judiciary Committee hearing.

During the hearing, executives from Google and Facebook were questioned about their role in the spread of hate crimes and the rise of white nationalism in the US.

Both social media companies said they were employing a combination of artificial intelligence and human employees to combat hate speech on their platforms.

Alexandria Walden, a counsel on human rights at Google, said the company was working to swiftly remove content that violates hate speech while diminishing the prominence of borderline cases.

The man accused of killing 50 people at two New Zealand mosques in March livestreamed himself on Facebook carrying out the attack, drawing more criticism of the companys handling of hate.

Late last month, Facebook announced it was banning content that glorifies nationalism and separatism.

Emboldened by Trump

Jerry Nadler, the chairman of the committee and a leading Democrat, blamed US President Donald Trump for an attitude that fans the flames with language that, whether intentional or not, may motivate and embolden white supremacist movements.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said 78 percent of domestic extremist murders in the US last year were committed by white supremacists.

The Southern Poverty Law Center watchdog group said hate crimes had reached a record high last year. The number of hate groups active in the US peaked at 1,020 in 2018, a seven-percent increase from 954 recorded in 2017. In 2018, at least 40 people were killed by those motivated by or attracted to far-right ideologies, the watchdog group wrote in its annual report.

We are seeing a resurgence, where most of the crimes are from white extremists, said Eileen Hershenov from the ADL, warning that social media was being used to spread hate.

Another witness testifying was Mohammad Abu-Salha, a doctor whose two daughters and son-in-law were murdered in a hate crime in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 2015.

I must be one of a few physicians, if not the only one, who read his own childrens murder autopsy reports and details, Abu-Salha, a doctor, said. They are seared into my memory.

Abu-Salhas testimony brought some of the members of Congress to tears.

Criticism over witness selection

Republicans were criticised, however, for some controversial witnesses they invited to testify including Candace Owens, an ultra-conservative commentator who recently appeared to justify some of Adolf Hitlers domestic policies in remarks she later walked back from.

In a letter to Nadler, 20 organisations dealing with Muslim, South Asian, Sikh and Arab communities said the list of witnesses should have been more survivor-centered.

They added that the Republican witness list includes several individuals whose actions and institutions have helped catalyse hate crimes, not abate them.

The organisations singled out Owens for tweeting LOL [laughing out loud] after the Christchurch massacre and who was listed as an inspiration in the manifesto released by the attacker, they said. They also singled out Morton Klein, president of the Zionist Organization of America, who they said used the slur filthy Arabs last year.

It is unfathomable as to why witnesses who espouse hateful positions and represent racist institutions would be included given their active discrimination against Muslims and Arabs, they said.

YouTube, Microsoft, Twitter and Facebook have reportedly doubled the rate at which they fight hate speech online. The internet giants are now assessing 89 percent of flagged content within 24 hours and removing 72 percent of the content deemed illegal, European Union officials said last week.

Last year, Facebook said it was using tools to automatically detect hate speech and hiring more Burmese-language speakers to review posts, after acknowledging it had been too slow to address anti-Rohingya hate speech in Myanmar.
A legendary friendship borne of youth and revolutionary zeal eventually succumbs to the strains of Cold War realpolitik.

Editors note: This film will be removed on February 27, 2020.

Could Che Guevara, the radical thinker from Argentina, and Fidel Castro, the political maestro from Cuba, ever share the title of liberators and saviours of Latin America?

As youthful friends and comrades, the men formed a power duo that led a guerilla army that toppled the Batista dictatorship in Cuba. But the treachery of Cold War politics eventually drove a wedge between these one-time guerillas and friends.

This episode of Face to Face narrates a legendary but ill-fated alliance.

Guevara and Castro: six defining moments

Over the course of 12 years, the friendship between Ernesto Che Guevara and Fidel Castro took many twists and turns. From the moment they met until the death of Guevara, the relationship between the two reflected a complex geopolitical game in which lies, manipulation and internecine power struggles sealed Cubas fate as the small Caribbean island that would play an outsized role in Cold War politics.

These are six key moments that shaped their friendship  and its downfall.

July 1955: Fidel Castro and Ernesto Che Guevara meet

While in exile in Mexico, Fidel Castro meets the Argentine doctor Ernesto Che Guevara. The two men click and they spend 10 hours talking and sharing their revolutionary ideals.

In his journal, Guevara writes of the encounter:

I talked all night with Fidel. And in the morning I had become the doctor of his new expedition. To tell the truth, after my experiences across Latin America I didnt need much more to enlist for a revolution against a tyrant. But I was particularly impressed with Fidel. I shared his optimism. We needed to act, to struggle, to materialise our beliefs. Stop whining and fight.

Fidel Castro in his 1945 high school yearbook, left, and a 22-year-old Ernesto Guevara in 1951 while in Argentina [Diario de la Marina/Associated Press; public domain]

July 31, 1956: Castro waits and gets Guevara out of prison

In setting up his revolutionary organisation, the M26, Castro comes under the radar of the Mexican security forces and is imprisoned along with Guevara.

Castro is released before Guevara. Guevara tells Castro to leave him there, but Castro refuses and eventually gets him out of jail.

Ernesto Guevara, of course, will never forget this gesture, when his comrade became like a brother to him, says journalist and writer Serge Raffy.

In his journal, Guevara writes:

Fidels answer was irrevocable and I can still hear him say: I will not leave you. This was his decision and he never departed from it. This attitude of Fidels for the ones he cared about is key to the fanaticism that surrounds him. If you adhere to his principles, you adhere to his whole personality and thats what makes this rebel army an indivisible block.

Fidel Castro as rebel leader in Cuba, February 26, 1957. Castro set off from Mexico to start a guerrilla war in Cuba with a small army of rebel fighters in November 1956, months after he and Guevara had been released from prison [The Associated Press]

January 8, 1959: After the revolution, Guevara lets Castro take the limelight

After proclaiming victory of the Cuban revolution in Santiago de Cuba on January 1, 1959, Castro had begun a week-long march to Cubas capital.

During this march towards La Havana, Guevara is ahead. And thats when Fidel Castro, whos no angel, whos a real politician, decides to restore some order, Raffy says. He demands that Guevara as well as all the other ones stay behind.

It needs to be a Cuban that arrives in the city to proclaim the revolution, says historian Simon Reid-Henry.

On January 8, 1959, Castro marches into Havana in triumph while the fiercely loyal Guevara, by now Castros faithful comandante, remains in the shadow.

Fidel Castro addresses a crowd in front of the presidential palace in Havana shortly after declaring the Cuban revolution a success in January 1959 [Harold Valentine/The Associated Press]

1964: Castro appoints Guevara as ambassador to the revolution

Castro appoints Guevara as ambassador in order to keep him away from Cuba. Over time, the friendship between Castro and Guevara has changed. A pragmatist, Castro puts the future of his leadership ahead of his revolutionary goals on more than one occasion, while Guevara is making increasingly radical statements.

After the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, Guevara distances himself from the Soviet Union  on whom Cuba depends economically  while Castro is trying to cosy up to the superpower.

Ernesto Guevara, at that point, has become a bit of a nuisance because he has a disruptive effect on Fidels honeymoon with the Soviet Union, says Raffy.

He makes a few incredible statements  He says hes ready to erase New York from the surface of the planet. So the Russians are thinking: This one, were going to have to keep a good eye on him, because this is not the way we want it to work.'

Fidel Castro shakes hands with Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev in Moscow on May 23, 1963. While Guevara had grown increasingly critical of the Soviet Union, Castro was further cosying up to the country on which Cubas economy depended [TASS/Associated Press]

February 24, 1965: Guevara publicly criticises the USSR

Speaking at the Afro-Asian Conference in Algeria, Guevara openly criticises the USSR in front of the countrys delegates, which angers the Soviets. It puts pressure on Castro to distance himself from his old friend.

In March 1965, when Guevara is back in Havana, Che Guevara is immediately kidnapped by Castro and sent to a security house, as theyre called in Cuba  We have a testimony from one of the security guards who was nearby and heard Fidel bellowing, says Latin America specialist Pierre Kalfon.

Benigno, a fellow guerrilla fighter and a former comrade of Guevara, says: After talking for 42 or 43 hours maybe, El Che got out. He looked miserable, I had never seen him like this. He came out with his green beret, like hed just been told he had contracted a fatal disease. His walk was heavy and he kept his head low.

Ernesto Che Guevara walks with Algerias president Ahmed Ben Bella at Algiers airport in 1964. A year later, Guevara returned to Algeria for the Afro-Asian Conference [The Associated Press]

October 3, 1965: Guevara is dismissed from the Communist Partys Central Committee

In the light of rumours of Castro assassinating Guevara  who has been out of the public eye for several months now  Castro announces El Ches dismissal from the Central Committee by reading out a farewell letter, allegedly written by Guevara, in public without Guevaras knowledge.

Once again, Fidel is all at once pragmatic and rather quite cruel towards El Che. If you want to pinpoint the exact moment El Che was abandoned by Fidel, maybe thats when, Kalfon says.

At the time, Guevara himself is unsuccessfully waging a guerrilla war in Congo  the result of what Serge Raffy calls Castros exit strategy to save his friend: Heres his offer to Guevara, Since all you care about is your internationalist war, so be it, youre going to do that in Africa.

After Guevaras defeat in Congo, Castro orchestrates another international guerilla operation for his former right-hand man  this time in Bolivia. There, he is wounded and arrested on October 8, 1967. The next day, Guevara is executed.

In Cuba, Guevara becomes a martyr, his myth only adding to the strength of Castro as a leader.
The largest electric utility in Florida is proposing building the worlds largest battery to smooth the output of solar energy installations.

Wind and solar energy are erratic. Output depends on when the sun is shining or the wind is blowing. If only electricity could be economically stored, wind and solar would be a lot more practical, or at least, less impracticable. With storage, when the sun is shining or the wind is blowing, electricity could be stored for use when the wind or solar was temporarily dead in the water.

There are two methods of storing electricity that are not entirely inadequate: pumped storage and lithium batteries. Pumped storage is best, but it requires two reservoirs at considerably different heights. Thats out of the question in pancake-flat Florida. Batteries are great for computers, cellphones and portable drills. They are even semi-practical for automobiles like Teslas products. But batteries are desperately expensive for smoothing out wind or solar energy.

Florida Power and Light (FPL) is proposing that the worlds largest battery will be connected to a small solar plant. The battery will be capable of storing 900 megawatt hours of electricity. It will cost about $400 million. The solar plant in question has an average output of about 15 megawatts. The battery will be able to store 60 hours worth of the solar output. If it is cloudy for more than 60 hours the battery will likely run flat. There are over 100 cloudy days per year in nearby Tampa Florida, so one suspects that it is cloudy for more than 60 hours, or 3 days in a row, from time to time.

The electricity exiting from a typical utility scale solar plant, without subsidies, costs about $70 per megawatt hour. Adding the battery to the system will jack up the price to more than $300 per megawatt hour. An interesting sidelight is that the energy stored in FPLs 900 MWh battery is equal to the energy in 800 tons of high explosive TNT. That is about 1/20th of the energy released by the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima, Japan. Given the many fires traceable to lithium batteries, that is something to think about.

FPLs proposed battery is capable of supplying 400 megawatts for 2 hours. That is a high rate of discharge, making the system more expensive. So, perhaps, the battery is actually intended to be a peaking generator pressed into service when electricity consumption peaks briefly. I suspect that this is the case and all the blather about solar energy is a cover story to make the battery fit in with green psychology. The beauty of painting something green is that it makes foolish projects desirable. The problem with the battery as a peaking generator is that for about the same money one can buy a combined cycle natural gas plant that can supply 400 megawatts for as long as you want, not just for two hours. Further the electricity from the gas plant will cost $50 per megawatt hour, not $300.

The profiteers who have painted wind, solar and batteries fluorescent green are very good at propaganda and changing the subject. Somehow reducing CO2 emissions has become an urgent priority. The profiteers never make a peep about the 86% of CO2 emissions that come from places outside our borders. China is building hundreds of new coal generating plants, the biggest emitters of CO2. Wind and solar are 70% subsidized. Now green ideologues are lobbying Congress to add batteries to the green welfare rolls.

Climate change, formerly known as global warming, is another green hoax. Clever propagandists have managed to make skepticism concerning global warming politically incorrect. Our legislators shake in their boots fearful of being tagged as climate deniers. If you want to know that it is a hoax it is only necessary to read the climategate emails among prominent scientist-promoters of global warming. Global warming made climate scientists rock stars rather than nerdy occupants of an academic Siberia. They vigorously defend their new celebrity status. The predictions of global warming come from complex computer models that are easy to manipulate under the influence of confirmation bias.

Utilities dont shrink from building over-priced, useless projects. Actually, they are eager, frothing in the mouth and champing at the bit. The reason is that they add the cost of the useless project to their rate base. Regulation usually allows them a profit proportional to the size of the rate base. The catch is that a public utility commission must approve the project. In the current atmosphere, useless projects go through easily provided they are green.

Supposedly, Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Germanys Minister of Propaganda, said Repeat a lie often enough, it becomes the truth. The Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who died in 1923, stated that men form their beliefs from emotion and passion and that rational justifications are window dressing for the underlying passion. A core justification for science is that scientists are supposed to form their beliefs based on rationality and data, not emotion or personal prestige. Unfortunately, in climate science, its not working. Similarly, journalists are supposed to be skeptical and dig for the truth. Instead, most journalists, especially in the big, establishment media companies, uncritically accept green delusions, be it windmills or global warming.

The picture is not completely dark. There are plenty of scientists that dispute the global warming/ climate change mythology. There are many journalists, especially outside of the big media companies, that write skeptically and intelligently about green ideology. It is disturbing that there are persistent efforts to silence these dissenters.

Calling people climate deniers and demanding that they listen to science are not discussions about public policy. These are attempts to hold people to public ridicule and silence dissenters. It is disgusting that big media and big science engage in these tactics. It is sad that our legislators cower in the face of these attacks.

It is difficult to challenge global warming propaganda, because the science is very opaque and complex. However, the engineering and economics behind green energy is not particularly difficult. There are thousands of engineers and scientists that understand perfectly well that green energy is largely fraudulent. But the dissenters are not organized or well-financed. The promoters of green energy are connected to large business with billions of dollars of annual sales. They are able to control public opinion and the legislative agenda with money and influence.

Norman Rogers is the author of the book: Dumb Energy: A Critique of Wind and Solar Energy. He writes often about climate and green energy. His articles can be found here.
President Trump's initiative to build a border wall on the southern border of the U.S. is meeting with an extraordinary amount of resistance from the Democratic Party. The Democrats have gathered their forces and are exerting an unprecedented resistance to Pres. Trump's efforts to control illegal immigration, when only a few years ago they voted for a border wall.

In order to understand the anti-wall effort, it's necessary to briefly review the history of the Democratic Party's immigration model of politics. Only an historical perspective can provide the necessary background essential to comprehending the hysterical nature of the DNC's resistance to President Trump's border wall project.

The Democrats have a long history of endeavoring to manipulate political power. Since the governmental leaders of the U.S. are elected, and each person has an equal vote in local, state, and national elections, the Democrats have always attempted to manipulate the numbers of Democrat voters.

There are two basic facets to the political power game in the U.S. The first is that all elections take place within geographical boundaries. This may seem so obvious it is not worth discussing, but a brief review of the Democrat attempt to secure political power will reveal how important geographical boundaries are.

Political power in the U.S. is not inherited, it is based on majority elections within states. This means that whoever successfully influences voters in a geographical area will win the elections. The earliest blatant attempt at such control was developed and perpetrated by Elbridge Gerry, the governor of Massachusetts in the early 1800s. His scheme of voter manipulation was to map out the location of known voters by their past political preferences. He ended up ultimately redrawing districts to capture the largest number of known voters who supported his party. This method is now widely known as gerrymandering and the most outrageously blatant gerrymandered congressional district is Congressional District 4 in IL. This is the district that recently ousted Luis Gutierrez and replaced him with Jesus Garcia in Chicago.

The Oxford English Dictionary discusses how the term gerrymander was invented in 1812, when a newspaper editor and writer were discussing Governor Gerry's district. The district was laid out in a shape that roughly corresponded to the shape of a salamander. Upon hearing this term, an artist who contributed to newspapers combined Gerry's name with "salamander" and came up with "gerrymander."

That the most blatantly gerrymandered congressional district in the entire U.S. is located in Chicago is no coincidence. Chicago Democrats have long practiced manipulating voters by any means possible.

The next important date in Chicago's link to illegal immigration occurred in 1933 when Edward Joseph Kelly was elected Chicago's mayor. This is important because it started the long line of Chicago's Democratic mayors which has continued to this day.

This was followed by another landmark date in Chicago's history of voter manipulation, which occurred in 1984, when Mayor Harold Washington issued Executive Order 85-1, proclaiming that immigration status shall no longer be a factor in the distribution of Chicago benefits. Chicago was the first big American city to declare itself, through this statement, a sanctuary for illegal immigrants.

Mayor Washington declared that immigration status would not be a factor for Chicago residents. This is critically important because it provided an historical precedent encouraging northward immigration over the southern border and established the Democratic Party's encouragement of illegal immigration.

After World War II outmigration became a concern for all big northern Democrat-controlled cities since the growth of suburbs and the baby boom prompted young couples to leave big cities and seek more space for their families. But this outmigration created a huge problem for the big Democratic cities from Boston to Los Angeles: how to restore and stabilize their city's population and keep control of Congress. The solution was to allow illegal immigration and support them with benefits.

Providing illegal immigrants with benefits such as food stamps and housing were crucial, since illegal immigrants were not well educated and did not earn enough income to be self-sufficient. This concern prompted President Lyndon Baines Johnson to establish the Great Society welfare programs, and he himself admitted the programs were intended to strengthen America's big cities. LBJ stopped the agricultural guest worker program, called the Bracero program, just at the time he started the Great Society. This allowed illegal immigrants to come to Chicago and not worry about being educated well enough to support themselves. The lack of income was made up through free benefits.

The Center for Immigration Studies found that by 2005 the average illegal immigrant family in Chicago obtained tens pf thousands of dollars worth of benefits per year, mostly in the value of public education.

The link between education and immigration cannot be underestimated. In Illinois and other states some of the biggest campaign contributors are teacher unions, and as residents left the big cities the unions needed to keep their jobs and pensions. Today Chicago is 47% Hispanic, whereas in 1970 it was only 2%. The need for city residents compelled Democrats to change/ignore all the immigration laws and work to repopulate northern cities. Not all cities encouraged illegal immigration. Chicago was the first but New York's mayor Ed Koch made a sanctuary proclamation a few months later.

The die had been cast. Big northern cities became obsessed with promoting illegal immigration to keep up their populations. The number of congressional members is totally dependent upon population. But Chicago also turned illegal immigrants into voters. In 1982 the FBI found that 100,000 voters were illegal in that year's election. Other cities picked up the practice, but Chicago was the first to have its mayor declare itself a sanctuary for illegal immigration through Mayor Washington's Executive Order 85-1.

Today Chicago needs federal benefit dollars and deficit spending to finance not only the immigrants but the pensions of its union members. In Chicago all the high property taxes paid by residents goes only to public-sector pensions. Illinois has a total of ten cities where all the property taxes go to pensions. This is putting enormous financial stress on residents, so as a result Chicago and Pelosi are now more motivated than ever to eliminate immigration quotas, keep the southern border open and restore the populations of the traditional Democrat-run big cities.

Only when one fully understands the public sector union demands for money and need to restore big city populations can the battle between President Trump and Nancy Pelosi be fully understood. Pelosi is convinced that if the Democratic big cities give up illegal immigration the Democratic Party is finished.
I didnt know. I really didnt know! According to Caitlin Flanagan at The Atlantic, when prep-school college counsellor Katie would tell rich liberal parents that their kid -- on whom they had spent a ton of private-school tuition -- probably wouldnt get into one of those selective colleges, those same rich liberal parents would get mad as hell. Hey, They Had It Coming. Writes Katie,

Anyone can understand a parents disappointment if he had thought for 17 years that his child would go to Yale one day, only to learn that its not in the cards. But what accounted for the intensity of emotion these parents expressed, their sense of a profound loss, of rage at being robbed of what they believed was rightfully theirs? They were experiencing the same response to a changing America that ultimately brought Donald Trump to office: white displacement and a revised social contract. The collapse of manufacturing jobs has been to poor whites what the elite college-admissions crunch has been to wealthy ones[.]

Actually, I wouldnt worry, Katie. Those rich liberals will find a way to sneak their kids into some silk-stocking job in the ruling class, somehow. Money talks. Just ask Hillary Clinton.

But notice how Katie describes the operation of the Law of Unintended Consequences biting the clients of the liberal administrative state in the butt as a changing America and revised social contract. Funny how all the good things in America are triumphs of liberal activism whereas all the bad things... just happened.

I dont know about you, Katie, honey baby chile -- hey, all the best people are using fake-black argot these days -- but back in the day I read a book. You probably havent read it, because in the years since it was published it has been placed on the Index of the Woke Office of the Lefty Inquisition -- because raciss -- and good little girls sensibly dont read unsafe raciss books.

Every young lefty activist knows that The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life is white supremacist conspiracy theory and will probably soon be so flagged in Google Searches. Hey Sundar! How yer doin, pal?

What liberals dont like about The Bell Curve is that author Charles Murray -- tagged by the non-partisan and ethical Southern Poverty Law Center as extremist -- suggested that the then-current practice of selected kids for college on their IQ was part of a national policy of segregation by intelligence. And that would not be good for Katies social contract.

And now here we are, 25 years after The Bell Curve, and rich liberal parents are panicked that their kids cant make it in the IQ derby. I get it. Who wants to drink from the low-IQ water fountain?

Maybe, liberals, you shouldnt have politicized college entrance back in the day. I mean: just about any politically motivated policy about anything is bound to end up as a vile and divisive failure.

First, liberals found that the nice comfortable college education for rich kids was screwing over up-and-coming Jews. So Something Had to be Done about it. But then college entrance by IQ meant that not enough blacks were getting into college so Something Had to be Done about it. Hey liberals! How about those east Asian students? Cat got your tongue?

In short, practically everything going wrong in America today, liberals, is Your Fault. You Did It. Because you are the ruling class. And you are the conventional-wisdom idiots.

Then we have the poor bloody white working class. Liberals are to blame for them too, because back in the day liberals decided to buy working-class votes with labor laws, pro-union legislation, and swingeing taxes on labor to pay for entitlements. But when you dish out privilege, liberals, the day comes when privilege eats its own. Rather like college admissions eating the babies of rich liberal parents.

And you did it, Katie, and The Atlantic, and the rest of the worst ruling class in U.S. history.

Hey, Katie: repeat after me: At Harvard, Amherst, and Haverford, education hardly ever happens.

She did it! By George, she did it!

Hey, I know, Katie. Lets just set up a bunch of colleges for rich kids, where, if you have to ask how much it costs, you cant afford it!

And as for what we should be doing to educate the rest of us, and what we should do with the rest of the failing liberal welfare state -- and You Did It, Katie -- Id say that there is only one thing I know about the brave new world that is a-borning.

Liberals need not apply.

Oh, liberals can apply for the colleges and the jobs. But liberals must give up their ancient and immemorial right to design and implement stupid ideas and ruin the lives of ordinary Americans.

You know why, Katie? Because You Had It Coming.

Christopher Chantrill @chrischantrill runs the go-to site on US government finances, usgovernmentspending.com. Also get his American Manifesto and his Road to the Middle Class.
In what appears to be a practice unique to Vermont, yet more of the Green Mountain State's schools have elected to officially fly the Black Lives Matter (BLM) flag. Since Montpelier High School, in the state's capital, became the first public school in the nation to display this flag (for the month of February 2018), a number of other Vermont schools have followed suit. Most recently, the Town of Rutland's public schools board "voted unanimously to fly the flag for 400 consecutive days starting April 12  the 158th anniversary of the start of the Civil War."

Vermont is an odd venue for such protests. The first state to abolish slavery (in 1777), Vermont had numerous residents serve and die in the Civil War. High-profile protests at Vermont's Middlebury College in 2017 are similarly ironic: the first black college graduate in United States history, Alexander Twilight, was in Middlebury's class of 1823 and also went on to become the first (and only preCivil War) black state legislator, in 1836, in Vermont.

Alexander Twilight attended grammar school in Randolph, Vermont, where the Black Lives Matter flag was flown recently because students asserted that "people of color" "were not represented in our school." One student commented, "Even though raising the flag is not intended as a threat to white people, it can sometimes be interpreted as such."

It is inappropriate for educators to officially embrace vague, anarchic "movements" justified as "teaching tools." Black Lives Matter is a sufficiently controversial organization that Montpelier High School's Principal Mike McRaith felt compelled at the initial flag-raising to issue the disclaimer that "we reject any purported violence associated with Black Lives Matter and embrace the message of equity for all." Given the open (not purported) violence often associated with BLM at protests and riots, that "equitable message" is often clouded. Pol Pot sincerely wished to implement a purist "higher" stage of communism that embraced egalitarianism and selflessness, and his Khmer Rouge was (purportedly) willing to exterminate intellectuals and dissidents in large numbers to do so. It is nonsensical to embrace an organization or ideology and then seek to disassociate its dubious means from its benign ends  yet this is precisely what these school administrations have done.

What is the difference between the BLM flag and the Confederate flag, of which some would say, "Even though raising the flag is not intended as a threat to black people, it can sometimes be interpreted as such"? Employing Principal McRaith's rationale, since one view of the Confederate flag represents liberty and (rebellious) freedom, these positive meanings can be "embraced," while any "purported associated violence" can be "rejected." Vermont's schools do not display Confederate flags. Or MAGA flags.

In the 1960's civil rights movement, division existed between black leaders who sought to use peaceful protest to effect change (most notably pastor Martin Luther King, Jr.) and those, like the Black Panthers and Malcolm X, who advocated for violence to achieve equality for blacks.

BLM states that the United States is guilty of a national systemic racism that kills black people: this is simply not true of Vermont. But BLM's Burlington chapter website declares on its home page: "For the master's tools will never dismantle the master's house. They may allow us to temporarily beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change..." (Audre Lorde).

This echoes Malcolm X's famous speech on January 23, 1963, in which he differentiated between "house negroes" who lived in the master's house, and who cared that the master recover when ill, and "field negroes": "But then you had another Negro out in the field. The house Negro was in the minority. The masses  the field Negroes were the masses. They were in the majority. When the master got sick, they prayed that he'd die. [Laughter] If his house caught fire, they'd pray for a wind to come along and fan the breeze."

This is why some people (black and white) perceive the BLM flag as a threat to civil order and inappropriate for support via public funds or public institutions. BLM is oft compared to the Occupy Wall Street "movement," an anarchic group of sign-wavers with no shared leadership or message. BLM is unclear in its methodology and has no centralized leadership; its name as slogan is visible in disruptive and sometimes violent protests  including numerous instances of disrespect toward police. As reported in the New Yorker, "Black Lives Matter has been described as 'not your grandfather's civil-rights movement,' to distinguish its tactics and its philosophy from those of nineteen-sixties-style activism."

What exactly does BLM "mean" on its website that "[w]e are self-reflexive and do the work required to dismantle cisgender privilege"? Or "[w]e are committed to dismantling the patriarchal practice that requires mothers to work 'double shifts' that require them to mother in private even as they participate in justice work"? Are Vermont's schools shepherding children to "dismantle" these patriarchal, cisgender oppressions of the master's house?

I support the freedom of citizens to privately display any flag they wish  even the Swastika, as the United States Supreme Court guaranteed in National Socialist Party of America v. Village of Skokie, 432 U.S. 43 (1977). But I oppose controversial ideological flags being flown at state-funded public schools, because it appears that the institution is endorsing an ideology or its methodology.

Malcolm X called Martin Luther King a 20th-century Uncle Tom (the equivalent of a House Negro), criticizing King's nonviolent approach and calling for liberty and equality "by any means necessary." BLM's leaders similarly criticize the peaceful avenue, as recounted in the New Yorker piece above. King in turn opposed what he considered Malcolm's "dangerous radicalism," saying of Malcolm: "Fiery, demagogic oratory in the Black ghettos, urging Negroes to arm themselves and prepare to engage in violence, as he has done, can reap nothing but grief" (MLK History).

Perhaps today's America no longer wishes to "discriminate" between the diametrically opposed methodologies of these two intelligent, passionate men, but I assert that the two paths toward a goal of equality remain. One is violent, the other peaceful. It appears by language and action that BLM favors the Malcolm X route.

It is incumbent upon our Vermont educators to explain their position. Are these schools stating that blacks are systematically oppressed by the State of Vermont? Are they opposing cisgender dominance, patriarchal privilege, and double shifts for mothers in justice work? Are they endorsing the radicalism of Malcolm X? It's kind of important.

These schools delegated this race conversation to black students, rather than lead it for all. The stated goal has been "to educate white people about racism." Yet per Audre Lorde, "expecting a marginalized group to educate the oppressors is the continuation of racist, patriarchal thought." By that measure, the schools that displayed the BLM flag assisted their black students to become Uncle Toms.

Ebony Nyoni, BLM's Vermont leader, appeared in a high-profile article (photographed in shackles!) in which "micro-aggressions" were equated with lynchings and the "black struggle" in Vermont is called a "life and death matter." Nyoni later encountered scandal when her use of funds was questioned during a contentious political race. I am unaware of a state BLM chapter that has been more controversial than that of Vermont  the only state where public schools fly BLM's flag.

Stranger still is a Vermont report that declares of Vermont that "[w]e live in a White Supremacy culture." "White privilege" is therein defined as "an invisible package of unearned assets which [ a white person ] can count on cashing in each day, but about which [ the person ] is meant to remain oblivious. White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, code books, visas, clothes, tools, and blank checks."

Mostly, Vermonters have enjoyed white privilege over only each (white) other and have a virtually unbroken (white, except for indigenous people) history of agrarian poverty that lacked "invisible packages of unearned assets" (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wasn't here then) or "invisible weightless knapsacks." They ate coyote and groundhog. A great many Vermonters could not read maps (or anything else) and never owned a passport or visa. Heat, shelter, clothes, and food were challenge enough, the last often consumed sans teeth.

Yet a handful of recent carpetbagger emigres have discovered that "People of Color" enjoy special status in white-guilt Vermont, including direct access to a legislature that will rubber-stamp (and fund!) anything proffered, like white-bread deer in the race-card headlights.

This January, our legislature unanimously passed a bill creating a "group tasked with recommending changes to the state's academic standards to ... recognize fully the history, contributions, and perspectives of ethnic and social groups." "Social groups" includes "lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, or nonbinary."

Thus, Vermont awaits a new school curriculum for pre-K through 12 that will incorporate the previously unrecognized contributions of queer, questioning, and transgender colonial pioneers, Civil War heroes, and 19th-century orators. This unchallenged legislation is as vague as BLM's platform, cloaked in the magic race card.

Of course, there are prejudices here  shockingly, Rutland City school board member Michael Blow told students at a March 12 meeting that he was a "nigger-lover." But radical, sweeping legislative change is not justified by the paltry minority of ignorant people. Most Vermonters are quite the opposite  one judge dismissed a drunk driving charge against a black driver solely because the accused, as a black man, had "exercised restraint" when arrested.

While Vermont's schools fly BLM flags, its legislature weighs a bill that would create a reparations committee that will 1) determine "how the State of Vermont will offer a formal apology on behalf of the people of Vermont for the perpetration of gross human rights violations and crimes against humanity on African slaves and their descendants" (5502 [b][3][B]) and 2) "what form of compensation should be awarded, through what instrumentalities, and who should be eligible for such compensation" (5502 [b][3][F]).

BLM is specifically endorsed for membership on the committee.

John Klar is an attorney and farmer and pastor of the First Congregational Church of Westfield, Vermont.
In an astonishing instance of judicial activism, a federal judge has ruled that unvetted Central American caravan migrants seeking U.S. asylum no longer have to wait it out in Mexico.

According to NBC News:

A federal judge in California issued an order Monday blocking the Trump administration's policy of returning some asylum-seekers to Mexico while they wait for a court appearance. U.S. District Court Judge Richard Seeborg's nationwide ruling will not go into effect until Friday, to give the administration time to appeal. Outgoing Homeland Security chief Kirstjen Nielsen announced the launch of the Migrant Protection Protocols in San Diego, the country's busiest border crossing, in January. Under the policy, Customs and Border Protection officers and agents have the authority to turn around asylum-seekers crossing in the San Diego and El Paso sectors. Families seeking asylum had previously been allowed to stay in the United States while awaiting their court hearings. A lawsuit filed on behalf of 11 asylum-seekers from Central America had argued that being sent back across the border could expose them to "undue risk to their lives or freedom."

So they can all come live and work here to wait out their nearly always meritless asylum cases in court, something that gives them a minimum of several free years of worry-free U.S. residency at zero cost. Legal immigrants, on the other hand, will continue to have to wait it out in their home countries with their applications to move here, with ten-year or more backlogs, as well as pay high administrative costs if they want to do it the legal way.

Any questions now as to why a million people are planning to enter the U.S. without papers in this year alone? With a ruling like that, it's an open bar for those who want to enter the U.S. without vetting.

President Trump railed against the illogic of it all here:

A 9th Circuit Judge just ruled that Mexico is too dangerous for migrants. So unfair to the U.S. OUT OF CONTROL! https://t.co/XF8o3jMDle  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 9, 2019

Not only is it profoundly unfair to those who seek to enter the U.S. the legal way, but it's stunningly unfair to Americans here who will inevitably fall victim to the crimes and costs of this legally sanctioned unvetted migration. The judge's ruling allows all askers in, premised on a pontification about asylum-seekers being unsafe in Mexico. The reality is, they aren't unsafe in Mexico, if they go to a city such as Guanajuato, which has less crime than the U.S., but yes, they have some risks in border areas, precisely because they have involvement with gangs, smugglers, and cartels at the edge of the U.S. border. Fact is, all borderlands, worldwide, are unsafe. They're unsafe because people there are unsorted and unvetted. The U.S. border areas of the U.S. are as unsafe as the ones in Mexico. Telling the asylum-seekers  and the criminals they have paid to smuggle them in  that they can all come into the States now and everyone will just naturally be safe isn't going to happen. What will happen is that the so-called asylum-seekers will bring the unsafeness of the borderlands to the U.S. heartland. The judge doesn't address that issue, or the rights of Americans to be safe in their homeland, too. Supposedly, we have invincible cops to take care of the whole thing, and it's not his job to consider whether they will be overwhelmed by a million unvetted people rolling in.

As Richard Fernandez notes in a must-read essay from a couple days ago, vetting matters, and walls matter  walls are there to rationalize information, to sort out people fleeing from people persecuting. A judge's rejecting of the legitimacy of walls renders actual asylum meaningless:

What's the use of fleeing to the United States if MS-13 murderers can simply follow in the victims' wake? As someone noted on Twitter, "If America is to be a place of asylum then there has to be a way to discriminate between those who flee danger and those who are the danger. The border is the only place for that to happen."

With an open border and all askers now entitled by a leftist judge to enter, the question now is "asylum from what"?

Image credit: AFP via YouTube, screen shot.
It has become popular to announce your campaign for president as a Democrat and then immediately renounce corporate political action committee support. To date, Sen. Kristen Gillibrand (N.Y.), Cory Booker (N.J.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), and Sen. Kamala Harris (Calif.) have made promises not to take any corporate PAC money. They remind audiences how campaign funding is out of control and the system needs reform. They seem to respond to the anti-capitalist, anti-corporate activists who see rampant corruption surrounding legal, highly regulated corporate PAC contributions.

They could be accused of inconsistency.

Each member who has sworn off PACs had no problem with endorsing his corporate PAC check and using it to win his federal office. It's as if we have forgotten these people's election history and believe in their sincerity only once they have announced their candidacies for president.

First, let's review their records. Open Secrets, a nonpartisan organization that monitors the flow of campaign contributions, reports that each candidate has received PAC support:

Name Amount of PAC money received % of PAC money raised

Kamala Harris $906,259 03.98%

Amy Klobuchar $3,332,760 21.84%

Cory Booker $2,418,756 09.46%

Kristen Gillibrand $1,258,593 .06.18%

Former vice president Joe Biden has not taken a pledge to ban PAC money from any potential campaign. When he served as a U.S. senator from Delaware, he raised $235,755 from PACs, according to Open Secrets. Biden currently controls his own PAC to help fellow Democrats (and build support with activists if he runs for president). Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) is the only consistent candidate because he has never taken PAC money to fund his elections.

Second, these candidates may not know or may choose to forget that corporate PAC money is the "cleanest" money in politics today. Only the senior leader of a corporation can create and have his PAC registered. Certain employees may provide contributions, but many may not. Federal law defines who can be solicited for donations. The PAC files its contributions, expenditures, and expenses with the Federal Election Committee (FEC). Strict limits are established by law as to how much can be donated it each campaign. Routinely, PACs are either audited separately or part of the corporate-wide audit to ensure no breaking of laws or business malfeasance.

Not surprisingly, corporate PACs are not dominated by the wealthy. According to TRENDS, Trends in Federal Business Political Action Committee, 20152016 (the most recent data), the average contribution to a corporate PAC was $566.65, with over 10% of donations coming from retirees. Corporate PACs can receive contributions only from individuals and spouses who work for the company and have a connection to it. Only around 21% of employees choose to do so. Often, the corporation promotes participation by matching contributions to a charity. In fact, 43.8% match any PAC contributions with a charity match. Employees of corporate PACS get involved in their PAC for a variety of reasons: to promote the interest of their company before the Congress, to get matched support for local nonprofits, and to be involved in the American political process  all great reasons for corporate PACs.

The most authentic thing for the candidates denouncing corporate PAC is to return all their previous contributions, rather than expect us to forget their past. Their current positioning smells of political hypocrisy. We already see too much of that in politics today.

Dr. David Rehr is the director of the Center for Business Civic Engagement at the Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University.
As someone who's been called a "racista" for promoting something very radical, like the respect of immigration laws, I learned this weekend that Senator Bernie Sanders and candidate Beto O'Rourke called someone a "racist."

Senator Sanders did it at the Sharpton meeting, when a number of Democrats went to New York to kiss the Rev's ring.

How long can we go on? Calling President Trump a racist to earn the blessing of a man of questionable character is pretty amazing.

The next one is Beto O'Rourke, who decided to put his "dos centavos" in the Israeli election. This is what he said:

Speaking in Iowa as he campaigns for the Democratic nomination for president, O'Rourke said the US-Israeli relationship was among the most important "on the planet" and singled out Netanyahu. "That relationship, if it is to be successful, must transcend partisanship in the United States, and it must be able to transcend a prime minister who is racist, as he warns about Arabs coming to the polls, who wants to defy any prospect for peace as he threatens to annex the West Bank, and who has sided with a far-right, racist party in order to maintain his hold on power," O'Rourke said. O'Rourke continued, saying he did not believe Netanyahu "represents the true will of the Israeli people" or the "best interests" of the relationship between the US and Israel. He went on to endorse a two-state solution to achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinians. "We must be able to transcend his current leadership to make sure that that alliance is strong, that we continue to push for and settle for nothing less than a two-state solution, because that is the best opportunity for peace for the people of Israel and the people of Palestine," O'Rourke said. "It is the best opportunity for the full human rights of everyone who is living in that region."

It's funny, but I've heard lots of criticism of P.M. Netanyahu, and racism is not among them. Also, why are we interfering in another country's election? I thought that that was a "no-no."

As for the will of the Israeli people, we will learn soon whether P.M. Netanyahu is their choice or not. My guess is that most Israelis will not base their vote on what Beto O'Rourke is saying in Iowa.

The word "racist" means nothing these days. It's nothing but another talking point to distract voters. In the meantime, I wonder which Democrat will use it next.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
Introducing still another anti-Semitic trope to the body politic, Rep. Ilhan Omar has declared White House adviser Stephen Miller, who is Jewish, a "white nationalist."

Here is her disgusting tweet:

Stephen Miller is a white nationalist. The fact that he still has influence on policy and political appointments is an outrage. https://t.co/7NyMDgojd7  Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) April 8, 2019

The claim digs up the blood libel often seen often from Europe's fourth-rate intellectuals  that Jews, somehow, are actually the "real Nazis."

Breitbart's Joel Pollak, on Twitter, noticed, and had a cutting response.

Steve Miller is a Jew. An American Jew. A patriot. Not a "white nationalist."



I don't believe you should be calling a Jew anything, Ms. Omar. https://t.co/3WPaL2U2R6  Joel B. Pollak (@joelpollak) April 8, 2019

Don Trump, Jr. had these observations to add:

I see that the head of the Farrakhan Fan Club, @IlhanMN, took a short break from spewing her usual anti-semitic bigotry today to accuse a Jewish man of being a white nationalist because she apparently has no shame. https://t.co/y96IG8E7Y6  Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) April 8, 2019

Very on brand for notorious Jew-hating bigot @IlhanMN to be smearing and attacking a Jewish man like Stephen Miller. https://t.co/v6h1vs5rZX  Arthur Schwartz (@ArthurSchwartz) April 8, 2019

During my time in Congress before @IlhanOmar got here, I didn't once witness another Member target Jewish people like this with the name calling & other personal attacks. In 2019 though, for @IlhanOmar, this is just called Monday. https://t.co/sgvsEvsj56  Lee Zeldin (@RepLeeZeldin) April 9, 2019

The ugly reality remains: Omar has not changed a bit in moderating her Jew-hatred, even in public. She's now spreading the demonstrably false claim that the Jewish Miller is some kind of Nazi. "No shame," as Trump Jr. put it, is right. And she's still there on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, gloating about escaping any accountability for her demonstrable anti-Semitism.

No wonder she's putting out more of it. This is the work of Democrats too craven to do something about an open anti-Semite festering in their ranks.

Image credit: Leopaltik,via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wow, that Democratic debate stage is filling up. Before you know it, there will be more Democrats debating than there will be watching on TV.

California Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell announced on The Late Show that he is running for the Democratic nomination for president.

The Bay area has produced some wacky, wild, and entertaining members of Congress. Unfortunately for Swalwell, he ain't one of them. He is about as obscure, as vanilla as your average Democrat can get.

He pushed the Russian collusion narrative so forcefully that it became painfully obvious he wanted to ride that pony all the way to the White House. With collusion fading in the rearview mirror, just what is it that Swalwell thinks he can offer?

Breitbart:

STEPHEN COLBERT: You've been very critical of Donald Trump, as you have been tonight. In the past you've called him a wrecking ball, you called him a Russian agent. You're a congressman. What can you do to try to fix what you see as wrong with this country? REP. ERIC SWALWELL: I've already done a lot, but I can do more. I've been in Congress for six years, I've defended our country from the [House] Intelligence Committee, while democracy's been on the ropes. I took a group of young members of Congress. We started a group called Future Forum. We've gone all over the country to listen to and stand up for the next generation of Americans. And I see a country in quicksand, unable to solve problems and threats from abroad, unable to make life better here at home. Nothing gets done. I talk to teachers, and truckers, and nurses, and they feel like they're just running in place. It's not adding up to anything. I talk to people who are just like me, who are the first in their family to go to college. They have a lot of student debt, get buy a home, can't start a business. I talk to kids, who sit in their classroom afraid that they'll be the next victim of gun violence and they see Washington doing nothing about it after the moments of silence and they see lawmakers who love their guns more than they love their kids. And none of that is going to change until we get a leader who is willing to go big on the issues we take on, be bold in the solutions we offer and do go in the way that we govern. I'm ready to solve these problems. I'm running for President of the United States.

Five Thirty Eight handicaps his chances:

The problem for Swalwell is that even though he theoretically has several advantages as a candidate, he's entering the race after others have staked out that ground. As a Californian, he could have home-field advantage in the most delegate-rich state, plus access to its deep-pocketed Democratic donors. But Kamala Harris, the state's junior senator, is also in the race. As a 38-year-old whose rhetoric speaks to millennial concerns (he founded Future Forum, a group of Democratic U.S. House members who are focusing on millennial concerns and touts that he is still living with student debt), Swalwell could find a natural constituency among young voters. But Pete Buttigieg, who is a millennial, is also trying to appeal to those voters, and polls show that Bernie Sanders is doing well with this demographic as well. And while Swalwell has experience winning voters of different races (his district is about a third non-Hispanic white, about a third Asian and about a quarter Hispanic), it might not give him much of an advantage in a primary field that has such a diverse array of candidates.

Long before the Iowa caucuses in 2020, the Democratic field will be winnowed out. Swalwell and a dozen or so other candidates are hoping to catch lightning in a bottle during the debates. If they fail there, they will be toast and be forced to withdraw.

Swalwell is an angry young man, and with most of the voters upset with someone or something, if he can tap into that anger, he could surprise. But Bernie Sanders does the angry old man bit a lot better, and Elizabeth Warren plays the angry woman card adeptly.

So in the end, Swalwell will fade away and return to the obscurity he so richly deserves.
If paying reparations would buy racial amity, then the descendants of slaves would be complaining only because they didn't receive a cut of their ancestors' sale price. Reparations can't change the past.

Wouldn't acceptance of money by blacks (however the law might qualify them for the benefits) amount to approving of the sale of their ancestors, as long as they personally profit? Again, this doesn't change the morality of slavery, though it might be argued to address the economic wrong, but at the cost of involving the current generation in approving it. Accepting payment would be like agreeing that the slavery, or the sale of a human being (legal at the time), wasn't a moral wrong, but there was an economic wrong in not providing some portion of the money for the slaves and their potential descendants.

The reparations are sometimes presented as justified because the slave-owners and some businesses profited from free labor and got rich.

There's no such thing as free labor. Slaves were treated more or less like livestock. They had a purchase price and maintenance costs (e.g., food and medical care). Labor costs were as low as possible, but they weren't free. Livestock wasn't well treated either, nor were indentured servants, many of whom were white.

Not all slave-owners became wealthy, nor did the wealth always persist through the generations to the present day. They tended to live in the South, which lost the Civil War. Sherman's march to the sea burned a lot of plantations and left many people destitute, and then the carpetbaggers came along like locusts and scavenged a lot of what was left.

As far as someone getting rich off the labor of others, this is how business works. The owner comes up with the capital to start the business and takes the risks of losing it all if he makes unwise decisions in running it. All the workers typically need to do is show up and work. Will the descendants of Amazon workers be demanding that the descendants of Jeff Bezos pay them reparations for having profited hugely at Amazon?

The American people and our leaders have tried to undo the inequity implicit in having allowed slavery to be legal in the past. There have been missteps, but we deserve credit for trying to make things right. Schools, scholarships, welfare benefits, job training, and other provisions were intended to enable blacks to stand on their own, which it seems most of them now do. We can't change the past, but we have tried to encourage a better and more equal future with regard to opportunity. There are still problems because of undermining black family units, and there are still racist incidents, but these are so rare that the ones that get reported in the news are often fake.

Reparations are just a way to weaponize guilt, and I don't feel any at all on the topic of the behavior of my ancestors. By the way, full disclosure: My ancestors didn't leave me any financial legacy, either, so I'm interested in finding out whom I can sue about that  you know, in case reparations actually become law, setting a precedent.

Sam can be contacted at syounnokis@gmail.com. Please keep article comments here at AT where others can also read them.
So much for all that free health care.

Now for what it looks like up close:

Socialist Venezuela is an exploding supernova of spreading disease vectors, with its three million fleeing refugees bringing measles, malaria, diptheria, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, AIDS, Zika, leprosy, dengue, chikungunya virus, and other diseases long thought to have been eradicated in the early 20th century, with them.

What an advertisement for socialism that is.

It's the effect of the collapse of the country's medical system, brought on by socialism's unsustainable economics and Venezuela's Maduro dictatorship (unlike a lot of starving African countries) refusing to permit any aid to enter.

Two alarming news reports (which eerily don't intersect) have the exact same story:

First, the Washington Post, which cites an academic-NGO report just out:

Venezuela's health system is in "utter collapse," according to a report, including the exponential spread of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and diphtheria and "dramatic surges" in infectious diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis. The report, to be released Thursday by Human Rights Watch and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, is among the few that has sought to quantify Venezuela's misery, as the country has ceased releasing health and nutrition data and retaliated against those who did. Based on interviews with doctors and other health personnel in Venezuela, conducted by telephone and online; refugees in Colombia and Brazil, including health care professionals; and representatives of humanitarian and international organizations, the report concludes that the United Nations should take the lead providing aid.

Second, there's this organic report from Bloomberg Latin America columnist Mac Margolis, which features interviews with hospital personnel and public health officials, all seeing the same nightmare on the ground:

Half a century on, Venezuela is a hothouse for malaria again, but also communicable miseries from HIV/AIDS to Zika. Forgotten diseases such as diphtheria and measles rage. Leprosy, tuberculosis and typhoid fever are back, alongside emerging mosquito-borne viruses, such as dengue, Zika and chikungunya. New HIV infections jumped 24 percent from 2010 to 2016. Now the worst humanitarian crisis in the Americas risks becoming a hemispheric emergency, as nearly 3 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants ferry their pathogens across the continent.

Here are some particulars:

But when such migrants travel, they also carry ills that Venezuela's neighbors thought they'd beaten. After logging just one case of measles between 2008 and 2015, Brazil reported more than 10,000 infections last year. Most patients bore D8 genotype measles, the dominant strain circulating in Venezuela. The Venezuela epidemic has also been linked to outbreaks in Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The World Health Organization reckoned that a Venezuelan malaria outbreak was responsible for 84 percent of the increase in infections in the Americas in 2017. Venezuela alone kicked in 53 percent of all reported cases regionally in 2016 and 2017. "The human exodus has become a disease exodus. Contagion is one of our most prolific exports," Venezuelan infectious disease pathologist Alberto Paniz-Mondolfi, a member of the Venezuelan National Academy of Medicine, told me.

So as the West is forced to admit Venezuelan refugees (and unlike the Central Americans, these are real ones), each and every one of them is potentially a carrier of, if not openly suffering from, some of the most awful and once thought eradicated diseases from the 19th century. Next time a socialist speaks of "progress," remember that this is what socialists deliver on their "progress."

It amounts to biological warfare on the West, given that people outside Venezuela's socialist zone of misery are going to die from these diseases which had long been eradicated from the capitalist West up until now.

Their defenders may argue that it's chaotic and unintentional (or, even more likely, the result of sanctions on their oligarchs), but Venezuela's ruling socialists are the ones driving it and fully responsible, prioritizing their own stretch in power over the welfare of their own people in prohibiting aid, refusing even an African model of circumstances. Now they're creating new problems for the welfare of their neighbors, who are getting the diseases, too.

It shows that in socialism, the ends always justify the means. Venezuela's Maduro dictatorship has not only collapsed its own medical system, allowing its people to go to hell (something all socialist countries throughout the 20th century have had a comparable record on), but also wiped out disease data and threatened and punished anyone trying to find out the truth, as the Washington Post report notes at the end.

Noting that the deprivation long predates recently imposed U.S. sanctions, it said that "Venezuelan authorities under Maduro have concealed the official health information. They have harassed and retaliated against those who collect data or speak out about food and medicine shortages."

The Washington Post reports that the United Nations should get involved, which is an idea. But good luck with that one, given the Maduroites' callous indifference to the lives of both its own people and those of its neighbors. They see any intervention as a threat to their own power and are unlikely to allow it.

This is what socialism is, up close.

Is this an argument for sending in the Marines? Well, it's arguable, given that the diseases are coming fast, furious and in great diverse quantities as Venezuelans run for their lives from socialism. As disasters go, it's entirely man-made and entirely preventable and fixable. Impoverished African countries take care of these matters all the time. Socialist Venezuela, by contrast, focuses on jailing the people just trying to find out about it instead.

If no pressure can be applied to the country's ruling socialists to do something about the matter, not even if it involves the United Nations, it signals a more forceful response is appropriate. There's such a thing known as a 'just war,' and in one, self-defense justifies it.
Don't you just hate it when a liberal narrative falls apart?

Well, not really. And in the case of Secret Service director Randolph "Tex" Alles, who was reportedly fired yesterday, the narrative has gone off the rails.

Conventional wisdom in the last 24 hours has Donald Trump engaged in a "purge" of Homeland Security. No so, says Alles, who stressed the "orderly transition" at DHS.

Reuters:

"No doubt you have seen media reports regarding my 'firing.' I assure you that this is not the case, and in fact was told weeks ago by the administration that transitions in leadership should be expected across the Department of Homeland Security," Alles said in a message to Secret Service agents. "The president has directed an orderly transition in leadership for this agency and I intend to abide by that direction," Alles said.

Sounds more like a reorganization than a "purge" to me. But then, "purge" is so much more dramatic, don't you think?

The president doesn't like the direction DHS is taking.

Neither Trump nor the White House has explained the overhaul of DHS, but the president's anger over a recent surge in migrants from Central America has been well documented. The DHS oversees immigration and border security. The Republican president made stopping illegal immigration a centerpiece in his run for office in 2016, promising to build a wall on the southern border with Mexico. Trump has said he will make border security a key part of his campaign for re-election in 2020. Senior senators from both parties said they were concerned about a vacuum in leadership at the agency, which also oversees the Secret Service, the Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Transportation Security Administration, among other critical functions.

A bureaucracy like DHS pretty much runs itself, so a "vacuum in leadership" doesn't exist. At least, it won't exist for very long. Meanwhile, the paper keeps flowing, paychecks are paid, and those in temporary positions of leadership are still protecting the country.

I guess it just goes to show that the press can gin up hysteria and outrage over just about anything.
The bagworm moth (Psychidae) of the family Lepidoptera might be a pest for Botanists, but for Lepidopterists they are one of the rare architects of the animal world. As soon as the caterpillar of the bagworm moth hatches, it weaves a silk cocoon around itself, inside which it will live until it grows into an adult moth. To make its life as a larva safe and protected from predators, the caterpillar reinforces its silk cocoon with pieces of twigs, leaves and other plant matter. Depending on what debris is on hand when they are forming the cocoon, the resulting shelter might look like a bunch of twigs, or in exceptional cases, a tiny log house. These strcutures are called cases, and bagworm moths are also known as "case moths.

The cocoon of the bagworm moth looks like a tiny log house. Photo credit: melvyn yeo/Flickr

The cases of bagworm moths are attached to rocks, trees or leaves, but they do not stay rooted to the same spot. The caterpillar remains mobile as it hunts for food, and it carries the protective case along with it wherever it goes. They move somewhat like turtles, pushing their heads out of the opening at the top to advance forward and then drag the case behind. The case has another, smaller opening at the bottom. The caterpillar comes out from the top to feed and ejects the waste from the bottom end. The bottom opening is also the exit hatch for the emerging adult. If the caterpillar feels threatened it can seal off the end of the cocoon, cutting a new opening once the threat has passed.

As the bagworm grows, it expands its case by adding more twigs to the top. They poke their head out of the top of their case, collect additional twig, cuts them off to appropriate size and attaches them temporarily to the top of the case. They then disappear inside to cut a slit where they plan to attach the new stick.

Photo credit: Biswas.rishov/Wikimedia

The cases of the bagworm moth are incredibly tough and very difficult to break open. And since the cases are composed of materials from their habitat, they are naturally camouflaged from predators such as birds and other insects. The attachment substance used to affix the case to host plant, or structure, is also very strong, and in some case require a great deal of force to remove given the relative size and weight of the actual structure itself.

Bagworm cases range in size from less than 1 cm to 15 cm among some tropical species. Each species makes a distinctive looking case. The cases of the more primitive species are flat, while specialized species exhibit a greater variety of case size, shape, and composition.

Bagworm moths spend most of their lives in the caterpillar phase, and hence inside the case. The females continue to live in their cases after theyve pupated into adult moths, but the males leave their cases after pupation to fly off in search of females to mate with. After they mate, the females lay their fertilized eggs in their old bags. Once the larvae hatch, they will create their own tiny log house.

Photo credit: Troy Bell/Flickr

Photo credit: Doris Rapp/Flickr

Photo credit: Mark Yokoyama/Flickr

Photo credit: Andrew C/Flickr

Photo credit: 57Andrew/Flickr

Photo credit: fresnel_chick/Flickr

Photo credit: Tomas Maul/Flickr

Photo credit: Ronald E. Orosz/Flickr

Sources: Wikipedia / Museum Victoria / Encyclopedia of Life via The Presurfer

See More Unusual Cocoons
The day Japan bombed Pear Harbor, many American outposts in the Pacific, such as Philippines, Guam, Midway, Wake Island, Malaya, Thailand, and Shanghai also came under aerial attack. These raids took place within a few hours after the bombing of Pearl Harbors naval base had begun.

One of the targets, Wake Island, was a tiny atoll located strategically between two other American possessions, Guam and Midway islands. Message of the attack on Pearl Harbor was received by the garrison on Wake Island at 6:50 AM local time; but the date was December 8, 1941a full 22 hours ahead of Pearl Harbor because Wake Island was situated on the other side of the international date line. Without wasting much time, Wake Islands commander, Marine Corps Major James Devereux, ordered his men to prepare for combat, and four of the twelve Wildcat fighter aircraft on the islands airbase were sent up to keep watch.

At noon, thirty six Mitsubishi G3M medium bombers flew in from Marshall Islands, 700 miles to the south, and caught the defenders by surprise. Rain obscured their approach, and even as the four Wildcats patrolled the skies, the bombers sneaked in and dropped their load all over the tiny island. The bombers did extensive damage, destroying the eight Wildcat fighters parked on the air field, while also igniting fuel dumps, leveling warehouses, and knocking off antennas. For the next two weeks, the Japanese plummeted Wake Island with bombs, eventually overpowering the Americans and establishing a Japanese garrison on the island.

Related: The 98 Rock of Wake Island

The Japanese maintained a stronghold on the island till the end of the war, but as the war progressed and the Allies domination over Japan increased elsewhere, the Americans pushed the Japanese contingent on Wake Island into a tight corner. Instead of attempting an invasion, the Americans simply cut the routes through which the Japanese received support and supplies. Facing starvation, the Japanese troops began to eat whatever they could hunt. Fortunately for them, Wake Island had a large population of seabirds.

Image credit: Smithsonian Institution Archives

Being the only island in hundreds of miles of open water (the nearest island is Utirik Atoll in the Marshall Islands, nearly 600 miles away), Wake Island was the perfect layover point for dozens of seabird species. In fact, birds were the only thing the island had. When Spanish explorer Alvaro de Mendana de Neyra landed on the island in 1568 in search for fresh water, he found Wake Island to be waterless with not even a coconut tree. He remarked with distaste that there was nothing on it but sea-birds, and sandy places covered with bushes.

Before the war, Wake Islands abundant bird population often attracted Japanese feather poachers who used to camp on the island and catch birds to harvest their feathers. Although a US territory since 1898, Wake Island was rarely visited by American ships allowing these illegal poachers to operate. Feathers and plumage were in great demand among European fashion houses and also for the manufacture of pillow and bedspread worldwide.

Most of the birds the poachers were after were migratory, such as albatross, frigatebird and terns. But one species lived there year-round. The Wake Island rail (Gallirallus wakensis) was a tiny, flightless bird about 22 centimeters in length. It had dark greyish brown plumage with striking narrow white bars on the belly, the breast, and the flanks. Without fresh water, the Wake Island rail was able to eke out a surprising sustenance on molluscs, insects, worms and seeds alone.

It was this bird that the Japanese preyed upon for food because they were easy to hunt. By 1945, every living rail had been killed and eaten out of existence.

Image credit: fieldguidetoextinctbirds.com

Related: How A Single Cat Hunted to Extinction The Entire Species of Stephens Island Wren

Six years later, when Dr. Alfred M. Bailey visited Wake Island for a scientific study, he found the island nearly devoid of bird life, other than a few sea and migratory species. Dr. Bailey noted that the Wake rails had not been seen since the island was reoccupied by Americans.

Ironically, the Japanese troops were specifically instructed by their commanders not to hunt the albatross fearing they will drive the bird to extinction. In his Notes on the birds of Midway and Wake Islands, Dr. Bailey quotes from the diary of a Japanese officer regarding daily bombing by American planes.

An order has just come out," states the diary, forbidding us to catch gooney birds (albatross), lest they be wiped out.

Dr. Bailey continues: The effort of this officer to protect the 'gooney birds must have been largely in vain. Most of the birds were destroyed by the starving soldiers, although a great colony of sooty terns (Sterna fuscata) was guarded so that the eggs could be gathered regularly.

Nearly every bird species suffered from the Japanese occupation of Wake Island. Dr. Bailey noted that he saw no boobies, or red-tailed tropicbirds, or albatrosses either.

The Wake Island rail remains one of most poorly studied birds. Only a handful of scientific papers mention the species. The number of surviving specimens in museums is also low.

A rare photograph of a Wake Island rail from a 1936 book.
Game of Thrones is preparing to enter its final season on HBO and Spotify has now unveiled some surprising statistics about its own history with the series, as well as an interesting look into the Spotify habits of its fans. In celebration of the associated media streams, the company has also teamed with Game of Thrones co-creators to refresh official content.

The announcement includes a refresh to the rock-laden playlist formerly called Songs of Ice and Fire  co-created with David Benioff and D.B. Weiss and called Game of Thrones: The End Is Coming. The refresh includes seven new house-themed playlists too, found in the Spotify apps TV & Movies hub. The latter playlists are officially curated by HBO and are comprised partially of Djawadi score songs.

Top plays over the years

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From the start of January 2016 through the start of April this year, Game of Thrones related media has been streamed via the service more than 380 million times. Thats including more than 250,000 playlists created by fans, with more than 1.8 million hours spent listening to related podcasts.

At the global scale, most of those listens occurred in the US, followed by Germany, the UK, Spain, France, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Sweden, and the Netherlands  in that order. The top five most popular characters in terms of playlists centered around them were Tyrion Lannister, Hodor, Jon Snow, Cersei Lannister, and Arya Stark.

Podcasts were among the top-listens for fans of Game of Thrones too, as indicated above, with the top three leading podcasts including Binge Mode: Game of Thrones, Oysters, Clams & Cockles: Game of Thrones, and A Cast of Kings  A Game of Thrones Podcast.

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Perhaps surprisingly, the main theme from the show was not the number one song on Spotify during the timeframe in question. Instead, that honor was given to a track titled Light of the Seven from episode 10 of season 6. In fact, all but three songs from the top ten stemmed from the same season while the title number did manage to land in second place.

Other final season promotions

Spotify isnt the only company getting in on the hype built off of the final season of the popular series either. Discounts on related media are currently seeing a limited run of discounts across the Google Play Store in support of the long-running show  which kicks off its eighth and final season on HBO as of April 14th.

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Not least among those are steep discounts, including one on the first of George R.R. Martins still-unfinished A Song Of Ice And Fire book series behind the hit. The digital copy of the book, namely Game of Thrones, can currently be purchased for 70-percent off. That deal will run from April 12th through 15th, while the previous entries in the TV series will be half off from today through April 18th. The appropriately decision-heavy mobile game Reigns has a spin-off title available thats on sale for 30-percent off from April 10th through the 17th called Reigns: Game of Thrones.

Finally, Google has kicked off a series of talks with Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen), Maisie Williams (Arya Stark), and Isaac Hempstead Wright (Brandon Stark) for fans of the series.
Google is getting ready this week for its Next 19 global cloud conference with an explanation of why the cloud has made such a difference for business and consumers alike. In a blog post published today, the company asks why the cloud is such a big deal, with Greg Wilson, Director, Cloud Developer Relations, providing the answers.

Before cloud computing, says Wilson, businesses kept fleets of computers, known as servers, in a dedicated server room or in a nearby data center. But now, with faster computing speed and better internet connections, those same businesses can use cloud servers to build websites and apps, and to provide employees with the software to build them.

A companys IT team had to monitor all those computers, network cables and other equipmentand keep it all working for employees, under budget, writes Wilson. So that meant that every few years, the IT team bought new computers and took care of any maintenance and upgrades, like adding a new networking line or new software.

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This shift has meant that public crowd providers now allow companies to have access to the newest technology, as soon as its released, without waiting years to buy and maintain themselves.

In the last Cisco Global Cloud Index white paper, it was predicted that global data center traffic will grow by three times in the next 5 years. By 2021, the research found, 94% of computing workload will be undertaken by cloud data centers.

Google, along with other online giants, such as Amazon, Microsoft and Apple, offers an extensive list of cloud services to its customers. These run on the same infrastructure it has developed for its own end-user products, such as YouTube and Google Search.

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And its not just for businesses. Wilson explains, consumers have also shifted to using the cloud for their everyday storage and computing needs. These include services, such as Google Drive and Google Photos, which allow consumers to make cloud backups of their personal data.

Next 19 is an annual conference showcasing Googles latest developments in the cloud space. On this years agenda are new enterprise capabilities, new ways of building apps that link people and data, harnessing the natural symbiosis of IoT, Big Data and AI, among many others.

Taking place over 3-days, the conference is expected to see 30,000 attendees who will have the opportunity to take part in hundreds of sessions, panels and tutorials that will teach them about cloud computing. The event goes on in San Francisco starting April 9th.
The Google Pixel 3, refurbished (or renewed) has just hit a new low price on Amazon. It is now just $460. That is a great price for the Google Pixel 3, a phone that costs $799 brand new. Given that the Pixel 3 is not that old, this means that the phone is still going to be in good shape and likely to be hardly used. If you are looking for a phone thats good and doesnt cost a ton of cash, this is the one to get.

The Pixel 3 does not have a notch, thankfully. It does have two front-facing cameras and a dual stereo speaker system that sounds pretty incredible. Its powered by the Snapdragon 845 chipset, with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. It also has a 5.5-inch full HD display, and a 2915mAh capacity battery inside. Itll last you all day on that battery and then some. There is also Android Pie on-board and it is capable of running Android Q.

Amazon does offer a 90-day warranty with all of the refurbished products on its website. So that if anything does happen to this phone, you can return it and get it taken care of.

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You can pick up the Pixel 3 from Amazon today for just $460, using the link down below.
Qualcomm is tackling high-end gaming with a new trio of mid-range mobile chips announced just moments ago  the Snapdragon 665, Snapdragon 730, and the Snapdragon 730G.

Two-thirds of the latest additions to the companys portfolio mark an experiment with an 8nm process node, a technology comparable to the one Samsung uses for its latest flagship silicon, the Exynos 9820. The Snapdragon 855, still Qualcomms most advanced chip to date, is based on a 7nm process node, hence being able to fit more transistors on a given die size.

Snapdragon 730: the golden middle

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Its perhaps slightly unfair to call the Snapdragon 730 the new ultimate mid-tier platform of the mid-range chip market since its computationally not that far behind the 730G but thats likely how Qualcomm will price the two chips.

The 730-series SoC should be the one embraced by the largest number of gaming handsets priced at under $700 that will be released over the course of the next year or so.

It comes packed with the Adreno 618 GPU, and Kryo 470 CPU, an octa-core affair running at a maximum frequency of up to 2.2GHz. Combined with (presumably TSMC-developed) 8nm process node, the Snapdragon 730 is Qualcomms most efficient chipset to date, bar the aforementioned Snapdragon 855. Its overall specs put it not far behind last years Snapdragon 845 and Qualcomm is hence unsurprisingly advertising it as a stellar solution for even the most demanding types of mobile gaming, i.e. graphics-intensive multiplayer titles such as PUBG Mobile.

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Beyond mobile gaming, the Snapdragon 730 is a highly capable system-on-chip which should prove itself as a worthy heart of any modern Android mid-ranger. The X15 4G LTE modem soldered on the chip supports download and upload speeds of up to 800Mbps and 150Mbps, respectively, with the device being able to read memory configurations using as much as 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM running at a maximum frequency of 1,866Mhz.

Ultra-efficient HEIF photography is part of the package, together with support for virtually any kind of triple-camera system out there, largely thanks to the addition of Qualcomms Spectra 350 ISP.

Snapdragon 730G: the one that signals you should have probably gone for an 855 device at this point

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The Snapdragon 730G is the most powerful silicon from Qualcomm outside of the companys 800 range, with the G part of its moniker being meant to imply an even stronger focus on gaming. While that shouldnt imply much in terms of sustained performance seeing how both the Snapdragon 730 and 730G will be more or less equally capable in that regard. What the 730G should be better at is long-term viability seeing how the SoC promises up to 15-percent higher performance compared to its G-less counterpart, primarily stemming from an overclocked Adreno 618 GPU.

While largely identical to the aforementioned chipset from a hardware perspective, other optimizations aim to set the Snapdragon 730G apart, with the modules flagship functionality being what Qualcomm calls the Jank Reducer. Behind that straightforward name is a set of algorithms seeking to combat stuttering and keeping games running at 30 frames per second, i.e. not dipping below that threshold.

Some kind of anti-cheating extensions are also on board of the Snapdragon 730G, though Qualcomm has yet to detail how those will work in practice, or better said: how much troubles will game developers have to go through in order to take advantage of them in their titles, especially those which havent been built from the ground up with the said service in mind.

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Then there are Wi-Fi latency optimizations for multiplayer gaming and a small subset of extra features not geared toward mobile games but media capture  slow-motion videos at 960 frames per second (720p) and low-power voice activation.

Ultimately, the Snapdragon 730G seems slightly out of place next to other contemporary mid-range chips, including those from Qualcomm. While that may as well be the whole point of the module, it does beg the question of how much value it can truly offer compared to the very best from the firms portfolio. In other words, if youre looking at chips with such niche features in order to enhance your mobile gaming experience, you might as well be going the traditional flagship route. Thats assuming the Snapdragon 730G will be sitting about halfway between the 730 and 855s price tag despite being much closer to the former in terms of actual capabilities and while that may not end up being the case, its hard to imagine Qualcomm bothering with extra research and development costs otherwise.

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Snapdragon 665: not as hot but you shouldnt be complaining

Unlike the other two SoCs, the Snapdragon 665 is an 11nm affair, hence being significantly less energy-efficient than its counterparts unveiled alongside it earlier today, though it still delivers an upgrade over its 14nm predecessor.

Much like its name implies, this is a successor to the Snapdragon 660, by far the most popular silicon from the previous smartphone generations upper mid-range bracket. Originally released in 2017, the Snapdragon 660 found its way to dozens of devices, many of which delivered critically acclaimed value and battery life. After nearly two years, Qualcomm believes its time for a sequel that it hopes will be just as successful.

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Compared to the module that preceded it, the new platform offers up to two times as fast on-device artificial intelligence computing, largely due to the inclusion fo the third-gen Qualcomm AI Engine and its support for the companys neural processing SDK allowing for contemporary machine learning applications.

Then theres the Spectra 165 ISP which enables automatic HDR enhancements, with the chip itself being capable of managing triple-camera setups including telephoto, wide, and ultra-wide lenses, arguably the most popular combination of three-sensor imaging systems used by contemporary handsets across all price segments. Even when it comes to pure resolution, the Snapdragon 665 doesnt disappoint, offering support for producing 48-megapixel images.

It uses a combination of the Adreno 610 GPU and the octa-core Kryo 260 CPU clocked at up to 2.0GHz, in addition to supporting up to 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM (LPDDR3 is fair game as well).

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On the networking side of the equation, the Snapdragon 665 uses the Snapdragon X12, a 4G LTE modem capable of achieving 600Mbps download speeds and 150Mbps upload rates.

Much like its two higher-specced siblings Qualcomm also unveiled today, the Snapdragon 655 offers support for 21:9 aspect ratios and FHD+ resolutions of up to 2,520 by 1,080 pixels.

Despite being considerably less capable than the new 700-series chips, not to mention the ultra-premium Snapdragon 855, at least in terms of raw processing power, the Snapdragon 655 is advertised as an SoC for modern mobile gamers thats supposedly able to handle virtually any game you can find on the Google Play Store at fast frame rates while still delivering a rich level of detail.

A new vote of confidence for the mobile gaming industry

While the mobile gaming industry appeared to have lost some momentum in recent months, primarily due to the newfound reluctance of Razer to continue investing in the segment. While the likes of Honor, Nubia, and Xiaomis Black Shark are picking up the mantle, its ASUS thats now arguably making the most waves among Android gamers, even though the original ROG Phone received mixed reviews and was scarcely available.

The upcoming OnePlus 7 is likely to continue the Chinese firms strong focus on mobile gamers as well, though what Qualcomm now did is provided the industry with an avenue they werent really able to fully explore before  a high-powered SoC package that wont be priced as one. Well, exactly as one, at least.

Still, some interest among handset makers definitely exists because Qualcomm says its expecting the first Android devices powered by its latest trio of chips to hit the market in mid-2019. As were basically in mid-2019 already, that prediction essentially means Qualcomm already shipped its first units to certain partners and knows for a fact theyre currently in the process of implementing them.

As always, Qualcomms prices depend on whos buying and how much; well, theres no way youll ever get that confirmation from the company in any official capacity but thats just the nature of the B2B beast. As a result, its difficult to estimate how attractive the Snapdragon 730G truly is; on the one hand, this is the first silicon Qualcomm is literally advertising as a gaming SoC but on the other, its likely to be priced similarly to the objectively better 855 which may not be a gamers chipset but it can certainly be used as one.

Coupled with the aforementioned point about quantity discounts, it appears the two manufacturers that would find the Snapdragon 730G to be the most common-sense option for a mainstream product lineup are those that either have little intention of doing gaming handsets or doing them with Qualcomms chips  Samsung and Huawei. Everyone else will probably stick with the Snapdragon 730 or even go the 665 route seeing how Qualcomm is still providing them with plenty of punch with those options but presumably at a significantly lower cost.

In other words, dont expect the selection of Android gaming hardware to undergo a drastic change overnight but some value-oriented models should certainly be hitting the store shelves in the coming months.
Qualcomm on Tuesday announced the Cloud AI 100, a server-based version of its existing artificial intelligence technology designed for powering a wide variety of applications and systems.

The San Diego, California-based semiconductor giant claims the platform offers ten times the performance per watt compared to the next best AI inference systems in use today. Thats largely thanks to the chip at the center of the system which has been specifically designed for handling inference workloads.

The silicon in question is based on a 7nm process node, the same technology used by Qualcomms latest and greatest mobile system-on-chip  the Snapdragon 855. It also ships with support for all of todays most commonly used software stacks: Keras, PyTorch, Glow, ONNX, Googles own TensorFlow, and the like.

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Qualcomm will begin sampling the Cloud AI 100 in the second half of the year. No companies confirmed to be planning participation in this experimental phase of the technologys launch have yet been named, though usual suspects apply here; Microsoft, most notably, seeing how the Redmond-based software juggernaut even had its Azure partner group program manager, Venky Veeraraghavan, ennoble Qualcomms Tuesday announcement.

In a prepared statement, Mr. Veeraraghaban said Microsofts cloud unit is looking to continue collaborating with Qualcomm moving forward so as to keep advancing cloud-based AI solutions, noting how this is but one of many areas of technology the two firms are currently jointly pursuing.

The actual cool stuff behind the technical mumbo jumbo

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Now that the basics are out of the way, heres what this means, or at the very least might mean for the industry and (eventually) consumers moving forward:

Contemporary AI is largely reliant on machine learning, a tech branch allowing companies to launch software designed for fulfilling a wide variety of tasks that  watch out, here comes the main selling point  gets better at doing what its meant to over time.

In this context, the term inference can denote one of two things; either the process of having specific logical models learn various information or behavior from big data, or the process of taking a finished model, one that already learned how to fulfill a particular purpose, and using it in practice. In either case, having access to a more robust engine would allow for faster learning sessions and having such a solution in the cloud also accelerates deployment, in addition to making it cheaper.

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In other words, virtually every AI-powered piece of software (which, in turn, may be powering hardware) in existence today can benefit from more efficient inference workload management. Thats the big promise Qualcomm is making with the Cloud AI 100 and is particularly promising given how versatile the newly announced technology is. Any combination of GPUs, CPUs, and FPGAs (field-programmable gate arrays) used in todays data centers can take advantage of the Cloud AI 100 to some degree, ultimately doing what it does with a smaller energy footprint, faster, or both.

This seminal technology could play the central piece in Qualcomms push to become the provider of systems fueling cloud-to-edge AI platforms of the future which will start emerging simultaneously with wider 5G deployment.

Anything from self-driving cars to personal assistants, automated content regulators, and self-aware thermostats should be better off in the long run as inference workload management techniques improve, whether thanks to Qualcomm-made tech or someone elses solutions.

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Naturally, Qualcomm would much prefer if its own technologies end up driving that AI processing evolution instead of someone elses.
The EU may have agreed to roll out 5G in at least one city per participating state by 2020 but strict radiation laws in Brussels could derail that goal, based on a recent report from The Brussels Times. The rollout of the next-gen network was brought to a halt within the past week by environment minister Celine Fremault, citing concerns about whether or not radiation output has even been thoroughly tested.

The official put a stop to the pilot and reasoned that citizens of the city are not guinea pigs.

The problem stems from matters related to health, with telecoms operating in the city required to adhere to guidelines set at around 6 volts per meter. That regulation has caused issues in the past, particularly with the rollout of 4G LTE. The companies have requested a change that would push the limit to 14.5 volts per meter or as high as 41.5 volts per meter if should the need arise as recently as October.

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For reference, the current 6-volt standard is approximately 50-times more stringent than standards elsewhere.

Ongoing problems for competition

Telecoms operators within the EU have sought to address concerns over the radiation for some time but radiation is not the only issue standing in the way. In mid-2018, Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, Huawei, KPN, and Orange released an open letter, published by GSM Association, that argued over regulation of mmWave bands that are crucial for 5G.

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Specifically, the companies put forward an argument claiming that legislation in the works intended to regulate the vital 26GHz band of spectrum would diminish their ability to compete with the US and other countries.

At the time, the EUs official plan for rolling out 5G widely fell into the 2025 range, putting Europe behind by nearly half-a-decade compared to the US. So the new pilot program scheduled by the EU could easily cause the region to fall behind and that would again be the result of regulations over key aspects of its deployment.

5G has the potential to create a dynamic shift in how technology can be and is used globally, due primarily to its drastically reduced latency but also because of its data rates  measured in gigabits rather than megabits. So any lag in deploying the networks is likely to result in reduced innovation and deployment elsewhere on the technology spectrum.

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No end to the delays in sight

Progress on the next-generation networking front has continued unabated in the US, China, and elsewhere. Verizon and AT&T have each rolled out their own 5G implementations in limited regions of select cities and plan to serve dozens more by the end of the year. Sprint and T-Mobile are on similar trajectories but have mostly held back while the pair await a decision from regulators regarding their proposed merger deal. China has already begun using existing 5G network rollouts to perform remote surgeries among other use cases.

The 5G predicament continuing to develop at the heart of the EU, as compared to other developed nations, seems unlikely to sway the opinion of the environment minister. Ms. Fremault asserts that the health of Brussels residents is not a commodity to be sold at a profit and that she has no plans to make an exception while doubts about safety remain.
Samsung Malaysias YouTube channel has published a rather interesting promo video, a video that confirms the demise of the companys Galaxy J series of devices. In this one-minute video, Samsung wanted to inform its consumers that the Galaxy J series has become the Galaxy A series, essentially. In other words, Galaxy J has merged with the Galaxy A series, but the Galaxy A name prevailed.

In that very same video, Samsung moves on to promote its Galaxy A30 and A50 smartphones which are available in Malaysia. This video has been published a couple of days ago, but it comes at just the right time, as Samsung is actually hosting a Galaxy A-related press conference tomorrow.

During that press conference, the company is expected to announce several Galaxy A-branded phones, and taking Samsung Malaysias YouTube video into account, the company may even confirm, on a global scale, that the Galaxy J series is done for.

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The companys Galaxy J series has been around for quite some time now, and it has represented Samsungs entry-level smartphones. The Galaxy A was Galaxy J series mid-range counterpart, while the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series of smartphones were the companys most powerful offerings.

Now, Samsung had already announced a number of Galaxy A devices this year, including the Galaxy A10, A20, A30, A40, A50, and A70. That leaves us with two rumored devices, the Galaxy A80 and A90. Some rumors have been claiming that these two phones are one and the same, while others are claiming that both will become official at some point.

Having that in mind, the Galaxy A80 is rumored to make an appearance tomorrow, unless the company opts to ditch the A80 naming and goes with the A90, if it turns out those are the same devices. In any case, the device in question has leaked several times thus far, and it is rumored to be made out of metal and sport a pop-up and rotary camera system, all in one.

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If the leaked info is accurate, the devices rear-facing camera will rise up when you flip the switch to a selfie camera in the camera app, and then they will rotate to become front-facing cameras. This is a rather interesting setup, one that we have not seen before. The phone will include almost no bezel, and thanks to its rotating cameras, it wont sport a display notch or a display hole either.

The Galaxy A80 / A90 (assuming theyll both the same phone) will feature a 6.7-inch fullHD+ (2400 x 1080) OLED display, 6GB / 8GB of RAM and 128GB of expandable storage, at least if rumors are to be believed. The phone will be fueled by the Snapdragon 7150 64-bit octa-core processor, while a 3,700mAh non-removable battery had also been mentioned. The phone is rumored to include 48, and 8-megapixel cameras on the back, in addition to a ToF (Time of Flight) sensor. It remains to be seen if any additional A series devices will be re-announced tomorrow for a global market, but one thing is for sure, the Galaxy A80 / A90 will be the star of the show.
Android 9 Pie is now rolling out to unlocked Samsung Galaxy S8, S8+, and Note8 handsets in the US, finally. Its always odd to see unlocked units get the update last, but that is the case this time around.

The Galaxy S8, S8+, and Note8 had started receiving Android 9 Pie in the US last month, though not unlocked variants. Android 9 Pie had arrived to Sprints variants at the end of March, while AT&T and T-Mobile joined in on March 29. Verzions and T-Mobile variants followed, while now Unlocked models are getting the update as well.

This update weighs around 1.5GB for all three phones, and it comes with a security patch for March 2019. As part of this update, the Galaxy S8, S8+, and Note8 users will not only get Googles Android 9 Pie update, but also Samsungs brand new One UI Android overlay.

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Android 9 Pie has been available for the Galaxy S9, and S9+ handsets in the US for a while, while the Galaxy S10 series shipped with that update, so if youve used any of those devices you probably already know what to expect.

Samsungs One UI puts focus on one-handed use, and its considerably different to Samsungs Experience UX. One UI adapts Samsungs applications so that theyre always reachable with one hand, though unfortunately, Samsungs UI cannot affect third-party applications, of course.

One UI has also brought a facelift to Samsungs Android overlay, as it also looks better than ever before, its more flat now, and way more consistent than it was before. On top of that, One UI works really well on the Galaxy S9 and S10 series devices, same goes for the Galaxy Note9, while users have been reporting that the Galaxy S8 and S8+ are not having any problems either.

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Android 9 Pie should improve battery life on the Galaxy S8 series and the Note8, on top of everything, as it brings Googles Adaptive Display and Adaptive Battery features, whose goal is a more pleasant experience but also less battery drain.

The Samsung Galaxy S, S8+, and Note8 were all introduced back in 2017. Those three phones were basically the companys flagship offerings in 2017, but theyre still quite compelling devices, as their hardware is still not obsolete, and new software enhancements are always welcomed.

The Galaxy S8, S8, and Note9 actually resemble the Galaxy S9 series quite a bit, while the Galaxy S10 series did bring some changes in terms of the design, mainly thanks to display camera holes.

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The Galaxy S8, S8+, and Note8, unlike the Galaxy S10 series, do not sport display camera holes, and you also wont find notches on those three devices either. All three phones are made out of metal, while they sport QHD+ Super AMOLED displays. All three phones are fueled by the Snapdragon 835 in the US, the Galaxy Note8 includes 6GB of RAM, while the Galaxy S8, and S8+ come with 4GB of RAM.

Android 9 Pie has started rolling out to unlocked Galaxy S8, S8, and Note8 units in the US, but please do keep in mind that this is a staged rollout, as per usual, so the update may not be available straight away for your device. If that is the case, do not fret, as chances are you will get it within a week or so.
Richwood, TX (77531)

Today

Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Areas of patchy fog. Low near 70F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph..

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Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Areas of patchy fog. Low near 70F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.
Viber is aiming to help users save money and reduce hassle at the same time with a new add-on that lets travelers abroad make and receive phone calls and messages for free from just about anywhere from a static phone number. Announced by the company as Viber Local Number, the subscription-based service does almost exactly what its name implies. Users get a local virtual phone number for use abroad at a low monthly cost.

Perks and drawbacks

The benefits of having a localized phone number are two-fold. First, users can make or receive phone calls from other countries without having to inform friends and family of a different phone number in each region they travel to. Because their phone number is virtualized, all thats needed is a Wi-Fi or mobile data connection and the Viber app.

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Viber Out already allows users to make and receive calls and messages for free via its Viber Out service, regardless of whether the other party has the app or not. Viber Local Number builds on that by providing a localized number that doesnt change and that can be used from anywhere a connection is available. That also ensures that when the user is making outbound calls or sending messages, it always comes from the same phone number.

On the other side of that coin, users might also take advantage of Viber Local Number to ensure they call their clients and contacts from a constant local number while abroad  specifically, from within the same region theyre traveling to. For instance, if they travel to the UK, they could theoretically set up a UK virtual phone number to contact people they know locally.

As a side benefit, anybody calling to or from the localized number wont incur overage charges stemming from long-distance calls, which can get steep quickly.

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One major drawback that could emerge from the new service is that spoofers and robotic callers could feasibly find a way to utilize Viber for more nefarious activity. Getting set up simply requires a user to navigate to the settings menu, select the Viber Local Number option, and choose a country and area code where calls are going to originate from.

Cost and where it works

Cost of the new Viber Local Number subscription is relatively cheap too. The first 10,000 users to sign up will incur a monthly cost set at just shy of $2. After those spots are gone, users can sign up for a penny short of $5 every month. The sole remaining cost is the storage space taken up by the app itself.

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Multiple phone numbers can be subscribed for more money, allowing users to keep multiple local numbers in a given region, with phone calls and texts arriving just as they normally would from each. As indicated above, the only pre-requisite to receiving incoming phone calls and texts will be that the user needs to have a data connection of some kind.

It doesnt necessarily matter whether thats a mobile data connection or a Wi-Fi connection so  aside from the cost of the subscription  the calls would essentially be free. That also allows the service to be used from anywhere in the world that the internet is readily available via either mobile data or local wireless internet service.
Posted on: April 9, 2019 4:40 PM

The gentle and soft spoken bursar of the Anglican Diocese of Akure in Nigerias Ondo State, Gabriel Abiodun, has been shot and killed by robbers who escaped with 500,000 Naira (approximately 1,000 GBP). The incident happened last Thursday (4 April) at 9.30 am WAT (8.30 am GMT). Mr Abiodun had returned to the diocesan offices from the bank, where he had just withdrew the money, when the gunmen struck.

In addition to his role with the diocese, Mr Abiodun was the paymaster of the Ondo state Ministry of Agriculture. Witnesses say that officials and staff member looked on in shock as the gunman attacked Mr Abiodun before fleeing with the cash.

Police in Nigeria are working on the theory that the three attackers followed the bursar from the bank after watching him withdraw the money. They are advising other people in the area to be on their guard.

The lnspector General of Police, Muhammed Adamu, has said that detectives have a number of leads and expect to make an arrest in a matter of days.

Inspector Adamu has asked banks to increase security to prevent people loitering near their premises; and has pledged to increase security around churches.

The Bishop of Akure, Simeon Borokini, had left the diocesan office moments before the attack. Speaking to The Vanguard newspaper, he said: We are sad. We are concerned that such ungodly and devilish act could be perpetrated in the house of God.

Bishop Simeon described Mr Abiodun as a fine gentleman, adding: he had been working with the church for about eight years. He was 58 . . . and had four children.
Posted on: April 9, 2019 3:24 PM

Political and Christian leaders from South Sudan will gather in the Vatican this week for an unprecedented spiritual retreat led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and Pope Francis. The retreat was described by Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti as a propitious occasion for reflection and prayer, as well as an occasion for encounter and reconciliation, in a spirit of respect and trust, to those who in this moment have the mission and the responsibility to work for a future of peace and prosperity for the South Sudanese people.

South Sudan  the worlds youngest country  has spent most of its eight years in a state of civil war. A peace deal brokered last year by the regional Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the nations Churches is fragile. Organisers of this weeks retreat hope it will bring the parties together and aid efforts at reconciliation.

Mr Gisotti said today that plans for the retreat were proposed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and approved by Pope Francis. It will take place in the Domus Sanctae Marthae  the official Vatican guest house within the walls of Vatican City  on Wednesday and Thursday. The Vatican spokesman said that the highest civil and ecclesiastical authorities of South Sudan will participate.

A spokesperson for the Archbishop of Canterbury said that the joint initiative could be a step on a journey, adding: It is hoped that a retreat will build confidence and trust between parties and give them spiritual nourishment.

The retreat will bring together a number of political leaders who, under the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan, a number of people will assume positions of great national responsibility this coming 12 May, the Vatican spokesman said. These include President Salva Kiir Mayardit and four of the five designated Vice Presidents: Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon, James Wani Igga, Taban Deng Gai and Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior.

Eight members of the South Sudan Council of Churches will take part in the retreat, including the Catholic Archbishop of Gulu, John Baptist Odama. The Anglican Primate of South Sudan, Archbishop Justin Badi Arama, will also take part.

The retreat will end at 5 pm CET (3 pm GMT) on Thursday (11 April) when Pope Francis will make a speech.

Participants will be given a Bible signed by Pope Francis, Archbishop Justin Welby, and the former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, John Chalmers. It will include the message Seek that which unites. Overcome that which divides.
Marysville, CA (95901)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Low 37F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

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Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Low 37F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
BarcelonaAccording to Eldiario.es and The Times, two Scotland Yard police chiefs believe that the people who gathered outside the Ministry of the Economy on 20 September 2017 were a "peaceful crowd" and that claims the building was assaulted "are not supported by evidence". This is one of the conclusions in a report written by two British security experts proposed by the defence team representing one of the Catalan political prisoners, Jordi Cuixart, even though it has been rejected by Spains Supreme Court. On 1 October, they believe that "effective", "successful" operations took place alongside the "indiscriminate, violent and disproportionate use" of force by Spains National Police and the Guardia Civil. According to their estimate, some 90,000 officers would have been necessary to prevent the independence vote from going ahead.

Spanish polices decision not to inform their Catalan counterparts of their intention to carry out searches on 20 September 2017 was "very risky"

Sir Hugh Orde and Duncan McCausland, both with over 30 years experience in the police, wrote that We have not seen any evidence of either organized, routine violence throughout the day, nor the widespread throwing of objects at the police, nor anything which caused us concern in terms of violence". They concede that a "small number of people were involved on an individual basis" in acts of theft and vandalism carried out on Spanish police vehicles [parked nearby] and that there were clashes with the Catalan police once the protest had been called off.

While recognizing that Cuixart, together with Jordi Sanchez, another jailed independence leader, were "known to and had a certain degree of control over the crowd", they remain unconvinced that their tweets and speeches "had a significant impact on the crowds actions", as the prosecution maintains. In addition, they point out that in their speeches the two grassroots leaders insisted that the protest remained "peaceful" and that anyone acting violently "ought to be isolated from the group".

The report goes on to say that throughout the day, the ministrys security cameras failed to record "any evidence of unrest or resistance with respect to any Guardia Civil or Mosso d'Esquadra officer". In addition, they add that the number of officers would have been insufficient to prevent an assault on the building. They also find it "hard to understand" and "very risky" that the Spanish police failed to inform their Catalan counterpart of their intention to carry out searches on 20 September 2017.

The report also stresses the fact that the atmosphere within the ministry was "calm throughout the whole day", and that the search was conducted "without interference from the growing crowd outside". According to the two police chiefs, footage from multiple cameras show that people entered and left the building without incident, and that the individuals protesting "made no attempt to enter the lobby or interfere with the police", thus contradicting the Spanish polices report, which speaks of protesters attempting to break down the door to the ministry.

As for the vehicles belonging to the Spanish police, they fail to understand "why the operation necessitated leaving the vehicles unattended", and believe that they could have been parked without being accessible to the crowd.

"Lack of clear orders" from the Spanish police high command during the referendum on 1 October 2017

With regard to 1 October 2017, the day on which the Catalan referendum on self-determination was held, the experts analysed more than 200 videos showing police operations at fifty polling stations, provided by both the prosecution and the defence. They define the voters attitude as a whole in terms of "passive resistance" and "without recourse to violence". With reference to the Spanish polices departure from Sant Carles de la Rapita, however, they confirm that the protesters threw stones and attacked the police vehicles.

Speaking of the behaviour of the two Spanish police forces the National Police and the Guardia Civil, they believe they carried out both "effective" actions but with a "indiscriminate, violent and disproportionate use" of force, adding that this was due to "the lack of clear orders" from the police high command.
This was the slowest rate of growth in more than a year but still in line with long-term demand trends. Monthly capacity (available seat kilometers or ASKs) increased by 5.4%, and load factor slipped 0.1 percentage point to 80.6%, which is still high by historic standards.

After Januarys strong performance, we settled down a bit in February, in line with concerns about the broader economic outlook. Continuing trade tensions between the US and China, and unresolved uncertainty over Brexit are also weighing on the outlook for travel, said Alexandre de Juniac, IATAs Director General and CEO.

International Passenger Markets

February international passenger demand rose 4.6% compared to February 2018, which was a slowdown from 5.9% growth in January. Capacity climbed 5.1%, and load factor dropped 0.4 percentage point to 79.5%. Airlines in all regions but the Middle East showed traffic growth versus the year-ago period.

Middle East carriers recorded a 0.8% traffic decline in February compared to a year ago, the only region to report a drop year-over-year. Capacity rose 2.9% and load factor fell 2.7 percentage points to 72.6%. Broadly speaking, passenger volumes of the regions airlines have been moving sideways for the past 12 15 months.
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Opposition parties, including the Indian National Congress, had petitioned the Election Commission to delay the films release until after the polls close on May 19, on the grounds that it was propaganda for the incumbent prime minister and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Producers announced that the film  titled simply PM Narendra Modi  will release simultaneously in 38 countries.  Variety
What now after COP26? With the frenetic weeks of COP26 over and disputes over its actual achievements still in full spate, here are a few developments that may help put the United Nations climate conference into perspective.
With the aim to promote eco-friendly vehicles, the government in 2015 launched FAME India scheme.

"SMEV requests the committee members to support e-bike mobility by not linking localisation and ex-showroom price to subsidy as well as keeping 60-km as range eligibility," the SMEV said in its letter to PISC. (Representational Image)

Mumbai: The Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV) on Tuesday urged the project implementation and sanctioning committee (PISC) to delink localisation and ex-showroom prices of e-bikes from subsidy under the FAME-II scheme.

In a letter to the committee, which is likely to hold its first meeting in the national capital this week, the SMEV has also recommended enhancing per KwHr subsidy to Rs 20,000 from the present Rs 18,000 in the scheme for adoption of e-bikes, in line with the bus battery subsidy.

"SMEV requests the committee members to support e-bike mobility by not linking localisation and ex-showroom price to subsidy as well as keeping 60-km as range eligibility," the SMEV said in its letter to PISC.

"Besides, the per KwHr subsidy should be increased to Rs 20,000, in line with the bus battery subsidy," it said.

The government late last month laid out the eligibility criteria, based on minimum top speed, range per charge and acceleration as well energy consumption efficiency for these categories of electric vehicles (EVs) to avail the incentives under the scheme.

Besides, for availing incentives, the manufacturer would have to have minimum 50 per cent local content in the vehicle.

With the aim to promote eco-friendly vehicles, the government in 2015 launched FAME India scheme.

The second phase of the scheme, which has come into effect for a period of three years starting April 1 this year with an outlay of Rs 10,000 crore, covers electric buses, passenger vehicles as well as three-wheelers and two-wheelers.

An inter-ministerial empowered committee headed by heavy industry ministry's secretary has been set up for overall monitoring, sanctioning and implementation of the scheme.

Stating that component suppliers are not ready to invest with the current extreme low volumes of vehicles, the SMEV said localisation involves designing the components, prototyping, component-level testing, reliability check, safety checks, vehicle-level testing, certification and ramp-up.

This process takes anywhere between one to five-year period and cannot be shortened, it said in the letter.

"The scheme is addressing the wrong end of the problem by linking incentives to localisation. Additional supply side incentive/motivation may result more favourably," it said.

Pointing out that a 20 per cent cap on ex-showroom price will adversely affect prices of the "affordable segment" bikes, it said this cap can be kept for premium-end bikes to stop misuse of subsidy.

Affordable segment is the backbone of the industry to provide a substantial growth in number, which is evident in FAME-1, it added.

Observing that keeping the 8-km range for battery "unnecessarily" adds more batteries that are not required by 90 per cent of the users, the SMEV said more batteries would mean much higher replacement cost and that will be a big deterrent to the prospective buyers.

It recommended a range of 60-km, saying it would be more than enough.

As per the industry body, the FAME-I had a subsidy of Rs 22,000, which helped adoption of e- bikes gradually to the growth path.

SMEV had requested an increase of around Rs 10,000 in the subsidy for one year to offer these city speed Li-battery e-bikes at prices similar to the petrol ones. That would have led to an exponential growth, it said.

"Surprisingly the Fame-II subsidy has been reduced to Rs 12,000-18,000 for 90 per cent of the city speed e-bikes as the subsidy is now linked to the battery capacity rather than the efficiency of the e-bike," it added.

The proposed subsidy of Rs 10,000/KwHr is "grossly inadequate" and will be a waste rather than the incentive, it said.

Strangely, the subsidy on batteries for buses is Rs 20,000/KwHr in spite of the lower per KwHr cost of the bus batteries as compared to that of the e-bikes, it added.
DGCA has been meeting with the airlines continuously so that they augment the additional capacity.

With the grounding of the 737 Max aircraft and the continuing cancellation of flights by Jet Airways, the airfares have been rising.

New Delhi: As airfares continue to rise, Indian aviation watchdog DGCA has "requested" the airlines to bring the "immediate and medium-term plan" on Wednesday to augment the number of flights, which will be over and above the flights approved for the summer schedule, government officials said on Tuesday.

"With the grounding of the 737 Max aircraft and the continuing cancellation of flights by Jet Airways, the airfares have been rising. Therefore, the DGCA has been meeting with the airlines continuously so that they augment the additional capacity, which would be over and above the flights approved for the summer schedule," a senior government official said.

According to the officials, the airlines were "requested" to bring "the immediate and medium-term plan" to augment the "additional capacity in the market" at a meeting scheduled to be held at the DGCA office on Wednesday.

For the last few weeks, the cash-strapped Jet Airways has been grounding its aircraft due to non-payment of dues to its lessors.

On April 4, Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola had said Jet Airways was operating a fleet of 26 planes and it now fulfilled the criteria for operating on international routes. According to its website, Jet Airways has a fleet of around 119 aircraft.

On March 12, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had announced its decision to "immediately" ground the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft that were being used by airlines in India.

On March 10, a 737 MAX 8 aircraft operated by the Ethiopian Airlines crashed near Addis Ababa, killing 157 people, including four Indians. This was the second such crash involving the 737 MAX 8 aircraft in less than five months.
As LICI is an offshore subsidiary of LIC of India, AM Best has placed these credit ratings concurrently under review with negative implications.

The rating agency expects that LICI could benefit from support from LIC to replenish its capital base.

New Delhi: Citssing poor investment performance, global rating agency AM Best has downgraded the financial strength rating of LIC's overseas entity-Life Insurance Corporation (International), or LICI Bahrain, to fair from good--B from B++. LICI's long-term issuer credit rating was also downgraded to "BB" from "BBB."

As LICI is an offshore subsidiary of LIC of India, AM Best has placed these credit ratings concurrently under review with negative implications.

Explaining the reasons for the downgrading, AM Best said in a statement, "LICI's consolidated risk-adjusted capitalisation, as measured by Best's Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), was significantly lower than previously anticipated at year-end 2018, following worse-than-expected results for that year driven by poor investment performance."

"The company is furthermore in breach of its regulatory solvency requirement in the United Arab Emirates," the rating agency added.

Top officials of LIC could not be contacted in this regard, while a source blamed slack monitoring of performance, caused by top-level vacancies at the subsidiary, for the rating downgrade.

"The post of Chief Executive of Bahrain was lying vacant for quite some time after its incumbent Rajesh Kandwal was called back to India as his term ended last year. It was recently that two officials were sent to look after the operation from its Mumbai head office," the source said.

The ratings also reflects LICI's balance sheet strength, which AM Best categorises as weak, as well as operating performance, neutral business profile and marginal enterprise risk management (ERM). The rating agency expects that LICI could benefit from support from LIC to replenish its capital base.
Irrfan said he is happy to be back on a film set and is excited to tell the audience another story.

Mumbai: Irrfan Khan on Monday said he is happy to be back on a film set and is excited to tell the audience another story.

Irrfan, who is making comeback to the movies with "Angrezi Medium" after recovering from neuroendocrine tumour, will be playing a sweet shop owner in the film, a sequel to his 2017 hit "Hindi Medium".

The actor shared a picture from the set of the movie, which is currently being shot in Udaipur, Rajasthan.

"GMB (Ghasiteram Mishthan Bhandar) serving since 1900s . It's going to be fun to tell another story #AngreziMedium," Irrfan captioned the picture.

GMB serving since 1900s Its going to be fun to tell another story #AngreziMedium.



Coming soon, with Mr Champakji...



Aa Raha Hu phir entertain Karne Sabko #ItsTimeToKnowChampakJi #AngreziMedium  pic.twitter.com/mC3IL2UMpf  Irrfan (@irrfank) April 8, 2019

In the photo, the 52-year-old actor can be seen dressed up as his character Champak.

According to the synopsis, Irrfan and Deepak Dobriyal will play brothers in the film who have inherited a 100-year-old sweet business and are also rivals. A distant cousin, played by Manu Rishi, who owns the biggest sweet shop also adds to the rivalry within the family.

The film features Radhika Madan as Irrfan's daughter and talks are on for another leading lady.

"Angrezi Medium" is directed by Homi Adjania and produced by Dinesh Vijan.
Film piracy websites eat into the profits of films, yet many such illicit websites continue to flourish.

In a report published by Irdeto last year, India is among the top five countries engaging in peer-to-peer file sharing. The research also pointed to the fact that despite laws calling it illegal, 66 percent of the population accesses pirated content.

A fresh and more immediate example of such illicit downloading was seen in the case of the John Abraham and Mouni Roy starrer Romeo Akbar Walter (RAW) as within two days of its release, the film was made available on the notorious piracy website Tamilrockers. On visiting the website, a video tutorial guides you through the process of downloading the film in full HD version. Additionally, the tamilrockers hashtag on Twitter directs you to other links through which you can access the movie.

Director Robbie Grewal who is overwhelmed at the response his film RAW is getting, is quite upset about the illegal downloading of his film. I have spoken to the production house, Vicom18, and we are immediately pulling it down. We have got the court orders which apprises the website that has leaked the film and we are acting on it, asserts Grewal, adding that, It does affect the business in some numbers. I am not sure the range in which it will be affected but this is something that is absolutely wrong. Not just for my film, but for other filmmakers as well we. We have to make the future better.

RAW isnt the only film that found its way to the Tamilrockers website. Akshay Kumars latest war saga, Kesari, too became a part of the pirated world through the website, just a day after its release. The website also leaked the latest Tollywood release Majili, which features Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Akkineni in key roles.

Though the website has been traced and shut multiple times, it keeps resurfacing. Previously it has put up pirated copies of films like Gully Boy, Total Dhamaal, Thugs of Hindostan, 2.0 and Zero, apart from various Hollywood films.

Prashant Mali, a cyber law expert who fought the piracy case for Udta Punjab believes that this piracy game begins from the time a film is released in Dubai. With the film being released in Dubai two days ahead of India, the process of duplication starts. They make various copies of it. Then they make CDs out of it, which are put on sale, explains Mali.

The cyber law expert also sheds light on the other ways films are leaked for piracy. Every single producer and director is aware of it. If the film is a complete HD version, then it gets leaked from two or three places. Either from the time when it goes to the editor, or when it is sent to the censor board, and lastly when it is sent for appeal to the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal in Delhi. It is from any of these three places that it gets leaked, he shares.

In the case of Udta Punjab, while the cops were not able to nab the first person that uploaded the pirated copy of the movie, they caught hold of the second person who happened to share the link.

I had told the police that the same amount of criminality would be applicable on the second person in line who has further sent out pirated copies. Because there is not just one website uploading a pirated copy. The guy we found was a college student and he used to sell movies for `20, recalls Mali, further stressing that such incidents arent big enough deterrents as it is a bailable offence.

Earlier this year, the government introduced a bill in the Rajya Sabha to amend the Cinematography Act and demand a strict penalty for piracy. The bill proposes to make film piracy offences punishable with imprisonment of up to three years and a fine that may extend to `10 lakh or both. However, experts are of the opinion that even the existing laws are not implemented properly.

There is not sufficient deterrence in Indian law to stop IPR infringement. Also, there is not sufficient awareness among Indian citizens telling them this is against the law. And the Mumbai local train is the biggest IPR infringer, especially in a world where films are transferred through Bluetooth, because they dont look at it as a crime. Lastly, there is no responsibility taken by the website owners or the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block such sites on their own accord. An IP address is blocked, but the URL is not, rues Mali.

Talking about the effect this leak can have on the film, Trade analyst Taran Adarsh points to the fact that one cant really put a figure on it. Since we dont know how many people have seen it, we cant estimate the figures. Something they can watch at the price of peanuts, why will they spend 1000 bucks, asks Adarsh.

The trade analyst shares how in the 80s the entire Bollywood industry had united against piracy and had raised the issue with the government.

Taran hopes film viewers will take just such a united stand against piracy when he says, Earlier we had pirated CDs, now people can watch it on the phone. I request people that there is so much of money, hard work and time that go into the making of a film. Please do not rob that from the makers. I wish to tell the industry that we need to unite and fight this."
The film Radha Kyun Gori Main Kyun Kaala suffered a blow when the studio backing it ran into controversy.

While there have been reports about Sonakshi Sinha replacing the Romanian beauty Iulia Vantur in the film Radha Kyun Gori Main Kyun Kaala, Sonakshi dismisses all these reports.

The actress says, No, its completely untrue. I have not even been approached for that. In fact, Iulia called me the other day and told me there is a story thats come out and we were laughing about it. So nothing of that sort (is happening) and I am not replacing Iulia.

The film Radha Kyun Gori Main Kyun Kaala suffered a blow when the studio backing it ran into controversy.

Meanwhile, Sonakshi is back as Rajjo with Dabangg 3.

She says, Rajjo is Rajjo! In fact, when I put out the picture of her, some fan club made a comparison of the photo like before and after and they were like its the same. I am just happy that I have not aged and (I am) looking better.

Further she adds, Its a character that has already been established so there is not much that you can change around. You have to be that character and which is why we are making the film again because people appreciate it and want to see those characters again. Talking about working with Salman again, she says, There is no sense of nervousness working with Salman. In fact, I was waiting for a long (time) since Dabangg 2, so just being part of that feels great. So many people are still the same from Dabangg like DOP, camera team, so, it is like coming back home. I am happy Prabhu sir is part of this film.
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said Modi's central 'mantra' is to trap people by deception.

New Delhi: The Opposition led by the Congress on Monday dubbed the BJP's election manifesto a Jhansa Patra (deception document) and a bubble of lies and said it would have been better had they issued a maafinama instead and apologised to the nation for failing to fulfil the promises made.

West Bengal chief minister and Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee blamed the Prime Minister for not helping the state financially and being busy with foreign tours during his entire tenure.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal said that the BJP's manifesto was a fresh set of jumlas.

Highlighting the Congress' thrust on promising justice to people if voted to power, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel said the BJP document was lies versus justice.

The Congress also released a list of 125 questions of broken promises made by the BJP in its 2014 manifesto, including key issues of jobs, 50 per cent rise in farmers' income, checking price rise and corruption and bringing back black money. Mr Patel said the Congress' manifesto had a picture of people, but the BJP document had only Prime Minister Narendra Modi on its cover.

On one hand is the public on the cover of Congress manifesto, while the BJP document has only Modi's picture depicting 'me and only me'. I feel this BJP manifesto is 'lies versus justice'. I feel it is lies and only lies. It would have been better, if they issued an apology letter, as in the last five years they had nothing to show, he told reporters.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said Modi's central 'mantra' is to trap people by deception. He termed the manifesto a failed attempt by a failed person.

We have seen Modiji's journey which is from 'jumlas' (rhetoric) to 'jhansas' (deception) Today 125 crore people of the country are demanding answers from Modiji on 125 promises made before coming to power. People will not accept your 'Jhansa Patra' (deception letter) anymore and time has come for you to carry your bag and go, he said.

Mr Surjewala said that Mr Modi has poisoned the confidence of the people in the government. He alleged that only two people have seen a gain in their physical weight, an apparent reference to Modi and Shah.

He also added that the BJP brings back the Ram temple in its agenda every five years during elections and soon after after coronation, they send it back to exile.

The Congress spokesperson said this manifesto of the BJP does not talk about Rs 15 lakh in every bank account, building smart cities, skill India and cheap petrol or diesel.



Congress spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Gowda said what this government achieved and failed to achieve in the last five years is something that comes through the manifesto very clearly.

Let us look at some of the key highlights in the economy section. What do we see - the contradictions that characterise this government are very evident right up front. They say they will reduce taxes and at the same time say they will increase tax collections. So, basically it is just a lot of 'jumla' once again, but there are some omissions that hurt me very-very much and that is while they do talk about 'kisan' - once again there is absolutely no concern and attention paid to agricultural labour, Mr Gowda said.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, Did PM even give a single penny for West Bengal? The person who makes such big claims must see what he has contributed towards Bengal. He was busy in foreign tours for five years and now he saw the need to come here.

The BJP's latest set of announcements is another round of Jumlas.

It was the same in 2014, and People have seen through their PR and spin. The time to vote out this government is now, tweeted Mr Yechury.

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, BJP unveils a fresh set of jumlas without telling the country what is the fate of its 2014 jumlas. Modi-Shah don't have the courage to speak on why demonetisation was done? What happened to two crore jobs? Why were farmers pushed towards destruction?
Mallya has also the option to appeal against the extradition order in the Supreme Court there.

New Delhi: A UK high court on Monday rejected Vijay Mallyas plea against extradition to India. He will now face an oral hearing on his appeal against the decision.

The Westminster magistrates court had ruled against the 62-year-old businessman, who is wanted in India on charges of not paying back loans worth Rs 9,000 crore, on December 9 last year. Mr Mallya had filed the application seeking leave to appeal in the high court on February 14 against his extradition order, which was signed by UK home secretary Sajid Javid.

The application for permission to appeal was refused by Mr Justice William Davis on 05/04/2019, said a spokesperson for the UK judiciary. The appellant (Mallya) has five business days to apply for oral consideration. If a renewal application is made, it will be listed before a High Court judge and dealt with at a hearing, the spokesperson added.

Mr Mallya has also the option to appeal against the extradition order in the Supreme Court there.

Mr Mallyas leave to appeal application had been put before Justice Davis, who was to make a decision on the basis of papers submitted as part of the appeals process. Now that the judge on papers application has been rejected by Justice Davis, Mr Mallya has the option to renew his application for permission to appeal by this Friday. If he (Mallya) does so (applies for renewal), there will be an oral hearing at which the administrative court (high court) will consider whether or not to grant permission to appeal, a CPS spokesperson said.

During the oral hearing, Mr Mallyas legal team and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)  on behalf of the Indian government  will renew their respective claims for and against an appeal for a judge to determine if it can proceed to a full hearing.

While the rejection by the high court on Friday doesnt mean that the appeal process in the case has come to an end, the latest decision does move the case one step further in favour of India in bringing back Mr Mallya, who had fled the country in 2016. The latest ruling marks a fresh legal setback for the UB Group chief. Mr Mallya has been based in the UK since March 2016 and remains on bail on an extradition warrant executed by Scotland Yard in April 2017.
Singh made it clear that India was ready to hold talks with Pak provided Islamabad 'commits' to take steps to stop terrorism.

The Home Minister's remarks come amid heightened tension between New Delhi and Islamabad following February 14 Pulwama terrorist attack by Pakistan-backed Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist on a security convoy in which 44 CRPF personnel were killed. (Photo: ANI)

New Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that India conducted action on the Pakistan-based terror training camp in Balakot on February 26 with utmost caution and responsibility to ensure only terrorists were impacted and no civilian was harmed.

In an exclusive interview to ANI, Rajnath Singh underlined the fact that India had no intention to cause civilian casualties or get into direct confrontation with Pakistani forces while carrying out air strikes on Balakot.

"Indian Air Force only attacked terrorist camps. We made sure that there should be no attack on Pakistan's sovereignty and integrity. We did not kill any innocent human in our strikes. We only attacked terrorist training centres," the Home Minister said.

The Home Minister's remarks come amid heightened tension between New Delhi and Islamabad following February 14 Pulwama terrorist attack by Pakistan-backed Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist on a security convoy in which 44 CRPF personnel were killed.

The two countries were close to having dangerous confrontation following Balakot airstrikes of February 26, when the Indian Air Force aircraft crossed the Line of Control to attack the JeM base camp in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.

On being asked, how correct it is to demand proof from armed forces about the air strikes, Rajnath Singh said: "Why should one ask for proof from IAF, who bombed the terrorist centre only. Should they count the bodies and give proof? As a Home Minister of the country I am saying that the operation in Balakot took place on the basis of credible intelligence input."

When asked that the international community is still not accepting India's stand that Pakistan used F-16 to attack Indian Air Force, Rajnath Singh said: "No international community has denied it. Pentagon itself has contradicted it. They have denied any reports (published in Foreign Policy magazine) and said no research was done and no US general has made these comment."

"In addition to that Air Vice Marshal have presented all the proof yesterday that Indian Air Force has downed Pakistan F-16 during a retaliatory firing," he added.

The Home Minister also made it clear that India was ready to hold talks with Pakistan provided Islamabad "commits" itself to take strong steps to stop terrorism emanating from its soil.

"Whosoever will come from Pakistan, we are ready to talk. But Pakistan has to decide that terrorism and talks cannot proceed together. Pakistan has to commit that it will stop terrorism, and that they will not allow anyone to use their soil to train terrorists," Rajanth Singh said.

On asking for proof of Balakot strike:

Singh said that it is fair to raise questions in a democracy and there is no harm in asking for details or proof from a government with regard to actions taken by it but it is unfair to ask security forces to give proof.

While responding to a question of why people are branded as "anti-national" and "Tukde Tukde" gang, if they ask for proof of Balakot air strike and Surgical strikes, the Home Minister, said: "No one is termed anti-national for asking questions, we always give answers to relevant questions...Why should one ask for proof from Indian Air Force, who only bombed the terrorist centre. Should they count the bodies and give proof?"

He added that the air strike by the IAF in Pakistan's Balakot took place on the basis of credible intelligence input. "During Balakot air strike, the IAF targeted terrorist training centres in Pakistan and ensured that no harm is done to civilians there. We took precautions while taking revenge of Pulwama terror attack, we made sure that Pakistan's Sovereignty and Integrity is not compromised and only terrorists are targeted. We did not attack Pakistan's army or harm the innocent civilians, we only targeted terrorists," he said.

On Kashmir issue

Rajnath Singh asserted that Kashmir is, was and will always be an integral part of India and thus it cannot have its own prime minister.

"Kashmir will never be separated from India. Kashmir was, is and always will be an integral part of India. There cannot be two prime ministers in the country. It is absolutely clear in our election manifesto that if we form government Article 370, Article 35A will be removed," he added.

When questioned about Mehbooba Mufti and Farooq Abdullahs statements that tampering with Article 370 and 35A will not bode well for India, Rajnath said, This is their frustration, let them speak what they want, we will go ahead and do what we have to do.

Rajnath Singh further explained that during his tenure as the Home Minister he tried continuously to hold dialogues with Kashmiri leaders, who showed no inclination for talks.

On I-T, ED raids on Opposition leaders and their aides

Rajnath Singh said that the agencies are autonomous bodies and they are acting on their inputs.

Singh said, The agencies which are conducting raids are autonomous bodies. Model Code of Conduct does not apply to them. They are acting on their inputs. How can we stop them?

It is unfair to hold the government responsible for the raids. This is an ongoing process. Agencies act on their own intelligence inputs, the Minister said.

Singh maintained that autonomous central agencies will take necessary steps to stop the use of unaccounted money in the elections.

The Home Minister said, The elections should be fought in a free and fair manner. No unethical means should be used to win the elections. If anyone has collected unaccounted money and wants to use them in elections, these autonomous bodies will act, he said.

We do not send forces on our own. We send them on the instructions of the Election Commission of India. The Centre has nothing to do with it and the central forces are deployed in states on ECs orders, Singh added.

On Mayawatis appeal to Muslim community to vote for BSP-SP alliance

Rajnath Singh said that politics should not be done on the basis of "caste, creed and religion".

"It is very unfortunate (what Mayawati said). Politics should not be done on the basis of Hindu-Muslim. Politics should not be done on the basis of caste, creed and religion. Our (BJP) politics is not on the basis of caste, creed and religion. It is on the basis of justice and humanity. We never say only Hindu should vote for us and not Muslims or vice versa. In a healthy democracy, you can't even imagine this," Singh said.

"No discrimination will be done in India on the basis of Hindu-Muslim. Whatever I am saying is our commitment. I cannot discriminate on the basis of Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian. Justice to all, appeasement of none - our party believes in this," he added.

On promises made by BJP

Rajnath Singh said that the BJP never made promises of transferring Rs 15 lakhs into people's bank accounts during the campaign for Lok Sabha election in 2014.

"Never said that Rs 15 lakh will come (to accounts of people). This was never said. (Bilkul nahi kaha tha ki Rs 15 lakh aenge. Ye kabhi nahi kaha tha). We had said that we will take action (karyawahi) against black money. Action is being taken against black money. It was our government which made SIT on the topic of black money," Rajnath said.

His statement comes at a time when opposition parties have been criticing the BJP for having made false promises" to woo the people of India ahead of 2014 general elections and now repeating it in 2019.
Incident took place on April 7 in Assams Biswanath Chariali town.

Guwahati: In what is called to be the case of hate-crime, a mob not only assaulted 68-year-old Shaukat Ali on suspicion of selling beef but also forced him to eat pork in central Assams Biswanath district. However, police have picked up five persons suspected to have been the part of mob.

The incident took place on April 7 in Assams Biswanath Chariali town. It came to light after a video of the incident went viral on social media on Monday.

The video doing the rounds on social media, shows as to how an angry mob forced Shaukat Ali to kneel down in mud. The mob also asked Shaukat Ali as to why he was selling beef and if he has the license to do so. The irate mob also asked his nationality while suspecting him, to be a Bangladeshi.

According to local police, Mr Ali is a businessman and has been running an eatery in the area for the last 35 years. The mob accused him of selling beef in the weekly market.

The situation worsened on Sunday when a mob which was accusing Mr Ali of selling beef forcibly entered the eatery and assaulted Shaukat Ali and allegedly forced him to eat pork.

We have picked up five people, including two market committee leaders, in a bid to disperse the mob. They were allowed to go after signing a good behaviour bond under Section 107 of Code of Criminal Procedure, a district administration official said. He added that some locals had been warning Mr Ali not to sell what they believed was beef. Mr Sahabuddin, the brother of Mr. Ali, later filed an FIR at the local police station.

Mr Ali also received injuries and is being treated in a local hospital.

The mob also misbehaved with the manager of the weekly market, Kamal Thapa.

Confirming the incident, police said that two FIRs have been filed against unidentified persons  one by Kamal Thapa and the other by Shaukat Alis brother. The police, however, denied that the violence was communal in nature.
A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna dismissed the petition holding that since the film.

The bench said even if the film is released on April 11, as claimed by the petitioner, it would be appropriate to seek a redressal from the Election Commission. (Image: File)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to entertain a writ petition from Congress leader Amit Panwar seeking a stay on the release of the biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the 2019 general elections.

A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna dismissed the petition holding that since the film, not having been certified yet for the release by CBFC, the issue agitated before it is premature.

Further, even if the certificate is granted, whether the film tilts the balance in favour of any political party is a matter to be looked into by the Election Commission.

The bench said even if the film is released on April 11, as claimed by the petitioner, it would be appropriate to seek a redressal from the Election Commission. We, therefore do not consider it fit to entertain the petition, the bench said.

The CJI asked senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi appearing for the petitioner What do we stop when even the certification has not been done by the competent authority? And a two-minute promo cant give us the idea of the whole movie. We cant entertain this.
It keeps track of development and if voters have exercised franchise.

Jaipur: While members of Parliament and other contestants from across the political spectrum are busy making the rounds in their respective constituencies ahead of the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, minister of state for law and justice P.P. Chaudhary seems to have truly followed the Digital India mantra of the Modi government.

Mr Chaudhary, a BJP contestant from the Pali Lok Sabha constituency in Rajasthan, has already reached out digitally to almost every voter in the constituency, courtesy of an app on his phone named Team NaMo.

The mobile app keeps record of developmental work at the panchayat level also keeps a tab on whether a potential Bharatiya Janata Party voter has exercised his right to franchise or not on the day of voting.

Armed with data on every booth in his constituency, Team NaMo gives the minister an option to call workers from any list of party post holders in his constituency. It is learnt that the senior BJP leader has personally called each booth president and panna pramukh using the apps database to ensure that campaign material (a calendar, booklet of development works and stickers) reaches every home.

Interestingly, Mr Chaudhary had earlier served as minister of electronics and information technology.

The app was designed to do away with the cumbersome task of having booth-wise voters list. The app provides details of every booth-level worker and in-charge along with voters list, which are be available at the touch of a finger.

The trial for the app was done during the recent Rajasthan Assembly polls by the ministers team and is now being used in the parliamentary constituency extensively.

Sources stated that the app also provides a list of beneficiaries affected by the public welfare schemes of the Narendra Modi government. We identify these beneficiaries and approach them. This list too comes in handy during campaigning, sources added.
Vadodara-based Bharat Mata Shri Maharudra Hanuman Sansthan organised a rangoli making event to encourage city voters to cast their votes.

Brajesh Kumar, the organiser of the event, informed that around 15 rangolis were displayed at around 2,000 square feet area. (Photo:ANI)

Gujarat/Jammu and Kashmir/Manipur: As polls to elect the 17th Lok Sabha inch closer, the Election Commission of India, as well as citizen groups, have intensified their efforts to encourage people to cast their votes.

Vadodara-based Bharat Mata Shri Maharudra Hanuman Sansthan organised a rangoli making event to encourage city voters to cast their votes in the national elections in Gujarat. The rangolis with slogans like My vote, my voice, vote India, vote 2019, Elections 2019 vote India written on it were made by an artisan group.

Brajesh Kumar, the organiser of the event, informed that around 15 rangolis were displayed at around 2,000 square feet area in the temple. We have collaborated with artists of Ekdant Rangoli Group for this event in our efforts to encourage people to cast their votes in this election, he said.

In Jammu and Kashmir, a Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) train, commissioned by the election commission, which aimed at motivating people to exercise their voting rights in the upcoming Lok Sabha election reached Udhampur on Monday. The train which not only ferries passengers but also spread awareness to vote was received by district officials on Udhampur railway here.

A special signature campaign by the Election Commission was also started at the occasion to make people aware of their rights.

The train which came from Kanyakumari was flagged off by district election officer Piyush Singla to Katra railway station.

Deputy district election officer Kusum Chib said, We have recorded special audio appealing voters to cast their votes on April 18 which are being played at the railway station. We have also installed a Voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) machine to demonstrate people how it works.

Meanwhile, security personnel, polling officials, Electronic Voting Machines and VVPATs started arriving in Churachandpur district headquarters of southern Manipur for the first phase of polls on Monday. The officials started moving at their respective polling stations located at far-flung polling areas days ahead of the polling day on April 11.

Assistant returning officer T Kashung told ANI that all three modes of transport is being used to send the poll officials and machines to remote areas of the state.
Mr Nath issued a one-page statement describing the I-T raids as an attempt to intimidate the Congress ahead of the LS polls.

Bhopal: In a bid to boost the morale of Congress workers in the wake of ongoing raids by income-tax (I-T) sleuths on the houses and business establishments of his close aides at different locations in and outside Madhya Pradesh, chief minister Kamal Nath on Monday called it an election stunt performed at the behest of the BJP leadership.

Mr Nath issued a one-page statement describing the I-T raids as an attempt to intimidate the Congress ahead of the LS polls.

BJPs intimidation tactic is a clear indication that the party has sensed its debacle in the 2019 general elections, the statement addressed to Congress workers said.

Former chief minister and BJP vice-president Shivraj Singh Chouhan, however, justified the raids, saying that the searches were conducted based on information on corrupt practices by people linked to the CM. The yields from IT raids sum up the achievements of 100-day-old Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh, Mr Chouhan quipped.
The CJI asked the petitioner how could the court stall the release of a film if the Central Board of Film Certification certifies it.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday made it clear that it cannot pass an order to stop the release of the Narendra Modi biopic unless the Congress spokesperson, the petitioner, spelled out the reasons for his objection to the release of the film.

A three-judge bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna asked the petitioner, Aman Panwar, to bring on record the objections to the contents of the film so that it could examine whether an interim order could be passed or not.

Senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that the fim is a propaganda vehicle being timed to release in coordination with the upcoming elections.

He said the movie was driven by little to no artistic inspiration and was instead designed to manipulate, influence and impress viewers and voters in the run-up to the elections.

The CJI asked the petitioner how could the court stall the release of a film if the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) certifies it.
The Election Commission has taken cognizance of Modi's remarks and has sought a report from poll officials in Maharashtra.

Ausa (Maharashtra)/Chitradurga (Karnataka): Invoking the memory of slain CRPF personnel in the Pulwama terror attack and the Balakot air strikes carried out thereafter inside Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday asked first-time voters to dedicate their vote in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls to those who laid down their lives and the soldiers who carried out the daring operation to target terror.

The Election Commission has taken cognizance of Mr Modi's remarks and has sought a report from poll officials in Maharashtra. Sources in the poll panel said that the chief electoral officer of Maharashtra has been asked to submit a report at the earliest.

Mr Modi also urged the young voters to dedicate their first vote to the cause of providing pucca houses to the poor, water in farms of farmers and healthcare for all. The first phase of the multi-phase parliamentary elections begins Thursday.

Mr Modis remarks on the IAF operation on February 26 while addressing rallies in Maharashtra and Karnataka prompted the CPI(M) to write a letter to the Election Commission(EC) alleging violation of model code.

With deep anguish we are drawing your attention to the latest violation of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is also violating the specific direction of the Election Commission to refrain from invoking the armed forces for seeking votes, CPM politburo member Nilotpal Basu said.

Congress spokesman Kapil Sibal told reporters in Delhi that there should be no politics in the name of our martyrs, but it is happening and the sad part is that the Election Commission is also not doing anything about it.

The EC had issued an advisory on March 19 asking parties and their candidates to desist from indulging in any political propaganda involving activities of defence forces during their election campaign.

I want to tell the first-time voters: Can your first vote be dedicated to the veer jawans who carried out the air strike in Pakistan Can your first vote be dedicated to the veer shaheed of Pulwama (terror attack), Mr Modi said at his rally in Ausa, Maharashtras Latur district.

As many as 40 CRPF personnel were killed in an attack on their convoy in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir by a Jaish suicide bomber on February 14.

Mr Modi said first-time voters should remember that their first vote is something they will remember for the rest of their lives.

You will always remember to whom did you vote and in which election. Can your first vote be dedicated to (the cause of) providing pucca houses to the poor? Should not your first vote go for providing water in farms of farmers? Should not you vote for healthcare for all and the Ayushman Bharat scheme, Mr Modi said.

Mr Modi spoke on similar lines at his rally in Chitradurga in Karnataka while greeting first-time voters across the country and asked them to vote for a strong government in the country.

He said in this Lok Sabha elections people have to choose not only an MP or a Prime Minister, but a strong government for a strong India.

Only a strong government can take firm decisions for the benefit of the country.

Citing how a strong government functions, Mr Modi again referred to the Balakot air strike in response to the Pulwama carnage.

There was a time five years ago, when Pakistans terrorists used to attack us and Pakistan used to threaten us. Our brave soldiers used to seek permission for action, but the government then sat in fear. This Chowkidar (watchman) has changed the situation. Now if there is fear, it is on the other side of the border. People sitting in power there are getting different types of nightmares... Terrorists are frightened after Balakot attack, he said.

Devoting a significant part of his speech to national security, he asked the crowd, When we attacked Pakistans terrorists did you like it or not? Are you happy? Did I do right? to which it roared in approval.

When we attacked terrorists it pained Pakistan, but tears could be seen among those in Congress and JD(S), Mr Modi said. The JD(S) and Congress are ruling coalition partners in Karnataka.

He said the whole world stood with India, but our Mahamilavati dal here (Congress-JDS), was condemning Modi instead of Pakistan.

The chief minister (H.D. Kumarawamy) here went a step ahead and said the bravery of Indian soldiers should not be spoken, because it will affect their vote bank... I want to ask the chief minister whether his vote bank is in India or in Pakistan? The chief minister should clarify, Mr Modi said.

Under the BJPs watch it is the policy of New India that it will kill terrorists by barging into their dens, he said.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah hoped that first-time voters ask the Prime Minister why the Balakot air strike became necessary.

I hope the first-time voters ask PM Modi why Balakot became necessary in the first place. Why did the Pulwama attack succeed? On whose watch have attacks in Uri, Pathankot, Sunjwan (Jammu), Nagrota & Pulwama happened? Dont reward Balakot, punish Pulwama! (sic) Mr Abdullah tweeted.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti also took a sarcastic swipe at the Prime Minister. Repeat after me. MCC is Modi Code of Conduct, she tweeted.

Stepping up his attack on the Congress, Mr Modi said had its leaders acted wisely, Pakistan would not have been created.

Pakistan would not have been born in 1947 had Congress leaders acted wisely in the pre-Independence era, Mr Modi said. The Congress manifesto speaks the same language as that of Pakistan, he added.
Eminent sculptor Kanayi Kunhiraman on the concept of his controversial work Yakshi, and the change in publics perspective after 50 years.

When it comes to the history of sculpture in Kerala, Kanayi Kunhiraman is an unavoidable name. The eminent sculptor, in fact, broke stereotypes and set an example to aspiring artists. He gave Malayalis a sense of post modern art through his works. However, it has not been a cakewalk, says the 81-year-old sculptor, who was in Kochi to inaugurate an exhibition started at Nanappa Art Gallery.

Art was not much appreciated at his home. Eventually, he had to flee home to Chennai where he pursued sculpting. Chennai days blessed him with opportunities to interact with veterans like K.C.S. Panicker. Later, when he received Commonwealth Scholarship, he moved to London to continue his studies.

Even now, Kanayi is all praises when he talks about his teachers, for they taught him to put thoughts in his works. I am able to think different as I went abroad and saw the way foreigners see art. We mimic their styles, but they dont do that, he says. We are culturally rich and we should draw inspiration from our legacy. We have to modernise the old and make it contemporary art. We should improvise it in our own way, explains Kanayi, who is predominantly known for Yakshi, the massive female figure, installed in Malampuzha Dam, Palakkad.

It was in 1969, after he returned to Kerala from London, that he was invited to do Yakshi. Doing the sculpture, which was hailed as an artistic wonder by art aficionados, had been a herculean task for Kanayi. Traditionalists, who saw only nudity in it, were up in arms about installing the work in Malampuzha dam, and even threatened to kill Kanayi. It was an extremely difficult period, he recalls. I was physically and mentally drained due to agitations. If it had been someone else in my place, he would have left it midway and fled, he says.

But, Kanayi was determined and stood the testing times. As always, he says smiling. You should do what you feel right, he adds.

To him, after staying in Palakkad for months, it was the concept of yakshi that felt apt for the place. The Yakshi is not the fearsome one you see in stories. Here, yakshi denotes the Mother of Nature, says Kanayi. The concept is derived from various elements that constitute Palakkad. I looked at the places landscape and art and culture before zeroing in on the idea. The name Palakkad itself is formed from Palayude nadu. The pala tree is associated with yakshi in legends. Also, Palakkad is the land of Karimpana, another element linked to yakshi. There are a lot of such anecdotes. Besides, yakshi is secular.

Through Yakshi and his other works, he also brought sculpting, which was till then confined to temples, outside. People from other religions are not allowed in temples. When it is placed outside, they can also experience the art, he says.

Sagarakanyaka

It took him almost one year to complete Yakshi, which turned 50 years last year. Kanayi, who is preparing to give the statue a facelift with bronze, is glad to see the change in peoples perspective over these years. Now, they come and take selfies with Yakshi, says an elated Kanayi, who believes that one should not see sex in art. Like I said, Yakshi, who is being tranced to see the mountain on her opposite side, signifies nature. And, nature is naked. It is not about nudity.

An advocate of anti-museum art, Kanayi feels Yakshi would not have been so popular if it had been placed indoor. It has become a landmark now, he says. Sculptures are not to be caged like animals in a zoo. Art is for public. Hence, it should be erected in places where people come. I have not participated in exhibitions either, says Kanayi, who is also known for his other works including Sagarakanyaka (Shankhumukham beach, Thiruvananthapuram), Mukkola Perumal (GCDA Complex, Kochi) Fertility (FACT, Kochi), and The Conch (Veli Tourist Village, Thiruvananthapuram).

His motto is to educate people through art. He believes that viewers should take something from an art. What makes him happier is that he could cultivate a generation that practises sculpting. The scenario has developed a lot. I am happy I could bring many talents to the art. I want more young people to come forward and learn sculpting, and see Kerala emerging as an art hub, he signs off.
Speaking on this, senior BJP leader Vinod Tawde said, it is up to the EC to take a decision on this issue.

Party approached the EC demanding action against these channels, along with the production team.

Mumbai: The Congress has demanded a ban on two television channels  Zee TV and &TV  for allegedly violating the model code of conduct through their serials by praising Central government schemes and the ruling party.

The party on Monday approached the Election Commission (EC) demanding action against these channels, along with the production team and actors of serials Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai and Tujhse hai Raabta for violating the moral code of conduct.

A delegation of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee, led by its general secretary Sachin Sawant, called on the state chief election officer to file a complaint regarding alleged code of conduct violation. It was shocking that television serials were being used to promote schemes and leaders of the ruling party, said Mr Sawant.

We approached the EC seeking ban on the two channels for airing content that exalts the schemes and ruling party leaders. It violates the model code of conduct and betrays viewers, Mr Sawant said in a statement.

The BJP is now using all deceptive and illegal means to influence the electorate. Since the last few days television serials with high TRPs are being used to promote government schemes to benefit the ruling party, he added.

He said there was a possibility that crores of rupees were transacted in this connection and demanded that the EC probe it and register a case of corruption.

Schemes like Mudra Yojana, Swachcha Bharat Abhiyan are being projected as the key achievements of the current government and Prime Minister is said to be responsible for these achievements. We have submitted the clips of these serials in which the actors are seen indirectly campaigning for the ruling party and we feel the methodology fits the definition of paid news, said Mr Sawant.

Speaking on this, senior BJP leader Vinod Tawde said, it is up to the EC to take a decision on this issue.
Shah was campaigning for BJP leader Nitin Gadkari, who is contesting from the Nagpur Lok Sabha constituency

Mumbai: Addressing a rally in Nagpur, BJP president Amit Shah said that the Modi government's biggest success was that it had made India secure, which was not the case when the Congress-led UPA was in power. He also accused the Congress of maligning Hindus by coining phrases such as Hindu terror and saffron terror.

Mr Shah targeted the Congress party claiming that when the whole country was rejoicing over the air strike on a terror camp in Balakot, there was mourning only in Pakistan and in the Rahul Gandhi-led party. Taking a jibe at Congress president Rahul Gandhis public rallies in Wayanad, Mr Shah said that Mr Gandhis rallies in Wayanad appeared like they were being organised in Pakistan.

During the UPA rule, there would be no response to terror attacks. After the Pulwama terror attack, there was anger and despondency all over. But, the present government is not that of mauni baba Manmohan Singh. On the 13th day of the Pulwama attack, the IAF (Indian Air Force) went deep inside Pakistan and destroyed terror camps, Mr Shah said.

When 40 jawans are martyred, should we not bomb the perpetrators of the Pulwama attack, he asked.

Calling out the Congress president, he said, Rahul baba you can do ILU with the terrorists, but we will give eent ka jawab patthar se (strong response), he said. Mr Shah also referred to the acquittal of all the acc-used in the 2007 Sam-jhauta train blast case and accused the Congress of maligning Hindus by coining words like Hindu terror and saffron terror.

Mr Shah said, Mr Gandhi has defamed the Hindu religion all over the world. Even the court has stated that there is no such thing as Hindu terror. Rahul should apologise for defaming the Hindu religion by linking it to terror.

Mr Shah was campaigning for BJP leader Nitin Gadkari, who is contesting from the Nagpur Lok Sabha constituency
The Maharashtra Congress said the EC should file cases against the makers and actors of the two serials as well as the BJP.

Taking cognisance of these complaints, the Election Commission has issued notices to the producers of respective serials asking them to reply within a day.

Mumbai: Taking a serious note of allegations of promotion of various government schemes on TV serials, the Election Commission has issued show cause notices to their producers on Zee TV and & TV on Tuesday.

Dilip Shinde, additional chief electoral officer, said, We had received complaints of violation of model code of conduct by promoting government schemes in the serials of Zee TV and & TV. Taking cognisance of these complaints, the Election Commission has issued notices to the producers of respective serials asking them to reply within a day.

Further action will be taken after receiving their reply, said Mr Shinde.

The Congress on Monday had approached the Election Commission demanding a ban on the two channels for allegedly violating the model code of conduct by airing content that praises Central government schemes and ruling party leaders.

The Maharashtra Congress said the EC should file cases against the makers and actors of the two serials as well as the BJP.

Maharashtra Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant, who led a party delegation to the EC, said it was shocking that television serials were being used to promote schemes and leaders of the ruling party.
Says Pakistan wouldnt have been formed, if Cong was strong.

Ausa (Latur): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called the Congress manifesto as dhakosala patra and a wish-list of Pakistan. Addressing an election rally at Ausa in Latur district, Mr Modi blamed the Congress party for the creation of Pakistan.

Pakistan would not have been created if the Congress had remained strong in 1947. And the Congress says sedition law will be removed? Mr Modi said.

The PM also attacked the Congress on the issue of human rights violation. He said that going by the Congresss history, the party has no right to lecture others on human rights. While the Congress has promised to revoke the sedition law, Mr Modi said that it should take a look at its track record when it comes to misuse of the said law.

Mr Modi also alleged that the Congress had taken away Shiv Sena supreme Balasaheb Thac-kerays citizenship and voting rights. Mr Thackeray was banned from exercising his franchise in the late nineties for six years, after he was found indulging in corrupt practice by seeking votes in the name of religion at a public rally. The ruling was given by the Bombay high court and upheld by the Supreme Court.

Mr Modi was addressing an election campaign rally, for the first time since 2014 Assembly polls in state, where he shared a dais with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. As a mark of newly found friendship between the two saffron allies, Mr Modi termed Uddhav as his younger brother.

The joint rally of Maha-yuti to campaign for Bhar-atiya Janata Partys (BJP) Sudhakar Shrungare on a reserved scheduled caste seat in Latur and Senas Omraje Nimbalkar from neighbouring Osmanabad, witnessed sizeable turnout, one of the biggest in Marathwada.

Mr Modi further added that the countrys security had been at stake from pa-st several decades due to the Congress and its allies. The Congress and NCP are supporting those parties, who want a separate Prime Minister for the Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), he said. He said that the country does not have any expectation from the Congress.

Slamming Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar of su-pporting the Congress, Mr Modi said Will this suit you Mr Pawar? He further added, Those who are speaking about separating J&K and having separate PM for it, the country had trusted them and they ruled for decades. However, the country has now understood for whom they had worked for.

Mr Modi further asked Will they improve the condition of the Jammu and Kashmir? Can we trust on them?

Reverting to the Opposi-tions attack over Balakh-ot strike, the PM said, As soon as a lie against India emerges from any part of the world, the Opposition merely picks it up to make space in media for two days. How many evidences will the Congress need from the Air Force? He asserted that those who do not trust the government and the armed forces, need to be punished.

Attacking the Congresss manifesto, Mr Modi said Their dhaksola patra is only for vote, and our sankalp patra is for voters. The Congresss manifesto will expire on May 23, but our sankalp patra is meant for five years.
Oprah Winfrey donates USD 2 million to Puerto Rico relief, to help support the local community after the devestation of Hurricane Maria.

The media moghul has her own personal foundation, The Oprah Winfrey Operating Foundation, which exclusively supports her Leadership Academy in South Africa. (Photo: File)

Los Angeles: Oprah Winfrey is donating USD 2 million to help rebuild Puerto Rico and support arts and cultural programmes after the devastating 2017 hurricane. The Hispanic Federation and the Flamboyan Arts Fund said in a statement on Monday that USD 1 million would go to support long-term needs after Hurricane Maria and a further USD 1 million would be devoted to arts and culture programs on the island.

Winfrey, one of the most influential media moguls in the United States, said she was inspired by the efforts of musical theatre creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, who took his hit stage show Hamilton to the island for a limited run in January.

I was so moved by Lin-Manuel Mirandas commitment to bring Hamilton to Puerto Rico and support the community that served him growing up that I wanted to join in the revitalisation efforts of an island so rich in culture, beauty and heritage, Winfrey said in a statement.

Hurricane Maria, which struck Puerto Rico in September 2017, killed an estimated 3,000 people in the US territory, destroyed homes and infrastructure, and left much of the island without drinking water or electricity for months.

Winfrey is renowned for her charity work across the globe. The media moghul, accomplished actor and motivational speaker has her own personal foundation, The Oprah Winfrey Operating Foundation, which exclusively supports her Leadership Academy in South Africa.

A considerable amount of her donations has previously also gone for charities like The Angel network, which has been heavily publicised on her show. With the massive influence that she enjoys globally, Winfrey has maintained a steady focus on philanthropy, volunteerism and making a difference in the world.
NASA explained that the biofilms' ability to cause microbial-induced corrosion on Earth could also damage the ISS infrastructure.

These microbes can cause diseases back on Earth. However, it is unclear if they will have a similar effect on the ISS inhabitants. (Photo: AP)

Germs are unwelcome, even in the space. NASA scientists have discovered that the International Space Station (ISS) has become a breeding ground for disease-inducing bacteria.

Many of the organisms are known to form both bacterial and fungal biofilms that promote resistance to antibiotics.

NASA explained that the biofilms' ability to cause microbial-induced corrosion on Earth could also damage the ISS infrastructure by causing mechanical blockages, Engadget reported.

These microbes come from humans and are similar to the ones in gyms, offices, and hospitals, and include some pathogens commonly found on the skin, nasal passage, and human gastrointestinal tract.

These microbes can cause diseases back on Earth. However, it is unclear if they will have a similar effect on the ISS inhabitants.

Given that astronauts have altered immunity during spaceflight and do not have access to sophisticated medical interventions available on Earth, NASAs latest study on the existence of microbes lurking on the ISS will help in devising safety measures for astronauts and long-term space travel.
Lawmakers in Frances National Assembly, Frances lower house of Parliament, will on Monday begin debating a draft national GAFA tax law.

There is still disagreement among EU members over how to implement a so-called GAFA tax

Europe needs to decide on a digital tax and should lead the way if there is insufficient consensus globally, the EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager, said on Monday.

There is still disagreement among EU members over how to implement a so-called GAFA tax - named after Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon - to ensure the global internet giants pay a fair share of taxes on their massive business operations in Europe.

France has been driving hard for such a tax, but at a meeting of EU finance meetings over the weekend, Sweden, Finland, Ireland and Denmark blocked a draft EU-wide GAFA tax proposal, officials said.

We are becoming an increasingly digital world and it will be a huge problem if we do not find a way to raise (digital) taxes, Vestager told France Inter radio.

Vestager, who is widely talked about as a candidate for the European Commission presidency when Jean-Claude Junckers term expires in November, said European countries first needed a deal which could lead to an EU-wide harmonised tax.

The best thing is a global solution. But if we want to obtain results in a reasonable period of time, Europe must take the lead, the commissioner added.

Lawmakers in Frances National Assembly, Frances lower house of Parliament, will on Monday begin debating a draft national GAFA tax law. The bill proposes a 3 per cent tax on digital advertising and other revenues of tech firms with worldwide revenues of more than 750 million euros (USD 842 million).

Vestager, a former Danish economy minister, has a high profile in Brussels for attacking tax avoidance and monopoly powers among US multinationals and is seen as a contender to be the next Commission president.

She hasnt announced a public bid for the job, but if she does she would likely need the backing of French President Emmanuel Macron.

Asked if she was interested in the Commission presidency, she said: I take a lot of interest in the future of Europe. My point is that before we decide on any kind of new face for the Commission, we really need to know what we want to do.

Internet giants are coming under increasing pressure from regulators globally. Separately on Monday, Britain proposed new online safety laws that would slap penalties on social media companies and technology firms if they fail to protect their users from harmful content.
The head of a Pakistani political party based in Maryland has been accused of threatening to behead and slaughter a man and his family.

Virginia: The head of a Pakistani political party based in Maryland has been accused of threatening to behead and slaughter a man and his family in their Virginia home, according to Virginia police.

The accused named, Qaiser Ali, aged 53, from Maryland was arrested on Thursday and is facing a felony charge of promising to kill the unnamed victim and his family via a text message and video in Urdu which was posted on Twitter in November, police said. Police declined to reveal the exact reason that prompted Ali to give these threats.

Ali heads the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, or MQM party which is based in Maryland. The party has a record of creating violence in Pakistan and Pakistani authorities are trying to bring the party down. The human rights group are also very critical of the organization. The party has a strong support in Pakistans largest city, Karachi. The founder of the party, Altaf Hussain, fled Pakistan in the early 1990s and now resides in London.

We are Brother Altaf Hussains loyalist workers, God willing, we will storm through and kill you in the house, read the tweet which was translated by police in Fairfax County.

The victim told police that he feared for his and his familys survival because in the past he knew of people being executed on MQM leaders insistence. Police also informed that Ali and the victim knew each other.

Detective Chad Mahoney, in a detailed mail to The Washington Post said that there was no indication that the suspect made any plans to carry out the threat that was communicated. Mahoney also wrote that police had not uncovered any evidence that Ali had weapons or knew the victims address.

Ali did not immediately respond to messages sent to him on Twitter. His phone number is not listed. Messages to the MQM and the national organization were not returned either.

A thorough investigation was launched in November after the victim saw the Twitter message, which was then filed to obtain information about Alis IP address, according to search warrant. The victim and his two witnesses told police that they were convinced that Ali was responsible for the post. Detectives eventually tied all the threats to Ali, according to the search warrant.

In 2016, Ali was charged in Baltimore with second-degree assault and for having dangerous weapons with intent to harm. Though these charged were eventually dropped.

Ali is due for trial in Fairfax County on Thursday.
The PM Secretariat was immediately evacuated as emergency was declared at the building.

Islamabad: A fire broke out at Pakistan Prime Ministers Secretariats sixth floor on Monday which was extinguished as five fire brigades rushed to the building while the cooling-down process is underway.

The PM Secretariat was immediately evacuated as emergency was declared at the building.

The initial cause of fire had been ascertained to be an electrical short circuit in the sixth floor of the building. Further investigation into the incident was underway.

Spokesperson to the PM, Nadeem Afzal Chan said that the PM was present on fifth floor of the secretariat when the fire broke out.

Mr Chan said that the PM was informed about the incident during a meeting, and he asked officials to determine the nature of fire. Later, he asked all officials to leave the building immediately and he himself left when smoke erupted.

The PMs spokesperson said all other meetings of the PM were underway as planned. No casualties have been reported and all staff members were safe.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the United States was the real 'leader of world terrorism'.

Teheran: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday that the United States was the real "leader of world terrorism" after Washington blacklisted Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a "foreign terrorist organisation".

"Who are you to label revolutionary institutions as terrorists?" Rouhani asked in a speech broadcast live by state television.

"You want to use terrorist groups as tools against the nations of the region... you are the leader of world terrorism," he said.
Gin and Tonic Recipes

Great Gin and Tonic Recipes

The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service.

The gin and tonic may seem like a simple mixed drink  a couple of ounces of gin over ice in a highball glass, topped with sparkling tonic water and a squeeze of lime (and, if you take our recommendation, a dash of bitters). Its a go-to when you're in an unfamiliar bar. Fortunately, bartenders are examining the drink with fresh eyes and discovering a world ripe for exploration.

Yes, You Could Call It Medicine

"The British Royal Navy put together the first gin and tonic," says author and bartender Toby Cecchini, who's credited with popularizing the Cosmopolitan in the late 1980s. During the 18th and early 19th centuries, the British navy was the most powerful in the world, but its expansion into the Southern Hemisphere came at a cost: malaria. As they colonized South America, British sailors learned of cinchona, an exceedingly bitter bark used by Quechua Indians as a medicine and a source for quinine. It is, to this day, one of the best anti-malarial agents available. To make the bark palatable, the British boiled it (as they did everything) into a brown, syrupy reduction, blended it with spices and sugar, and tossed it into their daily gin ration. (Well, the officers did. The sailors got rum.)

The sparkling tonic on store shelves today was almost unknown in North America until after World War II (though it was already popular in the Caribbean). It's clear because the essence of quinine is clarified and sweetened with sugar (or high-fructose corn syrup). Gone are the spices and the dark richness of the cinchona bark. Fortunately, several bartenders are rediscovering tonic syrup and making their own.

You can recreate Cecchini's personal recipe (below) or buy an excellent premade syrup  we like Tomr's Tonic  online or in a growing number of Whole Foods outlets.

Haute Homebrew

"I worked on this recipe for quite a while until I hit on the perfect batch," says Tomr's creator Tom Richter. His blend of cinchona, sugar and organic herbs, spices, and citrus is vibrant and bright. Mixed with gin and sparkling water, it's sublime. The light orange-amber color may come as a surprise initially, but one sip and you'll likely be converted.

"A lot of first-time customers say, 'I don't really like gin and tonics, but I really like this drink,'" says Richter. In addition, he says cinchona grown in different parts of the world impart distinctly different flavor profiles, opening up the possibility of terroir-influenced G&Ts.

Meanwhile, in Spain, bartenders are taking gin and tonics in other directions. In much the same way the martini morphed into a broad collection of tini-suffixed drinks in the 1990s, Spanish mixologists are offering up G&T variants (commonly called "gintonics"), enhancing the botanicals already found in the liquor by adding a dash of spice, like cardamom or cinnamon, garnishing with fresh herbs and serving the whole thing in a large "copa" glass (similar to an oversized brandy or wine glass) with lots of ice. The Spanish insist this tradition opens up the drink, encouraging ice, tonic, gin and spices to more elegantly intermingle.

"Every brand, every bar in Spain has created its own G&T perfect serve, differentiated by the type of glass, garnish, tonic and serving method," says Audrey Fort of France's EuroWineGate, which produces G'Vine gin. Fort is scheduled to copresent a seminar called Reconsidering the Gin & Tonic at 2012's Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans. "In a nutshell, the G&T is a real lifestyle in Spain, and has become highly regarded in other countries."

If you choose to stick with traditional tonic water, opt for small bottles (Fever Tree and Q Tonic are popular options), as tonic in large plastic bottles can go flat and even sour. Don't like gin? No problem. Instead of substituting plain old vodka, consider using an aromatic, earthy spirit such as pisco, sochu, or even blanco tequila. No sense letting all that amazing tonic go to waste.

The Perfect Gin and Tonic

2 oz. London Dry or Plymouth Gin ($35.99 on Drizly.com)

1 oz. Tomr's Tonic (or your own tonic syrup)

Perrier or Pellegrino (lime-flavored works nicely)

2 dashes bitters (lemon, Angostura or Hella Bitter Citrus; from $7.99 on Drizly.com)

Fresh lime wedge

In a large rounded glass filled with cube ice, add gin and tonic syrup. Stir with a bar spoon until well mixed. Add sparkling water and stir briefly. Top with two dashes of bitters and a lime wedge.

For Toby Cecchini's Improved Gin and Tonic, muddle four lime wedges at the bottom of the glass with the tonic syrup, and include them in the drink as you would a Mojito.

Toby Cecchini's Quinine Syrup

(presented during the Manhattan Cocktail Classic, sponsored by Perrier)

4 cups water

1/4 cup cinchona bark ($14.50 on Amazon.com), powdered in a coffee grinder

1/4 cup citric acid ($8.99 on Amazon.com)

3 limes (zest only)

3 lemons (zest only)

2 Seville or sour oranges (zest only)

1 pomelo (zest only)

1 cup chopped lemongrass (4 stalks)

9 allspice berries

6 cardamom pods

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp dried lavender

Rich simple syrup (2 parts sugar to 1 part water; or $14.99 on Amazon.com)



Simmer all ingredients, except simple syrup, together in a saucepan on low heat for 30 minutes. Allow to cool. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, strain through cheesecloth. Measure the remaining liquid in a measuring cup and add an equal amount of simple syrup. Combine and let stand for several hours for sediment to settle. Rack (pour carefully) into clean, sealable bottles. Tonic syrup should last several weeks refrigerated.

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Gay Beer Is a New Brew That Allows You to Show Your Pride

This New Beer Is Gay, But You Don't Have to Be to Enjoy It

Gay, straight, bi, trans, or maybe just thirsty  this brew is for you. Coming straight outta Brooklyn, Gay Beer is the beverage that wants to start a conversation while quenching your thirst.

We created Gay Beer to be the premier craft beer brand to represent a community of beer drinkers that are overlooked by other beer brands, says co-founder Jon Moore. We wanted to offer a product that would authentically market to a more diverse and inclusive consumer base, and those who enjoy drinking well crafted beer.

RELATED: Best Gay and LGBTQ Dating Sites

As for what it tastes like, Gay Beer is an easy-drinking golden lager made with a unique combination of malt grains and German hops. It also introduces nutty flavors with notes of honey and a crisp citrus finish.

Gay Beer By Loyal Brands from Mary Campbell on Vimeo.

Launched December 13, 2018, the brand has been on a mission to reflect the gay communitys history and pride with their product. However, Moore and fellow co-founder Jason Pazmino arent above using their wit to market the brand across social media  something fans seem to enjoy as much as the beer itself.

While the light lager might not be exclusively for gay men, the co-founders could be onto something with their angle. Recent data seems to suggest that gay men arent typically the target demographic for beer companies. However, an emerging craft beer and microbrewery market seems to be changing things for the better. Sure, wine, vodka, and gin still crowd the menu at many gay bars, but it looks like beer is making a comeback.

According to the Gay Beer website, the co-founders felt they were finished waiting for someone else to customize a beer specifically crafted for them, the diverse community they love and the communitys allies. Moore adds that they spent 16 months developing and finalizing the recipe with a master brewer before beginning distribution out of Brooklyn.

RELATED: What to Do When Your Friend Comes Out to You  A Gay Man's Perspective

Gay Beer is clearly looking to score big with a perennially underserved market segment by creating a discussion and breaking traditional barriers with its product. In the battle for booze equality, all makes and models are welcome to join in as allies. You can currently find the lager at discerning bars in New York City, or at taprm.com with a portion of proceeds from sales going back to support LGBTQ+ advocacy.

Drink up.

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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

Really pleasant male masturbation and how to do it Are you in a rut with your daily masturbation routine? I'm going to show you five ways men masturbate that you might ...

[For Beginners] How to choose and use a male masturbator without fail Gentlemen.Have you ever used a masturbator? The person who sees this article is probably the one who has not experien...

Cock Ring

A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis.

It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow.

It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber.

In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection.

Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction.

It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it.

Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time.

Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function.

Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy.

You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect.

[Penis enlargement] What is a cock ring? Types and usage Cock rings can make your penis bigger and harder. It also makes sex with women more fulfilling and increases your sat...

Love Doll

Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex.

There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women.

Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price.

The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true.

You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste.

There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice.

You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls.

If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here

Thorough explanation of the charm of sex dolls! Have you ever heard of sex dolls that are used primarily for pseudo-sex purposes? It is a doll that is quite close to...

Sex lubricants

Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules.

It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution.

Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse.

There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent.

Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent.

If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here.

What is sex lubricant?Explain the difference and usage of each ingredient The word "sex toy" may seem like a hurdle to overcome, but lotion is actually one of the most familiar sex toys. Many...

Toys for the Prostate

Another sextoy for men is prostate toys.

The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line.

Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men.

Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men.

What is the prostate?

The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm.

You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus.

By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms.

Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.)

The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation.

Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure.

sextoy for beinner women in India

The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy.

The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy.

Vibrator.

Dildo

Electric Masserger

Lets check out what each one is in detail.

If you want to check out womens toys, click here.

[BEST25]Sex Toys for Women in IndiaThat Can Help You Have an Orgasm There are many women who pretend to feel orgasm during sex. But don't worry, you don't have to pretend to feel orgasm...

Vibrators

A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator.

Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy.

It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy.

Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women.

For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators.

Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex.

Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself.

This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual.

Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men.

When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons.

Introducing how to use the vibrator, its purpose, and how to choose it! Vibrator uses the vibrations caused by the rotation of the motor to provide stimulation. It is one or two of the most...

Dildo

A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis.

It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass.

A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it.

They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well.

It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device.

A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo.

Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands.

For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis.

This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one.

To learn more about dildo, please click here.

What is Dildo: Orgasms with Dildos for Men and Women A dildo is a model of a male organ that is used by women for masturbation and by men to stimulate the prostate gland. Th...

Electric Masserger

A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores.

It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low.

Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels.

Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation.

It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure.

For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm.

It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out.

If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager?

To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here.

What is a massager? Introducing types, selection methods, and usage Originally, the Magic-wand vibrator and the massage machine were sold as a home massage machine used for the back and th...

How to choose a sextoy for Indian

Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one.

Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points:  Does the size fit you (the partner)?

Does the size fit you (your partner)?

Is the environment able to produce sound without problems?

Price range

First of all, the choice of size is quite important.

Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women.

For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage.

Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems.

Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise.

If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level.

Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it.

Finally, there is the price range.

The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest.

Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy.

Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy?

I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance.

For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics.

If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out.

How to buy sextoys in India

The best way to purchase sextoy is through online shopping.

For more information on how to purchase sextoy, please see the article below.

Sextoy is one of them.

Therefore, you can easily get sextoy in India by using online shopping.

SexToysINDIA is a long established and stable sextoy store and you can have sextoy delivered to any place in India.

They also offer cash on delivery, so those who are worried about shopping with a credit card do not have to worry.

Of course, the latest security is in place, so your information will not be taken out when you use your credit card.

To begin with, many people may be concerned about whether they are legally allowed to purchase sextoy.

ikmAs it turns out, its not illegal.

Right now, it is not open to the public because the Indian adult market is still in the development stage, but it will gradually spread from now on.

Take advantage of sextoy and open the door to new pleasures and culture.

Cautions for Indians using sextoy

When using sextoy, keep the following three things in mind

Keep sex toys clean

Watch out for electrical leakage

Beware of the heat generated by the body while using a sex toy

As I mentioned earlier, many sextoy products are used for the delicate zone.

Therefore, it is most important to keep the sextoy itself clean. It is very important to keep the sextoy itself clean, because if a slight scratch is created by friction, bacteria can enter and breed there.

It is safe to wear a condom when using the masturbator, just in case.

In addition, many sextoy devices are powered by a power source, so if they are not waterproof, there is a possibility of electric shock or malfunction due to wetness.

Some may even develop heat during continuous use. If the fever becomes too much, you may get burned, so be careful.

If you get a fever during use, stop driving the sextoy immediately and refrain from using it.

You will enjoy sex more if you keep it safe and use it correctly.

Summary

What did you think?

In this article, we have introduced the recommended sextoy for the beginners of sextoy in India.

The sextoy market is growing rapidly in India and it will continue to grow steadily in the future.

As India is a rather closed-minded country, it can be difficult to be open about ones sexual habits and values.

However, being faithful to ones desires by properly dissolving ones sexual desire is very effective for ones physical and mental health.

If this is your first time to learn about sextoy, or if you are interested in using sextoy, why not give it a try?

Indian Sextoys for ur best! will introduce you to sextoy and other trivia about sextoy, sexuality, and sexuality for men and women.

I want to read more! If you think its a great idea, please bookmark it.
Colin Biggers & Paisley (CBP) has again boosted its insurance team, adding senior lawyers in New South Wales and Victoria.

Susannah Maclaren has moved back to the firm in Sydney, while Lauren Piscioneri has joined the CBP team in Melbourne. The appointments come after the firm appointed special counsel Michelle Morgan, who also joined the firm in Sydney.

Maclaren, who was appointed as special counsel, returns to the firm after more than five years at NAB Wealth, where she was senior legal counsel. She adds to the firm more than 17 years of experience in insurance and commercial law, with particular expertise in complex disputes, financial services regulation and compliance, and remediation.
Xuchen, which wants to secure access to high-grade copper and cobalt deposits to boost its non-ferrous metal mining business, has offered $0.37 per Nzuri share, which is a 42% premium to the closing price of the stock before the offer was announced.

G+T said that copper and cobalt demand is expected to continue to be strong due to construction of renewable energy infrastructure. The firm said that its role included conducting corporate due diligence on Nzuri, as well as negotiating the scheme of implementation deed and the option cancellation deeds. The firms experts also guided Chengtun through Australian securities and takeovers law.

The G+T team was headed by corporate advisory partner Sophie Chen and banking and infrastructure partner Robert Trowbridge. They were assisted by lawyers Kevin Ko, Dimitri Kalis, and Brent Thompson; consultants Jessica Liang and Nicholas Chan; and graduate Jackson Martin.

Chen said that the firm is delighted to act on Chengtuns first Australian acquisition.

This transaction represents an exciting growth opportunity for Chengtun. It will give Chengtun access to high grade copper and cobalt deposits in the DRC, which will complement and add to its existing operations, and positions Chengtun to capitalise on demand for these materials in the future, Chen said. G+T recently helped settle a dispute in the worlds largest hard-rock lithium mine.
Arizona could lose $340 million in federal funding because the state hasnt followed the Every Students Succeeds Acts rules for testing its students, Frank Brogan, the assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education, told the state in a recent letter .

This spring, Arizona allowed its districts a choice of offering the ACT, the SAT, or the states traditional test, the AzMerit test, at the high school level. ESSA allows states to offer districts the option of using a nationally-recognized college entrance exam in place of the state test, but first they must meet certain technical requirements.

For instance, states must make sure that the national recognized exam (such as the ACT or SAT) measures progress toward the states standards at least as well as the original state test. They also must make sure that the results of the nationally-recognized exam can be compared to the state test. And they have to provide appropriate accommodations for English-language learners and students in special education. All of this is supposed to happen before the state ever allows its districts the option of an alternate test.

Arizona hasnt provided evidence that it has completed any of this work, Brogan wrote.

The department has other, big concerns about Arizonas testing system. The state passed a law allowing its schools a choice of tests, at both the high school and elementary level. That is not kosher under ESSA, which calls for every student in the same grade to take the same test, in most cases, Brogan wrote.

Whats more, Arizona hasnt had a single high school test for several years. Instead, students are allowed to take one of three end-of-course math and reading/language arts tests, Brogans letter says. The failure to offer students the same test statewide is the reason the state has been put on high-risk status.

The state needs to pick one test for high school students, Brogan says, or it may lose federal Title I funding for disadvantaged students. Its up to Arizona to decide whether the single test is the AzMerit, the ACT, the SAT, or something else.

Kathy Hoffman, the newly elected state superintendent of public instruction, said she understands the point Brogan is making. The menu of tests was put in place by the legislature before she came into office, she said.

We are in agreement with the Department of Education, she said in an interview. We think that in order to have equity for all students we want to make sure were holding our schools accountable using the same metrics. Otherwise, if every district is giving a different test, then theres not a way to clearly measure student success.

Hoffman and her team sent districts a letter last week making it clear that they cant offer a choice of tests at the elementary or high school level. Next year, she said, the state will require 9th graders to take the AzMerit test. High school sophomores and juniors may also be allowed to take a college-entrance exam, but it is unclear if the state will cover the cost.

Arizona isnt necessarily giving up on offering a menu of tests at the high school level for accountability, Hoffman said in her letter to districts.

In the future, it may be possible to have a menu that allows for the use of a different assessment instead of the statewide assessment, but it will take time to meet the federal requirements outlined in the letter from [the Education Department], Hoffman wrote.

Arizona isnt the only state that has expressed interest in allowing districts to offer a choice of tests at the high school level. Both Oklahoma and North Dakota are taking advantage of the flexibility, but both have met the laws technical requirements and have gotten sign-off from the feds, said Elizabeth Hill, a spokeswoman for U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.

Want to learn more about the Every Student Succeeds Act? Heres some useful information:

Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 .
Daniel is one of our leading practitioners, with extensive experience across our global projects business, and is ideally placed to succeed Stuart [Salt] in continuing the Groups development over coming years, commented Michael Kent, global head of finance & projects division.

Tech-savvy lawyers at competitive advantage says survey

Lawyers are adopting technology to help drive innovation and efficiency but not all are doing so at the same pace.

But those that are the early adopters are gaining a competitive advantage according to a new survey, which also reveals that 53% of lawyers indicate their organizations technology investment will increase over the next three years

After years of debate about the transformation of the legal sector  if, when and how it would happen  theres no question that the global future of law is rapidly underway, and that technology is a key force for change, said Stacey Caywood, CEO, Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory. Legal professionals are increasingly turning to accessible and impactful technologies that help them achieve better outcomes and offer higher value through data-driven analytics and insights, and higher efficiency and productivity.
Even though the automotive industry invests a lot of money into hybridization and electric vehicles, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles still believes in the good ol V8. The Hellcat has been confirmed in the Ram Rebel TRX off-road pickup truck, and as if that wasnt enough, the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is ballistic in a straight line.The Ram Rebel TR is expected to premiere the 7.0-liter Banshee V8, but Ford has the upper hand with 7.3 liters in the F-Series Super Duty. On that note, care to guess why Jeep hasnt added an eight-cylinder option to the Wrangler utility vehicle and Gladiator pickup truck?Hellcat-swapped Wrangler models are proof that Jeep can do it as well, but Tim Kuniskis has a different opinion. Even though the engine fits like a glove, the problem is no air space around the engine and the whole external space of the vehicle.Speaking to Drive.com.au , the chief exec made it clear the 6.2-liter supercharged V8 leaves no space that can be used to absorb energy in a crash. In other words, safety legislation is the biggest impediment. Fret not, however, because the aftermarket will continue to swap the Hellcrate into the Wrangler for years to come. The Gladiator, which came out for the 2020 model year, is also suitable for the engine swap.Coincidence or not, Jeep prepared for the Easter Jeep Safari with a lot of Gladiator-based concepts . The M-715 Five-Quarter is the most outlandish of the lot, and as you can tell from the following clip, a Hellcat V8 is hiding under the hood.The J6 Concept, on the other hand, is a Gladiator with a regular cab and a long bed. Kuniskis told the Australian publication that Jeep will gauge interest from it, so keep those fingers crossed for a positive outcome.
Just spotted the new @mclarenauto #newrules A post shared by Aaron Busby (@aaronbusby1997) on Mar 26, 2019 at 6:00am PDT

As some of you know, the British automaker likes to spy its own vehicles, beating the shooters at their own game. As such, the company has already released multiple "spyshots" of the upcoming Grand Tourer, which is set to receive a proper name once it enters production.However, neither the official shots, nor the actual spy pics we delivered in the past allowed us to check out the profile of the machine. Well, the photos you'll find in the Instagram post at the bottom of the page come to change this, revealing an important design detail.I'm referring to the long nose of the car - while McLaren is now famous for its Longtail specials that are aimed at track driving, it looks like the upcoming GT has a generous front section.Of course, with the machine still being mid-engined, the nose is used to swallow the occupant's luggage. And it's now obvious that McLaren is aiming to haul more stuff than any competitor.The hefty front section of the car means it might not get a second truck above the engine compartment, as is the case with the only Grand Tourer effort currently found in McLaren showrooms, namely the 570 GT.And I'm still wondering what the automaker is on about when it mentions the newcomer shares DNA with its current halo car, the 250 mph Speedtail.While the McLaren GT is expected to play in a different financial league compared to the Porsche 911 Turbo, I'm still eager to see the Brit going up against the German, especially since the latter is the daily driving yardstick. Oh, and since the 992 Turbo, which was recently leaked , should land later this year and the Macca is set to be presented in May, it's clear that 2019 is a brilliant year for GTs.
Footage of the incident popped up online the other day, prompting the NYPD to issue a statement to the New York Post saying that, while the matter is under internal review, the cop was fully in his rights to ride that bike. That is to say, its standard practice for officers to driver or ride confiscated vehicles if no trailer is available.The cop has also been identified as Officer Brian Hinton. You can see Hintons recklessness in the video at the bottom of the page.At first, he gets on the dirt bike (without a helmet) and he pops a wheelie  without the slightest intention of doing so, by the look on his face. He then runs a red light and sprints into an intersection, slamming the bike on the tarmac when he loses all control over it and sending it into two nearby cars waiting at the light.Perhaps worse than the humiliating crash is bystanders reaction to it. You can hear a man yell Hell yeah! several times, while a woman is laughing out loud, while putting all cops in general on blast, as if this was some act of divine justice.NYPD spokeswoman Jessica McRorie tells the Post that police had found the dirt bike abandoned at an intersection, after whoever drove it recklessly left it there when witnesses called the cops. Hinton sustained an injury to his shoulder in the accident, for which he required medical attention at the hospital. Another colleague was also hurt, while stopping another rider, the Post adds.However, McRorie insists that this is how you bring the bikes back if you dont have a trailer to put them on. You cant leave them in the street.Well, not exactly like, if you know what we mean.
The beach next to Phuket Airport is a huge attraction with holidaymakers and social media influencers, because it offers the unique chance of snapping photos in which they seem to be touching the planes that take off or land. However, their presence there is a major disruptive factor, and authorities are determined to keep them out of that area, no matter what it takes.Officials say that posing for photos on that strip of sand can fall under the same law that punishes drone flying or laser pen use in the area, because it poses a risk to the plane. They dont say what that risk entails, but its presumed tourists are distracting pilots, which could have fatal consequences. So, under the existent law, the maximum penalty means the death sentence, Express reports. Less severe penalties may include 20 years in jail or hefty fines.We want both the income from tourism and the aviation safety to co-exist, Wichit Kaewsaithiam, director of Phuket International Airport, is quoted as saying.To keep the tourists away from the selfie hotspot, the airport will be building a safe zone. Trespassing will make them liable to the death penalty, Vijit Keawsaitiam, the airport's Deputy General Manager, warns.We are setting up a safety zone which will be categorized as a strictly prohibited area that does not allow people and tourists to take pictures, Keawsaitiam says. Aside from this area, local people and tourists can still come to take pictures as usual.Furthermore, getting so near the airport just to snap photos isnt safe for the tourists, either, the official adds. The sound of the engines of the plane can damage their hearing, so the new stipulation is in their best interest as well.
By the time China's ambitions of displacing the U.S. as the dominant global power were widely understood, Beijing's success had already begun to feel inevitable.

Why it matters: The Chinese Communist Party has exploited America's desire to "sleep through difficulties," writes Jonathan Ward in the new book, "China's Vision of Victory." He contends that the outcome of the battle for global supremacy remains to be determined, but that the U.S. must quickly and dramatically change course in order to prevail.

The longstanding U.S. strategy of engaging economically while hedging against China's rise militarily was a mistake of historic proportions, essentially "putting wind at the back" of a burgeoning rival, Ward told me in an interview.

In his book, Ward traces China's vision of global preeminence back decades. He says President Xi Jinping merely "took the mask off" in recent years.

Ward, whose research included poring over since-closed Communist Party archives, adds that "the greatest thing Chinas given us is a very clear image of what theyre going to do.

The big picture: The objective is dominance in global affairs on a longer-term time frame," Ward told me. "So, ideologically the idea is to restore their position  restore because they say they used to be the worlds supreme power and now theyre going to return to that  by the year 2049, which is the centennial of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China."

To that end, China is endeavoring to "produce national champions in every sector" and dominate emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and 5G networks.

The Belt and Road network of ports, roads and railways, meanwhile, is intended to impose the "coercive force of the Chinese economy... to build strategic beachheads" around the world. "In the 19th century we'd understand that as empire building," Ward says.

Ward says China's government is mobilizing its economy, its military and its citizens toward the mission of "national rejuvenation." He describes it as "the most comprehensive effort assembled in human history towards a very singular goal.

The bottom line: Essentially it's full steam ahead on pretty much every human activity, from space to seabed, with the objective of becoming the worlds leader in all of these things. And with that, you build a foundation of power that is absolutely beyond what can be achieved by any other nation."

I think its easy to understand their strategy. Whats hard is that its a good strategy.

But, but, but: Ward emphasizes in his book that the U.S. "retains enormous advantages in terms of economic and military power, a global alliance system, and leadership in the innumerable institutions built under the Pax Americana."

He says the consensus that China will replace the U.S. as the world's largest economy is premised on the continuation of the status quo. Ward argues that "we have to start thinking the unthinkable" now, in terms of unwinding economic ties to China and shifting supply chains to politically friendly countries.

These are tough things but this is where great minds should be applied," Ward told me. "How do we retain these economic advantages, the technological advantages, the military advantages. Lets face it, were the ones whove already won. Were just giving it away."

Ward argues that the contests that will define China's success or failure are underway now, and will be decided over the next ten years.

Zoom out: A contest between the United States and China will be a close-run thing," Ward writes. "However, a contest between China and the democratic world will be impossible for China.

In many ways Chinese global strategy is actually focused on Europe," he told me. China knew the U.S. would eventually wake up to its "problem in the Pacific," but "Europe is a world away from the security questions in Asia.

If youre going to have problems with the U.S., where do you go next? To Europe. Thats where they can harvest technology, its where they can harvest education, its where they can build their technological advantages. You have to do that by engaging with somebody whos higher up the value chain, so if theyre going to see that erode in the United States they have to double down on it in Europe."

"Thats the Chinese approach. And they have to convince the Europeans theyre benign. ... What you have to think about in Europe is, what would it mean for your superpower partner to be defeated by authoritarian China?"

Ward says the solution is "the democratic world consolidating, integrating, pushing back, cutting China off from the things that will enable the continued rise toward their vision of power."

What to watch: "What will it mean for the prevailing norms in international relations to be decided by an authoritarian state where freedoms of speech, press, and assembly are extinguished for its citizens and those under its power? Ward writes that if we lose the next decade, we'll soon find out.
The 9 leaders of Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests were found guilty Tuesday by a court in the Chinese territory of charges including public nuisance.

Details: Pastor Chu Yiu-ming, law professor Benny Tai and retired sociology professor Chan Kin-man and pastor Chu Yiu-ming were among those convicted, the BBC reports. They're seen as figureheads of a movement involving thousands of people, who protested in Hong Kong's streets in 2014 following China's decision to only allow candidates pre-approved by Beijing in elections.
Israelis are at the polls today to vote in a critical legislative election  the 22nd since the country's founding in 1948.

Why it matters: Today's vote is widely seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's 13 years of rule, with the last 10 running consecutively since 2009. This year's elections were called early due to fractures within Netanyahu's ruling coalition, and they come as the prime minister faces pending indictments for bribery, breach of trust and fraud.

What to expect: The centrist Blue and White party led by retired Gen. Benny Gantz is expected to win more seats in the Knesset, but Netanyahu and his right-wing Likud party have better odds of forming a majority coalition  likely an ultra right-wing bloc that would allow him to stay prime minister regardless of the indictments.

The voting will end on Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET, at which point the 3 main Israeli television channels will publish their exit polls.

According to Israeli law, it is forbidden to publish polls in the last 5 days before the elections. The polls published last Thursday and Friday were inconclusive and contradictory, with many voters remaining undecided.

The backdrop: The election campaign was the dirtiest and most negative in Israel's history, sharing a number of similarities to the 2016 U.S. election.

Gantz's mobile phone was allegedly hacked by Iran. It happened before the race started, but reports of the hack were leaked in the middle of the campaign and prompted rumors on social media and right-wing outlets that Gantz had embarrassing personal videos on his phone.

Netanyahu used the story about the hack to attack Gantz and claim that the Iranians could blackmail him if he were elected. Gantz, on the other hand, claimed Netanyahu was behind the story's leak, and he even hinted that Netanyahu might have been behind the hack itself.

After Gantz gave several TV interviews in which many believed he looked lethargic  and after a recording leaked of Gantz speculating that Netanyahu could try to kill him  Netanyahu's team started claiming, including in campaign ads, that Gantz was mentally unstable.

Meanwhile, Gantz and his party claimed Netanyahu tried to profit off a multibillion-dollar submarine deal between Germany and Israel, and that he harmed Israel's national security when he green lit another submarine deal between Germany and Egypt without discussing it with his security chiefs  again, allegedly in pursuit of financial profit for himself and several of his confidants.

Several foreign countries also exerted influence in the final stretch of the campaign, mainly to help Netanyahu.

2 weeks before the elections, Netanyahu met President Trump at the White House for a ceremony in which Trump signed a proclamation recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights  a major foreign policy win for Netanyahu. Netanyahu used this move specifically and his close relationship with Trump in general as a main theme throughout the campaign.

Less than a week before the elections, Netanyahu was invited by Russian President Putin to Moscow after Russian soldiers in Syria recovered the body of an Israeli soldier who had been missing for 37 years. The Russians even held a memorial service for the soldier in Moscow with Netanyahu attending. This was seen as another big foreign policy win for Netanyahu and a clear endorsement by Putin.

The other side: French President Emmanuel Macron invited Gantz's political ally Yair Lapid for a meeting at the Elysee Palace 5 days before the elections in what was perceived as an endorsement of the Blue and White party.

The bottom line: Although it's likely that Gantz's party will win the most parliamentary seats, it will be met with the almost impossible task of trying to form a coalition.

Gantz hopes to get at least 5 seats more than Netanyahu so that his victory will be perceived as a knockout and convince several right-wing parties to enter his coalition  but the chances of that are very low.

It's more likely that even if Netanyahu gets fewer seats than Gantz, he will still be able to hold his right-wing coalition together and continue to govern Israel through a crucial period in the country's history.

Go deeper:
By Azernews





By Mirsaid Ibrahimzade

Azerbaijan and Russia are two strategic partners whose relations are constantly developing. Creation of joint industrial enterprises now constitutes the main part on the cooperation agenda.

This is a win-win direction for both states, since Russian comapnies actively increase their export potential and competence in Azerbaijan, while the latter develops its undustrial sector to meet the local demand.

The trade with Russia amounted to $2.55 billion in 2018, of which $665.74 fall for the export of Azerbaijani products.

Russia hopes that the directions, which are fixed in the field of agricultural engineering, will be developed taking into account the availability of a good market for agricultural production and the support of Azerbaijan in the purchases of agricultural equipment, Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov told Trend.

The minister noted that Russia sees serious prospects for cooperation in this direction.

"The fact that in February 2019 we laid the foundation for cooperation in Azerbaijan with AzerMash on the assembly and production of light commercial vehicles jointly with the Russian partner GAZ group also shows a bilateral interest in the partnership cooperation of our countries, and in particular in the creation of new conscientious manufacturing enterprises. Of course, all areas of bilateral cooperation that were discussed today should be secured by the relevant agreements, after which it would be possible to talk about the time frame for the joint production. As for the timing of the implementation of joint projects in the field of agricultural machinery, and the industrial sector, everything will depend on how effectively bilateral economic cooperation will develop," the Russian minister said.

Recently, Baku hosted a meeting of Azerbaijani and Russian entrepreneurs. Azerbaijan and Russia have signed a number of agreements in Baku on economic cooperation within the framework of the business forum.

In particular, Sumgait Technology Park LLC signed an agreement on cooperation and organization of relations with Rostselmash KZ LLC and a memorandum of cooperation with Transmashholding LLC. This is while AzOkso LLC signed a memorandum of intent to jointly implement fencing systems with ServiceInvest LLC.

Azerbaijan is one of the main economic partners of Russia among the CIS countries and Russia remains one of Azerbaijans main foreign trade partners. Interregional cooperation plays an important role in the development of Russian-Azerbaijani trade and economic relations and the increase in trade turnover. Russia ranks first in terms of import of non-oil products from Azerbaijan.

The value of investments by Russian companies in Azerbaijan amounted to $4.4 billion, and the value of Azerbaijani investments in Russia stood at $1.2 billion. About 760 companies with Russian capital operate in Azerbaijan.

According to the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Russia reached $170 million in January 2019, which is four percent more than in January 2018.

Russia is a strategic partner of Azerbaijan. The legal framework between the countries includes over 180 documents, including about 50 in the economic sphere.
Forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar, the warlord who already controls eastern Libya, are nearing the country's capital of Tripoli.

The latest: At least 51 soldiers and civilians have been killed in clashes between Haftar's Libyan National Army and militias loyal to the U.N.-backed government. Thousands have fled. Thousands more are now trapped, and Haftar's forces today hit the airport with an airstrike.

The backdrop: Libya has been plagued by violence and power struggles since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Haftar was at one point a top general under Gaddafi but later worked to topple him. He "is expected to face stiff resistance from powerful militias from the western cities of Misrata and Zawiya," per the AP.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinians alliance and the main opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) on Tuesday continued to blame each other for a transgender activists unprecedented speech in the Armenian parliament which caused a stir in the socially conservative country.

Pashinian also hit out at former President Serzh Sarkisians Republican Party of Armenia (HHK), saying that some of its senior members are gay activists.

The scandal broke out during last weeks parliamentary hearings in Yerevan chaired by Naira Zohrabian, the BHK-affiliated chairperson of a parliament committee on human rights. They were attended by lawmakers, government officials as well as representatives of local non-governmental organizations.

One of those groups, Right Side, champions LGBT rights. Its transgender leader, Lilit Martirosian, also spoke at the hearings, complaining about widespread hostility and discrimination against sexual minorities in Armenia.

The presence of an LGBT activist on the Armenian parliament floor visibly surprised and angered Zohrabian. She berated Martirosian for bringing up issues which she said are not on the agenda of the hearings.

Zohrabian claimed afterwards that the hitherto little-known activist was invited, without her knowledge, to the hearings by Maria Karapetian, a parliament deputy from Pashinians My Stem alliance. Karapetian and other pro-government lawmakers denied that, saying that all participants of the discussion received written invitations from Zohrabian. The BHK parliamentarian rejected those claims as blatant lies.

The bitter recriminations came amid furious reactions to Martirosians public appearance from nationalist and conservative groups hostile to the Armenian LGBT community. More than a hundred members and supporters of those groups rallied outside the parliament building on Monday. Riot police stopped them from entering the building and protesting inside it.

Pashinian weighed in on the controversy on Tuesday, accusing Zohrabian of staging a political provocation against the parliament majority loyal to him. He said a security agency protecting the parliament building shared with him a list of individuals, including Lilit Martirosian, invited to the hearings, which was signed by the Zohrabian.

The prime minister went on to challenge the BHK to consider recalling Zohrabian and naming another head of the parliament committee.

The BHKs parliamentary faction, which is the second largest in the National Assembly, was quick to hold an emergency meeting and voice strong support with its embattled member.

Our faction believes that Naira Zohrabian did not violate any rules of ethical parliamentary conduct or provisions of the parliament statues or any other legal norm, said Gevorg Petrosian, another senior BHK parliamentarian known for his vocal opposition to LGBT rights.

The BHKs top leader, Gagik Tsarukian, threw his weight Zohrabian on Monday. Tsarukian described peoples non-traditional sexual orientation as a vice which must not be allowed to spread in Armenia.

Another BHK deputy, Vartan Ghukasian, went farther, saying that all perverts must be expelled from the country. Send them to Holland, Ghukasian told reporters. We want  females to be females and males to be males. You cant mix female with male. Its shameful.

Pashinians bloc was also attacked by Eduard Sharmazanov, the spokesman for the former ruling HHK. Yes, something has changed in our country. Under the HHK, a transgender person would not have delivered a speech in the National Assembly, Sharmazanov said in a video statement posted on Facebook on Friday.

Pashinian countered that Martirosian had legally changed her previous, male first name, Vagharshak, during Sarkisians rule. He said that the transgender activists current passport issued in 2015 identifies her as a male. Is it a common practice among the Republicans to have men named Lilit? he scoffed.

When I was telling them that you are gay activists they did not believe me, Pashinian added mockingly. They just cant avoid that status and this is further proof [of that.]

Meanwhile, the fallout from Martirosians public statement prompted serious concern from the European Union. In an extraordinary joint statement issued on Tuesday, the EU Delegation in Armenian and the Yerevan-based embassies of EU member states condemned hate speech, including death threats directed at Ms. Lilit Martirosian, her colleagues and the LGBTI community as a whole.

The EU calls on all in Armenia who promote and believe in the universality of human rights to condemn hate speech and on law enforcement agencies to take urgent steps to guarantee the physical safety of Armenian citizens and to investigate allegations against those suspected of perpetrating hate crimes, said the statement.
An Armenian social media user highly critical of the government has been charged with incidting ethnic, racial or religious hatred after being arrested as part of a crackdown ordered by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.

The director of Armenias National Security Service (NSS), Artur Vanetsian, reported the arrest on Friday. He said that the suspect hid behind a Facebook page called Dukhov Hayastan Open Society.

The page, which has more than 2,200 followers, contains derogatory and even offensive posts on Pashinian and his associates. It was most recently updated on Thursday evening.

Earlier on Thursday, Pashinian ordered Vanetsian to clamp down on criminal circles which he said spend millions on manipulating public opinion through the press and social media. Thats a matter of national security, he said, singling out fake social media users.

The NSS said on Tuesday that the suspect has been formally charged and remanded in pre-trial custody. It again declined to identify him or her.

The charges brought against that individual carry between three and six years imprisonment. The NSS did not cite concrete Facebook posts covered by a relevant article of the Armenian Criminal Code.

An NSS spokesman said earlier that the National Bureau of Expertise, which is part of Armenias law-enforcement system, has looked into the Facebook page and concluded that it contains calls for violence against Armenias politicians and citizens. The bureau also found negative evaluations of an unnamed Armenian national hero and an ancient cathedral in Echmiadzin as well as statements undermining interethnic relations.

Some opposition politicians and civil rights activists have expressed concern about Pashinians order, saying that it poses a threat to freedom of expression in Armenia. Shushan Doydoyan, the head of the Yerevan-based Center for Freedom of Information, on Friday criticized it as hasty and unfounded. She said the NSS, which is the successor to the Armenian branch of the Soviet KGB secret police, must not deal with mass or social media content in any way.
By Trend

Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 26 times, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said April 9, 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
By Mirsaid Ibrahimzade

Azerbaijan and Russia are two strategic partners whose relations are constantly developing. Creation of joint industrial enterprises now constitutes the main part on the cooperation agenda.

This is a win-win direction for both states, since Russian comapnies actively increase their export potential and competence in Azerbaijan, while the latter develops its undustrial sector to meet the local demand.

The trade with Russia amounted to $2.55 billion in 2018, of which $665.74 fall for the export of Azerbaijani products.

Russia hopes that the directions, which are fixed in the field of agricultural engineering, will be developed taking into account the availability of a good market for agricultural production and the support of Azerbaijan in the purchases of agricultural equipment, Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov told Trend.

The minister noted that Russia sees serious prospects for cooperation in this direction.

"The fact that in February 2019 we laid the foundation for cooperation in Azerbaijan with AzerMash on the assembly and production of light commercial vehicles jointly with the Russian partner GAZ group also shows a bilateral interest in the partnership cooperation of our countries, and in particular in the creation of new conscientious manufacturing enterprises. Of course, all areas of bilateral cooperation that were discussed today should be secured by the relevant agreements, after which it would be possible to talk about the time frame for the joint production. As for the timing of the implementation of joint projects in the field of agricultural machinery, and the industrial sector, everything will depend on how effectively bilateral economic cooperation will develop," the Russian minister said.

Recently, Baku hosted a meeting of Azerbaijani and Russian entrepreneurs. Azerbaijan and Russia have signed a number of agreements in Baku on economic cooperation within the framework of the business forum.

In particular, Sumgait Technology Park LLC signed an agreement on cooperation and organization of relations with Rostselmash KZ LLC and a memorandum of cooperation with Transmashholding LLC. This is while AzOkso LLC signed a memorandum of intent to jointly implement fencing systems with ServiceInvest LLC.

Azerbaijan is one of the main economic partners of Russia among the CIS countries and Russia remains one of Azerbaijans main foreign trade partners. Interregional cooperation plays an important role in the development of Russian-Azerbaijani trade and economic relations and the increase in trade turnover. Russia ranks first in terms of import of non-oil products from Azerbaijan.

The value of investments by Russian companies in Azerbaijan amounted to $4.4 billion, and the value of Azerbaijani investments in Russia stood at $1.2 billion. About 760 companies with Russian capital operate in Azerbaijan.

According to the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Russia reached $170 million in January 2019, which is four percent more than in January 2018.

Russia is a strategic partner of Azerbaijan. The legal framework between the countries includes over 180 documents, including about 50 in the economic sphere.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Trend

In the 1Q2019, the number of requests from Azerbaijan's state agencies related to computer security increased by 27.7 percent compared to the 1Q2018 and amounted to 899, the Computer Security Emergency Response Team (CERT) of Azerbaijan told Trend.

In the 1Q2019, 93.77 percent of the total requests received by CERT were reviewed and dealt with. On the basis of the audit of information security, 65 reports were prepared by CERT and sent to the relevant structures.

In the first three months of 2019, 10 domains and 22 sub-domains were registered in the Azerbaijani segment of the internet.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Mirsaid Ibrahimzade

Azerbaijan is taking serious steps to develop alternative energy. To this end, negotiations are underway with foreign companies and investors, including companies from China, the UAE, the US and the EU.

Most of Azerbaijan's potential in this sector comes from the solar energy and this potential is estimated at 5,000 megawatts.

It is noteworthy that the Ministry of Energy informed Report that three consulting companies were selected for a pilot project on floating solar panels in Azerbaijan.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) selected EQO-NIXUS and S.L.U as international consulting companies and Azerbaijan Energy Engineering and Consulting as a local consulting company within the framework of the pilot project "Technical support and knowledge exchange on the development of a floating solar panel system".

It is reported that in January of this year, ADB submitted a preliminary report on the project entitled "Development of floating solar energy technologies".

The ministry said that the tender for the selection of the contractor is not completed, so the construction company is still unknown. Technical and financial support for the project is provided by the ADB.

The total cost of the project, implemented in three countries - Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan, is $ 3 million.

Implemented on the initiative of the ADB, installation of a 100 kW photovoltaic panel system on Boyukshor Lake in Baku will be completed in the summer of 2021.

The Floating Solar Energy Development project was approved by ADB Board of Directors on August 17, 2018. It involves technical assistance for the creation of floating solar plants in the three countries. ADB experts are sure that this will contribute to the diversification of energy sources, increase energy security and reduce harmful emissions.

Azerbaijan joined ADB in 1999 and its share in the bank is 0.5 percent. In 2004, the Bank's local representative office was opened in our country. Azerbaijan hosted the 48th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Bank in 2015.

The main objective of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is to support the economic development of member countries and to help alleviate poverty and improve the living standards of the population.

ADB has provided a $ 5.1 billion loan, guarantee, grant and technical assistance for the country, so far.

ADBs program for Azerbaijan during 20112017 consisted of 47 projects. Energy was the largest sector supported, accounting for 42 percent ($2.1 billion) of total financing followed by transport, at 27 percent ($1.4 billion).

The Asian Development Bank will allocate $ 815 million from its credit resources to Azerbaijan in 2019-2021. This is stated in the bank's three-year business plan. Thus, in 2019, the bank will allocate $ 250 million to the country, $ 265 million in 2020, and $ 300 million in 2021.

Generally, solar energy is radiant light and heat from the Sun that is harnessed using a range of ever-evolving technologies such as solar heating, photovoltaics, solar thermal energy, solar architecture, molten salt power plants and artificial photosynthesis.

It is an important source of renewable energy and its technologies are broadly characterized as either passive solar or active solar depending on how they capture and distribute solar energy or convert it into solar power. Active solar techniques include the use of photovoltaic systems, concentrated solar power and solar water heating to harness the energy. Passive solar techniques include orienting a building to the Sun, selecting materials with favorable thermal mass or light-dispersing properties, and designing spaces that naturally circulate air.

--

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Leman Mammadova

Azerbaijani products have been featured in Latvia to further promote local brands and increase export potential.

Azerbaijani export mission was sent to Riga, Latvian capital city, with the support of the Ministry of Economy, the Export and Investment Promotion Foundation of Azerbaijan (AZPROMO).

The export mission includes 23 companies operating in wine and other alcoholic drinks, food and textile products, as well as in tourism.

About 100 entrepreneurs from both sides took part in the business meeting between the Azerbaijani and Latvian companies on the first day of the mission.

During the meeting, the sides discussed the work done to promote Made in Azerbaijan. During the meeting, participants were informed about the work done to promote the Made in Azerbaijan brand, expansion of Azerbaijani products' exports to Latvia was discussed.

On the second day of the visit, on December 8, tasting of Azerbaijani wines produced under Made in Azerbaijan brand was held. The participants were presented examples of products produced in different regions of Azerbaijan.

Within the framework of export mission held on April 7-10, meetings will be held in Azerbaijan's Trade House in Latvia, visits to trade networks will be organized.

The introduction of local products of Azerbaijan to international markets is boosting the non-oil sector of the economy and strengthens business ties with foreign countries.

Therefore, Azerbaijan is organizing a number of export missions to promote national products under the Made in Azerbaijan brand.

Launched in 2016, the Made in Azerbaijan brand envisages a large-scale promotion of local non-oil products in foreign markets.

Export missions are a supporting measure to identify opportunities for accessing new markets, strengthen local product positions in existing markets and provide these markets with new products.

Trade relations are one of the main directions of bilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and Latvia.

The trade turnover between Latvia and Azerbaijan increased for more than 20 percent year-on-year amounting to 19.84 million euros in 2018.

Although the indicators on mutual trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Latvia are not high so far, progress achieved in this area can be noted in recent years.

The Joint Declaration on the Establishment of a Strategic Partnership, signed between the two countries in 2017, has contributed to the ongoing political dialogue, the program of economic cooperation, as well as the interaction in the field of education and culture.

Azerbaijan invested $ 164 million to Latvia, while the Latvia invested $ 84 million in the economy of Azerbaijan so far. About 40 Latvian companies operate in construction, service, industry, communications, transport, trade, banking and insurance sectors of Azerbaijan.

On July 23, 2018, Azerbaijan's Trade House was opened in Riga, Latvia, aimed at promotion of the Made in Azerbaijan brand in the Latvian market, expansion of the export of Azerbaijani products, organization of sales in Latvia and work coordination in this field. Latvia is currently working to open a similar business venture in Baku.

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Leman Mammadova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @leman_888

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Leman Mammadova

The German-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce presented the publication "Market Analysis Azerbaijan 2019" in Baku.

Tobias Baumann, executive director of the German-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce, said at the publications presentation that the publication contains information on the development stages of various sectors of the Azerbaijani economy.

"We spent about two years on this project and we are pleased with the results," Baumann said.

The executive director noted that the publication also focuses on Azerbaijani-German relations and their development.

Moreover, head of Market Analysis and Communication Nigar Bayramli also gave some information on the publication. She noted that it covers 14 sectors of the Azerbaijani economy.

"The publication describes current trends and projects, as well as opportunities for the German economy," she said.

The publication provides an overview of the 14 priority sectors in the economy of Azerbaijan, analyses current trends and projects as well as presents opportunities in the respective industries.

Energy

Azerbaijans energy sector is at a turning point: a law on renewable energy and an investor-friendly tariff policy are in sight and are soon likely to ensure a significant upswing in the industry, reads the Market Analysis Azerbaijan 2019 published by the AHK Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan is preparing a draft law with DNV GL, the international consulting company of Norway, that is expected to be discussed in April 2019.

Azerbaijani legal framework must meet interests and expectations of investors. In terms of this, it is important to hold talks with potential investors and familiarize them with the existing potential of Azerbaijan in this area. The interests of investors may be considered in the drafts being prepared and thus, in the coming years, Azerbaijan will implement significant projects in the field of renewable energy sources based on private investments.

Several foreign investors, including some from China, Canada, Turkey, the U.S. and Norway, as well as Arab and EU countries, have declared their interest in entering the market, reads the publication.

Most of projects targeted the use of wind power.

Azalternativenerji company is currently appraising a wind power project at Baku International Sea Trade Port. In addition, a feasibility study is being prepared for a first offshore wind farm in the Caspian Sea (Wind Island-1 project). It is expected to have an installed capacity of 200 MW and will be built at a location between Pirallahi settlement and Chilov island, the publication said.

According to the report, wind power maintains 59.2 percent (15,000 MW) share in total potential for renewable energy. It is followed by solar power-31.6 percent (8,000 MW), biomass 3.5 percent (900 MW), geothermal 3.1 percent (800 MW), and hydropower 2.6 percent (650 MW).

In 2018-2020, it is planned to implement projects for construction of renewable energy plants with an installed capacity of 420 MW, or average annual electricity generation of about 1.2 billion kWh.

Project costs approximately $700 million. However, $555 million of this financing accounts for wind energy projects, $63 million for solar energy, $60 million for bioenergy.

The publication also provided information regarding financial support from the international institutions for the development of renewables in the country.

The World Bank and the Ministry of Energy have signed an agreement on projects to increase the efficiency of small hydropower plants. Moreover SNC-Lavalin Atkins, the consulting company headquartered in Canada, was instructed to analyse the small hydropower market.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) also intends to provide financial support for renewable energy projects in Azerbaijan.

According to the publication, a 300 kW floating solar power plant on Boyuk Shor Lake (Baku) is planned for March 2021, which is estimated to cost $100,000-200,000 with finance from the ADB.

The ADB is also involved in the construction of biogas plants. Waste produced during cotton, cereal and hazelnut cultivation will be used as a source of energy in the future, reads the document.

Expansion of renewable electricity generation is estimated at 430 MW in 2018-2020, 840 MW in 2021-2025, 925 in 2026-2030.

However, the share of renewables in total power generation is expected to be 15 percent by 2020, 25-30 percent by 2025 and 35-40 percent by 2030.

Transport

The authors of the publication noting lower revenues from oil and gas exports, say that the Government of Azerbaijan continues to implement priority projects in the transport sector, primarily to the expansion of road and railway routes along the North-South and East-West corridors.

The construction of modern logistics hubs and increased investment in the merchant fleet are also on the project agenda, the publication reads. All projects have one goal: to make the country an attractive hub for transit freight transport.

In this regard, the authors highlight two large-scale projects that particularly characterise current developments in road construction: the laying of a new route from Baku to the Russian border beyond Guba and upgrading the west Azerbaijani section of the East-West M-2 highway from Ganja, the countrys second largest city, to the Georgian border.

"Construction of the four-lane Baku (Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev settlement)-Guba-Russia border highway started in spring 2018. The road extends for 157 kilometres, including driveways, underpasses and bypass roads. The government allocated $150 million for the project in 2018. All four sections of the route are to be completed by the end of 2020 / beginning of 2021," the report notes.

"In the first half of 2019, a green light was given to the upgrading of the130 km road from Ganja to the border with Georgia via Shamkir, Tovuz, Agstafa and Gazakh. The EBRD intends to provide financial support for the project. The funds are allocated from a road construction loan granted in 2011. A $250 million loan for the second and third tranches of an initially planned project remains unspent and is to be used for the new project. The route is scheduled for operation in 2021," the authors said.

A new project, modernisation of the double-track railway line Yalama / border with Russia-Sumgayit (167 km), will reguire an investment of $325 million in 2019-2022, according to the report. The financing will be provided by the ADB ($150 mln) and Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD) ($100 mln).

A project entitled "Railway reforms: Restructuring, tariff reform, implementation of an ERP System and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) accounting", in turn, will receive investments from the ADB ($250 mln) and AFD ($75 mln).

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan Railways is expected to invest about $4.9 billion in railway construction and rolling stock over the whole period of 2010-2022.

Also, the countrys Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company (CASPAR) intends to invest some $1.5 billion in fleet expansion between 2018 and 2027, the report notes.

"Local and international procurement of 72 ships is to be financed from its own resources, as well as from state funds. Its ferries head for the Kazakh ports of Aktau and Kuryk and the Turkmen port of Turkmenbashi. Ro-ro ships operate on routes to Aktau and Turkmenbashi. Bulk carriers transport goods mainly from Russia and Kazakhstan to Iran. Sea transport from Turkey to Kazakhstan is on the increase," according to the authors.

The AHK notes that among the activities planned to expand logistics capacities, two large-scale projects stand out.

"The Absheron logistics centre in Baku (Garadagh district), which began its operations in August 2018, plans to expand its capacities massively in the near future. Further container and cargo terminals are to be built on an area of 35 ha. The logistics centre, which was built primarily for the export of agricultural products, currently has an annual handling capacity of 11 million tonnes of goods. Sumgait Chemical Industrial Park (SCIP), the state-owned operator of the chemical industrial park in Sumgayit, has announced a plan to build a modern logistics centre covering 10 ha. A number of companies in chemicals and other industries operate in the large industrial park," the publication said.

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Leman Mammadova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @leman_888

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Trend

Azerbaijani leasing company MCB Leasing, the shareholder of which is the MCB Bank Pakistan, intends to continue its activities as a non-bank credit organization (NBCO), a source at the company told Trend.

The registration at the Ministry of Taxes of Azerbaijan has already been completed, according to the source.

Further, we plan to obtain the appropriate license of the Financial Market Supervisory Authority of Azerbaijan (FIMSA), the source noted. For this, we are working on a business plan, which we will submit to the FIMSA.

At the same time, the source said that the company intends to continue leasing activities.

MCB Leasing was established in 2009. The authorized capital of the company is 4.28 million manats. Some 99.94 percent of the companys shares belong to MCB Bank Pakistan, while 0.06 percent belongs to an individual.

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By Azernews





By Leman Mammadova

Azerbaijani engineering company Texno-Atinak plans long-term partnership as part of the implementation of new projects in Uzbekistan, Elnur Ahmadov, executive director of the company, told Trend.

He said that the company plans to implement the next three projects in this country.

"We are actively negotiating with Uzbek partners on laying water pipelines and sewage lines in the regions," said Ahmadov. "In this regard, tomorrow I will fly to Tashkent, where I plan to discuss in more detail the conditions for implementing new projects in Uzbekistan."

He noted that the general sponsor of projects being implemented by Texno-Atinak is the World Bank, which fully provides funds for their implementation.

"We, in turn, actively participate in tenders, and if possible we make efforts to win," he added.

He noted that the company also rents various types of equipment and technical means, including excavators, loaders, mobile and tower cranes for the implementation of infrastructure projects.

Texno-Atinak was established in 2011 to implement infrastructure projects in the region.

So far, more than 110 documents have been signed between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. At present, over 30 companies with Uzbek capital operate in transit, trade, industry and service sectors in Azerbaijan. The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan increased by 46.5 percent in 2018.

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.

Azerbaijan plans to organize a trade mission to Uzbekistan in the second half of the current year to increase trade potential.

Diplomatic relations between Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan were established in 1995. The intergovernmental commission established in 1997 plays a major role in the development of bilateral economic relations.

Bilateral relations are developing in accordance with Strategic Partnership Declaration declaration signed in 2004 between the two countries.

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.

Transportation projects implemented in the South Caucasus are of great importance for Uzbekistan in Central Asia-Europe trade routes.
By Mirsaid Ibrahimzade

Starting from April 5, financial assistance will be provided to the entrepreneurs who have suffered as a result of the fire in the Diglas shopping center in Baku.

However, this incident highlights relevance and vitality of insurance in business environment.

The chairman of Small and Medium Business Development Agency, Orkhan Mammadov, said in an interview with Trend that the Agency plans to help expand cooperation between insurance companies and entrepreneurs.

As Mammadov noted, the fire that occurred in the Diglas shopping center once again showed the need for insurance in various fields, especially in business, the importance of insuring their goods and property.

Nowhere in the world during such incidents the state takes upon itself the payment for damage to the private sector. The payment is made by the Azerbaijani state for damage caused by natural disasters and fires, providing support to affected people is coherent. The order of the head of state to pay for damages to entrepreneurs caused by fire in the shopping center Diglas, once again shows that the government is the biggest support of entrepreneurs.

"In accordance with the instructions of the head of state, for three days, the Working Group received each entrepreneur in person, listened to their problems, learned about the material damage caused to them, discussed the work that must be done to eliminate the difficulties encountered, Mammadov said.

The head of the agency noted that thanks to insurance, such situations may be solved with less damage.

The incident that happened once again showed the need for insurance in various fields, especially in business, the importance of insuring entrepreneurs with their goods and property. Thanks to insurance, you can get out of such situations with less damage. The entrepreneurs who suffered as a result of the fire note that the provision of material assistance in the absence of insurance is another humanistic step by the President of Azerbaijan and shows once again that the state is always close to the entrepreneurs, he said.

Mammadov stated that business entities, especially small and medium ones, should be interested in insuring their goods and property.

In this sphere, it is necessary to expand cooperation between entrepreneurs and insurance companies. SME Development Agency plans to take relevant measures to educate entrepreneurs about the importance of insurance, as well as to expand cooperation between insurance companies and entrepreneurs, Orkhan Mammadov noted.

Orkhan Mammadov also said that to this day, 210 entrepreneurs applied to the SME Development Agency for financial assistance. The working group has already decided to provide material assistance to 161 entrepreneurs.

Moreover, he also added that material assistance is provided through Kapital Bank and TuranBank and funds are provided via bank cards and banks do not charge for the provision of cards.

Touching upon accident, a strong fire occurred in the Diglas shopping center in Baku on March 26.

During the fire, four floors of the shopping center burnt down, each of which holding an area of 2,500 square meters, the attic 1,200 square meters and a three-storey basement with household goods, clothes and other products. In total, the fire covered an area of 16,500 square meters.

On March 28, a meeting was held under the chairmanship of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in connection with the fire in the Diglas shopping center.

During the meeting, the Azerbaijani president stressed that a commission will be set up to fully investigate the fire and prepare proposals, and at the same time, businessmen will be promptly provided with material assistance.

In addition, the Small and Medium Business Development Agency under the Ministry of Economy of Azerbaijan was established by the decree of the President of Azerbaijan dated December 28, 2017. The presidential decree of June 26, 2018 approved the statute and structure of the Agency.

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By Trend

AzerTelecom LLC - the Internet backbone provider that connects Azerbaijan to the global Internet network has acquired the status of an official partner of the world-famous companies Trend Micro, Symantec, ESET, Quest, and One Identity, specializing in cybersecurity.

The partnership with the above-mentioned popular companies allows AzerTelecom to provide solutions to corporate customers in the field of cybersecurity. Partnership with these global companies allows AzerTelecom to protect the systems, networks, and software of its corporate customers from various digital attack with the advanced cybersecurity solutions from above-mentioned companies and thus to contribute to safer and more reliable business operations of its customers.

Currently, in the background of providing a significant attention to information security issues around the world, AzerTelecom strives to provide its customers with high-quality solutions and state-of-the-art approaches in the field of cybersecurity. Thus, the adoption of effective preventive measures is especially difficult today since the various devices and platforms are improving day by day. The solutions provided by AzerTelecom allow companies to effectively respond to the challenges they face in the field of security, in keeping with the requirements of the time. Note that the staff of the Commercial Department of AzerTelecom LLC also participated in specialized training on cybersecurity and received corresponding certificates.

AzerTelecom LLC was established in 2008 and is the subsidiary of the countrys first mobile operator - Bakcell. The company offers a wide range of advanced services for local and foreign companies in the telecommunications sector. Currently, AzerTelecom, in addition to the statuses of Azerbaijan as an Energy and Transport Center, is implementing the Azerbaijan Digital Hub program to transform Azerbaijan into a Regional Digital Center. The goal of the Digital Hub program is to turn the country into a Digital Center for the Caucasus, the CIS, Central and South Asia, the Middle East, and adjacent regions.

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The InvestPro Azerbaijan Baku 2019 International business conference will be held on June 10-11 in Baku!

- How and what in to invest?

- New realities when cooperate with foreign banks

- Citizenship through investments in Europe, the USA and other countries

- Development of international structures for business and asset protection

You will receive the answers to these and other relevant and important questions at the InvestPro Azerbaijan Baku 2019 conference.

Conference format is B2C. InvestPro successfully combines an exhibition and a conference that allows you to meet with more than 23 professionals and discuss the most exciting issues in an informal atmosphere during coffee breaks, lunch and evening cocktails.

Who will come to the conference?

More than 250 delegates from 20 countries attend the InvestPro conference annually:

- Business owners

- General and financial directors

- Tax and financial advisors

- Bankers

- Asset Management Specialists

Conference speakers are from the UK, Liechtenstein, UAE, Switzerland, Latvia, Ukraine, Italy, Georgia, and of course Azerbaijan! Also we expect for professionals from Singapore, the USA, Canada, Russia, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Estonia and others.

What will you get at the conference?

- Exclusive insider information and new knowledge;

- Speakers will share successful cases, provide real practical solutions in their fields;

- Individual advice about your business;

- New useful and interesting meetings;

Registration until 24 th of May 2019, for 2 delegates from a company registered in Azerbaijan (only Top managers) is complimentary.

ONLINE REGISTRATION

Registration for delegates from Azerbaijan after 24th of May - 300 AZN

The cost for delegates from other countries - 300 EUR.

If you register in advance, the company provides discounts:

Until 22 th of April  270 EUR.

Conference Venue - JW Marriott Hotel Absheron Baku 5*

For more questions, please contact by phone +442035193484, +35722008684 or email [email protected] .

Follow Program updates on the site

We are waiting for you at the conference!
By Trend

The Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson, in accordance with its mandate, plans to conduct the next ceasefire monitoring on the line of contact on April 10 in the direction of the Aghdam district, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

The Personal Representative's field assistants Simon Tiller, Ghenadie Petrica and representative of the HLPG Lieutenant-Colonel Ralph Bosshard will carry out the monitoring on the territory of Azerbaijan.

Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk, the Personal Representative's field assistants Mihail Olaru and Ognjen Jovic, Colonel Yuri Dudchenko will carry out the monitoring on the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan occupied and controlled by the armed forces of Armenia.

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.

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By Trend

Regular statements by Armenian Defense Minister David Tonoyan have no logic and are full of nonsense, Colonel Vagif Dargahli, spokesperson for Azerbaijans Defense Ministry, told Trend.

He was commenting on Tonoyans statement by about alleged activation of Armenia's intelligence units in order to cause chaos in the territory of Azerbaijan.

Dargahli noted that the chaos is namely among the new authorities of Yerevan, if a person representing the official power of Armenia speaks the language of international terror, is guided by similar logic and makes statements threatening the civilian population.

The recent speeches by the defense minister of the occupying country are part of an insidious plan directed against Pashinyans power and designed for Tonoyans political career, Dargahli said.

He stressed that the Azerbaijani army is ready to fight for the liberation of the countrys lands from occupation, and the militant threats of Armenian officials have no meaning.

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.

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By Trend

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed an Order providing funding for the design and construction of Samukh Central Hospital.

Under the presidential Order, Azerbaijans Ministry of Health is allocated 1 million manats for the design and construction of the hospital.

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By Trend

The international conference entitled "Impacts of Illegal Economic Activities in Conflict Areas on Human Rights" will be held at the UN headquarters in Geneva on April 9, Trend reports referring to the UN offices website on April 8.

The conference will be organized by the UN offices in Azerbaijan and other international organizations, as well as the UN University for Peace.

Hikmet Hajiyev, head of the Department of Foreign Policy Affairs of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, will make an opening speech at the conference.

The international conference on Illegality of Economic and Other Activities in and with regard to Territories under Military Occupation: Third-Party Obligations and Implications for Conflict Resolution was held in Baku with the participation of international experts in March 2019.

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By Trend

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has congratulated newly elected President of the World Bank David Malpass, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani presidential press-service.

I sincerely congratulate you on the occasion of your election as president of the World Bank, President Aliyev said.

We attach great importance to cooperation with the World Bank, the president said. In this regard, I would like to emphasize the World Banks close involvement in the economic reforms carried out in our country and in the financing of the large-scale infrastructure projects that we implement.

I hope that we will successfully continue our efforts to further deepen our cooperation on the areas of the World Bank`s activity, President Aliyev added.

Once again I extend my congratulations to you, and wish you the best of health and success in your responsible activities, the president said.

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By Trend

Azerbaijans state-owned SOCAR plans to build a new primary oil refining unit on the territory of Baku Oil Refinery named after Heydar Aliyev, Tofig Gahramanov, vice-president for strategic development at SOCAR, told reporters, Trend reports.

According to Gahramanov, as part of the modernization of the Baku Oil Refinery, it was planned to move the unit with a capacity of 2 million tons per year from the territory of the former Azneftyag refinery to the Baku Oil Refinery in order to increase the capacity of the primary oil refining unit to 7.5 million tons per year.

"Studies have shown that reconstructing the equipment of Azneftyag oil refinery is unprofitable, and it is more expedient to build a new unit. Reconstruction of the primary oil refining unit currently operating at the Baku Oil Refinery will cost more than $200 million, and another $130 million will be needed for building an additional unit," Gahramanov stated.

Gahramanov also pointed out that the construction of a new unit may last 3.5 years.

The modernization of the Heydar Aliyev Baku Oil Refinery, which will be completed by 2021, is currently being carried out. After the modernization works are completed, the operational life of the enterprise will increase to 2040.

The cost of upgrading the Heydar Aliyev Baku Oil Refinery is estimated at about $2.2 billion.

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By Abdul Kerimkhanov

Uzbekistan plans to build two new small HPPs on the Dargom Canal in the Samarkand region at the expense of China's soft loans, Trend reports with reference to a government decree on April 8.

The aim of the project is to consistently increase the use of renewable energy sources, increase the balance of energy resources and ensure the most complete satisfaction of the needs of the economy and the population of the country for electricity.

New facilities - the Shaudarskaya small HPP and the small HPP at picket 135+50 will be built with preferential loans from the Ministry of Commerce of China. The total cost of projects will exceed $ 30 million. Construction of HPPs is scheduled to be completed at the end of 2021.

Chinese Eximbank will allocate $ 25 million (24.8) for their implementation, and Uzbekgidroenergo - $ 5.8 million at its own expense

After the launch, the capacity of the Shaudarskaya small HPP will be 7.2 MW, and the Small Hydro Power Plant at the picket 135+50 - 7.4 MW. Each year, the first station will produce 37.8 million kWh, and the second - 34.3 million kWh.

Now Uzbekistans need for electricity is 69 billion kWh, and about 64 billion kWh are produced. Nearly 86 percent of the energy comes from burning gas and coal, and 14 percent comes from HPPs.

Uzbekistan is the largest electricity producer in Central Asia. Total installed capacity of Uzbekistans power plants exceeds 12.4 GW. Twelve thermal power plants, with a combined capacity of over 10.7 GW, and 31 HPPs, with a combined capacity of 1.7 GW, belonging to the Uzbekenergo, the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, the Mining and Metallurgical Company Almalyk and the Uzkhimprom Association, constitute the backbone of the electricity sector.

Today there are more than 430 rivers and other waterways in the country with a total length of about 12,700 kilometers. Every year, about 60 billion kWh are generated in Uzbekistan, of which more than 6.5 billion account for hydroelectric power plants. Existing resources, according to forecasts of experts, in the medium term will allow bringing electricity generation at Uzbek hydropower stations to 27.4 billion kWh per year.

During the latest decade, hydropower energy production has been steadily increasing in the country. It is expected to grow mainly by virtue of the development of mini-hydropower plants with a capacity of 420440 MW and the modernization of existing HPPs.

Diplomatic relations between Uzbekistan and China were established on January 2, 1992.

The trade turnover between the two countries totalled $ 6.43 billion in 2018. Of this amount, $ 2.869 billion is Uzbek exports, as many as $ 3.559 billion is imports.

China received $ 2.1 billion due to an increase in construction in Uzbekistan. With this money, Uzbekistan has acquired special construction equipment from China.

Over 1,100 enterprises with Chinese capital are registered in Uzbekistan.

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

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By Trend





In March, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) representatives again visited Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev, Azerbaijani hostages detained in relation to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Trend reports referring to the Public Relations Department of the ICRC Azerbaijan Office.

"We keep visiting people detained in relation to the conflict on a regular basis," the ICRC Azerbaijan Office said.

According to its mandate, the ICRC visits detained individuals to monitor treatment and conditions of detention and help to ensure that the detainees are able to maintain contact with their families.

During an operation in July 2014 in Shaplar village of Azerbaijani Kalbajar district occupied by Armenia, the Armenian special forces killed an Azerbaijani, Hasan Hasanov, and took hostage two other Azerbaijanis, Shahbaz Guliyev and Dilgam Asgarov. A "criminal case" was initiated against them. Afterwards, a "court" sentenced Asgarov to life imprisonment and Guliyev to 22 years in prison.

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.
By Trend

All districts of Kazakhstan's Turkistan region will receive 1 billion tenge ($2.62 million), which will be aimed at solving the problems of the population that were not solved for many years, Governor of the region Umirzak Shukeyev said at a meeting of the regional representative body, Trend reports via Kazakh media.

He noted that this initiative will contribute to solving urgent problems in the districts.

"It is necessary to carry out work on the development of districts and settlements of the Turkistan region and to systematically solve the problems of settlements. For these purposes, funds in the amount of 1 billion tenge per year will be allocated within three years," Shukeyev said.

He added that the districts to effectively master these funds will receive 2 billion tenge next year, while the funding will be reduced for the districts not to master the funds.

The governor also noted that the Turkistan region's budget revenues are 53 billion tenge, whereas there is a potential to double them to 100 billion tenge.

"It is necessary to work systematically to increase the budget revenues," Shukeyev said.

(379.84 KZT = 1 USD on Apr. 8)

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By Trend

The ban on the onion exports, introduced recently in Iran, has led to a 40 percent decline in onion prices, Director of the Tehran Fruit and Vegetable Association Hasan Sabiri Harandi said, Trend reports.

Harandi noted that the lifting of the ban on the tomato exports on April 4 led to a two-time increase in prices. The price of tomatoes in the domestic market rose to 50,000 rials (roughly $1.2). Before the export ban was lifted, tomato prices were around 20,000 rials (less than $0.5).

Not so long ago, Iran's Ministry of Industry, Mining and Trade, due to rise in prices, imposed a ban on potato exports.

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By Trend

It is Turkeys sovereign right to buy S-400 missile systems from Russia, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Trend reported citing TASS.

"We have already drafted a roadmap to implement the S-400 deal. We have made corresponding steps. Its all over now. With all this done, is someone going to be against it, to call to abandon the deal, not to recognize our opinion? Once we have reached an agreement and signed the deal, naturally, we will continue to move forward. It is our sovereign right. No one can demand we waive it," he stressed.

Also on Monday, the Russian capital city hosted a regular meeting of the Russian-Turkish High-Level Cooperation Council.

"I would like once again to thank Mr. Putin for the hospitality demonstrated to me and my delegation. I would like to invite President Putin to attend the next meeting of the High-Level Cooperation Council that will be held in our country," Erdogan said.

The media reported in November 2016 that talks were underway on possible sales of Russian S-400 systems to Turkey. The Russian side confirmed that the contract had been signed in September 2017. The Turkish president said back then that an advance payment had already been made. The United States has been trying to break down the deal.

Russias S-400 Triumf (NATO reporting name: SA-21 Growler) is the latest long-range antiaircraft missile system that went into service in 2007. It is designed to destroy aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles, including medium-range missiles, and surface targets. The system can hit aerodynamic targets at a range of up to 400 kilometers (249 miles) and tactical ballistic targets flying at a speed of 4.8 km/s (3 mi/s) at a distance of up to 60 kilometers (37 miles). Such targets include cruise missiles, tactical and strategic aircraft and ballistic missile warheads.

The systems radars detect aerial targets at a distance of up to 600 kilometers (373 miles). The systems 48N6E3 surface-to-air missiles can hit aerodynamic targets at altitudes of 10,000-27,000 meters and ballistic threats at altitudes of 2,000-25,000 meters.

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By Trend

Britains House of Lords approved legislation on Monday that will give parliament the power to scrutinize and even change Prime Minister Theresa Mays request that the European Union agree to delay Brexit until June 30, Trend reported citing Reuters.

The legislation, which is being passed despite government opposition to it, will now return to the elected House of Commons for further consideration with a view to being finalised and turned into law later on Monday.

May has already asked Brussels to extend Britains EU membership until June 30 to allow talks with the opposition Labour Party in search of different exit plan - a last-ditch attempt to keep control after parliament rejected her own Brexit deal three times.

But lawmakers want additional legal guarantees against a no-deal exit happening on April 12 - the current exit day - and have crafted a law forcing ministers to consult with parliament on Tuesday before she goes to Brussels.

That would give lawmakers the chance to make legally binding changes to Mays requested departure date during a debate scheduled to last 90 minutes on Tuesday.

The bill passed through the Commons by a single vote last week and was then approved with minor changes in the House of Lords, an unelected body whose role is to refine and scrutinize legislation.

Those changes now have to be endorsed by the Commons before it is formally brought into force by a rubber-stamp process known as Royal Assent.

The passage of the bill represents a significant blow to Mays authority, overturning the long-standing convention that the government has sole control of the agenda in parliament, allowing it to control what laws are passed.

It also creates another flashpoint in a deeply divided body of lawmakers that could undermine Mays attempts to persuade Brussels she can get parliament to back a Brexit deal if the EU gives her more time.

May is due to travel to Paris and Berlin on Tuesday to press her request for a short delay, before it is formally discussed by EU leaders at a special summit on Wednesday.

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By Trend

Russias Chelyabinsk Pipe Plant (ChelPipe) Group PJSC has signed a contract for shipping more than 150,000 tons of large-diameter pipes (LDP) to Turkmenistans Turkmengas state concern for the construction of the linear part of the TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) gas pipeline, Trend reports referring to the press service of ChTPZ.

The first delivery of steel pipes with a diameter of 1,420 millimeters with an external anti-corrosion coating will take place during the second quarter of 2019. It is expected that about 200 kilometers of the TAPI gas pipeline passing through the territory of Turkmenistan will be laid out of pipes provided by ChelPipe.

"Within the framework of the TAPI project, the company will ship the largest batch of LDP over the past few years to Turkmenistan. ChelPipe has offered the best delivery and service conditions among 94 companies from Russia and the world that participated in the tender," the press release said.

For the implementation of the project in accordance with the requirements of international and Islamic banking, its financing was provided by 3 financial organizations. Among them was Russias Sberbank  a state-owned Russian banking and financial services company and a partner of ChelPipe, as well as the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and the State Bank for Foreign Economic Affairs of Turkmenistan.

These institutions organized international cooperation and structured the deal confirming the obligation to pay for the pipe worth over $200 million, the report said.

Construction of the Turkmen section of the TAPI, with an annual capacity of 33 billion cubic meters of gas, was launched Dec. 13, 2015.

The IDB issued a loan for Turkmenistan in 2016 to finance the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline. An agreement worth $700 million was signed with the State Bank for Foreign Economic Affairs of Turkmenistan.

Turkmenistan supplies gas to China and Iran. The ChelPipe group at one time shipped large-diameter pipes for the construction of the third stage of the Central Asia-China gas pipeline.

ChelPipe Group is comprised of ferrous industry enterprises and companies including: Chelyabinsk Pipe Plant; Pervouralsk Pipe Plant, a warehouse complex selling the Groups tubular products in Russian regions, RIMERA Group oilfield services provider; META scrap metal procurement and processing company; Pipeline Bends, ETERNO and MSA (Czech Republic) manufacturers of main-line equipment.

ChelPipes main goal is to fully meet the needs of Russian and global fuel and energy companies through the development and delivery of integrated solutions for main-line and intra-field pipeline transport.

With its sufficient capacities for the production of a wide product range of welded and seamless pipes, as well as its highly developed warehouse system, ChelPipe Group is poised as an effective universal player on the Russian and CIS pipe market, offering tubular products for all major economic sectors, as stated in the groups website.

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By Trend

President of South Korea Moon Jae Ying will visit Uzbekistan on April 18-21 as part of a tour of three Central Asian countries, Trend reports via Uzbek media.

During his stay in Uzbekistan, Moon Jae-In will discuss with President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev issues of strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries and the prospects for bilateral cooperation.

Uzbekistan and South Korea are implementing large projects in various sectors of the economy, among them the automotive industry, the oil and gas sector, the mining industry, and information and communication technologies.

Last time, Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited South Korea on a state visit on November 22-25, 2017.

During his tour of Central Asian countries, South Korean president will also visit Turkmenistan (April 1618) and Kazakhstan (April 2123).

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By Abdul Kerimkhanov

The automotive industry of Uzbekistan in recent years has undergone significant reform. Simplifying the procedure for buying cars is designed to increase the demand for cars, and expanding export opportunities will make the Uzbek brand even more popular abroad.

Information that GM Uzbekistan will soon resume deliveries and sales of Ravon cars is based not only on rumors. Firstly, an approval of the type of vehicle for the Ravon R2 hatchback appeared in the Rosstandard database on March 19, and secondly, such sales had already begun in neighboring Belarus, reports Avtostat.

According to the official website of the company, the export of models to the Republic is open from April 3 and the first batch has been sent.

This suggests that the company has finally decided on its pricing policy and at this stage, nothing prevents it from returning its state employees to other countries of the Eurasian Economic Union.

GM Uzbekistan also says that since the beginning of the year, cars produced in Uzbekistan have already begun to export to its neighboring countries - Afghanistan and Tajikistan.

In Belarus, Nexia R3 (turned Chevrolet Aveo) and Ravon R4 (Chevrolet Cobalt) are offered for sale. As Avtostat wrote earlier, in Russia an Approval Vehicle Type for these models is still valid (on R3 - until June 2019, on R4 - until October 2019).

According to some reports, GM Uzbekistan is already updating them or even managed to do it.

The deliveries of Ravon cars to Russia stopped in spring 2018. Judging by the data of the Avtostat analytical agency, in the first quarter of 2018, the dealers sold about 1,500 cars of the brand every month, in April sales fell by almost half and until the end of 2018, obviously, only unsold were sold.

As a result, sales of the brands cars amounted to 5,500 units by the end of 2018.

The philosophy of Ravon implies an ongoing development. Not a desire for imaginary ideals, but a desire to justify the trust and respect of buyers acquired over the long history of the brand.

Relying on the best traditions of Ravon and its partners, developing them in accordance with the modern trends of the industry, the company form a conscious and balanced understanding of real cars in society.

Diplomatic relations between Russia and Uzbekistan were established on March 20, 1992.

The trade turnover between Russia and Uzbekistan in 2018 increased by 21 percent to $5.7 billion.

The structure of Russia's exports to Uzbekistan includes metals and products, wood and pulp and paper products, machinery, equipment and vehicles, food products and agricultural raw materials, mineral products, chemical products.

The structure of imports of Russia from Uzbekistan includes textiles and footwear, chemical products, machinery, food products and agricultural raw materials, metals and products from them.

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

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By Abdul Kerimkhanov

Russia is among the main partners of Iran, while Iran is a major trading partner of Russia in the Middle East, a state with significant economic potential and a large market for Russian products.

According to the Federal Customs Service of Russia, published on April 8, the trade turnover between Russia and Iran in January and February 2019 increased by 14.2 percent on an annualized basis to $ 360.7 million.

These data showed that exports from Russia to Iran over the two-month period amounted to $ 262.7 million, an increase of 20.6 percent, while imports to Russia from Iran totalled $ 98 million, an increase of 0.2 percent, according to Iran Daily.

The share of Iran in Russian foreign trade in January-February 2019 increased from 0.3 percent to 0.4 percent compared to the same period of 2018.

The head of the Central Bank of Iran said that Tehran, Moscow and Ankara agreed in September 2018 on a number of economic measures, such as the exclusion of dollar in their mutual transactions as part of efforts to expand their trade relations against the backdrop of pressure from Washington.

According to Abdolreza Hemmati, the agreement was concluded on the sidelines of a key tripartite summit on Syria, held in Tehran with the participation of the presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey.

Diplomatic contacts between Russia and Iran began in the 16th century. Iran expressed readiness to continue relations with Russia as the successor state to USSR on December 25, 1991.

The Russian-Iranian political dialogue is based on the coincidence or proximity of the two countries' positions on most global and regional issues, in particular, building a multipolar world order, strengthening the UN role in international affairs, countering new challenges and threats, a Syrian and Iraqi settlement, and the situation in Afghanistan.

Russia proceeds from the fact that interaction with Iran is an important condition for ensuring the national interests of the country, strengthening stability in the South Caucasus and Central Asia, as well as in the Middle East.

Russia made a significant contribution to resolving the situation around the Iranian nuclear program.

In the structure of Russia's exports to Iran, the main share of supplies accounted for the food products and agricultural raw materials; metals and articles thereof; machinery, equipment and vehicles; wood and pulp and paper products; chemical industry products.

Russian imports comprise such groups of goods as foodstuffs and agricultural raw materials; metals and articles thereof; chemical industry products; mineral products; machinery, equipment and vehicles.

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

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By Abdul Kerimkhanov

President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced early presidential elections to be held on June 9.

"Dear compatriots! Today I am delivering an important message to the people and to each of us. According to the Constitution, I made a decision to hold extraordinary presidential elections on June 9, 2019," Tokayev said in a statement.

He guaranteed citizens transparency of the upcoming vote, noting that this is his principled position.

Tokayev emphasized that Kazakhstan is a democratic state, therefore the president should be elected according to the will of the people.

The document states that the government of Kazakhstan must take measures for the organizational, logistical and financial support of the early presidential election.

"Governors of the regions, mayors of the cities of Nur-Sultan, Almaty and Shymkent must ensure timely preparation and accuracy of lists of citizens with the right to vote, provide all-round assistance to the central, territorial and district election commissions in dealing with the organization and conduct of early presidential election", reads the decree.

According to the Constitution of Kazakhstan, early presidential elections are appointed by the decision of the Kazakh President and are held within two months from the date of their announcement.

Kazakh political analysts consider Tokayev himself the main candidate, according to Interfax-Kazakhstan. At the same time, the Communist Party has already made a statement, noting that it is ready to nominate its candidate. Also, experts admit participation in the election of a "social democratic wing" representative.

There are six political parties registered in Kazakhstan: the Nur Otan government party, the people's democratic (patriotic) party Ayul, the democratic party Akzhol of Kazakhstan, the political party Birlik (Unity), the Communist Peoples Party of Kazakhstan and the National Social Democratic Party.

Speaker of the Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan Dariga Nazarbayeva commented on the information that appeared in the media about her intention to run for the presidency of Kazakhstan, Zakon.kz reports.

Her assistant Saule Mustafayeva said that Nazarbayeva does not plan to run for the election of the President of Kazakhstan.

"Any citizen of the country may run for it in accordance with the Constitution and laws. Political parties will decide on candidates for nomination," commented Nazarbayeva.

She also added that the election results depend on the people of Kazakhstan, adding that everything should be within the law, but did not say whether she would accept the proposal if the party invited her to run for election.

Nursultan Nazarbayev steadily headed the republic from April 1990 (until December 1991, as president of the Kazakh SSR), and almost a year before that he was the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan. He is the record holder for being in power in the post-Soviet space.

Officially Nazarbayev bears the title "Leader of the Nation". In June 2018, the Constitutional Court of Kazakhstan secured Nazarbayevs right to head the country's Security Council for life.

Nazarbayev announced the termination of his powers as president of the country on March 19, 2019.

The post of head of state was transferred to Kasym-Zhomart Tokayev on March 20, who previously held the post of Speaker of Senate of Parliament.

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Leman Mammadova

Representatives of travel companies from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will visit Azerbaijan to promote tourism potential of Azerbaijan in the Middle East region and expand mutual tourism ties.

Delegations will visit Azerbaijan on April 9-12 and April 14-18, respectively.

Representatives of 10 companies from Saudi Arabia and 14 from the UAE will take part in a study tour organized by the Azerbaijan Tourism Board.

During the visits, the meeting will be organized to expand the possibilities of cooperation with local travel companies. During the events, presentations on the tourism potential of Azerbaijan will be held.

It should be noted that official tourism representative offices of Azerbaijan have been operating in Riyadh and Dubai since the end of last year.

Azerbaijan is among the fastest-growing destinations for tourists.

The beautiful nature of Azerbaijan, hospitality of its people, the country's capital with its super modern and ancient buildings draws the attention of all tourists visiting this South Caucasian country.

The mesmerizing mix of East and West, the possibility to have a rest on the Caspian Sea shore and enjoy fresh air and delicious meals have always been attracting tourists to Azerbaijan. Many of them get so much fascinated with the country and its capital Baku that they come back to visit Azerbaijan again after a while.

In recent years, trade and tourism relations of Azerbaijan with Gulf countries are growing rapidly.

According to the State Statistics Committee of Azerbaijan, in 2018, as many as 2,849,600 tourists from 196 countries visited Azerbaijan, and UAE citizens accounted for 3.3 percent of those arriving in the country while Saudi citizens accounted for about 2.6 percent.

However, UAE citizens made 3.6 percent of 364,200 foreigners came to Azerbaijan in January-February 2019.

Simplification of visa regime also played a major role in the growth of tourist flow from Middle East. In February 2016, Azerbaijan simplified the procedure of obtaining visas for citizens of Gulf countries.

Its noteworthy that Saudi Arabia facilitates to increase flow of Arab tourists to Azerbaijan.

The Saudi Travel and Tourism Association is developing a "road map" to provide assistance in attracting Arab tourists to Azerbaijan. The "road map" is designed for five years. All aspects of the cooperation of the sides will be coordinated with the State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan. Saudi Arabia will also attract tourists to Azerbaijan, and will ensure an annual increase in investment in the country at a level of at least five percent.

Recently, Flynas, Saudi Arabia's leading low-cost airline, has announced its plan to launch flights to Baku. That will contribute to the further growth in tourist flow to Baku from Gulf countries.

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Leman Mammadova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @leman_888

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Azernews





By Abdul Kerimkhanov

The automotive industry of Uzbekistan in recent years has undergone significant reform. Simplifying the procedure for buying cars is designed to increase the demand for cars, and expanding export opportunities will make the Uzbek brand even more popular abroad.

Information that GM Uzbekistan will soon resume deliveries and sales of Ravon cars is based not only on rumors. Firstly, an approval of the type of vehicle for the Ravon R2 hatchback appeared in the Rosstandard database on March 19, and secondly, such sales had already begun in neighboring Belarus, reports Avtostat.

According to the official website of the company, the export of models to the Republic is open from April 3 and the first batch has been sent.

This suggests that the company has finally decided on its pricing policy and at this stage, nothing prevents it from returning its state employees to other countries of the Eurasian Economic Union.

GM Uzbekistan also says that since the beginning of the year, cars produced in Uzbekistan have already begun to export to its neighboring countries - Afghanistan and Tajikistan.

In Belarus, Nexia R3 (turned Chevrolet Aveo) and Ravon R4 (Chevrolet Cobalt) are offered for sale. As Avtostat wrote earlier, in Russia an Approval Vehicle Type for these models is still valid (on R3 - until June 2019, on R4 - until October 2019).

According to some reports, GM Uzbekistan is already updating them or even managed to do it.

The deliveries of Ravon cars to Russia stopped in spring 2018. Judging by the data of the Avtostat analytical agency, in the first quarter of 2018, the dealers sold about 1,500 cars of the brand every month, in April sales fell by almost half and until the end of 2018, obviously, only unsold were sold.

As a result, sales of the brands cars amounted to 5,500 units by the end of 2018.

The philosophy of Ravon implies an ongoing development. Not a desire for imaginary ideals, but a desire to justify the trust and respect of buyers acquired over the long history of the brand.

Relying on the best traditions of Ravon and its partners, developing them in accordance with the modern trends of the industry, the company form a conscious and balanced understanding of real cars in society.

Diplomatic relations between Russia and Uzbekistan were established on March 20, 1992.

The trade turnover between Russia and Uzbekistan in 2018 increased by 21 percent to $5.7 billion.

The structure of Russia's exports to Uzbekistan includes metals and products, wood and pulp and paper products, machinery, equipment and vehicles, food products and agricultural raw materials, mineral products, chemical products.

The structure of imports of Russia from Uzbekistan includes textiles and footwear, chemical products, machinery, food products and agricultural raw materials, metals and products from them.
The Italian Agency for Investment's Development (Invitalia) has issued Request for Proposals (RfPs) to select technical partners for its country pavilion at the upcoming Expo2020 Dubai gala.



The RfPs are being aimed at private, public and research bodies, also through consortiums with companies, that represent Italian know-how and leading, sustainable technological innovation.



The Invitalia move comes following the completion of the international contest and awarding of the project for the Italy Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, with the concept and initial rendering images being published on the website of the Commissioner's Office.



As defined in the winning project, the Italy Pavilion shall be an Innovation Hub offering a creative and innovative interpretation of the specific theme selected by Italy: "Beauty that connects people".



This will not simply entail an exhibition structure but one that also demonstrates the best of Italian ingenuity, offering visitors an unforgettable experience, and presenting multidisciplinary skills, talent and ingenuity to the world, which can act to promote new educational, professional and business opportunities, said the statement from Invitalia.



The technical partners will help provide the best building, systems, technology and exhibition components, capable of demonstrating the highly innovative capabilities involved today in sustainability, circular economy and digital architecture, it added.



Technical Partners of the Italy Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai will be part of a global showcase that is unique for its reputation and brand building, said the statement.



They will also receive extensive visibility in external, internal and virtual spaces and will be able to undertake co-marketing and B2B and B2C activities during the six months of the event, which is expected to draw some 25 million visitors from all over the world, it added.



The last date for submitting the bid offers is May 6.-TradeArabia News Service
The membership database of the Dubai Business Women Council (DBWC) has grown by 10 per cent in the first quarter of 2019, bringing the total number of members to 949, up from 864 by the end of 2018, a media report said.



The significant increase in the membership database reflects the important role played by the council in support of businesswomen to enhance their competitiveness in the countrys labour market, reported Emirates news agency Wam, citing a DBWC announcement.



This improvement is yet another catalyst for attracting more businesswomen in Dubai and developing their managerial, leadership and strategic skills thanks to them being an integral part of Dubai's diverse business environment and a key player in the economic growth.



In the first quarter of 2019, the council staged as many as 13 activities and events, including workshops, symposiums, business meetings and trade missions, to enhance the expertise of members and develop their skills necessary to get a preference in the labour market and improve their competitive performance. More than 308 businesswomen took part in these activities.



The DBWC events have discussed a wide range of issues, particularly negotiation skills, financial planning, business protection against cybercrime, fraudulent activities, business leadership, e-marketing concepts and strategies in collaboration with Google, as well as ways of stimulating business growth and prosperity.



Furthermore, the council organised a trade mission to participate in the 12th Asian Financial Forum, AFF, held in Hong Kong to discuss the reality of the global economy and the impact of new technologies on growth. The AFF represented a perfect opportunity for the UAE delegation to brief prominent global economic leaders on the forward-looking economic vision of Emirati businesswomen.



Also during the first quarter, the council launched the 2nd cycle of the DBWC Mentorship Programme 2019, building on the first cycles resounding success. Those interested in participation are encouraged to submit requests not later than 10th April.



The training will be delivered by specialised experts in various institutional and professional fields to develop members expertise in accordance with a comprehensive skill-building plan. The trainers feature representatives of prominent international companies.



The mentorship programme, one of the most important initiatives launched by DBWC, will support working women and entrepreneurs, enhance their competitiveness in the business environment and provide appropriate advice on how to enhance and improve institutional performance.



Dr Raja Al Gurg, president of the Dubai Business Women Council, said: "During the first quarter of 2019, the council has upgraded its future strategic plans and are now more focused on providing quality trainings as per market requirements and empowering women economically.



She added: "We are determined to redouble our efforts and cement womens instrumental role in the development of the countrys economy and we are keen to harness all our resources to advance their position in the development of business environment, in conjunction with the Year of Tolerance. This year, we expect a considerable growth in DBWC membership coupled with diversified services that, we believe, will add value to the expertise and professionalism of our members."
Reader: The bar that TBC sets for those reporters that contribute to its op-ed, national and world news pages is not set very high. As a matte
Dussur, a strategic joint venture of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Aramco and Sabic, announced today the appointment of Dr Raed AlRayes as its new chief executive officer with effect from April 1.

Dussur has the mandate is to diversify and accelerate manufacturing in Saudi Arabia. The companys mission is to develop sustainable scalable companies that directly contribute to the development and growth of strategic industrial sectors along with their supply chains within the kingdom.

The company will promote economic diversification and localisation of industry supply chains and manufacturing capabilities in the Kingdom through its investments, thereby simulating the private sector and the industries investment activities for local SMEs. The company also aims to provide the largest possible number of job opportunities for Saudi national through its various investments in targeted industrial sectors.

Dr AlRayes has a proven track record of accomplishments in different professional capacities spanning nearly 20 years - with successful contributions across several fields including investment banking and direct investment.

He has played a key role in many financial institutions where he held leadership positions, and he has made significant contributions through board positions in numerous companies. Additionally, he has served as a member in several executive and advisory committees for leading public and private institutions that operates in several sectors, including energy, industry and services sector.

We are confident of the ability of Dr Raed to be instrumental in implementing the companys strategy to open up new industrial sectors that will be of great importance to realising the goals of Vision 2030, most notably those of job creation and economic diversification, said Mohammed Abunayyan, chairman of the board of directors of Dussur. This appointment comes after the successful completion of the company establishment phase led by Engineer Rasheed Al-Shubaili, continued Abunayyan.

Dr AlRayes has held several leading positions in major companies in Saudi Arabia, including as the deputy chief executive officer and head of investment banking at Al Rajhi Capital. He then served as the CEO and general manager of Arab Petroleum Investments Company (Apicorp) in early 2014. Following that, he was appointed as an advisor to the Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources from May 2017, until he joined Dussur. TradeArabia News Service
Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp, is showcasing its latest digital project, an externally-facing mobile application called Pratt & Whitney Track, at an ongoing MRO Americas, being held in the US.



The event which opened today (April 9) will run until April 11.



The app will provide employees, such as account managers and spares analysts, as well as customers with access to timely data on spare part orders, component repairs and engine overhauls, said a company statement.



Eva Azoulay, vice president of commercial aftermarket at Pratt & Whitney, said: We are simplifying, yet revolutionising, the way we engage with our customers, empower our employees and increase business effectiveness.



We will enable us to put real-time data in the palm of our customers hands. The benefit of immediate access to information cannot be overstated. By providing quick and easy access on-the-go, our employees and customers can access the information they need without delay, regardless of time zone, he added.



The mobile application has an intuitive interface that allows users to filter and search information based on their respective needs. Each stream within the app offers detailed logistics into a part's status as well as a way to track delivery once the part has been handed over to the carrier.



Earl Exum, vice president of commercial spares and material solutions at Pratt & Whitney, said: With increased efficiency of status sharing Pratt & Whitney Track will help enhance the overall customer experience.



We are the dependable engine company. We produce state-of-the-art products and services. Our employees and customers deserve a dependable and effective support system, like this app, in place to help empower them to meet their objectives, he added.



The application is currently being piloted within Pratt & Whitney's Commercial Engines and Military Engines organizations. Following the pilots, the customer-centric mobile application will be available in app stores, it stated.  TradeArabia News Service
3 1 of 3 Liberty County Jail Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Liberty County Jail Show More Show Less 3 of 3





A multi-county, high speed chase saw speeds of up to 115 mph, according to information from the Liberty County Sheriff's Office.

At approximately 5:50 p.m. Monday, a deputy attempted to pull over a motorcycle when it took off at a high rate of speed. During the half hour chase the suspects fled through three different counties and back into Liberty County, officials said.
The number of patents submitted by the Endress+Hauser Group continues to rise. As reported during the annual Innovators Meeting held this year in France, the Group submitted 287 initial patents in 2018, a new record. Endress+Hauser owns nearly 7,800 active intellectual property rights worldwide.

Angelika Andres, Corporate Director, Intellectual Property Rights at Endress+Hauser, is pleased with the most recent activities: This year we once again achieved a record number of innovations, both in the number of patent filings and the number of approved patents. While the 309 invention disclosures are a sign of the companys ongoing innovation capability, the 537 granted patent applications also represent an all-time high.

Roughly one-third of the patent filings are related to the Industrial Internet of Things, digital communications and instrument diagnostics. Under the motto #empowerthefield, in 2018 the measurement engineering specialist began to bundle its digital activities with a focus on Heartbeat Technology, as well as the recently introduced Netilion IIoT ecosystem.

Each invention undergoes a multistage internal evaluation process before submission to the patent office, usually within four months. To handle the stream of innovations, in 2016 an internal patent department was created in the US, one of the Groups most important markets. Four specialists at the Greenwood, Indiana location are responsible for protecting the technical innovations. This team has full responsibility for handling all patent filings from the Group companies located in the US, plus up to 80 percent of the overseas filings.

Under the motto Innovation  what makes us human, Matthias Altendorf, CEO of the Endress+Hauser Group, as well as other members of the Executive Board, welcomed more than 300 guests to the annual Innovators Meeting, which was held in late March in Saint-Louis, France. Employees involved in patent filings presented their innovations during the companys traditional get-together. Exceptional innovations were recognised with special awards. -- Tradearabia News Service
Washington

The top Democrat in Congress on education issues told state schools chiefs Tuesday that while the Every Student Succeeds Act does give them more flexibility on setting policy and complying with federal law, it is not a blank check.

I remain concerned that many state [ESSA] plans fall short and risk continuing or even exacerbating inequalities for disadvantaged students, Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., an ESSA architect told the Council of Chief State School Officers Legislative Conference in a briefing at their annual legislative conference. I remain concerned that the Department of Education is not requiring [states] to implement the law with fidelity. I remain disappointed that many states are still ignoring subgroup performance. 

He said some state accountability systems allow schools to receive top rankings even though vulnerable students such as minority students, English-learners, and those with disabilities may be falling behind. Such systems, Scott said, do not live up to the promise of ESSA. ... The Departments approval of state plans continues to be cause for concern. (Scott did not specify which state plans he was referring to, but the Education Trust released a report in 2017 calling out Florida and other states.)

Scotts rhetoric was nothing new. He and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., have long taken issue with state plans on their handling of vulnerable groups of students, as well as U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos plan-approval process.

Carissa Moffat Milller, CCSSOs executive director, said she totally agreed with Scott. Its not a blank check. We are committed to make sure we serve our kids. She said states have taken the opportunity of the law to try out new and innovative ideas.



Scotts take on the laws progress contrasted with that of Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., who also briefed the chiefs. Alexander, another ESSA architect, is retiring at the end of the year. But he told one state official who was bummed about his departure that he doesnt have to worry, because ESSA is now the law of the land.

Youve got the ball, Alexander said. The most important people are the state people.

And Alexander said he has tangled with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who are pretty sure they know more than you do about what youre doing. ... You dont get smarter by taking a one-hour flight to D.C.

Kathy Hoffman, Arizonas newly elected state chief and a former special education teacher, asked Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., the top Republican on the House education committee, whether Congress will ever approve an increase in special education funding.

Foxx told her that there have been funding boosts for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act state grants, referring to a nearly $100 million increase on the $12.3 billion program currently. But she acknowledged that IDEA has never come close to covering 40 percent of the excess cost of educating students in special education, the amount authorized in the law more than 40 years ago.



Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 .
The number of travellers visiting Turkey from the UAE is on the rise, going up 11.28 per cent to 3,975 in the first two months of 2019, according to the data released by the Turkish Consulate General Cultural and Info Office in Dubai.



Turkey is one of the largest outbound tourism markets for people living in the Gulf countries. In February 2019, around 1,670 million international tourists visited Turkey, which is 9.38 per cent more compared to the same period in 2018.



In 2018, the number of visitors from the UAE to Turkey reached 250,000, including 43,292 UAE nationals, government statistics show.



Tourist flow from GCC to Turkey continues to rise, due to a number of factors that include increased number of attractions and relaxation in the visa formalities. However, this is a fraction of the total number of visitors from the UAE, when expatriate residents are included.



The number of Bahraini, Kuwaiti, UAE nationals visiting Turkey recorded a 24.7 per cent growth to 515,315 in 2018, up from 413,210 tourists in 2017. This is higher than the growth in international visitor arrival numbers  21.4 per cent increase in 2018 to 46.11 million  highest in the countrys history.



Tourism revenues increased 12.3 per cent reaching $29.5 billion in 2018, in comparison withS$26.2 billion the revenues collected in 2017.



Official data revealed that 81.8 per cent of the income came from foreign visitors and 18.2 per cent from Turkish citizens living abroad.



Salih Ozer, attache of Culture and Information, Turkey to the UAE, said: Tourist flow from the GCC countries to Turkey continues to grow and I am happy to see the growth trend continues this year, despite headwinds in the global economy."



Turkey and the Gulf countries share centuries-old social, cultural and economic ties. The repeated visits of the friendly visitors from the GCC countries help fuel the growth of our economy, he said.



Turkey welcomed just over 46 million visitors in 2018, including 39.49 million foreigners and 6.62 million Turkish citizens from abroad.



Nearly six million foreigners coming to Turkey in 2018 were from Russia -- an increase of 26.49 per cent compared with 2017 -- and 4.5 million visitors were from Germany, up by 25.88 per cent from the previous year, according to the ministry's statement. - TradeArabia News Service
In a recent press release, National Cardiovascular Partners, LP (NCP), a leading nationwide developer, manager and operator of outpatient cardiovascular facilities, announced a majority interest acquisition in two enterprises in Phoenix, Ariz.

Offering cardiac care, ambulatory surgery and catheterization lab services: The Arizona Cardiovascular Institute & the Center for Cardiovascular Research and Education (ACI/CCRE) and Cardiovascular Consultants, Ltd. (CVC), a cardiovascular practice group.

As part of the agreement, NCP will assume the daily management and operations of ACI/CCRE, as well as credentialing, and administrative and billing functions  freeing up the centers physicians to focus exclusively on providing the highest quality of patient care. ACI/CCRE will become part of the NCP network of 24 outpatient centers throughout the United States.

Joining the NCP team is of great value to us and provides the opportunity to better service our patients and community, said Dr. Kishlay Anand, one of four physician partners at ACI/CCRE. Our mission has always been to provide value to our patients by offering high quality and convenient outpatient care, and NCP not only shares this vision, but will help us elevate our services by allowing us to focus solely on operational excellence and ensuring the very best clinical outcomes.

ACI/CCREs team of highly trained physicians and medical staff specialize in treating all types of cardiovascular disease in an outpatient Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) setting. The spectrum of treatments includes pacemaker and defibrillator implants/generator changes, cardiac catheterizations, peripheral interventions and varicose veins.

CVC was founded 32 years ago by Dr. Andrei Damian and has nine locations with 25 physicians and 200 staff members, serving the greater Phoenix Metropolitan area. CVCs team of highly trained physicians and medical staff cover the spectrum of cardiac services and are dedicated to meeting the needs of their patients and assisting them with living a healthful and productive life.

We are pleased to become part of the NCP team, said Dr. Andrei Damian, President & CEO of CVC. As our healthcare landscape continues to evolve, it is essential that medical practices provide patients with the highest quality, most convenient and efficient cardiovascular care available. We are happy to join forces with a partner who shares our vision and commitment to clinical excellence and patient satisfaction.

We welcome ACI/CCRE and CVC to our family of high-quality cardiology centers, said Brian Gauger, President & CEO of NCP. We are dedicated to supporting our physician partners so that they can focus 100 percent of their energy and effort on providing the very best and most clinically advanced care to their patients.

Huron Transaction Advisory, LLC (HTA), Hurons investment bank, served as exclusive financial advisor to CVC and ACI/CCRE in connection with the recapitalizations.

For more about ACI/CCRE, please visit its website at https://azcardiovascular.com/.

For more information about the CVC, please visit its website at http://cvcheart.com/.

For more information about Huron Transaction Advisory, LLC, please visit its website at http://huronconsultinggroup.com.
Endoscope reprocessing is still an issue of utmost importance, Gastroenterology & Endoscopy News reports.

G & E spoke with several experts to compile reprocessing tips for practices. Six insights:

1. New York City-based NYU Langone Medical Center clinical professor Jonathan Cohen, MD, said to G & E that centers need to prioritize reprocessing and establish group buy-in.

"The endoscopy unit must maintain the highest standards, not just in terms of equipment, but also training, personnel and competency assessment to ensure that the people cleaning the scopes are following all of the steps correctly every time," Dr. Cohen said.

2. Centers should have training in place and conduct at least a biannual assessment of staff competency, Dr. Cohen said.

3. Seattle-based Swedish Medical Center gastroenterologist Jack Brandabur, MD, reiterated the importance of having properly trained staff.

4. The November 2012 Escherichia coli outbreak at Seattle-based Virginia Mason Medical Center reemphasized the importance of endoscope reprocessing, Dr. Brandabur said. "They had been doing everything right and still had an outbreak, so that was a wake-up call for us that this is a critical piece of our workflow within our endoscopy unit, and patients' lives depend on it."

5. Renton, Wash.-based Providence St. Joseph Health, Swedish's parent system, retooled its reprocessing system in light of the outbreak. The health system implemented a rigorous training process for its reprocessing technicians, including a training course and a quarterly recertification process.

6. Drs. Brandabur and Cohen also stressed the importance of patient communication in reprocessing.

"Every patient needs to know that there is a small but very real risk of infection with this equipment," Dr. Brandabur said.

To read the entire article, click here.
Elizabethtown, Ky.-based Hardin Memorial Hospital reverted to manual operations over the weekend after experiencing a disturbance to its IT systems April 5, WAVE, an NBC affiliate, reports.

Patient care was not affected by the disruption, which caused EHR downtime. Hardin Memorial Hospital called in extra staff to perform manual processes while its systems were down.

"The HMH IT team has secured and restored many systems so far and all services, including the HMH Care First urgent care centers, are open for care including the HMH Emergency Department," Hardin Memorial Hospital Vice President Tracee Troutt said in a statement to WAVE. "At no time during this event has the quality and safety of patient care been affected."

Editor's note: Becker's Hospital Review reached out to Hardin Memorial Hospital for comment and will update as more information is available.
Since 2014, more than 1.4 million Texans have had their health records stolen, making hospitals in the state most at-risk for cyberattacks, according to data from HHS and cited by Texas Public Radio.

Last year, more than 9 million Americans were affected by cyberattacks. The breaches happened at hospitals, health insurers and other healthcare organizations. For four of the past five years, Texas has led the country in total hacking breaches reported to HIPAA, according to the report.

Part of the reason for the numerous attacks is because of the state's population. Texas has more hospitals than many other states, making it more susceptible to cyberattacks.

Typically, hospitals and health systems in Texas suffer from hacking data breaches. However, in 2018, a coding error exposed the data of more than 1.2 million people.

To combat the cyberattacks, hospitals are beginning to divert money and resources to cybersecurity. But in rural clinics, this can be challenging.

"You can put some of these rural hospitals that are really in very narrow margin businesses in a tough position because they can't make these kinds of investments," Lance Lunsford, vice president for communications at the Texas Hospitals Association, told Texas Public Radio. "As these attacks have picked up over the years, hospitals have been more and more direct targets because they have not only key financial data but also sensitive patient health information."

Healthcare needs to catch up to cyber criminals, Mr. Lunsford said. In order to do so, hospitals and health systems will need to invest more money in cybersecurity.
Philadelphia-based Hahnemann University Hospital  which is struggling to stay open amid financial challenges  has the potential for a bright future, the chairman and founder of the tertiary care centers parent company told the Philadelphia Business Journal.

"We do see a pathway to stability, but we dont control all the moving parts," said Joel Freedman, the chairman and founder of El Segundo, Calif.-based American Academic Health System. "We are hopeful we wont have to close the hospital, but it will require the help of others."

American Academic bought Hahnemann and St. Christopher's Hospital for Children from Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare in January 2018.

Mr. Freedman said St. Christophers is profitable, but Hahnemann has lost $3 million to $5 million per month.

He partially attributed Hahnemann's financial straits to lower patient volume; lack of success in negotiating new contracts with commercial insurers; an academic training program that is losing money; and management turnover at American Academic.

Assessing whether to continue certain service lines and considering changes to its academic training program are a couple of steps the hospital is taking to improve its finances, Mr. Freedman said.

American Academic Health System also is seeking higher payments from commercial health insurers and the state.

Earlier this month Hahnemann announced plans to lay off 175 nurses, support staff and managers in a cost-cutting move.

Read the Journals full report here.

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Microsoft Healthcare welcomed Gregory Moore, MD, PhD, as corporate vice president of health technology and alliances, according to a company blog post.

Dr. Moore comes to Microsoft from Google, where he served as a leader on Google Cloud's health team, CNBC reporter Christiana Farr wrote on Twitter.

At Microsoft, Dr. Moore will be responsible for leading collaborative research and development efforts with the company's strategic alliance partners. For example, Microsoft partnered with the Walgreens Bot Alliance to bring together synergistic research and development and new business models.

Dr. Moore will focus on bringing artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions to the different partnerships. He will also provide internal and external thought leadership to have a more open, interoperable and AI-enabled foundation for healthcare delivery, according to the blog post.
An information network allowing hospitals in Skagit County, Wash., to securely share patient records was temporarily closed in March, leaving the organizations to resort to fax while the terms of a new agreement are negotiated, local news outlet GoSkagit.com reports.

The network was founded in 2008 by three county hospitals: Skagit Valley Hospital in Mt. Vernon, Wash., Island Hospital in Anacortes, Wash., and PeaceHealth United General Hospital in Sedro-Woolley, Wash. United General dropped out in 2010.

The information network became too expensive to maintain, so the hospitals are engaging a new partner, Reliance eHealth Collaborative. Island Hospital CEO Vince Oliver said his hospital spent about $400,000 a year maintaining the information network. He expects the hospital's financial responsibility to fall below $25,000 annually with the new partnership, according to the report.

Island Hospital uses the Meditech EHR, while Skagit Valley Hospital operates on Epic. It is unclear if the hospitals' EHR systems are interoperable without the information network. Mr. Oliver and the information network's former interim executive director told GoSkagit.com the hospitals can only communicate by fax while the network is down. However, Skagit Regional Health's board president and an Epic spokesperson said the Epic EHR can integrate with some other systems.

A final deal with Reliance eHealth Collaborative is expected in the coming weeks. Read more here.

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How EHR downtime affects clinical outcomes

Vox Media: AI can easily be fooled

American College of Radiology, Nvidia team up to deploy AI in radiology
The U.S. Justice Department has filed a motion to expedite oral arguments in a lawsuit that seeks to invalidate the ACA, according to a Politico report.

The department filed the motion April 8 with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, where the case is pending.

President Donald Trumps administration asks for oral arguments to begin the week of July 8, and other parties in the case have not opposed that proposal, according to the report.

At issue is an appeal of a Texas judge's ruling that the entire federal health law be invalidated.

The federal lower court judge in December sided with the Republican-led states that brought the lawsuit, Texas v. United States. Plaintiffs argue that the tax law signed by President Donald Trump in December 2017, which eliminated the law's individual mandate penalties, made the mandate unconstitutional and the rest of the ACA invalid.

The Justice Department previously said it wouldn't defend major provisions of the ACA and argued that the act's protections for people with preexisting conditions can't be separated from the mandate and should be invalidated. However, the department announced March 25 that it supports striking down the entire health law.

More articles on leadership:

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Maryland lawmakers on April 8 approved legislation to completely overhaul Baltimore-based University of Maryland Medical System's board.

The bill, which Maryland's senators unanimously approved, would require all UMMS board members to step down and reapply for their positions if they want to return. The legislation would also require stringent financial disclosures and would bar no-bid contracts for board members, according to The Baltimore Sun.

The bill now heads to Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan for consideration.

The bill was introduced after reports that nine of UMMS' 30 board members benefitted from business deals with the health system, including a book deal with Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh.

Ms. Pugh has taken a leave of absence as mayor and resigned from UMMS' board. On April 8, the entire Baltimore City Council called on Ms. Pugh to resign as mayor, according to the report.

More articles on leadership and management:

California hospital apologizes after dozens of patients claim they were secretly recorded

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Franciscan Children's nursing director adopts baby who had no visitors for 5 months
Sheraton Amman Al Nabil Hotel has appointed Mohammad Farouq as the hotels new executive chef.



The progressive culinary professional brings with him over 25 years of experience in various establishments that include world-renowned resorts and internationally managed chain hotels with upscale restaurants in Jordan and abroad. This includes the Intercontinental Hotel Tripoli, Six Senses Hotel Main, Kempinski Aqaba and the Via Nova group.



Chef Farouq began his career at the age of 15, when he started working in hotel kitchens and was also enrolled in hotel management training, specialising in Fine Gastronomy and Culinary Administration.



In 2015, chef Farouq became a Certified Master Chef by the World Master Chefs Society and has also previously participated in the 2013 Champion of Sustainability Awards at the Six Senses Resorts & Spa. He is known in the Jordanian culinary society as a juror in Horecca, a leading Hospitality and Foodservice trade show in Jordan, as well as a producer and presenter of the Food Farma Program at CYD Farma Radio.



His culinary style is simple but exciting, one that focuses on highlighting natural ingredients. He has a passion for developing Middle Eastern flavours and dishes and also enjoys honing his skills and learning more about the culinary world.



My passion for food and cooking started at a very young age in the family kitchen. This passion grew during my travels and teaching experiences, which created a deeply-rooted love for food. My personal style always takes me back to the basics and the simplicity of enjoying good, wholesome food prepared with fresh ingredients, said Farouq.

Uncomplicated food draws out the best and defines the quality of the ingredients. I love teaching and always encourage others to experiment and create their own recipes and cooking style.



In his new role, chef Farouq will continue to provide guests with memorable food experiences at the Sheraton Amman Al-Nabil Hotel, adding his own creative spin in the kitchen. - TradeArabia News Service
Dozens of workers from Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente will protest April 9 the healthcare giant's care of Medicaid patients, according to a union news release.

The protest will occur at the Ritz Carlton in the District of Columbia, where the company CEO is receiving an award.

The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions  comprising 11 labor unions in California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Hawaii, Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia  said members will hold signs and distribute leaflets "to raise concerns about the company treating a low percentage of Medicaid patients while raking in billion dollar profits and sitting on tens of billions of dollars in reserves."

The protest comes as Kaiser and the coalition are scheduled to resume negotiations April 17 through April 19 on behalf of more than 85,000 workers nationwide.

With the negotiations around the corner, Kaiser expressed disappointment about the protest plans and disputed the union leaders' allegations.

John Nelson, vice president of communications at Kaiser, said via an emailed statement that the company's Medicaid enrollment has more than doubled since 2013, from 455,000 to more than 918,000 this year, and that overall health plan enrollment climbed 30 percent during the same period.

"We view Medicaid as critical to achieving our mission of providing care to the communities we serve," said Mr. Nelson.

"Kaiser Permanente is an integrated system of healthcare and coverage, and we go well beyond providing charity care in our emergency departments and inpatient areas. We work to provide the uninsured and underinsured with a medical 'home' where they can get continuity of care and comprehensive treatments."

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Activists in Washington, D.C., placed an 800-pound heroin spoon branded with the FDA's logo outside of the main office of HHS April 5 to protest the drug agency's handling of the opioid epidemic, according to STAT.

The protesters urged the FDA to stop approving opioids and to start encouraging drugmakers to find treatments for addiction. During the protest, the group cited the FDA's approval of Dsuvia, an opioid 10 times stronger than fentanyl, and urged the Trump administration to nominate an FDA commissioner who will take the opioid crisis more seriously.

"When you are willing to overrule the objections of your expert advisory committees on opioids and rapidly push them out when youve got this climbing death rate, and yet you consistently slow-walk the medications to treat addiction, we have trouble," Carol McDaid, one of the protesters who is a lobbyist for a practice that focuses on addiction and recovery, told STAT.



The protest was outside the Hubert H. Humphrey building in Washington, D.C., instead of the FDA's building, because the space in front of the FDA campus in Silver Spring, Md., is not accessible to unauthorized visitors.

The artful protest is the latest in a series created by Domenic Esposito, a Boston-based artist and activist. Last year, Mr. Esposito installed a massive spoon sculpture outside OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma's headquarters in Stamford, Conn., and Rhodes Pharmaceuticals' office building in Coventry, R.I.

Read the full report here.

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Effective Jan. 1, 2020, CVS Caremark will no longer serve as the pharmacy benefit manager of Ohio's largest Medicaid managed care provider, according to The Columbus Dispatch.

CareSource will instead contract with Express Scripts to deliver pharmacy benefits to its more than 1 million beneficiaries.

CVS has been under scrutiny for more than a year in Ohio after a 2017 study found that it charged taxpayer-funded companies more than $200 million more for prescription drugs than it reimbursed pharmacies.

"We believe the current PBM model has significant room for improvement," CareSource President & CEO Erhardt Preitauer, told The Dispatch. "CareSource saw an opportunity to reinvent the model with a focus on transparency, driving real value for stakeholders, building stronger partnerships with local pharmacies and controlling costs."

The new model, called CareSource RxInnovations, will offer more transparent pricing that will be verified by an independent third party, Mr. Preitauer said.

Read the full report here.
In an atypical move, House Republicans sent letters to a dozen drugmakers warning that compliance with a House panel investigation into drug prices could hurt their stock prices.

The letters from Republicans on the House Oversight Committee, first reported by BuzzFeed News, warn pharmaceutical CEOs that information provided to the committee could be leaked to the public. Specifically, the letters imply that committee chair Sen. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., may share details to negatively affect their stock prices.

The letters from Republican representatives come after Mr. Cummings requested information from 12 drug companies as part of a broad investigation into industry pricing practices.

Mr. Cummings is seeking sensitive information "that would likely harm the competitiveness of your company if disclosed publicly," the letters read.

The letters were sent to AbbVie; Amgen; AstraZeneca; Celgene; Eli Lilly; Johnson & Johnson; Mallinckrodt; Novartis; Novo Nordisk; Pfizer; Sanofi; and Teva Pharmaceuticals.

Read more here.
Hospitals and federal agencies often keep outbreaks of drug-resistant infections quiet from the public, which could pose a threat to patient safety, reports The New York Times.

Four things to know:

1. The CDC issued a public alert in January about a drug-resistant bacteria that a dozen Americans contracted after undergoing elective surgeries at Grand View Hospital in Tijuana, Mexico. Yet when similar outbreaks occur at U.S. hospitals, the agency does not issue a public warning. This is due to an agreement with states that prohibits the CDC from publicly disclosing hospitals undergoing outbreaks of drug-resistant infections, according to NYT.

2. Patient advocates are pushing for more transparency into hospital-based infection outbreaks, saying the lack of warning could put patients at risk of harm.

"They might not get up and go to another hospital, but patients and their families have the right to know when they are at a hospital where an outbreak is occurring," Lisa McGiffert, an advocate with the Patient Safety Action Network, told NYT. "That said, if you're going to have hip replacement surgery, you may choose to go elsewhere."

3. The NYT's report follows an April 6 article from the publication highlighting the rise in outbreaks of Candida auris  a fungus resistant to all major antifungal medications. Hospital leaders and public health officials said the risk of a typical patient being exposed to something like C. auris is low and argued that greater transparency into outbreaks like these could scare people away from seeking healthcare services.

"That could pose greater health risks than that of the organism itself," Tina Tan, MD, chief epidemiologist at the New Jersey Department of Health, told NYT.

4. The CDC declined NYT's request for comment. Agency officials have previously told the publication the confidentiality surrounding outbreaks is necessary to encourage hospitals to report the drug-resistant infections.

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A truck passes a former customs post on the northern side of the Irish border in County Armagh (Niall Carson/PA)

In the next three to five years, Brexit is expected (if there is no agreed postponement) to have unwelcome effects on the Northern Ireland economy. That conclusion is neither a surprise nor unexpected. The many strands of professional assessments point to immediate challenges.

Those who reject the forecasts that emerge from the application of the 'dark science' of economic statistics can cling to the inadequately based optimism that substitutes for the voice of experience. Evolving events will allow retrospective judgement.

As a contribution to a better assessment of the coming impact of Brexit, the Department for the Economy has commissioned professional advice which is informing the local civil service as our local administration prepares to cope with the possible outcomes.

Unhappily, NI must contemplate a range of outcomes ranging from the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement, as agreed between the United Kingdom Government and the European Community (which would allow a near-seamless transition until the end of 2021), to a more immediate crash exit where trade and commerce will not have a transition agreement and on 'day one', April 12, the borders of the UK and the EU could become a major nightmare.

With little effort to ensure that this professional advice is widely understood, the Department for the Economy has quietly published on its website a group of documents making a best effort to assess the impact of Brexit either accompanied by a Free Trade Agreement or with no deal, using World Trade Organisation assumptions.

The department deserves credit for commissioning and publishing this evidence. However, it also merits a critical response because it has made available highly technical documents with little explanatory material for lay readers.

If the aim is to contribute to a better understanding of a complex series of changes which affect fundamental aspects of the functioning of the UK, NI and Ireland economies, the department is unhelpfully sheltering behind technical terminology which may be fully understood by only a small handful of readers.

It has published the results of a study by the Economic and Social Research Institute estimating how Brexit will hit the attractiveness of the UK for foreign direct investment (FDI) in manufacturing and services and, in addition, shows what the effects might be for NI.

There is no surprise that, for the UK, Brexit is expected to have a negative effect on incoming jobs.

Under an agreed Free Trade Agreement, incoming jobs would be 1.9% lower each year.

Under World Trade Organisation assumptions, jobs would be 3.3% lower.

The study goes further and considers how the level of UK corporation tax might need to be reduced to offset the Brexit effects, or how large an increase in education and training budgets might be used to generate the skills to try and overcome its effects.

For NI, the study concludes that, relative to a 'no Brexit', the attractiveness for FDI will be reduced for all types of FDI where NI trades on the same terms as the rest of the UK.

If, however, NI were to remain in the EU Customs Union and Single Market for goods and services (the back stop assumption) then NI's attractiveness for FDI would be increased. This shows that the negative effects for the UK would be converted into a positive gain in NI.

A specific additional feature of the study adds that 'a corporate tax rate of 12.5% in NI would more than compensate for losses of attractiveness for FDI and related job creation associated with any Brexit scenario.'

This reference to a possible corporation tax rate change reawakens this proposal.

However, it then stops short of any consideration of the knock-on effects of this change on the rebalancing of the Stormont budget to offset the reduced tax revenue.

Brexit is proving even more complex than was originally envisaged.

Postponement simply avoids the critical questions.
Journalism, according to a well-known saying, is the first draft of history. My own experience leads me to think that the second draft, in the equally well-known words of Henry Ford, is usually bunk. It took a centenary to get what looked like a polished draft of the events of 1916.

Yes, sorry, it's Brexit, where even the first draft is anything but satisfactory. It turns out that dissatisfaction was the attitude of the man to whom the saying is usually attributed - Philip Graham, publisher of the Washington Post from 1946-63 .

As often happens, the full quotation significantly changes the meaning. Mr Graham may not have been the first to use the phrase, but his exact words were: "So let us today drudge on about our inescapably impossible task of providing every week a first rough draft of history that will never really be completed, about a world we can never really understand."

There's a lot of truth in that. One could scarcely get a better description of trying to follow Brexit and convey what is happening to the public. The troubling thought is that the rough first draft which is now circulating seems seriously inadequate.

In particular, it skips rapidly over the crucial point that UK approval of a withdrawal deal failed because of the Irish Question. The point is crucial because, as the new ESRI analysis of Brexit options shows, approval of the withdrawal agreement before the original deadline of March 29 would have been the best of the four possibilities laid out in the analysis.

The best for Ireland, north and south, that is.

Getting such a deal should have been the relentless focus of Irish policy. Instead, the outcome of the 2019 version of the Irish Question was left in the hands of the DUP MPs, while the two governments, and even the Tory Brexiteers, looked on.

To arrive at such a situation can only mean serious policy failure. The ESRI report shows just how serious, because the consequences of failure are far more immediate and damaging than the benefits of success would have been.

The analysis is the first to try to forecast the impact of the different kinds of Brexit.

Instead of models for the whole economy, it concentrated on the effects on trade of tariffs and non-tariff measures under different scenarios. This allowed the researchers to consider three; Deal, No-Deal, and Disorderly No-Deal.

Deal would see the UK make an orderly agreed exit from the EU, with a transition period to 2020 and a free trade agreement between the UK and the EU after that.

Under no-deal there is still an orderly period of adjustment for trade, but ultimately the stringent WTO tariff arrangements apply, along with non-tariff barriers.

The disorderly exit is one where there are additional disruptions to trade between the UK and the EU beyond those which are inevitable in any no-deal departure. Such a scenario implies a political crisis which would prevent even temporary measures to reduce the immediate disruptions.

Even the deal scenario will have negative effects. One alarming thing is that the forecasts suggest that there is little long-term difference between the civilised no-deal and the disorderly one.

In the first case, Irish economic output in 2030 would be 4.8% lower than if there had been no Brexit at all. With a disorderly one, the loss of output is 5%.

There is, however, a major difference in the short run. The analysis finds that by the end of next year, a deal would see Irish output 0.6% lower, while no-deal would result in a shortfall of 1.2%. But a disorderly exit would cut 2.4% off Irish growth in just two years.

If an orderly deal can somehow be secured, the loss of output after 10 years would still be a not insignificant 2.6%.

It is worth remembering that this loss would be concentrated in certain sectors and regions, where the impact would be worse than this, but it would be a lot more manageable than the consequences of a crash-out.

If one could apply the ESRI methodology to the fragile Northern Ireland economy, the results might well be worse than for the Republic. It is beyond any methodology to analyse the unknowns of the backstop, where Northern Ireland would remain in the UK but keep the EU regime, but there seems little reason to suppose that it would significantly reduce the economic damage to either jurisdiction, since west-east trade matters much more than cross-border to both.

But the backstop is about politics rather than economics: an attempt to find an answer to the new Irish Question. Had it succeeded, it would have been the greatest achievement of Irish diplomacy since staying out of the Second World War.

But it failed, as it was always likely to do, and is no longer relevant.

The bizarre events of the last fortnight may have created an unexpected but welcome opportunity to discard the zero-sum rhetoric about the border in favour of much less provocative, and far more relevant discussions on the wider arrangements.

There is every possibility that achieving the ESRI definition of a deal, with a transition period and a free trade agreement at the end, will make the border question largely irrelevant when the new regime is fully in place.

The Irish government had a justifiable fear that, by leaving things to the end, this country might be squeezed between the UK and the EU.

Perhaps it chose the wrong response, although it could not have foreseen Mrs May's disastrous general election. But that was then, and now is very different.

It cannot be a question of doing nothing while events take their course. Whatever or whenever the final outcome, thoughts should be turning already to the future economic governance of the island. Any opportunities to begin the process should be seized, as and when they arise.

In a working paper for Dublin City University's Brexit institute, Trinity College associate professor Etain Tannam charts the failures of all-island governance since the Good Friday Agreement.

Despite all the megaphone diplomacy of the last two years, the agreement is meaningless without its institutions.

The northern one has collapsed and the British-Irish one, the Inter-Governmental Council (IGC) was pretty much abandoned by the two governments.

Both will have to be resuscitated if the peace is to be preserved.

It may be all about politics but the trick could be to concentrate on the economics.

The better they are handled, the less damaging the politics will be.

As Dr Tannam says, the IGC was the obvious institution for both governments to discuss Brexit in the wake of the referendum, but it is also the obvious focus for securing an orderly deal and managing the Irish question after Brexit, whatever the final outcome.

It is in the nature of the question that it will not go away. Well hidden in the debates, but laid bare by Tanaiste Simon Coveney last week, was another Dublin fear - that its membership of the EU might be compromised by playing too active a role on the island's future during negotiations.

Fair enough, but what happens when negotiations are finished, even if successfully?

The Irish Government will have to find ways to play its proper role on north-south and UK issues, while preserving the integrity of its EU status.

It is an unenviable task.

Britain can be expected to look for Irish support in the inevitable squabbles over regulation and trade post-Brexit.

Ireland cannot be seen as a stalking horse, but it is entitled to pursue the economic and political well-being of the whole island in a post-Brexit world.

Dr Tannam argues that, after Brexit, what she calls "the dense institutional framework and extensive policy competence of the EU" means we must not only have to dust off the neglected all-island institutions but develop them more vigorously than before, without at the same time infringing on EU responsibilities.

She suggests bilateral approaches to areas of British-Irish concern such as free travel, energy and infrastructure, all within the remit of the EU.

There is a couple of years' worth of useful debate in that short sentence, and it is high time it began.
An artists impression of how the Tara Street tower will look

Irish property developer Johnny Ronan has won approval to build Dublin city's tallest structure.

Construction of the tower is to begin imminently and the group is already in discussions with potential tenants, it is understood.

The long-running saga to build the 22-storey tower on Tara Street involved four separate attempts by the developer to secure permission.

An Bord Pleanala, the Republic's planning appeals board, approved the plans for the 88-metre structure last Friday.

The building will comprise 16,557 sq m of office and hotel accommodation and will be capable of accommodating 890 office workers, a 106-bedroom hotel over four storeys and a top-floor restaurant.

Ronan Group's senior development manager, James Ronan, said he was "thrilled" the development had finally been given the green light.

"This is an extremely positive and progressive move for Dublin and Ireland Inc," he said.

"If we are to continue to compete with our European counterparts for much sought-after foreign direct investment we need to set our ambitions high, delivering the world-class accommodation required to facilitate our collective growth ambitions."

He said the development will be a "catalyst for the regeneration of this city quarter and will set a new benchmark for regeneration projects in the city".
Around 100 retail jobs are to be created in west Belfast in a 3 million project as two discount chains expand into the Park Centre on Donegall Road.

The shopping centre's owners Latt Ltd said the opening of Home Bargains and a larger B&M Stores was a "massive boost".

B&M is relocating to a unit three times the size of the premises it had been occupying, while Home Bargains is opening in the centre for the first time.

The growth of the two chains comes despite falling retail sales across the UK as a whole

The BRC (British Retail Consortium)-KPMG retail sales monitor said total sales fell by 0.5% year on year in March, compared with a 2.3% annual increase seen in March 2018.

The chains will open in separate spaces in a unit formerly occupied by Dunnes.

B&M already has a smaller unit within the centre but is moving to larger premises.

The discounters will occupy over 40,000 sq ft of space in total when they open in late summer.

A spokesman for Latt said there had been a 1m investment by each of the retailers, while 1m had been invested by the landlord.

Latt director Stephen McGeown said: "The Park Centre is located in a prime retail position in south-west Belfast, beside the Westlink and the M1 and close to the Royal Victoria Hospital.

"The addition of a Home Bargains superstore and a new B&M superstore is excellent news for the centre and for the local area, with both significant investment and an important jobs boost."

Colin Mathewson, senior director at commercial property agents CBRE, which worked with the centre to secure both tenants, said their arrival was "fantastic news".

Aodhan Connolly, the director of the NI Retail Consortium, also welcomed the opening of the chains, which he said appealed to a broad demographic.

"That fact means you could put them pretty much anywhere. And the reason that they are particularly successful in Northern Ireland is that shoppers here love a bargain," he said.

"In some parts of the UK that just means cheap but with Northern Ireland consumers that means something that is quality at a price less than what they expected."

And he said that it was significant that both were opening in a premises formerly occupied by Dunnes.

In recent years, the low-profile company has closed large numbers of food stores and instead invested heavily in the fashion and homewares offerings in its flagships.

Mr Connolly added: "I think a lot of the traditional retailers have had to reinvent themselves... and a good retailer reacts and adapts to the consumers' needs and isn't afraid to change."
The recent launch of an NI heritage trail inspired by the hit HBO series Game of Thrones

Ireland's post-crash tourism boom has passed its peak, according to Tourism Ireland boss Niall Gibbons. With Brexit depressing the value of sterling and upward pressure on costs ranging from labour shortages to the recent Vat hike, the industry is going to struggle to maintain the soaring growth rates of recent years.

Tourism businesses in the Republic were recently hit with a Vat increase from 9% to 13.5%. The rate had been first cut in 2011 to help tourism cope with the impact of the economic downturn.

A challenge of a not dissimilar scale - though one that's less talked about - is a substantial boost in air capacity on continental Europe, which gives travellers more options, potentially at Ireland's expense.

The net effect of all that is that it may prove difficult for Mr Gibbons to meet Tourism Ireland's target of 6% revenue growth from Irish tourism this year.

The targets are set by Tourism Ireland's board, made up of representatives from both sides of the border.

Mr Gibbons' job as head of the north-south body is to market the island of Ireland abroad.

The current flagship campaign encourages travellers to "Fill your heart with Ireland".

"It's appealing to consumers who are living in a hyperconnected world, telling them that Ireland is a place where you can switch off - that's what the advertising really speaks to," Mr Gibbons says.

"A lot of our strategy this year is about sustainability. It's about actually trying to grow the business in quarter one and quarter four when you've got good value around, you've got good air access, and you've still got capacity around at very good value.

"So that's where a lot of the marketing effort has gone, because the summer season is tending to look after itself. We don't take it for granted by the way, but we've got off to a positive start this year so far. The numbers are up 7% in the first two months, but there's still a lot to play for."

The positive visitor numbers perhaps belie the narrative that the Vat hike by Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe would cause the industry problems. But beneath the headline numbers every business is different.

"I think the industry were surprised by it," says Mr Gibbons. "There are people who are more worried than others. The people who are most worried are those who are in rural areas, people who are in the food sector particularly who would have extremely tight margins. There's a sense, I suppose, of hurt within the industry, that's the feedback that we're getting.

"And what's going to happen now that we're into April is the Vat really takes hold, because now they're actually paying the Vat over."

He says the increase will have been passed on wherever humanly possible.

Though it's early in the year and not much data is available, Mr Gibbons reckons hoteliers will struggle on average to pass the rate hike in full. Demand won't increase at the same pace as previous years, he says.

One way to attempt to mitigate the problem though is to try and find new customers who spend more money per head.

Those travellers are likely to come from further afield and stay for longer. China and the Middle East are often touted as potential sources of growth, though tapping into those markets is easier said than done.

Failte Ireland - a separate organisation which focuses on support for tourism businesses (as opposed to Tourism Ireland's marketing role) - has launched a 'China Ready' programme to help businesses try and tap into the market.

Catering to Chinese tourists means you have to take account of their different cultural and gastronomic preferences, as well as their financial ones. The latter is an area that's changing fast.

"What you're finding is they have now moved to a cashless society," Mr Gibbons says.

"Five years ago I would have been talking about making sure you had Union Pay credit cards if you're really serious about the Chinese market.

"And places like Brown Thomas and Kildare Village have all that, but now you have to be on WeChat Pay and Alipay."

Research is critical if you're going to try and attract Chinese visitors, Mr Gibbons says, but there are rewards to be gained.

The numbers coming here have grown rapidly, from an admittedly low base, but there is scope to continue to win more business.

"About five million will come to Europe (this year), and we've got a very small proportion of it. There is capacity to grow, and they will come off-season as well."

Part of Mr Gibbons' effort to boost those numbers involves lobbying Irish government to make the visa regime more flexible, removing a barrier to travel.

Though travellers from Europe or North America will have a well-defined picture of Ireland in their heads, this country is less well-known in Asia and the Middle East.

That gives Mr Gibbons a bit of flexibility when it comes to marketing, as he can paint on a blank canvas. Ireland's friendly and warm people, picturesque landscape and culture are the three areas he focuses on in this regard.

An accountant by background, Mr Gibbons (53) began his working life at what was then called Coopers & Lybrand, now called PwC.

The Dubliner then moved to the public sector, searching for a job with more money, having just gotten married.

He ended up working in marine research for about seven years, before a job as director of corporate services came up at the newly-created Tourism Ireland, a cross-border tourism agency born out of the Good Friday Agreement.

The role saw Mr Gibbons carry out a lot of the background work in integrating the legacy tourism agencies on each side of the Border.

Then, in 2010, the role of Tourism Ireland CEO became free and he took up the position.

Since then he's overseen Irish tourism marketing through good times and bad.

In 2011, the agency's marketing plans were launched the day after the IMF bailout was announced.

It's a job that involves lots of travel, which might sound nice in theory but it does have its drawbacks in practice.

Building relationships is important, with foreign tour operators who can bring groups of travellers here, with foreign publishers who can provide a platform for ads, and with film studios which can bring big-budget productions here.

Game of Thrones has been an obvious success in this regard, and though it will finish this year plans are afoot for a permanent Harry Potter World-type attraction which aims to capitalise on the hit series for years to come.

A successful relationship has been forged with the series makers, HBO, which has provided plot lines to Tourism Ireland in advance to help the agency capitalise immediately when episodes go to air. More good relationships like that will help counteract the slowdown that Mr Gibbons believes is coming.

Figures released last week by the Central Statistics Office Ireland showed a big fall in the number of British tourists who came to Ireland in February compared to the same month last year.

But the numbers coming from the UK were up year-on-year in the first two months of 2019, and the mood music from British colleagues is that travel to Ireland should be steady this year.

It's still early days but despite the headwinds, the Vat increase that has caused so much wailing and gnashing of teeth, the Brexit uncertainty, and the growth in European air capacity, Mr Gibbons does think the industry will continue to grow. But the boom years look to be finished, alas.

"North America should have a good year, Asia should have a good year, Britain is looking steady although we're keeping a daily watch on it, and mainland Europe may be a bit choppy because there's just other factors outside of our control.

"The target is to grow revenue by 6%. That's going to be very tough now, there's no question about that. We will see growth alright but it's going to be a much more mixed batch of growth, we'll struggle to grow all our markets, that's the early indications that we have. We just have to be really competitive."
Help India!

TCN News

A wide cross-section of Indians gathered at the Indian Consulate in New York City (NYC) to stand in solidarity with people fighting to defend the Constitution, democracy and human rights in India on 6th April 2019.

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The NYC Defense of Democracy rally brought together the rich diversity of the Indian Diaspora in the United States  scientists and engineers, service workers and computer professionals, artists and doctors, Hindus, Sikhs, Dalits and Muslims, policymakers, activists, left and liberal intellectuals and community leaders.

Commenting on the lynchings and targeted attacks on Muslims and Dalits that have increased exponentially since the coming to power of Narendra Modi in 2014, Sarah Anderson-Rajarigam of Dalit Solidarity Forum, one of the co-sponsors of the rally said, Dalit Solidarity Forum deplores the heavy targeting of Dalits and other marginalized communities. We unite our voices with Dalits and other minorities in their fight for freedom and support them in their efforts to uphold the constitution. Out of all the mob-lynching incidents by so-called cow-protection mobs since 2010, 97% have taken place between 2014 and 2018.

Coalition for the Defense of the Constitution and Democracy (CDCD) have in their press release have stated that the BJP government has responsible for systematic erosion and weakening of democratic values and institutions. It has been attacking and weakening constitutional bodies such as the Election Commission, Supreme Court, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

The CBI and Income Tax department have also been used to intimidate media organizations critical of the BJP government.

Sunita Viswanath of Sadhana: Coalition of Progressive Hindus, said, We are Americans of Hindu faith, many of us Indian, who stand opposed to the ideology of Hindutva and the atrocities against minorities and dissenters being committed in the name of Hinduism. We stand with all the people of India who are calling for an end to this regime that threatens democracy, disregards the dignity and safety of minorities, and has declared war on the poor.

The BJP has significantly increased corruption and corporate plunder. To distract people from its record of failed governance, the BJP has increased war mongering and is busy dividing the people along communal lines. When Muslims, Dalits, and the Left have resisted or spoken up against the injustice, they have either been imprisoned using draconian laws such as Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Adivasi (indigenous) people and landless laborers, who have been

fighting for land and forest rights, have been arrested and harassed. Workers, who have been struggling against the governments increased privatization and casualization of work, have been fired or put in prison. With the emboldening of patriarchal forces, in many instances, the attacks on womens rights and safety have been led by BJP ministers and leaders.

Mohammad Jawad, National General Secretary of Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), speaking on why IAMC has joined the rally said, The people of India will eventually recognize the divisive and hatred the current BJP/RSS government is spreading and will unite to preserve our constitution and defeat this government.

The protestors at the Defense of Democracy rally held placards and shouted slogans such as:

 Ensure Free and Fair Elections! Election Commission must guarantee election free of violence, intimidation, and rigging

 Stop the witch-hunt! Release all UAPA arrestees and drop all charges

 Stop the lynchings of Dalits and Muslims! Arrest and prosecute the perpetrators

 Stop culture of fear! End the attacks and intimidation of activists, artists, workers and women

The demonstration was held in front of the Indian consulate, New York.
Unions are to ballot Bombardier staff for strike action after the latest round of redundancies were announced at the aerospace firm.

Unite have said that Bombardier has announced 30-35 compulsory redundancies, days after announcing up to 40 voluntary redundancies.

A consultative ballot of the workforce had been agreed by Unite and GMB union reps and will commence on Monday April 29.

The redundancies are part of cost-cutting measures announced by the Canadian company last year.

As part of the restructuring it was announced that 490 staff would be let go in Northern Ireland.

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Unite Regional Coordinating Officer Susan Fitzgerald said that workers had reacted to the latest redundancies with "sadness and indignation".

She said that the union and its members would not "sit back and watch" as the company "suffers death by a thousand cuts".

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Ms Fitzgerald said that there were concerns around the future of Bombardier in Northern Ireland.

"The unions have come together to challenge the company to come clean on their future plans for Northern Ireland and to open their books on the underlying plans they have to address the financial demands of bondholders," she said.

Bombardiers employment in Northern Ireland has halved since 2014. We cannot sit back and watch as Bombardier goes the same way as Belfast shipbuilding, with jobs cuts ongoing until the very sustainability of operations is at risk.

"Cutting back on jobs and skills in Northern Ireland is not a strategy for growth however the financial markets may view it  instead of cutting back, Bombardier bosses must invest and bring back employment to Northern Ireland.

A Bombardier spokesperson said the company would continue to work with staff and trade unions on their "transformation progress".

We acknowledge the impact on our workforce and their families and we continue to explore opportunities to help mitigate the number of compulsory redundancies," a spokesperson said.

"A significant number of Belfast employees have already accepted voluntary packages. However, we need to continue to cut costs and improve the efficiency of our operations to help ensure our long-term competitiveness.
Local business bodies have come together to host a one-stop shop event offering companies practical advice about Brexit issues.

The free half-day event in Titanic Belfast next Tuesday (April 16) will focus on practical steps businesses can take to prepare the ground for whatever changes Brexit may bring.

It represents the first time the Federation of Small Businesses, Institute of Directors, InterTradeIreland, Invest NI and the Northern Ireland Chamber have come together for a Brexit event, pulling together information, support and funding under one roof.

The day will include one-to-one clinics for companies, with a range of experts drawn from subject areas such as customs, logistics, tax, supply chain, data and employment.

Aidan Gough from cross-border business body InterTradeIreland said: "We appreciate the plight of many thousands of small businesses facing key investment decisions in an environment that is rife with uncertainty."

He said that now, more than ever, it was time for Northern Ireland firms to take practical steps.

"The first step is to fully understand the potential scenarios facing them and assess how these might impact on their business."

Donal Durkan from Invest NI said while the political scenario continues to shift, it it necessary that businesses are fully informed and supported on Brexit scenario planning, to ensure they can continue to trade, regardless of the ultimate outcome.

"This joint event supplements the range of workshops we have delivered in recent months," he said.

"It will include the most up-to-date information available, based on the current position at the time, with advice zones on key areas to provide businesses with one-to-one guidance."
The former Belfast home of a private healthcare group, an established stone quarry and a 12-acre site next to Ulster University's Coleraine campus have gone on the market.

Letterbratt Quarry in Plumbridge, Co Tyrone extends to 69 acres and is located 16 miles north of Omagh and 10 miles south east of Strabane.

The property mainly consists of "rough agricultural land", according to property agency Osborne King which has listed the site.

It has been operating as a quarry for over 50 years. The site also has a range of crushing and screening equipment which is included in the sale.

The site was granted planning consent in 1979 for "general quarry work with erection of new offices and weighbridge".

Meanwhile, at 352 Lisburn Road in Belfast, the former healthcare clinic has gone on the market for 550,000.

The property is a red-brick detached building which was formerly a residential dwelling, but was converted into medical consulting rooms for the 352 Healthcare Group, which is also the owner of Kingsbridge Clinic further up the Lisburn Road.

It contains five consulting rooms, a reception and waiting areas with staff facilities.

According to CBRE, which has listed the property, the site would be suitable "to a variety of uses including medical consulting rooms".

It adds the building, which is close to public transport networks including bus and train services, could be converted into offices or brought back to residential use, subject to necessary consents.

CBRE has also listed Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council's Atlantic Link Enterprise Campus - a 12-acre site next to Ulster University's Coleraine campus which is seeking a tenant, preferably a "data heavy" name.

The advertisement comes two months after the council launched a development plan for Atlantic Link Enterprise Campus in Coleraine. It said then it was seeking tenants after a year of talking to as many as 250 companies about their headquarter requirements.

The close-to-vacant 12-acre site on the Portstewart Road in Coleraine was designated in 2014 as an 'enterprise zone', where companies would benefit from favourable tax incentives and planning arrangements.

Development began when anchor tenant 5NINES opened a major data centre on the site last year.

It's close to the first landing-point for Project Kelvin, the underwater high-speed communications link-up between Northern Ireland and the US. While the area is already home to major employers like food giant Kerry Group, Armstrong Medical and electronics maker AVX, the council is hoping the park will help it draw more inward investment.

Other developmental opportunities on the market include the sale of a one-acre site two miles from Belfast city centre on 7-9 Ballygomartin Road. CBRE says the site "may be suitable for residential development subject to planning".

The lands are situated 100 metres from the junction with the Woodvale Road. Directly opposite the land is Woodvale Park, a large area of green open space.

The surrounding area is mainly residential use with some leisure uses. A Tesco store is also within close proximity.

The site was previously occupied by one or more large Victorian buildings, according to CBRE. These buildings have now been demolished "to leave a relatively level site".

CBRE advises that the site may also be suitable for development of a nursing home subject to planning. It is on the market for 250,000.
A Belfast company behind lip reading technology designed for camera phones has announced a successful six-figure fundraising campaign.

Liopa uses the front camera on a phone to decipher speech from lip movements using artificial intelligence software.

Founded in 2015, the company emerged out of speech and image processing research started at Queen's University's Centre for Secure IT (CSIT) in the Titanic Quarter.

The tech start-up said interest in its developments resulted in it raising three times its funding target inside a four-week period.

The company has not disclosed the total raised on the SyndicateRoom crowdfunding website, but confirmed it was in the six figures.

The backing has come from a number of so-called angel investors and the Fund Twenty8.

Liopa's primary focus is improving the accuracy of voice driven applications such as Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa.

The firm said its technology can determine speech by analysing the movement of a user's lips as they speak into a camera. The technology can also be used to prevent "spoofing" and security issues in facial recognition systems.

Chief executive Liam McQuillan said the investment will allow Liopa to grow its engineering capability and AI talent.

"We'll be able to accelerate the exciting developments we have planned in our roadmap, and protect our valuable intellectual property," he added.

SyndicateRoom co-founder Tom Britton said: "It's no wonder the technology being developed by Liopa is so incredible. The team behind it have spent a combined 50-plus man years researching or developing the technology.

"The applications for their platform are wide ranging, everything from helping law enforcement decipher what's been said on CCTV footage to giving those who have lost their ability to vocalise a new way to easily communicate."
Mark Zuckerberg came calling to Dublin last week. He met politicians, missed the main privacy regulator and found time to take a pop at Apple.

What did he achieve? What are Facebook's main political issues in Ireland and Europe? And is this a sign of things to come?

Zuckerberg is on a policy roadshow at the moment, trying to get in front of important future regulation.

"Lawmakers often tell me we have too much power over speech and, frankly, I agree," he wrote in the Sunday Independent and Washington Post two weeks ago.

"I've come to believe that we shouldn't make so many important decisions about speech on our own."

He doesn't need to remind us of the case studies. From Cambridge Analytica to Russian interference in elections and algorithms that sometimes exacerbate tensions between factions or ethnic groups, Facebook has proven to be an accelerator for some of the darker impulses we have.

One of the more interesting elements about Zuckerberg's engagement in Dublin was to listen to him explaining his side of these issues. He did this mainly through dialogue with a number of TDs, who spent an hour talking through some of the issues.

He admitted to TDs, for example, that some of what Facebook had done didn't look good, even while continuing to defend it.

The most acute example was an administrative stroke that Facebook pulled to reclassify some 1.5 billion users away from Ireland's regulatory responsibility.

It did so on the eve of GDPR's introduction. Critics of the company say that this was a cynical exercise, a deliberate attempt to avoid the higher data protection standards that GDPR brings. Zuckerberg admitted in Dublin that the optics of this weren't good, even more so because part of his roadshow at present is to argue for GDPR-like standards in the rest of the world.

But he didn't resile from it. The company, he said, executed this move for technical reasons as much as for business ones.

Similarly, on the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, Zuckerberg said that he doesn't think Facebook was to blame for much. So when asked, he said that he wouldn't be dropping the company's appeal to the UK privacy regulator's 500,000 fine on the matter.

From a business and regulatory perspective, one of the most interesting viewpoints he holds is on competition and antitrust issues. Zuckerberg appears not to see any real threat coming from regulators, either in Europe or the US, around ownership of the three biggest online communication platforms (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp) outside email.

This means that he doesn't, for example, see significant regulatory hurdles in bringing the three closer for messaging purposes.

Instead, he simply says that the issue is confined to making the apps better and more useful.

Is he right? Most regulatory sources I've spoken to are sceptical.

It may turn out that the approach he took on this in Dublin is more reminiscent of the narrow product-focus mentality that has repeatedly misinformed Facebook on public and political reaction in the past (this is one reason why Facebook hired Nick Clegg, the former Liberal Democrat party leader, who accompanied him to Dublin).

Zuckerberg was meeting parliamentary TDs Eamon Ryan, James Lawless and Hildegarde Naughton in Dublin as part of an outreach exercise with an international Grand Committee, made up of politicians from the UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and Argentina.

The Facebook boss also toured the company's facilities in Dublin, which currently employ over 4,000 people and is set to add another 1,000 this year.

Zuckerberg also met journalists, but restricted his answers to pre-prepared remarks.

However, he was willing to put to bed one accusation frequently levelled at him. Asked whether Facebook or Instagram records voice conversations through smartphones to inform targeted ads, he said: "Absolutely not."

However, he again warned about Apple's "competing vision" for the internet, making a thinly-veiled reference to the iPhone company when referring to data "stored" in countries like China.

"GDPR is as important for what it doesn't do, which is require companies to localise data and store systems data in a given country," he said, referring to Apple's compromise with Chinese authorities, where it stores data in servers located in that country. Facebook and Google are not allowed to operate in China.

"We can take this for granted in a country like Ireland or in the US where there's a strong rule of law and respect for human rights. But in a lot of the places around the world, those aren't a given. What we see is that there are some competing visions for how the internet goes and what the future of that will be. We see a lot of pressure in a number of countries localising data in a way that could put people's data more accessible to governments and in harm's way."

This isn't new - Facebook and Apple have been sparring publicly at CEO level for at least two years.

But it was notable that Zuckerberg chose these remarks for public consumption to a media audience in Ireland, with its longstanding links to Apple.

Some commentators have already drawn cynical conclusions as to Zuckerberg's intent.

Partly because of the GDPR and its increased staffing levels around moderation and detection of harmful content (a controversial activity in itself), it now has a well-equipped regulatory team.

Thus, the cynics say, it will be much more able to deal with new legal requirements where smaller teams will not. It's an exercise in pulling up the drawbridge and entrenching its advantage, the sceptics conclude. Whatever the truth of that theory, there is no doubt that this is about getting in front of regulation.

He will be well aware of high-profile voices such as Democratic Party US presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren who is calling for the break-up of companies like Facebook, Google and Amazon because of their size and increasingly undeniable utility.

The CEO's new proposal is for the countries of the world to pass stronger, more comprehensive laws.

He also wants the creation of 'third-party bodies' to decide exactly what 'harmful content' is and then to apply those standards across the big online platforms.

Will the Republic's Digital Safety Commissioner meet this standard? Not quite.

That role is designed as a sort of ombudsman for people who can't get satisfaction from their dealings with the big social networks, say in the instance of a photo or a post that they find offensive, harassing or that is private.

While it will have the power to fine social networks, this may not be very much. Loosely compared to the Australian eSafety Commissioner (by minister Richard Bruton, who is introducing the legislation for the position), it is likely to have just a very small staff and the power to level a maximum fine in the millions of euro. By contrast, Data Protection Commissioner Helen Dixon now has a staff of 130 and can fine Facebook (or Google, which runs YouTube) billions of euro.

The problem for many governments - including supra-national bodies such as the European Commission - is that we struggle ourselves with desiring where the boundaries should be between free speech, privacy and safety.

In truth, there is only one major country in the world that truly dictates terms to the online platforms: China, with its bans on Facebook and Google and restriction on Apple. Both Facebook and Google are banned there. Apple is allowed, but only on condition that it places its servers in the country.

Even the most ardent critic of Facebook in Ireland or Europe would probably shrink from such an extreme method of control. Stepping back, it's possible to see the fine balance that Zuckerberg is trying to strike.

It's unrealistic to expect a chief executive - especially a co-founder - to act against the interests of his own company, either in financial or functionality terms.

At the same time, Zuckerberg now knows that the company he runs is getting closer to becoming a utility with every year that passes (in Ireland alone, three million people use Facebook, with about the same using either Instagram or WhatsApp or both).

Whether he calls it a platform or a publisher, Facebook now has more power than Rupert Murdoch's media empire. How it uses that power is a matter of public interest and concern. Zuckerberg doesn't want to be perceived as a bad guy. He obviously desires his products to be enablers.

And while few ever openly say it, it's fair to remind ourselves that Facebook (and Instagram and WhatsApp) are all very popular services. Indeed, it's not an exaggeration to say that they're loved services, even if some rue their existence.

As much trouble as they're attributed to have caused, a great number of people believe that the apps have substantially added to their lives.

There's no question of Zuckerberg's apps being assembled by committee. The Facbook founder is still calling the shots on what his services do now and will do in the future.

But he knows that people like Helen Dixon, Margrethe Vestager and Christina Warren are all now important figures in what his company may or may not be able to do in future.

This probably isn't the last we'll see of Mark Zuckerberg in Ireland this year.

According to all involved, it's now very possible that he'll return for a full appearance before TDs - and possibly other members of the cross-parliamentary 'Grand Committee' - in Dublin in November.

We can certainly expect to see more from Zuckerberg in Ireland and Europe in future.
On a drizzly day in April, the sky outside may be grey but Stacey Solomon is lighting up a London hotel suite with her expectant mother glow.

Resplendent in a peach floral dress that stretches over her growing bump, the mum-of-two is looking forward to welcoming baby number three later this year.

Right now, however, she's got other things on her mind.

"Sometimes I forget that it's even happening," she says, patting her belly. "Because life happens and I've got the two kids and I'm running around after them. It's only when I lay down at night and I'm like, 'Oh, yeah, you're in there, you're coming soon.'"

The Loose Women panellist will be having her first child with partner Joe Swash. The baby will join Zachary (11) and Leighton (6), her sons from previous relationships.

In addition to her regular appearances on the ITV talk show, Solomon has just been unveiled as ambassador for skincare brand YourGoodSkin, a role she was thrilled to accept since she was already a big fan of the range, not least because it's so affordable.

"I've got sensitive skin and I wanted it for everyday use, twice a day, and I don't want to pay a million pounds for something I'm going to use every day," she says.

The 29-year-old credits the Nourishing Hot Cloth Cleanser and Pore Minimising Tonic for helping to transform her skin when she suffered a major acne outbreak.

"I just went through a period of my life where my skin just wasn't happy and kept flaring up. I had really big breakouts, almost like boils rather than spots. I think now, from my pregnancy hormones, I've got a lot more spots on my chin.

"Underneath this foundation, you would see I've got really quite big pores. So I do have to close them before dirt gets in."

Finding a simple but effective skin regime, as well as watching what she eats and drinks, helped Solomon get her skin under control.

"I think cleaning my face really made a big difference, but what made the biggest difference was drinking loads of water and trying to be conscious about what my gut would like as much as possible.

"I mean I still have those days where I'm like, 'I cannot face cleansing, toning and moisturising today,' but most of the time I'll take my make-up off because it's just not worth it for me now. As soon as my pores get clogged, that's it, I'm going to get spots."

On days when she does have the odd spot, Solomon uses the tricks of the trade she's learned from having her make-up done by professionals for years, ever since she shot to fame as a contestant on the The X Factor in 2009.

"Before, I didn't realise you have to put a primer on, so I would always just put my foundation straight on my face.

"Now I put my moisturiser on with SPF in it, then I'll put on a primer so that the foundation doesn't all just go right into the skin."

One thing that hasn't changed, however, is that she still loves a beauty bargain - like a 5.99 foundation.

"I usually use Bobbi Brown foundation, but then there's some others I will also use, like Collection.

"It's some odd mix and match - I think Bobbi Brown is a bit expensive so I would mix it with Collection, so you don't use it all up and you get coverage from a bit of both.

"And I love all the microfibre mascaras you can get now so you don't have to wear false lashes all the time."

Plus, the Dagenham-born TV star doesn't require a glam squad every day.

"I love doing my own make-up as well, there's something about drawing on your face, it's almost like meditation."

In fact, she's never afraid to go bare-faced, even on social media.

"I don't think too much about should I do a makeup-free selfie?

"Or should I wear make-up today? I just live my life," she says.

"I don't care what I look like. I think, 'Yeah, that is what I look like' and there's nothing wrong with what I look like."

With her bubbly personality and an attitude like that, no wonder Solomon is so popular with her 1.4 million Instagram followers.

While she admits she occasionally has to resort to deleting comments and blocking nasty users, on the whole fans are warm and friendly.

"I'm really lucky people are nice. It doesn't matter if I'm doing a really emotional post or just a 'Hi, I'm being silly' post," she says.

"I think people are just really, really lovely and accepting. And it's easy for me just to be whatever I am."
Brexit talks between the Government and the Labour Party were continuing on an official level last night after four days of little apparent progress.

In jointly released statements, Downing Street and Labour said "technical" talks were restarting after dialogue by phone and email over the weekend.

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There was no official confirmation of BBC reports that the Government had made a fresh offer of a legislative "lock" to prevent a future Conservative leader from unpicking any agreement reached by Theresa May.

With only two days until a crunch Brussels summit at which the other 27 EU member states will decide whether to grant the Prime Minster's request for a further Brexit delay, Downing Street insisted she was treating the cross-party talks with "urgency".

But there appeared little prospect of a compromise agreement being in place in time for tomorrow's EU meeting, and no chance of it being approved by MPs before the EU27 meet.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the talks were serious, but the Government was sticking to its red lines.

He said: "The exchanges with the Government have been serious, but our shadow cabinet expressed frustration that the Prime Minister has not yet moved off her red lines so we can reach a compromise.

"The key issues that we must see real movement on to secure an agreement are a customs union with the EU, alignment with the single market and full dynamic alignment of workers' rights, environmental protections and consumer standards.

"We are prepared to talk and put forward our view, but talks have to mean a movement and so far there has been no change in those red lines."

Mrs May is to make a whistle-stop trip to Berlin and Paris for last-minute talks with Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron on the eve of the emergency summit. And she spoke by phone with European Council president Donald Tusk, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, Dutch PM Mark Rutte and Malta's Joseph Muscat to set out the case for extending the Brexit process to June 30.

The unanimous agreement of all 27 is needed to avoid the UK leaving without a deal on Friday.

Mr Tusk has recommended a one-year extension to the Brexit process, with a break clause allowing an earlier departure if a withdrawal deal is ratified in Westminster.

Following his call with Mrs May, Mr Rutte said it would be "crucial" for the EU27 to know "when and on what basis" the UK will ratify its Withdrawal Agreement.

He said they would need assurances of "sincere co-operation" from London before granting an extension.

Today's weekly meeting of Cabinet has been cancelled due to Mrs May's travels, with no rescheduled date announced.

A number of Cabinet ministers attended Downing Street for a scheduled meeting of the EU subcommittee yesterday.

The Prime Minister has angered Tories by holding talks with Labour, with Brexiteers including Boris Johnson concerned that she will accept a customs union as the price for a deal with Jeremy Corbyn.

Negotiations stalled after Labour said the Prime Minister refused to set out any changes to her Brexit red lines.

Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said the ball was "in the Government's court".

He told the BBC: "At the moment we're waiting to see what the Government is putting on the table as a proposal.

"All they have done so far is to indicate various things but not to change the Political Declaration, so the ball is in the Government's court. We need to see what they come back with and when they do we will take a collective position on that."

In a video message recorded in her Chequers country retreat at the weekend, Mrs May said both sides in the cross-party talks will have to compromise.

The Prime Minister acknowledged she could not see the Commons accepting her deal in its current form and MPs would not agree to a no-deal exit.

If no deal can be reached with Labour, Mrs May has committed to putting a series of Brexit options to the Commons and being bound by the result.

She hopes to have a solution ratified in time to allow the UK to leave the EU by May 22, avoiding the need to take part in European Parliament elections the following day.

But Mr Johnson warned that Tory MPs will not allow Mrs May to "surrender" to Mr Corbyn, who is demanding involvement in a post-Brexit customs union arrangement with the EU as part of the price for Labour support.
Mourners file past the coffin of Father Hugh Mullan, one of the 10 people killed (PA Archive)

A former chaplain to the Parachute Regiment has told the Ballymurphy Massacre inquest that he did not believe allegations that people wounded in the shootings had been abused by another army cleric.

Soldier M118 was one of two chaplains to 2 Para in August 1971 when 10 people were shot dead by soldiers.

A new inquest into the shootings is being held at Belfast Coroner's Court.

The three-day series of events, which has become known as the Ballymurphy Massacre, started on August 9 as the Army moved into republican strongholds to arrest IRA suspects in the wake of the introduction by the Stormont administration of the controversial policy of internment without trial.

Soldier M118 was an Anglican chaplain to 2 Para, the other was a Catholic priest.

Yesterday, he was asked by a barrister for the families of the dead if he had heard allegations that an Army chaplain had taken part in abuse of the wounded in Henry Taggart Memorial Hall, which housed the Paras' base.

"I have heard this, I have reason to disbelieve it," he told the court.

It was also suggested to Soldier M118 by another QC that his evidence of not having seen the wounded had been mostly made up.

"Why would I make it up?" asked M118.

"You want to distance yourself from the wounded and bodies you saw in Henry Taggart Hall," the barrister replied.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Riots : Belfast. January 1971. Soldiers frisking passengers and driver of a car on the Springfield Road, near Ballymurphy. (14/01/1971) Riots: Belfast. August 1970. Soldiers shelter behind their riot shields during rioting at Ballymurphy. (04/08/70) Riots : Belfast. August 1970. The common sight in the Roman Catholic estate at Ballymurphy, Belfast, as young rioters attack the army with missiles during the troubles. (04/08/70) Ballymurphy: troops stand by at the junction of Springfield and Whiterock Roads (20/09/1970) Riots : Belfast. January 1971. Catholic housing estate, Ballymurphy. (15/01/1971) Mourners file past the coffin of Father Hugh Mullan, one of the 10 people killed (PA Archive) PA Archive/PA Images Father Hugh Mullan. Shot at Moyard Park. 9/8/1971 THE FUNERAL HEARSE CARRYING THE BODY OF FATHER HUGH MULLAN TRAVELS ALONG THE ROAD IN BALLYMURPHY ESTATE. 12/8/1971 Joseph Murphy was one of 10 people shot dead by British soldiers in West Belfast in 1971 Pacemaker Press 17/6/10 John McKerr who is one of the 11 people died in the Ballymurphy Massacre in 1971 in West Belfast Pacemaker Press 17/6/10 Fr Hugh Mullan who is one of the 11 people died in the Ballymurphy Massacre in 1971 in West Belfast Pacemaker Press 17/6/10 Joseph Corr who is one of the 11 people died in the Ballymurphy Massacre in 1971 in West Belfast Pacemaker Press 17/6/10 Danny Teggart who is one of the 11 people died in the Ballymurphy Massacre in 1971 in West Belfast Pacemaker Press 17/6/10 Danny Teggart who is one of the 11 people died in the Ballymurphy Massacre in 1971 in West Belfast Pacemaker Press 17/6/10 Danny Teggart who is one of the 11 people died in the Ballymurphy Massacre in 1971 in West Belfast Press Eye Ltd Northern Ireland - 25th January 2012 Mandatory Credit - Photo-Jonathan Porter/Presseye. Ballymurphy massacre relatives call for a meeting with the Prime Minister, David Cameron. 10 people were shot dead by soldiers in west Belfast in August 1971. The victims, which included a priest and a mother-of-eight, were killed over the course of three days in August 1971 by members of the Parachute Regiment during Operation Demetrius, when people suspected of paramilitary activity were interned. Relatives Rita Bonner, John Teggart and Briege Voyle pictured at the top of the Whiterock Road in west Belfast beside a mural depicting the shootings. / Facebook

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"You are wrong," said M118, who gave evidence from behind a screen.

The former chaplain also denied that he was the chaplain said to have stepped in to prevent soldiers abusing the wounded.

Later, he said that he recalled a phone call from a local civilian priest requesting a ceasefire, although the shooting had stopped by then.

He said a soldier had told him that the shooting had started when gunmen opened fire on the army.

When he told this to the priest, the other man hung up, M118 told the inquest. M118 had previously told the Historical Enquiries Team in 2011 that he had told the priest: "How can I call a ceasefire when it's your chaps that are doing most of the firing?"

The inquest has already heard how a priest had rung twice asking for a ceasefire in nearby Springfield Park, but M118 said he did not believe it was himself who had taken those particular calls.
The funeral of William Duffy, who died aged 105, takes place at St James Church in Tandragee

The funeral of William Duffy, who died aged 105, takes place at St James Church in Tandragee

Mourners at the funeral of a well-known Co Armagh man who had reached his 106th year have heard him described as "a living antique" and the "go-to person for local knowledge".

Fr Michael Woods was speaking yesterday at the funeral of William (Billy) Duffy in St James' Church, Tandragee.

Mr Duffy was just weeks away from celebrating his 106th birthday when he died on Friday.

Fr Woods told mourners that Mr Duffy's "sense of wonder kept his mind young for 106 years, but the body couldn't keep up".

Mr Duffy was born in Greenwich Village in the United States on April 22, 1913. His family returned to Northern Ireland when he was a young boy after his mother died in a tram accident.

He was predeceased by his wife Dolores, at the age of 84, in December 2017. The couple had eight children - Monica, Deirdre, Liam, Blathnaid, Oisin, Grainne, Meabh and Brid - as well as many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

In his sermon, Fr Woods said: "Luke, in his gospel today, tells us that we should always be ready for Christ when he comes. It may be in the second watch he comes, or in the third, but happy those servants if he finds them ready. In Billy's case it was almost the fourth watch, if there is such.

"Billy was well-known for his love and wonder at the printed word, be it Swahili or Scots Gaelic. Like his cows ruminating and chewing the cud, he likewise chewed and ruminated on what he had read.

"His love and wonder at the printed word extended to the living word... his Mass on Sunday was a must. I remember him wading through festivals and marches with his walking aid to get to his Mass... the crowd going one way and he the other.

"To qualify as an antique piece of furniture an item would have to be 100 years old. Most of us will only make the collectibles grade of less than 100, but Billy was a living antique, nearly 106 years old," Fr Woods added.

Mr Duffy was laid to rest in Ballinabeck Cemetery.
On April 21st, the Georgian Adzhar Autonomous Republic is going to hold a funeral ceremony of victims of communist repressions. Recently, remnants of 150 victims were found in four mass graves in the Khelvachaur District of the autonomy. There is no doubt that the deceased were executed by shooting. An estimated date of the mass execution was also found out: 1937-1939 when after an order of the head of the USSR NKVD Nikolai Ezhov and the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Georgian SSR Communist Party Lavrenty Beria, mass repressions, including executions by shooting, overran the republic. Thousands of people were massacred. Adzharia also suffered from the tragedy, where now Muslim Georgians live.

After the dissolution of the USSR, bones and remnants of the purged in the years of terror had many times been buried in Georgia. However, this time organization of the funeral ceremony led to public discussions which were called by the local media not a conflict, but confusion. The head of the Muslim Union of Georgia Tariel Nakaidze expressed his bewilderment in the context of the position of both the central authorities and the local Adzhar authorities. But excavation of remnants and their identification were held under management of the Adzhar eparchy of the Georgian Orthodox Church (GOC). The funeral ceremony has no place for Muslim clergymen and the funeral is going to take place on the territory which belongs to the GOC eparchy.

Tariel Nakaidze insists that the authorities should change the place of the coming funeral and provide participation of Muslim clerical leaders.

Nakaidzes message didnt contain any threat or conflict tone. It was quite diplomatic. However, the developments stirred up Muslim Georgians. A representative of the Adzhar government told Vestnik Kavkaza that they are closely studying the situation but no decisions on a place and a format of the funeral ceremony have been made yet. The GOC Patriarchy stated that all commemorative events were held under management of the GOC since 1989 when the process of rehabilitation of the political purged started.

At the same time, the majority of the executed people were Muslims. It is unacceptable to bury them, according to traditions of any other religion. Now leaders of the Muslim community hope that the authorities will manage to settle the interreligious confusion.
Plans to randomly sample notes taken by members of a panel responsible for choosing the next PSNI Chief Constable have been unveiled as the competition for the 207,000 per year job opens today.

Independent recruitment specialists have been drafted in to oversee the process as part of a number of additional measures adopted after Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald expressed no confidence in any PSNI officer replacing George Hamilton.

Her remarks back in February sparked controversy and led to accusations that she was undermining the integrity of the recruitment process.

It also prompted calls for Sinn Fein to be excluded from the selection panel assembled by the Policing Board.

Instead, members agreed to introduce new quality assurance measures to safeguard the process, which include the appointment of a senior occupational psychologist to sit in during the interviews.

The Pertemps Professional Development employee will "dip sample" notes taken by all eight selection panel members and ask them to justify the score they allocate to candidates.

Policing Board chairwoman Anne Connolly said it is seeking an "exceptional leader" to take up the role which comes with significant operational and representative responsibilities.

They must have "an ability to drive and deliver organisational change to meet existing and future" challenges.

"As a board we want our policing service to be representative of the community it serves," she added.

"We welcome applications from all chief officers who believe they possess the range of skills, abilities and capabilities for this key post."

She said applications are particularly welcome from the Catholic community, women and members of black and minority ethnic groups, as they are currently under-represented at senior levels in the PSNI.

Other additional measures include the appointment of an equality and diversity adviser to help ensure that the process is inclusive.

Training for the three independent and five political panel members has been extended from half-a-day to two full days.

Mock interviews will also be conducted to ensure that those responsible for shortlisting candidates on May 14 understand the legislative framework that they are required to work within.

All panel members have signed confidentiality agreements to prevent them publicly discussing the process, which is expected to conclude by the end of next month.

The Policing Board is in the process of writing to around 254 UK officers ranked Assistant Chief Constable or higher who have completed a strategic command course and are eligible to apply.

Up to six Irish Garda officers are eligible to apply.

The successful candidate must be confirmed by Secretary of State Karen Bradley.
Some health trusts are still not carrying out pre-employment checks on locum doctors - more than six years after being told to increase scrutiny.

A new report says it is "deeply concerning" that a 2012 warning has not been acted on.

It comes days after a Northern Ireland coroner raised concerns about the way locum consultants are recruited and appointed.

An inquest heard Lurgan businessman Denis Doran suffered a fatal heart attack after being misdiagnosed with a hernia.

The locum consultant who made the error, Dr Mohammod Asaduzzeman, had not been formally interviewed. He had forwarded his CV to the Southern Health Trust, and no formal induction process was given.

Today's report by the Northern Ireland Audit Office says pre-employment checks need to be strengthened.

A locum is a qualified medical practitioner who temporarily covers for staff shortages or busy periods. Hospitals use locums for short-term shift cover or to fill vacant posts for staff on extended leave.

Today's report examines progress on the use of locums since a previous bulletin in 2011. It notes an "unsustainable" rise in health trusts' reliance on locums.

The report says: "The use of locum doctors is recognised as being both expensive and as having the potential to increase risks to patient safety."

One of the key findings is a continued lack of adequate pre-employment checks.

The Audit Office's previous bulletin, in July 2011, identified several instances where checks to ensure the competence of locums had not been undertaken or were not properly documented, and where trusts' arrangements with agencies supplying locums exposed them to risk.

The following year, in March 2012, a report by Stormont's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said the Department of Health should "immediately" remind health trusts about complying fully with the relevant checks before appointing a locum doctor.

Today's review criticises the lack of progress since then.

It says: "Six years after the PAC reported, it is deeply concerning that there is evidence that some trusts are not completing the necessary pre-employment checks before making locum appointments.

"These checks provide vital assurance that doctors are suitably qualified and registered, and that no concerns exist over their fitness to work."

Internal audits indicate there is still non-compliance within some health trusts.

Today's report describes how auditors found proper checks were not carried out in at least three health trusts - the South Eastern; Southern and Western.

In the Southern Trust, which was criticised during Mr Doran's inquest, a sample review of 20 locums engaged from agencies in 2016/17 found the necessary pre-employment checks had not been completed six times.

In the Western Trust, in 10 of 40 agency locum appointments examined in 2016/17, no evidence existed that a check had been performed on the doctors' fitness for work.

And in the South Eastern Trust, no evidence existed that full pre-employment checks were made when 'non-contracted' agencies were used.

Further, of 23 trust employees engaged as locums, there was no evidence of Access NI checks (12 cases); occupational health checks (seven cases) and fitness to work in the UK checks (14 cases).

No audits had been completed on any of the 25 agencies used by the South Eastern Trust, to measure their compliance in carrying out pre-employment checks.

Today's report concludes: "Trusts need to take action to strengthen their internal monitoring to ensure that pre-employment checks on locum doctors are being undertaken.

"The department should also consider commencing central monitoring of this key area."

Last Friday a coroner raised concerns over the way locum consultants are recruited and appointed.

It followed an inquest after Mr Doran died following a heart attack in November 2016.

He had been seen around two months earlier by Dr Asaduzzeman, the locum consultant, who incorrectly diagnosed a hiatus hernia. It emerged Dr Asaduzzeman did not have an interview or induction after arriving for his first shift.

He told the inquest he was "not aware" of the existence of the Rapid Access Chest Pain Clinic in Craigavon Area Hospital when Mr Doran presented with chest pains "up to his throat".

"There was no formal orientation process because I was a locum - that's what happens," he said.

The coroner, Patrick McGurgan, concluded that if Mr Doran had received a proper diagnosis and treatment, his death could have been prevented.

The coroner is to ask the Southern Trust to review the cases of 13 other patients who died while on the waiting list.

The Southern Health Trust has pledged to review the coroner's findings.

British Medical Association NI chairman Dr Tom Black said the cost of locum doctors is "completely unacceptable".

"There needs to be proper, long-term workforce planning done in Northern Ireland, and these plans need to be implemented. Using locums to plug workforce gaps benefits neither patients or the health service," he said. "We are also concerned that using so many locums has a negative effect on training as younger doctors step out of the training programme to locum and this has a long-term impact on service provision.

"There are non-pay issues faced by doctors in training that need addressed to help make embarking on a long-term training attractive and rewarding.

"Our evidence shows that restrictions to annual leave, not knowing where you will be working and what your schedule will be, as well as not being able to take rest breaks, have a negative effect on junior doctors. The onus is on the department to ensure that the range of non-pay issues are addressed.

"In relation to patient safety issues raised in the report; all doctors want to make sure no patient comes to harm.

"We would welcome the introduction of an organisational statutory duty of candour and believe this may help create the conditions where staff feel they can raise concerns and importantly that the lessons are learnt to build patient and public trust in the healthcare system."
The DUP joined with a Tory rebellion on voting against a motion backing the Prime Minister's plan to seek to delay Brexit until the end of June.

MPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of the extension request by 420 votes to 110 - a majority of 310.

Nine of the DUP's 10 MPs voted against the Government along with 97 Conservatives. Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson was not recorded to have voted Parliament records show, while North Down independent Lady Sylvia Hermon voted in favour.

The Prime Minister was forced to bring forward the motion under legislation pushed by Labour former minister Yvette Cooper, as part of a parliamentary bid to prevent a no-deal Brexit on April 12  although any extension is subject to the decision of the EU.

Speaking to the BBC DUP leader Arlene Foster said it was painful to watch the Prime Minister "beg" EU leaders to leave saying the talks had been handled badly.

"As someone who passionately believes in the UK and its capacity and potential I find it quite painful to watch what's going on," she said.

"It is rather humiliating we are having to go and beg so that we can leave.

"It is nearly three years since the nation voted to leave the EU and we are now pleading to stay in so we can deal with matters that should have been dealt with before now.

"We have said that she needed to be strong, she needed to show leadership but I am sorry to say that has not been evident in the past couple of months."

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EU leaders are meeting on Wednesday to consider the Prime Minister's second request to delay Brexit.

In a draft conclusions document, reported by Sky News, it states the EU would allow an extension but crucially the date for it to end has been left blank.

European Commission President Donald Tusk is sceptical the UK Government's Brexit deal could be completed by the end of June. He is concerned granting further extensions would lead to a "rolling series" of extensions "over-shadowing" the work of the EU27 for months.

He said there should be a discussion on a longer extension which would allow the UK to leave when it could in order to avoid an "accidental no-deal Brexit".

Mr Tusk said a flexible extension would "allow it to terminate the extension automatically, as soon as both sides have ratified the Withdrawal Agreement".

"The UK would be free to leave whenever it is ready. And the EU27 would avoid repeated Brexit summits.

"Importantly, a long extension would provide more certainty and predictability by removing the threat of constantly shifting cliff-edge dates.

"Furthermore, in the event of a continued stalemate, such a longer extension would allow the UK to rethink its Brexit strategy."

He added: "As you know, with Brexit there are no easy solutions. Both aforementioned options have their advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, let us discuss them in an open, creative, and constructive way."
The Orange Order has said that there are "questions to be answered" over the building of houses at a Belfast parade interface, yards from an Orange Hall.

Choice Housing has been granted planning permission from Belfast City Council to build the development in north Belfast.

Four houses and six apartments are to be built at Stanhope Street/Regent Street, just yards from Clifton Street Orange Hall.

Clifton Street is one of the main parading routes into Belfast city centre with around 20 parades including the main Twelfth procession each year passing the location. conditions have been placed on all those parades in relation to conduct. The Orange Hall has come under attack numerous times over the years and there have been protests staged along the street in opposition to parades.

A spokesman for the County Grand Orange Lodge of Belfast said the group will be seeking a meeting with Choice Housing to ask why they weren't consulted on the development. Choice Housing, however, said it consulted "extensively" with officials at the hall.

Orange Order officials said Belfast City Council didn't recognise "the sensitivities of this area with regards to cultural expression" and queried where the development fit into cultural plans for the area.

"Questions need answered and we will appreciate the locally elected representatives assisting us in obtaining the answers," a lodge spokesman said.

The order said the plan, in conjunction with a Parades Commission decision to ban supporters of Orange parades from the Clifton Street/Donegall Street areas would create a "permanent no go area" along the main parading route.

"The Orange Institutions objections do not relate to the needed housing, but how the siting of housing on this main arterial economic route into the city centre makes a nonsense of the aim of a shared city," the spokesperson said.

"If this development goes ahead Clifton Street should be renamed Sectarian Street."

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Pacemaker Press 12/7/2017 The 12th of July Parade takes place from from Clifton Street threw the streets of Belfast on Wednesday, As thousands of people line the streets across Northern Ireland the 12th of July celebrations. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 12/7/2017 The 12th of July Parade takes place from from Clifton Street threw the streets of Belfast on Wednesday, As thousands of people line the streets across Northern Ireland the 12th of July celebrations. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 12/7/2017 The 12th of July Parade takes place from from Clifton Street threw the streets of Belfast on Wednesday, As thousands of people line the streets across Northern Ireland the 12th of July celebrations. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 12/7/2017 The 12th of July Parade takes place from from Clifton Street threw the streets of Belfast on Wednesday, As thousands of people line the streets across Northern Ireland the 12th of July celebrations. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 12/7/2017 The 12th of July Parade takes place from from Clifton Street threw the streets of Belfast on Wednesday, As thousands of people line the streets across Northern Ireland the 12th of July celebrations. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 12/7/2017 The 12th of July Parade takes place from from Clifton Street threw the streets of Belfast on Wednesday, As thousands of people line the streets across Northern Ireland the 12th of July celebrations. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 12/7/2017 The 12th of July Parade takes place from from Clifton Street threw the streets of Belfast on Wednesday, As thousands of people line the streets across Northern Ireland the 12th of July celebrations. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 12/7/2017 The 12th of July Parade takes place from from Clifton Street threw the streets of Belfast on Wednesday, As thousands of people line the streets across Northern Ireland the 12th of July celebrations. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 12/7/2017 The 12th of July Parade takes place from from Clifton Street threw the streets of Belfast on Wednesday, As thousands of people line the streets across Northern Ireland the 12th of July celebrations. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 12/7/2017 The 12th of July Parade takes place from from Clifton Street threw the streets of Belfast on Wednesday, As thousands of people line the streets across Northern Ireland the 12th of July celebrations. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Loyalist protesters at Clifton Street Orange Hall during a republican parade. Pic: Jonathan Porter/Press Eye. / Facebook

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Choice Housing said it was "committed to undertaking full, open and effective community consultations for all of our developments".

"We can confirm in relation to this project that Choice Housing undertook an extensive consultation process, which included consulting with the Belfast Orange Hall on the proposed development," a spokeswoman said.

"An initial community consultation letter was issued in June 2017, which was followed by a meeting with public representatives and members of the Orange Order (August 2017) and we engaged in written correspondence (on 2, 15 and 17 of August 2017). Further correspondence took place in September 2017.

"Ultimately all social housing schemes are approved by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, reflect local housing need and allocations are made in full compliance with the common selection scheme."

A Belfast City Council spokesperson said that the application was approved "after considering all material planning considerations in full accordance with how planning applications should be processed".

"No objections to this application were received. Full details of the application are available on the Planning Portal," the spokesperson said.

A Parades Commission spokesperson said that around 20 loyal order parades, including the Twelfth of July parade, pass Clifton Street each year, with many assembling and dispersing at the Orange Hall.

"Conditions have been placed on these parades in relation to music and supporters, and to ensure compliance with the Commissions Code of Conduct, the spokesperson said.
Leo Varadkar said he is confident an agreement on extending the Brexit deadline will be reached at a crunch EU summit.

Irish premier Leo Varadkar has said he is confident an agreement on extending the Brexit deadline will be reached at a crunch EU summit.

The Taoiseach will fly to Brussels on Wednesday where EU leaders will discuss Theresa Mays request to delay Brexit.

It comes as the EUs chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, said Brussels could amend the Political Declaration on future relations with the UK within a few hours or days to incorporate the customs union arrangement being discussed in cross-party talks between the Government and Labour.

Speaking in the Irish parliament, Mr Varadkar said: I sincerely hope that it will be possible to build sufficient consensus in Westminster to enable ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement and an orderly Brexit thereafter.

From Irelands perspective, we are open to extending the deadline to allow time for these discussions to run their course and come to a conclusion.

Above all, we want the Withdrawal Agreement to be ratified so that negotiations can begin on a future relationship, we, I hope and expect, can be a new economic partnership between the UK and the EU that is as close as can be achieved.

All this will be discussed at the European Council tomorrow.

There will be different views, but I am confident that we will reach agreement there.

However, given the ongoing uncertainty in London, we need to continue our preparations for a no-deal.

We also discussed the length of a possible extension & I look forward to discussing this further with my EU counterparts on Wednesday. There will of course be different views but I am confident we will reach agreement #Brexit  Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) April 8, 2019

Mrs May has asked for the date of Brexit to be delayed until June 30, with the possibility of an earlier departure if the UKs withdrawal deal is ratified.

Mr Varadkar described Mrs Mays letter to European Council President Donald Tusk as a positive step.

He added: It offers welcome assurances that the UK will prepare for the European Parliament elections and will hold them, if the UK has not left the EU by 22 May.

Importantly, from our perspective, the Prime Minister acknowledges that the Withdrawal Agreement cannot be changed, and that any solution must respect that Agreement in its entirety.

The EU has always stated that the Withdrawal Agreement, which includes the backstop, cannot be re-negotiated.

It is the outcome of almost two years of difficult negotiations between the EU and Ireland and the UK.

It represents a finely balanced compromise, including the challenge of the UK leaving the EU without giving rise to the return of a hard border on the island of Ireland.

He added that his ambition is to have a deep future relationship with the UK so that the backstop is never needed.

However, until this happens, it is needed as an insurance policy to protect the Good Friday Agreement and ensure there is no hard border on the island of Ireland, he continued.

It has been obvious for some time that the solution to the deadlock lies in London and that the impasse there could only be resolved in Westminster.

It is very welcome that cross-party talks are now under way and that the focus of these is on the shape of the future relationship.
A 32-year-old man arrested on suspicion of the murder of Jim Donegan has been released.

The man was arrested on the Springfield Road area of west Belfast on Tuesday.

He has also been arrested on suspicion of membership of a proscribed organisation.

The man was taken to the custody suite at Musgrave Serious Crime Suite for questioning before his unconditional release.

Mr Donegan was murdered on December 4 last year as he sat in his car outside St Mary's Grammar School and Christian Brothers School on the Glen Road in west Belfast.

He had been waiting to pick up his 13-year-old son, who missed his father's murder by seconds.

The 43-year-old's murder was carried out by a lone gunman in front of hundreds of school children and their parents.

In the wake of his murder police said that Mr Donegan had a "number of enemies" and was known to them.

Also known as JD, he lived in the Lisburn area with his family.
Andrea Leadsom has called for German Chancellor Angela Merkel to reopen talks on the Irish backstop in the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.

The Commons Leader made the call after a senior German official said the UK must take substantial steps to break the Brexit stand-off.

The EU has repeatedly ruled out reopening the backstop proposals in the Withdrawal Agreement, which were previously agreed with Mrs May.

The Prime Minister is embarking on a diplomatic flurry to plead for an extension, with Mrs Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, ahead of a crunch EU summit on Wednesday.

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Mrs Leadsom told ITV News: The Prime Minister is off to see Angela Merkel today and it would be fantastic if Angela Merkel will try to support a proper UK Brexit by agreeing to reopen the Withdrawal Agreement.

There have been rumours over the weekend some senior members of the German government would be willing to do that in order to get Theresa Mays deal over the line.

As the person with the responsibility to get the legislation through, if we get the Prime Ministers deal over the line because the EU has decided to support measures on the backstop, that would be the best possible outcome.

Mrs Leadsom acknowledged Mrs May was focused on requesting an extension to the Article 50 deadline but insisted the UK was still in control of Brexit, saying yes it is, at the moment it is.

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However, Michael Roth, Germanys deputy foreign minister, expressed frustration that nothing seemed to have changed on the UK side and said any delay must come with strict conditions.

As he arrived at an EU meeting in Luxembourg on Tuesday, Mr Roth said so far absolutely nothing has changed and we are in a very, very frustrating situation here.

Mr Roth said that within the European Union, there isnt an endless readiness to keep talking about delays so long as there is no substantial progress on the British side.

Mrs May has asked for a new delay until June 30 but, according to reports, Brexit could be delayed by nearly a year under plans being considered by EU officials.

Arrival and doorstep by @MiRo_SPD #DE at the General Affairs Council (#Article50) #GAC 50 and #GAC in #Luxembourg

"We are dealing with a very frustrating situation here, and the #EU needs to finally be able to tackle its future tasks"https://t.co/cojCCxPgF7  EU Council TV News (@EUCouncilTVNews) April 9, 2019

Such an extension would mean the UK having to take part in European parliamentary elections, which would be anathema to hardline Brexiteer Tories, and the country could be sidelined from budget decisions in Brussels.

All 27 remaining EU heads of government must agree to an extension if the UK is to avoid the default position of a no-deal Brexit on Friday night.

On Monday night, MPs and peers backed a new law to extend the Brexit process, and cross-party talks are expected to continue in the hope of finding a compromise.

Meanwhile, talks between the Government and Labour aimed at finding a cross-party consensus are due to resume on Tuesday, following technical discussions between officials on Monday.

The latest round of talks will include Mrs Mays de facto deputy, Cabinet Office minister David Lidington, and Chancellor Philip Hammond from the Government side, with shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer and shadow chancellor John McDonnell from Labour.

Justice Secretary David Gauke said the talks were taking place in a constructive manner but it was too early to say whether they would reach an agreement.

After Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn urged the Prime Minister to move on her negotiating red lines, Mr Gauke acknowledged there would need to be flexibility on both sides.

To reach a resolution the likelihood is there will need to be flexibility from all sides, he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

The talks so far have been undertaken in a constructive manner from both sides. There are some areas of common ground but there are also well-known areas of disagreement.

There is a lot of work going on at the moment in terms of identifying where we can move forward.

Mr Gauke played down a report that Mrs May was considering offering MPs a vote on whether to hold a confirmatory referendum on any Brexit deal that was agreed.

In the discussions I have had with the Prime Minister she had made it very clear that she doesnt want a confirmatory referendum, he said.

He acknowledged, however, that there were likely to be further attempts to put down amendments requiring a confirmatory public vote when any agreement was put to Parliament for ratification.
Police believe that the discovery of a mortar tube and command wire prevented an attack by dissident republicans on security services.

The items were recovered during a security operation in Castlewellan after a discovery by a member of the public in the Drumnaquoile Road area before 3pm on Monday.

At a press conference, PSNI detective superintendent John McVea said it was likely the mortar tube was left by the road for collection by another dissident republican.

He said the tube did not contain a mortar device. It was left behind a wall outside a derelict house and in relatively good condition indicating it had been left in place recently.

"We are very pleased to have this item recovered - undoubtedly it was in the future intended to be used in an attack against the security forces," he said.

"There is a derelict farm building in the immediate vicinity. The device, the mortar tube, was left just by the wall. It was not covered in any way.

"It was in very good condition and there were no signs it had been left to the elements for any length of time and certainly we are working on the theory that it was left there in very recent times."

DUP Policing Board member and North Antrim MLA Mervyn Storey welcomed the discovery.

He said: "This is a significant discovery which would appear to have foiled attempts by republican terrorists to bring violence onto our streets.

"It is vital that those responsible for such devices are brought to justice and everyone will hope that evidence can be gathered which will lead to that outcome.

Expand Close The device was located by a member of the public just off the road close to the area indicated by the red square. Credit: PSNI / Facebook

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"The items appear to have been recently prepared and it demonstrates the need for ongoing vigilance against such terrorists. Those who are attempting to copy the failed tactics pursued by others in the past must face a united stance by the community in opposition. Information from the public about the activities of these groups is also vital to tackle the threat they pose."

MP Chris Hazzard added: "I welcome that these materials have been taken out of circulation and out of the hands of those who cause death and destruction in the community.

There is absolutely no place for this type of activity in our society. Anyone with any information should bring it forward to police.

Police implemented an extensive clearance operation on Monday following the discovery which lasted into Tuesday afternoon.

Detective Inspector Orr added: "The mortar tube and command wire will now be subject to detailed forensic examination however our initial assessment is the items, which are in a fairly good condition relative to other similar devices we have uncovered, had not been at that location for very long and may even have been there for as little as one day.

"I am appealing for local people to help us identify those responsible for leaving this device so close to a public road and to come forward with any information they may have.

Expand Close PSNI Detective Superintendent John McVea speaks to the media at police headquarters Knock in east Belfast regarding the recent find of a mortar device outside Castlewellan. Picture by PressEye.com / Facebook

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Whatsapp PSNI Detective Superintendent John McVea speaks to the media at police headquarters Knock in east Belfast regarding the recent find of a mortar device outside Castlewellan. Picture by PressEye.com

"Whilst at this stage, it is too early to attribute ownership to any particular grouping, it is my belief that dissident republican terrorists are responsible and that this find has undoubtedly prevented an attack on local police.

"We know that the vast majority of people support our police officers and simply want to live in a peaceful society. We will continue to work with communities to disrupt the activities of the small group of people who are intent on using violence. If you know anything that could help us, please call 101, quoting reference 721 08/04/19.
Renewed fighting in Libya raises the risk of a civil war between numerous militia, analysts warn.

Market Watch reports in its article Oil climbs to 5-month highs as Libyan conflict feeds expectations of tighter global supplies that Brent crude, the international benchmark, hit fresh five-month highs in Monday action, and U.S.-traded oil was tagging along in step, both boosted by signs that trade tensions are easing between the U.S. and China, as well as continued expectations for tighter global supplies.

Developments for fighting in Libya remained a peripheral factor for the energy markets as well. Among the more direct drivers were reports that Chinas state-owned energy giant Sinopec had resumed buying U.S. oil, which was bullish for the oil market, said consulting firm JBC Energy. According to the U.S. Energy Information Authority, U.S. crude exports to China had dried up from mid-2018 through recent weeks, after having averaged over 300,000 barrels a day in the first half of last year.This has, over Q1, left a crude export stream more than twice the size of Libya to supply the rest of the world, where crude demand growth is muted, the JBC Energy analysts said in a note.

Early Monday, June Brent LCOM9, +0.41% rose 46 cents, or 0.7%, to $70.80 a barrel on ICE Europe. Its close at $70.34 Friday was the highest since Nov. 8. Brent rose 4.1% for the week, for its second consecutive positive weekly performance.

The U.S. benchmark, West Texas Intermediate crude for May delivery CLK9, +0.40% on the New York Mercantile Exchange, rose 40 cents, or 0.6%, to $63.48 a barrel. It rose 4.9% for last week, logging its fifth straight weekly win.

Oil was lifted last week when a stronger-than-expected rise in March nonfarm payrolls helped to soothe worries for energy demand. Data from oil-field services firm Baker Hughes showing that the number of U.S. oil rigs rose by 15 this week to 831 did nothing to dent market gains. The rise came after six consecutive weeks of declines. Brent is up 30.7% in the year to date, while WTI has rallied nearly 39%, boosted by production cuts by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, led by Saudi Arabia, and its allies led by Russia.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military said it pulled a small contingent of American forces from Libya as the country teetered on the brink of full-scale civil war, with fighting continuing around the capital Tripoli. The evacuation is the latest turn in a troubled history of American military involvement in Libya, which has been in turmoil since the overthrow of Moammar Gadhafi in an armed uprising supported by North Atlantic Treaty Organization airstrikes in 2011. U.S. forces have also played a key role in uprooting Islamic State (forbidden in Russia), which gained a foothold in Libya in the chaos that ensued after the Arab Spring.

Renewed fighting in Libya, this time close to the Tripoli. raises the risk of a civil war between numerous militias, some supported by foreign governments, said Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank. Libyas production reached 1.1 million barrels/day last month according to a Bloomberg survey.

Added Hansen: While its oilfields are located far from Tripoli it nevertheless raises the temperature a few more notches. Not least given ongoing production cuts from OPEC and Russia together with the sharp reductions due to crisis and sanctions from Venezuela and Iran. All in all it has created a very lonely place for the those looking for lower prices, especially President Trump who is now faced with the highest seasonal cost of U.S. gasoline since 2014.

The oil market is also keeping tabs on this weeks major bond issue from Saudi Aramco. Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al Falih said Monday that he expects strong demand for the oil giants first-ever bond issue expected to close on Wednesday. Demand for the bonds should be north of $30 billion, al Falih said while speaking at the inaugural Gulf Intelligence Saudi Arabia Energy Forum in Riyadh on Monday, CNBC and other news outlets reported.

If realized, that is well above the $10 billion projected when the sale was first announced. The deal, from the state-controlled company that ranks as the worlds richest, carries high credit ratings and will generate proceeds for a $69.1 billion purchase of a majority stake in petrochemicals firm Sabic.

In other energy trade, May gasoline futures RBK9, +0.43% rose 1.48 cents, or 0.8%, at $1.9835 a gallon; Fridays $1.9687 was the highest finish since Oct. 16. May heating oil HOK9, +0.53% traded nearly 2 cents higher at $2.0582, a gain of 0.7%.

May natural gas NGK19, -0.04% rose 1 cent, or 0.5%, to $2.678 per million British thermal units.
A Ballymoney plumbing apprentice was the only female student to win a gold medal at the annual Skillbuild Northern Ireland competition.

And a young butcher from Portadown proved he was a 'cut above the rest' at an international competition, in which he won gold.

Plumbing isn't just a pipe dream for Abigail Reilly, a student at Northern Regional College, after she beat apprentices from all over Northern Ireland to take first place.

Abigail was one of only two females to take part in Skillbuild, which sees entrants from all over Northern Ireland pitting their skills against each other across different trade areas - including plumbing, carpentry, joinery, electrical installation and brickwork.

Now in the second year of her plumbing apprenticeship at the College's Trostan Avenue campus in Ballymena, Abigail is employed by the Dowds Group, and has worked on major projects such as the multi-million-pound redevelopment of Altnagelvin Hospital.

Northern Regional College principal Terri Scott said: "Abigail is a fantastic role model and I hope that her Skillbuild success will encourage other young women to consider non-traditional career paths like apprenticeships.

"Competitions like Skillbuild are a great way to showcase the talent and the technical skills of our apprentices and also to demonstrate to employers the high standard of provision which exists in our college."

Meanwhile, Conor Reynolds, who's a butcher with M&W Farm Meats in Portadown, won gold at the International Young Butcher competition in Perth, Australia.

Conor dedicated his award to his grandfather, Gerry Reynolds, who passed away recently and was his biggest supporter.

The 19-year-old has also recently been named as the Young Butcher for Team Ireland who will be defending their World Butchers of the Year crown in Sacramento, California in 2020.

Following his win, Conor said: "Four years ago, I started to learn the craft of butchery, and recently I've become more confident in my skills and have started to take part in competitions.

"Just last year, I took part in the Premier Young Butcher Competition in Birmingham, winning five out of the six categories and I was named as the overall winner, but even back then, I didn't for one second think that I would be competing in Australia, never mind winning an International award."
Police are investigating after a car was attacked in an arson attack in Co Down in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The car, a BMW 5 Series, was set alight outside a house in Burren Meadows, Newcastle around 1.30am.

Police and firefighters attended the scene and the blaze was extinguished.

A number of nearby houses were evacuated as a safety precaution.

Officers are working to establish a motive for the arson attack.

Inspector Mark Stewart appealed for information.

"I am appealing for anyone who was in the area and who may have seen anything that could assist the police investigation to please call 101, quoting reference 61 09/04/19."
A raid on the home of loyalist blogger Jamie Bryson as part of an investigation into the supply of door staff was "draconian", the High Court heard today.

Counsel for Jamie Bryson claimed material was seized during an unlawful invasion of his privacy.

Mr Bryson is challenging the legality of warrants obtained from a lay magistrate to search residential and business premises in Co Down last August.

Judgment was reserved in his bid to secure a judicial review.

PSNI officers obtained and executed the warrants on behalf of the Security Industry Authority for the regulatory body's inquiries into any suspected illegal supply of staff.

Documents, laptops and an iPad were reportedly seized in the raids.

Mr Bryson's lawyers claim police had no power to take journalistic and other legally privileged material during the operation.

A County Court judge, rather than a lay magistrate, must give the go-ahead to seize such documents, they contend.

Ronan Lavery QC said: "The draconian act of entering somebody's home and seizing the material has taken place - it's the lawfulness of that activity which is under challenge."

He contended that it involved a fundamental breach of Mr Bryson's human rights.

"The material has already been sifted through, his privacy has already been invaded," the barrister went on.

Judges were told of alleged serious omissions in the application to the lay magistrate.

It emerged previously that criminal proceedings have been commenced against Mr Bryson.

The SIA is prosecuting the 29-year-old for allegedly stating a company in which he is a director has never traded.

In closing submissions today, Mr Lavery insisted that the case involved only a summary matter.

"A raid of this nature on his home... when he offered the material on a voluntary basis seems completely disproportionate to the observer," he said.

Tony McGleenan QC, for the PSNI and SIA, disputed assertions that confidential documents were taken.

He also argued that Mr Bryson's challenge should be dismissed on a delay point, adding that the same legal issues could be raised as a defence in the criminal proceedings.

Reserving judgment, Mr Justice McCloskey pledged to give a decision following the Easter recess.
Spending on locum doctors has almost trebled in the last six years - despite warnings that it is expensive and a risk to patient safety. The annual cost is now more than 80m.

In two health trusts, locums account for almost a quarter of the total pay bill. The annual cost of employing an agency locum doctor can be up to 242,000 for a trainee or middle ranking doctor, and 376,000 for a consultant.

The figures are detailed in a report by the Northern Ireland Audit Office.

Auditor General Kieran Donnelly said: "The health and social care sector's heavy reliance on locum doctors is becoming unsustainable, with rising costs placing local health budgets under huge strain.

"Efforts taken to reduce this dependency have had very limited success.

"To help ensure that patients' needs are best met and provide better value for money, it is now imperative that the Department (of Health) and trusts collectively progress the transformation agenda and formulate strategies for delivering a suitably resourced and sustainable medical workforce."

Today's report notes the use of locum doctors is expensive and potentially increases the risks to patient safety.

It found total expenditure on locums has risen by over 190% - from 28.4m in 2010/11 to 83m in 2017/18.

Reliance on locums has increased significantly across all trusts, but particularly in the Northern and Western Trusts, where it now accounts for over 22% of the total medical pay bill.

The review found that trusts are very heavily reliant on locum doctors provided via agencies, which are more expensive than using health service doctors to provide cover.

The report notes how 314m (86%) of the total 363m expenditure on locum doctors between 2011/12 and 2017/18 was paid to agencies. Over this period, spending on agency locums increased significantly. The ratio of spend on agency locums exceeded 80% in all trusts, with the Western Trust (95%) having the highest dependence on this sector. Most trusts are also increasingly reliant on non-contracted agencies, which often charge the highest rates.

In 2017/18, 21.3m (29% of the total agency spend) was paid to non-contracted agencies.

Auditors found the Department of Health and health trusts have made no tangible progress in implementing effective solutions to reduce the heavy reliance on locums.

The report calls for action to address the rising expenditure.

It states: "The department and trusts must seek to find more effective long-term workforce planning solutions, which can help reduce reliance on locums through providing a sustainable and recurrent workforce.

"In tandem with policy development, the department should consider re-establishing short, medium and longer-term targets aimed at reducing the trusts' current level of reliance on locum doctors."
Theresa May has arrived in Berlin to ask German Chancellor Angela Merkel to back her case for a delay to Brexit at a crunch EU summit on Wednesday.

The Prime Minister will then fly to Paris, where she faces the tougher task of winning the support of French President Emmanuel Macron, who has warned in recent days that an extension to the Article 50 withdrawal process is not guaranteed.

The visits came as the EUs chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, said Brussels could amend the Political Declaration on future relations with the UK within a few hours or days to incorporate the customs union arrangement being discussed in cross-party talks between the Government and Labour.

But there were signs of resistance in Mrs Mays Cabinet to compromise with Labour, with International Trade Secretary Liam Fox warning that a customs union would leave the UK stuck in the worst of both worlds.

Mrs May has asked for the date of Brexit to be delayed until June 30 at Wednesdays summit, with the possibility of an earlier departure if the UKs withdrawal deal is ratified.

But European Council president Donald Tusk is recommending a year-long delay, while French Europe minister Amelie de Montchalin suggested Paris may insist on conditions limiting British influence on EU decision-making during the extension period.

Expand Close Theresa May was greeted in Berlin by German Chancellor Angela Merkel (Michael Sohn/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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The unanimous agreement of all 27 remaining EU states is needed to avoid a no-deal Brexit on the scheduled date of April 12.

Ms de Montchalin warned that the position of France has not changed and that the EU27s approval of Mrs Mays request is neither settled nor automatic.

We want to understand what the UK needs this extension for, she said. Then comes the question of the conditions  what role the UK wants to play during this extension, on what type of decisions it wants to play a role.

In a clear sign of opposition to concessions to Labours demands, Dr Fox sent a letter to the chairman of the Tory backbench 1922 Committee setting out in detail his opposition to a post-Brexit customs union.

The letter, obtained by the Daily Telegraph, warns that such an arrangement would leave the UK unable to set its own trade policy but forced to open its markets to any country with which the EU struck a free trade agreement.

In such a scenario the UK would have a new role in the global trading system  we ourselves would be traded, he told Sir Graham Brady.

As the famous saying in Brussels goes, if you are not at the table, you are on the menu.

Leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom urged Mrs May to ask Mrs Merkel to reopen the Withdrawal Agreement forged with the EU last November  something the EU has repeatedly said it will not do.

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Mrs Leadsom told ITV News: The Prime Minister is off to see Angela Merkel today and it would be fantastic if Angela Merkel will try to support a proper UK Brexit by agreeing to reopen the Withdrawal Agreement.

There have been rumours over the weekend some senior members of the German government would be willing to do that in order to get Theresa Mays deal over the line.

As the person with the responsibility to get the legislation through, if we get the Prime Ministers deal over the line because the EU has decided to support measures on the backstop, that would be the best possible outcome.

But Mrs Mays official spokesman dismissed the idea, telling reporters: Any plan going forward would be based on the current Withdrawal Agreement.

Expand Close Michel Barnier told a Luxembourg press conference that a customs union could be incorporated into plans for the future UK/EU relationship within hours or days (European Commission Audiovisual Service/PA Images) / Facebook

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And Mr Barnier told a press conference in Luxembourg: The Withdrawal Agreement is not going to be reopened, is not up for negotiation again. That continues to be the case.

The Political Declaration, which will set the framework for future relations, can be improved, we can provide an increased level of ambition if that is the wish of the UK.

These ambitions for the future relationship, which could  for example  consist of adding to the free trade agreement on which we have agreed with the UK already a customs union, a genuine customs union.

We are willing to improve and amend the Political Declaration rapidly, within a few hours or days.

Mr Barnier said he hoped that Mrs Mays decision to speak to Labour would allow a new process to emerge in the House of Commons and ultimately for a new majority to emerge with regard to the Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration.

He added: This is what would provide meaning to the request which the UK Prime Minister has submitted for an extension.

But Germanys deputy foreign minister, Michael Roth, said that, despite the opening of cross-party talks, so far absolutely nothing has changed and we are in a very, very frustrating situation here.

Mr Roth warned: Within the European Union, there isnt an endless readiness to keep talking about delays so long as there is no substantial progress on the British side.

Arrival and doorstep by @MiRo_SPD #DE at the General Affairs Council (#Article50) #GAC 50 and #GAC in #Luxembourg

"We are dealing with a very frustrating situation here, and the #EU needs to finally be able to tackle its future tasks"https://t.co/cojCCxPgF7  EU Council TV News (@EUCouncilTVNews) April 9, 2019

The latest round of talks included Mrs Mays de facto deputy, Cabinet Office minister David Lidington, and Chancellor Philip Hammond from the Government side, with shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer and shadow chancellor John McDonnell from Labour. The talks will include an informal lunch.

Mr McDonnell said Labour would be pressing for assurances that any agreement could not be torn up by a future prime minister, such as Boris Johnson.

Some of that discussion that will take place will be about how any deal is secure for the long term and how best to secure that either through domestic legislation or treaty, he said.

Justice Secretary David Gauke said the talks were taking place in a constructive manner but it was too early to say whether they would reach an agreement.

He accepted there would need to be flexibility from all sides to reach a resolution.

Mr Gauke played down a report that Mrs May was considering offering MPs a vote on whether to hold a confirmatory referendum on any Brexit deal that was agreed.

In the discussions I have had with the Prime Minister she had made it very clear that she doesnt want a confirmatory referendum, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme.
Theresa May has arrived in Paris where she will urge the French President Emmanuel Macron to back her case for a delay to Brexit at a crunch EU summit on Wednesday.

The Prime Minister travelled from Berlin where she met German Chancellor Angela Merkel for a working lunch over which they agreed on the importance of an orderly withdrawal from the EU, Downing Street said.

In recent days Mr Macron has warned that an extension to the Article 50 withdrawal process is not guaranteed.

The visits came as the EUs chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, said Brussels could amend the Political Declaration on future relations with the UK within a few hours or days to incorporate the customs union arrangement being discussed in cross-party talks between the Government and Labour.

But there were signs of resistance in Mrs Mays Cabinet to compromise with Labour, with International Trade Secretary Liam Fox warning that a customs union would leave the UK stuck in the worst of both worlds.

Mrs May has asked for the date of Brexit to be delayed until June 30 at Wednesdays summit, with the possibility of an earlier departure if the UKs withdrawal deal is ratified.

MPs backed her call in a Commons vote on Tuesday afternoon as they approved a Government motion for Mrs May to seek an extension to June 30 by 420 votes to 110, majority 310.

But European Council president Donald Tusk is recommending a year-long delay, while French Europe minister Amelie de Montchalin suggested Paris may insist on conditions limiting British influence on EU decision-making during the extension period.

The unanimous agreement of all 27 remaining EU states is needed to avoid a no-deal Brexit on the scheduled date of April 12.

Ms de Montchalin warned that the position of France has not changed and that the EU27s approval of Mrs Mays request is neither settled nor automatic.

We want to understand what the UK needs this extension for, she said. Then comes the question of the conditions  what role the UK wants to play during this extension, on what type of decisions it wants to play a role.

In a clear sign of opposition to concessions to Labours demands, Dr Fox sent a letter to the chairman of the Tory backbench 1922 Committee setting out in detail his opposition to a post-Brexit customs union.

The letter, obtained by the Daily Telegraph, warns that such an arrangement would leave the UK unable to set its own trade policy but forced to open its markets to any country with which the EU struck a free trade agreement.

In such a scenario the UK would have a new role in the global trading system  we ourselves would be traded, he told Sir Graham Brady.

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As the famous saying in Brussels goes, if you are not at the table, you are on the menu.

Leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom urged Mrs May to ask Mrs Merkel to reopen the Withdrawal Agreement forged with the EU last November  something the EU has repeatedly said it will not do.

Mrs Leadsom told ITV News: The Prime Minister is off to see Angela Merkel today and it would be fantastic if Angela Merkel will try to support a proper UK Brexit by agreeing to reopen the Withdrawal Agreement.

There have been rumours over the weekend some senior members of the German government would be willing to do that in order to get Theresa Mays deal over the line.

As the person with the responsibility to get the legislation through, if we get the Prime Ministers deal over the line because the EU has decided to support measures on the backstop, that would be the best possible outcome.

The Withdrawal Agreement is not going to be reopened, is not up for negotiation againMichel Barnier

But Mrs Mays official spokesman dismissed the idea, telling reporters: Any plan going forward would be based on the current Withdrawal Agreement.

And Mr Barnier told a press conference in Luxembourg: The Withdrawal Agreement is not going to be reopened, is not up for negotiation again. That continues to be the case.

The Political Declaration, which will set the framework for future relations, can be improved, we can provide an increased level of ambition if that is the wish of the UK.

These ambitions for the future relationship, which could  for example  consist of adding to the free trade agreement on which we have agreed with the UK already a customs union, a genuine customs union.

We are willing to improve and amend the Political Declaration rapidly, within a few hours or days.

Mr Barnier said he hoped that Mrs Mays decision to speak to Labour would allow a new process to emerge in the House of Commons and ultimately for a new majority to emerge with regard to the Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration.

He added: This is what would provide meaning to the request which the UK Prime Minister has submitted for an extension.

But Germanys deputy foreign minister, Michael Roth, said that, despite the opening of cross-party talks, so far absolutely nothing has changed and we are in a very, very frustrating situation here.

Mr Roth warned: Within the European Union, there isnt an endless readiness to keep talking about delays so long as there is no substantial progress on the British side.

The latest round of talks included Mrs Mays de facto deputy, Cabinet Office minister David Lidington, and Chancellor Philip Hammond from the Government side, with shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer and shadow chancellor John McDonnell from Labour.

A Downing Street spokesman said the talks were productive and wide-ranging and would continue on Thursday after the European Council.

We remain completely committed to delivering on Brexit, with both sides working hard to agreeing a way forward, appreciating the urgency in order to avoid European elections, the spokesman added.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said there had been constructive discussions, as he left the meeting, adding: There are number of issues where we differ, but we are anxious to ensure that we can carry on with this process.

And shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey said: Weve had really constructive discussions today and covered a number of issues in great detail.

Theres not really been any fundamental shift or a change in position of the deal itself. But were hopeful that progress will be made.

Were continuing discussions with the Government over the coming days.
The Democratic Unionists have branded Theresa Mays bid for a Brexit extension as humiliating and embarrassing.

Party leader Arlene Foster and Westminster leader Nigel Dodds both accused Mrs May of begging European leaders for help to break the impasse.

The senior figures in the Governments confidence and supply partners did not hold back in their criticism of the Prime Ministers handling of the process as she spent the day holding talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron.

The talks between the Prime Minister and the leaders of France and Germany is humiliating and embarrassing for the United Kingdom, Mr Dodds said on Tuesday evening.

Nearly three years after the referendum the UK is today effectively holding out a begging bowl to European leadersNigel Dodds

The problems the Prime Minister is attempting to solve were not created by the decision to leave the European Union, rather the ineffective negotiations by the Prime Minister to implement that decision.

A solution was put forward by the House of Commons on 29th January through the Brady amendment which could have charted a course by which Parliament could have supported a deal.

Instead of treating this proposal seriously, the Prime Minister has effectively accepted the backstop and opted not to stand up to Brussels.

Nearly three years after the referendum the UK is today effectively holding out a begging bowl to European leaders.

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Earlier, Mrs Foster questioned Mrs Mays leadership qualities.

She needed to be strong, she needed to show leadership, and Im sorry to say that hasnt been evident in these past couple of months, she told the BBC.

Mrs Foster said the Prime Minister had found herself pleading to stay in the EU to resolve issues that should have been already settled.

I find it quite painful to watch whats going on at this present moment in time, it is rather humiliating that we are having to go and beg so that we can leave, she said.
Tributes have been paid to respected Co Tyrone aid worker Sally O'Neill who has died in a road accident in Central America.

Ms O'Neill, who was in her late 60s, was working with a local human rights organisation in Guatemala when she died with three co-workers on Sunday.

It's understood the accident happened in Mirador Huan Dieguez, 180 miles north of Guatemala city.

Originally from Dungannon, she had retired from Trocaire in 2015 after 37 years of service and was based in Honduras.

Former colleagues were "shocked and devastated" and described her as "the heartbeat of Trocaire for almost 40 years".

Irish President Michael D Higgins, who had been a friend of Ms O'Neill for decades, was "greatly saddened" by her death.

CEO of Trocaire Caoimhe de Barra said she was "heartbroken" by her passing. "She was a truly remarkable person. Trocaire was only five years old when Sally joined," she said.

"Sally built the foundations of the organisation. She embodied our values and through her courage and commitment to human rights touched the lives of so many people."

Ms de Barra met Ms O'Neill just last week in Guatemala, and said even in retirement she remained "a driving force for human rights in Central America".

"Her drive, passion and commitment was as strong as ever.

"Sally was much beloved by communities and human rights activists throughout Central America. She dedicated her life to improving the lives of others. Her legacy will live on through the thousands of people whose lives she helped to improve."

She added: "Our hearts go out to Sally's family, particularly her children Roger, Rhona and Xio, and her husbandRoger.

"Although we still cannot believe she is gone, we know that she left an incredible footprint on the world."

Ms O'Neill's career was dedicated to working with the poor, marginalised and victims of human rights abuses.

She worked mainly on Trocaire projects in Latin America but also helped with famine relief in Ethiopia in the mid-1980s and in Somalia in the early 1990s.

Before retiring she was Trocaire's head of region for Latin America and based in Honduras.

Her work in the continent came at a time when civil wars were being fought in El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua.

During this time it's estimated she oversaw humanitarian aid to over two million refugees.

She also led delegations of politicians and bishops to Central America to see the suffering first-hand. This included translating for Archbishop Oscar Romero, six weeks before his murder.

In 1982 she visited El Salvador with Mr Higgins, who was a TD at the time, to investigate reports of a massacre in the village of El Mozote.

After initially being refused entry, they uncovered evidence of the massacres, which made international headlines in media including the New York Times and Washington Post.

As Irish President, Mr Higgins presented her with several humanitarian awards, and in 2017 she received an honorary Doctor of Law degree from Ulster University.

Yesterday Mr Higgins said: "To have known Sally O'Neill Sanchez was a privilege.

"To have been with her in some of the places of conflict, distress and human suffering was to see the brilliance, compassion, and limitless courage she brought to her engagement with the poor, the oppressed, and the displaced."
Three former soldiers who served in Northern Ireland are sending their service medals to the Prime Minister in protest at a decision to prosecute an ex-paratrooper over Bloody Sunday.

Military veterans are also sending 23 white feathers, one for each cabinet member, and say they represent "cowardice".

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The Public Prosecution Service in Northern Ireland has said there's enough evidence to prosecute 'Soldier F' for the murder of James Wray and William McKinney on January 30, 1972, as well as four attempted murders.

Aged in his 70s, the former Paratrooper is the only one to be charged for the killings.

The announcement caused a backlash among many Army veterans, but was welcomed at the time by the family of James Wray.

Corporal Jim Kenyon, Captain Steve Garwood and former SAS Sergeant Major Mark Billingham are the latest to post their medals to Downing Street.

Mr Kenyon (49) joined the Parachute Regiment in 1985 and served one tour of Northern Ireland.

He told the Daily Mail he believed Soldier F was being made "a scapegoat for Government failures".

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand 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 Scenes from 'Bloody Sunday' in Londonderry, Northern Ireland Paddy Doherty, who was killed on Bloody Sunday. 30th January 1972: An armed soldier and a protestor on Bloody Sunday when British Paratroopers shot dead 13 civilians on a civil rights march. Frederick Hoare A young Fr Edward Daly carries a blood-soaked hankie as he leads a group of men trying desperately to carry John 'Jackie' Duddy to safety. Duddy (17) was the first fatality of Bloody Sunday after being shot from behind by paratroopers A young Fr Edward Daly carries a blood-soaked hankie as he leads a group of men trying desperately to carry John 'Jackie' Duddy to safety. Duddy (17) was the first fatality of Bloody Sunday after being shot from behind by paratroopers Bloody Sunday A scene showing a British paratrooper near Glenfada Park in Derry where Bloody Sunday took place. Hugh Gilmore (third left) seen clutching his stomach as he is shot during Bloody Sunday. PA William McKinney, killed on Bloody Sunday. Lt Col Derek Wilford, the former commander of the members of the Parachute Regiment involved in the Bloody Sunday shootings PA A protest parade in was staged in Londonderry in January to mark the 40th anniversary of Bloody Sunday Hugh Gilmore who was killed on Bloody Sunday. Bloody Sunday Trust Michael McDaid who was killed on Bloody Sunday. Bloody Sunday Trust Bloody Sunday: Up to 20 soldiers still face being formally questioned by police for alleged murder, attempted murder or criminal injury during the notorious incident Fred Hoare Soldiers taking cover behind their sandbagged armoured cars during Bloody Sunday PA Lord Chief Justice, Lord Widgery in his room at the Old Bailey as he looks through his report on the "Bloody Sunday" shootings PA Jim Wray who was killed on Bloody Sunday. Bloody Sunday Trust John Young who was killed on Bloody Sunday. Bloody Sunday Trust William McKinney who was killed on Bloody Sunday. Bloody Sunday Trust Kevin McElhinney who was killed on Bloody Sunday. Bloody Sunday Trust Gerard McKinney who was killed on Bloody Sunday. Bloody Sunday Trust Gerald Donaghey who was killed on Bloody Sunday. Bloody Sunday Trust Alana Burke who was eighteen when she was run over by an armoured personnel carrier on Bloody Sunday. Bloody Sunday. January 1972 Patrick Doherty who was killed on Bloody Sunday. Bloody Sunday Trust Bloody Sunday. Funeral. Mrs Ita McKinney, 9 months pregnant cries behind the hearse carrying her husband James from St Mary's, Creggan. 2/2/1972. Michael Kelly who was killed on Bloody Sunday. A man receiving attention during the shooting incident in Londonderry, which became known as Bloody Sunday Bloody Sunday. 30/1/1972 Bloody Sunday. 30/1/1972 Bloody Sunday. 30/1/1972 JAMES WRAY IN HIS HOME IN THE BOGSIDE DERRY HOLDING THE COAT WITH BULLIET HOLES IN THAT HIS SON ALSO CALLED JAMES WRAY WAS KILLED ON BLOODY SUNDAY The start of a grim day in Derry. Civil Rights marchers make their way through Creggan. They defied a Government ban and headed for Guildhall Square, but were stopped by the Army in William Street. 31/1/1972 Bloody Sunday 1972 Linda Nash carries flowers with the number 14 inscribed during yesterdays annual Bloody Sunday Parade in Derry. Picture Martin McKeown. Inpresspics.com. 29.1.12 Martin McKeown A memorial to those killed on Bloody Sunday in the Bogside area of Derry The memorial to the 14 people who died on Bloody Sunday in Derry rises from among the sea of umbrellas as all the families came together in an ecumenical service. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Civil Rights mark.The service included contributions from Father Michael Canny and Reverend David Latimer, left. Picture Martin McKeown. Inpresspics.com. 29.1.12 Martin McKeown / Facebook

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"The Government has an opportunity to stand up and do what is right and stop this prosecution," he said.

"Three of us have sent our medals back and other veterans have contacted me saying they are going to send back their medals."
A NATO foreign ministerial meeting took place on April 3-4 in Washington, which saw serious disagreements between the United States, on the one side, and Germany and Turkey, on the other, in the context of discussions on Russia.

Facts

On April 3, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has drawn attention of Turkey and Germany to their dealings with Russia, saying that Ankara makes "reckless decisions" and warning Berlin it risks becoming a "captive" of Moscow.

Pence voiced U.S. opposition to Turkey's purchase of a Russian air-defense system, saying: "Turkey must choose. Does it want to remain a critical partner in the most successful military alliance in history or does it want to risk the security of that partnership by making such reckless decisions that undermine our alliance?"Washington has said it is halting deliveries to Turkey related to the F-35 program in response to Ankara's purchase of the Russian missile system.

On April 3, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Washington and warned, in stark language, "of the potentially devastating consequences of unilateral Turkish military action" against the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces in Syria. Highlighting the wide-range of issues that impact U.S.-Turkish relations, Pompeo also demanded "the swift resolution of cases involving unjustly detained" U.S. citizens and local staff who were employed at U.S. diplomatic missions in Turkey.

Cavusoglu said that it was "unacceptable" for Washington to insist that Turkey cannot buy a defense system from another country but would not sell any to Turkey either. The Turkish minister said that "the S-400 deal is a done deal and we will not step back from this." [1] "We are not choosing between Russia and any other allies. We don't see our relations with Russia as an alternative to our relations with others. Moreover, nobody, neither the West nor Russia, should or can ask us to choose," he added. [2]

Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay in response to Pence's comments said "The United States must choose. Does it want to remain Turkey's ally or risk our friendship by joining forces with terrorists to undermine its NATO ally's defense against its enemies?" [3]

Washington's statements were a reaction to deepening Turkish-Russian cooperation.

Despite the fact that Turkey has repeatedly voiced concerns for its national security over the presence of the PKK-affiliated People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria, the U.S. has shown no sign of a coherent stance and has attempted to justify its close partnership with the terrorist group in the name of its fight against ISIS (banned in Russia). [4]

But the problem does not end there. During the press briefing on April 2, State Department deputy spokesperson Robert Palladino was asked about Turkey's ruling party contesting the March 31 elections, that it lost in Istanbul and Ankara. The journalist asked whether the party's challenge to the election results could undermine their integrity. Palladino said that free and fair elections are essential for any democracy, and it means acceptance of legitimate election results are essential, and the United States expects nothing less from Turkey. [5]

The Justice and Development Party's reaction was not long in coming. It condemned the U.S. attempts to influence the results of Turkey's local elections. On April 4, AK Party Spokesman Omer Celik, referring to comments made by U.S. State Department spokesman, said that it was incomprehensible for him to make such a statement which could be interpreted as meddling in the election process and results in Turkey: "No foreign government or body's statement will serve as the source of legitimacy for the election results." Celik added that only Turkey's Supreme Election Council (YSK) could give legitimacy to the vote. [6]

Analysts say the Turkish lira could ultimately be the casualty of any U.S.-Turkish showdown, as was the case last year because of the U.S. sanctions over the detention in Turkey of American pastor Andrew Brunson. Growing financial concerns about the Turkish economy saw Turkey's Central Bank forced to use unprecedented measures to support the currency earlier this month to quell heavy lira falls. The currency declines were triggered by local Turks converting savings to foreign currency, along with international investors exiting the market amid economic concerns. [7]

Analysis and conclusions

The number of disagreements between the U.S, and Turkey is growing. These are concerns about U.S. policy in Iraqi Kurdistan, the U.S. S-400 ultimatum and sanctions in this regard, interfering in Turkeys elections, supporting the YPG, refusing to extradite Gulen, demanding release of U.S. citizens accused of participating in the 2016 coup attempt, financial sanctions. Public ultimatums of senior U.S. officials and Turkey's public opposition to it suggest that the parties are committed to their positions and are likely to uphold them. It is obvious that the United States no longer relies on Turkey. The change in the current government and the partition of the country, along with the division of neighboring countries, seem like the most likely U.S. goals. It will only cause further deepening of contradictions and tensions.

Turkey has been brought back to 1945, when, due to the territorial claims of the USSR, it was forced to seek protection from the United States, then joined the Western bloc. Now it's exactly the opposite. The U.S. support for the Syrian Kurdish forces linked to the PKK and an ultimatum regarding the Russian air defense system designed to protect Turkey are considered by Ankara as a security threat and cause concern. Moreover, this threat is created and supported by the Americans. The interests of Turkey and Russia coincide here. Cooperation on Syria and the Turkish Stream, not to mention other projects, has brought Moscow and Ankara closer. Opportunities have been opened for Russia, but there can be others. The danger of separatism, relations with Greece and Armenia are considered the key unresolved issues of Turkey's national security. Holding dialogue on these issues, deepening military-technical interaction, considering measures to counter currency instability could be new areas of partnership between Turkey and Russia. It could serve the further rapprochement of the two countries, as it was a hundred years ago, when young countries struggled with the collective west. This cooperation would ensure national security, could change the balance of power in the Middle East and South-East Europe.

[1] US Vice President Warns Turkey, Germany Over Deals with Russia, April 04, 2019 // Radio Free Europe. Radio Liberty. Russia.

[2] Johns D. US-Turkish tensions Rise Amid Warnings of Rupture, April 04, 2019 // Global Security. Weapons of Mass Destruction.

[3] US Vice President Warns Turkey

[4] US fails to address Turkeys security concerns in plans for Syria, 05.04.2019 // Daily Sabah. Politics. Diplomacy.

[5] Department Press Briefing, April 2, 2019 // US Department of State. Press. Department Press Briefing.

[6] AK party condemns foreign interference in Turkeys election, 05.04.2019 // Daily Sabah. Politics. Elections.

[7] Johns D. US-Turkish tensions Rise Amid Warnings of Rupture, April 04, 2019 // Global Security. Weapons of Mass Destruction.
The sister of a young pizza deliveryman shot dead by dissident republicans in Londonderry has said acting in a play that tackles paramilitary shootings was one of her toughest roles.

Maureen Wilkinson's brother Emmet Shiels (22) was delivering pizza in the Creggan area in June 2008 when he confronted gunmen who were about to shoot another man - the intervention resulted in his own death. Emmet's son was born six days later.

Ms Wilkinson said that by taking part in the play, Don't Shoot My Wane! Shoot Me! - which tackles paramilitary shootings - she hopes to challenge people who advocate these violent acts.

The harrowing and provocative play has been created by Oliver Green with Studio Two in the city and will be performed this week in community centres in parts of Derry where punishment attacks are all too common.

The interactive production asks the audience's opinion on paramilitary shootings before it begins and again at the end to see if attitudes have changed.

Ms Wilkinson said: "I thought long and hard about taking part because I wasn't sure if I wanted to bring up all the memories of when Emmet was shot.

"I said if I was not comfortable I would walk away but first and foremost I am an actor so I have to put my personal feelings to one side. But once I committed to the play I loved it.

"This play has a message that needs to go out into the community - young people need to be aware they are not helping paramilitaries, the paramilitaries are helping themselves.

"If this play reaches one person and makes them stop and think 'I am doing the wrong thing here' then it will have been worth it.

"My brother was never involved in anything illegal, he didn't agree with anyone being shot but he was at the wrong place at the wrong time.

"We can't bring Emmet back. It has been horrendous, he was just out trying to make a life for himself and his wee baby boy who was born six days after he died. He didn't even get to see his son. The most joyous occasion for a family is a birth but for us it was so bittersweet but this is why this play is so important."

The play will be shown tonight at Caw/Nelson Drive community centre; tomorrow, April 10 at Creggan Neighbourhood Partnership Centre and on Friday, April 12, at Pilot's Row Community Centre in the Bogside.

Admission is free but the content is not suitable for children under 11 years of age.
The Cooper-Letwin Bill is passed back to the House of Commons from the House of Lords, London. Pic: UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/PA Wire

MPs and peers have backed a new law to extend the Brexit process.

The move places a legal requirement on Prime Minister Theresa May to seek an extension to Article 50 to prevent a no-deal Brexit.

The Commons backed a series of Lords amendments to the European Union (Withdrawal) (No 5) Act after it was rushed through both Houses of Parliament on Monday night.

The cross-party move brought forward by Yvette Cooper and others calls on Mrs May to lay a Commons motion on the extension of Article 50 which could then be amended by MPs.

The Bill was amended by peers to state that nothing in it prevented the Prime Minister from "seeking or agreeing" an extension, provided it was not earlier than May 22.

Mrs May is already seeking a further Brexit delay to June 30 and EU leaders will discuss this at an emergency summit on Wednesday.

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The Commons move came as Brexit talks between the Government and Labour resumed on Monday.

Expand Close Labour MP Yvette Cooper's legislation to extend the Brexit process in a bid to avoid a no-deal scenario has received royal assent and has become law. Pic: Yvette Cooper/Twitter/PA Wire PA / Facebook

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But there appeared little prospect of a compromise agreement being in place in time for Wednesday's EU meeting, and no chance of it being approved by MPs before the EU27 meet.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the talks were serious, but the Government was sticking to its red lines.

Mr Corbyn said: "The exchanges with the Government have been serious, but our shadow cabinet expressed frustration that the Prime Minister has not yet moved off her red lines so we can reach a compromise.

"The key issues that we must see real movement on to secure an agreement are a customs union with the EU, alignment with the single market and full dynamic alignment of workers' rights, environmental protections and consumer standards.

"We are prepared to talk and put forward our view, but talks have to mean a movement and so far there has been no change in those red lines."

The talks step-up a gear on Tuesday with Mrs May's defacto deputy, Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington, and Labour's shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer taking part.

The discussions are taking place as the Tories launch a selection process for candidates to stand in European Parliament elections next month.

The Government tabled an order enabling the elections to be held in Britain if the country has not left the EU by the time they are due to take place on May 23.

The Cabinet Office said the elections would automatically be cancelled if the UK left before then.

Mrs May is to make a whistle-stop trip to Berlin and Paris for last-minute talks with Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron on the eve of the emergency summit.

And she spoke by phone with European Council president Donald Tusk, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, Dutch PM Mark Rutte, Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Malta's Joseph Muscat to set out the case for extending the Brexit process to June 30.

The unanimous agreement of all 27 is needed to avoid the UK leaving without a deal on Friday.

Mr Tusk has recommended a one-year extension to the Brexit process, with a break clause allowing an earlier departure if a withdrawal deal is ratified in Westminster.

Speaking during a visit to Dublin, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said the UK could not escape demands for a 39 billion payment and a "backstop" for the Irish border by quitting without a deal.

The Prime Minister has angered Tories by holding talks with Labour, with Brexiteers including Boris Johnson concerned that she will accept a customs union as the price for a deal with Mr Corbyn.

In a bid to end the deadlock with Labour, the Prime Minister is considering offering MPs a vote on whether to hold a referendum on any deal agreed between on Brexit, according to the Daily Telegraph.

In a video message recorded in her Chequers country retreat at the weekend, Mrs May said both sides in the cross-party talks will have to compromise.

The Prime Minister acknowledged she could not see the Commons accepting her deal in its current form and MPs would not agree to a no-deal exit.

Prominent Brexiteer, Mark Francois, called for an "indicative vote" among Tory MPs on the PM's future on Wednesday to send a signal to the Brussels summit that Mrs May has lost the confidence of her own side and cannot deliver a Brexit deal.

But it is understood that the executive of the backbench 1922 Committee considered this option last week and decided it was not appropriate at this stage. A formal confidence vote cannot take place until December.
Police and Scottish Fire and Rescue services at the scene of a helicopter crash at the Clutha Bar in Glasgow in 2013 (Andrew Milligan/PA)

The pilot of a police helicopter that crashed and killed 10 people received numerous low-fuel warnings, a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) has heard.

Pilot David Traill, two crew members and seven customers in the Clutha bar in Glasgow were killed when the Police Scotland helicopter crashed on to the roof of the building on November 29 2013.

Marcus Cook, senior inspector at the Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB), confirmed there had been five warning notices recorded during the flight.

The low-fuel warning remained on for the remainder of the flightMarcus Cook

He also told how a Caution and Advisory Display (CAD) would have been functioning at the time.

This should have shown how much fuel was in the main tank, the left supply tank and the right supply tank.

There had been intermittent warnings recorded but they do not reveal when they were triggered.

Mr Cook said: The low-fuel warning remained on for the remainder of the flight.

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The FAI before Sheriff Principal Craig Turnbull is taking place in a temporary court at Hampden Park in Glasgow.

It also heard there are no plans to reopen the AAIB investigation into the crash.

Phil Sleight, deputy chief inspector of air accidents, told the Clutha FAI there had been new documents presented but none of them were considered new or significant enough.

The purpose of the FAI is to determine the cause of the deaths, establish whether they could have been prevented and enable the sheriff to make recommendations that could prevent fatalities in similar circumstances.

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More than 100 people were at the Clutha Vaults pub when the helicopter, returning to its base on the banks of the River Clyde, crashed through the roof.

An Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB) report published in 2015 found two fuel supply switches were off and the pilot did not follow emergency procedures after a fuel warning in the cockpit.

The Crown Office has previously said there is insufficient evidence for criminal proceedings.

A total of 57 Crown witnesses are expected to give evidence at the inquiry, down from a previous estimate of 85.

Police have taken more than 2,000 statements as part of preparations for the FAI, while the Crown has around 1,400 productions.

The inquiry is expected to involve around three months of evidence spread over six calendar months this year.
Olivia Marks-Woldman, Holocaust Memorial Day Trust chief executive, survivor Safet Vukalic, and Laura Marks, chairwoman of HMDT, (front row, left to right) survivors Dr Martin Stern, Susan Pollack, Lily Ebert and Maurice Blik, and Dame Penelope Wilton at the launch for Holocaust Memorial Day 2020 in London (Victoria Jones/PA)

The politics around Brexit and spread of misinformation has allowed prejudice and anti-Semitism to flex its muscles, actress Dame Penelope Wilton said.

The Downton Abbey star said disappointment around how Brexit has been handled and the election of US President Donald Trump has given people a licence to share their prejudices.

Dame Penelope joined a small group of Holocaust survivors in north London on Tuesday to mark the launch of next years Holocaust Memorial Day theme  Stand Together.

Read more about the launch of our theme for #HMD2020, Stand Together, and our new national project for community groups, 75 Memorial Flames: https://t.co/M8elBCpOu0 pic.twitter.com/rYO9BzL1YR  Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (@HMD_UK) April 9, 2019

She said: I think its very important now, because the rise of this populism and this ruling through a sort of fear of somebody different, and finding scapegoats, is starting again, and I think its a very, very dangerous time in Europe.

And I think Brexit isnt helping, I think its terrible whats happened, actually, and I think we will have to be very aware of whats going on, in Poland, Hungary, Holland  and here.

We must make people aware that its not going to happen again.

Dame Penelope said she felt education was key to combating misinformation and Holocaust denial as ignorance breeds these sorts of conspiracy theories.

She continued: I think it (prejudice) has always been there, its just been allowed to have a voice now by the politics and misinformation. I dont think these things go away, but I think they are allowed to have a voice and they are allowed to use their muscle.

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She added that the way political rhetoric has pitted groups against each other gives people a licence to show their prejudices because of their disappointment.

Dame Penelopes father was a prisoner of war in Italy and Germany and rarely shared his experiences.

She said: The only thing he said about his incarceration  I said oh Dad, that must have been terrible, and he said I wasnt a Jew. That was the only thing he said.

Next year will be especially poignant for Holocaust survivors because it marks 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz death camp in German-occupied Poland.

One of those who escaped was 89-year-old Lilly Ebert, who said unity and tolerance were essential especially now when the world is so upside-down and anti-Semitism is so terrible.

I think it (prejudice) has always been there, its just been allowed to have a voice now by the politics and misinformation. I dont think these things go away, but I think they are allowed to have a voice and they are allowed to use their muscle.Penelope Wilton

As she spoke she clutched a gold pendant  the only gold, she said, to have gone in and out of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

Mrs Ebert hid the jewellery first in the heel of her shoe when she arrived aged 14 from her Hungarian hometown of Bonyhad, and then in her daily bread rations.

She said: I was there. I went through this. For me, I remember. In a few years time, it will be history.

Nobody will be here from the survivors and thats why it is so important to tell this story.

Laura Marks, chairwoman of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, which will organise the commemorations, said of the theme Stand Together: We chose (it) because we feel that, particularly right now where Britain and the world seems to be so divided and people cant agree on anything and everything seems to be polarised.

We thought we should have a theme that was about the core issue which was actually standing together, being one society, one community, people looking after each other, people standing up for each other and caring for each other.

Holocaust Memorial Day is marked internationally each year on January 27.
Dubai police urged a woman who complained that a British mother called her a horse on Facebook to drop the case, it has been claimed.

Laleh Shahravesh, 55, from Richmond, south-west London, will appear in court on Thursday over allegations that she levelled insults at her ex-husbands new wife on social media.

She was arrested after touching down in Dubai on March 10 with her daughter Paris, 14, who has since begged its ruler to let her mother home.

Police later tried to convince complainant Samah Al Hammadi, 42, from Tunisia, to halt the claim but she stubbornly refused, campaign group Detained In Dubai said.

The groups chief executive, Radha Stirling, made the claim following reports that Ms Hammadi wrote a Facebook post suggesting she might drop the case.

Lawyers for mother-of-one Ms Shahravesh, who faces two years in jail and a 50,000 fine, met the presiding judge on Tuesday ahead of her scheduled court appearance.

Ms Stirling said: We understand that Dubai police made several attempts to persuade Ms Hammadi to drop her complaint at the time of the arrest, but she stubbornly refused, going so far as to push her complaint in person at the police station with further testimony and evidence.

No formal steps have been taken to drop the case, she added.

Ms Shahravesh and her daughter had travelled to Dubai for the funeral of her ex-husband Pedro, who had died of a heart attack a week earlier.

She was married to Pedro for 18 years and they lived together in Dubai, where he worked for HSBC, for eight months before she returned to Britain with their daughter.

A few months later, in 2016, she unexpectedly received divorce papers and saw from photos on Facebook that Pedro, who was Portuguese, had remarried.

In one post, written in Farsi, she said: I hope you go under the ground you idiot. Damn you. You left me for this horse.

Another comment said: You married a horse you idiot.

Both posts were written in Britain, Detained In Dubai said.

Ms Shahraveshs passport was seized but her daughter has been allowed to return home.

Ms Stirling added: The cybercrime laws are so vague that even the police are powerless to interpret them responsibly and they had no choice but to proceed with the Tunisians case against Laleh even though they themselves apparently deemed the complaint frivolous.

The public prosecutor should have rejected the case if for no other reason than to clarify that the cybercrime laws should deal with matters of genuine public endangerment  hate speech, incitement to violence, and so on  and are not to be applied in petty matters of personal disputes and injured egos.

She said it was a case not only of freedom of speech, but of jurisdictional limits.
Prime Minister Theresa May travels to Berlin and Paris for Brexit talks (Kirsty OConnor/PA)

Theresa May was heading for top level Brexit talks in Berlin and Paris as Parliament again moved to take more control of EU withdrawal.

MPs and peers backed a new law to extend the Brexit process and seek to avoid a no-deal exit from the EU on Friday.

The move places a legal requirement on the Prime Minister to seek an extension to Article 50.

Mrs May had already outlined plans to ask the EU for an extension to June 30, but MPs could now seek to amend the date when the Commons debates the issue on Tuesday.

The PM is embarking on a diplomatic flurry which sees her meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday ahead of a crunch EU summit on Wednesday.

Our cross party Bill now has Royal Assent. Parliament has voted tonight against the damage & chaos that No Deal would cause for jobs, manufacturing, medicine supplies, policing & security. pic.twitter.com/WNn1TazsJw  Yvette Cooper (@YvetteCooperMP) April 8, 2019

All 27 remaining EU heads of government must agree an extension if the UK is to avoid the default position of a no-deal Brexit on April 12.

The Commons backed a series of Lords amendments to the European Union (Withdrawal) (No 5) Act after it was rushed through both Houses of Parliament.

The cross-party move brought forward by Yvette Cooper and others led to Mrs May tabling a Commons motion for debate on Tuesday setting June 30 as the extension date.

The Act was amended by peers to state that nothing in it prevented the Prime Minister from seeking or agreeing an extension, provided it was not earlier than May 22.

The move came as the Government and Labour were holding talks on trying to break the Brexit deadlock.

After officials from the two sides met on Monday, the fresh round of talks will include Mrs Mays defacto deputy, Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington, and Labours shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has called on the Government to be more flexible regarding red line issues in the talks.

In a bid to end the deadlock with Labour, the Prime Minister is considering offering MPs a vote on whether to hold a referendum on any deal agreed on Brexit, according to the Daily Telegraph.

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Senior backbench Tories visited Mrs May in Downing Street on Monday and it is understood concern was expressed about the possibility of agreeing a customs union as a price for a deal with Labour.

The cross-party discussions are taking place as the Tories launch a selection process for candidates to stand in European Parliament elections next month.

The Government tabled an order enabling the elections to be held in Britain if the country has not left the EU by the time they are due to take place on May 23.

The Cabinet Office said the elections would be cancelled automatically if the UK left before then.

European Council president Donald Tusk has recommended a one-year extension to the Brexit process, with a break clause allowing an earlier departure if a withdrawal deal is ratified in Westminster.

Mrs Mays travel plans mean that she will not open the Commons debate on Article 50 extension for the Government on Tuesday.
A senior German official has said substantial steps must be taken to break the Brexit stand-off (PA)

Substantial steps must be taken to break the Brexit stand-off, a senior German official has demanded.

Michael Roth, Germanys deputy foreign minister, has said any delay must come with strict conditions, as Prime Minister Theresa May prepares to plead for more time in Berlin.

Within the European Union, there isn't an endless readiness to keep talking about delays so long as there is no substantial progress on the British sideMichael Roth, Germany's deputy foreign minister

As he arrived at a European Union meeting in Luxembourg on Tuesday, Mr Roth said so far absolutely nothing has changed and we are in a very, very frustrating situation here.

Mr Roth said that within the European Union, there isnt an endless readiness to keep talking about delays so long as there is no substantial progress on the British side.

Mrs May has asked for a new delay until June 30 but, according to reports, Brexit could be delayed by nearly a year under plans being considered by EU officials.

Such an extension would mean the UK had to take part in European parliamentary elections, a prospect anathema to hardline Brexiteer Tories, and could be sidelined from budget decisions in Brussels.

The Prime Minister is embarking on a diplomatic flurry which will see her meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron ahead of a crunch EU summit on Wednesday.

All 27 remaining EU heads of government must agree to an extension if the UK is to avoid the default position of a no-deal Brexit on Friday night.

On Monday night, MPs and peers backed a new law to extend the Brexit process and cross-party talks are expected to continue in the hope of finding a compromise.

Meanwhile, talks between the Government and Labour aimed at finding a cross-party consensus on the way forward are due to resume on Tuesday, following technical discussions between officials on Monday.

The latest round of talks will include Mrs Mays de facto deputy, Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington, and Chancellor Philip Hammond from the Government side, with shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer and shadow chancellor John McDonnell from Labour.

Justice Secretary David Gauke said the talks were taking place in a constructive manner but that it was too early to say whether they would reach an agreement.

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After Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn urged the Prime Minister to move on her negotiating red lines, Mr Gauke acknowledged there would need to be flexibility on both sides.

To reach a resolution the likelihood is there will need to be flexibility from all sides, he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

The talks so far have been undertaken in a constructive manner from both sides. There are some areas of common ground but there are also well-known areas of disagreement.

There is a lot of work going on at the moment in terms of identifying where we can move forward.

Mr Gauke played down a report that Mrs May was considering offering MPs a vote on whether to hold a confirmatory referendum on any Brexit deal that was agreed.

In the discussions I have had with the Prime Minister she had made it very clear that she doesnt want a confirmatory referendum, he said.

He acknowledged, however, that there were likely to be further attempts to put down amendments requiring a confirmatory public vote when any agreement was put to Parliament for ratification.
Prime Minister Theresa May is heading for a crunch EU summit on Wednesday (Andrew Matthews/PA)

Theresa May is heading for top-level Brexit talks in Berlin and Paris as she seeks support for another extension.

The Prime Minister is embarking on a diplomatic flurry which will see her meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron ahead of a crunch EU summit on Wednesday.

All 27 remaining EU heads of government must agree to an extension if the UK is to avoid the default position of a no-deal Brexit on Friday night.

According to reports, Brexit could be delayed by nearly a year under plans being considered by EU officials.

Mrs May is expected to ask the EU for an extension to June 30 in order to get a deal through Parliament.

On Monday night, MPs and peers backed a new law to extend the Brexit process and cross-party talks are expected to continue in the hope of finding a compromise.

Ahead of Mrs Mays meetings with her French and German counterparts, details of the EUs potential demands for another extension to the Article 50 period began to emerge in reports.

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If a deal is not passed by MPs by Friday, the EU leaders could be asked to consider a nine or 12-month extension, until December 31 2019 or March 31 2020.

Such an extension would mean the UK had to take part in European parliamentary elections, a prospect anathema to hardline Brexiteer Tories, and could be sidelined from budget decisions in Brussels.

The obligation for the UK to be a good partner emerged after Jacob Rees-Mogg, chairman of the European Research Group of Brexiteer Tories, said Britain should use its powers to be difficult.

Our cross party Bill now has Royal Assent. Parliament has voted tonight against the damage & chaos that No Deal would cause for jobs, manufacturing, medicine supplies, policing & security. pic.twitter.com/WNn1TazsJw  Yvette Cooper (@YvetteCooperMP) April 8, 2019

On Monday night, the Commons backed a series of Lords amendments to the European Union (Withdrawal) (No 5) Act after it was rushed through both Houses of Parliament.

The cross-party move brought forward by Yvette Cooper and others led to Mrs May tabling a Commons motion for debate on Tuesday setting June 30 as the extension date.

The move came as the Government and Labour were holding talks on trying to break the Brexit deadlock.

After officials from the two sides met on Monday, the fresh round of talks will include Mrs Mays de facto deputy, Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington, and shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer.

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Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has called on the Government to be more flexible regarding red line issues in the talks.

In a bid to end the deadlock with Labour, the Prime Minister is considering offering MPs a vote on whether to hold a referendum on any deal agreed on Brexit, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Senior backbench Tories visited Mrs May in Downing Street on Monday and it is understood concern was expressed about the possibility of agreeing to a customs union as a price for a deal with Labour.

And in Tuesdays Daily Telegraph, Tory grandee William Hague said the talks were akin to having a dinner date with a crocodile.

Lord Hague wrote: It is difficult in any case to see how carrying through the programme of Brexit procedures and laws could be sustained by an agreement between part of the Conservative Party and the bulk of the Labour Party  the Government would be highly likely to collapse under such a strain.

The cross-party discussions are taking place as the Tories launch a selection process for candidates to stand in European Parliament elections next month.

The Financial Times reported that the Tory Party was rushing to line up candidates for the EU parliamentary elections on Monday night.

The Government earlier tabled an order enabling the elections to be held in Britain if the country has not left the EU by the time they are due to take place on May 23.

The Cabinet Office said the elections would be cancelled automatically if the UK left before then.

European Council president Donald Tusk has recommended a one-year extension to the Brexit process, with a break clause allowing an earlier departure if a withdrawal deal is ratified in Westminster.
Afghan security forces gather at the site of the attack near the Bagram Air Base (AP)

US forces in Afghanistan have revised their death toll from a Taliban attack near the main American base in the country.

Three US soldiers were killed but not a contractor who was initially reported among the fatalities, they said.

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The US and Nato Resolute Support mission issued a statement on Tuesday to clarify initial reporting.

It said a roadside bomb attack during a convoy near Bagram Airfield killed three American service members and that the contractor who was reported as killed, is alive.

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The statement said the contractor, an Afghan citizen, was initially treated along with other injured civilians, later identified as a contractor and treated at Bagram Airfield.
Iranian MPs have convened an open session of parliament with chants of death to America after the White House designated Irans elite paramilitary Revolutionary Guard force as a terrorist organisation.

The Fars news agency said many of the MPs wore the uniform of the guard in a show of support.

The parliamentary session in Tehran comes as Iran marks its annual National Day of the Revolutionary Guard.

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Parliament speaker Ali Larijani denounced the US decision as the climax of stupidity and ignorance.

Mondays move by the US government is an unprecedented declaration against a foreign administration and may prompt retaliation, making it harder for America to work with allies in the region.

Iran responded by designating all US forces as terrorist, and labelling America a supporter of terrorism.
The oil industry remains the leading sector of Azerbaijan's economy. In January-February of this year, Baku exported 5.78 million tons of oil. The rich deposits of oil were known long before the first oil boom. The US Energy and apital in the article Azerbaijan's White Oil writes about the history of oil production in Baku.

Edwin Drake and George Bissell are well known to be the first men in history to successfully use a drilling rig to produce crude oil near Titusville, Pennsylvania, in 1859. And this is often portrayed as the beginning of the modern oil era. But the fact is, fossil oil was well known and used by humans dating back thousands of years. Ancient manuscripts written well before the time of Christ refer to oil extraction from wells and its use in life, construction, medicine, and military. But there was one particular area in modern-day Azerbaijan that existed before oil discoveries were made in Saudi Arabia, Iran, or Kuwait.

Archaeological findings show human settlements around the Baku area dating back to the Stone Age. Mentions of fossil oil resources in the area go back almost as far as history itself. These vast resources attracted some of the most notable people in history, including people ranging from Alexander the Great to the Nobel brothers to the Rothschilds. Among the most notable mentions of oil were Ancient Greek writers who wrote about the campaigns of Alexander the Great surrounding the Caspian Sea.

They say Alexander went to the Baku region in the 4th century BC and found curious light sources surrounding the area where his army camped. The military leader investigated to find a yellow liquid being used as a fuel to create a torch. The natives called this light Chirak. And the fluid was known as Naphatha, which means, liquid leaking from the ground.

Don't confuse this with the modern naphtha (notice the spelling is different). Naphtha is a refined, nearly colorless hydrocarbon mixture. It's commonly used to make lighter fluids, camping fuels, cleaning solutions, and as paint medium and solvent. Naphatha was the term originally used to describe a natural, yellowish hydrocarbon mixture formed by natural gas condensates, petroleum distillates, and the distillation of coal tar and peat. Naphatha wasn't exactly white or clear, but it was whiter/clearer relative to other oil-type resources.

Much later, in the late 17th century, the Ottoman explorer Evliya Celebi visited Baku and described the scale of Naphatha production. He wrote, The Baku fortress was surrounded by 500 wells, from which white and black acid refined oil was produced. This white oil described by Evliya Celebi was the Naphatha previously found by Alexander the Great

Naphatha was used unrefined for several hundred years. And extraction was simply done by digging pits and collecting fossil oil that bubbled up from the ground. Explorer Evliya Celebi also describes this. He wrote: By Allah's decree oil bubbles up out of the ground, but in the manner of hot springs, pools of water are formed with oil congealed on the surface like cream. Merchants wade into these pools and collect the oil in ladles and fill goatskins with it, these oil merchants then sell them in different regions. Later, more advanced drilling technologies were introduced, and it was processed into more refined products.

Under the direction of Russian Engineer F.A. Semenov, the first modern type of oil well was drilled around Baku in 1847.

And by 1850, the Baku region was producing 95% of all the world's oil and earned the moniker as the world's Black Gold Capital. It was no doubt the "OPEC" of its time. Baku's Black Gold Capital fame spread around and attracted none other than the Nobel brothers.

Robert and Ludvig Nobel began investing in oil production from the Baku area in the early 1870s. In 1873, they established the Nobel Brothers Oil Extracting Partnership. Three years later, Alfred Nobel went on to patent dynamite  something he would very famously regret later. Around that same time, the Rothschild family, of the major banking house in Paris, also became heavily involved in Baku oil trading. However, it wasn't until 1883 that the Rothschilds officially registered their firm, the Caspian-Black Sea Oil Industry and Trade Company. The Caspian-Black Sea Oil Industry and Trade Company focused on foreign markets and, by the end of the 1880s, had become the leading exporter of Russian kerosene. Naphatha was used as feedstock to make refined kerosene, which the Caspian-Black Sea Oil Industry and Trade Company bought and sold. In 1884, the company reported that it exported 2.4 million poods (an archaic measurement of weight equaling 16.38 kg). By 1889, it had increased exports to 30.0 million poods. This earned the Rothschilds the nickname Kerosene Kings.

Azerbaijan remains an important oil and gas producer today. But the country's kerosene industry is all but dead. Azerbaijan's energy industry is now looking to offshore development in the Caspian Sea. And some believe the total amount of oil that could be produced is worth trillions of dollars.
The US State Department has publicly designated 16 people for their roles in the killing of writer Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in October.

Such designation makes those individuals and immediate family members ineligible for entry into the United States.

Mr Khashoggi wrote critically of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in columns for The Washington Post before he was killed.

After denying any knowledge of Mr Khashoggis death for weeks, Saudi authorities eventually settled on the explanation that he was killed in an operation masterminded by former advisers to Prince Mohammed.

The kingdom denies the crown prince had any involvement.

The list released on Monday includes Saud al-Qahtani, a former aide to the crown prince, and Maher Mutreb, who was part of the crown princes entourage on trips abroad.

The names had already been announced publicly, but Mondays designation tells them their family members are now also at risk of being subject to a travel ban.
Supporters of Indias ruling Bharatiya Janata Party cheer at a campaign rally ahead of national elections, in Cooch Behar, West Bengal state, April 7, 2019.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis ruling alliance is widely expected to win the 2019 general election that begins Thursday, but only by a slim majority this time around, according to opinion polls and analysts.

Starting April 11 and ending May 19, polls for 543 parliamentary seats in the worlds most populous democracy will be held in seven phases. Ninety-one of those seats will be contested when phase one unfolds on Thursday in 18 states and two federally administered territories.

The alliance led by Modis Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be vying for control of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament, against the opposition Congress party, led by Rahul Gandhi, as well as several other regional and national parties. Results are expected to be announced on May 23.

There is no visible wave as was so evident in the 2014 polls, Smita Gupta, a political analyst, told BenarNews, referring to a nationwide euphoria that drove BJP to a landslide win in the last general election.

In northern Uttar Pradesh (UP) state, which accounts for 80 parliamentary seats, local issues such as produce prices and cows destroying crops are coming to the surface, Gupta said.

But Prime Minister Modi remains a major factor, she said.

Political parties will battle for parliamentary seats in UP during all seven stages of the election.

It is a tough contest in every single seat, even the BJP there admits it, Gupta said. in 2014, BJP won 71 seats in Uttar Pradesh, which represents the largest number of seats.

A pre-poll survey conducted by the Center for the Study of Developing Societies indicated that BJP might garner 222 to 232 seats compared with a total of 283 in the 2014 polls. The BJP and its alliance together is expected to only get a slim majority, it said, because of a more united opposition in key states.

[The] national mood appears to be to give the BJP and the National Democratic Alliance a second chance, the survey said.

Kashmir

Smita Gupta, a senior fellow at the think-tank Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy, said the BJPs popularity soared after New Delhi demolished an alleged militant training camp in Pakistani territory with an airstrike.

The airstrike followed a suicide bombing that killed 40 Indian troops and was claimed by the Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) in the Indian side of the disputed Kashmir region. It then led to aerial engagements between India and Pakistan, which both claimed in February that they had shot down each others fighter jets over each others territory.

Modi, who is seeking re-election, drummed up support based on a surge of patriotism after he ordered fighter jets to bomb the suspected JeM camp in Balakot, Pakistan, analysts said.

But Indias nationalistic fervor has dissipated after the two nuclear-armed neighbors pulled back from military confrontation, analysts said.

Balakot is not so on top of the minds of people now, maybe it is in some places, Gupta said. It was there immediately after it happened. At that time, it was strong.

BJPs election manifesto has listed national security, produce prices, Kashmir and illegal immigration as core issues to woo Indias nearly 900 million voters.

The party promised to scrap the decades-old special rights accorded to people living in Jammu and Kashmir, saying those rights affect the states integration with the rest of the country.

On Tuesday, the last official day of campaigning, Modi urged first-time voters to dedicate their first ballot to the Indian fighter pilots who carried out the airstrike in Balakot and also the troops who were killed in the suicide bombing in Indian Kashmirs Pulwama district.

I want to ask my first-time voters, can your first vote be dedicated to the soldiers who conducted the Balakot air strikes? he said. Can your first vote be in the name of the martyrs who lost their lives in Pulwama?

Residents in Indian-controlled Kashmir, a violence-hit region demarcated by a de facto boundary known as Line of Control (LoC), are expected to vote to elect six parliamentarians over five phases of polls.

Separatists and militants have asked people to boycott the elections. However, people have defied the orders, attending election rallies in the state in large numbers.

The northeast

Another key electoral contest will be in the northeastern states, which had been a bastion for the Congress party for many years, but where the BJP made significant inroads in the 2014 polls.

Twenty-five parliamentary seats across eight states in the region are up for grabs, with Assam  the biggest state that shares a border with Bangladesh  accounting for 14 seats.

But BJP faces stiff competition from various parties in this election after it tried to get support for a Citizenship Amendment Bill, which aims to give citizenship to persecuted Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis and Buddhists from neighboring countries, observers said.

Locals of the region are under fear that if the bill is passed, it will make way for thousands of Hindu Bangladeshis to settle in the region, leading to them outnumbering the indigenous population, Professor Monirul Hussain, a political analyst based in Guwahati, Assam, told BenarNews.

So, this issue may act as a dampener in the partys election prospects in the region, he said.

Mohammad Amin Pirzada in Srinagar and Jhumur Deb in Guwahati, India, contributed to this report.
One of eight suspects in a human-trafficking case enters a room prior to a news conference in Jakarta, April 9, 2019.

Indonesian police on Tuesday announced the arrests of eight suspects in what they described as the biggest human trafficking case they had ever uncovered  a ring that smuggled more than 1,200 domestic workers to the Middle East and North Africa.

The suspects belonged to four syndicates that trafficked Indonesians to countries including Syria, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Turkey, promising their victims lucrative pay as domestic help, national police spokesman Brig. Gen. Dedi Prasetyo told BenarNews.

But in reality, the victims did not receive their wages and were mistreated by their employers, he said.

The number of victims could be higher as the investigation unfolds, Dedi said but without revealing when the arrests took place. Local news organizations said they occurred in March.

The eight suspects face up to 15 years in prison if found guilty under a 2007 law on human trafficking, he said.

This is the biggest case that the national police have uncovered, Herry Nahak, chief of the national polices criminal investigation unit, told reporters. Dedi echoed Herrys claim in a statement posted on an official Twitter account.

Since 2015, Indonesia has imposed a moratorium on sending domestic workers to 19 countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. The measure was taken following cases of abuse against female domestic workers from Indonesia.

The national polices director-general for general crimes, Brig. Gen. Herry Rudolf Nahak, said police began investigating the case last month after the foreign ministry received reports from victims who managed to escape from their employers.

Initially, police arrested two suspects  identified as Mutiara bint Muhammad Abas and Farhan bin Abuyarman  on suspicion of trafficking people to Morocco.

About 500 people have been trafficked by the two suspects, Herry said.

The suspects recruited their victims from Sumbawa island in West Nusa Tenggara province, who were then taken to Lombok island and later to Batam near Singapore, before being taken to Morocco.

Another group, led by two women identified as Erna Rahmawati and Saleha, have trafficked people to Turkey, Herry said.

They have allegedly trafficked about 220 people since they began operating last year, he said. Herry Rudolf also did not specify the details of the groups arrest.

Most of the victims are from Bima in West Nusa Tenggara. They traveled via Jakarta, to Oman, then to Turkey, he said.

Another group, led by Muhammad Abdul Halim, has sent 300 people to Syria and Iraq through Malaysia, authorities said.

The fourth group, led by Ethiopian men identified as Faisal Hussain Saeed and Abdalla Ibrahim Abdalla, trafficked people to Saudi Arabia with the help of an Indonesian woman named Neneng Susilawati, Herry said.

Faisal is a refugee protected by the UNHCR, so he is free, and has not been deported, said Herry, referring to the U.N. refugee agency.

He also recruited several foreigners as employees, he said.

Authorities believe that Herry has trafficked about 200 people from West Java and West Nusa Tenggara since 2014.

Indonesia is a major source of trafficking in persons, both cross-border and domestic, with a majority of the victims women being trafficked for work or sexual exploitation, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) .

The national police said at least 1,078 women were victims of human trafficking in 2017.

NGOs estimate that labor recruiters are responsible for more than half of Indonesian female-trafficking cases overseas, according to the U.S. State Departments 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report.

Migrant workers often accumulate debt from Indonesian and overseas labor recruitment agencies, making them vulnerable to debt bondage, with some companies withholding documents and making threats of violence to keep migrants in forced labor, the report said.
Indonesian Heri Ardiansyah sits on a cot inside a Philippine Navy patrol boat after his rescue by Filipino soldiers in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, April 5, 2019.

Philippine security forces killed two suspects during a clash with Abu Sayyaf militants on southern Jolo island, including a man who allegedly played a role in a church bombing that left 23 dead in January, the military said Tuesday.

A nearly one-hour firefight ensued when troops with the 41st Infantry Battalion who were on foot patrol late Monday afternoon encountered a group of Abu Sayyaf gunmen in Patikul, a remote town on Jolo, officials said.

One of the two suspects confirmed killed in the gunbattle was identified as Barak Ingog, who allegedly facilitated the bombing at Jolos Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

The firefight lasted for 40 minutes, supported by indirect fire and close air support, resulting in the neutralization of Barak Ingog, one of the facilitators of the bombing of the cathedral in Jolo, regional military spokesman Col. Gerry Besana said.

The military identified the other slain suspect as Nasser Sawadjaan, a nephew of overall Abu Sayyaf leader Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan. Intelligence operatives believe that Nassers uncle is the new regional leader of the Islamic State branch in the Philippines, succeeding Isnilon Hapilon who was killed two years ago during the battle of Marawi.

Brig. Gen. Rey Pabayo, commander of the Joint Task Force Sulu, said three soldiers also suffered shrapnel wounds during the firefight, but were out of danger.

A third senior Abu Sayyaf militant may have killed as well in Mondays clash, but his death could not be immediately confirmed by troops conducting clearance operations, Paboyo said.

We also received information from residents in the area, who are also monitoring and reporting the whereabouts of the bandits  that they overheard that another high-value ASG sub-leader is missing and probably dead, he said.

Military officials display the firearms and ammunition that soldiers said they recovered from kidnappers of Indonesian fisherman Heri Ardiansyah off Simisa island in the southern province of Sulu. April 7, 2019. [Handout/Philippine Army/AP]

The Philippine military has been relentlessly pursuing Abu Sayyaf bandits in different locations on Jolo. Last week, an Indonesian hostage of Abu Sayyaf died while a compatriot and a Malaysian were rescued in a major operation that left seven militants dead.

However, the Malaysian, Jari Abdullah, who was shot and wounded during his rescue on April 4, died Tuesday at a hospital in the southern Philippine city of Zamboanga, after doctors, with the consent of his mother, took him off life support, military officials said.

We extend our heartfelt sympathy to the families of Abdullah. Our troops are exhausting all efforts to defeat the Abu Sayyaf and bring justice to the victims of terror, Lt. Gen. Arnel Dela Vega, chief of the militarys Western Mindanao Command, said in a statement.

The three men were snatched in December near Pegasus Reef, in the nearby eastern Malaysian state of Sabah, and later taken to Jolo. The Abu Sayyaf are believed to still be holding several local and foreign hostages on the island.

Nearly four years ago, the Abu Sayyaf beheaded two Canadian hostages and a German captive after their governments refused to pay ransoms.

Abu Sayyaf factions in other parts of the south have also been blamed for violent acts, including a car bombing on the southern Philippine island of Basilan that left 11 people dead in July last year.

We are saddened by the death of rescued Malaysian captive Jari Bin Abdullah. We further commiserate over the loss suffered by his bereft family and friends, Col. Besana said in a statement late Tuesday.

On our part, we commit to intensify our counteroperations to pound Abu Sayyaf militants and to rescue remaining captives in Sulu.

Zam Yusa in Sabah, Malaysia, contributed to this report.
An activist carries a lantern inscribed with a message calling for the defense of national sovereignty against Chinese expansionism in the South China Sea, during a protest outside Beijings embassy in Manila, April 9 2019.

About 200 Filipino activists protested outside the Chinese Embassy in Manila on Tuesday, denouncing Beijings expansionist moves in the disputed South China Sea.

Police in riot gear guarded the embassy in the Makati financial district, but let the protesters march under Manilas searing tropical heat. The demonstrators carried signs demanding China out now, and China go away, the Philippines is ours, among others.

A broad alliance of Filipino nationalists who took part in the demonstration called on President Rodrigo Duterte to protect the countrys territory amid a perceived Chinese territorial buildup in the sea region.

We reaffirm the need to defend Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights and territorial integrity against any and all foreign occupation and intervention, the group, which calls itself the United Filipinos for Sovereignty, said.

The protest occurred as the Philippines marked its Day of Valor national holiday, which commemorates the fall of Bataan to Japanese soldiers on April 9, 1942, during World War II.

We denounce in the strongest terms Chinas unceasing efforts to undermine our legal victory in the West Philippine Sea as it continues to claim the entire area as its own, the group said, using the Philippine name for the South China Sea. We oppose Chinas illegal reclamation activities and militarization of the area.

Among those picketing was Fernando Hicap, leader of a fishermens group called Pamalakaya, who criticized China for its alleged harassment of Filipinos venturing into the sea region to fish.

Chinese ships have continued to guard the lagoon inside the Scarborough Shoal, once considered a traditional rich fishing ground for Filipino fishermen, he said.

An international tribunal ruled in Manilas favor when it took on the Scarborough case. Instead of enforcing the ruling, Duterte sought to build up closer Philippine ties with the Chinese and to distance the country from the United States, its traditional military ally.

We reiterate our strong protest call that the West Philippine Sea is indisputably ours and China must respect our claim, and moreover, leave our territorial waters, Hicap said.

Its been almost three years since we scored a victory in the international court, but the Filipino people have yet to regain possession of our resource-rich marine territory, he said.

Beijing claims most of the mineral-rich South China Sea, including areas that reach the shores of its smaller neighbors. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan also have claims to the maritime region.

By imposing limitations to our fishers to exploit their traditional fishing waters, China is not only guilty of violating their socio-economic rights, it is also threatening our local food security as West Philippine Sea contributes 20 percent to the local fisheries production, Hicap said.

Elections coming up

Faced with mounting pressure at home just a month before mid-term elections will determine the fate of his party in Congress, Duterte last week told China to stay away from Pag-asa Island, which Manila has held since the 1970s.

Duterte spoke shortly after the Philippine foreign affairs department had declared the presence of a large number of Chinese ships near Pag-asa Island as illegal and delivered a diplomatic protest to the Chinese Embassy in Manila.

The presidents statement against China was his strongest since taking office three years ago, according to analysts, and it came weeks before he was expected to attend a major business conference to be hosted by Beijing later this month.

The statement was seen by analysts as politically calculated and aimed at quelling rising public disenchantment with his government.

And despite Dutertes warning to China over Pag-asa Island, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said there were no plans to increase the deployment of troops there.

He did not disclose the actual number of troops stationed there, citing security reasons.

We will maintain our normal presence in Pag-asa and in the other eight features that we own, Lorenzana told reporters.

Chinese officials did not immediately comment on Tuesdays protest.

Previously, Chinas ambassador to the Philippines, Zhao Jianhua, had assured Manila that Beijing was verifying reports about the number of Chinese boats in Pag-asa, saying the vessels might be manned by unarmed fishermen.
Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit shakes hands with supporters as he stands next to the first secretary of the French Embassy in Thailand, Christophe Carlucci (left), and German Embassy counsellor Alexander Nowak (right), at the Pathumwan police station in Bangkok, April 6, 2019.

Thailands foreign minister on Tuesday warned diplomats from other countries to not interfere with the judicial system after representatives from several embassies showed up at a police station as an opposition leader responded to a summons.

Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai questioned the diplomats presence at the Pathumwan police station in Bangkok on Saturday to observe the case of Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, leader of the Future Forward Party (FFP), who was charged then with sedition and other alleged offenses.

Don called it a breach of diplomatic protocol and interference with the Thai judiciary.

This thing cannot happen in their countries, but it happened in our country. We need to ask them and seek cooperation to not let this happen again because it is wrong under diplomatic protocol, Don told reporters in Bangkok.

He said he planned to send letters to or summon representatives to express the Thai governments displeasure over their actions.

An embassy can get involved in the judiciary only if its citizens have trouble in our country, which is the international norm, he said. If not, no country allows it. Simply put, no one does that, [it is] interference [with] the judiciary.

Thanathorn, 40, the scion of a Thai auto parts company, served as the FFPs candidate for prime minister in last months general election. The party was among seven that formed a pro-democracy alliance in the aftermath of the March 24 polls, whose final outcome has yet to be resolved officially. The election was the first in Thailand since the military seized power in a coup in May 2014.

Representatives of several nations including the United States, along with the European Union (E.U.) and U.N. human rights officials, met Thanathorn outside the police station Saturday, according to press reports and Thanathorns supporters. Pictures of the gathering circulated widely on social media and in local and international media.

On Tuesday, the U.S. embassy and the E.U. office in Thailand did not immediately reply to BenarNews requests for comment. In addition, representatives from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Great Britain, who were at the police station, according to media reports, have not commented on social media sites or elsewhere.

A spokeswoman for FFP questioned the foreign ministers statement.

Mr. Dons remark is of concern because it is impossible for diplomats to not know the protocol or about being discrete, Pannika Wanich said. It is of concern given that he is a foreign minister.

She said the diplomats who showed up at the police station had a good relationship with FFP and had sought the partys permission to observe the case.

Charges

Thanathorn was charged on Saturday with sedition, aiding criminals and taking part in a political gathering of at least 10 people four years ago.

The charges stemmed from a rally at Pathumwan police station on June 24, 2015, Col. Burin Thongprapai, legal adviser for the government, told Thai media last week. On that day, eight students who had been involved in anti-junta activities a month earlier were scheduled to report to police but they and supporters surrounded the station instead.

Burin said Thanathorn used his mothers van to help the activists escape.

At the time of the incident, the military government, led by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha, had outlawed political gatherings of 10 or more people. Prayuth, who was appointed prime minister after leading a military overthrow of Yingluck Shinawatras civilian government in 2014 and is himself a candidate for prime minister, lifted the restriction prior to last months election.

Thanathorn likely will stand trial in a military court because the incident occurred during the time when the government allowed military courts to hear security-related cases, according to the police. He said he planned to submit his response to the summons by May 15.

On Tuesday, Thanathorns lawyer said the case was not affecting his clients short-term political efforts.

As far as I know, the case would not take effect until after the election results are final, attorney Krisadang Nutcharas told BenarNews by phone.

FFP won 30 of 350 parliamentary seats contested in the March 24 election and could receive another 50 to 58 of the 150 party-list seats awarded using a mathematical formula tied to the total vote count, according to observers.

Prayuth, meanwhile, said he was not sure that the people who gathered at the police station on Saturday were envoys or other representatives from those countries.

But I have told the foreign ministry to contact the respective embassies, Prayuth told reporters after a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

I dont want this issue to cause conflict because we live on the same globe, he said while pointing out the need to follow the law. Most of all, we follow Thai constitution and Thai laws.
This year, the festival of documentary films of the CIS countries Eurasia.DOC will be held for the fourth time. The films not only from the Commonwealth countries but also from other countries will be presented there, a Russian journalist, producer, director, director of the festival, Valery Shekhovtsov told Vestnik Kavkaza.

"I am very pleased that this festival gathers professional colleagues. I am very glad that there is a representative of Azerbaijan in this social circle, my good friend, a wonderfully creative person, not only a documentary director but also famous bard Javid Imamverdiev. He has already twice participated in our festival, and is well-known in Russia ", Shekhovtsov said.

He addressed Imamverdiyev through Vestnik Kavkaza: Javid, I am glad that there is an opportunity to appeal to you. We love you very much, you are the life of the party. The years you participated, you managed to gather people from different countries, former Soviet republics. We are all impressed by your charm and charisma. And you are welcome to participate in our next festivals."

A philologist and a graduate of Baku State University, Javid Imamverdiev, is not only a director and producer but also a poet, author-performer, a member of the Baku Author Song Club and the Grushinsky Festival.

Valery Shekhovtsov said that for the first time Imamverdiyev participated in the "Eurasia.DOC festival with the film "Hero Buried in a Foreign Land. it tells about the fate of the Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel Gabibulla Huseynov, who died in World War II, and his familys history: "This film is about an Azerbaijani who participated in the war and was buried in one of the Baltic States, because he died there, took his last fight there. It is a very touching film. It was also shown in Minsk, where the hero studied at a military school. "

The second film is dedicated mainly to Baku and the whole of Azerbaijan as well. The film is called Peace to Your Home. It is dedicated to the peaceful coexistence of Christian, Muslim, Jewish confessions in Azerbaijan. The film is very beautifully shot. Baku is handsome. After watching the film, those who have never been there immediately wanted to see this city. By the way, I am one of them. Ive never been to Baku, I hope that someday I will go there. I will be happy to see my friends - hospitable residents of Baku, Azerbaijanis. Let's hope that films from Azerbaijan will be presented at our festival. We are opening the submissions season. Therefore, you are welcome! "

Valery Shekhovtsov added that at the previous festivals, films from Armenia, Georgia, and also from the North Caucasus were presented.

The festival format involves not only film screenings, but also round tables to discuss the issues relevant to the CIS countries and the entire post-Soviet space. At the Moscow-Minsk videoconference dedicated to the 4th Eurasia.DOC CIS Documentary Film Festival, Shekhovtsov said: "We started it as a festival of primarily political cinema, but during these four years, the festival began to set its own terms. The festival prompted its logic of development, and we expanded the genre of films, moving away from hard political cinema. We select films the topics of which are directly or indirectly relevant to the public political life of the CIS countries, this can be internal CIS problems, it may be a question of our common history and culture, even the Syrian issues that affect our entire post-Soviet space. "

"From the very first year, the festival became international. We do not limit ourselves to the territory. Our colleagues from the USA, Italy, Germany participated in the festival. This is a festival without borders ... The films of the festival are divided into categories: society, politics, culture, history, people. Very touching human stories were presented at the last festival. It is very pleasant that not only masters from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, other countries, but young authors participated as well. We were touched by some of their films.
For Immediate Release, April 9, 2019 Contact: Kieran Suckling, (520) 275-5960, ksuckling@biologicaldiversity.org Nevada Judge Dismisses Bundy Effort to Seize Public Lands LAS VEGAS Calling his legal claims delusional, a Nevada state court judge has dismissed rancher Cliven Bundys lawsuit to seize more than 58 million acres of federal lands and have them turned over to the state. In a ruling made public today, Judge Jim Crockett of the 8th Judicial District Court in Las Vegas said Bundy has tried and failed three times over the past two decades to make the same claims. The courts ruling came in response to a motion from the Center for Biological Diversity and found against all of Bundys claims in the case. The judge was being kind to call these claims delusional, said Kieran Suckling, the Centers executive director. Bundys ridiculous legal theories have wasted the courts time and taxpayer money. Hopefully this unequivocal ruling will encourage Bundy to finally pay his grazing fees and bring this nonsense to a close. Im not holding my breath, though. Bundy and his sympathizers believe the federal government lacks constitutional authority to own and manage federal public lands. His claims have been rejected by numerous federal courts, including rulings issued in response to filings by Bundy himself. In the latest ruling, the judge said Bundy was wrong again. It is simply delusional to maintain that all public land within the boundaries of Nevada belongs to the State of Nevada, Crockett wrote. Because this issue has been raised and lost by Bundy in previous litigation, issue preclusion acts as a complete bar to Bundy's first and third causes of action. Federal courts ruled in 1998 and in 2013 that Bundy or the Bureau of Land Management must round up hundreds of livestock illegally roaming 750,000 acres near the Nevada-Arizona line. In 2016 a federal magistrate again rejected Bundys claim when he sought to have the federal indictment against him dismissed. This is why Judge Crockett concluded: It is painfully obvious that the claims asserted by Bundy in the instant matter rest upon a fundamentally flawed notion advanced by Bundy since 1998 regarding ownership of federal public lands in Nevada. For two decades, Bundy has made the same claims that federal public lands within Nevada belong not to the United States, but instead to the State of Nevada. Three federal court decisions  Bundy I, Bundy II, and Bundy Ill  have now considered and rejected Bundy's repeated arguments. Much of the land Bundy illegally grazes on is now protected as Gold Butte National Monument. Bundy owes more than $1 million in grazing fees and penalties, according to federal officials. Bundys decades of illegal livestock grazing led to a dangerous standoff in 2014. When federal authorities attempted to remove his cows, Bundy and his sons organized armed militia members and intimidated the government into halting the operation. In January 2018 a federal judge dismissed all charges against Bundy and his sons related to the Bunkerville standoff.
For Immediate Release, April 8, 2019 Contact: Noah Greenwald, (503) 484-7495, ngreenwald@biologicaldiversity.org Oregon's Wolf Population Grows to 16 Packs, 137 Animals Wolves Still Concentrated in Northeast Oregon, More Growth Key to Recovery PORTLAND, Ore. Oregons wolf population increased by 13 confirmed animals from 124 to 137 animals in 2018, according to a report released today by the states Department of Fish and Wildlife. There are also four new packs, for a total of 16. Were thrilled to see more wolves and more wolf packs in Oregon, said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center for Biological Diversity. Were working with the state to ensure nonlethal methods of reducing livestock loss are prioritized over killing wolves. If nonlethal measures are used, the wolf population will continue to grow, including in western Oregon, where wolves are just beginning to return. On a less positive note, the report documents seven known wolf mortalities in 2018, including six caused by people. Those include three Pine Creek Pack wolves killed by state wildlife managers. Two others were killed by poachers, and one young wolf died after being trapped and radio-collared, likely because of starvation due to a foot injury. In addition, all but two packs are concentrated in northeastern Oregon, which is a small fraction of the wolfs original range in the state. Even with these increases, gray wolves remain far from recovered in Oregon or across the U.S., Greenwald said. Given their continued endangered status, we hate to see the state kill wolves, particularly since the science shows non-lethal measures are more effective at reducing livestock losses and ranchers are compensated for any losses that do occur. In 2015 the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission removed wolves from the state endangered species list  even though Oregons wolves are still absent from nearly 90 percent of the states suitable habitat. A lawsuit by the Center and Cascadia Wildlands challenging the state delisting is pending. Gray wolves remain protected under the federal Endangered Species Act in western Oregon, for now. The Trump administration has proposed removing protection despite the small number of wolves in western Oregon and elsewhere in their range. The Department of Fish and Wildlife will present its annual wolf report at the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commissions April 19 meeting in St. Helens.


This project has been made possible through support from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Artificial intelligence-based Indian health-tech company Niramai announced that it will develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-based computer-aided software for controlling spread of River Blindness. Niramai will leverage its innovative Thermalytix technology to detect the presence of live adult worms of Onchocerciasis which causes river blindness and significant disability. Thermalytix is currently being applied to early stage breast cancer detection. This innovative non-invasive detection method is expected to help assess the efficacy of new drugs being developed to control the disease by killing the adult worms, potentially accelerating the elimination of river blindness, which has today infects ~17 million people in Africa. This project has been made possible through support from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Niramai has developed a novel technique called Thermalytix, an automated diagnostic tool, which combines thermal imaging with artificial intelligence which is being used to detect early stage breast cancer in many hospitals today. Dr Geetha Manjunath, CEO & CTO, Niramai, said, We are very excited to collaborate with Gates Foundation to extend the application of our innovative technique to areas other than breast cancer. Successful completion of this research project will demonstrate a breakthrough result of Thermalytix being a new way of sensing many abnormalities in human body in a non-invasive, radiation-free and accurate way, even beyond cancer!

A clinical expert collaborating with NIRAMAI, Professor Dr Christopher L King from The Centre for Global Health and Diseases, Cleveland, said, Onchocerciasis, more commonly known as river blindness, is the world's second leading infectious cause of blindness. NIRAMAI technology can be a valuable tool to detect infectious live worms in a non-invasive way and help with the global effort to eliminate this very disabling disease. About half a million people are blind or visually impaired due to the disease which is caused by a parasitic worm living under the skin in humans, spread by black fly bites. In addition to blinding, onchocerciasis is a chronic systemic disease capable of causing extensive and disfiguring skin disease, chronic itching, musculoskeletal complaints, weight loss, alteration in host immune responses and possibly epilepsy and growth impairment. Onchocerciasis can have considerable impact on social relationships in poorest communities. Therefore, its control and elimination has been a high priority. It has been categorized by Gates Foundation as one of the high-opportunity target diseases under the strategy to address NTDs (Neglected Tropical Diseases).

Past awardees of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant in India include Indian School of Business, International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore, Ratan Tata Trust, Dvara Research Foundation etc.
The workshop offered an opportunity to the innovators to interact with the regulators

Department of Biotechnology (DBT) jointly with Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) is organizing a national series of six regulatory workshops across the nation on facilitating resolution of regulatory concerns faced by the innovators in India.

This workshop series is being conducted by the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) and Clinical Development Services Agency (CDSA).

Two workshops in the series were conducted in New Delhi in December 2018 and Pune in February 2019. The third in this series was recently organised at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), Bengaluru.

C-CAMP is providing the necessary platform to the innovators so that they can share their doubts and questions directly with the regulators. We plan to start a portal soon where the innovators can drop in their questions for the regulators and we can mediate it further, said Dr Taslimarif Saiyed, CEO & Director, C-CAMP.

The workshop offered an opportunity to the innovators to interact with the regulators to resolve their regulatory issues thereby facilitating them to seek market authorization. Deliberations were done on various regulatory pathways applicable for the development of the new drugs, biopharmaceuticals, vaccines, medical devices & IVD kits, phytopharmaceuticals from discovery to commercialization.

The regulatory system is very much supportive towards the innovators. The regulatory pathways have been simplified and made clear. We are always open in addressing peoples doubts and concerns. The government is taking all possible measures for strengthening the regulatory system both at the central and state levels. A lot of questions are being asked nowadays about the regulations for e-pharmacies. The draft is ready from our side but the final decision is yet to be taken since the IDMA is not in favour , mentioned Dr B Kumar, Deputy Drugs Controller India, CDSCO, Sub Zonal Office, Bengaluru.

During the workshop, Dr Sucheta Banerjee Kurundkar, Director Training, CDSA shared her views on how a communication gap at times exists between the innovators and regulators. The government is keen on understanding the various concerns of the innovators. As a result, we are conducting these regulatory workshops through government organisations such as C-CAMP, ICGEB, Venture Center in order to reach out to the researchers and innovators. We have three more workshops lined up which are a part of this series. There are two sessions being organized at NIPER in Hyderabad and Guwahati, and one most probably in Baroda at MSU. We plan to do much more in this regard, she said.

The workshop was attended by a number of innovators, personnel working in the government national laboratories, academics and research institutions, participants from non-governmental institutions, startups, SMEs, MSMEs, industry, researchers.
The app has partnered with PhonePe, Indias leading digital payment apps, using the iOS and Android and iCALL helpline staff (run by TISS) to help counsel customers dealing with mental health issues and with MBBS doctors to answer the medical questions.

Roy de Souza, a serial entrepreneur focused on curing cancer has funded nULTA, a leading online consultation platform that connects patients to specialist doctors. The app has partnered with PhonePe, Indias leading digital payment apps, using the iOS and Android and iCALL helpline staff (run by TISS) to help counsel customers dealing with mental health issues and with MBBS doctors to answer the medical questions.

According to a report by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India, the overall Indian healthcare market, which is worth around $100 Bn, is likely to grow at a CAGR of 23% to reach $280 Bn by 2020, thanks to smartphone and Internet adoption.

Speaking on the occasion, Roy de Souza, Founder, nULTA said, We are delighted to partner with PhonePe and TISS to provide our users with safer and seamless consultation experience. We partnered with PhonePe and iCALL, a mental health awareness project by TISS to help patients deal with their issues. Whenever they need, these PhonePe app users (iOS and Android) across India can contact a qualified doctor or qualified counselor right from the PhonePe app - without installing any new apps.

Commenting on the partnership, Rituraj Rautela Head of In-app category PhonePe, said, We are very excited with this new and unique addition to our in-app platform. Healthcare is a key focus area for us and we are really happy to partner with nULTA which provides counselling for mental health issues. Our rapidly increasing user base will get to avail nULTAs services through their PhonePe app without the hassle of installing multiple apps, and enjoy the comfort and sense of security while making payments through PhonePe.

Speaking on the occasion, Tanuja Babre, Programme Coordinator, iCALL, TISS, said, Mental health facilities in India are still quite insufficient owing to the limited number of services being offered as well as, the inadequate number of trained and supervised professionals. We partnered with nULTA to help the clients in need of counselling services get consultation through iCALL which endeavours to provide professional counselling sessions transcending geographical distances while ensuring confidentiality.

nULTA is a mobile app similar to Teladoc of the US that allows Indians to pick up their smartphone and easily connect to fully qualified doctors or trained professional counsellors for a chat based consultation.
Ivan Moroke has been appointed CEO, Kantar, Insights Division, South Africa and joins the Kantar Africa & Middle East Board. He will report in to Charles Foster, CEO, Kantar Insights Division, Africa & Middle East. As Kantar moves towards a unified brand I know that we couldnt ask for a better leader than Ivan to drive the business in South Africa. His enormous experience and passion for our industry will benefit both our staff and our clients as we integrate brands across the company, working together to turn insights into actionable solutions that will fuel business growth for our clients and have a real impact on their ROI, says Charles Foster.Commenting on his new appointment, Moroke says that he plans to focus on leveraging world-class Kantar data sources to mine insights that unlock sustainable growth strategies for Kantars clients and employees.Moroke began his career at BAT and later moved to Added Value where he cultivated his passion for insights and growth strategies for business and brands. He has held leadership roles in strategic planning and business at Lowe Bull, and led teams at Yellowwood Future Architects and TBWA Hunt Lascaris, later founding the marketing insights and strategy consultancy, Co-Currency.Moroke is chairperson of the jury for the Apex Awards and regularly serves on the judging panels of other industry awards including the Loeries and Bookmarks. He has chaired the Brand Council South Africa (BCSA) and is a previous Vice-Chairperson of the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA).Karin du Chenne has been appointed Chief Growth Officer, Kantar, Insights Division, Africa & Middle East. In her new role, Du Chenne will focus on deepening relationships with local, regional and multinational clients to bring them the best of what Kantar has to offer to grow their market share. She has worked across the region for many years and was previously based in Turkey as Chief Client Officer, and most recently was the CEO for Kantar South Africa for the past two years.The business has also made several appointments within the insights team in South Africa to align with strategic initiatives to drive co-creation and purposeful collaboration across the organisation, making it easier for Kantar to build platforms and offers that address clients most pressing needs.Our ambition is that it will be easier for you to access the breadth of our expertise, and I could not have asked for a more talented and diverse group of leaders, united by the passion for the business and people, comments Moroke.Otte has been with Kantar for the past 15 years and was most recently CEO of Kantar Millward Brown in South Africa. In her new position, she will take on a wider role across Kantars Insights Division, and will also serve as Chief Client Officer. Commenting on her appointment, Moroke says, I knew Natalie before I joined Kantar and was well acquainted with the phenomenal work she has done in growing the Kantar Millward Brown business. Working with her closely over the last year has revealed someone who puts clients first as much as she does every member of staff. The leadership of the Johannesburg office and national client initiatives is significant and will make the most of her talents.Reid has been heading up the client service teams at Kantar TNS in Cape Town for the past couple of years. Prior to rejoining Kantar TNS, he managed the Insights team at Distell and later led his own strategic insights consultancy. In Brian we have one of the most well-rounded leaders I have come across in my professional life. His diverse experience shows in his brilliant strategic mind, strong business acumen, servant leadership of his staff and impressive client centricity, says Moroke.Bodha leads Kantar global client programmes which are hubbed in the Durban Multi-country Centre. He is also focussed on global innovation and automation to bring fast access to data and quick turnaround solutions for clients. Bodha recently celebrated his 20th anniversary at Kantar. He is someone who arguably has the most varied experience in the business at different levels covering creative design, operations, client service and innovation to name a few! Leon has grown through the ranks to be heading up the Durban operation which is testimony to his abilities, strong character and leadership skills, says Moroke.Kantar is the worlds leading data, insights and consulting company. We understand more about how people think, feel, shop, share, vote and view than anyone else. Combining our expertise in human understanding with advanced technologies, Kantars 30,000 people help the worlds leading organisations succeed and grow.For further information, please visit us at www.kantar.com
#Prisms2019: Meet young judge Sicelo Vilakazi

In the run-up to the 22nd Prism Awards taking place on Sunday, 14 April, we chatted to this year's cohort of young judges about their fresh approach to the judging process.





This years young judges entries far exceeded expectation. The selected group is proof that theres an array of diverse and young talent in this industry and that they have a lot to offer, says co-convenor and founder of the Prisms Young Judges initiative, Palesa Madumo, executive director of strategy at Vuma Reputation Management.



Sicelo Vilakazi Here, our interview with Sicelo Vilakazi, digital strategist at Meropa Communications...



What does this recognition and opportunity mean to you? What does this recognition and opportunity mean to you? In this series of interviews, we find out what theyve learnt working alongside the cluster judges and what their young minds bring to the table.This years young judges entries far exceeded expectation. The selected group is proof that theres an array of diverse and young talent in this industry and that they have a lot to offer, says co-convenor and founder of the Prisms Young Judges initiative, Palesa Madumo, executive director of strategy at Vuma Reputation Management.Here, our interview with Sicelo Vilakazi, digital strategist at Meropa Communications...

Briefly tell us about your experience in the industry. Briefly tell us about your experience in the industry.

Comment on the judging process. Comment on the judging process.

What has the response been to this years entries? What has the response been to this years entries?

What makes the winning work stand out? What makes the winning work stand out?

Prisa also introduced the Student Campaign of the Year in 2016. Why do you think its important that PR students are included in such initiatives? Prisa also introduced the Student Campaign of the Year in 2016. Why do you think its important that PR students are included in such initiatives?

What do you think young minds bring to the table? What do you think young minds bring to the table?

What have you learnt working alongside the cluster judges? What have you learnt working alongside the cluster judges?

Comment on the past, present and future state of PR. Comment on the past, present and future state of PR.

What would the title of Prisms Young Judge for the 2019 awards mean to you? What would the title of Prisms Young Judge for the 2019 awards mean to you?

What are you most looking forward to in terms of this years Awards? What are you most looking forward to in terms of this years Awards?

Jessica Tennant's articles About Jessica Tennant Jess is Senior Editor: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com. She is also a contributing writer. Jess is Senior Editor: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com. She is also a contributing writer. moc.ytinummoczib@swengnitekram

Being selected as a Prism Young Judge for 2019 is a great achievement as it is a reward for all the hard work I have put in and a platform that I can use to set my mark in the industry and be counted amongst the young people selected to lead the necessary need for change in the industry.Being recognised as a Prism Young Judge is an opportunity for me to grow as a communications practitioner by honing my skill and engaging with my peers who continue to pave the way for young people like me.It is also an opportunity for me to inspire other young people to get involved, to begin to have an opinion about the work we do so that they all begin to love it, enjoy it and use it as a tool to change not only their own lives but the lives of many others they come across on their journey as communicators.I'm currently enjoying my second year in the industry after graduating from my honours degree in strategic communication at the University of Johannesburg in 2017. I started off as an intern and was soon promoted to a public relations consultant at Meropa Communications. I recently just moved towards the direction of working in a field that I quite enjoy and I am overly curious about, that being digital communication. I currently work as a digital strategist with a specialised focus on social media engagement at Meropa Communications.In these two years, I have learnt many important lessons which have directed and assisted in fast-tracking my growth, as well as the understanding of delivering work that is able to touch the lives of people. It has taught me to love what I do and to appreciate every opportunity I get in perfecting the art of communication whilst tailoring it to each and every client I work with. It has taught me the important need to inspire students studying in any field of communications, to focus on their skills and to find the belief in them, in their capabilities and their dreams through the work they are inclined to do.The judging process was a very rewarding experience, one that I will keep with me forever. Being on the other side of the awards as a judge and not as the entrant has taught me a different perspective on the industry and the important need to award work that is executed extremely well.Judging is certainly not an easy job to do because one needs to see the work for what it is before looking at the amazing results gained through the delivering of the campaigns. It has helped me refine my abilities to evaluate strategies and the important need for each strategy to solve an overall problem in society as well as that of the brand or client.I also got the opportunity to engage other experienced judges who were always willing to hear my opinion on the entries that were up for judging and share their inputs on what an award-winning entry should be like. The overall process has made me realise the important role I play in the development of the industry through my active participation.The response has been very positive, with the increased number of entries from last year. This year the judges were very pleased with the high quality of work submitted for judging. Many of the entries present outstanding results in terms of the impact of the work done by all entrants and this has made this years entries very competitive.A winning entry stands out because of how it is written and whether or not it solves a problem/opportunity for the brand. The entry needs to show evidence of each stage of the campaign, from the inception of the idea to the execution and evaluation of the campaign based on its objectives. The winning entry needs to also provide value in terms of delivering business objectives such as the ROI and most importantly for the audience it is targeting.It is important to include PR students because they are the future of the industry and their participation ensures the successful growth of our field. Their involvement is paramount to the development of their skills and their ability to influence change in the industry that will allow for the breaking down of boundaries that prevent the involvement of young people in the industry especially in leadership positions in the industry. The students know what they want and they offer a fresh perspective of how things need to be done in order to make the industry more lucrative than it is currently.We as young minds bring a fresh and dynamic perspective to a number of topics up for debate in the industry. We are not afraid to challenge and encourage debate. We bring a different perspective driven by a voice that is resoundingly loud in voicing out the opinions of the young people who are often ignored on the basis of the being young or being junior to those who are decision makers. We bring in the necessary energy, hunger to learn and share our knowledge, which is as equally valuable as the knowledge shared by those who are more experienced than us. We bring in the necessary views on the vision of the Prism Awards and the inclusive involvement of young people.I have learnt the need to always have an opinion, whether good or bad; one must be able to share how there are feeling. I have also learnt the important need to realise that the awards are about uniting the industry, even through competition, it is about celebrating the good work that continues to be executed by all communication practitioners in our field. I have learnt to respect our work and to always remain prudent, authentic and diligent in anything that I do as a judge. However, the biggest lesson I have learnt is to always remain humble because as a judge our work is to grow the public relations industry and this role to serve the industry can only be done by a few individuals.In the past, not much was done in terms of preserving the value of public relations, which should be done by ensuring that it continues to evolve with the times, by being agile in its approach and by continuously vouching for inclusive participation by all practitioners of public relations.The present sees much of the industry trying to play catch up with other competitive and highly-developed aspects of the communication field, such as advertising, which sidelined the important work of public relations. The current state of PR shows us developing faster than we did in the past and by breaking down many barriers, we have been able to ensure the sustainability of public relations, however, there is still a lot of work that still needs to be done.The future of PR is bright and with the involvement of young minds, it will continue to grow without being overshadowed by other aspects of the communication field. PR will no longer be undermined in terms of its impact and its capabilities of changing the way brands conduct their business, the way that PR practitioners conduct their work and of course the lives of those who are engaged through public relations.The title of Prisms Young Judge would mean that I have now gained the chance to be an example for many budding young minds who are still waiting for their chance to participate in the industry, to show them that we are capable and that it is possible for us to get involved and become leaders that inspire others to do more.It would mean that I am ready to serve the industry and to actively contribute to its success and in the securing of its future for many years, decades and centuries to come.I am looking forward to getting dressed in one of my fancy suits, seeing everyone who has participated in the awards and sharing the moment to appreciate as well as celebrate the successful year of work conducted by everyone in the industry for 2019. I look forward to seeing which entries have received the nod in being recognised as the best of the best and seeing the people who are behind all the incredible work that was delivered this year.
The Western media is discussing the accusations against German MP Markus Frohnmaier of enjoying Russia's support, made by the Dossier Centre, funded by Mikhail Khodorkovsky. German newspapers Spiegel and ZDF, BBC and La Republica, joining the searching for 'Kremlin connection' trend, conducted a joint investigation into Russia's alleged attempts to influence the 2017 elections to the Bundestag.

Khodorkovsky's people obtained the documents, which describe Markus Frohnmaier, member of the German parliament from the far-right AfD party, as "under absolute control" of Russian politicians, making him a suitable candidate in German national elections, and recommend "material and media support" for his campaign.

AfD, which has 94 seats in the Bundestag now, is well known in German political circles for making pro-Russian statements. Frohnmaier has frequently spoken out against EU sanctions on Russia. At the same time, there is no evidence that the party and its member have links to the Kremlin, and the Dossier Centre's attack may be connected with interparty struggle in parliament.

Frohnmaier denied any links to the Kremlin and said he had no knowledge of the Russian document obtained by the Dossier Centre, nor of document apparently written on behalf of his campaign.

"I think that's a fake document," he told BBC.

Asked whether he could explain how the authors of the Russian document came to the conclusion that he would be an "absolutely controlled MP", Frohnmaier said, in a statement from his lawyers: "Our client emphasizes that he was never under the control of any third party. Our client has not requested or received financial support directly or through third parties."

Bundestag's Vice President, member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) Thomas Oppermann insists on conducting a formal investigation.

Senior parliamentary group official for the Green Party Britta Hasselmann stressed that Frohnmaier and the AfD are now "massively obligated to lay all the facts on the table."

"Whoever makes himself so dependent on other powers cannot independently act in the interests of the German people in Parliament," CDU Secretary General Paul Ziemiak said following a meeting of his party's Executive Committee in Berlin. "Does one want such a person within his own ranks?"

All these statements were made, despite the fact that evidence of the authenticity of the papers shown by the London Dossier was not given. Thus, all opponents of the AfD in the Bundestag united to discredit the party through an "American-style leak," which provide no real evidence, but immediately drawing final conclusions based on it.
#Prisms2019: Meet young judge Tina Lepan

In the run-up to the 22nd Prism Awards taking place on Sunday, 14 April, we chatted to this year's cohort of young judges about their fresh approach to the judging process.





This years young judges entries far exceeded expectation. The selected group is proof that theres an array of diverse and young talent in this industry and that they have a lot to offer, says co-convenor and founder of the Prisms Young Judges initiative, Palesa Madumo, executive director of strategy at Vuma Reputation Management.



Tina Lepan Here, our interview with Tina Lepan, PR executive at Verve Marketing and Communication...



What does this recognition and opportunity mean to you? What does this recognition and opportunity mean to you? In this series of interviews, we find out what theyve learnt working alongside the cluster judges and what their young minds bring to the table.This years young judges entries far exceeded expectation. The selected group is proof that theres an array of diverse and young talent in this industry and that they have a lot to offer, says co-convenor and founder of the Prisms Young Judges initiative, Palesa Madumo, executive director of strategy at Vuma Reputation Management.Here, our interview with Tina Lepan, PR executive at Verve Marketing and Communication...

Briefly tell us about your experience in the industry. Briefly tell us about your experience in the industry.

I have a soft spot for non-profit organisations and social mission work. I am a firm believer in co-creating content with partners to create unique campaigns that stand out from the rest, as collaboration often brings out the best in all parties.

Comment on the judging process. Comment on the judging process.

What has the response been to this years entries? What has the response been to this years entries?

What makes the winning work stand out? What makes the winning work stand out?

Prisa also introduced the Student Campaign of the Year in 2016. Why do you think its important that PR students are included in such initiatives? Prisa also introduced the Student Campaign of the Year in 2016. Why do you think its important that PR students are included in such initiatives?

What do you think young minds bring to the table? What do you think young minds bring to the table?

What have you learnt working alongside the cluster judges? What have you learnt working alongside the cluster judges?

Comment on the past, present and future state of PR. Comment on the past, present and future state of PR.

What would the title of Prisms Young Judge for the 2019 awards mean to you? What would the title of Prisms Young Judge for the 2019 awards mean to you?

What are you most looking forward to in terms of this years Awards? What are you most looking forward to in terms of this years Awards?

Jessica Tennant's articles About Jessica Tennant Jess is Senior Editor: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com. She is also a contributing writer. Jess is Senior Editor: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com. She is also a contributing writer. moc.ytinummoczib@swengnitekram

Its a huge opportunity to get recognition from the industry. This means a lot to me. Im so excited to be a part of the next generation of PR professionals.I started my career journey working at Symbiotic Communications (one of Durbans most well-known PR agencies, under Sharon Wilkinson) servicing the Beiersdorf Account (Nivea, Nivea Men, Labello, Elastoplast and Eucerin). There, I learned the foundations of PR and a lot of focus was spent on building relationships as well as traditional print PR executions. The highlight of my time at Symbiotic was conceptualising and executing Beiersdorf SAs first sponsored influencer digital campaign, with beauty authority, Mathahle Stofile and her online platform, The Matte Project.Today I work at THB Verve, another one of Durbans treasured local agencies. At THB Verve, Ive been introduced to PR strategy and have learnt how to craft a narrative to serve as a compass for all PR key messaging and objectives. I have been given the opportunity to delve deeper into PR reporting and analysis and I get a lot of joy out of assessing if our KPIs have been met and positive sentiments achieved.The judging process has been a huge learning experience for me. I found some of the entries extremely inspiring. My chief judge, Vincent Magwenya has given me a lot of insights into the categories we judged together, specifically the African Network of the Year and the Pan African Campaign of the Year. These categories were interesting because its nice to see what other agencies are doing around Africa in the PR space (as most of my work focuses on South Africa only)  it helped me to broaden my perspective and to learn how other African PR agencies overcome challenges, build networks that last and ultimately unpack meaningful stories that deliver on campaign objectives.The response has been great, we have seen a variety of entries that are diverse and original.Clear understanding of a clients problem or opportunity, solid research to distil insights (rather than assumptions or secondary research), defined objectives to see if the campaign performed well and unique executions to solve client problems were the common traits winning entries displayed.I think this is an amazing initiative. Students tend to push the boundaries, remain progressive and often outwit dated beliefs and methods, from my observations in the industry. Its important to show PR students that their work and ideas have value and should be celebrated; we can learn a lot from them.I think the younger generation can add a new perspective, challenge the status quo and is extremely passionate about making the world a better place. These values are needed in the PR industry, now more than ever; its great that we are giving fresh talent a seat at the table.My cluster judges have taught me to not accept entries at face value. Ive been encouraged to probe, ask questions, play devils advocate and to challenge my fellow judges in friendly debates. Its been a great experience to pick the brains of my cluster judges, they all come from unique backgrounds but all live and breathe PR (just like me)  they have been incredible mentors to me.PR is an ever-evolving industry and with the rise of digital and the age of Influencer Marketing, it is changing to meet the needs of younger audiences. During my two years in the industry, I have witnessed profound changes in the media, including the trend of the influencer and the decline of print. Ive learnt that to survive in PR, you need to be agile, dynamic, have a strong network and constantly keep abreast of current trends, news and technologies.It would mean the world to me; to be recognised by my peers would be the highlight of my career so far.Im really looking forward to connecting with my Prism Young Judge family at the awards evening this year. As Im based in KZN and have been judging remotely, it will be fantastic to catch up with my fellow young judges in the flesh to find out how their experience has been so far and to network for the future.
Eskom has reviewed its winter plan, but has cautioned the country to use electricity sparingly as the demand for power is expected to increase this week as cold weather gets a grip on parts of South Africa.

Avoiding load shedding

We have done an extensive winter plan and review of our power system and identified the problems. While the plan gives us confidence that we may go through winter with no or limited load shedding, we are mindful of the potential of risks on a very tight power system which may result in shifts on the power system and which could result in load shedding, the power utilitys Group Chief Executive Phakamani Hadebe says.The power system is expected to be tight for this week.Hadebe said Eskom has mapped out scenarios where load shedding will be implemented in cases where unplanned breakdowns increase to more than 9,500,MW, as well as where there are delays in returning units from planned maintenance or in cases of unanticipated disruptive events.The first few days in April have given reassurance of the integrity of our plan as we managed to avoid load shedding on three days where it was forecasted due to good performance of our plant. We managed to go through periods of high demand in the evening peak without using a lot of diesel, says Hadebe.Over the next two months, Eskom expects additional power from generation units that were out for planned maintenance which is currently at about 6,000MW and will ramp down to about 2,000MW towards the highest demand period in May.Two units that were on long-term outages at Kriel and Matla (1,050MW) will also be returned to service. Kusile 3 is also expected to synchronise to the grid for the first time towards the end of April.The three power stations are all located in Mpumalanga.In addition, imports from Cahora Bassa are expected to be back at full load. This follows damage caused to power lines from the hydropower plant in Mozambique, as a consequence of Cyclone Idai.We promise to keep our customers informed about the state of our power system on a continuous basis. The utility will implement its Use electricity smartly campaign this week. The campaign is aimed at reducing the use of electricity.
The socioeconomic challenges faced by businesses across all sectors continue to multiply, whether it be the agricultural sector plagued by uncertain crop yields as a result of global warming, or storage facilities that find themselves at the mercy of increasingly sophisticated crime heists.

Safety and rescue

Increased security

Increased productivity in agriculture

Ruan Botha, DJI product manager at Rectron explains how incorporating drones into day-to-day operations can help businesses mitigate against external factors.The incorporation of drones could have a massive impact across all sectors, even going as far as saving lives. Drones are expected to bring about significant cost reductions, such savings will be noticeable in industries where humans have typically undertaken difficult or dangerous work, as safety and compliance related costs will be reduced or avoided altogether.Using infrared imagery, the Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual can aid in solar panel inspections, firefighting, as well as search and rescue.When wildfires broke out in Californias Yosemite National Park, drones proved to be the ultimate tool, as an aerial drone with infrared technology was deployed to pinpoint where the wildfires were at the time and see in which direction they were moving, thus allowing the firefighters to go on foot, knowing their boundaries. The drones were able to save valuable time, as they relayed information in minutes that previously used to take up to 48 hours to accomplish, something the Western Cape could have benefited from when a fire raged across Signal Hill to Lions Head.Another case the Western Cape might have deployed drones to save time was when an Icelandic tourist fell 20 metres while hiking on Table Mountain, hanging for 13 hours as the Peninsula Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR) performed a technical rope rescue operation. After 5pm on 18 February 2019, WSAR were alerted to verbal distress calls coming from Table Mountain, however, were unsure where they were originating from due to high winds.In addition to the efforts undertaken by WSAR, if a drone, such as the Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual, was deployed, the search time might have been cut down, with its advanced automated flight and redundancy, capable of even detecting a manned aircraft.For many businesses, crime, and more importantly theft, is an ongoing issue. Keeping track of stock and having visibility of what is happening in and around ones facility is key to any operation.Having the best security can only go so far - thats when drones such as the Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual step in, as they are fitted with thermal sensors, picking up where the eyes leave off as a means of surveillance, especially useful for businesses that keep storage unit facilities.Drones equipped with thermal cameras dont need visible light in order for their pilots to operate them, as they pick up on heat signatures, seeing what the human eye cannot, raising the alarm if anything seems suspicious.Even the Passenger Rail Agency of South Arica (PRASA) is looking to drones as a means of combatting crime associated with passenger trains. After a spate of train attacks, drones and forensic support have been brought in to help resolve the issue as part of a pilot project.By embracing drone technology, the risk of human fatality is reduced, especially in conservation where poachers come armed. Drones can provide accurate information on the whereabouts of poachers, allowing for anti-poaching units to be deployed in targeted areas rather than searching for hours on foot.With the worlds population projected to reach 9 billion by 2050, experts expect agricultural consumption to increase by nearly 70% over the same period, and with changing weather conditions, additional obstacles have emerged affecting productivity levels, however drones could address several major challenges, such as drought, logistics, transformation and food security.With drones in the picture, farmers can maintain sustainable production, as well as gain valuable data and insight in a matter of minutes.Drones equipped with multi-spectral Sensors like the MicaSense Rededge MX mean accurate insight into plant changes and with the addition of high spatial resolution, farmers can see plant characteristics clearly. The red edge, near-infrared spectral band provides an additional dataset useful for crop health indexing.Multi-spectral sensors allow drones to capture and integrate multiple data layers for crop health mapping, and with any agricultural mapping drone, the key is endurance, something the MicaSense Rededge-MX offers, with its metallic enclosure built for extreme durability.Using the sensors, farmers can gather data on which crop varieties are most resilient without having to roam the fields themselves for hours, saving them time whilst reducing labour costs.Sensor technology is able to detect changes in the environment, giving farmers the upper hand when it comes to mitigating against external factors such as disease, fungus, and water table destabilisation through functional data capturing and analysis tools, aiding fertilizer distribution instead of the traditional blanket approach, saving farmers money and increasing yield.Given the drought in the Western Cape, water management has been highlighted, an input that is probably the most important for precision farming. Drones could equip the province as they can detect possible leaks or pooling in irrigation. Having a birds eye view, farmers can see what is being watered and when, allowing farmers to use water resources effectively and spot changes in crop variability sooner.
The recovery of oil production in the framework of the OPEC + alliance after June is possible if there is unmet demand on the market, Russian Minister of Energy Alexander Novak told journalists on the sidelines of the International Arctic Forum in Saint Petersburg.

He recalled that different decisions may be made in May - June.

"Recovery of production may be affected, if demand is higher than supply and needs to be met," TASS cited the minister as sa
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Whos leading Puerto Ricos education department? The answers have changed very quickly in the past week. And their impact on the major changes underway for the islands schools is unclear.

Last Tuesday, former Secretary of Education Julia Keleher announced that she was stepping down from her post , after stating late in 2018 that she planned to be on the job for years to come. Gov. Ricardo Rossello announced the same day that Eleuterio Alamo, who had been running departments San Juan regional office, was taking over as interim secretary, which Keleher had previously confirmed. Keleher, meanwhile, initially said she was moving into the role of an adviser at the department to help guide Alamos work.

Subsequently, Keleher announced that she had decided to also relinquish her new role as an adviser , amid news that the legislature was conducting an inquiry into her leadership of the department.

Then on Monday of this week, the governor pulled Alamos name from consideration before the U.S. territorys Senate. Later that day, the Senate instead confirmed Eligio Hernandez Perez as the new interim education secretaryPerez was previously a deputy secretary at the department. However, its unclear at this point how long Perez will stay on as interim secretary, and whether Rossello will again push to appoint Alamo, or someone else, to the secretarys position on a permanent basis.

Rossello publicized a meeting he had with Perez in the latters new role on Tuesday, stating that the two were working on plans under the education reform law Puerto Ricos legislature approved last year that included provisions allowing charter schools and vouchers on the island:

Trazando el seguimiento a varias iniciativas medulares de la Reforma Educativa con el secretario interino de Educacion, Eligio Hernandez y el equipo de @EDUCACIONPR . #NuevaEducacion @RicardoLlerandi @ErikRolonPR pic.twitter.com/2QMqTLwKW0  Ricardo Rossello (@ricardorossello) April 9, 2019

Keleher expressed confidence last week that the major changes she and the governor helped put in motion, spurred in large part by Hurricane Marias devastating impact on Puerto Rico in 2017, would continue. But it remains to be seen whether the number and nature of charter schools in Puerto Rico, for example, shifts dramatically with Keleher out of the leadership picture, particularly if Alamo does not reemerge as a nominee for education secretary. Only two charter schools are due to open next year, but discussions were underway for a few dozen more to begin operations before Keleher departed.

The Asociacion de Maestros de Puerto Rico, the teachers union, was a high-profile opponent of Keleher on controversial issues involving school choice as well as the closure of more than 250 public schools on the island last summer. Last week, the union (which is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers) said it hoped Alamos move to take over the department would be a reset. The union added that it had had a professional and respectful relationship with him during his time at the department.

Its also unclear how the recent volatility at the top of the school system will impact the departments relationships with the U.S. Department of Education and members of Congress, as well as nonprofit groups and philanthropic foundations that have gotten involved in the islands educational future.

Its never good when there are three different people within the same week who are supposed to be the secretary of education. Nobodys going to argue thats a good thing, AFT President Randi Weingarten said Tuesday. But its good that Julia is not there.

Weingarten also said she was pleasantly surprised that to replace Keleher, Rossello had selected two people with lengthy experience on the island. (She said that Aida Diaz, the Puerto Rican unions president, has had a positive working relationship with Perez in the past.) Weingarten said shes still troubled by how the roll-out of charter schools, potentially at the expense of traditional public schools, has played out on the island so far.

Both Mr. Alamo and [Mr. Perez] seem to have real, long-term relationships with the educators on the island. And therefore it seems like the governor is looking for a reset and is looking change the dynamics that have gone on in the last two years of disruption, disruption, disruption that Julia has done, she said.

Puerto Ricos public schools educate more than 300,000 students, although that figure fluctuates over the course of the year and has dropped from the roughly 350,000 students enrolled in the system before Hurricane Maria. And the school system still faces major challenges more than 18 months after the storm; repairs to the islands schools alone will cost $11 billion, Keleher said last year.



Its also important to remember that Rossello is up for reelection next year in Puerto Rico.

Photo: Students arrive at Escuela Jesus T. Pinero in Cidra, Puerto Rico, on August 13, 2018, for the first day of school in the island-wide district. (Swikar Patel/Education Week)

Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 .
The Ararat automobile customs house can be moved from Yerevan to Gyumri, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan wrote on his Facebook page.

"As a result of a tour of the State Revenue Committee (SRC) agencies, I instructed SRC Chairman Davit Ananyan to find means toward moving Armenias automobile customs house from capital city Yerevan to Gyumri," News.am cited him as saying.

As reported earlier, today Pashinyan paid a visit to Noragavit customs house. During the tour he complained about the situation at this customs house.
Canada NewsWire

TORONTO, April 8, 2019

TORONTO, April 8, 2019 /CNW/ - Intact Financial Corporation (TSX: IFC) today announced that severe winter weather resulted in net catastrophe1 and non-catastrophe weather1 losses of approximately $165 million pre-tax above expectations for a first quarter (8 points on the Canada combined ratio, or $0.87 per share after-tax).

Catastrophe losses, net of reinsurance, totaled approximately $128 million pre-tax, representing $95 million above expectations based on first quarter historical averages. 60% of total catastrophe losses impacted personal property with the remainder in commercial lines.

Non-catastrophe weather losses were above expected seasonal patterns by approximately $70 million pre-tax, with 40% impacting commercial lines, 40% in personal auto and the balance in personal property.

Personal auto experienced approximately six points of elevated weather-related claims, approximately double seasonal patterns for a first quarter.

This past quarter saw heavy snowfall, freezing rain, and rain while snow and ice were on the ground, which led to elevated property damage from water infiltration and record numbers of roof collapses, mostly in eastern Canada. Freezing rain and intense cold also led to higher frequency of auto collisions.

"Our teams have worked hard during these unusually difficult winter months to get customers back on track as we were again reminded of the impact severe weather can have on our operations. These events are likely to sustain the firm market conditions we are seeing. With a dedicated team and strong fundamentals across all our businesses, we are positioned well to maintain service excellence and take advantage of market opportunities." said Louis Gagnon, President, Canadian Operations.

1 For a definition of catastrophe losses and non-catastrophe weather losses, please refer to the "Important notes" section on page 2 of our 2018 Annual Management's Discussion and Analysis.

About Intact Financial CorporationIntact Financial Corporation (TSX: IFC) is the largest provider of property and casualty (P&C) insurance in Canada and a leading provider of specialty insurance in North America, with over $10 billion in total annual premiums. The Company has approximately 14,000 full- and part-time employees who serve more than five million personal, business and public sector clients through offices in Canada and the U.S. In Canada, Intact distributes insurance under the Intact Insurance brand through a wide network of brokers, including its wholly-owned subsidiary BrokerLink, and directly to consumers through belairdirect. In the U.S., OneBeacon Insurance Group, a wholly-owned subsidiary, provides specialty insurance products through independent agencies, brokers, wholesalers and managing general agencies.

Forward-Looking StatementsCertain statements made in this news release are forward-looking statements. These statements include, without limitation, statements relating to claims, catastrophe losses and non-catastrophe losses caused by severe weather, the anticipated effect on combined ratio as well as on a per share basis and by line of business, the estimated impact of reinsurance, and the anticipated effect of applicable and future federal and provincial tax regulations. All such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the 'safe harbour' provisions of applicable Canadian securities laws.

Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by management based on management's experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that management believes are appropriate in the circumstances. Many factors could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements or future events or developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. In the case of estimated claims and losses, due to the preliminary nature of the information available to prepare estimates, future estimates and the actual amount of claims and losses associated with events described above may be materially different from current estimates.

All of the forward-looking statements included in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements, those made in the "Risk Management" section of our 2018 Annual Management's Discussion and Analysis. These factors are not intended to represent a complete list of the factors that could affect the Company. These factors should, however, be considered carefully. Although the forward-looking statements are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. When relying on forward-looking statements to make decisions, investors should ensure the preceding information is carefully considered. Undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements made in this press release. The Company has no intention and undertakes 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 law.

SOURCE Intact Financial Corporation
PR Newswire

HONG KONG, April 8, 2019

HONG KONG, April 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A fully integrated biopharmaceutical company  Uni-Bio Science Group Limited (the "Company", together with its subsidiaries, the "Group"; Stock code: 0690.HK), is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Zhao Zhi Gang as the CEO, Mr. Ma Qing Shan as independent non-executive director and Mr. Tony Yau as non-executive director of the Group, effective on 8 April 2019.

The appointment of Mr. Zhao, Mr. Ma and Mr. Yau are of profound significance for the Group. Mr. Zhao attained his bachelor's degree in Economics from Peking University in 1983, and furthered his study for a master's degree in Professional Accounting from the University of Hartford, Connecticut, United States. Mr. Zhao is a U.S. certified public accountant and a fellow of the American Institute of Certified Public Accounts. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Zhao has garnered profound expertise in finance and management for over 20 years in various publicly listed companies and PricewaterhouseCoopers in the U.S. and in PRC., and offered advice to numerous listed companies on M&A and business spinoff projects, and showcasing his outstanding managerial capabilities from then. He has provided services for the pharmaceutical industry for many years, including Kingmed Center for Clinical Laboratories in Guangzhou and the U.S.-listed Simcere Pharmaceutical Group, where he gathered deep industry insight. The Group believes that the joining of Mr. Zhao will help optimize the cost-control structure and enhance operating efficiency for the Group.

Mr. Ma attained two bachelor's degrees from Peking University, majoring in Finance at Guanghua School of Management and Electronic Commerce at School of Electronics Engineering and Computer Science. He is holding the qualification of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). He also participated in the Insead EMBA project held by Tsinghua University. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Ma has provided services at various consulting firms and practiced management for over 16 years, including provision of management consulting services for 15 Fortune 500 companies and a number of listed public companies and fast-growing enterprises, and also once serving as consulting director of KPMG Advisory (China) Limited and Accenture (China) Co., Ltd.. Leveraging on his years of practical experience in data management, corporate KPI management, business optimization and digitization for companies, the Group believes that Mr. Ma's joining will help better integrate the Group's current business with information technologies, and improve resources allocation for the Group.

Mr. Yau attained his bachelor's degree with first class honours in Accountancy from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He is a certified public accountant (CPA) of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified public Accountants. Mr. Yau has deep insight in corporate management and accumulated over 20 years of experience from the capital market and investment banks. He offered consultancy services to many large-scale and recognizable IPO and M&A projects. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer and a director of Futec International Holdings Limited and HeungKong Financial Group Limited. Prior to that, he was a Managing Director of Global Investment Banking of Deutsche Bank and had spent over 11 years leading the consumer sector business origination and execution in Asia. From August 2000 to May 2006, Mr. Yau was the vice president of the investment banking department of BNP Paribas Capital (Asia Pacific) Limited. The Group believes that Mr. Yau's remarkable experience and executive capability will lead the Group to higher achievements.

Commenting on their appointment, Mr. Kingsley Leung, Chairman of and Executive Director of Uni-Bio Science Group Limited said, "In the past 5 years, Mr. Zhao has been our independent non-executive director, and obtained deep understanding of our business, values and prospect, he decided to join our senior management team because he strongly believes in the Uni-Bio story. I am also equally excited to have Mr. Ma and Mr. Yau join our team, their expertise and past experience are all top tier, the profile of our board is extremely unique and exceptionally capable for a small cap company in Hong Kong."

Mr. Leung continued: "Given the fast changing biopharmaceutical market in China, the Group has always welcomed changes to better adapt to the competitive landscape. For that reason, the Group has recently completed a restructuring to move from the past divisional organizational structure to functional organizational structure. The new structure enables better control, less bureaucracy, and higher efficiency for the organization. Currently we have formed 8 BUs to cover key activities across the value chain. We also proposed better accountability for each BU head in order to drive results more clearly. Amid the fast developing stage where numerous innovative biologic drugs will soon be launched, we aim to reduce another 20% of cost for the Group in the coming year. In addition, we aim to increase the efficacy of capital expenditure to underpin operating capabilities. In 2018, we carried out the above transformations and have reduced our general administrative expenses by 16.6%. We believe we can continue to leverage on this experience in 2019 and further reduce cost to an optimal level without impacting our operations."

- END -

About Uni-Bio Science Group Limited

Uni-Bio Science Group Limited is principally engaged in the research and development, manufacture and distribution of pharmaceutical products. The research and development center is fully equipped with a complete system for the development of genetically-engineered products with a pilot plant test base which is in line with NMPA requirements. The Group also has two GMP manufacturing bases in Beijing and Shenzhen. The Group is focused on the development of novel treatments and innovative drugs addressing the therapeutic areas of diabetes, ophthalmology and dermatology.

Uni-Bio Science Group Limited was listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on November 12, 2001. Stock code: 0690.

For further information, please contact:

Jacob Zhang Phone: +86 10 5914 0747 Email: [email protected]

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/uni-bio-science-hk690-appoints-ceo-non-executive-director-and-independent-non-executive-director-leveraging-on-deep-industry-knowledge-to-garner-new-impetus-300827610.html

SOURCE Uni-Bio Science Group Limited
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that with naming Irans elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization the Trump administration had no intention to benefit Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the day of legislative elections.

The final decision belonged to Pompeo because the State Department controls the list of designated terrorist organizations.

"This designation is a direct response to an outlaw regime and should surprise no one," Reuters cited Pompeo as saying.

U.S. President Donald Trump said yesterday that he was designating the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization, the first time that the United States has named part of another nations government as that type of official threat. According to Trump, it will "significantly expand the scope and scale of our maximum pressure on the Iranian regime."
Russia and Turkey failed to agree on Russia's gas prices: Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted following the meeting with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the sides argued on gas prices. Ankara wants the price to be fixed and defined by a certain formula, but Moscow insists on market-based pricing.

According to the Russian president, the talks "were not so rosy, that we were just singing praise to each other and talking about achievements alone." "It was a business meeting," Vladimir Putin stressed, explaining that the sides will work on balance.

"As for the energy carriers, they are formed by the market. Such are the market prices; they are not imposed by a Gazprom directive. Although there are also issues and problems here. Our Turkish friends insist on some formulas for commercial reasons, while Gazprom offers other solutions," Putin said, adding that "those solutions will be found," because Moscow values the Turkish market.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan noted at the meeting that the construction of the underwater segment of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline is going in compliance with the schedule, and now the task is to complete the construction of this part in time," Erdogan said. The only question is the price of gas, which will be supplied to Turkey via this pipeline.

Deputy director of energy policy of the Institute of Energy and Finances, Alexey Belogoriev, speaking to Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that the parties still do not disclose the details of the gas talks, and therefore their positions are not completely clear. "The logic of BOTAS always proceeded from a certain fixed price, which involves discounts from Gazprom, while Gazprom in its contracts focuses on two components - the oil basket price in Europe and European, mainly German gas hub prices," he said.

"That is, Turkey wants stable gas prices. At the same time, Gazproms formula currently provides a significant benefit, as European hub prices have reached a multi-month low. In this sense, Gazproms position looks quite strong. Without additional details it cannot be established what the Turkish side is trying to achieve, if Gazprom prices are already very low now, but the price dispute with the Turkish government is a constant backdrop of our gas relations," Belogoryev noted.

A leading analyst of the National Energy Security Fund, a lecturer at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Igor Yushkov, pointed out the political component of BOTAS requirements. "The Turkish side's logic is simple: "If we become a transit country for your gas, we must have an additional discount. "I think that the price formula as a whole suits Turkey and it does not want any fundamentally new contract, but wants to preserve the oil pricing, tied to the price of oil, but with an additional factor allowing them to get cheaper gas because of the transit country status from January 1, 2020," he explained.

"When the price of gas is already so low, its unprofitable for us to give an even bigger discount - Gazprom is trying to bring it to the Turkish side," Igor Yushkov said.

"It is quite possible that in the end Gazprom will make concessions, and a compromise will be reached, especially if Russia and Turkey continue actively cooperate in Syria," the expert concluded.
Motorized infantry divisions stationed in Russia's Rostov region have practiced engaging in encounter battles at the Kadamovsky training range near Novocherkassk, the press service of the Southern Military District said.

"During bilateral battalion tactical drills, around 2,000 servicemen practiced completing tasks on maneuver defense and offensive launch, demonstrating their mobility when engaging in various tactical actions in the conditions of general combat," TASS cited the press service as saying.

Around 250 units of military weapons and equipment are used in the drills, including T-72B3 tanks, BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles. BTR-82A armored personnel carriers, Tigr armored vehicles, Tornado-G multiple rocket launcher systems and Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers.
Vietnam, Iran look to foster partnership in various fields Updated: 10:15 - 09/04/2019

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan meets Speaker of the Iranian Parliament Ali Ardeshir Larijani on the sidelines 140th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union__Photo: VNA

, , , ,

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan met with Speaker of the Iranian Parliament Ali Ardeshir Larijani on April 8 on the sidelines of the 140th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Doha, Qatar.The Iranian top legislator recalled memories of his visit to Vietnam in 2018 and expressed delight at the partnership development between the two countries and parliaments.NA Chairwoman Ngan congratulated the Iranian government and people for maintaining socio-political stability and achieving economic progress.Vietnam and Iran celebrated the fruitful outcomes from the ninth meeting of the Joint Committee, while agreeing on various measures to enhance cooperation in different areas such as agriculture, aquaculture, energy, mining, oil and gas, telecommunications, and banking, she noted.Ngan said she hopes that the two sides will continue coordinating closely to organize the 10th meeting of the committee within the year, and work out solutions to boost bilateral affiliation.The Vietnamese NA leader also proposed that the two sides work harder together to complete the target of 2 billion USD in trade. She suggested that the two countries prioritize the trade of each others strong products, deal with payment problems to support trading activities, encourage businesses of both sides to study each others market, and promote trade and investment partnership.Agreeing with his Vietnamese counterpart, Ali Ardeshir Larijani held that banking cooperation is key to a successful partnership. However, Vietnam and Iran have yet to make any negotiations or discussions in the field, he noted, stressing the need for the two sides to develop collaboration.Ngan said that Vietnam hopes Iran will continue its provision of scholarships for Vietnamese students in Persian studies and other sectors; maintain the exchange of lecturers and students among universities; and strengthen ties in culture and tourism by holding painting exhibitions, film screenings, musical performances, and Iranian cultural days in Vietnam and Vietnamese cultural days in Iran.The Iranian Parliament Speaker said that he will assign his assistants to work on the providing of scholarships to Vietnamese students and send notice to the Vietnamese side in the next few months.He added that following his return, he will discuss with the Iranian Minister of Culture on the organization of cultural days in each country, and suggested that Vietnam and Iran increase the import and export of fruits and farm produce to each others market, paying more attention to agricultural cooperation.Iran hopes for Vietnams technical support in rice cultivation, while fostering partnership in education and customs, he stated.-
City officials are hoping Brandons new logo and slogan help increase tourism to the Wheat City.

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This article was published 8/4/2019 (981 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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Brandon's new tourism logo. (Submitted)

City officials are hoping Brandons new logo and slogan help increase tourism to the Wheat City.

The effort is part of an initiative by Tourism Manitoba to refresh the tourism brand of communities around the province.

Brandons new tourism logo was revealed at the historic Dome Building on Monday night as the culmination of a year-long process.

The logo is dubbed with the tag line "Brandon Brings You Back" and features a red and purple swirl representing the prairie sky at sunset and the curves of the Assiniboine River.

Mayor Rick Chrest speaks at Brandon's new tourism logo launch event. (Drew May/The Brandon Sun)

Travel Manitoba president Colin Ferguson said the objective was to highlight what makes the city unique. In Brandons case, the goal was to attract conventions and major events. It is also meant to bring people back after first visiting for one of these major events, such as the recent Tim Hortons Brier or the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair.

The logo takes inspiration from the natural environment of Brandon and the landscape the city is built in, McKim Communications Group executive vice president Audra Lesosky said.

At team at McKim Communications Group was behind Brandons fresh branding.

"Beyond the physical features, we knew we needed to draw from the character of this place, and one of the creative thought-starters was the idea of connection you see ... when people come together here."

The brand can also be used to boost economic growth.

Audra Lesosky, executive vice president at McKim Communications Group (Drew May/The Brandon Sun)

"(Brandon) needed a refreshed brand and some tools in order to accelerate that growth, and we heard in the Brandon sessions that All we have to do is get people here and they will get it, so when they know what this place has to offer, they will return again and again.

Brandon also represents the "duality" between a small town and big city and offers the best of both types of community and is something the city can take advantage of, Lesosky said.

Mayor Rick Chrest said he thinks the new logo and tag line hit at the heart of the city and what its like to live here.

"We all know that when people get transferred here or they come for a convention ... then they do get it. They often get dragged in here kicking and screaming when theyre transferred in and then they have to be dragged out kicking and screaming because they dont ever want to leave."

Sandy Trudel, City of Brandon director of economic development, said while the logo is meant to be a tourism brand, it will also become a community brand that can be adopted by different organizations.

"What we need now is to have people look at their organization. It doesnt matter whether theyre a restaurant, an event, a destination or an attraction, they can incorporate this concept of bringing you back because its speaking to the experience theyll deliver."

At the economic development office, Trudel said the "Brandon Brings You Back" logo could be used to draw people back to the city.

"If you think about the concept of Brings you Back, it fits beautifully in with relocation, so we know our people may leave, they may explore and this message resonates with those coming back."

Chrest said he also sees the new brand as being useful so close to Manitoba 150 in 2020, when people will be taking a closer look at the province they live in.

"Right on the eve of our Manitoba 150 celebration well be ready with a hot new look and a hot new statement and just a great community full of people who are prepared to greet people, were going to be an entire city standing to greet you."

 dmay@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @DrewMay_
CALGARY - Alberta's two political heavyweights have renewed their challenge to Ottawa over legislation they call a gut punch to the province's oil industry.

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Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley takes part in the 2019 Alberta Leaders Debate in Edmonton, Alta., on Thursday, April 4, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Codie McLachlan

CALGARY - Alberta's two political heavyweights have renewed their challenge to Ottawa over legislation they call a gut punch to the province's oil industry.

NDP Leader Rachel Notley and Jason Kenney of the United Conservative Party also found time Tuesday to accuse each other of grandstanding and blundering on the critical pipeline file.

Notley, via video link from Calgary, urged senators meeting in Ottawa to toss out a federal bill that proposes a ban on tankers off the northern British Columbia coast.

"Toss C-48 in the garbage where it belongs," Notley told a Senate committee.

Bill C-48 aims to make law an existing moratorium on tankers that carry more than 12,500 tonnes of crude oil in the waters between the northern tip of Vancouver Island and the Alaska border.

It passed in the House of Commons last spring and is being debated in the Senate.

Notley said the proposed law is discriminatory because it wouldn't be able to stop international tanker traffic, but would impede Alberta's efforts to get oil to new markets.

She said it's a double standard given that Ottawa supports the liquefied natural gas industry, tankers on the St. Lawrence Seaway and Newfoundland's Hibernia oil project.

"Let's show Canadians that 90,000 jobs in downtown Calgary are just as important as 90,000 jobs in downtown Montreal," said Notley. "Don't block us. Back us."

Jobs, pipelines, oil, and who is best suited to defend Alberta's interests in Ottawa have been the keystones in the campaign for the April 16 provincial election.

Notley has advocated a pick-your-battles strategy. She says it's important to stand up to the federal government on some issues, such as the tanker bill, and work with it on others. She has said that kind of approach led to Ottawa purchasing the Trans Mountain pipeline to ensure an expansion of the line to carry Alberta oil to the B.C. coast.

Kenney, a former Conservative cabinet minister, is promising to hit Ottawa repeatedly with a legal stick on oil issues should he win the election.

On Tuesday, he spoke at a pro-oil rally in Calgary outside a hotel where senators were holding hearings on another piece of critical energy legislation.

Bill C-69 seeks to overhaul how Canada approves energy projects and would replace the National Energy Board with a new Canadian energy regulator.

Kenney has called the legislation an unconstitutional encroachment on the province's right to control non-renewable resources and has promised to challenge it in court.

"This is a body blow to Alberta's economy and we will not let it stand," Kenney, speaking through a megaphone, told the crowd.

Notley said C-69 is deeply flawed, but can be fixed.

"C-69 needs to be amended to provide certainty and clarity to investors, while at the same time ensuring that we do a responsible job approving these projects in a way that accommodates community and environmental concerns," she said.

"We can do that, but we have to be smarter about it."

Kenney also criticized the tanker bill. He agreed with Notley that it unfairly targets "ethically produced" Alberta oil instead of "dictator oil" imported from overseas.

The two leaders also swapped attacks on each other.

Notley said Kenney's promise to end Alberta's carbon tax would jeopardize Ottawa moving ahead on Trans Mountain, because the federal buy-in has been contingent on the tax being in place.

Kenney said Notley is engaging in an "eleventh-hour phoney fight" with Ottawa because she failed to take effective action earlier on the two bills.

 With files from Dean Bennett in Edmonton
QUEBEC - There are growing calls for a suburban Montreal mayor to apologize for comments last week equating the province's proposed secularism legislation to "ethnic cleansing."

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Dr. William Steinberg speaks to reporters following a news conference in Montreal, Friday, April 5, 2019, where he called on Quebecers to oppose the Quebec government's newly tabled Bill 21. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

QUEBEC - There are growing calls for a suburban Montreal mayor to apologize for comments last week equating the province's proposed secularism legislation to "ethnic cleansing."

Premier Francois Legault and several other provincial and municipal politicians called on William Steinberg, the mayor of Hampstead, to apologize.

Speaking last Friday about Quebec's Bill 21 prohibiting religious symbols for teachers and some other public servants, Steinberg accused the government of discriminating against religions whose adherents wear visible symbols.

He said the end result would be certain minority groups would be compelled to leave Quebec and he labelled Bill 21 a form of "ethnic cleansing."

Legault was among those seeking an apology today, while appealing for calm as the province debates a bill that would prohibit public servants in positions of authority  including teachers, police officers, Crown prosecutors and prison guards  from wearing religious symbols on the job.

Even Liberal David Birnbaum, who opposes the Coalition Avenir Quebec bill and sent a representative to the news conference at which Steinberg made the remarks, called for an apology.
MONTREAL - Immigrants and visible minorities are noticing how some of the most significant pieces of legislation introduced by the Coalition Avenir Quebec government since it took power last October have something in common: the bills disproportionately affect them.

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Kindergarten teacher Haniyfa Scott gives a lesson during class in Montreal, Thursday, April 4, 2019. The Quebec government's recently tabled Bill 21 bans the wearing of religious symbols for new government placed employees within schools, the courts and law enforcement. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

MONTREAL - Immigrants and visible minorities are noticing how some of the most significant pieces of legislation introduced by the Coalition Avenir Quebec government since it took power last October have something in common: the bills disproportionately affect them.

Quebec's Bill 21, which bans some public sector employees including teachers and police officers from wearing religious symbols, has drawn widespread criticism since Minister of Immigration, Diversity and Inclusiveness Simon Jolin-Barrette tabled it last month.

The bill targets all religious symbols. But Haniyfa Scott, a teacher at Montreal's Carlyle Elementary School, says it is Muslim women who wear the hijab  as she does  who will feel it the most. "I'd like for the government to live a week in the shoes of all the people they are targeting," she said in an interview Monday.

While the secularism bill has grabbed a lot of attention, two other major pieces of legislation addressing immigration levels and the province's taxi industry have had outsized effects on the province's minority communities.

Transport Minister Francois Bonnardel's Bill 17, tabled last month, overhauls a taxi industry that is heavily composed of immigrants. Joseph Naufal, the director of a taxi company in east-end Montreal who also works for the industry association, said "easily 90 per cent" of Montreal taxi drivers are first- or second-generation immigrants.

The drivers say the Quebec bill, which abolishes a permit system, will drive many of them into bankruptcy.

Drivers who blocked downtown Montreal streets last week in protest said Bill 17 mainly affects immigrants who took out loans to finance their permits. If the bill is adopted and the permits lose their value, drivers say the compensation offered by the province will not cover their deep debts.

Abdelahk Bentarcheh, 36, who immigrated four years ago from Morocco, said that as a taxi driver, he feels targeted by Bill 17, and as a Muslim he feels targeted by Bill 21. "The government is trying to radicalize the public's opinion on Islam," Bentarcheh said of the secularism bill.

Another bill affecting the immigrant community was tabled in February by Jolin-Barrette. Bill 9 creates a legal framework granting the government the authority to be more selective over who receives permanent residency in Quebec.

Shortly after introducing the bill, Jolin-Barrette signalled the government would throw out a backlog of 18,000 immigration applications from people around the world, including roughly 3,700 applications from people already residing in the province. The government told them to reapply under a new system.

Jolin-Barrette's plan was stopped on Feb. 25, when a Superior Court judge granted an injunction and ordered the government to resume processing the applications.

Doug Mitchell, one of the lawyers who took the government to court, said Jolin-Barrette's decision to cancel 18,000 applications "had no justification." He added that when one looks at Bill 9, 17 and 21 together, it seems as though immigrants are being disproportionately hit.

"I suppose that's the logical conclusion," he said in an interview Monday. "It's a little disturbing, when you think of it."

Ewan Sauves, spokesman for Quebec Premier Francois Legault, said it's "totally false to claim bills 9, 17 and 21 ... target one community or one religion in particular." The Coalition Avenir Quebec, he said in an email, has tabled 18 bills since coming to power that touch many different parts of the economy and Quebec society.

"Whether it's about immigration, transportation, or state secularism, the same rules are in place for everyone," he added. "During the election campaign, we were transparent regarding our intentions. We are doing what we said we were going to do. Quebecers, in large numbers, endorsed our ideas last October."

Scott is planning on retiring soon, so she does not expect to be directly affected by Bill 21. The legislation allows teachers already in the school system to continue wearing religious symbols, as long as they don't seek promotion or change school boards.

She said the government's actions since October make members of some communities feel like second-class citizens.

"I think that Quebec has always been known as being a unique society and (the government) is proving that fact, but not in a good way," Scott said. "Why isn't the rest of Canada treating people like this?"
HALIFAX - Nova Scotia legislation that presumes consent for organ donations is poised to become law, with a key official saying the new system will address concerns raised by civil libertarians and others.

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Health Minister Randy Delorey addresses the audience at a bill briefing at the legislature in Halifax on Tuesday, April 2, 2019. The Human Organ and Tissue Donation Act will allow Nova Scotians to donate their organs and tissue unless they opt out. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

HALIFAX - Nova Scotia legislation that presumes consent for organ donations is poised to become law, with a key official saying the new system will address concerns raised by civil libertarians and others.

The Human Organ and Tissue Donation Act moved through the committee stage Tuesday and will soon go to final reading in the legislature, making Nova Scotia the first jurisdiction in North America to adopt presumed consent for donation.

Although some groups and individuals have raised concerns, no one came forward to challenge the bill at the committee stage.

Once passed, the legislation isn't expected to take effect for at least a year to allow time for planning, education and public awareness.

Dr. Stephen Beed, medical director of the province's Legacy of Life and critical care organ donation program, says the regulations will take into consideration the concerns Nova Scotia officials have anticipated.

"Things around whether they (people) have a right to control their own body or whether particularly vulnerable populations like immigrants or groups like that would have their culture respected," said Beed. "Those are the kinds of things that we have heard about and we are going to respect that and build in ways to address those concerns."

In an interview Monday, Cara Zwibel of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association said she has read the bill and wonders how it would work in practice.

Zwibel said many people who are opposed to presumed consent object to having the state telling them what to do with their bodies, and more discussion is needed.

She said she was surprised to learn the bill, introduced last Tuesday, was already at the committee stage.

"It does seem like it's the kind of bill where you'd want to take some time and hear from stakeholders and in this case everyone is kind of a stakeholder," said Zwibel.

In fact, the committee held a hearing on Monday but deferred it for a day after no one showed up to testify. On Monday, only Beed and two other health officials appeared to speak.

Kerry Bowman, a bioethicist at the University of Toronto also said he was surprised at "how quiet" the overall reaction has been.

Bowman said he sees presumed consent as problematic for Canadian society, calling it "a very bad fit with cultural diversity." He said there are cultures with great concern about either the act of organ donation from a religious or cultural point of view, or from the diagnoses of brain death. which often leads to organ donation.

"If we have a single situation in which we are taking organs from a person that would never have agreed to that I think that's very problematic ethically," he said.

Bowman said the more acceptable middle ground would simply be to "get out there and provide more support and more information about organ donation."

Under the proposed act, all adults in Nova Scotia would be considered potential organ donors unless they opt out.

Families will continue to be consulted about their loved ones' wishes regarding organ or tissue donation under the legislation. As well, those under 19 and people without decision-making capacity would be exempt, and would only be considered as donors if a parent, guardian or alternate decision-maker opts them in.

Beed said steps will be put in place to ensure the opt-out provisions are clear.

"We have also recognized ... that an opt out registry, some process that would be accessible, that would be culturally sensitive, that would be inclusive and efficient is part of what we have to design as well."

Premier Stephen McNeil has said the goal is to ensure there are more potential organ donors in order to save lives.

Beed told the committee that within five years of the legislation's implementation he expects Nova Scotia would see a 30 per cent increase in organ donations.

According to the province, 21 Nova Scotians became organ donors in 2018, while 110 people donated tissues such as corneas and heart valves.

What ultimately happens in Nova Scotia will be closely watched by other provinces.

Saskatchewan Health Minister Jim Reiter recently said his office has requested to speak with his counterpart in Nova Scotia.

Reiter said his province needs to take steps such as creating an organ donor registry and getting more doctors to encourage organ donation. He said while Saskatchewan hasn't ruled out an opt-out system, it believes there are potential legal issues.

Beed said there may be changes that will be eventually needed to Nova Scotia's law as science evolves, but he doesn't anticipate legal troubles.

"I don't anticipate a specific sort of civil liberties kind of challenge, I'd be surprised by that," he said.
MONTREAL - A judge urged members of Quebec's Peladeau family Tuesday not to air their dirty laundry in public in a quarrel over Quebecor shares that dates back nearly 20 years.

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Quebecor President and CEO Pierre Karl Peladeau speaks at the company's annual general meeting in Montreal, Thursday, May 11, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

MONTREAL - A judge urged members of Quebec's Peladeau family Tuesday not to air their dirty laundry in public in a quarrel over Quebecor shares that dates back nearly 20 years.

But despite Quebec Superior Court Justice Gerard Dugre's admonition, a deal to settle the dispute without going to trial fell through when Quebecor president and CEO Pierre Karl Peladeau balked at covering his sister's lawyer's fees.

Anne-Marie Peladeau was in court asking her brothers Pierre Karl and Erik to respect a 2000 agreement to buy back her interests in Peladeau Investments Inc., which controls the Quebec media and telecommunications conglomerate.

"Clearly, you heard that there was a dispute that bothered my brother, and it was paying the lawyers," Anne-Marie Peladeau said outside the courtroom. "He was ready to negotiate, but he doesn't want to pay the lawyers."

With no agreement reached, Pierre Karl Peladeau took the stand at the Montreal courthouse. He testified, among other things, about his sister's troubled past, to the point that she became so upset she left the courtroom.

Dugre had urged the parties to avoid such a scene.

"The two brothers and the younger sister have to sit in a cubicle and think very hard about what their father (Quebecor founder Pierre Peladeau) would do in such a situation," the judge said in the morning. "It's the best solution."

Anne-Marie Peladeau was initially seeking $88 million, the estimated current value of the amount contained in the 2000 agreement reached by the parties.

So far $12 million has been paid into a trust, because the Quebecor CEO's sister is under the supervision of legal guardians. Her lawyer, Philippe Trudel, said Tuesday his client would be ready to settle the dispute for an additional $38.5 million instead of the $88 million total initially sought.

The money would go into the trust to ensure Anne-Marie Peladeau's daughter, a 34-year-old nurse, can also benefit from the family fortune.

Throughout the day, Pierre Karl Peladeau never spoke to his sister.

In the afternoon, a deal seemed near, but defence lawyer Francois Fontaine explained that discussions broke off on the question of the fees to be paid to Anne-Marie Peladeau's lawyers, leaving the judge perplexed.

"I've never seen a case like this in my career," Dugre remarked before adjourning for the day, asking once again that the two sides try to settle.

The court heard that her lawyers would be entitled to 15 per cent of the payment, or a little more than $7.5 million.

Trudel had proposed the Peladeau brothers could pay in two instalments, $15 million now and the balance in two years. The defence proposed that the deadline for payment extend to Dec. 31, 2022.

The judge reminded the two parties that a 2015 Court of Appeal ruling served a "very harsh warning" that the brothers had to find common ground with their sister  which never happened, leading to the filing of the lawsuit in 2016.

He noted that litigation can often take several years, and the outcome seldom pleases both sides. "If you want to settle this issue for family peace, you have to be ready to compromise," Dugre said. "You have to be in concession mode. Maybe you're not that far away."

Trudel had said he was ready to make a "final effort with Mr. Peladeau" so that his client could "enjoy her inheritance while she could."

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FREDERICTON - It appears Kevin Vickers, the former House of Commons sergeant-at-arms, is poised to be the next leader of New Brunswick's Liberal party.

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Kevin Vickers, the former House of Commons sergeant-at-arms, is briefed by Lisa Harris, left, MLA for Miramichi Bay-Neguac, before he announces his intention to run for the leadership of the New Brunswick Liberals, in Miramichi, N.B. on March 15, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

FREDERICTON - It appears Kevin Vickers, the former House of Commons sergeant-at-arms, is poised to be the next leader of New Brunswick's Liberal party.

The only other declared candidate, Rene Ephestion, leader of the party's Multicultural Inclusion Commission, has announced on Facebook he is withdrawing from the race.

Hailed as a hero for helping to end the 2014 attack on Parliament Hill, Vickers was the first candidate to officially enter the race two weeks ago.

A leadership convention had been scheduled for June 21-22 in Saint John, but Liberal party officials were not discussing the state of the race Tuesday.

Drew Cameron, a spokesperson for the Vickers campaign, said Tuesday it was their understanding that Vickers was the only candidate left in the race.

Cameron said further discussions were planned with party officials in the coming days.

"Until we hear more, we're just out here meeting Liberals, talking about the future of the party," he said from Saint John, N.B.

In his Facebook post, Ephestion said his experience had been a good one.

"I wish good luck to Kevin Vickers," he said.

A senior party official had previously confirmed only two people had applied to become candidates, though party rules prevented identifying applicants until they were approved by a committee.

The Liberal party's executive director, Keiller Zed, had said in an email Monday the party didn't expect word on the leadership until later this week or early next week.

Vickers, a political neophyte in his early 60s, issued a statement last month saying he is looking forward to speaking with Liberals "about a new path forward."

He has drafted a five-point plan that calls for growing the province's economy and population, improving health care, "transforming" education, ensuring environmental protection and making sure provincial finances are well managed.

Vickers, who also served as Canada's ambassador to Ireland, has acknowledged spending many years away from the province, but he has also focused on his deep roots in New Brunswick.

Vickers had a long career of public service, including 29 years in the RCMP. He also served as aide-de-camp for the lieutenant-governor of New Brunswick. He served as sergeant-at-arms for the House of Commons between 2006 and 2015.

On Oct. 22, 2014, Vickers was serving as sergeant-at-arms of the Commons when he shot and helped take down a man armed with a .30-30 rifle. Michael Zihaf Bibeau had barged into Centre Block on Parliament Hill after killing honour guard reservist Cpl. Nathan Cirillo at the National War Memorial.

The provincial Liberals under then-premier Brian Gallant won just 21 seats in an election last fall - one fewer than the Tories - and they relinquished their hold on power in November after losing a confidence vote in the legislature.

Premier Blaine Higgs' minority government is relying on support from a third party - the right-leaning People's Alliance, led by Kris Austin.

But that arrangement is set to expire in less than 18 months.
MONTREAL - More than 200,000 customers remained without power in Quebec Tuesday afternoon, and the province's public security minister said most should prepare for a second night in the dark.

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Hydro Quebec work crews work at repairing broken power lines in St. Lazare, 35 kilometres east of Montreal, on Monday, Dec. 4, 2006. Hundreds of thousands of people are still without power in southern Quebec after the region was hit freezing rain and strong winds. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Peter McCabe

MONTREAL - More than 200,000 customers remained without power in Quebec Tuesday afternoon, and the province's public security minister said most should prepare for a second night in the dark.

Genevieve Guilbault told reporters Tuesday in Quebec City that winds and snow were creating problems for the 425 Hydro-Quebec crews dispatched to hard hit regions. "There are heavy winds, and the weather isn't amenable for this kind of work, so the vast majority should get power back early Wednesday," Guilbault said.

Hydro-Quebec said that without an improvement in the weather, blackouts could last even longer for some customers. "The current weather is making restoration efforts difficult," the utility said in a statement on its website. "As a result, the most severely affected areas might only see their service restored Thursday."

Hydro-Quebec reported about 213,000 customers were without power as of 4 p.m. EDT Tuesday, largely centred in the Laval, Lanaudiere and Laurentians regions. High winds and freezing rain rolled into the area north of Montreal on Monday, leaving ice accumulation on trees and knocking down power lines.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault called on people to exercise caution and get in touch with their towns if they need a place to stay. "There are many families in Quebec who risk spending a second night without electricity, so I'm asking everyone to be prudent," Legault said.

Hydro-Quebec said one the most affected regions was Laval, a densely populated suburb just north of Montreal, where a little more than a third of customers remained without power one day after the storm.

Officials said Tuesday that police were patrolling the city as phone service was down in some neighbourhoods. Sylvain Gariepy, operations chief for the Laval fire department, said firefighters went door-to-door to check on seniors and those most vulnerable.

Laval Mayor Marc Demers urged families and neighbours to look out for one another. "If you have members of your family  parents, brothers, sisters  who are in a zone that's lacking electricity, check in on their situation to make sure we're not forgetting someone in distress," Demers said.

Gariepy warned people of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning from barbecues and generators. Four adults and five children were taken to hospital in three separate cases after using barbecues indoors or having generators too close to their homes.

Firefighters reported high levels of carbon monoxide in the homes in each case, but no major injuries were reported.

"Another family was taken to the hospital today  three children and a mother," Gariepy said Tuesday afternoon. "The problem we're dealing with is people are putting barbecues in their house to heat or eat, they're using propane stoves or putting generators too close to the house."

The City of Laval opened up two community centres for residents needing a place to stay warm, charge phones or have a shower. About 130 people were staying at the two temporary shelters. Numerous schools were closed in the region due to the lack of electricity.

Hydro-Quebec said it is deploying all available crews to re-establish service as quickly as possible.
EDMONTON - A man accused of trying to kill a police officer and of running down pedestrians is still without a lawyer six months before his trial.

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EDMONTON - A man accused of trying to kill a police officer and of running down pedestrians is still without a lawyer six months before his trial.

Abdulahi Hasan Sharif faces 12 charges and appeared in Edmonton Court of Queen's Bench on Tuesday to get a new lawyer through legal aid.

Abdulahi Hasan Sharif is shown in an Edmonton Police Service handout photo. A man accused of trying to kill an Edmonton police officer and running down pedestrians is still without a lawyer six months before his trial. Abdulahi Hasan Sharif faces 12 charges related to the 2017 attack. Sharif appeared in Court of Queen's Bench today to get a new lawyer through legal aid. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Edmonton Police Service MANDATORY CREDIT

He was charged in October 2017 after an officer outside an Edmonton Eskimos football game was struck by a speeding car before he was stabbed. Hours later, the driver of a cube van sped through the downtown and injured four pedestrians.

Doug Ingersoll, assistant general counsel for Legal Aid Alberta, asked Sharif whether he would waive his choice of lawyer.

"I need a lawyer. I want to request a lawyer," Sharif said through an interpreter.

He initially said no when asked whether he would let legal aid assign someone, but then agreed to meet with one.

Ingersoll told court an experienced lawyer is ready to take Sharif's case.

"We have one ready to go."

Sharif has already parted ways with at least two lawyers since he was charged.

He is to meet his prospective counsel before April 18 and return to court with his decision on April 24.

A jury trial is to start Oct. 15, although the judge acknowledged scheduling will need to be sorted out once a new lawyer is found.
PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. - An orange tabby cat is likely to have used up more than a few of its nine lives during an unauthorized trip from China to British Columbia.

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PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. - An orange tabby cat is likely to have used up more than a few of its nine lives during an unauthorized trip from China to British Columbia.

The North Cariboo District Branch of the B.C. SPCA says the emaciated, six-year-old female was found inside a shipping container originally loaded nearly a month ago in Shenzhen.

An orange tabby-style cat has likely used up more than a few of its nine lives during an unauthorized trip from China to British Columbia. The North Cariboo District Branch of the B.C. SPCA says the emaciated, six-year-old female, shown in handout photo, was found inside a shipping container originally loaded nearly a month ago in Shenzhen, China. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-BC SPCA, North Cariboo District Branch

The container arrived by freighter in the Port of Vancouver and was shipped to Prince George, where the unnamed cat was found amongst the pallets, shredded cardboard and foam pellets inside the container.

No food or water was available but it's believed the cat survived by licking condensation that had formed on the walls of the shipping container.

Animal control officers say the feline weighed just 1 1/2 kilograms when it was found by staff at a Prince George auto glass distribution company as they unpacked the crates.

The cat is quarantined while being nursed back to health and the SPCA estimates the cost to save it will reach almost $2,800.

Alex Schare with North Cariboo District SPCA says he knew right away that the cat would have an amazing story, but would also require life-saving care following weeks of starvation.

"We rushed her to the vet because she was in such poor condition that we knew she would require intensive veterinary care for an extended period of time to regain her strength, Schare says in a news release.

The cat is on fluids and is receiving small amounts of food to ensure its body adjusts properly to renewed nutrition.

The strict quarantine is to ensure no diseases are passed to people or animals in this country.

"She has also undergone blood work and will receive a rabies vaccine and dental work when she is strong enough," the release says.

Quarantine won't end until two weeks after the rabies shot, so the cat will be under care for some time. The SPCA is appealing for donations to help defray the costs.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version referred to Schare as a woman
Vancouver police have arrested a 37-year-old man for allegedly using several cans of spray paint to express support for former federal attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould.

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This article was published 9/4/2019 (980 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Liberal MP Jody Wilson-Raybould leaves Parliament Hill after a short visit in Ottawa on Tuesday, April 2, 2019. Vancouver police have arrested a 37-year-old man for allegedly using several cans of spray paint to express support for former federal attorney general Wilson-Raybould. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Vancouver police have arrested a 37-year-old man for allegedly using several cans of spray paint to express support for former federal attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould.

Officers responded early Monday after slogans such as "let Jody speak," "Trudeau for treason," and "make B.C. the best coast again," were sprayed in huge red or white letters on the windows of Wilson-Raybould's constituency office.

The messages also covered the sidewalk and busy street in front of the office in her Vancouver Granville riding.

Police say several cans of spray paint have been seized and charges of mischief are being considered.

The slogans were removed from the office windows within hours and a crew using pressure washers worked to clean the graffiti off the sidewalk and street.

Wilson-Raybould posted a message on social media Monday urging supporters to voice their opinions in safe and legal ways.

"While I appreciate people wanting to show their support and enthusiasm as well as express their views, I would encourage them to do so without damaging private or public property or putting themselves in harm's way. Thank you," Wilson-Raybould wrote on her Twitter account.

She and fellow member of Parliament and former cabinet minister Jane Philpott were removed from the Liberal party caucus one week ago.

The ousters followed Wilson-Raybould's resignation from cabinet in February, shortly after she was shuffled out of the justice portfolio.

Philpott resigned in early March, just weeks after being named Treasury Board president, saying she had "serious concerns" about allegations that Wilson-Raybould had been pressured to intervene in the SNC-Lavalin controversy. (News1130)
Johnson & Johnson plans to create an additional 100 jobs as part of a 100m expansion of its Vision Care facility in Limerick.

The company also expects to have 200 people employed in building the facility at the National Technology Park.

Johnson & Johnson currently employs around 1,000 people in Limerick at the largest contact lens manufacturing facility in the world, said the IDA.

This will make it even bigger.

At the announcement in Limerick Minister of State for Trade, Employment, and Business, Pat Breen, said the investment shows the Government is committed to bringing jobs to the regions.

It is a huge vote of confidence in the Mid-West region, said Mr Breen.

The expansion, supported by the Government through the IDA, reflects the commitment of the Government and its agencies to pursue balanced and sustainable regional development.

IDA chief executive Martin Shanahan said it is a significant announcement which shows the companys commitment to Limerick.

This expansion by Johnson & Johnson Vision Care of the Limerick facility represents not just a substantial financial investment but a considerable commitment to its Limerick operations, said Mr Shanahan.

The approximately 100 jobs being added, along with those being created in the construction phase, will greatly benefit the economy of the Mid-West region.

Having a company of this stature continue to expand its operations enhances Irelands global reputation as a medical technologies centre of excellence and demonstrates how global companies can successfully operate in regional locations, he said.
Permanent TSB (PTSB) has not ruled out further non-performing loan sales, while it deserves to be fined over the tracker mortgage scandal, its chief executive has said.

Jeremy Masding told the Oireachtas Finance Committee that the bank "was not ruling anything in or out" when it came to reducing its levels of non-performing loans from 10% down to a target of 3.5% to 5%.

However, to reduce it to that level will take up to three years, Mr Masding told TDs and Senators.

The economy was approaching the end of a positive cycle and PTSB did not want its balance sheet to be exposed to shocks, he said.

Nothing is being ruled out including loan sales, Mr Masding said, but the bank is also open to other measures.

The bank has paid out 59m of 60m in redress and compensation to victims of the tracker mortgage scandal. There were 1,983 customers identified, Mr Masding said.

The bank's product assurance director Breege Timoney said on top of the 60m in redress and compensation, it had cost the bank a further 50m in staff and contractors to administer its tracker scheme, and another 20m in other expenses.

On top of that 130m was an extra 35m that was provided for any possible future costs, including any fine from the Central Bank, Ms Timoney said.

Mr Masding said PTSB "expects to be fined, and should be fined" over its role in the tracker scandal, which happened when more than a dozen lenders wrongly put almost 40,000 customers on more expensive loans.

He said the bank would accept whatever penalty was handed down from the Central Bank and that it "would not be a negotiation" with the regulator.
There was an awkward start to Theresa May's visit to Berlin to meet Angela Merkel today.

The British Prime Minister is meeting with Ms Merkel to ask the German Chancellor to back her case for a delay to Brexit ahead of tomorrow's crunch EU summit.

As Ms May arrived at the German Chancellory, the red carpet was out and the press were waiting but there was no sign of Ms Merkel.

With no one to greet her, Ms May made her way inside quickly followed by members of the media.

The German Chancellor quickly appeared in the lobby to welcome Ms May.

The pair, along with the press, then had to make their way back outside to pose for photographers before heading back in once again to begin their talks.

Theresa May arrives in Berlin for Brexit talks with German leader Angela Merkel - but no one is there to greet her https://t.co/JLjVtSSMrW pic.twitter.com/1jKcsiOa1h  ITV News (@itvnews) April 9, 2019

There was another awkward moment for Theresa May back when she visited Berlin in December last year.

TV cameras were once again on hand to capture the moment as Ms May found herself briefly stuck in her limousine.

An official struggled with the door for more than 10 seconds as Ms Merkel waited for the British Prime Minister to emerge from her vehicle.

Theresa May gets locked inside her car as she attempts to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel



Read the latest on Theresa May's tour of European leaders here: https://t.co/BdWa4K5WMy pic.twitter.com/h6066HP7o3  Sky News Politics (@SkyNewsPolitics) December 11, 2018

Following this morning's meeting with Ms Merkel, Theresa May will then fly to Paric where she will seek the support of French President Emmanuel Macron.
The number of vacant hospital consultant posts across the public health service is heading towards 500 at a time of HSE recruitment restrictions and when emergency departments are buckling under trolley numbers.

The latest HSE quarterly headcount of senior doctors shows 15% of consultant posts are now unfilled, including 23 vacancies in emergency medicine.

Almost 550 patients were waiting for beds in hospitals yesterday, including 384 in emergency departments.

Specialities with the highest number of vacancies include 54 in general medicine, 41 in anaesthesia, 34 in paediatrics, and 48 in psychiatry, including 19 in child and adolescent psychiatry.

Cancer services are also badly affected with 37 vacancies in radiology, while 25 posts in obstetrics/gynaecology are unfilled. In the area of psychiatry of learning disability, 24 posts are empty.

Irish Hospital Consultants Association general secretary Martin Varley said he is not surprised at the level of vacancies  487 in total, up from 349 last July.

We have been saying for some time that there is a massive recruitment and retention crisis, said Mr Varley.

The main cause is the pay difference between consultants appointed prior to and after 2012, where the latter could earn up to 50,000 less than longer-serving colleagues.

The association said the Government has failed to fill up to a third of consultant posts advertised in recent years, and more than one third of posts advertised received zero or just one application.

Mr Varley said that, in this context, any form of recruitment freeze would add to the problems association members identified in a survey last month.

It found most believed a lack of suitably qualified consultants was resulting in a decline in the standard of patient care, and that hospitals will be unable to sustain present levels of clinical services for patients if the recruitment and retention crisis is not resolved.

Mr Varley said consultants would have to be given a derogation from any recruitment freeze as it would add to staffing problems.

The HSE said in a statement that a derogation exists for all development posts and any restrictions will only apply where there is not a clear plan to live within available funding.

It said decisions on recruitment remain with CEOs of hospital groups and chief officers of the community healthcare organisations, but a comprehensive plan is required.

The Department of Health said its officials have been engaging with the HSE in reaching agreement on a pay and numbers strategy for 2019.

As part of this process, the HSE directorate has made it clear that recruitment restrictions will only be necessary if hospital groups fail to provide clarity on plans for 2019, it said.

On receipt and acceptance of balanced plans, these additional controls can be reviewed and removed where appropriate.

The HSE recruitment restrictions are outlined in a letter from Liam Woods, deputy director general, dated March 29. He says the restrictions will be introduced where necessary for a three-month period pending clarity of plans for 2019 and financial performance in Q1, 2019.
A man who set up a sophisticated cannabis growing operation in his bedroom worth almost 10,000 after sourcing the seeds online and ordering the equipment from Amazon was trying to treat his back pain, a Court has heard.

Peter Tobin of 24 Newbridge Park in Skibbereen in West Cork pleaded guilty at Skibbereen District Court to charges of simple possession of cannabis, cultivation of plants and to possession of a controlled drug for the purposes of selling or otherwise supplying it.

Judge James McNulty heard that Mr Tobin only began researching the cultivation of cannabis and purchasing the required equipment from Amazon after his home had been searched by Gardai some months earlier because of suspicions of drug-related activity by someone else known to him.

Det Garda Shannon Ryan told the court that on December 13, 2017 at 10.20am he and members of the Divisional Drugs Unit searched Mr Tobins home under a warrant - again related to a different person and not Mr Tobin.

He was in the UK at the time but his now ex-partner granted access to the Gardai for the purposes of the search.

They found Mr Tobins bedroom was locked and forced entry.

Inside they found what Det Garda Ryan called a small, sophisticated grow tent with 12 plants inside and in the early stages of growth.

Some 96g of cannabis here was also found in the room and in the kitchen in a jar another 24g if cannabis was found.

The plants at maturity would have had a street value of 9,600 and the court heard the total value of drug seized was 12,000.

On his return from the UK Mr Tobin met Gardai by arrangement and was later charged.

The court heard his wife had been shocked at the discovery.

Mr Tobins solicitor, Liam ODonovan, said his client became the accidental owner of the plants in that he had been taken by surprise at the rate of growth.

Judge McNulty said it was a tad unlikely that Mr Tobin would have been unaware of the previous allegations relating to a different person which triggered the earlier search warrant and that he was sceptical when it came to the defendants explanation.

He insists it was for his own use, Mr ODonovan said.

He said Mr Tobin suffered from chronic back pain and was on a waiting list for HSE pain management injections.

Following the summer Garda search in 2017, that August he began what his solicitor said was a considerable amount of research on the internet, buying the cannabis seeds and the required lamps and tent online and having them all delivered to his door.

He initially started making biscuits with the plants and said that was giving him a lot of relief, Mr ODonovan said.

Mr Tobin has no previous convictions in Ireland, where has lived for the past 20 years, but had two convictions in the UK including one for armed robbery in 2008 for which he received a 21-month jail sentence.

His solicitor later explained that it was his brother-in-laws property and there had been a long-running dispute between them.

Judge McNulty convicted him on all three charges and deferred penalty until June 11 next, as well as requesting a probation report on Mr Tobin.
A group of asylum seekers plan to go on a tour of direct provision centres all around the country next year in a bid to spread their message of hope.

Citadel is made of individuals from nine countries who are based in Kinsale Road accommodation centre in Cork.

Co-founder, Norbert Nkenguruste, says he and voluntary activist Roos Demol were looking at ways to improve the spirits of the people in the centre.

A decision was made in 2017 to try and source musical instruments.

Roos floated the idea on Facebook and the public generously donated 20 guitars, seven keyboards and drums. Volunteer musicians also came in to assist residents in the centre who had no training in music.

A former asylum seeker Saleem Nze from Tanzania who now runs his own production company in Cork also assists them in their endeavour.

Norbert (36) who is from Burundi says that the growth of the group and the recent welcome acquisition of a 5,000 grant from Cork City Council has helped morale in what can be a depressing set of circumstances.

A qualified electrical engineer who also has experience in product management he has been in Ireland for three years and is still awaiting feedback on whether he can legally live and work in this country.

Norbert says that the forming of Citadel has been a lifeline for residents in the Kinsale Road centre and also has helped them to integrate with the local community.

We organised a World Music event in Bull McCabe's (nearby pub) and we realised we could exchange our culture even if we don't speak the same language. We saw that we could have culture sharing.

"In the group we have (people from) nine countries. People from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Russia. Even people who don't play music are always around when we do rehearsals. It has helped us all.

Norbert says the group compromises of "voices from everywhere" and the blend of cultures can make for interesting collaborations.

"Some people are singing in Arabic or in Punjabi. Music is a way to connect and integrate. People like music. We enjoy it and other people enjoy it."

Many of the individuals in the centre are well educated Norbert stresses and they find it hard to be without work.

"There are many people here who want to work but who just don't get that opportunity. They are doctors, lawyers, they are medically qualified nurses. As part of my community management projects at home I worked with UNICEF. I can also work as an electrical engineer.

"I would also like to keep this movement going. Helping people in need."

Meanwhile, community activist, Roos Demol, who co-founded the group says that they plan to go on a tour of direct provision centres next year.

We want to visit direct provision centres and make music with the people in there. It is spreading awareness and giving a bit of empowerment to the people in direct provision.

"I know of two amazing Jazz musicians in direct provision in Killarney. They are from Ethiopia. There is a man in Waterford who is an amazing pianist. We want to do all that next year.

Roos says the group are doing so well because Irish people have a natural affinity with music. When locals meet Citadel it is easy to find common ground in song

Irish people love music. And they listen and go "Wow these are people from the direct provision centre.

"(At one event) I saw people hugging one of the musicians who doesn't speak any English. They were just so moved by her music.

"It is a fantastic form of integration and exchanging cultures. Cork is really making an effort in welcoming refugees. 

Further information about Citadel can be obtained at facebook.com/citadeleire
Four people from the same family have been sent forward to the Circuit Criminal Court for trial on charges under the money-laundering and terrorist-financing legislation.

The four include a husband and wife and are due to appear at the circuit court in Kilkenny on April 30, when a date is due to be fixed for their trial.

Detective Garda Paul Coleman told Kilkenny District Court today that books of evidence had been served on all four accused and that the DPP consented last February for them all to go on trial on indictment at the Circuit Court.

Timmy O'Reilly (44) of 1 St Mary's Avenue, Hebron Road, Kilkenny, is charged with 32 offences under the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010 and had previously been granted bail on his own bond of 1,000.

He was not called upon to speak.

Bail was renewed under the condition that he inform the gardai of any change of address.

His son Francis O'Reilly (22) from 3, St Mary's Avenue, Hebron Road, Kilkenny, is charged with four offences under the same Act, including an accusation that he had monies deposited in bank accounts which were the proceeds of criminal conduct, on dates between March 3, 2015, and December 31, 2015, and on dates in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Francis O'Reilly is on bail on his own bond of 500.

His wife, Elizabeth O'Reilly (21) also of 3, St Mary's Avenue, Hebron Road, Kilkenny, has two charges against her: that she engaged with the proceeds of criminal conduct on June 27 last and that she had monies deposited in bank accounts which were the proceeds of criminal conduct and that she did convert, transfer, handle, possess or use that property in 2018.

Bail was renewed for her on her own bond of 250.

Stephen O'Reilly (24) of 2, St Mary's Avenue, Hebron Road, who is also a son of Timmy O'Reilly, is facing six charges under the same act, including that he had monies deposited in bank accounts which were the proceeds of criminal conduct on dates between June 7 and December 31 last and on dates in each of the last five years.

He was granted bail on his own bond of 500.

The same bail condition was imposed on each of the four accused.

Free legal aid was granted in each case by Judge Colin Daly, with no objection from the State.
The Government has been urged to set up an immediate review of the amount of tax paid by investment property groups here amid fears they are paying next to nothing to the State.

Fianna Fail housing spokesman, Darragh O'Brien, demanded the move after warning hard-pressed families are being squeezed out of the property market by investment firms.

Mr O'Brien said he is deeply concerned about the rise of "cuckoo funds", the name used to describe foreign property investment firms which purchase houses in Ireland before ramping up rental costs.

Hitting out at the situation, the opposition housing spokesman said his party will formally ask Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe to begin a tax review of the firms to find out if they are using any "loopholes" to target the Irish market.

Mr O'Brien said:

"We're calling for a full review of the tax treatment of these cuckoo funds. These funds were invited into this country and institutional investors by the Government, but we want to know why is it so advantageous for them to come in and buy full developments and homes and rent out to the market at extortionate rents.

"We will be formally writing now to the minister to look for a full, formal review and an examination of the impact these funds are having on the market. People are paying extortionate rents in Ireland, and again this points to a failed policy," .

The Fianna Fail housing spokesman said that while any system designed to allow property firms to pay low taxes is an issue, the bigger problem is the knock-on effect such a situation will have on first-time buyers unable to find a home.

Noting housing market figures released last week by Savills, Mr O'Brien said "the impact of cuckoo funds" means that "first-time buyers are being squeezed out of the market, by investors on the one hand and by the State on the other".

"I think we need to see a full review of the tax payments [from cuckoo funds], we need to look under the bonnet on this," he said.

In a separate media briefing, Labour leader Brendan Howlin said he is growing increasingly concerned about the cost of living in Ireland's major cities and the inability of people to buy homes.

Citing a case he was told about in recent days, Mr Howlin said he is aware of one person who works in Cork city but is unable to live in Ireland's second capital due to costs - meaning he is instead travelling from Dunmanway in West Cork.

His party colleague, Labour's housing spokeswoman, Jan O'Sullivan, said she is equally worried about the Government's failure to address spiralling rental costs as part of the rent pressure zone system.

Ms O'Sullivan said that while the system works to an extent without rent pressure zones, it almost guarantees that landlords operating just outside the zones will ramp up their prices.

Pointing to one example she has been made aware of in her constituency in Limerick, Ms O'Sullivan said some landlords just outside the zones are raising their rents by as much as 30% and called for fresh action from Government on the issue.
A doctor received sums totalling about 12,650 from a seriously ill patient aged in his seventies in circumstances suggesting a breach of the Medical Council's ethical guidelines, the president of the High Court has said.

Mr Justice Peter Kelly said that and other matters warranted making orders preventing Dr Zsolt Siklosi practising medicine here and suspending his registration on the council's general practitioner specialist register.

Those orders, under Section 60 of the Medical Practitioners Act, apply pending further order.

In the interests of public protection, the judge said his ruling, made following an in camera hearing of the Medical Council's application for the suspension order, should be made public.

A citizen of Hungary and the UK with an address in Co Roscommon, Dr Siklosi was registered on the medical register here in 2011.

He was in court on Tuesday and sought an adjournment of the council's application to allow him get legal representation and opposed the ruling being made public.

Refusing the adjournment, Mr Justice Kelly noted the council gave the doctor notice last week of the intended application.

Having made the order, he allowed Dr Siklosi a month to instruct lawyers and returned the matter to early May.

In his ruling, the judge noted the council decided at a meeting on April 3 to seek the suspension order.

That followed a referral from the council's preliminary proceedings committee (PPC) due to concerns about alleged breach of conditions previously imposed on the doctor's registration, serious allegations he had received monies from a patient and a perceived lack of probity in his dealings with the council.

Dr Siklosi was previously found guilty by a FTP committee in 2016 of professional misconduct and poor professional performance.

The misconduct included failing to disclose he had been arrested on foot of a European Arrest Warrant in June 2013 and that his surrender to Hungary was sought in respect of certain offences, the judge noted.

Those findings led to the High Court making orders in March 2017 censuring him with conditions attached to his registration, including that he not prescribe psychoactive medication.

In an affidavit, council president Dr Rita Doyle said the conditions should have been very clear to Dr Siklosi but it seemed he had breached them "within a matter of days".

She said the complaint that led to the council seeking the suspension was made in November 2017 by a health care practise, GP World Health Care, Bracken Road, Sandyford, Dublin, which said it had recently offered work to Dr Siklosi but after they sought certain documents showing he was allowed practice here, he had "disappeared".

That complaint alleged, before he left the practice, he took money from a named patient and that other elderly sick patients who desperately need help from doctors might be at risk of losing money by giving it to him.

Investigations by the PPP to date have revealed Dr Siklosi has received a total 12,650 by way of "unsolicited interest free loans" on the basis of "friendship" from an elderly sick patient between October-December 2017 when the doctor first treated that patient on a walk-in basis in September 2017, Dr Doyle said.

The 12,650 included sums allegedly provided to help Dr Siklosi set up a new practice and 150 to fix a car clutch.

The judge noted another complaint being investigated was made in June 2017 after a woman who attended Dr Siklosi at the Net Dr Now surgery in Swords alleged he signed a prescription using two different pens in the woman's presence.

It was alleged the name of the "medical practitioner" on the prescription turned out to be a secretary at the clinic and not a GP.

The matter was reported to the council and Dr Siklosi acknowledged the seriousness of the breaches and said he did not understand the importance of the relevant condition on his registration but, on advice, did so now.

That matter was to be subject of an inquiry.

The judge said there is at least prima facie evidence the doctor has been in receipt of a substantial sum from a seriously ill patient in circumstances that would suggest breach of the council's ethical guidelines.

There was also a prima facie case over failure to provide full and frank disclosure including about where Dr Siklosi is working which is "highly suggestive" of a lack of probity in dealings with the council, he added.
A man has been jailed for four years for the sexual assault of the four-year-old daughter of a family friend.

The 73-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect the victim's anonymity, denied three counts of sexual assault on the child at locations in Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow some time between January 1985 and December 1987.

After a five-day trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court last March a jury convicted him of all counts.

The victim was aged between four and six when the man forced her to touch his genitals in his family home and in her family home.

Today, judge Karen O'Connor imposed concurrent four-year sentences for each offence. She had set a headline sentence of six years which she reduced in consideration of his age and ill health.

She noted that as a result of the abuse the woman said she had her childhood innocence and her self-esteem stolen from her.

In a victim impact statement the victim, now an adult, said that the abuse left her feeling disgusted with her body. She said she was aged only eight when she tried to kill herself.

At his sentence hearing Mr Lynn said his client was terminally ill with incurable cancer. A medical report stated he was easily fatigued.

The intensity of the prison experience for someone in extremely poor health would be extremely oppressive, counsel submitted.

'I thought it was my fault'

In her statement the woman said she felt isolated and didn't know if what had happened to her was illegal. When she began to later read accounts from rape victims she felt guilt at the fact their experience seemed familiar because I thought (what happened to me) was different, I thought it was my fault.

She said she spent most of her life hating every inch of me and blaming a child for this.

During the trial she testified that at the time of the assaults she told a school friend but she didn't really understand what had being done to her.

When she disclosed the assaults to her mother the visits to the man's home were stopped but gardai were not contacted. In later years the woman broke down in front of her father and he cried and said that her mother had told him that she was alright and that was why he had never talked to the victim about it.

The woman paid credit to her husband who had borne a tremendous burden for her and made her feel safe. She said she had felt suicidal in the past and thanked Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, saying without them I would not be alive today.

She said she found herself grieving for a life I didn't get to live.

Judge O'Connor said that the man's serious medical issue could be dealt with in custody but said she took it into consideration as a mitigating factor.

She noted that the woman had spent many years in counselling. She said the aggravating factors were the disparity in the age between the man and the child and his position of trust within her family.
A 36-year-old paramedic who assaulted two female first aid students when he placed them in a chokehold six years ago was today described as timid by a retired Garda.

At Ennis Circuit Court today, retired Garda, Peadar Daly said that Andrew Long was a bit on the timid side and very courteous.

Mr Daly served 21 years as a Garda in Mr Longs native east Clare village of Scarriff and he told the court I didnt consider that Andrew was capable of deliberately hurting anybody.

Mr Longs two victims, Mary Nihill and Elise McMahon sat at the back of the court as they heard Mr Daly say: I was shocked when I heard he was in court for an assault complaint.

"He was one of the last persons that I expect to be involved in an assault and the local community would agree."

Providing character testimony for Mr Long from the witness box, Mr Daly said that a custodial sentence would serve no purpose and destroy Andrew.

The court was told today that Mr Long of Carraig Dubh, Tobertaosceain, Ennis still maintains his innocence - earlier this year, Judge Gerald Keys refused Mr Longs application to withdraw his guilty plea to assault causing harm of Ms Nihill during an evening Civil Defence first aid class at the Vocational Education Centre in Scarriff in March 2013.

Mr Long has also pleaded guilty to assaulting mother-of-three Elise McMahon who was pregnant at the time.

In court today, Judge Keys said that Mr Long has shown absolutely no remorse. He is challenging that these events ever took place.

Judge Keys said that Mr Long has made no mention of the two victims who have been profoundly affected by his conduct.

Judge Keys said: At the time, Mr Long was in a position of trust. If he is coming into this court looking for clemency, he must show some remorse or concern for his victims who were deeply affected by his conduct.

Mr Long rendered mother of one, Ms Nihill unconscious with his choke hold and in evidence, Ms Nihill told the court that after the incident:

I was in shock. I thought I was in safe hands with a professional paramedic. He tried to knock me out - he did knock me out.

In her victim impact statement delivered today, Ms Nihill said that having to testify during the trial was the worst experience of my life and I found it extremely intimidating and brought back all the memories of the assault.

Ms Nihill said that as a result of the assault I no longer trust easily, am wary of men in particular and dont like to be left alone with people.

Describing the assault on her, Ms McMahon said: My airways were cut off. I was conscious, but literally I couldnt talk. I had no voice.

In her victim impact statement, Ms McMahon told the court: I did feel shock and disbelief of it occurring as well as shock and fear of telling someone and my unborn child along with the grip around my neck which I felt for days.

Counsel for Mr Long said that Mr Long's job as a paramedic is now finished and he believes that his career prospects are drastically slashed.

Counsel asked that the court impose a suspended jail term on his client.

Counsel said that Mr Longs fiance has three daughters and that TUSLA have become involved because of the matter before the court and Mr Long has suggested that TUSLA may forbid Mr Long to have any contact with his fiances three daughters.

Judge Keys remanded Mr Long on continuing bail for sentence to April 30.
The report into cost overruns at the National Children's Hospital has been published by the government.

The independent review carried out by PWC identified "a series of weaknesses in terms of set-up, planning, budget, execution, and governance" of the project.

The report, which was signed off on by Cabinet today, examined why the cost of the hospital more than doubled in a short space of time.

It found that an underestimation of the real cost of the project contributed to the "vast majority" of the 450m increases, while costs like VAT, delays and changes to regulation and building standards were also attributable factors.

The children's hospital could now cost more than 1.7bn after estimates in 2014 put the figure at 800m.

The review examined the option of re-tendering the project and found that it would likely have led to costs increasing even further or even the project not going ahead at all.

A statement from Department of the Taoiseach said the NCH "is a vital and much-needed project" and that "it is recognised that a programme of work of this nature can never be fully de-risked".

"Nevertheless, it is clear from the findings and recommendations that there were significant weaknesses which led to escalation of cost which only became known at far too late a point in the process," it said.

The review by PWC was carried out to establish the sequence of events which led to the spiralling costs, but will stop short of determining culpability at the individual level.

The accountancy firm issued nine recommendations in relation to the children's hospital project and two in relation to other capital infrastructure projects, all of which have been accepted by government.

The recommendations regarding the NCH are:



1. The project control environment should be overhauled to bring it up to the level of maturity and sophistication required for a project of the scale, complexity and importance of the NPH project;



2. Comprehensive plans should be developed to mitigate the residual risks identified;



3. A Project Assurance Strategy should be developed and implemented for the remainder of the NPH Project;



4. The commercial capability and capacity of the NPH Executive should be strengthened so that it is more self-sufficient and less reliant on external advisors;



5. The Executive of the NPH should be strengthened in the short term to support the planning and execution of the next phase;



6. Consideration should be given to opportunities for the closer working of the NHPDB and the SHI Board. This should include the potential for some shared appointments to promote integration and to address skills gaps;



7. The NHPDB should request confirmation of a number of key decisions in relation to the procurement / approach for medical, ICT and electronic health records to enable effective planning for the next phase of the programme;



8. The scope and responsibilities of the advisory firms that constitute the Design Team should be reviewed to reflect their future roles;



9. In view of the potential consequential programme risks, a scrutiny process that includes all levels of the governance structure should be put in place.

The recommendations on other infrastructure projects are:



10. The rules that govern public sector spending on major capital projects should be strengthened. The standards to which business cases must adhere should be more clearly defined and robustly enforced; and



11. A central assurance and challenge function should provide consistent challenge to and review of major projects through their lifecycles.





Commenting on the publication of the review today, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said it made for "grim reading".

The PWC report makes grim reading. The report finds the escalating costs of the new National Childrens Hospital related largely to an underestimation of the cost of building it in the first place, as well as the cost of delays, higher building standards and the knock-on effect of VAT," he said.

"It does not recommend retendering as a feasible option and suggests there is little scope for savings.

Our priority now must be to finish the job on time to meet the 2023 opening date, contain further cost increases and learn from the mistakes made in advance of other major projects like Metro and the National Broadband Plan," he said.
A taxi driver who sexually assaulted three young women within two weeks has had his case adjourned to allow for the preparation of a psychological report.

Mansoor Uddin (41), a married father-of-three, sexually assaulted two of the women on the same night after demanding that one of them get out of his taxi when he saw her trying to get a photo of his identification.

This 18-year-old victim had also called a friend while in the vehicle and gave her Uddin's name and some of his taxi number.

She tried to take a photograph of Uddin but he stopped her.

Sergeant Aoife Cronin told Sinead McMullan BL, prosecuting, that gardai used CCTV footage, a database of registered public service vehicles and a computer-generated likeness from the first victim to identify Uddin.

As part of the garda investigation, officers also used GPS co-ordinates from the HAILO app which confirmed that Uddin had travelled the three routes the women had outlined to gardai.

Uddin of Castleway, Adamstown, Lucan, Co Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to sexual assault on January 30, 2016 and two sexual assaults on February 16, 2016.

Judge Sinead Ni Chulachain adjourned the case to May 8, next, for sentence and remanded Uddin on continuing bail.

Sgt Cronin told Ms McMullan that the first woman, a 19-year-old German national, continually pushed Uddin's hand away as he rubbed her knee and leg while driving.

He told her she had a beautiful heart.

He also touched her chest area and rubbed her cheek, telling her that she was the most beautiful girl of the night.

The woman bit Uddin's finger when he touched her cheek and told him she wanted to get out of the car.

She threw money at him and managed to get out but he drove alongside her, rolled down his window and told she could keep the money if she would just give him a kiss.

He asked her to get back into the car but she refused. She reported Uddin to the gardai the following day.

The second victim, a 20-year-old woman, got into Uddin's taxi upset having had an argument with her boyfriend.

He asked her why she was crying and told her not to be upset because she was beautiful.

He wiped away her tears and rubbed her face and lip before brushing his hand down the right side of her body.

When she arrived at her home he asked her if she needed a hug before he leaned in towards her as if to kiss her.

The woman got out of the car and Uddin drove off at speed.

She was later able to provide gardai with a partial registration number.

The third woman, an 18-year-old school girl, got into Uddin's taxi an hour later.

He immediately began rubbing her leg telling her how soft her skin was.

She pushed him away and he tried to get his hand into her underwear.

Uddin asked her what age she was and when she told him he smiled and said she was really young.

Sgt Cronin said this girl noticed that Uddin's identification was behind the CD player.

She accepted a call from a friend while in the taxi and tried to give her some of the details she could read off his identification.

Uddin became very angry, leaned across her, opened her door and told her to get out.

She tried to take a photograph of him but he stopped her doing so.

Sgt Cronin agreed with Seamus Clarke SC, defending, that as part of his bail conditions a female passenger is not permitted to be a front seat passenger in Uddin's taxi.

She accepted that he is a Pakistan national who is married with two teenage daughters and a younger son.

Mr Clarke said the three women were young vulnerable people who were relying on him to bring them home safely and he didn't do that.

Mr Clarke will address the court with a plea in mitigation on the next date.

A victim impact statement from the first woman said she wouldn't allow her boyfriend to touch her where Uddin had touched her.

She felt scared and numb and had problems sleeping at night.

She didn't trust her friends and became isolated. She later attended for weekly counselling.

She still finds it difficult to get a taxi, particularly at night.

The second woman was traumatised after the incident and lost trust in taxi drivers.

She worries about the safety of others in taxis and felt ashamed for allowing herself to be so vulnerable.

She doesn't sit in the front passenger seat of a taxi anymore and tries to always have someone with her when she needs to get one.

She said she is more self-conscious when she hears someone coming from behind her or towards her.

Update April 11: Garda have confirmed that following Mansoor Uddin's conviction in February they "immediately referred the matter to the Garda Superintendent Carriage Office, Dublin Region. On the 28th February 2019 the Small Public Service Vehicle Licence was revoked with immediate effect for this male driver."
UPDATE: 1pm Daniel Devaney has been located safe and well.

The gardai have thanked the public for their assistance in locating him.

Earlier: Gardai seek public's help finding teen last seen on way to school in Dublin

Gardai are looking for help finding a teenager who went missing on his way to school in Dublin yesterday morning.

Fifteen-year-old Daniel Devaney was last seen when he left his home in Terenure at around 8:30am.

He's around 6'3" in height, of medium build, with green eyes and blonde hair.

When last seen, he was wearing his school uniform - navy trousers, a navy/blue school jumper, a light blue rain jacket and a black backpack.

Anyone who can help to find Daniel is being asked to contact gardai.
A war veteran impersonated a garda and hijacked a car with a broken airsoft gun, a court has heard.

Stephen Keane, 30, of Cushlawn Drive, Tallaght, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Court to impersonating a member of An Garda Siochana at BoylesSport, Firhouse Road, on August 25, 2018.

He also pleaded guilty to unlawfully seizing a vehicle at Firhouse Shopping Centre, Firhouse, and robbery at Dwan's Off-Licence, Woodstown Shopping Centre, Ballycullen, on the same date.

Garda James Grogan told Dara Hayes BL, prosecuting, that Keane entered BoyleSport on the date in question, showed the manager a badge and claimed to be an undercover garda.

Gda Grogan said Keane asked for the last five hours of CCTV footage and also asked to go into the back of the bookmakers.

The manager refused and Keane left the store.

Later that day, Keane approached a car outside Firhouse Shopping Centre and told the driver to get out and that he had a gun.

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The driver asked if he could get his dogs out of the car, which Keane allowed him to do before he sped off in the car.

Keane then entered an off-licence, pointed a gun at an employee and told him to Give me all the fucking money.

He stole 395 from the till as well as three packs of cigarettes.

Gda Grogan said that Keane committed the three offences in less than twenty minutes.

During interview with gardai, Keane said he had a drug debt and that those he owed the money to had made threats against his family.

He said the gun was a broken airsoft gun and that he found the garda identification card in the back of a taxi.

Keane has 68 previous convictions in Ireland and the UK.

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These include convictions for assault causing actual bodily harm, burglary, robbery, theft, criminal damage and violent behaviour in a garda station.

Sarah-Jane O'Callaghan BL, defending, said that her client had served in the British Army and that he did tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

She said he suffers from PTSD relating to his witnessing a friend being blown up by a roadside bomb.

Ms O'Callaghan said Keane received a substantial payout upon leaving the army, but that he squandered it all on heroin and crack cocaine.

Addressing the court, Keane said that he was ashamed of himself and that he could not look at his child.

He said he deserved to be punished, but asked for hope at the end of his sentence.

Judge Melanie Greally remanded Keane in custody and adjourned the matter for sentencing on July 8, next.

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Daenerys Targaryen has been a life-changing role for Emilia Clarke. She tells Georgia Humphreys how, as the final series of Game Of Thrones nears, she's finding it hard to say goodbye.

When I meet bubbly, effervescent, happy-go-lucky Emilia Clarke, I have no reason to think there's a secret she's been hiding for the last eight years.

But shortly after our chat, the London-born actress, 32, writes an article for The New Yorker about two life-threatening brain aneurysms she has battled.

The first struck in 2011, shortly after she finished filming the first season of Game Of Thrones, the HBO phenomenon that has made her one of the world's biggest TV stars. She was just 24 at the time.

In the piece, she describes going through two brain surgeries, her painful recovery and complications such as a condition called aphasia, which left her unable to speak properly.

Luckily, the star is now 100% healed, and has thrown herself into developing a charity called SameYou, which aims to provide treatment for people recovering from brain injuries and stroke.

The fact she managed to keep her health struggles private is impressive when you consider the growing media attention she has received. When she was cast as young princess (now dragon queen) Daenerys - her breakthrough role - she was fresh out of drama school.

"I was just an innocent kid," Clarke recalls of first being on the set of Game Of Thrones, a medieval fantasy drama about dynastic wars and mythical conflicts.

"I had no idea about the industry, I had no idea about myself, I had no idea about what the show was ever going to be, I had no idea about life, I had no idea about anything - and then this show happened.

"And in those 10 years, the most defining parts of my life have happened within the realms of it. I've gone from being a kid to a fully fledged grown-up. So saying goodbye to the show is saying goodbye to that part of yourself, I think."

It's understandable, then, that recording her final scene as the Mother of Dragons was "deeply emotional".

"Loads of tears!" the star confides emphatically.

Despite talking about crying, she's still sporting one of her trademark wide-eyed grins.

She has a charming sense of humour, too. Discussing how she felt after her last day of filming, she quips: "That was the moment I realised that alcohol can also be a depressant.

"I was kind of nursing a glass of wine going, 'I don't know why I'm not getting any happier from this!'"

When it comes to what's in store for the final season of the award-winning show, Clarke knows very well not to give anything away (the cast have been sworn to secrecy about the outcome of the drama).

For, although the show is based on the epic novels by George RR Martin, the new episodes continue to feature content that goes beyond the books.

To recap, the last series saw Daenerys, who is determined to retake the Iron Throne of Westeros for herself, finally meet Jon Snow (played by Kit Harington), who is another of the show's pivotal, heroic characters.

Jon's true parentage was also revealed - and it means he has a strong claim to sit on the Iron Throne himself. It also makes Daenerys and Jon nephew and aunt. But the pair are unaware of this, and in the final episode of season 7, we saw them have sex.

"Dany and Jon Snow, it's the most important relationship that either of them has," suggests Clarke, who has also starred in films such as Me Before You and Solo: A Star Wars Story.

I think it's a really, really defining thing for them both.

As for getting screen time with Kit? "He's one of my best mates, so it's weird," she says.

"You put us in a room together and we just giggle. Just non-stop giggling. So there were times when we were like, 'We'll be grown up about this, and really serious' and then we would do the scene and be like, 'OK, now we can just...'" (at this point, she starts giggling again).

One reason why Daenerys has become such a loved character is she's the epitome of a strong woman forging her own path, which feels particularly in tune with the emergence of the #MeToo and Time's Up movements.

"'Strong female protagonist' is a much more hot topic than it ever was before," affirms Clarke.

"But for Daenerys, the thing that hopefully we'll get to is she's just a really interesting character, regardless of what her gender is. She was a slave who was sold into slavery and is now a legit player for being the most powerful person in a show."

It will definitely be difficult for her to say goodbye to the role, Clarke admits.

She flashes a tattoo on her right wrist featuring three flying dragons, which she got last year to honour her connection to the character. How would she like Dany to be remembered by other people?

"Oh my goodness..." She pauses. "For giving it her best shot? I don't know... She's going to be 'the one with the dragons', but I would love for it to be 'she's the one who [went from] rags to riches in terms of what she, as a human being, was capable of achieving'."

There are people the world over who worship Daenerys - you only need to look at social media on Halloween to see how many fancy dress choices she's inspired.

Madonna is included in that - in 2014, she wore one of Clarke's actual costumes from the show to celebrate the Jewish festival Purim.

The TV personality calls this fandom "deeply flattering and incredibly weird", adding: "It's just something you can't comprehend."

She doesn't think she will ever get used to it either.

I'm an incredibly optimistic person but when it comes to my work, I'm very pessimistic.

"So it's a fickle industry that we are living in, that I'm in, and as an actor you can be up one day and literally that afternoon not be."

Another lesson she has learnt as her career has gone on? Not to Google herself.

"As a young girl who did some brave things in the first season, what I read was not nice," she says. "So, I don't read anymore, and it makes me much happier. I don't need anything from it."

But regardless of what she's seen online, one thing's for sure - there are plenty of people rooting for Clarke (and Daenerys).

The final series of Game Of Thrones will air on Monday, April 15 at 2am and 9pm on Sky Atlantic and Now TV.

-Press Association
The first theatre show has been announced for this year's Galway International Arts Festival (GIAF), which runs from July 15-18.

Celebrated UK theatre company Kneehigh will return to the City of the Tribes for the festival's 42nd year with Dead Dog in a Suitcase (and other love songs), based on John Gay's The Beggar's Opera.

Kneehigh's reinvention of the classic musical satire received a four star review in the UK Times and will include a mix of puppetry, physical theatre and live music as the actor- musicians perform to a live score that's described as 'trip hop combined with folk, ska with grime and dubstep'.

 A riot... Would I go and see this again? Like a shot. @TheTimes. @WeAreKneeHighs #DeadDog2019 heads to the Lyric from 21 May  15 June.



Book now: https://t.co/eeMTSKMX2b pic.twitter.com/aQh0qixAQl  Lyric Hammersmith Theatre (@LyricHammer) March 25, 2019

Written by Carl Grose and directed by Mike Shepard, with an original score by Charles Hazlewood, the theatrical performance will explore people's capacity for corruption.

Artistic Director of Galway International Arts Festival Paul Fahy said he was delighted to welcome Kneehigh back to the festival, after it's production of Tristan and Yseult back in 2017.

He said: "Following on from their 2017 sell-out success with Tristan & Yseult, Dead Dog in a Suitcase (and other love songs) is already tipped to be one of our Festival highlights. Im looking forward to audiences experiencing the magic that is Kneehigh this July.

The Irish premiere of Dead Dog in a Suitcase (and other love songs) will take place in the Bailey Allen Hall at NUIG from July 16-20. Tickets range from 22-29.50 and are on sale here.

The full GIAF2019 will be announced next months, but musical acts already announced for the Heineken Big Top include:

Thursday 18 JulyMonday 22 JulyVillagers and John Grant Saturday 20 JulyFriday 26 JulyBurt Bacharach Saturday 27 JulyFriday 19 JulyThe Academic

Two Door Cinema Club

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He's known the world over for his role in Netflix hit Stranger Things, and now David Harbour has landed the lead role in superhero epic Hellboy. Georgia Humphreys chats to the actor about taking on such a notorious character.

David Harbour has an admission to make. Back in 2017, a first-look picture of the Hellboy reboot was posted on Twitter, with the titular character looking incredibly muscly.

Media outlets went crazy over the transformation the Stranger Things star had gone through for the role. But "that's not my body", Harbour whispers to me playfully, pointing to the film poster behind him.

That's not to say there wasn't any physical preparation for the role, of course.

"I did powerlifting, because I wanted to feel like a beast," reasons the New Yorker, who turns 44 this month.

So yeah, I lifted a bunch of weight... There's something that happens to your body and your emotions when you're doing that, where you just get kind of angry. And so I enjoyed that aspect of it.

Based on the graphic novels by Mike Mignola, the dark fantasy film sees Hellboy, the legendary half-demon, caught between the worlds of the supernatural and human.

While struggling to accept who he really is, he battles an ancient sorceress bent on revenge, with plenty of epic (and rather bloody) fight scenes along the way.

Harbour's previous turns on the silver screen include Quantum Of Solace, Revolutionary Road and Suicide Squad.

But he is definitely best known for a TV role: Jim Hopper in the Netflix science fiction horror series Stranger Things, which returns for a long-awaited third season in July.

It earned him a Critics' Choice Television Award in 2018, while he was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. And it certainly made Hollywood take note - he also has thriller Dhaka, alongside Chris Hemsworth, hitting cinemas this year, plus there are rumours he's in talks about a part in another comic book movie, Marvel's Black Widow.

As for taking on notorious anti-hero Hellboy, there are various reasons why it appealed to him as an actor.

David Harbour as Hellboy. Credit: PA Photo/Lionsgate Films/Mark Rogers.

"First of all, he's an outcast and people hate him," he declares proudly. "And I love characters like this because I myself have felt that way so often in my life."

Deep in thought, he adds that the theme of identity in the film is very relatable too.

"There's this question of, 'Is our identity the conscious choices that we make in life, or is there something that's intrinsically 'us', that is genetic or whatever?' And if you make either one of those choices, you make a devil's bargain, because you sacrifice another piece of yourself, right?

"But I've often wondered about this in vino veritas thing, like, 'When I'm drunk, I'm really myself' - I don't think that's true," he continues.

"I think there are things inside me that are strange, but I think my behaviour in terms of my conscious choice is really what defines me as a human being.

"I think Hellboy comes to realise that throughout the film, and that to me is a very appealing journey, a very appealing story to tell."

David Harbour as Hellboy and Sasha Lane as Alice Monaghan. Credit: PA Photo/Lionsgate Films/Mark Rogers.

The original Hellboy film, directed by The Shape Of Water's Guillermo del Toro, was released in 2004, followed by a sequel, Hellboy II: The Golden Army four years later, with Ron Perlman playing the lead character both times.

And Harbour admits he did have some reservations about starring in a reboot.

"I didn't want to recreate something that has already been done, I didn't want to be the second string to do the same thing.

"And so when they pitched it to me, they said, 'We're going to do something very different. Hellboy himself is a lot more scarred and he's younger and he's darker and he's more struggling with his own identity, he's struggling with his father, which isn't the case in the other films'.

"It's also gorier and it's more horror-based and it's got these kind of scares and these creepy things in it, and that got me excited."

In the end, once he had the script, and saw the great cast they'd assembled (notably, Ian McShane plays his dad) the "trepidation fell away pretty quickly".

Back to the style of this film, and it's true that there are definitely quite a few violent scenes throughout. In fact, there are a few "cover your eyes with your hands" moments...

"The thing I like about it is it reminds me a little bit, in a pulpy way, of a Quentin Tarantino movie," suggests Harbour.

"At the end of Django Unchained, I remember blood is comically spurting out and I don't exactly know what Tarantino's going for, but it's something about this world of violence being so chaotic and random and almost silly, in a certain way.

"And I think that's what we strive for in that gore in Hellboy, there's just these moments of, 'Oh man, we're in a monster world, we're in an apocalyptic world, we're in this world that is somewhat other to our experience'.

"I was grossed out myself! But that to me is part of the fun of it. If you're gonna do Hellboy, let's do it."

Hellboy is released in cinemas on Thursday, April 11.

-Press Association
The redevelopment of Bohemians' stadium Dalymount Park has hit another snag.

A potential re-design of the planned 6,000 seater stadium is on the cards due to a dispute between Tesco and the developer, MM Capital.

The dispute does not revolve around the stadium, but rather the plans to redevelop the adjoining Phibsborough Shopping Centre of which Tesco is an anchor tenant.

Bohs have called on all parties to work together to resolve the impasse.

In a statement posted on their website, the club said: "Dublin City Councils identified preferred conceptual redesign of Dalymount Park included a main entrance and civic space via lands owned by MM Capital (Phibsborough Shopping Centre).

Club statement in response to a media report today regarding a dispute that threatens the proposed redevelopment of Phibsborough Shopping Centre: https://t.co/tbyWcOtiaf pic.twitter.com/4ShnO3mkN6  Bohemian Football Club (@bfcdublin) April 9, 2019

"We have had continuous positive engagement with MM Capital since 2015 around the integrated design of the adjoining sites.

"As reported today, a rights-of-way dispute between Tesco and MM Capital puts the redevelopment of the shopping centre at risk.

"Bohemian FC was fully aware of this potential impasse and it was communicated to club members and discussed at our recent AGM."

The new stadium is slated to be finished by 2023.
A 78-room Quest Hotel in Melbournes west is expected to fetch above $20 million once it is offloaded by developer Orion International Group.

China-backed Orion International has put the newly developed hotel, leased to the prolific Quest hotel brand on a 15-year term with four further five-year options, on the market through Colliers International's Daniel Wolman and Guy Wells in conjunction with Quinn Reynolds Propertys Marcus Quinn and Lincoln Reynolds.

The property is part of the mixed use Quest Maribyrnong development completed last year with 78 keys and 142 residential units.

Orion International has put a newly-developed hotel, leased to the prolific Quest hotel brand, on the market.

Strong inbound tourism has prompted high occupancy rates and heightened investment activity in Australias hotel sector.
A local investor has paid $3.93 million  $400,000 over the reserve  on a 3.12 per cent yield for a prime development site or investment property at 466-470 Hampton Street. Located within a 320-trader retail strip, the property has three adjoining shops on separate titles leased to Eli's Alterations, Stirling's curtains and Beautiful Delicious catering at combined annual net income of $123,000 on a short term basis. Teska Carsons George Takis and Fergus Evans marketed the property in conjunction with Nichols Crowders James Glen and Allan Brodie . This property had a lot going for it, including a prime spot within the baysides largest retail strip, several long-standing tenants on short term leases and 670 square metres of commercial zoned land on three titles with low site coverage and rear access, Mr Takis said.

Vacant retail properties are attracting strong attention from investors. Heated competition between three bidders at the auction of 371 Bay Street pushed the price to $1.31 million. Fitzroys James Lockwood and David Bourke, in conjunction with Patrick OCallaghan of O & Co, sold the property for a family who had owned it for 35 years. The two-storey 152sq m building has ground-level retail and a two-bedroom apartment above.

Clayton

Wolfstep Projects has sold all 11 strata office suites at its commercial development at 2 Winterton Road for a total of $2,670,500. The offices range in sizes from 38 to 67sq m with suites snapped up by both owner occupiers and investors. Knight Franks Nick Bisset and Matthew Romanin handled the sales. Mr Bisset said the result shows the current strength of the metropolitan strata office market, with an abundance of small businesses looking to purchase their own office suite

Dandenong South

An office/warehouse in the Logis Industrial Estate has sold under the hammer for $2.64 million - $240,000 above the reserve. CBREs Tim Homes, James Jorgensen and Ned Murphy steered a highly competitive auction for 25 Babbage Drive contested by four bidders. Based on the new seven-year lease to DNA Print Solutions, the sale price reflects a tight yield of 5.3 per cent and building rate of $1950 per sq m. This highlights the significant capital growth that has occurred in the Logis Industrial Estate, from a record building rate of $1400 per sq m just two to three years ago, Mr Murphy said.
A home belonging to Monty Python comedian Eric Idle and his wife, former Playboy model Tania Kosevich, was evacuated after an unknown powdery substance was found in a piece of mail.

According to NBC4, the resident called police to the Hollywood home about 6.30pm on Monday local time after opening a certified mail item from Thailand that released a white, powdery substance.

Eric Idle's home has been evacuated

Though the composition of the powder is not yet known, officials said they are treating the scene as an anthrax scare.

Idle, 76, is an English comedian and actor best known for his participation in the comedy troupe Monty Python, which created the sketch comedy show Monty Python's Flying Circus, as well as the films Monty Python and Holy Grail, Life of Brian, and The Meaning of Life.
No TV show in recent memory has induced as much moral hand-wringing as Nine's Married at First Sight. Year after year it runs the full gamut of behaviour that's generally considered socially unacceptable.

So what does it say about Australians that so many of us tune in?

Married at First Sight has topped the year's ratings. Credit:Nine

For the show's supporters - including the staggering, year-topping 1.96 million metro viewers who tuned into its finale on Monday - it might be a pressing question given admitting a fondness for the show runs the risk of earning snide remarks from those around you.

"People who say anyone who watches reality TV is trash haven't read their Shakespeare properly," says media professor Catharine Lumby of Macquarie University.
Australias medical device regulator has stopped short of banning textured breast implants after France and Canada outlawed the popular implants linked to a rare form of cancer.

The Therapeutic Goods Administrators (TGA) convened an emergency meeting of its breast implant expert working group on Monday night to decide whether Australia would follow the decision by French and Canadian regulators to prohibit seven brands of macro-textured and polyurethane implants.

Textured implants have been associated with an elevated risk of breast implant-associated (BIA) ALCL, a cancer of the immune system that develops in the fluid and scar tissue around the implants.

Instead of an outright ban, the TGAs working group has demanded texture implant suppliers provide detailed information and samples of the implants for analysis before considering whether to suspend or ban the products.
Prudential regulator, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), has been provided with a much strengthened hand to use against poorly performing superannuation funds.

A Bill containing enhanced powers for APRA has been before Parliament for some time but it has taken the shocking revelations of the Banking Royal Commission and a report by the Productivity Commission into superannuation to significantly strengthen the provisions eventually passed by both houses of Parliament last week.

APRA deputy chair, Helen Rowell, says underperforming super funds will be targeted with intensified supervision. Credit:Pat Scala

It was not a good look for APRA when it faced questions before the commission as to why it had not done more to stop bad practices occurring under its nose.

However, to be fair to the regulator, its powers were too limited. Now, it will be able to get to work on delivering better outcomes for all Australians who rely on their super funds to secure their retirement.
Gun safety became a huge issue after the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., last year. And Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., who announced Monday that hes running for the Democratic nomination for president, wants to see it continue to resonate in the 2020 primary.

Ive talked to kids who sit in their classroom wondering if theyll be the next victim of gun violence and they see Washington doing nothing about it after the moments of silence, said Swalwell, in a video clip announcing his presidential run that was shared on social media by the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. And they see lawmakers who love their guns more than they love their kids.

In fact, on Tuesday, Swalwell will hold a town hall in Coral Springs, Fla. Helping him out: Cameron Kasky, a Parkland survivor, who has become a leader in March for Our Lives, a grassroots movement by students to combat gun violence, according to the Atlantic .

Beyond gun safety, Swalwell says on his congressional website that he wants to invest in school technology, reward good teachers, and expand after-school programs. And he goes on, at length, about college affordability.

Swalwell joins a very crowded Democratic field. Want an early cheat sheet on the contenders? We got you covered .

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., brings up the separation of families at the border during a joint hearing of the House Committee on the Judiciary and House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform examining the Inspector Generals report of the FBIs Clinton email probe, on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, June 19, 2018 in Washington. --Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Its the red-painted battle cry for an evolving union movement, but how many hands went into the writing of ACTU head Sally McManus tome On Fairness? The February release became a reality under the watchful eye of former Melbourne University Publishing chief Louise Adler, shortly before she quit the helm of the publisher. But, as it turns out, novelist and playwright turned Guardian columnist Van Badham also played a strong hand in the creative process. McManus in the acknowledgments thanks Vanessa Badham  who poured her creativity, politics and time into the pocket-sized read. ACTU spinners said Badham had provided input and advice and other help on the book, but denied she was the ghost writer. <p> Credit:Matt Golding "Sally McManus wrote On Fairness," an ACTU representative said.

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"Its not unusual for authors to take advice, receive feedback and editing assistance, or get input on their writing." The fact she also "shares the values of the Australian union movement" positioned her well to help too, they said. Badham did not return calls or emails on Tuesday. Its worth pointing out that the On Fairness gig wasnt her first or only with the ACTU. She has also run a series of social media workshops with the councils staff in the past 18 months, which presumably would have seen her providing advice to partner and ACTU chief of staff Ben Davison. Keep on Keating on It seems like theyll let anyone into the Canberra press gallery these days, even us.

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This column has, in the past, reported on the mystery of Keating Media and its various related publications  including the venerable decades-old magazine Inside Canberra  all in residence at Parliament House. Keating Medias Michael Keating is a figure of some ignominy among his press colleagues. He raised eyebrows promoting expensive subscriber events with politicians including Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack and, most recently, for his relentless pursuit of an invite to Prime Minister Scott Morrisons Christmas drinks at The Lodge. Now we hear there was some discussion among the press gallerys management committee, which is presided over by this publications chief political correspondent David Crowe and the ABCs Jane Norman, about Keatings ties to the Liberal Party. Specifically, it was brought to the committees attention that our man Keating was campaigning for Wendy Tuckerman, the Liberal running to replace outgoing families minister Pru Goward. Could that breach a rule that gallery members shouldn't work for politicians? Not so, Keating told us. Just helping out a friend, no way am I employed by a politician, he said.

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But wait, there's more Of more concern in the press gallery was the bizarre episode of James Waugh, a former LexisNexis employee who was (briefly) employed by Morry Schwartzs growing media empire this year. Last Thursday Waugh was arrested after allegedly posting online threats to kill members of a Canberra church by, err, cutting off their heads. (Allegedly, this would have occurred with the use of a one-metre scimitar-style sword Waugh had purchased and was carrying around.) So we were pleased to hear that, on that very same day, the press gallery decided to inform Parliament House security it may be a good idea to cancel his clearance. He was last spotted at Parliament on the night of Morrisons rise to the Liberal leadership, waiting in the Blue Room as the Coalition turmoil unfolded. Shorten brings in old hands

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Charging infrastructure that allows you to power up an electric car in under 10 minutes is not some laughable futurist vision. Its existing tech.

A network of charging stations that will deliver this result is already on track in Australia to link major capital cities as Energy Minister Angus Taylor should know. Afterall, his agency helped to finance it.

These charging stations can fully charge a vehicle in 15 minutes. In eight minutes, you can get around 200 kilometres. As vehicle efficiency increases, as it does constantly, a full charge will take between eight to 10 minutes - the figure Bill Shorten cited in his supposed "gaffe" on FM radio.

So lets put this aspect of the unedifying scare campaign lately being waged against electric vehicles to bed.
While James Packers personal life may be in turmoil, the company that had been seeking to take control of his Crown Resorts and its signature development in his hometown, is also in a world of turmoil, threatening key executives and their gaming licences.

Wynn Resorts was founded in 2002 by Steve Wynn, now a 77-year-old American billionaire, who was forced to resign from his empire last year following a Wall Street Journal investigation into the man who built modern Las Vegas.

Steve Wynn and James Packer know each other well. Credit:AP

Hes the man that Terry Benedict, the ruthless casino owner in the Hollywood film Oceans Eleven (played by Andy Garcia), is reportedly loosely based on.

Hes a friend of, and former fundraiser for, President Donald Trump.
Nelson Mandela once said. The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow. These words hold a lesson for contemporary leaders. Todays youth are the future of our nation. Every action taken by todays leaders will affect our youth in the years to come.

As one of the thousands of the youth of today, Id like to bring forth a dilemma. Why is it that as a 21st century nation, Australian youth are not given the right to have a say on our head of state? Among the many wrongs done to all Australians by the current arrangements, why is it considered acceptable to deprive the nation's future of its voice. For, essentially, that is what we are, the youth of Australia are inevitably its future.

The Queen waves to the crowd. Credit:AP

This generation and those of the past havent taken us into account and its insulting.

Let me pose a question: how many times, in your adolescence, were you angered or distressed about a decision made by those older than you, a decision that changed your life or the way you live? How many times did you wish you were the one that could have made that decision, because you knew youd make one that you would be content living with. Well, thats how we feel, the current generation of adults are making decisions about our future without consulting us first.
It seems like theyll let anyone into the Canberra Press Gallery these days, even us.

This column has, in the past, reported in the past on the mystery of Keating Media and its various related publications -- including the venerable decades-old magazine Inside Canberra -- all in residence at Parliament House.

Keating Medias Michael Keating is a figure of some ignominy among his press colleagues, having raised eyebrows for promoting expensive subscriber events with politicians including Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack and, most recently, for his relentless pursuit of an invite to Prime Minister Scott Morrisons Christmas drinks at The Lodge.

Illustration: John Shakespeare Credit:

Now we hear there was some discussion among the Press Gallerys management committee, which is presided over by this publications chief political correspondent David Crowe and the ABCs Jane Norman, about Keatings ties to the Liberal Party.
As honey from native bees becomes more popular amongst consumers, some of the countrys best beekeepers are battling it out at the Sydney Royal Easter Shows honey competition.

Its the first time the class has been included in the elite competition and chief judge Bruce White said its a great opportunity for beekeepers to show their skills.

There is real art in preparing the hive and the final product, he said. When you see a jar at the show it looks like just a jar, but there is lots of work before that.

Bruce White in his long-standing judging role in the honey competition at the Royal Easter Show. Credit: Louise Kennerley

Mr White, who has been involved in the show since 1966, said the secret to good honey was its thickness, density and flavour.
A woman who was allegedly trafficked into the country to perform forced labour for years for a family in Brisbane had a phone and access to internet, a court was told.

The Fijian woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, also said she has a brother and a brother-in-law who are police officers in her home country.

Isikeli Pulini (left) and Malavine Pulini (centre) are seen arriving at the Brisbane District Court on Tuesday. Credit:AAP Image/Darren England

The details emerged during cross-examination in the Brisbane District Court on Tuesday at the trial of the couple who allegedly "imported" her into the country.

Isikeli Feleatoua Pulini and Malavine Pulini are accused of bringing the woman to work in Brisbane for about $250 per fortnight from 2008 to 2016.
Brisbane's new lord mayor Adrian Schrinner has pointed to a park being designed for Milton in Brisbane's inner west as an example of his planned multimillion spend on green space across the city. The Milton park on the corner of Railway Terrace and Manning Street, opposite the railway station, will cost about $1.7 million to turn the small block of grass into a park with an edible garden, toilets, play equipment and seating. Lord mayor Adrian Schrinner and councillor Peter Matic at the site of a new park in Milton. Credit:Lucy Stone/Fairfax Media "This is exactly the type of thing we want to see happen more around the city of Brisbane," Cr Schrinner said. "As the city grows, as new development occurs, more parkland being rolled out."

Cr Schrinner said Paddington LNP councillor Peter Matic, who was his rival for the lord mayoralty, had consulted with the community to find out what Milton residents wanted done with the site, with the park agreed upon. Cr Matic said the council received more than 400 responses to community surveys on the grass site and said the new park would be a good outcome for the suburb. Asked if the installation of the green park was designed to help combat overdevelopment of apartment blocks in the suburb, Cr Schrinner disagreed. "There will be more and more people coming to live here, our responsibility is to make sure people have homes to live in, but also the green space and parks they can relax in and enjoy the great lifestyle of our city," he said. In his first speech as lord mayor on Monday, Cr Schrinner promised the dividends of the City of Brisbane Investment Corporation would go toward new parklands and green spaces across the city.
The father of a little boy, who died on his bedroom floor in Brisbane as paramedics fought in vain to save him, will be tried for his son's murder.

Refugee and former Kenyan presidential candidate Quincy Timberlake, 38, has faced a committal hearing in Brisbane, accused of killing his son, Sinclair, in 2014.

Paramedics found three-year-old Sinclair on the floor when they arrived at the Timberlake family's home in Kallangur early on June 18.

Timberlake was "extremely" composed as he directed the officers into his son's room, paramedic Jennifer Pearce told Brisbane Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

"I was just surprised how calm he was. He didn't speak fast, he wasn't rushed in his thoughts."
Using an inhaler to take medicine instead of getting a needle could become the norm in the future if Australian research into dry powder drugs is successful.

QUT pharmaceutical scientist Nazrul Islam is experimenting with using a powder made of nanoparticles that could be inhaled in the same way asthma medication is delivered today.

Dr Islam said the obvious application would be for the treatment of lung diseases, especially lung cancer, as a replacement for high-dose chemotherapy treatments.

New research could see drugs delivered by a puff instead of a jab Credit:.

If we can deliver the drug directly into the lungs where cancer cells are available, it should be picked up by the cancer cells only, and not other cells, he said.
Officials are satisfied the animal rights activists who took three sheep from a southern Queensland slaughterhouse to an animal sanctuary did not break any regulations.

Biosecurity Queensland launched an investigation on Monday into whether an appropriate means of transport was used and whether the activists had the required livestock movement records.

The three sheep were moved about 200 kilometres from Carey Bros abattoir to Farm Animal Rescue's sanctuary. Credit:Brad King - Facebook

Biosecurity Queensland officers visited Farm Animal Rescue's Dayboro sanctuary, north of Brisbane, on Monday afternoon and gave everything the tick of approval.

"Inspectors have visited the premises where the sheep were transported to and confirmed that everything is in order with regard to movement requirements," a BQ spokesman said in a statement.
The toddler left fighting for life after being hit by a harness race starting gate last month is on a "long road to recovery" as the racing community continues to support her and her family.

Lara Whitaker, 2, was in a stable condition at Queensland Children's Hospital on Tuesday, a drastic improvement since paramedics found her in the trackside stand with face and abdominal injuries.

Lara Whitaker, 2, was hit by starting gate at Redcliffe Paceway more than two weeks ago.

A GoFundMe for the harness racing family has attracted more than $80,000 and the Lockyer Valley Turf Club, west of Brisbane, will also be collecting money during their race day on Thursday.

"As many of you may have heard, a tragic accident involving a fellow racing family occurred at Redcliffe a few weeks back," Lockyer Valley Turf Club wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.
A Danish tourist has been rushed to hospital with severe head injuries after being hit by a car at the Gold Coast overnight.

Emergency services raced to Ferny Avenue at Surfers Paradise just after 8pm after the 20-year-old woman was hit while crossing the road.

Queensland Ambulance Service senior operations supervisor Jayson Hacker said the woman was rushed to Gold Coast University Hospital where doctors were waiting for her upon arrival.

The 68-year-old female driver of the car was not physically injured.

Forensic Crash Unit investigators were appealing for any witnesses or anyone with relevant dashcam vision to come forward.
Vegan activists have been spectacularly inconvenient lately. The average Australian looks on and wonders: What the heck do these people want? And activists offer an answer: What do we want? Animal liberation! When do we want it? Now!

But this chant is unhelpful to anyone who doesnt already know what animal liberation is. (Peter Singer, the world-famous Australian philosopher, published Animal Liberation in 1975, but its a safe bet that the average Australian hasnt read it.)

Vegan protesters blocked one of Melbourne's busiest intersections on Monday. Credit:Zach Hope

So, again: What do the activists want? For a start, they want you to stop consuming animal productsto go vegan. As a professional ethicist, Im in a position to offer some small assistance in thinking about the reasonableness of that particular demand.

The activists make a straightforward argument. They argue that consumption of animal products fuels an industry that is cruel and exploitative, killing many tens of billions of animals annually, and that mere gustatory pleasure cannot justify our support for such an industry  especially given that nutritious and delicious vegan food is becoming ever more abundant to serve the growing vegan market.
Melbourne City Council will push the next federal government to establish a relief fund for building owners forced to bear the financial brunt of the flammable cladding crisis.

The push comes as Planning Minister Richard Wynne said he did not see a need for a Royal Commission into the building industry, saying the works been done.

Fire quickly took hold at the Neo200 tower on February 4. Credit:Jason South

Residents of high-risk buildings have told The Age of their dismay at learning they had to foot the bill for removing combustible cladding, saying they couldnt afford the unexpected cost.

Melbourne City Council said the cost was one of the biggest obstacles in rectifying buildings with combustible cladding and the Commonwealth was best placed to assist with the cost.
Grieving families will be offered a unique burial option for their loved ones after a conservation site south of Perth was given the green light for a WA-first proposal.

Funeral company Living Legacy Forest has recently received approval to create new "sanctuaries" at the site within the Wellington National Park in Worsley, which will allow people to grow trees from the ashes of their cremated loved ones.

The Wellington National Park provides a habitat for the quokka and black tail cockatoo.

The company transforms cremated remains into trees by infusing them into young seedlings for planting.

The company's WA representatives Daniel Moore and Josie Morris said the first planting day at the site would be held on June 9, and urged families to secure their plots ahead of the launch.
Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has sensationally demanded his successor Scott Morrison deal with "very troubling" allegations about Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton's links to Communist Party-aligned billionaire Huang Xiangmo and Liberal lobbyists.

The intervention followed an investigation by the ABC's Four Corners, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that revealed Mr Huang paid tens of thousands of dollars to secure a one-on-one meeting with Mr Dutton amid a back-room campaign for Australian citizenship.

Malcolm Turnbull is demanding an explanation from Peter Dutton Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Mr Huang failed in his attempt for citizenship after ASIO objected to his links to the Chinese Communist Party  but his family was given special treatment when Mr Dutton empowered former Labor senator Sam Dastyari to provide them a private citizenship ceremony in 2015.

The lobbyist  former Liberal minister Santo Santoro  also arranged a lunch between Mr Huang and Mr Dutton in the private dining room of a Sydney restaurant in 2016.
The Queensland government has dampened Adani's hopes of a quick approval of its Carmichael mine after the controversial project received federal approval earlier on Tuesday.

Queensland Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch argues there are still "uncertainties" when considering environmental approvals for the Adani Carmichael mine.

Queensland Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch said the Department of Environment and Science had outlined "uncertainties" following the CSIRO and GeoScience Australia report. Credit:AAP Image/ Dan Peled

It comes after federal Environment Minister Melissa Price announced she had granted federal approval to the controversial coal mine, following pressure from her Queensland colleagues to sign off on the plan before the looming election.

Ms Price said she had approved groundwater management plans submitted by the Indian mining giant after CSIRO and Geoscience Australia found they met scientific requirements.
Queenslanders will be encouraged to raise and wet-proof their homes to protect against damage from floods, while temporary barriers could protect parts of the Brisbane CBD from inundation.

A flood-resilient building guide has been released by the state government alongside a new Brisbane River Strategic Floodplain Management Plan.

The Brisbane suburb of Rosalie during the 2011 flood. Credit:Glenn Hunt.

The guidelines for property owners are non-mandatory and do not replace requirements under the Building Act.

It includes recommendations for flood-resilient design options, such as elevating the finished floor level, wet-proofing the house to allow water to enter and leave without causing significant damage, dry-proofing to prevent water from entering a building, ventilation to prevent mould, and permeable fencing.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry has slammed WA Labor's decision to run former Fremantle MP Melissa Parke in a bid to win Julie Bishop's seat of Curtin.

Ms Parke, who has been an outspoken defender of Palestine and a supporter of an economic and cultural boycott of Israel, was chosen by Labor on the weekend to contest the blue-ribbon seat in the hope her high profile would divert Liberal resources away from its marginal seat campaigns.

Labor's candidate for Curtin Melissa Parke has raised the ire of the Jewish community with her strident support for Palestine. Credit:Marina Neil

WAtoday has obtained audio of a speech Ms Parke delivered just a month ago at the launch of WA Labor Friends of Palestine in which she said Australia should recognise a Palestinian state and likened Israel's settlements to China's island building activity in the South China Sea.

She also took aim at Israel's influence in Australian politics and said there was no doubt Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel, while illegal under international law, were "a reaction to and a consequence of decades of brutal occupation".
In the 1990s, an effort was made to legalise the trade by regulating gun-makers, but the project failed to win government support. The handguns  which even an enthusiast would have a hard time determining are illegal copies, down to the "Colt Automatic Caliber .45 Government Model" engraving  are sold to buyers for around 7,000 pesos, about $190, much cheaper than authentic models. Other weapons, like submachine guns, can be commissioned, too, although orders for the higher calibre weapons have become slow amid the government crackdown. The craft practised here is taking a deadly toll across the country. Police say that hit men working for rival politicians have been known to source their weapons from the Danao area, and that sales have picked up slightly as the country prepares for elections in May. Several politicians have been killed in election-related violence.

Danao-made guns, according to police, have been found at the site of extrajudicial killings, which have been attributed to pro-government militias carrying out orders by President Rodrigo Duterte to stamp out drug crimes. Police have said the guns have also made their way into the hands of Abu Sayyaf, a small but violent terrorist group in the south that is increasingly allying itself with the Islamic State group. Loading "Right now, anyone can buy a gun here, as long as you have the money to pay, even if you were a thief, a killer or a gun for hire," said the local police chief, Col. Jaime Quiocho, who noted the appeal of such illicit purchases to criminals. "Will you buy a gun that is licenced and can be traced back to you?" Bordered by rugged mountain ranges, Danao lies 32 kilometres from Cebu, the bustling main city of the central Philippines. An electronics factory provides jobs to a portion of the population of 130,000, which is mostly Catholic and mostly poor, though farming and fishing are the main industries.

At Launa's workshop, which on any given day might be working on four gun orders, metal cuts of gun parts were scattered on the table. His 28-year-old son was fine-tuning a barrel and a trigger mechanism for a pistol. He chiselled and hammered every inch of the weapon, before assembling it and repeatedly checking its mechanism. As a final test, he fired into a hole in the ground. Asked whether he ever felt guilty knowing his guns might have been used in summary killings, Launa said, "I make guns, but I don't tell people to kill others." Col. Jaime Quiocho holds a confiscated gun part made by illegal gunsmiths in Danao. Credit:The New York Times The popularity of its guns has, in a way, made the local industry a victim of its own success. The more the guns have become known, the more they have attracted the eyes of organised groups of thieves and of police officers who want to shut the workshops down.

"We have to hide, because one has to be careful nowadays," Launa said. Quiocho acknowledged that the gun-makers had little incentive or opportunity to abandon a trade that has provided a livelihood for generations. "It has been a way of life for many," he said. "If they stop it, what will happen to them?" The police chief said pursuing illegal gun-makers was only a stopgap measure that could not fully solve a problem also rooted in poverty. That isn't to say he has given up trying. Police conducted about 70 raids last year that led to the seizure of about 92 firearms, Quiocho said. Charges were filed against around 80 people, though some were released on bail.

Tracking down the gun-makers has not been easy. Many of them have spies who inform them of impending raids, giving them time to move to another location. Others have migrated elsewhere. Illegal gun making equipment and parts inside a police station in Danao. Credit:The New York Times The police chief suggested legalising the industry so that Danao guns could be properly tracked. "They will make guns whether we like it or not," he said. "So why not control the industry, their quality and where they go?" Impressed by the quality of the confiscated guns he came across in the course of raids, Quiocho said Danao gun-makers could compete with other manufacturers in the region if given the support.

"Gunsmiths here can make replicas just by looking at the pictures," he said. "That is a testament to their advanced skills. They can compete with high-end makers." Francisco Lara Jr. of International Alert Philippines, a conflict monitoring group, said he agreed that Danao guns should be legalised, to "stem the product and flow of illicit weapons into the market." The city government has tried to offer alternative livelihoods, though it has been a tough sell in a place where gun-making is ingrained in the fabric of society. Launa's son initially set out on a different path. After finishing high school, he hoped to support himself with a job in the city so he could save up to study to become an engineer. But his menial jobs paid just enough to eat, and eventually he decided to return home.
Washington: US President Donald Trump continued to dismantle the nation's top domestic security agency Monday as the White House announced the imminent removal of US Secret Service Director Randolph 'Tex' Alles, the latest in a series of departures from the Department of Homeland Security.

Former director of the United States Secret Service, Randolph 'Tex' Alles. Credit:AP

A day after Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was forced to step aside following a White House meeting with President Donald Trump, senior DHS officials remained in a fog about the fate of their agency's leaders, expecting more firings as part of a widening purge.

"They are decapitating the entire department," said one DHS official, noting that the White House had given no cause for Alles' removal.

The instability extends to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), whose director, William "Brock" Long, left the DHS in February after supervising emergency and recovery efforts for several major natural disasters.
Washington: US Attorney-General William Barr told politicians on Tuesday that he intends to release within a week the long-awaited report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election from special counsel Robert Mueller.

"Within a week I will be in position to release that report to the public and then I will engage with the chairmen of both judiciary committees about that report, about any further requests that they have," Barr said at a congressional hearing.

Mueller turned over his confidential report to Barr last month following his 22-month-long probe into whether Donald Trump may have colluded with Russia during the presidential campaign and if he then obstructed inquiries into the matter.

Barr later released a four-page letter to Congress laying out what he said were Mueller's main findings and wrote that the Mueller probe did not establish that members of Trump's election campaign conspired with Russia.
Washington: The YouTube live stream of a US congressional hearing on white supremacism was forced to disable the comments section after it was overwhelmed by users spouting racist remarks against Jews and other minority groups.

US Representative Jerrold Nadler. Credit:Bloomberg

Executives from Google, which owns YouTube, and Facebook were among those testifying before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

Both companies said they were employing a combination of artificial intelligence and human employees to combat hate speech on their platforms.

"Hate speech and violent extremism have no place on YouTube," said Alexandria Walden, a counsel on human rights at Google.
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Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a public health emergency at Brooklyn Public Librarys Williamsburg Branch Tuesday morning in response to the growing spread of the measles virus in Brooklyns Orthodox Jewish communities, where nearly 300 people have fallen ill with the potentially fatal disease since October.

We cannot allow this dangerous disease to make a comeback in New York City, said de Blasio. We have to stop

it now.

The mayors emergency declaration mandates that residents of four Williamsburg zip codes  11205, 11206, 11211, and 11249  must seek vaccination, or face Department of Health violations and fines totaling as much as $1,000 per

unvaccinated person.

The emergency declaration follows a previously announced Department of Health exclusion order barring unvaccinated children from attending schools and day cares within both Williamsburg and Borough Park, and demonstrates a shift in the citys focus to combating the disease in the northern Brooklyn neighborhood, where the majority of new measles cases have been discovered,

according to de Blasio.

It is now much more a Williamsburg problem than a Borough Park problem, said the mayor.

De Blasio also touted the citys authority to temporarily close schools found in violation of the Health Departments exclusion order as an option of last resort in combating the spread of measles.

That is not a tool we want to use, but it is one we will use if we have no choice, de Blasio said.

And throughout the press conference, city officials reiterated the safety and effectiveness of the measles vaccine, with the citys chief physician describing an annual national death toll that reached into the hundreds before the measles vaccine was invented.

Getting vaccinated is far safer than getting the measles, said Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot. The vaccine has been proven safe and effective in preventing the spread

of measles.

This is the first time the city has issued a public health emergency mandating vaccines, according to Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services Dr. Herminia Palacio, who attributed the need for the extraordinary measure to the combination of both a large scale anti-vaccination movement and the outbreak of the potentially fatal illness.

The combination of a large anti-vax movement with a large outbreak has not happened in the way that its

happening right now, said Palacio.

Officials traced the boroughs measles outbreak to a Brooklyn resident traveling from Israel  where a similar spread of the disease infected more than 1,000 people last year  in October, and the infection has since afflicted 285 people within the boroughs Orthodox Jewish Community, the vast majority of whom are under 18 years old, according to Health

Department statistics.

So far, 21 people to be hospitalized with the measles, including five people who required intensive care, according to Barbot, who noted there have been no fatalities.

Since the Health Department issued its mandatory exclusion order in December, numerous schools violating the citys emergency mandate played host to mini outbreaks of the extremely virulent disease, including one Williamsburg yeshiva that inspectors have connected to more than 40 cases since January.

This is the largest outbreak of the measles that New York City has experienced since 1991, according to Barbot, and its spread represents a major spike over the two infections that plagued New Yorkers in 2017.

The highly contagious airborne pathogen produces symptoms including fever, cough, and a runny nose, and can cause diarrhea, ear infection, pneumonia, encephalitis, and death  with about 1 of every 1,367 kids infected dying due to fatal complications from measles.

Symptoms can appear anytime from seven to 21 days following exposure, according to the Health Department.
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Police are looking for a pair of men who allegedly assaulted an employee at a Sunset Park business and stole more than $1,000 in cash from both the eatery and the restrained employee on April 6.

The incident occurred at a 57th Street cafe, located between Seventh and Eighth avenues, at around 1:20 am, when police said the punks approached the male employee, sprayed a chemical substance in his direction, and handcuffed him. The duo then stole $600 cash from the register and $500 from the mans wallet before fleeing on foot on 57th Street toward Seventh Avenue, according to police, who added that the man had minor injuries and refused medical attention.

Police describe both of the perps as being in their early 20s, adding that one has a large build and was last seen wearing a light-colored hooded sweatshirt, jeans, and sneakers, and that the other has a thin build and was last seen wearing a light-colored hooded shirt and light-colored pants.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 5778477. The public can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. All tips are strictly confidential.
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Youngsters between the ages of 6 and 12 gathered at Brooklyn Public Librarys Central Branch in Prospect Heights on Saturday to study queer culture and gender identity under the tutelage of a ukulele playing YouTube personality, in an event that proved just as eye opening for parents as it was for Kings County kids, according to one mom.

I think it was more for me, said Bay Ridge mom Rupsha Iqbal, who brought 8-year-old daughter Doria Sharif to the event. We didnt grow up with that lingo, but they have.

The event, called Genderful, kicked off with educational stories and sing-a-longs about LGBT culture by uke player Lindasy Amar, host of the Queer Kid Stuff channel on the popular video-streaming site.

Afterwards, kids were set free to explore various gay-themed craft and event stations located in the book lenders youth section, with attractions including free temporary tattoos featuring notable queer icons, the chance to make their own LGBTQ buttons and zines, and a station featuring fabric and used clothes that kids could use to make their own, unconventional outfits, according to a Chicago-based designer of LGBTQ clothes.

I want kids to start to thinking about clothing in a different way, said Sky Cubacub, founder of Rebirth Garments.

Brooklyn Public Library debuted Genderful in 2017, and has continued the event as a way for kids and parents to explore gender identity and queer culture, according to a library spokeswoman.

Brooklyn Public Library aims to be a welcoming and affirming space for people all across the borough, representative of many different identities and experiences, said Fritizi Bodenheimer.

Reach reporter Colin Mixson at cmixs on@cn gloca l.com or by calling (718) 260-4505.
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.

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Tata Groups Infiniti Retail Ltd, which owns the Croma electronics retail chain, is in talks with e-commerce major Amazon to roll out voice command-integrated products this year under its private label. While television and speakers are expected to be the first to have this integration, other products including lighting and curtain openers are poised to be integrated with voice command later. Talks are on with Amazon but haven't been finalised yet.

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.

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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.



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At a time when its deal with IHH Healthcare is on hold, Fortis Healthcares (FHL) wholly-owned units have begun talks with various parties to sell their stake in the Singapore-listed RHT Health Trust and its trustee manager RHT Health Trust Manager Pte Ltd. The money raised through the sale (the amount is yet to evaluated but ranges around a few crores) is likely to be ploughed back into the Fortis business in India.

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.



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Bhima Mandavi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Dantewada in Bastar, along with four security guards, was killed on Tuesday when Naxalites blew up the vehicle he was travelling in by detonating a powerful explosive. The incident took place ahead of the Lok Sabha election as Bastar, along with other constituencies, will go to the polls in the first phase on April 11.

The rebels ambushed his convoy at around 4 pm near Kuakonda in Dantewada district. The MLA, who was campaigning, had taken a short cut to reach a place called Nakulnaar because the election campaign was to ...
Les Miller Jr., Tamara Shamburger, and Frank Reddick at Cafe con Tampa.

Hillsborough County ushered in a historic leadership moment last November that largely has gone unnoticed but is a major point of pride for those involved and for many observers.Tamara Shamburger was elected by her peers to chair the Hillsborough County School Board. And Les Miller, Jr. was chosen by his peers to chair the Hillsborough County Commission. They thus joined Tampa City Council Chairman Frank Reddick who took over the duties of Council leadership in 2015.For the first time in Hillsborough County's history, all three governmental bodies that serve the county and the city are led byblacks.Its so amazing to be a part of this important history for our city, Shamburger says. I got chills when the reality sunk in.She had called to congratulate Miller and came away with a history lesson.The news has received little fanfare. The Florida Sentinel-Bulletin wrote the first story. The trio spoke about the accomplishment at a recent Cafe con Tampa breakfast and afterward, a Channel 10 reporter interviewed them.We were disappointed, says Reddick, about the lack of attention.But he recalled how gratifying it was to be selected City Council chairman in 2015, and now to see history made with Shamburger and Miller.It shows that you have the trust and respect of your colleagues, Reddick says. You can govern this body and be a leader.Reddick says he hopes the next generation of potential future leaders takes note and feels inspired.I think it sets a goal for younger people who have an interest in getting into politics, says Reddick.Miller, a former Florida State Senate Minority Leader and longtime community leader in Tampa, agrees.I am honored to be part of history and I hope that this will happen again, he says. I hope young black people see this and understand the significance of running for office. Its one of the most rewarding things you can do. You are doing things to help people in your community.To underscore the importance of having three blacks in leadership roles, Miller recalls that for years governing bodies never had more than one black serving at a time.And, only one black -- civil rights leader Leon Lowry -- ever won a countywide race, Miller says. Lowry was the first black to serve on the school board.Miller's wife, Gwen Miller, was the first black woman elected to City Council and, also the first to serve as that bodys chairwoman.Blacks struggled to get there.It took blood, sweat, tears, heartaches, and actual crying, says Miller.Miller grew up in Tampa during Jim Crow days when blacks rode at the back of the bus, drank from colored-only water fountains, and waited for food service, if it was available, at a restaurants back window.Miller attended black-only schools before desegregation.He received a bachelors degree in political science from the University of South Florida; and, an honorary degree in humane letters from Florida A & M University.Miller has served as vice president and dean of students at USF. His public service includes stints in the Florida House and Senate.He was elected to the county commission in 2010, and served his first term as chairman in 2013, overlapping for a time with Reddick.They made history even then. It was the first-time two blacks had led city and county governing bodies.Reddick is a generation behind Miller. He grew up in Tampa with his mother and sister and was among the first blacks to desegregate Hillsboroughs schools.He attended Blake High School but when boundary lines were redrawn, Reddick says, They shipped us out to Plant [High School].He is a Paine College graduate; president and chief executive officer for the Sickle Cell Association of Hillsborough County; and, the chief operations officer for the Sickle Cell Association of Florida.He was interim city councilman before winning his first full term in 2011, and the chairmanship four years later.Now history again is being made.The school board chairwoman wants to make this moment count.I would hope we could try to leverage this opportunity to move our agendas forward to focus on diversity, she says. I would like something worthwhile to be done if its just to show the younger generation they can keep going forward.Shamburger grew up in a military household, often moving to new places. But Tampa and Hillsborough County have always been home base.In the seventh grade, her family returned to Hillsborough after a few years away. Shamburger graduated from Bloomingdale High School, in Brandon.She has a liberal arts degree from Hillsborough Community College, a degree in political science from USF, and a masters degree in business administration from St. Leo University.Shamburger is a businesswoman in the insurance industry. She was elected to the school board in 2006 from the countys District 5.Advocating for diversity is a passion, she says.Its all about equity, making sure there is equal access for all students, Shamburger says.But she says, I think there is still a lot of room for improvement. This country is in a difficult place. We have a long way to go in race relations. Weve taken a step back even.Reddick wants to see more progress. But he worries that in coming years there could be fewer blacks elected to city council.The explosive growth in downtown Tampa is changing the demographics of District 5, which now is predominately black. It is trending less so into the future.The master-planned development of Encore at the edge of downtown displaced some residents; newer and sometimes less diverse populations are moving into apartments and condominiums downtown and in Channel District.For Reddick, there is hope amid frustration.I think once Trump was elected president [that] it motivated people to run for office, he says. I have seen people running that I would never have thought would run.Miller believes similar growth and population trends could affect his county district, and possibly Shamburgers school board district.As these things continue to happen in four, eight or 12 years, you could well have no African-American sitting on elected boards, he says.Miller is thinking of retirement when he is term-limited in 2020, though some are encouraging him to run countywide for a commission seat.Reddick recently announced plans to run for Millers seat.He, Miller, and Shamburger are putting their faith in the younger generation to pursue public service and make their own history.I think its a very important time, Shamburger says. It shows the strength of the black community and passion in the black community to be leaders.
Hitting back at for targeting leadership over the chopper deal, former defence minister today dared the Narendra Modi government to take "strong" action against "bribe givers and takers" if there was any evidence.

Asserting that no names were revealed in the Italian court which convicted former employees of for giving bribes in the deal, he said, "At every stage in the Italian court, our lawyer represented the case."



"They cross examined all witnesses. At no stage, names were revealed. My question is now -CBI is with present government, ED (Enforcement Directorate) is with present government. Why delay, if there is evidence?" he said.

When asked about launching an all-out attack against on the issue, he said, "Take strong action against bribe givers and bribe takers."



Antony, who is in Kerala to launch the party's election campaign for the May 16 Assembly poll, said, "The Italian court has convicted the bribe giver. Please take action against the bribe taker. CBI, ED are all with them."Seeking to turn the tables, the Working Committee member said "the bribe giver-- the company, is part of the 'Make in India campaign' of the NDA government."has been targeting Congress President Sonia Gandhi and other leaders on the chopper deal during the UPA II regime.

Congress has alleged that it was a political conspiracy to malign the party leadership in the chopper deal.
Is it DMK tea or ADMK tea?) The answer that comes from the chaiwalla at Chennai railway station is not what you expect. Jeetendra Singh, a tea seller from Madhya Pradesh, shoots back in Hindi: Mere desh ke neta kaisa ho, Narendra Modi jaisa ho. It is a fitting prelude to the 2,799-km journey that you are about to take on board the Andaman Express that traverses the length of the country from Chennai to Jammu Tawi and goes through 11 states which account for as many as 299 Lok ...

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Excerpt from "Cigar City, Tales from a 1980s Creative Ghetto,'' a collection of fictional linked short stories. Reprinted with author Paul Wilborn's permission.Florida is normally dry in October but 1985 was different. To Katrina, the dense charcoal clouds and daylong downpours that arrived the same week Brian left were simply the world bending to her mood.But as she walked to work her first day, the sky was crystal blue and cloudless, the air cool and lifted on a soft breeze.Turning slowly in circles to take in the day, as words and images danced in her head, Katrina didnt notice she had drifted off the sidewalk and into the still-quiet street.If Ybor City hadnt existed, she thought, Tennessee Williams might have conjured it. The old world downtown, barely a mile from Tampas American downtown, was a red brick and wrought iron Belle Reve, clinging desperately to a gilded past, while fraying at the edges.She thought of Santiago, a man she didnt know, offering her a job.I have always depended on the kindness. A lone car, cruising slowly up Seventh, honked and Katrina leaped quickly onto the hexagonal block sidewalk.Just after eight, she pushed open the heavy wooden door of La Septima Cafe, which took its name from the Spanish translation of Seventh Avenue. The place had plenty of Belle Reve about it, Katrina thought.Silver shafts of light, slicing through floor-to-ceiling windows, made the room shimmer like the inside of an antique jewelry box. Katrina saw windows framed in carved wood; a fresco of a pastoral Spanish village on the plaster ceiling; and marble floors in a grey and black geometric pattern that could have been lifted from an Escher lithograph.The morning light also revealed jagged craters in the window frames where termites had dined; the fresco was faded, like a tattoo on an aging sailor; the floor bore the scuffs of a hundred thousand footfalls.The word that clicked into her mind was evanescence -- to slowly fade out of sight, memory, or existence.The restaurant was empty, wooden cafe chairs stacked upside down on the tables, but a harsh fluorescent glare spilled from an open door in back.The door led into a narrow galley kitchen where a middle-aged woman was working under the buzz of a fluorescent fixture. Metal countertops ran along both walls, and an old gas stove, heavy as a floor safe, sat at the end, its white porcelain exterior stained yellow. Burners were lit under a stockpot and a large frying pan filled the room with the nutty aroma of sauteed garlic and olive oil. A single strand of hot mist escaped from the corner of the oven, rising like campfire smoke toward the pressed tin ceiling.Katrinas mind clicked through adjectives to describe the room: steaming, stifling, suffocating.Yes, suffocating: to feel or cause to feel trapped and oppressed.The woman at the counter was muscling a carving knife through a fat onion, her simple cotton dress soaked in sweat. Like the stove behind her, the woman was squat and solid. Her dress and stained apron could have been wrapping a block of wood.She was quietly crying.Are you okay? Katrina asked.Startled, the woman turned suddenly, wiping away some tears with the back of her hand. She didnt speak, only glared at Katrina, her hair hidden inside a black net, her narrow lips pressed together.Im Katrina. The new waitress? Santiago told me to be here at 10 but I wanted to come early. He told me My husband says a lot of things, she said, her words coming out cold and deliberate.Your husband?He also doesnt say a lot of things.The womans face didnt soften. Instead, she turned back to her chopping, the flesh of the onion giving way to her silver blade with a moist KA-CHUNK.Are you the chef? Your food  I mean, I wanted to work here because I fell in love with your food. Ive never tasted anything like it.The woman turned back, fresh onion tears ringing her eyes.Im a cook. Not a chef.Katrina flashed her best Midwestern smile.Id love to know how you do what you do. If youd teach me.So you can steal mi esposo and take over my job?Four years of high school Spanish had been helpful since Katrina had moved to this place.I wouldnt do either of those things, Katrina said. Besides, Ive sworn off men,Por que?I dont know  they are  beyond my control. I dont like that.The woman stared for a long moment at Katrina. Her face slowly unclenched and she almost chuckled.She picked up a large onion and held it out in her palm.Este cebolla is like a man. Thin skin. He thinks hes deep, but each layer is just like the one before. And he will make you cry  absolutamente!She held up the big knife.Mi nombre es Maria. Y tu?Katrina.So Katrina, want to chop up a few men?Oh yes, please!Paul Wilborn, Executive Director at The Palladium in St. Petersburg and former Creative Industries Manager for the City of Tampa, is a Tampa native, a graduate of the University of South Florida , and a former newspaper reporter at The Tampa Tribune and the Tampa Bay Times. An oral history about his life can be found at the Florida Studies Center at USF . To learn more about his work, visit his website, Wilborn Writes . His book is in paperback and available for sale on Amazon and for download on Kindle.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling alliance will win a thin majority in a general election that starts on Thursday, an average of four opinion polls showed, with a focus on national security appearing to trump concerns over jobs and farm prices. The coalition led by Modis Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to win 273 of the 543 parliament seats at stake, one more than the halfway mark required to rule. In the last election the alliance won more than 330 seats - the biggest mandate in three decades. Most of the polling agencies that ...
Three US service members and one contractor were killed after an explosive-laden vehicle targetted a convoy of foreign forces near Bagram airbase in eastern Afghanistan on Monday.

Three other US service members sustained injuries in the car bombing and are undergoing medical treatment, the NATO Resolute Support Mission said in a statement.

The attack took place at around 5:30 pm (local time) on Monday near the third gate of the Bagram airfield, Bagram district governor Abdul Shakoor Qudoosi was quoted by TOLOnews as saying.

The foreign forces were cordoned off from the area immediately after the attack.

Taliban later claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Bagram airfield is the US' largest military base in Afghanistan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Amid the Brexit crisis, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is set to meet British Prime Minister Theresa May in Berlin on April 9.

Confirming the development, German government spokesperson Steffen Seibert said that Merkel will receive May in the Chancellory on Tuesday, where the two leaders are expected to hold talks on a short delay to the Brexit process, Anadolu News Agency reported.

After negotiations in Berlin, May is expected to visit Paris and meet with French President Emmanuel Macron.

May will pay another visit to Brussels on April 10 to meet EU leaders at a special summit. The British Prime Minister will attempt to seek a short extension to delay the Brexit process to June 30.

Unless the EU is in favour of the delay, the UK is due to leave the EU without a deal on April 12. Several business tycoons and economists have warned of chaos in the case of no-deal Brexit.

No resolution seems to be in sight for the UK as the British Parliament had earlier rejected a "no-deal Brexit" scenario, besides rejecting May's Brexit deal thrice. Parliamentarians have also rejected four alternative proposals for the UK's exit from the EU.

Last week, May had admitted that her beleaguered Brexit deal will get a green signal only if it is supported by the opposition Labour Party. She had said that her deal negotiated with the EU was rejected thrice by the British Parliament and there was no chance of the agreement getting another approval in its current form.

"Given that Parliament has also made clear it will oppose a no-deal Brexit, the only way to secure a deal was through a compromise with Labour", CNN quoted May as saying in a statement released on Sunday.

"If we cannot secure a majority among Conservative and Democratic Unionist Party MPs we have no choice but to reach out across the House of Commons," she added.

In 2016, nearly 52 per cent of the electorate had voted in favour of the UK leaving the EU.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With just two days left for the Brexit deadline, British Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday (local time) met German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron in Berlin and Paris, respectively, in a bid to secure an extension for the country's withdrawal from the European Union.

May has made a request for a second extension of Brexit deadline from April 12 to June 30, which is set to be discussed by the EU leaders at a special summit in Brussels on April 10 (Wednesday).

Making her first stop in Berlin, May was received by Merkel at the Chancellery, where the two leaders held a working lunch and held deliberations on the proposed Brexit extension as well as preventing efforts to not allow the UK to leave the 28-member EU bloc without any deal.

May "outlined the steps the government is taking to bring the Brexit process to a successful conclusion," CNN quoted a Downing Street spokesperson as saying.

May also apprised Merkel on her ongoing talks with the opposition Labour Party on her beleaguered Brexit deal and the second Brexit deadline.

"The leaders agreed on the importance of ensuring Britain's orderly withdrawal from the European Union," the spokesperson said.

After May concluded her talks with Merkel, she flew to Paris, where she met Macron, who is one of the EU leaders to support a delay to the Brexit process, but with conditions.

Prior to the May-Macron meeting, a spokesperson for the French President told CNN that a one-year Brexit extension was "too long".

The spokesperson underlined that the Withdrawal Agreement finalised between May and the EU cannot be renegotiated and the UK should accept "strict conditions" if it was granted a delay to the Brexit process to June 30.

During the meeting, May and Macron "discussed the UK's request for an extension of Article 50 to June 30, with the option to bring this forward if a deal is ratified earlier," a spokesperson for the British Prime Minister said.

The spokesperson added that May "updated President Macron on the ongoing talks with the Opposition to agree a way forward that respects the result of the 2016 referendum."

"They also discussed upcoming European Parliamentary elections with the PM saying that the government was working very hard to avoid the need for the UK to take part," the spokesperson further said.

In the midst of the meetings in Berlin and Paris, EU Council President Donald Tusk said that the bloc leader should consider a "long" but a "flexible" delay to Brexit.

In a letter to the EU leaders ahead of the crucial Wednesday's summit in Brussels, Tusk wrote, "I trust that we will continue to do our utmost" to avoid a no-deal Brexit. Our experience so far, as well as the deep divisions within the House of Commons, give us little reason to believe that the ratification process can be completed by the end of June."

"In reality, granting such an extension would increase the risk of a rolling series of short extensions and emergency summits, creating new cliff-edge dates," he added.

No resolution seems to be in sight for the UK as the British Parliament had earlier rejected a "no-deal Brexit" scenario, besides rejecting May's Brexit deal thrice. Parliamentarians have also rejected four alternative proposals for the UK's exit from the EU.

Unless the EU is in favour of the delay, the UK is due to leave the EU without a deal on April 12. Several business tycoons and economists have warned of chaos in the case of no-deal Brexit.

In 2016, nearly 52 per cent of the electorate had voted in favour of the UK leaving the EU.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that it is fair to raise questions in a democracy and there is no harm in asking for details or proof from a government with regard to actions taken by it but it is unfair to ask security forces to give proof.

While responding to a question of why people are branded as "anti-national" and "Tukde Tukde" gang, if they ask for proof of Balakot air strike and Surgical strikes, the Home Minister, in an exclusive interview to ANI, said: "No one is termed anti- for asking questions, we always give answers to relevant questions...Why should one ask for proof from Indian Air Force, who only bombed the terrorist centre. Should they count the bodies and give proof?"

On the question of opposition's allegation of politicisation of armed forces, the Home Minister said: "There should not be any politicisation of any system of the government and we never think of doing such a thing...Our Army and other government systems belonged to the country, not to any political party."

He added that the air strike by the IAF in Pakistan's Balakot took place on the basis of credible intelligence input. "During Balakot air strike, the IAF targeted terrorist training centres in Pakistan and ensured that no harm is done to civilians there. We took precautions while taking revenge of Pulwama terror attack, we made sure that Pakistan's Sovereignty and Integrity is not compromised and only terrorists are targeted. We did not attack Pakistan's army or harm the innocent civilians, we only targeted terrorists," he said.

"As a home minister of the country I am saying that the operation in Balakot took place on the basis of credible intelligence input," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a major boost for the Indian Army, the Centre has cleared the acquisition of 464 T-90 main battle tanks to be deployed on the borders with Pakistan.

"In a recent meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, the acquisition of the 464 T-90 tanks was approved. The cost of the project is expected to be worth over Rs 13,000 crore," government sources said.

The contract will also include a Make-in-India element for integration at the Heavy Vehicles Factory in Avadi near Chennai.

The new acquisition will increase the new T-90 regiments by 10 more units and would be equipped with thermal imaging night sights to allow the tank commander to strike enemy locations during night battles.

The new inductions will also strengthen the Army's fire-power along the land border stretch with Pakistan -- from Jammu in the north till the western flank in Gujarat.

India has already inducted 18 regiments of T-90 tanks which are deployed in Rajasthan and Punjab on the Pakistan front.

However, the Indian Army's 4000- strong tank fleet has been battling with night blindness in the past and these new tanks would help in doing away with that, sources said.

In addition, it was found that key systems like the missile-firing mechanism and thermal sights had deteriorated due to prolonged exposure to heat and dust.

The T-90 has emerged as the main battle tank of the Indian Army and is replacing the older variants of T-72 and T-55 tanks in the force.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for questioning the source of funds to implement NYAY scheme promised by the Congress, party president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the money for the proposal will come from pockets of 'Chowkidar' and businessmen like Anil Ambani, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi.

"Whenever we talk about giving money to the poor people, Narendra Modi says where will the money come from? I will tell you where the money will come from. It will come from the pockets of people like Anil Ambani, Nirav Modi, Mehul Chowksi and 'Chowkidar'," Rahul said while addressing a public rally here.

Attacking the Modi government for allegedly favouring a handful of businessmen, the Congress president said, "I will not let India get divided into two. We will always stay under one flag. The entire Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) team is here united. We will implement NYAY and provide jobs to the unemployed."

Calling the Prime Minister "jumledar" Modi, Rahul said: "We promised farm loan waiver for farmers in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. Modi called our party's promise a jumla. But the truth is we fulfilled our promise within a few days of forming the governments."

Speaking at length about providing employment to youth in poll-bound Bihar, Rahul said: "Modi had promised special status for Bihar. I will tell you what he meant. Modi meant that he wanted to give the special status of unemployment to Bihar. You go to Gujarat, his partymen tell you to go back. You go to Mumbai, there too, you are told to go away. There should be job opportunities in Bihar."

The Lok Sabha polls in Bihar are scheduled to take place in all seven phases from April 11 to May 19. The results will be declared on May 23.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)


Drilling Boosts Prospects for New Lithium Deposit at Tansim

Brisbane, April 9, 2019 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Emerging lithium miner Sayona Mining Limited ( ASX:SYA ) ( OTCMKTS:DMNXF ) announced today positive results from Phase 1 drilling at the Company's Tansim Lithium Project, boosting the prospects for an additional lithium deposit within close proximity to its flagship Authier project in Quebec, Canada.Highlights- Two sub-parallel pegmatite dykes with coarse grain spodumene mineralisation intersected at Viau- Dallaire prospect at Tansim Lithium Project, Canada, striking east-west for 350m- New drilling highlights spodumene mineralisation zones in both dykes, including 12.35 metres @ 1.29% Li2O at near surface outcropping dyke and 43.7m @ 0.82 % Li2O, including 16.1m @ 1.26 % Li2O in non-outcropping second deeper dyke- Drilling program demonstrates Viau-Dallaire pegmatite system is open in all directions, with potential for discovery of additional sub-parallel hidden pegmatites- Results boost prospects for potential new lithium deposit at Tansim, located 82km south-west of Sayona's flagship Authier Lithium Project.Tansim was acquired in January 2018, comprising some 139 mineral claims covering 8,500 hectares, and is prospective for lithium, tantalum and beryllium. It is located just 82 kilometres south-west of Authier in the heart of Quebec's emerging lithium province.The 11 diamond drill holes completed at Viau-Dallaire intercepted variable concentrations of spodumene mineralisation distributed in two sub-parallel dykes (including a deeper non-outcropping dyke) with best drilling intercepts including:- Hole VD19-01 - 6.3m @ 1.28 % Li2O from 3.9m including 2m @ 1.66 % Li2O from 6m and 6.5m @ 1.28 % Li2O from 13.5m, including 3.5m @ 1.78 % Li2O from 13.5m (shallower dyke);- Hole VD19-05 - 12.35m @ 1.29 % Li2O from 4m, including 5m @ 1.63 % Li2O from 9m (shallower dyke); and- Hole VD19-10 - 43.7m @ 0.82 % Li2O from 108.2m, including 16.1m @ 1.26 % Li2O from 135.8m.Assay results for the entire drilling program are detailed in Table 1(see link below).Six drill holes successfully tested the outcropping Viau-Dallaire pegmatite at near-surface levels, while five step back drill holes tested the vertical extension of the shallow dyke.Four of the latter intercepted a second non-outcropping deeper pegmatite dyke 40 to 50m wide and subparallel to the shallow one. The system is open in all directions.Welcoming the results, Sayona's Managing Director Dan O`Neill said: "Tansim offers great promise as a highly prospective addition to our lithium project pipeline in Quebec, either as a standalone project or feeder project to Authier."We are delighted by these initial results and are planning more drilling at Tansim, as we work to unlock increased value for shareholders and develop a sustainable new lithium industry for the province."Phase 1 Diamond Drilling ProgramThe Phase 1 diamond drilling program at Viau-Dallaire comprised 11 NQ diameter holes for 1,219m, based on the following objectives:- Testing the outcropping spodumene bearing pegmatite at Viau Dallaire prospect along strike and to depth;- Exploring for other potential mineralised dykes within the prospect; and- Starting the collection of data for further metallurgical test work.The pegmatite system at Viau-Dallaire comprises at least two albite-spodumene-quartz granite pegmatite dykes striking east-west around 350m and dipping 50deg to the north. The host rocks are schist and ultramaphic metamorphic rocks. The shallower outcropping dyke width ranges between 10-20m whereas the second deeper dyke (no outcropping) has a width ranging between 40-50m.Lithium mineralisation is related to pulses of zoned spodumene bearing albite-quartz granite pegmatite dykes. Higher lithium grades are related with high concentrations of coarse to very coarse spodumene crystals (up to 20cm long axis) in a mid to coarse grained pegmatite facies.Lithium grade variability is related to changes in spodumene concentration.Drilling Program SummaryThe following summarises the key outcomes of the drilling program:- Holes VD19-00, VD19-01, VD19-02, VD19-04, VD19-05 and VD19-06 tested the outcropping Viau- Dallaire pegmatite dyke at shallow levels following historical channel sampling of 10.3m @ 1.40% Li2O, 11.15m @ 0.84%Li2O and 18.95m @ 0.94% Li2O (including 7.3m at 1.77% Li2O) as well as Sayona's reconnaissance grab sampling, which comprised 14 samples returning grades ranging between 0.96 % Li2O to 2.47 % Li2O (see Sayona ASX release 20 August 2018). All the drill holes intercepted 5 to 20m of pegmatite with variable grades of Li2O % at shallow levels (see Table 1 and Figures 3 to 7 in link below);- Holes VD19-03, VD19-07, VD19-08, VD19-09 and VD19-10 (step back drill holes) successfully tested the vertical extension of outcropping Viau-Dallaire pegmatite dyke as well as intersected a second deeper dyke 40 to 50m wide at a vertical depth of 100m (see Figures 4 to 7 in link below). Hole VD19- 03 was stopped before target depth due technical problems and did not hit the deeper pegmatite.Holes VD19-00 to VD19-06 did not reach enough depth to intersect the deeper dyke at shallower levels.Tansim Lithium ProjectTansim is located 82km south-west of Sayona's flagship Authier Lithium Project in Quebec. The project comprises 139 mineral claims covering 8,500 hectares, and is prospective for lithium, tantalum, and beryllium.Historical exploration on the property has included mapping, sampling, geophysics and preparation of a Canadian NI 43-101 report.Access is via a well-maintained paved road to Remigny or Bellecombe (50km south-east of Rouyn-Noranda), then by a series of bush and logging roads. A Hydro Quebec 120 kv power line crosses the forest 1km north of the property.Mineralisation is hosted within spodumene-bearing pegmatite intrusions striking east-west, dipping to the north and hosted by metasedimentary - metavolcanic rocks of the Pontiac sub-province.The main prospects are Viau-Dallaire, Viau and Vezina. Sayona has conducted an airborne geophysics survey which confirmed a strong east-west magnetic anomaly coincident with historical surface mapping of pegmatites over an area 9km long and up to 700m wide (similar structural setting to Authier).Sayona has also conducted reconnaissance selective sampling at the Viau-Dallaire, Viau and Gauthier prospects, with a total of 21 samples taken (refer ASX release 20 August 2018).Planned work- Follow-up drilling at Viau-Dallaire prospect to extend existing pegmatite dyke and test for additional sub-parallel dykes;- Additional exploration at Viau prospect; and- First metallurgical test work.To view tables and figures, please visit:About Sayona Mining Ltd

Sayona Mining Limited (ASX:SYA) (OTCMKTS:SYAXF) is an Australian, ASX-listed (SYA) company focused on sourcing and developing the raw materials required to construct lithium-ion batteries for use in the rapidly growing new and green technology sectors. The Company has lithium projects in Quebec, Canada and in Western Australia.

Please visit us as at www.sayonamining.com.au
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday fired a fresh salvo at the Congress party stating that it has started abusing the middle class by calling them 'greedy and selfish.'Addressing an election rally here, PM Modi said

Lambasting Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for contesting from Kerala and not Karnataka, PM Modi said: "Congress has made Karnataka Chief Minister (HD Kumaraswamy) their punching bag. This is the of blackmailing. This is of dynasty, corruption which has caused anger in the country."

"When Deve Gowda ji was Prime Minister, he was back-stabbed by Sonia Gandhi. Congress does not trust Janata Dal (Secular) and hence, Naamdaar (Rahul Gandhi) hasn't dared to fight elections from Karnataka." Asserting that the BJP's resolution is to develop the new infrastructure of new India, PM said: "It's our resolution that by 2030, India will be in the top three economies of the world. Our resolution is to double the numbers of the functional airport in the next five years. We have promised to strengthen our armed forces." "We will achieve in the next five years what could not be done in the last 70 years. The only agenda of some parties is to remove Modi. You cannot expect them to work for the welfare of the people," he said.Continuing his tirade against the Congress, PM Modi said: "The difference between Congress' fake manifesto and BJP's strong Sankalp Patra is clearly visible. Congress manifesto is for votes. Our is for voters. The party whose vision and agenda are only to remove Modi, how can they think of the interest of ordinary people."Prime Minister Modi said the policies implemented under the rule of his party have benefitted crores of people. "I have adopted the "Sabka Saath mantra". Our policies have greatly benefited people. I have been able to take the decisions to strengthen the nation only because of your support and confidence.""The Communists ordered lathi-charge and jailed the devotees of Sabarimala. Congress supported them and thus agreed with their action," he said, adding that the BJP will try to get constitutional protection to the issue of faith. "BJP connects with your (people) emotions about Sabarimala. We will keep your faith, worship, and tradition in mind while approaching the Supreme Court on Sabarimala issue," he asserted. Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka will be held in two phases starting April 18. There are 28 Lok Sabha seats at stake in Karnataka. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.

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The Delhi Police here on Tuesday arrested a man for allegedly killing a 65-year-old man and recovered a weapon of offence and Rs 26,000 in cash from his possession.

According to a press statement, "the Alipur police station staff succeeded in solving a blind murder-cum-robbery case and arrested an accused. Weapon of offence and robbed amount of Rs 26,072 have been recovered from the possession of the accused."

According to the police, the deceased's son filed a case after he found his father's body in the plot meant for his cattle on Sunday.

The Delhi Police said that eight teams were formed to check the CCTV footages of the whole village and undertook other exercises.

The interrogation of the accused is underway.

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Election Commission of India has transferred Abhishek Gupta from the post of Superintendent of Police of Cooch Behar and has posted Amit Kumar Singh in his place.

An Under Secretary of the EC has written a letter to the Chief Secretary of the West Bengal government on Tuesday, saying that the Commission has decided to transfer Gupta and post Singh, SS, IB as the Superintendent of Police in his place.

The letter also states that Gupta will not be given any election-related duty.

The move comes three days after the EC transferred four senior policemen in West Bengal including Kolkata Police Commissioner Anuj Sharma and Bidhannagar Police Commissioner Gyanwant Singh.

Birbhum Superintendent of Police Shyam Singh and Diamond Harbour Police Superintendent S Selvamurugan were also shunted out.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday wrote to the ECI condemning the transfer of four senior police officers on Friday.

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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday filed a counter affidavit in the Supreme Court opposing the bail plea filed by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in three fodder scam cases.

The CBI, in its counter affidavit, stated that in the garb of political activities during the elections, Yadav has sought the bail, which should not be granted.

Earlier on March 15, a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had sought a response from the CBI within two weeks.

Yadav has sought bail on medical grounds. He is currently serving jail sentences handed to him by a special CBI court in Ranchi in connection with fodder scam cases.

The RJD chief had last month moved the apex court challenging a Jharkhand High Court verdict which rejected his bail plea.

In August last year, Yadav surrendered before a special CBI court in Ranchi after the High Court order.

He was granted temporary bail by the High Court for six weeks on May 11 last year for undergoing treatment. However, the extension of the provisional bail was rejected by the court.

The cases pertain to fraudulent withdrawals from state treasuries by Animal Husbandry Department officials between 1991 and 1996 when Yadav was the Chief Minister of undivided Bihar.

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Two days ahead of the first phase of Lok Sabha polling, supporters of Hardik Patel have reposed their faith in the Congress and said that they would not vote for the 'shallow agenda' of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader Hardik Patel, who joined the Congress a few days back, could not contest the Lok Sabha polls as he was convicted in a case of rioting and arson in Mehsana district of Gujarat, which took place during the Patidar quota stir in 2015.

However, he will campaign for the Congress party.

Speaking to ANI on Tuesday, PAAS convenor Dharmik Malviya said: "The BJP has misdirected and confused the people. They are fighting election only in the name of Pakistan and surgical strike. They have even forgotten their promises made in 2014. What happened to their Ram Mandir promise?"

Expressing hope that the Congress will fulfill all the promises made in its manifesto, Malviya said: "In this Lok Sabha election, the Congress has given seats to eight Patidars. It is natural for the people to show interest in the party as they feel that they will be heard."

One of the supporters of Hardik Patel, Gopal Italiya said: "People used to vote blindly to the BJP in the name of Hindu-Muslim and Pakistan. Now, the voting criteria have changed. People will vote for work, and not for fake speeches."

"BJP talks about employment but on the ground, there are no jobs. I scored 85 per cent marks while pursuing engineering and I was very hopeful that I will get a government job but didn't get because of the reservation issue. No matter in which party Hardik is, I know my next generation will get benefit under his leadership as he works on real issues," said Tusahr Sorathiya.

The 26 parliamentary constituencies of the state will go to polls in the third phase of elections on April 23. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.

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Telangana Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) cried conspiracy after police seized cash worth Rs 8 crore and detained seven persons, including the party's accountant Gopi.

Speaking to ANI, Viswaprasad, DCP, Central Zone, said the Task Force and police, on the basis of credible input, intercepted a car on Monday afternoon at Himayatnagar in which two persons - Pradeep Reddy and Guda Shankar - were found in possession of Rs 2 crore.

During interrogation, the two persons revealed that the money was handed over by Nandiraju Gopi at Indian Bank, Narayanguda branch. "They also disclosed that some more money was available with Gopi. Police seized Rs 6 crore cash from Gopi and also nabbed five more persons," Viswaprasad added.

The police official said while the cash was legally withdrawn from BJP's account by Dr. Laxman, the party's state president, Election Commission guidelines state that cash seized over Rs 10 lakh should be handed over to the Income Tax Department.

So the seized cash has been handed over to IT officials," he said.

However, Telangana BJP spokesperson Krishna Sagar Rao asserted that the party had not violated the Model Code of Conduct, and accused the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) and other local parties of hatching a conspiracy.

"The amount seized by police is BJP's money. Our accountant Gopi was bringing that amount from the bank to the party office. Police overreacted and broke car window panes and seized Rs 2 crore. They also entered into the bank and seized the remaining amount. The money was withdrawn legally to pay dues which are pending since January. BJP has not violated any EC guidelines. Our accountant was also detained by the police. This is a conspiracy by TRS and local parties," he told ANI.

Polling in Telangana for the 17 Lok Sabha seats at stake will be held on April 11. Counting of votes will take place on May 23.

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Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Tuesday claimed that the ongoing Income Tax raids at the premises of his associates are the last tactics left with the BJP as the party is aware that it will lose the ensuing polls.

"They are doing this as they know they are going to lose elections and these are the only tactics left. I am not worried, nobody can suppress me," Nath told the media.

Meanwhile, Income Tax raids were over. The raids at the premises of Ashwin Sharma, an associate of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath's OSD Praveen Kakkar are over, informed CRPF Commandant MS Verma on Tuesday, adding that a SHO and DSP of the state police misbehaved with the paramilitary force.

Raid was also being carried out at the residence of Praveen Kakkar who is also the private secretary to the Chief Minister. Raids started on Sunday at the residences of Kakkar in Indore and Nath's former advisor RK Miglani in Delhi, on charges of alleged tax evasion.

Officials conducted searches at 50 locations including Indore, Bhopal, Goa and Delhi, according to sources.

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As voting for the 21st parliamentary elections in Israel came to an end on Tuesday (local time), Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main rival Benny Gantz both claimed victory in the elections after exit polls predicted a majority for Likud party, but forecasted the Blue and White party making major gains in the 120-seat Knesset (Parliament).

Exit polls, which were released at 10 pm (local time), predicted a tight race for the presidential post.

According to local media, two exit polls gave the right-wing bloc led by Likud party a 64-seat majority in the 120-seat Knesset. However, two to three exit polls saw the Blue and White party gaining more seats than the Likud party.

Responding to the exit polls, Netanyahu said that the Likud party and other right-wing parties secured a "clear majority", and would form the government "as soon as tonight".

"The right-wing bloc led by the Likud won a clear victory. I thank the citizens of Israel for the trust. I will start forming a right-wing government with our natural partners as soon as tonight," he tweeted.

Gantz, a former Israeli army general, claimed victory in the ensuing parliamentary polls and said that the public "has had their say" and the elections have a "clear winner" and a "clear loser".

"We won! The Israeli public has had their say! Thank you to the thousands of activists and over a million voters. These elections have a clear winner and a clear loser. Netanyahu promised 40 seats and lost. The President can see the picture and should call on the winner to form the next government. There is no other option!" he tweeted.

An exit poll conducted by Israel's Channel 12 projected the Likud party bagging 33 seats and the Blue and White party with 37 seats.

Millions of Israelis exercised their franchise to elect members of its national legislature, Knesset, in what has been described as a closely fought battle. A total of 39 diverse political parties participated in the elections for the 21st legislature.

However, this time it is a closely fought election between Netanyahu and Gantz.

Surveys showed that Gantz's centrist Blue and White party is slightly ahead of Netanyahu's Likud party. But Netanyahu still has a favourable option of forming a majority coalition with other right-wing parties and retain his office.

Despite reeling under a series of corruption allegations, Netanyahu is seeking a fifth term in office. If he wins, he would become Israel's longest-serving leader surpassing the country's founding father David Ben-Gurion.

In the final days of his election campaign, Netanyahu had vowed to annex settlements in the occupied West Bank if re-elected. The leader even dubbed himself as the underdog and warned that "the right-wing government is in danger".

Meanwhile, Gantz said that Israel needed to choose between "a direction of unity and connection and hope" and one of "extremism". He vowed to form "a cabinet of reconciliation, with representatives from the current coalition and opposition".

Final results of the elections are likely to be out on April 11 (Thursday).

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Remittances to low and middle-income countries reached a record high with Indian diaspora sending 79 billion dollars in 2018 followed by Chinese at 67 billion dollars.

The latest edition of the World Bank's Migration and Development Brief said global remittances reached 689 billion dollars in 2018, up from 633 billion dollars in the previous year.

Of these, flows to low and middle-income countries jumped 9.6 per cent from 483 billion dollars in 2017 to 529 billion dollars in 2018.

India retained its top spot on remittances with 79 billion dollars followed by China (67 billion dollars), Mexico (36 billion dollars), the Philippines (34 billion dollars) and Egypt (29 billion dollars).

Remittances grew by more than 14 per cent in India, where a flooding disaster in Kerala likely boosted the financial help that migrants sent to families, said the World Bank in its report released on Monday.

In 2019, remittance flows to low and middle-income countries are expected to reach 550 billion dollars to become their largest source of external financing.

"Remittances are on track to become the largest source of external financing in developing countries," said Dilip Ratha, lead author of the report and head of Global Knowledge Partnership on Migration and Development (KNOMAD).

"The high costs of money transfers reduce the benefits of migration. Renegotiating exclusive partnerships and letting new players operate through national post offices, banks, and telecommunications companies will increase competition and lower remittance prices," he said.

Regionally, growth in remittance inflows ranged from almost 7 per cent in East Asia and the Pacific to 12 per cent in South Asia.

The overall increase was driven by a stronger economy and employment situation in the United States and a rebound in outward flows from some Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the Russian Federation.

The global average cost of sending 200 dollars remained high at around 7 per cent in the first quarter of 2019, according to the World Bank's Remittance Prices Worldwide database.

Reducing remittance costs to 3 per cent by 2030 is a global target under Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 10.7. Remittance costs across many African corridors and small islands in the Pacific remain above 10 per cent.

Banks were the most expensive remittance channels, charging an average fee of 11 per cent in the first quarter of 2019.

The brief notes that banks' ongoing de-risking practices, which have involved the closure of the bank accounts of some remittance service providers, are driving up remittance costs.

The World Bank and the International Labour Organisation are collaborating to develop indicators for worker-paid recruitment costs, to support the SDG of promoting safe, orderly and regular migration.

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"It was a political operation," said Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath's officer on special duty (OSD) Praveen Kakkar, while commenting on the two-day-long raids at his residence and official premises.

"Despite the two-day-long raid, they (Income Tax Department) didn't find any document that they could seize, they didn't recover any cash or jewellery. They didn't find anything objectionable, it was a political operation," he told ANI in the early hours of Tuesday.

Raids began on Sunday morning at the residences of Kakkar in Indore and former advisor to Kamal Nath R K Miglani in Delhi, on charges of alleged tax evasion.

I-T department officials conducted searches at several locations in Indore, Bhopal, Goa, and NCR.

On Monday, Kakkar's son Salil was picked up by I-T sleuths for interrogation while raids were being carried out at various locations across the country, including the residence of Ashwin Sharma, an associate of Praveen.

It is believed that Ashwin had got most of Praveen's companies registered in the name of Salil.

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Mobilising for Its Next Exploration Phase at Its High-Grade Zinc VMS Project

Ballarat, April 9, 2019 AEST (ABN Newswire) - White Rock Minerals Ltd ( ASX:WRM ) ("White Rock" or the "Company") in conjunction with its joint venture partner Sandfire Resources NL ( ASX:SFR ) (Sandfire) is pleased to provide an update on its plans to conduct a comprehensive program exploring for high-grade zinc and precious metals volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposits at Red Mountain in central Alaska (Red Mountain Project). There are already two high grade deposits at the Red Mountain Project, with an Inferred Mineral Resource(see Note 1 below) of 9.1 million tonnes @ 12.9% ZnEq(see Note 2 below) for 1.1Mt of contained zinc equivalent.The 2019 field exploration program has been developed in conjunction with Sandfire and aims to drill test the maximum number of new targets possible within the Company's strategic 475km2 belt-scale regional tenement package(see Note 3 below). The newly formed Joint Venture Management Committee, comprising two representatives from each company, has approved a 2019 exploration program and Budget of A$6,000,000 and for this to commence immediately. This funding is $1M above the minimum contribution required of Sandfire during 2019 given it loaned $1M in 2018 to the project to allow the continuation of that year's exploration program(see Note 4 below). Field exploration activities anticipated to be conducted during 2019 include:-- A 3,000 line kilometre SkyTEM airborne electromagnetics (AEM) survey commencing mid-April (see Figure 1 in link below). The new SkyTEM survey will be the first modern high powered time domain EM survey at Red Mountain with the capability of identifying conductivity anomalies to depths of 400m that could fast-track a significant new discovery.- Satellite spectral analysis including the assessment of hyperspectral data to identify and map alteration zonation ahead of field exploration.- Regional whole rock lithogeochemical analysis of tenement-wide rock chip samples collected in 2018 and accessed from the Alaskan Geologic Survey to identify regional alteration zonation to assist in prioritising targets for detailed field exploration during 2019.- Detailed on-ground geological reconnaissance and soil geochemical sampling across regional target areas using a portable XRF analyser to deliver rapid target definition.- Detailed electrical ground geophysics (CSAMT and MT) across the regional targets replicating the most rapid field acquisition electrical technique that successfully mapped conductivity associated with mineralisation at both the two existing deposits: Dry Creek and West Tundra.- A diamond drill program commencing late-May to follow-up the successful discovery of new massive sulphide mineralisation at the Hunter prospect in 2018(see Note 5 below).- A diamond drill program to test the best of the regional targets defined by the multidisciplinary use of airborne EM, 2018 stream geochemical anomalies, new satellite defined alteration, whole rock lithogeochemical alteration, on ground soil & rock geochemistry and on ground electrical geophysics.- Selective down hole electromagnetics surveys to identify off-hole conductivity anomalies for follow-up drill testing.White Rock Mineral's MD & CEO Matt Gill said "Commencing the 2019 exploration program on our globally significant high-grade zinc and precious metals VMS project in central Alaska is an exciting time for the Company and all our shareholders."To be able to use a modern high-powered geophysics technique for the first time, not previously applied to this highly prospective field, is a great kick-off to this field season. Having the technical and financial support of Sandfire Resources - a very successful explorer and developer of VMS deposits - is a strong endorsement to the quality and potential of our Red Mountain Project. It is a great vote of confidence that Sandfire have elected to fund above the minimum contribution they could have chosen under the Joint Venture Agreement. We look forward to working with our strategic JV partner and progressing this highly prospective project with the commencement of this program and the subsequent news flow that should result," Mr Gill said.About the Red Mountain Earn-In and Joint Venture Option AgreementWhite Rock entered into an Earn-In and Joint Venture Option Agreement(see Note 6 below) (Agreement) with Sandfire on 23rd March 2019 for the exploration and development of the Red Mountain Project under the following terms:-.- Sandfire's Joint Venture funding arrangements under the Agreement are structured across four stages as previously announced and include an option to spend a minimum of A$20M over four years to earn 51%, with a minimum contribution of A$6M in 2019.- Sandfire can then elect to increase its interest in the Red Mountain Project to 70% by sole-funding a further A$10M and by delivering a pre-feasibility study within a further 2 years.- White Rock can then elect to contribute its percentage share of expenditure to retain its 30% interest.- The Red Mountain Project includes a 475km2 tenement package covering numerous historic VMS prospects with little modern exploration, providing Sandfire and White Rock with a large strategic footprint over a potential new VMS camp.- White Rock is the JV Manager during 2019.About Sandfire Resources NL:- Sandfire is a leading Australian copper producer which operates the high-grade DeGrussa Copper-Gold Mine, located 900km north of Perth in Western Australia. Sandfire has a growing portfolio of exploration interests and joint ventures in highly prospective mineral provinces around Australia and overseas. Further details can be found on Sandfire's website www.sandfire.com.au.Notes:1 Refer ASX Announcement 26th April 2017 "Maiden JORC Mineral Resource, Red Mountain".2 ZnEq = Zinc equivalent grades are estimated using long-term broker consensus estimates compiled by RFC Ambrian as at 20 March 2017 adjusted for recoveries from historical metallurgical test work and calculated with the formula: ZnEq =100 x [(Zn% x 2,206.7 x 0.9) + (Pb% x 1,922 x 0.75) + (Cu% x 6,274 x 0.70) + (Ag g/t x (19.68/31.1035) x 0.70) + (Au g/t x (1,227/31.1035) x 0.80)] / (2,206.7 x 0.9). White Rock is of the opinion that all elements included in the metal equivalent calculation have reasonable potential to be recovered and sold.3 Refer ASX Announcement 21st November 2018 "Expanded Land Holding with Additional High-Grade VMS Prospects, Red Mountain".4 Refer ASX Announcement 22nd August 2018 "White Rock Sandfire Convertible Loan Funds for Red Mountain".5 Refer ASX Announcement 20th August 2018 "High Grade Zinc Discovery at the Hunter Prospect, Red Mountain".6 Refer ASX Announcement 25th March 2019 "WRM - Joint Venture Agreement signed with Sandfire Resources".To view figures, please visit:About White Rock Minerals Ltd

White Rock Minerals Ltd (ASX:WRM) (OTCMKTS:WRMCF) is a diversified explorer and near-stage producer, headquartered in Ballarat, Victoria. The Company's flagship exploration project is Red Mountain in central Alaska. At Red Mountain, there are already two high grade zinc - silver - gold - lead VMS deposits, with an Inferred Mineral Resource of 9.1 million tonnes @ 609g/t AgEq / 13% ZnEq. The Company is also exploring its recently discovered large intrusion related gold anomaly at Last Chance, also located in the Tintina gold belt of Alaska, home to multi-million gold ounce deposits like Pogo, Fort Knox and the Donlin Project. The Company also has the Mt Carrington project, located near Drake, in Northern NSW, which is a near-production precious metals asset with a resource of 341,000 ounces of gold and 23.2 million ounces of silver on an approved mining lease, and with a Gold First PFS and JORC Reserve.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said that Jammu and Kashmir, including the parts which are occupied by Pakistan, is an integral part of India.

"In 1994, there was a unanimous resolution in Parliament saying that Jammu and Kashmir, inclusive of parts which are occupied by Pakistan, is an integral part of India. We have to look at ways in which integration of Jammu and Kashmir happens effectively and for that discussions are welcome."

Her remarks come after former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti on April 8 said, "If you free Jammu and Kashmir from Article 370, you will free the state from the country as well."

"I have said many times that Article 370 links Jammu and Kashmir with the country. When you break this bridge, India loses its legitimacy over the state. It becomes an occupational force," added Mehbooba.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday asserted that "Kashmir is, was and will always be an integral part of India and thus it cannot have its own prime minister."

In an exclusive interview with ANI, Rajnath said, "Kashmir will never be separated from India. Kashmir was, is and always will be an integral part of India. There cannot be two prime ministers in the country. It is absolutely clear in our election manifesto that if we form government Article 370, Article 35A will be removed.

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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Tuesday made it clear that Kashmir cannot be separated from India so long as the BJP is in power.

Shah, who was addressing an election rally at Shamshabad, asked Congress president Rahul Gandhi to respond to the Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah's proposal to have another Prime Minister in Kashmir.

Shah's reaction came after Abdullah recently pitched for the revival of the post of separate Prime Minister for Jammu and Kashmir.

"Rahul Gandhi should give his response to the Conference's (NC) proposal for another Prime Minister in Kashmir. No one can separate Kashmir from India so long as the BJP is in power," Shah said.

"The ensuing General Elections of Lok Sabha will decide who will be the next Prime Minister of India," he said.

Hailing the party's manifesto titled as 'Sankalp Patra', Shah said: "BJP's manifesto is a document to make India great. The development of the country is possible only with the BJP."

Talking at length about development works done in Telangana by the BJP, Shah said, "BJP was not in the government in Telangana, and yet the BJP has developed the state. Modi government has given AIIMS, one central university, and Highways to Telangana. Still the state Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao asks what has the BJP done for the state."

Attacking the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) led by Rao, Shah said, "The TRS is a family party. After KCR, his son or daughter will become the Chief Minister of the state."

Shah claimed that Rao, commonly known as KCR, is afraid of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi to celebrate the liberation day. "BJP is the only party to fight against Owaisi."

Telangana will go to polls in a single phase for all 17 seats on April 11. The results will be announced on May 23.

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Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Tuesday claimed that the secret behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi's glow on the face is due to the makeup he applies every morning, before appearing in front of the cameras.

"Modi wakes up every morning, applies makeup or wax to get a shine on his face and sits in front of cameras," Kumaraswamy told reporters on April 7 after addressing a rally here.

The Chief Minister further said, "But we take bath once in the morning and wash our face only the next day. Our faces do not look good on cameras. That is why even media shows only Modi."

The Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) formed an alliance and came to power in Karnataka last year after the assembly elections threw a hung verdict.

Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka will be held in two phases, April 18 and 23 for 28 parliamentary seats. The counting of votes will be done on May 23.

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The Nepal Army will make shelters for the thunderstorm victims here "as soon as possible," said Chief of Army Staff Purna Chandra Thapa here on Monday.

"We are conducting the primary assessment. Our aim is to make the structures as soon as possible. However, everything has its own limitations and we would need a specific time to make it," he said.

"We attempt to complete the task in allocated time but with urgency," Thapa said while assuring the thunderstorm victims during his visit to the affected areas.

The complete preliminary survey of damage caused by the natural calamity is expected to finish within a couple of days.

The thunderstorm ripped through the villages of Bara district and Parsa, taking the lives of 35 people on March 31.

Scores of families had to abandon their houses due to the calamity. The Nepal Army had been called in for the ensuing rescue and search operations.

Although Nepal witnesses thunderstorms annually, the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) claims that the southern plain districts were hit by a "tornado.

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The Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday questioned Kashmiri separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq for the second consecutive day in connection with an alleged terror funding case, sources said.

The separatist leader had also appeared before the agency for questioning on Monday after three summons were issued to him.

A three-member NIA team headed by an SP rank officer quizzed Mirwaiz, according to agency sources.

Sources said that Mirwaiz was questioned regarding the seizures made by the agency during raids carried out in February this year and in May 2017.

An advanced Internet telephony system, a 40-feet-high antenna and independent servers were also seized during the raids earlier this year.

They said that in May 2017, the agency had also seized a letter which allegedly stated that some money was paid to a LeT operative.

Shahid-Ul-Islam, who was arrested in connection with the case, had allegedly given the money to the LeT operative at Mirwaiz's instructions, sources said.

The NIA had claimed to have found several incriminating documents, including letterheads of different terrorist organisations during its searches.

The NIA teams had also found electronic devices including laptops, e-tablets, mobile phones, pen drives, and DVRs.

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Under the framework of the India-Pakistan Protocol on visits to religious shrines of 1974, Pakistan on Tuesday granted 2,200 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to participate in Baisakhi celebrations from April 12 to 21.

"We extend our profound greetings and felicitations to all our brothers and sisters celebrating this auspicious occasion and wish the visiting pilgrims a spiritually fulfilling journey," Pakistan's High Commissioner to India Sohail Mahmood said in an official release.

During their visit to Pakistan, the Sikh pilgrims would be visiting shrines like Panja Sahib, Nankana Sahib, and Kartarpur Sahib.

The protocol between India and Pakistan enables a large number of pilgrims to visit the other country to observe various religious festivals/occasions every year.

The official press release claimed that the issuance of these pilgrimage visas is a part of the Pakistani government's bid to strengthen people-to-people exchanges.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre looted the people's money by banning the notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denominations during demonetisation in 2016, alleged senior Congress party leader Kapil Sibal on Tuesday.

Releasing a video here at a press conference which showed the exchange of banned notes with the new currencies at the commission of 15 per cent to 40 per cent, Sibal said: "It is another proof of how Prime Minister Modi-led government looted people by banning the notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denominations during demonetisation in 2016."

Claiming that an official of India's elite intelligence agency--Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and that of IndusInd Bank were allegedly involved in the exchange of banned notes, Sibal said: "The video shows the exchange of demonetised notes with the new ones in a government godown in Maharashtra." He said the video has been made by a journalist but refused to give details citing security reasons.

Asking the government to investigate the matter and arrest those seen in the video, he said: "The alacrity with which the Enforcement Directorate (ED) searches people, it can arrest these people (featured in the video) and tell the country what the truth is."

"Will ED, CBI, and the government arrest these people," he asked.

Sibal also accused the ED of protecting those "who loot the country."

"Our agencies investigate the opposition parties but they would not do the same when it comes to their (BJP) Chief Ministers and Union Minister," Sibal alleged.

Opposition leaders including Sharad Yadav, Ahmed Patel, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mallikarjun Kharge had on March 26 also released video, allegations large scale fraudulent exchange of notes during demonetisation.

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President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday released the India Rankings - 2019 and presented the India Rankings awards to the top eight institutions in different categories at a function held in New Delhi.

The president also released the Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) and presented the ARIIA awards to the top two institutions.

Addressing the gathering, President Kovind outlined the recent expansion of higher in India and said that it has widened access and improved equity.

"Even so, quality remains a concern. While there are islands of excellence, both in the public and private sectors, overall standards are uneven. As our higher infrastructure continues to grow, and as enrolment rises, it is important to lift the bar. A nuanced approach is essential to ensure that higher not only fulfils individual aspirations, but also achieves goals and priorities," he said.

President Kovind also hailed the initiative under which besides overall rankings, category-specific rankings have been undertaken for colleges and universities, as well as subject-specific rankings for engineering, management, pharmacy, architecture, law, and medicine.

"A ranking system of such a nature fosters a spirit of healthy competition between institutions. This is vital because all institutions are today competing for talent - teaching talent, research talent, the most talented students, and even the most enlightened administrators. If an institution wants to attract the best, it too has to be among the best. It has to provide an encouraging atmosphere and suitable campus culture for students and members of the academic community," he said.

President Kovind also termed it critical to ensure significant Indian presence in global rankings of leading universities and higher educational institutions in the very near future

"We live in the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, amid a knowledge society and an innovation economy. We cannot realise our potential without the requisite education infrastructure - measured both by numbers and standards. That is why the keen sense with which institutions participate in the India Rankings mechanism should persist and be escalated to striving for and achieving rankings among the global best," he added.

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Actor-turned-politician Rajinikanth on Tuesday said he welcomed the BJP manifesto promise to undertake linking of India's rivers.

The superstar recollected that he had been a long time advocate of river linking, since the time late Atal Bihari Vajpayee was Prime Minister.

"I have been advocating the project of interlinking of rivers since the time Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister, he had accepted my idea. The BJP in their 2019 manifesto has promised to undertake the project, it is a welcome step," Rajnikanth said.

"The BJP must implement it if voted to power. This will solve the problems of the country and people will be happier if this is done," the Tamil superstar told media persons, barely ten days before Tamil Nadu goes to the polls.

The BJP had released its manifesto titled 'Sankalp Patra' on Monday and promised the river-linking project.

The actor, who will begin filming of his upcoming AR Murugadoss-directorial 'Darbar', also reiterated that he wont be supporting any party in the ensuing general elections. This includes fellow actor Kamal Hasan's Makkal Needhi Maiam party.

Single phase elections in Tamil Nadu for 39 Lok Sabha seats will take place on April 18.

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Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday scoffed at Congress president Rahul Gandhi for calling BJP's manifesto the 'voice of an isolated man' and said a large number of people were involved in the framing the party document.

In an exclusive interview to ANI, Rajnath Singh, who headed BJP's manifesto committee, said: "I believe that when it comes to the creation of Sankalp Patra, India in its history has never seen such participation of people. Whatever he (Rahul) is saying is baseless and he keeps saying such things. Do not take it seriously."

Rahul Gandhi had on Tuesday morning posted on Twitter saying: "The Congress manifesto was created through discussion. The voice of over a million Indian people. It is wise and powerful. The BJP manifesto was created in a closed room. The voice of an isolated man. It is short-sighted and arrogant."

Responding to allegations levelled against BJP that it is contesting 2019 Lok Sabha election in a Presidential style "Fir Ek Baar Modi Sarkar", Rajnath Singh said: "In 2014, I was the president of the party. Certain kind of attraction had developed towards Modiji across the country so we fought elections by projecting him and we came into power with great majority. He was projected as PM candidate under my chairmanship."

"In America, there is a President and everything revolves around him. This is not a Presidential forum. We work in a democratic manner. It is surely a collective leadership. He is a Prime Minister and it is very natural that his name will come first. A party president has to take everyone into confidence," he asserted.

On Monday, BJP had released its manifesto in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah. BJP president Amit Shah had claimed that the party "took suggestions from six crore people while making the Sankalp Patra". Terrorism, security, soldier welfare, Article 370 related to Jammu Kashmir, combating infiltration are some of the key issues highlighted in the BJP manifesto. Terming it a vision document for "New India", the manifesto promised to create growth opportunities for the people of India as the BJP sought continuity for the sake of stability.

The party has also reiterated its demand for abrogation of Article 370 and annulling of Article 35A in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The manifesto also reiterated BJP's stance on the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

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Contractor for Geophysical Surveys Engaged for Estelle Gold

Melbourne, April 9, 2019 AEST (ABN Newswire) - The directors of Nova Minerals Limited (Nova or Company) ( ASX:NVA ) ( FRA:QM3 ) are pleased to announce the Company has engaged the services of well-regarded geophysical contractors RDF Consulting Ltd who is lead by Mr. Dean Fraser in our quest to unlock the District Scale Estelle Project.Mr. Fraser is well qualified to provide his services as a Geologist and geophysicist for AK Operations LLC. Mr. Fraser possesses a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology and Geophysics from Memorial University of Newfoundland and has received his certification as a Professional Geologist with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Newfoundland as well as the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan (dormant). He also possesses nearly 25 years of experience in all aspects of grassroots and advanced mineral exploration methods. He has worked in a large variety of geological environments exploring for gold, base metals, iron, tin/tungsten and uranium in North America and internationally. Mr. Fraser further has extensive experience in performing, processing, plotting, modeling and interpreting many different types of ground and airborne geophysical surveys including Induced Polarization/Resistivity, magnetics, electromagnetics, gravity and radiometrics, in the mining exploration sector and has been provided preliminary data on the Estelle Gold assets.The geophysical surveys will comprise the implementation of a spectral induced polarization/resistivity survey over selected areas of the Property. A pole-dipole array will be employed using six dipoles and a 50-meter dipole spacing. These parameters will allow for a penetration depth of 150 meters in the subsurface. In-field interpretations of the data will be made with Nova Minerals Geologists on a daily basis.Prioritised Systematic Exploration StrategyThe Company's ranked and prioritised systematic exploration strategy and activities at Estelle are guided by an exploration "Project Pipeline" process to maximise the probability of multiple major discoveries (see Table 1 in link below). Each Milestone is defined by a specific deliverable and has each criteria needs to be ticked to determine which prospect must pass through before moving to the next Milestone. Economic criteria and probability of success increase as projects move along the pipeline. The methodology helps to ensure work is carried out across all stages of the process, cost are kept minimal and that focus is kept on the best quality targets and that the pipeline is kept full with early Milestone projects.NVA Managing Director, Mr. Avi Kimelman said:"We are please to have Dean join us with his vast knowledge on the current exploration program at Oxide North and South. We are extremely exciting with the enormous potential mineralisation that has been recognised on two of 15 targets but not effectively IP and drill tested, at depth and parallel to the known mineralisation where continuous mineralised structures may exist.""As previously announced we are fortunate to have historic data at hand and work completed last season which have allowed us to overlay data and vector into these potential world class large tonnage ore bodies. The Estelle project area has a multiple of alterations, structures and known targets on the large tenure, the focus is on discovering a RIRG system similar to that of the Fort Knox Gold and Dublin Gulch Eagles Gold Mine with our priority drilling established at Oxide North and possibly moving onto Oxide South which in itself is looks very promising in its own right. Our prioritisation and systematic exploration strategy for major discoveries ensures that the highest quality targets with the largest potential tonnage are advanced rapidly.""We are focussed on systematically unlocking a multiple of potential multi-million ounce gold discoveries across the project area."The board looks forward to announcing more updates on Nova's lead up and 2019 drill campaign in the near future.The 112km2 Estelle landholding sits adjacent to the Whistler project (+ 9.5 Moz AuEq) held by Gold Mining Inc. and in the same assemblage of rocks that hosts Northern Dynasty's giant Pebble copper-gold-molybdenum-silver deposit (105 Moz Au). A direct correlation between gold grade and vein density is similarly reported at the Fort Knox (+ 4 Moz) and Dublin Gulch (+ 6 Moz) RIRGS deposits (Hart, 2007). Study results suggest that the 1) association of Au with Bi-Te, 2) association of Au with sheeted veins containing arsenopyrite, and 3) restriction of alteration to narrow selvages adjacent to veins at the Estelle Property are consistent with the genetic deposit model for RIRGS(see Note below).Note: Source: Ore Characterization of the Estelle Property in the South-~Central Alaska Range, Ember Flagg, University of Nevada, Las VegasTo view tables and figures, please visit:About Nova Minerals Limited

Nova Minerals Limited (ASX:NVA) (FRA:QM3) (OTCMKTS:NVAAF) is a dynamic explorer and developer of its flagship Estelle Gold district in the Tintina gold belt. Nova's strategy is to substantially increase the current 4.7Moz resource on the Korbel prospect. Subsequently to continue to lock in value through moving Korbel towards production whilst increasing the resource base across the pipeline of targets within the Estelle gold district. Nova Minerals also holds strategic investments in Snow Lake Resources Ltd (Thompson Brothers Lithium Project), Torian Resources Ltd (ASX:TNR) and RotorX Aircraft Manufacturing Co.
Days after BSP supremo Mayawati appealed to Muslim community to vote for the BSP-SP alliance and not for the Congress, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that politics should not be done on the basis of "caste, creed and religion".

"It is very unfortunate (what Mayawati said). Politics should not be done on the basis of Hindu-Muslim. Politics should not be done on the basis of caste, creed and religion. Our (BJP) politics is not on the basis of caste, creed and religion. It is on the basis of justice and humanity. We never say only Hindu should vote for us and not Muslims or vice versa. In a healthy democracy, you can't even imagine this," Rajnath told ANI in an exclusive interview here.

Addressing a public rally at Deoband on Sunday, Mayawati had said: "I appeal to Muslims that the Congress is not capable of defeating the BJP. Only the alliance parties are capable of doing it. Congress does not want the alliance to win. I appeal to Muslims that vote for alliance only. Do not vote for the Congress."

The Home Minister categorically said that he does not "discriminate on the basis of Hindu-Muslim".

"My conscience does not allow me to do this. Being the Union Home Minister I want to assure this that nobody needs to feel insecure. Irrespective of the religion, strong actions will be taken against anybody who does something wrong," Rajnath emphasised.

"No discrimination will be done in India on the basis of Hindu-Muslim. Whatever I am saying is our commitment. I cannot discriminate on the basis of Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian. Justice to all, appeasement of none - our party believes in this," he added.

The Home Minister further asserted that he had also issued an advisory to safeguard Kashmiri children across the nation.

"I have said this earlier also that it is the duty of all of us to take care of the Kashmiri children who are studying at various places across India. In this regard, I have issued an advisory to state governments too. The BJP workers should stand with them," he added.

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The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed Assam's Chief Secretary Alok Kumar to file an affidavit suggesting measures it intends to take for the release of those kept in detention centres in Assam.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi comprising of Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna said that the foreigners cannot be detained for an "indefinite period" in the detention centres and directed the Assam government to inform the court about the methods authorities to consider releasing them.

"These 900 odd people, how long will be the imprisonment? What we are suggesting release them on sureties... Please tell us, out of these 900 how many are you releasing?" the Bench told Assam Chief Secretary who was present in the court pursuant to the court's earlier direction.

CJI was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by an activist Harsh Mander, seeking directions for humane treatment to immigrants lodged in the detention centres in the state.

The plea also underlined that the immigrants must be treated as refugees.

On February 19, Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for petitioner Mander told the bench that detention of foreigners has gone up to 8-9 years and many persons have completed their detention but still lodged in the detention centre.

On April 1, the apex court had expressed displeasure over the absence of Assam Chief Secretary during the hearing.

It had also asked the state government if "a Non-Bailable Warrant" (NBW) should be issued against him.

The court had also observed that the state is dragging its feet in pursuing identification of migrants.

During an earlier hearing, the top court had pulled up at the Centre and Assam government over the deportation of illegal migrants from the state.

"It has become a joke and you haven't done anything," the bench had said.

It had also slammed the state government for its laxity in acting against the illegal immigrants.

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Shamli (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 9 (ANI): With elections around the corner, political parties are leaving no stone unturned to woo different sections of voters. However, Shamli may prove to be tough as discontent is ripe among sugarcane farmers over a delay in payment.

Sugarcane farmers in this belt claim that a large share of their dues are yet to be cleared, thus making it difficult for them to make ends meet.

Speaking to ANI, Harinder, a sugarcane farmer, said, "We are not getting our payment on time and a lot of it is due. We expect that whatever government is formed should ensure timely payment and must work towards reducing the power tariff".

Another farmer, Tejpal Rana, said the situation has worsened in recent years.

"The present situation is very bad. We are not even able to pay the fees of our children. It is getting hard for farmers to marry their daughters. We are getting payments with much of a delay," said Rana.

He also said that the claims of making payment to sugarcane farmers are wrong.

"I have been a BJP member but despite our own party's government we had to sit on agitation. All the farmers had supported BJP in 2014 but the situation has changed now. We are not begging anyone. We do not want Rs 6000. We only want our payment that these sugarcane mills owe us."

Sanjeev Kumar, another farmer, added, "The sugarcane mill is functional since the last five months but we have received payment of only one month. We have to pay for everything in advance but are not receiving our payment even after delivering the product. The government knows everything but is doing nothing."

Echoing similar views, Sudheer Singh said, "The situation in Shamli is that the factory has been functional since November but has only made payment of 20-21 days. Farmers are not happy, workers are not happy."

On being asked about the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, he said, "This year they haven't increased the cost of sugarcane at all. The subsidy is also being reduced with time. We do not want the three payments of Rs 2000; we only want payment of the product."

An official from the mill also acknowledged the delay in payment while asserting that payments will be made as soon as the product from the factory gets sold.

Naresh Kumar, Additional GM said, "We have made payments till December 11. The rest of the payment will be made after the sugarcane is sold as this was the policy that the central government had introduced since last year."

Sugarcane farmers make for a large part of voter base in Western Uttar Pradesh and contribute significantly towards the performance of any political party.

The parliamentary consistencies of western Uttar Pradesh will go to polls on April 11 in the first phase of the election.

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South Korea on Monday vowed to extend economic cooperation with North Korea aiming to break the impasse in the denuclearisation process of the Korean peninsula.

"It is time for us to reap the fruits of peace that we have sown so far," Yonhap news agency quoted Kim Yeon-chul, the newly sworn in unification minister (promoting Korean reunification), as saying.

"We need to seize the opportunity for co-prosperity of the South and the North. We never know when such a chance will come again if we miss it," Kim added.

Kim replaced Cho Myoung-gyon who had served as unification minister handling inter-Korea affairs under the Moon Jae-in government since July 2017.

"I will work hard to strengthen a virtuous circle in which we strengthen peace by using business as a link and strengthen economic cooperation (with North Korea) again based on peace," Kim said.

However, he did not mention any particular project with North Korea but promised to reopen the suspended cross-border projects, including an industrial complex in the North's border town of Kaesong and tours to Mount Kumgang on the North's east coast.

The developments have come ahead of the upcoming summit between United States President Donald Trump and his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in, scheduled to take place in Washington on April 11.

This will be the first meeting between the two leaders since the February summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi which ended abruptly without reaching any deal.

Kim further emphasised the importance of building inter-Korean relations in a consistent manner. "What is most important at this point is to advance the peace trend that started last year to an irreversible stage," Kim said.

"By advancing and institutionalising inter-Korean relations, we should lay a firm foundation toward our people's aspiration for peaceful unification. We should put an end to the unfortunate history of inter-Korean relations that have moved and stopped over and over again," he was quoted as saying.

South Korea has been pushing for various cross-border projects with North Korea lately, aiming at bringing Pyongyang to the negotiating table.

Washington, however, resists the idea as it could undermine the global sanctions regime against Pyongyang amid little progress in the denuclearisation process.

Trump, however, has maintained that relations with North Korea continue to be good, going as far as cancelling new sanctions against Pyongyang, deeming them as unnecessary.

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The 6th Annual General Meeting of TAC Security, India & USA based cyber security solutions provider was held at Taj Hotel, Chandigarh. All eyes were on Trishneet Arora, Founder and CEO of TAC Security, while he made a series of announcements for TAC Security's successful fiscal year of 2018-19.

"TAC Security has grown 270% in FY 18-19, and will be a global cyber security company in 2019," said, Arora while announcing the commencement of operations with a direct subsidiary in Africa.

"I am so proud to be a part of TAC Security's success journey, the only company I invested in the first meeting," said, Vijay Kedia, company's Director and a veteran investor.

TAC Security is a leading and trusted cyber security consulting partner that specializes in securing the IT infrastructure and assets of some of the leading enterprises globally. It protects Rs 1 Trillion transactions every year. TAC Security is India's first cyber security company to be involved in policy making and strategizing of the cyber security policies for a sensitive law enforcement agency in the United States of America.

ESOF (Enterprise Security in One Framework) a product by TAC Security is said to be a revolutionary game changer in the cyber security industry and assures safe and time-saving results. ESOF's major targets are banks, large enterprises, health care and government departments and defence. TAC Security has already sold the platform to existing customers and few new clients from the United States have started using it.

"TAC Security has become the most talked about cyber Security Company in the country's start-up ecosystem," said, Subinder Khurana, Director and an Angel investor.

According to the latest reports the cyber security market in India is projected to grow at a CAGR of 19per cent during 2018-2023 and growth in the market is expected to be driven by rising number of government initiatives towards digitizing government sector entities and processes, healthcare, BFSI, education and other vital sectors of the country, as per reports.

TAC Security is keeping its eyes on having a large number of customers and building brand in the market and expanding footprints geographically.

This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article.

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The popular American sitcom 'The Big Bang Theory', which made history as TV's longest-running sitcom, is just a few episodes away from its series finale. But, just in case you were worried about how the show will end, the CBS comedy is not going to kill off the beloved characters, unlike a lot of other shows that might do it.

The show is instead sticking to the more traditional sitcom ending, allowing the characters lives to continue normally.

"I will say the one thing about how they've approached the whole season: When we learned that this was to be the last season...writers have approached it, not so much as the show is wrapping up and we'll never see them again and the finality of it all. It's going to be the last episode and it's going to end, but people's lives still go on," Director Mark Cedrowski said during a panel at Deadline's The Contenders Emmys.

"The characters will be giving the idea that their lives continue on. It's not going to be an atomic bomb where things blow up and you never see anybody again," Mark added.

Mark also revealed that the finale hadn't been totally written, but has been outlined. So theoretically, anything could happen. One thing that is not happening any time soon is another spinoff, or at least one involving Raj.

Actor Kunal Nayyar, who plays the role of Raj Koothrappali, said he is ready to move on and explore new opportunities.

"I'm taking those cargo pants and burning them. I need a little bit of a break, as much as I'd miss playing that character. I'm ready to move onto different things now," he said.

When E! News spoke to actor Kaley Cuoco, who also features on the show, she explained that the series finale will be shot a little differently from the typical episodes, which are filmed mostly in front of an actual audience.

"We're actually going to re-shoot the whole thing, so we'll have shot it, and then we will have an audience taping," she said.

"That was probably because they knew I'd be crying the entire time. So we still want the audience experience...so we're gonna still do the audience, but we will have taped it and shot it beforehand, so if the tears come unexpectedly, then that's just what's going to happen because I guarantee you it's going to happen," Kaley added.

'The Big Bang Theory' airs on Thursdays, 8 p.m. on CBS. The one-hour finale will premiere on May 16.

Created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, the show premiered on CBS on September 24, 2007. In March 2017, the series was renewed for two additional seasons, bringing its total to twelve.

The show originally centred on the lives of socially awkward physicists Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper, who take a wild turn when the beautiful and free-spirited Penny moves in next door.

The series stars Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Mayim Bialik, and Melissa Rauch. It has earned 52 Emmy nominations and 10 wins during its run.

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The Vamps are back and this time they're doing it on their terms, with the release of their Missing You EP. Entirely co-written and co-produced by the band, the EP will be available for pre-order via Virgin EMI UK on April 4th. The EP will be available on all digital streaming and download partners and can be pre-ordered here. Also today, Live Nation and the O2 have announced that The Vamps are the only band to headline for 5 consecutive years. The Vamps were presented with a plaque at Craft London overlooking The O2. The Vamps return to the O2 Arena next month as part of their four corners UK & amp; Ireland Tour. Tickets to The Vamps upcoming UK tour are on sale now at www.livenation.co.uk/artist/the-vamps-tickets.

The four-track EP features Right Now- a collaboration with their friends, Krept & amp; Konan, and this song is available on Spotify and to download now as an instant grat when the EP is preordered on iTunes here. The other tracks featured are title track Missing You, Waves and a special acoustic version of All The Lies (their recent release with Alok and Felix Jaehn).

The EP marks the band, who is now all in their mid-20s, taking charge of the music and creative direction, and showing off their individual talents in songwriting and production.

"We've always been involved in everything we've done, however, we have never sat down together and planned an entire campaign. This time, from photo shoots, music videos, styling to songs, we have each been there every step of the way to ensure everything fits with how we're feeling. We want people to feel like they're part of this EP, and that's why every detail has to be on point. It's been really enjoyable to get involved every step of the way," said, the band.

"Missing you is a song I wrote with a friend of ours called Jordan Riley, he's a producer/writer from Newcastle and a frequent collaborator. We were finishing a song of ours called Hair Too Long, and he started playing this progression on piano, the melody and lyric came pretty quickly. We got another day in at his studio and finished the verse and pre-chorus. The songs about a previous relationship and the struggle to move past it, that feeling of looking for love but not having the closure or just not being over it yet," said Brad Simpson, writer of the lead track 'Missing You'.

"Grime is a genre where you have much more opportunity to say how you feel, there are generally more room for lyrics and the flow is completely different to say a pop/rock song. Right Now is not a collaboration anyone would expect, and the song is all about appreciating life and really living in the moment! I remember we recorded Konan's verse in between two shows, on the night of the Birmingham show I returned to London to record Konan at 3 am and then headed early in the morning to the next show which was in Liverpool. There was a really good vibe working with Krept and Konan," said, Tristan Evans, drummer and producer of 'Right Now'.

'Waves' was written by bassist Connor Ball at home while they had some downtime over the recent Christmas period. "I was really inspired over that time so I just sat down with an electric guitar one day and started jamming the riff! The term Waves in the song is referring to the ups and downs in a relationship that can ultimately bring it to an end. It also talks about feeling a sense of worthlessness and that you're not going to find someone new. One of the lyrics is that even the ghosts in your home want to leave," said, Connor.

The fourth track featured on the EP is a special acoustic version of All the Lies. The original version with Alok and Felix Jaehn was released last month and was added to no less than 29 New Music Friday playlists around the world and is steadily rising up the global streaming charts. This truly international collaboration set the mood with The Vamps' catchy vocal piece and touches of Felix Jaehn's instantly recognisable production style, which solidly builds a tropical pop vibe. The original version of the song can be listened to here.

"Over the years we have enjoyed working on our recording/production skills. We've been keen to produce bits on all our albums but decided to take the step and actually produce something in its entirety: the Missing You EP. We have done an album a year for the last five years too, so wanted to try something slightly different. The EP takes us back to how we started The Vamps: instruments and melody. We haven't used big synths like our previous songs and have focused on lyrics more than ever before," said, James McVey, guitarist, who recently came 5th in 2018 series of ITV's I'm A Celebrity.

"It gave us the chance to experiment and although it's a small batch of songs, it's a very eclectic mix. Working in the dance world, with the Krept and Konan collaboration and then songs like Missing You and Waves, feel very true to where we are at as a four," added Brad.

The Vamps are one of the most successful British bands of the last decade. They have gone onto have huge amounts of global success with over 2 billion streams worldwide. Their first two albums, Meet The Vamps and Wake Up are both certified Gold in the UK.

In 2016 they released All Night, collaboration with Norwegian DJ Matoma, as their first single from their third studio album Night & amp; Day. All Night quickly became their most successful single with 3.5 million sales and 350 million streams on Spotify alone.

In 2017, they scored their first number 1 on the Official UK Albums Chart with Night & amp; Day. They are also a force to be reckoned with on social media, with almost 6 million likes on their Facebook, over 4.09 million followers on Twitter and 2.5 million followers on Instagram.

They have continuously toured since their debut in 2012 and were recently announced as the first band to ever headline London's O2 Arena 5 years in a row. Later this month, they kick off their Four Corners UK & amp; Ireland 2019 Tour at Plymouth's Pavilions on Saturday 27th April. The Vamps are Brad Simpson (Vocals, Guitar), James McVey (Guitar), Connor Ball (Bass) and Tristan Evans (Drums).

One of their recent achievements includes the recently held at London's O2 arena where they were recognised for being the first act in history to play the arena for five consecutive years.

Bottomline Media Pvt. Ltd. Founded by Tanaaz Bhatia has collaborated with Universal Music Group's British music label Virgin EMI Records for strategic alliances in India. Bottomline Media was the first to introduce The Vamps to India and got them on 'The Kapil Sharma Show' as well as on 'The Stage'.

One of the most reputed integrated marketing companies in India, Bottomline Media has also facilitated the band's first ever sold out show at Hard Rock Cafe, Mumbai. In addition to this, the company has curated collaboration between the Vamps and Indian music composer duo Vishal-Shekhar to compose the chartbuster track "Beliya".

In 2018 later that year, Bottomline Media got the Vamps to perform for Global Citizen India for a crowd of over 80,000 people with sold out shows in Mumbai and Pune.

This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article.

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US President Donald Trump on Monday (local time) urged Uganda to find the kidnappers who abducted American tourist Kimberly Sue Endicott and her tourist guide in Uganda earlier this month.

He said that the perpetrators should be "quickly" brought to justice.

"Uganda must find the kidnappers of the American Tourist and guide before people will feel safe in going there. Bring them to justice openly and quickly!" Trump tweeted.

On April 2, Endicott and her Congolese tour guide Jean-Paul Mirenge Remezo were abducted at gunpoint by an armed gang while on a game drive at the Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda.

The duo was held captive for five days and the abductors had demanded a ransom of USD 500,000 for their release.

Endicott and her guide were found unharmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ugandan government spokesperson Ofwono Opondo had said on Sunday.

He added that the suspected kidnappers fled the scene of the rescue after security personnel moved in the region.

A spokesperson of the Wild Frontiers Uganda, the company Endicott toured with, had stated that she and Remezo were unharmed by the abductors, whose identities have not been revealed yet.

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The United States on Monday (local time) barred the entry of at least 16 Saudi nationals into the country over their alleged involvement in the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year.

The 16 Saudis banned from entering the US are -- Saud al-Qahtani, Maher Mutreb, Salah Tubaigy, Meshal Albostani, Naif Alarifi, Mohammed Alzahrani, Mansour Abahussain, Khalid Alotaibi, Abdulaziz Alhawsawi, Waleed Alsehri, Thaar Alharbi, Fahad Albalawi, Badr Alotaibi, Mustafa Almadani, Saif Alqahtani and Turki Alsehri, according to a press release issued by the State Department.

"These designations are made under Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act of 2019 (Section 7031(c))," the statement said.

"Section 7031(c) provides that, in cases where the Secretary of State (Michael Pompeo) has credible information that officials of foreign governments have been involved in significant corruption or gross violations of human rights, those individuals and their immediate family members are ineligible for entry into the United States," it said.

"The law requires the Secretary of State to publicly or privately designate such officials and their immediate family members," the statement further said.

Khashoggi, who was a journalist with The Washington Post and a vocal critic of the Saudi regime, was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 last year, where he had gone to obtain paperwork certifying his divorce with his former wife Alaa Nassif in order to be able to marry his Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz.

After presenting several contradictory theories, Saudi Arabia acknowledged that Khashoggi was killed in the consulate premises in what it had described as a "rogue operation".

According to US intelligence agencies, Khashoggi's murder was enacted upon orders given by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

However, Saudi Arabia has repeatedly rejected all the allegations against its Crown Prince, adding that it is committed to bringing the perpetrators to justice.

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Vice Admiral Bimal Verma on Tuesday withdrew his petition from the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) challenging the appointment of Karambir Singh as the next Chief of Indian Navy.

Advocate Ankur Chibber, who is appearing for Vice Admiral Verma in the court, told ANI, "We will first refer this case to Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC). If the case is not heard by the ACC in the next few days, we will file a fresh petition in the AFT."

Vice Admiral Verma withdrew the petition after the AFT asked why he had not exercised the legal remedy of first approaching the central government.

Verma's lawyer-daughter Rhea also spoke in line with Chibber. "If our matter does not get any response from the government, we will go back to the court. There is neither any comma nor any full stop."

Vice Admiral Bimal Verma had on Monday moved the AFT against his supersession and appointment of Vice Admiral Karambir Singh as the next Chief of Indian Navy.

In his petition, the officer had challenged the government's move to ignore seniority and appoint his junior as the next chief of Navy.

Vice Admiral Karambir Singh will take over as the new Navy Chief after Admiral Sunil Lanba completes his three-year term on May 31 this year.

Singh will supersede Vice Admiral Verma, who is the senior most in terms of length of service. Vice Admiral Verma is currently the commander-in-chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command.

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Hong Kong: LegCo examines budget estimates

The Legislative Councils Finance Committee is examining the Estimates of Expenditure 2019-20 this week, Acting Chief Executive Matthew Cheung said today.

The expenditure proposals in the 2019-20 Budget are consolidated in the Estimates of Expenditure.

Speaking to the media before the Executive Council meeting, Mr Cheung said the committee received more than 7,200 questions from lawmakers on the estimates.

Many of the questions are related to livelihood issues, he added.

Mr Cheung said bureau secretaries will attend the meetings to reply to the lawmakers' questions in relation to the estimates.

This story has been published on: 2019-04-09. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Toronto

How can the science of learning help schools that are part of the personalized-learning movement?

Richard Halverson is glad you asked.

This is a multi-functional model for schooling. Schools want to produce good outcomes, but they also want to invite student interest, he said. The ideas from learning science can be good principles to build from.

A long-time professor of education leadership and policy analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Halverson led a team in 2015 that sought to document what personalized learning looked like in 20 of the states public schools. Most were traditional public schools, and some were charters. Most were working with a group called the Institute for Personalized Learning, housed at one of Wisconsins regional education service organizations. None received grant money or extra resources to experiment with the new educational models. And some of the study participants were revamping their entire schools, while others were trying school-within-a-school experiments.

At the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association, being held here, Halverson presented a paper Monday based on that work, titled Taking a Learning Science Perspective to Understand Personalized Learning in Schools .

Are you a K-12 educator, administrator or policymaker interested in personalized learning?

Based on his presentation and an interview, here are five questions K-12 educators, administrators or policymakers should be asking:

1. How will you address learner outcomes AND learner interests?

The policy pressure in recent years are much more towards generating learner outcomes, Halverson said. But theres also a big motivational crisis in schools, and we need to figure out how to get students more interested in their own learning.

Figuring out how to navigate that contradiction is key, he said. Some personalized-learning schools Halverson studied responded by placing students interests at the heart of the educational enterprise. That meant inviting students to set their own goals for their learning, then allowing them to take control of how they pursued those goals (including everything from where they learned, to the pace at which they moved.)

In 2015, though, more common were schools that saw personalization as educators crafting for students a customized path through a set of adult-established academic standards.

The space in between those two approaches is where a lot of personalized-learning schools now live, Halverson said.

The reality, he said, is schools have to do both.

2. Who is creating the learning pathways students are expected to follow?

This is where the rubber hits the road and schools priorities and choices are really laid bare, Halverson suggested.

If youre focused on standards-based performance, a lot of times schools will try to get diagnostic data on students skills and ability levels, then construct learning paths for them, he said. If youre going other way, and focus on what students care about, those paths are more co-constructed.

There are tradeoffs with each approach, Halverson said. Focusing entirely on student interests, for example, might improve engagement, without raising test scores.

In response, Halverson said, many schools are trying a kind of hybrid approach.

Ive seen a lot of schools keep math more on the standards-based model, with a fixed curriculum, where teachers intervene with mini-lessons where kids are struggling, he said. But they also open up the social studies and science curriculum, for example, to allow for more projects and community-based work.

3. How do you build relationships to support students in following a given learning pathway?

This is the core insight weve had so far, Halverson said. Building relationships with students so that conversation becomes the main form of assessment is the heart of learning-science-inspired personalized learning.

That means building as much interpersonal contact between teachers and students into the school day as possible, making that interaction the heart of the instructional process, he suggested. Often, that means completely reconfiguring the school day. Its worth it, Halverson said.

I can tell what you understand by talking to you. Everything else is a proxy, he said. If I have regular time to check in with you, and you tell me what you know and are interested in, we can construct a learning pathway together, and I can also tell the progress youre making.

4. To what extent is learning grounded in real-world activities?

This is one of the biggest challenges personalized-learning schools face, Halverson said. The learning-sciences research is rich with examples of why this matters and how to do it, he said. But such work is expensive, hard to coordinate, and often difficult to fit into existing school structures.

I think personalized-learning schools have a lot to learn from researchers in this area, Halverson said. All students live in families, cultures, communities. Anchoring learning in those resources that young people bring to school makes the learning come alive.

5. How do you put different technologies together to meet your needs and achieve your goals?

This is another biggie, Halverson said.

Personalized-learning schools are often using different technologies for different purposes: Googles G Suite for everyday instruction and administration, for example, mixed with adaptive learning software for specific subjects, a student information system to track data on student progress, and new digital media for student creation and connection.

Stitching all that together into a coherent ecosystem has huge potential rewards, he said. Without tech, its basically impossible for an average high school teacher seeing 150 students per day to keep track of each students individual learning pathway and progress.

But until the student-relations management systems that are just now being conceptualized and built really take off, he said, its going to be a messy, ad-hoc process.

And if K-12 leaders truly do want to improve both student outcomes and student interest, theyll be wise to recognize and appreciate that.

Its important that [administrators and policymakers] pay attention to the ways that is orchestrated at the school level, Halverson said. When districts dont understand how people at the school level are building these systems to meet their needs, they end up making decisions that are at odds with successful work happening at actual schools.

Image: Getty

See also:

for the latest news on ed-tech policies, practices, and trends.


Entitlement Offer Update

Perth, April 9, 2019 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Blackham Resources Limited ( ASX:BLK ) ( OTCMKTS:BKHRF ) ('Blackham' or the 'Company') advises that the Company's fully underwritten, renounceable pro-rata entitlement offer ('Entitlement Offer') closed on 8 April 2019. The Entitlement Offer comprised the issue of up to 1,720,917,084 New Shares on the basis of five (5) New Shares for every four (4) Blackham Shares held on the record date at an issue price of $0.015 per New Share, together with one (1) free attaching option (exercisable at $0.03 on or before 12 October 2020) ('Option') for every three (3) New Shares subscribed for.The Company has received applications for entitlements totalling $5.6m (before costs) from eligible shareholders and rights holders, representing acceptances of approximately 22%. In addition, the Company has received applications from eligible shareholders for Shortfall Securities of a further $0.4m to give a total shareholder take-up of up to $6.0m pursuant to the Entitlement Offer. These amounts are subject to the final reconciliation of applications and proceeds received.The following table (see link below) sets out the number of New Shares and Options for which entitlement applications were received and the resultant offer of Shortfall Securities. The additional applications for securities received from eligible shareholders in excess of their entitlement will be allocated by the Company along with the Shortfall Securities pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement with Hartleys Limited, in accordance with the Prospectus announced to the market on 21 March 2019.Upon completion of the Entitlement Offer and allocation of Shortfall Securities, $25.8 million will be raised by Blackham (before costs).Normal trading of the New Shares and Options is expected to commence on 16 April 2019, with the anticipated date for despatch of holding statements for the New Shares and Options being 17 April 2019.Blackham's Chairman, Mr Milan Jerkovic, said:"The funds raised from the Entitlement Offer will strongly position Blackham to unlock the significant potential that we have identified with the sulphide expansion opportunity at our Matilda-Wiluna Gold Operation.I would like to thank our shareholders for their continued and valued support as well as take the opportunity to welcome our new shareholders who will be taking up Shortfall Securities pursuant to the issue of Shortfall Securities to sub-underwriter clients of Hartleys Limited and Morgans Corporate Limited."To view tables, please visit:About Wiluna Mining Corporation Ltd

Wiluna Mining Corporation (ASX:WMC) (OTCMKTS:WMXCF) is a Perth based, ASX listed gold mining company that controls over 1,600 square kilometres of the Yilgarn Craton in the Northern Goldfields of WA. The Yilgarn Craton has a historic and current gold endowment of over 380 million ounces, making it one of most prolific gold regions in the world. The Company owns 100% of the Wiluna Gold Operation which has a defined resource of 8.04M oz at 1.67 g/t au. In May 2019, a new highly skilled management team took control of the Company with a clear plan to leverage the Wiluna Gold Operation's multi-million-ounce potential.
Citing the example of the 2016 surgical strike and airstrike on terrorist camps in Pakistan this year, BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday said that the Narendra Modi-led NDA government does not believe in engaging in peace talks with countries that kill our soldiers.

"Pakistan backed terrorists killed 40 CRPF jawans in Pulwama. Everybody wondered what could be done now. Fearing another surgical strike, Pakistan deployed tanks on the border. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government gave a befitting reply through an airstrike on terrorist camps in Balakot. After the airstrike, there were celebrations across India. There were only two places that mourned the incident - one was Pakistan and the other was in Rahul Gandhi and company's camp," Shah said while addressing a rally here.

"Rahul Gandhi's guru Sam Pitroda said why are you conducting an airstrike for such a small thing. Pitroda, this is not a small thing. You can do 'ILU-ILU' with terrorists. Modi govt believes in giving befitting reply to the enemies who dare to kill our soldiers. We don't engage in peaceful talks with such countries," he added.

Criticising the incumbent K Chandrashekar Rao-led government in Telangana, Shah said: "The KCR-led government no longer celebrates Liberation Day on September 17 because it is scared of Asaduddin Owaisi. After being elected, KCR was not able to form his Cabinet in the state for more than two months. What do you expect from such a person and party?"

He added, "Just like Congress, KCR's party is also afflicted with dynasty Do people have any issues with who will become the next Chief Minister from KCR's party? Everybody knows that it will either be his son, daughter or son-in-law. UPA government only gave Rs 16,500 crore to Telangana. But BJP-led NDA government gave Rs 2, 45, 847 crore for the development of Telangana."

Shah went on to add that though people of the state have overwhelmingly voted for KCR as the Chief Mimister at the Assembly polls, he is not a suitable candidate for the Prime Minister's post. "We accept the people's verdict, but I want to ask whether KCR can become the Prime Minister of this country? The upcoming election is to choose the next Prime Minister of the country. It is time to choose Narendra Modi again."

Telangana will go to polls in a single phase for all 17 seats on April 11. The results will be announced on May 23.

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Asian Paints fell 2.71% to Rs 1455.80 at 9:24 IST on BSE after the company informed that a fire broke out at its paint manufacturing facility in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, in the afternoon yesterday, 8 April 2019.

The announcement was made after trading hours yesterday, 8 April 2019.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 3.10 points, or 0.01% to 38,703.63.

On the BSE, 13,000 shares were traded in the counter so far compared with average daily volumes of 56,000 shares in the past two weeks. The stock had hit a high of Rs 1470 and a low of Rs 1453.90 so far during the day. The stock hit a 52-week high of Rs 1,529.95 on 3 April 2019. The stock hit a 52-week low of Rs 1,119.60 on 23 October 2018.

The fire has been brought under control. The company is in the process of assessing the extent of damage. The manufacturing operations of the plant have been affected. This will not have any impact on the business operations of the company, Asian Paints said in a statement.

On a consolidated basis, Asian Paints' net profit rose 14.60% to Rs 635.60 crore on 24.26% rise in net sales to Rs 5293.99 crore in Q3 December 2018 over Q3 December 2017.

Asian Paints is India's leading paint company and ranked among the top ten decorative coatings companies in the world. Asian Paints is also present in the home improvement and Dor space in India through Sleek (Kitchens) and Ess Ess (bath fittings).

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On 08 April 2019

Asian Paints announced that a fire broke out at the Company''s paint manufacturing facility in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, on 08 April 2019 in the afternoon.

The fire has been brought under control. The Company is in the process of assessing the extent of damage. The manufacturing operations of the plant have been affected.

This will not have any impact on the business operations of the Company.

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India top recipient of remittances at US$ 79 billion in 2018 says World Bank

As per the World Bank's latest Migration and Development Brief, the officially recorded annual remittance flows to low- and middle-income countries reached $529 billion in 2018, an increase of 9.6% over the previous record high of $483 billion in 2017. Global remittances, which include flows to high-income countries, reached $689 billion in 2018, up from $633 billion in 2017.

Regionally, growth in remittance inflows ranged from almost 7% in East Asia and the Pacific to 12% in South Asia. The overall increase was driven by a stronger economy and employment situation in the United States and a rebound in outward flows from some Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the Russian Federation. Excluding China, remittances to low- and middle-income countries ($462 billion) were significantly larger than foreign direct investment flows in 2018 ($344 billion).

Among countries, the top remittance recipients were India with $79 billion, followed by China ($67 billion), Mexico ($36 billion), the Philippines ($34 billion), and Egypt ($29 billion).

In 2019, remittance flows to low- and middle-income countries are expected to reach $550 billion, to become their largest source of external financing.

The global average cost of sending $200 remained high, at around 7% in the first quarter of 2019, according to the World Bank's Remittance Prices Worldwide database. Reducing remittance costs to 3% by 2030 is a global target under Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 10.7. Remittance costs across many African corridors and small islands in the Pacific remain above 10%.

Banks were the most expensive remittance channels, charging an average fee of 11% in the first quarter of 2019. Post offices were the next most expensive, at over 7%. Remittance fees tend to include a premium where national post offices have an exclusive partnership with a money transfer operator. This premium was on average 1.5% worldwide and as high as 4% in some countries in the last quarter of 2018.

On ways to lower remittance costs, Dilip Ratha, lead author of the Brief and head of KNOMAD, said, "Remittances are on track to become the largest source of external financing in developing countries. The high costs of money transfers reduce the benefits of migration. Renegotiating exclusive partnerships and letting new players operate through national post offices, banks, and telecommunications companies will increase competition and lower remittance prices."

The Brief notes that banks ongoing de-risking practices, which have involved the closure of the bank accounts of some remittance service providers, are driving up remittance costs.

The Brief also reports progress toward the SDG target of reducing the recruitment costs paid by migrant workers, which tend to be high, especially for lower-skilled migrants.

"Millions of low-skilled migrant workers are vulnerable to recruitment malpractices, including exorbitant recruitment costs. We need to boost efforts to create jobs in developing countries and to monitor and reduce recruitment costs paid by these workers," said Michal Rutkowski, Senior Director of the Social Protection and Jobs Global Practice at the World Bank. The World Bank and the International Labour Organization are collaborating to develop indicators for worker-paid recruitment costs, to support the SDG of promoting safe, orderly, and regular migration.

Regional Remittance Trends

Remittances to the East Asia and Pacific region grew almost 7% to $143 billion in 2018, faster than the 5% growth in 2017. Remittances to the Philippines rose to $34 billion, but growth in remittances was slower due to a drop in private transfers from the GCC countries. Flows to Indonesia increased by 25% in 2018, after a muted performance in 2017.

After posting 22% growth in 2017, remittances to Europe and Central Asia grew an estimated 11% to $59 billion in 2018. Continued growth in economic activity increased outbound remittances from Poland, Russia, Spain, and the United States, major sources of remittances to the region. Smaller remittance-dependent countries in the region, such as the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, benefited from the sustained rebound of economic activity in Russia. Ukraine, the region's largest remittance recipient, received a new record of more than $14 billion in 2018, up about 19% over 2017. This surge in Ukraine also reflects a revised methodology for estimating incoming remittances, as well as growth in neighboring countries demand for migrant workers.

Remittances flows into Latin America and the Caribbean grew 10% to $88 billion in 2018, supported by the strong U.S. economy. Mexico continued to receive the most remittances in the region, posting about $36 billion in 2018, up 11% over the previous year. Colombia and Ecuador, which have migrants in Spain, posted 16% and 8% growth, respectively. Three other countries in the region posted double-digit growth: Guatemala (13%) as well as Dominican Republic and Honduras (both 10%), reflecting robust outbound remittances from the United States.

Remittances to the Middle East and North Africa grew 9% to $62 billion in 2018. The growth was driven by Egypt's rapid remittance growth of around 17%. Beyond 2018, the growth of remittances to the region is expected to continue, albeit at a slower pace of around 3% in 2019 due to moderating growth in the Euro Area.

Remittances to South Asia grew 12% to $131 billion in 2018, outpacing the 6% growth in 2017. The upsurge was driven by stronger economic conditions in the United States and a pick-up in oil prices, which had a positive impact on outward remittances from some GCC countries. Remittances grew by more than 14% in India, where a flooding disaster in Kerala likely boosted the financial help that migrants sent to families. In Pakistan, remittance growth was moderate (7%), due to significant declines in inflows from Saudi Arabia, its largest remittance source. In Bangladesh, remittances showed a brisk uptick in 2018 (15%).

Remittances to Sub-Saharan Africa grew almost 10% to $46 billion in 2018, supported by strong economic conditions in high-income economies. Looking at remittances as a share of gross domestic product, Comoros has the largest share, followed by the Gambia, Lesotho, Senegal, Cabo Verde, Liberia, Senegal, Zimbabwe, Togo, Ghana, and Nigeria.

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Voltas and Shima Seiki Mfg. (Shima), a leading Japanese textile machines manufacturer, have entered into a distribution agreement for sales and marketing of Shima's products in India. The announcement was made after trading hours yesterday, 8 April 2019.

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries (Sun Pharma) announced that its subsidiary, Sun Pharma Distributors (SPDL), will commence distribution of the company's formulation products in India from April 2019, on the same terms as was with Aditya Medisales, in a phased manner upon receipt of requisite regulatory approvals. This phased transition is expected to be fully completed by the first quarter of financial year ending March 2020. The above-mentioned transition and consequential one-time reduction in sales and profit will impact Sun Pharma's financial results for the period ended 31 March 2019.

Further, Atlas Global Trading has completed assignment of its business rights and obligations, including those arising from the supply contract with Sun Pharma to a wholly owned subsidiary of Sun Pharma. This has no material impact on the profit or loss for the year ended 31 March 2019. The announcement was made after trading hours yesterday, 8 April 2019.

Panacea Biotec will be watched. India Resurgence Fund ("lndiaRF"), promoted by Piramal Enterprises and Bain Capital Credit, along with its affiliates announced an investment of up to Rs 992 crore in Panacea Biotec. The investment proceeds will be used for a one-time settlement with existing lenders, general working capital and growth requirements of the company. This investment is structured by way of non-convertible debentures (NCDs) of up to Rs 864 crore and subscription amount of Rs 32 crore towards share warrants to be allotted on a preferential basis. The subscription amount represents 25% of total amount of Rs 128 crore proposed to be raised upon issuance of equity shares against warrants. Subject to exercise of warrants, IndiaRF (along with its affiliates) will collectively end up owning 10.4% stake in the company on a fully diluted basis. The announcement was made after trading hours yesterday, 8 April 2019.

DLF will be watched. Government of Singapore (GIC) sold 6.79 crore shares, or 3.81% stake, in DLF at Rs 191.01 each. As on 31 December 2018, GIC held 7.32 crore shares, or 4.105% stake in DLF. Societe General acquired 2.08 crore shares, or 1.17% stake in DLF. Both the transactions took place via bulk deals on NSE yesterday, 8 April 2019.

Coffee Day Enterprises has approved to enter in to the share subscription and shareholders agreement between Coffee Day Enterprises (CDEL) along with its material subsidiary Coffee Day Global (CDGL) and Coffee Day Consultancy Services (CDCSPL) with Impact HD Inc., (IHD) for subscription to equity shares of the CDCSPL by IHD by investing Rupee equivalent to $15 million for 49% stake in the CDCSPL. Post subscription of equity shares by IHD, CDEL and CDGL will hold 51% of the paid-up-equity capital of CDCSPL. The CDCSPL will carry out the business of providing consultancy services in retail sector. Subsidiary of CDCSPL operates and manages Coffee Day Fresh & Ground business. The announcement was made after trading hours yesterday, 8 April 2019.

Asian Paints announced that a fire broke out at its paint manufacturing facility in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, in the afternoon yesterday, 8 April 2019. The fire has been brought under control. The company is in the process of assessing the extent of damage. The manufacturing operations of the plant have been affected. This will not have any impact on the business operations of the company. The announcement was made after trading hours yesterday, 8 April 2019.

Majesco, a global leader of cloud software solutions for insurance business transformation, announced the appointment of Wayne Locke as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) effective 8 April 2019. The announcement was made after trading hours yesterday, 8 April 2019.

Yes Bank said its board will meet on 26 April 2019, to consider borrowing/raising funds in Indian/foreign currency by issue of debt securities including but not limited to non-convertible debentures, bonds, MTN. The board will also consider raising of funds by way of issuance of equity shares including but not limited through preferential issue and/or qualified institutions placement (QIP)/ global depository receipts (GDRs)/ American depository receipts (ADRs)/ foreign currency convertible bonds (FCCBs)/ or any other methods on private placement basis, subject to regulatory approvals, as may be required. The board will also consider audited financial statements of the bank for the quarter and year ended 31 March 2019. The announcement was made after trading hours yesterday, 8 April 2019.

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The Assam Chief Secretary on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that the government is planning to have 1,000 tribunals to deal with pleas of those who have been left out of the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

According to the Supreme Court, the government will publish the NRC on July 31.

Those among the 40 lakh excluded from NRC will move Foreigners Tribunals.

The Chief Secretary told the court that Rs 900 crore needed to be sanctioned for the tribunals and nearly 1,000 judges were required.

The officer said the need for the tribunals had been communicated to the Union Home Ministry.

Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi sought to know how the judges would be recruited, on a temporary basis, for these tribunals.

The Chief Secretary said he had scheduled a meeting with the Registrar of the Gauhati High Court and a roadmap will be drawn in consultation with the High Court.

The Chief Justice asked if the Chief Secretary was confident that "good people" will participate in conducting hearings in the tribunal. The official said the Assam government would approach retired judges.

--IANS

sumit/mr/pg

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As 91 Lok Sabha constituencies go to polls on Thursday, a look at the data on the sitting MPs' participation in Parliament shows that 11 of the 53 sitting candidates contesting in the first phase had lower than 75 per cent attendance while Telugu Desam Party (TDP) member Gajapathi Raju Pusapati was the only one who attended every session.

Apart from the TDP MP, others who attended most number of sessions included the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members Rajendra Agrawal (Meerut) with 98 per cent, Mahesh Sharma (Gautam Buddha Nagar) with 97 per cent and Satya Pal Singh (Meerut) with 96 per cent, according to data shared by PRS Legislative Research.

Both Sharma and Singh are Union Ministers.

On the other hand, YSR Congress Party's S.P.Y. Reddy (Nandyal) attended the least number of sessions (13 per cent) followed by the TDP's Sambasiva Rayapati Rao (Narasaraopet) at 38 per cent and his colleague Naramalli Sivaprasad (Chittoor) with 45 per cent.

All the three are from Andhra Pradesh.

A total of 14 sitting MPs attended over 90 per cent of Parliament sessions, out of which nine were from the BJP, three from the TDP and one each from the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and the Congress.

In terms of questions asked in the parliament, Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen's (AIMIM) Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi was the most active member, with a total of 737 questions even as he attended 82 per cent of total sessions. He participated in 64 debates and moved two private members' bills.

He was followed by TRS's Vinod Kumar Boinapally (Karimnagar), who asked 553 questions, BJP's Ashok Mahadeorao Nete (Gadchiroli-Chimur) with 536 questions and TDP's Jayadev Galla (Guntur) with 496 questions.

While Boinapally attended 77 per cent of sessions and moved 10 private member bills, Nete attended 75 per cent of sessions and moved four bills and Galla attended 85 per cent of sessions and moved six bills. They participated in 106, 20 and 120 debates respectively.

The worst-faring candidates in terms of question asked include Trinamool Congress member Dasrath Tirkey (Alipurduars) and YSR Congress's S.P.Y. Reddy who did not ask a single question and attended 67 per cent and 13 per cent of sittings respectively.

The 53 sitting MPs contesting in the first phase include 21 legislators of the BJP, 10 of the TDP, eight of the TRS, two of the Congress, two of the Shiv Sena and one each of the Trinamool, the Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen, the Biju Janata Dal, the Communist Party of India-Marxist, the Lok Janshakti Party and the Nationalist Congress Party, among others.

The BJP members include eight ministers, one former BJP minister (Sanjeev Balyan) and one former TDP minister (Ashok Gajapathi Raju) who did not sign the attendance register, asked questions, or introduced private member bills. Hence data for them was not available.

--IANS

vv/vd

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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced that 16 Saudis, including one of the closest aides to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, were barred from entry to Washington over their role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The public designations mean that the individuals and their families cannot enter the US under Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act of 2019, a statement issued by Pompeo said on Monday.

The section "provides that, in cases where the Secretary of State has credible information that officials of foreign governments have been involved in significant corruption or gross violations of human rights, those individuals and their immediate family members are ineligible for entry into the US", the statement read.

"The law requires the Secretary of State to publicly or privately designate such officials and their immediate family members," it said.

The list includes the Crown Prince's close aide, Saud al-Qahtani, who officially served as the royal court's media czar, but appeared to have overseen the operation to seize Khashoggi, a Washington Post journalist who lived in Virginia, The New York Times reported.

It was one of a dozen or so operations by what American intelligence officials called the Saudi Rapid Intervention Group, set up by al-Qahtani to silence or eliminate dissent about Prince Mohammed's rapid rise to become the de facto Saudi leader.

Monday evening's list also included several members of the team sent to Istanbul, where Khashoggi was killed on October 2, 2018, at the Saudi Consulate in an encounter that the Saudis insist was intended to forcibly bring him back to Riyadh.

Featuring on it is the leader of that team, Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, an intelligence officer who knew Khashoggi from their days working together at the Saudi Embassy in London.

Also listed was Salah Tubaigy, whom The Washington Post recently identified as a "medical specialist" for the Saudi Interior Ministry who is said to have administered a powerful sedative to Khashoggi during a struggle inside the consulate.

He died shortly thereafter and the body, which was cut up, has never been recovered.

Much of the evidence against the men named in the State Department's list came from Turkey, which had surveillance videos outside the consulate and had apparently bugged the consulate itself, resulting in an audio recording of the killing.

The list comes as Congress has already moved to stop all American support for Saudi military action in Yemen in response to the journalist's killing.

--IANS

ksk/mr

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Six miners were killed and another injured when a part of a coal mine collapsed in Afghanistan's Samangan province, a local official said on Tuesday.

'A group of workers were busy inside a coal mine in Dara-e-Suf Payan district when (a part of) it collapsed on Monday, killing six persons on the spot and injuring another,' District Governor Ahmad Ali Hasani told Xinhua news agency.

An investigation was underway to determine the reason of the incident, Hasani said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US Attorney General William Barr is scheduled to testify before the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday for the first time since he received and summarised special counsel Robert Muellers report on Russias interference in the 2016 US presidential election.

It will be Barr's first public appearance on the Capitol Hill after becoming the Attorney General. It also comes amid his department scrubbing Mueller's report with an aim to release it by mid-April, the Washington Post reported.

Barr's handling of the nearly 400-page document has already sparked political spats and Democrats are likely to press him to turn it over to lawmakers in full, according to the daily.

The Attorney General in a publicly released letter to Congress on March 24 summarised Mueller's report and quoted some of the counsel's findings, including the conclusion that Russia did attempt to interfere in the US election campaign.

Barr wrote the probe "did not establish that members of the (Donald) Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities".

He also stated the evidence found in the probe was "not sufficient" to establish that President Donald Trump obstructed justice.

The Post reported that Democrats, in particular, criticised Barr's "bare-bones" description of Mueller's findings, and some on the counsel's team told associates that they were frustrated with the limited information made available about their work.

Barr could change that when he releases the report, the daily said.

Representative Nita M. Lowey, Chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, said Barr's quick release of Mueller's conclusions was "more suspicious than impressive" and she called on him to make minimal redactions to the report itself.

"I understand that portions of it must be redacted as a matter of law, but my hope is you will stop there and bring transparency to this process as soon as possible," Lowey said. "The American people deserve the facts."

Democrats are likely to question Barr on the extent of the material he will hold back and conversations he has had with the White House about the report.

Barr will appear at the hearing with the Justice Department's Assistant Attorney General Lee Lofthus. His opening statement, which was released on Monday, makes no mention of Mueller's investigation, but instead focuses on the reason the hearing was convened: the Justice Department budget.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The findings, revealed in the paper DC Pensions What is the point?, show that more than two fifths of employers (44%) are concerned about the long-term impact on the business if employees cannot afford to stop working. Despite this, most pensions schemes do not have sufficient contributions to deliver good retirement outcomes for staff, meaning there is a disconnect between what employers want from their DC pension schemes and what is actually likely to happen.



With recent research in Fidelitys retirement saving guidelines revealing that employees need to save an average of 13% of their annual household income between the ages of 25 and 68 to maintain a similar standard of living in retirement, average DC contributions are simply not enough to provide this level of savings for employees.



The study also showed that a quarter of employers (25%) are concerned about the reputational risk that could arise should employees fail to have an adequate income in retirement. The risks associated with an ageing workforce have become greater following the removal of default retirement in 2011. Whilst there are many positives to having an age-diverse workforce, businesses risk limiting company and employee growth when employees remain part of the business because they have to rather than because they want to.



The research also found that a growing minority (38%) of employers are becoming increasingly interested in supplementary saving vehicles such as ISAs to help employees with wider savings goals alongside retirement planning. This suggests that companies are moving towards a more holistic approach in supporting their employees financial wellbeing, although it is too early to determine whether this has a beneficial knock on effect on retirement planning



The survey asked 50 employers a series of questions on a wide range of pension-related topics to help businesses understand what employers actually want from their pension. The employers covered different sizes and sectors and have over 500,000 UK employees between them.



Mark Pemberthy, Head of DC and Wealth at Buck in the UK comments: DC contribution rates arent doing enough to help staff manage their post-work life. Although auto-enrolment has been a broadly positive action, its caused most employees to switch off from their savings, thinking that their monthly contributions will be enough to sustain them. However, its not enough for a comfortable retirement. Thats not to say that employees need to shoulder the burden themselves. Businesses need to dedicate themselves to providing more education around pensions, investing in their staffs future and empowering employees to confidently plan for their retirement.


Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Tuesday reiterated that those who sought evidence of the Indian Air Force's Balakot air strikes were anti-national and pro-Pakistan, including even the kin and family members of the Pulwama terror attack victims.

"I once again say that this time the elections are between India and Pakistan. Why? Because Pakistan is asking for the proof of the air strikes and the Congress is also asking for the same. Both speak the same language," Rupani told reporters at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters near here.

"So all those, who doubt our Sena's actions are aiding Pakistan's objective in shaming India," he said.

When asked what would he call some of the Pulwama martyrs families who had also asked for evidence of the air strikes, Rupani asserted: "Yes! Absolutely, anyone doubting our 'Sena' is definitely a Pakistani."

The Chief Minister was speaking at the launch of the Gujarati version of the BJP manifesto 'Sankalp Patra'.

He said: "The 'Sankalp Patra' is a pledge for making a 'new India'. There is a global recognition of the growth India has achieved during the last five years. The past 60 months have been a direct fight against corruption by the Modi government."

Rupani said the security of the nation was the top priority. "Our government will give a free hand to the security forces to send back the infiltrators. On terrorism front, our government won't compromise."

Asked about the party's long-standing promise of doing away with Article 370, he claimed that a lot was happening on that front.

"We will abolish Article 370. And it will be us who will be making the Ram Mandir. We will also abolish Article 35A in Kashmir."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has summoned Jammu and Kashmir legislator Aijaz Ahmad Mir in connection with the robbery of eight weapons from his residence in Srinagar by his special police officer (SPO) last year, sources said on Tuesday.

The Peoples Democratic Party MLA has been asked to appear before the investigators at the NIA headquarters here on Friday, said an official.

SPO Adil Bashir, a resident of Zainapora village of Shopian, had fled with seven AK assault rifles of Mir's personal security officers and the licensed pistol of the legislator from his Jawahar Nagar residence in September last year.

As the case came to notice, the Jammu and Kashmir Police registered a case and announced a cash reward of Rs 2 lakh for any information leading to the arrest of the SPO, who have been found involved in terror activities as his pictures have emerged on social media along with Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist and the looted weapons.

The officials said the appointment of the SPO is also under a cloud as state police investigations so far show that proper procedure was not followed in the case.

The family members of the SPO including his father, who is the district chief of Jamaat-e-Islami, have been questioned by Jammu and Kashmir Police as part of the investigation.

Mir has been in controversy in 2017 when his police driver Touseef Ahmad was arrested for his alleged role in July 10, 2017 terror attack on Amarnath yatra pilgrims. The attack left seven pilgrims dead and 19 others injured on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway near Khanabal in Anantnag district.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s Rath Yatra was stopped and its leader Lal Krishna Advani arrested in Bihar in October 1990 though then Union Home Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had advised against it, said Lalu Prasad, who was the Chief Minister of the state then.

In his autobiography titled "Gopalganj to Raisina: My Political Journey", which was made available from Sunday, he has said Hindu religious figures impressed upon him that the yatra should not be blocked.

"To be honest, nobody had asked me to stop the procession or arrest Advani. The Prime Minister had said nothing. Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who was then the Union Minister for Home Affairs, called me to Delhi and enquired if I planned to detain Advani," he has written.

"Sayeed told me 'why are you taking upon yourself (to block the procession)? Let the yatra go on," he added.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief, who was then in the Janata Dal, however, said he retorted by saying: "Aap sab ko satta ka nasha chad gaya hai" (all of you are intoxicated by power)."

Then Prime Minister V.P. Singh had called for a meeting of various Hindu religious figures, and these people impressed upon him that the yatra should not be blocked, Lalu Prasad said, adding that no solution could be arrived at even after several discussions.

He said it was clear in his mind that Advani's yatra was a direct threat to the minority community and communal harmony, and the secular character of the nation had to be protected at all costs.

Lalu Prasad said the initial plan was to arrest Advani in Sasaram on September 9, 1990 but it was leaked to him and he altered his route. He was then arrested from Samstipur the next day.

As consequences of his "bold decision", the two-time Chief Minister of Bihar said, some communal elements, who had been opposing the implementation of the Mandal Commission report, found in Advani's arrest a pretext to vent their anger.

While he dealt with them with an iron hand, Sayeed pleaded with him to allow Advani's release in the interest of the continuation of the National Front government, he said.

"I told him he was drunk on power, and banged the receiver down," he added.

The RJD supremo claimed that he had put meticulous planning to get Advani arrested because of his hunch that the BJP leader was leading a frenzied mob of volunteers to demolish Babri mosque in Uttar Pradesh.

"I felt that by arresting him I had haled the demolition of the Babri mosque, which could well have happened in 1990 itself. I was at peace with myself over the realisation that I had done the right thing," Lalu Prasad said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At least 80 people have been arrested in the Bangladeshi capital over the selling and consuming drugs, the police said.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Md. Masudur Rahman said that the arrests took place over the last 24 hours in raids across the capital, bdnews24.com reported.

Police officials recovered 2,639 yaba drug pills, 155 packs of heroin, 25 kg of marijuana, eight bottles of Phensidyl and syringes during the raids.

Forty-eight cases were filed against the detainees under the Narcotics Control Act.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BJP's lone legislator from Chhattisgarh's Maoist-affected Bastar region, Bhima Mandavi, was killed along with four policemen on Tuesday evening as Maoists carried out a deadly attack on his convoy in a forested patch in Dantewada district.

The brutal killing of India's ruling party's MLA created outrage in Chhattisgarh as Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel cancelled his poll campaign and chaired a high-level meeting in Raipur to assess the law and order situation.

Baghel, who is facing flak for allegedly adopting a soft approach towards Maoists, said he was "deeply disturbed" by the killings, but also defended his government's measures.

Dantewada is part of Bastar Lok Sabha seat that goes to the polls in the first phase on Thursday, April 11. Bastar is considered the Bharatiya Janata Party's bastion as the party has been winning the seat since 1999 with massive margins.

The Election Commission said that voting in the state would go on as per schedule during the first, second and third phase of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections.

Police said that the attack - the second one in April after a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) trooper was killed on April 5 and another injured in a gun battle with the Maoists in the state's Dhamtari district -- was "meticulously-planned".

"It was a meticulously-planned attack, Maoists specifically targeted BJP MLA's vehicle when he was rushing to Nakulnar to address a public meeting in favour of the BJP candidate from Bastar seat Baidu Ram Kashyap in closing minutes of poll campaigning," Dantewada police chief Abhishek Pallav told reporters at the blast site.

Pallav also said that Mandavi was strongly advised not to rush to Nakulnar without full-proof security cover, but he ignored the warnings.

He added that Mandavi's driver and three PSOs were also killed in the blast that tossed the 40-year-old BJP leader's vehicle several feet up in the air before it landed and broke into pieces. The body parts of all the deceased were found scattered at the attack site.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the killing and termed Mandavi a dedicated party worker.

"Shri Bhima Mandavi was a dedicated Karyakarta of the BJP. Diligent and courageous, he assiduously served the people of Chhattisgarh. Condolences to his family and supporters. Om Shanti," Modi tweeted.

In another tweet, Modi said: "Strongly condemn the Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh. My tributes to the security personnel who were martyred. The sacrifices of these martyrs will not go in vain."

BJP President Amit Shah asserted that "such act of cowardice" will not deter them from fighting the ultra-Left insurgents.

"Anguished to learn about the killing of BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi and five others in a naxal (Maoist) attack in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada. Such act of cowardice can not deter BJP from its commitment to fight naxalism," he said in a tweet.

The state unit of the BJP also reacted angrily to the killing and alleged that state's new Congress regime has a nexus with the Maoists.

BJP national Vice President and former Chief Minister Raman Singh expressed shock over death of his party MLA and alleged that the Maoists were freely roaming in Bastar under the new Congress government.

"It's a failure of state government, I see a big political conspiracy in the killing because Mandavi was the lone BJP MLA from Bastar... situation is very pathetic in Bastar during Congress regime," Singh told reporters in Raipur.

Expressing his anguish over the deaths, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, in a tweet, extended "my deepest condolences to their bereaved families". He also said that he spoke to Chief Minister Baghel who apprised him of the ground situation in Dantewada after the blast.

Baghel, in a series of tweets, said: "I am deeply disturbed by killing of one of my MLA colleagues, I don't have words to express my grief, it's definitely a major attack on democracy."

"My government is consistently working to win people's confidence and Naxals felt upset about that and this brutal attack is basically the result of their frustration."

The Election Commission said that as polling in the state's Maoist-affected districts is scheduled during the first and second phase on April 11 and 18, all measures would be taken till polling is concluded in these two phases.

"Chief Electoral Officer of Chhattisgarh took an immediate video conference of collectors and other poll staff of the affected districts covering phase 1 and phase 2 in Chhattisgarh, and instructed them to take all precautions over the next few days till the polling is complete," an EC official said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The British government's "online harms" white paper that is open for public consultation till July 1, aims to make online platforms liable to protect their users, especially children.

"The prevalence of the most serious illegal content and activity, which threatens our national security or the physical safety of children, is unacceptable," said the joint proposal from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Home Office that came out on Monday.

"Online platforms can be a tool for abuse and bullying, and they can be used to undermine our democratic values and debate.

"The impact of harmful content and activity can be particularly damaging for children, and there are growing concerns about the potential impact on their mental health and well-being," the proposals read.

"There are also examples of terrorists broadcasting attacks live on social media. Child sex offenders use the Internet to view and share child sexual abuse material, groom children online, and even live stream the sexual abuse of children," said the white paper.

The white paper proposes the mandatory "duty of care" on social media platforms to take reasonable steps to protect their users from a range of harms.

"Social media platforms use algorithms which can lead to 'echo chambers' or 'filter bubbles', where a user is presented with only one type of content instead of seeing a range of voices and opinions.

"This can promote disinformation by ensuring that users do not see rebuttals or other sources that may disagree and can also mean that users perceive a story to be far more widely believed than it really is," said the paper.

Rival criminal gangs use social media to promote gang culture and incite violence.

"This, alongside the illegal sale of weapons to young people online, is a contributing factor to senseless violence, such as knife crime, on British streets," it further read.

The Internet can be used to harass, bully or intimidate, especially people in vulnerable groups or in public life. Young adults or children may be exposed to harmful content that relates, for example, to self-harm or suicide.

"These experiences can have serious psychological and emotional impact. There are also emerging challenges about designed addiction to some digital services and excessive screen time," the British proposals noted.

This white paper sets out a programme of action to tackle content or activity that harms individual users, particularly children.

"The government will establish a new statutory duty of care to make companies take more responsibility for the safety of their users and tackle harm caused by content or activity on their services," it said.

Compliance with this duty of care will be overseen and enforced by an independent regulator.

In a statement, Facebook's UK Public Policy Chief Rebecca Stimson said: "While we've tripled the team working to identify harmful content and protect people to 30,000 and invested heavily in technology to help prevent abuse of our platform, we know there is much more to do.

"New rules for the Internet should protect society from harm while also supporting innovation, the digital economy and freedom of speech."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Likud Party of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hired hundreds of activists to use hidden cameras to film Arab voters in polling stations during the general elections on Tuesday, officials said.

A police spokesman told Xinhua news agency "dozens" of cameras were seized police in Arab-majority towns throughout Israel. The Hebrew-language Walla news site reported that some 1,200 hidden cameras were installed in polling sites.

Video footages emerged on social networks showed polling representatives of the Likud with cameras hidden in their shirts or bags. The footages were taken by activists with the Arab-Jewish Hadash-Ta'al list, who first exposed the hidden cameras.

An official with Likud Party confirmed that the party was behind the move. Kobi Matza, the Likud's representative in the Central Elections Committee, told Kan Bet Radio cameras were tracking possible voter fraud. "They aimed to preserve the purity of the election," said Matza.

Netanyahu himself defended the hidden cameras, telling reporters they were used to "ensure a fair vote".

Supreme Court Justice Hanan Melcer, also Chairman of the Central Elections Committee, banned the cameras. In a statement released on Tuesday, Melcer said it was forbidden for polling station committee members to film voters or the voting process.

He said filming was permitted only "in extraordinary circumstances" like violence or alleged fraud.

Ahmad Tibi, a lawmaker and co-leader of the Hadash-Taal Arab-Jewish list, said the Likud wanted to intimidate Arab voters by using cameras.

Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported the Likud spent "hundreds of thousands of shekels" on the move. A senior Likud official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the newspaper the move was aimed at ensuring that Balad-Taal list, a coalition of two nationalist Palestinian parties, didn't pass the electoral threshold by forging votes.

Netanyahu is facing a tough contest from Israel's former Chief of General Staff Benny Gantz who leads the centrist party of Blue and White.

The voting began at 7 a.m. (local time) at over 10,000 polling stations and was due to end at 10 p.m. local time.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Tuesday said that on one hand, the Congress has become a "Benami Sampati" and on the other, the house of the party leaders have become "ATMs of black money", from where huge quantity of black money is being recovered every day.

While talking to the media here, the senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader also said that instead of levelling charges of "political vendetta", the Congress should explain it to the investigation agencies as well the people of the country, that where such huge black money has come from.

On the threat by National Conference leader Omar Abdullah and People's Democratic Party leader Mehbooba Mufti that removal of the Article 370 will lead "freedom" of Jammu and Kashmir, Naqvi said that the state will definitely get freedom, but "it will get freedom from terrorism, separatism and friends of separatists like Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti".

Naqvi said that every obstacle in the development of the people of Jammu and Kashmir will be removed.

He also claimed that a "Competition of Communal Polarisation" is going on between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party (SP-BSP) alliance.

While Congress President Rahul Gandhi is carrying forward "Muslim League ka jhanda and the Jamaat-e-Islami ka Agenda" (flag of Muslim League and agenda of Jamaat-e-Islami) in Wayanad, Kerala, on the other hand the SP-BSP alliance is issuing "fatwa" to Muslim votes in Deoband, Uttar Pradesh.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, was admitted to a private hospital in New Delhi on Tuesday for an examination, an official said.

"This noon, His Holiness was taken to a private hospital in New Delhi from here (Dharamsala) after complaining of a mild discomfort," an official in his private office here told IANS.

"He is fine and no need to worry," he added.

The Dalai Lama had returned to Dharamsala on Monday after meeting youth global leaders in New Delhi on April 7.

The Dalai Lama has lived in India since fleeing his homeland in 1959 after a Chinese Army crackdown. The Tibetan government-in-exile, based here, is not recognised by any country.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
California Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell has announced that he is running for President in 2020, saying that he believes that the US was in a "quicksand" where Americans feel they were "running in place and it is not adding up to anything".

"None of that is going to change until we get a leader who is willing to go big on the issues we take on, be bold in the solutions we offer and do good in the ways that we govern. I am ready to solve these problems. I am running for President of the United States," he said on Monday night in the "Late Show" hosted by Stephen Colbert.

Swalwell, 38, has been contemplating a run for months, CNN reported.

The California Democrat has made several trips to early nominating states like Iowa and New Hampshire, telling the media that he sees a space for a candidate like himself in the race and hinted earlier this month that he was "close to making a decision".

Swalwell also filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission earlier on Monday.

He enters the race in a crowded field of 17 other Democrats, including Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris, Hindu Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and former presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders.

The field is also slated to get larger in the coming weeks: former Vice President Joe Biden's announcement is looming this month, along with possible entrances by Representative Seth Moulton, former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams.

Swalwell will follow up his announcement with a frenetic week of campaigning.

The first event will be a Tuesday town hall focused on gun control in Sunrise, Florida. He has made combating gun violence a focus for months.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Holidaymakers could find themselves in need of an International Driving Permit (IDP) if they plan to drive whilst abroad and supply is already in strong demand. IDPs are already a requirement if planning to drive in many countries outside the EU/EEA, but this could soon apply to Brits who are heading off to Europe if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. IDPs cost 5.50 and can be obtained over the counter at Post Offices across the UK. Applicants must be a GB or Northern Ireland resident, have a full UK driving licence and be 18 or over. Kate Walker, Head of Direct Business at Allianz Assistance UK explains. If the UK leaves the EU without a deal this Friday then IDPs will be needed alongside a main driving licence, if you are planning to drive whilst you are on your travels. This could apply if you are taking your own car abroad or hiring a car at your European destination. It is also really important that you know exactly what you need before you set off because to make things slightly more complicated, there are three different IDPs currently in use and you may need more than one depending on the country that you are visiting. But be warned, the Post Office has been experiencing an increase in customers looking to purchase an IDP, so if you are heading abroad soon, you might want to secure one sooner rather than later. The Post Office says on its website,[i] Were aware that some of the 2500 branches across the UK providing International Driving Permits (IDPs) have seen high demand, and were sorry to anyone who has been unable to purchase an IDP at their chosen branch. Wed like to reassure customers that we have plenty IDPs in stock and we have been providing branches with extra supplies. Concludes Kate Walker: Its best to add checking IDP requirements to your pre-holiday preparation list along with other essentials like travel insurance, valid passports and the correct currency. All the necessary information you need is available on www.gov.uk/driving-abroad/international-driving-permit. The good news is, there is no requirement for UK licence holders visiting EU/EEA countries to undertake any additional test to drive after the UK leaves the EU. Holidaymakers planning a trip to Europe can check which IDP licence or licences they require by visiting https://www.postoffice.co.uk/international-driving-permit



Allianz Assistance UK Tips: Avoid a Bump in the Road

 Make sure you check what IDP you need for the country that you are visiting.

 Visit your local Post Office to purchase an IDP.

 Have all the documents you need to buy an IDP. You will need to take your full valid UK photo-card driving licence, a passport standard photograph and your valid passport as proof of identification if presenting an older paper version licence.

 Be aware that a 1926 or 1949 permit lasts for 12 months. A 1968 permit lasts for 3 years or until your UK driving licence expires, whichever comes first.

 Note that if youre travelling through more than one country, you might need more than one type of IDP.

 If you already have an IDP, make sure its still valid in the country youre visiting.

 Remember that if youre hiring a car to always speak your car hire company to check that you have the correct IDP.


The Election Commission on Tuesday transferred West Bengal's Cooch Behar district Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhishek Gupta and barred him from election-related duty, two days ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in the area.

"The Commission has decided to transfer Abhishek Gupta from the post of SP, Cooch Behar, and to post Amit Kumar Singh, SS, IB, as SP Cooch Behar in his place," said EC under-secretary Anand Kumar in a letter to state chief secretary Malay De.

The EC decreed that the joining report of the new SP has to be sent by 5 p.m. on April 9.

About Gupta, the order said that "the officer being transferred will not be given any election-related duty".

Polling in the Cooch Behar and Alipurduar parliamentary constituencies in West Bengal will take place in the first phase of the elections on April 11.

The EC order to replace the officer has been issued two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in the area where state BJP leader Mukul Roy accused Gupta of non-cooperation and acting in the interest of state's ruling Trinamool Congress.

Reacting to the order, Trinamool Congress charged the EC with not being transparent and impartial and said the series of decisions taken by the poll body showed it was acting at the behest of the Centre.

"The way EC is taking steps against state police officers right after the BJP leaders are threatening to take action against them, raises question on the poll body's willingness to work transparently. It is shameful. Their steps show that they are not acting impartially. They are being run by the central government," said Trinamool Congress Secretary Partha Chatterjee.

The BJP leadership, however, welcomed the EC directive.

"It is a very good decision by the EC. Cooch Behar is a violence-prone district. The officer was not able to handle the situation well. There have been a number of life threatening attacks on our party candidate. Other opposition parties had also complained that the SP was working in favour of a certain political party," state BJP President Dilip Ghosh said.

The poll panel had last week ordered the transfer of four senior police officers in the state, including Kolkata Police Commissioner Anuj Sharma, his Bidhannagar counterpart Gyanwant Singh and two SPs of Bengal's Birbhum and Diamond Harbour districts.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Election Commission's flying squad and the Maharashtra Congress jointly raided an alleged illegal factory engaged in manufacturing electronic propaganda material for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), an official said here on Tuesday.

Following a tip-off, the raid was carried out in the registered office premises belonging to the United Phosphorus Ltd (UPL), in Khar here this afternoon, where hundreds of thousands of propaganda materials were being produced without the EC permission.

The EC flying squad has seized electronic cards and other materials worth over Rs 6 crore, said Congress state general secretary Sachin Sawant.

"This is a completely unauthorised centre being operated on the sly by the BJP to prepare its electronic propaganda pamphlets, each worth around Rs 300," Sawant said.

The flying squad also found pictures of defence aircraft, Army, Air Force, surgical strikes and recorded clips of voice messages of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speeches appealing people to vote for the BJP, besides some other stuff.

"The EC has already made it clear that the armed forces cannot be used for election purposes. Here, the BJP itself is engaged in making lakhs of these electronic pamphlets for distribution without the EC clearance. It's obvious these won't be accounted for in the poll expenses to be submitted to EC," Sawant told IANS from the raid site.

The electronic pamphlets have special chips with a message -- in this case, Modi's poll appeal -- which was played when the pamphlet is opened, and small children were being paid hefty sums daily to stick the chips on the pamphlets.

The Congress has demanded strict action against the UPL authorities for allowing their premises to be used for such illegal election-related activities and against BJP President Amit Shah for allegedly complicity in the matter.

Meanwhile, the EC has also lodged a police complaint in the matter with Khar police which has taken cognisance, prepared a panchnama and launched further investigations.

Sawant said it is not clear since when this illegal factory has been operating, how many such electronic pamphlets may have already been produced and despatched for distribution among the voters which the EC and police must investigate on priority.

The Congress also demanded that the EC probe if any other such illegal factories are operating elsewhere in Mumbai or Maharashtra and carry out similar "surgical strikes" in public interest.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Yuva Halla Bol on Tuesday made serious allegations against the Narendra Modi government over granting "illegal service extension" to Staff Selection Commission (SSC) Chairman Ashim Khurana "in violation of rules".

Addressing a press conference at the Press Club of India here, Yuva Halla Bol leader Anupam claimed Khurana was appointed as the head of the government recruitment agency in violation of the laid down rules by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).

The revelation came following reply to a Right to Information (RTI) petition, he said.

According to Anupam, the DoPT documents show that Khurana had not even applied for the position of the head of SSC when it was first advertised on May 14, 2015.

"Ashim Khurana was neither among the two shortlisted candidates, nor among the four. His name wasn't even among those 35 applicants. This means that Ashim Khurana, who was made the SSC Chairman, didn't even apply for the post," said Anupam, citing the information accessed under the RTI.

As per the minutes of selection committee meeting on August 17, 2015, Khurana's name did not feature in the list of four shortlisted candidates who were called for an interview on August 31. The four candidates were Aninda Majumdar, D.D. Sharma, Amitabh Khare and A.K. Dash.

Further, two candidates -- Sharma and Khare -- were shortlisted for the job by the selection committee in a meeting held on September 30, 2015.

However, instead of sending the two shortlisted names to the Cabinet Committee, a revised list of three candidates was prepared and sent to the Cabinet Committee for approval. The documents show that Khurana's name featured right on top of the new list.

"Just before sending the list of shortlisted candidates to the Cabinet Committee, surprisingly, the selection committee decided to look for new candidates, in clear violation of rules.

"Then, keeping the name of 1983-batch Gujarat cadre officer Khurana at the top of priority list, the committee recommended three names to the Cabinet Committee," Anupam added.

"Ashim Khurana was well beyond the age of 59 when he was appointed as the SSC Chairman, which was another violation of the appointment rules", the youth leader alleged.

--IANS

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Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Tuesday expressed regret that BJP legislators Madhu Srivastava and party president Jitu Vaghani made derogatory remarks while campaigning but declined to comment if any action would be taken against them as the Election Commission (EC) was seized of the issue.

The EC had on Monday issued show-cause notice to Waghodia MLA Srivastava for issuing threat to the voters at an election meeting by saying that they would have to bear the consequences if they did not vote for the BJP.

Srivastava's speech was telecast live by local TV channels while videos of his speech had gone viral on the social media.

On the other hand, complaints have been made against Vaghani, who is also a legislator from Bhavnagar, for calling Congress leaders "haramzada (illegitimate children)" at a public meeting in Surat on Monday.

Asked about these comments at a press conference, Rupani said: "No one should speak or utter such language. As political leaders, we should control our tongues and not let it slip."

However, Rupani side-stepped questions if the BJP would take action against Srivastava and Vaghani, saying: "The Election Commission has already issued a notice to Srivastava. That itself says a lot. Let that issue be settled first."

--IANS

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Virender Kashyap, the sitting BJP MP from Shimla (Reserved) constituency, has been denied a ticket to contest the Lok Sabha elections.

Kashyap, 68, was elected to Parliament for the first time in 2009 by defying the Congress sweep in Himachal Pradesh.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has instead fielded greenhorn Suresh Kashyap, a sitting legislator from Pachhad in Sirmaur district, against Dhani Ram Shandil of the Congress.

Both the candidates are former servicemen.

Party leaders said the BJP High Command refused to nominate Kashyap on the basis of a survey that suggested that 66 per cent of people were not in his favour.

The outgoing MP unsuccessfully contested the Shimla parliamentary seat six times and the Kasauli Assembly constituency four times.

"This time the party has changed my role. We will fight together and ensure victory on all four Lok Sabha seats in the state," Kashyap told IANS.

In the 2009 general elections, Kashyap defeated two-time Congress MP Dhani Ram Shandil by a margin of 27,327 votes.

In 2014, he retained the seat by defeating Congress' Mohan Lal Brakta with a huge margin of 84,187 votes.

The Shimla constituency, which covers three districts of Shimla, Sirmaur and Solan, had gone along predictable lines for decades, returning Congress candidate K.D. Sultanpuri six times, from 1980 to 1998. In all these years, Sultanpuri defeated Kashyap.

In 1999, when Sultanpuri was denied the Congress ticket, the BJP left the seat for its alliance partner Himachal Vikas Congress (HVC) that was floated by former Telecom minister Sukh Ram after parting ways with the Congress.

At that time, the Congress lost all the four seats.

Shandil, who contested the elections on the HVC ticket, defeated the Congress candidate Gangu Ram Musafir.

To ensure his maiden victory, Kashyap reached out to his electors by writing over one million postcards.

--IANS

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Income tax sleuths have seized illegal cash worth Rs 5.84 crore between March 12 to April 8 this year from the eight Northeastern states, officials said on Tuesday.

The amount is 482 per cent more than the cash seizure made during the general elections of 2014, when it was only Rs 1.21 crore, the Income Tax (I-T) Department officials said, adding that the cash seized in just 27 days of election time enforcement is more than 50 per cent of the unexplained cash seized in the whole of fiscal 2017-18.

With most of the Northeastern states going to the polls in the first phase on April 11, the final date of polling in the region is April 23.

The seizures come in the wake of the Directorate of Income Tax (Investigation), Northeast Region, intensifying its vigil post the poll announcement and an intensification of the intelligence and enforcement drives to counter the flow of black money during elections.

The Directorate has deployed over 160 I-T sleuths at strategic locations across the region, including Air Intelligence Teams at 12 airports. This has resulted in all-time high cash seizures of unexplained money during any election period in the Northeast, the officials said.

As a first, the Directorate has also initiated investigation into hundreds of suspicious cash deposits and withdrawals above Rs 10 lakh through banks across the region. In this mammoth exercise, the I-T authorities are being assisted by the Centre's Financial Intelligence Unit, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and 68 banks.

The Directorate is going to use big data mining and analytics tools to identify high risk transactions and it is expected that the investigation of these transactions will unearth substantial amounts of black money.

--IANS

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India has retained its spot as the world's top remittance recipient with its diaspora sending $79 billion back home in 2018, the World Bank has said in a report.

India was followed by China ($67 billion), Mexico ($36 billion), the Philippines ($34 billion) and Egypt ($29 billion), according to the latest edition of the World Bank's Migration and Development Brief released on Monday.

"Remittances grew by more than 14 per cent in India, where a flooding disaster in Kerala likely boosted the financial help that migrants sent to families," the report said.

In 2016, India received $62.7 billion in remittances and in 2017 it was $65.3 billion.

In Pakistan, remittance growth was moderate (7 per cent), due to significant declines in inflows from Saudi Arabia, its largest remittance source. In Bangladesh, remittances showed a brisk uptick in 2018 (15 per cent).

According to the report, remittances to low and middle-income countries rose 9.6 per cent from 2017 and touched a record high of $529 billion in 2018. Global remittances, which include flows to high-income countries, reached $689 billion in 2018, up from $633 billion in 2017.

Regionally, growth in remittance inflows ranged from almost 7 per cent in East Asia and the Pacific to 12 per cent in South Asia, the World Bank said.

"The overall increase was driven by a stronger economy and employment situation in the US and a rebound in outward flows from some Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE) and the Russian Federation," it stated.

Excluding China, remittances to low and middle-income countries ($462 billion) were significantly larger than foreign direct investment flows in 2018 ($344 billion).

On ways to lower remittance costs, Dilip Ratha, lead author of the report, said: "Remittances are on track to become the largest source of external financing in developing countries. The high costs of money transfers reduce the benefits of migration.

"Renegotiating exclusive partnerships and letting new players operate through national post offices, banks, and telecommunications companies will increase competition and lower remittance prices."

--IANS

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Israelis are set to vote in their country's most closely fought general election in years, media reported.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of the right-wing Likud Party, is seeking a fifth term in office. But he is facing corruption allegations and a strong challenge from retired general Benny Gantz, the BBC reported.

Gantz, head of the centrist Blue and White alliance, is challenging Netanyahu on the key issue of security and is promising cleaner

No party has won a majority in Israel's 120-seat parliament, the Knesset, so as soon as the results start coming in at 22:00 (19:00 GMT) on Tuesday negotiations start on the formation of a governing coalition.

At a rally in Jerusalem on Monday, Netanyahu told Likud supporters not to be "complacent" and urged them to turn out at polling stations.

He warned that his "leftist" rivals could still win.

--IANS

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Israelis on Tuesday cast their ballots in the high stakes general elections in which the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking a record fifth term in office.

The polling stations opened at 7 a.m., and are scheduled to close at 10 p.m., reports Efe news.

There are 6.3 million eligible voters out of nearly 9 million Israelis. The number of eligible voters has risen by 8.1 per cent.

There are 120 parliamentary seats up for grabs.

The election to form the country's 21st Knesset (Parliament) and the 35th government is a multi-cornered contest with representatives of some 40 parties in the fray.

However, the battle is widely seen as a race between the main contestants - Netanyahu, who heads the right-wing Likud party, and Benny Gantz of the Kahol Lavan.

Gantz also leads a coalition of centrists, the Blue and White movement, which, according to a recent survey, is tipped to secure the most votes. The former general, whose centrist coalition poses a stiff challenge to Netanyahu, was one of the first ones to vote in the central city of Rosh Haayin.

Israeli authorities have ordered a general closure of the Gaza border crossings and the occupied territory of the West Bank until Tuesday midnight.

The closure of the Judea and Samaria (West Bank) and the crossings into Gaza, which has been under Israeli blockade since 2007, began Monday midnight, according to Israel's public broadcaster Kan.

The election day in Israel is a national holiday.

Israel's police is believed to have deployed 17,000 agents, border police and volunteers to maintain public order.

Israeli diplomats and embassy employees across Israeli missions were the first ones to vote along with soldiers for whom the voting took place on Sunday. Special polling centres were set up across several military bases of the country.

--IANS

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A Japanese F-35 stealth fighter, one of the world's most-advanced warplanes, has gone missing over the Pacific Ocean, Japanese defence officials said.

According to officials, the single-engine jet from Japan's Air Self-Defence Force was on a training flight with three other F-35s when contact was lost Tuesday evening, public broadcaster NHK reported.

The planes, based at Misawa Air Base on the northern tip of the main Japanese island of Honshu, were about 135 kilometers (84 miles) off the east coast of Aomori prefecture when contact was lost, officials said.

The pilot of the single-seat fighter is missing, and a search is underway, according to Japan's Defence Ministry, CNN reported.

No problems with the aircraft were reported before it went missing.

Japan's first squadron of the $100 million fighter jets went operational just 11 days ago, with about a dozen of the jets forming the 302nd Squadron at the Misawa base, according to a report from The Diplomat.com.

The Japanese jet, a F-35A model, would be the second lost to an accident. A US Marine Corps F-35B crashed in Beaufort, South Carolina, in late September.

US defence officials in October said a faulty fuel tube was the likely cause, and all F-35s operated by the US and its allies were temporarily grounded for inspection.

Japan is one of 14 countries in the F-35 programme, according to the plane's maker, Lockheed Martin Corp. Tokyo announced in December it would be buying 147 of the planes, making it the biggest customer for the aircraft besides the US.

At present, some of the Japanese F-35 are assembled in the US and others at a plant in Nagoya, Japan. It has not been revealed where the plane that went missing Tuesday was built.

--IANS

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More trouble seems to be brewing for debt-ridden Jet Airways as a section of pilots has sent the company a legal notice demanding payment of salaries, due from January 1, by April 14.

"We have sent a legal notice to the company. Our demand is clear -- the payment of January 1 to March 31 salaries," a senior pilot told IANS.

The notice has been sent by the National Aviators Guild (NAG), a union of pilots, to the Jet CEO Vinay Dube. The NAG has over 1,000 members. The pilots, along with engineers and other critical segments of employees, have not been paid salaries since January 1.

The notice has been served on a day when the airline was to inform the employees about the latest situation on salary payments.

"In the light of the current situation, please note that salaries for March will be deferred. We will provide you an update on the status of the payout by Tuesday, April 9, 2019," Rahul Taneja, Chief People Officer, Jet Airways, had said in a communication to employees on April 3.

Last month, the pilots' union had decided to go on mass leave to protest non-payment of salaries, but postponed it till April 15.

"The pilots have decided that time should be given to the new interim management till April 14 to clear salary dues in conjunction with interim funding, and charter a clear road map for the future of the company. The collective call of the pilots is hence deferred to April 15," the NAG said in a communication after the open-house meeting on March 31.

On Monday, lenders of the debt-ridden airline invited expression of interest (EoI) for stake sale in the company to recover dues worth Rs 8,000 crore.

--IANS

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A five-month old baby girl from Kolkata has become India's youngest liver transplant patient, doctors at the Max Super Speciality Hospital said here on Tuesday.

Ariana Dey, now six-months old, was born healthy but at five-months of age she suffered from jaundice which led to her liver malfunctioning (elevated ammonia).

She was admitted to the hospital with acute bleeding and was advised a liver transplant, where her mother donated a part of her liver.

In a 10-hour-long surgery, the doctors replaced Dey's malfunctioning liver with a modified liver from her mother to fit the baby.

"In baby Dey's case, the transplant was required urgently as she was diagnosed with very severe liver failure and was in a critical state when she came to us. Our aim was to treat her at the earliest with a lifesaving surgery, ensuring her quality of life isn't impacted in the long run," Subhash Gupta, Chairman at the hospital's Centre for Liver and Biliary Sciences, told IANS.

"After the surgery, she will lead a normal life. Dey is the youngest Indian to undergo successful liver transplant," he added.

Highlighting the complexity of the surgery, the doctors maintained that conducting a liver transplant surgery in a baby weighing less than 10 kilograms and less than one-year-old is a very complex procedure.

"In infants, the surgical complexity is immense and post transplant care is specialised, given their small size. Usually, an adult's liver weighs around 1.2 kg. The surgeons resected 182 grams of it and modified it to fit Ariana's body size," Sharat Varma, Consultant at the hospital, told IANS.

"Post transplant, Dey did well and showed rapid recovery. She went home within 22 days of surgery," Varma said.

--IANS

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Malayalam superstar Dileep on Tuesday got a relief in a 2017 case related to assault and abduction of an actress in which he is a key accused.

The Kerala government told the Supreme Court that it will not press for framing of charges against him before the trial court in the case till his pending plea in the apex court for access to visuals of assault captured by main accused Pulsar Suni is decided.

The government said an understanding has been arrived at with Dileep in this regard.

The trial court was to commence hearing on framing of charges on Wednesday. Dileep earlier argued in the Supreme Court that till his plea seeking a copy of crucial memory card (to prove his innocence) is decided, simultaneous framing of charges would result in "violation of natural justice" and "irreparable damage" to him.

Dileep has argued before the apex court that the copy of the footage of the incident is "very essential and crucial" for him to prove his innocence in the case. Dileep maintains the visuals had been manipulated and doctored to frame him.

The government of Kerala has, however, opposed his plea for the copy of the visuals and accused him of being the "chief conspirator".

The government's counsel observed there is no requirement under law to share all the material with the accused.

His plea for the copy of the memory card was turned down earlier by the Angamaly Magistrate Court and the Kerala High Court.

The south Indian actress was abducted and assaulted in a moving car on February 17, 2017. Dileep was arrested in July same year in this connection.

Mukul Rohatgi, senior counsel appearing for Dileep, contends that the memory card is a document but the prosecution says it is a material which does not come under the I-T Act and cannot be handed over.

In his petition, Dileep states that he has a right to get evidence relating to the case which includes the memory card in which the attack visuals have been stored. Rohatgi argued that Dileep has a right to access all kinds of evidence that prosecution is producing against him.

--IANS

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Former Prime Minister and Congress leader Manmohan Singh paid tribute to veteran politician and Kerala Congress-Mani Chairman K.M. Mani, who passed away in Kochi on Tuesday.

"In his death, our country has lost a veteran political leader who served out country especially the state of Kerala for his entire life with dedication," Singh said in the letter to Mani's son Jose Mani.

He said Mani was very knowledgeable in financial matters and public affairs.

"I convey to you and other members of your family my heartfelt condolences on this bereavement. We prey to the Almighty to give all of you the strength to bear this great loss with courage and fortitude," Singh said.

Mani was suffering from a lung ailment and was in the hospital for the past one week. He had been unwell since January.

Mani joined the undivided Kerala Congress in 1965 and went on to become its undisputed leader. Over the years, his party underwent several splits.

Mani's record of being the longest-serving legislator in the Kerala Assembly began in 1967 when he represented his home constituency Pala in Kottayam district -- from where he won a record 13 elections.

First became a Minister in 1975, he served as Minister in six other governments, and holds the state record of having presented 13 budgets.

--IANS

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Maoists exploded an improvised explosive device (IED) in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday evening, killing BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi, his driver and three personal security officers in a forested part of Dantewada district, officials said.

The Maoists carried out "the meticulously planned attack" when Mandavi was hurrying to an election meeting just before the close of election campaign at 5 p.m. for the first phase of Lok Sabha battle starting on Thursday.

Director General of Police Giridhar Naik said five people had been killed and that only Baghel's vehicle was targeted in the convoy of vehicles in Kuakonda area.

Initially, another officer had said that all the killed were security personnel and were from the District Reserve Group, a locally raised force vested with battling Maoists.

Mandavi was the lone Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Bastar region which accounts for 12 Assembly seats.

This was the first Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh after the Congress took power in December, ending 15 years of BJP rule.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel cancelled his election meetings and rushed to his office for a meeting with senior police and intelligence officers after the attack.

--IANS

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UK Prime Minister Theresa May is holding last-minute Brexit talks with the French President Emmanuel Macron, with the UK due to leave the EU in three days' time.

May will urge Macron to back her request to delay Brexit again until 30 June, having earlier met German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.

After the talks, Merkel said a delay that runs to the end of the year or the start of 2020 was a possibility, the BBC reported.

There is a summit on Wednesday when all EU states will vote on an extension.

Cross-party talks in Westminster aimed at breaking the impasse in Parliament finished, with both sides expressing hope there would be progress.

A draft EU document circulated to diplomats ahead of the emergency meeting of EU leaders proposes an extension but leaves the date blank.

European Council president Donald Tusk said there was "little reason to believe" that the ratification process of the withdrawal agreement could be completed by the end of June.

In a letter to EU leaders, he said at Wednesday's summit members should discuss "an alternative, longer extension" that will be flexible and "would last only as long as necessary and no longer than one year".

--IANS

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday backed multi-lingual south Indian actress Sumalatha Ambareesh, an Independent in the high-profile Mandya Lok Sabha constituency whom the BJP is supporting to wrest the seat from the JD-S.

"Sumalatha supported her husband and Kannada film star M.H. Ambareesh in promoting the native language and its culture for years. I express gratitude to Ambareesh and Sumalatha for their contribution to Kannada," said Modi in his 35-minute speech in Hindi at a massive Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) public rally in Maharaja College grounds here, about 150km southwest of Bengaluru.

Campaigning for the party's candidates in the old Mysore region, which goes to polls in the second phase on April 18, Modi fondly recalled the rebel star (Ambareesh), who died in Bengaluru on November 24, 2018 at the age of 66.

Though Ambareesh won from the Mandya three times, twice as Congress member and once as Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) member, and was a Cabinet Minister in the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government (2013-16), the ruling ally could not give Sumalatha its ticket to contest, as it has been a JD-S bastion since 2009 general elections.

The JD-S has fielded Nikhil K. -- son of state Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and grandson of party supremo H.D. Deve Gowda -- this time.

To support 55-year-old Sumalatha, the BJP has not fielded its candidate against her and decided to campaign for her in the high-voltage battle against 29-year-old Nikhil, an upcoming Kannada film star from Bengaluru.

A section of the Kannada film industry, known as sandalwood world, is also supporting Sumalatha, and its superstars Darshan and Yash are actively campaigning for her as a gratitude to their hero and guru Ambareesh.

Though the ruling Congress-JD-S alliance partners entered into a pre-poll seat-sharing tie-up to contest in all the 28 Lok Sabha seats across the southern state in the ratio of 21-7, its district leaders and cadres have refused to campaign for JD-S candidates in Mandya, as most of them are also ardent fans of Ambareesh, a native of Mandya and their demigod.

--IANS

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday condemned the Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh in which a BJP MLA and four others were killed and asserted that the sacrifices of "these martyrs" will not go in vain.

In a tweet soon after the incident, Modi paid tributes to the slain legislator, saying he was a dedicated and courageous worker.

"Strongly condemn the Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh. My tributes to the security personnel who were martyred. The sacrifices of these martyrs will not go in vain," he said.

"Bhima Mandavi was a dedicated karyakarta (worker) of the BJP. Diligent and courageous, he assiduously served the people of Chhattisgarh. His demise is deeply anguishing. Condolences to his family and supporters. Om Shanti," Modi tweeted.

Maoists exploded an improvised explosive device (IED) in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday evening, killing BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi, his driver and three personal security officers in a forested part of Dantewada district, officials said.

The Maoists carried out "the meticulously planned attack" when Mandavi was hurrying to an election meeting just before the close of election campaign at 5 p.m. for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections starting on Thursday.

Director General of Police Giridhar Naik said five people had been killed and that only Baghel's vehicle was targeted in the convoy of vehicles in Kuakonda area.

--IANS

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In a straight contest between Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi for prime ministership, Modi would emerge winner by a long margin, an IANS-CVoter poll survey has revealed.

The survey, released on Monday, showed that the Congress president's stock has dipped steadily just as the Prime Minister's has risen. The survey has a cumulative sample size of 1,05,000 since January 1 and a weekly addition of 33,000.

"When we presented the respondents with a binary choice between Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi for PM's post, the results were similar. Rahul Gandhi was asserted as the PM choice by a record 38 per cent respondents on January 1, 2019, ever since he has declined to 34.5 per cent. PM Modi's approval on the other hand has risen from 51 per cent to 58 per cent. The differential in net approval ratings has been even more stark, from a relatively thin margin of 12 per cent it has now soared to 23 per cvent in favor of PM Modi," the survey said.

The survey showed a sharply rising approval graph for Modi in the immediate context of the Balakote air strike on February 26 when it was seen at 56.64 per cent as opposed to 32.27 for Gandhi. The next day, February 27, the number of respondents showing approval for the Prime Minister went up marginally to 57.84 per cent as opposed to 31.08 per cent for Gandhi.

Then on March 1, the day IAF fighter pilot Abhinandan was released by Pakistan, the Prime Minister's approval rating crossed 60 per cent for the first time since January 1. The IANS-CVoter survey placed his approval at 60.04 per cent as opposed to Gandhi's at 29.52 per cent on that day. On March 2, this figure went up to 61.7 per cent. The highest approval was reached on March 6 -- 64.65 per cent -- as opposed to 26.05 per cent for the Congress president.

The survey notes: "In terms of leadership it is still a one-horse race as PM Modi leads his nearest rival by a wide margin and continues to be an asset to his party. Rahul Gandhi's rising trend has hit a roadblock and January 2019 has given way to March 2019 which seems to be a different beast altogether."

The release of the Congress party's manifesto on April 2 did not boost Gandhi's approval by much -- going up a shade from 33.58 per cent on April 2 to 34.32 per cent on April 3 (Modi's approval was 57.69 on the day) to 34.51 per cent on April 4 when approval for Modi was at a very comfortable 58.01 per cent.

--IANS

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday made a passionate appeal to the millennial generation exhorting them to select the nation above everything else while exercising their first-ever vote in the 2019 elections.

Addressing a rally at Ausa in this Marathwada district, Modi said that this generation, born in the 21st century, has got a lot from their families, people and the country as they stepped into adulthood.

"This is the opportunity to repay it... I ask you, will you ensure that your first vote will be for the Pulwama martyrs, for the poor to get homes, water or the farmers and health for all countrymen?

"You must only vote for the country and for a strong government," Modi urged.

He said that every vote that is cast for the Bharatiya Janata Party would "come directly to me..." and asked the Millenials to now vote only in favour of national interest.

Sharing the dais for the first time in 28 months with ally Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray, Modi assured that he would not let the aspirations of the people in backward Marathwada region go in vain and would take up developmental activities and ensure their faith is not belied.

After harsh criticism of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and its President Sharad Pawar in the past few rallies here, Modi on Tuesday warned the Maratha supremo of consequences of allying with the Congress.

"The manifesto of the Congress and its allies are anti-national... For decades, they have pushed the nation into insecurity and nobody has any expectation from the Congress... But you, Sharadrao, you? Does it suit a person of your stature to ally with such people," Modi thundered.

Accusing both the Congress and the NCP of pursuing 'dynastic' and promoting their families, he said they should learn from the late Shiv Sena founder-patriarch, Bal Thackeray.

"If he wanted, he could have become the Chief Minister or nominated his son Uddhav for the post... But he never did that and allowed other people in the party to come up."

Modi also attacked the Congress for promising to speak with separatists and not remove Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir in its Lok Sabha elections manifesto.

He said: "This is exactly what Pakistan wants... This will help Pakistan and the separatist forces. The Congress manifesto will break the country."

He blamed the Congress leadership for not standing up courageously to prevent the Partition in 1947 and said "Pakistan would never have existed in the first place."

Reiterating that the Congress and its allies were working against the country, he said: "They are after me... They are abusing me. They allege that we did not shoot down any Pakistan fighter plane, believing some report from somewhere and exploiting it to spread canards. How many proofs will you demand from the Indian Army and Indian Air Force?"

"This is the time to punish these people who have compromised on national security for electoral .. They should be made to lose their (election) deposits... I have stopped all their dirty games and now all our decisions are only in the national interest," Modi told the gathering.

He claimed that the Congress manifesto was to strengthen the family of 'naamdar' (Gandhis). He said the BJP's manifesto was to strengthen the country and the Congress' was only for votes.

In his address, Thackeray termed the Congress manifesto as 'fibbing' and lauded Modi for the BJP manifesto's promise to make farmers the 'centre' of development.

He also urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was also present on the dais, to iron out the creases in the farmers loan waiver and crop insurance schemes in Maharashtra.

Taunting Congress President Rahul Gandhi for the party manifesto, Fadnavis said that "when your great grandfather and grandmother could not eliminate poverty, how will you do it".

Tuesday's Ausa rally marked the first time that Modi and Thackeray shared the stage after 28 months.

Earlier, they had joined hands on December 24, 2016 for performing the 'jal pooja' for the proposed grand memorial of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the Arabian Sea, off Chowpatty in Mumbai, and later addressed a public meeting in the Bandra Kurla Complex.

--IANS

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Editor's Note Reporting on recent surveys from 34 African countries, Afrobarometer reports that the average preferred destination for those seeking to migrate breaks down with 29% opting for a country in their own region, 7% for elsewhere in Africa, 27% for Europe, 22% for North America, and 13% for some other region. The real message of this and other reports, however, is not a single highest-ranked location, but the wide diversity of migration experiences. Breakdowns by region within Africa and by country make this lesson even more pointed. The Afrobarometer report, for example, cites ranges from highs over 80% opting for their own region (Lesotho, eSwatini) to under 5% (Senegal, Gambia, Cape Verde, Morocco, and Mauritius). Of the 20 largest migration corridors in the latest (2017) estimates from the United Nations, 11 are within the continent, 5 from Africa to Europe, and 4 from Africa to Western Asia. This AfricaFocus Bulletin contains excerpts and selected infographics from the World Migration Report 2018 and from the Afrobarometer report, published in March this year, highlighting the diverse statistical patterns. Another AfricaFocus sent out today, and available on the web at http://www.africafocus.org/docs19/migr1904b.php, highlights the dangers of political mobilization of anti-immigrant sentiment (xenophobia), particularly aimed at immigrants from other African countries, evident in recent events in South Africa, but also potentially a source of violence in other African countries as well. For previous AfricaFocus Bulletins on migration, visit http://www.africafocus.org/migrexp.php See, in particular, for an overview from the UN Economic Commission for Africa: http://www.africafocus.org/docs18/migr1808.php ++++++++++++++++++++++end editor's note+++++++++++++++++ Migration and Migrants: Africa World Migration Report Update http://tinyurl.com/y9o3oz3z This World Migration Report update provides an overview of the latest data on international migrants in Africa. It is based on the most recent estimates from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). Released in December 2017, the international migrant stock datasets estimate the number of international migrants by age, sex and origin. In addition to presenting current data on international migrants in Africa, the update briefly discusses trends in African migration. Migration in Africa involves large numbers of migrants moving both within and out of the region. As shown in figure 1, in 2017 over 19 million Africans were living in another African country, a significant increase from 2015 when 16 million Africans were estimated to be living within the region. The number of Africans living in a different region only grew moderately during the same period, from around 16 million in 2015 to around 17 million in 2017. Figure 1 reflects that since 2000 international migration within the African region has increased significantly. And since 1990, the number of African migrants living outside of the region has more than doubled, with the growth to Europe most pronounced. In 2017, most African-born migrants living outside the region were residing in Europe (9.3 million), Asia (4.4 million) and Northern America (2.6 million). One of the most striking aspects to note about international migrants in Africa, as shown in figure 1, is the small number of migrants who were born outside of the region and have since moved there. Between 2015 and 2017, the number of migrants born outside the region remained virtually unchanged (around 2 million), most of whom were from Asia and Europe. The African countries with the largest number of emigrants tend to be in the north of the region. These are shown on the left-hand side of figure 2, where countries are ranked by their overall numbers of migrants (i.e. the combination of immigrants in the country and emigrants from the country). In 2017, Egypt had the largest number of people living abroad, followed by Morocco, Somalia, Sudan and Algeria. In terms of the number of immigrants, South Africa remains most significant destination country in Africa, with around 4 million international migrants residing in the country (or around 7% of its total population). The number of migrants moving to South Africa increased by nearly 1 million between 2015 and 2017. Other countries with high immigrant populations as a proportion of their total populations included Gabon (14%), Libya (12%), Djibouti (12%), the Gambia (10%) and Cote dIvoire (9%). The migration corridors above, calculated on the basis of the number of people born in the origin country now resident in the destination country, include 11 between neighboring African countries, 5 from North Africa to Europe, and 4 from North Africa to the Middle East. There are significant migration corridors within and from Africa, many of which are related to geographic proximity and historical ties, as well as displacement factors. The size of a migration corridor from country A to country B is measured as the number of immigrants from country A who were residing in country B in 2017.  In search of opportunity: Young and educated Africans most likely to consider moving abroad Afrobarometer Dispatch No. 288 | Josephine Appiah-Nyamekye Sanny, Carolyn Logan, and E. Gyimah-Boadi March 25, 2019 http://www.afrobarometer.org  Direct URL: http://tinyurl.com/y53nunr2 Summary By 2050, it is projected that one in every four humans will be African as the continent doubles its population, accounting for more than half of global population growth (United Nations, 2015; World Economic Forum, 2017). Even with a land mass greater than India, China, the United States, and Europe combined, and blessed with one-third of the earths mineral resources (Custers & Mattlysen, 2009; Bermudez-Lugo et al., 2014), will Africa be able to provide the livelihood opportunities its people demand and need? Despite significant economic growth in many African countries over the past two decades (United Nations, 2018), a substantial number of Africans still see leaving their country to seek out a better future as their best option. Willing to risk abuse and enslavement, death in the desert or at sea, and hardship upon arrival, African emigrants have placed themselves on front pages and political agendas around the world (Kekana, 2018; OToole, 2018). Although only 14% of the 258 million international migrants worldwide in 2017 were born in Africa  one-third the number of Asian-born migrants (United Nations, 2017)  sub-Saharan African nations account for eight of the 10 fastest-growing international migrant populations since 2010 (Pew Research Center, 2018). The number of emigrants from each of these sub- Saharan countries grew by 50% or more between 2010 and 2017. At the country level, only Syria had a higher rate of growth in the number of citizens living in other countries. While migration can have positive effects  filling labor gaps in destination countries (Rapoza, 2017) and producing remittances to help families back home (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2017)  it can also have negative consequences. Analysts have pointed to its drain on emerging economies (Capuano & Marfouk, 2013), and populist movements in the West have decried immigration as a threat to domestic employment, security, and national culture (Galston, 2018; Roth, 2017; Ratcliffe, 2017). For policy makers faced with managing the challenges of international migration, a detailed understanding of its forms, patterns, and causes is critical. A growing literature explores push and pull factors shaping emigration, highlighting the failure of African countries to create economic opportunities for their citizens (Kainth, 2015; Stanojoska & Petreveski, 2015; Gheasi & Nijkamp, 2017) but also arguing for the importance of social and political factors (Flahaux & De Haas, 2016). This dispatch draws on new Afrobarometer data from 34 national surveys to explore the perceptions and preferences of ordinary Africans when it comes to international migration. Findings show that more than one-third of Africans have considered emigrating, though far fewer are making actual plans to leave. The data support concerns about human-resource drain: The young and the educated are most likely to consider going abroad. Finding work and escaping economic hardship are the most frequently cited reasons to consider emigrating  fully in line with our earlier findings that unemployment is the most important problem that Africans want their governments to address and that among the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, SDG8 (decent work and economic growth) is the highest priority for ordinary Africans (Coulibaly, Silwe, & Logan, 2018). The most preferred destination for potential emigrants is neither Europe nor the United States, but another African country. Afrobarometer survey Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan research network that conducts public attitude surveys on democracy, governance, economic conditions, and related issues across more than 30 countries in Africa. Six rounds of surveys were conducted between 1999 and 2015, and findings from Round 7 surveys (2016/2018) are currently being released. Interested readers may follow our releases, including our Pan-Africa Profiles series of Round 7 cross- country analyses, at #VoicesAfrica and sign up for our distribution list at http://www.afrobarometer.org. Afrobarometer conducts face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondents choice with nationally representative samples that yield country-level results with margins of error of +/-2 to +/-3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. This dispatch relies on data from 45,823 interviews completed in 34 countries between September 2016 and September 2018 (see Appendix Table A.1 for a list of countries and fieldwork dates). The countries covered are home to almost 80% of the continents population. The data are weighted to ensure nationally representative samples. Each country is weighted equally; the Africa-wide data below are thus averages of national data, without adjustment for the size of the national populations. Key findings On average across 34 countries, one in four Africans (25%) say someone in their family has lived in another country during the past three years. About one in five (21%) say they depend at least a little bit on remittances sent from abroad.



More than one in three Africans (37%) have considered emigrating, including 18% who have given this a lot of thought. A majority of citizens say they have thought at least a little bit about leaving Cabo Verde (57%), Sierra Leone (57%), the Gambia (56%), Togo (54%), and Sao Tome and Principe (54%).

Among those who have considered emigrating (potential emigrants), on average one in 10 (9%)  or about 3% of the total population  say they are currently making preparations to move. These proportions are highest in Zimbabwe and Lesotho.



Young adults and highly educated citizens are most likely to consider leaving their country: Around half of each group say they have considered it at least a little bit.



In contrast, individuals experience of poverty does not have a large impact on their interest in emigrating, though it does significantly affect the reasons why they consider such a move: The poorest are much more likely to see emigration as a means of escape from their hardships, while the wealthiest are more likely to cite diverse motivations such as education, adventure, and business opportunities.



Among potential emigrants, more than one-third would like to move to another country within their region (29%) or elsewhere in Africa (7%). This preference for staying on the continent is especially strong in Southern Africa (58%) and weakest in North Africa (8%). Europe (27%) and North America (22%) are the most preferred destinations outside Africa.



In almost all countries, by far the most frequently cited reasons for emigrating are to look for work (44% on average) and to escape poverty and economic hardship (29%).



In line with widespread interest in intra-regional migration and the pursuit of economic opportunity, a majority (56%) of Africans think people should be able to move freely across international borders within their region. But the same proportion (56%) say they find it difficult to cross borders to work or trade in another country. Family abroad and remittances Since general ideas about emigration may be shaped, in part, by family experiences, Afrobarometer started by asking respondents whether they or anyone in their family had gone to live in another country for more than three months during the previous three years. On average across 34 countries, one in four people (25%) say they or relatives had lived abroad, ranging from about one in 10 in Madagascar (9%), Tanzania (10%), Tunisia (10%), and Zambia (11%) to more than four in 10 in Lesotho (44%), Zimbabwe (43%), and Niger (41%) (Figure 1). When asked to what extent, if at all, they depend on receiving remittances from relatives or friends living in other countries, about one-fifth (21%) of respondents say they rely a little bit (10%), somewhat (7%), or a lot (4%) on such monies from abroad. Almost half (47%) of Gambians say they depend at least a little bit on remittances, followed by 37% of Basotho, 31% of Cabo Verdeans, and 30% of Nigerians, compared to fewer than one in 10 Tanzanians (9%). Desire to emigrate How many Africans are thinking about leaving their home country to live elsewhere? On average across 34 countries, almost four in 10 (37%) say they have considered migrating, including 18% who have given this a lot of thought and another 19% who have considered it somewhat or a little bit (Figure 2). In five countries, more than half of respondents have at least considered migrating (a little, somewhat, or a lot): Cabo Verde (57%), Sierra Leone (57%), the Gambia (56%), Togo (54%), and Sao Tome and Principe (54%). More than one-third of citizens in Cabo Verde, Sierra Leone, and Sao Tome and Principe have thought a lot about leaving their country, and one-fifth or more of citizens have given serious consideration to departing in another 12 countries. Tanzania (14%) and Madagascar (13%) are the only countries where fewer than one in seven citizens have even considered emigration. Only 3% have given this prospect serious consideration in Madagascar, far below all other countries. Regionally, the desire to migrate is highest in Central Africa and West Africa, where more than four in 10 citizens (46% and 41%, respectively) have given thought to leaving their country (Figure 3). In contrast, fewer than one in three have considered emigration in Southern and East Africa (31% and 28%, respectively). Respondents were asked: How much, if at all, have you considered moving to another country to live? Potential emigrants are more numerous among men (40%) and urban residents (44%) than among women (33%) and rural dwellers (32%), while thoughts of moving abroad are about equally common among the relatively well-off and the poor 1 (Figure 4). But differences by respondents education level and age confirm concerns about migrations draining effect on emerging economies, especially the resultant loss of valuable human resources: The most-educated and the youngest adults are most likely to consider leaving their country. On average, more than half (51%) of all respondents with post- secondary educational qualifications say they have given at least a little consideration to emigrating, including one in four (24%) who have considered it a lot. By comparison, potential emigrants make up 43% and 29% of respondents with secondary and primary schooling, respectively, and 24% of those with no formal education. Similarly, almost half (47%) of the youngest respondents (aged 18-25 years) report having considered moving elsewhere  about two to three times as many as in cohorts above age 45. This pattern of larger proportions of potential emigrants among younger and better- educated respondents is the same in almost all surveyed countries (see breakdown by country, age group, and education level in Appendix Table A.2). But countries vary widely in the proportion of their youngest adults (aged 18-25) who have thought a lot about leaving, ranging from one in 10 or fewer in Burkina Faso (10%) and Madagascar (6%) to the extreme of 53% in Cabo Verde (Figure 5). Staying close to home? Despite the notion that Africans are on the move in search of greener pastures outside the continent, the International Organization for Migration (2017) reports that in fact more than 80% of Africas migration involves moving within the continent. This is to some degree reflected in responses when Afrobarometer asked those who have considered emigration where they would be most likely to. A plurality of potential migrants express a preference for a destination within Africa: 29% cite another country within their region, while 7% look elsewhere on the continent (Figure 8). For many others, the real costs and risks of emigrating may eventually temper ambitions to move around the globe, rather than around the region or the continent. But at least in the prospective stages, substantial numbers also consider destinations outside Africa: About one in four would prefer Europe (27%), followed closely by North America (22%); Australia and the Middle East (3% each) and Asia and Central/South America (2% each) attract much less interest. Southern Africans are most likely to want to stay within the region (51%) or on the continent (7%), although there is wide variation across individual countries in the region (Figure 9). More than eight in 10 potential migrants in Lesotho (84%) and eSwatini (83%), and more than two- thirds in Malawi (71%) and Zimbabwe (67%), prefer to remain within the Southern Africa region. In contrast, if residents of South Africa  the primary destination country within the region  are considering migration, they are far more likely to be looking outside the continent (69% say Europe, North America, or some other non-African destination), as are potential emigrants in Mauritius (87%) and Madagascar (76%). Compared to Southern Africa, residents of other regions are, to varying degrees, more likely to look outward. West Africans look beyond the continent by a margin of nearly 3 to 1 (72% vs. 25%) (Figure 10). But again, variation within the region is enormous: In Niger, 83% would stay in Africa, as would 63% of Burkinabe, but in Sierra Leone (91%), Senegal (91%), the Gambia (94%), and Cabo Verde (98%), more than nine out of 10 potential emigrants would opt to leave the continent. Europe is the first choice for Ivoirians (45%), Gambians (47%), Senegalese (54%), and Cabo Verdeans (66%), while Liberians (47%) and Sierra Leoneans (56%) are more inclined to look toward North America. In both Central and East Africa, an average of four in 10 (41% each) say they would stay within the region or the continent, while majorities (56% and 57%, respectively) would leave Africa (Figure 11). Only a handful of potential emigrants in North Africa would stay within the region or continent (just 14% in Sudan, 7% in Tunisia, and 1% in Morocco). Instead, Europe is the most popular destination for a majority in Morocco (68%) and Tunisia (58%), while the preferred destination for Sudanese would be a Middle Eastern country. Views on cross-border movement In line with high interest in intra-regional migration and the pursuit of economic opportunity, a majority of Africans favour free cross-border movement within their region. But they also say that crossing borders is difficult. In Afrobarometers Round 6 survey (2014/2015), 56% of respondents across 36 African countries said they agree or agree very strongly that people should be able to move freely across borders in order to work or trade in other countries in the region. Regionally, the call for citizens to be allowed to move freely across international borders is endorsed most strongly in West Africa (66%) and East Africa (64%) and is least popular in North Africa (38%) and Central Africa (44%) (Figure 16). More than three-fourths of citizens support free cross-border movement in Burkina Faso (81%), Benin (78%), and Kenya (76%). But in 15 countries, fewer than half of citizens agree. The view that governments should limit cross-border movement to protect citizens against foreign job- seekers and low-priced goods is strongest in Namibia (60%), Gabon (60%), Tunisia (58%), Botswana (57%), and Madagascar (51%) (Figure 17). Respondents were asked: Which of the following statements is closest to your views? Statement 1: People living in [your region of Africa] should be able to move freely across international borders in order to trade or work in other countries. Statement 2: Because foreign migrants take away jobs, and foreign traders sell their goods at very cheap prices, governments should protect their own citizens and limit the cross-border movement of people and goods. (% who agree or strongly agree that people should be able to move freely across borders) Conclusion A sampling of the views of ordinary citizens in 34 African countries appears to confirm widespread concerns about the potential scale of out-migration. More than one-third of Africans have at least considered emigrating to another country, including nearly one in five who have given it a lot of thought. And while the proportion of citizens who are actually making plans to move is far lower, this still represents very substantial numbers of potential emigrants in absolute terms. The profiles of those who consider leaving, and the reasons they give for contemplating this radical option, are revealing. While it is commonly assumed that most migrants are simply a countrys most impoverished citizens, Afrobarometer data show that  by large margins  youth and education are far more strongly correlated with interest in emigration than poverty. While we see a mix of both push and pull factors in the reasons that people cite for considering emigration, the youthful, educated profile of the pool of potential emigrants suggests that the pull of opportunity is the key factor here, rather than the push of poverty. Poverty has more impact on shaping the particular motivations individuals cite for seeking greener pastures, but it does not appear to significantly affect the overall desire to do so. These findings provide some appreciation of the importance of stemming the tide of migrants within and out of Africa  not just for destination countries that are concerned about their ability to absorb large numbers of immigrants, but also for the countries of origin, which are at risk of losing some of their most educated, motivated, and creative young people. In large numbers, Africans are considering  and even taking concrete steps toward  moving abroad, whether within their regional neighbourhood or across the globe. They are overwhelmingly motivated by a hunger for jobs and economic opportunity that they lack at home. In response, African governments must continue to grow their economies and expand opportunities for gainful employment and secure livelihoods at home in order to ensure that they continue to benefit from the productivity and creativity of their youngest, most motivated, and most productive citizens. Further, in light of strong popular interest in intra-African migration, it is telling that while a majority of Africans demand free movement across international borders within their region, the same proportion find it difficult to cross borders to work or trade in another country. African leaders have little control over stringent entry rules for the European Union and the United States, but they can, in the spirit of integration, act on citizens call for the removal of barriers to intra-African migration. AfricaFocus Bulletin is an independent electronic publication providing reposted commentary and analysis on African issues, with a particular focus on U.S. and international policies. AfricaFocus Bulletin is edited by William Minter. AfricaFocus Bulletin can be reached at africafocus@igc.org. Please write to this address to suggest material for inclusion. For more information about reposted material, please contact directly the original source mentioned. For a full archive and other resources, see http://www.africafocus.org
The then Union Home Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had wanted the controversial 'rath yatra' of L.K. Advani in 1990 to "go on", says a book authored by Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad who had arrested the BJP leader to scuttle his programme.

In his autobiography titled "Gopalganj to Raisina: My Political Journey", which was made available from Sunday, Lalu Prasad narrates how he was called to Delhi to discuss the issue related to the yatra.

"To be honest, nobody had asked me to stop the procession or arrest Advani. The Prime Minister (V.P. Singh) had said nothing. Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who was then the Union Minister for Home Affairs, called me to Delhi and enquired if I planned to detain Advani," he has written.

"Sayeed told me 'why are you taking upon yourself (to block the procession)? Let the yatra go on'," he added.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief, who was then in the Janata Dal, however, said he retorted by saying: "Aap sab ko satta ka nasha chad gaya hai (all of you are intoxicated by power)."

Prime Minister V.P. Singh had called a meeting of various Hindu religious figures, and these people impressed upon him that the yatra should not be blocked, Lalu Prasad said, adding that no solution could be arrived at even after several discussions.

He said it was clear in his mind that Advani's yatra was a direct threat to the minority community and communal harmony, and the secular character of the nation had to be protected at all costs.

Lalu Prasad said the initial plan was to arrest Advani in Sasaram on September 9, 1990 but it was leaked to him and he altered his route. He was then arrested from Samstipur the next day.

As consequences of his "bold decision", the two-time Chief Minister of Bihar said, some communal elements, who had been opposing the implementation of the Mandal Commission report, found in Advani's arrest a pretext to vent their anger.

While he dealt with them with an iron hand, Sayeed pleaded with him to allow Advani's release in the interest of the continuation of the National Front government, he said.

"I told him he was drunk on power, and banged the receiver down," he added.

The RJD supremo claimed that he had put meticulous planning to get Advani arrested because of his hunch that the BJP leader was leading a frenzied mob of volunteers to demolish the Babri mosque in Uttar Pradesh.

"I felt that by arresting him I had haled the demolition of the Babri mosque, which could well have happened in 1990 itself. I was at peace with myself over the realisation that I had done the right thing," Lalu Prasad said.

--IANS

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Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's wife was briefly arrested on Tuesday by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in a case related to a solar project.

Rosmah Mansor who faces 19 charges of corruption was called for questioning to the MACC headquarters, where she was arrested, the authorities said in a statement. Rosmah was later released on bail.

The police on Wednesday is expected to present more corruption charges against her in relation to a solar power project in the Sarawak state, on the island of Borneo, Efe news reported.

Rosmah, the anti-graft agency said, will be charged under Section 16 (A) of the MACC 2009 Act. The MACC said it obtained approval from the Attorney General's Chambers to frame charges against Rosmah.

Najib who faces 42 charges of corruption and his wife are accused of diverting funds from the state-owned investment agency, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), into their private accounts.

The former Prime Minister's legal troubles began in 2015 when a media investigation uncovered the diversion of 2.6 billion ringgit ($637 million) to his private accounts from 1MDB.

The first of the many corruption trials against Najib began on April 3, while the date is yet to be finalised for Rosmah.

Najib denies all charges. He lost the general election in May 2018 to the party, led by veteran Mahathir Mohamad, his former mentor. Mahathir opened investigation into corruption allegations against the former Prime Minister.

Besides Malaysia, about half a dozen other countries, including the US, Switzerland and Singapore, are investigating the scam.

According to the US Justice Department, of the $4.5 billion diverted from 1MDB, $1 billion would have been laundered in the US through purchase of real estate, yachts, jewellery and works of art.

--IANS

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The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on Tuesday said it may direct ArcelorMittal, in the next hearing on April 23, to deposit Rs 42,000 crore for acquisition of the insolvent Essar Steel in a separate account.

The two-member bench, headed by Justice S.J. Mukhopadhaya, also directed ArcelorMittal to file an affidavit detailing the steps to be undertaken in the resolution plan of Essar Steel.

Arcelor told the NCLAT that it is ready to bring in money, but can't deposit it without the lenders executing a debt assignment agreement in the favour of the company, adding that there is some reluctance on lenders' part to execute this agreement.

The Delhi-based appellate tribunal had approved ArcelorMittal's bid of Rs 42,000 crore on March 18, dismissing the Essar promoters Ruias' plea against the approval of the NCLT's Ahmedabad bench to the bid.

ArcelorMittal's resolution proposal for Essar Steel provides financial creditors Rs 41,987 crore out of their total dues of Rs 49,395 crore. Operational creditors, under the plan, would get Rs 214 crore against the outstanding Rs 4,976 crore. They are contesting this before the NCLAT.

Essar Steel owns a 10-million-tonne steel mill in Hazira, Gujarat. It was was among the first 12 cases selected by the Reserve Bank of India to be resolved under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.

According to reports, the company has recorded its best ever production at 6.8 million tonnes, higher by 10 per cent over the previous year and around 24 per cent in 2016-17.

--IANS

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Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that party's Nyuntam Aay Yojana (Nyay) was a powerful idea which has an "absolutely amazing resonance" in the field and claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot stop talking about it.

"NYAY is such a powerful idea. Absolutely amazing resonance in the field. Even PM (Past Master) can't stop talking about it," he said in a tweet.

Nyay promises to provide Rs 72,000 per year to the poorest 20 per cent families.

Gandhi also said that a Congress government will create a National Data Science Institute to create world-class data scientists.

In a Facebook post he said that Congress will create a national mission which will focus on future technologies such as big data, machine learning, internet of things, 3-D printing and knowledge networks.

He said in another post that a Congress government will spend two per cent of GDP on science and technology in association with the industry.

Gandhi said all vacant posts of scientists and researchers will be filled in 12 months.

"We feel that investment in science and technology is an investment in the country's future," he said.

--IANS

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Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Centre on Tuesday said that the number of people affected by the severe dry weather conditions prevailing across the island country had risen to over 321,000.

The worst affected districts were Vavuniya and Jaffna in the north, Puttalam in the North Western province and Kegalle in the Sabaragamuwa Province, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Disaster Management Centre said the lack of rains, especially in the mountainous areas, resulted in a severe water shortage.

Authorities said that they were continuing to send water bowsers into the areas to supply fresh water to the affected families.

The Meteorology Department said hot weather conditions were likely to rise further in the coming days.

--IANS

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Tearing into the Congress manifesto and its campaign slogan "Ab Hoga Nyay" for the Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the nation was seeking answers for the "anyay" (injustice) done by it during 60 years of its rule.

In an interview to CNN-News18, to be telecast on Tuesday, Modi accused the Opposition of speaking in the "same language as Pakistan" by questioning the Balakot air strikes and promising to amend the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA). He said those hiding behind the "mask" of secularism were the "biggest threat" to the country.

"This means they agree that in 60 years of their rule, they have done 'anyay'. What about justice to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots victims, the triple talaq sufferers, the farmers of Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh who were promised loan waivers? You promised them justice in just 10 days. It has been 100 days now.

"In the name of the Samjhauta case, you coined the term 'Hindu terror' to link Hindus to terrorism. This nation's Hindus are asking for justice. They want to know why they were branded terrorists. P.V. Narasimha Rao (former Prime Minister) is asking for justice. The Congress didn't allow his body to be kept at the party office even though he dedicated his life to them. His soul is asking for justice," Modi said.

He was responding to the question on the Congress promise of "NYAY", announced in its manifesto, and the campaign slogan "Ab Hoga Nyay".

Nyay is the acronym for the Congress' minimum income guarantee scheme -- the Nyuntam Aay Yojana -- under which the party has promised Rs 72,000 per year to 20 per cent of the poor, if voted to power.

Asserting that nationalism is not just about sloganeering, but about improving the lives of 1.3 billion people, Modi reiterated the protective layer of the AFSPA would continue to shield security forces, fighting terrorism in J&K. It was a "cause of concern" that the opposition was talking in the "same language as Pakistan", he said.

"Removing the AFSPA from J&K was the same as sending soldiers to the gallows. I will never let that happen to soldiers," he said.

On Opposition leaders seeking proof that the IAF strike hit targets, Modi said Islamabad's behaviour after the action on February 26 morning was a proof in itself.

"When you're fighting an enemy, this kind of language motivates them, confuses the nation and demoralises soldiers. At a time like this, all of us must speak in one language to boost our soldiers' pride and to honour their valour. There have been many wars earlier. Did anyone use such language then," he remarked.

The Prime Minister pointed to the Pakistan Army's early morning tweet that announced to the world that IAF had struck deep inside Pakistan.

On BSP supremo Mayawati's call to Muslims to vote for the Bahujan Samaj Party-Samajwadi party-Rashtriya Lok Dal alliance in UP, the Prime Minister said if such an appeal had been made for Hindus, the "secular brigade" and the "award wapsi gang" would have expressed outrage.

"It was not surprising that Mayawati is making such statements, as she is facing defeat. She is appealing to Muslims to specifically vote for her. This is a matter for the Election Commission to look into.

"I am more worried about the secular brigade. Why are they silent? Had someone made such an appeal to Hindus, they would have expressed outrage. The 'award wapsi' gang would have returned their awards and a signature campaign would have started. The biggest threat to India are these people who hide behind the mask of secularism," he said.

Ahead of the first phase of polling on April 11, Modi expressed confidence that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would return to power with an even bigger majority, riding "a wave across the nation, from the Kutch to the North-East".

"The BJP will expand its footprint across the country. We will maintain our hold where we had won the most and boost our vote share. Where we lost one or two seats, we will make gains," he said.

--IANS

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Bollywood biopic "PM Narendra Modi" on Tuesday was granted a 'unrestricted' (U) certificate for release by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), the film's director Omung Kumar B said.

"We knew it will happen. Finally, it's out," Omung told IANS.

In a statement, Omung said: "The team and I were convinced of what we have made. It's a piece of cinema and not propaganda and now the Censor Board has validated what we have been saying all along.

"Very thankful and excited for the April 11. I hope the audiences enjoy this film, which for me, has been my toughest film till date."

The film, which narrates the story of Modi from his humble beginnings to becoming the Prime Minister of India, will release on April 11, when the Lok Sabha elections begin.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted that the film, which features actor Vivek Anand Oberoi, has a run time of 130 minutes, 53 seconds.

The CBFC certificate for "PM Narendra Modi" came on the same day as the Supreme Court's dismissal of a plea seeking a stay on the film's release.

The court said the Election Commission is the appropriate authority to address the petitioner's concerns on whether the film should be released in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as it may tilt the balance or benefit a particular political party.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Upset with the decision of the Election Commission (EC) which ordered the transfer of a senior police officer investigating a sensitive matter, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday termed it as a "biased order".

The Chief Minister also said the Punjab government has decided to approach the EC to seek a review of the decision.

The EC had on Monday ordered the transfer of inspector general (IG) Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh following a complaint made against the officer by the opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

Singh, who was IG-border range, has been posted as IG-counter intelligence at Amritsar.

The EC has also directed the Punjab Chief Secretary to relieve Singh from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) looking into the police firing incident of October 2015 in Behbal Kalan village of Faridkot district following protests against sacrilege cases during the tenure of the SAD-BJP government at that time.

The EC has asked the state government not to assign any election related work to the IG.

The SAD had complained to the Punjab Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) pointing out that the IG had made political statements regarding the SIT probe in an interview last month.

The SIT is investigating the firing incident linked to the sacrilege cases in which top SAD leaders, including former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, and police officers during the SAD regime have been questioned.

"The Chief Minister had found the EC order, issued in response to a complaint by an Akali Dal leader, to be tantamount to being direct interference in the investigations into the Bargari firing incident and had decided to ask the Election Commission to reconsider the matter in the interest of justice and Constitutional propriety," a spokesperson of the Chief Minister said here on Tuesday.

"The Akalis had been trying unsuccessfully to scuttle the investigations into the sacrilege and subsequent firing cases that took place during their tenure, and were now resorting to desperate measures to save their skin," Amarinder said in a statement here.

He said: "The entire premise of the EC order was based on a flimsy complaint, which actually amounted to admission of guilt by the complainant. It was obvious that the complainant was running scared at the thought of exposure by the SIT, and had taken refuge in the SAD alliance with the BJP."

"Cognizant of the pathetic position of the SAD in Punjab, where the party was facing another ignominious defeat, the BJP was trying to save it at any cost," Amarinder added.

He said that "the brazen nexus between the BJP-SAD and EC was manifest in the latter's spate of recent orders and directives that were clearly skewed against the Congress, particularly in the states ruled by it".

"My government's sole intention in setting up the SIT, of which the IG was a key member and instrumental in the SIT's aggressive investigations, was to bring the culprits to book and take the probe in the 2015 case to its logical conclusion," Amarinder added.

The SIT had been carrying out its investigations as per the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, on a civil writ petition and their report was placed before the High Court, which had reposed full faith in the investigations and had declined to monitor the same, he pointed out.

"The investigations undertaken by the SIT were of the nature of a statutory requirement under the CrPC, in which even courts do not interfere. The EC was simply not authorised to interfere in such a matter," Amarinder said.

The Chief Minister said the Akalis wanted to prevent him and his government from bringing justice to the innocent victims of the 101 cases of sacrilege that had occurred in the state between 2015 and March 2017.

He said that he was committed to ensuring that justice is delivered to the families of the two dead victims and 17 others injured, including two maimed for life.

The Chief Minister urged the EC "not to allow its integrity to be compromised in such manner by the political vested interests of the ruling BJP and its allies, including SAD.

"People have faith in the EC institution but such actions are bound to destroy their trust," he added.

--IANS

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Calling Rafale fighter jet deal the biggest defence "corruption" since Independence, Congress President Rahul Gandhi has challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an open debate on the issue.

"Dear PM, scared of debating me on corruption? I can make it easier for you. Let's go open book, so you can prepare," Gandhi tweeted.

His remarks came following Modi's recently interview to a television in which he spoke on the Rafale deal.

A Congress statement also followed Gandhi's tweet, saying that Modi should accept the party President's challenge.

"Modiji who screams and scrams on the issue of corruption must open his mouth on the 'Loot and Scoot' of 28 economic offenders like Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Vijay Mallya, Jatin Mehta among others who looted Rs 1 lakh crore from our banks. Modiji must tell who in his PMO was 'managing the money collections' during demonetisation as shown in the video sting today," the statement said.

In election season, Modi can brazenly use government agencies as "political allies" to target opponents but cannot run away from his role in the Rafale scam, the Congress said. "Brand new evidences of "subverting procedures", "naked crony capitalism", "compromising national interests", "gross impropriety" and "colossal corruption" have once again been exposed in the Rafale scam."

The Congress further said on April 10, 2015, a joint statement was signed by Modi and French President Hollande in France which reduced the original 126 aircrafts deal to just 36 aircraft deal.

On August 5, 2015, the party said, Modi government "mischievously" amended the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2013 (formulated by Congress-UPA), to give huge leeway to Dassault Aviation and its French associate MBDA.

Congress said that the first Rafale aircraft purchased by Modi government doesn't get delivered till September 2019 and all the 36 aircrafts would be delivered to India only by the year 2022, 8.5 years after the placement of order

"The bulk of the offset obligations such as 57 per cent would only be met after 15.5 years (8.5 years for the aircraft to arrive and 7 more years for offset obligations)."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Superstar Rajinikanths next Tamil film, titled "Darbar", will mark his return to playing a police officer after 25 years. Its title and first look was unveiled on Tuesday.

Rajinikanth was last seen playing a police officer on-screen in the 1992 Tamil film "Pandian". His other police officer role includes Alex Pandian from "Moondru Mugam", which released in 1982.

Murugadoss took to Twitter to unveil the film's title and first look poster.

"Here you go guys. The first look of our very own Thalaivar in Darbar," he wrote, confirming that the film will hit the screens during Pongal festival next year.

The poster features the headshot of a happy Rajinikanth. It also features a caption - 'You decide whether you want me good, bad or worse.'

On Monday, it was officially announced that Nayanthara has been roped in to play the leading lady in the film.

After working with Rajinikanth in "Chandramukhi" and also briefly in "Kuselan", this is the third time Nayanthara has teamed up with the 68-year-old star.

Popular lensman Santosh Sivan will crank the camera while Anirudh Ravichander will compose the music. Sreekar Prasad will take care of editing.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Get AfricaFocus Bulletin by e-mail! Format for print or mobile South Africa: Politicians Scapegoating Immigrants AfricaFocus Bulletin

April 9, 2019 (190409)

(Reposted from sources cited below) Editor's Note In what became a debate amongst a small group of residents [in Alexandra], another resident Kabelo Tsotetsi, defended immigrants, saying they were starting their own businesses and not taking jobs from South Africans. Tsotetsi said: Our government doesnt make it easy for foreigners to live here, they dont get help. They come from countries where they are severely oppressed and they come here and face the same struggles as us. We are all Africans fighting for our dignity. - GroundUp, April 3, 2019 Such debates could undoubtedly be paralleled in many other countries, in Africa and around the world. But whether the tensions escalate to harassment or even violence depends in large part on the actions of politicians and other community leaders. Such political mobilization in South Africa, Jean Pierre Misago found in an empirical survey of incidents from 1994 to 2018, consistently provided the trigger for violence. And comments by politicians are again stirring up resentment in the lead up to national elections in May. This AfricaFocus Bulletin contains several articles on recent incidents in South Africa, including one drawing on parallel cases in West Africa from decades earlier. Another AfricaFocus Bulletin sent out today, and available on the web at http://www.africafocus.org/docs19/migr1904a.php, highlights recent data on the large proportion of African migrants who choose to move to other countries in the continent rather than more distant destinations. Also of interest: BBC News, "How Common are Xenophobic Attacks," April 7, 2019

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47800718 Shola Lawal, GHANA MUST GO: The ugly history of Africas most famous bag, Mail & Guardian, April 5, 2019

http://tinyurl.com/yxbcrehx Bheki C. Simelane, Xenophobia, crime and poverty trigger anger in Alexandra, Daily Maverick, 3 April 2019

http://tinyurl.com/y2tsb6zj Paddy Harper, Resolute in the face of xenophobia, Mail & Guardian, 5 Apr 2019

http://tinyurl.com/yy2me9yw Jean Pierre Misago, Political Mobilisation as the Trigger of Xenophobic Violence in Post-Apartheid South Africa, International Journal of Conflict and Violence, 2019

http://www.ijcv.org/index.php/ijcv/article/view/646/pdf For previous AfricaFocus Bulletins on migration, visit http://www.africafocus.org/migrexp.php On South Africa in particular, see

http://www.africafocus.org/docs17/migr1703.php, http://www.africafocus.org/docs15/sa1504.php, http://www.africafocus.org/docs14/sa1410.php, http://www.africafocus.org/docs10/xeno1008.php, and http://www.africafocus.org/docs08/xen0805.php ++++++++++++++++++++++end editor's note+++++++++++++++++ Xenophobic attacks in South Africa ahead of elections South Africas election season rhetoric has sparked fresh xenophobic attacks on African migrants By Lynsey Chutel April 2, 2019 Quartz Africa https://qz.com/africa/ - Direct URL: http://tinyurl.com/y5cpff45 Xenophobic violence has erupted in South Africa again, in a cycle that is now being fueled by politicians ramping up anti-immigrant rhetoric in a country where foreigners are easy targets. Last week, Malawians living among South Africans in a squatter camp on the outskirts of Durban were attacked by their neighbors. More than 100 crowded into a police station for protection and were eventually housed in a tent in an open field. Unconfirmed reports said two people were killed. The latest attacks were vigilantes who were said to have found a Malawian man with stolen goods. Over several days, Malawians in the settlement were targeted as retribution. Calm was restored by Apr. 1, after South Africans officials intervened, the local Islamic Society and other NGOs negotiated and the Malawian community of Durban had to write a letter apologizing on behalf of one man, according to a statement from the mayors office. No arrests were made. Elias Twaibu barely survived the 2015 attacks in Durban in which several people were killed. The 30-year-old went back home to Malawi, but that countrys economic straits drove him back to South Africa, where was again attacked last week. Coming back to a country that stripped me of my dignity became my only option, he told the Sunday Tribune, Durbans local weekly. I was so desperate and impoverished that I came back here. Its a decision I truly regret making. The attacks arent usually targeted against one nationality, with Somalis, Congolese, Mozambicans, Nigerians and Zimbabweans all bearing the brunt throughout the last decade of anti-immigrant violence. The 2015 attacks were fueled by comments made by Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini as he flexed his political muscles. This time, the thread may not seem as direct, but the attacks come after weeks of anti-immigrant rhetoric by South African politicians. On Monday (Apr. 1), president Cyril Ramaphosa condemned the attacks, reminding South Africans that they owe their African neighbors a debt of gratitude for their support during the struggle against apartheid. Yet, just days earlier, Ramaphosa himself scapegoated foreigners while on the campaign trail. Everybody just arrives in our townships and rural areas and set up businesses without licenses and permits. We are going to bring this to an end, he said at a rally. Despite recurrent xenophobic attacks in South Africa, the opposition from civil society has also been strong. Credit: Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (http://tinyurl.com/y2p9frkf) As the ANC government struggles to provide basic services, they have blamed foreigners for burdening the public service. In November last year, health minister Aaron Motsoaledi said the health service was collapsing in part due to the weight that foreign nationals are bringing to the country. He defended his comments, saying it had nothing to do with xenophobia, its a reality. Thats the same line taken up by the official opposition, the Democratic Alliance. Securing our borders, has become a key part of their election manifesto, blaming the ANC for failing immigration policies. Theyve linked immigration to their main campaigning points, job creation and crime. Johannesburg attracts more than 3,000 people every month and not all of those people are registered, said DA leader Mmusi Maimane, calling for more secure borders and taxes on foreign-owned businesses. Its worth noting that Maimane and the DAs policy zero in on inner-city Johannesburg and Pretoria, home to many African immigrants, and not Cape Town, a DA stronghold and a favorite of expats, code for white immigrants. The biggest challenge is that people dont have work here, he added. The other issue that is becoming problematic is that our citizens dont feel safe. Its an immigration strategy Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba has employed more blatantly and much longer, blaming foreigners for urban decay. When finally providing low-income housing, Mashaba ensured that they were only to be occupied by South Africans, potentially splitting up mixed families. Smaller parties who want to be noticed have adopted the same prejudice as policy. In 2008, more than 60 people were killed in attacks on foreigners, and since then this violence has never quite disappeared. Fuelled by economic insecurity, these attacks are mostly perpetrated by black South Africans target African migrants, the vulnerable attacking the most vulnerable. That this hatred is now being picked up by politicians is cynical, and terrifying. Immigrants robbed and forced to sleep outside in Durban Victims of latest xenophobic violence blame electioneering by politicians GroundUp, 28 March 2019 By Musa Binda https://www.groundup.org.za  Direct URL: http://tinyurl.com/y4gwkfag About 100 immigrants, mostly from Malawi, are currently having to sleep in an open space near Sydenham police station in Durban. Xenophobic attackers have driven them away from the homes they were renting. Dozens of people, mostly from Malawi, are sleeping outside in Sydenham, Durban. Credit: Musa Binda The displaced foreign nationals blame government officials for the ongoing attacks. They told GroundUp that politicians on the campaign trail have been using fear of immigrants to drum up support, for example by promising to tighten borders after the upcoming election to control the number of immigrants entering the country. This sends South Africans a message that we are not welcome. And the only way they can communicate that is by attacking us, said a man who asked not to be named. He said the recent attacks started in Kenville when a group of about 100 people stormed several tuckshops owned by Somalians and started looting on Sunday night. He said that a woman who was trying to run away from the attackers by walking on a building roof fell off and died. In an attempt to retaliate, the Somalians shot at the crowd and one person was killed while two others were rushed to hospital for medical attention. It got ugly as several shops were looted and burnt. The attacks then moved to Burnwood, said the man. To verify the mans story, we spoke to the police. SAPS spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Thulani Zwane said a case of murder and and an inquest docket were being investigated by Sydenham and Greenwood Park police stations. He said several other cases of public violence, arson, damage to property and looting were opened as chaos led to the looting of foreign-owned tuck shops, torching of their cars and houses. He said police were monitoring the situation. Miriam Mussa, a Malawian immigrant, is currently sleeping in the open with her toddler daughter. It was about 1am on Monday when we were forced out of our rented rooms. I was with my baby and my husband. Even though they did not hurt us after seeing that we had a small baby, they allowed us to leave with only the clothes we were wearing. We watched them as they took out all our furniture, she said. She said that her family has been sleeping for two days in the open, and her daughter has become sick. I think its because she is too weak to withstand the kind of cold we are exposed to. It could also be caused by the fact that we are starving here, said Mussa, who came to South Africa three years ago to look for a job. She found one as a domestic worker in the area. Another Malawian, John Valleta, said the attackers told them that they were angry because foreign nationals were taking their jobs. They said we were a bad influence on the employers because we accept cheap labour yet we accept long hours and loads of work. They said for this reason employers preferred employing foreigners and that angers South Africans because it left them with no jobs. They wanted us to go back to our countries and they were going to make that happen the hard way. He claimed that during the attacks scores of immigrant men were injured because the attackers beat them. He said despite sleeping in the open they still felt less safe because they dont know what the attackers are planning next. Ethekwini Municipality Deputy Mayor Fawzia Pier visited the displaced people and promised that better shelter was being arranged. Pier said that a meeting with residents was being planned. Alexandra shut down as residents take to the streets by Zoe Postman GroundUp, 3 April 2019 http://tinyurl.com/y2el95q4 Thousands of residents of Alexandra in Johannesburg shut down the township on Wednesday morning, demanding that Mayor Herman Mashaba address them on solutions to problems with overcrowding, water and electricity. Residents started blockading streets in Alexandra with burning tyres and garbage at about 5am. Protesters marched down London road, moving towards the N3 highway, and ended up near the Marlboro Gautrain station where they expected to be addressed by Mashaba. Mashaba sent Yao-Heng Michael Sun, Mayco Member for Public Safety, to address the crowd but they would not allow him to speak. They insisted on being addressed by Mashaba. According to the 2011 census, about 180,000 people live in Alexandra. The township is close to Sandton, one of the most affluent suburbs in Johannesburg. Protesters said Alexandra was being neglected and they would not vote in the upcoming elections if the City of Johannesburg did not address the issues they faced. Resident Thabisile Ndaba, who was born in Alexandra and has lived there all her life, said the constant building of new shacks had resulted in overpopulation. When you open your window, theres a new shack. When you open your door, theres a new shackWe are not against any foreigners or fighting with anyone. We just want the City to stop the building of new shacks because this situation is out of hand. Some people are even building shacks on the pavements where people have to walk. she said. As a result of the overpopulation, Ndaba said, basic services such as water and electricity were stretched thin and the residents of Alexandra were suffering the consequences. She said the City should build more flats and houses so that people would stop erecting new shacks. But another resident, Judy Makwana, said she wanted foreign nationals to leave the country because they were taking jobs from South Africans. We want our children to get work, thats why Im here. Im fighting for my kids, said Makwana. She accused the City of treating immigrants better than South Africans and said she would not vote in the forthcoming elections. She said immigrants live in nice houses while our grannies live in one room shacks with five other people. In what became a debate amongst a small group of residents, another resident Kabelo Tsotetsi, defended immigrants, saying they were starting their own businesses and not taking jobs from South Africans. Tsotetsi said: Our government doesnt make it easy for foreigners to live here, they dont get help. They come from countries where they are severely oppressed and they come here and face the same struggles as us. We are all Africans fighting for our dignity. He said people should be looking to government for answers on why it had failed its people instead of finding reasons to blame each other.  How not to handle migration in South Africa: Lessons from West Africa by Mukoni Ratshitanga News24.com, 02/04/2019 http://tinyurl.com/y2cxasfe Mukoni Ratshitanga is head of content at POWER 98.7. With the ANC and DA entering the sensitive migration issue via an election campaign, there is a very real danger that the situation might one day spiral out beyond their control, writes Mukoni Ratshitanga. Former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo has proffered advice to African political parties and citizens on the thorny issue of migration across the continent. In an exclusive interview on POWER 98.7, Obasanjo said: "Migration is something that must be handled with dexterity, with responsibility and with sensitivity on the continent of Africa." He appealed to political parties who are apprehensive of migrants to "think again". The elderly African statesman, who was in South Africa last week to attend the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Solidarity Conference on Western Sahara, said: "What you think you will gain in terms of jobs for your people by keeping other people from other countries away will amount to nothing." Nigeria-Ghana experience Referring to the January 1983 Executive Ordinance by the then Nigerian president, the recently deceased Shehu Shagari, which expelled over two million  most of them Ghanaian citizens  from Nigeria, Obasanjo said: "We tried it in Nigeria; it didn't work."  The Shagari Ordinance came against the backdrop of a cocktail of socio-economic fortunes and misfortunes rooted in the complex West African and African history. The years 1973  1981 witnessed a rise in the oil price  Nigeria's main source of revenue  which enabled the state to make significant investments in public works and light industries. This pull-factor brought greater numbers of migrants from neighbouring countries into Nigeria, a process further propelled by the 1973 and 1974 drought in the Sahel region. Things would predictably take a different turn by the early 1980s. The oil price fell sharply in 1981, the Nigerian economy declined, along with industrial investment, while urban unemployment  affecting two thirds of urban workers  rose. Worse still, widespread corruption during the period of the Shagari government only served to aggravate the situation. An International Monetary Fund (IMF) Structural Adjustment Programme which imposed unpopular cuts in social expenditure followed in 1983, an election year in Nigeria. The confluence of negative socio-economic circumstances impacted on the political sphere, drawing into the potent mix, migrants who, until then, had not featured prominently in the Nigerian public discourse. On January 17, 1983, the Nigerian government ordered all unskilled and undocumented migrants to leave the country within 14 days. They were accused of taking away jobs from citizens, engaging in crime and other forms of deviant social conduct, while allegations of conspiracy to register migrants as voters in the general election of August that year were levelled against the opposition.  Shagari would win the elections by a comfortable margin of four million votes more than the second most popular contestant, Obafemi Awolowo. What goes around comes around: the 1969 Ghanaian expulsion of Nigerians Fourteen years earlier in 1969, the Ghana government had expelled 150 000 Nigerians who had lived in Ghana for decades, eking out a livelihood as traders, workers, farmers and other professions. At the time, the Ghanaian economy was cocoa-dependent, and the commodity provided for over 70% of foreign exchange earnings. The 20 years from 1950  1970 witnessed a continuous decline in the world cocoa price which had dropped by 75% by 1969. A pattern emerges here: the greater the economic hardship, the louder the anti-immigrant decibels become. Nigerian academics Johnson Aremu and Adeyinka Ajayi would later note, in a paper published in 2014 that, "With Ghana's continued economic misfortunes, the Government and popular press really had no difficulty turning to aliens as scapegoats for their malaise. "The expulsion order may also be seen as an attempt by [Prime Minister] Kofi Busia to win the confidence of the masses and restore the legitimacy of his government. Since government was losing its grip on the economic survival of the country, Busia and his cabinet members were left with little or no choice than to seek solace in sending away non-nationals as a way of appeasing the anger of the masses."  Enemies of Africa Last week, President Obasanjo had strong words for those who hold and propagate anti-immigrant positions. "Anybody who is a party to it," he said, "I would say he's an enemy of Africa. And if any political party is doing that, I would say, they should think again." He stressed that he, as a matter of principle, would never be party to "stopping any African from moving freely within Africa. I will never be a party to it." He said that law enforcement agencies of immigrant recipient countries should address measures against criminal conduct among immigrants rather than tarnish everyone with the same brush. "If they are criminals, of course you shouldn't allow criminals." He implored political parties to understand that migration is an age-old phenomenon which pre-dates the formation of the nation state. "Migration is what has kept the world going. And I believe that nothing should stop [it]" adding that "migrants have a lot to offer" to host countries.  Migrants, the 2019 general election and Pan Africanism For the very first time since 1994, this year the immigrant question is serving as an election issue. It entered the electoral terrain in dramatic fashion when, in November last year, City of Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba, generated a little storm in a tea cup; 'arresting' a man for carrying a cow head destined for dismembering and eventual sale in the informal market. Endorsing his boss' 'arrest,' David Tembe, the chief of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) claimed that the man was an undocumented migrant. Mashaba boldly claimed that his intervention was a preventative measure against the Ebola disease, suggesting that Africans from beyond our borders are nothing but mobile carriers of disease! But the entire spectacle was suspect. It bore the hallmarks of the launch of a choreographed anti-African immigrant electoral platform by Mashaba's party, the Democratic Alliance (DA). For while Mashaba was shopping for publicity and applause by targeting a lone informal trader in the streets of Johannesburg and making emotive and offensive statements about other Africans, DA Member of Parliament Jacques Julius was simultaneously engaged in his own lengthy Twitter campaign along the South African and Mozambican border, demanding that the government "Secure[s] Our Borders". A coincidence? I have my doubts. There followed by a plethora of potentially inflammatory public statements by politicians from across the political divide about the burden placed on the country's fiscus by immigrants, the supposed unfair competition they brought to local small business owners and other remarks that provoke bigoted discourse in the public space. In fact, to be fair to the DA, the most virulent charge against migrants was led by Safety and Security Deputy Minister Bongani Mkongi at a press conference in July 14, 2017. To illustrate the gravity of his stance, it is best to quote him in full: "The question arises and we must investigate also what the law of South Africa is saying, how can a city in South Africa be 80% foreign nationals. That is dangerous. That in Hillbrow and the surrounding areas, South Africans have surrendered their own city. The nation should discuss that particular question.  "We are surrendering our land and it is not xenophobia to talk [the] truth. We fought for this land from a white minority. We cannot surrender it to the foreign nationals. That is a matter of principle. We fought for this country, not only for us, for the generations of South Africans.  "I want to ask the nation South Africa and the so-called human rights activists and organisations what must the police do when they are shot at by criminals? Must they sing 'Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika or must they return fire? We are losing police officers day in and day out but we are protecting criminals who are terrorising our people. We are 52 million people. If each and every of us can be a police officer and fight against crime we will squeeze crime in South Africa." Framing the discussion this way is most unhelpful for obvious reasons, the most glaring being the use of statistics which no one knows the source from whence they are drawn. Most importantly, we close room for appreciating the benefit that South Africa receives from immigrant labour, skilled and unskilled, professionals like doctors employed in the South African public health system and the private sector, academics and others as well as the cross-cultural pollination every society requires for its own evolution and development.  With these two major parties entering the sensitive migration issue via an election campaign, and so many high-ranking politicians speaking emotively in a manner that scapegoats migrants for our abiding structural socio-economic challenges, there is a very real danger that the situation might one day spiral out beyond their control, with catastrophic consequences for the human beings involved and for our country's relations with the rest of the African continent and the world. The irony of history is that it is the DA, a liberal party with very little commitment to the continent of Africa, which, in the context of a difficult election for the ANC, baited the ANC, a Pan African formation, to enter the immigrant question with haste, resorting to potentially dangerous populism. The unavoidable question the ANC needs to ponder over is whether it has lost its Pan African vision and what the implications are for South Africa's relations with the rest of the continent.  It is vitally important not to lose sight of the social and economic justice imperatives at play here. The inequitable distribution of resources within and between countries is one of the drivers of migration within and beyond the continent. It also foments the resentments that lead to hostility towards migrants. It is not enough or acceptable to replace such a considered approach with simplistic and populist high-pitched shrills bemoaning the presence of migrants. AfricaFocus Bulletin is an independent electronic publication providing reposted commentary and analysis on African issues, with a particular focus on U.S. and international policies. AfricaFocus Bulletin is edited by William Minter. AfricaFocus Bulletin can be reached at africafocus@igc.org. Please write to this address to suggest material for inclusion. For more information about reposted material, please contact directly the original source mentioned. For a full archive and other resources, see http://www.africafocus.org
The BJP on Tuesday released the names of the 40 party leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah as star campaigners in Jharkhand for the Lok Sabha polls.

Interestingly, this list includes Ranchi Lok Sabha MP Ramtahal Chaudhary, who has already announced his intent to fight the elections as independent.

The BJP has denied tickets to four sitting Lok Sabha MPs from Jharkhand - Ramtahal Chaudhary (Ranchi), Rabindra Rai (Koderma), Rabindra Pandey (Giridih) and Karia Munda (Khuti).

All these four MPs, who have been denied tickets, figure in the list of the BJP's star campaigners.

Among the other star campaigners are Hema Malini, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, former Chief Minister Arjun Munda and Chief Minister Raghubar Das.

Ramtahal Chaudhary, who has announced that he will fight as an independent candidate, is likely to file his nomination for the Ranchi Lok sabha seat on March 18. He is banking on the votes of the Mahto community. According to him, there are five lakh voters of the Mahto caste in the constituency.

BJP however, finds no problem regarding Chaudhary's name in its list of star campaigners.

"He has not quit the party", BJP spokesperson Pradeep Sinha told IANS.

IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A suspected militant on Tuesday shot and wounded a RSS leader, Chandrakant Singh, outside a hospital in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar town, killing his personal security officer, police said.

A senior police officer, who did not want to be named, said Singh was admitted to a hospital in critical condition.

Singh was employed at the hospital outside which he was attacked. His guard was killed on the spot. The militant fled with the service rifle of the guard.

Authorities immediately imposed restrictions in Kishtwar town and suspended Internet facility in a bid to maintain law and order.

A cordon and search operation had been started in the area, a police officer said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Saudi Arabia welcomed on Tuesday the US decision to blacklist the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a "terrorist group", state media reported.

An official from the Saudi Foreign Ministry said that the decision was "a serious counter-terrorism step" and reiterated the renewed demands of the kingdom to the international community to fight Iran-backed terrorism, Saudi Press Agency reported.

The official called upon countries to take a "substantial role" to tackle the operations of the IRGC in disturbing international security and peace, the report said.

Designating the IRGC a "foreign terrorist organisation" on Monday, US President Donald Trump said: "This unprecedented step, led by the Department of State, recognizes the reality that Iran is not only a state sponsor of terrorism, but that the IRGC actively participates in, finances and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft."

--IANS

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The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the plea seeking stay on release of "PM Narendra Modi", a biopic on the Prime Minister.

The court said that the appropriate body to address the petitioner's concerns is the Election Commission, as it is a constitutional body.

The EC should decide if the release of the film in the wake of upcoming Lok Sabha elections tilts the balance or benefits a particular political party during the elections.

The apex court said that too much time of the court has been wasted already, therefore, the EC should decide whether it is violation of the model code of conduct.

The court even refused to see the trailer of the film.

Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said that the certificate of the film is yet to be issued and asked the EC to decide how does the film impact the upcoming elections, and creates political mileage for a particular party.

Rubbishing the arguments of counsel for petitioner the court said the film is not yet released. "How does it disturb the natural balance of level playing field in politics" -- cannot be decided by the court, the bench said.

--IANS

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The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the Assam Chief Secretary to file an affidavit before April 25 recommending better measures for the release of detenues in the state detention centres.

The Bench, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, observed that the centres were in a dilapidated condition.

The court directed the government to come up with possible methodology to release the alleged illegal foreigners, especially those who have been held up for long.

The Bench took into consideration the government plea that observations made during the hearing of the case could impact the parliamentary elections in the state, and therefore, the plea should be heard after April 23, when Assam goes to the polls.

The petition will be heard on April 25.

The court discarded the government's claims that the detention centres were "not in extremely bad shape" and said it was not a place where anybody would like to be.

The court was informed that 915 people were in the detention centres.

The CJI directed the Chief Secretary to conduct a meeting with all stakeholders in the case and file an affidavit on or before April 23, with all the details of releasing the detenues.

During the hearing, advocate Prashant Bhushan suggested the detenues could be released on the assurance or surety of being Indian citizens, and in case of criminals, technology could used to keep a track of them.

Bhushan mentioned radio tagging the people with criminal background.

--IANS

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Bharatiya Janata Party's promises on the economic front mentioned in its manifesto including the investment of Rs 100 lakh crore in infrastructure over the next five years and pension to marginal farmers seem over-ambitious, experts said.

The promises if implemented would have a huge impact on the country's exchequer, they said. The slow down in several economic indicators adds the scepticism towards the actual implementation of the decisions.

The manifesto said that by 2024, the party, would make capital investment of Rs 100 lakh crore in the infrastructure sector, which has raised eyebrows in many quarters.

Expressing astonishment over the promised investment amount N.R. Bhanumurthy, Professor at National Institute of Public Finance and Policy said that it is unrealistic as Rs 100 lakh crore is over 50 per cent of country's GDP.

"It is very important to know how the proposed number has been generated," Bhanumurthy told IANS.

Former Chief Statistician Pronab Sen said that the political parties do not actually tend to spend the amount of money they promise in manifestos and while presenting a budget they would come out with more pragmatic proposals.

The BJP on Monday reiterated its promise to double farm income by 2022, extend PM-KISAN scheme to all farmers, and give pension for small and marginal farmers.

At times when the country also has to maintain fiscal deficit, these schemes would have

The 'Sankalpit Bharat Sashakt Bharat', released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah, also pledged an investment of Rs 25 lakh crore to improve productivity in the farm sector.

--IANS

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Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza were indicted by an accountability court in the Ramzan Sugar Mills corruption case on Tuesday.

Both father and son -- opposition leaders in the National Assembly and Punjab Assembly respectively -- pleaded not guilty to the charges against them which involve the misuse of their authority and the illegal use of public funds, Dawn online reported.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in February had filed a reference against the two alleging that the former Chief Minister of Punjab misused his authority by using public funds for the construction of a ditch to facilitate Ramzan mills, owned by his sons.

As the hearing began, Judge Najamul Hassan asked the NAB prosecutor what the Ramzan Sugar Mills reference was, to which the prosecutor replied that public funds were used to build a "nullah" for the mills.

In his defence, Sharif said: "In 10 years, I have saved the country billions of rupees, and God knows that. I had nothing to do with this 'nullah', and no money was wrongfully used."

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on February 14 had granted bail to Sharif in the Ashiana Iqbal Housing scheme and Ramzan Sugar Mills graft cases. The opposition leader was earlier indicted in the Ashiana scheme case.

Hamza Sharif was granted pre-arrest bail till April 17 by the LHC, which also restrained NAB from arresting him in cases pertaining to ownership of assets beyond means, until further notice. He was also directed to submit bail bonds worth Rs 10 million.

NAB carried out two raids last week at the PML-N President's Model Town residence to arrest his son.

--IANS

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A team of doctors in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital here has removed the "longest ureteric" stone from the ureter of a 35-year-old woman from Uttar Pradesh, the hospital said on Tuesday.

The stone was 22 cm long and weighed 60 grams, said a hospital statement, adding that its length was approximately the same as that of the ureter -- a urinary pipe leading from the kidney to the bladder. The normal length of the ureter is around 25 cm.

"It was the longest ureteric stone till date removed by city doctors using robot. The stone was removed from the ureter. The longest ureteric stone reported till now was by Taylor (an Urologist) which was 21.5 cms," said the statement.

The stone was detected inside the body of Natasha, a resident of Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh.

The team of doctors involved in the operation included Sachin Kathuria, Ajay Sharma and Vikram Batra. They used robot (known as Da Vinci) to remove the stone in a single stage in an exhaustive procedure lasting four hours, said the statement.

The surgical robot is available only in a handful of hospitals and helps make the surgery scar free and in early recovery, it said.

Kathuria, Consultant (Department of Urology) at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, told IANS that the operation was conducted on March 23 and the patient was discharged on March 26.

Speaking about the speciality about the case, Kathuria said: "Such large stones were traditionally removed by open or large incision procedures. Although current technology allows many modes of treating the stone with minimal invasion, none is fool proof and may need staged attempts at complete removal.

"The use of surgical robot made it possible to remove such a long stone in a single surgery and allowed the stone removal with minimum scar and quick recovery."

Kathuria said that kidney stones were very common occurrence in this part of the country and that the large stone burden were also not uncommon and needed multitude of treatment forms to remove them completely.

The functional outcome of the surgery was very reassuring and satisfactory and the patient was doing well, he said.

According to the hospital, North India remains a stone hub and prevention can only be done by adequate fluid intake. "If detected in time, the surgery is scar free."

--IANS

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China has financed and constructed Sri Lanka's first new railway line after the island nation became independent in 1948.

The 26.75-km long Matara-Beliatta railway extension was declared open for the public by Sri Lanka's Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Arjuna Ranatunga on Monday.

China has invested heavily and pledged financial loans to Sri Lanka, a strategically located country in the Indian Ocean. Beijing already has a 99-year lease of Sri Lanka's Hambantota port, a result of Colombo's failure to repay Chinese debts.

The railway extension was financed by the Export-Import Bank of China (China Exim Bank) and the contract was awarded to China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation, Chinese state news agency Xinhua said in a report.

The Matara-Beliatta railway line is the first to be constructed in Sri Lanka since 1948 and it includes the longest and second longest railway bridges of 1.5 km and 1.04 km, respectively, the state media said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang confirmed Chinese funding of the project.

"Yes, the phase-one extension line of the southern railway in Sri Lanka is the first railway project contracted by a Chinese company in Sri Lanka under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and it is indeed the first railway built after the country's independence," the spokesperson said.

"It is now officially opened and it will make regional transportation more convenient and facilitate local economic and social development. The Sri Lankan people are pleased to see that and China is pleased for the Sri Lankan people," Lu said.

"China will like to expand and deepen our practical cooperation under the BRI and deliver benefits to the people with concrete outcomes," Lu added.

China is Sri Lanka's biggest lender. Sri Lanks's envoy to China in February said Colombo will get a $1 billion loan from China and might sign a free trade agreement with Beijing.

Sri Lanka is returning to normalcy after being hit by a deep political crisis last year that plunged the credit rating of the already-indebted country.

The Chinese have made deep inroads into the strategically located nation in the Indian Ocean and have a 99-year lease of the Hambantota Port after Sri Lanka failed to pay back loans.

Beijing's growing presence in Sri Lanka worries India which held considerable clout in the country.

(Gaurav Sharma can be contacted at sharmagaurav71@gmail.com)

--IANS

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There was a general perception that Tamil cinema wasn't too kind to transgednders - but not any more. It is heartening to finally see some Tamil filmmakers portraying transgender characters with dignity. The industry may still be a while from signing transgender actors in key roles, but the change is slowly happening.

In Vijay Antony's Tamil action-drama "Thimiru Pudichavan", director Ganeshaa created a transgender character played by Sindhu, a transgender actress, for his police tale. Sindhu plays a police constable In the film.

"The idea was to create employability for transgender people. We hear stories of people from this community shining across professions. Why not give them opportunities in cinema? Sindhu's character was inspired by Tamil Nadu's first transgender policewoman, Prithika Yashini," Ganeshaa told IANS, adding that he received immense support from his hero.

"When I pitched the idea of roping in Sindhu to play this character to Vijay Antony, I expected some kind of opposition. But he was quite encouraging and he had no qualms to share screen space with Sindhu. I'm not sure how many heroes will be open to the idea," he said.

Talking about the experience of being a part of the project, Sindhu said she will always be indebted to her director and hero.

"It was very gratifying to see myself in the role of a police constable. In real life, we don't get to be anyone else but this role gave me an identity. I was treated with respect on the sets and never faced any kind of discrimination. I'm really thankful to my director and hero," she said.

In Mammootty-starrer "Peranbu", Anjali Ameer, a transgender actress from Kerala played a very crucial role.

In a promotional interview days after the release of the film, Anjali said that through her character Meera, people saw the transgender community in a new light.

Actress Anjali, who worked with Anjali Ameer in the film, told IANS that she found her to be really strong from within.

"I didn't have scenes with her but I saw her working on the sets. I'm really proud of what she has achieved. In 'Naadodigal 2', I worked with another transgender actor and what I find inspiring about them is that they are really strong from inside. They work with so much passion and nothing can affect their inner strength," Anjali told IANS, and said that their love is pure and is more than what we can imagine.

Director Ram said that when he was on the lookout for a transwoman for the role, it was Mammootty who suggested Anjali Ameer's name.

"Mammootty sir had met Anjali on a television programme. When I told him the story requires such a character, he immediately suggested Anjali Ameer's name. When more filmmakers and actors are open to the idea of working with people from the transgender community, the change will automatically happen," Ram said.

In the recently released Tamil film "Super Deluxe", actor Vijay Sethupathi plays a transgender character called Shilpa. His performance floored audiences and critics alike.

Talking about the experience of stepping into the shoes of a transwoman, he said that the character helped him overcome his worst fears.

"I found a friend in Shilpa. When I was offered the role, I wasn't sure if I could pull it off. When I started playing the character, I could get a sense of the world people trans community lives in. The character helped me overcome my worst fears and changed my perspective about life," Vijay told IANS.

Rarely has ever a mainstream hero played a transgender on-screen. Vijay said he didn't think too much before accepting the role.

"I saw it as an opportunity to see the world around me through the eyes of a character I'd never get to play again. You don't get such roles often, and I didn't want regret missing it later," he said.

(Haricharan Pudipeddi can be contacted at haricharan.pudipeddi@gmail.com)

--IANS

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UK Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday visited German Chancellor Angela Merkel in another last-minute Brexit trip, with Britain due to leave the EU in three days.

May met Merkel in Berlin and will meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris later to urge them to back her request to again delay Brexit till June 30, the BBC reported.

She was also trying to lay the groundwork ahead of an extraordinary European Council meeting on Wednesday that will focus on the UK's rupture from the group. The PM and Merkel agreed "on the importance of ensuring Britain's orderly withdrawal", said a statement.

However, the meeting had a slightly delayed start as Merkel was not expecting May to arrive at the hour she did, and the British PM had to walk up the red carpet by herself, Efe news reported.

Merkel appeared at the entrance shortly after and apologized for the delay.

"Ahead of EU Council tomorrow, the leaders discussed the UK's request for an extension of Article 50 to June 30 with the option to bring this forward if a deal is ratified earlier," a Downing Street spokesperson said, in reference to the Article of the Lisbon Treaty that had set in motion a two-year period of negotiations.

"The leaders agreed on the importance of ensuring Britain's orderly withdrawal from the European Union," the spokesperson added.

Steffen Seibert, German government spokesman, shared an image of the two leaders in conversation at the meeting and, at the beginning of the encounter, said: "There are good reasons to talk."

Merkel is one of the European Union leaders who has been seemingly most receptive to an extension to the Brexit period.

The UK was initially meant to leave the EU on March 29, but it was extended to either May 22 or April 12, depending on whether or not May, whose government is disadvantaged by a parliamentary minority, was able to get approval for her withdrawal bill.

It has been voted down three times by the House of Commons.

As agreed with the EU, May must offer new strategy or the UK risked crashing out without a deal on April 12.

To that end, the UK leader has decided to collaborate with the opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, given the lack of support in her own Tory ranks and in the Northern Irish DUP.

The delay will have to be backed by all 27 remaining EU countries.

However, Michel Barnier, EU Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator, said any extension to the negotiation process would depend on what aims the UK was suggesting, apparently leaving the door open to a longer delay.

"Any extension should serve a purpose. 'No-deal' will never be the EU's decision. In order to avoid 'no-deal', the UK needs to agree to a deal," he said.

--IANS

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With the ruling BJP emerging as a potent political force, Tripura will witness a multi-corner contest this time for the state's two Lok Sabha seats, which were won either by Left parties or the Congress ever since the state was formed in 1972.

The Bharatiya Janata Party in alliance with the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), wrested power in Tripura for the first time in the 2018 Assembly polls, delivering a major blow to the Left parties.

In the March 3, 2018, polls, the BJP secured 36 seats in the 60-member Assembly and managed to get 43.59 per cent of the valid votes, while the IPFT bagged eight seats and 7.38 per cent votes.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led Left Front won 16 seats and bagged 44.35 per cent votes while the Congress could manage only less than two per cent of the votes as most of their workers joined the BJP before the polls.

"With the change of leadership in the state, the Congress would surely improve its position in the coming Lok Sabha polls. However, the BJP, considering its last year's assembly performance, is still in a commanding position," political commentator Sanjib Deb told IANS.

Deb, who is the editor of Tripura's leading English daily, the "North East Colors", said: "Performance of the Left parties in the parliamentary polls is vague, even their success in the previous Lok Sabha polls in the state was unparalleled."

Before the state's formation, the Left won the Tripura West seat 12 times since the first Lok Sabha election took place in 1952 and the Congress four times. The Congress For Democracy, a breakaway faction of the party, secured the seat in 1977.

Since 1952, Left parties won the Tripura East Lok Sabha seats 11 times while the main opposition Congress secured the seat five times. The CPI-M has been winning the seat uninterruptedly since 1996.

Another renowned political analyst and writer, Subhash Das told IANS: "The IPFT had helped the BJP achieve the unexpected result in the Assembly polls. However, this time the two are contesting separately."

"If the Lok Sabha elections become free and fair in Tripura, the CPI-M candidates in both the seats would get a significant percentage of votes."

Rejecting the BJP's appeal, the IPFT has fielded candidates for both the Lok Sabha seats.

IPFT President and Revenue Minister Narendra Chandra Debbarma is contesting from Tripura East, while the party's youth leader Brishaketu Debbarma has been fielded from Tripura West.

"We are contesting the elections to raise our demand for statehood in Parliament. We are not snapping our political alliance with the BJP," Debbarma told IANS.

Since 2009, the IPFT has been agitating for upgrading the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) to a separate tribal state. The TTAADC has jurisdiction over two-thirds of Tripura's 10,491 sq.km area, home to over 12,16,000 people, mostly tribals.

All political parties, including the BJP, CPI-M and the Congress, have opposed the IPFT's demand.

There are 13 candidates in the fray for the Tripura West seat and 10 in the Tripura East (reserved for tribals) constituency. Three women candidates (BJP, Congress and Independent) are also contesting the polls.

In the Tripura West seat, the ruling BJP has fielded party's Secretary Pratima Bhoumik, CPI-M re-nominated its sitting MP and trade union leader Sankar Prasad Datta and the Congress has nominated Subal Bhowmik, who was BJP's Vice-President and had quit the party last month.

In the Tripura East seat, the three main contenders are CPI-M's sitting MP and the party's leading tribal leader Jitendra Chowdhury, BJP's Rebati Tripura and Congress' Maharaj Kumari Pragya Debbarman, the elder sister of state Congress chief Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarman.

Tripura West will go to the polls in the first phase on April 11 and Tripura East in the second phase on April 18.

A total of 26,05,325 voters, including 12,85,618 women, are eligible to vote in the two Lok Sabha constituencies. Over 69,000 first time voters have enrolled.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Chinese woman who allegedly breached security at US President Donald Trump's Florida club while carrying Chinese passports and a flash drive containing malware, had multiple electronic devices and thousands of dollars in cash in her hotel room, federal prosecutors have said.

Yujing Zhang, 32, appeared at a detention hearing in a Florida federal court on Monday afternoon, reports CNN.

She was arrested earlier this month and charged with unlawfully entering Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach town.

Prosecutors said that the electronic devices found in Yujing's room at the upscale Colony Hotel included a signal detector that can seek out and detect hidden cameras; another cell phone; nine USB drives and five SIM cards.

There were also several credit cards in her name and she had more than $8,000 in US and Chinese currency, with $7,500 of it in $100 bills.

Prosecutors have called Yujing a flight risk because she has next to no ties to the US.

The federal magistrate judge who held the hearing on Monday will decide next week if Yujing should stay in jail until she is tried, or be released to live in the US as she awaits trial.

Yujing has not yet entered a plea to the criminal charges she faces, and prosecutors said they plan to formally indict her in the coming week, CNN reported.

"She lies to everyone she encounters," prosecutor Rolando Garcia said. "Her ties are all in China."

Zhang arrived in Newark on a flight from Shanghai on March 28, Garcia said. She went to Mar-a-Lago on March 30. This wasn't the first time she visited the country in recent years.

Trump has described the incident as a "fluke situation", but the case so far has highlighted the possibility of security flaws at the private club.

The resort allows members, their guests and people attending events to enter and move around, even as Trump makes frequent visits to the property.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Uttar Pradesh Congress will soon bring out a state manifesto to address issues that are peculiar to India's most populous province.

This is being done at the behest of Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi.

The state manifesto will include issues related to 'Shiksha Mitras' (contractual teachers), revival of the old pension scheme, relief to ad hoc employees, ASHA workers, cooks, police recruitment, modernization of madarasas and farmers.

Congress Legislature Party leader Ajay Kumar Lallu had taken representatives of these groups for a meeting with Priyanka Gandhi and she had assured them that the Congress would address their problems.

"There are some issues that are specific to Uttar Pradesh and could not have been included in the national manifesto. We are bringing out a supplementary manifesto for this," said Rashid Alvi, in charge of the manifesto committee.

--IANS

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Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday called the US "the leader of world terrorism" after Washington designated Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a "foreign terrorist organisation".

His remarks came as Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) started the installation of IR6 centrifuges to be used in the country's nuclear industry, the official IRNA news agency reported.

"Who are you to label revolutionary institutions as terrorists?" Rouhani asked in a speech broadcast live by the state television. "You are the leader of world terrorism."

"This mistake will unite Iranians and the Guards will grow more popular in Iran and in the region. America has used terrorists as a tool in the region while the Guards have fought against them from Iraq to Syria," Rouhani said.

According to IRNA, the installation of a chain of 20 advanced IR6 centrifuges began in the Natanz enrichment facility in central Iran following a decree of Rouhani.

"We are happy to announce the installation of the IR6 centrifuges. This will be a big achievement for the Iranian nation," the Iranian President said, adding that with the installation of the centrifuges, subsequent tests will be carried out.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said the US move was a "misguided election-eve gift to (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu". Israelis voted on Tuesday to decide whether Netanyahu can win a record fifth term in office.

Designated the IRGC a "foreign terrorist organisation" on Monday, US President Donald Trump said: "This unprecedented step, led by the Department of State, recognizes the reality that Iran is not only a state sponsor of terrorism, but that the IRGC actively participates in, finances and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft."

Trump added that the move was meant to "significantly expand the scope and scale" of pressure on Iran.

"If you are doing business with the IRGC, you will be bankrolling terrorism," he said. The measure will take effect early next week, according to the US State Department.

Washington-Tehran tensions have risen since US President Donald Trump withdrew from the international Iran nuclear pact.

In response to the US move, Iranian government named "the US Central Command (Centcom) as a terrorist organisation and the US government as a sponsor of terror".

Centcom is the Pentagon wing that oversees Washington's security interests across the central area of the world map, most notably Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and Syria.

Defending the IRGC, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said it had confronted enemies at home and abroad, state TV reported.

He said the Guards were "in the frontline of confronting enemies of our revolution and had always defended the country... America has failed to block our advancements".

--IANS

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The US is considering to impose tariffs on about $11 billion of goods from the European Union in response to the bloc's subsidies for European aircraft manufacturer Airbus.

The US has been in litigation at the World Trade Organization (WTO) over Airbus subsidies since 2004 and said it was releasing a list of items proposed for tariffs in anticipation of a ruling soon from the WTO, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Aircraft and cheese are among the products that could be hit by tariffs, US Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer said on Monday. The move would mark an escalation in trade tensions between the US and the EU.

The WTO found that the subsidies have an "adverse impact" on the US, reports said.

"This case has been in litigation for 14 years and the time has come for action. The administration is preparing to respond immediately when the WTO issues its finding on the value of US countermeasures," Lighthizer said in a statement.

"Our ultimate goal is to reach an agreement with the EU to end all WTO-inconsistent subsidies to large civil aircraft. When the EU ends these harmful subsidies, the additional US duties imposed in response can be lifted."

The USTR said the value of goods that would be targeted with tariffs was subject to arbitration at the WTO, the result of which is expected in a few months.

A preliminary list of goods, covering a wide range of items, has been issued for public consultation. The goods that are being considered for additional tariffs if they come from any of the 28 EU states are: Salmon fillets, lemons, olive oil, Marsala wine, ceramic household steins with pewter lids, motorcycles with an engine size of between 500cc and 700cc, among other items.

In addition, additional import duties are being considered on some goods if they are produced in France, Germany, Spain or the UK. These products include helicopters, undercarriages for use in new civil aircraft and fuselages for use in new civil airplanes, the BBC reported.

The proposed US tariffs would be imposed in addition to existing levies on European products.

In 2018, the US started charging levies on the imports of steel and aluminium from key allies including the EU.

The EU imposed retaliatory tariffs on 2.4 billion pounds worth of US goods in June on products like bourbon whiskey, motorcycles and orange juice.

US President Donald Trump in March threatened to impose tariffs on cars imported from the EU, if both sides couldn't reach a trade deal.

Washington is currently negotiating a trade deal with China, but tit-for-tat tariffs imposed by both countries have already weighed on the global economy.

--IANS

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Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday dismissed election surveys as "big bluffs" far from the reality, adding that his Left government will win 18 of the 20 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

Vijayan made the remark while addressing an election rally here.

The latest poll surveys have predicted a near washout for the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidates.

While one predicted just three seats for the LDF, another said the party will win only four, with the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) slated to get 14 to 17 seats.

The surveys also predicted that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA has bright chances to win one seat.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the Oommen Chandy-led Congress government won 12 seats with the LDF winning eight and the BJP finished a close second in the Thiruvananthapuram seat and a distant third in all the other 19 seats.

"These election surveys fail to bring out the correct perspective and is far from reality. It is just a vehicle to ensure that those who are down get a new lease of life, but it never happens at all," Vijayan said.

"The BJP and now the Congress has been trying to influence the media."

In Thiruvananthapuram, surveys have shown that the BJP-led NDA candidate Kummanem Rajasekheran was giving a tough fight to the two-time sitting Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.

In response, senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said he did not believe the survey.

"What I can say is that the UDF will do well," Chennithala told the media in Kannur.

--IANS

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The divorce between fiscal prudence and manifestos released by national political parties is complete. The Indian National Congress, in its bid to return to power, released its manifesto on April 2 and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is seeking another five-year term in office, announced on April 8 what its goals would be if it were voted back to power.

Many of the key economic promises in both the manifestos are not only fiscally imprudent, but they also reveal how unrealistic our political parties can become while making economic policy promises. A lot has been written about ...
Former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, serving life term in Tihar jail, accused the CBI before a Delhi court on Tuesday of tutoring a key witness in a 1984 case.

The fact that the witness was giving information contrary to his police statements in 1985 point to his being tutored, Kumar's counsel said.

The submission came after Joginder Singh, who is a witness and the complainant in the case, told the court that certain facts written in the statement given by him to the police relating to the case were false.

Singh was being cross-examined before District Judge Poonam A Bamba when he said that, contrary to his previous statement to the police, he did not run away from his house when some people came and looted his house during the riots.

Three persons -- Kumar, Brahmanand Gupta and Ved Prakash -- are facing trial on charges of murder and rioting pertaining to the killing of Surjit Singh (Joginder's cousin) in Sultanpuri.



The riots broke out after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984.

Kumar is currently lodged in after conviction in another case related to the riots.

Singh had said in 1985 that some people had entered his house and looted precious jewellery and money. He said he had run away from his house and did not recognise any of them.

When the defense counsel pointed out that in his previous statement Singh had not named the accused or named any Surjit, the witness told the court, "I had named everyone. I had taken the name of Sajjan Kumar as one of the accused and given every detail about Surjit to the police. I don't know if they had recorded it or not."





The advocate appearing for the former Congress leader however said, "Singh has been tutored. It was evident from the previous statement and today's statement that Singh was giving a false statement."Another witness, Cham Kaur, had on November 16 last year identified Kumar before the court as one who had allegedly instigated the mob to kill Sikhs.

Kaur had told the court that she had seen Kumar allegedly addressing a crowd in the capital's Sultanpuri area in 1984.

"On November 1, 1984 when I stepped out to look for my goat, I saw accused Sajjan Kumar addressing the crowd and saying 'hamari ma maar di, Sardaro ko maar do' (They killed our mother, kill the Sikhs)," Kaur had told the court.

She further said the next morning, her son and father were killed.

Before Kaur, another key prosecution witness Sheela Kaur identified Kumar as one who had instigated a crowd in Sultanpuri.

The case was transferred from the Karkardooma court to the Patiala House court here by the Delhi High Court, which had directed the district judge to video record the proceedings.

The Delhi High Court had on December 17 last year convicted Kumar and sentenced him to imprisonment for "remainder of his natural life" in another 1984 case, saying the riots were a "crime against humanity" perpetrated by those who enjoyed "political patronage" and aided by an "indifferent" law enforcement agency.
Saudi Arabia says two wanted men were killed in a predominantly Shiite region in the kingdom's east.

The region is a place where numerous wanted Saudi men are designated as terrorists for their involvement in violent protests and suspected attacks.

The kingdom's security body says its forces spotted four wanted people on Sunday in Qatif as they were heading to carry out a terrorist act. It says the group refused to surrender, shot at security forces and threw a hand grenade into a gas station, causing a fire.

Tuesday's statement says two were killed and two others were detained.

The security body says a Bahraini woman who happened to be at the gas station with her family, a Pakistani truck driver, and two security men were also wounded.

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Sixty-six former bureaucrats have written to President Ram Nath Kovind, expressing concern over the credibility and functioning of the Election Commission for failing to deal with alleged cases of poll violations, particulary those involving the ruling party.

The instances cited by the former bureaucrats include Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation about the successful launch of India's first anti-satellite weapon (A-SAT), release of web-series "Modi: A Common Man's Journey" and the "lethargy" in respect of the poll commission's action on the launch of NaMo TV channel.

Referring to the instance of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath dubbing the Indian Army "Modi's Army", the bureaucrats said strongest action was required from the EC to "nip such cavalier statements in the bud" but it "contented itself in the present case with a mild reprimand to the UP CM".

"We write to express our deep anguish that the Election Commission of India, which has had a long and honourable record of holding free and fair elections despite the enormous challenges of scale and complexity, is suffering from a crisis of credibility today," the letter said.

The EC's independence, fairness, impartiality and efficiency are perceived to be compromised today, thereby endangering the integrity of the electoral process which is the very foundation of Indian democracy, the letter added.

"Hon'ble Rashtrapatiji, we are deeply concerned about the weak-kneed conduct of the ECI, which has reduced the credibility of this constitutional body to an all-time low. Any erosion in the people's confidence in the fairness of the ECI has very grave consequences for the future of our democracy and we hope that the gravity of the situation will be appreciated by the ECI," the letter said.

The signatories include Salahuddin Ahmad, former Chief Secretary of Rajasthan, former Director General of Punjab Julio Riberio, Jawhar Sircar, former CEO of Prasar Bharati, Najeeb Jung, former Lt Governor of Delhi, Meeran Borwankar, former Pune Police Commissioner.

With respect to Modi making public announcement of the success of the A-SAT test, the letter said the country was facing no immediate security threat that required the prime minister, who is an election candidate himself, to make a public announcement.

"On the purely technical ground that the announcement was not made on the public broadcasting service, the ECI held that there had been no violation of the MCC. We feel, however, that parading the achievements of a government in this manner after the announcement of elections is tantamount to a serious breach of propriety and amounts to giving unfair publicity to the party presently in government and that the ECI's decision does not stand up to the standards of impartiality expected of it," the letter said.

They also cited the EC's order of transferring three top police officers and the chief secretary in Andhra Pradesh and four top police officers in West Bengal.

"We find it curious that no such steps have been taken in Tamil Nadu, where the present Director General of Police is reportedly under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the Gutkha scam case and there have been repeated appeals by the Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu seeking his removal from that post," the letter said.

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Seven Bangladeshi nationals were apprehended at the Kolkata airport on Tuesday for carrying over USD 7 lakh in cash allegedly without any document, officials said.

All the seven had reached the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport to take the same flight to Dhaka and had allegedly concealed the foreign currency in false bottoms of their bags, officials said.

The passengers, all Bangladeshis, were handed over to Customs authorities with a total of USD 7,43,300 seized from them. This is equivalent to Rs 5.03 crore, they said.

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The EC's order of shifting IPS officer Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh was strongly condemned by the opposition parties led by the AAP, while the SAD defended the move, claiming that the election watchdog found that he was "not acting as a police officer".

Raising questions over the EC's move, representatives of the Aam Aadmi Party and the Punjab Ekta Party (PEP) sought a review of the order.

AAP Punjab unit chief and Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann demanded that the decision be reviewed.

AAP MLA and Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Harpal Singh Cheema said how could the EC shift the officer who is the member of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing 2015 sacrilege and police firing incidents, when the investigation were already on before the model code of conduct coming into force.

"The EC's move seems to be politically-motivated as a police officer was shifted on the false complaint of the Akali Dal," claimed Cheema.

Punjab Ekta Party chief Sukhpal Singh Khaira demanded reversal of the Election Commission's (EC) order, which he described it as a "dictatorial" one.

"The EC has become party to political conspiracy hatched by the SAD in connivance with the BJP-led Centre to remove Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh in the name of model code of conduct. His removal was mala fide and politically-motivated," alleged Khaira.

Meanwhile, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal accused Singh of "not acting as a police officer".

"When the truth emerged before the EC, it was found that he (Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh) was not acting as a police officer. He was working like an office-bearer of the Congress," claimed Sukhbir.

Five-time chief minister and Akali stalwart Parkash Singh Badal, while reacting to the EC's order, said the EC was an independent authority.

"The Election Commission is an independent authority. It does not have anything to do with any political party. It is a constitutional body," claimed Badal.

Following a complaint lodged by the Akali Dal against the IPS officer, the EC had directed the Punjab government to divest him of his present post for "violating" the model code of conduct.

Besides being a member of the SIT, Singh was also holding the charge of Inspector General of Police Crime and additional charge of the organised crime control unit (OCCU).

Following the directions of the EC, the Punjab government posted him as the IG Counter Intelligence (Amritsar).

Though the EC order did not specifically mention about divesting him of as an SIT member, a senior government functionary in the Punjab government Tuesday said the IG-rank officer has been relieved of this charge as well.

Meanwhile, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) condemned chief minister Amarinder Singh for accusing the EC of wrongdoing simply because it had "exposed" the Congress government's "conspiracy" to target the SAD and its top leadership and restrained it from this act.

In a statement here, SAD senior vice president Daljit Singh Cheema said it was "shocking" that the chief minister had acted against "constitutional propriety and challenged the fairness" of the EC which had adjudicated on a complaint filed against the IPS officer by the SAD.

Earlier, the chief minister described the EC order as "biased" and decided to approach the election watchdog to seek a review of relieving the Inspector General-rank officer of his charge.

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The AAP is planning to mobilise the traders community in Delhi against the BJP as the saffron party's manifesto, released recently has made no reference about them, the ruling party's Lok Sabha candidate from New Delhi Brajesh Goyal said on Tuesday.

Goyal claimed that the trader community is "angry" with the BJP manifesto.

"We have spoken to many traders organizations and we will soon expose the BJP manifesto across Delhi for its treachery with the trading class.

"After having destroyed traders through Demonetisation, GST, FDI in retail, the BJP manifesto does not even have a word how it will de-seal more than 20,000 shops sealed due to its inaction," Goyal , who is also AAP's trade wing convenor, said.

He said the AAP would be mobilising the trader community and apprising them about how the BJP "has destroyed their community by its policies".

"The election manifesto contains nothing for the traders of India and is a fraud on them," he said, adding "traders are angry and agitated at the BJP manifesto, as it does not mention what has been done for them by the Modi government during past five years."



In Delhi, Modi government has ruined the traders, he said.

The AAP leader said "During the last five years of Modi government, if there is one section of the society that has been completely ruined, it is the traders.

"Demonetisation led to closure of thousands of factories in Delhi and destruction of the MSME (Micro Small and Medium Enterprises) sector."



He said apart from all these, the biggest blow inflicted on Delhi traders by the BJP was sealing of commercial establishments.

"Even after a year and a half, nearly 20,000 shops are lying sealed in parts of Delhi," he told reporters.

"What will BJP do to provide relief to innocent traders suffering due to sealing? There is not a word about sealing in the BJP manifesto. How will these shops be de-sealed ?" Goyal asked.

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Actor Allison Mack, best known for hit series "Smallville", has pleaded guilty in a case related to sex cult NXIVM.

Mack, 36, who was arrested last year, has been accused of blackmailing two women into having sex with the group's leader Keith Raniere.

Raniere was also arrested last year and has pleaded not guilty to charges against him.

Appearing at a federal court in Brooklyn on Monday, Mack pleaded guilty on two counts -- racketeering conspiracy and racketeering, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

She admitted that she coerced the women into performing services for Raniere by threatening to release damaging information about them.

"I believed Keith Raniere's intentions were to help people ... and I was wrong," a teary-eyed Mack said in the court.

Prosecutors have alleged that over the past two decades Raniere established a series of purported self-help programs under the name NXIVM, based in Albany, New York, with centres in the United States, Mexico, Canada and South America.

Mack and other cults "masters" allegedly recruited slaves by telling them they were joining a "women-only organisation that would empower them and eradicate purported weaknesses that the NXIVM curriculum taught were common in women."



The actor appeared as a series regular on "Smallville" and played the role of Chloe Sullivan on the show. She has films such as "Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves" and "The Ant Bully" to her credits.

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Indian energy giant Adani has taken a step closer to the construction of its controversial coal mine in Australia after the federal government gave a green light to the billion dollar project's groundwater management plans.

Adani group entered Australia in 2010 with the purchase of the greenfield Carmichael coal mine in the Galilee Basin in central Queensland, and the Abbot Point port near Bowen in the north.

The massive coal mine in Queensland state has been a controversial topic, with the project expected to produce 2.3 billion tonnes of low-quality coal.

In addition to its impact on climate change, environmentalists have argued the mine could do serious damage to Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.

Another major concern about the environmental impacts of the proposed mine has been that it would wipe out the most important habitat of the threatened black-throated finch



Environmental minister Melissa Price on Tuesday announced that she had approved the groundwater management plans submitted by Adani mining giant after The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and Geoscience Australia found they met scientific requirements.

''CSIRO and Geoscience Australia have independently assessed the groundwater management plans for the Carmichael Coal Mine and Rail Infrastructure project. Both CSIRO and Geoscience Australia have confirmed the revised plans meet strict scientific requirements,'' she said in a statement here.

''Following this independent assessment and the Department of the and Energy's recommendation for approval, I have accepted the scientific advice and therefore approved the groundwater management plans for the Carmichael Coal Mine and Rail Infrastructure project under the Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999,'' the minister said, adding that the decision does not comprise the final approval for this project.

The project now requires further approvals from the Queensland Government prior to construction commencing.

"To date, only 16 of 25 environmental plans have been finalised or approved by the Commonwealth and Queensland Governments with a further nine to be finalised,'' the minister stated.

She said that the project must meet further stringent conditions of approval from the Commonwealth before it can begin producing coal.

Price noted that the project was subject to the most rigorous approval process of any mining project in Australia.

''Approvals for the project by the Commonwealth in 2015 and the Queensland State Government in 2016 resulted in the setting of 180 strict conditions to protect the environment,' she said.

Price also confirmed that while it was a commercial project, the Australian Government was not providing any financial support to the mine or to its rail project.

According to reports, there was an intense pressure to clear the project as Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is expected to call an election this weekend for May 18.

The Australian Conservation Foundation said the government's assessment has been subject to political interference and has warned that any approval may face a court challenge if rushed through before the election.

Carmichael would be the largest coal mine in Australian and one of the biggest in the world.

The Coalition has been split over the project rural Queensland MPs have been strongly supportive, while urban Liberals have worried it could damage their electoral chances.

The Opposition has been walking a similar political tightrope as it seeks to capture seats in central Queensland while holding off inner-city Greens challengers.

Adani Mining chief executive officer Lucas Dow welcomed the Commonwealth's decision, saying underground water levels would be tracked using more than 100 monitoring bores.

"The measures outlined in the plans will ensure groundwater at the mine, and the ecosystems that depend on it, are protected," Dow said.

Adani said last year it would fully fund the coal mine and rail project itself, but did not give an updated estimate of the cost of the mine.

The mine previously estimated at about USD 2.9 billion.

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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stoked controversy on Tuesday, dubbing the Muslim League a green virus and suggesting that Hindu and Muslim voters are in an Ali-Bajrang Bali contest.

Attacking Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati for recently appealing to Muslims to vote for the opposition alliance in Uttar Pradesh, Adityanath said now the Hindus have no option but to vote for the BJP.

The BJP leader said Dalit-Muslim unity is impossible, and in Bareilly, he accused Mayawati of hurting Dalit sentiments with her call to Muslim voters at a rally in Saharanpur's Deoband.

"Agar Congress, SP, BSP ko Ali par vishwaas hai, toh humein bhi Bajrang Bali par vishwaas hai (If the Congress, the SP and the BSP have faith in Ali, then we too have faith in Bajrang Bali)," the BJP leader said at an election meeting in Meerut.

Ali is a revered figure in Islam and Lord Hanuman is often called Bajrang Bali.

Adityanath had used the Ali-Bajrang Bali formulation last year as well after Congress leader Kamal Nath allegedly said the support of 90 per cent of Muslim voters was needed for the Congress to win the Madhya Pradesh assembly polls.

Adityanath recently attacked the Indian Union Muslim League - a constituent of the Congress-led United Democratic Front in Kerala - for being the same organisation that had brought about Partition,



On Tuesday, he said not only the Congress but the parties in the UP alliance Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party, the BSP and the Rashtriya Lok Dal are also infected by the green virus.

These are the people who, with the green virus Muslim League, are plotting against the nation. Both Akhilesh and Mayawati are playing the Muslim card. Hindus have no other choice than the Bharatiya Janata Party, he said.

"Mayawati urges Muslims to vote for the coalition and not to split their vote. Now the Hindus have no option but to vote for the BJP," he said.

If the Congress, the SP and the BSP have faith in Ali, then we too have faith in Bajrang Bali. The opposition has acknowledged that the followers of Bajrang Bali will not vote for them, he said.

The coalition is shouting 'Ali-Ali' on the stage at their rallies. These people want to ruin the country with the collaboration of the 'green virus' of Muslim League. Time has come to eliminate this virus forever," he said.

Adityanath said the SP, the BSP and the Congress have concluded that the followers of Bajrang Bali will not tolerate them.

On the Ayodhya issue, he said, Whenever the Ram temple is built, it will be by the BJP only. We are doing our best to build the temple as soon as possible.

At another rally in Bareilly, the chief minister said, "It will only be the BJP which will get the Ram temple constructed in Ayodhya and all options under the Constitution are being explored.

No one should have any doubt on the BJP on this count," he said.

He charged Mayawati with playing with the sentiments of the Dalit community for the sake of Muslim votes.

Adityanath had waded into controversy last week by calling the armed forces "Modiji ke sena", prompting the Election Commission to ask him "to be careful" in his utterances.

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An Afghan official says at least five members of the country's security forces were killed when the Taliban attacked a joint army and police base in northern Sari Pul province.

Zabihullah Amani, the provincial governor's spokesman, says the Monday night attack in Sangcharak district also wounded seven other troops.

There was no immediate comment from the Taliban. Amani says four insurgents were also killed in the ensuing clashes.

Earlier, around noon on Monday, an Afghan army officer shot and killed two of his fellow soldiers and later fled to join the Taliban.

Sayed Hashim Bayan, the provincial police chief's spokesman, says the shooter seized a Humvee along with some ammunition before making his getaway.

The Taliban praised the soldier's actions and confirmed he joined their ranks in Dari Suf district.

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Taliban fighters stormed army checkpoints in southern Afghanistan near the Pakistani border overnight, killing 20 troops, an official said Tuesday.

Eight other security forces were also wounded in Monday night's attack in Shorabak district, Mohammad Yousof Younosi, a provincial council member in Kandahar, said.

An official from the provincial governor's office, who was not authorised to speak with the media, confirmed the attack and said there were casualties among the Afghan forces, but couldn't provide exact figures.

Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility for the attack and said the group's fighters also seized weapons and ammunition.

Also on Tuesday, US forces in Afghanistan revised the death toll from a Taliban attack a day earlier near the main American base in the country, saying three US soldiers were killed but not a contractor who was initially reported among the fatalities.

In northern Sari Pul province, at least five members of the country's security forces were killed when the Taliban attacked a joint army and police base, said Zabihullah Amani, the provincial governor's spokesman.

He said that seven other forces were wounded in Monday night's attack in Sangcharak district.

There was no immediate comment from the Taliban. Amani said four insurgents were also killed in the ensuing clashes.

In northern Samangan province, an Afghan army officer shot and killed two of his fellow soldiers and later fled to join the Taliban, said Sayed Hashim Bayan, the provincial police chief's spokesman.

He said the shooter seized a Humvee and some ammunition before making his getaway around noon on Monday.

The Taliban praised the soldier's actions and confirmed he joined their ranks in Dari Suf district.

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Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's son, Vaibhav Gehlot, filed his nomination for the Jodhpur Lok Sabha seat on Tuesday, which was followed by a show of strength that was also attended by Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot.

Ashok Gehlot, Pilot, state ministers, sitting and former lawmakers, and others party leaders were present on the stage at the election meeting.

Vaibhav Gehlot spoke to the public from the same place where his father had addressed a rally during his filing of nomination 40 years ago.

"I know the issues of Jodhpur well... what are the needs of the people, where are the bridges and underpasses required and how issues of water supply and electricity are to be addressed. They all are on my mind. I am going to win the election," the 38-year-old leader said. "People have showed faith in me and supported my candidature. I thank the party and public for giving me chance."



Addressing the rally, Pilot, who is also the state Congress chief, said: "I have given the guarantee of Vaibhav to the high command, after which Vaibhav was given the ticket. Now, it is all up to you to keep honour of this guarantee and vote him to power."



Ashok Gehlot said he had struggled hard for each work done in the past 40 years in Jodhpur.

"Lot of development works have been done in the past 40 years. Now you all vote for Vaibhav for more works," the chief minister appealed to the voters.

Vaibhav Gehlot said he would continue with the developmental works done by his father in the last four decades.

"I am here today because of the support and blessings of the senior party leaders, workers and people of Jodhpur, as they all wanted me to contest the election," Vaibhav Gehlot added.

Union minister and sitting Jodhpur MP Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is the BJP's candidate in Jodhpur.

A constituency of 19.34 lakh voters, Jodhpur goes to polls in the fourth phase of the general election on April 29.

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A militant opened fire at an RSS leader



at a hospital in Kishtwar, killing his personal security officer and leaving him seriously injured, officials said Tuesday, as curfew was imposed in the communally-sensitive town in the Jammu region.

The Army has been out to maintain law and order in Kishtwar and Bhaderwah districts of Jammu and Kashmir. The state administration imposed curfew in the town as well as the neighbouring Bhaderwah, besides snapping the Internet connection. the officials said.

The RSS leader, Chanderkant Sharma and his PSO had gone to a hospital in Kishtwar. The militant was watching his movement. He opened fire on them, resulting in the death of the PSO and injury to the leader," Kishtwar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shakti Pathak told PTI.

"Curfew has been imposed in the town (as a precautionary measure)", Inspector General (Jammu region) Manish Sinha told PTI.

After the firing, the militant took away the weapon of the killed PSO identified as Rajinder before fleeing from the spot, he said.

Earlier, police had said that the unidentified gunmen had snatched the rifle of the PSO and shot at the RSS leader.

Sharma, along with another civilian, has been airlifted to Jammu for further treatment.

Following the attack, protests broke out in Kishtwar town and at hospital against the government and police.

Apprehending law and order situation, authorities imposed curfew in Kishtwar and Bhaderwah towns of Kishtwar and Doda district, the officials said.

This is second incident of terrorist attack in Kishtwar town during past six months period.

On November 1, state secretary of BJP Anil Parihar and his brother Ajeet were returning from their shop in Kishtwar, were gunned down in the firing by terrorists in a lane leading to their house in Kishtwar town.

Senior police officials have rushed to the scene, they said.

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Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Tuesday accused Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal of plunging the state into "utter ruin and devastation" during the 10 years of "misrule" of the previous SAD-BJP regime.

Amarinder Singh hit out at the former deputy chief minister over his "baseless" allegation that the incumbent Congress government was being indifferent to the problems of the people of the state.

In a statement here, Amarinder Singh derided the SAD chief for having the "gall" to accuse him of being indifferent to the problems of the people after plunging the state into "utter ruin and devastation during the 10 years of misrule" of the SAD-BJP alliance.

Notably, Sukhbir Badal in his election rallies, has been calling Amarinder Singh the "worst" chief minister, charging him with stalling all development projects.

"The only thing I am indifferent to is the opinion of Sukhbir, who is just a publicity-seeking politician looking for photo-ops to remain in the public eye," Amarinder Singh said.

"I have a government to run, and unlike Sukhbir, who does not believe in positive governance, my only concern is the people's problems, which we have been working hard in the past two years to solve," he added.

The people had given him and his party the mandate to address their grievances, which every citizen of Punjab, except Sukhbir Badal, was fully aware of, said the chief minister.

"Sukhbir took 10 years to create the problems, and now wants me to spend all my term identifying those problems?" quipped Amarinder Singh, adding that he was well aware of the woes of every section of the society.

"The people of Punjab do not want to see me gallivanting all over the state for 45 days. They want me to spend all this time constructively, to deliver on our promises," said the chief minister in a reply to Sukhbir's charge that he does not leave his house.

"Such antics by Sukhbir did not help the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in the 2017 Assembly polls, or the various by-elections and other elections in the state thereafter, and will not help them now," Amarinder Singh said further.

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A Bangladeshi man wanted in the UK on charges of murdering his wife and two daughters has appeared before a court in London after being extradited from India over the weekend.

Mohammed Abdul Shakur's case marks the first of its kind successful extradition from India to the UK.

According to Scotland Yard, the 45-year-old landed at Heathrow Airport in London on Saturday and was taken into custody before being charged with the triple murders dating back to 2007 on Sunday.

After his first appearance before Barkingside Magistrates' Court in north-east London on Monday, Shakur is set to appear at the Old Bailey criminal court in London on Wednesday.

Shakur was extradited back to the UK from India, where he has been imprisoned for immigration offences since 2012. Proceedings for his extradition began in 2013 but have only recently been completed, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

Shakur is accused of beating and strangling to death his estranged wife, 26-year-old Juli Begum, and their two daughters at their home in Whitechapel, east London, in January 2007.

After a concerned relative had alerted police, all three victims were discovered by police inside the bedroom of the house and it later emerged that six-year-old Thanha Khanum died from a head injury and five-year-old Anika Khanum was strangled.

Juli Begum, 26, was found deceased with her children Anika and Thanha Khanum, aged five and six respectively, at her home in Nelson Street, E1 in January 2007 after concerns were raised for their welfare, the Met Police statement added.

The police declared at the time that there were no signs of forced entry at the address as they launched a hunt for Shakur, who it later emerged had fled to India.

Shakur's extradition was recommended by a court in New Delhi in 2013 but the case remained locked in legal wrangles as he served his sentence in India. At the end of an India-UK Home Affairs Dialogue in London back in July 2017, the Indian government had announced plans to drop the case against Shakur in order to facilitate his extradition to Britain to face the triple murder charges.

Shakur's case marks the second successful extradition as part of the India-UK Extradition Treaty, signed in 1992 and in force since November 1993. The other extradition was from the UK to India back in 2016 that of Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel, wanted in connection with the Godhra riots in Gujarat.

There are currently a number of high-profile Indian extradition cases at various legal stages in the UK courts, including that of former Kingfisher Airlines chief Vijay Mallya, wanted in India on fraud and money laundering charges amounting to Rs 9,000 crores, and fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi in connection with a USD 1-billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case.

On Monday, Mallya lost the first stage in his High Court application seeking leave to appeal against his extradition order, signed off by UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid in February, taking his case a step closer to extradition.

Meanwhile, Nirav Modi remains behind bars at Wandsworth prison in south-west London awaiting his next remand hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court on April 26.

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Belgium is to host a mini-summit of the EU members most exposed to the dangers of a no-deal Brexit on Wednesday, just ahead of a full European meeting.

Prime Minister Charles Michel will host leaders or senior officials from northwestern Europe before the EU summit, his spokesman told AFP.

"It's a coordination meeting for countries which would be directly affected by a hard Brexit, to discuss the concrete consequences," Frederic Cauderlier said.

The guest list has not been finalised, but the official said it would include Spain and countries with North Sea ports pacing Britain.

France and Germany have been invited but Chancellor Angela Merkel may not attend in person, as she has to address the Bundestag before leaving Berlin for Brussels.

After the pre-summit meeting, the leaders will join colleagues from the rest of the union in hosting Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May at a full EU Brexit summit, also in Brussels.

May is expected to ask for time to postpone Brexit beyond Friday night in order to reach an orderly divorce.

The leaders are expected to agree, but any new date may have political conditions attached.

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The BSP-SP-RLD 'mahagathbandhan' may give the BJP a tough fight in Bijnor with many voters indicating that infighting within the party and anger among Jat farmers might cost the ruling party its seat.

It is a three-way contest in this western Uttar Pradesh constituency, which goes to the polls on April 11. Incumbent Bhartendra Singh of the Bharatiya Janata Party is pitted against 'mahagathbandan' candidate Malook Nagar of the Bahujan Samaj Party and Naseemuddin Siddiqui of the Congress.

In 2014, Singh won the seat by beating Samajwadi Party's Shahnawaz Rana by two lakh votes.

But now BSP, SP and RLD (Rashtriya Lok Dal) have joined hands, which added up to over five lakh votes (in 2014). This could pose a tough challenge for the BJP, said Palash, a resident of Sadar Bazar.

In 2014, Singh got 4,86,913 votes, Rana 2,81,139 votes, RLD candidate Jaya Prada 24,348 and Nagar 2,30,124.

Rakesh Sharma, a shopkeeper in nearby Najibabad, added that reports of infighting in the BJP over Singh's selection will be another challenge for the party.

The buzz, he said, is that Singh is being opposed by his fellow party member and MLA Suchi Mausam Choudhary who does not get along well with him and was against his candidature.

This has led to the formation of two groups inside the party, one for and another against Singh. Secondly, Jat farmers are also angry with Singh over non-payment of sugarcane dues from sugar mills. This again might work against him, Sharma said.

Sugarcane farmers have been demanding payment of their dues from sugar mills for months now. According to reports, the dues add up to Rs 10,000 crore in the state and has snowballed into a major poll issue.

Tabassum, a primary teacher at a government school here, however, is of the view that Singh has a strong Jat vote bank and will also benefit from the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

People vote for the prime minister in Lok Sabha elections. They don't care who is representing the party in the constituency, she said.

Farhan, a shop keeper at Bijnor railway station, said the main fight would be between BJP and mahagathbandan and their main struggle would be tapping SC/ST voters.

Mahagathbandan might have an edge but division of Jat votes might pose a problem, he said.

Nagar will be targeting three lakh votes of the SC/ST, one lakh Gujjar and five lakh Muslim votes, said some voters.

Siddiqui is a new entrant to the Congress. He was the Muslim face of the BSP, became the party's legislator from Agra in 1991 and was also a minister in Mayawati's cabinet.

The BSP chief expelled him from the party in 2017 for what she called "anti party" activities.

Later, Siddiqui joined the Congress and is currently a member of Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council.

Many voters said Siddiqui is an outsider who is mainly targeting the Muslim population.

What he does not understand is that most Muslims are treating him as an outsider and he is also targeting us (Muslims) and not other sections which might act against him, said Yasmin Sameer, a Sadar Bazar resident.

But it will be interesting to see how Siddiqui takes on his former BSP colleague Nagar, she added.

Bijnor has five assembly seats -- Meerapur, Chandpur, Purqazi, Bijnor and Hastinapur.

Bijnor has a total of 15,62,065 voters, including 7,13,459 women.

The votes will be counted on May 23.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The NCP Tuesday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he targeted its chief Sharad Pawar for "standing with" the National Conference which recently advocated a separate 'Wazir-e-Azam' (Prime Minister) for Jammu and Kashmir.

NCP national spokesperson Nawab Malik said National Conference has never talked about contesting polls with separatists and has fought elections as per the Constitution.

On the other hand, Malik claimed, it was the BJP that had formed a government with the People's Democratic Party (PDP) "which supported separatists".

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah had last week said his party will strive hard for restoring the autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir and that could include having a 'Sadar-e- Riyasat' (President) and 'Wazir-e-Azam' (Prime Minister) for the northern state.

"Modi ji accused Pawar saheb of standing with separatists. There is no separatist party in the UPA. The National Conference never talks about contesting polls with separatists. It has always fought polls as per the Constitution," Malik said.

"One who fights polls is not one following a separatist ideology. Contrary to that, the BJP is in alliance with Sajad Lone who follows a separatist ideology. They ran a government with PDP which supported separatists," he added.

Lone, a former J-K MLA, is chief of the People's Conference.

Malik also hit out at Modi for allegedly using the surgical strike carried out after 2016 Uri terror attack and also the Balakot strike by Air Force after the Pulwama terror attack for poll campaigning.

He asked Modi why responsibility for Uri, Pathankot and Pulwama attacks was not fixed.

Unlike the NDA government, the UPA had made then Union Home Minister (Shivraj Patil Chakurkar), Maharashtra Chief Minister (Vilasrao Deshmukh) and deputy CM (RR Patil) step down from their respective posts after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack in 2008.

"Modi ji will have to give answers on the number of terrorist attacks in the country. The country is not safe in his hands," Malik said.

Referring to Abdullah's remark, Modi Tuesday accused the Congress and its ally NCP of standing with those who want a separate prime minister for Jammu and Kashmir.

Hitting out at Pawar, Modi wondered if it behoved the Maratha strongman to join forces with parties holding such a view.

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Union minister Vijay Goel lashed out at the ruling AAP government for making "tall claims" about reforming the sector in the city after he found "poor" infrastructure at a government run secondary school in Mustafabad area during his visit there on Tuesday.

During his "reality check" tour of the Government Boys/Girls Secondary School in the minority dominated pocket of Mustafabad, Goel said people should visit the school to see what AAP government has done in the sector.

"Kejriwal government had been making false claims of improving the condition of and schools of Delhi.

"This school exemplifies that there are schools in Delhi where infrastructure is absent, and also exposes tall claims of AAP government on reforms in education," Goel told reporters on the spot.

No reaction was immediately available from the Aam Aadmi Party or the Delhi government.

Mustafabad lies in North East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency where the ruling AAP has fielded Dilip Pandey as its candidate.

The school, known locally as "tin-wala school" running under temporary classrooms caters to over 2,100 girls and around 1,800 boys enrolled in class VI to Class X, in four shifts on working days, Yasmin, vice chairman of management committee of the school said.

Goel claimed he had offered Rs 25 lakh for construction of classrooms of the school but the AAP government refused to use it.

"The AAP government did not accept my funds thinking it will benefit me politically," he said.

Jagdish Pradhan, BJP MLA from Mustafabad said that the land on which the school was running was embroiled in a legal dispute over ownership.

"Another piece of land was available close to the school, but Delhi government did not take steps to construct building of the school there, he claimed.

Goel challenged Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia to visit the Mustafabad school and then make any claim on improvement of schools and education under their government.

The vice principal of the school Anita Singh said that the education department of Delhi government has been apprised about the condition of the school.

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The BJP will appeal against the Karnataka governments decision to withdraw 142 cases relating to serious crimes across the state, the party's MLA from Mangaluru North Bharath Shetty said Tuesday.

Addressing reporters at the BJP election committee office here, Shetty alleged that the hidden agenda behind the decision was nothing but appeasement of minority communities for electoral gains.

"In the cases proposed to be withdrawn, majority of the accused are from minority communities. A few cases in which Hindus were accused have been included in the list to create an impression that the move was impartial, Shetty alleged.

The government was sending a wrong message to the people by suggesting withdrawal of cases like those related to communal disturbances at Ulaibettu in 2014.

If the accused in such cases are allowed to go scot-free, the communal situation in Dakshina Kannada district would only woren, he said.

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A blind man, accused of sexually assaulting his daughter repeatedly since she was six years old, is to be tried for the offences of rape and molestation, the Delhi High Court has directed.

It set aside a trial court order discharging the man in the case and sent back the matter to the lower court to frame appropriate charges against him.

"The reasoning given by the trial court, that the allegations are general in nature without mentioning specific dates and are not substantiated as she had not called the police on 100 number or informed any of the close relatives, is clearly not sustainable," Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva said.

The high court said perusal of the trial court's discharge order showed that the reasoning is "completely perverse" and "trial court does not seem to be alive to realities".

According to the FIR, the accused was blind and living separately from his wife and the victim, who was their daughter, was residing with him.

The girl, who was born in 1998, in her statement had submitted that she has no memory as to when the sexual assaults started. She had stated that there were several instances from 2004-2005 till 2011 when he had allegedly sexually assaulted her.

The high court allowed the plea of police challenging the discharge order and said it was satisfied that the allegations raise grave suspicion against the man having committed rape and molestation.

"The relation between the prosecutrix and the accused is that of daughter and father and the allegations of sexual assault go back to several years. The prosecutrix in her complaint to the police and her 164 CrPC statement has stated that she does not even recollect when the sexual assault started.

"Her narration of incidents go back to a period when she was only 6 years of age and the sexual assault continued till she was 13-14 years of age. Complaint is made to the police when she attained the age of 18 years," it noted.

It said a child who was subjected to sexual abuse and assault from a tender age of 6 and which assault continued till she turned 14, would not even be aware that she was being abused or any offence was happening.

The girl, in her statement, had stated that she was not aware of the abuse and became aware only when she grew up.

She had said in the statement that due to lack of sex education, she began to think that she would become pregnant and went through a lot of stress and mental trauma.

"In 2011, I went to a different hostel and started getting sex education and came to know that what happened with me was rape and sexual assault," she had said.

The high court said that merely because there was delay in lodging a complaint would be no ground for the court to discharge an accused, especially when there was other evidence to corroborate the allegations. Medical evidence also supports the allegations.

"Trial court has erred in not appreciating that the accused was the father of the prosecutrix and was in a dominating position and keeping in the view the relationship, it would not be abnormal for the prosecutrix not to make a complaint against her own father. The reasoning given by the trial court is completely perverse and contrary to record," it said.

It listed the matter before the trial court for appropriate orders on April 15 and also clarified that it has not expressed any opinion on the merits of the matter.

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Boeing on Tuesday reported a 19 per cent drop in first-quarter commercial airplane deliveries as the global grounding of its 737 MAX plane hits results.

The aerospace giant delivered 149 commercial planes in all in the first quarter, including 89 of the 737 aircraft. That is down from 184 commercial deliveries and 132 of the 737s in the year-ago period.

Boeing has been under scrutiny following a March 10 Ethiopian Airlines crash on a 737 MAX that killed 157 people, the second deadly crash involving in the aircraft in five months.

Regulators worldwide grounded the planes within days of the Ethiopia crash, a move that also restricts Boeing's ability to deliver new planes.

Plane deliveries are closely tied to company revenues.

Boeing last week announced it would temporarily cut production of the 737 plane to 42 per month from 52 per month.

The company is expected to update its full-year profit forecast when it reports earnings on April 24.

In January, Boeing had signalled that it expected big jumps in 2019 in both revenues and earnings-per-share.

Near 1540 GMT, Boeing shares were down 1.3 per cent at USD 369.48.

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British MPs on Monday passed a new law aimed at preventing a no-deal Brexit this week by obliging the government to ask EU leaders for a delay.

The law has been rushed through both chambers of parliament over the past week and was opposed by the government, which has said it could limit its room for negotiation with the European Union.

"This is a huge dog's dinner," Andrea Leadsom, who represents the government in parliament, told MPs.

"I fundamentally object to it on the grounds that it is totally unconventional," she said.

The law was passed on the initiative of MPs, subverting the normal order in which parliament debates and passes government-proposed legislation.

As a result of the law, the government now must put forward a motion in parliament on Tuesday setting out the delay that it will request at an EU summit on Wednesday.

MPs will be allowed to vote on this and make their own suggestions as to the length of the delay.

It allows the government to seek any extension from May 22 onwards. Prime Minister Theresa May has asked for a delay until June 30, but ultimately this is up to EU leaders and it could be longer.

The law does not actually prevent a no-deal Brexit when the deadline for Britain runs out on Friday, as that is the legal default if Britain and the EU cannot agree on an extension at the summit.

Britain could also choose to stop the entire Brexit process by revoking Article 50, the formal procedure for member states that want to leave.

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State-owned telecom firm BSNL has collected a record revenue of Rs 6,500 crore from enterprise segment, making it sufficiently funded, which will help in meeting its various requirement.

"We have collected Rs 6,500 crore from enterprise segment for 2018-19. This is highest ever that BSNL has collected with 91 enterprise making payment. On average, annual collection used to be from 50-60 enterprises," BSNL CMD Anupam Shrivastava told PTI.

When asked if this will help BSNL to make salary payments, he said that financially, the company is in comfortable position and it has seen revenue stabilising in other segments as well.

"Even in consumer and mobility segment revenue has stabilised and we have seen slightly increase in it. Worst is behind us. We are looking for revival only. In my five years, I have realised that BSNL has so much with it that this organisation should never face problem," Shrivastava said.

BSNL has been ailing because of high revenue-to-wage ratio as a large number of government employees were transferred by the telecom department to the telecom PSU.

"We are sitting on gold mine. Department of Public Enterprise has declared that BSNL has networth of Rs 83,000 crore which is humongous. If we start working on asset monetisation, we will be able to resolve most of our issues," Shrivastava said.

Despite being a loss-making telecom firm, BSNL has the lowest debt of Rs 14,000 crore among all telecom operators.

The company has been operating in the highly competitive telecom market without having spectrum for 4G services. It is the only incumbent operator that has been adding new subscribers every month while others have lost millions in last few months. It has sought 4G spectrum across India through equity infusion of Rs 7,000 crore. The total spectrum will cost the firm Rs 14,000 crore.

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Traders' body CAIT Tuesday slammed Rahul Gandhi for his purported statement that funds for the ambitious 'NYAY' scheme will come from the pockets of "chor" businessmen, and cautioned that the Congress may pay a heavy price for it in the general polls.

"By calling traders thieves, Mr Gandhi has insulted entire trading community of the country which has sent gross resentment and anguish among traders of the country.

"No politician in the country has ever used such a filthy word for the trading community but the words uttered by Mr Gandhi are shameful and need to be deeply condemned. The Congress party may pay a heavy price for it in the elections," CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi last week said that funds for the ambitious 'NYAY' scheme will come from the pockets of "chor" businessmen favoured by 'Chowkidar' Narendra Modi.

Addressing a rally in the Upper Assam town of Bokakhat, Gandhi said the Congress, if voted to power, guarantees to deposit Rs 72,000 annually to 20 per cent poor Indian families under the NYAY scheme.

"The money (for NYAY scheme) will come from the pockets of 'chor' (thieves) like Anil Ambani, to whom Chowkidar Narendra Modi has given money during the last four years ... We will deposit it in the accounts of the poor, particularly women, irrespective of their caste, class or religion," he said.

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) which claims to represent 7 crore traders in the country, said it will give a clarion call to the trading community on whom to vote for in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in a week's time, after examining the manifestos of various political parties.

However, it observed that in the context of issues of traders, BJP manifesto is "far ahead" than the Congress'.

CAIT said it has been been conducting a campaign to convert traders into a "vote bank and cast their vote collectively to a party and play a decisive role in the forthcoming elections".

Addressing a press conference here, Khandelwal said the body's governing core committee will examine manifestos of various political parties and determine if they are "serious" in implementing the promises made therein with regard to the trading community in a week's time.

Thereafter, he said, CAIT will call upon the trading community to vote unanimously in favour of a particular political party.

"We will mull upon it internally and then make a public announcement on with whom the trader should stand with in the Lok Sabha polls," Khandelwal told reporters here, adding, however, that traders were keeping an open mind as of now.

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Campaign for the West Tripura Lok Sabha constituency which would go to poll on April 11 ended at 5 pm Tuesday, state Chief Electoral Officer Sriram Taranikanti said.

Campaign for the East Tripura (ST), the other Lok Sabha constituency of the state, would continue till April 16. Elections for that constituency would be held on April 18.

"If found that campaigning by anyone in the East constituency had any impact on the voters of the West seat, it would be violation of the model code of conduct," Taranikanti told reporters.

Altogether, 13 candidates including those of the BJP, the Congress and the CPI-M are in the fray.

Ruling BJP general secretary Pratima Bhowmick, sitting MP Shankar Prasad Datta of the CPI(M) and Subal Bhowmick of the Congress are fighting the elections.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechuri have campaigned in the state.

The CEO said 12000 odd Bru voters of Mizoram, who are living in relief camps in North Tripura district of Tripura, would be taken to Kanmun village in Mizoram as they would exercise their franchise there.

Kanmun is about 60 km from the camps.

West Tripura district Superintendent of Police Ajit Pratap Singh said adequate security arrangements have been made for free and fair polls.

Security escorts for the candidates were enhanced and some more arrangements would be made on the poll day, he said.

Singh said 21 polling stations were identified as vulnerable and 111 as critical in West Tripura constituency.

The BSF has also intensified vigilance along the Indo-Bangladesh border and the border would be completely sealed much before the beginning of the elections, he said.

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Campaigning for simultaneous polls to 32 Assembly seats as well as the lone Lok Sabha seat in Sikkim ended at 5 pm on Tuesday.

The polling will be held on April 11 next.

Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) president and chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling addressed an impressive 'Vijay Sankalp Rally' at Jorethang in his native district, South Sikkim where he extorted the gathering to return his party to power for a sixth successive term to ensure peace and security in Sikkim.

The opposition Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) president P S Golay and Hamro Sikkim Party (HSP) working president Bhaichung Bhutia also held election meetings to wind up two-week long campaigning.

While the SDF and HSP have promised to implement the Universal Basic Income to all people in Sikkim, the SKM has pledged to provide government jobs to all unemployed people within 100 days of the party coming to power.

Those who could not be given given government jobs immediately will get a subsistence allowance of Rs 10,000 per month till for the time being.

There are 150 candidates in fray on 32 Assembly seats, while a total of eleven candidates are in contest on the lone Lok Sabha seat in Sikkim



Among prominent candidates, Chamling, who is seeking a record eighth successive term as an MLA, is contesting from two assembly seats - Poklok-Kamrang and Namchi-Singhithang, Bhaichung Bhutia has entered into fray from two assembly seats as well, including Gangtok, reserved seat for the indigenous Bhutia-Lepcha communities.

There are 4,32,306 voters comprising 2,20,305 male and 2,12,001 female.

Of the total voters in Sikkim, 30,480 are first-time voters, while 2,042 voters have registered themselves as the People with Disabilities (PWD) Sikkim's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ravindra Telang told reporters.

There will be a total of 567 polling stations in Sikkim of which 120 have been identified as critical polling stations to be manned by the Centre Para Military forces on the polling day, the CEO said.

He said that 3,600 polling personnel and 4,000 security men, including 10 companies of SSB, have been deployed for the polling on April 11 next.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
: The acerbic campaigning for the high stakes simultaneous April 11 elections to the Lok Sabha and the state Assembly ended in Andhra Pradesh Tuesday.

The fortnight-long electioneering had been anything but decent, with top leaders of the main contesting parties TDP and YSR Congress often hurling the choicest expletives at each other.

Elections for all 25 Lok Sabha and 175 Assembly seats will be held simultaneously in one go from 7 AM to 6 PM on April 11.

Telugu Desam Party president and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's campaign theme centered around bashing the "evil trio" of (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi, (Telangana Chief Minister) K Chandrasekhar Rao and (YSR Congress president) Y S Jaganmohan Reddy.

He called them names and went to the extent of branding Jagan a "hardcore criminal."



The Chief Minister warned people that they would be writing their "death declaration" if they voted for the YSRC.

"Only I am your savior. If you dont elect me (again), the state will go to the dogs," was Naidus constant refrain.

Besides Rao, Chandrababu Naidu also projected Modi as the 'villain' bent on wrecking the states progress.

The YSRC chief, on the other hand, went to the people requesting that he be given "one chance" to usher in a "welfare state" modeled on the lines of his late father Y S Rajasekhara Reddys administration.

The third player in the current elections was actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan of the Jana Sena.

Kalyan spoke in many voices, once saying he would become Chief Minister (in May) and later claiming he was here for the "long run" and was, hence, not hankering for power.

He was critical of the TDP, only in the manner of touch-and-go, but almost parroted everything Naidu spoke.

Kalyan lambasted the Prime Minister, the Telangana Chief Minister and the YSRC president, much like the TDP chief.

When it came to appeasing voters though, Naidu, Jagan and Kalyan tried to outdo each other by announcing a slew of freebies like babyshowers, laptops, homes, LPG cylinders, crop insurance, education, healthcare, medicines, bicycles, bus rides and virtually everything else



Among the issues raised in the campaign was grant of Special Category Status for the state, construction of capital city Amaravati, major projects like Polavaram.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi addressed two meetings each in the state, where the main players are TDP and YSRC.

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Campaigning for the April 11 Lok Sabha elections in Telangana ended Tuesday, with the buoyant ruling TRS hoping to sweep the polls in alliance with AIMIM.

The TRS (Telangana Rashtra Samiti) headed by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao KCR as he is popularly known -- is brimming with confidence after its massive victory in the Assembly elections four months ago.

All eyes will also be on Nizamabad constituency, where more than 170 farmers are in the fray to highlight their problems.

Raos daughter K Kavitha is seeking re-election from this segment.

Besides her, prominent candidates include senior Congress leader Renuka Chowdary (Khammam) and Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee President Uttam Kumar Reddy (Nalgonda) and TPCC Working Presidents A Revanth Reddy (Malkajgiri) and Ponnam Prabhakar (Karimnagar).

Telangana has 17 Lok Sabha constituencies.

TRS leaders have repeatedly said their aim is to bag 16 seats, leaving one for AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi, who is seeking to win for the fourth time from Hyderabad.

The TRS swept the December 7 2018 Assembly elections, bagging 88 seats in the 119-member House, while the Congress won 19.

The BJP won only one seat and the Amit Shah-led party,in fact, forfeited deposits in more than 100 Assembly segments.

Compounding the problems for the Congress, 10 of its MLAs announced their decision to join TRS last month.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the TRS bagged 11 seats, and the Congress, two.

The BJP, TDP, YSRCP and AIMIM shared one each.

The TDP, YSRCP and one Congress Lok Sabha member later joined the TRS.

Campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections appeared low key compared to the high pitched one seen in the Assembly polls in December.

The Election Commission has made additional arrangements for the smooth conduct of polls in Nizamabad, where a total of 185 candidates are in the fray.

The large number of turmeric and red sorghum farmers in the fray are protesting lack of remunerative prices for their produce.

The turmeric farmers are demanding setting up of a national turmeric board in Nizamabad.

KCR and his son and party working President K T Rama Rao campaigned vigorously, constantly attacking BJP and Congress, saying these two national parties failed to deliver when in power and the time has come for regional parties to take centre stage.

Among national leaders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and BSP supremo Mayawati canvassed for their respective parties.

KCR said that if TRS won 16 seats, the party would play a key role in national

He predicted that none of the national parties-BJP or Congress, would get a majority on its own to form the Government at the Centre.

Highlighting the 'family rule' by KCR, Modi warned that TRSs association with the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM party would mean a 'speed-breaker' for Telanganas development.

Owaisi canvassed for TRS candidates at some places.

KCR earlier termed AIMIM as TRS friendly party.

Rahul Gandhi, during his campaigns, alleged that both BJP and TRS have a tacit understanding and hence a vote for TRS would be like casting a vote for the BJP.

Over 2.97 crore voters, including 1504 transgenders, are eligible to exercise their franchise in Telangana, which has a total of 34,604 polling stations.

Additional DG ( Law and order) Jitender said special arrangements have been made for Nizamabad, where there are an unusuallly large number of candiates in the fray, with additional deployment of four companies of central forces in the constituency.

As many as 145 companies of central paramilitary forces and 9,000 police personnel from other states have been deployed, besides over 55,000 state police personnel for security arrangement, Jitender said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The BSF has called on people living in Maoist-affected areas of Odisha to cast their votes without fear, claiming that their participation will send a "clear message" to the extremists that violence and intimidation will no longer be accepted in the state.

Election in 147 Assembly seats and 21 Lok Sabha constituencies in Odisha will be held simultaneously in four phases - on April 11, 18, 23 and 29.

Maoist posters asking people to boycott polls have appeared in several parts of the state.

The paramilitary force, which has been entrusted with election security in Odisha for the first time, assured people that they are taking measures to ensure peaceful polls.

"All arterial roads are being scanned regularly and intelligence networks strengthened to conduct an incident-free election," BSF IG Ashwini Kumar Singh said in the statement.

"If the voters come out in large numbers in the Maoist belts to cast their votes, it will send a message to the extremists that violence and intimidation will no longer be accepted," Singh said.

Noting that elections in major Maoist-hit areas will be conducted on April 11, Singh said the paramilitary force has been deployed in two parliamentary constituencies - Nabarangpur and Koraput - and 14 Assembly seats.

"In close coordination with the state police and the local administration, the BSF has enhanced the overall security preparedness in Odisha," Singh said.

He also appealed to the political parties to inform the BSF about their movements in the Maoist-hit areas.

"We request all political leaders to inform us about their programmes in advance," Singh said, adding that the paramilitary forces will guard the strong rooms across the state till the announcement of poll results on May 23.

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The CBI Tuesday opposed in the Supreme Court the bail plea of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, who is serving jail term in connection with fodder scam cases, saying he is likely to indulge in political activities ahead of

The CBI, which sought nod from a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi to file its response to the bail plea of Yadav, said the RJD leader is likely to get involved in political activities and misuse the grant of bail ahead of upcoming

The probe agency said in any case Yadav has been in a hospital ward for over eight months and indulging in political activities.

"During the period in which the petitioner (Lalu Yadav) remained in hospital, he is not only granted a special paying ward with all facilities but he is virtually conducting his political activities from there which would be clear form the list of visitors," the CBI in its reply said.



The agency further said Yadav who claimed to be so unwell that he cannot even remain in jail has now suddenly become physically fit and is seeking bail.

"It is submitted that simultaneous raising of pleas for bails on medical grounds and bail to guide the party and to carry out all essential responsibilities as a party president in ensuing Lok Sabha elections are mutually contradictory and manifest that in the garb of bail on medical ground the petitioner in essence wants to pursue his political activities which is impermissible in law," the CBI said.

The RJD chief, currently lodged in the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi, has challenged the January 10 verdict of the Jharkhand High Court dismissing his bail plea.

The three cases in which Prasad has been convicted are related to the over Rs 900-crore fodder scam, which pertains to fraudulent withdrawal of money from the treasuries in the Animal Husbandry department in the early 1990s, when Jharkhand was part of Bihar.

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The struggle of the ruling TDP in Andhra Pradesh to get central funds for the Polavaram Irrigation project could be a blessing in disguise for opposition YSRCP, which is looking to woo people affected by the project and disgruntled over compensation.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP), once a part of the NDA has been locked in a struggle with the Centre over release of funds for Polavaram, which has been declared a national project and is considered a lifeline for a resource-starved Andhra Pradesh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his election rallies in the state has accused the TDP of slowing down the project.

Chief Minister and TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu's retort to Modi is that the state is determined to complete the project within the stipulated time despite throttling of central funds.

Though 68.5 per cent of the work is complete, rehabilitation and resettlement, including compensation, has been slow due to a delay in release of central funds, according to a government official.

YSR Congress (YSRCP) chief Jaganmohan Reddy -- considered the 'B' team of the BJP -- is trying to woo 98,000 affected families and has promised villagers additional compensation if his party's candidates in adjoining East and West Godavari districts win.

In this rift between the state and the Centre, other political parties, especially the YSRCP, are making an attempt to woo the displaced villagers, whose land were acquired for the irrigation project.

The Polavaram Irrigation project will irrigate 2.91 lakh hectares, generate 960 MW of power, and fulfil water needs of industries and 540 villages in Andhra Pradesh.

Fifty per cent of the affected population are tribals, 15 per cent Muslims, and the rest are from backward classes.

"We were promised a compensation of Rs 10 lakh per family unit as opposed to Rs 6 lakh sanctioned by the TDP government," a resident of Koyiagadam village said, expressing a popular sentiment.

Deputy Executive Engineer of the project, Balakrishna Murthy, told PTI that "about 68.5 per cent of the works have been completed so far, and the rest will be finished by December 2019. The dam's construction work is progressing at a fast pace."



However, rehabilitation and resettlement has not sped up much in the absence of central funds. "If the government of India releases the compensation money,we can complete the project sooner," he said.

Since the Centre declared it as a national project in 2014, Rs 11,210 crore has been spent on it. The Centre has reimbursed Rs 6,727 crore to the state government, Murthy added.

Polavaram is being built at a total cost of Rs 57,000 crore.

This is one project where the cost of relocation and rehabilitation, Rs 33,000 crore, is higher than that of the main irrigation project, which is estimated at Rs 20,000 crore.

The cost of the dam being built for a power house is pegged at Rs 4,500 crore.

"The dam cannot be complete unless the affected families are resettled. We have clear instructions from chief minister to meet deadlines, irrespective of the flow of funds," Murthy said.

The villagers impacted by the Polavaram project are spread across many state assemblies and parliamentary constituencies.These include Poluvaram, Rajamundry, East and West Godavri, Elluru and Araku.

Unlike other places where people are opposed to the construction of dams, villagers, in this case, are by and large in its favour as the right and left canals of the project will take water from the Godavri to several of parched districts.

Besides, it will also recharge the Krishna river by pumping water into the Prakasham Barrage. This will further take 80 TMC water to Rayaseelam regions.

Though the project was under contemplation since 1941, works started in 2005. The efforts to complete it gained momentum in 2015, following the bifurcation of united Andhra Pradesh.

Nearly 4,000 labourers involved in the project hail from states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.

With the announcement of election schedule many of the labourers have applied for leave to go and exercise their franchise in their respective states.

"Since the polls are happening in a phased manner, we will be able send people on leave in phases. But it will still impact about 10 per cent of the work till polling," says SKM Chisti, one of the supervisors.

Electioneering may delay the overall project by about two weeks, but work is on in shifts between 8 am and 8 pm.

Through shifts, officials are ensuring



no delays in implementing the project that is being monitored by the chief minister through video cameras and drones.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress president Rahul Gandhi Tuesday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "thief and a coward" who runs away from a direct debate with the leader of the main opposition party.

Launching a tirade against Modi, the Congress leader alleged that the prime minister's schemes had benefited only rich businessmen like Anil Ambani, Mehul Choksi and Nirav Modi.

"The chowkidar (watchman) is not only chor (thief) but also a coward. As he talks about corruption, I told the chowkidar to debate with me. He does not have the guts and fled away.

"He fled away because then Rafale...Rs 30,000 crore to Anil Ambani will also be discussed. I had asked him why an aircraft worth Rs 526 crore was bought for Rs 1,600 crore... and he ran away," he told a public rally here.

Reaching the venue almost two hours late by road instead of a helicopter from Silchar airport as planned due to heavy rain, Gandhi cited media reports to claim that the Modi government gave money only to rich people like Anil Ambani, Mehul Choksi and Nirav Modi and not to the poor.

"Narendra Modi ran the government for five years to benefit only 15 people...he gave money non-stop to the richest people of the country. After Congress comes to power in 2019, the headlines in newspapers will be about poor people getting money," he added.

Modi, he claimed, made false promises of creating two crore jobs every year, giving fair price to farmers for their produce and depositing Rs 15 lakh in everyone's bank accounts.

"The Chowkidar took away your money by demonetisation and GST. The keys to the banks were handed over to thieves like Anil Ambani.

"Once we come to power, we will snatch that key from Anil Ambani and give it to the youths of the Barak valley," he said at the rally in Assam's Barak valley region.

The Congress has promised to deposit Rs 72,000 annually into the bank accounts of 20 per cent of the poorest people across the country, irrespective of region, religion and caste.

Calling the minimum income guarantee--'NYAY'-- proposed by the Congress a historic initiative, he said no government in the world has ever attempted such a step.

"The money will go to women's bank accounts....men may not like it, but we have taken the decision. This is a surgical strike on poverty and will change India's economy," he said.

The Congress president said the beneficiaries with income that is less than Rs 12,000 a month will receive Rs 3.6 lakh each over five years.

It does not matter from where you are, which community you belong to or what is your caste, he said.

Gandhi said soon after a Congress government is formed, it will work towards 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and state assemblies.

He said the Congress, which is contesting Lok Sabha polls in Assam alone, will win single-handedly and ensure that no genuine Indian citizen is left out of the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Gandhi urged people to support young leaders of his party like sitting Silchar MP Sushmita Dev.

"The Congress needs youth leaders from Assam. Sushmita is a national level youth leader who is the president of the Mahila Congress. Please support youth leaders as we need youths as ministers also," he added.

He said his party wanted to make Barak valley the business hub of the North-East.

We want to link Barak valley and the North-East with the rest of India and Asia and make it a centre of manufacturing, transport, logistics and education, he said.

Gandhi was campaigning for Sushmita Dev and Swarup Das--Congress contestants from the two Barak valley seats of Silchar and Karimganj (SC).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Continuing his tirade against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi Tuesday said the 'chowkidar' (watchman) is not only a "thief", but also a "coward" as he avoids having a direct debate with the opposition party chief.

Launching a volley of criticism, Gandhi said Modi and his schemes "benefited" only the rich businessmen like Anil Ambani, Mehul Choksi and Nirav Modi in the last five years.

"Chowkidar is not only chor, but also a coward. I told the Chowkidar to debate with me as he talks about corruption. He does not have the guts and fled away," the Congress president said at a public rally here.

Reaching the venue almost two hours late by road instead of a planned chopper ride from Silchar airport due to heavy rains, Gandhi said the media reports have been of giving money to the rich people like Anil Ambani, Mehul Choksi and Nirav Modi, but not to poor people.

"Narendra Modi ran the government in five years to give benefits to only 15 people and gave non-stop money to the richest people of the country. After Congress comes to power in 2019, the headline will be poor people are given money," he added.

Gandhi alleged that Modi made false promises over giving two crore jobs, fair prices to farmers and depositing Rs 15 lakh in everyone's bank accounts.

"Chowkidar took away your money by demonetisation and GST. The keys of the banks were handed over to thieves like Anil Ambani. Once we will come to power, we will snatch that key from Anil Ambani and give it to the youths of the Barak valley," he said at the rally in Barak valley.

Gandhi also said that as soon as the Congress forms the government at the Centre, the party will work towards making 33 per cent women's reservation in Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas.

He also spoke about the Congress promise of depositing Rs 72,000 annually in the bank accounts of the 20 per cent of the poorest people across the country irrespective of region, religion and caste.

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Citing the Pulwama terror attack, President Ram Nath Kovind Tuesday praised the valour and sacrifice of security forces in protecting the country and its citizens.

Forces such as the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been playing a pivotal role in checking separatism and terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, he said.

"The valour and bravery with which CRPF personnel faced the terrorists, who attacked the Parliament (in 2001), have become part of the legend of the country's security forces.

"CPRF personnel have played an appreciable role in checking separatism and terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir," he said during a remembrance service at the National Police Memorial here.

The service marks the annual 'Valour Day' of the CRPF which remembers the gallant fight back by its personnel at the Sardar post in Gujarat's Rann of Kutch against Pakistani troop on this day in 1965.

The president paid tributes to police and paramilitary personnel killed in the line of duty, including the 40 CRPF jawans who lost their lives in the February 14 Pulwama terror attack.

He laid a wreath at the memorial, a 30-foot-tall and 238-tonne black granite structure, which was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 21 last year on police commemoration day.

Kovind said a pall of gloom had descended on the country after the Pulwama attack."People queued up to pay their respect to their (the CRPF personnel) sacrifice. I on behalf of the whole nation paid my deepest respect in remembrance of those brave hearts," he said.

Police personnel have always been alert and active to ensure the safety of the people, and have shown extraordinary commitment towards the nation, he said.

This is for the first time that the president has visited the memorial located at Chanakyapuri here.

Kovind, the supreme commander of the armed forces, was accorded a "national salute" and presented a guard of honour by a joint column of troops from all the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) such as the CRPF, BSF, ITBP, CISF and SSB.

Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba; Director of the Intelligence Bureau, Rajiv Jain; Director of CRPF, Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar; and other officials from paramilitary forces, police and the Union Home Ministry attended the event.

In 1965, CRPF troops were posted on border-guarding duties and the Sardar post event is mentioned as a glorious chapter in the country's military history when only two companies (about 150 personnel) of the force stood their ground and repulsed a Pakistani brigade attack.

The force was tasked to secure the post seeing the aggressive posturing of the other side and the location was at a flat area, which was tactically disadvantageous to troops.

On the intervening night of April 8 and April 9 in 1965, 3,500 men of the 51st Infantry Brigade of Pakistan, comprising the 18 Punjab Battalion, the 8 Frontier Rifles and the 6 Baluch Battalion, had stealthily launched a simultaneous assault on the Sardar and Tak posts under an operation code-named "Desert Hawk".

The combat lasted 12 hours, during which the Pakistanis made three attempts to overrun the Sardar post, but were repulsed with heavy casualties by some dare-devil action of the CRPF men.

The retaliation by the CRPF personnel saw the numerically superior and better-armed Pakistani side retreating the areas and leaving behind 34 bodies of their soldiers, including two officers. Four Pakistani soldiers were taken captive while six CRPF men made the supreme sacrifice and the post was saved.

The over three lakh personnel-strong force remembers all its slain men by observing 'Valour Day' on this day every year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
French automaker Citroen Tuesday said it has tied-up with auto portal CarDekho to enter pre-owned car market in India.

Citroen, which announced its India entry last week, plans to launch its first vehicle in the country by the end of next year.

"Pre-owned cars are a mobility solution for many customers in India, and we will expand our presence in the market to achieve the ambition of becoming the customers' preferred mobility solution," Citroen India Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing Roland Bouchara said in a statement.

The company is confident that in Cardekho, it has found a strong, dynamic partner to provide a value proposition for the customers in the Indian pre-owned car market, he added.

Commenting on the tie-up, Cardekho CEO and Co-founder Amit Jain said the pre-owned car market is tipped to grow rapidly in the next few years.

"We are proud to partner with one of the prominent French automobile company and together, we will ensure that ATAWADAC (AnyTime AnyWhere AnyDevice AnyContent) experience is delivered to our customers, looking for the best solutions in the pre-owned car market," he added.

European auto major Groupe PSA plans to launch four models under the Citroen brand in India in the next four years, starting with its flagship SUV model C5 Aircross by the end of 2020.

The company, which plans to bring in a range of products that would be made and launched in India before being introduced in other parts of the world, is looking to leverage on the fast growing SUV segment as it tries to balance volume and profit to have a sustainable business.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The commerce ministry has recommended an anti-dumping duty of USD 1,633.17 per tonne on Saccharin, a kind of sweetener, from Indonesia to guard domestic manufacturers from cheap imports from the Southeast Asian country.

The ministry's investigation arm - Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) - has conducted the probe of alleged dumping of this product following a complaint from Swati Petro Products Ltd.

The directorate has concluded in its findings that the product has been exported to India from Indonesia below their normal values, due to which the domestic industry has suffered material injury.

Material injury has been caused by the dumped imports, the DGTR has said in a notification.

"The authority recommends imposition of definitive anti-dumping duty... so as to remove the injury to the domestic industry," it said.

The final call to impose the duty would be taken by the finance ministry.

Saccharin is used in a variety of industry such as food and beverage, personal care products, table top sweeteners, electroplating brighteners, and pharmaceuticals. Saccharin is more than 500 times sweeter than sugar.

Import of the item into India has increased from 421 tonne in 2014-15 to 543 tonne during 2017-18.

Indonesia is a key trading partner of India in the Southeast Asian region. The bilateral trade between the countries increased to 20.4 billion in 2017-18 from about USD 17 billion.

In international trade parlance, dumping happens when a country or a firm exports an item at a price lower than the price of that product in its domestic market.

Dumping impacts price of that product in the exporting country, hitting margins and profits of manufacturing firms.

According to global trade norms, a country is allowed to impose tariffs on such dumped products to provide a level-playing field to domestic manufacturers. The duty is imposed only after a thorough investigation by a quasi-judicial body, like DGTR in India.

In its probe, the directorate has to conclude whether the dumped products are impacting domestic industries.

Imposition of anti-dumping duty is permissible under the World Trade Organization (WTO) regime.

The duty is aimed at ensuring fair trading practices and creating a level-playing field for domestic producers vis-a-vis foreign producers and exporters.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pitching for electing the Congress in coming Lok Sabha polls, Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy Tuesday said if the party came back to power at the Centre all states and union territories would witness development.

Canvassing votes for party nominee V Vaithilingam in the lone Lok Sabha in the union territory, he accused the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre of 'discriminatory' approach towards Puducherry which hampered implementation of welfare schemes by the Congress government led by him.

"There is every need for the Congress to stage a comeback at the Centre so that all the states and Union Territory of Puducherry could make development with the cooperation of the Central government," he said.

The chief minister claimed the Centre had reduced grants to Puducherry to 24 per cent while full-fledged state were getting 46 per cent.

He alleged Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi was also impeding development and implementation of welfare schemes.

Noting that farmers' loans were written off by his government, he said: "Congress would walk the talk and the manifesto released by it wouldameliorate the lot of the poor, the farmers, youth and other sections.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Attacking the Congress over its manifesto, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said its election pledges are soft on terror and echo views on the Army that are similar to those of Pakistan.

In an interview to CNN- 18, he said the Congress manifesto talks about removing the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) which amounts to sending soldiers to the gallows.

He also exuded confidence that the BJP will again form the government with a bigger mandate as compared to 2014.

"There is a world of difference on many parameters. We are at the crossroads of eliminating terrorism. Terrorists are demoralised, we are winning a psychological war against them. Instead (of backing such efforts), the Congress manifesto is soft on terror. Their views on the Army are similar to those of Pakistan," Modi said in the interview which was broadcast on Tuesday.

No patriot will tolerate this language, he said.

"Their manifesto talks about removing AFSPA. This amounts to making a soldier weaponless. Is this right," the prime minister asked.

On whether the controversial law will be dealt in a time-bound manner, Modi said it is necessary to first create an environment where AFSPA would be unnecessary.

He also cited an example of Arunachal Pradesh where it was revoked from a few districts.

"We then revoked it from some states. We were the first to take such a step since 1980. But we have maintained law and order. The government must have the power to protect its armed forces. Only then will they have the morale to fight. Removing AFSPA from J&K is the same as sending our soldiers to the gallows. I will never let this happen to our soldiers," he said.

Modi asserted that Pulwama was an "exception" and terror attacks in the country have considerably come down.

It is mostly encounters between security forces and terrorists in Kashmir, he said.

Modi also asserted that the armed forces had already "neutralised" those behind the Pulwama terror attack.

He said since India did not retaliate after the 26/11 terror strike and the attack on Parliament, this "emboldened" Pakistan.

"This time, we thought no more. We had conducted surgical strikes after Uri as well, but this time we felt that was not the answer. Air strike was the better option, so we took that option, and we were successful. And I believe we did this in consultation, taking everyone into confidence," he said.

Responding to a question on China using its veto power at the United Nations on terrorist Masood Azhar, Modi said as far as Beijing's stand on international issues goes, each country takes its own decisions in its own manner.

"As we do, in some matters, we take Palestine's side, in others we take Israel's side. Sometimes we back Iran, sometimes the Arab nations. All countries have their own strategies in their national interest," Modi said.

There was a time when India had only Russia's support on the international stage and the rest of the world was with Pakistan, while today the entire situation has changed, he said.

"Now only China stands with Pakistan and the rest of the world with India. We must understand this change. This is proof of our success," he said.

Praising BJP president Amit Shah, Modi said he is the "most hard-working of all leaders".

"I don't think any national party leader works as hard as Amit Shah throughout the year. Not just during elections, Amit Shah meets local party workers and understands issues on the ground. The BJP is benefitting from this level of hard work. I therefore trust his assessment all the more," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Congress on Tuesday cited a 'sting operation' to allege exchange of old notes post-demonetisation for hefty commissions by people claiming proximity to the government and the BJP, but the ruling party refuted the allegations and said it would take appropriate legal action.

At a press conference here, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal also alleged that currency notes worth thousands of crores were printed abroad and transported into India.

He alleged that "a team of government officials drawn from different departments were engaged in the exchange of old notes for new post demonetisation".

He, however, did not authenticate the videos he showed at the conference and said these are in public domain and the concerned agencies should initiate a probe. Sibal also claimed the Election Commission was not acting on their complaints.

Responding to the charges, union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said in Patna that "Kapil Sibal has made false allegations on our (party) president (Amit Shah) and we will take legal action."



"Demonetisation is the biggest scam in the history of India. Current notes (issued after the old Rs 500/100 notes were demonetised in November 2016) were printed abroad and transported into India and there can be nothing more anti-national than this," Sibal told reporters.

"Mr Modi started his tenure by fooling us and he is ending his five-year-tenure by traumatising us. He traumatised the people of this country, he has traumatised the poor of this country, he has traumatised journalists and his political opponents. He has used the agencies to target people who are opposed to him," he said.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said Sibal has exposed the "stench of corruption that has reached the highest echelons of the Modi Government".

"If this is not 'anti-national', then what is? Will the Supreme Court show the courage to take note and hold the corrupt accountable?" he asked.

Referring to the Income-Tax Department action against Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath's aides, the Congress leader said the alacrity with which the Enforcement Directorate and I-T have acted, they should also act fast and arrest the people in the video and tell the country what has happened.

Asked if he or his party would seek any judicial intervention by moving court on this issue, the former minister said there is no time left for elections and therefore the matter cannot be taken up.

He said the government should initiate a probe into allegations made in the video.

He accused the government agencies of acting against BJP's political rivals but not against those who are close to the ruling party or the government despite complaints against them.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday slammed the Congress for 'taking away' Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray's voting rights over two decades ago.

Thackeray was banned from exercising his franchise in the late nineties for six years after he was found indulging in "corrupt practice by seeking votes in the name of religion" at a public rally.

Modi referred to Uddhav Thackeray, son of late Bal Thackeray, as his "younger brother". He also lauded the Sena founder for not occupying the chief minister's post and not propping Uddhav in that post either.

Parties like the Congress who encourage dynastic rule should learn from Balasahab (on this aspect), he said.

"It was the Congress which took away Balasaheb Thackeray's citizenship (voting) rights," he said.

Bal Thackeray had voted in 2004, after a gap of eight years. The ban period had expired in December 2001.

Thackeray, in an election campaign meeting for Sena candidate Ramesh Prabhu, had allegedly sought votes from the people in the name of religion.

Prabhu had contested state assembly polls from Santacruz against Prabhakar Kunte of Congress.

Kunte, who lost the assembly seat, had filed an election petition in Bombay High Court which set aside Prabhu's election on the ground that Thackeray had sought votes on religious issues and thereby committed corrupt practice under provisions of Representation of People's Act.

Prabhu filed an appeal in the Supreme Court which upheld the High Court judgement and ordered the Election Commission to ban Thackeray for six years from casting vote.

The Sena founder had cast his in suburban Bandra in 2004 for the Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra, for the first time since the ban.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BJP president Amit Shah Tuesday targeted the Congress, saying when the whole country was rejoicing over the air strikes on a terror camp in Balakot, there was mourning only in Pakistan and the Rahul Gandhi-led party.

Addressing a rally here, he said the Modi government's biggest success was that it had made India secure which was not the case when the Congress-led UPA was in power.

"During the UPA rule, there would be no response to terror attacks. After the Pulwama terror attack, there was anger and despondency all over.

"But, the present government is not that of 'mauni baba' (silent PM) Manmohan Singh. On the 13th day of the Pulwama attack, the IAF (Indian Air Force) went deep inside Pakistan and destroyed terror camps," Shah said.

"When the country was rejoicing (over the air strikes), there was mourning only in Pakistan and Rahul Gandhi -led Congress. When 40 jawans are martyred, should we not bomb the perpetrators of the Pulwama attack," he asked.

Hitting out at the Congress president, he said, "Rahul baba .. you can do ILU ILU with terrorists, but we will give "eent ka jawab patthar se" (a resolute and befitting reply)."



Shah also accused the Congress of maligning Hindus by coining words like "Hindu terror and saffron terror".

Shah was campaigning for Union minister and BJP leader Nitin Gadkari, who is pitted against Nana Patole of the Congress in the Nagpur Lok Sabha constituency, which goes to the polls on April 11.

Shah said the Congress did not find a nominee against Gadkari and hence it had to "import" its candidate from outside.

Patole had won the 2014 Lok Sabha election on a BJP ticket from the Bhandara-Gondiya seat in Vidarbha. He quit the the BJP in 2017 and later joined the Congress.

Patole was earlier an MLA of the Congress.

During his speech, Shah also listed the promises made in the BJP manifesto for farmers and traders, among other sections of the society.

Nagpur is among the seven Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra that will vote on April 11. Tuesday was the last day of campaigning in these parliamentary seats.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The CPI(M) wrote to the Election Commission on Tuesday alleging violation of the poll panel's directive after Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a rally in Maharashtra asked first-time voters to dedicate their votes to the brave men who carried out the air strike in Pakistan's Balakot.

In the letter, the party's politburo member Nilotpal Basu urged the poll panel to "strongly initiate" appropriate action to stop the pre-election atmosphere from being vitiated, which is fast degenerating towards polarisation.

"With deep anguish we are drawing your attention to the latest violation of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. He is also violating the specific direction of the Election Commission to refrain from invoking the armed forces for seeking votes," Basu wrote.

Addressing an election rally in Maharashtra's Latur, Modi said, "I want to tell the first time voters, can you dedicate your first vote to the the brave men who carried out the airstrike in Pakistan's Balakot?



"Can your first vote be dedicated to the brave martyrs of the Pulwama (terror attack)?"



The Election Commission had last month asked all political parties to desist from using photographs of defence personnel as part of their election propaganda or campaigning.

The CPI(M) has also drawn the poll body's attention to the "brazenly provocative" statement of Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

"In his election campaign he asserted that they did not need votes from those wearing 'dhothis and lungis' alluding to linguistic and religious minorities in the state. The situation in Assam is quite vulnerable. A custodial death took place in the Goalpara detention camp run by the state government.

"The detention camps for so called doubtful voters were to be dismantled as per BJP's electoral commitments. However, not only has this assurance not implemented, but new camps have come up notwithstanding the process of Supreme Court monitored up-gradation of National Register of Citizens," Basu wrote.

Accusing the poll body of not dealing with earlier complaints with "firmness", the Left leader said that even the case of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who called the Army "Modiji ki sena", was treated "lightly".

"We urge you to strongly initiate appropriate action to stop the pre-election atmosphere from being vitiated which is fast degenerating towards polarization based on identity and assertion of national symbol for partisan electoral interests," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chennai Super Kings bowlers delivered yet again to restrict Kolkata Knight Riders to 108 for nine in an IPL match here Tuesday.

KKR never recovered from the early loss of wickets and found the going tough to finish with a below par score despite an unbeaten 50 off 44 balls from Andre Russell.

A lot depended on the in-form Russell after a poor show from the batting unit. He played the only way he knows, going for big shots, and succeeded to a certain extent.

He finished with five fours and three sixes.

The under-rated Deepak Chahar, who returned impressive figures of 3 for 20 from 4 overs, rattled the KKR top-order with early strikes, including that of the big-hitting Chris Lynn as the visitors struggled to 29 for four in the powerplay.

Harbhajan Singh (2/15), Imran Tahir (2/21) and Ravindra Jadeja (1/17) put the brakes on the KKR batting with a disciplined effort.

KKR were under pressure from the word go as Lynn and Sunil Narine fell within the space of five balls. First, Chahar trapped Lynn leg-before wicket for a duck in the first over, as the Aussie missed a pull off a delivery that kept low.

In the next over, Harbhajan tossed one up to Narine, who attempted a big shot, only to skew it to the point region where Chahar took a good catch running backwards.

Nitish Rana (0) became Chahar's second victim, taken smartly by Ambati Rayudu. Robin Uthappa (11, 9 balls, 2X4) played a couple of good shots, before perishing to a pull which landed in the safe hands of Kedar Jadhav at deep-square leg.

A lot was expected of skipper Dinesh Karthik but he flattered to deceive, hammering a shot off Tahir straight into the hands of Harbhajan at mid-wicket, to be dismissed for 19 to leave KKR in trouble at 44 for five.

That KKR's 50 came up only in the 12th over, indicating how much their batsmen struggled to come to grips with the surface at Chepauk.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tibetan spiritual leader the Tuesday underwent a check-up at a hospital in Delhi after some health complications, hospital sources said.

The 83-year-old leader came down here from Dharamshala for the check-up at the in Saket, they said.

"Yes, he underwent a check-up at the hospital. He generally visits Max facility for his check-ups," a source said.

However, it could not be immediately confirmed if he was admitted to the hospital.

The was here for the past few days for attending a global learning conference that ended on April 6. He returned to Dharamshala from New Delhi Monday.

The 14th had fled to India in early 1959 to escape from the Chinese occupation and lives in exile in the hill town of Dharamshala.

At the event, he had also spoken about his ageing body and reincarnation.

To a question on China's stand on the next Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader had said, "If I live for another 10-15 years, political situation in China will change. But if I die in the next few years, the Chinese government will show the reincarnation must happen in China."



China has said the successor to the Dalai Lama must be chosen according to the religious rituals and historical conventions as well as the backing from the ruling Communist Party. The Dalai Lama has been keeping China on tenterhooks about his successor.
Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray Tuesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deal Pakistan such a blow that nothing remains of it to mess with India.

Addressing a poll rally here with Modi, their first since the Shiv Sena and BJP announced their tie-up for the Lok Sabha polls, Thackeray also welcomed the BJP's manifesto.

He said the promises made in the BJP manifesto was the reason the two ruling parties joined forces ahead of the polls.

In the manifesto released Monday, the BJP has reiterated its commitment towards construction of Ram temple and abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution. It also announced a welfare scheme for farmers if voted to power.

"Our government today doesn't just talk about teaching Pakistan a lesson," Thackeray said.

"Pradhan Mantri ji, our only expectation from you now is that deal Pakistan such a blow that nothing of it remains to mess (with India) again," he said.

Thackeray also attacked the Congress for alleging that the BJP manifesto repeated the NDA major's 2014 poll promises. The Sena chief said it was the Congress manifesto which was filled with lies.

He criticised the Congress's 'Nyay' scheme that aims to help the poor by ensuring minimum income guarantee.

"Rahul (Gandhi) ji, the poverty eradication slogan was given by your grandmother (late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi). Your poverty vanished, but when the poverty of the poor will disappear? We will do it," Thackeray said.

On the Prime Minister's Crop Insurance Scheme, Thackeray said companies were cheating farmers and asked Modi to "straighten them".

"The insurance companies should have offices in each district (for the convenience of farmers)," he said.

In his speech, Modi called Uddhav his 'younger brother' and recalled that the Congress had 'withdrawn' citizenship of late Bal Thackeray.

Union minister Ramdas Athawale and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also addressed the rally.

BJP-Sena alliance candidates from Latur and Osmanabad Lok Sabha seats were also present.

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Union minister Satya Pal Singh, a retired IPS officer who is seeking re-election from Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat Lok Sabha seat as a BJP candidate, said after defeating RLD founder Ajit Singh in 2014, he is ready to take on his son.

Satya Pal Singh, who's pitted against the RLD's Jayant Chaudhary in Baghpat, which has traditionally been a bastion of the Chaudhary family, is confident of retaining the seat that goes to polls on April 11



The junior Minister for HRD and Water Resources also believes that controversies surrounding his views on Darwin's theory of evolution and Newton's laws will not have any impact on the elections.

In 2014, the former Mumbai police commissioner had trounced Ajit Singh by a margin of nearly two lakh votes. This time, Ajit Singh has handed over the mantle to his son Jayant Chaudhury.

"I competed with the father last time, this time I am competing with the son but that is not my area of concern. I am ready to defeat them. I did not shed khaki to don khadi to focus on uprooting dynastic politics but to work on real issues on the ground," Satya Pal Singh told PTI in an interview.

"This is what I tell voters... that they should choose wisely whom they want to vote for - those who only speak about their family legacy or a leader who devotes most of his time to the constituency and works for the development of the area," he said.

Asked about the work done by him in his constituency, Satya Pal Singh said, "Development works like the operational Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE), improved electricity supply, rapid construction of connecting roads and issues of national security will work in my favour."



"The voters of this constituency won't buy the emotional plank of 'Junior Chaudhary' invoking his grandfather Chaudhary Charan Singh's legacy. Young voters do not vote on the basis of the work done decades ago, they vote on what is happening now," he added.

The Union minister had triggered controversies when he claimed that Darwin's theory of evolution was scientifically wrong and should not be taught in schools and colleges and that 'mantras' had codified laws of motion before Isaac Newton.

"I still stand by my statements. However, I have clarified earlier also that these are my views and not of the party. It will not impact elections as voters are smart to decide who will work better on the ground," he said.

In 2014, Satya Pal Singh defeated the Samajwadi Party's Ghulam Mohammad by over two lakh votes, while Ajit Singh was relegated to the third position in his bastion.

This time, Ajit Singh is contesting the Lok Sabha polls against Sanjeev Balyan of the BJP from Muzaffarnagar.

Satya Pal Singh is one of the high-profile cops who quit the Indian Police Service to enter politics. He had joined the BJP in 2014 and contested the Lok Sabha elections that year.

Singh has an MBA from Australia, an MA in Public Administration and Ph.D. in Naxalism from Nagpur University.

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The Delhi unit of BJP has written to the Chief Electoral Officer of Delhi, demanding action against the Congress for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conduct.

Delhi BJP general secretary Rajesh Bhatia, in the letter to the EC on Tuesday, said he had seen two autorickshaws, plying near the India Gate roundabout, with posters promoting the Congress party, with the slogan, "Congress party se high-five".

"It means that the autorickshaws are being used by the party for campaigning. Who gave the approval to the party for using public transport for campaigning?" he said.

He urged the Delhi poll body to probe the complaint and take action against the Congress party for the alleged violation.

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The CEO's office in Delhi has asked heads of various departments under the Delhi government to ensure compliance of the poll code after it received a complaint that MLAs were allegedly "alluring" voters in the garb of undertaking field inspections during installation of CCTV cameras in the city.

In a letter to all principal secretaries and secretaries of the Delhi government, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer in Delhi has said the matter appears to be "violation of instructions".

The CEO's office said it is in receipt of a complaint that certain public representatives or MLAs were allegedly "alluring" the voters in the garb of field inspections during installation of CCTV cameras in residential colonies and market places in their respective constituencies.

The poll panel has also attached instructions containing point number 2 and 5 of Chapter 4 - special measures taken by the Election Commission to enforce model code.

"It appears to be violation of instructions contained in point-2 and 5...All are requested to comply with the above instruction, in letter and spirit," the CEO office stated.

The Arvind Kejriwal government has been installing CCTV cameras across the national capital, saying it will contribute towards the safety of women.

Last month, the CEO office had also received several complaints about various departments of the AAP government and BJP-ruled MCDs which had started work on projects before the poll code came into force and had sought formal approvals later, an official said.

The CEO office had shot off a letter to head of departments, saying the projects that actually started on the ground after obtaining all necessary permission, before the poll code came into force, can be continued.

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Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell, a vocal critic of US President Donald Trump, on Monday announced he was running for the White House, joining an already crowded pool of 2020 hopefuls from his party.

The 38-year-old member of the House of Representatives announced his campaign on The Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS.

"I've already done a lot but I can do more," said Swalwell, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee and the House Judiciary Committee.

"I've been in Congress for six years. I've defended our country from the Intelligence Committee while democracy has been on the ropes." Gun control reform is a key issue for the four-term lawmaker, whose district is in the San Francisco Bay Area.

"I've talked to kids who sit in their classroom afraid that they'll be the next victim of gun violence," he told Colbert.

"I see Washington do nothing about it after the moments of silence. And I see lawmakers who love their guns more than they love our kids." "I'm ready to solve these problems," he said. "I'm running for president of the United States."



Swalwell is scheduled to hold a town-hall event on Tuesday, focused on ending gun violence, in Sunrise, Florida -- a short distance from Parkland where 17 people were killed last year in a shooting at a high school.

He also stressed the need for improved, affordable healthcare -- usually among the top issues on campaign trails in recent years.

"Americans need a healthcare guarantee: If you're sick, you'll be seen by a doctor, and if you're seen, you'll never go broke because of it," Swalwell said in a statement outlining his plans if he becomes president.

The plans include a focus on education, with interest-free federal loans for college students.

"We must re-associate college with opportunity instead of crushing debt that leaves many unable to launch businesses, buy homes, or start families," he added.

Swalwell is the 18th Democrat to launch a bid to become the party's nominee to challenge Trump next year.

The pool of Democratic candidates for 2020 is among the largest and most diverse ever, and Swalwell joins a crowded field that includes contenders with higher national profiles -- Senators Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren, Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke, and Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana.

"I'm a Democrat, no doubt about it," Swalwell said in a statement posted on his website.

"But I've deliberately charted a bipartisan course -- and not just because I'm the son of two Republicans." The son of a police officer, Swalwell has said he was the first in his family to go to college. He is married and has two children.

The Democratic nominating convention opens on July 13, 2020, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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India's aviation regulator has asked all airlines to come out with individual medium-term plan by Wednesday on enhancing availability of domestic flights, in a move aimed at curbing rising airfares, government officials said.

Airfares have been on an upswing across India for last few weeks due to sharp decline in number of flights primarily caused by grounding of three-fourths of cash-strapped Jet Airways' 119-aircraft fleet.

The availability of flights was also hit by pulling out of Spice Jet's 12 "737 Max" aircraft in March following safety concerns in the wake of crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jet on March 10.

"The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has been meeting with the airlines continuously so that they augment their additional capacity, which would be over and above the flights approved for the summer schedule," a senior government official said.

According to officials, the each of the airlines was "requested to bring an immediate and medium-term plan to augment the additional capacity in the market", and ways to increase the overall availability of flights will be discussed at a meeting on Wednesday.

The DGCA last month approved a nearly seven-month-long summer schedule beginning March 31 for SpiceJet, Vistara, IndiGo, Air India and GoAir. However, for Jet Airways, the DGCA approved the summer schedule for nearly a month only due to its financial crisis.

The DGCA approves winter as well as summer schedules every year in order to ensure smooth flights operations.

The airlines were asked to come out with immediate and medium-term plan over and above the summer action plan to make available additional flights so that airfares remain in control.

During the last few weeks, the Jet Airways has been grounding its aircraft in tranches due to non-payment of dues to its lessors. While the airline has a fleet of about 119 aircraft, civil aviation secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola said on April 4 that only 26 aircraft of Jet Airways are flying "currently".

After Jet withdrew some of its flights from several routes, budget carrier IndiGo on April 8 announced rolling out new flights on both international and domestic networks.

Similarly, AirAsia said it will start operating additional flights on Mumbai-Bengaluru route and Mumbai-Kochi route from April 15 onwards.

In its fleet, SpiceJet had 12 "737 Max" aircraft. On March 12, the DGCA announced its decision to "immediately" ground the Boeing 737 Max aircraft that were being used by airlines in India.

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As continue to rise, Indian aviation watchdog has "requested" the to bring the "immediate and medium-term plan" on Wednesday to augment the number of flights, which will be over and above the flights approved for the summer schedule, government officials said on Tuesday.

"With the grounding of the 737 Max aircraft and the continuing cancellation of flights by Jet Airways, the have been rising. Therefore, the has been meeting with the continuously so that they augment the additional capacity, which would be over and above the flights approved for the summer schedule," a senior government official said.

According to the officials, the were "requested" to bring "the immediate and medium-term plan" to augment the "additional capacity in the market" at a meeting scheduled to be held at the office on Wednesday.



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For the last few weeks, the cash-strapped has been grounding its aircraft due to non-payment of dues to its lessors.

On April 4, Civil Aviation Secretary had said was operating a fleet of 26 planes and it now fulfilled the criteria for operating on international routes.

According to its website, has a fleet of around 119 aircraft.



On March 12, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had announced its decision to "immediately" ground the 8 aircraft that were being used by airlines in India.

On March 10, a 737 MAX 8 aircraft operated by the Ethiopian Airlines crashed near Addis Ababa, killing 157 people, including four Indians. This was the second such crash involving the 737 MAX 8 aircraft in less than five months.
Dozens of people have been killed in four Nigerian states, security officials and local sources said Tuesday, bringing the toll from a week of sporadic clashes to more than 100.

The violence coincides with chronic insecurity in the country's northeast, where 2,000 people were evacuated on Tuesday ahead of an expected government operation against Boko Haram jihadists.

In the southeastern state of Rivers, eight people were killed early Monday when armed men attacked the village of Emohua in the Ogoni region, said local chief Sunny Odum.

State police spokesman Nnamdi Omoni said the attack was a "cult-related incident," a term typically denoting gangs or criminals who are hired for political gain and often blend belief or black-magic rituals in their acts.

In the northern state of Katsina, 14 people were killed on Sunday in clashes between cattle thieves and a civilian militia armed by the government to support the security forces, police said.

The fighting took place in Tsamiyar Jino, in Kankara region, claiming the lives of seven rustlers and seven vigilantes, said Katsina police spokesman Gambo Isa.

"The volunteers went into the forest and engaged the bandits despite being warned by the police never to confront the bandits on their own... because of the sophisticated weapons the bandits have and their good knowledge of the terrain," Isa said.

In contrast, village chief Jaafaru Bello told AFP 36 people had been killed by the thieves and people were afraid to retrieve the bodies.

Cattle theft is a chronic, and frequently violent, problem in the states of Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna and Niger, and thieves are acquiring more and more sophisticated weapons.

On April 2, at least 50 people were killed in Sakajiki village in Zamfara, the worst-hit state, the state government said last Friday.

After two police were killed at the weekend at Birnin Gwari, around 200 angry protestors on Monday blocked the road between Kaduna and Zamfara to demand better security.

"People are kidnapped on daily basis along this highway," complained Isah Muhammad Galadima, the spokesman for the local chief.

"Thousands of IDPs (internally displaced persons) are still waiting to go home. Enough is enough."



Separately, the Nigerian media on Tuesday reported that 20 people had been massacred in the region of Kajuru, in Kaduna state, in fighting between crop farmers and nomadic herders.

A state police spokesman confirmed the incident but declined to give further immediate details.

In the southwestern state of Ondo, a bank holdup late Monday turned bloody, leaving seven people dead, including a policeman, and five wounded.

The authorities have repeatedly said they are taking action.

The governor of Zamfara state has announced that 1,700 "traditional hunters" will be hired to strengthen local self-protection groups, in addition to 8,500 who were recruited in 2018.

These vigilantes have been criticised for lacking training and modern weapons and for abusing human rights.

On Saturday, newly-reelected President Muhammadu Buhari said "there is no issue that dominates my mind every 24 hours like security.

"(...) Protecting the citizens of my country is one of the primary functions of my administration," he said.

On Tuesday, facing a mounting toll from attacks and reprisals, Buhari appealed for peace and condemned the culture of "an eye for an eye."



In the northeastern state of Borno, the authorities evacuated around 2,000 people from the village of Jakana and took them to the city of Maiduguri, the state capital, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) away.

They were taken "for their safety as a result of ongoing operations to flush out insurgents in the area", said Abdulkadir Ibrahim, a spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

Evacuees told AFP that soldiers had come to their homes that morning and told them to get into trucks. They had no time to pick up their possessions.

Around 27,000 people have died since Boko Haram launched its bloody insurgency nearly a decade ago.

The jihadists have in the last few weeks been under assault from intensive air and ground offensives from coalition forces involving Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon against militant camps in Lake Chad, according to military sources and militia groups.

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Ecuador says it is reassessing its asylum for Julian Assange after WikiLeaks warned last week that the organization's controversial founder faced imminent expulsion from Quito's London embassy and arrest by the British authorities.

Foreign Minister Jose Valencia has remained coy about what Ecuador will decide, and when -- amid repeated signs that Assange has worn out his welcome.

"The Ecuadoran state will determine what it should determine when it considers it appropriate," Valencia told reporters in Quito.

So what's next for Julian Assange, who has spent more than six years cooped up inside the Ecuadoran embassy in London.

Assange took refuge in the embassy in June 2012 having lost his appeal in Britain's Supreme Court against extradition to Sweden over accusations of sexual assault.

The Australian fought extradition on the grounds that it was part of a Washington plan to extradite him to the US and try him over WikiLeaks' release of thousands of classified documents into the public domain.

Quito's then-president Rafael Correa said Assange's human rights could be at risk and granted him asylum in August.

However, Britain refused to give him safe conduct out of the embassy, given that he faced charges in London over violating his bail conditions.

Sweden's state prosecutor finally abandoned the sexual assault case in 2017.

Ecuador's attitude toward its guest in London changed with the arrival in power of Lenin Moreno. He has accused Assange of meddling in Ecuador's internal and external affairs.

Assange is accused of trying to influence the 2016 US elections as well as the Catalan independence process in Spain.

Moreno temporarily cut his communications with the outside world in 2018.

But what could cost him his stay in the embassy is the government's suspicion WikiLeaks hacked into Moreno and his family's communications and leaked videos and private conversations, giving ammunition to his political foes.

Assange has wanted to remain a relevant "actor on the world stage," said Katalina Barreiro of the Institute of Higher Studies in Quito, but he ended up breaking "the minimum code that an asylee must have -- to not comment or involve himself in any type of political process."



Assange's status is complicated by the fact that he became an Ecuadoran citizen in 2017. The government even appointed him to a diplomatic post in the Moscow embassy as a means of getting him out of Britain with diplomatic immunity.

London rejected his new designation, however, so the appointment was cancelled.

Ecuador could now use its right "to revoke the asylum as granted," constitutional lawyer Rafael Oyarte told AFP.

The government could also cancel his Ecuadoran nationality.

Amid signs of growing impatience with Assange, Quito last October tightened rules governing his stay in the embassy, including his visits and communications, and even insisted he be responsible for his personal hygiene.

Failure to comply would be cause for "termination of asylum," according to the protocol.

Even if asylum is withdrawn, in theory the state is obliged to protect him against the possible intentions of other countries to submit him to life imprisonment or the death sentence.

"If someone violated his rights, Ecuador would have the duty to request that the violation be suspended," former foreign minister Jose Ayala Lasso told AFP.

Assange would have to leave the embassy even if he continues to hold Ecuadoran citizenship, unless he can demonstrate he needs protection and the country accepts that to be the case.

"Ecuador could tell him: Sir, you are no longer a person to whom Ecuador grants asylum. Please leave the embassy," said Ayala Lasso.

International legal expert Mauricio Gandara said, in that case, Quito could give the Australian a deadline to leave voluntarily.

"They can tell him 'You have 24 hours to leave.' If after 24 hours he hasn't left, the embassy will ask the British police to come in and take him away," said Gandara, a former ambassador to Britain.

Once outside the embassy, Assange would be arrested for violating the conditions of his conditional release in 2012, when he was fighting extradition to Sweden.

Any eventual sentence "would not exceed six months," according to Ecuador's attorney general Inigo Salvador, adding that London had given assurances "he would not be deported or extradited to any other country.

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Home grown FMCG firm Emami Tuesday said it has roped in actor Varun Dhawan to endorse Navratna Cool brand.

Emami will launch Dhawan as its new brand ambassador of Navratna Cool and he would feature in in the new commercial, which will go on air across all channels this week, the company said a statement.

Navratna brand, over the years, has been endorsed by leading actors including Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Govinda, Shilpa Shetty besides southern stars Chiranjeevi and Jr NTR.

Commenting on the development, Emami Director Harsha V Agarwal said, "Introducing Varun as Navratna Cool's new face is a step towards accelerating our growth plans for the brand. His strong connect with his fans across ages will help us connect better with both existing and new consumers to take the brand to newer heights."



The Navratna portfolio consists of Navratna Oil, Navratna Xtra Thanda Oil, Navratna Almond Cool Oil, Navratna Cool and Navratna Smart Cool.

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The Delhi High Court has asked the AAP government to identify children suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), one of the most common mental disorders affecting children, and to ensure their inclusive within the existing framework.

A bench of Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Prateek Jalan also asked the Delhi government to frame such policies as may be required and to create training programmes for teachers and school staff, to make "meaningful and fulfilling" for children suffering from ADHD.

The court was hearing a plea moved by a parent in which he claimed that his son was denied admission in 30 schools on the ground that he suffers from ADHD.

In his plea, he has alleged that Shri Ram Global School here had initially granted admission to the child, but then asked that he leave the institution.

The allegation was denied by the school.

The bench observed that ADHD per se is not included as a disability under the Persons with Disabilities Act 2016.

"However, having regard to the inclusive nature of the definition under the enactment, this court is of the opinion that the Government of NCT of Delhi, which has the responsibility to impart and has framed laws and is also incharge of ensuring universal access to education to all through the Right to Education, should examine the matter closely..," it said.

The court directed the Principal Secretaries of Education and Health of the Delhi government, represented by additional standing counsel Sanjoy Ghose, to hold a joint meeting on the issue and file an affidavit indicating steps they intend to take.

The bench has listed the matter for further hearing on May 7.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party said Tuesday it wants the Istanbul mayoral election to be repeated after the Supreme Electoral Council rejected a demand for a recount of all ballots cast in the city.

The AKP had appealed after results showed its Istanbul candidate narrowly lost in last week's local election in what would be a major setback for the party after a decade and a half in power.

"We will take the path of extraordinary appeal... We will say that we want the election in Istanbul to be repeated," the AKP's deputy chairman Ali Ihsan Yavuz told reporters in Ankara.

Electoral authorities would have to decide whether the AKP has a case for a rerun of the Istanbul ballot after a very tight race for the city's mayor.

Former prime minister Binali Yildirim was the AKP's candidate against the main opposition CHP's Ekrem Imamoglu, an ex-mayor of one of Istanbul's districts.

Imamoglu beat Yildirim by around 28,000 votes according to the Supreme Electoral Council (YSK) last week but after a recount of nulled votes, the difference between them narrowed.

The AKP earlier Tuesday said the difference between Imamoglu and Yildirim was now 14,604 ballots, while the latest number from the CHP was at 14,463.

The AKP had appealed to the YSK for another recount of all Istanbul votes but this was rejected. The council ruled for only a partial recount of 51 ballot boxes in 21 districts.

"Everyone has to abide by the YSK decisions but we have the right to criticise these decisions. Really, I don't understand the decision to recount 51 ballot boxes," Yavuz said.

The YSK had delayed a decision on one Istanbul district, Buyukcekmece, because of an investigation into fraud claims.

Yavuz said the AKP was making an extraordinary appeal regarding Buyukcekmece "because there are different kinds of irregularities there".

Istanbul police were investigating claims 11,186 people changed their addresses to Buyukcekmece before the local elections, DHA agency reported earlier on Tuesday. "There has been some kind of organised goings-on everywhere in Istanbul," Yavuz added without giving further details.

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The EU on Tuesday said the sum of USD 11.2 billion demanded by the US in tariff counter-measures on a host of European products was exaggerated, as a simmering transatlantic trade row risked escalating.

"The EU is confident that the level of countermeasures on which the notice is based is greatly exaggerated," a European Commission source said, in response to the fresh US tariffs threatened in response to subsidies for Europe's plane-making giant Airbus.

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Former Jharkhand minister Yogendra Sao, whose bail was recently cancelled, on Tuesday moved the Supreme Court seeking a clarification of the order on the place of his surrender.

A bench of justices S A Bobe, S K Kaul and Indira Bannerjee said it would hear his plea on Friday.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Sao, said a clarification was needed as to where the former minister should surrender as the court had earlier directed him to stay in Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh.

He said an application has been filed in this regard and it needs to be heard.

However, the bench said that in its opinion Sao should surrender in Jharkhand capital Ranchi and posted the matter for Friday.

The apex court had on April 4, trashed Sao's plea seeking to campaign for the Congress for the Lok Sabha polls and cancelled his bail, saying he has violated the bail conditions.

Sao became a minister in the Hemant Soren-led UPA government in Jharkhand in 2013. He is an accused in over a dozen cases of rioting and instigation of violence.

The BJP-led state government has moved the apex court seeking cancellation of the bail to Sao and his MLA wife Nirmala Devi.

It has claimed that they both violated bail conditions imposed by the top court.

Both Sao and Devi were granted bail on December 15, 2017, by the top court and directed to stay in Bhopal as a bail condition.

They were allowed to visit Jharkhand only for court hearings under police protection after intimating the Bhopal superintendent of police.

The top court had rejected their plea allowing the couple to visit Jharkhand for a month for electioneering, saying they were influential persons and do not deserve any indulgence.

"You both have failed the trust we reposed upon you. We are disappointed by your conduct. You don't deserve any indulgence," it had said.

The bench, however, had refused to cancel the bail of Devi and said that her deviations in bail conditions are not substantial keeping in mind that she was a legislator.

The top court had transferred the trial of 18 cases against Sao and Devi to Ranchi from Hazaribagh district in Jharkhand.

It, however, refused to allow the plea of Devi to let her stay in Patna instead of Bhopal.

The bench had said it is satisfied that there has been breach of bail conditions imposed on Sao as his "unauthorised presence" was found in Jharkhand while he was directed to stay in Bhopal.

It was found that Sao left Bhopal on several occasions without any intimation to local authorities despite direction from the court and his presence in Jharkhand during the corresponding period was not disputed, the court had said.

"We are satisfied that the conditions reposed by the court in its December 15, 2017, order has been breached. We therefore cancel the bail...," the bench had said.

Jharkhand government counsel Tapesh Kumar Singh has claimed that since Sao was granted bail on December 15, 2017, out of 253 days he has lived in Bhopal only for 25 days.

He had said Sao used to leave Bhopal without any intimation to local authorities despite direction from the court. Sao's presence in Jharkhand during the corresponding period can be established through flight tickets and call details records, Singh had said.

Singh claimed that Sao had even threatened a police officer who is a witness in one of the cases and an arrest warrant is pending against him.

Both Devi and Sao were accused in a case relating to violent clashes between villagers and police in 2016 in which four persons were killed.

Devi, a Congress MLA, had led an agitation against NTPC authorities for their alleged attempt to forcibly evacuate villagers from Barkagaon without giving them due compensation or rehabilitation, according to police.

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A fire broke out at the Customs office outside Terminal-3 of the Indira Gandhi International airport here Tuesday morning, gutting several important documents, police said.

A call about the fire was received at 7.45 am after which four fire tenders were rushed to the spot, according to a Delhi Fire Services official.

The fire broke out on the second floor of the Customs office building and was brought under control fire by 9 am. No casualty has been reported, the official said.

Police said a case under the section of 436 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered against unidentified persons.

The IPC section pertains to mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy.

The fire broke out at the Customs office and engulfed a couple of rooms. Several important documents are suspected to have been gutted in the blaze, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Airport), Sanjay Bhatia, said.

The perpetrators will be punished with imprisonment for life or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to 10 years, and shall also be liable to fine, under the IPC section, police said.

"We have called a team of experts to ascertain the exact cause of fire and the probe is underway," the official added.

Sources said a team from the Forensic Science Laboratory in Rohini is taking samples from the spot.

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Five Kenyan and one Swedish women have been arrested by the customs officials for allegedly smuggling gold worth Rs 1.78 crore at Delhi airport.

They were intercepted after their arrival from Nairobi, Kenya, via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Saturday, a statement issued on Tuesday by the customs department said.

A detailed personal and baggage search of the passengers resulted in the recovery of 33 pieces of gold weighing 3.9 kg, assorted gold jewellery weighing about a kilogram and gold granule/dust collectively weighing 1.3 kg -- in all 6.2 kg, it said.

The statement said the market value of the seized gold is Rs 1.78 crore.

The customs officials said six women, five from Kenya and one a Swedish national of Kenyan origin, have been arrested.

In another case, a Tajikistan national was arrested for allegedly smuggling gold and cigarettes worth over Rs 35 lakh, the officials said.

The accused was intercepted after his arrival from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Monday, they said.

The officials said eight gold chains weighing 523 grams and Marlboro brand cigarettes worth Rs 35.6 lakh were seized from his possession.

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Four Tamil Nadu fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly fishing near Neduntheevu in their territorial waters early Tuesday and taken to the island nation, a fishermen association leader said.

Around 3,000 fishermen from this island town had put out to sea Monday and were catching fish off Neduntheevu early this morning when Sri Lankan naval personnel came to the spot and damaged the fishing nets of 50 boats, took away GPS equipment before chasing away all the fishermen, Rameswaram Fishermen Association President, P Sesuraja alleged.

The Lankan authorities arrested four fishermen and took them to Kangesanthurai port along with their boat, he said adding all the others were forced to return to the shore without a catch.

On April 5, 18 fishermen from Kilinjal Medu village near Karaikal were arrested when they were fishing near Paruthithurai in the island nation.

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French lawmakers on Monday approved a new tax on digital giants such as Facebook and Apple that has angered the United States, with Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire boasting that France was proud to be in the vanguard of such a move.

The United States has urged its NATO ally to drop the plan, with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warning last week that it would hurt both the American firms and the French citizens who use the platforms.

The measure was approved by 55 votes against four in the National Assembly, with five abstentions. It will then be put to vote in the Senate, or upper house, before becoming law.

The legislation, dubbed "Gafa" after Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple, comes amid rising public outrage at the minimal tax paid by some of the world's richest firms.

"France is honoured to be leading on such subjects," Le Maire told parliament before the vote, saying that the draft constituted a "step... towards a fairer and more efficient taxation for the 21st century."



Responding to the criticism from the United States, Le Maire said France was "determined" to press on with the legislation and would be "sovereign" on fiscal issues.

He said it was "unacceptable" that digital giants could make considerable profits from user data so that the "profits are made in France but the taxes are imposed abroad".

Last month, France unveiled the draft legislation to set a three per cent tax on digital advertising, the sale of personal data and other revenue for any technology company that earns more than 750 million euros (USD 840 million) worldwide each year.

France is seeking to agree the legislation on a national level after a European Union-wide effort was scuttled by low-tax countries such as Ireland, which have wooed big technology firms.

But Le Maire insisted that a "good solution in the long term will be a multilateral solution," vowing not to let up in efforts for an agreement within the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

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A probationary IPS officer and her team was attacked and her service pistol snatched allegedly by the operators of a gambling den in Kolhapur in Maharashtra, police said Tuesday.

The gambling den located at Yadav Nagar in Rajarampuri area of the western Maharashtra city, around 375 kms from here, was raided Monday night by probationary IPS officer Aishwarya Sharma and her team, a police official said.

One Salim Mulla, who is also a supporter of a political party, is the operator of the den.

During the raid, Mulla and his aides attacked the officer and her team, the official said, adding that a police constable was injured in a scuffle at the spot.

"One of the accused snatched the service pistol of the officer. He pointed it at the direction of the officer and other police personnel, and threatened them," he said, adding that the accused fled with the weapon and five rounds.

Police also raided the residence of Mulla and his wife Shama Mulla, a former deputy mayor of Kolhapur, he said.

The official said Mulla vandalised his own house and blamed police for the act.

After receiving information about the incident, Kolhapur superintendent of police Abhinav Deshmukh and other senior police officers rushed to the spot and detained at least 16 people, he said.

During the search operation, police found some incriminating documents from Mulla's residence.

A case has been registered under sections 395 (Punishment for dacoity), 307 (Attempt to murder), and 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), he said.

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Carlos Ghosn has accused "backstabbing" Nissan executives of a "conspiracy" that led to his arrest, in a video revealed Tuesday by his representatives.

The video was recorded shortly before Ghosn was rearrested last week by prosecutors in Tokyo on new allegations. He had been out on bail while facing three charges of financial misconduct.

In the brief video, played by his lawyers at a press conference, Ghosn repeated that he was "innocent of all the charges that have been brought against me."



He denounced a "conspiracy" against him and said events had been "twisted in a way to paint a personage of greed, a personage of dictatorship."



"This is about a plot, this is about conspiracy, this is about backstabbing," he said in the video.

Ghosn did not however name specific individuals at Nissan, with his lawyer saying that the defence team had opted to cut parts of the recording that pointed the finger at particular figures.

Ghosn was rearrested by prosecutors last week while out on bail in Tokyo after they announced they were investigating new allegations against him.

A court has extended his detention until April 14, when prosecutors can apply to hold him for an additional 10 days before they must release him unless they bring charges or file new allegations.

Prosecutors said Ghosn had been detained over transfers of Nissan funds totalling $15 million between late 2015 and the middle of 2018 to a dealership in Oman.

They suspect around $5 million of these funds were siphoned off for Ghosn's use, including for the purchase of a luxury yacht and financing personal investments.

Prosecutors accuse Ghosn of having "betrayed" his duty not to cause losses to Nissan "in order to benefit himself."



Ghosn already faces three formal charges: two of deferring his salary and concealing that in official shareholders' documents, and a further charge of seeking to shift investment losses to the firm.

Ghosn's case has defied expectations from the start, with his shock November 19 arrest after he landed in Tokyo on a private jet.

He spent 108 days in a detention centre in northern Tokyo before being dramatically released on bail of around $9 million on March 6, emerging from incarceration dressed in a workman's uniform and face mask in an apparent bid to avoid the media.

He then lived in a court-appointed apartment in Tokyo without commenting on his situation despite huge international and Japanese media interest in his case that has shocked and surprised from the beginning.

However, just as reports began to surface that he could be rearrested, Ghosn emerged on Twitter to announce plans to hold a conference on April 11.

His rearrest came just days after that Renault, which Ghosn also once headed, had handed French prosecutors documents showing suspicious transfers worth million of euros authorised by the auto tycoon.

Shortly after his arrest, his wife Carole -- who had been living in Tokyo with Ghosn while he was on bail -- left Japan.

She told a French newspaper she had been forced to flee Tokyo with support from the French ambassador and was able to use her US passport after having to surrender her Lebanese one to prosecutors.

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Goa Mining People's Front (GMPF) Tuesday began a three-day demonstration in the national capital, demanding immediate resumption of mining in Goa.

"Hundreds of Goa's mining dependents gathered for a peaceful demonstration at Jantar Mantar for second time in last five months, in order to appeal for immediate resumption of mining in the state," GMPF, an association of mining dependents, said in a statement.

In the past, mining dependents have staged demonstrations in both Delhi and Goa, pleading with the authorities concerned to save their livelihood, GMPF said.

"Right to live and Right to livelihood are enshrined in the Constitution and we...plead before the concerned authorities to save the lives of 3,00,000 mining dependents," GMPF President Puti Gaonkar said.

In February last year, the Supreme Court quashed 88 mining leases and banned the extraction of iron ore in Goa.

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Making efforts for resumption of the mining activity in Goa and ensuring protection of wildlife are the key promises made by the Shiv Sena in its manifesto for the April 23 Lok Sabha elections.

Sena state vice president and South Goa candidate Rakhi Prabhudesai Naik released the document in Margao town Tuesday.

"Shiv Sena has always stood by the mining dependents and we will continue doing so. Our main assurance for this elections is to ensure that mining resumes soon," Prabhudesai Naik said.

Iron ore extraction in the coastal state came to a halt in March last year, after the supreme court quashed fresh renewal of 88 mining leases.

The Sena also assured a minimum financial support for the mining dependents through the Central government, in case the industry operations do not resume.

Removing casinos from water bodies in Goa; complete protection of the Mahadeyi river from any kind of diversion; absolute implementation of the Wildlife Protection Act, and scrapping the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2019 are the other promises made by the Uddhay Thackrey-led party.

Of two Lok Sabha constituencies in Goa, the Sena is contesting the South Goa seat, where Prabhudesai Naik will square off against Narendra Sawaikar of the BJP, Francis Sardinha of the Congress and Elvis Gomes of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

The Sena, which is a marginal player in Goa, has no representation in the state legislative assembly.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address two election rallies in Saurashtra and south Gujarat on Wednesday during a one-day visit to his home state for the Lok Sabha polls scheduled for April 23.

While the first rally will be held in Junagadh town of Saurashtra region, the second one will be held in Gunsada village in Songadh taluka of tribal-dominated Tapi district of south Gujarat.

"On the morning of April 10, PM Modi will address a gathering in Junagadh town. People from both Junagadh and adjoining Porbandar Lok Sabha seats will converge there to be part of the gathering," said a release by the Gujarat BJP on Tuesday.

Later in the afternoon, the PM will address a rally in Gunsada village of Songadh town in Tapi district, which is part of Bardoli Lok Sabha seat, it added.

"The PM will address people from Bardoli as well as adjoining Navsari Lok Sabha seats in that rally," it informed.

The BJP had won all 26 Lok Sabha seats in the state in the 2014 polls.

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The Gujarat fisheries commissioner has sent five officials to Punjab to make arrangements for the safe return of 100 fishermen released by Pakistan, an official said on Tuesday.

On Monday, the fishermen crossed over to India through the Attari-Wagah border after the Pakistan government released them from jail as a goodwill gesture.

All of them entered India on the basis of 'emergency travel certificate' issued by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, officials earlier said.

The fishermen were arrested when their boats strayed into the Pakistani waters in the Arabian sea off Jakhau coast in Gujarat's Kutch district.

Guajrat fisheries deputy director K R Patni that PTI that five officials from the state left for Punjab on Monday to taken custody of the fishermen.

He said the fishermen are expected to board a Mumbai-bound from Amritsar in Punjab on Wednesday and reach Vadodara in Gujarat on Thursday night.

The fishermen would then be taken to Veraval in the state's Gir Somnath district by road to reunite them with their families on Friday, he added.

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Haryana Finance minister Abhimanyu and former INLD MLA Ranbir Gangwa, who recently joined the BJP, are in contention for party ticket from the Hisar Lok Sabha seat and minister Manish Grover from the Rohtak parliamentary constituency.

Two senior BJP leaders from the state Tuesday said Abhimanyu, Gangwa and Grover's names were being considered by the BJP to be fielded from the two parliamentary constituencies.

"There are many names, but Abhimanyu and Ranbir Gangwa are among the frontrunners from Hisar, while Manish Grover's name is being actively considered from Rohtak," one of the party leaders, who did not wish to be named, said.

Among other names, Union minister Birender Singh's bureaucrat son Brijendra Singh was also being considered from Hisar.

Another leader, who too did not wish to be named, said apart from Grover, who is the BJP's sitting MLA from the Rohtak seat, the name of a former Congress leader who has since left the party, too was being considered from Rohtak, the only among the 10 seats from where the Congress has a Lok Sabha MP in Haryana.

"We have discussed the names of probables with our party's parliamentary board. They have taken a feedback from us and the names should be announced in a day or two," he said.

When asked for the names which were under the party's consideration for the two seats, Haryana BJP president Subhash Barala said there were a few names which were discussed and the two names will be shortlisted and announced in a day or two.

"There are a few names being discussed. We will shortly announce the candidates for the remaining two seats," Barala, who is a member of the poll screening committee of the party's state unit, told PTI.

Polls for all the 10 seats in Haryana will be held on May 12.

Barala ruled out the possibility of entering into any alliance with the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), saying there was no truth in these speculation.

Earlier, senior INLD leader Ashok Arora said the party was not in talks with the ruling BJP for an alliance for the Lok Sabha polls, seeking to put at rest speculation that arose after party leader Abhay Singh Chautala met Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

Barala exuded confidence that the BJP would increase its seat tally from Haryana in the general elections by winning all the 10 seats.

"People have made up their mind to make the BJP victorious on all the 10 seats from the state," he said.

When asked if the BJP will be able to make inroads into Rohtak, considered as bastion of the Hooda family, Barala said, "In the recently-held mayoral polls in five cities, we saw people's mood, which was in our party's favour. Then in the bypolls we won Jind Assembly seat for the first time, a constituency which was considered as bastion of late Devi Lal.

"So, bastions will fall in these parliamentary polls too and Narendra Modi will once again be the country's prime minister," Barala said.

Barring Hisar and Rohtak seats, the BJP last week announced its candidates for the remaining eight seats from Haryana.

In 2014, the INLD had won two Lok Sabha seats of Hisar and Sirsa, the BJP seven out of eight it contested, while the Congress had won the Rohtak seat.

Two of the INLD's sitting MLAs Ranbir Gangwa and Kehar Singh joined the BJP recently. Gangwa represents Nalwa constituency in Hisar district.

While the Hisar Lok Sabha seat is represented by Dushyant Chautala, who is leader of the Jannayak Janata Party, which was floated recently after the INLD split. Deepender Singh Hooda of the Congress represents the Rohtak parliamentary seat.

In the list of eight candidates which the BJP announced last week, the party retained five of its sitting MPs, dropped its Karnal MP and fielded a state minister from the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha seat as the party's sitting MP R K Saini had turned rebel and floated his own outfit last year.

In 2014, the then ally of BJP the Haryana Janhit Congress had contested Hisar and Sirsa seats, but failed to win.

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The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed a lawyer's plea challenging the legality of a two-day Winter Session of the Assembly held on January 17-18, 2017 and the decisions taken during the sitting, and imposed a cost of Rs 50,000 on him for filing a "frivolous petition".

The petitioner-lawyer had contended that the two-day session was the first one of 2017 and ought to have commenced after the Lieutenant Governor's address which was not done.

Justice Vibhu Bakhru disagreed with the contention saying that the proceedings were actually a resumption of the adjourned Winter Session of 2016 and not a fresh one.

The judge, while slapping the cost of Rs 50,000 on petitioner Prashant Kumar Umrao, also said that "nobody was suffering on account of the LG not addressing the session. Only persons who suffered were those (litigants) who had to wait for this frivolous petition to be heard before their matter was taken up".

"This court is of the view that this petition warrants cost," the judge said, adding that the amount be deposited with the newly created advocates welfare trust within two weeks.

The Delhi government standing counsel Ramesh Singh said that costs be imposed in the matter for wasting the court's time as was done against AAP government.

The Delhi government was on January 30 last year saddled with costs of Rs 5,000 for delay in filing its affidavit in the matter.

The high court in its oral order referred to a Supreme Court judgement, placed before it by Singh, which laid down the distinction between start of an adjourned session and commencement of a fresh one, and said that in view of the apex court decision the instant petition lacked any merit.

With the observation, the petition was dismissed.

During the brief proceedings, the Legislative Assembly, represented by advocate Prabhsahay Kaur, told the court that an address by LG was not required as the two-day proceedings were only a resumption of the winter session which had been adjourned sine die on November 15, 2016.

Singh argued in the court that the first session of 2017 had actually commenced on March 6, 2017 and with the LG's address.

Advocate R P Luthra, appearing for Umrao, urged the court several times to reduce the cost amount, but the judge disagreed.

When the two-day session of the Assembly had commenced, Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta had objected to it saying by not inviting Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal to address the "first session of the year", the government has "violated and misused" rules.

Speaker Ram Niwas Goel had rejected Gupta's charge, saying this sitting was not a new session in a new calender year but was part of the 2016 Winter Session.

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The Allahabad High Court Tuesday dismissed a petition seeking a stay on the arrest of one Imran Ansari, accused of allegedly sharing an objectionable post against Union Minister Smriti Irani on Facebook.

The bench comprising Justice Vipin Sinha and Justice I A Khan dismissed the petition filed by Ansari who had challenged the FIR against him alleging that the case was politically motivated.

On March 23, an FIR was lodged by a Hindu Yuva Vahini member against the petitioner alleging that he had made offensive remarks against Irani after her name was declared in the BJP's list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Additional Government Advocate, A K Sand opposed the petition on the ground that prima facie offense is made out against petitioner, therefore, the FIR cannot be quashed.

After hearing the concerned parties, the court dismissed the petition and declined to grant stay on Ansari's arrest.

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The Madras High Court Tuesday granted an interim stay on the Rs 100-crore penalty imposed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), south zone, on the Tamil Nadu government for its failure to restore Adyar and Cooum rivers and the Buckingham canal.

Directing the government to pay the penalty to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the tribunal said the money shall be utilised to restore the water bodies.

A division bench comprising Justice R Subbiah and Justice Krishnan Ramasamy was hearing a petition of the government against the NGT order dated February 13 this year.

The government submitted that despite details handed over to the tribunal over the restoration of the waterways, it had passed the order directing payment of Rs 100 crore.

The order lacks non-application of mind and was based on mistake of facts and contrary to the principles of natural justice and was arbitrary and unreasonable, the government said.

The NGT had passed the order on a batch of pleas, including one moved by social activist Jawahar Shanmugam seeking direction to the state to restore and revive the water bodies.

Adyar and Cooum are two of the most polluted rivers to flow through any major urban agglomeration anywhere in the world and the Tamil Nadu government is accountable for the situation, the tribunal had observed in its order.

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The high decibel campaigning for the simultaneous election to the Arunachal Assembly and the two Lok Sabha seats in the north-eastern ended on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the star campaigner of the BJP and addressed two election rallies in the state



at Aalo in West Siang district on March 30 and Pasighat in East Siang district on April 3 while party president Amit Shah addressed a rally at Bordumsa in Changlang district on April 5 last.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi has also addressed an election rally. Veteran Bollywood actor Ashrani addressed several election rallies across the state in support of Congress candidates.

Altogether 181 candidates including 11 women are in the fray for 57 assembly constituencies out of total 60 seats in the state, while seven candidates including one woman are trying their luck in the Western Arunachal Parliamentary seat along with five candidates for the Eastern Parliamentary seat.

The ruling BJP had already opened its account in the assembly polls by winning three seats unopposed.

The winners are Kento Jini from Along East constituency in West Siang district, Taba Tedir from Yachuli seat in Lower Subansiri district and Phurpa Tsering from Dirang seat in West Kameng district.

The election campaign remained peaceful in the state barring stray incidents of violence in Tirap and Longding districts where NSCN (IM) militants killed a National Peoples Party (NPP) worker and another civilian.

The ruling BJP as well as the opposition Congress undertook hectic campaign trail almost in every nook and corner of the state along with other political parties including first Janata Dal United (JDU), Janata Dal Secular (JDS) and NPP who is entering for the first time in the states electoral scene besides, Peoples Party of Arunachal (PPA).

The BJP has fielded candidates in 57 Assembly seats while Congress is contesting in 46 seats, the NPP in 30 seats, JDU in 15 constituencies, JDS (12), PPA (9) and one from the All India Party (AIP).

There are also 11 Independent in the fray for the Assembly polls in the state.

The flying squads and static surveillance team appointed by the Election Commission, along with state police has seized unaccounted cash over five crore in the state, state Inspector General of Police Sunil Garg said.

A total of 7,94,162 voters, including 4,01,601 women, would exercise their franchise in the April 11 simultaneous polls in 2,202 polling stations spread across the state.

There are also 3000 odd physically challenged voters in the state.

This time, there are also 11 polling stations in the state that will exclusively be for women.

Polling Station no 52 at Naharalagun, under Itanagar Assembly constituency, has the highest number of voters at 1340, while Malogam polling station under Hayuliang constituency in remote Anjaw district bordering China has only one female voter.

Luguthang polling booth under Mukto constituency in Tawang district is the highest polling station located at an altitude of about 13,583 feet.

Eleven polling stations exclusively for female voters have also been set up in the state, the sources said.

The state has 281 vulnerable polling booths and 662 critical polling stations where adequate security personnel would be deployed.

According to election office sources, photo electoral roll coverage is 99.97 per cent while voter's photo identity card has been issued to 99.97 per cent in the state.

For the first time, Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) would be used along with electronic voting machines in all the polling stations.

For poll day monitoring, SMS-based poll monitor system would be used and vehicles carrying reserve EVMs would be fitted with GPS in all cellular network covered areas, the sources added.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission has banned publication and broadcast of all exit polls from April 11 till May 19 besides campaign activities from Tuesday evening.

Counting of votes would be conducted on May 23 next.

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A high decibel campaign for the election to the lone Lok Sabha seat in Mizoram and by-poll to the Aizawl West-I seat to be held on Thursday, ended at five pm Tuesday, chief electoral officer Ashish Kundra said.

The CEO said public meetings, street campaign, publication of advertisements, press conferences by candidates and political leaders, interviews and panel discussions in the electronic media, musical concert or any form of gathering to canvass has been completely prohibited after the campaign ended.

Six candidates are in the fray for the election to the lone Lok Sabha seat while it would a triangular contest in the Aizawl West - I assembly by-poll.

Those contesting the Lok Sabha polls are - C Lalrosanga of the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF), Zoram People's Forum (ZPM) and the Congress combine's common candidate Lalnghinglova Hmar (Independent), Nirupam Chakma of the BJP, TBC Lalvenchhunga of People's Representation for Identity and Status of Mizoram (PRISM) and two independents - Lalhriatrenga Chhangte and Lalthlamuani.

Zothantluanga of the MNF, independent nominee Lalbuanga Sailo, sponsored by the ZPM-Congress combine and Rev Zaichhawna Hlawndo of 'Zoram Thar' were contesting the Aizawl West - I by-election.

Over 7.85 lakh voters (4,02,408 female and 3,81,991 male voters) would exercise franchise on April 11 to elect one Lok Sabha member and one member of the state legislature.

While the electorate would cast their votes at 1,175 polling stations across the state, 15 special polling stations have been established at Mizoram-Tripura border Kanhmun village where 12,081 Bru voters lodged in the six relief camps in neighbouring North Tripura district would cast their votes on polling day.

International borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh have been sealed by orders of the deputy commissioners of the districts adjoining the two countries so as to ensure that people and commodities that could disturb peaceful election process during polling.

Kundra said that 117 polling stations, known as 'pink polling stations' would be manned by women only and only one polling station in southernmost Lawngtlai district - Gegaguluksura has been classified as 'critical polling station'.

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High drama was witnessed when public stopped a container truck here suspecting it contained cash for distribution to voters, but a search proved it was carrying tea bound for Kochi port en route to Spain.

A member of actor-politician Kamal Hassan's Makkal Neethi Maiam was detained on the charge of spreading rumours that the truck contained huge cash, resulting in law and order problem after a large crowd gathered, police said.

The incident brought back memories of the seizure of three trucks carrying around Rs 570 crore in cash in neighbouring Tiruppur district during the May, 2016 Tamil Nadu assembly elections.

The cash was later claimed by the State Bank of India which provided documents to prove it was an inter-bank transfer from Coimbatore to Visakapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

In Tuesday's incident, the slow moving truck was stopped in the early hours by the crowd which tried to break open the container despite the crew saying it was transporting tea, police said.

Soon, police arrived at the spot and dispersed the mob.

The truck was then taken to the district collectorate after informing the election department and when authorities opened it they found dust tea worth around 30 lakh, they said.

Owners of the tea consignment also reached the collectorate and submitted copies of documents, including clearance given by the Customs for the export.

Tamil Nadu, which goes to Lok Sabha elections in the second phase on April 18, has been witnessing seizures of unaccounted cash and jewels by the election flying squad officials in different parts of the state.

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The high-pitch campaigning for the Jammu Lok Sabha seat ended Tuesday with top BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, dashing the region to canvass for the party candidate to retain the seat.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh also held three election rallies in different parts of Jammu region on Monday.

While the star campaigners were missing from the Congress, the party mostly banked on the services of their veteran leaders -- former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and erstwhile 'Sadre-e-Riyasat' (president) and scion of Dogra dynasty Karan Singh.

The campaigning for the seat ended peacefully with no untoward incident reported from anywhere in the constituency, poll officials said.

However, the campaigning was a low-key affair along the line of Control (LoC), especially in the twin districts of Rajouri and Poonch.

Ten people, including four security personnel, have been killed and nearly 45 others, mostly civilians, injured in the twin districts since India's preemptive air strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammad terror camp in Balakot on February 26 in response to the February 14 Pulwama terror attack that killed 40 CRPF personnel.

The Jammu parliamentary constituency, which has the highest number of 24 candidates among all the seats, is going to polls on April 11 and all arrangements have been put in place by the authorities to ensure peaceful voting.

The constituency, spread over four districts of Jammu, Samba, Poonch and Rajouri and covering 20 assembly segments, was won by BJP's Jugal Kishore in the last general elections in 2014, defeating veteran Congress leader and two-time MP Madan Lal Sharma by a margin of over 2.57 lakh votes.

Kishore is facing a tough contest this time as the National Conference is extending support to Congress candidate and former minister Raman Bhalla, while the PDP has decided not to field any candidate from the Jammu region to ensure that the secular votes are not divided.

The Jammu parliamentary seat has the highest number of 20,05,730 lakh voters, including 9,64,834 women and 20 transgenders, officials said, adding 2,740 polling stations, including dozens near the LoC and the International Border (IB), have been set up for the polling.

The BJP has been aggressive in the campaigning, highlighting the Modi government's resolve of "zero tolerance" against terrorism, action against Pakistan on the borders and deep inside the country, including the IAF strike on the terrorist camp.

Leaders of the party also highlighted tough action against the separatists, promised abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A of the Constitution and parting ways with its erstwhile coalition partner PDP over "discrimination" with the Jammu region besides the report card of the Modi government, including development activities and the policies for the upliftment of the poor.

The Congress leaders countered and accused the BJP of pushing the state to renewed crisis leading to heavy loss of life, including those of the security personnel guarding the borders and the hinterland, unfulfilled promises like providing two crore jobs to the youth, while assuring protection to the special constitutional status to the state.

Besides the BJP and the Congress candidates, the voting in the constituency will also seal the fate of Choudhary Lal Singh of Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan and National Panthers Party patron Bhim Singh.

The prime minister addressed the election rally in support of Kishore in Akhnoor on March 28, the day when he started his campaign trail for the Lok Sabha elections across the country.

BJP president Amit Shah joined the election campaign in the state by addressing two rallies in Udhampur and Sunderbani in Rajouri district on April 3, while BJP general secretary Ram Madhav also hit the campaign trail in the state when he addressed two elections rallies in the twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri on Saturday.

Choudhary Lal Singh, who had twice won the Lok Sabha polls from the Udhampur seat on the Congress ticket before switching over to the BJP in 2014, was also seen aggressively campaigning across the region.

National Panthers party leaders also organised dozens of rallies across the region to garner support of the voters.

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Curtains were drawn on the high voltage electioneering on Tuesday evening for Odisha's four Lok Sabha and 28 Assembly seats, including several naxal-hit areas, where polling is slated to be held in the first phase on April 11.

A galaxy of high profile leaders of all major political parties including BJP, Congress and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) undertook whirlwind tours of the constituencies, mostly in south Odisha, to bolster the prospects of their candidates at the hustings.

Spearheading the campaign for BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party President Amit Shah crisscrossed the poll-bound segments addressing a host of election rallies in a bid to arm the saffron party with extra strength.

Balloting in Kalahandi, Nabarangapur, Berhampur and Koraput Lok Sabha seats and 28 Assembly segments coming under these four parliamentary constituencies will be held on April 11.

A battery of other leaders also hit the campaign trail to give steam to the BJP campaign. They included Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and many Union Ministers.

Virtually camping in the state was Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who hails from Odisha, as BJP made all out efforts to put up a formidable challenge to the BJD, which has been in power since 2000.

The Congress campaign, on the other hand, was led single-handedly by party president Rahul Gandhi who attended poll rallies in places like Koraput and Bhawanipatna besides holding special interactions with women and others. Gandhi was joined by senior leaders including Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhepesh Baghel and Odisha Congress chief Niranjan Patnaik.

For the ruling BJD, party president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, seeking a fifth term this time, geared up and undertook extensive tours of the poll-bound areas.

Besides trading charges, the national parties like Congress and BJP hit out at the BJD government in the state accusing it of having failed to ensure development in the state despite being in power for 19 years. The BJD, on its part, accused both BJP and Congress of meting out step-motherly approach towards Odisha.

Candidates left no stone unturned to woo voters by holding large rallies, street corner meetings and road shows.

As the cacophony of electioneering fell silent at 5 pm, the candidates and their supporters readied for engaging in inter-personal canvassing.

The first phase polling will decide the electoral fate of 26 candidates, including many heavyweights, who are in the fray in four Lok Sabha seats, while there are 191 candidates in 28 Assembly seats. The state has 21 Lok Sabha and 147 Asssembly seats.

Trying his luck at the hustings is Congress stalwart and former Union Minister Bhakta Charan Das who is crossing swords with BJP state unit president Basant Panda and BJD heavyweight and former state minister Pushpendra Singhdeo in Kalahandi Lok Sabha constituency.

Similarly, former Union Minister Chandra Sekhar Sahu is in the fray from Berhampur Lok Sabha seat where BJP has fielded its state unit general secretary Bhrugu Baxipatra.

State minister Ramesh Majhi is locking horns as a BJD nominee with state Congress working president and former MP Pradip Majhi in tribal dominated Nabarangpur Lok Sabha seat.

Assembly election will witness high profile contest in several seats in the first phase with state minister S N Patro contesting from Digapahandi, Congress chief whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati from Jeypore and former minister Pradeep Panigrahi from Gopalpur.

The Election Commission, security forces including state Police and other officials have taken necessary steps to ensure free, fair and peaceful conduct of elections, an official said.

B K Sharma, who is DGP In-charge, said police has geared up to face challenges in to ensure peaceful conduct of elections in Maoist-affected areas many of which go to polls in the first phase.

Similarly, officials in-charge of polling duty along with security personnel have been mobilised to make arrangements for the polls in these constituencies.

More than 60 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the first phase of polling to be held in 7,233 booths, the official said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
These are the top stories from the northern region at 10.45 pm



MEERUT ELN103 UP-YOGI-MUSLIMS



Meerut (UP): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stoked controversy on Tuesday, dubbing the Muslim League a green virus and suggesting that Hindu and Muslim voters are in an Ali-Bajrang Bali contest.

LUCKNOW ELN70 UP-CAMPAIGN (RPT)



Lucknow, Apr 9: Campaigning ended Tuesday evening in eight western Uttar Pradesh constituencies where the ruling BJP is going all out to repeat its 2014 Lok Sabha performance, a task made much tougher this time by the new SP-BSP-RLD alliance.

DEHRADUN ELN89 UKD-2NDLD CAMPAIGNING



Dehradun: Campaigning for Uttarakhand's five Lok Sabha seats going to polls on April 11 came to an end Tuesday, with BJP and Congress top brass, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and Rahul Gandhi, addressing a slew of rallies in different parts of the state over the past fortnight.

MUZAFFARNAGAR ELX12 UP-AJITSINGH-INTERVIEW



Muzaffarnagar (UP): Seeking to rewind the clock to better times, RLD chief Ajit Singh says bringing back farmers' smiles and industrial prosperity will be his twin focuses if he is voted to the Lok Sabha from this western Uttar Pradesh constituency.

SHIMLA ELN98 HP-LD VIRBHADRA-INTERVIEW



Shimla: Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh Tuesday said he favours the construction of a Ram temple at the same spot where the Babri mosque stood in Ayodhya and accused the BJP of lacking the willpower to build it.

BIJNOR ELX66 UP- BIJNOR



Bijnor (UP): The BSP-SP-RLD 'mahagathbandhan' may give the BJP a tough fight in Bijnor with many voters indicating that infighting within the party and anger among Jat farmers might cost the ruling party its seat.

SAHARANPUR ELN94 UP-LD BHIM ARMY-CONG



Saharanpur (UP): In a move which can upset the BSP-SP-RLD alliance in the state, Dalit group Bhim Army, which has a considerable following in western Uttar Pradesh, has appealed to members of the community to vote for Congress' Saharanpur Lok Sabha candidate Imran Masood.

JAMMU DEL18 JK- 2NDLD SHOT



Jammu: An RSS leader and his security guard were killed on Tuesday when a militant opened fire at a health centre in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar town, prompting authorities to impose curfew and call the army to maintain law and order in the communally sensitive region, officials said.

LUCKNOW DEL29 UP-LD EXPLOSION



Lucknow: One person was killed and five others injured as a nitrogen cylinder exploded on Tuesday at Kanpur Ordnance Factory in Uttar Pradesh, an official said.

SHAHJAHANPUR ELN44 UP-CANDIDATE-GROOM-FIR



Shahjahanpur (UP): An election candidate who dressed himself as a bridegroom and got atop a horse to file his nomination papers rode right into trouble.

AMETHI ELX31 UP-IRANI



Amethi (UP): Union minister Smriti Irani Tuesday attacked the Congress, alleging that the party can ally with anybody for the sake of power.

LUCKNOW ELX30 UP-BJP-SHAH



Lucknow: BJP chief Amit Shah has directed the party workers in Uttar Pradesh to focus on the Dalit votes and also on the beneficiaries of various welfare schemes of the Centre and state government.

LUCKNOW ELN39 UP-ADITYANATH-INTERVIEW



Lucknow: Days after veteran BJP leader LK Advani remarked that the party has never regarded those who disagreed with it politically as "anti-nationals", Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Tuesday said when parties like the Congress take the side of "deshdrohis", they should be exposed.

LUCKNOW ELN30 UP-SONIA-NOMINATION



Lucknow: Congress leader and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi will file her nomination for the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday.

JODHPUR ELX84 RJ-LD VAIBHAV



Jodhpur: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's son, Vaibhav Gehlot, filed his nomination for the Jodhpur Lok Sabha seat on Tuesday, which was followed by a show of strength that was also attended by Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot.

CHANDIGARH ELX13 POLL-HR-INLD



Chandigarh: The Indian National Lok Dal Tuesday said the party was not in talks with the ruling BJP for an alliance for Lok Sabha polls, seeking to put at rest speculation that arose after party leader Abhay Singh Chautala met Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

NEW DELHI ELX96 DL-CONG-MANIFESTO



New Delhi: The Congress's Delhi unit will come out with a separate election manifesto for the national capital focusing on issues faced by unauthorised colony residents, the issue of sealing and pollution, a party spokesperson said on Tuesday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A group of Hong Kong activists face jail after being convicted Tuesday on colonial-era "public nuisance" charges for their role in organising mass pro-democracy protests that paralysed the city for months and infuriated Beijing.

The convictions followed a trial that has renewed alarm over shrinking freedoms under an assertive China which has rejected demands by Hong Kongers asking for a greater say in how the financial hub is run.

Nine activists were all convicted on Tuesday of at least one charge in a prosecution that deployed rarely-used colonial-era public nuisance laws over their participation in the 2014 Umbrella Movement protests, which called for free elections for the city's leader.

It is the latest blow to strike the beleaguered pro-democracy camp which has seen key figures jailed or banned from standing as legislators since their civil disobedience movement convulsed the city but failed to win any concessions.

Among the most prominent members of the group on trial were sociology professor Chan Kin-man, 60, law professor Benny Tai, 54, and Baptist minister Chu Yiu-ming, 75.

The trio founded the pro-democracy "Occupy Central" movement in 2013, which joined the student-led Umbrella Movement a year later that brought parts of the city to a standstill for months.

All three were found guilty of conspiracy to commit public nuisance. Tai and Chan were also convicted of incitement to commit public nuisance although all three were acquitted of incitement to incite public nuisance.

Of the remaining six defendants -- a group of younger protest leaders, including two sitting lawmakers -- all were convicted of at least one public nuisance charge.

In an unusual move prosecutors tried the group under Hong Kong's common law system, which carries a much steeper sentence than statutory public nuisance laws.

Each protest leader could now face up to seven years in jail, rather than three months had the charges been brought under statutory law.

Judge Johnny Chan ruled that the 2014 protests, which took over key intersections for many weeks, were not protected by Hong Kong's free speech laws because the demonstrations impinged on the rights of others.

"The unreasonableness of the obstruction was such that the significant and protected right to demonstrate should be displaced," he said. "The act was one not warranted by law."



The defendants remain on bail with the court expected to continue hearing mitigation arguments in the coming days before handing down sentences.

There were emotional scenes on Tuesday afternoon as the oldest defendant, Reverend Chu, delivered a statement in which he described the dock as "the most honourable pulpit of my ministerial career".

He warned Hong Kong's leadership against ignoring youth-led calls for greater democratic freedoms.

"The bell tolls. It gives out a warning sound, that something bad and disastrous is happening," he said.

In a submission sent to journalists fellow defendant Shiu Ka-chun added: "I want to warn the authoritarian government, even if you kill all the roosters, you cannot stop the dawn's arrival."



Human rights groups and critics hit out at the convictions, saying the use of the vaguely worded public nuisance laws -- and wielding the steeper common law punishment -- would have a chilling effect on free speech in Hong Kong.

"Hong Kong courts, by labelling peaceful protests in pursuit of rights as public nuisance, are sending a terrible message that will likely embolden the government to prosecute more peaceful activists," said Maya Wang, a senior China researcher at Human Rights Watch.

Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong, said it was "appallingly divisive to use anachronistic common law charges in a vengeful pursuit of political events which took place in 2014."



Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang fired back at those criticisms, saying other countries would also have brought such a prosecution to "maintain order".

"The central government resolutely supports (Hong Kong) in punishing the main organisations and planners of the illegal Occupy Central movement in accordance with the law," he told reporters.

Hong Kong enjoys rights unseen on the Chinese mainland, which are protected by the 50-year handover agreement between Britain and China, but fears are growing that those liberties are being eroded as Beijing flexes its muscles.

At the trial, prosecutors argued that the mass protests had caused a "common injury done to the public", who had been affected by the blockage of major roads, and that the leaders of the movement deserved to be punished.

In his verdict Judge Chan denied his ruling would impact the ability of Hong Kongers to protest.

The Occupy movement highlighted widespread frustration, especially among the young, over Hong Kong's direction but failed to win any reforms from Beijing.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah Tuesday hoped that first-time voters in this Lok Sabha election ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi why the Balakot air strike became necessary.

"I hope the first-time voters ask PM Modi why Balakote became necessary in the first place. Why did the Pulwama attack succeed? On whose watch have attacks in Uri, Pathankote, Sunjwan (Jammu), Nagrota & Pulwama happened? Don't reward Balakote, punish Pulwama! (sic)" Abdullah tweeted.

He was reacting to the prime minister's remarks at an election rally in Latur in Maharashtra, asking first-time voters to dedicate their vote to those who carried out the air strike in Balakot.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, in an apparent reference to the Election Commission barring electioneering by invoking the defence forces, took a sarcastic swipe at the prime minister.

"Repeat after me. MCC is Modi Code of Conduct," she tweeted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chinese telecom firm Huawei breached the USD 1,000 price ceiling in India with the launch of a four-camera 4G smartphone on Tuesday to compete in the ultra-premium segment, which is currently dominated by Samsung and iPhone maker Apple.

The company is the first Chinese player to launch a premium device with an ultra-high price tag of USD 1,000 in India. US-based Apple is the only brand selling devices in the above-USD 1,000 price range in the country.

Huawei competitor Oppo has also made an entry into the ultra premium segment but it is yet to breach the USD 1,000 price mark.

Market research analyst firm techARC founder and Chief Analyst Faisal Kawoosa said while consumers have started spending high for brands like Oppo and Vivo, market acceptance for Huawei brand in the USD 1,000 range will be a challenge.

Huawei India Consumer Business Group Country Manager (Huawei Brand) Tornado Pan said the smartphone, P30 Pro, is priced at Rs 71,990 (USD 1,038) because of high-end technology used in the device, which is certified by international bodies such as The World At Night (TWAN) and TV Rheinland.

"India is a strategic market for us and we are committed to bringing in new products to the Indian market," Pan said.

Pan said Huawei is looking at expanding its product portfolio in the market and will look at launching laptops, internet of thing (IoT) devices, wearables and others products available globally.

He said Huawei is encouraging its global suppliers to invest in India in order to build a mobile phone components ecosystem, as the company is aiming to locally manufacture 90 per cent of its phones by the end of this year.

The company also unveiled two models of P30 Lite which will be available in India for Rs 19,990 (USD 228) and Rs 22,990 (USD 331).

Huawei P30 Pro will start selling on Amazon from April 15 for Amazon Prime members and from April 16 for regular customers and from April 19, it will be available on Croma retail stores.

Pan did not share exact date for sale of P30 Lite but said it would be available in Croma retail stores from early next month.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In what may embarrass the Congress party, its veteran leader and former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh Tuesday said he favours the construction of a Ram temple at the same spot where the Babri mosque stood in Ayodhya.

Talking to PTI at his residence Holly Lodge here, the veteran Congress leader also said, "Islam came to India later. The mosque was built after demolishing the temple in Ayodhya."



"Ayodhya was the capital of Bhagwan Ram. When you have taken this step (of demolishing the Babri Masjid), build the temple. (Agar ye kadam uthaya to phir mandir bana do)," he added.

The former Himachal chief minister also accused the BJP of lacking the courage to build the temple.

"If they had the courage, they would have built the temple. The way should be paved for constructing the Ram Mandir there," he said.

Sitting by his side, the Congress Legislative Party leader, Mukesh Agnihotri said, "The BJP lacks the willpower for building the temple."



Singh, however, made it clear that his views on construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya are personal.

Claiming a "sure victory" for the Congress on Kangra and Shimla (SC) Lok Sabha seats out of the total four in the state, Singh said, "I will start campaigning in the state after attending the general house meeting (the party workers meeting) in Kangra on April 15."



Asked why he did not attend the party workers meeting in Mandi on Tuesday, Singh avoided a direct reply, saying he would start campaigning in Himachal from April 15.

On whether he would share dais with his "political bete noire" Sukh Ram during electioneering, Virbhadra Singh said he was not averse to it.

"If any such situation arises, I will definitely share the dais with him. I have no such differences with him as has been made out in the media. If the party has given its blessings to him and fielded his grandson Ashray (Sharma) from Mandi, I am fully with him," said Singh.

"I am, however, personally against the 'Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram' politics," he added, referring to the practice of switching parties.

Former Union minister Sukh Ram's grandson Ashray Sharma is fighting polls for the Mandi Lok Sabha seat as a Congress candidate.

Responding to a query on former Union telecom minister Sukh Ram's son Anil Sharma, who is a minister in Jai Ram Thakur-led BJP government in the state, Singh said, "Sharma will join the Congress sooner of later."



"Instead of hanging like a pendulum, he should start campaigning for his son Aashray," he added.

Responding to a question on the initial talks on fielding one of his family members from Mandi, he said, "Neither I nor any of my family members applied for the ticket."



Singh also sounded critical of the party leadership's decision to field sitting MLA Ram Lal Thakur from Hamirpur Lok Sabha seat. Thakur has been a five-time MLA and a minister in the state government.

"I favoured Sujanpur MLA Rajinder Rana's young son Abhishek Rana to be fielded from Hamirpur. Rajinder Rana defeated BJP's CM candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal in the last assembly elections from Sujanpur and his son Abhishek would have been a better choice for Hamirpur," he said.

In reply to a question on a section of the party leaders favouring CLP leader Mukesh Agnihotri's candidature for the Hamirpur Lok Sabha seat, Singh said, "As an aggressive politician, Agnihotri is required more in the state than the Centre at this juncture".

A section of Congress leaders had been rooting for the party ticket to Agnihotri from the Hamirpur Lok Sabha constituency, allegedly to oust him from the state

Replying to a question on his MLA son Vikramaditya Singh's recent Facebook post expressing apprehensions of raids by the CBI and Income Tax Department at their residence like the IT raids at Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath's close aides, the former CM said, "My life is open to all and the property I own is my ancestral property."



Virbhadra Singh and some of his family members are facing trial in a Delhi court in a disproportionate assets case.

On poll campaigning by the top Congress leaders in the state, he said, "Party president Rahul Gandhi has already addressed a public meeting in Kangra a few weeks ago. He will definitely address more election rallies in Himachal in May."



"We will also like Priyanka Gandhi to address at least one rally in HP as she has a house in state capital Shimla," he added.

On a question on his "appreciation" for the present state government's work, he said, "I have never appreciated the Jai Ram Thakur-led BJP government's work in the state. The chief minister and other BJP leaders are wrongly quoting me as appreciating his government in their rallies."



"If I have appreciated his work, let them show on record when and where did I do that. They should not spread false propaganda," he said.

On the Congress' "poll USPs" in the state, Singh said, "We will campaign on three points. First, we will concentrate on unfulfilled promises of the Modi government, second, we will spread awareness about promises made in our manifesto and third, we will apprise people of the failures of the Thakur government.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Recent searches conducted in Madhya Pradesh by the Income Tax department by roping in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have prompted senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh to allege that the action was a blow to the federal structure because the state government was kept in dark by the Centre.

Singh also sought explanations from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on this "violation of the Constitution".

The searches were conducted on Sunday and Monday in Indore and Bhopal at the premises of the people allegedly linked to state Chief Minister Kamal Nath.

"As per the federal structure of the Constitution, no employee or official of any Central agency can take action in any state without informing the state government.

"I think the way the Centre's IT department and Enforcement Directorate (ED), along with the CRPF, took the action (to conduct the searches), it amounts to the violation of the Constitution. The PM and the Finance Minister should give answer," the former chief minister told reporters Tuesday.

The searches were conducted at the premises of Nath's former Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Pravin Kakkad in Indore and Bhopal, besides those of his aide Ashwani Sharma.

The I-T Department Monday said it had detected a "widespread and well-organised" racket of collection of unaccounted cash of about Rs 281 crore during raids against close aides of Nath and others.

It also said the sleuths recovered Rs 14.6 crore of "unaccounted" cash and seized diaries and computer files of suspect payments made between Madhya Pradesh and Delhi.

Singh pointed out that Sharma had said that he was a BJP worker.

Raising questions over a statement of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) giving information about the I-T searches, Singh said this has happened for the first time.

"Generally, the CBDT issues statement after 90 days of such action. But this is for the first time when the CBDT issued the statement on the same day (of the I-T raid)," he said.

The CBDT has said the department also detected a trail of Rs 20 crore suspect cash allegedly being moved to the "headquarters of a major political party in Delhi" from the house of an important person who lives on Tughlaq Road, home to many VIPs.

He said people are aware what is happening.

"(DMK chief M K) Stalin and Chandrababu Naidu (Andhra Pradesh chief minister) had protested against this kind of high-handedness of the Centre in the past. The premises of some ministers in Karnataka (where the Congress-JD(S) government is in power) had also been raided in such manner," Singh claimed.

He further said, "Think how much it (the I-T department) would have recovered, had the premises of Mama ji (an apparent reference to former CM and BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan) got raided".

Singh is the Congress' nominee from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat.

Addressing a gathering on the occasion of opening of his election office, Singh said he would file his nomination papers on April 19.

Singh said he had worked for decentralisation of power during his tenure as chief minister, during 1993 to 2003.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, has provided a USD 3-million loan to agri-logistics firm SLCM to expand its business in Myanmar.

The fund would be used to expand its warehousing and allied services in Myanmar, thereby improving the livelihoods of the rural population that rely on agriculture.

"We have replicated our best practices and expertise in agriculture warehousing domain in Myanmar. In the past five years, we have been able to reduce post-harvest losses to 0.5 per cent in the country, thus helping every player in the farm-to-market chain. We intend to utilise the capital to further scale up our operations and expand our presence here," said Sandeep Sabharwal, Group CEO, SLCM.

The SLCM Group entered the Myanmar market in 2014. It has, so far, managed 3.24 million square feet of commodity storage space in 127 industrial zones and has handled 521 commodities with a total volume of 10.14 million tonne.

"Myanmar's agricultural sector is a key pillar of the economy and provides employment to about 53 per cent of the labour force. Further, developing this sector is key to helping people move out of poverty," said Vikram Kumar, IFC Manager for Myanmar and Thailand.

Since 2013, IFC has invested and mobilised over USD 1.3 billion in Myanmar.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
/ -- SAMHI announces INR 100 crore investment into renovating 10 hotels to deliver a best-in-class product in India



InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), one of world's leading hotel companies and SAMHI, emerging as India's premier lodging real-estate company, shared details of commercial success of their partnership following the launch of 10 Holiday Inn Express hotels in the country.

In November 2017, IHG started its journey with SAMHI with the signing of 14 hotels within their India hotel portfolio to renovate and rebrand to Holiday Inn Express on par with the global brand standards. September 2018 witnessed the launch of first rebranded Holiday Inn Express hotel in Gurgaon Sector 50. In the following next six months, total of 10 properties were launched across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Nashik, Pune and Chennai.

Commenting on the success, Pascal Gauvin, Managing Director, IMEA, IHG shared, "We are pleased to announce that the newly launched hotels are currently trading at an ADR of INR 3254, and Holiday Inn Express Gurgaon Sector 50 which has been open for six months is operating at 21% above the forecasted RevPAR. These numbers are very encouraging and give us confidence in the continued success of the portfolio. Our partnership with SAMHI and launch of the new Holiday Inn Express portfolio has given us a solid foothold in the midscale hotel segment in India. With the recent openings, we now have 27 operating hotels under the Holiday Inn brand family in the country, and a robust pipeline of 33 hotels due to open in next 2-3 years. Through this venture, we have realised that in a market like India, it is imperative to forge partnerships with partners such as SAMHI. Together we will continue to contribute by building a robust hospitality market in the country."



Ashish Jakhanwala, Founder, MD & CEO, SAMHI added, "In terms of a partnership, IHG has trusted us with one of their most recognized brands and to operating the hotel to the highest brand standards, profitably. Our end of the partnership was to deliver a truly best-in-class product that met the highest brand standards. I can say following, an INR 100cr investment on renovation (550cr on the acquisition of the Holiday Inn portfolio). We have conducted one of the largest rebranding exercises in the Indian hospitality industry. Moreover, we have delivered and exceeded expectations. Today, our repeat guests who have seen the hotel before and after the renovation are taken aback by the high quality and upgraded experience of the new product and they have noticed that the hotel clientele has changed drastically as well. Not only do we remain confident about opening the remaining four hotels in the portfolio but also add more Holiday Inn Express hotels to the portfolio across Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities."All Holiday Inn Express hotels under IHG - SAMHI portfolio offer intelligent, design-led, contemporary rooms, providing an inviting and efficient environment to the guests. For seamless connectivity, the hotels offer free high-speed Internet in all rooms. Guests staying at Holiday Inn Express can enjoy breakfast (included in the rate) with quality offering, to kick-start their day.

IHG currently has 39 hotels operating across four brands in India, including InterContinental Hotels and Resorts, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express, and a strong pipeline of 39 hotels due to open in the next 2-3 years.

**Figures as of 31st December, 2018



Notes to Editors:



IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global organisation with a broad portfolio of hotel brands, including Regent Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Hotel Indigo, EVEN Hotels, HUALUXE Hotels and Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, voco, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Holiday Inn Resort, avid hotels, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites.

IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns more than 5,600 hotels and approximately 837,000 guest rooms in more than 100 countries, with almost 1,900 hotels in its development pipeline. IHG also manages IHG Rewards Club, our global loyalty programme, which has more than 100 million enrolled members.

In February 2019, IHG acquired Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, adding 16 hotels (1,347 rooms) to its system and 18 hotels to its development pipeline.

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group's holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales. More than 400,000 people work across IHG's hotels and corporate offices globally.

Visit http://www.ihg.com for hotel information and reservations and http://www.ihgrewardsclub.com for more on IHG Rewards Club. For our latest news, visit: http://www.ihgplc.com/media and follow us on social media at: https://twitter.com/ihgcorporate,http://www.facebook.com/ihgcorporate and http://www.linkedin.com/company/intercontinental-hotels-group



About SAMHI Hotels



SAMHI Hotels Pvt Ltd. is a hotel investment and development company. Founded by Ashish Jakhanwala, SAMHI has world class shareholders that include Sam Zell led Equity International, Goldman Sachs, GTI Capital Group & IFC (member of the World Bank Group).

Hotels owned by SAMHI are operated under partnerships with Marriott, Starwood, Hyatt Hotels and IHG and currently it has 27 operating assets in the country growing to 29 hotels by end of 2019. SAMHI is distinguished in the Indian hospitality market for its Pan India spread, quality of hotels, brands, operating relationships, and a rapidly growing portfolio.

For more information, visit http://www.samhi.co.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Brexit may be postponed once again this week, perhaps by as much as a year. The British economy, though, will remain a prisoner of a confidence-sapping uncertainty.

British Prime Minister Theresa May will ask for an extension to the April 12 Brexit date in an effort to find agreement among lawmakers on what a deal should look like. The EU is more inclined to grant a longer extension to make sure Britain has the time to sort out its political impasse.

While an extension reduces the likelihood of a 'no-deal' Brexit, which would see the country crash out of the EU on Friday with likely painful economic consequences, it prolongs the uncertainty for businesses.

That uncertainty has led a drop in businesses investments, foreign investment, and consumer spending.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 67-year-old Indian has conceded before a US court of trying to obtain American citizenship through fraudulent means, the Department of Justice said Monday.

Harpal Singh charged with one count of attempted naturalization fraud, faces up to 10 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for August 5.

According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court, Singh applied for admission into the country as a tourist in March 1992 at Los Angeles International Airport by presenting an Indian passport that purported to contain an entry visa to the United States.

He was refused admission because the entry visa was deemed fraudulent and he was detained pending exclusion proceedings.

Singh thereafter applied for asylum in the United States and he was released on bond while his asylum claim was evaluated.

In June 1993, an immigration judge in New York denied Singh's asylum application and he was ordered to surrender for deportation. But he failed to appear for his deportation as ordered.

In August 1995, Singh again fraudulently applied for asylum in the United States and claimed that he had entered the United States by crossing the United States-Mexico border in December 1994.

Singh did not disclose that he had previously been denied asylum. In March 1996, an immigration judge denied Singh's second asylum application and he was again ordered to surrender for deportation. However, he again failed to appear for his deportation.

Later in May 1996, Singh again fraudulently applied for asylum in the United States under the identity of 'Surinder Singh,' claiming that he had entered the United States by crossing the United States-Mexico border in November 1995.

Singh did not disclose that he had previously been denied asylum under his true identity Harpal Singh. The application further claimed that Surinder Singh had been beaten and tortured in India in 1994 despite the fact that Singh had been living in the United States at the time under his true identity.

In June 1996, the Immigration and Naturalization Service granted Singh's third asylum application in the name of 'Surinder Singh' based on fraudulent information provided by him.

Later in December 2015, Singh filed an Application for Naturalization with the US Department of Homeland Security under the identity of 'Surinder Singh'. He falsely answered questions relating to his identity, his prior immigration applications, and his immigration status, among others.

In May 2018, Singh appeared in the identity of 'Surinder Singh' before an officer of the Homeland Security in Newark for an interview, which was conducted under oath and video-recorded. Singh was also assisted by counsel and by a Punjabi interpreter.

He falsely answered additional questions relating to his identity, his prior immigration applications, and his immigration status, among others.
The Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT), an ally of the ruling BJP in Tripura suffered a jolt as its youth wing president Shuklacharan Noatia joined the opposition Congress.

Noatia alleged there is no inner party democracy in the IPFT and the party has comprised on the Citizenship Amendment Bill.

Noatia, who is also the chairman of Tripura Industries Development Corporation joined the Congress on Monday night hours after IPFT Vice-President Ananta Debbarma joined the Congress.

Noatia alleged there is no democracy in IPFT, and three leaders are calling all the shots at the cost of 'Tipraland demand.

"I have quit IPFT since the party has declined to speak up against Citizenship Amendment Bill. If passed, the CAB will damage tribal interests across the country. Congress is directly opposing the legislation. So, we have joined the party," Noatia said.

Tripura Congress president Pradyot Kishore Debbarma welcomed Noatia and other IPFT leaders and said if the voted to power Congress would scrap the Citizenship Amendment Bill.

BJP and IPFT are partners in Tripura's ruling alliance but they are contesting against each other in the two Lok Sabha seats in the state.

Elections to the two Lok Sabha seats in Tripura - West Tripura and East Tripura - would be held in April 11 and April 18 respectively.

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Iranian lawmakers dressed in paramilitary uniforms chanted "Death to America" as they convened Tuesday for an open session of parliament after the White House designated Iran's Revolutionary Guard a foreign terrorist organization.

President Hassan Rouhani declared that the force's popularity would only surge in the wake of the designation, saying guard members would be dearer "than any other time in the hearts of Iranian nation." Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised the guard and said America's "evil designs would not harm" the force.

The move by Washington on Monday was an unprecedented declaration against a foreign government entity one that could prompt retaliation and make it harder for Americans to work with allies in the region who have contact with members and affiliates of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC.

It marks the first time the United States has designated an entire entity of another government as a terrorist organization, placing a powerful and expansive armed force with vast economic resources that answers only to Iran's supreme leader in the same category as al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.

Iran's rival, Saudi Arabia, welcomed the U.S. decision, describing it as a "serious and practical step to combat terrorism." A Foreign Ministry official said the designation "translates Saudi Arabia's repeated demands for the international community to confront terrorism supported by Iran."



Within hours of the Trump administration's declaration, Iran's Supreme National Security Council responded by designating the U.S. Central Command, also known as CENTCOM, and all its forces as terrorist, and labeling the U.S. a "supporter of terrorism." In Tehran on Tuesday, many of the lawmakers wore the uniform of the guard in a show of support as they convened for a parliament session marking the National Day of the Revolutionary Guard, which follows the lunar calendar. This year it coincides with the April 9 holiday known as Nuclear Day.

Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani denounced the U.S. decision as the "climax of stupidity and ignorance." The Supreme National Security Council's spokesman, Keivan Khosravi, said that going forward, "any unusual move by American forces in the region will be perceived as the behaviour by a terrorist group."



He did not elaborate. Iranian newspapers carried reports of the U.S. move along with bellicose commentary on their front pages.

The Guard-affiliated Javan daily said any attack on Revolutionary Guard bases and facilities will be "recognized as a right" for Iran to respond. The hard-line Kayhan newspaper said it gave Iranians "permission" to kill American military personnel. State-owned IRAN daily went a step further, saying the U.S. move was a "designation of the entire Iranian nation" as terrorist.

The pro-reform Shargh daily described it as "the last card" of President Donald Trump against Iran. Trump last year pulled America out of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and re-imposed sanctions on the country, mainly targeting Iran's vital oil sector.

Marking Nuclear Day, Rouhani unveiled dozens of "achievements" in nuclear technology, something he does every year. This time he touted the beginning of an installation of a chain of advanced centrifuges at the uranium enrichment facility in the central town of Natanz as well as an addition at the Fordo underground facility.

He called the Revolutionary Guard a "devoted" force that fought militant groups in Iran as well as in Iraq and Syria. The guard has fought Islamic State group's militants, who view Shiites as heretics, in Syria and has assisted Syrian President Bashar Assad's government forces.

The U.S., Rouhani said, is the "head of global terrorism" and Trump's sanctions have only inspired Iran to make more strides in new missiles and weapons technology. America will not be able to "block Iran's progress," he said.

Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, met with the Guard on Tuesday, telling them that "Americans imagine they are designing and making trouble against the guard, in fact against the revolution and Iran, but their evil designs will not harm" the force.

China urged countries outside of the Mideast to "promote peace and stability ... and avoid actions that may lead to further escalation of the situation." Beijing is a close economic partner of Tehran and has sided with Russia and its regional ally Iran in the conflict in Syria.

"We oppose power and bullying by any countries," China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said when asked about the U.S. designation.

On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the designation of the Revolutionary Guard is intended to increase pressure on Iran, isolating it further and diverting some of the financial resources it uses to fund terrorism and militant activity in the Middle East and beyond.

But, in addition to the potential for Iranian retaliation, it complicates a delicate balance for U.S. personnel in at least two key countries- Iraq and Lebanon. Iraq has prominent Iranian-affiliated Shiite militias and its government has strong ties to Iran. In Lebanon, the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group is in parliament and the government.

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YSR Congress Party chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy Tuesday slammed the ruling Telugu Desam Party for ignoring the poor and middle class in the last five years.

Reddy alleged subsidy facilities, including education and 'Arogyasri' introduced for the poor and middle classes by the former Andhra Pradesh chief minister, the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy, were completely abandoned by the Chandrababu Naidu government leaving the people to their own fate.

Addressing a well-attended election rally in the temple city on the last day of campaigning for the April 11 first phase of elections, he claimed unemployment was on the rise in the State after Naidu came to power in 2014 with 2.3 lakh vacant posts not being filled.

Referring to Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Raos support for Special Category Status for Andhra Pradesh, Reddy said it would be easy to achieve SCS with combined efforts of 25 MPs from AP and 17 MPs from neighbouring Telangana.

"The TDP government has failed to meet all-round development of the state and welfare of the people," Reddy said, urging people to vote for his YSRCP for good governance.

Reddy also faulted some sections of the media in the state for their alleged demonstration of fake videos, photos, audio clips and pre-poll surveys to deliberately malign the image of YSRCP.

Andhra Pradesh, which is going to the polls for 175 assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats, is witnessing a multi-cornered contest involving the ruling TDP, YSRCP, Jana Sena of Pawan Kalyan, the Congress and the BJP.

In Tirupati, the main battle would be between two former Chairmen Bhumana Karunakara Reddy of YSRCP and Chadalavada Krishnamurthy of Jana Sena Party and ruling TDP MLA M. Suguna.

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Award-winning rights activist Ahmed Mansoor, jailed in the UAE for "publishing false information", has launched a hunger strike in protest against prison conditions, Amnesty International said Tuesday.

Mansoor, whom Amnesty says is a prisoner of conscience, has been on hunger strike for over three weeks to protest detention conditions and his unfair trial, the London-based group noted.

Mansoor, 49, was sentenced to 10 years in prison last year for what prosecutors said was the dissemination of misinformation in posts on Facebook and Twitter.

Mansoor was accused of using social media to "publish false information and rumours, spread tendentious ideas that would sow sedition, sectarianism and hatred", according to a report published by the UAE's state agency WAM.

He was also accused of harming "national unity and social peace" and "the state's reputation", WAM said.

During his trial, court proceedings were conducted in almost total secrecy.

Mansoor, one of the most prominent human rights activists in the UAE, received the prestigious Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders in 2015 for his work in the country.

He was arrested in March 2017 under the UAE's cyber-crime law, triggering an international outcry.

Mansoor was part of a group of activists known as the UAE Five, who were arrested in April 2011.

He was released later that year after a presidential pardon, but authorities confiscated his passport and banned him from leaving the country.

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After going soft on the management for over the past few months on pending salaries, Jet Airways domestic pilots body, the National Aviators Guild, Tuesday threatened to take legal recourse if the dues are not cleared by early next week.

Meanwhile, the Jet Airways board is likely to meet in Mumbai Wednesday and discuss the latest development, said an airline source.

"The Jet Airways board will have its meeting in Mumbai where it is expected to discuss the operational issues besides the appointment of (former SBI chief) A K Purwar as new chairman," the source said.

In another development, airline chief executive Vinay Dube, in a communication to the staff, said the management "continues to work with the consortium of lenders on the resolution plan."



In a legal notice to Dube, the guild that claims membership of around 1,100 domestic pilots, said each day they are left worried as salary arrears keep piling up.

Pilots along with engineers and senior executives have not been paid for the last three months amid cash-crunch in the airline that began last July, and saw an ownership change last month with banks taking majority shares and founder chairman Naresh Goyal leaving the airline and halving his stake-holding in the airline.

Along with these staff, the airline has defaulted on the payment of March salaries to other employees as well.

While delaying salaries of its entire 16,000 workforce for the third time since last September, on April 3, the airline had informed employees of providing an update on April 9. But the management today had nothing concrete to share.

"My client (NAG) calls upon the management to pay their salaries dues for January, February and March, by April 14 and future salaries by the first of every month. Failing which my client shall be constrained to resort to all constitutional and legal means to get their salaries," read the legal notice.

Late March, the guild had warned of a "no flying call" from April 1 over delayed salaries, which they had deferred to April 14.

"Non-payment of salaries is leading to extreme stress, anxiety and frustration amongst the pilots--hardly an ideal situation for them to be in the cockpits. It hardly needs to be said passenger safety--the prime concern of all--requires pilots fly stress-free," said the legal notice.

Acute financial crunch has forced the airline to ground three-fourths of its fleet, leading to massive flight cancellations and delaying all payments including salaries.

Stating Jet is focused on securing an interim funding to sustain, and eventually increase its current level of operations, Dube in the letter to the staff said the highest priority is to get more planes flying and to pay salaries.

The focus is also on "supporting the bank-led balance sheet restructuring efforts to bring in fresh equity into the airline," he added.

SBI, which is the lead lender of a consortium of domestic lenders that has extended loans to Jet, Monday invited bids from strategic as well as financial bidders for stake sale in ailing carrier.

"Both these processes are complex and taking longer than what everyone expected. However, please be assured that we continue to work closely with the lenders in a constructive manner for a resolution of our situation," Dube said.

While there have been impediments to the process, the airline is navigating around them to secure the funding that it needs, as soon as possible, he added.

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Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das Tuesday expressed grief at the killing of Chhatisgarh BJP MLA Bheema Mandavi and four security personnel in the neighbouring state by the Maoists.

"The cowardly act by the Naxalites will neither dent the morale of the security forces nor of the BJP. The entire country is with the bereaved families," Das said in his condolence message.

Mandavi and the four security personnel were killed when their convoy was attacked by Naxalites in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district. The attack comes days before the first-phase elections in the state on April 11.

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Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik Tuesday condemned the killing of an RSS leader and his personal security officer at a health centre in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar town.

The RSS leader and his security guard were killed on Tuesday when a militant opened fire at a health centre in Kishtwar town, prompting authorities to impose curfew and call the army to maintain law and order in the communally sensitive region.

In a condolence message, the governor prayed for peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved families.

The governor has directed civil and police administration to review the safety and security of all important installations, establishments and public places and maintain strict vigil to thwart "the nefarious designs of the forces inimical to peace."



The governor has appealed to the people to cooperate with the administration.

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The Karnataka government Tuesday transferred the deputy commissioner of Mandya, from where Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil is contesting the Lok Sabha election as JD(S) candidate, following direction from the Election Commission.

P C Jaffer, IAS commissioner for public instruction, Bengaluru, is transferred with immediate effect and posted until further order as deputy commissioner, Mandya district, from where Deputy Commissioner N Manjushree is transferred, the official notification said.

The order is issued as per the direction of Election Commission of India, it said.

Independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh had accused Manjushree of "bias".

She had alleged that Kumaraswamy was misusing the office of the deputy commissioner, also the district election officer.

Sumalatha's polling agent had also alleged that the DC did not act on their complaint against flaws in Nikhil Kumaraswamy's nomination papers.

Sumalatha, a multi-lingual actress and widow of actor-turned-politician M H Ambareesh, is contesting as an independent candidate from Mandya, from where her late husband had contested on a Congress ticket.

BJP is supporting Sumalatha, by not fielding any candidate in Mandya.

Congress had denied ticket to Sumalatha, citing coalition compulsions, and ceded the seat to JD(S), as the party had sitting MP there.

However, several Congress leaders and workers, miffed over the party's decision to cede the seat to JD(S), their arch-rival in the Vokkaliga bastion, have extended support to Sumalatha.

It is a high-stake battle for Kumaraswamy in Mandya as his son is the coalition candidate.

Sumalatha is also running a high-voltage campaign, with several Kannada film industry personalities on her side. Film stars like Darshan and Yash are actively campaigning for her.

Mandya will go to polls on April 18, the first phase of the two-phase polling in the state.

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The Kerala High Court Tuesday dismissed revision petitions filed by two accused--a priest and nun--seeking their discharge in the more than two-decade-old Sister Abhaya murder case.

Dismissing the petitions of Father Dr Thomas Kottoor, and Sister Sephy, the first and third accused respectively, Justice Sunil Thomas directed them to stand trial in the case.

Last year, a special CBI court in Thiruvananthapuram had rejected the discharge petitions filed by the two accused.

The CBI court had observed that there was sufficient ground for presuming that the two had committed offences punishable under Indian Penal Code sections 302 (murder) and 201 (destroying evidences) read with section 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).

The high court, however, upheld the CBI Court order discharging second accused in the case Father Jose Poothrikkayil.

Discharging Poothrikkayil, the CBI court had held that the prosecution had failed to bring out sufficient material to proceed against him.

Challenging the CBI Court decision discharging Poothrikkayil in the case, a plea was filed in the High Court.

The court, however, rejected it.

The high court also discharged fourth accused and a former crime branch SP, K T Michael in the case.

The court said that he can be made an accused during the trial of the case, if necessary.

Michael, accused of allegedly destroying evidence in the case, was added in the list of accused by the CBI court last year.

Michael, as the in-charge of the crime branch probe into the case, had closed it summing up that sister Abhaya had committed suicide.

Abhaya's body was found in the well of the ST Pius Convent in Kottayam on March 27, 1992.

She was an inmate of the convent.

Initially, the case was investigated by the local police and state crime branch which concluded that Abhaya had committed suicide.

However, the case was taken over by CBI on March 29, 1993 following a legal battle by human rights activist Jomon Puthenpurackal.

The central probe agency in 2008 arrested Kottoor, Poothrikkayil and Sephy on the charge of murder.

According to the prosecution, Kottoor and Poothrikkayil were allegedly having an illicit relationship with Sephy, also an inmate of the convent.

On the night of March 27, 1992, Abhaya allegedly saw Kottoor and Sephy in a compromising position, following which the three accused hacked her with an axe and threw her into the well, it had said in its charge sheet.

The accused were arrested in 2008 and released on bail by the Kerala High Court a year later.

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A special investigation team of the Kerala Police Tuesday filed a charge sheet against Bishop Franco Mulakkal, seven months after he was arrested over allegations of raping and sexually assaulting a nun.

The charge sheet was filed in a magistrate court at Pala in the district.

Mulakkal was former Bishop of Jalandhar diocese and a senior member of the Roman Catholic clergy in India.

The nun, who belongs to Missionaries of Jesus congregation under Jalandhar diocese, had accused the 55-year-old clergyman of repeatedly raping and having unnatural sex with her between 2014 and 2016.

He allegedly committed the offence when he was the Bishop of the Jalandhar diocese.

He has been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code including 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 376C (sexual intercourse by person in authority), section 377 (unnatural sex) and 506(1) (criminal threat), official sources said.

In her complaint to police in June, the nun had alleged that Mulakkal raped her at a guest house in Kuravilangad in May 2014 and later sexually exploited her on several occasions.

She said she had to approach police as the church authorities did not act on her repeated complaints against the clergyman.

Mulakkal, however, has claimed that he was "absolutely innocent" and "falsely implicated" with an "ulterior motive and vexatious intention".

Five nuns, who led a public protest seeking Mulakkal's arrest, welcomed the police's decision to file charge sheet in the case and said they were satisfied with the investigation.

They expressed hope that the accused Bishop will get maximum punishment in the case.

According to sources, the charge sheet included 83 witnesses including top clergymen of the Catholic church.

Ahead of his interrogation and arrest, the Vatican had relieved him "temporarily" of all pastoral responsibilities as the bishop of the Jalandhar Diocese.

Mulakkal was arrested in September last amid mounting public outrage over allegations of repeatedly raping and sexually assaulting the nun.

He was released from a sub-jail in Pala on October 16 after the Kerala High Court granted him bail.

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One of New Zealand's most senior naval officers has gone on trial for placing a secret camera in the unisex toilet of the country's Washington DC embassy.

Commodore Alfred Keating has been charged with attempting to make "an intimate visual recording" and is currently on trial in Auckland, local media reported.

According to court documents, Keating is alleged to have installed a small camera "in a unisex bathroom on Level 3 of the New Zealand Embassy" in the US capital in 2017.

"It had been purposely mounted inside a heating duct unit in the bathroom," and was only discovered when the panel fell to the floor.

The embassy employed around 60 people at the time.

"A thick layer of dust on the homemade platform the camera was mounted on indicated the device had been in place for many months."



The camera's media card had traces of Keating's DNA and his computer contained the camera's driver and related software.

Ahead of the trial, Keating tried to prevent the public from knowing his identity, arguing it could make it "difficult to obtain future employment" and sully the military's image.

A judge rejected that application. Keating has pleaded not guilty.

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: Former Puducherry Chief Minister and leader of the opposition N Rangasamy (AINRC) Tuesday charged Chief Minister and senior Congress leader V Narayanasamy with being responsible for the lack of development of the union territory because of his running feud with Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi on administrative matters.

He made the charge while campaigning for AINRC nominee and doctor-turned-politician K Narayanasamy in neighbouring Villianoor and a few villages in its surroundings for the April 18 Lok Sabha polls.

Rangasamy said, "There is good scope for development here, but the running feud has been obstructing development."



The problem of unemployment has not been tackled by the territorial government and educated youth were left jobless.

Also, Rangasamy pointed out to the cooperative sugar mill here was closed as there was no proper planning.

He alleged the present Congress government was trying to hand over the mill to private sector which would be disastrous to farmers.

He said the Chief Minister had been claiming success in persuading the Centre to include the union territory in the list of smart cities.

"The smart city project was earmarked for Puducherry when I was the Chief Minister and there is no justification for the present government to make any claim," Rangasamy said.

"It is indeed amusing that Narayanasamy is holding Bedi responsible for the delay in the implementation of welfare schemes," he said.

The Chief Minister was aware that only the Lieutenant Governor of a union territory has more powers under the Constitution, and that smooth and cordial ties with the Lieutenant Governor were necessary for a government to function, Rangasamy said.

He accused the Chief Minister of also placing hurdles when he was a Central Minister during the previous UPA regime when the Puducherry government was persuading the Centre to grant statehood to the former French colony.

Leaders of the alliance parties, including the those of the AIADMK, accompanied Rangasamy during the campaign.

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A total of 25,816 voters are expected to exercise their franchise for the first time in the Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district, officials said Tuesday.

Additional District Magistrate Amit Kumar also told PTI that 915 polling centres and 2,167 polling booths have been set up for 16,92,313 voters in the Muzaffarnagar Lok Sabha constituency, which goes to polls in the first phase on April 11.

A total of 25,816 voters in the 18-19 age group will use their franchise for the first time here.

He said the district has been divided into 156 sectors with each sector having a magistrate with police force.

The senior official said 21 companies of para-military force and five companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and local police will be deployed for conduct of free and fair elections in the district.

SP-BSP-RLD alliance candidate Chaudhary Ajit Singh, BJP candidate and former Union minister Sanjeev Balyan and eight others are in the fray for Muzaffarnagar Lok Sabha seat. The seat is currently held by Balyan.

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The CPI(M) Tuesday appealed to the people of Jammu to exercise their franchise in favour of the secular dispensation led by the Congress.

The Jammu and Baramulla parliamentary constituencies will go to polls in the first phase of the five-phased elections in the state on April 11.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist), regional committee, Jammu made the appeal at a meeting chaired by its regional secretary Sham Prasad Kesar here, a party release said.

"The committee pleaded that befitting reply needs to be given by the electorate in the ensuing parliamentary elections in Jammu region against the present anti-people and communal dispensation at the centre led by BJP," the statement said.

"It becomes the prime responsibility of the people to vote against the forces who are hell bent to destroy the age-old pluralistic character of our great nation," it added.

The Congress has fielded former minister Raman Bhalla against the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Jugal Kishore who is seeking re-election from the Jammu parliamentary constituency.

Besides them, there are 22 other candidates in the fray, including national panthers party patron Bhim Singh and former BJP minister and Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan founder Choudhary Lal Singh.

Union minister Jitendra Singh is pitted against 11 candidates from Udhampur Lok Sabha seat, prominent among them being Congress candidate and scion of Dogra Dynasty Vikramadatiya Singh, Choudhary Lal Singh and National Panthers Party chairman Harsh Dev Singh.

The Udhampur constituency is going to polls in the second phase along with Srinagar seat on April 18.

The CPI(M) said to maintain the unity of the three regions of the state-- Kashmir, Ladakh and Jammu, it is the prime duty of the people to safeguard the diversity, age-old plural ethos and social fabric by negating the "parochial, divisive and communal politics" altogether by exercising their franchise in favour of Congress candidates in the region.

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Congress president Rahul Gandhi will file his nomination papers for the Amethi Lok Sabha seat on Wednesday and also hold a road show in the constituency, party sources said Tuesday.

The Congress president will file his nomination papers and also hold a road show here, district unit spokesman of the Congress, Anil Singh, said.

Rahul Gandhi will be accompanied by his mother and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and sister Priyanka Gandhi during the filing of nomination, Singh said.

The Congress chief will undertake a 3-km-long road show from Munshiganj-Darpipur to Gauriganj before filing the nomination, he said.

Rahul Gandhi, who has been representing the constituency for the past 15 years, will this time again face BJP's Smriti Irani who is likely to file her nomination papers a day later on Thursday.

In the 2014 general elections, Irani was defeated by Rahul Gandhi by over one lakh votes.

This time, the Congress president is contesting from two Lok Sabha seats.

Last Thursday, Rahul Gandhi filed his nomination from Wayanad in Kerala and said he is fighting the Lok Sabha polls from a second seat in the south besides the party bastion Amethi in the north to send a message of unity and that "India is one".

Amethi goes to polls in the fifth phase on May 6.

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Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Tuesday attacked the Congress Lok Sabha poll manifesto for its stand on powers of the armed forces in Jammu and Kashmir and sedition law by asking whether it belonged to the opposition party or terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Addressing a rally for the BJP candidate for Pune Lok Sabha seat, Girish Bapat, he hit out at the Congress for stating in its manifesto that deployment of armed forces in Jammu and Kashmir would be reduced if the party came to power.

"They are also saying that if they come to power, they will reduce the special powers given to the army in Jammu and Kashmir. What special power does the army have in Jammu and Kashmir? If terrorists are sighted, they have all the powers to eliminate them. They have powers to put stone pelters behind bars," said Fadnavis.

He claimed taking away these powers, as the Congress manifesto promises, will embolden terrorists to enter the restive northern state at will.

"I am wondering whether this manifesto belongs to the Congress or Jaish-e-Mohammed," he said.

He took a swipe at the Congress for claiming in its manifesto that section 124 A of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with sedition, will be scrapped.

"Maoists, terrorists, people who wage war against the country are tried under this law. But after some students in JNU shouted anti-national slogans saying 'bharat tere tukde honge' and were arrested for sedition, it seems the Congress got disappointed and so want to withdraw this law," Fadnavis claimed.

He said the Congress-led UPA did not have the spine to retaliate against Pakistan after the 26/11 terror attack on Mumbai in 2008, adding that a "new India" had emerged with Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking over.

"When the Uri attack happened, Modiji gave freedom to the Army to avenge the attack. Our brave soldiers carried out a cross-border surgical strike. After the Pulwama attack, IAF jets destroyed terror camps in Pakistan," he said.

Continuing the attack on the opposition party, he said, "When all nations acknowledged the IAF air strike on the terror camp in Balakot, only Pakistan and the Congress were demanding proof."



In a sarcastic vein, the Maharashtra CM added, "In case there was an idea that the Congress would demand proof (of the air strike), its leaders could have been tied to a missile."



He lauded the schemes of the Central government and lambasted the Congress minimum income scheme Nyay claiming the opposition party had spoken about eradicating poverty among people while going about eliminating poverty of its leaders and sycophants.

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A 26-year-old man was arrested for allegedly robbing a 65-year-old farmer and bludgeoning him to death in outer Delhi's Alipur, police said Tuesday.

The accused was identified as Naveen, a resident of Tajpur village, they said.

The matter came to light on April 7 when the son of the deceased Ravinder Singh found him lying in an injured condition at a cattle shed and reported about it to police.

Singh suffered critical head injuries and a blood-stained farm tool was found lying next to him, police said.

He was rushed to Satyawadi Raja Harish Chandra hospital in Narela where he was declared brought dead, Gaurav Sharma, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer North) said.

Investigations revealed that Singh used to sleep alone at the cattle shed and was last seen on April 6 at around 9 pm, he said.

A murder case was registered and investigation was taken up. Eight teams were formed to check the CCTV footage of the entire village and men with criminal records, drug addicts, relatives of the deceased, call details of the suspects were also analysed, the officer said.

In one of the CCTV footage, Naveen was spotted following which he was apprehended and interrogated during which he confessed about his involvement, he said.

Robbed cash worth Rs 26,072, blood-stained cloth of the deceased, a blood-stained brick and a wire used for strangulation was also recovered, police said.

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A court in Thane district of Maharashtra has awarded two years' rigorous imprisonment to a 26-year-old man for attacking a policeman and preventing him from discharging his duty.

Assistant Sessions Judge D Y Gaud in his order last week also imposed a fine of Rs 2,000 on the accused, Hemant Kumar Bishnoi, a native of Barmer district in Rajasthan.

According to the prosecution, a group of policemen were on patrolling duty on the intervening night of November 2-3, 2018 when they saw the accused and his associate tampering with a car at Nerul in Navi Mumbai town.

When the police approached them, the two men ran away.

However, the police later caught Bishnoi and when they were enquiring with him, he attacked a constable with a metal object.

The policeman received injuries near his right eye and was admitted to a hospital.

Bishnoi was subsequently arrested and his associate, Jaswantsingh Jaggusingh Rawat (27), was also caught a few days later from the same area.

The prosecution sought maximum punishment for the accused, saying the offence was of a serious nature.

The judge sentenced Bishnoi after considering the fact that the offence was committed against a policeman, who is a public servant, while he was discharging his duty.

He pronounced Bishnoi guilty under Indian Penal Code Sections 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from his duty) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty).

The judge acquitted Rawat, giving him benefit of doubt.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 24-year-old man was Tuesday arrested for allegedly raping and murdering a minor girl in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar district, police said.

Accused Virendra Adivasi took the 12-year-old girl on his bicycle on Monday morning on the pretext of dropping her home but raped and strangled her to death en route in a jungle, Inspector C S Parishar said.

"The victim and her grandmother had come to a relative's place at the accused's village. When the minor did not reach home on Monday evening, family members began a search and also alerted the police," he said.

The police recovered the victim's body and arrested Adivasi, he added.

"He has been charged under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Indian Penal Code," district Superintendent of Police Amit Sanghi said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 40-year-old man was injured after he was allegedly attacked with wooden sticks by his three neighbours in New Delhi's Parliament Street area, police said Tuesday.

The victim, identified as Harish Rawat, is a resident of Vithal Bhai Patel House, New Delhi, they said.

According to a senior police officer, Puneet, Sushil, Arvind and Harish Rawat used to stay at the servant quarters of the Vithal Bhai Patel House, Rafi Marg.

They used to fight on several occasions over petty issues.

Police received an information about the incident at around 8.30 PM Monday.

Later, it was learnt that one Rawat was allegedly attacked by his neighbours after a quarrel occurred between them, police said.

He was rushed to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, where he was discharged after treatment, they said.

All the three accused were arrested and a case under the section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against them, police said, adding that one blood-stained wooden stick was recovered from their possession.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 20-year-old man was killed and three others injured Tuesday allegedly after a speeding bike ploughed into pedestrians in east Delhi's New Ashok Nagar area, police said.

The deceased was identified as Aakash (20), a resident of New Ashok Nagar, while Shivam (21), Vishal, also residents of New Ashok Nagar, and Shiv Shankar, a resident of Badarpur area were injured in the accident, they said.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (East), Jasmeet Singh, police received information about the incident at around 12.15 am Tuesday.

The speeding bike allegedly hit the pedestrians walking on Nala Road near New Ashok Nagar Metro Station and one of the three victims was critically injured who was rushed to the Dharamshila Hospital where he was declared brought dead, police said.

Shiv Shankar, the motorcycle rider, was also critically injured and admitted in Dharamshila Hospital.

A case has been registered at New Ashok Nagar police station in this regard and the matter is being probed, police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condoled the death of veteran Congress leader K M Mani, calling his passing away a loss to the country.

In a letter to Mani's son Jose K Mani, Singh said, "I have learnt with profound sorrow about the untimely demise of your beloved father Shri K M Mani today, the 9th April, 2019. I join numerous admirers and well wishers of Shri Mani in mourning his death. In his death our country has lost a veteran political leader who served our country especially the state of Kerala for his entire life with dedication."



Singh said he had fond memories of interacting with K M Mani as Finance Minister and Prime Minister and described him as a dear friend. He said Mani was very knowledgeable in financial matters and public affairs.

"I convey to you and other members of your family my heartfelt condolences on this bereavement. We pray to the Almighty to give all of you the strength to bear this great loss with courage and fortitude," Singh said in the letter to Jose Mani.

The Congress also expressed sadness over Mani's demise, calling the Kerala leader one of the party's most dedicated and strong leaders.

"We are deeply saddened by the demise of Shri K M Mani, one of the strongest and most dedicated leaders of the people. Our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family in this time of grief," the party said on its official Twitter handle.

Mani died earlier in the day. He was undergoing treatment at the VPS Lakeshore hospital in Kochi for pulmonary disease.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indore-based organisations of Marathi-speaking people have written to BJP president Amit Shah demanding that, in case sitting MP Sumitra Mahajan is denied a party ticket for the April-May Lok Sabha polls, then her son Milind be considered.

Indore Lok Sabha seat, a BJP stronghold, has been held by Mahajan since 1989 but no candidate has been declared by the party as yet giving rise to speculation that the Lok Speaker might be eased out as she will turn 76 in a few days time.

"If the BJP re-nominates Mahajan, we will ensure that she is victorious. In case she is not nominated, as per the party's stand of not giving tickets to those above 75 years of age, then we want her son Milind to be given a ticket," local corporator and Mahajan supporter Sudhir Dedge said.

He said a request letter had been sent to Shah but did not divulge the date when it was sent.

Milind is executive president of Bruhan Maharashtra Mandal, a cultural organisation working for the welfare of Marathi-speaking people living outside Maharashtra.

Out of the 26 lakh voters in Indore, some three lakh are Marathi speakers, Dedge said, adding that 35 community-based organisations are supporting Milind.

"I have come to know about the demand. I am a BJP soldier and if the party wants to me assign me a role in the Lok Sabha polls, I will consider it positively," Milind told PTI.

However, his younger brother Mandar, issued a statement Tuesday asserting that though Mahajan, popularly called Tai (elder sister) here, was a Marathi, she had worked along side all communities as eight-time MP for the development of Indore.

Indore will go to polls on May 19.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Appearance of separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq before the NIA has paved the way for a thorough probe into charges of terror funding and conspiracy against the Hurriyat leader, officials said Tuesday.

Mirwaiz appeared before the National Investigation Agency for the second consecutive day on Tuesday for questioning in connection with a case related to funding of terror groups and separatist organisations in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Appearance of Mirwaiz before the NIA proves the government's determination to establish that Kashmiri separatist leaders will have to be held accountable to the law of the land. It has paved the way for thorough investigation into charges of terror funding and conspiracy against the Hurriyat leader," a home ministry official said.

The questioning of Mirwaiz by the NIA has been considered a significant development as he had been trying to evade the questioning by the probe agency by resorting to various stratagems.

These include by not responding initially to the NIA summons at all, and later saying he was ready to be examined by NIA in Srinagar.

"However, eventually he had to follow the summons and travel to New Delhi to answer questions from the NIA. This is in line with the government's firm stance that separatist leaders cannot claim immunity and that they will be held accountable for laws of the land," the official said.

The NIA had conducted raids in February 2019 on allegations of terror funding and money laundering on the premises of Mirwaiz and other Hurriyat leaders like Yasin Malik and son of SAS Geelani, Naseem Geelani.

They are part of Joint Resistance Leadership who frequently organise protests, stone pelting and shutdowns in the valley, disrupting normal life, impacting students and daily wage earners, businesses and tourism.

The investigation against Naseem Geelani and others is proceeding as per law.

Recently, legal hurdles had been cleared for resumption of trial in Jammu against Yasin Malik in the case of terrorist attack by JKLF militants in 1990 on IAF personnel which led to the death of four persons.

"Yasin Malik had exploited the provisions in law to inordinately delay the trial. But relentless efforts by the home ministry have finally resulted in Malik's arrest and transfer to Jammu jail. His plea for transfer of trial from Jammu to Srinagar has also been quashed," another official said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Allahabad High Court has held that there is no provision under the model code of conduct prohibiting educational institutions from appointing teachers or employees.

The judgment was passed by Justice Prakash Padia allowing the writ petition filed by Nisha Sharma who was denied appointment by the Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA), Ghaziabad, despite her selection as assistant teacher in a primary school, on the grounds that the model code of conduct was in force due to Lok Sabha elections.

Appearing on behalf of the petitioner, advocate Mahesh Sharma submitted before the court that she was selected as assistant teacher and was issued an appointment letter by the management of the school.

However, the BSA later told the Ghaziabad resident that her joining had been put on hold as the model code of conduct had come into force.

Allowing the petition, the court was of the view that there is no provision prohibiting educational institutions from appointing teachers and thus the BSA order was quashed while directing the officer to pass a fresh order regarding joining of petitioner as per law, within ten days.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday stepped up his attack on the Congress, saying had its leaders acted wisely, Pakistan would not have been created.

Addressing a poll rally here, Modi also appeared to be treading sensitive ground, by asking first-time voters to dedicate their vote to those who carried out the air strike in Balakot.

"Can your first vote be dedicated to those who carried out the air strike," Modi said, appealing to first-time voters.

Pakistan would not have born in 1947 had Congress leaders acted wisely in the pre-Independence era, Modi said. The Congress party's manifesto speaks the same language as that of Pakistan, he added.

Referring to National Conference leader Omar Abdullah's remark, Modi accused the Congress and its ally NCP of standing with those who want a separate prime minister for Jammu and Kashmir.

Hitting out at NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Modi wondered if it behoved the Maratha strongman to join forces with the parties holding such a view.

Under the BJP's watch it is the policy of 'New India' that it will kill terrorists by barging into their dens, he said.

Modi said the opposition parties were questioning the valour of the security forces after the Pulwama terror attack and the air strike in Balakot.

Attacking the Congress, the prime minister alleged that corruption was the only activity which the party does "with honesty" after coming to power.

"Aapne dekha hoga kal-parson kaise Congress ke darbariyon ke ghar se bakson main note nikli hain, note se vote kharidne ka ye paap inki rajnaitik sanskriti rahi hai. Ye pichhle chhe mahino se bol rahe hain 'Chowkidaar chor hai' lekin note kahan se nikle? Asli chor kon hai?



(You must have seen how boxes full of currency notes are being recovered from the houses of Congress courtiers. Buying votes shows their political culture. They are saying for the last six months that the watchman is a thief but from where have the notes come out and who is the real thief?), Modi said.

Modi's remarks followed the recent income tax raids at several locations, including in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh, against close aides of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath and others on charges of tax evasion and hawala transactions.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi has been attacking the prime minister using the 'chowkidar chor hai' phrase, alleging corruption in the Rafale deal.

He said the Congress wants to take back the special powers given to armed forces. "Pakistan too wants the same thing so that terrorists have a free run. The Congress has said it wants to do away with the sedition laws. Pakistan too wants this. It wants free hand for those who want to work against India," he added.

"Those who talk such things, can you trust these people? Can these people safeguard the country," Modi said.

Modi hailed the BJP manifesto, released in Delhi Monday, and said the party is committed to national security and farmers' welfare.

"Your trust is my biggest accomplishment in the last five years," Modi told the crowd.

He also said his objective is to rid India of naxal and Maoist menace.

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray also attended the rally.

Modi referred to Thackeray as his "younger brother" and eulogised Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray, whom he lauded for not occupying the chief minister's post and not installing Uddhav, his son, either in that chair.

Parties like the Congress who encourage dynastic rule should learn from Balasahab (on this aspect), he said.

Modi also attacked the Congress for "taking away" Bal Thackeray's voting rights.

Addressing the rally, Uddhav Thackeray asked Modi to deal Pakistan such a blow that nothing remains of it to mess with India.

Addressing the poll rally with Modi, their first since the Shiv Sena and BJP announced their tie-up for the Lok Sabha polls, Thackeray also welcomed the BJP's manifesto.

Modi reached the rally stage at this town in Latur district of Maharashtra holding hands with Thackeray. Both the leaders were later garlanded together with a large garland.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Narendra Modi is the "King of Fascists" who was baptised in through "riots and mass killings", TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee alleged on Tuesday, as political discourse at the hustings got increasingly bitter.

Addressing two elections rallies in West Bengal hours before campaigning ended for the first of the 7-phase Lok Sabha polls, Banerjee likened Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah to mythological characters Duryodhan and Dushshasan of the Mahabharat who were trying to "rob" the country of its freedom.

She also deprecated Modi's attempt to seek the votes of first time voters by invoking the Pulwama terror attack that killed 40 CRPF troopers and the retaliatory assault by the Indian Air Force on terror camps in Pakistan's Balakot.

Banerjee, one of the prime movers of the attempt to forge a grand alliance of opposition parties against the BJP, said the Congress alone cannot form the next government without the support of other parties.

"Modi has received baptism in through riots and mass killings. He is the 'King of Fascists'. None of us would ever forget what he did during the Gujarat riots (2002).

"So many people were killed. He has blood on his hands. Had Adolf Hitler (Nazi dictator) been alive, he would have committed suicide seeing Modi's activities," she alleged.

The Congress should not think of forming a government on its own, she said and caimed that it will have to depend on regional parties in order to return to power.

She also blamed the Congress for the rise of the BJP.

"It is because the Congress failed to put up a credible fight against the BJP that the saffron party grew from strength to strength. The Congress will have to seek help from others if it wants to form the government at the Centre. Congress has presence only in 3-4 states," she told the rally in Raiganj.

Referring to Modi's appeal to the first time voters at a rally in Maharashtra to dedicate their first vote to those who carried out the air strike in Balakot and those who laid down their lives in Pulwama, Banerjee said the prime minister should feel "ashamed" for seeking votes in the name of martyrs and soldiers.

"He should be ashamed to seek votes in the name of martyrs and soldiers....as if army belongs to him....as if it is their fiefdom. Armed forces belong to everybody, they are our pride.

"He should first answer why so many jawans were killed in Pulwama despite intelligence inputs about a terror attack. Was he sleeping? Was he snoring?" she told the rally at Islampur, adding "like Duryodhan and Dushshasan they are trying to rob this country of its freedom".

Mocking the BJP for raking up the issue of Ram temple once again ahead of the elections, Banerjee claimed the saffron party will be routed in most states.

Noting that alliances were being cobbled together in several states, including the electorally crucial Uttar Pradesh, the West Bengal chief minister said once the BJP was defeated in the elections the opposition parties would come together and work for building a new India.

She accused the Centre of using the Income Tax department and the Enforcement Directorate to "selectively target" its political adversaries, an apparent reference to IT raids against close aides of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath.

The TMC supremo brought up the issue of the Centre's refusal to rename West Bengal to allege that the ruling dispensation was against her state and its people.

"They claim to be the champion of Hindus. What kind of Hindus are they? They have rendered 22 lakh Hindu brothers and sisters homeless in Assam through NRC. The fact is they hate Bengal and Bengalis.

"They want to drive Bengalis out of India. Had they not been vindictive against Bengal, they wouldn't have stopped the renaming of the state as 'Bangla'. Who are they to stop it? Who are they to decide who will stay (in India) and who won't?" Banerjee said.

A combative Banerjee dared the Centre to "even touch one person" in West Bengal by invoking the National Register of Citizens (NRC), which is aimed at weeding out illegal migrants.

At an election rally in West Bengal a few days ago, BJP chief Amit Shah had said his party's government will introduce NRC, which is currently restricted to Assam, in the state to throw out infiltrators.

Asserting that the TMC was the "only credible force" in West Bengal that can fight the BJP's "divisive politics", she alleged the BJP, Congress and the CPI(M) had a "tacit" alliance in the state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday appeared treading on sensitive ground, as he asked first-time voters to dedicate their vote to those who carried out the air strike in Balakot.

"Can your first vote be dedicated to those who carried out the air strike," Modi said, appealing to first-time voters at a poll rally here in Latur district of Maharashtra.

"I want to tell the first-time voters: can your first vote be dedicated to the veer jawans (valiant soldiers) who carried out the air strike in Pakistan).

"Can your first vote be dedicated to the veer shaheed (brave martyrs) of Pulwama (terror attack)," Modi said.

The PM said the first-time voters should remember that their first vote is something which they will remember for the rest of their lives. "You will always remember to whom did you vote and in which election," Modi said.

"Can your first vote be dedicated to (the cause of) providing pucca houses to the poor. Should not your first vote go for providing water in farms of farmers," he said.

"Should not you vote for 'healthcare for all' and the Ayushman Bharat scheme," Modi said.

Stepping up his attack on the Congress, Modi said had its leaders acted wisely, Pakistan would not have been created.

Pakistan would not have been born in 1947 had Congress leaders acted wisely in the pre-Independence era, Modi said. The Congress party's manifesto speaks the same language as that of Pakistan, he added.

Referring to National Conference leader Omar Abdullah's remark, Modi accused the Congress and its ally NCP of standing with those who want a separate prime minister for Jammu and Kashmir.

Hitting out at NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Modi wondered if it behoved the Maratha strongman to join forces with the parties holding such a view.

Under the BJP's watch it is the policy of 'New India' that it will kill terrorists by barging into their dens, he said.

Modi said the opposition parties were questioning the valour of the security forces after the Pulwama terror attack and the air strike in Balakot.

Attacking the Congress, the prime minister alleged that corruption was the only activity which the party does "with honesty" after coming to power.

"You must have seen how boxes full of currency notes are being recovered from the houses of Congress courtiers. Buying votes shows their political culture. They are saying for the last six months that the watchman is a thief but from where have the notes come out and who is the real thief?," Modi said.

Modi's remarks came after the recent income tax raids at several locations, including in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh, against close aides of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath and others on charges of tax evasion and hawala transactions.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi has been attacking the prime minister using the 'chowkidar chor hai' phrase, alleging corruption in the Rafale deal.

He said the Congress wants to take back the special powers given to armed forces. "Pakistan too wants the same thing so that terrorists have a free run. The Congress has said it wants to do away with the sedition laws. Pakistan too wants this. It wants free hand for those who want to work against India," he added.

"Those who talk such things, can you trust these people? Can these people safeguard the country," Modi said.

Modi hailed the BJP manifesto, released in Delhi Monday, and said the party is committed to national security and farmers' welfare.

"Your trust is my biggest accomplishment in the last five years," Modi told the crowd.

He also said his objective is to rid India of naxal and Maoist menace.

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray also attended the rally.

Modi referred to Thackeray as his "younger brother" and eulogised Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray, whom he lauded for not occupying the chief minister's post and not installing Uddhav, his son, either in that chair.

Parties like the Congress who encourage dynastic rule should learn from Balasahab (on this aspect), he said.

Addressing the poll rally with Modi, their first since the Shiv Sena and BJP announced their tie-up for the Lok Sabha polls, Uddhav Thackeray asked the PM to deal Pakistan such a blow that nothing remains of it to mess with India.

He also welcomed the BJP's manifesto.

Modi reached the rally stage at this town in Latur district of Maharashtra holding hands with Thackeray. Both the leaders were later garlanded together with a large garland.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Invoking the Balakot air strikes inside Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday asked first-time voters for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls to dedicate their vote to those who carried out the daring operation to target a terror camp.

Modi also urged the voters to dedicate their first vote to the slain CRPF personnel in the Pulwama terror attack and to the cause of providing pucca houses to the poor, water in farms of farmers and 'healthcare for all'. The first phase of the multi-phase parliamentary elections begins Thursday.

The remarks by Modi on the IAF operation on February 26 while addressing rallies in Maharashtra and Karnataka prompted the CPI-M to write a letter to the Election Commission(EC) alleging violation of model code.

"With deep anguish we are drawing your attention to the latest violation of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is also violating the specific direction of the Election Commission to refrain from invoking the armed forces for seeking votes," CPI-M politburo member Nilotpal Basu said.

Congress spokesman Kapil Sibal told reporters in Delhi there should be no in the name of our martyrs, but it is happening and the 'sad part' is that the Election Commission is also not doing anything about it.

The EC issued an advisory on March 19 asking parties and their candidates to desist from indulging in any political propaganda involving activities of defence forces during their election campaign.

"Can your first vote be dedicated to those who carried out the air strike," Modi said, appealing to the first-time voters at his rally in Ausa in Latur district in Maharashtra.

"I want to tell the first-time voters: can your first vote be dedicated to the 'veer jawans' (valiant soldiers) who carried out the air strike in Pakistan).

"Can your first vote be dedicated to the 'veer shaheed' (brave martyrs) of Pulwama (terror attack)," Modi said. As many as 40 CRPF personnel were killed in an attack on their convoy in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir by a Jaish suicide bomber on February 14.

Modi said the first-time voters should remember that their first vote is something which they will remember for the rest of their lives. "You will always remember to whom did you vote and in which election."



"Can your first vote be dedicated to (the cause of) providing pucca houses to the poor?. Should not your first vote go for providing water in farms of farmers?" he asked.

"Should not you vote for 'healthcare for all' and the Ayushman Bharat scheme," Modi said.

Modi spoke on similar lines at his rally in Chitradurga in Karnataka while greeting first time voters across the country and asked them to vote after thinking to bring a strong government in the country.

He said in this Lok Sabha elections people have to choose not only an MP or a prime minister, but a strong government for a strong India. "Only a strong government can take firm decisions for the benefit of the country."



Citing how a strong government functions, Modi again referred to the Balakot air strike in response to the Pulwama carnage.

"There was a time five years ago, when Pakistan's terrorists used to attack us and Pakistan used to threaten us. Our brave soldiers used to seek permission for action, but the government then sat in fear."



"This Chowkidar (watchman) has changed the situation. Now if there is fear, it is on the other side of the border. People sitting in power there are getting different types of nightmares...terrorists are frightened after Balakot attack," he said.

Devoting a significant part of his speech to national security, he asked the crowd, "when we attacked Pakistan's terrorists did you like it or not? Are you happy? Did I do right?" to which it roared in approval.

"When we attacked terrorists it pained Pakistan, but tears could be seen among those in Congress and JD(S)," Modi said. The JD(S) and Congress are ruling coalition partners in Karnataka.

He said the whole world stood with India, but "our Mahamilavati dal here" (Congress-JDS), was condemning Modi instead of Pakistan.

"The chief minister (H D Kumarawamy) here went a step ahead and said the bravery of Indian soldiers should not be spoken, because it will affect their vote bank....

"I want to ask the chief minister whether his vote bank is in India or in Pakistan? The chief minister should clarify on this," Modi said.

Under the BJP's watch it is the policy of 'New India' that it will kill terrorists by barging into their dens, he said.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah hoped that first-time voters ask the prime minister why the Balakot air strike became necessary.

"I hope the first-time voters ask PM Modi why Balakot became necessary in the first place. Why did the Pulwama attack succeed? On whose watch have attacks in Uri, Pathankot, Sunjwan (Jammu), Nagrota & Pulwama happened? Don't reward Balakot, punish Pulwama! (sic)" Abdullah tweeted.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti also took a sarcastic swipe at the prime minister.

"Repeat after me. MCC is Modi Code of Conduct," she tweeted.

Stepping up his attack on the Congress, Modi said had its leaders acted wisely, Pakistan would not have been created.

Pakistan would not have been born in 1947 had Congress leaders acted wisely in the pre-Independence era, Modi said. The Congress party's manifesto speaks the same language as that of Pakistan, he added.

Modi also attacked the Congress over the recent income tax raids at several locations, including in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh, against close aides of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath and others on charges of tax evasion and hawala transactions.

He alleged that corruption was the only activity which the Congress does "with honesty" after coming to power.

"You must have seen how boxes full of currency notes are being recovered from the houses of Congress courtiers. Buying votes shows their political culture. They are saying for the last six months that the watchman is a thief but from where have the notes come out and who is the real thief?," Modi said.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi has been attacking the prime minister using the 'chowkidar chor hai' phrase, alleging corruption in the Rafale deal.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mizoram Chief Electoral Officer Ashish Kundra Tuesday said 4,409 security personnel including 12 companies of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) would be deployed for the election to the lone Lok Sabha seat in the state.

Election to the Mizoram Lok Sabha seat will be held on Thursday and 141 polling parties Tuesday left for far flung polling stations from respective district headquarters.

Addressing a media conference in Aizawl, Kundra said that the rest of the polling parties would leave the district headquarters by Wednesday.



A total of 4,409 security personnel including 12 central armed police force (CAPF), 20 companies of state armed police personnel and 22 companies of unarmed state police personnel would be deployed for the polls.

He said that 4,812 polling personnel, including 1,190 presiding officers would conduct the polling on the Lok Sabha and by-poll to the Aizawl West-I assembly seat.

Of the 7,78,777 voters in the state, 4,04,169 were female voters who outnumbered their male counterpart while there were five third gender voters and 3,331 voters who were identified as persons with disabilities (PwD).

Kundra said that the Mizos can be termed as young voting society as 63.68 per cent of the electorate belonged to an age group of 18 to 39.



He said that the polling personnel were advised to bring along polythene bags for protection of polling materials after heavy rain hit the state since Monday.

"We have asked the district deputy commissioners to alert the state PWD and BRO officials as also private contractors and private owners of excavators to ensure clearing of roads so that there would be no delays of the movements of polling parties due to landslides triggered by rainfall," the CEO said.

He said that there were 36 strong rooms established at all the eight district headquarters where the EVMs would be stored after the polling is over.
Madhya Pradesh government Tuesday said it has invited bids for 25 MegaWatt (MW) rooftop solar projects for industrial units in the state.

The tenders have been invited by state-owned Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (MPUVNL) and the last day to submit financial bids is May 10, 2019.

"Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (MPUVNL) has... invited bids for 25 MW solar rooftop projects under RESCO mode for industries in Madhya Pradesh," MPUVNL said in a statement.

Around 34 companies from across the country attended a meeting organised here to discuss parameters related to the projects with officials of Madhya Pradesh government, World Bank and International Solar Alliance (ISA).

Around 700 industries in Mandideep industrial area near Bhopal have been identified for the project.

The project is being implemented jointly with Madhya Pradesh Industrial Development Corporation (MPIDC), which has also provided land on lease to the industries, MPUVNL said.

It further said that "MPIDC will be a co-signatory to the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) and is offering payment assurance for the developer, and there is no subsidy in the project".

However, the World Bank (WB) through State Bank of India (SBI) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) through Punjab National Bank (PNB) are providing concessional loan to successful bidders under the project, MPUVNL said, adding that concessional funding from Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) is also available.

"Rooftop solar project under RESCO (Renewable Energy Service Company) model is an attractive option for industries to implement and achieve significant savings on their electricity bills.

"MPUVN and MPIDC have joined hands in this effort to aggregate demand and achieve scale for a competitive tariff from RESCOs. For the first time, state agencies have come together for implementation of a market-based rooftop solar tender for industries without subsidy support from central or the state," Manu Srivastava, Principal Secretary, New and Renewable Energy Department, Madhya Pradesh said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Madhya Pradesh BJP Tuesday asked the Election Commission to transfer Indore police official Ruchi Vardhan Mishra for arriving at the house of an aide of MP CM Kamal Nath while an Income-Tax search was underway.

Senior Superintendent of Police Ruchi Vardhan Mishra Sunday reached the house of Pravin Kakkad, ex-Officer on Special Duty of Nath, in the city's Vijay Nagar area while an I-T operation was underway there.

The BJP complaint, submitted to district returning officer Lokesh Kumar Jatav, stated that Mishra reached Kakkad's residence despite the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), which was deployed as security cover for the I-T raids, had not sought help from MP police.

"Mishra reached the house at the behest of the state Congress government and tried to hinder the I-T investigation against Kakkad. The SSP should be transferred immediately," MP BJP spokesperson Umesh Sharma told reporters.

The party's complaint to the returning officer stated that Mishra be transferred to ensure free and fair elections for the Indore Lok Sabha seat.

A video of Mishra arriving at Kakkad's house had gone viral on social media.

Speaking to PTI on Sunday, Mishra had said, "Since workers of a political party staged a protest without permission in Rajwada area after Income Tax raids, I took stock in Vijay Nagar area as a precautionary measure."



The I-T raids on Kakkad's house were completed late Monday night, sources said.

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A Muslim man was allegedly beaten up and forced to eat pork by a group of people who were angry over his selling beef in Assam, police said Tuesday.

Consumption of pork in a taboo among most Muslims.

The victim, Shaukat Ali (48), was assaulted by a group of locals at Madhupur weekly market in Biswanath district on Sunday and required hospitalisation, Superintendent of Police Rakesh Raushan said.

A video of the incident that has gone viral showed a dazed Ali surrounded by some people who angrily demanded to know from him where he came from and whether his name figured in the contentious National Register of Citizens that intends to weed out illegal migrants.

Ali, according to Raushan, was beaten up by locals not aligned to any fundamentalist organisation.

Ali, who owns a food stall, claimed he was force-fed pork by the assailants but police did not confirm it.

"We have also heard about that. It is a matter of investigation. It is only after that has been done that I will be able to tell," the SP said.

A man was arrested in connection with the incident and questioned.

Ali claimed he had been selling beef at the market for over three decades and never faced such a situation.

The group also beat up 42-year-old Kamal Thapa, the contractor of the market, for allowing Ali to sell beef dishes.

Cow slaughter and consumption of beef is not banned in the state but the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 1950, permits slaughter of only cattle above 14 years of age after due certification by a veterinary officer.

A man was beaten to death and three others were critically injured when villagers assaulted them on suspicion of being cattle thieves in Biswanath district in August last year.

The Sunday's incident came to light when a video shot by one among the group of assailants went viral on social media.

A case was registered with the Biswanath Chariali police station on the complaint of the victim's brother Sahabuddin Ali on Monday evening.

The police superintendent said raids are on to apprehend others involved in the incident.

Some rights groups have decided to hold a protest in state capital Guwahati on Tuesday against the incident.

Biswanath district is part of the Tezpur Lok Sabha constituency which is going to polls in the first phase of general elections on April 11.

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Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's great-grandson plans to run in next month's European parliamentary elections on behalf of a minor far-right party, a newspaper reported Tuesday.

Il Messaggero newspaper said Caio Giulio Cesare Mussolini, a 50-year-old former submariner, aimed to run as a candidate for the Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy) party.

"So many people want to put Mussolini on the ballot," it quoted him as saying.

Mussolini is the first cousin once removed of Alessandra Mussolini, the dead fascist leader's granddaughter who has been an MEP since 2014.

Born in Argentina, Mussolini has no previous political experience but "obviously I've breathed my whole life," he told the daily.

He described himself to Il Fatto Quotidiano as "a post-fascist who refers to those values in a non-ideological way".

He said he thought he was chosen as a candidate not for his family name but for his first names, the Italian form of "Gaius Julius Caesar", as well as his sense of duty and international experience.

If elected, he said he would "defend the national interest with all my actions and votes", in line with the nationalist stance of Fratelli d'Italia.

The party won 4.4 per cent of votes in last year's Italian national election.

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Nalini Sriharan, a life convict in the Rajiv Gandhi Assassination case, Tuesday approached the Madras High Court seeking its permission for her personal appearance before the court to argue on a petition seeking leave to make arrangements for her daughter's marriage.

Nalini filed a habeas corpus petition stating that she had not availed of any ordinary leave during her stay in prison for more than 27 years.

She further submitted that she had to make certain arrangements for the marriage of her daughter Harithra who is presently residing with her grandparents in London.

Nalini submitted she made a representation to DIG, Vellore Range, seeking six months leave for making arrangements for her daughter's marriage.

She came to know that her representation was forwarded to the government and it was pending.

Her mother Padmavathi had also submitted a representation on March 22 under Tamil Nadu Suspension of Sentence rules 1982 to authorities, including IG of Prisons and Superintendent of Prisons, Special Prison for Women, Vellore, requesting them to grant her daughter six months of leave for making arrangements for the marriage.

Stating that she has not been granted leave, Nalini said the failure of the authorities to consider the representations was violative of Article 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India.

Hence she sought a direction to the government and prison authorities to produce her before the Court enabling her to present her case personally and to argue the habeas corpus plea as a party-in-person.

A habeas corpus plea is a petition which is filed to ensure a person under arrest is brought before a court which will determine whether the detention is legal.

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IT body Nasscom Tuesday launched the 'AI Foundation for Faculty Development' programme through its Centre of Excellence for Data Science & Artificial Intelligence (CoE DS&AI) and FutureSkills platform.

The programme aims to provide the faculty in AI with the necessary exposure to real-life business problems by working closely with industry experts and providing access to latest tools and technologies in the AI space, Nasscom said in a statement.

The programme will be delivered as an integrated platform consisting of 125 hours of learning, it added.

Upon successful completion of online learning, the participating faculty will be required to undergo 25 hours of hands-on, lab-based training by industry experts and academic partners on cutting-edge business problems. Post the hands-on lab based training, the participants will be certified by Nasscom.

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* * LTI, VJTI's IIoT labs develop disruptive solutions for social problemsLarsen & Toubro Infotech (LTI) and Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) Tuesday showcased the projects implemented by the alliance's Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) test bed.

The IIoT test bed was launched three years ago as a part of LTI's CSR focus to support education of students from marginalised backgrounds. The lab, established at VJTI Mumbai, focuses on technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, IoT, deep learning, and cybersecurity.

One of the projects implemented by the alliance deals with timely maintenance of geo-tagged bins across facilities by indicating when they are nearly filled and need to be cleared. Another project aims to help visually challenged people move around without assistance.

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* * Netcore acquires AI chatbot start-up Quinto.ai



Netcore Solutions Tuesday said it has acquired Quinto.ai, an AI chatbot start-up for an undisclosed amount.

With the IP and talent acquisition, Netcore gets access to Quinto's conversational AI-powered chatbot engine and its employees, a statement said.

Quinto Co-founder Hrishikesh Rajpathak will join Netcore as chief data scientist and will lead its machine learning and conversation analytics initiatives, it added.

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After Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked him Tuesday for joining forces with the National Conference (NC), NCP chief Sharad Pawar reminded him that the Farooq Abdullah-led party was an ally of the BJP in the past.

He also said that Modi labelled everyone who goes against him as "terrorist".

Earlier in the day, at a rally at Ausa in Maharashtra, Modi asked if it behoved Pawar to side with the NC which has sought a separate prime minister for Jammu and Kashmir.

"The prime minister targets me whenever he comes to Maharashtra. Today also he raised question as to why Sharad Pawar was with former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister @OmarAbdullah who is like a terrorist," Pawar tweeted after addressing a campaign meeting for Mumbai Congress chief Milind Deora, who is in fray from the Mumbai South Lok Sabha seat.

Pawar recalled that the BJP had been a partner of the National Conference in the past in Jammu and Kashmir and also in the Central government.

"Whenever any force ('shakti') goes against Modi, it is dubbed terrorist. This is Modi's policy," Pawar tweeted in Hindi.

The former Union minister also alleged that the prime minister was playing the "Hindu card" as he was left with no other issue, and added, "It was not a good thing".

NC leader Omar Abdullah said last week his party will strive hard for restoring the autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir that could include having a 'Sadar-e-Riyasat' (President) and 'Wazir-e-Azam' (Prime Minister).

At the rally at Ausa, Modi wondered if it "behoved the Maratha strongman to join forces with the parties holding such a view".

Modi and Pawar have been taking potshots at each other after the prime minister targeted him at a poll rally at Wardha on April 1.

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A day after the BJP promised in its election manifesto to enact the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill if voted back to power, Union minister Kiren Rijiju said Tuesday people of the northeastern states will be consulted before bringing up the bill.

Even if the bill is implemented in the rest of the country, there will be special provisions for the region, Rijiju said.

The contentious bill seeks to grant Indian citizenship to people belonging to minority communities Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan after six years of residence in India even if they do not possess proper documents.

A largescale protest had broken out in the northeastern states earlier this year as the indigenous people of the region apprehended the enactment of the bill would endanger their livelihood and identity.

"If other states of the country want the bill to be enacted, the BJP is committed to bring it. However, for the northeast, the party will consult the people before taking any decision which is clearly mentioned in the manifesto," the minister of state for home told reporters here.

"There should be no doubt among the people of the region, the BJP is committed to protect their rights," Rijiju said.

The bill, being vehemently opposed in the region even by some allies of BJP, was passed in Lok Sabha on January 8. However, it is set to lapse on June 3, when the term of the present Lok Sabha ends, as it could not be passed in Rajya Sabha.

The Union minister, who is seeking re-election from Arunachal West parliamentary constituency, said no other dispensation had attached so much importance to the northeast as the NDA government.

Even Indians of other states cannot settle in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram that are 'protected' under special provisions of the Constitution, he said.

However, for other 'unprotected' states of the region such as Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura, the government has decided to introduce the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in which only genuine Indian citizens would be included, he said.

With introduction of the NRC, refugees who have already settled in the region due to religious persecution will be examined under special provisions, Rijiju said.

In its manifesto released on Monday in New Delhi, the BJP promised to implement the NRC, currently underway only in Assam, in a phased manner in other parts of the country.

"Being a representative of the northeast, it is my duty to think of the people of the region and I assure them that the BJP will protect their culture, traditions and languages," he added.

On the contentious Permanent Resident Certificate (PRC) issue in Arunachal Pradesh, which left three people dead and private and public properties damaged in February, Rijiju claimed that people have already realised who were responsible for the violence.

"The people have also realised the mission of the BJP. It is committed to peace, progress and development," Rijiju said adding that the party would work for a "clean election" drive in the state after coming to power.

"Clean election is the hallmark of clean governance. We will try to make election clean without involvement of cash for a better Arunachal," he added.

Asked about the seizure of Rs 1.8 crore in cash from two vehicles at Pasighat in East Siang district on April 2 on the eve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally there, Rijiju said the truth will come out after investigation by the Election Commission.

The vehicles were parked at a guest house along with the vehicles of the chief minister and he was not in any way involved in the incident, he said.

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Nepal has made significant strides in expanding access to pre-primary with enrolment rate soaring to 86 per cent in 2017 from 12 per cent in 2000, according to a UNICEF report released on Tuesday.

The progress has helped Nepal rank among the high performers in the world as regards access to pre-primary in the last two decades, the UN body said.

Nepal incorporated one year of pre-primary education in the law and formally recognised it as part of country's free and compulsory basic education in the 8th Amendment to the Education Act promulgated in 2016.

"Nepal has made great progress in expanding early childhood education to an increasing number of children. At the same time, it can do more by substantially improving its quality for all children regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds,"Tomoo Hozumi, UNICEF Representative to Nepal, said.

We must make sure that no child is left behind so that we can walk the talk on leaving no one behind' principle of the SDGs, he added.

The UNICEF report, however, points out that Nepal's national education budget allocates less than 3 per cent for the pre-primary education, which is not enough to ensure quality early childhood care and education services.

Nepal spends USD 14 per pre-primary-age child annually compared with USD 26 for Tanzania, USD 25 for Zimbabwe and USD 24 for Tajikistan from the government's budget.

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Exit polls showed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party finishing close second to his challenger Benny Gantz's Blue and White party after Israeli elections but the right wing bloc led by the Premier looks in a better position to form a coalition government.

Israelis Tuesday voted in the country's most closely fought election in years that will decide whether incumbent Netanyahu will get another term to become the longest serving premier in the Jewish state's history or be replaced with a former army chief.

Both Netanyahu and Gantz claimed victory minutes after the exit polls by Israel's three main television stations came out.

"The right-wing bloc led by Likud won a clear victory," Netanyahu wrote on Twitter.

"I thank the citizens of Israel for their faith. I will begin forming a right-wing government with our natural partners tonight already," the Prime Minister stressed.

Kahol Lavan (Blue and White) party also claimed victory saying, "We won!"



"The Israeli people have spoken. Thank you to the thousands of activists and over a million voters. In these elections, there is a clear winner and a clear loser. Bibi (Netanyahu) promised 40 seats and lost, big time, a press statement by the party said.

Exit polls have proven to be unreliable in past Israeli elections.

The exit polls by Channel 11, Channel 12 and Channel 13 put Gantz's Blue and White with either 36 or 37 seats in the 120-seat Knesset (Israeli parliament), while Netanyahu's Likud had between 33 and 36 seats.

A combination of Netanyahu's Likud and smaller right-wing parties allied to him had between 60 and 66 seats, according to the exit polls.

Gantz's Blue and White alliance along with other smaller parties had between 54 and 60 seats, the polls showed.

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Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Tuesday called a snap election for June as the Central Asian nation seeks a new leader following the shock resignation of its longtime ruler.

Nursultan Nazarbayev, the only leader an independent Kazakhstan had ever known, announced suddenly he was stepping down last month after nearly three decades in office.

Nazarbayev, who retained significant powers following his resignation, named Tokayev to replace him ahead of elections that had been planned for next year.

On Tuesday, Tokayev said the presidential election would be held on June 9 instead.

In a televised address to the nation, Tokayev said he had consulted with Nazarbayev -- known as "Elbasy" or "Leader of the Nation" in Kazakh -- and other top officials before making the decision.

"We must continue to work on the implementation of the strategy of Elbasy," Tokayev said.

"This can be done only by the direct expression of the will of the people... As the acting head of state I guarantee that the elections will be held honestly, openly and fairly." Tokayev did not immediately say whether he would run and speculation is rife in Kazakhstan about who might take Nazarbayev's place.

Tokayev is seen as a potential frontrunner, as is Nazarbayev's daughter Dariga, who replaced Tokayev as leader of the senate when he assumed the presidency. She was among those he said he had consulted before calling the vote.

The potential elevation of Dariga has raised concerns that Nazarbayev is looking to put in place a dynastic succession.

Nazarbayev, 78, has the constitutional status of "Leader of the Nation" as well as chairmanship of the ruling Nur Otan party and a lifetime position as chief of the security council.

He ruled Kazakhstan since before it gained independence with the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

Nazarbayev was credited with transforming the country into an energy powerhouse with growing diplomatic clout, but also accused of clamping down on the opposition and tolerating little dissent.

Nazarbayev is known for careful diplomacy that privileges key partners Russia and China while maintaining cordial ties with the West.

The capital was quickly renamed from Astana to Nur-Sultan in his honour following his resignation.

Dozens have been arrested while attempting to hold anti-government protests in the country's two largest cities, Nur-Sultan and Almaty, since Tokayev took office.

The government faces a challenge to tackle growing discontent over falling living standards after Kazakhstan's economy was hit by the 2014 drop in oil prices and western sanctions against Russia, a key trading partner.

Just last week, Nazarbayev was quoted as saying there remained "much work ahead" for him.

Tokayev, a 65-year-old career diplomat, had on Monday held a meeting with top officials, in a move widely seen as foreshadowing the snap vote.

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New York Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a public health emergency in parts of Brooklyn on Tuesday, ordering all residents to be vaccinated to contain a measles outbreak concentrated in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community.

The order concerns all people living or working in four zip codes of Williamsburg, northwest Brooklyn, where some residents oppose vaccines on religious grounds -- although neither Jewish texts, nor local Jewish authorities advise against vaccination.

"It was time to take a more muscular approach," De Blasio told a conference as the emergency measures were announced.

"This can be turned around quickly," he said. "We can stop this."



Under the new rules, anyone who has not received the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine or does not have evidence of immunity risks a fine of USD1,000, said a statement from the mayor's office.

The city also warned that yeshiva religious schools and day care programs serving the local Orthodox Jewish community would face penalties and possible closure if they continue to take in unvaccinated students.

Like most American states -- all but three, including California -- New York requires a series of vaccinations for school-age children but has until now granted exemptions on both medical and religious grounds.

Since October, however, 285 cases of measles have been confirmed in New York City. None proved fatal, but 21 patients required hospitalisation and five were admitted to intensive care.

"I urge everyone, especially those in affected areas, to get their MMR vaccines to protect their children, families and communities," de Blasio said in the statement.

"There's no question that vaccines are safe, effective and life-saving."



Although measles was declared officially eliminated from the United States in 2000, outbreaks have occurred in five states this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The resurgence of the once-eradicated, highly-contagious disease is linked to a growing anti-vaccine movement in richer nations -- which the World Health Organization has identified as a major global health threat.

Most of the New York cases involved unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated individuals, according to De Blasio's office.

The so-called anti-vax, or anti-vaxxer phenomenon has adherents across Western nations but is particularly high profile in the US, where it has been fueled by disinformation on social media.

Many vaccine opponents believe medically baseless claims that inoculations can cause autism and other negative health effects.

Experts insist vaccines are safe and necessary to protect the larger community from highly infectious diseases like measles, which can cause severe diarrhea, pneumonia and vision loss and can be fatal in some cases.

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A man, who was wanted for propagating the ideology of banned terror-group ISIS, was arrested Tuesday by the NIA on his return from Qatar.

Shaibu Nihar (39), a resident of Kozhikode in Kerala, was arrested from the Calicut international airport on his arrival from Doha, Qatar, a statement issued by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said.

"The accused, Shaibu Nihar, had planned to travel to Syria to join the proscribed terrorist organization ISIS/Daish in December 2016, from Bahrain, while running an advertising company there," the probe agency said.

During 2016-2017, he had facilitated the travel of some of his associates to Syria with the intention of joining the ISIS, and waging war on its behalf against the Syrian government, it said.

Following the arrest of some of his associates in October 2017, Nihar shifted from Bahrain and took shelter in Qatar, and continued his advertising company, the statement said.

The NIA had taken the investigation in the case on the basis of a case registered at Wandoor police station in Kerala in November 2017.

The case was registered on the basis of disclosures made by another accused Hamsa U K. Hamsa was arrested and examined in a similar case being probed by the NIA.

"Disclosure made by Hamsa U K contains allegations against Shaibu Nihar and other accused persons that while they were working in Bahrain and attending classes at Al Ansar Salafi Centre, there they had shared jihadi ideology and decided to join the ISIS in Syria.

"Most of his associates had left Bahrain and joined the ISIS in Syria," the NIA said.

Nihar was produced before a special NIA court at Ernakulam and was remanded to judicial custody up to April 22, it said.

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The NIA has asked former PDP MLA Mir Aijaz to appear before it in New Delhi on April 12, officials said Tuesday, apparently in connection with the looting of eight weapons from his official residence in Srinagar by a special police officer in September last year.

SPO Adil Bashir, a resident of Zainapora village of Shopian, had decamped with seven AK assault rifles of the personal security officers of the legislator from Wachi constituency in Shopian.

Immediately after the incident came to light, police registered a case and announced a cash reward of Rs 2 lakh for any information leading to the arrest of the SPO.

The National Investigation Agency has summoned the former legislator at its headquarters in Delhi on April 12, the officials said.

The appointment of the SPO, who had fled with the weapons, is also under a cloud as investigations have showed that proper procedure was not followed in his case, officials have said.

The family members of the SPO including his father, who is the district chief of Jamaat-e-Islami, have been questioned as part of the investigation.

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President Donald Trump and White House allies pressing for a harder line on immigration sped up their campaign to clean house at the Department of Homeland Security with a mission far wider than just the departure of Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

The dismantling of the government's immigration leadership is being orchestrated by Trump adviser Stephen Miller, the impetus behind some of the administration's most controversial policies, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Beyond changing names and faces, Trump is considering separating migrant families at the border again, resuming the practice that drew so much outrage last year, the same people said.

The shake-up is a result of Trump's frustration with the increasing number of migrants at the border and his diminishing options for action.

Court challenges, immigration laws and his own advisers have blocked several of his proposals as his re-election campaign looms. The White House has lashed out by demanding new leadership, although a new team is likely to face the same obstacles.

The head of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, L. Francis Cissna, and Homeland Security General Counsel John M. Mitnick are expected to be pushed out of their positions, the officials said.

Nielsen submitted her resignation Sunday after meeting with Trump at the White House, and three days earlier, the administration withdrew the nomination of Ron Vitiello to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Other longtime civil servants in agency posts are also on the chopping block, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Adding to the turmoil, the director of the Secret Service is being forced out of his job , but that departure is said to be unrelated to the immigration upheaval.

Leading senators from both parties were displeased.

"The purge of senior leadership at the Department of Homeland Security is unprecedented and a threat to our national security," declared Democrat Dianne Feinstein of California.

"President Trump is trying to remake DHS into his own personal anti-immigration agency."



Republican Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, criticized Congress for a crisis at the border but also said, "I am concerned with a growing leadership void within the department tasked with addressing some of the most significant problems facing the nation."



Nielsen has dutifully carried out the administration's orders but often had to explain to Trump the legal limits of what he wanted to do. And he didn't like it.

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Nirmohi Akhara, one of the litigants in the Ayodhya case, moved the Supreme Court Tuesday opposing the Centre's plea which seeks to return to the original owners the 67.390 acre of "non-disputed" land it had acquired around the disputed Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid site.

The Allahabad High Court in 2010 had decided that the 2.77-acre of disputed land at the site would be divided into three equal parts and handed over to Nirmohi Akhara, Sunni Waqf Board, and Ram Lalla.

The Nirmohi Akhara, in its fresh plea, has opposed the Centre's application by which it had sought modification of the Supreme Court's 2003 order so as to allow it to return to original owners the 67.390 acre of "non-disputed" acquired land around the disputed site.

"The Central government has indicated one of the beneficiaries Ram Janm Bhumi Nyas to which the Central Government seeks to return the land. It is stated that from the application itself it is evident that the land which the Central Government seeks to return to the said Nyas was the one which was leased to it by the state government for development of park - Ram Katha Park," Nirmohi Akhara said in its plea.

"The applicant submits that the land was not leased for construction of a temple and the applicant would require the said land for the purpose of a temple and facilities necessary thereto if the applicant is successful in the appeals pending adjudication. Thus at present no useful purpose would be served by releasing the land to the said Nyas," it said.

It claimed that the Nyas had been established on the basis of fraudulent deed and Nirmohi Akhara has already challenged the matter, which is pending before a court in Uttar Pradesh.

The application said the Centre has proposed returning of acquired land to Ram Janambhoomi Nyas (RJN) and that there are many temples on the acquired land and their rights would be affected if the land is returned to one party.

"It is submitted in addition that since the Central government seeks permission to release the properties, the applicant submits that the government ought to also restore status quo ante i.e. require the state government to reconstruct the temples which were demolished by the state government subsequent to the notification dated October 7, 1991 and October 10, 1991 and which acquisition was quashed by the judgement dated December 11, 1992 of the High Court," it said.

The apex court recently appointed mediators to find an amicable solution to the vexatious land dispute.

The 0.313 acre plot, on which the disputed structure stood before it was demolished by the 'kar sevaks' on December 6, 1992, was within the 2.77 acre disputed premises, the Centre's plea said.

The government had acquired 67.703 acre, including the 2.77 acre, through a legislation in 1993. The RJN is the owner of as much as 42 acre of the acquired non-disputed land.

The plea said the RJN (a trust to promote construction of Ram Temple) had sought return of excess land acquired in 1991 to original owners.

"One party namely RJN whose land measuring approximately 42 acres [which is a part of the superfluous/excess land] was acquired, has moved an application relying on the constitution bench judgment of this court," the plea had said.

The Centre said in its plea that it has no objection in returning the land to its actual owners.

"The Central Government has no objection in principle if the superfluous land is restored to RJN as well as other owners after determining the extent of land required for proper access to and enjoyment of rights in the disputed area by preparing a plan map.

"The applicant (Centre) is filing this application seeking permission of this court to permit the applicant to fulfil the duty to revert/restore/hand over the excess/superfluous land acquired under the Acquisition of Certain Areas of Ayodhya Act, 1993," it said.

The Modi government, in its 33-page application, had sought modification of the apex court order of March 31, 2003 by which the Central government was directed to maintain the "status quo" with regard to entire land including the non-disputed acquired plots.

It said that modification would enable it to determine "the exact extent of land required from out of the superfluous/ excess land to ensure that the successful party in the dispute pending regarding the 'disputed land' can have proper access to and enjoyment of rights in the disputed land".

The plea said the 2003 order asking the Centre to maintain the status quo (existing state of affairs) with regard to non-disputed acquired land was to be maintained till the Allahabad High Court decided the title dispute only.

Referring to the 2003 order which had restrained the Centre to deal in any manner with the acquired land, its plea said that the direction should have confined itself to the disputed land only.

Buttressing its plea for returning land to real owners, the Centre referred to the Supreme Court's verdict in the 1994 Ismail Faruqui case and said, "the interest claimed by Muslims was only over the disputed site of 0.313 acres where the disputed structure stood before the its demolition".

The plea said the apex court had observed in the 1994 verdict that it was the duty of the Centre to restore superfluous land to the owners if it is determined that either whole or any part was not necessary to achieve the purpose of acquisition.

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: Over 170 farmers who filed their nominations for the April 11 Lok Sabha polls in Telangana, are not looking to win, but to draw nationwide attention to their plight, Kisan Khet Congress State president Anwesh Reddy said here Tuesday.

The farmers had decided to contest the polls as a mark of protest, alleging that the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) failed to ensure Minimum Support Price for turmeric and red jowar (sorghum) produce and in getting the Turmeric Board established in Nizamabad.

"The nominations by these farmers have been filed in protest against the non-fulfilment of poll promises by the TRS party MP Kavitha. She said she will not seek votes if she fails to get Rs 10,000 ( per quintal) for turmeric.

She also promised to set up a Turmeric Board for Nizamabad. Now she says setting up Board is not in her hands. Then why should we vote for you ( Kavitha)?," Reddy said at a public meeting got up here in support of the farmers.

Former MLC Prof Nageswar said turmeric farmers are demanding support price, lest they be forced to announce a crop holiday.

As per the Swaminathan report, farmers in the country should get income the way Government employees get their salary, he said adding the agitation should continue until permanent solution is found for the turmeric and red sorghum farmers.

Advocate Rachana Reddy also spoke at the meeting.

The Telangana High Court had on Monday declined to issue a direction to the Election Commission to postpone the polling date for Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituency.

A section of farmers, who are contesting from the seat, had filed a petition last week, urging the court to issue a direction to the EC to postpone the polling date to enable them have sufficient time for campaigning.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Raos daughter is seeking reelection for this constituency.

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There is no possibility of any alliance with the Congress in Punjab and the Aam Aadmi Party is presently working on a three-state equation in Delhi, Haryana and Chandigarh, AAP sources said.

A meeting of the party's Punjab unit was Tuesday held at the residence of Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and the three names of candidates who would contest from Punjab were decided.

"The names for Bathinda, Khadoor Sahib and Ludhiana would be announced in the next one or two days," the sources said.

They said that there is no possibility of any alliance with the Congress in the state and the party is internally working on a possible three-state equation of alliance with the grand old party in Delhi, Haryana and Chandigarh.

Sisodia held the meeting at his residence with AAP Punjab chief Bhagwant Mann and Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Harpal Singh Cheema.

The party has till now declared the names of candidates for 10 of the 13 seats.

Polling will be held in Punjab in single phase on May 19 and results will be announced on May 23.

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Hitting out at the Prime Minister, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Tuesday said he has lived in Karnataka, which is in India, and there was no needfor him to learn from Narendra Modi about "patriotism."



"I'm in Karnataka, I also know things, it is not only Modi who knows...Kumaraswamy has lived and is living in Karnataka, in India, I need not learn from Modi on patriotism," Kumaraswamy told reporters here.

Responding to Modi's attack on him during his rallies in the State, he said "We have shed tears when a soldier's wife (Kalavathi, wife of CRPF man Guru who died in Pulwama attack) was made to shed tears in Malavalli."



"Only Narendra Modi has to pat himself on his own back.. that is all..," Kumaraswamy said when asked about Modi criticising opposition leaders including him for questioning air strikes at Balakot in Pakistan.

Modi during a election rally at Chitradurga on Tuesdaysaid the whole world stood with India, but "our Mahamilavati dal here" (Congress-JDS), was condemning Modi instead of Pakistan.

"The Chief Minister here (Karnataka) went a step aheadand said the bravery of Indian soldiers should not be spoken, because it will affect their vote bank...

I want to ask theChief Minister whether his vote bank is in India or inPakistan? Chief Minister should clarify on this," Modi had said.

The prime minister lashed out at the Congress-JD(S) government inKarnataka where, he said, the two parties had come together for the sake of "power" and to serve self-interests.

Modi said the same would be replicated if "Mahamilavat" came to power, deriding the anti-BJP "grand alliance" of opposition parties.

Responding to it, Kumaraswamy said "Has BJP won in Karnataka..if you go by him in Karnataka.. BJP has also not won...There is nothing to react to it (PM speech) as there is no issue there...he has only lied."



The Congress' Karnataka unit too attacked Modi in a tweet.

"Shameless PM @narendramodi, after 5 years of disaster, nothing to offer to the people of Karnataka, continues to politicize our brave armed forces.

The nation iswatching how low the PM can stoop for votes by comparing the voters of Karnataka to terror breeding Pakistan," the party tweeted.

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The Indian National Lok Dal Tuesday said the party was not in talks with the ruling BJP for an alliance for Lok Sabha polls, seeking to put at rest speculation that arose after party leader Abhay Singh Chautala met Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

Arora insisted no talks on stitching an alliance were going on between the two parties.

"The BJP has already declared its eight candidates and we will announce our candidates soon," Arora told PTI.

Barring Hisar and Rohtak seats, the BJP last week announced its candidates for the remaining eight seats from Haryana, where polling will be held on May 12.

The INLD had earlier said it will announce its candidates by April 16.

Chautala had met Khattar over breakfast in Delhi on Monday where Arora too was present.

Asked about their meeting with Khattar, Arora said, "There was nothing political about this meet. One can meet for some other things too and there is nothing wrong in that".

In 2014, the INLD had won two Lok Sabha seats of Hisar and Sirsa, BJP seven out of eight it contested while Congress had won the Rohtak seat.

The INLD was erstwhile partner of the BJP and the two parties ran a coalition government led by former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala (1999-2004). However, later the alliance ended due to differences.

Seen as a major challenger to the ruling BJP until six months back, INLD has been going through rough times ever since the party split.

The INLD has been stung by desertions following a vertical split and suffered a bypoll defeat when it failed to hold on to the Jind seat.

Two of party's sitting MLAs Ranbir Gangwa and Kehar Singh joined the BJP recently and Abhay Chautala was removed as Leader of Opposition as the party's strength came down to 15 MLAs in the 90 member House, lesser than Congress' 17 MLAs.

A few of the INLD's former legislators have also switched over to the saffron outfit ahead of Lok Sabha polls.

Four INLD MLAs have already switched sides and announced their support to the fledgling Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), which was formed after the split in the INLD last year.

Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala, elder son of Abhay Chautala's brother Ajay Chautala, launched the JJP last year.

The INLD, founded by late deputy prime minister Devi Laland headed by former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala, has been out of power in Haryana for over 14 years now.

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Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu Tuesday said he was not "fully satisfied" with the Supreme Court decision on VVPATs and the Election Commission has to ensure there are not discrepancies in paper trail slips.

If there is any mismatch, the EC should ensure counting of all VVPATs in the country, he suggested.

The Supreme Court Monday directed the EC to increase the random matching of paper trail machine slips with EVM results from one to five polling booths in each assembly segment for the multi-phase Lok Sabha polls starting Thursday.

"I am not fully satisfied. But something is better than nothing," Naidu told PTI, adding that the EC has to ensure there are no discrepancies in VVPATs.

He, however, said that the move to count even five VVPATs will "hurt" BJP prospects.

"Now, they (BJP) will be afraid," he said and expressed concern over IT raids on political leaders and the EC "not giving level playing field" for every political party.

VVPAT machines are being used for the first time in any Lok Sabha elections though they were deployed in some parliamentary and assembly bypolls.

Asserting that EVMs can be rigged, Naidu said, "From the beginning, I am fighting against EVMs. Being a technology man, I know the weakness of technology. Cyber security is the biggest problem and and programmers can manipulate it. Why are the developed countries not going for EVMs, despite being technologically advanced?"



The Supreme Court order was on a petition by 21 Opposition leaders led by Naidu demanding counting of at least 50 per cent of paper trail machine slips per assembly segment to match the results of EVMs.

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Opposition Naga Peoples Front (NPF) Tuesday urged the people of Nagaland to vote for Congress nominee K L Chishi in the April 11 Lok Sabha polls in the state.

NPF Spokesperson Achumbemo Kikon said that the party decided not to set up candidate in order to strengthen the secular party (Congress) which has asserted to protect the rights of the Nagas in particular and the indigenous people of North East in general.

Addressing media persons Kikon said "NPF is not fielding any candidate to ensure that the interest of Naga people and entire North East is safeguarded and protected."



He said the main issue confronting the Naga people and the North East is the Citizenship Amendment Bill passed by the BJP government in Lok Sabha but the secular parties have come together and managed to stop it in Rajya Sabha.

He also maintained that during the meeting between Congress and NPF leaders, the former has assured to bring the vexed Naga political issue to an honorable conclusion if voted to power.

He alleged that the NDPP-led PDA has no vision for the people of state because of which its leaders has only been harping on NPF not fielding candidate despite having 26 MLAs in the state Assembly.

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People's Conference chairman Sajad Lone Tuesday claimed that National Conference leader Omar Abdullah had met BJP president Amit Shah after the 2014 assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir with an aim to form government in the state.

"Omar Abdullah met BJP president and he was accompanied by two other persons. They were with him (Shah) for two-and-a-half hours. He asked for support for government formation saying I will be chief minister for three years and for three years, there will be a BJP chief minister," Lone, who himself has been an ally of the BJP, claimed while addressing an election rally at his hometown Handwara in north Kashmir Kupwara district.

There were murmurs about such a meeting in 2014 but all the speculation were put to rest by BJP general secretary Ram Madhav then who had tweeted on December 24, 2014 that no such meeting had taken place.

" about BJP leaders meeting NC leadership in Delhi baseless," Madhav had tweeted in 2014.

The separatist-turned-mainstream leader said while Abdullah was accusing him of being a proxy for the BJP in Kashmir, the former chief minister was in touch with BJP for government formation after 2014 assembly election results.

In an apparent attempt to woo the voters of the bordering town of North Kashmir, Lone claimed that the mobile coordinates of Abdullah and the BJP leaders will establish that there was a meeting.

"I received threats the entire night. I was told if you reveal this, we will get the BJP to issue a denial...," he added.

He also went on to say that there would be a second part to his claims after April 11.

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Medical devices firm Opto Circuits India Tuesday said it has entered into a one-time settlement with Yes Bank for settling the total outstanding amount of Rs 33.51 crore for a consolidated amount of Rs 8.5 crore.

This amount is "to be paid as per the structured installments by April 2021", Opto Circuits India said in a filing to the BSE.

Shares of Opto Circuits India were trading at Rs 7.98 per scrip on the BSE, down 2.92 per cent from its previous close.

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Pakistan cabinet on Tuesday approved the construction of a railway station at the Sikh holy city of Nankana Sahib in Punjab and decided to name it after the faith's founder Guru Nanak Dev.

Nankana Sahib is the birth place of Guru Nanak Dev, who also first began preaching here. The city has high historic and religious value and a popular pilgrimage site for Sikhs from all over the world.

"The cabinet has approved the construction of a train station at Sikh holy city of Nankana Sahib in Punjab and it will be named after Baba Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism," Fawad Chaudhry, Information Minister, told reporters here.

Last November, India and Pakistan agreed to set up the border crossing linking Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, the final resting place of Guru Nanak Dev, to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Gurdaspur district.

Kartarpur Sahib is located in Pakistan's Narowal district across the river Ravi, about four km from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine.

Pakistan had said that it would provide land for the construction of a railway station.

The Pakistan cabinet also gave it's nod for the construction of 135,000 apartments for the shelterless and government employees as part of a major election promise by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Khan had pledged to start building 5 million low-priced houses under his pet Naya Pakistan Housing Authority project in the first 100 days of his government. But the project was delayed inviting a lot of criticism from the opposition.

Chaudhry said the cabinet meeting chaired by PM Khan has decided to start the Naya Pakistan Housing Authority project.

Initially 135,000 apartments are being constructed and Prime Minister will inaugurate the project on April 17 in Islamabad where 25,000 units will be built, Chaudhry said.

Another 110,000 apartments will be built in the coastal city Gwadar in Balochistan, which is also hub of economic activities under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the flagship project of Chinese President Xi Jinping's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative.

The Gwadar project will be launched by the prime minister in provincial capital Quetta after April 20.

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An accountability court Tuesday indicted Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief and Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif on charges he misused his authority while he was the chief minister of Punjab province.

Shehbaz's son Hamza, the Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly, was also indicted by the court in the Ramzan Sugar Mills case.

Both Shehbaz and Hamza pleaded not guilty to the charges framed against them, which involve the misuse of their authority and the illegal use of public funds.

During the brief hearing, Judge Najamul Hassan asked the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor what exactly the Ramzan Sugar Mills case is, to which special prosecutor Waris Ali Janjua replied that public funds were used for a nullah for the mills, of which Hamza is a director.

According to the accountability watchdog, the funds for the nullah - which come to about Rs 20 crores - had been released by then Punjab chief minister Shehbaz.

Shehbaz, 63, served as the chief minister of the politically crucial Punjab province from 2013 to 2018. He became PML-N president after his elder brother Nawaz Sharif was barred from holding the top party position and public posts.

"God knows, in last 10 years being the chief minister of Punjab, a province of over 100 million people, I have saved the country billions of rupees. I had nothing to do with this bridge, no money was wrongfully used," Shehbaz told the court.

The court subsequently indicted both, father and son, before moving onto hearing the Ashiyana Housing scam case. Judge Hassan adjourned the hearing till April 23.

Shehbaz has already been indicted along with nine others in the Ashiana Housing scam case. He was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau in the probe on October 5, 2018 and released on bail on February 14.

On Monday, Hamza was granted pre-arrest bail till April 17 by the Lahore High Court, which also restrained NAB from arresting him in cases pertaining to ownership of assets beyond means, until further notice.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Monday arrested a "key frontman" of Hamza and his brother Salman who allegedly laundered over Rs 50 crore abroad at their behest.

Referring to the arrest of Mohammad Mushtaq, the NAB said it believed that the arrest would strengthen its case against both sons of PML-N president Shehbaz.

According to the NAB, it had the record of the money laundering transactions of over Rs 50 crore sent by Mushtaq to the accounts of Salman abroad.

Mushtaq was leaving for Dubai. But during immigration at the Lahore airport Monday, his name appeared on the no-fly list.

"Key suspect Mohammad Mushtaq aided and connived with the Shehbaz Sharif family in money laundering. He transferred over Rs 50 crore to Salman Shahbaz's accounts abroad," NAB said in a statement.

The NAB also detected 28 bank accounts of the Shehbaz family. Salman had gone to London last year after his lone appearance before NAB in connection with the assets beyond means investigation but did not return. Shehbaz's son-in-law Imran Ali Yousuf, who is wanted in the Saaf Pani Company scam, is also in the UK.

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The Pakistan High Commission Tuesday said it has issued visas to 2,200 Sikh pilgrims from India to facilitate their participation in the annual Baisakhi celebrations from April 12 to 21.

The issuance of visas by Pakistan is seen as signs of easing of tension between the two countries, and came nearly six weeks after the Balakot strike and subsequent Pakistani retaliation.

Under a framework of Indo-Pak protocol on visits to religious shrines, a large number of Sikh pilgrims from India visit Pakistan every year. Similarly, Pakistani pilgrims also visit India.

Last week, Pakistan announced that it will release 360 Indian prisoners, mostly fishermen, this month in four phases, as a "goodwill gesture. Out of the 360, 100 fishermen returned to India on Monday.

"The Pakistan High Commission has issued 2200 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to participate in the annual Baisakhi celebrations," the High Commission said in a statement.

It said the 2,200 visas were in addition to those granted to Sikh pilgrims participating in the event from other countries.

Pakistan's High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood said the gesture by Pakistan to issue these visas was reflective of the reverence attached to Baisakhi, both in its religious and cultural dimensions.

Besides marking the start of the new Sikh year, Baisakhi is the time to harvest the rabi crop.

"We extend our profound greetings and felicitations to all our brothers and sisters celebrating this auspicious occasion and wish the visiting pilgrims a spiritually fulfilling journey," he said.

During their visit to Pakistan, the pilgrims would go to Panja Sahib, Nankana Sahib, and Kartarpur Sahib, the High Commission said.

The issuance of the visas is in line with the Pakistan's efforts to facilitate visits to religious shrines and strengthen people-to-people exchanges, the High Commission said.

"Pakistan remains committed to preserving sacred religious places and extending all possible facilitation for the visiting pilgrims of all faiths," it said.

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Strongly protesting the Election Commission of India's decision to stop disbursement of funds to farmers under Odisha government's Kalia scheme, Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik Tuesday went to office of the CEO here to lodge a complaint.

Patnaik along with senior leaders of the ruling BJD met Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Surendra Kumar to vent their displeasure over the ECI's act. This is the first time that any Chief Minister of Odisha visited office of the CEO to lodge a complaint.

Patnaik said the ECI has stopped the fund disbursement under Kalia scheme in the name of Model Code of Conduct (MCC), but alleged that it allowed the the PM-KISAN to operate without any hindrance.

"It is unfortunate that they (ECI) have not stopped the agricultural scheme of the Central government," Patnaik told reporters after meeting the CEO.

"I had come to see the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) about (lodging) a strong complaint of the election office of stopping our governments Kalia scheme for the farmers," Patnaik said.

Patnaik justified his protest and said that the Kalia (Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation) scheme is important for farmers particularly during this season when they require those funds desperately.

"I am also very disappointed to see that BJP had complained to the EC about the Kalia scheme," Patnaik said adding, "the farmers will give them a befitting reply".

Earlier also, the BJD had submitted a memorandum with the CEO in Bhubaneswar and ECI in New Delhi alleging that the state governments direct transfer benefit scheme for agricultural sector was not allowed to be implemented due to the MCC, while no such restrictions were put on the Centres Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan).

As per the practice, the financial assistance under the Kalia scheme should have been disbursed among farmers by March 31, 2019, but the CEO under pressure from BJP has stopped the release of the money citing model code of conduct, alleged BJD spokesman Sasmit Patra.

While demanding revoke of restriction on the Kalia scheme, the BJD argued that the process of selection of beneficiaries had been completed on March 1, much before the MCC came into force.

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Calling the EC's order of shifting IPS officer Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, probing the 2015 sacrilege incidents, as "biased", the Punjab government Tuesday decided to approach the poll panel to seek a review of the decision.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh dubbed the Election Commission's order of relieving the Inspector General rank officer of his charge as a "direct interference in the investigations" into the police firing incidents.

He further said that he will ask the commission to reconsider its decision in the "interest of justice and Constitutional propriety".

Following a complaint lodged by the Akali Dal against the IPS officer, the ECI had directed Punjab government to divest him of his present post for "violating" the model code of conduct.

Besides being member of the Special Investigation Team, probing 2015 sacrilege and police firing incidents, Singh was also holding the charge of IGP Crime and additional charge of the organised crime control unit (OCCU).

Acting on the directions of the EC, the Punjab government on Monday posted him as IG Counter Intelligence (Amritsar).

Though the EC order did not specifically mention about divesting him of as SIT member, a senior government functionary in Punjab government Tuesday said the officer was relieved of this charge as well.

"The Akalis had been trying unsuccessfully to scuttle the investigations into the sacrilege and subsequent firing cases that took place during their tenure and were now resorting to desperate measures to save their skin," Amarinder Singh alleged in a statement released here.

Claiming that the entire premise of the EC order was based on a "flimsy" complaint, the chief minister said, "It was obvious the complainant (SAD) was running scared at the thought of exposure by the SIT and had taken refuge in the SAD alliance with the BJP."



The EC was acting in a "highly biased" manner at the behest of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which was indulging in all kinds of "cheap tactics", including "witch-hunts and interference" in state affairs, in a desperate bid to save itself and its allies, Amarinder Singh alleged.

"Cognizant of the pathetic position of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Punjab, where the party was facing another ignominious defeat, the BJP was trying to save it at any cost," he alleged.

"The brazen nexus between the BJP-SAD and ECI was manifest in the latter's spate of recent orders and directives that were clearly skewed against the Congress, particularly in the states ruled by it," the chief minister said.

He also lamented the "demolition" of all the major Constitutional and democratic institutions in the country by the ruling party at the Centre.

Amarinder said his government's sole intention in setting up the SIT, of which the IG was a key member and instrumental in the SIT's aggressive investigations, was to bring the culprits to book and take the probe in the 2015 case to its logical conclusion.

The SIT, he pointed out, had been carrying out its investigations as per the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, on a civil writ petition and their report was placed before the High Court, he pointed out.

Further, said the chief minister, the investigations undertaken by the SIT were of the nature of a statutory requirement under the CrPC, in which even courts do not interfere.

The EC was simply not authorised to interfere in such a matter, Amarinder Singh claimed.

"The Akalis wanted to prevent him and his government, by hook or by crook, from bringing justice to the innocent victims of the 101 cases of sacrilege that had occurred in the state between 2015 and March 2017," alleged Amarinder Singh.

Warning the BJP and the Akalis against exploiting important institutions like the EC and the defence forces to pursue its political and electoral agenda, Amarinder Singh said the "destruction" of these independent institutions would be highly detrimental to the interests of the country and people would not forgive the ruling party for indulging in such acts.

Amarinder Singh also urged the EC not to allow its integrity to be "compromised" by the politically vested interests of the ruling BJP and its allies, including the SAD.

"People have faith in the EC institution but such actions are bound to destroy their trust," he said.

The ECI had observed in its order that the TV interview of the IPS officer was "politically motivated" and the contents of the part of the interview had political connotations and had the potential to show certain political leaders in poor light.

The officer had also mentioned the name of leaders of SAD which was clearly in violation of the provision of the provision of model code of conduct, the ECI had said in the order.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had last month filed a complaint against the IPS officer, alleging that he was working at the behest of the Congress to target the Akalis.

The party had sought that he should be shifted out of state till elections were over.

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Senior AAP leader and MLA Aman Arora has been appointed as chairman of the party's campaign committee in Punjab for the Lok Sabha polls.

A unanimous decision to appoint Arora as chief of AAP's campaign committee was taken at a meeting of Punjab unit's core committee in Delhi, a party release issued here said Tuesday.

Aam Aadmi Party's Punjab unit chief and Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann said the "huge" responsibility was given to Arora due to his political acumen and experience in state

Mann said the meeting of the core committee was held at the residence of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and in-charge of party's Punjab affairs Manish Sisodia.

Arora, who is a legislator from Sunam, expressed gratitude to the party for reposing faith in him.

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Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das Tuesday said the people of the country have "rejected" of dynasty and family as it is "undemocratic".

"Dynasty is at its peak in JMM and Congress. Other than a member of the family no other person can find a place in these parties. But it is not the case with the BJP. Any common worker of the BJP can become prime minister and chief minister," Das told a poll meeting at Chatra in support of its candidate Sunil Singh.

"Those who are indulging in of dynasty are in favour of of negativity and wish to take the state and the country backwards. They think the country is their fiefdom," Das said.

Asking the tribals to remain vigilant, Das said that in a recent meeting in the Santhal Pargana region of the state, the youth alleged that the JMM had exploited them during the last several years.

"The JMM remained indifferent," he said, adding it was irony that both the Congress and the JMM sought votes to root out poverty but "failed" to eradicate it for decades.

Listing out both the central and state governments welfare schemes, Das asked the people of Chatra to compare the districts condition before 2014 and thereafter.

"The people of Chatra should analyse the difference impartially, and you can see the change, and this will continue in the future," Das said.

Das said that the Modi government had set up Skill Development ministry under which the youth were trained and Jharkhand also benefited from it with 1.05 lakh youth getting skilled jobs.

Listing out the governments work in electrification, Ayushman Bharat, he said, the state had defined the domicile policy and the youth of the districts like Chatra would not find it difficult to get employment in Class-III and Class-IV category for the next 10 years as only the local residents would get jobs in those two categories.

Claiming that casteism and communalism were raked up during elections, Das said during the Narendra Modi regime schemes were given without any discrimination.

"The corrupt people have joined hands to remove Modi Ji. You (people) need to be vigilant so that you can assess the correct leadership ... under the leadership of Modi, Chatra is being rooted out of extremism and extremist-related incidents decreased since 2014," Das said.

He said that the governments effort was to break the backbone of extremism and it has succeeded to the maximum extent in controlling the ultra-left wing extremism. "This has been possible because of a government with stability and clear policies," he added.

Lauding Modi for his zero tolerance against terrorism, Das said for the BJP, security of the country was foremost and the Central government had eliminated several terrorists after Uri and Pulwama terror attacks.

"Such responses could have taken place earlier too when several people were killed during Mumbai terror attack. But the then government was weak and lacked political will, allowing terrorists to attack," Das said.

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Four journalists were injured when the platform constructed for mediapersons collapsed during Congress president Rahul Gandhi's rally here Tuesday, police said.

Inclement weather had made the Intak field muddy and the overcrowded platform caved in after Gandhi started addressing the rally.

Four journalists were injured and one of them was admitted to the Hailakandi Civil Hospital.

Others were released after being administered first aid, police said.

The hospitalised journalist Zakir Hussain is a correspondent of Bengali daily 'Samayik Prasanga'.

Following the accident, mediapersons moved to another point and Gandhi's rally continued without any interruption.

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A plea was moved in the Delhi High Court Tuesday challenging the requirement for 30-day public notice under the Special Marriage Act for registration of a marriage, claiming it to be "arbitrary".

The petition, by an NGO, sought striking down of the mandatory requirement of putting up a one month notice to invite objections against a proposed marriage before permitting a couple to wed under the Act.

Justice Vibhu Bakhru, before whom the matter was listed for hearing, told the NGO that the Constitutionality of the provision, which lays down the procedure, has to be challenged if it wants to do away with the requirement.

The court granted liberty to the NGO to withdraw the plea and file a fresh one challenging the Constitutionality of section 16 of the Special Marriage Act which lays down the procedure for registration of inter-faith marriages.

"Dismissed as withdrawn with liberty (to move a fresh plea)," the court said.

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: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday expressed grief over the death of Kerala Congress (M) leader K M Mani and said his rich contributions to the State wouldbe remembered.

In a tweet, Modi said "Shri KM Mani was a stalwart of Kerala politics. His impeccable electoral record indicated his deep connect with the citizens of the State.

His rich contribution to the state will be remembered. Pained by his demise.

Condolences to his family and supporters. RIP."



The former Kerala Finance Minister died at a private hospital in Kochi Tuesday evening.

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The Supreme Court Tuesday dismissed a petition filed by a Congress activist seeking stay on the release of biopic on Prime Minister

The apex court said it was not entertaining the petition for the stay on the release of the film as the plea is "premature" as the movie has not yet been certified by the Censor Board.



It said even if the film is released on April 11, as claimed by the Congress activist, it will be appropriate for him to seek a redressal from the Election Commission.

"We, therefore do not consider it fit to entertain the petition", a bench comprising Chief justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna said.
The Supreme Court Tuesday dismissed a petition filed by a Congress activist seeking stay on the release of biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying the Election Commission would be an "appropriate" place to seek the redressal.

The apex court said it was not entertaining the petition for the stay on the release of the film as it was "premature" since the movie is yet to be certified by the Censor Board.

It said even if the film is released on April 11, as claimed by the Congress activist, it will be appropriate for him to seek a redressal from the Election Commission.

"We, therefore do not consider it fit to entertain the petition", said a bench comprising Chief justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna.

The court had on Monday said that "any kind of order from the court will be possible if the petitioner states and pleads what the film is seeking to depict and his objections on this count".

The bench said the petitioner has been unable to append the copy of the biopic and the video clipping, which is a two minute trailer, was not sufficient to assess that the film would influence or impact the upcoming general elections.

The bench also said even if the film tilts the balance in favour of BJP in the general elections as contended by the Congress activist, it is for the for the Election Commission to analyse the complaint.

Further the bench took note of the prayers of the petitioner that the film should not be released on April 11, the day of polling or prior to the polling day and said that the relief sought was "premature" and this was also to be looked after by the Election Commission.

During the Monday hearing, the court had referred to April 4 statement by Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chairperson Prasoon Joshi given to PTI about it.

Joshi had told PTI that the film was undergoing due process of examination and certification.

"Since there are a lot of queries around the certification of the film, (I) would like to give a clear picture: the film is going through the due process of examination and certification according to the requisite guidelines and is yet to be certified as the process is not complete at this point," Joshi had said.

The plea sought deferment of the biopic's release till the completion of the coming Lok Sabha polls, alleging that it was designed to "manipulate, influence and impress viewers and voters".

It sought a direction from the court declaring that advertisement and promotion of the film during the operation of the model code of conduct violates electoral laws.

It has sought directions to the Centre, CBFC and the Election Commission to delay its release till the completion of the general elections next month.

The Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court had earlier rejected a plea seeking ban on the release. The Bombay High Court had also disposed of a plea seeking deferment of the biopic's release, saying the EC will deal with the issue.

"The film was driven by no artistic inspiration and was instead designed to manipulate, influence and impress viewers and voters in the upcoming elections," the plea said.

It said there were several facts which demonstrated that the film was not an innocuous work of art, despite the repeated statements of the producers, the director and the lead actor to the contrary.

It said Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis released the first poster of the biopic and BJP president Amit Shah was also scheduled to release other similar promotional materials of the film.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Israelis began voting Tuesday in the country's most closely-fought election in years that could propel incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces the ignominy of being indicted in a series of graft cases, to become the longest serving premier in the Jewish state's history.

Over 10,000 polling stations opened around the country from 7:00 a.m. (local time) Tuesday to allow more than 6.33 million eligible voters to cast their ballots. The results will start coming in at 22:00 (local time) Tuesday.

Prime Minister Netanyahu, the leader of the right-wing Likud Party, is seeking a fifth term in office. But he is facing serious corruption allegations and a stiff challenge from former army chief Benny Gantz in the polls that have been seen as heavily divisive.

Gantz, who voted in his hometown of Rosh Haayin, called for a "new path."



"I'm happy to stand for the good of the citizens on a new path," the 59-year-old retired general said after casting his ballot. "We shall respect democracy and call for a respectful and quiet day from all sides."



All the recent poll surveys have shown Gantz's Blue and White party in a close race with Netanyahu's ruling Likud party, or even performing slightly better to emerge as the single largest party, but the 69-year-old prime minister looks much well placed to garner a coalition given the dominance of the right-wing bloc which looks set to win majority seats in the 120-member Knesset (Israeli parliament).

However, many analysts have not ruled out the possibility of a unity government, despite the two main rivals ruling out the possibility of joining hands, given that the elections may be followed by US President Donald Trump's peace plan which may drive a wedge in a possible right-wing coalition.

Trump has taken measures that have been seen by some as direct intervention in Israeli polls to help his friend Netanyahu, who is seeking a fifth term that would make him Israel's longest-serving leader, surpassing founding father David Ben-Gurion. However, Netanyahu's campaign has been clouded by a series of looming corruption indictments.

He has been premier for a total of more than 13 years.

He faces his stiffest challenge in a decade from Gantz, a former military chief making his first foray into politics, who has bolstered his chances by uniting his fledgling faction with Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid party and former defense minister Moshe Ya'alon's Telem party to create the Blue and White party.

At a rally in Jerusalem Monday, Netanyahu told his supporters not to be "complacent" and urged them to turn out at polling stations. He warned that his "leftist" rivals could still win.

Gantz Monday dismissed the prime minister's dire warnings about the right-wing, saying it was only Netanyahu's hold on power that was in a precarious position.

"The right is not in danger, Netanyahu is in danger. It is not a security threat, but a legal one," the former general told Army radio.

Israel needed to choose between "a direction of unity and connection and hope" and one of "extremism," he said and vowed to form "a cabinet of reconciliation, with representatives from the (current) coalition and opposition".

A jittery Netanyahu in the final days of his campaign veered to the right vowing to annex the Jewish West Bank settlements if re-elected, a move if executed would certainly kill the possibility of reviving Israel-Palestinian peace talks.

The issue of reviving the peace process with the Palestinians has in any case been pushed to the backburner with none of the serious contenders giving it any sort of prominence.

The controversial statement by Netanyahu on annexation of West Bank settlements is being viewed as a desperate attempt to cut into the votes of other right wing parties to ensure that Likud emerges as the single largest party and gets a definite first shot at cobbling a government.

A similar controversial statement by Netanyahu during the last general elections urging right wing voters to go to vote as "Arabs were polling in droves" had helped boost Likud's prospects and some analysts see him as resorting to a similar gimmick by announcing the intent to annex.

Hanging over Netanyahu is a likely indictment in three corruption cases, including one charge of bribery. He has been rumoured to be planning to condition, or tacitly link, entry to the post-election coalition he hopes to form on support for the so-called "French law," which would shelter him from prosecution as long as he remains in office.

He, however, denied seeking such a legislation.

"There will be no French Law and no change to the immunity law. It's all spin," he told a television channel.

The final results are likely to be published on Thursday but the government formation is expected to take much longer.

By law, the final results must be published within eight days of the vote, but a spokesman for the Central Elections Committee said the counting would be finished on Thursday afternoon.

All the counting is done manually, following the closing of the polling stations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Israeli voters were deciding Tuesday whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains in office after a decade in power as they cast ballots in a national election that has become a referendum of sorts on their longtime leader.

Clouded by a series of looming corruption indictments, Netanyahu is seeking a fourth consecutive and a fifth overall term in office, which would make him Israel's longest-ever serving leader, surpassing founding father David Ben-Gurion.

He faces a stiff challenge from retired military chief Benny Gantz, whose Blue and White party has inched ahead of Netanyahu's Likud in polls. Netanyahu still appears to have the best chance of forming a coalition, though, with a smattering of small nationalist parties backing him.

Gantz voted in his hometown of Rosh Haayin in central Israel alongside his wife, Revital, calling on Israelis to vote and "take responsibility" for their democracy. "Go to vote. Choose whoever you believe in. Respect each other and let us all wake up for a new dawn, a new history," he said.

Netanyahu cast his ballot shortly after in Jerusalem, alongside his wife Sara, urging all Israelis to vote and saying it is a "sacred act." The election has emerged as a referendum on Netanyahu and his 13 years overall in power, with the existential questions facing Israel rarely being discussed in the campaign. The 69-year-old prime minister has been the dominant force in Israeli for the past two decades and its face to the world.

But his various corruption scandals have created some voter fatigue, and in recent days he's vowed to annex Jewish West Bank settlements if re-elected a prospect that could doom the already slim hopes of establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel, which Netanyahu has previously wavered on.

"It's about time for a change," said Barry Rifkin, a Jerusalem resident. Polling stations opened at 7 a.m., with exit polls expected at the end of the voting day, at 10 p.m. Some 6.4 million eligible voters will be able to cast their ballots at more than 10,000 stations. Some 40 parties are running, but no more than a dozen are expected to make it into parliament. Election day in Israel is a national holiday, with turnout expected to be high in good weather.

Official results will begin streaming in early Wednesday, but it may take far longer for a final verdict to come through, given the fragmented state of Israeli As many as a half-dozen parties are teetering along the threshold for entering the Knesset, or parliament.

A failure by any of these parties to get the required 3.25 percent of total votes cast could have a dramatic impact on who ultimately forms the next coalition. The Israeli government needs a parliamentary majority to rule, and since no party has ever earned more than half of the 120 seats in the Knesset, a coalition is required.

Netanyahu and Gantz have ruled out sitting together in government, so the next prime minister will likely come down to how many supporters each candidate can recruit.

Israel's president, Reuven Rivlin, could play an important role. Though largely a ceremonial post, the president is responsible for choosing the candidate with the best chance of building a stable coalition government as prime minister. Rivlin told voters as he cast his ballot in Jerusalem that "the only ones that will determine who will be prime minister, and what the next government will be, are you." "And in order for you to influence, you must vote," he said.

In the campaign's final days, Netanyahu has veered to the right and embarked on a media blitz in which he portrays himself as the underdog and frantically warns that "the right-wing government is in danger." His nationalist allies, however, see the move as a repeat of his 2015 election tactic to draw away their voters as he did four years ago when on election day, he warned of Arabs turning out in "droves." The scare tactics were seen as helping him seal a come-from-behind victory.

Arab turnout will be a major issue this time as well. Netanyahu's campaign against Arab politicians, together with the new alliance with anti-Arab extremists and the passage of last year's contentious nation-state law, which enshrined Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people alone, have deepened calls for a ballot boycott in Arab communities.

But some hope these blows will have the opposite effect, fueling enough frustration to drive up the Arab participation rate, which is typically lower than that of Israeli Jews. A big Arab turnout could push smaller right-wing parties into the margins and even threaten Netanyahu's long rule.

The leftist Meretz even put out a video urging Arabs to vote. "Bibi is counting on you. Because if you don't vote, Bibi wins," it said, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname.

The Palestinian issue has been largely sidelined in the election campaign that has been long on scandal and short on substance. But in a reminder, the military says it imposed a 24-hour closure on the West Bank and Gaza throughout election day, based on its security assessments.

Even if he is re-elected, Netanyahu could have a difficult time governing. Some of his allies have indicated they will no longer back him if formal charges are filed. Israel's attorney general has recommended indicting him on bribery and breach of trust charges in three separate cases. Rivals have also begun to question a deal in which Netanyahu reportedly earned $4 million on a German submarine sale to Egypt by owning shares in one of the German manufacturer's suppliers.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Campaigning for Uttarakhand's five Lok Sabha seats going to polls on April 11 came to an end Tuesday, with BJP and Congress top brass, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and Rahul Gandhi, addressing a slew of rallies in different parts of the state over the past fortnight.

After the end of campaigning at 5 pm Tuesday evening, candidates will not be able to hold rallies to garner support for themselves, Chief Electoral Officer Saujanya said, adding they can go door to door in a peaceful way to contact voters.

All preparations for the April 11 polls in all the five Lok Sabha seats are complete, she said.

There are a total of 78,56,268 voters in Uttarakhand, including 3,71,220 women. Transgender voters are 259 whereas service voters are 90,845.

Haridwar has the highest number of voters at 18,40,732 while Almora has the lowest number of voters at 13,37,803, she said.

The highest percentage of voters are in the age group of 30-39 years who constitute 27.4 per cent of voters whereas people above 80 years of age constitute 1.6 per cent of the electorate, the Chief Electoral Officer said.

A total of 11,229 polling booths have been set up across the state. Of total, 697 booths have been identified as sensitive and 656 as extra-sensitive.

A total of 45,696 security personnel, including police, Provincial Armed Constabulary and para military force, have been deployed to conduct free and fair polls, IG Police and Nodal officer Dipam Seth said.

Modi and Shah addressed two rallies each in the state after the announcement of the poll dates while the state leaders of the BJP and Congress held over two dozen rallies in different constituencies during the period.

The prime minister addressed rallies at Rudrapur and Dehradun while Shah addressed rallies in Uttarkashi and Dehradun. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh addressed rallies in Pithoragarh, Kashipur, Kotdwar and Jhabrera to drum up support in favour of party candidates.

Rahul Gandhi addressed rallies in Dehradun, Almora, Shrinagar and Haridwar over the past fortnight.

While the BJP highlighted the Balakot airstrikes, the Congress flogged on the Rafale deal to mobilise public opinion against the Narendra Modi government.

During the last leg of campaigning in the state, the BJP accused the Congress of corruption and attacked it for releasing a manifesto which promised reviewing the AFSPA and doing away with the anti-sedition law



As in past general elections, the Congress and the BJP are again locked in a straight contest in all the Lok Sabha seats of the state- Tehri, Pauri-Garhwal, Haridwar, Almora and Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar.

The BJP, which had won all the five seats from the state in 2014 general election, claims it will retain all of them.

Poll watchers opine intense campaigning by PCC president Pritam Singh, who is contesting from Tehri, and AICC general secretary Harish Rawat, who is trying his luck from Nainital, have left the BJP worried.

The BJP has renominated the sitting MP from Tehri and daughter-in-law of the erstwhile Tehri royal family Mala Rajya Lakshmi Shah from the seat. She has won it twice in the past, once in 2012 bypoll and then in 2014.

On both the occasions she had defeated former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna's son Saket Bahuguna.

Mala Rajya Lakshmi Shah, who is banking heavily on the traditional votes of the Tehri royal family loyalists, faces a stiff challenge from Pritam Singh.

Pritam Singh wields considerable influence among the Jaunsari tribal voters of Chakrata and adjoining areas.

In Nainital, Pradesh BJP president Ajay Bhatt will fight against Congress leader and former chief minister Harish Rawat. Bhatt is a debutante in the Lok Sabha polls while Rawat has a long legislative experience. He was a Union minister under the UPA before becoming the chief minister of the state in 2014.

Throwing her weight behind Rawat, Leader of Opposition in Uttarakhand Assembly Indira Hridayesh said she has held eight campaign meetings in her assembly constituency of Haldwani in support of Rawat.

An interesting contest is on the cards in Pauri where BJP sitting MP B C Khanduri's son Manish Khanduri is taking on his father's political disciple Tirath Singh Rawat.

Though pitted against each other, both of them claim to have B C Khanduri's blessings.

Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pradeep Tamta and sitting BJP MP Ajay Tamta once again face each other in Almora. Ajay Tamta had defeated Pradeep Tamta by nearly one lakh votes in 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Sitting BJP MP from Haridwar and former chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank faces Congress's Ambarish Kumar who is contesting his first Lok Sabha polls.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Campaigning for Uttarakhand's five Lok Sabha seats going to polls on April 11 ended Tuesday evening with the BJP top leadership seeking votes in the name of "nationalism", highlighting the Balakot airstrikes, and the Congress, alleging corruption in the Rafale fighter jet deal in rallies over the past fortnight.

Top leaders from the two sides, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and Congress president Rahul Gandhi addressed a slew of rallies in the state over the past fortnight.

Modi and Shah addressed two rallies each in Uttarakhand after the announcement of poll dates while state leaders of the two parties held over two dozen rallies in different constituencies.

The prime minister addressed rallies at Rudrapur and Dehradun while Shah addressed rallies in Uttarkashi and Dehradun.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh too addressed rallies in Pithoragarh, Kashipur, Kotdwar and Jhabrera to drum up support in favour of party candidates.

Rahul Gandhi addressed four rallies in Dehradun, Almora, Srinagar and Haridwar over the past fortnight.

While the BJP raised the issue of "nationalism", highlighting the airstrikes against terror targets in Pakistan after Pulwama terror attack, the Congress flagged the Rafale deal to mobilise public opinion against the Modi government.

The BJP also attacked the Congress for corruption and releasing a manifesto which promised amending the AFSPA and doing away with the anti-sedition law during the last leg of campaigning in the state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Punjab government Tuesday handed over the case of killing of a senior health official in the state to the director, Bureau of Investigation for a probe.

The decision was taken in this regard by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh after the family of the deceased official, Neha Shorie, met him here.

On March 29, 35-year-old Shorie, posted as Zonal Licensing Authority with the Drug and Food Chemical Laboratory in Punjab's Kharar, was shot dead at her office by a man, identified as Balwinder Singh, who later attempted suicide.

The officer's family requested the chief minister for transferring the investigation case out of Mohali district, as per an official release.

Acceding to the release, the chief minister entrusted the probe to senior IPS officer Prabodh Kumar, director of the BOI and who has over 14 years of experience in working with the CBI on murder cases.

Singh also asked the chief secretary to enquire into the alleged lapses in the issuance of the revolver license to the accused by the Ropar district police and the district magistrate.

The chief secretary would also enquire into the subsequent sale of weapon to the accused by a Ropar based arms dealer.

The chief minister made it clear that nobody would be allowed to interfere or intimidate any public servant in the discharge of their duties, and assured Shorie's family of justice.

During the meeting, the family members expressed apprehension that there was a well-planned conspiracy which led to the killing of Shorie and requested for an in-depth investigation into the matter, as per the release.

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The Congress on Tuesday claimed that the Rafale deal was the "biggest scam" that the country has ever seen and accused the Narendra Modi government of giving "exemptions" to two French companies in selecting offset partners.

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said the waivers, granted on August 24, 2016, were "exemptions" given to Dassault Aviation and another private French company from having to comply with provisions of the Standard Contract Document of the Defence Procurement Procedure, DPP-2013.

He alleged that the waivers concerned two key issues -- the provisions to be made in the offset contracts for arbitration and access to books of accounts of the industrial suppliers, which shows that the deal was a "scam" and certain favourites were "obliged".

"Modi who screams and scrams on the issue of corruption must open his mouth on the loot and scoot of 28 economic offenders like Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Vijay Mallya, Jatin Mehta, among others, who looted Rs 1 lakh crore from our banks. Modi must tell who in his PMO was managing the money collections during demonetisation as shown in the video sting today," he asked.

"In election season, Modi can brazenly use government agencies as political allies to target opponents but cannot run away from his role in the Rafale scam. Brand new evidences of subverting procedures, naked crony capitalism, compromising national interests, gross impropriety and colossal corruption have once again been exposed in the Rafale scam," he alleged.

The Congress leader alleged that these companies were no longer required to submit their offset plans, identities of their Indian Offset Partners (IOP) and the details of their work share and specific products, and supporting documents indicating IOP eligibility at the bid stage, as laid down earlier in DPP, 2013.

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Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan Tuesday slammed Prakash Ambedkar for 'trying to split' anti-BJP votes, and praised MNS chief Raj Thackeray for his effective campaign against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Ambedkar, a prominent Dalit face, is contesting the election under the banner of Vanchit Aghadi, joining hands with the AIMIM, after alliance talks with the Congress fell through.

"Ambedkar's ulterior motive is clear. He wants to divide anti-Modi votes. Ambedkar hopes that the fact he is direct descendant of Dr B R Ambedkar will get him votes. He tried to use Ambedkar's name in Akola in 2014 but came in third," Chavan told PTI in an interview.

The former Maharashtra chief minister said except Solapur, where Ambedkar himself is in the fray, there will be a straight fight everywhere between the alliances led by Congress-NCP and BJP-Shiv Sena.

"I don't think Ambedkar will make a dent in Congress-NCP's prospects. Dalits should reflect that voting for Ambedkar will be like helping Modi. If you want to support Modi, vote for him directly," he said.

Minority communities will vote for a candidate who the has the best chance of defeating Modi, Chavan said.

"BSP, Samajwadi Party, Vanchit Aghadi will not impact the Congress-NCP's chances as it is made out to be. Except Ambedkar, none of his candidates stand a chance...BSP has some influence in East Vidarbha. But the party may not succeed this time," he said.

Ambedkar is facing Congress veteran Sushil Kumar Shinde and BJP's Jaisidhheshwar Swamy in Solapur.

Asked about MNS chief Raj Thackeray's blistering attack on Modi and the BJP at a rally here last week, Chavan said, "Raj Thackeray is campaigning very effectively against Modi, using audio-visual presentation. It is putting the prime minister in correct light. Raj needs to be complimented."



Asked why the MNS was not made part of Congress-NCP alliance, Chavan said, "Our leaders in Mumbai had issues with that because of the past background. I don't want to get into it. But Raj Thackeray's campaign helps all anti-Modi forces. It is advantage for Congress-NCP, clearly."



The Congress leader dismissed the talk about rumblings in Maharashtra Congress over selection of candidates and failure of the party to get Ahmednagar as part of the seat-sharing pact with the NCP.

"The issue is over, and now we are in campaign mode. Each and every seat is important for us," he said.

Sujay Vikhe Patil, son of Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, joined the BJP and secured ticket from Ahmednagar after the NCP refused to cede the seat to the Congress.

Chavan also said that Modi sought to make the election presidential-style, but the Congress did not fall into his trap.

"BJP wants to make 2019 Lok Sabha campaign a personality-driven contest. It has withdrawn from development-oriented campaign. It is not talking about promises it made in 2014. They are not even talking about promises which they have fulfilled since issues which were not handled will also be spoken about (then)," he said.

"Sab ka saath sabka vikas (Development for all, which was BJP's slogan earlier) is over," Chavan added.

Modi is telling people at his rallies 'I am the leader' and asking opposition parties who is your leader, Chavan said, adding, "We are not going to fall into this trap. Inadvertently we did fall into this trap in 2014."



Congress is focusing on BJP's performance and future dangers of continuation of the BJP in power, he said.

Stating that there is acute agrarian distress, he said, "No amount of sloganeering, national security agenda can divert attention from this issue.

"In Chhattisgarh, agrarian anger defeated BJP. There is no success for BJP in rural areas. Congress is going to question the government on all issues including national security," the former Union minister said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An RSS leader and his security guard were killed on Tuesday when a militant opened fire at a health centre in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar town, prompting authorities to impose curfew and call the army to maintain law and order in the communally sensitive region, officials said.

The incident took place at 12.30 pm when a militant barged into the health centre and started firing at the RSS leader, Chanderkant Sharma, they said.

Sharma and his personal security officer Rajinder had gone to a health centre in Kishtwar. "The militant was watching his movement and opened fire, resulting in the death of the PSO and injury to the leader," Kishtwar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shakti Pathak told PTI.

Sharma was moved to Jammu by air for treatment but died in hospital, officials said.

The Army was called to maintain law and order in Jammu region's Kishtwar and Bhaderwah districts.

The state administration imposed curfew in Kishtwar and neighbouring Bhaderwah and also snapped Internet connection in the area, officials said.

Inspector General (Jammu region) Manish Sinha said curfew was imposed as a precautionary measure.

After the attack, the militant took away Rajender's weapon and fled from the spot, he said, recapping events of the afternoon.

Earlier, police had said unidentified gunmen snatched the PSO's rifle and shot at the RSS leader.

Following the attack, protests broke out in Kishtwar town against the government and police.

On November 1, BJP state secretary Anil Parihar and his brother Ajeet were returning from their shop in Kishtwar when they were gunned down in firing by terrorists.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Suspected militants on Tuesday killed the personal security officer of an RSS leader by snatching his weapon in a hospital in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar town, police said.

The local RSS leader, identified as Chandrakanta, was injured in the attack that targeted him, officials said.

Chandrakanta had gone to a local hospital for a check-up, they said.

Narrating the sequence of events, officials said the suspected militants barged into the hospital and snatched the PSO's weapon. They attempted to fire at the RSS leader. In the ensuing scuffle, the policeman was shot dead while the RSS leader received minor injuries.

Senior police officials have rushed to the scene, they said.

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Challenging the Gujarat government's refusal to grant sanction to prosecute retired police officers D G Vanzara and N K Amin in the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case, her mother's lawyer argued Tuesday that such a sanction was not necessary.

After the Central Bureau of Investigation told the court recently that the Gujarat government has not given its sanction to prosecute them, Vanzara and Amin moved the court, seeking that the proceedings against them be dropped.

Ishrat Jahan's mother Shamima Kauser has opposed their application.

Under section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the government's sanction is necessary for the prosecution of a public servant for an act done as part of official duty.

However, Kauser's lawyer Vrinda Grover argued that section 197 does not apply here as the two officers are accused of "abducting...and killing a young girl" which cannot be termed as a part of "discharging of official duty".

An extra-judicial killing (a fake encounter) does not fall in the category of "official duty", and the court should go ahead with the trial despite the Gujarat government's refusal to give sanction, she said.

The CBI lawyer reiterated its stand that the sanction is not needed in this case, and the court can take a decision "as per the law".

Judge J K Pandya adjourned the hearing to April 16 when Vanzara and Amin would put forward their arguments.

Ishrat, a 19-year-old woman from Mumbra near Mumbai, Javed Shaikh alias Pranesh Pillai, Amjadali Akbarali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were killed by Gujarat police in an alleged fake encounter on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on June 15, 2004. The police had claimed that they had links with terrorists.

The charge sheet filed by the CBI names several police officers, including Vanzara and Amin.

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The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Assam government to apprise it of "ways and means" that can be adopted to release illegal foreigners languishing in the state's detention centres for almost a decade.

Hearing a PIL filed by activist Harsh Mander, through advocate Prashant Bhushan, on the plight of foreign detenues, the court also took note of the state's submissions that the court's "loaded observations" during the hearing of the case may impact Lok Sabha polls in Assam.

It will now be heard on April 25.

A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna decided to hear the matter after April 23, when the three-phase polls in the state conclude.

The plea has alleged that prisoners are kept in detention indefinitely because they are not Indians and are treated as "illegal aliens".

The apex court asked the Assam government to consult authorities and file an affidavit on or before April 23, giving details of "ways and means" for releasing over 900 illegal foreigners who are languishing in six detention centres in the state for nearly a decade.

It appointed senior appointed Gaurav Bannerjee as amicus curiae to assist it on the issue of identification and tracing illegal foreigners and their deportation to their country of origin.

The bench rejected Bhushan's submission that Bannerjee be asked to visit the detention centres and submit a report on the living condition there.

During the hearing, the bench virtually grilled Assam Chief Secretary Alok Kumar on not being able to identify and trace the declared foreigners, who have now mingled with the public.

"There were 46,000 declared foreigners in Assam in 2015 but by 2019 only over 2000 are in detention centres and four have been deported to their home land. Where have these foreigners gone? They are not entitled to be here. What efforts have you taken to trace them?," the bench asked Kumar.

Kumar conceded that the state government has not been able to trace them satisfactorily.

The bench asked Kumar to file an affidavit stating that the state government's track record in tracing foreigners is "not satisfactory" and the performance of a task force to identify the foreigners has been poor.

The bench then asked Kumar what arrangement does the state government has made to check the problem, especially after Assam National Register of Citizens (NRC)'s final draft list was published on July 31 last year.

"Tell us what arrangement have you made till now. We are told that out of around 40 lakh people not included in the draft NRC list, 38 lakh have filed the claims. How many tribunals will you be needing to check the inflow of claims to be adjudicated after the final NRC list is published," the bench asked the chief secretary.

Kumar replied they were making arrangements and around 1,000 foreigners tribunals will be created to address the claims.

He said the state government has written to the Ministry of Home Affairs, seeking permission for setting of 1,000 foreigners tribunals and it has also been written to Gauhati High Court to speed up the process of recruiting persons who will preside over such tribunals.

"Where will you find the judges who would preside over the tribunals. It will be a contractual post with a fixed tenure of two-three years. Which lawyer or person is going to join the tribunal for two-three years," the bench asked.

The chief secretary replied that retired government servants, who are fit and willing to take up the job, can be roped in by relaxing the age limit provided they have past experience of working at a quasi-judicial body.

The bench initially noted that the state had in 1980 identified 1,12,000 illegal foreigners, the number of whom came down to 65,000 in 2010 and reduced further to 46,000 in 2015.

Out of the 46,000, it said, only around 2000 were lodged in detention centres and the whereabouts of 44,000 were not known.

The top court on April 1 had expressed unhappiness over declared foreign nationals absconding and amalgamating with local population in Assam, and had summoned the state's chief secretary.

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The Supreme Court will Wednesday pronounce verdict on the preliminary objections raised by the Centre that the documents on which it was claiming "privilege" cannot be relied upon to re-examine the verdict in the Rafale fighter jet deal with France.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi will pronounce the verdict.

On March 14, the apex court had reserved verdict on the preliminary objections raised by the Centre on admissibility of privileged documents annexed by former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie as also activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan in their review petition against the top court's December 14 judgement that dismissed all petitions against the Rafale jet deal.

"Only after we decide the preliminary objection raised by the Centre, we will go into other aspect of the review petitions," the bench said, adding that "only if we overrule the preliminary objection, we will go into other details".

The Centre had claimed privilege over documents pertaining to the Rafale fighter jet deal with France and said those documents cannot be considered in evidence as per Section 123 of the Indian Evidence Act.

Attorney General K K Venugopal, appearing for the Centre had contended that no one can produce them in the court without the permission of the department concerned as those documents are also protected under the Official Secrets Act and their disclosure is exempted under the Right to Information Act as per Section 8(1)(a).

Bhushan had contended that the Centre's objections were "mala fide and totally untenable arguments".

The top court had further noted that according to the AG's submissions "there are three Rafale documents whose publication comes under Official Secrets Act, 1923. These documents were unauthorisedly published. You claim privilege under section 123 of Evidence Act. You want us to adjudicate and strike down the review on this basis".

Bhusahn had submitted a note countering the preliminary objections raised by the centre on maintainability of the review petitions, stating that "preliminary objection are mala fide and totally untenable arguments".

He had said government cannot claim privilege over the documents which are already published and is in public domain.

Bhushan had said that Section 123 Indian Evidence Act only protected "unpublished documents".

While the Centre was making submission that the documents can be withheld from disclosure under the RTI Act in view of the national security, the top court said Section 22 of the RTI Act gave it an overriding effect over the Official Secrets Act.

It also said that under Section 24 of the RTI Act even security and intelligence establishments are not exempted from disclosing information in relation to corruption and human rights violations.

"The RTI Act brought a revolution. In 2009, your own government said file notings can be made available under the RTI. Let us not go back now," the bench has said.

Bhushan further said that provisions of the RTI Act say public interest outweighs other things and no privilege can be claimed except for documents which pertain to intelligence agencies.

He also said that there is no government-to-government contract in purchasing Rafale jets as there is no sovereign guarantee extended to India by France in the Rs 58,000 crore deal.

He had submitted why the government didn't lodge any FIR when these documents started coming out in November 2018.

He had further said that the government has itself filed a detailed CAG report regarding as many as 10 defence purchases and it is untenable on their part to now claim privilege.

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Congress president Rahul Gandhi asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday if he was "scared" of debating with him on corruption and suggested that they could go "open book" for it.

Gandhi has been repeatedly daring Modi to debate with him on issues of national security, especially the Rafale fighter jets deal, asserting that when it happens, the truth will be out in the open.

The BJP has scoffed at the idea and described the Congress chief as an ignorant politician.

"Dear PM, Scared of debating me on corruption? I can make it easier for you. Let's go open book, so you can prepare: 1. RAFALE+Anil Ambani, 2. Nirav Modi, 3. Amit Shah+Demonetisation," Gandhi tweeted with #Scared2Debate.

After releasing the Congress manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls earlier this month, Gandhi had challenged the prime minister to debate with him on the issues of national security, corruption and foreign policy.

The Congress has also accused Modi of helping industrialist Anil Ambani make a profit of Rs 30,000 crore by favouring him as the offset partner in the Rafale deal.

The government has denied any wrongdoing in the fighter jets deal. Ambani has also rejected all allegations.

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AYUSH secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha Tuesday emphasised on the ministry's efforts to bridge gap between science and tradition through researches in the field of alternative medicine.

Inaugurating a two-day convention on World Homeopathy Day, Kotecha said the AYUSH ministry is equally dedicated to validate homoeopathy through focused research, enhance its manufacturing and production standards, as well as assure the best quality education in colleges, an official statement said.

He also talked about the schemes under the Ministry of AYUSH that provide support and motivation for promotion of homoeopathy.

He also emphasised on the need to ensure safety, quality control and consistency of products for the credibility of homoeopathy, the statement said.

The convention is being organised by the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH), an autonomous research organisation under the Ministry of AYUSH, to observe the World Homoeopathy Day.

Dr Raj K Manchanda, the director general of CCRH, in his welcome address emphasised on the need to link education with research and practice for nurturing young minds for meaningful research.

An MoU was also exchanged with the Directorate of AYUSH, Chandigarh administration, on undertaking research on epidemic diseases like dengue, influenza like illness, chikungunya and tuberculosis.

During the inaugural session, 'Souvenir of Convention', a dossier on homoeopath and the 'Standard Treatment Guidelines' on 15 diseases, which have been developed by CCRH based on expert consensus, were also released.

The 'CCRH Archives on Homeopathy', a digital repository of accumulated knowledge in homeopathy, having important homoeopathic literary material spread all over the world was officially launched.

'Lifetime achievement award for best practitioner' was conferred on Dr Ramanlal P Patel, an active participant of Quit India Movement, and one of the few living legends of homeopathy having experience of more than 50 years in treating cancer cases, the statement stated.

'Lifetime achievement award 2019 for best academician' was conferred on Dr Ravi M Nair, who has worked relentlessly for more than 55 years as a practitioner, educator, researcher and policy maker in homoeopathy.

'Lifetime achievement award for best researcher' was conferred on Prof Kanjaksha Ghosh, a renowned medical scientist who retired as director of the Institute of Immunohematology, Mumbai (ICMR).

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BJP president Amit Shah Tuesday targeted the Congress, saying when the whole country was rejoicing over the air strike on a terror camp in Balakot, there was mourning only in Pakistan and the Rahul Gandhi-led party.

He took a jibe at Congress president Rahul Gandhi's public rallies in Wayanad, the second Lok Sabha seat in Kerala, after Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, from where he is contesting.

Shah said Gandhi's rallies in Wayanad appeared as they were being organised in Pakistan.

Addressing a poll rally here, Shah said the Modi government's biggest success was that it had made India secure which was not the case when the Congress-led UPA was in power.

"During the UPA rule, there would be no response to terror attacks. After the Pulwama terror attack, there was anger and despondency all over.

"But, the present government is not that of 'mauni baba' (silent PM) Manmohan Singh. On the 13th day of the Pulwama attack, the IAF (Indian Air Force) went deep inside Pakistan and destroyed terror camps," Shah said.

"When the country was rejoicing (over the air strike), there was mourning only in Pakistan and Rahul Gandhi-led Congress. When 40 jawans are martyred, should we not bomb the perpetrators of the Pulwama attack," he asked.

Hitting out at the Congress president, he said, "Rahul baba .. you can do ILU ILU with terrorists, but we will give "eent ka jawab patthar se" (a resolute and befitting reply)."



Referring to the acquittal of all the accused in the 2007 Samjhauta train blast case, Shah accused the Congress of maligning Hindus by coining words like "Hindu terror and saffron terror".

"Rahul had defamed the Hindu religion all over the world. Even the court has stated that there is no thing like Hindu terror.

"Rahul should apologise for defaming the Hindu religion by linking it to terror," said Shah.

Shah was campaigning for Union minister and BJP leader Nitin Gadkari, who is contesting from the Nagpur Lok Sabha constituency, which goes to the polls on April 11.

He is pitted against Nana Patole of the Congress.

Shah said the Congress did not find a nominee against Gadkari and hence it had to "import" its candidate from outside.

Patole had won the 2014 Lok Sabha election on a BJP ticket from the Bhandara-Gondiya seat in Vidarbha. He quit the the BJP in 2017 and later joined the Congress.

Patole was earlier an MLA of the Congress.

During his speech, Shah also listed the promises made in the BJP manifesto for farmers and traders, among other sections of the society.

Nagpur is among the seven Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra that will vote on April 11. Tuesday was the last day of campaigning in these parliamentary seats.

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Sri Lanka has opened a new railway line, built with China's assistance, connecting its coastal city of Matara and Beliatta in Hambantota, a move that will boost passenger traffic into the island's deep south.

The 26.75-km long Matara-Beliatta railway extension is the first to be constructed in Sri Lanka since 1948, and it has the country's longest and second longest railway bridges, measuring 1.5-km and 1.04-km, respectively, China's state-run Xinhua agency reported.

The new railway line was declared open on Monday in presence of Sri Lanka's Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Arjuna Ranatunga, Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera and other parliamentarians.

The railway extension was financed by the Export-Import Bank of China (China Exim Bank) and the contract was awarded to the China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation.

According to Sri Lankan media reports the cost of the project was USD 278 million.

A major portion of the construction was carried out by the China Railway Group 5 (CR5) and Sri Lanka's Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau (CECB).

China on Tuesday praised the opening of the railway line in southern Sri Lanka.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Lu Kang termed it as a major Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project in Sri Lanka.

"The railway line is the first railway project contracted by Chinese company in Sri Lanka under the BRI and it is indeed the first railway built after country's independence," Lu said, adding that it will make regional transportation more convenient and facilitate local economic and social development.

The construction of the rail track from Matara to Kataragama was launched in the year 1991 by former President Ranasinghe Premadasa, Sri Lankan portal Colombo Page reported.

The foundation stone was still visible at the Matara railway station, it said.

Sri Lanka was the major recipient of Chinese loans and investments in recent years totalling to over USD 8 billion.

The heavy borrowing by Sri Lanka raised concerns over its ability to pay back after Colombo handed over the Hambantota port to Beijing for a 99-year lease in 2017 as a debt swap.

The acquisition of the port by China as a debt swap drew criticism from the US which termed the BRI projects as a debt trap specially for smaller countries.

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DMK President M K Stalin Tuesday rued the "indiscriminate criticism" of his father and the late M Karunanidhi, remarks seen as a response to Chief Minister K Palaniswami's charge that the DMK stalwart was under "house arrest" for two years prior to his death.

The DMK also lashed out at Palaniswami for his statement, saying it did not behove the office he held.

At an election rally in Tirunelveli, Stalin referred to "reports" of Karunanidhi being targeted, an apparent reference to Palaniswami's statement.

On Monday, at an election meeting in the Nilgiris, the chief minister had alleged that Karunanidhi was kept under "house-arrest" for two years before his death and that he could have been taken abroad for treatment.

He had indicated the AIADMK government could launch a probe into it by virtue of Karunanidhi being a former chief minister.

"Karunanidhi is a former chief minister...he was not given proper treatment and put under house arrest by Stalin because he thought he cannot become party chief if his father did well," Palaniswami had said.

DMK workers "say Karunanidhi would have talked if he had been taken abroad and given better treatment. So Stalin kept his father under house arrest for his own selfish interests," he had charged.

He had also asked why Stalin was not made party chief when Karunanidhi was alive, and pointed out that the DMK chief came to the present post only after his father's demise.

On Tuesday, Stalin said Karunanidhi was remembered even today by Tamils for his contributions to the state in various spheres.

"We are reading in newspapers and seeing on TV channels the indiscriminate criticism of Kalaignar (Karunanidhi). The time has come to teach them a lesson, to give punishment," he said, apparently calling for voting en masse against the AIADMK-led NDA.

Stalin recalled the developments that ensued after the death of his father on August 7, 2018, when the Palaniswami government denied him burial space at the Marina citing rules.

DMK had sought space near the memorial of DMK founder, the late C N Annadurai, but the government refused it, he said and recalled that the party later won its case in the Madras High Court in this connection.

Meanwhile, senior DMK leader and Rajya Sabha MP Trichy Siva said Palaniswami's remarks amounted to "crossing the limits" and questioned why the late chief minister J Jayalalithaa was not taken abroad for medical treatment.

Further, he said Stalin has risen to be the party chief by dint of his hard work and that the party has accepted him.

"There can be criticism of a person which is a democratically accepted one. Stalin need not struggle to become president...he is party chief due to hard work.

Our party has accepted him. Saying that (Karunanidhi) was kept under house arrest is crossing the limits," he said.

Such remarks did not suit someone holding the post of chief minister, he told reporters in Salem.

"Regarding the medical treatment given to our leader (Karunanidhi), at all times the doctors who examined him had issued statements (bulletins). Till his last moments, people, including well known leaders, visited him."



"But who met Jayalalithaa (when she was hospitalised for 75 days in 2016)...why did not you take her abroad for better treatment?" Siva asked.

While Jayalalithaa passed away on December 5, 2016, Karuanidhi breathed his last on August 7, 2018.

Monday's statement from Palaniswami appeared to be a tit for tat to the repeated assertions by Stalin of a fresh probe into Jayalalithaa's death if the DMK came to power.

In his Lok Sabha election campaigns, Stalin has been saying that such a probe would 'unravel' the facts behind her death to Jayalalithaa's true followers.

The Justice Arumugaswamy Commission constituted by the AIADMK government is currently probing the circumstances leading to demise of Jayalalithaa.

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Standard Chartered will pay USD 1.1 billion to settle charges it processed transactions that violated US sanctions on Iran and other prohibited countries, US regulators announced Tuesday.

The penalty covers some $600 million in US transactions from 2008 to 2014 that originated at Standard Chartered's London and Dubai offices and went through its US branch, the New York State Department of Financial Services said in a statement.

The US Treasury Department said the agreement requires the bank to conduct regular risk assessments and provide ongoing sanctions compliance training.

Regulators said a majority of the problem transactions violated US sanctions on Iran, with a smaller number involving Syria, Sudan, Cuba and Burma. Treasury said in a statement the transactions involved Iranian companies, including a petrochemical firm.

"Global financial institutions serve as the first line of defense against money laundering and the financing of terrorist activities and those that fail to foster a strong compliance culture will be held accountable," said Linda Lacewell, acting superintendent of the New York agency.

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Thousands of defiant Sudanese protesters remained camped outside army headquarters for a fourth day Tuesday, buoyed by the abandonment of a pre-dawn attempt to disperse them after soldiers intervened, witnesses said.

Chanting "freedom, freedom," crowds of men and women, who had spent the night camped outside sprawling the Khartoum complex that also houses the president's residence, urged top brass to back them in ending Omar al-Bashir's three decades of iron-fisted tule.

It is the largest rally since protests erupted following a three-fold increase in bread prices in December, before mushrooming into nationwide demonstrations demanding that Bashir and his government step down.

Early on Tuesday, members of the National Intelligence and Security Service and riot police fired tear gas at the protesters in an abortive bid to disperse their sit-in, protest movement organisers said.

"There was heavy firing of tear gas after which army soldiers opened the gates of the compound for protesters to enter," a witness told AFP.

"A few minutes later a group of soldiers fired gunshots in the air to push back the security forces who were firing tear gas." A second witness too said soldiers had intervened against the security force agents.

Since the protests erupted in December, the armed forces have remained on the sidelines even as security agents and riot police have cracked down.

Demonstrators have called on the army to protect them from the deadly crackdown, during their four days camped outside its headquarters.

An AFP correspondent, some five kilometres (three miles) away, heard shooting for about four minutes.

Later a group of soldiers returned to the complex with a body in their pick-up truck, witnesses said.

"What is the price of martyrs?" shouted the demonstrators as the vehicle entered. It was not immediately clear whose body it was.

Defence Minister General Awad Ibnouf vowed that the army would prevent any slide into chaos.

"Sudan's armed forces understand the reasons for the demonstrations and is not against the demands and aspirations of the citizens, but it will not allow the country to fall into chaos," Ibnouf said on Monday, according to the official SUNA agency.

In a separate statement, army chief of staff Kamal Abdelmarouf said the military was "discharging its responsibility in securing and protecting citizens." Officials say 38 people have died in protest-related violence since December.

Interior Minister Bushara Juma said seven protesters died and 15 were wounded on Saturday when forces tried to disperse them.

He said 42 security personnel were injured and 2,496 arrests made.

The umbrella group spearheading the protests appealed to the army on Monday for talks on forming a transitional government.

"We call on the Sudanese armed forces to talk directly with the Alliance for Freedom and Change for facilitating the peaceful process of forming a transitional government," said Omar el-Digeir, a senior member of the group.

Digeir said the protest organisers had formed a council to open talks aimed at agreeing a "transitional government that represents the wish of the revolution".

Reading from a statement, he also called on the armed forces "to withdraw their support for a regime that has lost its legitimacy" and to support the "people's alternative for a transition to a civilian democratic government".

The rally outside the army headquarters has been the largest since protests began on December 19 in the central town of Atbara, quickly spreading to the capital and nationwide.

The European Union said an "unprecedented" number of people had come out calling for change since Saturday.

"The people of Sudan have shown remarkable resilience in the face of extraordinary obstacles over many years," the EU's External Action Service said.

"Their trust must be won through concrete action by the government." The protesters accuse Bashir's administration of economic mismanagement that has led to soaring food prices and chronic shortages of fuel and foreign currency.

After a meeting chaired by Bashir on Sunday, Sudan's security council said the demands of the protesters "have to be heard".

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Sudanese security forces tried again to break up an anti-government sit-in outside military headquarters in the capital, Khartoum, killing at least 14 people Tuesday, activists behind the demonstration said.

The deaths brought the total number of fatalities in the sit-in since the weekend to 22, including five soldiers, according to the activists.

The demonstration is the latest in nearly four months of anti-government protests that have plunged Sudan into its worst crisis in years.

What initially erupted late last year as rallies against a spiralling economy quickly escalated into calls for an end to President Omar al-Bashir's 30-year rule.

On Monday, for the first time, leaders of the protests called on the military's leadership to abandon al-Bashir and join their call for change.

And on Tuesday, they invited military leaders to meet with their representatives to "discuss arrangements for a transition" in Sudan.

Maj. Gen. Ahmed Khalifa al-Shami, a spokesman for the military, said the military has nothing to do with political matters and authorities ordered the protest to be broken up.

"This sit-in ... could drag the country into chaos. ... All demonstrators were pushed out of the area surrounding the armed forces' headquarters and this was done smoothly without significant causalities," he said in comments broadcast on TV.

In a joint statement on Tuesday, Norway, the UK and the US backed the protesters' demands, urging Sudanese authorities to "deliver a credible plan" for political transition.

"Failing to do so risks causing greater instability. The Sudanese leadership has a grave responsibility to avoid such an outcome," they said.

Sarah Abdel-Jaleel, spokeswoman for the Sudanese Professionals Association, said the new clashes erupted early on Tuesday between security forces and protesters who have been camping out in front of the military complex in Khartoum for the past four days.

The police used tear gas, rubber bullets and live fire to try to disperse the protesters, according to Abdel-Jaleel's union, which is spearheading the demonstrations.

It was the second time security forced failed to break up the sit-in protests, which has grown into one of the biggest rallies in the current wave of unrest.

But a crack seemed to be emerging among the Sudanese authorities and the military as to how to handle the protests.

Online video footage circulating Tuesday showed some Sudanese troops seeking to protect the protesters and guarding the entrance to the sit-in area.

Heavy gunfire can be heard as protesters seek cover from the descending security forces.

Other video clips show burned police vehicles used as trash dumps.

The Sudan Doctors Committee, an affiliate of the union, said at least 153 people were wounded since Saturday.

It said the five soldiers, including a captain, were killed while defending the protesters in the past two days.

The medical group said troops guarding the military's complex, which also houses the Defence Ministry and a presidential residence, chased the security forces away, firing into the air for the second night.

It said that apart from the officer, six protesters were also killed.

Abdel-Jaleel, the spokeswoman, said at least 30 protesters were wounded in the violence.

Amnesty International said authorities in Khartoum cut off the water supply to the area of the sit-in, and cars were being searched and seized by security forces for ferrying food and water to protesters.

"The move by the authorities to try to starve protesters and deny them access to communication is a clear attempt to silence and deny protesters their human rights," said the group's director for the region, Joan Nyanyuki.

A government spokesman didn't respond to calls seeking comment. The county's interior minister, Bishara Gomaa, told the parliament on Monday that at least seven people were killed in the protests since Saturday six in Khartoum and the seventh in the Darfur region. There was no word from the army on the latest military death.

A split between Sudan's militantly and its security agencies could mark a significant turning point for the protesters.

Gen. Awad Mohammed Ibn Auf, the country's defence minister and vice president, denied any divisions and said the military and the security apparatus were coordinating on how to deal with the protesters.

"There are parties trying to exploit the current situation to create strife between the components of the security system in the country," he told a meeting with senior officers on Monday.

Despite the deaths, the mood among protesters at the sit-in on Tuesday was upbeat, with online videos showing the demonstrators singing traditional songs and shouting, "Revolution!"



They also chanted, "The people want the fall of the regime," one of the main slogans from the Arab Spring uprisings that swept the Middle East and North Africa in 2011.

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A teen suicide bomber on Tuesday killed four members of Egypt's security forces and three civilians in an attack in the restive North Sinai region, the interior ministry said.

"The suicide bomber aged 15 blew himself up" by a police station in the town of Sheikh Zuweid leaving seven dead and 26 wounded, an interior ministry statement said.

The Islamic State group, which has waged a bloody insurgency in the region, released a statement on its social media accounts claiming responsibility and praising the suicide bomber.

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Congress leader Randeep Surjewala has demanded a revenue survey of the rain and hailstorm-affected areas in Haryana, and sought immediate compensation to the farmers within 15 days.

Surjewala accused the ruling BJP of being insensitive to the plight of the farmers whose crops have been damaged by the recent rains and hailstorm in the state.

The Congress leader claimed that even the previous compensations were still pending, saying the government, led by Chief Minister M L Khattar, was not bothered about the farmers and their plight.

The Kaithal MLA said wheat, mustard and other crops were badly damaged. "The farmers have suffered losses of up to 80 per cent, but the Khattar government is not bothered about the sufferings and concerns of the poor farmers," he said in a statement.

Surjewala alleged that the farmers were already reeling under the high rates of diesel, pesticides, fertilisers and various products.

"The untimely rains and hailstorm that destroyed up to 80 per cent of their crops has added to their misery," Surjewala said. "Despite all this, the Khattar government has been indifferent to the farmer's plight.

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Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday pitched a trade deal with the United States, saying it would both safeguard the island's security and address US concerns over China's growing control over fifth-generation communications.

Addressing a think-tank forum in Washington by video, Tsai said the US and Taiwanese economies were "complementary" and that a trade pact could provide a model for the Indo-Pacific region.

China, which considers Taiwan a province awaiting reunification, has long opposed international agreements involving the self-ruling democracy but poured in investment and tourists under Tsai's Beijing-friendly predecessor, Ma Ying-jeou.

"Taiwan's economic diversification is related to whether we can remain a free and open society," said Tsai, who emphasises the island's unique identity and has seen growing friction with Beijing.

"China's influence campaigns are undertaken using economic actors. By aligning ourselves with the United States and other free-market actors, we can reduce our economic reliance on China and their capacity to interfere in our media, politics and security," Tsai told the forum at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

She said a trade deal was "particularly relevant" amid worries over Chinese telecom giant Huawei and "the scramble for control over the future of 5G networks."



"We need to shape the flow of this supply chain so that critical technologies, infrastructure and assets do not fall into the wrong hands," she said.

The United States has been pressing for countries to avoid Huawei as they build their next-generation networks.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Huawei presents security and privacy concerns, but his campaign has had limited success with critics saying Washington is seeking to preserve market dominance.

The United States recognises only Beijing but, under the 40-year-old Taiwan Relations Act, is required to provide the island with the means to defend itself.

With Taiwan enjoying wide support in the US Congress, several lawmakers have called for a free trade agreement with the island.

But the two sides face a raft of trade disputes, notably US objections to Taiwan's ban on pork and beef with traces of ractopamine -- a feed additive to boost animals' growth that is widely used in the United States but banned in the European Union.

President Donald Trump has been critical of free-trade agreements, but Tsai voiced hope, saying his administration "has shown the capacity to be creative when it comes to trade.

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Concerned over Rs 2,100 crore cane arrears in Uttar Pradesh, Minister of State for Agriculture on Monday said the state government should take over the defaulting and arrest their owners.

At present, total cane arrears in stands at about Rs 2,118 crore. Out of which, a maximum due of Rs 1,800 crore belongs to just four

"Cane arrears is a big issue in UP. Four mills  Mawana, Modi, Simbhaoli and Rana Sugars  owe Rs 1,800 crore dues to cane growers. The defaulting mill owners should be arrested. The UP government should takeover such mills. The central government is ready to help them in this regard," Balyan told reporters in New Delhi.

The state government is not taking stringent action against defaulting mills despite law in place, he said, adding that if the government takes over one mill, the rest will start making payment to farmers.

The sugar rates now are at a favourable level for mills and they should have made payments promptly. Bajaj Hindustan had cleared 50% of the dues, while others are yet to make, he added.

Balyan, who is a Bharatiya Janata Party parliamentarian from Muzaffarnagar, said the state government has not taken any action despite writing several letters.

According to the industry players, the four mills have not been able to clear cane arrears because they did not get working capital from banks. They would be able to clear dues after they sell sugar in the market.

The cash crunch of these mills has aggravated with the state government not yet clearing their power dues. These mills were not given soft loan last year.

Sugar production in Uttar Pradesh, the second largest producing state, is estimated to decline to 6.8 million tonnes in 2015-16 marketing year (October-September) from 7.1 million tonnes in the previous year. The crushing for this year has been completed.

The fall in sugar output was due to decline in cane yields in view of unseasonal rains.
Forced on the backfoot by the ruling TRS, Telangana Congress chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy is on a mission to salvage pride for his party, battered by desertions by more than half of its MLAs in the state.

The Congress central leadership decided to field the party's top state leaders, including Reddy, in the April 11 Lok Sabha elections after 10 of its 19 MLAs announced their decision to join the TRS during last month.

Contesting in the Lok Sabha elections for the first time, Reddy is in the fray in Nalgonda Lok Sabha constituency of the state, making it one of the keenly-watched fights as ruling TRS seeks to extend its winning spree after its success in the assembly polls last December.

Reddy, sitting MLA from Huzurnagar under Nalgonda constituency, has been elected to the Legislative Assembly for the fifth term, but Lok Sabha elections would be a different ball game for him and he has an uphill task.

The ruling party has been single-mindedly pursuing its goal to win 16 out of the total 17 seats (leaving Hyderabad seat held by AIMIM) asserting that it would enable the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao-led outfit to play a "decisive" role at the Centre post-Lok Sabha elections.

TRS has fielded a new face Vemireddy Narasimha Reddy to take on Uttam Kumar Reddy. BJP's G Jithendra Kumar and Mallu Lakshmi of the CPI(M) are also in the fray.

In the assembly elections held in December last, the TRS had won six constituencies under Nalgonda Lok Sabha segment -- Devarakonda (ST), Nagarjuna Sagar, Miryalguda, Kodad, Suryapet and Nalgonda, while Uttam Kumar Reddy emerged victorious in Huzurnagar.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Gutha Sukhender Reddy of the Congress defeated T Chinnapa Reddy of the TDP. However, Sukhender Reddy, who had won in 2009 also, has since switched over to the TRS adding to the ruling party's strength.

The TDP is not contesting the Lok Sabha elections in Telangana this time and made no secret that it would back the Congress.

A predominantly rural constituency, Nalgonda had been a stronghold of the Communist parties. CPI General Secretary S Sudhakar Reddy was elected to Lok Sabha from Nalgonda in 2004.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi addressed an election rally in Uttam Kumar Reddy's assembly constituency of Huzurnagar on April one.

Uttam Kumar Reddy, who has been canvassing in various assembly constituencies, has highlighted the minimum income guarantee scheme announced by Gandhi to convince the voters to vote for him.

"Annually, Rs 72,000 would directly come to the bank accounts of the poor from Central government," he has said.

During his campaign, he has hit out at the TRS over its claim to ensure a better deal for Telangana if it wins 16 Lok Sabha seats.

Claiming that TRS already had 15 MPs on its side (including defected MPs and ally AIMIM) in the outgoing Lok Sabha, Reddy said the TRS has failed to achieve anything substantial for the state from 2014 to 2019.

"How can the TRS influence national with 16 MPs when the total number of MPs in Lok Sabha is 542", he asked.

TRS nominee Narasimha Reddy, a political novice, is banking on the leadership of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and the welfare and develoment programmes of the TRS government.

Though Uttam Kumar Reddy is a senior leader, what is required is people's support, he said.

"There is nothing like senior or junior. People's support is required when we go to them. People only see the rule of KCR, TRS government and the ongoing programmes," he told PTI.

Narasimha Reddy, a businessman, said he conveys to the people to work for the development needs of Nalgonda under the leadership of Rao.

The TRS chief has already addressed a party campaign rally earlier at Miryalguda.

BJP's nominee Jithendra Kumar is heavily banking on the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi like all other BJP candidates in the state.

"People are very positive about voting for BJP. Everybody wants to see Narendra Modi as Prime Minister again. Some may doubt if such strong support is there for BJP in Telangana. But, many said during Assembly elections (in December last) that they will make BJP victorious in parliament elections," he told PTI.

Many Congress leaders have left the party with Uttam Kumar Reddy at the helm of affairs in state Congress, he said. In the given situation, Congress supporters are looking towards BJP, he claimed.

Uttam Kumar Reddy had to enter the fray as the party was not sure of winning the seat otherwise, Jithendra Kumar claimed. The TRS nominee, a realtor, is not known to anyone, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Thailand's foreign minister said Tuesday that he will summon representatives from the embassies of the European Union and the United States to discuss why he believes they breached diplomatic etiquette by observing a Thai politician being charged with sedition by police.

Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said that foreign countries are barred from closely observing internal procedures "not only by etiquette but also by rules and regulations that the whole world abides by."



His remarks come after several countries sent envoys to observe a police proceeding at a Bangkok police station on Saturday where Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, leader of a popular new political party, was formally charged with sedition and other crimes following a complaint filed by a member of the country's ruling military junta.

Don said Tuesday that the foreign ministry is considering whether to verbally summon the embassy representatives or submit an invitation in writing.

Thailand has been led by a military government since a 2014 coup.

The coup leader, Prayuth Chan-ocha, who became junta leader and prime minister, is seeking to also lead the next government after a party that supports him won the most votes in elections that took place March 24.

Thanathorn's Future Forward Party ran a strong third in the elections and positions itself as being deeply opposed to the military, which has made Future Forward its latest target for persecution.

Several criminal complaints and protests to election authorities have already been lodged against Thanathorn and his party.

Thanathorn says the accusations against him are politically motivated. He expressed concern Saturday that his case is to be conducted by a military court.

Deputy Police Chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul said Tuesday that Thanathorn's case would be conducted by a military court because the complaint was filed in 2015 when the court was responsible for all criminal cases, but added that Thanathorn can legally request for his case to be transferred to a civilian court.

He explained last week that the case had stalled because of several reshuffles among the responsible officers.

Srivara said he was responsible for briefing the foreign envoys at the police station who asked why the case had to be conducted by a military court and why it had stalled. He said the envoys were not part of the formal interrogation and reading of charges but were later informed of the legal proceedings. He said the envoys' involvement did not interfere with police work.

Foreign minister Don appeared to be more critical and said that the envoys had no business being inside the police station.

"There's no principle to gather information in meeting rooms, in discussion rooms, in interrogation rooms and so on," Don said, adding that it would be up to the military court's consideration over whether foreign representatives would be allowed to observe the trial.

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Reminding the top NC leadership that former chief minister Sheikh Abdullah was jailed for anti national remarks in 1953, a BJP leader in Jammu and Kashmir Tuesday said those raising "similar anti-national remarks" should be booked under sedition and banned from contesting polls.

Two-time minister Sham Lal Sharma, who recently resigned from the Congress and joined the BJP, also accused his former party of being in a "habit of backing anti-Indian forces", saying its promise to amend the AFSPA in militancy-hit Kashmir will only embolden terrorists.

"We appeal to the state government that those leaders who making anti-national statements every now and then, should be booked under the sedition law so that they will desist from such remarks," Sharma told he gathering during a rally in the border district of Poonch.

Sharma said that those leaders who make anti-national statements should barred from contesting both parliamentary and assembly elections.

"If the Kashmir-based leaders are raising anti-India statement, they should face the sedition law", he said.

Sham reminded these leaders, without naming NC leaders Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, that in 1953, Sheikh Abdullah made similar anti-national statements for which he was imprisoned for over a decade.

"After realizing that no fruitful purpose will be served by waging war against the country, he came to the terms and joined the mainstream and was made chief minister of the state and took oath under Constitution of India", Sham said.

The former minister expressed his deep anger over the statement of former chief minister and NC chief Farooq Abdullah in which he said that in case Article 370 is abrogated, Kashmir will get freedom from India.

Sham said "such statement made by the leaders is against the unity and the integrity of the country and amounts to sedition".

He said that all people in the Valley are not anti-nationals like "such leaders".

The BJP leader alleged that these people, while in power, talk so much about nationalism but when out of power, they give such statements in desperation.

"They have no love or loyalty towards there voters but have lust for power. By making such statements, the real face of communal approach of the National Conference has come in the open," he said.

Sham challenged NC president Farooq Abdullah, who said if Article 370 is abrogated, Kashmir's relation with India will end, saying Kashmir doesn't belong to Abdullahs and that there was no provision for secession of any territory from India.

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Invoking national security as the top-most priority, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday warned that those trying to attack India will be paid back with "compound interest".

Addressing a massive NDA rally here, Modi underlined his government's commitment to national security and accused the opposition of having no plans in the sphere.

"Their attitude made India helpless in front of forces of terror for many years, when they were in power, innocent Indians had become targets of terrorists. Attacks happened in many cities, but the Congress did little," he alleged.

Referring to the 1998 serial bomb blasts here, he said "your own city saw a deadly terror attack in February 1998" and slammed the manner in which the then DMK government headed by M Karunanidhi handled it.

"Today India is different. Anyone who dares to attack India will get a strong response. We will pay back in same coin and with compound interest," Modi asserted.

"Today, every Indian has become a chowkidar who is standing firm against forces of terror, misgovernance and corruption," he said.

India can attain its true potential only when its security needs were taken care, he said adding his government has attached top-most priority to the Defence sector and strategic interests.

He pointed out at the Centre sanctioning Defence Corridor covering the industrial region of Coimbatore, saying it would not only enable the country attain self-sufficiency in defence manufacturing but also generate jobs for the locals.

The Prime Minister, addressing his second rally in Tamil Nadu after the Lok Sabha election schedule was announced, said the polls would be a contest between the "pro-people" work of the BJP-led NDA and the "anti-people agenda" of opposition.

"...It is between the stable government of NDA and the unstable government of opposition so they can enjoy power," Modi said.

The rally was also addressed by alliance party leaders, including senior AIADMK leaders chief minister K Palaniswami and deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam.

Tamil Nadu goes to polls in the second phase on April 18.

Modi said the polls were also a fight between NDA's mission of serving the poor and the opposition's design to "capture power."



He criticised the Congress' poll maniofesto, saying it was a document "anti-India forces" were waiting for.

"The Congress manifesto is a document all anti-India forces were waiting for. It made terrorists very happy. Congress Manifesto clearly writes- bail is the rule and jail is the exception," he said.

Taking a dig at former finance minister P Chidambaram, Modi said he was "shocked to read the recounting minister headed their manifesto committee. I was not surprised. After all, getting bail is important for his own existence," apparently referring to cases against him and his son Karti.

The Congress manifesto has not made any promises to the middle class and every vote to the DMK-Congress combine in Tamil Nadu was a "vote for higher taxes," he said.

Appealing to the first time voters, Modi said "just like people devote their first salary for something pure and memorable, I urge you, devote your first vote for a high cause. Cast your first vote for a better future, Cast your first vote to strengthen the hands of all nationalists, so that the life of the hardworking farmer changes for the better," he added.

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Top Army commanders deliberated extensively on security challenges facing the country and ways to enhance its combat edge over potential adversaries at a conference.

The commanders particularly discussed India's security preparedness along the border with Pakistan in the wake of the changing security scenario following India's air strike on a terrorist training camp in Pakistan's Balakot and subsequent developments, sources said.

The conference, from April 8 to 14, is being chaired by Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat and it will also deliberate on specific issues relating to Army formations and the Army as a whole.

The commanders will also deliberate on infrastructure development along India's border with China, laying of strategic railway lines and ways to optimise "limited budget" to ensure making up of critical deficiency in ammunition, officials said.

The Army commanders' conference is held biannually for formulating important policy decisions through collegiate deliberations.

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Turkish police on Tuesday detained over 100 individuals nationwide for suspected ties to the group blamed for a 2016 attempted coup, state media reported.

Tens of thousands of people have been taken into custody over alleged ties to US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen since the failed coup while over 140,000 public sector employees have been sacked or suspended.

After public prosecutors in several cities including the capital Ankara and coastal city of Izmir issued over 400 arrest warrants, 127 suspects were detained, according to numbers provided by state agency Anadolu.

Raids to catch the others continued.

Individuals sought included former police officers and others accused of using the encrypted ByLock messaging application which authorities suspect was used by Gulen's supporters to coordinate the coup bid, the agency reported.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuses Gulen of ordering the failed coup but the Pennsylvania-based preacher denies the claims.

The raids across Turkey have shown no sign of slowing down, with hundreds of detentions in recent months despite heavy criticism from Western allies and rights activists who say the arrests are part of a crackdown on dissent.

Turkish officials say the raids are necessary to remove Gulen's influence in state institutions.

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Two men, who targeted cab drivers and rob them were arrested from Dwarka's Chhawala area, police said on Tuesday.

The accused have been identified as Kuldeep (35) and Devender (24) both residents of Paprawat Village in New Delhi.

The duo used to play drums at functions to earn their livelihood, they said.

Ravi (27), a cab driver, told the police that two men had booked his cab on Monday at around 11:32 PM from Najafgarh to Paprawat Village.

During the ride, the accused took his mobile phone to make a call.

They then started thrashing him and fled with his car, mobile phone and wallet after dropping him at an isolated place.

Ravi called his friends from the mobile of a passerby.

Later, he traced the location of his car in Sarika Vihar in Munirka Kunj. He reached there, along with his friends and informed the police.

A wallet was found in the cab belonging to one Nasiruddin, a resident of Qutab Vihar, Phase-1.

It was found that Nasiruddin, also a cab driver, had filed a case about two men robbing him off his wallet and mobile when his cab tyre got punctured in the Najafgarh area on Monday at around 9.30 PM, said Anto Alphonse, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka).

During investigation, police analysed the CCTV footage and identified the suspects as residents of Brij Vihar colony in Paprawat and after laying a trap, nabbed them, he said.

During interrogation, both the accused said they first robbed the wallet and mobile phone of a cab driver, who was changing the tyre of his car in Najafgarh.

Later, they booked a cab from Najafgarh to Paprawat and robbed its driver.

Three mobile phones, one car and one wallet were recovered from their possession, they said.

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In a fresh blow to Congress in Odisha, two more Assembly candidates refused to contest the coming polls, forcing the grand old party to replace them on Tuesday.

Fresh nominees were named for Barchana and Nimapara Assembly seats after Sitakant Mohapatra and Satyabrat Patra who had been fielded earlier for these segments respectively refused to contest Monday night alleging "delay" in the announcement of their candidature.

As the sudden development added to its woes, Congress fielded Ajay Samal for Barchana under Jajpur Lok Sabha and Dilip Nayak from Nimapara under Jagatsinghpur Parliamentary constituency. The last day of nomination is Tuesday and polling will be held on April 29.

Three-time MLA Sitakant Mohapatra, earlier fielded from Barchana declined to contest saying his candidature was announced at the eleventh hour on April 7. "I will not get sufficient time to campaign reach out the voters in the constituency. Under such circumstances how can I contest," Mohapatra said.

Similarly, Satyabrat Patra, earlier named for Nimapara, claimed that there was widespread resentment among party workers over the manner in which candidates are being selected by the party in the state.

Earlier, four candidates named by Congress for assembly polls had pulled out of the fray. They are Muktikanta Biswal, Pruthvi Ballav Patnaik, Yudhistir Samantaray and Bibhu Prasad Tarai who had been nominated from Rourkela, Begunia, Pipli and Tirtol Assembly seats respectively.

Tarai, a former MP, later joined BJP and was made the saffron party candidate for Jagatsinghpur Lok Sabha constituency.

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The UK government on Tuesday flagged financial implications as one of the factors it had to consider while reflecting upon demands for a formal apology for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre to mark its centenary this week.

UK Foreign Office minister Mark Field told a debate on Jallianwala Bagh massacre at Westminster Hall in the House of Commons complex that while it was important to draw a line under the past over the shameful episode in history, repeatedly issuing apologies for events related to the British Raj came with their own problems.

I have slightly orthodox views on Britain's colonial past. I feel little reluctant to make apologies for things that have happened in the past, the minister said.

He added: There are also concerns that any government department has to make about any apology, given that there may well be financial implications to making an apology.

I feel we perhaps debase the currency of apologies if we are seen to make them for many, many events.

However, while reiterating the UK government's deepest regret over the massacre in Amritsar on April 13, 1919, Field stressed that the issue of appropriately marking the sombre 100th anniversary remains a work in progress and an active debate was taking place amongst ministers and senior officials.

Importantly, our modern relationship with India is focussed on the future, on pooling our strengths However, I also recognise that the relationship is framed in part by the past, Field said, adding that he had been compelled by the latest debate to take a message back to Downing Street that perhaps a little more is required than the deep regret already expressed by the UK government.

Something is holding us back fulfilling the full potential of the flourishing relationship (with India) and I do accept that it (Jallianwala Bagh) perhaps grates particularly strongly, the minister said.

The debate, tabled by Conservative Party MP Bob Blackman, included a series of cross-party British MPs speaking on the enduring and very deep feelings and emotions the monstrous event continues to raise across the world.

Veteran Indian-origin Labour MP Virendra Sharma called for a formal apology to be made by British Prime Minister Theresa May, with others echoing the demand and also raising the prospect of a physical memorial to be constructed in memory of those who lost their lives.

Many of the MPs included an account of General Dyer firing on a Baisakhi gathering at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar on April 13, 1919, without warning and blocking the main exit of the park with his soldiers and armoured vehicles.

Dyer is recorded as having continued to fire for 10 minutes even as the thousands gathered in the grounds tried to escape, leaving thousands dead and injured.

Blackman, in wrapping up the outcomes of the latest UK parliamentary intervention over the massacre, said the key messages that came out of the debate was that the incident must form part of the school curriculum in the UK and that a formal apology for the incident remains the right thing to do.

The Westminster Hall event follows a debate in the House of Lords in February, when a government minister had confirmed that UK foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt was "reflecting" on demands for a formal apology to mark the centenary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre this month.

In their capacity as members of a newly-formed Jallianwala Bagh Centenary Commemoration Committee (JBCC), Indian-origin peers Lord Meghnad Desai and Lord Raj Loomba had also written to Theresa May calling for a formal apology.

The JBCC, chaired by businessman and philanthropist Sardar Balbir Singh Kakar and made up of a number of Indians and non-resident Indians (NRIs) including members of the International Punjab Forum, is planning a commemorative event in the House of Lords on Saturday to mark the centenary of the massacre on April 13, 1919.

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The UK government has unveiled plans for a series of measures to expand provisions around crematoria to meet long-standing demands of Britain's Hindu and other communities who believe in cremating their dead as per religious rites.

In response to a consultation conducted back in 2016, the UK's Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) revealed Monday that the majority of respondents (28.1 per cent) were from Britain's Hindu communities, particularly in north and west London as well as the city of Leicester, who had highlighted specific faith requirements during cremations.

"Most respondents highlighted that crematoria struggle to accommodate the large numbers of mourners present at Hindu, Sikh and Jain funerals," the MHCLG review noted.

"Other respondents said that there is insufficient time allowed for the service or to administer the last rites, prayers or other rituals such as hand-washing after the cremation. To allow for longer funeral services, respondents from the Hindu, Sikh and Jain faiths reported that they often book two service slots but that this increased the costs," it added.

As part of a package of new measures, UK Faith Minister Lord Nick Bourne said that such concerns would be addressed as cremations become more common in Britain.

"This package of measures will make sure that local authorities and providers offer the appropriate facilities that reflect the communities they serve," Bourne said, adding that he has written to local authorities to encourage appropriate staff training to understand different faith requirements.

The measures have been widely welcomed by British Hindu community groups, who have been lobbying for better provisions around cremations for many years.

"For Hindus, Jains and Sikhs cremation of the body with the right and proper ceremonial prayers is of utmost importance, to satisfy our belief in the soul's journey to heaven and then at the appropriate time its reincarnation into another body," said Anil Bhanot, founding-member of Hindu Council UK.

"The time slots at crematoria definitely need to be extended to accommodate larger ceremonies, in extended chapels to seat larger congregations and with water facilities to wash as a minimum. Ponds and streams running through would be an added advantage for the ashes immersing ceremonies," he said.

The government's measures include a consultation to revise the UK's national guidance on the siting and design of crematoria, and an offer of support to community groups interested in operating their own crematoria.

Ishwar Tailor, vice-president, Gujarat Hindu Society, said: "It is an important step towards raising awareness about the community's needs and also for the community to be aware of what is available to them".

Official records show that cremations are becoming more and more common across Britain, representing over 77.05 per cent of all deaths in the country.

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The Election Commission Tuesday said that the notification for the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections in the state covering 14 parliamentary constituencies will be issued on Wednesday.

In a statement issued by the EC here, it said the parliamentary constituencies going to polls are Dhaurahra, Sitapur, Mohanlalganj (SC), Lucknow, Raebareli, Amethi, Banda, Fatehpur, Kaushambi, Barabanki (SC), Ayodhya (earlier known as Faizabad), Bahraich (SC), Kaisarganj and Gonda.

Candidates will be able to file their nomination papers till April 18. Scrutiny of nomination papers will be done on April 20, while April 22 is the last date to withdraw the candidature, it said.

Voting will be held on May 6 from 7 am to 6 pm, it added.

In the 14 parliamentary constituencies, there are 2.47 crore voters including 1.32 crore male voters and 1.14 crore female voters.

The count of voters in the age bracket of 18-19 years is 3.39 lakh, while the number of voters aged 80 years is 4.84 lakh.

The number of voting centres is 16,126, while there are 28,702 polling booths.

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In a move which can upset the BSP-SP-RLD alliance in the state, Dalit group Bhim Army, which has a considerable following in western Uttar Pradesh, has appealed to members of the community to vote for Congress' Saharanpur Lok Sabha candidate Imran Masood.

The move comes days after Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati described Bhim Army founder Chandrashekhar Azad as a "BJP agent" and accused him of trying to divide Dalit votes.

The call to support Masood, who had hogged headlines during the 2014 general elections for his controversial remarks against Narendra Modi, was taken late Monday night.

The BSP-SP-RLD alliance has fielded Faizul Rehman from the seat. Sitting BJP MP Raghav Lakhanpal is seeking re-election from the constituency.

At a joint rally in Deoband in the constituency on Sunday, Mayawati had appealed to Muslim voters to consolidate behind Rehman and ensure that their votes do not get split.

A Bhim Army leader alleged that BSP-SP activists manhandled a number of Dalits carrying pictures of Chandrashekhar at the rally and tore their posters.

"Masood helped the Bhim Army when no one else came out in its support," the leader said, referring to police cases against the Dalit group's members following caste clashes in Saharanpur in May 2017.

Congress general secretary for east Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had met Chandrashekhar at a Meerut hospital last month, which was seen as a Dalit outreach move of the party.

Recently, after Chandrashekhar announced to contest against Prime Minister Modi in Varanasi, Mayawati had termed him an "agent of the BJP who wants to split Dalit votes".

In response to her remark, Chandrashekhar had said SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and his father Mulayam Singh were "agents of the BJP" as they "allowed atrocities on Dalits".

Saharanpur goes to polls in the first phase on April 11.

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The United States on Monday barred entry to 16 Saudi nationals over what it described as their role in the murder of journalist

The announcement by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo comes as the administration of President Donald Trump has faced pressure from Congress over its response to the killing in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October, which sparked unprecedented scrutiny of the kingdom's human rights record.

Some US lawmakers have publicly stated that they suspect the powerful Crown Prince was directly responsible for the killing, based on the CIA's conclusions.

The State Department previously revoked the visas of nearly two dozen Saudi officials and froze the assets of 17 others.
The US has criticised India's data localisation norms and policy terming certain proposals as "most discriminatory and trade-distortive".

" has recently promulgated a number of data localisation requirements that would serve as significant barriers to digital trade between the US and India," the US Trade Representative's 2019 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers said.

It said these requirements raise costs for suppliers of data-intensive services by forcing the construction of unnecessary, redundant data centres and prevent local firms from taking advantage of the best global services available.

The report also said the proposals of India's draft national policy such as data localisation requirements and restrictions on cross-border data flows are "discriminatory in nature".

" is currently developing a new electronic commerce policy, early drafts of which have contemplated broad-based data localisation requirements and restrictions on cross-border data flows, expanded grounds for forced transfer of intellectual property and proprietary source code, preferential treatment for domestic digital products, and other discriminatory policies.

"The US strongly encourages to reconsider the most discriminatory and trade-distortive aspects of this draft policy and the other measures described above," it added.

The report also said requirement of local storage of all payment information would raise costs for payment service suppliers, and disadvantages foreign firms, which are more likely to be dependent on globally distributed data storage and information security systems.

The has stated that all system providers shall ensure that the entire data related to payment systems operated by them are stored in a system only in India to ensure better monitoring of payment service operators.

The government has floated a policy which seeks to provide a policy framework that will enable the country to benefit from rapid digitisation of the domestic as well as global economy.

It addresses six broad issues of the e-commerce ecosystem -- data, infrastructure development, e-commerce marketplaces, regulatory issues, stimulating domestic digital economy and export promotion through e-commerce.

"In July 2018, the published a draft Personal Data Protection Bill. If passed into law, the Bill would impose onerous burdens on firms, especially foreign firms, that process personal information," the report has noted.

Further on India's trade policies, it alleged that India maintains "very high tariffs" (or import duties) on a number of goods, including flowers (60 per cent), (70 per cent), automobiles (60 per cent), motorcycles (50 per cent), raisins and coffee (100 per cent), and alcoholic beverages (150 per cent).

It also alleged that India applies several non-tariff and other barriers on trade such as capping prices of certain medical devices, import restriction on ethanol, and package size and labelling requirements on

"India's customs authority generally requires extensive clearance documentation, which leads to frequent and lengthy processing delays. India's complex tariff structure, including the provision of multiple exemptions varying according to product, user, or intended use, also creates uncertainty and contributes to delays in customs approvals," it added.

On the subject of intellectual property rights (IPRs), the report said enforcement of IPRs remains a concern in India.

"India currently lacks an effective system for protecting against unfair commercial use, as well as unauthorised disclosure of undisclosed test or other data generated to obtain marketing approval for pharmaceutical and agricultural products," it added.

Further, it added that foreign participation in professional services is significantly restricted and, in the case of legal services, is prohibited entirely.

"US companies note that India's one-time licensing fee for telecom providers (about USD 500,000 for a services-specific licence or USD 2.7 million for an all-India universal licence) serves as a barrier to market entry for smaller companies," it said.

The office of the Trade Representative prepared this report.
A US federal judge on Monday blocked President Donald Trump's policy of returning asylum seekers to Mexico to wait out the processing of their cases, saying the Department of Homeland Security had overstepped its authority.

The ruling by US District Judge Richard Seeborg in San Francisco marked a rebuke for the Trump administration's efforts to stop the flow of migrants seeking asylum through the US border with Mexico.

The decision, which goes into effect on Friday, comes just days after outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen had vowed to expand the controversial program.

Several hundred people seeking asylum have been returned to Mexico to await the outcome of their request under the policy first implemented in January at the San Ysidro port of entry in California and later extended to Calexico, a second California border point, and El Paso, Texas.

"A 9th Circuit Judge just ruled that Mexico is too dangerous for migrants. So unfair to the U.S. OUT OF CONTROL!," Trump furiously tweeted.

While any appeal against Seeborg's ruling will be heard by the federal Ninth Circuit appeals court -- a frequent target of Trump's ire -- Seeborg himself is not on the circuit.

Elsewhere, rights groups welcomed the ruling, saying the return policy failed to provide adequate safeguards to protect asylum seekers from persecution.

"Try as it may, the Trump administration cannot simply ignore our laws in order to accomplish its goal of preventing people from seeking asylum in the United States," said Judy Rabinovitz, deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Immigrants' Rights Project.

The ACLU and several other groups, including the Southern Poverty Law Center, had sought an injunction against the policy on behalf of 11 asylum seekers from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala who were returned to Mexico after seeking asylum at the US border.

In his 27-page ruling -- which can be appealed -- Seeborg said at issue was not whether the policy is "a wise, intelligent, or humane policy" but rather whether it exposes aliens to "unduly dangerous circumstances." He noted that the plaintiffs in the case were not challenging the "system" of expedited removal.

Trump, who originally dubbed the measure the "Remain in Mexico" policy, unveiled it last year as a series of caravans with thousands of Central American migrants made their way to the US-Mexican border.

Mexico said it was cooperating with US authorities concerning the migrants being sent back, but only for humanitarian reasons.

Migrants who reach US soil have a legal right to seek asylum and are usually held in detention facilities while their application is processed, or released into the United States.

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The United States wants to put tariffs on USD 11.2 billion worth of EU goods from airplanes to Gouda cheese to olives to offset what it says are unfair European subsidies for plane maker Airbus.

While the size of the tariffs is small compared with the hundreds of billions the US and China are taxing in their trade war, it suggests a breakdown in talks with the European Union over trade at a time when the economy is already slowing sharply.

The US and EU have been negotiating since last year about how to avoid tariffs that President Donald Trump has wanted to impose to reduce a trade deficit with countries like Germany.

The US Trade Representative's office released late Monday a list of EU products it would tax in anticipation of a ruling by the World Trade Organization this summer.

The US had in 2004 complained to the WTO, which sets the rules for trade and settles disputes, that the EU was providing unfair support to Airbus. The WTO ruled in May last year that the EU had in fact provided some illegal subsidies to Airbus, hurting US manufacturer Boeing.

The US expects the WTO will say this summer that it can take countermeasures to offset the EU subsidies. It will now start a consultation with industry representatives on the list of EU goods it wants to tax so that it can have a ready list.

"This case has been in litigation for 14 years, and the time has come for action," said US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.

The move, while nominally following international trade rules, appears to also reflect US frustration at the slow pace of talks on trade with the EU.

Trump in June last year imposed tariffs of 25% on steel imports and 10% on imported aluminum from the EU. The EU responded with tariffs on about 2.8 billion euros' worth ($3.4 billion) of U.S. steel, agricultural and other products, from Harley Davidson bikes to orange juice.

The US and EU have since July been in talks to scale back the tariffs, with Trump holding out the bigger threat of slapping tariffs on European cars a huge industry in the region should the negotiations not yield a result. U.S. officials have repeatedly expressed frustration at the slow pace of the talks.

The US announcement also comes just as Boeing is facing broad challenges over the global grounding of its 737 Max commercial jet amid concerns that technical problems could have contributed to two crashes in five months. In a separate case, the WTO has also ruled that Boeing got a small amount of illegal support from the state of Washington worth some SUD 100 million a year.

Tariffs on European airplanes could in theory help Boeing and hurt Airbus, whose shares were down 1.5 percent on Tuesday on a day when stock markets were trading higher.

The US announcement also comes as China's prime minister meets top European Union officials to discuss thorny issues, including trade.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President Donald Trump on Tuesday lashed out at the European Union, vowing to slap tariffs on billions in EU imports in retaliation for subsidies to aviation giant Airbus.

"The World Trade Organization finds that the European Union subsidies to Airbus has adversely impacted the United States, which will now put Tariffs on USD 11 Billion of EU products!" Trump tweeted.

"The EU has taken advantage of the US on trade for many years. It will soon stop!"



However, the immediate consequences from Trump's Twitter outburst were unclear.

Hours earlier, on Monday evening, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer had said the final amount of any tariffs had yet to be determined and would not be announced until the outcome of a WTO arbitration process -- expected later this year.

Lighthizer's office published a preliminary list -- including items as diverse as aircraft, swordfish, cheeses and liquors -- that he said could be subject to additional duties in the future.

The EU and the United States have been maintaining a fragile trade truce since Trump angered Europe last year by slapping duties on steel and aluminum imports and threatening new ones on cars.

For more than 14 years, Washington and Brussels have accused each other of unfairly subsidizing Boeing and Airbus, respectively, in a tit-for-tat dispute that long predates Trump.

The Boeing-Airbus spat is the longest and most complicated dispute dealt with by the WTO, which aims to create a level playing field in global trade.

The EU fired back on Tuesday, saying that the amounts claimed by the US were "greatly exaggerated.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Vice Admiral Bimal Verma on Tuesday withdrew his petition challenging the appointment of Vice Admiral Karambir Singh as the next chief of naval staff after a military tribunal told him to first explore "internal remedies", official sources said.

Verma, commander-in-chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command, approached the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) on Monday, asking why he was overlooked as the next Navy chief despite being the senior-most in the line of command.

Sources said Verma withdrew his petition after being told by the AFT that he should first explore "internal remedies" to his grievances. It said he could again approach the tribunal if he was not satisfied with the remedies.

In his petition to the AFT here on Monday, Verma sought to know why the government ignored his seniority and appointed Vice Admiral Karambir Singh as the next Navy chief.

His petition is likely to be taken up Tuesday.

The government last month named Singh as the next chief of naval staff, succeeding Admiral Sunil Lanba who retires on May 30.

The government made the selection following a merit-based approach and did not go with the tradition of appointing the senior-most eligible officer to the post.

Verma is senior to Singh and was among the contenders for the top post.

While appointing the Army chief in 2016, the government did not follow the long-held tradition of going by seniority. Bipin Rawat was appointed Army chief superseding then Eastern Command Chief Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi and Southern Command Chief PM Hariz.

Besides Verma, the other contenders for the Navy Chief post included Vice Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral G Ashok Kumar, FOC-in-C of Western Naval Command Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar and FOC-in-C of Southern Naval Command Vice Admiral Anil Kumar Chawla.

Singh, who is at present serving as the Flag Officer Commanding in Chief (FOC-in-C) of the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam, will be the first helicopter pilot to become chief of naval staff.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Vodafone Idea expects the sale of its 11.15 per cent stake in Indus Tower to complete in the next three-four months which could yield an estimated Rs 5,500 crore, a senior company official said Tuesday.

Under a contract signed with Bharti Infratel in April 2018, the company has an option to sell the 11.15 per cent stake in Indus Tower for cash ahead of the merger of the country's largest mobile tower firm with the Bharti group firm.

"As things stand now, that process is in NCLT and expectation is that it should be completed in the next 3-4 months timeframe. Before the merger is consummated, we have the right to receive that in cash. The value will fluctuate.

"The value is dependent on Bharti Infratel (stock) price. At current Bharti Infratel price, the cash value is more than Rs 5,500 crore," Vodafone Idea Chief Financial Officer Akshaya Moondra told PTI.

The company expects that the money raised from the stake sale in Indus Tower and the Rs 25,000 crore rights issue, which is opening on Wednesday, will give it long term war chest to compete in the market.

"We believe that the proceeds from the rights issue coupled with the monetisation of our stake in Indus Towers Limited will allow us to make the required investments in the business to achieve our strategic goals," Vodafone Idea Chief Executive Officer Balesh Sharma said.

The board of directors of Vodafone Idea on March 20 cleared the planned Rs 25,000-crore rights issue at a price of Rs 12.50 per equity share, a steep 61 per cent discount to the prevailing market rate.

In a regulatory filing, the company had said the rights entitlement ratio has been fixed at 87 equity shares for every 38 shares held by eligible shareholders of the company on the record date, that is April 2, 2019.

"Rights issue gives us good funding along with the two other monetisations that we are looking at - a long term war chest to continue on the stated strategy of ours. Our strategy primarily is to integrate the two network as quickly as we can to achieve much gain in coverage and customer experience on one side and profitability on the other because of synergies coming," Sharma said.

Promoter shareholders -- Vodafone Group and Aditya Birla Group -- have reiterated to the board that they intend to contribute up to Rs 11,000 crore and up to Rs 7,250 crore respectively, amounting to a total of Rs 18,250 crore, as part of the rights issue. While Vodafone Group's entire funding will be considered as a foreign investment in the rights issue, Aditya Birla Group may also route funds from its foreign entities, according to sources.

The promoter shareholders have also said that in case the rights issue is under-subscribed, each of the promoter shareholders reserves the right to take up part or whole of the unsubscribed portion, subject to stipulated law.

When asked about the plan of action in case promoter shareholding in Vodafone Idea breaches 75 per cent cap, Moondra said there is interest from investors and he does not promoters holding to breach the limit.

"We don't expect it to cross 75 per cent mark but because this is rights issue and there was some doubt whether Axiata-- one of our large shareholder will participate or not. The shareholders and promoters as a precautionary measure had taken the SEBI approval if they were to participate beyond their entitlement and in case they exceed 75 per cent. At this point of time, we do not see there will be a need to utilise that approval," Moondra said.

According to a JM Financial report, minority shareholders will need to make an investment of at least Rs 5,410 crore in the rights issue to keep promoters holding at 75 per cent.

Vodafone Idea is looking to invest proceeds from the rights issue, Indus Tower stake sale and partial sale of the optical fibre in telecom networks to expand 4G coverage from 61 per cent population at present to over 85 per cent population coverage by March 2020.

Vodafone Idea is in discussion to sell 1.56 lakh kilometre of optical fibre. According to sources, it has received a combined valuation of Rs 20,000 crore for the mobile tower and optical fibre assets.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Enforcement Directorate told a Delhi court Tuesday that Sushen Mohan Gupta, an alleged defence agent arrested in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam, may hamper the investigation in the matter if granted bail.

Opposing Gupta's bail application before Special Judge Arvind Kumar, ED said the probe was at a very crucial stage and there were apprehensions that he may tamper with the evidence which is yet to be collected.

ED's special public prosecutors D P Singh and N K Matta told the court that the property purchased through the money laundered in the case was yet to identified.

The court yesterday sent Gupta to judicial custody after ED's advocate Samvedna Verma submitted that he was not required for further custodial interrogation.

The court has now posted the matter for hearing on Gupta's bail application for April 11, after the counsel for the accused sought time to argue the matter.

Gupta was arrested by the agency under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The probe agency had said Gupta's role in the Rs 3,600 crore deal came to light on the basis of disclosures made by Rajiv Saxena, who has turned approver in the case after he was deported from the UAE and arrested by the agency here.

The CBI, in its charge sheet, has alleged an estimated loss of 398.21 million euros (about Rs 2,666 crore) to the exchequer in the deal that was signed on February 8, 2010 for the supply of VVIP choppers worth 556.262 million euros.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Relieved from safeguard duty on solar imports from China and Malaysia, domestic solar PV makers are planning to enhance capacity.

Country's largest solar PV maker, Waaree Energies Ltd said it will increase its solar PV capacity to 2000MW from 1500MW, Waaree Sr VP Nitin Kapadnis said Tuesday.

The company has its own manufacturing facility in west India and is also planning to have a local capacity to smooth execution of projects in the eastern market.

The government had levied safeguard duty of 25 percent on solar imports from China and Malaysia which is in force from July 30, 2018.

Post-safeguard duty, price of imported PVs has come on a par with domestic ones which has helped Indian companies, Kapadnis said,



He said execution of solar projects has gain momentum in West Bengal since last one year and projects totalling 120MW were executed in 2018-19.

"We are expanding rapidly in West Bengal and have decided to set up our own dedicated capacity of PV cells in the state with manufacturing ties with local companies here," Kapadnis said.

He said West Bengal government has indicated that projects worth 300MW are lined up in the current fiscal.

"We are also aiming a Rs 65 crore business in Bengal this fiscal against Rs 15 crore in FY'19," Kapadnis said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Barmer Lok Sabha seat in western Rajasthan, the desert state's largest parliamentary constituency in terms of size, is poised to witness a triangular contest with former IPS officer and BSP candidate Pankaj Chaudhary likely to disturb the poll equations for both the Congress and the BJP.

While veteran BJP leader and former external affairs minister Jaswant Singh's son Manvendra Singh, who quit the saffron party ahead of the December 2018 assembly elections, is the Congress candidate from the JKat dominated seat, the BJP has fielded former MLA and RSS backed Jat leader Kailash Chaudhary, choosing to drop the sitting MP Col Sonaram.

State revenue minister Harish Chaudhary too was a contender but lost out to Manvendra Singh as he joined the Congress only after being assured a lok sabha ticket from Barmer.

However, the BSP has turned the electoral battle into a triangular contest by picking former IPS officer Pankaj Chaudhary, who has served as Jaisalmer SP, as its candidate in the constituency which covers entire Barmer district and half of Jaisalmer district, forming a part of the Thar desert on the Indo-Pak border.

The BJP is seeking votes in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi while the Congress is trying to set a notion that the country's Constitution and democracy are in danger under Modi. The BSP candidate is targeting the youth of the state.

"There is only Modi factor in the elections. He did remarkable work in five years and the entire country favours him. People know that it is Modi who can keep the nation secure and the country can progress only under his rule," Dilip Paliwal, BJP's Barmer president told PTI.

He said that the constituency was dominated by Jats and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate will have the upper hand due to the caste equation.

According to police records, Chaudhary has a criminal background and is a history-sheeter of Balotara Police Station of Barmer.

"The BSP candidate is damaging the Congress, and not the BJP, by dividing SC (scheduled caste) votes," he said.

Rajput leader Manvendra Singh had quit the saffron party in September 2018 miffed over his father Jaswant Singh being denied a BJP ticket in the 2014 elections.

The former Union minister went on to contest the elections as an independent candidate but lost.

"Whatever is going on in the BJP is not good. How senior leaders are ignored in the party is well known. BJP is doing the of hate and fear and their leaders are scaring people just to seek votes. This is very alarming," Manvendra Singh told reporters in Barmer.

He claimed to have the support of all sections of the society and exuded confidence of winning the Barmer seat.

"Mainly, the issues in the constituencies are water, fodder for cattle and employment. The region faces droughts and people want their basic issues to be addressed," he said.

"This is my home constituency and I understand people's need and requirements, he added.

Pankaj Chaudhary, who was dismissed from the Indian Police Service (IPS) last month for violating the service rules, is primarily focusing on youths and SC voters, which have a significant number in the constituency.

"I was Jaisalmer SP and I understand very well the situation of the constituency. The youth supports me and the resentment against both the BJP and the Congress is clearly visible," he said.

"I served the people as IPS and never bowed to pressure from any government, be it the Congress or the BJP and therefore I was targeted. People have faith that if they elect me, I will fight for them and will work honestly for the constituency," he said.

Chaudhary, who hails from Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi, says development and was his main poll issue.

The constituency, which has 19.32 lakh voters, will go to poll in first phase of polling on April 29.

Rajasthan has 25 lok sabha seats and polling in 13 constituencies will take place on April 29 and remaining 12 will go to poll in second phase on May 6.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Women can file matrimonial cases, including criminal matters pertaining to cruelty, from the place where they have taken shelter after leaving or being driven out of their matrimonial home, the Supreme Court said Tuesday.

The apex court's verdict came on an appeal filed by Rupali Devi against the Allahabad High Court which dismissed her plea to file a dowry harassment case from her parents' house.

The high court order held that cruelty punishable under Section 498A of the IPC is not a continuing offence, and thus cannot be investigated or punished in a jurisdiction outside the one in which the matrimonial house of the complainant is situated.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said the impact on the mental health of the wife by "overt acts" by the husband or his relatives, mental stress and trauma of being driven away from the matrimonial home cannot be ignored while understanding the meaning of "cruelty" in Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code.

"We, therefore, hold that the courts at the place where the wife takes shelter after leaving or driven away from the matrimonial home on account of acts of cruelty committed by the husband or his relatives, would, dependent on the factual situation, also have jurisdiction to entertain a complaint alleging commission of offences under Section 498A of the IPC", said the bench, also comprising Justices L Nageswara Rao and S K Kaul.

The top court said that Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act provides a civil remedy to victims, as against the remedy in criminal law which is what is provided under Section 498A (subjecting married woman to cruelty by her spouse and in-laws) of the Indian Penal Code.

The provisions contained in Section 498A undoubtedly encompasses both mental as well as the physical well-being of the wife, it said.

"Even the silence of the wife may have an underlying element of an emotional distress and mental agony. Her sufferings at the parental home though may be directly attributable to commission of acts of cruelty by the husband at the matrimonial home would, undoubtedly, be the consequences of the acts committed at the matrimonial home," the bench said.

"Such consequences, by itself, would amount to distinct offences committed at the parental home where she has taken shelter. The adverse effects on the mental health in the parental home though on account of the acts committed in the matrimonial home would, in our considered view, amount to commission of cruelty within the meaning of Section 498A at the parental home," it added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel said Tuesday he will not be cowed down by raids carried out by Income Tax authorities against party leaders and workers and alleged the searches were aimed at stopping opposition leaders from contesting the Lok Sabha election.

Patel said the use of Income Tax department to "target" BJP's political opponents ahead of Lok Sabha polls shows the "desperation" in the ruling party.

He said people will give a befitting reply to BJP in the elections beginning on April 11.

On Sunday, Income Tax Department officials raided properties in several locations, including the Congress-ruled Madhya Pradesh, against close aides of MP Chief Minister Kamal Nath and others on charges of tax evasion and hawala transactions.

They have also raided the premises of S M Moin, an employee of Patel, in Delhi's Geeta Colony over the past a few days.

Patel had visited Moin's residence when I-T Department sleuths were present there.

"The BJP is getting raids on their political opponents and are creating an atmosphere so that they (the opposition candidates) are unable to contest. You (the BJP) cannot win elections on money power and it is the people who will help you win or lose.

This election will make it clear to the BJP whether money power can win elections, he told reporters here.

He said he and others have complained to the Election Commission against the raids aimed at "targeting the political opponents of BJP".

"We do not fear anyone. Congress party has always maintained transparency," he stressed, alleging that the raids were a "well-thought out conspiracy" to taint the Congress.

"I do not fear anyone and I have not committed any theft. Attack is the best defence and those who have committed theft themselves are attacking others," he claimed.

Responding to the raid on Moin's premises, Patel said he went to his place to stand by him and his family "in this hour of need" and not to stall the raid.

The top Congress leader said he or anyone accompanying him did not try to stop the Income Tax authorities or the raid.

"The manner in which the agencies are being misused and the phones of political opponents tapped, it seems the BJP is desperate. The people of this country will teach them a lesson," he said.

Patel said it was his responsibility to ensure safety of all Congress workers and their families and will stand by them in their time of need.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
JKLF chief Yasin Malik was Tuesday shifted to Delhi's Tihar Jail after the NIA secured his production remand in connection with a case related to funding of separatists and terror groups in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

Malik, who was arrested last month and shifted to Kot Balwal Jail in Jammu, will be facing questions related to funding of his organisation from the National Investigation Agency.

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has reserved its judgment on a plea of the CBI for re-opening three-decade-old cases in which Malik was an accused.

The Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief is facing charges of kidnapping and murder for being allegedly involved in abducting Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of then Union Home Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in 1989 and killing of four Indian Air Force personnel in the early part of 1990.

NIA had approached a special court in Jammu, seeking Malik's remand for custodial interrogation in the terror-funding case.

The NIA probe seeks to identify the chain of players behind the financing of terrorist activities, pelting of stones on security forces, burning down of schools and damaging of government establishments.

The case also names Hafiz Saeed, the Pakistan-based chief of Jamaat-ud-Dawah, the front for the banned Lashker-e-Taiba, as an accused. It names organisations such as Hurriyat Conference factions led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Dukhtaran-e-Millat.

The JKLF was recently banned under theUnlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The announcement of fourth-quarter earnings by companies, soaring oil prices, and a tumbling are among the major factors that are expected to steer the indices on Tuesday.

Bajaj Consumer Care and Simplex Projects will report their March quarter earnings on Tuesday.

Oil prices reached their highest level since November as concerns over exports from war-torn Libya stoked tightness in the market, with global supply already hit by OPEC-led production cuts and US sanctions on Iran and Venezuela.

The rupee, on the other hand, declined by 44 paise to close at 69.67 against the US dollar on Monday amid higher dollar demand from importers and rising prices.

Apart from these factors, the investors will also track closely stock-specific action and FII inflows while the countdown to the 2019 General Elections kick-off may also have some effect on investor sentiment today.

On global front, British Prime Minister Theresa May will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday.

On the US-China trade talks front, a top White House official has said the US was not satisfied yet about all the issues standing in the way of a deal but the US did make progress in talks with China last week.

The equity benchmark indices ended a volatile session in the negative territory on Monday. The S&P BSE Sensex shed 162 points or 0.42 per cent to close the day at 38,701 while the broader Nifty50 index of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) closed below the 11,650 level to settle at 11,604.50, down 61 points or 0.53 per cent.

GLOBAL CUES

Asian shares got off to a subdued start on Tuesday as investors braced for key events later in the week, including the kick-off of the US earnings season and a crucial Brexit summit, while broader concerns over slowing global growth checked sentiment.

MSCIs broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was basically flat after brushing its highest since late August last year during the previous session. Australian shares dipped 0.25 per cent while Japans Nikkei was down 0.15 per cent.

STOCKS IN FOCUS

Q4 results announcement: Bajaj Consumer Care, Simplex Projects

Jet Airways: Abu-Dhabi based Etihad Airways, TPG Capital, and NIIF are likely to bid for Jet Airways, according to a Business Standard report. Potential bidders have time only till Wednesday evening to submit their expressions of interest (EoIs).

Bharti Airtel: SEBI has approved the company's Rs 25,000-crore fund-raising plan.

Fortis Healthcare: Fortis Healthcare has started looking for buyers to purchase its 27.8 per cent stake in Singapore-based arm RHT Health Trust, according to a report. Also, Girish Gupta has stepped down as CFO with immediate effect, and Vivek Kumar Goyal has been appointed as the replacement.

Coffee Day Enterprises: Coffee Day Enterprises has said Japan-based Impact HD Inc will acquire 49 per cent stake in Coffee Day Consultancy Services Pvt Ltd (CDCSPL) for $15 million, as per a PTI report.

Sun Pharma: The company's wholly-owned subsidiary Sun Pharma Distributors Ltd (SPDL) will commence distributing its formulation products in India from this month in a phased manner.

Panacea Biotec: India Resurgence Fund, promoted by Piramal Enterprises and Bain Capital Credit, along with its associates on Monday announced an investment of up to Rs 992 crore in drug firm Panacea Biotec.

DLF: The Singaporean government sold 3.8 per cent stake in the company worth Rs 1,300 crores.
The success rate of Aadhaar authentication for direct benefit transfer (DBT) of fertiliser subsidy has improved from 41 per cent to 99 per cent between 2016 and 2018, the findings of a recently concluded study suggest. The transaction time has also reduced from an average 10 minutes to 4 minutes during the period, it says. However, issues related to biometric failure, connectivity and server downtime continue with 78.2 per cent of the authentication failure being fingerprint mismatch even today.

The survey covered 11,218 farmers and 1182 retailers across 54 districts and 18 states of the country.

The study found that the fertiliser retailers are yet to shift completely to authentication-based subsidy disbursal. While 80.3 per cent of transactions were Aadhaar-authenticated (of which 99 per cent were successful), manual transactions continued for the rest of 12.8 per cent. Delay in receiving dispatch ID and challenges in updating PoS software was found to be one of the major reasons for adjusted (manual) transactions.

Also Read: Rahul Gandhi's Rs 72,000 per annum promise to the poor is doable; here's how

One of recommendations of the study was to improve the quality of Point of Sale (PoS) machines as analogics devices deployed in several outlets are of poor quality resulting in short battery life, frequent shut downs and compatibility limited to 2G SIM card. It also found that retailers flout the rules to increase profitability during lean season by transferring stock to retailers where demand is high. Since non-recognition of fingerprint is a problem, the study recommended the supply of gloves to farmers along with the fertiliser bags. "Farmers use bare hands to broadcast fertiliser in their fields. This deteriorates their fingerprint impressions and also impact skin adversely," it observed.

Another interesting observation was that despite authentication process turning digital, farmers and retailers preferred cash transactions to digital transactions. While 57 per cent of the respondents accepted they might go digital in future, 93.5 per cent of the current transactions were in cash.

Commissioned by government think tank NITI Aayog to Lucknow-based Microsave Consulting (MSC), the study was meant to identify issues and challenges pertaining to the implementation of DBT at the national level and suggest solutions. The current engagement was the fourth round of the study-the first one was in September, 2016 in two districts in Andhra Pradesh, where the pilot project was launched. The second one was in January 2017 in six districts across five states, where the pilot project was expanded. The third round lasted between July and September 2017 in 14 pilot districts across 11 states.

Under DBT, fertiliser companies are paid subsidy only after retailers have sold fertilisers to farmers or buyers through successful Aadhaar authentication via PoS machines.

Also Read: Andhra Pradesh merges PM-Kisan with Annadatha Sukhibhava, promises Rs 10,000 to all farmers
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) never promised depositing Rs 15 lakh in the bank account of every Indian during the 2014 Lok Sabha campaign, said Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday.

"Never said Rs 15 lakh will come (to accounts of people). We had said that we will take action (karyawahi) against black money. Action is being taken against black money. It was our government which made SIT on the topic of black money," Rajnath Singh told ANI in an interview.

The statement of the Home Minister comes at a time when opposition parties have been slamming the BJP for making false promises to woo the people of India in the run up to the 2014 Lok Sabha election and repeating it yet again in 2019.

Bringing back black money was one of the key poll promises of Narendra Modi-led BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Responding to a question that BJP is a two-man team and one-man show, Rajnath Singh said, "No these are all baseless comments. Of course the people who are party president and PM will be prominent, when I was party president and Modi ji was PM candidate then our names were taken, it is but natural."

Replying to a question that he or Gadkari can be PM if BJP fails to get a full majority, Home Minister said, "These are all imaginary situations; it is 'khyali pulao' and nothing else. We will get clear majority or even 2/3rd, the PM will be Modi ji, no doubt about that."

Also Read: Lok Sabha election 2019: 'Scared of debating me on corruption?' Rahul Gandhi asks PM Modi

Asked about Mayawati's politics of appeasement, the Union Minister said, "It was very unfortunate, politics should not be done on basis of Hindu-Muslim. Politics should not be done on caste or creed or religion. It is on the basis of justice and humanity."

Addressing a rally at Deoband, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief had openly appealed to the minority community to vote for the SP-BSP alliance in the upcoming Lok Sabha poll and not to allow the Congress to split their votes.

Asked if senior party leader Lal Krishna Advani was briefed on surgical strikes and air strike, the Minister said, "Advani ji is a well-informed man. He knows everything about the prevailing situation in our country. He will forever remain our source of inspiration."

It is to be noted that LK Advani, as Home Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government in 2001, had said that 'hot pursuit' against terrorists is legitimate as it is in accordance with international law.

Also Read: Lok Sabha election 2019: Poll of polls predicts BJP-led NDA to get 277 seats, UPA 138, Others 128

Speaking on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, Singh asserted that Kashmir is, was and will always be an integral part of India. "There cannot be two prime ministers in the country. It is absolutely clear in our election manifesto that if we form government Article 370, Article 35A will be removed."

The BJP in their election manifesto has promised to eliminate Article 370 and do away with Article 35A of the Constitution. Article 370 gives autonomous status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Edited by Chitranjan Kumar
Nirmohi Akhara on Tuesday moved the Supreme Court (SC), opposing the central government's plea seeking the return of 67.39 acre "non-disputed" acquired land around the disputed Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid site to original owners. Nirmohi Akhara is one of the litigants in the controversial Ayodhya case. It moved the SC on the ground that returning of the acquired land would hurt their religious "rights" as several temples had been built on the land.

The petition challenging the 2010 judgment by Allahabad High Court has been pending for almost nine years. The issue dates back to 2010 when the Allahabad High Court (HC) ordered to divide 2.77-acre disputed land at Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid site into three equal parts. These equal portions were to be handed over to Nirmohi Akhara, Sunni Waqf Board, and Ram Lalla.

The Nirmohi Akhara has now opposed the government's application by which it sought modification of the SC's 2003 order to allow it to return to original owners the 67.390 acre of "non-disputed" acquired land around the disputed site.

On March 8, the SC ordered a court-monitored mediation in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case to arrive at a "permanent solution" to the politically and religiously sensitive issue. The five-judge constitution bench appointed a panel of 3 mediators in the title suit with Justice (retd) FM Kallifulla chairing the court-appointed and monitored mediation process. The apex court also said the mediation proceedings would be kept confidential and should be held in Faizabad. The lawyers of the Hindu parties had, however, opposed the idea of mediation saying such attempts had failed in the past.

Edited by Manoj Sharma

Also Read: Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case: Here's a look at Ayodhya's history from 1528 up till now

Also Read: Ayodhya case: Supreme Court may order court-monitored mediation today

Also Read: Ayodhya case: SC to decide on mediation in Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid issue today

Also Read: Ayodhya case: SC reserves order on mediation in Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit
Congress President Rahul Gandhi has yet again challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to debate with him on the issue of corruption ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections 2019.

Gandhi in a tweet asked PM Modi to debate with him on the issues of Rafale, Anil Ambani, Nirav Modi, Amit Shah and Demonetisation.

The Congress President tweeted, "Dear PM, Scared of debating me on corruption? I can make it easier for you. Let's go open book, so you can prepare: 1. RAFALE+Anil Ambani 2. Nirav Modi 3. Amit Shah+Demonetisation, #Scared2Debate."

Dear PM, Scared of debating me on corruption? I can make it easier for you. Let's go open book, so you can prepare: 1. RAFALE+Anil Ambani 2. Nirav Modi 3. Amit Shah+Demonetisation #Scared2Debate - Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 9, 2019

Also Read: Lok Sabha election 2019 LIVE: PM Modi appeals to youngsters 'to dedicate first vote to heroic jawans'

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday had dared PM Modi to a debate on the issue of corruption on Rafale deal.

Gandhi shared a clip of Modi's interview to a TV channel on Twitter in which the prime minister is seen asking the reporter if she believed the Supreme Court verdict on Rafale fighter jet deal with France.

"You can run Mr Modi but you can't hide. Your karma is about to catch up with you. The country can hear it in your voice," Gandhi tweeted.

Also Read: Rahul Gandhi's open book exam challenge to PM Modi on Rafale controversy

"Truth is a powerful thing. I challenge you to a debate on corruption," he said.

You can run Mr Modi but you can't hide. Your karma is about to catch up with you. The country can hear it in your voice. Truth is a powerful thing. I challenge you to a debate on corruption. pic.twitter.com/cHhRa0mMeH - Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 7, 2019

Gandhi had first challenged Modi for a debate on national security, corruption and foreign policy on April 2 while addressing a gathering at Congress' manifesto release event at the party headquarters here.

The opposition party has repeatedly criticised the new Rafale deal signed by the Modi government, claiming it is costlier than the one negotiated by the UPA.

Also Read: 'It doesn't matter to me': PM Modi on Priyanka Gandhi's entry into politics

The Congress has also accused Modi of helping Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani make a profit of Rs 30,000 crore by favouring him as the offset partner in the deal.

The government has denied any wrongdoing in the fighter jet agreement. Ambani has also strongly rejected all allegations.

Also View: Video: How different are Rahul's and PM Modi's speeches
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his rally in Latur of Maharashtra, appealed to first-time voters to dedicate their votes to the Indian Air Force team that carried out the air strike in Pakistan's Balakot and also to the CRPF personnel killed in the Pulwama terror attack. Modi, who stressed on nationalism while releasing the BJP's manifesto on Monday, alleged that the Congress, if voted to power, is planning to repeal the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act. The BJP in their election manifesto has promised to eliminate Article 370 and do away with Article 35A of the Constitution. Article 370 gives autonomous status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Later, addressing a rally in Chitradurga, Karnataka, PM Modi attacked the Congress-led government in the state. He said both the JD(S) and the Congress were trying to benefit each other, forgetting the interest of the common people. "No one knows who's running the government in Karnataka. Both the defeated parties have got together for their own benefit so they are trying to accommodate each other," he added. Before that, he held a rally in Latur district of Maharashtra, and invoked India's airstrikes in Pakistan. He also appealed to voters, especially youngsters, to cast their votes "for the soldiers". Meanwhile, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi called the BJP manifesto "the voice of an isolated man", which is "short sighted and arrogant". He also said the PM was "scared of debating" with him on the issue of corruption.

All parliamentary constituencies in 10 states and UTs, including Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep, Telangana and Uttarakhand, will go to polls in the first phase on Arpil 11. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.

Lok Sabha Election 2019: Polling dates, full schedule, election results, constituencies' details, voting FAQs

Catch all the latest updates on BusinessToday.In live blog on the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

6:30pm: Report suggested that Dantewada MLA Bheema Mandavi along with five people were killed after Naxals targeted the convoy at Shyamgiri. The IED blast has occurred in Shyamgiri under Kuakonda Police Station.

5:30pm: "KALIA scheme is very important for the farmers particularly during this season when they need those funds," said Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar.

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar: KALIA scheme is very important for the farmers particularly during this season when they need those funds. Also disappointed to see that BJP has complained to EC about the KALIA Scheme. The farmers will give them a befitting reply. https://t.co/DAwXdhqw4P - ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

5:20pm: BJP convoy attacked by Naxals in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada. BJP Dantewada MLA Bheema Mandavi was also in the convoy, ANI reported.

Chhattisgarh: BJP convoy attacked by Naxals in Dantewada. BJP MLA Bheema Mandavi was also in the convoy, further details awaited. pic.twitter.com/MhNVtar2aD - ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

5:10pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday appealed to first-time voters to dedicate their votes for 'air strike' men during a rally at Latur in Maharashtra.

PM Modi: 1st-time voters se main prarthana karta hu, bahut soch-samajh kar vote dena hai. Aap apna vote desh ke liye shaheed hone waale veer jawano ko samarpit kar sakte hain.Aapka pehla vote kisi garib ko apna ghar, muft me aspatal mein illaj mile,iske liye samarpit ho sakta hai pic.twitter.com/noLqxu4keF - ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

5:05pm: Election Commission of India has transferred Abhishek Gupta from the post of Superintendent of Police of Cooch Behar (West Bengal) and has posted Amit Kumar Singh in his place, as per ANI report.

5:00pm: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on 100 years of Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh on 100 years of Jallianwala Bagh massacre: We wanted to observe it on a large scale, but EC isn't allowing. So on 12th evening we'll take out a candle light march, next morning Congress President is coming & he'll pay his respects at the memorial pic.twitter.com/yorGmHgO1l - ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

4:55pm: "We are very hopeful that we will win, there is a lot anger in the public against BJP and support for Congress. I request people to vote for our candidates here(Kairana,Saharanpur and Bijnor) so that we win with a huge margi," said Priyanka Gandhi Vadra after rally in Saharanpur.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Saharanpur: We are very hopeful that we will win, there is a lot anger in the public against BJP and support for Congress. I request people to vote for our candidates here(Kairana,Saharanpur and Bijnor) so that we win with a huge margin pic.twitter.com/GvOOfVmmrJ - ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 9, 2019

4:50pm: Election Commission on Tuesday announced May 19 as date for assembly by-elections for- Panaji(Goa), Sulur, Aravakurichi, Thiruparankundram, Ottapidaram in Tamil Nadu and Kundgol in Karnataka, ANI reported.

4.44pm: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has send a show-cause notice to the makers of popular TV serials 'bhabhiji ghar pe hai' and 'tuz se hai rabata' for promoting PM Modi's schemes ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The Congress party had complained to the EC that these serials are being used to promote Modi's image, reports ANI.

4.05pm: Mamata Banerjee in Bengal: "In five years Modi could not build Ram temple; whenever election approaches he rakes up the issue. Modi urging people to vote by highlighting achievements of soldiers, Army is not fiefdom of Modi and BJP."

4.00pm: "Just like air strike, they also raised questions on strike in the space. They didn't have the courage to sanction missile tests," says PM Modi in Karnataka.

8.15am: As many as 129 FIRs and daily diary (DD) entries have been registered till date against various political parties and others for violation of the model code of conduct in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections, the poll body in Delhi said on Monday, reported PTI. The statistics surveillance team of the Delhi's chief electoral officer's (CEO) office has seized Rs 1.28 crore in cash and also seized 162.86 kg of narcotics and drugs.

8.00am: The poll campaigning in Uttarakhand, where both the BJP and the Congress top brass held big rallies over the past fortnight, will come to an end today.
Predictions about election results by astrologers, tarot card readers and others in media when there is a ban on broadcasting exit polls are a violation of law, the Election Commission said Monday.

The poll body's advisory comes days before the first phase of Lok Sabha elections is to be held on April 11.

The silence period, when campaigning in poll-going areas is barred, begins Tuesday evening.

"The Commission is of the view that prediction of results of elections in any form or manner by way of predictions etc by astrologers, tarot readers, political analysts or by any persons during the prohibited period is violation of the spirit of Section 126A (of the Representation of the People Act) which aims to prevent the electors of constituencies still going to polls from being influenced in their voting by such predictions about the prospects of the various political parties," the advisory read.

Electronic and print media is advised not to publish or publicise any article or programme related to the dissemination of results of exit polls during the prohibited period, it said.

The commission also reiterated its earlier advisory banning exit polls till the evening of May 19.

"Election Commission of India, in exercise of the powers under sub-section(1) of Section 126A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 has notified the period between 7.00 A.M. on 11.04.2019 (Thursday) and 6.30 P.M. on 19.05.2019 (Sunday) as the period during which conducting any exit poll and publishing or publicising the result of exit poll by means of the print or electronic media or in any other manner shall be prohibited," the advisory read.

Also read: Election Commission seeks response from I&B Ministry on NaMo TV

Also read: Lok Sabha elections 2019: ECI reiterates Model Code of Conduct rules in advisory to parties
Shares of Asian Paints tumbled nearly 4 per cent in intra-day trade on Tuesday after the company reported that a fire broke out in Andhra Pradesh manufacturing facility yesterday.

The company made this announcement after trading hours on Monday.

Reacting to the news, the shares opened 26.4 points below yesterday's close and fell as much as 3.8 per cent to touch an intraday low of Rs 1,439.70 on BSE. On NSE, the stock fell almost 4 per cent to day's low at Rs 1,437.20.

"The fire has been brought under control. The company is in the process of assessing the extent of the damage. The manufacturing operations of the plant have been affected. This will not have any impact on the business operations of the company," Asian Paints said in a filing to BSE

In a separate development, global brokerage CLSA downgraded the paint company to 'sell' from 'outperform' and reduced its target price to Rs 1,400 from Rs 1,565. The global investment bank has also slashed EPS estimates by 2-5 percent led by revenue cuts.

The stocks of the company has lost 4.95 per cent in the last three trading sessions.

The share price of the paint company has moved below its 30-day simple moving average today.

According to data available with exchange, there was surge in volume trade with 5.45 lakh shares and 26.42 lakh shares changing hands on BSE and NSE, respectively.

Meanwhile, Asian Paints shares closed trade at Rs 1,443.50, down 3.54 per cent, on the BSE.

(Edited by Rupa Burman Roy)

Also Read: Share Market Update: Sensex gains 255 points, Nifty closes above 11,650; Torrent Pharma, AIA Eng, Dewan Hsg Fin. top gainers

Also Read: Ericsson may have to return Rs 576 crore to RCom if insolvency suit is restored: NCLAT
Shares of Panacea Biotec Ltd rose as much as 17.50 per cent intra-day, as the company said on Monday that India Resurgence Fund (IndiaRF) has announced an investment of up to $144 million in the company.

India Resurgence Fund (lndiaRF), promoted by Piramal Enterprises Ltd and Bain Capital Credit, along with its affiliates, plans to invest up to Rs 992 crore in New-Delhi based Panacea Biotec Limited.

This investment is structured by way of NCDs of up to Rs 864 crore and subscription amount of Rs 32 crore towards share warrants to be allotted on a preferential basis.

"The subscription amount represents 25% of the total amount of Rs 128 crores proposed to be raised upon issuance of equity shares against warrants as per SEBI," the filing added.

As per the filing, the investment proceeds will be used for a one-time settlement with existing lenders, general working-capital and growth requirements. Following the investment, India Resurgence Fund will own 10.4 percent stake in Panacea Biotec on a fully diluted basis.

India RF invests capital in the form of both debt and equity in distress situations in the Indian market and looks to invest in businesses that require balance sheet restructuring and engages with companies that have fundamentally strong growth prospects linked to infrastructure and consumption needs of India and competitive on cost and quality in the export markets.

After forming a gap-up chart pattern, shares of the health management company opened with a gain of at Rs 202, an 11.6 per cent jump against the previous close of Rs 181.15 on BSE. Following this, the stock rose 17.50 per cent in the early trade to touch an intra-day high of Rs 212.85.

The stock has gained after 3 days of consecutive fall. The share price of Panacea Biotec has moved above its 30 and 200-day simple moving average today.

Meanwhile, the stock closed at Rs 200.45, 19 points up or 10.65 per cent above on BSE and 21.5 points up or 11.91 per cent at Rs 200.60 on NSE. A total of 15.7 lakh shares and 2.4 lakh shares were traded on NSE and BSE, respectively.

(Edited by Rupa Burman Roy)

Also Read: Share Market Update: Sensex gains 255 points, Nifty closes above 11,650; Torrent Pharma, AIA Eng, Dewan Hsg Fin. top gainers

Also Read: Ericsson may have to return Rs 576 crore to RCom if insolvency suit is restored: NCLAT
09 Apr 2019, 11:13 AM

HDFC Bank to raise Rs 50,000 crore via debt issue this fiscal

Private sector lender HDFC Bank on Monday said it plans to raise fund up to Rs 50,000 crore by issuing debt instruments over the next 12 months.The bank will raise capital over the period of next twelve months through private placement mode, it said in the exchange filing.

The board of directors would consider this proposal at its ensuing board meeting to be held on April 20, 2019, it added.

India highest recipient of remittances at USD 79 billion in 2018: World Bank

India retained its position as the world's top recipient of remittances with its diaspora sending a whopping USD 79 billion back home in 2018, the World Bank said. India was followed by China (USD 67 billion), Mexico (USD 36 billion), the Philippines (USD 34 billion), and Egypt (USD 29 billion), the global lender said. With this, India has retained its top spot on remittances, according to the latest edition of the World Bank's Migration and Development Brief.

UK court rejects Mallya's plea to appeal against his extradition

A UK High Court has rejected Vijay Mallya's application to appeal against his extradition, a move that brings India closer in getting back the embattled liquor tycoon wanted in alleged fraud and money laundering charges amounting to Rs 9,000 crores. The 63-year-old former Kingfisher Airlines boss had filed the application seeking "leave to appeal" in the High Court on February 14 against his extradition order

BJP promises to lower taxes, make India USD 5 trillion economy

Lower tax rates, interest-free agriculture loans up to Rs 1 lakh and steps to make India a USD 5 trillion economy by 2025 are among the key promises of the ruling BJP as it unveiled the manifesto for the general elections starting April 11. Building 60,000 kilometres of national highways, connecting all villages with rural roads, operationalising 100 new airports, modernising 400 railway stations, and covering 50 cities are also part of the manifesto or 'Sankalp Patra

Ground zero: Logging into Facebook's election war room

Days before India begins to vote, thousands of miles away a team of experts maintain round-the-clock vigil on election-related chatter on Facebook, ready to combat the first signs of misinformation, voter manipulation tactics, poll interference and fake news. Facebook -- which counts India as one of the biggest base outside the US -- has put in motion an elaborate strategy at the headquarters here with 'information warriors' at its election war room watching out for hoax, voter supression attempt, suspicious account behaviour, hate messages, fake accounts, and spikes in spam.

Modi, Trump campaigns similar, rely on playing with people's emotions: Pitroda

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump's campaign strategies are similar as both rely on "playing" with people's emotions, Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda said Monday. Speaking on 'political campaigns in the digital era', Pitroda, a long-time Gandhi family adviser, said digital era is about sound bytes, gimmicks, and videos as opposed to the in depth analysis by journalists earlier.

Pakistan's economy out of crisis phase: Finance Minister

Finance Minister Asad Umar said on Monday that Pakistan's economy was out of the crisis phase even as the cash-strapped country's economic growth is projected to slump further to 3.9 per cent in fiscal year 2019 from 5.2 per cent in 2018.
International carrier Go Air is offering connecting flights on domestic and international routes at an all-inclusive price of Rs 2,765 and Rs 7,000, respectively. The tickets can be booked until April 10, 2019. The discounts are offered on various destinations, including Ahmedabad-Kolkata-Patna, Phuket-Bengaluru-Goa, Delhi-Hyderabad-Kochi, Chandigarh-Ahmedabad-Pune, Male-Bengaluru-Nagpur, among others.

The budget carrier is offering tickets for as low as Rs 2,765 on Guwahati-Kolkata-Hyderabad route, while the lowest price on international connecting flights can be availed on the Male-Bengaluru-Nagpur route, at an all-inclusive ticket price of Rs 7,000.

Recently, the airlines had also announced a limited-period, low fare offer to passengers enabling them to travel domestically for flight tickets starting at an all-inclusive price of Rs 1,415. Under this travel deal, the lowest domestic air travel was priced (inclusive of all taxes) at Rs 1,415 operating from Bengaluru to Kannur whereas the highest price (including taxes) for a domestic destination was Rs 3,057, operating from Hyderabad to Kannur.

The passengers can visit the official website of the carrier for more information on functional offers.

Indian aviation watchdog DGCA has "requested" the airlines to bring the "immediate and medium-term plan" tomorrow to augment the number of flights, which will be over and above the flights approved for the summer schedule, as airfares continue to rise, reported PTI.

"With the grounding of the 737 Max aircraft and the continuing cancellation of flights by Jet Airways, the airfares have been rising. Therefore, the DGCA has been meeting with the airlines continuously so that they augment the additional capacity, which would be over and above the flights approved for the summer schedule," the news agency quoted a senior government official as saying.

(Edited by: Nehal Solanki)

Also read: Jet Airways sale: Nobody interested in buying lenders' stake on Day 1

Also read: Is Jet Airways inching towards bankruptcy court for a resolution?
OnePlus 7 may still be weeks away from the official launch but the leaks are pouring in thick and fast. By now, it is almost a done deal that OnePlus will be doing away with the notch and bring in a pop-up selfie camera instead. The other big highlight of the phone that has been leaked is related to its triple rear camera setup and Snapdragon 855 SOC.

Also Read: OnePlus 7 leaks and rumours: Everything we know so far

The case renders of OnePlus 7 suggest the selfie camera would pop-up from the top left and not the top right edge, as was the case with Vivo V15 or V15 Pro. The other OnePlus sibling, Oppo, had placed the pop-up selfie camera of the Oppo F11 Pro in the center of the top edge. Other than the pop-up selfie camera, the OnePlus 7 renders also revealed the three camera setup at the back, including a 48-megapixel Sony IMX586 sensor. The setup will be accompanied by an LED flash. However, renders have also revealed that OnePlus won't be bringing back the headphone jack but will keep the alert slider and the bottom firing speakers.

For those who are asking me about cutouts of the case for OnePlus 7.#OnePlus #OnePlus7 pic.twitter.com/kqG5L3ydQd Sudhanshu Ambhore (@Sudhanshu1414) April 6, 2019

As far as some of the specifications are concerned, OnePlus 7 will come with Snapdragon 855 processor coupled with up to 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of built-in storage. Most of the internal changes are expected to be incremental and nothing major is anticipated. The phone is likely to have a 6.41-inch AMOLED display with faster in-screen optical fingerprint sensor.

OnePlus has not revealed a launch date yet but the OnePlus 7 could be unveiled in May or June.

OnePlus 7 is expected to be a good follow-up device after OnePlus 6T. The company had launched OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition in India recently to celebrate its fifth anniversary. Inspired by and made in partnership with McLaren Racing Limited, OnePlus' McLaren Edition phone with 10GB of RAM and a 30 W Wrap Charger was 50 per cent faster than the standard OnePlus 6T.

Edited By: Udit Verma

Also Read: OnePlus 7 images leaked again; sports pop-up selfie camera, triple rear-camera

Also Read: OnePlus 7 image leaked: Check out notch-less design, release date, expected price

Also Read: OnePlus 7 image leaked! Shows off pop-up selfie camera, triple rear camera
Vicky Kaushal starrer Uri: The Surgical Strike has become a blockbuster movie of 2019 and its dialogue 'How's the Josh?' is etched in our memory. From Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the dialogue became popular even

among politician. Recently, Uri's director Aditya Dhar revealed that at one point, he was about to change the dialogue after Vicky Kaushal's showed reluctance to it.

Dhar recounted that during the Myanmar sequence, two minutes before the camera-roll, Vicky came to him and said that the dialogue was not impressive enough. But later, Dhar convinced Vicky by saying that's how the Army commanders talk.

As Vicky finished his dialogue, around 30-members of the film's team had goosebumps, said Dhar.

Dhar said he got this phrase from his childhood memories. He said that when he was a small kid he had many friends from defense background with whom he used to go to Army clubs. One army club was in Delhi where Dhar visited every Christmas and New Year. 'In that club there used to be a retired Brigadier who used to line up all kids and had chocolates in his hand. He would say, How's the Josh?' and we were to respond High Sir.' The kid who was the loudest got the chocolates. Further he said, that he loved chocolates so much that he always used to be the loudest and win everytime.

Film Uri is based on 2016 surgical strike, carried out by Indian Army in the aftermath of Uri attack. In which Vicky Kaushal has played the role of officer tasked with training his colleagues for the leading the coveted operation. In one scene, Kaushal asked his battalion''How's the Josh'', to which they reply ,''High , Sir." And since then, the phrase has become trendy.

Uri: The Surgical Strike became one of the biggest blockbusters of 2019 with net earning of Rs 245.36 crore.

Also read: Uri Box Office Collection: Vicky Kaushal's movie nearing Rs 250 crore in India; first blockbuster of 2019

Also read: Uri box office collection: Vicky Kaushals film earns Rs 207 crore in 30 days
The European Union's chief Brexit negotiator said he hoped cross-party crisis talks in London would yield a positive outcome to allow his team to move swiftly in agreeing more ambitions terms on a future British-EU relationship.

Britain's exit from the EU hangs in the balance with Prime Minister Theresa May trying to coax the Labour Party into agreeing a divorce deal with a better chance of being ratified by the British parliament, two days before an emergency summit where she will try to delay the April 12 departure.

"We all hope that these talks will produce a positive outcome. I've said many times before, we can be more, much more ambitious in our future relationship with the UK," Michel Barnier told a news conference with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Dublin.

"The political declaration provides for a range of outcomes including a customs union. We are ready to make this clearer if it helps and this work can be done extremely quickly."

Barnier, a regular visitor to Dublin during two tortuous years of Brexit negotiations, also discussed the consequences for Ireland and in particular its 500-km (350-mile), seamless land border with British-governed Northern Ireland in the event of Britain departing the EU without a transition deal.

He said Dublin and Brussels were intensifying discussions on how they could protect peace on the island of Ireland, anchored in part by the open frontier - while also maintaining the integrity of the EU's single market that allows goods to move freely around the bloc - if Britain left without a deal.

"It is not an easy task but I am confident, I am confident that we will find operational solutions. One thing is certain, whatever happens, the EU will stand fully behind Ireland, you have our full support," Barnier said.

His comments echoed expressions of solidarity made to Varadkar last week in his meetings with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, both of whom May will travel to meet on Tuesday.

While May has asked for a further Brexit delay until June 30, EU summit chair Donald Tusk plans to propose an extension of a year that can be shortened if Britain's parliament eventually approves the divorce deal struck with the EU last November.

Varadkar, whose country has most to lose among the remaining 27 EU members from a disruptive Brexit due to the free movement of goods over the border and its close commercial ties with its nearest neighbor, also favors a long extension.

"I will be speaking to some (fellow EU leaders) on the phone today and tomorrow. There will of course be different views but I am confident that we will reach an agreement," he said. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Fresh insights into the health and wellbeing of Irish workers, collated from 9,225 health screenings carried out across industry sectors by laya healthcare, Irelands largest corporate health and wellbeing provider, were revealed today in the run up to Workplace Wellbeing Day which takes place on Friday, 12th April.

Struggling financially continues to be one of the main worries of Irish workers, with over a quarter (26%) saying they always or often struggle financially from day to day. Almost half (44%) of Irish workers experience anxiety some days and further 7% experiencing anxiety most days.

Over 16% of Irish workers often feel tense, anxious or upset while over 7% suffer from general anxiety most days. Less than half (44%) describe their levels of happiness as Very good, with over one in ten (11%) saying their happiness levels are Fair or poor.

Within the last six months, one in ten (13%) of workers describe regularly experiencing mood swings, which take their moods from very high to very low.

An overwhelming majority (87%) of Irelands workforce is now smoke free, proving a radical change in behaviours and health consciousness over the last decade. Seventy six percent of workers abide by limiting their alcohol consumption to 14 units or less per week. However, almost one in ten (7%) admit to consuming more than the recommended levels. A similar number (10%) are also worried about their drinking habits.

When it comes to physical health 48% of total males screened were classed as overweight, with 18% classed as obese while 28% of total females were classed as overweight, with 16% classed as obese.

Commenting on the results, Deputy MD at laya healthcare, D.O. OConnor said, "It is really positive to see from the results of this research that the majority of Irelands workforce are looking to implement lifestyle changes and are really taking their health and wellbeing seriously. With our technology, we can now get a 360-degree view on the health and wellbeing of organisations allowing us to provide meaningful health and wellbeing programmes."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Sterling trimmed early gains on Tuesday after a German government spokesman denied a media report that Chancellor Angela Merkel was willing to put a time limit on the Northern Ireland backstop in Britain's EU withdrawal agreement.

The UK currency had briefly jumped to the day's high after the BBC reported that a British eurosceptic lawmaker had been advised that Merkel was willing to put a five-year time limit on the backstop.

Disagreement between London and the European Union over the "Irish backstop" is blocking a Brexit deal from getting through Britain's parliament.

A German government spokesman, however, dismissed the media report as "without any foundation" and the pound gave up gains to stand just 0.2 percent higher at $1.3079 by 1030 GMT.

It had climbed as much as nearly half a percent to $1.3122 after the report, compared with $1.3076 earlier. It had also strengthened a third of a percent against the euro to 86 pence.

With barely days remaining for Britain to negotiate a second delay to its departure from the EU beyond the current date of April 12, sterling traders are braced for either a lengthy delay or the prospect of crashing out of the European Union without a deal in place.

While British lawmakers have made it clear that a hard Brexit is not acceptable, there is still no clarity on what would be the nature of the deal between London and Brussels.

"For the pound it seems like a fairly binary outcome of either a hard exit or a long delay, neither of which are positive for the currency in the medium term," said Neil Jones, head of hedge fund sales at Mizuho in London.

While British Prime Minister Theresa May was due to travel to Berlin and Paris on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday's EU summit in Brussels, British lawmakers will hold a 90-minute debate on her proposal to delay Britain's EU departure date to June 30 from April 12.

The debate has been forced on the government by parliament passing a law on Monday that will give lawmakers the power to scrutinize and even make legally binding changes to May's request to extend the Article 50 negotiating period again.

Currency derivative markets painted a cautious outlook with implied volatility gauges for the pound remaining elevated compared to other currencies such as the euro and the yen.

On the eve of an EU summit of national leaders due to decide on whether to grant Britain another Brexit delay, the euro zone's chief negotiator Michel Barnier said the length of any second postponement beyond the current date would depend on the rationale presented by May. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Algerian interim President Abdelkader Bensalah on Tuesday said his top mission is working to overcome the current political crisis and pave way for the election of a new president as soon as possible.

In this March 31, 2019 file, Algeria's Abdelkader Bensalah attends the opening session of the 30th Arab Summit in Tunis, Tunisia. [Photo: IC]

Algeria's state run and private media broadcasted the first speech of Bensalah to the nation as he hailed both the people and the security forces who behaved responsibly and professionally during the mass protest marches across the country since Feb. 22 as no big violent acts have been reported so far.

He also thanked the support of the military institution while "sticking to the Constitution as the only passage to overcome the current political crisis."

He described the current situation as "crucial turning point in the history of Algeria," stressing that his top mission is "guaranteeing power transition to a democratically elected president within 3 months in free and fair election as stipulated by the Constitution."

"An independent and free commission for preparing the presidential election will be established soon as it is should be composed of a group of independent personalities," he noted.

The interim president further called for "working collectively with all parties to draw up adequate laws that frame this commission, and thus set up the cornerstone of a new Algeria."

He concluded by calling Algerians to remain calm and serene ahead of choosing their new president.

Bensalah is a senior official at the second ruling party of National Democratic Rally (RND) and Speaker of the Council of the Nation (upper house of parliament).

He was named earlier on Tuesday interim president to run the transition era after the resignation of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika last week.

The appointment of Bensalah as interim president was proceeded through a joint session of the two houses of parliament amid the boycott of the opposition and independent members of parliament.

Abdelkader Bensalah, 76, should assure the post of interim president for a period of 3 months ahead of electing a new president, in accordance to Article 102 of the Constitution.

The two ruling parties of the National Liberation Front (FLN) and the RND control the majority of seats in both houses of parliament, which facilitated naming Bensalah interim president despite objection of the opposition parties.

According to the constitution, the head of state (interim president) is not entitled to dismiss the government or dissolve the parliament, or even declaring a state of emergency, state of siege or war.

When the session of naming Bensalah as interim president was taking place, Algerian students in the capital city of Algiers and several other provinces took to the streets as they chanted slogans calling Bensalah to quit.

Activists on social media called for another massive march on Friday to reject the naming of Bensalah.

Bouteflika resigned from presidency on April 2 after mass popular protests erupted across the country since Feb. 22 demanding the departure of incumbent system.
A former Pembroke Managing Agency executive joined Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance to run its new Transactional Liability Insurance operations in Asia and the Middle East. Liberty Mutual appointed a new chief of staff for its Global Risk Solutions division. TigerRisk Partners brought on a new partner.

***

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance has hired a new executive to run its freshly-launched Transactional Liability Insurance operations in Asia and the Middle East.

Steven Harwood is BHSIs Head of Transactional Liability in AME, based at the companys Hong Kong office. The new division is focusing primarily on providing Representations and Warranties Insurance as well as Tax Liability Insurance across AME. The company already provides Transactional Liability coverage from offices in the U.S., Canada and the U.K.

Harwood was most recently at Pembroke Managing Agency Underwriting at Lloyds Japan, where he was Senior Underwriter & Solicitor, M&A Insurance. Before that, he was Senior Associate at Herbert Smith Freehills LLP, specializing in mergers and acquisitions, and Divisional Director (London and Tokyo) at Willis Faber & Dumas Ltd, a Lloyds Reinsurance Broker.

***

Liberty Mutual appointed Janelle Edem as chief of staff, Global Risk Solutions  Liberty Mutuals global commercial and specialty lines insurer and reinsurer.

Edemm, in her new role, will organize, prioritize and move forward critical strategic issues to facilitate efficient decision making for GRS executive office. Shell report to GRS president Dennis Langwell.

Previously, Edem served as general manager, UPS Distribution and Service, for GRS National Insurance operation Administration. Edem has also been active in Liberty Mutuals Employee Resource Groups, which bring employees together while fostering an inclusive culture, enhancing personal development and supporting broader business objectives. She served as the first Co-Executive Sponsor of the Liberty Employees of African Descent and Allies ERG, and currently co-chairs the Careers subcommittee of the WE@Liberty + Allies ERG, which helps empower women and allies through programing and mentorship programs.

***

TigerRisk Partners LLC, hired Kevin Feldman as a new partner.

Wade Gulbransen, TigerRisks global head of Reinsurance, said in prepared remarks that Feldman will serve West Coast Clients but also expand the companys client base. Hell be situated in Orange County, CA.

Feldman was most recently at Guy Carpenter as a managing director, and had been there since John B. Collins, where he was an account representative, was absorbed by the company.

TigerRisk is a risk, capital and strategic advisor for global insurers and reinsurers.

Sources: Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance, Liberty Mutual, TigerRisk
Climate change is picking up pace in Europe, thrusting farmers and power generators onto the front lines of a battle with nature that threatens to upend the lives of the half billion people who occupy the worlds biggest trading bloc.

Last year was the third hottest on record and underlines the clear warming trend experienced in the last four decades, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, which operates a network of satellites for the European Union that collects weather, soil, air and water data.

Copernicus lenses captured dozens of images illustrating how climate change is unfolding on Europes landscape. The images were made available to coincide with a gathering of 15,000 scientists in Vienna at an annual meeting of the European Geosciences Union, which assesses the issue each year.

The convention in the Austrian capital is a locus of discovery, where scientists present research and compare notes. The European Space Agency, which operates the Copernicus network, is boosting its 2019 presence after it developing a series of open-source data tools designed to help economies adapt to the hotter and drier seasons already impacting crop yields, power generation and river transport.

Rainfall across central and northern Europe was 80 percent below average levels, resulting in agricultural losses and wildfires. Satellite photos showed dozens of Swedish forests burning in July that destroyed more than $100 million worth of woodland.

As temperatures rose during the year, so did the duration of sunshine, Copernicus said in a statement. Parts of central and northern Europe experienced up to 40 percent more sunshine hours than average with Germany being the sunniest on record.

Not all of the impacts are negative. The preponderance of cloudless days in northern Europe helped Germans generate a record amount of solar power last year. Their 45 gigawatts of installed capacity provided Europes biggest economy with some 9 percent of its electricity while forcing utilities to integrate more variable flows of power from renewables onto their grids.

But that sunshine took a toll on another source of European powerhydroelectricity. Alpine glaciers, whose melting waters help top off hydro power plants across Austria and Switzerland, are disappearing at a faster pace.

Glacier retreat would have a large impact on the Alps since glaciers are an important part of the regions ecosystem, landscape and economy, said Harry Zekollari, a climate scientist in Switzerland. They attract tourists to the mountain ranges and act as natural fresh water reservoirs. Glaciers provide a source of water for hydroelectricity, which is especially important in warm and dry periods.

Its because of those long-term weather trends that that the EU is trying to get more policy makers and businesses to use satellite data and imagery to help planning. Its data feeds Barcelonas Vortex SL, which aids renewable energy developers to find places with the best wind currents and weather patterns before installing turbines and panels. Marex Spectron Group Ltd. use Copernicus data in forecasting coffee, sugar and cocoa yields. The EU project said it even helped Heineken NV brew a better beer by lowering the amount of water it needs in the process.

The pain felt by European farmers was evident from space, according to Copernicus, which published images showing how the normally lush cropland of central and northern Europe were burnt crisp by heat and lack of rain.

Dry conditions were especially persistent in Germany, where the April-September period was the second-driest on record, leading to heavy agricultural production losses, the scientists wrote.

In order to avoid the catastrophic effects of runaway climate changerising seas, super-storms, famine and warthe world needs to invest some $2.4 trillion a year through 2035 in order to cut fossil fuel emissions. Even a rise of 1.5 degrees would have massive consequences, including a multi-meter rise in sea levels over hundreds to thousands of years and a mass extinction of plants and animals.

To avoid the worst outcomes posed by living on a hotter and drier planet, Copernicus is trying to help farmers by giving them access to satellite images overlaid with data, which could help agriculture identify crop strains that can keep up with the changing climate.

Countries need to develop and consolidate innovative approaches, tools and methods for characterizing high-impact events and quantify loss and damage, according to the World Meteorological Organizations state of the climate report.

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.
(ANSA) - Cairo, April 9 - Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte called Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj on Monday to discuss the offensive being waged by General Khalifa Haftar, a strongman based in the east of the country, the UN-backed Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) said via Facebook on Tuesday. The leaders discussed "developments and the repercussions of the attack by the forces of Khalifa Haftar on Tripoli and a series of Libya cities" according to the post.

"Conte stated that Italy categorically rejects this attack that creates instability, hitting the civil airport (of Tripoli) and threatening the lives of civilians" it said.

"He appealed for the immediate end of this military operation and called for Haftar's forces to return to the positions that they started from".


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Rennie Sloan, 404-420-5129, rennie.sloan@cartercenter.org

The Carter Center, Georgia Appleseed Center for Law & Justice, and Voices for Georgias Children Hold First School-Based Mental Health Forum to Advance Mental Health and Well-Being in Children

ATLANTAThe first of six regional School-Based Behavioral Health Forums across Georgia will convene at The Carter Center on April 15 (more details below). These forums  co-hosted by The Carter Center, Georgia Appleseed Center for Law & Justice, and Voices for Georgias Children  will assess the status of school-based behavioral health efforts in those regions of Georgia, identify and eliminate barriers to success, and encourage the adoption of national best practices. During the April 15 event, panelists will focus on school-based behavioral health in the Atlanta metropolitan region and the anticipated release of new state funding to increase the number of mental health professionals in Georgias schools. Educators, parents, policy leaders, behavioral health experts and providers are encouraged to attend this public forum.

Almost 20 percent of children and adolescents in Georgia have a diagnosed mental health disorder, said Carter Center Mental Health Program Director Eve Byrd. This forum is the first of its kind to gather all the stakeholders in one room to develop a better understanding of barriers and a solution to better serve unaddressed mental health needs for children in schools.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the estimate of Georgias children and adolescents aged 2-17 who had a diagnosed mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder in 2016 is the same as the national rate: 18.3 percent.

The nation is at a tipping point to address childrens mental health and well-being, said Talley Wells, executive director at Georgia Appleseed. Although Georgia has made important progress, we need to work together to increase the capacity of our schools to support interventions for children through access to mental health providers in schools and a multi-tiered approach for interventions.

Examples of the mental health and development issues experienced by youth in the U.S. include stress, anxiety, bullying, family problems, depression, learning disabilities, and alcohol and substance abuse. Left untreated, youth are more likely to experience academic failure, absenteeism, become involved with the criminal justice system, or in severe cases, an increased risk of suicide.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for children in Georgia, ages 15-19, and third for children ages 10-14, said Dr. Erica Fener-Sitkoff, executive director at Voices for Georgias Children. Strengthening the behavioral health workforce, especially inside schools, is critical to improving care and outcomes for our kids.

The two most common metrics to assess a states ability to serve mental health needs in children are the availability of mental health providers in schools and the use of an evidence-based school climate approach. Georgia uses Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in many of its school districts. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp recently pledged an additional $8.4 million to the Apex program, a program started in 2015 by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities that pays for mental health providers to be available in schools. This increase in funding is expected to increase coverage of mental health providers in schools to almost 20 percent of Georgias schools by 2020.

Editors Note:

 Media wishing to attend the Atlanta School-Based Behavioral Health Forum must RSVP by April 12 at 12 p.m. to Rennie Sloan (404-420-5129, rennie.sloan@cartercenter.org).

 The public is encouraged to register to attend the event, which will take place in the Ivan Allen Pavilion of The Carter Center at 453 Freedom Parkway. Registration must be completed by April 12 at 12 p.m. Register here: https://mhforum.cartercenter.org/atlsbbhforum/. Limited walk-ins will be accepted.

 Learn more about the Carter Center's Georgia mental health crisis efforts: https://www.cartercenter.org/health/mental_health/forum/georgia-crisis.html

 Portions of the forum will be livestreamed on Twitter on @cartercenter. During the forum, you can join the conversation using #GAschoolbasedmentalhealth.

 View complete agenda here 
Hemophilia is an inherited bleeding disorder primarily affecting malesbut females can also have hemophilia. Learn how hemophilia is passed in families, and read Shellyes inspirational story about her journey toward a diagnosis and treatment plan for hemophilia.

What is hemophilia?

Hemophilia is a bleeding disorder in which the blood does not clot properly. It is caused by a lack of clotting factor proteins in the blood. As a result, people with hemophilia may experience excessive and longer-than-usual bleeding after physical injury or trauma, but they can also experience bleeding without injury or any obvious trigger. People with hemophilia can use treatments called clotting factor concentrates (also known as factor) to replace the missing clotting factor proteins in their blood to stop bleeding. This is typically done by injecting factor into a persons vein. Often, the best choice for good, quality medical care for people with hemophilia is from a comprehensive hemophilia treatment center (HTC). Find an HTC near you.

What causes hemophilia?

Hemophilia is caused by a mutation (change) in one of the genes that provides instructions within cells for making clotting factor proteins in the blood. This mutation results in hemophilia by preventing the clotting factor protein from working properly or causing it to be missing altogether. These genes are located on the X chromosome. Males have one X and one Y chromosome (XY) and females have two X chromosomes (XX). A male inherits his X chromosome from his mother and his Y chromosome from his father. A females inherits one X chromosome from each parent. A male can have hemophilia if he inherits an affected X chromosome (an X chromosome with a mutation in the gene that causes hemophilia) from his mother.

Did You Know More than 2,700 women with hemophilia A or B are entered in Community Counts HTC Population Profile, a public health monitoring program that gathers information about people with bleeding disorders who are cared for in HTCs in the United States. These women account for approximately 11% of the total hemophilia population receiving care at HTCs. Learn more about Community Counts.

Hemophilia can affect women, too

Females can also have hemophilia, but it is much rarer. When a female has hemophilia, both X chromosomes are affected or one is affected and the other is missing or non-functioning. In these females, bleeding symptoms can be similar to males with hemophilia. When a female has one affected X chromosome, she is a carrier of hemophilia. Being a female carrier of hemophilia is not the same as having hemophilia, although female carriers may experience symptoms of hemophilia. A female carrier can also pass the affected X chromosome on to her children.

Sometimes females with bleeding symptoms are not tested for hemophilia because there is often a misbelief that women cant have hemophilia but can only be carriers. Thus, women with hemophilia might not get an accurate diagnosis. Although it is rarer for women to have hemophilia when compared to men, women can also have the condition. It is important to raise awareness about this fact to help women with hemophilia receive the care and support they need to live healthy lives.

Below, Shellye, a woman living with hemophilia, shares her story about the challenges she has faced living with this condition.

Shellyes Story

Growing up, we understood that men had hemophilia and women were carriers. Women passed along the X-linked gene, but did not actually get hemophilia because (it was believed) that the good X chromosome compensated for the X chromosome that carried hemophilia. When women in our family struggled with bleeding issues, hemophilia was not even on the radar as a possible contributor or cause.

Read Shellyes full story about the challenges she faced living with hemophilia 

Visit CDCs hemophilia webpage to learn more.
California Department of Education

News Release

California Department of Education

News Release

State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Announces 2019 Model School Attendance Review Board Winners

SACRAMENTOState Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced today that 23 school attendance programs were recognized as model School Attendance Review Boards (SARBs) for outstanding strategies to reduce chronic absenteeism and increase student attendance.

In order for students to reach their full learning potential, they need to be in school, said State Superintendent Thurmond. These exemplary attendance programs have reduced chronic absenteeism rates at the district level and have been able to provide the necessary support to students who are the most vulnerable and at risk of becoming a chronic absentee. This recognition is well-deserved, and I hope that other districts will follow the lead of the model SARBs and replicate their methods so we can get all of our students back in class and on the pathway to graduation and a successful future.

Statewide chronic absenteeism data became available for the first time in 2017 and demonstrated chronic absenteeism patterns in schools districts and counties. Last year, chronic absenteeism became a state indicator on the California School Dashboard and increased awareness of the high chronic absenteeism rates in the state, particularly among the following student subgroups: Students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged students, homeless, and foster youth.

Students are considered chronic absentees if they miss 10 percent or more of the school days they have been enrolled. Students and families are referred for SARB meetings when a school has tried and failed to prevent or resolve attendance or behavior problems.

State Superintendent Thurmond convenes the State SARB to bring together key agencies and community partners to promote a three-tiered model for reducing chronic absenteeism rates and drop-out rates in the state: prevention, early intervention, and intensive intervention.

Schools cannot succeed alone in addressing high chronic absenteeism rates, said Thurmond. It is not just about what schools can do but what schools, communities, and parents can do working together.

Thurmond has spent years working to reduce chronic absenteeism. As an Assemblymember, he authored and helped to pass the Learning Communities for School Success Program (AB 1014), which has provided over $68 million in grants to schools seeking to resolve attendance problems for students in grades K12.

The expert panel appointed by Thurmond reviewed the applications submitted by local and county SARBs throughout the state.

The Model SARB award recognizes excellence in specific content areas, including establishing goals and objectives, implementing prevention and intervention strategies, and developing collaborations with local agency resources.

All 23 SARB programs will be recognized at the state conference of the California Association of Supervisors of Child Welfare and Attendance on April 19 in Napa. The chairperson of each SARB has agreed to mentor other SARB chairpersons in the state:

Alhambra Unified School District, Lindsey Ma, Chairperson, 626-943-3410, ma_lindsey@ausd.us

Alvord Unified School District, Sandy Fielding, Chairperson, 951-509-5139, sandy.fielding@alvordschools.org

Banning Unified School District, Dr. Janet Gray and Dr. Barbara Wolford, Chairpersons, 951-922-0200, extension 104005, jgray@banning.k12.ca.us, bwolford@banning.k12.ca.us

Bellflower Unified and Paramount Unified School Districts, Malcohm Heron, Chairperson, 562-866-9011, extension 7410, MalcohmHeron@BUSD.k12.CA.US

Corona-Norco Unified School District, Kathy Lee, Chairperson, 951-736-5093, klee@cnusd.k12.ca.us

Desert Sands Unified School District, Catherine Bennett, Chairperson, 760-238-9708, Catherine.Bennett@desertsands.us

Firebaugh-Las Deltas Unified School District, Terry Anderson, Chairperson, 559-659-3899, tanderson@fldusd.org

Fontana Unified School District, Craig Baker, Chairperson, 909-357-7600, extension 29087, Craig.Baker@fusd.net

Glendale Unified School District, Dr. Ilin Magran, Chairperson, 818-241-3111, extension 1500, imagran@gusd.net

Hacienda La Puente Unified School District, Cynthia Cabello, Chairperson, 626-933-4335, cgomz@hlpusd.k12.ca.us

Hemet Unified School District, Dennis Massey, Chairperson, 951-765-5100, extension 3700, Dmassey@hemetusd.org

Jurupa Unified School District, Sandra Amatriain, Chairperson, 951-360-4137, Sandra-amatriain@jusd.k12.ca.us

Lake Elsinore Unified School District, Dr. Steve Behar, Chairperson, 951-253-7033, steve.behar@leusd.k12.ca.us

Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District, Scott Vernoy, Chairperson, 925-606-3207, svernoy@lvjusd.k12.ca.us

Long Beach Unified School District, Dr. Erin Simon, Chairperson, 562-986-6870, extension 241, ESimon@lbschools.net

Los Banos Unified School District, Dan Martin, Chairperson, 209-509-5949, dmartin@losbanosusd.k12.ca.us

Menifee Union School District, Caroline Luke, Chairperson, 951-672-1351, cluke@menifeeusd.org

Perris Elementary School District, Cynthia Leon, Chairperson, 951-940-4942, ext. 3210, Cynthia.leon@perrisesd.org

Redondo Beach Unified School District, Hermosa City Beach School District, Manhattan Beach Unified School District, and El Segundo Unified School District, Anthony Bridi, Chairperson, 310-798-8690, abridi@rbusd.org

Rialto Unified School District, Adam Waggoner, Chairperson, 909-873-4336, extension 2381, awaggone@rialto.k12.ca.us

Romoland School District, Ricky Alyassi, Chairperson, 951-926-9244, extension 1221, ralyassi@romoland.net

Santa Ana Unified School District, Gaudencio Marquez, Chairperson, 714-433-3476, gaudencio.marquez@sausd.us

Vacaville Unified School District, Ramiro Barron, Chairperson, 707-453-7126, extension 225, RamiroB@vacavilleusd.org





# # # #

Tony Thurmond  State Superintendent of Public Instruction

Communications Division, Room 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

Last Reviewed: Tuesday, December 8, 2020
(ANSA) - Washington, April 9 - The second half of 2018 was particularly weak for Italian growth and this weakness continued into 2019, with lingering fears over the high debt burden, IMF chief economist Gita Gopinath said Tuesday without commenting on the prospect of a flat tax.

"We must wait for the details," she said.

The IMF said that it has cut its 2019 growth forecast for Italy to 0.1%, down 0.5 of a percentage point from its January forecast and 0.9 of a point with respect to the prediction it made in October.

This compares to GDP growth of 0.9% in 2018. The fund's Italian growth forecast for 2020 remained unchanged at 0.9%.

Italy, Brexit, and the European elections are all risk factors for growth, the IMF said. "In Europe a prolonged period of elevated yields in Italy would put Italian banks under further stress, would weigh on economic activity and worsen debt dynamics," it said. "Other specific European factors that could (affect growth) are the growing possibility of a no-deal Brexit and the outcome of the European elections" if progress in building the eurozone architecture is halted or reversed.

"A prolonged budget uncertainty and high spreads in Italy, especially if associated with a deeper recession, could have negative repercussions on the other eurozone economies".


Exports from southern Pakistan remain strong

09 April 2019

Total cement sales in Pakistan declined by seven per cent YoY to 4.3Mt in March 2019 and six per cent YoY to 29.3Mt in 9MFY19. However, exports from the southern region continued to be strong.

Total exports rose by 23 per cent YoY to 0.5Mt in March 2019. Exports from the northern region fell by 40 per cent as shipments to India have been halted following escalation tensions on the border.



Exports in 9MFY19 rose 49 per cent YoY to 5.1Mt, mainly due to a ramp up of exports from southern players to Africa, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka following the completion of capacity additions by Attock Cement, Lucky Cement and DG Khan Cement. This trend is likely to continue as a result of the devaluation of the Pakistan rupee and sanctions imposed on Iran.

Domestic capacity utilisation fell to 83 per cent during 9MFY19 compared to 97 per cent in the same period a year earlier.

Published under
HeidelbergCement makes further progress with portfolio optimisation

09 April 2019

HeidelbergCements subsidiary Italcementi has signed contracts with Buzzi Unicem and Colacem regarding the disposals of cement plants in the northern and central region of Italy. The involved parties agreed not to disclose details of the transactions for the time being.

These divestments are part of our action plan to accelerate our portfolio optimisation, said Dr Scheifele, chairman of the Managing Board of HeidelbergCement. We are well on our way to reach our target of EUR1.5bn of disposals by the end of 2020.



The sale of the Spoleto cement plant to Colacem was already closed at the beginning of April. In addition, Italcementi signed an agreement with Buzzi Unicem about the sale of the Testi cement plant, located in Greve, Chianti, Tuscany, and two grinding plants  Borgo San Dalmazzo and Arquata Scrivia in Piedmont. Closing of this transaction is expected by the end of July 2019.

Published under
(ANSA) - Rome, April 9 - The DEF economic blueprint confirms 2019 GDP growth at 0.2%, premier's office sources said after cabinet approved the plan Tuesday.

There are no new taxes or a supplementary budget in the DEF economic blueprint, premier's office sources said Tuesday.

"The document confirms the government plans in the budget law and respect for the objectives set by the European Commission," the premier's office itself said.

The DEF will include a dual rate flat tax of 15% and 20% for households earning up to 50,000 euros, sources said ahead of the meeting.

The cabinet meeting was faced with how to defuse automatic VAT hikes, but Deputy Premier and Labour and Industry Minister Luigi Di Maio stressed that the problem "does not exist".

The 0.2% growth forecast is down from the government's previous forecast of growth of 1% in 2019.

It said GDP was set to rise 0.6% in 2020, 0.7% in 2021 and 0.9% in 2022.

The draft DEF added, however, that the government thinks GDP could actually rise 0.2% this year and 0.7% in 2020 thanks to the effects of measures it will introduce.

Economy Minister Giovanni Tria has denied reports he is close to quitting and argued the League/5-Star Movement (M5S) coalition backing Premier Giuseppe Conte's government should focus on boosting economy growth.

The Italian economy slipped into recession in the second half of 2018 and growth is expected to be sluggish this year, perhaps even negative.

"There isn't a government in any other European country that enjoys such solid support from the electorate and from parliament as in Italy," Tria said in interview published in Tuesday's edition of La Repubblica.

"The ruling majority has huge political capital and, therefore, it has great responsibility too and it should put this at the service of growth". He said that reports of continued tension within the government were wrong and said he had never considered, nor threatened, resigning.

When asked about whether the pledge to introduce a two-tier flat tax would feature in the government's new DEF economic blueprint, Tria said the executive would have to intervene in relation to public spending too.

Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said earlier Tuesday that the government's planned two-tier 'flat tax' may apply to households with a combined income of up to 50,000 euros, at first at least.

"That is the reasoning we are starting from," Salvini told reporters at Milan's Salone del Mobile furniture fair when asked about the 50,000-euro-per-family threshold. "The important thing is to do things. It's right to talk but then it is necessary to act.

"There is already a lower tax rate for self-employed people, artisans and shop-keepers. Now we want to reduce taxes for families and employed workers too".

The second half of 2018 was particularly weak for Italian growth and this weakness continued into 2019, with lingering fears over the high debt burden, IMF chief economist Gita Gopinath said Tuesday without commenting on the prospect of a flat tax.

"We must wait for the details," she said.

The IMF said that it has cut its 2019 growth forecast for Italy to 0.1%, down 0.5 of a percentage point from its January forecast and 0.9 of a point with respect to the prediction it made in October.

This compares to GDP growth of 0.9% in 2018. The fund's Italian growth forecast for 2020 remained unchanged at 0.9%.

Italy, Brexit, and the European elections are all risk factors for growth, the IMF said. "In Europe a prolonged period of elevated yields in Italy would put Italian banks under further stress, would weigh on economic activity and worsen debt dynamics," it said. "Other specific European factors that could (affect growth) are the growing possibility of a no-deal Brexit and the outcome of the European elections" if progress in building the eurozone architecture is halted or reversed.

"A prolonged budget uncertainty and high spreads in Italy, especially if associated with a deeper recession, could have negative repercussions on the other eurozone economies".


Libya: Conte talks on phone to Serraj about attack Haftar's forces mounting offensive on Tripoli

(ANSAmed) - CAIRO, APRIL 9 - Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte called Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj on Monday to discuss the offensive being waged by General Khalifa Haftar, a strongman based in the east of the country, the UN-backed Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) said via Facebook on Tuesday. The leaders discussed "developments and the repercussions of the attack by the forces of Khalifa Haftar on Tripoli and a series of Libya cities" according to the post.



"Conte stated that Italy categorically rejects this attack that creates instability, hitting the civil airport (of Tripoli) and threatening the lives of civilians" it said.



"He appealed for the immediate end of this military operation and called for Haftar's forces to return to the positions that they started from". (ANSAmed).




Georgetown property owner Greg Vital said he is questioning whether TVA is following the requirements of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act relating to Native American cultural artifacts TVA identified in late February.

Mr. Vital, representing the four property owners whose land was taken by eminent domain action last November, said TVA moved the proposed route of its transmission line within days of finding cultural artifacts and possible graves, then "cut a new swath through virgin farmland without informing the property owners."

Mr. Vital said, It doesnt matter to TVA about preservation of sacred artifacts or private property rights. TVA has a schedule for Project Viper and moving the power control center out of downtown Chattanooga. Nothing else matters. TVA will say they are following all the regulations of Section 106 just like they say they have kept the property owners informed since last August, which is just a white lie, said Vital. When TVA speaks on this issue, it has been 10% fact and 90% deception.

Mr. Vital said TVA should have proposed alternate routes west of the original route, completely avoiding the Native American site and its natural setting. He also questioned why TVA is burying the transmission line needed to connect to Volunteer Energy Cooperative on Highway 58 across TVA property and not the new transmission line crossing the Georgetown property owners land.

He said the new proposed route across his property "contains the same kind of cultural artifact structures as were found on the original route, yet TVA carved out the path before completing a Section 106 review and sharing the report with the property owners and Native American tribes.

TVA makes heartless, arbitrary decisions based on a schedule, which it did in this case. TVA has refused since August to address citizens concerns over the impact of Project Viper. It has refused to respect private property rights. It refuses to respect Native Americans. Is there anybody TVA does respect?
(Editors Note: Dr. Wayne Shearer, 94, is a retired optometrist and retired colonel from the U.S. Air Force Reserve now living in Hixson. In his early 90s, he decided to sit down and write from memory and a few records he still possesses his recollections of going through Army Air Corps pilot training at several bases in the United States during World War II. A lifelong writer, he wanted to pen them as he remembered them happening at the time.

He also recreates now-lost letters as best as he recalls writing them and references newspaper articles he collected at the time and still possesses. This is the 14th in a series of regular excerpts from his as yet unpublished book, Under This Arch.)

* * * * *

Setting: Preflight School in San Antonio, Texas





October 9, 1943:

Things went well for us at our Saturday inspection. The words of praise and encouragement from the S.A.A.C.C. commander as we stood at parade rest was nice. One or two cadets in another flight passed out when we were at attention with all the squadrons being assembled. They were quickly revived.

You could see the pride all 6,000 of us felt as we marched across the highway and under the arch that had written on it: Under This Arch Pass the Best Damn Future Pilots in the World. This is where it really begins at this historical Preflight School for Pilots on The Hill at old Kelly Army Air Field. We are Pilot Class 44-F, the colonel told us. Our journey continues as we marched to our new barracks.

Others that were here ahead of us are now flying combat for their country. This hilly mesquite growing area of Kelly was used in 1918 for bombing practice.





The San Antonio Evening News, San Antonio, Texas, on Saturday, October 9, 1943, said: FIFTH ARMY PATROLS WAY PAST VOLTURNO RIVER. Gains of two and three miles are scored by twin forces with one arm of Gen. Clarks Army taking vital rail and road center of Caserta, 16 miles above Naples.

Other headlines from that days paper: 1,600-mile penetration made into Europe by U.S. B-24 Liberators and B-17 Flying Fortresses bombing important targets in Eastern Germay, East Prussia and Poland.

Also, World Series resumes at St. Louis park between the Yankees and the Cardinals.

Oct. 12, 1943:

I havent had time to catch my breath since we arrived and unpacked, placing everything into the footlocker and small closet -- all in the neat Army way and ready for inspection at any time. Our new tactical lieutenants and sergeants are going to demand strict discipline of us. We were told to spit-shine our shoes and to work the blitz cloth on our brass. If not, gigs will be given! It seems that theyre looking for reasons to gig us and to eliminate us.

On Monday, our flight marched to the orderly room to receive our nametags. The two-class system does not exist any longer, as previously; but our new nametags let others know that we are lower classmen. We wear red nametags and upperclassmen wear blue nametags. The tags list name, serial number, and class, such as A/C John W. Smith, 1400-0000, 44F. The nametag is placed over the left hand shirt or blouse pocket.

The gigs, or demerits, can be easily obtained by a cadet not obeying any of the many rules theyve read to us. The nametags in large letters make for quick identification. Gigs being 1 hour each for walking-off purposes on your day off will be done marching at attention with rifle in front of the squadron headquarters building quadrangle.

Since weve had no open post yet at San Antonio, we were told it will still be 4 weeks until we do.

Preflight School will have the following subjects: math, meteorology, physics, aircraft engines, aircraft recognition, ship recognition, aeronautical maps and charts, Morse Code (aural and blinkers), and military organization. These will keep us busy and will be taught by officers who in civilian life were college professors and civilian PhDs. Half of these courses will be given the first 4 weeks, with the other half the last 4 weeks.

Letter home:

October 12, 1943

Dear Mother and Dad,

We made the move into Preflight School four days ago, on Saturday. No time has been wasted, since I have been busy. Some of my friends from C.T.D. are not in my new squadron. Seems as if every time we change bases, were mixed into different squadrons. You get to meet other people by these changes, though.

The food is good. We are eating out of dishes as they try to make an officer and a gentleman out of us cadets. There is no drumming out of failed cadets here as at Maxwell Army Air Field Preflight School in the Southeast training command. Some of the subjects to be covered are a continuation from C.T.D. with new subject materials. Kelly Army Air Field trained cadets in World War I, so theres lots of history here.

Your loving son, Wayne

P.S. Note my new address and give Norma a hug.

The San Antonio Evening News, San Antonio, Texas, on Tuesday, October 12, 1943, said: ANTI-SUB BASES IN AZORES MADE AVAILABLE TO BRITAIN. Portugal has granted Great Britain key naval and air facilities. The Azores Island group lies 800 miles off Lisbon between Portugal and the United States.

Other news headlines from that days paper: NAZI INDUSTRY BEING WRECKED BY BOMBERS. A prediction that the U.S. Army Air Force and the RAF together shall inexorably beat final victory was made today by Prime Minister Churchill.

Also, 16,000 SERBIANS AND JEWS SLAIN. A Reuters Stockholm dispatch said today, reporting that, after a visit to Hungary, 16,000 Jews and Serbs in the Bacaka region of Serbia were massacred.

October 14, 1943:

Today is Friday and the end of our first week of Preflight School. Some of the cadet officers are new at the job; the others are holdovers from S.A.A.C.C. Most of us do not desire to be cadet officers because of the extra work involved. The tactical officer in charge of us tells the cadet officer what to do whether it be for the cadet officer to shout loudly, Attention, Sound off, Pass in Review, Prepare for Inspection, etc. Well all receive the same rank upon graduation and the cadet officer will have to prove his ability to get there, like we all do. Some of the cadet officers seem to let it go to their head.

A requirement to pass is to have a trainee experience in the high altitude pressure chamber. Weve all heard about this large cylindrical tube about 9 feet high and 25 feet long with a large porthole door that is bizarre looking, as if from another world. Its purposes are to demonstrate lack of oxygen (hypoxia), which is a killer, and to test our ability to withstand the transitions up and down while functioning at high altitude. This is done the first several weeks in Preflight School. It was done today for us after seeing some films.

And at the aero-medical building that our flight marched to, we were fitted with typical aircrew oxygen masks. The technician carefully fitted the masks to each of our faces, giving us the camphor test with a cotton tip. If camphor was smelled, he adjusted some more. I did not smell any camphor, so my mask was airtight.

The medics sat on stools outside several portholes with controls, lights and valves where they observed. Eighteen of us entered the porthole into a small lock area being a little altitude chamber, which can be operated separately from the main chamber. If a cadet is suffering extreme pain or some life-threatening condition in the main tank, he can be placed into this small chamber and brought down in altitude to relieve the distress. A flight surgeon is constantly monitoring everyone through the portholes. He can enter the small chamber if necessary.

I noticed as we entered each of these chambers that each porthole door is secured with a number of screw-down locking clamps around the door. The first one was locked in the small chamber, as we entered with two medics to the outside. The second one was locked in the large chamber leading to the smaller, emergency chamber. Rumors are that a cadet had recently died in the chamber.

I felt very closed in and claustrophobic as we were seating ourselves on two benches attached to the sides of the altitude chamber. Oxygen regulators with dangling hoses for our oxygen masks were in the ceiling above the benches where we sat facing each other.

We were becoming more apprehensive in these strange, foreboding surroundings. Ive never seen or been in anything like this before. We all felt threatened in this chamber, even more as the medical doctors seated outside watched us through the porthole windows. An oversized altimeter was at one end of the wall for us to watch as the air was pumped out.

After the two medical techs with us were satisfied that our masks were properly connected, they connected theirs. One of the techs had a microphone in his mask with a small speaker so he could tell us what was going on.

The needle on the large altimeter began to rise, with a lot of unexpected and dissimilar sounds of popping, hissing and banging of metal pieces. The loud noises of the air being pumped out of the chamber stopped at 14,000 feet. We were told to yawn widely to clear our ears. One of our cadets was worried about his mask and the medic made sure it was OK and then the noise started once more with a rapid rise to 20,000 feet and then stopped. Everyone was very quiet.

The medical tech explained that at higher altitudes, gases are trapped under bad fillings in the teeth and in the bowels. He said that if your tooth hurts, you cant do anything about it until we return to sea level. He said for the bowel and stomach swelling to loosen your belt and pass as much air as you can, loud or not, but let it rip! Laughter followed with a tension relief. You couldnt smell anything because we were on pure oxygen with our masks.

He explained that aircrew members must be very aware of their own condition when flying at high altitude. More air was drawn out of the chamber as we went to 30,000 feet altitude on the altimeter. Be aware of your hose connections and oxygen regulator.

Now to demonstrate the effects of hypoxia, the medic asked for a volunteer to remove his mask and was told to whistle. He could not due to the low pressure and put his mask back on. A second volunteer removed his oxygen mask and was told to write his name on a paper pad from top to bottom over and over. His first writing was normal appearing; then all over the pad. He thought it was funny. This was alarming and fearsome to the rest of us as he passed out cold. The medic quickly replaced his mask and he looked around puzzled why we were all looking at him. Our understanding of oxygen deprivation will be with us forever. We slowly descended from 30,000 feet and our own two hours of educational adventure was over!

The San Antonio Evening News, San Antonio, Texas, on Thursday, October 14, 1943, said: FIFTH ARMY CRACKS GERMAN LINE ACROSS VOLTURNO RIVER. British and American troops of Lt. Gen. Mark W. Clarks 5th Army cracked the strong German lines along the Volturno River in a fierce night attack Wednesday and have established several armor reinforced bridgeheads across that most formidable obstacle in the path to Rome, Allied Headquarters announced today.

Another headline said: 177 JAPANESE PLANES WRECKED IN ALLIED RAID AGAINST RABOUL. Gen. MacArthur threw every bomber and fighter plane he could risk in a gigantic smash Tuesday at Japans key sea-air bastion of Raboul on New Britain. He said: I think weve broken its back.

Letter home:

October 17, 1943

Dear Mother and Dad,

Your son and others in 44-F after 2 weeks are all getting more assurance each day in Preflight. We have reveille at 0550 continuing with our daily schedule until taps at 2200 (10 p.m. civilian time) through the loud speaker on our 2400 Army hour system. Shortly after reveille, we have breakfast and back to the barracks to sweep the floor, make up the bed, shine shoes and brass for inspection. We march to our 0800 class. Classes continue until dinner (lunch) with the afternoons devoted to physical training (P.T.) and drill (marching).

My flight experienced the high altitude pressure chamber this week. I dreaded it but everything went well and it was a learning situation. The weather is not as hot now; but these uniform shorts are comfortable. Well be in long trousers the first of November. Let Norma know how Im doing.

Your loving son, Wayne

* * * * *

To see the previous entry in this series, read here.

https://www.chattanoogan.com/ 2019/3/23/387040/Wayne- Shearers-World-War-II-Memoir. aspx

* * * * *

Dr. Shearer can be contacted at docshearer@epbfi.com.
AMMAN (JORDAN) - Jordan is a "friend" of Italy, guided with wisdom and caution by King Abdullah II, and represents a moderate and respected interlocutor in a troubled Middle Eastern scenario, according to the position to be outlined during a three-day official visit of Italian President Sergio Mattarella to the country, which is kicking off on Tuesday.

The visit takes place at a very delicate time for the area, as political elections are held in Israel Tuesday, where tension with Hezbollah in Gaza remains extremely high.

Attention will focus on considerations regarding the dynamics of the Israeli vote to be made by King Abdullah who has represented a moderating force for years and has built a welcoming country. One in eight people in Jordan hailed from Syria and three in 10 are refugees. Libya is on the brink of a civil war and the West appears to be powerless both in understanding and acting in a context that is very close to Italy.

Jordan remains a small country with which Italy has excellent relations, including economic ones. Despite its scarce industrial and agricultural production, the country has registered good economic growth. In 2018, the country's economy has grown by 2%. In particular, the services sector has registered nearly a 4% increase, finance and insurance +3,6%, agriculture +3,2%, transport and communication +3%, while real estate has exceeded 2%. Jordan's economic growth should accelerate by 2.3% in 2019.

In this context, Italy has the opportunity to be present, also considering that the kingdom has a strong need for know-how and technology.

During his visit, Mattarella is scheduled to travel to the largest refugee camp for Syrians, the Zaatari camp. He will also visit the Sanctuary on Mount Nebo, where he will meet with Father Francesco Patton, Custos of the Holy Land.

On Thursday, the last day of the visit, after meeting with Premier Omar Razzaz, Mattarella will visit Petra, the archaeological site that has twinned with Matera, the 2019 European capital of culture, where Italian researchers play a major work in restoration work.
Deputies with the Bradley County Sheriffs Office responded on Saturday to a local motel to investigate a complaint of a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot.

Deputies made contact with two males in a Mercedes, later identified as Juan Sanchez Jr. and Jimmy Ogle. It was determined that Ogle had an arrest warrant for failure to appear and he was asked to step out of the car. Upon exiting the vehicle, deputies observed in plain view items commonly used in the sale of narcotics.

The driver, Sanchez, advised the deputies that he had stopped by the motel to visit his friend Reyes in room 120. A narcotics detection K-9 was deployed around the vehicle and gave a positive alert for the odor of drugs coming from the Mercedes and a Toyota Camry parked to the left of it.

Upon searching the Mercedes, deputies found over two pounds of methamphetamine under the driver seat and a loaded 9mm handgun in the center console. At that time, Sanchez was also handcuffed and detained.

Deputies then made contact with the occupants of room 120, identified as Austin Lee Hill and Lluvia Selene Reyes. Ms. Reyes identified herself as the owner of the Toyota Camry which was parked next to the Mercedes.

A search of the Camry was then conducted based on the K-9s positive alert. Inside the car, deputies found methamphetamine and marijuana. BCSO detectives were contacted and responded to the scene.

After speaking with both occupants of the motel room, a search warrant was applied for and granted. During the search of the room, detectives located approximately a half ounce of methamphetamine and a .22 revolver with the serial number filed off. The incident led to the arrest of Ogle, Sanchez, Hill, and Ms. Reyes on drug related charges and all were transported to the Bradley County Justice Center.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigations is also assisting in the investigation.

At the time of the encounter, Ms. Reyes was out on bond after being arrested two days earlier on April 4, by agents with the 10th Judicial Drug Task Force after an investigation led to a traffic stop on Water Street in Charleston, Tn.

On the traffic stop, agents found over 30 grams of methamphetamine in her possession and charged her with possession of methamphetamine for resale.

10th Judicial District Attorney General, Steve Crump said, This case represents great teamwork and cooperation between the agencies involved. I appreciate the leadership of Sheriff Steve Lawson and the diligence by his patrol officers and investigators. While much of the recent attention has been on the opioid crisis, methamphetamine remains a serious threat to our community. Changes in the law have eliminated most of the local manufacturing of methamphetamine. However, the sale of the purer and more potent Ice methamphetamine has become common.

I applaud the good work by all the agencies involved, and along with them, our office will continue to relentlessly pursue drug dealers who seek to profit off the poisoning of our community.

Bradley County Sheriff Steve Lawson said, This was an operation in which several agencies were involved over a period of time. I believe these arrests indicate the type of accomplishments we can achieve when we all work together for a common goal.

I commend our patrol officers for being on top of their game at 4am in the morning and recognizing the indicators which helped develop a case. It is apparent these individuals decided to attempt to do their drug business in our area, and our deputies were up to the task of putting them out of business.

I recognize the commitment of the Bradley County Sheriffs Patrol Division, the Criminal Investigations Division, the 10th Judicial Drug Task Force, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for their extensive and thorough work on this case.
Signal Centers will host the Signal Centers Accessible Technology Summit at UTCs University Center, 642 East 5th St. in Chattanooga, in participation with the eighth annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day, on May 16. This one-day conference will include lunch, four breakout sessions, a keynote presentation from the internationally renowned Haben Girma (Harvard Law Schools first DeafBlind graduate) and a closing reception.

If you work in HR, IT, marketing, or are simply an individual with a disability wanting to know more about your right to the equal access of digital information, then this conference is for you," organizers said.



Tickets may be purchased ahead of time for $35 by visiting SignalCenters.org/events. "Here, you will also find access to a schedule of events for the summit and the online registration form," officials said. "Your paid ticket gives you full access to lunch, the breakout sessions, a chance to mingle with vendors in the accessibility and assistive technology industry, the keynote presentation and the closing reception."



Tickets will be available at the door for $45.



Innovator Level sponsors include, UNUM, the Weldon F. Osborne Foundation and McKee Foods; Supporter Level sponsors include, EPB and the Tennessee Low Vision Network.



Signal Centers CEO, Donna McConnico, stated, Our hope is this summit will inspire transformative conversations about the inclusion of individuals with disabilities.

For questions related to Signal Centers Accessible Technology Summit, contact Lana Little, director of Assistive Technology Services, at 423-698-8528 or Lana_Little@signalcenters.org.
Rivermont Elementary School was evacuated this morning due to smoke in the school from what was determined to be a faulty heating and air unit.

At 9:30 a.m. Chattanooga firefighters from Q16, E12, Q19, Q10, S19, E5, and Battalion 3 responded to an automatic fire alarm at Rivermont Elementary School, 3330 Hixson Pike.



Captain Charles Chavis with Quint #16 advised crews found light smoke in the school upon arrival and the school had been evacuated by school personnel.



"The source of the smoke was located and determined to be from a faulty heating and air unit.

The building was ventilated and checked with air monitors to ensure the air quality building was safe," officials said.After determining that the school was safe for occupancy, the children were allowed to return to the school.No damage to the school was found and no injuries reported.
In recognition of Donate Life Month, Hamilton County Clerk Bill Knowles is encouraging residents of Hamilton County to consider giving the gift of life by being a donor. The month-long celebration honors the generosity of organ and tissue donors and their families and commemorates all transplant recipients in the United States.

Spring represents a time of rebirth and new beginnings and for many individuals who have received the gift of life through organ or tissue transplants, April holds a special meaning as Donate Life Month, Mr. Knowles said.

Currently over 3,000 Tennesseans, including 77 people in Hamilton County, are waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant. Nationwide 113,000 people are on the waiting list. Unfortunately, 20 people die waiting because of the critical shortage of organs.

The impact of just one donor is extraordinary. A single person can save eight lives through organ donation and improve the lives of 50 or more people through tissue donation, Mr. Knowles said. We are grateful that Tennesseans are responding to the need for donors by signing up on the Tennessee Donor Registry.

Tennessee County Clerks play a key role in promoting the gift of life message by offering residents the opportunity to donate a dollar when they renew their car tags every year. Those dollars are used for the creation and distribution of educational materials for the public and school-based programs.

Mr. Knowles was one of the founders of the successful Donate A Dollar program. Over the years Hamilton County consistently ranks in the top two counties of monies raised. We are pleased to be a part of saving lives through this program. I want to thank the citizens of Hamilton County for their continued generosity and support of organ and tissue donation, Mr. Knowles said.

The Tennessee County Clerks Organ Donor Awareness Foundation was launched in 1996 to support organ donation education in Tennessee. The foundation works in cooperation with non-profits Tennessee Donor Services and Mid-South Transplant Foundation to educate Tennesseans on the importance of registering to be an organ and tissue donor. Since its inception, the foundation has raised over four million dollars.
The FBI has moved to seize $199,000 from the bank account of a Mountain View Chevrolet salesman, claiming that Daniel Bryant kidnapped a disabled dealership customer and forced him to take the money out of his accounts.

The FBI said the seizure warrant was filed in order to prevent Bryant from moving the funds elsewhere.

An affidavit by a Chattanooga Police officer who works with the FBI says last Thursday city officers responded to the Bank of America on Tennessee Avenue on a report of a kidnapping. A man who had lost a leg and been paralyzed on one side from a work accident said he had been forced to withdraw large sums of his money.

The man said he had recently been awarded a large settlement related to his severe work injuries.

He said the prior Monday he had dropped his pickup truck off at Mountain View Chevrolet to have it serviced. He said Bryant offered to give him a ride home. He said instead of taking him home that Bryant drove him to the Bank of America branch on Gunbarrel Road and forced him to withdraw money from his account.

The man said Bryant told him he would kill him and his family if he did not withdraw the money.

He said Bryant held him against his will for the next two days and forced him to withdraw money from several banks "under fear of death."

The man said a total of $199,000 was withdrawn and cashier checks were made out to Bryant.

He said at one time they were in a hotel at or near Atlanta. He said Bryant took his cell phone and credit cards and forced him to smoke crack cocaine.

On Friday, the FBI obtained records from Pinnacle Bank related to accounts held by Bryant. Several large deposits were found, including one for $175,000.

Bryant had a balance in his account of $288,101.

The FBI said under the facts of the case that Bryant had committed the offenses of kidnapping, bank robbery and money laundering.
Pierce Pettis will perform at Charles and Myrtle's Coffeehouse on Friday at 8 p.m. The coffeehouse is inside Christ Unity Church at 105 McBrien Road. There is a $10 suggested donation at the door.

Review for Pierce Pettis:

During his long career Pettis has been a writer/artist at the legendary Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in Alabama and a staff songwriter for Polygram/Universal Music in Nashville. Artists covering his songs range from Garth Brooks, Art Garfunkel, and Dion to Clair Lynch, Tim OBrien, and Joan Baez.

After three critically acclaimed albums on Windham Hill/ High Street, Pettis joined Compass Records in Nashville, releasing five albums including "That Kind of Love" (2009), which received rave reviews from XM/Sirius Satellite Radio, Paste Magazine, Performing Songwriter, American Songwriter, The (London, UK) Sunday Express . . . to name a few.

In 2014, he joined a co-effort with Kate Campbell and Tom Kimmel to release New Agrarians Songs and Stories of the Southland. Pettis also appeared on the 2013 release, A Very Blue Rock Christmas along with Ruthie Foster, David Wilcox, Terri Hendrix, Sara Hickman  and many others. Fathers Son, his new solo project for Compass Records Group was released in January.
RHA Health Services has acquired Prolex Medical Services, a provider of Intellectual Disabilities and Developmental Disabilities services in Chattanooga. Prolex joined RHA in March.

Betty White, RN, past president/CEO of ProLex, said, As my retirement drew closer, I couldnt have chosen a better company to acquire the clientele and employees of my company. Ive been associated with the RHA leadership through consultation, both professionally and personally, since their inception to Tennessee services in 2001. I highly support the merger and look forward to RHAs ongoing success, dedication and care of the I/DD individuals we have served for the past 20 years.

RHA began offering services in East Tennessee in 2001. Since then, its I/DD services have expanded to include ICF, Waiver, ECF Choices, Vocational Supports, and will soon offer mental health and substance abuse services throughout the state. RHA currently services the following areas in Tennessee: Chattanooga, Knoxville, Kingsport, Memphis, Murfreesboro, Nashville, Springfield, and Trenton.

RHAs goal is to ensure that persons-supported are not impacted by this change. To ensure this continuity of care, more than 120 employees were welcomed to RHA as part of this transition.

I am pleased to welcome the Prolex team to the RHA family, said Nick Sulaiman, president and CFO of RHA Health Services. Prolex is a very reputable provider in Tennessee, and we look forward to continue working with persons-supported, families and guardians, local leadership, employees, as well as state and community partners to ensure a smooth transition.
The Salvation Army of Chattanoogas Echelon Chapter, a community of young professionals, will be hosting an event for the homeless men in the area on Friday from 12-1 p.m. The event, Bacon and Boxers, will be a bacon-themed lunch and health outreach aimed at providing homeless male neighbors with underwear and socks, which are two of the most in demand, but least donated items.

"Fresh underwear and socks are two basic necessities that we want to ensure our homeless neighbors have access to, said Alissa Miller, Echelon Service co-chair. The local community has been generous with donations of items for this event, and we are excited that our chapter, along with our partners in the community, will be able to play a role in meeting this need.



The members of Echelon make it their mission to support, fundraise, and help communicate the needs of The Salvation Army in order to aid those experiencing homelessness. Donations of mens undergarments and socks are still needed in order to make this event a success. Anyone who would like to contribute to this cause can visit The Salvation Army Chattanoogas Amazon Wishlist or deliver items to 822 McCallie Ave.

We may overlook the importance of underwear, but the men of our homeless community would love the luxury, said Lt. James Harvin, officer of the 614 Corps and Day Shelter on McCallie Avenue. We would like to invite the community to come along side The Salvation Army in this endeavor to bless our transient neighbors with boxers, socks, and other health necessities.

For more information on this event, contact The Salvation Army at 756-1023 or email chattechelon@gmail.com.




Kim Kardashian is a reality TV star and household name, queen of the fashion world, entrepreneur, wife to a rap legend Kanye West, and a mother of three. To her children, shes simply an amazing mom.

Kardashian and West are parents to North, age 5, Saint, age 3, and Chicago, age 1. The celebrity couple is also expecting their fourth child via a surrogate. While money can solve most things, it cant make kids get along and, lets face it, anyone who had siblings growing up knows it isnt a guarantee theyll be best friends. So what about Kim Kardashians kids? Do they get along? Heres what we know.

Kim Kardashian was worried her kids wouldnt get along

On her television show, Kim recently stated that she was worried her kids wouldnt get along. Despite how close she is with her sisters, the world has seen several times on Keeping Up With The Kardashians where tensions would rise among them. This, of course, is only natural when growing up with so many siblings. At the end of the day, however, they have always been incredibly close  and that is exactly what Kim wants for her children.

As they get older, the kids get closer

Kim stated in a recent interview that her kids have started bonding and growing closer as they get older. Kim said: [I] worry about them getting along, because for my sisters and I, we were just so close growing up and obviously still are I want them to be, too! But theyre starting to get closer now that [North] can include [Saint] in her jokes.

They pulled an epic April Fools prank together

Kim said her oldest daughter, North, is a big prankster. This past April Fools Day, North and her little brother, Saint, worked together to pull off an epic prank that their dad, Kanye, was not overly fond of. They even managed to rope their mom into it with them!

North took ketchup into my bathroom, and begged me to let her spread it on me, and on the bathroom, as if it was like a bad scary movie. Then she asked me to lie down. Kim thought her daughter was just going to say that she got hurt, but that wasnt the plan at all! Big sister taught her little brother how to fake cry! Then North told Saint to start screaming Mommys dead!

What was Kanyes reaction? Kim says that he ran upstairs, and he was like Kids, this is not funny. This is not a good prank. Kim got where her husband was coming from and totally agreed with him. She couldnt help; however, be a little impressed they planned something together, and they were getting along and having fun as a team.

Family is incredibly important to Kim Kardashian
Kourtney Kardashian, the oldest of the Kardashian-Jenner children, turns 40 years old this month. While her actual birthday isnt until April 19, shes already begun to celebrate the big 4-0. Keep reading to see how Scott Disick and Sofia Richie played a role in Kardashians early birthday celebration.



Family trip



Kardashian took her three kids  Mason, Penelope, and Reign  on a trip over spring break along with their dad, Scott Disick, and his girlfriend, Sofia Richie, daughter of Lionel Richie. They traveled to Finland for a winter wonderland style vacation, according to E! News.



NEW YORK, NY  FEBRUARY 07: Kourtney Kardashian departs her hotel on February 7, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jackson Lee/GC Images)

It was the kids spring break from school and they decided to go for a quick trip to the snow in Finland, a source told E! News.



It made sense for Scott Disick and Sofia Richie to join them for a family vacation. They travel well together and Kourtney is happy with how co-parenting is going, they added.



A source told E! News the trip included sitting by the fire, playing in the snow, snowmobiling, and sledding.

The family reportedly stayed at the Arctic TreeHouse Hotel in Finland. Studio Puisto Architects, the design firm responsible for the look of the hotel, confirmed on their Instagram account  and later deleted the post  that the family stayed in the newly finished executive suite cabins.



Richie and Kardashian both shared pictures of the the trip on social media. Richie shared a snapshot of her walking in the snow with her 4.3 million Instagram followers on April 8, 2019.



View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sofia Richie (@sofiarichie) on Apr 8, 2019 at 10:24am PDT Sofia Richie | Instagram

And Kardashian shared an image of herself on her Instagram Story donning matching sweat pants and a cropped sweatshirt, according to Perez Hilton.



This isnt the first time Kardashian has vacationed with her ex and his girlfriend. In December 2018, they traveled to Mexico.

Disick shared a picture with his 21.4 million Instagram followers of himself sitting on a lounge chair with Kardashian and Richie sitting on either side of him in their own lounge chairs. He captioned the image, What more can a guy ask for. THREES COMPANY.



Khloe Kardashian shared her thoughts about the picture on Twitter. Beyond proud of all of them!!!! This is LOVE!! Your children before anything else!! All amazing adults right right!!!



On the most recent episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, the Kardashian-Jenner familys reality show, Kardashian and Disicks co-parenting skills were put to the test when they traveled to New York City together with their kids.

Kim Kardashian came up with the idea that Disick should join his ex and kids on their weekend trip. Kim thought it would be a good way for Disick to prove to his ex that he could go to Bali, the familys next vacation destination.



Years earlier, Disicks ex banned him from going on any future family vacations because he brought a random girl on their family vacation to Puerto Rico.



Kardashian on co-parenting



During a recent appearance on Today, Kardashian talked about co-parenting with Disick.



Today |YouTube

I feel like I can show a message, too, of like parents can get along and work together and travel together, Kardashian said. And I think its a good message to show other people. I am not doing it for that reason but I think the positive things that we are doing is nice too.


CAIRO - ISIS has carried out an attack in Fuhaqa, central Libya, for which it took responsibility, killing two people, including the president of the city council, and abducting the head of the municipal guards, according to the websites of two Libyan media outlets including Libya Al-Ahrar.



In the attack last night in the city located over 600 km south-east of Tripoli, the terrorists reportedly set on fire the headquarters of the municipal guards and the homes of a number of police officers, according to the website of broadcaster Libya Channel. ISIS stated it was carried out in retaliation for the territory lost in Syria, according to SITE, which monitors extremism online.


When will the royal baby get here? No one really knows. But everyone is sitting on pins and needles to hear more about the baby of royal it couple Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.

Unfortunately for fans of the couple, the pair are remaining pretty tight-lipped about the details surrounding their baby. We still dont know what the sex of the child is or the exact delivery date. But one thing that we do know, is that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not want their kid to receive presents.

Why dont Markle and Harry want their baby to get presents?

As a royal, you are probably bombarded with gifts upon your entry into the world. Instead of having to find a place to put 1,000 toys in their new home, Markle and Harry have decided that they would rather people donate to a charity instead of giv ing their child gifts.

The couple took to their new Instagram account to make this announcement.

What an incredibly special surprise the grassroots led #globalsussexbabyshower was last Sunday! the post read. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are immensely grateful for the outpouring of love and support in anticipation of the birth of their first child.

In lieu of sending gifts, the couple have long planned to encourage members of the public to make donations to select charities for children and parents in need. If you already made a donation, the couple send you their greatest thanks. If you are thinking about it, they ask that you kindly consider the following organisations theyve selected, which we will highlight here over the next few days.

Which charities would Prince Harry and Markle like people to donate to?

Over the past week, the couple posted four pictures, each highlighting a new charity that they are supporting. The first was, The Lunchbox Fund.

According to their post, The Lunchbox Fund provides a nutritious daily school meal to children in South Africa who would otherwise go hungry. Since its inception, @thelunchboxfund has provided over 20 million meals to school children in need. This meal encourages children to attend school and enables them to better concentrate and maximise their learning potential.

This cause is close to the hearts of the Duke and Duchess.

As President and Vice President of The Queens Commonwealth Trust, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are committed to supporting the children and communities of the 53 commonwealth countries around the world, the post continued.

The Little Village

The next charity was The Little Village.

Similar to a food bank, @littlevillagehq is for clothes, toys, and essentials for babies and children up to the age of five, the Instagram post read. The Duchess of Sussex became aware of the organisation last December and strongly believes in their community ethos and goal to ensure every parent and young child have the necessary supplies and support they need. The couple have made private contributions in the last few months, and are excited to share this special organisation with you.

Well Child

The third charity was one that Harry has been supporting since 2007. Well Child helps children with serious illnesses receive care in their homes, as opposed to having to live in a hospital.

Over 100,000 children and young people are living with serious illness or exceptional health needs across the UK, the post states. Many spend months, even years in hospital vs at home because there is no support enabling them to leave.

Well Child strives to help children with health needs be able to stay at home for as long as possible.

Baby2Baby

The last charity posted was one that is especially close to the Duchess heart, as it helps the children of her hometown, Los Angeles.

Baby2Baby provides children ages 0-12 living in poverty with the necessities every child deserves, the post read. In the last seven years, B2B has distributed over 50 million items to children in homeless shelters, domestic violence programs, foster care, hospitals, underserved schools, and to children who have lost everything in the wake of disasters.

How can you donate to Markle and Harrys charities?

Each of the Instagram posts links out to specific charities, which have outlined the best way to donate or support them.

Read more: Meghan Markle is Not Having Her Baby in the Hospital the Royal Family Has for Decades. Heres Why

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Although they divorced more than two decades ago, Sarah Fergie Ferguson and Prince Andrew are one former couple who many thought (or at least hoped) would get back together.

Unlike Prince Charles and Princess Diana who publicly displayed their dislike for one another after they separated, the Duke and Duchess of York maintained a good relationship and spoke very fondly of one another over the years. Theyve remained so close in fact that they are surrounded by constant rumors that theyre back together and could be walking down the aisle again soon. With no confirmation or denial from either of them, fan speculation has been building. But now Ferguson has spoken out about whats going on with these two and were all ears.

Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York | Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)

Ferguson puts out statement regarding rumors

Fergie is fully aware that several media outlets have reported that she and Andrew are back together so she put out a statement through her spokesman addressing the rumors.

The Duke and Duchess remain good friends as they have been for many years, and nothing has changed, the duchess  spokesperson said.

The Express also noted that a source close to the prince denied reports that they rekindled their romance.

Why they probably wont remarry

Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah Ferguson | John Shelley Collection/Avalon/Getty Images

Another reason that well probably never see another picture of the pair similar to this has to do with Andrews father, Prince Philip. As long as hes alive, the duke and duchess are not going to be standing at the altar together because of Philips loathe for his former daughter-in-law.

The Duke of Edinburgh has not been a fan of Fergies since her toe-sucking scandal back in 1992 when she was still legally married to his son. Philip has held a grudge and refuses to forgive her for the damage she caused to his familys reputation, which makes it unlikely that she and Andrew would disregard the family patriarchs feelings and get hitched again.

If they married each other after Philip passed on that would be viewed as disrespectful so they probably wouldnt go that route either. But really theres no reason for them to get married again especially since Ferguson has previously said they are the happiest divorced couple in the world.

The state of their relationship today

Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew| Samir Hussein/WireImage

Another thing that has fueled some of these reconciliation rumors is the duke and duchess living situation. Even though they divorced in 1996 they still live under the same roof. The two reside together in the Royal Lodge at Windsor.

In 2015, reports swirled that Ferguson had moved out of that residence and into another property the exes share in Verbier, Switzerland. But by 2018, she was back at Windsor Great Park again living with her ex-husband and admitted that they enjoy tea time together.

Although we are not a couple, we really believe in each other, she said. Were totally respectful of each others position and thoughts and we listen to each other  And we sit round the table and have afternoon tea together. Its a very important part of our lives.

Read more: Why is Sarah Ferguson Still a Duchess After Her Divorce From Prince Andrew?

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Scarlett Johansson is speaking out about the paparazzi and how they put people at risk, citing the death of Princess Diana, following the scary encounter she had after her appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Monday night.

Scarlett Johansson, | Randy Holmes/ABC via Getty Images

Scarlett Johansson was followed by paparazzi

After appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! with her Avengers: Endgame costars Paul Rudd, Chris Hemsworth, and Robert Downey Jr., Johansson left in a car, only to be followed dangerously by paparazzi.

She reported the incident to the police, with Capt. Steve Lurie of the Los Angeles Police Department Hollywood Division telling NBC Los Angeles that Johansson believed the paparazzi were following her in a dangerous fashion.

Johansson went to the police station to file the report but didnt file charges. She was able to get home safely.

The incident left Johansson shaken

Needless to say, Johansson was rattled by the turn of events and took the opportunity to slam the paparazzi for their shady tactics to get photos of celebrities and their families.

In a statement obtained by ET Canada, she explained: The paparazzi consistently go to increasingly dangerous lengths to stalk and harass the people they are photographing. Even after Princess Dianas tragic death, the laws were never changed to protect targets from the lawless paparazzi. Many paparazzi have criminal pasts and will perform criminal acts to get their shot.

She continued, explaining the scary situation she endured, sharing: Yesterday, after leaving Jimmy Kimmel [Live], I was followed by five cars full of men with blacked out windows who were running red lights and putting other drivers and pedestrians at risk so they could follow me to find out where I was staying and subsequently stalk me and my young daughter for the duration of my stay.

Johansson added: The paparazzi put peoples lives at risk, so they can wait for days in quiet neighborhoods in blacked out cars, and try to follow me to the playground and photograph my child and other peoples children in a safe place that should be off limits, but isnt.

Johanssons statement called for action

The Avengers: Endgame actress is hoping to shine a light on the dangerous situations paparazzi create, calling for laws to change things for the better. Johansson explained: All of this is perfectly legal. After yesterdays incident, I felt it was my duty as a concerned citizen who was being pursued dangerously and stalked to go to the local precinct and seek guidance there. I would encourage others in a similar situation to go to the police. Women across the US are stalked, harassed and frightened and a universal law to address stalking must be at the forefront of law enforcement conversations.

She continued: Until paparazzi are considered by the law for the criminal stalkers they are, its just a waiting game before another person gets seriously injured or killed, like Princess Diana.

Princess Diana died on August 31, 1997 after she and Emad Dodi Fayed were pursued by paparazzi in Paris. Her driver lost control of the vehicle in a tunnel, crashing into a pillar and ricocheting off the opposite wall.
Fans are seriously concerned about Meri Brown following her familys move to Flagstaff, Arizona. Over the years, Sister Wives viewers have watched Meri struggle with infertility and watching her only child pack up and leave for Chicago. Theyve also been privy to Kody Browns first wifes cheating scandal and subsequent ice out by the rest of her family. Now, further away from her support system in Utah, Meri seems more alone than ever, and fans are seriously worried about the 48-year-old reality star. Some have even questioned if she is being punished for her infidelity by being forced to live an almost entirely isolated life.

Meris marital relationship continues to deteriorate

Several media outlets have reported that Meri and Kody have almost no real relationship at this point, and it is even rumored that the patriarchs first wife is barely part of the family. Without the means to fix the growing rift between herself and Kody Brown, Meri seems almost entirely separate from her expansive family.

Reddit fans are concerned that the continued isolation and ice out from her husband and sister wives could lead her to make more self-destructive decisions. After all, the polygamist wife cited her hurt over her legal divorce and growing resentment as the reason behind her cheating scandal. Fans think Meri will be chased into the arms of another man in no time if the relationship between the married couple continues the way it has been going.

Kody nixed Meris dream of living downtown

When Kody first pitched the idea of moving to Flagstaff, Meri showed some interest in living in the downtown area of the city. A small apartment that was close to amenities seemed to make the most sense for the empty-nester. Not only would an apartment mean less upkeep for the 48-year-old businesswoman, but it would allow her to interact with her community and build a support network more easily.

The familys patriarch nixed the idea, citing Meris need for space to conduct business as the reason, but his rationale left fans scratching their heads. After all, Meri owns an inn in Utah and also has a LuLaRoe business  neither of which require an expansive space to operate. A second bedroom doubling as an office would have done the trick, but Kody insisted on a larger, more private rental.

Add in the fact that Mariah, Meri and Kodys only child together, took the dog that Meri seemed to enjoy having around so much to Chicago, and the women who joined polygamy in hopes of having a large family seems more alone than most. Fans are hoping that shell at least add a pet to her family to keep her company.

The family doesnt trust Meri

When Meri approached the family about opening a bed and breakfast, they were only willing to raise the money if they were equal partners. Meri nixed the idea and noted that this was a project she wanted for herself. It was a massive no-go from the Brown family. Meri did end up getting the funds she needed, but the lack of trust from the rest of the clan was obvious. She doesnt seem like she ever really recovered from it.

Meri did end up getting the money she needed to start her inn, but it wasnt from the Brown family. The entire scene left many fans wondering if the family doesnt trust Meri, or if they dont foresee her sticking around for the long haul. The family even wondered aloud if Meri was planning to jump ship and move back to Utah once the inn was up and running.
Baby Sussex could arrive any day now, as Meghan Markle has officially started her maternity leave. Meghan and Prince Harry have settled in at their new home, Frogmore cottage, and it has been confirmed that Meghans mother, Doria Ragland, will be traveling to the United Kingdom in anticipation of her grandchilds arrival. The royal family is no doubt extremely excited to welcome the new baby.

However, there have been rumors circulating recently of tension between Harry and his older brother, Prince William. While it is natural for even the closest of siblings to drift slightly apart once they start their own families, fans cant help but wonder if the birth of Baby Sussex will help to strengthen the relationship between Harry and William.

Prince William and Harry were always extremely close

The worlds most famous royal brothers were always close friends. Growing up in the spotlight, they supported each other amid all of the pressure. And, because they were so close in age, they always had a lot in common. When they unexpectedly lost their mother, Princess Diana, at a very young age, they seemed to get even closer as they bonded over her memory and helped to ease each others pain. As the boys entered their adult years, they appeared to be the best of friends, always sharing a good laugh and playful banter.

Did Prince Williams marriage impact his relationship with Harry?

When William married Kate Middleton in 2011, he and Harry seemed to get even closer. Kate, William, and Harry became known as the royal trio, often appearing at events together. Upon the arrival of each of Will and Kates three children, Harry was always there with all of the love and support that would be expected from a wonderful uncle. Things were going great for the two princes.

Why Prince Harry and William grew apart

The past few years have been extremely busy for Harry, as he met, fell in love with, and married Meghan. Now, Harry and Meghan are expecting their first child. Fans have been concerned that William and Harry dont seem to be as close as they once were, and they are blaming everything from Harrys marriage to the fact that everyone in the royal family is so busy with their duties.

Will Baby Sussex bring Prince William and Prince Harry closer together?

With the arrival of Baby Sussex set to happen any day now, we can only imagine that William must be ecstatic to become a first-time uncle! Although Harry now lives over 40 miles away, in the countryside of Windsor, fans are hoping that William will make plenty of time to visit and spend time getting to know his new niece or nephew. Meghan and Harry will likely also bring the new baby to London whenever possible, so there will be more than enough time for William to bond with the new arrival. Chances are, this will allow him to strengthen his relationship with Harry as well.

What about the rest of the family?

Prince Charles and Camilla, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, and the rest of the royal family will probably be spending time getting to know Meghan and Harrys baby as well. It will be a happy and exciting time for everyone, with so much to celebrate. Hopefully, it will ease the tension between William and Harry, and perhaps they can set aside some time to talk about whatever the problem may be. We are confident that they can come to a resolution that allows them to put the tension behind them so that they can move on and grow stronger!
NAIROBI, Kenya, April 9, 2019 (Morning Star News)  Sheikh Hassan Podo, a 28-year-old imam in Kerekerene village in eastern Uganda, missed mosque prayers for three consecutive weeks and was seen entering a church building around noon on March 16.

He had kept his faith in Christ a secret for three weeks. The young Muslim who saw Podo enter the church building in Katira Sub-County, Budaka District, went straight to Podos parents and brothers to report him.

When Podo arrived at the house that evening, his family interrogated him about where he had spent the better part of the day.

Without my completing answering them, my brothers immediately began surrounding me, with sticks, Podo told Morning Star News. It was difficult to escape. They began shouting, beating and insulting me as an infidel and enemy of the Islamic religion.

His wife and two children managed to escape to the home of a nearby Christian neighbor, he said.

With sticks and other blunt objects, Podos relatives injured his left arm from the shoulder to his fingers, said one of the area residents who found him unconscious. He also sustained a head injury.

There was a loud cry emanating from Podos homestead, raising a big concern from the neighbors who arrived at the scene of attack and helped Podo to escape, the source said. He bled as he fled for his life. Later he was found in a pool of blood a kilometer away from the homestead, unconscious.

They rushed him to a clinic in Katira, and he was discharged after two days and taken to a pastor whose name is withheld for security reasons. His wife and two children later joined him at an undisclosed location.

The pastor said Podos father, Mwanamwoiza Juma, has since mobilized a group of Muslims from different mosques to hunt for the life of his son, declaring a fatwa and disowning him, and giving his land to the brothers for bringing blasphemy into the family. Sheikh Twale and Galami Abdulmutwalibi have been carrying out a series of prayers to curse Podos family. But we know the blood of Jesus will protect the family.

The pastor has been giving Podo discipleship lessons to strengthen the familys faith in the midst of the ordeal, he said.

Podo put his faith in Christ on Feb. 24 after hearing the message of His saving death and resurrection from another pastor. His wife became a Christian one week later, he said.

Before his conversion, Podo was part of a Muslim extremist group that had attacked the Church of Ugandas Katira congregation.

Please family of Christ, our humble request is that we covet prayers for Podo and his young family for Gods healing, medication, protection, provision and to get to a safe haven for the young family, the pastor said.

The attacks were the latest of many cases of persecution of Christians in eastern Uganda that Morning Star News has documented.

Ugandas constitution and other laws provide for religious freedom, including the right to propagate ones faith and convert from one faith to another.

Muslims make up no more than 12 percent of Ugandas population, but with high concentrations in eastern areas of the country.

If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.

If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at https://morningstarnews.org/donate/?

Article originally published by Morning Star News. Used with permission.

Photo courtesy: Random Institute/Unsplash
In America, many of us are sleep deprived after watching Virginia defeat Texas Tech in overtime last night. Meanwhile, much of the world is focused on Israel, where one of the most significant elections in years is taking place.

I have led approximately thirty study tours to Israel over the years. Each time, the two most common questions Im asked are: Why dont the Jews accept Jesus as their Messiah? and How does the Israeli government work?

The two questions are more related than one might think.

Since Israelis are voting today in parliamentary elections, well address the second question first. Heres the process:

Fourteen parties are vying for votes. Citizens vote for parties, not people. At stake is control of the Knesset (the Israeli Parliament) and its 120 seats. The more votes a party receives, the more seats it wins.

No party has ever won a sixty-one-seat majority. After todays vote, the president of Israel (a largely ceremonial position) will invite one partys leader to form a governing coalition with other parties. That person will have twenty-eight days to form a government, with a possible fourteen-day extension.

The president selects the leader who, in his opinion, has the best chance of forming a multi-party coalition to reach sixty-one Knesset seats. This is usually the leader of the party that received the most votes in the election, but not always.

If that leader is successful, he or she becomes the prime minister of the country. If not, the president invites a different candidate to form a governing coalition.

Making history in three ways

Todays election is historic for three reasons.

One: If Benjamin Netanyahu is reelected, he will become the longest-serving prime minister in Israeli history.

Two: Mr. Netanyahu is facing the possibility of indictment later this year on corruption charges. He would be the first prime minister to face trial while in office. He denies any wrongdoing.

Three: Mr. Netanyahu faces strong competition from a coalition led by three former heads of the army. This is the first such coalition to run for office in Israeli history.

Their Blue and White party (named for the colors of the Israeli flag) is led by Benny Gantz, who has teamed up with a well-known centrist party led by Yair Lapid, a former television host and finance minister. Mr. Gantz has agreed to transfer the prime minister position to Mr. Lapid after two and a half years if their parties win.

We will soon know which leader will be given the first opportunity to form a governing coalition, but it may take weeks to determine the final outcome.

Prime ministers and the Messiah

Israelis typically elect leaders based primarily on their ability to provide security for the nation. A tiny country surrounded by enemies is understandably focused on this issue.

The Jewish people of Jesus day had a similar concern with regard to their Messiah, a fact that connects our second question with our first: Why dont the Jews accept Jesus as their Messiah?

The Jews of Jesus day were waiting and hoping for a military conqueror who would overthrow the Romans and establish their nation in safety and prosperity. Since Jesus died on a Roman cross, in their minds he obviously could not be the Messiah they expected.

Many Jews today make the same theological mistake.

With his wounds we are healed

When Jesus returns as King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16), he will indeed be a conquering hero (cf. Philippians 2:1011). When he came to earth the first time, however, he came as the Suffering Servant who has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows so that upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:4-5).

This is why Christians believe him to be the Messiah whose death atoned for our sins and purchased our salvation (cf. Romans 5:8).

Heres the problem: Many Jews believe that Isaiah 53 and other references to the Suffering Servant are fulfilled in the sufferings of the Jewish people over the centuries. Therefore, they discount the Christian declaration that Jesus is their Messiah.

In their view, the claim that he died for their sins is the very reason he could not be their Messiah.

No cross, no crown

No thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown. William Penn

The foundational problem with such logic is its assumption that the sufferings of the Jewish people could suffice to atone for their sins (Isaiah 53:5). As we will see tomorrow, the reason Jesus had to die is transformingly relevant, both for them and for us.

For today, lets close by embracing with gratitude the significance of Jesus death for us. William Penn: No thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown.

Because Jesus wore the cross of death, you and I will wear the crown of life (Revelation 2:10).

How will you express your gratitude to your Savior today?

For more from the Denison Forum, please visit www.denisonforum.org.

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Publication Date: April 9, 2019

Photo Courtesy: Getty Images/Amir Levy/Stringer
Yes, its beginning to look a lot like Christmaswhich, for many of us, feels like a rush into chaos. Celebrating Advent during this season slows us down and helps our hearts and minds be reoriented around the coming of Christ.Yes, its beginning to look a lot like Christmaswhich, for many of us, feels like a rush into chaos. Celebrating Advent during this season slows us down and helps our hearts and minds be reoriented around the coming of Christ.
TUNIS - A reported 3,400 people have been displaced by ongoing clashes near Tripoli, in western Libya, where security "remains unstable", the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Tuesday. In an update on the situation, OCHA said that an estimated 3,400 people have left their homes in Tariq Al-Matar, Wadi Al-Gharbi, Ain Zara and Qasr Ben Gashir for safer areas of Tripoli, Tarhouna, Bani Waleed and Tajoura.

Most of the displaced families are staying with relatives and friends while some 25 families have reached two shelters in Tajoura and Ain Zara.

OCHA said that the UN is continuing to receive confirmation that civilians in some areas near the front are unable to flee due to the intense fighting. In some cases, hostilities prevent rescue services from reaching the population in need, it added.

The UN called for a temporary humanitarian truce in Libya to allow the passage of civilians wishing to leave Tripoli and to provide humanitarian assistance. Moreover, some 1,400 refugees and migrants are in detention centers near the areas affected by the conflict, in Ain Zara, Gharyan e Qasr Ben Gashir, OCHA said.
Pastor reveals the biggest lie too many Christians believe

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After nearly two decades as a pastor, speaker and Christian leader, Shane Pruitt has discovered some of the pervasive lies that too many people of faith have come to believe. And hes on a mission to right these theological wrongs in an effort to stop misplaced beliefs from holding people back in their faith.

Pruitt, who recently released a new book titled, 9 Common Lies Christians Believe: And Why God's Truth Is Infinitely Better, recently told The Pure Flix Podcast about how these common cliches and proclamations have had a negative impact on the faithful.

READ ALSO: 5 Incredible Stories of Hope, Inspiration & Miracles

Theres these one-liners, these cliches that we  have adopted into the Christian community, baptized them and have made them a part of our vernacular, Pruitt said. "But theyre not necessarily biblically true, and theyre actually lies that will hold us back in our faith.

Listen to Pruitt reveal the lies that could be impacting your faith:

Among the lies some Christians believe, though, is one that perhaps has the most pervasive impact. It can be found in the popular adage: Follow your heart.

Theres one lie that is at the bedrock or foundation of all these other lies, Pruitt said, noting that it is the lie that tells people theyre in control or that they are at the center of their own universe. Its a lie that culture values  but one that is totally and utterly false.

Who is the center of your universe? he asked. Is it you or is it Christ?

READ ALSO: 5 Ways to Reboot Your Relationship With God and the Bible

Pruitt shared his own personal story to illustrate why he started becoming more interested in exploring the lies too many Christians have come to believe. His journey started with his son, Titus, whom he and his wife adopted from Uganda.

Titus birth was traumatic, and the boy was faced with a great deal of medical issues.

[His mom] died during childbirth and so by the time Titus was brought into a clinic from way out of town he was almost in a comatose state, Pruitt said, noting that there were many complications and health woes. But we didnt know the severity of those needs until we got back to the states.

It wasnt until Titus was brought to a hospital in the U.S. that the Pruitts learned he had a severe seizure disorder and cerebral palsy. These diagnoses left much uncertainty, as Pruitt and his wife didnt know what Titus future would be like.

That just hit us with a ton of bricks, he said. For an entire year of him being at home, multiple surgeries, multiple doctors visits  I was pastoring a fast-growing church at that time. I had to pretend on the outside like everything was great.

Meanwhile, his wife suffered from anxiety over all that was unfolding, with the couple feeling pressure to keep it all together. But rather than continue on that path, the Pruitts had to make a decision to take a healthy approach to deal with the situation.

READ ALSO: Feeling Hopeless? Pastor Tony Evans Has a Solution

We just turned back to the basics of Gods word and we admitted that we were not okay, he said, noting that their decision to be so open inspired others to also be transparent.

Pruitt said the experience left him and his wife re-considering a theological belief that has been embraced by far too many: that God wont give you more than you can handle. The couple realized that this simply isnt an accurate view to take from scripture.

Yeah, sometimes it is more than we can handle, but that drives us to faith, he said. By faith you take that pressure off your shoulders, you put it on the shoulders of the Lord.

From there, Pruitt started drafting a broader list of lies, which formed the basis for 9 Common Lies Christians Believe. In the end, hes hoping to inspire people to go deeper in their faith.

Faith is not saying, Alright God, once I understand it then Ill trust you, Thats not faith, Pruitt said. Faith is saying, I dont get it. I dont understand it I might not like it, but God, I trust you, because youre doing all things for your glory and my good.

This article was originally published on Pure Flix Insider. Visit Pure Flix for access to thousands of faith and family-friendly movies and TV shows. You can get a free, one-month trial here.

Billy Hallowell, author of "The Armageddon Code," has contributed to TheBlaze, the Washington Post, Human Events, the Daily Caller, Mediaite, and the Huffington Post, among other news sites. Through journalism, media, public speaking appearances, and the blogosphere, Hallowell has worked as a journalist and commentator for more than a decade.
Lecrae: Breakthrough movie will remind us of Gods relevance in post-Christian era

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WINNIPEG, Canada  Artists Lecrae and Phil Wickham, who star in the upcoming faith-based film Breakthrough, say this real-life telling is needed for today's post-Christian era in North America and Europe.

"Breakthrough" tells the miraculous true story of Joyce and John Smith, a mother and son who rely on the power of prayer and the Holy Spirit following a fatal accident that leaves the son dead for 45 minutes. The moms desperate prayers bring him back to life after the doctors lost all hope.

Grammy-winning hip-hop artist Lecrae believes the testimony of the Smith family is something people could use today.

"I think, specifically like in the western world, we're in a post-Christian era. So I think a lot of times, we forget our faith has survived for thousands of years, is just that here in the West, North America and Europe, it's post [Christian], Lecrae told The Christian Post in an interview on the set of Breakthrough" last year.

It's like, 'oh, we're over that now. We're more progressive with science and so on and so forth.' But take a trip to Africa, you take a trip to China, it's thriving, it's on fire right now. That's the reminder that God is not irrelevant. It's just we forget, [but] He doesn't," the rapper who plays an emcee in the film continued. We become unfaithful, He's still faithful, and He's going to use whoever wants to acknowledge Him to do whatever it is that He wants done.

Lecrae has had his fair share of doubt recently as he witnessed first hand the woes of racism in America and how a lot of his supporters turned a blind eye to it. A trip to Egypt, however, restored his faith in Jesus apart from institutionalized Christianity.

So it's a reminder for us here, it's almost like, we are going to become the new mission field for the world, and its films like this to remind us, He continued.

Wickham, who plays a worship leader, his real-life profession, in Breakthrough, added, "There's a difference between Christian culture and a person that really follows Jesus.

The contemporary Christian musician said its actually a good thing that a generation of people are not willing to subscribe to Christianity just because its their grandparent's religion.

"Once there's truth out there, and people own up to where they stand. I think instead of saying, 'Yeah, I'm Christian, and you don't have to tell me about Jesus,' [since] they're almost closed off to hearing the real truth that they never heard before, Wickham explained. In some ways, it's paving the way for something beautiful to happen in our country once again, rather than saying, 'I'm a Christian, cuz I'm an American.'"

After his recovery, John Smith admitted that his faith also increased from being a family belief to becoming his. He now aspires to be a pastor.

"Breakthrough" hits theaters April 17.

Chrissy Metz (This is Us) plays the role of Joyce Smith and actor Josh Lucas (Sweet Home Alabama) plays her husband, Brian Smith. Marcel Ruiz (One Day at a Time) portrays their son, John.

"Breakthrough" was directed by TV director Roxann Dawson ("House of Cards," "Scandal," "The Americans," and "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.).

The 20th Century Fox movie is based on Joyce Smith's book, The Impossible, and was adapted for the screen by Grant Nieporte ("Seven Pounds").
Asia Bibi, Christian woman saved from death, remains trapped in Pakistan

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Fears about the safe release of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who was recently saved from death row in Pakistan after being accused of blasphemy against Islam, remain strong despite assurances from U.K. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt that her release is being negotiated.

Hunt told the British Parliament last Wednesday: "Making sure that she is safe and has somewhere safe to go is a top priority for this government. We have had numerous discussions in private with [the] Pakistani government about how to progress this. We are making progress and I'm very hopeful that this will have a positive outcome."

The 54-year-old Christian womans saga began nearly 10 years ago when two Muslim farm laborers accused her of drinking from the same container as them and refused to drink after her because she's a Christian.

A conflict ensued and Bibi was accused of insulting the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In Pakistan, where 97 percent of its 180 million inhabitants are Muslim, being charged with committing blasphemy against Islam is punishable by death.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan ultimately said there were many inconsistencies in the testimonies against Bibi and she was acquitted. But her acquittal incensed the Muslim community.

And the longer she remains in hiding in Pakistan, friends are worried she is exposing herself to more danger.

"Extremists could still harm Bibi," Obed Robert, a friend of Bibi's husband, Ashiq Masih, told DW.

"I think she is still in the country and has not left yet," Robert, who is a priest, said.

Shamoon Alfred Gill, vice-chairman of the Minorities Alliance Pakistan organization, also told the publication that as long as Bibi remains in Pakistan, her life will be in danger.

"We have requested our friends and civil society members to appeal to international organizations, as well as Pakistani authorities, to ensure Bibi's safe departure from the country," Gill told DW.

In an interview with The Mail last month from a secret location in Canada, Bibis youngest daughter, Eisham Ashiq, 18, explained how much she missed her mother and pleaded for her release.

I am missing her so much, I think about her all the time, and I speak to her on the phone all the time. I say to her, Have faith in God, because if God can release you from jail, God can release you from where you are now. He will bring you out.

Bibis faithful daughter says even though she saw her mother through prison bars last October, she was never able to hug her and she is looking forward to doing that when her mother is released.

When she comes, I will hug her and kiss her, and that day will be a very special day when my mummy arrives, and I know I will be very happy, and will thank God before anything else, she said.

Eisham who lives with her sister, Esha, 21, also appealed directly to Pakistans Prime Minister, Imran Khan, to release her mother: I would like to tell him to think about us, and release my mother. We love Pakistan very much, and my mummy will never speak against Pakistan as she loves it too.

Like her mothers friends, Eisham says even though she is aware that Bibi has security, she remains concerned that that security could be compromised at any time as long as her mother remains in Pakistan.
Mark DeYmaz shares how churches can generate multiple sources of income by leveraging their assets

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OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma  Prominent multiethnic church movement leader Mark DeYmaz is warning that tithes and offerings will no longer be enough to sustain healthy churches and suggests that congregations look for alternatives like creating for-profit businesses to generate more revenue.

DeYmaz, who founded Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas in 2001 and co-founded the Mosaix Global Network in 2004, will release in October his new book, The Coming Revolution in Church Economics: Why Tithes and Offerings Are No Longer Enough, and What You Can Do About It.

The book will expand on a chapter from his 2017 book, Disruption: Repurposing the Church to Redeem the Community. The 57-year-old author shared insights from his yet-to-be-released work while speaking at the Evangelical Press Associations Christian Media Convention this week.

Right now, very few  I would say in my experience  less than 5 percent of churches are thinking about the future, that is, the coming disruption of economics, DeYmaz told a packed ballroom of Christian journalists, writers and publishers.

One sociological problem facing churches that will lead to the decrease in tithing and offerings, DeYmaz said, is the rapidly changing population.

By the 2030s, he stressed that the population will decrease in the United States due to fewer babies being born. With an aging population, he contended that many older churchgoers today will age out of the workforce and have less money to give to their churches. He noted that about 75 percent of the wealth in Christianity today is held by people who are 65 or older.

Millennials and Gen X and those coming after do not think about money or give money the way boomers, older people do because most of the church has been built on a transactional model, he explained. And the idea is to get more butts in the seat, right? Because more butts are in the seat, more bucks in a plate, right? Those days are gone.

Another issue he highlighted will be the emergence of artificial intelligence taking jobs away from people.

AI, by 2030, will take away 12 to 22 percent of jobs in the world in the next 12 years, he continued. Thats an Oxford [University] statistic.

He pointed out that a friend of his is the pastor of a church in Baltimore, Maryland, that lost $100,000 overnight when the Baltimore-based corporation Under Armour laid off 400 people. Because of this, the pastors salary and the church budget decreased and a number of church programs were cut.

It's not that those 400 people won't be able to get other jobs, it's just how fast that happens, DeYmaz said.

As exponentially more families in America today are reliant on two or more streams of income than they were decades ago, DeYmaz said churches should be looking for ways to generate multiple sources of income.

The American Church in the 21st century is living as if one paycheck  tithes and offerings  takes care of everything. But it doesnt, he asserted. And we have to disrupt the way we think about what we're branding.

At Mosaic Church, they have a yearly budget of about $1.2 million, DeYmaz later told The Christian Post in an interview. Only 70 percent of that budget comes from tithes and offerings while the rest is generated through smart economics.

DeYmaz explained that disruptive churches should stand on three legs: spiritual, financial and social justice. However, many churches today are only standing on the spiritual leg, he contended.

As DeYmaz is a proponent of multiethnic worship, he stressed that churches need to work to end segregation in the church and solve justice issues impacting their own local community. Additionally, he said, churches need to be innovative when it comes to revenue generation.

The second leg of the stool is how to integrate. We need to integrate disruptive witness in our local communities to advance social justice, compassion and mercy by creating one umbrella nonprofit, he detailed. There's reasons for that. But this also bleeds into economics and why you would do this.

Starting separate nonprofits

As for Mosaic Church, it established a nonprofit entity called Vine and Village in 2008.

You create one nonprofit, think about this [as] two sisters who live in the same house who share the resources, split the cost, etc., he told the crowd. You move your compassion and justice work out from under the budget of the church into the budget of the nonprofit.

You can't scale if it's under the budget of the church, he added. And secondly, when your compassion and justice work is under your social justice side, other churches will send you money. Did you know that? Churches don't write checks to other churches. But if you say hey, I've got a food distribution program that's part of Vine and Village, they'll send you their money and they'll send you the people. [It will] qualify for local, state and federal grants. On and on I could go.

He stressed that it's a smart move economically and allows churches to show people that the church is interested in what is going on in the communities in which they sit.

In our case, Vine and Village focuses and leverages all of our assets like a laser beam on the people of 72204 [a Zip code for an area of Little Rock with 30 percent poverty], he added.

One offshoot of Vine and Village is The Orchard, which is the largest food distribution program in the city of Little Rock that serves 20,000 people each year in a Zip code of 32,000 people.

Vine and Village also runs other programs such as a chess club for at-risk children.

Another nonprofit program established by Mosaic Church is called Immerse Arkansas, one of the first programs in the country to work with kids who age out of the foster care system.

By moving [it] out from under the budget of the church, it received over $2 million in grants in 10 years, DeYmaz said of Immerse Arkansas. One year, we got a five-year grant for $800,000. It is smart economics because you wouldn't get those grants if it was under your [church] budget.

DeYmaz contended that justice and economics are the evangelism of the 21st century.

This is no longer bring Billy Graham to your city, he explained. Tremendous man, amazing, we would all agree. [But] that was the 20th century.  That is not how you lead people to Christ in the 21st century. You know how you do it? Justice and economics. This is the future of the American Church. Jesus didn't say let me hear your words. He said, let them see your good works. And if there was ever a time the society needed to see good works, it's right now.

In order for a church to be disruptive in the economic sense, it should be doing things like repurposing property, creating jobs, generating tax revenue for the community and putting the talents of church members to use in the appropriate ways to further the mission of the church.

This entire 60,000 words [of the book] can be summed up in a question or a statement: How do you as a pastor, how does the church leverage its assets? he asked. [Those assets] are people money and buildings to bless the community.  How do we leverage our assets to bless and advance the Gospel, advance the common good, and at the same time generate for-profit sustainable income?

Utilizing people, money and buildings

According to DeYmaz, churches need to make the most out of the property they have.

As an example, he mentioned how Mosaic Church (now located in a former K-Mart store) is generating income by leasing out about half of the building to a fitness club since 2013. The fitness club pays about $8,000 per month for 50,000 square feet.

The reason behind the leasing of part of the building was to help offset the $7,400 per month the church pays on its mortgage. Because of the lease with the fitness center, DeYmaz said, 20 jobs and about $26,000 in tax revenue was created for the local community.

Another way to generate income is for churches to monetize existing services.

Most churches give out free coffee on Sundays for churchgoers. For Mosaic Church, the coffee costs roughly $3,000 per year, DeYmaz said. Although some churches put out a donation jar, they are never made completely whole on the coffee they serve.

To solve this problem, Mosaic started selling sausage biscuits wrapped in aluminum foil purchased at a wholesale store in its cafe area. The entrepreneurial endeavor has not only offset the cost of the coffee but generated extra income that the church has put toward youth summer camp scholarships.

Considering most churches are smaller than the average K-Mart store, DeYmaz told CP that smaller churches can do things like rent out unused offices or classrooms to an organization in their area looking for a cheaper rent option.

In his interview with CP, DeYmaz explained that churches can also generate income by renting out their buildings for events like weddings or to another church in the area to worship on Sunday nights.

Some churches might allow other churches to use their worship space free of charge because they believe it to be part of ministry. But DeYmaz believes it would be wise for those churches to start charging.

But if you keep doing that you might not be here in 10 years, he warned. So charge them something. You don't have to get top dollar, but get something.

Bigger churches, he added, might have print shops that can be used to generate money.

Starting for-profit businesses

Churches and other nonprofit organizations are legally allowed to start for-profit companies so long as the for-profit entities pays their share in taxes and as long as the profit from the companies go back to support the church or nonprofit that launched them.

Although starting a for-profit entity can be daunting for clergy, DeYmaz stressed that pastors dont need to fully understand how to operate a business so long as they can place that responsibility on lay persons in their congregations with experience running a business.

Some churches also pay for janitorial services. Instead, DeYmaz said, churches could create their own cleaning service business by paying employees to not only clean the church building but also take on contracts to clean other buildings in the community.

Send your janitors out in the community. They get contracts on other places and net $30,000 a year and clean your church for free, he told CP.

While some people facing tough financial times might just rely on God or have faith that things might turn around, DeYmaz asserted that God calls on churches and Christians to be good stewards of what they are given.

Jesus tells the story of a master, right? [He gave one man] five talents, two to another, one to another. When he comes back, what did he say? DeYmaz asked during his speech. The one with the five says  Here's your five and I give you five more. [The second] says  Here's your two and I made you two more. What does the master say? Well done good and faithful servant. Good and faithful steward, right? The [other] guy sat on his asset.
James MacDonald splurged thousands from church funds on vintage car gifted to Wheaton prof Ed Stetzer

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Less than two months after Harvest Bible Chapel in greater Chicago ousted founder James MacDonald for abuse of power and other sins, a new report says he splurged thousands of dollars on a vintage car he gifted Ed Stetzer, the Billy Graham chair of Church, Mission, and Evangelism at Wheaton College last spring.

Citing a tip published by Dee Parsons at The Wartburg Watch, independent journalist Julie Roys, confirmed in a report Tuesday that MacDonald gifted Stetzer a just under $13,000 1971 VW Beetle last April. Stetzer said he had no idea MacDonald used money from church donations to pay for the gift.

Long story shortJames heard that my daughter and I were wanting to fix up an old VW bug as a father/daughter project. And, he surprised us with the gift of 1971 VW, which I assumed was from his personal funds, Stetzer told pastor and podcaster Joe Thorn in a message about the gift shortly after Parsons post went public last Friday.

Stetzer reportedly later checked with HBC after reading reports of the financial scandal at the church and discovered that the funds for the Beetle had come from MacDonalds Walk in the Word broadcast ministry, a sub-ministry of the church. He reimbursed the ministry for the full value of the car in March.

Roys noted that Stetzer, who serves as contributing editor for Christianity Today, and dean of the School of Mission, Ministry, and Leadership at Wheaton College, and executive director of the Billy Graham Center, might have improperly impacted the way in which CT reported on the HBC debacle as it unfolded in recent months.

Stetzers receipt of a large gift from a celebrity pastor like MacDonald raises conflict of interest issues, given Stetzers position at Wheaton College and especially his role as an editor for Christianity Today, Roys wrote.

As part of his paid journalistic relationship with CT, Stetzer manages one of eight special sections on CTs website called The Exchange with Ed Stetzer.

Roys said Mark Galli, editor in chief for Christianity Today, confirmed that Stetzer arranged a conversation (between MacDonald and CT Deputy Managing Editor Jeremy Weber) that led to the magazine publishing MacDonalds article defending his lawsuit against her and four other defendants, titled Why Suing is Sometimes the Biblical Choice. Galli told CP that Stetzer was not instrumental in the publication of the op-ed.

The Christian Post reported last October that HBC slapped Roys and several former workers with a defamation lawsuit alleging the publication of false information about the church, its finances and governance that resulted in the loss of 2,000 members.

Roys and the former employees have since been vindicated in recent months. In March, church officials admitted that there was a lack of financial control over MacDonalds office.

As our Harvest 2020 team is charged with reviewing all finances within the church, we have found that there was a lack of financial control and oversight as well as questionable spending practices made by the senior pastors office.

"In addition, we have identified there was a separate budget for the senior pastors office over which there was not sufficient controls and oversight, officials said.

Roys noted that in December, after her expose on HBC was published in WORLD, Christianity Today published an article titled, Harvest Bible Chapel Disputes World Investigation of James MacDonald.

CTs unusual coverage of the Harvest scandal doesnt necessarily show collusion between Stetzer, MacDonald, and CT. But it certainly raises questions, especially in light of the gifted car. But its not just Stetzers position with CT that may present a conflict of interest, Roys argued.

MacDonalds Feb. 12 ouster from Harvest Bible Chapel was triggered by "highly inappropriate recorded comments" he made on a radio program as well as "other conduct."

He was recorded talking about planting child pornography on Christianity Today CEO Harold Smith's computer, and making crude remarks about Roys  including joking that she had an affair with Galli  and a vulgar reference to Stetzer.
Massachusetts becomes 16th state to ban conversion therapy for gay youth; lawsuit expected

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Massachusetts became the sixteenth state to ban sexual orientation change efforts therapy for LGBT minors, with a conservative group planning to pursue legal action in response.

Republican Governor Charlie Baker signed H. 140 into law on Monday. The new legislation prohibits licensed professionals from engaging in counseling meant to help minors struggling with same-sex attraction who want to change.

The Human Rights Campaign, a major LGBT advocacy group, celebrated the new law, which had failed to pass in Massachusetts in previous legislative sessions.

This legislation grants LGBTQ youth in Massachusetts a new freedom to live authentically, free from fear of the debunked and potentially life-threatening practice of so-called conversion therapy, said Marty Rouse, HRC National Field Director, in a statement.

We thank and applaud Gov. Baker and the Massachusetts General Assembly for making these protections law  and congratulate them in taking this momentous bipartisan step forward in ensuring Massachusetts is a safe and affirming state for all LGBTQ children.

However, the Massachusetts Family Institute, which had campaigned against the proposed legislation, denounced Governor Bakers signing of the bill and threatened legal action.

MFI will pursue legal action against the Counseling Ban to defend those constitutional rights in our Commonwealth, said MFI President and General Counsel Andrew Beckwith in a statement emailed to supporters.

This law is an extraordinarily invasive assault on the rights of parents to raise their children and a violation of the First Amendment right to free speech for the counselors whose help they seek.

Beginning in 2012 with California, several states and the District of Columbia have enacted bans on SOCE therapy, also known as conversion therapy or reparative therapy, for minors.

In addition to California, D.C., and Massachusetts, states that ban the practice for minors include Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington State, according to the HRC.

Supporters of these bans have argued that SOCE therapy harms LGBT youth and have pointed to the fact that mainstream American psychiatry rejects the practices.

Critics charge that the bans violate parental rights, religious liberty, and freedom of speech, while depriving youth who may want or even need such therapy from receiving it.

Last July, Maine Governor Paul LePage, a Republican, vetoed his states conversion therapy ban, referring to it as bad public policy.

This is so broad that licensed professionals would be prohibited from counseling an individual even at the individual's own request, stated Gov. LePage last year.

 young people should not be physically or mentally abused if they come out to their parents or guardians because they have experienced sexual or romantic attraction to an individual of the same gender. However, as it is written  'any practice or course of treatment'  can call into question a simple conversation.
Millennial-Majority Churches Detail Challenges, Success Stories in Growth and Finances

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As many surveys have documented, the United States' two youngest generations are leaving churches in large numbers, with many taking up the label of religiously unaffiliated, or "nones."

The millennial generation, which includes Americans born during the 1980s and 1990s, is known for having higher rates of unaffiliation than the general population.

A 2016 study by the Public Religion Research Institute found that 39 percent of Americans aged 1829 did not belong to a church, even when many had a Christian upbringing.

Generation Z, the population born at and after the start of the 21st century, are also noted for their increasing disbelief in organized religion.

The Barna Group released a report in January which found that 35 percent of teenagers identify as atheist, agnostic, or religiously unaffiliated, a higher percentage than millennials.

And yet, in congregations like The Table in Washington, D.C., City of Truth in Kansas City, Missouri, and Grace Capital City in Washington, D.C., millennials are not only part of the church, they basically are the church.

In recent years, some churches have been planted or have shifted their worship style to reflect the preferences of younger generations in hopes of reaching these religiously unaffiliated demographics.

The Christian Post interviewed some of those who are involved in these churches to learn about how they became supermajority millennial, the financial challenges they experience, and what advice they have for other churches considering a similar path.

City of Truth

Formerly known as Parkway Baptist Church, City of Truth changed from a more traditional church to one that reflected contemporary trends after Armour D. Stephenson III, often called AD3, became pastor.

Quincee Jackson, director of ministry culture at City of Truth, told The Christian Post that the alterations involved both "small" and "drastic" changes, including the style of music, more sermon series, more social media, eliminating the "dress code," and shortening services to about an hour-and-a-half.

"We put away our suits and pulled out our T-shirts and jeans. We basically felt our message would be better received if we didn't set a false tone that those who attended our church would have to look a certain way," said Jackson.

"Another change we made was shortening our services. Of course we didn't eliminate necessary elements ... we just felt it was important to eliminate the things we would do that really added no value to our services. And we found out that we could do the important things more efficiently."

But City of Truth experienced a dramatic shift in its membership as a result of those changes.

According to a story by The Kansas City Star published last year, City of Truth initially saw its membership plummet from about 300 to 85. However, in 2017, the congregation had grown to an estimated 1,000 members.

Jackson told CP that finances remain an issue, as does finding a "permanent home" for their congregation, which meets at a high school auditorium.

"Honestly, I wouldn't solely attribute it (financial struggles) to the fact that we are a majority-millennial church. Yes, I'm sure that has been a factor but I'm also sure there are several factors that contribute to it," said Jackson.

"We are a church planted in the urban core. We are committed to serving the under resourced parts of our city. All in all, God is faithful and our members are dedicated to our mission."

Warren Bird, author and research director with the Leadership Network, told CP that regarding financial giving, millennials' "giving to church is no lower than for previous generations."

"Typically their income is at a lower level than it will be at later life stages, and thus their proportional giving is lower as well, but their commitment to helping fund the vision at the church they attend seems to be no less," explained Bird.

"Of course the mode of giving has changed, with millennial-dominant churches reporting that 50 percent to 90 percent of their total giving comes from electronic tithing, rather than historic patterns of writing a check."

When it comes to other churches thinking about making similar changes as City of Truth, Jackson advised making "changes as calculated and as careful as possible."

"It's better to teach about the change to those who you need to grab hold to the change. It helps to try and get people on board through casting a compelling and clear vision of what is at stake if we do not make the change," Jackson said.

"Lives are at stake. Anything that wants to grow has to change."

Grace Capital City

Grace Capital City, which meets at the Church of the Pilgrims in Washington, D.C., is another growing congregation, with Lead Pastor Chris Moerman estimating that about 80 percent of its membership is millennial.

In an interview with CP, Moerman said he doesn't see his church as being primarily focused on reaching millennials, despite their majority, adding that older generations are welcomed and encouraged to attend.

"We have a vision to be a full multigenerational congregation. Each generation needs the other for encouragement, discipleship and support," said Moerman.

"I think it's easy to get too focused on reaching one specific demographic and miss out on the richness and diversity that comes with a much broader spectrum. We are continually praying that God would raise up spiritual mothers and fathers in our church and that God would bless us with a full range of age groups that are all important to the Body of Christ."

While Moerman acknowledged that "having a church with a majority-millennial congregation certainly brings about some financial challenges," he nevertheless reported that Grace Capital City was growing.

Bird told CP that he believed millennial-majority churches have a chance to grow the church among younger Americans.

"Most people who come to church do so at the invitation of a peer. Since the 'nones' (no religious affiliation) are disproportionately younger in age, the people most likely to reach them are their peers  the millennials, including Generation Z," added Bird.

As to why his congregation was succeeding, Moerman responded that he believed it had to do mainly with being "faithful and fruitful with every person that God brings to our church."

"I would attribute this growth to a combination of genuine and authentic relationships, a vibrant spirituality expressed through worship, teaching and community, and a passion to give people a vision for God's work in their lives that impacts not just their Sunday's at church, but their everyday existence," Moerman added.

The Table Church

Another capital-area congregation known as The Table likewise doesn't view itself as specifically targeting millennials even though they are, as lead Pastor Kevin Lum explains, "primarily comprised of millennials."

"We've discovered that millennials are looking for the many things other age demographics are. They're looking for a church where the mission is clear and the path to getting engaged in community is simple and easy," said Lum to CP.

"At The Table Church, we're passionate about Jesus, we create ministry around peoples' gifts and empower them to put those gifts into action. We also have fun, do our best to love people well and we're obsessed with helping people experience community. All of these things resonate with millennials, but I think everyone is hungry for the same thing."

Since it was launched in 2013, The Table has seen growth of about 20 to 25 percent per year and presently has about 400 members.

They have two locations, one in Columbia Heights that meets on Sunday mornings and another near Metro Center that meets on Sunday evenings.

Lum believes that the reason for The Table having a large millennial presence was because that generation is "the largest demographic moving to our city."

"Washington, D.C., has seen an explosion in millennials over the past few years. When we first planted we were more concerned with reaching young people, but we realized that targeting one age group is not a Gospel-centered vision," explained Lum.

"Instead, we believe that the Gospel calls us to reflect the diversity of the neighborhoods where God has planted us. That means our church's diversity should match the diversity of our city and it's something we're striving for."

Lum told CP that "keeping a clear mission" and helping people "use their gifts in the context of community" have enabled his church to stay vibrant.

"Congregations should look like the cities where God has planted them. If you're in a city exploding with young people, then your church should definitely be reaching young people," said Lum.

"Pastoring millennials requires a different approach to giving, but I think it's a healthy and much needed transition. Millennials don't give out of guilt or obligation, but instead they want to know that their generosity is making an impact."

Lum added that a key feature of giving in his church was "transparency," adding that "everything is an open book."

"We provide quarterly financial updates that highlight the impact of our congregants' investment in our church and our community," he said.

'Sometimes, We Can't Do It Better'

While some majority-millennial churches are thriving, others have become a source of concern for what some believe is too great a focus on reaching out to one generation.

Jessica Lair with New Season church, a multigenerational, multiethnic congregation in Sacramento, California, told CP about a time when she worked with a millennial-centered church in Los Angeles.

During her time at a Hollywood-based church plant, she noticed that the church mainly brought in millennial-aged "creatives" and tailored their worship, stage design, and social media outreach to be "current with millennial trends."

"I have since left that church but I know it is still going. The numbers have capped to 101150 in attendance every week," said Lair, who maintains contact with members from the church.

"I know ... that the church struggles to be financially independent as millennials, especially in LA, do not help the church financially as they don't have steady jobs or see the purpose of tithing or offering."

Lair posted a blog entry in April expressing why she cannot "stand behind" millennial-centered churches, arguing in part that such church plants risk depriving themselves of good spiritual wisdom from other age groups.

"We as a generation need to quit with the attitude of 'we can do it better,' because sometimes, we can't do it better," wrote Lair, herself a millennial.

"We as millennials NEED the generation before us. I have learned more life lessons at a multi-generational church in seven months than I did at a millennial church in two years."

Lair also called upon the older generations to "hear us millennials out," noting that her generation has "ideas and passions" and "want to be heard by you, appreciated and respected."

"We want to be taken seriously and we have a hunger to learn, so long as we aren't shut down because we've got a couple piercings on our face and ink on our body," said Lair.
Pete Buttigieg draws criticism for saying gay marriage brought him closer to God

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Openly-gay Democrat presidential candidate and mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg, has drawn criticism for declaring that his same sex-marriage has moved him closer to God, and telling Vice President Mike Pence and conservative Christians to quarrel with God if they have a problem with his homosexuality.

"My marriage to Chasten has made me a better man  and yes, Mr. Vice President, it has moved me closer to God," Buttigieg declared during a speech at the LGBT Victory Fund's annual brunch in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, according to USA Today. "And that's the thing I wish the Mike Pences of the world would understand, that if you've got a problem with who I am, your problem is not with me. Your quarrel, sir, is with my creator."

Buttigieg, 37, who is a veteran, a Rhodes scholar and graduate of Harvard, lives with his husband, Chasten, in the same South Bend neighborhood where he grew up, with their two rescue dogs, Truman and Buddy.

Last month, during a Q&A at The South by Southwest Conference & Festivals in Austin, Texas, he said he tries to live a life that is consistent with Christian teachings and questioned whether Pence truly believes in Scripture.

First of all I try to live a life that is consistent with Christian teachings. I know that it is my responsibility not to ever do anything that would in public life, not be equally beneficial or make as much sense to people of another faith or people of no faith. But in my life I believe in that Christian ethic, the idea that was drilled into me in Catholic school even though Im not Catholic, Im Episcopalian, he said.

On Sunday, in an interview on NBCs "Meet the Press," he criticized President Trumps popularity among evangelicals as hypocritical.

Its something that really frustrates me because the hypocrisy is unbelievable, he argued. Here you have somebody who not only acts in a way that is not consistent with anything that I hear in Scripture or in church, where its about lifting up the least among us and taking care of strangers, which is another word for immigrants, and making sure that youre focusing your effort on the poor.

He continued: We see the diametric opposite of that in this presidency. ... Even on the version of Christianity that you hear on the religious right, which is about sexual ethics  I cant believe that somebody who was writing hush money checks to adult film actresses is somebody they should be lifting up as the kind of person you want to be leading this nation.

In an op-ed Monday, conservative commentator Erick Erickson, who is editor of The Resurgent and host of the "Erick Erickson Show" on WSB Radio, insisted that it's Buttigiegs display of progressive Christianity which is a hypocritical farce.

This is why progressive Christianity is so corrupt and flawed. As much as Buttigieg makes a valid critique on the presidents behavior and evangelicals' excusing that behavior, Buttigieg wants to reject the inconvenient parts of faith he does not like. He is a gay man who got married; he does not think homosexuality is a sin despite express statements in Scripture, and he thinks abortion is a moral issue and we cannot legislate our morality, Erickson said.

Buttigieg wants to use the social obligations as Christians against the president, but wants to avoid any implication on the personal obligations of Christians in terms of clear biblical sexual ethics and how we are to live our lives applying our faith even for the least of these, he continued.

Michael Brown, host of the nationally syndicated "Line of Fire" radio program, also called out Buttigieg.

If ever there was a glaring instance of the pot calling the kettle black it was when South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, a professing Christian and practicing homosexual, called President Trump a hypocritical Christian. Seriously? Brown wrote in an op-ed Monday. What is utterly absurd, though, is for a man who professes to be a serious Christian, yet is pro-abortion and married to his same-sex partner, to call out Trumps alleged hypocrisy.
Radical doesnt mean crazy,' says Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in defending Green New Deal

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NEW YORK - Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., told civil rights activists at the National Action Network convention that radical doesnt mean crazy, it means addressing the rot as she preached the philosophy behind her radical Green New Deal as the antidote to injustice Friday.

The rot, she explained are things like racism, growing economic inequality and mass incarceration. If allowed to continue unchecked without radical action, she says, it will likely end in fiery uprising.

Injustice of any kind is a lose thread on the fabric of society just waiting to catch. And it will catch if we do not address racism, if we do not address the wealth gap, the racial wealth gap; if we do not address mass incarceration; if we do not address the disproportionate mental health care within our communities; If we do not address the injustices of our immigration system; If we do not address the injustices of education inequity. These are all loose threads just waiting to catch on society, Ocasio-Cortez said.

The Green New Deal is a massive policy package being spearheaded by Ocasio-Cortez and other congressional colleagues that would remake the U.S. economy and supposedly, eliminate all U.S. carbon emissions.

It has attracted many critics including most recently President Donald Trump who knocked it as "the biggest government power grab in U.S. history."

In a speech before the Republican Jewish Coalition Saturday Trump called it a "one-trillion-dollar" plan pointing to the annual cost of fulfilling the deal's ambitious agenda. The conservative think tank American Action Forum estimated that the deal would cost between $51 trillion and $93 trillion over the next decade.

Although she isnt running for president, Ocasio-Cortezs appearance at the NAN convention hosted by civil rights icon the Rev. Al Sharpton drew stronger applause than any of the several 2020 hopefuls who spoke on the same stage Friday, including Sens. Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren.

Ocasio-Cortez argued that any policy proposed to address injustice that doesnt confront it in a radical way that addresses the rot she outlined would ultimately fail.

And that is why in a time of radically deep problems we see today  whether it is the growing influence of white supremacy, whether it is the rollback of consumer protections by this administration, whether it is the agenda of Betsy DeVos  what we need to do in radically deep problems is propose radically visionary solutions. Because radical doesnt mean crazy, radical means addressing the root, addressing the rot, she said.

Invoking the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr., Ocasio-Cortez told the crowd that her Green New Deal, which failed to advance in the Senate with a 0-57 vote last month, is the answer to the rot.

That is why we have proposed a green new deal for the future of America. That is why within that resolution we do not shy away from bold conversations of healthcare, housing and education as human rights. Of living wages and dignified work. Of policy that isnt just drafted with the next election in mind but also with the next generation in mind, she said.

That is the moral political and economic underpinning, of making bold investments and dignified jobs because that is the necessary plan to fix the pipes in Flint (Michigan), and clean the air in the South Bronx and to create unionized energy jobs for transitioning workers in Appalachia and West Virginia; For single payer healthcare and Medicare for all and tuition free public colleges and universities to prepare our nation for the future and for the end to mass incarceration, the war on drugs, examining and pursuing an agenda of reparations and fixing the opioid crisis too, she continued.

Because one of the things that King [Jr.] taught us is that our destinies are linked and tied and that is just a part of American philosophy as anything else. Because ultimately ending injustice is about ending the root causes of despair. And in the words of King, true peace is not merely the absence of tension, it is the presence of justice, she ended.
Tony Evans Opens Up About Sudden Death of Niece Wynter Pitts, Talks Goodness of God

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Tony Evans opened up about the final moments with his niece, Wynter Pitts, saying he still believes in the goodness of God despite his great loss.

During a forum held at Oaks Church in Red Oak, Texas over the weekend, Priscilla Shirer, Chrystal Evans Hurst, Anthony Evans Jr., and Jonathan Evans sat down with their father, Tony Evans, in front of his congregation to talk about Pitts' death and how it has impacted him.

"I rushed out, went to the hospital and I walked into the room, I knew it was over from the medical standpoint because Jonathan was hovered over his wife and saying 'she's gone, she's gone," Evans explained in a video of the discussion posted to YouTube on July 27.

Shirer, overcome with emotion, asked her father how he was feeling after being present to see the Pitts family discover that the matriarch of their home was gone.

"Feeling that sadness, shock, mixture of both, heartache. Seeing a young man weep over his young wife. And then the worst part of it for me was him going to tell his girls, who were at the hospital too. And then to hear the wailing from four girls, that this was so unbelievable," the minister recalled.

Adding, "At the very same time something very encouraging in the midst of the heartache, tears, and pain, Jonathan [Pitts] immediately went into where their mother was, that she was with the Lord. That she was with her savior. And as everybody was crying, girls saying, 'no this can't be, this can't be,' he began singing a hymn. He began singing a praise song. And so we joined in with him as he sang to his girls."

Sadly, Pitts' death was not the only family death in the family recently, Tony Evans also lost his brother six months ago.

The Evans children probed their dad to open up about his feelings. They also asked him to tackle tough questions about life and death.

"The kids wonder how you feel cause you just keep going," Jonathan Evans tearfully asked his dad, echoing Shirer's concern for him.

"Because I believe what I preach. I do believe she's in a better place. I do believe in the sovereignty of God. I do believe in the goodness of God. I do believe. And because I believe, I do keep going," Tony Evans responded.

Pitts died unexpectedly in her sleep earlier this week at the age of 38.

Since her death was premature and unexpected, Jonathan Evans asked his father to also share his take on the goodness of God in light of the tragedy.

"The goodness of God is all around us," Tony Evans assured.

"It only comes into question when bad things happen. You take away the bad things, we were celebrating with Jonathan Pitts and his family, the goodness of God as a family. We were celebrating that and then this happens. So now the questions come. But what about all those other days when there were no questions when we were laughing and celebrating? So you have to put the badness of a situation against the history of God's goodness."

Anthony Evans Jr. admitted that he handles grief very differently than his family and is angry about Pitts' death.

"It's okay to feel the pain of God disappointing you," his father consoled.

"You gotta have the right theology of death," Tony Evans continued. "Cause if you don't, death is only a negative. When in God's economy, it's not only a negative. In God's economy, he makes an astounding statement. He says, 'Blessed is the Lord with the death of his saints.' That is, he is excited to have Wynter with him. Now, we're not because of what was lost. But he's excited to have Wynter with him."

The conversation ended with Evans praying for all those present that were dealing with grief. His children then covered him and their family in prayer.

Wynter Pitts was an author, blogger and the founder of the popular faith-based magazine, For Girls Like You.

Her funeral was held Saturday evening at the Oaks Church in Red Oak, Texas. According to reports, the service was a celebration of Pitts life filled with music, Bible scriptures and more.

A GoFundMe account was set up to help the Pitts family during their time of grief.
RABAT - Over 400,000 new jobs have been created in Morocco's industry over the 2014-2018 period, Industry Minister Abdelkader Amara said on Monday. This represents 81% of the targets set as part of the government's plan for 2020, the minister added. Amara stressed that 49% of new jobs went to women and over 21 were divided between new projects kick started thanks to the plan.

The car sector was key for the industry with 116,611 new jobs, or 28.8% of the total, followed by textile with 79,000 new jobs, offshoring (69,932), the food industry (63.198), metallurgic and mechanic industries (19,776). Construction and aviation came last, respectively with 11,302 and 8,603 jobs.

Exports also grew, according to the ministry's data, from 161 billion dirham (some 15 billion euros) in 2013 to 240 (23 billion euros) in 2018, nearly a 50% increase in five years.
Trump says he's not looking to reinstate family separation policy

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President Trump on Tuesday said he's not looking to reinstate the controversial family separation policy for immigrants seeking asylum and those entering the country illegally, but felt it was a good deterrent when the practice was in place, according to The Associate Press.

Im the one that stopped it, Trump told reporters during a sit-down in the Oval Office with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi when asked about reinstating the policy. He insisted that it was his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, who first separated children from their families at the border, the AP reports. But once you dont have it (the family separation policy), he added, thats why you see many more people coming.

"We're not looking to do that," Trump said, according to NBC News, in an attempt to assure reporters that his administration wasn't going to reinstate its zero-tolerance policy of last year.

In June 2018, the president signed an executive order ending parental separations for those held in Border Patrol detention centers upon entering the country illegally.

"We're going to keep families together but we still have to maintain toughness or our country will be overrun by people, by crime, by all of the things that we don't stand for and that we don't want," Trump said at the time.

NBC News reported Monday that Trump was mulling whether to reinstate the family separation policy.

The news outlet cited three unnamed sources within the administration who said the president had sought to restart the policy since at least January, in response to the spike in illegal immigration.

Last Friday, Trump gave remarks at the border city of Calexico, California, in which he said the United States had problems accepting more immigrants because the nation is full.

We're full, our system's full, our country's full  can't come in! Our country is full, what can you do? We can't handle any more, our country is full. Can't come in, I'm sorry. It's very simple, Trump said.

In 2018, the Trump administration garnered outrage from liberals and conservatives alike for adhering to a family separation policy for immigrants seeking asylum and those who entered the country illegally.

The policy had existed in both the Obama and Bush administrations, with Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson telling both NPR and Fox News that under the Obama administration some children were detained alone. "We had then 34,000 beds for family detention, [but] only 95 of 34,000 [were] equipped to deal with families."

In June 2018, McClatchy's DC Bureau reported that the Obama administration was known to separate children and parents at the border and housed unaccompanied children in tent communities.

Franco Ordonez and Anita Kumar of McClatchy also reported at the time that while Trump created the "zero tolerance policy" on family separation, it was Obama who "helped create the road map of enforcement that Trump has been following  and building on."

Nevertheless, the rate of family separation is greater under the Trump administration than under Bush and Obama, according to former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

The policy garnered outrage from many religious leaders and faith groups, including Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission President Russell Moore and National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference President Samuel Rodriguez, the latter being a member of Trumps evangelical advisory board.

As evangelical leaders representing tens of thousands of local churches, campus communities, and ministries we are concerned that the new 'zero tolerance' policy at the U.S.-Mexico border, recently announced by Attorney General [Jeff] Sessions and being implemented by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, has had the effect of separating vulnerable children from their parents, read an open letter to Trump that both Moore and Rodriguez signed.

As head of the Executive Branch of the federal government, we are writing to ask you to resolve this situation of families being separated that you have rightly described as 'horrible.
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According to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, since 1910 when the state assumed responsibility for executing criminals, the number of people sent to death row total more than 1000. Male death row inmates are sent to Central Prison. Women death row inmates go to the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women.

There are 141 offenders currently sentenced to death in North Carolina, but there hasnt been an execution since 2006. But if certain Democrats have their way with legislation they filed this week, the Death Penalty in the Tar Heel state will be repealed.

The legislation, HB 587  Repeal Death Penalty is championed by Representatives Graig R. Meyer (D-Caswell), MaryAnn Black (D-Durham), and Zack Hawkins (D-Durham).

The proposal begins with many of the same old tired arguments for ending capital punishment in resolution form with various Whereas. Every one of them is specious.

Let me try to speak to each one with brief comments.

Whereas, nine people in North Carolina were sentenced to death row have been found innocent of the crime for which they were sentenced.

How is this reason for ending the death penalty? Death row inmates receive super due process of law that can account for an average of 12 years of appeals. Its obvious the current legal process which allows more than ample time to cover every possibility of innocence is working. There exists no solid evidence of even one innocent nation-wide being executed for more than a century. And with modern forensic science today, some would rightly argue the chances of executing an innocent have become exceedingly slim to none.

Whereas, the death penalty continues to be disproportionally imposed on members of minority groups, persons of low income, and persons with mental and intellectual disabilities.

I think John McAdams, a professor of political science at Marquette University, effectively speaks to this. He contends:

Nobody would even think of trying to apply this principle in a consistent way. If we find that black neighborhoods get less police protection than white neighborhoods, would we withdraw cops from black and white neighborhoods? If banks are discriminating against black homebuyers in mortgage lending, would we demand they stop all mortgage lending? If we find the IRS discriminating against middle-class and poor taxpayers, would we want to abolish the IRS?[w]hat we have, in the way of statistical evidence, fails to support the politically correct fantasy of massive discrimination. Is the death penalty administered with perfect fairness? No. Is it administered as fairly as other criminal sanctions? Yes.

Whereas, studies have shown that the death penalty does not deter crime.

Well, its obvious that it deters the executed criminal.

Furthermore, I would suggest its not the law that deters; its the enforcement of it. If North Carolinas death penalty or the death penalty in other states doesnt deter, its because it isnt being enforced as it should.

Without the death penalty, we are risking the sacrifice of more innocent lives. With it, we are risking saving more innocent lives. Which is the better risk?

Isnt the answer clear?

Whereas, North Carolina spends almost eleven million dollars ($11,000,000) annually on costs related to the death penalty, even though the last person executed in North Carolina was in 2006.

I contacted my friend, Dudley Sharp, one of the nations premier death penalty advocates in the country about this argument. Sharp told me that its clever for the sponsors of the bill not to compare the $11 million to a life sentence. He says that there is no reason to accept the $11 million as accurate. He says the estimate was first mentioned in 2004 by Philip Cook, at Duke University. Its supposed to be the state government expenditures for processing murder cases, but it is purely hypothetical.

Sharp said: It doesnt make any difference what the death penalty costs if you dont look at the total life without parole (LWOP) costs. For example, the $11 million is about $0.09 a month per North Carolina citizen, likely the smallest component in North Carolina taxes. Are North Carolinians complaining about spending 9 cents per month?

In other words, if LWOP costs essentially the same, what does it matter if the death penalty costs $11 million? Thats not a sufficient reason for the state not to require justice consistent with the crime. The crime of murder should require the forfeiting of the murderers life.

As William H. Baker in his book, Capital Punishment, says, Capital punishment as a form of retribution is a dictate of the moral nature, which demands that there should be a just portion between the offense and the penalty. For the criminal to receive a life sentence, when his victim is dead, does not level the scales of justice.

Whereas Justice William Brennan and Thurgood Marshall of the United States Supreme Court found that the death penalty was inherently unconstitutional as a violation of the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Sharp reminded me that there were 114 justices of the U.S. Supreme Court. Two of them, he said, Justices William Brennan and Thurgood Marshall, found that the death penalty was inherently unconstitutional. To say their opinion is in the minority is a woeful understatement.

Whereas elected prosecutors make decisions about whom to seek the death penalty against, so this is tied into a political bias.

It is juries that assess whether an individual is worthy of death. A prosecutor only applies the law, which is the will of the people. So it could also be said that if the prosecutor decides not to seek the death penalty, when the level of the crime meets the laws requirement of capital punishment, then the prosecutor by his own bias, political or otherwise, becomes the sole arbitrator, overruling the publics will as stated in the law. So, you see, this cuts both ways.

HB 587 would repeal the death penalty in North Carolina for the sorriest of reasons.

Capital punishment is moral, a responsibility that God gave solely to the state in Genesis 9:6, saying, Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image. This command of God, which is to be a model law for every nation in every era, God has never repealed. It forbids personal vengeance, but serves to rightly secure justice for victims, restoring a disturbed equilibrium in the universe, while also protecting the lives of the innocent.

If this bill is considered and taken up for a vote by the North Carolina General Assembly, I sincerely pray lawmakers will sentence it to death.

Rev. Mark H. Creech is executive director of the Raleigh-based Christian Action League of North Carolina Inc.
Britain's housing crisis is 'hitting the poorest the hardest', says Archbishop of Canterbury

The Archbishop of Canterbury has launched a major new commission to explore how the Church can help to resolve Britain's housing crisis.

Speaking at the launch today in Northampton, the Most Rev Justin Welby warned that the housing shortage was one of the "major challenges" facing Britain and that the nation needed to think about more than just the bricks and mortars of housing to build strong communities.

The Commission on Housing, Church and Community will bring together academics, housing experts and theologians over the course of the next 18 months to discuss Christian perspectives on the provision of good homes and how communities can thrive.

In addition to quality housing, the commission will consider the types of facilities and projects that can support communities and strengthen bonds between neighbours.

The commission has been launched off the back of Archbishop Welby's book published last year, Reimagining Britain: Foundations for Hope, in which he connected good quality housing with equality and justice, and argued that creating community should be the driving principle behind housing provision.

The Archbishop said that although the Church was already running a number of community-focused projects like food banks and night shelters, it was important to see what more could be done to "bind communities together with bonds of friendship, compassion and mutual support".

He stressed that "any way forward must involve building communities, not just houses".

"Britain's housing crisis is one of the major challenges facing this country  and it is hitting the poorest the hardest. While there is already significant work being done to find solutions, the Church has something unique to contribute," he said.

"The Archbishop of Canterbury's Commission on Housing, Church and Community will consider what else we could and should be doing, as a Church and as a nation. In doing so, I hope it might help reclaim the very purpose of housing  as the basis for community, and a foundation for human flourishing."

The Bishop of Kensington, the Rt Rev Graham Tomlin, who is co-leading the commission, said many people could not afford current rent prices or were living in poor-quality housing. Others "find themselves unable to stay in the communities to which they belong", he said.

"Our hope is that by exploring a Christian vision of housing, home and community we can make a contribution to solving some of these long-standing issues that our society has struggled to resolve over many years," he said.

Charlie Arbuthnot, commission chair, said the commission aimed to offer a distinctive Christian contribution to discussions around housing.

"As well as proposing action by the Church of England  at local, regional, and national level  the commission will explore how, informed by the Christian faith, we can contribute to the national debate," he said.

"We need to build good homes and supportive communities, with the provision of spaces for people to meet, share and celebrate together. We hope to support and inspire all sections of society including public, private and voluntary organisations that share this vision."

The launch coincided with the release of an independent report from the Centre for Theology and Community and the Church of England, which said that the 2017 Grenfell Tower disaster was a "stark reminder of how we have marginalised whole sections of the population in sub-standard housing".

The report recommends that the Church use some of its land and resources to help meet the need for more affordable housing.

In addition, the Church should tap into its social capital and expertise in community-building to "uphold people's right to a decent and secure home" and help "shape new developments where people can flourish".
Church of England bishops say the 'tide is turning' on harmful online content

"It's about time that social media companies are held responsible for their content and are accountable for their actions," the Bishop of Gloucester, Rachel Treweek, has said after the Government unveiled plans to impose substantial fines on websites that fail to take action against "online harms".

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) outlined plans on Monday to create an independent watchdog responsible for ensuring websites follow a "code of practice" to protect vulnerable users.

The watchdog would hold websites accountable for breaches by imposing fines or blocking them, with individual executives also being held personally liable.

According to the proposals, websites will face action if they fail to block content such as child sex abuse, hate crimes, revenge p*rnography or terrorist propaganda.

Bishop Treweek, who has been campaigning for a safer online environment since 2016, said the plans were "an encouraging sign that the online world will start to be regulated to protect people like Molly Russell", the 14-year-old schoolgirl whose parents believe was influenced to take her own life after viewing images on depression and suicide on Instagram.

"It's about time that social media companies are held responsible for their content and are accountable for their actions," said Bishop Treweek.

"No other organisation in the 'real' world has that freedom. We manage to regulate electricity, water companies, broadcasters, shops etc through consumer bodies, yet for years social media companies have been allowed to self-regulate.

"These new clear standards, backed up by enforcement powers will hopefully be the step change to start really protecting our children and young people online."

Writing in the Telegraph today, the Bishop of St Albans, Alan Smith, said that the problem of harmful online content needed a global solution.

"There was a time when the global nature of the online world made it possible for people to shrug their shoulders and claim that regulation was impossible," he said.

"Now, with the tide turning, is the time to put that notion away forever: what we are seeing are global problems that require global solutions.

"We need an international treaty-level approach to defining the moral norms and standards for the online world, because like the sea, the waves of the internet wash up on every continent and we have to regard them as deserving of the same attention if we are to harvest their pearls as well as avoid the sharks."
How UK asylum system creates perfect conditions for modern slavery and exploitation to thrive

For asylum seekers, trying to find work in another country is very difficult. Not only is there often a language barrier and reams of paperwork, but there is also the fact that government systems can encourage exploitation.

Asylum seekers in the UK receive 37.75 a week to live on, and most are prohibited from working. But this small amount of money often fails to allow people to meet their basic needs. This leads some to search for work to supplement their income. But herein lies the problem, as the only people willing to employ them are those happy to do so illegally. This leaves asylum seekers with no bargaining power to negotiate reasonable pay or working conditions.

Yet the risk of exploitation does not end with a positive asylum decision. Refugees are often dispersed out of London and the south-east to other areas in the UK. The areas of dispersal are determined by the availability of temporary housing. In many cases, this is concentrated around areas of economic deprivation.

This risk is exacerbated by the delays in receiving important documents commonly experienced by refugees. And when government support ends but their national insurance numbers have not yet arrived, refugees are vulnerable. They have no income and no way to access welfare or legitimate work. This leaves them with little choice but to seek work with people willing to employ them illegally.

Modern slavery

Prime minister Theresa May has vowed to help rid the world of the "barbaric evil of modern slavery". And the adoption of the Modern Slavery Act in 2015 was applauded by many. It helped to position the UK as a global leader in this field.

Under the Modern Slavery Act, a person commits an offence if they hold someone in slavery or servitude, or require them to perform forced or compulsory labour. The person must also know, or ought to know, that they are doing so.

But a key flaw of this phrasing is that it rests all the blame at the feet of the perpetrator. This overlooks the exploitative environments that allow such an offence to take place. These environments are, ironically, commonly generated by the government, such as banning asylum seekers from working and tying overseas domestic workers to their employers.

In this way, global capitalist pressures on labour markets and the search for cheaper alternative workers can lead to slavery. Since the late 1980s, transnational companies have shifted production to places where labour and inputs are cheapest  often due to a lack of unionisation. But the Modern Slavery Act fails to recognise this. Instead, it insists on defining modern slavery as a crime  a relationship between just the victim and the perpetrator.

Nationalism and modern slavery

May describes modern slavery as "the greatest human rights challenge of our time". She has encouraged other Commonwealth states to adopt legislation reflecting the Act. This stance links to notions of empire, with the British government seeking to reassert its position as a global power through morally laden legislation such as the Modern Slavery Act. At the same time, it seems to gloss over its own "hostile environment" anti-migration immigration policy.

This undercurrent of nationalism influences how people are identified as victims. Newspaper stories emphasise the exceptionality of British victims  such as "British children forced into modern slavery"  but often overlook migrant victims of slavery.

But the Act also continues to overlook how government policies contribute to environments that allow exploitation to exist. This is a fundamental weakness and the Act should provide avenues to strengthen bargaining power and imbalances of labour instead.

Woven into society

So although the government claims that it "will lead the way in defeating modern slavery" it is actually generating environments that encourage exploitation. The government's stubborn position towards migrant domestic workers, for example, prevents them from accessing their rights. They are restricted in changing employers  and a recent case saw a number of migrants questioned over their immigration status as they attended Union meetings.

The two temporary migration programmes suggested for post-Brexit Britain, in agriculture and horticulture, will exacerbate this  as the concerns of businesses continue to trump those of the migrant workers.

In this way, the Act works as a smokescreen. It is employed almost as an avoidance strategy  a method to escape confronting the processes through which exploitation has been woven into the very fabric of society.

This demonstrates the government's superficial commitment to eradicating the "scourge of modern slavery". And illustrates how the overwhelming focus on criminalisation turns attention away from the role the government plays in exploitation. If the government is to move beyond a cursory moral battle, it must acknowledge and seek to redress this.

Alicia Kidd, Postdoctoral Researcher of 'Modern Slavery' and human trafficking, University of Hull; Elizabeth A Faulkner, Lecturer in Contemporary Slavery (Law), University of Hull, and Lorena Arocha, Lecturer in contemporary slavery - The Wilberforce Institute, University of Hull This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
'The global economic system is broken,' says Christian Aid

The head of Christian Aid Amanda Khozi Mukwashi is in Washington DC and New York this week to urge world financial leaders to make the global economic system fairer for all.

Amanda Khozi Mukwashi said the "global economic system is broken" as she prepared to join high level meetings at the World Bank and Finance for Development conference.

She was to warn leaders that the "instatiable" drive for growth was pushing the Earth beyond its ecological limits, while pledges to support the poor were going unfulfilled as financial gain continues to be put before people.

Leaders will hear that the current system "devalues" billions of people living in the Global South and that the "oppression of marginalised people is deeply embedded in how the global economic system operates".

While there are signs of "real progress" in achieving the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), she says an "urgent rebalancing" of the global financial system is needed to ensure that people in developing countries are not "left behind".

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) was singled out for particular criticism as she said it had "done little work" to address the structural issues perpetuating gender inequalities like unpaid care work and a lack of public services that would enable women to work.

She will also advocate for a cleaner global economy that is no longer driven by fossil fuels, arguing that the continued use of fossil fuels is unsustainable and puts "existential pressure" on people and the planet.

Speaking ahead of the meetings, she warned of the risk to development posed by climate change. She said she had been struck by the plight of a woman she met in Ethiopia who was struggling with crop failures and the death of livestock as a result of rising temperatures.

"This woman had never been in a classroom or read a book. And yet she described the tragedy of climate change and sustainable development in one sentence and, all too unusually, in a language that is universal," she said.

"For climate change must not be an issue that is understood only by experts. Instead, it is about poverty and social justice and affects the world's poorest most: it is essential that these people are enabled to have the agency not just to be able to survive, but to thrive. After all, we cannot truly flourish if our neighbours are suffering and in danger.

"Climate change is a bigger threat than any one human being irrespective of power or position. For my friend in Ethiopia and many millions of others, it is about life and death."
Yale Law School investigated over allegations of discrimination against Christians

Republican Senator Ted Cruz wants to know if Yale Law School is illegally discriminating against Christians.

Cruz has launched an investigation into Yale Law School's recent decision to apply their non-discrimination policy to summer and postgraduate public interest fellowships, arguing that it unfairly discriminates against students who wish to serve in organizations professing traditional "Christian views" or "sexual ethics."

"Public news reports indicate that Yale Law School has recently adopted a transparently discriminatory policy: namely, that Yale will no longer provide any stipends or loan repayments for students serving in organizations professing traditional Christian views or adhering to traditional sexual ethics," Cruz wrote in a letter to Yale Law School Dean Heather Gerken last Thursday.

Cruz, who is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on the Constitution, argued that the policy appeared to be in violation of the First Amendment.

"The First Amendment protects both free speech and the Free Exercise of religion. Yale's new policy does neither. Instead, it appears that the policy arose from unconstitutional animus and a specific discriminatory intent both to blacklist Christian organizations like the Alliance Defending Freedom and to punish Yale students whose values or religious faith lead them to work there," he said.

"Please be advised that the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on the Constitution is opening an investigation into Yale Law School's policy, announced via email on or about March 25, 2019, extending its putative nondiscrimination policy to summer public interest fellowships, postgraduate public interest fellowships, and loan forgiveness for public interest careers. As that investigation may include a subpoena duces tecum or a referral to the Department of Justice for action against the law school, please further consider this as notice of your obligation to take reasonable steps to retain all hard copies and electronically stored information relevant to this investigation and potential litigation," Cruz further warned.

A Yale News report said the law school's policy change was triggered after the school's chapter of the Federalist Society, a student group committed to open and honest debate on important legal issues, invited a lawyer from the conservative legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom to speak earlier this year. LGBTQ activists at Yale, known as the Outlaws, opposed the invitation and on Feb. 24 asked the administration to clarify its summer fellowship and admission policies "regarding organizations that discriminate against members of its community."

The LGBTQ group argued that by supporting students working for organizations that supposedly discriminate against people like them in hiring practices, Yale would be violating its own nondiscrimination policy.

In a statement on Cruz's threat, Yale Law School said National Association for Law Placement's policy and the American Bar Association require that law schools impose sanctions on discriminatory groups.

"We recently decided that the Law School will require that any employment position it financially supports be open to all of our students," the statement cited by Yale News said. "If an employer refuses to hire students because they are Christian, black, veterans, or gay, we will not fund that position."

A Cruz spokesperson told Yale News that he will "possibly" hold a hearing on the issue to determine whether Yale should continue receiving federal funds.

"This discriminatory policy indicates that Yale Law School would prefer to sabotage the prospects of their own students than see them advocate for mainstream Christian or conservative causes," the spokesperson said. "[Cruz] will possibly hold a hearing to determine whether their rights are being violated by Yale, an institution which receives federal funds and is clearly prohibited from this sort of discrimination."

Courtesy of The Christian Post
Angela Alioto has joined the fray in the civic fight against the Paleolithic sculptures and landscaping improvements adorning Hillsborough's Flintstone House, a popular attraction for drivers along Interstate 280.

The former San Francisco supervisor and mayoral candidate will represent Florence Fang, the unusual home's owner, as she fights to keep the city's paws off her lawn. Hillsborough recently filed a lawsuit against Fang, alleging that she made changes to the home's exterior without proper permits and ignored multiple Stop Work Notices.

Fang, 86, will join Alioto in a Thursday press release held at the house in question, at 45 Berryessa Way. Fang, a philanthropist and the former publisher of the San Francisco Examiner, will reportedly explain "her reason for creating the Flintstone House and speak to the joy it brings her" while Alioto will "discuss the harassment by the Town of Hillsborough over the last 18 months."

"I am delighted to discuss our countersuit and claims, both State and Federal," Alioto said in the statement.

"This is a fight for the right to live one's dream in America without unbridled harassment and constant Constitutional violations from an elitists town hall committee in Hillsborough, California," she continued.

"Being sued for living a dream is novel, even in California!" the press release concludes, for good measure.

(Note: Fang did not create the Flintstone House. It was constructed by architect William Nicholson in 1976 as an experiment in new building materials and techniques. The residence remained under the same ownership for more than two decades.)

SEE ALSO: Peak inside the 'secret' crown jewel of the Transamerica Pyramid

Fang's troubles started months ago, not long after she purchased the ostentatious orange-and-purple home, a longstanding visual quirk along a stretch of I-280, in 2017 for $2.8 million. According to rubberneckers driving along the highway, the property gained some new residents shortly after its purchase  a herd of animal sculptures.

But that's not the only change Fang made to the property, according to "Hillsborough vs. Florence Fang," filed recently in the Superior Court of California. Starting around 2017, the complaint says Fang began installing "extensive improvements" in the yard, including the sculptures and a sign reading "Yabba Dabba Doo."

SEE ALSO: Colonial on famed trick-or-treating street in Berkeley for sale

She also reportedly built a retaining wall, steps, columns, gates, a parking strip and a deck to "accommodate her plan to use 45 Berryessa for parties and social gatherings." Hillsborough claims some of these modifications created "life-safety hazards" that required immediate correction.

Fang allegedly instituted the improvements without proper planning approvals or building permits, with the exception of the wall installed at the front of the property.

You can read more about the ongoing case here.

It seems some Bay Area residents are disgruntled by the bureaucratic kerfuffle  and the city's unfavorable aesthetic assessment of the property and its sculptures.

"Personally I would fight to keep these statues up and leave these owners alone," Helen Garcia, of San Jose, wrote in a petition she created to protect the house. "As a child I would drive to San Francisco with my family to see my grandmother. I would wait patiently until I was able to catch a glimpse at the Flintstone House. At that time it was just orange and round and it intrigued me."

The petition is directed at Governor Gavin Newsom and the Natural History Museum of London, which is seemingly related to the home solely on account of a large dinosaur fossil collection.

So far, more people have signed the petition  over 21,000 at time of writing  than reside in the town of Hillsborough.

Read Michelle Robertson's latest stories and send her news tips at michelle.robertson@sfgate.com.

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Commissioners for the Port of Houston Authority agreed Monday to limit the number of vessels measuring 1,100 feet or longer that can enter the Houston Ship Channel, a request pushed by energy companies fearing that especially large container ships will cause waterway traffic jams.

The adopted resolution will allow just one of these ships each week, where they will be restricted to one movement each day. That means a large container ship entering the channel one day could not leave until the next day.

This topic has been a point of contention for months. Houston Pilots, charged with guiding vessels in and out of the Houston Ship Channel, have enacted safety measures that only allow moving these vessels during the day. And the ship channel's typical two-way traffic is reduced to just one-way traffic when moving the larger container ships.

MORE: Energy companies fret Houston Ship Channel traffic

This prompted a group of energy companies to form the Coalition for a Fair and Open Port. It hired an outside firm that found one-way traffic and the growing use of large container ships could suppress the oil and gas industry's ability to grow at a time when the United States and Texas are poised to become exporting powerhouses.

"To put that channel on one-way traffic is going to choke off our ability to export what wants to be and needs to be exported," Jim Teague, CEO of Enterprise Products, said in December. Enterprise is a top exporter of crude oil and other petroleum products.

A Port Authority spokeswoman on Tuesday said very few of these especially large vessels are actually calling on Houston right now, and they weren't expected to surpass one a week in the near future.

Container and trucking companies, however, have pushed back against the coalition, saying it would hurt the entire shipping and logistics supply chain. The West Gulf Maritime Association trade group noted that 1,100-foot-plus vessels make up about 30 percent of the fleets of most major container shipping lines.

Shareen Larmond, president of the maritime association and speaking on behalf of its container members, said the Houston Ship Channel is federally managed and should be open to all industries. A long-term solution being addressed by the Port Authority and supported by all of the involved parties is widening the waterway. In the nearer term, she hopes a continued dialogue will ensure that cargo continues calling on Houston.

"We definitely understand the pressures that led to the decision," she said on Tuesday, "and look forward to working with the commissioners and commissioner Ric Campo on finding ways to ensure that all commodities and industries are accommodated on the Houston Ship Channel."

At HoustonChronicle.com: Shipping companies decry proposal to limit biggest vessels

Monday's news comes just months after Campo, chairman and CEO of Camden Property Trust, was appointed chairman for the Port of Houston Authority. This one-way traffic debate was among his key, early focuses.

The Coalition for a Fair and Open Port praised Campo for getting the resolution passed. But now, it's looking for something more permanent that can't be overturned by new commissioners. Vincent Di Cosimo, executive director of the coalition, said it's difficult for companies to invest hundreds of millions of dollars without knowing for certain that there will be two-way traffic in a few years.

He said the coalition wants to see state legislation that mandates two-way traffic. If pilots aren't comfortable with a certain vessel in two-way traffic, then that vessel can't come until the pilots are comfortable with guiding it past other vessels.

"It is a great start," Di Cosimo said. "It's not the finish line."
Less than two months after leaving prison, former Enron Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Skilling settled a 17-year-old lawsuit claiming he helped defraud a Canadian investment firm with the promotion of the defunct energy companys securities as it headed toward collapse.

SilverCreek Management Inc., a Toronto-based investment firm that bought Enron-issued bonds in October 2001, sued in Manhattan federal court, accusing the companys accountants, banks, directors, law firms and underwriters of helping facilitate the oil traders demise.
NEWS PROVIDED BY

Americans For Truth About Homosexuality

April 9, 2019



CHICAGO, April 9, 2019 /Christian Newswire/ -- Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans For Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH.org), issued the following statement today about potential Democratic presidential candidate and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg's recent statements about God, homosexuality and Vice President Pence:

Mayor Pete Buttigieg is a living, walking and breathing example of the politicized sham that is religious-left "Christianity" today. He claims that God created him as a homosexuala self-serving blasphemy as audacious as it is biblically nonsensical. (And science has refuted his "born gay" crutch.)



Buttigieg quotes Scripture even as he defies it with his very public, and very fake, "marriage" to another man (See in the Bible: Matthew 19:4-6; Romans 1: 24-27; Jude 7; 1 Timothy 1:8-10; Leviticus 18:22). (Redefining marriage to accommodate sexual perversion is beyond the Supreme Court's pay grade.)



Predictably, "Mayor Pete" has quickly become the darling of a media who incessantly promote all things "gay" and "trans"and who loathe socially conservative Christians who actually believe the Bible in humility, and fear God in reverence.



The simple truth is that homosexual behaviors are wrong, unnatural, and often unhealthyyet can be overcome through the grace and power of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 6), as testified by countless ex-"gays" and former "transgenders." No faithful Christian proudly identifies by his or her besetting sins, nor seeks to justify them before a holy God.



Vice President Mike Pencea favorite target of Buttigieg and self-righteous LGBTQ political bullieshas been intimidated into silence, but he would do well to respond to the absurdities that flow out of Mayor Pete's lips on a daily basis. Buttigieg claims that Pence has a "quarrel ... with my Creator" because he opposes the aggressively anti-freedom, anti-Christian LGBTQ agenda. But it is Buttigieg himself who is defiantly living out his own quarrel with God every time he proudly celebrates his sexual sin and, worse, uses God to justify itman's ultimate folly.



Christians should pray that Pete Buttigieg repents of his proud homosexuality and dedicates himself to serving Christ in Truthrather than mocking Him for political gain.
Libya: UN raises alarm on 3,400 displaced in Tripoli 1,400 refugees and migrants closed in centers

(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, APRIL 9 - A reported 3,400 people have been displaced by ongoing clashes near Tripoli, in western Libya, where security "remains unstable", the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Tuesday. In an update on the situation, OCHA said that an estimated 3,400 people have left their homes in Tariq Al-Matar, Wadi Al-Gharbi, Ain Zara and Qasr Ben Gashir for safer areas of Tripoli, Tarhouna, Bani Waleed and Tajoura.



Most of the displaced families are staying with relatives and friends while some 25 families have reached two shelters in Tajoura and Ain Zara.



OCHA said that the UN is continuing to receive confirmation that civilians in some areas near the front are unable to flee due to the intense fighting. In some cases, hostilities prevent rescue services from reaching the population in need, it added.



The UN called for a temporary humanitarian truce in Libya to allow the passage of civilians wishing to leave Tripoli and to provide humanitarian assistance. Moreover, some 1,400 refugees and migrants are in detention centers near the areas affected by the conflict, in Ain Zara, Gharyan e Qasr Ben Gashir, OCHA said. (ANSAmed).




RICHARD DELLMAN/AFP/Getty Images

French energy major Total and Exxon Mobil said Tuesday they're moving forward on a new liquefied natural gas export project in the island nation of Papua New Guinea.

The Papua LNG project, which has faced delays, is effectively an expansion of Exxon Mobil's $19 billion, PNG LNG project that opened five years ago. The new effort, if ultimately built, would effectively double the LNG export capabilities of Papua New Guinea, which is north of Australia.
An apparent argument during an eviction lead to a deadly shooting in Huffman and a man being charged with murder, authorities said.

Darren Petix of Humble was charged with murder after the shooting on Sunday. He is out of the jail after posting bail on $60,000 bond.

Harris County prosecutors, in their effort to have bond set at $100,000, said Petrix told investigators that he tried to evict Tony Samuel Houston from a residence located at 23100 FM 2100. Deputies said Houston was living in a travel trailer behind a business complex.

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Petix, 32, went to the home about 5:25 p.m. Sunday and the two men began to argue. Petix told deputies that Houston threatened to retrieve a knife from inside the trailer.

Prosecutors said Petix told officers he shot Houston in the back and when Houston continued to move, Petix approached him and shot him twice in the head, according to the court document requesting the bond amount.

Petix, whose father owns the travel trailer, then placed his pistol inside his pickup truck and called 911, deputies said.

He claimed self-defense, but deputies said their investigation into the incident determined otherwise.

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More than six months after pleading guilty, a Houston woman is heading to prison for fraud.

Sheiletta McGrew, 44, pleaded guilty on Sept. 17, 2018, to theft of government money, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office.

On Monday, April 8, McGrew was ordered to federal prison for 24 months followed by two years of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Vanessa D. Gilmore issued the sentence. She will also have to pay restitution of $144,943.

According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, McGrew owned a tax preparation business called BABY STEPS 4 ME which she operated from her Houston residence. At the time of her plea, McGrew admitted she unlawfully acquired the personal identifying information (PII) of numerous individuals to include names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and other sensitive personal information. She then used the unlawfully acquired PII to file false and fraudulent income tax returns with the IRS.

McGrew admitted to submitting fraudulent returns without the taxpayers consent and requested the refunds be directly deposited into bank accounts she controlled.

In her plea, McGrew admitted to filing at least 82 fraudulent returns and received fraudulent refunds in the amount of $257,765.

After she was sentenced, McGrew was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

IRS-Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hileman prosecuted the case.

rkent@hcnonline.com
Two Houston area projects, including a curving underground pedestrian tunnel that will link the Museum of Fine Arts with an expansion across Bissonnet, have been recognized with national awards by the Associated General Contractors of America. The Construction Risk Partners Build America Awards, which highlight the nation's most significant construction projects in 2018, were announced during the AGCA's annual convention last week in Denver.

AR Daniel Construction won a merit award for best new utility infrastructure project for the pedestrian tunnel, while Persons Service Co. won best new specialty contractor project for the Brazosport Water Transmission Pipeline. The Brazosport project involved the installation of more than 15 miles of pipeline under the Brazos River to provide water to Southeast Texas following Hurricane Harvey.
The United States emergence as a global energy superpower would not have been possible without Americas extensive natural gas pipeline network. Approximately 300,000 miles of transmission pipelines carry natural gas safely to market, where it generates electricity, heats homes, powers American manufacturing and is exported to allies and trading partners abroad.

This stunning development is attributable to American ingenuity, and it is critical that our pipeline safety regulations also reflect advancements in technology and engineering practices.

Current regulations are based on federal standards that were established piecemeal over the span of half a century and that often are inconsistent with modern practices.

The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have begun hearings on reauthorization of the Pipeline Safety Act, the law that confers authority upon the U.S. Department of Transportations Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). PHMSA regulates pipeline design, construction, testing, operations, inspection, and maintenance. The Interstate Natural Gas Association of America strongly favors using this reauthorization to bring federal pipeline safety regulations into the 21st century.

PHMSA is now finalizing a sweeping set of regulatory changes that will be the most significant update to natural gas transmission pipeline safety rules since federal pipeline safety regulations were first issued in 1970. PHMSA's updates will advance gas transmission pipeline safety by defining specific requirements to facilitate using modern pipeline safety technologies and processes.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Once sleepy pipeline sector at center of the action

For example, PHMSAs new rules establish requirements governing the use of non-invasive tools that can evaluate pipeline condition and identify pipe needing repair or replacement. The rules also set out requirements for operators to test certain existing pipelines to ensure that they meet todays safety standards.

These regulations enjoy broad support from public safety advocates and natural gas pipeline companies, as well as bipartisan support on Capitol Hill.

The Interstate Natural Gas Association recently joined several public advocacy groups and pipeline trade associations in penning a letter encouraging Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to act expeditiously to advance this important regulatory update. The Republican chairs and Democratic ranking members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and the Subcommittee on Transportation and Safety, sent a similar letter expressing their support for completing the rulemaking.

The Interstate Natural Gas Association hopes to see these critical regulations completed this year and anticipates that they will lay the foundation for Congress and PHMSA to continue updating older regulations to reflect todays technological and engineering capabilities.

Day in and day out, pipeline operators work to ensure and enhance the safety and reliability of the critical infrastructure that is Americas natural gas pipeline system. Just as technological advances made the shale revolution possible, new technologies and engineering practices are improving the performance and safety of the nations natural gas pipeline network.

The results of this innovation have been substantial. Gas transmission pipeline leaks are down almost 70 percent over the past 20 years. Furthermore, third-party excavation damage incidents decreased by 20 percent between 2002 and 2017. This is attributed to pipeline safety awareness programs, most notably the national 8-1-1 Call Before You Dig program.

On HoustonChronicle.com: As petroleum exports grow, so do risks

Regulatory certainty improves safety, encourages investment and spurs job growth in any industry - and especially in capital-intensive sectors like infrastructure. The interstate natural gas pipeline industry supports sensible regulation and the prompt completion of pending rulemakings.

The United States has been the worlds largest natural gas producer since 2012, and last year we became a net natural gas exporter. To maintain our global energy leadership, we need safe and efficient pipelines. Achieving this goal will require an upgraded regulatory framework that facilitates the deployment of American innovation.

Don Santa is president and CEO of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America.
The British arm of Houston engineering and construction company KBR has landed a design contract to help expand an offshore liquefied natural gas project in West Africa.

KBR announced on Tuesday morning that BP awarded the Houston company's British subsidiary a contract for pre-front end engineering design services for the second and third phases of BP's Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project along the maritime border of Senegal and Mauritania.

Known in the oil and natural gas industry as a Pre-FEED contract, KBR will design offshore platforms and underwater pipelines to expand natural gas production that will be delivered to an offshore liquefied natural gas plant that BP plans to develop nearby.

"We are proud to be part of this groundbreaking project which will deliver LNG revenues and gas to Africa for decades to come," KBR Energy Solutions & Services President Jay Ibrahim said in a statement. "This win demonstrates KBR's strategic commitment to our partner BP to deliver an innovative and cost effective deepwater gas value chain together."

SERVICE SECTOR: KBR to use Baker Hughes turbines for LNG projects

Discovered in 2015 and located more than a mile below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, Tortue is an ultra-deepwater field that is believed to hold more than 15 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves.

The equipment that KBR plans to design will allow for extracted natural gas to move through a subsea pipeline to underwater processing platforms and then to an offshore liquefaction plant that will be floating at the surface.

Located along the maritime border of Senegal and Mauritania, BP plans for the first phase of the offshore LNG export terminal to produce 2.5 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas per year.

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Headquartered in Houston with roots going back more than 100 years, KBR reported a $281 million profit on $4.9 billion of revenue during 2018.

With services ranging from government contracting to the oil & gas industry, the company employs more than 36,000 people in 40 nations.

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Syria: 10 killed in suicide attack in north-west, NGO In Hama region, suicide bomber pretends to be farmer on tractor

(ANSAmed) - BEIRUT, APRIL 9 - A suicide attack has been carried out in north-western Syria, killing 10 people, according to UK-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The attack was carried out in the region of Hama, near the frontline between Russian and Syrian government forces and rival Qaedist forces and the Turkey-backed opposition. A suicide bomber pretended to be a farmer and used a tractor loaded with explosives to blow himself up near a checkpoint of government forces. Most of the victims were government soldiers and militias. (ANSAmed).




CLIFTON, N.J.  It was a rare packed house for a weeknight in the suburbs and when the movie was over the sold-out crowd of about 100 last Wednesday spilled haltingly into the light.

A few  a gaggle of nuns in their habits, at least one collared priest  wore their dispositions on their sleeves. Others communicated in muted gestures, dabbed at tears, or lingered for long stretches in the popcorn-strewn vestibule at the AMC multiplex here, as if still processing the deliberately provocative movie they had just seen.

Since March 29, similar scenes have played out across the country as faith-based groups and many others have gathered en masse to see Unplanned, a new movie that paints a scathing portrait of abortion rights in general and Planned Parenthood in particular.

Molly Livingstone, a social media marketer in Dallas, organized about 170 people from her church to attend an early screening of the movie. It so struck her, she said, that she was moved to volunteer for an anti-abortion pregnancy center.

In Davenport, Iowa, the St. Thomas Aquinas Guild of the Quad Cities, an anti-abortion medical organization, raised $4,000 to buy tickets for members and civic leaders. Maggie Schoonmaker, a fertility educator who was involved in the effort, said she felt compelled to spread the word about the film.

The movie provides a way for people to learn the truth about abortion and reproductive rights outside of a church, she said.

Facing controversy

Unplanned has banked on its ability to draw such motivated crowds, despite what the filmmakers  Christian anti-abortion advocates hoping to make a dent in Hollywood  described in interviews as a torrent of adversity.

First, they said, came the denial letters from companies holding the rights to songs they had hoped to include on the films soundtrack. Then it was an R rating from the Motion Picture Association of America, normally a kiss of death in evangelical, Mormon and other religious communities.

Television networks, too, rejected the films trailer as too political to touch. The official Unplanned Twitter account, erroneously linked to online trolls, was temporarily suspended on opening weekend and the star of the movie, Ashley Bratcher, has struggled to book TV interviews outside Fox News and the Christian Broadcasting Network.

Of course, no film is entitled to media exposure. And in each of the above cases, the companies and networks denied singling out Unplanned. But the belief among anti-abortion communities that powerful forces have arrayed against the film has kindled long-smoldering claims of liberal and anti-religious bias in the media and Silicon Valley.

And it has animated high-profile conservatives  including Vice President Mike Pence; Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Donald Trump Jr.  who have risen to the movies defense, seeking to turn it into the latest battlefront of the culture wars.

For now, writer-directors Chuck Konzelman and Cary Solomon can console themselves with a hit. Unplanned exceeded box-office expectations on its opening weekend, earning more than $6 million  and recouping its budget  from just 1,100 screens. It expanded that figure last weekend, earning $3.2 million after spreading to 500 more theaters.

Based on life of Texas woman

Unplanned is based on the memoir of the same name by Abby Johnson, a former director of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Bryan, Texas, who became a celebrity of the anti-abortion movement after what she said was a crisis of conscience. The film dramatizes her conversion narrative and includes three unflinching portrayals of abortions, the first and most explicit of which occurs in the first 10 minutes. (Reports in Texas Monthly and Salon have raised questions about the details of Johnsons story, and Planned Parenthood said in a statement that the movie adaptation promotes many falsehoods.)

The abortion scenes earned the movie its R rating, for some disturbing/bloody images, which meant that its trailers could not run in front of non-R-rated films, or even on some Christian radio stations. But the filmmakers said they were not willing to compromise on the graphic portrayals, which are central to the films appeal to viewers as a self-proclaimed expose that promises hard truths.

In that first scene, teased in the trailer and on posters as the moment that changed everything, Abby, played by Bratcher, witnesses an ultrasound-guided termination of a pregnancy at 13 weeks. The ultrasound, as depicted on screen, shows a fetus with a discernible head, torso and limbs frantically squirming away from a doctors probe  an action that Abby later describes as twisting and fighting for its life  before being liquefied by suction.

Given a description of this scene, Jennifer Villavicencio, a fellow with the nonpartisan American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists who performs ultrasound-guided abortions but has not seen the film, said that while an ultrasound of a 13-week-old fetus may show a visible head and body, the notion that it would be fighting for its life is misleading.

If you watch an ultrasound, certainly there is movement, but its not kicking its legs or recoiling, said Villavicencio. She noted broad scientific consensus that fetuses cannot experience pain and therefore would not recoil from it until well after 13 weeks.

There is no neurological capability for awareness of danger  that part of the brain is simply not there yet, she said.

Konzelman and Solomon defended the scene as faithful to Johnsons personal account and said it had been vetted by Anthony Levatino, a retired obstetrician-gynecologist and longtime anti-abortion activist, who also plays the doctor in the scene.

Ultimately, Unplanned may not need scientific consensus to be effective with its most critical base of support. At the sold-out AMC theater in New Jersey, several attendees, who identified as being against abortion rights, said they were moved by a film that addressed what they said was the deeper truth of a subject few are willing to face head on.

This movie tells the truth and a lot of times we dont get an opportunity to see that, said Cheryl A. Riley, director of the Respect Life office for the Archdiocese of Newark, who organized the viewing and works with women who have had abortions.

Describing herself, like Johnson, as formerly in favor of abortion rights, Riley choked up while recalling her own experience terminating a pregnancy at 19: I know that story and I know that pain.
Fort Bend ISD school board members unanimously approved a resolution on Monday night in support of a bill that would allow the county to maintain a cemetery where 95 African-American remains were discovered last year.

Fort Bend County commissioners want to own and maintain the cemetery located on the construction site of the James Reese Career and Technical Center. However, the Texas Health and Safety Code currently limits ownership to counties with a population of 8,200 or fewer.

State Rep. Rick Miller, who represents part of Fort Bend County, filed a bill last month to change an applicable provision of the Texas Health and Safety Code.

The discovery in April 2018 of the remains, which are believed to be part of the state's convict-leasing system, brought national attention and a renewed discussion on the brutal system where prisoners were contracted out to perform cheap labor.

Community members have voiced their support of keeping the remains where they were discovered.

The city of Sugar Land also recently passed a resolution in support of the bill. During a public hearing for the proposal in Austin on Thursday, Miller spoke about the legislation to the House Committee on County Affairs. The bill remains pending in the House committee.

There have been "ongoing discussions between the school board and the city of Sugar Land and the county trying to do the right thing with these bodies and make the right decision," said Miller. "Well, we have finally got that in place now, but we need legislation to enable it to happen."

Fort Bend County Judge KP George also was present to testify in support for the bill. He and other commissioners voted unanimously in February to authorize the county attorney to negotiate an agreement with the school district. The agreement between them could lead to the county maintaining a memorial park and cemetery at the school district construction site where the remains were discovered.

"These people were put in harsh working conditions," said George about the remains discovered. "They passed away early. I believe in my opinion they were not served justice while they were alive. As a civilized society, I believe we have a moral obligation to deliver some kind of closure."

Veronica Sopher, chief communications officer for Fort Bend ISD, also testified in support of the bill.

"I think it's important to note that the school district welcomes the opportunity to partner with the county and with the city," said Sopher. "We've been working on this project for a long time and the fact that we've been able to find a solution jointly speaks very highly of the support we have in our community to come together."
Plans for the Ciao Houston Heritage Tour looked bleak with dark clouds hung in the sky overhead. But as the weather cleared, a few dozen Houstonians walked together and learned about the roots of Italian culture in the Sixth Ward and Houston at large.

The tour was Archaeology Nows third historical tour this year, and it took attendees into St. Joseph Church, built on Kane Street in 1902 and around a few historic homes that had once been grocery stores, saloons and the like.

The heritage tours are about building connections for you with your city and with each other really. Its about documenting and preserving Houstons history. And Houston is one of the most diverse cities in the U.S., has an incredibly rich history, said Becky Lao, executive director of Archaeology Now. Sometimes its difficult to access, so we take you into the neighborhood to places that might not ordinarily be available to you in a way to connect you to your city. So you kind of become a tourist in your own city.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Houston science museum welcomes Bolivian boat

The group began at the church. Inside, they learned how more than a hundred years ago, the church became the hub of the Italian and German communities that lived in the Sixth Ward. As people came in the late 1800s to work on the Southern Pacific Railroad, some Italians, primarily from Sicily, started grocery stores. The community flourished.

A neighboring parish began to see an educational need in the area, so nuns started coming to the neighborhood to teach children. Then, the church realized the spiritual need as well. The parish was founded in 1880 with a simple church.

Unfortunately, the hurricane of 1900 destroyed that original building, but the replacement building that still stands was finished two years later.

James Wead, whose family members were some of those early settlers, shared about the churchs history and beamed as he told the group that his third cousin was the first baby ever baptized in the original church back in 1880.

Afterward, the group walked to a large two-story home, where Neal Park, historian and tour guide, described that it had been built by an Italian couple with the downstairs as a grocery store and the upstairs as the residence. By 1915, both a grocery store and a saloon were running from the downstairs.

Although the saloon eventually had to go later because of Prohibition, the property remained a grocery store until around 1960, under different renters. In the 1960s, it became a Mexican bakery until Richard Roeder and his wife Virginia bought it in 1972 for just $22,000, according to their daughter Lee Roeder.

Lee said her father was important in preserving some of the communitys rich architectural heritage.

He always loved this neighborhood and found it wonderful with all of the little houses in it, and he moved and moved his store design business in it, Lee said. A lot of the reason that you see these buildings is because my dad, when he came into this neighborhood, he believed the buildings needed to be saved. And at one time, he owned many, many of these little houses and had restored them and renovated them.

Even today, Houstons Sixth Ward has a wealth of Victorian-era homes.

tracy.maness@hcnonline.com
Katy Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9182 celebrated the relationship between educators and veterans at its March 30 awards banquet at The Club at Falcon Point.

Katy Independent School District Superintendent Ken Gregorski, who was the keynote speaker for the evening, credited veterans for their role in fighting for freedom, sharing their story with youths and supporting the district as reasons why its the top school district in the Houston area.

Education is a fundamental right in the United States, he said. Thats not the case in other places in the world. Because of your service, we have the privilege of living in the greatest country in the world.

Katy Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9182 Commander Don Byrne said, We have some dedicated youth who are our future. Without them I dont know what would happen to the country.

Two Katy ISD educators received certificates and $500 each for being named the Citizenship Education Teacher of the Year. They are Phyllis Nawrot, a seventh-grade social studies teacher at Cardiff Junior High; and Teri Gardner, a third-grade teacher at Exley Elementary. Post members work with teachers and visit schools to tell the veterans story to students.

Said Gregorski to the veterans: You bring history to life in our community.

The post also recognized the top students in its essay and the audio-essay contests.

The Voice of Democracy winners are: First Place James Belin Jr. of Tompkins High School, $500 award; Second Place Madison Muldune of Seven Lakes High School, $300 award; Third Place Rowan Lobdell of Tompkins High School, $200 award. The theme for this years Voice of Democracy audio-essay program was Why My Vote Matters.

Winners of the Patriots Pen Essay contest were: First Place Emerson Lynn Finnegan of Beck Junior High, $500 award; Second Place Grace Park of Beck Junior High, $300 award; Third Place Iris Gong Cheng of Beckendorff Junior High, $150 award. Twelve-year-old Finnegan also won a $500 award for placing first in District 17 and a $100 award from the State of Texas VFW. This years theme was Why I Honor the American Flag.

Byrne recognized community leaders for their service by presenting them the Commanders Award. Recipients are Katy Mayor Chuck Brawner for his support of the VFW after Harvey and for city help in rebuilding the VFW Hall; Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers and Fort Bend County Park Superintendent Michel Davis for their role in development and operation of Freedom Park off Westheimer Parkway which includes a monument saluting veterans and 9/11 victims. Meyers accepted the award for Davis, who he said was unable to attend.

More than a dozen Post members received recognition for their contributions in resurrecting the Veterans Museum and Post hall after Hurricane Harvey and Tax Day flooding the year before Harvey. Byrne expressed his appreciation for the time, sweat and tears of members who without which the museum/post wouldnt have reopened as quickly if at all.
It was passion and persistence that got the attention of NASA when a team of seven students from Cryar Intermediate School in Conroe created a possible solution for astronauts who get dizzy and sick in space.

The fifth-and sixth-grade students on the team, also known as the RoboCatZ, started the year off like any other First Lego League group  they worked together at least once a week to build and program their robot, document their work and develop core values for their group.

They also had a research project objective they needed to complete. The kids were tasked with finding a solution for a problem that astronauts may face in space, team member Austin Barnett explained.

I have a brain condition called chiari malformation: you get dizzy a lot, you have headaches and you lose your balance sometimes too. Astronauts experience the same thing, Barnett said. I go to an acupuncturist, and we thought that if acupuncture works on me, then maybe it can help the astronauts, too.

The kids set to researching. They found that there was a study done a few years ago in Europe that experimented with acupuncture on astronauts during a parabolic flight that simulates a zero-gravity environment.

Then, they contacted Barnetts acupuncturist, Stacy Wunsch Tenant, to find out how acupuncture works.

I gave them a lot of information on acupuncture and how it works, how it would help with the dizziness and motion sickness astronauts get. I thought it was an awesome idea to take something that is more natural and help the astronauts stay healthy, Tenant said.

They also contacted a NASA flight surgeon, also known as a medical officer, for his expertise about space medicine. That doctor is Robert Mulcahy, who is stationed at NASAs mission control center.

Im not normally talking to kids of that age about space medicine, so figuring out how to communicate in a way that makes sense to them was interesting and fun, Mulcahy said.

Mulcahy said the kids asked him about how gravity affects the human body in space, what issues an astronaut might face during the flight and why theyre more susceptible to certain medical conditions.

They asked if weve used acupuncture to treat (space motion sickness), but as far as I know weve never utilized it in space flight. But we always like hearing new ideas like that, and it always helps to think outside the box, Mulcahy said.

The team set to work developing their prototype for performing acupuncture in space. It involves a sealed container with the needle inside, with a lid and button on top and adhesive on the bottom to stick to an astronauts skin. They compiled binders of research and presentation materials on which points on ones body would be helpful to treat with acupuncture to alleviate nausea, motion sickness and headaches.

When Mulcahy received their proposal, he passed on their idea to the research arm of the Human Health and Performance Directorate at NASA to evaluate.

Now, NASA is to be sending a representative to talk with the students about their idea and evaluate it. Barnett said that they dont know yet when the representative is going to visit them, but he and the team seemed excited.

It makes us feel very surprised, like we can actually accomplish something. Were going to try our best and hope that we can solve this problem of astronauts being dizzy, nauseous and sick in space, Barnett said.

jane.stueckemann@chron.com
A former San Jacinto County judge was arrested and charged with allegedly impersonating a public servant when he bypassed Montgomery County courthouse security, flashing a government shield to a guard when he was no longer in office.

John Robert Lovett Jr., 52, of Shepherd, was charged with third-degree felony April 4. A male security guard at the Montgomery County courthouse wrote in a statement that on Feb. 19, Lovett bypassed a metal detector, showing him a gold five-pointed star. The guard stated the shield resembled a Harris County sheriffs badge. Lovett was attending a hearing in the 9th state District Court for criminal charges against him, according to an affidavit from the Attorney Generals Office.

When this man flashed the badge I actually thought he was law enforcement, the guard stated in the affidavit.

Six days later, an officer with the AGs Office acting on a search warrant found photo IDs of Lovett that named him as a San Jacinto County judge. Also found were a metallic-like gold-colored five-pointed badge labeled in all uppercase, county judge, San Jacinto County and John Lovett and bearing the Texas state seal. The badge the security guard described seeing appeared to be the same design as the badges the officer found in his search, the affidavit detailed.

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Lovetts term as county judge ran out Jan. 1 and he was therefore no longer a public servant. Lovett was suspended without pay and without authority April 23, 2018 following an indictment for tampering with a governmental record, forgery and burglary charges, the affidavit showed.

The former public officials legal troubles stem from a July 7, 2017 incident where he allegedly used a San Jacinto County clerk time stamp to approve a county commissioners court agenda after entering the clerks office using a master key, according to previous reporting by the Houston Chronicle.

The officer investigating Lovett on the impersonating a public servant allegations watched an Oct. 30 video of the former judge at the Montgomery County courthouse showing ID or credentials as he bypassed metal detectors while he was suspended, the affidavit added.

As of Friday, Lovett was out on bail, according to jail records.

jose.gonzalez@chron.com

twitter.com/jrgzztx
Following a contentious discussion Tuesday at Montgomery County Commissioners Court a motion to remove the tolls on the Texas 242 flyovers at Interstate 45 failed in a 3-2 vote.

Precinct 1 Commissioner Mike Meador, Precinct 2 Commissioners Charlie Riley and Precinct 4 Commissioner James Metts voted against the action, agreeing more information was needed from the Texas Department of Transportation on who would maintain the flyovers moving forward.

County Judge Mark Keough and Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack voted for removing the tolls.

Placed on the agenda by County Judge Mark Keough office, lifting the tolls and maintenance of the flyovers is not a new topic for the commissioners. In February 2018, former Precinct 4 Commissioner Jim Clark urged fellow commissioners to remove the tolls and allow him to approach the Texas Department of Transportation about assuming responsibility of the flyovers. The court did not support Clarks motion.

The construction and tolling of the Texas 242 flyovers were approved by Montgomery County voters in the 2005 road bond referendum.

During Tuesdays meeting, Keough called upon his Chief of Staff Jason Milsaps to present information to the court from the county agreement with TxDOT. Both Keough and Milsaps said they interpret the contract as TxDOT would take responsibility of the flyovers if the county lifted the tolls.

But County Attorney B.D. Griffin said the court should not assume that is understood noting the contract is not clear on who would provide the maintenance. Additionally, the revenue for the tolled flyovers has been earmarked fund the third connector at the intersection that will move traffic from Interstate 45 north to eastbound on Texas 242.

The advanced funding agreement does provide that the county would fund 100 percent of the construction cost for that third flyover, Griffin said.

Currently, the toll revenue from the flyovers is about $100,000 a month. The county contracts with the Harris County Toll Road Authority to manage the tolls for Montgomery County.

I have never liked the tolls and I have asked them to be removed multiple times, Noack said. But before we do it, I think we need to have the right answers to these questions. Its not as easy to say TxDOT is going to come in and maintain them.

Several commissioners were also concerned that lifting the tolls could jeopardize an $18 million payment from TxDOT due this year to the county via the pass-through toll program. Once that payment is made, the state will begin putting an additional $56 million in an escrow account for the county.

Keough said the people of the county do not want the tolls and he supports removing them and allowing more traffic to access them to address congestion at the Texas 242 and Interstate 45 intersection.

This is what they want, Keough said. I hear this all the time.

Noack responded he wanted to make sure all questions were answered before the court took action.

We just answered them, Keough said.

But Riley said TxDOT hasnt and the county needs the states response on the maintenance.

Metts agrees adding he does not like toll roads either.

But there are a lot of unanswered questions, he said regarding the maintenance. I would like to have something from the state, written down that we can be comfortable with. I dont want to be stuck with something we cannot pay.

The court will revisit the issue at a later meeting.

The Texas 242 direct connectors were funded through the pass through toll program with TxDOT. The county has received state and federal reimbursement of more than $150 million through the pass-through toll program, which was part of the 2005 road bond referendum. The reimbursement rate is 7 cents per vehicle mile. Under the program agreement, the county also funded projects on FM 1484, FM 1485, FM 1488 and FM 1314.

cdominguez@hcnonline.com
The ongoing issue of what to do with an abandoned cemetery in Fort Bend County continues to draw support.

On Monday, April 8, the Fort Bend Independent School District board of trustees lent its support to House Bill 4179, which aims to help protect the cemetery discovered during construction of Fort Bend ISDs James Reese Career and Technical Center.

Fort Bend ISD is hopeful that the passage of this legislation will allow us to move forward in collaborative efforts to memorialize the 95 individuals discovered at the site of the James Reese Career and Technical Center, said FBISD Board President Jason Burdine. We are appreciative of Fort Bend County and the City of Sugar Land for their willingness to partner with us in this journey.

Specifically, HB 4179 would amend the Health and Safety Code: For purposes of historical preservation or public health, safety, or welfare, a commissioners court may use public funds, county employees, county inmate labor as provided by Article 43.10, Code of Criminal Procedure, and county equipment to maintain a cemetery that is at least 50 years old.

The new language would allow Fort Bend County to own and operate the abandoned cemetery discovered during construction of FBISDs James Reese Career and Technical Center.

Smaller counties and cities were already allowed to own and operate cemeteries.

Fort Bend ISDs Chief Communications Officer Veronica Sopher and General Counsel Rob Scamardo recently testified to the House Committee on County Affairs in support of the legislation.

House Bill 4179 was filed by State Rep. Rick Miller with State Reps. Ron Reynolds, John Zerwas and Phil Stephenson signing on a co-authors.

Language in the bill allows counties with a population of more than 550,000 that border a county with a population of more than 3.3 million to own, operate, and maintain a cemetery.

From the beginning, Fort Bend ISD has recognized that this discovery is of a great historical significance. We remain committed to teaching future generations about this important piece of local history in a way that encourages critical thinking and appropriate reflection, said FBISD Superintendent Dr. Charles Dupre in a news release. This discovery gives our FBISD students a unique opportunity to experience first-hand the realities of the convict-leasing system. We are excited that our students will directly benefit from this historic discovery.

On Tuesday, April 2, the Sugar Land City Council approved a resolution supporting the bill.

A partnership between Sugar Land, Fort Bend ISD and Fort Bend County would support legislative efforts to authorize the county to operate the cemetery on land owned by the school district, rebury remains on the site and memorialize 95 people lost to history.

On Tuesday, Feb. 12, Fort Bend commissioners voted unanimously to authorize the county attorney to negotiate an agreement with Fort Bend ISD to create a memorial and cemetery.

During the current Legislature, Reynolds issued multiple bills  House Bills 2036, 2428 and 2430; House Concurrent Resolutions 51 and 55; and House Joint Resolution 87  to bring light to the convict leasing system.

 HB 2036 relates to issuance of permits for the analysis of human remains recovered on state archeological landmarks.

 HB 2428 relates to the burial of convict leasing victims and the establishment of a convict leasing victims memorial museum.

 HB 2430 relates to requirements in a suit for the removal of human remains from a cemetery.

 HJR 87 proposes a constitutional amendment requiring the payment of reparations to the next of kin of certain victims of the state's convict leasing system.

 HCR 51 would create a joint interim committee to study the legacy of convict leasing in Texas.

 HCR 55 would direct the State Preservation Board to initiate steps to provide for the replacement of the Children of the Confederacy plaque with a plaque to honor victims of the state's convict leasing system.

This bold slew of legislation is designed to replace the confederate monument in the capitol with a plaque to honor the victims of convict leasing, to commission a study to determine the legacy of convict leasing, to establish a museum to educate the public on the history of convict leasing, and to administer $95 million in reparations to the descendants of the 95 victims of the convict leasing system discovered in Sugar Land, Reynolds previously said.

For more background information on the discovery of the cemetery, visit www.fortbendisd.com/historiccemetery.

rkent@hcnonline.com
Algeria: Bensalah interim president amid student protests Appointed by parliament. Demonstrators asking for 'regime's end'

(ANSAmed) - ROME, APRIL 9 - Abdelkader Bensalah has been appointed interim president by the Algerian Parliament, local media reported on Tuesday. The appointment, after the resignation of Abdelaziz Bouteflika, will reportedly last 90 days.



However protests, in particular by students, are continuing with demonstrators chanting slogans including "Bensalah go away" and demanding the "end of the regime".



Security is tight in Algiers and other cities across the country. Riot police fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators near a tunnel close to the university in the capital. (ANSAmed)
A new collaborative trying to tackle youth violence in the Houston area will approach it as a public health issue, organizers said Monday.

Houston Peace comprises 10 entities, including the Houston Police Department, Health Department and Complete Communities  a governmental program that works to provide more resources to disenfranchised communities  that have banded together to approach youth violence not as criminal justice or law enforcement issue.

A public health approach allows us to address the root causes, said Houston Health Department Assistant Director Decrecia Limbrick.

The collaboration has identified three goals: to prevent youth violence, promote youth health and provide youth opportunities.

We need to take a coordinated and data-driven approach, Mayor Sylvester Turner said. This is a public health issue that we can win.

Youth violence is a nationwide issue, and Houston is no exception. The most common forms of youth violence the city sees is in relationships and gangs.

A Texas Medical Center study that Turner cited found that 25% of 10th graders in the Houston Independent School District had sought medical attention for being shot, stabbed or assaulted. Being black increased that rate compared to other races, as well as being male.

Houston Peace identified early aggressive behavior, poor family functioning, diminished economic opportunities and high concentrations of poor residents as risk factors for communities that may experience more youth violence.

The program worked with HPD to identify what they dub active communities, or areas that have higher rates of youth engaging in activites such as murder, aggravated assault and rape. Those 10 communities  which include Gulfton, Alief and Acres Homes  will receive more attention throughout the implementation of the Strategic Plan to Prevent Youth Violence.

By providing educational and economic equity  such as having 10,000 youth summer jobs this year  Turner said he hopes to pull kids away from violence.

The purpose of this plan is to save our children, said Karlton Harris, of the Health Department. We want to level the playing field so our youth are able to have opportunities in their communities, so they do not get involved in gang and drug activity.

John Jordan, Juvenile Division Chief of the Harris County District Attorneys Office, also stressed the need to shift the juvenile justice system to more effectively handle adolescents who have already committed acts of violence. With 1,100 youth arrests each month, he said, the juvenile justice system has become backlogged and needs a new approach that is more rehabilitative than punitive.

That starts with where youth crimes originate, 40% of which is in schools.

At the time we should be protecting our youth in our schools, we are arresting our youth in our schools, said Jordan. Were going to change the way we do things in Harris County.

massarah.mikati@chron.com
Pasadena businesses began picking up debris Monday after a tornado swept through parts of the city the day before, downing power lines and trees, damaging homes and businesses and forcing the cancelation of classes at one school.

No injuries were reported in the storm, which the National Weather Service reported as an EF-1 tornado, meaning it had winds between 86 and 110 mph. Pasadena ISD officials canceled classes at South Houston High School, which lost power on Sunday.

"The tornado had a strange path, but it looks like it went down Shaver and turned diagonally up to Spencer Highway towards the bus barn," Pasadena ISD spokesman Art Del Barrio said.

Del Barrio could not say whether power would be restored in time for classes Tuesday.

TORNADO AFTERMATH: South Houston High School closed as power outage persists

According to the City of Pasadena's Office of Emergency Management, the storm primarily left power lines down and tree limbs strewn throughout the city, causing outages at more than 30 small businesses and at least two apartment complexes. The businesses remained shuttered Monday.

At Sra. Churros at 3919 Shaver, sisters Gladys Flores and Carolyn Flores spent most of Monday morning throwing out $700 worth of ice cream and other dairy products spoiled when their pastry shop lost power.

"We're probably going to be closed for a few days, so that's more money lost," Gladys Flores said.

The owner of a Thai restaurant a few doors down from Sra. Churro had to throw all his food supplies away, and the Michoacan across the street remained closed.

It's a blow to businesses, said Carolyn Flores, but most are eager to get back to work.

"I'm ready," she said. "We just have to push through and get through it because this is our livelihood."

The intensity of the storm was a surprise to most, said Carlos Reyes, who lives a few blocks away from where the tornado hit. On Monday, he was visiting family members who were still in darkened apartment complexes.

"Nothing like that has ever happened here," he said.

PHOTOS: Tornado, severe storms leave damage across the Houston area in its wake

At Sra. Churro, an employee had been at the shop alone, preparing for the regular Sunday opening when about 1:20 p.m., she started making frantic calls to her bosses.

Carolyn Flores was on her way to work when she got the call.

"She was scared, and I could hear that in her voice... she could hear the wind howling and it was dark," she said. "In my head I was thinking, 'Please don't let her go outside' because we are the only business open here (in a strip center) so she was alone."

Sayra Lemus, who was working at the counter of the El Borrego Taqueria food truck in a parking lot at Shaver, had never seen a tornado before. It was sudden and intense, she said.

"My coworker told me 'Here it comes'  but I didn't know what she meant," Lemus said. "When I came to look out of the window counter, we saw the wind twisting as it hit that building across the street, and then it was coming toward us. We were afraid and got down on the floor and stayed there.

"I just thank God nothing happened to us," Lemus said. The truck was open for business Monday morning.

The damage assessment began at Sra. Churro almost immediately after the storm. When Flores arrived, she noticed a sign that had been in the parking of her shop was now laying across the street, and power lines blocked the front door to her shop.

Sra. Churros was scheduled to participate in a fundraiser at University of Houston on Tuesday and the sisters were expecting to go ahead with those plans. Most of Monday was going to be spent re-organizing and re-purchasing supplies.

But those are material concerns, said Flores.

"We can buy everything again, and we're just happy no one was hurt," she said.
A Pearland middle school student is facing felony charges after police found an unloaded gun in the student's locker.

In a letter to parents, Alexander Middle School Principal Brad Hayes said a tip from a student led to the discovery of the gun. Hayes wrote that Pearland Police were contacted and recovered the weapon.

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"At Alexander, student and staff safety is always our first priority. Please encourage your student to talk to a teacher, school administrator or other trusted adult anytime he or she hears or sees something out of the ordinary or suspicious," Hayes wrote.

Pearland police confirmed the 12-year-old student was arrested and charged with unlawfully carrying a weapon.

In another letter to parents on Tuesday afternoon, Hayes said "any student found in possession of a firearm receives mandatory expulsion."

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


Turkey: Erdogan's party calls for new election in Istanbul After unofficial victory of opposition candidate

(ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, APRIL 9 - The AKP party of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will ask the Supreme Electoral Board (Ysk) for a new municipal election in Istanbul. The party opposes the unofficial victory in mayoral elections of opposition CHP candidate Ekrem Imamoglu.



The Board has granted a recount of ballots in 51 polling stations across 21 municipalities, rejecting the AKP's request for a recount of all votes in 38 out of 39 municipalities over alleged "organized irregularities".



According to unofficial results of the vote held on March 31, released by the Board, Imamoglu beat his rival, ex-premier and AKP candidate Binali Yildirim, by 22,000 votes. (ANSAmed).




Pearland High Schools production of Cats is nominated for five prizes at this months 17th annual Tommy Tune Awards including for musical direction of what choir director Michael Kessler says was the most difficult score Ive ever prepared.

Winners will be announced in 15 categories in a Tony Awards-style ceremony sponsored by Theatre Under the Stars at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 30 at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Houston.

PHS nominations also include best ensemble, supporting actress (Brooklynn King), featured performer (Savannah Brown) and scenic design.

Kessler, who served as music director and conducted the orchestra for performances Jan. 17-19 and 24-26 at Turner High School Auditorium, said that despite the difficulty, it was also the most fulfilling score I have ever had the pleasure of working on.

Meeting a musical challenge

First, explained Kessler, the sheer volume of the score was a challenge.

Once the music starts, it doesnt stop until the end of the show, he said. On top of that is the sophistication of the music and the difficulty of the vocal ranges.

Three PHS students joined 13 musicians in the pit who played at college or professional levels. They included Jon Marcum, the schools associate choir director, who was featured on keyboard.

We taught all of the music after school. None of it was taught during the regular school day, said Kessler. They prepared this show on top of their regular course load and on top of all the music we were regularly preparing for our curricular choirs.

In addition to the actual notes being very difficult, we worked hard on the balance between acoustic and electronic instruments, staying together rhythmically with all of the polyrhythms and mixed meters, and certain inconsistencies between the various instrument parts.

The cast, which was directed and choreographed by head theater teacher Andrea Mashman, included 29 PHS students in singing roles.

Making sure all 29 microphones turned on and off at the right time was a challenge, said Kessler.

The main felines were supported by 30 more students who also sang and danced.

King was nominated for her portrayal of skittish Demeter in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, which was based on Old Possums Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot.

Brown played both the heroic Rumpus Cat and the villainous Macavity.

David Barker, the schools technical theater teacher, designed the set He was assisted by students Meagan Smallwood, Marshall Breaux and Leslie Dunkee.

The set was constructed by students taking technical theater classes.

Tickets to the awards show will go on sale to the public at 9 a.m. Monday, April 15 at tuts.com/tommytuneawards.

Don Maines is a freelance writer who can be reached at donmaines@att.net
The Tomball ISD board of trustees will decide if it will approve $209 million for construction projects that will include two new schools and a stadium at its regular meeting on Tuesday.

The projects are part of the $275 million bond approved by voters in 2017 that will also include building a new agricultural barn, natatorium and renovations at two schools.

2017 bond construction and costs

According to the agenda, the costs for the new elementary school would not exceed $21.1 million, while the new junior high school would not go over $43.2 million.

A new stadium would not cost more than $42.2 million.

The three projects would be built on the same location along the Grand Parkway and Cypress Rosehill Road.

The planned complex would also include site development that would cost up to $37 million and a water and wastewater treatment plant for $6.8 million.

The agenda also includes costs for a new natatorium planned at Tomball Memorial High School for $11 million and a campus expansion for $37.9 million.

A new agricultural barn at Tomball High School would cost up to $6.7 million while a bid to clear the land beside the campus would cost $136,650.

renovations to the entrance of Tomball Intermediate School would be a maximum of $2.1 million.

Tomball High School may also have its auditorium renovated if the $554,401 project is approved.

The board will also need to decide if it will lease five portable classrooms from Satellite Shelters, Inc. for a total cost of $207,837 along with electrical service materials that would cost $18,000.

2013 bond projects

The agenda also states the board would also need to decide on two maintenance projects that are part of the districts 2013 bond.

The first item would be a contract with Approve Point Alliance Solutions for renovations to the restrooms and the main concession of the districts current stadium for $150,697.

The second item would be to purchase and replace chillers for the air conditioning system at Willow Wood Junior High School for $495,000.

The meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the John P. Neubauer Administration building at 310 South Cherry St. on Tuesday.

mayra.cruz@chron.com
The weekly The Woodlands Farmers Market in the Village of Grogans Mill has been growing steadily since its creation more than 10 years ago. Because of that growth, organizers have been able to increase the amount of money they give away.

In the past, theyve given out five scholarships of $1,000 each to village residents who are either high school seniors or college students needing financial aid for their education. This year, market officials are doubling that amount to give out five different $2,000 scholarships.

Bruce Cunningham is on the scholarship committee. He explained that the scholarship application is based on financial need, grades and community involvement for the hyper-local students.

Weve gotten a couple of scholarship applications so far, and the deadline is April 15, Cunningham said. Weve had some kids who have gotten it one year and have come back a second and third time and have thanked us very much. Weve also had one woman in nursing school in her 40s who thanked us for the help.

They also give part of the revenue they earn to the schools within the village, Interfaith of The Woodlands food bank, Aging in Place The Woodlands and other community activities.

Theyre able to do so from the organizational aspect of the famers market: charging vendors for the parking lot space they rent or renting a tent to cover their space.

While they started out with about a dozen vendors, the markets vendor list now stretches on with more than 60 vendors of all types selling art and handmade goods, fresh produce and meat. Other booths boast salsa, seasonings and snacks. All of the products must be grown or made by the vendors, and all food must be prepared in a commercial kitchen.

The market is open each Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon at the Grogans Mill Center along Switchbud place, adjacent to South Millbend Drive and Grogans Mill Road.

Its just getting bigger and bigger. We had a meeting last week in which we are trying to figure out how much more we can grow, Cunningham said.

Pat Goodpastor is on the farmers market committee. She explained that not only is the farmers market a way to revitalize the area and attract business, but its also a community event each week complete with tables and chairs to eat the fresh food and listen to live music.

Farmers markets are an in thing. Its a place to come on Saturday mornings to see your friends and buy good food, Goodpastor said.

She said that shes seen the scholarship recipients benefit in a philanthropic way from this community event.

They really appreciate the fact that were doing this, giving money to help with their education, Goodpastor said.

jane.stueckemann@chron.com
ALBANY  State officials are not sufficiently monitoring local school safety plans, according to a new audit from the state comptroller's office.

For nearly two decades, New York law has required school districts to develop emergency response plans that are submitted to State Police, but an examination determined the state Education Department isn't doing enough to ensure the proposals are filtering to local law enforcement agencies.

"We determined that the department is not sufficiently monitoring school districts' compliance with the school safety planning requirements," reads the audit.

The department is credited with ensuring 99 percent of plans are submitted to the State Police, but they are faulted for not having a mechanism in place to verify local agencies access the plans, too. Investigators spoke with two different local law enforcement offices that were unaware of how they could access the plans through the State Police's portal.

"There is no assurance that local law enforcement - a group more likely to be among the first responders to the scene of an emergency - is receiving the building plans as required," the audit found.

The audit maintains that more resources should have been committed to overseeing school safety planning requirements, as they initially found just one department staff member overseeing compliance on a part-time basis.

It was also discovered that the department has never submitted a report to the governor and Legislature on compliance with the school safety law, even though it has been required since 2000.

While the department plans on taking "additional action to improve school safety," they told the comptroller's office that many of the concerns raised in the audit are outside the scope of their statutory responsibility and would require additional resources to implement.

The department also stressed that local law enforcement agencies have access to the State Police's database of school safety plans, and noted that schools are routinely reminded to file their plans with local officials.

As part of the audit, which was conducted between 2016 and 2018, officials from the Albany Community Charter School, Emma Willard School and Shenendehowa Central School District were among the 15 districts contacted.

David.Lombardo@timesuion.com - 518.454.5427 - @poozer87
U.S. sanctions 16 Saudis over Kashoggi's death Measures also target immediate family members

(ANSAmed) - WASHINGTON, APRIL 9 - The US has sanctioned 16 Saudi citizens "over their role in the death of Jamal Khashoggi", the Saudi journalist who was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October, the US State Department has said.



The 16 and their immediate family members are ineligible for entry into the US, the State Department said. (ANSAmed).




Curious just how far your dollar goes in Midtown?

According to Walk Score, this Houston neighborhood is friendly for those on foot, is quite bikeable and offers many nearby public transportation options. Data from rental site Zumper shows that the median rent for a one bedroom in Midtown is currently hovering around $1,309.

So, what might you expect to find if you've got $1,300 / month earmarked for your rent? Read on for a roundup of the latest rental offerings, via Zumper. (Note: prices and availability are subject to change.)

Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions.

3812 La Branch St., #APT 4

Listed at $1,300/month, this one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment is located at 3812 La Branch St., #APT 4.

In the apartment, you can anticipate hardwood flooring, in-unit laundry and air conditioning. When it comes to building amenities, expect assigned parking and secured entry; pets are welcome.

(See the complete listing here.)

2303 Louisiana St.

Here's a 630-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom at 2303 Louisiana St. that's going for $1,289/month.

In the unit, you'll get stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and a walk-in closet. Building amenities include a fitness center, a swimming pool and assigned parking. Good news for animal lovers: both dogs and cats are allowed here. There isn't a leasing fee associated with this rental.

(Check out the complete listing here.)

10 Oak Court

Located at 10 Oak Court, here's a 631-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom that's listed for $1,278/month.

In the furnished unit, you can anticipate hardwood floors, in-unit laundry and a a fireplace. The building has a swimming pool, secured entry and a fitness center. Both cats and dogs are welcome. Future tenants needn't worry about a leasing fee.

(Check out the complete listing here.)

2700 Travis St.

Next, there's this zero-bedroom, one-bathroom located at 2700 Travis St. It's listed for $1,269/month for its 548 square feet of space.

In the unit, you'll find a dishwasher and air conditioning. When it comes to building amenities, expect garage parking, a fitness center and a swimming pool. If you've got a pet, you'll be happy to learn that cats and dogs are allowed. The rental doesn't require a leasing fee.

(See the complete listing here.)

Smith and Elgin streets

Here's a 752-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment at Smith and Elgin streets that's going for $1,243/month.

When it comes to building amenities, expect garage parking, a swimming pool and on-site management. In the apartment, there are quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances and in-unit laundry. If you've got a pet, you'll be happy to learn that cats and dogs are permitted. Future tenants needn't worry about a leasing fee.

(Check out the complete listing here.)

This story was created automatically using local real estate data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
Curious just how far your dollar goes in Houston?

We've rounded up the latest rental listings via rental site Zumper to get a sense of what to expect when it comes to locating a place in Houston if you're on a budget of $1,500/month.

Read on for the listings. (Note: prices and availability are subject to change.)

Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions.

5765 Almeda Road (Macgregor)

Listed at $1,500/month, this 676-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment is located at 5765 Almeda Road.

In the unit, look for a mix of hardwood floors and carpeted floors along with in-unit laundry. The building offers garage parking, a fitness center and a swimming pool. Pets are not welcome.

Per Walk Score ratings, the area around this address is friendly for those on foot, is convenient for biking and has good transit options.

(Check out the complete listing here.)

3600 Montrose Blvd., #609 (Neartown - Montrose)

Next, there's this one-bedroom, one-bathroom condo situated at 3600 Montrose Blvd., #609. It's also listed for $1,500/month for its 630 square feet of space.

When it comes to building amenities, expect garage parking, a swimming pool and a fitness center. In the unit, expect air conditioning and stainless steel appliances. Animals are not allowed. The rental doesn't require a leasing fee.

Walk Score indicates that the area around this address is a "walker's paradise," is very bikeable and has good transit options.

(Check out the complete listing here.)

525 W. 24th St. (The Heights)

Here's a 737-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom at 525 W. 24th St. that's going for $1,500/month.

In the unit, you'll get hardwood floors, high ceilings and a balcony. The building boasts outdoor space, a swimming pool and a roof deck. Good news for animal lovers: both dogs and cats are allowed here. The rental doesn't require a leasing fee.

According to Walk Score's assessment, this location is very walkable, is relatively bikeable and has a few nearby public transportation options.

(See the full listing here.)

3100 Smith St. (Midtown)

Located at 3100 Smith St., here's a one-bedroom, one-bathroom that's listed for $1,499/month.

In the furnished unit, you can expect air conditioning, stainless steel appliances and in-unit laundry. The building offers assigned parking, a fitness center and a swimming pool. Good news for animal lovers: both dogs and cats are permitted here. Future tenants needn't worry about a leasing fee.

Walk Score indicates that the area around this address is very walkable, has some bike infrastructure and boasts excellent transit options.

(See the complete listing here.)

1028 Dreyfus St. (Medical Center Area)

Finally, listed at $1,497/month, this one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment is located at 1028 Dreyfus St.

In the apartment, you can anticipate air conditioning, a balcony and in-unit laundry. The building offers garage parking, a swimming pool and an elevator. If you've got a pet, you'll be happy to learn that cats and dogs are welcome. There isn't a leasing fee associated with this rental.

Walk Score indicates that the area around this address is moderately walkable, is quite bikeable and has excellent transit.

(Check out the complete listing here.)

Get smart at home.

Upping your homes IQ isnt all about showing off the latest gadgets. With technology on your side, you can enhance quality-of-life while using less energy and adding to the aesthetics of your living space. Heres how:

With the Echo Show, you can get hands-free help on everything from finding a recipe to streaming your favorite show to adding to your shopping list and much, much more. Just ask Alexa 

Take mood lighting to the next level with the Hue starter kit, which includes four smart, energy-efficient light bulbs that produce soft white lighting that you can dim and control remotely. Light it up 

Climate control comes easy with the Next thermostat, which features an easy-to-read display in four color options, and the ability to automatically adjust the temperature to your personal preferences. Be cool 

This story was created automatically using local real estate data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
Curious just how far your dollar goes in Westchase?

According to Walk Score, this Houston neighborhood isn't very walkable, isn't particularly bikeable and has some transit options. Data from rental site Zumper shows that the median rent for a one bedroom in Westchase is currently hovering around $932.

So, what might you expect to find if you've got a budget of $900 / month? Read on for a roundup of the latest rental offerings, via Zumper. (Note: prices and availability are subject to change.)

Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions.

11355 Richmond Ave.

Listed at $899/month, this 576-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom is located at 11355 Richmond Ave.

In the furnished unit, you can expect hardwood flooring, balcony and in-unit laundry. The building features a swimming pool, roof deck and outdoor space. Luckily for pet owners, both dogs and cats are welcome.

(Check out the complete listing here.)

2828 Hayes Road

Next, there's this one-bedroom, one-bathroom situated at 2828 Hayes Road. It's listed for $885/month for its 675 square feet of space.

The building features garage parking, swimming pool and a lounge. In the unit, there are high ceilings, a walk-in closet and in-unit laundry. Luckily for pet owners, both dogs and cats are permitted. There's no leasing fee required for this rental.

(Check out the complete listing here.)

2921 Briarpark Drive

Here's a 641-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom at 2921 Briarpark Drive that's going for $883/month.

In the unit, you'll get hardwood floors, fireplace and a balcony. The building features a fitness center, lounge and secured entry. Both cats and dogs are allowed. Future tenants needn't worry about a leasing fee.

(Check out the complete listing here.)

3225 Woodland Park Drive

Finally, check out this 660-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom that's located at 3225 Woodland Park Drive. It's listed for $845/month.

In the unit, you'll get eight-foot ceilings, hardwood flooring and in-unit laundry. The building features garage parking, fitness center and swimming pool. Both cats and dogs are allowed.

(See the complete listing here.)

This story was created automatically using local real estate data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
The Houston-area Congressional seat that drew the most attention during the 2018 cycle is primed for a redo in 2020, with candidates lining up roughly 19 months away from election day.

Late Monday, former Bellaire mayor Cindy Siegel resigned from the Metropolitan Transit Authority board, effectively immediately, saying she was mounting a run, presumably for the 7th District seat that includes Bellaire and much of western Houston. Shes the second Republican to announce intentions for the seat in Congress.
The teenager accused in the mass shooting at Santa Fe High School appeared at a closed-door federal court proceeding Monday in Galveston, raising questions from the community and many of the victims' family members about the secrecy.

The short answer is the federal law requires that courts shield juveniles from public hearings unless they are adjudicated adults and federal jurisdiction is established.

Such proceedings are very rare, according to former U.S. Attorney Ken Magidson and Federal Public Defender Marjorie A. Meyers.

Federal prosecutors can initiate federal delinquency proceedings if there are charges that cannot be brought in state court. The prosecutors may also petition the federal court to try a juvenile as an adult, according to the U.S. Code. The historic idea behind such laws is that a youth could not entertain the same intent to commit a crime that a mature adult could, according to a Justice Department summary.

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Ten months after Santa Fe High shooting, families still seek answers

In this case, Katy-Marie Lyles, the state defense lawyer, said the charges the Justice Department informed Dimitrios Pagourtzis' family about involved the use of explosives and firearms. Both of these matters could theoretically include allegations of interstate commerce, where weapons or parts for weapons linked to the attack were purchased across state lines or using a credit card transaction that involved banks in other states.

Pagourtzis, 18, already faces capital murder charges in state court. He was taken into custody and escorted into the federal court by federal agents, where he was likely advised of additional charges he could face, according to several attorneys familiar with federal juvenile proceedings.

Pagourtzis was 17 at the time the shooting occurred last year. Under federal law, that makes him a juvenile, which triggers a series of hearings aimed at protecting minors. According to Lyles, he appeared before a judge along with his parents, immediate family members and a federal public defender. However, the hearing room was not open to media or the public.

The Federal Juvenile Delinquency Act of 1974 encourages prosecutors to refer juveniles to state authorities whenever possible. But federal proceedings are permitted if the Justice Department seeks to pursue charges under laws where the state courts do not have jurisdiction or if state prosecutors decline to use the laws on the books. One instance where it might be used, according to a lawyer familiar with the protocol, is in an immigration matter involving a juvenile.

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Accused Santa Fe school gunman to face federal charges

A recent prosecution in Houston federal court involved a minor convicted of helping two others kill a fellow MS-13 gang member in a national park. Two adults had been charged with the slaying and the third young man proceeded under the juvenile act until he was of age to be prosecuted in federal court. All three men were convicted and sentenced under federal law.

The law for such proceedings only applies to people who are presently under 21 and are charged with a breaking a federal law before the age of 18. Pagourtzis falls into this category.

If a judge approves of federal charges in a case like this, prosecutors do not need to wait until a defendant is 21 to move forward, said a lawyer familiar with the protocol.

Because most criminal acts are encompassed in state laws, it is rare that charges against a juvenile would proceed in federal court.

Federal juvenile delinquency proceedings remain in private to protect the status of a minor. They do not require grand jury indictments, public trials, or jury trials, according to a paper by Charles Doyle, senior specialist in American Public Law at the Library of Congress.

The U.S. district court may transfer a juvenile for criminal trial as an adult following an adjudication under the juvenile act for a violent felony, according to Doyle.

A judge can order or deny federal charges against a juvenile based on "the seriousness of the offense, the age and maturity of the juvenile, the juvenile's prior delinquency record, the results of past rehabilitative efforts, and the availability of existing rehabilitative programs," Doyle wrote.

The idea behind the 1974 law was to help protect children from the stigma of having a criminal conviction and to emphasize treatment and rehabilitation.

Magidson, the former U.S. attorney, said there's no federal facility for juveniles. He said pursing a federal case against a child is a more complex process than a state case.

"We rarely did those," Magidson said. "The reason... it has to do with custody of the defendant in the system. We always referred those to the state...."

He said the grand jury can only hear the evidence if the court allows prosecutors to proceed with charges against an underage defendant as an adult.

Meyers, from the federal public defender's office, said, "It is so rare I can't tell you anything (about what typically happens). The time limits are extremely tight. I literally can't remember the last case we had here."

She said for a case in Laredo the prosecution had to get to trial in 30 days following the defendant's first appearance.

"I literally have not had a trial in a juvenile case in 40 years," Myers said. "Basically, the feds aren't even equipped to deal with juveniles. There are no facilities."

According to a lawyer who is familiar with the federal process under the juvenile act, prosecutors have to prove they have the right person. Next they show that there is a qualifying offense and that there is some inadequacy in another procedure where the feds might more fairly adjudicate the charge. Then the prosecutors have to show that the person should be tried as an adult.

All of these adjudication proceedings for juveniles take place behind closed doors, the lawyer said. Much of it is handled in magistrate court.

If the adjudication is approved, charges can formally proceed through the usual process.
Dick Cole, the last of the legendary Doolittle Raiders who boosted American morale with a daring air raid on Japan in the fifth month of World War II, died Tuesday morning in San Antonio at 103.

A longtime resident of Comfort, Cole recently was hospitalized at Brooke Army Medical Center, where a series of high-profile visitors dropped by to see him, including the Air Forces chief of staff, Gen. Dave Goldfein.

Cole in recent years had become the most celebrated of the 80 Raiders because he managed to outlive all the others. He responded to the attention with a sense of humor and ready one-liners.

Once asked for the secret to longevity, Cole replied, For me, I think the secret is youve got to keep moving like the sheriff is after you.

His daughter, Cindy Chal, said he died peacefully.

On ExpressNews.com: Doolittle raiders look back on mission

Goldfein, whose parents live in San Antonio, said Cole was unable to talk in the hospital Sunday but was able to communicate with his big smile and just as firm a handshake as ever.

And I told him that we were thinking about him, his Air Force was thinking about him, and  (that) the long blue line is carrying the torch that he had handed to us, and he nodded his approval and smiled, Goldfein said. And I'll tell you, there will never be anybody like him.

The combat flight for which Lt. Richard Eugene Cole became famous was his first, as it turned out. At 26, he was Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittles co-pilot on the April 18, 1942, Tokyo Raid, flying the lead aircraft of 16 two-engine bombers from the USS Hornet.

The all-volunteer crews and their charismatic leader had practiced short takeoffs in the B-25 Mitchells in Florida. They had done it off a carrier flight deck only once before. The plan required careful timing for a pass over Tokyo, Nagoya and Yokosuka, followed by landings at friendly airfields in China.

A Japanese trawler was spotted more than 200 miles from the expected launch point, and to preserve surprise, Doolittle ordered the raid to start early, at the extreme limit of the planes range, putting them over Japan in daylight and China at night.

The outlook in the Pacific was grim. In the months after the Pearl Harbor attack, Japanese forces occupied Guam, Wake Island, Hong Kong, Singapore, and most of the Philippines. The surrender of besieged U.S. holdouts at Corregidor, an island in Manila Bay, was weeks away.

Many Americans knew of Doolittle well before the raid became front-page news. His career was fodder for books and a Hollywood film starring Spencer Tracy. Doolittle had pioneered instrument flight, broke aviation speed records and made the nation's first cross-country flight in 1922.

On ExpressNews.com: Air Force salutes Cole, Doolittle raiders

Growing up in Dayton, Ohio, Cole had idolized Doolittle and once rode a bicycle 25 miles to see him fly. Now he was co-piloting a bomber with him.

I had my own confidence, but we all had Jimmy Doolittle, Cole once told the Express-News. His confidence flowed into us and we would have followed him anywhere.

It was no more of a one-way mission than the guys that were flying over Berlin at that time, he said in a 2017 interview. They never knew if they were coming back to England after they took off in the morning and we all had confidence in Jimmys plan, and that plan included making it to the target, doing the job and pressing on afterwards.

Amazingly, some Japanese mistook the American bombers for their own and waved as Doolittle and Cole flew into Tokyo at 200 feet before ascending to 1,500 feet to drop four 500-pound bombs. They saw no enemy fighters and didnt take flak until near the end.

The outcome would prove better than planners imagined. Navy carriers had already raided Japanese forward bases but the first strike on Japans homeland was cathartic for celebrating Americans and triggered decisions by Japanese war leaders that helped set up the Battle of Midway  a pivotal clash later that year that turned the tide of war permanently in favor of the United States.

The raiders spent nine more hours in the air before Doolittle took the plane to 9,000 feet and called the order to bail out over China during a terrible thunderstorm. No one in the crew had done that before.

Cole gave himself a black eye pulling the ripcord. He turned on a flashlight after the chute opened, hoping to see where he was headed, but it made no difference. He had a knife, compass, chewing gum and a pistol, but no canteen. Hung up on a tree, he swayed 12 feet above the ground for the night.

On ExpressNews.com: Birthday wishes pour in for Doolittle vet

Cole got off lightly compared to some of his comrades. A few were killed bailing out or crash landing. Of eight raiders captured, only four were repatriated at wars end. Three were executed and one died of disease.

One thing you think about is guys who didnt make it, the fact that they have not been able to enjoy the popularity or whatever you want to call it, and enjoy life like weve been able to do, Cole said in a reflective moment.

As a young man he had milked cows and plowed fields during the Depression, earning $75 a month on an aunts farm in Ohio. He saved the money for college.

Cole stayed in Asia after the Tokyo raid, flying cargo planes for 14 months before briefly landing a stateside assignment in Tulsa, Oklahoma, testing B-24s that were fresh out of the factory.

One day in the summer of 1943, a woman told him she was learning to fly and asked if she could get some flight time while he tested the plane. Cole fell in love with her on the spot, but said no.

Somewhere around 12,000 feet during that flight, she appeared in the cockpit. His co-pilot was apparently in on the scheme.

The co-pilot, an older guy, took a match cover out of his pocket and gave it to her and said, Put your number on here, and she did, but she gave the thing to me, Cole said.

Two weeks later, they got married.

Cole went back to war that winter, this time building airfields in China. He stayed in the Air Force and retired as a lieutenant colonel. His wife, Lucia Martha Harrell, who went by Marty, died in 2003.

A son, Andrew, lost his life around seven years ago in a car accident. A daughter, Christina, suffered a fatal aneurysm in 2010.

Cole stayed active until only a few years ago, tending fruit trees on his 4-acre property near Comfort and cutting the grass with a 1949 Ford tractor. If something broke, he fixed it. Once he drove his Ford F-150 pickup seven miles into town to replace a water heater that had gone out.

He traveled, sometimes appearing for events put on by the Air Force and others by civilians who celebrated the Raiders heroics. But he thought less and less about the raid he helped lead.

On ExpressNews.com: Surviving Doolittle raider flies on restored D-Day plane

At 99, Cole was organizing his barn, re-gluing kitchen chairs, building a couple of storage cabinets and driving a riding lawn mower on his spread. He began to slow down after turning 100, even giving up his pickup.

Hed get out of bed after dawn and take short, measured steps while tackling the days agenda.

Cole always maintained his life wasnt only about the Doolittle Raid, his service in the China-India-Burma theater, the luck he enjoyed or the tragedies and losses that followed. They were days on a calendar in his century. During the war he was just another American doing his duty, he said.

I feel like the Tokyo Raid is pretty beat up, he said one day before walking the 100 yards from his single-story brick home in the Hill Country to his mailbox. I think there are more fertile stories to tell.
Before 2017, Stephen Tucker knew barely anything about Buffalo, New York or Gov. Andrew Cuomos signature Buffalo Billion economic development project. Then he was recruited from Cincinnati to run the Northland Workforce Training Center on Buffalos East Side.

The center was developed to address a problem identified by the Western New York Regional Economic Development Council: Growth in advanced manufacturing, including in traditional industries and renewable energy, was limited by a lack of skilled workers in the area, leading to thousands of open positions. That, coupled with a quickly retiring workforce, would create a huge shortage of workers.

Upstate New York used to be a manufacturing hub, offering residents middle-class jobs that didnt require a postsecondary degree. But upstate lost 105,000 manufacturing jobs between 2000 and 2008  and the Buffalo metro area lost about 25,000 jobs  as the national economy was expanding. Since then, as the country struggled to recover from the Great Recession, the manufacturing sector in Western New York actually gained a couple thousand jobs, many of which are high-tech and require additional education. Those new positions have come from the opening and expansion of companies like pharmaceutical manufacturerAthenex and 3D-printing finisherPostProcess Technologies.

But those companies wont be able to keep growing without a skilled, ready workforce in the area, nor can locals take part in that growth without the right credentials to get the jobs.So the center was created to train local residents for those open jobs, which can pay around $70,000 on average in leading-edge industries. On Buffalos East Side, which used to be home to many large manufacturers that either closed or left town years ago, 45 percent of residents live either in or near the poverty line. The Northland Workforce Training Center inhabits a former industrial building.

The alliance running the center partnered with nearby SUNY schools, Alfred State College and Erie Community College, to teach the training programs. Students can graduate through shorter certificate programs or with an associate degree in two years. The courses offered may lead to various careers, including in advanced manufacturing, electronics or welding.

Itll be transformative. Its reaching people who sometimes felt like they were left out.  Stephen Tucker, Northland Workforce Training Center president and CEO

The centers biggest source of funding came from a $44 million investment from the Buffalo Billion program. If it succeeds, Tucker argued, the increased tax revenues, the multiplier effect of employed residents spending in their community and a reduced reliance on public assistance would justify thetens of millions spent by New York state and the New York Power Authority, which invested in the center due to its interest in programs that train workers for renewable energy jobs.

Itll be transformative, Tucker said. When he first arrived in the city and started talking to community members, he quickly found that they felt like they were left out of the resurgence of Buffalo. Billions of public dollars have been invested in the city, but blue-collar communities on the East Side didnt see much benefit. The new center aims to change that sentiment. Its reaching people who sometimes felt like they were left out, he said.

The next phase of the project will bring research and innovation firm Buffalo Manufacturing Works to the center to help local manufacturers grow.

Economists argue that the places that get economic development right do so by investing in their assets: infrastructure attractive to both companies and residents, services to help existing companies start and grow, and training the local workforce. New York Citysaw an opportunity to help technology companies locate and grow within its boundaries by attracting and establishing engineering universities to create a supply of top-tier talent.

While Tuckers center is designed to create similar conditions in Buffalo, coverage of the Buffalo Billion has mostly been gobbled up by the huge sums of money handed out to individual companies, such as$750 million to build a solar plant for Tesla or a$55 million grant for an IBM innovation center.

Nationally, economic research shows company-specific development hasnt had a very good track record of success. Thereslittle or no correlation between high-dollar incentive deals and a states employment rate, or per-capita income, or itseconomic growth.A 2016 paper in the Cambridge Journal of Public Policy found that about two-thirds of the money goes to companies that would have come to a state anyway.

What works better, according to economists, looks more like the Northland Workforce Training Center. I dont think its the case that incentives have no effect, said Timothy Bartik, senior economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, a nonprofit based in Michigan. But as a way of creating jobs, they tend to be pretty costly per job created.

Instead, the things that actually work are less sexy, politically. You have to be a location where companies want to be, said Nathan Jensen, co-author of Incentives to Pander: How Politicians Use Corporate Welfare for Political Gain. That really requires infrastructure and human capital. And there is no shortcut.

One approach is to offer services to small and midsized businesses so they can start and expand. That can include, for example, entrepreneurship training programs to help people with good ideas start companies. It can also simply consist of offering expertise in new technologies or market opportunities. Manufacturing extension offices can provide short-term advice and also recommend a list of trustworthy consultants for long-term strategy  often subsidized so it doesnt cost companies.

Figuring out which companies and industries to support isnt too difficult: The best strategy is to promote ones that currently exist in a particular location and appear to have an economic future. It may not always mean that companies continue what theyre doing. Bartik pointed to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where local automotive manufacturers that had been molding plastic or shaping metal pivoted to doing the same for medical instruments with the help of manufacturing extension services.

Maintaining an environment that supports growth isnt just about certain industries, its also about having certain assets that make a city more attractive for businesses and residents. Overall infrastructure investments in highways, airports and mass transit, or in the educational system, benefit both potential new employers and existing residents.

Training workers means not just giving them better access to a college education, but helping them with short-term training as well. Smaller companies cant always afford to have an in-house training program; others might be reluctant to invest in training workers who can then leave for other opportunities. A government-funded program at a local community college, geared toward the needs of companies in the area, can solve the problem.

Politically, its so much better to go to a ribbon-cutting with a big company that generated 100 new jobs than 10 companies that created 10 jobs each.  author Nathan Jensen

Smaller companies face a lot of handicaps in the market, Bartik said. They dont always know how to find well-trained employees as they grow; theyre financially constrained; and a lack of information, financing and skills can inhibit their growth. The right kind of government support, which is a smart support where the government provides some information, helps broker the supply of quality information and helps broker the supply of training, can help make up for the failures in the private market, Bartik said. And even better, these programs usually come cheap compared to thetens of billions every year that cities and states hand out in tax subsidies to large corporations. The whole budget of manufacturing extension and small-business development centers nationwide is miniscule compared to how much were spending on business incentives, Bartik said. If you expand these programs, it would probably have a pretty high bang for the buck.

The most effective tactics, though, just dont generate splashy headlines. Politically, its so much better to go to a ribbon-cutting ceremony with a big company that generated 100 new jobs than 10 companies that were there and created 10 jobs each, Jensen said.

Subsidies to large corporations also dont require innovative program development. Its easier to hand out cash. Really easy to do, Bartik said. But that also sucks up resources that could be better spent elsewhere. You attract one new company, maybe they leave tomorrow, Bartik said. And you promise them the store and then you dont have any money to do anything else.

The model being piloted at the Northland Workforce Training Center could easily be copied throughout the state with the right funding. Representatives from the Finger Lakes region and Long Island have visited the center to learn from it. There has been talk about replicating this strategy in other places  in industries that fit the local region, Tucker said. It may be different industries, but the model is still the same.

The question is whether politicians will choose to invest in this solution, or keep handing out cash to companies that dont need it.
Labor relations in New York City was one of the first, biggest challenges for newly elected Mayor Bill de Blasio back in 2014. But his administration managed to reach labor contracts with every public sector union in the city after negotiations had halted under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Renee Campion was there for all of it, working for the Bloomberg administration in the Mayors Office of Labor Relations for his entire 12-year tenure, then serving as first deputy commissioner under de Blasio. Earlier this year, she got a promotion, being named commissioner of the office, replacing Bob Linn who announced his retirement in January.

She runs an office of 140 people and is the citys chief labor negotiator during an especially busy time. Of the 360,000 unionized city employees, 37 percent dont have settled contracts in the latest round of bargaining  including those in the notoriously difficult Police Benevolent Association.

Theres a lot of work to do. A tough road ahead with all those contracts, Campion told City & State. But we did it once before, in 2014 and 2015, when all the contracts had expired and we had to negotiate all the agreements. Were sort of in that place now.

So your job is about a lot more than contract negotiations.

Thats the stuff that makes the papers. But we have the negotiation side, the health administration, employee assistance program and health care cost management. Its all sort of interrelated, in one way or another.

Something Im very proud of is the employee assistance program. We have a dozen MSWs (employees who have a masters degree in social work) who handle our calls and in-person meetings with city employees, as well as their dependents and family members when they need someone to talk to from an employee assistance point of view.

I thought unions usually handle that kind of stuff. Are you only providing services to nonunionized employees?

No, its everybody. The uniformed unions have their own employee assistance programs, but it doesnt prevent anybody from picking up the phone and calling our number and asking for help. The uniformed people tend to stay within their agency, but all 380,000 city employees would be able to pick up the phone and call and ask for help. And we could provide that resource for them.

The mayor is asking every single department to cut its budget this year. Is that on your mind as you negotiate labor contracts? Does that add pressure, knowing theres a slight budget crunch?

It makes it a challenge. I think theres a reality of fiscal restraints no matter what the economy has out there for us. We budgeted for the labor pattern that exists. Thats already in the budget. So to the extent there are cuts made, or as different agencies are being asked to come up with additional savings, it doesnt directly, necessarily impact the pattern that we have.

You mentioned the labor pattern  thats using the graduated pay hikes that the city negotiated in 2018 with the United Federation of Teachers and District Council 37?

Right, theres a 2 percent (raise), a 2.25 percent, and a 3 percent. Which is a total of 7.25 percent, and then theres also two 0.25 percents that are available throughout the contract term, over the 43 months, so if you add in that half a percent, the total is about 7.95 percent. Well be working with the other groups to come to settlements. For the most part, we come to voluntary settlements. And we expect to do the same thing now.

The Police Benevolent Association has been one of the toughest deals to reach, year in and year out. Are you approaching it differently this year?

Weve engaged in bargaining for this round since late 2017 or early 2018. They filed for impasse in summer of 2018 and we started that process, where the (state Public Employment Relations Board) arranged for a panel. Our selection was (former labor relations commissioner) Bob Linn, and continues to be.

So hes not totally retired!

Hes retired, as in he will be getting his pension (laughs). I have retained him as a consultant on a couple of issues, one being to continue in his role as the citys representative on the PBA panel. They filed for impasse, we picked the panel, and then they chose to litigate the citys selection of Bob. This impasse is for the contract that expired July 31, 2017, and theres a maximum of two years (of negotiation) required by law, unless the parties mutually agree to a different term, so that would be until July 31, 2019, so thats a few months away. Our door is always open for the PBA to come back to the table. To the extent that they want to come forward to the table, they know who I am. Im a known entity. Ive worked in the office for 17 years. People know me, they respect me. I think everybody sees me as an honest straight shooter.

Youre the first woman in this position.

I am the first woman. And its really exciting. In addition to being the first woman, Im the ninth labor commissioner. That really points to the strength of labor relations in New York City for the last 53 years. There are other agencies that have had much more than nine commissioners in their existence.

Are you personally represented by a union?

I am not, no, no, no. I am purely management. Along with the mayor, Im one of the few positions in New York City these days who are not represented (laughs). We have lots of one-star, two-star chiefs in the police department that are represented by unions.

Out of 380,000, we have about 360,000 represented employees, and 20,000 management or supervisory employees, who are people just not represented by a union. Thats why theres 350 groups I have to negotiate with!

But as far as the point about being the first woman, I think it was just as important for my own staff to see a woman leading OLR. At the same time, I think its very important  and Ive gotten very positive reaction from a lot of the union representatives and union leadership  that they see a woman leading the management team. But its nose to the grindstone now. Ive got a lot of work to do.

Whats your personal philosophy on labor unions? Should every public and private employee be in one?

New York City, were a union town. Were very focused on the unions and what theyve done for New York City. Having done this for 27 years, I know the importance and value of the union. I was never in one myself, but I understand it. When Im sitting across the table from union representatives, I hope to show a respectful dynamic. Theres no reason for anything else. I understand what their role is. They understand what my role is. At the end of the day, we will come to a settlement one way or another, mostly on a voluntary basis.

To the extent that those negotiations are successfully concluded, I think people can then deal with other issues that come up in city government. There are so many issues that go beyond the contract. Labor relations in New York is not a one issue experience. Its multifaceted and complicated.

Weve seen the PBA protest outside the Prospect Park YMCA and follow the mayor to Iowa. Whats the craziest thing youve seen as part of contract negotiations?

I wouldnt categorize it, necessarily, as crazy. It is their right to assemble and free speech and make their voices heard. To an extent, I would prefer, as a labor commissioner, that they had those conversations and were doing those things at the bargaining table. Thats always what were in favor of, all day long.

Nobody has ever inflated a giant rat outside your apartment?

I live on the Upper East Side. Ive been there 25 years or so. Im not aware that theyve ever put a rat outside my building. I guess my tenure is short so far, so  (laughs) but I would hope that I have a good enough relationship with the unions. But I guess its always possible.
Extreme heat in California, Siberian frost in Italy, drought in Australia. Olive Oil Timess 2018 harvest survey, for which the trade publication polled thousands of olive growers in dozens of countries, reads like a summary of the manifestations of climate change around the world.

The Times, launched a decade ago as a personal blog for founder Curtis Cords olive oil tasting notes, has increasingly reported on the extreme and challenging conditions faced by olive producers. Connected with 30 writers in agricultural communities around the world, the Times gathers on-the-ground insights into climate changes volatile, local impacts. Since its founding, the Times has published more than 4,500 articles on a range of subjects, from the health attributes of olive oil to the agricultural conditions underlying the industry.

The Times, which relies on freelance contributors based in olive oil-producing regions, tagged its first climate change stories about four years ago. Cord, who previously worked in sales in the fashion industry, noticed producers experiencing extreme weather trends. Were using that tag more and more on our articles, he says.

Archives: CJRs Survival Stories series, about covering climate change in America

Many of the regions Olive Oil Times covers reported particularly challenging seasons last year, though some producers dont necessarily attribute the challenges to climate change. Greece had the fruit fly, and France struggled with too much rain. Shifting weather patterns arent always bad news, Cord says. Other places where it might have been thought that they werent perfect for olive production are kind of looking good now.

Ylenia Granitto, a Rome-based olive oil expert who has covered the Italian sector of the industry for four years, frequently travels across the country to visit olive groves. She speaks with people responsible for pruning and grafting olive trees, and checks in with nurseries where young olive trees are cultivated. Bad seasons used to come around once every 10 to 15 years, Granitto says, but lately its been almost every other year.

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The fact is that they are aware of the changing climate, Granitto says, referring to olive oil producers who have adjusted their practices. She adds, They pay more attention to what happens in the olive grove.

These sources are sitting there. Theyre ripe. Theyre waiting for journalists to have a look at them because theyre loaded with insight into the experiences farmers are having.

Agricultural industry-focused publications bring tailored perspectives to climate change coverage. From European winemakers to California nut growers, agricultural news organizations are often well-sourced across broad regions in their efforts to track unusual weather patterns and their impacts. The Good Fruit Grower, a Washington state-based magazine geared toward tree fruit and grape growers, tracks the impacts of regional climatic shifts from the perspective of agricultural producers such as wine grape growers. Associate Editor Kate Prengaman, who has an environmental journalism background, says the magazines focus means coverage of climate change comes directly from on-the-ground experience. We have the chance to be specific in the impacts that folks are seeing, Prengaman says.

Climate coverage in trade publications tends to focus on the micro-level. Good Fruit Grower offers guidance for farmers navigating climate-related changes to their work, but typically doesnt report on political debates connected to climate change itself, Prengaman says. Its an uncomfortable issue for a lot of people in the agricultural sector. Producers are sometimes reluctant to term the effects theyre seeing climate change, though Prengaman says they are eager to talk about issues like flooding and irrigation supply.

Environmental journalist Mark Schapiro, author of Seeds of Resistance, says trade publications are invaluable source material because they present the point of view of farmers. Schapiro has turned to trade journals such as West Coast Nut as hes reported on the impacts of climate change on Californias Central Valley, a major agricultural hub. Schapiro, who is a lecturer at the University of California at Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, encourages his students to mine industry publications for insights. Industry reports on an encroaching pistachio tree pest, or the dire harvest implications of warmer winters for cherry producers, are environmental indicators demanding more attention. Farmers, who have first-hand expertise in weather patterns, dont talk about climate change in the same ways scientists do. Rather, says Schapiro, they can provide day-by-day accounts that journalists can place into a larger context.

These sources are sitting there, he says of agriculture publications. Theyre ripe. Theyre waiting for journalists to have a look at them because theyre loaded with insight into the experiences farmers are having.

The 2018 survey marks the first time Olive Oil Times polled producers about their harvest, a direct response to reports from sources of a challenging season. The survey wont be their last, Cord says.

We found the responses fascinating, he says. Its definitely something we plan on doing more of.

ICYMI: The unsolved assassination of a journalist

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Elizabeth Hewitt is a journalist who lives in Brooklyn. She previously reported on Congress and criminal justice for VTDigger.org. Follow her on Twitter @emhew.
The Pennsylvania Attorney Generals office announced that criminal charges have been filed against a Philadelphia woman for organizing an identity and retail theft scheme valued at more than $100,000 that stole from stores across Southeast Pennsylvania.

Myra Reddy, 54, was charged Thursday with corrupt organizations, theft by unlawful taking, retail theft, identity theft and other related charges.

Reddy was one of 26 Philadelphia residents who were charged with insurance fraud last week. In addition to her arrest, the attorney generals office announced the arrest of 25 other residents during a sweep by th eInsurance Fraud Sections Western Regional Office.

An investigation revealed that Reddys scheme worked like this: Reddy, and others under her direction, stole merchandise from stores utilizing the box stuffing method. They would find an item for sale in a store that came in a large box and would remove the large item from inside the box and fill it with smaller, more expensive items from the store. Then they would go to check out, paying for the cheaper large item that used to be in the box. The thieves would later return the items that they had stuffed in the box, often using stolen identities to do so, and receive store credit that they would then sell at a discount to other members of the organization.

Reddy illegally used over 30 individuals identities, which she obtained through stolen ID cards, licenses and Social Security cards, in this criminal enterprise. She also used tax-exempt numbers from charitable organizations to avoid paying tax on the items she was box stuffing. Investigators found the defendants operation was responsible for over $100,000 worth of loss to Home Depots in Delaware, Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, Lancaster and Philadelphia counties from December 2016-present.

This defendant stole innocent peoples identities and ran a criminal enterprise that caused significant loss to local businesses, said Attorney General Josh Shapiro.

The investigation began after a routine traffic stop. The defendant presented a license, which was later determined through fingerprinting to be a false identity. A plastic bag lined with aluminum foil was also found inside the carthese are commonly known as booster bags and are used to prevent a store alarm from sounding, thereby avoiding detection of stolen items. Other items were found in the vehicle that are commonly used in a retail theft organization, including a few empty purses, a new vanity, a box containing dozens of new-in-box door handles, a box cutter, another drivers license, and two big boxes stuffed with faucets, electronics, thermostats, another Pennsylvania license, a Social Security card and multiple receipts and gift card returns from Home Depot in Delaware County were also found in the Reddys possession.

Police identified at least three individuals whose IDs were found in the defendants possession. All three confirmed their IDs had been lost or stolen and that no one had permission to use their identification.

Reddy has an extensive criminal history of retail theft and other charges, and this investigation is ongoing. Bail is set at $500,000 cash and the preliminary hearing for this defendant has been scheduled for April 12th.

Source: Pennsylvania Attorney Generals Office
A branch manager for an insulation contractor pleaded guilty Monday for his role in schemes to rig bids and engage in fraud on insulation installation contracts, the U.S. Attorneys Office for Connecticut announced.

Gary DeVoe of Bethlehem, Connecticut entered a guilty at the U.S. District Court in Bridgeport. Prosecutors say DeVoe conspired with insulation installation contractors to rig bids and engage in fraud on contracts in Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts. Insulation installation contractors install insulation around pipes and ducts on renovation and new construction projects at universities, hospitals, and other public and private entities. In addition to his guilty plea, DeVoe has agreed to pay restitution, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

Todays conviction is the result of a coordinated effort between the Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners to root out collusion and fraud that undermined the competitive process and defrauded hospitals, schools, and other victims out of millions of dollars, said Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the Department of Justices Antitrust Division. Contractors who conspire to deceive and defraud their customers will be prosecuted.

The U.S. Attorneys Office press release did not identify DeVoes employer. But the Connecticut Post reported that DeVoe was listed as a senior branch manager for the New England Region on the website of BC Flynn, a contractor with offices in New York and Oxford, Conn.

This defendant participated in a long-running conspiracy among insulation contractors in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York, said U.S. Attorney John H. Durham. They cooked up collusive bids, shared bid numbers with their competitors and communicated with co-conspirators via encrypted messaging apps, all in an effort to line their own pockets and their companies bottom lines. The real victims are the hospitals, universities and businesses that were duped into paying corruptly inflated bids on $45 million worth of insulation jobs throughout New England.

The antitrust charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $1 million for individuals. The fraud conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The fines for the antitrust and fraud conspiracy charges may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime, if either of those amounts is greater than the statutory maximum fine. DeVoe will also be ordered to pay restitution to the victims.

DeVoe also agreed to resolve civil forfeiture cases connected to the criminal charges. DeVoe agreed to settle the pending forfeiture action on his home for $131,000 and to forfeit all of his seized bank accounts.

The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Antitrust Divisions New York Office, the United States Attorneys Office for the District of Connecticut, the FBIs New Haven Division, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service.

Source: U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut
SPRINGFIELD, Ill.  Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza has suspended $5.7 million in payments on an online state-employee health insurance program, a project so botched it also prompted her to begin ordering performance reports for all large state technology contracts.

Mendoza told The Associated Press she will review the contract with Georgia-based Morneau Shepell before deciding on payment. She plans a Monday announcement on that and the new requirement that state agencies complete annual reports for the public on the progress of their information technology deals exceeding $5 million.

A state audit last week found that the previous administrations contract with Morneau Shepell for a custom-benefit portal that was supposed to save the state $500 million a year was so sloppily executed that the program, which auditors determined could have been done in house, is costing taxpayers $10 million extra a year and still isnt delivering the services promised.

The Department of Central Management Services, which issued the contract, has had 24 chances to dock the company for missing performance goals, but has taken no action, according to the review by Auditor General Frank Mautino. Lawmakers ordered the audit after a 2017 Associated Press report that Morneau Shepell was the only company to respond to a hasty solicitation and that the program produced payroll errors, unexplained cancellation of coverage and other difficulties.

Ive got to believe this is common practice, these contracts are entered into, many of which are completely unnecessary and, like this one, end up being a really bad deal for taxpayers, Mendoza said. The work could have been performed with existing resources and it replaced a functioning system that had been working for decades with one that is broken and is costing us more.

The states check-writer has often cast a critical eye on technology work. She froze spending on the $250 million technology overhaul by former Gov. Bruce Rauners administration after questioning its efficacy. She called for reviewing the Rauner rollout of a $67.5 million computer improvement that temporarily canceled food stamp benefits for thousands of households. And the state Tollway pulled a $9 million contract for technology consultation after Mendoza raised a red flaf, although Tollway officials said the decision was made independently of the comptrollers criticism.

Its my job to make sure that anything that touches accounting systems is done and managed correctly, Mendoza said. The constitution gives me that authority. Taxpayers dont want me to just be a rubber stamp for bad contracts.

The Democrats Monday announcement will detail her IT Milestone Report for contracts over $5 million, which will be made public. Not only will it require updates on the purchased works progress, but agencies will have to confirm that everyone involved in contract decision-making has completed required paperwork disclosing potential conflicts of interest. And if a contract doesnt include a provision for ensuring minority- and women-owned business participation in the work, the agency must explain why.

The audit found that two dozen officials involved in choosing Morneau Shepell _ including from Rauners office, the Executive Ethics Commission and Central Management Services _ failed to file conflict-of-interest disclosures. And despite Morneau Shepells explanation that it routinely signed public contracts that required minority participation, CMS said it couldnt have gotten any companies to agree to do the work if minority inclusion was enforced.

A CMS spokesman said corrective action had been taken to address the audits concerns. A Morneau Shepell spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. In a letter to the auditor general, the company said it acknowledged the report and its contents as final.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Several states are probing pharmacy-benefit managers business practices in government-sponsored health programs, adding to the scrutiny the middlemen face in Washington for their role in the cost of drugs.

At least three state attorneys general are investigating PBMs, in addition to other state probes looking into how the companies contract with Medicaid and other programs. CVS Health Corp., Cigna Corp.s Express Scripts unit and UnitedHealth Group Inc., which dominate the PBM market, are scheduled to appear before the Senate Finance Committee in Washington Tuesday to discuss their role as the nation grapples with soaring drug prices.

I am concerned about the complexity of the system, said Attorney General Dave Yost of Ohio, one of the states probing PBMs. I am concerned that it is internally complex and that it may be for the purposes of deception.

The appearance of the PBM executives on Capitol Hill marks the second major Senate hearing on drug prices this year. In February, seven big pharmaceutical companies testified before the finance panel. Sounding a familiar refrain, they put much of the blame for high drug prices on the middlemen.

This lack of transparency for the consumer is concerning, Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican and member of the committee, said in a statement. It should not take an advanced degree to figure out where your money is going when you buy your prescription drugs.

PBMs, which administer drug claims for big employers and insurance companies, negotiate prices with both retail drugstores and pharmaceutical manufacturers. A trade association for the industry said PBM bargaining power helps lower costs by an average of $941 per patient annually. Numerous competing benefit managers allow clients to negotiate a desired level of transparency, the group said.

While PBMs say their profit margins are low, theyve been criticized for enigmatic pricing arrangements. Among other tactics, PBMs sometimes take hidden markups, or spreads, on generic drugs. For brand-name drugs, they sometimes retain a small portion of the rebates they negotiate with manufacturers.

As the hearing began on Tuesday, CareSource, a nonprofit that runs government-sponsored health plans in five states, said it would have Express Scripts administer member drug benefits beginning in 2020, instead of CVSs Caremark division. The change will affect prescription coverage for almost two million people.

Shares of CVS declined 0.4 percent to $53.92 at 10:22 a.m. in New York. Cigna shares were also lower as the House committee started its proceedings, sliding 0.5 percent to $166.52.

In Kentucky, the state attorney general launched an investigation into drug middlemen in March after a state report showed that PBMs took $123.5 million in fees from insurance plans that cover the states poor.

Also last month, Ohios Yost sued UnitedHealth in state court, alleging it overcharged the state by more than $15 million over several years in the states workers compensation plan. Yost said hes now looking into other drug plans the state operates, include its Medicaid program.

We believe these allegations are without merit and are working with the state to resolve the bureaus concerns in accordance with the terms of our contract, said Andrew Krejci, a spokesman for UnitedHealth.

Connecticuts comptroller in December announced plans to eliminate opaque fees in the state employee plan, contending that PBMs operate in the shadows.

Azars Criticism

At the national level, scrutiny has been mostly on rebates, the discounts that drug companies pay to PBMs to have their medicines included on lists of covered drugs. In January, Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar blasted rebates as a hidden system of kickbacks and announced a plan to eliminate them in Medicare.

Among the states, much of the focus has been on spread pricing, in which pharmacy-benefit managers pay drugstores one price for a treatment while charging a higher one to their health-plan clients. The difference is used to stabilize drug costs, PBMs say  or add to PBM profits, according to critics.

PBMs are hired to reduce prescription drug costs and improve the quality of benefits for consumers, employers and public programs, including Medicaid, the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, an industry group for PBMs, said in a statement. The plan hiring a PBM always has the final say on contract terms, and some prefer spread-pricing arrangements.

In Georgia, a recent report to state legislators showed that markups in Medicaid managed-care programs varied enormously among plans, according to the report. Three of the plans used CVS to manage drug benefits, while a fourth used Express Scripts. While some plans appeared to be getting a good deal, two had markups of $6 per prescription or more.

The biggest differential was in the Peach State Health Plan, which is run by Centene Corp. and used CVS as a pharmacy-benefit manager. In the fiscal year ended June 30, CVS paid pharmacies $90 million for drugs, or $39.07 per prescription. But CVS was paid $120 million for the same drugs by the plan, or $52 per prescription, according to the report.

Exactly what the $30 million differential was used for wasnt explained in the report.

There is a total lack of transparency in the whole system, says David Knight, a Georgia state representative. It begs the question as to whom and where is the money going.

CVS said it could not comment on contracts with specific clients. Generally speaking, some clients choose spread pricing because it provides predictability and stability to drug costs, the company said. Centene said it does not believe that the report fairly characterized all savings and costs, including key technical details, such as risk adjustment, claim credits passed through to members, and cost accounting details.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Will electric scooters make a comeback on Cleveland streets?

City Council on Monday introduced regulations that could open the door for businesses that rent electric bikes and scooters in Cleveland.

Electric scooters grabbed attention last summer when Bird scooters dropped off dozens of the vehicles, particularly in the downtown, Ohio City and Tremont areas represented by Councilman Kerry McCormack.

But the city ordered Bird to remove the scooters for safety reasons.

The legislation, authored by McCormack, would sets rules to ensure rider safety and charge vendors fees to raise money for bike paths.

Read more.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Eight months after the city ordered Bird electric scooters removed from Cleveland streets because of safety concerns, new regulations have been introduced to govern businesses that rent scooters and electric bikes.

An ordinance introduced Monday by City Council would require that vendors pay the city a fee for each scooter and electric bike they rent .

The legislation also contains regulations aimed at ensuring that riders use the electric scooters and bikes in a safe manner.

The ordinance now goes to councils committees for hearings.

Among the proposed regulations:

The electric scooters and bikes would not be allowed on streets with a speed limit of 35 mph or greater.

Riders would not be allowed to go faster than 15 mph.

The scooters and bikes would not be allowed to be parked on sidewalks in a manner that interferes with pedestrian flow.

When riders are through using the scooters and electric bikes, they would be required to park them in an upright position.

The fee to vendors -- $1 per day for each scooter and bike  would generate money the city would use to pay for bike lanes and other improvements.

Councilman Kerry McCormack authored the legislation. McCormacks Ward 3 includes Ohio City, Tremont and much of the downtown  prime areas for scooter and bike rentals.

Bird dropped dozens of electric scooters in Cleveland last August without warning. The scooters immediately caused controversy in Cleveland.

With Birds system, riders can quickly locate and gain access to the scooters via an app. Once the scooters are unlocked, users are charged per minute of use.

Cleveland State University banned their use on campus.

In the downtown, Flats and Ohio City neighborhoods, the scooters raised immediate safety issues, the city said then. That led to the citys order to remove the vehicles. Mayor Frank Jacksons administration said then the moratorium would allow for regulations to be drawn up to ensure safe use.

McCormack said at the time that he heard from residents in his ward who thought the city acted too quickly.
PARMA, Ohio -- Stearns Homestead will be home to the Parma Radio Club on April 13 as members hold their seventh annual Earth Day event in the cabin.

Hal Rogers, club president, tells me there will be an informative display on amateur radios and a video to help visitors learn more about the hobby. They also will be demonstrating the use of amateur radios. Club members have contacted fellow amateur radio operators around the country during previous events.

This year, Rogers said they will be operating on 2m, on the 145.410 repeater and 20 and 40 meters.

And, in keeping with the event, all transmitters will be operating only on power from the sun, Rogers added.

Visitors also can check out the animals that live all year at historic Stearns Homestead, a farm operated by the Parma Area Historical Society.

Visit parmaradioclub.com/earth-day-2019/ for more information on the event.

Stearns Homestead is at 6975 Ridge Road, Parma.

All-Ohio Academic Team: Parma resident Helen Feudo is one of 11 students from Cuyahoga Community College who have been named to the All-Ohio Community College Academic Team, which comprises top students at the states two-year schools.

The All-Ohio Academic Team recognizes student excellence in academics, leadership and community service. Sixty-nine students from across the state were selected for this years team on the basis of their outstanding records.

Tri-C had more students named All-Ohio than any other school.

Feudo, who received third-team honors, studied human services at Tri-C and earned her associates degree in December. She is enrolled at Ursuline College and her goal is to become a social worker.

As part of her third-team honors, she received $250. A recognition program for team members will take place April 25 in Columbus.

The Brooklyn Branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library is among the libraries that is observing National Library Week through April 13. (Carol Kovach/special to cleveland.com)

Library week: Libraries = Strong Communities is the theme of National Library Week, which is being observed nationwide through April 13.

According to the American Library Association, No longer just places for books, our public libraries serve as a lifeline for some of our nations most vulnerable communities. From community-wide issues (such) as illiteracy, homelessness and community silos, our nations public libraries are acting as catalysts in fostering community-wide solutions that strengthen communities.

Locally, the Brooklyn, Independence, Parma, Parma-Snow and Parma Heights branch libraries have a variety of programs and special events. Visit cuyahogalibrary.org and click on branches to find more information about programming at your local library.

Egg hunt: Parma Heights and the Parma Heights Historical Society will host an old-fashioned Easter egg hunt at 10 a.m. April 13 at the gazebo in Greenbrier Commons, 6229 Pearl Road, Parma Heights.

Children 10 and younger are invited to bring a basket.

Youngers 5 and younger can hunt for eggs from 10 to 10:15 a.m. in the gazebo. Children ages 6-8 will have their hunt from 10:20 to 10:30 on the grass, and 9- to 10-year-olds will have their hunt from 10:35 to 10:45 on the grass.

The Easter Bunny will stop by for a visit. Parents are invited to bring cameras.

Reminder: The Parma Police Department is accepting applications for the 10-week spring Citizen Police Academy. The free program will meet from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays through June 25. Space is limited.

Participants must be at least 18 years old, with no criminal history (a background check will be conducted), be physically able to participate in class events, commit to attending the 10 weekly, three-hour sessions and sign the required waivers and agreements.

Contact Lt. Tom Siedlecki at 440-887-7329 or by email tom.siedlecki@parmajustice.net for an application and more detailed information.

Yoga for Research: The second annual Yoga for Research event will be from 10 a.m. to noon April 27 at Michael Angelos Winery in Richfield. All proceeds benefit the nonprofit Research Institute for Childrens Health at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, which is seeking faster treatments and cures for genetic diseases.

This all-level event will feature live cello music, followed by a brunch buffet and optional private wine tour with tastings. Attendees should bring a mat.

Reserve a spot for $30; private wine tour for $50, at 2019YogaforResearch.eventbrite.com.

Information, please: Readers are invited to share information about themselves, their families and friends, organizations, church events, etc. in Brooklyn, Independence, Parma, Parma Heights and Seven Hills for the Sun Postings column, which I write on a freelance basis. Awards, honors, milestone birthdays or anniversaries and other items are welcome. Submit information at least 10 days before the requested publication date to carolkovach@hotmail.com.

Read more news from the Parma Sun Post here.
CHESTERLAND, Ohio -- Ayah Ighneim was nervous about speaking before a multitude of people, mostly her peers.

That didnt stop the youngster, then a senior at West Geauga High School, from making an inspiring plea for a worthy cause with what mentor Chelsea Talty remembers as an impassioned speech.

When I spoke about helping (the island of) St. Thomas in front of the other children, it was nerve-wracking, Ighneim now says about the speech that helped launch efforts to aid fellow students in the United States Virgin Islands after two catastrophic hurricanes.

I knew that it would be much harder to reach the goal in front of us if we did not have the support of our fellow Interact Clubs. I really just wanted the students I was speaking before to see that we are so fortunate, to be able to pursue our education with almost no obstacles, and that is not the case for many students around the world. Being able to help kids our age is an opportunity that we could not say no to," she said.

West Geauga High School senior Mackenzie Hackford, left, is president of the school's Interact Club. She is shown here with 2018 West Geauga graduate Ayah Ighneim, who helped to spearhead a regional fundraiser for hurricane victims on St. Thomas. (Photo Courtesy of Chelsea Talty)

The efforts of Ighneim, now a freshman at Cleveland State University, and other high school students from around Rotary District 6630 in Northeast Ohio may soon reap benefits for students on St. Thomas.

Ivanna Eudora Kean High School on St. Thomas was badly damaged by hurricanes Irma and Maria in August and September 2017. The schools library was destroyed.

Soon after, the Chesterland Rotary and the West Geauga Interact Club decided to raise funds to restore the library, pursue an International Grant and engage other students from around Northeast Ohios Rotary District 6630 for their help.

West Geauga Interact and the Chesterland Rotary set an initial goal of raising $10,000 to help rebuild the library, knowing that funds from District 6630 and potentially Rotary International could more than triple that number. A grant from Rotary International is in the final stages of approval.

West Geauga students, realizing that raising $10,000 is not a simple task, decided to share their idea with Interact clubs throughout District 6630 at the annual Interaction gathering in November 2017.

Ighneim spoke at the event, and soon, 19 Interact clubs and their sponsoring Rotary clubs became involved in the project. The students and their sponsoring clubs raised nearly $35,000 in various fundraisers, and with additional funds from the Rotary District and Rotary International, they should be able to send about $130,000 to Ivanna Eudora Kean High School.

I am so proud of my students for taking the initiative to begin this project, and then for helping spread the word to other schools about what we were doing, said Talty, a 2006 West Geauga graduate who teaches Spanish at the school and is the adviser of the West Geauga Interact Club and chairperson of Rotary District 6630 Interact/Rotaract.

Watching the students of District 6630 come together to make this whole project possible has been one of the most rewarding experiences Ive had. The students have shown initiative, perseverance, dedication and compassion, she said.

The Ivanna Eudora Kean Interact Club adviser, Kerish Robles, and one of its student members, Danika Labone, are coming from St. Thomas to speak before the Rotary District 6630 Conference of Clubs to be held in Cleveland this Thursday through Saturday (April 11-13). They will tell of the affect the hurricanes had on peoples daily lives and how the aid from Northeast Ohio could impact the St. Thomas area. They will also visit West Geauga High.

Ighneim will participate in the conference, as will current West Geauga Interact Club president Mackenzie Hanford.

I think students in the area were eager to participate in this project because they had seen the damage caused by the hurricanes on the news, and knew they couldnt be there in person to help, said Hanford. By supporting this project, they had the opportunity to help other students, just like themselves, as well as make up for the distance barrier by helping from afar.

One lesson I learned from this whole experience was not to take the life I live for granted, especially my schooling. Im sure the WGHS Interact club and Chesterland Rotary Club, as well as the others who contributed, feel similar.

The West Geauga High community learned of the hurricanes damage to St. Thomas and Ivanna Eudora Kean High School not only from the news, but from Kate Ludick, a West Geauga graduate who teaches at the Montessori School on St. Thomas.

When Kate contacted West Geauga, our Interact Club wanted to help the schools on the island, said Talty, who helped start West Geaugas Interact Club when she was a student. We sat down with our sponsoring Rotary Club, the Rotary Club of Chesterland, to discuss what we could feasibly do to provide aid.

We came up with the idea of the International Grant and began to do more research. We contacted the Rotary clubs on St. Thomas and spoke with them as much as possible about what was needed. It was difficult for them to communicate at the time because much of the islands telecommunications were down.

Larry Corbus of the Chesterland Rotary visited St. Thomas and Ivanna Eudora Kean High School after the hurricane.

Larry is involved in library science, Talty said, so he was uniquely qualified to help assess the extent of the damage. Most of the pictures I have of the library are his from his visit there.

Ivanna Eudora Kean High, which has about 800 students, is also currently serving students from the neighboring island of St John. Their school was leveled by the hurricanes, and they take a ferry every day from St. John to St. Thomas to attend Ivanna Eudora Kean.

I am ecstatic that so much money has been raised, Ighneim said. It brings so much joy to know that not only will St. Thomas have its library back, but there are so many extraordinary people out there that made this happen and are striving to do good for other people in their everyday lives."

Read more news from the Chagrin Solon Sun here.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  A judge in Michigan has ordered the Justice Department and Quicken Loans attempt a settlement in a years-old lawsuit in which the federal government accused the mortgage lending company of fraud.

U.S. District Judge Mark Goldsmith in Detroit wrote in an order Friday that he thought mediation would be prudent because both sides have filed motions for summary judgment, meaning both want the judge to decide part or all of the case in one sides favor. The judge wrote that both sides are approaching a period of intense trial preparation.

A jury trial is scheduled for Aug. 5.

The judge asked both sides to attempt to resolve their case with the help of retired federal Judge Gerald Rosen. Goldsmith stressed the importance of convening the mediation at the earliest opportunity.

The Justice Department filed a False Claims Act suit against Quicken Loans in 2015 in Washington, D.C. The lawsuit was later moved to federal court in Detroit, where both sides have aggressively litigated the case over the past few years.

The government said in the lawsuit that Quicken Loans approved loans that should have been denied. It did this by sometimes asking property appraisers to inflate home values after an initial appraisal was too low to get a loan approved, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit said that Quicken Loans knowingly violated mortgage underwriting practices just to close bad loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration. It also claimed the companys senior leadership knew about the issues and that the companys practices cost taxpayers millions of dollars.

Quicken Loans is led by Dan Gilbert, the companys chairman who is also majority owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Gilbert is expected to be on hand at the Quicken Loans Arena Tuesday to unveil the renaming of the arena to the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, sources told cleveland.com.

Rocket Mortgage is a subsidiary of Quicken Loans.

Quicken Loans came out swinging after the suit was filed. The company said in April 2015 that the Justice Departments lawsuit was "riddled with inaccurate and twisted conclusions from fragments of a handful of emails cherry-picked from 85,000 documents the government subpoenaed.

Then-CEO Bill Emerson also told The Plain Dealer in 2016 that the company will not settle. Emerson said in the same interview that the company always suspected the government was pushing for a settlement and called the case a money grab.

Quicken Loans also filed suit against the Justice Department and the Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2015 to bar the government from using what it characterized as a flawed sample of loans to build a case against the company. A judge dismissed the companys suit.

Goldsmith put limits on the governments case in a 2017 ruling. The Justice Departments lawsuit sought damages for hundreds of loans that Quicken Loans originated between September 2007 and the end of 2011, but Goldsmith limited the case to claims filed after April 2009.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  A Cleveland woman died 11 days after she was shot in the neck at a West Side apartment building, authorities said.

Ivette Gonzalez-Perez, 34, was admitted to MetroHealths intensive care unit after the March 26 shooting at the Lake Avenue Commons apartment building on Lake Avenue near West 83rd Street, according to police reports.

She died Sunday at the hospital, the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiners Office said.

A Cleveland man has already been charged in connection with the shooting, which also caused a glass window to shatter and injure Gonzalez-Perezs daughter. Investigators have not yet said whether he could face additional charges related to Gonzalez-Perezs death.

Andrew L. Barker, 41, is charged with felonious assault in the case. He is not in custody, but a warrant was issued March 27 for his arrest.

Witnesses said the shooting happened after several upstairs neighbors complained that their downstairs neighbors were playing music too loudly, police said.

The upstairs neighbors banged on the door of a woman who lives on the floor below them. The woman called her sister and asked her to come to the apartment building.

A brawl broke out in the buildings hallway when the sister arrived, police reports say. The woman told investigators that someone hit her with a gun before the fight ended and the neighbors went back to their respective apartments.

The woman called two men, including the Barker, and told them about the fight. Barker arrived with a long gun, police reports say.

A witness said she was standing outside the apartment building when she saw Barker point the gun at the window to the upstairs neighbors apartment. He fired one shot at the window, then ran away, police reports say.

The bullet shattered the window and struck Gonzalez-Perez, police reports say. The broken glass also struck her 14-year-old daughter. Both were taken to MetroHealth for treatment.

Investigators recovered a bullet fragment at the scene, police reports say.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Euclid man who died Monday in a house fire was known for his generosity, his intellect and his love of music, friends and neighbors said.

Tom Baker, 83, died just four days after being inducted into Euclid High Schools Distinguished Achievement Hall of Fame. He served in U.S. Navy veteran before he became a corporate lawyer, and he played trombone in the Euclid Symphony Orchestra during his spare time, friends said.

He was the kindest man that you would ever meet, his longtime neighbor Jill Russell said. He accomplished so much.

Baker died after firefighter pulled him from his burning home early Monday on East 194th Street near Lakeshore Boulevard, authorities said. The fires cause has not been determined.

Baker lived in Euclid for the majority of his life, graduating from the citys high school in 1954. He went on to attend Harvard University, where he played in the band and was an announcer for the college radio station, according to a biography compiled by the Euclid Alumni Association.

He was very well-spoken, and very proper with his diction, longtime friend Spence Brady said Monday outside Bakers home. He was a very educated man.

Baker later joined the Office of Naval Intelligence, ultimately being assigned to the Chief of Naval Operations intelligence office at the National Security Agency in Fort Meade, Maryland, the alumni associations biography says.

He remained part of the U.S. Navy Reserve as he pursued a law degree at the University of Michigan. He graduated among the top 10 in his class and, in 1965, accepted a job to practice corporate law and estate planning at Calfee Halter in Cleveland.

A Euclid man died Monday after firefighters pulled him from a burning home, officials said.

Baker retired in 1987 to care for his father, and later joined both the Euclid Public Schools Alumni Association and the Euclid Schools Foundation.

He also joined the Euclid Symphony Orchestra. He played the trombone until health problems forced him to retire from performing, said Mary Emser, the ESOs treasurer.

Still, Baker continued to support the orchestra and made recordings of its performances, which he put onto CDs and share with members, Emser said.

He was a kind and generous man, and he totally supported our orchestra, she said. He was a generous donor to us.

Baker kept to himself in his later years, and was largely homebound. Neighbors would do some of his shopping and other errands for him, they said.

Fire investigators are still trying to determine the cause of Mondays fire, which started just after 4:30 a.m. Firefighters found flames on the first and second floor when they arrived, the Euclid Fire Department said in a statement.

Bakers home did not have any working smoke alarms, the statement says.

Firefighters used a ladder to reach the room Baker was in on the second floor, then pulled him from the home, the statement says.

The State Fire Marshals office and the Hillcrest Fire Investigation Unit are assisting in the investigation, officials said.

To comment on this story, visit Mondays crime and courts comments page.
LORAIN, Ohio  A Lorain County Jail inmate who died of a suspected drug overdose one day after he collapsed in his cell was facing charges related to a burglary in Oberlin, according to records.

Michael Kilgore, 24, died on Sunday at University Hospital Elyria Medical Center, the Lorain County Coroners office said. His cause of death has not been determined.

The sheriffs office said in a news release detectives believe Kilgore collapsed in his cell Saturday after he suffered a drug overdose. Detectives did not offer any reasoning for that suspicion.

The sheriffs office did not immediately respond to requests for more information Tuesday.

Kilgore had been in the jail since Jan. 5, the day after the Oberlin Police Department arrested him in a burglary case, jail records say. He was being held on a $50,000 bond.

Kilgore was accused of being one of two men who stole several hundred dollars in cash Jan. 4 from Gibsons Bakery in Oberlin. Surveillance video showed two men casing the bakery before one man pulled out a gun and broke into a locked storage room, according to a police report.

The burglary happened immediately after a man called the bakery and asked if the owners were there, the police report says.

The police report does not say how investigators identified Kilgore as a suspect.

A Lorain County grand jury indicted him Feb. 15 on charges of aggravated burglary, burglary and having weapons while under disability, court records say. He pleaded not guilty, and was scheduled to appear at his next pretrial hearing May 10.

Kilgore was also facing theft and breaking and entering charges out of Elyria when he died, court records say. Details of that case were not immediately available.

Kilgores criminal history includes prior convictions for burglary, theft, breaking and entering, escape, criminal damaging and drug possession, court records say.

Kilgores roommate alerted jail staff after he collapsed in his cell Saturday afternoon. Corrections officers and on-duty medical personnel provided first aid until he was taken to the hospital, the statement says.

Inmate deaths have come under increased scrutiny in recent months in Northeast Ohio. On Monday, a former Cuyahoga County corrections officer was indicted in connection with the death of an inmate in the Cuyahoga County Jail, one of eight inmates who died in that facility in 2018.

Four other current and former Cuyahoga County corrections officers were also indicted Monday in connection with use-of-force incidents at the troubled jail.

A Lorain County Jail inmate died in 2016 after overdosing on fentanyl, the coroners office determined at the time.

To comment on this story, visit Tuesdays crime and courts comments page.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Normally the ouster of a horrible Secretary of Homeland Security would be welcomed and praised. But not when its the Trump administration and Cruella Kirstjen Nielsen was ousted because she wasnt Cruella and criminal enough. Not when the worst DHS Secretary in history is pushed out by an even crueler presidential adviser, Stephen Miller.

President Trump and acting Immigration Czar Miller began their purge of the DHS with the booting of Nielsen when she balked that closing the southern border, asylum applications and rebooting the Zero Tolerance-Family Separation policy would violate current Federal laws.

In her position as DHS Secretary, Nielsen had officially been the chief defender and enforcer of the Zero Tolerance-Family Separation policy. The inhumane policy, that has brought nothing but misery and chaos, had first been concocted by former Attorney General Jeff Sessions and set in motion by Sessions former Chief of Staff, turned Trump adviser, Miller.

Nielsen will forever be chained to chain-linked cages filled with innocent children separated from their parents that the disastrous Zero Tolerance policy produced. In her last appearance before Congress, Nielsen testified that a chain-link cage is not a cage, its a normal detention center. As head of one of the largest, and arguably, most important government department, Nielsen did not know how many Human Beings had died in the custody of the DHS. Even though that number had been headline and Breaking News in the weeks prior to her testimony.

Trump had long been unhappy with Nielsen, egged on by Millers bad mouthing her as not being tough enough, annoyed that she was appointed at the recommendation of former DHS Secretary and fired Chief-of-Staff John Kelly.

When Nielsen ordered the tear-gassing of migrants attempting legal entry at the border, it was thought she may have gotten back on Trumps good side, if there really is such a side. She reportedly didnt see her forced resignation coming. Nielsen had initiated a Sunday meeting at the White House to brief the president on current and planned DHS border actions. The meeting ended with Trump tweeting that Nielsen would be resigning.

Nielsen is actually the first casualty of the 2020 election. Trump ramping up his hardline border stance is all part of his re-election strategy.

The announcement of Nielsens departure was quickly followed by reports of more DHS firings and that Trump had put Miller in charge of all immigration matters. Miller was said to have orchestrated Nielsens exit and was calling other DHS officials with warnings and putting them on notice.

Because of his appearance, behavior, and positions, Miller is sometimes caricatured as a Nazi, even though hes Jewish and his family members escaped the horrors of Nazi Germany. Some of his relatives have denounced him for betraying the family history with his draconian positions. While I get how he looks like hes right out of Nazi central casting, he actually always reminds me of the evil child catcher character in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Along with Nielsen, Secret Service Director Randolph Alles was also booted by Trump. The two reported reasons for Alles firing were his being a choice of fired Chief of Staff Kelly, and his ears not meeting Cheeto-skin tone, comb-over, too long red tie Trumps aesthetic standards. Trump often mocked him as Dumbo Ears.

While Dumbo Donald focuses on ear sizes and keeping Central American kids from escaping poverty, violence and death, a suspected China spy made her way in and around Mar-a-Lago.
MEDINA, Ohio -- City Council voted at its Finance Committee meeting tonight (April 8) to reconstruct South Broadway in brick and to cover the entire cost -- meaning no South Broadway residents will be assessed for the project.

The decision came down to a 6-to-1 vote to cover the entire cost. However, the decision was much closer than that margin would indicate, with council members making arguments on both sides.

Council President John Coyne said the decision came down to not whether the road should be brick, but whether or not it was the entire citys obligation to pay for it.

Do we feel that its important enough for everyone in the city to contribute? Coyne asked.

Coyne voted in favor of not assessing South Broadway residents, but said it was difficult for him to decide whether it was the best way to spend tax money.

For the two brick roads that we have in the city left, we have to probably do the right thing, and it seems like the right thing is we pay for it, Coyne said. Its very difficult. We think hard about where the money should come from and how the money should be spent.

Council Representative-at-Large Bill Lamb said it would be a huge mistake to assess the residents, saying that it could lead to them petitioning to forgo brick for concrete to avoid the assessment.

He also said the city owed it to the residents to reconstruct the road, since the last project in 1985 only repaired it and reused some of the same bricks. The road still has bricks from its original construction in 1917.

There is no other street in the city that has sat there not rebuilt for that many years, which is 100 years, Lamb said.

Ward 2 Council Representative Dennie Simpson was the only person to vote against the city paying for the entirety of the project, and said he had mixed emotions on the subject. He said he wanted to keep the road brick, but said he also had some residents contact him who were not in favor of the city paying for it.

Ultimately, Simpson suggested assessing the property owners a nominal amount of $50 to $100 to show that they were supporting the road staying brick.

Ward 3 Council Representative Eric Heffinger, whose ward contains the brick portion of South Broadway, said the city has spent a lot of time and money creating its historical image, and that that stretch of South Broadway remaining brick is a part of that.

From my point of view, I believe it is the citys obligation to pick up the cost of these roads, Heffinger said of the brick portion of South Broadway and the citys other brick road, a block of North Elmwood Street near City Hall.

Law Director Gregory Huber clarified for council that they could reconstruct the road without assessing the residents. He said, however, that council could not pass an ordinance that would force future councils not to assess.

Future councils would and possibly should have flexibility to do what they will at that time, Huber said. You cant force them, although your opinion in an ordinance I think would be pretty persuasive for future councils.

After the council voted to fully fund the project, Mayor Dennis Hanwell asked council to modify or repeal a 1983 ordinance that recommended the assessment, saying that would prevent this kind of issue in the future.

I dont want to pass this on to another mayor, to another council down the road, Hanwell said.

Council picks contractor for City Hall parking deck

City Council also selected a contractor for the City Hall parking deck.

After the design-build process, two firms -- CPS Construction Group and Ruhlin Co. -- came in with close enough scores that council decided to go with the second option from Ruhlin Co. The citys hired consultant recommended CPS Construction because of a lower price, but council decided to go with Ruhlin Co. due to its footprint allowing more space between East Liberty Street and the garage for development.

Read more Medina Sun news here.
AKRON, Ohio  Two males exchanged gunfire in front of a home in the South Akron neighborhood, police say, one of at least four shootings in neighborhoods over the weekend.

One of the shootings, which occurred Saturday night on the 100 block of Ira Avenue in the Summit Lake neighborhood, left a male in critical condition in Cleveland Clinic Akron General Hospital with a wound to his face.

The shooting in at the South Akron residence started at about 7 p.m. Saturday when a car pulled up in front of the home on the 200 block of East Emerling Avenue, police say. A 26-year-old female resident and an unidentified male were standing on the porch of the home.

The driver of the gray Ford Taurus got out of the car and fired several shots toward the porch. The male on the porch returned fire, police say.

The male on the street got back into the Taurus and drove off, while the male on the porch got into a car parked in the driveway and left.

No one was injured in the shooting but two cars were hit by bullets, police say. Officers were given no description of the suspects.

It was one of four shooting incidents reported by police over the weekend. At 2 p.m. Saturday, shots were fired in the area of West Thornton Street and Amherst Street, just south of downtown. There were no injuries, but two shell casings were recovered.

The garage and vehicles at a home on the 900 block of Hartford Avenue in the Maple Valley neighborhood were struck by bullets between noon and 3 p.m. Sunday, police say. No one was injured and police have no suspects.

Anyone with information can call Akron police at 330-375-2490 or 330-375-2TIP, or the Summit County Crimestoppers Inc. at 330-434-COPS. A person can also text TIPSCO with tips to 274637 (Crimes). Callers can remain anonymous.

To comment on this story, visit Mondays crime and courts comments page.
AKRON, Ohio  Police are searching for a man they say robbed a deli in the West Akron neighborhood.

Police say the masked suspect entered Jacks Deli at 1382 Copley Road at 8:30 p.m. Friday. Armed with a handgun, the man demanded cash from a clerk in the deli.

After getting cash, the suspect ran off in an unknown direction, police say.

The male suspect is 25 to 35 years old, 5-foot-10 to 6-feet tall, weighing 170 to 180 pounds. He was wearing a black knit hat, black ski mask, and light-gray puffy winter coat.

Anyone with information can call Akron police at 330-375-2490 or 330-375-2TIP, or the Summit County Crimestoppers Inc. at 330-434-COPS. A person can also text TIPSCO with tips to 274637 (Crimes). Callers can remain anonymous.

To comment on this story, visit Mondays crime and courts comments page.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Cuyahoga County has turned over to corruption investigators tens of thousands of emails exchanged by County Executive Armond Budish and other county administrators.

A spokesman for the Ohio Attorney Generals Office, which is overseeing an ongoing corruption probe of county government, confirmed Tuesday that the county met the April 8 deadline for producing the emails.

The deadline had been extended four times at the request of Budish and his Law Department to allow more time to ensure no information protected under attorney-client privilege or other laws was sent to investigators.

The Attorney Generals Office sought the emails in a subpoena issued on Feb. 7. It was the 17th subpoena issued during the investigation, but the first issued by the Attorney Generals Office office after assuming control of the probe from the Cuyahoga County prosecutor.

The subpoena sought the entire email accounts of Budish, and four members of his administration: Brandy Carney, chief of public safety and justice, Maggie Keenan, director of the Office of Budget and Management, Ed Morales, director of employee and labor relations and Douglas Dykes, chief talent officer. Also subpoenaed were the phone records of Ken Mills from the time he oversaw the countys jails. (He resigned in November.)

Cuyahoga County Interim Law Director Nora Hurley asked investigators to limit the scope of their request, estimating they were asking for 160 gigabytes of data.

The Attorney Generals Office agreed to limit the emails from the four administrators to only messages containing certain search terms related to jail nursing, the jail medical unit, and an attempt to privatize health care at the jails, among other topics.

The Law Department sought contracts from the Board of Control that would help it process the request and remove protected information. The board authorized up to $54,000 for temporary legal services from Alliance Legal Solutions LLC, and $20,000 for software to help organize the data.

The corruption investigation began more than a year ago with prosecutors concentrating mostly on the countys troubled IT Department. But the investigation pivoted to the countys jails late last year after a federal inspection found inhumane treatment of inmates.

Three current or former county administrators have been indicted along with five corrections officers. The three administrators have pleaded not guilty.
TOLEDO, Ohio  A woman who witnessed an act of kindness by the owner of a 7-Eleven store last weekend posted about it on Facebook and its since gone viral.

Store owner Jitendra Jay Singh tells WTVG Channel 13 he caught a male teen shoplifting from his store and his initial reaction was understandable, asking a clerk to call 911.

As Cedric Bishops Facebook post details, Singh asked the teen to empty his pockets, which were filled with munchies.

It was here the story took a turn as the teen told Singh he was hungry and was taking the items to feed himself and his brother.

Singh told his clerk to hang up the phone, telling the teen to leave the munchies behind. Instead, he gave the teen pizza, chicken, sandwiches and other more substantial items, free of charge, WTVG reports.

Its not going to make any difference to me if I give him some food because we make a lot of food, we sell a lot of food, said Singh. If he goes to jail then hes definitely not going to do anything good in life.

Singh added that he hopes the teen pays it forward with a generous act for someone in the future.

Bishop, who is a regular customer at the 7-Eleven, says in her post she was moved by Singhs gesture and gave the teen $10.

People just need to know that someone cares, Bishop wrote.
AKRON, Ohio -- The University of Akron could train Ohios next first line of defense against cybersecurity attacks, as state officials continue to advocate for a new state cyber defense force.

Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Ohio Adjutant General John Harris, the leader of Ohios National Guard, visited UA on Tuesday to learn what the school is doing to produce cybersecurity professionals.

UA is home to the states second cyber range, which will provide hands-on training for students and others, including military personnel. The school will also house a new cybersecurity testing center and is planning to invest significant resources in its cybersecurity programs.

LaRose and Harris both testified in support of Senate Bill 52, which would create the Ohio Cyber Reserve. The volunteer civilian force under the Ohio National Guard would be deployed to the sites of various cybersecurity threats and attacks.

In his February testimony, Harris used a recent cyber attack in Akron as an example of why the state needs the reserve, reported cleveland.coms Andrew J. Tobias.

When asked how often Ohio faces cybersecurity attacks, Harris said the threat is constant.

We know theres going to be a huge gap in the cyber workforce," he said. "The cyber professionals that are going to be trained here today, theyre not only the ones who will make a difference out there in industry and government and our economic system, but theyre going to be the ones who join the cyber reserve.

UAs cyber range would be one site where Cyber Reserve members could get training. It is funded through a $1.18 million state grant and in-kind donations -- largely space to house the range -- from the University of Akron.

The first cyber range site was at the University of Cincinnati.

Though officials on Tuesday learned more about the plans for a cyber range, there was nothing in place to see just yet. Equipment is ordered, but the facility probably wont open until early fall.

LaRose sees the Cyber Reserve as an opportunity to protect future state elections. Early voting for Mays primary began Tuesday.

Though Ohio is not close to moving to online voting, voter registration is online, and LaRose would like voters to be able to request an absentee ballot online.

Being prepared is key, he said.

Lets be honest, when the attacks have occurred, theyre really meant to create doubt and concern, LaRose said. Theyre meant to make Americans or Ohioans doubt whether their elections are secure. ... We are ready to counter the threats out there and make sure that we continue to run fair and honest elections.
COLUMBUS, Ohio Only 40 percent of Ohios 24,556 registered medical marijuana patients have purchased product legally, new figures state.

Other data released by the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program may provide an answer about the low numbers: Many businesses in the seed-to-sale chain are not yet operating, which could mean Ohioans are waiting for lower prices, more of a choice in product or dispensaries to open close to home.

Only eight of 16 large-scale cultivators have received certificates of operation.

13 of 56 dispensaries have received certificates of operation.

Two of 39 processors have received certificates of operation.

In other marijuana news, bud in Ohio continues to cost over $450 an ounce, which is more expensive than neighboring states.

Marijuana news outside Ohio:
COLUMBUS, Ohio  The Ohio House Health Committee cleared a bill Tuesday that would prohibit abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected -- with a last-minute change that could result in physicians getting fined $20,000 for violating it.

Senate Bill 23, which passed the panel 11 to 7 along party lines, could hit the House floor soon as Wednesday. The Republican supermajority in the House is expected to pass the bill. Since the House Health Committee has amended to the bill, it would go back to the Senate for a vote over whether to accept the changes.

Gov. Mike DeWine, who has said he would sign a fetal heartbeat bill, told reporters Tuesday that he hasnt seen the final version of the bill. But he said he opposes abortion and thinks a central role of government is to protect life -- "that certainly includes the unborn.

Courts have struck down other states heartbeat abortion bans. The issue could end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.

I dont think we can project what a future Supreme Court will do, particularly in regards to the fact that it will take several years before a bill like this would ever reach the Supreme Court," DeWine said.

The legislation passed the Ohio Senate on March 13.

Bill details

Under the bill:

Doctors or anyone who performs an abortion either after a heartbeat is detected or if they fail to do an ultrasound to detect a heartbeat would face a fifth-degree felony, punishable with six to 12 months behind bars and a $2,500 court fine.

Doctors would face further disciplinary action before the State Medical Board of Ohio - including revoking or suspending a license - if they perform abortions in violation of the bill. A $10,000 Medical Board fine was increased Tuesday to $20,000. The fine money would go into a newly created state fund for foster-care and adoption services.

There are no rape or incest exceptions.

There is an exception to preserve the health of a woman after a heartbeat has been detected. Abortion providers would have to document the medical issues the woman faced and keep copies of them for seven years. The woman would have to sign a form acknowledging she is allowing an abortion and the unborn human individual that the pregnant woman is carrying has a fetal heartbeat and that the pregnant woman is aware of the statistical probability of bringing the unborn human individual that the pregnant woman is carrying to term, according to legislative documents analyzing the bill

Women can sue abortion providers for wrongful death under the bill, and a doctor couldnt use as legal justification that the measure is unconstitutional unless a court rules it so.

To detect fetal heartbeats, abortion providers could use abdominal or transvaginal ultrasounds.

Recent polling shows Ohioans are divided on the heartbeat bill  with 43 percent opposing it and 41 percent supporting it.

Democratic amendments

Democrats on the committee introduced a handful of amendments -- which were all shot down, including an attempt to restore state funding to Planned Parenthood and permit a womans mental health as an exception to the bill.

Rep. Janine Boyd, a Cleveland Heights Democrat who is the ranking member on the committee, introduced an amendment to acknowledge that different religions consider life beginning at different times.

Rep. Derek Merrin, a Toledo-area Republican who chairs the committee, lead the opposition to her amendment.

This bill has nothing to do with religious issues," he said. This bill has to do with protecting the unborn.

Yet, in earlier remarks to defeat another amendment allowing women to have abortions when there is a fetal abnormality, Merrin had said that were all made in the image of God.

Rep. Terrence Upchurch, a Cleveland Democrat, had an amendment that would have provided child care and public transit vouchers to new mothers for medical appoints, work, school or job training.

He said the state needed to offer new moms assistance.

We are taking away the right for a woman to chose what is best for them at a critical junction of their life," he said.

It, too, was defeated.

Eight years

The bill has been before the General Assembly several times -- starting in 2011. Former Gov. John Kasich vetoed the bill twice, saying he didnt think the courts would uphold it.

But now there are more conservative members of the U.S. Supreme Court and DeWine said he will sign it.

For nearly a decade, Ohio lawmakers have been considering this life-saving bill, said Aaron Baer, president of Citizens for Community Values, a conservative Christian organization that supports the bill. It has been dissected from all angles. Yet now its time to uphold a simple promise to Ohios most vulnerable citizens, and ensure their lives are protected once a heartbeat is detected.

Rep. Candice Keller, a Middletown Republican who is executive director of an anti-abortion crisis pregnancy center, said men who want their partners to have abortions and male doctors who perform abortions are not looking out for the well-being of women.

If we are really about empowering the women of Ohio and empowering the women of this country, we will begin to tell the truth about the abortion industry and the enormous amount of profit that is made on the backs of women," she said.
AKRON, Ohio  Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose cast his ballot in the May primary election on Tuesday, the first of 28 days of early voting in Ohio.

LaRose and his wife Lauren, both Hudson residents, voted at the Summit County Board of Elections in Akron.

Ohio is by far a leader in the nation for early voting, LaRose told cleveland.com. Its easier to vote in Ohio than most other states.

Starting Tuesday, Ohioans have more than 200 hours to cast their ballot at an early voting location, LaRose said.

If you dont want to come in and do early in-person voting like this, you can vote from the comfort of home by mail, he said, adding that at-home voters can research candidates and issues to be informed as they fill out their ballot.

Anyone who does not want to vote early can wait until Election Day, May 7, when theyll have from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. to vote at their polling location.

As I like to say, there is legitimately no excuse for not voting, LaRose said. This is a right that people have fought for, even died for, and this is something that every Ohioan should take advantage of.

Although primary elections tend to have lower turnout than general elections, the secretary of state hopes Ohioans show up to have their voices heard on issues that affect their communities.

These local elections, these local issues, really impact the way that people live and the quality of life in their community, so its a very important thing, he said.

The LaRoses and other Hudson residents have only one issue, Issue 11, on their ballots. The initiative seeks to continue the redevelopment of the Downtown Phase Two area, and will be subject to final approval from the Architectural and Historic Board of Review and Hudson City Council.

Akronites are voting in mayoral and city council primaries.

The Twinsburg City School District is seeking a renewal for a tax levy that provides for the emergency requirements of the school district.

There are additional tax levies for Tallmadge City Schools for Tallmadge and Munroe Falls voters, and Nordonia Hills City School District for Macedonia voters. Green residents will vote on a renewal for a Green Local School District tax levy as well as primaries for mayor, city council at-large and law director.

For information about voting, visit the Secretary of States website at www.MyOhioVote.com.

Want more Akron news? Sign up for cleveland.coms Rubber City Daily, an email newsletter delivered at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.
About 1000 Syrians, including children, have long since returned to their villages and towns. But the emergency, which is also economic and social, remains. Fr. Paul: An independent body is needed to follow their return. Often they cross the border again without being registered. The Lebanese president attacks the Arab Spring: "Hell".

Beirut (AsiaNews) - The initiatives aimed at the return of Syrian refugees to Lebanon "are appreciated", but they are "a few hundred, at most thousands against a million and more, a drop in the ocean" of the emergency, says Caritas Lebanon president Fr. Paul Karam.

For over seven years the organization has been in the front line in helping Syrian families fleeing the war. In the past, the priest has repeatedly launched the danger of a serious economic, political and social crisis for the country, along with the abandonment of Syrian refugees "forgotten like the Lebanese". "To date - the priest continues - the problem has not been seriously addressed by the international community and no solutions can be seen on the horizon".

In recent days, dozens of Syrian refugees have crossed the Lebanese border to return to their country of origin. This is the last group of about a thousand people - among which there are also hundreds of children - who, in a short time, left the refugee camps to return to their homes and their villages of origin.

According to state television LBCI, at least 14 buses loaded with people crossed the border over the weekend, in the context of a repatriation operation coordinated by the general safety directorate. However, the return of several thousand refugees cannot ease the emergency that has been underway for some time in Lebanon, a nation of 4.5 million inhabitants that is home to - still today - almost 1.5 million Syrian refugees. Which are added to the 400 thousand Palestinian refugees already present in Lebanon.

Fr. Paul explains there is also a major underlying problem: "We no longer have any definite news - he explains - of those who cross the border, and who could return to Lebanon later with unofficial or registered entries. There is great concern along the border and more controls are needed ". There are not rare cases of refugees "who we believe returned to Syria, then we see them still here in Lebanon. We need a serious, targeted program that follows their path and allows them to rebuild their lives in their country of origin ".

"On what basis  warns the President Caritas Lebanon - do we base the return of refugees? We need a super partes organization present in Syria. We know that there are now safe areas, under the control of the government or local authorities. A political resolution of the Syrian conflict cannot be expected, the refugee emergency must be faced and resolved independently and independently. And this is the task of an international community "so far absent.

Meanwhile, over the weekend the Lebanese president addressed very harsh criticisms of the so-called "Arab Spring", the popular uprising movement that in 2011 touched various countries of the Middle East and North Africa, which in some cases  such as Syria - resulted in a proxy war among powers. "The Arab Spring - said Michel Aoun - was more of an Arab hell, due to the terrorism emergency and the suffering it caused".

"Syria - the Maronite leader continued - was considered the" beating heart "of the Arab revolt, but what did we do to this heart? If you are against a regime, you certainly cannot afford to kill the people. The Syrian people are the real victims of all this ". Aoun added that it is necessary to "write an end to conflicts" and "return to dialogue", which must be conducted "on respect for the common interests of nations", not with unilateral decisions.
Congressman Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., speaks to guests during an event at the Iowa City Public Library on February 18, 2019 in Iowa City, Iowa.

California Rep. Eric Swalwell has entered the 2020 presidential contest.

The Democrat made his announcement on CBS' "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on Monday evening. Swalwell, a four-term congressman, says he feels he can do more.

"I talk to kids who sit in their classroom afraid that they'll be the next victim of gun violence," Swalwell told Colbert. "And they see Washington doing nothing about it after the moments of silence. And they see lawmakers who love their guns more than they love our kids."

@colbertlateshow: TONIGHT: California Representative @EricSwalwell announces on @colbertlateshow that he is running for President! #LSSC

The 38-year-old congressman, who sits on the House Intelligence and Judiciary committees, has previously proposed a national buyback of assault weapons. He has been criticized by the National Rifle Association. Swalwell, who represents the north Silicon Valley area, is scheduled to hold a town hall in Florida on Tuesday to highlight his efforts to stop gun violence.

@EricSwalwell: I'm excited that @TLSears, Founder of Florida Parents of Murdered Children, Janine Lutz, Founder of Lutz Buddy Up, & Gaby Loewenstein, Deputy Chair Lead for South Florida of Moms Demand Action, will be joining us for our town hall. Will you??

On Monday, Swalwell tweeted that some of those expected to attend the event are parents of students killed last year when a gunman opened fire at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. There were 17 students and teachers killed in the mass shooting.

Besides gun violence, Swalwell also has been critical of President Donald Trump. The congressman has traveled to New Hampshire and Iowa several times in the last few months and hired staff in some early voting states.
Jim O'Neill, former chief economist of Goldman Sachs, says calling China an emerging market is "sort of ridiculous."

The rise of the Chinese consumer will have a huge impact on the global economy as a whole. And the United States is likely to benefit from this growth, according to O'Neill.

If China's economy slows, that would be problematic.

O'Neill, also a former U.K. commercial secretary to the Treasury, adds that China growing at more than 6 percent has an equivalent impact on the global economy as Germany growing at 18 percent.

He also says growth within India and China is contributing to the "biggest decline" in global inequality.

Watch the video above to watch Jim O'Neill breakdown of the global economy.

Also watch:
Mueller's report did not establish collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, and made no determination about whether President Donald Trump himself obstructed justice, according to the summary. Barr and Rosenstein concluded, however, that Mueller did not find sufficient evidence to merit an obstruction charge.

Barr has faced a high-pressure campaign from Democrats to release the nearly 400-page Russia report to Congress without redactions. That pressure only intensified after Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein released a four-page summary of that report's principal conclusions less than 48 hours after the report was delivered to the Justice Department on March 22.

"I think that from my standpoint, within a week I will be in a position to release the report to the public," Barr said during the hearing, which was primarily intended to focus on the fiscal 2020 budget.

Barr, who oversaw the tail end of Mueller's probe of Russian interference and possible collusion with the Trump campaign during the 2016 presidential election, set that deadline during testimony before a House Appropriations subcommittee.

Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday that the Justice Department will release a version of special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia report with redactions "within a week."

Barr's opening statement did not mention the Mueller report. He focused instead on the Trump administration's $29.2 billion budget proposal for fiscal 2020.

Barr highlighted four of the Justice Department's main priorities: combating violent crime; enforcing immigration laws; fighting "the scourge of illegal drugs," especially the opioid crisis; and protecting the country against national security threats, including cyberattacks.

But Democrats on the subcommittee, including its chairman, Rep. Jose Serrano of New York, immediately asked Barr about Mueller's report.

"We could not hold this hearing without mentioning the elephant in the room, and I'm not referring to my colleagues on the other side," Serrano said.

"The American people have been left with many unanswered questions, serious concerns about the process by which you formulated your letter, and uncertainty about when we can expect to see the full report," Serrano said.

Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, was more blunt: "Before getting into your budget request, I want to address a serious oversight matter," she said referring to "your unacceptable handling of special counsel Robert Mueller's report."

She criticized Barr for the quick turnaround time between the hefty report's delivery and the release of the brief summary, which she said "seems to cherry-pick from the report" and is arguably "more suspicious than impressive."

Barr said in response that "the thinking of the special counsel was not a mystery to the Department of Justice prior to the submission of the report," since there had been prior discussions with Mueller. "So we had an inkling as to what was coming in our direction," he added.

Barr has spelled out four categories of redactions he plans to make before sharing the Mueller report, including information related to Mueller's grand jury and information related to ongoing investigations.

During the hearing Tuesday, Barr said that those redactions will be color-coded depending on which of the four areas they fall under.

Republicans on the panel also questioned Barr about whether the DOJ will be investigating the origins of the government's Russia probe, which Trump has long described as a "witch hunt." The subcommittee's ranking member, Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., asked Barr about the use of a salacious and unverified dossier in the pursuit of surveillance warrants.

Barr said the department's Office of Inspector General has a pending investigation of the legal processes under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, which was used by the FBI to obtain surveillance warrants.

Correction: Rep. Robert Aderholt is a Republican from Alabama. An earlier version misstated his party affiliation.
WASHINGTON  Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson announced Tuesday that U.S. Air Force Gen. John Hyten, America's top nuclear commander, will be the next vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Wilson, who spoke at the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, said the Pentagon sent Hyten's nomination to Capitol Hill on Monday. Hyten will succeed retiring Air Force Gen. Paul Selva and will work alongside current Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, who will become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, succeeding Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford.

The four-star general has served as commander of U.S. Strategic Command since November 2016. Before becoming the country's top nuclear commander, Hyten headed Air Force Space Command. Hyten has been a vocal proponent of space-based defenses in order to protect U.S. assets in space and track hypersonic threats.

The latest revelation comes as the Pentagon works to lay the groundwork for President Donald Trump's proposed Space Force, a new sister service branch that would stand alongside the Navy, Marine Corps, Army and Air Force. However, the creation of a sixth military branch, the first in 72 years, is dependent upon congressional approval.

Trump nominated U.S. Air Force Gen. John "Jay" Raymond to lead the U.S. Space Command, a new combatant command that will oversee the military's missions and war fighting in space.

As the Air Force's top space officer, Raymond was long considered a favorite for the job. He is currently commander of Air Force Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado. If confirmed by the Senate for this newly established role, Raymond will run both U.S. Space Command and Air Force Space Command.

Unlike the creation of a Space Force, the Pentagon can establish a U.S. Space Command without input from lawmakers.

Meanwhile, the Defense Department is asking Congress for $14.1 billion in its fiscal 2020 budget request to fund space operations. That would allocate funding to several national security programs, from satellites to missile warning systems. Of the total, about $1.6 billion will fund improvements to space-based missile warning capabilities, a missing link in America's layered missile defense system.

The Air Force is also seeking $72.4 million to establish a headquarters for Space Force.
China's influence on Australian politics is again in focus after a media investigation revealed a secret meeting in 2016 between the then-immigration minister and a controversial Chinese billionaire seeking an Australian passport.

The report from Australia's ABC Four Corners said Peter Dutton, now the home affairs minister, met one-on-one with Huang Xiangmo in a private area of a Chinese restaurant in Sydney. The meeting was set up after the Chinese businessman paid tens of thousands of dollars to a lobbyist, according to the investigation. That's led to calls for Australia's current government to look into the matter further.

Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, for one, told reporters on Tuesday that the allegation is "very troubling," adding that "Peter Dutton has got a lot to explain about this."

Turnbull also said Australia's current prime minister will need to get involved in the situation: "The buck stops with him. I know what it is like to be prime minister and, ultimately, you are responsible and so Scott Morrison has to deal with this."

Dutton has confirmed the meeting, but denied helping Huang with any immigration issues, according to SBS News.

Still, the Four Corners report is just the latest allegation of large political donors with apparent ties to China's Communist Party wielding influence within Australian politics.

Back in February, Huang  who is currently in China following a decision to ban him from re-entering Australia  called on both the ruling Coalition and the opposition Labor Party to return over 2.7 million Australian dollars (about $1.9 million) in donations that he had made over the past five years.

In an interview with the Australian Financial Review, Huang called out his treatment as being hypocritical  and questioned the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation's inference that his membership of groups that were promoting the "peaceful reunification" of China was tantamount to him being an operative of the Chinese state.

"If I am being penalized for promoting the peaceful reunification of China, this is against Australia's own position as well as its fundamental principles of cultural diversity and freedom of speech," Huang told the Australian Financial Review.

While Huang's donations were a contributing factor in the Australian government's decision to ban foreign political donations in November last year, Chinese-associated donations continue to raise concerns. In December, the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) raided the offices of the state's Labor Party over A$100,000 in donations by Chinese-Australian nationals.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, ICAC is currently investigating a trio of individuals  including Huang  in relation to documents seized in the raid.

For more on the meeting, see the report from Australia's ABC.
Polling stations opened this morning at 7am. Voting will end at 10 pm. The outgoing Prime Minister looking for a fifth mandate, an absolute record. The challenger Benny Gantz focuses on the desire for renewal. Advisor to the Palestinian Authority: "The Left does not exist today in Israel".

Jerusalem (AsiaNews) - A referendum on the person and policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu which, depending on the result, could change the balance of the Middle Eastern region and redesign alliances and strategies.

Todays general elections in Israel see the outgoing premier - in search of a fifth mandate, a record  pitted against the main challenger, the former head of the armed forces Benny Gantz. The senior officer, together with former Finance Minister Yair Lapid, founded the centrist alliance Kahol Lavan (Blue White) which could contend Likud for the final victory.

The polls opened this morning at 7 am local time and will close at 10 pm (8 pm in Italy). Analysts and experts, however, believe it unlikely that a clear winner will emerge from the hours following the vote. After all, in the last electoral rounds no party has ever reached an overwhelming majority in the Knesset (the Israeli parliament, consisting of 120 seats).

In all likelihood it will take days, if not weeks, of intense negotiations to shape the winning coalition and start forming the next government team.

"King Bibi", as the 69-year-old leader of the right-wing Likud party is called, campaigned fiercely rejecting the allegations of corruption and fraud and brandishing the threat of external danger (primarily Iran), which he alone - with the help of Trump - is able to foil.

59-year-old rival Benny Gantz tried to dismantle the image of Netanyahu as a guarantor of national security. For many, the hope is that this vote will bring "new faces and fresh air" to the country's ruling class.

The 64-year-old gynecologist Yaron Zalel, from the electoral district of Rosh Haayin in Tel Aviv, says he has voted with conviction for the centrist leader Gantz. "I am excited - he says leaving polling station - because I believe we are entering a new era, today we are going to change the government". "Netanyahu - he continues - has done a lot for Israel, a lot of good things. But he has been in power for 13 years and that's enough ".

The opinion of Avi Gur, 65 year-old professor at the University of Ariel, is different, one of the 600,000 settlers living in the occupied territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. "I am enthusiastic, very enthusiastic. I hope the right will win, "he underlines with conviction. The Likud leader, he adds, "was the best Prime Minister we [Israel] ever had." "We are leaders - he concludes - in the high technology sector, we are leaders in security, we are driving the economy ".

Once the voting is over, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin will begin the round of consultations with the leaders of each party that will enter the Knesset. He will then choose the person to be assigned to form the new government.

In the background, the Palestinians observe the vote with detachment. The conviction is that, in substance, it will bring few changes regardless of the winner. Nabil Shaath, long-term advisor to President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas, points out that the differences between the various sides are less marked than in the past. "There was a time - he says - in which the elections were very important, because there was really more than one field in the field for Israel. There was a right and a left ". Today, he concludes, "we have a right, then a faction further to the right, the extreme right and, finally, an even more extreme right. Today there is no left wing in Israel ".
An Airbus A220-300 aircraft lands during its unveiling in Colomiers near Toulouse, France, July 10, 2018. Regis Duvignau

The EU has hit back at new U.S. proposals to target European goods with tariffs, following a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling over subsidies for Airbus. Trade tensions between the EU and U.S. flared Monday after the U.S. said it's considering $11 billion worth of retaliatory tariffs on a range of goods in response to illegal subsidies the EU granted to the aerospace firm. The WTO ruled last year that these allowances had caused "adverse effects" to the U.S., with the decision coming after a long-running litigation battle between the Washington and Brussels over their respective aviation giants. Shares of Airbus were trading 2.3% lower Tuesday after the tariffs were proposed. A spokesman for the company said there is no legal basis for the U.S. move to impose sanctions, and said the EU had complied with WTO rulings. The European Commission criticized the proposals. "The EU is confident that the level of countermeasures on which the notice is based is greatly exaggerated. The amount of WTO authorized retaliation can only be determined by the WTO-appointed arbitrator," a Commission spokesman said.

On Monday, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said it would slap tariffs on EU goods ranging from aircraft to fish, dairy products to binoculars, olive oil and wine, according to a preliminary list. It said it estimates "the harm from the EU subsidies as $11 billion in trade each year," although the amount is subject to an arbitration at the WTO, the result of which is expected to be issued this summer. "This case has been in litigation for 14 years, and the time has come for action. The Administration is preparing to respond immediately when the WTO issues its finding on the value of U.S. countermeasures," U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said in a statement Monday.

Double standards

Both sides have now been found guilty of paying billions of dollars of subsidies to gain advantage in the global aircraft manufacturing business. The EU is still waiting to hear from the WTO about what "retaliation rights" it has after the organization found in 2012 that Boeing too had received billions of dollars in illegal subsidies that had been to the detriment of Airbus. The WTO also ruled in March that the U.S. had failed to comply fully with its earlier ruling to remove all illegal subsidies that Boeing had received. The European Commission spokesman also said Tuesday that Brussels is ready to retaliate in kind, noting that in the parallel Boeing dispute, "the determination of EU retaliation rights is also coming closer and the EU will request the WTO-appointed arbitrator to determine the EU's retaliation rights." Some analysts have accused the U.S. of double standards. GAM's Investment Director for Global Equities, Ali Miremadi, said the U.S.' tariff proposal was "quite bold." "I have to say the country which is the home to Boeing accusing Europe of state subsidies for Airbus  this is quite bold," he told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" Tuesday. "It's very well established that both Boeing and Airbus exist only at the discretion of their respective hosts or host governments." President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday that "the EU has taken advantage of the U.S. on trade for many years." Tweet: UBS' Global Wealth Management's Chief Economist Paul Donovan noted wryly that Trump had accepted the WTO ruling much more readily than usual. "The WTO has ruled that Airbus received unfair subsidies from the EU and U.S. President Trump has, rather unusually, decided to agree with the WTO," Donovan said in a regular podcast Tuesday. "Whether U.S. President Trump would be quite so willing to accept the verdict of the WTO about unfair assistance from the U.S. to Boeing, which is an ongoing case, is a rather different matter."

Trade wars

The latest U.S. threat comes as tensions are already simmering with the EU over possible tariffs on its cars and auto parts. A final decision has not yet been made. The U.S. is currently negotiating with China over a trade deal after almost a year of escalating retaliatory tariffs on each other's imports. Europe could be next in line for some rough treatment. "Even once we are done with the U.S. and China, the U.S. will turn to Europe," Laurence Boone, chief economist at OECD, told CNBC's Steve Sedgwick at the Ambrosetti Workshop in Italy on Friday. "So, I think by undermining the multi-lateral rules-based system on trade, we have just injected a massive dose of uncertainty in the world that will stay with us for a long time."
Dr. Will Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics, speaks to a crowd of small businesses, venture capitalists, and Airmen during the Inaugural Air Force Pitch Day in Manhattan, New York, March 7, 2019.

NEW YORK  Usually it takes months or even years for the U.S. military's acquisition process to play out. But recently, the Air Force managed to gobble up more than 200 acquisitions in just one week.

The flurry of moves clustered around the service branch's first-ever "Pitch Day" last month, when officials heard direct proposals from 59 small companies  and contracts were awarded within minutes through swipes of a credit card.

Of those businesses, 51 signed a one-page contract and received an initial award of up to $158,000 within minutes of their presentations. In other words, the Air Force handed over $3.5 million in contract awards via government credit card in a handful of hours.

Over the course of a week, the Air Force awarded more than 200 contracts valued at $75 million.

The only real hiccup in the accelerated awarding process came when the bank would flag some of the credit card swipes on suspicion of fraud due to the unusually high frequency of transactions, according to Will Roper, the Air Force's acquisitions head.

On average, the Air Force awarded a contract and made the first payment via government credit card swipe in 15 minutes. The fastest happened in just three minutes. Prior to Pitch Day, the fastest service contract award took three months.

Roper cautioned, however, that the speed came with oversight and due diligence. "We do our homework on them, just like any investor would," he said.
Rahul Gandhi, president of the Congress Party, speaks during an event marking the release of the Congress manifesto at the party's headquarters in New Delhi, India, on Tuesday, April 2, 2019. T. Narayan | Bloomberg | Getty Images

India heads to the polls starting this week to elect members for the lower house of its Parliament. The outcome, to be announced in May, will determine if Narendra Modi can secure a second term as prime minister. One of the major political opposition groups to Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has placed its election hopes on an ambitious pitch to alleviate poverty in India. The Indian National Congress revealed details in its election manifesto about a minimum income support program designed to help the country's poorest households  the bottom 20 percent. Theoretically, the idea offers plenty of benefits to India's economic environment: Higher per capita income would likely give consumption, and growth, a boost in the short term as people spend their extra cash. But economists have highlighted concerns about the implementation hurdles such a policy could face. Those include the challenges of identifying recipients for the program and setting up a means to fund it.

What is the program about?

The Congress party said it plans to eliminate "abject poverty" by 2030 through its proposed program. Under the scheme, it will target the poorest 20 percent of all families in India, about 50 million of them, offering them a guaranteed cash transfer of 72,000 rupees ($1,042) per year  handed out in monthly sums. It wasn't clear from the manifesto what methodology the party would use to identify recipients. A representative from Congress did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment. The scheme is said to be rolled out in phases, implemented jointly by the central and state governments. Providing about a $1,000 a year to roughly 50 million households will potentially cost India more than $50 billion annually. Congress explained the program will be "funded through new revenues and rationalisation of expenditure," without providing specific information. It estimates the first year of the roll-out will cost less than 1 percent of India's GDP  estimated at around $2.7 trillion  and subsequent years' expenditure will amount to less than 2 percent of GDP.

How will it be funded?

Congress' president, Rahul Gandhi, recently said income tax would not be increased to implement the scheme, according to local media reports. In its election manifesto, Gandhi's party also outlined other social sector schemes including farm loan waivers and higher spending on education that the party says it would pursue if it wins the elections. That "runs counter to plans to keep within fiscal and revenue deficit goals," Radhika Rao, an economist at DBS Group, told CNBC. "This implies that either public (capital expenditure) commitments might have to be scaled back or fresh revenue generating measures are required to fund additional funding requirements." Since raising taxes in the current economic environment would likely be an unpopular move, Congress may have to rely on non-tax revenues such as divestment of public assets, said Priyanka Kishore, head of India and Southeast Asia economics at consultancy Oxford Economics. "I'm sure they're going to tap the (Reserve Bank of India) for more dividends," she told CNBC. Last year, the RBI board decided to form an expert committee to look into how much the central bank should hold in its reserves amid New Delhi's push to access the surplus. "If that committee comes out with a certain recommendation, I don't think Congress is going to shy away from taking that additional cash." If no new funds are raised, and a Congress-led government opts to dip into its normal budget, then that could cut into the country's spending on public infrastructure, according to Sonal Varma, managing director and chief India economist at Nomura. That could, in turn, take a bite out of economic growth. Investment activity in India has recovered in recent quarters, largely supported by public spending on infrastructure, Varma added. "This will  severely impair the capex cycle," she wrote in a recent note. Still, she added, a Congress government may need to offset existing subsidies and schemes to fund the program or consider imposing additional taxes  but there's "limited wiggle room" as direct and indirect tax collections this year have remained largely lackluster.

What are the major concerns?
Roughly 6.3 million Israelis are expected to cast their ballots today in an election that will have serious implications for the legacy of incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for Palestinians, and for Israel's relationship with the rest of the Middle East. Netanyahu faces his toughest challenge yet after months of being dogged by corruption and bribery allegations. His top competitor Benny Gantz, a former army general, who leads a center-left coalition. If Netanyahu wins  and polls are currently giving him a lead, though it remains close  the 69-year-old will become the longest-serving prime minister in the country's history. The 2019 election campaign was marked by scandals and mudslinging; Netanyahu's Likud party, in one example, edited a TV interview of Gantz to frame him as mentally unstable, while Gantz has painted Netanyahu as a corrupt traitor who sold his country out for money. Likud also leaked that Iranian hackers had compromised Gantz's cell phone and found incriminating information including that of an alleged mistress. "No doubt this campaign was one of the most unsavory in Israeli history," Yossi Mekelberg, professor of international relations at Regent's University London told CNBC's Squawk Box Europe on Tuesday. "The language, the attitude, the smearing campaign against rivals, this was not very pleasant to see." The government also claimed that Gantz was Iran's favorite candidate, while calling him a left-winger who wouldn't keep the country safe. Netanyahu's critics have accused the prime minister of allying with far-right and borderline fascist players to win votes.

New parties and old faces

Gantz allied with center-left former finance minister Yair Lapid to create the new and avowedly centrist party Kahol Lavan, known in English as the Blue and White Party. Gantz has called for pursuing peace with the Palestinians, while maintaining Israel's security priorities. His platforms include granting territorial concessions to the Palestinians but he's avoided the issue of Palestinian statehood; he also wants to establish term limits for the prime minister and invest in education. Netanyahu has been prime minister of Israel four times, beginning in the 1990s as the country's youngest elected head of government and is now the only prime minister to have been elected to three consecutive terms. His tenure has seen Israel take an increasingly hard line on the Occupied Palestinian territories, expanding Israeli settlements into the West Bank that have been designated by the UN as illegal under international law. He prides himself on his nickname of "Mr. Security" and also serves as Minister of Defense.

Thanks to enthusiastic support from the Trump administration, Netanyahu has been emboldened to pursue right-wing policies  he now says that if he wins, he will annex the West Bank, home to around 2.5 million Palestinians. While Netanyahu's recent pledge to "extend sovereignty" over the West Bank settlements triggered harsh condemnation from overseas, "they will likely only have a marginal effect on the political contest within," according to a Eurasia Group note by Middle East analyst Henry Rome, who believes most Israelis will just write it off as campaign rhetoric. "At this point, Netanyahu's comments more likely represent a flimsy campaign promise than a definitive new Israeli strategy," Rome wrote Tuesday. Gantz, for his part, says he opposes unilateral annexation, and has called Netanyahu's promises "meaningless."

The end of the two-state solution?

"This government's composition would not be all that different from Netanyahu's current coalition, but it may pursue a very dangerous path by opting to start annexing parts of the West Bank," Ilan Goldenberg, Middle East Security Director at the Center for a New American Security, wrote in an op-ed for Slate Magazine. "Such a decision would lead to irreversible steps that make it impossible to form a contiguous and viable future Palestinian state and could lead to the dissolution of the Palestinian Authority In short, this outcome could mark the end of the possibility of a two-state solution." The U.S. under Trump, in a stark rejection of policy norms, has recognized Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights and the status of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, issues that had been previously regarded by the international community as subject to negotiation between the Israelis and Palestinians.

Security and economy remain top issues for many Israeli voters. Despite a booming economy driven by an internationally acclaimed start-up culture, inequality remains high and many young Israelis want to see progress on housing and living costs. "Security is the basic threshold that everybody thinks about when they make their decision, and if they're comfortable with most candidates on security then they'll vote on other issues," Michael Granoff, founder of Tel Aviv-based venture fund Maniv Mobility, told CNBC's Hadley Gamble on Tuesday. "The tech sector has really been the engine of Israel's economy over the last decade or more, and I think any government that comes in is going to want to continue to see that growth ... The polls are showing a close race but any leadership is going to want to preserve the economic gains that we've seen over the last decade."

The ability to form a governing coalition is crucial
It noted that London's fintech sector received more venture capital (VC) funding than any other EU city in 2018, securing 39% of all European fintech funding. Berlin's fintech sector lagged behind slightly, securing 21% of the cash, while Paris came in third with 18% of the overall funding.

The report , by London-based recruitment firm Robert Walters and research group Vacancy Soft, said London was "showing signs of potential to threaten San Francisco's historic dominance of the market."

Of the world's 29 fintech unicorns  private companies valued at more than $1 billion  nine are based in San Francisco, while seven are headquartered in London, the research published Tuesday said.

London could soon overtake San Francisco as the fintech (financial technology) unicorn capital of the world, according to a new study.

According to Innovate Finance, the U.K. is a world leader when it comes to securing VC investment in fintech, ranking third globally behind China and the United States. Global VC investment in fintech last year reached a record $36.6 billion, Innovate Finance's data shows, which was secured across 2,304 deals  a 148% year-on-year increase.

London's top fintech unicorns include Revolut, TransferWise, and OakNorth. The report flagged challenger bank OakNorth as one to watch, noting the company's "phenomenal" income growth from 77.1 million ($100.81 million) to 177.6 million in just 12 months  a year-on-year revenue increase of 268%.

Earlier this year, SoftBank led a $440 million investment in OakNorth, which increased the fintech firm's value to $2.8 billion.

Elsewhere in the sector, Monzo is reportedly close to securing $130 million from a U.S. investor that would double its value to 2 billion.

Fintech's growth is impacting the U.K.'s traditional banking sector, the report also noted, with their core revenue streams coming under attack.

"The rise of smartphones and 4G means that increasingly, digital banking is an option, significantly reducing the barriers to entry for new entrants," the report's authors said. "It is only now, with the rise of the fintech unicorns, that the banking sector has woken up and started to adapt to the new paradigm."

It predicted that by 2020, more than half of U.K. payment service providers would be digital-only.

"For millennials who grew up with mobile devices (fintech) is particularly appealing because they want to conduct financial transactions the same way they would share pictures or apply for a job," James Murray, director of financial services at Robert Walters, said in the report.

"The pace of change has been so rapid over the past decade that the perception of digital banking has shifted from an option to a requirement," he added.

However, the report warned that Brexit could create barriers to fintech growth rates, as any hard-border scenario could shrink the U.K.'s talent pool.
Netflix is making a major play to placate Hollywood celebs and producers as it continues its quest for Oscar glory.

The streaming company is in talks to purchase the historic Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, a person familiar with the talks told CNBC. It would be Netflix's first theater purchase.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the value of the deal is in the tens of millions.

Purchasing the theater, which is currently owned by American Cinematheque, would allow Netflix to more easily showcase films it wants to put up for Academy Award contention without dealing with traditional theatrical release windows.

Currently, the Academy's eligibility requirements state that a film must run at least seven consecutive days at a commercial theater in Los Angeles County and be shown at least three times a day, with at least one screening between the hours of 6 p.m and 10 p.m.

Netflix did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.

Traditionally, Hollywood studios, and even Amazon, have adopted a 90-day theatrical release window, which means the film will run in theaters for that time period before being available on video-on-demand or on a streaming service's site or app.

Netflix has not been one to adhere to those standards, however. The streaming service's Academy Award-winning film "Roma" rolled out to a limited number of theaters on Nov. 21 and was released to Netflix's streaming service on Dec. 14.

The decision ruffled feathers for some theater operators, such as AMC Theaters and Regal Cinemas, which declined to show "Roma" in theaters after its best picture nomination in January.

The Egyptian Theatre would also provide Netflix a space for red carpet events.

Should the deal close, American Cinematheque, an independent nonprofit, would curate all weekend programming while Netflix would set the slate for the weekdays, according to Bloomberg, which was first to report the talks.

The Egyptian Theatre was opened in 1922 by Sid Grauman and acquired by Cinematheque in 1998. It is often used for movie festivals, as it is one of the few locations that can play nitrate prints and is also equipped to play 70mm film, according to the report.
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., on Tuesday rolled out the first in a series of bills aimed at regulating Facebook and other social media companies, even as the path to an all-encompassing federal online privacy law remains murky.

The bill, which Warner introduced with co-sponsor Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., bans online platforms with over 100 million monthly active users from using so-called "dark patterns." The term refers to interfaces designed to coax users into taking actions that often result in giving up more information than the user realizes  such as prompts to access phone and email contacts in order to keep using the platform.

The legislation, known as the Deceptive Experiences To Online Users Reduction (DETOUR) Act, would also create a regulator within the Federal Trade Commission that would enforce best practices as platforms evolve to protect users' interests.

The effort is one of several aiming to rein in social media companies in the wake of data breaches, privacy scandals, and harsh scrutiny of practices that allow harmful content to be disseminated. The focus on specific issues such as dark patterns comes in the absence of progress on broad-based regulation, despite seemingly bipartisan support building in the year since Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified on Capitol Hill.

So far, a few tech companies and industry groups  including Microsoft, Mozilla and Common Sense  have pledged to support it. Warner discussed the bill with Google CEO Sundar Pichai during his trip to Washington two weeks ago.

Roger McNamee, a longtime Silicon Valley venture capitalist and early Facebook investor, called the practice of employing dark patterns "low-hanging fruit" on Capitol Hill.
This picture taken on April 5, 2019 shows a nurse preparing the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine at the Rockland County Health Department in Haverstraw, Rockland County, New York.

New York City on Tuesday declared its recent measles outbreak a public health emergency and ordered mandatory vaccinations for people living in areas where the disease is spreading.

Residents of Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood have 48 hours to get the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine or face a $1,000 fine, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday. The outbreak has sickened 285 people in the city since October and its spread has picked up pace over the last two months, officials said.

"Measles is a dangerous, potentially deadly disease that can easily be prevented with vaccine," said Dr. Herminia Palacio, deputy mayor for Health and Human Services. "When people choose not to get their children vaccinated, they are putting their children and others  such as pregnant women, people on chemotherapy, and the elderly  at risk of contracting measles."

The neighborhood is home to a large Orthodox Jewish population. Some of them have refused to vaccinate their children, leaving the tight-knit communities vulnerable to the highly contagious disease. In response to the outbreak, the city on Monday threatened to close Jewish schools that allow unvaccinated children.

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Health officials traced the first case of this outbreak back to unvaccinated people who traveled to Israel, where there is currently a large outbreak.

New York City's measles outbreak is one of a number across the country. An outbreak also has been reported in suburban Rockland County, New York. So far this year, 465 cases have been confirmed, the second-highest amount since the disease was declared eradicated from the U.S. in 2000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Measles is highly contagious, infecting up to 90 percent of unvaccinated people who are exposed to it, according to the CDC. The virus can live in the air for up to two hours after an infected person coughs or sneezes, according to the CDC, meaning people can be exposed to it without ever knowing. People can be infected for days before showing signs of the virus, such as a fever, runny nose or a rash.

Measles can be especially dangerous for young children, the CDC says. It can lead to pneumonia, brain swelling and even death.
Signs about measles and the measles vaccine are displayed at the Rockland County Health Department in Pomona, N.Y., Wednesday, March 27, 2019.

New York City is threatening to close some Jewish schools in Brooklyn that allow unvaccinated students as a measles outbreak in the area worsens.

The city in December ordered Orthodox Jewish schools and child-care centers in some areas of Brooklyn to ban unvaccinated children from attending. In January, one yeshiva ignored the mandate and welcomed unvaccinated children. That one incident is now linked to more than 40 cases of measles, the health department said Tuesday.

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Yeshivas and child care centers in the Williamsburg neighborhood in Brooklyn that refuse to comply with the city's order may be fined or even closed, the city's health department said Monday. This comes just weeks after nearby Rockland County banned unvaccinated children from public places, an order a judge has since struck down.

"This outbreak is being fueled by a small group of anti-vaxxers in these neighborhoods. They have been spreading dangerous misinformation based on fake science," New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot said in a statement.

Since October, there have been 285 cases of measles in New York's Orthodox Jewish community, the health department said. Health officials traced the first case of this outbreak back to unvaccinated people who traveled to Israel, where there is a large outbreak. Other New Yorkers have since caught the disease traveling in Israel, Ukraine and the U.K., the health department said.

Some ultra-Orthodox Jews have refused to vaccinate their children, leaving the tight-knit communities vulnerable to the highly contagious disease. New York drove the recent spike in measles cases around the country, pressuring health officials to find a way to contain outbreaks ahead of Passover, which starts April 19.

"We've seen a large increase in the number of people vaccinated in these neighborhoods, but as Passover approaches, we need to do all we can to ensure more people get the vaccine," Barbot said.

So far this year, 465 cases have been confirmed, the second-highest amount since the disease was declared eradicated from the U.S. in 2000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
California Rep. Eric Swalwell, an Iowa native and former prosecutor, is making fighting gun violence a central theme of his newly launched presidential campaign.

The congressman, who announced his bid in the crowded Democratic on Monday, is proposing a ban on and federal buyback of all 15 million assault weapons in the U.S. The 38-year-old congressman wants to exempt law enforcement agencies and shooting clubs.

"We should take the most dangerous weapons out of the hands of the most dangerous people," Swalwell said in his campaign launch video. The video also plays up his roots in Iowa, a state that could be critical because it's the first to hold a caucus for the 2020 presidential elections.

Swalwell, who sits on the House Intelligence and Judiciary committees, has been a frequent critic of President Donald Trump and his policies, charging they are hurting ordinary Americans. Also, he has said Americans are struggling and feel "disconnected" and hurt by the policies of President Donald Trump.

"You look your family in the eyes and ask, 'how is our future any better off than before this guy came around,' " Swalwell says in the campaign video. He made his 2020 announcement on Monday evening on CBS' "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."

Swalwell has proposed a variety of initiatives to create more jobs and opportunities, including workforce training, infrastructure investment and tax changes to boost growth in low-income communities.

Still, Swalwell is seen as a long-shot candidate with several other rivals already showing stronger polling among likely voters, including former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. An Iowa Poll released a month ago of likely caucus participants in the state found Swalwell wasn't a first choice of any survey participants.
The suspended bishop of Jalandhar is also accused of abusing his dominant position. He could get life in prison. This is the first for the Indian Church that a prelate's name appears in formal charge sheet.

Mumbai (AsiaNews)  Kerala police arraigned Mgr Franco Mulakkal, suspended bishop of Jalandhar (in Indian Punjab), in connection with accusations of the multiple rape of the superior of the Missionaries of Jesus between 2014 to 2016 and with "abusing his dominant position".

For the first time in the history of the Catholic Church in India, the name of one of its bishops appears in a police charge sheet in a case that risks further aggravating the open wound inside the Church. If convicted, the prelate could get life in prison.

The case became public last September when five nuns began a protest demanding justice for the victim. Mgr Mulakkal was eventually arrested, spent three weeks behind bars and was released on bail pending trial.

In the wake of the accusations, Pope Francis temporarily relieved the bishop of hid duties upon his request, placing Mgr Agnelo Gracias, auxiliary bishop emeritus of Mumbai, at the help of the Diocese of Jalandhar.

For months, the case has been a major issue discussed within the Catholic community, especially after the five sisters asked for protection fearing for their lives following their public protests and the mysterious death of a priest who was a key witness in the case.

Mgr Franco has always claimed his innocence and has asked to be relieved of his duties in order to defend himself in a possible trial.

The prelate has repeatedly said that the accusations against him are baseless and concocted, claiming that his accuser was involved in an illicit affair and fabricated the case out of revenge because he had removed her from her post as superior.

Despite his legal troubles, the bishop remains well loved in his diocese, and was warmly welcomed when he left prison.

For Save Our Sisters, the forum of sisters and Church members who have helped the nuns in this period, the formal charges are a victory.

In an official statement, the Forum said that the case has entered "the annals of history as a rarest of rare incident, in which a bishop is going to face trial in a court based on the complaint of a nun who is a subordinate to him.

Mgr Mulakkal is the official patron of the raped nuns congregation. (NC)
As oil prices climbed to multi-month highs on Tuesday, one strategist warned of the "potential for greater disruption" ahead for crude markets.

"It's almost like 2011, when (former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi) was toppled. If ... Libya comes into play, that's only going to add more tightness to the market," John Driscoll, chief strategist at JTD Energy Services, told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Tuesday.

Driscoll's comments came amid a recent violent resurgence in Libya, a key oil producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

Rebel forces loyal to renegade leader General Khalifa Hifter, who effectively controls the country's breakaway east, launched a surprise attack against the home of Libya's UN-recognized government last week. The move risks plunging the country back into civil war.

Reports also surfaced overnight that the airport in Libya's capital, Tripoli, had been hit by air strikes.

In addition to concerns over the ongoing conflict in Libya, Driscoll cited Venezuela and Iran as other potential sources of risks for the oil markets.

For Venezuela, he said: "Things are terrible there, oil output is plummeting, then you've got this wave of electrical outages that have halved their exports."

In January, the U.S. slapped sanctions on Venezuela's state-owned oil company PDVSA in an attempt to oust President Nicolas Maduro as he jostles for power with opposition leader Juan Guaido.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., shows a chart during a Senate Finance Committee hearing with pharmacy benefit managers on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, April 9, 2019, exploring the high cost of prescription drugs.

The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday grilled executives of five of the health care industry's top pharmacy benefit management companies for their alleged role in raising drug costs in the U.S.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore, the ranking Democrat on the committee, said Tuesday that so-called PBMs are middlemen that strike mysterious deals with drugmakers.

"In my experience, that kind of negotiation rarely results in an act of charity for consumers," Wyden said.

The companies  CVS Health, Cigna, Prime Therapeutics, Humana and OptumRx, a subsidiary of UnitedHealthcare  claimed they do not contribute to skyrocketing prices. Instead, they pointed the blame at drugmakers' high list prices for their products.

PBMs help insurance companies negotiate lower drug costs. Manufacturers arrange discounts, called rebates, with the benefits managers so they can fix a spot for their products on a PBM's list of preferred drugs. That discount is intended to be passed down to the consumer, but lawmakers suspect that the PBMs pocket the money instead.

The benefits managers claimed they do not take the rebates for themselves and that the discounts benefit the consumer as intended.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., asked the executives if they would be willing to increase price transparency by supporting legislation that would permit federal access to drug pricing data. None of the executives opposed, though OptumRx CEO John Prince said he would only support it if the data remained confidential.

The Trump administration has proposed a number of measures to address high drug costs, including plans to eliminate rebates or apply the discount when a consumer purchases their drugs at the pharmacy.

However, limiting rebates or spread pricing (the difference in what PBMs are paid and what they reimburse to pharmacies) may not lower drug costs, according to Patrick Finnegan, senior director at Fitch Ratings.

Finnegan said PBMs use other tactics to earn revenue. Because of that, he's skeptical that limiting rebates or spread pricing will impact drug costs, "especially considering vertical integration trends which increase negotiating power."

Though the executives faced intense scrutiny for their companies' business models, Whitehouse defended the PBMs.

"I stand in awe of the pharmaceutical industry's jiu jitsu magic to have gotten their prime antagonists to become the focus of the problem," Whitehouse said.

Rising drug costs have become a major focus for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. In February, executives from seven drugmakers testified before the committee, pitching ideas on how to cut prices. The manufacturers blamed the PBM rebates for high consumer costs, while sidestepping any suggestion that they lower their list prices.

Wyden said Tuesday that citizens think "this is all one big scam."

"Every sector of American health care has got to bring more value and lower prices," Wyden said, adding that the industry has to "get beyond the blame game."
The new law would see tech firms fined up to 4% of their global turnover if they "systematically and persistently" fail to comply.

Under the proposed regulation, internet companies that host content uploaded by users  like Facebook or YouTube  and offer their services in the EU will have a one-hour window to remove terrorist content from their site if they are alerted by "competent national authorities." They will not be legally obliged to constantly monitor their platforms for extremist material.

The European Parliament's Civil Liberties Committee passed the draft law on Monday evening, which is now subject to approval in a vote in the Parliament's full chamber next week. If approved, the legislation will face a final ratification by EU leaders.

Social media giants could face heavy fines if they fail to remove terrorist content within an hour, under new legislation proposed by EU lawmakers.

Companies that have been issued a substantial number of removal orders may also be asked by authorities to take further measures, such as regular reporting to authorities or increasing staff numbers. Lawmakers also agreed that additional measures ordered by authorities should take a company's financial capabilities into account, as well as "the freedom to receive and impart information and ideas in an open and democratic society."

Smaller platforms would be given a slight advantage, with a 12-hour window to remove content after their first removal order, as well as an explanation from authorities about their obligations under the law.

The legislation targets any material  such as text, images, sound recordings or videos  that incites or solicits terrorist offences, provides instructions for the carrying out of terrorist offences, or solicits participation in the activities of a terrorist group. It will also apply to content providing guidance on how to make and use explosives, firearms and other weapons for terrorist purposes.

The law would protect content that was being distributed for educational, journalistic or research purposes. The expression of controversial views on sensitive political matters would not be subject to the legislation.

Daniel Dalton, member of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, said in a press release Monday there was a clear problem with terrorist material being circulated unchecked  but he added the legislation would not prohibit free speech.

"This propaganda can be linked to actual terrorist incidents and national authorities must be able to act decisively," he said. "Any new legislation must be practical and proportionate if we are to safeguard free speech. Without a fair process we risk the over-removal of content as businesses would understandably take a safety-first approach to defend themselves. It also absolutely cannot lead to a general monitoring of content by the back door."

Big Tech has faced intensified scrutiny since a video of last month's attacks on two New Zealand mosques was shared repeatedly on several social media sites.

U.K. lawmakers published a proposal for new legislation on Monday that would slap companies with hefty fines, block websites and hold executives personally liable if their platforms host harmful content.

Last week, Australia passed a similar law that could see tech firms and their executives fined or jailed for failing to remove harmful content from their platforms.
Wing, an initiative of Google's parent company Alphabet, has launched a drone based commercial delivery service in Australia's capital city, Canberra.



In a blog post Tuesday, Wing said that the service would enable users to order items including fresh food, coffee, and over-the-counter chemist items using a mobile app. Once an order is placed, a drone will be able to make deliveries "in minutes." To begin with, the service will be available to a limited number of eligible homes in three suburbs: Crace, Palmerston and Franklin.



Testing for drone delivery in Australia has been taking place since 2014, Wing said. The last 18 months have seen it deliver goods over 3,000 times to Australian homes, it added.



In a statement Tuesday, Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) said that Wing had "satisfied us that their operation meets an acceptable level of safety."



Wing, it explained, had been required to submit a safety case as part of their application, which included information relating to the reliability of its drones.

"Following an assessment of the safety case, we have permitted Wing to operate over North Canberra and in closer proximity to a person, than our regulations would normally permit," CASA added.



The system used by Wing is automated, according to CASA, although "a licensed pilot is always at the helm."

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The agreement, which was reviewed by CNBC, comes nearly 14 years after the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights launched an investigation into whether the center's admissions policies violated the Civil Rights Act's prohibition on racial discrimination. The Office for Civil Rights is also investigating admissions practices at Harvard and Yale.

The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, under pressure from the Department of Education, will no longer consider race as a factor in its medical school admissions process, according to an agreement signed by the health center's president in February.

The move appears to be the first time the Trump administration has secured a commitment from a school to no longer consider race in admissions. The agreement requires that the school revise all of its admissions and recruitment materials by September. The pact's existence was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

The Trump administration has been hostile to affirmative action policies, which were encouraged under President Barack Obama. In July, the Departments of Justice and Education announced that they had scrapped Obama-era policy guidelines that called on schools to factor in the race of their applicants in order to achieve diversity.

"The Supreme Court has issued clear guidance on the appropriate consideration of race in college admissions," Liz Hill, press secretary for the Education Department, said in a statement.

The Supreme Court has long upheld affirmative action under certain conditions and did so again recently in a 2016 case involving the University of Texas.

A representative for the medical school did not immediately provide comment.
The average refund so far this year is $2,873, the IRS reports, and one in five people plan to spend the majority of it. While that windfall can go a long way toward paying for a dream vacation, experts say there are smarter ways to use it. Not to be a buzzkill, but this is your money you're getting back now because you overpaid the government over the course of the year: "It's not really extra money," Rob Williams, vice president of financial planning at Charles Schwab, tells CNBC Make It. That's why it makes sense to put your tax refund to work in your savings and investing accounts, rather than spending it on something you want in the short term. But where should you start? Here are 3 ways experts say you can use your refund like a pro.

Pay down 'bad debt'

If you're carrying a balance on your credit cards or other high-interest loans, start there. "Eliminating your debt ... makes it easier to reach your financial goals," Williams says. Credit card debt is considered "bad" because it typically comes with high interest rates. Plus, it's usually used for things that lose value over time, such as clothing and electronics. "Bad debt just creeps up on you and will often last longer than the things you purchased," California-based advisor David Rae tells CNBC Make It. "For example: dining out. You will be hungry again long before that credit card bill is received, let alone paid off."

Boost your emergency savings

If you've paid off your debt and you still have money left over, it's time to build up your savings. Most experts recommend that you have three to six months of living expenses set aside in an account earmarked for emergencies. Williams says that while your money won't grow much in a basic savings account, having some cash ready for unexpected situations will help you avoid expensive credit card purchases. If you really want to make your money work for you, keep your emergency fund in a high-yield online savings account like Ally's, which is currently paying 2.2% APY. An emergency fund is "going to be a buffer between you and high-cost credit card debt," says Ted Rossman, an industry analyst for CreditCards.com.

Max out your retirement accounts

Invest in your future self: Put extra money in a retirement account. Even if you're contributing to your employer-sponsored 401(k) or other workplace retirement account, you can also set up an individual retirement account (IRA). Try to contribute up to the IRS maximum, Williams says, which is $6,000 in 2019, plus an extra $1,000 if you're over the age of 50.

Eliminating your debt...makes it easier to reach your financial goals. Rob Williams financial planning expert with Charles Schwab
Eight ceremonies of scrutiny took place on the last three Sundays of Lent. The baptisms will involve mainly adults. For PIME regional superior, the new Catholics "will enhance the vitality of the local Church.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews)  The Church of Hong Kong is preparing to welcome more than 2,800 new Christians, who will be baptised for Easter.

Starting on 24 March and in the last three Sundays of Lent, the bishop examined the journey of faith of the catechumens in eight ceremonies of scrutiny held across the diocese.

On the first of the three Sundays, a total of 1,720 catechumens, godparents and catechists took part in two ceremonies of scrutiny at the St Francis of Assisis Church, in Shek Kip Mei.

The apostolic administrator of Hong Kong, Card John Tong Hon (pictured), led the scrutiny during the service concelebrated by Card Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, bishop of the diocese until 2009.

The catechumens from the parishes of Hong Kong Island were present at the scrutiny ceremonies in Shek Kip Mei.

The service held at the Church of Saint Benedict, in Sha Tin, on 31st March, was reserved for those from the parishes on the New Territories.

The future Christians from the parishes of Kowloon took part in the services celebrated two days ago in Shek Kip Mei and at St Andrews Church (Hang Hau).

Speaking to AsiaNews, Fr Giorgio Pasini, regional superior of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) in the former British colony, said that the ceremonies of scrutiny are "heartfelt moments" for the Church of Hong Kong.

"The catechumens are numerous and already very active in the life of the community. This year, the large number of baptisms will also enhance the vitality of the local Church.

Baptism involves mostly adults who come to it after a period of preparation that lasts a year and a half, almost two.

"It is rare for new Christians to come from an experience of faith linked to Buddhism. Usually, its people who in the past did not belong to any religion or who perhaps respected the traditional ancestor cult but did not find any meaning for their lives in such practices.

For the PIME regional superior, This is the starting point for a personal search, which leads them to find meaning in the Catholic faith and in the Christian message.

Generally, "The catechumens come from every walk of life. Many are professionals with a great cultural background. Friends or family usually introduce them to the Church, but they can also gather information on the internet. In several cases, they are drawn by the positions of the Church on issues such as human rights."
Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May (C) looks on as (L-R) Netherlands' Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and France's President Emmanuel Macron greet each other at the European Council during the start of the two day EU summit on December 13, 2018.

U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May traveled to Berlin and Paris Tuesday for talks with the German and French leaders in a bid to secure backing for a second delay to Brexit.

The talks come before EU leaders meet in Brussels on Wednesday for an emergency summit dedicated to Brexit. At the EU Council meeting, the remaining 27 EU leaders will have to decide whether or not to grant the U.K. more time before it leaves the bloc  which was due to take place on Friday.

The country was originally meant to leave the EU on March 29 but was granted more time as U.K. lawmakers rejected May's withdrawal agreement on three separate occasions. It has now asked for another extension of the Brexit deadline, to June 30.

In the meantime, a Brexit deal has still not been approved by British politicians, although they have also rejected the option of leaving the EU without a deal. Several alternative Brexit proposals have failed to find a clear majority of support.

Therefore the U.K.'s fate is now largely in the hands of its European neighbors and the U.K. will have to justify asking for more time when no consensus appears forthcoming.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she is willing to grant the U.K. more time. No details of May's meeting with Merkel were revealed Tuesday but a statement noted that that the leaders "agreed on the importance of ensuring Britain's orderly withdrawal from the European Union."

French President Emmanuel Macron might be harder to win round when May meets him in Paris Tuesday evening. He has previously insisted that Britain must present a "credible plan" to justify an extension. He is also reportedly keen to attach strict conditions to granting one.

"My take on this stance by Macron is that it's mainly postering," Silvia Dall'Angelo, senior economist at Hermes Investment Management, told CNBC Tuesday. "It's in everybody's interest to get to a deal with the U.K."

"A no-deal Brexit would be mainly a problem for the U.K. but it would have negative spill-overs for the euro zone as well. At the end of the day, the EU leaders including Macron will concede an extension but of course there will be conditions attached to it," she told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe."

May has been holding cross-party talks with opposition Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn to try to find a compromise over Brexit. She can also use the talks as a way to demonstrate to EU leaders that she is trying to find a way out of the U.K.'s political impasse, according to Mujtaba Rahman at Eurasia Group.

"May needs to keep Labour at the table to convince all 27 EU leaders at their emergency summit on Wednesday that the talks are making real progress, in order to win a further extension to the Article 50 process beyond Friday," he said in a note Monday. "That is why May allies are floating the idea of a 'customs arrangement' being the outcome of the negotiations."

Germany's EU minister Michael Roth said Tuesday that "unfortunately conditions set by EU leaders for a Brexit extension had not been met" and noted that May's talks with the opposition had "begun too late and have yet to produce results," Reuters reported. He said he could not exclude the possibility of a disorderly Brexit.

But Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said he expected a strong view at the EU summit that countries need to work together to avoid a hard Brexit, according to Reuters, but said a no-deal was a possibility.

Ireland, which is one of the largest trading partners and where a fragile peace is maintained between Northern Ireland and the Republic, has the most to lose from a hard Brexit.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday designated a powerful branch of Iran's state military as a terrorist group, ratcheting up already tense relations between Tehran and Washington.

That move, however, "creates another tangle of legislation" that both countries will take years to get through, according to Emily Hawthorne, a Middle East and North Africa analyst at geopolitical intelligence firm Stratfor. Speaking with CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Tuesday, she added that Trump's unprecedented move will make future negotiations with Iran "more difficult."

"The future U.S. government, if they want to negotiate with Iran or negotiate with the Iranian military in any way, they're going to have to take the (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) off of this list," Hawthorne said. "Otherwise, they would be technically negotiating with a terrorist organization."

Set up after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) is the elite security arm of Iran's armed forces. It has significant influence in Iran's political system, economy and military.

Monday's decision  set to officially take effect on April 15  marks the first time the U.S. Department of State has ever labeled a country's state military as a terrorist organization and adds yet another layer of sanctions on Iran.

"The IRGC is the Iranian government's primary means of directing and implementing its global terrorist campaign," Trump said in a White House statement released Monday.
Visitors inspect a model Airbus SE A380 aircraft in an exhibition center at the aircraft maker's factory in Toulouse, France, on Wednesday, March 20, 2019.

The U.S. Trade Representative on Monday proposed a list of European Union products ranging from large commercial aircraft and parts to dairy products and wine on which to slap tariffs as retaliation for European aircraft subsidies.

With the move, the USTR said it was kicking off the process for retaliation against over $11 billion worth of damage from EU subsidies to Airbus that the World Trade Organization has found cause "adverse effects" to the United States.

The European Union and the United States have been battling for more than a decade over mutual claims of illegal aid to plane giants Boeing and Airbus, with parallel cases at the WTO. Both sides have been caught paying billions of dollars of subsidies to gain advantage in the global jet business.

The move by the USTR marks an escalation of tensions as the United States seeks to slap hefty tariffs on a range of EU products. The EU has left most of its subsidies unchanged and launched additional aid since the challenge, USTR said.

"Our ultimate goal is to reach an agreement with the EU to end all WTO-inconsistent subsidies to large civil aircraft. When the EU ends these harmful subsidies, the additional U.S. duties imposed in response can be lifted," U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said in the statement.

The WTO said last year it would evaluate a U.S. request to slap billions of dollars worth of sanctions on European products in response to a ruling that the EU had doled out the illegal subsidies to the aircraft giant.

The United States has estimated the value of those subsidies worth $11.2 billion in trade, though the EU has challenged that estimate.

The USTR said it would announce a final product list after a WTO arbiter evaluates the claims. The result is expected this summer, the statement said.
Short seller Carson Block believes that recent crashes of Boeing's 737 Max planes show that the company is more concerned with short-term profit than anything else.

Founded by Block, Muddy Waters Research tweeted from its account early Tuesday morning that Boeing "has turned to blame the victim in the 2nd crash. Anything 2 protect the company."

"But let's be clear: But for MCAS malfunction, plane would have landed," Muddy Waters added. "That malfunction is almost certainly the result of putting SHORT-TERM profits above all else."

tweet

A spokesman for Muddy Waters confirmed to CNBC that the research firm does not have a short position in Boeing, but wanted to weigh in on recent developments. Aerospace manufacturer Boeing did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.

Boeing shares fell 1 percent Tuesday. On Friday, the company said it will cut production of the 737 Max.

Muddy Waters' comments come a week after Ethiopian investigators released a 33-page preliminary accident report, which some industry officials and air safety experts say raises questions about the Boeing 737 Max's Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), designed to prevent stalls.

Boeing Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg last week said that "it's our responsibility to eliminate this risk," adding that "we own it and we know how to do it."

But since the March 10 Ethiopian crash and October's fatal nosedive of a Boeing 737 Max aircraft in Indonesia, investors and regulators alike have also scrutinized pilot and crew response for any abnormal actions.

That's included the decision by the captain of the Ethiopian Airlines flight to leave the plane's engine's at full take-off power, a reportedly unusual step for a regular flight, according to four experts and five current and former pilots interviewed by Reuters.

For their part, Ethiopian aviation officials as well as members of Ethiopian Airlines contend that both the plane's pilot and co-pilot followed Boeing's protocols for dealing with an error in the plane's MCAS stall-prevention system.

Boeing is working on updates to the plane's software in an effort to avert future misfires of the MCAS system, which have prompted regulators around the world to ground the 737 Max until the issues are corrected. The company's stock is up 4.2% since the Oct. 29 Indonesian crash, underperforming the broader market.

WATCH: Boeing had no new 737 Max orders in March
Source: CafeX

In San Francisco today, you can get a cup of coffee made by a robot barista, then walk past the headquarters of companies  Airbnb, Uber, Pinterest  that have disrupted the way work is done in industries as diverse as hospitality, taxi services, public transit, retail and more. If a robot can pour you a macchiato, what other jobs, even those we feel confident only humans can do, will soon be overtaken by technology? New results from the first CNBC/SurveyMonkey Workplace Happiness Index dig into workers' fears about technological change as they relate to job satisfaction. The overall index score of 71 out of 100 shows that workers are by and large satisfied with their jobs, especially in terms of how much meaning they derive from work, how much their colleagues appreciate what they do and how much autonomy they have at work. As robots continue to replace humans at some types of work, those three factors of workplace happiness could be particularly at risk. After all, how can your co-worker appreciate you if it's a machine? How can you control the tasks you take on or the way you do them if you're just one part of a big automated assembly line? Luckily, but perhaps also a bit naively, the survey results indicate that most workers today don't yet feel the threat of technological disruption.

Few people  just 7 percent  say they are "falling behind" at keeping up with technology and innovation at work. A majority (60%) rate themselves "about average," and nearly a third (32%) actually say they're "ahead of the curve." The few who are falling behind, however, have lower scores on those three measures mentioned above  recognition, autonomy and meaning  and, accordingly, a lower-than-average index composite score of 67. Young people perceive a slight advantage. Confidence relating to technology spikes higher among younger workers, with those ages 18 to 34 more than twice as likely as those ages 55 and up to see themselves as being ahead of the curve.

Similar data from the Pew Research Center show that automation and other technological changes haven't negatively impacted most workers. A majority (57%) say they've been unaffected by technological change, and more people say their careers have been helped by new technology than have been hurt. Looking forward, most expect this technological change to continue apace or even speed up. In a Fortune/SurveyMonkey poll conducted last year, 72 percent of people said they expect artificial intelligence to take away more jobs than it creates in the next 10 years. That's a lot of potential for disruption to the workforce, but it's hard for workers to look ahead to their own future of work with clarity.

The threat is a workplace stress creator
The world's No. 2 casino operator Wynn Resorts made a A$10 billion ($7.1 billion) takeover approach for Australia's Crown Resorts, the target company said on Tuesday, hoping to expand its geographic reach as it faces growth hurdles in Asia. The deal would offer Wynn a hedge against Macau, the Chinese gambling hub where its licenses are up for renewal, by giving it two lavishly revamped Australian casinos and a third still being built on the prized Sydney harbor front. For Crown 47% owner James Packer, who re-badged his father's media empire as a gambling concern in 2007 only to withdraw from business engagements last year due to mental illness, the deal would end his career as a casino mogul with a A$4.7 billion payout.

A general view of Crown Towers during the Crown Resorts annual general meeting on October 26, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. Scott Barbour | Getty Images

He would end up Wynn's biggest shareholder with 9.8% of its shares, based on its current number of shares on issue. Crown shares jumped 20% to A$14.07 in afternoon trade in Sydney following the announcement, their biggest intraday gain since the company re-listed with its current name 12 years ago. Even so, they were still below the indicative buyout price of A$14.75 due to uncertainty about whether a deal would eventuate. "It's a preliminary-style bid which doesn't yet provide an adequate premium for control, and most would expect there to be both more debate about the strategic merit and pricing," said Angus Gluskie, managing director of White Funds Management, which holds Crown shares. The deal, which would be subject to regulatory approval, would be Australia's biggest M&A deal so far this year. The gambling regulator in Victoria, the location of Crown's flagship casino, said it must be satisfied any new owner is a suitable gambling operator. Crown said Wynn was proposing to buy the company half in cash, half in shares. Talks were at a preliminary stage, the companies had not agreed on a value or deal structure, and current proposal had not gone to the board, it added. A Wynn spokesman declined to comment. A spokesman for Consolidated Press Holdings, Packer's company which holds his Crown shares, was also not immediately available for comment.

Timing
People pose for photographs in front of the Wynn Macau casino resort in Macau, China, on Tuesday, July 24, 2018.

The world's No. 2 casino operator, Wynn Resorts, terminated deal talks on Tuesday with Australia's Crown Resorts after Wynn's $7.1 billion takeover offer was leaked.

The proposal was for 10 billion Australian dollars. Wynn Resorts hoped the acquisition would expand its geographic reach amid headwinds in Asia. It would have offered Wynn a hedge against Macau, the Chinese gambling hub where its licenses are up for renewal, as well as two revamped Australian casinos and a third still being built on the Sydney harbor front.

"Following the premature disclosure of preliminary discussions Wynn resorts has terminated all discussions with Crown Resorts concerning any transaction," the company said in a statement.

Wynn said in an SEC filing Tuesday that there is "no assurance that these discussions will result in a transaction" and will not comment further on the subject. Before news of the deal leaked, Wynn had seen its stock rise more than 46% this year. After news of the deal termination, the stock fell more than 3%.

The deal would have been Australia's biggest M&A transaction this year. The proposal had an implied value of A$14.75 a share, half in cash and half in Wynn shares, Crown told the Australian Stock Exchange.

Talks were at a beginning stage, with no agreements on value or deal structure, and the proposal had not reached the board yet.

Analysts expected the deal to get some investor pushback, citing current limited growth in the Australian gaming market and concerns that the deal might disrupt expected strong free cash flow.

Crown is controlled by billionaire James Packer, who stepped down from the company's board last year due to mental illness. The deal would have ended his career as a casino mogul with an A$4.7 billion payout. Crown had refocused on its Australian assets following a China crackdown in 2016.

In the past, Wynn has attempted to diversify and expand geographically in order to protect growth prospects if its Macau licenses aren't renewed. It has looked to increase promotion of a resort in Japan, a market that Crown also looked to as an expansion area.
Bazaar Corporate Radar | Feb 22, 2021, 12:00 AM IST

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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.
by Nirmala Carvalho

The ruling of the local High Court clears the path for eugenics and is causing a stir. The court will allow abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy if the life of the mother is at risk or if the fetus has malformations. The sisters of Mother Teresa welcome children rejected by their families because of their disabilities.

Mumbai (AsiaNews)  A ruling by the High Court of Bombay that clears the path for eugenics is causing a stir. Issued on April 4, the decision allows a doctor to perform an abortion after 20 weeks without asking the court's permission if it is meant to save the life of the mother. The judges also ruled that abortion is allowed in case of malformations of the foetus.

Speaking to AsiaNews, Ninette Lobo, director of the Diocesan Human Life Commission (DHLC) of the Archdiocese of Mumbai, said that "Human life is sacred. It is a gift of God, from conception to natural death."

In India the law states that it is possible to have an abortion up to the 20th week of pregnancy in case of physical and mental illnesses of the unborn child. However, selective abortions have been performed in recent years, especially to get rid of female foetuses, deemed a burden in many families.

It is estimated that at least 63 million unborn females have not been born in the country, and two million girls go missing every year as a result of abortion, disease, lack of care and malnutrition.

According to Dr Pascoal Carvalho, a Mumbai doctor and a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, "the magisterium of the Catholic Church affirms the sacred and inviolable character of every human life. Abortion on the first day or the 20th week is always and only murder."

"There is a lot of talk about a woman's right to choose, but what about the rights of children never born?" he asks.

For Ninette Lobo, "human life is threatened on many fronts. This is why the diocesan commission organises seminars and programs to support the value and sanctity of life. In the churches of the archdiocese we have also erected monuments to unborn children."

With respect to eugenics, to fetal malformation, she adds that "We understand the pain of the mother and feel compassion for the child with mental disabilities. But abortion is always the murder of a helpless unborn child. Technological innovations should be used to protect and defend life, but unfortunately they are abused."

Dr Carvalho points out that there are groups and associations that deal with disabled children, such as the Shishu Bhavan centres of the Sisters of Mother Teresa. "Here unwanted children are welcomed. Mumbai centre has 30 children under the age of 10; in the Asha Dhan centre, there are 65 special needs kids under the age 18.
Centennial Elementary School Principal Christine Parker, back, center left, stands with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, center right, as he calls to students alongside Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera, third right, inside a fourth grade art classroom during a tour of the school Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019, in Denver. The governor also met with administrators, students and families as part of a push for his proposed goal of free full-day kindergarten for all Colorado students.
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Keynote speaker and Governor of Colorado Jared Polis talks to the crowd at the State of the State address put on by the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce & EDC at the Antlers Hotel on March 22 in Colorado Springs.
Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper discusses gun control and death penalty issues with Anthony Thompson on Saturday, April 6, 2019, in Charleston, S.C. Thompson's wife was slain in a massacre that claimed nine Bible study participants at a historic black church in South Carolina. Hickenlooper, a staunch advocate for gun control legislation, visited Mother Emanuel during a campaign trip to the state as he seems the Democratic presidential nomination. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)
Families with children in high school would save US$ 1,400 a year. Free high school education comes with a US$ 1.75 billion price tag, shared by the central government and regional offices. For expert, without clarity on costs, the plan will fail.

Seoul (AsiaNews)  South Korea's Presidential Office, the government and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) agreed Tuesday that the country will provide free education to all high school students starting in 2021.

Free education for high school seniors will begin in the next fall semester and expand to students in their second and third years of high school next year. Currently, South Korea provides free education only to elementary and middle school students.

The detailed plan was made public at a meeting of officials from the Presidential Office (Cheong Wa Dae or Blue House), the Education Ministry and DPK lawmakers.

President Moon Jae-in and his administration have made free high school education a top priority in the education sector.

The ruling party said that 2 trillion won (US$ 1.75 billion) of funding will be needed every year if all high school students are to get free education.

If free education is expanded, a household with one high school student is expected to save 1.58 million won (US$ 1,400) per year, said Deputy Finance Minister Koo Yoon-cheol.

This could increase the disposable income of poor families by 130,000 won (US$ 130), said DPK floor leader Hong Young-pyo.

The ruling party said that it would do its best to get the National Assembly to pass the relevant legislation before the end of June.

Under the plan, all costs needed for free education in 2019 would be covered by education offices. In total, 17 city and provincial education offices would shoulder 946.6 billion won in 2021.

The government said that since superintendents agree on the need for free education and state subsidies will be provided, there should not be any problem in financing the project.

"I don't know if the time is ripe to implement such a plan," an education expert told AsiaNews. "Some see it as a populist political manoeuvre a year before the next general election.

The abolition of public school fees will benefit mainly poor families. The most affluent are used to sending their children to private schools where they can receive a better education."

"The previous government, led by President Park Geun-hye, had already tried to make high school education free. However, its plan failed because of the lack of financial resources.

"The bill presented today is the result of one of the election promises made by Moon Jae-in, but it is considerably heavy on the coffers of both central and local governments.

The basic idea is good; even the opposition generally agrees, but without a detailed picture of the financial coverage, it will be difficult for the measure to see the light of day, the expert explained.
Microsoft has given up on Windows 10 1809, the troubled feature upgrade of last year that was delayed by months, data from an analytics vendor showed.

The Redmond, Wash. developer largely abandoned efforts to distribute the October 2018 Update, aka 1809 in its four-digit yymm format, last month, apparently deciding that it would, like many of its corporate customers, simply skip one feature upgrade to solve the problem of two on a collision course.

According to AdDuplex, a Lithuanian company whose metrics technology is embedded in thousands of Windows Store apps, Windows 10 1809 powered just 26% of surveyed Windows 10 systems as of March 26. The gain from February to March, only 5 percentage points, was about half the increase from January to February, illustrating the slowing of 1809's adoption.

"It looks more and more likely that Microsoft seems to be giving up on [1809] in favor of upgrading users straight to the next version," AdDuplex noted in a post its website.

Because Microsoft decides how quickly an upgrade is adopted by controlling when consumers' PCs automatically download and install each refresh, it was clearly responsible for the slow uptake. (Microsoft did not give 1809 the "business ready" green light until after AdDuplex's data collection, ensuring that those who had installed it were largely consumers and very small businesses running Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Pro. Microsoft controls the timing of upgrades on unmanaged PCs powered by those versions.)

The dramatic slowing of 1809 adoption - when it should instead be accelerating - answered a question Computerworld posed last month: How would Microsoft address the problem of two upgrades released in close proximity?

Upgrades collide

The problem stemmed from the fiasco plaguing the October 2018 Update rollout. Although 1809 was initially released on Oct. 2, within days Microsoft purged it from the distribution pipeline because of upgrade-caused data loss. The company quickly returned 1809 to beta testing, and automatic dissemination didn't resume until Jan. 16, or about three months later than by a standard schedule.

Because Microsoft forced Windows 10 Home users to accept feature upgrades when they were offered, the regimen was on an every-six-month cadence. But with 1809's automated distribution backed up by three months, the arrival of 1903 this spring was going to be hard on its heels. The company had to do something.

Computerworld assumed two likely responses: Either Microsoft would require users to run 1809, no matter how briefly, before upgrading again to 1903, or Microsoft would skip 1809. AdDuplex's analytics indicated that Microsoft picked Option No. 2 no later than early March, when it must have begun slowing auto-delivery of 1809.

Microsoft now plans to push out 1903 in late May.

How Microsoft dealt with 1809

Microsoft made more than one move to quash Windows 10 October 2018 Update.

First, it began to shut off the 1809 distribution spigot, slowing its adoption by unmanaged PCs running Home or Pro. That left the bulk of Windows 10 PCs powered by 1803, last year's spring upgrade. (AdDuplex's March tally said that 66% of all Windows 10 systems ran 1803.)

It could have stopped there, enforcing the "no-1809" rule simply by refusing to release it to eligible PCs. (Managed machines running Windows 10 Enterprise, Education or Pro were, as usual, in the hands of organization IT administrators, who could be expected to skip the late-coming and problem-plagued 1809.) But Microsoft also announced that it would upend the update rules by giving owners of previously-unmanaged PCs - Windows 10 Home and Pro - the ability to manually manage feature upgrades.

That pronouncement, made last week, spelled out a new update option, "Download and install now," for users of Windows 10 Home and Pro who rely on Windows Update. The option will let users decide when to download and install a feature upgrade; Microsoft will only intervene and initiate an auto-install when the version on the machine "is nearing end of support."

"Download and install now" will be included with Windows 10 1903, but will also, Microsoft said, be added to 1803 and 1809 "by late May." In other words, users can themselves determine what version of Windows 10 they're running - within limits of support - rather than bending to Microsoft's will.

Someone still running Windows 10 1803 in, say July, will be able to skip 1809 entirely by calling up "Download and install," which will then deploy the latest version, Windows 10 1903.

As Figure 1 illustrates below, those running Windows 10 1803 will have several months - June through mid-November, when 1803 exits support - to leapfrog 1809 and install 1903.
The White House opens a new front of confrontation with Iran. Netanyahu welcomes the initiative. For Damascus it is a "medal of honor" on the chest of the Revolutionary Guards. Pentagon and CIA also express doubts about the decision. Rouhani: the United States the true "leader of global terrorism".

Tehran (AsiaNews) - The White House's decision to include the Revolutionary Guards (pasdaran), militias loyal to Iran's supreme leadership, on the black list of terrorist organizations has opened a new battle front between Washington and Tehran. And it risks fueling new winds of war. For the first time, the United States defines a military organization belonging to another sovereign nation as "terrorist". A decision that triggered the immediate response of the Islamic Republic, which declared American forces stationed in the Middle East (Centcom) a "terrorist organization".

The decision taken yesterday will allow the US government to impose new sanctions against the group, affecting the business sector in which the Pasdarans play an active role in the context of the Iranian economy. In fact, a part of the Revolutionary Guards leadership - and entities affiliated to it - in the past have already been targeted by the United States for (alleged) subversive activities, support for terrorism and violations of human rights.

Announcing the decision, Trump spoke of an "unprecedented step" by the State Department that recognizes "a fact: that Iran is not only a nation sponsoring terrorism, but that the IRGC [Pasdaran acronym] actively participates, finances and promotes terrorism as a tool of government ". The decision, he added, would also make it possible to "significantly" increase the level of pressure on Iran.

The response of Iranian President Rouhani was immediate. In a live speech on state television he exalted the value of the Revolutionary Guards who "sacrificed their lives, to protect our people and our [Islamic 1979] revolution". He then added that the United States is the true "leader of world terrorism" because it uses various groups as "means against the nations of the Middle Eastern region".

Tehran does not exclude the possibility of resuming the construction of the latest generation of nuclear power plants, which can - at least potentially - produce the atomic bomb. And the leaders of the Pasdaran recall that US military bases in the Middle East are "within reach" of Iranian missiles. The threats are added to the hypothesis of closure of the Strait of Hormuz, if Washington continues to "strangle" the economy of the Islamic Republic.

In reality, the attacks of the American administration end up weakening the moderate front and giving new impetus to the conservative and fundamentalist wing.

High officials of the Pentagon and the CIA are among those who criticize the White House decision, which already in May 2018 had created strong internal and international rifts by ordering the withdrawal from the nuclear agreement (JCPOA) wanted by Obama. Among these is the head of the joint general staff of the armed forces Gen. Joe Dunford, along with other prominent military men, that the move could trigger new tensions in the Middle East, without affecting the Iranian economy.

In these hours the first to exult for the decision was the Israeli premier, Benjamin Netanyahu, engaged in the last stages of the electoral campaign. "Thank you - the outgoing Prime Minister declared - for accepting another important request of mine, which serves the interests of our countries and countries in the region". Opposed is the tenor of statements by the Syrian government, which is banned as "irresponsible" by the decision of the White House, which represents an "impudent attack" against a sovereign nation. In a note Damascus also defines a "medal for value" the fact of being called a terrorist group by Washington.
Malaysian budget airline Firefly to resume flights to Singapore on April 21

Malaysian transport minister Anthony Loke said budget carrier Firefly will be resuming flights to Singapore on Apr 21, operating out of Seletar Airport.

Another Malaysian carrier, Malindo Air, has approached airport authorities in Singapore for approval to fly to Seletar Airport.

According to reports, Singapore and Malaysia agreed on Monday, April 8, to work together to develop GPS-based instrument approach procedures for Seletar Airport. These will replace the recently withdrawn Instrument Landing System (ILS) procedures.

Speaking at the Singapore-Malaysia Transport Ministers Press Conference, Mr Loke said he hoped for increased air connectivity between both countries in future. I think this is so good for our cooperation and the way forward."

Last year in December, Firefly was unable to obtain approval from Malaysias aviation regulator to move its operations from Changi Airport to Seletar Airport. The budget carrier was forced to suspend its 20 daily flights between Singapore and Subang, Ipoh and Kuantan.

Photo courtesy: Seletar Airport

In an arrangement approved by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in 1973, Singapore provides air traffic services over parts of southern peninsular Malaysia that is within the Kuala Lumpur Flight Information Region.

Malaysia had wanted in December to reclaim its "delegated airspace" in southern Johor. Authorities cited concerns over sovereignty and national interest. Concerns were also raised about the ILS procedures for Seletar Airport, that the flight path would impact developments and shipping operations at Johor's Pasir Gudang.

Singapore responded that the ILS had simply put on paper the existing flight paths, making safety rules clearer and more transparent, previous media reports said.

On Friday, April 5, Singapore withdrew the ILS procedures for Seletar Airport. At the same time, Malaysia indefinitely suspended its permanent restricted area over Pasir Gudang.

Transport ministers also announced that a high-level committee has been set up to review the existing airspace arrangement.
Anger as the Conservative Party plans for new European elections

The reality of Mrs Mays plan to seek another Brexit delay began to sink in on Monday night as the Conservative party rushed to find candidates to contest the European elections, telling applicants to put their names forward by 5pm on Tuesday. In an email sent out to the Conservative candidates list, the partys head of candidates Gareth Fox, said: Due to the current situation we will be contesting the European elections on May 23. The party later issued a statement saying that although Mrs May placed an order on Monday night to allow the elections to take place, she still hoped to ratify a Brexit deal before polling day next month, allowing her to cancel the elections at short notice. Eurosceptic anger increased as Mrs May confirmed that ministerial talks with Labour would resume on Tuesday.  FT

>Yesterday:

The EU will demand silence and obedience in return for a further extension

Britain will lose its say in future EU budget talks and trade deals as the price of another Brexit delay, Theresa May is to be told today. The prime minister will visit Angela Merkel in Berlin and President Macron in Paris today as she tries to avoid humiliation at an EU summit tomorrow. Mrs May wants another Brexit extension to June 30 but European leaders have started to spell out the price for agreeing to the delay. They will insist that Britain does not block or disrupt EU decisions during an extension period that is likely to be much longer than Mrs Mays request  possibly to March 31 next year. Any such extension would be brought to an end if the withdrawal agreement were approved by MPsAfter speaking to Mrs May yesterday, Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, said that agreement to another delay hinges . . . on assurances from UK on sincere co-operation. That assurance is expected to take the form of a letter that, in effect, commits the government always to vote with the majority of other member states.  The Times

The Letwin-Cooper Act receives Royal Assent

The Lords were right to pass this Bill  Lord Robertson, The Times

May is alleged to have discussed the possibility of a second referendum  Daily Telegraph

Merriman dares the Prime Minister to sack him by supporting one  Daily Telegraph

Sinn Fein meet Corbyn and SNP for Brexit talks  The Scotsman

The EU has a long habit of riding roughshod over voters wishes  Tim Stanley, Daily Telegraph

It should resist protectionism  FT Leader

Backbench MPs have passed historic legislation to delay article 50, forcing the government to set out its timetable for the length of the Brexit delay in order to prevent the UK exiting the EU with no deal. In extraordinary circumstances, the bill devised by Labours Yvette Cooper and the Conservative Oliver Letwin passed its final stages in the House of Lords on Monday night and was approved by the Commons that evening. The swift passage of the bill, which took just three sitting days to complete, was made possible by the success of an unprecedented amendment which allowed MPs to seize control of parliamentary business on particular days, meaning the government could not block its progress.  The Guardian

>Today: James Fraynes column: Cross-party co-operation over Brexit is initially popular, but it will swiftly sour in practice

May sat in silence as 22 executive told her she has become the problem

Theresa May is facing demands from her own MPs to stand down immediately after senior backbenchers told her she is now the problem. A delegation of executives from the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers met Mrs May in Downing Street on Monday and said the mood among party supporters had turned against her over the weekend. Mrs May sat in stony silence and refused to discuss her future as the MPs made clear the damage she is causing the party, sources said. The meeting will draw comparisons with the final days of Margaret Thatchers reign when she was visited by the men in grey suits and prevailed upon to resign for the good of the party.  Daily Telegraph

>Today: ToryDiary: The Cabinet must tell May to go

Wallace: MPs should rein in their self-pity about how hard it is to be a politician

There is one thing likely to annoy voters even more than the Commons indecision: the sound of MPs complaining about how hard their job is. First there were complaints about the prospect of longer hours Then there were objections to the prospect of Parliament sitting for five days a week. After that, the idea of cancelling the Easter recess drew further grousing. In recent days weve heard complaints from MPs about the pressure and tiredness they are experiencing from the ongoing drama. Others have talked of preferring to stay indoors, or even to flee their seats and return to London, rather than face their constituents. I dont doubt that these feelings are real. But youve got to wonder at the wisdom of those who choose this moment to air themMaking decisions about the governance of our country is an MPs job. It is what they are paid to do, the task which they choose to put themselves forward to do on the peoples behalf. And currently, they are collectively failing. Have they forgotten that day-to-day existence for millions of people in this country involves huge pressure and tiredness?  Mark Wallace, the i

>Today: David Willetts on Comment: There are ways for Conservatives to win over younger voters  but they arent easy

Hancock urges doctors to make use of new freedom to prescribe medicinal cannabis

The Health Secretary vented his deep frustration at medics for not using new laws to give the drugs to help severely epileptic kids. He spoke out after mum Emma Appleby had her three-month supply of cannabis for her daughter Teagan, 9, confiscated at Southend Airport at the weekend. Her daughter has a rare chromosomal disorder and suffers from around 300 seizures a day. Summoned to the House of Commons yesterday, Mr Hancock said: We changed the law to make sure medicinal cannabis is available on a mainstream basis. When thats the case we need clinical sign off. The problem is that clinical sign off has not been forthcoming. Thats a source of immense frustration to me as I hope you can imagine, and that is what we are trying to resolve.  The Sun

No fault divorce reform announced

This sensible change will improve the lives of many people  David Gauke, Daily Telegraph

It will be introduced as soon as parliamentary time allows  The Guardian

Thousands of council staff are paid more than 100,000

The Government has unveiled a new no fault divorce law to prevent children from being damaged in a bid to end the blame game and mudslinging between parents under the current system. The new legislation, to be announced Tuesday, aims to overhaul divorce law and reduce family conflict. It comes following overwhelming pressure from senior judges, lawyers, politicians and members of the public amid calls for reform. Writing in The Telegraph , David Gauke, the justice secretary, said that under the current 50-year-old divorce law, there is a legal requirement to find a guilty party which leads to children being caught in the middle of a fractious and upsetting process. Hostility and conflict between parents leave their mark on children and can damage their life chances.  Daily Telegraph

Anger erupted last night as it emerged that 2,454 town hall employees across Britain are being paid salaries of more than 100,000 a year. The highest-paid council employee, an interim chief executive, has received an eye-watering pay and perks package of 595,077  almost four times the Prime Ministers salary. Some 608 workers pocketed more than 150,000 and 28 received 250,000 or more. Meanwhile, families struggle to pay sky-high council tax bills with services slashed to the bone. Bills in England will rise by an average 4.7 percent this month, the second highest rise in ten years.  Daily Express

Something to remember when the tax bill goes up  The Sun Says

British Gas chief gets pay rise despite rising costs for consumers  Daily Mail

Javid says social media platforms are complicit in murder and abuse

Sajid Javid blasted the industry as he unveiled a blitz on the webs role as a hunting ground for monsters. He said the likes of Facebook and YouTube were quite happy to profit from material on their sites. Yet chiefs dodged and evaded responsibility for it. Mr Javid blasted: We cant allow leaders of tech companies to look the other way and deny their share of responsibility  even as content on their platforms incites criminality, abuse and even murder. To be a bystander is to be complicit. And I am not prepared to let them stand by any longer. His Online Harms white paper proposes some of the worlds strictest web laws. He plans an internet watchdog that could be funded by tech firms and would impose tough rules.  The Sun

>Yesterday: ToryDiary: Be cautious when a watchdog bites its rivals

Jewish Labour members plan work to rule in protest at antisemitism

Activists from Labours Jewish affiliate could refuse to campaign in upcoming elections unless the party takes radical steps to tackle antisemitism allegations. The new chair of the Jewish Labour Movement, Mike Katz, and the Labour MP Ruth Smeeth have backed moves by members to give a scorecard to Labour politicians based on their action on antisemitism. Katz, who was elected on Sunday at the movements AGM, where a motion of no confidence in Jeremy Corbyns leadership was passed, said the JLM could still consider breaking links with the party entirely. The group is the partys oldest Jewish affiliate and has 2,000 members. He said members had been diligent campaigners in local and general elections but that solidarity cuts both ways when it came to which MPs it would support. Smeeth, a former trade union official, said the group would work to rule when it came to campaigning, as agreed in a motion passed at the AGM.  The Guardian

The PLP will vote on a motion proposing a new complaints process  The Sun

How can anyone stay in this institutionally racist Labour Party?  The Sun Says

Corbyn joked about tearing down Balfours statue  Daily Mail

Israel goes to the polls

Netanyahu could win again  Daily Telegraph Leader

Saudis natural wealth is its curse  Juliet Samuel, Daily Telegraph

Heavy gunfire at anti-Government rally in Sudan  The Guardian

The US names Irans Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organisation  FT

News in Brief

The problem with apologising for Amritsar  The Spectator

Britains everyday drug problem  The Tortoise

Is there any hope the local elections might be about bins?  New Statesman

In defence of big pharma  1828

The sinister trend for fake Hitler paintings  Prospect

Israelis are voting in the countrys most closely-fought general election in years. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of the right-wing Likud Party, is seeking a fifth term in office. But he is facing corruption allegations and a strong challenge from former military chief Benny Gantz. Mr Gantz, head of the centrist Blue and White alliance, is challenging Mr Netanyahu on the key issue of security and is promising cleaner politics. Israels Labour Party, which sealed a breakthrough peace deal with the Palestinians in the 1990s, has lost favour with voters in recent years.  BBC News
In Theresa Mays perfect world, the Withdrawal Agreement would have been carried through Parliament by Conservative votes. It has failed to pass the Commons three times. So she has turned to Jeremy Corbyn.

In her next best place to this ideal world, the Agreement would somehow be supported by the bulk of both the main parties. Labour would settle for a customs union which isnt called a customs union but really is a customs union  in addition to the customs union already written into the Withdrawal Agreement, at least as far as any future Unionist government is concened.

Meanwhile, Corbyn would stop pushing for what he cant have  namely, guarantees that Labour-style future employment and environmental policies will be proofed against a fundamental of our unwritten constitution: that no Parliament can bind its successors. Instead, the Prime Minister would offer vague assurances. Meanwhile, Corbyn would block his partys push for a second referendum.

May would thus be able to wangle a short extension from the EU at todays emergency summit  having persuaded Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron that she and Corbyn will shortly combine to drive the Withdrawal Agreement through the Commons. This would then happen. A Bill based on the Agreement would pass swiftly. Plans for British participation in the European Parliamentary elections would be scrapped. Britain would leave the EU before May 23.

Her Party would then forgive her for preparing for those elections; for whatever losses emerge from the local elections on May 5, and for all the trials, U-turns, humiliations, defeats and tribulations of the Brexit negotiation process. She would thus have room to execute a swift reshuffle in which her most likely successors would be moved sideways, marooned or sacked. There would be talk of bringing on a new generation of leadership candidates  to reinvent the Party for the future, along the lines which Onward and others are floating.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister would move on from the Withdrawal Agreement to the Political Declaration. She would kick off the Brexit talks, Part Two, by reviving parts of her Chequers plan. She would enjoy a last hurrah at the Conservative Party Conference, before December arrived with its prospect of a confidence ballot. But by then she would have so befuddled her critics and confounded expectations that the ballot might not take place at all. She would be able to stay on for just a little longer

But it takes only a moments though to perceive all this as the fantasy that it is.

May will surely not be granted a short extension. If the EU does not somehow plump for No Deal  which is improbable  she will be given a long one, with terms approved by Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron. British participation in the European Parliamentary elections will loom. Corbyn is unlikely to come to her rescue. If he does, the logic of her turning her back on her own Party, and approaching Labour instead, will work its way to completion. Most Labour MPs would vote for the Withdrawal Agreement. Many Conservative MPs would not.

Whether it passes or fails, the Parliamentary stage would be set for further seizures of power by the Letwin/Cooper axis, aided and abetted by John Bercow. The natural drift of the Commons would then be towards a second referendum. There is an outside chance that some form of Norway Plus scheme may revive. We would be on course for a softer Brexit, or else for No Brexit at all  unless the voters seem ready to put two fingers up to Britains pro-EU ascendancy. In which case, expect talk of revocation to grow louder.

This takes us to the crunch. Ten Conservative MPs voted in favour of cancelling Brexit at the start of this month. Eight backed a second referendum. A hundred and eighty-seven opposed an extension in March: that number represented two-thirds of the Parliamentary Party, and included six Cabinet Ministers. In these circumstances, confronted by revocation or a second referendum or even Norway Plus, the Tory Party could split altogether. It is not impossible to imagine Corbyn winning a no confidence vote and the election that followed.

There is an alternative, but it is neither pleasant, easy, nor guaranteed to work. In a nutshell, it is to use any long extension to remove Theresa May as leader of the Conservative Party, and hold a leadership contest that would conclude after those wretched European elections. (Since were that new leader in place for them, he or she would get off to the worst possible start.)

In the event of the Withdrawal Agreement having failed to pass, this new leader would want to begin all over again. He would propose a policy based on that set out in the Brady amendment  the only Brexit policy option for which the Commons has recently voted  and built on in the Malthouse Agreement by Nicky Morgan, Steve Baker, Damian Green, Simon Hart and others.

He would thus be backing a lower alignment rather than a higher alignment policy. In the event of the Withdrawal Agreement failing to pass, it would also make sense for the backstop to be put in place for a limited period while alternative arrangements are thrashed out. This is more or less what the recent legal elaborations agreed with the EU point towards.

If the EU rejected this approach, there would be No Deal. You will point out that there is no clear majority in the Commons for it. This is correct. Which is why this new leader would have to prepare for a general election later this year in any event.

Yes, such an approach risks some Tory MPs peeling off to the Independent Group  though, as we say, an approach based on the Brady amendment makes sense, since the whole Parliamentary Party, pretty much, was able to unite behind it.

But the alternative risks a bigger split, both in the Commons and among the grassroots, in any event. Expect soon to hear a new form of that old talk about a Conservative-UKIP alliance  this time round, of a Tory-Brexit Party pact.

Furthermore, there is even more at stake than the future of the worlds most venerable political party: namely, whether the referendum verdict of 2016, carried by the largest vote in this countys political history, is to be upheld or dishonoured.

You will have spotted the fly in this unpalatable ointment. Namely, that the Prime Minister is unwilling to go. The 1922 Committee Executive has presented her with the obligatory glass of whisky and pistol. She has refused to pick them up.

Furthermore, there is no formal means of expressing no confidence in her leadership until December. The habit of suggesting indicative votes in catching on. But the 1922 executive is very doubtful that these could produce a resolution.

That leaves the Cabinet. Its members are divided on policy, dogged by personal ambition, and daunted by the scale of the challenge before them.

To ask this dispirited band to come together, tell the Prime Minister to step down as Party leader, and stay in Downing Street until the ensuing leadership election is concluded  particularly when the options are so grisly  is a very big ask indeed.

But the driver of the car is taking it towards the edge of the cliff. True, it may crash if the Cabinet attempts to wrest control from her. But if they dont, it is set to career into the void, in any event.
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This gave Cassiday an idea to set up his own little operation, and soon enough, he was running a bootlegging business from a basement office situated in the Old House Office Building. And business was good. According to Cassiday, he would open up shop in the morning and make upwards of 25 deliveries a day to the drunkenest, hypocriticalist politicians on the Hill, hiding the bottles in a leather briefcase that never left his side.

Library of Congress Opposing congressmen still wouldn't cross the aisle, but at least now they would occasionally pass out in it.

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Cassiday was never given any problems by security, despite arriving for "work" every morning pulling two suitcases containing "35 to 40 quarts" of the hard stuff -- that is, until 1925, when he was busted for possession of alcohol and banned from the House. His newfound notoriety, however, meant that he immediately found work as bootlegger-in-chief for the Senate. One senator, Cassiday later recalled, would come to refer to him as "the librarian" -- a nickname borne from the fact that this particular senator hid his liquor on the top of a bookshelf. ("He never mentioned liquor to me, but occasionally he would say he could use some 'new reading matter.'")

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Cassiday worked diligently in this role until 1930, when he was nabbed and jailed for 18 months. In an interview with The Washington Post, he estimated that he'd catered to 80 percent of the members of the House and Senate, although he never named names. Well, kinda. He kept a client list (as all good criminals do), but this was never made public (despite having been confiscated by the feds upon his arrest), and following his death in 1967, it was incinerated by his wife. Unless she was releasing the trapped souls of alcoholic political ghosts, that seems a tad like overkill to us.
MSC Cruises has announced details of what it said is a new highly-innovative cruise terminal at PortMiami that will support its expanding presence in North America and in the Caribbean

As per the terms of the agreement, which has today received approval from the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners, MSC Cruises will design, construct, operate and maintain a large building that hosts two cruise terminals (AA and AAA) as well as two berths.

The PortMiami terminals will be capable of hosting two mega cruise ships at the same time, allowing the MSC to conduct two turnaround operations simultaneously, handling up to 28,000 passenger movements per day.

Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises Executive Chairman, said: With another 13 cruise vessels due to join our fleet in the next eight years, our ambition is to have our most innovative ship classes represented at PortMiami, bringing a wealth of choice to our North American as well as international guests.

In particular, the new terminal  which will be one of the most innovative the industry has seen  will ensure that we can provide our guests an enhanced end-to-end high-quality experience while both embarking and disembarking, thus adding to their ability to fully enjoy every moment of their vacation.

Work on the new terminals is due to commence in early 2020. MSC Cruises currently estimates that the work will be completed by late 2022, at which time it will transfer all its PortMiami operations to the new Terminal, according to a statement.
The leadership representing the four major cruise corporations sat down at an event in Miami Beach on Tuesday to discuss the present and future of the expanding cruise business.

What They Said:

What people misunderstand about the cruise industry is that we are tiny, we are little, said Arnold Donald, president and CEO of Carnival Corporation. We are a very small industry and there are cities that have more tourists than the cruise industry does.

What is his 10-year outlook? The industry will still have low penetration. There will be bigger ships and smaller ships. The reality is the industry is very diversified and people want different things.

Of note, there are over 120 new ships on order, according to the cruise ship orderbook.

Yes, today is a very good time period in our history, but its because we are constantly looking forward, said Richard Fain, chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruises. Fain said the industry has remained highly diverse and differentiated and the new players are helping, bringing in new ideas and credibility to the industry.

Fain added that the overall trend was to appeal to more diverse generations.

There is nothing on the horizon I see by the numbers my three brands are posting that any kind of slow down is on the horizon, said Frank Del Rio, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.

To have a vibrant industry you need new entrants. It keeps us on our toes and competition is a wonderful thing for everyone, added Del Rio.

Del Rio said there were many positives about the cruise industry, highlighted by local economic impact.

The shopkeepers love us, he noted.

Popularity wise, Del Rio said the Eastern Mediterranean is coming back in a big way.

Im rooting for Turkey, said Del Rio. The Eastern Med is a very big area and when the Eastern Med is quiet the Greek Isles, Black Sea and Holy Land are very popular. A lot of profitable capacity can (go there)  we are cautiously optimistic.

Lets not forget the itineraries are the main drivers for the choice of the passenger to choose one ship or another. Itineraries also determine the size of the ship, said Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman, MSC Cruises, which is expected to make a major announcement with PortMiami later today.

Whenever we have bigger ships in operation, the ship almost becomes a destination in itself with the bells and wow effects, he continued. Obviously we need to create a seamless flow of the passenger embarking and disembarking.

Vago underscored cruising was a global business.

We are always trying to offer new destinations around the world  the business still has a lot of opportunities.
BRIDGEPORT  The city school board on Monday adjusted two parts of new bylaws it approved in a rush with no public comment.

The first: Student representatives are back in as non-voting members of the board. The second: no more time limits on items.

The change to re-allow student representatives to sit in on board busiess includes a new system for a representative and alternate from each high school to be elected by their respective classmates in September of each school year. In the past, representatives were selected by principals.

Two students who serve this year as board representatives had left Mondays meeting before the vote was taken.

Normally, policy changes are held a month before being adopted. On Monday, the board suspended the rules so that the changes would take effect immediately.

Since the students already had left the meeting, Board Member Maria Pereia said she abstained from voting.

Its disrespectful to the students, Pereira said.

Board member Joe Sokolovic, who proposed the rule suspension, said he wanted the change made sooner rather than later. He earlier pushed for the change in his Students and Family Committee.

In the past, student representatives delivered oral reports on their schools. They now will be asked to participate in board discussions.

The other approved bylaw change eliminated assigned times that the new rules added to every agenda item during a meeting, including an 8:45 p.m. end time.

The board has yet to be able to keep to the times, forcing the rules to be constantly suspended.

Even the start of Mondays business meeting, set for 6:30 p.m., was delayed by 45 minutes when a special meeting held beforehand ran over.

Board Chairman John Weldon crafted the new bylaws at a special meeting in February with attorney advice but little input from the board. He defended setting specific times for items as keeping the board focused.

Cant we just end the meeting when done with work, Pereira said. It is not about rushing it. Its about doing it right.

Board member Hernan Illingworth agreed there should not be a specified end time but added he also hates to see meetings held hostage by members who like to hear themselves talk.

If we are meeting four or five hours, we are doing something wrong, Weldon said.

In the end, the board stripped board meetings of time limits.

When it was suggested other changes be made to the new bylaws, Illingworth suggested it be handled at a separate meeting. Weldons policy committee, it was pointed out, rarely meets.

lclambeck@ctpost.com; twitter/lclambeck
HARTFORD  This weekend more than 700 volunteers will provide free dental care to more than 800 people at Windham Middle School during the 13th annual Connecticut Mission of Mercy Free Dental Clinic.

Started in 2008, this will only be the second time the Connecticut Mission of Mercy Free Dental Clinic was held in the eastern part of the state. The first clinic was held in Tolland at the old high school.

Robert Schreibman, who is the founder of the Connecticut Foundation for Dental Outreach and co-founder of the Connecticut Mission of Mercy Free Dental Clinic, said about 32 percent of residents in eastern Connecticut live below the poverty line.

Schreibman said they expect to see a lot of working poor who have multiple jobs that dont pay enough.

He said even some government programs like Medicaid and military programs for veterans dont provide enough coverage for basic dental services.

But access to affordable dental care is a problem thats universal.

We get people from every part of the state, Schreibman said.

Those who are in pain are usually the first ones in line.

The clinic will see patients Saturday and Sunday on a first-come, first-serve basis, which means many patients will camp out overnight or arrive early in the morning before the clinic opens at 8 a.m.

The clinic expects to see about 400 patients each day.

There are about 250 people who have made the clinic their dental home, Schreibman said. However, thats not exactly something they encourage. He said they are trying to do small clinics at different times in the year to take care of people, like the elderly, who cant get to the annual clinic.

Schreibman said they try and make sure the patients who come to the clinic are able to find access to dental care thats more convenient for them.

The services provided at the clinic will include cleanings, fillings, extractions, X-rays, fluoride treatments, sealants, limited root canal treatment on anterior teeth, and limited partial dentures.

Doors open at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 13, and Sunday, April 14.

Past clinics were held in Tolland (2008), New Haven (2009), Middletown (2010), Waterbury (2011), Danbury (2012), Bridgeport (2013), Hartford (2014), Danbury (2015), Hartford (2016), New Haven (2017) and Torrington (2018).
A former Seymour fire lieutenants daughter was attacked on her naval base last week, and hundreds of people have donated to a fundraiser created to help her and her family.

On the morning of April 5, 20-year-old Jillian, whose last name was not provided, was in the parking lot on her naval base in Virginia when a man walked up to her, armed with a gun, and shot her three times at point-blank range, the fundraising page said.

News reports indicate another sailor was the one to shoot her. When base security showed up soon after shots rang out, the shooter was shot dead, the fundraising page and news reports indicated. She was rushed to the hospital and survived.

More News Gunman killed at Naval Air Station Oceana; woman shot multiple times

Terrible news from one of our Seymour Fire Department Brothers, former Great Hill Hose Co. Lieutenant Chriss daughter was attacked on her Naval Base, said a Facebook post from the Citizens Engine Co. No. 2. We have heard that she is recovering after an initial surgery; our thoughts and prayers are with her and her family at this unimaginably difficult time.

The former fire lieutenant  Chris Cowell Sr.  shared an image of his daughter on his Facebook page with a heart around her, standing tall in her Navy uniform.

The Seymour Fire Department Facebook page said Jillians brother is a marine and active firefighter when hes in town.

The road ahead of Jillian after the shooting will be difficult. The fundraising page said she is set to undergo a series of surgeries to reconstruct her leg.

Perhaps the most inspiring thing is that, despite all of this is that, Jillian has never wavered from her positive mind set and her positive energy has been infectious to those around her, the page said.

When she was shot, the page said, Jillian was just starting her career with the Navy.

The fundraising page was set up family member Dana Burgess Ellerby on behalf of Chris, Jillians father, the page said.

The purpose of the page is to help Jillians family cover the cost of housing, lodging, gas and more as they stay with her in Virginia as she faces surgeries and months of rehabilitation to come.

We dont know how long this road of recovery will take, the page said. All we know is she will need A LOT of support.

Ellerby posted an update to the page Tuesday afternoon that said she broke down in tears to see nearly $13,000 had been donated to the family in the mere two days since the fundraiser had been posted.

Never in a million years would I have thought so many people would bother to donate, write a reply, offer help and prayers, Ellerbys update said. You've all made Jillians family feel touched by the Military families and friends ... Words cannot express our thankfulness.

Donations can be made on the fundraising page at https://bit.ly/2GeeRDv.
HARTFORD  The Judiciary Committee approved a bill Tuesday designed to keep inmates and their families connected through free phone service instead of the high cost of calls they are paying now.

But it would come at an $8 million loss in revenue for other criminal justice programs, state officials said.

HB 6714, sponsored by Rep. Josh Elliott, D-Hamden, would end the states practice of charging inmates and their families to call home. The bill would also allow inmates to have access to free Internet and video Internet service when appropriate.

By state law, the state Department of Correction is allowed to contract with a telecommunications vendor which can charge inmates amounts above standard phone rates for making calls. Some legislators expressed surprise that the state was profiting from inmates and their families.

I think it was fairly shocking and disturbing to many members of this committee that the state is at or near the top in what it charges inmates for telecommunications, said Rep. Steven Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport, who spoke in favor of the bill.

The state uses Securus Technologies, a firm that proponents of the bill say often charges excessive rates that are thinly veiled kickbacks, preying on families who have no other choice if they want to stay in touch with incarcerated loved ones.

This is a regressive tax on some of the most economically fragile members of our community, Brian Highsmith, of the National Consumer Law Center, said in his testimony in favor of the bill. The system harms all Connecticut residents, and harms these vulnerable communities the most.

Highsmith called the companys practices in Bristol County, Massachusetts, an illegal kickback scheme that is nearly doubling the cost of calls made by prisoners.

In Bristol County, as in Connecticut, prisoners who want to communicate by phone with family, friends and legal representatives have only one option available: they must use the privatized calling system operated by phone vendor Securus, Highsmith said.

The state recently extended its contract with the company for two more years until 2021, Stafstrom said. There could be implications if the state tried to pull out of the contract, he said. But Stafstrom said the state Department of Correction was going to try to work with the company to come to a resolution.

Representatives of Texas-based Securus said Tuesday afternoon they had no way of contacting company officials for comment. A call to the Securus Foundation, which is listed on the companys website as an organization that helps recently released inmates and their families, was not returned.

The calls cost more than $4 per 15 minutes. A woman who testified in favor of the bill during a March 25 public hearing said that the cost leaves little time or money for her grandson to talk to his mother, who is incarcerated at York Correctional Institution.

The woman, whose name was changed to protect her identity, tries to put $40 a month in her daughters prison phone account so she can call her 14-year-old son on a regular basis, she said. There are months I have to put lesser amounts on the phone because I find myself choosing between adding the usual amount and giving up something else, said the woman, who is raising her 14-year-old grandson while her daughter is incarcerated.

The calls generate about $8 million a year in state revenue. The Judicial Branch receives $5.5 million to fund probation officer positions. The Criminal Justice Information System, which allows law enforcement agencies to access information on criminal histories, receives about $3 million, and the Correction Department receives about $350,000, state officials said.

The Judicial Branch noted in their testimony that the agency was taking no position on the bill. But the testimony submitted by the External Affairs Division indicated that the Branch received $5.5 million in 2018 from the revenue generated by prison telecommunications, which is used for adult probation staff and programs.

That $5.5 million funds staffing and other expenses related to the Probation Transition Program, the testimony submitted by External Affairs said. The program supervises those recently released from prison who were also sentenced to probation. The money also funds the Judicial Branchs Technical Violations Unit, which provides enhanced supervision for certain people in violation of probation.

We do not have the necessary funding in our budget to make up for this loss of revenue, External Affairs said. The Judicial Branch was already facing a two-year, $58 million cut by Gov. Ned Lamont.

Lamonts administration has not officially taken a position on the bill, said Marc Pelka, the undersecretary for criminal justice in the Office of Policy and Management.

The impact would need to be offset, which would likely mean cuts to those Judicial Branch programs, Pelka said.

One woman who testified with a group from the Children with Incarcerated Parents Initiative, a program within the Central Connecticut State University Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy, said shes spending $40 a week on prison calls so that her ex-boyfriend, who is incarcerated, and his son, who she is raising, can remain connected.

I have trouble getting by because I have to think about saving money just to spend it on the calls and am now also caring for his young child, the woman said. You dont realize how quickly the minutes pass and just how much it adds up each day, week, month.

The high cost of the phone calls is an example of the types of criminal justice fees that are imposed on incarcerated individuals and their families, said Joanna Weiss, the co-director of the Fines and Fees Justice Center, a national organization that seeks to eliminate fees associated with the criminal justice system.

Some state and local governments have gone beyond simply trying to recoup costs through justice system fees and are trying to generate profits by imposing fees on people who are incarcerated, regardless of whether they have been convicted of any crime, Weiss said.
BRIDGEPORT  Minutes after midnight on Jan. 13, Vincent Keller allegedly sent a text message to his girlfriend: Goodnight we are going to burn down Shakespeare.

Third arrest made in Shakespeare theater fire, other blazes

About half an hour later, Keller and two friends  Logan Caraballo and Christopher Sakowicz  did just that, according to arrest warrants made public after the three were arraigned in connection with the fire that destroyed the Shakespeare theater in Stratford.

The suspects were arraigned behind closed doors in Bridgeport Superior Court on Tuesday before Judge Frank Iannotti, where their cases were formally transferred to adult court and their identities were made public.

The judge set bond at $100,000 for Keller, 18, of Stratford; $175,000 for Sakowicz, 18, of Stratford; and $100,000 for Caraballo, 17, of Shelton. All three are scheduled to return to court on April 23 to face a judge again, when the cases will be called in open court.

All three have been charged with first-degree arson, first-degree burglary, first-degree reckless endangerment and second-degree criminal trespass in connection with the Shakespeare theater fire.

According to arrest warrants, the case broke late last month, when Caraballos mother called a state police arson tip line reporting that her son had received a SnapChat message that two of his friends, Keller and Sakowicz, had set the fire.

The warrants say all three are students at Bunnell High School in Stratford, though court documents list Caraballos current address as in Shelton.

In interviews with police, Sakowicz and Keller initially denied being involved, and offered their cell phones to police as proof that they didnt set the fire.

However, the warrants say police found substantial criminal evidence on Kellers phone, including incriminating text messages he sent to friends.

DO NOT TELL A SOUL

According to the warrant, after Keller messaged his girlfriend saying, we are going to burn down Shakespeare, she replied oh fun dont die. Later, Keller replied, DO NOT TELL A SOUL ABOUT TONIGHT, police said.

In subsequent interviews, police said, Sakowicz and Keller admitted to setting the fire.

The warrants say Caraballo picked up Sakowicz and Keller and drove to the theater property, parking in the lot.

Sakowicz and Keller told police they entered the theater through an unlocked rear door. In the basement of the building, Sakowicz allegedly lit a rag on fire and threw it against a wall, after which the fire began to spread.

Police said the three teens then left the building as the flames continued to spread and went to a Wendys for food and stopped for gas in Milford, after which they could see the conflagration from Interstate 95.

According to the warrants Sakowicz kept an alarm panel from the theater as a souvenir, which he later turned over to police.

Suspects mother: Im devastated

Outside the courtroom, a woman who identified herself as Sakowiczs mother, but declined to give her full name, apologized on behalf of her son.

Im devastated. Im heartbroken, she said. I cant believe it, Im sorry.

She said her son was an honor student who planned to pursue a career in aviation after high school.

They ruined everything, she said.

Isaias Luis Pedraza, a public defender who represented Sakowicz at Tuesdays hearing, declined to comment.

Caraballo was released to his mothers custody after posting bond Tuesday afternoon, while Keller and Sakowicz were still behind bars as of about 4 p.m.

The judge ordered them to be under house arrest except for attending school, with their movements to be monitored electronically by court officials.

More charges expected

Frank Riccio II, Kellers lawyer, said his client and Sakowicz would likely be charged in a number of other recent fires. He said Keller was scheduled to appear at Waterbury Superior Court Wednesday in connection with a Jan. 15 blaze in a vacant building at the Southbury Training School.

Kellers parents attended his arraignment, but Riccio said he told them not to post bond yet.

Ive advised that my client not post yet because theres other warrants, the lawyer said.

Other fires that police sources said are attributed to the teens:

Feb. 8: Vacant house on Richards Place in West Haven destroyed by fire.

Feb. 17: Former Bilco Co. in West Haven damaged by fire.

March 9: Truck set afire at Good Earth Tree Care on Longbrook Avenue in Stratford.

March 24:A fire that damaged construction trailers at Silver Sands State Park in Milford.

Staff writer Daniel Tepfer contributed to this story.
BRIDGEPORT  There are 31 voters in the city registered as Libertarians. One of them could be the next city school board member.

A Board of Education with a knack for losing members  and being forced by state statutes or the city charter to make replacement searches that are like scavenger hunts  is looking to fill a six-month vacancy created when Ben Walker resigned on March 25.

Walker was elected as a Democrat. More than a year ago, he switched to the Libertarian party, something he did not disclose to fellow board members until his resignation.

If he had done so earlier, the board would not have had to fill a February vacancy created when state Sen. Dennis Bradley resigned, with anyone but a Democrat.

Bradley was a Democrat, as are 47,422 of 72,447 registered voters in Bridgeport. There are 4,282 Republicans, 20,196 unaffiliated voters and 547 from other parties, including Libertarian.

State statues require there to be at least a 6-to-3 minority representation split on the school board. When Bradley announced his resignation, board member Joe Sokolovic, elected as a Republican, revealed he switched to the Democratic party the previous fall.

So instead of a Democrat, the remaining board members selected Joseph Lombard, an unaffiliated voter, to fill the vacancy.

This time around, the minority representation state statute was covered, as there are now two Republicans and an independent on the board. With that rule satisfied, the city charter comes into play. The charter requires the unexpired term to be filled by a city resident of the same party as the departed member, according to advice the board has received from city and board attorneys.

When the board held interviews to fill its February vacancy, one Libertarian, Lamar Kennedy threw his hat into the ring. Kennedys voter registration from indicates he became a member of the Libertarian party on February 27, 2019 while the search for Bradleys replacement was under way. A special education teacher in Waterbury, Kennedy got three of eight votes cast, with the rest going to Lombard.

The superintendents office is accepting applications through April 17. Interviews are to be held at a special meeting on April 22, with a vote expected later that evening when the school board holds its 6:30 p.m. business meeting.

As they have in the past, school board members will take turns asking one question each to the candidates.

Board member Maria Pereira said in all of her years canvassing, she has yet to knock on the door of a Libertarian.

Ive seen Green Party, Pereira said. Ive never seen a Libertarian.

The selected board members will fill the seat until general elections are held in November. If the board fails to make a selection by April 25, the decision goes to the mayor, who would also have to choose a Libertarian to fill the vacancy.

lclambeck@ctpost.com; twiiter/lclambeck
Services are being held Tuesday for a volunteer Derby firefighter who died last week.

Jack Ian Few, 33, of West Haven, was born in Bridgeport on Jan. 15, 1986 to Richard and Gertrude Few. He died peacefully on Wednesday, April 3 at Yale New Haven Hospital, surrounded by family, according to an obituary.

Jack was a proud mechanic by trade and loved working on and restoring cars, the obituary said. He was vibrant and full of life.

He was also a volunteer firefighter in Derby.

The obituary said Few was family- and friend-oriented. It said he loved animals, and had an exceptional bond with his puppy, Evinrude.

He will be remembered for his great integrity and never hesitating to lend his help in any way possible, the obituary said. If you knew Jack, you loved Jack.

Few is survived by his fiancee, his grandmother and various aunts, uncles, cousins and close friends.

Visitation is from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Ralph E. Hull Funeral Home in Seymour. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Fews name can be made online to Spotty Dog Rescue.
WEST HAVEN  Business has doubled at the popular Nicks Luncheonette since reopening on Saw Mill Road in late January, but as owners like to phrase it: Our family has grown.

Monday marked the official grand opening and ribbon-cutting of the new Nicks at the former Pizza Hut at 249 Saw Mill Road, although the bacon and eggs have been sizzling since late January.

The Milas family, who own the place, and staff were so busy with customers at noon Monday that they barely had time for their own ribbon-cutting by Mayor Nancy Rossi.

Rossi said her administration did their best to keep Nicks in West Haven and shes thrilled they stayed.

Its absolutely transformed into a different kind of establishment, she said of the new space. She raved about the food, service and home fries, calling the latter the best ever.

Owner Nick Milas, who came here from Greece in 1978 at age 19, said if the staff doesnt know a regular customers name, they know what they eat.

We want to take care of the customers right, because we want them to stay with us, he said. Everythings nice. We try to be like family.

Milas, whose parents owned a coffee shop in Greece, said hes definitely working harder in the bigger location.

The Milas son, Kosta, echoed the customers-are-like-family sentiment, saying old customers followed them and new ones arrived, so, our family has grown.

Weve been very fortunate, Kosta Milas said.

Nick and his wife, Irene, grew the business for 26 years at a different location, and agreed to sell their former spot at First Avenue and Elm Street several years ago to make way for The Haven high-end outlet mall. The Haven project still hasnt broken ground.

Nicks has always been known for its low prices, tasty food and friendly service. The biggest buzz around the city during the closure was, When is Nicks Luncheonette reopening? They are open from 5:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Regular customer Audrey Vecellio, who estimates shes been patronizing Nicks for 25 years, made it a point to be there for the ribbon-cutting.

Best home fries around  all the other restaurants have boiled potatoes they just throw seasoning on, she said.

Friends Harvey Cutler and Greg Acabbo have made Nicks their go-to place for weekly Monday breakfast.

The service is good, the food comes out quick, Acabbo said.

Cutler said aside from the food, I like Nick and his wife. Everybodys friendly.
Oprah Winfrey is helping hurricane-damaged Puerto Rico recover.

The star is giving $2 million to help with revitalizing the U.S. territory and helping the arts there, the Hispanic Federation and Flamboyan Arts Fund said, reported Reuters and People.

"I was so moved by Lin-Manuel Mirandas commitment to bring 'Hamilton' to Puerto Rico and support the community that served him growing up that I wanted to join in the revitalization efforts of an island so rich in culture, beauty and heritage," Winfrey said in a statement.

"The needs of Puerto Rico and our fellow American citizens following the tragic hurricanes are still very real, and the work that has already been done by the Hispanic Federation, Flamboyan Arts Fund and other organizations on and off the island is long from over," she said in the statement.

Half of the money will go to the Hispanic Federations UNIDOS Disaster Relief & Recovery Program to Support Puerto Rico to help the organization with long-term needs, according to a news release, and the other half to the Flamboyan Arts Fund to "simultaneously ensure that the islands rich heritage of arts, culture and creative development are not lost forever."
WEST HAVEN  City council members and residents thought they were going to be able to ask questions of The Haven developers Monday night, but instead they got a cancellation notice of sorts from City Attorney Lee Tiernan.

No one was more disappointed than City Councilman Aaron Charney, whose 3rd District is to house the planned high-end waterfront outlet of retail and restaurants.

I am beyond frustrated with the developers of The Haven, Charney said. Many residents reached out to me wanting answers and a timeline. We want to hear from the developer directly.

In preparation for the big chance to get questions answered, Charney had asked residents on Facebook what they wanted to know. The broad array of questions included whether the developer, if wavering, has considered alternatives. Which stores will be there? Where will the amphitheater be? Why wont The Haven itself get constructed on the waterfront instead of the parking lot?

But the most overriding question for residents in every part of the city remains, Will The Haven ever be built? and, if so, When will construction start?

City officials repeatedly have said the project is still on, but after more than four years in the making, no one can say for sure when ground will be broken.

The expected appearance by the developers came about last month when the city made a request to abandon certain roads for safety reasons, including Water Street and parts of both Richards Place and Center Street.

City Council Chairman Ronald Quagliani wanted to hear directly from the developer on the timeline and other matters, postponing the vote until Monday, when they were exected to hear from the developers.

But hours before the meeting, City Council members were notified the appearance was off. Tiernan sent a memo saying street abandonment no longer was necessary because a security company had been hired to take care of safety issues.

Tiernan wrote: The Developers are not interested in burdening residents of the neighborhood unnecessarily. If there is no public safety issue, they are willing to delay road abandonment until its absolutely necessary for construction reasons. In this way the residents can continue to use Water Street.

Charney said the developers explanation of not wanting to burden the residents unnecessarily is, comical to me since they have burdened this neighborhood for years. We live with blight, fires, squatters, vandalism and dumping.

Tiernans memo reassuringly went on to say: The Developers certainly want the residents to welcome The Haven Development.

No incidents regarding safety have been reported since the developer hired a security company, Tiernan wrote. He also said other matters had progressed, and requested the council table the matter, which it did.

Quagliani said Tuesday that since security no longer is an issue, and the situation has stabilized, he doesnt see an immediate need to close the roads.

But Quagliani acknowledged residents and the City Council are overdue an update on the project.

My expectation is that this needs to occur before I can take action on any road abandonment, Quagliani said.

Mayor Nancy Rossi said in a statement Tuesday that The Haven development has cleared another hurdle.

The last remaining eminent domain action pending in the Connecticut State Superior Court concerning the Haven waterfront development project has been withdrawn by the City of West Haven. The withdrawal occurred after the developer, The Haven Group, LLC, negotiated a settlement with the land owner.

Eminent domain actions require applicants to deposit sufficient funds with the court to pay for any land taking. In this case, the developer had deposited $862,500 with the court, which has now been released.

This settlement and withdrawal are important steps toward state Department of Transportation approval of the transportation plan for The Haven, Rossi said.

Once the Haven Group receives DOT approval of its transportation plan, funds from the Connecticut State Department of Economic and Community Development become available and physical work at the site can begin, she said in her statement.

Much of that information was contained in Tiernans memo to the City Council, which also mentioned approval of $5 million in DECD funds and resolution of a million-dollar-plus environmental remediation litigation resulting in no cost to the city.

These events are not visible at the site, but all the news is generally positive for the Development, Tiernan wrote.

City Councilwoman Tracy Morrissey said Tuesday, I felt very bad for the people living near The Haven, because their property values have gone down.

At Mondays meeting, a woman said during public comment that she lives 1,500 feet from The Haven, has a high credit score of 860, but the bank wont allow her to refinance because she lives in a depressed area. A friend on Third Avenue got a similar answer, she said.

Charney called it a tragic story.

The developer is waiting on a certificate of approval from the Office of State Traffic Administration, but the overriding question for residents is how soon after that certificate comes through will the developer start demolition.

I think that is a very fair and consistent question and one we were hoping to learn more about Monday night,  state Rep. Dorinda Borer said Tuesday.

Residents have had questions about The Haven at just about every municipal meeting, many expressing doubt it will ever become reality in a city with such big financial struggles.

There are 57 properties within the 24-acre project area, which is bound by Main Street, First Avenue and Elm Street. The site plan application for the 265,000 square feet of retail and restaurant development has approval of the Planning and Zoning Commission.

At one time, a representative of the developer said the target date for The Haven to open was June 2020.

Rossi has said she is very excited about The Haven project, and at the time of approval called it a game changer. The city is in such financial distress that it is under control of a state Municipal Accountability Review Board  a fate that met Rossi when she took office.
Politico reports on Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who wisely encouraged Democrats to stop avoiding foreign policy:

"[Murphy] is increasingly worried his party is too focused on domestic policy and needs to train its fire on Trump's haphazard national security record.

"'This is not likely to be a foreign policy election. But it will be a close election in which a big national security gap between Democrats and Republicans could cost us the election,' the Connecticut Democrat said in an interview."

President Donald Trump's foreign policy may be a mess, but unless Democrats make the case as to why he is a menace and present their own view, Democrats will miss a golden opportunity. ("The quickest way to pierce [Trump's] image of toughness is to show what a laughingstock America has become across the world. Talking about national security and foreign policy is a perfect mechanism to go strike at the heart of Trump's brand, on a topic that he can't handle.") Incidentally, Murphy lets on that he's spent the most time on foreign policy issues with Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., about Syria, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. (Both he and Harris serve on the Intelligence Committee.)

Murphy is perhaps too kind. (Maybe behind closed doors he's offering some sterner, tough love.) Democratic contenders have several major challenges.

First, they don't talk about national security much, which means they don't build up a confidence level, which means they don't talk about it. This is a counterproductive cycle because they will need to talk about foreign policy in the primary and general election debates. Moreover, they need to pass the commander in chief test (as President Barack Obama did in the contest against the late Sen. John McCain) so voters will entrust them with the job.

Second, their tone and approach needs to be upgraded. Rather than hurling an insult at an ally or overstepping their bounds by seeming to meddle in a democratic country's politics, they should be explaining where Trump messed up, what the danger is to the United States and how to remedy the problem.

For example, they might say: "Trump has pulled out of the JCPOA, separating ourselves from our allies whom we need to pressure Iran. The danger is that we'll be left with two untenable options -- war or appeasement."

Likewise, on human rights they might say, "By slobbering over foreign autocrats such as Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in Egypt, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia and Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey, Trump encourages corruption, domestic oppression and attacks on American nationals (e.g., Jamal Khashoggi, murdered by the Saudis). This contributes to their own instability. We should make clear that good relations with the United States depends in part on their respect for universal human rights."

Third, Democrats need to do better than say they are going to "end long wars." That's in part what Trump did as he yanked U.S. forces out of Syria, alarming allies, putting the Kurds at grave risk and signaling America's unreliability. In this regard, they should be offering a critique of Trump (erratic, easily manipulated by dictators, shunning friends) that presents them as everything Trump is not - steady, impervious to personal flattery, a bridge builder to allies.

Fourth, they should explain that we face multi-faceted threats from China (ranging from cyberterrorism to territorial expansion to infiltration of our universities to theft of intellectual property). While Trump has launched a useless trade war, he hasn't successfully addressed these threats. He has left us more vulnerable than ever.

Fifth, Democrats must sound informed and sophisticated on Pentagon spending. They need to remind voters that it's the generals who routinely warn administrations against cutting aid and State Department functions, which wind up increasing the risk of conflict. Rather than wasting money on a new space force, sending the military on a useless mission to the border to support his immigration hysteria, raiding Pentagon accounts to pay for an unnecessary wall or creating upheaval in the military by throwing out transgender members who want to serve their country, the commander in chief should use the military for military purposes. He/she should be aligning the threats we face with the missions we ask the military to fulfill, which in turn will require the resources to accomplish those missions. In contrast to simply adding money indiscriminately to the Pentagon budget, slashing the State Department budget and creating crises out of thin air, the next president must be a sober, clear-eyed commander in chief.

Democrats may think talking about foreign policy now is a waste. They kid themselves. If they don't practice and improve now, they'll never make it to the Oval Office.
HARTFORD  Determined to reverse the impact of the war on drugs, Democrats in the legislature will propose using the revenue from legalized recreational marijuana to invest in impoverished urban areas, instead of marking the money for general state use, Hearst Connecticut Media has learned.

Paired with legislation to expunge criminal records for marijuana possession and award licenses for cannabis sales to minorities, this proposal would set Connecticut at the forefront of using legalization to aid urban communities.

If passed, it could send millions of dollars to Connecticut cities. But passage is a long way off.

Legislators are putting the final touches on the bill this week, which will receive a public hearing and a vote in the legislatures Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee before May 2, said Sen. John Fonfara, D-Hartford, who chairs the committee.

The bill is the last piece of cannabis legislation to be unveiled. Lawmakers will eventually combine the the Finance bill with legislation approved by the Judiciary and General Law Committee before a vote in the full House and Senate.

The proposed legislation sets the tax rate on recreational pot at an effective 20 percent, said Rep. Jason Rojas, D-East Hartford, another chair of the committee. A 9.35 percent sales tax would be levied, 3 percent of which would go to towns that allow retail marijuana shops to open there.

Instead of the 10.75 percent excise tax like Massachusetts has and Democrats originally pitched, the bill proposes taxing cannabis buds at $45 per ounce and the rest of the plant at $13.50 per ounce. This structure will keep revenue more consistent over time even if marijuana prices fluctuate, Rojas said.

Policy staff for the Finance Committee estimate this structure would levy $80 to $140 million a year from pot, said Fonfara. Independent fiscal analysis has not yet been completed.

Fonfara is adamant: he does not want this money to be pooled with other tax revenue for general state spending.

Putting cannabis sales tax revenue in the General Fund is wrong and a lost opportunity to invest in communities that have been impacted by illegal marijuana, he said.

The committees bill will propose targeting some of the funds at areas with low educational performance to fund literacy initiatives and high-quality early childhood education  that could mean many neighborhoods around the state, Fonfara said.

But the bulk of the money will head specifically to cities with high poverty, drug arrest and incarceration rates to pay for education and community improvement projects that include local job training, Fonfara said. Cities like Bridgeport, New Haven, Stamford, Waterbury, New London and Hartford will likely be the primary recipients of such funds, he said.

Fonfara has only briefly discussed this idea with the governors administration, he said.

Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin, weighed in neither for nor against the concept Tuesday.

Ive always said this is an issue that brings with it both a social and economic component, so theres a lot of things that have to be considered and balanced which is the process the committee is going through now, he said.

Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano, R-North Haven, who opposes legalization generally, said this use of cannabis revenue does not account for the costs of policing and addiction treatment that may fall to the state.

I think the money should go to the General Fund because I dont think it is a clear profit, Fasano said. The state is going to be left with the burdens and the costs of having recreational marijuana, which clearly and without a doubt in every state has a negative social impact by having our services pulled upon. If were not going to collect the money, but were going to get the expense thats not a fair deal.

Another legalization opponent, Rep. Chris Davis, R-Ellington, who sits on the Finance Committee, thought the revenue should not go to the General Fund, but should be earmarked for a different use: combatting the opioid epidemic and investing in public safety, he said. The Democrat strategy of directing the money at cities is just another example of the Democrats using a new revenue stream to do pet projects within their districts, he added.

The proposal is another indication that legalization of recreational marijuana in Connecticut may hinge on racial justice.

In a close vote, the Judiciary Committee on Monday voted to advance legislation that would expunge the criminal records of people arrested for possession or sales of marijuana. On the same day, some black clergy at the Capitol spoke against legalization.

In March, the General Law committee approved a bill to lay the foundation for the marijuana industry in Connecticut, including giving minority entrepreneurs priority in applying for licenses to sell the drug. The bill also would require legal cannabis vendors who are not people of color to invest in communities disproportionately affected by the War on Drugs, perhaps by using revenue to help build schools or neighborhood centers, or by hiring people from those communities.

Rojas, a member of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus, said he does not think legalization of recreational marijuana will pass without these equity provisions.

Unless you do it right it right out of the gate, I think it is much more difficult to change something down the line, trying to account for that equity, said Rojas. And also isnt not the right thing to do? Isnt it the appropriate approach to take before hand and not allow it to become an after thought?

emunson@hearstmediact.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson
STORY LINK Pound to Australian Dollar Exchange Rate: GBP Sinks vs AUD as Australian Home Loans Increase

GBP/AUD Exchange Rate Falls as May Heads to France and Germany

GBP/AUD Forecast: Sterling Could Rise if EU agree upon a Brexit Delay

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The Pound Australian Dollar (GBP/AUD) exchange rate is down by 0.4% and is currently trading around AU$1.8261 on the inter-bank market.The Australian Dollar (AUD) strengthened against a weaker Pound (GBP) today following better-than-expected Australian home loans figures for February, which increased to 2.0%.These were also followed by an uptick in Australian investment lending for homes figures for February, which rose to 2.6%.Bruce Hockman, a Chief Economist at ABS, remained cautious however, commenting:The longer term story is largely unchanged with new lending to households remaining subdued and well down on levels seen over the past five years.Ongoing US-China trade talks have also provided market confidence in the risk-sensitive Aussie today, with a generally positive attitude surrounding the discussions, which are giving the impression of imminent conclusion.Clete Williams, a Trade Official at the White House, provided a mixed statement, saying:We're making progress on a range of things, and there's some stuff where we're not satisfied yet.Sterling, meanwhile, has weakened today as Prime Minister Theresa May heads to Germany and France to negotiate a possible extension to Brexit until 30 June.Michel Barnier, the EUs Chief Brexit Negotiator, has hinted that a possibility of a long extension to the process  possibly until 31 December 2019  could be granted. However, this has failed to convince many Pound traders.Barnier said:The duration of an extension has got to be in line with or linked to the purpose of such an extension, and that is something I can imagine Mrs May will be telling the leaders tomorrow [during the emergency EU summit] as well.With no notable economic data releases today, many Sterling traders are focusing on cross-party talks within Parliament, and any indications that the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, or the French President, Emmanuel Macron, will provide any hopes for a delay to Brexit.Pound traders will be looking ahead to the publication of the UK manufacturing production figures for February tomorrow, which, however, are expected to slip.These will be followed by the release of the UK industrial production figures for February.Aussie investors, meanwhile, will be awaiting the release of the Australian Westpac Consumer Confidence figures for April, and with any signs of improvement this could see the AUD/GBB exchange rate rise further.The GBP/AUD exchange rate will be dictated by the outcome of the emergency EU summit tomorrow, and any signs that the UK could be granted a Brexit delay would prove positive for the Pound, as no-deal fears would recede.

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STORY LINK Pound to Rand Exchange Rate Falls on IMF Two-Year UK Recession Warning

Pound Sterling (GBP) Exchange Rates Slide as PM Holds Last-Minute Brexit Talks

South African Rand (ZAR) Exchange Rates Rise despite Looming Electricity Supply Crisis

Pound vs. South African Rand Outlook: Will the GBP/ZAR Exchange Rate Slide as UK GDP Stagnates?

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The Pound Sterling to South African Rand exchange rate fell this afternoon, and the pairing is currently trading at an inter-bank rate of R18.3521.This afternoon the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said that a no-deal Brexit would risk a two-year UK recession.In a downbeat half-yearly assessment of the global economy, the IMF predicts the UK economy could be 3.5% smaller than expected by 2021 if trade barriers were swiftly erected.The report stresses that a no-deal Brexit that severely disrupts supply chains and raises trade costs could potentially have large and long-lasting negative impacts on the economies of the United Kingdom and the European Union.This likely dampened sentiment in Sterling, while todays weakness in the US Dollar led to an increase in risk appetite, which buoyed the South African Rand.The Pound slipped as UK Prime Minister Theresa May held talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel this afternoon during a working lunch.The two leaders discussed the UKs request to extend Article 50 to 30 June with the option to leave earlier if a deal is ratified.Later today the Prime Minister is due to hold further last-minute talks with French President Emmanuel Macron.Meanwhile reports suggested that the UK was likely to be offered a Brexit extension until 31 December 2019.However, during the European Union press conference EU Chief Negotiator, Michel Barnier said the EU may not grant a long extension unless May proposes a new approach and is willing to embrace a customs union.On Monday, Bloomberg reported that the current national electricity blackouts may seem trivial in comparison to an electricity-supply crisis that is hanging over South Africa.The supplier of almost all of South Africas power, Eskom will lose more than 25% of its current generating capacity over the next ten years.According to government estimates, replacing that output and adding the capacity to meet South Africas rising demand will cost more than one trillion Rand and take years.Despite Eskom building two new plants, they are running years behind schedule and will not be enough to fill the supply gap as by 2023 a third of Eskoms coal plants will be at the end of their lifespan.On Wednesday, the South African Rand (ZAR) could slide against the Pound (GBP) following the release of South Africas Business Confidence Index.If business confidence slides once again in March, it could dampen sentiment in the Rand.However, the Pound could fall against the South African Rand following the release of the UKs monthly GDP.If Februarys GDP has stalled in the run up to the end of March, the UKs original date of departure from the EU, the Pound South African Rand (GBP/ZAR) exchange rate could slide.

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Britain's National Cyber Security Strategy Beyond 2021

With the UK midway through its second National Cyber Security Programme, focus now needs to consider future strategy beyond the conclusion of the current cycle in 2021.

Clearly much has been achieved in the UK this decade, from the ever-widening network of GCHQ-accredited Academic Centres of Excellence (ACE) across the country, a gradual re-addressment of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects in schools, through to the organisational innovation in setting up the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

The UK has certainly not rested on its laurels in addressing cyber security at the national level. Despite these strides, however, this overwhelmingly domestic focus has left a critical gap that now needs to be addressed: the international arena.

The global WannaCry attack of 2017 should serve to reveal a reality not to be ignored; that UK resilience, no matter how well constructed, can only offer a reactive band aid in a global environment where cybercrime remains rampant and international law is not respected. That environment cannot be allowed to develop without the influence of leading democracies.

To that end, a series of questions should help shape the agenda for an international approach to the next cyber security strategy, chief among them being in what ways can the UK better influence norms and rules in cyberspace? While it is excellent to have a developing pipeline of STEM talent to plug the skills gap across cyber security, the professionals of tomorrow will be overrun if the international environment is either lawless or shaped by fundamentally authoritarian norms.

Serious and concerted political support to efforts like the UN Groups of Government Experts (GGE) is essential to begin rebuilding momentum on dialogue such as the finding the rules of the road initiative championed by then Foreign Secretary William Hague at the 2011 Munich Security Conference.

Alignment with the efforts of NATO to find suitably applicable international law would be another fruitful avenue of not only finding consensus, but working within existing alliance frameworks.

Consensus should very much be built among allies to strengthen any hand at future UN GGE processes. The platforms to advance the agenda already exist; what is missing is bandwidth at the top level of British politics to contribute as needed.

The Missing Dimension in UK Cyber  Our Values

A critical point should be established in the development of cyber security strategy, by refocusing attention on the values that were set out in the 201115 strategy. For the UK to meaningfully contribute in shaping norms, it must promote itself both tangibly through the export of technical expertise and products, but also lead the way in establishing a standard for what behaviour a liberal democracy abides by and expects in cyberspace.

Shaping the international agenda for cyberspace should in the next strategy be as much about aligning the rights of citizens based on core values, the balance between privacy and security paramount among them, as it should be centred on technical requirements such as secure by design for consumers of new tech products. What rights and values does a liberal democratic society subscribe to in the Information Age? To focus on technology without also focusing on the rights of the citizenry risks ceding the political ground entirely to a competing political position.

The New Great Game  The Threat from Cyber Sovereignty

While it may seem an indulgence to focus on norms and not purely on technology, the reasoning lies not in pure abstraction, but in the recognition that the liberal view is under direct challenge from a competing political belief set, Cyber Sovereignty.

Championed by Russia and China, this view directly disputes the multi-stakeholder model that has so far been effective in governing cyberspace, calling instead for direct and exclusive management of cyberspace by nation states. This viewpoint poses a direct threat to the type of cyberspace that was not only originally created by liberal states and underpinned by liberal values, but also any future cyberspace.

Next Steps and Challenges

Two key challenges must be navigated as the next steps in building towards a 2021 cyber security strategy: Brexit; and strategic alignment. In the first instance, Brexit remains the known unknown in the short term, an issue really only because of its uncertainty.

One certainty that can be established, however, is that cyber security remains important regardless of Brexit, and thinking can afford to progress in an almost agnostic manner. When the last strategy was written the idea of a Brexit referendum was not even a political likelihood, the next one must be prepared without worrying about how Brexit may conclude.

This leaves the core challenge of establishing broad strategic alignment. Any future strategy needs to be assessed against a clear political vision for what the UK wants to achieve globally, based on a foundational value set. Strategy is instrumental in nature, helping to turn political vision into reality; UK political leaders must specify an international political vision against which a cyber security strategy can orient its mission effectively.

Without this broad vision underwritten by clear values, the next cyber security strategy risks becoming merely a budgetary exercise that fails to shape the international dynamics framing the development of cyber security for decades to come.

RUSI:

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Naval Hacker Team To Fight Drones

Lifting an idea from the US Army and a name from the Star Wars universe, the US Navy is assembling a team of engineers, researchers, and even hackers to develop ways to fight off swarms of cheap commercial drones. The so-called JYN effort is the latest in a series of steps the Pentagon has taken to speed up development of new systems that can defend against drones that are readily available for purchase and easily modified for war.

This is necessary to enable the Navy to gain a competitive advantage over the commercial advancement of unmanned systems technology and potential for nefarious use against Navy facilities and assets, James Geurts, who leads Navy acquisition, wrote in a March 28 memo.

Navy officials are working with the Defense Digital Service to create a team of highly technologically skilled and driven military and civilianpersonnel to work in collaborative, startup-like spaces to rapidly develop new [counter-drone] products to address the evolving [drone] threats, Geurts wrote.

The project expands the Defense Digital Services successful efforts forming, training, and managing joint-service and Army teams, he wrote.

The Defense Digital Services Army counter-drone project is called Jyn Erso after the character in the Star Wars film Rogue One.

Sailors, Marines, and Department of the Navy civilians can apply for the positions on the counter-drone team. Specifically, they are looking for software engineers, hardware engineers, hackers, security researchers, and other military and civilians with outstanding technical abilities, Geurts wrote.

This is an opportunity to grow the talent within the organisation, leverage top technologists, learn new approaches, and bring them back to the Navy,

The new announcement isnt the first time that the Navy has sought ways to protect ships from swarms of small drones. In 2014, the Navy deployed a 30-kilowatt laser called the XN-1 LaWS aboard the amphibious transport dock Ponce in the Persian Gulf and released test footage of the laser shooting down a ScanEagle drone.

Navy officials liked the idea of fending off enemy drone swarms with a laser that costs about a dollar per shot rather than $750,000 Standard missiles. The Navy bought two more of the lasers at $150 million each, with deployments scheduled for FY 2020.

Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria have weaponised small commercial drones, rigging them with explosives. Last year, a drone was reportedly used in an assassination attempt on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Even unarmed drones can cause chaos, particularly if struck by aircraft traveling at high speeds. In recent months, authorities have shut down major airports in London, Dubai, and Newark after small drones were found in the area.

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(CNN)  Tech executives could be hit with substantial fines and criminal penalties under new rules proposed by the UK government that aim to make the internet safe for children and other vulnerable groups.

The penalties were set out Monday in a government position paper that says the United Kingdom will make internet companies legally responsible for unlawful content and material that is damaging to individuals or the country.

The government said that an independent regulator would be created to enforce the new rules, which focus on removing content that incites violence, encourages suicide or constitutes cyber-bullying. Content related to terrorism and child abuse would face even stricter standards.

Companies would be required to "take reasonable and proportionate action" to address objectionable content on their platforms, the government said in a statement. A "code of practice" would include measures to minimize the spread "of misleading and harmful disinformation with dedicated fact checkers, particularly during election periods," it added.

Europe has taken a much more robust approach to tech regulation than the United States, confronting industry giants over competition issues, data protection, privacy and tax. Calls for stricter regulation have increased recently in the United Kingdom after social media was blamed for the suicide of a British teenager and Facebook failed to stop the live broadcast of a mass killing in New Zealand.

"For too long these companies have not done enough to protect users, especially children and young people, from harmful content," Prime Minister Theresa May said in a statement. "That is not good enough, and it is time to do things differently."

The United Kingdom is casting a wide net. The plan, which the government will continue to develop over the next 12 weeks before proposing as legislation, extends to any company that "allows users to share or discover user generated content or interact with each other."

That would include Twitter and Google video platform YouTube, but also popular internet message boards such as Reddit.

The companies would be required to have an easy and effective complaints function, where users would "receive timely, clear and transparent responses to their complaints." Social media firms would also be forced to publish annual reports on the amount of harmful content on their platforms and explain what they were doing to address the issue.

The government said that the new regulator would be empowered to block access to websites or apps that break the rules, thereby disrupting their business models.

It also said that a "range of options" were being considered for subjecting individual senior managers to civil fines and criminal liability. The proposal suggested that rules governing executives in the financial services industry could be used as a model.

Tech response

Kent Walker, senior vice president at Google, wrote in a blog post earlier this year that the company was seeking to address illegal and harmful content by increasing transparency and working with regulators.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in March that governments and regulators should play a "more active role" online. But he said that a global approach was needed to ensure that "the Internet does not get fractured" and "entrepreneurs can build products that serve everyone."

"Lawmakers often tell me we have too much power over speech, and frankly I agree," he wrote in the Washington Post. "I've come to believe that we shouldn't make so many important decisions about speech on our own."

Rebecca Stimson, Facebook's head of UK public policy, said Monday that new rules should support innovation, the digital economy and freedom of speech. "These are complex issues to get right and we look forward to working with the [UK] government and parliament to ensure new regulations are effective," she said in a statement.

Twitter's UK head of public policy Katy Minshall said in a statement on Monday that the company is "deeply committed" to the safety of its users, touting what she said are "70 changes to our policies and processes last year."

"We look forward to engaging in the next steps of the process, and working to strike an appropriate balance between keeping users safe and preserving the open, free nature of the internet," Minshall said.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "UK to tech execs: Clean up your platforms or face 'substantial' fines."
This WWII vet wants to find, thank the girls who gave him a gift
There can be no doubt that the Government's plans to counter 'Online Harms' unveiled yesterday are based on good intentions. But as the old proverb reminds us, the road to hell is paved with those.

For, no matter how well-meaning, the proposals to regulate the web could give a future less liberal government  perhaps one led by Jeremy Corbyn  the power to clamp down on the thing it most fears: freedom of the Press and free speech.

A week, as they say, is a long time in politics. Just last Friday Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, himself a former Culture Secretary, announced to great fanfare that celebrity human rights lawyer Amal Clooney will be Britain's 'special envoy on media freedom'.

It was supposed to be a signal to the world that Britain will lead the charge against the rise of despotic leaders and the introduction of draconian censorship laws around the world.

Yet three days later, the very same Government of which Mr Hunt is a senior member proposed setting up an official regulator in the UK armed with the sort of repressive powers we associate with totalitarian police states.

Will Special Envoy Clooney lead a designer-heeled demonstration up Whitehall in protest? I wouldn't hold my breath.

Just last Friday Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, himself a former Culture Secretary, announced to great fanfare that celebrity human rights lawyer Amal Clooney (pictured with him at Media Freedom Press announcement) will be Britain's 'special envoy on media freedom', writes MICK HUME

The Online Harms White Paper proposes a sweeping, punitive system of regulation that hopes to remedy a range of problems, from terrorist propaganda and child pornography to 'fake news' and trolling.

In a chilling section that could have been lifted out of George Orwell's 1984, it states the Home Secretary of the day would sign off the rules on terror and child exploitation content.

At the moment, the ostensible targets of these measures are tech giants such as Facebook, Google and Twitter, which have been rightly slated for hosting potentially harmful content.

But give censors an inch and they will take a mile. It would, I predict, be only a matter of time before Britain's proud history of media freedom and freedom of speech lies in tatters.

The White Paper's one-size-fits-all approach would hand extraordinary powers to a new regulator, Ofweb, to fine, restrict and ultimately bar non-compliant websites  regardless of how big they are.

Pictured: Amal Clooney at the G7 meeting in Dinard, France for the launch of the media freedoms campaign

Former Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt, now Foreign Secretary, is pictured at the event in Brittany, France on April 5

This means that the same rules that govern behemoths such as Google and Facebook  both of which have expert in-house legal teams and billions of pounds at their disposal  will apply to any website, however small or harmless, that allows users to post comments.

Tory MP and former Culture Secretary John Whittingdale, writing at the weekend, was completely justified in warning that the proposals risk dragging Britain into a 'draconian censorship regime' more akin to China, Russia or North Korea. No other Western democratic state has countenanced similarly far-reaching controls.

Of course, Theresa May is no Putin-style 'strongman' and current Home Secretary Sajid Javid would make an unlikely Kim Jong-un. But once such an apparatus is in place, what is to stop a future, more regressive government from using those powers for its own political ends?

Imagine Labour's blinkered Home Secretary Diane Abbott, entrusted with overseeing the regulator which enforces the rules for what can and cannot be seen online?

While her hapless TV performances in recent years suggest she may not be much good with numbers, we can have a fair notion of what her No 1 target would be.

Since Jeremy Corbyn took control of the Labour Party in 2015, he has waged a shameless Stalinist war on what he sees as the trouble-making media.

His party may not agree about Brexit or much else, but there are no divisions on Labour's front-bench when it comes to bashing the Press.

Pictured: Russian President Vladimir Putin at a press conference in Moscow today

Deputy leader Tom Watson  himself the recipient of 500,000 of donations in one year from multi-millionaire Max Mosley, an ardent campaigner for stricter Press control  has long crusaded for greater media restrictions.

Years before Watson became Labour's deputy leader, he was a zealous supporter of the celebrity-led Hacked Off campaign for tighter Press regulation.

Back then, he had no qualms about using the victims of phone-hacking as the human shields behind which he could advance his political agenda.

Since his rise to prominence under Corbyn, he has championed the introduction of 'Section 40' measures that would in effect blackmail the media into signing up to Britain's first system of state-backed Press regulation since 1695.

Last summer, in a rare speech spelling out what a Labour government would do, Corbyn also made clear his own disturbing desire for government-approved journalism produced by a tame, state-financed media.

He suggested plans for a special tax on tech giants, not to fund social care or anything useful, but to finance 'public interest journalism' as defined, not by the public, but by a Labour-controlled organisation.

There is no question that the current Labour Party hierarchy would love to nationalise the news to stop the media asking awkward questions of those in power.

'Just because it's on the front page of The Sun or The Mail doesn't automatically make it news,' Corbyn said last summer.

Theresa May is no Putin-style 'strongman' and current Home Secretary Sajid Javid would make an unlikely Kim Jong-un (pictured today). But once such an apparatus is in place, what is to stop a future, more regressive government from using those powers for its own political ends? Asks MICK HUME

What he meant was: 'Just because it's news, doesn't automatically mean it should be allowed on the front page of The Mail.'

Corbyn's contempt for Press freedom has some surprising allies in high places. Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, Britain's top anti-terror cop, last month published an 'open letter' to the media on 'how to report terrorism' following the Christchurch mosque atrocity in New Zealand.

He called for a 'sensible conversation' which seems eminently reasonable. But what ACC Basu was really calling for was powers for the police or other authorities to issue orders to newspapers and TV broadcasters on what they can and cannot publish  something that wouldn't seem out of place in an Orwellian police state.

It's not surprising, therefore, that ACC Basu has expressed his support for the new White Paper. After all, it smoothly followed on from his warning that 'we cannot simply hide behind the mantra of freedom of speech'.

But if there is a 'mantra' being chanted repeatedly in Britain today, it is certainly not in defence of free speech.

Instead, we face a new breed of thought police who preach that society needs even more restrictions on what is permissable to say, hear read and even think.

Freedom of speech and of the Press are the lifeblood of any civilised society. And Britain has led the way in securing those liberties. Our nation's history is awash with heroes who would fight to the death for a free Press, from the Levellers during the English Civil War through to John Wilkes and Thomas Paine in the 18th century.

Brave people went to jail  and even the gallows  to ensure that the Press remained untainted by state interference. Today's politicians would do well to remember their actions.

Racist, sexist and vile online content should always be condemned. But the problem, once you decide to impose new limits, is always the same: who decides where to draw the line?

Should it be the PM or the Home Secretary? A few high court judges? Or Jeremy Corbyn's Shadow cabinet? Or perhaps Simon Cowell and Cheryl?

Or should we just leave it to the unaccountable members of an 'independent' quango such as Ofweb?

When it comes to media regulation, there is no such thing as 'independent'. There are no 'independent' angels hovering on a cloud above the political fray below; everybody has an agenda, an angle, or an axe to grind.

However worthy the motives, every attempt further to restrict freedom of expression inevitably invites more of the same.

Defending media freedom online may not seem the easy, comfortable option. But there is always one thing more harmful than free speech  and that's its opposite.

Mick Hume is the author of Trigger Warning: Is The Fear of Being Offensive Killing Free Speech?

How the new rules work Analysis by Ian Drury for The Daily Mail DUTY OF CARE Under the new rules, tech firms including Facebook, Twitter and Google will have a legal 'duty of care' to users. This will make them responsible for vile content such as child abuse images, 'suicide porn' and extremist propaganda. Failure to remove it could see them fined millions of pounds or even blocked. But as well as the Silicon Valley firms, the proposals apply to any platform that allows users to post comments, including news sites. A WATCHDOG WITH TEETH A regulator, funded by the tech industry, will police the duty of care. It will draw up a legally-enforced code of practice spelling out what social networks and internet companies must do to safeguard users. The independent watchdog will be able to impose penalties and name and shame tech firms that flout the rules. News websites will be covered even though many are already independently regulated. TERROR AND CHILD ABUSE IMAGES Tech firms will face further stringent requirements to ensure child abuse and terrorist content is not disseminated online. The regulator will decide how quickly platforms should remove extremist content, such as the live-streamed New Zealand mosque massacre. Firms must also develop technology to stop certain content getting online. There are fears this could hamper legitimate news coverage or give the Home Secretary powers over what can and can't be said about terrorists. FREEDOM OF SPEECH UNDER THREAT? The White Paper says the regulator will have a legal duty to protect 'freedom of expression', so the crackdown on tech firms is seen by some as a major victory. But there is a risk that a government could use the legislation against opponents and clamp down on dissenting voices on news websites. TROLLING AND DISINFORMATION The proposals would make tech firms tackle 'trolling' and 'disinformation' online. They will also be required to have dedicated fact-checkers, especially during elections. Again this raises the question as to who would decide what is allowed to be said. A malign government could effectively decide the boundaries of public debate  as with the authoritarian regimes in China, Russia and Saudi Arabia. AGE CHECKS Technology firms will have a legal duty to protect children from inappropriate content. They could face significant penalties if they fail to introduce stringent age verification checks. It could mean that millions of children are barred because 40 per cent of under-13s use social media. Advertisement

Critics brand new internet regulation laws the 'most draconian crackdown in the Western democratic world' as they warn it could threaten the freedom of speech of millions of Britons

By Joel Adams for MailOnline

Critics today warn the government's new plan to clean up the internet could be the most draconian crackdown on online free speech in the Western democratic world, and would impact social media users but not the tech firms it is designed to target.

The Online Harms white paper proposes taking sites offline to UK citizens if the sites fall foul of new regulators, and suggests levying massive fines on companies like Facebook and Google and their employees in an effort to crack down on the spread of child abuse images, terrorism, revenge pornography and hate crime.

But campaigners warn the Culture Secretary's stated aim to make the UK the 'safest place in the world to go online' could mean regulators or even algorithms decide what websites or content Britons can see.

Jim Killock, executive director of Open Rights Group told MailOnline: 'We are talking about the potential for the most draconian crackdown in the Western democratic world.

Campaigner Jim Killock, executive director of Open Rights Group, said: 'We are talking about the potential for the most draconian crackdown in the Western democratic world'

'We're talking about banning content that the government won't make illegal  it won't legislate to ban it, but it wants companies to do so.

'They're saying 'we don't like Facebook so we're going to give Facebook more power to regulate our content more', it's a terrible irony.'

The Open Rights Group is a crowd funded organisation which works to protect digital rights including privacy and free speech.

In its analysis of the white paper it warned that 'in its drive to make the internet 'safe', the government seems not to recognise that ultimately its proposals don't regulate social media companies, they regulate social media users.

'The duty of care is ostensibly aimed at shielding children from danger and harm but it will in practice bite on adults too, wrapping society in cotton wool and curtailing a whole host of legal expression.'

The organisation warned that 'governments both repressive and democratic are likely to use the policy and regulatory model that emerge from this process as a blueprint for more widespread internet censorship.'

It said firms would protect themselves by creating filters which blocked the uploading of content which might incur fines - but warned such technology would be incapable of differentiating between abusive or harmful content, and content which was parody, comedy, satire or editorial.

Ex-Culture Secretary John Whittingdale said the new internet reforms risked giving tyrants an excuse to restrict free speech

Mr Killock added: 'The government's proposals would create state regulation of the speech of millions of British citizens.

'We have to expect that the duty of care will end up widely drawn, with serious implications for legal content that is deemed potentially risky, whether it really is nor not.'

Former Culture Secretary John Wittingdale warned the proposals risk dragging Britons into a 'draconian censorship regime', adding: 'This mooted new UK regulator must not give the despots an excuse to claim that they are simply following an example set by Britain.'

Mark Stephens, a media lawyer at Howard Kennedy, said: 'We are the first Western regime to consider this. The only other countries doing this are Saudi Arabia, China, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Russia. It is not appropriate for a Western democracy.'

The proposal to block sites which fall foul of new regulations is one of a slew of reforms set out today in the Government's White Paper on Online Harms, designed to force tech giants such as Facebook, Google and Twitter to clean up harmful material on their platforms.

It also suggests companies could be wiped from internet search results and app stores if they fall foul of the law. In the most serious cases they could be banned from the internet altogether.

Under the new rules, any website which allows users to post content will have a legal 'duty of care' to all users.

The regulations will apply to firms such as Google and Facebook, which have repeatedly come under fire for hosting vile material, including terrorist and paedophile content.

Under new rules, any website which allows users to post content will have a legal 'duty of care' to all users

But they will also apply to smaller websites which allow users to post comments, including blogs, and online news and review sites.

Web firms will be held to account by an independent regulator, which will set out the new code and have the power to hand out severe punishments.

However, the regulator's rules on terror and child exploitation will have to be approved by the Home Secretary.

The Government is launching a consultation on the extent of the regulator's powers, but the paper's proposals include:

Personal fines for individual senior managers at firms which seriously break the rules;

Web firms needing to provide annual reports setting out the amount of harmful content on their platforms;

Civil fines of up to 20million, or 4 per cent of annual turnover, for firms which break the rules;

In the worst circumstances, the regulator could have offending websites blocked by internet service providers, so they cannot be accessed in the UK.

The regulator will also have powers to tackle disinformation  so-called 'fake news'  although the White Paper concedes this has no clear legal definition.

The measures come amid growing concerns that tech giants are damaging democracy with misinformation. They have been criticised for circulating instruction manuals for would-be terrorists, hosting extremist videos and providing a 'service' for paedophiles to direct each other to illegal material.

The Government will say it is considering the extreme measures due to 'the serious nature of the harms in scope and the global nature of online services'. It will add that the threat of disconnecting websites from the internet would 'only be an option of last resort'.

Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright said: 'The era of self-regulation for online companies is over. We want the UK to be the safest place in the world to go online.'

Charities and campaigners welcomed the measures.

NSPCC chief executive Peter Wanless said: 'Social networks have failed to prioritise children's safety. It's high time they were forced to act through this legally binding duty.'

Last night the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said the White Paper had 'no intention' of impacting editorial content.

A spokesman said: 'These measures are not about regulation of the press, they are about tackling online harms and the damage they can do to people's lives. The independent regulator will take a sensible, risk-based approach.'
A businesswoman, who started up her own careers software company, has revealed the sexist behavior she has to put up with from men in the industry.

Kim Aviv, 27, from London started technology company PathFinder in 2017 and admits that startup and technology communities are very oppressive towards women.

The Cambridge university graduate reveals that when applying for funding for her business in 2016 a male venture capitalist asked her 'why she wasn't wearing a skirt, as she had long legs'.

Kim said: 'It is tiring to have your intelligence and capabilities questioned from the very start of a conversation, almost every day, just because of your gender.'

Kim Aviv, 27, from London runs technology company PathFinder and admits that startup community can be quite male orientated

A businesswoman (pictured) who has started up her own technology company has revealed the sexist behavior she has to put up with on a daily basis from men in the industry

Kim explains one of her experiences: 'It wasnt easy to ensure that I was taken seriously, and on one occasion, despite having consciously chosen to wear trousers to a meeting to de-gender myself, a VC executive asked me why I wasn't wearing a skirt with my long legs.

'Im from Israeli and Im very honest  it was a challenge to not snap back with what I wanted to say.'

In the end she bit her tongue and decided not to say anything - in a bid to make sure she didn't burn any bridges.

Graduating from Cambridge with a Masters in Real Estate in late 2016 she had the idea for her business while still at university. But, she said her idea of starting a business, didn't go down well with male colleagues.

Kim with her dad when she graduated in November 2016 from Cambridge university

'When I said early on that I wanted to start my own business one male friend, who also was thinking of starting a business, said to another friend about my project "oh she probably doesnt think shes going to make it in her own field"'.

'That was his view, he didnt see that I had guts to strike out on my own. Men dont get questioned as much as women do about why they want to start up a business.'

Her experiences come as The Student Room reveals that by the age of 21, there are twice as many male entrepreneurs than there are females.

Kim regularly speaks at a business conference with other female entrepreneurs (left) and (right) Kim graduated from Cambridge with a Masters in Real Estate in late 2016

Kim's graduation day with her family. She said she she started up her careers company as when she was a student she received very generic and poor career guidance from her school and university

Thankfully she did manage to raise investment, which came from from five male Angel investors, rather than VC's, 'I have the utmost appreciation and respect for them, but following my experiences, I believe that the startup community as a whole and the tech sector in particular is seriously oppressive towards females.'

'Often it felt like it was a lost battle, and there wasnt a way to win respect.'

Since officially starting her company in 2017 she now has three other staff members, one of which is her business partner - a 25-year-old programmer, who is a woman. Kim says that, despite being great at her job as a programmer she constantly comes up against men who think that they are better than her.

Kim believes that the startup community and the tech sector in particular is oppressive towards females

Kim and her colleagues giving out leaflets and spreading the word about her career company Pathfinder - which gives practical advice to university students

Kim says she started up her careers company as when she was a student she received very generic and poor career guidance from her school and university.

'Despite excelling academically, I found myself anxious and confused throughout my studies. I had no idea what industry I wanted to work in, which internships or jobs I could apply for, and how or what to prepare for interviews and assessments.

'Justifiably or not, I felt at a constant disadvantage as some of my peers presented strong commercial awareness and market understanding, I - on the other hand - was just a confused student.

'The competition was paralysing. There was also a constant fear in the back of my head that I would graduate without a direction and waste years trying to find fulfilment.

Kim (middle) joined the panel of businesswomen to talk about working in the tech and start up community

'Pathfinder came out of a personal frustration with the current careers industry, I wanted to give students, graduates, and career changers the opportunity to make informed choices and provide them with recommendations as well as preparation materials that are personalised to their needs, industry choices, and personality.

'Beyond that grand vision of finally bringing transparency to career paths, I also wanted to execute a strategy, to build a product, and to enjoy knowing that every effort I put into the business has an impact. That sensation of achievement is unparalleled.

'It is frustrating to see lesser startups that are male-run raise more capital, just because of gender. I overcome these hurdles every single day as a female business owner and yearn for the day where my gender wouldnt play a role in how I am perceived and respected,' Kim said.
A mother has revealed her heartbreak after she found out her baby will not live 'past two years old'.

Maddyson Brown, from Sydney, gave birth to her daughter Lacey five months ago, and while she thought at first she just had problems with her hearing, she later found out that Lacey had terminal type 2 Gaucher disease.

This a rare and genetic disease that means Lacey will not not live 'past two years old'.

'Our world was completely torn apart,' Maddy told FEMAIL.

The mum-of-two is now rushing to create as many memories with her daughter as possible before she loses her forever.

A mother has revealed her heartbreak after she found out her baby will not live 'past two years old' (Maddyson pictured with her daughter, Lacey)

Maddyson Brown gave birth to her daughter Lacey (pictured) five months ago, andbshe later found out that Lacey had terminal type 2 Gaucher disease

Maddy explained that she didn't notice anything especially the matter with her daughter until the beginning of January when she developed a cough (Lacey pictured with her older sister)

Maddy explained that she didn't notice anything especially the matter with her daughter until the beginning of January this year when she developed a cough.

'We took her to the doctors to get checked and they said she probably has a virus she would get over,' Maddy said.

'The cough continued for about 3/4 weeks and then we noticed Lacey's breathing was unusual when she slept so we took her up to Bathurst base, where they noticed she has a large spleen and liver, and also a lazy eye.'

Now, Maddy, her partner and their other daughter are trying to make as many memories with little Lacey before they lose her - they want to take her to the beach (the Brown family pictured)

Lacey is still at Westmead Children's Hospital, where she will remain for another month, before heading home with a CPAP machine to help her to breathe (pictured with her sister)

What is Gaucher disease? * Gaucher (go-SHAY) disease is the result of a buildup of certain fatty substances in certain organs, particularly your spleen and liver. This causes these organs to enlarge and can affect their function. * The fatty substances also can build up in bone tissue, weakening the bone and increasing the risk of fractures. If the bone marrow is affected, it can interfere with your blood's ability to clot. * There are different types of Gaucher disease, and signs and symptoms of disease vary widely, even within the same type. Type 1 is by far the most common. * More rarely, Gaucher disease affects the brain, which can cause abnormal eye movements, muscle rigidity, swallowing difficulties and seizures. One rare subtype of Gaucher disease (type 2) begins in infancy and typically results in death by two years of age. Source: Mayo Clinic Advertisement

Within weeks, Lacey was 'coughing and choking' to the point where she 'started going blue and limp'.

As the nervous parents awaited the results of blood tests to find out what was wrong, Maddy said her daughter 'had an episode so bad that she turned completely blue'.

Lacey was swiftly airlifted to Westmead Children's Hospital where she had more tests and was then diagnosed with Gaucher disease type 2.

This is a rare genetic disease that is the result of a buildup of certain fatty substances in certain organs, particularly your spleen and liver.

Now, Maddy, her partner and their other daughter are trying to make as many memories with little Lacey before they lose her.

'Time is not on our side and we would like to have as many memories as possible with our baby girl,' Maddy said.

The parents are currently writing a bucket list of experiences they want to do with Lacey before she dies - which includes taking Lacey on a 'trip to the beach' for her first trip.

'It rips my heart into pieces to say it out loud but it could help us comfortably say goodbye to our precious baby girl,' mum Maddy said (Lacey pictured with her sister)

Maddy and her partner also want to take some time off work in order to look after Lacey:

'It rips my heart into pieces to say it out loud but it could help us comfortably say goodbye to our precious baby girl,' she said.

'I would give her my life if I could. No parent or child should have to go through this.'

They recently had a family photo shoot, which was carried out by a friend of the family Gabriella Watson.

'This disease is horrific and she does not deserve this cruel fate,' Maddy said. 'All we can do is enjoy our girl while we have her' (the Brown family pictured)

Right now, Lacey is still at Westmead Children's Hospital, where she will remain for at least another month, before heading home with a CPAP machine to help her to breathe.

'She is currently on a kangaroo pump (feeding pump with NG tube) and is being assessed for PEG stomach surgery (an endoscopic procedure in which a tube is passed into the stomach used for feeding bypassing the mouth and throat),' a friend of the family, Rachel March, said.

Rachel has also set up a GoFundMe page to help with costs that the family will incur through hospital tests and treatment.

At present, they have raised $14,000 of a $50,000 goal.

'This disease is horrific and she does not deserve this cruel fate,' Maddy said. 'All we can do is enjoy our girl while we have her.'

To keep up to date with Lacey's journey, follow Rachel March here and Maddy Brown here.
A woman who struggled to find love before she turned 35, has decided to become a solo mother after undergoing IVF treatment.

Executive assistant, Sarah, 39, from Melbourne, said she wanted to do parenting on her own out of fear of waiting too long for love to become a mother.

She told her younger self that if she hadn't met 'the one' by the time she was 35, then she would have a baby as a solo mother.

And last year, she fell pregnant with a baby boy after just one round of IVF treatment - and she's due to give birth next month.

Executive assistant, Sarah (pictured), 39, from Melbourne, said she decided to turn to IVF to become a solo mother out of fear of waiting too long for love

After struggling to fall in love before she turned 35, Sarah decided to become a solo mother after undergoing IVF treatment (pictured at her baby shower on March 17)

Sarah lived in London for a couple of years in her early thirties, during which she fell in love with a Londoner who worked for the British Army.

But as her two years came to a close, Sarah's visa ran out and she returned to Australia, which put too much of a strain on their romance, bringing it to an end.

'I've been lucky enough to have been in love, but unfortunately, chose a complicated relationship with him being in the British Army and from the UK,' Sarah said.

'My visa was running out in London and I had to return back to Australia. Unfortunately, our long-distance relationship couldn't survive. It's one of those relationships where I will always look back and wonder what if.'

Since then, Sarah said she has never felt a spark with any man she dated.

'From there, I dated on and off throughout my thirties and tried online dating but could never find that "spark". I met some great guys, but I think you get to a point where you know what makes a great relationship, so why settle until you find it?

'I think as we get older, we get fussier. Sometimes there's just that instant connection and it's easy - no games and it's as simple as that. I wanted to find that again. Not waiting three days to message each other, playing games or continuing to date other people.'

As she saw her sisters with their children, she began to realise she wanted to start a family of her own.

The now 39-year-old expectant mother showing an ultrasound image of her unborn baby boy

She told her younger self that if she hadn't met 'the one' by the time she was 35 then she would look into IVF, and last year that became Sarah's reality

'Throughout my twenties and early thirties, I wouldn't say I was broody or desperate to have a baby. It was only when I started seeing my sisters have their children that I realised I wanted something more for myself,' she said.

'I didn't want to miss out on the chance of having my own family. As fabulous as my life was, I wanted a new direction and I couldn't imagine not having my own little one.

'When I thought about looking into becoming a solo mum by choice, I knew that it didn't mean my dating life would be over forever. Who knows what the future would hold for me? But I knew for certain that I didn't have time to waste if I did want to have a baby.'

I didn't want to miss out on the chance of having my own family. As fabulous as my life was, I wanted a new direction and I couldn't imagine not having my own little one

And so she started looking into IVF treatment in 2017 and later started treatment in July 2018, using an anonymous sperm donor.

Sarah didn't want to miss out on the opportunity of becoming a mother and felt that she didn't have time to waste.

'First, I saw my normal doctor, had some tests done and then I was referred to a fertility specialist. I went into IVF with a positive attitude, thinking that if it's meant to be, it will be,' she said.

'In July 2018 I had eight eggs removed and fertilised, then in September I found out that this little man chose me to be his mum.'

The now 39-year-old woman is due to give birth to her first baby in May

In September 2018 she found out that her first IVF attempt had been successful and she's expecting her first child, a son, in May 2019

In September 2018 she found out that her first IVF attempt had been successful and she's expecting her first child, a son, in May 2019.

'I was shocked, to be honest, I didn't think it was going to work first time and I was prepared to unfreeze another embryo. I was very lucky to have it work first time; it was meant to be,' she said.

I didn't think it was going to work first time and I was prepared to unfreeze another embryo. I was very lucky to have it work first time; it was meant to be

Through sharing her journey as a solo mum by choice on Instagram, Sarah wants to show others that family dynamics differ and she may be without a father for her son, but that doesn't make them any less of a family unit.

Sarah said she's proud to do parenting alone and hopes that she encourages other women not to leave their chances at motherhood too late on the hopes of falling in love with 'the one'.

On March 17, Sarah's friends and family attended her baby shower to celebrate her impending motherhood. They had plenty of food, cakes and balloons following a blue colour scheme.

However, since picking out a name for her son, she hopes not to meet a man with the same name in case it ruins the name for her.

Sarah said she's proud to do parenting alone and hopes that she encourages other women not to leave their chances at motherhood too late on the hopes of falling in love with 'the one'

On March 17, Sarah's friends and family attended her baby shower to celebrate her impending motherhood

'I have one name picked out, which means I'm not allowed to meet anyone with the same name in the next six weeks who could ruin that name for me,' she said.

She said the pregnancy has been 'very easy and normal'.

I announced that I made the decision to be a solo mum by choice. I was prepared for there to be some backlash about children needing fathers... I received nothing but support and encouragement

'During the first trimester I suffered with nausea and bloating, but that was it. Now approaching the end of my third trimester, I'm just tired and starting to struggle with back pain. It's really opened my eyes to how amazing women are and the strength they have,' she said.

'My due date is May 16, but I won't go over the 40 weeks due to it being an IVF baby and a 'geriatric pregnancy' as I am over the age of 35 so it's considered a higher risk.'

She said the support she received so far has been overwhelming.

'I announced on social media that I made the decision to be a solo mum by choice. I was prepared for there to be some backlash about children needing fathers, but I received nothing but support and encouragement,' she said.

'My family have always been extremely supportive of the idea. My mum is the most beautiful woman and has been there since the beginning. She has come to all my appointments, researched everything so she knew what step I was at and she will be at the birth of bubs.'

At six months pregnant, the excited expectant mother showing off her blossoming baby bump

At her baby shower, she had plenty of food, cakes and balloons following a blue colour scheme

Sarah admits that some people might question her decision to raise her son without a father, but she hopes to broaden people's minds to the idea of family diversity and even encourage other women not to delay their own motherhood and risk it never happening.

'I think there are so many different types of families these days and it doesn't matter as long as they are raised with love. It's becoming more common for women to go it alone,' she said.

I think there are so many different types of families these days and it doesn't matter as long as they are raised with love. It's becoming more common for women to go it alone

'A lot of people remark that I'm brave or that they admire me for doing it. But I'm just like anyone else who went after what they want. I won't know any different, it will just be me and bubs on this journey, and that's our normal.

'I debated long and hard about sharing my story on Instagram, but I hoped that by sharing my story, it may help someone thinking about IVF or becoming a solo mum.

'I think it's important to raise awareness and be open and upfront about these things. I'm not ashamed of my journey, if anything I'm proud to undertake it on my own. Life's too short to miss out on something you want to do.

Sarah admits that some people might question her decision to raise her son without a father, but she hopes to broaden people's minds to the idea of family diversity

' For anyone who's keen to become a solo parent, Sarah said: 'Don't leave it too late'

'I will be upfront with bubs from the beginning as I don't want to leave it until he's older. I've already purchased some books to try to explain it from the start, especially about being just him and I and needing the help of the donor to make him.

There will never be "the right time" because you will never have enough money, support or security. Don't wait because your fertility window isn't there forever, as frustrating as that is

'My biggest message to him will be that I wanted him so badly that I needed help from someone special to make him. There's also lots of support out there from counselling, websites and other groups to help guide me on this path when we do start talking about it.'

For anyone who's keen to become a solo parent, Sarah said: 'Don't leave it too late. Start by just having a chat with your doctor and some initial tests, there's no harm in that. Also, if you do want to become a solo mum by choice, then you are stronger than you think.

'There will never be "the right time" because you will never have enough money, support or security. Don't wait because your fertility window isn't there forever, as frustrating as that is.

'Right now, I just want to meet my little man and start my new journey as a mum.'
Meg Henderson with her husband Jack before his stroke

In another life, many moons ago, when I was working in Cardio-Vascular Medicine, I heard a woman talking to a doctor at her husband's follow-up appointment.

He had had a stroke and she was suggesting, very mildly, that he was somehow 'different'.

The doctor replied imperiously, 'at least you've got him home alive, you should be grateful', suggesting that she was an unappreciative hag and making her feel guilty.

In reality though he knew her husband had changed, but he did not consider it his business to admit it to her.

I have no idea what she did after that rather cruel brush-off, but I have an inkling all these years later of what she was going through.

My husband, Jack, recently had a stroke and his personality has changed to the point where, after a very long marriage, I genuinely have no idea who he is.

Personality Change happens after any form of brain damage, as Beverley Turner, Olympic oarsman James Cracknell's wife discovered.

In 2010 James was hit by a lorry in America and suffered damage to the frontal lobes of his brain and, as Beverley said: 'Every moment of my life was devoted to getting James back to the person he was.'

We all do that, but the breathtaking selfishness she describes is something that many families find difficult to cope with. It is total, added to by self-absorption.

Jack was never ill, even when he was, he just refused to give into it and rode it out.

After the stroke he sat in his special chair, with vast amounts of medication laid out on his special table, telling anyone, everyone all about it.

To this day he loves nothing more than describing his every symptom, and expects the minute details of even blowing his nose to be of interest to the universe.

Not only did he become an invalid, he embraced it, it's who he now is, and it's heart breaking.

He genuinely doesn't care about anyone else, only about himself, and nothing, absolutely nothing, comes before what he wants or needs.

James Cracknell's determination to be the oldest oarsman to win Sunday's Boat Race seemed to have followed the same selfish pattern  what he wanted. And who cares about anyone else, including wife and children?

Though the Cracknells tried to save their marriage, their split was confirmed in early April, after 17 years and three children.

At one point, Beverley said, she was afraid he was going to kill her, and after researching the subject, she realised she was not alone, that 75 per cent of couples split after similar brain damage PCs (post-concussion syndrome).

It's a nasty little secret that the medical fraternity keeps from families  I know because I was one of them.

To put it brutally, the view then as now was that stroke victims died or we got them well enough to go home, if possible.

Jack was never ill, even when he was, he just refused to give into it and rode it out, Meg says

Either way the aim was to get them out of our wards, in a box or back to their unsuspecting families.

Unsuspecting because they were not and, I discovered, still are not told about PCs, they are simply left to cope without knowing what they are coping with.

I knew about them but even so I'm struggling badly with this person I'm looking after 24 hours a day.

Recently I spoke to a man who told me his father had a stroke three years ago, 'and he's turned into a right miserable, sadistic b*****d. He's deliberately running my mother into the ground, she'll die before he does'.

I wondered for a moment if we could be related, then I asked if anyone had mentioned PCs to the family. He looked at me blankly. 'Go to your GP,' I said, 'and ask about PCs after a stroke.'

A good friend, an old colleague who is now a Professor of Medicine, remarked, 'these things strike suddenly and they always devastate', which was something of an understatement.

Jack had put the car away after a shopping trip, then I walked into the sitting room and found him on the floor, barely conscious.

I quickly diagnosed the problem and got him to hospital within 30 minutes, heeding the conventional wisdom to get stroke victims help as quickly as possible.

I didn't know if he was having a brain haemorrhage or a blood clot but it was crucial to find out.

Within an hour he had regained some movement of his left side  there had been a clot on the right side of his brain  and I thought, 'well, at least he'll be able to talk', a stroke on the left can Jack patients of speech.

I was clutching at straws, thinking ahead, trying to convince myself that regaining movement might mean the stroke was so slight that there wouldn't be PCs.

It was a false hope, though the clot didn't show up on the various tests it must have been deep in the brain cortex and the PCs would develop.

It was a strange experience watching the effects become apparent, like a bruise that surfaced and spread over time.

Gradually, though I couldn't put my finger on it at first, I felt him almost disassociating himself from me, and a man who all his life avoided doctors and wouldn't take an aspirin was only interested in the company of doctors and nurses.

To them he was a wonderful, plucky chap, to me he was silent, which was very odd.

Wives of post-stroke men often say, 'he's fine to everyone else, to me he's a monster', in fact I have known of some who hit and punched wives who were doing their best to look after them.

Jack had always talked and joked to a fault, he was bright, jovial, lively, sociable and always on the go, I often wished he would be quiet.

If he saw or heard something funny he had to comment and his remarks were always witty and amusing, everybody wanted to talk to him and he never let them down.

Very quickly after the stroke he became this other person, silent, slow, devoid of humour, totally selfish and, very disconcertingly, a hypochondriac.

I was no longer his wife, I became a cross between nurse/housekeeper/mother/serf. He became a child.

On 'good' days I'm dealing with a badly behaved six-year-old, on 'normal' days he's three or four.

Just like a child he follows me about in case I disappear, not out of affection but because he needs to be cared for 24/7 and I'm IT.

There is no affection, which in a way is a relief, I would find it difficult coping with affection from a total stranger.

There is no conversation either, and if I try to talk to him he ignores me or has a tantrum, yelling angrily at me for no reason.

The only time he actually talks to me is to criticise or complain, nothing I do, give him or cook for him pleases him, he finds fault with absolutely everything.

One of the things I miss dearly is normal adult conversation. He is demanding, selfish, unappreciative and, at times, quite horrible, and that's the honest truth.

The mantra I try to keep in mind is, 'it's not his fault, he can't help it, don't take it personally', but that's hard when you are exhausted.

We have no shared interests now, no arguments about politics and social issues, all he can cope with are old comedies on TV that he used to despise, and programmes about diggers, or lorries with big wheels.

And he isn't depressed, through no fault of his own he just isn't who he used to be. Our GP, talking undiplomatically to one of her own, said recently, 'the problem is that you're able to give him a professional level of care, he could go on like this for years'.

Tests have proved he has capacity, which prompted the same GP to remark, 'pity, you'd qualify for more support if he had Dementia'.

The man he was did not want to live like this though, we talked about it often over the years, but I don't know this man so I don't know what he wants, apart from my constant attention.

The stroke has robbed him of many memories and all his strengths, leaving only his childhood weaknesses, which have become his strengths.

I am now at home 24/7 and the only help on offer is some form of respite, but he has a fear of being put in residential care and is convinced that respite is the first step to abandoning him, so he adamantly refuses to consider it.

It's been explained to him that if my health fails with the constant work, lack of sleep etc, he'll end up in residential care anyway, but children expect, demand, that 'Mummy' must always cope, and that is how he thinks.

Just mentioning respite makes him even clingier and, if forced on him, I know that whoever he is, this man is vicious enough to make my life more miserable, so it's not worth it.

I have lost my husband and have been gifted this strange, unpleasant individual who every day tires out every cell in my body.

A friend said recently, 'well you did promise 'In sickness and in health,' and I did, but I promised it to Jack, not to this man. This man I would never have married.

I have lost my husband and have been gifted this strange, unpleasant individual who every day tires out every cell in my body, Meg says

When I spoke to my professor friend about the policy of not telling families about PCs he said: 'Come on Meggie, you know we don't deal with mental stuff. People can always get a psychiatric referral.'

Not that they are told this either, of course, so I asked: 'Will a psychiatrist wave a magic wand and make them into who they were?'

'Well', he said sheepishly, 'no...' The reason families are not told about PCs is, as ever, because, 'that's not our job. If they live we get them as fit as possible and that's it'.

Quite. Women can suffer PCs too, but, as the good Prof informed me, 'it's been noticed that when men have a stroke they lose the controlling influence of some part of the cortex and regress to uninhibited childish behaviour'.

When these men return home their wives are left to believe that the changes they see are somehow their fault, caused by something they are doing or not doing, that they are failing in caring for their men.

Younger women, faced with losing decades of their lives caring 24/7 while often taking quite severe abuse from men they don't know, tend to leave and, naturally, get pilloried by those who know nothing.

Older women tend to stay, either out of loyalty or lack of options. I did talk to one woman who left at the age of 65 after five years caring for a post stroke husband.

She was roundly criticised and disowned by all sides of the family but said she had no regrets, it was hard to do but she had got her life back.

I envy her but I couldn't do it. This man is no longer my husband but he once was, so I'll see it out  unless he sees me out, which is a possibility.

We should be doing better by these patients and their families by now. There are endless, very expensive media campaigns advising the public on how to recognise the signs of a stroke and get the patient to hospital quickly, but I now wonder if the money would be better used by something else, like Mental Health for instance.

If stroke survivors are going to be abandoned afterwards, together with their unfortunate families, I can see a case for simply letting them sink or swim  live or die.

As my son said recently, 'it won't matter when he dies, Dad died the day he had the stroke'. Sad, but true and not just for my family but for many, many more who suffer in silence, afraid of being trolled. I am not.
Michelle Pfeiffer has taken on a new role as a clean beauty guru with the launch of her unisex fragrance line, Henry Rose, after giving up perfume for 10 years because she wasn't sure if it was safe.

A number of celebrities have developed their own fragrance lines over the years, but the 60-year-old actress has gone one step further by creating a company that is '100 per cent transparent' about the ingredients in its products.

Michelle appeared on the Today show Monday to promote Henry Rose, explaining that her new line has 'been a long time in the making.'

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Clean beauty: Michelle Pfeiffer, 60, launched her new unisex fragrance line, Henry Rose, on Monday. Henry Rose is '100 per cent transparent' about its ingredients

Collection: Henry Rose is currently offering five different scents: Last Light, Torn, Dark is Night, Fog, and Jake's House. Each bottle retails for $120

'About 20 years ago when I became a new mom, like a lot of new parents, I started paying more attention to the products that I was exposing my kids to and began to look for safer options for the family,' she recounted.

'Twenty years ago that was a bigger challenge then it is today.'

The actress, who shares two children, Claudia Rose, 26, and John Henry Pfeiffer, 24, with her husband, producer David E. Kelley, said she came across the Environmental Working Groups Skin Deep database and 'went down the rabbit hole.'

'Fragrance would pop up and it would get a really, really high hazard level, and so I took that to mean, well, all fragrance must be really, really toxic,' she recalled.

'Well, of course, that turns out not be exactly true. It's was the lack of transparency.'

Michelle gave up fragrance for years and even turned down lucrative enforcement deals because she couldn't find enough data on perfume ingredients.

Meant to be: Michelle appeared on the Today show Monday to promote Henry Rose , explaining that her new line has 'been a long time in the making'

Turn off: Michelle began paying attention to the products she was using after she became a mom. She found there was a lack of transparency when it came to fragrance ingredients

Last year a report from Breast Cancer Prevention Partners listed perfumes among the products that contain chemicals with long-term health concerns, including some it claims can affect fetal development when pregnant women are exposed.

In 2010, after years of missing perfume, she decided to develop a brand that she would be open about its ingredients, but she quickly reached a 'dead end.'

She told Bloomberg that one fragrance house said it could only be 75 per cent transparent.

'Whats that? Its like being 75 percent organic,' she said.

Michelle ended up shelving the idea until she met with Ken Cook, co-founder and president of the Environmental Working Group.

Smells good! Today anchor Hoda Kotb couldn't resist leaning over and taking a whiff of the Henry Rose perfume on Michelle's wrist

Inspiration: Henry Rose is a combination of her children's middle names. Michelle and her husband David E. Kelley are pictured with their kids Claudia Rose and John Henry in 2007

She means business: The actress didn't wear perfume for 10 years over safety concerns

Although he initially thought what she was doing was near impossible, she took a seat on EWG's board, and they started meeting with fragrance houses together.

'I realized that to meet the EWG Verified safety standards, I needed them at the table with me throughout the process,' she explained on the Henry Rose website.

'After a lot of false starts and dead ends we finally found our partners in IFF, a luxury fragrance house, and made a list of high quality ingredients we could trust.

'Then, we upped the ante and got the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute involved, to make sure we met their standards too.'

Goal: Michelle partnered with luxury fragrance house IFF to create a line of scents that would meet the EWG Verified safety standards

Process: The Batman Returns star admitted it was a 'huge challenge' for perfumers to create a fine fragrance with a limited number of ingredients

The company boasts that Henry Rose, which is named after her children's middle names, is the first line of fragrances to be both EWG Verified and Cradle to Cradle Certified Gold, but she stressed that the process wasn't easy.

'It was a huge challenge for everyone, especially our perfumers,' she explained.

'I was demanding the same level of mastery and quality as other fine fragrances, while also limiting the palette of ingredients that they typically formulate with from 3,000 to about 300.'

Henry Rose is currently offering five different scents: Last Light, Torn, Dark is Night, Fog, and Jake's House. Each bottle retails for $120 and is 'meant to evoke a personal memory, person, place or feeling' that she loves.

Michelle told Refinery29 that Jake's House was inspired by the smell in her grandparents' bathroom in North Carolina.

Memories: Michelle said each Henry Rose scent is 'meant to evoke a personal memory, person, place or feeling' that she loves

One-of-a-kind: Henry Rose boasts it is the first line of fragrances to be both Environmental Working Group (EWG) Verified and Cradle to Cradle Certified Gold

'My grandfather's name is Jake,' she explained. 'It smells very soap-y and clean.'

The Old Spice Michelle's father used to wear was the inspiration behind Torn, while Fog evokes memories of her summers in San Francisco.

Michelle, who recently joined Instagram, took to social media on Monday to introduce her new fragrance line.

'From the beginning, fragrance has been shrouded in mystery. Today, we are cracking open the last black box of transparency in personal care,' she wrote. 'Im so pleased to introduce @henryrose, a journey I've been on for nearly a decade.

'Henry Rose is the first line of genderless fine fragrances to be both EWG Verified and Cradle to Cradle Gold certified, proving you do not need to sacrifice quality for safety. I couldnt be more excited to finally share our secrets with all of you.'
An Australian millionaire who is searching for a 'personal assistant' to travel the world with him as he grows his online businesses has received a staggering 40,000 job applications.

Matthew Lepre, who makes $120,000 a month from four successful e-commerce stores, wants to hire someone to oversee his companies while enjoying luxurious travel arrangements for $52,000 (base rate) a year.

And there have been no shortage of applications from men and women hoping to be chosen for what the 26-year-old from Sydney has dubbed 'the coolest job in the world'.

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Matthew Lepre (pictured), who makes $120,000 a month from four successful e-commerce stores, wants to hire someone to oversee his companies

And there have been no shortage of young Australian women wanting to be chosen for what the 26-year-old from Sydney has dubbed 'the coolest job in the world'

'I have received over 40,000 applications from people all around the world. I have definitely received far more applications from women (75 per cent) than men (25 per cent) and even a few marriage proposals too,' he told FEMAIL from his private villa in Koh Samui, Thailand.

From what he can tell many of the job hunters are millennials (aged between 23 and 37), with the majority being women from Australia, followed by the United States, UK, Italy, South America and Asia.

'A lot of people who are applying say in their application that they are working the 9-5 rat race and want to escape corporate life and are ready to bring the skills they have learnt to this role, while travelling the world with me,' he said.

From what he can tell many of the job hunters are millennials (aged between 23 and 37), with the majority being women from Australia

What will set the lucky winner apart from the rest? * A down to earth person that wants the job to learn and not so much for the lifestyle. * This isn't a 9-5 job. I am not looking for someone who wants regular office hours. The role involves a lot of travelling and therefore normal office hours don't really apply. However, there are the perks of days off in amazing countries. * Great at thinking on their feet while on the go. Often days when we are travelling require lots of tasks to be done at once - from confirming travel arrangements to finalising coaching meetings that I have with my clients via Skype - life on the road never stops. Advertisement

Since the start of April Mr Lepre has been living a dreamy existence in a three-story beach villa in Thailand.

He starts each day with a meditation watching the sun rise, then reads through his vision journal that outlines photos of his dreams and aspirations - with living in Koh Samui for a month being one of the goals he set for himself two years ago.

Then it's time for a gym workout, beach swim and breakfast at a nearby wholefoods cafe.

But it's not all infinity pools and personalised cocktails in Thailand, with Mr Lepre spending a few hours each day, thanks to Skype, showing clients how they can achieve the same level of freedom with their e-commerce stores.

The end of the day will follow with a massage and then dinner and bedtime, ready to repeat again the next day.

But it's not all infinity pools and personalised cocktails in Thailand, with Mr Lepre spending a few hours each day, thanks to Skype, showing clients how they can achieve the same level of freedom with their e-commerce stores

Mr Lepre has been sharing Vlogs on his YouTube channel that show his prospective work colleague what their life might be like in his company

Mr Lepre has been sharing Vlogs on his YouTube channel that show his prospective work colleague what their life might be like in his company.

But the self-made man will never forget where he came from, explaining that being raised by a single mother in Sydney's Western suburbs meant he grew up relying on meal drops from The Salvation Army in his youth.

'Life is always about giving back to those less fortunate than you and I am always thankful to those who supported my mum and I during the dark days when times were tough financially,' he said.

Previously, Mr Lepre explained how the $52,000 salary his personal assistant would receive was just the beginning.

His lifestyle allows him to travel the world and he's now advertising for what might arguably be the coolest job in the world

Mr Lepre is an e-commerce mastermind - who makes a cool $120,000 a month - and he says business couldn't be better

'Salary will be based on the person's experience but the base rate is in addition to travel and accommodation expenses. Health insurance benefits are paid for by me separately,' he said.

He said his new employee could expect to travel to a different country every few months so they'd need a valid passport for the next year.

The opportunity would allow the lucky applicant to experience the cultures of all these places as well as help him spread the word on how it's possible to live your dream life.

'Travelling while I work has allowed me to live my ideal life, and I want to give someone the opportunity to do the same alongside me,' Mr Lepre said.

One of the benefits of running a internet-based business is your office can literally be anywhere in the world

He said the sort of person that would be perfect for the job needs to not only love travelling but be able to carry out a host of other duties.

'They should be computer savvy, have proven social media capabilities, organised, willing to learn and ambitious.'

He added the sort of person he really needs by his side should be someone who is willing to step outside their comfort zone.

The businessman is proof that taking risks can pay off; at 23 he dropped out of uni because he wanted to make it on his own.

In the past year, Matthew Lepre has spent his time exploring Japan, Dubai, Hawaii

His success was built on his determination to learn as much as he could from the best professionals.

Mr Lepre lives the life many dream about but recognises that life at the top is busy - which is why having the right person at his side is a must.

'I'm looking for someone to join in all of my adventures. I love what I do, and I love exploring new places,' he said.

'But life is now definitely getting busy and I'm looking for a reliable person to assist me with my day to day business activities, while we are on the go.'

Living the life: Although Mr Lepre looks as if he's casually relaxing in yet another exotic location, he's always working hard to drum up new business

While it might sound like a job that doesn't require all that much effort, it's worth bearing in mind Mr Lepre is at the top of his game because of his incredible work ethic.

'I do a lot of work every day, but I operate on a philosophy of work hard, play harder,' he said.

'They would have to be someone who works hard but is also fun and spontaneous.'

The entrepreneur says potential applicants should subscribe to his YouTube channel in order to get a handle on what he does and what they'd need to do

Those wanting to make sure they've got what it takes will need to subscribe to Mr Lepre's YouTube channel.

He said doing this will give a prospective applicant a good understanding of what he does and they can see if their temperament and skills might be a match.

'Applicants need to have a good understanding on what I do which they can see through my YouTube channel.'

To apply for this position, please visit ecomwarrior.com. You can also follow Mr Lepre's travels on Instagram.


A luxury shoe company has been criticised online after releasing a pair of kitten healed flipflops that cost 455.

The sandals by posh brand Gianvito Rossi, which is loved by the royals, led to one unimpressed person on Twitter dubbing them 'disgraceful'.

The simple pair of leather shoes come in tan, white and black and are exclusively for sale on luxury site Net-a-Porter.

A tweet about the fancy footwear from a New York fashion writer was met with ridicule by fashion fans who seemed to fear that the noughties staple could be returning to their wardrobes this summer.

Celebrities including Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears and Kim Kardashian have all been spotted wearing the distinctive style of shoes.

A luxury shoe company has been criticised online after releasing a pair of kitten healed flipflops that cost 455

The simple pair of leather shoes come in tan, white and black and are exclusively for sale on luxury site Net-a-porter

A tweet about the fancy footwear was met with ridicule by fashion fans who seemed to fear that the noughties staple could be returning to their wardrobes this summer

Fashion writer Emilia Petrarca shared a photo of the shoes, with the caption: 'Heeled flip-flops are coming.'

However Twitter responded, Charlotte Gibbons joked: 'Is that the price they pay people to wear them?'

Magi added: 'I couldn't imagine a type of footwear that is more uncomfortable than flip-flops but here we f****** go.'

Another person replied: 'Imagine spending anything more than 20 bucks on a dated product that required no skill to create and such little material to craft.'

The sandals, which have a kitten heels and are made like flip flops cost 455 on Net-a-Porter

Fashion writer Emilia Petrarca shared a photo of the shoes, with the caption: 'Heeled flip-flops are coming

Another fashion fan added: 'The whole concept of flip flops is comfort so why would someone ruin it by giving them heels.'

Rosie joked: 'lol I'll stick to 90p primark ones thanks.'

On Net-a-Porter, a description for the shoes states: 'Neutral shades and barely-there sandals are so big for Spring '19, and Gianvito Rossi combined both trends to create this exclusive pair.

Fashion fans were disgusted with how much the simple flip flops, with a heel, cost

'They've been made in Italy from supple tan leather and have slim thong straps. The 70mm kitten heel makes them a comfortable choice for day and evening.'

Gianvito Rossi shoes are a staple for both Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex and Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge.

Other stars including Demi Lovato, Charlize Theron and Karlie Kloss have been spotted wearing the Italian designer's shoes.

Other stars including Demi Lovato, Charlize Theron and Karlie Kloss have been spotted wearing the Italian designer's shoes

Gianvito Rossi shoes are a staple for both Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex and Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge

In 2017, pop star Rihanna hit the headlines after launching a pair of high heeled flip flops.

The shoes were debuted on the catwalk at New York Fashion Week in her Fenty x Puma Spring/ Summer 2018 collection.

The sandals featured a thick ankle strap and block heel but looked like a classic flip flop at the front.

One critic wrote: 'I don't know what Rihanna was thinking but these Flip Flop Heels are ugly as hell'.'
Features barber shop, three restaurants, two coffee kiosks and new 'Primarket'

The world's biggest Primark will open its doors on this week - and these first-look pictures provide a sneak peek inside.

The new flagship superstore in Birmingham city centre boasts five floors of fashion as well as a new Disney cafe, a stylish hair salon and barbers and a custom T-shirt printing lab.

This latest branch of the budget friendly retailer is 5,000 square foot bigger than its previous biggest store in Manchester, with 160,100 square foot of retail space.

Around 5,000 people are expected to turn up on Birmingham high street for the grand opening at 10am on Thursday (April 11).

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The covers are off! The world's biggest Primark will open its doors to the public this Thursday (April 11)

The new flagship superstore in Birmingham city centre boasts five floors of fashion as well as a new Disney cafe, a stylish hair salon and barbers and a custom T-shirt printing lab

A number of lucky 'friends and family' members were given the opportunity to have a look around the new superstore yesterday, with one observing 'no expense has been spared'.

'It's going to take on the Bullring as the city's number one shopping destination,' gushed one excited visitor.

'It's an amazing shop compared with what was here before.'

The Disney cafe, which features interactive tables for children to play with, is one of three restaurants on the site; the others being the Mezz restaurant and the Primarket cafe.

Also on site is Duck & Dry Xpress, Primark's largest ever beauty studio for nails, make-up, hair, eyebrows and lashes, as well as Mills barbers for male customers.

The Disney cafe, which features interactive tables for children to play with, is one of three restaurants on the site, the others being the Mezz restaurant and the Primarket cafe

One visitor to the store yesterday said it's going to take on the Bullring as the city's number one shopping destination

One visitor said the shop, which has three eateries, is 'truly transformational' and will be the top destination in Birmingham

The central escalator block at the heart of the building is emblazoned with slogans like 'Hello Brum' and 'find your amazing' lit up in neon blue.

There are also digital window displays to entice passing shoppers, as well items from its latest clothing range dedicated to Harry Potter, which first launched in September 2017.

Find your way around Birmingham's new Primark superstore Floor 2: Kids, lingerie, Primark cafe with Disney, toilets Floor 1: Womens - clothing, accessories, shoes - Home, Custom Lab T-shirt printing, Primarket - tech, stationery, toys - Primarket Cafe, toilets Floor 0: Womens - clothing, beauty - Duck & Dry Xpress Beauty Studio, Exit to High Street Floor -1: The Mezz Restaurant. Coffee Kiosk, toilets Floor -2: Mens - clothing, accessories, shoes, Mills Barbers, Coffee Kiosk, Exit to Moor Street Advertisement

The garments worn by mannequins, unveiled yesterday, suggest Primark's favourite shades this season will include yellows, greens, creams and browns.

There's even a custom T-shirt printing station, where Disney fans can get their own text below an image of their favourite character on official Disney tees, which start at 5 for children's sizes.

A visitor on yesterday's members tour told Birmingham Live: 'It's the same with official Barcelona T-shirts, which could be 30 or 40 euros abroad but which I think will be less than 10 here.

'The shop is truly transformational. It will be the top destination in Birmingham.

'Children will love going through the Disney archways shaped like Mickey Mouse ears on their way in to the themed cafe.'

The infamous Primark changing room queues should also be a thing of the past, with the main changing area boasting 32 cubicles, and you'll be able to do a refund or exchange at any till in the store.

There are also facts about the flagship store's hometown dotted around the walls, with one reading: 'Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery holds the largest collection of Pre-Raphaelite art in the world.'

The Disney cafe, which has archways shaped like Mickey Mouse ears, is bound to be a hit with adults and children alike

As well as its stylish Duck & Dry beauty salon, there's also a Mills barbers for male customers

A Primark spokesperson previously told how the store will create more than 500 new jobs in the area, while 430 colleagues will transfer from its existing location in Birmingham

There are digital window displays to entice passing shoppers, as well items from its latest clothing range. The garments worn by its mannequins, unveiled yesterday, suggest Primark's favourite shades this season will include yellows, greens, creams and browns.

A Primark spokesperson previously told how the store will create more than 500 new jobs in the area, while 430 colleagues will transfer from its existing location in Birmingham.

They added: 'The store will have the latest trends in womenswear, menswear and kidswear including footwear and accessories, as well as lingerie, beauty and homeware,' said the spokesman.

'In addition to amazing fashion at amazing prices, this store will have many new features.

'The store will also have a personalisation service, recharge seating areas and free WiFi.'
Two sexagenarian sisters were accused of 'fetishing black men' today, after revealing they've visited Gambia 15 times in eight years to have relationships with men half their age.

Speaking to presenters Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford on This Morning, Jackie Simpson, 63, a kitchen porter from Cleethorpes, and her sister Julie Ramsey, 61, a housekeeper, said they first travelled to the West African country for the music, because they 'love reggae and Bob Marley'.

Jackie also encouraged Ruth to join them on a trip, adding: 'They'd love you. You'd get a choice from Tinie Tempah, Snoop Dogg and Will.I.Am'.

But viewers were quick to point out that reggae originates in the Caribbean, and accused the show of 'causing offence' over the way the hosts and guests discussed young Gambian men.

'That Gambia piece was offensive and ignorant, wrote one, while another penned: If this was two men talking about young women, it would be a different story.

Jackie Simpson, 63 (left), a kitchen porter from Cleethorpes, and her sister Julie Ramsey, (right) 61, a housekeeper appeared on This Morning today. They said they first travelled to the west African country for the music, because they 'love reggae and Bob Marley'

Twitter users quickly complained that the women were 'talking about Gambian men like they're objects, to be used at their disposal, for their pleasure'.

Others said they 'couldn't imagine such a lighthearted atmosphere' if the segments was about two 60-year-old British men 'going off to Gambia to party with young Gambian women and buying them things'.

Great British Bake Off judge, Prue Leith, 79, recently called Gambia a 'real life Tinder for geriatrics'.

She recalled being shocked by 'elderly white European women, happily strolling along hand-in-hand with beautiful young Gambian men' after visiting the country with her husband.

After Eamonn quoted the celebrity chef, and added that the place made Magaluf seem tame in comparison, he asked the sisters why young Gambian men are interested in older British women.

Sisters Jackie and Julie said they're not fooled by young Gambian men who give them attention to get a visa to England

Twitter users quickly complained the show was 'talking about Gambian men like they're objects to be used at their disposal for their pleasure'

'To get to England,' they replied.

'I've had a relationship with two of them' Jackie said. 'It's noticeable, as soon as you get to the airport, the young Gambian are there. I went to have a dress made and the tailor proposed to me.

'You get all kind of propositions, but you have to be sensible and realise young men don't want old women,' Julie added. 'They're poor, they get a nice meal and a few drinks'.

The sisters were adamant that age doesn't matter to Gambian men, and that sometimes they even pretend to be 80.

'I had a good time with the boyfriend I had,' Jackie added. 'British men are vulgar, Gambian are gentlemanly, maybe because they're laid back on the weed.'

The pair go to Gambia twice a year and have had several relationships with Gambian men over the years

The sisters explained that age doesn't matter to Gambian men, and that sometimes they even pretend to be 80-years-old

Others said they 'couldn't imagine such a lighthearted atmosphere were this two 60-year-old British men going off to Gambia to party with young Gambian women and buying them things'

While most viewers were outraged by the comments, calling them 'ridiculous' and 'cringe-worthy,' others saw them as 'refreshing', and said the sisters 'had their heads screwed on right'.

One commented: 'It's really refreshing and unexpected to hear that these sisters are not typically gullible sex tourists and they know exactly what these young Gambian men are after.'

However, another viewer added: 'These poor Gambian lads. These women are just using them and being used themselves. This isn't romance or love, it's mutual manipulation.'

Jackie told encouraged Ruth to join her on a trip to Gambia adding: 'They'd love you. You'd get a choice from Tinie Tempah, Snoop Dogg and Will.I.Am'

'I had a good time with the boyfriend I had,' Jackie (left) added: 'British men are vulgar, Gambian are gentlemanly, maybe because they're laid back on the weed!'
The ex-boyfriend of murderer Joanna Dennehy says he dreads to think what could have happened to their two children had he not left their family home before she set out on a violent killing spree.

John Treanor, 42, of Glossop, Derbyshire, was in an on-off relationship with Dennehy, 35, for 12 years after meeting her in St Albans, where she grew up, while walking his dog in 1998.

She gave birth to their first child at 17, but John claims she never took to motherhood. Meanwhile he struggled with her drinking, drug-taking and manipulative, sometimes violent behaviour.

John, who now works in catering and has a new partner, said it got worse after they welcomed their second daughter in 2006.

John Treanor, 42, of Glossop, Derbyshire, was in an on-off relationship with serial killer Joanna Dennehy for 12 years

Dennehy, pictured, was sentenced to life in prison in 2014 - only the third woman in the UK to receive the sentence, after Myra Hindley and Rose West - for brutally murdering three men in cold blood and trying to kill two others

The final straw came in 2009 when Dennehy, who had left the family home, turned up drunk late one evening and pulled a dagger from the inside of her boot. She plunged the knife, which had a decorated handle, into the living room floor and yelled: 'I wish I could kill someone.'

Terrified John left, taking their two girls with him, and cut off all contact with Dennehy.

Then, four years later in April 2013, John received a harrowing text from his ex's sister informing him Dennehy had been arrested for murder.

In 2014 she was sentenced to life in prison - only the third woman in the UK to receive the sentence, after Myra Hindley and Rose West - for brutally murdering three men in cold blood and trying to kill two others.

John had two daughters with Dennehy, pictured in 2006, but claims she never took to motherhood. He struggled with her drinking, drug-taking and manipulative, sometimes violent behaviour

Speaking to Closer magazine, John said just thinking about his ex makes him 'shake with fear and anger'.

'My daughters and I will never be able to completely get away from the past, but we do our best,' he said.

'I'm glad I got my children away from her when I did, because I dread to think what could have happened had we stayed.'

Dennehy stabbed her landlord Kevin Lee, 48, and housemates John Campbell, 56, and Lukasz Slaboszewski, 31, over a 10 day period, dumping their bodies in ditches scattered across Peterborough.

Afterwards she drove to Hereford where she stabbed two dog walkers at random - both of whom survived. She was arrested after two days on the run and pleaded guilty at her trial in February 2014.

Dennehy, 35, stabbed her landlord Kevin Lee, 48, pictured centre, and housemates John Campbell, 56, right, and Lukasz Slaboszewski, 31, left, over a 10 day period, dumping their bodies in ditches scattered across Peterborough

Following her sentencing, psychiatrists diagnosed Dennehy with psychopathic, anti-social and borderline personality disorders.

John had to break the news to his eldest daughter after police came round to their house in Glossop, Derbyshire, to take statements about his time with the killer.

Until last year, John's youngest daughter didn't know the full extent of her mother's crimes.

After a frank discussion, he told how she assured him: 'It's fine, Dad, I'm yours. I've never even known my mother.'

He added that his eldest has refused counselling because she knows she 'won't end up like her mother' and is 'like any other 19-year-old', with a job and a place at college.

Following her sentencing, psychiatrists diagnosed Dennehy with psychopathic, anti-social and borderline personality disorders

John had to break the news to his eldest daughter after police came round to their house in Glossop, Derbyshire, to take statements about his time with the killer

Speaking about his ex's sentence, John said a life-term is 'not justice' for the heinous crimes she committed.

'It's not enough,' he told Closer. 'I didn't know the victims, but their families have to go on without them while she's living in relative comfort in prison.'

Dennehy has continued to make headlines while in prison at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey. In August last year she allegedly tried to kill herself after making a suicide pact with her lesbian lover.

In October she launched a legal bid to marry her lover in prison  and wants taxpayer cash to fund it.
Great British Bake Off stars enjoyed a reunion over the weekend as former fan favourite Martha Collison married her long term partner Michael Haywood.

Martha, 22, from Ascot, appeared in series five of the programme, and remains one of the youngest bakers to ever grace the tent.

She was just 17 when she made it to the quarter-final of the show in 2014, and is still close friends with her former competitors.

Fellow stars included series winner Nancy Birtwhistle and finalist Richard Burr, alongside Chetna Makan, Claire Goodwin, Iain Watters, Enwezor Nzegwu, Diana Beard and Kate Henry.

As well as being in attendance at her wedding, they also helped fill an incredible cake table with exceptional bakes.

Martha Collison's fellow bakers from The Great British Bake Off series five, joined her to celebrate her wedding to long term partner Michael Haywood

The happy couple were gifted an incredible table of bakes from Martha's fellow contestants (pictured here, cutting one of their cakes watched by Ian, Richard, Enwezor and Kate)

Several showcased incredible bakes as gifts to the couple, which were presented at the wedding on a showstopping cake table.

While neither of the judges from the series Paul Hollywood or Mary Berry were in attendance, Richard Parr revealed that the latter had sent the couple 'a lovely message'.

The loved-up couple celebrated their big day at Sullington Manor Farm, a beautiful barn-style wedding venue in Sussex, which was decorated with hanging fairy lights and Polaroid photographs of the couple.

Martha's fellow bakers made this incredible table of cakes for her big day, and were overjoyed to celebrate with the young couple

The cast posed for photographs outside the wedding venue, and looked overjoyed to be there (left to right Enwezor Nzegwu, Richard Burr, winner Nancy Birtwhistle, Iain Watters, Diana Beard, Chetna Makan, Claire Goodwin,and Kate Henry. In front, Martha Collison with Jordan Cox)

Martha, 22, and new husband Michael having signing the wedding register. She reached the quarter finals of the Bake Off in series five, at the age of 17

Series five winner Nancy Birthwhistle alongside Ian Watters, who became known for throwing his Baked Alaska in the bin

Martha was a fan favourite when she competed on the show, becoming one of the youngest people to ever grace the show (pictured here during series five, aged 17)

The series Martha starred in was infamous for some of it's incredible characters and included some iconic Bake Off moments, including BinGate, where contestant Ian Watters binned his Baked Alaska.

Martha, who was finishing off her A-levels while competing in the tent, has made some lifelong friends from the competition, with many attending the joyful day.

Fellow baker Claire Goodwin opened up about the day on Instagram, writing: '@marthacollison and @mbhaywood27 wedding at the beautiful Sullington Manor Farm yesterday.'

She called the celebration: 'A beautiful wedding that perfectly reflected the love these guys have both for each other and their faith.'

The youngster ended up being eliminated in the quarter final of the programme in 2014, but remains a popular baker both with cast and viewers

A close up of the Bake Off's wedding cakes, which were carefully labelled. Among the treats were a princess cake, a lemon cake, a cardamom and white chocolate pistachio cake and a three-tier chocolate cake.

While acknowledging that she is not a woman of faith, she noted Martha and Michael's dedication to Christianity, writing: 'When you have the privilege of being invited to share in anothers way of life for a time, it is an honour to learn and experience.

'I took away from this an incredible sense of community and a sense of unwavering commitment.

'Martha and Michael are a testament to how we should communicate with, honour and love each other.

She called the young couple's love 'infectious' and, proving the Bake Off cast are still close, named the group 'fantastic friends'.

Fellow bakers revealed an insight into their beautiful barn wedding, which featured a wooden stage and huge Michael and Martha illuminated signs

Chetna posed with the pudding table, which was labeled 'lovingly baked' and featured cakes from the series five Bake Off contestants

Fellow baker Chetna commented:'What a day! Having known @marthacollison since she was 17, watching her get married to @mbhaywood27 yesterday was just most lovely and beautiful and even more special since we had the whole bake-off family there to celebrate!

Also an honour to make her cake with all the other bakers, love each and everyone one of them!'

And series finalist Richard Burr called it 'the wedding of the year'.

Martha, who has released two cookbooks since her stint on the TV baking show, announced the marriage on her own Instagram, writing:'What a joyful day.'

Richard Burr shared this lovely snap of the happy couple, and called the event 'the wedding of the year'

Proving how close the bakers are across their series, contestants from other series were keen to congratulate the young couple.

Recent winner Rahul Mandal commented:'Congratulations Martha!', while series six winner Nadia Hussain wrote: 'Congratulations both of you xx'

Series four winner Francis Quinn also told Martha: 'Sending copious amounts of congratulations to you both!'

The couple, who got engaged in January 2018, looked extremely loved up in their wedding photographs.

They first got together in 2015 following her appearance on the popular baking show.
A plus-size model is being cruelly mocked after he image was used to promote Gillette Venus razors on Twitter  but she's taking the high road.

On April 3, Gillette urged followers to 'go out there and slay the day,' posting a photo of plus-size model Anna O'Brien, 34, smiling in a bikini on the beach.

But the brand's body-positive and inclusive message was lost on many Twitter users, who attacked Gillette for promoting obesity and taunted Anna with cruel jokes and remarks about her weight.

Power: On April 3, Gillette urged followers to 'go out there and slay the day,' posting a photo of plus-size model Anna O'Brien, 34, smiling in a bikini on the beach

Nasty: Hundreds of commenters chimed in with cruel, taunting replies

If you have nothing nice to day... People left rude jokes about the model's size and weight

Gillette's tweet earned 11,000 likes and plenty of supporting comments, but the critics rose to the top.

'Imagine how many razors she goes thru,' wrote one.

'I love that Gillette is saving the whale. @peta should get involved with this campaign,' snarked another.

'April Fools day was on Monday,' wrote media analyst Mark Dice.

Nasty replies filled the comments, with people leaving memes and GIFs mocking Anna for her size.

A few commenters were less outright hostile and zeroed in on what they said was a bad message about health.

'Please stop. Promoting this is dangerous. Being unhealthy is not a good thing,' wrote one.

'Why would you show younger girls a picture like this? Another reason not to purchase your products!' wrote another.

Manners: Quite a few people felt compelled to make nasty comments at the woman's expense

From a good place? Some claimed to be concerned about the 'dangerous' health standards the photo promotes

Against it: Others mocked the concept of 'body positivity'

Tug-of-war: The jokes piled up in the comments even as thousands of people liked the image

How it works: This woman posted a lecture about disease and asked, 'Why would you show younger girls a picture like this?'

The volume of replies grew so big that the brand finally chimed in to respond, hitting back at critics with a positive, accepting message.

'Venus is committed to representing beautiful women of all shapes, sizes, and skin types because ALL types of beautiful skin deserve to be shown, the account tweeted.

'We love Anna because she lives out loud and loves her skin no matter how the "rules" say she should display it.'

By then, other commenters had chimed in too, shaming critics for being cruel.

'I cant believe the replies to this tweet. I mean I can because people are a**holes but these comments are ridiculous. Women of all sizes shave. Women of all sizes deserve to exist in a joyous state without you dickheads lecturing them on what you deem healthy. F*** off,' wrote one.

'Crazy how so many of you in this thread are her doctor! She has a right to exist in her body at any goddamn stage and she shouldnt have to hide it until youre comfortable with it. Unbelievable the level of cruelty in this thread,' wrote another.

Others praised the model as 'beautiful' and 'cute,' and quite a few wrote that they were fans of her swimsuit.

Hitting back: 'Venus is committed to representing beautiful women of all shapes, sizes, and skin types because all types of beautiful skin deserve to be shown,' Gillette responded

Fans: Several people praised the model and the brand for being inclusive

What do you know? Others called out the 'experts' who lectured about the model's health

Compliments: 'She looks good!' wrote one woman. 'Braver than me'

Praise: Those who approved called the ad 'beautiful' and 'cute'

Supportive: One person wrote, 'She seems so happy and adorable and I wanna be her friend! Also that bathing suit is so cute on her!'

'This picture is so cute!! She seems so happy and adorable and I wanna be her friend! Also that bathing suit is so cute on her!!!' wrote one.

'I love her energy!! Thank you for showing that ALL kinds of people deserve to enjoy the sand and the waves and the sunshine!' wrote another.

For her part, Anna appears to be used to people taunting her, but continues to post pictures on Instagram.

'So this weekend I went viral yet again because some random people didnt like my body and had nothing better to do than to make sure everyone knew it,' she wrote on Monday.

'Normally, this would have stressed me out to no end, and Id find myself refreshing all the things as the drama unfolded while simultaneously being distraught by the uncomfortable uncertainty these situations can create.

'However, this weekend was different. Ironically, for most of this mess I had no clue it was actually going on. I was too busy meeting awesome people, learning about the future, filming shenanigans, and flipping people over my back.'

She has spoken out before about body positivity.

When she initially posted the beach photo, as part of a partnership with ModCloth back in January, she wrote: 'Dont wait for anyone elses permission to live and experience all you can in your body.

Pro: Plus-size model Anna has long been a body-positivity advocate

Linking up: She has collaborated with several other brands, including ModCloth and Torrid

Taking a stand: After the Gillette tweet went viral, Anna took to Instagram to speak out about the attacks that she faced from 'random people who don't like my body'

'We dont remember the number on our jeans of the shape of our hips and stomach on a beach. We remember the sand between our toes. We remember running into the waves. We remember how cold the water was.

'We remember how sand got everywhere. We remember how we laughed and forgot for an instant everything we should be. We just were. Joy comes from the experience, not from the size of the body we live it in.'

Later, she added: 'Life is simply too short to waste anytime trying to be anything other than who you are.'

Anna has dealt with quite a bit of commentary about her body. Last summer, she did a photoshoot in a bikini in Times Square, and was horrified by the 'graphic' and 'sick' comments men made.

'Yesterday I did the scariest thing I have done in my 30+ years...' she wrote. 'I stood in Times Square in a bikini and posed for a photo shoot. In the beginning I felt really overwhelmed. Not because I was mocked, but because I was so extremely sexualized by a few men who were watching.'

She said the behavior of the male passersby was all the more shocking because she was standing next to 'two nearly nude women covered only with body paint' who seemed to receive none of the crude 'yelling and screaming' that she did.

'But to me, a plus woman in a swimsuit, the things that were said were so graphic it made me sick to my stomach,' she wrote. 'One man said he felt justified in saying what he did because plus women dont know theyre ****able.'

Good for her: She said she would normally be stressed out about it but she was too busy having fun this weekend

Shocking: Last year, Anna shared her horror over the 'sick' sexual comments made about her body while she posed in a bikini in Times Square

'Scary': She said she was prepared for some people to 'mock' her, but admitted that the crude sexual things people said to her 'made me sick to my stomach'

One man claimed he wanted to 'suck on them tasty toes,' while another told her to, 'Twerk for the camera baby, show them how that a** clap.'

'I was prepared to be pointed at, shamed, and called fat. I didn't expect to be fetishized,' she wrote in an essay for Cosmopolitan.

Another man grabbed her by the wrist and attempted to justify his harassment by claiming he was simply 'showing love for a BBW [big beautiful woman]' and telling her to 'show off for her fans.'

The controversial Gillette tweet comes three months after the brand came under fire over a #MeToo-inspired ad that aimed to put an end to 'toxic masculinity' by calling out men for sexist, misogynistic behavior.

Within hours of debuting in January, the ad was slammed by Gillette customers, mostly men, who threatened to boycott the brand because of the ad.

'So we just started 2019, and already a company has started pushing sexism towards Men... @Gillette have no become a Leftist Bigot Company that insulted their own user base by calling them "Sexists,"' one person tweeted. 'Well done, Giellette. #GetWokeGoBroke.'

Ironically, some took issue with the fact that the shaving brand's ad was directed by a 'feminist' woman.

'A shaving ad written by pink-haired feminist scolds is about as effective as a tampon ad written by middle aged men,' wrote Canadian conservative media personality Ezra Levant.

The commercial highlighted the different ways the mistreatment of women has been normalized over the years, and featured a clip of actor Terry Crews, a victim of sexual assault, who was heard saying: 'Men need to hold other men accountable.'
Queen Maxima attended a dinner for the Diplomatic Corps at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam today.

Arriving solo, the Dutch royal, 47, looked glamorous in a green knitted draped garment which she paired with some summery corked-wedges.

Never one to shy away from a bold choice of outfit, the royal brought a burst of colour to the proceedings.

Wearing her hair loose which blew freely in the wind, she walked up the red carpet and waved at well wishers before heading inside to the lavish banquet.

Queen Maxima arrived for the diplomatic corps at the royal palace on the Dam in Amsterdam today

Bringing a splash of colour to the proceedings, the mother-of-three looked glamorous in a green knitted draped garment which she paired with some summery corked-wedges

Maxima, who shares three daughters Catharina-Amalia, 15, Alexia, 13, and Ariane, 11, with the King, looked cheery as she smiled for photographers who waited outside for the royal arrival.

The Gala Dinner is an annual event held in order to maintain international relations and strengthen ties.

Accessorising with a dainty bangle on her right hand and a watch on her left, she retained her flawless appearance despite battling the windy elements in Dam square.

Meanwhile, a guard stood to attention in smart uniform as she turned back and flashed a final grin to the cameras.

The Dutch royal looked behind and flashed a cheeky grin to the camera before heading inside - where she is set to host a lavish banquet

The Gala Dinner is an annual event held in order to maintain international relations and strengthen ties. Pictured, Maxima on arrival

It comes after a busy week of engagements for the Queen of the Netherlands, who continues to reign high in the style stakes.

She looked elegant as she met with several leaders of Dutch care organisations on Wednesday.

Queen Maxima met with representatives and clients of one of the biggest care providers in the country, Sensire, in Varsseveld, in the Eastern Region of the Netherlands.

The Dutch Royal wore a grey pencil skirt with a light brown cape and accessorised with a maroon clutch and matching shoes.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands made a visit to representative care provider Sensire, who is partnering up with digital company NAAST to better their 'remote care' on Wednesday
We've been keeping up with Kourtney Kardashian's style for quite some time now.

While we can almost always expect to see Kim or Kylie in something predictable like biker shorts and bodycons, Kourtney keeps us guessing.

The eldest Kardashian sibling has been spotted in everything from high waisted leather pants to denim boiler suits, but the fashion formula she has grown very fond of as of late is pantsuits worn with an exposed bra.

A style of her own: While we can almost always expect to see Kim or Kylie in something predictable like biker shorts and bodycons, Kourtney keeps us guessing

The 39-year-old mother of three attended Diana Ross' birthday party in non-traditional festive attire.

She wore a a silver sparkly suit by Belgium designer Filles A Papa. The set consisted of bell bottom pants and an oversize blazer. Peaking out from under the jacket was a black lace bra by La Perla.

Kourtney was spotted heading to dinner in New York City in an outfit that was all business, by the reality star's standards, anyway.

For a night on the town in the Big Apple the reality star donned a mint green suit with a sheer white bra underneath.

Earlier that day she stuck to her tried and tested formula by putting a sultry spin on a masculine burgundy pantsuit, with a black brassier.

The 39-year-old mother of three attended Diana Ross' birthday party in sparkly suit by Filles A Papa and a La Perla bra

For a night on the town in the Big Apple the reality star donned a mint green suit with a sheer white bra underneath

Balancing act: Her menswear inspired look was equal parts sexy and sophisticated

Sans shirt: Earlier that day she wore a burgundy suit with a black exposed brassier

While the fashion formula works for her, Kourtney's not opposed to sporting a menswear-inspired set with nothing underneath, either.

The trailblazer has put her ample assets on display in coordinating two-piece suits worn sans shirt or undergarments on a number of occasions.

Who needs a shirt: Kourtney's not opposed to sporting a suit with nothing underneath either

SHOP THE LOOK:

Right: Chelsea Grove stretch-tulle and Leavers lace bra by Myla, $169.13; net-a-porter.com Left: Playboy Tease Me embroidered stretch-tulle underwired balconette bra by Coco De Mar, $87.10; net-a-porter.com

Left: Jasmine Balconnet Bra by Panache, now $33.50; figleaves.com. Right: Bahia Half Cup Bra by Aubade, $78; figleaves.com

Left: Basic Blazer by Zara, $29.90; zara.com. Right: Ankle Pants by Zara, $29.90; zara.com

Left: 3/4 rolled sleeve blazer by Babaton, $198; aritzia.com. Right: Cropped, wool-blend trousers by Babaton, $148; aritzia.com
One of the stars from the latest season of Queer Eye is heading back to college after nearly $100,000 was donated by generous fans.

Kansas resident Jess Guilbeaux, 23, appeared on the fifth episode of the third season of the Netflix show, in which the Fab Five helped make her feel like the 'strong, black lesbian woman' she wanted to be  but she lamented being unable to finish her education due to financial hardship.

After the episode began streaming, thousands of fans wanted to help send her back to school, and have since sent $95,400 in donations her way via a GoFundMe campaign.

Generosity! Queer Eye fans raised over $95,000 for season three star Jess Guilbeaux, so she could head back to college

Fan favorite: The 23-year-old appeared on the fifth episode of the newly-released third season of the show

Tough stuff: The Kansas resident was kicked out by her religious parents when she came out as gay at age 16

She's there! She said this weekend that she now has enough to pay off her loans so she can continue her education

Jess touched fans with her story, which involved struggling financially and coming into her own after her parents kicked her out.

She said on the show that she had once been a student at the University of Kansas, but had to drop out before finishing due to financial reasons.

Now, thanks to fans' donations, she can start again with a clean financial slate.

'I wanted to update everyone on what your wonderful gifts have helped me do and my process to getting back to school: I have paid off all my student loans!!' she wrote over the weekend.

'I'm so excited and ready to continue my education with a fresh new start. Thank you so so so much for everything!

Jess said of her time on the show: 'This experience was life changing for me. I learned how to love my natural curls, love my highly melanated skin, and all of what makes up who i am'

A feel for fashion: Tan France (pictured left) helped her find her style

Transformation: Jonathan Van Ness cut her hair so she could embrace her natural curls, and Karamo Brown helped her get in touch with her feelings

Jess' story was one of many heartbreaking and heartwarming ones to play out on the reality show this season. When she was just 16, her religious adoptive parents kicked her out after she confessed that she was gay.

She hadn't had a real home until settling into her current apartment, where she lives with two roommates  but still, the place hardly felt homey before Bobby Berk worked his magic, trading in couches lifted from the dumpster for brand new furniture and decor.

Tan France helped her find her style, Jonathan Van Ness cut her hair so she could embrace her natural curls, Antoni Porowski taught her how to upgrade her cheap meals, and Karamo Brown helped her get in touch with her feelings.

Jess came out of it looking and feeling like a different person, writing on Instagram that she felt like the 'kween' of her home and felt 'so beautiful' after Jonathan cut her hair.

'This experience was life changing for me. I learned how to love my natural curls, love my highly melanated skin, and all of what makes up who i am (a fierce gay kween)' she wrote.

Yet even with all those changes, she continued to work as a waitress in Lawrence, Kansas, not making enough money to go back to school.

Getting better: Her life has changed since the show, and she has grown closer to her sister, whom she hadn't been spending much time with

So one fan name Vanessa Gamet started a GoFundMe page in her honor, encouraging fans to donate to Jess' college education fund.

'Jess Guilbeaux, from Queer Eye Season 3 , Episode 5, is a strong, black lesbian woman,' reads the page.

'When she came out to her adoptive family at 16, they threw her out and she's been on her own financially ever since. She started taking classes at the University of Kansas as a Computer Science major but had to drop out due to debt.

'Let's send this smart and strong woman back to college to complete what she began and give her the future she deserves.'

The page was created on March 16 and quickly racked up donations. It has now nearly reached its $100,000 goal.

'This is so sweet. i have no words. im dehydrated at this point,' Jess wrote upon discovering the the fundraiser.

Her fans have also been leaving words of encouragement.

Back to school: Since the GoFundMe page was launched, fans have rushed to help her

Sweet! Fans have left her supporting messages and hopes she gets to continue her education

'You are beautiful and inspiring! There ARE people who will love you for all that you are! Thank you for letting us see a little of your world. Go to college, you deserve it!' wrote one.

'You soul was SHINING through on the show. You have a gift for empathy. You have great things ahead!' commented another.

And a third: 'You are a total inspiration and I want to be part of your success.'

She seems happy to be reaching other people, telling E!, 'I just want people to hear this side of the story. I think the perspective of a queer black woman is not heard very much, especially ones that have been through a lot of things and didn't grow up with all the privileges most people have to this day.

'I just want that story and that narrative to be told and heard and I wanted people who were struggling or going through things in any regard, but also specifically who are queer or black or women, to feel that they have someone out there who is rooting for them.'

Having the money to live out her college dreams isn't the only exciting thing to happen to Jess recently, either.

So cute! Last week, Jess traveled to Gay, Georgia where she met Queer Eye season two star Mama Tammye

'Hello everyone meet my mom @mamatammye this woman is so warm and powerful,' Jess wrote, while Tammye added: 'God has given me another daughter'

Queer Eye bonding! Jess also hung out with Tammye's son (center) and Queer Eye season two star Skyler Jay

Last week, she traveled to Gay, Georgia where she met Queer Eye season two star Mama Tammye.

Fans of the show will remember Mama Tammye, whose full name is Tammye Hicks, as a devout Christian who lovingly accepted her gay son  and had the Fab Five remodel her church community center instead of her home.

On Friday, Jess and Tammye met and spent some time together, and seemed to hit it off quite well.

'Hello everyone meet my mom @mamatammye this woman is so warm and powerful,' Jess wrote.

And Tammye added: 'What a day! God has given me another daughter. I love you @jesslayica! Thanks for coming to share in my life. Today was just the beginning!'

The pair also met up with Skyler Jay who was also on season two, and the Fab Five were thrilled to seem them all bonding.

'OMG. THIS IS EVERYTHING!' wrote Bobby.

'OMG this brought so much joy to my Monday heart,' added Antoni with a string of heart emojis.
A mother-of-two has revealed how a hug with her son ended up saving her life after it revealed a cancerous lump on her breast.

Emily Makin, from Wigan, lifted her arms to cuddle Harrison, now three, when she spotted a mass at the top of her right breast last summer.

Initially thinking it was just a symptom of her period, Mrs Makin went to get the lump checked out just in case. A doctor referred her for further tests immediately.

Mrs Makin, 28, was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer - an aggressive form of the disease - just a week later.

The same month, Mrs Makin, married to 35-year-old AJ, had a mastectomy to remove her right breast and a 4.5cm tumour.

Mrs Makin revealed she had not suffered any other symptoms in the lead up to her diagnosis and was in peak physical fitness after joining Slimming World and taking up running.

Emily Makin, 28, of Wigan, Greater Manchester, lifted her arms to hug Harrison, three, when she spotted a lump at the top of her right breast. It turned out to be an aggressive form of breast cancer. Pictured, with her other son Freddie, two, during chemotherapy

After a string of tests, Mrs Makin was given a triple negative breast cancer diagnosis in July 2018. Pictured, during chemotherapy wearing a wig

Mrs Makin had suffered no symptoms in the lead up and that summer, of 2018, and had recently married AJ, pictured, a few months before

Mrs Makin was in her peak physical fitness before her diagnosis, which came as a shock

Speaking of the cuddle she had with her son, Mrs Makin, a full-time mother, said: 'I lifted my arms up to hug my son and spotted it.

'I'd just come off my period, so at first thought it could be hormonal and connected to that.

'But it nagged at me. It wasn't something I wanted to leave, so I made an emergency doctor's appointment a couple of days later.

'Once they told me [the diagnosis] I just wanted to go somewhere and scream to let it all out. I was very angry, very, "why me?" But then, once that passed, I realised I had to fight.'

Mrs Makin, who also has another son Freddie, two, told how, leading up to her diagnosis, she saw no signs of what was to come.

Instead, she was feeling fitter and healthier than she had in years before everything changed that day in July 2018.

After seeing her doctor, Mrs Makin was referred right away to a breast clinic where she had tests including a core biopsy - where a needle is passed through the skin to take a tissue sample from a mass or lump.

Mrs Makin said: 'It was at the point of the mammogram that my mind started to go, "This isn't good." I knew something serious was going on.'

Around a week later, Mrs Makin was called back in for the results, which sadly confirmed her worst fears.

Mrs Makin, pictured with her sons during treatment, went to the doctors as the lump, which she thought could be a side effect of her period, was playing on her mind

Mrs Makin had a mastectomy the same month as her diagnosis, removing her right breast and the 4.5cm tumour, followed by chemotherapy (pictured) and radiotherapy

Mrs Makin decided to shave her head rather than wait for her hair to fall out as a result of the treatment. Pictured after her radiotherapy finished

She said: 'A doctor and nurse came to see me and I remember seeing a breast cancer leaflet in the nurse's pocket and realising what was coming.

'I can't fault the doctor, he was absolutely lovely. He sat me down, looked me in the eye and said, "I'm really sorry, but it's breast cancer."

'The tears then just started streaming down my face. All I wanted was to get home with AJ and the boys and lock myself away from the world.

'There was lots of talk about what it all meant and what would happen next, but I couldn't process anything. All I'd heard was the word cancer.'

Triple negative breast cancer is a rare breast cancer that occurs in around one in five women with breast cancer. It occurs more commonly in women under the age of 40 and in black women.

Every year 55,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in Britain  150 cases a day. Figures show around 270,000 cases happen each year in the US.

On 19 July, Mrs Makin had her first bout of treatment, a single mastectomy, at Royal Albert Edward Infirmary in Wigan.

She said: 'That was an easy decision for me to make. I was adamant I wanted it, as I just wanted the cancer to be gone and to feel like I was getting better.

'I wasn't attached to my breasts. They'd done their job, fed my kids - I didn't need them.

'I knew AJ wouldn't care what I looked like either. He's very good and supportive like that.'

Speaking of having her mastectomy, Mrs Makin, pictured during chemo, said: 'I wasn't attached to my breasts. They'd done their job, fed my kids - I didn't need them. I knew AJ [pictured] wouldn't care what I looked like either. He's very good and supportive like that'

Speaking of her diagnosis, Mrs Makin, pictured at the end of her chemotherapy in hospital, said: 'I couldn't process anything. All I'd heard was the word cancer'

No longer receiving any treatment, Mrs Makin is now awaiting a mammogram to determine whether or not she is in remission. Pictured in early 2019

Mrs Makin took control of her hair during chemotherapy saying, 'First, I shaved half of it and dyed it pink, then I went for a purple mohawk before finally being a green skinhead'

After that, Mrs Makin had chemotherapy, lasting from September to December.

Keen to take back a little control, she decided to shave her head rather than wait for her blonde locks to fall out as a result of the treatment.

Mrs Makin said: 'It was the one thing I had control over. Cancer wasn't taking that from me too.

'First, I shaved half of it and dyed it pink, then I went for a purple mohawk before finally being a green skinhead.

'There was so much going on that it was really important to me to hold on to those little moments of positivity.'

After finishing chemotherapy on 28 December, Mrs Makin then had radiotherapy from January up until 18 February, to ensure all cancerous cells had gone.

No longer receiving any treatment, she is now awaiting a mammogram to determine whether or not she is in remission.

Mrs Makin, who has blogged throughout her journey, is currently gearing up to run the Race For Life on May 22 to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

She said: 'I would run all the time before my diagnosis threw me into a whirlwind, and was really keen to get back to it, so I started a couch to 5km programme a week after finishing chemotherapy.

'I don't want people to be paranoid, but rather to be aware of changes in their bodies and how to check themselves for lumps.

'I never thought this would happen to me, particularly so young, so I hope my story can help others.'

Mrs Makin is supporting Race for Life in partnership with Tesco. Join your local event at www.raceforlife.org.

Mrs Makin is currently gearing up to run the Race For Life on May 22 to raise money for Cancer Research UK
A cancer vaccine that teaches the body to fight tumours has put three lymphoma patients into remission.

The vaccine is injected directly into the tumour and teaches the immune system to destroy it, as well as seek other cancerous cells.

Researchers tested it on 11 patients with lymphoma and said some were in full remission for months and even years.

Trials have been so successful that experts believe it offers hope for many other cancers, including those of the breast, head and neck.

Researchers at New York's Mount Sinai Hospital tested the treatment - which is injected directly into the tumour to stimulate the immune system - on 11 patients

Although the treatment is called a vaccine, it doesn't prevent cancer. Instead, it teaches the person's immune system to fight disease.

Researchers at New York's Mount Sinai Hospital injected tumours with a stimulant that recruits immune cells called dendritic cells.

After treating the tumour with a low dose of radiotherapy, a second stimulant was injected which activated the dendritic cells.

This then instructed T cells, which are a type of white blood cell, to kill cancerous cells throughout the body, while sparing non-cancerous cells, according to the study published in Nature Medicine.

This led to three of the patients to be put into remission as the treatment shrunk both the initial tumours targeted and other ones throughout their body.

People with lymphoma have abnormal lymphocytes - white blood cells that help fight infection - that have divided out of control.

The lymphocytes can collect in any part of the body, most often in the armpits, neck or groin.

Lead author Dr Joshua Brody, director of the Lymphoma Immunotherapy Program at The Tisch Cancer Institute, said: 'The in situ vaccine approach has broad implications for multiple types of cancer.'

In lab tests in mice, the vaccine drastically increased the success of checkpoint blockade immunotherapy.

This immunotherapy, which is still being researched, works by blocking points in the body's immune system where cancerous cells can hide and avoid detection.

The results warranted more trials in March - a clinical trial for lymphoma, breast, and head and neck cancer patients opened to test the vaccine with checkpoint blockade drugs.

According to the researchers, the combination was at least three times more powerful than either checkpoint blockade or the vaccine by themselves.

They are 'extremely optimistic' about how effective this may be in further trials, and even described the tumour after treatment as a 'cancer vaccine factory'.

It is also being tested in the lab in liver and ovarian cancer.

Dr Eric Jacobsen, clinical director of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's lymphoma program, told CNBC the results are exciting but said more research is needed as this was a small study.

Dr Jacobsen, who was not involved in the study, said: 'It's definitely proof of concept, but larger studies are definitely needed and additional strategies to try to get more than three out of 11 patients to respond.'

Other experts praised the findings of the study.

Dr Silvia Formenti, chairwoman of radiation oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian, who was not involved, said 'it's really promising'.

She told CNBC: 'And the fact you get not only responses in treated areas, but areas outside the field [of treatment with radiation] is really significant.'

Lymphoma cancer is a cancer of the lymphatic system which is part of the immune system. There are two main types - Hodgkin lymphoma and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Every year around 1,700 people are diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in the UK and 8,110 in the US. And 13,500 British people are told they have Non Hodgkin lymphoma each year, while around 74,200 Americans are given the same news.
A woman who became the first in the world to get pregnant after having a womb transplant performed using a robot has given birth to a healthy boy.

The unnamed woman, from Sweden, gave birth to a boy weighing 6lbs 3oz (2.9kg) via a Caesarean section after 36 weeks. His name is also unknown.

The world-first procedure was done in 2017 and the mother made international headlines when doctors announced she was pregnant in January.

Uterus transplants involve surgically removing the womb of one woman and implanting it into one who cannot have a baby naturally.

The unnamed woman, from Sweden, gave birth to a boy weighing 6lbs 3oz (2.9kg) via a Caesarean section after 36 weeks. His name is also unknown

Scientists have, for the first time, used a robot to remove a woman's womb before transplanting it into a woman who later became pregnant

The woman, whose age is also unknown, had a donor womb transplanted into her body at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in October 2017.

It is currently unclear whether she was born without a womb, or had it removed due to cancer or another illness. However, she still had eggs that doctors used for IVF.

Ten months later an embryo, created through fertility treatment before she underwent the life-changing transplant, was inserted into her new uterus.

Doctors were able to confirm the pregnancy a few weeks later.

The medics revealed the woman and baby suffered no complications, and that the C-section was planned and not an emergency.

Dr Pernilla Dahm-Kahler, who helped perform the womb transplant, said: 'Its a fantastic feeling to deliver such a special, longed-for child.'

She added that its 'simply wonderful' to see everyones joy after their hopes of the woman having a child became a reality.

Professor Mats Brannstrom, who led the procedure, said: 'This is an extremely important step towards developing the surgery involved in uterine transplantation, and its safety.

'For the first time, were showing that the less invasive robot-assisted surgical technique is practicable.'

Only 15 babies worldwide have been born from a transplanted womb, of which nine have been delivered following procedures in Sweden.

The robot can remove a donor's womb using keyhole surgery through five holes which are just 1cm wide, reducing how much blood they lose and speeding up their recovery afterwards

However, the latest birth is the first to have been born through a womb transplant that used robots.

Five other women have undergone womb transplants through robotic surgery at the University of Gothenburg. However, none of them have yet to become pregnant.

Doctors said using robots for the life-changing procedure has 'a great future' and makes the surgery less damaging for donors.

The robot is controlled by two surgeons who use joysticks which convert their movements into millimetre-precise motions in the robot arms.

This allows the procedure to be done through five 1cm-wide holes in the donor's body - unlike much bigger cuts needed by human surgeons.

Womb transplants have successfully resulted in pregnancy only 14 times, including this instance after surgery with a robot, and another world-first case in which a woman had a transplant from a dead donor

The doctors said this leads to the patients losing less blood and spending less time in hospital after donating their womb.

The other babies born after uterus transplants have been in Sweden, with others in the US, Brazil, Serbia and India.

Doctors have warned there is a shortage of living donors, and most women that give away their womb to be transplanted are family members or close friends.

The robotic breakthrough comes after another world-first last year, in which it was revealed a baby had been born from a uterus transplanted from a dead donor.

The successful pregnancy of 32-year-old Fabiana Amorim de Lima, from Brazil, marked a breakthrough in fertility treatment.

The technology is being pioneered by Professor Mats Brannstrom (pictured), who said: 'I think robotic surgery has a great future in this area'

Surgeons control the robot using joysticks which move instruments inside the patient's body  hand movements are converted to extremely precise motions

Her eggs had been frozen before the operation and, after she started having regular periods following the womb transplant, she was impregnated using IVF.

Luisa Santos was born by c-section in December 2017, 35 weeks into the pregnancy.

Doctors said the use of a dead woman's womb offered hope for future mothers-to-be because it meant it would be easier to find a willing and suitable donor.

Ten previous attempts, in the US, Czech Republic and Turkey, to transplant a womb from a dead donor had ended in failure.

Luisa's delivery last December  in which she weighed 5lb 10oz  proved the procedure can be carried out safely using a dead donor's womb.

Spurred on by the breakthrough, UK surgeons are planning the first womb transplants in this country this year.
Public health bosses will advise hospitals on how to cope with a deadly fungus that has become resistant to most drugs.

Candida auris was first identified in 2009 and has since struck hundreds in Britain and the US, among other countries.

Hospitals are now struggling to deal with the little-known fungus, prompting health officials in England and Wales to step in.

Public Health England has said it is looking to update its guidance on C. auris amid fears it is 'spreading like wildfire'.

The agency first published guidelines for dealing with the fungus in 2017, including telling doctors to isolate infected patients and ramp up hygiene measures.

Candida auris has been identified across the globe since 2009. Now, public health bosses will advise hospitals on how to cope with the deadly fungus that has become resistant to treatment

Some 260 patients have been found to have C. auris in Britain in six years, The Times reports.

The fungus can enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the body, causing serious infections and death, in some cases.

Concerns have been raised because the fungus thrives in hospital settings and does not respond to commonly used anti-fungal drugs.

If a person is healthy they are unlikely to be affected by the fungus, but it can pose a more serious threat to a patient with a weakened immune system.

Candida auris (C. auris) was first described in 2009 after being found in the ear canal of a 70-year-old Japanese lady.

In 2011, it was reported as a cause of bloodstream infection in South Korea.

It has since been identified in countries including Canada, the US, Venezuela, Colombia, South Africa and India, as well as the UK, Spain, Norway, and Germany.

In the US there have been 587 reported cases, mostly in New York, New Jersey and Illinois, leading C. auris to be put onto an 'urgent threats' list by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Based on current information, 3060 per cent of people with C. auris infections have died, according to the CDC.

But many of these people had other serious illnesses that also increased their risk of death.

A large outbreak in Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust's Royal Brompton Hospital in west London involved 72 patients between April 2015 and November 2016 and caused the hospital to shut its intensive care unit for 11 days.

As of July 2017, no-one has died directly from C. auris infection in the UK, according to PHE.

Although, one person did die following the Royal Brompton outbreak due to other reasons.

Dr Johanna Rhodes, an infectious disease expert at Imperial College London, said she and her team is regularly called by NHS hospitals for advice on how to deal with outbreaks.

According to the New York Times, Dr Rhodes received a panicked call from Royal Brompton hospital saying they couldn't get rid of the fungus.

WHAT IS C AURIS? Candida auris (C auris) is a harmful form of yeast, identified by the CDC as a 'superbug' fungus. It tends to be diagnosed in patients after they've been in hospitals for several weeks. The fungus can infect wounds, ears and the bloodstream and take root in the urinary tract. The source of the infection for C auris isnt the person who got sick but rather the hospital environment, including catheters, counters, and other surfaces. It was first identified in Japan in 2009 and has since spread to more than a dozen countries worldwide. Two of the three kinds of commonly used antifungal drugs have had little effect in treatment. About 60 percent of those who've been infected with C auris have died. Advertisement

She said she was told: 'We have no idea where it's coming from. We've never heard of it. It's just spread like wildfire.'

The CDC has said that more than 90 per cent of C. auris infections were resistant to at least one drug and 30 per cent to two or more.

Dr Johanna Rhodes told The Times that 'different mechanisms were responsible for its drug resistance'.

The fungus is resilient because it was able to create biofilms - micro-organisms that can stick to surfaces and make the fungus hard to remove.

Dr Rhodes said: 'It has evolved to be a very fit organism and it is surviving and thriving in hospital environments.

'We have never seen anything like this before. Dont panic  this is not going to be the global pandemic that everyone hears about that is going to wipe out humanity.

'But people should be aware of how scary fungal infections can be.'

Researchers investigated the spread of C. auris after the outbreak in Royal Brompton and found that equipment including thermometers used to monitor some patients was identified as a major source.

Dr Rhodes said patients being moved from one hospital section to another, for example to rehabilitation, caused spread.

Without symptoms, the fungus can go undetected by medics - but doctors are, according to Dr Rhodes, getting better at identifying it.

However, The New York Times reported that there is a 'climate of secrecy' around the fungus, and that hospitals are reluctant to discuss the challenge of containing it.

'We came to realize that the secrecy surrounding C. auris was a big part of the story,' they wrote.

Dr Colin Brown, consultant medical microbiologist for PHEs national infection service, said C. auris is an uncommon fungus in the UK and is a low risk to patients in healthcare settings.

He said: 'PHE is working closely with the NHS to provide expert support and advice on infection control measures to limit the spread of Candida auris.

'Most cases detected have not shown symptoms or developed an infection as a result of the fungus.

'NHS hospitals that have experienced outbreaks of Candida auris have not found it to be the cause of death in any patients.'
Hydrogen peroxide used in teeth whitening strips damages the tissue deep in the tooth and makes it weaker, a study has found.

Whitening kits have become a billion-pound-industry - but companies selling them have come under fire amid their emerging dangers.

Now, scientists have found the damage goes even deeper than the enamel, after tests showed the hydrogen peroxide strikes the dentin.

The harsh chemical breaks down a protein within the dentin into tiny fragments enough to make it 'disappear', according to the researchers.

The dentin tissue stops hot soup or cold ice cream stimulating the nerves and causing sensitivity and pain.

Hydrogen peroxide used in over-the-counter teeth whitening products damages the protein deep in tooth, a study by Stockton University has found

Regulations state home whitening kits cannot contain more than 0.1 per cent of hydrogen peroxide, but some companies illegally sell them with 33 per cent.

Academics, at Stockton University in New Jersey, previously showed collagen in the dentin layer decreased when teeth were treated with whitening strips.

Dr Kelly Keenan, lead author, said: 'We sought to further characterise what the hydrogen peroxide was doing to collagen.

'We used entire teeth for the studies and focused on the impact hydrogen peroxide has on the proteins.'

Her team found protein in the dentin is converted to smaller fragments when treated with hydrogen peroxide - making teeth more sensitive.

In additional experiments, they treated pure collagen with hydrogen peroxide and then analysed it under the microscope.

WHAT RISKS DO DIY TEETH WHITENING KITS HAVE? DIY teeth whitening kits have boomed in popularity, but the NHS state that some home kits don't contain enough whitening product to be effective. Also, if a dental professional isn't doing the whitening, the mouthguard provided may not fit properly so some of the bleaching gel may leak out onto the gums and into the mouth, causing blistering and sensitivity. Teeth whitening carried out in beauty salons by untrained staff or staff without dental qualifications can put oral health at risk and is also illegal. A study published in the British Dental Journal warned that sodium chlorite, the active ingredient found in three over-the-counter products, could, in the presence of acid, 'significantly reduce the hardness of the teeth and increase the likeliness for future surface abrasions of the teeth.' In January, kits sold on Amazon were exposed by the MailOnline to contain sodium perborate, a poisonous chemical that was banned by the EU for cosmetic use for nearly a decade ago after studies have shown it can damage fertility and harm unborn babies. The British Dentist Association say that some home-kits contain dangerous levels of hydrogen peroxide - more than 33 per cent. High level bleaching gels can cause mouth infections, blistering and burns to gums, damage to nerves and tooth enamel, and gum-shrinking. Advertisement

Dr Keenan said: 'Our results showed treatment with hydrogen peroxide concentrations similar to those found in whitening strips is enough to make the original collagen protein disappear, which is presumably due to the formation of many smaller fragments.'

It is not clear what percentage of hydrogen peroxide the products tested contained.

The tooth is made of three layers - the outer enamel, the underlying dentin and connective tissue that binds the roots to the gum.

Most studies of whitening strips have focused on tooth enamel, which contains very little protein.

The study presented at an American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology meeting in Orlando, Florida, focused on dentin which makes up most of the tooth.

Dr Keenan's team of researchers told the conference: 'These results suggest hydrogen peroxide, even at the concentrations used in whitening strips, can damage protein.'

The researchers did not address whether collagen and other proteins in the teeth can be regenerated, so they say they do not know if the damage is permanent.

Celebrity culture and reality shows such as Love Island and The Only Way is Essex have made teeth whitening one of the most popular cosmetic treatments in the UK.

Many cosmetic teeth-whitening companies  including Essex Smiles, Mr Blanc Teeth, Janina Ultra White and Brilliant 5-Minute Kit  sell DIY at-home whitening kits via their website.

Some of these kits contain bleaches such as hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide, which can only be sold legally to the public in strength doses below 0.1 per cent.

Several online companies illegally sell gels and strips containing up to 33 per cent hydrogen peroxide, according to the British Dental Association.

Dentists or dental practitioners can use the chemical in doses of up to six per cent, but say their practices are perfectly safe as they have the right training and knowledge.

The global market is expected to reach 5.7billion by 2024, with options ranging from strips to UV gum shields.
Using marijuana during pregnancy to treat morning sickness could damage an unborn baby's brain, a new study says.

Research conducted on rats found that expecting mothers who used cannabis affected the section of the brain involved in memory and learning.

The rate of pregnant women using pot for severe nausea and vomiting has increased by 11.3 percent over the last decade and by more than 62 percent for general overall use.

Previous studies have shown that children born to women who used marijuana during pregnancy are more likely to develop cognitive and behavioral problems.

The team, from Auburn University in Alabama, says its findings confirm pot's harmful effects on developing brains and advise that there are no safe levels when it comes to expectant mothers.

A new study from Auburn University found rat babies born to mothers exposed to cannabis during pregnancy had reduced nerve connections in the hippocampus (file image)

'Marijuana is becoming one of the most consumed drugs in pregnancy, but we know from past studies that it has harmful effects on developing brains,' co-author Priyanka Das Pinky, a graduate student at Auburn University, told DailyMail.com.

For the new study, the team wanted to examine the effects cannabis use could have on a fetus's hippocampus, which is responsible for processing memory and emotional responses.

They raised pregnant female rats and exposed one group to a synthetic chemical that acts similarly to marijuana.

The dose was equivalent to a pregnant human mother using moderate to heavy amounts of cannabis.

When the baby rats were born, the researchers examined their brains and found that the nerve connections in the 'brain's memory bank' were reduced in rats exposed to synthetic pot in the womb compared to those that weren't exposed.

Researchers found that this was due to a reduction in a protein known as Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule (NCAM), which helps maintain neural connections and strength.

'When we examined what was causing this, we found this molecule in brain was not maintaining proper connection in neurons,' Pinky said. 'There has not been much data on this molecule before, so that was exciting to see.'

The results suggest that increasing NCAM may reduce the effects of pot, but the authors say further studies are needed.

'Right now, we're looking for compounds that increase [production of] this molecule,' Pinky said.

'However, we've only done research in animal models and there's always a translational gap between animal models and human models.'

Pinky says that there are many things to consider when it comes to a pregnant woman's marijuana use including during which trimester she uses it and whether she smokes or vapes it.

'The first trimester may not have as many effects, and it's been pre-established that the severity is worse when marijuana is smoked [compared to vaped],' said Pinky.

'The effect might vary, but how it might vary and if there is a possible safe use of marijuana during pregnancy is too early to say.'

She added that as many states legalize recreational marijuana, many women might believe that cannabis is safe to use, but she says this is a dangerous mindset.'

'The research is preliminary, but we will stress that marijuana is bad to use during pregnancy and we don't encourage women to take it,' Pinky said.

Research will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics between April 6 and April 9 in Orlando, Florida.
The most worrying 'superbug' on the CDC's radar has infected more than 600 Americans in recent years - and officials say the spread is picking up pace globally.

But hospitals are not obliged to inform patients if they have the infection, which is most commonly contracted in hospitals, according to an alarming new feature by the New York Times.

Candida auris, a harmful form of yeast, is resistant to most drugs, with a 60 percent mortality rate.

In the US, 300 New Yorkers people have been infected since 2013, 144 in Illinois and 104 in New Jersey, with hundreds more in the UK, South Africa, India, Colombia, Venezuela and more.

The spread, in the face of rising drug resistance, has triggered the CDC to update its guidelines - urging medics to quarantine C auris sufferers.

However, according to the New York Times, CDC rules allow states and hospitals to keep their infection count secret.

The move is intended to protect centers and states from panic and media attention, but experts warn it is leaving the general public in the dark about a serious threat.

Candida auris, a harmful form of yeast, is 'pretty much unbeatable and difficult to identify', according to Connecticut's state epidemiologist

First identified in Japan in 2009, the fungus has spread to more than 12 countries around the globe.

Between 2013 and April 2017, there had been 66 cases in the US.

Now, there have been 587, with 30 more probable cases.

'It's pretty much unbeatable and difficult to identify,' Dr Lynn Sosa, deputy state epidemiologist of Connecticut, told the New York Times.

CDC analyses show most cases (around 86 percent) are resistant to the common anti-fungal treatment fluconazole, about half (43 percent) were resistant to amphotericin B, which is used for aggressive fungal infections, and 3 percent were resistant to echinocandins - the standard treatment for a bacterial infection like this.

According to a 2017 report, most cases were spread in hospitals or between family members.

'In Illinois, three cases were associated with the same long-term care facility,' the researchers wrote in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

'In New York and New Jersey, cases were identified in multiple acute care hospitals, but further investigation found most had overlapping stays at interconnected long-term care facilities and acute care hospitals within a limited geographic area.

'The case in Massachusetts was linked to the Illinois cases.'

Screening of 390 close contacts showed that 12 percent were colonized by C auris.

WHAT IS C AURIS? Candida auris (C auris) is a harmful form of yeast, identified by the CDC as a 'superbug' fungus. It tends to be diagnosed in patients after they've been in hospitals for several weeks. The fungus can infect wounds, ears and the bloodstream and take root in the urinary tract. The source of the infection for C auris isn't the person who got sick but rather the hospital environment, including catheters, counters, and other surfaces. It was first identified in Japan in 2009 and has since spread to more than a dozen countries worldwide. Two of the three kinds of commonly used antifungal drugs have had little effect in treatment. About 60 percent of those who've been infected with C auris have died. Advertisement

Testing of patients' rooms also recovered C auris from 'mattresses, beds, windowsills, chairs, infusion pumps, and countertops.... C auris was not isolated from rooms after thorough cleaning with a sodium hypochloritebased disinfectant.'

What also makes the fungus so dangerous is that its difficult to recognize and is often misidentified as other related yeasts - many might not determine that they actually have a serious infection on hand.

'It's acting like a superbug' bacteria, said Dr Paige Armstrong of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The fungus has been found on surfaces in hospital rooms and on the skin of nurses and patients - even after patients were treated with antifungal medications.

The most vulnerable to the superbug are fragile hospital patients, particularly newborns and the elderly.

It tends to be diagnosed in patients after they've been in hospitals for several weeks. The fungus can infect wounds, ears and the bloodstream and take root in the urinary tract.

US clinicians have been warned to watch for the fungus in hospitals. Patients who have undergone recent surgery, used central venous catheters, or been hospitalized for lengthy periods, as well as those with diabetes, are particularly at risk.

About 60 percent of those who've been infected with C auris have died, the CDC said.
Wales is to become a leading player for offering a pioneering cancer treatment, according to health officials.

Private clinic The Rutherford Centre in Newport, South Wales, has treated its first NHS patient with proton beam therapy.

Ryan Scott, 23, of Cardigan, West Wales, who has a brain tumour, was told he would no longer need to fly to the US for the treatment and could have it right on his doorstep.

Proton beam therapy (PBT) gained huge attention in 2014 when the parents of Ashya King, who was then five, were jailed for abduction after removing Ashya from hospital to receive the treatment in Spain.

The NHS have been building centres to fund people in the UK - but experts warn it will be a long time before significant numbers will be treated.

Proton beam therapy famously treated Ashya King, pictured in 2018. In 2014 his parents, Brett and Naghmeh King, were jailed with abduction when they took Ashya out of hospital to receive the treatment abroad

Ryan Scott, 23, of Cardiff, is the first NHS patient to have been treated with proton beam therapy at private clinic The Rutherford Centre in Newport, South Wales

Mr Scott, pictured with staff at the centre, was getting ready to travel to the US for proton beam therapy for a brain tumour before being told he could have it in his home of Wales

In December 2018, NHS Wales struck a deal that would see adult NHS Wales patients who need PBT treated at the Rutherford Cancer Centre

PBT allows a dose of high energy protons to be precisely targeted at a tumour, reducing the damage to surrounding healthy tissue.

It is beneficial for patients where the cancer is close to a critical part of the body such as the spinal cord or brain.

Mr Scott had a grade 1 cranio pharyngioma and was about to receive PBT for it in the US - it has been accessible abroad to about 1,000 eligble NHS patients since 2008.

But, in December 2018, NHS Wales struck a deal that would see adult NHS Wales patients who need PBT treated at the Rutherford Cancer Centre.

WHO IS ASHYA KING? Proton beam therapy drew attention four years ago when the story of Ashya King, who was then five, sparked a fierce debate. The NHS did not provide proton therapy in the UK, however it has funded treatment abroad since April 2008. But in this case the doctors did not support moving Ashya for therapy. His parents, Brett and Naghmeh King, were jailed with abduction when they took Ashya to Spain, fearing the radiotherapy recommended by doctors in Southampton treating his brain tumour would turn him into 'a vegetable'. The issues about treating the boy were brought to the High Court to be resolved, and on 5 September 2014, the court ruled that Ashya would be allowed to have the therapy in Prague, Czech Republic. In March 2015, Mr King said that a brain scan showed no evidence that Ashya had a brain tumour. Now, Ashya is now, a typical young boy who loves riding his bike, watching movies and spending time with his family, according to his mother. Advertisement

Mr Scott was the first patient and said: 'I was very pleased when my consultant recommended proton beam therapy and told me that it was available close to home in South Wales.

'I was due to be treated with proton beam therapy over the course of eight weeks in the US, a disruption I was not looking forward to.

'Happily, however, the agreement between NHS Wales and the Rutherford Cancer Centres was struck just in time for me to be treated a short drive from home.

'The process of undergoing proton beam therapy was much better than anticipated. There have been hardly any side effects and being able to sleep in my bed after a day's treatment is a real plus.'

The centre treated the first patient in the UK with PBT in April last year, Simon Hardacre, 56, a company director from Woolaston in Gloucestershire.

Since then, the centre has treated 25 patients.

Today, Vaughan Gething, Minister for Health and Social Services, hosted an official opening as a celebration of its progress.

Mr Gething said: 'I am delighted to officially open the Rutherford Cancer Centre in Newport today. It was the first facility in the UK to offer proton beam therapy for cancer patients, and an excellent example of the development of new cancer therapies, here in Wales.

'It's a perfect illustration of how we are working collaboratively to deliver technological innovations to improve treatment for patients'.

Andrew Goodall, chief executive of NHS Wales, and Mike Moran, chief executive of Proton Partners International which operates the Rutherford Cancer Centres, also attended today's official opening.

The centre treated the first patient in the UK with PBT in April last year but was officially opened today, April 9. Pictured, the equipment

Proton beam therapy allows a dose of high energy protons to be precisely targeted at a tumour, reducing the damage to surrounding healthy tissue

Mr Moran said: 'It's gratifying to see UK oncologists becoming increasingly aware of proton therapy and embracing the treatment.

'Our collaborative partnership with the NHS in Wales means that adult patients have an option to be treated closer to home.

'Patient demand is increasing and it is encouraging that the UK is beginning to catch up with Europe in the provision of this therapy.'

The NHS has been paying for some patients to have the treatment abroad since 2008, at specialist centres in Jacksonville, Florida, and Oklahoma City in the US, as well as Switzerland, at a cost of around 110,000 per patient.

But now, the NHS opening its own centres, with the first at the Christie Hospital in Manchester last Autumn.

The first patient was treated in December last year, and by the time a second centre is opened in summer 2020, 750 patients will be treated every year.

Eventually, it is expected to benefit 1,500 patients a year.

Despite the a new NHS cancer treatment centres becoming operational, experts have said it will be a long time before more miracle recoveries are made.

Oncologist Jiri Kubes, medical director of the Proton Therapy Center (PTC), which treated Ashya King, said many patients in the UK will still be denied access to the treatment they want.

Dr Kubes said: 'The demand for proton beam therapy is increasing year on year, with many patients seeking alternatives to the traditional cancer treatment pathways.

'While the NHS acknowledges the benefits of PBT, and is building its own centres, they will still only be able to treat a fraction of those who might benefit from it, while many people will be turned down for the treatment because of the very limited indication criteria.

'Theres still a long way to go before patients in the UK have widespread access to it.'

Because of this, growing numbers are willing to pay for the treatment abroad - in 2016, the PTC treated 21 patients from the UK and Ireland.

But by the end of last year, they'd treated 38 patients, each paying the minimum price of the shortest treatment schedule of around 23,000.

The main barrier for development of centres in the UK has been the enormous cost of the equipment. The NHS centres in Manchester and in London in 2020 are reported to have cost 250 million.


Thousands of car insurance customers will be refunded a total of 30,000 after Money Mail discovered they had been wrongly charged to receive paper copies of their policies.

Insurance giant More Than began charging customers 6 to receive their motor policy documents in the post in June last year.

The insurer said customers could view their policy free-of-charge online but needed to pay a small fee for a printed version 'to cover the cost of overheads'.

More Than began charging customers 6 to receive their motor policy documents in the post

But after Money Mail raised this with the Financial Conduct Authority, it emerged that More Than may have been in breach of the regulator's rules.

The City watchdog says: 'Firms can provide the required documents and information in various ways, but where a customer also requests a paper copy this must be provided free of charge.

'We are aware of some concerns about whether firms are complying and will be looking into this further.'

Now, following pressure from the Daily Mail, More Than has axed its 6 fee and agreed to refund about 5,000 customers who have already been charged  a total of 30,000.

The decision is a major victory for households who are not online and still rely on paper copies of bills and statements.

Last month Money Mail revealed how almost all major telecoms giants now charge customers up to 36 a year for paper bills. Some energy companies are now also charging customers extra if they cannot manage their account using the internet.

Tory Robert Halfon, MP for Harlow, has since set up a petition calling for a ban on charges for paper utility bills.

Now it has emerged that insurers are also penalising customers for not being online.

Of the biggest 30 insurance firms, only More Than charged customers an extra fee to receive their policy in the post  which it has now scrapped.

But others, including Axa, Aviva, More Than, Sainsbury's and Tesco Bank, impose costly fees if you need to make a change to your policy over the phone. Yet, if you make the same alternation online you will not have to pay a penny.

Of the biggest 30 insurance firms, only More Than charged customers an extra fee to receive their policy in the post  which it has now scrapped

Fees can vary widely. More Than car cover customers are charged 25 to update policy or personal details mid-way through a contract by phone, the same fee as Tesco Bank car and home policy customers, while Axa charges 10.

Aviva charges some car insurance customers 18 if the alteration changes their premium, while home insurance customers will pay 8.

Sainsbury's Bank charges car insurance customers 25 and those with home cover 15.

It is understood that while it is not against the FCA's rules to charge this type of admin fee, the watchdog would expect the charges to be proportionate to the service provided.

James Daley, of consumer group Fairer Finance, says: 'If a company is charging 20 or 25 when a similar sized firm is charging 10 or nothing, it should prompt it to justify why its charges are so high.'

Former pensions minister Baroness Ros Altmann says: 'This is discrimination against older people who can't and never will be able to manage online.' Other firms have introduced extra fees for customers who need a second copy of their documents sent in the post.

Banks could pass on cost of fraud to us Just two banks have promised not to pass on the cost of refunding scam victims to their own customers. A new refund scheme for victims of scams where neither the bank nor customer is to blame is set to be launched on May 28. But banks have only pledged to cover the cost until the end of the year, when they hope to have found a longer-term funding solution. One idea is to charge a levy on every payment. It would then be up to banks to decide whether or not to pass this cost on to their customers. So far only Lloyds and Nationwide have promised not to do this. Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland, Metro Bank, HSBC and Santander refuse to give the same reassurance. Gareth Shaw, head of money at consumer group Which? says banks should not make its customers shoulder the cost of refunding victims who lose money to scams. He urges other banks to follow in the steps of Lloyds and Nationwide. Industry trade body UK Finance says a number of options for funding the reimbursement scheme are being considered and that no decisions have been made. a.murray@dailymail.co.uk

The Co-op charges those with its Young Driver Policy 15 for a replacement paper policy. Its eco insurance customers pay 3.

Hastings charges its customers 5 for duplicate paper documents if they are requested more than six weeks after the original was sent out.

More Than customers who have paid 6 to receive a paper statement should receive a letter from the firm by the end of May, along with a cheque.

The company will then send a follow up letter two weeks later to make sure customers have received the refund.

Elaine Ellis, 71, was shocked to discover she would be charged 6 to receive her policy documents in the post.

The retired personal assistant who lives with her husband Martin in Swallownest, South Yorkshire, was renewing the car insurance on her Vauxhall Astra and was sent a letter along with her documents informing her of the new charge.

She says: 'I need to print things out so I can read them through properly. So I phoned them up and told them I would charge them for the cost of printer ink, the paper and the time it would take me to print out my policy if they sent it by email.

'It's great news they've axed the charges, it's a step in the right direction.' More Than, the trading name of Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance (RSA), made a 480million profit last year. Its chief executive Stephen Hester earned around 4.1million.

An RSA spokesman says: 'We are committed to treating our customers fairly and responding to their diverse needs.

'Policyholders can access all documents for free online, and customers who require printed documents in large print, Braille or audio CD also receive these for free. This will now be extended to all customers.'

AXA, Aviva, Tesco and Sainsbury's say they take individual circumstances into account and sometimes waive fees for making changes over the phone.

An Axa spokesman says it will consider whether a customer 'is uncomfortable or unable to make a change online'.

A Tesco spokesman says: 'Customers are informed online, in their policy documents, and when they contact us that an administration fee may be charged for making policy changes over the phone.'

Sainsbury's Bank says the extra charges for making changes over the phone are proportionate to the service provided.

An Aviva spokesman says: 'We regularly review our charges for mid-term adjustments in line with FCA guidelines'.

A Hastings spokesman says the 5 charge covers 'administration, printing and postage'.

A Co-op spokesman says: 'The charges cover the cost of admin staff and postage.'

f.parker@dailymail.co.uk
This week I'd like to raise a large glass of bubbly to scam-fighting superstar, Donald Wilby.

It is solely down to this taxi driver's quick-thinking that an 87-year-old woman was spared the heartbreak of losing her life savings to crooks.

The saga began last week when a man with a foreign accent called a taxi firm in North Somerset to book a car for 'his mother'.

Taxi driver Donald Wilby's quick-thinking that an 87-year-old woman was spared the heartbreak of losing her life savings to crooks

The man asked for someone to pick her up from her home in Nailsea and take her to the NatWest in Clevedon, Somerset.

Her appointed driver, Donald, struck up a conversation, and it came out that she'd had a call out of the blue claiming her account had been accessed by crooks.

She had been told she needed to go to the bank to draw out all her money so it would be safe.

Immediately, Donald, a driver for Nailsea Backwell Taxis, knew something was wrong.

As fate would have it, he had picked up another woman in the same situation 18 months before and knew it had been a scam. Donald explained this to the lady but she remained convinced the call had been genuine.

So he decided to go into the bank when they arrived and alert staff, who quickly froze her account and called the police.

It then became clear the woman was a victim of so-called 'courier fraud'  where a caller claims to be from the police or bank and encourages them to withdraw large sums of cash.

Typically they say there is a problem with the victim's account or it has been targeted by fraudsters. Had the woman withdrawn her savings, the crooks would then have sent a taxi or courier to collect the cash, which she'd never have seen again.

Detective Sergeant Marc Milliner, of the Avon and Somerset Police's Complex Crime Unit, praised Donald for his quick-thinking and urged other taxi companies to take note.

He says: 'We hope other taxi drivers and those providing a courier collection service will take this on board and alert us if they are asked to take elderly and vulnerable people to withdraw cash from their banks or are asked to collect packages from people on behalf of police officers or a bank official.'

But even if you aren't a taxi driver, you can still do your bit by keeping an eye on vulnerable neighbours and relatives.

In the meantime, Money Mail will keep you up-to-date with the latest scams in this section each week.

Hidden costs

As we report, flight comparison sites such as Skyscanner used to be a brilliant bargain-hunting tool.

You just popped in when and where you wanted to go and a list of the fares would appear in price order.

But trying to book flights to the U.S. last month nearly sent me into a tailspin.

At first I was excited by how cheap the fares seemed.

Flight comparison sites such as Skyscanner used to be a brilliant bargain-hunting tool, but be sure to read the fine print

But dreams of upgrading to Premium Economy quickly faded when I realised I hadn't heard of half the travel firms advertising these cheap deals.

Uneasy, I looked at booking direct with airlines where I found flights cost hundreds of pounds more. Then came the hidden fees.

Foolishly, I had assumed that as I was travelling long-haul, flagship carriers such as Virgin Atlantic and British Airways would include hold luggage in their advertised price.

But checking in a bag for two people cost as much as 200 extra.

Very disappointing.

Lender agenda

While we're on poor behaviour, what's that, you say, dear credit card provider? You want to raise my credit limit by 2,000 even though I didn't ask for it?

This is exactly the type of worrying behaviour fuelling Britain's debt crisis.

Bumping up borrowers' credit limits just increases the temptation for customers to spend more than they need.

And while I was at least informed that I can opt out of future limit increases  surely this should be the default approach unless I contact them?

Given we are barely a decade on from the financial crisis, lenders should know better.

v.bischoff@dailymail.co.uk
For many, comparison websites and online travel agents are the go-to place to find cheap flights.

The sites claim to compare the prices of hundreds of airlines based on your destination and dates in order to offer you the best deals.

More holidaymakers are putting their trust in websites such as Skyscanner, TravelSupermarket, Momondo and Kayak, to find bargain fares.

You can book with airlines directly, but many are now offering flights from a whole host of 'middle-men' at lower prices. These firms, which are often based abroad, take your money then secure the seats with the airline  if they are still available.

Many comparison websites and online travel agents claim to compare the prices of hundreds of airlines based on your destination and dates in order to offer you the best deals

But experts warn that booking sites often fail to make it clear whom you are booking with  and where to complain when things go wrong.

Prices can also go up before and after you have paid, and you may lose vital protections you get from booking direct.

Today Money Mail reveals the tricks used by flight comparison sites that could stop you getting the best deal.

YOU MUST BOOK IN 10 MINUTES

Many websites use pressure tactics to hurry customers into handing over their card details. Some claim that flights are in limited supply and you will miss out if you do not book there and then.

When Money Mail looked at flights from London to Malaga in May, one site, Opodo, flashed up warnings in red that read 'last flight' and 'only five tickets left'.

Another, called eDreams, claimed there were 'just nine seats left' on a flight from Manchester to New York in May.

Booking sites have a certain number of tickets at a set price they can sell on.

So while that website may only have a few fares left, there may be more seats available at other prices or if you booked direct with the airline.

Opodo and eDreams say that the ticket availability warnings are accurate for the fare selected  but does not represent the full plane availability.

This means that while you may not get that advertised fare, you should still be able to get a seat on the flight even if you wait.

After selecting a flight from the results page, some websites then also try to rush customers into completing their booking. eDreams, for example, warns customers that they have just ten minutes to fill in their details.

If they wait any longer the screen will refresh which means prices could change.

Momondo says its flights must be paid for within 20 minutes and shows a countdown clock after which prices may reset.

TravelSupermarket tells its customers they are unlikely to find a better deal by waiting. When searching for flights from London to Malaga in May, a white box appeared on our screen which read: 'Our advice: Buy now. Prices are unlikely to decrease within seven days'.

Kayak, which manages TravelSupermarket, says its advice is based on past and current prices, but admits it is not guaranteed that prices won't fall.

Last year watchdog the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) warned hotel booking websites against similar pressure selling.

Momondo, also run by Kayak, says it does not consider the countdown clock pressure selling with flight searches as the deals are very short lived.

THE TOP DEALS CAN COST MORE

Many holidaymakers believe the flight that appears at the top of the results list is the cheapest. But some airlines pay sites a commission to be promoted as the best option even if there are better deals available.

TravelSupermarket, for example, does not automatically list deals in order of price.

For example, when we searched for London to Malaga flights, the top result was a sponsored deal from Jet2 costing 160. Underneath was an option costing just 82 with rival site Kayak and a 150 deal with BA.

Yet the lowest price available was just 78, also with Kayak. If you want to view the results in order of price you need to click a drop-down box then select 'cheapest'.

Opodo puts its 'best' and 'genius deals' first. You need to click the 'cheapest' options at the top of the results page to sort by price.

It says it provides a recommendation based on many factors including travel time, stopovers and luggage allowance. Kayak also presents its 'best flights' first.

The top result for flights from Birmingham to Dubai in May was 349 from Emirates. The second deal on the list cost 334 with two different airlines.

Kayak says it decides what flights to recommend based on duration, price, number of stops and airline, and adds that firms do not pay for this spot.

The Emirates flight was considered 'best' because it was several hours quicker but only 5 per cent more expensive than other flights, a spokesman said.

We're still waiting for our money back after ticket blunders we couldn't fix Dental nurse Lorna Golebiewski had to spend 1,100 on a new flight when lastminute.com refused to change the name on her ticket. She realised she had booked flights to South Africa in her married name which did not match her passport. Lorna, 25, noticed the mistake more than a week before she was due to travel to Durban with husband Seth and friend Chloe for a wedding. She had already paid almost 500 for ticket, which included a stopover in Johannesburg. Lastminute.com requested her marriage certificate and a copy of her passport, which she sent. She says it reassured her it would to sort it out. Cost: Changing a name on your plane ticket can mean having to buy a new ticket But Lorna, who lives in Devon, says she had to keep chasing the company, calling up to three times a day just to explain her situation again. Each time she was told she would have an answer within 24 hours and was promised calls back that never came. Lorna says she had time to get a new passport, which would be cheaper than a new flight, but was advised this would not be necessary. The day before she was due to travel lastminute.com emailed Lorna saying it would not amend her ticket. It explained she could not change the name because of the airline's terms and conditions. Yet on BA's website it says it will do so for free. Lorna contacted BA which told her lastminute.com was responsible for the tickets so it could not help. Another seat on the same flight would cost 3,500 so she found another ticket costing 1,100 on a plane leaving three hours later. Lorna says: 'Had I booked with the airline direct this would not have happened. There was a mistake on my part but I tried to sort it out in good time. I put trust in lastminute.com which assured me it would solve the problem.' Lastminute.com claims it was unable to change the booking due to the airline's 'rules and policies' and so could only reimburse the unused taxes and a 50 goodwill gesture. Murray Harkin is still trying to get his money back five months after searching for flights with TravelSupermarket. The PR director used the firm last July to compare the cost of flights from Athens to London for a September holiday. The cheapest option cost 152 with Cobalt Air if he booked through Gotogate, which he had never heard of. After paying he received an email with his booking confirmation. Straight away, Murray noticed a silly error with his name. It had 'email' added to the end. But after asking Gotogate for his name to be corrected, he was told he would have to buy another ticket, which had since risen to 270. Murray, 53, refused and booked a ticket for 191 using another website, putting his experience down to bad luck. But when he arrived at the airport, staff told him they would have let him on the plane regardless because the mistake was so obvious. When Murray, of Hastings, East Sussex, complained to Gotogate he was told to contact the airline. Five months later he is still 152 out of pocket. He says: 'I am just going to use websites and airlines I know from now on.' Gotogate says that because Murray booked non-refundable tickets, it could not give him his money back for the ticket he could not use. It says it tried to apply for a refund to Cobalt on September 17, but the airline did not reply then filed for bankruptcy a month later. It has now apologised and offered to refund Murray as a gesture of goodwill.

HIDDEN FEES FOR TAKING A BAG

It can be frustrating to find that cheap fares often only include a seat on a plane.

So if you need to check in a bag or want to guarantee that your family sits together, the total cost can jump significantly.

This can make it very difficult to compare like-for-like deals. Even more confusingly, fees and charges can vary dramatically depending on which firm you use to book your flights.

For example, if you search using Skyscanner for flights from Manchester to New York in May the cheapest option is 325 with Netflights on Virgin. With Travel Trolley you will pay 326.

However, if you want to add a bag Netflights will charge 88, whereas Travel Trolley adds 70.

It means that overall it works out 17 cheaper to book with Travel Trolley at 396 compared to 413 with Netflights.

These differing costs apply to the same airline. Netflights says the costs are pulled directly from the airline and driven by a number of variable factors over which it has no control.

Experts warn that booking sites often fail to make it clear whom you are booking with  and where to complain when things go wrong

Comparison site Kayak is one of the few that allows you to filter results depending on extras.

Even if you book directly, most major airlines, including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, charge extra to check in bags on flights  even long-haul.

FARES CAN RISE AFTER YOU BOOK

The fare advertised by online booking and comparison sites is rarely guaranteed. So when you come to pay, you may find the cost suddenly soars.

For example, when consumer group Which? searched for a return flight from London to San Francisco in May it found a deal for 399 with Gotogate on Momondo.

But after clicking through to its website the price rose to 476. Momondo says it receives prices from third-party providers, which can change depending on availability. But it says it will investigate.

Rory Boland, of Which? Travel, says this example is not unique as he regularly sees firms advertising cheap prices that are not available. He says: 'It is a complete waste of customers' time.

'Flight comparison sites are supposed to make it easier, not harder to get a good deal.'

Some firms could try to charge you more after you have paid. For example, if you book with Gotogate or Mytrip, their websites say: 'Prices for the flight, as well as seat availability, are directly inserted by the applicable airline.

'For airline price changes outside our control occurring after submission of the booking request, but before the contract with the airline has become binding, the contract will not enter into force and your payment will be refunded in full.

'We may contact you and offer you the option to accept the changed price during ordinary opening hours.'

It means that even after you pay and are sent a confirmation email, your fare is not guaranteed until you get a second email with your ticket details and seat number.

Booking sites have a certain number of tickets at a set price they can sell on. So while that website may only have a few fares left, there may be more seats available at other prices

CUSTOMER SERVICE COSTS MORE

It used to be the case that when you searched for flights on comparison sites such as Skyscanner and TravelSupermarket, you were offered a list of options you could book direct with airlines.

Now you are typically presented with dozens of deals with new and unknown firms that are often based outside of the UK.

Martyn James, from complaints site Resolver, says many flight and holiday comparison sites are part of the same group. For example Gotogate and Mytrip, which appear on all major comparison sites, are both owned by Etraveli Group.

Both firms are often seen to be offering the cheapest prices. Comparison sites eDreams and Opodo are part of eDreams ODIGEO.

Momondo and TravelSupermarket are run by Kayak. But with sites selling the same seats at different prices at different times it is impossible for customers to get the best deal, adds Mr James.

One of the largest sites, Expedia, belongs to the Expedia Group, which includes holiday search sites such as eBookers, CheapTickets, Travelocity and Hotwire, as well as hotel comparison sites Trivago and Hotels.com, and car rental firms.

Mr James says the risk is that brands under the same umbrella group could push their own services across a number of websites with no transparency.

A quick online search reveals a plethora of complaints about lesser-known websites.

On review site Trustpilot, Gotogate gets a one star rating. Customers report how refunds fail to appear and flights are changed or cancelled without explanation.

Expedia also has a one star rating. Customers say it is difficult to get their money back and described responses to complaints as slow. Expedia says it takes customer feedback seriously.

Some companies were even found to be charging for customer service or 'support packages'.

Gotogate, for example, offers a choice of basic, premium or platinum levels of support. The premium package costs 19.80 and entitles customers to a 'quick response time' to queries.

The platinum deal costs 39.80 and means you will be able to get 'a quick refund' if you need one.

Wedoflights was rated two stars with numerous complaints about a 25 'after sales service' which you must pay if you need to speak to a member of staff.

The company claims the bad reviews are misleading and made by 'unreasonable' customers who make mistakes during the booking process and cannot accept that they must abide by the airline's terms and conditions.

NO RIGHT TO A REFUND

If you use your credit card to book flights over 100 you are covered by Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act and can get your money back if things go wrong.

But this only works if you buy direct from the seller  the airline in this case. There must be a direct link between you, your credit card provider and the firm providing goods or services. So if you book tickets through a third party you may lose this extra protection.

It may also work out cheaper to book direct with the airline rather than through a comparison site.

For example, the cheapest return tickets from Birmingham to Faro, Portugal, found on Opodo cost 99.85 from Ryanair.

When we checked the same flights on Ryanair's website we found them for 94.37.

Booking direct means you also know who to complain to when things go wrong.

Mr James says it gets confusing when multiple firms are involved. Many of the 'middle-men' are not based in the UK and can be difficult to contact.

Travel expert Frank Brehany says these firms may appear to be travel agents, but are not. He says: 'They are merely facilitators and have little or no responsibility to you.'

Complaints should be directed to whoever took the money. Or, if you have a complaint about the initial pricing shown on the comparison site, you should raise a complaint with that firm.

The Civil Aviation Authority says it has already taken action against a number of businesses for breaches of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.

This includes in relation to misleading practices and hidden charges.

A spokesman says: 'We are determined that consumers should be able to make informed choices based on access to clear and concise information provided by airlines, tour operators and travel agents.'

a.murray@dailymail.co.uk
The boss of security firm G4S pocketed 2.9million last year.

This was down from the 3.8million he took home in 2017, as he failed to meet financial targets to qualify for most of his bonus.

The South African joined British Gas in 1993 before moving to BG Group in 2002.

He replaced former chief executive Nick Buckles in June 2013. G4S shares are down a quarter from this time last year, at around 185p.

The companys 2018 revenues were 7.3billion, below estimates of 7.4billion.
Speculators are betting heavily on a fall in the euro amid woeful economic data from Germany, its powerhouse nation.

Hedge funds and other trading firms are short-selling 10.7 billion of euros, according to research by Goldman Sachs  meaning they make money if the value of the currency falls.

The sum is 2 billion more than a week ago, suggesting investors are increasingly gloomy about the future prospects of the monetary union.

Woeful performance: Hedge funds and other trading firms are short-selling 10.7 billion of euros as Angela Merkel's Germany flounders

And more dismal figures cast doubt on the German economy. Exports by firms in the country fell 1.3 per cent in February, according to the Federal Statistics Office, while imports dropped 1.6 per cent.

Both falls were worse than analysts had expected, and are thought to be driven by a crackdown on global trade by the US under President Trump.

Germany's prized car making industry is also suffering as customers shun diesel models over fears they cause dangerous pollution.

Figures last week showed that manufacturing and industrial production were both also down in February.

Carsten Brzeski, of investment bank ING, said: 'There simply seem to be too many crises in global trade for the German export sector to defy all of them at the same time.'
Brewdog has invited beer fans to invest in the business for the sixth time in just nine years.

The craft brewer's crowdfunding round, which will run for an initial 90 days until July 5, is aimed at raising money for breweries, bars and other projects. The business told existing investors  known as Equity for Punks  over the weekend that it would seek to raise a fresh 7m.

Drinking to success: The craft brewer's crowdfunding round is aimed at raising money for breweries, bars and other projects

If it reaches the targeted amount, it would bring the total raised since its first equity crowdfunding round in 2010 to 74m.

'Since Equity for Punks first began we have been blown away by their enthusiasm,' said founder James Watt. Brewdog said the new cash would go towards several projects, including development of the Stone Brewing Tap Room, a brewery in Berlin.

Watt said the decision to develop the German brewery was linked to Brexit.

'Uncertainty surrounding Brexit is crippling British business,' he tweeted. 'So we took our destiny into our own hands and bought a brewery on the continent.'
Cheddar, Stilton and smoked salmon exports to the US could be hit with higher tariffs as Donald Trump launches a new trade war with Europe.

The US president is planning to slap extra levies on 8.4billion of exports from the European Union, in a row over subsidies to aircraft maker Airbus.

Products being targeted include British delicacies such as salmon and cheese. Duty on wine is being hiked, and olive oil and seafood will also be hit.

US president Donald Trump is planning to slap extra levies on 8.4bn of exports from the European Union, in a row over subsidies to aircraft maker Airbus

Trump announced the tariffs on Twitter following a 14-year dispute between the US and EU over state support for aerospace companies Boeing and Airbus.

He said: 'The WTO finds that the European Union subsidies to Airbus has adversely impacted the United States.

'The EU has taken advantage of the US on trade for many years. It will soon stop!'

As well as food  including 40 types of cheese  non-military aircraft, ceramics and clothes also face tariffs.

The EU is expected to fight back with its own tariffs, and has already taken aim at Harley-Davidson and Levi's.

Neil Wilson, of trading firm Markets, said: 'There is a real risk of a tit-for-tat trade battle between the EU and US.'

But US trade representative Robert Lighthizer said he hoped for a settlement.
As crunch time approaches for Sirius Minerals, the fertiliser company boring a massive tunnel underneath the North York Moors, investors have been eagerly snapping up its shares.

Sirius is trying to thrash out a financing agreement worth more than 2.5billion with an unnamed major financial institution, which should secure the construction of its Yorkshire polyhalite mine.

Though the firm is unlikely to announce any progress on whether it has secured a deal with the new lender before the end of April, the market is already getting excited.

Sirius Minerals is trying to thrash out a financing agreement worth more than 2.5billion with an unnamed major financial institution to fund its North Yorkshire fertiliser mine

The new cash should allow Sirius, which is a favourite with retail investors, the opportunity to turn its hole in the ground into a functional fertiliser mine and remove most of the risk from the project.

Shares shot up 5.5 per cent, or 1.22p, to 23.3p yesterday,  even as US conglomerate The Capital Group Companies, a major shareholder, revealed it had sold down a stake worth around 22million on Friday.

Such a large sale would usually flood the market, pushing down their price, but instead the stock has been eagerly snapped up.

The FTSE 100 ended the day in the red  down 0.35 per cent, or 26.32 points, at 7425.57  as little news came from Theresa Mays talks in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Packaging heavyweight Smurfit Kappa pulled the FTSE 100 down, falling 3.9 per cent, or 91p, to 2275p.

Stock Watch -Shearwater Cyber security company Shearwater staged a mini recovery as it announced a deal to acquire assets from rival Secarma for 7.4million. The new units will focus on testing how attackers can exploit businesses online operations, analysing and monitoring threats, and deliberately hacking systems to find weaknesses. Chairman David Williams said Shearwater had seen rising demand for these particular types of services. Shares rose 14.6 per cent, or 0.2p, to 1.57p.

Travel company Tui was close behind, just days after it released a profit warning prompted by the grounding of Boeings 737 Max planes, dipping again by 3.1 per cent, or 23p, to 715.8p.

Investors in drugs giant Glaxosmithkline were largely unmoved by US medical regulators approval of a new HIV treatment, created by GSK and Pfizer.

The drug, Dovato, is the first ever once-daily single tablet containing two drugs, rather than three, to help treat HIV. GSKs shares edged down 0.4 per cent, or 6p, to 1582.2p, suggesting investors were largely expecting the approval.

Fund manager Neil Woodford was able to provide investors with some cheer, as Reneuron  a company which he owns 35.5 per cent of  shot up by 29.8 per cent, or 51p, to 222p.

The firm is developing new types of stem cell treatments for diseases such as blindness-causing retinitis pigmentosa, and revealed it was licensing the rights to some of its programmes to Chinese pharmaceutical giant Fosun.

In return, it will be paid up to 80million if all milestones are met. Though Reneuron accounts for 0.9 per cent of the stock market-listed Woodford Patient Capital Trust, the trusts shares slipped 0.4 per cent, or 0.3p, to 82.3p.

Meanwhile N4 Pharma, another specialist pharmaceutical company which is developing a new way to deliver vaccines and cancer treatments to patients, crashed 43.1 per cent, or 3.45p, to 4.55p.

The results of its tests with the University of Adelaide have so far not been positive and its Nuvec treatment has not been effective on living organisms.

Model train company Hornby, which has been trying to put issues surrounding late orders and lack of stock behind it for over a year, came further off the rails as it conceded revenue for the year ending March 2019 was still lower than the previous 12 months.

The company said it was progressing with its turnaround, but the shares fell 4.1 per cent, or 1.5p, to 34.8p.

There was little fun to be had among the stock markets gaming companies. Video games developer Sumo Group fell 4.2 per cent, or 6p, to 137p, despite growing revenues and profitability.

Meanwhile Stride Gaming, which develops online bingo and fruit machine games, slumped 8.9 per cent, or 11.5p, to 117p, as it warned regulatory changes would push revenues down 5 per cent.
Former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn claims he is a victim of a conspiracy and backstabbing by former colleagues.

In a seven-minute video released by his legal team, the 65-year-old blamed his arrest for financial misconduct in Japan on a plot against him.

'This is not about greed. This is not about dictatorship,' he said.

In a seven-minute video released by his legal team, former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn blamed his arrest for financial misconduct in Japan on a plot against him

'This is about a plot, this is about conspiracy, this is about backstabbing  that's what we are talking about.'

The French-Brazilian businessman, who is credited with turning around the Japanese car maker in the late 1990s and 2000s, was arrested for the fourth time last week.

Ghosn faces trial on charges of financial misconduct and breach of trust.

He used the video, which was recorded before his latest arrest, to deny all the charges against him.

He said the plot stemmed from fears inside Nissan that his plans for a closer alliance with French partner Renault posed a threat to the Japanese firm.

Ghosn had masterminded an alliance between Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi.

'There was a fear that the next step of the alliance would in a certain way threaten some people or eventually threaten the autonomy of Nissan,' he said.

In a response to Ghosn's video, Nissan said: 'Aside from any criminal matters, Nissan's internal investigation has uncovered substantial evidence of blatantly unethical conduct.'

It added: 'Further discoveries related to Ghosn's misconduct continue to emerge'.
Standard Chartered let a customer open a bank account using a suitcase stuffed with 500,000 in cash in a shocking money laundering breach.

Another client of the London-based lender was allowed to export products with military uses to more than 75 countries without proper checks, including two where wars were raging.

The errors were revealed in a damning report by the Financial Conduct Authority, as the bank was fined 828million following long-running claims it busted sanctions in Iran.

Apology: Standard Chartered chief executive Bill Winters, pictured, said the breaches were 'completely unacceptable'

Standard Chartered chief executive Bill Winters, pictured, said the breaches were 'completely unacceptable'.

The bank's Dubai branch handled hundreds of millions of pounds between 2008 and 2014 on behalf of clients in Iran and other countries blacklisted by the US.

Iran was hit with sanctions meant to cut it off from global markets due to US fears the country is funding terrorism.

Standard Chartered blamed many of the problems on two junior staff members who knew customers were connected to Iran, and conspired with them to break the law.

The bank will pay 726million to US authorities and another 102million to the FCA. It is the watchdog's second-biggest money laundering fine ever.

Standard Chartered was guilty of a long list of breaches, the FCA said  including allowing a customer to open an account in 2011 using 500,000 stuffed in a suitcase.

The FCA said: 'The customer file contained little evidence that the source of these funds had been investigated.'

The bank also worked for a customer who exported what the FCA called 'a commercial product which could, potentially, have a military application'. Items with dual applications include guns, vehicles and toxic chemicals.

Standard Chartered has signed a two-year deferred prosecution agreement in the US, meaning if it puts a foot wrong it faces criminal penalties and could be stripped of its right to handle dollars.

A former employee has admitted fraud in the US, and investigators have charged a 49-year-old Iranian, Mahmoud Reza Elyassi, with setting up fake companies in the UAE to transfer money to Iran.

An estimated 184million was handled by Standard Chartered on his behalf, they said.

Assistant attorney general Brian Benczkowski said: 'If you circumvent US sanctions against rogue states like Iran  or assist those who do  you will pay a steep price.'

Standard Chartered, set aside 689million in February to cover expected costs. Shares rose 0.3 per cent, or 1.8p, to 647.4p.
A bleaching appointment at an upmarket salon left a woman's hair falling out in clumps, crushing her confidence and sparking a $30,000 legal battle.

Jessica Bray, then 29, visited a Melbourne salon in April last year for a $270 treatment to have her roots lightened to match the rest of her platinum blonde hair, which she had been bleaching since she was 17.

After the bleaching they remained yellow, so she had to return to the salon again to fix the roots.

A bleaching appointment at an upmarket salon left Jessica Bray's hair falling out in clumps. The then 29-year-old is pictured left before treatment and right after her hair began to fall out

Ms Bray was left with a mullet and says she was so embarrassed by her damaged hair she wouldn't be seen in public without a wig

Ms Bray, from the inner Melbourne suburb of Southbank, turned to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) for compensation, initially asking for $30,230.60, most of which was rejected although she won her consumer case.

It was on one of the remedial root visits that Ms Bray, from the inner Melbourne suburb of Southbank, said she realised something was wrong.

As she was waiting for the staff to rinse out the product, she tugged on her hair and some of it came out in her hand.

'I waited a week and a half after to wash it because I was too scared to touch it,' Ms Bray told Daily Mail Australia.

'After, when I did, so much fell out that the drainpipe was clogged.

'Handfuls and more handfuls came out. In the space of a week it broke more, and more, and more.'

Ms Bray's was left with a damaged mullet - short on the top but long and uneven underneath and at the back.

Ms Bray had been experiencing a tough year, was out of work and had been looking forward to her milestone 30th birthday, for which she had bought expensive Melbourne Cup tickets.

Ms Bray visited the salon in April last year for a $270 treatment to have her roots lightened to match the rest of her platinum blonde hair. Pictures show her roots before treatment

She had suffered anxiety and depression, and this was compounded when her hair fell out.

Ms Bray was further traumatised when strangers made fun of her appearance.

'I stopped going out, I stopped seeing friends, I'd been laughed at on the street - a group of people had their phones out. It was embarrassing,' she said.

She could not face going to the Melbourne Cup with her hair in clumpy patches so she took out a loan to buy a wig for $1933.

Ms Bray's hair took months to grow out. She is pictured above after months of regrowth

'It really did affect me,' she said.

'It was either buy the wig and enjoy my time for the first time in months or miss out on my plans. I would have been a laughing stock if I showed up like that especially around the people drinking.'

Ms Bray felt so embarrassed that she retreated from life and tried to hide her hair under a hat even while going through airport security.

Her confidence was crushed and she stopped applying for jobs, fearing she would be rejected because of her hair.

Hair extensions and repair work to fix the damage worked out to be prohibitively expensive so Ms Bray turned to the VCAT for compensation.

The tribunal found the salon had breached consumer laws, and awarded her a refund of $270 for the hair treatment and $114 for a session with a psychologist.

The salon owner told the tribunal that Ms Bray's hair was in poor condition because she had bleached it for many years and this had left it vulnerable to breaking. He said they had done their best to rectify Ms Bray's brassy roots.

A tribunal member rejected Ms Bray's claim for $30,230.60 in damages from the salon including $15,000 in damages for humiliation and distress, saying in her order it was 'excessive and without justification'.

Ms Bray, pictured here before the treatment, had been experiencing a tough year, was out of work and had been looking forward to her milestone 30th birthday when her hair fell out

Ms Bray had also sought $13,000 to have hair extensions applied and maintained for two years plus reimbursment for the cost of the wig, but the tribunal rejected this saying she had not minimised or mitigated her losses.

Ms Bray said she had not wanted to profit from her case, she only wanted a repair to put her back in the position she was in before the damage occurred.

Once news of the case broke on Monday, Ms Bray said she had begun to receive abusive messages from random strangers in her Facebook private messaging, saying things like 'you deserve what happens to you'.

'People don't understand how devastating it was,' she said.
Australia has exploited the Anzac legend for propaganda purposes so we don't feel guilty about our colonial past, a historian has claimed.

Dr Romain Fathi, a lecturer at Flinders University, claimed in his book, Our Corner of the Somme, that Australia has spent more money - a total of $561million by January 2016 - than any other country commemorating World War One.

The historian said leaders such as John Howard saw WWI as a way to re-write Australian history, to 'give white Australians a history to find pride in and alleviate them of guilt'.

As a result, more memorials, plaques and commemorations were funded by the Australian Government between 1998 and 2018 than in the two decades following the end of the war in 1918 to 1939, Dr Fathi claimed.

But Darren Chester, Minister for Veteran's Affairs, told Daily Mail Australia he 'strongly disputed the allegations of revisionism detailed in the book.

'I completely reject the suggestion that the Department of Veterans' Affairs has re-shaped history or glorified war on the Western Front. The claim is both offensive and untrue,' he said.

Scroll down for video

Dr Fathi says the Australian Government had spent about $9363 for each of the 60,000 soldiers who died in World War One - or $561 million - on commemorations and memorials by January 2016 (pictured: Group portrait of four members of the 32nd Battalion cropped from a portrait of the NCOs of the battalion)

The historian says Australian memorials are more nationalistic than the memorials of other countries (pictured: Australian machine gunners returning from the front line trenches to their billets, in France, 1916)

American troops visiting Anzac soldiers at A Company Headquarters, of the 37th Battalion in Villers-Bretonneux

Historian Romain Fathi claims Australia has spent drastically more on commemorating WWI than any other nation involved (pictured is the Australian National Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux)

Dr Fathi insisted he is not criticising the Anzacs themselves, but claimed the Anzac legacy has being manipulated for political purposes, beginning in the 1990s.

'Australia was moving toward a national narrative about multiculturalism and reconciliation. It's a period of Mabo, where Australia was confronting its demons,' he said.

Romain Fathi (pictured), from Flinders University, says Australia's focus on the Anzac legend is propaganda to detract from the shame of colonisation

'If the place you locate Australian values is at Fromelles, at Gallipoli, you tell Australians they are the heirs of the Anzac legend - not of Captain Cook, not of dispossession.

'Therefore, they don't have to feel any guilt about dispossession - that's not them, they're the Anzacs.

'The key national narrative is the one that is government-funded and enshrined. It's a male narrative, it's a white narrative, it's a national narrative of a long-gone era.'

In Australian memorials, the focus is on the heroic work of Australian soldiers to the exclusion of others who fought, Mr Fathi claimed.

In the Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux, in April 1918, the 1st Moroccan Division of the French Army supported the Allied Troops, rescuing battalions of the Australian 13 Brigade and securing territory from the Germans that the Australians had not been able to take.

But at the $100million Sir John Monash Centre, which is behind the Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery, the Moroccan Division is not mentioned at all, Dr Fathi said.

Australia lost more than 60,000 soldiers in WWI - the nation's highest amount of casualties (pictured is the Australian National Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux)

Group portrait of the Burra Boys who enlisted with different Reinforcements of the 32nd Battalion from the area of Burra, South Australia, and came together on the battlefields of France

Mr Fathi said the way Australians memorialise war is very different to other nations, who take a more sombre tone (pictured: English, American and Australian troops lunching in a wood near Corbie the day prior to the attack and capture of the German positions at Hamel and Vaire Wood)

Mr Fathi said this is not the way other countries memorialise the war, and it's not the way Australians remember the war.

'There was no Australian action, only Allied action,' he said.

Pictured is Alec Campbell, the last known survivor of Gallipoli, who Dr Fathi claims was given a State Funeral with military pallbearers against his will

'If you visit the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, the British centre at Thiepval, the French Historial at Peronne, they all tell you about a global war, about the horror of the war, the uselessness of it - and they include the Germans and all the other nationalities, because you cannot tell the story of the war from a national perspective.

'Australians went to war because a British king declared war. We could have said no. Australia's participation in the World War One cannot make sense on its own.'

At Commonwealth war cemeteries, visitors are able to leave a message in a guest book. Mr Fathi claimed these messages show that the way Australians remember the Anzacs 'isn't about pride or jingoism (extreme patriotism), it's about remembrance, grief and sorrow'.

Australia had spent roughly $9,363 for each of the 60,000 soldiers who died in World War One - or $561million - by January 2016.

This is despite Australia suffering far fewer casualties than many of the nations involved in the conflict.

France, which lost almost 1.4million, has spent around 22 Euros per dead soldier, a total of 30.8million ($48.7million).

France, who lost 1.4million men, spent about 22 euros per death (pictured is a display at the Sir John Monash Centre, France)

Mr Fathi says when Australians visit war cemeteries they are able to sign a guest book, and their thoughts do not match what he says is the government-presented narrative, but instead show grief and sorrow

But Mr Chester said the Department of Veteran's Affairs, and the government as a whole, 'worked closely with French authorities and local communities to ensure our commemorative activities on the Western Front are solemn and respectful'.

'The Sir John Monash Centre was constructed to tell Australia's story on the Western Front during the First World War,' he said.

'This collective story is told in the words of the soldiers who served there more than 100 years ago - their views, their experiences, and the words they used to express the war to loved ones back home.

'In addition, the historical content was reviewed by one of Australia's leading historians of the First World War, Dr Peter Pedersen.

'Of the 416,000 Australians who volunteered to serve in the First World War, some 300,000 served on the Western Front. Of the more than 60,000 killed, 45,000 died on the Western Front  more than 10,000 have no known grave. It will always be a special place of remembrance for Australians and their stories should be told in Australia and on the former Western Front.'

Pictured: Our Corner of the Somme by Romain Fathi

Mr Fathi says the Australian government pushed its nationalist narrative again in 2002, when Alec Campbell, the last Australian WWI soldier died.

Despite having said he did not want a State Funeral, and having frequently talked about the futility of war, he was given one with military pallbearers.

'Every side [of politics] uses the historical narrative to suit their agenda,' Mr Fathi said. 'Why can they do that? Because the veterans are dead.

'It was only when they started disappearing in great numbers that the government took over.

'When the last Anzac died in 2002, Alec Campbell - he hated the war, he was a socialist - John Howard gave him a state funeral even though he had declined it.'

Mr Fathi is keen to note he is not criticising the Anzac soldiers in his book.

'The problem is not with the Anzacs  some of whom paid the ultimate price for a war which brought no positive outcomes to Australia. These men had enormous courage,' he said.

'The problem is the way some in Australia have used Anzac in recent decades to the exclusion of other aspects of Australian history, including much needed debates on reconciliation with the Indigenous peoples, to have a national narrative that is essentially masculine.

'Australia has so much more to offer  it is a successful, peaceful and multicultural democracy to be proud off. These achievements were built by all members of the Australian family whose history ought to be taught, learned and come to the fore of the national narrative.

'My book details how the legacy of Anzac is being manipulated for political purposes, based on archives and documents that show this, clear as day.

'The official and national remembrance of Anzac needs to be monitored closely by peer-reviewed historians, not owned by those who have no expertise in history. Otherwise, we risk a great disservice to the Anzacs and their enduring legacy.'
A Maine woman appeared in court on Monday to face federal charges of mailing a threatening letter to the home of U.S. Sen. Susan Collins last year.

An affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Bangor said Suzanne Muscara, 37, of Burlington, mailed starch to the Republican senator's home along with a note reading: 'AnthRAX!!! HA HA HA!!!'

The letter also included a threatening drawing of a stick figure with the letter X for eyes and an arrow pointing at its face.

Suzanne Muscara of Burlington, sent starch to the Republican Senator's Susan Collins' (pictured) home

The mail was intercepted at a postal sorting facility in Hampden, Maine, triggering an investigation. Muscara was arrested on Friday.

According to court documents, Muscara told federal authorities she thought law enforcement would catch the letter before it reached Collins' home and that it wouldn't be taken seriously, WABI-TV reported.

It was not clear if Muscara had a lawyer who could comment on her behalf.

The mailing came after Collins cast a key vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, following contentious Senate Judiciary Committee hearings over claims from Christine Blasey Ford that he had sexually assaulted her while they were teenagers. Kavanaugh denied the allegations.

Muscara's letter also followed another threatening letter sent to Collins' home that was addressed to her husband Thomas Daffron.

Muscara's letter came after Collins received another threatening letter at her house, addressed to her husband Thomas Daffron (pictured together)

Collins said that threat was particularly concerning because the writer claimed it was tainted with ricin residue - a highly potent toxin that only requires a dose the size of a couple grains of table salt to kill an adult.

In that instance, Collins' husband and dog were quarantined until the hazmat team cleared her Bangor home.

Muscara meanwhile is expected to return to court next week. She faces up to 10 years in prison.

Last week it emerged that Collins had out-raised a liberal crowdfunding effort to unseat her, thanks to out-of-state donors.

Progressives raised over $3.5 million for a candidate to unseat Collins after she cast a key vote to confirm Kavanaugh.

But her federal campaign finance reports filed on Friday show she's raised $4 million for her 2020 re-election campaign. That's more than her three last re-election races combined and reports a $3.8 million war chest through March.

However, Collins has raised less than 1% of her funds this year from donors who say they're from Maine.

Much of her donors are based in New York, Virginia, Florida, Texas, Washington, D.C. and California, according to her reports.

No Democrats have formally announced they're running against Collins, who typically wins re-election by wide margins.
Two men posing as fake Uber Eats delivery riders have broken into a secure apartment complex and stolen residents' bikes.

The thieves, who were carrying insulated Uber Eats bags, tailgated a vehicle to get past a car park security gate in Docklands, Melbourne, about 4.30pm on March 4.

The men made their way up to the fourth level of the car park, where they used an angle grinder to cut through security chains attached to two bikes, 3AW reported.

Two men posing as fake Uber Eats delivery riders have broken into a secure apartment and stolen resident's bikes

In the footage, the two men were seen circling the complex before making off with the two bikes.

The men posed as Uber Eats delivery riders on their approach, arriving on their own bikes.

Later, they were seen riding their bikes out of the car park while also holding onto the stolen bikes and wheeling them down beside them.

Police are appealing for information regarding the incident.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
Actor Lincoln Lewis has slammed the manipulative 'catfish' who pretended to be the Home and Away star to get woman to fall in love with her.

Lydia Abdelmalek, 29, from Melbourne, spent four years using fake Facebook profiles featuring the Home and Away star and Hollyoaks and Strictly Come Dancing heart-throb Danny Mac to lure women into her web of lies.

She conned two of her victims into romantic relationships, with both women believing they were being courted by famous actors.

Lewis described the elaborate ruse as 'sickening'.

'Having your number, address, personal details illegally obtained & photos doctored was scary. Having them used to catfish people is sickening,' he wrote on Twitter.

'But nothing can give back or make right what this sick person did and took away from the victims.

Actor Lincoln Lewis has slammed the manipulative 'catfish' who pretended to be the Home and Away star to get woman to fall in love with her

'For everyone, but especially for those with kids, know who you or they are talking to online. be absolutely sure of it! Social media can be great but also a scary place as there are sick twisted people out there. Be safe.

'I also want to take this time to thank the incredible police & detectives who have worked tirelessly on this case over the last 8 years. You see the worst actions in people yet never give up. You are amazing. Thank you.'

Abdelmalek was found guilty of stalking six people and is due to be sentenced in June, the ABC reported.

Abdelmalek was able to deceive the women - whose names have been changed to Jess and Emma for anonymity - and manipulate them into becoming fearful for their lives.

Lydia Abdelmalek (pictured), 29, from Melbourne, spent four years of her life tricking women using fake Facebook profiles

She used profiles for Home and Away star Lincoln Lewis and Hollyoaks and Strictly Come Dancing heart-throb Danny Mac (pictured) to lure women into her web of lies

Emma went to primary school with Lincoln Lewis - the son of rugby league legend Wally Lewis - who is best known for portraying Geoff Campbell on Home and Away.

Emma worked as a flight attendant on international flights, and in 2011 she received a friend request from a Facebook profile claiming to be Lincoln Lewis. She had previously dated a friend of his.

The pair began chatting and soon developed a romantic relationship online.

They arranged to meet each other but he would suddenly cancel, claiming he was busy at the last minute.

A mutual friend later revealed to Emma that the Facebook account was not real and the phone number she was given did not belong to Lewis. She called the real Lincoln Lewis, and asked him if they had been dating.

'No. What are you talking about?' the actor said in response.

Emma told him about how she had been deceived, but he decided to end communication with her and later revealed he 'went into kind of a panic mode'.

Lewis deleted his Facebook profile and tweeted two warnings to his fans telling them he was being impersonated by someone else in September 2013.

The impostor told Emma their real name was Michael Jason Smith and that his friends had set up the fake Lincoln Lewis Facebook account as a joke. Despite the red flags, Emma maintained her relationship with Michael, saying she was in love with him (pictured)

After their discussion, Emma called the phone number she had been chatting to and demanded the person on the other end show their face.

She later told police she believed the impersonator was using real video footage of Lewis and with a different voice over the top of it.

The impostor then told Emma their real name was Michael Jason Smith and that his friends had set up the fake Lincoln Lewis Facebook account as a joke.

She told 'Michael' she had contacted the police and warned him not to talk to her again.

Lydia Abdelmalek's elaborate 'catfish' ruse Melbourne woman Lydia Abelmalek, 29, targeted two air hostesses. She pretended to be soap stars Lincoln Lewis and Danny Mac. Abdelmalek conviced the women to stay in online relationships with the fake profiles she had created even when they uncovered her lies. She created a 'cast of characters' to help maintain her charade. Abdelmalek sent threatening messages to the women and manipulated them. The stress was too much for one of them to take and she killed herself. Abdelmalek was caught out when she turned up to a bank herself to deposit money into the bank account of one of her victims. She was convicted of stalking six people and will be sentenced in June. Advertisement

Emma then received a random message from someone claiming to be her ex-boyfriend - but believed it was from Michael and questioned him about it.

He lied and denied sending the message, but they eventually began talking again. Michael soon began sending more photos to Emma - but they were actually of British actor Danny Mac.

Emma told police she spoke to Michael every day and they began having a romantic relationship. He then told her his name really was Mac, but he was using the 'Michael Smith' alias to avoid an ex-girlfriend who was stalking him.

Abdelmalek then bombarded Emma with anonymous threatening messages, and Michael convinced her he had also received them.

The catfish even made other fake Michael Smith accounts to throw Emma off the scent.

Despite the red flags, Emma maintained her relationship with Michael, saying she was in love with him.

Later, while she was working on a flight to Los Angeles, Emma received a message from someone saying her home in Queensland would be targeted by people with guns, prompting a police response.

Another person called her telling her that if she hung up her intimate photos would be sent to her workplace.

Abdelmalek (pictured) was found guilty of stalking six people and is due to be sentenced in June

Abdelmalek (pictured) was able to deceive the women - whose names have been changed to Jess and Emma for anonymity - and manipulate them into becoming fearful for their lives

Abdelmalek bombarded her victims with anonymous threatening messages (recreated messages pictured)

Emails containing photos of an underwear-clad Emma in sexually suggestive poses were sent to her family members - at the same time care packages and romantic gifts were also being sent to her anonymously.

The stress proved too much for Emma to deal with, and in 2017 she killed herself.

Another flight attendant, single mother Jess, was also targeted by Abdelmalek.

Jess met Lincoln Lewis on a flight in 2009, and they took a photo together. She then sent a message to the fake Lincoln Lewis Facebook account and he accepted.

Similar to Emma's experience, Abdelmalek was able to convince Jess she was Lewis.

With the help of the police, one of Abdelmalek's victims was able to convince her to deposit money into her account (recreated message pictured)

Police investigated Abdelmalek (pictured) and found multiple mobile phones with usernames, passwords, numbers and photos of her victims and the people she pretended to be

At one point, Jess mentioned she had bought her daughter a Bubble O'Bill ice cream and Abdelmalek responded with a photo of Lewis eating one as well.

The lie was caught out when Abdelmalek - pretending to be Lewis - said the soap star was in Sydney, but the real Lewis tweeted a photo of himself watching a State of Origin rugby league game in Brisbane.

Jess contacted the real Lewis, who told her she had been deceived.

She began working with the Queensland Police to catch the scammer. Their phone calls were recorded, and she organised for the con-artist to send her money.

CCTV cameras caught Abdelmalek depositing the money into Jess' account at a Westpac bank.

Police investigated Abdelmalek and found multiple mobile phones with usernames, passwords, numbers and photos of her victims and the people she pretended to be.

In court, a magistrate described the evidence against Abdelmalek as 'overwhelming'.

Her motives remain unknown, as the only material gain she obtained was a discounted flight for her brother.

Jess and Emma never met but bonded over the phone having shared the experience of being deceived by Abdelmalek.

'This person has blood on her hands as far as I'm concerned. She took Emma from her family,' Jess said.
A bizarre dispute between neighbours over dirt on a driveway ended with one man charged with assault and the other being doused in hot coffee.

Footage shows Troy Pickard, the former mayor of Joondalup in Perth, and his next door neighbour Mark Wild spraying each other with pressure hoses as they argue on their front lawns.

Mr Wild told the court Mr Pickard, who had lived next door to him for nine years, was a 'horrible' neighbour, who had purposely hosed dirt onto his driveway earlier that day, Nine News reported.

It was then alleged that Mr Pickard threw coffee in his neighbour's face during the incident in January this year.

Mark Wild (left) had his neighbour Troy Pickard (right) charged with assault after he threw hot coffee in his face during a fight about dirt on their driveway

The pair had lived next door to each other for nine years, and while the relationship had started well, it had deteriorated over the past few years, The Joondalup Times reported.

On the day of the alleged assault, Mr Wild said he had been out with his family and remembered leaving the home clean. When he returned about 6pm, he said dirt had been pushed onto his driveway.

Mr Wild said he pulled out his pressure hose to clean it up when Mr Pickard 'danced' over to him and mocked his dirty driveway.

The pair got into an argument, he said.

He claimed Pickard threw a cup of hot coffee at his head during their argument, causing his face to 'explode in pain' and alleged he was unable to see for a brief time immediately afterwards.

Mr Wild says he then sprayed his hose towards Mr Pickard as he tried to wipe the coffee from his eyes.

Mark Wild (pictured) says he and his family are 'glad' Mr Pickard is out of their lives

But Mr Pickard said he had acted instinctively in self-defence, and threw the coffee after Mr Wild had sprayed him with his high pressure hose.

He claimed he had accidentally hosed the dirt onto Mr Wild's driveway, but due to their complicated relationship, chose not to antagonise the man by stepping onto his property to clean it up.

Mr Pickard claims he had checked the forecast and was hoping expected rain would clear up the driveway.

After the coffee was thrown, both men allegedly walked away from each other, only to return both armed with pressure hoses.

The men allegedly both sprayed each other, with Mr Wild claiming Mr Pickard put his hose into his face, while Mr Pickard alleged Mr Wild hit him with his hose on the back of the neck and on his arm.

The magistrate told Mr Pickard his actions were 'provocative, unneighbourly and rude', but was unable to convict him of the assault charges.

CCTV of the incident was partially obscured, which meant it was impossible to definitively rule whether Mr Pickard had been sprayed just before the coffee was thrown and it had been, as the former mayor claimed, instinctive.

Mr Wild told Nine News his former neighbour 'deserves everything he gets'.

'We're just glad he's out of our life,' he said.

Mr Pickard appeared to shrug responsibility for the incident, instead shifting the focus onto the behaviour of police.

'I encourage all West Australians, if they feel bullied, intimidated or threatened by the WA Police service, that they stand up for their rights,' he said.
An inmate has been charged with murder following the death of his cellmate at a Western Sydney correctional facility.

Officers from Auburn Police Area Command were called to the Silverwater Corrections Complex, in western Sydney, about 4.45pm on Monday following the death of an inmate.

When police arrived at the facility, they were told a 39-year-old man was found unconscious in his cell, and despite the efforts of correctives officers and nurses, he was unable to be revived.

An inmate has been charged with murder following the death of his cellmate at a Western Sydney correctional facility (pictured)

When police arrived at the facility, they were told a 39-year-old man was found unresponsive in his cell, and despite the efforts of correctives officers and nurses, he was unable to be revived

A crime scene was then established inside the facility.

Detectives from Auburn Police Area Command, assisted by the Corrective Services Investigation Unit, commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the mans death.

The reason surrounding the 39-year-old's death remains unclear, but it's alleged he may have been a protected prisoner at the time of his death, 2GB reported.

Following police inquiries, a 35-year-old male inmate, who was sharing a cell with the other man, was arrested and later charged with murder.

Corrective Services NSW confirmed to Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday a 39-year-old inmate had died at the correctional facility.

'Corrective Services NSW deeply regrets the death of a 39-year-old-man at the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre and extends its deepest sympathy to loved ones,' a Corrective Services NSW spokeswoman said.

Auburn Police Area Command was called to the Silverwater Corrections Complex (pictured), in western Sydney, about 4.45pm on Monday following the death of an inmate

The reason surrounding the 39-year-old's death remains unclear, but it's alleged he may have been a protected prisoner at the time of his death

She said Corrective Services NSW and NSW Police were investigating the incident.

'Every aspect of the incident, including management and placement of the inmates involved, response times and action, will be thoroughly reviewed and any necessary action will be swiftly taken.

'It would be premature to speculate on what led to the incident until all the facts are thoroughly investigated and reviewed,' the spokeswoman said.

The 35-year-old remains in custody and will appear via video link at Burwood Local Court on Tuesday.
A furious mother claims a hospital 'neglected' her seriously sick daughter and 'didn't even notice' when she contracted a bacterial infection.

Mother-of-five Angela Harris said she had left her 14-month old daughter Lillian at a Queensland Hospital on Sunday and went to see her other four children.

Baby Lillian, who has been in hospital most of her life, was born with congenital heart disease and chronic lung disease and is currently in ICU after life-threatening open heart surgery.

When Ms Harris arrived back at the hospital on Sunday, her daughter had developed Pseudomonas, a serious bacterial infection.

'I pulled Lillian's dummy out of her mouth to find her whole inside of her mouth covered in what looks like to be ulcers and they didn't even notice her tongue is so swollen,' she said on Lillian Harris Heart Journey Facebook page.

Angela Harris was shocked to find her 14-month old daughter Lillian with mouth ulcers caused by a bacterial infection after she left her side for just a few hours on Sunday

'Then they put cream on her neck...[and] it has burnt her and made her neck swollen and they didn't even notice that either,' Ms Harris said on Facebook

'I go home for one day to pick up my other kids and come back to Lillian has pseudomonas in her urine, her lungs and in her breathing tube.'

Pseudomonas are a bacteria that cause infection and can be a serious threat if a person is in hospital or has a weakened immune system.

'Then they put cream on her neck...[and] it has burnt her and made her neck swollen and they didn't even notice that either,' Ms Harris said.

'Can't even leave for one day without the neglect in this hospital.'

A Children's Health Queensland spokesman said Lillian had been appropriately treated.

'Mouth ulcers can be common in critically ill children. Lillian's ulcers have been investigated and appropriately treated,' the spokesman told The Courier Mail.

'Lillian is receiving antibiotic treatment for a pseudomonas infection and is being monitored by the hospital's infectious diseases team.'

The spokesman added that Lillians skin had reacted to Cavalon cream, causing her rash.

Ms Harris is angry that the hospital ignored her concerns and her daughter is still in hospital almost two months later

She was shocked to discover Lillian ended up with perforation in her stomach after her lining separated

Meanwhile, in February, a routine feeding tube change resulted in Lillian's stomach lining separating.

'Her stomach doesn't work properly because of their stuff up and she is now being fed through her bowel,' Ms Harris said.

She said her daughter had a bowel obstruction following the procedure and had to undergo three major abdominal surgeries within a week.

The mother-of-five claims that doctors refused to listen to her concerns.

'She was in hospital for four days with her stomach out until they operated. I knew something wasn't right,' Ms Harris said.

Baby Lillian was born with severe congenital heart disease and chronic lung disease and is currently in ICU after life-threatening open heart surgery

Three days after the procedure she had a bowel obstruction and has had to undergo three major abdominal surgeries since

'I don't want this happening to another little child like it has with Lillian. She didn't ask for this life and they were supposed to help her.'

A Children's Health Queensland spokesman told Daily Mail Australia: 'Children with multiple and complex conditions, like Lillian, can experience issues with wounds healing after surgery.

'After a procedure to change Lillian's gastrostomy tube in February, a breakdown of the wound site resulted in a small amount of fat tissue protruding around the tube.'

'As a result, clinicians decided to remove the gastrostomy tube and close the abdominal wound.

'We continue to work closely with Lillian's family to support them through her latest hospital stay and ensure the best possible outcome for Lillian.'
Senior officials with the United States Secret Service learned of President Trumps decision to fire agency director Randolph Tex Alles by watching CNN, according to the cable network.

Trump told his acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, to fire Alles, CNN reported on Monday.

Alles was informed two weeks ago that there would be a transition in leadership and that he would be asked to stay on until a replacement is found, according to the network.

But officials with the Secret Service are only finding out about the change on Monday after watching it on CNN, a source close to Alles told the network.

Secret Service officials learned of Randolph 'Tex' Alles's removal as director of the agency after seeing a news report on CNN, according to the cable network

President Trump (left) ordered his acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, to fire Alles (right), CNN reported on Monday

The President has directed an orderly transition in leadership for this agency and I intend to abide by that direction, Alles wrote in an email to Secret Service employees.

After news of Alles dismissal became public, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said on Monday that Trump has selected James M. Murray, a career official with the USSS, to replace Alles.

United States Secret Service director Randolph Tex Alles has done a great job at the agency over the last two years, and the President is thankful for his over 40 years of service to the country, Sanders said on Monday.

Mr. Alles will be leaving shortly and President Trump has selected James M. Murray, a career member of the USSS, to take over as director beginning in May.

The announcement came a day after Trump ousted Alles boss, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, with whom he had clashed over immigration issues.

The White House announced that Alles would be replaced by James Murray, a career USSS official

No doubt you have seen media reports regarding my firing, Alles wrote in a message to Secret Service agents.

I assure you that this is not the case, and in fact was told weeks ago by the administration that transitions in leadership should be expected across the Department of Homeland Security.

Neither Trump nor the White House has explained the overhaul of DHS, but the presidents anger over a recent surge in migrants from Central America has been well documented.

The DHS oversees immigration and border security.

The Republican president made stopping illegal immigration a centerpiece in his run for office in 2016, promising to build a wall on the southern border with Mexico.

Trump has said he will make border security a key part of his campaign for re-election in 2020.

Senior senators from both parties said they were concerned about a vacuum in leadership at the agency, which also oversees the Secret Service, the Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Transportation Security Administration, among other critical functions.

The announcement came a day after Trump ousted Alles boss, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, with whom he had clashed over immigration issues. Nielsen is seen above near the U.S.-Mexico border in El Centro, California on Friday

Homeland Security under secretary Claire Grady, pictured on Friday in Paris, was set to become acting secretary with Kirstjen Nielsen's departure, but she left instead

Ron Johnson, the Republican chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, said in a statement that he was concerned with a growing leadership void within the department tasked with addressing some of the most significant problems facing the nation.

Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said at least 10 top positions in the department were being filled with acting officials.

The purge of senior leadership at the Department of Homeland Security is unprecedented and a threat to our national security, Feinstein said in a statement.

The Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting senior U.S. officials including the president and vice president, former presidents and visiting heads of state, came under scrutiny last week after a Chinese woman carrying electronic devices was charged with bluffing her way through security checks at Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Alles had run the Secret Service for two years and served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 35 years before retiring as a major general in 2011.

Alles was the latest in a long list of senior officials to leave the Trump administration, including the secretaries of state, defense, homeland security, interior, veterans affairs and health and human services, the attorney general and numerous senior White House aides.

The first sign of Trumps overhaul of Homeland Security came late on Thursday, when he abruptly pulled his nomination of Ron Vitiello as director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, part of DHS.

The twin killings of Nielsen and Alles indicate the strong hand of 33-year-old Trump aide Stephen Miller (above), a former aide to then-Senator Jeff Sessions who has become the driving force behind the administration's immigration policy

Homeland Security Department general counsel John Mitnick (left) announced his departure on Monday, along with Lee Francis Cissna, director of U.S. Customs and Immigration Services

Trump addressed the decision perfunctorily to reporters as part of a policy change going in a tougher direction.

It was followed by the resignation of Nielsen on Sunday. A senior administration official said Trump asked Nielsen to step down.

On Twitter, Trump said Kevin McAleenan, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection commissioner, would become acting DHS secretary.

CNN reported that L. Francis Cissna, director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency, and department General Counsel John Mitnick were also expected to leave their positions soon.

The White House and DHS did not respond to requests for comment.

Trump in recent weeks empowered his hard-line conservative aide Stephen Miller to lead the administrations border policies, CNN said.

Nielsen had been a trusted aide to John Kelly, Trumps first DHS secretary and later his chief of staff, with whom he had an often-difficult relationship.

Nielsen and Trump had often clashed over immigration issues during her 16 months in the job.

Her departure had been long rumored particularly after criticism of the administrations 2018 family separation policy at the border with Mexico and as U.S. border officials estimated that 100,000 migrants were apprehended at the southern border in March, the highest level in a decade.

Trump was so frustrated about the surge in migrants that he announced he would cut off U.S. aid to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar called White House adviser Stephen Miller a 'white nationalist' over a report he pushed President Donald Trump toward a harder line on immigration - a move that resulted in a massive shakeup in the Department of Homeland Security.

'Stephen Miller is a white nationalist. The fact that he still has influence on policy and political appointments is an outrage,' she wrote on Twitter.

She linked to an article on Splinter reporting that Miller, an anti-immigration hardliner who was the architect of the president's travel ban, pushed Trump to retracted his nomination of Ron Vitiello to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar called White House adviser Stephen Miller a 'white nationalist'

She cited a report that Stephen Miller, who is known as an anti-immigration hawk, pushed Trump toward a harder line on the issue

'WHITE NATIONALIST' - OMAR'S ACCUSATION EXPLAINED Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar's description of Stephen Miller as a 'white nationalist' puts him - in her view - in the same broad field as the KKK and marchers in Charlottesville in 2017. White nationalism is intended to suggest that Miller sees white people as one race and that the U.S.A. is a white country which will not benefit from the arrival of non-white immigrants. The term has been used interchangeably with 'white supremacism,' the belief that the white 'race' is better than others. But academics who study the field have drawn a distinction between nationalism and supremacism, so Omar is not necessarily making an accusation that Miller is an outright white supremacist. More complicatedly, Miller is Jewish, and white nationalism has usually gone hand-in-hand with anti-Semitism. But some white nationalists have recast the 'white race' as including Jewish people, among them Jared Taylor, seen as a key thinker in the movement. Advertisement

Miller was also reported to be the driving force behind the administration's policy last year of separating migrant children from their parents who illegally crossed the border.

But the withdrawal of Vitiello set off a chain reaction that led to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen's resignation on Sunday night.

Trump said he withdrew Vitiello's name because he wanted someone 'tougher' to lead the top immigration enforcement agency.

'We're going in a little different direction,' he said on Friday. 'Ron's a good man, but we're going in a tougher direction.'

Miller is 'particularly adept,' one administration official told The Washington Post, at placing blame on others when his ideas don't work.

Nielsen reportedly was not given a head's up last week when the White House retracted Vitiello's name.

Her meeting with the president Sunday night was reported to be about Vitiello. Her being blindsided by the White House dropping him, in addition to the ongoing immigration crisis, prompted her to resignation.

Trump followed Nielsen's ouster with more pink slips Monday, axing the director of the U.S. Secret Service Randolph 'Tex' Alles.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Lee Cissna is also leaving, according to CBS News. So are DHS undersecretary for management Claire Grady and general counsel John Mitnick.

A person with knowledge of USCIS's front office, however, said late Monday that Cissna was still in his job. And Alles told his agency's staff that he wasn't forced out.

Stephen Miller was behind Trump's travel ban

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen met with President Donald Trump Sunday evening and submitted her resignation

Nielsen reportedly was not given a head's up on Thursday when the White House retracted its nomination of Ron Vitiello to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Shoving Alles overboard and driving others out signals the growing authority of Miller, the 33-year-old former staffer to then-Sen. Jeff Sessions. Alles, Cissna, Grady and Mitnick were on a list of officials Miller targeted for removal as 'too soft,' according to a White House official.

A White House source with knowledge of the West Wing's goings on in the past week told DailyMail.com on Monday that Miller had advocated internally for Nielsen's firing, and for Alles to follow her out the door.

Miller is known as a sharp-tongued promoter of hawkish immigration policies that Democrats have complained push the boundaries of federal law and too often challenge court precedents.
The biographer of Ted Bundy has revealed how he bonded with the notorious serial killer and finally got him to confess to assaulting and murdering at least 30 women.

Stephen Michaud, 71, spent six months interviewing Bundy in 1976.

And now his work has come to new light on the heels of Netflix's hotly anticipated film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, which will be released next week.

The film, which stars Zac Efron as the serial killer, raised eyebrows for its tone - which didn't seem to match the morbidity of Bundy's murders.

But the serial killer was always a perplexing figure in American culture, one who Michaud notes was known just as much for his charisma as his crimes.

Stephen Michaud, the biographer of Ted Bundy, has revealed how he bonded with the notorious serial killer and got him to confess to assaulting and murdering at least 30 women

The serial killer was always a perplexing figure in American culture, one that Michaud notes was known just as much for his charisma as his crimes. Bundy is pictured here in 1977

'Theodore Robert Bundy was a serial killer, kidnapper, rapist, burglar, and necrophile from Vermont,' Michaud told The Mirror.

'What emerged from reports was a confused, enigmatic, good-looking, articulate, law student who came from a loving Methodist family.'

'He'd been accused of attacking and murdering girls, tearing them apart, burying them only to dig them up and abuse them again.'

'He was a wild animal. So it was hard to connect those two Teds in my head. But both of those characters lived inside him.'

Michaud revealed that Bundy only agreed to be interviewed for his book if Hugh Aynseworth, one of the leading investigators in America at the time, would look into his case.

'Why? Bundy wasn't going to say no to the best in the business making his story hot news again,' Michaud wrote. 'Plus, he was so narcissistic, he felt I'd consider myself lucky to be in the same room as him.'

Michaud wouldn't feel that way in six months. But when he first met Bundy, the biographer tried to figure out how he could crack through the killer's famous charm.

Michaud's six-month long interview process with Bundy was later turned into 'Conversations With A Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes' for Netflix (pictured)

When he first met Bundy, the biographer tried to figure out how he could crack through the killer's famous charm. Bundy is pictured here in 1978

'The thing that initially shocked me the most was how at the beginning he didn't want to speak about his crimes at all,' Michaud wrote.

'What cements just how crazy Bundy was is he thought I was there to write a celebrity biography about him. He spent weeks telling me long, funny stories about his upbringing.'

Michaud worried that he wouldn't be able to get Bundy to talk about the murders. So he changed his tactics.

'Since Bundy had studied psychology and had done a few years of law school, I asked him to speak about the crimes he was accused of in the third person, to act as an expert,' Michaud revealed.

'I explained that, because he'd been taken to the crime scenes and interrogated, he knew more than anyone else. I also praised him, calling him reflective and articulate.'

'He stared at me for a minute before saying, "Well, all I could do is speculate". I said, "Speculate away". He grabbed the recorder and curled up with it on the table. He started talking and he spoke for six months. In fact, until I couldn't stand it anymore.'

Bundy is believed to have killed dozens of women, including (top row, left to right) Kimberly Leach, Caryn Campbell , Margaret Bowman , Debbie Kent, (second row, left to right) Laura Aime, Roberta Parks, Georgann Hawkins , Donna Manson, (third row, left to right) Lynda Healy, Janice Ott, Denise Naslund, Susan Rancourt, (fourth row, left to right) Katherine Devine, Melissa Smith, Brenda Ball, and Lisa Levy

Michaud said Bundy wasn't technically confessing, as none of his comments about the crimes could be used against him in court.

But Bundy still knew he had to be careful, that he couldn't say something only the killer would have known.

'He'd say things like "And then he killed her". I'd ask how and he'd reply, "I believe the police report said strangulation."'

'I'd ask how long it took her to die and he'd say, "How would I know?" He was eerily calm and matter-of-fact when relaying gory details.'

But Michaud said there was one giveaway that Bundy couldn't stop himself from showing. It was right there in his eyes.

'His eyes were piercing blue, but when he got excited or agitated his pupils enlarged so they looked jet black,' the biographer recalled. 'He would sweat a lot too.'

Michaud worried that he wouldn't be able to get Bundy to talk about the murders. So he changed his tactics and asked Bundy to speak about the crimes he was accused of in the third person, to 'act as an expert'

Michaud said that, despite Bundy's careful wording, it was 'so obvious he was talking about himself'.

'On rare occasions he'd slip into the first person because he was so into it,' Michaud revealed. 'When he spoke about "this person", he discussed an inner voice they had, which he referred to as "the entity".

Michaud said that, despite Bundy's careful wording, it was 'so obvious he was talking about himself' while he discussed the crimes

'The voice would goad him into getting angry and he'd retaliate by hunting young women.'

When Michaud asked Bundy what the killer was feeling as one of his victims took her last breath, he replied: 'We speculate that there was a great feeling of power and sexual tension'.

While Bundy was renowned for his 'great charm', in those six months together Michaud realized it was a personality that was 'practiced to death'.

'It was all about power, a con to getting his own way,' he wrote. 'Ted did not do genuine things. But he was also witty and comical.'

Michaud recalled one day when he joked that Bundy should do a product endorsement for crowbars, the killer's weapon of choice.

'He looked at me and smiled and went into this salesman comedy sketch for crowbars. Then he did another for his socks,' Michaud recalled.

While there were times Michaud joked around with the serial killer, he made sure never to glorify Bundy in his book.

'Instead, I wrote about how, because he had zero reason to kill these women, he was hard to trace,' he wrote. 'The only people who saw the real Ted were his victims. In that moment before the hammer came down on their heads.'

Florida State University's Chi Phi fraternity celebrates the execution of Ted Bundy with a large banner that says, "Watch Ted Fry, See Ted Die!". Bundy attacked five women and killed two Chi Omega coeds on the campus in 1978

Michaud didn't go to the execution in 1989 (pictured). While he doesn't believe in the death penalty, the biographer said he never lost a moment's sleep over Bundy's death

Michaud said the months spent talking to Bundy were 'claustrophobic', revealing the murderer liked to play 'mind games' with him and even once told him he'd make a 'really good serial killer'.

'The things he'd say to me would bother me,' Michaud admitted. 'I did often find it hard going home at the end of the day because I didn't want to switch it off for fear I wouldn't be able to turn it on again. I had to be fully immersed in the horror of it.'

'But he was opening up to me so I started to see it as a game  one I was winning.'

Michaud didn't go to the execution in 1989. While he doesn't believe in the death penalty, the biographer said he never lost a moment's sleep over Bundy's.

'He was a very dangerous man. He never showed any remorse. He'd always just say, "But it's all in the past. Long gone. Who can touch the past?"' Michaud wrote.

'We might not be able to deal with the story, but we'll never be as damaged as any of the women unfortunate enough to get close to him.'
Families could soon find it impossible to use cash as bank branches disappear and shops stop taking it, a Bank of England official has warned.

Although use of paper money is declining, millions of people will always want to use it, says chief cashier Sarah John.

She warned many are at risk of losing access to cash without urgent action.

Using cash in the UK could soon be a thing of the past, with 84 per cent of payments expected to be made by card by 2027

Miss John said: In order for cash to remain a viable payment method, the public needs access both to withdraw cash and to deposit cash. And if retailers cannot easily deposit the cash they receive from customers, they may choose to stop accepting it.

Speaking at a conference in Dubai, Miss John said it became more popular to pay with a debit card than cash in 2017 in the UK. By 2027, only 16 per cent of payments will be made with traditional money, she said. But 13billion payments a year are still made with cash  more than a third of the total.

About 2.2million people rely mostly on cash for everyday spending  4 per cent of the adult population. And 1.3million people have no choice because they do not have a bank account.

More than 6,000 bank branches have closed since the late 1990s. Thousands of free ATMs are also disappearing due to a cut in fees paid to independent operators by banks.

And some shops are choosing to go cashless due to the costs of handling coins.

The Bank is committed to helping people carry on using cash for as long as they want to, Miss John said.
Few of us give much thought to how we put one foot in front of the other, but scientists are investigating whether changing the way we walk can protect our physical and mental health.

One promising focus is on how altering our gait can reduce our risk of knee arthritis. The most common type is osteoarthritis, which typically begins in middle age and gradually leads to the destruction of cartilage.

Cathy Holt, a professor of biomechanics and orthopaedic engineering at Cardiff University, is studying how the way people walk can trigger this.

She believes that teaching people to change their gait in middle age may save them decades of pain  and avoid the need for later knee replacement surgery.

Scientists are investigating whether changing the way we walk can protect our physical and mental health (file photo)

'The damage can come about through poor walking habits,' says Professor Holt.

Put simply, walking with your knees too far apart, or too close together, can put excess strain on the inside of the knee.

'Some people may be naturally a bit bow-legged or knock-kneed,' says Professor Holt, who is also a spokesperson for the charity Versus Arthritis.

'However, the way people walk may be affected by a small injury such as a cartilage tear or deformation. As a result, their knees are pushed out from their proper alignment when they take a step.'

Such overloading of one side can trigger a cascade of cellular damage.

In healthy knees, the cartilage and joint bone beneath it stay in constant communication, with the cartilage instructing the bone to release new cells that rejuvenate tissues to compensate for wear and tear. 'If your tissues are being loaded as they are expecting to be loaded, the system works well,' says Professor Holt. 'But when you overload it, this changes the signals between the tissues and they respond badly.'

The system then over-produces osteoclasts  cells that break down tissue as part of the normal process of our bones continually renewing themselves.

This overproduction degrades the bone joints and cartilage.

Walking with your knees too far apart, or too close together, can put excess strain on the inside of the knee (file photo)

'At the same time, the system also overproduces cytokines  immune cells that cause inflammation and the classic burning arthritis pain,' says Professor Holt. She and her team are researching gait-correcting retraining therapies for people in their 40s and 50s.

Other studies have focused on changing the gait to alleviate arthritis pain. For example, in 2013, Pete Shull, a professor of mechanical engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, asked ten people with knee arthritis to walk on a treadmill while wearing monitoring equipment that gave them feedback on how well they were walking.

Participants learned how to shift the walking load to the optimum parts of the knee joints. After the retraining, the patients reported that their pain had reduced by nearly a third  and their ability to walk had improved by a similar amount. Professor Shull and colleagues at Stanford University in California are now developing wearable equipment.

Meanwhile, Professor Holt is trialling ways to teach individuals to change their gait.

'We ask them to walk with different styles  such with a wider gait  to see if that can make a beneficial difference,' she says.

Other studies suggest that changing your walking style could also help prevent depression.

The latest evidence emerged in February, in a study reported in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society that, for four years, monitored more than 4,000 healthy people in Ireland over 50. It found a strong link between poor gait and depressive illness later.

'Lower walking speed and shorter steps predict a significantly increased risk of depression,' says Dr Robert Briggs, a specialist in geriatric medicine research and fellow at The Irish Longitudinal Study On Ageing in Dublin.

He says people with poor gaits are likely to get less exercise, probably because they find walking onerous, and it's known that walking energetically may protect against depression.

But other studies have revealed an intriguing additional factor: research has shown that if we walk 'happy', we can boost our mood.

In 2014, Dr Nikolaus Troje, a motion biologist at Queen's University in Ontario, Canada, trained 39 volunteers on treadmills to develop happy or sad gaits, with an upright or slumped posture.

After several hours, they had to memorise positive and negative words. Those in the 'depressed walk' group remembered many more negative words.

'The difference in recall suggests the depressed walking style actually created a more depressed mood,' he says.
An Australian grazier who runs a charity taking hay to drought-stricken farmers has revealed he has been inundated with phone calls from furious vegan protesters.

Brendan Farrell, founder of the Burrumbuttock Hay Runners group, said one woman even told him that lettuce has a heartbeat.

He slammed the protesters who chained themselves to vehicles in Melbourne's CBD and stormed abattoirs in New South Wales and Queensland on Monday.

'Vegans are going bananas. Blockades left, right and centre. Flinders Street Station is in chaos. Abattoirs chained up, people locking themselves up here, there and everywhere,' he said in a Facebook video.

'I am just gobsmacked with some of the bulls**t that's coming out these people's mouths on what they are trying to achieve.'

Farrell said that one woman phoned him and tried to claim that lettuces are alive.

'I answer every call because that's what I do  and the Sheila goes she didn't like the last post I done on Facebook because lettuces have got a heartbeat Lettuce. Has. A. Heartbeat,' he said.

'Some people have just got no bloody idea. None.'

Farrell then taunted the vegans, boasting that his cows will make delicious steaks come Christmas time.

'I'm out feeding cows and I can tell you what there's a steer here that's going to be bloody delicious at Christmas time. I can't wait to hook into it. That's just me. That's what we do.

Animal activists storm a farm to protest against the production of meat for human consumption

'Next door neighbour's running lamb at the moment. Bet you he is licking his chops too at Christmas time. Fair Dinkum,' he said.

On Monday, 39 protesters in Melbourne were arrested and charged - including a 15-year-old - and commuters were left delayed and outraged.

Police in the NSW Tabelands arrested nine protesters after they stormed an abattoir on Mazamat Road and chained themselves to a conveyor at 4am.

Protesters also marched in Hobart and through the Sydney CBD after meeting at Hyde Park.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the activists were 'green-collar criminals' who were harming Australian farmers.

'This is just another form of activism that I think runs against the national interest, and the national interest is being able to farm their own land,' he told 2GB.

The protests were organised by an activist group called Aussie Farms.

The Morrison government has vowed tougher penalties for the website after those running it refused to take down a map of farmers' addresses and contact details.

'I'm expecting state governments - as I'm sure they will - to do their jobs,' he said.
The wife of an Australian citizen detained in China has tearfully demanded answers about the fate of her husband who was once a Communist Party insider.

She broke her silence for an ABC investigation into how the Chinese are influencing Australian politics, including billionaire property developer Huang Xiangmo who has sparked a new row between former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and his bitter Liberal Party leadership rival Peter Dutton.

Xiaoliang Yuan and her husband Yang Hengjun flew to China in January.

When they arrived with their 14-year-old daughter, officials were waiting at the airport.

Billionaire Chinese property developer Huang Xiangmo (pictured with former foreign minister Julie Bishop) had paid former Howard government minister Santo Santoro $10,000 to have his citizenship application presented to Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton

Three months after her husband was detained without being charged, Ms Xiaoliang has revealed in her first media interview she had no idea where he was.

'My family, a family member who I was with everyday and then suddenly disappeared,' she told the ABC's Four Corners program with a tear in her eye.

'I have absolutely no idea whether he is well or even if he is alive or not.

'It is just no news at all. So I am devastated. I just want him to come home safely.'

Mr Yang has not been charged, but he's been accused of endangering state security and has been denied access to a lawyer, the ABC reported.

His wife has been banned from leaving China and remains in Shanghai.

Mr Yang was detained after Chinese officials learned he had met with Mr Turnbull's China adviser John Garnaut, who was preparing a top-secret report on Communist Party interference in Australian affairs.

Xiaoliang Yuan (left) and her husband Yang Hengjun (right) flew to Shanghai in January. Mr Yang was detained after Chinese officials learnt had he spilled secrets on the Communist Party regime

Mr Garnaut declined to reveal the contents of his report to the ABC, but he hinted Chinese officials felt threatened by Mr Yang.

'This is the most powerful story of all, is the insider who came to know too much, and tells his story outside,' he said.

The Four Corners program also revealed how former Howard government minister Santo Santoro had lobbied Mr Dutton, the Home Affairs Minister, to fast-track Mr Huang's bid for citizenship.

Mr Santoro, who like Mr Dutton hailed from the right faction of Queensland's Liberal National Party, had accepted a $10,000 payment from Mr Huang to take his case to the then immigration minister.

'There is nobody else anywhere who is better placed than me to help you through this particular part of the project,' Mr Santoro was recorded as saying.

'Nobody. I can go to somebody in the minister's office and say, 'Can you have a close look at this?'

A day after the ABC investigation was broadcast, Malcolm Turnbull (left with Chinese President Xi Jinping) has demanded an explanation from Mr Dutton, who in August unsuccessfully challenged him for the Liberal Party leadership

'If I am going to be doing the work and going to Canberra with a copy of the visa application and hand it over to somebody and say, "Can you help", no, no, I want to get paid and get paid upfront.'

A day after the ABC investigation was broadcast, Mr Turnbull has demanded an explanation from Mr Dutton, who in August unsuccessfully challenged him for the Liberal Party leadership.

'Peter Dutton has got a lot to explain about this,' he told reporters in Sydney.

'He is supposed to be the minister responsible for the domestic security of Australia.

'He's supposed to be the minister responsible for ensuring that our politics is not influenced by foreign actors.'

Mr Dutton (pictured) confirmed the 2016 lunch meeting with Mr Huang but has denied providing assistance to the businessman

Mr Dutton confirmed to Australian Associated Press the 2016 lunch meeting with Mr Huang but has denied providing assistance to the businessman, who was last year banned from re-entering Australia after the Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation said he posed a threat of foreign interference because of his links to the Chinese Communist Party.

Mr Turnbull said his successor Scott Morrison could not dismiss the issue as 'gossip in the Canberra bubble'.

'I know what it's like to be prime minister and ultimately, you're responsible. And so Scott Morrison has to deal with this Peter Dutton issue,' he said.

The one-on-one meeting followed Mr Dutton's approval of a request to have a private citizenship ceremony for Mr Huang's wife and daughter inside former Labor senator Sam Dastyari's Sydney office in January 2015.

Former Labor senator Sam Dastyari (pictured) held a private citizenship ceremony in his Sydney electorate office for Mr Huang's wife and daughter

The private event allowed the two to gain their citizenship faster than others who have to wait for a public ceremony.

Mr Dastyari, who was forced to resign from Parliament in 2018 after his dealings with the Mr Huang were revealed, told the ABC he wrote to Mr Dutton asking for the expedited citizenship for Mr Huang's family.

'I am not the Minister for Immigration, right? I mean, if Peter Dutton's explanation for doing things is because Sam Dastyari asked him to do it, that is ludicrous,' he said.

Mr Dutton in December 2017 had accused Mr Dastyari of being a double agent for China.

'You can't pledge allegiance to two countries if you are an Australian senator,' he told reporters in Melbourne.

'Your first duty is to the Australian people and Sam Dastyari has failed that duty.'
The anticipation of a leadership contest makes for a febrile atmosphere around Westminster. Here in lame-duck land, Theresa Mays potential successors totter around Parliament like theyre balancing on champagne flutes.

Ministers are skittish. Jittery. They are all too aware that one crisis in their department, however minor, can torpedo a campaign before it has even begun.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock, a well-fancied (and according to my bookmaking connections well-backed) candidate found himself in the unwelcome glare of public opprobrium on Saturday when a mother, Emma Appleby, had 4,000 of cannabis oil seized at Southend airport, which she had procured in the Netherlands to treat her nine-year-old daughters epilepsy.

Theresa Mays potential successors totter around Parliament like theyre balancing on champagne flutes

Emmas daughter, Teagan, who is unable to get the oil prescribed in the UK, suffers up to 300 fits a day. Their plight prompted an urgent question yesterday from Sir Mike Penning (Con, Hemel Hempstead). For a wet Monday afternoon, it drew quite a crowd to the chamber.

Penning has an uncompromising air which befits an ex-Grenadier Guardsman. Face like a bag man for the Kray twins. Voice harder than a coffin nail. It was a disgrace, he said, that families such as the Applebys were not able to get a cannabis prescription in this country.

Hancock rose to his feet, fidgeting defensively with his pencil-thin tie. Up until now, his ministerial record has been as unblemished as a Revlon models cheekbones. This was an awkward test for the ambitious young shaver.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock, a well-fancied (and according to my bookmaking connections well-backed) candidate found himself in the unwelcome glare of public opprobrium on Saturday

Fortunately for him, he seems honourably ineligible for the struggles of self-doubt. He gripped the dispatch box firmly, absorbing the emotive swell around him.

In a Cabinet made up of some very dull grey men, Hancock is one of its better performers.

First up from the Labour benches came Diane Abbott (Lab, Hackney North and Stoke Newington), not necessarily the worst opponent to have. What the Applebys had to go through, she announced, was shameful. She then reeled off a list of questions delivered with all the eloquence of a tripe sandwich. Hancock had already addressed most of her queries but it was possible she hadnt been listening.

Passions ran high on both sides of the House.

Michael Fabricant (Con, Lichfield) asked why illegal drugs such as heroin and ketamine are routinely used medically but cannabis prescription carries such ludicrous restrictions.

Tonia Antoniazzi (Lab, Gower) hollered it was intolerable how families with epileptic children were being treated. Vicky Ford (Con, Chelmsford) chose to remind members about long-term psychosis caused by cannabis use. Eek! This was a debate about medical cannabis, not smoking wacky baccy. Unseemly remarks were hurled at Mrs Ford like custard pies. She seemed determined to make her point anyway.

Mr Hancock came under public glare after a mother, Emma Appleby, had 4,000 of cannabis oil seized at Southend airport, which she had procured in the Netherlands to treat her nine-year-old daughters epilepsy

Ben Bradshaw (Lab, Exeter) was an ill-tempered presence throughout proceedings. Disgrace, he kept shouting, among some other far less parliamentary language.

For an urban sophisticate, Mr Bradshaw has been quite the grouch. Perhaps he has designs on being the next Dennis Skinner.

Of course, it would be unthinkable for a session to pass without a totally superfluous interjection from the Speakers chair.

Yesterdays came when Hancock took a query from ex-business minister Richard Harrington (Con, Watford), who resigned a fortnight ago over the Governments refusal to rule out a No Deal Brexit.

The Speaker expressed astonishment Hancock had chosen not to pay tribute to Harrington and thank him for his service. This is a customary gesture, though one which barely seemed important during a hugely sensitive debate about treating people with severe epilepsy.

Later, when Hancock similarly failed to acknowledge ex-Brexit minister Chris Heaton-Harris, who stood down last week because of his opposition to extending Article 50, the pro-EU John Bercow failed to kick up a fuss about it.

Might that have had anything to do with Heaton-Harris being a Brexiteer? Discuss.
Love letters written by Nikolas Cruz (seen in court on March 22) to a female pen pal in the United Kingdom have offered a unique view into the mind of the Parkland shooter as he sits behind bars in a Florida prison

Love letters written by Nikolas Cruz to a female pen pal in the United Kingdom have offered a unique view into the mind of the Parkland shooter as he sits behind bars in a Florida prison.

The South Florida Sun Sentinel obtained 46 pages of Cruz's handwritten notes from the Broward State Attorney's Office, in which the now 20-year-old mass murderer reveals the life he wishes he could build for himself.

Most of the dreams detailed in Cruz's notes, including his desire to get married and raise a family, will likely never come to fruition as he stands trial for shooting dead 17 people in cold blood at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018.

Cruz is facing a minimum of life in prison without parole, and the Florida state attorney is seeking the death penalty.

In his letters, which have been introduced as evidence in the case against him, Cruz holds on to hope that he may one day be released from jail.

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The South Florida Sun Sentinel published 46 pages of Cruz's handwritten from the Broward State Attorney's Office on Monday. In the letters addressed to Miley, his pen pal, the now 20-year-old mass murderer reveals the life he wishes he could build for himself

Cruz's letters are riddled with spelling errors and covered in childish drawings. The lifelong special education student is believed to fall on the autism spectrum

In the letter above, Cruz tells Miley: 'I want you to know me like no one else has'

Nowhere in the correspondence does Cruz specifically mention his horrific Valentine's Day massacre, writing at one point that talking about it 'would be a bad idea'.

However, in one letter he recommends that his pen pal listen to the song Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People, which is about a school shooting.

He also writes that if he had kids he would want to name the sons after guns - Kalashnikov, Makarov and Remington - and would let his wife name any daughters.

'I really want kids. I think of it all the time, you know the joy they bring,' he writes.

The letters by Cruz, a lifelong special education student who experts say likely falls on the autism spectrum, are riddled with spelling errors and childish drawings.

The public defender's office has reportedly not ruled out using Cruz's developmental disabilities to keep him off death row, according to a representative.

One letter says: 'Warning Classified Information' followed by several crude emoticon doodles

In one letter he recommends that his pen pall listen to Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People, a song about a school shooting

In a letter from December 31, 2018, Cruz asked Miley about whether he wanted children. He then said he would want to name his three sons after guns - Kalashnikov, Makarov and Remington - and would let his wife name any daughters

The letter above shows stick figures of Cruz and Miley alongside shakey handwriting

This letter from November 5, 2018, almost resembles a homework assignment

At the bottom of one letter, Cruz questions whether Miley likes 'hairy guys or shaved guys'

The letters are addressed to Miley, one of Cruz's cyber-supporters in the United Kingdom, and her brother Liam.

In the wake of the shooting, Miley helped form a Facebook group called 'The First Victim', a reference to Cruz.

None of Miley or Liam's responses to Cruz were included in the letters released this week, which are dated from mid-October 2018 to mid-November.

Cruz writes to Miley inviting her to his trial, and suggests that when she moves to Florida she should get a concealed weapons license 'cause it's dangerous hear [sic]'.

'I also was wondering if you'd be interested in marriage when the time's comes. It won't be for a long time, but would you be interested?' he asks.

'I feel like we make a great family together. With lots of kids. I imagine it every day. That's what's keeping me strong.'

Nowhere in the letters does Cruz specifically mention the Parkland shooting which killed 17

In a letter to Liam, Cruz writes: 'Since I am into your sister maybe we can go on a double date.'

He also talks about spending time in the Everglades, telling one of the pen pals: 'I wish you could experience it with me. Maybe one day.'

Cruz on multiple occasions expresses his longing for fresh air, writing at one point: 'I hate it hear [sic]. I wish I could leave and move to the mountains and live alone with some equipment that allow me to live off the land.

'I hope one day I'll be able to do that, but time will tell.'

Mulling over what the future holds for him in another letter, Cruz writes: 'I wish life for me could have been different but it's not. And a part of me is wishing it ends. End with the death [penalty], letting someone inject me with longlast sleep.

'Its kind of what I want but I'm unsure of myself so I'm just letting people save me from myself, saving me from something that I can never return from.'

He later adds: 'I don't know what's wrong with me, maybe I should get the death penalty. IDK [I don't know], I just want love....'

'I hope you can understand it's because of my mother. I feel like I'll never be loved and I'll die alone.'

In a letter from November 1, 2018, Cruz mentions the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh where eight people were killed.

'I put my heart out to these victims and to the shooter because I believe they need all the support they can get,' he writes.

The full compilation of letters can be read below.
John McDade, 37, is starting a four-year jail sentence after being convicted of a series of offences against women he had been romantically involved with

An award-winning comedian jailed for abusing and stalking women he was dating was described as a 'real-life Dirty John' and a 'psychopath' by ex-girlfriends.

Violent John McDade, 37, is starting a four-year jail sentence after being convicted of a series of offences against women he had been romantically involved with.

The comic, who won Virgin's New Stand Up of the Year award in 2014, blew kisses at his victims as he was taken to the cells after sentencing at Airdrie Sheriff Court, North Lanarkshire, on Friday.

He smirked as he left the dock - but one of the women watching him being sent down was compelled to applaud from the public gallery.

McDade, from Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, was deemed a 'serious danger to women' after being convicted of horrific domestic abuse and two counts of stalking two victims.

The comedian, who won Virgin's New Stand Up of the Year award in 2014, blew kisses to his victims as he was taken to the cells in Airdie Sheriff Court, North Lanarkshire, on Friday

He was jailed for four years for a total of six charges against two women, and an additional three months for breaking bail conditions.

The woman who could not resist clapping as she watched her abuser being sent to prison, described him as 'like a real-life Dirty John' - a reference to the true crime series shown on Netflix.

She had previously given evidence in a trial at Glasgow Sheriff Court in 2013, where he was convicted of domestic abuse on her and two other women, but McDade was spared jail.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the 33-year-old woman, who works as a nurse, said: 'He's a psychopathic predator and a real-life Dirty John.

'I'm glad he's been put behind bars but four years still isn't enough.

'He's a narcissist and preys on women he perceives as vulnerable.

'He just moves on and leaves a trail of devastation.'

The nurse was subjected to an assault by McDade between January and June 2011.

Two years later, he was convicted of slapping her on the face, kicking her on the legs and body, and pushing her to the ground to her injury.

Another ex-girlfriend, Gillian McTominay, 29, gave evidence at the same trial at Glasgow Sheriff Court and revealed she warned cops McDade would re-offend.

Ms McTominay said: 'When I found out about the recent attack on two other exes I actually started crying.

'I was so sad that he had done something so horrific to another woman.

'A policeman came to my work and asked me to give a statement about our relationship because he had badly beaten his most recent ex-girlfriend and they wanted to prove a pattern of behaviour.

McDade was jailed for four years for a total of six charges against two women, and an additional three months for breaking bail conditions

'He slapped me on one occasion and I forgave him then one night he hit me a few more times and I threw him out.

'It was gut-wrenching to know that he had got away with what he had done without any major consequence.'

A charge of him attempting to menace Ms McTominay with a knife at her home in Cambuslang, South Lanarkshire, was found not proven.

McDade was convicted of attacks on both the nurse, Ms McTominay, and a third woman, now aged 38, following the trial in October 2013 at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

In November 2013, he was given 300 hours of community service for the combined offences.

Gillian said: 'He was found guilty and given a community service order.

'He tried to appeal too but that was rejected.'

During vicious assaults on Ms McTominay between October 2007 and December 2009, McDade slapped her, twisted her leg and punched her on the head.

She claimed he used coercive control and tried to stop her from seeing friends and relatives - including her own father.

One of his victims, who couldn't help but applaud as McDade was taken to the cells, said that he was 'a narcissist and preys on women he perceives as vulnerable'

Ms McTominay, who was in her late teens at the time, said: 'He stopped me seeing my friends and made me come home from a holiday early by lying and telling me he was sick in hospital.

Another of his victims said: 'When I first met him he was so funny and kind and would do anything for you. It all started to change about five months in'

'That's when it became apparent he didn't like me going out even if it was just with my dad never mind friends.

'I lost contact with so many people during the relationship. I was only 18 or 19 at the time so I was very naive about all of it.

'I felt guilty that I didn't go to the police myself when we broke up because in my head I thought I could have prevented this from happening.

'When I first met him he was so funny and kind and would do anything for you. It all started to change about five months in.

'I actually think I was very lucky. The abuse that the most recent women have suffered says to me that he's become more violent.'

At the same trial, more than five years ago, McDade was also convicted of a sickening assault on another girlfriend, who he was in a long-term relationship with.

McDade was also convicted of assault against another ex-girlfriend. He tied her up and locked her in a cupboard before dragging her up the stairs by her hair. She said: 'He can't be in a long-term relationship without abusing a woman. He's a psychopath and a predator'

The victim, now 38, was tied up and locked in a cupboard by McDade before he dragged her up the stairs by her hair.

The woman, who was with him for three years, cried as her abuser was finally jailed for the attacks on his latest victims.

She said: 'He's a total manipulator who charms women and lies about who he is.

'When I was with him he'd even get suited and booted every day to go to his pretend job that he didn't have.

'He can't be in a long term relationship without abusing a woman.

'He's a psychopath and a predator.

'It's good that he's going to jail but it doesn't make up for all the lives that he damaged.'
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed closer military cooperation with Turkey when the country's president visited Moscow.

The two sides must 'strengthen cooperation in the military-technical sphere,' Putin told Recep Tayyip Erdogan when they met in the Kremlin.

The pair also discussed the sale of advanced Russian missiles to Turkey, a deal which has been slammed by the US.

Pictured, Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pose for a photo after a joint news conference following their talks in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia

'These regard first of all the completion of the contract to supply S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems to Turkey,' he said.

'There are other promising projects on the agenda related to the supply of modern Russian military products to Turkey,' Putin added.

The US has put a freeze on its joint F-35 fighter jet programme with Turkey in protest to the missile deal.

Last week, US acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said he was confident Turkey would drop the plan and buy the US Patriot system instead.

Erdogan has said the S-400s are needed to protect Turkey's borders. He said he turned to Russia because no acceptable US missile deal was available at the time.

The first S-400 delivery is expected in July.

The pair also discussed Syria, where they have backed opposite sides in the eight-year conflict but have been working closely to end the fighting.

Putin said they were unable to reach an agreement to set up a monitoring centre in Syria's jihadist-held Idlib region, agreed at a summit in Sochi in February.

'We have so far not been able to create the monitoring centre,' Putin said. 'But I am sure that we will do this.'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan enters a hall for his talks with Putin in the Kremlin

Russia, which supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and rebel backer Turkey in September inked a buffer zone deal to prevent a massive regime offensive on the Idlib region, near the Turkish border.

On Sunday, 13 civilians died in bombing in Idlib.

Along with Iran, Russia and Turkey have positioned themselves as key foreign players in Syria's long-running war.

Erdogan is on his third visit to Russia since the beginning of this year.
The ex lover of Married at First Sight contestant Sam Ball has been arrested and locked up by police for allegedly breaching an apprehended violence order (AVO).

Akila Ahmunett, 30, first faced court accused of stalking the MAFS star and trespassing on his property more than a month ago.

The Sydney tradesman claimed his partner of three months menaced or harassed him with calls, texts and emails, and NSW police took out an interim AVO against her.

But officers now claim Ahmunett failed to follow the order after turning up to a home believed to be Ball's shortly after 3am on March 21, a Thursday.

Police took out an AVO against Akila Ahmunett on behalf of Sam Ball. She was arrested last month after being accused of breaching the order

Court records seen by Daily Mail Australia show police took a warrant out for her arrest and she was taken into custody about 3.20am.

After time in the cells, she was hauled in front of a magistrate at the city's Central Local Court, where a magistrate eventually granted her conditional bail.

The arrest is latest turn in a bizarre saga for Sam.

One of the biggest scandals on the Nine show was his 'affair' with Ines Basic and troubled relationship with 'wife' Elizabeth Sobinoff.

But while those partnerships may have brought fireworks, neither required police intervention like his tumultuous off-screen fling with Ahmunett.

Ball first contacted police about his short-term partner, who also goes by the name Akila Ahmunett, on February 4, a court heard previously.

His on-air relationship with Elizabeth Sobinoff was tempestuous, with Ball having an 'affair'

He called police after his then 30-year-old girlfriend allegedly confronted him inside his inner-city home at Alexandria and the pair had a heated argument.

Ball went to police again on February 21 to apply for an AVO, claiming Ahmunett had been stalking him and subjecting him to unwanted texts, calls and emails.

STATEMENT FROM NEW SOUTH WALES POLICE FORCE A NSW police spokeswoman today told Daily Mail Australia: 'About 3.20am on Thursday 21 March 2019, a 30-year-old woman was arrested at a Redfern address for allegedly contravening an apprehended domestic violence order. 'She appeared before Central Local Court the same day, where she was granted conditional bail. 'The woman is next due to front the Downing Centre Local Court on Monday 15 April 2019.' Advertisement

He allegedly accused her of taking his phone and vetting his friends on social media, including deleting the profiles of women.

Police were called to Ball's home about 2am on February 22 when they arrested Ahmunett, who lives at Russell Lea in Sydney's inner-west.

The court previously heard Ball made three statements to police about what happened between the pair.

Ahmunett's barrister Geoff Harrison said last month he would 'make representations' to police about reconsidering the remaining charges.

'There's two sides to every story,' Mr Harrison said outside court.

Ms Ahmunett will face Downing Centre Local Court on April 15 where she is expected to enter pleas.

After Daily Mail Australia published this story, Ms Ahmunett said: 'Everyone is welcome to attend the hearing, the date of which will be determined on the 15th April when I plead not guilty to all charges.'

Ms Ahmunett previously drew headlines when she appeared on 60 Minutes in 2014, claiming that she had been kidnapped on a holiday to Egypt when she was younger, and then held in Syria for five years.
Sydney and Melbourne are set for some more chilly weather as a burst of cold air from the Great Australian Bight passes over southeastern Australia.

Victorians had already felt the brunt of the cooler shift, but as the front made its way northeast, several states were expected to see temperatures drop to single digits.

Weatherzone's Scott Morris told Daily Mail Australia the cold front would move across Canberra and into New South Wales and should reach Brisbane by Wednesday.

Sydney and Melbourne are set for some more chilly weather this afternoon as a burst of cold air from the Great Australian Bight passes over southeastern Australia

The cold front will continue to move across Canberra and into NSW and should reach Brisbane by Wednesday

'Along with the cool change are likely to be some light and patchy showers this afternoon from about midday onwards,' Mr Morris said.

'There could also be some thunderstorms - most likely from about 4pm, as well as some damaging winds and large hail.'

Mr Morris said the cold snap was expected to produce snow for some of Australia's alpine areas in Tasmania and Victoria.

While temperatures in Sydney reached a maximum of 26C on Tuesday, but the cooler air would move in by late in the afternoon.

Along with the temperature change, showers and southeasterly winds of up to 40km/h were likely, 9News reported.

The sharp weather shift came a day after Sydney experienced one of its warmest autumn days since 1859, with parts of the state reaching 32C.

Weatherzone's Ben Domensino said snow was forecast to reach down to 700 metres above sea level in Tasmania and 1300 metres in Victoria.

'Hobart will struggle to reach the mid-teens - possibly experiencing its lowest maximum temperature since November,' Mr Domensino said.

As the cold front then makes it ways out into the Tasman sea by Wednesday morning, it will bring calmer and drier weather conditions to the southeastern states

Snow is forecast to reach down to 700 metres above sea level in Tasmania and 1300 metres in Victoria by the late afternoon

Melbourne is expected to reach the mid-teens, but it will likely feel a few degrees cooler for anyone in areas exposed to the southwesterly winds, he said.

Victoria is also likely to see some showers late in the afternoon, with a 70 per cent chance of rain, according to BOM.

Chillier temperatures are also expected to continue in the southernmost part of the country, with Hobart reaching its lowest maximum temperature since November.

As the cold front then makes it ways out into the Tasman sea by Wednesday morning, it will bring calmer and drier weather conditions to the southeastern states.

Melbourne is expected to reach the mid-teens, but it will likely feel a few degrees cooler for anyone in areas exposed to the southwesterly winds

The lingering cool air is likely to cause a few chilly nights in southeastern Australia later in the week

Despite the brief rise in temperature, the lingering cool air is still likely to cause a few chilly nights in southeastern Australia later in the week, Mr Domensino said.

Canberra is forecast to experience a chilly 4C on Wednesday morning and 3C on Thursday. while Melbourne is tipped to dip to 8C on Friday.

Elsewhere around the country, temperatures are expected to stay significantly warmer, with Perth's maximum temperature on Tuesday likely to reach 33C.

Darwin's warmer temperatures should also continue to stay above 30C for the rest of the week, while Brisbane residents will see some rainfall later in the week.

Meanwhile, Adelaide's overcast weather should begin to clear up later in the week as the cold front moves on and temperatures reach the mid-20s.
Anzac Day events are being cancelled across New Zealand over fears patrons safety could be compromised after the Christchurch terror attacks.

A number of West Auckland-based Returned Services Associations have cancelled their annual commemorations and are instead asking people to attend a select few services which will be supported by a heavy police presence.

Helensville RSA president Les Coste said the local events were scrapped following recommendations from Auckland Police, who suggested fewer events city-wide, the NZ Herald reported.

Anzac Day events across New Zealand have been cancelled over fears patrons safety could be compromised after the Christchurch terror attacks

Auckland City district commander Superintendent Karyn Malthus said while there is no information pertaining to a specific risk at these events, police presence would be more significant if they weren't spread across numerous local events.

'In the current environment, police are continuing to provide a visible presence nationwide for the safety and reassurance of the community,' she said.

'We recognise the public will want to commemorate Anzac Day across the region and we are wanting them to do that in the safest way possible, which may mean some have to travel a little further to an event.'

The national terror threat was lifted to high after Brenton Tarrant allegedly stormed two mosques in Christchurch on the south island and shot 50 worshipers dead on March 15.

They have not been lowered since the attack.

Auckland City district commander Superintendent Karyn Malthus said while there is no information pertaining to a specific risk at these events, police presence would be more significant if they weren't spread across numerous local events

New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern described the attacks as 'one of New Zealand's darkest days'.

The Howick RSA also cancelled their parades, but would still run the Dawn and Civic Commemoration Services on Stockade Hill at 6.05am and 11am.

Mr Coste said: 'All West Auckland RSAs have also cancelled their local events ... Due to government policy only selected sites are suitable.'

He said council buses are expected to shuttle people from Helensville to Glen Eden for an Anzac Day service, but the details are still being finalised.
Novichok was used to attack ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in 2018

His partner Dawn Sturgess died after being exposed to Novichok in Amesbury

Novichok victim Charlie Rowley has said Russia's ambassador in London has agreed to try to arrange a meeting with Vladimir Putin.

Mr Rowley had a 90-minute discussion with Alexander Yakovenko but told the Sunday Mirror he 'didn't really get any answers' about the death of his partner Dawn Sturgess.

The pair were exposed to the same nerve agent used to attack ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in March last year.

Mr Rowley had a 90-minute discussion with Alexander Yakovenko. He said the ambassador had said Russia might be able to find him a private doctor to address his ongoing health concerns

Mr Rowley and Ms Sturgess, 44, fell ill in Amesbury months later after coming into contact with a perfume bottle believed to have been used in the poisonings and then discarded. Ms Sturgess died in hospital in July.

The 45-year-old told BBC Radio Wiltshire he wanted to meet the Russian president to 'get to the bottom of things'.

He said: 'That would be great, yeah, I'd like to see him, get some face-to-face and ask him on a one-to-one basis, just sort of tick it off the list, say I've done it.'

Asked if the question of meeting Mr Putin had arisen during his meeting with the Russian Ambassador, he said: 'It did. He did say he's going to try and push forward, try and get some results, get back in contact with my brother.'

His brother Matthew added: 'He couldn't say yes or no, but said if he was to say yes, where would you like to meet, and I said on our behalf it would be better on his own home turf, in Russia, and he said he would try and organise it for us.'

Mr Rowley told the radio station that an apology 'would be great' but that he could not see Mr Putin 'taking the blame'.

He also said the ambassador had said Russia might be able to find him a private doctor to address his ongoing health concerns.

Mr Rowley told the radio station that an apology 'would be great' but that he could not see Mr Putin, above, 'taking the blame'. The 45-year-old told BBC Radio Wiltshire he wanted to meet the Russian president to 'get to the bottom of things' [File photo]

Speaking to the Sunday Mirror after the meeting, Mr Yakovenko said he and Mr Rowley were 'on the same page' and wanted to see a report into the investigation published.

'It is important for Russia, but also for Charlie Rowley,' he said.

'I've seen a normal person who has really suffered a lot and who has suffered a tragedy in his life. If he asked for it, I would give him support.'

In September, Scotland Yard and the Crown Prosecution Service said there was sufficient evidence to charge two Russians - known by their aliases Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov - with offences including conspiracy to murder over the Salisbury nerve agent attack.
The teenager who cracked an egg on Fraser Anning's head last month has received an official police caution while the controversial Queensland senator will face no charges.

Mr Anning lashed out at 17-year-old Will Connolly after he smashed an egg on his head at a far-right rally in Melbourne, on March 16.

Mr Connolly was reacting to Mr Anning's comments that Muslim immigration was in part to blame for the Christchurch terror attacks.

After an investigation Mr Connolly has received an official caution, police said on Tuesday.

But Senator Anning, 69, has avoided charges after striking the boy once he was egged because police deemed he was acting in self-defence.

Will Connolly (pictured) has been issued with an official warning after he cracked an egg on Senator Anning's head

Detectives are still hoping to identify a young man who kicked Mr Connolly while he was being held to the ground by others at the rally in Moorabbin.

Mr Connolly became known as 'Egg Boy,' after the incident, attracting global attention and widespread praise for his actions.

Fundraising pages set up by Mr Connolly's fans to help him pay his legal fees has so far raised just over $100,000.

As he will not have to fight formal charges the money will be donated to the victims of the Christchurch terror attack and their families, his legal team said on Tuesday.

Peter Gordon, from Gordon Legal said in a statement that Mr Connolly wanted to thank Victoria Police for their professionalism.

Victoria Police said both Fraser Anning and Mr Connolly had been interviewed and CCTV footage had been reviewed.

'On assessment of all circumstances, the 69-year-old's actions were treated as self defence and there was no reasonable prospect of conviction,' police said.
Old English epic poem Beowulf is the work of a single author, say researchers.

Scientists used computers to analyse the text and noticed grammatical and stylistic similarities throughout  suggesting it was the work of one person.

This included consistent use of punctuation, similar vocabulary and the creation of unusual words made by joining two mundane words together.

The poem is one of the most famous Old English tales. It tells of a man rescuing the Danes from a fearsome monster and its mother before later being killed by a dragon.

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New research suggests the epic Old English poem was written by one person, smashing the theory that the poem was two different stories combined. Scientists used computers to analyse the text and noticed grammatical and stylistic similarities throughout

It has been argued that it is in fact two stories bolted on to each other. Readers notice the dragon-slaying portion has a markedly different tone to the first half of the poem.

However, others have argued it is the work of a single author. JRR Tolkien, the Lord of the Rings author and linguistic scholar, held this opinion throughout his life.

And scientists believe the computers ability to notice tiny patterns that evaded human scholars has put the issue to bed.

It has been argued that it is in fact two stories bolted on to each other. Readers notice the dragon-slaying portion has a markedly different tone to the first half of the poem. However, others have argued it is the work of a single author

The researchers noticed certain pauses and different rhythms when they split the poems in two. Both parts also had unusual words made by joining two mundane words together. Pictured here, a page from the original manuscript

Writing in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, researchers from the US and China came to their conclusion by splitting the poem into two pieces where scholars suggest a split.

They then noticed there were tell-tale similarities between the two, despite the markedly different moods.

These include certain pauses and different rhythms. Both parts also had unusual words made by joining two mundane words together.

Leonard Neidorf, professor of English Literature at Nanjing University and co-author of the research, said Beowulfs authorship is of perennial interest to scholars.

He said: Our article reopens the question in order to apply for the first time some of the most sophisticated computational methods available for author identification.

One example of the latter was 'bone-house'  written 'ban-hus'  which the authors say refers to the human body.

Co-author Leonard Neidorf, of Nanjing University in China, said his team had used some of the 'most sophisticated computational methods available for author identification'.
Tolga Binbuga was not deported because his gang ties were said to show he was culturally integrated

A Turkish national convicted of a string of offences was allowed to stay in the UK after a judge ruled his gang membership showed he was 'socially and culturally integrated'.

Tolga Binbuga was convicted of a string of offences including robbery, burglary, assault and a criminal damage.

He was also jailed for a year after pleading guilty to burglary in 2013 after he stole a Mercedes car key along with 3,000 worth of electrical goods from a house in Enfield, north London.

The 29-year-old came to Britain when he was nine and never applied for UK citizenship.

Binbuga was also convicted of cautioned for drug possession and shoplifting.

He joined the north London-based Get Money Gang which the Met Police say are the second most dangerous groups in the country.

When the Home Office tried to deport Binbuga his lawyers appealed saying he was a 'home grown criminal', according to the Sun.

In 2016 Judge Evan Ruth ruled Binbuga's gang affiliation proved he had 'socially and culturally integrated' into British culture and he was allowed to stay in the UK, the newspaper reports.

Get Money Gang poster. The Met Police have said the group are the second most dangerous in Britain

Judge Ruth said: 'It is a sad and unpleasant fact of life that, in various parts of London, gang culture is an accepted and widespread part of life for many young people.

'In my view, although it is a sad and unpleasant conclusion, the likely association of Binbuga with this north London gang is a good example of his integration into one of the less savoury aspects of UK life.'

Judge Evan Ruth made the ruling in 2016

That decision was overturned by the Home Office under appeal in 2017 with judges finding Judge Ruth had 'erred in law' by stating that gang membership showed a level of socially integration.

Judges ruled there was no compelling reason to prevent Binbuga's deportation.

The ruling stated: 'Membership of a pro-criminal gang shows a lack of such acceptance [of cultural integration]. It demonstrates disdain for the rule of law.'

Binbuga then appealed again, running up at least 50,000 in legal fees, before being rejected last week, the Sun reports.

It is not known if Binbuga has been deported yet.

In 2013 Mohammed Hussein, 19, a well-known member of the teenage Get Money Gang was blasted with a shotgun by rivals in a bitter gang feud on Enfield.

Jamal Mahmoud, a high-ranking member of GMG was stabbed to death in HMP Pentonville in 2017.
Police are searching for a tradesman who allegedly committed an indecent assault on a dog late last year.

Investigators say the man walked into a property in Bendigo, near Melbourne, at about 5.30am on December 18.

The man fled the scene at Coppola Court after a neighbour walked in on him performing a 'lewd act' on the animal.

The man was wearing an orange and blue tradesman's jacket with reflective stripes, black short and black shoes at the time of the incident

CCTV footage captured the moment a man wearing a high-viz jacked casually walks down a driveway.

The man is described as being Caucasian, approximately 180cm tall, with a solid build, with a short beard and shoulder length brown hair.

He is between 30 and 40-years-old, police said.

The man was wearing an orange and blue tradesman's jacket with reflective stripes, black shorts and black shoes at the time of the incident.

Bendigo Crime Unit detectives are asking for anyone who might recognise the man to contact Crime Stoppers.
Police are investigating five people living in the UK over allegations relating to the Rwandan genocide 25 years ago.

An estimated 800,000 Rwandans died in 100 days of slaughter and ethnic cleansing between April 7 and July 1994.

A Met Police spokesman confirmed the force's war crimes unit received a referral from Rwandan authorities in January last year.

She said in a statement that the referral relates mostly to the five individuals in the UK and allegations of genocide offences in Rwanda dating from around 1994.

Police are investigating five people living in the UK over allegations relating to the Rwandan genocide 25 years ago including Celestin Mutabaruka (right) and Dr Vincent Bajinya (left)

She explained: 'Relevant documentation to this was assessed by the war crimes unit and officers were also deployed to Rwanda as part of our initial work to scope the allegations,' the spokeswoman added.

'As a result, we have subsequently commenced an investigation which will initially involve a review of all the documentation transferred from Rwanda.

'Given the complexities involved, this is expected to be a protracted and lengthy process. Inquiries continue.'

An estimated 800,000 Rwandans died in 100 days of slaughter and ethnic cleansing between April 7 and July 1994. Pictured, the suspects Celestin Ugirashebuja (right) and Emmanuel Nidikymana (left)

The Daily Mirror reported that the suspects are Celestin Mutabaruka, 63, from Kent; Vincent Brown, also known as Vincent Bajinya, 59, from Islington, north London; Celestin Ugirashebuja, 66, from Essex; Charles Munyaneza, 61, from Bedford; and Emmanuel Nteziryayo, from Manchester.

All five deny the allegations against them and involvement in the genocide.

In July 2017 five men with the same names, all of Hutu ethnicity, had an extradition bid to have them returned to Rwanda blocked by the UK High Court.

At the time judges agreed there was a real risk they would be denied a fair trial if they were returned.

Charles Munyaneza (pictured above at his home in Bedford) is also another suspect

The suspects were contacted by the Mirror for comment.

Mr Mutabaruka, 63, said he welcomed the chance to clear his name, adding: 'I have nothing to hide.'

Mr Mutabaruka is a pastor who runs the Fountain Church in Ashford, Kent.

He is suspected of organising killings in the town of Gatare,

In the genocide, Hutus killed 70% of the Tutsi population, and up to 250,000 women and girls were raped.

A man piling bones of people who were killed in the genocide in 1994

Vincent Bajinya, 59, is accused of helping to plan the genocide.

He is also accused of participating in the killings and violence.

Speaking at his flat in Islington, North London, Mr Bajinya, who is a doctor and has changed his name to Brown said: 'I am not a criminal and I never did those things. I am not hiding.' He moved to the UK in 2000 and was unable to find work as a doctor, so instead took a job with a refugee charity.

A third suspect is Celestin Ugirashebuja, 66, a care worker living in Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex. In 2011 the Anna Victoria Nursing Home in Frinton on Sea, said they had no intention of letting Mr Ugirashebuja go, following revelations of his past.

He wife said he was too ill to talk about the investigation.

The lawyer of Charles Munyaneza said he lives with the stigma of the allegation. In 2006 it was reported that Munyaneza had been working as a cleaner.

Emmanuel Nteziryayo, who was born in 1963, now lives in Manchester.

Officers from the Met's War Crime Unit were sent to the African country.

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: 'As a result, we have subsequently commenced an investigation, which will initially involve a review of all documentation transferred from Rwanda.

'Given the complexities involved, this is expected to be a protracted and lengthy process.'

Celestin Mutabaruka was involved in the massacre of people who had sheltered in a church in Gatare, extradition court documents state.

He said: 'This is just politically motivated stuff. I'm not in the country. I have been a lecturer in universities and published scientific research.

'So to accuse me of genocide 20 years later... it is ridiculous. It is ridiculous. I'm not hiding myself. I'm here. I have nothing to hide. I am very confident.'

Vincent Brown is suspected of supervising the manning of roadblocks near to Kibihekane School in north Rwanda where killings took place.

He is also said to have participated in the violence.

His solicitor, Frank Brazell, said: 'Dr Brown has always maintained that he could not receive a fair trial in Rwanda.

He added he would welcome the possibility of a trial in the UK because he is confident the trial process in the UK will be fair and will fully exonerate him.'
The millionaire co-founder of CrossFit is planning to marry a man who is currently sitting in a Florida jail on murder charges - and she won't even make him sign a prenup.

Lauren Jenai, 47, is looking forward to a jail wedding with Franklin Tyrone Tucker, a childhood friend from Philadelphia who she reconnected with on Facebook following her divorce from CrossFit co-founder Greg Glassman in 2013.

Tucker, 47, has been in prison since 2017 after he was arrested for allegedly stabbing a man to death during a robbery.

Lauren Jenai, the millionaire co-founder of CrossFit, revealed she is planning to marry Franklin Tyrone Tucker, a childhood friend currently sitting in a Florida jail on murder charges

Tucker was charged with first-degree murder alongside Rory Hank Wilson and John Travis Johnson in the death of Mathew Bonnett.

Bonnett, 59, was killed in November 2017 after he heard a commotion while his neighbor was being robbed at knifepoint.

Prosecutors claim that Tucker and Wilson stabbed Bonnett multiple times as they were leaving the scene. Police believe Johnson was the getaway driver.

All three men were also charged with armed robbery. Tucker also faces a witness tampering charge after he allegedly threatened a witness five days after the murder, according to the Miami Herald.

Jenai has risen to Tucker's defense since his arrest, hiring a private investigator and a New York lawyer to help his case. The multi-millionaire also told the judge she was willing to post Tucker's $1million bail.

The mother-of-four, who currently lives in Portland, said she believes Tucker is innocent and was simply an 'easy target' for police.

While the pair had begun chatting on Facebook years before Tucker's arrest, it was the murder case that turned their connection into a romantic one.

Jenai has risen to Tucker's defense since his arrest, hiring a private investigator and a New York lawyer to help his case. She also revealed she won't make him sign a prenup

Tucker (pictured) has been in prison since 2017 after he was arrested for allegedly stabbing a man to death during a robbery

The pair began video visitation - as Tucker's prison no longer allows in-person inmate visits - and the sparks quickly flew.

'We hadn't seen each other in 30 years. We turned into little high school kids together,' Jenai told Page Six.

'We started having feelings for each other through the process and developed a really special relationship. Now the plan is when he bonds out, he's going to live with me in Portland. We're going to get married. We're engaged.'

Plans have changed since Tucker's bail was denied during a January 29 hearing, a decision that Jenai said left her 'devastated'.

But the fitness guru is now planning to wed Tucker in jail. It will be the first time they get to be together in the same room since their romance began.

'Even though this is a relationship that's not physical, he and I have known each other for such a long time,' she said. 'It doesn't seem strange to me that we have feelings for each other. It's been a year of constant communication.'

And Jenai said she won't have Tucker sign a prenup because it feels 'a little inappropriate'.

While the childhood friends had reconnected and begun chatting on Facebook years before Tucker's arrest, it was the murder case that turned their connection into a romantic one

'Our relationship is very open and we are a team,' she said. 'I trust him. I love him. My house is his house.'

And that house is a big one. Jenai sold her CrossFit shares for $20million during her messy divorce with Glassman, which stretched from 2009 to 2013 before it was finalized.

Now the founder of new fitness program Manifest, Jenai is intent on being reunited with her high school crush.

The separation has no doubt become even tougher for the couple after they were banned from video visitation.

'I got a little risque,' Jenai admitted. 'I was touching my boobs. I got a warning. I stopped.'

Jenai's account was suspended for three years, so she began video visitation with Tucker using her mother's account. But it happened again.

'The heat of the moment sometimes gets the best of you,' she said. 'I want to be a good fiancee to him. My boobs popped out at some point, it happens.'

Jenai sold her CrossFit shares for $20million during her messy divorce with Greg Glassman (pictured) in 2013

Jenai later learned her mother's video visitation account had been suspended for 100 years. Tucker was also ordered to go into solitary confinement.

She believes authorities are trying to keep her away from Tucker to try and 'break him down'.

'I keep him sane,' she said. 'They get you in jail and they leave you there, and you get so frustrated that you make deals and plea to things you haven't done.'

'They're trying to break him down and scare me away.'

But Jenai said she is standing by Tucker's side and has the support of most people in her life.

'People who know Ty, like my mom, she knows the whole situation and she's very supportive,' she said.

'People who don't know him - who don't see my relationship with him - I can tell they think it's a bad idea and they think I'm crazy. Especially my ex-husband.'

'I just know this whole situation is wrong,' she added. 'And I have a story to tell.'
Costco has been inundated with complaints from customers who bought chickens still raw in the middle and full of white mucus.

A Melbourne woman took to social media and posted pictures of an under-cooked rotisserie chicken she purchased from the Epping store.

She complained to staff members who reportedly told her to 'put it in the microwave' before she was given a refund.

The online complaint gained 170 comments, which included a mass of customers who also complained about under-cooked chickens with shades of pink and mucus.

One 'horrified' Melbourne woman took to social media and posted pictures of an under-cooked rotisserie chicken with white mucus in the middle

In March, another woman posted a complaint about a Costco chicken she purchased, which was 'completely pink on the inside'

'As soon as I cut into it I said "oh my goodness, that's disgusting''. I've worked in hospo [hospitality] and I've worked for Red Rooster and that's a no-no,' the woman, who asked to remain anonymous told the Whittlesea Leader.

Nicole Elverd said she had asked for a refund after buying a pink, under-cooked chicken and got a replacement only to realise it was also raw.

In March, another woman posted a complaint about a Costco chicken she purchased, which was 'completely pink on the inside'.

'This is absolutely unacceptable and disgusting. What a rip-off,' she wrote.

Complaints about raw Costco chickens can be found posted on Facebook from as far as May 2018.

One post on Costco Wholesale Australia said a complaint email was sent to the store without a reply.

'Fourth chicken way undercooked, Costco usual response its the nitrates,' one woman wrote.

She took the complaint up with the Whittlesea Council health department, who advised her to report related issues to them.

Complaints about raw Costco chickens can be found posted on Facebook from as far as May 2018

Another woman commented: 'I find mine are always under cooked too. They are delicious but I don't buy them anymore.'

One user said she usually has to reheat the chicken until it was 'fully cooked'.

'I wonder if the gas leak at Epping is in the oven that cooks the chickens, and that's why they have been coming out under cooked,' one user wrote.

Daily Mail Australia contacted Costco for comment.

But a Costco assistant general merchandise manager told the publication : 'A number of external and environmental factors that can cause meat to be pink yet still fully cooked and safe to eat.'

The email said although the chickens were cooked at 84C, factors such as nitrates in marinade and pH levels in meat made the product appear uncooked.
The federal government has given the green light to an enormous and highly controversial coalmine, taking it a step closer to operation.

The Carmichael mine operated by Indian company Adani in northern Queensland will be one of the planet's largest at three times the size of Paris.

Supporters say it will provide 1,500 jobs to a depressed region.

But opponents say it will produce more CO2 than Chile, threaten the Great Barrier Reef and makes Australia seem backward at a time when world leaders are trying to cut carbon emissions.

Science agencies CSIRO and Geoscience Australia had confirmed the company's revised plans met strict scientific requirements, minister Melissa Price (pictured) said on Tuesday

Science agencies CSIRO and Geoscience Australia had confirmed the company's revised environmental plans met strict scientific requirements, minister Melissa Price said on Tuesday.

'Following this independent assessment and the Department of Environment and Energy's recommendation for approval, I have accepted the scientific advice and therefore approved the groundwater management plans for the Carmichael coal mine and rail Infrastructure project under Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999,' she said in a statement.

This decision does not mean the project has final approval.

Further approvals are needed from the Queensland government prior to construction starting.

'To date, only 16 of 25 environmental plans have been finalised or approved by the commonwealth and Queensland governments with a further nine to be finalised,' Ms Price said.

'It must meet further stringent conditions of approval from the commonwealth before it can begin producing coal.'

She said the company had accepted actions including better monitoring of the Doongmabulla Springs, tighter corrective action triggers if there are any groundwater impacts and more scientific modelling within two years of the start of mining.

The federal government is not providing any financial support to the mine or to its rail project, she said.

Queensland coalition MPs have been agitating for the minister to make her decision before Prime Minister Scott Morrison goes to the polls, expected on May 18.

Anti-Adani protesters disrupted a business lunch speech by Mr Morrison in Brisbane on Monday

Mr Morrison told reporters on Tuesday the decision would be made by 'ministers listening to scientists, not senators listening to themselves'.

Resources Minister Matt Canavan earlier attended a meeting in central Queensland on Tuesday with Dawson MP George Christensen to reiterate the government's support for coal mining.

'This isn't just about one project or one mine - the Labor party wants to get rid of all coal mines and all coal mining jobs,' Senator Canavan said in a statement afterwards.

'The Liberal-Nationals coalition government backs Queensland resources workers and Queensland's coal mining communities.'

Anti-Adani protesters disrupted a business lunch speech by Mr Morrison in Brisbane on Monday.

Labor leader Bill Shorten said the environment minister was being bullied in what he described as a 'failure of ethics in government at the highest level'.

Mr Shorten said in government he would be guided by the 'best science and the law of the land' on the Adani approvals but no taxpayer money would go to the project.

The Adani coalmine and associated rail project to transport the coal is expected to create around 1,500 jobs.
American casino giant Wynn Resorts has abruptly ended talks about taking over James Packer's Crown group after details of a $10billion takeover bid were revealed.

In a tersely-worded statement, the Las Vegas company said it was ending negotiations with Crown Resorts.

'Following the premature disclosure of preliminary discussions, Wynn Resorts has terminated all discussions with Crown Resorts concerning any transaction,' a Wynn spokesperson said in a written statement.

Crown had earlier confirmed that it was in acquisition talks with Wynn.

Wynn Resorts has abruptly ended buyout talks with James Packer's (pictured) Crown Resorts after details of a $10billion takeover bid were revealed

Crown, which owns casinos in Melbourne, Perth and London and will soon open another in Sydney, revealed that the offer had an implied value of $14.75 per share, to be paid 50 per cent in cash and 50 per cent in Wynn shares.

That offer would have valued Crown at around $10billion.

Crown's value has fallen 20 per cent since mid-2018 as profits have fallen short of expectations.

The slump has been attributed to slowing economic growth in China, where big gamblers who traveled to Australia are now less likely to be in the mood to gamble.

In a tersely worded statement, the American company (Wynn casino in Las Vegas pictured) said it was ending all discussions with Crown Resorts

Wynn Resorts runs several casinos in the United States and Macau. The chain's founder, Steve Wynn, resigned as chairman and chief executive in February 2018 after claims of sexual misconduct, and has sold his stake in the company.

JAMES PACKER'S LIFE AND TIMES 1967: James Douglas Packer is born to media mogul Kerry and philanthropist Ros Packer in Sydney About 1985: Finishes school and works as a jackaroo in Northern Territory 1999: Marries first wife, model Jodhi Mears; the couple separates in 2002 2001: Telecommunications company One.Tel goes broke, costing Packer $300m 2005: Kerry Packer dies and James takes over family business 2006: Starts selling major television asset Channel 9 as he moves into casinos 2007: Marries model Erica Baxter, the mother of his three children; the couple separates in 2013 2012: Forms RatPac film production company with producer Brett Ratner 2014: Has public street fight with then best friend David Gyngell 2016: Becomes engaged to singer Mariah Carey; couple separates later that year 2017: Sells out of RatPac 2018: Steps down from Crown Resorts board Advertisement

Crown, too, has battled controversy in the past three years.

In 2016, 19 of its staff members were arrested in China on charges of illegally promoting gambling.

A court jailed 16 of the defendants, including three Australian citizens, for nine-to-10 months, with the remaining three released after a month in detention.

Soon afterward, Crown signaled a retreat from international expansion plans that had included Las Vegas and Macau.

That led to a $370 million deal to sell Wynn vacant land in Las Vegas on which Crown had planned to build a casino.

In March last year, Mr Packer resigned from Crown's board, citing mental health issues.

Mr Packer still owns 46.8 per cent of the company, but sources close to him said he was 'disengaged from the business', the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

In recent months, Crown's share price has been pushed down to a low of $11.74 partly due to fears that VIP gamblers in Perth and Melbourne are spending less.

Crown is undergoing a period of restructuring, which has included selling land in Las Vegas, its stake in Macau's Melco Resorts & Entertainment and its betting company CrownBet, which merged with William Hill's local operation to become BetEasy.

Mr Packer is the ninth richest Australian with a fortune of $5 billion, according to the Forbes 2019 rich list.
The lead prosecutor for the borough of Brooklyn made it clear he supported decriminalizing sex work, often penalized as loitering, at a panel discussion on Friday.

'I believe in decriminalization,' District Attorney Eric Gonzalez he told those gathered at the Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn event in response to an audience member's question, according to Gay City News.

The prosecutor then detailed his office's directing sex workers to services and going through a series of steps before their cases would be entirely dismissed.

Gonzalez's stance appears to be firmer than his earlier rollout of an incarceration reduction plan that did not feature sex work as a priority.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez speaks at the Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn April 5, 2019 event, the Decriminalize Queerness Forum

From left: Jessica Raven, Jared Trujillo and State Senator Julia Salazar discuss the impact that criminal prosecution has on sex workers and the path forward to decriminalization at the Decriminalize Queerness Forum.

'The DA has expressed willingness to take a fresh look at loitering enforcement and would be open to further discussion about this issue,' spokesperson Oren Yaniv said to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle last month.

While Gonzalez's new stance on decriminalization would not be directed at sex traffickers, he was also open to supporting a law legalize sex work outright, the New York Post reported.

State Senator Julia Salazar and former sex workers and advocates Jared Trujillo and Jessica Raven, also spoke at the the Decriminalize Queerness Forum event discussing how criminalizing sex work has made populations more vulnerable to discrimination and trafficking.

'Across the city of New York, 94 percent of those arrested for loitering for the purposes of prostitution are black women, including cis and trans women,' Salazar, whose office works with DecrimNY, an advocacy group, said.

Eric Gonzalez said he was open to 'something outside of the justice system' in order to combat sex trafficking

The 20-plus organization coalition, Decrim NY, to decriminalize and decarcerate the sex trades in New York city and state, held a rally at Foley Square on February 25

A rally attendee for DecrimNY's sex work decriminalization event at Foley Square in Manhattan on February 25

'That's a startling number and speaks to the racial profiling and gender based discrimination as well that goes into these arrests.'

Jessica Raven noted that the large chunk of funding goes toward anti-trafficking messaging campaigns, but not enough to actually providing help to those who actually spot trafficking victims.

'There are just not enough resources,' Raven said.

'What I heard today has me thinking that the way we are dealing with trafficking cases is not effective,' Gonzalez said to Gay City News. 'If people are afraid they are going to get arrested, maybe something outside of the justice system is better. I'm open to that.'

Prostitution arrests in New York City have dropped sharply in recent years, and advocates are further pushing to decriminalize sex work around the nation.

Sen. Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, has also recently come out in favor of that position.
Kerri-Anne Kennerley has visited remote Alice Springs to support an Aboriginal women's group after being called 'racist' by a Studio 10 host in an on-air stoush.

Panelist Yumi Stynes attacked the veteran presenter in a tense exchange in January after Kennerley criticised the priorities of Australia Day protesters.

During a break in her visit to the Tangentyere Women's Family Safety Group which stands against domestic violence in the Alice Springs Town Camps, Kerri-Anne said she had no regrets about her impassioned Australia Day speech.

The Tangentyere Women's Family Safety Group welcomed Kerri-Anne Kennerley's visit on Monday. Co-ordinator Shirleen Campbell (left of Kerri-Anne) herself lost three family members to domestic violence prompting her to start the organisation

'It's not that I'm sorry, I'm just happy to be here,' she was quoted by ABC Alice Springs as saying.

Kennerley had stated that remote Aboriginal women and children are being abused.

'It may have been a bit clunky and I'm a white person saying it. That doesn't mean it's not true,' she was quoted by 10 Daily as saying.

Tangentyere group co-ordinator Shirleen Campbell had initially been angered by Kerri-Anne's Australia Day comments but during the visit Kerri-Anne asked for her forgiveness which the Aboriginal woman immediately gave.

In her polarising on-air outburst in January, Kennerley said Australia Day protesters should take action about the violence faced by remote Aboriginal women and children instead of complaining about the date the national day is celebrated on.

Some Aboriginal activists took offence and protested against Kennerley's comments. Other Aboriginal activists said she made a good point.

Kerri-Anne Kennerley talks to the women in Alice Springs. Indigenous women are 32 times more likely to be hospitalised due to family violence than non-Indigenous women

In the wake of the controversy, Ms Kennerley promised to visit the Tangentyere Women's Family Safety Group that combats domestic violence in Alice Springs to better understand the issues facing remote indigenous women.

She made good on her promise on Monday despite a difficult few months dealing with the death of her husband, John, in February.

Kennerley travelled to the remote Northern Territory to meet the women's group co-ordinator Shirleen Campbell who started the group after losing her mother to domestic violence.

At the age of 36, Ms Campbell is a grandmother and mother-of-five who has lost a total of three relatives to family violence.

Some Aboriginal activists protested Kerri-Anne's Australia Day comments outside Network 10's Sydney headquarters in January (pictured is a post the group made on Facebook)

Aboriginal activist Jacinta Nampiginpa Price, a Warlpiri woman and Alice Springs Town Councillor, supported Kerri-Anne Kennerley's stance in January, saying critics such as Yumi Stymes (pictured above) were contributing to a culture of silence by 'virtue signalling'

'I've lost three women in my family which is why I've started,' she told Kerri Anne Kennerley.

When asked how they died, Ms Campbell said they were abused, bashed and assaulted.

'And just left to die?' Kennerley asked.

'Yes,' Ms Campbell replied.

Ms Campbell told Daily Mail Australia she was glad Kerri-Anne had come to hear about their experiences and recognise the work they are doing to combat domestic violence.

'We are pleased Kerri-Anne was able to take up our invitation to come to Alice Springs,' she said via email.

'Kerri-Anne listened respectfully and, as she said, learned about the importance of deep listening.'

According to the latest 2018 report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, indigenous women are 32 times more likely to be hospitalised due to family violence than non-Indigenous women, with one in seven experiencing physical violence in the previous year.

The report, Family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia, also found indigenous children were seven times as likely to be the subject of substantiated child abuse or neglect as non-Indigenous children.

Alice Springs Town Councillor and Warlpiri woman Jacinta Nampiginpa Price supported Kerri-Anne Kennerley's stance in an opinion piece for The Australian newspaper in January where she criticised urban activists for 'virtue signalling' at the expense of remote indigenous women and children.

'When people choose offence about distractions like Australia Day over facing truths about the real problems, they are contributing to the culture of silence,' she wrote.
A group of Hong Kong activists face jail after being convicted Tuesday on colonial-era 'public nuisance' charges for their role in organising mass pro-democracy protests that paralysed the city for months and infuriated Beijing.

The convictions followed a trial that has renewed alarm over shrinking freedoms under an assertive China which has rejected demands by Hong Kongers asking for a greater say in how the financial hub is run.

Nine activists were all convicted on Tuesday of at least one charge in a prosecution that deployed rarely-used colonial-era public nuisance laws over their participation in the 2014 Umbrella Movement protests, which called for free elections for the city's leader.

Occupy Central leaders, from left, Chu Yiu-ming, Chan Kin-man and Benny Tai shout waves to their supporters before entering a court in Hong Kong on Tuesday. Nine Hong Kong activists face jail after being convicted on colonial-era 'public nuisance' charges for their role in organising mass pro-democracy protests in 2014

The Umbrella Movement protests brought parts of Hong Kong to a standstill for months in 2014. The protest called for free elections for the financial hub's leader

It is the latest blow to strike the beleaguered pro-democracy camp which has seen key figures jailed or banned from standing as legislators since their civil disobedience movement convulsed the city but failed to win any concessions.

Among the most prominent members of the group on trial were sociology professor Chan Kin-man, 60, law professor Benny Tai, 54, and Baptist minister Chu Yiu-ming, 75. All now face the prospect of jail.

The trio founded the pro-democracy 'Occupy Central' movement in 2013, which joined the student-led Umbrella Movement a year later that brought parts of the city to a standstill for months.

All three were found guilty of conspiracy to commit public nuisance. Tai and Chan were also convicted of incitement to commit public nuisance although all three were acquitted of incitement to incite public nuisance.

The Occupy Central leaders shout slogans before entering a court in Hong Kong on Tuesday. Among the most prominent members of the group on trial were sociology professor Chan Kin-man (centre), 60, law professor Benny Tai (right), 54, and Baptist minister Chu Yiu-ming, 75

Supporters raise placards outside a court in Hong Kong on Tuesday

A pro-Democracy activist holds a piece of yellow card with a slogan in Chinese saying 'People's Hero' as the Occupy Central activists enter court to face a verdict on public nuisance charges

Of the remaining six defendants - a group of younger protest leaders, including two sitting lawmakers - all were convicted of at least one public nuisance charge.

In an unusual move prosecutors tried the group under Hong Kong's common law system, which carries a much steeper sentence than statutory public nuisance laws.

Each protest leader could now face up to seven years in jail, rather than three months had the charges been brought under statutory law.

In his verdict, Judge Johnny Chan ruled that the 2014 protests, which took over key intersections for many weeks, were not protected by Hong Kong's free speech laws because the demonstrations impinged on the rights of others.

'The unreasonableness of the obstruction was such that the significant and protected right to demonstrate should be displaced,' he said. 'The act was one not warranted by law.'

After the verdicts were read out, the court was adjourned until the afternoon. It is not yet clear when the group will be sentenced.

Riot police fire tear gas on student protesters occupying streets surrounding the government headquarters in Hong Kong on Sept 29, 2014

Pro-democracy student protesters stand their ground in their encampment while surrounded by local residents demanding them to leave in Mong Kok on Oct 3, 2014

Human rights groups and critics hit out at the convictions, saying the use of the vaguely worded public nuisance laws - and wielding the steeper common law punishment - would have a chilling effect on free speech in Hong Kong.

'Hong Kong courts, by labelling peaceful protests in pursuit of rights as public nuisance, are sending a terrible message that will likely embolden the government to prosecute more peaceful activists,' said Maya Wang, a senior China researcher at Human Rights Watch.

'Todays guilty verdicts are a crushing blow for freedom of expression and peaceful protest in Hong Kong. The government has used vague charges in their relentless persecution of the Umbrella Nine,' said Man-kei Tam, Director of Amnesty International Hong Kong.

'The government is increasingly using prosecutions as a political tool to target peaceful activists, abusing the law to silence debate about sensitive issues such as Hong Kong democracy and autonomy,' he added.

Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong, said it was 'appallingly divisive to use anachronistic common law charges in a vengeful pursuit of political events which took place in 2014.'

A protester holds an umbrella during a performance on a main road in the occupied areas outside government headquarters in Hong Kong's Admiralty on Oct 9, 2014

Pro-democracy activists Chung Yiu-wa, Cheung Sau-yin, Tanya Chan, Chu Yiu-ming, Chan Kin-man, Benny Tai, Lee Wing-tat, Shiu Ka-chun and Raphael Wong chant slogans before hearing a verdict on their involvement in the Occupy Central movement

Before their conviction the nine defendants struck a note of defiance as they greeted a large crowd of cheering supporters outside the courthouse in Hong Kong's Kowloon district on Tuesday morning.

'No matter what happens today, I have the confidence many people today will be together and continue to strive for Hong Kong democracy. We will persist on and do not give up,' Tai said.

'I still believe in the power of love and peace. I have no regret for what I have done,' Chan Kin-man added.

The city enjoys rights unseen on the Chinese mainland, which are protected by the 50-year handover agreement between Britain and China, but fears are growing that those liberties are being eroded as Beijing flexes its muscles.

At the trial, prosecutors argued that the mass protests had caused a 'common injury done to the public', who had been affected by the blockage of major roads, and that the leaders of the movement deserved to be punished.

Judge Chan denied his ruling would impact the ability of Hong Kongers to protest.

'It cannot be reasonably argued that a charge of conspiracy to cause public nuisance would generate a chilling effect in society,' he wrote.

Pro-Beijing supporters hold a Chinese national flag and a picture of Occupy Central leader Benny Tai with Chinese reads 'Go to Jail' outside a court in Hong Kong on Tuesday

The Occupy movement highlighted widespread frustration, especially among the young, over Hong Kong's direction but failed to win any reforms from Beijing.

In a report on March 27, Britain's foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said he was 'concerned that on civil and political freedoms, Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy is being reduced'.

Hunt cited recent moves by Hong Kong authorities including banning a pro-independence party, screening political candidates, and barring a Financial Times journalist who chaired a talk by an independence activist.

He described 'recent pressure being applied on Hong Kong to move towards a mainland Chinese interpretation of civil and political freedoms, under which certain subjects are effectively off-limits for discussion and debate.'

In response, China's foreign ministry in Hong Kong urged Britain to 'stop interfering in China's internal affairs,' state media said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 9)  In commemoration of the Day of Valor, a Senate bet on Tuesday urged the country to stand its ground on maritime issues.

During a protest action held at the Chinese embassy, former Bayan Muna party-list representative Neri Colmenares said the Philippine government should assert itself when it comes to territorial issues with China, particularly the controversial sea row.

"Dapat po igiit natin ang teritoryo natin, tindigan natin ang teritoryo natin sa West Philippine Sea at gina-gather natin ang support ng international community," said Colmenares, who had also earlier slammed the China-funded Chico River Pump Irrigation Project for being onerous.

[Translation: We should fight for our territory, we should stand our ground in our territory in the West Philippine Sea. We should be gathering support from the international community.]

Some militant groups and senatorial candidates trooped to the embassy in Makati to protest the nation's supposed "enslavement" of the Philippines.

Dubbed as #AtinAngPinas, the protest action aimed to address how the country is being enslaved through China's territorial incursions and debt traps.

Aside from Colmenares, another senatorial candidate who joined in the protest was opposition bet and human rights lawyer Chel Diokno.

"Nagtataka ako sa ating pamahalaan kung bakit hindi nila ito ipinaglalaban, pati ang mga kandidato ng administrasyon na tumatakbo sa senado bakit tumatahimik lang sila at walang imik,"Diokno said during the event.

"Lahat naman tayo ay Pilipino, dapat ipaglaban natin 'yan," he added.

[Translation: I'm wondering why our government is not pushing for this, even our administration-aligned senatorial candidates are keeping quiet. We are all Filipinos, we should be fighting for this.]

The opposition-aligned senatorial aspirants insisted the fight for sovereignty should not end during the Day of Valor commemoration.

Members of the opposition slate "Otso Diretso" on Monday went to Masinloc, Zambales to see China's alleged encroachment of the area-- but claimed they were forbidden to sail to the Scarborough Shoal west of Luzon.

This comes after a group of Masinloc fishermen aired their grievance, through a short documentary released by Colmenares' camp in March, over the alleged harassment they experienced while fishing in the Scarborough Shoal.

The Philippine Coast Guard, however, denied the claim, saying on Tuesday that there is no policy preventing anyone from going to the island.

READ: Palace to file protest if proven that Filipino fishermen are shooed away from Scarborough Shoal

CNN Philippines Correspondent Rex Remitio contributed to this report.
A local council in Sydney's south west received threatening emails from the Chinese Government after refusing to ban a local Chinese newspaper that criticised the Communist Party.

The emails, obtained by ABC's 4 Corners, show Chinese Government officials directing the council to ban the Vision China Times to avoid 'embarrassing situations' for China.

Maree Ma, who runs the paper, told the program the Vision China Times had applied to be a sponsor of the council's Lunar New Year celebrations in 2018, and was approved before her application was scrapped.

'Per the cancellation letter, the reason was due to council wanting to stay with existing media partners,' she said.

'However, since then, we have strong reasons to believe that the real reason was due to interference from a foreign government. We are shocked.'

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Maree Ma (pictured right with Ray Williams) runs The Vision China Times out of Sydney. The Chinese consulate requested the Georges River Council ban her paper from sponsoring the area's Lunar New Year celebrations

Footage of a local council meeting held after Ms Ma questioned the decision shows Councillor Sandy Grekas noting there was 'potentially foreign influence' involved in the decision to reject Ms Ma's application to sponsor the festivities.

'I keep asking myself and I can't find an answer as to why the decision was not made to accept Vision China Times sponsorship when they clearly comply with our sponsorship policy,' she said.

Ms Grekas was shut down by Councillor Vince Badalati, who said she was 'really overstepping the mark on this'.

Ms Ma asked the council why she was not approved to sponsor the event, which led to the revelation the decision was made at the request of the Chinese Consul, who said he would not attend when the request was not followed

Moments later, the council's General Manager Gail Connolly is seen to stand up and address mayor Kevin Greene directly.

She said the acting CEO had advised Council did receive a letter from the Consul General, Gu Xiaojie.

'That email said council [should] consider not accepting the sponsorship due to the Vision Times being considered to be politically anti-China,' she said.

One email noted Council had received a call from a Mr Tony Wong, who worked for the Consulate: 'to remind us that he would like to keep a friendly relationship between China and New South Wales'.

'He wanted to make sure that there were no embarrassing situations this year and re-iterate their position involving anti-China groups,' the email read.

A second email was seen showing Mr Wong had called again to remind the Council of their disapproval of the 'anti-Chinese group', and a call was made soon after the council lifted its ban on the Vision Times.

'I received a call from the Office of the Chinese Consul General (CCG). The CCG was disappointed that Georges River Council would include anti-Chinese political groups in the Lunar New Year event,' a file note obtained by 4 Corners read.

'As a consequence, the CCG will not attend the event.'

Pictured: The Vision China Times was able to sponsor the 2018 event after the interference was revealed

The director general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation said during budget estimates in Canberra that the threat to Australia posed by foreign interference remains at an 'unprecedented level'.

'I have made very plain to this committee on previous occasions that the threat from foreign interference and foreign espionage in Australia was running at, what I described then and I describe again, as an unprecedented level,' he said on Monday.

Mr Lewis said he does not respond to media shows or reports and does not single out countries that may pose foreign interference risks.

'We have a challenge here with foreign interference in Australia,' he told senators.

'It comes, as I have said on a number of occasions, from a wide range of sources. I have not been country-specific and I will not be country-specific.'
The US on Monday threatened to impose tariff counter-measures of up to $11.2 billion on a host of European products in response to subsidies received by aircraft maker Airbus.

For more than 14 years, Washington and Brussels have accused each other of unfairly subsidizing Boeing and Airbus, respectively, in a tit-for-tat dispute.

In a statement Monday, the office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) said the World Trade Organization (WTO) had repeatedly found that European subsidies to Airbus have caused adverse effects to the United States.

Washington and Brussels have accused each other of unfairly subsidising the aircraft makers Boeing and Airbus for more than 14 years

'This case has been in litigation for 14 years, and the time has come for action,' said US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.

'Our ultimate goal is to reach an agreement with the EU to end all WTO-inconsistent subsidies to large civil aircraft. When the EU ends these harmful subsidies, the additional US duties imposed in response can be lifted.'

The statement added that the final amount it would seek in duties was subject to arbitration at the WTO, the result of which was expected in the summer.

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer (pictured) said the ultimate goal is for both the EU and the US to end all WTO-inconsistent subsidies to large aircraft

The EU on Tuesday said the initial $11.2 billion demanded by the US in tariff counter-measures was exaggerated.

'The EU is confident that the level of countermeasures on which the notice is based is greatly exaggerated,' a European Commission source said.

Hours later, President Trump accused the EU of taking advantage of the U.S, and vowed to implement the tariffs.

'The World Trade Organization finds that the European Union subsidies to Airbus has adversely impacted the United States, which will now put Tariffs on $11 Billion of EU products!,' Trump wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.

'The EU has taken advantage of the U.S. on trade for many years. It will soon stop!'

The USTR issued a 14-page document with a preliminary list of products being considered for additional tariffs, including helicopters, civilian planes and aircraft parts.

It also included food products such as swordfish, salmon, cheeses, fruits, olive oil and wines.

President Trump accused the EU of 'taking advantage' of the US on trade and vowed to implement the tariffs

The Boeing-Airbus spat is the longest and most complicated dispute dealt with by the WTO, which aims to create a level playing field in global trade.

Both aviation giants have scored points along the way.

The WTO ruled in March 2012 that billions of dollars of subsidies to Boeing were illegal and notified the United States to end them.

But a few months later, the European Union filed a new complaint, alleging Washington was not complying with that order.

In a ruling published in June 2017, the WTO said the US had brought 28 of 29 programs into compliance, but agreed with Brussels that Washington had not taken 'appropriate steps to remove the adverse effects or... withdraw the subsidy' in the case of Washington state.

The EU and the US appealed against that to the WTO Appellate Body, which last month echoed the 2017 finding, although it appeared to take a harsher line against the American side.

Brussels was also reprimanded by the WTO during the Airbus-Boeing row, and the US asked the WTO to determine the amount it could impose in sanctions against the European Union for failing to remove subsidies.

The USTR's statement on tariffs on Monday comes as Boeing faces a crisis over its 737 MAX aircraft (pictured) which is grounded over safety fears following two fatal accidents in Indonesia and Ethiopia over a five month period

The USTR said Monday that once that report is issued, it will announce a full product list, which comes after months of trade tensions between the US and the EU.

President Donald Trump's administration has made punitive tariffs something of a signature, imposing many and frequently threatening them as a negotiation tactic. The EU has not been an exception.

The EU and the US have been working to set in motion a limited trade pact as part of a truce agreed in July when Trump and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker pledged no new tariffs following those imposed on steel and aluminum.

The USTR's statement also comes as Boeing faces a crisis over its 737 MAX aircraft, which is grounded over safety fears following two fatal accidents.

The US plane maker said in a statement that it supports Washington's 'ongoing efforts to level the playing field in the global aircraft marketplace.'

'Boeing has consistently supported US compliance with WTO rulings. It's now time for the EU to follow that example and end all illegal government support for Airbus.'
A suspicious powder was sent to the Hollywood Hills home of Monty Python comedian Eric Idle, it has been reported.

Emergency personnel in hazmat suits rushed to home after an employee called police on Monday evening.

The employee went to get the mail and noticed the unusual powder in an opened piece of certified mail, according to TMZ.

Investigators are treating the incident as an anthrax scare, although there is no official word as to the specific nature of the powder.

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Emergency personnel in hazmat suits are seen at the Hollywood Hills home of Monty Python star Eric Idle on Monday evening

Emergency crews were called to the home after an employee opened mail which was said to contain a strange powdery substance

Authorities are treating the incident as an anthrax scare although there is no confirmation as to what the powder contained

The home belongs to Idle and his wife, former model Tania Kosevich, Fox 11 TV reported.

The 5,200-square-foot Spanish villa sits next to a property owned by another famous British comedy act, Sacha Baron Cohen.

Idle bought the home more than 20 years ago for $1.5 million.

Last October, Idle said he has no plans to revive Monty Python for this year's 50th anniversary of the show  describing the groups reunion in 2014 as their 'goodbye'.

The surviving members of Monty Python  John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Idle  last performed in a series of stage shows in 2014 to meet the costs of losing a court case to the producer of the Holy Grail film.

This year is the anniversary of the first series of Monty Pythons Flying Circus debuting on BBC.

The 5,200-square-foot Spanish villa (seen above) sits next to a property owned by another famous British comedy act, Sacha Baron Cohen

The home belongs to Idle (right) and his wife, former model Tania Kosevich (left)

Idle also spoke fondly of sketch writing with the Pythons and said he would often be outnumbered by the Graham Chapman/John Cleese and Michael Palin/Terry Jones partnerships.

'We wrote sketches and got together and read them out. If we laughed they went in the show and if we didnt laugh we sold them to the Two Ronnies,' Idle said in October.

'If Michael Palin was reading a sketch out, Terry Jones would be laughing all the way through, whereas I had to read it out to four blank faces.'

Despite writing the book, the 76-year-old does not have plans to stop just yet and is working on a film based on his hit Broadway musical Spamalot.

'I quite thought this would be my last thing, and I said to the wife, "Thats it, can I stop now please?" and she said yes, but she was lying,' he joked.

'I dont think I am going to stop writing because I like the activity.

'I like not doing anything too, and I love going to France and reading for months on end. I read history, I read novels.'

Hazmat crews are seen above operating just outside Idle's home at night on Monday

Last summer, police in Los Angeles said they had evacuated a building where Rep. Maxine Waters has an office amid a scare linked to anthrax.

In the July 24 incident, officials said that a suspicious package was reported address to the name 'Anne Thrax,' prompting an investigation. A hazmat team subsequently cleared the property and forwarded the probe to the FBI and LAPD's Major Crimes Division.

Anthrax deaths and threats dominated the U.S. headlines in the months following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, as five people were killed and 17 others injured amid a spate of deadly letters sent in the months following the terrorist attack.

Letters containing the deadly bacteria were sent to news outlets in New York City and Florida, as well as a Washington, D.C. congressional office.

The victims included two U.S. postal service workers, a Florida photo editor, a New York City hospital worker and a Connecticut woman.
President Trump had had it.

The flow of migrants at the southern border was surging. Another caravan appeared to be forming. And his government had run out of holding space, forcing the release of tens of thousands of families apprehended at the border.

During a meeting with senior aides on the last Thursday in March, Trump demanded drastic action to make good on the threat he'd tweeted that morning: Shut the southern border.

Curbing illegal immigration was his signature issue, he railed. Why couldn't he deliver?

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen urged the president to reconsider. Her agency had already diverted hundreds of border agents away from certain crossings to process migrant families elsewhere, creating what would soon become considerable bottlenecks.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen talks outside her home in Alexandria, Va., on Monday, April 8

Closing ports completely, she reasoned, would only encourage migrants to cross elsewhere - illegally.

Trump wasn't having it. Shut the ports at El Paso, Texas, at noon tomorrow, he ordered. End of meeting.

The directive set off a frantic behind-the scenes push to get Trump to change his mind, and he ultimately relented.

But the episode launched a turbulent 12-day stretch that would lead to the eventual resignation of Nielsen, the potential dismissal of much of her agency's top leadership and the beginning of a new phase in which immigration hard-liners at the White House are determined to wield considerably more influence over Homeland Security.

This account is based on interviews with 20 administration officials, congressional aides and people familiar with the events, many of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss internal deliberations.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen shakes hands with President Trump after he arrived on Air Force One at Naval Air Facility El Centro in El Centro, California, on April 5. Trump on Sunday announced Nielsen would leave her position via Twitter

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and commissioner for Customs and Border Patrol Kevin McAleenan listen to President Trump speak during a visit to a section of border wall in Calexico California on April 5

ON BORROWED TIME

Trump and Nielsen's relationship was never especially close. Nielsen had been picked for the top Homeland Security job at the urging of her predecessor, John Kelly, who left to become Trump's White House chief of staff.

Trump had always been suspicious of her, in part because she'd worked for former President George W. Bush.

She had been widely expected to leave the department last fall after Kelly's departure from the White House, but she appeared to get back on Trump's good side during the government shutdown, when she served as one of the top defenders of his push to build a southern border wall.

But Nielsen took the brunt of Trump's fury over rising border crossing numbers, and the situation was only getting worse.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen (center) and commissioner for Customs and Border Patrol Kevin McAleenan (left) walk with President Trump during a visit to a section of the border wall in Calexico California, April 5

Kirstjen Nielsen (left) takes the Oath of Office as the Sixth Secretary of Homeland Security on December 5, 2017. Nielsen is joined by White House Chief of Staff John Kelly (right) and Executive Clerk of the White House David Kalbaugh (right)

Aides spent months desperately trying to come up with new solutions, and some tried to steer Trump away from more drastic measures, including his talk of reinstating the family separation policy that prompted international outrage.

While Nielsen had doubts at times, she had dutifully carried out Trump's orders, taking ownership of his most divisive policies, including the family separations, and spending months trying to broker arrangements with Central American countries, including Mexico.

However, it also fell to Nielsen to explain to Trump the legal limits of things he wanted to do. And he didn't like it.

It didn't help that Kelly had been critical of Trump in appearances since he left the White House - something Trump held against Nielsen. Or that John Bolton, Trump's national security adviser, had been pushing for Nielsen's ouster since last fall, telling Trump he didn't think her leadership or policies were effective.

A TRIP CUT SHORT

Nielsen had just landed in Europe last week for her first time as secretary when she decided to rush back to Washington, landing early Tuesday morning.

Though aides had succeeded in talking Trump down from his border closure threat the week before, he had continued to crank up his rhetoric, warning by tweet that if Mexico didn't 'immediately stop ALL illegal immigration coming into the United States through our Southern Border,' he would be 'CLOSING' the border, or large sections of it within a week.

By Wednesday, Nielsen was at the border, overseeing efforts to keep asylum seekers in Mexico and preparing for the president's Friday visit to Calexico, California.

But the night before Trump's visit, a puzzling notice arrived on Capitol Hill: Trump was withdrawing his nomination of Ron Vitiello to permanently lead the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

It had to be a mistake, staffers reasoned. Why would Trump be spiking his own nominee, a well-respected and longtime border official who appeared to be cruising to confirmation?

Migrants are gathered inside the fence of a makeshift detention center in El Paso, Texas on Wed. March 27,. Border Patrol in El Paso is saying that they are overwhelmed with unprecedented number of migrants at over 12,000 currently in custody

Nielsen resigned on the spot during Sunday's meeting with Trump who tweeted the news before she could get her letter out

Nielsen says she continues to support the president's goal of securing the border in her first public remarks since her surprise resignation

Vitiello got a call that night from senior Trump aide Stephen Miller informing him that he wouldn't be joining the president on his trip to the border the next morning. There was no explanation.

Nielsen had received no heads-up.

But word began to spread that his nomination was being yanked.

'We want to go in a tougher direction' was all Trump told reporters as he left the White House on Friday morning.

It was Step One of the plot to purge DHS leadership.

Nielsen joined Trump at the border, echoing his words at a roundtable with border officers and local law enforcement and standing by Trump's side as they toured a section of newly rebuilt border fencing, introducing him to local officials.

But inside she was fuming.

DUSTING OFF A LETTER

Nielsen returned to Washington on a Coast Guard Gulfstream as Trump continued onto California and Nevada to do some fundraising.

By that night, murmurs were swirling that Vitiello's removal wasn't a one-off and that Miller was orchestrating a wholesale leadership overhaul of her department.

Already frustrated by what she saw as insufficient help from departments like Justice and Health and Human Services, with clear signs that White House hard-liners were on the ascent, Nielsen pulled up the resignation letter she'd written months before - just in case.

She went into a Sunday White House meeting with Trump that she'd requested not sure if she'd be fired, resign or stay to fight another day.

It was, by all accounts, a cordial conversation in the Yellow Oval Room of the White House residence, with acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney in attendance. Nielsen had come prepared with a list of ideas to share with the president.

But the two quickly agreed the arrangement was no longer working. Trump wanted to go in a different direction.

Nielsen resigned on the spot. Trump tweeted the news before she could get her letter out.

Lee Francis Cissna, director of U.S. Customs and Immigration Services, testifies on May 22, 2018. Cissna was also out at DHS shortly after Nielsen was pushed out

Homeland Security under secretary Claire Grady, pictured on Friday in Paris, was set to become acting secretary with Kirstjen Nielsen's departure, but she left instead

THE PURGE

Standing outside her home in Alexandria, Virginia, on Monday, Nielsen sounded just as loyal to Trump as she had at the border.

'I will continue to support all efforts to address the humanitarian and security crisis,' she said, thanking the president 'for the tremendous opportunity to serve this country.'

By the end of the day, the department she had led appeared to be on the cusp of being dismantled, with the head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the department's general counsel among those expected to be pushed out.

'It's time to do things a little differently,' White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said on Fox News Channel. 'And so the president's looking around to reshape his team so he can have the people in place to carry out his agenda.'
Benjamin Netanyahu is set to become Israel's longest-serving Prime Minister after his right-wing coalition secured a majority in the country's general election.

As the dust settled on Wednesday morning, and with 97 per cent of votes counted, Netanyahu's Likud party and its allies held 65 seats in the 120-seat Knesset.

Meanwhile challenger Benny Gantz and his allies amassed 45 seats, with another 10 seats distributed among two Arab parties.

The results will almost certainly give Netanyahu a fourth consecutive term as Prime Minister, and fifth term overall, surpassing the record set by founding father David Ben-Gurion.

However, the makeup of the new coalition suggests Israeli politics will shift markedly to the right after the newly-formed Union of Right-Wing Parties, which contains politicians denounced as extremists, won five seats.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was celebrating victory following the vote in the Israeli Election on Tuesday night after polls showed he has lead over rival Benny Gantz. Netanyahu and his wife Sara are pictured waving to his supporters after polls for Israel's general elections closed

The Union is itself a coalition of three smaller parties one of which - Otzma Yehudit or Jewish Power - has been denounced as extremist.

The party's leader, Ben-Ari, was banned from running in the 2019 race for 'incitement to racism' after he branded some Israeli Arabs 'enemies'.

Netanyahu himself put pressure on the United Right to include Otzma in their alliance for fear of splitting the right-wing vote, and the party has been demanding powerful political positions in return.

Rafi Peretz, chairman of the union, demanded two ministerial posts for his party on Wednesday morning, while his deputy refused to rule out installing Otzma's Itamar Ben Gvir in the Knesset.

The biggest losers on the night were the New Right party, which contains two former senior ministers, and the 'dark horse' Zehut party, run by a pro-cannabis libertarian, who both failed to garner enough votes to enter parliament.

New Right leader Naftali Bennett was still holding out hope on Wednesday morning that the uncounted 3 per cent of ballots would contain enough votes for his party to squeak into the Knesset, as they were just 4,300 short.

But even if his party does secure the required votes, it will do little to change the outcome of the election, because he is allied to Netanyahu.

Israel election results With 97 per cent of ballots counted, the results are... Likud: - 35 seats Blue and White: 35 Shas: 8 United Torah Judaism: 8 Labor: 6 Hadash-Taal: 6 Union of Right-Wing Parties: 5 Yisrael Beytenu: 5 Kulanu: 4 Meretz: 4 Raam Balad: 4 Likely right-wing alliance: Likud, Shas, UTJ, URWP, Yisrael Beytenu, Kulanu Likely centre-left alliance: Blue and White, Labor, Meretz Arab parties: Hadash-Ta'al, Ra'am Balad Advertisement

Gaining ground was Ultra-Orthodox party Shas, which looks set to become the joint-largest party in the new coalition government alongside United Torah Judaism, another Ultra-Orthodox organisation.

The combined powers of both parties will likely pull the new government to the Right, further dimming hopes of a negotiated solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Coalition talks are set to last throughout April and into May as Netanyahu thrashes out deals with his allies, before the new government is sworn in early in June.

In the final stretch of the campaign, Mr Netanyahu had for the first time pledged to annex parts of the occupied West Bank in a desperate bid to rally his right-wing base. Annexation would snuff out the last flicker of hope for Palestinian statehood.

Both Mr Netanyahu and his challenger, former military chief Benny Gantz, leader of the rival Blue and White party, had declared victory in speeches to boisterous gatherings of supporters on Tuesday night.

But as the night went on, there were growing signs that Mr Netanyahu's Likud was pulling ahead.

'It's a night of tremendous victory,' Mr Netanyahu told supporters. 'I was very moved that the nation of Israel once again entrusted me for the fifth time, and with an even greater trust.'

He said he had already begun talking to fellow right-wing and religious parties about forming a new coalition.

He said: 'I want to make it clear, it will be a right-wing government, but I intend to be the prime minister of all Israeli citizens, right or left, Jews and non-Jews alike.'

The 69-year-old prime minister has been the dominant force in Israeli politics for the past two decades and its face to the world.

His campaign has focused heavily on his friendship with President Donald Trump and his success in cultivating new allies, such as China, India and Brazil.

But the corruption scandals created some voter fatigue. Along with two other former military chiefs on his ticket, Mr Gantz was able to challenge Mr Netanyahu on security issues, normally the prime minister's strong suit, while also taking aim at the prime minister's alleged ethical lapses.

Israel's attorney general has recommended charging Mr Netanyahu with bribery, breach of trust and fraud.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu kisses his wife Sara as he appears to supporters at his Likud Party headquarters

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) claps to supporters at his Likud Party headquarters

But earlier Mr Gantz also claimed victory in the election and said: 'We won! The Israeli public has had their say!'

Mr Gantz, who has been vague on key policy issues, has presented himself as a clean, scandal-free alternative to Mr Netanyahu.

By Wednesday morning, with 97 per cent of the votes counted, Likud and Blue and White had won 35 seats each.

But Mr Netanyahu was in a stronger position to form a coalition government with the anticipated support of right-wing and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties, Likud's natural allies.

Such a coalition could rest on 65 votes in the 120-member parliament.

Earlier in the night, with fewer of the votes counted, Blue and White still appeared to be ahead by one seat and Gantz projected optimism.

'Elections have losers and elections have winners. And we are the winners,' Mr Gantz told a victory rally shortly after midnight.

Mr Netanyahu's message of unity was a sharp contrast from his campaign theme in which he accused Mr Gantz of conspiring with Arab parties to topple him.

Arab leaders accused Mr Netanyahu of demonising the country's Arab community, which is about 20 per cent of the population.

His attacks on the Arab sector fuelled calls for a boycott and appeared to result in relatively low turnout by Arab voters.

The final results are subject to change. Some 40 parties took part in the election, and only those that receive at least 3.25 per cent of the votes make it into parliament.

Benjamin Netanyahu voted in Israel's election on Tuesday as he bids to become the longest-serving Prime Minister in the country's history

Once the final results come in, attention will turn to President Reuven Rivlin.

The president, whose responsibilities are mostly ceremonial, is charged with choosing a prime minister after consulting with party leaders and determining who has the best chance of putting together a majority coalition. That responsibility is usually given to the head of the largest party.

The election included several other surprises. The Labour party, which ruled the country for its first 30 years, tumbled to single digits in the parliament.

If Mr Netanyahu is re-elected, attention will quickly focus on his legal woes.

The attorney general has recommended a series of criminal charges against the prime minister but will only make a decision on indicting him after a legally mandated hearing. Legal experts expect at least some charges to be filed.

Mr Netanyahu will likely focus his efforts on getting guarantees from his coalition partners to continue to back him if he is indicted, and perhaps find a way to grant him immunity from prosecution.

Mr Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing and claimed he is the victim of a witch hunt.

Rival Benny Gantz (pictured alongside wife Revital) has overtaken Mr Netanyahu in the polls, but the incumbent has a better chance of forming a coalition - giving him the advantage

Mr Netanyahu urged voters to 'choose well' as he cast his ballot in the country's election alongside wife Sara at a school in Jerusalem

Palestinian official Saeb Erekat lamented that the Israelis voted to maintain 'the status quo'.

'They want their occupation to be endless,' he said.

If Netanyahu wins he will become the longest serving Israeli Prime Minister in history, surpassing founding father David Ben-Gurion.

Casting his vote at a polling station in Jerusalem, Netanyahu urged Israelis to 'choose well', adding: 'This is a sacred act, the essence of democracy, and we should be thankful for that.'

He added: 'You need to choose well, but I can't tell you for whom. Or I can, but I'm not going to. God willing, Israel will win.'

Gantz, a retired military chief, voted in his hometown of Rosh Haayin in central Israel alongside his wife, Revital, calling on Israelis to vote and 'take responsibility' for their democracy.

6.4million people were eligible to cast votes and election day is a public holiday in Israel

A woman casts her ballot as Israelis vote in the election at a polling station in Tel Aviv, Israel

An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man stands behind a voting booth before casting his ballot in Israel's general elections

'Go to vote. Choose whoever you believe in. Respect each other and let us all wake up for a new dawn, a new history,' he said.

The election has emerged as a referendum on Netanyahu and his 13 years overall in power, with the existential questions facing Israel rarely being discussed.

Israel election timeline Israelis vote Tuesday in a high-stakes general election, but under the country's complex electoral process it could be weeks before a government emerges. Here is a timeline: April 10 The Central Elections Committee will release preliminary results after most ballots have been counted. About 40 parties ran in the election but only a dozen are likely to have garnered enough votes to get a seat in parliament. A day or two after the votes are counted President Reuven Rivlin will open consultations with the parties elected and ask them to recommend who is best placed to form a coalition government. April 17 The deadline for the elections committee to announce final official results, after ruling on any appeals or legal challenges. April 23 The elected legislators are sworn in at the opening session of the new Knesset, or parliament. April 24 The deadline for Rivlin to announce his choice for an attempt to form a coalition. The candidate has an initial 28 days to do the job, with a further 14-day extension available on demand. Should the attempt fail, Rivlin can again take soundings among the parties and ask another candidate to try to build a viable alliance. This time the attempt is limited to 28 days in total. If that too fails, two more attempts are granted to other candidates on a diminishing time scale and then fresh elections are called. End of May If all goes well and the initial coalition builder succeeds, they will present the new government, which will be sworn in at the Knesset in early June. Advertisement

The 69-year-old prime minister has been the dominant force in Israeli politics for the past two decades and its face to the world.

But his various corruption scandals have created some voter fatigue, and in recent days he's vowed to annex Jewish West Bank settlements if re-elected - a prospect that could doom the already slim hopes of establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel, which Netanyahu has previously wavered on.

'It's about time for a change,' said Barry Rifkin, a Jerusalem resident.

As many as a half-dozen parties are teetering along the threshold for entering the Knesset, or parliament.

A failure by any of these parties to get the required 3.25 per cent of total votes cast could have a dramatic impact on who ultimately forms the next coalition.

The Israeli government needs a parliamentary majority to rule, and since no party has ever earned more than half of the 120 seats in the Knesset, a coalition is required.

Netanyahu and Gantz have ruled out sitting together in government, so the next prime minister will likely come down to how many supporters each candidate can recruit.

Israel's president, Reuven Rivlin, could play an important role. Though largely a ceremonial post, the president is responsible for choosing the candidate with the best chance of building a stable coalition government as prime minister.

Rivlin told voters as he cast his ballot in Jerusalem that 'the only ones that will determine who will be prime minister, and what the next government will be, are you.'

'And in order for you to influence, you must vote,' he said.

In the campaign's final days, Netanyahu has veered to the right and embarked on a media blitz in which he portrays himself as the underdog and frantically warns that 'the right-wing government is in danger.'

His nationalist allies, however, see the move as a repeat of his 2015 election tactic to draw away their voters as he did four years ago when on election day, he warned of Arabs turning out in 'droves.' The scare tactics were seen as helping him seal a come-from-behind victory.

An Israeli man votes for Israel's parliamentary election at a polling station in Ramat Gan, Israel

Israeli Bedouin woman votes during general elections in the city of Rahat, Israel

Inside a voting booth in Tel Aviv, Israel, as the country's Knesset elections get underway

Arab turnout will be a major issue this time as well. Netanyahu's campaign against Arab politicians, together with the new alliance with anti-Arab extremists and the passage of last year's contentious nation-state law, which enshrined Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people alone, have deepened calls for a ballot boycott in Arab communities.

But some hope these blows will have the opposite effect, fueling enough frustration to drive up the Arab participation rate, which is typically lower than that of Israeli Jews. A big Arab turnout could push smaller right-wing parties into the margins and even threaten Netanyahu's long rule.

The leftist Meretz even put out a video urging Arabs to vote. 'Bibi is counting on you. Because if you don't vote, Bibi wins,' it said, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname.

The Palestinian issue has been largely sidelined in the election campaign that has been long on scandal and short on substance. But in a reminder, the military says it imposed a 24-hour closure on the West Bank and Gaza throughout election day, based on its security assessments.

Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz waves to his supporters after casting vote during Israel's general elections in Rosh Haayin, Israel

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu votes during Israel's parliamentary elections in Jerusalem, telling journalists it is a 'sacred process'

Even if he is re-elected, Netanyahu could have a difficult time governing. Some of his allies have indicated they will no longer back him if formal charges are filed.

Israel's attorney general has recommended indicting him on bribery and breach of trust charges in three separate cases. Rivals have also begun to question a deal in which Netanyahu reportedly earned $4 million on a German submarine sale to Egypt by owning shares in one of the German manufacturer's suppliers.

Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing and claims the accusations are part of a liberal media's orchestrated witch hunt against him.

Netanyahu has generated much of his popularity from projecting a tough image in the face of Iran's rising power and for keeping Israel safe and prosperous in a hostile region.

But in Gantz he has encountered the rare opponent who can match his security credentials. Along with two other former military chiefs on his ticket, Gantz has attacked Netanyahu for failing to halt rocket fire from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

The telegenic Gantz, who has been vague on key policy fronts, has presented himself as a clean, scandal-free alternative to Netanyahu and has vowed to heal the rifts the longtime leader has created in Israeli society.

A man casts his vote during the Israeli general elections in Tel Aviv, Israel
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Stunning photographs show a thick haze of yellow pine pollen hanging over large swaths of the southeastern US where residents have been relying heavily on their allergy medications so far this spring.

Doctors across North Carolina and Tennessee are reporting increases in number of patients complaining of itching, watering eyes, runny nose, sneezing and coughing as intense allergens fill the air.

In Raleigh, North Carolina, photographers have been documenting massive clouds of pollen dominating the skies since spring first sprung on March 20.

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Stunning photographs show a thick haze of yellow pine pollen hanging over Raleigh, North Carolina, on Monday

People across the southeastern US are struggling this allergy season due to abnormally-high pollen concentrations

A cloud of light yellow pollen can be seen drifting out of a wooded area on Monday near Durham, North Carolina

A tree-cutting service in Chattanooga, Tennessee, shared a video of a 'pollen bomb' dropping in front of a home last week.

The clip showed a massive tree branch slowly descending toward the ground, where a giant yellow cloud bloomed on impact.

'If you think your allergies are trying to kill you, you'd be right!' Timberline LLC wrote on its Facebook page.

A tree-cutting service in Chattanooga, Tennessee, shared a video of a 'pollen bomb' dropping in front of a home last week. The clip showed a massive tree branch slowly descending toward the ground, where a giant yellow cloud bloomed on impact

Timberline LLC wrote on its Facebook page: 'If you think your allergies are trying to kill you, you'd be right!'

Some experts are warning that the worst could be yet to come as different allergens overlap.

'In April in North Carolina we have an overlap for a couple weeks where we have pretty high counts of tree and then grass also gets started,' Dr Heather Gutekunst with Allergy Partners of Raleigh told ABC11.

'So when we see that, if you are allergic to both, we tend to see an escalation in symptoms.'

University of North Carolina's Dr David Peden warned that this year's pollen season will be more brutal than in years past and will also likely last longer than usual.

Peden told WVLT that an extra 10 to 20 percent of the population will suffer from allergies in the coming decades, hinting at the issue of climate change.
Thai islanders have warned aviation authorities they could ruin tourism in the region if they use the death penalty to punish people for taking selfies near a local airport.

The stretch of sand next to the busy airport on Phuket in the country's south has become a popular attraction with holidaymakers because of its proximity to the island's airport.

But airport chiefs warned last week that tourists were in danger of causing crashes and announced plant to shut off a section of the beach to stop pilots becoming distracted.

Phuket locals, however, hit back by saying if the beach was closed it would stop tourists coming to the island.

Tourists have been warned they could be sentenced to death for taking selfies at a popular Thai beach known for its close encounters with incoming planes

The end of the beach near the runway will soon fall under a newly developed 'off limits' safety zone

'If the beach is closed, we will have serious problems because many tourists simply will not come,' Winai Sae-io, head of a local entrepreneurial stimulus program, told The Phuket News.

'I want (Airports of Thailand, which operates Phuket International Airport) to look at us and support locals in making (a) living here, too.'

Phuket International Airport deputy chief Wichit Kaeothaithiam on Thursday told Bangkok Post taking photos at the nearby Mai Khao Beach will soon be illegal.

Despite being popular with those wanting to capture an up-close photo with an incoming plane, the 'selfie runway' had become a distraction for pilots, he said.

Mr Kaeothaithiam said moving forward, the end of the beach near the runway will fall under a newly developed 'off limits' safety zone, which will take effect soon.

'People and tourists will not be allowed to enter this area to take photos,' Mr Kaeothaithiam said.

Over the years, countless tourists have captured one-of-a-kind happy snaps of planes flying across Mai Khao beach onto the island's runway.

But under the tough new rules, Mr Kaeothaithiam said beachgoers who take photos on the beach risk being slapped with hefty fines or could be sentenced to death.

'The maximum penalty is the death sentence,' he said.

According to the deputy chief, authorities will be required to enforce the new rules under the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

Mr Kaeothaithiam believes tourists who take selfies on the beach are adding to the constant movement, which is increasingly becoming a serious concern

Mr Kaeothaithiam believes tourists who take selfies on the beach are adding to the constant movement, which is increasingly becoming a serious concern.

While he agreed boosting airport revenue is important, he stressed tourism and safety must co-exist.

Locals and tourists have also been urged to avoid flying drones and shining flashlights at planes, which have equally become a distraction for incoming planes.

Over the years, countless tourists have captured one-of-a-kind happy snaps of planes flying across Mai Khao beach onto the island's runway

Taking photos at Mai Khao Beach, which is about 60 metres away from Phuket International Airport, will soon be illegal (pictured)

The advice comes after it was revealed drones were becoming a major concern for airports around the world, 7News reported.

Numerous drone sightings resulted in the cancellation of hundreds of flights at London's Gatwick Airport in December 2018.

Authorities are hopeful the new safety zone at Phuket Airport will reduce the amount of drone and light interference with incoming planes.
A Wisconsin K-9 dog named Pyro had to be wheeled away in a stretcher after he was stabbed in the neck multiple times by a suspect while police were answering a call.

Pyro was rushed to the Fox Valley Animal Referral Center in Appleton on Sunday night, where he underwent emergency surgery to his neck and esophagus.

The poor pup had to receive a temporary tracheostomy due to a blood clot that was preventing him from breathing. He also required blood and plasma transfusions.

Pyro was recovering on Monday morning when he had to be rushed into surgery once again following complications of a twisted stomach.

A Wisconsin K-9 dog named Pyro had to be wheeled away in a stretcher after he was stabbed in the neck multiple times by a suspect while police were answering a call

Pyro was rushed to the Fox Valley Animal Referral Center in Appleton on Sunday night, where he underwent emergency surgery to his neck and esophagus as well as his stomach. He is pictured here recovering on Monday

The Green Bay Police Department has been by Pyro's side throughout the scary ordeal, and credit him with preventing an officer-involved shooting.

Authorities received a call just after 8pm on Sunday night from a man, now identified as Sai Vang, who told them he was going to kill his father. Vang said he would shoot any responding officers on the scene.

Police tried to arrest Vang at his home, but said he refused to cooperate. Officers then sent Pyro into the home to try and knock Vang down.

'Unfortunately, unbeknownst to the officers, this individual was armed with a knife,' Chief Andrew Smith told WBAY.

When Pyro bit and held onto Vang, he stabbed the K-9 multiple times in the throat, Smith added.

Pyro was first rushed to Bay East Animal Hospital. During the ride, officers applied a clotting agent to Pyro's neck, which doctors believe saved the two-year-old pup's life

Officers then used a taser on Vang and took him into custody. Smith said his department will recommend that Vang is charged with recklessly endangering safety and obstructing an officer.

'We won't know right now what [Vang's] motivation was, but we can certainly say the actions of this dog very likely prevented an officer-involved shooting from occurring here in the city of Green Bay,' Smith said.

'You gotta do whatever it takes to save that dog's life because that dog is the hero of the day here in Green Bay.'

Pyro was first rushed to Bay East Animal Hospital. During the ride, officers applied a clotting agent to Pyro's neck, which doctors believe saved the two-year-old pup's life.

'He still has a long way to go as far as recovery,' Smith said. 'I would say it's hour-by-hour, day-by day for awhile here because of the severity of the wounds.'

Authorities received a call just after 8pm on Sunday night from Sai Vang, who told them he was going to kill his father and shoot any responding officers on the scene. Vang attacked Pyro when officers send the dog to knock him down

Pyro was recovering on Monday when he had to be rushed into surgery again for a twisted stomach. He remains in critical but stable condition

'The scar tissue that's going to form in his esophagus may cause some problems and some complications with him eating, so we're concerned about that.'

But Smith said on Monday afternoon that the department has 'very high hopes' that Pyro is going to survive, calling him a 'very, very tough' dog.

'Much higher than our hopes were this morning when it looked like he had a less than 50 percent chance of survival,' he added. 'He is one tough, scrappy dog.'

Scott Salzman, Pyro's handler, has been by his side throughout the scary ordeal.

The Bark N-Blue Foundation is hosting a fundraiser for Pyro, and a local apparel company is selling T-shirts with the K-9 symbol to raise money for him as well

And the community has rallied around Pyro, already raising more than $21,000 for his medical expenses.

The Bark N-Blue Foundation is hosting a fundraiser for Pyro, and a local apparel company is selling T-shirts with the K-9 symbol to raise money for him as well.

'Thank you for all of the messages and words of support. We are receiving messages throughout the country,' the department said in a statement posted to Facebook.

'We are grateful for the outpouring of support and love for Pyro.'
The daughter of a former NSW premier has admitted herself to a drug rehab just days after pleading guilty to possessing meth and stolen property.

Harriet Wran last week admitted to drug possession and holding more than 30 stolen laptops, mobile phones, credit cards, and mail.

The 30-year-old was granted bail until her May 15 sentencing hearing, and on Monday had her conditions adjusted so she could go to a rehab facility.

Harriet Wran, 30, leaving Wyong Local Court last Wednesday after pleading guilty to drug possession and stolen goods

Wran with lawyer Alex Angel-Graham leaving Wyong Local Court after she pleaded guilty to three charges including drug possession, having stolen goods in her car and not displaying her P-plates

Wran was originally ordered to live at her mother Jill Wrans Ravensdale's farm on the NSW Central Coast while she studied agribusiness at New England University.

The rehab facility, in Sydney's inner west, offers a 28-day residential program that combines treatment with life skills training.

WHAT HARRIET STOLE: - Unopened mail addressed to homes in Shelly Beach and West Gosford - An academic transcript - Five Visa and Mastercards - One iPad - Two Apple iPhones - Three Apple macbook laptops - Three other laptops - A Samsung mobile phone - Seven unopened USB sticks - A black wallet - Assortment of unopened toll notices - A medicare card - One handsfree car kit Advertisement

Treatment includes group sessions, tailored individual counseling, case management and self-help meetings.

The website says patients will be subjected to random urine and breath tests during the program and be expected to clean her room and help tidy the house they are placed in.

Mobile phones are banned and patients will have no phone contact with the outside world for the first week after admission.

Wran was arrested at a service station in Wyong, on the NSW Central Coast, about 2am on March 27.

Court papers revealed she was stopped by highway patrol officers after being seen driving a Holden ute in an industrial estate - an 'area of high suspicious activity' - on the Pacific Highway, at North Wyong, on March 27.

Officers searched Wran's ute and found 0.96 grams of crystal methamphetamine, as well as drug paraphernalia and more than 30 other items.

Among the suspected stolen items police found six credit and debit cards, three mobile phones, six laptops, an iPad, unopened mail and an academic transcript.

Police suspect all the items were stolen during a recent spate of break and enters in the area.

Court papers also showed that since Wran was released from prison in September 2016, she has been receiving an $800-a-fortnight payment from a family trust fund.

Wran, the daughter of former NSW premier Neville Wran, has entered a 28-day drug rehabilitaiton program

Wran (right with her mother Jill in 2016), 30, was jailed for her role in a robbery which led to the murder of drug dealer Daniel McNulty in August 2014

Wran moved back in with her mother at their sprawling property in Ravensdale, near Wyong, at the beginning of the year.

Bail documents revealed the prosecution case against Wran is regarded as 'strong'.

'Some of this property has been proved to have come from various break and enters recently,' Senior Constable Damien Slade said in the documents.

'The offences are not in the high scale of seriousness but they may lead to other more serious offences, which the accused has not been charged with.

'Police do not believe the accused will receive a custodial sentence if convicted.'

A man who was in the passenger seat of the ute when police stopped Wran fled the scene and ran into nearby bushland, dumping a large amount of stolen mail.

He remains on the run.

Wran's latest drama comes two years after she was released from prison.

She was jailed for two years for her role in a robbery which led to the murder of drug dealer Daniel McNulty in August 2014.

Wran was with her ex-boyfriend Michael Lee and his friend Lloyd Haines when they spontaneously robbed Mr McNulty at his squalid inner-Sydney housing commission flat.

When asked if she was having a tough time, Wran told the media 'Yeah it is'

Wran leaves Wyong Local Court in the passenger seat of a silver ute

Wran was arrested after a sleepless six-day ice bender and served a two-year minimum jail term for being an accessory after the fact of murder and robbery

Wran has been studying an agribusiness degree at the University of New England while recovering at her mother's Ravensdale property (pictured)

A struggle broke out and 37-year-old Lee stabbed Mr McNulty to death.

Lee was sentenced to at least 13 years for the 'senseless' stabbing murder.

Haines, 31, who knew Lee had a knife but did not think he would use it, was jailed for at least 11 years.

Harriet Wran: Timeline 10 August 2014: Drug dealer Daniel McNulty is murdered in Redfern 13 August 2014: Wran is arrested and charged with murder July 2016: Wran is sentenced to four years in jail with two years non-parole for being an accessory, with the sentence starting on 13 August 2014 September 2016: Wran is released from jail on parole 27 March 2019: Wran is arrested at a service station for possessing drugs Advertisement

Wran was arrested after a sleepless six-day ice bender.

She said she thought the men would only rob Mr McNulty, not kill him.

Wran served a two-year minimum jail term for being an accessory after the fact of murder and robbery.

When she was released in 2016, she said: 'It's going to be a long process and it's going to be hard.'

'I won't pick up drugs again,' she said.

'I never thought in a million years I'd end up in jail, let alone for murder. I've never intended for anyone to get hurt in my life; it was almost not real to begin with.'

Wran (pictured in 2016) was arrested in 2014 after a sleepless six-day ice bender and served a two-year minimum jail term for being an accessory after the fact of murder and robbery

In November last year photos posted to Wran's social media accounts showed her riding horses in between working on her mother Jill's 50-hectare farm.

Neville Wran was the Premier of New South Wales from 1976 to 1986. He died in April 2014.
A woman who chained herself to the killing floor of a Queensland abattoir claims the controversial protest was about animal rights, not veganism.

The woman, Mo Orr, along with 20 other protesters, invaded the Carey Bros Abattoir in Yangan, southeast Queensland, on Monday.

They claim the protest, which prevented 35 workers from starting their shift, was a part of a national day of action by animal rights campaigners.

Vegan activist Mo Orr (pictured) invaded a Queensland abattoir with 20 other protesters on Monday

The group chained themselves to the killing floor of the abattoir and prevented 35 workers from starting their shift on time

The protests sparked a furious response, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison calling them 'green-collar' criminals.

Queensland's Agriculture Minister, Mark Furner, also chimed in on the debate, claiming the impostors posed as a health and safety risk.

'We don't know where these people have been the last several weeks. They could have just returned from Bali - had some involvement with foot and mouth disease,' he said.

'The last thing our country needs is some of these crazy people entering our farms with foot and mouth disease, infecting our farms, and wiping out the whole livestock industry in this country.'

While police have not yet received a complaint, Carey Brothers abbatoir owner, Greg Carey, has indicated he wants the activists to be prosecuted

But Ms Orr scoffed at the statements.

She claims that protesters had taken all possible precautions, and had suited up to manage biosecurity risks.

'We're in coveralls, hair nets, and the workers come in thongs,' she told AAP on Tuesday.

Ms Orr said she joined the protest because she believes Aussies need to understand the horror and cruelty involved in the meat and dairy industries.

'We are not vegan activists. We are animal rights activists.

'We believe that most Australians are opposed to animal cruelty but they are unaware that they are funding it every time they purchase meat, eggs and dairy.'

The protest was a part of a national day of action by animal rights campaigners, Ms Orr said (pictured, protesters blocking Melbourne streets)

She said that she accepts she may be charged over Monday's raid, but still stood by her actions.

'But if we don't expose this, who will? Do we just ignore it?'

Ms Orr also said that Monday's stunt was aimed to raise awareness for a documentary, Dominion, which reveals slaughtering practices many consumers are oblivious to.

She said that she was happy to have saved the lives of three sheep, which were eventually surrendered to end the protest.

While police have not yet received a complaint, Carey Brothers abbatoir owner, Greg Carey, has indicated he wants the activists to be prosecuted.

Mr Carey also claimed that families across southeast Queensland, as far as Rockhampton, could be affected by Monday's animal rights protests.

'Thousands of people, from farmers to butchers rely on us. We are one of the last big domestic abattoirs left in Queensland,' he told the Courier Mail.

Biosecurity Queensland said risks from the movement of the sheep were considered minimal.
The Royal Australian Mint has released a new $2 coin and 50 cent coin in celebration of the country's WWI vets and Australia's indigenous groups.

The two new coins were put into circulation on Monday but were unveiled today to mark the International Year of Indigenous Languages and to commemorate the repatriation of WWI vets.

The 50 cent coin design features the word 'money' or 'coin' emblazoned in 14 different indigenous languages in a nod to Australia's national heritage.

The $2 coin features a more colourful design with the words 'One Hundred Years of Repatriation' printed on the surface - as a tribute to the 1919 Repatriation Department.

The Royal Australian Mint has released a new 50 cent coin and $2 coin emblazoned with 14 indigenous languages in celebration of the country's diversity

The 50 cent coin design features the word 'money' or 'coin' translated 14 different ways in a nod to Australia's national heritage

Mint Chief Executive Ross MacDiarmid said he hopes the new 50 cent coin will help preserve the country's indigenous languages.

Currently, there are only 120 known Australian Indigenous languages spoken, a large drop from the 250 in 1788.

The design was produced with the help of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Studies as well as 14 different groups including the Kaurna people native to Adelaide.

'Indigenous languages carry more meaning than the words themselves, so too does currency carry meaning beyond its monetary value,' AIATSIS CEO Craig Ritchie said in a release on Tuesday.

'The release of these coins is another milestone in recognising the diverse cultures that shape our national story of over 60,000 years.'

AIATSIS CEO Craig Ritchie said that remaining connected to language strengthened well-being and self-esteem in Indigenous communities.

The Mint said the $2 coin will highlight the 'centenary of the vital task of repatriation.'
Police have taken down a major crime syndicate after seizing ice, MDMA and cocaine wrapped in containers sporting Pablo Escobar's face.

Two men were arrested and charged in relation to a huge drug supply and money laundering in Sydney on Tuesday.

The NSW strike force team seized $600,000 in cash 11 firearms, more than 600 rounds of ammunition.

The prohibited drugs had an estimated potential street value of about $14 million.

Two men will face court on Tuesday after extensive investigations by specialist officers into the drugs syndicate.

In September last year, police commenced an investigation into the illicit supply of firearms and drugs throughout south-western Sydney.

The infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar was on the plastic containers of drugs found in the homes during raids

Police stopped a car at Greenacre on February 19 and spoke to two men - aged 27 and 29 - before seizing more than $4200 cash.

Police then executed a search warrant at a home in Hurstville - where they seized a sawn-off double barrel shotgun and more than $150,000 cash.

In September last year, police commenced an investigation into the illicit supply of firearms and drugs throughout south-western Sydney

The following day, police carried out two more search warrants at homes in Bankstown, Bass Hill, and Condell Park.

Investigators seized more than 10kg of cocaine, 5kg of MDMA, six firearms, ammunition, prescription medication, cannabis, and more than $310,000 cash.

Officers also seized a BMW and a Honda - which were found to have cocaine, $6750 cash, two loaded pistols, and a replica pistol hidden in secret compartments.

In total, investigators seized 11 firearms, more than 600 rounds of ammunition, more than $600,000 cash, and prohibited drugs with an estimated potential street value of about $14 million

The next day, police searched a home in Bankstown, where they seized 3.5kg of ice, 1kg of cocaine, a semi-automatic pistol, ammunition and almost $125,000 cash.

Three men and a woman were arrested.

A 27-year-old Condell Park man and the 32-year-old Bankstown woman were both hit with multiple drugs and weapons charges.

She remains refused bail to next appear at Bankstown Local Court on Thursday 9 May 2019.

Two men will face court today following extensive investigations by specialist police into the supply of illegal firearms and prohibited drugs in south-west Sydney

The 29-year-old Bass Hill man was charged with knowingly deal with proceeds of crime intent to conceal and deal with property proceeds of crime.

A 52-year-old South Hurstville man was charged dealing with proceeds of crime and firearms offences, and is currently on strict conditional bail and will appear in court on April 30.

Further investigations led police to homes in Bass Hill and Revesby were searched on Tuesday morning.

In September last year, police from Wetherill Park Region Enforcement Squad commenced an investigation into the illicit supply of firearms and drugs throughout the south-western Sydney area

The two 27 and 29-year-old men who were arrested in February were rearrested on Tuesday.

The younger man was charged with additional offences and was refused bail to appear at Bankstown Local Court today.

The older man was also charged and was refused bail to appear at Fairfield Local Court today.
British Airways passengers were left terrified after oxygen masks were deployed in mid air alongside an automated message saying 'this is not a drill'.

The incident happened on Sunday night on a flight from Singapore to Heathrow and the tension increased on board the Boeing 777 when all the lights went off and televisions stopped working.

After about three minutes, cabin crew said it was a false alarm and that it was a technical problem that would be solved by rebooting the electronics.

Mitchell Webb, 24, who was on the plane, said he overheard staff referring to the aircraft as an 'old girl'.

Passengers on board a British Airways flight from Singapore to Heathrow were left terrified after oxygen masks were deployed alongside an automated message saying 'this is not a drill' (file picture)

Mr Webb, a chartered accountant from Sutton Coldfield, told the Evening Standard: 'It was very scary  even after we were told it was all fine I still wondered what else could go wrong thereafter, given we were only a couple of hours into the flight when it happened.

'Throughout the remainder of the flight, we had no further update on the actual root cause and most importantly no update from the captain to reassure us on what happened.

'In fact we didn't hear from the captain at all until we were 45 minutes from landing, and he made no mention whatsoever to the incident which I found to be perhaps the most disturbing.'

Another passenger, Emileigh Spurdens, claimed on Twitter the issue was caused when the pilot 'pressed the wrong button'.

In a since deleted post, she wrote: 'Flight from hell @British_Airways Always promising when the pilot presses the wrong button and the oxygen masks fall down.

'Followed by many other unacceptable events on our flight from Singapore.'

Mr Webb added at the time of the incident he thought the crew were 'making up excuses' for what went wrong, although he does accept their explanation now.

British Airways has apologised for the incident and launched an investigation (file picture)

British Airways has apologised for the incident and have launched an investigation.

A spokesman said: 'Our flight and cabin crew reassured customers after oxygen masks were deployed accidentally.

'We are sorry for the distress this may have caused, and are investigating how it happened.'
A Gold Coast tradesman who was diagnosed with an industry-acquired disease that killed his brother has broken down in tears during a radio interview as he called for change.

Speaking to Triple M Sydney's Moonman in the Morning on Tuesday, former stonemason Shane Parata urged others in the trade to reconsider their trade.

Mr Parata was recently diagnosed with silicosis - an incurable and debilitating lung disease described as the biggest threat to tradesmen since asbestos and mesothelioma.

Silicosis is a progressive and irreversible disease is contracted by breathing in tiny particles of silica dust that settle in the lungs.

Shane Parata (pictured) was diagnosed with silicosis days before it killed his brother Anthony

The particles are found in engineered stone, a common substitute for marble benchtops which is made of around 90 per cent crystalline silica.

Mr Parata's brother Anthony White was also diagnosed with the same disease and recently died as a result of complications, aged only 36.

Mr Parata feels let down by the industry he loved, which he had also been a part of for more than 15 years, and likened the disease to asbestos.

'Where's the risk assessment on everything? Once we found out about asbestos, it was stopped straight away,' Mr Parata told Triple M.

He questioned why companies are still using such products pose a risk to up to 500,000 stonemasons across Australia.

Mr White (pictured) is believed to be the first tradesman to die after experts warned about engineered stone last year, calling it 'the next asbestos.'

'Why are we still using this product we know is still killing people? It's killed one, it's killed my brother,' he said.

'What about the rest of the people that are left in the trade that don't have it, all the fellow tradies that are on the same job sites that we cut dry at times. It's unfair for everyone.'

Looking back on his career, Mr Parata said there wasn't enough emphasis on how bad the product can be, and how it was treated like granite or marble.

Mr Parata and his brother worked together at the same stone cutting business on the Gold Coast for almost a decade.

Anthony White (bottom) and Shane Parata (top) worked at the same stone company for 10 years and both developed silicosis

'It just sucks that it's my brother that had to die for this to come out - he was 36, I find it unbelievable,' he said.

'What about the rest of the people that are left in the trade that don't have it, all the fellow tradies that are on the same job sites that we cut dry at times. It's unfair for everyone.'

Mr Parata has urged tradesmen to reconsider a career in the stonecutting industry.

'I was proud to be a stonemason and so was my brother - I've done 15 years of nothing, I can't go back to a job that I love and I do really well,' he said.

Mr Parata believes the matter is 'brushed under the carpet' by government and authorities.

'I've seen letters from the government giving their condolences to me and my family but I haven't had a personal letter or phone call from anyone, it's just a media thing,' he said.

'I walked into my old job the other day and saw a condolence letter. Why wasn't that passed on to me and my family?'

Anthony White (pictured in hospital) was diagnosed with silicosis in November 2017 after 10 years of exposure to silica dust, which is found in engineered stone

His brother Anthony was diagnosed with the disease in November 2017, battling it for more than a year before he died in March while playing the pokies at his local pub.

Mr Parata found about his own diagnosis just days before his brother's death and faces an anxious wait over the next few months to find out

'I'm not going to know until August when I get rescans to compare them. I only just got my diagnosis just before my brother passed,' he said.

'It's been a bit of a rocky road getting the funeral sorted, now it's time to make steps for myself.'

'I went to the doctor yesterday (Monday), where I was told I've got chronic silicosis so I wont really know until the results of the next CT scans come after six months after the first ones,' he said.

Silicosis is an incurable and deliberating lung disease described as the biggest threat to tradesmen since asbestos and mesothelioma (stock image)

Shane Parata (right) says he feels let down by the industry he loved, which he had also been a part of for more than 15 years

His family is still coming to terms with Anthony's recent death.

'It's still pretty fresh, we've had our moments of joy and our moments of sadness. we just try to remember every bit about him that gave us joy. it's been quite a difficult road,' Mr Parata said.

Anthony is believed to be the first tradesman to die from silicosis.

Mr White needed a double lung transplant and was put on the waiting list a week prior to his death in March because doctors thought he was in good enough health.

Shocked bar staff found him unconscious in the bathroom of the pub and were unable to revive him.

Silicosis is a progressive and irreversible disease is contracted by breathing in tiny particles of silica dust that settle in the lungs. Pictured: Mr White in hospital in 2018

His brother said he was thankful that his brother didn't die in a hospital bed, and was doing something that made him happy.

He recently told Daily Mail Australia that 30 of his colleagues have been diagnosed with silicosis since his brother got sick in November 2017.

'Anthony dying has everyone really scared, they all think they could be next (to die),' Mr Parata said.

'Some have mild cases and others are in a bad way but we're all unsure of how bad we will get as there's not enough known about the disease.

'He won't be last to die from this, there will be many more soon.'

Mr Parata said WorkCover was inundated with stonemasons wanting to get tests to see if they had contracted the progressive condition.

'Seeing how he went from working 13-hour days to being in a coma within two weeks has got a lot of people to get checked. He has saved a lot of lives,' he said.

Mr White almost died last July when he spent several weeks in intensive care fighting a viral infection.

'We could have lost him but he's still fighting on and we are just taking it day by day at the moment,' his mum Dianne said in a statement to Daily Mail Australia at the time.

'We need some kind of change. We can't let this go on killing our young men. I don't care how we do it, with legislation or fines, it just needs to be done.'

Ms White said some of her son's doctors hadn't even heard of silicosis.

'Unfortunately they are going to start seeing more of it if something isn't done to stop dry cutting,' Ms White said.

'Anthony's case isn't a one off, there are going to be many young men affected like this and his condition is only going to get worse.'

Last September, WorkCover received 22 silicosis claims, six of which involved people who had been diagnosed as terminally ill, the ABC reported.

What is silicosis? Silicosis is the scarring of the lung tissue which leads to a shortness of breath due to a buildup of silica dust in the air sacs. It typically affects tradesmen who work with concrete, bricks, tiles, sandstone and granite. Symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing, chest pain, loss of appetite, fatigue It is commonly caused from exposure to respirable crystalline silica over many years, but extremely high short-term exposures can cause it to develop rapidly Exposure to respirable crystalline silica can lead to a range of respiratory diseases, including silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer Source: Queensland Workplace Health and Safety Advertisement

A dramatic spike was predicted before the end of the year, with senior occupational physician Dr Graeme Edwards, who is assisting the screening process, expecting an additional 300 people to be diagnosed in Queensland alone.

The national emergency has been compared to devastation caused by asbestos at the peak of its impact in Australia in the 1990s.

'We need all stonemasons informed of the grave risk of inhaling this dust, and we need more than just the Queensland government committing to these important legal changes,' Mr White said.

Fellow tradesman Tahir Ozkul, 46, who was left looking like a 'snowman' every day for years while working at a small Melbourne factory, was also diagnosed with accelerated silicosis and has to carry oxygen everywhere.

'I can't do normal activity like walk, I can't go somewhere easily, I have to carry all the time my oxygen. The pain, the short breath is very bad, I feel very uncomfortable,' he told ABC's 7.30.

Many across the country are suffering from the silent killer, with the government in September issuing an urgent warning urging workers to be tested.

Silicosis expert Dr Edwards said 50 per cent of sufferers were going to have progressive massive fibrosis (severe lung scarring).

'It's horrendous, it's alarming,' he said.

He said the situation was a public emergency because Australia's system could only accommodate about 200 lung transplants a year.

'I want to be as strong as possible. It's hard. I want to be here for a bit longer,' Anthony White, pictured with mum Debbie told Channel Ten's The Project last July. He died last month

Dr Edwards said a continuing rise of silicosis would add an extra 130 patients lining up for lung transplants in the next three to five years.

Sixteen silicosis claims have been made by stonemasons in Victoria in the past three financial years, and a total of 23 silicosis claims in NSW, including by stonemasons.

The biggest concern for doctors was the likelihood many workmen were completely unaware they were living with the disease, according to Melbourne-based respiratory physician Dr Ryan Hoy.

'I've seen more and more patients, about eight patients in the last 12 months. This is the largest occupational lung crisis we've seen since the peak of asbestos use in the 1960s and the 1970s,' Dr Hoy said.
Controversial senator Brian Burston claims he and his wife 'live in fear' of Pauline Hanson's chief of staff after a fist-fight in the halls of parliament.

The United Australia Party leader filed for a restraining order against James Ashby, alleging he assaulted him and his wife Rosalyn.

Their public brawl on February 13 was caught on camera and led to Ashby being banned from Parliament House.

Senator Brian Burston (right) filed an Apprehended Violence Application against Senator Pauline Hanson's chief-of-staff James Ashby (left) following their public brawl

Footage showed the pair grappling with each other in the halls of Parliament on February 13

Senator Burston, 71, had publicly accused Senator Hanson, his former boss when he was part of One Nation, of sexual harassment.

The pair sat on opposite sides of the room in Toronto Local Court, on the NSW Central Coast, on Tuesday with Ashby flying in from Queensland.

The parliamentarian's lawyer Stephen Churches alleged the dust-up wasn't the only 'repeated act of harassment and aggression' that led to his client needing an AVO.

'There's an allegation of assault upon the complainant's wife and there's a further allegation of assault on my client,' he said, according to the Daily Telegraph.

'He and his wife are in fear and want some protection from the defendant due to a number of events that have occurred over a number of months.'

Ashby's (pictured) lawyer Danny Eid said the accusations were 'utter garbage' and the video footage would exonerate his client

Ashby is chief of staff to Pauline Hanson (pictured together) and the AVO could complicate his work if it was granted

However, Ashby's lawyer Danny Eid said the accusations were 'utter garbage' and the video footage would exonerate his client.

He challenged the jurisdiction of a NSW court to hear the case, but Mr Churches claimed there were other alleged incidents in that state.

Magistrate Alan Railton sent the case to mediation instead of making an interim orders, and set the next court date for May 28.

Footage showed the pair grappling with each other after Senator Burston accused Senator Hanson of sexually harassing him on three occasions over two decades.

Senator Burston shared images of his bloodstained hand, which was later seen in bandages.

The altercation prompted Senate President Scott Ryan to revoke Ashby's parliamentary pass after he called it 'inappropriate behaviour by a passholder towards a Senator.'

Senator Burston later said he would not attend the April Budget session if Ashby was present.

Senator Burston shared images of his bloodstained hand (pictured) following the confrontation

The senator's hand was later seen wrapped in gauze. Mr Burston later reported the incident ot the police

The tussle erupted after Ashby approached Senator Burston as he and his wife left the Australian Minerals Industry Parliamentary Dinner and put a phone close to his face to film him, causing the 71-year-old to lash out.

'I told him to f*** off, I lost it I grabbed him and I pushed him up against the wall, I defended myself and my wife, physically,' Senator Burston told News Corp at the time.

Ashby later provided a photo which he claimed showed the door to Senator Hanson's office smeared in blood, but Senator Burston denied having anything to do with the marks on the door.

Senator Burston later reported the incident to Australian Federal Police.

The senator had claimed Senator Hanson ran her fingers up and down his spine as they stood on stage at the One Nation Party's first Annual General Meeting at the Rooty Hill RSL in 1998.

He said the second alleged incident took place in 2016 while visiting her home with former politician Peter Breen.

In a third alleged incident, Senator Burston claimed the pair were at dinner when Ms Hanson mentioned she had some free time after the meal, allegedly saying 'what do you reckon?'.

Ms Hanson hit out at the sexual harassment claims as baseless and 'hilarious', saying she wouldn't 'go near him with a barge pole'

Mr Burston claimed Ms Hanson sexually harassed him on three separate occasions over a 20 year period

Senator Hanson hit out at the sexual harassment claims, calling them baseless and 'hilarious'.

'I wouldn't go near him with a barge pole... I just feel it's quite hilarious that he's made these allegations against me,' she said.

Mr Breen also hit out at the claims of sexual harassment levelled against Senator Hanson.

'For Brian to suggest that (invitation to stay at her property) was some kind of advancement by Pauline is just ridiculous,' he said.

Mr Ashby (pictured with Ms Hanson) used his phone to film Mr Burston as he left the Australian Minerals Industry Parliamentary Dinner

'I can't recall an occasion where she hasn't invited someone to stay ... Pauline Hanson has much better taste than to be sexually harassing Brian Burston.'

He said it was common for colleagues and friends to stay at Senator Hanson's property, which has separate accommodation from her home and is over an hour away from the nearest airport.

Senator Burston said he left the One Nation Party in June of 2018 to join the United Australia Party as a result of the perceived sexual harassment from Senator Hanson.

However, at the time, he told media he left the party after not being asked if the party should withdraw support from the company tax cuts plan put forward by the Federal Government.
Popular Australian 'influencers' such as Bec Judd are being paid to use their Instagram accounts to push alcohol consumption as a glamorous and cool activity for young people, experts say.

Victoria's health promotion foundation looked into Australia's top 70 Instagram influencers and found almost three quarters featured alcoholic drinks in their posts, but only a quarter fully revealed they'd been paid to do so.

Others examined in the study included MasterChef's Sarah Todd, model Pia Muehlenbeck and TV host Brooke Hogan, according to Seven News, though it is unclear if they are paid for their posts featuring alcohol brands.

The alcohol industry is partnering with non-alcoholic brands and events to sponsor influencers to promote their products (pictured, Bec Judd)

Researchers at VicHealth revealed that while the practice was common, alcoholic brands or influencers didn't have to disclose the sponsorship (stock)

VicHealth Acting CEO Dr Lyn Roberts said the nature of the social media posts made it difficult for young people to know when they were being sold an ad.

'We also know that young people who like or follow alcohol brands on social media are twice as likely to drink at risky levels than those who don't,' Dr Roberts said.

'For every advertising dollar spent, young people drink three per cent more alcohol.'

Ms Judd has shared several posts on her own Instagram page promoting alcohol, tagging several brands in her captions.

'Who said summer's over?!... rose everyday with @birdinhandwine,' she said in one post, displaying her relaxing in a pool with a cup of wine in her hand.

In another post, the Channel Nine host is pictured holding another cup of alcohol, with the brand logo clearly positioned towards the camera.

Ms Judd's Instagram page reveals that she has promoted several alcohol brands in her posts

In another post, the Channel 9 television host is pictured holding another cup of alcohol, with the brand logo clearly positioned towards the camera

'We'll be drinking @strongboy_aus Rose Cider at @teamjaggad today. Yewwww!' she said.

VicHealth confirmed it had investigated Ms Judd's Instagram profile as a part of its study.

Emma Saleeba, Manager of Alcohol and Tobacco for VicHealth, told Daily Mail Australia Ms Judd was 'one of many high profile influencers who are paid to promote alcohol on social media'.

'While it is unclear how much influencers are paid by alcohol brands, we know the industry spends millions in advertising each year to promote their products of which social media is a key component,' she said.

Daily Mail has contacted Channel Nine and Ms Judd for comment.

Meanwhile, Sarah Todd, a MasterChef contestant in 2014, often promotes Grey Goose vodka on her Instagram profile.

Sarah Todd, contestant of Master Chef in 2014, also has an Instagram profile riddled with alcohol promotions

'I've had so much fun working with @greygooseau to make the perfect summer cocktail.. orange and rosemary martini's!' one post reads, with the hashtag 'Celebrate Grey Goose'.

In another post, Ms Todd wrote: 'I had a fantastic time with friends celebrating the launch of @GreyGooseAu Limited Edition Riviera bottle.'

Brooke Hogan, presenter of Channel 7's Great Weekend TV, promotes the same Grey vodka on Instagram.

'Loved being in Sydney with the @GreyGooseAu team this week (heart emoji),' she wrote.

In yet another post, Ms Hogan said the high market vodka brand is her 'drink of choice.'

'My summer drink of choice - Le Grand Fizz. Oh how I love summer,' she wrote

Brooke Hogan, presenter of Channel 7's Great Weekend TV, also promotes Grey Goose vodka on Instagram

In one post, Ms Hogan claims the famous vodka brand is her 'drink of choice'

Model Pia Muehlenbeck regularly promotes the high market Beef Eater Gin brand.

'Happy hump day lovers! Easing into the weekend early with a cheeky @beefeatergin and tonic because #OnWednesdaysWeDrinkPink...' the post states, with a #partner hashtag.

In another post promoting the gin, Ms Muehlenbeck wrote: 'Check my stories to see how to make the best @beefeatergin pink drink ever! #ad.'

Model PiaMuehlenbeck (pictured) regularly promotes alcohol in her Instagram posts

Daily Mail has contacted Brooke Hogan, Sarah Todd and Pia Muehlenbeck for comment.

Meanwhile, researchers at VicHealth said that while the practice was common, alcoholic brands and influencers didn't have to disclose sponsorship.

Dr Roberts likened the alcohol industry's advertising tactics are similar to those used by the tobacco industry.

'Our research shows the alcohol industry is employing tactics straight out of the playbook of Big Tobacco, using high profile influencers to make their products appear glamorous and sophisticated to young people,' Ms Roberts said.

While there are no rules that force influencers to disclose their sponsorship with alcohol brands, Ms Roberts said it was time to challenge that

A review of Australia's top 70 Instagram influencers revealed almost three quarters featured alcoholic drinks in their posts, but only one quarter admitted that they had been paid

While there are no rules that force influencers to disclose their sponsorship with alcohol brands, Ms Roberts said it was time to challenge that.

'[It makes] it really hard for young people to discern when they're being sold an ad,' she said.

She also revealed the power behind the pervasive tactics.

'Alcohol brands spend millions each year advertising... for every advertising dollar spent, young people drink three per cent more alcohol,' she said.

But the greatest concern is the raising number of young people being hospitalised for alcohol-related issues.

'Concerningly, the number of young Victorians who end up in hospital due to alcohol has increased [by 24 percent] since 2009,' Ms Roberts revealed.
Ousted Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn has claimed he is innocent of all charges against him and is the victim of a conspiracy at the car-maker to strip him of power.

Ghosn made the claims in a video that was recorded before his latest arrest last week and played by his lawyers to a press conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.

In it, he repeated accusations about 'backstabbing' among executives at the auto firm and accused them of 'playing a dirty game'.

Carlos Ghosn, Nissan's ousted boss, said he is the victim of a 'conspiracy' by 'backstabbing' executives in a video recorded before his latest arrest last week and played to journalists

Ghosn apparently tried to name those who he feels are responsible in the video, but his lawyer said those references were later edited out

Ghosn said the executives behind the conspiracy were motivated by what he called 'selfish fears,' and mistook his leadership for greed and dictatorship.

It appears Ghosn planned to come good on a pledge to name those he believes are conspiring against him, but lawyer Junichiro Hironaka said those references were edited out of the footage.

Ghosn, who is back in police custody and expected to sit in jail until at least the end of the week, said his love for Nissan itself and Japan were unchanged.

The former Nissan boss was taken back to jail on Thursday last week amid claims that $5 million sent by a Nissan subsidiary, meant for an Oman dealership, was diverted to a company effectively controlled by him.

Ghosn was previously arrested on November 19 last year fand released March 6 on a near $9 million bail.

He has been charged with under-reporting his compensation in financial documents, and with breach of trust in having Nissan shoulder investment losses and making suspect payments to a Saudi businessman.

Ghosn says the compensation was never decided on or paid, no investment losses were suffered by Nissan, and the payments were for legitimate services.

The statement also came after Nissan shareholders voted to remove Ghosn from the Japanese carmaker's board.

The approval was shown by applause from the more than 4,000 people gathered at a Tokyo hotel for a three-hour extraordinary shareholders' meeting.

Other votes had been submitted in advance.

Junichiro Hironaka, chief lawyer for Ghosn, said the ex-boss feels he is innocent of all allegations against him, including far-reaching corruption

Ahead of the vote, Nissan's top executive apologised to its shareholders for the scandal at the Japanese carmaker and asked them to approve Ghosn's dismissal.

Chief executive Hiroto Saikawa and other Nissan Motor Co executives bowed deeply in apology to shareholders attending the meeting.

Shareholders also approved the appointment of French alliance partner Renault SA's chairman Jean-Dominique Senard to replace Ghosn.

Renault owns 43 per cent of Nissan.

Mr Senard, introduced to shareholders at the meeting's end, thanked them and promised to do his best to keep the carmaker's performance on track.

'I will dedicate my energy to enhance the future of Nissan,' said Mr Senard.

They likewise also gave a green light to removing from the board a former executive direct, Greg Kelly, who has been charged with collaborating with Ghosn in the alleged misconduct.

Angry shareholders demanded an explanation for how wrongdoing on an allegedly massive scale had gone unchecked for years. The meeting was closed except to stockholders but live-streamed.

One shareholder said Nissan's entire management should resign immediately.

Mr Saikawa said he felt his responsibility lay in fixing the shoddy corporate governance at Nissan first, and continuing to lead its operations. Another shareholder asked if Nissan was prepared for a damage lawsuit from shareholders since its stock price has plunged.

'I deeply, deeply apologise for all the worries and troubles we have caused,' Mr Saikawa said. 'This is an unprecedented and unbelievable misconduct by a top executive.'

The video was released the day after Nissan's shareholders voted to oust Ghosn from the board after two decades in charge

He outlined the findings of an internal investigation, such as payments of a consultation fee to Ghosn's sister for 13 years. The investigation has also found too much power had been focused in one person, he said.

Ken Miyamoto, 65, a Nissan shareholder, said he was disappointed.

'It is really such a pity as he was a brilliant manager,' Mr Miyamoto said of Ghosn before heading into the meeting.

'I guess he became complacent as people kept praising him too much.'

Ghosn's wife Carole appealed to French President Emmanuel Macron for help.

'I'm asking that we allow him the presumption of innocence like all French citizens, and France must do something,' she told France's RTL radio.

She was with her husband in Tokyo when he was arrested last week, an ordeal she described as humiliating.

Japanese investigators confiscated her Lebanese passport but she used her American passport to leave for France on Friday, she said.

'I'd never been so proud of him because he remained dignified. He held his head high and he was calm,' she said.

Yokohama-based Nissan, which makes the Leaf electric car, March subcompact and Infiniti luxury models, was on the brink of bankruptcy when Renault sent Ghosn to turn it around two decades ago.

The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Motors alliance now rivals car giants Volkswagen AG of Germany and Japanese rival Toyota Motor Corp in global sales.

Mr Saikawa told shareholders the company will stick by the alliance, fix its governance problems and make the ouster of Ghosn 'a turning point'.

'We had allowed a system in which wrongdoing could be carried out without detection,' he said
Children as young as 10-months-old were left 'confused and crying' after horror film trailers were screened before a showing of a Peppa Pig movie.

Youngsters were exposed to advertisements for horror movies such as Ma and scary superhero movie Brightburn, after they visited the Empire Cinema in Ipswich.

The trailer for Ma includes dead bodies and a man being struck by a car, and Brightburn has violence and a child in a scary mask.

Both films have rating classifications of R due to their 'violent/disturbing material' and sexual content, some of which features in their trailers.

During the trailers for the new Peppa Pig movie, children were exposed to unsuitable advertisements for other films

A spokesman for the cinema chain apologised and said it was investigating how the 'inappropriate' trailers were screened.

The BBC reported that one of their journalists Charlie Jones had taken her two-year-old daughter and 10-month-old son to see Peppa Pig for their first cinema trip.

The 34-year-old said she tried to cover her daughter's eyes when the trailers came on but that she had been 'really subdued' since the experience and asked about the mask in one of the trailers.

The Brightburn trailer (above) was shown during a screening of the new Peppa Pig movie

The trailer for Ma features scary masks which are said to have made the children in the Ipswich cinema cry

'There were lots of kids crying and she was very confused and started crying too,' said Mrs Jones.

She added: 'I went mad at [the manager]. It was meant to be a special day for Annie. I don't think he understands the impact of it.

'Annie is very imaginative and scared of monsters and things like that at the moment.

'You go to the cinema and you expect it to be a safe family day out, you don't expect her to be exposed to anything which could do harm.'

A spokesman for Empire Cinemas said: 'We are investigating how an inappropriate trailer was played before a screening of Peppa Pig at our Ipswich Cinema for which we apologise.

'As soon as the staff on site were made aware of the situation, the programme was stopped and trailers were taken off-screen immediately.

'We do sincerely apologise for this and for any distress caused and will be reviewing our internal procedures to ascertain how this came to being.

'The film (Peppa Pig) did then go on screen as planned.'
A severely disabled Russian who was set to be the first human to have his head transplanted onto another person's spine says his responsibilities as a father made him rethink the decision.

Valery Spiridnov says that he couldn't leave his 'beautiful kid' - who was born in November - for the months taken up by the pioneering procedure.

The 33-year-old suffers from muscle-wasting disease Werdnig-Hoffman, a form of spinal muscular atrophy often leading to low life expectancy.

Mr Spiridnov (pictured on Good Morning Britain this morning) has said that his parental responsibility had prevented him from pursuing the treatment

Mr Spiridnov's wife, Anastasia Panfilova (pictured) holds a masters degree in chemical technology and lives with the computer expert in the US

But the computer expert, who now lives in Florida, today said that the first in line for the treatment should be the terminally ill.

Today he told Good Morning Britain that he is not pursuing the treatment because he can't leave Anastasia Panfilova and their baby son.

I be with a woman who I fell in love with I'm happy to say I'm married and have a beautiful kid now,' he said. 'I cannot leave them without my attention even for a few months.'

The 33-year-old told the programme this morning that he wouldn't be willing to leave his wife and son for the months required to undergo the procedure

Italian doctor Sergio Canavero claims that it is a medical myth that the severance of a head from the spine means death.

He has reattached the heads of monkeys after separating them from the next and found they are still able to send signals to their limbs and move about as they did before.

Doctor Canavero - dubbed Dr Frankenstein - is currently working in China to carry out further research.

Mr Spiridnov said this morning: 'I still support the research. Recent achievements in China are very important because they can help people all over the world walk again.'

The computer expert is pictured with his wife, who he now lives with in Florida with a child that he described as a 'miracle'

Mr Spiridnov (pictured with his son) says that the terminally ill should be first in line for the treatment as he praised research in China

He announced in December that he would not be seeking the treatment any time soon, but today revealed the decision was due to his unwavering commitment to his family.

'I have become a really happy person I have moved to the United States and I'm getting my Masters degree here,' he said. I really appreciate my faith and my wife.'

Though the surgery is off the cards for now, he said he hasn't ruled it out entirely and might be willing to take the risk if somebody else goes first.

But he believes that the priority for such a treatment should be people who aren't as lucky as him and are facing death.

Just a few months ago he expressed concerns that something had gone 'wrong' in Dr Canavero's research, which some experts decry as impossible.

He described his son as a 'miracle' after the child was born healthy despite Werdnig-Hoffman being hereditary.

Mr Spiridnov's wife holds a masters degree in chemical technology and underwent tests during her pregnancy.
A New York firefighter and father-of-three was one of three American soldiers killed when their convoy hit a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.

Christopher Slutman, 43, died near the Bagram Air Base, north of Kabul, on Monday in an attack the Taliban has claimed responsibility for.

Two other U.S. service members were also killed by the improvised explosive device.

An Afghan contractor who was also believed to have been killed in the car bomb was later found to have survived, Colonel David Butler, a spokesman for U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, said.

Christopher Slutman, a New York firefighter and father-of-three, was one of three American soldiers killed when their convoy hit a roadside bomb in Afghanistan on Monday

The three Americans died near the Bagram Air Base, north of Kabul, on Monday in a car bomb attack the Taliban has already claimed responsibility for

Slutman spent 15 years working for the FDNY and was given a memorial medal in 2014 for crawling through flames to rescue an unconscious woman inside an apartment fire in the South Bronx.

He and another firefighter dragged the woman from her bedroom to the elevator before taking her to paramedics.

The president of the FDNY Firefighters Association, Gerard Fitgerald, issued a statement on Tuesday following Slutman's death.

'A 15-year member of the department, Christopher was a distinguished firefighter who had a profound impact on both of his firehouses,' he said.

'Together, all firefighters grieve the loss of our brother, Christopher, who dedicated his life to protecting the people o this city, and our nation.'

'He was really a great guy. He loved being a fireman, and he was a real family man,' a sourced told the New York Post.

Slutman worked at Ladder 27 and Ladder 17 and was a sergeant for the U.S. marines.

An Afghan contractor who was also believed to have been killed in the car bomb was later found to have survived. Pictured above is debris from the roadside attack

Local officials said at least five Afghan civilians were wounded in the commotion after the attack on the American convoy

An Afghan military convoy drives past the site of a car bomb attack where U.S soldiers were killed near Bagram air base on Monday

The U.S. and NATO Resolute Support mission said the base in the Bagram district near where Slutman was killed serves as the main U.S. air facility in the country.

In their claim of responsibility, the Taliban said they launched the attack and that one of their suicide bombers detonated his explosives-laden vehicle near the NATO base.

The conflicting accounts could not be immediately reconciled.

On Tuesday, local officials said at least five Afghan civilians were wounded in the commotion after the attack on the American convoy.

Four were passers-by and the fifth was a driver of a car going down the road, said Abdul Raqib Kohistani, the Bagram district police chief.

Abdul Shakor Qudosi, the district administrative chief in Bagram, said American soldiers opened fire immediately after their convoy was bombed.

Slutman spent 15 years working for the FDNY and was a sergeant for the U.S. marines

Slutman was given a memorial medal in 2014 for crawling through flames to rescue an unconscious woman inside an apartment fire in the South Bronx

Monday's U.S. fatalities bring to seven the number of U.S. soldiers killed so far this year in Afghanistan.

There are about 14,000 U.S. forces in Afghanistan, supporting embattled Afghan forces as they struggle on two fronts.

Forces face a resurgent Taliban who now hold sway over almost half the country and the Islamic State affiliate, which has sought to expand its footprint in Afghanistan even as its self-proclaimed 'caliphate' has crumbled in Syria and Iraq.

Last year, 13 U.S. service members were killed in Afghanistan.

The Taliban have continued to carry out daily attacks on Afghan security forces despite holding several rounds of peace talks with the United States in recent months.

The Taliban have refused to meet with the Afghan government, which they view as a U.S. puppet.
A woman who dubbed herself 'Mercedes Mum' after allegedly leading police on a high-speed chase has shared an image of her 'court outfit' before pulling a no-show.

Margarita Tomovska, 27, stands accused of fleeing officers in a $260,000 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG with an unrestrained toddler in the back seat on the Princes Highway in Sydney's south on November 13.

Before her latest court hearing, which was scheduled for Tuesday, Tomovska taunted media with a series of social media posts hinting she would be making an appearance.

One image was of a Versace outfit captioned: '9k outfit just for the media. Ready for tomorrow. New paparazzi shots'.

Margarita Tomovska (pictured), 27, posted an image to Instagram of the Versace Alphabet bomber jacket captioned: '9k outfit just for the media. Ready for tomorrow. New paparazzi shots'

However, she was not required to appear in court on Tuesday and was instead represented by her lawyer

But Tomovska was not required to appear in Wollongong Local Court and chose instead to taunt media outlets by posing in her pricey designer garb in front of a blue Mercedes, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Tomovska also made a point to post an image of the receipt for her outfit to Instagram too.

The bold print outfit consisted of a Versace Alphabet bomber jacket, which retails for $2,940, with matching trousers worth $1,140 as well as a small pink Balenciaga bag worth $2180.

Since her arrest, Tomovska has been active on social media with multiple images flaunting her designer outfits at previous court appearances.

During Tomovska's appearance at court on Jaunary 8, she wore a designer dress and $1,000 Gucci sunglasses before posing for pictures with the media.

After other media outlets wrongly reported the price of her clothing, Tomovska posted an image of her receipt (pictured) for her outfit to Instagram too

Since her arrest, Tomovska has been active on social media with many pictures flaunting her designer outfits at previous court appearances

Tomovska is a fan of designer garments and is known for flaunting her outfits while posing with Mercedes vehicles

In a previous Instagram story, she shared a series of messages with her own mother where they had discussed arriving at the courthouse via helicopter.

'Planning my way to get to court tomorrow... Mums (sic) idea to get a helicopter. My idea to land on top of media,' she wrote.

Tomovska later shared a picture taken outside court which showed her posing with a Channel 7 cameraman - as well as a video of her singing with the caption: '0 f***s given'.

During the November 13 pursuit, Tomovska allegedly reached speeds of more than 200km/h. When she stopped after 10km, she and her male passenger were arrested.

Officers allegedly found an unrestrained three-year-old girl in the back seat.

The child wasn't hurt but she was in a distressed state and officers had to help calm her down, police said.

The man was released but the 27-year-old had her licence suspended.

The case will return to court in August.

Tomovska, 27, stands accused of fleeing officers in a $260,000 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG with an unrestrained toddler in the back seat
Natasha Welsh, 43, who has been found guilty of stabbing her husband Martin Welsh to death with a six-inch kitchen knife at the Old Bailey court in London

A woman has been found guilty of stabbing her husband to death with a six-inch kitchen knife as her son played Fortnite upstairs.

Natasha Welsh, 43, was said by her children to have the 'strength of 10 men' and behaved like a 'lunatic' when she was under the influence of alcohol.

She used a kitchen knife to stab Martin Welsh in the chest at the 600,000 family home in Hendon, north west London.

Welsh denied the murder of her husband of 25 years, saying she could not remember events leading to the 47-year-old IT executive's death.

An Old Bailey jury deliberated for six hours and 34 minutes before finding her guilty of murder.

The court heard that the couple were heavy drinkers whose relationship had turned 'toxic'.

They would argue and make 'snide' remarks to each other, sometimes getting physical, jurors were told.

Kyle Welsh, 21, had been playing the combat game with John Morris when he heard his father shout 'she's stabbed me'

On October 26 last year, Welsh took a six-inch titanium kitchen knife from her knife block and plunged it into her husband's chest while her son Kyle Welsh, 21, was on his PlayStation.

In text messages to his sister Charlie and her boyfriend, 21-year-old Kyle wrote: 'Things kicking off. How do I avoid it even with my music on?

'Just play and forget I said anything. Everyone has to deal with their troubles.'

Martin Welsh, 47, who was stabbed to death by his wife Natasha Welsh as their son played video games upstairs

Later he said: 'Those d***heads need to learn how to handle their alcohol. Smashing s*** up.'

A few minutes later he typed: 'Call 999 mum stabbed dad and he died. Please, please, please, please.'

Mr Welsh was pronounced dead in the early hours of the following day.

Giving evidence, Kyle Welsh broke down in tears as he told the court: 'I heard my dad shout: 'She has stabbed me,' but it was like a groaning tone.

The scene outside the 600,000 semi-detached house in Hendon, North London, October 29

A cordon was put in place around the property in Hendon following the incident as detectives from the homicide and major crime command investigated the scene

'He did swear. He said: 'She has 'f***ing stabbed me'.

'I took my headset off and I listened, and I could not hear anything, so I went downstairs. That is when I walked into the kitchen.

'Mum was in the middle of the kitchen. She was like crouch-sitting. Dad was lying on his back. I said: 'What the f*** have you done?' to my mother.

Mr Welsh's brother Brian Welsh wrote on Facebook days after the incident on October 26 that the family was 'distraught'

'She did not reply to me at that point. He did not say anything he could barely breathe. He had a stab wound to his right shoulder.

'There was a knife on the floor in between him and the washing machine.'

The son could not find a phone to call for help so he messaged player John Morris over the PS4's communication network.

The son said: 'Call 999 mum stabbed dad and he is dead please, please, please.'

A few moments later he said: 'Please, he is dead by now and I am going to kill her. He is flat on the kitchen floor. Please send an ambulance.'

Natasha Welsh, of Hendon, denied the count of murder on the night of October 26 2018, and a lesser charge of manslaughter

In another message he said: 'My dad is dead'.

Giving evidence over video-link, the son said he said his father was lying next to the blade.

Mr Welsh said: 'I wanted to pick up the knife, but I thought to myself if I touch the knife my DNA will be on it as well.

'I got up and I asked my mum were the phone was. When she did not reply to me- then I asked her again and she said it was on the side, but it was not there.

'I went downstairs to see what had happened and then back up to message what had happened.

'I ran upstairs to obviously message because it was the only thing I thought of at that moment.'

His sister Charley was living with Mr Morris and rushed to the home in Hendon to find her mother sitting cross legged next to her father who was lying on the kitchen floor.

Charley Welsh told the court: 'I asked her [Natasha Welsh] why he was not breathing. She just looked me up and down and said: 'Shut up'.

Natasha Welsh had told jurors that by 2018 she was spending most of the household money on alcohol and cannabis.

On the killing, she said: 'I could not remember what I was doing. I don't remember. I must have taken the knife from the knife block.'

The son could not find a phone to call for help so he messaged player John Morris over the PS4's communication network

She did not recall wishing her husband dead or remarking: 'I'm stupid, not dangerous,' jurors were told.

When her barrister, Peter Wilcock QC, asked if she was able to explain why she killed her husband, she said: 'I don't know.'

'I am devastated that this has happened. I am numb.

'I don't know, I am just struggling to deal with it all at the moment.'

Jurors heard the pair would sometimes have drunken fights, with her husband occasionally punching her or pushing her down the stairs.

The defendant wept in the dock as she was convicted by a majority of 10 jurors to two. She will be sentenced on Thursday.
An investigation is underway after a man was found wandering around the Costa del Sol holding his own half amputated penis.

The man, understood to be Spanish and aged between 30 and 35, was rushed to hospital for an emergency operation.

When doctors examined him, they found shoelaces and rubber bands around his penis as though he had formed some sort of tourniquet, according to Spanish press reports.

The case echoes another bizarre incident in Zaragoza last month when a 33-year-old British man was seen walking around the streets covered in blood after his entire penis had been deliberately cut off. He directed police to his home where they found the missing member in a plastic bag.

Last month, a British man was walking around Zaragoza with blood all over him. His whole penis had been hacked off and he was operated on at Hospital Miguel Servet (pictured)

Doctors later attempted to reattach it but it is not known if the operation was a success or not.

A second British man was arrested a day later for allegedly helping the man to cut his genital off on purpose.

One theory was that the Briton had earlier advertised on the internet for someone to amputate it.

An investigation is currently underway to find out what led up to this second incident on the Costa del Sol.

Local police stopped the man in Benalmadena after noticing blood on his crotch.

At first, he claimed to be an alien named Sergio but later said he was a woman called Naomi.

He said: 'I am an alien! This isn't mine!'

The man was also bleeding from the head and appeared dazed and confused.

He was unable to remember who he was or what had happened and his fingerprints are being taken to try and ascertain his identity.

Doctors, who confirmed his penis had been half amputated and another part torn, have operated on him at the Benalmadena hospital.

His condition is believed to be stable but it has not been clarified whether medics managed to save his penis or not.

Tests for alcohol or drugs have reportedly proved negative so the main theory is that he is suffering from some sort of mental disorder.

Spanish newspaper Diariosur says doctors also detected signs of possible suffocation and a CT scam confirmed this but police have no idea why he was wandering around the streets just after 11.30am.

'At one stage, the man told police he had been bitten,' Diariosur reported.
John Bercow has revealed how he decides between letting loose a short, sharp 'Order!' or bellowing a longer, drawn-out 'ORDEEEHHHGH'.

The Speaker has proven a controversial figure in the UK, particularly after citing a precedent from 1604 to scupper Theresa May's third Brexit vote last month - but his eccentric manner of speaking has also earned him a peculiar fame online, as well as the status of 'an idol' overseas, according to several European publications.

The Speaker's tone when howling at rowdy MPs varies dramatically, ranging from a harsh, piercing 'Ordah!' to a richer, deeper version of the phrase, used to silence noisy Members while discussing important matters of state.

Mr Bercow, the MP for Buckingham, revealed how he chooses between the two - and variations inbetween - in a video uploaded to the UK Parliament YouTube channel on Friday.

John Bercow explained that the shorter version is usually reserved for when individuals are being noisy, whereas the longer version is for general disruption in the House

In it, he explains: 'When the Speaker is on his feet a member should not be on his or her feet.

'I wouldn't want your audience to think that is the Speaker being pompous or self-important, it's about the Speaker, the role of the Speaker, the Speaker being the umpire, the Speaker being the referee, the Speaker being the adjudicator if there is any dispute.

'So if there is a lot of noise I will tend to say "ORDEEEERRRR, the House must calm itself, there's a long time to go or there are a lot of questions that we need to get through and we must have some order".

'Or I will sometimes say "ORDER!" to a particular member who is making an excessive noise, "the Honourable Member must calm himself, he's becoming very over-excitable".

John Bercow was told he was considered 'an idol' by many in Europe in an interview published last month (pictured: Mr Bercow and Black Rod, Lieutenant-General David Leakey at the State Opening of Parliament, May 2015)

'And I think, quite a lot of people will hear me say this if they watch our proceedings and it is not intended to denigrate any particular person, it's not intended to be dismissive of colleagues, it's intended to do just what the word says - restore order.'

Mr Bercow also explained that when the Speaker stands up and says 'Order!', any Member 'with any experience' realises that he or she should sit down.

It is not the first time Mr Bercow's manner of speaking has earned him online notoriety. A musical rendition of the Speaker saying 'Mr Peter Bone' accompanied by Beethoven's 5th - uploaded by writer and musician Rhodri Marsden - has earned 2million views since it was uploaded last month.

Elected as the 157th Speaker of the House of Commons in June 2009, Mr Bercow has become known for his cutting Parliamentary put-downs.

Prior to his election to the Speaker role, he was a member of the Conservative Party, but has remarked that his views have changed over time, partly due to his wife Sally's influence.

I'm now so obsessed with Bercow saying "Mr Peter Bone" that I've spent a period of time setting it to the opening of Beethoven's 5th. Brexit is literally driving me mad. pic.twitter.com/P5w31OWkWi  Rhodri Marsden (@rhodri) March 28, 2019

Speaker of the Commons John Bercow reacts after winning the Buckingham constituency election in 2015

In March he caused outrage among Brexiteers by reaching back to a precedent from 1604 to prevent Theresa May bringing her deal back to the House for a third vote.

His adherence to precedent raised eyebrows among those who remembered him saying 'If we only went by precedent, manifestly nothing would ever change.'

Mr Bercow's mannerisms have also attracted him fans overseas. An interview published in La Repubblica and Die Welt last month praised his signature tone and told Mr Bercow, 56, he was considered an 'idol' by many in Europe.

Last month he sparked uproar in the Commons by aiming an 'insult' at a Conservative MP.

The Speaker remarked that former minister Greg Hands 'wasn't a very good whip' as he admonished the MP for Chelsea and Fulham for 'disorderly' behaviour.
As spring approaches in north China, workers have been busy conducting the annual ice-blasting to prevent melt-water flooding.

Spectacular footage shows a section of the Amur River in Huma County, Heilongjiang province being blown up in a controlled explosion, sending plumes of ice and water 160 feet into the air.

The dramatic intervention last Tuesday is necessary to prevent water backing up behind trapped ice and overspilling the river banks, Chinese media reports.

Dramatic clip shows a section of the Amur River in Huma County, Heilongjiang province being blown up in a controlled explosion last Tuesday, sending plumes of ice 160 feet into the air

The blasts can help break up ice jams, which can cause danger to nearby residents

Since the beginning of April, specialist workers have been drilling holes and laying sticks of dynamite along various stretches of the river that borders Russia, according to China News.

'Three, two, one, go!' one of the workers was heard instructing in the video as the sound of explosives shook the air seconds later.

The blasts can help break up ice jams, which can cause danger to nearby residents, the report added.

The operation was divided into nine sections, and 1.7 miles along the river was torn up

Since the beginning of April, specialist workers have been drilling holes and laying sticks of dynamite along various stretches of the Amur River (pictured above) that borders Russia

'The explosion date set for the Heilongjiang River in the Huma section had to be moved up due to relatively high temperatures and low precipitation this winter,' Li Yansong, director of Huma Water Authority, told CCTV.

The operation was divided into nine sections, and a total length of 2.7 kilometres (1.7 miles) along the river was torn up, he added.

'The blast will greatly reduce the possibility of an ice flood and safeguard the lives and property of people living along the river,' he said.

Ahead of the operation, local police cordoned off the river and patrolled the ice to stop tourists from entering any dangerous areas.
A migrant who posed as a 16-year-old boy to claim asylum as an unaccompanied child in France has been exposed as a 47-year-old man, according to reports in France.

The man had presented himself to police in the town of Angouleme, around 70 miles north of Bordeaux, on Wednesday last week.

In order to back up his claim, he presented officers with a birth certificate which purported to show he was born in Guinea in 2002.

A man claiming to be a 16-year-old from guinea presented himself to this police station in France, before being exposed as a 47-year-old

But investigators made contact with Spanish authorities, suspecting that he may have arrived in that country first before crossing into France, Sud-Ouest reports.

Officers in Spain confirmed they were aware of the man's identity and presented their French counterparts with a copy of his passport that he had used to apply for a visa there in 2017.

The passport confirmed the man was 47 years old, more than three decades older than he had claimed.

French police rejected his asylum claim, ordered him to leave the prefecture and placed him in a detention center in Rennes.

The previous day another migrant, claiming to be a 16-year-old from Mali, had approached the same police station.

The incident happened in the town of Angouleme, where just a day before another man had appeared claiming to be a 16-year-old from Mali when in fact he was 21

A similar check with Spanish authorities revealed he was, in fact, 21.

Under French law, the state has a responsibility to care for all unaccompanied minor migrants, whether they have applied for asylum or not, until they turn 18.

In order to claim accommodation and schooling, minors must apply to the child social assistance service which will assess their age and whether they are genuinely unaccompanied.

If a minor wishes to stay in France after they turn 18, they must then apply for asylum which will be dealt with by a different agency.
President Donald Trump has blasted the judge who said his administration can't make asylum seekers wait in Mexico before their court hearing, saying it is 'so unfair'.

Trump tweeted on Monday night: 'A 9th Circuit Judge just ruled that Mexico is too dangerous for migrants. So unfair to the U.S. OUT OF CONTROL!'

He launched the policy at the nation's busiest border crossing in San Diego in January in a bid to stop immigrants wanting asylum being released into the U.S. before their immigration court appearance.

Judge Richard Seeborg in San Francisco granted a request by civil liberties groups to halt the practice while their lawsuit moves forward. He put the decision on hold until Friday to give the White House a chance to appeal.

The lawsuit on behalf of 11 asylum seekers from Central America and legal advocacy groups says the Trump administration is violating U.S. law by failing to adequately evaluate the dangers that migrants face in Mexico.

President Donald Trump has blasted the judge who blocked his administration from making asylum seekers await court dates in Mexico, saying it is 'so unfair'

Before the unprecedented change, families seeking asylum typically had been released in the U.S. with notices to appear in court. Pictured: Central American migrants climbing the border fence between Mexico and the United States

The lawsuit says the Trump administration is violating U.S. law by failing to adequately evaluate the dangers that migrants face in Mexico. Pictured: Trump's response

It comes as growing numbers of families are fleeing poverty and gang violence in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

District Judge Richard Seeborg ruled against Trump on Monday, and is the same judge who slapped down the Commerce Department's effort to include a citizenship question in the 2020 U.S. Census

President Donald Trump's administration says the policy responds to a crisis at the southern border that has overwhelmed the ability of immigration officials to detain migrants.

The lawsuit also accuses Homeland Security and immigration officials of depriving migrants of their right to apply for asylum by making it difficult or impossible for them to do so.

Under the new policy, asylum seekers are not guaranteed interpreters or lawyers and don't get to argue to a judge that they face the potential of persecution or torture if they are sent back to Mexico, Judy Rabinovitz, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, said at a March court hearing.

Seeborg appeared skeptical of the lawsuit's argument that the administration misapplied a U.S. law that allows the return of immigrants to Mexico.

President Donald Trump's administration says the policy responds to a crisis at the southern border that has overwhelmed the ability of immigration officials to detain migrants. Pictured: a U.S.-bound migrant caravan in October 2018

Central American migrants look through a border fence as a U.S. Border Patrol agent stands guard

The ACLU and other groups that are suing say that law does not apply to asylum seekers who cross the border illegally or arrive at a border crossing without proper documents.

The judge also questioned the Justice Department's argument that asylum seekers sent back to Mexico are not eligible for certain protections, such as a hearing before an immigration judge.

The administration hopes that making asylum seekers wait in Mexico will discourage weak claims and help reduce an immigration court backlog of more than 800,000 cases.

Justice Department attorney Scott Stewart said there is a process to protect immigrants who could face harm in Mexico. All 11 plaintiffs in the lawsuit are represented by attorneys, and 10 already have appeared for court proceedings, he said.

Border Patrol arrests, the most widely used gauge of illegal crossings, have risen sharply over the last year but are relatively low in historical terms after hitting a 46-year low in 2017.

The launch of the policy followed months of delicate talks between the U.S. and Mexico. Mexicans and children traveling alone are exempt from it.

Honduran asylum-seekers are pictured crossing into the United States to begin their cases
This is the chilling moment a Thai killer showed police how he murdered a young backpacker - repeatedly smashing her face with a rock.

Ronnakorn Romruen, 24, confessed to raping blonde Miriam Beelte, 26, after she arrived on the idyllic island of Koh Si Chang, eastern Thailand, on Sunday.

The drug-crazed local pestered her for sex but when she refused, he said he followed her into the woodland and pinned her to the ground before raping her as she screamed for help.

Romruen was arrested a few hours later and told police he deliberately murdered Miriam by repeatedly hitting her in the face with a rock to stop her from reporting the attack.

Ronnakorn Romruen, 24, shows police how he battered Miriam Beelte, 26, to death with a brick

Romruen is escorted by police as he arrives at the Koh Sichang police station in Chonburi province on Monday

He then tried to hide the blood-spattered body under leaves in a small gap between rocks.

At a police conference in Chonburi province on Monday afternoon, Ronnakornwore a blue bag over his head as he was paraded to the public.

A police worker in a yellow t-shirt then laid on the ground as Ronnakorn demonstrated with a brick how he battered Miriam's face until she lost consciousness.

He told police that he had taken methamphetamine at the time of the time. He then returned home and washed his clothes in a bid to hide the evidence.

Ronnakorn said he then 'smoked and watched TV' in his shabby wooden house.

Miriam was found a few hours later just before 6pm by a local resident who alerted police and the island was sealed off.

Speaking today, Police Colonel Angkul Sarakul says in the video that Ronnakorn had confessed to the murder.

Miriam Beelte, 26, from Hildesheim, Germany, was raped and then beaten to death on the island of Koh Sichang around 1pm on Sunday

Chilling video showed her killer reenacting the way he murdered her in front of a crowd of police

Romruen was handcuffed and had a bag placed over his head during the horrifying exercise on Monday

He said: 'This is how he did it. This is how he killed the tourist. He used a rock to hit her in the face.'

Police Colonel Sarakul said that Ronnakorn would be charged with premeditated murder, rape and concealing a body.

He has been detained at the Chonburi Police Station while officers prepare legal paperwork for him to be submitted to court.

The police chief added: 'The suspect has confessed to raping and killing the young woman. He will now face legal proceedings.

'Police were very quick to catch him. We were able to trace him as he was very near to where he killed the tourist.'

The maximum punishment for murder is the death penalty.

Miss Beelte had been staying in Pattaya before catching a boat out to Koh Sichang, then renting a motorbike to explore the island
Alex Lovell, 46, suffered unwanted and menacing attention from a BBC viewer

A BBC presenter who was stalked by a viewer for six years who threatened to rape her has revealed how he said he was 'close enough to smell my hair'.

Alex Lovell, 46, suffered unwanted and menacing attention from viewer Gordon Hawthorn, 69, who sent her dozens of cards at BBC Points West in Bristol.

Hawthorn, who told Ms Lovell that his New Year's resolution was to have sex with her whether or not she wanted to, was jailed for two years and six months at Bristol Crown Court in January.

He was identified after another woman, who had received a Valentine's Day card at her workplace, recognised his handwriting on a police appeal.

Speaking on ITV's Lorraine this morning, she advised any stalking victims to 'make a note of absolutely everything as soon as something starts to feel creepy'.

Ms Lovell, who has been presenting on Points West since 2005, revealed the campaign started with her receiving cards at work in 2013, filled with disturbing fantasies and signed 'Gordon'.

Ms Lovell has been presenting on BBC Points West in Bristol since 2005

And she told the BBC: 'They were usually innocent looking, featuring fluffy animals. They each had a distinctive large kiss and four small kisses in between.

'The cards kept on arriving for about four years at fairly regular intervals, but from the beginning they weren't like the other correspondence I welcome from viewers.

Gordon Hawthorn, 68, was jailed for two years and six months at Bristol Crown Court in January. He is pictured before sentencing

'They were crude and very graphic. I stored them, and my boss knew about them but I never did more than that filing them under 'of concern' in my mind.'

But the tone of the cards changed in 2016 when he began threatening her, saying that it was his New Year's resolution to have sex with her - and he would rape her if she did not comply.

Ms Lovell said: 'I'll never forget reading those words - made all the more frightening I think by the fact that this person had been persistent and dogged in his attention for four years already.

'I told my boss, news editor Neil Bennett, who was brilliant and called the police immediately. They took it very seriously. That was enormously reassuring.

'The police guided me in ways to keep myself safe, by changing my driving routes, not leaving work without a colleague, even for coffee, and CCTV security at home.'

The cards, often featuring animals on the front, included threats to rape the presenter and claims he had attacked five other women.

Hawthorn sent the presenter disturbing cards, signed with a distinctive set of five crosses

Another woman came forward to say she had received a card that matched those sent to Ms Lovell. The distinctive set of five crosses are pictured on an envelope to the presenter

They were signed with a distinctive set of five crosses and initially the name 'Gordon', with Hawthorn ending them with 'your stalker' or 'your soon to be rapist' as they became more sinister.

'Make a note of absolutely everything': Alex Lovell's advice to stalking victims Alex Lovell gave a checklist of what to do you if you are the victim of stalking. She told ITV's Lorainne: 'Very often with stalking it escalates  that's the whole point. It escalates, it gets worse, it gets more violent or in threatening terms  whatever it might be. 'So my advice would be, make a note of absolutely everything. As soon as something starts to feel creepy. If it feels wrong you've got to trust your instincts. Write it down. 'Stalking in terms of a crime is weirdly one where your feelings are just as important as any physical evidence or any actuality that happens. 'So writing down what happened when, writing down how it made you feel, how you're starting to change your life. Then tell people, tell colleagues  let people around you know. 'Stalking takes many forms, it's not just high-profile people, it's not just Hollywood stars or violent acts  it can be anything that compromises your safety or makes you feel afraid, because nobody has the right to make you feel fear.' Advertisement

The increasingly threatening cards carried on arriving for another two years and Ms Lovell told how each one was more alarming than the last.

She said: 'It was a sick escalation in disgusting content. The sender said he was close enough to smell my hair, described what he would do to me and how he'd raped many times before.

'He signed them 'From your stalker and soon to be your rapist'. I had to change so many things in my life and was looking over my shoulder constantly. I was jumpy - I had heightened awareness of everything around me.'

In March 2018, police published images of Hawthorn's cards and appealed for information about the sender.

Jessica Harding, who had worked in a pub where Hawthorn drank, came forward to say she had received a Valentine's Day card that matched those sent to Ms Lovell.

Officers attended the pub in Street, Somerset, and arrested Hawthorn.

When police examined Hawthorn's computer, they found he had conducted research on the presenter to establish details including her date of birth.

Ms Lovell said: 'In my case it was clear when to call the police but in many instances it's not that easy for the victim to know when to ask for help, which is why I want to speak out.

'This is not the first time I have had attention that I found frightening and intimidating but it took an extreme event to make me call the police and ask for help.'

Speaking on ITV's Lorraine this morning, Ms Lovell advised any stalking victims to 'make a note of absolutely everything as soon as something starts to feel creepy'

Police published images of Hawthorn's cards and appealed for information about the sender

She also told Lorraine: 'You can't go out on your own because you don't know what this person is, however they claim to be in their letters that is all you can go on.

'Of course, your friends and colleagues are going to try and reassure you so they will say he's probably just some sad person who is sitting there fantasising, but the trouble is you don't know and you can only try and read into what is written.'

Ms Lovell added: 'That moment when they rang me and said 'he's not built like the side of a house, he's not a young man' (was a relief).

'He said that he's raped many times before so you're thinking he's this big, strong man, he's probably quite young, mobile, he's around, and actually he was living in Somerset, he was older, he didn't drive.

Ms Lovell hosted Brainteaser on Channel Five in 2002 after working on a shopping channel

'All those threats just melted away and I was so happy, I went out on purpose on my own at lunchtime just to get a sandwich because it was such a big deal to be able to do that, although you're still a bit nervous because you can't just let it go, but it was completely different from that day.'

Ms Lovell at Cheltenham Racecourse in 2009

She added that police say about 100 incidents take place before a stalking crime is reported.

Ms Lovell, who hosted Brainteaser on Channel Five in 2002 after working on a live shopping channel, added: 'Stalking takes different forms - don't excuse it.

'Victims of all sorts of crimes often doubt and blame themselves. No-one asks to be stalked. Make a note of everything.

'How you feel is as powerful as physical evidence in this crime. Believe me - if it started with a seemingly innocent bunch of flowers, but escalated to the point that you were afraid to leave the house - you would find it hard to remember each odd thing that had built up to this terrible situation.

'Tell someone: all my neighbours, friends and closest colleagues knew about my situation and I found enormous reassurance in their protection.

'Tell the police if you can. Even if you don't want the person who is stalking you to know, it can be logged and the police will advise you what to do.'

She urged anyone who needs advice to contact the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, which is co-ordinating National Stalking Awareness Week 2019.
Theresa May will head to Brussels tomorrow for a crucial Brexit showdown withut a deal to present to EU leaders after talks with Labour today ended without agreement.

Senior figures including Chancellor Philip Hammond and his counterpart John McDonnell met at the Cabinet Office for discussions on a deal which would include a 'Stop Boris' mechanism.

This measure, demanded by Labour, would prevent the Prime Minister's successor - with Boris Johnson the frontrunner - from easily unpicking any soft Brexit deal once it has been passed.

Speaking in Whitehall after talks lasting more than three hours today, shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey said: 'There's not really been any fundamental shift or a change in position of the deal itself. But we're hopeful that progress will be made.

'We're continuing discussions with the Government over the coming days.'

Environment Secretary Michael Gove, who also attended, said there had been 'constructive' discussions, but added: 'There are number of issues where we differ, but we are anxious to ensure that we can carry on with this process.'

More talk are planned for Thursday, when Theresa May is due to return from an emergency European Council summit where EU leaders are expected to dismiss her request for a short delay to Brexit until June and keep us in until the end of the year.

A Downing Street spokesman said: 'We have had further productive and wide-ranging talks this afternoon, and the parties have agreed to meet again on Thursday once European Council has concluded.

'We remain completely committed to delivering on Brexit, with both sides working hard to agreeing a way forward, appreciating the urgency in order to avoid European elections.'

Shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey (pictured right leaving the meeting) said that there had 'not really been any fundamental shift or a change in position of the deal itself' but said talks would continue on Thursday

Theresa May arriving in Paris this afternoon for talks with French president Emmanuel Macron, having arrived from Berlin talks with German chancellor Angela Merkel

Environment Secretary Michael Gove, who attended the London meeting to discuss environmental standards, said: 'There are number of issues where we differ'

Mr McDonnell had earlier said Labour was actively seeking a way to stop a Brexit deal being unpicked by a hardline future Tory leader like Boris Johnson.

Speaking before he joined the talks the shadow chancellor revealed that discussions would include how to 'secure any deal that comes forward in the long term'.

He told reporters in Westminster that they were seeking a so-called 'Boris Lock' be introduced 'in the light of statements over the last week that any softer Brexit deal would be overturned or reversed.

He told reporters: 'It's been raised twice now in the meetings so this is the third occasion it is being raised, simply saying assurances given so far around this don't seem to meet what we are aiming for, given a climate that has created as a result of statements by the Attorney General (Geoffrey Cox), Boris Johnson - a potential leadership candidate, God help us - and then also Jacob Rees-Mogg obviously speaking on behalf of the ERG (European Research Group).

'So some of that discussion that will take place will be about how any deal is secure for the long-term and how best to secure that through either domestic legislation or treaty.'

As well as the Boris Lock talks today was also due to focus on a customs union, and environmental and workers rights.

But in comments that will fan the flames of Labour's internal row over Brexit, Mr McDonnell said that a confirmatory referendum was also due to be discussed but there might not be time to do so.

'It is on the agenda, whether we reach it we will see,' he said.

As well as the Chancellor and Michael Gove, de-facto deputy PM David Lidington, Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay, Business Secretary Greg Clark and Chief Whip Julian Smith were involved in the talks.

Mr McDonnell (far right) arrived for talks this lunchtime with fellow Labour frontbenchers (right to left) Rebecca Long-Bailey, Sir Keir Starmer and Sue Hayman

Talks will include ways to secure any softer Brexit deal against being unpicked by a hardline Brexiteer future Prime Minister, with Boris Johnson (pictured today) among the frontrunners

Earlier a senior Cabinet minister had warned Theresa May that any plan to offer a customs union with the EU as a way to break the Brexit deadlock would be the 'worst of both worlds'.

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox - whose role would be largely redundant if the UK stayed closely aligned to Brussels - hit out in a letter to senior backbench Tories.

Dr Fox, a Brexiteer who has faithfully backed the Prime Minister's ill-faited Brexit deal, laid out his opposition in a brutally blunt letter revealed by the Daily Telegraph.

But Mr McDonnell said that there had been 'no movement' on a customs union so far.

It came as Theresa May conducted high levels talks with Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel in Paris and Berlin, amid anger at the direction of Brexit from eurosceptic hardliners in her own party and Cabinet.

Mrs May's reported offer to let MPs vote on holding a second referendum has infuriated MPs already raging over the fact that she is talking to the opposition at all, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Writing to the committee of the 1922 Committee, Dr Fox said: 'We would be stuck in the worst of both worlds, not only unable to set our own international trade policy but subject, without representation, to the policy of an entity over which MPs would have no democratic control.

'This is something that Labour do not presently seem to understand. As I said at the meeting, in such a scenario the UK would have a new role in the global trading system.

'We would ourselves be traded. As the famous saying in Brussels goes, if you are not at the table, you are on the menu.'

In a further escalation of a Brexiteer revolt, Trade Secretary Liam Fox (pictured yesterday in Downing Street) wrote to Tory MPs to insist a permanent customs union with the EU would be the 'worst of both worlds'

Theresa May arrived in Berlin this morning for crucial Brexit talks with chancellor Angela Merkel. She will go to Paris for talks with president Emmanuel Macron this afternoon

What is a customs union and what could happen if we are in one after Brexit? The customs union has emerged as possibly the last crucial battleground in the political war over Brexit. The customs arrangements could decide the fate of the overall deal - as the UK has already said it will ensure there is no hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. But it has proved a major bone of contention for Brexiteers, with many publicly and privately voicing their fury at it. The are furious that adopting one would keep us far too closely aligned with Brussels but without any say over our international trade policy. What is the EU customs union? The customs union allows the EU states to exchange goods without tariffs, and impose common tariffs on imports from outside the bloc. But they also prevent countries from striking deals outside the union on their own. Theresa May has repeatedly made clear that the UK will be leaving the customs union, while Labour says it wants to replicate it but without being in it. How would that work? Some MPs and the Labour leadership have raised the idea of creating a new customs union with the EU. This could be looser than the existing arrangements, but still allow tariff free trade with the bloc. Labour's alternative plan also suggested that it would also be possible to be in a customs union and influence EU trade deals. However this is against EU law and the party has not explained how this would work. Many Eurosceptics believe it is impossible to be in a union without hampering the UK's ability to strike trade deals elsewhere. They also complain that it would mean accepting the EU's 'protectionist' tariffs against other parts of the world in areas like agriculture. The most high profile of these is International Trade Secretary Liam Fox - whose job would be pointless if we were in a customs union. The PM has also ruled out this option but there are signs that she is wavering as she seeks a way out of the current Brexit chaos engulfing Westminster. Advertisement

Labour's Jo Stevens MP, a supporter of the People's Vote campaign, said: 'Liam Fox's letter shows why it is essential that any alternative Brexit deal is subject to full Parliamentary scrutiny and not simply rammed through the House of Commons to meet an arbitrary deadline.

'There must be no Westminster stitch-up on a decision so important to the country's future.'

Hard left Labour leader Mr Corbyn has called on the Government to be more flexible regarding red line issues in the talks.

But so far he has resisted strong calls from backbenchers and members of his shadow cabinet to demand a second referendum as the price of his support for the Government.

Senior backbench Tories visited Mrs May in Downing Street on Monday and it is understood concern was expressed about the possibility of agreeing to a customs union as a price for a deal with Labour.

And in Tuesday's Daily Telegraph, Tory grandee William Hague said the talks were 'akin to having a dinner date with a crocodile'.

Lord Hague wrote: 'It is difficult in any case to see how carrying through the programme of Brexit procedures and laws could be sustained by an agreement between part of the Conservative Party and the bulk of the Labour Party - the Government would be highly likely to collapse under such a strain.''

An aide to Chancellor Philip Hammond defied the Tory whips by addressing a People's Vote campaign event today.

Huw Merriman, 45, spoke at the Remainer event in London despite previously acknowledging it could cost him his Treasury post.

The parliamentary private secretary and MP for Bexhill and Battle in Sussex - who backs Theresa May's Brexit deal - said he wanted to use the event to explain why he supported a confirmatory referendum on the agreement in last week's 'indicative' votes in the Commons.

That had been a free vote so while he avoided censure for doing it he said he was now in the strange position of facing the sack for speaking about it.

He took to the stage alongside speakers including his former Tory colleague turned Change UK MP Anna Soubry, and Labour's David Lammy and Baroness Boothroyd.

Tory former ministers Dominic Grieve and Sam Gyimah also addressed the crowd.

Mr Merriman told the audience that it was 'seriously wrong' that he had been threatened with the sack if he explained to them why he now supported a second referendum.

He said that he first voted to Remain but now supports Brexit after voters won the referendum.

But he explained he wants a fresh vote in order to 'get this country through the mess we are currently in'.

'Parliament has failed. Parliament cannot make its mind up. There is no majority in Parliament for any one thing,' he said.

'So if I'm true to that view that I want to deliver what the majority voted for the last time then that leads me here to a confirmatory vote.

'It's time now to bump this over the line, ask the people to do the job that Parliament should do but can't and bring on a People's Vote.'

Treasury aide Huw Merriman will speak at a People's Vote event today, saying that if it led to his sacking it would be the 'politics of the madhouse'

Philip May looked pensive as he waved off his wife on her European tour as she tries to delay Brexit yet again

The Prime Minister is hoping that her cross-party talks with Labour will convince EU leaders to give her a short extension to Article 50 at a summit in Brussels in Wednesday, before Britain leaves the bloc with No Deal by default on Friday.

However the discussions with Jeremy Corbyn do not appear to be making any progress and EU leaders are growing tired of repeated extension requests.

They are preparing to impose a long delay to Brexit until around March 2020, are fearful that a new Brexiteer Prime Minister, such as Boris Johnson, could cause havoc within the EU during this time.

To counter this threat, the EU will 'Boris-proof' any Brexit delay and refuse to let the UK have any say in future EU budget talks and trade deals until Britain leaves, it was revealed today.

An EU diplomat told The Times: 'If there is a wild Brexiteer as a new Tory PM, they would be able to do nothing until after March 31, 2020, unless they subscribe to the withdrawal agreement. We will simply not hold talks. If a new British leader refuses these terms it will simply be 'no deal' on the date with plenty of time for us to prepare.'

With the country headed for a lengthy Brexit delay, senior cabinet member Andrea Leadsom has gone rogue by urging Mrs May to beg Angela Merkel to re-open the Brexit deal and change the Irish backstop - which the PM and the EU has repeatedly said is impossible.

She said: 'I think would be fantastic is if Angela Merkel will try to support a proper UK Brexit by agreeing to reopen the withdrawal agreement. There have been rumours over the weekend that some senior members of the German government would be willing to do that in order to get Theresa May's deal over the line'.

Theresa May fired the starting gun on Britain's participation in the European Parliament elections last night. Government officials formally triggered the elections for May 23  at an estimated cost to the taxpayer of 108million  while the Tories launched a search for candidates.
A Brexit campaigner who worked for Boris Johnson shared a meme joking that Theresa May should be killed and eaten, it was revealed today.

Economist Gerard Lyons, who backs a 'clean' No Deal, was rebuked after he forwarded on the 'extreme' message on a WhatsApp group that also contains some Tory MPs.

Mr Lyons, who was an adviser to Boris Johnson when he was Mayor of London, claims he shared the message on the 'Brexit outreach group' by accident and said today: 'I do not endorse it'.

The offending message as a picture of 17th-century Dutch prime minister Johan de Witt, with the caption: 'In 1672, a mob of angry Dutch killed and ate their prime minister. Options. Just sayin' .'

De Witt was Holland's political leader when he was hanged and mutilated - with some claiming at the time that the mob ate his organs, including his eyes.

Economist Gerard Lyons, who backs a 'clean' No Deal, was rebuked after he forwarded on the 'extreme' message on a WhatsApp group that also contains some Tory MPs

According to the Times, who have seen the meme, people on the WhatsApp group expressed their disappointment.

One member said: 'Guys, come on now'. Another said: 'I'd settle for some ability for the people to sack her. No need for those extremes.'

Former British Chambers of Commerce chief John Longworth then: 'I would think a bit sinuous' - and then after his comments Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg left the group.

Last night Mr Lyons told The Times: 'It's not a WhatsApp group for MPs. This image was sent to me and clearly has been forwarded by mistake. I have never forwarded an image to this group before. The first I was aware of it was when you rang me. I do not endorse it.'

A hardline Brexiteer was slapped down last night after calling for a vote of confidence in Theresa May.

Mark Francoiss demand was quickly rejected by Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs.

It came as former party chairman Chris Patten warned that Brexit has turned the Tories into a jihadist party obsessed with ideology.

Theresa May leaves Downing Street to head to Germany and then France where she will meet with Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron for talks, four days before the UK is due to leave the EU

His intervention came as Mr Francois, deputy chairman of the European Research Group, sent a letter to Sir Graham calling for Mrs May to go. In it, he said he believed the PM should resign for the sake of the existential future of our party and the destiny of our country.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT WITH BREXIT? WEDNESDAY APRIL 10: EU SUMMIT Another summit with EU leaders  where May will ask for a new delay beyond April 12. May's new plan is to strike a cross-party consensus in London and persuade EU leaders it means the deal can be delivered in time for Brexit on May 22. She may have to accept a longer extension that means holding EU elections, as Brussels has made clear this is a red line - and will take a decision on delay without Britain and it must be unanimous. EU officials including Michel Barnier have warned that the risk of an accidental No Deal is increasing if May arrives with no plan. THURSDAY APRIL 11: PM'S FACES MPs Theresa May will return from Brussels with a likely nine to 12 month extension and will outline her plans in the the Commons in the wake of the EU summit. FRIDAY APRIL 12: BREXIT DAY Britain is due to leave the EU without a deal on this date if no delay is agreed. Advertisement

If she would not, he called for an indicative confidence vote in her leadership. He said: I believe Theresa May has been a failure as leader of our party, which she now threatens to destroy.

Hers is a classic example of hubris  and after hubris comes nemesis. He said it was literally incredible that Mrs May was discussing a possible compromise Brexit deal with Jeremy Corbyn. We are living in a world gone mad, he added. A Conservative Prime Minister, who voted Remain, egged on by a coterie of neo-federalist civil servants and a powerful Remainiac cabal in the Cabinet, has tried  and failed three times  to pass a draft treaty through the Commons which would lock us into a customs union forever.

Sir Graham said the 1922 Committee had no intention of agreeing to Mr Francoiss proposal. There is no intention of proceeding, he said.

Brexiteers were last month forced to deny that they were opposing Theresa May's deal because they are sexist.

Leading members of the European Research Group slammed the 'low and unworthy' claims made by an unnamed minister today.

The minister said there was a 'whiff of misogny' surrounding Eurosceptics amid claims they could vote for the deal if the Prime Minister resigns.

Steve Baker, ERG deputy chairman, said: 'It is very low and unworthy complaint'.

Nigel Evans told MailOnline: 'Desperate stuff and a card that shouldn't be played when it was never dealt - we are proud to have been the only party to have elected two women MPs'.

Foreign Office minister Mark Field had warned it would 'not be a great look for my party' if the Tories were to force a second female Prime Minister out of office in a row over the EU.
A South Carolina university student died suddenly while attending a weekend fraternity party where she was drinking alcohol, just minutes after she told her boyfriend she didn't feel well and collapsed.

A Beaufort County Sheriff's Office report says Caroline Smith, a 20-year-old Furman University sophomore from Atlanta, was found by emergency workers early Saturday laying on the ground at a warehouse that hosts events.

Deputies were told by her boyfriend that he was talking to her in the back room of the warehouse when she said she didn't feel well, according to an incident report. She then 'fell to the ground' and was unresponsive.

Tragic loss: Furman University sophomore Caroline Smith, 20, died Saturday after telling her boyfriend she didn't feel well while attending a fraternity party

Smith, her older brother and her boyfriend were at this warehouse in Hilton Head, South Carolina, for an off-campus party Friday night

Her boyfriend performed CPR until medical workers arrived. They continued CPR for several minutes until Smith was pronounced dead shortly after midnight.

Her brother, Furman junior Ryan Smith, was present and told deputies his sister didn't have any medical issues that he was aware of, the report said.

Both Smith and her boyfriend said the group was drinking alcohol but not using drugs or narcotics.

An autopsy was performed by the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston Monday but 'the cause of death and manner of death is pending per further analysis,' Beaufort County deputy coroner David Ott told the Island Packet. Results could take weeks.

Furman spokesman Vince Moore says the formal event, which had been scheduled for Saturday night by the Kappa Alpha fraternity, had been approved by the university. Once Smith died, the formal was canceled and students returned to the Greenville campus.

'She was well known on campus and liked,' Moore said. 'The campus is affected by the loss. It is grieving and we are trying to begin the healing process.'

The Friday night event at the warehouse on Enterprise Lane in Hilton Head 'was not an official part of the formal,' Moore said.

No charges have been filed in connection to Smith's death.

Smith was a history and communications major. She was also a member of a sorority

Smith, pictured with her parents, could not be revived and passed away at the party venue

Caroline's brother, Furman junior Ryan Smith (right), was present and told deputies his sister didn't have any medical issues that he was aware of

'The sheriff's office is investigating circumstances surrounding her death and whether alcohol was obtained by underage persons,' Maj. Bob Bromage said Monday.

The national organization is coordinating and cooperating with the university and authorities, said Jesse Lyons, director for advancement of the national office of Kappa Alpha. He said the fraternity also is coordinating with the university to provide counseling resources for members and to support memorials for Smith.

The 20-year-old student was a history and communication studies major, as well as a member of the universitys Kappa Delta chapter, the Zeta-Pi Furman.

'As a close and caring community, such a loss impacts all of us, and we are reminded how fragile life can be,' Furman University President Elizabeth Davis wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday. 'It is important that we console one another in our grief and seek help if we need it.'

A visitation and a prayer service will take place in Sandy Springs, Georgia, on Friday, followed by a funeral Mass the following day.
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Haunting photos from a new book have captured the beauty of buildings left abandoned for nearly 14 years after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans.

Photographer Leland Kent returned to former hospitals, nursing homes and high schools to show the devastating impact of the Category 5 hurricane which killed more than 1,800 people in 2005.

In one shot, from the courtyard of a nursing home, nature can be seen reclaiming the space as trees and bushes wildly sprout across the area.

Another shows the autopsy amphitheater in the basement of the Charity Hospital, complete with its embalming table in the centre of the room.

Others show posters still hanging from the wall in a hospital which say 'Katrina Alumni 2005' and 'make love not hurricanes'.

The book's blurb reads: 'In Abandoned New Orleans, photographer Leland Kent provides an extraordinary look at eight historic and abandoned locations.

'From a hospital where patients and staff were trapped during the storm, to a long forgotten Nazi internment camp, and the first high school built for African-American students.

'Each chapter gives an in-depth look at these places accompanied by a gallery of stunning imagery.'

Photographer Leland Kent captured this incredible image of the autopsy amphitheater in the basement of Charity Hospital in New Orleans, which was abandoned after Hurricane Katrina

For his new book, Abandoned New Orleans, Kent visited a number of buildings - including this massive five-storey power plant - which have been left untouched for nearly 14 years

This haunting show shows posters which say 'make love not hurricanes' and 'Katrina Alumni 2005' still hanging on the wall in the deserted hospital

Here, nature has reclaimed a courtyard at a former nursing home, with trees and other plant life wildly springing up across the area

The book's blurb reads: 'In Abandoned New Orleans, photographer Leland Kent provides an extraordinary look at eight historic and abandoned locations.' Pictured: the Art Deco Charity Hospital which remains unused

This shot shows the graffiti covering the auditorium of the former Booker T High School. It became popular with squatters and thieves who stripped copper from the building

Paint peels from the walls as an empty hospital gurney lays dormant in a dark hallway inside the Charity Hospital in this picture

Pictured: falling plaster and dirt covers the floors of this exterior hallway inside an ornate nursing home

The only surviving building from Camp Algiers, an internment camp which housed both suspected Nazi-sympathizers from Latin America and Jewish refugees during the Second World War, has fallen into a state of disrepair

Pictured: the view through a broken window at Booker T High School. Thieves stripped copper from the building and ripped architectural detailing from the walls after Katrina

The Category 5 hurricane killed more than 1,800 people in 2005. Pictured: the rooftop of the abandoned power plant looking over the city

Ransackers rummaged through this office inside the former hospital, leading books and papers scattered across the floor

Pictured: bare wooden seats that are falling apart in the deserted high school auditorium
A man wanted by police over the alleged assault of the schoolboy who famously egged controversial Senator Fraser Anning last month has been charged.

It comes the same day police ended their investigation into the incident on March 16, when Will Connolly, 17, cracked an egg on the back of the senator's head in Melbourne before he was tackled and held to the ground by onlookers.

On Monday, police released a photo of a man they wanted to speak to in relation to the incident, who allegedly kicked the teen numerous times while he was held to the ground at last month's incident at a far right rally in Moorabbin in the city's south-east.

Charges have been laid after Victoria Police released this photo of a man they wanted to speak to in relation to their inquiries into the March 16 incident in Melbourne

A West Footscray man, 20, has since been interviewed.

'He has been released and will be charged on summons with assault by kicking,' a Victoria Police said in a statement.

The man his since been charged with assault.

Will, now famously known worldwide as 'Egg Boy' has been let off with an official warning for his actions in response to the polarising senator's controversial comments about the deadly New Zealand terror attack in Christchurch a day prior.

Will Connolly was allegedly kicked after he egged controversial Senator Fraser Anning

His lawyer Peter Gordon released a statement on behalf of the relieved teen.

'Will wants to thank Victoria Police for their professionalism in their dealings with him and the speed of the resolution,' the statement read.

'Will is taking very seriously the formal caution he was given by police about his actions.'

Mr Gordon later told reporters: 'He acknowledges that politicians of different persuasions are entitled to go about their business without being egged. He's learnt a lesson from that and he won't do it again.'

Schoolboy Will Connolly (pictured after the incident) has expressed relief after police issued him with an official caution. No charges will be laid against him

He added Will and his family won't seek charges against those who acted against him on the day.

Senator Anning, who slapped the teen moments after he was egged will not be charged either over the incident.

Police deemed the Queensland senator's involvement as self-defence with no reasonable prospect of conviction.

More than $100,000 collected from online fundraising pages to help pay for Will's legal fees will now be donated to the families of victims from the Christchurch tragedy.

Will Connolly was allegedly kicked by a man while he was held to the ground
Andrea Leadsom defied Theresa May and signalled a new Brexiteer revolt today as she urged the Prime Minister to use a trip to Berlin to demand a 'proper Brexit'.

The Commons Leader said Mrs May should tell Angela Merkel to make the EU re-write the Brexit divorce deal and tear up the Irish border backstop.

Following the first hammering of her deal, Mrs May asked the EU to reopen the deal to change the backstop - a provision designed to avoid a hard border in Ireland even if UK-EU trade talks fail - and was rebuffed.

Mrs Merkel herself has repeatedly said the deal, negotiated over the past two years, cannot be renegotiated.

But Mrs Leadsom went rogue today and insisted she had heard 'rumours' the German government might finally be prepared to budge at the 11th hour.

Downing Street dismissed the plea as Mrs May's spokesman said the PM 'set out in her statement to Parliament last week that the EU has repeatedly said it cannot and will not reopen the withdrawal agreement'.

In a further escalation of a Brexiteer revolt, Trade Secretary Liam Fox wrote to Tory MPs to insist a permanent customs union with the EU would be the 'worst of both worlds'.

The Government is in talks with Labour on changing the political declaration outlining the permanent trade deal amid claims she could concede a customs union.

The day was capped with a huge Tory rebellion on Mrs May's proposed second delay to Brexit.

There were 97 Tory votes against the plan to delay Brexit until the end of June, with an early escape if the deal passes. Another 80 MPs - including Mrs Leadsom and Dr Fox - abstained as the measure passed 420-110 with Labour votes.

As the revolt broken out in London today, Mrs May travelled to Berlin and Paris to beg for help as she asks for a second delay to Brexit.

Andrea Leadsom (pictured in Westminster today) defied Theresa May and signalled a new Brexiteer revolt today as she urged the Prime Minister to use a trip to Berlin to demand a 'proper Brexit'

The Commons Leader said Mrs May should tell Angela Merkel (pictured greeting Mrs May in Berlin today) to make the EU re-write the Brexit divorce deal and tear up the Irish border backstop

Ahead of the showdown, Mrs Leadsom said: 'What I think would be fantastic if Angela Merkel will try to support a proper UK Brexit by agreeing to reopen the Withdrawal Agreement.

What is a customs union and what could happen if we are in one after Brexit? The customs union has emerged as possibly the last crucial battleground in the political war over Brexit. The customs arrangements could decide the fate of the overall deal - as the UK has already said it will ensure there is no hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. But it has proved a major bone of contention for Brexiteers, with many publicly and privately voicing their fury at it. The are furious that adopting one would keep us far too closely aligned with Brussels but without any say over our international trade policy. What is the EU customs union? The customs union allows the EU states to exchange goods without tariffs, and impose common tariffs on imports from outside the bloc. But they also prevent countries from striking deals outside the union on their own. Theresa May has repeatedly made clear that the UK will be leaving the customs union, while Labour says it wants to replicate it but without being in it. How would that work? Some MPs and the Labour leadership have raised the idea of creating a new customs union with the EU. This could be looser than the existing arrangements, but still allow tariff free trade with the bloc. Labour's alternative plan also suggested that it would also be possible to be in a customs union and influence EU trade deals. However this is against EU law and the party has not explained how this would work. Many Eurosceptics believe it is impossible to be in a union without hampering the UK's ability to strike trade deals elsewhere. They also complain that it would mean accepting the EU's 'protectionist' tariffs against other parts of the world in areas like agriculture. The most high profile of these is International Trade Secretary Liam Fox - whose job would be pointless if we were in a customs union. The PM has also ruled out this option but there are signs that she is wavering as she seeks a way out of the current Brexit chaos engulfing Westminster. Advertisement

'There have been rumours over the weekend that some senior members of the German government would be willing to do that in order to get Theresa May's deal across the line.

'If we could get the prime minister's deal over the line because the EU have decided to support measures on the backstop then that would be the best possible outcome.'

But ahead of the talks German EU minister Michael Roth played down hopes of a shift from Berlin. He said: 'It's groundhog day again.

'Unfortunately I have to say that the conditions the European council has decided on in its last meeting have not been met. This means time will run out on 12 April.'

He added: 'Of course the EU continues to be willing to talk, there is also a letter by the prime minister, May.

'We will very carefully have to look at this letter. We are finally expecting substantial steps in the right direction. So far absolutely nothing has changed.

'Of course we are also thinking about such a deadline extension, including a long extension of the deadline, but this also has to come with very strict criteria.

'For example, it cannot be that there are speculations without an obligation of the British side to also partake in the European elections. Therefore we are in a very frustrating situation and the EU has to finally also take care of issues of the future.

'We might also have to give the British side time so they can finally be clear about what they actually want. Apparently the very late talks with the British opposition have not led to any progress whatsoever either.'

In March, the EU formalised new 'assurances' on how the backstop would work, attaching two new documents to the Withdrawal Agreement negotiated by the EU's Michel Barnier and UK officials.

But the papers were not enough to convince Attorney General Geoffrey Cox to change his legal advice there was a risk the backstop could last forever if trade talks falter.

The backstop effectively ties the UK into the EU customs union between the end of the planned two-year transition period and the start of a permanent trade deal.

Brexiteers hate it because they fear it will be the basis of that trade deal - meaning no post-Brexit trade deals - and it will be impossible to leave if trade talks fail.

The DUP also say the protocol creates a border between Great Britain and Northern Ireland because the province would have to stay inside additional single market rules.

In a further escalation of a Brexiteer revolt, Trade Secretary Liam Fox (pictured yesterday in Downing Street) wrote to Tory MPs to insist a permanent customs union with the EU would be the 'worst of both worlds'

The second Brexiteer intervention today from Dr Fox came in an incendiary letter to the 1922 Committee of backbench MPs.

It comes ahead of renewed talks between Mrs May's deputy David Lidington and shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer today on a possible cross-party consensus.

Talks are thought to be focused on whether a form of customs union could be acceptable enough to both parties to pass the main Withdrawal Agreement with Labour votes.

But in a letter revealed by the Telegraph, Dr Fox told Tory MPs: 'We would be stuck in the worst of both Worlds, not only unable to set our own international trade policy but subject, without representation, to the policy of an entity over which MPs would have no democractic control.

'This is something that Labour do not presently seem to understand. As I said at the meeting, in such a scenario the UK would have a new role in the global trading system.

'We would ourselves be traded. As the famous saying in Brussels goes, if you are not at the table, you are on the menu.'

Mrs Leadsom's intervention will be widely seen as manoevering ahead of the expected Tory leadership race.

She lost out to Mrs May almost three years ago after a scandal over remarks to a newspaper that she would be a better PM because she was a mother.

Mrs Leadsom's intervention will be widely seen as manoevering ahead of the expected Tory leadership race. Rivals (from left) Tom Tughendhat, Penny Mordaunt and Matt Hancock were also out today at event for the Onward think tank
Dr Vishwajeet Kumar, 44, leaving his Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service hearing at the GMC in Manchester

An NHS orthopaedic surgeon has been suspended for 12 months after he pursued an affair with a patient - hugging her and telling her 'You've made my day' after examining her during an appointment, then texting asking to meet.

Dr Vishwajeet Kumar, 44, left the woman feeling embarrassed and confused after making 'inappropriate' comments while examining her feet in his lap during a 15-minute appointment - he told her she had a 'lovely smile' - adding: 'Can I just say what a lovely lady you are.'

The married father-of-one, who worked at Wrightington Hospital in Wigan, Greater Manchester, also asked the woman if he could have her phone number and later suggested the pair go out for lunch or coffee together.

He subsequently sent the woman Whatsapp messages saying: 'Can I come and see you. It's nice to see you today, I hope that you have a good rest of your day.'

Dr Kumar claimed he made the comments as he felt he had a 'connection' with the woman as both had gone through recent family bereavements.

But he was reported to the General Medical Council which said his comments were 'inappropriate' and accused of him of pursuing an affair with the patient.

Dr Kumar, from Standish, Wigan, denied sexually motivated conduct - but a tribunal found there was 'sufficient and persuasive evidence' that the messages were sent in the pursuit of a sexual relationship.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service was told the consultation at the hospital took place in February 2017 after the woman known as Patient A had gone to Dr Kumar for physiotherapy on her feet following surgery she had to undergo due to a fall.

Peter Atherton lawyer for the GMC told the Manchester hearing: 'Dr Kumar behaved inappropriately with Patient A. During this meeting he said: 'Can I just say what a lovely lady you are', 'you've got a lovely smile', 'you've made my day' and 'you're my last patient'. He then hugged Patient A.

Dr Vishwajeet Kumar an NHS orthopaedic surgeon was fighting to save his career after he hugged a patient and told her: 'you've made my day' as he examined her poorly feet

'What is alleged is that he also invited her out for lunch and a coffee and said: 'Can I come and see you.' It is also alleged that he placed her foot on his thigh for longer than needed. At the end of the consultation Dr Kumar then sent her a message saying: 'It's nice to see you today, I hope that you have a good rest of your day.' The messages then continued.

'We say these were inappropriate approaches in an attempt to establish an improper relationship. The course of conduct was sexually motivated.'

Giving evidence Patient A, aged in her 50s, said: 'My foot was in his lap and I thought that wasn't right. He then made a comment that I didn't think was right and I started to feel uncomfortable that my foot was still in his lap. I found his comments confusing to start with, but I suppose when compliments are made, you look at that person in a different way. I was a bit embarrassed actually.

'He did say to me that I was the last patient of the morning and that I made his day, and he said: 'Do you want to get a coffee?' The way I felt and the things he was saying wasn't what I went to the consultation for. I felt very uneasy, very awkward and quite unhappy about it really - I actually wanted to get out.'

The married father-of-one was working at Wrightington Hospital in Wigan, Greater Manchester, when he made advances on a patient

'I came out feeling very confused and although I did think he was quite nice, it was not a consultation that I expected. When somebody makes a compliment, you look at that person in a slightly different way. My feelings in that room were of being uncomfortable and I was trying to distract him away from the compliments. I was there about my foot and nothing else.'

The hearing was told Patient A agreed to give the doctor her mobile phone number and she replied to one of his text messages saying: 'Yes, I had a good day, you? I just went to see a friend.'

But it was claimed the friendship soured when the patient noticed Dr Kumar's profile picture on his WhatsApp messages included pictures of his family, and she realised he was married with a son, aged 10.

The doctor suggested the pair could be friends, but Patient A was said to have responded: 'I have enough male friends, I would want it to be more than that. If you have a wife, that is against my principles.'

Dr Kumar told the hearing: 'This is clearly just a one-off incident which I am regretful of. It's something that I never should have done, and I am regretful of that. I have learned more, and I am starting to take it more seriously since the incident. I am respecting professional barriers and I have always had a good professional relationship with my patients.

'I have made a mistake and it is a one-off mistake. I will never let it happen again in my professional career.'

When asked why he hugged the patient, Dr Kumar added: 'It was just an instinct without giving it any thought. It was in good faith because the patient was friendly and talkative. We were talking about family, and she had nice mannerisms. I still feel like she had a good consultation.

'I felt like I connected with her. I was recovering from going through bereavement myself - both my father and my mother had died recently. My intention was to help this patient, she had three falls in December. I understand that I was not professional, but I wanted to help her.

Dr Kumar admitted that the idea of a relationship was initially considered by him during the consultation, and he also admitted that he crossed professional boundaries

'Yes, I made a mistake - I am a human. I am a doctor, and I consider myself to be a nice and caring doctor, and my patients are always at the centre of what I do. I would not say that I thought she was attractive, I just found her engaging and nice. I would refrain from saying she is an attractive woman.

'I felt connected to her emotions and feelings. I would never go out for lunch or coffee with a patient. I remember recommending that she got a coffee, but I didn't invite her for one. I wanted a friendship, I wanted to talk about bereavements.

'I understand my wife is there for me, but she is not able to give as much support as I hope. My best friends are not here either. I understand I should have discussed this with my colleagues, and patients are not friends.'

Chair of the tribunal Miss Sally Cowen said: 'The tribunal has no concerns about Dr Kumar's clinical management of Patient A, which it considered to be competent and appropriate. However, the tribunal was of the view that it was Dr Kumar's behavior during the consultation that led to the pursuit of a relationship in his subsequent messages to Patient A.

'The tribunal noted that Dr Kumar admitted that the idea of a relationship was initially considered by him during the consultation, and he also admitted that he crossed professional boundaries.

'The Tribunal determined that Dr Kumar's actions were serious and would be regarded by fellow practitioners as deplorable. The Tribunal also noted that Dr Kumar is in a position of trust in the doctor/patient partnership.'

The Tribunal, having found that the facts found proved amounted to misconduct, determined to immediately suspend Dr Kumar's registration for a period of 12 months.

The allegation that Dr Kumar held Patient A's foot onto his thigh for longer than needed was found not proved by the tribunal.
An 'obsessed' husband 'bent on murderous revenge' spent a year amassing an arsenal of weapons before murdering his pregnant ex-wife with a crossbow, a court heard today.

Mother-of-five Devi Unmathallegadoo, 35, was shot by Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo, 51, at her home in Ilford, east London, the Old Bailey heard.

Unmathallegadoo had been lying in wait in Devi's shed before bursting out armed with two crossbows, chasing her through her home and murdering her, jurors heard.

Devi was eight months pregnant and the bolt narrowly missed her unborn baby, who survived after being born by Caesarean section.

Devi Unmathallegadoo was shot by Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo at her home in Ilford, east London , the Old Bailey heard. Devi was eight months pregnant and the bolt narrowly missed her unborn baby, who was safely delivered via Caesarean section (pictured)

Unmathallegadoo (right) had been lying in wait in Devi's (left) shed before bursting out armed with two crossbows, chasing her through her home and murdering her, jurors heard

Devi Unmathallegadoo had split from her husband and moved on with Imtiaz Muhammad (pictured)

Her parents had arranged her marriage to Unmathallegadoo when she was 16, but the relationship 'was not a happy one' and they separated in 2012.

Devi then began a relationship with Imtiaz Muhammad, who had decorated the couple's kitchen.

At the time of her death, Devi was living with Mr Muhammad, and the two were 'eagerly expecting the imminent arrival' of their child together.

Jurors were told Unmathallegadoo 'had not reacted well to the break up' and spent a year 'storing items in close proximity to Devi's house' for use in a 'a cold-blooded execution by a man consumed by hatred and an unquenchable thirst for revenge.'

But by 12 November last year, Unmathallegadoo 'was armed with two new crossbows, bolts, a hammer, a knife in a homemade sheath, cable ties and duct tape'.

His plan 'was to restrain' the couple and 'to kill at least Devi, Imtiaz and their unborn child,' jurors were told.

Mr Muhammad screamed 'run' to Devi as he was chased into the house by Unmathallegadoo, the court heard.

Imtiaz Muhammad, pictured after the death of Devi. The prosecution claimed Unmathallegadoo's plan was to restrain his ex-wife and her new partner Imtiaz, and then kill them and their unborn child

Devi was eight months pregnant and the bolt narrowly missed her unborn baby, who was safely delivered via c-section. The couple had separated in 2012 and eventually divorced two years later

Jurors heard the marriage ended following an incident in March 2012 when Devi leapt out of a first-floor bedroom window.

She was taken to hospital having suffered a fractured heel while her husband was arrested and held in custody.

Unmathallegadoo took time off from his role as site manager at Newham General Hospital due to 'stress' from the break up, the court heard.

Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo, 51, allegedly killed heavily pregnant Devi Unmathallegadoo, 35

He stopped turning up for work in December 2013 and abruptly resigned in the early part of the following year.

Peter Wright QC, prosecuting, told jurors the disintegration of the marriage had 'a profound effect on Unmathallegadoo', eventually leading to 'a deeply held desire for a most violent revenge'.

Unmathellagadoo then began building his cache of weapons, buying many of the items online.

The purchases were 'not due to any longstanding interest in archery or hunting' but had 'an altogether more sinister reason'.

A neighbour discovered Unmathellagadoo's 'cache' stored in an electrical substation close to his former wife's home in November 2017.

Suspecting it was a 'burglary kit' she reported the find to police, who removed the bag.

In March last year, she found another stash including a laundry bag containing two crossbows, one assembled and the other disassembled, as well as numerous bolts and bolt heads.

There was also a selection of kitchen knives and what appeared to be harpoon spears, jurors heard.

The police again removed them but just two days after the find, Unmathallegadoo 'took steps to replenish his armoury'.

The scene of the murder in Ilford, east London, on 12 November last year

That same day, he went to another supplier for archery arrows, bolt heads and bolts.

In May, he bought a 'Guillotine X' crossbow for 259.99, and asked in July about purchasing a mechanical crossbow crank cocking device. By August his total outlay on weaponry came to nearly 2,000.

He also carried out surveillance of the home, noting down the comings and goings of the family, it was claimed.

By the morning of November 12, 2018, he had allegedly taken up position in the shed, awaiting his moment to strike.

The prosecution claimed his plan was to restrain his ex-wife and her new partner, and then kill them and their unborn child.

But he was disturbed when the victim's partner took a box to store in the shed, jurors heard.

The defendant chased him into the house, carrying the two crossbows, and shot his ex-wife as she fled upstairs.

At the time of her death, Devi was living with her new partner, Imtiaz Muhammad, and the two were 'eagerly expecting the imminent arrival' of their child together.

Peter Wright QC, prosecuting, said: 'The attack that took place on the morning of 12 November last year was the culmination of a series of acts carried out by him, all of which were calculated to ensure a successful outcome to what was to be a devastating and murderous act of revenge on his former wife and her new partner.

'This was a quite deliberate and calculated act of revenge on his part intended to cause at the very least the death of Devi and the extinction of the child she carried.

'For at least a year he had been making preparations for an attack upon Devi and Imtiaz.

'In March of 2018 at the latest, he had acquired two crossbows and numerous bolts with which to carry out his attack. It is, we say, no coincidence that he had acquired more than one crossbow for his scheme.'

Unmathallegadoo, of no fixed address, denies murder and the attempted destruction of a child capable of being born alive.

The trial continues.
Sydney's record-breaking summer ended with a bang over the weekend as beachgoers witnessed a showdown between lifeguards and an allegedly drunk man.

The man argued with lifeguards at Coogee Beach in Sydney's eastern suburbs after he was quizzed about a bag he tried to walk off with on Sunday.

Video footage of the incident shows multiple lifeguards swarm onto the man, who is noticeably unsettled, as onlookers record it on their phones and cheer.

Sydney's record-breaking summer ended with a bang over the weekend as beachgoers witnessed a showdown between lifeguards and an allegedly drunk man

Kensington resident, Tom Davies, told News Corp onlookers turned their heads and collectively held their breath as the bizarre situation unfolded.

A Randwick City Council spokeswoman said the man 'appeared heavily intoxicated and was witnessed being abusive to other beachgoers.'

'He picked up a bag from the beach, and when lifeguards asked him to verify it belonged to him, he became violent,' she said.

'The man then became abusive towards the lifeguards and he was asked to leave the beach.'

A Randwick City Council spokeswoman said the man 'appeared heavily intoxicated and was witnessed being abusive to other beachgoers'

Footage of the incident also shows a member of the public become involved in the scuffle.

Mr Davies said the mystery man appeared to try and ease the situation, but the perpetrator continued to walk away with the bag.

Lifeguards then, with the aid of the man, wrestled the abusive drunk to the ground - face planting him into the sand.

The tackle was met with victorious cheers from beachgoers, who had witnessed the entire ordeal.

Mr Davies said the mystery man appeared to try and ease the situation, but the perpetrator continued to walk away with the bag

The Randwick spokeswoman said that the lifeguards restrained the man until police arrived.

Mr Davies said there was another bout of collective cheers as officers appeared.

'It was a pretty shocking thing to see at such a crowded beach,' he said.
Jennifer Wenisch arrives with her lawyer Ali Aydin

A German woman who joined ISIS has gone on trial today accused of letting a five-year-old Yazidi 'slave' girl die of thirst.

Prominent human rights lawyer Amal Clooney is part of the team representing the dead girl's mother, but she is not expected to appear in the Munich trial on Tuesday.

The defendant, Jennifer Wenisch, 27, faces life in jail if found guilty of committing a war crime, murder, membership in a terrorist organisation and weapons offences.

The case against her is believed to be the first anywhere in the world for international crimes committed by ISIS jihadists against Yazidis.

According to news weekly Der Spiegel, the defendant, herself the mother of a small girl, confessed while talking to an undercover FBI informant in a bugged car.

German prosecutors allege her ISIS husband had purchased the Yazidi child and her mother - a co-plaintiff in the trial - as household 'slaves' and held them captive while living in then occupied Mosul, Iraq, in 2015.

'After the girl fell ill and wet her mattress, the husband of the accused chained her up outside as punishment and let the child die an agonising death of thirst in the scorching heat,' prosecutors charge.

'The accused allowed her husband to do so and did nothing to save the girl.'

The former ISIS 'morality policewoman' reportedly left school after the eighth grade, converted to Islam and travelled via Turkey and Syria to Iraq where she joined ISIS

She was said to have roamed the city parks in ISIS-occupied Fallujah (pictured) and Mosul in Ira

German media said the defendant's husband, Taha Sabah Noori Al-J., had beaten both the Yazidi mother and child, and that Wenisch allegedly also once held a pistol to the woman's head.

Wenisch, who reportedly left school after the eighth grade and converted to Islam in 2013, left Germany in August 2014 and travelled via Turkey and Syria to Iraq where she joined the ISIS.

Recruited in mid-2015 to an 'anti-vice squad' of the group's self-styled Hisba morality police, she patrolled city parks in ISIS-occupied Fallujah and Mosul.

Armed with an AK-47 assault rifle, a pistol and an explosives vest, her task was to ensure that women complied with IS behaviour and clothing regulations, said prosecutors.

In January 2016, months after the Yazidi child's death, Wenisch visited the German embassy in Ankara to apply for new identity papers.

Her task was to ensure that women complied with ISIS behaviour and clothing regulations, prosecutors claim

The Yazidi child's mother is being represented by celebrity lawyer Amal Clooney (pictured)

When she left the mission, she was arrested by Turkish security services and extradited several days later to Germany.

For lack of actionable evidence against her at the time, she was allowed to return to her home in the German state of Lower Saxony, but quickly sought to return to ISIS territory.

Der Spiegel reported that an FBI informant had posed as an accomplice who offered to take Wenisch back to the ISIS 'caliphate', and chatted with her in a bugged car while they drove through Germany.

Wenisch allegedly said that the death of the little girl had been 'hard-core even for the ISIS' and unjust because only God had the right to use fire as punishment.

Her husband had later been beaten as punishment by ISIS, she said.

Police followed close behind her vehicle for several hours and listened to a live audio feed as Wenisch spoke and then arrested her at a highway stop.

Clooney, the wife of Hollywood star George Clooney, has been involved in a campaign with Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Murad, a former ISIS sex slave, to have the crimes against the Yazidi minority be recognised as a 'genocide'.
Thousands of villagers descended on a pile of manure to take part in an annual 'good health' battle today.

It is a yearly tradition in the village of Kairuppala in Kurnool, southern India, for members of rival villages to gather for the Pidakala War.

The custom takes place the day after the spring festival Ugadi and is a symbolic war about a mythological marriage dispute.

During the yearly tradition in the village of Kairuppala in Kurnool, southern India, groups gather around a pile of manure for the Pidakala War

Those taking part are split in to those fighting for the goddess Bhadrakali and those for Lord Veerabhadraswamy - a fearsome form of the Hindu god Shiva.

Cow dung cakes are thrown by each side towards the other while crowds line the streets and onlookers gather on nearby buildings.

Thousands of people can be seen in this video watching on as the manure cakes are sent hurtling in to the air.

Thousands look on from nearby buildings as they watch the action below. Two groups throw the manure at each other as part of the battle

And members of the Indian Police Service look on to ensure no real riots break out as the battle for good health takes place.

According to legend, Lord Veerabhadraswamy wanted to marry the goddess Bhadrakali but there was opposition to the match that led to a dispute.

Bhadrakali's people used cow dung as their weapon of choice before the marriage was finally allowed.

The battle gets cloudy as the manure lands and splits open spreading dust and smaller amounts of manure in to the air

Gathering ammunition: The pile of dung cakes quickly disappears as it is flung across the street towards the opposition

Now the tradition sees manure flung high in to the air to bring health, prosperity and rainfall as the villagers celebrate the union at the end of a battle.

The festival Ugadi was celebrated yesterday to mark the beginning of a new year and a change in the moon's orbit.
Zain Qaiser, 24, pictured at the Old Bailey in 2017, has been jailed for more than six years

This is the moment a 24-year-old cyber criminal who made 500,000 by threatening porn website users with bogus criminal charges spends his ill-gotten gains in a casino.

Footage shows Zain Qaiser, known as the 'K!NG of the internet', collecting his winnings at an unidentified gambling club during his luxurious lifestyle.

Qaiser, from Barking, Essex, was today jailed for more than six years.

The computer science student launched a scam to plant adverts infected with malware on porn sites which allowed him to hack into his victim's computers and demand a payment of up to $1,000 (767) to unfreeze the screens.

Qaiser, who worked with an international Russian crime group, installed browser locking software to freeze the user's screen.

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This was followed by a message telling them criminal proceedings would be initiated if they refused to pay a fee.

Qaiser raked in cash from users terrified they had broken the law - and when he was being treated for mental health problems in hospital, he even used the wi-fi there to get more money pouring in.

Footage shows Zain Qaiser, known as the 'K!NG of the internet', collecting his winnings at an unidentified gambling club during his luxurious lifestyle

He received more than 500,000 in the scheme, which he spent on luxury hotel stays, gambling and a Rolex watch.

The National Crime Agency said it was the most serious cyber crime case it has investigated, Kingston Crown Court heard.

Judge Timothy Lamb QC said: 'The harm caused by your offending was extensive, so extensive that there does not appear to be a reported case involving anything comparable.

'Whatever your motivation for mounting these attacks on the internet, you took the opportunity to spend large sums of ill-gotten money in casinos, on an expensive watch and luxury hotel services.

'All the constituent offences were part and parcel of your role as the self-styled 'K!NG' of the internet. It has been asserted on your behalf you are remorseful. I have seen no outward expression of that.'

Qaiser, who initially denied the crimes and claimed he had been hacked himself, entered guilty pleas to an 11-count indictment

Qaiser, wearing a blue jumper and with his hair cut short, remained expressionless as he was sentenced to a total of six years and five months in prison. He committed most of his crimes between the age of 18 and 19.

He had also targeted advertising companies operating on porn sites to blackmail them into letting him place malware infected adverts to snare his victims.

The hacker then blew a fortune on luxury goods and spent 68,000 gambling in one casino.

He originally denied the charges, but his trial but his trial was adjourned twice due to him being sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

But while he was on bail, he set up three bank accounts which received approximately 134,000 in proceeds of crime.

On one occasion, he used the wi-fi of Goodmayes Hospital in North London, where he was being treated for his mental condition.

Previously, prosecutor Joel Smith told the court: 'Mr Qaiser was involved in online criminality which falls into four categories.

'The first is that the defendant was involved in infecting advertisements on pornographic software known as 'ransomware'.

The student installed browser locking software to freeze the user's screen, followed by a message telling them criminal proceedings would be initiated if they refused to pay a fee

'The defendant would contact online advertiser brokers who would sell advertising space on websites.'

Mr Smith told the court the brokers would sell advertising space, and were paid an agreed fee volume of 'traffic', namely number of people who clicked on the ads.

How Zain 'K!NG' Qaiser use malware in attacks Zain Qaiser using the online name K!NG, bought masses of advertising on porn sites using fake identities. But when users clicked the corrupted links, their computers were exposed to highly sophisticated 'Angler' software. Infected computers showed a message impersonating law enforcement in the user's country saying an offence had been committed and demanding payment of up to $1,000 (767), the court heard. The crime group collected massive multimillion-pound profits from victims in more than 20 countries, although the total number of people who paid the fee is unknown. Some advertisers were 'happy to turn a blind eye' to Qaiser's actions - but those who tried to stop him 'became the subject of the defendant's anger', the prosecutor told the court. Qaiser then blackmailed them and tried to flood their servers with DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks, putting the sites out of action and costing several businesses hundreds of thousands of pounds, he added. He even threatened to spam their sites with child pornography, the court heard. Advertisement

'In this case, the defendant was advertising space on pornographic websites and selling further pornography.

'However, when a user clicked on these advertisements they were taken to a 'landing page', or website, infected by a malicious piece of software known as an exploit kit,' he added.

'This software scanned the user's computer looking for vulnerability and, if found, infected the computer with a further piece of software known as ransomware.'

Once the computer had been infected with that ransomware the browser, or sometimes the who computer, would lock.

A message would appear onscreen saying that the user had committed an illegal act, and to pay the ransom to avoid police action.

Millions of computers around the world are believed to have been targeted.

'Whether for reasons of fear and embarrassment, because they were looking at pornography, or for simple expedience, many persons infected by the malware paid the ransom.

'The monies were most often paid by way of online currency, which could be loaded onto pre-paid credit cards,' he added.

Some online advertisers became aware that the advertisements were infected with malware and tried to cut ties with Qaisir or refuse or to refund him for the adverts.

'Companies that sought to stop the defendant from making money through malware became the subject of the defendant's anger,' he added.

'He responded with blackmail and online attacks. The blackmail took the form of contacting the brokers online and threatening to attack the servers used by the companies and even place child pornography on their sites.

'This would have an obvious impact on their reputation within the industry and indeed their business.'

Adopting the alias 'The King', he sent messages saying he would 'f*** up' the advertisers' sites if they didn't approve his ads.

The hacker would often follow through on his threats, subjecting the company computers, and on one occasion a director's home computer, to a Distributed Denial of Service, or DDoS attack.

Qaiser, pictured in a photograph released by prosecutors today, raked in cash from users terrified they had broken the law

This involves a large number of computers attempting to access a website at once, overloading it and crashing it.

The court heard that to carry out this complicated scam, Qaisir used a number of fake identities, on two occasions stealing the contact details of two real women.

He used the money to fund an extravagant lifestyle and bought a 4,900 Rolex watch and gambling over 68,000 at Aspers casino.

His previous convictions include common assault, assaulting a police officer and a public order offence.

Qaiser, who initially denied the crimes and claimed he had been hacked himself, entered guilty pleas to an 11-count indictment.

He has admitted three counts of blackmail; three counts of fraud by false representation; four counts of doing an unauthorised act with intent to impair the operation of a computer; and one count of possessing criminal property.

The ransomware offences were committed between 2012 and 2014, while the money laundering offence was committed between 2015 and 2018.

Qaiser was charged in February 2017, but a trial set for February 2018 was abandoned when he was sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

In December, he was arrested over laundering around 120,000 while on bail and charged and remanded in custody.

Prosecutors suspect Qaiser has money stored in offshore accounts but have been unable to directly trace them so far, Mr Smith said.

Russell Tyner, organised crime specialist prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said after the sentencing: 'This was no amateur operation.

'Zain Qaiser is a member of a prolific and technically sophisticated international criminal organisation that has terrorised internet users throughout the world.

'While he enjoyed an extravagant lifestyle on the proceeds, Qaiser subjected his victims to a prolonged and relentless campaign of blackmail, which caused them significant financial and emotional harm.

'The CPS worked closely with the NCA and colleagues in Canada, the USA and Europe to build such an overwhelming case against Qaiser he eventually concluded he would not fight it at trial.

'Many cyber criminals believe they are too clever to be caught by the law but this conviction demonstrates we have the expertise to bring these offenders to justice.'
Inmates at Russian prisons are allowed to practise yoga again after the exercise was banned amid warnings it would turn them gay.

It came after orthodox theologian Alexander Dvorkin wrote that the practice could cause prisoners to have uncontrollable sexual arousal and even lead to rioting.

The paper warned convicts 'might go on hunger strike in protest' if inmates serving them were gay.

Senator Yelena Mizulina used this to get the Prosecutor General Of Russia to check for legal issues with Kundalini yoga - which led to classes being scrapped.

The infamous Butyrka prison as well as a pre-trial detention centre for women in Moscow had brought in the sport last year.

Butyrka prison in Moscow introduced yoga for inmates last year but was forced to stop after investigation from the Prosecutor General Of Russia

But it was revealed Dvorkin had also written a supporting document for yoga.

Valery Maximenko, deputy head of the Federal Prison Service told radio station Govorit Moskva yoga had a positive effect on prisoners and did not lead to homosexuality.

'We conducted a study, and among those people who practised yoga, there was a sharp reduction in visits to doctors for help.

Yelena Mizulina asked Prosecutor General's Office to look into claims yoga could make inmates gay

'The whole world is engaged in it and no one is harmed by it and no one will be drawn to homosexuality.

'Even it did, we live in a democracy and everyone has the right to choose their own way.'

Mr Maximenko added that Professor Dvorkin was a 'strange character... who lives by outdated concepts'.

In Russia homosexuality is legal, but in 2013 Senator Mizulina wrote a law that stopped it being presented positively during education due to it being 'gay propaganda'.

The yoga ban led to widespread mockery of Senator Mizulina but she branded it fake news and said she had only wanted yoga in prisons legally checked.

'I was doing my duty as a member of parliament by acting on the request of a Russian citizen,' she told the Komsomolskaya Pravda daily.

'This is a typical example of the spreading of fake news. My letter to the prosecutor-general contained no demands for 'a ban on yoga classes in prisons,' TASS quoted her as saying.

'Why did the accompanying letter provoke such hysteria? There's no term for this but deliberate manipulation.'

She added that she may complain to Russia's media watchdog after a backlash in the press.
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New aerial footage and images have captured the rapid progress being made in the construction of US electric carmaker Tesla's $2billion 'Gigafactory' in China.

Construction of the plant has been in full swing since January in Lingang area, a high-end manufacturing park in the southeast harbour of Shanghai.

Pile foundation works at the 864,885-square metre lot have been completed and the steel structure construction of the factory has begun, according to officials. Multiple sets of steel roof grids have also been installed.

New aerial footage and images have captured the rapid progress being made in the construction of United States electric carmaker Tesla's $2billion 'Gigafactory' in Shanghai' Lingang Area since it officially broke ground in January

Pile foundation works at the 864,885-square metre lot have been completed and the steel structure construction of the factory has begun, according to officials. Multiple sets of steel roof grids have also been installed

Shanghai city government official Chen Mingbo said in March that the plant's assembly workshop is expected to be completed in May, adding that part of the facility's production line would be put into operation by the end of the year

Shanghai city government official Chen Mingbo said in March that the plant's assembly workshop is expected to be completed in May, adding that part of the facility's production line would be put into operation by the end of the year.

Last Tuesday, Jerome Guillen, Tesla's President of Automotive, met with Shanghai's deputy mayor, Wu Qing, to discuss construction progress, supply chain logistics and future development plans, according to a statement released by the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce.

A construction worker told the Global Times on condition of anonymity that the factory will complete construction in July or August with the current speed.

A construction worker told Global Times on condition of anonymity the factory will complete construction in July or August

Tesla intends to use the 500,000-vehicle-capacity plant to produce base versions of Model 3 and later also the Model Y

The project, with an investment of over US$7billion, is the largest foreign-invested manufacturing project in Shanghai history

Tesla intends to use the 500,000-vehicle-capacity plant to produce base versions of Model 3 and later also the Model Y.

The project, with an investment of more than 50 billion yuan (US$7 billion), is the largest foreign-invested manufacturing project in Shanghai's history and Tesla's first plant outside the United States.

'We think with the resources here we can build the Shanghai Gigafactory in record time and we're looking forward to hopefully having some initial production of the Model 3 towards the end of this year and achieving volume production next year,' Tesla CEO Elon Musk said at the ground-breaking ceremony in January.

'Affordable cars must be made on same continent as customers,' Musk wrote on Twitter ahead of the event.

Before: An aerial photo taken on Jan 3 shows the barren 864,885-square metre lot before the ground-breaking ceremony

A full-fledged auto assembly factory can take about two years to build but the Shanghai government has thrown its support behind the Tesla project, which would be China's first wholly foreign-owned car plant and a reflection of the governments broader shift to open up its car market

Sales of so-called new-energy vehicles (NEVs) - a category which includes Tesla's battery-powered cars - continue to be strong in China, where the government aims to shift away entirely from combustion engine vehicles

Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Chinese officials announced the beginning of construction at the factory site in Shanghai on Jan 7

A full-fledged auto assembly factory can take about two years to build but the Shanghai government has thrown its support behind the Tesla project, which would be China's first wholly foreign-owned car plant and a reflection of the governments broader shift to open up its car market.

Producing cars locally is also likely to help Tesla minimise the impact of the Sino-US trade war, which has forced the car maker to lower prices of its US-made cars in China - which has becoming increasingly important as the company seeks to offset softening demand in the United States.

Trade war aside, the carmaker is building the plant in an auto market that likely contracted last year for the first time in decades.

However, sales of so-called new-energy vehicles (NEVs) - a category which includes Tesla's battery-powered cars - continue to be strong in a country where the government aims to shift away entirely from combustion engine vehicles.
A father who gassed his entire family to death in a suspected murder-suicide may not have intended to kill himself, an inquest has heard.

Maria Lutz, 43, Fernando Manrique, 44, and their children Elisa, 11, and Martin, 10, were found dead, along with the family dog, in their Sydney home in October 2016.

Manrique set up an elaborate system of pipes in the ceiling to spray odourless carbon monoxide gas throughout the house.

The suspected killer's body was found face down in the hallway of the family home, while his dead wife and children were discovered in bed.

The inquest has been told the location of Manrique body - as well as a string of other factors - could indicate he didn't intend to die at the scene, news.com.au reported.

A father who gassed his entire family (pictured) in a suspected murder-suicide episode may not have intended to commit suicide the inquest into the deaths has heard

Maria Lutz, 43 and her children Elisa, 11, and Martin, 10, were found dead, along with the family dog, in their Sydney home in October 2016

Counsel assisting Adam Casselden said Manrique may have intended to flee to the Philippines. The inquest previously heard he had a 17-year-old lover in the country.

'There were two suitcases with men's clothes (in the house) but given how frequently he travelled he may have packed them for convenience,' he told the inquest.

'Did Fernando intend to die with his family? That's open to interpretation, the body in the hallway is consistent with being overcome with gas - but also suicide.'

A computer destroyed by fire was also found in the home, the inquest heard.

'Burning the hard drive could be consistent with him moving to the Philippines - or ending his life,' he said.

Mr Casselden said there were other indicators that Manrique did intend to die that day.

He cited Manrique's money problems with the tax office and a marriage breakdown as possible motives for a murder-suicide.

The revelations come just days after it was revealed Manrique had made four trips to Bunnings and ordered two cylinders of carbon monoxide 10 days before the family's death.

The trips were made after his wife discovered his affair with a 17-year-old girl in the Philippines and demanded a divorce, the inquest heard.

Counsel assisting Adam Casselden told a coronial inquest that there were a number of things which indicated Manriques may have intended to flee to the Philippines

The inquest heard Manrique ordered the cylinders of carbon monoxide and arranged for them to be delivered to his friend Jairo Campos' house.

Mr Campos told the coroner his friend told him he needed the cylinders to run tests on 'gas released by cars in underground car parks'.

Manrique paid him $400 for storing the cylinders.

He also made four visits to Bunnings in a week to buy more equipment.

One of two drivers who delivered the cylinders, Robert Lamont, said this was the only time he had delivered carbon monoxide in over two years of delivering gas canisters.

He, along with the other driver, Daniel Reilly, contacted Manrique to check the address and to inquire what the bottles were to be used for.

Mr Reilly said it was unusual to deliver dangerous gas cylinders to a house but it sometimes occurred as some houses had small workshops attached where owners would do tasks such as weld.

'Did Fernando intend to die with his family? That's open to interpretation, the body in the hallway is consistent with being overcome with gas  but also suicide,' Mr Casselden told the inquest

He said the response he got was that the gas was being used for 'calibration' on a work site nearby.

Counsel assisting the Coroner Adam Casselden told the inquest on Monday it was a 'real concern' how easy it was for Manrique to purchase the gas he used to kill his family.

Mr Casselden said that the businessman was seeing the teenager for four months before the deaths.

The girl named Jamilyn told Australian police they met in a bar she worked in and after two weeks together he told her to quit her job.

She said Manrique promised to support her and buy her a house, but never actually followed through on that plan.

When Ms Lutz discovered the affair she demanded a divorce from the already-unhappy marriage, the inquest at Lidcombe Coroners Court heard.

Manrique frequently travelled around Asia for work, and was supposed to be in the Philippines with his business partner.

He worked for Drake Business Logistics as the executive director of its Asia services branch after getting his MBA at Macquarie University and working at Fuji Xerox.

Police forced their way in to the house in Davidson, on Sydney's northern beaches, on October 17, 2016, after the family didn't turn up to work and school

Manrique's body was in the living room, Ms Lutz and Elisa next to each other in a bedroom, and Martin in a third room beside their bull mastiff Tequila

Ms Lutz kicked her husband out of the family home in September 2016 after an argument prompted by him having a loud phone call at 2am.

He was allowed to return the next month but by then is believed to have concocted his murderous plan, having ordered two canisters on September 30.

Police forced their way in to the house in Davidson, on Sydney's northern beaches, on October 17, 2016, after the family didn't turn up to work and school.

Manrique's body was in the living room hallway, Ms Lutz and Elisa next to each other in a bedroom, and Martin in a third room beside their bull mastiff Tequila.

Detective Sergeant Timothy Pooley told the inquest the alleged killer owed the Australian Tax Office more than $15,000 and $28,000 on his credit card.

The family had just $6 on its trust account, a few thousand in other accounts, and was only paying the interest on two mortgages totalling more than $500,000.

Nichole Brimble, a friend of Maria Lutz, (centre) is seen with supporters as she arrives at the Lidcombe Coroners Court in Sydney on Monday

The inquest will continue over the course of the week in an attempt to uncover how and why the family died

However, despite the family's dire finances, Manrique was still blowing hundreds on expensive gifts for various girlfriends around Asia he visited on work trips.

His spending meant the couple's children weren't able to get the medical help they needed, leaving Ms Lutz stuck at home looking after them.

FROM COLOMBIA TO SYDNEY: A TIMELINE Early 2005: Fernando Manrique and Maria Claudia Lutz move to Sydney, Australia from Colombia. February 2005: The couple purchase a home in Davidson, in Sydney's north, for $590,000. May 2005: Their first child Elisa is born. August 2006: Manrique and Ms Lutz's son Martin is born. Both their children have non-verbal autism. January 2009: Ms Lutz's parents visit the family in Sydney. November 2009: Ms Lutz's brother and sister-in-law travel to Sydney for a holiday. 2012: Elisa starts school at St Lucy's School for children with disabilities in Wahroongah. 2013: Martin starts school at the same place. Their mother was a regular helper at the school canteen and well-liked within the community. November 2013: Manrique starts work at Drake Business Logistics as Chief Technology Officer. May 2015: He is named the Executive Director of Drake Business Services Asia. The father frequently travels for work with this new role. October 2016: Family and their pet dog found dead at their home. Believed to have been deliberately gassed. Advertisement

He said Manrique ordered two gas canisters and had them delivered to his friend Jairo Campos's house, telling him they were to test an underground car park.

He also made four visits to Bunnings in as many days, buying more equipment for his plan.

Relatives at the time claimed Ms Lutz must have been in on the plan as part of a suicide pact, but Sergeant Pooley dismissed this suggestion.

'Maria had no awareness or involvement in Fernando's plans he took deliberate steps to hide the gas from her,' he said.

The inquest heard Ms Lutz, a lawyer, was devoted to her children and was planning to return to work after getting help from the National Insurance Disability Scheme.

She was due to receive $50,000 from the scheme the help care for the couple's two children, who were autistic.

Sergeant Pooley said this would have allowed Ms Lutz to leave her husband for good and be 'better off than she had been for years'.

'She was looking forward to life without Fernando,' he said.

'She'd had enough of him she was going to go and raise the children and she was going to live her own life.'

Martin was a 'prolific painter' and used art to communicate what he couldn't in words.

At the time of the deaths, Ms Lutz's sister Ana Lutz said she was 'a warrior'.

'Always fighting for all. My cute doll. One more angel in heaven, an angel given to their children,' she wrote on Facebook.

Martin's body was found in a room beside the family's bull mastiff Tequila (pictured)

The beloved dog died beside the young autistic boy inside the house as collateral damage

Ms Lutz and her husband, who moved to Sydney from Colombia in 2005, disagreed on how to parent their children, both of which had nonverbal autism and were unable to speak.

Neighbour Shaun Mayatt said at the time of the deaths that lots of work had been done on the house to make it safe for the children.

Ms Lutz is believed to have spent many sleepless nights caring for her children, who needed frequent therapy and doctor's appointments.

She often posted about her children on social media and said her 'worst nightmare' was either of her kids getting lost or going missing.

Weeks after the deaths, a friend revealed Ms Lutz was calling family services 'nine times a day' as she struggled to cope with looking after the children.

A wellwisher places a bouquet of flowers outside the family's home in the days after their deaths

The funeral service for the Manrique family at the Holy Name Parish in Sydney on October 31, 2016

Coffins are loaded into hearses following the funeral for the Manrique family at the at the Holy Name Parish

She was only supported by the government about five hours every week.

'She would ring them sometimes nine times a day to confirm they had cancelled or changed things - or to ask for extra help. She felt completely alone and was a broken woman and depressed,' the friend said.

Principal Warren Hopley of St Lucy's Primary School in Wahroonga said he knew something was wrong when the children didn't show up for class and Ms Lutz for her canteen duties.

After repeated unanswered phone calls to their home and no email from Ms Lutz saying her children would not be attending school, a teacher called the police.

Mr Hopley said Elisa and Martin, who were in year five and year four, respectively, were much-loved students by their peers.

'This is an exceptional family. They've been at the school here for six years. Two beautiful children. And mum was very active within the school - almost a cornerstone of the school in many ways,' Mr Hopley said.

Neighbour Shaun Mayatt said at the time of the deaths that lots of work had been done on the house to make it safe for the children

After repeated unanswered phone calls to their home and no email from Ms Lutz saying her children would not be attending school, a teacher called the police

'When all the children leave at the end of the day she would be out there at the exit waiting for her kids and knew the names of every child in the school.

'I don't think she slept for many hours of the night because of the difficulties often with the two children, and yet she would always be here helping out in every way she possibly could.'

Mr Hopley said he wasn't aware of any issues in the family.

'There was no inkling of any of this.'

Mr Casselden said in addition to investigating the deaths, the inquest would examine whether tighter restrictions on obtaining poisonous gasses were needed.

'A real concern is the relative ease with which Fernando was able to source the carbon monoxide,' he said.

For confidential support call the Lifeline 24-hour crisis support on 13 11 14.
There is always an asteroid, real or imagined, bearing down on Turner Classic Movies.

Fears that something might befall the commercial-less bastion of classic Hollywood films aren't always justified. But there's an instinctual understanding that keeping anything good and pure alive in this dark, dark world is against the odds.

By now, the hosts and executives of TCM are quite accustomed to fretful, agitated fans coming to them for reassurance that, yes, Turner Classic is OK, and, no, commercials aren't coming.

'I've had the good fortune to get to know Paul Thomas Anderson a little bit and let me just put it this way: He never asks how I'M doing,' says Ben Mankiewicz, who in 2003 became only the second TCM host after Robert Osborne.

Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh in a scene from 'Gone with the Wind.' To mark its anniversary, TCM will on Sunday again air the film, which it first transmitted on April 14, 1994

Almost everything in cable television and film has changed since Ted Turner launched the network in 1994. But through endless technological upheavals, four U.S. presidents and three Spider-men, Turner Classic humbly, persistently, improbably abides.

On Sunday, TCM will turn 25, celebrating a quarter of a century as a lighthouse of classic cinema; a never-stopping, flickering beacon of Buster Keaton and Doris Day, Barbara Stanwyck and Ernst Lubitsch.

'We view ourselves as the keeper of the flame,' says Jennifer Dorian, general manager of TCM. 'We're stronger than ever.'

That will be good news to the TCM fans whose heart rates quickened after AT&T's takeover of Time Warner, which had bought Turner Broadcasting back in 1996.

That led to restructuring, announced last month, that placed TCM in WarnerMedia's 'global kids and young adults' subdivision, along with Cartoon Network and Adult Swim.

WarnerMedia also shut down TCM's nascent streaming service, FilmStruck, last November after deeming it a 'niche service.' WarnerMedia is to launch a larger streaming platform later this year.

The demise of FilmStruck prompted an outcry from the likes of Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Christopher Nolan who petitioned WarnerMedia for its preservation.

Some of the biggest names in Hollywood had TCM's back. One privately told Mankiewicz: 'If you think we're mad about FilmStruck, wait 'til you see what we do if anyone messes with the network.'

Yet the shuttering of FilmStruck (its streaming partner, Criterion Collection, relaunched as a stand-alone service on Monday) reinforced concerns that amid all the juggling and bundling of merging conglomerates, TCM might slip through the digital cracks.

'The fact that there are really passionate, vocal people out there helps us sort of stay the course. I think our corporate bosses don't want to upset those people,' says Charlie Tabesh, TCM's programming chief and a 21-year veteran at the network. 'While you can never promise anything, I've been through it enough that I'd be surprised if they changed it.'

Change can be a dirty word around TCM. 'Lower case 'c,' please,' says Mankiewicz. 'Evolve' is more preferable.

TCM is, after all, a place where time nearly stops. In the 25 years since its founding, its focus remains overwhelmingly the golden age of Hollywood. Movies from the '30s, '40s and '50s, Tabesh says, make up approximately 70 percent of its programming.

'That's our bread and butter,' says Mankiewicz. 'Who doesn't like bread and butter?'

To mark its 25th anniversary, TCM will on Sunday again air 'Gone With the Wind,' the film that it first transmitted on April 14, 1994. Since then, the 1939 epic has aired more than 60 times on the network.

The 10th annual TCM Classic Film Festival also kicks off Thursday in Los Angeles with 'When Harry Met Sally...'

Ben Mankiewicz (above) in 2003 became only the second TCM host after Robert Osborne

Fans of Turner Classic are as varied as Martha Stewart, Evander Holyfield, Alex Trebek and Kermit the Frog - all of whom have been guest programmers. Scorsese famously keeps it playing in his editing suite.

Keith Richards is rumored to be a devotee. Even Donald Trump once stopped by to talk about, among other titles, 'Citizen Kane.' 'Although I'm not sure he'd actually watched the movies he talked about, to be honest,' says Tabesh.

Contemporary films have made only hesitant, much-considered inroads. (The newest films to air on TCM are 'Hugo' and 'The Artist,' both from 2011.) More international films have slowly, cautiously been added, too. Over the years, TCM has expanded well beyond the Turner library (some 4,700 films from MGM, RKO and pre-1950 Warner Bros.) via deals with virtually every studio.

Dorian views coming under Warner control as a homecoming.

'We've moving closer to the library. We're going to a part of the company that's steeped in film history and values the culture heritage of film,' says Dorian. 'We absolutely intend to still be multi-studio.'

The cult of TCM has grown over the years. The network's sixth cruise is to set sail in October. There is also a TCM Wine Club and a fan club, TCM Backlot. To celebrate its 25th anniversary, 25 fans will get to introduce a film with Mankiewicz. Turner Classic will also play further homage to Osbourne, who for most of its history was its friendly, welcoming face. He died in 2017 after 62,851 appearances on the network.

Ted Turner launches Turner Classic Movies in a 1994 ceremony in Times Square

New hosts have joined, including Eddie Muller, Dave Karger and Alicia Malone, a film writer and podcaster who grew up in Australia dreaming of being Marilyn Monroe. She has been proud to remind viewers of women's place in film history on TCM, which, she notes, is programmed by people, not algorithms.

'I felt like I found my tribe,' Malone says of coming to the network last year. 'This is part of preserving film history. What TCM does best is tell these stories.'

Yet asteroid or not, there's an unmistakable whiff of that 'c'' word in the air. 'Obviously, we feel a sea change coming,' says Mankiewicz. WarnerMedia declined to comment for this article, but Dorian said the message from above so far is only supportive.

'The large stroke is they want us to keep doing what we're doing,' says Dorian.

As far as TCM's place in the rapidly changing streaming world, Dorian says that's 'TBD.' ''There's a world of opportunity in front of us with streaming. I do not know the right approach for TCM at this moment,' she says. 'At our company, we're developing our new plan right now.'

But predicting the future is not in TCM's nature. For a network that has always fixed its eyes firmly on the past, the present moment is one to savor.

'It feels momentous. It feels like we really accomplished something. It's a quarter of a century,' says Mankiewicz. 'If you asked me what I'd like to be doing in another 25 years, I hope to be introducing movies on TCM, having debates about whether you should remake the 'The Thin Man' and listening to those who say, 'You're showing too many modern movies!''
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These century-old panoramas from the Library Of Congress in the US capture the immense sense of duty displayed by American soldiers, officers, nurses and hospital corps - as well as that of their mothers.

More than two million American citizens answered their country's call to arms over the course of the war, and still more were prepared to risk their lives - 815 men signed up on the very day the fighting ended.

Their commitment, patriotism and despair is captured in the archive's collection, as well as some rare flashes of joy.

Pictured are thousands of soldiers on horseback remembering dead comrades at the Suresnes American Cemetery on the outskirts of Paris in 1920, the officers and crew of the U.S.S. Mount Vernon which survived a German torpedo attack, and the freshly installed war graves at the Argonne Cemetery near Verdun.

Other more jubilant scenes show US troops returning home to their loved ones and a regiment of relieved men who signed up on the day the war concluded.

Under President Woodrow Wilson, the United States remained neutral until 1917 and then entered the war on the side of the Allied Forces - the United Kingdom, France, and Russia.

Wilson was keen to keep the US out of the gruelling war of attrition where thousands of people died each day in terrible conditions as they fought to gain just inches of ravaged No Man's Land.

But he was ultimately unable to keep the United States out of the war, largely because of escalating German aggression.

On May 7 1915, the Germans sunk the British ocean liner RMS Lusitania, which had over a hundred Americans on board. Wilson warned that the United States would not permit unrestricted submarine warfare or any further violations of international law.

Germany did not heed the president's warning and resumed submarine warfare several months later and even attempted to team up with Mexico to stand against the United States. Following more American deaths on ships, Wilson had no choice but to declare war on April 6 1917.

Top brass: Division commander, 84th Division, Major General Hale, with division staff and attached French officers at Camp Zachary Taylor in Kentucky, November 21, 1917. The United States entered the war in April that year, after President Woodrow Wilson had tried to keep them out of the conflict for two-and-a-half years

Officers, nurses, and hospital corps at Camp MacArthur's Base Hospital in Waco, Texas, on June 24 1918. Over 1.3 million United States citizens immediately answered their country's call to arms and a million more signed up following conscription a couple of months later

No Mans Land in Flanders Field, France, 1919. The caption on the front of the photo reads 'Photo by W. L. King, Millersberg, Ohio; by courtesy of Military Intelligence Div., General Staff, U.S. Army.'

A parade in 1918 to thank the brave soldiers who fought for peace in Europe. The guns felt silent on 11 November 1918, leaving more than 40 million people dead including 50,000 Americans

Officers and crew in front of the U.S.S. Mount Vernon on October 30, 1918. The ship, carrying troops to Europe, was involved in a frantic battle with German submarines a year prior and was fortunate not to sink after it was torpedoed

These no-doubt very relieved 815 men signed up on the very day the war came to its conclusion - November 11, 1918. When the war ended with a victory for the Allies, more than 2 million U.S. troops had served at the Western Front in Europe, and more than 50,000 of them died

US Flying officers at Love Field in Dallas, Texas. The First World War saw rapid developments in airplane technology. American inventors, Elmer Sperry and Peter Hewitt developed the first pilotless drone for the U.S. Navy in 1916

Argonne Cemetery, Argonne Forest, France, 1919. Many of the dead here were killed in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, a major part of the final Allied offensive of World War I that stretched along the entire Western Front. It was fought from September 26 1918 until the Armistice of November 11 1918, a total of 47 days. The Meuse-Argonne Offensive was the largest in United States military history, involving 1.2 million American soldiers

The fourth Liberty Loan parade, St. Helena Training Station on October 11 1918 - exactly one month before the Armistice. The 11th minute of the 11th day of the 11th month signified an end to the bloody four year war which saw more than 40 million people lose their lives

Mounted guards pay tribute to their fallen brothers at a Memorial Day ceremony at the American Cemetery at Suresnes, May 30 1920. The graveyard is the final resting place for 1,541 American soldiers killed in World War I

Welcome home: Arriving back in Boston, on April 10th 1919, Troopship Mongolia with boys of the 26th ('Yankee') Division. It was the first US ship to sink a German submarine

Bring him home: Mothers of McLennan Company, whose hearts and hopes are in France, assembled for the 4th Liberty Loan Parade, September 27th 1918
One of the biggest sharks caught off Britain weighing nearly 40 stones and measuring more eight-foot long has been hooked off the Cornish coast after an epic two-hour battle.

The enormous porbeagle, a relation of the Great White, was caught off the coast of Cornwall by Ross Needs and Dan Hawkins on Saturday.

The female weighed a whopping 500Ibs and was captured on a charter trip run by Mr Hawkins who runs Reel Deal Chartered and said it took hours to reel in the massive fish.

The enormous porbeagle, a relation of the Great White, was caught at an undisclosed location off Cornwall by Ross Needs and Dan Hawkins on Saturday

The enormous porbeagle, a relation of the Great White, was caught at an undisclosed location off Cornwall by Ross Needs and Dan Hawkins (pictured) on Saturday

Ross Needs and Dan Hawkins had to battle with the shark for hours before finally hauling it aboard

Mr Hawkins said: 'It was a two hour fight to reel it in. Hopefully there will be bigger to come.'

The fish was released after being caught.

A second 250Ilb porbeagle was caught by Peter Stern aboard the same boat on Monday.

Porbeagles are mackerel sharks and live in the cold and temperate marine waters of the North Atlantic and Southern Hemisphere.

In 2017 three porbeagle sharks weighing 238lbs, 392lbs and 500lbs were caught off the coastline of Devon and Cornwall.

Last year a group of friends caught all the sharks off the coast of North Devon and used mackerel as bait and reeled in 20 sharks - the largest a 90lb whopper

In May last year angler Steve Watson reeled in the 250lb (17 stone) shark on a fishing trip off the coast of Whitby

The catch by Mr Watson came just days after a porbeagle bit a fisherman in Cornwall

Last year a group of anglers who caught twenty massive sharks of different species off the British coast in one boat - in one day.

The five mates and one boat skipper reeled in the impressive haul of blue and porbeagle sharks in a 24 hour period.

They caught all the sharks off the coast of North Devon and used mackerel as bait and reeled in 20 sharks - the largest a 90lb whopper.

Also last year an angler told how he fought an epic 40-minute battle to land a monster catch - a whopping nine-foot long Porbeagle shark.

Steve Watson reeled in the 250lb (17 stone) shark on a fishing trip off the coast of Whitby.

Porbeagles are a cousin of the Great White and are one of the most common types of shark spotted in UK waters.

The 'playful' shark is white on the bottom and grey on the top to allow it to camouflage while hunting smaller fish.

The numbers of porbeagles has dwindled over the last few decades after a rise in them being sought by hobby fishers.

Only a handful of non-confirmed shark attacks have ever been attributed to the porbeagle.

The International Shark Attack File attributes three bites to the species - one provoked and none fatal and two on boats.

One older anecdote tells of a fisherman who provoked a porbeagle into leaping from the water and tearing his clothes.

But there are many reports of porbeagles swimming up to oil rig workers.

No injuries from these incidents are reported either, according to Shark Insider.

Experts have suggested in these instances the sharks may be curious or 'playing'.

A study last year revealed 10 species of sharks currently found in warmer parts of the world, such as hammerheads and blacktip sharks, may be swimming in British seas within 30 years as the climate changes.

There have been other sighting of sharks across the country and a new study reveals 10 species of sharks currently found in warmer parts of the world, may be swimming in British seas within 30 years as the climate changes
A rare black lemur and five endangered ring-tailed lemurs - including two sets of twins - have been born in a British zoo since January.

Chester Zoo is celebrating the birth of six rare lemurs while the animals are on the brink of extinction in the wild.

Although the pups are still clinging to their mothers' backs they are expected to climb on their own and eat solid food in just a few weeks.

The baby ring-tailed lemurs can be seen piggybacking on their mothers and it will be a few more weeks before they can move around their Chester Zoo enclosure independently

Zoo keepers can not tell what gender the pups are until they move around their enclosures freely rather than relying on their mother's for warmth and comfort

The youngsters, less than 15cm tall at birth, were all born within weeks of each other and can be seen at the zoo's 6,000 square metre Madagascar zone.

Dr Nick Davis, Chester Zoo's deputy curator of mammals, said: 'To have six rare baby lemurs born within weeks of each other is great news for the breeding programme.

'The newborns are clinging tight to their mums right now, it's a real family affair. They grow up quickly though. Within a few weeks, the little ones will start to climb on their own, eat solid foods and gain some independence.'

The youngsters, less than 15cm tall at birth, were all born within weeks of each other and can be seen at the zoo's 6,000-square metre Madagascar zone

A rare black lemur feeds on leaves while clinging to the branches of a tree. The black lemur was the first of its species to be born at Chester Zoo

Both mother and pup are both transfixed by something as they stare into the distance

Keepers will not know the pups' genders until they leave their mothers' backs and start to move around their enclosure independently.

Lemur populations are under threat in the wild largely because of the destruction of their natural habitats.

Madagascar has lost 90 per cent of its forests, according to the zoo, leaving many of its native species on the brink of extinction.

The black lemur pup is the first ever born at Chester Zoo. It was born alongside five ring-tailed lemurs

Habitat loss has hit ring-tailed lemur populations in the wild. The animals, originally from Madagascar, are considered endangered

Madagascar has lost 90 per cent of its forests, according to the zoo, leaving many of its native species on the brink of extinction

While dependent on their mothers baby lemurs learn to watch out for danger and to stay alert. This mother appears to be giving her baby a lesson on sensing danger
A British mother facing jail in Dubai over a three-year-old Facebook post wept today as she pleaded to be allowed home and reunited with her daughter.

In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, Laleh Shahravesh, 55, said she has been left traumatised by the arrest and has been living under the threat of prison over a long-forgotten social media post.

I have never been apart from my daughter for so long,' she said. 'The thought of being away from her even longer does not bear thinking about. I am being destroyed mentally and I feel as if I am slowly dying.'

Laleh Shahravesh, 55, spoke exclusively to MailOnline of her anguish at being held in Dubai

Laleh Sharavesh was arrested along with her 14-year-old daughter Paris when she arrived in the Arab kingdom for her ex's funeral last month

Her ordeal began on March 14 when Laleh and her daughter flew to Dubai's for her ex husband Pedro's funeral

Her husband and his new wife Samah Al Hammadi (pictured) were living in Dubai when the Facebook posts were made in October 2016

Laleh, who faces two years in prison and a fine of 50,000, said: Never in a million years did I think I would find myself in this situation over something that was written three years ago.

My life is in ruins. I am told I could go to jail but all I want to do is go home and give my daughter Paris a big hug.

I cant bear to be away from her any longer and the thought of having to spend more time here fills me with dread. I dont know how much longer I can continue. It is agony.

Whenever we talk we are both in tears, but I have to try and be strong for her. I just dont know when this living nightmare is going to end.

'Sometimes I do not know what day it is as everything is a blur. How can something I wrote three years ago when I was not even in Dubai be used against me?'

Laleh has been prevented from leaving Dubai for 30 days after she was arrested at the airport on March 10th.

I am being destroyed mentally and I feel like I'm slowly dying Laleh Shahravesh

She had arrived with her her 14-year-old daughter so they could grieve at her ex-husband's graveside, after he had died of a heart attack aged 51.

Laleh was not allowed to attend the funeral of Pedro Dos Santos, but wanted to pay her last respects.

'I spent half my life with him and he was the father of our daughter,' she said. 'It was natural to want to come to Dubai.'

As she tried to go through passport control, she was hauled off by police, who said that her exs new wife, Samah Al Hammadi, had made a legal complaint about a Facebook posting where she had been described as a horse.

Even though the insulting comment was made from Britain on Lalehs own Facebook page in October 2016, she was held on an outstanding arrest warrant.

Speaking to MailOnline, Laleh repeatedly broke down in tears as she described the ordeal that has left her exhausted and in a state of depression.

I arrived here as a tourist and have not been allowed to leave over a comment that was made three years ago,' she said.

I just dont see how something that was written on my own Facebook page can be used against me. How many people must there be who post comments and forget all about them?

'I was angry and hurt when I made the comments, and they were directed at my ex-husband.

'They were never sent to his wife, but she somehow saw them and complained to the police. I am just so afraid and dont know how much longer I can continue here.'

She added: I feel that I will never get out of here. This matter should never have come to court but everything has gone wrong for me and I am so frightened.

Laleh, who was born in Iran but moved to Britain as a child, had no idea a disparaging post she made in 2016 would have such terrifying consequences.

Ms Shahravesh, left, and her daughter Paris, right, have been separated for almost a month

Laleh said she wrote two comments in Farsi where she described 42-year-old Tunisian born Samah al Hammadi as a 'horse' and called her ex an 'idiot'

Ms Shahravesh pleaded with the UAE authorities to let her come home as the Facebook post was made in Britain, not under the sovereignty of the strict Islamic regime

She explained how she made the comments  calling her ex-husband an idiot and his new wife a horse  after seeing a photo of their August 2016 wedding.

Pedro, who worked in Dubai for HSBC bank as a risk manager, had divorced Laleh five months earlier.

DUBAI HUMAN RIGHTS EXPERT DEMANDS SWIFT ACTION Radha Stirling, CEO of human rights organisation Detained In Dubai is officially representing Laleh. She said: 'Not only has Paris lost her father, but in going to visit him to say her final goodbye, she wound up in a frightening Middle Eastern police station, and is now without her mother. 'Every family member was teary and it was very emotional to speak with all of them. They are all extremely damaged by what has happened and I expect it will be a long and psychological recovery process for them. 'I call on Sheikh Mohammed to ensure Laleh is swiftly reunited with her daughter in London and to review the content and application of the UAE's cybercrime laws. 'I also call on Laleh's MP, Zac Goldsmith, and Jeremy Hunt to enter into diplomatic discussions with the UAE to ensure Laleh's safe return. 'It is simply unreasonable that a country wishing to attract Western tourism arrests and charges a woman for a Facebook post made years ago from outside of the UAE's jurisdiction. 'The post would never be prosecuted as a criminal offence in England, and if the UAE intends to detain tourists for posts made from England, it will find itself rendered a no-go zone to foreigners.' Advertisement

He had wed Tunisian Samah Al Hammadi and the couple continued to live in Dubai.

Although Laleh suspected her husband of adultery, she did not mention it to the Dubai authorities where it is considered a serious crime.

Explaining why she made the post, Laleh said she was provoked by seeing the wedding photo just days after what would have been her wedding anniversary.

My husband and I had a very acrimonious divorce. He left me with nothing and I was completely shattered. I guessed all along there was another woman, but he never said so.

When I made the comments it was three days after what should have been our wedding anniversary.

I was hurt and in so much pain that I decided to make a comment about the wedding picture.

'I know I should not have reacted in the way that I did but I was hurting so much. I am sure most women would have reacted in the same way.

The comments were written in the Persian language of Farsi and Laleh thought nothing more about them as she attempted to re-build her life with Paris in Richmond, Surrey.

Despite the acrimonious split, Laleh said she had reconciled with her ex and he visited them at their rented home last year.

We had dinner together and he talked about coming over from Dubai to see Paris more often. There was no mention of the Facebook post. He would have known I was angry at the time, but it was all forgotten.

I still had so much love for my husband even though we were no longer together. I know he would not want us to be going through this ordeal. He would not want his daughter Paris to suffer like she is. She is going to need therapy to get over this.

Laleh, who volunteers at a homeless shelter, said she has been left bewildered by the legal process in Dubai.

She was initially told the matter would most likely be dropped.

Then last week she suddenly found herself in court where she discovered a two-hour statement to police had been condensed into a single paragraph.

Laleh said she has lost her job at a homeless shelter due to her absence and now faces losing her home as she has racked 5,000 in debt while being forced to stay in Dubai

As soon as Laleh and her daughter landed in Dubai on March 10, intending to stay for five days, they were arrested at the airport

Paris Shahravesh wrote to the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed, begging him to allow her mother, Laleh, to return home. Pictured is her signature

What was read out in court was completely wrong and I did not say any of those things. The word "horse" had been translated into "bitch". My lawyer has tried to get the statement thrown out as it is false, but I dont know if he has succeeded.

Laleh said she was able to gain access to her court file and was shocked to see her exs widow had made another statement on March 23rd accusing her of making other insulting comments.

I dont know why she wants to do this,' she said. 'To cause me so much pain and grief?'

Laleh said claims by al Hammadi that she was subjected to a campaign of harassment are false.

When my husband and I were getting divorced there were messages and emails sent. I did send them to his boss at the bank but that was because he left us without any money.

I went from having what I thought was a happy marriage to being alone with no money. Pedro refused to help out financially. He even sent the divorce papers on a WhatsApp message the first time. He would not communicate with me so I had to send emails and messages, but they were not to his new wife.

Al Hamadi has now said she is considering dropping the complaint after reading a plea by Paris to the ruler of Dubai to show mercy.

Laleh said she has not heard anything from her lawyer and is expecting to be in court on Thursday where she is likely to come face to face with her accuser.

I really do not want to go back to court because I am so afraid of what can happen. My family tried to keep it from me that I could be jailed for two years. The thought of that is just so overwhelming.

Having been forced to stay here it already feels like a prison. I just feel totally helpless and want this all to be over as soon as possible.

A crowd funding page has been set up to help Laleh Shahravesh cover her hotel bills and lawyers' fees while struggling to be reunited with her daughter. To make a donation, please visit: https://www.gofundme.com/reunite-paris-with-mother-laleh
A doctor who refused to examine rape victims when asked to by the police has been banned from practising medicine for another year.

Dr Rebecca May Klein was suspended for 10 months in March 2018 after a tribunal found she 'seriously let down' victims by 'deliberately' failing to examine them following alleged sex crimes which could have affected criminal trials.

Dr Klein blamed the incidents on a lack of training from employers Serco, a private firm that provides public healthcare services, and on 'gaps in her knowledge', but her arguments were rejected.

A Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service review of her case saw the ban extended for another year after she failed to attend the hearing and there was no evidence she tried to improve her skills.

She did not attend and the panel was told when Dr Klein was informed of the date and asked if she would be there, she responded 'I dunno...I'll try'.

Dr Rebecca May Klein 'deliberately' failed to examine two rape victims while working as a forensic examiner for Serco alongside West Yorkshire Police. Pictured are Serco's headquarters

The tribunal heard Dr Klein, also known as Rebecca Mawson, was working as a forensic examiner in Leeds in November 2014 when she failed to examine Patient A, a suspected victim of stranger rape after being asked to do so by West Yorkshire Police.

A month later Dr Klein, who graduated from the University of Newcastle with a medical degree in 2008, failed to examine another victim - Patient C - after another police request.

She also failed to complete and/or return the police statements requested of her following her examinations of suspected victims on various dates between October 20, 2014 and November 3, 2014.

Dr Klein, who did not attend the previous hearing either, blamed the incidents on a lack of 'training, support and mentoring' from Serco but the panel found that her explanations were 'inconsistent' and had 'evolved significantly'.

There was no evidence to suggest any criminal proceedings were affected by her actions, but the panel heard she 'undermined' the justice system

The 2019 review, which took place in February, ruled she still did not appreciate the potential harm her actions could have caused and could be struck off if she remained 'unwilling or unable' to engage with training.

The report said: 'Since her 2018 hearing, Dr Klein has failed to engage with the GMC and, as a result, she has not provided any of the information that the 2018 Tribunal indicated may assist a reviewing Tribunal.

'There is therefore no evidence before the Tribunal in relation to her insight or remediation or how she has kept her skills and knowledge up to date during the period of suspension.

'The Tribunal reminded itself that the onus is on Dr Klein to demonstrate that she is fit to practise and she has not done so.

'The Tribunal noted that the 2018 Tribunal had found that vulnerable patients were seriously let down.

'These were separate failings over a short period of time which had the potential to impact on criminal justice.

'The Tribunal remained mindful of Dr Kleins serious misconduct and whilst that misconduct may be remediable Dr Klein has produced no evidence that she has developed her insight, fully appreciates the gravity of her misconduct or has attempted any remediation.

'Therefore the Tribunal concludes that there remains a risk of repetition and a risk of harm to patients.'

A Serco spokesman said: 'We are pleased that the General Medical Council Tribunal found that these failings did not arise from any deficiency in the training and equipment provided by Serco.'
A real estate nightmare has been bubbling away in the Gold Coast after the multi-billionaire Sultan of Brunei let a prime plot of land sit vacant for decades.

Nestled among extravagant high-rise buildings, meters from the beach in Surfers Paradise, is the 7558sqm chunk of land property developers would be desperate to get their hands on.

But the owner, believed to be the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, seems to have forgotten about it, news.com.au reported.

Nestled among extravagant high-rise buildings, meters from the beach in Surfers Paradise, is the 7558sqm chunk of land property developers would be desperate to get their hands on

The land was bought for just $15million and has since ballooned to about $30million

The land, which sits between the Esplanade and Surfers Paradise Boulevard, was purchased in 1997 by Dermajaya Properties (Southern Pacific) Sdn Bhd, part of the the Brunei Investment Agency (BIA).

It was bought for just $15million and has since ballooned to about $30million.

Six years ago ownership of the land was transferred to Sejahtera Two (Australia) Pty Ltd.

Surfers Paradise has flourished since the L-shaped land was purchased over two decades ago, with multiple high-rise developments transforming the tourist town into a highly coveted holiday destination.

The Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah (pictured), seems to have forgotten about the empty land in the Gold Coast

The highly sought-after location has been heavily developed - expect the one part of land

Surfers Paradise beach is in high demand with developers thanks to its thriving tourism industry

Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate has been trying to see something happen to the land for years.

In 2012 he attempted to get Sultan Hassanal to donate the land to the city.

'I think he's had long enough to do something with it,' he told The Australian at the time.

'How about bequeathing it to the council and I'll dedicate the park in his honour? It's a win for him. The Sultan has vast holdings around the world so he probably doesn't even know he owns it.'

Mr Tate more recently told the Gold Coast Bulletin his office would 'continue to liaise with the Sultan of Brunei with a view to seeing this property best utilised for the benefit of the Gold Coast community'.

Sultan Hassanal's personal wealth has been estimated at $27.7 billion, he lives in the largest royal residence in the world and boasts an impressive property portfolio.

Public attention has turned to Sultan Hassanal since a brutal new criminal code was introduced in the small country last week.

Laws include death by stoning for gay sex and adultery, and public flogging for abortion.

Since the new laws were announced there have been calls to boycott his hotels, which includes The Dorchester in London and the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles.
One of Britain's most senior female police officers has denied possessing an indecent video image featuring a five year-old girl.

Chief superintendent Novlett Robyn Williams, 54, is charged with having 'a moving image file of Category A severity'.

The officer, who was the Met Police public face for the Notting Hill Carnival and New year's Eve celebrations, denies she ever saw the clip.

It was allegedly shared in a group WhatsApp message by her sister, Jennifer Hodge, 55 and brother-in-law, Dido Massivi, 61, in February last year, the Old Bailey heard.

Metropolitan Police superintendent Novlett Robyn Williams (centre) arrives at the Old Bailey in London today

It was allegedly shared in a group WhatsApp message by her sister, Jennifer Hodge, 55 and brother-in-law, Dido Massivi, 61, pictured today outside the Old Bailey

Supt Williams is also accused of failing to report her sister after she allegedly sent the film.

All three defendants appeared at the Old Bailey today and entered pleas of not guilty to all counts.

Judge Richard Marks QC was unable to set a trial date for either August or September with a two to three week time estimate due to availability of counsel.

He released all three defendants on bail.

The 80,000-a-year Superintendent joined the Metropolitan Police in 2008 after being the first black woman to be made sergeant then inspector in Nottinghamshire Police

Supt Williams, from south London, denies one count of possession of an indecent photograph of a child.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan (left) with Metropolitan Police Superintendent Novlett Robyn Williams in 2016

The officer was the Met Police public face for the Notting Hill Carnival and New year's Eve celebrations

She also denies one charge of corrupt or improper exercise of police powers and privileges by a constable.

Hodge, from Brent, northwest London, denies one count of distributing an indecent photograph of a child.

Massivi denies two counts of distributing an indecent photograph of a child.

He further denies one count of possessing an extreme pornographic image portraying an act of intercourse or oral sex with a dead or alive animal.

All three were bailed ahead of a trial date this summer, yet to be fixed.
A billionaire friend of Prince Charles is locked in a High Court 'divorce tourism' battle with his estranged wife over his fortune.

German industrialist and art collector Jurgen Pierburg, 73, attended Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding in London in 2011 with his second wife Clarissa, 69.

The pair wed in 1985 after Mr Pierburg split from his first wife Christine in 1984 - and they lived an ultra-luxurious lifestyle until their separation in 2017.

German industrialist and art collector Jurgen Pierburg (left) is locked in a High Court 'divorce tourism' battle with his estranged wife Clarissa (right, both pictured yesterday)

The Pierburgs shared a chateau in Switzerland with a staff of nine servants, a multi-million pound second home in Knightsbridge, and a 10million 140ft superyacht.

Mr Pierburg, who has previously supported Charles's charity projects, also shared a cultural treasure trove with his wife in the form of a private art collection.

But the couple are now at war in the divorce courts. London's High Court was told Mr Pierburg had launched a petition for their split to be handled in his native Germany.

But Mrs Pierburg said she is 'resident and domiciled' in London and wants the generous British divorce courts to deal with the financial fallout of the breakup.

However, Mr Pierburg told Mr Justice Moor: 'Clarissa had never once in all the years of our marriage expressed a wish to live in London. Never once in the course of our marriage did my wife say she wanted to live in England.'

Mr Pierburg is a member of the renowned Pierburg industrial dynasty who made their fortune in German motor manufacturing.

Prince Charles previously thanked the Pierburgs in a speech for their financial support to his charity project to restore the stately home of Dumfries House (where he is pictured in 2012)

He inherited control of the business and most of his wealth when his father Alfred died in 1975.

He has since become famous as an art collector and sold a bronze sculpture by Matisse in 2010 for 37million, then a record for the artist.

In 2014, Charles thanked Mr and Mrs Pierburg in a speech for their financial support to his charity project to restore the Scottish stately home of Dumfries House.

In the witness box, Mrs Pierburg told the court she lived in Dusseldorf from 1974 and met her husband there in 1981, but left for Switzerland in 2000 for tax reasons.

She told the judge she was then 'domiciled' in Switzerland but decided to move permanently to her 'home' in Knightsbridge in summer 2017.

Renouncing her ties with Germany, she said she only ever socialised with Mr Pierburg's friends there, and had none of her own.

The Pierburgs shared a multi-million pound home on this road in London's Knightsbridge

But Lewis Marks QC, for the husband, said she had applied to stay on the German electoral roll and gave her address in Switzerland, not London, in doing so.

She told him: 'I started to live in London on July 12. I didn't live in London for many years. London was a second home, like Switzerland, so I was split between those two. London was a home for me.'

Overhaul to end 'outdated' divorce laws Fifty-year-old divorce laws will be overhauled under Government plans designed to end a 'blame game' faced by couples seeking to end their marriage. Justice Secretary David Gauke confirmed new legislation would be introduced after a consultation revealed support for reforms of the existing fault-based system. Currently in England and Wales, unless someone can prove there was adultery, unreasonable behaviour or desertion, the only way to obtain a divorce without their spouse's agreement is to live apart for five years. The proposed new arrangements will keep 'irretrievable breakdown' of a marriage as the sole grounds for divorce. But, rather than having to provide evidence relating to behaviour or separation, divorcing spouses will be required to make a statement that the marriage has broken down. The ability of a husband or wife to contest a divorce - used in under 2 per cent of cases - will be scrapped under the shake-up. The existing two-stage process, in which a decree nisi is followed by a decree absolute, will be retained under the proposed new system. It will introduce a six-month minimum period that must elapse between the lodging of a petition to the divorce being made final. The Government is also planning to make it possible for couples to make joint divorce applications, alongside the current option for one party to initiate the process. Details of the proposals were first unveiled last year, and ministers have decided to press ahead following a 12-week consultation. Last year, 118,000 people petitioned for divorce in England and Wales. Parallel changes will be made to the law governing the dissolution of a civil partnership. Advertisement

She said her connections with Germany had decreased over the years after being told by her husband that they needed to limit their contact with the country for tax reasons.

But Mr Marks pointed out that she had continued to see doctors and a dentist in Dusseldorf. She visited her mother in Germany and kept a car there, he said.

When she needed treatment, she had opted to use her dentist in Germany, despite having to make the long journey for the appointment, he said.

'Instead of finding yourself a dentist in London, you flew to Dusseldorf on a Saturday for root canal treatment,' he stated.

She answered: 'It was a very, very serious treatment. No, I didn't look for a London dentist.'

Mr Marks told the judge: 'We have a wife who is trying to establish that she was not only resident but domiciled in England.

'She has thrown the kitchen sink at establishing she is resident and domiciled here.

'(But) there is no meaning of the word 'reside' which captures what the wife was doing prior to August 15, 2017.

'She didn't have doctors and dentists and coiffures and all those things. The reality is that she has realised her case is full of holes.'

Charles Howard QC, for the wife, told the judge that Mrs Pierburg had been on holiday with her sisters in St Moritz when she 'told them the marriage was over'.

'My client's sole link to Switzerland had gone: the marriage had broken down,' he said. She was starting to pack up. She had to be going somewhere, and that somewhere was England.

'Mrs Pierburg had resolved to leave the marriage by early 2017. They were more than estranged. They were not spending time together'.

In 2017, she spent 156 nights in London, the barrister said, and had 'spent 12 per cent of her time in the UK before the marriage broke down'.

'We say that is enough for residence,' he added.

Mr Pierburg has been widely described as a billionaire in reports. Outside court, the wife's lawyers said they did not know the exact extent of his wealth.

'We do not have financial disclosure at the moment, but we know he is very rich,' they added. The hearing continues.
An African hunter who claims to have killed more than 5,000 elephants says he is 'totally unrepentant' about the deaths he has caused.

Ron Thomson, 77, who worked in Africa's national parks for almost six decades, claims he was not hunting the animals for pure sport but was managing population that would otherwise have got out of control.

However, animal rights campaigners point out that elephant numbers are in steep decline and say 'management culling' is often used as a cover for trophy hunting.

Ron Thomson, 77, says he is 'totally unrepentant' after killing more than 5,000 elephants during a nearly six decade career working in Africa's national parks

Mr Thomson, from Zimbabwe, was forced to defend his record after a report by the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting branded him one of the world's most prolific elephant killers.

On his website, Mr Thomson also claims to have killed 800 buffalo, 60 lions, 50 hippos and 40 leopards.

That total does not include kills he made while leading a culling team that shot 2,500 elephants and 300 hippos in Gonarezhou National Park in the 1970s.

Speaking to The Independent, he said: 'I'm totally unrepentant, a hundred  ten thousand  times over for any of the hunting I've done because that's not the problem.

'The problem is we've got a bunch of so-called experts from the West telling us what to do. I'm a trained university ecologist  I must surely know something about this.'

During his career he has held posts including game warden of Hwange National Park, and was a professional hunter for three years.

He no longer routinely hunts, though said he would go again if invited, and instead writes books about his experiences, including God Created Man The Hunter.

On his website, he is described as 'one of the most experienced African big game hunters alive today.'

Mr Thomson says he was actually helping to save elephants because he argues African reserves have more animals than they can handle

Campaigners rubbished Mr Thomson's claims, saying elephant numbers are in steep decline and 'management culls' are often used as fronts for trophy hunts

In videos posted to the YouTube channel of his wildlife organisation, The True Green Alliance, Mr Thomson outlines his view of wildlife conservation.

He argues that elephants are not an endangered species, that wildlife parks in southern Africa have 'ten to 20 times more elephants' than they can sustain, and that this is destroying the environment.

Without proper management, including culls, he argues that the parks will be overrun and endanger far more species than elephants alone.

Eduardo Goncalves, founder of the Campaign to End Trophy Hunting, rubbished Mr Thomson's claims - saying natural animal populations rarely 'overstock' themselves.

'The African elephant population as a whole is in very serious decline,' he said, adding that 'there are numerous instances of 'management culling' being used as a cover for trophy-hunting.'

Mr Goncalves' report claims that, since the 1980s, elephant numbers in southern Africa have declined from 1.3million to just over 400,000.

In the same time period, hunters from around the globe have taken more than 100,000 trophies back to their home countries.

The group said there has been a four-fold increase in the number of elephant trophies taken in 2015 compared with 1985, and the jump in the amount of ivory taken over the same period was nearly twelve-fold.
China is using a new propaganda app to promote President Xi Jinping's ideology among schoolchildren.

Pupils as young as six must read articles praising their leader regularly on the app and discuss how they benefit from them with each other.

The news comes after a similar app, which is aimed at adults and billed as President Xi's digital 'Little Red Book', became the most downloaded smartphone software in the country and started a 'Xi cult'.

Pupils across China must now use a new propaganda app to study their President Xi Jinping's ideology. Children are pictured saluting the national flag at a remote village school in Sichuan

The Communist app (screen shots above) was released as part of a year-long, nation-wide campaign to urge pupils across China to read patriotic articles. With the theme 'study new thoughts, be good successors', the campaign was launched by the Ministry of Education

The latest Communist app, called 'Shao Nian' () or 'Juveniles', was released as part of a year-long, nation-wide educational campaign to urge pupils across China to read patriotic articles.

It has been dubbed the junior version of President Xi's digital 'Little Red Book' by media.

With the theme 'study new thoughts, be good successors', the campaign was launched by the country's Ministry of Education in January and will last until December.

The Ministry says in a statement that the campaign can 'firmly establish the idea and belief of following the party forever among schoolchildren' and inspire them to shoulder the responsibility of being 'qualified builders and reliable successors to Socialism'.

The news comes after a similar app, which is aimed at adults and billed as President Xi's digital 'Little Red Book', became the most downloaded smartphone software in the country and started a 'Xi cult'. The Chinese President is pictured in France on March 26 during a state visit

A website (above) has also been rolled out to match the content of the smartphone app

The app, together with a corresponding website, was rolled out by Chinese state-run newspaper People's Daily in February.

It will contain 30 articles for pupils from the first to the third grade, 45 articles for pupils from the fourth to the sixth grade, 60 articles for pupils in middle school, and 60 article for those in high school, according to the Ministry.

Articles for primary school students will be updated at least once a week while teenagers will be able to read up to three new articles a week.

Schools are ordered to treat the reading of the app as part of their ethical education curriculum to ensure the children are 'awoken' by the study sessions, says the authority.

Earlier this year, a Communist software called 'Xuexi Qiangguo' or 'Study (Xi) Strong Country' became the most used app in China, beating hugely popular rivals such as messaging app WeChat and video app Douyin.

Its name is a witty wordplay as President Xi's family name can also mean 'study' in Chinese.

China's ruling Communist Party, which has approximately 90 million members, has reportedly required all of its members to download the 'Xuexi Qiangguo' app and use it on a daily basis

The app topped the download chart for free apps for both iOS and Android systems after being released by China's central propaganda department on January 1.

It is reported that China's ruling Communist Party, which has approximately 90 million members, has required all of its members to download the app and use it on a daily basis.

Apparently, many private companies also require their employees to study it every day. Workers must submit daily screenshots to document their progress or face having their wages deducted, according to New York Times.

The Communist app has been billed as the modern-day equivalent to the 'Little Red Book', a pocket-sized booklet with Chairman Mao's philosophy and a must-have item for Chinese people in the 1960s and 1970s.

The 'Xuexi' app has been billed as the modern-day equivalent to the 'Little Red Book' (right), a booklet with Chairman Mao's (left) philosophy and a must-have item in China in the 1970s

It is estimated that more than one billion copies of Chairman Mao's 'Little Red Book' were circulated during China's Cultural Revolution, making it the second-most printed book in the world after the Bible.

Xi Jinping has been widely considered as China's most powerful leader since the nation's founding father Chairman Mao who ruled from 1949 to 1976.

Xi could potentially rule China for life after Chinese lawmakers in March last year abolished presidential term limits that had been in place for more than 35 years.

His ideology, formally known as Xi Jinping Thought, was also incorporated into China's Constitution to further solidify his power.

Last year, Xi was named by Forbes as the most powerful person on Earth, ending Putin's four-year reign at the top and pushing Trump down to the third.
Police are probing footage of three police officers who appear to be 'taking part' in a protest outside the Sultan of Bruneis west London mansion.

Campaigners marched to the British home of Hassanal Bolkiah, the 29th Sultan of Brunei, in protest against the countrys new Islamic laws - which make gay sex and adultery punishable by being stoned to death.

The peaceful protest, organised by Ealing Labour Party councillor Lewis Cox, was attended by around 30 other demonstrators, many of whom were seen waving rainbow flags and holding signs mocking the Sultan.

One protest banner read: I wish my husband thought about gay sex as much as the Sultan of Brunei.

Police are investigating footage of three police officers who appear to be taking part in a protest outside the Sultan of Bruneis west London mansion

Video footage of the rally emerged on social media which appeared to show two police officers and a community support officer - who had been on hand to police the demonstration - waving rainbow flags and posing for pictures.

Scotland Yard are now probing whether they broke impartiality regulations, as Police rules state that officers must not take part in political activities that could compromise their objectivity.

The regulations read: A member of a police force shall at all times abstain from any activity which is likely to interfere with the impartial discharge of his duties or which is likely to give rise to the impression amongst members of the public that it may so interfere; and in particular a member of a police force shall not take any active part in politics.

Last Saturday protesters gathered outside the Dorchester Hotel as they rallied against the Sultan and his new LGBT laws

A Met Police spokesperson told MailOnline: 'The MPS has been made aware of a recording on social media that shows officers at a demonstration in Ealing.

'The demonstration apparently took place on Saturday, 30 March, outside the residence of the Sultan of Brunei.

'We are reviewing the images and will be speaking to the officers concerned to ascertain the circumstances.

'It is the policy of the MPS to police demonstrations without fear or favour and to remain impartial at all times.'

Bruneis new Islamic laws have attracted international outrage for their hardline stance.

The rally on Saturday was led by human rights activist Peter Tatchell (pictured centre), with many of the protesters carrying placards and banners calling for homophobia to be stamped out

Celebrities have called for a boycott on hotel groups owned by the Sultan, including The Dorchester in London.

On Saturday protesters broke through a barricade outside the Dorchester Hotel as they rallied against the Sultan and his new LGBT laws, reports suggested.

Around 500 people attended the protest in Park Lane, central London, after the Sultan announced the change in law.

The gathering, led by human rights activist Peter Tatchell, saw many of the protesters carrying rainbow flags and placards calling for homophobia to be stamped out.

The protest came on the back of the growing movement against hotels owned by the Sultan - including the Dorchester.
Aidan James, 28, has been cleared of preparing acts of terrorism after a judge ruled he travelled to Syria in 2017 with the sole intention of fighting against ISIS

A British father who travelled to Syria to fight against ISIS has been cleared of one terrorism charge today after the judge ruled he had no case to answer.

Aidan James, 28, has been on trial at the Old Bailey in London accused of preparing acts of terrorism by fighting alongside proscribed Kurdish militia the PKK against jihadis in Iraq and Syria in 2017.

But the prosecution dropped those charges midway through the trial on the basis that James' actions were solely focused on opposing ISIS, rather than trying to further the Kurdish cause.

The father-of-one, of Merseyside, remains on trial accused of attending two terrorist training camps - one in Iraq with the PKK and another in Syria with another Kurdish fighting force, the YPG.

He decided today not to give evidence over those charges and the case was adjourned until tomorrow for closing speeches.

The PKK is proscribed in Britain because it has fought a terrorist campaign in Turkey, but the UK has supported the YPG, who form the main contingent of the anti-ISIS forces.

Addressing the jury, at the end of the prosecution case, Mr Justice Edis told told the jury: 'Yesterday afternoon I made a ruling that there is no case to answer in respect of count one, the allegation of preparation of terrorism.

James, pictured in 2017 shortly before leaving the UK, had been accused of 'picking a cause' by training and fighting with proscribed Kurdish militia the PKK

But the prosecution dropped the charges against James, pictured left in Iraq and right in Syria, due to a lack of evidence that he was trying to further the Kurdish cause. He remains on trial accused of attending terror training camps in Iraq and Syria

'The prosecution do not seek a conviction of Mr James if his activity was solely limited to the fight against ISIS.

'They do not invite you to say that taking part, by the use of weapons by a civilian, in the fight against ISIS, is terrorist activity - whether or not it is in law, they do not seek prosecution on that basis.'

He added: 'I have to decide whether it is safe for you to come to the conclusion that Aidan James's activity was to give effect to an intention for terrorist activity abroad - other than fighting for ISIS.

'My ruling was there was no evidence sufficient for you to be sure that he had any intention other than fighting against ISIS and that is why I decided that there was no case to answer.

'His participation was to do with ISIS. And that being so there is no case on count one because that is all about what he was preparing to do.'

Jurors heard James told police he 'just wanted to provide humanitarian aid' but saw video footage of him firing weapons

His ruling came because the YPG was 'fully occupied' with fighting ISIS during the six month 'tour of duty' that James spent with them.

The judge left open the possibility that the YPG had wider aims for an autonomous Kurdish region that could mean their training camp, and that of the PKK, were for terrorist purposes.

He added: 'That does not mean that the YPG, which he went to join, is not a terrorist organisation that intends to carry out military activity to achieve its objectives.

'You will have to consider when you retire what the intention of the YPG is, whether it has intentions beyond the defeat of Isis.

James, pictured in Syria, decided not to give evidence in his defence on the remaining charges

'Counts two and three are about what type of training was provided when he was there and what it was for and what he knew about the training and what its purpose was. It's about attending a camp where terrorist training is provided.'

The trial has already heard that James had no link to Syria and no previous military experience.

Mark Heywood QC, prosecuting, said he had 'picked his cause' which 'fuelled the violence' in the Syrian civil war.

James was arrested four months before he left Britain and put on the Prevent de-radicalisation programme, but the bail was later cancelled and his passport returned.

He went on a training course in North Wales and bought body armour and equipment before travelling out to Iraq and then Syria to join Kurdish forces in August 2017.

The jury formally entered a not guilty verdict on the charge of preparing acts of terrorism and the case continues against him on two charges of attending a place for terrorist training.

Andy Hall QC, representing James, told the court his client had decided not to give evidence in relation to the remaining charges and the case was adjourned before closing speeches on Wednesday.

The judge told the jury that James's decision meant 'the jury can draw such inferences as they want from his decision not to give evidence.'

The case continues.
The Kentucky doctor who was dragged off a United flight bruised and bloodied has broken his silence two years after the ordeal saying he 'just cried' when he watched the viral footage of himself.

Dr David Dao, 69, was forcibly removed from the overbooked flight at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on April 9, 2017 when he was trying to fly back to Louisville with his pediatrician wife Teresa.

Cellphone footage of the bleeding grandfather being hauled off the plane by agents when he refused to give up his seat to make way for airline staff caused global outrage.

Dao told ABC News on Tuesday that he struggled to watch the video months after the incident.

'I just cried,' he said.

Dr David Dao, 69, has just spoken out about being forcibly removed from an overbooked United flight at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on April 9, 2017

Dao said he suffered a concussion, cuts to his mouth and nose and had several teeth knocked out when he was dragged off the plane.

He also said he was put on suicide watch in hospital and had to spend months learning how to walk again.

The doctor described those first few months as 'horrible'.

He said he continues to struggle with sleeping, concentration and balance issues two years on.

Despite the trauma, Dao said he was glad he stood his ground and refused to give up his seat because it resulted in United investigating and changing its policies in the wake of the global outrage.

Dao and his wife had planned to fly from Chicago to Louisville that day so they could open a clinic they had set up for U.S. veterans.

The couple wanted to start the clinic to thank veterans because the U.S. Navy helped rescue him from the water when he fled Vietnam 44 years ago.

Dao said he was already buckled in his seat ready for take off when he was pulled by his seat by agents.

Cellphone footage of the bleeding grandfather being hauled off the plane by agents when he refused to give up his seat to make way for airline staff caused global outrage

Dao said that he struggled to watch the video months after the incident after it showed him being hauled off the plane by agents. The doctor said he suffered a concussion, cuts to his mouth and nose and had several teeth knocked out as a result

He said he hit his head on the ceiling above his seat and doesn't remember anything after that.

'After that, to be honest, I don't know what happened,' he said.

He added that he heard a 'big noise' and woke up in the hospital surrounded by a trauma team.

Immediately after the incident, United had accused the doctor and his wife of refusing to give up their seats to make way for airline employees who needed to fly.

Dao was heard in the video saying he couldn't get off the plane because he needed to get back to Louisville to see patients.

In the days following the incident, United CEO Oscar Munoz initially said in an internal email to staff that the passenger was 'disruptive and belligerent'.

Munoz also praised his staff for going 'above and beyond'.

He said that while he was 'upset' to hear about the man being violently dragged off the flight, that airline crew had simply been following 'established procedures.'

The CEO described how flight crews had offered up to $1,000 in compensation for anyone willing to catch the next flight before approaching the passenger to 'explain apologetically' that he was being denied boarding.

Dao is a father of five and a grandfather who specializes in internal medicine. His wife Teresa is a pediatrician and four of their five children are doctors. They are pictured above with their grandchildren

Dao, pictured with his wife and one of their grandchildren, said he continues to struggle with sleeping, concentration and balance issues two years on from the United ordeal

He had then 'raised his voice and refused to comply' with the crew's requests to leave the aircraft, and became increasingly 'disruptive and belligerent,' he said.

'Our agents were left with no choice, but to call Chicago Aviation Security Officers to assist in removing the customer from the flight, he repeatedly decline to leave.'

Munoz added that the passenger refused to comply with the officers who then 'physically removed him from the flight as he continued to resist - running back onto the aircraft in defiance of both out crew and security officials.'

'While I deeply regret this situation arose, I also emphatically stand behind all of you, and I want to commend you for continuing to go above and beyond to ensure we fly right,' he said.

Social media erupted immediately when the email became public, labeling Munoz and United 'tone deaf' and 'condescending'.

The CEO later issued a public apology saying he 'apologized for having to re-accommodate these customers'.

United offered Dao an undisclosed settlement weeks after the incident.

In a statement, United said the flight was a defining moment for the airline and the company continues to learn from that experience. They said the changes implemented since that incident ensured better service for customers and empowered their employees.

Dao is a father of five and a grandfather who specializes in internal medicine. His wife is a pediatrician and four of their five children are doctors.

Details of his past emerged in the wake of the United incident, including that he had previously been given a suspended jail sentence for illegally obtaining and trafficking controlled substances by fraud and deceit.

It emerged that he had been soliciting prescription drugs in return for gay sex with a patient. His license was suspended in 2003, and it was then partially re-instated in 2015.
A couple hoping for a snack burst into laughter when they opened a packet of crisps to discover two tiny crumbs.

Merisha Levy Hearne filmed her husband Ciaran as he squeezes the packet of Tesco own-brand crisps at their home in Baldock, Hertfordshire.

The couple end up in hysterics when they are met with two small fragments instead of a full bag of ready salted crisps.

Merisha Levy Hearne films her husband Ciaran as he squeezes the packet of Tesco own-brand crisps at their home in Baldock, Hertfordshire

The supermarket giant today suggested the problem was with a weighing machine and apologised for the bizarre mishap.

Mrs Levy Hearne posted the video to the Tesco community page saying 'thought this bag felt a bit empty... I know we all joke when buying crisps that you're paying for half a bag of air but come on Tesco this is a bit much.'

In the video, Mr Levy Hearne squeezes the packet which looks like it is full of air before opening it as his wife exclaims 'Oh my god.'

Struggling to hold back the laughter, she says to her husband: 'No tip them out, how many did you get?'

The couple end up in hysterics when they are met with two small fragments instead of a full bag of ready salted crisps

Mr Levy Hearne tips the contents of the packet over a bowl showing the two tiny crisp fragments and they dissolve into giggles.

Tesco's online customer care team responded to the post online saying: 'I am deeply sorry and concerned on how this could of happened. This is certainly not the quality we aim to provide our customers.

'I would like to have this logged and fed back to the supplier, can I ask you to PM me a picture of the barcode, best before date and full picture of your receipt along with your full name, address and email?'

Mrs Levy Hearne says she started filming because they noticed the packet looked unusual.

Merisha and Levy Hearne (pictured) were puzzled to open a crisp packet and find two tiny crumbs

Mr Levy Hearne tips the contents of the packet over a bowl showing the two tiny crisp fragments

She said: 'My husband said that the packet felt like it was empty so I laughed and said crisps are usually half a bag of air, but felt it myself and noticed you couldn't hear anything when you shook it so I said let's open it and take a video.

'We just laughed we found it quite funny.

A Tesco spokesperson said: 'We have apologised to Merisha for this mishap and have provided her with a full refund.

'We are investigating with our supplier to find out what happened on this occasion.'

Crisp makers use automatic weighing scales to ensure all individual crisp packets meet weight legislation and empty or underweight packs are rejected.

It is understood a 'rejected' packet ended up in the couple's multi-pack by mistake.
A New Jersey priest has pleaded guilty to a child sexual assault dating back almost three decades.

The charge against Thomas Ganley, 63, was charged in January, just two days after the victim who was between 14 and 17 years old at the time of the assault had called the state's clergy abuse hotline.

Ganley admitted the crime to authorities and has been removed from the priesthood.

'My heart aches for this survivor and all survivors of child sexual abuse,' Diocese of Metuchen Bishop James F. Checchio said in a statement on Monday

The case against Ganley is the first sexual assault case brought by the state's clergy abuse task force, which was established by Attorney General Gurbir Grewal in September.

Those who wish to report allegations of abuse by members of the clergy can reach the task force's dedicated hotline staffed by trained professionals 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 855-363-6548.

Thomas Ganley, 63, of New Jersey has pleaded guilty to a child sexual assault dating back almost three decades, against a child who was between the ages of 14 and 17 at the time. Ganley admitted the crime to authorities and has been removed from the priesthood

Ganley was initially charged with aggravated sexual assault and sexual assault.

Prosecutors say Ganley was a priest at Saint Cecelia Church in Woodbridge when the assaults took place between 1990 and 1994.

Ganley entered his guilty plea to child sexual assault on Monday.

'Our message today is that we will move swiftly and decisively to secure justice for survivors," Grewal said in a news release.

'This case was not time-barred even through it is 25 years old, and where a prosecution is no longer viable, we will work equally hard to determine if the church was aware of the abuse but failed to take action or prevent it from recurring, which will be the subject of a state grand jury presentment and report. We are determined to expose past wrongs and seek justice for survivors in whatever form is possible.'

Prosecutors say Ganley was a priest at Saint Cecelia Church in Woodbridge (pictured) when the assaults took place between 1990 and 1994

Ganley (pictured) entered his guilty plea to child sexual assault on Monday. The state attorney general's office has recommended that Ganley get a four-year prison term when he's sentenced on July 2

Checchio said on Monday, 'As a church, we are committed to facing these situations with transparency, faith and hope.'

'The crimes and sins committed at the hands of a priest  someone who is supposed to provide spiritual care  are shameful and disturbing. This is a painful and horrific crime and sin.

'We must live in the light and continue to work to better understand this horrendous chapter in our history ensuring that we never return to it, eliminating the darkness that has been created around it.'

The Catholic church has been plagued by allegations of child sexual assault and molestation dating back to at least the 1950s, but the widespread nature of of the criminal ways in which it was covered up by transferring priests and paying secret settlements wasn't brought to light until 2002 by The Boston Globe, which prompted similar investigative work around the world.

New Jersey's Clergy Abuse Task Force was created in September following the publication of a report by a Pennsylvania grand jury alleging more than 1,000 victims of sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests in that state over a 70-year period.

The report, which was the result of a multi-year investigation led by Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, also detailed allegations of a cover-up by church leaders and accusations of sexual abuse against at least four priests who spent part of their ministries in New Jersey.

'I was deeply troubled to read the allegations contained in [August's] Pennsylvania grand jury report,' Grewal said in a statement released in September.

'The report revealed that sexual assaults on children  and efforts to cover up such assaults  were far more widespread in Pennsylvania than we ever thought possible. We owe it to the people of New Jersey to find out whether the same thing happened here. If it did, we will take action against those responsible.'

Ganley's admission of guilt marks the first successful effort to punish sexual abuse by members of the clergy as a result of the task force's endeavors.

At the time of Ganley's arrest in January he was assigned to St. Philip and St. James Catholic Church in Phillipsburg as parochial vicar.

He belonged to the Diocese of Metuchen, a Roman Catholic diocese in New Jersey, centered in the borough of Metuchen.

The state attorney general's office has recommended that Ganley get a four-year prison term when he's sentenced on July 2.
Nine men have pleaded not guilty to 16 charges of historical rape and trafficking against one teenage girl from Sheffield.

The men appeared at Sheffield Crown Court today and spoke only to confirm their names and offer their pleas of not guilty.

The men, all from Sheffield, face 13 rape charges, two of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and one of trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

The complainant, who can't be named for legal reasons, was a teenager at the time of the alleged offending, which took place in Sheffield between 2010 and 2012 and is set to be offered as a witness by the prosecution.

The men appeared at Sheffield Crown Court (pictured above) and spoke only to confirm their pleas

Usman Din, 34, is charged with three counts of rape and is the only defendant facing a trafficking charge.

Tony Ejoune, 60, Shangar Ibrahimi, 29, Kawan Omar Ahmed, 29, and Saman Mohammed, 40, all face one count of rape.

Farhad Mirzaie, 29, is charged with two counts of rape and Jasim Mohammed, 36, faces three counts of rape.

Nzar Anwar, 39 is charged with one count of rape and, along with Saba Mohammed, 40, faces one count of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

Two men, Kamaran Mahmoodi, 39, and Soran Ali Karim, 43, are both accused of rape but failed to appear at Sheffield Magistrates Court last month.

Prosecutor Peter Hampton said police are still trying to locate the two so they will not stand trial on January 6.

The defendants will next appear in court in November for a case management hearing in preparation for the trial.

Judge Michael Slater said the trial, which is expected to last up to seven weeks, will begin on January 6 next year.

Addressing the defendants, Judge Slater said as they pleaded not guilty, they would have to be tried.

'The trial will begin on January 6 with an estimated time of six weeks. In the meantime I'm permitting bail on the same conditions as before.

'Should you fail to turn up for trial without a good excuse you will be committing an offence.

'Please keep in regular contact with your advisers to prepare your case for trial.

'You may leave the dock.'
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Eerie photos show a once bustling village deliberately drowned in a multi-coloured toxic lake by a communist dictator.

The images feature an abandoned graveyard slowly being consumed by a fluorescent turquoise lake, as well as the spire of a church poking through murky red waters.

A crumbling rooftop also appears to float on the red and yellow sludge caused by a nearby mine.

The stunning shots capture the Romanian ghost village of Geamana, which was evacuated and deliberately flooded in 1978 to make way for one of the continent's largest copper mines.

Only the top of a church tower pokes through the scarlet, polluted waters which now covers the western Romanian ghost village of Geamana

The village was flooded in 1978 by dictator Nicolae Ceausescu to accommodate what was Europe's largest copper mine. The colour of the water is a result of the toxic sludge thrown out by the mine

A flooded grave pokes through the florescent water. Local residents claim the Romanian Government promised to relocate the graves but 40 years after the flooding, they remain

A black and white picture of how Geamana, housed in the Apuseni Mountains, used to look, with it's distinctive church spire that now pokes out of the man-made lake

Iron, sulphur and copper residues from a the copper mine cause the sickly patterns in the lake. Orange mixes with purple, green and yellow to create the hypnotic ripples

The waste products from the mine were washed into the man-made valley, which spelled the end for the remote community.

Romanian photographer and urban explorer Cristian Lipovan, 36, frequently visits the lake and witnessed year on year how the village - which was once home to hundreds of people - has sank below the poisonous water.

Mr Lipovan said: 'Geamana is a missing village, a ghost village, swallowed by a lake that has vivid, unreal living colours.

'The water that surrounds the hill is red in colour, it shows that everything is poisoned, from water, grass, trees, fruits, vegetables, animals and ultimately man.

'The lake is growing rapidly, and there are still people living in the area who live with the threat of poisonous water encroaching on their homes.'

He added: 'The atmosphere is bleak and gloomy because of the psychedelic, unnatural colours and because of the poor, unfortunate people who spend their days eating, drinking, smelling and breathing poison.'

A graveyard is slowly sinking into the lurid water. The lake is growing rapidly and is consuming architecture that has stood in the village for generations

But some people choose to remain by the side of the poisonous water. The people live their daily lives 'eating, drinking, smelling and breathing poison'

The lake is fast catching up to the 20 villagers who remain. They moved to higher ground in the valley after the flooding 40 years ago

In 1977, communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu announced plans to build the Rosia Poieni super mine and offered affected residents around 1,500 each to leave their homes - some of which had been there for generations.

A year later the Apuseni Mountain village was under the polluted, metallic water.

At it's peak the mine was producing over 11,000 tons of copper a year, making it the biggest mine in Romania.

As a steady supply of acidic grey-and-red liquid filled Geamana's valley following the mine's opening, 20 villagers refused to leave and simply moved to higher ground.

The abandoned church and its graveyard are now mostly underwater. It paints a bleak, eerie picture with the sludge in the foreground and dark mountains behind

When the flooding was announced in 1977, hundreds of families were forced to evacuate. The roof of one of the former family homes pokes above the surface of the sludge

A basic hut sits beside farmed land on the bank of the toxic lake. Vegetation still grows in the valley despite the chemicals in the water

A battered boat sits on a more moderately-coloured section of the lake. But nearby it merges with the chemicals in the lake to paint a scene similar to the Meeting of Waters - where the Amazon meets the Rio Negro in Brazil

'The sad story began in 1977, when Nicolae Ceausescu moved the population from Geamana village to make a waste disposal site for the Rosia Poieni copper mine,' said Mr Lipovan.

'It is the largest copper mine in Romania and at that time it was the largest in Europe.

'It's now creating a real 'ecological bomb' in the Apuseni Mountains.

One of the shacks sits near the lake and looks on as other huts are consumed by the bright orange water. But the land in front of the house appears to have been recently farmed, suggesting people still live there

What appear to be weathervanes sit nearby submerged in the water beside a run-down house with part of its roof caved in

The interior of one of the abandoned homes shows what appear to be primitive measuring stick gauges next to a flag in a large cupboard

'In the first phase of flooding, the village of Geamana disappeared, with everything in it: the houses, the church, the cemetery.

'Next, the threat moved to the surrounding villages, in which have been swallowed hundreds of houses and another cemetery.

'One church was dismantled stone by stone and rebuilt in a museum in Sibiu.

'Still, there are some people who have been ambitious enough to stay until the very end.'

But the lake is rising on average 3ft a year and edging closer to where they now call home.
A husband in China has reportedly caught his wife of 20 years cheating on him with his friend after accidentally left his dashcam at home and switched on.

The device caught the woman, a secretary for a local discipline watchdog, having a rendezvous with the man, who was the mayor of his town, the husband accused.

He told reporters he was left devastated after seeing the footage out of expectation. He said he had left the camera home after thinking it was broken.

Grabs from the footage, provided by Mr Yang in China, shows a woman answering the door and a man coming in. Mr Yang claimed the video caught his wife cheating with his good friend

The footage was released this week by the husband, known as Mr Yang, to Shang You News, which is affiliated to state-run Chongqing Daily News Group.

Mr Yang, who is from the city of Mudanjiang in north-eastern China, claimed that the video was filmed in August, 2016.

He added that he and his wife, known by a pseudonym Cui Hua, divorced in 2018 as a result of her alleged adulterous behaviour.

The edited clip, about a minute long and shot in the doorway, shows a man coming into a woman's home. The two soon start to hug and kiss.

At one point, the man unzips the woman's dress before carrying on cuddling her and seemingly kissing her breasts.

The conversation was blurry.

The woman can be heard saying 'what are you doing' when the man shows up; and the man can be heard saying 'I miss you' when the two caress.

The clip, about a minute long and shot in the doorway, shows the man and the woman hugging and kissing. At one point, the man unzips the woman's dress before carrying on cuddling her

Mr Yang said the scene was shot by his dashcam. He said he had brought the device home after thinking it was broken. He left it at home without realising that it was switched on and still working, the man claimed.

He told reporters that he had been good friends with his wife's suspected lover, known as Mr Liu.

Mr Liu, who was the mayor of the Wenchun Town in the city, often visited Mr Yang's home and got to know his wife.

Cui Hua was later appointed as the sectary for the local Discipline Inspection Commission and became a co-worker with Mr Liu.

Mr Yang added that he suspected his wife had maintained a long-term affair with Mr Liu, but only managed to find evidence when he came across the surprise footage.

He claimed to have reported the couple's alleged affair to the local authority several times using the footage, but had not received any reply.

He sent the footage to Shang You in hope of gaining more attention for the matter.

Cui Hua firmly denied her ex-husband's allegations yesterday, claiming she and Mr Liu were 'ordinary colleagues'.

She claimed that she and Mr Liu were not having a rendezvous, but an 'accident'. She explained to Shang You that Mr Liu was drunk in the video, therefore they had 'intimate behaviour' and it was a 'one-off' event.

The woman said her ex-husband's claims were defamatory, adding that the video was shot by a secret monitor, not a dashcam.

A district government in Mudanjiang told the press that Mr Liu had retired from his mayor position without giving further comment on the footage.
Weltzin Garcia, 26, was found by a kayaker on Mountain Creek Lake in Texas, near to her hometown of Grand Prairie

A body found in a Dallas lake has been identified as a mother-of-two who disappeared almost two months ago, after she filed charges for assault against her boyfriend.

Weltzin Garcia, 26, was found by a kayaker on Mountain Creek Lake in Texas, near to her hometown of Grand Prairie.

The remains of her partner Alfonso Hernandez, 28, were found at a different lake 16 miles away on February 17.

Both had vanished on February 5, just one week after Garcia pressed charges against him for assault.

A warrant was out for his arrest in January on domestic violence charges against Garcia.

Authorities discovered his Honda Accord near White Rock Lake, northeast of Dallas, after pinging Garcia's phone, FOX4 reported.

Two days later a passerby discovered his body floating in the lake, but there was no trace of is partner.

Garcia's phone was found in Hernandez's pocket, while his own phone was found in his car, reported NBCDFW.

The remains of her partner Alfonso Hernandez (pictured), 28, were found at a different lake 16 miles away on February 17. Both had vanished on February 5, just one week after Garcia pressed charges against him for assault

Garcia, 26, was found by a kayaker on Mountain Creek Lake in Texas. Hernandez's body was found in White Rock Lake, northeast of Dallas

A preliminary autopsy showed no signs of trauma on Hernandez's body and that he drowned, Grand Prairie Police said.

Garcia's body was found in Mountain Creek Lake - 16 miles away - last week although investigators only announced her identity on Monday afternoon.

The couple's two children, aged three and six, have been handed over to Garcia's twin sister, Atziry Mireles.

Mireles told the Dallas Morning News in February her sister had moved into their cousin's house after a series of disputes with Hernandez.

On the morning of February 5, Mireles said, Hernandez sent a goodbye message to his family and her sister, but could not be found.

The couple's two children, aged three and six, have been handed over to Garcia's twin sister

Mountain Creek Lake in Dallas, where the body of Weltzin Garcia, 26, was found last week - NBC reported

Sisters: In a Facebook post on March 17, weeks before her sister's body was found, Mireles (pictured right) said she doesn't think Hernandez was responsible for her disappearance: 'They were working things out,' she said

Garcia's mother, Vania Mireles, posted on Facebook on Monday thanking people for their prayers for her daughter. She is 'in a better world,' Vania wrote in Spanish.

The Dallas Police Department's Homicide Unit will investigate the death of Garcia.

Mark Beseda, a Grand Prairie police spokesman, said: 'Once they [Dallas Police Department] complete their investigation, we will close ours as well.'

In a Facebook post on March 17, weeks before her sister's body was found, Mireles said she doesn't think Hernandez was responsible for her disappearance. 'They were working things out,' she said.
A Chinese artist has sparked controversy for posting photos of himself with his late father's remains after removing the bones from his tomb.

The 33-year-old Beijing-based artist, known as Siyuan Zhuji, exhumed his father's remains and arranged them into a skeleton before lying down naked beside them for a photoshoot.

He posted the images on art website Artand and Chinese microblogging site Weibo on Saturday, a day after Tomb-Sweeping Day, China's annual festival to pay respect to the departed.

The photos drew widespread condemnation from net users, who called his actions 'disrespectful and utterly shameless.'

The 33-year-old Beijing-based artist, known as Siyuan Zhuji, exhumed his father's remains and arranged them into a skeleton before lying down naked beside them for a photoshoot

Cemetery workers help artist Siyuan Zhuji dig up his father's remains at his tomb. Siyuan posted the images on art website Artand and Chinese microblogging site Weibo on Saturday, a day after Tomb-Sweeping Day, China's annual festival to pay respect to the dead

Siyuan, whose real name is Si Lulu, is pictured (front, left) in a family portrait with his parents

The photoshoot took place at the end of March, when his father's remains were being reinterred after years of wear-and-tear damage to his grave, according to Beijing News.

Siyuan, whose real name is Si Lulu, said he was only three years old when his father died of liver cancer and it was 'his dream' to take a photo with his father's bones.

'It was an amazing feeling. This was the closet I've ever been to my father,' he said. 'I am expressing my feelings to him in a personal way.'

Siyuan, whose real name is Si Lulu, said he was only three years old when his father died of liver cancer and it was 'his dream' to take a photo with his father's bones

'It was an amazing feeling. This was the closet I've ever been to my father,' the artist told reporters. 'I am expressing my feelings to him in a personal way'

The photoshoot took place at the end of March, when his father's remains were being reinterred after years of wear-and-tear damage to his grave, according to Beijing News

'It was necessary for me to be naked in the photos as this is how we enter and leave the world,' he said.

Si said the pictures were taken by his wife, Lin Shan, after he sought permission from the cemetery's caretaker.

'We shouldn't be afraid to show real art to the world,' he said.

His account on Weibo was suspended after the photos went viral and generated much criticism from net users on the site.

The trending topic page, titled 'Photo blogger digs father's bones and poses naked with them during Qingming Festival', has been viewed nearly 28 million times.

'You're digging up your ancestor's grave clearly for the sake of fame,' one top rated comment read.

'It was necessary for me to be naked in the photos as this is how we enter and leave the world,' the artist said, adding that it was an amazing feeling to be this close to his father

The trending topic page, titled 'Photo blogger digs father's bones and poses naked with them during Qingming Festival', has been viewed nearly 28 million times

His father's remains being removed from his tomb during the exhumation in March

'If you're not doing this for the purpose of fame, why are you posting the images online? Just hang your art up at home,' another user said.

'I think it's understandable to want to lie with your father's remains, but you crossed a line when you took the photos with a camera,' one person said.

'You're using your father like a tool for your so-called work of art, against all rules and traditions of filial piety,' another comment read.

However, some net users expressed support, saying they were touched by the artist's work.

'I was overwhelmed with emotion after seeing the photos. This is so touching,' one person said.

The cemetery caretaker helping Siyuan arrange his father's bones for the photoshoot

Siyuan Zhuji's account on Chinese microblogging site Weibo was suspended after the photos went viral and generated much criticism from net users on the site

In China, there are many superstitions and rules surrounding the treatment of remains and tombs of family members - digging up someone's remains, or disturbing the dead, is considered to be hugely disrespectful and is believed to bring bad karma

However, some net users expressed support, saying they were touched by the artist's work

'You did something that no one else could ever do. You've gone beyond the boundary of moral principles and held a direct conversation with your ancestor,' another said.

'As long the action means something to you, that's all that matters,' one user said. 'It doesn't matter what other people think.'

In China, there are many superstitions and rules surrounding the treatment of remains and tombs of family members - digging up someone's remains, or disturbing the dead, is considered to be hugely disrespectful and is believed to bring bad karma.


Moua Lo, seen with his son, was found dead in the San Joaquin River on Sunday

The body of a father who jumped into a river to save his drowning son has been found.

Moua Lo, 41, was found dead in the San Joaquin River in Sacramento County, California on Sunday, nine days after he went missing while on a boat with his children.

Lo was boating on the river with his one-year-old son and two other children on March 29 when the boy fell into the river, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

The boy was wearing a life jacket but Lo was not, and when the father jumped in to save his son he disappeared in the murky water, his frantic 10-year-old daughter said in a 911 call at 11.30am.

The water temperature was about 50 degrees and the river was moving swiftly after recent rains, according to officials.

Lo, 41, was a father of three and worked as an operations manager at PepsiCo subsidiary Frito Lay, where he had worked for the past 11 years

Lo's 10-year-old daughter called 911 after he jumped into the river to save his son, and search crews (above) rushed to the area. The children were rescued but Lo was missing

A U.S. Coast Guard rescue boat reached the area first and located the victim's boat as it was drifting in the river.

After rescuing the children in the boat, the Coast Guard boat then located the one-year-old child floating in the river.

First responders immediately began performing life-saving measures on the child - including CPR - as the child did not initially have a pulse.

The child was taken to a nearby dock where he was transferred to a waiting California Highway Patrol helicopter.

The one-year-old child was transported via helicopter to a Sacramento area hospital where he had a pulse on arrival was admitted in serious condition.

The other two children, who were rescued from the boat, where reunited with family in good health.

Rescuers found the boy in the water wearing a life jacket, but with no pulse. He was rushed to shore (above) and into a waiting California Highway Patrol helicopter

The boy was loaded into the helicopter (above) and rushed to a hospital in serious condition

Lo remained missing, however, and an extensive search was launched involving multiple agencies.

The search was reluctantly called off the following day, as rescuers faced the grim certainty that Lo could not have survived.

Then on Sunday a fisherman in the San Joaquin River reported finding a body, and the Sacramento Coroner's Office and sheriff's deputies responded to recover the body.

The coroner confirmed on Monday that the dead man was Lo.

Search crews (above) continued to search the river for Lo but found no sign of him

The desperate search (above) was called off after a day as rescuers faced the grim reality that Lo could not have survived in the cold and fast-moving water

The Lo family was notified and are mourning their loss while the one-year-old child involved in the incident remains hospitalized, the sheriff's office said.

Lo was an operations manager at Frito-Lay, where he had worked for the past 11 years, according to his LinkedIn profile.

The family issued a statement thanking first responders and all who participated in the search.

'Our family would not have endured the immense shock and sorrow without the kindness and compassion of all those who stood with us,' the statement said.

'Even though we lost a great husband, father, son, brother, leader and friend, we will never forget all of you who deeply impacted our lives. This weeklong search could not have been endured without you. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.'
John McCain's beloved dog Burma, who stayed at his side as the late Arizona senator battled a brain tumor, has died in a 'tragic accident'.

The Chesapeake Bar Retriever was a birthday gift to war veteran in 2014 and recently passed away at the McCain's estate in Hidden Valley ranch in Arizona.

'To all who loved our dear Burma. She died today in a tragic accident at our beloved Hidden Valley. She is now frolicking with the one she loved most in heaven now,' Cindy McCain, 64, posted on Instagram on Monday evening.

McCain and his wife often posted pictures and videos playing around with Burma on their ranch.

John McCain's pet Chesapeake Bay retriever Burma has passed away on the family's Hidden Valley ranch in Arizona, Cindy McCain announced on Monday

Meghan McCain lamented the pup's passing saying she was a birthday president to the former Arizona senator in 2014 and was 'absolutely and truly devoted to him'

His daughter Meghan McCain shared a picture of former senator McCain posing with Burma in his lap on Instagram Monday saying the hound was 'absolutely and truly devoted to him'.

'She would never leave his side, followed him around every single step when he would walk around our ranch, slept by his side every night and we always said Chesapeake bay retrievers were the most affectionate breed of dogs,' she wrote in her tribute to the pup.

'The love this dog gave him was equal to a family member. I love you Burma and hope youre in heaven jumping into creeks, chasing sticks and fish with Dad,' she added.

Cindy McCain explained that Burma died in a 'tragic accident' but didn't provide details adding, 'She is now frolicking with the one she loved most in heaven now'

On John McCain's social media he often shared videos and pictures of Burma, pictured above at his feet at his daughter Meghan's wedding in November 2017

'She would never leave his side, followed him around every single step when he would walk around our ranch, slept by his side every night,' Meghan McCain said on the devoted dog pictured above at John McCain's grave marker at the family ranch

'You brought us all so much love and joy,' she added.

The View co-host even shared a picture of the beloved Burma at her wedding in 2017, but later deleted the post. In the pictures Burma sat right at John's feet as they posed with the McCain clan.

She also shared a sweet video her father posted back in 2017 of the dog playing fetch in a river with the caption 'Burma at her best!'

Burma, who was a gift to the former senator John McCain, pictured above as a pup

Best friends: In most pictured Burma is seen loyally at McCain's side or feet

The family didn't elaborate on what kind of accident ended up killing the dog.

Burma passed away eight months after former senator McCain died in his battle with stage four brain cancer at the age of 81 on August 25, 2018.

On Sunday Meghan shared a sweet photo of her father with the caption, 'I miss you the most on Sunday'. She previously said that she and her father had weekly phone calls on that day.

After McCain announced his diagnosis in July 2017, Megan posted a picture hiking with her father and Burma writing, 'Amazing hike with Dad this morning'.

A month later the former senator shared a video of Burma playing fetch and running through a creek.




A California judge has slapped down embattled attorney Michael Avenattis attempts to dodge his debts of more than $2 million in unpaid child and spousal support in a new ruling, DailyMail.com can reveal.

The former lawyer for porn star Stormy Daniels is embroiled in a bitter legal battle with his estranged wife, Lisa Storie, who obtained a judgment against him last year for millions of dollars as part of their divorce.

Storie, 50, exclusively told DailyMailTV that Avenatti owed $2 million and branded the lawyer a 'dead beat dad'.

Avenatti, 48, vehemently denied the claims saying he owes nothing to his wife and filed motions last month asking an Orange County judge to toss the $2,053,332 writ.

He also took to Twitter slamming the story and even claimed he had disproved her claims, writing that the 'cavalry' came with receipts.

But in a judgment handed down last week, Judge Nathan Vu confirmed the multi-million debt and, besides some minor adjustments of the interest stacked on top of his debt, dismissed Avenattis legal arguments.

Michael Avenatti (left) will have to pay his estranged wife Lisa Storie (right) more than $2M in unpaid child and spousal support, DailyMail.com can reveal. Storie exclusively told DailyMailTV that Avenatti owed $2 million and branded the lawyer a 'dead beat dad'

In an exclusive interview with DailyMailTV last month, Storie claimed that Avenatti had not seen his four-year-old son since January and cut off money for his medical insurance  which the lawyer later blamed on a clerical error

Judge Vu conceded that Storie had inadvertently started adding interest to his huge debts a month too early last year, overcharging the lawyer by $9,150.

But he confirmed that Avenatti now owes Storie more than $2 million, contrary to Avenattis strident claims.

This resulted in a miscalculation of approximately $350 in excess interest on total child support arrearages of $146,154.73 and approximately $8,800 in excess interest on total spousal support arrearages of $1,606,481.95, the judge wrote.

The error is less than one half of one percent of the total amount of the writ of execution, which exceeds $2 million. The Court finds that it would not be ''correct or equitable'' to recall and quash the writ of execution.

Avenatti later filed a motion requesting the spousal support order be set aside, however.

In the motion he claims it became apparent to him that the support orders were based on information that was neither 'current nor correct'.

He claims Storie's figures are based on 2016 documents and that at least one of the expenses she claims is $100,000 from a previous residence.

He also says there's 'no evidence' that his income in 2018 was similar to his income in 2016 and/or 2017.

'Respondent's counsel successfully persuaded the court to impute to me a net amount of income sufficient to meet expenses that no longer exist,' he stated.

The judge did deny Stories request to seize Avenattis life rights, however, which could be used to get money for movies or documentaries made about the controversial lawyer, writing that her claim was overboard and lacks specificity. Pictured: Avenatti with his former client porn star Stormy Daniels

In an exclusive interview with DailyMailTV last month, Storie claimed that Avenatti had not seen his four-year-old son since January and cut off money for his medical insurance  which the lawyer later blamed on a clerical error.

The mother revealed she is now living in a small two-bed apartment with her son while trying to recover the money she is owed from the high-flying attorney, who lives in a luxury apartment in Century City.

She told DailyMailTV: 'Michael was partying with Bill Clinton last month, he regularly hob-knobs with celebrities and the wealthy and jets all over the country, but he still refuses to pay to support his four-year-old son. He's nothing but a dead beat dad. He's a fraud and a liar.

Avenatti hit back with a fiery response, telling DailyMailTV that he owed his estranged wife nothing.

There is no ruling from the court that I owe anything, he said.

'In fact, she has been overpaid by millions of dollars. In the last 12 months alone, she has received over $330,000 in child support and millions more towards spousal support, etc.

'I have provided calculations, they show I owe nothing and have overpaid.

'She doesn't work because she is too lazy and entitled. She hasn't earned a dollar in years because she thinks work is too good for her and she should be able to live off her child support.

'Lisa is owed nothing and there is nothing in the court records to claim otherwise. Show me an order that claims otherwise.'

Last weeks judgment, filed in Orange County, contradicts the attorneys assertions.

Judge Vu conceded that Storie had inadvertently started adding interest to his huge debts a month too early last year, overcharging the lawyer by $9,150

The judge did deny Stories request to seize Avenattis life rights, however, which could be used to get money for movies or documentaries made about the controversial lawyer, writing that her claim was overboard and lacks specificity

Judge Nathan Vu confirmed the multi-million debt last week Thursday and, besides some minor adjustments of the interest stacked on top of his debt, dismissed Avenattis legal arguments

The judge did deny Stories request to seize Avenattis life rights, however, which could be used to get money for movies or documentaries made about the controversial lawyer, writing that her claim was overboard and lacks specificity.

As well as being pursued by other creditors looking to collect their debts, including former law firm partner Jason Frank who secured a judgment against Avenatti for $10 million in unpaid profits, Avenatti faces fraud and extortion charges in federal cases against him.

Avenatti was arrested in New York in March over allegedly trying to use compromising information over Nike payments to college players to extort millions of dollars from the company.

He is also accused of filing bogus tax returns to fraudulently obtain $4 million in loans from a Mississippi bank and wrongfully pocketing $1.6 million of his clients cash.

Avenatti vehemently denies all the accusations, and says he will be exonerated.
A team of firefighters have become the first group in the country to receive special training which will allow them to tackle crime.

Seven firefighters have been trained so they can also act as police officers in what is believed to be a national first.

The Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service on-call firefighters have been trained as special constables in a new role known as a 'community responder'.

Best of both worlds: Community responders will be able to attend incidents representing both the fire and police service

These new community responders will have the ability to go to both fire and police incidents increasing the police presence and the number of available on-call firefighters in communities.

The project aims to improve response times in rural locations in Devon.

The police and fire collaboration project has been funded by Devon and Cornwall police and its crime commissioner Alison Hernandez hopes it will improve access to the emergency services for communities in Devon.

The seven community responders have been recruited into locations where there is a need based on risk, vulnerability and harm - Cullompton, Crediton, Dartmouth, Honiton, Okehampton, Newton Abbot and Totnes.

Ms Hernandez has committed funding for an initial two years covering recruitment and ongoing training costs with the possibility of extending further. It forms part of her commitment to improving collaboration between the emergency services.

Community responder, Will Britten, shows the variation in uniform needed for his new role. The role was designed to increase the police presence and the number of available on-call firefighters in communities

'I'm incredibly pleased to be able to support this collaboration. We don't know what future funding will look like for any of our emergency services and working together on unique projects like this will improve the service both organisations can deliver to people in Devon.' said Ms Hernandez.

'I look forward to seeing the benefits that our communities will reap from this innovative work.'

Kevin Pearce the new community responder for Cullompton, said he was motivated to take on the role by a lifelong interest in police work.

He said: 'I think this pilot will be really beneficial - it will mean I can be more of a presence in the community and a face that people will recognise and can approach about both police and fire related incidents and we can help reach more people.

'Everyone that I've spoken to about the project seems excited about it.

'It's great to be able to enhance the presence of emergency services in communities where it's needed.

'I'm really looking forward to being at the forefront of this trial..'

Chief Inspector Tom Holmes, the Devon and Cornwall Police lead for emergency services collaboration, said: 'This project provides an excellent opportunity for both police and fire to add additional officers into our communities who will be able to approach every issue from two points of view.

'Importantly they will also be able to answer calls for service and maintain fire cover in some of our most isolated communities.

'This is a national first the potential of which both services share a huge excitement about.'

Group manager Jeff Harding of Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said they were 'really pleased to take part in this initiative as it supports on-call firefighters in areas where we have recruitment challenges'.

'The service provided to people living in these towns will be enhanced as the community responders will be able to provide visibility and advice to the public across both roles,' he added.
An MS-13 gang member has pleaded guilty to charges related to the murder of a 16-year-old boy who he suspected of cooperating with police.

Nelson Cruz Rodriguez Cartagena, 24, admitted charges of racketeering for helping to set up the killing of Jose Aguilar Villanueva in a Boston park in July 2015.

Prosecutors say Cartagena wrongly identified the victim as an informant responsible for the arrest of a gang leader, and then helped plan the killing.

An MS-13 gang member has pleaded guilty to charges related to the murder of a 16-year-old boy who was suspected of cooperating with police. Nelson Cruz Rodriguez Cartagena, 24, admitted charges of racketeering for helping to set up the killing of Jose Aguilar Villanueva (file image)

Cartagena, from El Salvador, was arrested in Everett, Boston in June 2018 after law enforcement determined he had illegally re-entered the U.S.

He faces up to 20 years in prison followed by deportation at a sentencing scheduled for July 9.

He is to be sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young on July 9, said Christina DiLorio-Sterling, spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling.

Court documents said Rodriguez Cartagena is a full member, or in the Everett Locos Salvatrucha clique, for MS-13 - a violent, transnational criminal organization.

Investigators said they tracked him through prisons calls with a detained gang leader arranging the trafficking of marijuana and of buying unlawful guns, she said.

'When the (incarcerated) clique leader began to suspect that a member of the (Everett) clique had cooperated with law enforcement leading to his arrest, he enlisted Rodriguez Cartagena's help to ferret out the informant,' she said in writing.

Rodriguez Cartagena then identified two possible members and the leader incorrectly concluded that Jose Aguilar Villanueva, 16, was the informant.

He had two young gang members kill Villanueva in a Lawrence park on July 5, 2015, DiLorio-Sterling said.

The case was investigated by a variety of law enforcement agencies.
President Trump tore into House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold 'Jerry' Nadler again on Tuesday, shoving a decades-long contest between the two New Yorkers into the national spotlight.

Nadler and Trump have butted heads over the release of the Mueller report and the Democratic congressman's move to compel testimony and document production from former White House staffers, including gatekeeper Hope Hicks and attorney Don McGahn.

Trump claimed in tweets on Tuesday that he and Nadler had made up their differences after disagreements in New York over development projects.

He did not mention that he had publicly called Nadler 'Fat Jerry' during their dispute. The Washington Post reported that he privately revived the nickname last month.

'I got along very well with Jerry during the zoning and building process. Then I changed course (slightly), became President, and now I am dealing with Congressman Nadler again,' Trump tweeted. 'Some things never end, but hopefully it will all go well for everyone. Only time will tell!'

President Trump tore into House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold 'Jerry' Nadler again on Tuesday, shoving a decades-long contest between the two New Yorkers into the national spotlight

Nadler and Trump have butted heads recently over the release of the Mueller report and the Democratic congressman's move to compel testimony and document production. Before that they fought over a real estate development project

Trump and Nadler clashed in the '90s over the future president's pursuit of a grand real estate project on the west side of Manhattan he branded Television City.

The businessman wanted to redevelop a disused rail yard, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, into apartments and condominiums on a 76-acre property that included retail space and 3.6 million square feet for studios he hoped would relocate.

Nadler was a member of the New York State Assembly at the time, with the area part of his district. The young real estate mogul leaned on him to support the project, but the Democrat resisted. He thought the extravagant project was not in his constituents' best interests.

The president eventually named the project Trump City after television networks declined to relocate to the proposed property. That name was abandoned, too, as the project faltered. In the end, it adopted the name Riverside South.

Riverside South included a 46-story building that the businessman named after himself. Trump sold the development project to Chinese investors in 1997 while it was under construction, but it retained the name Trump Place for two decades. Residents paid $1 million dollars in 2000 to license the real estate mogul's name.

Condo owners in the building had the president's last name removed from the property last October. They renamed it 200 Riverside Boulevard, the property's postal address.

Nadler continued to play foil to Trump from Washington, where he joined with Sen. John McCain to oppose federal financing for the Riverside South project in the early '90s, a Daily Beast expose on the long-standing feud.

So angered was Trump, that he began to refer to the obese congressman as 'Fat Jerry.'

Nadler has shed much of the weight but that didn't stop Trump from calling him 'fat' in a trade meeting last month with House Republicans, according to a Monday evening Washington Post report.

Trump seemed to be responding to the article that appeared in Tuesday paper in his morning tweets.

He said, 'Congressman Jerry Nadler fought me for years on a very large development I built on the West Side of Manhattan. He wanted a Rail Yard built underneath the development or even better, to stop the job. He didnt get either & the development became VERY successful.'

Condo owners in the building that's part of the dispute between Trump and Nadler had hte president's last name removed from the property last October. They changed the name from Trump Place to 200 Riverside Boulevard, the property's postal address

Trump went on to claim that he and Nadler were getting along until he became president.

The Republican went after Nadler last week for demanding the unredacted special counsel report.

'Nothing you give them, whether it's Shifty Schiff or Jerry Nadler, who I've known  he's been fighting me for half of my life in Manhattan and I was very successful, thank you  but Nadler's been fighting me for years and years in Manhattan, not successfully,' he told reporters in a revealing statement.

Nadler hit back in a CNN interview. He called the president a 'bully' and said Congress has the right to see the original report and the associated documents.

'The president, as you can see, is a bully. The Mueller investigation looked into very serious allegations and very serious matters that we have a responsibility as the oversight body to look into,' the Democratic lawmaker said.

He declared that Congress has a 'responsibility of looking, of protecting the rule of law and looking into questions of obstruction of justice and personal enrichment and abuses of power' and he will not stop probing the administration simply because it is riling up President Trump.
Ugandan police have arrested eight people in connection with the kidnapping of an American grandmother who was freed on Sunday after spending five days being held against her will.

They were taken into custody during raids in the Kanugu district which is near the Queen Elizabeth National Park where Kim Endicott was captured on April 2 by four armed men.

The identities of the alleged kidnappers have not been released.

According to Ugandan police, they have 'strong ties' to kidnapping and had been planning their attack.

Their arrests came as it was claimed that the Ugandan government paid $30,000 for her to be freed despite repeated denials from the police that they gave in to the kidnapper's demands.

The country's Minister of Tourism, Kiwanda Godfrey Ssuubi, confirmed that his country paid for her to be freed.

In an interview with NBS, a television network in Uganda, he said: 'It had to be taken. The money had to be taken. Money is money.

'Our first priority, number one, was to make sure they were safe. I don't think it should be turned into a very big situation,' he said.

NBS reports that Endicott was dropped off at the Congolese border on a motorbike after someone dropped off the $30,000 in cash.

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The Ugandan Police Force announced the arrests on Twitter on Tuesday and said that they were the results of raids in the Kanungu district, an area in western Uganda which is close to the Queen Elizabeth National Park where Kim Endicott was staying

Kim Endicott and her driver Jean Paul Mirenge Remezo were kidnapped on April 2 and released five days later. They are shown on Monday before she departed the wilderness lodge in Queen Elizabeth National Park for the Ugandan capital

Minister of Tourism Kiwanda Godfrey Ssuubi said on Monday that the government 'had to pay the money' and that its priority was returning Endicott and her driver safely

The kidnappers were arrested in the Kanugu district on Tuesday in raids

The Ugandan Police Force has not confirmed those details. It previously denied that any money was paid by its government in exchange for her release.

The network also claimed that the joint US-Uganda rescue team tried to plant a tracking device on the kidnapper by smuggling medicine to Endicott before she was released but that their plot was sniffed out.

On Sunday, a female driver made her way to the border with the cash.

She was met by someone from the kidnappers' side, they said, who took it then returned with Enicott and Mirenge Remezo.

The pair then got on the motorbike driven by the rescue team and then boarded a small bus back to the Wild Frontiers base lodge where Endicott was seen getting out of the vehicle barefoot in a video obtained by DailyMail.com.

She is yet to speak publicly about her ordeal but workers at the safari lodge said she was in 'good spirits' on Sunday and Monday.

In its tweet, the Ugandan Police Force said: 'The intelligence led operation which was calculated and tactical, in the early stages is now progressing unhindered, with raids and extensive searches in Kanungu district, where the suspects were arrested and the neighboring areas.

'We want to applaud the Joint Security team, for ensuring the kidnapping incident, where the captors were armed, in a very dynamic setting, did not go wrong, and for their break through in attempts to crack down, the criminal gang,' Enanga Fred, the force's spokesman, said in the announcement.

Endicott, 56, was released on Sunday with her driver, Jean Paul Mirenge Remezo, 48.

They were taken at gunpoint by four armed kidnappers on April 2 during an evening game ride.

Their kidnappers had demanded a $500,000 ransom which both the US and the Ugandan government refused to pay.

Wild Frontiers Safari, the tour company she was with, has also insisted that it did not pay the ransom but multiple sources have implied it was them.

'Obviously, somebody must have paid something but it was not us, hand on heart,' a spokesman for Wild Frontiers Uganda, the company she was traveling with which was the presumed benefactor of her ransom, told DailyMail.com on Monday.

Kim Endicott, 56, is pictured boarding a helicopter to be taken to the Ugandan capital Kampala on Monday. It is not clear if she will return to the US on a State Department plane or if she will fly commercially

Kimberly is shown being flown out of the camp on a Ugandan police helicopter on Monday

The State Department refused to share details of her rescue or her return to the US citing a 'privacy considerations' which prevent them from commenting.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said last week that the US, as a matter of policy, did not give in to kidnappers' demands.

Ugandan officials also denied paying any of the ransom to secure her release on Monday.

'I have indicated to you that we don't do ransom,' Ugandan police spokesman Fred Enanga said at a press conference.

Endicott and her driver were dropped off at the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday after days of negotiations.

The safari company spokesman, who declined to give his name, said that for the past week, the US and Ugandan authorities had been working together out of its lodge to try to reach a peaceful solution but that it was the American authorities which led the effort.

He likened it to a 'circus at the lodge', adding: 'There wasn't a single moment we weren't on tenterhooks.'

DailyMail.com obtained footage of the moment Endicott returned to camp, barefoot, in a van after being collected from the Congolese border on Sunday. She was helped inside by armed guards

The US tourist is pictured on Sunday back at the Inshasha Wilderness Lodge after being freed by her captors

Endicott is shown returning to camp on Sunday after being rescued

He said he did not know who paid for Endicott's release but that it was 'of course', a possibility it was either the US or Uganda.

'It's pretty obvious something happened but there was never $500,000 or any amount paid by us.

'There's a lot of problems in Uganda with this. Everybody's terrified that this is going to make us a target,' he said.

He also angrily denied that it is a rule in Uganda that an armed ranger has to accompany tourists on safaris, a claim made by Uganda Wildlife Authority last week.

Its spokesman said 'you're supposed to have' armed guards while taking a game drive but the tour company Endicott was with denied that it is a rule.

'They are trying to cast the safari company in a bad light. There is no such regulation.

'This was a one off, isolated incident where four guys decided it was a great way to make money,' he said.

President Trump tweeted on Monday that her captors should be brought to justice 'openly and quickly'

Endicott, a Californian grandmother, has not yet spoken. She was taken on April 2 along with her driver on the first night of her trip

His comments come after multiple unnamed sources said it was the tour group which had paid for her to be released.

'Otherwise she wouldn't be back,' one tour worker, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press.

Driver Jean-Paul Mirenge Remezo, 48, was also freed on Sunday

Others confirmed to CBS that it was Wildlife Frontiers Uganda which paid Endicott's ransom.

Endicott and her driver were taken hostage on April 2 and were transported across the border to Congo. They were part of a group night safari when they were taken.

It was the first night of her trip and hers was the first vehicle in a convoy of many which were taking part in an evening safari when she was snatched.

The wildlife company spokesman said there was 'no way' the four kidnappers could have been watching her in advance because it was her first night.

On Monday, President Trump tweeted: 'Uganda must find the kidnappers of the American Tourist and guide before people will feel safe in going there.

'Bring them to justice openly and quickly!'

The only comment the State Department would give is: 'We are aware of reports that a U.S. citizen hostage was recovered on April 7 by Ugandan security officials.

'Privacy considerations prevent us from commenting further at this time.'
A beloved New Jersey high school principal has died in hospital while donating bone marrow to help save a 14-year-old boy in France.

Dr Derrick Nelson, who was the principal at Westfield High School, died on Sunday night.

School officials announced the news of the 44-year-old's death on Monday.

Details of his death were not released by the school but it is understood to have been related to complications he suffered with the bone marrow extraction.

Dr Derrick Nelson, who was the principal at Westfield High School in New Jersey, died on Sunday night after suffering complications with a bone marrow extraction

Nelson underwent the procedure back in February after his bone marrow matched with a 14-year-old French boy who he had never met.

A friend revealed that Nelson went into cardiac arrest during the procedure and had to be placed into a medically induced coma.

As doctors were trying to stabilize him, his bone marrow was sent over to France to help the unidentified teenage boy.

Nelson's family were said to have kept a bedside vigil for the next month as doctors repeatedly tried to bring him out of the coma.

His family made the heartbreaking decision to turn off his life support at the weekend, according to Nelson's friend.

Westfield High School had notified parents back in February that Nelson would be absent for several weeks due to a medical issue.

It came just days before the student newspaper revealed Nelson had agreed to donate bone marrow to the French boy.

Nelson, who was an officer with the U.S. Army Reserve for more than 20 years, became principal at the high school in 2017. His death has devastated the school community with many describing it as 'tremendous loss'

Nelson became principal at Westfield High School in 2017 and serving as the vice principal of Westfield Junior High School since 2010

Nelson had donated blood back in 1996 for a drive organized by his Omega Psi Phi fraternity when he was an undergraduate at Delaware State University.

He had volunteered to have his blood screened by the National Bone Marrow Registry.

He was notified by Be the Match in October last year that his bone marrow was a match to the sick French boy and he agreed to donate.

His death has devastated the school community with many describing it as 'tremendous loss'.

'Dr Nelson touched us all with his kindness, compassion, integrity, and endlessly positive attitude. We hold him and his family in our hearts as we grieve this loss together and I know you join me in granting his family the privacy they have requested,' a school spokeswoman said.

Westfield Mayor Shelley Brindle also offered a tribute to Nelson, saying she was devastated to hear the news.

'This is a tremendous loss for our community, and I know that our children, and we as parents, will struggle with coming to terms with this over the coming days and weeks,' Brindle said.

'He was a man of immense character and kindness, and his legacy will live on in the generations of students whose lives he touched.'

Nelson became principal at the high school in 2017 and serving as the vice principal of Westfield Junior High School since 2010.

Nelson was an officer with the U.S. Army Reserve for more than 20 years.

He received a Doctorate in Education Administration from Seton Hall University, a Master of Arts degree in Education Administration from Saint Peter's College and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication from Delaware State University.
A former Colombian paramilitary leader allegedly sexually abused more than 200 girls and is thought to be the father of more than 70 children.

Hernan Giraldo Serna is now serving a long-term prison sentence in the United States for cocaine trafficking.

But according to a report released by the Interior Secretary of the northern Colombian department of Magdalena, Serna raped hundreds of minors over a period of 15 to 20 years.

It was during that same time that Serna was at the head of the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (United Self Defense Forces of Colombia, AUC).

The group was engulfed in a bloody battle with the FARC and ELN rebel groups and set off countless attacks against innocent civilians.

The report, which Interior Secretary Norma Vera Salazar had been working on since 2002, claims that the parents of half of the victims voluntarily turned over their children to the now 70-year-old Colombian.

Hernan Giraldo Serna (pictured) raped more than 200 girls under the age of 14 and could be the father to more than 70 children

Other girls were swapped by their families for gifts, investigators say.

'They could not say no because of fear,' said Vera Salazar, according to Colombian newspaper El Tiempo.

Nicknamed 'Taladro' or 'Drill' because of his sexual ambitions, Serna specifically picked out his victims.

They all were required to be light skinned, virgins and have wide hips. Only one girl was of a dark skin tone complexion.

Vera Salazar, who interviewed numerous victims for the study, explained that a 13-year-old girl was showered with lavish gifts such as jewelry and trips.

The teenage girl, who lived with her father, was frightened over what Serna was capable to doing if she turned down his demands for sex.

She is reported to have said: 'I was very afraid to tell him that I did not want to because all the people were talking about him sending someone to kill anyone who did not do what he wanted.'

Hernan Giraldo Serna (center) was the leader of the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia [United Self Defense Forces of Colombia]

The young girls who Serna allegedly forced himself upon were moved to a farmhouse located in the outskirts of Santa Marta, a city in the department of Magdalena.

According to the report, he would abuse the girls for up to three months, before finding a younger victim. Some of them girls were allegedly passed off to other men in the organization.

The girls were also forced to play a part in surveying the area and tipping of the organization's henchmen for possible law enforcement movement.

Serna admitted to a Colombian court that he was the legitimate father of 38 children, but Vera Salazar's report estimates that he could easily be the parent to more than 70.

Hernan Giraldo Serna was sentenced to 16 years and six months in a US prison after he entered a plea agreement for his role in cocaine trafficking

The Interior Secretary said it was Serna's ambition to create a structure where the family was the base of his criminal organization, and he welcomed the sons who were born out his abuse of the minors.

Serna and his gang put down their weapons in February 2006 as a part of Colombia's Justice and Peace reform program which also led to the disarmament of the FARC.

In 2008, Serna was extradited to the United States and pleaded guilty the following year to one count of conspiring to distribute cocaine and intending to import the drugs into the U.S. territory.

As part of his plea agreement with the Department of Justice, he was sentenced in 2017 to a prison sentence of 16 years and six months.

Details of the Colombian investigation will be presented at the 2019 Social Sciences and Humanities Conference that will be held France in July.


Economists at the International Monetary Fund downgraded their growth forecast for the U.S. in 2019 to 2.3 percent, down from 2.9 percent in 2018.

The announcement Tuesday is part of a downgrade for 70 percent of the overall global economy, including Europe and Japan, with experts pointing to heightened trade tensions as a key reason for the shifting outlook.

The IMF expects the world economy to grow 3.3 percent this year, down from 3.6 percent in 2018. That would match 2016 for the weakest year since 2009 - the first full year following the economic downturn that began in 2008.

In its previous forecast in January, the IMF had predicted that international growth would reach 3.5 percent this year.

Chief Economist and Director of Research Department at the IMF, Gita Gopinath, speaks during a news conference at the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings, in Washington, Tuesday, April 9, 2019

The gloomier picture in the IMF's latest World Economic Outlook contributed to a selloff in stocks, with investors concerned that slower global growth could weaken corporate earnings.

It comes on the eve of meetings in Washington this week of the IMF and its sister lending organization, the World Bank. Those meetings are likely to be dominated by discussions of how to combat growing risks to international growth.

'This is a delicate moment for the global economy,' Gita Gopinath, the IMF's chief economist, said at a news conference, while cautioning that the fund does not foresee an international recession.

Gopinath said it was 'imperative that costly policy mistakes are avoided.' In particular, she highlighted the need for the world's two biggest economies, the United States and China, to find a way to resolve their trade war, which has intensified global economic uncertainty.

If trade tensions worsen, Gopinath warned that it could trigger 'large disruptions in global supply chains.'

In Europe, the IMF expects the 19 countries that use the euro currency to expand 1.3 percent collectively in 2019, weaker than last year's 1.8 percent growth or in any year since 2013.

Deputy Director of Research Department at the IMF Gian Maria Milesi-Ferretti, center, speaks during a news conference at the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings, in Washington, Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Japan is expected to eke out 1 percent growth this year, up from 0.8 percent in 2018 but slightly down from the fund's earlier forecast.

The IMF foresees the Chinese economy growing 6.3 percent this year, down from 6.6 percent in 2018. But the fund's latest 2019 outlook was a slight upgrade from the 6.2 percent growth it had forecast for China in January.

China's prospects brightened, the fund said, after President Donald Trump decided to suspend a planned increase in tariffs on $200 billion worth of U.S.-bound Chinese exports.

Still, the fund is expressing worries about tensions between the world's two biggest economies, which have traded tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of products in a fight over China's aggressive push to supplant American technological supremacy. The prospect of Britain's messy departure from the European Union also weighs on the global economy.

The IMF expects growth in world trade to drop to 3.4 percent this year - a sharp slowdown from the 4 percent it had expected in January and from 3.8 percent trade growth in 2018.
California congressman Adam Schiff indicated that he doesn't plan on helping President Donald Trump's former lawyer delay his upcoming prison sentence, even if he has new information relevant to the committee's investigation.

'I don't get involved in sentencing matters as a practice. I never have in Congress and that's been my policy,' Schiff, who is chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN Monday.

Michael Cohen is requesting a delay in an effort to continue putting off serving his three-year prison sentence. He was already granted a two-month delay by a federal judge in February. Cohen was supposed to report to prison on March 6 but is now required to begin serving his sentence May 6.

The excuse for the initial delay was to allow Cohen to recover from a recent surgery and give him time to prepare to testify before congressional committees.

This time, Cohen's attorneys say that his cooperation with Congress and a 'substantial trove of new information' warrant another delay.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff says he won't get involved in Michael Cohen's sentencing arrangement

A few days prior to testifying before the House Oversight and Reform Committee in February, a federal judge agreed to delay Cohen reporting for his prison sentence by two months

Even though Schiff signaled that he wouldn't be getting involved in granting another delay in Cohen's sentence, the congressman hopes Trump's former fixer will share any new information that would assist the House Intelligence Committee in its investigations into Trump and his associates.

Cohen's attorneys wrote to Democratic leaders last week that their client needs to be 'readily accessible and immediately available' to Congress because he recently received a hard drive with 14 million files relevant to congressional investigations.

Cohen cooperated with Robert Mueller in the special counsel's investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 presidential election.

He is also cooperating with Democrats in their investigations into Trump.

'We continue to encourage Mr. Cohen to provide us any materials that he has that are relevant to our investigation,' Schiff said Monday. 'We will continue to do so and hope that he has additional information to offer.'

Cohen was Trump's personal lawyer and 'fixer,' and plead guilty to carrying out 'hush money' payments to prevent women from publicizing their affairs with Trump during his campaign for president

Cohen has cooperated in multiple investigations into Trump and his associates

Trump's 2020 campaign began selling t-shirts with 'little pencil neck' Adam Schiff sporting a clown nose

Cohen pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance rules and lying to Congress.

He was pegged a serial liar in perjuring himself, and Trump says he is lying again by claiming the hard drive find is new.

Theyve already got it, Trump told reporters last week when asked about the hard drive. He lied numerous times during his last testimony. They had that for many months.

Even in cooperating with Mueller's investigation, the final report, which Attorney General William Barr summarized last month, found that Trump had not colluded with Russia.

The report, however, did not conclude whether Trump obstructed justice throughout the special counsel's investigation.

Mueller's investigation may be over, but the House, now Democrat-controlled after the 2018 midterms, has opened several other investigations into the current administration.

Recently there have been several calls from Republicans, including the president, for Schiff to resign from his post as chairman of the intelligence committee.

Schiff has become Trump's new punching bag recently as he upped his criticism of the Democratic congressman, dubbing him 'little pencil neck.' His 2020 campaign began selling shirts with Schiff donning a pencil neck and a clown nose.
A young woman who allegedly won a Miss Hitler beauty contest went to two National Action meetings after the neo-Nazi group was banned following MP Jo Cox's murder, a court heard today.

Alice Cutter, 22, was present at a meeting in Birmingham on January 8, 2017, and another in Manchester on August 5, 2017, Birmingham Crown Court heard.

Liam Walker, defending Cutter, pointed out there were 11 other group meetings which she did not attend.

Alice Cutter, 22, (seen posing with a gun in an online photo) was present at a meeting in Birmingham on January 8, 2017, and another in Manchester on August 5, 2017, Birmingham Crown Court heard

Liam Walker, defending Cutter, (pictured in front of a Nazi flag) pointed out there were 11 other group meetings which she did not attend

Cutter is accused of being a member of the terror group, which was banned in December 2016, alongside her partner Mark Jones, 24, Connor Scothern, 18, and Gary Jack, 23. All deny the charges.

Mr Walker read out messages sent by Cutter to Jones after she arrived at Manchester Victoria station for one of the meetings.

She asks why Jones was not there to meet her and tells him she is having a 'f***ing anxiety attack'.

Cutter is said to have written: 'I am going to be sick I'm so scared. Why aren't you picking up? I'm having a f*****g anxiety attack by myself in Manchester. What is wrong with you?'

She is then said to have repeatedly texted the name 'Mark?'.

The defendants are alleged to have been posting in an online chat group entitled Triple K Mafia, which the prosecution claim was National Action under a new name.

Mr Walker said Cutter had left the Triple K Mafia chat group several times in 2017, but was added back in by administrators.

Cutter is pictured here holding a gun. She is on trial at Birmingham Crown Court accused of being a member of the banned far-right group National Action with three other defendants

On April 5, 2017, Cutter posted: 'I want to leave all the time because I feel like I'm in some weird chatroom against my will.

'I BASICALLY AM. YOU BULLY ME BACK IN EVERY TIME I TRY TO RUN OFF.'

The jury were also shown a clip of Scothern's police interview from September last year.

He is seen breaking down in tears after he is asked by an officer about posts he allegedly made on not advocating equality.

Discussing Cutter in his police interview, Scothern said: 'She was another person I was friends with quite a bit. She was never involved in activism.

'The view in the group was that women shouldn't get involved. She had her beliefs but she never really posted about them.'

Earlier today, Jack claimed the views held by National Action were shared by Donald Trump in a bid to suggest they were not unique to the terror group.

Jack used the US President's description of African countries as 's***holes' and Mexicans as 'rapists' to further his argument.

He also asked police if accusations of antisemitism against Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn made them terrorists.

Jack, centre, told police the right-wing views of National Action 'were the same as Donald Trump's and Jeremy Corbyn's'. He is pictured in Dudley doing the Nazi salute with (from left) Daniel Ward, Connor Scothern, Alex Deakin and Adam Thomas doing a Nazi salute in Dudley. Scothern is on trial alongside Jack

Birmingham Crown Court he made the comparisons with Mr Trump and Mr Corbyn in a police interview after being arrested in September 2018.

Naomi Parsons, prosecuting, read out the statements made by Jack, in which he told police: 'A lot of the ideas expressed in the chats were not unique to National Action.

'For example, the National Front, British National Party and even Donald Trump share the views National Action had, such as on race, immigration, barriers and separatism.

'Donald Trump has referred to third world countries as s***holes and has called all Mexicans rapists.

'Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour party has been accused of antisemitism. Does that make him a member of National Action?

Garry Jack, 23, pictured performing a Nazi salute in 2016, is on trial accused of being part of banned group National Action

'Fascism and national socialism are ideas which have been around for hundreds of years and are not exclusive to National Action. Conversations after the ban may be distasteful but I don't think they're illegal.'

Jack claimed he continued to communicate with other alleged members of the group after it was banned because he 'didn't have many friends.'

He told officers: 'The purpose was to keep in touch with friends. In my view National Action was dead.

'Any contact with people post-proscription were not for any illegal purpose such as continuation of National Action. National Action died in December 2016.

'I don't think meeting up with people post-proscription qualifies as membership of National Action.

'National Action did not invent any of its policies.

'I don't go out, I don't have many friends. I have autism and severe anxiety. These guys are my only friends.

'I had no idea these guys were continuing National Action.

'I have a mixed race niece who I dearly love and the last thing I would want is a race war.'

When he was asked about his mixed-race niece and non-white step brother, he answered: 'I don't resent anybody from my family and my love for my family is unconditional.'

The jury were also shown crude images stored by the other members accused of being part of National Action.

Scothern's Motorola mobile phone was seized by police after his arrest in September last year.

Jack said he sent messages to Cutter, left, and Scothern, right, because he wanted to stay in touch with them as friends and claimed he thought 'National Action was dead'

It was found to have an offensive image of a black toddler in some kind of glass tank, with text referring to her as a 'pet' and comparing the child to an iguana.

Jurors heard police also found a number of distressing memes on Jones' Samsung mobile in September 2017.

One shows a Nazi death squad, labelled 'the boys', executing Jews, who are labelled as 'cold ones'.

Another shows an emaciated person, who may be a concentration camp inmate, with the text: 'Jew - why u no eat food?'

The jury were also shown a bow measuring more than 1.5 yards in length, which was found at Scothern's address.

The court previously heard Scothern claimed in police interview that the bow belonged to convicted National Action member Nathan Pryke.

Cutter and Jones, of Halifax, West Yorkshire, deny the charges alongside Scothern, of Nottingham, and Jack, of Birmingham.

The trial continues.
George Mason University law students are demanding Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh be booted from the institution where he was hired as a distinguished visiting professor despite the misconduct allegations against him.

The 54-year-old Judge was hired by the Antonin Scalia Law School and will lead a study abroad class on the U.S. Constitution outside London in Runnymede, England this summer.

Following news of his hire, protesting students created the group 'Mason for Survivors' and launched a petition to 'terminate and void all contracts and affiliation with Brett Kavanaugh' at the Fairfax, Virginia university, garnering over 3,400 signatures as of Tuesday afternoon.

His hire was reported at the end of March by the undergraduate newspaper Fourth State, which mobilized survivors of sexual assault on campus to demand his termination.

George Mason University's Antonin Scalia Law School students are rallying for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh to be fired after he was hired as a visiting professor and is scheduled to teach a study abroad course in England this summer

Student group Mason for Survivors made a petition for the school to cut ties with Kavanaugh two weeks ago that has racked up 3,440 signatures as of Tuesday afternoon

The group demands the school cut all ties with Kavanaugh, release an apology to survivors, and hold a town hall meeting on April 25 to discuss the implications of his employment. Protesters pictured above at the school's senate faculty meeting Wednesday

23 group members protested during the administration meeting Wednesday with signs saying 'Protect Survivors'

His contract begins June 25, 2019 and will last for three years, ending in June 2022, as per the report.

The summer class takes place in the Runnymede, England, where the Magna Carta - a charter of rights established in medieval England that influenced the founding fathers - was sealed in 1215.

In the petition created two weeks ago, Mason for Survivors demands a formal apology from school administrators for hiring Kavanaugh, the termination of his employment, the release of all documents related to his hiring, and for the school to host a town hall on April 25 to discuss his employment and its implications for students.

On Wednesday the students attended a faculty Senate meeting with signs protesting Kavanaugh.

'As a survivor of sexual assault, this decision has really impacted me negatively. It has affected my mental health knowing that an abuser will be part of our faculty,' one student said according to a clip of the meeting posted online.

George Mason University is located in located in Fairfax, Virginia. Campus pictured above

The demands of Mason for Survivors pictured above

The George Masons Democrats student group endorsed the campaign but their Republican counterparts have not.

George Mason has an undergraduate population of 25,000, while the law school enrolls just 525 students.

Despite the outrage, the school has rebuffed the student group's demands and in a statement reaffirmed the hiring on Kavanaugh.

'I respect the views of people who disagreed with Justice Kavanaughs Senate confirmation due to questions raised about his sexual conduct in high school. But he was confirmed and is now a sitting Justice,' the university's president Angel Cabrera said last month.

'The law school has determined that the involvement of a U.S. Supreme Court Justice contributes to making our law program uniquely valuable for our students. And I accept their judgment.

Kavanaugh will teach a class in Runnymede, England, where the Magna Carta was signed by King John in 1215. A monument dedicated to the charter pictured above

'This decision, controversial as it may be, in no way affects the universitys ongoing efforts to eradicate sexual violence from our campuses,' he added.

At Wednesday's meeting, Cabrera defended the decision to hire Kavanaugh saying it was not a 'crazy appointment' to have a Supreme Court Justice teach a course on the Constitution.

'I'm not saying he's clear of the accusations. I'm not saying he didn't do it, [or] he did it,' he said as per the Washington Post.

Kavanaugh was sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice on October 6, 2018.

Before rising to the role, where he was embroiled in a sexual assault scandal along the way, he taught at Harvard Law School for more than a decade and recently led a class called 'The Supreme Court Since 2005'.

Hundreds of Harvard students and alumni demanded his lecturer status be revoked and administrators announced last fall he wouldn't return to campus to teach.

The FBI concluded a probe in October into the sexual assault allegations made against the Judge and found they could not corroborate the accusations, although the investigation was highly limited.
Asad Malik made more than 1 million over a two year period, after he used fake photos on the company's website to lure in holidaymakers

A 'meet and great' director of a company which served customers looking to park close to Gatwick Airport has been sentenced to 14 months in prison after duping holiday makers into thinking their cars were safe before dumping them in muddy fields.

Asad Bashir Malik has now been disqualified from being a director after the 1.4million scam was investigated by West Sussex Trading Standards.

Malik and his company London Parking Gatwick Ltd were found guilty of misleading customers at Brighton Crown Court.

The company promised that all cars left with them would be parked in a 'secure compound'. However it was revealed that vehicles were being parked in a nearby field.

The 37-year-old convinced customers their cars would be safe by showing them a picture of Borders General Hospital car park in Melrose, Scotland 400 miles away.

They thought their vehicles were being kept safe with valet cleaning facilities and 24-hour CCTV supervision.

Reports in 2016 to West Sussex Trading Standards suggested that over 1,000 cars were being parked in Bonnetts Lane.

Pictured above are some of the cars that had been left in one of the muddy fields by the company

Some of the cars parked in West Sussex (above) were driven around and sometimes returned to owners damaged

Officers with Trading Standards visited both Bonnetts Lane and Keepers Knight in July 2016 and confirmed that the company had been using these areas to park the cars.

Some vehicles left in the fields had been left unlocked with their windows open and keys places on the windscreen.

This is while others were damaged and had been issued with parking tickets.

Last year Lewes Crown Court heard that cars were used for joyrides and to tow other vehicles before being parked in muddy fields unlocked or with the keys stuck to the windscreen in a clear plastic bag.

One of the cars had been left in this woodland area (pictured above) a far cry from what the customers were promised

Malik had previously told customers that they had no right to complain after leaving their car with the company

The jury were told cars were driven extra miles, returned dirty and damaged to their owners or not returned at all.

The investigation also revealed fake reviews had been left on the company's website.

Officers contacted customers who has been affected and established that they had been misled by claims which were up on the company's website.

Richard Sargeant, Trading Standards Team Manager, said: 'Malik and his company deceived thousands of customers between 2014 and 2016, causing damage to their cars and making false claims on its website.

'This was a complex investigation for our team and I am very pleased with the outcome.

'I would urge anyone using a Gatwick meet and greet business to only use a Trading Standards-approved company.'
A South Carolina college freshman and his high school sweetheart have both been killed in a single car crash on their way home from prom.

Keith Schemm, 19, and 18-year-old girlfriend Elizabeth 'Libby' Daniel died in the early hours of Sunday morning after attending the dance at Wando High School in Mount Pleasant.

Daniel, of Mount Pleasant, was a student at the school and was active in the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program. Schemm, of Isle of Palm, had graduated a year earlier and was a freshman cadet at The Citadel.

The two teenagers, seen in Facebook pictures smiling and hugging, were pronounced dead at the scene at the single-vehicle crash, The Charlotte Observer reports.

Sweethearts Keith Schemm, 19, and Elizabeth Daniel, 18, died in the crash Sunday morning

The couple had attended the dance at Wando High School in Mount Pleasant. They are pictured here in April 2018

Fire crews were called to the crash just before 2:30 a.m and images from the scene show the couple's SUV came off the road and hit a tree

Pictures posted on Facebook show the couple attending a dance this time last year.

Wando High principal Dr. Sherry Eppelsheimer said: 'The entire Wando High School family is coping with the loss of one of our students and a recent graduate over the weekend.

'We are heartbroken, and our thoughts are with the families of these two students, as well as the many friends and faculty members who are affected.'

Fire crews were called to the crash just before 2:30 a.m on Sunday morning. Images from the scene show the couple's SUV came off the road and hit a tree.

Another driver with a damaged tire is said to have alerted emergency services to the crash.

It is not know who was driving at the time of the deadly incident. Investigators have so far released not further details of the crash in Mount Pleasant.

Daniel, of Mount Pleasant, left, was a student at the school and was active in the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program. Schemm, of Isle of Palm, right, had graduated a year earlier and was a freshman cadet at The Citadel

Pictures posted on Facebook show the couple attending a dance this time last year. The two teenagers, seen in Facebook pictures smiling and hugging, were pronounced dead on scene at the single-vehicle crash

Tragic Libby's Facebook page shows paid tribute to a close friend who also died in a car crash just one year earlier.

The high school student shared pictures of her friend Claudia Lee Haynes, 18, who was killed in a single-car accident over the Labor Day holiday, The Laurens County Advertiser reports.

Military college The Citadel president Gen. Glenn M. Walters said in a statement: 'We are a small community, and when such things happen all of us feel a profound sense of loss.

'Keiths family, classmates and friends will need our support as they mourn his loss. No one in our community should walk alone if he or she is hurting, so please reach out to support each other as we mourn this tragic loss.'
Japan's military lost contact with one of its Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighters over the Pacific Ocean today - close to the north of the country.

The nation's first squadron of F-35s has just become operational at the Misawa air base and the government plans to buy 87 of the fighters to modernise its air defences in the wake of a growing military threat from China.

The single-seat jet was flying about 84 miles east of the air base in Aomori Prefecture at 7.27pm local time when it vanished, the Air Self Defense Force said.

The Japanese F-35A stealth fighter was taking part in training near the Misawa air base on Tuesday evening when ground crews lost contact with it (file image)

F-35 FACT SHEET Role: Stealth multirole fighter First flight: December 15, 2006 Unit cost (not including engine): F-35A - $98million F-35B - $104million F-35C - $116million Number built: 115 (as of November 2014) Length: 15.67m Wingspan: 10.7m Height: 4.33m Max speed (F-35A): 1,930kph Advertisement

The military has launched a search for the missing aircraft and its pilot, it said.

Japan's F-35 squadron only became operational on March 29.

While the F-35 has only been in active service for three years, the aircraft has been in development for almost two decades and has been flying since 2006.

If it transpires that the Japanese F-35 has crashed, it would mark only the second time that one of the planes has come down in that time.

It would also be the first crash of an A version of the fighter, which is designed to take off and land from conventional runways.

A F-35B variant, which is designed for short take off and vertical landing, crashed in South Carolina in September, prompting the US to temporarily ground the aircraft.

The US F-35 pilot was forced to eject midair before the $100million fighter jet crashed on September 28.

The aircraft was completely destroyed during the training exercise, officials said.

The crash was the first of its kind for the troubled F-35 program - the most expensive plane in history.

Speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of an official announcement, a defence official told AFP the Marine Corps F-35 had crashed outside Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.

If the jet is confirmed to have crashed it will mark only the second time that an F-35 has come down after one operated by the US Marine Corps crashed in South Carolina last year (file)

An investigation into the crash is underway.

Launched in the early 1990s, the F-35 program is considered the most expensive weapons system in US history - with an estimated cost of some $400 billion and a goal to produce 2,500 aircraft in the coming years.

Lockheed Martin also makes a C variant of the fighter, which is designed for catapult-launched takeoffs on board aircraft carriers.

Japan is set to buy more F-35s in the near future which will include 18 B variants that planners want to deploy on its islands along the edge of the East China Sea.
A Dutch F-16 fighter plane was forced to make an emergency landing after accidentally shooting itself.

The jet was taking part in training over the island of Vlieland, around 60 miles north of Amsterdam, when the accident happened.

At least one bullet pierced the body of the plane while bullet fragments ended up inside the engine.

At least one bullet punched through the armour plating of the Dutch F-16 jet with bullet fragments ending up in the engine

The pilot carried out emergency procedures before managing to land at the nearby Leeuwarden Air Base.

Nobody was injured during the incident, which took place in January.

Two F-16 fighters were firing their on-board cannons at a target on the Vliehors training ground as part of the exercise, NOS reported.

An investigation has been launched to establish how the plane was able to shoot itself, and whether anyone on the ground was put in danger.

There are almost no recorded cases of fighter jets managing to shoot themselves, but in September 1956 Thomas Attridge, a test-pilot for American firm Grumman, became the first pilot known to have shot down his own aircraft.

Attridge was testing an F11F-1 Tiger fighter when he fired the cannon while entering into a steep dive.

The Dutch Security Inspectorate has launched an investigation into the incident, when happened during training back in January (file image)

As he levelled out, Attridge managed to cut across his own stream of bullets, one of which hit the engine.

The plane crashed but he ultimately survived, and went on to take part in the Apollo test programme.

It is not clear if this is what happened to the Dutch plane.

Inspector General Bargerbos, of the Dutch Security Inspectorate, said: 'It is a serious case.

'We therefore want to find out what happened and how we can prevent this in the future.'
A Perth lollipop man accused of filming himself sexually abusing children he knew, including a baby, admits recording them but denies the conduct was obscene.

Michael Cyril Hyde, 60, is on trial charged with three counts of persistently engaging in sexual conduct with two sisters between October 2011 and April 2013, and an unrelated infant between April 2013 and April 2016.

The primary school traffic warden is also charged with five counts of producing child exploitation material involving those three children and two others.

The five children came from two families and ranged in age from one to 12, the West Australian District Court heard on Tuesday.

School lollipop man Michael Cyril Hyde, 60, allegedly filmed himself sexually abusing five children aged one to 12 in Western Australia between 2011 and 2016

Hyde befriended the mother of the baby and her sister while working as a traffic warden and began babysitting the children, prosecutor David Jubb said.

The other family, including two sisters and their brother, were not connected to the school.

The children will not testify during the trial so the case hinges on the video footage, which Mr Jubb said would speak for itself.

Mr Jubb said Hyde made obscene comments in the videos including asking one girl 'how much she would cost and how long he could have her for'.

Hyde denied the conduct was sexual and his lawyer told the jury to 'please keep an open mind'

He warned the jury they would need to watch a 'significant number' of videos for the state to prove its case and it would take several hours.

'It's going to be a very testing time, but play them we must,' Mr Jubb said.

Hyde admitted making the recordings but his lawyer Max Crispe said his client denied the conduct was sexual.

'Please keep an open mind,' Mr Crispe told the jury.

Judge Felicity Davis also warned the jury they would 'experience some emotions' during the trial.

'You're only human,' she said.

But when they came to judge the case, they must put aside those emotions, she added.

The trial continues.
A dinner lady who scooped 1million on the lottery has today revealed how she kept the win a secret from her family for five weeks - and plans to return to work despite the life-changing jackpot.

Paula Williamson bought the winning EuroMillions ticket from Morrisons and walked around with it in her purse for more than a week before realising it was worth a million pounds.

The 59-year-old told her husband Geoff, 68, but the couple chose not to tell their sons Ian and Jack, who live with their parents at home in Yorkshire.

Mrs Williamson wanted to wait until Jack returned from a trip to Australia before she told him and his brother the news.

Jack, 26, only found out about the fortune this morning when he walked into a hotel to find his mother drinking champagne and brandishing a giant cheque for 1million.

The family now plan to treat themselves to a mini-break to Spain and a new three-piece suite.

Paula Williamson kept her 1million Lotto win a secret from her sons Jack (left) and Ian (right) for five weeks

The 59-year-old told her husband Geoff, 68, but the couple chose not to tell their sons Ian and Jack, who live at home

The brothers thought they were attending a presentation for their mother at the Wentbridge House Hotel today to mark 20 years of service at a local school - but were greeted by Camelot staff.

Mrs Williamson said she kept the news a secret for five weeks so they could all be together as a family and share the celebratory moment.

The couple, who have five grandchildren between the ages of two and 13, currently live in a three-bed semi which retired lorry driver Mr Williamson has been in since 1980.

The dinner lady has today revealed how she plans to return to her job of 20 years

She now plans to buy a house each for Jack, a bus driver and father-of-two and Ian, 24, a ground worker and father-of-one, because they both still live at home and she wants to 'get rid of them'.

Mrs Williamson usually buys a EuroMillions lucky dip ticket once a week while shopping in the supermarket with her husband of 23 years Geoff.

She bought her winning EuroMillions ticket from Morrisons in Dearne Valley Parkway, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, and scooped the win from the special EuroMillions draw on March 1.

She said: 'There is no way we could have celebrated without our two sons being with us.

'I did tell Geoff because that would have been so hard to keep the winning news from him, but we both decided we wanted to tell Jack and Ian at the same time.

'It was tough being in the same house as Ian and keeping it from him but we did it. We just tried to keep ourselves as occupied as possible. I let it go over my head and forgot about it. We didn't speak about it much.

'Celebrating the winning moment is something we wanted to ensure we would remember forever.'

Paula Williamson and her husband Geoff during a press conference at the Wentbridge House Hotel, Pontefract, today

The family, who holidayed in Benidorm last year, have not yet celebrated the newfound fortune but may take a mini-break in Spain.

Mrs Williamson has vowed to carry on working as a dinner lady at The Hill Primary Academy and plans to tell her colleagues about her big win when she returns to work tomorrow.

She said: 'When I left yesterday I said 'I'll not see you tomorrow, I'll see you on Wednesday', so a friend said why what are you doing, you've got a glint in your eye'. I said I will tell you Wednesday.

'We are not going to rush into anything. We are just going to take time to think. This win takes away any money worries and gives us so many options and opportunities.'

Mr Williamson, who also has two daughters, Donna, 44, and Karen, 39, says an updated Skoda Octavia is top of his list of priorities.

From left: Jack, Paula and Ian. The brothers, who both live with their parents, are now looking forward to owning their own homes

Mrs Williamson added: 'I always buy a EuroMillions ticket when I do my weekly shopping and at the same time check my ticket from the previous week.

'When I got to the till to check my ticket the machine made a noise and the shop assistant said I had won more than 500 so she couldn't pay out.

'I was really excited and thought I had probably won around 550. That would be a nice deposit for the new three piece suite I had been dreaming about buying.

'I immediately rushed home and called Camelot. The lady on the phone said to me, "are you sitting down? You have won 1m!"

'I couldn't believe it. In fact, I still can't. The news really is still sinking in. I keep having to pinch myself and tell myself that I really am a millionaire.

'I cannot believe I was walking around for a whole week with 1m in my purse desperately saving for the new three-piece.'

Ian said he never thought he would be able to afford his own home. He said: 'I have been self-employed since July last year but I have always been on the books.

'When I phoned NatWest up to see if I could apply for a mortgage they said I would have to wait at least two years for a self-assessment.'
Tory leadership wannabe Matt Hancock today warned the party needs a 'kick up the a***' to win over young voters as rival Penny Mordaunt said the UK needs servant leaders, not heroes to lead the country out of the Brexit crisis.

The Health Secretary, whose odds to take over from Theresa May have been slashed from 50/1 to 12/1 in a week, admitted the Conservatives face electoral disaster if they can't convince under-50s to vote for them.

Speaking at an event in London, alongside fellow leadership hopefuls Penny Mordaunt and Tom Tugendhat, Mr Hancock said: 'Voting Conservative for the first time used to be when you get your first pay cheque. Now it is when you get your first winter fuel payment'.

He told the unofficial hustings today the Tories are 'finished' if they become 'only a Brexit party'.

His warning came as a new poll found age at which people become more likely to vote Conservative than Labour is now 51, up from 47 at the 2017 election and 34 in 2013.

Rival Ms Mordaunt said for the Tories to move on after Theresa May it needs to stop looking for 'hero politicians and a return to servant leadership' - in what could be considered a dig at Boris Johnson.

But when asked about the current Brexit crisis she said: 'We will get through this - just don't ask me how'.

Tory leadership hopeful Matt Hancock has warned the party needs a 'kick up the a***' to win over young voters as it emerged people now move from Labour to Tory aged 51

Britain's International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt, who will fight to be Tory leader, also took part in the unofficial hustings today

Michael Gove pulled out of the unofficial hustings after being dragged into Brexit talks with Labour.

Theresa May could be weeks away from quitting after agreeing to go once she delivers Brexit.

Prominent Brexiteer Mark Francois has written to the chair of the backbench Tory 1922 Committee Sir Graham Brady, asking for an 'indicative vote of confidence' to be held on Wednesday to allow MPs to demonstrate that they have lost faith in Theresa May's leadership.

In the letter, published on the Brexit Central website, the former shadow Europe minister said he believed Mrs May should resign as leader for the sake of 'the existential future of our party and the destiny of our country'.

'Enough is enough,' wrote Mr Francois. 'If she goes by Wednesday we can Leave on Friday.'

Mr Gove is second favourite to win the leadership battle behind Boris Johnson.

The former Foreign Secretary is keen to win over Miss Rudd to back his tilt at the Tory crown.

But the Work and Pensions Secretary is also being wooed by other contenders, including Jeremy Hunt and Mr Gove.

Michael Gove is second favourite to win the leadership battle behind Boris Johnson

Potential candidates to succeed Theresa May stressed their desire to win over young voters

Jacob Rees-Mogg, chairman of the European Research Group of Eurosceptic Tory MPs, who has hosted 'Back Boris' dinners at his home, paid tribute to Miss Rudd's abilities.

Asked about the prospect of Ms Rudd supporting Mr Johnson, he replied: 'Well I've always thought highly of Amber Rudd, and she is a very long-standing friend of my sister and a person of first-class capabilities. I happen to disagree with her on the European issue and there will come a time, although we may find it difficult to believe, when there are other things to talk about than Europe. At that point we will need all the talents arrayed within the party and not just those of Brexiteers.'

During the referendum campaign, Miss Rudd, a leading Remainer, attacked Mr Johnson as 'not the man you want driving you home at the end of the evening'. But she was also preparing to endorse him in the subsequent leadership contest until his campaign imploded.

The pair often lunch together and are friendly but, by supporting him, Ms Rudd would risk alienating allies who dislike his hardline Brexit views.

Some MPs think she is 'stringing him along' and will back a candidate more closely aligned with her own view of Brexit.
This is the moment a huge fireball exploded inside a road tunnel after a BMW skidded onto the wrong side of the road and ploughed into another car.

In CCTV footage the 24-year-old BMW driver, identified as Tihomir Loncar, appears to lose control and spins across the road before colliding with the Citroen.

The Citroen was being driven through the Sverti Ilija Tunnel near Zagvozd in southern Croatia by Ante Jozic, 52, who had recently been promoted to archbishop.

Crash wreckage in the Sverti Ilija Tunnel, Croatia. BMW driver Tihomir Loncar, 24, later died

CCTV footage captures the BMW skidding across the road into the path of the Citroen

Tihomir Loncar lost control of his BMW while driving through the Sverti Ilija Tunnel in Croatia and crashed into another car and died. Ante Jozic, 52, has recently been promoted to archbishop. He was seriously injured in the Croatian Sverti Ilija Tunnel crash on Sunday

The cars burst into flames as they collide and the fireball fills the tunnel in shocking footage, taken from a CCTV camera in the southern Croatian borough of Zagvozd.

The impact of the crash - at around 6pm on April 7 - is reported to have propelled the BMW's engine 131 feet from the vehicle.

Both drivers were rushed to hospital in critical conditions.

The archbishop underwent two surgeries and his condition has since stabilised. He suffered injuries to his chest, abdomen, arms and legs.

However, Tihomir Loncar died in hospital.

A friend told local media: 'We will always remember him as a guy who loved life and enjoyed every second. Cars were his main passion in life.'

The impact reportedly threw the BMW's engine 131 feet from the vehicle.
Tory Anne Marie Morris (file) said she would review the candidates standing in her Newton Abbott patch before deciding whether to vote for her own party

One of the 'Spartan' Brexit hardliner MPs warned Theresa May she could vote for Nigel Farage's Brexit Party at European Parliament elections today.

Tory MP Anne Marie Morris said she would review the candidates standing in her Newton Abbott patch before deciding whether or not to vote for her own party.

Tory MPs are banned from endorsing rivals at elections but Mrs Morris' intervention comes amid mounting chaos inside the party.

The Government formally started the process for the European Elections yesterday - prompting Tory HQ to start recruiting candidates saying the polls 'will' happen only to climb down within hours.

Mrs May insists she will cancel the elections if the Brexit deal can be finalised in time for exit before polling day on May 23.

Mrs Morris was speaking at an event hosted by Eurosceptic think tank the Bruges Group which is demanding a No Deal Brexit.

She spoken alongside two other holdouts among the 28 Tory rebels Mark Francois and Andrew Bridgen who helped crush the Brexit deal three times.

While the trio were condemning Mrs May, she was on a whirlwind diplomatic tour of Paris and Berlin, shoring up support for her plan to delay Brexit for a second time.

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson's pro-EU father Stanley has vowed to run in the elections as a Tory candidate if the elections do go ahead.

She spoken alongside two other holdouts among the 28 Tory rebels Mark Francois and Andrew Bridgen (pictured right and left) who helped crush the Brexit deal three times

What does the 'Perfidious Albion' jibe aimed at the EU by Spartan Mark Francois mean? Spartan Tory MP Mark Francois threatened the EU with 'Perfidious Albion' in his latest Brexit tirade today. The bizarre phrase dates from around the 17th Century and often refers to the English reneging on the Treaty of Limerick. It is a pejorative insult used within the context of international relations diplomacy to refer to alleged acts of diplomatic sleights and duplicity. Mr Francois was effectively warning the UK would become a nuisance neighbour if stays in the bloc beyond Friday - saying a new Brexiteer PM such as Boris Johnson would undermine the EU at every turn. Advertisement

Asked if she would back Mr Farage's new party - set up by ex-Ukip officials protesting at their old party's anti-Islam stance - Mrs Morris said: 'I will need to see who is standing in my area.

'I would like to be voting for people of a Brexiteer persuasion.'

Asked about a GE she said: 'I think we will have one this year. But I won't vote with Corbyn in a confidence motion.

'I don't think he wants an election.'

Mr Francois recited Ulysses by Tennyson before urging the EU to force a No Deal Brexit on Friday or face a recalcitrant, trouble-making Britain lingering in the bloc's exit room.

He said: 'A new Conservative government, led by someone like Boris Johnson or Dominic Raab, might vote down your budget, veto your attempts at greater military integration, and generally make it impossible for you to bring about the more federal project in which you so desperately believe' ...

Mr Francois (pictured today at the Bruges meeting) recited Ulysses by Tennyson before urging the EU to force a No Deal Brexit on Friday or face a recalcitrant, trouble-making Britain lingering in the bloc's exit room

'So my earnest message to the European council is simple. Brexithas already gone on long enough.

'If you now try to hold on to us against our will, you will be facing Perfidious Albion on speed.

'It would therefore be much better for all our sakes if we were to pursue our separate destinies, in a spirit of mutual respect.

'As Boris Johnson recently quoted Moses' warning to Pharaoh  ''Let my people go!'''

Stanley Johnson told LBC Radio the Tory party must fight the election to win.

He said: 'I am worried that we the Conservatives are not going to give this European election the positive force that we ought to be giving it.'

Mr Johnson served as an MEP between 1979 and 1984.
Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba (pictured above) apoligised to the parents of Jack Adcock

A grieving mother has hit out at the doctor whose failings led to the needless death of her son, after the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service ruled she would be able to practice again.

Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba had previously confessed to a number of errors in relation to her treatment of Jack Adcock, after he came into her care at an assessment unit at the Leicester Royal Infirmary in 2011.

Jack's mother Nicky Adcock said Dr Bawa-Garba 'didn't care' about them and 'should never be allowed in a hospital again'.

Following the hearing in Manchester, teaching assistant Mrs Adcock said: 'She made over 21 mistakes with my son that day. Her human errors, nothing to do with the system.

'If I got in a car, and I know it's different, and I hit a child and I killed that child then I would lose my licence and I would go to prison.

'I would probably never want to get in that car again but all she has done is to try and fight us.'

It has now been ruled that she will be able to return to work after maternity leave. Dr Bawa-Garba has recently had a baby and was still breastfeeding the child.

She was told it would be okay to leave evidence to go and breastfeed during evidence.

Jack Adcock (left and right) had come into the care of Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba at an assessment unit at the Leicester Royal Infirmary in 2011

Her failings included not looking at X-rays promptly and failing to see that he was suffering from Sepsis and to administer the appropriate antibiotics.

The youngster tragically lost his life later that day and in November 2015 Dr Bawa-Garba was convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence for her actions at Nottingham Crown Court.

She was also given a two year suspended sentence the following month.

Mrs Adcock said she believed Dr Bawa Garba valued her career more than the life of her son.

Nicky and Victor Adcock outside the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service headquarters in Manchester following the hearing today

'She doesn't care about anybody else. All she cares about is herself..Her career is more important than the life of my son.'

She said that all Dr Bawa-Garba had to do was to ask for help and phone intensive care who would have taken care of her son.

She said she was 'gobsmacked' when Dr Bawa-Garba was originally handed a 12-month suspension but then welcomed the GMC's successful appeal to the High Court to strike her off.

'That is the best thing that could have happened and she should have stayed erased,' said Mrs Adcock.

Jack Adcock (pictured above) lost his life after Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba's failings

'There's a question I'd like to ask: If she goes back to work and the same thing happens again, and she contributes to someone's death, whose head is on the block for that? Is it the MPTS?

'Is it the GMC? Is it the consultant? Is she (Bawa-Garba) going to say 'It's not my fault' and blame everyone else again?

'I don't think she should ever be allowed in a hospital again.'

In June 2017 Dr Bawa-Gaba was suspended from working by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) for 12 months.

The following year she was struck off the register, but this was overturned after medics rallied round her and raised 200,000 for her legal battle.

Many claimed Dr Bawa-Garba, who was 35-years-old at the time, was being used as a scapegoat when it was the system in place that was responsible for the incident. Her current suspension is due to run until July this year but she plans to remain off work with her newly born child until February.

This week her case was called at the MPTS in Manchester as she attempted to return to work.

During the course of proceedings she issued an apology, while giving evidence via videolink, to the parents of Jack who were sitting in on the hearing.

She said: 'I apologised for my role in patient A's death, I wrote a letter through my former solicitor, I also apologised again in front of the court in London.

'I would like to take today's opportunity to say that I am sorry for patient A's death.'

But Nicky Adcock, mother of Jack, said: 'It is difficult to listen to lies.'

The tribunal also heard from Dr Johnathan Cusack, her educational supervisor who had met with her regularly and had a plan for her to return to work.

He said she had learnt from the error and nothing gave him concern about the prospect of her returning to work as a paediatrician.

Today the tribunal ruled she would be able to return to work.

Tribunal chair Claire Sharp said there would be a period of supervision for 24 months with a review at the end of this.

She said: 'The current period of suspension will remain in place until it expires.

'There will be a period of close supervision followed by a period of supervision.

'It is set out in the written judgement.'

The document set out by the tribunal said conditions included she must tell the GMC about any job she receives including its title, location and the officer responsible for her.

She also has to design a personal development plan with her education supervisor.

She is also unable to work in any locum post or fixed term contract for less than three months. As well as this she must be supervised by a clinical supervisor but the level of supervision will be reduced gradually.

Dr Jenny Vaughan, Law and Policy Officer DAUK and Founder of Manslaughter and Healthcare said: 'I'm a patient, doctor and a mother and I know that Jack Adcock should have received better care.

'However, Dr Bawa-Garba was working in appalling conditions that day in an NHS hospital and all the evidence of what the hospital actually needed to put right was not heard by the jury.

'There is a culture of blame in the NHS at the moment which, if left unchecked, will mean patient safety is not what it should be as staff will be too scared to admit their mistakes.'

She added that the next generation of those who want to care will simply 'vote with their feet'.

'It's right that Dr Bawa-Garba is going to be restored to the medical register as the hospital too was at fault and should have provided better care. 'We are calling for a just culture so that the system here is made safer as locking up individuals achieves nothing.'

This is while Dr Samantha Batt-Rawden, Chair of The Doctors' Association UK said the verdict was welcome but was no cause of celebration.

'There are no winners in this desperately sad case.

'However, restoring Dr Bawa-Garba to the medical register is the right outcome and will go some way in addressing the current climate of fear and blame in the NHS which is so toxic to patient safety.

'I have no doubt that Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba will now be the safest doctor in the hospital, and as a doctor and a mother I would have no hesitation in allowing her to treat my child.'

Tim Johnson, the head of the law firm which represented Dr Bawa-Garba, put out a video online about the case.

In it Mr Johnson said: 'Today the MPTS has restored her (Dr Bawa-Garba's) right to practice, provided she complies with certain conditions.

'This case has caused enormous controversy, doctors across the world have been concerned that they too might be convicted of manslaughter and struck off if they make a mistake in diagnosing as Dr Bawa-Garba did.

'Dr Bawa-Garba was convicted of gross negligence manslaughter but she was not the only person held responsible for the death of the patient.

'The hospital systems broke down that day which contributed to the mistakes that were made.

'In 2017 the tribunal found that Dr Bawa-Garba was no more likely than any other doctor to cause the death of a patient in the future but before allowing her to resume practice the disciplinary tribunal wanted to be shown that she'd had insight into the consequences of her actions.

'The tribunal heard evidence from her yesterday and has accepted that she has that insight. 'As a result of today's decision Dr Bawa-Garba will be allowed to practice again.'
Huw Merriman, a junior aide to Chancellor Philip Hammond, speaking at today's People's Vote rally

An aide to Chancellor Philip Hammond defied the Tory whips by addressing a People's Vote campaign event today.

Huw Merriman, 45, spoke at the Remainer event in London despite previously acknowledging it could cost him his Treasury post.

The parliamentary private secretary and MP for Bexhill and Battle in Sussex - who backs Theresa May's Brexit deal - said he wanted to use the event to explain why he supported a confirmatory referendum on the agreement in last week's 'indicative' votes in the Commons.

That had been a free vote so while he avoided censure for doing it he said he was now in the strange position of facing the sack for speaking about it.

He took to the stage alongside speakers including his former Tory colleague turned Change UK MP Anna Soubry, and Labour's David Lammy and Baroness Boothroyd.

Tory former ministers Dominic Grieve and Sam Gyimah also addressed the crowd.

Mr Merriman told the audience that it was 'seriously wrong' that he had been threatened with the sack if he explained to them why he now supported a second referendum.

He said that he first voted to Remain but now supports Brexit after voters won the referendum.

But he explained he wants a fresh vote in order to 'get this country through the mess we are currently in'.

'Parliament has failed. Parliament cannot make its mind up. There is no majority in Parliament for any one thing,' he said.

'So if I'm true to that view that I want to deliver what the majority voted for the last time then that leads me here to a confirmatory vote.

'It's time now to bump this over the line, ask the people to do the job that Parliament should do but can't and bring on a People's Vote.'

Mr Merriman told the rally: 'Parliament has failed. Parliament cannot make its mind up. There is no majority in Parliament for any one thing'

Mr Merriman arrived at the event after earlier saying that sacking him for speaking after allowing him a free vote on a referendum would be 'politics of the madhouse'

Earlier Mr Merriman's boss Hammond insisted he has 'never advocated' a second Brexit referendum, although he has acknowledged it is a 'coherent proposition'.

The Chancellor was also pressed by Conservative Brexiteers about his views on a customs union with the EU and whether businesses are ready for a no-deal Brexit, a scenario which he said he 'sincerely hopes' will not arise.

Speaking at Treasury questions in the Commons, Tory Philip Hollobone (Kettering) asked: 'Given that the people have already decided, presumably the Chancellor doesn't want a second referendum.'

Mr Hammond replied: 'I, contrary to some reports, have never advocated a second referendum.

'I simply observed that it is a coherent proposition along with many others that have been discussed in this House.'

Former Commons speaker Betty Boothroyd, now Baroness Boothroyd, was among the other speakers at the People's Vote rally, at the age of 89

Anna Soubry, who quit the Tories in February and is now part of Change UK, also addressed the event in central London

Tom Pursglove, Conservative MP for Corby, later said: 'Could the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out for the House why the customs union is the wrong policy choice for the future strength of the UK economy?'

Mr Hammond replied: 'The Prime Minister negotiated a deal with the European Union which gave us many of the benefits of being in a customs union while preserving the ability to conduct an independent trade policy.

'We put that deal to this House of Commons effectively three times, and it was defeated three times, so we have to pursue other alternatives.'
Caleb Lawrence 'Kai' McGillvary (seen in 2013) goes on trial on Tuesday in New Jersey

A man known as 'Kai the hatchet-wielding hitchhiker' who shot to viral fame for a 2013 interview is now facing trial for murder.

Caleb Lawrence 'Kai' McGillvary, 30, appeared in court on Tuesday in Union County, New Jersey for opening arguments in the May 2013 death of 73-year-old attorney Joseph Galfy.

McGillvary was spending the night at Galfy's house when he says the older man tried to rape him, claiming he fought back in self-defense.

Several months before Galfy's death, McGillvary shot to fame for a manic, expletive-filled interview with a television reporter in Fresno, California in February 2013.

Identifying himself only as 'Kai' and claiming to be from West Virginia, McGillvary, then 24, told the KPMH-TV reporter how he had fended off a man he'd been hitching a ride with after the man allegedly went on a rampage trying to kill pedestrians.

McGillvary shot to fame for a manic, expletive-filled interview (above) with a television reporter in Fresno, California in February 2013

McGillvary shot to fame after the interview went viral, landing an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live (above) later in February 2013

'He runs up and he grabs one of them, man. Like a guy that big can snap a woman's neck like a pencil stick! So I f**king ran up behind him with a hatchet. Smash! Smash! Smash!' he said in the interview, demonstrating his technique.

'It was f**king gnarly man. It was like the biggest wave I've ever ridden,' he continued.

The video shot McGillvary to internet fame, and he wandered the country capitalizing on his celebrity before ending up in New York City, landing an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

'I've met a lot of cool people who have been reaching out through the Internet, mostly contacting me through Facebook, there is about 10,000 messages in my inbox from people all across the country,' he told Vice in May 2013.

'I play drums and guitar. I head down to the beach and surf. I skateboard off hills into the countryside, and I walk around in the forest and identify new plants,' he explained.

On May 12, 2013, McGillvary met Galfy in Manhattan's Times Square, and the two men drank beers together before Galfy invited the younger man to spend the night in the guest bedroom of his home in Clark, New Jersey.

Months later, McGillvary was charged with the murder of 73-year-old attorney Joseph Galfy (above) after meeting him in Times Square and returning to spend the night in his home

Union County Sherriff Ralph Froehlich, right, looks on as Caleb 'Kai' McGillvary is taken in for processing in Elizabeth, New Jersey on May 30, 2013, before being taken to jail

Galfy's death occurred on the second night that McGillvary was staying with him.

In Facebook posts, McGillvary has laid out his version of the story. He claims that Galfy drugged his beer, and that he passed out.

McGillvary claims that he awoke on the floor to find a nude Galfy on top of him and raping him, and that he fought Galfy off and fled.

McGillvary has said that he was completely unaware that Galfy had died in the struggle, and that his memories of the events are hazy due to his drugged state.

Police found Galfy dead in his home on May 13, 2013 and a search of his phone messages led investigators to suspect McGillvary.

On May 17, a Starbucks barista in Philadelphia recognized McGillvary from news coverage that he was being sought by police, and called 911, leading to his arrest.

Caleb McGillivary is arraigned on murder charges in a Union County jail courtroom on June 3, 2013. McGillivary gained Internet fame as 'Kai the Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker'

McGillivary appears at the Union County Courthouse On January 6, 2014. After he spent five years in jail awaiting trial, opening arguments in his case began on Tuesday

After his arrest, it emerged that McGillvary was born and raised in Edmonton, Canada, and that he had family there who were concerned for him, contrary to his claims otherwise.

'Caleb to me is important. I'm not going to abandon him. I'm his father and I want to stick to him,' his father Gil McGillivary told the AP from his home in Hawkesbury, Ontario shortly after the arrest.

Caleb McGillvary's bail was set at $3 million and he has remained jailed for five years awaiting trial.

Opening arguments in the case were scheduled to begin at 9am on Tuesday.

Criminal Division Judge Robert Kirsch will preside over the case.
A 41-year-old Florida man was shot dead after authorities say he got into an argument with a patron at a Waffle House where the victim had been handing out cash and paying for customers' food.

According to a press release from the Alachua County Sheriffs Office, Craig Brewer was gunned down at around 3am on Sunday at the Waffle House on Newbury Road in Gainesville, located about four miles from the University of Florida campus.

The sheriffs office said 25-year-old Ezekiel Hicks got into a verbal argument with Brewer, who was passing out $20 bills and offering to pay for meals inside the restaurant.

Ezekiel Hicks, 25 (left), is facing first-degree murder and weapons charges in the shooting death of Craig Brewer, 41 (right), at a Waffle House on Sunday

Brewer was handing out $20 bills and paying for people's meals at this Gainsville, Florida, Waffle House, when he got into an argument with Hicks

Hicks reportedly confronted Brewer after his female companion complained that the Good Samaritan had failed to pay for her food, according for Fox 35.

The 25-year-old then allegedly went outside to retrieve a 9mm Glock pistol.

Investigators said Hicks went back inside the Waffle House, despite a bystander's efforts to stop him, argued with Brewer again and shot him in the head during a brief physical altercation.

Surveillance video captured the shooting, but the sheriff's office is not releasing it citing the ongoing investigation.

'Out of all the investigations that I've seen, very seldom do you have an incident from start to finish on video that ends in a murder,' sheriffs Lt. Brett Rhodenizer told ABC11.

'It was literally in the single digits worth of minutes from the time we received the initial call from the Waffle House, saying, "Hey, there's too many people here, we'd like a hand clearing the restaurant,' to deputies are on the scene, told about a shooting, and we have a suspect in custody and a firearm recovered."'

Hicks (left) apparently became upset because Brewer (right) would not pay for his female companion's food

Hick was arrested near the restaurant by the deputies who were responding to requests from the Waffle House to help disperse a large crowd that had gathered.

The accused gunman was booked into the county jail on first-degree murder and unlicensed carry of a concealed weapon charges.

'What were trying to find out in the days ahead is if this was truly a verbal argument that turned into a murder case or if there is something missing there,' Lt Rhodenizer told Gainsville Sun.

Both Brewer and Hicks are fathers to young children and both have past criminal records.

Brewer served nearly a decade in prison after being convicted of charges related to the possession and sale of cocaine.

Hicks was arrested on drug charges in April 2017 but was spared prison time by entering a pretrial diversion program.
Chilling dashcam footage captured the moment a man chased down an 11-year-old girl on a busy overpass before assaulting the girl and attempting to abduct her.

Queensland man John Stephen Watterson, 29, pleaded guilty to indecent treatment of a child and assault occasioning bodily harm in the Brisbane District Court on Tuesday.

CCTV footage captured showed Watterson pass the 11-year-old as she walked across an overpass in Lawnton in February, before returning to attack her.

Dashcam footage also showed the 11-year-old girl crossing the traffic overpass just moments before she was assaulted.

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Chilling dashcam footage captured the moment a man chased down an 11-year-old girl on a busy overpass before assaulting the girl and attempting to abduct her

Dashcam footage showed the 11-year-old girl crossing the traffic overpass just moments before she was attacked

The CCTV footage, shared by 9 News, first captures Watterson driving past the young girl before doing a U-turn and passing her again.

A short time later he is then seen running out from a park and up the footpath toward the young girl.

The grainy footage then captures the moment he pushed the girl to the ground and touches her inappropriately.

While trying to then abduct the girl she screamed out 'what the hell', which prompted him to flee.

Video then shows the girl running across the multi-lane road to safety before a passer-by stops to assist.

The 11-year-old suffered grazes to her knee, eye and forehead as a result of the attack.

The man was then caught on CCTV camera at a nearby Aldi immediately after the incident, allegedly as a premeditated alibi.

However dashcam footage from the area of the attack showed Watterson with his black SUV, the same one caught on the CCTV footage a short time later.

Watterson's defence lawyer, Shaune Irving told 9 News his client entered an early guilty plea.

'Primarily so he can reduce further trauma to the victim and the victim's family,' he said outside court.

Watterson remains in custody and will face sentencing in June.
Senator Fraser Anning managed to avoid fighting on the frontline during the Vietnam War by joining the bush reserve unit based in Queensland.

Anning, who is Australia's most divisive right-wing politician, has long positioned himself as a staunch supporter of the ANZACs.

The pro-gun and anti-Muslim senator shared on Twitter last year: 'Our ANZACs fought so that we could enjoy freedom of speech, sovereignty, peace and prosperity in our lives.

'We should stand up with the same bravery and courage as they did to preserve this or else Australia is gone.'

However, it has been revealed when Mr Anning had to register for national service in 1969, he opted for the Citizen Military Forces Special Unit.

Controversial Senator Fraser Anning thought his number had to be called before he could serve on the frontline in the Vietnam War

Between 1965 and 1972, all Australian men aged 20 were required to register for national service. During the war 521 Australian died as a result of the war and more than 3,000 were wounded

He did not know by joining the 49th battalion of the Royal Queensland Regiment, he would be excused from war service, he said.

Senator Anning, now 69, told The Daily Telegraph he and his brother had intended to go oveseas to 'do our bit'.

He said it was his understanding he would have to go if his number was called.

'My brother and I particularly wanted to get out of the and particularly wanted to go over there.'

However, according to national service registration records, Mr Anning chose to serve for five years part-time, rather than two-years full-time.

His reason for requesting the part-time service was because he lived in a 'far distant locality'.

The pro-gun and anti-Muslim senator shared on Twitter last year: 'Our ANZACs fought so that we could enjoy freedom of speech, sovereignty, peace and prosperity in our lives,' his tweet read

Senator Anning left the family farm at Wetherby Station after marrying wife Fiona (pictured), and the pair began working in the hotel business

He had been living in remote north-central Queensland at the time and was required to attend 33 days training each year.

Reservists were dubbed 'Koalas' by servicemen during the Vietnam War, because they were unable to be deported or shot at.

Australian males aged 20 were required to register for national service from 1965 to 1972.

One in 40 men were entered in the birthdate ballot, which required two years' full service.

By joining a bush reserve unit Mr Anning would have remained exempt from being sent overseas even if his birthdate had been pulled.

The latest revelation over Mr Anning comes after he sparked controversy following the Christchurch massacre when he released a statement asking: 'Does anyone still dispute the link between Muslim immigration and violence?'

He was censured for his remarks on Wednesday by all parties besides Pauline Hanson's One Nation, which abstained.

Senator Anning's statement in full New Zealand Mosque Shooting Speaking following reports of multiple shootings at two Mosques in New Zealand earlier today, Senator Fraser Anning has responded with strong condemnation. 'I am utterly opposed to any form of violence within our community, and I totally condemn the actions of the gunman,' he said. 'However, whilst this kind of violent vigilantism can never be justified, what it highlights is the growing fear within our community, both in Australia and New Zealand, of the increasing Muslim presence. 'As always, left-wing politicians and the media will rush to claim that the causes of today's shootings lie with gun laws or those who hold nationalist views but this is all cliched nonsense. Anning has sparked outrage after blaming immigration for the mosque shootings in New Zealand 'The real cause of bloodshed on New Zealand streets today is the immigration program which allowed Muslim fanatics to migrate to New Zealand in the first place. 'Let us be clear, while Muslims may have been the victims today, usually they are the perpetrators. World-wide, Muslims are killing people in the name of their faith on an industrial scale. 'The entire religion of Islam is simply the violent ideology of a sixth century despot masquerading as a religious leader, which justifies endless war against anyone who opposes it and calls for the murder of unbelievers and apostates. 'The truth is that Islam is not like any other faith. It is the religious equivalent of fascism. And just because the followers of this savage belief were not the killers in this instance, does not make them blameless. 'As we read in Matthew 26:52, 'all they that take the sword, shall perish by the sword' and those who follow a violent religion that calls on them to murder us, cannot be too surprised when someone takes them at their word and responds in kind,' Senator Anning concluded. Advertisement




A group of 21 migrants, including a one-year-old child, were rescued from the Channel on Tuesday as they attempted to make the crossing to Britain.

Two boats carrying the group were picked up at around 5am on Tuesday and handed over to authorities back in France.

The first boat was carrying nine migrants when it ran into trouble off the Calais coast and called for help.

The French navy and a helicopter were immediately deployed and managed to rescue the group.

Images released by the French authorities showed the second group of migrants who were rescued from a dinghy on Tuesday afternoon

The French navy had earlier been scrambled after the first group of migrants ran into trouble at around 5am near Calais

At around 7am, a second boat carrying 12 migrants, including two two-year-old children and a one-year-old child broke down in the Channel.

They phoned for the emergency services and rescuers attended the incident and returned them to the town of Boulogne.

Seven of them, including the children, were suffering from hypothermia and were taken to hospital, according to a report in the La Voix Du Nord newspaper. Police held the others from the boat.

They are the latest group to try and make the perilous trip from Calais to Dover which is the busiest shipping lane in the world. Hundreds have managed it in small boats since last November.

Last Thursday, three British men were arrested and eight migrants detained after two boats came ashore on the Kent coast.

The migrants arrived on the coast without being picked up by Border Force in the Channel.

It comes after 18 migrants arrived in two separate incidents off the Kent coast last Thursday March 27 - including a family with two young children.

All 21 of those who attempted the crossing were later returned to France and are being held by French police

The second boat reportedly had two two-year-old children and a one-year-old child on board who later needed treatment

The two children with their parents were brought to shore by Border Force officials.

A young girl, thought to be aged around two, was being carried by her mother and another young boy was with them while the father carried a plastic bag with their belongings after the second crossing.

And a boat carrying 14 migrants - including two children - arrived off the Kent coast in the early hours of Wednesday March 28.

The group, which included nine men, a woman and two children, were discovered and presented themselves as Iraqi nationals. Two other men presented themselves as Iranian.

Speaking last week about the arrests, Charlie Elphicke, MP for Dover and Deal, said: 'Britain must not be a soft touch for people smugglers.

'These dangerous crossings will only stop when the traffickers know they will not succeed.

'That's why firmer action is needed to tackle this crisis. Ministers should work with France to make the English Channel to be made a joint security zone where anyone found can be helped carefully and safely back to the French coast.

'We also need to see aerial surveillance increased to be round the clock.'
Jennifer Helen Campbell, from St. Ignace in Michigan, struck and killed a pedestrian on a highway in Wisconsin while using social media on her phone

A driver who struck and killed a pedestrian on a highway in Wisconsin was reportedly using social media on her phone at the time.

Jennifer Helen Campbell, from St. Ignace in Michigan, killed one and injured another during the incident on the I-75 on January 10.

Just a day later, Campbell shared a post about the collision on Facebook, saying she was grateful to have just a few 'bumps and bruises'.

She wrote: 'Im so thankful to have walked away from this with only a few bumps & bruises. God was definitely with me last night.

'Also a huge thank you to the law enforcement & Kinross EMS for their considerate handling of this tragic situation.

'Im praying for all of those involved. Please stay safe everyone.'

Chippewa County Sheriff Michael D. Bitnar said on Facebook that the incident was the 'culmination of many bad decisions by all involved parties'.

He added: 'A split-second decision, could ruin your future, injure, kill and rip apart the hearts of loved ones, family members and friends.

'Sheriff Bitnar wants to remind the public to: "Put your Phone in Park".'

The 20 year old hit the pair just moments after they were involved in a separate crash.

The group, of one driver and three passengers, had been travelling in a car that fell into a snowy ditch on the I-75, hitting a reflector pole.

Sharing a post about the crash at the time, Campbell revealed she had just a few 'bumps and bruises'

Two of the four started walking southbound in the traffic lane wearing dark clothing, when Campbell allegedly hit them with her pickup truck.

The passengers and the driver had all been drinking alcohol before the tragic incident.

The driver was arrested for drink driving, open intoxicants in a vehicle, an unregistered car, possession of narcotics and resisting arrest.

Campbell has been arrested on one count of reckless driving causing death, and handed herself into custody yesterday.
Netflix has cancelled the release of a new film starring Felicity Huffman that was set to premiere later this month.

The upcoming comedy Otherhood, which stars Huffman, Angela Basset and Patricia Arquette, will no longer be released later this month a production source told DailyMail.com.

The film, which follows three mothers who move to New York to surprise their adult children, does not have a future release date at this time and a company spokesperson declined to comment when asked when the film would premiere.

It is not all bad news though for Huffman, who will still be seen next month in the hotly anticipated miniseries When They See Us, which tells the story of the Central Park Five.

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Three amigas: Netflix will no longer be releasing the Felicity Huffman comedy Otherhood this month, which also stars Patricia Arquette and Angela Bassett (above filming Otherhood in the summer of 2018)

Bad reputation: Huffman will still be seen in the Central Park Five miniseries When They See Us, in which she plays Linda Fairstein (Huffman above as Fairstein on set)

Huffman plays Linda Fairstein in When They See Us, the former chief of the sex crimes unit at the Manhattan District Attorney's office.

Fairstein prosecuted the five teenagers who were wrongfully convicted in the rape of a young woman who was jogging through Central Park when she was attacked late at night on April 19, 1989.

She is even featured in the trailer, with her voiceover heard throughout most of the clip, saying: 'Let's get an army of blue up in Harlem. You go into those projects, and you stop every little f*** you see, you bring in every kid who was in the park last night.'

Fairstein has continued to maintain the guilt of the boys, even after their charges were vacated when another man confessed to the crime and proved to be a match for the DNA found on the scene.

Ava DuVernay, the Oscar-nominated director, confirmed that the miniseries would still be airing next month on Netflix.

'I began a project on the men known as The Central Park Five in 2015. Debuting in May, my delivery deadline to @Netflix is April 17. Many all-nighters to get it ready,' she wrote on Twitter Monday afternoon.

This comes one day after the actress entered a guilty plea to a single charge of mail fraud

DuVernay has not however commented on Huffman or the scandal, though she had thanked the actress for her involvement in the film prior to her indictment in a single charge of mail fraud.

Netflix was previously forced to deal with fallout from another scandal last year after it was alleged that Kevin Spacey had sexually assaulted multiple underage men.

In the wake of that news, the company fired Spacey from his series House of Cards and shelved the Gore Vidal biopic he had just wrapped filming in at the time.

There were also reports that Netflix had fired Lori Loughlin for her role in Operation Varsity Blues last month

A source told DailyMail.com at the time however that Loughlin only appeared on Fuller House in a guest-starring role, and did not have a contract in place like the rest of the cast.

On Monday, Huffman pleaded guilty to paying $15,000 to a fake charity so her daughter could cheat on the SATs.

The actress, who is married to the actor William H. Macy, released a statement on Monday saying she was 'ashamed of the pain I have caused my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues and the educational community.'

The Emmy-winning ac tress also stated: 'My daughter knew absolutely nothing about my actions, and in my misguided and profoundly wrong way, I have betrayed her.'

There are approximately 50 people involved in a countrywide scam to bribe people at colleges including Yale, with 14 parents entering plea deals on Monday.
A man has been detained by police in central China for attacking a driver after he was not allowed to get on the bus with his unleashed dog.

The No. 168 bus was travelling in Changsha, Hunan province on Monday when the driver, Li Jian, noticed the dog jumping on board, according to Chinese reports. Li then stopped the bus and told the owner to remove the pet from the vehicle.

However, the unruly passenger flew into a rage, grabbed the driver tightly by the neck and rained punches on his head and face.

After the driver told the man to get off the bus with his unleashed pet dog, the men in Changsha, Hunan flew into a rage and started raining punches on the driver's head and face

Driver Li Jiang was later taken to hospital where he was treated for a misaligned vertebrae

Other passengers intervened and stopped the man from further injuring the driver, who immediately called police, according to Changsha Evening News.

Driver Li was taken to Changsha Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, where he was treated for a misaligned vertebrae.

'I opened the doors and told the man to get off with his pet. Then he suddenly attacked me,' Li, 42, told reporters from hospital.

Surveillance footage from the bus shows the man running and grabbing the driver by his neck

The man holds his unleashed pet dog after attacking the driver, who is seen calling the police

He was pictured lying in a hospital bed with a neck brace and tubes in his nostrils to help him breathe, appearing to be in pain.

His injuries could take up to two months to heal, the report said. His company, Longxiang Bus, said it will support Li while he recovered.

The man has been detained by police and is currently under investigation, the report added.

According to Changsha's transport laws, only guide dogs and police dogs are allowed on public buses.

The No. 168 bus was travelling in Changsha when the driver noticed the dog on board. According to transport laws, only guide dogs and police dogs are allowed on public buses

'I opened the doors and told the man to get off with his pet. Then he suddenly attacked me,' Li, 42, told reporters from hospital

Li is seen in a hospital bed with a neck brace and tubes in his nostrils to help him breathe

Passenger-driver disputes recently came under the spotlight in China after a fight between a driver and a commuter caused a bus in Chongqing to plunge into a river in October, killing at least 13 people on board.

In a similar incident, a man in Yinchuan was caught dragging a bus driver by his arms and grabbing the steering wheel after he missed his stop.

He was convicted of endangering public safety by dangerous means in a court and was sentenced to three years and two months in prison.

There were 223 criminal cases involving disputes between passengers and bus drivers from 2016 to Oct 31 last year, according to Xinhua news agency citing the Supreme People's Court.

Nearly 30 per cent of passengers involved were found to have grabbed the steering wheel from drivers, the report added.

About 60 per cent of the disputes were caused by misunderstanding over charging and the location of bus stops. Nearly 70 per cent of offenders were passengers, and about 20 per cent were drivers.
A council has agreed to remove part of a controversial cliff netting that is blocking birds from their nests when they return from a 3,500-mile trip Africa.

Swathes of black nets were temporarily put in place to keep migrating birds away this summer over fears that they could be harmed by a project to combat coastal erosion at Bacton, Norfolk.

But bird lovers were left outraged because the netting for the 22million sea defence scheme prevented returning birds from using their nesting holes.

The so-called Sandscaping project, which is the largest of its kind to be carried out in the UK, involves dumping 1.8 million cubic metres of sand on a 3.5 mile stretch of beach to help prevent flooding.

It will provide what is described as 'robust protection' to safeguard the giant gas terminal at Bacton, which handles a third of the UK's gas supply and protect local homes for the next 20 years.

Sand Martins returning from their migration found they could not access their nests

Exhausted Sand Martins flying 3,500 miles from their winter homes in Africa have been arriving in Bacton in recent days to find their burrows in the sandy cliffs have been blocked off.

Bird watchers were horrified to see the 'heartbreaking' scene of the birds trying in vain to find a way through the netting, which is hanging over different areas with burrows on a 1,000 yard long section of the cliff.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds called for the netting to be torn down as it feared that birds could be killed if they get tangled up or trapped behind it.

It follows growing anger from conservationists about similar nets being used to cover trees and hedges near building projects to prevent birds nesting.

Council bosses today announced they would remove some of the netting on the cliffs after widespread opposition.

North Norfolk District Council today confirmed it would be taking down netting from the upper part of the cliffs, allowing Sand Martins to continue to nest there during the sea defence work.

Exhausted Sand Martins flying 3,500 miles from their winter homes in Africa have been arriving in Bacton in recent days to find their burrows in the sandy cliffs have been blocked off

The netting will remain on the lower part of the cliffs where the nesting holes are due to be covered by more than two million tonnes of sand raising the level of the beach by up to seven metres.

But the council is believed to be investigating using a thinner mesh netting for the lower sections, reducing the risk of birds becoming tangled.

A spokesman for the council said: 'The Bacton netting issue has been North Norfolk District Council's top priority today and yesterday and we appreciate the level of concern it has caused.

'Following positive discussions with the RSPB and Natural England today, we have instructed contractors to remove the upper levels of netting on Bacton cliffs.

'Minimum levels will be retained to assist in progressing with this critical project to protect people's homes and national infrastructure.

'Following this, ongoing discussions will take place between NNDC and the RSPB about the material to be used on the lower section of cliff to allow this to happen.

'Please also be aware that these cliffs are not safe to climb on. Please don't attempt to do this. A team of abseiling professionals will carry out the work in the next 24 hours.'

The nets are increasingly being used to avoid construction being disrupted because it is illegal for building work to proceed if it damages a protected nest.

The Sandscaping scheme, which is copying similar projects in the Netherlands, is being funded by North Norfolk District Council, the Bacton terminal operators including Shell, the Environment Agency and other local funding bodies.

The council said the netting was meant to 'encourage' the birds to nest elsewhere to avoid them being harmed.

The nets are increasingly being used to avoid construction being disrupted because it is illegal for building work to proceed if it damages a protected nest

It said that the sand, dredged from the seabed and brought ashore, is due to be piled up to seven metres high against the cliff, potentially smothering birds if they are allowed to nest this year in the lower down burrows.

But bird watcher Maggie Wilcox of nearby Overstrand said: 'Thousands of square metres of cliff have been covered. Hundreds of Sand Martins will be prevented from nesting and breeding successfully this season.

'These tiny bids have migrated thousands of miles from Africa through all kinds of weather to return to their nesting sites and they are blocked.'

Another bird watcher Richard Thewlis described the netting as being on 'an industrial scale' and said he had counted 349 nesting holes covered up.

The RSPB said in a statement: 'We can confirm the council's actions do not follow RSPB advice, or indeed their own construction plans.

'In an effort to minimise the disturbance to nesting sand martins during the Sandscaping project at Bacton, we supported the contractors recommendation for NNDC to use a fine mesh (geotextile - which birds can not get trapped in), on a small section of the cliff.

The RSPB added in a statement: 'We can confirm the council's actions do not follow RSPB advice, or indeed their own construction plans'

'This was to close off a small number of burrows that could have been potentially smothered by the newly deposited sand.

'We believed this action should have been taken as a last resort and only if alternative nest sites close to the original burrows were available.

'Based on the images we have seen published, our advice has not been followed and we will be reaching out to NNDC to offer further advice and support.'

A North Norfolk District Council spokesman had described the Sandscaping as 'a highly complex project.'

The spokesman said: 'It has been designed to protect hundreds of homes in Bacton and Walcott, and the critical infrastructure of Bacton Gas Terminal, for many years to come, and has been five years in the planning.

'It has been subject to full environmental impact assessment, planning permission and marine licence applications.

'We understand that the RSPB have concerns around the temporary netting element of the project and we are intending to meet with them and contractors on site to fully assess what those concerns are.

'Careful consideration of what time of year to progress was given because of the need for good weather and longer days, with the summer significantly safer for both the scheme's success and for contractors working on the project.

'Without these works the cliff itself is at long-term risk as well as the adjoining communities and the terminal.'

The spokesman added: 'The netting has been strategically placed to cover the minimum area possible to ensure the project can proceed, and will be in place for the minimum period necessary.

'Only un-vegetated sections of the cliff have been netted, which are the actively eroding sections. Existing sand martin nests are regularly lost through the erosion process.

'The netting will temporarily restrict access for the birds for this one season and will be removed as soon as the project is complete.

'There are three-times-a-day checks in place to make sure the netting remains in place and that no birds become entangled in the netting.'

'There are alternative sand martin nesting sites - exposed sandy cliff faces - to the north west of the site towards Paston and Mundesley immediately to the west of the netted area.'
Liam Gilchrist, 18, is filmed by a friend at the Tavern Bar in Fort William, Lochaber, Scotland, as he throws the cheese puff over his shoulder.

The woman, who is sitting at the opposite end of the room, is moving to Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!! by the Vengaboys while holding up her drink.

Shock: The woman pulls back in surprise as though the cheese puff has landed in her drink at the Tavern Bar in Fort William, Scotland

The snack apparently dodges light fittings, furniture and a man flailing his arms in time to the song before landing with perfect musical timing in the glass.

The young woman starts as though she has heard a 'plop' sound during the third 'boom' of the refrain and looks down as though the bar snack is floating in her drink.

The grainy footage shows Liam pick up the snack from a small bowl and launch it in to the air.

Eighteen-year-old Liam Gilchrist, wearing the baseball cap and the woman holding her glass in the background

Ruairidh Macdonald (right) filmed Liam and says the throw was 'beginner's luck' and not a trick

After filming the video Liam's friend Ruairidh Macdonald uploaded the footage to Twitter where it racked up more than 100,000 views.

He captioned the clip: 'Absolutely unreal' and words on the video itself read: 'Yeah I got skills, what you gonna do about it.'

Twitter user @RyanHendo00 commented on the clip saying: 'Unbelievable.'

Eighteen-year-old Ruairidh, also from Fort William, said Liam's trick shot was not faked.

He said: 'It was beginner's luck. They were shocked but found it funny.'
Dramatic footage has emerged of thieves using a stolen digger to rip a cash machine from the wall of a local shop before making a getaway in a van.

CCTV footage shows the ram-raiders tearing down building and brickwork around the ATM in Dungiven, County Londonderry at 4.15am on Sunday.

During the ram-raid, one man operated the digger and tore down the side of the off-licence, while two other two men wearing balaclavas watched on.

CCTV footage shows the ram-raiders tearing down building and brickwork around the ATM in Dungiven, County Londonderry at 4.15am on Sunday

Once the safe was extracted from the wall, the thieves lowered the ATM into a Citroen Berlingo getaway van which had its roof cut off.

The thieves sped off with the machine protruding out the top of the vehicle, leaving a gaping hole in the shop's wall with debris strewn everywhere.

The robbery is the latest in a spate of ATM thefts and is the eighth in the Northern Ireland this year.

In tactics similar to previous attacks, the thieves used a digger stolen from a nearby work site to rip the ATM from the wall.

Last week, police said that several criminal gangs were behind the series of the raids, with paramilitaries potentially cashing in on some of the ill-gotten gains.

Shop owner Martin O'Kane surveyed the damage from behind a police cordon on Sunday afternoon.

During the ram-raid, one man operates the digger and tears down the side of the off-licence, while two other two men wearing balaclavas watch on

Forensic officers in white boiler suits were dusting the cab for fingerprints on Sunday afternoon

He said: 'The men who did this are just scumbags.'

'There are going to be less and less ATMs about now because of these attacks. There is one basically happening every week now.

'I probably won't get another cash machine in again - and that will be the local community losing out.'

Unlike previous ATM raids, the digger used was not set on fire and burned out.

Shop owner Martin O'Kane surveyed the damage from behind a police cordon on Sunday afternoon

Forensic officers in white boiler suits were dusting the cab for fingerprints on Sunday afternoon.

Police Service of Northern Ireland Detective Inspector Richard Thornton said: 'Unfortunately, the public and the business community are today waking to the news that another ATM has been stolen; that another business has been targeted by these brazen thieves.

'The theft from the filling station on Feeny Road was reported to us just before 4:30am.

'A digger, believed to have been taken from a site a short distance away, was used to rip the machine from the wall at the side of the shop leaving substantial damage to the building.

'On this occasion, the digger was not set alight and was located at the scene.'

Police have appealed for witnesses after the thieves made off with the safe from the cash machine

Mr Thornton appealed for witnesses to come forward.

He said: 'As in all of these ATM thefts, the actions of these criminals have not only caused immediate financial harm to the business targeted, but they have understandably caused fear in the community and impacted upon a vital service many local people rely on.

'We are doing all we can to catch the people responsible, it is a key priority for us, however, I want to reiterate that the key to stopping these crimes and getting ahead of these criminals is information from the public.

'We need people to report anything suspicious, including seeing any unusual activity or people in areas close to ATMs.

'For example, if you hear machinery late at night or in the early hours please let us know.

'If you see any cars being driven in a suspicious manner close to where ATMs are located, please let us know.

'No matter how insignificant you think it is, call us and we will investigate. It could be key to catching the criminals responsible.'
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 9)  The United States will remain as the Philippines' "only military ally," Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro "Teddyboy" Locsin said late Monday evening amid the presence of Chinese vessels in the hotly contested South China Sea.

Locsin was responding to a Twitter user's question asking if he would choose China over U.S. in the disputed area, after over 200 vessels were spotted in Pag-asa Island which is part of the disputed Spratly Island Group.

"The U.S. is and will remain our only military ally. You can't make an ally out of a near power-too close for comfort," Locsin answered in a tweet.

He added the Philippines' natural allies are the United States across the Pacific Ocean, and Russia behind China.

"With China friendship is wisest; never a military alliance. The logic of balance of power," he said.

Manila and Washington have a 68-year-old Mutual Defense Treaty which states that both countries would assist each other when either one is attacked by a foreign force. Philippine defense officials have floated concerns over the treaty's role in the maritime row against China.

The Philippines also conducts regular war games with the United States.

U.S. has expressed concern over China's alleged militarization and artificial island building in the global waterway.
Scarlett Keeling, the 15-year-old who was found dead at Anjuna Beach in Goa, India in February 2008

Officials investigating the killing of teen Scarlett Keeling in India are set to close the unsolved case against the two suspects tomorrow - after 11 years.

Scarlett's body was found covered in 50 injuries on a beach in Goa in 2008 - but despite arrests nobody has been jailed for the 15-year-old's death.

Two men - who had been drinking with the teen - were arrested on suspicion of plying her with drugs, raping her, and then leaving her on the beach, but were acquitted in 2016.

The Indian High Court has now listed the case for disposal tomorrow, leaving whoever is responsible for her death to walk free.

Speaking today, her mother Fiona Mackeown, 55, from Bideford, Devon, said: 'The whole thing has been made a mockery of from start to finish.

'I feel like they hope we just go away after 11 years. If it ends tomorrow then Scarlett will have been failed.

'I fear it will never be solved but I'll never stop hoping. I can't bare thinking her killers may never be found. Her killers are still walking the streets.

'I just want it all to be over now and for someone to be held accountable. We want to get on with our lives.

'It has dominated our lives but we have all tried to move on. I'll be devastated if that's it after tomorrow.'

Fiona MacKeown the mother of murdered British schoolgirl Scarlett Keeling (pictured leaving court in India in 2016) revealed her despair at the decision to close the case

Placido Carvalho and Samson D'Souza - who had been drinking with the teen - were arrested on suspicion of plying her with drugs, raping her, and then leaving her on the beach, but were acquitted in 2016

The teenager was on a six-month family holiday in India in 2008 with her family - including her mum, her mother's boyfriend and seven siblings and half-siblings.

The family had stayed in Goa for two months, and then moved down the coast, but Scarlett begged her mother to let her return for a big Valentine's Day party.

At first Fiona refused, but then agreed after a family friend said they'd look out for her.

Scarlett's half-naked body was found covered in 50 injuries on Anjuna beach on February 18, 2008.

A postmortem revealed Scarlett had ecstasy, cocaine and LSD in her body

Police initially declared her death was caused by accidental drowning but mum Fiona fought for a second inquest.

A postmortem showed there to be ecstasy, cocaine and LSD in Scarlett's body as well as multiple cuts to her body and signs of sexual assault.

Barman Samson D'Souza, 36, and Placido Carvalho, 47, were charged with culpable homicide and grievous sexual assault.

The trial at Goa Children's Court started in March 2010, but a verdict was not reached until 2016 when judge, Vandana Tendulkar, acquitted the two accused.

The case - initially investigated by the Goa Police - was handed over to the CBI, India's premier investigation agency, who appealed the court's not-guilty decision.

But the Indian High Court has now listed the case for 'disposal' tomorrow (10), after claims in local media the CBI failed to attend hearings.

It is understood the CBI intends to send an official to the court tomorrow, to put forward a final challenge.

The family's former lawyer Vikram Varma said: 'There will be no other time given to the case.

'After this, the court will make its final decision on the matter. There will be no more submissions and no more hearings.'

Fiona Mackeown and her lawyer Vikram Verma speak with media as they leave a local police station near Anjuna beach in 2008

Mr Varma said the CBI could apply for the court to overturn the acquittal tomorrow.

But if the acquittal is upheld, the only option left would be to appeal to the not guilty verdict in the Indian Supreme Court.

Mum Fiona said she has been told the hearing tomorrow is the last chance to find her daughter's killer.

She said: 'All we want is to get justice but I don't know what else we can do. Scarlett's name is being dragged through the mud.

'The CBI aren't taking this seriously. This is a massive part of our lives and we just want justice for what has happened to her. We all miss her everyday.

'Scarlett deserves more than this. If it is dropped then Scarlett will have been failed.'

Fiona added she doesn't know 'where else to turn' in her quest for justice if the High Court does choose to end proceedings this week but she'll 'never give up hope'.

'Goa is a popular tourist place and is dangerous,' she said.

'Those people who did it are dangerous.'

The CBI and Bombay High Court have not responded to a request for comment.
Authorities in the Dominican Republic arrested a man for allegedly raping and killing his ex-girlfriend's 12-year-old daughter.

Francisco Polo Mateo, 25, allegedly attacked Yarinelis Dominguez Rijo, 12, on April 5 after the victim's mother, Jennifer Rijo Rojas, 29, kicked him out.

The child's body was found on a bed at her residence in the Dominican Republic province of La Romana. Investigators reported that she showed signs of having been strangled and raped.

A message scrawled on the wall read: 'It pains me that I will not be there to see you suffer too, but I am leaving a happy [person] because of what I did to you.'

Francisco Polo Mateo (pictured) was arrested by authorities in the Dominican Republic on Saturday, a day after he allegedly claimed he sexually assaulted and killed his ex-girlfriend's daughter

Yarinelis Dominguez Rijo (pictured) was found dead April 5 hours after her mother's ex-boyfriend flew into a jealous rage

The 25-year-old suspect admits to the killing the 12-year-old girl and left a shocking note for her mother which he scribbled on a door. The Spanish written message reads: 'It pains me that I will not be there to see you suffer too, but I am leaving a happy [person] because of what I did to you'

Mateo and Rijo Rojas had previously been visited by police officers after worried neighbors called 911 due to a string of domestic disputes inside the home.

But Rijo Rojas reportedly denied there was any violence at the time, and told police neighbors' were trying to break up her romance.

Recently, however, the mother kicked Mateo out of her home and filed a harassment complaint with the local Public Ministry.

Mateo is said to have returned to the home last Friday and allegedly beat the child while she was doing chores, according to Telesistema.

He placed a phone call to his sister Yahaira Polo Mateo to inform her that he had cut his ex-girlfriend's daughter during a dispute.

Yarinelis Dominguez Rijo was found lying on a bed inside her home in the Dominican Republic province of La Romana. Investigators said her body showed signs that her alleged killer had strangled and raped her

Francisco Polo Mateo was nabbed by police agents, who were aided in the manhunt by the presumed murderer's sisters who wanted him to face justice

Mateo subsequently reached out to Rijo Rojas and admitted in a cell phone conversation that he had sexually abused and murdered her daughter.

'That was a crime that was very vicious,' Yahaira Polo Mateo told El Nuevo Diario. 'There are no words to describe that. It is very painful.'

Angered by her brother's alleged actions, Yahaira Polo Mateo and her sister aided the police in hunting down her brother.

Agents found him hiding behind a bus terminal building Saturday morning and was apprehended.

He was charged with murdering the child and is due to appear in court Thursday.
A newlywed couple in China have received a special gift at their wedding from their former teacher who banned them from dating at school.

The bride and groom were presented some love letters they wrote by the high school educator years after he confiscated the romantic notes.

Footage of the touching scene has sparked a trending topic on China's Twitter-like Weibo, which gathered more than 220 million views in the space of one day.

Precious present: The couple are given back the love letters they wrote from their former teacher who banned them from dating at high school. Footage of the ceremony has gone viral

The wedding reportedly took place in the county of Hejian in northern China's Hebei Province.

The teacher was invited to the wedding by the couple as their guest.

He told his former students he had planned to return them the love letters when they graduated, but he had never got around to it.

He said he could finally give the items back to their owners at their wedding.

It is thought that the teacher had taken the letters away to ensure that the two pupils would concentrate on studying.

Teenagers in China are often banned from dating and told to focus on their studies (file photo)

Apart from the confiscated letters, the guest had prepared another gift for the couple: a pair of tailor-made wedding rings.

'I have here two wedding rings which were ordered and customsied for you by me.

'The two wedding rings have carvings to mark the dates when you started school, graduated from school and today when get married,' the teacher can be heard saying while holding an envelope.

'These are souvenirs for you. I wish you happy forever.'

The teacher is seen giving the envelope to the bride and groom afterwards.

Web users have been touched by the teacher's emotional speech and his thoughtful presents.

One user wrote: 'He is the best teacher in China.'

Another commentator quoted a Chinese proverb: 'If he spends one day as your teacher, he will be like a father to you for your whole life.'

A third view said: 'The teacher is so considerate and has kept the letters all these years.'
Charlie Sheen's ex-wife Brooke Mueller missed a flight on Friday after being patted down for an hour by TSA agents who treated her like a 'drug smuggler' and forced her to miss her flight, it has been claimed.

The 41-year-old, whose past drug problems have been well documented, was traveling from Los Angeles to Miami when she was stopped.

According to a source close to her who spoke to Page Six, TSA agents patted her down repeatedly for an hour and 'strip searched her more than once'.

'They strip-searched her more than once. They combed her hair looking for who knows what and kept sending her bags back and forth. It was harassment.

Brooke Mueller, 41, (left in September) claims she was treated like a drug smuggler by TSA agents at LAX on Friday which caused her to miss her flight to Miami. She is pictured in September. Mueller was married to Charlie Sheen between 2008 and 2011. She has a history of cocaine addiction and alcohol abuse

'They swiped her hands so many times with those cloths and the bottom of her feet.

'An hour later, of course they find nothing because shes sober and doing well,' the source said.

Mueller, spent time in rehab last year, said she had her personal space invaded by the ordeal.

'The invasion of my body was borderline abusive.

'Its not like they had just cause to treat me like a drug smuggler,' she said.

TSA denied that she had to take her clothes off at any point, saying: 'TSA pat-downs are conducted by officers of the same gender as the passenger.

'In addition, TSA does not ask travelers to remove their clothing for pat-downs.

'TSA is focused on threats to aircraft security, and does not look for drugs.'

Mueller says she was traveling from LAX (shown) to Miami but that the delay caused her to miss her flight

Ultimately, Mueller missed her flight and had to take another.

Mueller married Sheen in 2008. The pair were together for three years before splitting in 2011. They have two sons together.

After their divorce, Mueller was arrested on multiple occasions for drink driving and cocaine possession.

She had her children temporarily taken out of her care as a result but custody was returned to her in 2014.

She is Sheen's third wife. They met in 2006, the same year he divorced Denise Richards.
A Playboy model accused of murdering a California psychiatrist who had been paying her rent before his body was found rotting in her car has appeared in court.

Kelsey Nichole Turner, 25, faced court in Stockton, California on Monday where she is being held pending her extradition to Nevada after being arrested last month over Dr Thomas Kirk Burchard's murder.

Her extradition was delayed and her next court appearance was scheduled for April 16. She is expected to face murder and conspiracy charges back in Las Vegas.

It comes after authorities revealed on Monday that arrest warrants had been issued for two more people - Jon Logan Kennison and Diana Nicole Pena - who are accused of conspiring with Turner to murder the 71-year-old psychiatrist.

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Kelsey Nichole Turner, 25, faced court in Stockton, California on Monday where she is being held pending her extradition to Nevada after being arrested last month over Dr Thomas Kirk Burchard's murder

Kelsey Nichole Turner, who has appeared in Playboy Italia and Maxim, is accused of murdering Dr Thomas Kirk Burchard after his body was found in her abandoned car in Las Vegas on March 7

A link between Kennison and Pena with Burchard was not immediately clear. Their ages and hometowns were not immediately made public.

Burchard's body was found rotting in the trunk of Turner's two-door Mercedes Benz coupe, which was found abandoned off a dirt road in Las Vegas on March 7.

Police said Burchard had been paying the March rent on Turner's home.

Judy Earp, Burchard's longtime girlfriend, said the psychiatrist had given Turner roughly $300,000 during the time they knew each other.

Earp said that Burchard had signed a lease for a home in Salinas, California where Turner had lived for 'about a year' with her mother and children.

She said the model, who appeared in Playboy Italia and Maxim, had told Burchard that she couldn't qualify for a lease because she had 'bad credit'.

'He helped a lot of people,' Earp told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. 'She had this really sad story. She took the $300,000. I'll just leave it at that.'

Burchard paid Turner's rent for months but stopped after the 'lease was up'.

Her extradition was delayed and her next court appearance was scheduled for April 16. She is expected to face murder and conspiracy charges back in Las Vegas

Police said Burchard had been paying the March rent on Turner's home but is believed to have stopped in the months before he was murdered. Turner is pictured above attending a 'Babes In Toyland' event in Hollywood in March 2018

'He told her several months before that he was not going to continue,' Earp said. 'He actually paid her money to leave.'

Turner was eventually evicted from the home in Salinas and moved to Las Vegas.

Police said Burchard's girlfriend reported the semi-retired child psychiatrist missing days after he sent a March 2 text message to her from Las Vegas saying he planned to go to Salinas two days later.

Turner is being held in a county jail in Stockton, California, following her arrest there March 21

Earp told police she believed Turner, was involved in Burchard's disappearance.

Police found the rented home unlocked but no one there, according to court documents, and a neighbor reported seeing Burchard with Turner.

In the Mercedes, investigators recovered Burchard's vest and house keys; collected fingerprint and possible DNA evidence; noted apparent blood residue on seats and blue latex gloves; and found cleaning supplies.

'Blood evidence in the back seat suggested Burchard was attacked in the vehicle,' police said in Turner's arrest warrant application.

The Clark County coroner ruled the case a homicide, finding that Burchard was struck multiple times in the head with an unidentified object that left what police called a unique pattern.

Burchard also bore what police called defensive wounds.

Earp would not elaborate on how Turner and Burchard knew each other, only saying she did not believe the model was one of his patients.

Sources have previously said the Burchard and Turner met online.

Judy Earp (right), Burchard's longtime girlfriend, said the psychiatrist had given Turner roughly $300,000 during the time they knew each other

Earp said that Burchard had signed a lease for a home in Salinas, California where Turner had lived for 'about a year' with her mother (pictured together) and children
The family of a British influencer who has been stuck in Thailand with a 'serious infection' have pleaded for money to fund her return.

Rebekah Fulton is currently in a hospital in Phuket where she is fighting against a serious infection and is described as 'very ill.'

Now the 25-year-old's desperate father James Geddes, 48, has launched a 25,000 GoFundMe appeal to fly his stricken daughter home fearing she may have meningitis.

Rebekah Fulton is stuck in Thailand with a series infection. She is in a hospital in Phuket and has been described as 'very ill'

He flew out last Thursday after residents at a hostel in Ko Phi Phi Don called him to say she was gravely ill.

Ms Fulton was set to take up a manager job at the venue before falling ill.

She has been in the country on a non visitor visa but was just days away from getting a worker visa.

Her family have pleaded for money to get her home

Mr Geddes, 48, said: 'About two weeks ago, she developed an ear infection and I told her to go to the doctors.

'It then spread into her lymph glands under one of her arms and they became inflamed - it was huge.

'She went to the local clinic and they gave her antibiotics which clearly didn't work.'

After flying out on Friday, Mr Geddes made it over to Ko Phi Phi Don on Sunday morning by speedboat.

He said: 'I was on the island for ten minutes and I told the staff she had to go to hospital.

'I had to hire a speedboat to get her to Phuket and into a hospital.

'They're giving her antibiotics and she had a brain scan this afternoon.

'The hospital has said it's a very bad infection and her white cell count has more than doubled.

'They've said it might be meningitis or encephalitis, they don't know.

'It's difficult because of the language barrier but one of the nurses speaks very good English.'

The 25-year-old's desperate father James Geddes, 48, has launched a GoFund Me in a bid to fly his stricken daughter home

Mr Geddes, of Barrhead, near Glasgow, is now raising 25,000 in order to get Ms Fulton as home as quickly as possible.

He said: 'I spoke to a company this morning and they said its a minimum of 20,000 for an assisted flight.

'In order to get it moving quickly, I've picked a figure out of the sky but medical repatriation is expensive.

Ms Fulton's GoFundMe page has so far raised more than 3,530. Mr Geddes said he picked the 25,000 figure 'out of the sky'

Her father James, from Barrhead, near Glasgow has opened a GoFundMe page to try to raise 25,000 to bring his daughter home. He said a minimum of 20,000 was needed for an assisted flight

Mr Geddes said: 'The hospital has said it's a very bad infection and her white cell count has more than doubled'

'But it's now got to the point today where I'm just looking at her in a hospital bed.

'She's 25 years old but she's still my girl. I'm looking at her in bed and I feel so helpless.

'I need her home.'

Keen traveller Ms Fulton has over 7,000 followers on Instagram and regularly shared updates of her adventures.

The keen backpacker and Instagram influencer has more than 7,000 followers on the social media site. She posts pictures of her paddle-boarding and sunbathing on her travels

She last shared a photo on March 18 of her silhouette against the sunset.

She captioned the photo to her 7,000 followers: 'I never met a sunset I didn't like. happiness'

Other snaps show paddleboarding, sunbathing as well as basking in the sunshine.

She is originally from Paisley, in Renfrewshire, Scotland, but has been travelling for nearly five years.

Mr Geddes said: 'Rebekah got the travelling bug in 2015 when she was 21 years old and travelled abroad for the first time.

'She came back and told me she'd been offered a job out there, I couldn't believe it.

'Two weeks later, she told me she'd booked a flight and was going to travel there alone.

'Since then, she's been in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia and Australia.'
Someone has been picking off cats with a pellet gun in Oakland, California, and now local animal lovers are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the serial feline shooter.

Oakland Animal Services announced the five-figure reward in a Facebook post on Monday, writing that the spate of attacks on cats over the past five weeks has left four felines seriously injured.

One of them - a brown tabby - had to be euthanized because of the extent of his injuries.

Targeted: These are two of the four cats that have been shot with a pellet gun in Oakland, California, over the past five weeks

'No animal deserves to die as the victim of such a cowardly act of cruelty,' stated the description of a Crowdrise fundraiser launched by the organization Friends of Oakland Animal Shelter, which is offering the $10,000 reward.

All the animals were shot with a pellet gun in a 2-mile radius of Oakland's Lower Dimond neighborhood.

Oakland Animal Services was able to care for a seal point Siamese named Percy and a Siamese mix named Frankie.

A third cat, which was brought in over the weekend, is still recovering from a pellet wound in his elbow.

'This horrific abuse is not only a threat to the cats of the Lower Dimond area. Serial animal abuse is a known precursor to violence against humans as well,' the Friends of Oakland Animal Services' post read.

The organization is appealing to the public for donations that would go towards the reward money. As of Tuesday afternoon, just under $600 has been raised.

If the reward is not paid out, the donations will pay for medical care and other services the shelter provides to stray animals.

'Thank you for helping us seek justice for these cats, and making sure this serial shooter no longer terrorizes Oakland's animals,' the post concluded.

Anyone with information about the incidents is being asked to call Oakland Animal Services at 510-535-4895.
An oral history of John F Kennedy and the launch of George magazine reveals new details about the iconic shot of Cindy Crawford as George Washington that covered the inaugural issue.

The Hollywood Reporter took a look back at first son and his instantly successful magazine ahead of the 20th anniversary of his tragic death.

It turns out that it was not John Jr or even a members of the magazine's editorial or creative staff who came up with the idea, but rather Carolyn Bessette.

Creative director Matt Berman recalled that it all came together over a dinner one night with John Jr, Carolyn and esteemed fashion photographer Herb Ritts.

Once the concept was devised, Crawford's name was floated out as a possibility and Carolyn immediately piped in to say: 'That is perfect. She is apple pie. All-American. Self-made. She's it.'

Ritts then called Crawford from the restaurant to let her know what was about to happen, and the supermodel was quickly on board with the idea.

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Decision maker: Carolyn Bessette told her husband John F Kennedy Jr that Cindy Crawford was the ideal pick to cover the inaugural issue of his magazine George (Oct / Nov 1995 cover above)

Power couple: 'That is perfect. She is apple pie. All-American. Self-made. She's it,' said Carolyn while out to dinner with John Jr (above with Carolyn at a state dinner in 1998) and the photographer Herb Ritts

'Herb called and said, "John Kennedy's going to call you about being on the cover of this magazine,"' recalled Crawford.

'I had met John before through other friends, like you do in New York. And I remember I was staying at the Hotel Bel-Air and getting a message that John called. I was flattered to be asked, but honestly? It was more about Herb Ritts.'

At that time, Ritts had photographed Crawford shaving k.d.lang for the cover of Vanity fair, I worked with Herb a lot at that time and pretty much, if Herb asked me to shave k.d. lang on the cover of Vanity Fair, baring all in Playboy, emerging from a shell for Rolling Stone and completely nude alongside fellow supermodels Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, Stephanie Seymour and Tatjana Patitz.

This however was a far different concept.

'So I said yes. And they were like, "And you're going to be dressed as George Washington." And I was like, "Oh, OK, that's interesting. But if anyone can make it look good, it'll be Herb Ritts,"' said Crawford.

'I showed up for the shoot; the stylist had gotten a real George Washington outfit, like a movie costume. And they did my hair like George Washington. They still wanted me to look pretty, but wearing a powdered wig.'

Bodied: Crawford (above on Friday) revealed that it was her and Ritts who decided to tear the midriff off the top she was wearing

The shoot was lacking the sex appeal that both Crawford and Ritts were known for, but that was quickly remedied thanks to some fast thinking by the model and photographer.

'Then at one point we decided to cut off the shirt, and it was like, "Yes!" We're doing George Washington, but it's with a wink, you know?  with my midriff showing,' said Crawford.

'It didn't get overly literal. Sometimes I'll see a special on John, and they'll show when he revealed the cover, and I think, "OK, that was pretty cool that he chose me as his first cover."'

Craford was also featured in conversation with Isaac Mizrahi inside the magazine after a Gore Vidal piece the magazine pad $25,000 for was cut when the staff read the essay abut 'what a fraud Washington was, a terrible general and an awful leader.'

'We had Cindy and Isaac Mizrahi do a conversation about Washington fashion,' said Rachel Clarke, an associate editor at the time.

'Isaac is hilarious, talking about these Washington women wearing their nude pantyhose. I think he called them baloney legs.'
The pilot of the police helicopter that crashed into a Glasgow bar killing ten people had received five low fuel alerts before it plunged from the air, an inquest heard.

Pilot David Trail, two crew members and seven customers in the Clutha bar in Glasgow were killed when the Police Scotland helicopter crashed onto the roof of the building on November 29, 2013.

Marcus Cook, senior inspector at the Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB), told a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) there were five warning notices recorded during the flight.

Mr Cook said: 'The low-fuel warning remained on for the remainder of the flight.'

Top row: Helicopter pilot David Trail with police officers Kirsty Nelis and Tony Collins. Middle row: Gary Arthur, Colin Gibson and Mark O'Prey. Bottom row: Samuel McGhee, Robert Jenkins and John McGarrigle. They all died when a police helicopter crashed on to the roof of the Clutha bar Glasgow bar in November 2013 - Joe Cusker (not pictured) died in hospital shortly after the disaster

Fire and rescue crews stand on the roof of the bar where the blades of the helicopter can be seen sticking out

He also told how a Caution and Advisory Display (CAD) would have been functioning at the time.

This should have shown how much fuel was in the main tank, the left supply tank and the right supply tank.

There had been intermittent warnings recorded but they do not reveal when they were triggered.

Owner of the Clutha bar Alan Crossan leaving the Fatal Accident Inquiry

The FAI before Sheriff Principal Craig Turnbull is taking place in a temporary court at Hampden Park in Glasgow.

It also heard there are no plans to reopen the AAIB investigation into the crash.

Phil Sleight, deputy chief inspector of air accidents, told the Clutha FAI there had been new documents presented but none of them were considered new or significant enough.

The purpose of the FAI is to determine the cause of the deaths, establish whether they could have been prevented and enable the sheriff to make recommendations that could prevent fatalities in similar circumstances.

More than 100 people were at the Clutha Vaults pub when the helicopter, returning to its base on the banks of the River Clyde, crashed through the roof.

An Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB) report published in 2015 found two fuel supply switches were off and the pilot did not follow emergency procedures after a fuel warning in the cockpit.

The Crown Office has previously said there is insufficient evidence for criminal proceedings.

Roddy Dunlop QC, representing Airbus, on Tuesday (left) and Donald Findlay QC leaving the Fatal Accident Inquiry (right)

Family members arrive at Hampden Park for the fatal accident inquiry into the Clutha helicopter crash

A legal team arrives at Hampden Park for the fatal accident inquiry into the Clutha helicopter crash

A total of 57 Crown witnesses are expected to give evidence at the inquiry, down from a previous estimate of 85.

Police have taken more than 2,000 statements as part of preparations for the FAI, while the Crown has around 1,400 productions.

The inquiry is expected to involve around three months of evidence spread over six calendar months this year.
An experienced skydiver, who plunged to his death in a New Jersey neighborhood over the weekend, desperately tried to use his reserve parachute after his main chute failed.

Paul Haaf Jr, 54, was found dead in Monroe Township just after 5.30pm on Sunday. He had just jumped from a plane operated by Skydive Cross Keys.

Witnesses said Haaf wasn't attached to his main parachute when he was found.

On Monday, authorities confirmed that Haaf's main chute was found about a mile from where his body was discovered. The reserve chute was found with Haafs body.

Gloucester County Prosecutors Office Chief of Detectives Tom Gilbert said Tuesday that Haaf tried to deploy his main parachute when something went wrong.

Gilbert said Haaf somehow disconnected himself from it and tried to use his reserve chute.

Veteran skydiver, Paul Haaf Jr (pictured), 54, who plunged to his death in a New Jersey neighborhood on Sunday, desperately tried to use his reserve parachute after his main chute failed, police said

Gloucester County Prosecutors Office Chief of Detectives Tom Gilbert said Tuesday that Haaf tried to deploy his main parachute when something went wrong. Gilbert said Haaf (left in 2014 and right in 2010) somehow disconnected himself from it and tried to use his reserve chute

While Haaf was surrounded by a parachute, police say that it was actually the reserve chute (pictured) that was still attached to him when he hit the ground

On Monday, authorities confirmed that Haaf's main chute was found about a mile from where his body was discovered. The reserve chute was found with Haafs body

'It was evident early on that he had run into trouble,' Gilbert told NJ.com. 'We know that he made an effort to deploy his reserve chute.'

Authorities found the parachute on Tuesday and are now preparing to examine it for clues about what went wrong.

Haaf leaped out of an airplane that took off from Skydive Cross Keys, the company that operates skydiving jumps.

Over the weekend, a spokesperson from Skydive Cross Keys confirmed that Haaf's parachute deployed after he jumped from the plane.

But witnesses said that his parachute that was deployed wasn't attached to Haaf when his body was found.

'I thought it was a jet or a rocket, some kind of rocket going over,' witness Maria Mead told CBS.

'Then it passed over the tops of the roofs on Brookdale and over the trees. I saw a shredded red parachute flailing down and I heard an explosion. Then I heard a really loud bang,' Mead added.

The parachute that Mead described doesn't match the color of the parachute that was found on the cement at the scene. That parachute appears to be white and yellow.

Witness Maria Mead (pictured) said she 'saw a shredded red parachute flailing down' and heard an explosion. The parachute that Mead described doesn't match the color of the parachute that was found at the scene

Haaf leaped out of an airplane that took off from Skydive Cross Keys, the company that operates skydiving jumps. A spokesperson for the company said the skydiver made more than 1,200 jumps in his career

An autopsy determined Haaf died from multiple injuries. His death has been ruled an accident

While the victim was surrounded by a parachute, police say that it was actually the reserve chute that was still attached to him when he hit the ground.

An autopsy determined Haaf died from multiple injuries. His death has been ruled an accident.

Neighbors in the area quickly called 911.

Witnesses also said they saw another skydiver leap from the same plane at around the same time as the accident.

Authorities confirmed on Tuesday that none of the other skydivers were injured after the jump.

Haaf was described as an experienced skydiver with more than 1,200 jumps to his credit.

The Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office is leading an investigation into Haaf's (pictured) accident, with the assistance of the Monroe Township Police Department and Federal Aviation Administration

His friend, Rick Roessner, told NJ.com that Haaf was 'a well-loved and a well-known, very active member in our skydiving community'.

Roessner said Haaf taught him how to skydive using a wingsuit.

'He taught a few people to wingsuit and that was his main passion and hobby,' he said.

Haaf's friend, Chad Neidigh, shared on Facebook that Haaf was 'an inspiration'.

Neidigh also said he wanted to put together 'a memorial jump' for Haaf.

The jump is scheduled for for April 20 with a rain date of Sunday morning April 21.

A Go Get Funding account was created to help Haaf's family with funeral costs.

The Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office is leading an investigation into the accident, with the assistance of the Monroe Township Police Department and Federal Aviation Administration.
Attorney General Bill Barr insisted that if the administrations position on healthcare was so outrageous then Democrats shouldn't worry about it prevailing in court.

Pennsylvania congressman Matt Cartwright said during a House Appropriations Subcommittee hearing Tuesday, where Barr was testifying, that millions would lose their health insurance if a challenge to the Affordable Care Act won its case in Texas.

Do you think its likely we are going to prevail? Barr asked the Democratic congressman, who pointed out the resources the Justice Department is allotting to the case in Texas.

"Were in litigation. We have to take a position, Barr continued. I'm just saying if you think it's such an outrageous position you have nothing to worry about. Let the court do their job.

Attorney General Bill Barr told Democrats on the appropriations subcommittee they shouldn't be concerned with the DOJ's push to strike down Obamacare since they believe it's such an outlandish position

Democratic Congressman Matt Cartwright of Pennsylvania told Barr that millions would lose healthcare if the ACA was fully eliminated

A case filed last year in the Northern District of Texas claimed that in eliminating the tax penalty for failure to have health insurance, the entirety of the ACA is unconstitutional.

The ongoing lawsuit asks the federal judge in Texas to prohibit the federal government from implementing, regulating, enforcing, or otherwise acting under the authority of the ACA.

Under Trump, the DOJ is not defending Obamacare in court, and is instead seeking full elimination of the ACA.

Democrats are now demanding that the Justice Department turn over documents related to the administration's refusal to defend the Affordable Care Act.

Cartwright said that supporting ACAs full elimination without having any plans to replace it was like driving a car off a cliff.

New York Democratic congressman Jose Serrano said Congress relied on the DOJ to protect American people, including providing them with healthcare

Obamacare advocates have pushed for flushing out the issues with the ACA instead of fulling putting an end to the program

Democratic congressman from New York, Jose Serrano, agreed with Cartwright and said that Congress and American relied on the DOJ to come through for this country.

'It's very troublesome to see a Justice Department against the law of the land when there are many people  many people  who, if not liking the whole law, certainly like the pre-existing conditions provision, the ability to keep their child on their plan until that person's 26,' Serrano said during the hearing Tuesday.

'Maybe look around and realize, or pay more attention to the fact that we lean on you to come through for this country. And when we see you taking sides against the law of the land, taking sides that we may not think is in the best interests of the American people, it troubles us.'

Barrs testimony before the appropriations subcommittee was scheduled to discuss the DOJs budget, but he will return to Capitol Hill in May to specifically answer questions related to special counsel Robert Muellers report on the Russia investigation.

Barr released a summary of the report last month that indicated Mueller found nothing to prove that the Trump camp had colluded with Russia in the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump claims these findings give him full exoneration.

It is not clear, however, if Muellers report found that Trump obstructed justice during the investigation.

Barr said that even in providing the full report to Congress, which he said he would do by the end of the week, he still may have to black out some portions for security purposes.
Illegal Mexican immigrant Pablo Serrano-Vitorino, 43, charging with five murders took his own life in his St Louis jail cell Tuesday

An undocumented immigrant from Mexico facing a capital murder trial over the killings of four people in Kansas and one in Missouri in 2016 took his own life Tuesday in his St. Louis jail cell.

Pablo Serrano-Vitorino, who had a history of suicidal behavior, was found hanging in his cell at 2.02am.

He was pronounced dead at a hospital about an hour later, said Koran Addo, spokesman for St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson.

A suicide note written in Spanish was found in the inmate's cell, reported St Louis Post-Dispatch.

Serrano-Vitorino, 43, who was living in the US illegally, was accused of fatally shooting four men at a home in Kansas City, Kansas, on the night of March 7, 2016.

He was arrested a day later and 170 miles away in Montgomery County, Missouri, where he was accused of killing Randy Nordman, of New Florence. He was charged with first-degree murder in all five deaths.

He was being held in St. Louis awaiting an October trial in the Missouri case on a change of venue. Missouri prosecutors were seeking the death penalty.

Pablo Serrano-Vitorino was found hanging from a light fixture in his cell at the St Louis jail (pictured) just after 2am

Authorities say the shooting spree began when Serrano-Vitorino gunned down his Kansas City neighbor, 41-year-old Michael Capps, and three other men at Capps' home - brothers Austin Harter, 29, and Clint Harter, 27, and 36-year-old Jeremy Waters. Before dying, one of the victims managed to call police.

Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive.

Serrano-Vitorino then allegedly fled in his pickup truck into Missouri. Authorities say he killed Nordman, 49, at his rural home near Interstate 70 about 70 miles east of St. Louis.

He was captured hiding face-down in a ditch a few miles from Nordman's home, and had a rifle with him, the Missouri State Highway patrol said at the time.

While being held in the Montgomery County jail, Serrano-Vitorino reportedly attempted to kill take his own life by cutting himself with a safety razor, but he was saved and placed on suicide watch.

Serrano-Vitorino allegedly killed his neighbor, 41-year-old Michael Capps (left), and 36-year-old Jeremy Waters (right) on March 7, 2016

Also killed that night were brothers Austin (left) and Clint (right) Harter

Serrano-Vitorino allegedly gunned down Randy Nordman (pictured above with his wife) at his home about 70 miles away from St. Louis in rural Missouri

After learning of Serrano-Vitorino's suicide on Tuesday, Nordman's widow, Julie, who in March 2017 testified before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security about her husband's murder, said she had mixed feelings about the suspect's demise.

'I have a sense of relief because I won't have to relive the most horrific day of my life in court,' Julie Nordman said in a written statement. 'But I also will never get the opportunity to look him in the eyes and tell him what he has done to me and my family.'

A lawsuit filed in Kansas by the father of one of the victims accused US immigration officials of missing two chances to detain and deport Serrano-Vitorino.

Julie Nordman, who testified about the murder before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security in 2017, said in Tuesday she had mixed feelings about the inmate's death

Serrano-Vitorino was deported to Mexico after he was convicted of a felony in 2003 but illegally re-entered the U.S. He was arrested in 2014 and 2015.

After his 2014 arrest in Kansas for battery, Wyandotte County jail officials notified ICE he was in custody. But Serrano-Vitorino was released after the federal agency didn't send an agent to the jail, according to the lawsuit.

Serrano-Vitorino was fingerprinted in Overland Park, Kansas, Municipal Court in September 2015 after he was cited for traffic infractions.

ICE officials asked that he be held in custody but sent the paperwork to a different jail in Johnson County, Kansas, the lawsuit contends. He was once again released from custody.
An innocent man who keeps being mistaken for his identical twin paedophile brother says he feels like he's living with a life sentence.

Owen Evans said he had no idea of the scale of his brother Gavin's crimes until he was jailed on Friday.

Former Tesco worker Gavin Oliver Evans, 42, of Glanamman, was sentenced to four years in jail by Swansea Crown Court for trading images of child abuse with other paedophiles.

Innocent Owen Evans (left) has been harassed because his identical twin brother, Gavin, (right) is a convicted paedophile

He also engaged in months of highly sexualised online conversations with vulnerable young girls and there were images of girls as young as four being sexually abused by adults on his phone.

But the case has had consequences for his brother Owen, and Owen's family.

'I will have a lifetime of people calling me a paedophile - I am going to be constantly looking over my shoulder,' he said.

Owen said his partner had already been subject to harassment as she walked down the street and been accused of living with 'a paedo'.

He said his brother had not explained fully why he had initially been arrested, and he only discovered this when it came to court.

'What he has done is shocking - I was mortified - he played down what he was arrested for, he said.

Owen (pictured) said his partner had already been subject to harassment as she walked down the street and been accused of living with 'a paedo'

'I knew he had been up to no good for something but I didn't know the ins and outs of it. My older brother couldn't believe it.'

He said he believed his brother, who had no previous convictions, should have received a far longer sentence.

The 42-year-old, who works in security and lives in Swansea, said: 'I do not think hes got long enough in prison - he will probably do less than four years.'

Owen was so desperate to get the message out that it was his brother Gavin, not him, who was responsible for the crimes, he posted a picture of himself and his brother on Facebook to ensure people knew the truth.

He said: 'What he has done is bad enough - but there's the fact that he has lied to us about it. He's got no worries for the next couple of years - we are the ones who will serve the time.'

Owen vowed never to contact his brother again after the details of the case emerged.

These included grooming young girls into sex acts on camera, sharing an intimate video of a 14-year-old girl with at least a dozen other paedophiles, and having Category A images on his phone, showing extreme abuse.

Gavin also had a picture of a woman having sex with a horse.

The paedophile's home was raided by police on January 24, 2017.

Before his sentencing hearing he had previously pleaded guilty to a total of 11 counts of possessing, downloading, and distributing indecent images, inciting and attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, and possessing extreme pornography.

He will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life.

Owen (far left, in the white; and on the right in the black top) vowed never to contact his brother (seen on the left in the blue top) again after the details of the case emerged

'I won't be going to see him,' said Owen. 'My older brother said he was sick to the stomach.

'Gavin played everything down - he had a letter with the court date on and you could see there was no fight in him.'

He added: 'If people are going to mistake me for him for the rest of my life, all I'm trying to do is get the story out there and for people to leave us alone.

'From school we have always been confused. I lived in Ammanford when I was 19 and moved away to Lincolnshire and Oxford and came back three years ago.

'When I moved back people would say 'I am Gavin' and I would say 'no,' 'no.'

He does not want to move to live elsewhere following the actions of his brother.

'I shouldn't have to move or defend myself against something I haven't done,' he said.
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The remains of a 5th Century cargoship has become the first ancient shipwreck in Greece to be opened up to the public.

It lies near the northern Greek island of Alonissos and was laden with an estimated 4,000 vases, thought to have contained wine, when it sank.

All that survives is the cargo, which lie on the seabed in a remarkably intact state.

It is to become the first ancient shipwreck to be made accessible to recreational divers.

The remains of a 5th Century cargoship has become the first ancient shipwreck in Greece opened up to public. Divers will be able to tour certain shipwrecks and non-divers will experience the sites through virtual reality in information centers on land. All that remains of the ship is its cargo, an estimated 4,000 vases, some of which are pictured

More test dives will be held this summer and next year, with hopes of fully opening the sites to recreational diving in early 2021

The Peristera wreck is the largest ship of its time to have been found and its discovery was of major significance to historians. The Peristera shipwreck is named after the uninhabited Greek island opposite Alonissos where it was discovered in the early 1990s. Picture shows the harbor of Steni Vala with the island of Peristera in the background

Experts have yet to determine how or why it sank, or what other treasures it might have carried beneath the estimated 4,000 amphoras in its hold

Previously the site and much of Greece's rich underwater heritage had only been accessible to a select few, mainly archaeologists.

The site still holds mysteries as only a small part of it has been excavated.

Experts have yet to determine how or why it sank, or what other treasures it might have carried in its hold.

'It is very impressive. Even I, who have been working for years in underwater archaeology, the first time I dived on this wreck I was truly impressed,' said Dimitris Kourkoumelis, the lead archaeologist on the project preparing the site for visitors.

Scuba diving was banned in Greece throughout the country except in a few specific locations until 2005.

It was banned due to fears that divers might loot the countless antiquities that still lie scattered on the country's seabed.

Greece's rich underwater heritage has long been off-limits to all but a select few, mainly archaeologists. The ancient amphoras from the shipwreck are pictured

This photo shows the 3,500 amphoras lying on the seabed near the shipwreck

A diver is seen scouring the sea bed for clues about the shipwreck

Access to the shipwreck is also being asssited through a new project to create underwater museums.

Divers will be able to tour the shipwreck and non-divers will experience the sites through virtual reality in information centers on land.

The Peristera shipwreck is the first of several sites to be examined as part of the project.

Thousands of ancient vases, the vast majority intact, lie in layers. Fish, sponges and other sea creatures have made the amphoras their home, adding color and life to the site. In some places, the cargo towers above divers as they pass along the perimeter of the wreck.

'It's different to see amphoras ... individually in a museum and different to see them in such concentration.'

There are indications a fire had broken out on board, but it's unclear whether that contributed to its sinking.

'Was it a piracy act? Was it overloaded?' said Elpida Hadjidaki, the first archaeologist to excavate the site. These questions remain unanswered.

The Peristera wreck is the largest ship of its time to have been found and its discovery was of major significance to historians.

'Up to then, we thought that large ships that were carrying 1,500 amphoras and were up to 70 tons, they were built by the Romans in the 1st century B.C.,' Hadjidaki explained. 'Well, now we have a ship that was not built in the 1st century B.C., it was built in the 5th century B.C., it carried 4,000 amphoras and God knows what else and it's 126 tons.'

Hadjidaki said she is thrilled the wreck is being opened to visitors.

'It's fantastic. Twenty-five years ago, I was the first person that proposed that and people were jumping at me, they thought I was crazy,' she said. 'Why should we keep it to ourselves? We have to give knowledge to people.'

The first test for guided tours of the wreck, which lies at a depth of about 22-28 meters (72-92 feet), was carried out last weekend with small groups of recreational and professional divers.

A thorough briefing, complete with historical information and the rules of the dive, preceded the short boat ride from the tiny harbor of Steni Valla on Alonissos to the site. On the wreck itself, explanatory signs have been suspended along the perimeter.

The first test for guided tours of the wreck, which lies at a depth of about 22-28 meters (72-92 feet), was carried out last weekend with small groups of recreational and professional divers.

Three other shipwrecks in the Pagasitic Gulf in central Greece are also included in the project, which is part of a European Commission-funded BlueMed program

The initial feedback has been positive.

'It was an amazing opportunity ... to dive at last on an ancient wreck,' said Kostas Menemenoglou, a 39-year-old recreational diver from the central town of Volos. 'It was a fantastic experience. It's really like diving into history.'

Three other shipwrecks in the Pagasitic Gulf in central Greece are also included in the project, which is part of a European Commission-funded BlueMed program, which plans to expand the project to Italy and Croatia. More test dives will be held this summer and next year, with hopes of fully opening the sites to recreational diving in early 2021.

'Accessible archaeological sites are one of the most interesting projects - not just a Greek project but a worldwide project,' said Kourkoumelis, who noted it has taken a long time to get to the point of allowing visitors to access an ancient wreck.

'It took years. And that's logical, because underwater ancient sites and particularly ancient shipwrecks are exposed ... and fragile,' he said, noting it was crucial to properly set up the project and the dive conditions, making sure the sites are protected before they can be opened to the public.

'All the conditions must be ensured so that these sites remain safe in the future and for future generations,' he added.

The Peristera shipwreck is named after the uninhabited Greek island opposite Alonissos where it was discovered in the early 1990s.
Parts of London's West End were today effectively in lockdown as eight theatre shows were cancelled and restaurants suffered mass cancellations with numbers of shoppers down by a third on pre-pandemic levels. Big-budget productions from The Lion King at the Lyceum to Life of Pi at Wyndham's Theatre halted performances due to Covid-19 cases within their cast and crew, costing producers hundreds of thousands of pounds. Other major shows across the capital including the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of A Comedy Of Errors at the Barbican and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in Wembley were temporarily halted. The National Theatre postponed a preview of Hex after a lead actor caught the virus, while others to fall included The Rhythmics at Southwark Playhouse, Force Majeure at Donmar Warehouse and Fair Play at the Bush Theatre. Moulin Rouge at Piccadilly Theatre also postponed shows but has now restarted, while restaurant and pubs in the West End have been left 'devastated' by people cancelling due to fear over the rapidly-spreading Omicron variant. One pub manager in Covent Garden said every single booking for a Christmas party in their private room was cancelled last week, while a nearby restaurant had 100 people cancel in just one day over the weekend. Almost every one of the 90 restaurants in the area have suffered cancellations in the past week with bookings down by at least 20 per cent in what should be their busiest time of the year - and they fear the introduction of vaccine passports will spell the end for many businesses in the hospitality industry who have struggled to survive. It comes as West End shopper numbers are still 30 per cent down on pre-pandemic levels, with business group New West End Company blaming the 'hammer blow' of work from home guidance returning.
Armed robbers have reportedly stolen 10 million from a passenger jet preparing to take off in Albania, before police engaged them in a deadly shoot-out.

Police reported a man was shot dead around half-a-mile from the the Mother Teresa Rinasi International Airport, close to the capital of Tirana on Tuesday afternoon.

They have not confirmed the sum stolen, but police sources have alleged as much as 10 million (8.6 million) was taken after the robbers reportedly forced their way into the cargo hold.

An Austrian Airlines plane has been pictured online still grounded while some 500 police and special forces officers comb the surrounding area with helicopter support.

A file photo of the Mother Teresa Rinasi International Airport where the robbery took place on Tuesday afternoon

There were four gangsters inside a car marked with the branding of the tax office, the Albania Daily News reported.

The car marked 'Tax Investigation' then sped towards an armoured vehicle to ferry the cash away, the newspaper claimed.

Local news also reported the armed robbers hurled a grenade at officers during the ferocious shoot-out.

Around 40 people have been escorted by police for questioning, including airport security workers, Shekulli reported.

The robbers were said to have been heavily armed, wearing armoured vests and equipped with handcuffs.

The stolen cash belonged to travel insurance companies, the paper claimed.

A burnt out car pictured on social media was said to have been set alight by the robbers to dispose of evidence.

Only one flight, to Vienna, was cancelled.
Music icon Bob Dylan will open a whiskey distillery in downtown Nashville next year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his 'Nashville Skyline' album.

Scheduled to open in Fall 2020, the distillery will be built from a renovated 160-year-old Methodist Church on Elm Street in the city's Sobro neighborhood.

It will be called the Heaven's Door Distillery and Center for the Arts.

Bob Dylan speaking at the 25th anniversary MusiCares 2015 Person Of The Year Gala at the Los Angeles Convention Center on February 6, 2015 in California

Dylan with a bottle of Heaven's Door Whiskey, which will be distilled in the sobro neighborhood of Nashville from Fall 2020

As well as a distillery, the building will also boast a whiskey library, a restaurant and a 360-seat live performance venue.

Many of the 77-year-old Nobel laureate's paintings and metalwork sculptures will be housed in the converted church.

Heaven's Door Spirits, the group behind the venture, revealed details of the project on Tuesday, to coincide with the anniversary of the release of Dylan's ninth album on April 9, 1969.

The Heaven's Door Distillery and Center for the Arts will be created from the renovation of an 160-year-old Methodist Church

An artists rendering of how the building will look once the renovations are complete

The country music classic was a commercial success on its release, reaching Number 3 on the US billboard album charts, but hitting Number 1 in the UK, Dylan's fourth album to do so.

The album featured the songs 'Lay Lady Lay,' 'I threw it all away' and 'Girl from the North Country,' a duet with Johnny Cash.

Liquor entrepreneur and Heaven's Door Spirits CEO Marc Bushala said: 'Nashville is the natural home for the Heaven's Door distillery and the Elm Street Church is a fitting home for Dylan's visual artwork.'

Dylan first announced his Nashville plans in April 2018, having originally applied for a trademark for the term 'bootleg whiskey' in 2015.

Bushala told the New York Times last year that he persuaded Dylan to go for a more top-shelf name for his liquor and Heaven's Door Whiskey was subsequently born.
A majority (58 percent) of Americans say race relations in the U.S. are bad, and 19 percent of white people believe the civil rights movement has gone too far, according to a new survey.

Overall, 15 percent of Americans believe civil rights have gone too far, while 45 percent say the country hasnt gone far enough to give black people equal rights and 39 percent think those efforts have been about right, according to the new poll of 6,637 people by Pew Research Center.

Opinions break sharply along racial lines, with 37 percent of white people  compared to 78 percent of African Americans  saying equal rights efforts have not gone far enough. Nearly half (48 percent) of Hispanics say the same.

This graph illustrates the share of all Americans - as well as those of different races - who feel that civil rights efforts have gone too far, not far enough and about the right amount. Source: Pew Research Center

Researchers also found a partisan division among white people, with 64 percent of Democrats and left-leaners compared to 15 percent of Republicans and right-leaners saying more needs to be done for African American equality in this country.

Some 45 percent of white people say that people have assumed they were racist or prejudiced at some point, while 65 percent of black Americans say people have acted like they were suspicious of them  and 60 percent say people have acted like they thought they werent smart.

A majority (59 percent) of Americans think that being white helps a person get ahead in this country, while 12 percent said it hurts and 28 percent said it makes no difference.

In addition, 56 percent of U.S. adults believe being black hurts a persons ability to get ahead, while 17 percent believe it helps and 26 percent say it makes no difference.

Among black respondents, 52 percent believe that their race has hurt their prospects in America at least a little bit, while 25 percent of Hispanics, 24 percent of Asians and 5 percent of white people feel their own race has inhibited their ability to get ahead.

Nearly half (45 percent) of white Americans say their race has helped them.

This graph illustrates the share of all Americans who think it hurts, helps or makes no difference to be each race in this country. Source: Pew Research Center

Black and white Americans are divided on the reasons that black people may be at a disadvantage compared to white people.

Among those who believe being black can harm a persons ability to get ahead, 84 percent of African Americans attribute the disparity to racial discrimination, while just 54 percent of white people cite that reason.

In contrast, white people are more likely to say family instability (50 percent) and a lack of good role models (45 percent) is the reason black Americans arent able to get ahead.

White and black Americans have very different perceptions of how African Americans are treated in this country on a number of key issues, including job opportunities, the criminal justice system and as consumers.

For example, 84 percent of African Americans say black people are treated less fairly by the police, compared to 63 percent of white people who agree.

A majority (61 percent) of white people think African Americans are treated unfairly by the criminal justice system, but that number is dwarfed by the 87 percent of black people who feel the same way.

This graph breaks out the share of white and black people who feel African Americans are treated unfairly in a variety of circumstances. Source: Pew Research Center

Nearly three quarters (74 percent) of black people believe they get an unfair shake when applying for a loan or mortgage, while only 38 percent of white people agree there is a racial disadvantage.

Roughly 60 percent of U.S. adults believe slavery has a legacy in America that continues to affect black people, though 19 percent say it doesnt affect their circumstances much and 16 percent say it has no impact at all.

African Americans were the most likely to feel slaverys effect is still pervasive, compared to 26 percent of white people, 29 percent of Hispanics and 32 percent of Asians.

Despite many black people feeling a sense of injustice in their circumstances, 75 percent said they believe being black is very or extremely important to how they think about themselves.

Some 15 percent of white people feel the same way about their own race.

Overall, 53 percent of Americans believe race relations are getting worse, while 17 percent say they are improving and 30 percent say theyre about the same.
A homeless has claimed he was poisoned with arsenic by a passer-by who gave him a plate of chips.

The man, in his thirties, said he remembered being handed a tray of chips on Castle Street in Liverpool city centre on Sunday before coming round in the Royal Liverpool Hospital.

His story has been recounted by homeless campaigner Michelle Langan, who runs the Papercup homeless outreach project in the city, said the man in question is someone she visits regularly.

She said: 'He told us he had just got out of the Royal - he said the last thing he remembers was being given some chips on Castle Street yesterday.

'He said he woke up in hospital today and they told him he had arsenic in his system - someone had sprinkled it on the chips, he reckoned.'

The man, who is in his 30s, said the last thing he could remember before waking up in the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, pictured, was eating a plate of chips

The man claims was sitting on Castle Street in Liverpool when he collapsed after eating the chips

Ms Langan said the man was speaking to police and had told her that the chips had been taken away for investigation.

Merseyside Police said they have no reports of this incident and Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust said they have no record of the patient being admitted to hospital.

If the claim is true, this is not the first time rough sleepers in the city have been attacked or targeted by members of the public.

In November, a homeless man had a lit firework placed in his trouser pocket by a cruel passer-by, which left him with burns and damaged clothes.

Ms Langan said while the vast majority of people are kind to those they pass on the streets, she worries about some of the sinister incidents she has seen.

She said: 'I'm shocked to be honest - in all the years we have heard some horrible stuff, like the man with the firework, but this seems more calculated and evil.

'I'm just glad he was OK - it could have been a horrible ending to the story.'

Homeless charity Crisis revealed that last year more than one in three homeless people were deliberately hit, kicked or experienced some form of physical violence.

More than one in three had things thrown at them, while almost one in ten were urinated on. Almost one in 20 rough sleepers were the victims of sexual assault.

Merseyside Police Inspector Andy Creer said: 'We take all reports of crime against members of our community seriously.

'On this occasion we have had no reports of this incident but continue to work with the local authority and The Whitechapel (homeless) Centre to support rough sleepers, those living in temporary accommodation or people at risk of becoming homeless.

'We continue to ask those living, working and visiting Merseyside to look out for each other and urge anyone that has been a victim of crime to get in touch so we can investigate accordingly.'

A spokesman for Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust said: 'We have had no reports of this patient at all. We have no further comment to make.
There are fears for the Dalai Lama after the 83-year-old Buddhist leader was rushed 300 miles to the Indian capital with a chest infection.

'Today morning his holiness felt some discomfort and he was flown to Delhi for check-up,' Tenzin Taklha, his personal secretary said.

'Doctors have diagnosed him with chest infection and he is being treated for that. His condition is stable now. He will be treated for two three days here.'

The spiritual leader, who fled to India in early 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, lives in exile in the northern Indian hill town of Dharamshala.

The Dalai Lama gestures during a group hearing at the Palais des Congres, in Paris in September 2016

Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama delivers teachings during the first day of New Year or 'Losar' in the northern hill town of Dharamsala in 2012

Many of the up to 100,000 Tibetans living in India are worried that their fight for a genuinely autonomous homeland would end with the Dalai Lama.

He said last month that it was possible that once he dies his incarnation could be found in India, and warned that any other successor named by China would not be respected.

China, which took control of Tibet in 1950, brands the Nobel peace laureate a dangerous separatist and has said its leaders have the right to approve the Dalai Lama's successor, as a legacy inherited from China's emperors.

But many Tibetans - whose tradition holds that the soul of a senior Buddhist monk is reincarnated in the body of a child on his death - suspect any Chinese role as a ploy to exert influence on the community.
Discovering the Richness of Indigenous Art in Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Mexico has long been known for its talented artists and craftsmen. Some techniques date back hundreds of years. Many of Vallarta's shops and galleries carry these beautiful, handmade pieces. The following is only a brief summary, some examples of which can be seen on some of my walking tours.

Huichol Bead and Thread

Since the early 1700s when Spanish missionaries arrived here with their Czechoslovakian glass beads in hopes of converting the indigenous people to Catholicism, the Huicholes have created amazing colorful animals and masks of all sizes. These are carved wood, clay, and animal skulls intricately covered with these beads depicting the 43 spiritual symbols by which they live. These colorful beads are adhered using a special mixture containing the bees wax prevalent in their mountainous areas.

Embroidery threads, long used in clothing and other articles, is now used to create their beautiful and symbolic thread paintings. Again the threads are adhered to a flat piece of wood using the same wax adhesive. Each of these works of art are done by hand and are original in that the artist creates the designs as he goes. New more contemporary designs are starting to appear as younger artists bring new ideas and energy to their work.

Alebrijes





Several of the indigenous communities in the mountains of Chiapas are known for their hand carved wooden animals using local copal wood. These are often imaginative and fanciful with exaggerated ears or protruding eyes. Once carved they are painstakingly hand painted using micro tools to produce the fine details on each piece which are also one of a kind.

Weaving

For hundreds of years, the weaving of local cotton has been part of the everyday activity of the villages. Done mainly by the women using Mayan backstrap looms, these materials were turned into daily clothing and special garments for celebrations. Each village has it own style and symbology woven into the cloth. The most commonly recognized garment today is the huipil, a long shirt worn over a skirt or pants.

Embroidery

Much of the colorful and intricate embroidery found here is from Chiapas, some from other central American countries. These works have always been painstakingly done by hand using natural dyes. Now however the arrival of the sewing machine has helped to increase production time. Chemical dyes have also been introduced giving the artist a wider selection of colors to work with. Many symbols are also used which reflect the region where the artist lives.

Tin Work

Pounded sheet metal is the creative activity originally from San Miguel de Allende. Artists from this area have long been recognized for their beautiful lanterns, furniture, mirrors, toys and religious images. Patterns are created using nails pounded into a wooden base. The sheet metal is layed on top and hammered until the patterns appear in the metal. The artist continues to work until the piece is done. Some are so intricate and large that it takes months to finish.

Arbol de las Vidas

Trees of Life have been part of many cultures for centuries. In Mexico, these are made of ceramic clay mainly in the central areas of Metepec and Izucar. Originally designed after the candelabras and incense burners of the ancient churches, pieces today have evolved into many styles depending on the artist. Some still depict Adam and Eve and the serpent, but others have different themes, including Day of the Dead. Hand-painted and fired, these creations can be found in many shops and galleries throughout Puerto Vallarta.

Papel Amate

These lovely hangings are intricately cut and woven pieces of tree bark. Light colored bark is from the mulberry tree; the darker bark from the wild fig or ficus tree. This ancient tradition is still used today in the area of the Otomi peoples in the rugged mountains of northern Puebla and Veracruz. Originally used for important documents and clothing, these pieces are now popular world-wide for decorative art and museum collections.

Pottery

The many types of pottery of Mexico would take another entire article for another day.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that U.S.-Egypt relations have never been better than 'right now.'

Trump spoke to reporters in the Oval Office alongside Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who he referred to has his 'friend.'

'I think he is doing a great job,' Trump said.

That came in response to a question about whether he thought the Egyptian ruler should be allowed to remain in power until 2034.

Egypt's parliament voted overwhelmingly in February to approve a set of constitutional amendments including one that would extend presidential terms from four to six years.

It would also start the clock afresh for Sisi, who is scheduled to be term-limited out of office in 2022.

President Donald Trump met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in the Oval Office of the White House on Tuesday, saying his Cairo counterpart is his 'friend' and 'doing a great job'

A banner of el-Sisi hangs in Tahrir Square in Cairo, promoting his bid for an extension of his legal term limits that will be voted on in an upcoming constitutional amendment referendum

Trump tweeted that is was his 'great honor' to praise Sisi at the White House; the two men have met a half-dozen times, including twice at America's presidential mansion

Under the proposal, which still has to clear a popular referendum, he would be permitted to run for two additional terms  something no future leader would be allowed to to.

The referendum will also call for the nation's military to get broad new powers.

Sisi led the 2013 military overthrow of the elected but divisive Islamist president Mohammed Morsi. He has presided over an unprecedented crackdown on dissent, and was re-elected last year after all of his potentially serious challengers were jailed or pressured to exit the race.

Speaking in Arabic, Sisi told reporters at the White House on Tuesday that military, economic and cultural cooperation between the U.S. and Egypt are strong.

Trump added that he expected the afternoon's bilateral meetings to focus on counter-terrorism, military issues and trade.

Tuesday's meeting was the sixth between the two leaders, and their second at the White House.

Trump and Sisi were set to discuss military partnerships, human rights, natural gas development in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, and Egypt's efforts to defuse tensions in Gaza through negotiations with Hamas

Egypt's capital is awash with large posters and banners encouraging people to vote in favor of the constitutional referendum.

Monst of the banners in Cairo's central Tahrir Square, where mass protests became the symbol of the 2011 uprising and hopes of democratic change in Egypt, were apparently funded by pro-government parties, businessmen and lawmakers.

U.S. lawmakers are concerned about Egypt's reported signing of a $2 billion deal with Russia to buy more than 20 Sukhoi SU-35 fighter jets, along with weapons for the aircraft.

Trump has warmly embraced Sisi despite concerns among members of Congress and human rights advocates about repression in Egypt.

In a letter released on Monday, key senators told Secretary of State Mike Pompeo there was strong support for the security relationship with Egypt but urged him to convey their concerns about democratic governance, political freedom, economic reforms and fundamental human rights in the country.

'A strong and sustainable U.S.-Egypt strategic partnership is vital for both countries but it requires Egypt to make a tangible effort to make those reforms,' read the letter, signed by the Republican chairman and the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as well as 15 other senators.

In addition to human rights, Trump is expected to address natural gas development in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and Egypt's efforts to defuse tensions in Gaza through negotiations with Hamas.

He tweeted that welcoming Sisi was 'my great honor,' along with a video montage from the brief visit  accompanied by a triumphant campaign-style soundtrack.

As he sat with Sisi in the Oval Office, the president deflected attention away from his guest and on his wife instead.

'The first lady was recently in Egypt. She was treated beautifully,' Trump said. 'But maybe even more importantly, what she saw with the Pyramids was  you could call it the seventh wonder or the eighth wonder of the world.'

'She thought it was incredible. She thought it was one of the most incredible things she's seen. And we have lots of pictures, and that was great day and a great moment to see the pyramids  the great pyramids.

'So hopefully a lot of people will be going and looking at them. But she's not easily impressed,' he said. 'She was very impressed.'
Lori Loughlin and her husband are now facing 40 years in prison and over one-million dollars in fines for allegedly bribing officials in a bid to get their daughters into the University of Southern California.

One day after 13 parents entered guilty pleas for their roles in the Operation Varsity Blues scandal, the 19 who did not admit guilt have been hit with a new charge or money laundering in addition to mail fraud.

Among those named are William McGlashan, Manuel and Elizabeth Henriquez, and Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli.

'The charge of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and honest services mail and wire fraud provides for a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater,' said a release from the US Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts.

'The charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering provides for a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the money laundering. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.'

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Becky with the bad heirs: Lori Loughlin (above on Tuesday) and the 18 other parents who did not enter guilty pleas in the college admissions scandal have been hit with a superseding indictment

Loughlin is now charged with both mail fraud and money laundering, charges which each carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison

At the same time that this superseding indictment was released, the Department of Justice also released the agreements that were made with Felicity Huffman and the other parents who entered guilty pleas on Monday.

Those agreements reveal that prosecutors will be recommending prison time for all the defendants - including Huffman.

She is looking at a four to six month sentence for admitting she paid a proctor $15,000 to edit her daughter's college entrance exam.

That would be followed by a year of supervised release.

It was also suggested by the wording of the deals that Loughlin and her husband might not be facing a second charge it they entered a guilty plea on Monday.

Early in the agreement, it is stated: 'The U.S. Attorney agrees that, based upon the information known to the U.S. Attorney's Office at this time, no further criminal charges will be brought against the defendant in connection with the conduct set forth in the Information.'

Loughlin and Giannulli 'agreed to pay bribes totaling $500,000 in exchange for having their two daughters designated as recruits to the USC crew team - despite the fact that they did not participate in crew - thereby facilitating their admission to USC,' according to the documents.

The couple emailed Singer in 2016 about their daughters college prospects, stating that they wanted to do the necessary work to see that the girls got into USC as opposed to ASU.

Emails obtained by investigators revealed that it was soon decided that bribes would be paid to have the girls recruited as crew coxswains.

A short time after that, photos were taken of older daughter Isabella on an ergometer.

Dr. Donna Heinel, the senior associate athletic director at USC, presented Isabella as a potential athletic recruit a month later and she was approved for conditional admission.

It was then asked that a check be sent to Heinle for $50,000 from Giannulli, who a short time later asked if he could mention the story to the athletic director at USC when the two men were at Augusta, likely playing at the famed golf club.

Urg: Loughlin and her husband 'agreed to pay bribes totaling $500,000 in exchange for having their two daughters designated as recruits to the USC crew team

Singer stated that this was not a good idea because when he discussed the possibility of Isabella's admission with him a year he thought the family 'would be good for a million plus.'

Isabella received her admission letter the following March, which was followed by another note requesting a donation of $200,000 to Key Worldwide Foundation.

After the amount was wired to the organization a note was returned that stated no good or services had been exchanged for the money, which according to the documents is false.

This same exact process was then repeated with the young daughter, Olivia, it is claimed.

Problems arose however when Olivia's guidance counselor became curious as to how she managed to receive admission based on her involvement in crew since she did not row.

At the same time, Loughlin complained that her daughter was having difficulty filling out her other college applications, prompting Singer to ask an employee to take care of that task.

This was done so as not to draw attention to the fact that it was already confirmed that she had received conditional admission to the school.

Then, at some point, there was a very heated and public altercation between Giannulli and the counselor, which elicited an email from Dr Heinel asking that this not happen in the future so as to avoid detection.

This all began to fall apart in October 2018 when the IRS audited Key Worldwide and began to look into donations made by parents whose children were then admitted to USC.

The two were told by Singer to say they had given the money to help 'underserved kids.'
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A retired Air Force Lt. Col. who took part in the daring Doolittle Raids on Japan in the wake of the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor has died, aged 103.

Richard 'Dick' Cole, the last of the Second World War's infamous Doolittle Raiders, passed away early Monday morning in San Antonio, Texas, surrounded by his family.

Cole was part of a volunteer group of 80 Army Air Force aviators who took part in a series of bombing raids in retaliation for the attack on a United States naval base in Hawaii, which killed 2,403 American citizens.

Richard 'Dick' Cole, the last of the Second World War's infamous Doolittle Raiders, passed away Monday in San Antonio, Texas, surrounded by his family. Cole was part of a volunteer group of 80 Army Air Force aviators who took part in a series of bombing raids in retaliation for the attack on a United States naval base in Hawaii, which killed 2,403 American citizens.

Doolittle Tokyo Raiders, Crew No. 1 Crew No. 1, 34th Bombardment Squadron: Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle, pilot; Lt. Richard E. Cole, copilot; Lt. Henry A. Potter, navigator; SSgt. Fred A. Braemer, bombardier; SSgt. Paul J. Leonard, flight engineer/gunner

In the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, at a crucial stage of the war, the Allies watched on helplessly as a Japanese juggernaut crushed every position in its path, racing across the Pacific.

President Franklin Roosevelt desperately needed to strike a blow back but Japan's geographical position gave it a huge advantage logistically.

Warplanes used for dog fights lacked the firepower to inflict any heavy damage, while U.S. Bombers carried the necessary firepower but were deemed too heavy to land on aircraft carriers in the Pacific.

Finally, a plan was hatched to strip down B-25s, relatively new medium sized aircrafts that would be fixed with extra fuel tanks but still heavy enough to pose a serious threat to Japan's key positions.

Although still too large to land on an aircraft carrier, the pilots were given intense training to learn how to launch B25s from a short carrier deck, fly the hundreds of miles to Japanese shores and then land in friendly fields in China.

The attacks were led by James 'Jimmy' Doolittle, who in March 1942, along with Cole and the rest of those courageous pilots, trained for two weeks at what was then Eglin Field for their improbable mission.

Cole remained a beloved figure in the Air Force and played a prominent role in the announcement of a new stealth bomber. In 2016 he appeared on stage at the Air Force Associations Air Space Cyber conference to reveal that the new B-21 bomber would be named the Raider

Brave men: Although still too large to land on an aircraft carrier, the pilots were given intense training to learn how to launch B25s from a short carrier deck, fly the hundreds of miles to Japanese shores and then land in friendly fields in China

Takeoff: Less than a month after leaving Eglin Field, on April 18, 1942, the Doolittle Raiders boarded 16 B-25s on the deck of the U.S.S. Hornet to begin their mission, flying 650 nautical miles to Tokyo. Cole was in the co-pilot seat of the No.1 Bomber, sat next to mission leader Doolittle.

Less than a month after leaving Eglin Field, on April 18, 1942, the Doolittle Raiders boarded 16 B-25s on the deck of the U.S.S. Hornet to begin their mission, flying 650 nautical miles to Tokyo.

Cole was in the co-pilot seat of the No.1 Bomber, sat next to mission leader Doolittle.

Onboard the ship, the Doolittles Raiders were told to memorize and practice an important Chinese phrase: 'Lusha hoo metwa fugi,' meaning 'I am an American.'

Doolittles squadron reassembled over the Sea of Japan having destroyed a munitions factory and an aircraft carrier, and flew westward into the setting sun. Not one of the B-25s had been shot down.

After the raid Cole had to bail out of the plane. When asked his clearest memory of the raid, he once said: 'The thing I remember most is my parachute opening.'

'I don't think that the Raiders should be remembered any more than the millions of other people who took part in World War II,' Cole said during a recent interview at the Air Force Armament Museum at Eglin Air Force Base (the deck of the USS Hornet is pictured)

Onboard the ship, the Doolittles Raiders were told to memorize and practice an important Chinese phrase: 'Lusha hoo metwa fugi,' meaning 'I am an American'. Pilots were rescued and returned to safety by friendly Chinese villagers (pictured)

President Barack Obama signs H.R. 1209 in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington in 2014, next to Air Force Lt. Col. Richard Cole, of Dayton, Ohio, awarding a Congressional Gold Medal to the World War II members of the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders in recognition of their military service and 1942 raid on mainland Japan

While the attacks only caused minor damage, it played an enormous role in boosting morale on the U.S. home-front, and sent a signal that the United States were now very much ready to fight back - on home and foreign soil.

News of the raid was trumpeted from radios and newspapers all around the world. But beyond a mere PR win, it also gave vital intelligence to military chiefs that would change the course of the war.

The Doolittle Raid: How a cigarette saved a life In what might be the only ever case of a cigarette saving someone's life, one Doolittle Raider whose parachute had become snagged on a tree after bailing out decided to toast the mission's success with a cigarette before cutting himself down. The pilot lit up and then finished his cigarette which was still glowing amber before flicking it to the floor below - only to watch in horror as the butt continued falling deeper and deeper into the blackness below. The pilot had become snagged on a tree stood at the edge of a 1000ft cliff. Advertisement

Cole remained a beloved figure in today's Air Force and played a prominent role in the announcement of a new stealth bomber. In 2016 he appeared on stage at the Air Force Associations Air Space Cyber conference to reveal that the new B-21 bomber would be named the Raider.

While Hurlburt Field in Florida in 2017 renamed the building housing the 319th Special Operations Squadron the Richard E. Cole Building.

'I don't think that the Raiders should be remembered any more than the millions of other people who took part in World War II,' Cole said during a recent interview at the Air Force Armament Museum at Eglin Air Force Base.

When he turned 103 in early September, Air Force Chief of Staff General Dave Goldfein and his wife, Dawn, called him to wish him a happy birthday.

Cole continued his wartime heroics after the Doolittle raids. Cole was among aviators involved in the 1944 operation in the China-Burma-India war theater to extract British soldiers from the forests of Burma.

In later life he accepted a Congressional Gold Medal from then President Obama on behalf of his comrades.
The mother of a baby girl who drowned after falling through a hole in an upstairs floor in their Detroit home has been sentenced to a year in jail.

Court records say Dasiah Jordan was given her punishment Monday after earlier pleading guilty to second-degree child abuse and involuntary manslaughter.

The 27-year-old also was ordered to serve four years of probation over the death of her daughter Ca'Mya Davis.

Dasiah Jordan, (pictured), received a jail sentence after pleading guilty to second-degree child abuse and involuntary manslaughter over the death of her baby girl Ca'Mya

Ca'Mya Davis was just a couple of weeks shy of her first birthday when she drowned on Friday. Her mother, Dasiah Jordan (left and right), was at a hair appointment at the time

The 11-month-old child was unattended July 6 when she fell through a hole in the floor into the flooded basement, where she drowned in water and sewage. Her death was ruled accidental.

Prosecutors say Jordan left her daughter with Tonya Peterson while she got her hair done and that both women were aware of the hazard.

Peterson, 29, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 17 months to 15 years in prison. Fox 2 reported that she was the owner of the house on the 15000 block of Ferguson Street in Detroit.

Peterson had taken in Jordan and her children as they worked to get on their feet.

Tasia Jordan was overcome with emotion as she was handed down the sentence on Monday

Tonya Peterson, 29, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 17 months to 15 years in prison. She had been looking after the baby when the tragedy occured

'Poverty is not an excuse,' said Judge Wanda Evans as she delivered the sentence.

Evans told Jordan that a mother has a responsibility to make sure her children are safe, regardless of circumstances.

Jordan stood silent, crying, as she was handed down the sentence, WXYZ Detroit reported.

CaMya Davis was just two weeks shy of her first birthday when she died while in the care of Peterson.

Jordan, 26, and her three daughters, aged 11 months, seven and 10, had been staying with the friend on Detroit's west side for three months because the mother said she had nowhere else to go.

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Jordan had left CaMya and her eldest daughter with her friend and another adult so she could get her hair done, reported Fox 2.

Jordan said she did not know what happened to her youngest daughter until around 11 pm when she received an alarming text message from the baby sitter saying, You need to come home now.

Two follow-up texts mentioned CaMya and directed Jordan to go to Sinai-Grace Hospital.

There, a doctor told her that CaMya had fallen into a hole in the floor, landing in at least six inches of filthy water filling the basement.

Jordan, who had been living in the dilapidated home on Ferguson Street since April 2018, said she knew about the large hole and would usually cover it with CaMyas playpen. She also was aware that the basement was prone to flooding.

Jordan was summoned to the hospital by her daughter's baby sitter via text message

A candlelight vigil was held in memory of baby Ca'Mya in Detroit on Monday

The medical examiner has ruled that CaMya died of accidental drowning.

Friends and relatives said that after CaMyas sudden passing, the babysitter refused to answer any questions about what had happened on the day she died.

Speaking at the time of the incident, Jordan told WXYZ-TV that she is feeling anger, hurt [and] resentment.

Jordan said CaMya was just starting to learn how to cruise and she had only recently bought her a pair of shoes to help her find her footing.

The grieving mom-of-three said the would-be birthday girl was very happy and loved to smile, sing and eat. She would have turned one on July 25.
An Oregon man has been sentenced to 60 days in jail for raping his fiancee's dog.

In February, Fidel Lopez, 52, pleaded guilty to raping the woman's Lhasa Apso mix.

The incident was reported by his fiancee in November 2018 after she found her dog, Estrella, bleeding from her back end.

According to authorities, the dog was discovered whining and hiding under the woman's couch.

Fidel Lopez (pictured in court on Monday), 52, has been sentenced to 60 days in jail for raping his fiancee's Lhasa Apso

In February, Lopez pleaded guilty to raping the woman's Lhasa Apso (file image). The incident was reported by his fiancee in November 2018 after she found her dog, Estrella, bleeding from her back end

The woman then took Estrella to an emergency hospital, where a veterinarian was forced to euthanize the dog due to significant internal injuries, according to Oregon Live.

Lopez's fiancee then asked for a rape kit to be done on her dog.

In addition to his jail sentence, Lopez must receive a mental health evaluation

She told authorities that Lopez had expressed an interest in bestiality and even bragged about watching another person sexually assault a dog.

Portland Police's Sex Crimes Unit started an investigation into Lopez in December 2018.

He was arrested in February after DNA evidence linked him to the crime.

At the time, Lopez was booked into the Multnomah County Jail on aggravated animal abuse and sexual assault of an animal.

According to Oregon Live, Lopez told police that he had sex with the dog while in bed with her, after becoming frustrated that the dog's owner.

He told police that the dog seemed fine and that he had been drinking.

Lopez also admitted he victimized the dog to sexually arouse himself.

His defense attorney, Joe Calhoun, said: 'Hes told me that hes owning up to a mistake he made and accepts that responsibility.'

Calhoun told Oregon Live that Lopez has worked at the same pancake restaurant for 22 years.

Lopez's fiancee then asked for a rape kit to be done on her dog. She told authorities that Lopez (pictured) had expressed an interest in bestiality. He later admitted to raping the dog to 'sexually arouse' himself

Lopez, who has no prior criminal history, has a sixth-grade education.

On Monday, Lopez was sentenced to three years of probation and 60 days in jail.

The sentence was the most that Oregon's sentencing guidelines would allow.

'If it could have been more, I gladly would have given you more time,' Multnomah County Circuit Judge Angel Lopez, who is not related to Fidel Lopez, said in court.

In addition to his jail sentence, Fidel Lopez cannot own a pet for 15 years and he must receive a mental health evaluation.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday accused Rep. Ilhan Omar of targeting Jewish people after she called White House adviser Stephen Miller a white nationalist.

"'Whats completely unacceptable is for Congesswoman [sic] Omar to target Jews, in this case Stephen Miller.' Jeff Ballabon, B2 Strategic, CEO. @Varneyco," Trump tweeted, referencing a segment on the Fox Business network.

Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar called White House adviser Stephen Miller a 'white nationalist' last week over a report he pushed President Trump toward a harder line on immigration - a move that resulted in a massive shakeup in the Department of Homeland Security.

Criticism: Donald Trump attacked Ilhan Omar, the Muslim-American Congresswoman, who called his aide Stpehen Miller a 'white nationalist'

'WHITE NATIONALIST' - OMAR'S ACCUSATION EXPLAINED Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar's description of Stephen Miller as a 'white nationalist' puts him - in her view - in the same broad field as the KKK and marchers in Charlottesville in 2017. White nationalism is intended to suggest that Miller sees white people as one race and that the U.S.A. is a white country which will not benefit from the arrival of non-white immigrants. It differs from simple nationalism in that it makes the nation defined by race. In American terms, nationalism is currently generally seen as being in opposition to 'globalism' - favoring unilateral trade deals over multilateral pacts; backing tariffs and barriers to protect U.S. manufacturing and workers; being for lower levels of immigration; and higher defense spending with less emphasis on foreign military engagements or alliances. White nationalism sees the U.S. as a predominantly white society and culture which should stay that way. Economic and geopolitical views come second to that. White nationalism has been used interchangeably with 'white supremacism,' the belief that the white 'race' is better than others. But academics who study the field have drawn a distinction between nationalism and supremacism, so Omar is not necessarily making an accusation that Miller is an outright white supremacist. A white nationalist would not be suggesting the removal of non-white people, but would want a country where whites are in a majority and minorities are not seen as equal. More complicatedly, Miller is Jewish, and white nationalism has usually gone hand-in-hand with anti-Semitism. But some white nationalists have recast the 'white race' as including Jewish people, among them Jared Taylor, seen as a key thinker in the movement. Facebook has banned white nationalist content in the wake of the New Zealand mosque massacre, extending a ban on explicit white supremacy. The result was for content created by a series of groups to be removed. Advertisement

'Stephen Miller is a white nationalist. The fact that he still has influence on policy and political appointments is an outrage,' she wrote on Twitter.

And she snapped back at Trump's insult with one of her own on Tuesday.

She retweeted the president with the words: 'In the words of my 6 year-old daughter, Knock it off. Youre the president.'

Omar has come under fire previously for some of her comments on Israel.

In her tweet, she linked to an article on Splinter reporting that Miller, an anti-immigration hardliner who was the architect of the president's travel ban, pushed Trump to retracted his nomination of Ron Vitiello to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Miller was also reported to be the driving force behind the administration's policy last year of separating migrant children from their parents who illegally crossed the border.

Omar, who is one of the first Muslim women in Congress, came under fire earlier this year for suggesting that supporters of Israel were urging lawmakers to have 'allegiance to a foreign country.'

It was at least the third time Omar has forced older, pro-Israel Democrats who run the House into awkward territory over U.S.-Israeli policy. The first was her claim, later retracted, that moneyed Jews buy the support of U.S. lawmakers with a strategy that's 'all about the Benjamins baby.'

The House ultimately passed a resolution condemning all hate language but Republicans criticized Democrats for not including Omar's name in it.

Meanwhile, the withdrawal of Vitiello from the Customs job last week set off a chain reaction that led to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen's resignation on Sunday night.

Trump said he withdrew Vitiello's name because he wanted someone 'tougher' to lead the top immigration enforcement agency.

'We're going in a little different direction,' he said on Friday. 'Ron's a good man, but we're going in a tougher direction.'

Miller is 'particularly adept,' one administration official told The Washington Post, at placing blame on others when his ideas don't work.

Nielsen reportedly was not given a 'heads up' last week when the White House retracted Vitiello's name.

Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar called White House adviser Stephen Miller a 'white nationalist'

She cited a report that Stephen Miller, who is known as an anti-immigration hawk, pushed Trump toward a harder line on the issue

Her meeting with the president Sunday night was reported to be about Vitiello. Her being blindsided by the White House dropping him, in addition to the ongoing immigration crisis, prompted her to resignation.

Trump followed Nielsen's ouster with more pink slips Monday, axing the director of the U.S. Secret Service Randolph 'Tex' Alles.

At least three other top officials are said to be hanging on to the jobs by a threat.

Shoving Alles overboard and driving others out signals the growing authority of Miller, the 33-year-old former staffer to then-Sen. Jeff Sessions. Alles, Cissna, Grady and Mitnick were on a list of officials Miller targeted for removal as 'too soft,' according to a White House official.

A White House source with knowledge of the West Wing's goings on in the past week told DailyMail.com on Monday that Miller had advocated internally for Nielsen's firing, and for Alles to follow her out the door.

Miller is known as a sharp-tongued promoter of hawkish immigration policies that Democrats have complained push the boundaries of federal law and too often challenge court precedents.
This is the nail-biting moment a herd of buffalo saved one of their own from being attacked by a pride of lions and a crocodile.

The attempted attack happened at Transport Dam in Kruger National Park in South Africa - where ten years ago a similar battle took place between the three different species.

Lions were forced to abandon their hunt of a young calf when a huge herd of buffalo stormed over to protect one of its youngest members.

A pride of lions start chasing an old buffalo bull after they were outrun by a herd of impalas. The buffalo runs into the watering hole where it is met by a crocodile attack

And ten years later, a herd of buffalo came to the aid of another of their members under attack at the same watering hole.

Thuli Khumalo, the head of Atamela safari tours, captured the heart-racing action while guiding a group of tourists around the park.

They spotted a pride of lions lying in the shade overlooking the water.

Because lions are opportunistic, it is likely that if they are hiding they are lying in wait for an animal of prey to accidentally stray too close.

A large herd of impalas went down to the water and the lions instantly chased after them before being outrun.

The lions then spot an old buffalo bull which they start chasing.

A struggle ensues between the buffalo and the crocodile and the buffalo manages to wriggle free and dash on to dry land before the rest of its herd storm over to save it from the jaws of the lions

Panicking, the bull runs into the water to try and get to safety but ends up being attacked by a crocodile.

He somehow manages to wriggle free of the bull's clutches and stumbles back on to dry land.

As soon as the buffalo hit the surface, he makes a run for it, with the lions following close on its tail.

When buffaloes are under threat, they will call for help. Luckily, for this buffalo, his calls were answered.

A massive herd of buffalo that was on its way to the dam saw the commotion and chased the lions away saving it's life.
Somebody slowed the police's roll: Thieves keep stealing the wheels off of the patrol cars in Mississippi's capital city.

Jackson police spokesman Sgt. Roderick Holmes said on Monday that three police cars were towed on Saturday after police discovered all 12 of their wheels had been stolen.

The cars had been parked behind a police museum in downtown Jackson.

Three police cars are seen being towed in Jackson, Mississippi after thieves stole all 12 tires off them sometime over the weekend while they were parked behind a police museum

Holmes says police aren't sure when the wheels were taken.

It's the second time thieves have taken wheels from a Jackson patrol car in recent weeks.

A car was left on blocks outside the police training academy in March in west Jackson after thieves stole tires and rims.

Holmes says police continue to investigate the thefts. The thieves and the stolen wheels remain at large.

In March, thieves left this cop car on blocks after stealing the wheels while it was parked outside the police academy in Jackson

Meanwhile, local officials are calling for extreme measures to combat the embarrassing rash of thefts.

'We need to have locks on the tires,' Jackson City Councilman Aaron Banks told WAPT-TV. 'Especially if we value the equipment.'

Banks said that the incidents reflect poorly on the community's regard for police officers.

'It basically shows the amount of respect that constituents have for officers, and that's kind of sad,' he said.
A scorned ex-husband paid two teenagers two shoot and kill his ex-wife, but they shot her sister dead instead, police say.

Alisha Canales-McGuire was gunned down in September 2017 when she answered her door, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities believe that Amanda Canales, the sister of Alisha who was staying with her at the time, was the intended target of the murder and her ex-husband Kevin Lewis orchestrated the attack.

On Monday police announced that Lewis, 31, his cousin Jerradon Phelps, 20, and Phelps' then girlfriend, who was not identified because she's underage, are facing murder charges in her slaying.

Police announced arrests on Monday in the murder-for-hire killing of Alisha Canales-McGuire (left), 24, in September 2017. Their intended target was sister Amanda Canales (right)

Police announced Monday that three people were responsible for her death in a horrific murder-for-hire plot that was intended to kill Amanda Canales (left) but killed her sister Alisha Canales-McGuire (right) instead

'She had been staying at her sisters home and it is believed her sister, who was out of town at the time, was the intended target of the murder-for-hire by her ex-husband,' the Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

Lewis is accused of offering Phelps, then 19, and the teenage girl $2,400 to kill his ex-wife Canales, who he was married to for eight years and shared three children with, according to the Everett Herald.

When Phelps got to the front door of the ex-wife's Everett home at 1.55am, Canales wasn't home.

Instead her sister Alisha Canales-McGuire answered the door because she was babysitting her young nephew and nieces as her sister was out of town in New York.

She was shot with multiple rounds and died of her wounds.

When Amanda Canales heard of the shooting, she said she knew those shots were meant for her.

Amanda Canales' ex-husband Kevin Lewis, 31, (left) is accused of orchestrating her death by hiring and paying $2,400 to his cousin Jerradon Phelps, then 19 (right), and a 17-year-old unnamed female to kill her

Lewis pictured above in Snohomish County court on Monday where allegedly admitted guilt to the plot. He was already in jail for physically abusing his ex-wife Amanda

Phelps pictured above in Snohomish County court on Monday

Phelps and the Spokane teenage girl were arrested for first-degree aggravated murder and criminal conspiracy to commit first-degree murder on Monday.

Lewis is already in jail on charges of beating his ex-wife, according to the outlet, and is accused of the same crimes.

According to Phelps' cell phone records he and the girl drove from Spokane to Everett to commit the crime, as per the sheriff's office news release.

Then hours after the murder, Phelps posted on social media pictures 'showing off several hundred dollar bills' and writing the caption '(Expletives) a never guess what I did 4 this check'.

Following the bloody murder where cops found Canales-McGuire's body slumped in the doorway and riddled with bullets, investigators got a break in the summer after receiving a tip.

'Patrol received a phone call from somebody in the Spokane area who said she had been at a social gathering and a young woman there claimed she was hired to kill someone in Snohomish County,' the sheriff's office Shari Ireton said.

Months before the murder, a woman reported that Lewis told her he wanted full custody of the children and child support. He threatened that if he didn't get those things, he'd kill his ex-wife.

By late August 2017, the Amanda Canales was granted full custody of the kids and instead of receiving child support, Lewis was ordered to pay $800 per month.

In the past he had been abusive towards his wife leaving her with bruises and bloody injuries. He's currently in jail on a three year sentence for two convictions of second-degree assault against her.

At a sentencing in that case, the ex-wife told a judge she believed the shots were meant for her.

When detectives questioned Lewis following the attack they asked him if he knew where his ex-wife was and he answered, 'she should be home'.

When they told him she was out of town on business, he reportedly looked surprised and said, 'really?'

Neighbor's security camera footage showed a man in a tanktop, Lewis, according to the court papers getting into a car around 1.13am and returning around 1.37am, believed to be showing Phelps and the girl the home where his ex-wife lived.

Phelps proceeded to knock on Canales' door at 1:55am.

An Everett District Court judge set bail at $5 million for Phelps on Monday and the teenage girl is being held at the Denney Juvenile Justice Center in Everett.

Amanda Canales shared a statement in light of the arrests.

'I was with [Kevin] almost 10 years and I hid how horrible the marriage was from everyone...They didn't know the real Kevin. Even I didn't know how far he'd go until it happened,' she said.

Her sister Alisha Canales-McGuire was newly married in July 2017 when she was killed.

Bernie Cline, an uncle of the family, said he was relieved to learn about the arrests, 'even though it doesn't bring her back'.
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Some three thousand mourners attended the Tuesday funeral in Portland of a Maine state trooper who was killed last week by a flying tire from a logging truck.

Law enforcement officers from the US and Canada commemorated the life of Detective Ben Campbell, 31, who was fatally injured when struck by the dislodged tire on Wednesday on Interstate 95 in Hampden.

Campbell was heading to a training event when he stopped to help a driver at around 7.30am whose car had spun off the freeway in a snow storm. The trooper was stood outside his car when he was hit by the tire.

The casket of Maine State Police detective Ben Campbell rests at the front of the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, Maine

More than three thousand mourners attended the funeral on Tuesday, which included representatives from across the emergency services

The casket of Maine State Police detective Ben Campbell is wheeled down the aisle

Maine State Police officers prepare the flag for presentation to Hillary Campbell, Ben Campbell's widow (not shown)

Hillary Campbell (right) is escorted to her seat at for the service by a state trooper (center)

Hillary Campbell (center) clutches the flag after it was presented to her during a Law Enforcement Tribute

The second tire that also came loose from the truck rolled harmlessly into the median.

Each wheel weighed roughly 200 pounds. Local police continue to investigate why they became dislodged.

Campbell sustained extensive injuries from the impact of the tire.

He was taken to the Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor but was later pronounced dead.

Ben Campbell's casket is carried into the Cross Insurance Arena by fellow state troopers

Members of the Maine State Police stand during the funeral procession

Ben Campbell's widow (center) carrying their 6-month-old baby is escorted to the funeral service

A procession of police cars escorted Campbell's body from Millinocket, where he lived, to the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland for the memorial on Monday.

Campbell's wife, Hilary, tearfully addressed her husband's coffin during the service.

She said: 'I love you with every piece of my being,' adding that she'll make sure the couple's 6-month-old son, Everett, grows up knowing how selfless his dad was.

Ben Campbell died after he was struck on the side of I-95 in Hampden on Wednesday morning. He had served six-and-a-half years on the police force

Ben Campbell (right) and his wife (left) lived in Millinocket, Maine. Ben grew up in western Massachusetts and joined the Maine State Police in 2012

Speaking at the service, Colonel John Cote, commander of the Maine State Police, praised Campbell's 'positive outlook'.

'He understood just because he was arresting someone did not mean that person was a career criminal,' Cote said. 'Ben would talk to those folks and through those conversations, he would learn that many times the conduct that led to the arrest was simply the result of problems and circumstances within that person's life.

Campbell was killed in a freak accident when a tire flew off a passing logging truck on the I-95

The trooper was taken to the Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor but was later pronounced dead.

Two tires from the logging truck flew off. Investigators are trying to work out why they became dislodged

Last week Maine Governor Janet Mills ordered lowered to half staff across the state in honor of the fallen trooper.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Mills said: 'Our state is heartbroken over the loss of Detective Benjamin Campbell. Maine's law enforcement professionals put themselves in harm's way every day to protect our state, keep our communities safe, and help our fellow citizens.

'Detective Campbell dedicated his career to fulfilling that mission and, ultimately, gave his life in service of it. On behalf of the people of Maine, I express our deepest and unwavering gratitude for his service.'
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Police in New York City have arrested an 80-year-old man in connection with the brutal 1973 murders of two 19-year-old women in Virginia Beach.

Ernest Broadnax, an ex-convict with a lengthy criminal record, was taken into custody on Monday afternoon in Queens by the NYPD's Cold Case Apprehension Squad.

Broadnax is facing murder and rape charges in Virginia over the deaths of Lynn Seethaler and Janice Pietropaola, both from Pittsburgh.

Mystery solved: The NYPD on Monday arrested 80-year-old Ernset Broadnax for the 1973 murders of Lynn Seethaler (left) and Janice Pietropaola (right), both 19, in Virginia

The pair had been vacationing at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront in June 1973 when they were found dead in a motel cottage. Broadnax was 33 years old at the time.

Pietropaola was raped, strangled and shot three times. Seethaler was strangled, shot twice in the head and had her throat cut with a broken wine bottle.

A worker at Farrar's Tourist Village found the women's bodies after they missed their checkout time at the end of a five-day stay, reported The Virginian Pilot.

Pietropaola and Seethaler's bodies were described by local police as 'partially clad' and one of them was naked from the waist down.

The attacker was believed to have entered the cottage by removing a window screen and climbing inside.

The Pittsburgh women were found strangled and shot inside a motel cottage at Farrar's Tourist Village in Virginia Beach (pictured) in June 2013

The cottage where the double homicide occurred has since been destroyed and replaced with new motels and shops.

In 2011, Virginia Beach detectives told the station WTRK they suspected the person who murdered Pietropaola and Seethaler had slain as many as 10 women, all of them between the ages of 18 and 25, in the area in the 1970s and early 1980s.

Broadnax is being held in a New York City jail pending his extradition back to Virginia, where he will be charged with two counts of second-degree murder and one count of rape.

Pietropaola (right) was raped, strangled and shot three times. Seethaler (left) was strangled, shot twice in the head and had her throat cut with a broken wine bottle

So far, the 80-year-old resident of Hollis, Queens, has not been linked to the other cold-case killings and disappearances of young women in Virginia Beach.

DNA evidence found at the crime scene matched Broadnax's profile in a national database as he is a repeat offender and had been formally incarcerated.

Police have not said exactly how they managed to track the suspect down after 45 years or where the DNA was found. An NYPD spokesperson on Tuesday attributed Broadnax's arrest to 'good police work.'

Virginia Beach police spokesperson Linda Kuehn said in a statement that in the fall of 2018, the agency's cold-case investigators 'began aggressively researching a strong lead they had received in the case,' which ultimately led to Broadnax's arrest this week.

Records indicate that Broadnax has been in and out of jail in New York City since 1990, when he moved to the city. His past criminal history includes 10 arrests on charges of assault, burglary and trespassing.

He was most recently released from prison in 2013 after serving eight years on an assault conviction where he beat a customer who was buying metal scraps from him in Manhattan.

Until his arrest on Monday, Broadnax had been living in an affordable housing facility for military veterans.

His neighbor Kevin Wallace told the New York Daily News that arresting officers offered Broadnax a bottle of water, helped him put on some clothes and led him away without restraining his hands.

'He went very quietly,' Wallace said. 'He knew he did it. They couldn't find him, and all the sudden they found him.'

Wallace, 60, described the suspected murderer as a very quiet man who kept to himself.

Adedayo Peterson, whose mother was briefly married to Broadnax in the 1970s, claims that the man grew violent while he was with her mom.

She said that the man - who served in the Army and was incarcerated in Virginia before meeting Peterson's mother - once beat her mom with a belt and pulled a gun out on her brother.

'I didn't expect nothing like that,' Peterson said to the New York Times. 'But I wouldn't put it past him.'
Meghan McCain has slammed President Trump Tuesday for commemorating prisoners of war after he ridiculed her late father John for getting 'captured'.

The 34-year-old star of The View replied to the Commander-in-chief's Twitter post on National Former Prison of War Recognition Day

She wrote: 'No one believes you care about prisoners of war and 'people who get captured''.

McCain's quotations were a reference to Trump's 2015 remarks ridiculing her late father John McCain for being imprisoned by enemy fighters during the Vietnam War.

She sent out a second tweet, stating: 'Not that we should expect anything less but it is nothing short of a JOKE Trump would tweet about National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day.

Meghan McCain slammed President Trump Tuesday for marking National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day, four years after he mocked her father Senator John McCain for being captured during the Vietnam War. Meghan and the late John McCain are pictured on The View in October 2017

Meghan offered a withering reply to President Trump's commemoration of captured and imprisoned American soldiers

The outspoken co-host of The View subsequently shared a second tweet, continuing her diatribe against Trump

'In life and in death he [Trump] has no respect for the sacrifice given by POW's. Save it, we're not interested in hearing any of it from you.'

McCain has criticized Trump for constantly talking about her father, almost eight months after his death.

The president has routinely brought up McCain's record on healthcare and blames him for letting Obamacare get signed into law.

Earlier on Tuesday, President Trump marked the day by tweeting: 'We honor the Americans captured and imprisoned by foreign powers while carrying out their duties to defend this great Nation'.

President Trump's long-running feud with John McCain exploded back in 2015, when he derided the politician's six years spent as a prisoner of war.

The former senator from Arizona was captured by the North Vietnamese in 1967, and remained imprisoned until 1973.

During a June 2015 appearance in Iowa, Trump claimed John McCain 'was only a war hero because he was captured'.

'I like people that weren't captured,' he then declared.

Meghan McCain has become an increasingly outspoken critic of Trump since her father's death from brain cancer in August last year.

The View co-host, who is a staunch pro-life conservative, took a swipe at the President while delivering her father's eulogy at Washington National Cathedral.

John McCain was captured by the North Vietnamese in 1967, and remained as a prisoner of war until 1973. He is pictured during his service in the Vietnam War

Meghan has recently become far more critical of President Trump during segments on The View

She claimed that 'the America of John McCain has no need to be made great again because it was always great' and that her father's legacy differed from the 'cheap rhetoric from men who will never come near the sacrifice he gave so willingly.'

Last month, after Trump again claimed he 'wasn't a fan of John McCain', Meghan hit back.

'I'm just surprised because I do think this is a new bizarre low,' she said during a live appearance on The View.

'I will say attacking someone who isn't here is a bizarre low, but my dad's not here but I'm sure as hell here.'
Shane O'Brien, pictured last month following his arrest in Romania, appeared in the Old Bailey today by video link in connection with the murder of Josh Hanson in October 2015

Britain's most wanted murder suspect slit a man's throat at a bar before calmly leaving the nightclub, a court heard.

Shane O'Brien, 31, allegedly slashed Josh Hanson's neck at RE Bar, in Hillingdon, west London in October 2015 and fled to Romania on a private flight.

The 21-year-old, from Kingsbury, northwest London, died at the scene from his wounds.

Police had offered a reward of 50,000 for his capture and he was the subject of a European Arrest Warrant on behalf of the Met Police as he lived in Holland, Germany and Romania.

For four years he was on Interpol's most wanted list but managed to slip through their net despite being arrested in Prague in February 2017 for using fake Italian documents.

The father-of-two appeared at the Old Bailey via video-link from HMP Belmarsh dressed in a black jumper, and blue jeans.

Deanna Heer, prosecuting said: 'He is charged with the murder of Josh Hanson. The killing took place on the 11 October 2015 at nightclub called RE in Pinner.

'Both the deceased and the defendant spent the evening in that club. At 1am the defendant approached the deceased and spoke to him.

'He then produced a knife and without warning or apparent provocation slashed at the deceased's neck and a caused a deep wound which ran from his left ear lobe to the top of his right chest.

O'Brien is alleged to have murdered Josh Hanson, pictured along with his sister, Brooke, left, and his mother Tracey, right

Authorities in Prague arrested O'Brien, pictured in February 2017 where he was using fake Italian identity documents claiming to be Enzo Melloncelli. Police released him before they ascertained his correct identity

'He then calmly walked out of the premises. He was wearing a distinctive jacket with a fur hood.

'The following day he went to a designer out let Factory Store where he bought new clothes and a suitcase.'

O'Brien, pictured, will reappear in court on June 25 ahead of a scheduled trial on September 16

Judge Anne Molyneux remanded O'Brien in custody ahead of a plea and trial preparation hearing on June 25 and set a trial date for September 16.

O'Brien was arrested by Romanian police officers in Cluj-Napoca last month.

Previously speaking about the murder, Josh's mum Tracey said: 'I got a call saying Josh had been stabbed.

'My immediate response was to ask, 'where?', and as soon as I was told the neck my heart just sank.

'When I got to the bar they wouldn't let me see him.

'I just went into profound shock - it's hard to describe. It's ripped my life apart.'

O'Brien, formerly of Cluj-Napoca, Romania is charged with murder and is yet to enter a plea.

He will next appear in court on June 25.
Deputy David Scott Burroughs is accused of planting heroin and meth in a car belonging to his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend after telling colleagues to investigate an anonymous tip-off

A North Carolina deputy is accused of planting heroin and meth in a car belonging to his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend after telling colleagues to investigate an anonymous tip-off.

Deputy David Scott Burroughs was fired and arrested after police found the drugs in the vehicle but became suspicious about his story.

Anson County police say it was 'a red flag' that the heroin and meth was found in the car in exactly the same place four days after the tip.

Images show Sheriff Landric Reid leading away his former deputy after he was arrested. He will appear in court later this month.

Sheriff Reid told Fox 13: 'This was a revenge case where he planted drugs in this male's car.

'This male was dating his ex, and he wanted revenge, and he wanted his ex-girlfriend back.'

Burroughs is accused of buying the drugs in March 2018 and then planting them in the vehicle.

He is then said to have told other police officers about tips from members of the public that said the unnamed man, who was dating his ex girlfriend, was dealing out of his car.

Reid said he was grateful detectives stopped the alleged plot before a life was ruined.

He added: 'This started on a Sunday afternoon.

'By Wednesday, when we made the stop, drugs were at the same place in the car.

'That was a red flag because anyone selling drugs wouldn't have them Sunday to Wednesday in the same place.'

Deputy David Scott Burroughs was fired and arrested after police found the drugs in the vehicle but became suspicious about his story. Anson County police say it was 'a red flag' the heroin and meth was found in the car in exactly the same place four days after the tip

The alleged victim's father is also said to have called police regarding the allegations against his son.

Burroughs was said to have been fired immediately and the State Bureau of Investigation began to look into the allegations.

Burroughs was arrested last week and released on bond Monday.

DailyMail.com has contacted Anson County police department.
A California police officer is being hailed a hero after he saved the life of a choking nine-month-old baby girl last month.

Bodycam footage of the incident was released this week and shows the moment Culver City Police officer Brian Cappell jumps into action to save Janet Lockridge's daughter, Harleigh.

Cappell responded to the emergency call on March 22. Upon arriving to the scene, Lockridge's 10-year-old daughter, Auria, led him to her mother's vehicle where Harleigh was unconscious.

Culver City Police officer Brian Cappell responded to a call about a baby choking on March 22. The baby's 10-year-old sister, Auria (pictured), led Cappell to her mother's car where Harleigh was unconscious

In the video, Cappell is seen rushing over to the car and taking Harleigh in his arms

He immediately placed her face-down in his hands and gave her hard slaps on her back until she began breathing again

In the video, Cappell is seen rushing over to the car and taking Harleigh in his arms.

He immediately placed her face-down in his hands and gave her hard slaps on her back until she began breathing again.

Harleigh's mother is heard in the background crying as the officer helped the child.

'Come on baby, you're alright,' Cappell is heard saying just as the baby started crying.

'She's crying now! So air is going in!' Cappell says in the video.

Cappell told ABC 7: 'Once I heard the baby crying, it was the best sound I ever heard in my life.'

A day after the incident, the Culver City Police Department shared a photo of Cappell and Harleigh on Twitter (left). Harleigh's mother, Janet Lockridge (right), said she is 'extremely, extremely grateful' for Cappell and 'indebted to him forever'

The whole Lockridge family posed for a photo with their hero, Officer Cappell

Lockridge told the station that Harleigh had choked on some food and was 'struggling for air'.

She said she is 'extremely, extremely grateful' for Cappell and 'indebted to him forever'.

A day after the incident, the Culver City Police Department shared a photo of Cappell and Harleigh on Twitter.

'Officer Cappell saved this little girls life yesterday. She had choked on something and was unconscious and not breathing. He did CPR and saved her life,' the caption of the photo read.

On Monday, Cappell received special honors to commemorate his life-saving actions.
The final moments of Justine Damond Ruszczyk have been played to a jury as a former US police officer faces court over her murder.

Damond, 40, had called police on a Saturday in July, 2017 to report sounds of a possible rape in the dark alley behind her home.

Former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor, 33, attended the scene and was in the responding police cruiser, before an unarmed Damond was fatally shot when she approached the car.

Prosecutor Patrick Lofton told the court Tuesday, the pyjama-clad Damond had called 911 twice before police arrived.

One minute and 19 seconds later, Damond was shot in the abdomen and died at the scene after she spoke her last words: 'I'm dying', according to authorities.

Noor, who was fired from the police force, has pleaded not guilty to second- and third-degree murder charges, as well as a second-degree manslaughter charge.

The final moments of Justine Damond Ruszczyk (pictured) have been played to a jury as a former US police officer faces court over her murder

Former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor, 33 (pictured), attended the scene and was in the responding police cruiser, before an unarmed Damond was fatally shot when she approached the car

Damond had moved to the Midwestern city to marry her American fiancee Don Damond. She had changed her name from her maiden name and was set to marry her partner one month before she died.

Mr Lofton told the court the last conversation between Damond and her partner - who in Las Vegas - was over the phone.



'Okay, the police are here.' These are the last words that Justine Ruszczyk ever spoke to her fiance Don Damond,' Mr Loften said.

'He was out of town for work and she was inside their home on the phone.'

Damond then 'went outside to talk to them'.

Mr Lofton argued Noor had 'taken aim' at Damond and shot her through an open drivers side window.

Prosecutors called up Mr Damond as the first witness during the trial.

Mr Damond said he received a call from investigators, who said his fiance had died. It wasn't until a second call that he learned an officer had shot her, he said.

Noor sat nearly motionless, looking down at his hands clasped in front of him, while his attorney Peter Wold said the former officer was heartbroken over the shooting.

'Mohamed Noor has been heartbroken for Justine Ruszczyk and her family from the moment he realised she was not the threat he reasonably considered her on that night,' Mr Wold said.

The attorney said Noor - who was sitting in the passenger seat - and his partner Matthew Harrity - who was in the driver's seat - had feared they were trapped in 'a classic ambush,' which he said prompted Noor to shoot in self-defense.

The officers had feared an ambush because they had been forced to stop in the alley behind Damond's home for a passing bicyclist, the court heard.

Moments later, they said they heard a loud bang at the back of the police car and then Damon approached, according to investigators and the defense attorney.

'And its those split seconds that this case is all about,' Mr Wold told the court.

Justine Damond (right) had moved to the Midwestern city to marry her American fiancee Don Damond (left)

Mr Damond said he received a call from investigators, who said his fiance had died. It wasn't until a second call that he learned an officer had shot her, he said

'He [Noor] sees his frightened partner trying and looking and then sees him jump and yells 'oh Jesus',' Mr Wold said.

'(Harrity was) struggling to undo his weapon then this figure instantly appears in his window, raising a right arm.

'What happens next was immediate. It was a perfect storm with tragic consequences.'

Prosecutors have insisted that the shooting was unreasonable and contrary to police department training policy.

In court, Mr Lofton sought to sow doubts about the claims of a loud, sudden noise that startled the officers.

Mr Lofton said there was no forensic evidence proving Damond touched the police car, including a lack of fingerprints.

Noor sat nearly motionless, looking down at his hands clasped in front of him, while his attorney Peter Wold said the former officer was heartbroken over the shooting

Mr Lofton argued Noor had 'taken aim' at Damond and shot her through an open drivers side window

He also said Harrity only claimed to hear a loud noise days after the incident, during an interview with investigators.

'And for the first time, Harrity said he heard a noise on that squad before the defendant shot Miss Ruszczyk,' Lofton told jurors, suggesting that the claim was untrue. He used her maiden name.

The opening statements came more than a week after the closely watched trial had officially begun with jury selection. A 12-member jury was seated Monday.

The shooting outraged both Damond's neighbors in Minneapolis and her relatives in Australia.

There were calls in both countries for answers and accountability.

Minneapolis's then-police chief was forced to resign within days of the incident.
President Donald Trump celebrated reaching 53 per cent approval rating in a new poll Tuesday.

Trump hasn't seen this level of approval from Rasmussen Reports pollsters since March 3, 2017  a bit over a month after he took office.

In Tuesday's polling, 45 per cent of likely voters said they disapproved of Trump, down 2 per cent from the day before.

The president celebrated this milestone on Twitter, and said he is 'working hard' for the American people.

'THANK YOU, WORKING HARD!' Trump thanked Americans for helping him reach 53 percent approval in Rasmussen's Tuesday polling.

Trump hasn't seen this level of approval since March 3, 2017, which wasn't long after he was inaugurated

In the days following his inauguration, Trump reached up to 59 per cent approval.

He often cites Rasmussen when celebrating positive poll results. Its researchers now conduct the only remaining daily presidential approval tracking poll.

One reason his approval rating is soaring recently could be the end of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's 2016 election year meddling.

According to Attorney General Bill Barr's summary of Mueller's 400-page Russia report, there is no evidence that the Trump camp colluded with Russia in the 2016 elections.

Trump says the findings exonerate him, even though Congress has not yet seen the full report.

Barr said during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing Tuesday that he plans to release the report to Congress by the end of the week, but stipulated that he still will have to redact some sensitive information.

Attorney General Bill Barr said in a summary of Robert Mueller's Russia report that there was no evidence that Trump colluded with Russia in the 2016 elections

Trump's soaring approval also comes as unemployment rates continue to decline and he prepares for his 2020 run for the White House

Another factor that is possibly leading to a more favorable view of the president is jobs and unemployment numbers, one of Trump's major focuses on the 2016 campaign trail.

In January the unemployment rate was at 4 percent; by March the rate dropped to 3.8 per cent and nearly 200,000 jobs were added last month.

Rasmussen's poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points. Trump earned 46.1 per cent of the popular vote in the 2016 election.

The new numbers suggest Trump could have a majority of Americans behind him and an even better chance at re-election in 2020.
The Duchess of Sussex is considering a home birth at Windsor later this month, friends have revealed.

Meghan, 37, is keen to follow in the Queen's footsteps by having a midwife-led birth at Frogmore Cottage, the new home she shares with Prince Harry on the Berkshire estate.

The Queen was born at the Mayfair home of her grandparents and gave birth to each of her four children at either Buckingham Palace or Clarence House.

Sources stressed that Harry and Meghan, who are expecting their first child within weeks, have not ruled out a hospital delivery because a woman having a baby over the age of 35 is at an increased risk of premature birth or the need for an epidural or caesarean.

A friend said that Meghan (pictured) is in extremely good health and sees no reason why she could not enjoy a safe delivery in the privacy of the cottage

But a friend in America said the duchess  who still practices yoga daily and has 'sailed' through her pregnancy  is in extremely good health and sees no reason why she could not enjoy a safe delivery in the privacy of the cottage.

'It is her favoured choice,' the source said, 'but it obviously depends on how things are nearer the time.'

If she does go ahead with a home birth, Meghan could give birth without any pain relief at all, but would also have the option of gas and air, a warm bath, a birth pool, TENS (a machine that uses small, electrical impulses to reduce pain and muscle spasms) or relaxation techniques such as hypnobirthing, which Californian Meghan  who very much favours alternative therapies  is believed to have been studying with Harry.

It is understood that the 34-year-old prince would be by his wife's side 'every step of the way'. The option would also have the added benefit of giving the couple the privacy they crave.

It is understood they quickly ruled out the option of using the private Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, like the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Kate delivered George, now five, Charlotte, three, and 11-month-old Louis at St Mary's. However it is thought Harry and Meghan decided against it because it felt too much like a 'goldfish bowl'.

Meghan, 37, is keen to have a midwife-led birth at Frogmore Cottage, the new home she shares with Prince Harry on the Berkshire estate

The Queen gave birth to each of her four children at either Buckingham Palace or Clarence House (pictured with Prince Andrew, four, and a newborn Prince Edward)

The duchess objected to the idea of standing on the steps of the maternity unit surrounded by the public and the media just hours after the birth, particularly when her child will not be in the direct line of succession.

Last week it emerged the couple had also made clear that they want minimal involvement from the Queen's household doctors, surgeon gynaecologists Alan Farthing and Guy Thorpe-Beeston, widely considered to be among the best in the business. Sources said suggestions it was a 'snub' were 'wide of the mark', however.

'When it comes to giving birth, every woman has to decide what's best for her and what's best for her baby. The Queen's team will be involved, but it has not been decided how much yet,' said one. Opting for a home birth would also explain why there would be minimal need for a consultant, aside from confirming that the baby is fit and healthy.

It is understood they quickly ruled out the option of using the private Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, like the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

Harry and Meghan have not ruled out a hospital delivery because a woman having a baby over the age of 35 is at an increased risk of premature birth

Home births only account for around 2.3 per cent  one in 40 births  in England and are normally led by a local midwife. Community midwives are available on the NHS but it is also possible to hire an independent midwife at a cost of between 2,000 and 5,000.

Meghan will, however, have had to consider that for women having their first baby, home birth slightly increases the risk of serious problems for the child  from five in 1,000 for a hospital birth to nine in 1,000 for a home birth.

That said, the Royal Family has a long history of women giving birth successfully at home. The Queen Mother gave birth to the Queen on April 21, 1926 at the London home of her grandparents, the Earl and Countess of Strathmore.The Queen herself gave birth to Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward at either Buckingham Palace or Clarence House.

Harry and Meghan, who completed their move to Frogmore last week, see the cottage as their 'forever home'. They believe it will enable them to bring up their family outside the scrutiny of palace life. A Kensington Palace spokesman declined to comment.
Still less than a year since she married into the Royal Family, yet we have come to expect the unexpected from the Duchess of Sussex. So the Mails revelation that she is considering a home birth for her first child should surely not be a surprise.

What is clear, however, is that it is a further and highly significant step in showing Meghans insistence on doing things her own way at the expense of convention, never mind royal tradition.

It is decades since a royal mother last gave birth at home rather than in hospital. But lets be absolutely clear, if Meghan does go ahead and give birth at home later this month, this will be unlike any normal home birth.

A friend said that Meghan (pictured arriving at her baby shower in New York) is in extremely good health and sees no reason why she could not enjoy a safe delivery in the privacy of the cottage

She will be attended by a full complement of medical experts and a helicopter will be on standby to whisk her to hospital should an emergency develop. Frogmore Cottage, her and Harrys newly-renovated home on the Windsor estate, will be prepared for every eventuality.

It should be pointed out that though Meghan is keen to have a home birth  and follow in the footsteps of the Queen who gave birth to all her four children at either Buckingham Palace or Clarence House  no final decision has been taken.

And according to insiders when that decision is taken, it will be a medical one. The duchess will accept what is best for both and for her unborn child, said a source. Nevertheless the fact she is even considering a home birth demonstrates yet again how the American-born duchess feels able to challenge accepted royal norms.

In many ways her reluctance to follow the example of her sister-in-law the Duchess of Cambridge who gave birth to all three of her children at the private Lindo wing of St Marys Hospital in Paddington is commendable.

Kate merely followed the example of Prince Williams mother, Princess Diana whose sons were both born at the Lindo. And Diana followed the lead of Princess Anne, the mother of the Queens eldest grandchildren, Peter and Zara, who were also born at St Marys.

Ruling out the Lindo was Meghans first decision. The move to Windsor and the fact that their new home was ready before the birth due date was an enormous help.

Harry and Meghan have not ruled out a hospital delivery because a woman having a baby over the age of 35 is at an increased risk of premature birth

But the matter was settled when, just weeks before last Mays wedding, Meghan watched on television the circus surrounding the birth of Kates youngest child, Prince Louis with photographers and TV crews recording all the comings and goings.

I understand she had misgivings about the public nature of the event and considerable sympathy for her fiances sister-in-law who within hours of the birth was posing with William and their infant on the hospitals steps.

She of course could not know that in under a year she too would be nearing the date for the delivery of her first child, but it did help make up her mind. Her main wish throughout the pregnancy has been that the birth should be as private as possible, that it should be a moment above all for her and Harry and not one that had to be shared with the world.

Meghan, 37, is keen to have a midwife-led birth at Frogmore Cottage, the new home she shares with Prince Harry on the Berkshire estate after moving from Kensington Palace

Harry, who shares her thirst for privacy, is understood to be fully behind the idea of a home birth, but like any soon-to-be father, is anxious. Unlike his grandfather, Prince Philip, who was playing squash when Charles was born, Harry is certain to be on hand.

Theirs is a modern, equal partnership between a proud feminist who is determined to make her voice heard and a man who appreciates that power rather than feels diminished by it.

The couple have been hugely helped in that unlike Kate, Meghan has breezed through her pregnancy without, as far as we know, any complications. Certainly she was not admitted to hospital as Kate was in the early stages of her first pregnancy with Prince George with an extreme form of morning sickness which also affected her subsequent pregnancies. Thanks to her daily exercise and yoga routines she is also extremely fit. Harry and Kate have also been helped by royal genealogy. Their child will be seventh in line of succession and may not even be styled an HRH if they follow both Prince Edward and Princess Anne who wanted less of a spotlight on their children.

Everything we have learned since the pregnancy was announced indicates that Meghan will be a thoroughly modern mother, not hidebound by the traditions of her husbands family. But she is also an acute observer of historical precedence.

Meghan has ditched several traditions during her time in the Royal Family and was given away by Prince Charles at her wedding

She embraces ancient and modern, says one insider. So on the one hand she appears to be breaking with the past by choosing, if possible, to have a home birth, but at the same time she is aware that this is precisely what the Queen did. In 1948 there was no question that the Queen would give birth anywhere other than Buckingham Palace, where Charles was born by caesarean. She was attended by obstetricians and midwives. Two years later, Princess Anne was born at Clarence House  because the Palace was undergoing renovations following Second World War bomb damage. Both Prince Andrew in 1960 and Prince Edward in 1964 were born back at the Palace.

The Queen was also born at home in 1926. In her case it was the Mayfair townhouse of her maternal grandparents the Earl and Countess of Strathmore.

Four years later Princess Margaret was born at Glamis Castle, the Strathmores ancestral home where registration of the birth was delayed by several days so that she was not number 13 in the parish register. Meghans desire for a home birth fits too with her other subtle changes. Like the Queen she is keen on a midwife-led team to deliver her baby, though reports that she has snubbed the Queens highly experienced physicians, consultant gynaecologists Alan Farthing and Guy Thorpe-Beeston are said to be wide of the mark.

Both men, who attended at the arrival of all three of Kates children, are expected to be involved, but just how involved has yet to be decided. Many will have nothing but sympathy for Meghan and Harry at their wish for privacy at such an intimate moment in their lives as the arrival of a newborn.

But despite this there will be considerable public interest in the birth for whether they like it or not the new baby will symbolise the diversity of contemporary Britain.

One subject under discussion has been whether the couple will observe the niceties of posing with their infant child. It is understood Meghan does not want the pressure of dressing up and posing almost immediately after the birth just because it is expected.

Rather than facing scores of cameras she would much prefer a picture taken later by a friend or trusted insider. A home birth would avoid any media circus.

Certainly it would make her mother, Doria, who is expected to be there for the birth, feel much more at home.

Ever since that May wedding, Meghan has demonstrated a remarkable degree of independence from and flexibility with the Royal Family.

When her father failed to turn up to give her away she turned a potential crisis into a cool and fashionable statement by walking part of the way up the St Georges chapel aisle on her own, before accepting the arm of Charles for the walk to the altar.

She showed that she was not afraid of criticism over her and Harrys decision to move out of the comfort zone of Kensington Palace to Windsor while breaking with Prince William.

She also demonstrated a remarkable ability to grasp the details of her life early on  extraordinary really when you think of her background and the fact that Princess Diana never did. In particular she recognised that the break with William was entirely natural because he and Harry were set on different paths.

Of course along the way there have been mistakes. The very public breakdown of her relationship with her father has been a tragedy and the decision to allow friends to defend her in glossy magazines was also risky. Her lavish baby shower trip to New York with its glitzy hotel and money-no-object extravagance was also criticised. Preachy public utterances have not helped either.

But the joy of a new baby will change all that. In years to come having a home birth for their first child is likely to be seen as the least remarkable aspect of this intriguing royal couple.
Sergeant Alexander Blackman was arrested in suspicion of murder in 2012 for killing a mortally injured Taliban soldier. In his memoir, Marine A, he recounts his ordeal

All this week we are serialising the brutally frank memoirs of Alexander Blackman  Marine A  who was accused of a war crime in Afghanistan. Yesterday, we told how being charged with murder ruined his life. Here, he describes his anguish as he stood in front of a court martial to defend his actions and fight for his good name after 16 years exemplary service in the Royal Marines . . .

Stepping into the courtroom at the Military Court Centre at Bulford Camp on Salisbury Plain in late October 2013, I took in the place where the next years of my life  perhaps my entire life  would be decided.

There was a pine platform from which the judge advocate would oversee proceedings. To one side sat three Royal Marine and four Navy officers, the court martial jury who would decide my fate on the charge of murdering a Taliban insurgent in Afghanistan.

They were all that I and my two fellow defendants would see. We were screened off from the public gallery and the press by a partition. From here, we would listen to the evidence presented against us, hear our lawyers cross-examinations and ultimately deliver our own testimonies.

We didnt even have names. The judge had imposed an anonymity order on us when we were first charged more than a year ago, but there had been much media speculation about Marine A, as I had become widely known, and his fellow defendants, B and C.

The moniker concerned me because it shrouded the truth about who and what I was.

Marine A was a voiceless, nameless figure, a silhouette at the head of a news item, a man without a family, a history, a life. A man synonymous with a few moments in Helmand Province, without any of the context of the arduous months that had led up to that point. Marine A wasnt really a human being, he was a cypher, two-dimensional, consisting of only a few brief facts and a few briefly narrated events.

In the dock: A sketch of Sgt Blackman appearing via video link at an appeal court hearing

Stills of footage captured by a camera mounted on the helmet of a Royal Marine showing Sgt Alexander Wayne Blackman during a patrol in Afghanistan in which an insurgent was murdered

Nobody knew my service history, my character and personality. Nobody could see me as a rounded human being, with strengths and frailties, hopes and hates, people I loved and people I looked after, just like everyone else.

And although I understood the importance of anonymity in not prejudicing the trial, something inside me wanted to shed it, to tell the world that I wasnt Marine A, I was Alexander Blackman.

The first week of the trial was spent with the prosecution establishing a picture of what happened when my lads and I had been sent out to recover the body of the Taliban insurgent and his weapons. The video snippets  of us on patrol dragging and verbally abusing him and then me shooting him  were played.

It was a strange thing to sit behind a partition while unseen lawyers and witnesses built up an image of you as a cold and calculating killer. It was not until the second week that my defence team began to present its case and I was called to give evidence.

I was anxious but welcomed this chance to speak for myself. I didnt plan to make excuses.

I wanted to own the things Id said and done, and yet also try to make people understand.

My defence team questioned me, leading the court through the events of that day in Helmand from my perspective.

Then the prosecution took over to cross-examine me, and what had started out as a cold assembling of the facts transformed into an evisceration of my character.

I was accused of leading my troop as if we were an execution squad, deliberately roaming around in search of insurgents we could kill, and all for the benefit of our own egos.

We were, the prosecution claimed, racially motivated  and I could understand where they got that impression, given some of the phrases caught on the video footage, which represented us badly. But in the heat of the battlefield, when nerves are on edge and bodies depleted, terrible things can and do get said.

The expletives and epithets we spat out that day were the product of frustration, fear and exhaustion, not hate.

As Royal Marines, it was not our job to let hatred and resentment fester inside us.

Sergeant Alexander Blackman was arrested for war crimes after an incident in Afghanistan in 2011

He was arrested in 2012 for killing a mortally wounded Taliban soldier and was overwhelmed with memories from his time in Afghanistan

We were there to follow orders  and we had gone out that day to do as we were asked in collecting weapons from an insurgent we believed to be dead, killed by devastating fire from one of our own Apache gunships.

Nothing that had happened had been premeditated. The dark humour and offensive banter wed shared was not born out of a bloodthirsty desire to kill, nor out of any deep-seated xenophobia in any of us.

Just as nurses and doctors often develop a morbid sense of humour  something to offset the gravity of the decisions they must make each day, and the horrible human frailty with which theyre faced  soldiers develop their own coping mechanisms, too.

What was said when we felt our lives were in danger every second might seem horrific repeated on the streets back home, but, in Helmand Province, it was very different. You need to bite back. You need to give vent. You need some sort of release.

Listening to it again in the courtroom, I felt ashamed, but I didnt hear hatred in those words, just a group of lads giving release to pent-up frustrations that, had they been kept within, would have made them less effective soldiers and put them at even further risk.

I tried to represent the day as I had lived it  and had continued to live it in my mind, over and again, in the many months since.

But how do you capture the feeling of the months of hell we endured under the implacable Afghan sun? If you were not there in Helmand, you could never understand.

What I had done that day had been an error of judgment. I accepted that. But, in my heart, I knew I had not murdered a man. There was no design in it.

He was already cut to pieces and eviscerated when we found him, unconscious and barely breathing. Nothing I did when I put a bullet in him changed who lived or died.

What I had done had been a pointless, foolish act of madness, but surely it was not murder?

The prosecution orated at length about intentions I knew did not tally with the Royal Marine Id been for 16 years.

They painted a picture of me relishing the killing and even basking in adding another bullet hole to the monstrous wounds the Apache helicopter had already inflicted. They took every word I had said and twisted it.

Sgt Blackman said: 'In a holding cell at the court, I was allowed to see Claire, my wife, for a few brief moments'. Pictured: Sgt Blackman and Claire

I tried to hold onto that kernel at the heart of myself, the core that was good and right and would have done anything for the lads I had out there with me in the worst theatre of war on earth.

At night, in between court sessions, I tried to block out the things the prosecution had said and the image they were trying to evoke  of a loose cannon, a Marine without any moral compass whod gone off the reservation and begun acting out his own fantasies rather than approaching his tour in the ordered, structured and responsible way in which all Royal Marines are taught to.

I told myself that, whatever had taken hold of me in those moments when the Taliban insurgent lay dying among us, I was not the racially motivated monster, galvanising a group of young lads to follow his example, that they were seeking to portray.

The prosecution had been fierce but, even as the final arguments were made and the seven-man board retired to deliberate, my defence team remained confident that our case was robust enough and that the verdict would allow me to go home with an untarnished service record.

As for me, I only hoped my voice had been heard and understood.

I knew I was not the reprehensible person theyd depicted, and I could only hope that between the testimony Id given and my unblemished history until that day in Helmand, the board could see it, too.

THE next day, after a virtually sleepless night, I waited in full dress uniform for the verdict. In the courtroom, all was silent.

My fellow defendants took their seats beside me, but we didnt speak, each of us lost in our own worlds, imagined futures and the imagined past.

Theyd given good accounts of themselves in the hearing, and in lots of ways I still burned for them. They were so much younger than me, they still had so many years of military service to give, and they did not deserve to be here.

I was their commander, and I still felt that responsibility as, holding ourselves rigidly, we waited for the judge advocate to bring the court to session. I was acutely and uncomfortably aware that everything  the sum total of all 16 years I had spent with the Royal Marines  boiled down to these next few moments.

What I felt was not like the fear of going into combat, because there you have your training to fall back on, and no matter how perilous the situation, there is always something you can do, some choice you can make, to try to make things better.

But here, listening to the sound of my own breathing, feeling the starch of my dress uniform collar chafe against my throat, my heart hammering in my chest, there was not a single thing I could do. The die had already been cast.

The judge advocate invited the head of the board to step forward and announce the verdicts which he and his fellows had reached.

To the charge of murder, we find Marine A . . . guilty.

Never before had a moment piled into me with such force. Time seemed out of sync. Others voices came to me through the miasma. Marines B and C were pronounced not guilty, and I was happy for them. The burden I believed Id put on them was gone.

Sergeant Blackman was 'branded a murderer, jailed and dismissed from the Royal Marines in disgrace'. Stock photo

Sergeant Blackman with his wife Claire in 2017. He has previously said he 'wouldn't have survived' without his wife's help

But the walls of the courtroom were closing in on me as my mind was spinning at a million miles a minute. I felt the earth opening up and swallowing me, dragging me down into a vortex.

The judge announced that I would be remanded in custody pending sentence at some future date. As guards came to take me away, his last words rang in my ears: I was a convicted murderer, and therefore my sentence would be no less than life.

In a holding cell at the court, I was allowed to see Claire, my wife, for a few brief moments.

I held her hand, looked into her eyes and told her that if she wanted to call our marriage quits then I would understand. I wont hate you if you walk away and get on with your life. You shouldnt have to do this, not for me.

It was an offer I had made when I was arrested, and she had refused. And she refused this time, too. Her hand tightened on mine as she said: Id never do that, Al. And I never want to hear you offer anything as stupid again, do you hear? Im here. Im not going anywhere.

AS I was driven to Colchester Military prison, alone and caged in darkness in the back of a Transit van, one of the army personnel from the military court, a complete stranger, volunteered to sit with me on the journey.

I was grateful for his compassion. It mattered so much that he did not automatically want to shun me because of what had happened in Helmand.

Though we scarcely spoke as the van lumbered on, just his presence was enough to stop me disappearing into the black hole of my imagination.

Intermittently, he would hand me his mobile phone and my own name would buzz out at me from Sky News.

Talking heads spoke of how Id brought the service into disrepute, how Id tarnished the name of the Royal Marines and the British Armed Forces, and how it was evil-doers like me who perpetuated the cycle of revenge and recrimination in the theatres of the Middle East.

Somehow I found the strength to bear it all  because of a random act of kindness by a man I would never see again. I was going to need more of that to get me through what lay ahead.

At Colchester, I was put in an observation suite for prisoners at risk of committing suicide.

I do not know that my thoughts had ever turned that way, but it was true I could not haul myself out of the mental crevasse in which I was stuck.

My conviction, a mandatory life sentence, the idea of Claire alone on the outside and yet still standing beside me  all of it was enough to put me in a stupor.

A still of the video, which was used to convict Sergeant Blackman of murdering an Afghani insurgent in 2011

I tried to sleep, but it was impossible under the glare of the strip lights. Through a one-way mirror, I could sense the eyes of prison officials on me.

If I turned my face away or if they could not see my hands above the bed-covers, a guard would speak over the intercom to make sure I was still alive.

One day bled into the next in what was a purgatory, just waiting for whatever came next.

The weeks between visits were eternities. Claire would come, so would guys I knew from the Royal Marines.

But the only thing that brought me any comfort at all was knowing that my two fellow defendants were out there now, enjoying the freedom I no longer had.

It was a small victory, I supposed, but little things can make such a big difference  and, in those days, it mattered intensely. I was not immune to what was being said about me in the outside world.

Early in December 2013, the anonymity order was formally lifted and now every news outlet could report my conviction by name, dig into my background and tell my story.

Condemning voices continued to preach what a terrible human being I was.

Even figures high up in the military were keen to denounce the evil Id wreaked.

No less a figure than General Sir Nick Houghton, Chief of the Defence Staff of the British Armed Forces, said there should be no special pleading for me at my forthcoming sentencing hearing, that murder is murder and that the circumstances in Afghanistan were irrelevant to my case.

Yet not all the voices in the media threw me to the wolves.

A petition for leniency was signed by tens of thousands of supporters and, in the Daily Mail, Colonel Richard Kemp  former chairman of the Cobra Intelligence Committee, who had himself been deployed in Afghanistan early in the war  argued that Houghton was misguided.

Kemp believed the court was under pressure to make an example of me  to show that the deeply unpopular war in Afghanistan was being dealt with satisfactorily at last, and that the national conscience of the United Kingdom could finally be soothed. He feared I was becoming a scapegoat for all the perceived wrongs of war, and urged the public to understand that what had happened in Helmand was hardly comparable to a gang killing on the streets of London.

My sentencing hearing was set for December 6, 2013, a month after my conviction and a day after my name was released to the public.

I was escorted back to Bulford Camp and stood in court in my full dress uniform  still, for a little while longer, a Royal Marine. This time there was no partition shutting me off, and for the first time I felt all the courts eyes on me.

The summary of the Judge Advocate General of the Armed Forces, Jeff Blackett, was measured but brutal.

My troops and I, he told me, had handled the wounded Taliban insurgent with so little care when we picked him up and carried him that it was tantamount to deliberately inflicting even deeper injuries on him.

The tone and calmness of your voice, he continued, were chilling. It seemed, in the judges eyes, that I was barely a soldier but the insurgents merciless executioner.

I let the words envelop me. It was hard to recognise myself, but this was the way the court depicted me; this was their finding and I tried to bear it.

Standing there, with my own character and motivations being dictated to me, I clung to my belief that it wasnt me he was describing.

When he spoke of the rough way we carried the insurgent, he barely acknowledged the fear hanging over us.

When he spoke about my tone of voice, as if I was a cold and calculating killer without any human emotion, he was not there with me, in Helmand with all its tensions piled up on me.

He went on: You have betrayed your corps and all British service personnel. You abused your position of trust. Those words bit deep into me.

My corps were my brothers. Id trained and fought alongside them for 16 years. Id have given my life for any one of those lads Id been with out there. Id been branded a traitor for a terrible error of judgement. I wore those words like a wound.

Then came the sentence. Life imprisonment with a minimum of ten years.

It was a crushing moment. I would be 50 years old by the time I had any chance of freedom again, not knowing, even then, if they would ever let me out.

What world would I recognise? How could I ask Claire to wait for me all that time? But the Judge Advocate wasnt finished.

In fact, he had saved the most soul-destroying blow for last. Looking down at me from the head of the courtroom, he intoned: You will also be reduced to the ranks and dismissed with disgrace from Her Majestys service.

As this final humiliation sank in, I was made to stand up.

Military protocol was clear. Before I was taken away, I was obliged to lift my hand and salute the board, as if to thank them for the life sentence they had just handed me.

As I held the salute, I realised this would be my last act as a Royal Marine, saluting the men who had discharged me.

I was not expecting what happened next. In a move I believe is unprecedented, the board lifted their arms and returned my salute. Something deep inside me began to quake.

They should not have done it  and yet they had felt they must. For a flickering moment, each of us saluted the other.

Then, I was led out of the courtroom  no longer a Royal Marine and my life in pieces.

Marine A by Alexander Blackman is published by Mirror Books, price 20. To order a copy for 16 (a 20 per cent discount), go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 0844 571 0640.

P&P is free on orders over 15. Spend 30 on books and get FREE premium delivery. Offer is valid until April 16, 2019.
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Texas Tech University's medical school has agreed to stop considering race as a factor during admissions, in an agreement with President Donald Trump's administration.

The agreement, revealed on Tuesday, was signed in February in order to resolve a probe into Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center admissions policies by the Education Department's Civil Rights Office.

The probe, like similar ones currently underway at Harvard and Yale, is investigating whether Asian applicants are being discriminated against under race-based admissions preferences.

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (above) reached the agreement with the Justice Department in February, it was revealed on Tuesday

The voluntary settlement at Texas Tech is the first of its kind to emerge from the probes, and may signal likely outcomes for other schools under similar scrutiny.

Under the agreement, Texas Tech agreed to discontinue all use of an applicant's race or national origin as a factor in admissions, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the deal.

The school is required to revise all admissions and recruiting materials so that they don't reference race as a factor by September.

In a letter agreeing to the settlement, the school said it believed its admissions practices fell within Supreme Court guidance on racial preferences, but that it accepted the resolution in order to resolve the matter.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos (above) has overseen several investigations into the use of race as a factor in high education admissions

The Trump administration is currently pursuing separate probes into Harvard and Yale.

The Justice Department also backed a lawsuit targeting Harvard's use of race in admissions, writing in an August brief that the university's admissions process 'may be infected with racial bias.'

In July, the administration scrapped Obama-era guidance calling on school superintendents and colleges to consider race when trying to diversify their campuses.
Two Kentucky bars are being sued for allegedly over-serving a drunk driver who went on to cause a fiery wrong-way crash that killed an entire family of five from Michigan.

The relatives of the Abbas family filed the lawsuits against the two bars in the Lexington area this week following the fatal crash in January on Kentucky's Interstate 75.

Joey Lee Bailey, 41, was behind the wheel of his white pickup when he drove the wrong way down the interstate on January 6 and crashed into the family's sport utility vehicle at about 2.30am.

The Abbas family - Issam Abbas, 42 and Rima Abbas, 38, along with their son Ali Abbas, 14; and daughters Isabella Abbas, 13, and Giselle Abbas, 7 - were all killed in the fiery crash in Kentucky on January 6

Joey Lee Bailey, 41, was behind the wheel of his white pickup when he drove the wrong way down the interstate on January 6 and crashed into the family's SUV

Joey Lee Bailey, 41, was behind the wheel of his white pickup when he drove the wrong way down the interstate on January 6 and crashed into the family's sport utility vehicle at about 2.30am. The crash is seen above

The family's SUV immediately caught fire, killing Issam Abbas, 42 and Rima Abbas, 38, along with their son Ali Abbas, 14; and daughters Isabella Abbas, 13, and Giselle Abbas, 7.

Bailey, whose blood-alcohol content was three times the limit at .306, also died in the wreck.

The lawsuits names Horseshoes Kentucky Grill & Saloon in Lexington, Roosters Wings in Georgetown and Bailey's estate as defendants.

According to the police report, Bailey consumed two 22-ounce beers and three double White Russians at Roosters Wings before driving to the next bar where he had one beer and four double White Russians.

Police said he then drove down the I75 and collided into the Abbas family.

The family's SUV immediately caught fire and killed all five family members. The fiery crash shut down the interstate for several hours

The lawsuit claims that Bailey was served the drinks in the two bars despite already being drunk.

'For the surviving family members, as well as for their many friends left behind, the nightmare and grief caused by that crash will never go away,' an attorney representing the Abbas family, Greg Bubalo, told Click on Detroit.

'By filing the lawsuit, the family hopes to hold those responsible accountable and ensure that this type of tragedy does not occur to another family.

'This is a second time fatalities have been alleged to have resulted from over-serving alcohol by Horseshoes.'

The Abbas family were driving back home to Michigan after taking a vacation in Florida.

The lawsuits names Horseshoes Kentucky Grill & Saloon in Lexington (seen above)

Roosters Wings in Georgetown is also named in the lawsuit. Bailey, whose blood-alcohol content was three times the limit at .306, died in the wreck
Authorities have identified an American suspect in the killing of a Thai national whose battered body was found bound and gagged on the side of a road in a high-profile case in Australia.

A federal search warrant filed by the FBI on Friday says Australian authorities issued an arrest warrant for Alex Dion in the killing of 33-year-old Wachira 'Mario' Phetmang in June in Sydney.

Dion already was in custody on a domestic violence charge in San Diego when the warrant was issued.

The warrant, which marks the first time a suspect was publicly named in the case, was first obtained by a terrorism researcher at George Washington University.

Australian authorities have identified a suspect in the killing of Thai national Wachira 'Mario' Phetmang, 33

Phetmang is pictured above at a service station in Sydney on May 25, 2018 - the last time he was seen alive

The warrant says Dion is to be extradited to Australia on Friday. It's unclear whether he has an attorney.

Phetmang's decomposed body was discovered wrapped in a plastic material and covered with a mattress near Sydney's Olympic Park on June 6, 2018.

The body was found by a passing truck driver at about 10.30pm.

The driver reportedly pulled over in bad weather and saw the wrapped-up body, which was taken to a morgue for an autopsy and forensic tests.

'A post mortem examination revealed Mario had been seriously assaulted, and his cause of death was blunt-force trauma,' New South Wales Police said.

The Thai national had been living in Australia for the past 10 years, most recently at Hurstville in Sydney's south.

Phetmang's decomposed body was discovered wrapped in a plastic material and covered with a mattress near Sydney's Olympic Park on June 6, 2018

Phetmang was travelling in a silver 2004 Hyundai Terracan, with Victorian registration URK109 when he was last seen

Detectives revealed Phetmang was last seen at a service station at South Hurstville about 7.30pm on May 25.

He had been in Sydney's central business district and the Guildford area during the day.

Police hoped the release of CCTV footage from that evening would lead to a breakthrough in the case.

'At this stage, we do not know where Mario went after leaving the service station, and we are appealing for information about his movements from then until his body was located almost two weeks later,' Detective Superintendent Scott Cook said.

'We are particularly appealing to motorists who have dash cameras to review their footage to see if they may have filmed the vehicle during that time.

'He [Phetmang] has no criminal history, he was a well-liked individual,' Dept Supt Cook said.

Phetmang was travelling in a silver 2004 Hyundai Terracan, with Victorian registration URK109 when he was last seen.

Strike Force Sinder was established to investigate Phetmang's murder.
Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd is expected to return to the UK today after 10 months on the run from the law.

Shepherd, 31, is being extradited from Georgia to begin a six-year prison sentence for the manslaughter of Charlotte Brown, 24.

He is due to arrive late on Wednesday, escorted by Metropolitan Police officers, before appeared at the Old Bailey tomorrow.

Shepherd fled the UK last summer and was found guilty of killing Miss Brown in a speedboat crash on the Thames in his absence.

It comes as his Georgian girlfriend Maiko Tchanturidze vowed to stand by him during a tearful farewell at his prison in Tbilisi.

Amateur model Miss Tchanturidze, 24, declared she would wait for Shepherd and would apply for a visa to visit him in jail in London.

Maiko Tchanturidze at a court in Tbilisi last month for an extradition hearing for Jack Shepherd

Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd faces years behind bars in Britain after he was found guilty in his absence last August and handed a six-year jail term

Shepherd, who is married with a young son, will appear at the Old Bailey on Thursday where a judge is expected to order him to belatedly start his six-year sentence for the manslaughter of Miss Brown.

The business consultant, from Clacton, Essex, died on her first date with Shepherd in December 2015 when he took her for a drunken ride in his defective speedboat which flipped on the Thames.

Web designer Shepherd fled to Georgia ahead of his trial last July, and was convicted in his absence.

He caused outrage by launching an appeal  funded by legal aid  from his hideaway and the Daily Mail offered a 25,000 reward in the hunt to find him.

Shepherd started dating Miss Tchanturidze, a former TV journalist, within weeks of his arrival in the former Soviet republic, but neglected to tell her he was a wanted fugitive.

After eight months together, he tearfully confessed to being a convicted killer shortly before handing himself in to police on January 23, but told her the accident was not his fault.

Yesterday she said: 'I will definitely stand by him. I can't wait to see him again. Jack is fearful about what will happen, but he is holding it together.

Charlotte Brown who died after a speedboat crash on the Thames in December 2015. She was on a first date with Shepherd

During the Old Bailey trial jurors were told Shepherd's speedboat was found to have a number of defects

Shepherd started dating Miss Tchanturidze, a former TV journalist, within weeks of his arrival in the former Soviet republic

'Saying goodbye was an emotional moment. But I know I will see him again. I will come to England to visit him in prison, if I can get a visa.'

Miss Tchanturidze  who took Shepherd to meet her family in Kutaisi, 140 miles west of the capital, last October  has previously said: 'He is the best person in the world. Everything the media is saying about him is false.'

Today Shepherd's glamorous Georgian lawyer Mariam Kublashvili also paid him a final visit.

The former model, who starred on Georgia's version of Strictly Come Dancing, said: 'I felt like I was going to cry. This may be the last time we'll see each other.'

No date has yet been set for Shepherd's appeal, which is based on perceived legal errors made by the judge in relation to his police interview.

He has issued a reluctant apology to Miss Brown's parents but still blames her, insisting she was driving at the time the speedboat capsized.

Whenever he is free again, he has said he will not return to his wife but wants to secure access to his two-year-old son.
Shortly after Kamala Harris was elected San Francisco district attorney in 2004, city cop Isaac Espinoza was gunned down by a gang member - the first police officer to be killed in the line of duty in years.

Despite heavy political pressure, Harris declined to seek the death penalty for-then 22-year-old killer David Hill.

On duty on the Saturday before Easter in April 2004, Espinoza believed he saw Hill hide a weapon and approached him. When he identified himself as an officer Hill took out an AK-47 assault rifle and fired about a dozen rounds.

Harris had campaigned on the promise never to pursue the death penalty and stuck to that during the case, which gained national attention as she made her first major decision in her position as the city's top law enforcer. Hill was eventually convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Kamala Harris as San Francisco district attorney in 2005; the Espinoza case was the first major test in her job

Renata Espinoza, slain police officer Isaac Espinoza's widow, said she didn't understand why Harris wouldn't pursue the death penalty for her husband

Isaac Espinoza was 29 when he was killed by a gang member in 2004

Renata Espinoza, Isaac Espinoza's widow, had harsh words for Harris in a new interview now that the California senator is pursuing the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

The widow expressed her anger that Harris never contacted her before she went on camera three days after Espinoza died to announce she would not seek the death penalty in the case.

It was unusual for a prosecutor to announce such a decision so quickly.

'She did not call me,' Espinoza told CNN. 'I don't understand why she went on camera to say that without talking to the family. It's like, you can't even wait till he's buried?'

'I felt like she had just taken something from us,' she added. 'She had just taken justice from us. From Isaac. She was only thinking of herself. I couldn't understand why. I was in disbelief that she had gone on and already made her decision to not seek the death penalty for my husband.'

Hill, now 26, told CNN he is 'grateful' Harris didn't pursue the death penalty option.

'It took a lot of courage and integrity to make a campaign promise like that - and then keep it,' he said. 'I'm forever grateful.'

He is currently an inmate at the maximum-security California State Prison.

Harris recalled the city's reaction to the death of 29-year-old Isaac Espinoza in an interview last month.

'It was hot,' Harris told the San Francisco Chronicle. 'Remember, there had not been a police officer killed in the line of duty in San Francisco in a generation. Democrats weren't necessarily being vocal about their position on the death penalty in those days.'

In 1973, California passed a law that made the murderer of a police officer eligible for the death penalty.

Instead Harris' office pursued a life in prison without parole conviction.

But there was heavy pressure on her to pursue the death penalty option.

The San Francisco Police Officers Association wanted Harris to go that route.

Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein was invited to give a eulogy at Espinoza's funeral, where she called for the death penalty to be used in the case.

'This is not only the definition of tragedy, it's the special circumstance called for by the death penalty law,' Feinstein, the former mayor of San Francisco, said at the service.

David Hill was sentenced to life in prison for his killing of Isaac Espinoza

Isaac Espinoza's widow, Renata, center, attended a candlelight vigil in May 10, 2004, in San Francisco, to support the city's police officers

Feinstein received a standing ovation from the hundreds of rank-and-file officers at the funeral as Harris sat in the front row.

During the competitive district attorney race, Harris explained she opposed the death penalty for many reasons including its unequal application based on a defendant's race and income.

It's a position she has stuck to as she campaigns for the Democratic presidential nomination.

'We are talking about a system that creates a final punishment without any requirement that there be DNA to prove it,' Harris told MSBC in January. 'It is a system where it has been fundamentally proven to be applied to African American and Latino men and poor men disproportionately for the same kind of crime.'

But the Espinoza case had lasting political repercussions for Harris early in her political career. It took her years to repair relations with the law enforcement community while some remain angry about the case.

'The question I've reflected on is whether I should have waited until after his funeral,' Harris told the Chronicle in March. 'Maybe it was a political novice mistake. I don't know. Maybe it was the right thing to do but you got to take the heat for it.'

The Espinoza family did get a sit down with Harris where they pled their case for the death penalty.

'I can't remember exactly what she said,' Regina Espinoza, Isaac's older sister, told CNN. 'But I remember there was no connection. We let her know how we felt. We didn't walk away feeling better.'

Renata Espinoza said she never received a human connection from Harris.

'She never came over and said, 'I'm sorry for your loss.' Never. Nothing,' she said. 'I would have been able to hear her explanation directly and then we could have talked about it.'

Renata Espinoza at the May 2004 vigil

Kamala Harris continues to oppose the death penalty as she campaigns for president

On the presidential campaign trail this month, Harris called Officer Espinoza's case 'an absolute tragedy,' and said her office 'prosecuted that case with all the resources that we had.'

Asked by CNN whether she regretted not speaking to the family before announcing the death penalty would not be sought, Harris responded: 'I did not ask for permission to make my decision.'

Gary Delagnes was president of the police officers' association at the time and also pushed for the death penalty.

He told CNN: 'It would have been very easy for her to say, 'Hey, I'm against the death penalty but this guy killed a cop and I'm going to change my mind on this.' There's something to be said for the fact that she remained consistent.'

Hill has expressed regret for his actions.

'I am remorseful about the whole situation,' he said. 'I'm deeply saddened. And I came to this feeling through the rehabilitation programs at the prison. They've helped me understand.'

When asked about Renata Espinoza, Hill replied: 'Sorry wouldn't suffice.'
A CCTV camera inside a restaurant in Brazil recorded the frightening moment an alleged assassin opened fired on his target, before being subdued by his target's family.

The gunman is spotted surveying the area at the eatery in Lagoa Nova on the afternoon of April 3, before he slowly walked to a table where a local businessman was sharing a meal with his son and stepson.

The suspect is then seen pulling out a handgun from underneath his shirt and shooting the businessman.

Brazilian news outlet G1 said the shooter's motive could have been over a legal dispute involving money.

Authorities did not reveal the names of the individuals involved.

WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES

The alleged assassin (circled) approached a table at a restaurant in Brazil and was looking to shoot a local businessman (pictured center clockwise)

The assassin (circled) shot a local businessman three times during a failed assassination attempt on April 3

The shooting sent other customers running for cover, including the three men at the table.

A couple of seconds later, the victim's son seems to rush the shooter, making him retreat towards the opposite end of the floor.

The surveillance footage shows how the gunman tried to fire another shot but was unable to do so.

The businessman's stepson then joined the fray as they subdued the gunman.

He placed the man in a choke hold and dragged him across the dining area before the victim's son picked up the gun from the floor and aimed it at him.

The son (front) of a businessman wounded in a failed assassination attempt rushed at the shooter (rear)

The footage also showed businessman's son picked up a chair and blasted the shooting suspect across the midsection.

Amazingly he put up a struggle as both men continued to kick him and punch him in the head.

He was taken to a hospital and was treated for his injuries while under custody of the military police.

The shot businessman was transported to a local hospital and reportedly underwent a successful operation.
Donald Trump's administration is attempting to build a 10-mile, 19,000,000-pound concrete barrier around the Burning Man festival, it has been revealed.

Last month the Nevada branch of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its draft Environmental Impact Statement, which included a number of proposals that it wanted the famous week-long festival to adopt - much to organizers' chagrin.

BLM has asked that organizers construct the concrete barrier in Black Rock desert, where the festival takes place, hire a private security force, and fill the temporary city with dumpsters.

Burning Man organizers have hit back at the BLM proposal, saying such changes would 'forever negatively change the fabric' of the festival 'if not outright kill it'.

Donald Trump's administration is attempting to build a 10-mile, 19,000,000-pound concrete barrier around the Burning Man festival (pictured in an aerial shot)

Burning Man Project estimated that BLM's proposed changes would cost an additional $20million a year, which would raise ticket prices by nearly $300.

Organizers pointed out that this would financially benefit BLM, due to the fact it takes a percentage cut from each $400 ticket.

'The Draft EIS does not adequately factor in the astronomical cost increases and beyond-excessive government oversight associated with BLM's requirements,' organizers wrote in an official statement.

'It does not adequately factor in our operational track record or expertise and proposes instead to increase federal government agency operations exponentially in order to take over or 'monitor' our operations.'

Organizers argued that replacing Burning Man's current 10-mile fence, which is designed to catch trash, with the concrete fence would be 'logistically onerous, environmentally irresponsible, unnecessarily redundant, and prohibitively expensive'.

Last month the Nevada branch of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its draft Environmental Impact Statement, which included a number of proposals that it wanted the famous week-long festival to adopt

BLM asked organizers to construct the temporary concrete barrier in Black Rock desert, where the festival takes place, hire a private security force, and fill the temporary city with dumpsters

They said the concrete wall would block dust and wind from blowing through the festival, which would create 10 miles of dangerous dunes.

BLM claims that the fence would reduce the risks of cars coming into the festival through the fencing, an issue that organizers said doesn't even exist.

There have been zero reports of cars attempting to illegally enter the festival through the fence in recent years, according to Mashable.

Only one road on the grounds allows safe entry to the event without getting stuck in dust, and the festival also has a security team.

'It's actually easier to climb over a concrete barrier than a taut 10-mile trash fence,' one Burning Man volunteer added.

Organizers also fought back at BLM's proposal to fill Black Rock City with dumpsters, claiming it goes against Burning Man's core 'Leave No Trace' principal.

'Leaving No Trace has been one of our core principals for over 30 years, and is the bedrock of our ethos of Radial Self-reliance: we pack everything in and pack everything out,' they said.

Burning Man Project estimated that BLM's proposed changes would cost an additional $20million a year, which would raise ticket prices by nearly $300

'Our community's resounding success in this area is largely due to the fact that there are no trash cans (or dumpsters), so participants must rely on themselves to Leave No Trace.'

'Our history has proven that if you emphasize the LNT ethic and don't offer on-site waste removal support resources, people won't come to expect the organizing entity to handle their other needs as well. This is part of what pulls the community together.'

Organizers noted that staff and volunteers also clean up the nearby road after the festival and groups who perform poorly on its environmental impact assessment are banned from attending the following year.

BLM has also requested that there be private security at all portals of entry to Burning Man to screen participants, volunteers, and staff for weapons and illegal drugs.

But organizers argued that Burning Man already has a volunteer force of Black Rock Rangers, who work with local Nevada sheriffs and official BLM rangers at the festival.

They argued that BLM only wants private security because the attendees are going to Burning Man.

Burning Man organizers have hit back at the BLM proposal, saying such changes would 'forever negatively change the fabric' of the festival 'if not outright kill it'

'This BLM requirement constitutes search and seizure without just cause - the "probable cause" in this case is solely and exclusively the fact that a participant is going to Burning Man,' organizers wrote.

'We believe this would constitute a violation of the 4th Amendment of the US Constitution.'

They argued that the private security searches would also delay entrance times to the festival 'by days', rather than hours.

Last year 44 out of 80,000 attendees were arrested at Burning Man, most for drug offenses.

BLM has also asked Burning Man organizers to stop using lasers at night because it could be harmful to migratory birds, despite the fact that none appear in the summer and they do not migrate at night.

Burning Man organizers have asked its beloved Burners - which include Silicon Valley giants like Elon Musk and Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin - to protest the public proposal.
Brian Rini, 23, was booked into the Hamilton County Jail at 10:18pm last night, where local police say he could face federal charges for allegedly attempting to impersonate missing Timmothy, on Wednesday

An Ohio man accused of impersonating missing child Timmothy Pitzen has been jailed without bond today, charged with lying to federal agents.

Authorities charged Brian Michael Rini, 23, of Medina, Ohio, on Friday, a day after DNA testing proved he wasn't Timmothy Pitzen, who disappeared in 2011 at age six.

'I believe Mr. Rini poses a risk of flight,' Magistrate Karen Litkovitz said during a brief hearing in which Rini stood before her in a uniform from the jail with his wrists and ankles shackled.

She cited his lack of a permanent address, past mental health issues and 'a lengthy criminal history' that goes back to age 13.

She also noted that he had just been released on probation last month from state prison, after serving more than a year on burglary and vandalism charges.

Federal authorities said he also has twice before portrayed himself to be a juvenile sex trafficking victim, as he did in this case.

She scheduled an April 19 preliminary hearing for Rini, who was represented by a federal public defender. He could face up to eight years in prison if convicted of making false statements to federal agents.

Police said Brian Michael Rini (left) from Medina, Ohio, lied to investigators when he claimed to be missing Illinois boy Timmothy Pitzen (right). He could face federal charges, with a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison

The Butler County Jail where he's being held lists him as 5 feet, 9 inches tall and 145 pounds.

Police picked up Rini the morning of April 3 after a report that someone was wandering the streets of Newport, Kentucky.

They said he told them he was Timmothy and that he had escaped two kidnappers after years of sexual abuse.

Police took him to Cincinnati Children's Hospital for treatment and testing. Federal authorities have said they were skeptical, especially after he refused to be fingerprinted but didn't want to miss a chance to possibly solve the Pitzen disappearance.

The FBI said DNA testing established his identity as a convicted felon.

A day earlier, Rini is said to have approached a woman on a residential street in Kentucky and claimed he was Timmothy Pitzen and had just managed to flee two kidnappers who had been holding him captive for eight years (pictured: Rini in the street moments after claiming to be Timmothy)

In 2017, Rini was treated at an Ohio center for people with mental health or substance abuse problems, according to court papers.

Timmothy, of Aurora, Illinois, vanished after his mother, Amy Fry-Pitzen, pulled him out of kindergarten, took him on a two-day road trip to the zoo and a water park, and then killed herself at a hotel.

She left a note saying that her son was safe with people who would love and care for him, and added: 'You will never find him.'

After Rini's account was pronounced a hoax last week, Timmothy's grandmother Alana Anderson said: 'It's been awful. We've been on tenterhooks, hopeful and frightened. It's just been exhausting.'

Incredibly, Anderson said the family didn't feel anger towards the fraudster, only pity.

Timmothy's father, James Pitzen (left) is said to be devastated once more after Rini's impersonation gave him false hope

'I feel so sorry for the young man who's obviously had a horrible time and felt the need to say he was somebody else,' she said.

Timmothy vanished on May 11 2011, after being taken out of school by his mother, Amy Fry-Pitzen. She committed suicide in a motel room soon after and left a note saying the boy was safe but would never be found.

'Although we are disappointed that this turned out to be a hoax, we remain diligent in our search for Timmothy, as our missing person's case remains unsolved,' an Aurora Police Department spokesperson said.

An FBI spokesman added: 'Law enforcement has not and will not forget Timmothy, and we hope to one day reunite him with his family. Unfortunately, that day will not be today.'

Timmothy's aunt, Jen West, said that, while she was crushed, there could be a silver lining to the hoax as it has renewed interest in her nephew's missing person's case.

'It's a blessing in that respect, that the more coverage he gets, the better.'
Theresa May flies to Brussels tomorrow to ask for a delay only until the end of June. She is pictured in Paris today

Britain was last night facing the prospect of another year in the EU.

Theresa May flies to Brussels today to ask for a delay only until the end of June.

But Donald Tusk has urged fellow leaders to impose a year-long delay to allow the UK to rethink its Brexit strategy. The EU president warned tough conditions would be attached to any extended postponement.

And he said the stalled withdrawal agreement would not be unpicked under any circumstances, including the election of a new Tory leader. The Prime Minister is asking for a short delay to try to get the agreement through Parliament, possibly in a compromise deal with Labour.

But government sources said she was now resigned to a longer period if EU leaders demanded it.

She had insisted she could not countenance putting off Britains departure beyond June 30. The Prime Minister faced a major Commons revolt last night, with 97 Tory MPs voting against any delay to the April 12 leaving date. Almost 80 more abstained, including a string of ministers.

Tory MP Anne Main said the delay request  the second in a month  was making the UK a laughing stock.

Downing Street indicated that Mrs Merkel had agreed to an extension of Article 50 in order to ensure Britains orderly withdrawal. Mrs May is pictured meeting her today

As Downing Street indicated that Mrs May wanted to stay on as long as it took to see the first stage of Brexit through:

The Prime Minister travelled to Berlin and Paris to ask for a short delay;

Chancellor Philip Hammond joined cross-party talks with Labour on a possible soft Brexit deal;

No 10 was braced for a possible mass walkout of ministers if the Prime Minister accepted a long delay;

Tory hardliner Mark Francois urged the EU to kick Britain out without a deal or face perfidious Albion on speed.

Labour backed the Brexit day delay, helping it pass by 420 votes to 110. But just 131 Tory MPs supported the PMs plan  40 per cent of the parliamentary party.

Cabinet ministers Andrea Leadsom and Liam Fox, who both abstained, both publicly questioned the PMs tactics.

Mrs Leadsom urged her to ask German chancellor Angela Merkel to reopen the withdrawal agreement  despite the EU repeatedly ruling this out. Dr Fox hit out at suggestions Mrs May could agree to keep Britain in a customs union as part of a compromise with Labour.

Solicitor general Robert Buckland told MPs the UK would be legally required to take part in European Parliament elections if it was a member state on May 23.

Mrs May met Emmanuel Macron today at the Elysee Palace in Paris for talks on Britain's withdrawal

But he suggested British MEPs might not have to take their seats if Westminster agreed an exit plan in the coming weeks.

Downing Street indicated that Mrs Merkel had agreed to an extension of Article 50 in order to ensure Britains orderly withdrawal.

But there is the risk that French president Emmanuel Macron, who has questioned the point of further delay, could veto it or impose onerous conditions at a summit in Brussels tomorrow night.

Mrs May can refuse the EUs offer of a long delay. But ministers fear MPs could vote to revoke Article 50 and cancel Brexit altogether unless a delay is agreed this evening. At a meeting of EU ministers in Luxembourg yesterday the blocs chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, said a short extension was realistic because Mrs May had a plan to break the impasse.

But according to two diplomatic notes seen by the Mail, there was a growing trend and convergence of opinions toward a date much later than June 30.

Sources suggested that EU leaders are now set to extend Article 50 until at least the end of this year.

Tory: I might vote Farage A Brexiteer Tory MP has suggested she might vote for Nigel Farages Brexit Party in the European elections. Anne Marie Morris, who is in the European Research Group, was speaking to fellow Eurosceptics when she was asked about voting for a Brexit Party candidate. She said: I would prefer somebody on the Brexit side... [but] I sincerely hope [the Tories] will put forward somebody of that orientation so let me see the runners and riders and then I can tell you. Advertisement

Mr Tusk last night told EU leaders there was little reason to believe that Mrs May would be able to get an agreement through Parliament by July.

Granting such an extension would increase the risk of a rolling series of short extensions and emergency summits, creating new cliff-edge dates, he said.

He urged EU leaders to agree a flexible extension that would allow the UK to leave early if it could ratify a deal. But he added: In the event of a continued stalemate, a longer extension would allow the UK to rethink its Brexit strategy.

EU leaders have been spooked by warnings from Brexit hardliners, including Jacob Rees-Mogg, that the UK could deploy wrecking tactics if it remained in the EU, such as voting down its budget.

Mr Tusk said the UK would be expected to guarantee it would work in a spirit of sincere co-operation.

Tory Eurosceptic Anne-Marie Morris warned she could vote for Nigel Farages new Brexit Party in the European Parliament elections in protest at the delay.

And Boris Johnsons father Stanley revealed he hopes to stand as a candidate on May 23, almost three years after Britain voted to leave.

Donald Tusk (seen in Brussels today) has urged fellow leaders to impose a year-long delay to allow the UK to rethink its Brexit strategy

Where's Angela? Awkward moment May walked up the red carpet alone after Merkel failed to greet her There was an awkward moment for Theresa May as she arrived at the German Chancellery for talks with Angela Merkel  who failed to greet her. Mrs Merkel traditionally meets important guests on the red carpet, but the Prime Minister was forced to walk down alone before entering the building. The two leaders then re-emerged to shake hands for the cameras before disappearing again inside. Mrs Merkel traditionally meets important guests on the red carpet, but the Prime Minister was forced to walk down alone before entering the building A body language expert yesterday suggested that the two leaders were at odds over a Brexit extension. Mrs Mays hand clasp resembled a begging gesture while both women cut grim expressions. Judi James said: Its the huge spatial gap between these two women that gives the suggestion of further separation rather than unity. Merkel in particular tends to keep both her allies and her enemies close but this pose suggests some desire to end the conversation. It was a different scene when Mrs May later headed to Paris to meet French President Emmanuel Macron, who greeted her with a hug and kisses on both cheeks. The two leaders talk together on the terrace of the Chancellery in Berlin today Advertisement

Tories' open revolt over delay: Almost 100 of them vote against move to put EU departure off to June 30

By John Stevens and Jack Doyle

Boris Johnson (pictured outside Parliament on April 8) was among Tories to vote against the motion to delay Brexit to June 30

Theresa May faced a mass rebellion by Tory MPs last night on a motion to delay Brexit to June 30 amid claims the UK was being turned into a laughing stock.

Ninety-seven backbench Tories voted against the motion, including former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab and former foreign secretary Boris Johnson.

And it came as the Prime Minister also faced open revolt in the Cabinet with ministers Andrea Leadsom and Liam Fox publicly challenging her Brexit strategy.

In the Commons, and despite a three-line whip, almost 80 Tories were absent including several ministers, leaving just 131 to vote in favour of the motion.

No10 said there would be no disciplining of MPs who did not follow the party line. The Commons approved the motion on the extension request by 420 votes to 110, a majority of 310.

Former education minister Tim Loughton attacked saboteurs on both sides for trying to hamstring the Prime Minister.

New Brexit vote 'within days' if Labour agree deal Brexit legislation could be brought back to the Commons in days if the Government can reach a deal with Labour, ministers said last night. Two Cabinet sources told the Mail discussions were under way about the possibility of asking MPs to vote this week on the Withdrawal Agreement Bill in the hope of still leaving the EU next month. Ministers have also reserved the right to shorten the Easter break by asking MPs to sit on Monday and Tuesday next week if a deal looks close. Under one proposal, the Government would agree to allow free votes on key Labour demands, such as a customs union and a second referendum. If passed, these would then be incorporated into Theresa Mays deal. But a Whitehall source last night said the high-risk strategy would only be considered if ministers were certain that Labour were signed up to it. The problem is that if you put the Withdrawal Bill in front of MPs and they vote it down then you have lost if for this session. You would have to prorogue Parliament to bring it back so its pretty high-risk. Shadow chancellor John McDonnell yesterday joined talks between the two parties in Whitehall, which also included Chancellor Philip Hammond and Environment Secretary Michael Gove. Mr McDonnell said Labour was seeking assurances that any agreement could not be overturned by a future Tory prime minister. His comments reflect concern in Labour ranks that a Brexiteer such as Boris Johnson could simply tear up any agreement if they became PM after Mrs May steps down. Mr McDonnell said: Some of the discussion that will take place will be about how any deal is secure for the long term and how best to secure that either through domestic legislation or treaty. He expected the discussions would also cover alignment with the single market and environmental, consumer and workers rights. Asked whether the Government was indicating it would back a customs union, Mr McDonnell said: Not yet  not even changes in language that I detect. Further talks are due to take place tomorrow. Meanwhile, an aide to Mr Hammond yesterday said he faced the sack for attending a Peoples Vote rally where he called for a second referendum. In defiance of the whips, Huw Merriman told the Westminster rally: I am determined to play my part  if that means I use my voice and get fired for it then so be it. Advertisement

He urged French president Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel to veto an extension and put us out of our misery now.

If the EU elections go ahead, it is highly likely the UK will elect an army of Nigel Farage mini-mes, who I am afraid will wreak havoc with the European Parliament and wreck your calculations about the balance of power within the EU.

Tory MP Anne Main said the UK was becoming a laughing stock and called it appalling that we may be seeking an extension with no real sense of purpose.

And Brexiteer Labour MP Kate Hoey added: It does seem really humiliating for this country to have our Prime Minister going over to the European Union to literally beg for an extension. What is this saying about our country?

As Mrs May flew to Berlin for talks yesterday, Commons Leader Mrs Leadsom urged her to ask Mrs Merkel to reopen the Withdrawal Agreement forged last November.

Even though the Prime Minister has long given up attempts at changes as the EU has repeatedly ruled them out, Mrs Leadsom raised the prospect she should still be pushing for them.

Speaking outside her London home, she told ITV News: The Prime Minister is off to see Angela Merkel today and it would be fantastic if Angela Merkel will try to support a proper UK Brexit by agreeing to reopen the Withdrawal Agreement.

There have been rumours over the weekend some senior members of the German government would be willing to do that in order to get Theresa Mays deal over the line.

As the person with the responsibility to get the legislation through, if we get the Prime Ministers deal over the line because the EU has decided to support measures on the backstop, that would be the best possible outcome.

But Mrs Mays official spokesman dismissed the idea, telling reporters: Any plan going forward would be based on the current Withdrawal Agreement.

There were also signs of resistance in the Cabinet to compromise with Labour, with International Trade Secretary Mr Fox warning that a customs union would leave the UK stuck in the worst of both worlds.

In a four-page letter to the 1922 committee of backbench Tory MPs, he explained how the scenario would see the UK on the menu without any control. He said: We would be stuck in the worst of both worlds, not only unable to set our own international trade policy, but subject, without representation, to the policy of an entity over which MPs would have no democratic control.

He went on: In such a scenario the UK would have a new role in the global trading system  we ourselves would be traded. As the famous saying in Brussels goes, if you are not at the table, you are on the menu.

DUP party leader Arlene Foster and Westminster leader Nigel Dodds both accused Mrs May of begging European leaders for help to break the impasse.

The talks between the Prime Minister and the leaders of France and Germany is humiliating and embarrassing for the UK, Mr Dodds said last night.

DUP party leader Arlene Foster and Westminster leader Nigel Dodds (pictured in Belfast on February 8) accused Mrs May of begging European leaders for help to break the impasse

The problems the Prime Minister is attempting to solve were not created by the decision to leave the EU, rather the ineffective negotiations by the Prime Minister to implement that decision.

Earlier, Mrs Foster questioned Mrs Mays leadership qualities. She needed to be strong, she needed to show leadership, and Im sorry to say that hasnt been evident in these past couple of months, she told the BBC.
Splitting up from someone you vowed to spend the rest of your life with is never easy  financially, logistically or emotionally.

But that process is set to become easier. It was announced today that our divorce laws are to undergo their biggest shake-up in 50 years, with plans to sweep away the legal principle by which one partner is typically identified as 'at fault' for the split. The right to contest a divorce will also be scrapped, meaning a spouse who wants to save their marriage will be unable to block the process.

While some say the move will help cut back on the bitterness often seen in divorce courts, critics fear the 'divorce-on-demand' process will hurt families by leading more couples to split.

Here our panel of writers, legal professionals and marriage experts answer the question: should divorce be made easier?...

The process for getting divorced is set to become easier as it was announced today that our divorce laws are to undergo their biggest shake-up in 50 years

YES: Marriage must not be a battle with child casualties

Bel Mooney, Mail advice columnist

Over 13 years of writing an advice column, I've come across many unhappy marriages, and offered hundreds of words of counsel  always in the knowledge that it's impossible to know the truth about the rights and wrongs within any marriage.

But I am sure of one thing  if a couple have children, they owe it to an innocent person to do everything they can to work through their bad times.

And, if they cannot solve their problems, then they must seek the most civilised and equitable parting possible.

Why? Because divorce hurts. People will tell me it's much better for a warring couple to part  and in the end I will agree.

But I will also counter by saying that marriages can be saved, and that adults must avoid warring conflict. For the sake of the children. Always.

Yes, the broken halves of a relationship will feel hurt and rage, bitter disappointment and a sense of failure, but those feelings must be contained if there are children involved. Difficult? Of course  but necessary.

Bel Mooney, Journalist and broadcaster

Yes, we may regret the fact that some marriages run their course, we may deplore infidelity, we may long for people to realise the seriousness of commitment. I'd say yes to all that.

But nobody would wish to return to the time when marriage was a prison, especially for women. Nobody should have to stay trapped in a loveless (or a hateful) marriage.

The 'blame game' has done untold damage to all concerned. Too many couples have declared outright war on each other in lengthy, vituperative splits  leaving their own children mortally wounded on the battlefield. I believe in marriage. But it should never become a punishment.

Kathy Gyngell, journalist and co-editor of The Conservative Woman

NO: This will hurt children and cheapen marriage

Kathy Gyngell, writer and co-editor of The Conservative Woman

Anyone who thinks no-fault divorce will benefit children is woefully naive. This will do the exact opposite. It will cheapen marriage and lead to yet more divorces, broken homes and traumatised children.

The unpalatable truth is that, however much we try to sanitise divorce, children suffer. It's no coincidence that a recent U.S. study of children with mental health problems found that 89 per cent of them came from disrupted families.

Of course I understand the rationale that, if we can limit the bitterness and blame caused by divorce, children might suffer less.

But there is no way that this change will alleviate the pain of an abandoned wife or a rejected husband.

If anything, it intensifies the trauma, as the guilty party is now getting off scot-free. I don't know a single divorced couple who've managed to stay 'friends'.

Take my friend who's just discovered her husband of 20 years has been cheating on her. She is pole-axed by shock. He is demanding a divorce and, with this change, he will get one in double-quick time. The break-up was never going to be easy. But now she has no chance to try to save the marriage before papers are filed.

Marriage is a contract between two people.

You wouldn't find it acceptable in business for one partner to dissolve the company. So why on earth should one partner now be allowed to ride roughshod over the other and dissolve a marriage?

Sir Paul Coleridge, former High Court judge and chair of the Marriage Foundation

YES: As a judge, I've seen the blame game ruin lives

Sir Paul Coleridge, former Family High Court judge and chair of the Marriage Foundation

After 40 years of practice, I am all too aware that a system which requires a couple to blame one another  often fabricating ridiculous allegations in order to get a quick divorce  means that by the time you get the process under way, all possibility of reconciliation is killed.

I remember a case where a woman filed for divorce, blaming her husband for working too hard and alleging that he'd neglected their marriage, because she had to come up with something.

But he was devastated, saying his work provided their standard of living. He couldn't get over the harsh things she'd said  which meant he was unable to think rationally about the future.

I've seen so many cases like this. It leaves couples in a state of entrenched conflict that's not good for them, and is even worse for their children.

And although family breakdown is a vast modern problem, it is not driven mostly by divorce.

The real issue is the high number of couples who don't get married at all, who are three times more likely to separate than the married population.

So we need a system that doesn't discourage young people from getting married in the first place.

A system that isn't stuck in the past, and which enables couples  if things don't work out  to make intelligent decisions to end their relationship without having to dish the dirt.

Writer Catherine Downey

NO: I'm divorced. But I still don't think it should be made easy

Catherine Downey, writer

As someone still bruised by the experience of my divorce six years ago, I have strangely mixed views on a 'no-fault' divorce.

Part of me is all for it: it's surely up to the adults involved to call time when something is not working out.

But there's part of me that still thinks divorce is a bad thing that shouldn't be made easy. I remember telling friends, during my acrimonious break-up: 'Don't do it! Not unless you absolutely have to!'

Whenever I hear about an impending separation in my social circle, a little voice in my head whispers, 'What about the children?' My heart breaks when I hear people saying confidently: 'Children are very resilient, they'll cope.' They're only resilient because they have to be.

I have friends who, 40 years down the line, still feel the pain of their parents' split. As a result, I put off my own divorce for a long as I could for the sake of my children  who were aged ten, 12 and 14 at the time  and I know they felt numb for the first year after their dad left.

If people want to consider marital reforms, I personally would like a legal agreement at the beginning of the marriage about what will happen to any children in the event of a divorce; like a pre-nup, but purely focusing on what's best for the family as a whole.

I speak from bitter experience.

YES: I was the 'nasty' one - and he was the 'innocent'

Liz Hodgkinson, author and writer

Journalist Liz Hodgkinson

The first thing to say about ending a marriage is that nobody does it lightly. It is only when one or both cannot face life in tandem any more that the idea of separation takes hold. That's how it was with me. By the end, I felt I would rather live in the boot of a car than under the same roof as my husband.

We'd grown far apart since marrying at 21, we quarrelled constantly and had simply come to the end of the road.

But, as so often happens, I was desperate for the divorce and he wasn't. But, being a decent sort, he agreed to give me my freedom.Untying that legal knot was a nasty business. We had to find 'grounds' and one of us had to be the 'petitioner'  the one seeking the divorce  and the other the 'respondent.'

It was all a farce, but I agreed to be the petitioner and the grounds were that we had not had sex for more than two years.

Nobody was to blame, nobody was at fault. Yet we had to pretend one of us was. That made the proceedings far more acrimonious than they needed to have been. I was the 'nasty' one who had brought the divorce, and he was the innocent bystander.

The day the decree became absolute was one of the happiest of my life.

If we could simply have shaken hands and separated without the heavy arm of the law intervening, it would have been so much better.

NO: Divorce is as toxic as smoking - don't condone it

Belinda Brown, author and academic who researches marriage

Belinda Brown is an author and academic who researches marriage and an honorary research associate at University College London

Yesterday was a sad day for the family. We know that in the aftermath of the introduction of no-fault divorce in the U.S., the divorce rates rose significantly.

The pattern seems to be that divorce is made easier, divorce rates go up, the next generation gets cold feet about getting married and then marriage rates go down.

For the past few decades, lawyers have been chipping away to make divorce easier and easier.

It used to require adultery or cruelty to get divorced. Now the reasons are trivial  your husband cycles too much or has become a vegetarian.

This devalues and cheapens marriage  quite literally turning it into just 'a piece of paper'.

All marriages go through rocky periods. But the evidence shows that those who don't leave their marriage are much happier ten years down the line.

Marriage has no protection in our society. It is seldom grounded in religious faith. Lawyers don't protect it because they see this as interfering in private family life.

But the truth is that ever since we made divorce a lot easier, we've required much more intervention in family life.

Family breakdown has a major role in all the most significant social ills and costs our country more than 51 billion a year.

We discouraged smoking without forbidding it because we weighed an individual's right to make a private decision against the harm of that decision to society. We should do the same with divorce.

YES: The law didn't blight my childhood - bitterness did

Tanith Carey, parenting expert

Parenting expert Tanith Carey

I was ten when I waved goodbye to my father at Heathrow Airport as he boarded a plane to Australia. It was the last time I ever saw my parents together.

My mother and I were supposed to follow a few months later when he started his new job and we'd sold our house.

When, after a few months, she broke the news we would not be joining him after all, I was shattered. But deep down I understood her decision.

Even at that age, the rows I'd heard, the mistresses I'd met and the scenes I'd witnessed meant it was already clear these were two people who could never be happy together.

Yet it wasn't the split that tore me in two for the rest of my childhood and beyond. It was the years of acrimony that followed.

Psychologists working with children tell me it's not the physical separation of their parents that damages children the most. It's becoming the pawn between two hostile parents who try to blame and wreak revenge on each other for years afterwards.

Yet until this week, our old-fashioned divorce laws had served only to deepen those hostilities by asking warring couples to find evidence of who's at fault  and often children became the ammunition.

There's no legislation that can prevent the tens of thousands of marriage breakdowns that happen every year in this country.

But there are laws which can protect the innocent children who come out them.

YES: The longer you make people wait, the more they'll argue

Linda Kelsey, former editor of Cosmopolitan magazine

Linda Kelsey former editor of Cosmopolitan magazine

Our marriage may not have been made in heaven but our divorce was  at least by comparison to most hostile, drawn-out break-ups.

After a 23-year relationship, followed by three years of separation, we decided to divorce online, a process which, between us, cost around 600 and avoided warring lawyers being signed up to fan the flames of hostility.

Blame is an almost inevitable part of the process of marital break-up, but the business of blaming should be a personal issue for the couple to deal with, not for lawyers.

In my case, at first I placed all the responsibility in my husband's lap when he decided he wanted to sell our home and spend half the proceeds on a business venture I had no faith in, before taking off on a solo, mid-life gap year.

But he blamed me for a creeping coldness in our marriage, a loss of support and faith in him. And he was right. In the end we gave up on the blame game and focused on how to get through divorce amicably, in a way which would have the least damaging consequences for our teenage son.

Anything that makes the divorce process less drawn-out and conflicted is a good move as far as I'm concerned.

The shorter the process, the more it concentrates the mind on what needs to be sorted out as far as custody arrangements and finances are concerned.
Radio host Alan Jones has called Malcolm Turnbull a 'grub' after the former prime minister said he was 'very concerned' about allegations Peter Dutton met with a Chinese billionaire to discuss his citizenship application.

Jones, who has criticised Turnbull in the past for commenting on politics after he was ousted last August, savaged the former PM on radio 2GB on Wednesday morning.

'Just as the polls turn around, Malcolm Turnbull comes out again,' he said.

'Malcolm Turnbull, eh... he's just a grub.'

Jones suggested Turnbull should be removed from the Liberal Party.

Radio host Alan Jones (pictured) has criticised Malcolm Turnbull over his comments abou Peter Dutton's meeting with a Chinese billionaire

He said: 'I don't know why people don't just expel these people from the party. That's what should happen.'

Jones was criticising Turnbull for saying he was 'very, very concerned' about a meeting between Chinese billionaire Huang Xiangmo and home affairs minister Peter Dutton.

Mr Huang paid tens of thousands of dollars to a lobbyist in 2016 to secure a private lunch with Mr Dutton when he was immigration minister in a failed attempt to fast track his citizenship application, it has been claimed.

On Tuesday, former prime minister Mr Turnbull pressured his replacement Scott Morrison to urgently investigate the meeting.

Mr Huang paid lobbyist Santo Santoro and then met with Mr Dutton at a Chinese restaurant in Sydney, according to an investigation by the ABC's Four Corners.

The minister has denied his citizenship bid was discussed at the meeting.

Mr Huang lost his bid after ASIO raised his links to the Chinese Communist Party and he was later banned from Australia on national security advice.

The investigation also said Mr Dutton approved a request from Mr Dastyari to fast track Mr Huang's family's application and allowed them a private citizenship ceremony inside the former Labor senator's parliament house office.

Mr Morrison has said he's not worried about the meeting with Mr Dutton.

'I have spoken to Peter Dutton about this. There are no issues here that troubled me at all,' Mr Morrison told reporters in Tasmania on Tuesday.

Former prime minister Mr Turnbull (pictured) on Tuesday pressured his replacement Scott Morrison to urgently investigate the meeting, saying he was 'very, very concerned.'

Billionaire Chinese property developer Huang Xiangmo (pictured with former foreign minister Julie Bishop) allegedly paid former Howard government minister Santo Santoro $20,000 to have his citizenship application presented to Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton

Mr Dutton, now home affairs minister, said he agreed to the meeting because Mr Huang was a significant leader in the Australian Chinese community.

'I've never received a dollar from this individual. I had that one meeting with him over lunch. I haven't seen him since. What's he got from me? Well, he's now offshore,' Mr Dutton told reporters in Rockhampton.

But Mr Turnbull said Mr Dutton and Santoro - a former Liberal government minister - have a lot to explain about the 'very troubling' revelations.

'Scott Morrison is the prime minister and you can't wave this off and say it is all part of gossip and the bubble. This is the national security of Australia,' Mr Turnbull told reporters.

'I think it is very, very concerning and very troubling for anyone.

'This has to be addressed at the highest level of security, priority, urgency by the prime minister. The buck stops with him.'

Mr Morrison said Mr Huang had his Australian visa cancelled while he was out of the country.

Mr Dutton (pictured), now home affairs minister, said he agreed to the meeting because Mr Huang was a significant leader in the Australian Chinese community

'So if the object was foreign interference, well, the exact opposite is what has occurred,' he said.

'I think when it comes to these issues our government's record is squeaky clean.'

Labor senator Sam Dastyari, who was forced to resign after it was revealed he told Mr Huang he was under investigation, tweeted a link to a news story about the meeting with Mr Dutton and said: 'I resigned for less.'

Labor argues Huang and Dutton's meeting strikes at the integrity of Australia's immigration system and Mr Dutton's performance as a minister.

'(This is) one of the ministers in charge of national security where it is cash for access and meeting people connected to the Chinese government. This is very unhealthy,' Labor leader Bill Shorten told reporters in Gladstone.
A man is set to be extradited from the US over the murder of a Thai national in Sydney.

A passing truck driver found Wachira 'Mario' Phetmang's body bound, gagged, wrapped in plastic and covered in a mattress protector on the side of Homebush Bay Drive on June 6, 2018.

The 33-year-old was last seen alive on May 25 last year at a South Hurstville service station, a southern suburb in Sydney.

Wachria 'Mario' Phetmang's (pictured) body was found bound, gagged, wrapped in plastic and covered in a mattress protector on the side of Homebush Bay Drive on June 6

Police identified the 33-year-old Thai national, who had been living in Australia for the previous 10 years, most recently at Hurstville.

A post mortem examination showed Mr Phetmang had been seriously assaulted and it was concluded he died from blunt-force trauma.

NSW Police launched a search for his car, which is believed to have produced new leads.

Australian authorities issued an arrest warrant for Alex Dion, 38, over Mr Phetmang's death, according to a federal search warrant filed by the FBI on Friday.

Dion, who was already in custody in San Diego on a domestic violence charge, is expected to be extradited to Australia on Friday.

Mr Phetmang (pictured) was last seen alive on May 25 last year at a South Hurstville service station, a southern suburb in Sydney
Brexit legislation could be brought back to the Commons in days if the Government can reach a deal with Labour, ministers said last night.

Two Cabinet sources told the Mail discussions were under way about the possibility of asking MPs to vote this week on the Withdrawal Agreement Bill in the hope of still leaving the EU next month.

Ministers have also reserved the right to shorten the Easter break by asking MPs to sit on Monday and Tuesday next week if a deal looks close.

Two Cabinet sources say discussions were under way about the possibility of asking MPs to vote this week on Brexit legislation if Theresa May (left) reaches a deal with Mr Corbyn (right)

Under one proposal, the Government would agree to allow free votes on key Labour demands, such as a customs union and a second referendum. If passed, these would then be incorporated into Theresa Mays deal.

But a Whitehall source last night said the high-risk strategy would only be considered if ministers were certain that Labour were signed up to it.

The problem is that if you put the Withdrawal Bill in front of MPs and they vote it down then you have lost if for this session. You would have to prorogue Parliament to bring it back so its pretty high-risk.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell yesterday joined talks between the two parties in Whitehall, which also included Chancellor Philip Hammond (pictured) and Environment Secretary Michael Gove

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell yesterday joined talks between the two parties in Whitehall, which also included Chancellor Philip Hammond and Environment Secretary Michael Gove.

Mr McDonnell said Labour was seeking assurances that any agreement could not be overturned by a future Tory prime minister.

His comments reflect concern in Labour ranks that a Brexiteer such as Boris Johnson could simply tear up any agreement if they became PM after Mrs May steps down.

Mr McDonnell said: Some of the discussion that will take place will be about how any deal is secure for the long term and how best to secure that either through domestic legislation or treaty.

He expected the discussions would also cover alignment with the single market and environmental, consumer and workers rights.

Asked whether the Government was indicating it would back a customs union, Mr McDonnell said: Not yet  not even changes in language that I detect. Further talks are due to take place tomorrow.

Meanwhile, an aide to Mr Hammond yesterday said he faced the sack for attending a Peoples Vote rally where he called for a second referendum.

In defiance of the whips, Huw Merriman told the Westminster rally: I am determined to play my part  if that means I use my voice and get fired for it then so be it.
Rail passengers face mayhem over the Easter and May bank holiday weekends as engineering work for HS2 paralyses large swathes of the network.

In a sign of the scale of the disruption, Network Rail urged the public to avoid travelling by train over either weekend.

It confirmed London Euston will shut for a total of seven days amid preparations for the high-speed line.

London Euston will be shut for a total of seven days over the Easter and May Day bank holiday weekends

Network Rail has urged the public not to travel on either weekend

No trains will run in or out of the station over Easter weekend  from April 19-22  and the early May bank holiday weekend  May 4-6. Long stretches of the West Coast main line will also be closed over both bank holidays as sections of track are replaced.

Taking alternative routes will add almost two hours to the journey between London and Glasgow.

The engineering works are part of the preparations being made for HS2  the controversial 56billion line which will run high-speed services from the capital to Birmingham and onwards to Northern cities.

Other areas of disruption include the shutting of the Great Western line near Bristol and the line between Manchester to Warrington at Easter.

Martin Frobisher, of Network Rail, said: We recognise there is never an ideal time to shut the railway... [but] bank holidays are the least disruptive time to do it.
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Scientists are 'confident of success' in extracting cells from a 42,000 year old extinct foal in order to clone its prehistoric species back to life, say reports.

They see the 'Jurassic Park' attempt to restore the long-gone Lenskaya breed of horse as paving the way for later success in returning the giant woolly mammoth.

The light ginger-coloured foal - no more than two weeks old when it died - was preserved in near perfect condition in Siberian permafrost for 42,170 years, say experts.

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The light ginger-coloured foal - no more than two weeks old when it died - was preserved in near perfect condition in Siberian permafrost for 42,170 years, say experts

Scientists are 'confident of success' in extracting cells from a 42,000 year old extinct foal in order to clone its prehistoric species back to life, say reports

Scientists forming a joint Russian-South Korean research team say they are 'confident of success' in extracting cells from a 42,000 year old extinct foal in order to clone its prehistoric species back to life

After several months of intense work on the frozen baby horse, a joint Russian-South Korean research team are growing optimistic that they will obtain the cells needed to attempt to clone the extinct cold-resistant Lenskaya breed which died out some 4,000 years ago.

'Researchers are confident of success of the project,' said a source at the North East Federal University in Yakutsk - the world's coldest city - which is hosting the work, reported The Siberian Times.

'The attempts will continue until the end of April this year.' These are the first pictures showing the pioneering work to extract cells for the foal cloning attempt.

Work is so advanced that the team is reportedly choosing a mother for the historic role of giving birth to the ancient horse.

The international research team is led by South Korean cloning expert Professor Hwang Woo-suk, who is also closely involved in efforts to use remains of woolly mammoths preserved in permafrost bring the giants back to life.

Dr Lena Grigoryeva, a leading Russian researcher on the project, said: 'There are seven researchers involved in the (foal) project on the Korean side and everyone is positive about the outcome.'

Work is so advanced that the team is reportedly already choosing a surrogate mother for the historic role of giving birth to the ancient horse

The international research team is led by South Korean cloning expert Professor Hwang Woo-suk, who is also closely involved in efforts to use remains of woolly mammoths preserved in permafrost bring the giants back to life

'Researchers are confident of success of the project,' said a source at the North East Federal University in Yakutsk - the world's coldest city - which is hosting the work, reported The Siberian Times

Scientists will use horses (pictured) that are similar to the extinct Lenskaya breed. It could be the first step in working out how to restore the long-gone woolly mammoth

A mare of a horse species similar to the extinct Lenskaya breed will be used as a surrogate. Similarly, when the scientists are ready to clone a mammoth an elephant will be used as a surrogate

'We have so many live horses (pictured). We can get a very good choice of eggs from these female horses', said Dr Semyon Grigoriev, leading researcher at Russia's mammoth Museum

COULD WE RESURRECT MAMMOTHS? Male woolly mammoths were around 12 feet (3.5m) tall, while the females were slightly smaller. They had curved tusks up to 16 feet (5m) long and their underbellies boasted a coat of shaggy hair up to 3 feet (1m) long. Tiny ears and short tails prevented vital body heat being lost. Their trunks had 'two fingers' at the end to help them pluck grass, twigs and other vegetation. They get their name from the Russian 'mammut', or earth mole, as it was believed the animals lived underground and died on contact with light  explaining why they were always found dead and half-buried. Their bones were once believed to have belonged to extinct races of giants. Woolly mammoths and modern-day elephants are closely related, sharing 99.4 per cent of their genes. The two species took separate evolutionary paths six million years ago, at about the same time humans and chimpanzees went their own way. Woolly mammoths co-existed with early humans, who hunted them for food and used their bones and tusks for making weapons and art. The most widely used technique, known as CRISPR/Cas9, allows scientists to create a hybrid animal from the preserved fossils of woolly mammoths and merging it with cells from a living elephant. The two species share 99.4 per cent of their DNA 'De-extincting' the mammoth has become a realistic prospect because of revolutionary gene editing techniques that allow the precise selection and insertion of DNA from specimens frozen over millennia in Siberian ice. The most widely used technique, known as CRISPR/Cas9, has transformed genetic engineering since it was first demonstrated in 2012. The system allows the 'cut and paste' manipulation of strands of DNA with a precision not seen before. Using this technique, scientists could cut and paste preserved mammoth DNA into Asian elephants to create and elephant-mammoth hybrid. Mammoths roamed the icy tundra of Europe and North America for 140,000 years, disappearing at the end of the Pleistocene period, 10,000 years ago. They are one of the best understood prehistoric animals known to science because their remains are often not fossilised but frozen and preserved. Advertisement

She said the first cloning attempt is likely to use a Korean horse as a surrogate mother.

'The Korean horse will fit in perfectly,' she said.

'They have been used in cloning for a while and the technology is mastered to perfection.

'Besides, the Korean horse is quite ancient too. It is a successor of Mongolian horse.'

Michil Yakovlev, editor of the university's corporate media, said: 'Hopefully, the world will soon meet the clone of the ancient foal who lived 42,000 years ago.'

Another option is to use the Yakut horse - a breed native to eastern Siberia which succeeded the Lenskaya species.

Yakut horses can survive winters with temperatures as low as -60C.

Dr Semyon Grigoryev, leading researcher at the Mammoth Museum in Yakutsk, previously said: 'Fortunately, the animal's muscle tissues were undamaged and well preserved, so we managed to get samples of this unique find for biotechnology research.'

But the professor said there was far more similarity between the foal (pictured) and a modern-day horse than between a mammoth and an elephant

In contrast, he said there is a very big distance between the ancient mammoth and the elephant. With the foal, 'if we have one live cell, we can multiply it and get as many embryo as we need

Yakutsk, the capital of Russia's diamond-rich Sakha Republic, is a hot spot for frozen animal remains. At the end of last month it was revealed Russia is opening a brand-new 4.5 million ($5.9 million) cloning facility that aims to bring back the woolly mammoth and other long-extinct species

Plans for the 'world class' research centre in the city of Yakutsk will purportedly be unveiled later this month by Russian President Vladimir Putin during a major investment forum. Pictured is the foal

As well as woolly mammoths, Russian geneticists are set to study a number of extinct species, including the woolly rhinoceros, which died out 10,000 years ago
If greenhouse emissions carry on as they are at present, experts caution over 95 per cent of ice found in the Alps could melt away by the end of the century.

Researchers from Switzerland produced detailed simulations showing the likely futures of the glaciers in the Alps - with massive changes predicted.

Efforts to reduce our reliance on greenhouse gas could help mitigate this loss, the researchers note.

But they say 50 per cent of glacier volume will still be lost by 2050 regardless of emission controls.

The findings come a day after another study was published claiming melting glaciers around the world have contributed more than an inch to the world's rising sea levels.

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Switzerland's Pizol glacier, pictured in both 2006 and 2018. Projected rates of ice volume loss anticipate that this small glacier will completely disappear by 2100

In the new study, researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich created new computer models of ice flow and melting processes - coupled with observational data from the around 4,000 Alpine glaciers - to determine how the icy masses would change in the future under different greenhouse gas emission scenarios.

The researchers are presenting their findings this week at the General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union in Vienna, Austria.

The researchers set the year 2017 as a baseline for their study, at which point in time the Alpine glaciers had a total ice volume of around 24 cubic miles (100 cubic kilometres).

In a future with limited warming - dubbed RCP2.6 - greenhouse gas emissions would peak over the next few years before rapidly declining.

In this scenario, warming over pre-industrial conditions could be kept below 2C (35.6F) by the end of the current century.

This would result in the Alpine glaciers being reduced by only just under two-thirds - leaving them at around 9 cubic miles (37 cubic kilometres) in volume, the researchers report.

At 14 miles (23 kilometres) long, the Aletsch Glacier is the largest ice body in the European Alps. It has a present area of 12 square miles (80 square kilometres) and an estimated volume of around 3 cubic miles (12 cubic kilometres)

However, under a high-emission future - dubbed RCP8.5 - atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations would continue to rise rapidly over the next few decades.

'In this pessimistic case, the Alps will be mostly ice free by 2100, with only isolated ice patches remaining at high elevation, representing 5 per cent or less of the present-day ice volume,' says glaciologist and paper author Matthias Huss.

At present, greenhouse gas concentrations are slightly above the emission rate projected in the high-emission scenario.

This graph shows the predicted changes in Alpine glacier volumes under various scenarios. The thin lines represent glacier evolution for a given future climate simulation, whereas the thick lines represent the mean from all simulations for a given emissions target. The dotted line represents the year 2017

In any case, the simulations, published in the journal The Cryosphere, all predict that the Alps will lose around half of their present ice volume by 2050.

There are two reasons for this. Firstly, the increases in mean global temperature as a result of increasing greenhouse gases will become more pronounced in the latter half of the century.

At the same time, glaciers respond slowly to changing climate conditions; many alpine glaciers - especially at lower elevations - presently have excess ice volumes that reflect the colder climates of the past.

Switzerland's Plaine Morte glacier (pictured, with a supraglacial pond atop it) is the largest plateau glacier in the Alps

Substantial ice loss will have a large impact on the Alps, given the important role that glaciers play in the region's economy, ecosystem and landscape.

Freshwater reserves in glacial ice provide a water source for local plants and animals, to support farming and to fuel hydroelectric power stations, which play a significant role in energy production during the warm and dry summer months.

Glaciers are also popular tourist attractions that bring people to the region.

This enormous moulin - a near-vertical well in the ice - delivers water from an ice-dammed lake to the base of the Plaine Morte glacier during annual drainage

'Glaciers in the European Alps and their recent evolution are some of the clearest indicators of the ongoing changes in climate,' said paper author Daniel Farinotti.

After 2050, added study leader Harry Zekollari, 'the future evolution of glaciers will strongly depend on how the climate will evolve,'

'In [the] case of a more limited warming, a far more substantial part of the glaciers could be saved,' he concludes.

Researchers from Zurich found Global warming is causing glaciers to melt which has boosted sea levels by more than an inch (27 mm) since 1961.

Based on their findings, the authors suggest that glaciers could almost disappear in some mountain ranges by 2100 (including the Caucasus, Central Europe, Western Canada and the USA and New Zealand).

Glaciers, not including the Greenland or Antarctic ice sheets, account for more than 40,000 cubic miles (170,000 cubic kilometres) of water.

Glaciers in Alaska, Patagonia and in the Arctic regions were found to contribute the most to glacier ice loss.

Global mass loss of glacier ice has increased significantly in the last 30 years and narrowed it down to a ten year window spanning from 2006 to 2016.

This revealed a worrying statistic that 335 billion tons of ice is lost each year from glaciers alone.

This corresponds to an increase in sea levels of almost 1 millimetre per year.

'Globally, we lose about three times the ice volume stored in the entirety of the European Alps - every single year!' says glaciologist Dr Zemp, who published the data in Nature.
A special issue of Nature has published a series of studies looking at how monitoring Antarctica from space is providing crucial insights into its response to a warming climate.

Here are their key findings:

Three trillion tonnes of ice has been lost from Antarctica since 1992

The Antarctic Ice Sheet lost around three trillion tonnes of ice between 1992 and 2017, according to research led by Leeds University.

This figure corresponds to a mean sea-level rise of about eight millimetres (1/3 inch), with two-fifths of this rise coming in the last five years alone.

The finds mean people in coastal communities are at greater risk of losing their homes and becoming so-called climate refugees than previously feared.

In one of the most complete pictures of Antarctic ice sheet change to date, an international team of 84 experts combined 24 satellite surveys to yield the results.

It found that until 2012 Antarctica lost ice at a steady rate of 76 billion tonnes per year - a 0.2mm (0.008 inches) per year contribution to sea level rise.

However, since then there has been a sharp, threefold increase.

At some point since the last Ice Age, the West Antarctic Ice Sheet was smaller than it is today

Researchers previously believed that since the last ice age, around 15,000 years ago, the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) was getting smaller

However, new research published by Northern Illinois University shows that between roughly 14,500 and 9,000 years ago, the ice sheet below sea level was even smaller than today.

Over the following millennia, the loss of the massive amount of ice that was previously weighing down the seabed spurred an uplift in the sea floor.

Then the ice sheet began to regrow toward today's configuration.

'The WAIS today is again retreating, but there was a time since the last Ice Age when the ice sheet was even smaller than it is now, yet it didn't collapse,' said Northern Illinois University geology professor Reed Scherer, a lead author on the study.

'That's important information to have as we try to figure out how the ice sheet will behave in the future', he said.

The East Antarctic Ice Sheet was stable throughout the last warm period

The stability of the largest ice sheet on Earth is an indication to scientists that it could hold up as temperatures continue to rise.

If all the East Antarctic Ice Sheet melted, the sea level would rise by 175 feet (53 metres).

However, unlike the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets it seems it would be resistant to melting as conditions warm, according to research from Purdue University and Boston College.

Their research showed that land-based sectors of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet were mostly stable throughout the Pliocene (5.3 to 2.6 million years ago).

This is when carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere were close to what they are today - around 400 parts per million.

'Based on this evidence from the Pliocene, today's current carbon dioxide levels are not enough to destabilise the land-based ice on the Antarctic continent,' said Jeremy Shakun, lead author of the paper and assistant professor of earth and environmental science at Boston College.

'This does not mean that at current atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, Antarctica won't contribute to sea level rise.

'Marine-based ice very well could and in fact is already starting to contribute, and that alone holds an estimated 20 meters of sea level rise,' he said.

Decisions in the next decade will determine whether Antarctica contributes to a metre of sea level rise

One of the largest uncertainties in future sea-level rise predictions is how the Antarctic ice sheet reacts to human-induced global warming.

Scientists say that time is running out to save this unique ecosystem and if the right decisions are not made in the next ten years there will be no turning back.

Researchers from Imperial College London assessed the state of Antarctica in 2070 under two scenarios which represent the opposite extremes of action and inaction on greenhouse gas emissions.

Under the high emissions and low regulations narrative, Antarctica and the Southern Ocean undergo widespread and rapid change, with global consequences.

By 2070, warming of the ocean and atmosphere has caused dramatic loss of major ice shelves, leading to increased loss of grounded ice from the Antarctic Ice Sheet and an acceleration in global sea level rise.

Under the low emissions and tight regulations narrative, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and implementation of effective policy helps to minimise change in Antarctica, which in 2070 looks much like it did in the early decades of the century.

This results in Antarctica's ice shelves remaining intact, slowing loss of ice from the ice sheet and reducing the threat of sea level rise.

What saved the West Antarctic Ice Sheet 10,000 years ago will not save it today

The retreat of the West Antarctic ice masses after the last Ice Age was reversed surprisingly about 10,000 years ago, scientists found.

In fact it was the shrinking itself that stopped the shrinking: relieved from the weight of the ice, the Earth crust lifted and triggered the re-advance of the ice sheet.

According to research from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) this mechanism is much too slow to prevent dangerous sea-level rise caused by West Antarctica's ice-loss in the present and near future.

Only rapid greenhouse-gas emission reductions can, researchers found.

'The warming after the last Ice Age made the ice masses of West Antarctica dwindle,' said Torsten Albrecht from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.

'Given the speed of current climate-change from burning fossil fuels, the mechanism we detected unfortunately does not work fast enough to save today's ice sheets from melting and causing seas to rise.'

The world's ice shelves may be being destabilised by forces from above and below

Researchers found that warm ocean water flowing in channels beneath Antarctic ice shelves is thinning the ice from below so much that the ice in the channels is cracking.

Surface meltwater can then flow into these fractures, further destabilising the ice shelf and increasing the chances that substantial pieces will break away.

The researchers, led by the University of Texas at Austin, documented this mechanism in a major ice break up, or calving, event in 2016 at Antarctica's Nansen Ice Shelf.

The findings are concerning because ice shelves, which are floating extensions of continental glaciers, slow down the flow of ice into the ocean and help control the rate of sea level rise, according to the study.

'We are learning that ice shelves are more vulnerable to rising ocean and air temperatures than we thought,' said Professor Christine Dow, lead author of the study.

'There are dual processes going on here. One that is destabilising from below, and another from above.

'This information could have an impact on our projected timelines for ice shelf collapse and resulting sea level rise due to climate change', he said.
Flying cars may be more environmentally friendly than conventional vehicles when used to make journeys of over 22 miles (35 kilometres), reports new research.

Short trips are bad for the environment as the enormous energy needed during the vertical take-off and landing is not cancelled out by the almost zero emissions of Jetsons-like vehicles when cruising.

On longer journeys the eco-friendly cruising mechanism outweighs the energy usage of the take off and landing.

Researchers found flying cars that take-off and land vertically could cut down greenhouse gas emissions by half compared to using regular ground-based vehicles.

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Flying cars may be more environmentally friendly than conventional vehicles when used to make journeys of over 22 miles (35 kilometres), reports new research. For shorter commutes, however, George Jetson and his boy Elroy might be better staying on the ground

Our transportation systems face increasing demand and congestion and is challenged with reducing the greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Among the proposed solutions to these challenges are electric cars and self-driving vehicles that can improve traffic flow.

Rising congestion on existing roads, however, remains a logistical concern - especially within cities.

One possible solution would be to switch to flying cars - such as those imagined in the sixties science fiction animation, The Jetsons - that could zip around above existing traffic.

Now, researchers from the Ford Motor Company and the University of Michigan have produced the first study of its kind into the environmental impact of flying cars versus conventional vehicles.

They created a physics-based model that can calculate the energy use required for a journey in an electric flying car and the greenhouse emissions that it would create.

The experts focused on a flying car design known as a VTOL - short for 'vertical take-off and landing'.

VTOLs combine the quick but energy intensive vertical take-offs and landings of helicopters with the efficient horizontal flight of an aeroplane.

The researchers assumed that such flying cars would be predominantly used as taxis, and considered the potential greenhouse gas emissions generated from running fully-loaded VTOL electric vehicles each carrying a pilot and three passengers.

The model accounted for the different stages of flight - including take-off, landing, hovering, climbing, cruising and descending.

When cruising, VTOL vehicles can reach speeds of around 150 mph (241 kph).

While the battery-powered cars would produce no emissions during flight, they would need to be charged using electricity from conventional power plants - giving them a carbon footprint.

The experts then compared the emissions brought about by the flying cars with those from both combustion engine and battery powered ground-based cars carrying an average of one-and-a-half passengers - as in typical today on motorways and roads in cities and towns.

An artist's impression of a flying taxi cruising above a city centre. For trips of 100 kilometres in length, the researchers found that flying cars produced 52 per cent less emissions

For trips of 62 miles (100 kilometres) in length, the researchers found that flying cars produced 52 per cent less emissions per passenger-kilometre than ground cars with internal combustion engines and 6 per cent less than electric ground cars.

Even when making this trip with a solo driver, VTOL vehicles produced 30 per cent less emissions than a fuel-driven car on the ground (although 40 per cent more than the latter's electric counterpart.)

The VTOL vehicles could also completed the 62 miles (100 km) journeys much faster than conventional cars - in about 20 per cent of the time.

For journeys of less than 22 miles (35 km), however, flying cars would consume more energy than an ordinary, ground-based car - and consequently result in more greenhouse gas emissions.

The majority of car trips, including daily commutes, average 11 miles (17 km), meaning that they would be more efficient in a regular vehicle than a flying car.

Boeing's prototype flying car - the passenger air vehicle, or PAV - completed its first successful test flight in Virginia in January 2019. The electric-powered flying car is capable of travelling up to 50 miles (80 km)

WHAT TYPE OF FLYING TAXIS COULD WE EXPECT TO SEE IN THE FUTURE? Advances in electric motors, battery technology and autonomous software has triggered an explosion in the field of electric air taxis. Larry Page, CEO of Google parent company Alphabet, has poured millions into aviation start-ups Zee Aero and Kitty Hawk, which are both striving to create all-electric flying cabs. Kitty Hawk is believed to be developing a flying car and has already filed more than a dozen different aircraft registrations with the Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA. Page, who co-founded Google with Sergey Brin back in 1998, has personally invested $100 million (70 million) into the two companies, which have yet to publicly acknowledge or demonstrate their technology. AirSpaceX unveiled its latest prototype, Mobi-One, at the North American International Auto Show in early 2018. Like its closest rivals, the electric aircraft is designed to carry two to four passengers and is capable of vertical take-off and landing Airbus is also hard at work on an all-electric, vertical-take-off-and-landing craft, with its latest Project Vahana prototype, branded Alpha One, successfully completing its maiden test flight in February 2018. The self-piloted helicopter reached a height of 16 feet (five metres) before successfully returning to the ground. In total, the test flight lasted 53 seconds. Airbus previously shared a well-produced concept video, showcasing its vision for Project Vahana. The footage reveals a sleek self-flying aircraft that seats one passenger under a canopy that retracts in similar way to a motorcycle helmet visor. Airbus Project Vahana prototype, branded Alpha One, successfully completed its maiden test flight in February 2018. The self-piloted helicopter reached a height of 16 feet (five metres) before successfully returning to the ground. In total, the test flight lasted 53 seconds AirSpaceX is another company with ambitions to take commuters to the skies. The Detroit-based start-up has promised to deploy 2,500 aircrafts in the 50 largest cities in the United States by 2026. AirSpaceX unveiled its latest prototype, Mobi-One, at the North American International Auto Show in early 2018. Like its closest rivals, the electric aircraft is designed to carry two to four passengers and is capable of vertical take-off and landing. AirSpaceX has even included broadband connectivity for high speed internet access so you can check your Facebook News Feed as you fly to work. Aside from passenger and cargo services, AirSpaceX says the craft can also be used for medical and casualty evacuation, as well as tactical Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR). Even Uber is working on making its ride-hailing service airborne. Dubbed Uber Elevate, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi tentatively discussed the companys plans during a technology conference in January 2018. I think its going to happen within the next 10 years, he said. Advertisement

This is because VTOLs are the most energy efficient when cruising - and so the shorter the trips, the smaller the proportion of the flight that can be spent cruising.

'As a result, the trips where VTOLs are more sustainable than gasoline cars only make up a small fraction of total annual vehicle-miles travelled on the ground,' said paper author James Gawron of the University of Michigan.

'Consequently, VTOLs will be limited in their contribution and role in a sustainable mobility system,' he adds.

'To me, it was very surprising to see that VTOLs were competitive with regard to energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in certain scenarios,' said University of Michigan co-author Gregory Keoleian.

'VTOLs with full occupancy could outperform ground-based cars for trips from San Francisco to San Jose or from Detroit to Cleveland, for example,' he added.

Many aerospace corporations, agencies and startups are working on developing prototype VTOL craft - including Airbus, Boeing and NASA.

For example, Boeing's prototype flying car - the passenger air vehicle, or PAV - completed its first successful test flight in Virginia in January 2019.

The electric-powered PAV is capable of carrying its passengers up to 50 miles (80 km).

Many of these designs make energy savings by using a series of small, electrically driven propulsion units that are distributed across the vehicle.

'With these VTOLs, there is an opportunity to mutually align the sustainability and business cases,' said study first author Akshat Kasliwal, who hopes the findings of the research can help guide the sustainable development of new transport systems.

'Not only is high passenger occupancy better for emissions - it also favours the economics of flying cars. Consumers could be incentivised to share trips, given the significant time savings from flying versus driving,' he says.

The full findings of the study were published in the journal Nature Communications.
Tesla's Sentry Mode has only been available for car owners for a few months, but it's already managed to help catch a suspected thief.

Sentry Mode, launched in January, is a security feature that turns on a Tesla's 360-degree dash camera when the driver is away and alerts them to any suspicious activity.

This month, the feature helped San Francisco cops nab a would-be car thief who smashed the window of a Model 3, according to ABC7 News.

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Tesla's Sentry Mode has only been available for car owners for a few months, but it managed to help catch a suspected thief. Dashcam video captured the burglar breaking into a Model 3

San Francisco resident Jed Franklin was away from his Model 3 when the attacker attempted to enter his vehicle.

Franklin received an alert on his phone that Sentry Mode was triggered, while the vehicle captured the thief breaking into his rear passenger-side window in full view.

When Sentry Mode is triggered, the dash cameras on a Tesla begin recording from multiple angles.

Franklin handed this footage over to the authorities and they soon apprehended the burglar, 21-year-old Jeremiah Jefferson.

Jefferson has since been charged with second-degree burglary, along with probation violation.

Cameras not only caught the license plate of Jefferson's white sedan, but also a shot of his face in detail. Police later apprehended the suspect and charged him with second-degree burglary

The 360-degree cameras not only caught the license plate of Jefferson's white sedan, but also a shot of his face in clear detail.

Jefferson didn't make off with anything from the vehicle and the police investigation into the case is still ongoing, ABC7 reported.

Police arrested 21-year-old Jeremiah Jefferson for second-degree burglary in connection with the Model 3 break-in

The case follows an earlier incident that was captured by a Tesla's on-board cameras and led to an arrest.

Earlier this month, Sentry Mode was able to capture a woman reportedly deliberately keying a man's Tesla, according to The Drive.

The video was uploaded by YouTuber Teslatino, who said they were sent the footage by a friend who owns the car that was vandalized.

In the footage, the woman can be seen keying the car door two different times.

Thanks to Sentry Mode, the car owner was able to share the footage with local police and the suspect was arrested for vandalizing the vehicle.

The electric car company first teased Sentry Mode earlier this year.

In a series of tweets, CEO Elon Musk said 'Sentry Mode' would give users the ability to see and record any activity that happens when they step away from their Tesla.

'Sentry Mode' is available for all cars with Enhanced Autopilot, according to Musk.

CEO Elon Musk said the company will roll out 'Sentry Mode' that should give users the ability to see and record any activity that happens when they step away from their Tesla

Autopilot, or Enhanced Autopilot as it was renamed to in 2016, is the software that allows Tesla vehicles to drive semi-autonomously.

It enables the dashcam to remain on when the driver is away and is activated when the car senses it's been hit.

Musk's post was prompted by a tweet from a Tesla owner who said his car had been hit.

'Found this monster dent this morning, right in front of the rear facing cameras,' Twitter user Andy Sutton wrote.

'Really wish there was a 360 dash cam feature while parked.'

Sentry mode takes advantage of a software update, released last October for cars with Hardware 2.5 or later, which allows users to record 360-degree footage with their vehicle's front-facing camera.

The footage is recorded and stored on a USB flash drive that the user has to provide.

It comes as Musk has also talked about introducing 'dog mode' for the Model 3.

'Dog mode' would help canine owners when they have to step away from their vehicle.

Twitter user Josh Atchley asked Musk if he could implement a 'dog mode' feature 'where the music plays and the AC is on, with a display on screen saying "I'm fine my owner will be right back."'

It's unclear when Sentry mode will launch, but it could enable users to activate their vehicle's 360-degree front-facing camera while they've stepped away to record any possible accidents

To this, Musk simply replied: 'Yes.'

By including a message on the Model 3's main screen, it would notify people that the dog or child is OK.

Furthermore, another user suggested including the interior temperature on the screen as well - an idea that Musk seemed to like, replying in a tweet, 'Exactly.'

As with most of Musk's ideas born on Twitter, there's no guarantee this feature will ever launch in subsequent Tesla software updates.
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A new railway station has opened in Japan without an entrance, exit or a ticket machine.

That's because it has only one purpose - to be used as a vantage point from which passengers can take in the arresting view.

Located on the Nishikigawa Seiryu line in the south of the country, the station is called Seiryu-Miharashi, which translates to 'clear stream viewing platform station'.

This station, Seiryu Miharashi, in Japan has one platform and no entrance or exit - it exists purely as a viewing platform

A train is pictured pulling into Seiryu-Miharashi, which is on the Nishikigawa Seiryu line in the south of Japan

Travellers who get off while the train pauses get amazing views of the Nishiki River and the surrounding forest

The station boasts just one small platform and is only accessible to train passengers who take a ride on a train.

Travellers who get off there while the train pauses get amazing views of the Nishiki River and the surrounding forest.

It only opened last month but has already proved a hit, with some visitors taking to social media to praise the unique station.

If you want to pay it a visit you'll need to book one of the special 'event trains' that stop there.

They stop for about 10 minutes and then all passengers must get back on and continue their journey.

Event train times are posted on the line's website.

The station only opened last month but has already proved a hit, with some visitors taking to social media to praise it

Visitors wanting to stop off at the station should check the timetable in advance as it is not open everyday

Japan is well-known for running the most efficient and well connected railway system in the world.

In 2016, it was revealed that one railway company had been stopping at Kami-Shirataki station in Hokkaido twice a day to pick up just one teenager so she could get the train to school.

Kana catches the service at 7.04am every day and returns promptly at 5.08pm, and she is the only person to use the station.

Meanwhile last year, another train company in Japan was forced to issue an apology after its service left ahead of schedule - by 25 seconds.

West Japan Railways apologised for the 'great inconvenience' after one of their trains at Notogawa Station, in Shiga, mistakenly pulled away from the platform.
An outraged tourist decided to check out of his 'dreadful' Tui hotel just two hours into his stay, disgusted at finding exposed wiring and cracked tiling in his 'filthy' bedroom.

Lee Parker, from Beccles, Suffolk, checked into the Catalonia Punta Del Rey in Las Caletillas, Tenerife, expecting a four-star hotel.

However, he claims that when he complained to a Tui rep, they admitted the hotel had been wrongly graded and Mr Parker was forced to shell out an extra 1,200 for alternative accommodation.

Holidaymaker Lee Parker, who found exposed wiring in his room at the Catalonia Punta Del Rey in Tenerife

Mr Parker paid 1,200 for the holiday for him and his teenage daughter Sophie, pictured, but only stayed at the hotel for two hours

Mr Parker said that the drainage at the hotel didn't work

This was on top of the 1,200 he had already paid for the holiday for him and his teenage daughter, Sophie.

Mr Parker is still currently on the holiday but says he will chase Tui for compensation when he returns home.

The 39-year-old explained that when he booked the getaway, he requested a four-star hotel with a nice beach and good nightlife.

But he complained on Facebook: 'We got to our room and this is when the real horror became apparent, no way on Earth were we in a four star hotel, not even a three star!

'The room had dangerous exposed wiring, the toilet didn't flush, broken door jambs leaving razor sharp metal, the food was disgusting and room completely filthy. Not what we asked for or expected for a four-star hotel!'

In pictures taken by Mr Parker, exposed wiring can be seen above a bathroom mirror, creating a clear hazard if in contact with moisture.

A broken door jamb that Mr Parker discovered in his room, left. He complained that the room was also 'filthy'

Another picture taken by Mr Parker. He said: 'We got to our room and this is when the real horror became apparent. No way on Earth were we in a four star hotel, not even a three star!'

Mr Parker's booking conformation, which shows that the hotel was given an official 'four-star' rating

Another picture highlights the extent of the poor drainage system - it shows faeces floating in the toilet.

And despite requesting good night life, the hotel he was given was located in an area which he was told translated to 'Sleepy Town'.

Mr Parker added: 'We arrived at about 3pm on Thursday and by 5pm I was downstairs demanding we move.

'The food was inedible, the toilet wouldn't flush and the wiring was dangerous.

'Somebody will be electrocuted there before long with wiring like that.

'The rep admitted the four-star rating on the booking confirmation was wrong and I had been mis-sold the holiday.'

Mr Parker was told he could only move to a two or three-star hotel for the money he had already paid.

Instead, he bypassed Tui and booked a four star hotel but could not move with his daughter, Sophie, 17, until the next day.

He also had to fork out 70 euros for a taxi to get there.

The single father, who has raised Sophie on his own for five years, says getting an immediate transfer had to happen after gauging his daughter's reaction.

Mr Parker is still currently on the holiday but says he will chase Tui for compensation when he returns home. Pictured is the Catalonia Punta Del Rey hotel in Tenerife

He added: 'Sophie didn't say anything. I had promised her it would be lovely but her face just dropped when we got there.

'She was devastated. I had no choice - we had to move. I have never in my life seen such a horrendous hotel.'

Tui told MailOnline Travel: 'We are so sorry to hear of Mr Parkers experience in Tenerife, and we would like to thank him for bringing these issues to our attention. We are currently investigating this and will be in direct contact with the customer.'

The Catalonia Punta Del Rey hotel has been approached for additional comment.
Disneyland is set to offer bathroom passes to Star Wars fans waiting to ride its new Millennium Falcon attraction.

The California theme park is expecting extremely long lines when the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run ride debuts on May 31 on the opening day of the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge world where it's located.

So those unable to undergo a lengthy wait without a comfort break can request a pass for the toilet and return to their place in the queue.

Disneyland is set to offer bathroom passes to Star Wars fans waiting to ride the new Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run ride

According to Travel and Leisure, the passes will be claimed from members of staff at Disneyland and will come in the form of a lanyard the guest wears around their neck.

Those with passes will re-enter through the fast-pass line rather than at the back of the normal queue.

They will then wait in this line and then in a holding area until they meet up with the rest of their party.

A similar process was put in place when the Avatar Flight of Passage attraction opened at Disney's Animal Kingdom park in Florida in May 2017, where some queued for a bladder-bursting six hours.

The California theme park is expecting extremely long lines when the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run ride debuts on May 31

The Smugglers Run attraction is a massive replica of the Millennium Falcon where guests can roam the ship's halls and engage in a dogfight with Tie Fighters.

Another attraction called Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will open later in the year.

In addition, the same Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge land will open for visitors to Florida's Disney World Resort on August 29.

At both parks, guests will also be able to build their own personal droids and lightsabers and feast on Star Wars-style food and drink.

Blast off: The same Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge land will open in Florida's Disney World Resort on August 29

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts chairman Bob Chapek said guests inside Galaxy's Edge will have persistent interaction with Star Wars elements, whether it's Stormtroopers barking orders or the uptempo, swinging music of a grimy cantina that serves Star Wars-themed alcohol.

He said: 'You will not think you're in a theme park.

'Every cast member will be in character, the food and beverage and language will be in-story.

'The merchandise inside the shops won't be in boxes that say Disney on them. Everything is very, very immersive.'
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British Airways brought together its four heritage liveried aircraft for a rare photo shoot to mark the fact that 50,000 customers have already flown around the world in them.

The nostalgic images were captured this morning at London's Heathrow Airport - and the four planes were snapped alongside an A319 in the airline's current Chatham Dockyard design to highlight how the livery has evolved.

The three Boeing 747s - one in a British Overseas Airways Corporation livery (1964-1974), one in the Landor design (1984-1997) and the other in the Negus style (1974-1980) - have travelled to destinations including New York, Cape Town, Dubai and Lagos.

All four of British Airways' stunning aircraft in heritage liveries were brought together today for a rare photoshoot. They are, from back, a Boeing 747 in a British Overseas Airways Corporation livery, an Airbus A319 in the colours of British European Airways, a Boeing 747 in a British Airways Negus livery, another Airbus A319 in the current Chatham Dockyard design and another Boeing 747 in a British Airways Landor livery

The BEA liveried Airbus A319 (1959-1968) has flown across the airline's UK and European network to cities including Manchester, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Milan, Zurich and Amsterdam.

To capture the photos, the four heritage aircraft, which were in scheduled downtime, were parked at the airline's engineering base.

The painstaking process of arranging them for the photo took over two hours.

The retro designs are part of a special series to mark British Airways' centenary, and can be followed using tracking website Flightradar24, which features special images of the aircraft

To capture the photos, the four heritage aircraft, which were in scheduled downtime, were parked at the airline's engineering base. The painstaking process of arranging them for the photo took over two hours

The retro designs are part of a special series to mark British Airways' centenary, and can be followed using tracking website Flightradar24, which features special images of the aircraft.

Alex Cruz, British Airways' chairman and CEO, said: 'The excitement and pride that we've witnessed from customers and colleagues as these heritage liveries, which we painted to mark our centenary, have flown around the globe has been unparalleled.

'Social media has been fired up with images from travellers all over the world when they've spotted the aircraft and as some 50,000 people have now flown on them since they arrived back in the fleet we wanted to capture a special photo to share with them.'

British Airways is hosting a range of activities and events to mark its 100th birthday.

British Airways cabin crew stand in front of the four planes at the BA engineering base at London's Heathrow Airport

The centenary activity is taking place alongside the airline's current five-year 6.5billion investment for customers

As well as looking back, the airline is also hosting BA 2119, a programme that will lead the debate on the future of flying and explore the future of sustainable aviation fuels, the aviation careers of the future and the customer experience of the future.

The airline will also be working with expert partners to identify BA's 100 Great Britons; the people up and down the country who are currently shaping modern Britain.

The centenary activity is taking place alongside the airline's current five-year 6.5billion investment for customers.

This includes the installation of WiFi and power in every seat, fitting 128 long-haul aircraft with new interiors and taking delivery of 72 new aircraft.

The airline has also revealed a brand-new business class seat with direct aisle access, the club suite, which will debut on the Airbus A350 later this year.
She is one of the most famous and in-demand models of the moment.

And on Monday, Kaia Gerber proved just how skillful she truly is, when she stopped to pose for a candid photo shoot in New York.

The 17-year-old was completely in her zone, and switched between serious and playful, care-free looks.

Beautiful girl: On Monday, Kaia Gerber, 17, looked lovely as she stepped out with a group of pals in New York

Hair look: Kaia wore her medium-length locks down and in effortless waves

For her casual outing, the daughter of Cindy Crawford tucked in a simple black top into a pair of '90s-inspired, high waist skinny jeans.

The pretty brunette kept warm beneath a dark brown trench coat, and topped off her ensemble with Converse sneakers. Her only accessory appeared to be a dark watch.

Kaia wore her medium-length locks down and in effortless waves. For make-up, the beauty played up her dark eyes with shadow and liner, and toned down her lips with a natural shade.

In her zone: The daughter of Cindy Crawford proved just how skillful she truly is, when she stopped to pose for a candid photo shoot in New York

They know what they're doing: At one point, Kaia leaned against a black fence, as she looked to pose for head shots, while her male pal snapped away

No big deal: The model and photographer team proved how skillfully they really were, when even a trash can right around them did not hinder their shoot

Focused: At one point, the Chanel beauty wore a black jacket as she stared straight into her pal's camera, before she tilted her head to one side

All in this together: For her outing, the duo were joined by several pals, making it a group effort

At one point, Kaia leaned against a black fence, as she looked to pose for head shots, while her male pal snapped away.

Later, Kaia switched up her look with a short, black jacket, as she took over the middle of a street in Tribeca.

The face of Marc Jacobs Beauty later bent backwards over a railing, and lifted her hands in the air as she stood carefree above a bench.

Relaxing or posing? The face of Marc Jacobs Beauty later bent backwards over a railing, for possible another shot

Dancing or posing? She also lifted her hands in the air as she stood carefree above a bench

Living it up: The young teen showed her youth as she made playful gestures to the camera

Her look: For her casual outing, the daughter of Cindy Crawford tucked in a simple black top into a pair of '90s-inspired, high waist skinny jeans

Cozy and casual: The pretty brunette kept warm beneath a dark brown trench coat, and topped off her ensemble with Converse sneakers

Kaia began modeling with a little help from her mother, who was one of the most famous supermodels of the '90s.

But the California-born star has proved her skills on her own, and has become the face of campaigns in addition to Marc Jacobs, including Stella McCartney, Karl Lagerfeld and Jimmy Choo.

The young star's campaigns come following her award as the Model of the Year at the The Fashion Awards 2018.

Additionally, she's also walked the runways of various brands, including the prestigious Chanel.

Glamorous: For make-up, the beauty played up her dark eyes with shadow and liner, and toned down her lips with a natural shade

Her start: Kaia began modeling with a little help from her mother, who was one of the most famous supermodels of the '90s
She spent $47,000 on cosmetic procedures last year, including a nose job, a 'lip lift', cheek fillers and Botox injections around the eyes.

And Megan Marx looked almost unrecognisable on Monday, when she attended a Married At First Sight finale viewing party in Sydney.

The Bachelor in Paradise star, 30, displayed noticeably puffy features, in addition to plumper lips, a more defined chin and pronounced cheekbones.

What happened to her face? Former Bachelor star Megan Marx looked almost unrecognisable at a MAFS viewing party on Monday (left). Pictured right: Megan on The Bachelor in 2016

Megan also displayed a suspiciously smooth complexion and what appeared to be tightness around her eyes.

However, Megan denied getting any further cosmetic enhancements, telling Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday: 'I probably look puffy because I've gained some weight.'

It's a drastically different look compared to her days as a fresh-faced contestant on The Bachelor back in 2016.

Who's that girl? Megan displayed noticeably puffy features, in addition to plumper lips, a more defined chin and pronounced cheekbones

Unrecognisable: Megan looks like a totally different person after spending thousands of dollars on cosmetic surgery. Pictured right: Megan last year, and left: Megan as a teenager

Megan's first aesthetic enhancement was a breast augmentation, which she had at the age of 18.

Since then, she has undergone several further cosmetic procedures, with her most recent being a nose job in March last year, according to NW magazine.

The Perth-based model, who had an earlier 'liquid nose job' done with fillers, had her latest rhinoplasty procedure done by plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Zacharia.

'I like to eat healthy and work out, but no matter how much of that you do, your nose doesn't get any smaller,' she said at the time.
She announced her second pregnancy live on the BBC show in December.

And Alex Jones proved she is keeping up her style credentials by wowing in two contrasting looks - as she presented on The One Show and departed the studio - on Monday evening.

The presenter, 42, radiated beauty in a bright red mini dress for her time on air with her co-host Matt Baker, 41, on the episode that invited film and music star Idris Elba onto the sofa.

Yummy mummy: Alex Jones, 42, proved she is keeping up her style credentials by wowing in two contrasting looks - as she presented on The One Show and departed the studio - on Monday evening

Alex's stunning dress featured a flirty hanker chief hemline that dipped up and down at her thighs with an elegant white and navy blue paisley print.

She continued her fashionable display in a pair of black heeled ankle boots.

Hinting that she is ready to start nesting for the arrival of her newest addition, the Welsh star shared a snap of herself of Instagram with a telling caption.

The offering started: 'Its the homeward stretch now before Mat leave kicks in.'

TV look: The presenter radiated beauty in a bright red mini dress for her time on air with her co-host Matt Baker, 41

Bright: Alex's stunning dress featured a flirty hanker chief hemline that dipped up and down at her thighs with an elegant white and navy blue paisley print

She also revealed how she likes to use fashion to brighten up the day, as the TV personality continued: '

And due to the combo of a very dull day and me feeling pretty rubbish with a head cold, we decided that a bit of colour was needed tonight.

'Still finding outfits that work but arent necessarily maternity wear. See where this little dress was from @hellomag and its a bargain!'

Home time: For leaving the White City studio, the expectant mother dialed it down from her bright dress by slipping into a pair of jeans and a mauve corduroy shirt

For leaving the White City studio, the expectant mother dialed it down from her bright dress by slipping into a pair of jeans and a mauve corduroy shirt.

She kept her essentials at hand in a black cross-body bag and wore white trainers.

The star sported a glow as she smiled and headed home and her glossy brunette locks had kept their loose wave style after her television appearance.

Idris, 46, who appeared on the magazine show to speak about his music as the actor has recently been making waves in the UK singles charts recently as a rapper.

Radiant: The star sported a glow as smiled as she headed home and her glossy brunette locks had kept their loose wave style after her television appearance.

Outside the venue, the multi-talented star was greeted by hoards of fans who snapped photos of the Luther star.

Alex is already a parent to 21-month old son Teddy with husband Charlie Thomson and broke the news of her second pregnancy on The One show last year.

'Now I have some news!' she announced. 'No I haven't been eating all the mince pies! I am expecting another baby.'

The news prompted congratulations from Matt, who looked delighted following her surprise announcement.

A-list: Luther star Idris Elba appeared on the sofa to talk to Alex and Matt about his music career and was greeted by hoards of fans outside the studio

Alex has previously admitted she was planning to try for another baby with husband Charlie earlier this year, but was struggling to conceive after falling pregnant easily with her first child.

'I have to say, the first time  absolutely fine. Luckily, God, it happened,' she said. But second time, not as easy.

I suppose Im older now, but we took it for granted that it would be OK. But you dont really know until you start trying how its going to go, do you?'

She added: 'The majority of couples I know have had something, not always IVF, but some problem that needs to be sorted out. Hardly anyones story is straightforward, and its not really talked about that much.

'Suddenly you see someone pregnant or with a newborn and you dont really hark back to what happened before because everyones just delighted theres a baby.'

Speaking via a phone call on The One Show in January 2017, the presenter revealed to her co-host Matt and stand in Angela Scanlon that she has given birth to a baby boy.

She said: 'Well I do have news! Our beautiful baby boy was born. We are absolutely delighted and completely in love... It's the most wonderful feeling. He was 7lb 11... A lovely weight. Very straight forward.

'It was lovely. Charlie was with me and my mum and dad were in the waiting room. The past four days we has been in heaven. We're in a bubble.'
Danny Dyer shocked audiences at the Olivier Awards on Sunday when he made a 'cheeky' joke about the Duchess of Cornwall as he presented a prestigious prize.

The EastEnders actor, 41, made the flirtatious joke about the guest of honour when he was on stage at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Speaking as he presented the award for Best Revival, Danny said: 'Shout out to the Duchess up there. No Charlie tonight I see. I'll pop up and see you later.'

Cheeky: Danny Dyer shocked audiences at the Olivier Awards on Sunday when he made a 'cheeky' joke about the Duchess of Cornwall as he presented a prestigious prize

ITV decided to cut the actor's joke from its coverage of the event when it aired later on Sunday night, the Sun reported.

An insider said the decision was made because 'it could have upset the Duchess' if the moment was repeated.

A source said: 'Danny's known for his cheeky humour but bosses were hoping he'd keep it in check  especially as Camilla was in the audience.

Prestigious: The EastEnders actor, 41, made the flirtatious joke about the guest of honour when he was on stage at the Royal Albert Hall in London

'The ceremony is very formal so anything close to the line makes producers nervous. Some saw his gag as a step too far. It had to be cut from the final broadcast, no question. It could have upset the Duchess.'

The actor, who looked smart in a Chester Barrie suit, had also ruffled feathers earlier in the night when he broke protocol by smoking on the red carpet.

A representative for Danny has been contacted for comment.

Joker: Speaking as he presented the award for Best Revival, Danny said: 'Shout out to the Duchess up there. No Charlie tonight I see. I'll pop up and see you later'

Pulled: ITV decided to cut the actor's joke from its coverage of the event when it aired later on Sunday night

Come From Away, Company and The Inheritance came out top at the coveted ceremony when they each took home four accolades.

Musical Come From Away, about the Newfoundland town of Gander that hosted thousands of travelers stranded by canceled flights after 9/11, won Best New Musical at Britain's equivalent of Broadway's Tony Awards.

The show, which is currently at the Phoenix Theatre, also won the Outstanding Achievement in Music award and Kelly Devine took home the prize for Best Theatre Choreographer.

Upset: An insider said the decision was made because 'it could have upset the Duchess' if the moment was repeated

Winner: West End productions of Company, Come From Away and The Inheritance each took home four awards (Pictured, Company's Patti LuPone who won Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical)

Come From Away's Gareth Owen was presented the Royal Albert Hall Award for Best Sound Design.

A gender-switched production of Stephen Sondheim's Company also won big in categories including Best Musical Revival.

Jonathan Bailey, who performed as Jamie in the show, picked up his first ever Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical.

Champions: Come From Away's Kelly Devine (left) took home the prize for Outstanding Achievement in Music and Kyle Soller (right) won Best Actor for his role in The Inheritance

Star: Also in attendance at the star-studded Olivier Awards was Waitress lead Katherine McPhee

And two-time Grammy Award winner Patti LuPone took home the prize for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical for her part in the re-imagined show.

The musical, which starred Rosalie Craig, also won the Blue-i Theatre Technology Award for Best Set Design.

Epic gay-history drama The Inheritance won four of its eight nominations at the Oliviers this year - including the American Airlines Best New Play Award.

First time nominee Kyle Soller won Best Actor for his role in Matthew Lopez's play.

The Inheritance also won the White Light Award for Best Lighting Design and the Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director.
She recently debuted her new dark locks on Instagram by sharing a photo of herself reclined on a sofa in neon lingerie.

And Megan Barton Hanson has taken her new look out on the town as she headed to The 02 arena in North Greenwich in London to see Drake in concert on Monday.

The 25-year-old Love Island star spared no expense on her outfit as she stepped out in a Fendi jacket with a hefty price tag of 1,850.

Fan girl: Megan Barton Hanson, 25, headed to The 02 arena in North Greenwich in London to see Drake in concert on Monday

Megan's cropped PU jacket was emblazoned with the brands logo and was transparent with brown leather piping and pockets.

The former exotic dancer left the jacket unzipped in order to flash her black high neck vest that kept her surgically enhanced assets under wraps.

Fashion-forward Megan paired her flashy wares with sand coloured satin cargo pants and black barely there heels.

She gathered her thick extensions into a high pony tail in a half up-do that showed off the warm tones of her caramel flecked hair - worlds away from the platinum blonde she previously modeled.

Big spender: The 25-year-old Love Island star spared no expense on her outfit as she stepped out in a Fendi jacket with a hefty price tag of 1,850

Wes Nelson's former flame applied a nude gloss onto her plumped-up pout and framed her eyes with thick lashes and a palette of smokey eye shadow.

She added a touch of bling with gold hooped ear rings and a few subtle rings on her fingers.

Ensuring she got to the venue on time, the Pretty Little Thing brand ambassador could be seen hopping into a black vehicle.

Label lover: Megan's cropped PU jacket was emblazoned with the brands logo and was transparent with brown leather piping and pockets

Stylish: The former exotic dancer left the jacket unzipped in order to flash her black high neck sleeveless vest that kept her surgically enhanced assets under wraps

Megan's new look comes amid claims she's considering joining Celebs Go Dating.

The stunning star has been single since splitting from Wes Nelson in January, and since he has moved on with a new woman, it seems Megan is also considering sticking her toe back in the dating pool.

Sources told The Sun: 'Bosses think Megan would be great value as most men find her irresistible. She's mulling it over at the moment as everything she does she wants to properly commit to...

'It's a big decision to go and find love on television again and she doesn't want to jump into anything.'

Dark side: She gathered her thick extensions into a high pony tail in a half up-do that showed off the warm tones of her caramel flecked hair - worlds away from the platinum blonde she previously modeled

Night-out: Wes Nelson's former flame applied a nude gloss onto her plumped up pout and framed her eyes with thick lashes and a palette of smokey eye shadow

Time to go: Ensuring she got to the venue on time, the Pretty Little Thing brand ambassador could be seen hopping into a black vehicle

Picture ready: Megan happily posed for snaps before she got to the concert

Despite finding a new woman, Megan's ex, Wes, 21, is also keeping cautious, revealing that he has no plans to 'run into another relationship.'

The design engineer, who was accused of having an affair with his Dancing On Ice partner Vanessa Bauer, is currently dating model Alicia 'Lissy' Roddy, 24.

When asked if everything is 'good' between them, he told The Sun: 'Everything is chilling. I'm still dating Lissy...

'I'm not running into a relationship again. It's nothing official yet. We're still dating.'

Moving on: The stunning star has been single since splitting from Wes Nelson, 21, in January (pictured in January 2019)

While Megan was living it up on Monday, just days before Drake headed to Annabel's on Saturday for a mid-tour private party for himself and his VIP guests.

His fellow partygoers drank the first releases of Mod Selection champagne - a luxury champagne launched earlier this year to the public by Drake, costing approximately $400 (305) per bottle.

Alongside the legendary rapper was Ferris Rafauli, luxury interiors designer who is currently crafting Drake's multi-million dollar, 35,000 square foot, three-storey French-style mansion.

Here come the boys! While Megan was living it up on Monday, just days before Drake headed to Annabel's on Saturday for a mid-tour private party for himself and his VIP guests
She flew 14 hours from Los Angeles to promote The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills in Australia this week.

But Denise Richards showed no signs of tiredness as she touched down in Sydney on Tuesday.

The 48-year-old was glowing in minimal makeup and flashed her megawatt smile as she made her way out of Sydney International Airport.

No jet lag here! Denise Richards flashed her megawatt smile as she touched down in Sydney on Tuesday to promote Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills

The Wild Things star looked cute and comfortable in a pair of baggy overalls worn over a white tank top.

She teamed the casual ensemble with pink accessories, including an edgy Balenciaga handbag and a pair of on-trend Golden Goose trainers.

Her long blonde locks hung around her shoulders in loose waves and she wore barely any makeup on her youthful visage.

The mother-of-three is in town to promote her new reality series, The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills.

Denise joined the cast of the hit Bravo series earlier this year, and has been open about her past in episodes of the show.

She recently said said she wouldn't have cared if her ex-husband Charlie Sheen brought a prostitute to her wedding.

She tied the knot with Aaron Phypers, 46, back in September, but the episode documenting the nuptials only aired last month.

Cute! The Wild Things star looked cute and comfortable in a pair of baggy overalls worn over a white tank top

The Drop Dead Gorgeous favourite opened up about learning to live with her scandal-prone former husband.

'Even if he did bring a prostitute as his date, I wouldnt care. Its just, it is what it is,' she said, explaining why she invited the sometimes volatile actor to her second wedding.

'No matter whats gone down with Charlie and I, I invite Charlie to anything having to do with the kids and I.'

Helping hand: Denise was assisted with her luggage by a burly man who appeared to be her bodyguard

Entourage: She was also joined by another male associate on her press tour

Though Denise first met Charlie on the set of National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1 in 1991, they didn't become engaged until 2001.

They married in 2002, but the union was short-lived. The World Is Not enough actress separated from her husband in 2005, while carrying their second child.

The couple had a brief reconciliation, but divorce proceedings resumed and were finalised in 2006.

They share two children, Sam, 15, and Lola, 13. Denise also adopted a daughter of her own, Eloise, seven, who suffers from developmental delays.

Animated: The actress appeared overwhelmed at points as she made her way to awaiting transportation

Though his well-publicised trysts with porn stars and a rotating cast of women caused turmoil through 2011, Denise and Charlie had thawed their chilly relations by 2012 and were able to attend family events together.

Earlier in March, Watch What Happens Live's Andy Cohen asked her if Charlie ever watched her on RHOBH, to which she replied, 'Probably.'

The Starship Troopers star married her new beau, Aaron Phypers, on September 8, 2018, in a ceremony in Malibu, California.

The occasional actor was previously married to former Dynasty star Nicollette Sheridan, though he began dating Denise the year after their 2016 separation.

The cast of her popular series were in attendance for their wedding, including Lisa Vanderpump, Lisa Rinna, Camille Grammer, Dorit Kemsley and Teddi Mellencamp.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills streams on Foxtel and hayu, same day as the US. New episodes every Wednesday.
She spent the weekend ringing in her 38th birthday early with friends and family at the beach.

And Alessandra Ambrossio proved she worked hard for that bikini body, spotted heading to her yoga class in Brentwood on Monday morning.

The 37-year-old former Victoria's Secret Angel was pretty in pink as she stepped out solo with her yoga mat.

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Working up a sweat: After spending the weekend celebrating her 38th birthday with friends and family, Alessandra Ambrossio was back at it on Monday, heading out for her yoga class in Brentwood

Alessandra opted for a blush pink tank top that featured a scooped neck and hid her enviable washboard abs.

The beauty teamed the look with a pair of similar colored printed tights that hugged her lean legs.

She walked into class with a pair of flip flops and styled her brunette tresses back naturally into a pony-tail with a scrunchie.

Stunner: Alessandra opted for a blush pink tank top that featured a scooped neck and hid her enviable washboard abs

Stylish: The beauty teamed the look with a pair of similar colored printed tights that hugged her lean legs

Fresh faced: Alessandra appeared to be makeup free for the workout and kept a low profile with a pair of round shades over her eyes

Alessandra appeared to be makeup free for the workout and kept a low profile with a pair of round shades over her eyes.

The Brazilian beauty's appearance comes after she indulged in a loving weekend with her friends and family to ring in her 38th birthday.

Taking to Instagram on Monday, she shared some photos from her time on the beach and the continued celebrations back at her home.

Back to the routine: The Brazilian beauty's appearance comes after she indulged in a loving weekend with her friends and family to ring in her 38th birthday

Sunday funday! Taking to Instagram on Monday, she shared some photos from her time on the beach and the continued celebrations back at her home

Pals: 'Weekends are the best .... #calilife #friendsandfamily,' she captioned the shots

'Weekends are the best .... #calilife #friendsandfamily,' she captioned the shots.

Alessandra opted for a pair of dark denim shorts and a boho inspired top and cardigan.

Joining the party was her kids Anja Louise, 10, Noah Phoenix, six, and her boyfriend Nicolo Oddi.

Popular with the kids: Alessandra opted for a pair of dark denim shorts and a boho inspired top and cardigan

Joining the party was her kids Anja Louise, 10, Noah Phoenix, six, and her boyfriend Nicolo Oddi (pictured September 2018)

Prior to Nicolo, the beauty was engaged to RE/DONE jeans founder Jamie Mazur since 2008. Jamie is her children's father.

The family and friends appeared all have fun on the beach before heading back to the house for some cake and dessert.

Alessandra is best known as her work as a Victoria's Secret Angel. She worked with the brand from 2000 before walking in her final show in China 2017.
Alex Nation and Richie Strahan's post-breakup confrontation on Bachelor in Paradise is being promoted as the 'longest, unedited fight in reality TV history'.

And ahead of their showdown, Alex revealed on The Kyle and Jackie O Show one of the reasons why her ex-boyfriend is so bitter about their split.

'I dumped him over text message,' the 28-year-old single mother said on Tuesday.

'I dumped him over text!' Alex Nation has revealed the BRUTAL way she broke up with Richie Strahan in 2017. Pictured with Alisha Aitken-Radburn on The Kyle & Jackie O Show on Tuesday

'So that probably wasn't the best thing,' she added, which prompted radio host Kyle Sandilands to say: 'Well, when you're getting rid of them you don't care about their feelings!'

Fellow Bachelor in Paradise star Alisha Aitken-Radburn then stepped in to defend Alex, saying that she didn't have many options because she and Richie were 'long distance' at the time.

At that point, Jackie 'O' Henderson asked if Alex was justified in dumping Richie by text, and she replied: 'It was the nature of the situation and I kind of just shut down and that's how I dealt with it.'

Brutal break-up: Ahead of their showdown on Bachelor in Paradise, Alex (right) revealed the reason why her ex-boyfriend is so bitter about their split

Explosive: Richie Strahan (pictured) will come face-to-face with Alex on Bachelor in Paradise, which premieres Tuesday night on Channel 10

Alex, who briefly dated Richie after winning his season of The Bachelor in 2016, spoke about their break-up again on Nova 96.9's Fitzy & Wippa later that morning.

She explained that their relationship fell apart in the months after they left the reality TV 'bubble'.

'It was like the Bachelor that I fell in love with, transitioning into reality, it just wasn't the same guy,' she said.

Revealing comments: Alex also told Fitzy & Wippa on Tuesday that her relationship with Richie fell apart after he failed to live up to her expectations of a 'Bachelor boyfriend'

'I fell in love with "Bachelor Richie" and then coming into "Richie reality", I felt like it was a little bit different,' Alex added.

'Almost our entire relationship was long distance [with Alex based in Melbourne and Richie in Perth] and I just never bloody saw him!'

Alex concluded by saying that her ex should have just picked Perth-based runner-up Nikki Gogan in the finale as 'it would have been easier'.

Happier times: Alex briefly dated Richie after winning his season of The Bachelor in 2016

When asked if there was one thing in particular that Richie did to hurt her, Alex answered cryptically: 'Yes, which is what you will see [on Bachelor in Paradise].'

She added: 'It's something that's really quite personal and it's quite confronting and I didn't want it to come out in that kind of environment but it just had to. I probably would never see him again, I didn't expect to see him in there.'

Bachelor In Paradise premieres Tuesday night at 7.30pm on Channel 10
Hugh Jackson may, in fact, be 'The Greatest Showman'.

The 50-year old has always had a flare for drama, fun and the unexpected, even when it comes to his wife, Deborra-Lee Furness.

And on Monday, he was back at it once again when he facetimed Furness, while walking out for an appearance on Live With Kelly and Ryan.

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The Greatest Showman: Hugh Jackman facetimed his wife Deborra-Lee Furness during his walkout on Live With Kelly And Ryan on Monday

With his trademark smile beaming across his face, Jackman high-fived audience members as he held up his phone so his wife could take in all the action and excitement in real time.

Then, after he greeted hosts Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest, Ripa asked, 'Is that Deb? Wait is that Deb? Oh my gosh.'

With his face turned towards the audience, the Australian star said, 'Deb rang me while I was backstage and she said to say hi to Kelly, and I said you say hi to Kelly.'

After Searcrest chimed in with a quick 'hi', Ripa took hold of the phone and told Furness, 'Hi, I miss you. You look great.'

Working it: The X-Men actor held up his phone to show his wife all the action

Fan friendly: Jackman proceeded to high-five audience members to the delight of fans

Shining star: The Australian star flashed his trademark smile as he greeted audience members

With the phone screen in full view of the camera, Furness was heard saying, '[This is me] without makeup.'

'You look gorgeous without makeup. Some people don't need it,' Ripa assured the Australian actress.

The subject quickly turned to Seacrest and his cleanly shaven face.

'I said Deb, what do you think of Ryan, no stubble or clean-shaven? And she said, say it, Deb'

As Seacrest leaned in to hear the answer, Furness replied, 'I'm going with the stubble, I like my guys with stubble.'

'She knows how to pick them, so alright,' the American Idol host said.

Jackman is in New York promoting his latest movie, Missing Link.

Spontaneous: With his face turned towards the audience, the Australian star said, 'Deb rang me while I was backstage and she said to say hi to Kelly, and I said you say hi to Kelly'

Old mates: Ripa took hold of the phone and told Furness, 'Hi, I miss you. You look great'

Real time: With the phone screen in full view of the camera, Furness was heard saying, '[This is me] without makeup,' which Ripa assured her, 'You look gorgeous without makeup'

The couple, who met on the set of the Australian television show Correlli, will be celebrating their 23rd wedding anniversary on April 11.

In a true testament of love, Jackman personally designed the engagement ring for Furness, which bore the Sanskrit inscription 'Om paramar mainamar'. It translates to 'we dedicate our union to a greater source.'

The couple have two adopted children two children: son Oscar, 18, and daughter Ava, 13.

The big push: Jackman is in New York promoting his latest movie, Missing Link
She celebrated her 24th birthday in London last week, after her sun-soaked Israel getaway.

But Demi Rose proved she still in the mood for celebrating as she headed out for cocktails on Monday.

The model, 24, sent temperatures soaring as she slipped into a red ruched dress for the glamorous night out.

Killer curves: Demi Rose sent temperatures soaring as she slipped into a red ruched dress for birthday cocktails on Monday

Posting a snap on Instagram, Demi proudly flaunted her famed curves in the skintight spaghetti strap dress.

The Birmingham beauty opted to shun the cardinal legs-or-cleavage rule in favour of full on sex appeal as she opted to go braless, while a thigh-high split showed off her tremendous pins.

Posing by the bar with a cocktail, Demi wore her brunette locks in a sleek, straight centre-parting and enhanced her bronzed tan with a polished make-up look.

Partying hard: The model celebrated her 24th birthday in London last week, after her sun-soaked Israel getaway

Just days earlier she celebrated her 24th birthday in Israel.

She captioned a striking bikini shot: '24 today! I feel so happy, grateful to be here and blessed to have what I have.

'My friends, the love thats in my life and the support I have got given from you all along my years.

'Im ready to take on another year and what it may bring. Thank you for all your birthday wishes! Love you guys.

Smokin' hot: Just days earlier she celebrated her 24th birthday in Israel. Demi captioned a striking bikini shot: '24 today! I feel so happy, grateful to be here and blessed'

Sizzling: The influencer looked absolutely incredible as she slipped her famous curves into a barely-there white bikini while taking to the waters of the Dead Sea

Work it: Proving to be a series of throwback snaps, Demi first uploaded snaps of herself in the white bikini last week as she enjoyed her getaway to Israel

Kylie Jenner lookalike Demi was first propelled into the spotlight when she was linked to the reality star's ex, rapper Tyga, after they split.

The star has since gained a huge following on Instagram and she is known to display her incredible curves in a number of risque ensembles.

So, of course, she was more than happy to divulge the secrets to her sensationally curvy figure in an exclusive chat with MailOnline.

Demi revealed: 'I try to keep as healthy as I can. With travelling, it's hard to work out, I travel across the world but try to keep my routine...

'Everyone says I'm the healthiest person they know. The fattiest thing I will ever eat is nuts and peanut butter...

'My figure just gains weight so fast. Any bad thing I eat my body isn't used to it and just puts on the weight. That means no birthday cake!...

'All I've eaten today is nuts. I've managed to eat a whole pot. I feel guilty as there's a lot of fat in the nuts. That's my treat! So I'm happy.'
Wendy Williams on Monday opened up on her show about a trip she made to a Walmart in Ellenville, New York, which garnered the attention of some media outlets.

Williams, 54, was returning to her daytime talk program, The Wendy Williams Show, after a week off, opening up about her much-ballyhooed retail excursion about 90 miles northeast of Manhattan amid a camping trip with friends.

'I want to shout-out to my friends at the Walmart in a little-known place called Ellen, New York,' Williams said. 'We went up there and the Walmart is the social place. When Im away from the show, sometimes I do take selfies, sometimes. At four o' clock in the morning, Im sitting in this scooter  taking pictures with people.'

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Setting the record straight: Wendy Williams, 54, on Monday opened up on her show about a trip she made to a Walmart in Ellenville, NY, which garnered the attention of some media outlets

Williams said that it's an advantage she has her own platform to push back at some of the insinuations.

'One of the best things about being truthful to yourself and truthful to you and having your own show is I can come and dispel my own rumor,' Williams said. 'The headline was, "Poor, lonely Wendy needs a hug" - then it said, "She looks frail, she was by herself" - by herself?'

Williams pointed out that she was with friends, and that she's dealing with Graves' disease, which places pressure near her eye region: 'Sometimes my eyes go like this ... they caught me with an eye pop, also.'

Williams laughed off criticism of her decor on the middle-of-the night outing, citing the appropriateness when considering the time and place.

In defense: Williams said that it's an advantage she has her own platform to push back at some of the insinuations

Jumping to conclusions: Williams pointed out that she's dealing with Graves' disease, which can impact her appearance at times

Change-maker: Williams also addressed her ongoing residence in a sober house, saying she hopes to shatter misconceptions in regards to the people who reside at said facilities

'Yep, a Wendy Show robe, I had leggings [on] - it was 4:00 in the morning in Ellenville, New York, what do you want me to wear? A ball gown?'

The media personality sarcastically thanked her critics, adding, 'Do I look frail to you? I was just a little disgusted.'

In the segment, Williams also addressed her ongoing residence in a sober house, saying she hopes to shatter misconceptions in regards to the people who reside at said facilities.

'Everybody thinks it's going to be the bum on the corner or whatnot and whatnot,' the New York native said. 'Sometimes you just need to go someplace and get one with your sobriety and your 12 steps.'

She added: 'We are people with functioning careers who just want to check ourselves and get down with that 12 step. You know what I'm saying? There is such a stigma to substance abuse.'
He is worth an estimated $340million and is no doubt accustomed to all the trappings of the Hollywood lifestyle.

However, veteran actor Harrison Ford swapped his private plane for a humble passenger jet in New Zealand on Sunday.

Harrison, 76, was spotted with his wife Calista Flockhart, 54, and their son Liam, 18, on the tarmac at Queenstown in New Zealand.

Not quite Air Force One! Hollywood superstar Harrison Ford (right), his wife Calista Flockhart (second from right) and her adopted son Liam (far left) flew cattle class during a low-key trip to New Zealand on Sunday. The trio were spotted on the tarmac at Queenstown

The Indiana Jones star dressed casually in a green puffer jacket, khaki shirt, brown pants and sneakers as he stepped on a flight bound for Auckland.

Calista was similarly clad in a blue puffer jacket, grey top and light blue jeans while Liam wrapped up warm in a grey hoodie and black pants.

Harrison sported a thick head of grey hair which looked hastily combed as he boarded the plane carrying his hand luggage.

Star power: Indiana Jones star Harrison, 76, was dressed casually in a green puffer jacket, khaki shirt, brown pants and sneakers as he boarded the flight bound for Auckland

Ready for take-off: Harrison sported a thick head of grey hair which looked hastily combed as he strolled to the waiting plane

Calista, meanwhile, went makeup free and wore her strawberry blonde locks out as he accompanied Liam to the jet.

The trio were spotted relaxing at Air New Zealand's Koru lounge in Queenstown before their flight to Auckland on Sunday.

The Blade Runner star was seen reading magazines and sipping a beer as he waited to board.

Quick trip: The trio had been spotted relaxing at Air New Zealand's Koru lounge in Queenstown before boarding a flight to Auckland on Sunday

As reported by the New Zealand Herald, the family are believed to have stayed at the Fiordland Lodge in Te Anau during their trip, where double room rates start at $800 a night.

They boarded the Queenstown flight as the last passengers on Sunday and took their seats in row 17.

After the flight landed in Auckland, they were escorted out of the Jetstar exit and left in a SkyCare van.

Headed skyward: Calista was clad in a blue puffer jacket, grey top and light blue jeans while Liam rugged up in a grey hoodie and black pants

It is believed they were then whisked to the international terminal and flew out of New Zealand on Sunday night.

Harrison, Calista and Liam spent time hiking in the Marlborough Sounds during their stay in New Zealand.

They visited Punga Cove, on the Queen Charlotte Track, which has been named one of the country's best hiking tracks.

Holiday fun: Harrison, Calista and Liam spent time hiking and testing the cool water in the Marlborough Sounds during their stay in New Zealand

New horizons: The threesome boarded the Queenstown flight as the last passengers on Sunday and took their seats in row 17 on the full plane
Nearly 25 years after first working together on Bad Boys, Will Smith and Joe Pantoliano reunited on the Miami set of Bad Boys For Life.

Smith, 50, and Pantoliano, 67, were spotted on the set on Monday afternoon, though Pantoliano's character, Captain Howard, has certainly seen better days.

The actor was seen shirtless with quite a bit of fake blood on his mouth, upper torso and on his khaki pants, while Smith's character, Mike Lowrey, was seen coming to his aid.

Bloody reunion: Will Smith reunites with a bloody Joe Pantoliano on the Miami set of Bad Boys For Life on Monday afternoon.

Smith was seen wearing black jogging pants with white stripes down the legs and a white shirt with a black collar and black trim around the short sleeves.

His character Mike Lowrey was seen coming to the aid of Captain Howard, even checking his pulse, so it's possible that Howard might be killed off.

Smith was also seen walking away from Pantoliano, who lied motionless on the ground, with fake blood on his hands.

Bloody reunion: Pantoliano was also seen, with a grey towel wrapped around his arms, embracing Smith on the set after the bloody scene

Pantoliano was also seen, with a grey towel wrapped around his arms, embracing Smith on the set after the bloody scene.

Production has been under way since early January on Bad Boys For Life, which brings back Bad Boys and Bad Boys II stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence as Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett.

They will be joined by a number of franchise newcomers such as Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Happy Anderson and DJ Khaled, making his feature film debut.

Bloody hands: Smith was also seen walking away from Pantoliano, who lied motionless on the ground, with fake blood on his hands

Michael Bay directed the first two Bad Boys films, but the filmmaker will cede the directorial reins to Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Black, Gangsta).

Sony Pictures has set a January 17, 2020 release date for Bad Boys For Life, putting it up against Warner Bros.' Just Mercy starring Michael B. Jordan and Universal's The Voyage of Dr. Dolittle starring Robert Downey Jr.

The story follows Lowrey and Burnett who team up to take down an Albanian mercenary, whose brother they had previously killed.

Officer down: His character Mike Lowrey was seen coming to the aid of Captain Howard, even checking his pulse, so it's possible that Howard might be killed off

The first Bad Boys movie, which served as the feature directorial debut for Michael Bay, earned $65.8 million domestic and $141.7 million worldwide from a $19 million budget.

2003's Bad Boys II earned $138.6 million domestic and $273.3 million worldwide, from a much larger $130 million budget.

There is also a fourth Bad Boys movie in development at Sony, with Smith and Lawrence expected to return.

Bad Boys: The first Bad Boys movie, which served as the feature directorial debut for Michael Bay, earned $65.8 million domestic and $141.7 million worldwide from a $19 million budget
Daily Mail Australia reported last month that Channel Nine hoped to cash in on the success of Married At First Sight with a spin-off show, Honeymoon Island.

But the project has seemingly been cancelled, with a Nine spokesperson telling TV Blackbox on Tuesday the network has no plans for a new show.

Had it gone ahead, MAFS: Honeymoon Island would have brought together past and present contestants on a tropical island for a second chance at love.

Not this time! Channel Nine 'halts plans for Married At First Sight spin-off Honeymoon Island'... leaving fame-hungry former contestants devastated

Last month, Daily Mail Australia reported that 'early discussions had started' for Honeymoon Island, and may former MAFS stars were 'eager to get the call-up'.

The spin-off was expected to follow the format the U.S. version.

The American version of MAFS: Honeymoon Island premiered last year, and followed 'fan favourites and some new faces' as they searched for love in Saint Lucia.

No spin-off! Honeymoon Island has seemingly been cancelled, with a Nine spokesperson saying the network has no plans for a new show. Pictured: Ines Basic and Ryan Gallagher

At the end of their stay, the Honeymoon Island couples were made to decide whether they wanted to get married or leave the island alone.

The idea is similar to that of Bachelor in Paradise, which brings together former stars from the Bachelor franchise in a tropical resort in Fiji.

Contestants from all six seasons of MAFS were 'getting excited' at the prospect of a spin-off series, so they will no doubt be disappointed by this latest development.

Axed: Had it gone ahead, MAFS: Honeymoon Island would have brought together past and present contestants on a tropical island for a second chance at love. Pictured: Sam and Lizzie

'Everyone's messaging everyone to see if they've heard anything or know anyone that's been formally approached by Nine,' a source told Daily Mail Australia last month.

'Other people have even joked about hiding their current relationships if it means they'll get back on television.'

Married At First Sight will return to Channel Nine in 2020
Hollywood legend Jane Fonda stepped out to get her nails done in Beverly Hills on Monday afternoon.

The 81 year old actress was spotted at a salon, getting a manicure and pedicure, while she sat back and enjoyed a good book.

The Grace and Frankie star was relaxed, wearing her sunglasses inside as her nails were worked on.

Mani-pedi time: Jane Fonda relaxes in a Beverly Hills nail salon whlie getting a mani-pedi on Monday afternoon.

Fonda was wearing a perriwinkle blue zip-up sweater and black pants, while wearing sunglasses in the salon.

She was seen reading a book while the nail technicians worked on her nails.

She was also seen putting some cash into a blue wallet during her mani-pedi session.

Skin cancer: Her outing comes just days after revealing in a British Vogue interview what it's like to live with skin cancer

Her outing comes just days after revealing in a British Vogue interview what it's like to live with skin cancer.

'Ive had a lot of cancer,' Fonda said. 'I was a sun-worshipper. When I have a day off, I frequently go to my skin doctor and have things cut off me by a surgeon.'

She also opened up and revealed that the white dress she wore at the 2016 Golden Globes was to cover up the double mastectomy she just had.

'I get out of the car and I have the strange white dress with all the ruffles? Thats because Id just had a mastectomy and I had to cover my bandages.'

She also opened up about living with osteoporosis, which she said makes her, 'whole body hurt.'

'The fact that I hurt a lot  my body hurts  is a surprise to me, and its not because of all that working out,' she added.

Osteoporosis: She also opened up about living with osteoporosis, which she said makes her, 'whole body hurt'

'Its genetic. My father Henry had it, my brother Peter had it. Your cartilage disappears and then its bone on bone, and then "ow,"' she said.

'But we live in a time where you can just get a new one,' she stated.

Fonda stars alongside Lily Tomlin in the hit Netflix series Grace & Frankie, which was recently renewed for a sixth season back in January.

Pain: 'Its genetic. My father Henry had it, my brother Peter had it. Your cartilage disappears and then its bone on bone, and then "ow,"' she said
He had a fun night out on Saturday night attending Marc Jacobs' wedding alongside supermodel Kate Moss and a slew of other high profile guests.

But the following Sunday was a much more low-key affair for Australian supermodel Jordan Barrett.

The 22-year-old blonde was spotted enjoying a casual bite to eat in New York City with pals, where he enjoyed a comforting bowl of soup and a classic vodka martini.

That's one way to keep hydrated! Jordan Barrett is spotted enjoying a liquid dinner with pals in New York City, tucking into a soup and a martini at a trendy West Village restaurant

Flushed: The night before the party-loving model attended Marc Jacob wedding in New York and had a rather flushed face

The genetically-blessed dressed casually for his meal, wearing a plain blue T-shirt and a turquoise trousers.

Jordan dined outside the restaurant in West Village with two male companions.

Feeling blue? The genetically-blessed dressed casually for his meal, wearing a plain blue T-shirt and a turquoise trousers

The night before the party-loving model was photographed in New York with a rather flushed face.

On Saturday, he stepped out to attend US fashion designer, Marc Jacobs' wedding to Char Defrancesco with fashion supermodel Kate Moss, 45.

Jordan was seen arriving at the star-studded event with Kate and her lookalike daughter Lila Grace Moss Hack, 16.

Al fresco: Jordan dined outside the restaurant in West Village with two male companions

Star-studded: On Saturday, he stepped out to attend US fashion designer, Marc Jacobs' wedding to Char Defrancesco with fashion supermodel Kate Moss, 45, and her daughter Lila Grace Moss Hack, 16

The handsome star looked effortlessly stylish in an all-black ensemble consisting of a black T-shirt, a tailored blazer and a pair of form-fitting trousers.

The Byron Bay-born model, who previously starred in a Stuart Weitzman campaign alongside Kate, appeared to thoroughly enjoy their outing in the Big Apple.

Jordan has graced the runway for a slew of high-end fashion labels, including Dolce & Gabbana, Moschino and Versace at Milan Fashion Week.

However the model's appeal lies beyond the catwalk, having been linked to the likes of 'it' girls Hailey Baldwin, Sofia Richie, Megan Blake Irwin, Lara Stone and Sahara Ray.

Jordan has been awarded the Model of the Year Award for three consecutive times since his first Tom Ford campaign.
It not all glitz and glamour behind the scenes of Married At First Sight.

While the reunion dinner party may have seemed like a lavish affair, cast members actually spent up to 90 minutes locked in taxis lined up outside the building before producers were ready for them.

Exclusive on-set photos taken on January 23 show the participants sitting in separate cars as they waited patiently until their scheduled entrance to the party.

EXCLUSIVE: Married At First Sight stars were 'locked in taxis outside the reunion dinner party for over an hour' after producers went to desperate lengths to keep them apart before filming. Pictured: Mick Gould arriving on set in Lilyfield, Sydney on January 23

At one stage, nine taxis were lined up outside the MAFS 'compound' in Lilyfield, Sydney, with each vehicle containing a cast member.

'Producers locked the participants in cars for up to 90 minutes until the perfect moment to film their arrival,' a source told Daily Mail Australia.

'It may seem like an extreme measure, but they couldn't risk people catching up away from the cameras, and there was nowhere else to hold them all.

'They were determined that everything that happened before, during and after the reunion dinner party was caught on camera.'

They didn't show that on TV! At one stage, nine taxis were lined up outside the Married At First Sight 'compound' in Lilyfield, Sydney, with each vehicle containing a cast member

Who knew! Despite arriving at the dinner party in taxis, each participant was escorted into one of three luxury Suzukis before filming their 'official' arrival

Several blacked-out marquees were also erected outside the set, with certain cast members ushered into these 'holding pens' before their entrances.

Another reason why producers locked the contestants in taxis could be Married At First Sight's lucrative partnership with Suzuki.

Despite arriving at the dinner party in cabs, each participant was escorted into one of three luxury Suzukis before filming their 'official' arrival.

The branded vehicles then took turns driving 20 metres up the street to the studio's front door, with cameras zooming in on the car's logo.

Nothing to see here! On Sunday's episode of MAFS, Martha Kalifatidis and Michael Brunelli were shown 'arriving' in a luxury Suzuki

Suzuki was announced as an official MAFS partner in 2017, with B&T reporting the brand would have 'key spots and billboard placements around the program to increase brand awareness'.

Meanwhile, the taxi drivers hired to keep watch over the participants boasted to Daily Mail Australia of the 'great money' they made for hardly any work.

'The fare can go up to $150,' one driver said, adding that he was happy to charge producers for his services as his car sat motionless in the parking lot.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel Nine for comment.
She is best known in Australia for her role as Melissa Rafter on Packed to the Rafters.

And actress Zoe Ventoura, who spent the last six years living in Los Angeles, looked happy to be home on Monday as she filmed her first scenes for Home and Away.

The 37-year-old looked stylish in activewear as she smiled on set in Sydney's Palm Beach alongside her younger co-star Olivia Deeble, 16.

Home and Away FIRST LOOK: Packed to the Rafters star Zoe Ventoura filmed her first scenes in Summer Bay this week. Pictured in Palm Beach, Sydney on Monday with co-star Olivia Deeble

During the scene, Zoe looked radiant in a bright blue Adidas singlet which she paired with cropped leggings.

She completed her look with a pair of black sneakers and a matching tote bag.

Zoe also opted for natural-look makeup and styled her brunette hair back into a simple ponytail.

Sports luxe: The 37-year-old actress looked stylish in activewear as she smiled on set alongside her younger co-star Olivia Deeble (left)

All eyes on her! During the scene, Zoe looked radiant in a bright blue Adidas singlet which she paired with cropped leggings

At one point, she was seen reading over the day's script while soaking up the late-afternoon sun.

Later on, Zoe and Olivia rehearsed a scene together as they went on a walk.

to New Idea magazine on Monday about her new role. It comes after the Perth-born star spoke

Annnnd... action! Later on, Zoe and Olivia were seen rehearsing a scene together

Exciting role: It comes after Zoe spoke to New Idea magazine on Monday about her new role

Homecoming: Zoe, who plays emergency doctor Alex Neilson on Home and Away, said it's been 'wonderful' to return to Australian television

Zoe, who plays emergency doctor Alex Neilson on Home and Away, said it's been 'wonderful' to return to Australian television.

She had been living in Los Angeles for six years with her husband Daniel MacPherson when Channel Seven producers contacted her about the role.

'I was sent the character information and asked if I was interested. I immediately loved the character, that's what got me in,' she said.

Zoe describes her character as 'smart and compelling', adding: 'I loved how they created her and the storyline they planned for her. It seemed like a no brainer'.

Job offer: She had been living in Los Angeles for six years with her husband Daniel MacPherson when Channel Seven producers contacted her about the role
Cyrell Paule's brother Ivan has apologised to his sister's TV 'husband' Nic Jovanovic after he alleged that the electrician had cheated on her and was going to be portrayed as the bad guy on Married At First Sight.

Ivan phoned in to publicly say sorry to his 'brother in law' while Nic was making a studio appearance on The Kyle & Jackie O Show on Tuesday morning.

'I'm a man of my word. On behalf of Australia I want to apologise to Nic, and I take back everything I've said,' Ivan said.

'I'm a man of my word' Cyrell Paule's brother Ivan apologised to Nic Jovanovic during an interview with The Kyle & Jackie O show on Tuesday, after making shock claims he was 'cheating' on his sister (Nic is pictured with co-star Elizabeth Sobinoff on the show)

'From day one you've always been great in my eyes.'

'I do apologise and take back everything that I've said and hopefully down the line you and I can have a drink together and make peace brother,' he added.

A surprised Nic replied: 'Wow! From zero to hero! Thank you Ivan.'

Public apology: Ivan phoned in to publicly say sorry to his 'brother in law', while Nic was making a studio appearance on The Kyle & Jackie O Show on Tuesday morning

Ivan had alleged that Nic was romantically involved with several female co-stars on MAFS while he was 'married' to Cyrell.

In an interview with Nova's Fitzy and Wippa earlier this month, he ranted: 'The truth is....he's no angel.'

'What is he cheating? Give us a yes or no answer,' host Michael 'Wippa' Wipfli asked.

Oh dear: Ivan had alleged that Nic was romantically involved with several female co-stars on MAFS while he was 'married' to Cyrell

Ivan replied: 'Yeah, I'll let everyone know it is a yes.'

Wippa continued to probe Ivan about the sensational claims, saying: 'Do you know who he has cheated with?'

'He's probably cheated with loads of the girls on MAFS, but no one knows about it,' Ivan alleged.

'He's probably cheated with loads of the girls on MAFS!' Cyrell's sibling alleged that Nic was doing the dirty on his sibling (right)

Wippa brought up the cheating claims once again towards the end of the interview and asked whether Cyrell, 29, was aware of the allegations.

'I heard about it when Nic first came to our house,' Ivan said, before Wippa jumped in and asked: 'Who told you?'

To which Ivan responded: 'The producers.'

All lies? Ivan insinuated he was approached by producers to raise the cheating claims with his sister's 'husband' during one episode when he demanded Nic 'stay away' from Cyrell

Ivan insinuated he was approached by producers to raise the cheating claims with his sister's 'husband' during the episode, when he demanded Nic 'stay away' from Cyrell.

'So the time that I was actually confronting Nic about packing his stuff I was also reminded to remind him about him cheating,' Ivan claimed.

However he said he decided not to bring up the claims with Nic because it was not his 'decision' to do so.

'I can't spread a rumour that can't be proven yet,' he explained at the time.
She celebrated her 21st birthday just last week.

But Paris Jackson seemed to back to business as usual as she stepped out in Los Angeles on Monday.

The model and media personality donned casual hippie attire while running a few errands.

The usual: Paris Jackson seemed to back to business as usual as she stepped out in Los Angeles on Monday

Paris colorful looked consisted of baggy tie dye pants and she tied a colorful sweater around her waist.

She wasn't afraid to reveal a little bit of skin either, showing off a hint of midriff underneath a cropped white tank top, which she went braless underneath.

The IMG Models represented catwalk star shaded her eyes with rosy lenses and donned a pair of Mou boots.

She accessorized with a variety of colorful long beaded necklaces and bracelets as well as a few rings.

Out and about: The model and media personality donned casual hippie attire while running a few errands

Colorful: Paris colorful looked consisted of baggy tie dye pants and she tied a colorful sweater around her waist

Paris turned 21 on April third and received a bundled of romantic red roses from her boyfriend Gabriel Glenn.

The sister of Prince, 22, and Blanket, 17, earlier took to Instagram Stories on Wednesday, broadcasting a marijuana smoking session with her boyfriend and a friend, tagging the post, 'birthday doobie' with the number 21, signifying her new age, juxtaposed next to an animated heart.

'Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest,' Paris added in a humorous caption to the post.

It's been a tumultuous time for Paris in the wake of a March 16 TMZ report claiming the second-generation star had been on a temporary 5150 hold amid a suicide attempt.

Errands: The IMG Models represented catwalk star shaded her eyes with rosy lenses and donned a pair of Mou moccasins

Los Angeles Police Department public information officer Tony Im, speaking with People, said that 'at about 7:28 a.m., officers responded to the 7200 block of Hillside for an ambulance attempt suicide,' and that 'the victim was transported to a local hospital.'

Paris subsequently wrote to TMZ, 'f*** you you f***ing liars,' in a tweet thread linking to the story.

She had already been in the headlines amid the fallout of Leaving Neverland, the HBO documentary featuring two men claiming they were sexually molested as kids by Michael Jackson, who died in June of 2009 at the age of 50.

Paris later linked the documentary to the suicide story in a tweet, writing, 'They didn't get the crazy reaction they wanted from the doc, and a chill, mellow reaction doesn't sell stories so why not lie and create a story that does sell? Pathetic.'
She's tired of the haters weighing in on every aspect of her life.

Now Busy Philipps is writing her preferred response on her own body.

The 39-year-old actress and talk show host shared an Instagram photo of her newly-tattooed foot on Sunday, reading 'f*** em' in graceful cursive.

Words to live by: Busy Philipps, 39, showed off a new ankle tattoo on Instagram on Sunday that read 'f*** em'

The I Feel Pretty actress got the ink just below her ankle.

The insouciant image showed a women from behind, skating on an icy surface which morphed into a single uninterrupted line of writing.

'My favorite illustration drawn by @mcfetridge for my book #thiswillonlyhurtalittle (it's in the A Movie Script Ending chapter),' explained in the caption.

'Tattooed beautifully by @dre.dayli in Dallas at @thirdeyegallery last night. And weirdly true to form and as things always tend to be, it really always only hurts a little. '

Special meaning: 'My favorite illustration drawn by @mcfetridge for my book #thiswillonlyhurtalittle (it's in the A Movie Script Ending chapter),' explained in the caption; pictured March 12 in West Hollywood

First person: Busy's book, where the drawing first originated, was a memoir detailing her experiences navigating Hollywood

Busy's book, where the drawing first originated, was a memoir detailing her experiences navigating Hollywood.

The illustrator, Geoff McFetridge, has had his distinctive line drawings publicly exhibited and published in prestigious publications, including the New York Times Magazine.

She also posted an Instagram Story with the tattoo artist who perfectly captured the original design.

In response to a comment asking how Busy would explain the profanity to her children, she wrote, 'I tell them that these are words to live by. Especially as a woman.'

Controversial passage: Readers noted a passage in her memoir about James Franco pushing her to the ground, though he later apologized and she didn't appreciate his story overshadowing the rest of her book

Standing by it: In response to a comment asking how Busy would explain the profanity to her children, she wrote, 'I tell them that these are words to live by. Especially as a woman'

Readers of This Will Only Hurt A Little were drawn to a passage about James Franco pushing her to the ground while shooting Freaks And Geeks, which followed allegations of sexual misconduct against the actor and arrived during a general reassessment of men's power amid the #MeToo movement.

The White Girls actress mentioned the coverage of the event on an episode of Watch What Happens Live in October 2018, in which she complained about news articles that focused on Franco while ignoring the rest of her book.

She stated in an October Instagram post that he had apologized after the fact, and that she didn't appreciate the event being compared to other allegations of misconduct.

'The Franco story is used to illustrate a larger point about the way women are treated in this business and in life. There are no 'allegations' and no 'accusations.' It's a story that I have been telling for years. James apologized. I accepted.'

Special guest: The Busy Tonight host posted a colorful Instagram photo of herself and This Is Us star Mandy Moore on Monday, featuring both women with climbing backpacks and protective goggles

The Busy Tonight host posted a colorful Instagram photo of herself and This Is Us star Mandy Moore on Monday.

The two women wore protective glasses and had backpacks strapped on.

Busy wore hoop earrings with turquoise dots and a gold heart-shaped necklace, though her low-cut outfit wasn't visible from the shoulder-high picture.

Mandy stuck out in a neon yellow top.

'Watch my show tonight to see why this cutie and I are hiking a damn mountain in high fashion and dumb glasses. Love you,' she wrote, followed by 13 heart emojis.
Last month she was in Montreal shooting scenes for the upcoming film Dreamland.

But Lily-Rose Depp was far from work on Monday as she spent her day enjoy some Los Angeles sunshine.

The 19-year-old model-actress showed off her slender figure while catching some rays.

All smiles: Lily-Rose Depp was far from work on Monday as she spent her day enjoy some Los Angeles sunshine

The daughter of Johnny Depp sported a pink floral tank top with spaghetti steaps that clung closely to her midriff.

She kept things casual with a pair of light blue jeans and added clean white sneakers.

Lily-Rose pulled her light brunette tresses into a relaxed ponytail and shaded her eyes with dark sunglasses.

Casual: The 19-year-old model-actress showed off her slender figure while catching some rays

Last month, Lily-Rose was spotted filming for her upcoming thriller, Dreamland, in Montreal, Canada.

She is set to appear alongside Armie Hammer and Michelle Rodriguez in the film, which is about a drug trafficker smuggling Fentanyl between the U.S. and Canada.

The movie is being directed Nicholas Jarecki from he script he penned himself.

Keeping busy: Last month, Lily-Rose was spotted filming for her upcoming thriller, Dreamland, in Montreal, Canada

After appearing in two movies in 2018, Les Fauves and A Faithful Man, Lily-Rose is set to have a busy 2019 with three new roles.

She is set to appear in the previously mentioned Dreamland as well as The King, alongside Timothee Chalamet, Joel Edgerton, and Robert Pattinson.

The film is an adaptation of several plays from William Shakespeare's Henriad and will stream on Netflix.

Lily-Rose is also set to appear in Kevin Smith's Moose Jaws, the third and final installment of the director's True North trilogy.
Aggression isn't the type of emotion a comedian would expect his audience to feel during a stand-up show.

So when a fight broke out in the audience at Dave 'Hughsey' Hughes' show Hairy at Melbourne's Town Hall on Saturday night, the 48-year-old understandably didn't know what to do.

Talking on his Hit Network program Hughsey and Kate on Monday afternoon, Hughsey told listeners how a group of four people arrived 15 minutes late - and a little tipsy - to his show.

'This is like an episode of MAFS!' Comedian Dave Hughes was forced to call the police after four unruly audience members started fighting fight during his Melbourne Comedy Festival show over the weekend

After attempting to interact with the latecomers and asking them why they were tardy, he soon found out that this particular crew were going to be trouble.

'They sounded like they had been at a bit of a party and I thought, 'well, okay maybe they'll settle down once they sit down".'

'But I don't think they did settle down once they sat down.'

'This has never happened!' The comedian explained that he tried to carry on with his show, but could hear constant bickering coming from the group. He tried to integrate it into his act, but to no avail

The comedian explained that he tried to carry on with his show, but could hear constant bickering coming from the group.

He tried to integrate it into his act, but to no avail.

'I'm hearing an argument at the back of the room, like a proper argument, like it was not good, but I'm trying to keep it funny,' he explained.

After the group, which were made up of two men and two women, didn't settle, Dave was forced to stop the show.

He is heard in an audio recording, which was taped during the stand-up routine, saying, 'Listen guys, we really can't have a hassle here.'

'Trying to keep it funny': The 48-year-old funnyman finally scolded the group - telling them 'if it's not right for you tonight, then go and you can get a refund, seriously'

'If it's not right for you tonight, then you can go and you can get a refund, seriously.'

Among the cheers and hollers from the crowd, Hughsey then says: 'This is like an episode of MAFS,' as the remaining audience erupt into laughter.

Eventually Dave, with help from the ushers, were able to kick the latecomers out - but one couple just could not bring themselves to leave the building.

Well that escalated: Hughsey told Kate on their radio show that the group was then escorted outside - and two were handcuffed and carted away in a divvy van by police

'They just stayed outside,' Hughsey recalled.

'So eventually the police arrived and I believe hand cuffs were involved and not in a fun way.'

The funnyman explained that all the people lining up for the next show saw other coming out of the one before and being arrested by police.

'People leaving my show get taken out and put in a divvy van and get taken away!,' the comedian laughed.

Hughsey then praised the Comedy Festival crew on how they swiftly handled the incident.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Victoria Police for comment.
It was a rare night to themselves amid a whirlwind of Game Of Thrones publicity events.

Kit Harington and Rose Leslie, both 32, were spotted out and about in New York City for a casual evening.

The married were inseparable after Kit's first time hosting Saturday Night Live on Saturday.

Alone at last: Kit Harington and Rose Leslie, both 32, were spotted out and about in New York City for a casual evening

Rose was bundled up on the chilly night in a relaxed plaid jacket with large square pockets and a pair of tight black jeans.

The Good Fight actress had a black handbag slung across her shoulders and wore a stylish pair of black buckled boots with gold designs over the toe.

She kept her famously fiery locks tied back in a casual bun with a kerchief.

Kit was sleek in all-black, with a black blazer over a black shirt and black jeans.

He's once standard beard had been shaved off recently in advance of his SNL gig.

Staying warm: Rose was bundled up on the chilly night in a relaxed plaid jacket with large square pockets and a pair of tight black jeans, while Kit went all-black

Strong debut: The Death And Life Of John F. Donovan star appeared on a surprisingly experimental SNL episode over the weekend

Crazy: He played a fiance doing a striptease in women's lingerie at a bachelorette party and a Michael Jackson impersonator first to hastily switch to play Frank Sinatra

The Death And Life Of John F. Donovan star appeared on a surprisingly experimental SNL episode over the weekend.

He starred in a sketch about a man surprising his fiancee at her bachelorette party by do a burlesque routine in women's lingerie.

Other highlights included a pageant celebrating nephews, in which he came out on top, and an unusual skit about a Michael Jackson impersonator forced to make a hasty change to playing Frank Sinatra.

Rose even made a brief appearance to joking ask her husband what they would do for money now that Game Of Thrones was coming to an end.

As seen on TV: The couple began their romance in 2012 while appearing together on the long-running fantasy series, and married in 2018; pictured together April 3 in New York City

The couple began their romance in 2012 while appearing together on the long-running fantasy series.

Though Kit has been a mainstay of the show since the beginning, Rose first joined as a featured actor in season two, before graduating to the main cast in seasons three and four.

The couple announced their engagement in September 2017, and married in June of last year in Aberdeenshire, Scottland, near where Rose was born.

After her departure from the HBO hit, the Downton Abbey star joined The Good Fight, the sequel series to The Good Wife.

Kit can be seen on the final season of Game Of Thrones, which premieres Sunday, April 14 on HBO.
I'm a Celebrity's Justin Lacko posed beside Lexi Wood in a racy campaign shoot for Australian label Bianca and Bridgett in Melbourne earlier this month.

And on Tuesday, the exclusive fashion label's official campaign photos were released.

The 28-year-old reality star looked handsome as he posed beside the 21-year-old brunette stunner, who previously dated Brooklyn Beckham.

So seductive: Brooklyn Beckham's ex Lexi Wood (left) and I'm a Celebrity star Justin Lacko (right) turned up the heat for racy fashion campaign released Tuesday

The pair turned up the heat as they sat close to one another in the front seat of a vintage Porsche.

The Canadian-born brunette sizzled in a form-fitting black dress while she stared out into the distance, clutching a pair of sunglasses.

Lexi showed off her glowing visage wearing a dusting of highlighter to her cheeks and donned a bold pink lipstick on her plump pout.

Racy in red! In another image, Lexi gave a sultry stare to the camera while she posed in a red blazer and matching red trousers i front of the vintage Porsche

Her long chocolate tresses were left out in loose waves and cascaded down past her shoulders.

Justin looked dapper in a crisp white buttoned-up shirt as he pouted at the camera.

In another image, Lexi gave a sultry stare while she posed in a red blazer and matching red trousers in front of the vintage Porsche.

Elegant: The third image showed Lexi arching her back and leaning against the bonnet of the car in a navy velvet dress, showing off her flawless figure

The third image showed Lexi arching her back and leaning against the bonnet of the car in a navy velvet dress, showing off her flawless figure.

In a fourth photograph, Justin played photographer while he held a long lens camera mimicking taking a photo of the brunette beauty.

The last image showed the former Playboy model oozing sex appeal as she flaunted her slender figure in a tight-fitting black dress with sheer sleeves and finished with a pair of thigh-high boots.

Smile for the camera: In a fourth photograph, Justin played photographer while he held a long lens camera mimicking taking a photo of the brunette beauty

Sitting in the back of the vehicle with Louis Vuitton luggage she gave the camera a seductive expression.

Lexi is a model who hails from Toronto, Canada but began her career when she moved to Paris at the age of 16.

Her reported romance with Brooklyn Beckham came to light last April when the pair were spotted kissing at a West Hollywood tattoo parlor.

Meanwhile, Justin has been romantically linked to Vanderump Rules star Scheana Shay.
She made headlines in the summer of 2017 when she donated one of her kidneys to her BFF Selena Gomez.

And on Monday night, Francia Raisa took the red carpet by storm as she arrived at the Los Angeles premiere for the movie Little.

The actress, 30, put on an eye-popping display in a very low-cut sleeveless dress.

Revealing: Francia Raisa, 30, took the red carpet by storm as she arrived at the Los Angeles premiere for the movie Little on Monday night

The full-length white dress by Italian fashion brand Genny had shimmery gold panels at either side of the bodice under the arms.

Raisa, who went braless in the figure-hugging number, flashed plenty of eye-popping cleavage.

The dress also had a side split and she kicked up her gold sandal heels as she played to the cameras.

Playful: The white full-length number by Italian fashion brand Genny featured shiny gold panels and side split and she kicked up her gold sandal heels as she played to the cameras

Unmissable: The actress, who went braless in the figure-hugging number, flashed plenty of eye-popping cleavage

The brunette beauty first came to notice in Hollywood as one of the stars of the ABC Family series The Secret Life of the American Teenager.

It ran from 2008 to 2013, around the same time that Gomez was starring in Disney's the Wizards Of Waverly Place, and the two young stars became friends.

Gomez was later diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune disease caused by the body's immune system turning on its own organs.

In September 2017, Gomez revealed via social media that she had been out of the limelight for several months after undergoing a kidney transplant needed as a result of her lupus.

She shared a photo of herself and Raisa lying side by side in hospital beds and thanked her friend for giving her 'the ultimate gift and sacrifice' of a new kidney.

Altruistic: Raisa, who first came to notice on ABC Family series The Secret Life of the American Teenager, made headlines in 2017 when she donated a kidney to BFF Selena Gomez
Lala Kent recently revealed that she is an alcoholic.

But that didn't stop the Vanderpump Rules star from enjoying a glitzy sober night out with beau Randall Emmett at the premiere of the romantic drama, After, in Los Angeles on Monday.

'We're here at the premiere of the movie, After, supporting my girl Meadow Williams and her lovely man Swen Temmel,' Kent said in an Instagram Story video shot inside the crowded event.

In reference to two of the film's stars, she added, 'Congrats baby, it's a mob [scene].'

Glitz and glamour: Lala Kent and fiance Randall Emmett attended the premiere of the romantic drama, After, is Los Angeles on Monday night

The 29-year old reality star opted for a little edge in the fashion department in an all-black ensemble that included leather shorts and a blazer.

She gave more than a hint of her cleavage by just wearing a black under garment under the jacket.

Keeping with the theme, she rocked a pair of black knee-high fringe boots while carrying a black leather hand purse.

Her long blonde hair flowed well past her shoulders and had some added volume and soft waves.

Lady in black: Lala Kent went with an all-black ensemble that included leather shorts

Real world: The Vanderpump Rules star, 29, got touchy with Emmett, 48, during their time in the spotlight

After strutting her stuff in front of the sea of cameras solo, Kent was then joined by her fiance.

The 48-year old -- best known for producing such films as 2 Guns, Lone Survivor and Silence -- put his arm around his wife-to-be's waist and posed for photographers.

He went with casual-cool look in black pants with a long-sleeve black shirt and black sneakers.

The couple got engaged last September after dating for about two years.

In an emotional social media post last month, Lala revealed she has been attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for five months, before breaking down in tears when she remembered her late father.

She credited the 12-step program with helping her work through emotions surrounding the death of her father.

Social butterfly: Kent shared a brief look inside the bustling event in an Instagram Story video

Hustle and bustle: The reality star panned the busy crowd

Respect: The reality star gave a shout out to After star Meadow Williams

After star Josephine Langford plays Tessa Young: a dedicated student, dutiful daughter and loyal girlfriend, who goes off to college.

Entering her first semester, Tessa's guarded world begins to open up when she begins a turbulent relationship with a 'bad boy', played by English actor Hero Fiennes-Tiffin.

The pairing with her mysterious new beau makes her question all she thought she knew about herself and what she wants out of life.

The film also stars Kent's friends Meadow Williams and Swen Temmel, along with Pia Mia, Khadijah Red Thunder, Inanna Sarkis, Jennifer Beals, Peter Gallagher and Shane Paul McGhie.

After hits theaters April 12, 2019.
He was recently in Australia's Gold Coast to film Godzilla Vs. Kong.

Alexander Skarsgard was back in the US on Monday when he was spotted out for a walk in New York City.

The 42-year-old actor had on a look of steely determination as he carried along a green bag.

Man with a plan: Alexander Skarsgard, 42, was back in the US on Monday, when he was spotted out for a walk in New York City

The 6ft4in Swedish-born star was dressed warmly for the chilly day.

He had on a black jacket over a dark sweater and a pair of charcoal jeans.

The True Blood actor wore a pair of white Adidas trainers and had his sleeve rolled up just enough to show off his elegant gold and brown leather timepiece.

Staying cozy: The 6ft4in Swedish-born star was dressed warmly for the chilly day

Keeping it simple: He had on a black jacket over a dark sweater and a pair of charcoal jeans

On display: The True Blood actor wore a pair of white Adidas trainers and had his sleeve rolled up just enough to show off his elegant gold and brown leather timepiece

The Hollywood hunk, who's the son of legendary Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard, recently shed some light on one of the earliest projects that brought him to the attention of American audiences.

He starred in the video for Lady Gaga's Paparazzi, opposite the A Star Is Born actress.

While speaking to Stellar Magazine in March, he revealed that he didn't even know who Gaga was at the time he was asked to appear in the 2008 video.

It's release coincided with his first major American TV roles in HBO's Generation Kill and the long-running sexy vampire series True Blood.

Leap of faith: The Hollywood hunk revealed in Stellar Magazine in March that he agreed to star in Lady Gaga's 2008 Paparazzi video without knowing who she was

Upgrade: He's currently shooting his biggest project yet, Godzilla Vs. Kong, which has kept him in Australia recently

Bit presumptuous? The movie is actually the fourth in the recent series of King Kong and Godzilla films, which will follow the still unreleased Godzilla: King Of The Monsters

Since then, Alexander has gone on to star in critically acclaimed and commercially successful films, including Melancholia, The Diary Of A Teenage Girl, and The Legend Of Tarzan.

He's currently shooting his biggest project yet, Godzilla Vs. Kong.

The movie is actually the fourth in the recent series of King Kong and Godzilla films, which will follow the forthcoming Godzilla: King Of The Monsters.

The Big Little Lies actor has top billing in the monster thriller and stars opposite Stranger Things' Mille Bobby Brown, The Prestige's Rebecca Hall, and Atlanta's Brian Tyree Henry.

The movie is expected to be released sometime in 2020.
Roxy Jacenko sure knows how to make an appearance, and she's nothing if not fashion forward.

The 39-year-old was spotted in Sydney's Woolloomooloo on Tuesday in a very eye-catching outfit and a bizarre hairstyle.

The PR maven opted for a bold, billowing dress in mismatched patterns in floral tones, with a yellow and blue panel down the front.

In fashion: Roxy Jacenko (pictured) stepped out in style on Tuesday. The 39-year-old PR maven was spotted in Sydney's Woolloomooloo, dressed in a long white dress and usual braids

The frock featured oversize, exaggerated sleeves, but was fitted to the rest of her body.

She teamed it with nude-coloured sky-high stilettos, but it was her hairstyle that garnered the most attention.

Roxy wore her long blonde hair in two messy braids, decorated with colourful miniature stars and gold hair ornaments.

Something in the hair: Roxy wore her long blonde hair in two messy braids, decorated with colourful miniature stars and gold hair ornaments

Bow peep: Roxy wore two pale pink bows in her hair, from her seven-year-old daughter Pixie's accessory collection, Pixie's Bows

She added two pale pink bows in her hair, which are from her seven-year-old daughter Pixie's accessory collection, Pixie's Bows.

Roxy had showed off her look on Instagram Stories ahead of the event, sharing a mirror selfie.

She also shared a series of photos of herself showing off a variety of braided hairstyles, all modeling Pixie's Bows

Phoning it in: At one stage, the smiling publicist appeared engrossed in her phone, reading something on the screen as she walked

Unusual: The PR maven opted for a bold, billowing dress in mismatched patterns in floral tones, with a yellow and blue panel down the front

Pixie's Bows has proven to be a lucrative side hustle for Roxy and her young daughter.

After launching in 2011, Pixie's Bows is now stocked by retail giant Myer, and has been worn in public by celebrity offspring, including Suri Cruise, 12.

In a report by Daily Mail Australia in August last year, it was revealed Pixie could be worth $21 million by the time she's 18, thanks to her bow collection.

Loving herselfie: Roxy showed off her look on Instagram Stories ahead of the event, sharing a mirror selfie

Pardon the plug: Taking to Instagram Stories on Tuesday, Roxy shared a series of photos of herself showing off a variety of braided hairstyles, all modeling Pixie's Bows

The Ministry of Talent founder's lunch appeared to have been in celebration of Oz Design Furniture's 40th anniversary.

And Roxy wasn't the only recognisable face on hand to help celebrate the milestone, with former Block stars also turning out for the event.

Roxy also shared a photo with The Block's Shannon and Simon Vos, and Hayden Vale and Sara Tumino on Instagram.
Martha Kalifatidis is one of Married At First Sight's biggest 'villains' ever.

And following her controversial appearance on the reality show, Sarah Roza, 39, who found fame on series five of MAFS, has defended the makeup artist, 30.

'I believe she is a nice girl at heart,' said Sarah to Daily Mail Australia at NW and Woman's Day's MAFS Live event on Monday night in Sydney.

'She is a nice girl at heart' MAFS' Sarah Roza (pictured), 39, has defended Martha Kalifatidis while revealing her 15 YEAR friendship with the reality TV 'mean girl'

Fan favourite Sarah, who boasts 354,000 Instagram followers, also revealed she first met Martha when she was a teenager.

'I've known Martha and her family for 15 years from when I had salons [in Melbourne],' said Sarah. 'They're a lovely family.'

'I think she got caught up in the pressure cooker environment and did some things she'll be very embarrassed about - and unfortunately TV is forever.'

Sarah then suggested Martha's behaviour on the show may have been a result of her close friendships with Ines Basic and Jessika Power.

Caught up? 'I think she's got caught up and done some things she'll be very embarrassed about - and unfortunately TV is forever,' said Sarah, who has known Martha (pictured) since she was a teenager

'You become who you're around': Sarah suggested Martha's behaviour on the show may have been a result of her close friendships with Ines Basic (right) and Jessika Power

The beauty continued: 'Unfortunately I think Martha you become who you're around. I think she mixed with the wrong crowd.'

Speaking of Martha's behaviour at the reunion, Sarah concluded: 'I don't believe that really was Martha at heart.'

During the show's reunion cocktail party, Martha poured a glass of wine over Cyrell's head from behind - sparking a huge clash.

Fan favourite: Sarah found fame on series five of MAFS in 2018, alongside ex Telv Williams

Sarah attended the event in Monday alongside half of the series five cast.

Arriving in style, Sarah sipped champagne in the back of a limousine with Gabrielle Bartlett as they made an A-list entrance.

The star was also joined by best friend and Today Extra star, Harry T.
She recently admitted that the popular social media app is making her 'miserable'.

And despite her confession Louise Thompson took to Instagram on Monday to document her day with 39 story posts as well as share a sultry throwback bikini snap.

The former Made In Chelsea star, 29, looked sensational as she posted a picture from her recent holiday to Bali, Indonesia, with her fiance Ryan Libbey.

Work it: Louise Thompson took to Instagram on Monday to document her day with 39 story posts as well as share a sultry throwback bikini snap, after claiming it made her 'miserable'

Louise showcased her toned abs in a tiny yellow gingham halterneck bikini with matching bottoms.

Posing with her arm in the air, the reality star styled her brunette locks into a tousled hairdo swept to one side, she added a slick of make-up.

Louise also took to her Instagram stories to share two more photographs of herself in the summery swimwear.

As well as her bikini snaps, the reality star also documented her day including her coffee run, outfit changes, her fiance Ryan and her brother Sam Thompson's loud music.

Swimwear: The former Made In Chelsea star, 29, looked sensational as she posted a picture from her recent holiday to Bali, Indonesia, with her fiance Ryan Libbey

Louise's Instagram-filled day comes after she recently wrote a lengthy post on the dangers of presenting a false reality.

The fitness fan posted a slideshow of images as she went from posing on her sofa at a Parisian hotel to throwing cushions around and eventually laughing as she larked about.

In the snap, Louise looked stunning in a yellow floral patterned sundress as the colour of the ensemble accentuated her sun-kissed glow and matched the hotel furniture perfectly.

Alongside the snaps, she explained to fans that she 'needed to stop taking Instagram so seriously'.

Holiday babe: Louise showcased her toned abs in a tiny yellow gingham halterneck bikini with matching bottoms

She began: 'Insta vs Reality   NEWSFLASH - Instagram ISNT real life.... and who YOU are should be enough! Dont let it suck the happiness out of you.

'I, for one need to stop taking it so damn seriously. Im more aware than ever that Instagram can present a false expectation for people to live up to.'

The reality star then began outlining examples of how the picture sharing site had been used to give the rest of the world a picture perfect image.

She continued: 'Bikini shots are always ultra posed, at flattering angles in good light and shot before mealtimes. 

'Everybody seems to be on holiday and at festivals in skimpy clothes ALL the time.

'Maybe I'm an addict?' Louise's Instagram-filled day comes after she recently wrote a lengthy post on the dangers of presenting a false reality

'Relationships look like something out of The Notebook: hands always held, walking into the distance.... think how many conversations have been lost in that moment. @ryan.libbey knows. 

'Sea must be turquoise. - Sand must be white. - Sun must be shining.  Pancakes are always served for breakfast.'

'People posing in supermarkets or on top of washing machines in laundrettes, just because they saw it once on the discover page..'

The television personality also confessed that she had considered taking herself off the site and questioned if she had an addiction.

'Instagram is supposed to be friendly, so why is it leaving people (and me) miserable?,' Louise said.

Honest: The reality star shared this lengthy post on social media as she admitted that the false representation of her life on Instagram was starting to get her down

'I dont even see the peeps that Im following on my homepage anymore, whats up with that? Sometimes I want to go away and leave it all behind.

'Im starting to realise the world doesnt give a s*** if I dont post 3 times a day, so why do I care so damn much. Maybe Im an addict?

'It worries me that when children grow up they no longer aspire to be astronauts, vets, teachers, scientists or firefighters. They want to be an influencer. That word makes me cringe so hard.'

Louise continued to explain how she had toyed with the idea of becoming a travel influencer during her recent trip to Bali but wanted to be use her social media platform to be unique.

Snap happy: During her trip to Bali in March the brunette star posted a whopping 48 pictures as she posed for several snaps that she shared with her impressive 1.2million followers

She added: 'Its a saturated market of people becoming clones of one another. I thought I liked the idea of being a travel influencer, but when I was in Bali I felt like a bit of a fraud tbh.

'I LOVE travelling, I LOVE photography, fashion etc and I LOVE the opportunity to be creative and share my stories, but I dont enjoy being a copycat or feeling like Im following in someone elses footsteps.

'I want to be unique and individual and pave my own path in life. I want to use this space to be me.

'Its not that my content is harmful, but I wanna make sure I dont get sucked into the vortex.  If it isnt adding value to your life then whats the point?'

Exotic: Louise enjoyed the idyllic holiday to the exotic Indonesian island alongside fiance Ryan Libbey, 28, following the news that she had quit Made In Chelsea

During her trip to Bali in March the brunette star posted a whopping 48 pictures, with even more shared afterwards, as she posed for several snaps that she shared with her impressive 1.2million followers.

Louise enjoyed the idyllic holiday to the exotic Indonesian island alongside fiance Ryan Libbey, 28, following the news that she had quit E4 reality show Made In Chelsea after eight years.

The couple first started dating in 2016 during a cast trip to the South of France and got engaged in August last year.
They were in New York to attend the wedding of fashion designer Marc Jacobs and his partner Charly Defrancesco.

And Kate Moss, 45, was spotted leaving the Big Apple and returning to London on Monday alongside her daughter Lila Grace, 16, armed with a mountain of luggage.

Baggage allowance was clearly not an issue for the veteran supermodel, who was pushing three large suitcases on a trolly with two designer bags perched on top.

Not travelling light! Kate Moss, 45, was spotted leaving the Big Apple on Monday alongside her daughter Lila Grace, 16, armed with a mountain of luggage

Lila boasted her own more modest amount of luggage, including a large Louis Vuitton holdall and two eye-catching carry-ons.

Kate was in great spirits as she made her way through the airport with her teenage daughter, who is following in her footsteps by carving out a career in modelling.

The style icon was clad in a simple black blazer and matching flares, accessorising with a pair of round shades.

Lila, meanwhile, was dressed down for her flight in an oversized hoodie and glasses.

Plenty of outfit choices: Baggage allowance was clearly not an issue for the veteran supermodel, who was pushing three large suitcases on a trolly with two designer bags perched on top

Beaming: Kate was in great spirits as she made her way through the airport with her teenage daughter

The youngster celebrated turning 16 in September while on a boat in a mystery location with her mother Kate, Sadie Frost and her daughter, Iris Law.

And she has already gone on to follow in her mother's modelling footsteps as just a week later she landed her first campaign for Marc Jacobs Beauty.

The teenager, who is signed to Kate's agency, largely grew up out of the spotlight, but in recent years she's made tentative steps into the world of modelling - appearing on the cover of Italian Vogue with her mother at the age of 13.

Smart attire: The style icon was clad in a simple black blazer and matching flares

She accompanied her famous mother to Marc Jacobs' wedding over the weekend, where a host of stars from Naomi Campbell to Rita Ora showed up to support the designer.

After tying the knot with long-term love Charly - known as 'Char' - the fashion designer, 55, enjoyed a black tie reception at the swanky Manhattan eatery The Grill.

As evening turned to night, more stars from the world of fashion, film and music turned out to celebrate with the newlyweds, stepping into the iconic venue where champagne and hors d'oeuvres were served courtesy of luxury caterers Carbone.

VIP arrivals: Lila accompanied her famous mother to Marc Jacobs' wedding over the weekend, where a host of stars from Naomi Campbell to Rita Ora showed up to support the designer
He is the MasterChef judge who suffered a nasty eye injury while playing squash at the end of last month.

But George Calombaris, 40, was able to see the funny side of the situation as he prepared to go under the knife on Tuesday at The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital in Melbourne.

The celebrity chef took to Instagram to share a photo in which he has an arrow drawn over his right eye.

Good-humoured: George Calombaris, 40, struck a light-hearted tone as he prepared to go under the knife following an eye injury on Tuesday

Seeing the funny side: 'To make sure we operate on the correct eye,' the TV personality wrote alongside a humorous picture

'To make sure we operate on the correct eye,' the TV personality wrote alongside the humorous picture.

The joke went down well with his fans, with some commenting they too had had a body part written on by doctors to ensure it was correctly operated on.

On March 30, George revealed to his Instagram followers that he'd been rushed to the specialist hospital after an injury on the squash court.

Who wore it better? George's fellow judge Matt Preston wore a golden eye patch in support of his colleague after the accident last month

In the post, he indicated how he was hurt, writing: 'A huge lesson for me today: wear protective glasses when playing squash.'

The injury is a blow for George who is known to take his health seriously, having recently lost a considerable amount of weight.

In an interview with OK! magazine last May, George revealed he had lost a whopping 20 kilos in recent years.

Painful: The injury is a blow for George (pictured with his MasterChef co-stars) who is known to take his health seriously, having recently lost a considerable amount of weight

The TV presenter said his main motivation for slimming down was health and wanting to be there for his young family.

'I keep active because I've got two beautiful kids and a beautiful partner who I want to be around for,' he explained.

George shares children James and Michaela with wife Natalie Tricarico.
The Widow viewers were left seething following the first episode of Kate Beckinsale's new drama The Widow on Sunday night - due to a pronunciation error.

Fans who had tuned into the show picked up on the fact that the continuity announcer kept pronouncing the actress' name as 'Kate Beckinsdale'.

Viewers took to Twitter in their droves during the programme to air their frustrations after noticing the awkward gaffe, which occurred several times.

Not happy: The Widow viewers were left seething following the first episode of Kate Beckinsale's new drama The Widow on Sunday night - due to a pronunciation error

Fans were quick to correct ITV, with one commenting: 'Oo, the ITV narrator is going to get a talking too, I can't believe when he introduced, Widows, for tonight, he miss pronounced the name of its leading lady, for the record her name is, Kate Beckinsale, not Kate Beckinsdale, can you say, awkward moment lol. :)[sic].

Despite enjoying the first episode, one viewer was annoyed by the blunder, and wrote: 'Enjoyed the first part of #TheWidow; trying to figure out if Alex Kingston's character is good or part of the dodgy goings on!?

'Good to see Kate Beckinsale (sure the @ITV announcer said 'Beckinsdale!!') back on the small screen after so many years away :) Bring on part two!'

Fuming: Fans who had tuned into the show picked up on the fact that the continuity announcer kept pronouncing the actress' name as 'Kate Beckinsdale'

Another raged: 'ITV programme announcer it's Kate Beckinsale not BECKINSDALE!!!!'

While one said: '@itv #TheWidow That's twice the programme continuer has said Kate Beckinsdale #wtf #mispronunciation.'

As well as the confusing mispronunciation, some viewers who tuned into the ITV drama were left feeling lost by the jumpy timeline and multiple plot points.

Created by the sibling duo behind The Missing, Liar and Baptiste, The Widow follows Kate's character Georgia, whose aid-worker husband had been reported dead after a plane crash in the Congolese jungle three years ago.

Return: The Widow marks Kate's first TV project in twenty years, making its first episode on Monday an anticipated event but viewers were left baffled by the ITV drama

Her life is thrown into chaos when she catches a glimpse of her supposedly dead husband on a news broadcast when in northern Wales, leading her to travel to Africa to try to discover what really happened to her husband.

The drama time hopped between the events of the plane crash and Georgia's investigations three years later, while also intertwining plot lines from other characters such as a mysterious blind man who had travelled to the Netherlands in the hopes of regaining his sight.

Viewers were soon taking to Twitter in a bid to find out what was going on as they admitted the timeline hops had left them baffled.

MIA: The Widow follows Kate's character Georgia, whose aid-worker husband had been reported dead after a plane crash in the Congolese jungle three years ago

'Hand on heart I haven't got the faintest idea what's going on', tweeted one lost viewer.

'Oh dear I keep missing the "3 years early/later" year captions, so lost with time lines' agreed another, while one fan had some advice for the show, writing:

'They needed to give her a fringe or glasses to help me work out which bit is flashback! #TheWidow #whenarewe.'

Others were left baffled by a scene which saw Georgia's suitcase being stolen when she arrived in Africa, with many pointing out the character's less than stressed reaction.

Investigations: Her life is thrown into chaos when she catches a glimpse of her supposedly dead husband on a news broadcast, leading her to travel to Africa to find out the truth

Help! Viewers were soon taking to Twitter in a bid to find out what was going on as they admitted the timeline hops had left them baffled

'Why is she not more bothered about her suitcase getting robbed??' asked one exasperated viewer,' as another fan cottoned onto another unbelievable plot point:

'As far fetched as #TheWidow has been so far, asking (and getting) a receptionist in an NHS walk in centre to rewind the news was unbelievable!'

Overall though, viewers were delighted to have Kate back on the small screen, with one huge fan tweeting: 'They're trying to make Kate Beckinsale look rough but she still looks beautiful.'

Here's an idea: One fan had some advice for the show, writing: 'They needed to give her a fringe or glasses to help me work out which bit is flashback! #TheWidow #whenarewe.'

Who's that? Intertwining plotlines from other characters such as a mysterious blind man who had travelled to the Netherlands in the hopes of regaining his sight also baffled fans

'Gripped by @ITV #TheWidow @KateBeckinsale is fabulous', wrote another.

The Widow marks Kate's first TV project in twenty years, making its debut episode on Monday evening an anticipated event.

Speaking to this week's issue of Radio Times, Kate revealed why it has taken her so long to return to a TV role: 'The last time I did a TV series I was getting my A-level results. And I remember I did Emma on ITV a long time ago,' she recalled

'When I was younger I got a bit blindsided by suddenly finding myself pregnant and having to be a mum.

'I've been saying for years, "When my daughter goes to college, then I'm going to be able to go off and do jobs that are far away."'

Fans: Overall though, viewers were delighted to have Kate back, with one huge fan tweeting: 'They're trying to make Kate Beckinsale look rough but she still looks beautiful'

It wasn't long after Kate's daughter Lily had moved away for college that the actress was offered the lead role in the ITV drama - which was created by the sibling duo behind The Missing, Liar and Baptiste.

She said: 'They said, "Do you want to go to South Africa for six months and do The Widow?"

'It felt like, "OK, it came around a little bit sooner than I was anticipating it's a bit of a leap of faith and I'm a bit scared and I don't really want to but OK."'

The Widow continues on ITV on Tuesday April 9.
She has been praised for her incredible ability to mimic any accent.

Yet Jodie Comer's talent came under question during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Monday, as the eponymous host accidentally bad-mouthed her skills.

The 26-year-old actress is most famous for her role in Killing Eve, but Ellen, 61, began the chat by discussing her part in BBC drama Doctor Foster, where she accidentally admitted that she didn't know what accent Jodie was putting on.

Oops: Jodie Comer's talent came under question during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Monday, as the eponymous host accidentally bad-mouthed her skills

Jodie originally hails from Liverpool and has a prominent Scouse accent, which lead Ellen to remark: 'I am so shocked to hear that, because in Doctor Foster you had an American accent, right?'

Perplexed, Jodie responded: 'No she was British...' and as Ellen looked flustered, she added: 'Oh, I didn't do a good job there...

'She was British, she was from London.'

Many roles: The 26-year-old actress is most famous for her role in Killing Eve, but Ellen, 61, began the chat by discussing her part in BBC drama Doctor Foster

One to watch: Jodie's breakout role came in Doctor Foster, where she played young graduate Kate Parks who has an affair with the titular character's husband Simon (Bertie Carvel)

As the pair laughed off the incident, talk soon turned to her work in Killing Eve, where Jodie puts on a very convincing Russian and American to play assassin Vilanelle.

She reasoned: 'She has a lot of accents and languages. And in the audition process I was like "oh yeah, fine", and then when I got on set it was like, "oh, this is real!"'

Bringing up the blunder again, Ellen added at the end of the chat: 'I loved you in Doctor Foster... even though I forgot which country you came from!'

Jodie's breakout role came in Doctor Foster, where she played a young university graduate who has an affair with the titular character's husband Simon.

Incorrect: Jodie has a prominent Scouse accent, which lead Ellen to remark: 'I am so shocked to hear that, because in Doctor Foster you had an American accent, right?'

Awkward: Perplexed, Jodie responded: 'No she was British...' and as Ellen looked flustered, she added: 'Oh, I didn't do a good job there...'

The show ran for two seasons and ended on a shocking cliff hanger - but no plans have been confirmed yet to start shooting for series three.

She can currently be seen in Killing Eve playing Villanelle.

The slick and often gruesome thriller explores the obsessive relationship between MI5 agent Eve [Sandra Oh] and a psychotic and supremely stylish Paris-based assassin named Villanelle.

Eve knows she must catch the chameleon-like killer before there's another murder but finds herself becoming more fascinated by the beautiful Villanelle  all the time knowing she could be her next victim.

Moving on: As the pair laughed off the incident, talk soon turned to her work in Killing Eve, where Jodie puts on a very convincing Russian and American to play assassin Vilanelle

Harder than it looks: Jodie reasoned, 'She has a lot of accents and languages. And in the audition I was like "oh yeah, fine", and then when I got on set it was like, "oh, this is real!"'

Killing Eve returned to the US with the first episode for its second season on Sunday. An air date has yet to be announced for the UK.

It has just been confirmed that the BBC has acquired the third series of the critically acclaimed spy thriller.

Series one made its UK debut on BBC One and as a boxset on BBC iPlayer last year and series two will be airing soon.

Killing Eve has become a massive hit with BBC audiences with over 46 million requests for the series on BBC iPlayer so far.

Charlotte Moore, BBC Director of Content, said: 'Its fantastic news that there will be a third series of this award winning hit drama and were delighted UK audiences will be able to see Killing Eve exclusively on the BBC.

'In the mean-time Villanelle and Eve will be returning to BBC One and BBC iPlayer for a second series soon.'
TOWIE's Chloe Sims labelled the backlash over her romance with Dan Edgar a 'nightmare' as she discussed her 'really high standards' and her dream Ibiza nuptials.

But her hopes were dashed, as the blonde was seen sobbing she was 'fed up of Dan's s***' in an honest chat with her BFF Pete Wicks in the TOWIE preview ion Sunday.

In a new! magazine interview prior to Wednesday's teaser, Chloe admitted her fledgling romance with Dan caused chaos on the TOWIE scene.

'It's been a nightmare': TOWIE's Chloe Sims branded the backlash over Dan Edgar romance a 'nightmare' as she talked about her 'really high standards' and wedding venues

Of their love, she told the gossip publication: 'It's been a nightmare to be honest. It's just constant opinions from people we both care about and we value how they feel too so it's taken a toll.'

Before she had embarked on her new romance with Dan, the self-confessed 'sassy' star laid out her 'really high standards' as she said she expects to be going on a 'properly planned date'.

'They need to know how to act. I've got old-fashioned values. I expect to be going on a date and it's planned properly,' she explained. 'I'm still just as sassy with men. I've got really high standards.'

Heartache ahead: In a new! magazine interview prior to Wednesday's teaser, Chloe admitted her fledgling romance with Dan caused chaos on the TOWIE scene (April 2019)

Love story: The pair had forged a firm friendship for four years before deciding in Thailand on a whim that they would 'see how it goes' as a couple

Chloe hasn't given up hope on getting married as she shared she would love to get married in Ibiza after eyeing up venues on Instagram.

She elaborated: 'I'd like to get married in Ibiza and I've seen venues on Instagram, the outdoor ones with a good view.'

The pair had forged a firm friendship for four years before deciding in Thailand on a whim that they would 'see how it goes' as a couple.

Upset: In a preview shown on Sunday night's episode, Chloe, 36, sobs to best pal Pete Wicks and vents she's 'fed up with his s**t'

Even Chloe's younger sister Demi was shocked by the news the couple wanted to pursue a romantic connection.

Georgia Kousoulou, Bobby Norris and Pete were among the cast throwing their support behind the relationship while others were more cynical of the pairing.

After ignoring her closest friends' advice, Chloe has been left heartbroken when Dan backtracks on his suggestion of a first date because he's 'freaked out'.

Hurt: Hitting back Chloe, who previously gushed she believes Dan could be 'The One' and marriage material, replied: 'Listen I don't want to go on a first date with you now anyway'

In the preview, Dan admitted: 'Listen the date thing did freak me out.'

Chloe replied: 'Listen I don't want to go on a f***ing first date with you now anyway.'

While she tried to play down her feelings in front of Dan, Chloe poured her heart out to her BFF Pete as she confided in him about how she really felt. She said: 'I'm so fed up with his s**t'.
Fleabag star Sian Clifford and her on-screen father Bill Paterson revealed that they are ready to say goodbye to the hit show and have ruled out a third season.

The actress, 36, said that although she is 'gutted' that the British comedy is over for good, but she has now accepted that the story for Fleabag is complete.

Joining Sian on the Victoria Derbyshire show on Tuesday morning, Bill, 73, said that the programme was never meant to be a long-running series.

Interview: Sian Clifford, Bill Peterson and Harry Bradbeer appeared on Victoria Derbyshire to discuss the finale of Fleabag

Discussing how she felt at the end of filming, Sian said: 'I'm gutted and I think we all felt when we finished filming that there was a real sadness, we got to do a re shoot day and we were all so happy to be back together as a team.'

Sian, who has been best friends with Fleabag writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge since university, said that she does keep 'egging her on' to do a third series however she also feels like the story is complete.

She said: 'Now I've seen it all as a piece I think we're ready to say goodbye.'

Off the cards: Fleabag star Sian Clifford and her on-screen father Bill Paterson revealed that they are ready to say goodbye to the hit show and have ruled out a third season

It's over: The actress, 36, said that although she is 'gutted' that the British comedy is over for good, but she has now accepted that the story for Fleabag is complete

In agreement, Bill said: 'It was never really conceived as a sitcom where you had an open ended arrangement of people who could go on and on for years.

'It was never planned that way, it was one arc of the first story, her friend and the cafe and then this was a new story arc, it's kind of a complete thing.'

However the actors, who were joined by the show's director Harry Bradbeer, didn't rule out starring in the show if Phoebe was to pen another series.

Discussing how she felt at the end of filming, Sian said: 'I'm gutted and I think we all felt when we finished filming that there was a real sadness, we got to do a re shoot day and we were all so happy to be back together as a team'

Fleabag: Joining Sian on the Victoria Derbyshire show on Tuesday morning, Bill (pictured), 73, said that the programme was never meant to be a long-running series

Harry said: 'You never know and if she wakes up with a new Fleabag inside her who knows what'll happen - it's up to her she's the only one who can answer that question.

Sian added: 'We're at PWB's mercy.'

But later in the show Sian, who play's Fleabag's sister Claire, said: 'The first season she [Phoebe] said she wouldn't do another one unless she had another good idea, with this one I think she's a little bit more adamant.'

Love interest: Discussing Fleabag's controversial end, which saw her jilted by her love interest The Sexy Priest, Sian said that she still thinks the ending was 'hopeful' for the character

Discussing Fleabag's controversial end, which saw her jilted by her love interest The Sexy Priest, Sian said that she still thinks the ending was 'hopeful' for the character.

She said: 'I sort of think it [the ending] is [happy], I think it's very hopeful, the story arc for us all is very hopeful and there has been a shift.

'She is making progress with her grief, she's opened herself to love which she wasn't open to at all in the first season. I think it is a happy ending.'

Since the final episode of the two season extravaganza, the show has been hailed as the 'best show on TV', however the cast were very modest when quizzed by the host.

Amazing! Since the final episode of the two season extravaganza, the show has been hailed as the 'best show on TV', however the cast were very modest when quizzed by the hos

She said: 'We have such an attachment to drama in this industry and I really do feel it's in its own [genre] and it's challenging television in a way that's never been done before.

'The way she's played with the camera this series has been particularly thrilling I think, to be a part of and to watch. I do think it's up there, it's hard when you're a part of it you don't want to sound like a...'

Discussing why we never hear Fleabag's real name, the cast were questioned about whether their is a 'normal' name which viewers aren't aware of.

'It's not Phoebe!' After insisting that the character doesn't have a name, Sian said: 'It's not Phoebe, because Phoebe is not Fleabag

After insisting that the character doesn't have a name, Sian said: 'It's not Phoebe, because Phoebe is not Fleabag.

'Phoebe's talked about that, how Fleabag likes to sum people up with one word and actually with the priest she thinks she's got his number but she hasn't.

'To me she's Fleabag, that's her essence.'

Phoebe, the show's creator and main character, was hailed as a 'genius' by fans who flooded Twitter with praise for the 'perfect' ending to the critically acclaimed series.

The BBC series follows Fleabag, a struggling millennial who runs a failing guinea pig cafe, constantly locks horns with her family and jumps from one dysfunctional relationship to the next.

It's over: The last episode of the second and final series of Fleabag aired on Monday night, leaving its loyal following in floods of tears

After a three year wait, which Phoebe filled by writing her other smash hit Killing Eve, the new season has seen Fleabag turning to religion as she tries to navigate the highs and lows of adulthood.

Phoebe confirmed the second series is the last, telling the BBC earlier this year it would be 'the final curtain'.

And fans were not left disappointed by Fleabag's final bow on Monday, as the episode tied up loose ends.

Marriage: Fans were not left disappointed by Fleabag's final bow on Monday, as the episode tied up loose ends... Godmother (Olivia Colman) exchanged vows with Dad (Bill Paterson)

Godmother (Olivia Colman) exchanged vows with Dad (Bill Paterson), aka the love of her life, while Claire (Sian) got rid of her husband Martin (Brett Gelman), to pursue a relationship with her Finnish co-worker Klare (Christian Hillborg).

As for Fleabag herself (Phoebe), the Priest (Andrew Scott), told her he had decided to stick to his religious vows rather than pursue a romance after they ended up in bed together in the penultimate episode of the series.

The final scene saw Fleabag shaking her head and walking away from the camera, breaking the fourth wall one last time.
South Africa: President to address Nissan expansion investment

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Wednesday officiate a ceremony at which automotive group Nissan will announce an expansion of its investment in South Africa.

The investment ceremony will take place at the Nissan production plant at Rosslyn in the City of Tshwane.

The Presidency said the development was a demonstration of confidence in South Africa as an investment destination. The investment was among several pledges presented at the inaugural South Africa Investment Conference held in Johannesburg in October last year. The conference generated R290 billion in new investments, with the automotive sector accounting for R40 billion over the next five years.

Nissan South Africas expansion is a culmination of collaborative work by the automotive industry, the Department of Trade and Industry and the Gauteng Provincial Governments Gauteng Growth and Development Agency and the Automotive Industry Development Centre, the Presidency said.

Projects to the value of R187 billion from the pledges committed at the South Africa Investment Conference are currently undergoing implementation. Projects worth another R26 billion are in the pre-implementation phase.

These projects are reinforcing South Africas ambition to attract R1.4 trillion in domestic and international investment over a period of five years, the Presidency said.

The automotive industry contributes 6.9% to GDP, which accounts for 30.1% of manufacturing output and 13.9% of total exports.

The sector employs more than 110 000 people in the vehicle and component manufacturing and averages annual investment of R12.2 billion.

The Presidency said government remained committed to further support investment and development of the automotive industry in line with the National Industrial Policy Action Framework and the Industrial Policy Action Plan.

President Ramaphosa in the statement urged role players in government, civil society and business to collaborate in reigniting inclusive growth and pursue greater levels of investment that will create employment and reduce inequality and poverty.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2019-04-09. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 9)  President Rodrigo Duterte stressed the importance of fighting for the country's sovereignty as Filipinos commemorated the Day of Valor (Araw ng Kagitingan) Tuesday.

In a written message, the President said he is joining the rest of the country in remembering the "heroism of the brave Filipino and American soldiers," as well as civilians, during the Fall of Bataan.

"We may not be able to memorialize all of them, but we will forever remember and honor their epic struggle and unshakeable fortitude," Duterte said.

The regular holiday honors the bravery of Filipino soldiers who fought and risked their lives against the Japanese occupation during World War II.

"As we hold this solemn observance, it is my hope that we will all be inspired to remain steadfast like our forefathers and their allies in upholding our sovereignty and in protecting the rights and freedoms that our people enjoy today," Duterte said.

Duterte skipped this year's commemoration ceremony at the Mt. Samat National Shrine in Pilar, Bataan. He is set to visit soldiers in Jolo, Sulu who are fighting against the Abu Sayyaf group.

He designated Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano to represent him in the government's rites, with Vice President Leni Robredo in attendance.

Speaking to reporters, Robredo honored the courage and patriotism of veterans who fought for the country's independence, and urged the Filipinos today to follow their example.

"Nawa iyong kanilang pinagdaanan ay maging inspirasyon sana natin na lahat na katiwalian, lahat na kasamaan na nagbibigay ng pangamba sa ating bayan ay kasing tapang din tayo noong mga nauna sa atin," she said.

[Translation: "I hope that their experience will be an inspiration for all of us that amid the corruption and evils that have plagued the country, we can be as brave as those who went before us."]

Hundreds of veterans and their families, Bataan residents and top officials of the Armed Forces joined the activities. Japanese Ambassador Koji Haneda and U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission John Law thanked the Filipino veterans for their sacrifice.

Protests also marked the Day of Valor as groups condemned China's actions in the West Philippine Sea, and the Philippine government's responses.

Duterte has been criticized for pursuing friendlier ties with China despite Beijing's rejection of the July 2016 arbitration ruling in favor of the Philippines in the South China Sea dispute. The arbitral decision recognized the Philippines' sovereign rights in its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone, which the government calls West Philippine Sea. China, however, continues to claim almost the entire South China Sea and has supposedly deployed its vessels and built structures on contested areas. Duterte has said he cannot go to war against the East Asian giant but promised to bring the landmark decision up during his term.
The former Bachelor couple will have a nine-minute unedited post-breakup confrontation broadcast on Bachelor In Paradise.

And Alex Nation, 28, has revealed what happened behind the scenes in the lead up to facing off with ex Richie Strahan in Fiji.

Appearing on The Project, the single mother claimed the cast and crew scrambled to film the emotional exchange, because she had beelined for Richie abruptly after some 'much-needed Dutch courage'.

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Bachelor Richie gave a promise ring to Alex during the finale in 2016, but within a year they had split.

'I remember Jimmy (James Trethewie) gives me a drink, and then he gives me another drink, and he's like you've just got to Dutch courage and go and do it.'

Alex continued: 'So I beeline for him [Richie], and you see everyone freak out. Producers, and the camera man. I was tipsy, I wasn't drunk, I had a little bit of dutch courage - needed!'

'Everyone freaked out. They weren't ready for me!' Alex Nation reveals she was tipsy and 'had dutch courage' when she beelined for ex Richie Strahan on Bachelor In Paradise

'You see everyone freak out. Producers, and the camera man. I was tipsy, I wasn't drunk': Alex claimed her abrupt approach caught everyone by surprise

'Can I talk to you?' Alex can be seen asking Richie with a drink in hand, as they walk to a secluded picnic bench by the water.

The confrontation clearly took the camera crew by surprise, as the crew could be seen frantically setting up their equipment to capture the chat.

Ahead of their showdown, Alex revealed on The Kyle and Jackie O Show that one of the reasons why her ex-boyfriend is so bitter about their split.

'I dumped him over text message,' the reality TV star said on Tuesday.

'I dumped him over text!' Alex Nation has revealed the BRUTAL way she broke up with Richie Strahan in 2017. Pictured with Alisha Aitken-Radburn on The Kyle & Jackie O Show on Tuesday

'So that probably wasn't the best thing,' she added, which prompted radio host Kyle Sandilands to say: 'Well, when you're getting rid of them you don't care about their feelings!'

Fellow Bachelor in Paradise star Alisha Aitken-Radburn then stepped in to defend Alex, saying that she didn't have many options because she and Richie were 'long distance' at the time.

At that point, Jackie 'O' Henderson asked if Alex was justified in dumping Richie by text, and she replied: 'It was the nature of the situation and I kind of just shut down and that's how I dealt with it.'

Brutal break-up: Ahead of their showdown on Bachelor in Paradise, Alex (right) revealed the reason why her ex-boyfriend is so bitter about their split

Explosive: Richie Strahan (pictured) will come face-to-face with Alex on Bachelor in Paradise, which premieres Tuesday night on Channel 10

Alex, who briefly dated Richie after winning his season of The Bachelor in 2016, spoke about their break-up again on Nova 96.9's Fitzy & Wippa later that morning.

She explained that their relationship fell apart in the months after they left the reality TV 'bubble'.

'It was like the Bachelor that I fell in love with, transitioning into reality, it just wasn't the same guy,' she said.

Revealing comments: Alex also told Fitzy & Wippa on Tuesday that her relationship with Richie fell apart after he failed to live up to her expectations of a 'Bachelor boyfriend'

'I fell in love with "Bachelor Richie" and then coming into "Richie reality", I felt like it was a little bit different,' Alex added.

'Almost our entire relationship was long distance [with Alex based in Melbourne and Richie in Perth] and I just never bloody saw him!'

Alex concluded by saying that her ex should have just picked Perth-based runner-up Nikki Gogan in the finale as 'it would have been easier'.

Happier times: Alex briefly dated Richie after winning his season of The Bachelor in 2016

When asked if there was one thing in particular that Richie did to hurt her, Alex answered cryptically: 'Yes, which is what you will see [on Bachelor in Paradise].'

She added: 'It's something that's really quite personal and it's quite confronting and I didn't want it to come out in that kind of environment but it just had to. I probably would never see him again, I didn't expect to see him in there.'

Bachelor In Paradise premieres Tuesday night at 7.30pm on Channel 10
Cult cosmetic giant Napoleon Perdis has been saved from liquidation by a $1.6million deal with 'Daigou Queen' Livia Wang.

Ms Wang's company KUBA Investments agreed to take over the running of the embattled cosmetics chain from owner Napoleon Perdis, 49, on Monday.

The deal means the company's 28 stores still open for business and the jobs of 250 members of staff will be salvaged, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Rescued: Cult cosmetic giant Napoleon Perdis (pictured founder Napoleon Perdis) has been saved from liquidation by a $1.6million deal with 'Daigou Queen' Livia Wang

Shares in the company held by Napoleon and his family will now be moved across to KUBA.

The brand collapsed in January carrying debts of $22.8million and 28 of the make-up company's 58 stores closed early in February.

Mr Perdis came in for criticism over his 'lavish lifestyle' at the time of his beauty empire going into voluntary administration - with the 49-year-old hitting back saying his days were far from glamorous.

His successor at the helm of Napoleon Perdis made her money giving advice to Chinese 'daigou'.

Breakdown: The brand (store pictured) collapsed in January carrying debts of $22.8million and 28 of the make-up company's 58 stores closed early in February

The term refers to people who buy products such as baby formula in Australian stores before selling them to Chinese buyers at a profit.

The 38-year-old also represents Australian brands and helps them orient themselves to the Chinese market.

Administrators said Napoleon and his wife Soula-Marie Perdis will remain at the company to provide 'continued creative expertise'.

Working together: 'KUBA together with Napoleon and Soula-Marie can now move forward to continue and iconic Australian brand,' Ms Wang said in a statement (pictured speaking to YourMoney)

Mr Perdis told creditors at a meeting on Monday the company restructure would 'result in the best outcome for creditors and all parties in the business'.

'We deeply regret that money has been lost by companies and individuals that have supported us,' he added.

'KUBA together with Napoleon and Soula-Marie can now move forward to continue and iconic Australian brand,' Ms Wang said in a statement.

Creditors are still owed as high as $26.68million from the struggling cosmetics company, Smartcompany reported.
Samuel Ball decided not to attend Married At First Sight's explosive season finale on Monday night.

And the reality TV 'villain', 26, has now broken his silence on his controversial no-show, telling photographers that he actually regrets not having the chance to defend himself from vitriol.

Sam made the admission after being approached by photographers, on Tuesday night.

Clad in high-visibility work gear, Sam was approached by the show's camera crew and reporter Reid Butler in the car park of a Sydney service station.

'I just didn't want any part in the show you know brother, the drama,' Sam said, before adding: 'I'm just over it.'

'I do regret it a bit, I didn't get to say my piece and defend myself,' he confessed.

'I didn't get a chance to defend myself!' Married At First Sight's Sam Ball (pictured) says he REGRETS skipping out on the show's reunion as he's ambushed by photographers

Surprisingly, Sam went on to apologise to his 'ex-wife' Elizabeth Sobinoff after she was forced to watch humiliating footage of his past indiscretions on the experiment during the finale.

'I did not want to disrespect Ines, Elizabeth or anyone. I feel bad about the way she felt and seeing her reaction. Anyone who got offended, I'm sorry,' he said.

The tradesman confessed he felt 'disappointed in himself' for being a no-show at the finale.

Apology: Surprisingly, Sam went on to apologise to his 'ex-wife' Elizabeth Sobinoff after she was forced to watch humiliating footage of his past indiscretions on the experiment during the finale

'I disappointed myself, I'm not happy with the way it went,' he declared.

The footage aired on A Current Affair, with journalist, Reid Butler, documenting his desperate search around Sydney for the reality TV 'villain'.

Interestingly, the interviewer, Reid, is the same journalist who famously ambushed Nick Cummins in Papua New Guinea after The Bachelor finale last year.

It comes after Sam infuriated fans when he skipped out on the show's reunion special, choosing to launch his bizarre new YouTube channel instead.

Remorseful: 'I disappointed myself, I'm not happy with the way it went,' he declared

Looking for a snack? Sam was filmed purchasing a self-serve coffee at the gas station as he made his way home from work

Need a pick-me-up? Sam was pictured standing next to the self-serve coffee machine inside the Sydney service station on Tuesday

Dubbing his channel 'Sam The Rogue', the aspiring actor uploaded a teaser video entitled, 'Same The Rogue in Tyrannosaurus Wrecks Teaser'.

The video sees Sam running around a car park in a dinosaur costume, while a small dog repeatedly barks at him.

'A little teaser of my first YouTube video finally launching now!!! It's going to be a channel full of laughs and a reflection of my true self,' he wrote on Instagram on Monday.

'I look forward to sharing the content with you all.'

Ambushed: Clad in high-visibility work gear, Sam was approached by photographers in the car park of a Sydney service station following the finale

No show: Sam infuriated fans when he skipped out on the show's reunion special, choosing to launch his bizarre new YouTube channel instead

Nothing will tricera-top this! The video sees Sam running around a car park in a dinosaur costume, while a small dog repeatedly barks at him

Ouch! 'Did you have another funeral to go to???' commented one person on Instagram, referencing the time he left his 'wife' Elizabeth Sobinoff on their honeymoon to attend his ex-girlfriend's mother's funeral in New Zealand

His post went up at around the same time the Married At First Sight reunion was airing, prompting some fans to question why he wasn't in attendance.

'Did you have another funeral to go to???' commented one person on Instagram, referencing the time he left his 'wife' Elizabeth Sobinoff on their honeymoon to attend his ex-girlfriend's mother's funeral in New Zealand.

Others were equally as scathing on his YouTube page, with the video only racking up 353 views within 11 hours of publishing.

Missing in action: 'Did you have another funeral to go to???' commented one person on Instagram, referencing the time he left his 'wife' Elizabeth Sobinoff on their honeymoon to attend his ex-girlfriend's mother's funeral in New Zealand

Meanwhile during Monday night's reunion show, Sam's 'ex-wife' Elizabeth was left visibly shaken and outraged after she watched her 'husband' discuss her weight upon meeting her on their wedding day, calling her a 'bigger girl'.

The store manager then viewed footage of Sam bragging to the other male contestants that Elizabeth had been sexually aggressive with him.

Elizabeth was also forced to watch footage of her 'husband' 'cheating' with Ines Basic and behind her back.
She rose to fame as the neurotic and uptight elder sister in the hit BBC One comedy series.

And now Fleabag's Sian Clifford has revealed co-star and best friend Phoebe Waller-Bridge 'fought hard' to get her the role of Claire.

The actress went on to share that she and the Killing Eve creator, 33, made a pact to 'back each other' while studying at RADA, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, in London.

Sweet: Fleabag's Sian Clifford has revealed co-star and best friend Phoebe Waller-Bridge 'fought hard' to get her the role of Claire (pictured in character)

Gushing over her best friend, Sian admitted that she is 'only here' because Phoebe gave her a 'break' in the acting world.

She told Grazia: 'A sort of silent commitment that we would help each other out. We've backed each other all the way. I mean, I'm only here now because my friend fought a very hard battle to get me an audition. My friend gave me a break.'

Sian went on to talk about her character, Claire, admitting that she is a 'part of her soul' after two seasons of playing the hilarious yet neurotic elder sibling to Phoebe's character in the show.

She added: 'Oh my God, I love Claire. She follows the rules. She's never learned how not to. She is part of my soul.'

Pact: The actress went on to share that she and the Killing Eve creator, 33, made a pact to 'back each other' while studying at RADA, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, in London

Sisters: Sian plays Claire, left, while Phoebe plays Fleabag, right, in the critically acclaimed comedy series (pictured together in character)

Sian also spoke about her other co-star, Andrew Scott, who plays the handsome Irish Catholic priest and Fleabag's love interest in series two.

The actress admitted that she and Andrew, 42, can't usually stand watching themselves on television but they haven't been able to 'stop watching' themselves on Fleabag.

Sian joked: 'Andrew will kill me for this but none of us can stop watching it. Me, Andrew, Phoebe we're constantly swapping messages saying: "What's wrong with us?" Andrew, I know, doesn't watch any of his stuff. But we cannot stop!'

The final ever episode of Fleabag aired on Monday night, leaving its loyal following in floods of tears.

'Part of her': Sian went on to talk about her character, Claire, admitting that she is a 'part of her soul' after two seasons of playing the hilarious yet neurotic elder sibling to Phoebe's character

Hilarious: The actress admitted that she and Andrew, 42, (pictured with Phoebe) can't usually stand watching themselves on TV but they haven't been able to 'stop watching' Fleabag

Phoebe, the show's creator and main character, was hailed as a 'genius' by fans who flooded Twitter with praise for the 'perfect' ending to the critically acclaimed series.

The BBC series follows Fleabag, a struggling millennial who runs a failing guinea pig cafe, constantly locks horns with her family and jumps from one dysfunctional relationship to the next.

After a three year wait, which Phoebe filled by writing her other smash hit Killing Eve, the new season has seen Fleabag turning to religion as she tries to navigate the highs and lows of adulthood.

Phoebe confirmed the second series is the last, telling the BBC earlier this year it would be 'the final curtain'.

It's over: The last episode of the second and final series of Fleabag aired on Monday night, leaving its loyal following in floods of tears

Marriage: Fans were not left disappointed by Fleabag's final bow on Monday, as the episode tied up loose ends... Godmother (Olivia Colman) exchanged vows with Dad (Bill Paterson)

And fans were not left disappointed by Fleabag's final bow on Monday, as the episode tied up loose ends.

Godmother (Olivia Colman) exchanged vows with Dad (Bill Paterson), aka the love of her life, while Claire (Sian) got rid of her husband Martin (Brett Gelman), to pursue a relationship with her Finnish co-worker Klare (Christian Hillborg).

As for Fleabag herself (Phoebe), the Priest (Andrew Scott), told her he had decided to stick to his religious vows rather than pursue a romance after they ended up in bed together in the penultimate episode of the series.

The final scene saw Fleabag shaking her head and walking away from the camera, breaking the fourth wall one last time.

Getting rid: Claire (Sian Clifford) got rid of her husband Martin (Brett Gelman), to pursue a relationship with her Finnish co-worker Klare (Christian Hillborg)

Not to be: As for Fleabag herself, the Priest (Andrew Scott), who has gained a cult following this series thanks to his smouldering good looks, decided to stick to his religious vows

Romance: The couple ended up in bed together in the penultimate episode of the series

Praise: 'The #Fleabag finale was perfect. In fact, the entire series was utter perfection. I think I need to sit quietly and feel my feelings for a while,' gushed one fan once it was over

'The #Fleabag finale was perfect. In fact, the entire series was utter perfection. I think I need to sit quietly and feel my feelings for a while,' gushed one fan once it was over.

'B****y outstanding tv. Never seen a show like it. Thank you,' agreed another.

Many were left in floods of tears, as one viewer tweeted: '#Fleabag actually broke me. Ive literally never cried at TV until now. Seriously that was devastating. #phoebewallerbridge I hate you! Youre amazing...'

Others heaped the praise on the show's creator and star. 'So #fleabag is done and I'm so happy and so sad. Phoebe Waller-Bridge hats of to you.'

Fleabag is available on BBC iPlayer.
He wowed audiences as his role as Tywin Lannister during his time on Game Of Thrones, and can currently be seen in The Widow.

And Charles Dance appeared on Tuesday's edition of This Morning, where he said the HBO show's New York City premiere was 'unbelievable' as it was 'like a college reunion'.

The actor, 72, explained: 'It was unbelievable it was like a college reunion, anyone who had ever been on the show was invited.

Gushing: Game Of Thrones star Charles Dance said on Tuesday's edition of This Morning, the show's New York premiere was 'like a college reunion'

'Its bigger than any film premiere I've been to, thousands of people, miles of red carpet, endless lines of limos, they really pushed the boat out and gave us the last farewell with a bang.'

Charles can currently be seen in ITV's new drama, which he stars in alongside Kate Beckinsale who the actor revealed he first met when she was at an early age.

Speaking with Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford, he said: 'I first met Kate when she was about 10 because I did my first television [show] with her mother Judy, and Kate was there with her mum one day.

Calling her a 'pretty little girl', the actor added that 'shes grown up to this extremely beautiful, extraordinary woman.'

Pleased: The actor, 72, explained: 'It was unbelievable it was like a college reunion, anyone who had ever been on the show was invited' (pictured at the event with Gwendoline Christie)

Reunion: Charles currently stars in The Widow with Kate Beckinsale, who he revealed he first met when she was 10-years-old and visiting her mother on set

Created by the sibling duo behind The Missing, Liar and Baptiste, The Widow follows Kate's character Georgia, whose aid-worker husband had been reported dead after a plane crash in the Congolese jungle three years ago.

Her life is thrown into chaos when she catches a glimpse of her supposedly dead husband on a news broadcast when in northern Wales, leading her to travel to Africa to try to discover what really happened to her husband.

The drama time hopped between the events of the plane crash and Georgia's investigations three years later, while also intertwining plot lines from other characters such as a mysterious blind man who had travelled to the Netherlands in the hopes of regaining his sight.

And Charles plays Georgia's godfather Martin Benson, who he says 'tries to help her' after the character 'comes crawling' to ask for assistance.

Helping hand: Charles plays Kate's character Georgia's godfather Martin Benson, who he says 'tries to help her' after the character 'comes crawling' to ask for assistance

Although his character died at the end of season four, at the hands of his son Tyrion, the actor admitted he'd love to reprise his role in the fantasy series, but said he's 'heard nothing about a prequel' and thought he was 'a bit old'.

He explained: 'Well if there was a prequel Id be a bit old for that, I suppose so. Im sure there will be some kind of spin-off but Ive heard nothing about a prequel at all, but HBO will get as much mileage out of this as much they can.

'Given the chance, absolutely I would do it, it was the most fantastic thing to be a part of.'

Up for it: Although his character died at the end of season four, the actor admitted he'd love to reprise his role in the fantasy series, but said he thought he was 'a bit old'

Despite following the story-lines within the novels penned by George R R Martin, the show has veered off into new territory, giving writers an opportunity to listen to what the fans want and be extra creative.

The HBO hit's final season will feature six episodes overall, with four to be feature-length outings, and will also have a huge battle scene which took 55 nights to shoot at a cost of $15 million.

Game of Thrones season 8 will premiere on April 14, 2019. The show airs on HBO in the US and Sky Atlantic and NOW TV in the UK.
Bachelor In Paradise 2019 kicked has kicked off- and the claws are already out.

During Tuesday's premiere, Bill Goldsmith dramatically clashed with his former love rival Paddy Colliar after he was accused of trying form 'alliances' with former contestants prior to arriving in Fiji.

Their spat reached a head with Bill calling Paddy a 'moron', before the blond Brit responded by saying: 'Call me a moron again and I'll rip your head off'.

Paddy said his source was Charlie Newling - who Bill memorably clashed with in the 2018 version of The Bachelorette.

'He's been talking to a few (girls), Charlie told me. He was talking to one your mates, Megan [Marx], to see if she was coming in.'

Clearly irked, Paddy said Bill had 'jeopardised' his chances of finding love.

Call me a moron again and Ill rip your head off! Bachelor In Paradise's Bill Goldsmith (left) clashed with Paddy Colliar (right) after being accused of 'sliding into the DMs' of potential love interests before his appearance on the Fiji-based show

'There's no-one here I've built a connection with,' Bill responded angrily.

While Bill did admit Megan had messaged him back, he insisted 'that was the end of it'.

The Melbourne plumber also hit back at claims by gym manager Paddy that he had 'breached confidentiality' by speaking to ex-stars of the series.

Breaking the rules? Paddy, a love rival of Bill's in Ali Oetjen's season, claimed that Bill had messaged ex-stars of the series including Megan Marx (pictured)

'Please - you go and tell every person in the nightclub you're in The Bachelorette!' fumed Bill.

Prior to the confrontation, Alisha Aitken-Radburn revealed in a piece-to-camera that there had been 'whispers' that Bill had contacted former Bachelor contestants prior to his appearance on the Fiji-based spinoff show.

Speaking to the camera, 'There's a bit of tension there. There have been whispers that Bill may have slipped into the DMs of girls from all Bachelor seasons,' she said.

Name-calling: Their spat reached a head with Bill calling Paddy a 'moron', before the blond Brit responded by saying 'call me a moron again and I'll rip your head off'
She rose to fame as Maeve Wiley in Netflix's hit series Sex Education.

And Emma Mackey couldn't resist packing on the PDA with her boyfriend Dan Whitlam during the Cannes Series Festival in the South of France on Tuesday.

The actress, 23, was spotted sharing a sweet kiss with her actor beau as they walked hand-in-hand around the French Riviera.

Smitten: Emma Mackey couldn't resist packing on the PDA with her boyfriend Dan Whitlam during the Cannes Series Festival in the South of France on Tuesday

Emma looked effortlessly chic for her outing as she wore mustard yellow floral floor-length dress with a high-neck and ruffled hem.

She teamed the item of clothing with a navy blue pinstriped coat, black biker boots and a yellow clutch bag.

Emma styled her brunette locks into a sleek blow-dried hairdo, she clipped her front strands back revealing gold and green pendant earrings, she added a slick of make-up.

Meanwhile, the actress' boyfriend looked dapper in a pair of black skinny jeans and a matching coloured T-shirt, he layered it with a burgundy jacket.

Mwah: The actress, 23, was spotted sharing a sweet kiss with her actor beau as they walked hand-in-hand around the French Riviera

Chic: Emma looked effortlessly chic for her outing as she wore mustard yellow floral floor-length dress with a high-neck and ruffled hem

Finishing touches: She teamed the item of clothing with a navy blue pinstriped coat, black biker boots and a yellow clutch bag

Stylish: Emma styled her brunette locks into a sleek blow-dried hairdo, she clipped her front strands back revealing gold and green pendant earrings, she added a slick of make-up

The British-French actress is attending the Cannes Series Festival as a jury member to judge programmes from across the world.

It's not known how long Emma and Dan have been in a relationship for, but the Sex Education star first posted a picture of her beau in January 2018.

They have since made several appearances on each other's Instagram accounts, with the couple sharing a sweet snap of themselves kissing at Annabel's on Valentine's Day.

Emma recently discussed what it was like filming sex scenes in Sex Education with her on-screen boyfriend in a post #MeToo environment.

Handsome: Meanwhile, the actress' boyfriend looked dapper in a pair of black skinny jeans and a matching coloured T-shirt, he layered it with a burgundy jacket

Talented: The British-French actress is attending the Cannes Series Festival as a jury member to judge programmes from across the world

Instagram official: It's not known how long Emma and Dan have been in a relationship for, but the Sex Education star first posted a picture of her beau in January 2018

Smitten: They have since made several appearances on each other's Instagram accounts

She told ES magazine: 'The nudity and the sex stuff was fine, because I knew I had to do it. We had a workshop and worked with an intimacy co-ordinator.

'We were sorted really, there was a lot of self-love in the show, some full nudity and some half nudity.'

Before the actress relocated to the UK, she grew up in the rural idyllic Sable-sur-Sarthe, north-west France, and was educated at a Catholic School.

Loved-up: The couple sharing a sweet snap of themselves kissing at Annabel's on Valentine's Day

Sex Education: Emma recently discussed what it was like filming sex scenes in Sex Education with her on-screen boyfriend in a post #MeToo environment

She said: 'It was really... nice, I went to a Catholic school and did loads of sport and I was really happy. I loved studying and was very bookish. It was quite a sheltered existence.'

However after arriving in Leeds to study English Language she experienced a shock to the system and described having to 'toughen up'.

She said: 'Yeah. I had to toughen up a bit. People made me realise I was quite innocent and oblivious to certain things. I wanted to make people like me.'

Emma stars in Sex Education alongside Gillian Anderson and Asa Butterfield.

Growing up: Before the actress relocated to the UK, she grew up in the rural idyllic Sable-sur-Sarthe, north-west France, and was educated at a Catholic School
He's been heavily tipped to play James Bond after Daniel Craig leaves the role.

But Richard Madden admitted that he'd be just as happy to be a 'Bond Boy' to a female version of the character, as he think's there'd be an 'interesting dynamic'.

Speaking in an interview for Vogue's May 2019 issue on Tuesday, the 32-year-old actor said: 'If it was a good part. If it was an interesting part, a Bond Boy would be an interesting dynamic. Why not?'

Up for it: Richard Madden revealed on Tuesday he'd love to be a 'Bond Boy' to a female version of 007 as it would add an 'interesting dynamic' to the films

The Scottish star is the latest in a long line of actors to be connected with Bond following Daniel's decision to give up the role some 15-years after making his debut in Casino Royale.

Tom Hiddleston, Idris Elba, Aidan Turner and James Norton have also been linked with the role, but Madden has emerged as front-runner following his appearance as protection command bodyguard Sergeant David Budd.

Speaking in 2018, the actor - who found fame as the doomed Robb Stark in Game Of Thrones - admitted he was honoured to be associated with Bond.

In the running: The Scottish star is the latest in a long line of actors to be connected with Bond following Daniel's decision to give up the role some 15-years after making his debut

'This is what happens with all these shows, like Tom Hiddelston in The Night manager. Then there's the next one. I'm the next one,' he told GQ.

'I'm more than flattered to be mentioned, for people to consider putting me in that role. I'm very flattered and thankful. It's a really brilliant thing to be in. I don't want to curse anything by saying anything.'

The Scottish actor also revealed to Vogue that by hitting the gym 'twice a day' and 'barely eating' to prepare for roles, he worries he's portraying an unnatural body standard.

Candid: Speaking in an interview for Vogue's May 2019 issue, the actor said: 'if it was a good part. If it was an interesting part, a Bond Boy would be an interesting dynamic. Why not?'

He explained: 'We're projecting a very unrealistic body image. 'I find myself with actor friends - after we've done a kind of barely eating, working-out-twice-a-day, no-carbing thing for these scenes - looking at each other going: "We're just feeding this same s**t that we're against."'

The Rocketman star added that it's not just his female co-stars who feel pressure to lose weight for specific parts but insisted that the same happens to men 'all the time' in the industry.

Richard said: 'I've done numerous jobs where you're told to lose weight and get to the gym. It doesn't just happen to women, it happens to men all the time as well.'

Richard went on to explain that he's now taken a harder line with nudity and will always ensure that it's an essential part of the plotline before he agrees.

Speaking out: The Bodyguard star has admitted he fears he's projecting an 'unrealistic body image' to other men after he'd the gym 'twice a day' and was 'barely eating to prepare for roles

Role: Viewers have seen the Golden Globe winner strip on screen for his portrayal as Sergeant David Budd in Bodyguard and in Lady Chatterly's Lover (pictured)

The Glasgow native said that if he reads a scene 'within the first 15 pages' and it says, 'he gets into the shower', he knows its been put in so he can 'take his clothes off'.

The Cinderella actor added that he demands for producers to explain why it's important that he takes off his shirt for the scene, which more often than they can't.

Viewers have seen the Golden Globe winner strip on screen for his portrayal as Sergeant David Budd in Bodyguard, also in HBO's Game of Thrones and in BBC period drama Lady Chatterley's Lover.

See the full feature in the May issue of Vogue, available on digital download or on newsstands now. http://www.vogue.co.uk/
Kim Zolciak is in terrific shape after welcoming six children.

And the Don't Be Tardy star never misses an opportunity to show her body off, especially while on vacation.

The 40-year-old shared another cheeky snap with her Instagram fans on Tuesday from her stay on the island of Providenciales in Turks and Caicos.

She has been holidaying at an exclusive resort along with her husband Kroy Biermann, 33, and her six children; Brielle, 22, Ariana, 17, Kroy Jagger "KJ", 7, Kash Kade, 6, and twins Kaia Rose and Kane Ren, 5.

Cheeky: Kim Zolciak posed in a skimpy swimsuit in a photo posted on Instagram on Tuesday

Dream vacation: The Don't Be Tardy star has been staying on the island of Providenciales in Turks and Caicos

In her latest social media post, Kim was seen sipping on a cocktail as she looked out at the ocean with a white towel on her head and large gold hoop earrings.

She doled out some rather sage advice in the caption, writing: Always be a bada** with a good a**.'

The swimsuit was a leopard print monokini. She shared a similar image from a different angle a few days ago.

Kim has been posted a string of revealing photos from her trip, but she's had plenty of competition for Instagram likes.

Daring dame: Zolciak shared this photo to Instagram on Friday morning

Her daughter Brielle has been sharing similar bikini snaps, including a racy photo of her posed on a jet ski.

The mother and daughter look incredibly alike, thanks in part to their matching huge pouts, which have been enhanced by the use of lip fillers.

Kim has readily admitted to other procedures, including including a tummy tuck after the birth of her twins.

Late last year the former Real Housewives of Atlanta star underwent a breast reduction, swapping out her size DD implants to a size C to improve her quality of life.

Kim's got some competition: The 40-year-old star's daughter Brielle Biermann, 22, as also been posting racy photos from the family vacation

How to get those likes: Brielle has carved out a career as a social media influencer and now earns six-figures

She was delighted with the results, and proudly showed off her 'new perky boobs' on Instagram while thanking her plastic surgeon Dr Leonard Hochstein.

She is also a fan of Botox, however, Kim has always staunchly denied wide-spread rumors of a nose job.

Brielle, who is also a social media influencer earning six-figures, has made no secret of her 'duck lips' filler obsession, she has denied claims she's had a boob job and butt implants.

Don't Be Tardy season seven is currently airing on Bravo TV.
Rapper Boosie BadAzz and his bodyguard Antonio Allen were arrested on Monday for possession of a loaded 9mm handgun and 11 grams of marijuana after a traffic stop in Georgia.

Boosie (born Torrence Hatch Jr.) was pulled over after his rented Dodge Charger swerved out of its lane and nearly sideswiped a vehicle - according to the Newnan Times-Herald.

The 36-year-old father-of-eight admitted to the misdemeanor of talking on the phone while driving and he was also charged with failure to maintain lane.

Busted: Rapper Boosie BadAzz and his bodyguard Antonio Allen were arrested on Monday for possession of a loaded 9mm handgun and 11 grams of marijuana after a traffic stop in Georgia

Smelled of marijuana: Boosie (born Torrence Hatch Jr.) was pulled over after his rented Dodge Charger swerved out of its lane and nearly sideswiped a vehicle

Both men were then said to have been held at the Coweta County Jail in Newnan.

But as of Tuesday 11:24am EST, BadAzz might have been released as he retweeted a post about his arrest and he tweeted a recent interview he did with Vlad TV.

The Baton Rouge-born hip-hop star previously did a five-year prison stint (2009-2014) for marijuana posession at the Louisiana State Penitentiary.

The kidney cancer survivor is next scheduled to headline Oklahoma City Spring Fest happening April 19 at The Criterion alongside Rickadoon, OMB Peezy, and Webbie.

Legal woes: The 36-year-old father-of-eight and his bodyguard were then said to have been held at the Coweta County Jail in Newnan (stock shot)

Active on social media: But as of Tuesday 11:24am EST, BadAzz might have been released as he retweeted a post about his arrest and he tweeted a recent interview he did with Vlad TV
She's one of the most recognizable Hollywood movie stars in the world.

But over the weekend Julia Roberts kept it super low-key, looking like a regular shopper as she browsed a farmers market in Los Angeles.

The 51-year-old actress kept it comfy in some slip-on sneakers, showing off her slim legs in some dark cut-offs and a dark grey button-up shirt.

Sunday funday: Julia Roberts is pictured browsing the produce at a farmers market in Los Angeles on Sunday

The My Best Friend's Wedding star wore her lightened locks in relaxed beachy waves as she perused the produce.

Roberts was seen carrying a coin purse so she could pay for her purchases in cash.

After checking out an organic olive oil and balsamic vinegar stall for a few moments the mother-of-three was seen making a purchase.

Roberts shot to super-stardom playing Vivian Ward in the 1990 rom-com Pretty Woman opposite Richard Gere.

Off duty beauty: Julia kept it comfy in some dark cut-offs and a casual button-up shirt

Local produce: The 51-year-old actress looked at some olive oil and balsamic vinegar before making a purchase

Last month she reflected on her famed role while speaking with The Guardian, telling the publication that the dynamics of the storyline - a business magnate falling in love with a prostitute he hired - might not resonate as well 29 years after its March 1990 release.

'I dont really think you could make that movie now, right?' Roberts said. 'So many things you could poke a hole in, but I dont think it takes away from people being able to enjoy it.'

Roberts noted the lucky twist of fate she experienced in receiving the role after a number of actresses - including Demi Moore, Valeria Golino and Daryl Hannah - had turned it down, according to iMDb.

'It really is not a measure of talent, particularly in the beginning,' she told the outlet of her route to leading lady status. 'Its a measure of good fortune - and being able to have your wits about you enough to make something out of that good fortune.'
The mother and son duo have been holidaying in the Ananda in the Himalayas to ring in the teenager's 17th birthday.

And Elizabeth Hurley joined her lookalike son in sharing a montage of snaps on social media during their stay, the latest bikini snap posted on Tuesday.

In a snap, the mother, 53, looked phenomenal in bright turquoise swimwear decorated with golden chains as she posed up a storm in the tropical resort.

(Be)dazzled! Elizabeth Hurley, 53, slipped into a tiny turquoise bikini as she holidayed with her lookalike son Damian, 17, during Indian getaway on Tuesday

The Bedazzled star clutched held of a floral sarong in the same shade of turquoise as her tiny swimwear from her brand Elizabeth Hurley Beach.

She captioned the post: 'Small sun bathing break between meditations.'

Also giving his fans a look inside their glam break away, Damian drove his admirers wild with another snap because he looks the spitting image of his mother.

Among the crowd, one fan wrote: 'You are even more beautiful than your mother in her best/younger times. You should play Dorian Gray. As if Mr. Wilde was describing him looking at you...'

Another complimented: 'As handsome as your eternally gorgeous mother.' (sic)

Double take! Also giving his fans a look inside their glam break away, Damian drove his admirers wild with another snap because he looks the spitting image of his mother

Soaking it up: The age-defying star, who is known for her roles in Bedazzled and Austin Powers, put on an eye-popping display in the crystal-embellished triangle bikini top

Recently, Elizabeth paid tribute to her beloved son Damian on his 17th birthday.

Her dazzling roster of celebrity pals  including Elton John and Joan Collins  were quick to echo the message.

She shared a trio of images from throughout his life with the caption: 'Happy 17th Birthday to my heavenly @damianhurley1 . No one could have brought me more joy. You have made me a very proud mama'.

Twins! Elizabeth and her son Damian look almost identical as they both appear to wear the same camo shirt

Having a giggle: She frequently honours her son Damian on social media

Elizabeth shares Damian with her ex, American businessman Steve Bing, who initially denied paternity of their child as he claimed he had a 'brief, non-exclusive relationship' with Elizabeth in 2001 however a DNA test proved he was the dad.

She is famously close to her son and the duo are practically inseparable, with Damian scooping a role on Elizabeth's show The Royals.

In the most recent snap in her collage, the duo looked incredibly sweet as they posed for a selfie while putting on giddy expressions.

In the older snaps, Elizabeth looked incredibly ageless as she cradled the tot while making their firm bond plain to see.

Happy days: Thursday was a special day for the actress, 53, as she took to Instagram to pay tribute to her beloved boy on his 17th birthday, while her dazzling roster of celebrity pals - including Elton John and Joan Collins - were quick to echo the message

The whole gang! A slew of stars were quick to honour the teen on his birthday

Damian, who has six godfathers including actor Hugh Grant and Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish, is often rubbing shoulders with his mum's celebrity pals, as she insists she has an 'open house' policy in order for her son to meet her friends.

Naturally the comments section was flooded with well wishes, including messages from Elton, David and Joan Collins.

Damian took the time to individually reply to his nearest-and-dearest, as he professed his love for all his A-list correspondents.

Fans meanwhile responded with a shock at their likeness

Proud mama: In her stunning tribute to her son, she shared a trio of images from throughout his life with the added caption: 'Happy 17th Birthday to my heavenly @damianhurley1 . No one could have brought me more joy. You have made me a very proud mama'

Way back when: Elizabeth shares Damian with her ex, American businessman Steve Bing (pictured in 2006), who initially denied paternity of the tot as he claimed they had a 'brief, non-exclusive relationship' however a DNA test proved he was the dad

Elizabeth has previously confessed that she often ropes Damian into taking photographs of her - including her bikini-clad snaps she posts to social media.

Following the confession, she ridiculed claims made suggesting she takes him on holiday to purposely play photographer.

On their relationship, she told You: 'Damian is a great photographer, and he instinctively knows what younger people want to see, but thats all...

'Our downtime together is usually spent watching something scary on Netflix or Vikings on Amazon Prime. By default we spend a lot of time together and we are utterly comfortable in each other's company.'

Her biggest fan! Elizabeth has previously confessed that she often ropes Damian into taking photographs of her - including her bikini-clad snaps she posts to social media
Emmerdale actor Liam Fox has revealed his engagement to his partner Jo Hudson.

Confirming the happy news, the 48-year-old star, who plays Dan Spencer in the soap, shared a sweet selfie of the pair, captioned 'She only went and said yes...'

In the beautiful shot, Jo, who is also an actor, showed off her sparkling diamond ring.

Happy couple: Emmerdale actor Liam Fox has revealed his engagement to his partner Jo Hudson

Familiar face: The star has played Dan Spencer on the popular soap since 2011

Liam also shared a picture of himself and his fiancee in Paris, standing in front of the iconic Arc de Triomphe.

He tweeted: 'mon plus grand triomphe @missjohud (sic)'

Several of Liam's 'Emmerdale' co-stars rushed to congratulate the happy couple, including Gaynor Faye (Megan Macey).

She wrote: 'Awwwww Congratulations - how lovely (sic)'

Sparkle: Confirming the happy news, the star, who plays Dan Spencer in the soap, shared a sweet selfie of the pair, captioned 'She only went and said yes...

Romance: The star appeared to have popped the question in Paris as he shared this sweet snap

Sandra Marvin (Jessie Grant) shared: 'Omg!! Huge congratulations to you both! Amazing news (sic)'

Jay Kontzle (Billy Fletcher) tweeted: 'Congratulations!!! (sic)'

The star and Jo are believed to have been dating for just over a year and a half - but have known each for 25 years.

The actor shared a snap of the pair on their graduation day at the University of Salford back in 1994.

Throwback: The star and Jo are believed to have been dating for just over a year and a half - but have known each for 25 years (pictured at the University of Salford in 1994)

Celebration: The couple are no stranger to a loved-up selfie

His relationship happiness comes four years after his divorce from Hollyoaks star Nicole Barber-Lane (Myra McQueen) with the couple ending their romance after 16 years of marriage.

The former couple - who share son Ben Fox, 19, with Nicole also mum to daughter, Gemma, from a previous relationship - released a joint statement at the time saying: 'It is with much sadness that we confirm the end of our marriage, though our family unit remains strong.

'We'll always love and respect each other and are united by our children and family remaining at the centre of our lives.'

Liam and Nicole first met in 1997 when they were both trainee teachers at Tameside college in Manchester.
Trista and Ryan Sutter have been married since 2003, after meeting on reality show The Bachelorette.

And 16 years after she chose him as the winner in the first season of the hit show, the lovebirds enjoyed a holiday in the Bahamas.

Trista, 46, showed off her incredibly toned form in a white bikini while posing alongside her equally fit husband, 44, in an Instagram she shared on Monday.

Happy duo: Trista Sutter and her husband Ryan Sutter posed in their swimwear during their holiday in the Bahamas

Trista chose a classic white bikini that featured a triangle top with string bottoms, revealing her cleavage as well as her flat, toned midriff and her sculpted legs.

The stunner added purple tinted sunglasses with her brunette tresses pulled back into a high bun.

The natural beauty opted to forgo makeup, revealing her good looks.

Trista, who added the caption: 'Happiness and then some. #bahamas #exumas #mylove #grateful,' posed alongside Ryan, who wore patterned swim trunks and sunglasses.

They posed partially in the clear waters together.

On Tuesday, Trista was snapped as she walked along the beach in a patterned swimsuit, revealing her pert derriere.

Incredible: On Tuesday, Trista was snapped as she walked along the beach in a patterned swimsuit, revealing her pert derriere

Trista added: 'Blue skies... smilin' at me, adding the hashtags: '#exumas #normanscay #boatlife #islandlife #luckylife.'

Trista and Ryan cuddled together in another snap as they grinned ear to ear; she wrote: 'Paradise, with my forever paradise.'

The duo first met on season one of the ABC hit series The Bachelorette; Trista was chosen to be the Bachelorette after she was the runner up in The Bachelor season one.

So sweet: Trista and Ryan cuddled together in another snap as they grinned ear to ear; she wrote: 'Paradise, with my forever paradise'

Throwback: The duo first met on season one of the ABC hit series The Bachelorette; Trista was chosen to be the Bachelorette after she was the runner up in The Bachelor season one; pictured together on the show in 2003

Season one of The Bachelorette premiered in January 2003 and concluded the following month, with Trista choosing Ryan as the winner.

The lovebirds married on December 6, 2003 in Santa Monica, California but reside in Vail, Colorado.

They are parents to two children together: son Maxwell, 11, and daughter Blakesley, 10.

Happiness: Season one of The Bachelorette premiered in January 2003 and concluded the following month, with Trista choosing Ryan as the winner; seen on the left in March 11, 2003 in NYC and pictured on the right on March 21, 2019 in NYC

Family of four: They are parents to two children together: son Maxwell, 11, and daughter Blakesley, 10

Views: Trista shared a brief clip of the water while on a boat
Little known actress Emma Corrin has been cast as a young Princess Diana in season four of The Crown, with show bosses confirming the the critically-acclaimed period drama will begin filming later this year.

The actress, 23, will feature opposite The Durrells' star Josh O'Connor who landed the role of a young Prince Charles - though he will appear in the third series of the BAFTA-winning Netflix show, which will be released in July 2019.

An advert for the role of Princess Diana is believed to have said that showrunners were looking for a 'staggeringly talented young actress', who will play the Princess during the ages of 18 and 22.

Emma's casting was announced in a post on the show's official Twitter account.

Emma Corrin will star in the next series of The Crown as Princess Diana. She will portray the iconic Princess between the ages of 18 and 22

Big role: The Crown has cast Grantchester star Emma Corrin as a young Princess Diana

New face: In a post to the show's official Twitter account, bosses confirmed the little-known actress would play the role of the soon-to-be princess

Emma was born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, and lives with her family in Sevenoaks, including younger brothers Richard, 20, and Charles, 17.

Mother Juliette works as a speech and language therapist while her father Christopher is a businessman.

Emma recently graduated from Cambridge University, studying education with English and drama at St John's College.

Previously she went to the Woldingham School in Surrey, a private Catholic boarding and day school where fees cost around 36,000 a year.

In a statement responding to the news, the actress said: 'I have been glued to the show and to think I'm joining this incredibly talented acting family is surreal. Princess Diana was an icon and her effect on the world remains profound and inspiring.

'To explore her through Peter Morgan's writing is the most exceptional opportunity and I will strive to do her justice.'

So far Emma has appeared in a handful of small acting roles, including an episode of the 1960s detective drama Grantchester, and the soon-to-be released film Misbehaviour.

Spitting image: In a Twitter post bosses confirmed Emma would play the Princess (above in 1980) in the fourth series of the Netflix period drama, with filming to commence later this year

Old roles: So far Emma has appeared in a handful of small acting roles, including an episode of the 1960s detective drama Grantchester

Reacting to the news, the actress said: 'Princess Diana was an icon and her effect on the world remains profound and inspiring'

An advert for the role read: 'We need a mesmerising new young star with extraordinary range'

The Crown will reportedly portray Princess Diana as a 'desperate and lonely self-harmer' in the new series.

Peter Morgan, the creator behind the popular Netflix series, says series four will show the young princess as she struggles to befriend her in-laws, The Queen and Prince Philip.

According to The Sun the writer was searching for a young unknown actress to play the coveted role, as the series documents the early days of her marriage to Prince Charles.

An advert for the role read: 'We need a mesmerising new young star with extraordinary range.

'She has to play charming comedy, flirt and social exhibitionist on the world stage, desperate and lonely self-harmer at her lowest ebb and the kind of psychological intensity of Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby.'

The Crown - The All-new Cast Prince Philip Tobias Menzies (Edmure Tully in Game Of Thrones) stars as the Duke of Edinburgh opposite Olivia Colman's Elizabeth. The series will include an episode on the Apollo 11 Moon landing and show how Prince Philip reacted to that momentous event. Princess Margaret Helena Bonham Carter replaces Vanessa Kirby as the Queen's sister, and we'll see the blossoming of her affair with gardening expert Roddy Llewellyn, which leads to divorce. Prince Charles Josh O'Connor (Larry in ITVs The Durrells) will be taking on the role of Prince Charles in his late teens and early 20s following his experiences at university and looking at his personal life  notably his early romance with Camilla Parker Bowles in the Seventies. The Queen Mother Marion Bailey, who starred with Brad Pitt in Allied, takes on this pivotal role. In 1972, with Elizabeth on a tour of South-East Asia, the Queen Mother acted as Counsellor of State, declaring a state of emergency during a National Union of Mineworkers's strike. The Prime Minister Line Of Duty star Jason Watkins plays Harold Wilson, who served two terms as PM and worked closely with Queen Elizabeth II on abolishing capital punishment and stopping discrimination against women and minorities. Tony Armstrong-Jones Ben Daniels (House Of Cards) replaces Matthew Goode as Tony Armstrong-Jones, Princess Margaret's husband. They had a passionate, tempestuous marriage for 18 years until their divorce, and season three will show the demise of their marriage. Advertisement

Main monarch: It comes as Olivia Colman will play Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in the coming series' of the drama

Old face: Helena Bonham Carter will play Princess Margaret for the third and fourth series, taking over the role from Vanessa Kirby

Transformed: Tobias Menzies is set to play the role of Prince Philip, taking over playing the character from Doctor Who star Matt Smith

Uncanny: Line Of Duty Jason Watkins will play the Prime Minister at the time Harold Wilson

Embattled: It comes after it was reported that show-runner Peter Morgan planned to portray the young Princess as a 'desperate and lonely self-harmer' (pictured above in 1981)

Mr and Mrs: Diana and Charles married in 1981 in a lavish wedding, and the couple remained iconic until their divorce in 1996

Diana famously married Charles in 1981, and the couple welcomed sons William and Harry in the following years.

After separating in 1991, the couple divorced in 1997, but Diana remained a much loved member of the Royal Family, thanks to her significant humanitarian work in the UK and abroad.

The country came to a standstill on August 31st 1997, when Diana was killed in car accident in France. She was 36 years old.

Emma will join a star-studded cast who have recently been filming series three, lead by Oscar winner Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth.

While Helena Bonham-Carter will take on the role of Princess Margaret, Tobias Menzies has been cast as Prince Philip, and Emerald Fennell is set to play Camilla Parker-Bowles.

The third series will show the little-known romance Camilla and Charles shared before he married Diana, as well as Charles' investiture and the 1966 Aberfan disaster.

The Crown Series Three is set to be released on Netflix in July 2019.
They finalized their divorce just last year.

Former Hollywood 'it' couple Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck, both 36, were spotted together dropping their children off to school in Brentwood on Tuesday.

Far from estranged exes, the duo seem to be getting along swimmingly several months after they officially wrapped up the dissolution of their marriage.

Smooth sailing: Despite their divorce, Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck were the picture of amicable exes as they were seen chatting and strolling together out side of their children's school in Brentwood on Tuesday

Affleck looked dapper in a pair of black slacks with a grey crew neck sweater under a taupe blazer.

The Batman star paired his trendy look with some trendy maroon sneakers and reflective sunglasses.

His former love, Jennifer, styled her chestnut colored locks back in a messy chignon with a scrunchie - which are very much back in style.

The Peppermint star sported some indigo skinny jeans tucked into beige suede chelsea boots and a plaid top.

Split! The former 'it' couple finalized their divorce in 2018

Catching up: The pair likely had much to discuss as they share three children together, Violet, 13, Seraphina, 10 and Samuel, seven

Jennifer also opted for a pair of shades and carried large camel toned leather purse.

The star held her to-go coffee cup and a cell phone as she chatted amiably with her former husband.

Two of the couple's children, Seraphina, 10,and Samuel, seven, were seen heading to class with their mom.

The former couple also share daughter Violet, 13, who wasn't spotted with the group.

Dad style: Affleck looked dapper in a pair of black slacks with a grey crew neck sweater under a taupe blazer

Mom look: The Peppermint star sported some indigo skinny jeans tucked into beige suede chelsea boots and a plaid top

Despite a tumultuous 2018, the Affleck family seems better than ever as they move past their split and Ben's most recent stint in rehab.

It was Garner who ultimately held an intervention for her ex, who was estranged at the time, and convinced him to go to rehab.

The actress actually drove Affleck to the Malibu facility where he checked in to get treatment.

Family time! Jennifer smiled as she walked her two youngest children to school

The end: Jennifer and the Argo director split up back in 2015 and filed for divorce in 2017, they took some time to finalize it a year later

At the time, the director was in a whirlwind romance with Playboy model Shauna Sexton.

The pair were together leading up to his stint in rehab and even during his stay however they called it quits shortly after Ben returned home.

Jennifer and the Argo director split up back in 2015 and filed for divorce in 2017, with the beauty now in a new relationship with burger CEO John Miller.

Family first: Even though they were estranged at the time, Garner led the charge to get Ben into rehab last year and even drove him to the facility

Affleck bought a $19.2 million dollar home less than one mile from Jennifer's house in Los Angeles last year so he could be close to his family.

Since becoming sober again Ben has been focused on his health, his children and his work.

He's recently rekindled a relationship with ex girlfriend Lindsay Shookus.

Shookus is said to be a 'very positive influence' on the Oscar winner and since getting back together the pair seem 'very comfortable together [and] happy.'
She found fame on the second series of Love Island in 2016.

And Zara Holland was back in her bikini on Tuesday as she relaxed on a busy beach in Barbados.

The reality star, 23, showed off her ample cleavage and taut stomach in tiny red two-piece in a series of candid holiday snaps.

Sizzles: Zara Holland was back in her bikini on Tuesday as she relaxed on a busy beach in Barbados

And Zara, who formerly held the title of Miss Great Britain, flaunted her golden glow in a halterneck bikinis she reapplied her sun cream on the white sand beach.

The beauty completed her ensemble with a pair of aviator-style sunglasses and wore her golden locks in a top knot for the occasion.

She was later seen taking a dip in the crystal blue ocean before drying off on a bench with a pal in the enviable warm weather.

Candid: The reality star, 23, showed off her ample cleavage and taut stomach in tiny red two-piece in a series of candid holiday snaps

Daring: And Zara, who formerly held the title of Miss Great Britain, flaunted her golden glow in the halterneck bikini with silver chain detailing as she reapplied her sun cream

Stunning: The beauty completed her ensemble with a pair of aviator-style sunglasses and wore her golden locks in a top knot for the occasion

Controversy: Zara found fame on Love Island, where she controversially lost her Miss Great Britain title after having sex on the show with Alex Bowen

Zara found fame on Love Island, where she controversially lost her Miss Great Britain title after having sex on the show with Alex Bowen.

She told The Sun she 'changed as a person' when her Miss GB title was stripped off of her after she had sex on the show and is still 'haunted' by the repercussions.

The brunette said: 'I changed as a person, I didnt want to go out or socialise, I came out of Love Island and they didnt contact me.

Changed: Zara previously said she 'changed as a person' when her Miss GB title was stripped off of her after she had sex on the show and is still 'haunted' by the repercussions

Swim: The beauty was later seen taking a dip in the crystal blue ocean before drying off on a bench with a pal in the enviable warm weather

Sunbathe: The Love Island star sunbathes on a bench by the water as she dries off after her swim

'Love Island called me for the first time in two years on Thursday [after the death of her co-star Sophie Gradon] to ask if I was OK, funny they call me now when something terrible has happened.

'People applying need to know how serious things can be, they see a claim to fame, they dont see that in ten years time, when youre married with babies, youll still be haunted for the rest of your life.'

A spokesperson for Love Island told MailOnline: 'All of our islanders are offered psychological support before, during and after their time in the villa.

Tanned: The beauty shows off her golden glow as she applies oil to her body on the beach

Cooled off: The Love Island star cools off in the ocean on an extremely warm day in Barbados

Speaking of her experience on Love Island, Zara said: 'I changed as a person, I didnt want to go out or socialise, I came out of Love Island and they didnt contact me'

'We take our duty of care very seriously and this is always our top priority.'

Zara made her comments after friend and co-star Sophie Gradon was tragically found dead at her parents home in Newcastle in June aged just 32, with friends reporting at the time that she had taken her own life.

2018 Love Island star Mike Thalassitis took his own life last month leading to criticism of the show's aftercare for contestants/

For confidential help and support, contact Samaritans on 116 123.
Former Made In Chelsea star Millie Mackintosh has jetted off to Madrid for another press trip, and it's another glam one for the high-living socialite.

On Tuesday, the 29-year-old stepped out in the Spanish capital to attend the Ipanema flip flops event as an ambassador for the Brazilian brand.

She flaunted her statuesque figure in a printed red dress with a plunging neckline, cinched at the waist with a bow from the same fabric.

Taking the plunge! Former Made In Chelsea star Millie Makintosh has stepped out in Madrid to attend the Ipanema flip flops event on Tuesday

The blonde beauty styled her luscious locks in loose tousles that cascaded down her shoulders.

For make-up, she kept it simple with a light flush of pink on her cheeks, mascara on her lashes and pink lipstick.

She accessorised her look with gold hoop earrings and matching necklaces that drew attention to her decolletage and completed her look with a pair of black Ipanema sandals.

Effortless: She flaunted her statuesque figure in a printed red dress with a plunging neckline, cinched at the waist with a bow from the same fabric

Stunning: The blonde beauty styled her luscious locks in loose tousles that cascaded down her shoulders. She kept her make-up simple with a little blush mascara and pink lipstick

During the event Millie posed inside a hanging pod chair and showed off the trim pins thanks to the very high slit on flirty frock.

Earlier, the former reality TV starlet took to her Instagram reveal she was named ambassador for the sandal brand.

She posed on a Vespa flaunting trim pins in a white, floral mini dress and the caption: 'The perfect partner for all my summer travel plans #AD #AlwaysNew #AlwaysIpanema.'

Girl on the go! She posed on a Vespa flaunting trim pins in a white, floral mini dress and the caption: 'The perfect partner for all my summer travel plans'

Honeymoon part two! Millie's sojourn to Madrid is her sixth sponsored trip so far this year. In January, she visited The Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort with husband Hugo Taylor

Millie's sojourn to Madrid is her sixth sponsored trip so far this year.

Back in January, she visited The Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort with husband Hugo Taylor on the second leg of their honeymoon for which she thanked the resort for 'hosting her'.

Later that month she was invited to a weekend away to Soho Farmhouse by designer site The Outnet, as well as a detox holiday Chenot Palace Health Wellness Hotel in Azerbaijan ahead of the BAFTAs.

In March, she visited the Arctic TreeHouse Hotel in Finland followed by The Body Camp Ibiza a week later.

Luxury country trip: Later in January she was invited to a weekend away to Soho Farmhouse by designer site The Outnet

Jet-setter: In March, she visited the Arctic TreeHouse Hotel in Finland followed by The Body Camp Ibiza a week later
Fleabag writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge paid a touching tribute to the show's editor with surprise Easter Egg during Monday's finale.

In the show's final scene, which saw the titular character waiting at a bus stop, the dot matrix display showed a destination as Dollner Avenue, a sweet reference to editor Gary Dollner.

It comes after fans took to Twitter in droves on Monday to praise the comedy's 'devastatingly perfect' conclusion, with many branding writer Phoebe a 'genius.'

Lovely: Fleabag writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge paid a touching tribute to the show's editor with surprise Easter Egg during Monday's finale

It was an Easter Egg that was easily missed by many die-hard fans, who were unaware of Gary's contribution to the show behind the scenes.

But luckily he took to Twitter to gush about the 'pleasant' surprise, which he only discovered when the episode finally aired.

Posting a snap of the bus stop display as it appeared in the show, he wrote: 'As editor I know every frame of the cut, so imagine my (very pleasant) surprise to see this broadcast tonight. Bye Fleabag it was a privilege.'

Iconic: In the show's final scene, the dot matrix display showed a destination as Dollner Avenue, a reference to editor Gary Dollner

The end: The show's closing scene saw Fleabag waiting at a bus stop, before breaking the fourth wall for the final time as she walked away from the camera

As many other fans noticed the tribute after watching the finale, they also took to Twitter to congratulate Gary on his work, with many gushing he helped the show come to a perfect conclusion.

One wrote: 'Your editing has been one of the joys of this sublime show, particularly when cutting stepmother off in midflow.'

Another joyfully added: 'Thank you for your incredible work on this incredible show. Nailing the timing on such a tightly-written show is Olympics-level editing.'

A third also posted: 'What a wonderful surprise! And what a perfect ending. Chapeau mate!!'

Well done! As many other fans noticed the tribute after watching the finale, they also took to Twitter to congratulate Gary on his work

It comes after fans took to social media in droves to praise Fleabag's satisfying conclusion, following its premiere on Monday night.

The BBC series follows Fleabag, a struggling millennial who runs a failing guinea pig cafe, constantly locks horns with her family and jumps from one dysfunctional relationship to the next.

After a three year wait, which Waller-Bridge filled by writing her other smash hit Killing Eve, the new season has seen Fleabag attempting to ditch booze in favour of a healthy lifestyle and turning to religion as she tries to navigate the highs and lows of adulthood.

It's over: It comes after fans took to social media in droves to praise Fleabag's satisfying conclusion, following its premiere on Monday night

Waller-Bridge confirmed the second series is the last, telling the BBC earlier this year it would be 'the final curtain'.

The final scene saw Fleabag shaking her head and walking away from the camera, breaking the fourth wall one last time.

'The #Fleabag finale was perfect. In fact, the entire series was utter perfection. I think I need to sit quietly and feel my feelings for a while,' gushed one fan once it was over.

'Bloody outstanding tv. Never seen a show like it. Thank you,' agreed another.

Praise: 'The #Fleabag finale was perfect. In fact, the entire series was utter perfection. I think I need to sit quietly and feel my feelings for a while,' gushed one fan once it was over

Many were left in floods of tears, as one viewer tweeted: '#Fleabag actually broke me. Ive literally never cried at TV until now. Seriously that was devastating. #phoebewallerbridge I hate you! Youre amazing...'

Others heaped the praise on the show's creator and star. 'So #fleabag is done and I'm so happy and so sad. Phoebe Waller-Bridge hats of to you.'

'Oh #fleabag @SiansUniverse I miss you already heartbreakingly perfect ending but longing for more #love #hope #Fleabag.'

Fleabag is available on BBC iPlayer.

Not to be: In the show's closing scenes, the Priest (Andrew Scott), decided to stick to his religious vows, breaking off his budding romance with Fleabag
Amanda Barrie gave herself a fright on Monday when she 'electrocuted' herself in her London flat.

The former Coronation Street actress, 83, posed with the five First Responders who rushed to her aid after she 'lit up the West End'.

And she quickly took to social media to thank the five 'heroes' for their assistance after her 'very scary' ordeal.

Shock: The former Coronation Street actress, 83, posed with the five First Responders who rushed to her aid after she 'lit up the West End', she told Twitter

She said on Twitter: 'Thankyou to my five heroes. So, last night I lit up the West End by electrocuting myself in my own flat. Eek!

'Magnificent #FirstResponders came to my rescue. Very scary but am still here, thanks also to @UCLH. God bless the @NHSUK'.

The Carry On star, who shares her home with wife Hillary Bonner, didn't add any more details about how she managed to shock herself on Monday.

Heroes: She said: 'Thankyou to my five heroes. So, last night I lit up the West End by electrocuting myself in my own flat. Eek!'

Details: The Carry On star, who shares her home with wife wife Hillary Bonner, didn't add any more details about how she managed to shock herself on Monday

But dozens of her followers were quick to wish her well after the 'very scary' incident.

Only Fools and Horses star John Challis said: 'Amanda Barrie! What are you like?! So happy you are unharmed. XX'

Colin Sully commented: 'I was expecting to see you sporting a big sticky out hair do...glad you're OK xxx'

Well-wishers: Dozens of her followers were quick to wish her well after the 'very scary' incident

Star: Only Fools and Horses star John Challis said: 'Amanda Barrie! What are you like?! So happy you are unharmed. XX'

And Anne Baldwin added: 'Glad all is well, Amanda! What a shocking experience!'

Another well-wisher, Rebecca, said: 'Oh my goodness! I'm so pleased that you're alright and that you're still with us'.

A representative for Amanda has been contacted for comment.
She has seen her star status soar thanks to her role as Maeve Wiley in Netflix's smash-hit series, Sex Education.

And Emma Mackey looked every inch the a-lister as she arrived on the pink carpet for the 2nd Canneseries International Series Festival on Tuesday.

The actress, 23, who is serving as a jury member at the festival,looked effortlessly chic in a mustard yellow floral floor-length dress with a high-neck and ruffled hem.

Glamorous: Emma Mackey, 23, looked every inch the a-lister as she arrived on the pink carpet for the 2nd Canneseries International Series Festival on Tuesday

Emma looked in her element as she showed off her style credentials in the figure-flattering number.

Her gown boasted billowing sleeves before going on to cinch in the waist.

She enhanced her striking features with a simple matte base and smokey red eyeshadow, while her brunette locks fell in a sensational side parting.

Emma was joined with her suited and booted other half Dan Whitlam who ensured to give her a helping hand as she made her way up some stairs.

Not so mellow yellow: The actress, who is serving as a jury member at the festival, looked effortlessly chic in a mustard yellow floral floor-length dress with a high-neck and ruffled hem

Wow: Emma looked in her element as she showed off her style credentials in the figure-flattering number - with Katheryn Winnick and Miriam Leone (R)

Fashionista: Her gown boasted billowing sleeves before going on to cinch in the waist

Beauty: She enhanced her striking features with a simple matte base and smokey red eyeshadow, while her brunette locks fell in a sensational side parting

Emma was joined by a bevy of beauties at the event including stunning Canadian actress Katheryn Winnick.

Katheryn looked sensational as she showed off her figure in a bright red dress which showcased her figure to perfection.

Italian actress Miriam Leone opted for a quirky animal and floral print dress.

This comes after Emma couldn't resist packing on the PDA with her boyfriend Dan during the festival in the South of France .

Red hot: Emma was joined by a bevy of beauties at the event including stunning Canadian actress Katheryn Winnick

Work it: Katheryn looked sensational as she showed off her figure in a bright red dress which showcased her figure to perfection

Mane attraction: The beauty looked incredible as she sported slicked back locks

Sensational: Italian actress Miriam Leone opted for a quirky animal and floral print dress

Sultry: She sported a chic, yet messy, ponytail and smokey eyeshadow

Attendees: Canadian actress Jessica Lucas (L) and US actress Peyton List (R) oozed glamour during the star-studded event

She was spotted sharing a sweet kiss with her actor beau as they walked hand-in-hand around the French Riviera.

She teamed the item of clothing with a navy blue pinstriped coat, black biker boots and a yellow clutch bag.

Emma styled her brunette locks into a sleek blow-dried hairdo, she clipped her front strands back revealing gold and green pendant earrings, she added a slick of make-up.

Meanwhile, the actress' boyfriend looked dapper in a pair of black skinny jeans and a matching coloured T-shirt, he layered it with a burgundy jacket.

Smitten: This comEmma Mackey couldn't resist packing on the PDA with her boyfriend Dan Whitlam during the Cannes Series Festival in the South of France on Tuesday

Mwah: The actress, 23, was spotted sharing a sweet kiss with her actor beau as they walked hand-in-hand around the French Riviera

Finishing touches: She teamed the item of clothing with a navy blue pinstriped coat, black biker boots and a yellow clutch bag

The British-French actress is attending the Cannes Series Festival as a jury member to judge programmes from across the world.

It's not known how long Emma and Dan have been in a relationship for, but the Sex Education star first posted a picture of her beau in January 2018.

They have since made several appearances on each other's Instagram accounts, with the couple sharing a sweet snap of themselves kissing at Annabel's on Valentine's Day.

Emma recently discussed what it was like filming sex scenes in Sex Education with her on-screen boyfriend in a post #MeToo environment.

Handsome: Meanwhile, the actress' boyfriend looked dapper in a pair of black skinny jeans and a matching coloured T-shirt, he layered it with a burgundy jacket

Talented: The British-French actress is attending the Cannes Series Festival as a jury member to judge programmes from across the world

Instagram official: It's not known how long Emma and Dan have been in a relationship for, but the Sex Education star first posted a picture of her beau in January 2018

She told ES magazine: 'The nudity and the sex stuff was fine, because I knew I had to do it. We had a workshop and worked with an intimacy co-ordinator.

'We were sorted really, there was a lot of self-love in the show, some full nudity and some half nudity.'

Before the actress relocated to the UK, she grew up in the rural idyllic Sable-sur-Sarthe, north-west France, and was educated at a Catholic School.

Loved-up: The couple sharing a sweet snap of themselves kissing at Annabel's on Valentine's Day

Sex Education: Emma recently discussed what it was like filming sex scenes in Sex Education with her on-screen boyfriend in a post #MeToo environment

She said: 'It was really... nice, I went to a Catholic school and did loads of sport and I was really happy. I loved studying and was very bookish. It was quite a sheltered existence.'

However after arriving in Leeds to study English Language she experienced a shock to the system and described having to 'toughen up'.

She said: 'Yeah. I had to toughen up a bit. People made me realise I was quite innocent and oblivious to certain things. I wanted to make people like me.'

Emma stars in Sex Education alongside Gillian Anderson and Asa Butterfield.
They have been the best friends for years, with Alexa even acting as Pixie's bridesmaid when she wed rockstar George Barnett back in 2017.

And Alexa Chung and Pixie Geldof looked closer than ever as they enjoyed a breakfast date in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

Joined by fashion designer Henry Holland, the model, 35, and the socialite, 28, were casually-clad as they strolled around a car park after their hike in Griffith Park.

Catching up: Alexa Chung and Pixie Geldof enjoyed a breakfast date in Los Angeles on Tuesday

Alexa dressed her slender physique in a grey hoodie and skintight black gym leggings, while opting for comfort on her feet with a pair of sporty trainers.

The television personality went make-up free for the outing and clutched a coffee in her hand.

Pixie also rocked a low-key ensemble, donning a bright turquoise jumper and orange trainers.

Hiking: Joined by fashion designer Henry Holland, the model, 35, and the socialite, 28, were casually-clad as they strolled around a car park after their hike in Griffith Park

Casually-clad: Alexa dressed her slender physique in a grey hoodie and skintight black gym leggings, while Pixie donned a bright turquoise jumper and orange trainers

She slung a Gucci Bag over her shoulders and tied her blonde locks back in high ponytail.

The pair appeared in high spirits as they happily chatted away to one another during the walk, with Henry sharing a slew of snaps on Instagram.

Pixie and Alexa have been friends for years and often go on holiday together.

Morning sun: The trio got up to watch the sun rise, with Pixie taking the moment for an impromptu photoshoot

Selfie: The socialite flashed her washboard abs in a black crop top as she posed with Henry

The duo cemented their friendship, after Alexa acted as bridesmaid for Pixie's wedding to rockstar George Barnett in Mallorca back in 2017.

Despite enjoying a break in LA, Alexa continues to keep her hand in with modelling, despite establishing herself as a bona fide fashion designer, not long ago.

Last month, the former T4 television presenter put on the second London Fashion Week show for her eponymous designer label.

After showcasing her autumn/winter 2019 collection, Alexa said that she now felt 'comfier' as managing director of the brand she launched two years ago.

'I was really trying to get it right,' she told Vogue about her debut, 'To play by the rules and understand the industry.'

Her first collection was inspired by the airport departure lounge but now she's a little more realistic with her budget.

'As we grow and mature as a business, its important not to put ourselves under undue pressure if its not worth it. Im still running a biz - we cant pretend we have access to millions of dollars.'
SAG Award winner Lea Michele celebrated 30 days of married bliss with her husband Zandy Reich on Tuesday by posting a bikini-clad beach snap.

The 32-year-old newlywed - who boasts 15M social media followers - captioned the Instagram: '1 month married to this man [heart emoji]!'

The sun-dappled snapshot appeared to be from their picturesque honeymoon last month at an undisclosed tropical isle, most likely in the Caribbean.

'1 month married to this man!' Newlywed Lea Michele celebrated 30 days of married bliss with her husband Zandy Reich on Tuesday by posting a bikini-clad beach snap

Lea and the Philadelphia-born 36-year-old's Napa nuptials were officiated by her Scream Queens creator Ryan Murphy at Carneros Resort with 210 guests on March 9.

Michele (born Sarfati) invited Glee castmates Jonathan Groff, Darren Criss, and Becca Tobin as well as Emma Roberts, Ashley Tisdale, and Jamie-Lynn Sigler.

On Tuesday, the Bronx-born brunette also Insta-storied herself wearing clingy plastic attire while 'taking the infared sauna to a whole new level!'

Cheers: The sun-dappled snapshot appeared to be from their picturesque honeymoon last month at an undisclosed tropical isle, most likely in the Caribbean

'Mr. and Mrs. Reich!' The Brooklyn-born 32-year-old and the Philadelphia-born 36-year-old's Napa nuptials were officiated by her Scream Queens creator Ryan Murphy at Carneros Resort with 210 guests on March 9

Sweating it out: On Tuesday, Lea also Insta-storied herself wearing clingy plastic attire while 'taking the infared sauna to a whole new level!'

The two-time Golden Globe nominee - whose ABC sitcom The Mayor was canceled last May - is excited to 'dive in' to her role as Ariel the Mermaid happening May 17-18 at the Hollywood Bowl.

Harvey Fierstein, Cheech Marin, and Peter Gallagher also star in Disney The Little Mermaid: An Immersive Live-To-Film Concert Experience with original composer Alan Menken.

Meanwhile, Zandy - whom Lea began dating in July 2017 - holds a career as president/CEO of the women's clothing brand AYR.

'It's all happening!' Michele - whose ABC sitcom The Mayor was canceled last May - is excited to 'dive in' to her role as Ariel the Mermaid happening May 17-18 at the Hollywood Bowl
Derry Girls fans were weeping with joy following Tuesday's series two finale, after the much-maligned James Maguire decided to stay in Northern Ireland as he was finally accepted by his female pals.

In emotional scenes the English teen was reunited with his mum Cathy who planned to take him back to London, but at the last minute decided to stay in Derry which led the girls to abandon their plans to watch the Bill Clinton Presidential speech.

Fans of the acclaimed Channel 4 comedy - set during The Troubles of the 1990s - had much to celebrate as it was confirmed during the show's credits that it would return for a third series next year.

Elated: Derry Girls fans were weeping with joy following Tuesday's series finale, after the much-maligned James Maguire decided to stay in Northern Ireland

The finale began with the girls in a spin as they eagerly awaited then-President Of The United States Bill Clinton's visit to Derry, a historic moment as peace talks commenced following the ceasefire.

However among the excitement, James was stunned to discover that his mum Cathy had returned to Northern Ireland, after abandoning him to live with cousin Michelle at the start of Series One.

At first the girls were more concerned with meeting The President's daughter Chelsea, pushing to the front of the crowd to ensure they had a perfect views.

Ordeal: As the girls eagerly awaited the visit of President Bill Clinton, James dropped the bombshell that he was moving back to London with his mum Cathy

Shocked: The girls were staggered to hear their friend was leaving, despite weeks of jokes about his English background

Tense: It took James' cousin Michelle to convince him to stay, as she said he 'was a Derry Girl' and that his mum would just let him down again

Upsetting: It proved a moving scene for fans, as Michelle had never held back from poking fun at James from the moment he moved to Derry

However James then revealed that Cathy had decided to take him back to London to help run her 'self-adhesive label' (sticker) business, leaving the girls completely stunned.

But it was a rousing speech from James' cousin Michelle - who declared that being in Derry was a 'state of mind' - that convinced the English teen to stay in Northern Ireland.

As the girls sadly waiting to see The President, they were staggered to see James watching from a nearby roof, as he screamed 'I am a Derry Girl.'

He's leaving! As his car drove past the Free Derry sign, many fans wept that that 'wee English fella' had said goodbye for good

Look! But in a shock twist, James headed back to Derry and surprise the girls, who were still in the front row for the President's arrival

'I'm A Derry Girl!' As he finally realised he was in his true home, fans wept with delight that their core friendship group would not be broken up

Lovely: Abandoning the address, the girls ran to hug James, before heading home in the episode's closing scenes

Touching: The episode then ended with the news that Derry Girls had been renewed for a third series, expected to air sometime next year

The group then shared a touching embrace before ditching the address to head home, as Clinton's speech played in the background, sparking a new dawn for the embattled nation.

Minutes later Channel 4 then confirmed the show would be back for a third season, with writer Lisa McGee saying: 'I love writing this show and I'm so thrilled to be able to continue the Derry Girls story, thank you Channel 4, Erin and the eejits live to fight another day!'

Fiona McDermott, head of comedy at Channel 4, said: 'It's no surprise that Derry Girls continues to delight a growing legion of fans  a combination of magical writing and adorable characters make this show both timely and timeless.

'We're delighted to confirm a third series  don't tell Ma Mary, but I'm breaking open the Christmas cupboard in celebration.'

Elated: Fans were delighted with the emotional finale and took to Twitter in droves to laud the concluding scenes

Fans were delighted with the emotional finale and took to Twitter in droves to laud the concluding scenes, as James was finally accepted by his female friends.

Others also couldn't hide their joy at the news the show would return next year, with many already counting down the days.

One tweeted: 'Still not over the #DerryGirls series finale though but at least there's a series 3 to look forward to.'

Another posted: 'I have just uncontrollably cried my eyes out,' while a third also tweeted: 'Aw Jesus #DerryGirls I can't cope. So brilliant. So emotional. So accurate in every way. It's a state of mind. Thank you @LisaMMcGee.'

It's coming back! Others also couldn't hide their joy at the news the show would return next year, with many already counting down the days

And while the finale earned an overwhelmingly positive reception from fans, several noted their disappointment that James and Erin did not pursue a romance by the episode's end.

The pair sent fans into a tailspin last week, after James surprised Erin by taking her to the prom, after she was stood up.

One noted: 'Was hoping for a Ross and Rachel ''I got off the plane'' moment for Erin and James, another brilliant series!!'

Another posted: 'Glad there's gonna be a season 3 of #DerryGirls, kinda hoped Erin and James would get together.'

Really? And while the finale earned an overwhelmingly positive reception, several fans shared their disappointment that James and Erin (here far left) did not pursue a romance

Lucky? However writer Lisa McGee later confirmed to the Radio Times that there is a spark between James and Erin, that could be explored next series

But despite the face that it seems that James and Erin are only friends for now, writer Lisa McGee has all-but confirmed the pair could couple up next series.

Speaking to the Radio Times she said: 'I think there might be [a romance]. Ive always thought James likes her, but I think he maybe doesnt even understand that yet, and I dont know when thatll, it might happen when theyre much older, so it might not actually happen in our show.

'But I think the potential is there, its something Im interested in seeing  I might toy with it if we do another season, Im not sure.'

Derry Girls is expected to return to Channel 4 in 2020. Series' One and Two are available on All4.

Elated: The episode ended on an uplifting note, as viewers heard President Clinton's famous speech, at the start of the peace talks which led to the historic Good Friday Agreement
Marvel Studios released the first film clip from Avengers: Endgame on Monday, and fans are already buzzing about a bizarre new theory involving Brie Larson's Captain Marvel.

The clip features a group of Avengers, such as Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson), Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) and James Rhodes/War Machine (Don Cheadle) discussing going after Thanos (Josh Brolin) with the newest member of their team, Captain Marvel (Larson).

When Thor (Chris Hemsworth) walks up to Captain Marvel to size her up, some fans claim you can hear a strange voice saying 'I have telepathy' around the :48 mark.

Telepathy? Fans have discovered a potential Easter Egg in the new Avengers: Endgame clip which some have chalked up to merely the power of suggestion

The possible Easter Egg (a term used by fans to describe hidden message within a movie) was first discovered by a Reddit user dubbed TBLvl4, who claimed that, 'If you turn up your volume, you can hear someone say "I have telepathy" at the 48 second mark of this video.'

While Captain Marvel is easily now the most powerful member of the Avengers, telepathy is decidedly not one of her powers, unless Marvel Studios decided to make some drastic changes from the comics.

Still, even if that were the case, Thor, who is approaching Captain Marvel when this telepathy whisper is heard, does not have telepathic powers, so there is no indication why this would be said in the first place.

Easter Egg: The possible Easter Egg was first discovered by a Reddit user dubbed TBLvl4 , who claimed that, 'If you turn up your volume, you can hear someone say "I have telepathy" at the 48 second mark of this video'

The Reddit thread was chocked full of potential explanations, including dad-of_boi-ps4, who posited that the whisper, 'Its just hemsworths breath.'

Another, Reddit user, MarryF**kKyle, claimed it was all due to, 'Power of suggestion. Once someone tells you there's words there, your mind insists on it.'

Some chalked it up to a phenomenon like Laurel vs. Yanny, or the dress that some saw was blue and others saw was gold.

Hemsworth's breath: The Reddit thread was chocked full of potential explanations, including dad-of_boi-ps4, who posited that the whisper, 'Its just hemsworths breath'

There was even one fan who couldn't hear the 'I have telepathy' whisper at all until another fan posted another link with 'enhanced audio,' and then he heard it every time, adding, 'Brains are weird.'

There was also a rather lengthy explanation from a Redditor dubbed GMsGrimoire, who has experience in sound engineering, though unprofessionally.

'I listened through this section probably about 100 times while EQing and adjusting the play speed and have concluded that the initial sound (the one that makes up the "I" sound people are hearing) is the beginning of a breath/sigh from Thor,' he said.

Yanni/Laurel: 'Through some sound manipulation, it's likely we're hearing a set of noises that make up this "whisper". Another Yanni/Laurel situation,' he added.

'Its frequencies match very closely to the sigh we hear later in the clip after he sets down Stormbreaker,' he added.

'Through some sound manipulation, it's likely we're hearing a set of noises that make up this "whisper". Another Yanni/Laurel situation,' he added.

Marvel or Disney have yet to comment on this 'I have telepathy' situation, as we get closer and closer to the April 26 release date.
He stars as Jon Snow in the HBO favourite Game of Thrones - which is set to air its eighth and final series on Sunday.

And Kit Harington, 32, shocked viewers of Saturday Night Live when he appeared for the first time in years without his rugged beard - all for the sake of a Winston Churchill sketch.

Game of Thrones fans took to Twitter to express outrage at the actor's sudden change - with one even branding his clean shaven look an 'utter travesty'.

Shock: Kit Harington shocked viewers of Saturday Night Live when he appeared for the first time in years without his rugged beard

Speaking on the show, Kit said: 'I've just shaved my beard so this is more of a pre-pubescent Jon Snow. This is Jon Snow if he suddenly played for the Yankees.

'I have no idea what that means. The writers told me to say that so you guys probably know what it means.'

His SNL monologue was interrupted by the likes of Emilia Clarke, John Bradley and the Night King himself before his wife Rose Leslie stood up and said: 'I need to ask you something Kit. How soon can you grow back that beard?'

Travesty: Game of Thrones fans took to Twitter to express outrage at the actor's sudden change - with one even branding his clean shaven look an 'utter travesty'

Speaking on the show, Kit said: 'I've just shaved my beard so this is more of a pre-pubescent Jon Snow. This is Jon Snow if he suddenly played for the Yankees'

And it appeared social media users were just as blindsided by the sudden change.

One user said: 'I'm suing SNL for having Kit Harington shave his beard. This is an utter travesty.'

Another, Michelle Reichmeier, said: 'Kit Harington showing up at @nbcsnl without a beard is giving me trust issues.'

Interrupted: His monologue was interrupted by the likes of Emilia Clarke before his wife Rose Leslie stood up and said: 'How soon can you grow back that beard?'

Blindsided: And it appeared social media users were just as blindsided by the sudden change

But others remained optimistic the beard would make a return, with one user tweeting: 'If Jon Snow can resurrect from dead. I'm sure his beard can too.'

The actor later confirmed he had removed his characteristic facial hair for sketches where he played Michael Jackson and Winston Churchill.

He told Seth Meyers: 'They clean shaved me. There were various reasons I was clean shaven.

Shocked: One user said: 'I'm suing SNL for having Kit Harington shave his beard. This is an utter travesty'

'I had to play Michael Jackson and Winston Churchill. That's a sentence I'll never say again It's the first time I've had a reason to shave in a long time.'

And the actor then spoke about the 'emotional roller-coaster' of hosting the American sketch show on Live With Kelly & Ryan on Tuesday.

He said: 'It's a tough week its an emotional ride, it's a roller coaster because comedy's not my thing.

Emotional: The actor then spoke about the 'emotional roller-coaster' of hosting the American sketch show on Live With Kelly & Ryan on Tuesday morning

He said: 'It's a tough week its an emotional ride, it's a roller coaster because comedy's not my thing'

'I'm an actor right so going and hosting SNL you have this up and down journey of can I do this, can't I do this.'

The King of the North also admitted the final series of the show, which begins airing on Sunday, will 'change the way you look at TV'.

He said: 'These six episodes are going to change the way you look at TV and I think they're going to be sensational.

'They're huge. The one thing I feel right now is we put everything we could into it so were so proud of it.'
Australian spies have been answering all requests for assistance from their colleagues in New Zealand in the aftermath of the Christchurch massacre.

Duncan Lewis, the director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, has told senators of the support during a budget estimates hearing in Canberra.

"We are giving assistance to our New Zealand colleagues," he said on Monday.

"We are doing everything that we can and answering all requests for assistance at this stage."

The spy chief said he could not detail the support that his agency has provided.

Australian white supremacist Brenton Tarrant has been charged with murder after 50 people were killed in shootings at two mosques in Christchurch on March 15.

Asked whether ASIO is concerned after the attack that right-wing extremism is increasing, Mr Lewis said such groups are more organised now than they have been in the past.

But he said ASIO has been keeping a close eye on right-wing extremists for about 40 years.

Following the events in Christchurch, the agency is assessing whether it may need to increase its focus on such extremism, but Mr Lewis expects they will not.

"There is no early evidence to suggest to me that there will be some dramatic reset around all this."

Of the seven terrorist attacks carried out in Australia since September 2014 and the 15 thwarted in that time, only one has been linked to right-wing extremism, Mr Lewis noted.

"It's important this be seen in context, in the long term."
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, pictured in 2018, has been desinated a terrorist organization by the US, ramping up already far-reaching attempts to undermine the Iranian government

Key dates between the US and Iran since 1979 after their exchange Monday in which the US designated Tehran's elite military force a terrorist organization and Iran called the US a "state sponsor of terrorism".

- Rupture -

On November 4, 1979 radical students demanding the extradition of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi take 52 diplomats and employees of the American embassy in Tehran hostage, seven months after the establishment of the Islamic Republic.

The hostages are held for 444 days in a crisis that results in the first US economic sanctions leveraged against the state.

On April 7, 1980 Washington breaks off diplomatic relations with Iran and imposes restrictions on commerce and travel, 10 months before the release of the last hostages.

On November 4, 1986 the Iran-Contra affair becomes public, revealing a secret arrangement in which American arms were sold to Tehran in hopes of helping liberate American hostages in Lebanon, with profits channeled to Nicaraguan Contra rebels.

On July 3, 1988 a US guided missile cruiser shoots down an Iran Air Airbus over the Gulf resulting in 290 deaths, in what the United States calls a mistake.

- 'Axis of evil' -

On April 30, 1995 US president Bill Clinton begins a comprehensive ban on trade and investment with Iran over its seeking nuclear weapons. Sanctions are subsequently extended and expanded.

On January 29, 2002, President George W. Bush puts Iran on his list of countries in the "axis of evil" supporting terrorism.

Iran's new president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on August 8, 2005 starts a new push for uranium enrichment.

- Hints of reconciliation -

On November 6, 2008 Ahmadinejad congratulates then US president-elect Barack Obama on his victory.

The following year, on March 20 Obama says he would "like to speak directly to the people and leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

But in June, Obama condemns the violent repression of Iranian demonstrations and says he believes the legitimacy of Ahmadinejad's reelection raises serious questions.

On June 15, 2013 the US says it is ready to work directly with new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and on September 15 Obama reveals he has exchanged letters with him.

On September 27 Obama and Rouhani speak by phone in a historic first direct communication between leaders of the two nations since 1979.

- Historic nuclear deal -

An accord with world powers on Iran's nuclear programme is reached on July 14, 2015, ending 12 years of crisis and 21 months of negotiations.

It gives Tehran relief from crippling economic sanctions in exchange for limits on its nuclear programme.

- Trump scraps deal -

In January 2017, newly-elected US President Donald Trump bans by decree immigration from seven Muslim countries, including Iran.

Two days later Iran carries out a ballistic missile test, in violation of a UN resolution.

Washington pulls out of the landmark nuclear pact with Iran on May 8, 2018, reinstating Washington's sanctions on Iran and companies with ties to the Islamic republic.

The US on March 7, 2019 accuses Iran of carrying out three missile-related launches in defiance of UN resolutions and urges the Security Council to "bring back tougher international restrictions" against Tehran.

- 'Terrorism' accusations -

On April 8 the US designates Iran's elite military force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a terrorist organization, ramping up already far-reaching attempts to undermine the Iranian government.

In response, Iran declares the US a "state sponsor of terrorism" and its forces in the region "terror groups".
Protesters in the Philippines demonstrated against China's presence in the disputed South China Sea

Protesters descended on the Chinese embassy in Manila on Tuesday to oppose the Asian superpower's growing sway in the Philippines and as tensions rise over Beijing's presence in the disputed South China Sea.

Filipino flag-waving marchers chanted "China out" and brandished a banner saying "Defend our sovereign rights", referring to Beijing's expansive claims to the resource-rich waterway.

"The government headed by President (Rodrigo) Duterte is not responding. What China is doing is almost an invasion," marcher Alex Legaspi, a 53-year-old teacher, told AFP.

While Duterte has largely set aside the once-heated territorial standoff over the sea, tensions have flared since hundreds of Chinese vessels appeared recently near the Manila-held Pag-asa (Thitu) island.

The Philippines called the boats' presence "illegal" and Duterte threatened China with possible military action if it touches the island.

However, the president has repeatedly said war with China would be futile and he has no intention of getting into a conflict with the rising power he has courted for trade and investment.

There were around 1,000 demonstrators at the rally in Manila, according to journalists

Duterte has been criticised at home as being too eager to grow ties with Beijing, and giving up too much leverage on the South China Sea issue.

Meanwhile, the United States has moved to boost its relationship with long-time ally and former colony the Philippines.

A small group of policemen monitored the protesters, who numbered around 1,000 according to journalists on the scene. The marchers dispersed peacefully after the demonstration.

Protesters also voiced simmering unease over the terms Chinese loans for infrastructure in the Philippines, including a massive dam-building project.

China is poised to loan some $210 million toward the construction of the Kaliwa Dam, a project that has been delayed for years and would fill gaps in the Philippines' chronic need for infrastructure.

"We cannot allow... China to control Filipinos and the Philippines' sovereignty," Wilma Quierrez, 53, member of indigenous rights group told AFP.

"The loan agreement signed by (Chinese President) Xi Jinping and President Duterte will send us into debt trap," she added.
Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad (R) met his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong held a joint press conference in Putrajaya

Singapore's leader insisted Tuesday his government's proposed fake news laws were a "step forward" in fighting online falsehoods after they sparked criticism from press freedom groups and tech giants.

But his Malaysian counterpart Mahathir Mohamad, who has long had a prickly relationship with the neighbouring city-state, told a joint press conference he was worried that governments could abuse such laws.

Singapore -- widely criticised for restricting free speech and clamping down on political rights -- last week unveiled tough measures to fight fake news.

These included powers for ministers to order sites like Facebook, Google and Twitter to put warnings next to posts authorities deem false, and in extreme cases get them removed, as well as fines and jail terms in serious cases.

Speaking during a visit to Malaysia, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that fake news was a "serious problem" and other countries including France, Germany and Australia were legislating to combat it.

Singapore's proposed laws "will be a significant step forward", he added. "We've deliberated on this now for almost two years... What we have done has worked for Singapore, it is our objective to continue to do things which will work for Singapore."

Rights groups warn Singapore's proposed fake news laws could be used to stifle online discussion, are too vague and may be used to target government critics, while Facebook and other tech giants have expressed concerns.

But Mahathir, speaking alongside Lee at a press conference, noted that his government planned to repeal a widely criticised Malaysian law aimed at combating fake news.

"When we have a law that prevents people from airing their views, then we are afraid that the government itself may abuse the law," he told reporters in the administrative capital Putrajaya.

Mahathir's administration is pushing to repeal the legislation, which was pushed through parliament by the previous, corruption-plagued regime, but efforts have stalled after the opposition-controlled upper house refused to back its abolition.
Since the ousting of former dictator Moamer Kadhafi, a bewildering array of militias have sprung up across Libya

The United Nations on Tuesday postponed a Libyan national conference aimed at drawing up an election roadmap because of fighting raging near the capital, in another setback to peace efforts.

The move came as the North African country's warring parties faced mounting international pressure to halt violence that has caused thousands to flee and left several dozen people dead.

"We cannot ask people to take part in the conference during gunfire and air strikes," UN envoy Ghassan Salame said.

He expressed hope that the meeting, which had been scheduled for next week, would take place "as soon as possible".

The UN Security Council is to hold closed-door consultations on Wednesday on the crisis in Libya and hear a briefing from Salame, diplomats in New York said.

UN chief Antonio Guterres called for an "immediate halt" to hostilities, after Tripoli's only functioning airport was hit in an air strike on Monday by strongman Khalifa Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA).

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After a night-time lull, fighting resumed on Tuesday morning south of the city, a security source said.

The suburb of Wadi Rabi was under the Government of National Accord's (GNA's) control, its spokesman Colonel Mohamed Gnounou said on Tuesday, adding that Haftar's forces had been pushed back towards the regions of Soug Al-Khamis and Al-Aziziya to the south.

Gnounou said the Tripoli based unity government had carried out several air raids against LNA positions south of Tripoli, and also hit supply lines in central Libya.

- 'Hands of terrorists' -

The UN's high commissioner for refugees, Filippo Grandi, called on Tuesday for the warring parties to "spare civilians, including refugees and migrants trapped in the country".

The UN's refugee agency said it had evacuated more than 150 refugees from a Tripoli detention centre, and that migrants elsewhere might also need to be moved.

The oil-rich country has been rocked by violent power struggles between an array of armed groups since the NATO-backed overthrow of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

Led by Fayez al-Sarraj, the GNA's authority is not recognised by a parallel administration in the east of the country, which is allied with Haftar.

LNA spokesman Ahmad al-Mesmari accused the unity government of "allying itself with Islamist militias".

"The battle is no longer in the hands of al-Sarraj -- it is henceforth in the hands of terrorists", Mesmari said, citing pro-GNA militias coming from the city of Misrata 200 kilometres (120 miles) east of the capital.

Haftar's forces, which launched a surprise offensive on the Libyan capital last week, claimed responsibility for Monday's air raid on Mitiga airport.

It caused no casualties, but left a metre-deep (yard-deep) crater on a runway.

Libya's UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj is embroiled in a power struggle with former Kadhafi commander, strongman Khalifa Haftar

Salame said the air strike constituted "a serious violation of international humanitarian law which prohibits attacks against civilian infrastructure".

Flights were suspended on Monday, but the airport was due to be reopened to night-time flights late on Tuesday.

Hafter has defied international calls to halt the advance, including from the UN Security Council and the United States.

The GNA's health ministry on Monday put the death toll in the fighting at 35. Haftar's forces have said 14 of their fighters have died.

The UN said the clashes have displaced some 3,400 people.

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Sarraj to voice his "total opposition to the offensive against the capital and the endangering of civilian lives", the unity government said.

The French presidency said in a statement that Macron had also been in contact with Haftar and said it was "imperative" that the fighting ends immediately.

International efforts to end the Libyan conflict have repeatedly failed.

Forces loyal to the UN-backed Libyan Government of National Accord guard the entrance to Tripoli's old airport, destroyed in 2014

Rival leaders agreed last year to hold elections before December 10, 2018 under a French plan, but that vote never materialised.

The national conference, which had been scheduled for April 14-16 in the central city of Ghadames, aimed to fix dates for legislative and presidential elections, and work towards a new constitution.

- 'Protect civilians' -

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, urged all parties to remember "their obligations under international law to ensure the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure".

Haftar is a former Kadhafi military chief who has emerged as a major player in Libya's political struggle.

His offensive threatens to plunge the country into a full-blown civil war and has thrown into sharp relief the divisions between world powers over how to end the chaos that has riven Libya since 2011.

Haftar's key allies are the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and increasingly Saudi Arabia, while he is strongly opposed by their regional foe Qatar as well as Doha's chief supporter Turkey.

Russia has said meanwhile it is not taking sides in the fighting in Libya but behind the scenes, experts say, Moscow is firmly backing Haftar.

"He is supplied with Russian weapons and gladly takes them. He is Moscow's man," said analyst Alexander Shumilin of the Centre for the Analysis of Middle East Conflicts in Moscow.

On the other side of the fight, Sarraj's UN-backed government retains substantial support from former colonial power Italy.
Demonstrators from the left-wing pacifist group Code Pink disrupt a hearing of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo before a Senate appropriations subcommittee

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday refused to reaffirm US support for a Palestinian state after Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu pledged to annex West Bank settlements.

Testifying before a Senate subcommittee just as Israel wrapped up tight elections, Pompeo declined to respond when Democrats asked him to back a two-state solution.

"Ultimately the Israelis and Palestinians will decide how to resolve this," Pompeo replied.

Pompeo said that President Donald Trump's aides Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt would soon lay out a proposal "to resolve a problem that's been going on for decades and decades that previous administrations couldn't solve."

"We're hopeful that we have some ideas that are different, unique, which will allow the Israelis and the Palestinian people to come to a resolution of the conflict," Pompeo said.

Kushner, who is also Trump's son-in-law, has close family ties to Netanyahu, who was locked in a tight race to remain prime minister against centrist former military chief Benny Gantz.

Days before the election, Netanyahu broke precedent by saying that he would annex at least parts of the occupied West Bank.

Unilateral annexation "indicates no agreement with the Palestinians," Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, told Pompeo.

"It sounds like you've already abandoned what has been a bipartisan foreign policy of opposing the annexation of any or all of the West Bank by Israel," he said.

Trump has strongly supported Netanyahu and taken a series of major actions long sought by Israel, including recognizing Jerusalem as capital of the Jewish state.

Gantz criticized Netanyahu's annexation pledge, calling it "irresponsible" and questioning why a prime minister who has served for 13 years was making such a historic decision on the eve of an election.
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico has signed an agreement with the United Nations' top human rights official for technical assistance in its latest attempt to determine what happened to 43 missing students, officials said Monday.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called the case of the students from the teacher's college in Ayotzinapa "paradigmatic."

The former Chilean president said that Mexico's government is obligated to find the truth and that the process would be an opportunity to make deep changes to its justice system.

Police seized the students in the Guerrero state city of Iguala in 2014 and allegedly handed them over to a drug gang. Prosecutors say the gang then killed the young people.

Mexican Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said the case is a priority for the government of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who in January created a truth commission to re-investigate the case.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Iran's Revolutionary Guard, designated a "foreign terrorist organization" by the Trump administration on Monday, evolved from a paramilitary, domestic security force with origins in the 1979 Islamic Revolution to a transnational force that has come to the aid of Tehran's allies in the Mideast, from Syria and Lebanon to Iraq.

The force answers only to Iran's supreme leader, operates independently of the regular military and has vast economic interests across the country.

Here are key things to know about the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC:

ORIGINS:

The Revolutionary Guard was created in parallel to the country's existing armed forces to consolidate power under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The following year, it was called upon to defend Iran and its clerical leadership in a ruinous war with Iraq that would last eight years and strengthen the guard's ideological, economic and security footprint at home.

FILE-- In this Sept. 24, 2017 file photo, surface-to-surface missiles and a portrait of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are displayed by the Revolutionary Guard in an exhibition marking the anniversary of outset of the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, at Baharestan Square in Tehran, Iran. On Monday, April 8, 2019, the Trump administration designated Iran's Revolutionary Guard a "foreign terrorist organization" in an unprecedented move against a national armed force. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps went from being a domestic security force with origins in the 1979 Islamic Revolution to a transnational fighting force. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

The group is estimated to have between 125,000 and 150,000 members today, but it's unclear how many of those include the Quds Force, an elite wing of the IRGC that oversees foreign operations. The group, enshrined in the constitution, answers only to Iran's supreme leader.

___

DOMESTIC GRIP:

The IRGC oversees the country's ballistic missile program and has conducted several tests since the landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers. While the accord does not specifically ban those tests, U.S. officials have said they violate the spirit of the deal. President Donald Trump last year pulled America out of the deal and re-imposed tough economic sanctions on Iran.

Additionally, the guard runs a massive construction company called Khatam al-Anbia, with 135,000 employees handling civil development, the oil industry and defense issues. Firms operated by the IRGC also build roads, man ports, run telecommunication networks and even offer laser eye surgery. The IRGC has deployed in rescue efforts during Iran's recent devastating floods, which killed at least 70 people across the country.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last year ordered the guard to loosen its hold on the economy and privatize some of its vast economic holdings. Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has tried unsuccessfully to further restrict the group's expansive powers at home.

___

FOREIGN REACH:

The Revolutionary Guard recruits and trains thousands of fighters abroad through its Quds Force, headed by Gen. Qassem Soleimani, a shadowy but prominent figure whose fighters have fought alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces and against Islamic State militants who view Shiites as heretics.

U.S. officials say the IRGC under Soleimani taught Iraqi militants how to manufacture and use deadly roadside bombs against American troops after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, a charge Iran denies.

The group also oversees the Basij, a volunteer force of several million that draws its members from among the poor, uneducated young men from rural areas and city outskirts. The Basij model has been exported abroad, with tens of thousands of Shiites recruited from countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon and Iraq to fight in Tehran's proxy wars in Syria and elsewhere.

One of those young Shiite men, who joined a wave of Afghans recruited and trained to fight in support of Assad's government in Syria, recently spoke with The Associated Press about the experience, saying he was driven by poverty and not by ideology or loyalty to Iran.

___

MIDEAST MILITIAS:

The IRGC backs a number of Shiite militias across the Middle East, as well as the Fatimiyoun Brigade in Afghanistan. Chief among them is Hezbollah, the IRGC's oldest and most experienced force in the region, established following Israel's invasion of Lebanon in 1982. The militia, led by Hassan Nasrallah, publicly joined Syria's civil war in mid-2013, securing a string of hard-won victories in defense of Syria's Iranian-backed government.

IRGC-backed Iraqi militias also fought in Syria in support of Assad's forces and against the Islamic State group in northern and central Iraq. Some of the armed groups in Iraq backed by Iran include the powerful Kataeb Hezbollah, Haraket Hezbollah al-Nujaba and Asaib Ahl al-Haq.

In Pakistan, the Zeinabiyoun Brigade is mostly comprised of Shiite fighters who have also fought in Syria. Many of the group's fighters are trained and funded by IRGC.

Yemen's Houthi rebels are also allied with Iran. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and other countries have accused the guard of supplying the Houthis with long-range missiles, a charge it denies. A Saudi-led coalition, backed by the U.S. and Britain, has been at war with the Houthis since March 2015.

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Mroue reported from Beirut.

FILE - In this Sept. 22, 2014 file photo, members of the Iran's Revolutionary Guard march during an annual military parade at the mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini, outside Tehran, Iran. On Monday, April 8, 2019, the Trump administration designated Iran's Revolutionary Guard a "foreign terrorist organization" in an unprecedented move against a national armed force. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps went from being a domestic security force with origins in the 1979 Islamic Revolution to a transnational fighting force. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)

FILE - In this May 16, 1983 file photo, the newly established Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps parade past the viewing stand in Tehran, Iran. On Monday, April 8, 2019, the Trump administration designated Iran's Revolutionary Guard a "foreign terrorist organization" in an unprecedented move against a national armed force. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps went from being a domestic security force with origins in the 1979 Islamic Revolution to a transnational fighting force. (AP Photo, File)

In this Feb. 11, 2019 file photo, Iranian Revolutionary Guard members attend a ceremony celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, at the Azadi, or Freedom, Square in Tehran, Iran. On Monday, April 8, 2019, the Trump administration designated Iran's Revolutionary Guard a "foreign terrorist organization" in an unprecedented move against a national armed force. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps went from being a domestic security force with origins in the 1979 Islamic Revolution to a transnational fighting force. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

FILE - In this July 2, 2012 file photo, an Iranian Revolutionary Guard speedboat moves in the Persian Gulf near an oil tanker. On Monday, April 8, 2019, the Trump administration designated Iran's Revolutionary Guard a "foreign terrorist organization" in an unprecedented move against a national armed force. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps went from being a domestic security force with origins in the 1979 Islamic Revolution to a transnational fighting force. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 31, 2017, file photo, the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari speaks to journalists after his speech at a conference called "A World Without Terror," in Tehran, Iran. On Monday, April 8, 2019, the Trump administration designated Iran's Revolutionary Guard a "foreign terrorist organization" in an unprecedented move against a national armed force. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps went from being a domestic security force with origins in the 1979 Islamic Revolution to a transnational fighting force. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

FILE - In this July 2, 2012 file photo, an Iranian Revolutionary Guard speedboat participates in a ceremony remembering the 290 passengers of an Iranian airliner which was downed by a U.S. warship in 1988, in Persian Gulf, Iran. On Monday, April 8, 2019, the Trump administration designated Iran's Revolutionary Guard a "foreign terrorist organization" in an unprecedented move against a national armed force. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps went from being a domestic security force with origins in the 1979 Islamic Revolution to a transnational fighting force. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 3, 2019 file photo, an Iranian clergyman looks at domestically built surface to surface missiles displayed by the Revolutionary Guard in a military show marking the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, at Imam Khomeini Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran. On Monday, April 8, 2019, the Trump administration designated Iran's Revolutionary Guard a "foreign terrorist organization" in an unprecedented move against a national armed force. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps went from being a domestic security force with origins in the 1979 Islamic Revolution to a transnational fighting force. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

FILE - In this Dec. 3, 2017 file photo, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani poses during the inauguration a newly built extension of the port of Chabahar, constructed by Revolutionary Guard-affiliated company, Khatam al-Anbia, the largest Iranian contractor of government construction projects, near the Pakistani border, on the Gulf of Oman, southeastern Iran. On Monday, April 8, 2019, the Trump administration designated Iran's Revolutionary Guard a "foreign terrorist organization" in an unprecedented move against a national armed force. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File )

FILE-- In this Aug. 22, 2013 file photo, a female member of the Iranian Basij paramilitary militia, affiliated to the Revolutionary Guard, receives bullets during a training session in Tehran, Iran. On Monday, April 8, 2019, the Trump administration designated Iran's Revolutionary Guard a "foreign terrorist organization" in an unprecedented move against a national armed force. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps went from being a domestic security force with origins in the 1979 Islamic Revolution to a transnational fighting force. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)

FILE - This March 16, 2019 file photo, shows a natural gas refinery at the South Pars gas field constructed by Revolutionary Guard-affiliated company, Khatam al-Anbia, the largest Iranian contractor of government construction projects, on the northern coast of the Persian Gulf, in Asaluyeh, Iran. On Monday, April 8, 2019, the Trump administration designated Iran's Revolutionary Guard a "foreign terrorist organization" in an unprecedented move against a national armed force. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

FILE - In this April 24, 2015 file photo, members of the Iranian paramilitary Basij force, affiliated to the Revolutionary Guard, re-enact a riot situation during training in a Guard base in northeastern Tehran, Iran. On Monday, April 8, 2019, the Trump administration designated Iran's Revolutionary Guard a "foreign terrorist organization" in an unprecedented move against a national armed force. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps went from being a domestic security force with origins in the 1979 Islamic Revolution to a transnational fighting force. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)
The mother of a 13-year-old boy who was found naked and chained in their Alabama home was indicted on Monday on a charge of aggravated child abuse.

Dannielle Nicole Martin, 32, of Prattville, Alabama, had the charges against her upgraded from torture/willful abuse of a child, The Montgomery Advertiser reported.

Joshua David Martin, 26, the boy's stepfather, and Vickie Seale Higginbotham, 58, the boy's grandmother, were also indicted.

Danielle Nicole Martin, the mother of the victim, was charged with aggravated child abuse

On the left, Vickie Seale Higginbotham, the grandmother of the boy, was was also indicted on a charge of aggravated child abuse, as was the boy's stepfather, Joshua Daniel Martin, on the right

Two of the victim's uncles are also accused of aiding and abetting the abuse.

The boy was discovered on September 20, 2018, after deputies responded to an anonymous call of possible child abuse, Autauga County Sheriff Joe Sedinger told news outlets at the time.

The child had padlocks around his ankles, which were attached to a door, preventing any normal movement.

Officials estimated that the boy had been chained up for several hours.

Sedinger called the case 'disturbing.'

Speaking at a press conference in September, Autauga County Sheriff Joe Sedingerat said: 'We've never had anything like this in Autauga County'.

The family home in Prattville, Alabama, where the boy was found naked and chained to a door

'I mean, we've never had anything like this in Autauga County,' he told the local press.

'We've had child abuse cases, physical abuse cases that were bad. But nothing like this where a child was left chained up for an extended period of time.'

However, Sedinger said the victim did not seem withdrawn despite his experience, describing the teen as fun-loving and sweet.

Investigators at the time believed the child had been restrained as a punishment.

The victim and his siblings, aged 3 and 12, were all removed from the home last year.
NEW YORK (AP) - A U.S. Marine killed this week in Afghanistan was honored five years ago for rescuing a woman from a burning high-rise while serving with the Fire Department of New York, the city's mayor and fire commissioner said on Tuesday.

Christopher Slutman, a 15-year FDNY member, was among three American service members killed by a roadside bomb Monday. He leaves behind his wife, Shannon, and three daughters.

"Firefighter Slutman bravely wore two uniforms and committed his life to public service both as a New York City firefighter and as a member of the United States Marine Corps," Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said in a written statement.

"The decorated 15-year-veteran of the department is truly one of New York City's Bravest - running into danger to protect and defend others, both in New York City and in combat overseas," Mayor Bill de Blasio wrote.

"Christopher was a distinguished firefighter who had a profound impact on both of his firehouses, Ladder Companies 27 and 17," wrote Gerard Fitzgerald, president of the FDNY-UFA Firefighters Association. "Together, all firefighters grieve the loss of our brother, Christopher, who dedicated his life to protecting the people of this city and our nation."

In 2014, Slutman received a medal for pulling an unconscious woman from a high-rise apartment fire in the Bronx.

This undated photo, provided by the Fire Department of New York, Tuesday April 9, 2019, shows Fire Department of New York firefighter Christopher Slutman. Slutman, a 15-year member of the Fire Dept. of New York, was among three American service members killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan on Monday. (Fire Department of New York via AP)

Slutman and fellow firefighters "forced open the door to the fire apartment and were met with a high heat condition and dense, black smoke, from floor to ceiling," the department said when his medal was awarded. They crawled along the apartment floor, and Slutman found the woman in a bedroom. He and another firefighter "dragged the woman past the fire" to emergency medical workers.

Slutman saved the woman "at peril to himself," a battalion chief wrote in endorsing his honor.

Slutman was the fourth FDNY member to die while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan since 2003, the city said.

He also is being remembered in Maryland, where he had served with the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department.

"Through this trying time, we will remember Chris for the father, husband, brother, son and friend that he was, the moral character he displayed daily, and the courage and conviction to serve his fellow Americans, both at home and abroad," Chief Oleg Pelekhaty wrote on Facebook . "We ask for your thoughts and prayers for his firehouse brothers, his fellow Marines, his friends - but most of all, his family."

___

This story and headline has been corrected to show that Slutman was a member of the Marines, not the Army.

This undated photo, provided in New York, Tuesday April 9, 2019, shows Fire Department of New York firefighter Christopher Slutman. Slutman, a 15-year member of the Fire Dept. of New York, was among three American service members killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan on Monday. (Fire Department of New York via AP)

This June 30, 2008 photo, provided in New York, Tuesday April 9, 2019, shows Lance Cpl. Christopher Slutman, left, a team leader with Echo Company, 2/25, as he rushes across a danger area with his platoon through a grueling fire and maneuver course on Range 400, at Twentynine Palms, Calif. Slutman, a 15-year member of the Fire Dept. of New York, was among three American service members killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan on Monday. (U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve Photo by Capt. Paul Greenberg via AP)
SOFIA, April 9 (Reuters) - These are some of the main stories in Bulgarian newspapers on Tuesday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

-- The National Security Council meeting failed to reach agreement on new measures to combat high-level graft. The president summoned the council following media investigations over controversial purchases of luxury apartments by senior politicians and the head of the anti-corruption commission. (Sega, Monitor, Duma, 24 Chasa, Trud, Capital)

-- Bulgaria is ready to boost controls at its border with Greece to prevent an eventual inflow of migrants, officials said. (Sega, Monitor, 24 Chasa)
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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.
The following companies are subsidiares of Tesco: Adminstore Limited, Adsega Limited, Alfred Preedy & Sons (Trustees) Limited, Alfred Preedy & Sons Limited, Anthony Heagney Limited, Arena (Jersey) Management Limited, Armitage Finance Unlimited, Armitage Luxembourg s.? r.l., BLT Holdings 2010 Limited, Bath Upper Bristol Road Management, Bedminster Estates Limited, Beehythe Estates limited, Berry Lane Management Company Limited, Blinkbox Books Limited, BlinxBox, Booker Group, Brian Fords Discount Store Limited, Broadfields Management Limited, Brookmaker (GP) Limited, Broughton Retail Park Nominee 1 Limited, Broughton Retail Park Nominee 2 Limited, Broughton Retail Park Nominee 3 Limited, Broughton Retail Park Nominee 4 Limited, Buckingham Road (Bletchley) Management Company Limited, Bugden Ltd, Buttoncable Limited, Buttoncase Limited, Canterbury Road Management Limited, Cardiff Cathays Terrace Management Company Limited, Careneed News Limited, Cheshunt Finance Unlimited, Cheshunt Holdings Guernsey Limited, Cheshunt Hungary Servicing Limited Liability Company, Cheshunt Luxembourg S.? r.l., Cheshunt Overseas LLP, China Property Holdings (HK) Limited, Chirac Limited, Cirrus Finance (2009) Limited, Cirrus Finance Limited, Cirrus Luxembourg s.? r.l., Clarepharm Limited, Clondalkin Properties Limited, Comar Limited, Commercial Investments Limited, Crazy Prices, Crest Ostrava a.s, Cullens Holdings Limited, Cullens Stores Limited, Daily Wrap Produce Limited, Day And Nite Stores Limited, Delamare Cards Holdco Limited, Delamare Cards MTN Issuer plc, Delamare Finance PLC, Delamare Group Holdings Limited, Delamare Holdings BV Netherlands, Delamare Luxembourg s.? r.l. Luxembourg, Delamare One Limited, Dunnhumby Ventures LLC, ELH Insurance Limited, Edinburgh Butterfly Farm Limited, Edson Investments Limited, Edson Properties Limited, Ek-Chai Distribution System Co. Ltd., Euphorium (London) Limited, Euphorium (North London) Limited, Euphorium Group Limited, Euphorium IP Limited, Europa Foods Limited, Faraday Properties Limited, Flitwick Pharmacies Limited, Food & Wine Lovers Limited, Forum Liberec s.r.o, Freds Food Construction Limited, Freehold and Leasehold Property Fund, Gain Land Limited, Genesis sp. z o.o., Gibbs News Limited, Gibbs Newsagents Limited, Gida Sanayi A.S., Giraffe, Giraffe Cafe Limited, Giraffe Concepts Limited, Golden Island Management Services Limited, HIT hypermarket Sp. z o. o., Halesworth SPV Limited, Harris and Hoole Holdings Limited, Harris and Hoole Limited, Harris and Hoole Nominees Limited, Homeplus, Hymall Co. Ltd., J E Properties Holdings Limited, Jasper Sp. z o. o. Poland, KSS Retail Limited, Kabaty Investments Tesco (Polska) Sp. z o. o. Sp.k, Kingsway Fresh Foods Ltd, Koxka Hungary Refrigeration LLC, Launchgrain Limited, Launchtable Limited, Laws Stores Limited, Lazada Group S.A., Lee (Southern) Limited, Lek?ren? Tesco Bansk? Bystrica k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Dunajsk? Streda k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Ko?ice k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Lama k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Nitra k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Petr?alka k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Pie?tany k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Pre?ov Vukov k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Senec k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Spi?sk? Nov? Ves k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Trenc??n s.r.o. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Zlat? Piesky k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Zvolen k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Linebush III Holdings Limited, Linebush III Limited, Linebush IV Limited, Linebush Limited, Linebush V Limited, London and Home Counties Superstores Limited, Lowfoods Limited, M & W Limited, Merrion Shopping Centre Ltd, Mills (East Midlands) Limited, Mills (West Midlands) Limited, Mills Group Holdings Limited, Mills Group Limited, Mobcast Services, Monread Developments Limited, Morgam Holdings Limited, Morgam News Limited, Motorcause Limited, NPL (Hardgate) Limited, Nabola Development Limited, NutriCentre Limited, OC FORUM Liberec Ltd., Oakwood Distribution Limited, Obchodn? dom Bratislava s.ro, Obchodn? dom Ko?ice s.ro., Obchodn? dom Nitra s.ro., Obchodn? dom Pre?ov s.ro., Old FEHC Inc., Old FEPC LLC, One Stop Community Stores Ltd, One Stop Convenience Stores Limited, One Stop Stores Limited, One Stop Stores Trustee Services Limited, Orpingford, Orpington (Station Road) Limited, Oxford Fox and Hounds Management Company Limited, PEJ Property Developments Limited, Paper Chain (East Anglia) Limited, Pharaway Properties Limited, Power Supermarkets Limited, Premier Garage (Worthing) Limited, Pulford Foods Limited, R.J.D. Holdings, Retail Property Co. Ltd, S Bottomley & Bros Limited, Sanders Supermarkets Limited, Sandtable Limited, Sarcon (No. 239) Limited, Seacroft Green Nominee 1 Limited, Seacroft Green Nominee 2 Limited, Shire Park Limited, Shuke Advertising (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Snowman Retail 1 Limited, Snowman Retail 2 Limited, Sociomantic AB, Sociomantic Labs B.V, Sociomantic Labs Inc, Sociomantic Labs Internet Hizmetleri Limited ?ireketi, Sociomantic Labs LLC, Sociomantic Labs Limited, Sociomantic Labs Private Limited, Sociomantic Labs Pte Ltd, Sociomantic Labs S.r.l, Sociomantic Labs SARL, Sociomantic Labs Servicos Web Ltda, Sociomantic Labs Sp.z.o.o., Sociomantic Labs s.r.o., Sociomantic S.L.U., Sociomantic labs GmbH, Spen Hill Developments (Holdings) Ltd, Spen Hill Developments (Portishead) Ltd, Spen Hill Developments (Tonbridge) Limited, Spen Hill Developments Limited, Spen Hill Management Limited, Spen Hill Properties (Holdings) plc, Spen Hill Properties (Southend) Limited, Spen Hill Regeneration Limited, Spen Hill Residential No 1 Limited, Spen Hill Residential No 2 Limited, Station House Welling Management Limited, Statusfloat Limited, Stewarts Supermarkets Limited, Streatham Management Company Limited, T & S Management Services Limited, T & S Properties Limited, T & S Stores Limited, TESCO (POLSKA) sp. z o.o., TESCO Akad?mia K?pz?si ?s Fejleszt?si Kor?tolt Felelss?g T?rsas?g, TESCO MOBILE POLSKA SP. Z O.O., TESCO STORES SR a.s., Tapesilver Limited, Teesport (GP) Limited, Teesport (Nominee) Limited, Telegraph Properties (Kirkby) Limited, Tesco (Foxtrot 1) Limited, Tesco (Foxtrot 2) Limited, Tesco (Fujian) Industry Limited, Tesco (Jersey) Limited, Tesco (Overseas) Ltd, Tesco (Yorkshire) Limited, Tesco Aqua (1LP) Limited, Tesco Aqua (3LP) Limited, Tesco Aqua (FinCo1) Limited, Tesco Aqua (FinCo2) Limited, Tesco Aqua (GP) Limited, Tesco Aqua (Nominee 1) Limited, Tesco Aqua (Nominee 2) Limited, Tesco Aqua (Nominee Holdco) Limited, Tesco Atrato (1LP) Limited, Tesco Atrato (GP) Limited, Tesco Barbers Wood Limited, Tesco Bengaluru Private Limited, Tesco Blue (1LP) Limited, Tesco Blue (FinCo2) Limited, Tesco Blue (GP) Limited, Tesco Blue (Nominee 1) Limited, Tesco Blue (Nominee 2) Limited, Tesco Blue (Nominee Holdco) Limited, Tesco Capital No. 1 Limited, Tesco Capital No. 2 Limited, Tesco Card Services Limited, Tesco Card Services Limited, Tesco Card Services Ltd., Tesco Chile Sourcing Limitada, Tesco Coral (GP) Limited, Tesco Corporate Treasury Services PLC, Tesco Depot Propco Limited, Tesco Distribution Holdings Limited, Tesco Distribution Limited, Tesco Dorney (1LP) Limited, Tesco Dorney (GP) Limited, Tesco Dystrybucja Sp. z.o.o., Tesco EU IT Services s.r.o., Tesco Employees Share Scheme Trustees Limited, Tesco Estates Limited, Tesco Europe B.V. Netherlands, Tesco Family Dining Limited, Tesco Food Sourcing Brazil Representa??o De Servi?os Ltda., Tesco Food Sourcing Limited, Tesco Foundation (Nadacia Tesco), Tesco Freetime Limited, Tesco Fuchsia (1LP) Limited, Tesco Fuel Limited, Tesco Global Employment Company Limited, Tesco Guangdong (HK) Co. Limited, Tesco High Beech Limited, Tesco Holdings BV, Tesco Holdings Limited, Tesco Home Shopping Limited, Tesco Hungary (Holdings) Limited, Tesco International Franchising s.r.o., Tesco International Internet Retailing Limited, Tesco International Services Limited, Tesco International Sourcing Limited, Tesco Ireland Holdings Limited, Tesco Ireland Limited, Tesco Ireland Pension Trustees Limited, Tesco Jade (GP) Limited, Tesco Joint Buying Service (Shanghai) Co Limited, Tesco Kipa Kitle Pazarlama Ticaret Lojistik ve, Tesco Kirkby (General Partner) Limited, Tesco Kirkby (LP) Limited, Tesco Kirkby (Nominee 1) Limited, Tesco Kirkby (Nominee 2) Limited, Tesco Kirkby (Nominee Holdco) Limited, Tesco Kirkby (Unitholder 1) Limited, Tesco Kirkby (Unitholder2) Limited, Tesco Lagoon GP Limited, Tesco Licences Limited, Tesco Lotus Retail Growth, Tesco Lotus Retail Growth Freehold and Leasehold Property Fund, Tesco Maintenance Limited, Tesco Mauritius Holdings Limited, Tesco Mobile (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Tesco Mobile CR s.r.o., Tesco Mobile Communications Limited, Tesco Mobile Ireland Limited, Tesco Mobile Ireland Limited, Tesco Mobile Limited, Tesco Mobile Services Limited, Tesco Mobile Slovakia s.r.o, Tesco Mobile Slovakia s.r.o., Tesco Mobile CR, Tesco Nanjing Zhongshan, Tesco Nanjing Zhongshan (HK) Co. Limited, Tesco Navona (1LP) Limited, Tesco Navona (GP) Limited, Tesco Navona (Nominee 1) Limited, Tesco Navona (Nominee 2) Limited, Tesco Navona (Nominee Holdco) Limited, Tesco Navona PL Propco Limited, Tesco Opticians Limited, Tesco Overseas (Holdings) Limited, Tesco Overseas Investments Limited, Tesco Overseas ULC, Tesco Passaic (1LP) Limited, Tesco Passaic (GP) Limited, Tesco Passaic (Nominee 1) Limited, Tesco Passaic (Nominee 2) Limited, Tesco Passaic (Nominee Holdco) Limited, Tesco Passaic PL Propco Limited, Tesco Pension (Jade) Limited, Tesco Pension Investment Limited, Tesco Pension Trustees Limited, Tesco Personal Finance, Tesco Personal Finance Compare Limited, Tesco Personal Finance Group Limited, Tesco Property (No.1) Limited, Tesco Property (Nominees) (No.1) Limited, Tesco Property (Nominees) (No.2) Limited, Tesco Property (Nominees) Limited, Tesco Property A.S., Tesco Property Finance 1 Holdco Limited, Tesco Property Finance 1 PLC, Tesco Property Holdings (No. 2) Limited, Tesco Property Holdings Limited, Tesco Property Limited, Tesco Property Nominees (No.5) Limited, Tesco Property Nominees (No.6) Limited, Tesco Property Partner (GP No.2) Limited, Tesco Property Partner (GP) Limited, Tesco Property Partner (No.1) Limited, Tesco Property Partner (No.2) Limited, Tesco Red (1LP) Limited, Tesco Red (GP) Limited, Tesco Red (Nominee 2) Limited, Tesco Red (Nominee Holdco) Limited, Tesco Sarum (1LP) Limited, Tesco Sarum (GP) Limited, Tesco Seacroft Limited, Tesco Secretaries Limited, Tesco Services Limited, Tesco Sourcing India Private Limited, Tesco Stores (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Tesco Stores (Thailand) Ltd, Tesco Stores CR a.s., Tesco Stores Limited, Tesco Technology Services HK Limited, Tesco Treasury Services PLC, Tesco Trustee Company of Ireland Limited, Tesco Underwriting Limited, Tesco Vin Plus SA, Tesco Worldwide Limited, Tesco for Thais Foundation, Tesco-Global Stores Privately Held Co. Ltd, Tesco.Com Limited, The Brookmaker Limited Partnership, The Teesport Limited Partnership Limited Partnership, The Tesco Aqua Limited Partnership Limited Partnership, The Tesco Atrato Limited Partnership, The Tesco Blue Limited Partnership Limited Partnership, The Tesco Coral Limited Partnership, The Tesco Dorney Limited Partnership, The Tesco Kirkby Limited Partnership Limited Partnership, The Tesco Navona Limited Partnership Limited Partnership, The Tesco Passaic Limited Partnership Limited Partnership, The Tesco Property (No.2) Limited Partnership, The Tesco Red Limited Partnership, The Tesco Sarum Limited Partnership, Trent Hypermarket Private Limited, Trigger Retail Ltd, Valiant Insurance Company DAC, Value House Properties Limited, Variable Preference, Ventnor High Street Management Company Limited, Verulam Properties (2001) Limited, Verulam Properties Limited, Victoria BB Sp z.o.o., WE7, WSC Properties Limited, Wanze Properties (Dundalk) Limited, Weymouth Avenue (Dorchester) Limited, Whitecastle Properties Limited, Wm. Low Supermarkets Limited, Woolwich Central Residents Management Company Limited, Worple Road Plc, Xiamen Firste Property Limited, Xiamen Firste Property Limited, aAcklam Management Company Limited, dunnhumby (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, dunnhumby (Thailand) Limited, dunnhumby Canada Limited, dunnhumby Consulting Services India Private Limited, dunnhumby Czech s.r.o., dunnhumby Employment Company Limited, dunnhumby Holding Limited, dunnhumby Hungary Kft, dunnhumby IT Services India Private Limited, dunnhumby Inc, dunnhumby International Limited, dunnhumby Ireland Limited, dunnhumby Italia Srl., dunnhumby Limited, dunnhumby Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., dunnhumby Netherlands B.V., dunnhumby Norge A.S., dunnhumby Overseas Limited, dunnhumby Poland Sp z.o.o, dunnhumby Slovakia s.r.o., dunnhumby South Africa (Pty) Ltd, dunnhumby Trustees Limited, and dunnuhumby.
National Grid plc transmits and distributes electricity and natural gas. It operates through UK Electricity Transmission, UK Gas Transmission, US Regulated, and National Grid Ventures (NGV) and Other segments. The UK Electricity Transmission segment owns and operates electricity transmission networks, which comprise approximately 7,236 kilometers of overhead lines. The UK Gas Transmission segment owns and operates gas transmission systems, as well as third-party independent systems and liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage facilities. The US Regulated segments owns and operates transmission facilities across upstate New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont; and electricity distribution networks in upstate New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Its assets comprise 14,439 kilometers of overhead lines; an electricity distribution network of approximately 117,498 circuit miles; and a network of approximately 57,551 kilometers of gas pipeline. The NGV and Other segment engages in the energy metering business; transporting renewable energy long distances through its electricity interconnectors; and storing LNG, as well as commercial property and insurance activities in the United Kingdom. The company was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

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Royal Dutch Shell plc operates as an energy and petrochemical company worldwide. The company operates through Integrated Gas, Upstream, Oil Products, Chemicals segments. It explores for and extracts crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids; markets and transports oil and gas; produces gas-to-liquids fuels and other products; and operates upstream and midstream infrastructure necessary to deliver gas to market. The company also markets and trades natural gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG), crude oil, electricity, carbon-emission rights; and markets and sells LNG as a fuel for heavy-duty vehicles and marine vessels. In addition, it trades in and refines crude oil and other feed stocks, such as gasoline, diesel, heating oil, aviation fuel, marine fuel, biofuel, lubricants, bitumen, and sulphur; produces and sells petrochemicals for industrial use; and manages oil sands activities. Further, the company produces base chemicals comprising ethylene, propylene, and aromatics, as well as intermediate chemicals, such as styrene monomer, propylene oxide, solvents, detergent alcohols, ethylene oxide, and ethylene glycol. Royal Dutch Shell plc was founded in 1907 and is headquartered in The Hague, the Netherlands.

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7 hours ago

Fireball from overturned tanker kills dozens in Haiti

CAP-HAITIEN, Haiti (AP)  A gasoline tanker overturned and exploded in northern Haiti, unleashing a fireball that swept through homes and businesses on its way to killing at least 60 people Tuesday in the latest tragedy to befall the Caribbean nation. The blast occurred shortly after midnight in Cap-Haitien, Haiti's second largest city, along the northern coast.

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According to analysts' consensus price target of $2.00, TMAC Resources has a forecasted upside of 15.4% from its current price of $1.73.

TMAC Resources has received a consensus rating of Buy. The company's average rating score is 2.50, and is based on 1 buy rating, 1 hold rating, and no sell ratings.

3.9 Community Rank

Outperform Votes TMAC Resources has received 21 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.)

Underperform Votes TMAC Resources has received 15 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.)

Community Sentiment TMAC Resources has received 58.33% outperform votes from our community.

MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about TMAC Resources and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe TMMFF will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe TMMFF will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days.

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Aggreko Plc supplies modular, mobile power, heating, cooling, and related services in North America, the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, Eurasia, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia Pacific, and Latin America. The company operates in three segments: Rental Solutions, Power Solutions Industrial, and Power Solutions Utility. It offers power generation products, including diesel generators, G3+ generators, and gas generators, as well as heavy fuel oil and hybrid power plants; cooling systems, such as cooling towers, chillers, heat exchangers, and air handlers and conditioners; and desiccant and refrigerated dehumidifiers to prevent metal corrosion, aid processes, preserve equipment on cold stacked offshore rigs, reduce mold and mildew growth during production processes, and dry out water-damaged buildings, as well as to reduce drying times for concrete, insulation, and fireproofing. The company also provides electric heaters, indirect fired heaters, and heat exchangers; and load banks that are used to test generators and turbines, uninterrupted power systems, electrical distribution panels and systems, data center power systems, combined heat and power systems, and simulation of heat loads. In addition, it offers battery storage solutions; and power to national utility customers. The company operates 182 sales and service centers. It serves the agriculture, construction, contracting, data centers, event power, facilities management, food and beverage, government, manufacturing, mining, oil and gas, petrochemical and refining, pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, shipping, telecommunications, and utility power sectors. Aggreko Plc was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Glasgow, the United Kingdom.

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Bank of Montreal provides diversified financial services primarily in North America. The company's personal banking products and services include checking and savings accounts, credit cards, mortgages, and financial and investment advice services; and commercial banking products and services comprise business deposit accounts, commercial credit cards, business loans and commercial mortgages, cash management solutions, foreign exchange, specialized banking programs, treasury and payment solutions, and risk management products for small business and commercial banking customers. It also offers investment and wealth advisory services; digital investing services; financial services and solutions; and investment management, and trust and custody services to institutional, retail, and high net worth investors. In addition, the company provides life insurance, accident and sickness insurance, and annuity products; creditor and travel insurance to bank customers; and reinsurance solutions. Further, it offers client's debt and equity capital-raising services, as well as loan origination and syndication, balance sheet management, and treasury management; strategic advice on mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, and recapitalizations, as well as valuation and fairness opinions; and trade finance, risk mitigation, and other operating services. Additionally, the company provides research and access to markets for institutional, corporate, and retail clients; trading solutions that include debt, foreign exchange, interest rate, credit, equity, securitization and commodities; new product development and origination services, as well as risk management advice and services to hedge against fluctuations; and funding and liquidity management services to its clients. It operates through approximately 1,400 bank branches and 4,800 automated banking machines in Canada and the United States. The company was founded in 1817 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.

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The following companies are subsidiares of BlackRock: Acero Cooperatief U.A., Acero Holdings I B.V., Amethyst Merger Sub LLC, AnalytX Hosting LLC, AnalytX LLC, AnalytX Software LLC, Aperio, Aperio, Aquila Heywood, Asia-Pacific Private Credit Opportunities Fund I (GenPar) Ltd., BAA Holdings LLC, BFM Holdco LLC, BLK (Gallatin) Holdings LLC, BLK SMI LLC, BR Acquisition Mexico S.A. de C.V., BR Jersey International Holdings L.P., Beijing eFront Software Company Limited, BlackRock (Barbados) Finco 1 SRL, BlackRock (Channel Islands) Limited, BlackRock (Luxembourg) S.A., BlackRock (Netherlands) B.V., BlackRock (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., BlackRock (Singapore) Holdco II Pte. Ltd., BlackRock (Singapore) Holdco Pte. Limited, BlackRock (Singapore) Limited, BlackRock AP Investment Holdco LLC, BlackRock Advisors (UK) Limited, BlackRock Advisors LLC, BlackRock Advisors Singapore Pte. Limited, BlackRock Alternative Advisors GP Holdings LLC, BlackRock Alternatives Management LLC, BlackRock Argentina Asesorias Ltda., BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited, BlackRock Asset Management Deutschland AG, BlackRock Asset Management International Inc., BlackRock Asset Management Investor Services Limited, BlackRock Asset Management Ireland Limited, BlackRock Asset Management North Asia Limited, BlackRock Asset Management Schweiz AG, BlackRock Asset Management UK Limited, BlackRock Australia Holdco Pty. Ltd., BlackRock Brasil Gestora de Investimentos Ltda., BlackRock Cal 1 Investor LLC, BlackRock Canada Holdings LP, BlackRock Canada Holdings ULC, BlackRock Capital Holdings Inc., BlackRock Capital Investment Advisors LLC, BlackRock Capital Management Inc., BlackRock Cayco Limited, BlackRock Cayman 1 LP, BlackRock Cayman Capital Holdings Limited, BlackRock Cayman Finco 2 Limited, BlackRock Cayman Finco 3 Limited, BlackRock Cayman Finco Limited, BlackRock Cayman West Bay Finco Limited, BlackRock Cayman West Bay IV Limited, BlackRock Cayman Z Limited, BlackRock Channel Islands Holdco Limited, BlackRock Chile Asesorias Limitada, BlackRock Colombia Holdco LLC, BlackRock Colombia Infraestructura S.A.S., BlackRock Colombia SAS, BlackRock Company Secretarial Services (UK) Limited, BlackRock Corporation US Inc., BlackRock Delaware Holdings Inc., BlackRock Enterprise Management Services (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., BlackRock Europe Development Management Limited, BlackRock Execution Services, BlackRock Finance Europe Limited, BlackRock Financial Management Inc., BlackRock Finco LLC, BlackRock Finco UK Ltd., BlackRock First Partner Limited, BlackRock France SAS, BlackRock Fund Advisors, BlackRock Fund Management Company S.A., BlackRock Fund Managers Limited, BlackRock Funding International Ltd., BlackRock Funds Services Group LLC, BlackRock Germany GmBH, BlackRock Group Limited, BlackRock HK Holdco Limited, BlackRock Holdco 2 Inc., BlackRock Holdco 3 LLC, BlackRock Holdco 4 LLC, BlackRock Holdco 5 LLC, BlackRock Holdco 6 LLC, BlackRock Hungary Kft, BlackRock Index Services LLC, BlackRock Infrastructure Management I LLC, BlackRock Institutional Services Inc., BlackRock Institutional Trust Company National Association, BlackRock International Holdings Inc., BlackRock International Limited, BlackRock Investment Management (Australia) Limited, BlackRock Investment Management (Dublin) Limited, BlackRock Investment Management (Korea) Limited, BlackRock Investment Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., BlackRock Investment Management (Taiwan) Limited, BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited, BlackRock Investment Management Ireland Holdings Limited, BlackRock Investment Management LLC, BlackRock Investments LLC, BlackRock Japan Co. Ltd., BlackRock Japan Holdings GK, BlackRock Jersey Finco 2 Limited, BlackRock Latin America Holdco LLC, BlackRock Latin American Holdings B.V., BlackRock Life Limited, BlackRock Lux Finco S.a r.l., BlackRock Luxembourg Holdco S.a r.l., BlackRock Mexican Holdco B.V., BlackRock Mexico Infraestructura I S. de R.L. de C.V., BlackRock Mexico Infraestructura II S. de R.L. de C.V., BlackRock Mexico Infraestructura III S. de R.L. de C.V., BlackRock Mexico Manager II S. de R.L. de C.V., BlackRock Mexico Manager III S. de R.L. de C.V., BlackRock Mexico Manager S de R.L. de C.V., BlackRock Mexico Operadora S.A. de C.V. Sociedad Operadora de Fondos de Inversion, BlackRock Mortgage Ventures LLC, BlackRock Niagara LLC, BlackRock Operations (Luxembourg) S.a r.l., BlackRock Overseas Investment Fund Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., BlackRock PC Holdings LLC, BlackRock Pensions Limited, BlackRock Peru Asesorias S.A., BlackRock Property Consulting (Beijing) Co. Ltd., BlackRock Property France S.a.r.l., BlackRock Property Lux S.a.r.l., BlackRock Property Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., BlackRock Realty Advisors Inc., BlackRock Saudi Arabia, BlackRock Scale Holdings LLC, BlackRock Services India Private Limited, BlackRock Singapore III Pte. Ltd., BlackRock Slovakia s.r.o., BlackRock Strategic Investors GP LLC, BlackRock Strategic Investors LP, BlackRock Trident Holding Company Limited, BlackRock UK (Alpha) Limited, BlackRock UK (Beta) Limited, BlackRock UK (Delta) LP, BlackRock UK (Gamma) Limited, BlackRock UK (Sigma) Limited, BlackRock UK 2 LLP, BlackRock UK 3 LLP, BlackRock UK 4 LLP, BlackRock UK A LLP, BlackRock UK Holdco 2 Limited, BlackRock UK Holdco Limited, Blackhawk Investment Holding LLC, CIE Automotive, Cachematrix Holdings, Cachematrix Holdings LLC, Cachematrix Integrations Private Limited, Cachematrix Software Solutions LLC, Cachematrix UK Limited, FutureAdvisor Inc., Glass Mountain Pipeline, Global Energy & Power Infrastructure Advisors LLC, Global Energy & Power Infrastructure II Advisors LLC, Grosvenor Alternate Partner Limited, Grosvenor Ventures Limited, HLX Financial Holdings LLC, MGPA (Bermuda) Limited, MGPA (Exec) Limited, MGPA Limited, Mercury Carry Company Ltd., Mercury Private Equity MUST 3 (Jersey) Limited, Object Capital Technology Inc., Phoenix Acquisition B.V., Phoenix Acquisitions Holdings LLC, Portfolio Administration & Management Ltd., Prestadora de Servicios Integrales BlackRock Mexico S.A. de C.V., SVOF/MM LLC, St. Albans House Nominees (Jersey) Ltd., State Street Research & Management, Tennenbaum Capital Partners LLC, Tennenbaum Capital Partners LLC, Tlali Acero S.A. de C.V. SOFOM ENR, Trident Merger LLC, eFront, eFront, eFront (Jersey) Limited, eFront DMLT Holdings LLC, eFront DMLT Holdings S.R.L, eFront DR S.R.L, eFront Do Brasil Solucoes Informaticas Para Sistemas Financeiros Ltda., eFront FZ-LLC, eFront Financial Solutions Inc., eFront GmbH, eFront Holding II SAS, eFront Holdings SAS, eFront Hong Kong Limited, eFront II SAS, eFront Kabushiki Kaisha, eFront Ltd, eFront SAS, eFront Singapore Pte. Ltd, eFront Software Luxembourg S.a r.l., eFront Solutions Financeieres Inc., eFront d.o.o. Beograd, iShares (DE) I Investmentaktiengesellschaft mit Teilgesellschaftsvermogen, and iShares Delaware Trust Sponsor LLC.
The following companies are subsidiares of Exxon Mobil: AKG Marketing Company Limited, Aera Energy LLC, Al-Jubail Petrochemical Company, Ampolex (Cepu) Pte Ltd, Ancon Insurance Company Inc., Barnett Gathering LLC, Barzan Gas Company Limited, Caspian Pipeline Consortium, Celtic Exploration Ltd., Coral FLNG S.A., Cross Timbers Energy LLC, Ellora Energy Inc., Esmeroon Oil Transporta Imperial Oil Limited, Esso (Thailand) Public Company Limited, Esso Australia Resources Pty Ltd, Esso Deutschland GmbH, Esso Erdgas Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Esso Exploration Angola (Block 15) Limited, Esso Exploration Angola (Block 17) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Angola (Overseas) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Chad Inc., Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Deepwater) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Offshore East) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited, Esso Exploration and Production UK Limited, Esso Global Investments Ltd., Esso Italiana S.r.l., Esso Nederland B.V., Esso Norge AS, Esso Petroleum Company Limited, Esso Raffinage, Esso Societe Anonyme Francaise, Exxo Holdings Inc., Exxon Azerbaijan Limited, Exxon Chemical Arabia Inc., Exxon International Finance Company, Exxon Luxembourg Holdings LLC, Exxon Mobile Bay Limited Partnership, Exxon Neftegas Limited, Exxon Overseas Corporation, Exxon Overseas Investment Corporation, ExxonMobil (China) Investment Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil (Taicang) Petroleum Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil Abu Dhabi Offshore Petroleum Company Limited, ExxonMobil Alaska Production Inc., ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., ExxonMobil Australia Pty Ltd, ExxonMobil B Resources Company, ExxonMobil Capital Finance Company, ExxonMobil Capital Netherlands B.V., ExxonMobil Central Europe Holding GmbH, ExxonMobil Cepu Limited, ExxonMobil Chemical France, ExxonMobil Chemical Gulf Coast Investments LLC, ExxonMobil Chemical Holland B.V., ExxonMobil Chemical Services (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil China Petroleum & Petrochemical Company Limited, ExxonMobil Development Africa B.V., ExxonMobil Development Company, ExxonMobil Egypt (S.A.E.), ExxonMobil Exploracao Brasil Ltda., ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Malaysia Inc., ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Norway AS, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Romania Limited, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Tanzania Limited, ExxonMobil Finance Company Limited, ExxonMobil Financial Investment Company Limited, ExxonMobil France Holding SAS, ExxonMobil Gas Marketing Europe Limited, ExxonMobil General Finance Company, ExxonMobil Global Services Company, ExxonMobil Golden Pass Surety LLC, ExxonMobil Holding Company Holland LLC, ExxonMobil Holding Norway AS, ExxonMobil Hong Kong Limited, ExxonMobil International Services SARL, ExxonMobil Iraq Limited, ExxonMobil Italiana Gas S.r.l., ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Inc., ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Ventures Inc., ExxonMobil LNG Services B.V., ExxonMobil Lubricants Trading Company, ExxonMobil Oil Corporation, ExxonMobil PNG Limited, ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical BVBA, ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical Holdings Inc., ExxonMobil Pipeline Company, ExxonMobil Production Deutschland GmbH, ExxonMobil Production Norway Inc., ExxonMobil Qatargas (II) Limited, ExxonMobil Qatargas Inc., ExxonMobil Ras Laffan (III) Limited, ExxonMobil Rasgas Inc., ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company, ExxonMobil Russia Kara Sea Holdings B.V., ExxonMobil Sales and Supply LLC, ExxonMobil Technology Finance Company, ExxonMobil Ventures Finance Company, ExxonMobil Ventures Funding Ltd., Fujian Refining & Petrochemical Co. Ltd., Golden Pass LNG Terminal Investments LLC, Golden Pass LNG Terminal LLC, Gulf Coast Growth Ventures LLC, Imperial Oil Limited, Imperial Oil Resources Limited, Imperial Oil Resources N.W.T. Limited, Imperial Oil/Petroliere Imperiale, Infineum Italia s.r.I., Infineum Singapore Pte. Ltd., InterOil Corporation, Jurong Aromatics Corporation Pte Ltd, MPM Lubricants, Marine Well Containment Company LLC, Mobil Australia Resources Company Pty Limited, Mobil California Exploration & Producing Asset Company, Mobil Caspian Pipeline Company, Mobil Chemical Products International Inc., Mobil Corporation, Mobil Equatorial Guinea Inc., Mobil Erdgas Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Mobil Exploration & Producing Australia Pty Ltd, Mobil International Petroleum Corporation, Mobil Oil Australia Pty Ltd, Mobil Oil Exploration & Producing Southeast Inc., Mobil Oil New Zealand Limited, Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, Mobil Producing Texas & New Mexico Inc., Mobil SerLimited, Mobil Venezolana De Petroleos Inc., Mobil Yanbu Petrochemical Company Inc., Mobil Yanbu Refining Company Inc., Mountain Gathering LLC, Mozambique Rovuma Venture S.p.A., Palmetto Transoceanic LLC, Papua New Guinea Liquefied Natural Gas Global Company LDC, Permian Express Partners LLC, Phillips Exploration LLC, Qatar Liquefied Gas Company Limited, Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited, Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited (II), SPI Limited, Saudi Aramco Mobil Refinery Company Ltd., Saudi Yanbu Petrochemical Co., SeaRiver Maritime Inc., South Hook LNG Terminal Company Limited, Tengizchevroil LLP, Terminale GNL Adriatico S.r.l, Trend Gathering & Treating LLC, Wolverine Pipe Line Company, XH LLC, XTO Delaware Basin LLC, XTO ENERGY, XTO Energy Canada, and XTO Holdings LLC.
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.

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The following companies are subsidiares of SYNNEX: 2117974 Ontario Inc., Afina Peru S.A.C., Afina S.R.L., Afina Sistemas Informaticos Limitada, Afina Sistemas Informaticos S.L, Afina Sistemas Sociedade Ltda., Afina Venezuela C.A., Afinasis S.A. de C.V., Asset Ohio Fourth Street LLC, BPO Holdco Cooperatief U.A., Beijing Jumeng Technology Development Ltd., Brazil HoldCo Limited, CNX Services Jamaica Limited, Chongqing Jumeng Technologies Development Ltd., ComputerLand Corporation, Comstor Colombia S.A.S., Concentrix (Canada) Limited, Concentrix (Suzhou) Information Consulting Co. Limited, Concentrix Beteiligungen GmbH, Concentrix Brazil Outsourcing of Processes Administrative Services and Technologies to Enterprises Ltda., Concentrix Business Services UK Limited, Concentrix CMG Canada ULC, Concentrix CRM Services Germany GmbH, Concentrix CRM Services Hungary Kft, Concentrix CRM Services RO S.R.L., Concentrix CRM Services UK Limited, Concentrix CVG (Mauritius) Ltd, Concentrix CVG Brite Voice Systems LLC, Concentrix CVG CMG Insurance Services LLC, Concentrix CVG CMG UK Limited, Concentrix CVG Contact Tunisie S.A.R.L., Concentrix CVG Corporation, Concentrix CVG Customer Management Australia Pty. Ltd., Concentrix CVG Customer Management Colombia S.A.S., Concentrix CVG Customer Management Delaware LLC, Concentrix CVG Customer Management Group Inc., Concentrix CVG Delaware Inc., Concentrix CVG Delaware International Inc., Concentrix CVG Egypt Limited Liability Company, Concentrix CVG France S.A.R.L., Concentrix CVG Funding Inc., Concentrix CVG Global Services AZ Inc., Concentrix CVG Global Services El Salvador S.A. de C.V., Concentrix CVG Global Services Honduras S.A., Concentrix CVG Global Services Hong Kong Limited, Concentrix CVG Government Solutions LLC, Concentrix CVG Group Limited, Concentrix CVG Holding LLC, Concentrix CVG Intelligent Contact Limited, Concentrix CVG International Bulgaria EOOD, Concentrix CVG International Holding Ltd., Concentrix CVG International Sp. Z.o.o., Concentrix CVG Ireland Contact Services Limited, Concentrix CVG Ireland Limited, Concentrix CVG Italy S.R.L., Concentrix CVG LLC, Concentrix CVG Learning Solutions LLC, Concentrix CVG Malaysia (Phillipines) Sdn. Bhd., Concentrix CVG Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Concentrix CVG Philippines Inc., Concentrix CVG Pte. Ltd., Concentrix CVG Services Singapore Pte. Ltd., Concentrix CVG Servicios Informaticos S.L, Concentrix CVG Singapore Holdings Pte. Ltd., Concentrix CVG Tunisie BPO S.A.R.L., Concentrix CVG Tunisie S.A.R.L., Concentrix Corporation, Concentrix Costa Rica S.A., Concentrix Daksh Services India Private Limited, Concentrix Daksh Services Philippines Corporation, Concentrix Digital Services Limited, Concentrix Duisburg GmbH, Concentrix Dusseldorf GmbH, Concentrix Europe Limited, Concentrix Frankfurt a. M. GmbH, Concentrix Free Trade Zone S.A., Concentrix Gera GmbH, Concentrix Global Services GmbH, Concentrix Gmbh, Concentrix HK Limited, Concentrix Halle GmbH, Concentrix Insurance Administration Solutions Corporation, Concentrix International Europe B.V., Concentrix International GmbH, Concentrix International Services Europe B.V., Concentrix Investment Holdings Corporation, Concentrix Investment Holdings Singapore 1 Pte. Ltd, Concentrix Investment Holdings Singapore 2 Pte. Ltd, Concentrix Investment Holdings Singapore 3 Pte. Ltd, Concentrix Investments Europe B.V., Concentrix Legal Services Company Limited, Concentrix Leipzig GmbH, Concentrix Logistics Corporation, Concentrix Management Holding GmbH & Co. KG, Concentrix Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V, Concentrix Munster GmbH, Concentrix New (BVI) Corporation, Concentrix NewHK Limited, Concentrix Nicaragua S.A., Concentrix Osnabruck GmbH, Concentrix Receivables Inc, Concentrix Rechenzentrum GmbH, Concentrix Romania S.R.L., Concentrix Schwerin GmbH, Concentrix Services (Colombia) S.A.S., Concentrix Services (Dalian) Co. Ltd., Concentrix Services (Germany) GmbH, Concentrix Services (Ireland) Limited, Concentrix Services (Netherlands) B.V., Concentrix Services (New Zealand) Limited, Concentrix Services (Poland) spolka z o.o., Concentrix Services (Saudi Arabia) Corporation LLC, Concentrix Services (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Concentrix Services (Thailand) Co. Ltd, Concentrix Services (Uruguay) S.A., Concentrix Services Bulgaria EOOD, Concentrix Services Corporation, Concentrix Services GmbH, Concentrix Services Holdco (Netherlands) B.V., Concentrix Services Hungary KFT, Concentrix Services India Private Limited, Concentrix Services Korea Limited, Concentrix Services Mexico S.A. de C.V., Concentrix Services Philippines Inc., Concentrix Services Portugal Sociedade Unipessoal LDA, Concentrix Services Pty Ltd, Concentrix Services Slovakia s.r.o., Concentrix Services Spain S.L.U., Concentrix Services UK Limited, Concentrix Services US Inc., Concentrix Software Technologies (HK) Limited, Concentrix Solutions Corporation, Concentrix Technologies (India) Private Limited, Concentrix Technologies Limited, Concentrix Technologies Services (Canada) Limited, Concentrix Tigerspike Technology FZ-LLC, Concentrix VN Technologies Services Company Limited, Concentrix Verwaltungs GmbH, Concentrix Wismar GmbH, Concentrix Wuppertal GmbH, Convergys, Convergys Customer Management Group Canada Holding Inc., Convergys Customer Management International Inc., Convergys Customer Management Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Convergys Holdings (GB) Limited, Convergys Holdings (UK) Limited, Convergys India Services Private Limited, Convergys International Inc., Convergys International Nordic AB, Convergys Services Denmark ApS, Convergys South Africa (Pty) Ltd., CyberLogistics Corporation, Dalian Jumeng Information Services Ltd., Dalian Jumeng Technology Development Ltd., EMJ America Inc., Encore Receivable Management Inc., Foshan Jumeng Information Technology Service Co. Ltd, GLS Software S. de R.L., Guiyang Jumeng Technology Development Ltd., Hyve Design Solutions (Taiwan) Corporation, Hyve Design Solutions Corporation, Hyve IT Solutions Israel Ltd, Hyve IT Solutions South Africa (PTY) Ltd., Hyve SNX Solutions Ireland Limited, Hyve Solutions (Taiwan) Corporation, Hyve Solutions Canada Limited, Hyve Solutions China Limited, Hyve Solutions Corporation, Hyve Solutions Europe Limited, Hyve Solutions HK Limited, Hyve Solutions Holding Company Limited, Hyve Solutions India Private Limited, Hyve Solutions Japan K.K., Hyve Solutions Korea Limited, Hyve Solutions Malaysia SDN.BHD., Hyve Solutions New Zealand Limited, Hyve Solutions Singapore Pte. Ltd, Hyve Solutions US Global Holding Corporation, IBM World Wide Customer Care, Intervoice Acquisition Subsidiary Inc., Intervoice Colombia Ltda., Intervoice GP Inc., Intervoice GmbH, Intervoice LP Inc., Intervoice Limited, Intervoice Limited Partnership, Intervoice do Brasil Comercio Servicos e Participacoes Ltda., Jack Of All Games Inc., Japan Concentrix KK, LATAM HoldCo Limited, Lasting Holdings Corporation, License Online Inc, Minacs, Minacs Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., PT Concentrix Services Indonesia, PT Convergys Customer Management Indonesia, Pegasus Telecom LLC, SCGS (Malaysia) SDN. BHD., SGS Holdings Inc., SIT Funding Corporation, SYNNEX Canada Limited, SYNNEX Finance Hybrid II LLC, SYNNEX Holdco Inc., SYNNEX Information Technologies (Beijing) Ltd., SYNNEX Information Technologies (Chengdu) Ltd., SYNNEX Information Technologies (China) Ltd., SYNNEX Japan Corporation, SYNNEX Japan Holdings K.K., SYNNEX Servicios S.A. de C.V., SYNNEX de Mexico S.A. de C.V., SYNNEX-Concentrix UK Limited, Sennex Enterprises Limited, Servicios Afinasis S.A. de C.V., Shenzhen Shunrong Telecommunication Technologies Ltd., Sichuan 86Bridge Information Technology Ltd., Stream Business Process Outsourcing South Africa (Proprietary) Ltd., Stream Florida Inc., Stream Global Services - US Inc., Stream Global Services Inc., Stream Holdings Corporation, Suzhou Ke Wei Xun Information Services Co. Ltd., Tech Data, The Global Email Trustee Limited, Tigerspike Co. Ltd, Tigerspike FZ-LLC, Tigerspike Holdings Pty Ltd, Tigerspike Inc., Tigerspike Ltd, Tigerspike Products Pte. Ltd., Tigerspike Pte. Ltd., Tigerspike Pty Ltd, Velami Holdings Corporation, Vietnam Concentrix Services Company Limited, VisionMAX, WG-UK Holding Company Limited, WG-US HoldCo Inc, Westcon Brasil Ltda., Westcon CALA Inc., Westcon Canada Systems (WCSI) Inc., Westcon Corporation Ecuador WCE Cia. Ltda, Westcon GDS LLC, Westcon Group Colombia Limitada, Westcon Group Costa Rica S.A., Westcon Group Inc., Westcon Group North America Inc., Westcon Group Panama S.A., Westcon Mexico S.A. de C.V., Westcon-Comstor Americas, Xi'an Jumeng Technologies Development Ltd, and eTelecare Philippines Inc..
PetroChina Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in a range of petroleum related products, services, and activities in Mainland China and internationally. It operates through Exploration and Production, Refining and Chemicals, Marketing, and Natural Gas and Pipeline segments. The Exploration and Production segment engages in the exploration, development, production, and marketing of crude oil and natural gas. The Refining and Chemicals segment refines crude oil and petroleum products; and produces and markets primary petrochemical products, derivative petrochemical products, and other chemical products. The Marketing segment is involved in marketing of refined products and trading business. The Natural Gas and Pipeline segment engages in the transmission of natural gas, crude oil, and refined products; and sale of natural gas. As of December 31, 2020, the company had a total length of 31,151 km, including 22,555 km of natural gas pipelines, 7,190 km of crude oil pipelines, and 1,406 km of refined product pipelines. The company is also involved in the exploration, development, and production of oil sands and coalbed methane; trading of crude oil and petrochemical products; storage, chemical engineering, storage facilities, service station, and transportation facilities and related businesses; and production and sales of basic and derivative chemical, and other chemical products. The company was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People's Republic of China. PetroChina Company Limited is a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation.

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Serengeti Resources Inc. acquires and explores for mineral properties in Canada. It company explores for gold, copper, and silver deposits. The company's flagship property is the Kwanika project that covers an area of 25,928 hectares located in the northern Quesnel Trough, British Columbia. It also has an option to acquire 100% interest in Top Cat project covering an area of approximately 21,600 hectares situated in central British Columbia. The company was formerly known as Serengeti Minerals Ltd. and changed its name to Serengeti Resources Inc. in 2001. Serengeti Resources Inc. was incorporated in 1973 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

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Xcel Energy, Inc. operates as a holding company, which engages in the generation, purchase, transmission, distribution and sale of electricity. It operates through the following three segments: Regulated Electric Utility, Regulated Natural Gas Utility and All Others. The Regulated Electric Utility segment generates, transmits and distributes electricity primarily in portions of generates, transmits and distributes electricity in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, Texas and New Mexico. In addition, this segment includes sales for resale and provides wholesale transmission service to various entities in the United States. It also includes commodity trading operations. The Regulated Natural Gas Utility segment transports, stores, and distributes natural gas primarily in portions of Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Michigan and Colorado. The All Others segment engages in steam, appliance repair services, nonutility real estate activities, processing solid waste into refuse-derived fuel and investments in rental housing projects that qualify for low-income housing tax credits. The company was founded in 1909 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, MN.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Mohawk Industries: A&S Energie NV, A&U Energie NV, Aladdin Manufacturing Corporation, Aladdin Manufacturing Of New York LLC, Aladdin Manufacturing of Alabama LLC, Alsace Logistique S.A., Avelgem Green Power CVBA, Avon Pacific Holdings Ltd, B&M NV, BGE Mexico S. de R. L. de C.V., Berghoef GmbH, Berghoef-Hout B.V., Bienes Raices y Materiales del Centro S. de R.L. de C.V., C.F. Marazzi S.A., Canterbury Spinners Ltd, Carpet Foundation Ltd, Cevotrans BV, Ceramus Bahia S/A  Produtos Ceramicos, DT Mex Holdings LLC, DTM/CM Holdings LLC, Dal Italia LLC, Dal-Elit LLC, Dal-Tile Chile Comercial Limitada, Dal-Tile Colombia S.A.S., Dal-Tile Distribution Inc., Dal-Tile Group Inc., Dal-Tile I LLC, Dal-Tile Industrias S. de R.L. de C.V., Dal-Tile International Inc., Dal-Tile Mexico Comercial S. de R.L. de C.V., Dal-Tile Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Dal-Tile Operaciones Mexico S. De R.L. De C.V., Dal-Tile Peru SRL, Dal-Tile Puerto Rico Inc., Dal-Tile Services Inc., Dal-Tile Shared Services Inc., Dal-Tile Tennessee LLC, Dal-Tile of Canada ULC, Daltile, Daltile, Dekaply NV, Durkan, Dynea NV, Eliane Argentina Sociedad Anonima, Eliane S/A - Revestimentos Ceramicos, Emilceramica India Pvt Ltd., Emilceramica S.r.l, Emilgermany GmbH, Emilgroup Asia Ltd, Explorer S.r.l., F.I.L.S. Investments Unlimited Company, Feltex Carpets Ltd, Feltex Carpets Pty Ltd, Feltex New Zealand Ltd, Fibremakers Australia Pty Ltd, Flooring Foundation Ltd, Flooring Industries Limited S.a r.l., Flooring XL B.V., Floorscape Limited, Godfrey Hirst & Co Pty Ltd, Godfrey Hirst (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Godfrey Hirst Australia Pty Ltd, Godfrey Hirst Group, Godfrey Hirst NZ Ltd, Hytherm (Ireland) Limited, IVC BVBA, IVC Far-East Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., IVC France S.a r.l., IVC GROUP LIMITED, IVC Green Power NV, IVC Group, IVC Group GmbH, IVC Luxembourg S.a r.l., IVC Rus OOO, IVC US Inc., International Flooring Systems S.a r.l., International Vinyl Company - Vostok OOO, KAI Group, KAI Keramica Ltd, KAI Mining EOOD, KERAMA CENTER OOO, Kerama Baltics OOO, Kerama Export OOO, Kerama Marazzi OOO, Kerampromservis (LLC), Khan Asparuh - Transport EOOD, Khan Asparuh AD, Khan Omurtag AD, Koninklijke Peitsman B.V., Kraj Kerama OOO, MG China Trading Ltd., MI Finance SRL, MUD (Holding) Brazil Ltda., Management Co EAD, Marazzi Acquisition S.r.l., Marazzi Deutschland G.m.b.H., Marazzi France Trading S.A.S., Marazzi Group, Marazzi Group F.Z.E., Marazzi Group S.r.l., Marazzi Group Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Marazzi Iberia S.L.U., Marazzi Japan Co. Ltd., Marazzi Middle East FZ LLC, Marazzi Schweiz S.A.G.L., Marazzi UK Ltd., Mohawk Assurance Services Inc., Mohawk Australia Pty Ltd, Mohawk Canada Corporation, Mohawk Capital Finance S.A., Mohawk Capital Luxembourg SA, Mohawk Carpet Distribution Inc., Mohawk Carpet Foundation Inc., Mohawk Carpet LLC, Mohawk Carpet Transportation Of Georgia LLC, Mohawk Commercial Inc., Mohawk ESV Inc., Mohawk Europe BVBA, Mohawk Factoring II Inc., Mohawk Factoring LLC, Mohawk Finance S.a r.l., Mohawk Foreign Acquisitions S.a r.l., Mohawk Foreign Funding S.a.r.l, Mohawk Foreign Holdings S.a r.l., Mohawk Foreign Investments Inc., Mohawk Global Investments S.a r.l., Mohawk Holdings International B.V., Mohawk Industries Inc., Mohawk International (Europe) S.a r.l., Mohawk International (Hong Kong) Limited, Mohawk International Capital N.V., Mohawk International Financing S.a.r.l, Mohawk International Holdings (DE) LLC, Mohawk International Holdings S.a r.l., Mohawk International Luxembourg S.a r.l., Mohawk International Netherlands B.V., Mohawk International Services BVBA, Mohawk KAI Luxembourg Holding S.a r.l., Mohawk KAI Luxembourg S.a r.l., Mohawk Luxembourg Capital S.A., Mohawk Luxembourg Financing S.a r.l., Mohawk Luxembourg Holdings S.a r.l., Mohawk Luxembourg Investments S.a r.l., Mohawk Luxembourg Pacific S.a r.l., Mohawk Marazzi International BV, Mohawk Marazzi Russia BV, Mohawk New Zealand Limited, Mohawk Operaciones Mexicali S. de R.L. de C.V., Mohawk Operations Luxembourg S.a r.l., Mohawk Pacific Investments S.a r.l., Mohawk Resources LLC, Mohawk Servicing LLC, Mohawk Singapore Private Limited, Mohawk Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Mohawk Unilin Luxembourg S.a r.l., Mohawk United Finance B.V., Mohawk United International B.V., Mohawk Vinyl Financing S.a r.l., Molber Beheer B.V., Monarch Ceramic Tile Inc., P.F. Onroerend Goed B.V., PF Beheer B.V., Pergo, Pergo (Europe) AB, Pergo Holding BV, Pergo India Pvt Ltd, Polcolorit S.A., Premium Floors Australia Pty Limited, RR Apex LLC, Rata International Pty Ltd, Recubrimientos Interceramica S. de R.L. de C.V., Riverside Textiles Pty Ltd, S.C. KAI Ceramics SRL, Sibir Kerama OOO, SimpleSolutions USA LLC, Soft Step (Australia) Pty Ltd, Spano Group, Spano Invest BVBA, Spano NV, Stroyagromekhzapchast ChaO, Stroytrans OAO Orelstroy, Summit Wool Spinners Ltd, The Flooring Federation Ltd, Tiles Co OOD, Unilin (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Unilin ApS, Unilin Arauco Pisos Ltda., Unilin BVBA, Unilin Beheer BV, Unilin Distribution Ltd., Unilin Distribution Ukraine LLC, Unilin Finland OY, Unilin Flooring India Private Limited, Unilin Flooring SAS, Unilin GmbH, Unilin Holding BVBA, Unilin Insulation BV, Unilin Insulation SAS, Unilin Insulation Sury SAS, Unilin Italia S.R.L., Unilin North America LLC, Unilin Norway AS, Unilin OOO, Unilin Panels SAS, Unilin Poland Sp.Z.o.o., Unilin SAS, Unilin Spain SL, Unilin Swiss GmbH, Unilin s.r.o., World International Inc., Xtratherm, Xtratherm Limited, Xtratherm S.A., and Xtratherm UK Limited.
The following companies are subsidiares of Marsh & McLennan Companies: 8WORKS INC., 8WORKS LTD, A. Constantinidi & CIA. S.C., A.C.N. 000 951 146 Pty Limited, A.C.N. 001 572 961 Pty Limited, A.C.N. 076 935 683 Pty Limited, A.C.N. 102 322 574 Pty Limited, ACE Insurance Agents Limited, ACE Insurance Consultants Limited, ACE Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers Limited, AD Corretora de Seguros, AFCO Premium Acceptance Inc., AFCO Premium Credit LLC, Access Equity Enhanced Fund GP LLC, Admiral Holdings Limited, Agnew Higgins Pickering & Co. (Bermuda) Ltd, Aldgate Investments Limited, Aldgate Trustees Ltd, Alexander Forbes Group Holdings Limited, Alpha Consultants Limited, Alta SA, Altius Real Assets (GP) LLC, Amal Insurance Brokers Limited (in liquidation), Anda Insurance Agencies Pte Ltd, AssetVal Pty Ltd, Assur Conseils Marsh S.A., Assurance Capital Corporation, Assurance Services Corporation, Australian Insurance Brokers Pty Ltd, Australian World Underwriters Pty Ltd., BBPS Limited, Barney & Barney Orange County LLC, Beaumonts (Leeds) Limited (in liquidation), Beaumonts Insurance Brokers Limited (in liquidation), Beaumonts Insurance Services Limited, Beneficios Integrales Oportunos SA, Benefitfocus Inc., Blue Marble Micro Limited, Blue Marble Microinsurance Inc., Bluefin, Bluefin Insurance Group Limited, Bluefin Insurance Services Limited, Boulder Claims LLC, Bowring (Bermuda) Investments Ltd., Bowring Marine Limited, Bowring Marsh (Bermuda) Ltd., Bowring Marsh (Hong Kong) Limited, Bowring Marsh Asia Pte. Ltd., Bowring Marsh Corretora de Resseguros Ltda., Bowring Marsh Limited, Broderick Piller Pty Ltd, Broker 2 Broker Limited, BuildPay LLC, Burke Ford Trustees (Leicester) Limited, C.T. Bowring Limited, CMC-Belgibo NV, CPRM Limited, CPSG Partners LLC, Carpenter Marsh Fac Chile Corredores de Reaseguros Limitada, Carpenter Marsh Fac Colombia Corredores de Reaseguros S.A., Carpenter Marsh Fac Peru Corredores de Reaseguros S.A.C., Carpenter Marsh Fac Re LLC, Carpenter Turner Cyprus Ltd, Carpenter Turner S.A., Cascade International Holdings C.V., Cascade Regional Holdings Limited, Central Insurance Services Limited, Charter Risk Management Services LLC, Chartwell Healthcare Limited, Chronos Insurance Brokers Pty Limited, Claims and Recovery Management (Australia) Pty Limited, Clark Thomson Insurance Brokers Limited, Client Provide Limited, Colombian Insurance Broking Wholesale Limited, Consultores 2020 C.A., Cronin & Co Insurance Services Limited, DVA - Deutsche Verkehrs-Assekuranz-Vermittlungs GmbH, Dawson Insurance, DeLima Marsh S.A. - Los Corredores de Seguros S.A., Dovetail Insurance Corp., Dovetail Insurance Corp., Dovetail Managing General Agency Corporation, Dovetail Technology Service India Private Limited, Draw Connect Limited, Draw Create Limited, Draw Group London Limited, Eagle & Crown Limited, Echelon Australia Pty Limited, Echelon Claims Consultants Sdn Bhd, Echelon New Zealand Limited, EnBW Versicherungs Vermittlung GmbH, Encompass Insurance Agency Pty Ltd., English Pension Trustees Limited, Epsilon (US) Insurance Company, Epsilon Insurance Company Ltd., Eustis Insurance & Benefits, Evolution Management Ltd, Exchange Insurance Services Limited (in liquidation), Exmoor Management Company Limited, Faulkner & Flynn LLC, Freedom Trust Services Limited, GC Genesis LLC, GCube Insurance Services Inc, GCube Underwriting Limited, Gama Consultores Associados Ltda., Gem Insurance Company Limited, Global Premium Finance Company, GrECo International Holding AG, Gracechurch Trustees Limited, Gresham Pension Trustees Limited, Group Promoters Pty Limited, Guy Carpenter & Cia (Mexico) S.A. de C.V., Guy Carpenter & Cia. S.A., Guy Carpenter & Co. Labuan Ltd., Guy Carpenter & Company AB, Guy Carpenter & Company Corredores de Reaseguros Limitada, Guy Carpenter & Company Corretora de Resseguros Ltda., Guy Carpenter & Company GmbH, Guy Carpenter & Company LLC, Guy Carpenter & Company Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Ltd./Guy Carpenter & Compagnie Ltee, Guy Carpenter & Company Participacoes Ltda., Guy Carpenter & Company Peru Corredores de Reaseguros S.A., Guy Carpenter & Company Private Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Proprietary Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Pty. Ltd., Guy Carpenter & Company S.A., Guy Carpenter & Company S.A. (Uruguay), Guy Carpenter & Company S.A.S., Guy Carpenter & Company S.r.l., Guy Carpenter (Middle East) Limited, Guy Carpenter Bermuda Ltd., Guy Carpenter Broking Inc., Guy Carpenter Colombia Corredores de Reaseguros Ltda., Guy Carpenter Insurance Brokers (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Guy Carpenter Japan Inc., Guy Carpenter Mexico Intermediario de Reaseguro S.A. de C.V., Guy Carpenter Reasurans Brokerligi Anonim Sirketi, HAPIP GP 2009 LLC, HAPIP GP LLC, HSBC Insurance Brokers International (Abu Dhabi) LLC (in liquidation), Hamilton Bond Limited, Hansen International Limited, Hayward Aviation Limited, INSIA Europe SE, INSIA SK s.r.o., INSIA a.s., INSURANCE BROKERS OF NIGERIA LIMITED, IRC Asia Insurance Brokers Limited, InSolutions Limited, Industrial Risks Protection Consultants, Ingeseg S. A., Ingeseg S.A., Insbrokers Ltda., InsurTech Alliance LLC, Insure Direct (Brokers) LLC, Insure Direct (Brokers) LLC [BAHRAIN BRANCH], Insure Direct - Jardine Lloyd Thompson Limited, International Catastrophe Insurance Managers LLC, International Loss Control Services Limited, International Risk Consultants (Asia) Limited, Invercol Limited, Irish Pensions Trust Limited, Isosceles Insurance (Barbados) Limited, Isosceles Insurance Company Limited, Isosceles Insurance Ltd, Isosceles PCC Limited, J&H Marsh & McLennan Limited, J.W. Terrill Benefit Administrators Inc., JI Holdings Limited, JIB Group Holdings Limited, JIB Group Limited, JIB Holdings (Pacific) Limited, JIB Overseas Holdings Limited, JIB UK Holdings Limited, JL Marine Insurance-Brokers GmbH & Co. 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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 9)  Former Laguna Governor ER Ejercito on Tuesday blamed his political rival for his conviction for graft in relation to an alleged anomalous insurance deal.

The gubernatorial candidate said incumbent Laguna Governor Ramil Hernandez and the opposition's Liberal Party were behind his conviction.

"Itong si Ramil Hernandez takot sa akin 'yan eh. Nine-nerbyos sa akin 'yan eh kasi tinalo ko na 'yan noong 2010... Gumawa ng paraan 'yan para guluhin na naman ang kampanya ko," he said in a media interview.

He claimed the justices who handed down the guilty verdict are controlled by the Liberal Party since they were appointed by former President Benigno Aquino III.

The anti-graft court's Fourth Division on April 5 found Ejercito guilty of graft for an illegal deal entered into when he was mayor in 2008. He was sentenced to imprisonment of at least six years. In its ruling, the court also perpetually disqualified him from holding public office. But Ejercito insisted he can still run because the decision is not final and executory.

His lawyer, Larry Gadon, said he will elevate the case to the Supreme Court if necessary. Ejercito is currently appealing his conviction through a motion for reconsideration. He posted bail for his liberty while he appeals the conviction.
A fresh take on ancient Greek

The Brandeis Theater Department production of The Bacchae runs from April 11 to 14 in Spingold Theater Center

Photo/Mike Lovett Brandeis professors Cameron Anderson, Dmitry Troyanovsky and Joel Christensen.

When Associate Professor of Theater Arts Dmitry Troyanovsky 98 and Associate Professor of Classical Studies Joel Christensen 01 sought to collaborate on a production of The Bacchae they wanted to create something fresh and new. No small feat for a 2,400-year-old story.

"Avoiding cliches was important. I wasn't interested in the masks, tunics, stentorian voices, chanting," Troyanovsky said. "I wanted something that would move to the rhythms of contemporary life. From the first time I met with Joel, we were on the same page.

A new translation by Christensen is the basis of the production, which features modernized choreography and wardrobes. Like most Greek tragedies, the Bacchae includes hymns typically performed by a chorus. These sections of the original text were translated by Christensen and then converted to original songs by lyricist Stephanie Fleischmann and composer Daniel Kluger, who also created arrangements for the new Broadway revival of Oklahoma! Scenic design was overseen by Assistant Professor of Theater Arts Cameron Anderson.

"Working closely with Dmitry and Stephanie was different from anything I've ever done, Christensen said. I'm a text person and they are coming at it from a totally different perspective."

Along with an all-student cast, undergraduates also played key roles in the production process. Sophia Grandsard '20 worked with Christensen on modernizing the text and Yair Koas 19 served as a dramaturg on the show for his senior thesis.

Although they attended Brandeis at the same time as undergraduates, Troyanovsky and Christensen didnt get to know each other until 2017, when they first discussed the idea of collaborating on a play from the classical period. They eventually settled on The Bacchae because it includes themes of political tyranny and gender issues that are particularly relevant today. It tells the story of the Greek god Dionysus as he travels to Thebes to clear his mothers name. His arrival disrupts the order of the city-state, sending Theban women into the frenzied worship of a new god. Written by Euripides, the story has darkness and gore, unexpected humor, and elements of the absurd.

It was an avant-garde play in its day, Troyanovsky said. We wanted a translation that would reflect that."

Modern theater productions of Greek tragedies have taken on certain elements that have become viewed as traditional  like the aforementioned masks, robes and chanting, as well as limited movement on stage. But this is likely very different from the way they were originally performed, according to Christensen. He imagines the productions, performed in open air stadiums in front of thousands of people as part of competitions, may have felt something like a cross between Bollywood film, major sporting event and rock concert.

"People try to put on Greek tragedies the way they think they were performed. In reality, we really know comparatively little about how they were performed," he said. "Dmitry and I really saw eye to eye on this. I am skeptical of the whole idea of an ' authentic performance.'"

For the Brandeis production, Christensen started by making a direct translation of the text from ancient Greek to English. Then he set about removing language or references that wouldn't connect with a modern audience, like names of local Theban rivers and ritual objects from the era.

"We wanted something not quite colloquial but closer to a vernacular people could relate with, he said.

The translation was revised throughout the production process, and Christensens expertise informed many of Troyanovskys directorial decisions, he said.

Joel has such incredible knowledge of the play, the myths and the history of ancient Greece. He shared a wealth of research with me and the rest of the team, Troyanovsky said. The ability to shape the translation around the concept and vision of a particular production is a very unique experience.

'The Bacchae' runs from April 11 to 14. Tickets are available online or at the Shapiro Campus Center box office, 781-736-3400.
Over two decades, Dearborn, Michigan-based Ford invested more than $2 billion in India but has consistently struggledit currently has a market share of just 3 per cent in India.

New Delhi: Ford Motor Co is nearing a deal with Mahindra & Mahindra to form a new joint venture in India, a move that will likely see the US automaker cease independent operations in the country, two sources with direct knowledge of the talks said.

The deal would make Ford the latest automaker to pare back its interests in India. At the end of 2017, General Motors Co downsized its Indian operations and stopped selling cars locally.

Over two decades, Dearborn, Michigan-based Ford invested more than $2 billion in India but has consistently struggledit currently has a market share of just 3 per cent in India.

Under the terms of the deal being negotiated, Ford will form a new unit in India in which it will hold a 49 percent stake, while Mahindra will own 51 percent, the two sources said.

The US carmakers Indian unit will transfer most of its current automotive business to the new entity, including its assets and employees, according to one of the sources.

Its like a partial exit (for Ford from India), the source said.

The deal is expected to close within 90 days, the sources said, adding the value of the transaction was not yet clear.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Ford said it does not comment on speculation, but added both companies continue to work together to develop avenues of strategic cooperation that help us achieve commercial, manufacturing and business efficiencies.

Mahindra too said it does not comment on speculation. It said in a statement it was working together in identified areas with Ford after a 2017 partnership arrangement, and will announce further definitive agreements as we progress on some of the other areas.

Currently, Ford manufactures and sells its cars in India through its wholly owned subsidiary. In 2017, it formed a strategic alliance with Mahindra under which, among other things, they will build new cars together, including sport-utility vehicles and electric variants.

Reuters
The company had said the capital infusion will help it continue investments in future rollouts to build large network capacity.

New Delhi: Telecom operator Bharti Airtel has received market regulator Sebi's approval to raise up to Rs 25,000 crore through rights issue, according to sources.

The board of the company had approved the rights issue proposal in February.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has given green signal to the rights issue of Airtel, the sources said.

When contacted, Bharti Airtel spokesperson said, "the company is in process of obtaining requisite approvals and shall make necessary announcements at an appropriate time".

The board has earlier approved the rights issue to raise up to Rs 25,000 crore through issuance of fully paid up shares at a price of Rs 220 per share, and an additional Rs 7,000 crore via foreign currency perpetual bond issue.

The company had said the capital infusion will help it continue investments in future rollouts to build large network capacity and create content and technology partnerships to ensure the strong customer experience.

Last month, Airtel received commitment from its single-largest shareholder Singtel, promoters, and GIC Singapore to participate in the Rs 32,000 crore capital raising programme.

Singapore telecom major SingTel said it will infuse Rs 3,750 crore in Bharti Airtel by subscribing to the proposed Rs 25,000 crore rights issue of the company, while GIC Private Limited, on behalf of Singapore government and Monetary Authority of Singapore, has made a commitment of Rs 5,000 crore in the proposed programme.

Indian telecom players, including Airtel and Vodafone Idea Ltd, have outlined mega fund raising programmes to arm themselves with firepower to take on market competition intensified by Reliance Jio as well as pare debt.

Recently, the board of directors of India's largest telecom operator Vodafone Idea cleared the planned Rs 25,000-crore rights issue at a price of Rs 12.50 per equity share.
Singapore government through its sovereign wealth fund GIC has two joint ventures with DLF. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Singapore government on Monday sold 6.8 crore shares of DLF for Rs 1,298 crore through an open market transaction, leading to the realty major's stock plunging over 8 per cent.

Singapore government held around 7.32 crore shares in DLF as on December 31, 2018. These shares were worth 4.11 per cent stake in the realty company.

In a bulk deal transaction on the NSE, Singapore government has sold nearly 6.8 crore shares of DLF at Rs 191.01 per share, translating the deal at Rs 1,298 crore.

Sources said Singapore government has probably sold its share to rejig its portfolio and book profit as the company has significant exposure of about USD 1.7 billion through its two joint ventures.

Singapore government through its sovereign wealth fund GIC has two joint ventures with DLF. In December 2017, GIC invested Rs 9,000 crore to acquire 33.43 per cent stake in DLF's rental arm. It had also invested around Rs 2,000 crore to pick up 50 per cent stake in DLF's two housing projects at Moti Nagar in Delhi.

As per NSE bulk deal data, French investment fund Societe Generale has picked up 2.08 crore shares of DLF at Rs 191 per share.

According to the sources, HSBC and other investors who had participated in DLF's recent QIP issue have also bought shares in this block deal.

The bulk sale of shares by Singapore government has come close in the heels of DLF's Rs 3,200 crore QIP issue where the realty company sold 17.3 crore shares at Rs 183.4 per share.

When contacted, GIC Real Estate Chief Investment Officer Lee Kok Sun said that as a long-term investor, GIC has steadily grown its investments in DLF since 2011.

"Today, we remain invested significantly in DLF across various investment groups in our diversified portfolio... GIC believes in India's long-term potential and will continue to strengthen our partnership with DLF to tap on investing opportunities in India's real estate sector," he said.

Shares of the company closed at Rs 184.60, 8.43 per cent lower on the NSE, while at BSE it cracked 8.36 per cent to Rs 184.65.
Washington: When interior designer Jenny Dina Kirschner was designing a bedroom for her first baby, she wanted to create the healthiest possible space  for her baby and for the environment. She began by choosing healthier paints, natural-fibre rugs and organic fabrics.

Babies put everything in their mouths, Kirschner says. So her goal is to try to protect them as much as possible from exposure to those things that can be avoided.

Creating an eco-friendly nursery has gained new attention lately since news reports have said Britains Prince Harry and Meghan the Duchess of Sussex plan to paint the nursery for their soon-to-be-born royal baby with all-natural, vegan paint.

Thats the general approach taken by Brooke Berrios, an early childhood education teacher, when her son was born six years ago. Berrios, an instructor at the Kremen School of Education and Human Development at California State University, Fresno, was familiar with research into the impact of toxins on childrens brain development.

She painted her sons nursery with non-VOC paint (paint that doesnt contain volatile compounds which give off gases) and bought organic cotton towels and bedding. I always get called a hippie-dippie friend, she says. But toxicity from the environment can have an impact.

What are the best ways to make sure your babys nursery is healthy and has a little negative impact on the environment as possible?

Do some research

Some furniture upholstered with 100% natural fibres may have insides that include formaldehyde, flame retardants or other unhealthy chemicals, Kirschner says, so find out whats in them. High-quality natural fibre rugs can actually last longer than some synthetics. And they can be left undyed, or coloured with vegetable dyes.

Designer Paula Queen, the founder of the childrens decor line Lil Pyar, suggests asking what dyes have been used on the rugs and fabrics you choose for a babys room. Also, ask where the items are being made and whether they will need to be shipped. Buying locally is the greenest option.

Buy for the long term

Interior designer and HGTV host Vern Yip advises parents to choose nursery items that can be used for decades  even generations  to come. Look at furniture thats going into your nursery as long-term furniture, things they can use for their lifetime, he says. We didnt really buy pieces, with the exception of the crib, that was intended for a nursery.

For his childrens nurseries, Yip chose dressers with a removable diaper-changing tray on top, rather than buying a dedicated changing table that his family would get rid of once the kids were out of diapers. He also suggests looking at second-hand furniture and vintage items rather than buying something newly manufactured. These designers also recommend choosing chairs or tables that could be used elsewhere in your home in the future.

And light the room for the long-term: Yip points out that we often leave lights on in a nursery, so choosing long-life LED bulbs is practical on two levels. Tired, busy parents dont have to change light bulbs as often, and LEDs waste far less energy than conventional bulbs.

Opt for items constructed from sustainably grown materials or made with environmental concerns in mind. Queens firm makes small seating pouffes from canvas fabric remnants left over from other manufacturing. We really use every element of material that we can, she says.

Peace of mind

Kirschner points out that some new parents struggle to balance their desire for a healthy space with the convenience of synthetic fabrics and rugs that are easy to clean. Life with babies can be messy.

I have a lot of clients with kids and babies, and they all want these synthetic textiles used everywhere because they are so stain-resistant and virtually indestructible, Kirschner says. As a designer, I have to warn them that these are not healthy.

Parents peace of mind is an important consideration in choosing nursery decor, and eco-friendly choices can bring that, says Lauren Myers, a developmental psychologist at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania.

What babies really need are people who love them and respond to them, Myers says. And if a parent finds the babys environment soothing and stress relieving, that is good for the parent. Too often we forget that what is good for the parent is also good for the baby.
The origin of empathy may lie in the need to understand other individuals. (Photo: Representational/Pixabay)

New Delhi: A recent study suggests that the origin of a broad range of empathetic responses lies in the cognitive simulation. It shifts the theoretical focus from a top-down approach that begins with cooperation to one that begins with a single cognitive mechanism.

According to Fabrizio Mafessoni, lead researcher of the study, published in the journal of Scientific Reports, standard theoretical models of the origins of empathy tend to focus on scenarios in which coordination or cooperation are favoured.

The team of researchers explored the possibility that the cognitive processes underlying a broad range of empathetic responses, including emotional contagion, contagious yawning, and pathologies like echopraxia (compulsive repetition of others' movements) and echolalia (compulsive repetition of others' speech) could evolve in the absence of kin selection or any other mechanism directly favouring cooperation or coordination. The study findings suggest that animals and humans can engage in the act of simulating the minds of others.

We cannot read other minds; they are like black boxes to us. But, as Lachmann explains, all agents share almost identical "black boxes" with members of their species, and "they are constantly running simulations of what other minds might be doing." This ongoing as-actor simulation is not necessarily geared toward cooperation: it's just something humans and animals do spontaneously, the researchers explained.

An example of this process is represented by mirror neurons: it has been known for some time that the same neurons engaged in planning a hand movement are also used when observing the hand movement of others. Mafessoni and Lachmann wondered what the consequences would be if they were to extend that process of understanding to any social interaction.

When they modelled outcomes rooted in cognitive simulation, they found that actors engaged in as-actor simulation produce a variety of systems typically explained in terms of cooperation or kin-selection. They also found that an observer can occasionally coordinate with an actor even when this outcome is not advantageous.

Their model suggests that empathetic systems do not evolve solely because agents are disposed to cooperation and kin-selection. They also evolve because animals simulate others to envision their actions.

"The very origin of empathy may lie in the need to understand other individuals," said Mafessoni. According to the researchers, their model is grounded in a single, cognitive mechanism that unifies a broad set of phenomena under one explanation.

It, therefore, has theoretical import for a wide range of fields, including cognitive psychology, anthropology, neuroscience, complex systems, and evolutionary biology.
A police officer said the gunmen barged into a district hospital and snatched the service weapon of the personal security officer of the RSS leader and then attempted to kill him. (Photo: Representational)

Srinagar: Curfew-like restrictions are being enforced by the security forces in Jammu and Kashmirs Kishtwar town and its neighbourhood after a local leader of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) were shot and wounded by unknown assailants on Tuesday, setting off tensions in the communally sensitive area.

The police guard of the RSS leader was killed in the attack, the police said.

Giving the details of the incident, a police officer said that the gunmen barged into Kishtwars district hospital and snatched the service weapon of the personal security officer of the RSS leader Chandrakanta Singh and then attempted to kill him.

In the ensuing scuffle, the policeman Rajendra Kumar was shot dead by the assailants whereas Singh received minor injuries, the officer said.

A report said that Singh had gone to the hospital for a medical check-up.

Another report, however, said that he works as a medical assistant at the hospital.

The police also said that Singh was a close associate of Bharatiya Janata Partys local leader Anil Parihar who was along with his elder brother Ajit Parihar killed by unknown gunmen in Kishtwar on October 31 last year.

The police had blamed the killing BJP, of the brother duo on terrorists and constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident. However, it has not been able to identify the killers nor have any arrests been made, so far.

Kishtwar is communally sensitive and the town which has an almost equal population of Hindus and Muslims has witnessed communal clashes in the past. The officials said that security restrictions are being enforced in Kishtwar and its neighbourhood after the attack on the RSS leader as a precautionary measure.
Thiruvananthapuram: CPM politburo member Brinda Karat on Mond-ay accused the Congress of being confused par-ty of India which talks about secularism but adopts polices that are detrimental to the secular fabric of the nation.

At the meet the press programme here, Karat said the Congress spoke about fighting the BJP. However, it decides to field its top leader in Kerala where the Left parties are in the forefront fighting the BJP-RSS. Similarly in Uttar Pradesh where the BSP-SP-RLD combine was a major force against the BJP, the Congress has decided to field candidates in all constituencies. She said the secular credentials of Congr-ess ally Muslim League was suspect as the latter was having understanding with most fundamentalist forces.

Karat said that a strong presence of Left was needed in parliament to defend constitutional values which are being trampled upon by the NDA government. We are committed to pro people policies and we are against economic policy of NDA which are aimed at increasing the inequality among rich and poor, she said.

She slammed the BJP manifesto saying it sho-uld have been accountable to the unfulfilled promises made in 2014. The unemployment situation has worsened. After demonetization 1.1 crore jobs were lost, she said. Karat said terror incidents registered an increase by 176 per cent in the past five years exposing the failure of the Modi government.

to deal with the situation. In spite of parliamentary standing committee report after URI which called for strengthening intelligence and security, but Pulwama exposed the failures of the government.

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The agency further said Yadav who claimed to be so unwell that he cannot even remain in jail has now suddenly become physically fit and is seeking bail. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: The CBI on Tuesday opposed in the Supreme Court the bail plea of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, who is serving jail term in connection with fodder scam cases, saying he is likely to indulge in political activities ahead of Lok Sabha polls.

The CBI, which sought nod from a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi to file its response to the bail plea of Yadav, said the RJD leader is likely to get involved in political activities and misuse the grant of bail ahead of upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The probe agency said in any case Yadav has been in a hospital ward for over eight months and indulging in political activities.

"During the period in which the petitioner (Lalu Yadav) remained in hospital, he is not only granted a special paying ward with all facilities but he is virtually conducting his political activities from there which would be clear form the list of visitors," the CBI in its reply said.

The agency further said Yadav who claimed to be so unwell that he cannot even remain in jail has now suddenly become physically fit and is seeking bail.

"It is submitted that simultaneous raising of pleas for bails on medical grounds and bail to guide the party and to carry out all essential responsibilities as a party president in ensuing Lok Sabha elections are mutually contradictory and manifest that in the garb of bail on medical ground the petitioner in essence wants to pursue his political activities which is impermissible in law," the CBI said.

The RJD chief, currently lodged in the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi, has challenged the January 10 verdict of the Jharkhand High Court dismissing his bail plea.

The three cases in which Prasad has been convicted are related to the over Rs 900-crore fodder scam, which pertains to fraudulent withdrawal of money from the treasuries in the Animal Husbandry department in the early 1990s, when Jharkhand was part of Bihar.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, RPI leader Ramdas Athavale and Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadanvis (L) at an election campaign rally at Ausa in Latur district, Maharashtra on Tuesday. (Photo: Rajesh Jadhav)

Ausa (Maha): Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday appeared treading on sensitive ground, as he asked first-time voters to dedicate their vote to those who carried out the air strike in Balakot.

Can your first vote be dedicated to those who carried out the air strike, Mr Modi said, appealing to first-time voters at a poll rally in Latur district of Maharashtra.

I want to tell the first-time voters: can your first vote be dedicated to the veer jawans (valiant soldiers) who carried out the air strike in Pakistan). Can your first vote be dedicated to the veer shaheed (brave martyrs) of Pulwama (terror attack), Mr Modi said.

The PM said the first-time voters should remember that their first vote is something which they will remember for the rest of their lives.

You will always remember to whom did you vote and in which election, Mr Modi said.

Can your first vote be dedicated to (the cause of) providing pucca houses to the poor. Should not your first vote go for providing water in farms of farmers, he said.

Should not you vote for healthcare for all and the Ayushman Bharat scheme, Mr Modi said.

The Election Commission had issued an advisory on March 19, asking parties and their candidates against using pictures of defence force personnel in their campaign material.

...parties/candidates are advised that their campaigners/candidates should desist, as part of their election campaigning, from indulging in any political propaganda involving activities of defence forces, the Commission had said.

Stepping up his attack on the Congress, Mr Modi said had its leaders acted wisely, Pakistan would not have been created.

Pakistan would not have been born in 1947 had Congress leaders acted wisely in the pre Independence era, Mr Modi said.

The Congress partys manifesto speaks the same language as that of Pakistan, he added. Referring to National Conference leader Omar Abdullahs remark, Mr Modi accused the Congress and its ally NCP of standing with those who want a separate prime minister for Jammu and Kashmir.

Hitting out at NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Mr Modi wondered if it behoved the Maratha strongman to join forces with the parties holding such a view.

Under the BJPs watch it is the policy of New India that it will kill terrorists by barging into their dens, he said. Mr Modi said the opposition parties were questioning the valour of the security forces after the Pulwama terror attack and the air strike in Balakot.

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Hyderabad: MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi said on Tuesday that imposing a common civil code was impossible in India as it has a diverse culture and many faiths. Even Hindus will not accept a common code as they are divided into various schools of thoughts which follow different customs and procedures in conjugal and family affairs, he said.

Mr Owaisi was speaking at the last public meeting ahead of the April 11 elections at Khilwat Maidan. He and his brother Akbaruddin Owaisi said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not return to power. Mr Owaisi said that even the Law Commission had opined that imposing a uniform civil code was not possible.

Mr Modi is speaking about a common civil code to deprive us of our culture. The BJP has a mania for Article 44, he said. The article in the Directive Principles speaks of a uniform civil code.

He said the BJP has claimed in the Northeast that the reason for poverty among Muslims was that the community practiced polygamy and had more children. The fact is that non-Muslims have more number of wives according to the Census report of 1971. He said, We give the status of wife to the second woman while in their culture, the second woman is treated as a concubine. He said Mr Modi had claimed that he would stand by women affected by triple talaq. He said a person who has abandoned his own wife cannot take the responsibilities of other women. Your home is deserted, think about your woman first, he said.

Earlier, addressing a Meet the Press Mr. Owaisi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be remembered for mob lynching. He claimed that people who had indulged in mob lynching were all supporters of Modi and were confident that no one could harm them as the Prime Minister supports their mindset.

The incidents of Love Jihad, Ghar Wapsi, mob-lynching and terrorising in the name of the holy cow had increased after Modi became Prime Minister, he said. He said that yesterday in Assam, 70 year old Shoukat was beaten up for selling the beef. The mod attacked him and forced him to eat pork. He also predicted that AP Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu would be defeated.

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Kottayam: The chargesheet against Bishop Franco Mulakkal in the alleged nun rape case was submitted to the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, Pala, by investigating officer K.Subash, deputy superintendent of police, on Tuesday.

The chargesheet with statements and documents covers 2,000 pages in five volumes. There are a total of 83 witnesses, including Major Archbishop Cardinal George Alencherry, Bishop Joseph Kallarangatt of Pala diocese, Bhagalpur Bishop Kurian Valiyakandathil and Bishop Sebastian Vadakkel of the diocese of Ujjain. There are also 25 nuns and 11 priests as witnesses.

The statements of 10 most crucial witnesses were recorded by seven magistrates who will also turn up as witnesses in the case. Along with the chargesheet, 101 documents will also be submitted to the court.

The bishop has been arraigned under Indian Penal Code sections 342 (wrongful confinement), 376 (2k) (rape on a woman incapable of giving consent), 376 (2n) (causing grievous bodily harm during rape), 376 (c) (a) 377 (unnatural offence) and 506 (1) (criminal intimidation). If proved guilty, the bishop may get life-term imprisonment or a minimum imprisonment of not less than 10 years.

Bishop Franco was taken into police custody on September 21 last year.

To prevent the witnesses from turning hostile, the statements were video graphed. Further, a detailed reference of all the pieces of evidence found against the accused during the investigation was submitted in a report along with the chargesheet.

The court is slated to issue summons to the bishop after verifying the chargesheet . Since the charges entail a punishment of more than year, the case will be committed to the principal sessions court in Kottayam within a month or two, said Jithesh J. Babu, special prosecutor.
Guwahati: In what is called to be a case of hate-crime, a mob not only assaulted 68-year-old Shaukat Ali on suspicion of selling beef but also forced him to eat pork in central Assams Biswanath district. However, police has picked up five persons suspected to be a part of the mob.

Assam director general of police Kula Saikia told this newspaper, Police has been asked to take stern action so that no guilty person is spared. I have also directed the SP to ensure that such an incident is not repeated in the future.

On being asked about the identity of the group or people, Mr Saikia said, Till now involvement of any particular group has not come to light. Most of those arrested are village boys.

The incident took place on April 7 in Assams Biswanath Chariali town. It came to light after a video of the incident went viral on social media on Monday.

The video doing the rounds on social media shows as to how an angry mob forced Mr Ali to kneel down in the mud. The crowd also questioned Ali as to why he was selling beef and if he has the license to do so. The irate mob also asked his nationality while suspecting him, to be a Bangladeshi.

According to local police, Mr Ali is a businessman and has been running an eatery in the area for the last 35 years. The mob accused him of selling beef in the weekly market.

However, there is no restriction on sale of beef in Assam.

The situation worsened on Sunday when a mob, which was accusing Mr Ali of selling beef forcibly, entered the eatery and assaulted Shaukat Ali and allegedly forced him to eat pork.
BJP national president Amit Shah at a public meeting at Shamshabad in the city on Tuesday. (Photo: GANDHI)

Hyderabad: Claiming that the people have decided to make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister again, BJP chief Amit Shah on Tuesday said that only Narendra Modi can provide strong government.

Addressing the Vijay Sankalpa Sabha in Shamshabad in the city on Tuesday, Mr Shah said that during the last five years the Modi government has enhanced the countrys stature and its biggest achievement was making the country safe and secure.

There are two camps. One camp is of patriots of BJP led by Narendra Modi and NDA allies, and the other camp is led by Rahul Baba and Gathbandhan, he said.

The manifesto released by the BJP, he claimed, would make India a superpower. Can the desh ke tukde karenge gang and Rahul babas gang provide such a strong leadership and a stable and strong government? He said the entire country was happy when India launched air strikes on Pakistan to destroy the terror camp but there was gloom in Pakistan and in the camp of Rahul Baba and company.

He made it clear that the Narendra Modi-led NDA government does not believe in engaging in peace talks with countries that kill Indian soldiers.

He alleged that the Congress, which enjoyed power for a decade at the Centre, encouraged businessmen like Vijay Mallya to take huge loans and escape.

Criticising the Congress for politicising the Pulwama terror attack, he said, While the whole nation condemned Pakistan, the Congress suspected governments intentions and supported Pakistans claims. They belittled surgical strikes in Balakot.

He asked if the Congress supports the demand of the National Conference for a PM for Kashmir.

Mr Shah wanted to know how winning 16 seats in Telangana state and trying to form the Federal Front will make Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao the Prime Minister of the country.

The Telangana Rashtra Samiti, like the Congress, was a party of family rule, he said, and claimed that only the BJP can work for the countrys development and make it strong.

He claimed that the BJP-led NDA government provided `2.45 lakh crore to TS in five years against Rs 16,500 crore given during 10 years of UPA rule.

Does Mr Rao have the guts to celebrate Telangana liberation day, he queried, and answered his own question with, No, he cant, he fears the Majlis.

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to entertain a writ petition from Congress Leader Amit Panwar seeking a stay on the release of the biopic on PM Narendra Modi ahead of the 2019 general elections.

A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna dismissed the petition holding that since the film, not having yet been certified for release by the CBFC which is the competent authority, the issue agitated before it is premature. Further, even if the certificate is granted, whether the film tilts the balance in favour of any political party is a matter to be looked into by the Election Commission.

The bench said even if the film is released on April 11, as claimed by the petitioner, it would be appropriate for him to seek a redressal from the Election Commission.

We, therefore do not consider it fit to entertain the petition, the bench said.

The CJI asked senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi appearing for the petitioner, What do we stop when even the certification has not been done by the competent authority? And a two-minute promo cant give us the idea of the whole movie. We cant entertain this.

The bench said that it is for the Election Commission of India to take a call on whether the release of the movie and its screening on the date of polls can tilt the balance in favour of the BJP or can disturb the level-playing field and whether the screening can violate the Model Code of Conduct.
"The biggest work that the Modi government did was to secure the nation,' Amit Shah said. (Image: ANI)

Hyderabad: BJP President Amit Shah on Tuesday made a strong pitch for return of the party-led NDA government at the Centre, saying only Prime Minister Narendra Modi can give a strong government.

Addressing an election rally at Shamshabad near here, he also said the BJP's manifesto released Monday was nothing but a document to make the country great.

Referring to the Pulwama terrorist attack and subsequent air strike by India targetting terror camps in Pakistan, Shah asked whether Congress President Rahul Gandhi could give a fitting reply like Modi.

"The biggest work that the Modi government did was to secure the nation," he said.

Shah also sought to know whether the "thukada-thukada gang" and "Rahul baba and company" could give a "capable leadership" to the country.

"Can they give a strong government?. Only and only Modi can give a strong government to the country," he said.

After the air strike carried out by the IAF, there were celebrations everywhere in India, while only at two places there was grief -- one in Pakistan and another in Rahul baba and company's camp," he alleged.

Attacking Telangana Chief Minister and TRS President, K Chandrasekhar Rao, and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi for their alliance, Shah asked, "Can KCR (as the Chief Minister is referred to by many) become PM of this country in any circumstance?"

Noting that the BJP respects the mandate of the people in the recent Assembly elections in Telangana in which the TRS returned to power, Shah pointed out that the coming Lok Sabha elections were to "choose the Prime Minister of the country, to choose Modi and BJP."

He said the Modi government gave Telangana central funds of over Rs 2.45 lakh crore in the last five years, while the previous UPA regime gave only Rs 16,500 crore.

The BJP leader also accused the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) of being a "dynastic party" just like the Congress.
Gandhi has been repeatedly daring Modi to debate with him on issues of national security, especially the Rafale fighter jets deal, asserting that when it happens, the truth will be out in the open. (Photo: Twitter | @INCCongress)

New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday if he was "scared" of debating with him on corruption and suggested that they could go "open book" for it.

Gandhi has been repeatedly daring Modi to debate with him on issues of national security, especially the Rafale fighter jets deal, asserting that when it happens, the truth will be out in the open. The BJP has scoffed at the idea and described the Congress chief as an ignorant politician. "Dear PM, Scared of debating me on corruption? I can make it easier for you. Let's go open book, so you can prepare: 1. RAFALE+Anil Ambani, 2. Nirav Modi, 3. Amit Shah+Demonetisation," Gandhi tweeted with #Scared2Debate.

After releasing the Congress manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls earlier this month, Gandhi had challenged the prime minister to debate with him on the issues of national security, corruption and foreign policy. The Congress has also accused Modi of helping industrialist Anil Ambani make a profit of Rs 30,000 crore by favouring him as the offset partner in the Rafale deal. The government has denied any wrongdoing in the fighter jets deal. Ambani has also rejected all allegations.

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Bengaluru: Hitting out at the Prime Minister, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Tuesday said he has lived in Karnataka, which is in India, and there was no needfor him to learn from Narendra Modi about "patriotism."

"I'm in Karnataka, I also know things, it is not only Modi who knows...Kumaraswamy has lived and is living in Karnataka, in India, I need not learn from Modi on patriotism," Kumaraswamy told reporters here.

Responding to Modi's attack on him during his rallies in the State, he said "We have shed tears when a soldier's wife (Kalavathi, wife of CRPF man Guru who died in Pulwama attack) was made to shed tears in Malavalli."

"Only Narendra Modi has to pat himself on his own back.. that is all..," Kumaraswamy said when asked about Modi criticising opposition leaders including him for questioning air strikes at Balakot in Pakistan.

Modi during a election rally at Chitradurga on Tuesdaysaid the whole world stood with India, but "our Mahamilavati dal here" (Congress-JDS), was condemning Modi instead of Pakistan. "The CM went a step ahead and said the bravery of Indian soldiers should not be spoken, because it will affect their vote bank. I want to ask the CM whether his vote bank is in India or inPakistan? he wondered.

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Hyderabad: Campaigning on the last day in Nalgonda, TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao took on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said, Narendra Modi would have to step down after the Lok Sabha polls, TS chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will play an important role at the Centre.

Addressing the rally as a star campaigner for TRS candidate Vemi Reddy Narasimha Reddy, the pink partys working president said, Telangana state was achieved with two MPs. More can be done if the number of TRS MPs win. If the party secures 16 seats in the Lok Sabha polls, Mr Rao will play a significant role at the Centre.

Mr Modis metre is dwindling. He will have to give up the Prime Minister gaddi to give way for the Federal Front, he added.

Refuting the allegation made by the national parties, that the TRS was the B-team of either the Congress or the BJP, Mr Rama Rao asserted that the TRS was the A-team of the people.

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TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao, partys Malkajgiri candidate Marri Rajashekar Reddy, Quthbullapur MLA Vivekananda Goud and MLC Shambipur Raju in Hyderabad on the final day of the campaign for Lok Sabha elections on Tuesday.

Hyderabad: Political parties entered a crucial 36-hour period before the Lok Sabha elections begin at 8 am on Thursday to ensure their poll management is in place, after the campaign ended at 5 pm on Tuesday.

The TRS started the campaign much ahead of the notification on March 18 and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao intensified his canvassing on March 29 and ended it a day early, on Monday at Vikarabad.

Mr Chandrasekhar Rao has asked voters for all 17 seats to power his Federal Front dream.

TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao closed electioneering for the party with a road show at Nalgonda and top Opposition leaders tried to convince the voters at the last minute. MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi held a public meeting at Khilwat ground.

BJP president Amit Shah addressed meeting on the last day of the campaign, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, BSP supremo Mayawati and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

In all 443 candidates including 299 independents are in the fray for the 17 seats in the state, most notably 180 farmers from Nizamabad.

Mr Chandrasekhar Rao chose his campaign-concluding meeting to give a strong reply to his AP counterpart N. Chandrababu Naidu, who had targeted him throughout the campaign.

He said the BJP and the Congress will not get a majority and the field would be open for a new grouping of arparties. The TRS said the two national parties had failed to deliver and the time had come for regional parties.

Mr Modi targeted Mr Chandrasekhar Rao and the TRS alliance with the MIM and called Mr Owaisi a speedbreaker. The MIM chief in his vigorous campaign targeted Mr Modi and Mr Rahul Gandhi. Mr Gandhi alleged that the BJP and the TRS had a tacit understanding.

During the course of the campaign, incidentally, several leaders defected from their home parties most notably to the TRS and the BJP. The defectors were later given tickets by their new parties, including Ms D.K. Aruna by the BJP and Mr Nama Nageswara Rao by the TRS.

In the process, the Congress is left with 11 MLAs and is in the danger of losing its Leader of Opposition status.

To reach the widest audience, the TRS released leaflets and aired radio spots in nine languages to reach out to non-local voters.

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Hyderabad: The low percentage of voting in Hyderabad in the Assembly elections has political parties worried regarding voting in the April 11 polls. Greater Hyderabad covers Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Malkajgiri and part of Chevella constituencies.

The Assembly elections were held on December 7, a Friday, a holiday. This was followed by a second Saturday and Sunday, and it is thought that voters took off on holidays.

The polling percentage stood at 48.9 in Hyderabad district and 61.29 per cent in Ranga Reddy district against the state average of 73.2 per cent. The GHMC election voting percentage in 2016 stood at 46 per cent.

This time, the election is being held on Thursday, a holiday. If people take the Friday off, they get a four-day break. In this backdrop parties are worried that there will be greater impetus for voters to take holidays, now that the schools are closing.

Besides, a large number of people are believed to be leaving the city to cast their votes in their native states though they have double-registered votes here in the city. TRS leaders said many outsiders living in the city preferred to vote here during the Assembly elections, but this time prefer voting in their native states, more particularly in AP where the Assembly elections are also being held.

According to estimates of political parties, there are about 20 lakh people from other parts of the country living in the Greater Hyderabad region.

The TSRTC Hyderabad region is running more than 1,200 buses towards other districts and 300 special buses to AP. The APSRTC has deployed 350 special services to TS, in addition to the regular buses. The Railways has arranged 35 special trains towards AP, to cater to about additional 50,000 passengers every day. Another 40 trains travel between the two states on normal days.

This is apart from groups of voters hiring taxis. AP political are said to be making arrangements to transport voters home.

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India is going to the polls and the issue of poverty has acquired centre-stage. Some parties are promising the moon to the poor. Congress president Rahul Gandhi has announced that if voted to power, his partys government would give Rs 6,000 per month each to the poorest 20 per cent. This has spawned a national debate not only over poverty but also over how in the past such promises were made to be broken. In a democracy, leaders drink to peoples health, particularly during election time, and the drink is a flurry of announcements. It is understandable since the poor, comprising a large percentage, can dethrone or enthrone anyone. But even during monarchy, the poor rebelled against tyrannical monarchs whose hubris made them impervious to any voice of sanity. Many a time kings took a pounding. So even kings could be indifferent to them at their own risk.

G.M. Trevelyan has written: The worst horrors of failure, of unemployment and of unprovided old age, were not suffered by the poor in England to the same extent as the continental countries The regiments of beggars, such as continued to swarm in the streets of Italy, and of France under Louis XIV, were no longer known over here. The scandal and danger of such congregations had alarmed the Tudor and early Stuart governments: The Poor Law was meant to prevent them, and did prevent them by the only practical method, the relief of distress and the provision of work. That is one reason why there was never anything like the French Revolution in our country, and why the quiet and orderly habits of the people, even in times of distress, continued upon the whole as a national characteristic. The Poor Law involved a long series of experiments and enactments. The local gentry appointed as the Queens Justices of the Peace (JPs) enforced it under the strict surveillance of the Privy Council, which gave utmost priority to the interests of the poor, with which the interests of public order were inextricably intertwined. According to Gregory King, approximately one-fifth of the total population, which was then one million, received occasional alms, mostly by way of public relief paid by the parish.

France Antarctique was a French colony in Brazil which existed between 1555 and 1567. The team of discoverers used to name the newfound lands after their own countries and so it was called France. When a French ship returned home in 1562, it brought three indigenous tribal people, also as was the practice in those days. The French people thronged there to see them. At last, a 12-year-old boy also came to see them. The small boy was none else but Charles IX, the King of France. The King talked to them at length and they were made to see the French pomp and culture and the form of a great city. The philosopher, Michel de Montaigne, was also present during the Kings interaction with the tribals and recorded it in his essay, Of Cannibals (1580). When asked what they found most to be admired in the new country, they said they were baffled by the way many tall men, wearing beards, strong and well-armed, truckled to a child and they did not rather choose out one from themselves to command. Second, they were struck by the huge inequality. They called men in their own language the half of one another. Thus, no one had any existence without the others. Montaigne writes that they had observed that there were amongst us men full and crammed with all manner of commodities, whilst, in the meantime, their halves were begging at their doors, lean and half-starved with hunger and poverty; and they thought it strange that these necessitous halves were able to suffer so great an inequality and injustice, and that they did not take the others by the throats, or set fire to their houses. They were vindicated 227 years hence when the French Revolution broke out.

They were befuddled as inequality was outlandish to them. They believed in collectivism, not independent existence. This reminds me of Ubuntu, a term from the Nguni language in South Africa. It means: I am because we are. So, it is humanity towards others. Nelson Mandela explained its philosophy that it does not mean one should not make efforts for self-aggrandisement, but should one desire to progress along with others? English anthropologist E.E. Evans-Pritchard, in The Nuer: A Description of the Modes of Livelihood and Political Institutions of a Nilotic People, wrote about the Nuer tribe of north-western Africa that in a Nuer village, nobody will remain hungry unless all are hungry. It means people share with others whatever they have, and no one will be allowed to starve till the last morsel is available in

the village.

Reports about the growing number of billionaires and the yawning gap between the affluent and the indigent have become routine and hardly come as a shocker. However, regurgitating the trite, India has now 131 billionaires  the third highest in the world after China and the United States  according to the Harun Rich List 2018. Oxfam Indias India Inequality Report 2018: Widening Gaps rubbishes the trickledown theory of economics, which believes in letting the privileged prance as the profits perforce percolate to the poor. It says that in 2018, the total wealth of Indias billionaires grew by 35 per cent to $440 billion, while the poorest 10 per cent (136 million) remained in debt (worse than destitute) since 2004.

Indias first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in his famous Tryst with Destiny speech at the midnight of August 14-15, 1947 set the goals for a free India: The service of India means the service of the millions who suffer. It means the ending of poverty and ignorance and disease and inequality of opportunity. Though the Constitution of India does not explicitly envisage a welfare state, its directive principles of the state policy talk of welfare of the people and removal of inequality in unequivocal words. Article 38 mandates that the State shall strive to secure a social order for the promotion of the welfare of the people, and to minimise the inequalities in income. The eloquent promises and the constitutional mandates have not been actuated. In 1971, Indira Gandhi rustled up the slogan Garibi hatao (eradicate poverty) and wheedled the doddered hoi polloi into voting for her party. However, the eradication of poverty remained wishful thinking.

If poverty is to be extirpated and society is to usher in egalitarianism, both the State as well as civil society will have to make honest efforts. Demagogy can wangle votes, but cant change society. Nor can the State alone effect such momentous changes. It will happen if people, like the tribals of Brazil, consider everyone as half of one another. Mahatma Gandhi too was worried about the unequal distribution of wealth. But instead of abolishing private property or going for a class war, he propounded the concept of trusteeship: A trustee is one who holds property in trust for another/others. He found that the classes and the masses, as he put it, stood side by side and we could not start with a tabula rasa condition and build a just society in the desired manner.
Global worries were stoked by the live streaming in March of the mass shooting at a mosque in New Zealand on one of Facebooks platforms.

Britain proposed new online safety laws on Monday that would slap penalties on social media companies and technology firms if they fail to protect users from harmful content.

Easy access to damaging material, particularly among young people, has caused growing concern worldwide and came into the spotlight in Britain after the death of 14-year-old schoolgirl Molly Russell, which her parents said came after she had viewed online material on depression and suicide.

Internet companies could face big fines, with bosses also held personally accountable, under rules to be policed by an independent regulator.

In the most serious cases, companies could also be banned from operating in Britain if they do not everything reasonably practical to eradicate harmful content.

We are putting a legal duty of care on these companies to keep users safe; and if they fail to do so, tough punishments will be imposed, Prime Minister Theresa May said in a video posted online.

The era of social media firms regulating themselves is over.

Media Secretary Jeremy Wright said the proposed legislation - the toughest in the world - would apply to any company that allowed users to share or discover content or interact online, such as social media sites, discussion forums, messaging services and search engines.

Governments globally are wrestling over how to better control content on social media platforms, often blamed for encouraging abuse, the spread of online pornography and for influencing or manipulating voters.

Global worries were stoked by the live streaming in March of the mass shooting at a mosque in New Zealand on one of Facebooks platforms, after which Australia said it would fine social media and web-hosting companies and imprison executives if violent content is not removed expeditiously.

TechUK, an industry trade group, said the paper was a significant step forward, but one that needs to be firmed up during its 12-week consultation. It said that some aspects of the governments approach were too vague.

It is vital that the new framework is effective, proportionate and predictable, techUK said in a statement, adding that not all concerns could be addressed through regulation.

Facebook said it was looking forward to working with the government to ensure new regulations were effective, repeating founder Mark Zuckerbergs line that regulations were needed to have a standard approach across platforms.

Rebecca Stimson, Facebooks head of UK public policy, said any new rules should strike a balance between protecting society and supporting innovation and free speech.

These are complex issues to get right and we look forward to working with the government and parliament to ensure new regulations are effective, Stimson said in a statement.

Prime Minister May said that while the internet could be brilliant at connecting people, it had not done enough to protect users, especially children and young people.

We have listened to campaigners and parents, and are putting a legal duty of care on internet companies to keep people safe, she said in a statement.

The duty of care would make companies take more responsibility for the safety of users and tackle the harm caused by content or activity on their services. The regulator, funded by industry in the medium term, will set clear safety standards.

A committee of lawmakers has also demanded that more is done to make political advertising and campaigning on social media more transparent.

It is vital that our electoral law is brought up to date as soon as possible so that social media users know who is contacting them with political messages and why, said Damian Collins, a Conservative MP who chairs the parliamentary committee for digital, culture, media and sport.

Should there be an early election, then emergency legislation should be introduced to achieve this.

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Facebook has toughened the rules in India and political ads now include published by and paid by disclaimers. (Photo: ANI)

Facebook has said it has made strides in its efforts to prevent online abuses in the Indian national election that starts this week but acknowledged that gaps remain in its "election integrity" efforts.

During a media tour of the companys election operations centre at its Menlo Park headquarters in California on Friday, company officials touted new fact-checking efforts for suppressing misinformation and technological advances such as the ability to detect when videos had been doctored.

But Katie Harbath, Facebooks public policy director for global elections, said measures including a better system for verifying the buyers of political advertisements remained imperfect and called for more government regulation of ad-spending disclosures.

Excoriated for failing to stop Russian manipulation in the 2016 US presidential vote, Facebook has ramped up efforts to prevent abuses in subsequent elections, including the 2018 American midterms and the recent Brazilian and Mexican contests. Governments in many countries, including India and the UK, are contemplating strict new regulations for social media companies.

India, where Facebook has more users than in any other country, is shaping up as a major test. On April 1, the company said it had removed more than 500 accounts and 138 pages linked to Indias opposition Congress party for coordinated inauthentic behaviour, Facebooks term for the use of fake accounts and other deceptive methods to promote a message.

It also took down a page with 2 million followers which, according to Facebooks review partner Atlantic Council think tank, was pro-BJP (Indias ruling Bharatiya Janata Party) and a supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Harbath said the company can now quickly detect viral, politically sensitive stories and refer them for fact-checking by outside organisations. The officials also touted heavy investment in technology for detecting doctored videos and text inside pictures but acknowledged that they have been unable to stop some duplicates of videos that have been identified as spurious.

Facebook has partnered with seven fact-checkers in India. If a post is found to be untrue, the company says it reduces the circulation of such fake posts by more than 80 per cent, but slightly modified versions of the same images, video or text can escape detection and spread further.

Reuters earlier this month found instances of edited posts circulating on Facebook which the company's own fact-checkers had said were false.

Deceptive political advertising has become another hot-button problem for the company. Facebook has toughened the rules in India and political ads now include published by and paid by disclaimers. Users can also access a library that allows them to search and find out more about political advertisements.

Harbath said political ad purchases in India now require either a certificate from the Election Commission or a physical address in India, as well as a phone number and group name of the entity purchasing the ad.

While Facebook will check that the address and phone number are legitimate, the company agreed that the same person could make up multiple entities at the same address, without any available record of the original source of money.

This is a great example, we think, of where there needs to be more regulation, Harbath said.

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Virginia: The head of a Pakistani political party based in Maryland has been accused of threatening to behead and slaughter a man and his family in their Virginia home, according to Virginia police.

The accused named, Qaiser Ali, aged 53, from Maryland was arrested on Thursday and is facing a felony charge of promising to kill the unnamed victim and his family via a text message and video in Urdu which was posted on Twitter in November, police said. Police declined to reveal the exact reason that prompted Ali to give these threats.

Ali heads the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, or MQM party which is based in Maryland. The party has a record of creating violence in Pakistan and Pakistani authorities are trying to bring the party down. The human rights group are also very critical of the organization. The party has a strong support in Pakistans largest city, Karachi. The founder of the party, Altaf Hussain, fled Pakistan in the early 1990s and now resides in London.

We are Brother Altaf Hussains loyalist workers, God willing, we will storm through and kill you in the house, read the tweet which was translated by police in Fairfax County.

The victim told police that he feared for his and his familys survival because in the past he knew of people being executed on MQM leaders insistence. Police also informed that Ali and the victim knew each other.

Detective Chad Mahoney, in a detailed mail to The Washington Post said that there was no indication that the suspect made any plans to carry out the threat that was communicated. Mahoney also wrote that police had not uncovered any evidence that Ali had weapons or knew the victims address.

Ali did not immediately respond to messages sent to him on Twitter. His phone number is not listed. Messages to the MQM and the national organization were not returned either.

A thorough investigation was launched in November after the victim saw the Twitter message, which was then filed to obtain information about Alis IP address, according to search warrant. The victim and his two witnesses told police that they were convinced that Ali was responsible for the post. Detectives eventually tied all the threats to Ali, according to the search warrant.

In 2016, Ali was charged in Baltimore with second-degree assault and for having dangerous weapons with intent to harm. Though these charged were eventually dropped.

Ali is due for trial in Fairfax County on Thursday.
Several hundred people seeking asylum have been returned to Mexico to await the outcome of their request. (Photo:AP)

Los Angeles: A US federal judge on Monday blocked President Donald Trump's policy of returning asylum seekers to Mexico to wait out the processing of their cases, saying the Department of Homeland Security had overstepped its authority.

The ruling by US District Judge Richard Seeborg in San Francisco marked a rebuke for the Trump administration's efforts to stop the flow of migrants seeking asylum through the US border with Mexico.

The decision, which goes into effect on Friday, also comes just days after outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen had vowed to expand the controversial program.

Several hundred people seeking asylum have been returned to Mexico to await the outcome of their request under the policy first implemented in January at the San Ysidro port of entry in California and later extended to Calexico, a second California border point, and El Paso, Texas.

Rights groups welcomed the ruling on Monday, saying the return policy known as Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) failed to provide adequate safeguards to protect asylum seekers from persecution.

"The court strongly rejected the Trump administration's unprecedented and illegal policy of forcing asylum seekers to return to Mexico without hearing their claims," said Judy Rabinovitz, deputy director of the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project.

"Try as it may, the Trump administration cannot simply ignore our laws in order to accomplish its goal of preventing people from seeking asylum in the United States.

The ACLU and several other groups, including the Southern Poverty Law Center, had sought an injunction against the policy on behalf of 11 asylum seekers from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala who were returned to Mexico after seeking asylum at the US border.

In his 27-page ruling, Seeborg said at issue was not whether the MPP is "a wise, intelligent, or humane policy" but rather whether it exposes aliens to "unduly dangerous circumstances."

He noted that the plaintiffs in the case were not challenging the "system" of expedited removal.

"Indeed, in essence, plaintiffs are arguing that because they are subject to expedited removal, they should at a minimum have the protections they would enjoy under that regime, either by being exempt from contiguous territorial return, and/or by having additional procedural and substantive protections against being sent to places in which they would not be safe from persectuion," the judge wrote.

There was no immediate reaction from the Department of Homeland Security or Trump on the ruling, which can be appealed.

Trump, who originally dubbed the measure the "Remain in Mexico" policy, unveiled it last year as a series of caravans with thousands of Central American migrants made their way to the US-Mexican border.

He called the caravans an "invasion" by "thugs" and "criminals," and regularly pointed to them as evidence in support of his declaration of a national emergency on the southern border and plans to build a wall there.

Mexico said it was cooperating with US authorities concerning the migrants being sent back, but only for humanitarian reasons.

Migrants who reach US soil have a legal right to seek asylum and are usually held in detention facilities while their application is processed or released into the United States.
The announcement by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo comes as the administration of President Donald Trump has faced pressure from Congress over its response to the killing in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October, which sparked unprecedented international scrutiny of the kingdom's human rights record. (Photo: File)

Washington: The United States on Monday barred entry to 16 Saudi nationals over what it described as their role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The announcement by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo comes as the administration of President Donald Trump has faced pressure from Congress over its response to the killing in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October, which sparked unprecedented international scrutiny of the kingdom's human rights record.

Some US lawmakers have publicly stated that they suspect the powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was directly responsible for the killing, based on the CIA's conclusions.

The State Department previously revoked the visas of nearly two dozen Saudi officials and froze the assets of 17 others.
The two sides wrapped up the latest round of talks in Washington late last week and will be resuming discussions this week remotely. (Photo:AP)

Washington: US officials are "not satisfied yet" about all the issues standing in the way of a deal to end the US-China trade war but made progress in talks with China last week, a top White House official said on Monday.

The United States and China have been embroiled in a tit-for-tat tariff battle since July 2018, roiling global financial markets and supply chains and costing both of the world's two largest economies billions of dollars.

US officials are pressing China to make changes to address longstanding concerns over industrial subsidies, technology transfer and intellectual property rights.

The two sides wrapped up the latest round of talks in Washington late last week and will be resuming discussions this week remotely.

"We're making progress on a range of things, and there's some stuff where we're not satisfied yet," Clete Willems, a top White House trade official, told Reuters on the sidelines of a US Chamber of Commerce event on Monday.

He declined to get into specifics on which issues remained unsettled. Last week, President Donald Trump said a deal could be reached in about four weeks.

Willems also declined to specify a timeline for the pact, noting: "It should be a good sign for people that we're not rushing into this we want to get it right and we need to nail down specifics."

Willems said that the two sides were still trying to settle on how to handle existing tariffs. The United States has slapped tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of Chinese goods, and the Trump administration sees those as leverage to ensure Beijing keeps any promises made in the deal. Chinese officials want the levies removed.

The United States and China have agreed on an enforcement structure that would give Washington the right to retaliate if Beijing was not honouring the terms of the agreement, Willems said.

European Union leaders did not take issues with Chinese trade policy as seriously as they should have in the past, but the United States and the EU are now "working hand in hand" at the World Trade Organization on China's non-market economic policies, Willems said earlier in remarks at the Chamber of Commerce.

The United States and the EU want to work together on joint projects that provide market-based alternatives to state-led initiatives "that can come with strings attached," he said.

This month China is hosting its second summit for its Belt and Road initiative, which envisions connecting China with Asia, Europe and beyond with massive infrastructure spending, but the United States will not be sending high-level officials to the event.

Washington views Beijing as a major strategic rival. The United States has said it views the initiative as a way of spreading Chinese influence overseas and saddling low-income countries with unsustainable debt using opaque projects.

Willems, who has been a key figure in negotiations with China, said last month he will be leaving the White House in the coming weeks to spend more time with his family after the birth of a new baby.
Ghosn was rearrested by prosecutors last week while out on bail in Tokyo after they announced they were investigating new allegations against him. (Photo:AP)

Tokyo: Carlos Ghosn has accused "backstabbing" Nissan executives of a "conspiracy" that led to his arrest, in a video revealed Tuesday by his representatives.

The video was recorded shortly before Ghosn was rearrested last week by prosecutors in Tokyo on new allegations.

He had been out on bail while facing three charges of financial misconduct. In the brief video, played by his lawyers at a press conference, Ghosn repeated that he was "innocent of all the charges that have been brought against me." He denounced a "conspiracy" against him and said events had been "twisted in a way to paint a personage of greed, a personage of dictatorship."

"This is about a plot, this is about conspiracy, this is about backstabbing," he said in the video. Ghosn did not however name specific individuals at Nissan, with his lawyer saying that the defence team had opted to cut parts of the recording that pointed the finger at particular figures.

Former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn, seen on a screen, speaks in a video during a press conference held by his lawyers in Tokyo

Ghosn was rearrested by prosecutors last week while out on bail in Tokyo after they announced they were investigating new allegations against him. A court has extended his detention until April 14, when prosecutors can apply to hold him for an additional 10 days before they must release him unless they bring charges or file new allegations.

Prosecutors said Ghosn had been detained over transfers of Nissan funds totalling USD 15 million between late 2015 and the middle of 2018 to a dealership in Oman. They suspect around USD 5 million of these funds were siphoned off for Ghosn's use, including for the purchase of a luxury yacht and financing personal investments. Prosecutors accuse Ghosn of having "betrayed" his duty not to cause losses to Nissan "in order to benefit himself."

Ghosn already faces three formal charges: two of deferring his salary and concealing that in official shareholders' documents, and a further charge of seeking to shift investment losses to the firm. Ghosn's case has defied expectations from the start, with his shock November 19 arrest after he landed in Tokyo on a private jet.

He spent 108 days in a detention centre in northern Tokyo before being dramatically released on bail of around USD 9 million on March 6, emerging from incarceration dressed in a workman's uniform and face mask in an apparent bid to avoid the media. He then lived in a court-appointed apartment in Tokyo without commenting on his situation despite huge international and Japanese media interest in his case that has shocked and surprised from the beginning.

However, just as reports began to surface that he could be rearrested, Ghosn emerged on Twitter to announce plans to hold a news conference on April 11. His rearrest came just days after news that Renault, which Ghosn also once headed, had handed French prosecutors documents showing suspicious transfers worth million of euros authorised by the auto tycoon.

Shortly after his arrest, his wife Carole -- who had been living in Tokyo with Ghosn while he was on bail -- left Japan. She told a French newspaper she had been forced to flee Tokyo with support from the French ambassador and was able to use her US passport after having to surrender her Lebanese one to prosecutors.
Jerusalem: Israelis voted on Tuesday in a high-stakes election that will decide whether to extend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus long right-wing tenure despite corruption allegations or to replace him with an ex-military chief new to politics.

The vote is expected to be close and likely lead to frantic negotiations to form a coalition once results are in, with opinion polls having shown Netanyahu best placed to do so. Polls were to close at 1900 GMT in most areas and exit surveys will be released afterward. Final results were not expected until early on Wednesday.

Ex-military chief Benny Gantz has mounted a strong challenge to the veteran prime minister by brandishing his security credentials while pledging to undo damage he says Netanyahu has inflicted on the country with divisive politics.

I'm happy to stand for the good of the citizens on a new path, Gantz said after casting his ballot in his hometown of Rosh Haayin.

We shall respect democracy and call for a respectful and quiet day from all sides. Netanyahu voted later in Jerusalem and urged Israelis to choose well. This is a sacred act, the essence of democracy, and we should be thankful for that, he said. God willing, Israel will win. The election was in many ways a referendum on the 69-year-old who has built a reputation as guarantor of the country's security and economic growth, but whose populism and alleged corruption have left many ready for change.

He has engaged in populist rhetoric that critics say amounts to the demonisation of Arab Israelis and others.

True to form, Netanyahu issued a deeply controversial pledge only three days before the election, saying he planned to annex settlements in the occupied West Bank should he win.

Extending Israeli sovereignty on a large-scale in the West Bank could be the death knell to already fading hopes for a two-state solution with the Palestinians.
Sydney: Australias hardline immigration minister was swept up in the deepening saga over Chinese meddling in domestic politics on Tuesday, delivering another blow to a government facing defeat in next months election.

An investigation by national broadcaster ABC revealed that Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton met privately in 2016 with Chinese billionaire Huang Xiangmo to discuss obtaining Australian citizenship.

Huang has been at the centre of a series of scandals including accusations he bought influence in Canberra with millions in donations to major political parties. He has long denied any wrongdoing.

The ABC alleged Huang paid a lobbyist thousands of dollars for private access to Dutton, throwing Australia's governing coalition into the foreign interference saga even as it trails in polls ahead of an expected May 18 election.

Huang was eventually denied citizenship on the advice of Australian spy agencies and barred last month from the country on suspicions he is part of a Communist Party influence campaign.

Dutton on Tuesday dismissed allegations of interference as nonsense.

I have never received a dollar from this individual. I had one meeting with him over lunch. I have never seen him since, he told reporters.

In response to ABC's report, China's foreign ministry reiterated its position of non-interference in any country's internal affairs.

We also hope that media can objectively and fairly report on China's foreign policy ... and not upset China-Australia relations, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a regular press briefing.

Former opposition Labor party senator Sam Dastyari, who was forced to quit politics because of his ties to Huang, told the ABC Dutton in 2015 fast-tracked a request for the billionaire's family to hold a citizenship ceremony.

Dastyari said it blew him away when Dutton took a few weeks to approve a fast-track request that would typically take months to rubber stamp.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison defended his government on Tuesday, labelling Dastyari a disgrace for betraying his country.

But former prime minister Malcolm Turnbullsaid the ABC report was very concerning.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 9)  Two Abu Sayyaf members were killed in a firefight with government troops in Patikul, Sulu on Monday, the military said.

In a press release Tuesday, Joint Task Force Sulu identified the casualties as Barak Ingog  "one of the facilitators" of the deadly twin blasts in a Jolo, Sulu cathedral which left 23 people dead and around a hundred wounded last January 27  and Nasser Sawadjaan, the nephew of Abu Sayyaf leader Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan, alleged mastermind of the fatal bombing and the supposed acting leader of international terrorist network ISIS in the Philippines.

The two bodies were left by fleeing Abu Sayyaf fighters after the 50-minute gun battle with the 41st Infantry Battalion in Barangay Bangkal at 3:45 p.m. on Monday. The soldiers encountered around 40 Abu Sayyaf members and recovered an M16 rifle and some personal belongings.

Three soldiers sustained shrapnel wounds and were brought to Kuta Heneral Teodulfo Bautista Station Hospital in Jolo for treatment.

The military believes another "high-value" Abu Sayyaf sub-leader could have been killed as intelligence sources said he has been missing and was presumed to be dead by the bandits themselves.

The military also reported that two other Abu Sayyaf members surrendered to authorities and handed over their firearms in a separate occasion on Monday.

Joint Task Force Sulu described Monday's events as "another blow" to the Abu Sayyaf group, which also lost three members in a rescue mission last Friday. An Indonesian kidnap victim was rescued, while another drowned during the operation.

The Abu Sayyaf, notorious for kidnappings and beheadings, is among terrorist groups cited by President Rodrigo Duterte in justifying the need to impose martial law in Mindanao until December 31 this year.
A total of 166 people were killed in the attack carried out by 10 LeT men in Mumbai. (File Photo)

Islamabad: Pakistan's top investigative agency has approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to seek the cancellation of the bail of LeT operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has filed an appeal in the IHC seeking cancellation of the post-arrest bail of Zakiur Lakhvi.

Hearing the appeal, a division bench of the IHC today asked authorities to provide the record of the Mumbai attack case in two weeks.

The record of the case is currently with an Islamabad-based Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) which was holding trial of Zakiur Lakhavi and other accused arrested in the case.

Seven LeT suspects -- Lakhvi, Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jamil Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younis Anjum -- are facing charges of abetment to murder, attempted murder, planning and executing the Mumbai attack since 2009.

The ATC on December 18, 2014, granted the post-arrest bail to Zakiur Lakhvi and set him free. He has been living in an undisclosed location since then.

The FIA in its appeal argued that it has enough evidence against Zakiur Lakhavi and his post-arrest bail should be cancelled so that he can be re-arrested and probed.

"In the present case, the learned trial judge (of ATC) after the terrorist attack in Islamabad courts (of March 2013) refused to visit Adiala Jail for a long time due to security reasons," the FIA said in its appeal against the ATC judge's order, Dawn reported.

"Even the prosecutors of this case have been receiving threats through cell phones during the proceedings which were duly conveyed to the concerned authorities. The witnesses are also not secured, and reluctant to depose against the accused persons in the given situation," it added.

The court, after hearing the argument from the FIA and Zakiur Lakhvi's lawyer, ordered to provide the record of the case in two weeks.

A total of 166 people were killed in the attack carried out by 10 LeT men in Mumbai. Nine of the attackers were killed by police while lone survivor Ajmal Kasab was caught and hanged after getting a death sentence in India.
The IAF had issued a similar statement on Friday asserting that it shot down an F-16 in Nowshera sector after leading American magazine 'Foreign Policy' reported that a US count of the F-16s with Pakistan has found that none of them are missing. (Representational Image)

Islamabad: The Pakistan Army on Monday said India has failed to provide any evidence of downing a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet during the February 27 aerial combat over Nowshera in Jammu and Kashmir, despite claiming that it has proof of the incident.

The statement came hours after the Indian Air Force on Monday released radar images as part of its "irrefutable evidence" to assert that it shot down an F-16 fighter jet of Pakistan during the airstrike.

In a tweet, Pakistani military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said, "Repetitions don't make truth of a lie. Despite claiming possession of evidence on shooting F16, IAF still short of presenting it."

Graphic captures from an airborne warning and control system (AWACS) were shown by the IAF in New Delhi at a media briefing, reiterating that it has credible evidence that Pakistan Air Force (PAF) lost an F-16 fighter jet in the aerial engagement.

The IAF had issued a similar statement on Friday asserting that it shot down an F-16 in Nowshera sector after leading American magazine 'Foreign Policy' reported that a US count of the F-16s with Pakistan has found that none of them are missing.

Air Vice Marshal RGK Kapoor, the Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Operations and Space), said the IAF has more credible information and evidence that is clearly indicative of the fact that PAF has lost one F-16 in the air action on February 27.

"However, due to security and confidentiality concerns, we are restricting the information being shared in the public domain." India has been maintaining that IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman had engaged with one of the Pakistani F-16s and shot it down before his Mig-21 Bison was downed, but Pakistan has denied losing any aircraft in the combat.

Varthaman was captured by Pakistan and was released after spending nearly 60 hours in Pakistani custody. Ghafoor also reiterated that Pakistan destroyed two Indian jets and claimed the "wreckage seen on ground by all".
Launching a vitriolic against the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the grand old party of creating Pakistan. He blamed the Congress leadership for not standing up and preventing the Partition in 1947, claiming that Pakistan would never have existed in the first place and that the Congress is responsible for its creation.

He also lashed out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi for "pursuing dynastic policies" and promises, just like his father Rajiv Gandhi and mother Indira Gandhi did.

He claimed that the Congress manifesto was to strengthen one family of the "naamdar", a reference to the Nehru-Gandhi family.

"While the BJPs manifesto was to strengthen the country, the Congress manifesto was only for votes, the BJPs manifesto is for the voters with a new vision for India," he said.

PM gels with Uddhav

The Congress was responsible for disenfranchising late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, prime minister Narendra Modi said. He was sharing a public platform with Uddhav Thackeray for the first time in four years.

During the rally, he described Uddhav as his "chhota bhai" (younger brother) and praised the Thackeray family for never accepting a position of power.

"If Balasaheb wanted, he could have been chief minister, if Uddhav ji wanted, he could have been the chief minister... the family never took that route," Modi said.
As a piece of domestic violence legislation that removes guns from those under a protection from abuse order becomes law today, that bills champion  state Sen. Tom Killion, R-9 of Middletown  is setting his sights on further restrictions against those who might use firearms to harm themselves and others.

Were going to go through the same process, were going to work with all the stakeholders, including the (National Rifle Association) and explain that its common sense, said Killion. Its not anti-gun; its just a life safety bill.

Gov. Tom Wolf signed Act 79 into law Oct. 12, 2018, which requires individuals subject to a protection from abuse order to surrender all firearms in their possession to a law enforcement agency, federally licensed firearms dealer or their lawyer within 48 hours.

The law drastically amends a previous timeframe of 60 days to turn over weapons and eliminates the ability to hand the firearms over to a third party such as a relative or neighbor. Defendants in final protection-from-abuse cases will also now have to hand over their guns within 24 hours.

The bill as proposed by Killion originally passed the state Senate 49-0. State Rep. Marguerite Quinn, R-143 of Doylestown, put the language from Killions bill into her own, House Bill 2060, which was later adopted by the Senate and became the law signed by Wolf last year.

With Act 79, victims of domestic abuse will know that Pennsylvania is working to protect them from their abusers, Wolf said in a release Tuesday. The incidents of domestic violence where guns are involved in our commonwealth prove that this commonsense law is an important step to protect victims of domestic abuse, save lives, and hold abusers accountable for their actions. I thank the many advocates and our General Assembly for passage of House Bill 2060, now Act 79.

The potential impact of the law was thrown into stark relief March 28, when 37-year-old Stephanie Miller was gunned down inside a Wawa in Radnor. Millers ex-husband, Brian Kennedy, 34, of the Devon section of Tredyffrin Township, is facing first-degree murder charges in that shooting.

Miller had previously obtained a PFA against Kennedy in Delaware County that expired in September. Delaware County District Attorney Katayoun Copeland said the PFA was issued following a 2016 incident at the same Wawa store, during which police allege Kennedy threatened to kill Miller.

Kennedy legally purchased an AR-15 style rifle March 16, according to Copeland. He passed a background check that showed he had no convictions legally preventing him from obtaining the weapon, Copeland said.

Killion said he is now working closely with state Rep. Todd Stephens, R-151 of Montgomery County, to gain support for an Extreme Risk Protection Order bill, also known as a red flag or ERPO law.

Hundreds of supporters attended a rally organized by Pennsylvania Moms Demand Action at the state Capitol Monday for that legislation, including Wolf, state Rep. Jennifer OMara, D-165 of Springfield, Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, and state Sens. Jay Costa, D-43 of Pittsburgh, and Art Haywood, D-4 of Cheltenham.

Killion said he has 15 co-sponsors including himself on Senate Bill 90, which would provide a mechanism to temporarily remove firearms from individuals who pose a danger to themselves and others.

One hundred people die every day from gun violence in this country, and two-thirds of these deaths are suicides, he said. My Extreme Risk Protection Order bill allows police officers and loved ones to petition the courts to temporarily remove weapons from disturbed and dangerous people. It will save lives.

Stephens, prime sponsor of House Bill 1075, the House version of the same bill, said at a similar event in Media last week that the proposed legislation contains many more due process considerations than the only current alternative, involuntary commitment, which removes people from society completely and results in the permanent surrender of guns.

In this process, theres a judicial determination at every step, said Stephens. The individual will have a full hearing within 10 days and at that full hearing, theyll have the opportunity to present their own evidence, theyll have the opportunity to cross-examine any witnesses, theyll have the opportunity to call any witnesses that they would like to call and, most importantly, theyll have the right to be represented by a lawyer. None of those rights exist with the involuntary commitment process.

Stephens said the name of the gun owner would be posted to databases used by firearms dealers and he or she would not be able to purchase new guns if a judge deems them a possible threat. The judge would set a time frame for return of the guns within three months to one year, according to Stephens, though that could be extended or end early, depending on the individual situation.

Of the approximately 1,500 firearm-related deaths in Pennsylvania each year, Killion said 62 percent are suicides. OMaras father, a career firefighter in Philadelphia, was among them when he took his own life in 2003.

OMara said last week that she was 13 years old at the time and that her father had cried on her shoulder about a week beforehand. She said it was the only time she ever saw him cry and that she knew something was wrong, but did not know what to do about it.

This was a tragedy that sent my family reeling, OMara said. More first responders are dying by suicide than in the line of duty. ERPO laws would have been a tool that my family could have used to try and save my father.

Also speaking at Mondays rally was Robert Schentrup, whose sister Carmen was among the 17 fatal victims of a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida last year.

Schentrup said the shooter who killed his sister had demonstrated a pattern of disturbing behavior, but law enforcement . Law enforcement visited the shooters house forty times prior to the shooting, he said, but did not have the authority to remove firearms from the home.

Extreme Risk Protection Order legislation is something that could have directly impacted the tragedy that affects me, he said. Extreme Risk Protection Orders are not only useful for mass shootings, but they are also imperative for helping reduce the suicide epidemic that we see in this country. We need to make sure we have a tool for the intervention in these situations.
CHESTER  As an investigation continues into the cause of a fire that resulted in the death of a city man and one of his two young sons over the weekend, city firefighters and members of the American Red Cross returned to the neighborhood Monday afternoon to reinforce fire safety measures, including the importance of working smoke detectors.

Its something we do after a fatal fire, said city Fire Commissioner William C. Rigby IV, referring to a canvass of the neighborhood at Second Street and Concord Avenue. We go door to door.

Meanwhile, a candlelight vigil was planned Monday night at the scene to pray for and uplift the family of 7-year-old James Comeger, according to city organizer Fred Green.

The boy and his father, who was identified by family members as 43-year-old Ralph Freeman, died early Sunday. A second child, a 4-year-old boy, remains hospitalized at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, according to a family post on Facebook.

It was about 3 a.m. Sunday when the blaze broke out in the building. Firefighters were initially called the building at the intersection of Second Street and Concord Avenue when a passing truck driver is believed to have noticed flames called for help. The fire quickly went to two alarms.

The building in question used to house businesses on the first floor and apartments on the second, but was supposed to have been vacant for some time, according to Rigby.

Police Chief James Nolan IV said Monday the family had been illegally squatting for at least four months, and during that time created barricades inside that authorities assume were erected to provide protection from outsiders.

Because they were there illegally, they barricaded themselves in. The problem with this is it made it very difficult for firefighters to get in, Nolan said.

The man and his two children were discovered by firefighters. The man was pronounced dead at the scene, while the two children were rushed to Crozer-Chester Medical Center where James died. the other was subsequently transferred to CHOP.

According to Nolan, understanding the circumstances that led to the family to take refuge in the vacant building is part of the investigation.

We intend to conduct a full investigation, said Nolan, citing a joint probe involving the city police, the citys License and Inspection Department, the Delaware County District Attorneys office, Pennsylvania State Police and PECO.

These people were squatters and based on preliminary information, it looks like there was an illegal hookup for electricity, Nolan said of a potential cause. Obviously, it is still under investigation, but preliminarily that is the highest probability.

A GoFundMe page has been established to raise money to help with burial expenses for James Comeger.

He was a loving and good kid who attended Chester Community Charter School, the GoFundMe narrative states.

 ROSE QUINN
An undercover operation by joint agencies targeting online child-sex offenders resulted in seven arrests, including two individuals from Delaware County and one from Chester County.

Arrested were Kenneth Albert Ruzat, 54, of Trainer, and Anthony Quairoli, 22, of the Essington section of Tinicum, both in Delaware County; and James Robert Harrison, 56, of West Chester, in Chester County, according to a release issued by the Pennsylvania State Police and the Pennsylvania Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

State police, jointly with the Delaware County District Attorneys office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Tinicum police, Ridley Township police, the FBI and other local police departments conducted the operation from April 4-6. The three-day operation took place in Chester and Delaware counties, and included various meeting locations.

During the three-day operation, several individuals used various social media platforms to contact undercover investigators posing online as 13- and 15-year-old boys and girls, the release states. During those communications, seven individuals asked to meet for sexual encounters.

When they arrived at the prearranged meeting locations, the alleged offenders were met by undercover officers and taken into custody.

Ruzat and Harrison are both charged with criminal attempted involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a person less than 16 years of age, unlawful contact with a minor involving sexual offenses and criminal use of a communication facility, according to online court records. Harrison is additionally charged with use or possession of drug paraphernalia.

Quairoli is charged with attempted rape of a child, criminal solicitation involving rape of a child, attempted involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, solicitation to involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, attempted statutory sexual assault, statutory sexual assault, attempted unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of minors and criminal use of a communication facility.

Ruzat and Quairoli are both free after posting 10 percent of $100,000 bail. Harrison is free after posting $150,000 cash bail.

Another individual from Hatfield was also charged, as were individuals from Maryland, Nevada and Massachusetts.

I commend the Pennsylvania State Police, our Delaware County District Attorneys office ICAC Task Force, and our ICAC partners for their rigorous efforts to conduct this successful operation to remove these dangerous criminals and prevent them from targeting anymore youth, Delaware County District Attorney Katayoun Copeland stated in the release. The actions of these individuals serve as an important reminder to parents of the need to protect their children from those who relentlessly prey upon them using the internet.

Ruzat and Quairoli are listed to appear for preliminary hearings on April 15 before Magisterial District Judge Jack Lippart in Delaware County. Harrison has a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 15, continued from April 10, before Magisterial District Judge Gregory Hines in Chester County, online records show.

 ROSE QUINN
UPPER DARBY- A township man has been arrested in connection with a couple of luring incidents in which police allege he also exposed himself to young girls.

Eudy Najera-Arita, 25, from Upper Darby has been charged with two luring attempts of children police announced early Tuesday. He was arraigned Tuesday morning on felony counts of luring a child into a motor vehicle and corruption of a minor, plus misdemeanor counts of luring a child into a motor vehicle and indecent exposure.

He was remanded to the George W. Hill Correctional Facility in Concord for failing to post cash bail of $300,000.

Township police over the weekend indicated they were searching for a Hispanic man driving a 2016 Toyota Corolla who first asked girls to get into his car and then exposed himself in the incidents Friday.

Around 3 p.m. that day, police said a Hispanic male in his 20s or 30s in a Corolla approached a 12-year-old girl in the area of Long Lane and Clinton Road and asked her to get into the car with him.

Police said she said no and ran home.

Twenty minutes later, police said they received a report of a Hispanic male in his 20s or 30s asking a 16-year-old girl to get into the car with him.

When the girl threatened to call her father, the man drove away, according to police.

The victims are credible, Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said over the weekend, adding that they dont know each other. In this particular case, I think we have to be on the lookout for the automobile. Well get this guy.

The suspect was described as having a medium build, possibly sporting a beard and wearing a multi-color striped T-shirt and shorts.

The vehicle was believed to be a dark gray/silver or blue sedan with tinted windows. It is a 2016 Toyota Corolla with Pennsylvania registration tags. Police said the license plate is slightly distorted, which make it difficult to run it through the PennDOT database. Chitwood on Monday afternoon said police were still trying to identify the tags on the vehicle taking from surveillance footage capturing the attempted luring.

According to Chitwood, they never identified the entire tag, but the last four figures of the suspected cars plates and an identifying sticker on the car were circulated locally to police Monday night. Officer John Millison was on patrol in the 7100 block of Ruskin Lane around 8:30 p.m. Monday when he pulled over a car matching the police description.

When the driver of the car, who turned to be Najera-Arita, was asked to go to police headquarters to answer questions about the luring incidents, he agreed.

Chitwood said Najera-Arita admitted to luring the two girls, but, He said he wasnt playing with his genitals.

They must have come out of his zipper front because he didnt have underwear on, is how the indecent exposure claim was accounted for said Chitwood.

He was arrested and held at the station overnight until his arraignment Tuesday morning.

Chitwood said this was a great collaboration among the community and good police work.

That was a neighborhood that was concerned, parents of children who were extremely concerned, he said. I still wonder what would have happened if one or both of those girls got into that car.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had been contacted in this case because Nareja-Arita is an undocumented citizen from Honduras. He has no prior records according to Chitwood.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 26 at 8:30 a.m. before Magisterial District Judge Christopher Mattox.
Transporteurs axe Ngaoundere-Ndjamena Archives

According to a report published by the African Development Bank(AfDB) on his website, in order to ascertain the level of insecurity faced by transporters using the Douala-NDjamena corridor, the Bank concluded that these users still suffer from extortion perpetrated by rebel forces trying to take power in the Central African Republic.

The Banks officials expressed dismay that despite a United Nations escort team deployed along this corridor to protect transporters and other users of the road axis, nearly 5,000 truck drivers say Central African rebels take over FCFA 150Million per trip, from Cameroonian truck drivers.

Popular site, Business in Cameroon, revealed that it was in an attempt to learn more about time and formalities required to cross borders within the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC), that the study was conducted within the first months of 2019, across Douala to Bangui(Central African Republic) and N'Djamena (Chad).

The report disclosed that the 1,500 km road is the main axis on the Douala - Yaounde -Bonis - Bertoua - Garoua-Boulai  Bangui segment, the Douala-Bangui and Douala-Ndjamena corridors are served by a little more than 5,000 trucks and the existing agreement provides for 60% Cameroonian truck drivers and 40% Central African transporters by heavy duty trucks. But, according to the AfDB, only five Central African carriers operate on this axis. This implies, the remaining 4,995 are all Cameroonians.

The AfDB noted with dismay, that it takes between five to eight days for a transporter to complete a journey along this stretch of road because of the numerous checkpoints and weighing stations. The surveyors identified 60 checkpoints between Douala and Garoua-Boulai and each truck driver pays between FCFA 3,500 FCFA and FCFA 5,500 at each point. This means, the 4,995 Cameroonian truck drivers pay between FCFA 17.4M and FCFA 27.4M per trip even though there are no rest areas provided for transporters, thus increasing the risk of accidents.

The high level of insecurity between Garoua-Boulai and Bangui requires convoys to travel under UN or Central African Armed Forces to escort them three times a week. Escort fee is $50; which is about FCFA30,000 per truck and per trip from both Garoua-Boulai and Bangui.

Cameroonian drivers thus pay about FCFA150M per trip, the analysts concluded. The AfDB report further indicated that, there is the payment to the Central African rebels of $10 per driver departing Garoua-Boulai, despite the presence of the UN or Central African escort. Implying, Central African rebels receive from 4,995 Cameroonian truck transporters an amount of FCFA 27.47M per trip despite the presence of UN escorts.

At the Beloko border on both the Cameroonian and Central African sides, each driver must pay $32; which is about FCDA 18,600 to cross the border without a receipt. That is nearly FCFA 93M for all Cameroonian drivers on each trip. In total, Cameroonian truckers pay between FCFA287.8 and FCFA 297.87M per trip on the Douala-Bangui corridor.
Elie Smith, journaliste Archives

The Spokesperson for the Anglophone General Conference, journalist and blogger, Elie Smith has in a recent post, explained how he passed his fourth journey to the North West region during the month of March, as government soldiers are continuously blamed for committing crimes against humanity ,on the heels of the sociopolitical unrest, going on in the Anglophone regions.





As part of its mission to lobby for support and participation at the anticipated Anglophone General Conference, Elie Smith concludes his note through the voice of a citizen who says, the Amba boys do commit their own share of horrors, but not at the scale and impunity carried out by Cameroonian security forces.

From the moment he lands at the airport in Bafut, and driving through the airport to the heart of Bamenda, Smith says, nothing seems normal, unlike the picture government attempts to paint. He paid allusion to abandoned and uncompleted buildings, exhausted government soldiers and more.

At the Bishops house in Bamenda, he recounts how discussions focused on atrocities mostly perpetrated by Cameroonian soldiers and some instances by armed separatists, locally called ,Amba Boys. He said from evidences on the table, one could have the impression that most of the priest were sympathetic to the secessionist movement. He recounts how at dinner with the Archbishop of the Bamenda ecclesiastical province, His Grace Cornelius Esua, he got his first gunshots of the day, with the later consoling him that it was a normal thing to the people of Bamenda.

He quoted the Archbishop regrets when he said this is Bamenda. The regular army and the armed groups are communicating using their weapons to signal their presence, hence the gunshots you are hearing. He went on: the army and the government are responsible for all these. Our schools are closed. In fact there are no schools in the region. Killing has become so banal that, people no longer fear corpses that are found along the streets on Bamenda. The other day, a man was killed by soldiers and abandoned in front of the Bishops house for more than three days while soldiers were posted around waiting for anyone who wanted to reclaim the body and will either be killed or arrested. The Archbishop continued, Those regular gunshots that have become a regular feature here and they punctuates the nights in Bamenda are referred to as pop corns.

Elie Smith also indicates that the Men of God presented to him a witness of military brutality and extortion.

" He is a witness and survivor of Cameroons military brutality and extortion. They told me, he had FCFA 350 thousand given him by his parents to go and pay the school fees of his younger brother, but was intercepted by soldiers; the money seized from and to justify their seizure of his money, they claimed the money was meant to give financial support to the Amba boys. As though it was not enough, they decided to execute the young man. And the only pleas they could listen was when the young man said, they should allow him to kneel down and pray before they could kill him. Despite the fact that he was praying they shot at him at close range destroying his jaw and they almost dug a pit to bury him. What prevented them from burying him is not known, Smith quoting the priests.

The fear of military brutality as indicated in the report, pushed women to run away from soldiers, abandoning their baby, who was later thrown into hot oil, as reported by Smith. The story says three months ago, women in artisanal manner were preparing oil from palm nuts and when they saw a convoy of soldiers passing, they ran, abandoning the baby. Elie quotes the prelates saying these soldiers allegedly threw the baby into the boiling pot. The incident occurred around a village between Mamfe and Widikum.

This comes to the numerous violations allegedly perpetrated by Cameroonian soldiers in the North West and South West region, although government continues to deny these claims, stating they have professional soldiers who have been trained to respect human life. The Anglophone General Conference(AGC), has been in talks with all parties, who can contribute to lasting solutions to the ongoing unrest in the Anglophone regions. Elie Smith and other members, were also in the United States lately, where they discussed possibilities of separatists to participate at the said conference.
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WEST BOUNTIFUL  A small plane landed in a field just east of Legacy Parkway on Monday after losing fuel pressure, police said.

Both pilots were uninjured, according to a Woods Cross police tweet. West Bountiful police and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the incident.

The Diamond DA40 four-seat plane was performing touch-and-go landings at the Skypark Airport in Woods Cross when the engine lost power, according to Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer. The aircraft landed at about 500 South near a fence that separates the field from the Legacy Parkway Trail just after 2 p.m.

More information will be posted as it becomes available.
"The Rivals," through April 14, University of Utah Department of Theatre, Babcock Theatre, 300 S. University (801-581-7100 or tickets.utah.edu), running time: 3 hours (one intermission).

SALT LAKE CITY  "The Rivals," presented by the University of Utah Department of Theatre, combines witty satire with slapstick comedy that kept the audience laughing from beginning to end on its opening night this past Friday.

Written in 1775 by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, the play takes place in Bath, England. The plot centers around the love between Lydia Languish, played by Savannah Moffat, and Captain Jack Absolute, played by Harrison Lind, and the misadventures they encounter due to their behavior and the characters surrounding them. Lydia is obsessed with romance novels and wants her life to resemble one. In order to woo her, the wealthy Jack masquerades as a penniless man named Ensign Beverley who appeals to her overly romantic sensibilities.

His plan goes awry when Lydia's guardian Mrs. Malaprop, played by Emily Nash, and his father Sir Anthony Absolute, played by Connor Johnson, hatch a plan to arrange a marriage between Lydia and the real Jack. He contrives many more lies to pass as Ensign for Lydia, while not giving himself away to their guardians.

Jack's lie is obvious. He is literally pretending to be someone else, but throughout the show, they all wear a mask of sorts. The maid Lucy, played by Clare Vaughan, pretends to be stupid to take advantage of the wealthy surrounding her. One of Lydia's many suitors, Bob Acres, played by Nathan Vaughn, pretends to be a great fighter when he challenges Ensign to a duel. And Mrs. Malaprop tries to be seen as properly educated, but in her attempts to be well-spoken she often misuses words. This running gag became famous, coining the word "malapropism." Some of her most memorable mistakes are when she says, "He is the very pineapple of politeness!" rather than "pinnacle" and "no delusions to the past" rather than "allusions."

They are all like caricatures Sheridan uses to illustrate his theme. This can even be seen in their names like "Languish" and "Absolute."

Despite the lies, the characters reveal their true thoughts by speaking directly to the audience. Though the play centers around the love between Lydia and Jack, more than that it is about the hypocrisy of all the characters. Sheridan's play is less about love and more about satirizing over-the-top notions of love.

Lydia is blind to how happy she could be with Jack because she believes love should be full of drama like it is in the books she reads. Moffat did an excellent job portraying the childishness of this attitude, often shaking her fists or stomping her feet in the mannerisms of an over-excited young girl. She is similar to a modern fangirl, too caught up in her imagination to see reality.

The false ideas of love are also shown in the romance between Faulkland, played by Benjamin Nevarez, and Julia Melville, played by Jessica Weyman. Faulkland claims to be in love with Julia but is too caught up in jealousy to be happy with her. Her every word and attitude send him spiraling into doubts about her motives and if she truly loves him. He, too, has notions of how someone in love should act, and nothing Julia does is enough to alleviate his insecurity.

By fully committing to the ridiculousness of their characters, each actor did their part making "The Rivals" the delight it was. Whether it was Mrs. Malaprop's pretensions, Faulkland's insecurities or Lydia's childishness, they were all hilarious enough to keep the audience entertained rather than annoyed by the characters' idiosyncrasies.

Content advisory: "The Rivals" contains mild language and innuendos.
In an appearance on Meet the Press Sunday, Utah Sen. Mitt Romney said solutions at the southern border will take legislation, and that the president has the capacity to bring together top leaders in both parties to craft such a deal.

This is a version of something many Americans have understood for well over a decade, back at least to when George W. Bush was president and trying in vain to broker a compromise on the subject.

Its true, of course. But in order for that to happen, both sides, as well as supporters of political parties and special interest groups, must become more interested in bridges than in wedges. That can be frustrated by the belief that wedges  maintaining stark differences between parties on key issues  are good for fundraising, and by the special-interest money pouring into campaigns. This has been true on issues as diverse as the disposition of public lands and health care reform. It is a criticism that can be leveled against each party. It is manifest every time the party in power passes legislation without any support from or compromise with the other party, or when a president enacts solutions through legally questionable executive orders.

It is especially true with immigration.

President Trump has shown little interest in building bridges. When Kirstjen Nielsen resigned as secretary of Homeland Security on Sunday, it came only a few days after the president said he wants to pursue a tougher direction on border security. That implies unilateral strategies and decisions, not legislative compromise.

The southern border is experiencing an unprecedented wave of asylum seekers, with the government claiming to have nabbed 36,000 families in February alone. In response, Trump has threatened to cut aid to El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala in an effort to spur those countries to keep their citizens from fleeing.

But there is strong evidence many of these people are fleeing some of the most dangerous areas in the world, where violence, murder and extortion are normal parts of life.

The United States is a signator to the 1951 U.N. Refugee Convention, called in response to the humanitarian crises of World War II, especially the Holocaust. As a result, federal law was enacted granting asylum to anyone from a troublespot who could demonstrate his or her life or freedom would be endangered by remaining at home. That is an important law that recognizes the unique role of the United States as a refuge for persecuted people worldwide.

But the current situation has exacerbated the nations border infrastructure. Many asylum seekers are released into the nations interior pending a resolution of their claims, which sometimes can take years.

Congress and the president could solve this by dedicating greater resources to the area, allowing cases to be heard quicker, and by building facilities that could safely hold families. They could pass immigration reform laws that provide worker visas to other migrants who come to fill jobs necessary to the U.S. economy.

In other words, they could build bridges of compromise that begin to solve the problem while securing the border and, most importantly, treating refugee families with dignity and humanity.

After last Novembers election, large majorities of Americans told pollsters from the Pew Research Center that they expected both Democrats and the president would be unable to pass legislation in the near future, given political divisions in the House and Senate. Only 9 percent said they expected relations between the parties to get better.

This does not have to be the case. With so much at stake, the American people should be clamoring for greater cooperation, and for real solutions.
The affordable housing crisis is alive and well here in the Seattle area as well. Since 1995, the nation has lost more than 500,000 federally subsidized housing units, and very few low income new housing units are being produced.

The U.S. housing policy subsidizes home ownership through tax breaks that often benefit the wealthy. Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, $200 billion in tax cuts go to the top 20 percent of households.

Yet Trumps 2020 budget proposal is to cut $1 trillion from education, affordable housing, nutrition assistance and the needs of the working families over a 10-year period. He would eviscerate the social safety net but provide welfare for the rich.

We can ask our members of Congress to reject Trumps 2020 budget proposal.

Donna Munro

Bremerton, Washington
SALT LAKE CITY  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held its 189th Annual General Conference over the weekend, and speakers focused on topics such as love, Jesus Christ and the priesthood.

Latter-day Saint leaders taught lessons of love and repentance on the first day, according to the Deseret News. On the second day, President Russell M. Nelson made an impassioned plea for members to come unto Christ. Latter-day Saint leaders also preached about homes being sanctuaries of faith.

There were a number of other frequent topics, including the Atonement, blessings and repentance. A list of topics can be found at TheChurchNews.com.

Weve rounded up some of the topics with links to the speakers' talk summaries below.

Download a PDF of all the April 2019 general conference talk summaries

Brother Tad R. Callister, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Elder Neil L. Andersen

"Because of the Savior's Atonement, we can have an eternal perspective that gives meaning to our trials and hope for our relief.  Brother Callister

Elder Kyle S. McKay, Elder Quentin L. Cook, Elder Kim B. Clark, President M. Russell Ballard, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Elder Ulisses Soares

I promise that as we focus on our love for the Savior and his Atonement, make him the centerpiece of our efforts to gather Israel on both sides of the veil, minister to others and individually prepare to meet God, the influence of the adversary will be diminished; and the joy, delight and peace of the gospel will magnify our homes with Christlike love.  Elder Cook

President M. Russell Ballard, Elder Gerrit W. Gong, Elder Kim B. Clark, Bishop W. Christopher Waddell

"As we look unto Jesus Christ, live our covenants and rivet our focus on him, we will join with our sisters and minister in a holier way, gather scattered Israel on both sides of the veil, strengthen and seal our families, and prepare for the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Elder Clark

Elder Gerrit W. Gong, Brother Tad R. Callister, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Elder Neil L. Andersen

"As we seek with real intent to follow Jesus Christ, inspiration comes to do good, to love God and to serve Him.  Elder Gong

President M. Russell Ballard, Elder Ronald A. Rasband, Elder David A. Bednar, Elder Quentin L. Cook, Elder Carl B. Cook, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

"Our homes are only as powerful as the spiritual strength of each one of us within the walls.  Elder Rasband

President Russell M. Nelson, Elder Carl B. Cook, Elder Gary E. Stevenson, Bishop W. Christopher Waddell

"I bless you with the courage to repent daily and learn how to exercise full priesthood power. I bless you to communicate the love of the Savior to your wife and children and to all who know you. I bless you to do better and to be better. And I bless you that as you make these efforts, you will experience miracles in your life.  President Nelson

President Russell M. Nelson, Elder D. Todd Christofferson, Elder Quentin L. Cook, President Henry B. Eyring

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is uniquely empowered and commissioned to accomplish the necessary preparations for the Lords Second Coming.  Elder Christofferson

President Henry B. Eyring, Elder Ronald A. Rasband, Elder David A. Bednar, Elder Ulisses Soares all talked about the importance of praying together in the home.

"The family that prays together is together, even when they are far apart.  President Eyring

President Henry B. Eyring (twice), Elder Juan Pablo Villar, Elder Dale G. Renlund, Elder Neil L. Andersen, Elder Brook P. Hales, Sister Becky Craven focused their talks on themes of faith.

"Just as reading and learning about muscles is not enough to build muscle, reading and learning about faith without adding actions is insufficient to build faith."  Elder Villar

Elder Kyle S. McKay, Elder Dale G. Renlund, Elder Brook P. Hales

"Restored truth reveals that blessings are never earned, but faith-inspired actions on our part, both initial and ongoing, are essential.  Elder Renlund

Elder Juan Pablo Villar, Elder Quentin L. Cook, Elder Takashi Wada, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

When it comes to gathering Israel, we need to align our hearts with this kind of love (charity) and move away from feelings of mere responsibility or guilt to feelings of love and participation in the divine partnership of sharing the Saviors message, ministry and mission with the world.  Elder Cook

President Russell M. Nelson, President Dallin H. Oaks, Sister Sharon L. Eubank

"The Lord needs men eager to repent  men with a zeal to serve and be part of the Lords battalion of worthy priesthood bearers."  President Nelson
SALT LAKE CITY  Salt Lake City officials have given $112,000 to help 30 people with severe mental illness find housing.

The money, which comes from the Funding Our Future sales tax increase, was presented to Volunteers of America on Monday.

"The city is stepping forward to provide some specific funding to eliminate barriers to housing for a specific population  people with mental illness," said Kathy Bray, president of Volunteers of America-Utah.

She said the funding will be used in its Assertive Community Treatment program, a treatment center for people with severe mental illness. The funds help with application fees, utility bills, moving costs and sometimes rent, depending on the individual's needs.

Bray said the Assertive Community Treatment team has 85 clients and this funding will help 30 of them find housing by eliminating financial barriers. She said the organization helps people find housing after they come out of intensive programs at a hospital or have a problem with an apartment.

The new ACT Housing Program will help fill a gap in needs we are currently experiencing in our city, said Mayor Jackie Biskupski in a prepared statement. The flexibility of city funding allows us to partner with organizations like VOA to maximize the value of taxpayer dollars.

Lawrence Mullin, a case manager and peer support specialist on the Assertive Community Treatment team, said their clients need a place for medication and a place to be safe at night.

He said people sometimes need to choose between paying an application fee or having food. He said the process is stressful to anyone finding a place to live, but is even more difficult when the stress is added to a severe mental illness. He said he has worked with people who wanted to give up and go back to living on the streets.

"You try to de-escalate it and work with them and cheer them up and get them to believe that this is going to work out. Its going to be OK, Mullin said.

He said if they can get the clients housed, Assertive Community Treatment is more able to get them the care they need.

Tony Milner, with the Salt Lake City Housing and Neighborhood Development, said they are trying to use the funds for those who are not typically eligible for government aid programs.

He said rent assistance is often restricted to families and seniors, and this will give a fund to help the mentally ill get into housing at a faster rate.

"You stabilize someone in housing and their overall health improves," Milner said.

He said these funds will reduce overall health care costs because the clients will be able to stay on their medication more easily and will not be going in and out of shelters, hospitals or jails.

Milner said there are other homelessness projects they are working on with the money from Funding Our Future. He said they are working on a shared housing program through the Road Home and a program to help provide housing for families with children to stay within the same school boundaries.

"Theres never going to be one way to solve homelessness. Homelessness is so diverse and so complex and so this is just a way to  come up with diverse and complex programs to then meet those needs," Milner said.

He said the funding could continue to next year. The programs are determined yearly based on their needs and success.
SALT LAKE CITY  A new lawsuit could resolve growing conflict over the religious freedom rights of death row inmates, which have been in the spotlight since the Supreme Court issued two controversial and seemingly contradictory orders in recent months.

Charles L. Burton Jr., a Muslim who has been on death row in Alabama since 1992, has sued the states Department of Corrections for access to an imam in the execution chamber. Under the department's current policy, only a Christian chaplain is available.

No matter your political or religious perspective, surely we can all agree on the abiding importance of religious liberty at the hour of our death, said James Sonne, director of Stanford Law Schools Religious Liberty Clinic in a press release about the case.

Conservative and liberal organizations, lawmakers and legal scholars have criticized inconsistent policies and rulings affecting religious prisoners across the country. Many see the new lawsuit as a chance to clarify the rights of inmates like Burton and ensure proper treatment moving forward.

This could be the case that resolves the issue once and for all, tweeted Luke Goodrich, vice president and senior counsel for The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.

Burtons lawsuit comes after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed another Muslim inmate in Alabama to be executed without an imam present.

Domineque Ray, who was also Muslim, requested a stay of execution in January due to the states chaplain policy. A stay was initially granted by the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, which ruled that allowing Christian but not Muslim religious leaders into the execution chamber represented religious discrimination.

This could be the case that resolves the issue once and for all.  Luke Goodrich, vice president and senior counsel for The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty

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 other non-Christians, the ruling explained.

However, on Feb. 7, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated this stay, allowing the execution to proceed. The courts five conservative justices said that Ray had waited too long to express his concerns.

Because Ray waited until Jan. 28, 2019, to seek relief, we grant the states application to vacate the stay, read the Supreme Court order.

This decision was widely condemned, including by Justice Elena Kagan, who called it profoundly wrong.

However, legal experts disagreed on what motivated the decision. Some liberal observers claimed the court had shown anti-Muslim bias, while others felt the justices were worried about appearing to interfere with state-level death penalty decisions at the last minute, the Deseret News reported.

Ray was executed on Feb. 7.

Nearly two months later, the Supreme Court seemed to change its tune, granting a similar request for a stay of execution. Justices decided that Patrick Murphy, a Buddhist death row inmate in Texas, could not be executed until his religious freedom concerns were addressed. At the time, Texas allowed Christian and Muslim chaplains to be in the execution chamber, but not representatives of other faiths.

The state may not carry out Murphys execution  unless the state permits Murphys Buddhist spiritual adviser or another Buddhist reverend of the States choosing to accompany Murphy in the execution chamber, the Supreme Court said on Mar. 28.

Again, the court faced charges of religious discrimination, as some legal scholars questioned how the same justices could support these divergent orders.

Others, including Goodrich, argued that the shift could be explained by the different ways the two requests for stay of execution were argued.

Rays case centered on the First Amendments establishment clause, which mandates equal treatment of faith groups. Murphys case was more about the First Amendments free exercise clause, guaranteeing the ability to exercise your religious beliefs, and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, which prevents the government from unnecessarily interfering with prisoners religious freedom rights.

The new lawsuit notes the Supreme Courts two recent orders, presenting Burtons case as a chance to sort out ongoing confusion and injustice. It cites the Religious Land Use and Instutionalized Persons Act, the First Amendments free exercise and establishment clauses and the Alabama constitutions religious freedom amendment.

Inmates who share the chaplains faith may hold his hand and pray with him in their final moments, but that same comfort and prayer is denied to those of other denominations or faiths.

The (departments) actions violate two of the most elementary principles of our constitutional democracy, principles that the law requires to be honored even in prison: to be able to practice ones religion free from substantial and unjustified governmental burdens and to be free from governmental discrimination based on ones religion, reads the legal complaint.

Burton, who converted to Islam 47 years ago, is not asking for a stay of execution, as his execution has not yet been scheduled. Instead, hes asking the court to reject Alabamas current chaplain policy and ensure he has access to an imam when he is ultimately put to death.

Inmates who share the chaplains faith may hold his hand and pray with him in their final moments, but that same comfort and prayer is denied to those of other denominations or faiths, according to the press release announcing Burtons lawsuit.

Alabama officials have said they limit access to the execution chamber due to security concerns.

As the lawsuit proceeds, state leaders, judges and death row inmates will continue to navigate confusing and sometimes contradictory laws and rulings.

Texas officials have already changed their chaplain policy in light of the Supreme Courts March order. Now, no death row inmate will have access to a spiritual or religious adviser in the execution chamber.

The policy, which had previously allowed Christian and Muslim chaplains employed by the department to enter the chamber, now forbids anyone besides security personnel from entering, Reuters reported.
Logo of ANTIC Facebook

Recently, there have been a wave of reports over social media, denouncing certain telephone numbers, accompanied by names of persons accused cyber scams and bullying.





Some go as far as disclosing pictures of those who attempted to scam or bully them.

For years now, it is one Cameroonian or another, complaining of havent been scammed, threatened, defamed over social media.

The news from the National Agency of Information and Communication Technologies(ANTIC), calling on internet users to denounce all acts of intimidation, threats, attacks and more. The agency has provided a contact numbers, 8202 and 8206 to report these crimes.

It was normal for an internet user to get up one day, while going through social media, and see his/her nudes, posted by a lover or former lover or friends. This issue of nudes, received wide condemnations, as many considered it as a form of revenge from the person who uploads the video.

With the advent of the Anglophone crisis, was the birth of hate speech and threats, defamation and all evil. People who had contrary opinions to both government propaganda or separatists agenda, faced the highest threats.

The Mayor of Bamenda II council, Balick Awah Fidelis has been a victim of Facebook fraud. Many scammers have used his name or hacked into his account, to ask friends and relatives to send them money, stating they are in distress and need his immediate assistance. The Mayor on several occasions has expressed frustration over this issue. Now, a solution has been provided by ANTIC, which operates 24/7.

So far, out of some 1100 complaints filed at ANTIC, at least 280 of them have been resolved.

Meantime, people have been using other methods to trap those who have tried to scam them of their money. They take the numbers provided by these individuals for mobile money transactions, and attempt to send the money, in an effort to get the exact names of the persons concerned. Mobile money accounts are created with national identification documents.
ESCALANTE, Garfield County  Crews Monday night located a couple that had been overdue from a hike in Garfield County.

The man and woman, reported to be in their 20s, dropped their car off Sunday at a trailhead and were hiking from an area in Escalante back to their car, said Garfield County sheriff's information officer Denise Dastrup.

The couple was found at 10:30 p.m. Monday thanks to "the hard work of the searchers" and help from a Department of Public Safety helicopter, according to a news release from Garfield County Sheriff's Office.

"They were unharmed and happy to be rescued," authorities said.

One of the couple's parents reported them overdue about noon Monday, Dastrup said, after they failed to return home when expected.

The man and woman are experienced hikers, according to Dastrup. Additional information about them was not immediately available.

Crews Monday focused on the upper Escalante River area in the search.

"The Garfield County sheriff would like to express his thanks to all those involved in the search. He would also like to stress the importance of being prepared while going hiking or any outdoor activities in Garfield County," according to the news release.
MOSCOW  Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted his Turkish counterpart in Moscow on Monday, discussing how to coordinate their next moves in Syria and how to deepen business ties, including the sale of advanced Russian missiles to Turkey that has riled the United States.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Russia, his third this year, underlined the increasingly close cooperation between the two countries and Turkey's readiness to defy the U.S.

Last week, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence warned Turkey that it was risking its NATO membership and its participation in the F-35 fighter program by failing to heed Washington's demand to cancel the contract with Russia for the S-400 air defense missile systems.

After Monday's talks, Erdogan said that Turkey considers the Russian deal done and won't submit to pressure.

"On the issue of the S-400s, we have determined our road map, we have taken steps," Erdogan said. "Those who tell us to give up our plans, those who make recommendations do not know us. If we have made a contract, if we have reached a deal, then this business is finished. This is our sovereign right, this is our decision."

Putin described the S-400 contract as a top priority in cooperation between the two countries, adding that other weapons deals are in the making.

"We may reach agreements on the joint development and production of high-tech weapons," he said.

Turkey's purchase of the Russian missiles marked the first such contract for a NATO member. Turkey has ignored U.S. demands to abandon the agreement, and Erdogan said Friday that deliveries of the S-400s will begin in July.

The Turkish leader noted that Washington had offered Ankara the U.S.-made Patriot air defense system, but said the U.S. offer isn't as favorable as Russia's.

The U.S. and other NATO allies say the S-400s aren't compatible with the alliance's weapons systems. Washington has voiced concerns that their use by Turkey could compromise security of the state-of-the art U.S. F-35 fighter jets that Turkey stands to receive.

Putin and Erdogan also talked about the completion of a pipeline that will carry Russian gas to Turkey, the planned construction of Turkey's first nuclear power plant, which is to start operations in 2023, and other economic projects.

Erdogan said the number of Russian tourists who visited Turkey last year reached a record 6 million.

Putin and Erdogan have developed a close personal rapport and held regular meetings. They called each other "my dear friend" throughout the talks, saying that the two countries plan to expand their annual trade, currently at about $25 billion, to $100 billion.

Putin said the construction of the underwater segment of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline crossing the Black Sea has just been completed, adding that it's set to come online later this year.

On Syria, Russia and Iran have thrown their support behind Syrian President Bashar Assad, while Turkey has backed his foes during the eight-year war. Despite that, the three countries have teamed up to broker a peace deal for Syria, united by their shared desire to undercut U.S. clout in the region.

Russia and Turkey also have closely coordinated moves on Syria, where they struck a deal in September to create a security zone in the northern province of Idlib. That agreement averted a Syrian army offensive that had sparked fears of a humanitarian catastrophe.

Putin said Russia and Turkey so far have failed to fully implement September's agreement, but emphasized that significant progress has been made.

"We have moved forward, albeit not as quickly as we hoped," he said.

Erdogan also voiced support for the deal in Syria.

"We have taken the steps we need to take and we will continue to do so," Erdogan said. "There is no turning back."

The Turkish leader emphasized Ankara's intention to create a safe zone to keep the Syrian Kurdish militia  the People's Protection Units, or YPG  away from its border. Turkey views YPG as a "terrorist group" for its ties to outlawed Kurdish rebels inside Turkey.

"We have said that we will not agree to a structure in Syria's north that would threaten our security as well as Syria's territorial integrity," Erdogan said.

Putin and Erdogan vowed to continue efforts to encourage political settlement in Syria by pushing for the creation of a committee to draft the country's new constitution.

___

Fraser reported from Ankara.
ENNIS, Mont.  Wildlife officials say a teen survived a bear attack with relatively minor injuries in southwestern Montana.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks say it was likely a grizzly bear that attacked the 17-year-old south of Ennis Sunday. Morgan Jacobsen of FWP says the teen was visiting Montana from Utah.

The agency says he was out looking for shed antlers when he heard a "thump" behind him and saw the bear charge.

The agency says he didn't have time to use his bear spray and the bear pushed him up against a tree. It eventually pinned him face down on the ground. The boy said he was able to reach over his shoulder and spray the bear and it left.

The agency says the bear's behavior is typical of surprise close encounters.
SALT LAKE CITY  Investigators attempting to piece together details surrounding an officer-involved shooting in Sanpete County last month documented bullet fragments, ammunition in the living room and bathroom and more than three dozen shell casings.

On March 18, a woman was checking on Paul Harward, 53, at his home in Spring City, Sanpete County. She was concerned "about his mental state," according to charging documents.

While she was on his front porch at the front door, a shot was fired through the window at her, the charges state. She was not hit. Emergency dispatchers told the woman to get back in her car and leave immediately.

As she was driving away, "she heard several shots and the back of her car window shattered," according to the charges.

Law enforcement officers from throughout the county responded and a SWAT team from Utah County surrounded the house. Officers were able to make telephone contact with Harward inside the house and he told them to "all come in there so he can kill us all," the charges state.

For more than two hours, the SWAT team attempted to talk Harward into surrendering peacefully. When he finally stepped out of his house, he raised a handgun toward officers and began firing, the charges state. Several officers returned fire. He was shot and was eventually flown by medical helicopter to Intermountain Medical Center in Murray where his right hand was amputated bellow his wrist due to the extensive gunshot injuries, according to the charges.

Harward is charged in 6th District Court with attempted aggravated murder, a first-degree felony; two counts of discharge of a firearm, a third-degree felony; and threat of violence, a class C misdemeanor. His next court date is scheduled for April 24.

Evidence and measurements were collected at the scene for investigators to create a 3D scan of the area, according to a search warrant affidavit.

Shell casings were found in Harward's kitchen and an attached shed. Live cartridges were found in a bedroom, gun magazines were found in a bathroom, a handgun was recovered on the front porch where Harward was shot by police as well as a "piece of finger," the warrant states.

The scan also included where each of the SWAT officers fired from, including two snipers set up across the street and a third on a nearby roof.
SALT LAKE CITY  Fifteen officers from three police agencies have been placed on standard paid administrative leave following Monday's dramatic shootout with a man who was driving around Salt Lake City randomly firing an assault rifle out the window.

On Tuesday, a day after Harold Vincent Robinson, 37, of West Valley City, was killed by police in a hail of gunfire, it was announced that 10 Salt Lake police officers, three Utah Highway Patrol troopers and two Unified police officers are on leave.

Officers are typically placed on leave when they fire their weapons while on duty.

"Yesterday, we dealt with one of the most dangerous situations that any department can be engaged in, Salt Lake Police Chief Mike Brown said Tuesday. "This is our worst nightmare: an active shooter thats mobile in a truck."

Neither Brown, Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera, nor Brian Redd, chief investigator for the Utah Department of Public Safety, gave many new details Tuesday about what happened Monday or what investigators have since learned about Robinson. However, per Salt Lake City's protocol, Brown said his department will hold another press conference within 10 days to show body camera video and provide additional details about the case.

The dramatic series of events began just after 10 a.m. when Robinson robbed a Holiday Oil, 2729 W. 4700 South in Taylorsville, for beer. A customer confronted Robinson who then pulled a handgun out of his waistband and ran, according to a joint statement from Unified and Salt Lake police and UHP.

At 10:37 a.m. robbery was reported at 7-Eleven at 911 E. 3300 South in Millcreek where Robinson demanded cash from the register at gunpoint, police stated.

"As the male left, he fired the handgun inside the store. No injuries were reported," according to the statement.

At 10:42 a.m., the first reported shots were fired downtown when witnesses said "bursts of rapid fire" erupted near the entrance of the Sheraton Hotel, 150 W. 500 South. One witness said between eight and 12 shots were fired at a specific window of a hotel room on the first floor.

From those first shots until Robinson was killed, Brown said Robinson drove around downtown Salt Lake City and along State Street into South Salt Lake for 19 minutes, randomly firing out his window.

At 10:44 a.m., shots were reported near 111 S. Main.

At 10:51 a.m., Robinson fired shots near 500 S. State.

At 10:53 a.m., shots were fired at 500 South and 200 East.

At 10:55 a.m. Salt Lake police officers and UHP troopers working downtown as part of Operation Rio Grande spotted Robinson's truck and a chase ensued.

"Confirm, he has an AR-15 in his hands as hes driving, an officer chasing Robinson is heard telling others on his police radio.

At 1300 S. State an officer reports, "Firing rounds out the window. Two shots fired."

As the situation became more intense, an officer in the pursuit states, "We gotta get up there and shoot this guy. Hes a danger to everybody," according to a Broadcastify police scanner recording.

Brown said officers attempted to flatten the fleeing truck's tires using spike strips but were unsuccessful.

"A modified PIT maneuver" was attempted at 3300 S. State just before the pickup truck crashed into a business at 3339 S. State, "at which time shots were exchanged with the suspect and officers," according to the joint statement.

Information about how many dozens of shots were fired, whether Robinson was still in his truck when he died, or what caused the truck to crash into the front of Princess Alterations and Leatherwork was not given on Tuesday.

I just heard all the noises and explosions and just everything was being thrown at me, store owner Thaer Mahdi said through his son, Bassam Hassan. Around me was just the sewing machines, and I just froze in my place  just shaking.

When the gunfire stopped, Mahdi said he saw Robinson dead on the ground. As police closed in, he said he was grateful they didn't mistake him for a second suspect.

"They saw me very scared and they just helped me out of there, the tailor said of the officers who saw him and came to check on him. Im just glad they didnt shoot me and believed I wasnt involved in any of it.

Police say what prompted Robinson to go on such a violent spree is still under investigation.

"We dont know the motive, Brown said.

One officer suffered a minor injury from being grazed by a ricochet shot. But Rivera said despite the random firing of gunshots throughout the city, and the dozens and dozens of shots fired at the end of the chase, no other injuries were reported.

"Just the totality of what occurred, we are very, very fortunate, she said.

With 10 Salt Lake officers being placed on leave, the department now has a total of 17 officers on leave from officer-involved shooting incidents dating back a year.

"Its hard. Its tough. Thats not easy to absorb. We had to readjust some schedules yesterday, bring some officers in and pay some overtime. And well probably have to do that for the next few weeks until we can figure out where this is going to go and how long this is going to take, Brown said.

West Valley police will lead the investigation into the officer-involved shooting part of the case.

While again praising all officers for working together and putting an end to the threat without any major injuries to the public, both Rivera and Brown said their departments will look at Monday's incident to determine if there are ways they can improve their responses.

"There are lessons to be learned. This is new territory, Brown said.

"We know society is changing and these types of things will continue to occur, but we have to be ready, Rivera added.

According to state court records, Robinson has a lengthy history of mostly misdemeanor crimes, many of which were later dismissed after they were filed. In June, a charge of assault was dismissed when the states witness failed to show up for court.

In 2003, he was convicted of assault that caused substantial body injury. Two counts of aggravated kidnapping and robbery were dismissed as part of a plea deal. In a separate 2003 case, a charge of aggravated kidnapping was dismissed when the states witness again failed to show.

Robinson, acting as his own attorney, filed several civil lawsuits against various federal, state and local government agencies and officers, according to records in U.S. District Court.

Robinson pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing a sawed-off shotgun and was sentenced to 42 months of probation in June 2002. In April 2003, federal prosecutors alleged he violated his probation by threatening to kill a person identified as K.N. while having access to a sawed-off shotgun.

Robinson admitted to the violation and a federal judge sentenced him to 18 months in prison and ordered him to complete an anger management program in December 2003. He was released from prison in February 2005 and placed on 36 months of probation.

Contributing: Dennis Romboy, Andrew Adams
SALT LAKE CITY  Nearly 100 soldiers from Utah Army National Guards Echo Battery, 1st Battalion, 145th Field Artillery returned home from a 10-month deployment in the Middle East on Tuesday greeted by their friends, family and military family at Wright Air Base in Salt Lake City.

In June 2018, Big Red  Utahs oldest military unit  deployed in support of Operation Spartan Shield and Operation Inherent Resolve to provide security assistance as well as conduct artillery missions with U.S. allies in the region, according to a news release. The Utah soldiers were stationed in the United Arab Emirates.

For Staff. Sgt. Danny Ray, 34, of Elk Ridge, it was the first deployment in over 12 years and offered the chance to use the training he learned in 15 years in the National Guard to protect important military installations and the base on which the units were stationed.

"To me, it feels like we're out there helping people who otherwise can't help themselves," he said. "If there was a threat there, we would be able to secure it."

He noted that his previous deployment in 2006 in Iraq involved "a lot more conflict and a lot more danger," but this latest mission showed that the years of U.S. military efforts have paid some dividends in making the region safer than before.

"It has helped for sure," he said. "War is an ugly thing, but sometimes it's necessary (to make things safer). It's working. We're helping save lives like we're supposed to."

This mission was the first overseas deployment for 10-year National Guard veteran Sgt. Chris Batson, 45, of Ogden. He said the experience was particularly fulfilling because it gave him the chance to bond with the people in his unit.

"We did put some training into action," he said. "Honestly though, the most satisfying part of the deployment was the team building."

Meanwhile, battalion commander Lt. Col. Eric Wiedmeier said while soldiers volunteer to serve the country in the military, the missions they are able to accomplish are enabled by the strong support of friends and family members as well as employers who are at home when their military members are on deployment. Without that backing, the soldiers would be hard-pressed to do their jobs when out on assignment.

"Utah is a phenomenally patriotic state," he said. "Employers have always supported our soldiers and given them what they need and helped their families out when they are gone."

He also noted that the work and strength of spouses and family members at home are especially important to soldiers when they are deployed and that support is not recognized as much sometimes as it should be.

"We appreciate the families and their support to the military," Weidmeier said.

As for the end of the most recent deployment, it was the culmination of a lot of hard work and preparation by very dedicated soldiers, one military leader said.

The mission that we have been given was full of opportunity, said Echo Battery commander Capt. Jared Sorensen. An opportunity to become better trained, better educated and stronger  both physically and mentally.
SALT LAKE CITY  Giddy would not necessarily be too strong of a description of the mood at the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City, where water managers, hydrologists and storm forecasters and others reviewed the current mountain snowpack and talked of more moisture to come.

"It's been a pretty good snowpack year," said Troy Brosten, Utah Snow Survey supervisor with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service.

During a briefing Tuesday, Brosten pointed to snowpack numbers across the state that are anywhere between 104 percent of average to a whopping 197 percent of average in southeastern Utah, which was bone-dry last year and bore one of the country's most significant drought designations.

Except for a thin slice across the top half of the state, which is still termed dry, the precipitation over the last few months has eliminated any drought classification in Utah, said Brian McInerney, senior hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City.

February and March were phenomenal months for building snowpack, and the storm that swept into the state Tuesday and will linger into Thursday marks the beginning of a wet, cool pattern predicted to last through the month.

"It will be active, unsettled and colder than normal," said Glen Merrill, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City.

The stormy pattern will just add to the snowpack, and water watchers are now shifting into a different mode, keeping eyes on reservoirs as the stormy weather continues.

"We've had a change of mentality of 'Will it fill?' to 'Will it safely fill?'" said Gary Henrie, a civil engineer with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

Henrie said there are already flood control management strategies in play at places like Starvation, and Pineview is releasing about 1,000 cubic feet of water per second to make room for the runoff to come.

With the exception of Red Fleet, which struggled with low flows, and Strawberry  which is huge  the state's reservoirs should fill, Henrie said.

The other notable exception is Lake Powell, impacted by a near 20-year drought on the Colorado River. Henrie said these April storms will give it a good boost, but it will take many good hydrological years to recover.

Henrie noted that a few months ago he didn't think he'd be paying much attention to the charts showing how quickly reservoirs are beginning to fill, but the storms changed that.

Ideally, the snowpack comes off in an orderly fashion  but McInerney said what is to come in May is anybody's guess at this point.

"It's something we are watching," he said.
plantation CDC CDC

The crisis in the North West and South West Regions is taking a heavy toll on the Cameroon Development Corporation, CDC, its management has said. With about twenty thousand contracts of employment and a related monthly wage bill of about FCFA 2.5 billion, the survival of the company is top on governments agenda.

Workers have been maimed in the plantations, while others were pulled out of their homes and gravely injured. The rubber, banana and oil palm plantations have since not been attended to. With crop production nose-diving, the factories and mills have also had to shut down with only the mill in Idenau working above 50 percent.

Members of Parliament, currently in session in Yaounde, are thus worried about the fate of Cameroons largest employer of labour after the state. After presenting the situation of the company in plenary, government now says they are in talks with foreign investors for FCFA 46 billion to be pumped in to rescue the agro-industrial giant.

The General Manager of the CDC, Franklin Ngoni Njie had in January 2019 said: the crisis is taking a toll on the socio-economic situation of workers as several establishments are no longer in operation given that workers, out of fear and threats on their lives no longer go to work.

When the Anglophone crisis started in 2016, it only mildly affected the CDC until 2017, the GM said. He furthered that during this period, lateness, absenteeism, and low worker productivity.

GM Njie says as 2018 opened, the crisis started hitting the CDC directly. On February 9, 2018, two CDC vehicles were attacked  one transporting cash to the tune of FCFA 29 million at Mbonge destined to pay Illoani workers, and the other transporting drug worth FCFA 500, 000 attacked at Kwa-kwa. Both vehicles were later set ablaze after they had been emptied.

The GM used the no-holds-barred meeting with the media to say that out of seven oil palm estates, only the Bota and Debundscha palm estates are operational  Bota at 50% and Debundscha at 75%. The crops are being processed at the Idenau Oil Mill.

The Palm estates in Boa and Illoani are not under the control of the CDC with offices and houses occupied by non-CDC workers, management says.

By April 2018, plantations in Mondoni, Mungo, right to Kumba have been abandoned. All palm nurseries, except that in Bota are history.

The rubber sector was hit on April 27, 2018 with several deaths. Out of 11 rubber estates, only four are operational in the Mungo area  Mukonje, Penda Mboko, Matouke and Kompina. The Tiko factory is operational but does not have crop.

Franklin Njie: CDC is not a battlefield

In keeping with the resolutions of the November 29, 2018 meeting, the General Manager of the corporation, Franklin Njie held a working lunch with media professionals at his Bota Head Office on Friday, January 18, 2019.

Franklin Njie re-echoed the readiness of workers and management to resume work in earnest, but said certain conditions have to be met for this wish to come true.

The first requirement is the strong desire from the side of workers and management to get back to work. I am very convinced that that condition is met already.

The second prerequisite is that as a result of what has happened over the last couple of months, where our plantations have been abandoned because of security reasons; vast portions of our plantations require rehabilitation.

For this rehabilitation process to pull through, the CDC needs close to FCFA 30 billion plus security guarantees. According to the companys General Manager, the cost of rehabilitating the oil palm plantations is estimated at FCFA 7.7 billion, about FCFA 7.8 billion for the rubber plantations, and circa FCFA 14.1 billion for the banana plantation. He says this funding can be got through government grants and/or support from partners through loans.

If we look at the second option of support from partners, it should be on the basis of business plans which we have already elaborated. An integral part of every business plan is a repayment schedule because every partner who gives you money is interested to see how and when they are going to get back their money.

A repayment schedule imposes very clearly without condition that we must return to activity. We can only repay with revenue generated from the plantations, Njie said.

Security concerns galore

Franklin Njie says that, The third and very weighty prerequisite [for work to resume] is that of security. We need security. We are in the business of plantation agriculture. The actor is the plantation worker who stands outside of the plantation. The task of the CDC rubber tapper is to tap about 500 trees on one hectare of land. One hectare is vast. It is 100 metres by 100 metres. No worker can effectively tap a tree if he or she is not certain that someone is not standing behind them with a machete or a gun. Same applies to the banana harvester and every other plantation worker. Security is a prerequisite. We need it on our plantations, we need it urgently, and we need it now.

It is true that CDC has been absorbed into a general problem. But what we are establishing is that whatever battle, political conquest does not require to be fought on the plantations. That is our position. Politics should be done through exchanges, through dialogue by concerned parties. CDC is an economic operator in the area of plantation agriculture. and a prerequisite for us to be able to do what we have to do is that we need security so that we dont have incidents like in the past where workers have been killed, maimed, lost their property, pushed out of their areas of residence.

The battleground should not be CDC. Before the players who are concerned would define modalities for addressing the issues that are at stake, as an economic operator, we think that the battleground should not be our plantations.

The GM traced the history of the CDC, furthering that the history of Cameroon and that of the CDC are inseparable, reason why the company is dear to many a Cameroonian. It is for this reason, the GM continued, that workers still have the strong willingness to go out and work beyond all odds.
Last week, when Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota actress Radhika Madan posted a picture from the sets of Angrezi Medium, she also confirmed, Kareena Kapoor Khan is indeed a part of this Irrfan Khan starrer. However, Bebo hasnt yet spoken a word about it. The Veere Di Wedding actress has always been very vocal about the other two films she is part of - Good News and Takht, but she is tight-lipped about her signing Angrezi Medium.





But now, it is confirmed that she is very much a part of the film. And now, the inquisitiveness of her fans about how she will be managing the tight schedules for these films has risen. All the films that she is acting in requires a certain amount of time and dedication and it is almost next to impossible for an actress to divide time equally for all the three projects. Earlier, it was reported that she was going to shoot for Karan Johars Takht after wrapping up Good News.





Point to be noted is, Takht is a period drama and is also a very big and crucial film for KJo. Therefore, Kareena can't be hanky panky with her dates with this one for sure. Angrezi Medium on the other hand will have Irrfan in the lead and the industry knows him to be a serious actor who doesn't care two hoots about anything else. It is just his craft that he is bothered about. Therefore, it will be interesting to see how Kareena juggles time in a way that will enable her to stick to her work commitments. According to media reports, Kareena will be shooting for Angrezi Medium and Takht simultaneously. She will be making sure that she gives equal time to both the projects and her characters.





It has been further reported, that Bebo will mostly be joining the Angrezi Medium shoot in July this year. Currently, Irrfan Khan, Deepak Dobriyal and Radhika Madan are shooting in Rajasthan, and post that; they will be heading to London for the next schedule.

Angrezi Medium is being helmed by Homi Adajania. The film will also mark the first time collaboration of Kareena and Irrfan for a film. Takht on the other hand is a multi-starrer period drama with Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Anil Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Janhvi Kapoor and Bhumi Pednekar playing pivotal roles.

For more such interesting updates keep a lose tab on Desimartini.com
Kenya's telecommunications market continues to undergo considerable changes in the wake of increased competition, improved international connectivity, and rapid developments in the mobile market, according to Research & Markets.

The landing of four fibre-optic international submarine cables in recent years dramatically reduced the cost of phone calls and internet access, allowing internet services to be affordable to a far greater proportion of the population. In parallel, the sector's regulator has reduced interconnection tariffs and implemented a range of regulations aimed at developing further competition.

The incumbent fixed-line telco has struggled to make headway in this market, prompting reorganisation in 2018 which included a sale and leaseback arrangement with its mobile tower portfolio. In early 2019 the company signed a merger agreement with Airtel Kenya in which Telkom will retain a 49% share in the merged business which will provide a greater challenge to the market dominance of Safaricom.

Numerous competitors are rolling out national and metropolitan fibre backbone networks and wireless access networks to deliver services to population centres across the country. Several fibre infrastructure sharing agreements have been forged, and as a result, the number of fibre broadband connections increased 94% in the year to September 2018.
Minister McEntee attends General Affairs Council in Luxembourg

News

The Minister of State for European Affairs, Helen McEntee T.D., is in Luxembourg today for a meeting of the General Affairs Council (GAC) and an Article 50 General Affairs Council alongside the Tanaiste Simon Coveney.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, the Minister said:



Im looking forward to engaging with our EU partners today on important issues for our citizens. We will discuss the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and Cohesion policies within the next Multi-annual Financial Framework. I will reiterate the importance that Ireland attaches to the Common Agricultural Policy. We believe that the traditional priorities of CAP and Cohesion are core to the future of the EU. Funding for these must be maintained, along with funding for newer priorities such as migration and climate action.

At the GAC meeting, Ministers will adopt Council Conclusions on the European Commissions reflection paper: Towards a Sustainable Europe by 2030. This paper focuses on how EU policy is contributing towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Minister McEntee will welcome the EUs ongoing commitment to achieving the SDGs and will reiterate Irelands support for the Goals.

The Council will also include sessions on the rule of law in Poland and respect for the values of the Union in Hungary.

Speaking ahead of the Article 50 GAC, Minister McEntee said:

The Article 50 GAC will give the Tanaiste and I the opportunity to once again engage with our EU colleagues ahead of the Emergency European Council that I will attend with the Taoiseach in Brussels on Wednesday.



ENDS

Press Office

9 April 2019

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With Picture in Picture mode, users can minimise the YouTube app and switch to other apps while a small floating window continues video playback.

YouTube for mobile devices received the Picture-in-Picture (PiP) option in mid-2018. First available for the users of the app in the US, the option enabled Premium/Red subscribers to minimise the app but still have a small PiP floating window open to watch videos while switching apps. The availability was later made available for non-premium users and it seems like Google is finally expanding the PiP service for non-premium users outside the US. As per an Android Police report, the feature is now being made available in more countries and the option to enable PiP might pop-up for users in countries outside the US.

Googles support page describing the feature and its availability doesnt mention if the PiP mode is rolling out. It is still stated that non-paying users of the app in the US can benefit from PiP playback but we expect the support page to be updated soon. Users can check if the option is available for them or not by heading over to the Settings in the YouTube app, which can be accessed by tapping on your profile image on the upper-right corner. The option, if available, should show up under the General menu.

Speaking of YouTube, Google recently introduced YouTube Music and YouTube Music Premium services in India. The online music streaming service entered the country with a competitor, Spotify. Since the two have stepped into the online music streaming service space in India, the competition is heating up. JioSaavn and Gaana recently discounted their yearly subscription prices by almost 70 percent and Apple Music also announced a price cut on its service. Apple Music student and family subscription plans are now priced at Rs 49 and Rs 149 respectively, down from Rs 60 and Rs 190. Subscribing to the service on a yearly basis now costs Rs 999, instead of Rs 1,200.

Spotifys monthly subscription is priced at Rs 119, while YouTube Musics monthly cost of subscription is even lower at Rs 99. As for JioSaavn and Gaana users, they can now avail yearly subscription for Rs 299. Before the price cut, JioSaavns annual subscription was priced at Rs 999, while the same for Gaana cost Rs 1,098.

Related Reads:

Apple Music rivals YouTube Music and Spotify by lowering monthly subscription to Rs 99

YouTube Music In India: Ten steps to mastering the new music streaming app from Google

Spotify India Free vs Premium: Comparing the two tiers
According to Hyundai India, Blue Link comes with a total of thirty-three features, ten of which are India-specific.

Hyundai India announced today a new internet-based connectivity solution for future models called Blue Link at the Hyundai India Quality Centre in Faridabad. Set to debut in the upcoming Hyundai Venue subcompact SUV, Hyundai Blue Link allows a Hyundai car owner to operate some of the features of their connected Hyundai car using their smartphone. To achieve this, owners will need the Blue Link app. With it, they will also be able to view analytical data collected about their driving style. While inside the car, owners will be able to use their voice to make calls and give commands to the in-vehicle infotainment system, which is expected to be accompanied by a large touchscreen display.

According to Hyundai India, the Blue Link solution comes with a total of thirty-three features, ten of which are India-specific. In the area of safety, Blue Link lets the driver call for immediate assistance using two dedicated buttons on the cars inside rear-view mirror: SOS and Roadside Assistance. These buttons can be used to call for medical assistance in case of an accident. They can also be used to contact the police or the nearest authorised service centre for breakdowns. Using the Blue Link app, owners will be able to locate and immobilise a stolen car. In addition, they can set speed, idle time, and location restrictions when lending the car to a valet or hired driver.

In the area of convenience, Blue Link lets the owner operate parts of the car remotely using their smartphone. For example, the owner can lower or raise the cars windows, lock or unlock the doors, and sound the horn for up to thirty seconds (to say, spot the car easily in a large car park). If they own a model with an automatic gearbox, they can even start the engine up remotely and turn the air conditioner on (to keep a warm cabin pre-cooled). Once inside the car, owners can use their voice to find nearby points of interest (like petrol stations and restaurants). They can also make use of Hyundais 24-hour customer care service to search for results.

To enable all these features in the Blue Link solution, Hyundai India says that it has tied up with various technology partners, including Vodafone Idea (for in-vehicle internet connectivity), AccuWeather (for weather data), SoundHound (for voice recognition), and Hyundai subsidiary Mobis (for developing the infotainment system). Hyundai is actively training a team of over 615 Blue Link Wizards who would be specialists in their field and who in turn will train over 10,000 Sales Consultants across the wide network of Hyundai dealership and service touch points. These specialists will be able to handle any query related to the new technology, writes Hyundai India in its press release.

Along with the announcement of its new Blue Link tech, Hyundai India also shared the first design sketch of the upcoming Hyundai Venue. Set for a global unveiling at the New York International Auto Show, the Hyundai Venue will be previewed in India on April 17. The VENUE symbolizes a 3rd SPACE which is trendy, unique, stylish and perfect for Hyundais newest connected SUV, crafted with Creative Thinking Covering All The Necessities, writes Hyundai India.

Related Read: Hyundai BlueLink connectivity solution to be unveiled next week, will debut on upcoming Venue
Samsung has introduced 5 cool features that will come in all their 2019 TVs ranging from 32-inch all the way to the flagship 85-inch TV.

Let's face it, smart TVs arent new. We have smart TVs in all price brackets now, but the entry-level smart TVs offer a very cumbersome smart TV experience. Mostly because they run on AOSP which, well, isn't ideal. While we haven't reviewed any of the Samsung budget smart TVs, at an event in Delhi, Samsung showed us some interesting features that it is bringing to its entire TV portfolio. This ranges from their entry level 32-inch TV all the way up to the flagship 82-inch TV. The underlying OS is the Tizen OS and these features are in addition to the OS running on the TV. So let's break down the 5 features that are coming to the Samsungs 2019 TVs

1. Personal Computer

You can use your TV as a personal computer. Actually, before we make that statement, let's understand what the feature does. The remote access feature gives you three PC things that you can do with the TV. You can remotely access content from your PC, share your PC screen to the big screen and use Office 365 without connecting a PC to the TV. Let's explore these in detail.

Office 365: This is simply an Office 365 app for the Tizen OS and you need your own subscription to the service to work it. The TV is compatible with most wired and wireless keyboard-mouse setups and in the demo we got, it was a seamless experience to make word docs, PPTs and spreadsheets from the comfort of the couch. You do need an internet connection for this function to work.

Screen sharing: As the name suggests, you can share the display of your laptop or computer with the TV wirelessly. We have seen this feature in action on the Samsung Flip (check it out here), and if you want to share content from your PC to the big screen, you no longer need to find that HDMI cable. Samsung says that the screen sharing is seamless and even your heavy video files should playback without any hiccups. We would definitely like to take this feature for a spin when we get our hands on the TV.

Remote PC: This is an interesting feature as it allows you to connect to your PC no matter where it is. All you need is for the PC to be on and connected to the internet. The way you access your PC remotely is based on the internet speed at your disposal, so keep that in mind. This is an interesting feature for professionals that want to access work files from home but don't want to lug a laptop around. The login process for this feature is secured with a username and password.

2. Music System

With the Music system feature, you can convert your Samsung TV into your personal jukebox. The app is a skin that gives you a visual representation of the music content you are streaming either locally through a USB drive or via Bluetooth to the TV. if you like, you can switch the display off and use the speakers of the TV to enjoy music. Mostly, TVs have average speakers so I do question why someone would do this. Nonetheless, it is an interesting feature to have. Mind you, this isn't a new feature. Remove the fancy skin Samsung is providing with this TV and you have a feature that has existed on TVs since 2016.

3. Live cast

Put simply, this feature lets you broadcast live to one or more Samsung TVs. When the user goes live with his/her smartphone, a notification pops up on the TV and clicking a button on the remote control brings up the live feed. This is especially good if you are attending family functions and want to broadcast it back to those who couldn't make it. Remember, this is a one-way feed, so you can't sit on your couch and talk back. You may want to revert to a video chat app if you want to participate. Think of live cast as your personal FB live without the interactivity. In our experience at the Samsung event, there was an 18 second lag between performing an activity in front of the smartphone camera and it appearing on screen.

4. Home Cloud

This is one feature I find quite interesting. With home cloud you backup your photos and videos from your smartphone to the TV. All you need to do is a one-time setup process and plug in a storage device to the TV. Samsung says you can connect a whopping 1TB drive to the TV for this without any problem. So, when the smartphone that is synced with the TV enters the proximity of the TV, the new pictures clicked are automatically backed up to the storage device connected to the TV. Since this works with Wi-Fi direct, you don't need a fancy internet connection to transfer the images. Even if you delete the photos from your phone, they still exist on the drive connected to your TV. I think this is a really cool way to not only back up your photos but have precious memories instantly available at the click of a button.

5. Two-way sharing

Last but not least, we have a function called 2-way sharing. As the name suggests, you can share audio and video (or audio only or video only if you want) between the smartphone and the TV. Let's say I want to enjoy the latest IPL match and my family is having a gathering at home. I can sneak into the bathroom, share the content from the TV to my smartphone with the simple click of a button and enjoy the match from my set top box connection while the TV in the room remains off. This also works with WiFi direct so you don't need to resort to the internet for streaming.

Even though smart TVs are getting smarter they aren't doing so at affordable price points. WIth the above 5 features, it looks like Samsung is looking to distinguish itself by giving features that have real-world usage potential. How well these features work and the utility value they bring to customers is something we will know when the feature is publically available. We would also like to delve deep into them and will bring you an in-depth look once we get a TV boasting of these features in for review.

Also Read:

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K now supports Miracast: Report

Thomson 4K 40 inch TV Review

Netflix removes AirPlay feature support from iOS app: Report
Paul Biya Archives

A document expressing Cameroons wish to see President Paul Biya secured by some Cameroonian soldiers in Switzerland, has been leaked and is now being circulated over social media.

The civil cabinet of the Presidency of the Republic of Cameroon in the supposed secret letter to Cameroon's Ambassador to Switzerland, requests for measured to be take in order to facilitate the aforementioned request of Cameroon.

Switzerland happens to be one of President Paul Biya's safe haven, although recently his said private space has been invaded either by Anglophone secessionists or some Cameroonian opposition members, leaving in that country. These persona have on several occasions exposed Biya's hideout in Europe, at a time when the country is wondering where its President had disappeared to.

Biya often stays at the renowned Continental Hotel in Switzerland and has often been accused of spending tax payers money at the expensive hotel, leaving behind abandoned projects, bad roads, and other preoccupying issues of Cameroonians.

Following the request from the civil cabinet, the 86-year-old president, would be in Switzerland for one month on a private visit. He is expected to be accompanied by 11 soldiers from the countrys defense unit, a total of 630 ammunitions and as usual some members of government.

Many critics over social media have indicated that the soldiers to accompany President Biya seemingly comes from his region of origin, South and the nation's capital. Amongst them are Colonels, commanders and Lieutenants.

A European anti-corruption organisation, had revealed that between 2006 and 2009, Biya spent a third of the year abroad, with a majority of his trips to Geneva, where Biya frequents the five-star Intercontinental Hotel, accompanied by his wife, and a cabal of up to 50 government officials. The anti-corruption unit, OCCRP stated that the total hotel fees and chartered jet costs could be around $182 million (approximately 108billion Francs CFA), over all those trips.

Few days ago, a move to cut down expenses on foreign trips of top government officials was widely applauded by Cameroonian. Biya instructed his Prime Minister to limit government ministers, and other heads of state institution from inconsequential trips oversea.
I-T raids unearth Rs281-cr cash trail in poll-bound MP

Income tax officials following the trail of unaccounted cash in Madhya Pradesh have raided several properties belonging to businessmen, politicians and people related to other public services and have stuck upon a Rs281-crore cash collection racket by a major political party.

Reports quoting sources close to the development said that searches by the Delhi Directorate of Income Tax on Monday detected a "wide spread", "organised" racket of unaccounted cash.

"A part of the cash was also transferred to the headquarters of a major political party in Delhi, including about Rs20 crore, which was moved through hawala recently to the headquarters of the political party from the residence of a senior functionary at Delhi's Tughlak Road," news agency ANI said quoting sources.

Unaccounted cash of Rs14.6 crore, 252 bottles of liquor, few arms and hide-skins of tiger were also found.

Further, ANI said, searches in Delhi in the group of a close relative of the senior functionary have further led to the seizure of "incriminating evidence, including cash book recording unaccounted transactions of Rs230 crore, siphoning off money through bogus billing of more than Rs242 crore and evidence of more than 80 companies in tax havens."

The CBDT said several unaccounted/benami properties at posh locations in Delhi have also been detected. It said these "instances of violations of the model code of conduct are being brought to the notice of the Election Commission".

The department had on Sunday launched pre-dawn raids at 52 locations of people and associates linked to Nath.

Reports citing sources said there is a "strong possibility" of the cash recovered during the operation being used to fund political campaigns and bribe voters in the poll-bound state and in Delhi.

The development comes even as the Income Tax department's searches against close aides of Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath and others continued.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission on Sunday asked enforcement agencies to be impartial and inform it about any searches and seizures in advance.

"The Election Commission strongly advises that all enforcement actions during the election period, even when conducted ruthlessly with a view to curb the blatant electoral malpractice (of using money power to influence voter behaviour), be absolutely neutral, impartial and non-discriminatory. Further, in case of suspected use of such illicit money for electoral purposes, the Chief Electoral Officer should be kept suitably informed while the Model Code of Conduct is in force," according to a letter issued by the EC to investigation agencies.
Councillors at the Glenties Municipal District have pledged their support for the proposed distillery which is to to be developed in Ardara.

Sliabh Liag Distillers, producers of An Dulaman Irish Maritime Gin and The Legendary Silkie Irish Whiskey, has acquired the Show Field in Ardara, and a planning application has been submitted to Donegal County Council (DCC).

At a meeting which was held in Dungloe on Tuesday, the Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council (DCC), Cllr Seamus O Domhnaill said that he had recently attended a public event where the proposed plans were on display.

Cllr Terence Slowey was also present.

Cllr Slowey described it as a 'pleasing display.' He added that it was a beautiful building and that the business would create forty jobs in the Ardara area and would be of economic benefit to the Ardara area and surrounding areas.

Cllr Seamus O Domhnaill proposed that all councillors from the area write to the authorities and voice their support for the project.

"I would ask all members to support it," he said.
In light of World Health Day which took place on Sunday, April 7 the B&S Credit Union would like to invite members of the community to call into their Ballybofey office on Wednesday April 10 from 10am - 4pm.

A number of local exhibitors will provide information, advice and practical support to help people stay healthy, active and well for your mind, body and soul.

From 10am to noon, Louise Hayden from 'Evolve Health and Fitness,' will provide health and fitness advice.

Diana from the 'Sonas Counselling and Wellness Centre' will be available to speak to individuals on a one-to-one basis.

Tina McNulty an audiologist from Specsavers will offer free mini-hearing test and wax checks.

From 10am to 1pm, Bodyfuel Co will provide one-to-one advice on healthy foods and clean meals.

From 1pm to 3pm, Shaun mcGlynn from Pro-Fitness will offer fitness advice.

From 2pm to 4pm, Estee lauder consultant, Gemma will give advice on getting your perfect colour foundation match.

Information will also be available from Jigsaw Donegal, Samantha Pilates, Eibhlin Coll RINKA Kids Fitness, Mary Kara DonegalMindfullness and many more. We would love to see old and new members. If you would like more information call our office free phone 1800290390.
Steve Babari is among MRC militants arrested April 9 in Yaounde Facebook

Security forces in Yaounde have arrested five militants of Professor Maurice Kamtos Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM) party as they staged a protest today April 9, 2019, demanding the unconditional release of their party chairman and his aides.

Maurice Kamto, Christian Penda Ekoka, Albert Dzongang, Paul Eric Kingue, Alain Fogue and Celestin Djamen decided to boycott todays hearing at the Mfoundi High Court. They were protesting attempts to try them behind closed doors.

At midday, CRM spokesman Olivier Bibou Nissack said: President Kamto will not appear today because the trial has been politicized. It is same for his allies: Christian Penda Ekoka, Hon. Albert Dzongang (President of La Dynamique), Paul Eric Kingue, Professor Alain Fogue (CRM national treasurer) and Celestin Djamen.

They were expected to hear the verdict on a habeas corpus request. Kamto and the six others were among 200 people arrested on January 26, 2019 following pro-CRM demonstrations across Cameroon.

An impressive number of CRM militants, supporters and sympathizers who are of the opinion that Kamto won the October 7 presidential election in Cameroon however staged a protest demanding that their leaders be freed.

According to CRM sources, the five persons arrested include Foudji Agnes, Toukam Carine Sandrine, Kamgaing Elisabeth, Steve Barbari, Kamgue Pulcherie, and Biene Rose. It is said that the court premises was inundated by security officers most of whom were in civilian attire.

A ban on CRM demonstrations was made public by Territorial Administration Minister, Paul Atanga Nji on April 5. He banned all CRM activities from April 6 to April 13.

The minister, Atanga Nji, also accused the CRM of an act of provocation, having chosen to organise demonstrations on April 6, a date which marks the anniversary of a 1984 coup attempt to oust President Biya.

The Mfoundi High Court was expected to confirm the decision of a lower court to keep Kamto in prison awaiting trial. On April 2, his defense lawyers walked out of the court room in protest of the decision to hold the proceedings behind closed doors.

This move is part of a growing trend in Cameroon. Since late 2016, the government has repeatedly blocked peaceful anti-government protests with force, arbitrary arrest, and detention of protesters. In January 2017, the Minister of Territorial Administration banned the activities of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium (CACSC), a leading civil society organization working in the volatile Anglophone regions.

CRM Militant, Angela Forbin in a comment condemned the nature of the trial, wondering why government is bent on trying the opposition leader behind closed doors.

Her words: The government refused to give Maurice Kamto & co a public trial and yet invited propaganda media and plain clothes policemen to come and witness the verdict?!

Lewis Mudge, Central Africa Director at Human Rights Watch had prior to todays court appearance said Cameroon is tightening the screw on the opposition with increasing efforts to check the right to assembly, and ban on opposition demonstrations.

Mudge wrote: The governments ban on CRM rallies is a step backward for Cameroon and should be lifted immediately. Rather than forbid dissent and lock up opponents, the government should respect democratic principles and allow peaceful protest.
Two Louth based initiatives are to receive a funding boost of over 300,000 through the International Fund for Ireland(IFI) in the latest funding package.

Ait na nDaoine in Dundalk has been awarded 177,782(148,152) for a 21 month project in the town, working with disaffected republicans, young people, families and local residents in an area long associated with displaced people, republicanism, dissident activity, criminality and high levels of deprivation, all significantly related to the conflict.

The project will include capacity building, addressing the past, developing a stakeholders group, the creation of a womens group, working with the youth, and cross community and cross-border activities.

Ardee and District Community Trust has been awarded 140,000(116,667) for an 18 month project in Mid Louth. The primary aim of the project is to support at risk local young people and challenge the culture of silence and control in the area by paramilitary organisations.

The project will support groups involved to develop their capacity and their relationship and to facilitate the development of comprehensive youth and community support services and infrastructure.

Paddy Harte, the new Chairman of the International Fund for Ireland says:

The biggest challenge we are currently facing is uncertainty and the fear of the unknown.

Tensions are increasing across Northern Ireland and the southern border counties, and some communities are certainly feeling more polarised than ever without those political structures in place.

Despite the enormous progress that has been made in recent years, the current political impasse and uncertainty surrounding Brexit, along with growing tensions within some communities are all playing directly into the hands of those intent on inciting violence and radicalising young people through paramilitary recruitment.

It is essential to maintain momentum in peace building across the island of Ireland. The Fund has never shied away from difficult conversations and is the only organisation that can effectively address the challenges surrounding sustainable peace on this island.

Whilst communities in Northern Ireland may feel frustrated and abandoned by the political process, we are fully committed to delivering stability and opportunity.

The IFI will continue to engage in marginalised communities and put a sharp focus on improving cross-border relationships in order to address legacy issues and achieve positive and lasting transformation.

Briege Elliman, Board of Directors Ait Na nDaoine said:

We have recently secured funding from IFI we are in the process of advertising the two positions Full time Project Manager and Part time Admin / project worker.

"The funding is for the Invictus Project, which will assist people to take ownership of their community, build peace in the community and encourage the community to get involved and start planning for a better future.

"We the Board of Management are delighted to receive this funding and look forward to seeing the results of this investment and the positive effects on the community.

Damien McKenna Programme Coordinator with Ardee and District Community Trust added:

Our project provides a much need service in the mid Louth area through inter-generational work as well as working with young people, community/parenting groups and the LGBTI+ community.

"The continued support from the IFI allows us to make a difference. We plan to extend our youth service as well as build new community initiatives and aim to build cross-border and cross-community relationships to help residents understand the impact of The Troubles from a more rounded perspective.

Further information about all the beneficiaries from the International Fund for Irelands latest funding package is available at the International Fund for Irelands website: www.internationalfundforireland.com
An appeal has gone out to anglers in Louth who are willing to become citizen scientists, for a a new National Salmon Scale Project that has been initiated by Inland Fisheries.

Announcing the initiative, Sean Canney TD, Minister with responsibility for the Inland Fisheries sector said:

As we celebrate International Year of the Salmon, this project will help researchers understand the challenges which salmon are facing today.

"The project, which has been initiated by Inland Fisheries Ireland aims to collect vital information through scales taken from salmon and sea trout which are caught in Irish rivers and lakes and will contribute to international efforts to conserve wild salmon.

As part of the project, anglers in Louth are asked to take a scale sample from a salmon or sea trout by gently scraping and removing approximately 20 fish scales using a clean knife.

Anglers are then requested to post their samples to Inland Fisheries Ireland using the sample envelopes which will be made available to them.

Scales can be removed from both harvested and catch and release fish. Sampling of fish for release should be handled carefully and fish should be only briefly removed from the water with every effort made to avoid injury or stress while weight should be estimated.

Information from salmon scales is used in setting conservation limits for Irish rivers. Conservation limits for each river are set based on the proportion of salmon who have spent one winter at sea and those that have spent multiple winters at sea.

The conservation limit for a river represents the number of spawning salmon required to produce the next generation of salmon and this information helps inform angling regulations and management. Information from scales on multi sea winter salmon entering rivers in spring is also important for managing individual river stocks.

Dr Paddy Gargan, Senior Research Officer at Inland Fisheries Ireland said:

It is important to have anglers collecting scales as they can provide broad coverage across Ireland and collect scales throughout the fishing season. A scale resource which includes many different river systems in Ireland over several years is a great asset from a research perspective as it allows us to examine the factors affecting salmon survival at sea.

"We can compare how factors, such as climate change, are impacting survival by analysing todays salmon scales alongside those from many decades ago.

A wealth of information may be gleaned from analysing salmon scales. Fish scales record the life history of a salmon and one scale can reveal a lot about the lifestyle and behaviour of the fish. Scales can tell scientists what age the fish is, how many winters it spent at sea, how many times it spawned, how slow or fast it grew, what it ate and how long it spent in the river before it went out to sea.

Scales can also reveal the general feeding area where the salmon travelled to in the ocean, whether it went to the Faroe Islands, the Norwegian Sea or all the way to West Greenland. Scales help scientists to understand the biology and ecology of Irish salmon and sea trout.

All scales collected through the National Salmon Scale Project will be added to the National Salmon Scale Archive which is managed by Inland Fisheries Ireland. The archive, which consists of a dedicated storage facility and associated database, currently holds 19,300 scale samples from a total of 38 rivers representing 152 sampling years.

The National Salmon Scale Project aims to increase the scale resource available to scientists for ongoing and future research.

Dr Cathal Gallagher, Head of Research and Development at Inland Fisheries Ireland said:

Ultimately the National Salmon Scale Project will help inform future salmon management policies and activities. It is fitting therefore that we are launching this campaign during International Year of the Salmon which aims to raise awareness of what humans can do to ensure salmon and their habitats are conserved and restored against a backdrop of several environmental pressures.

"This project offers anglers a very tangible and practical way of playing an active role in salmon conservation.

For more information on the National Salmon Scale Project, including how to take a sample safely and to request sample envelopes, visit www.fisheriesireland.ie/salmonscales.

To find out more about International Year of the Salmon visit www.yearofthesalmon.org or www.fisheriesireland.ie/iys.
Une seance de depistage Archives

Cameroons Public Health Minister, Dr. Malachie Manaouda has hinted that by 2020, testing for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) will be free.

In a press release dated Thursday, April 4, Malachie Manaouda says by 2020, tests on Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, AIDS, will be without charge.

Minister Malachie Manaouda defined how to access and monitor populations for screening services and HIV care in public health facilities. According to this Ministerial decision, Rapid HIV Test will be free for every civilian by January 1, 2020.

Many other services concerning anyone living with HIV in Cameroon will be made free. These services cover medical consultations and prenatal consultations including notebooks, medical records and biological monitoring (CD4 and Viral Load).

Early HIV Testing for children, Antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) and medicines for the prevention of opportunistic infections as well as their collection are part of the services offered. Malachie Manaouda stated that reagents and drugs for all abovementioned examinations and services, are provided free by the health facilities and laboratories selected by the Ministry of Public Health in accordance with the national guidelines in force.

He warns that Failure to comply with this decision or application of the informal costs to the aforementioned services will be subject to penalties.

This has been seen as a step in the right direction towards scaling down the number of new infections, as well as reducing to the barest minimum the number of deaths linked to the disease.

In almost all medical facilities, HIV testing is mandatorily included in all tests as a way of beating back the spread of the virus.

In 2016, Cameroon had 32 000 (22 000 - 41 000) new HIV infections and 29 000 (25 000 - 33 000) AIDS-related deaths. There were 560 000 (470 000 - 650 000) people living with HIV in 2016, among whom 37% (31% - 43%) were accessing antiretroviral therapy. Among pregnant women living with HIV, 74% (56% - 90%) were accessing treatment or prophylaxis to prevent transmission of HIV to their children. An estimated 4000 (1600 - 6500) children were newly infected with HIV due to mother-to-child transmission. Among people living with HIV, approximately 19% (16% - 22%) had suppressed viral loads.

The key populations most affected by HIV in Cameroon are:

Sex workers, with an HIV prevalence of 24.3%.

Gay men and other men who have sex with men, with an HIV prevalence of 37.2%.

Prisoners, with an HIV prevalence of 3.96%.

Since 2010, new HIV infections have increased by 5% and AIDS-related deaths have decreased by 13%.
Award-winning space explorer and science communicator Niamh Shaw PhD is set to blaze a trail for Irish Girl Guides (IGG) over the course of the next 12 months.

Dr Shaw, who is originally from Dundalk but is now based in Dublin, describes herself as an Irish engineer, scientist, artist, performer, space explorer and award-winning science communicator with a passion to ignite curiosity about space and the world around us.

She was named Honorary Ambassador at IGGs annual Council meeting held in Tallaght last Saturday. Dr Shaw was chosen in recognition of the trail she has blazed for girls and women in Ireland.

IGG President Maureen Murphy said IGG members were excited to have Dr Niamh Shaw as the organisations new Ambassador.

She has stated her wish to ignite peoples curiosity and has a big dream to travel in space, said Ms Murphy. Niamh has already met some of our members at the FIRST LEGO League finals in Dublin City University.

Guiding is about providing new experiences and challenges to enable each girl to reach her own potential in todays world, so Niamh is a very appropriate role model, inspirer and Honorary Ambassador.

Dr Shaw, who is Dublin-based but regularly travels to Blackrock Castle Observatory in Cork where she is artist-in-residence, is particularly interested in encouraging girls and women to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects. This ties in nicely with IGGs aim to encourage girls and young women to consider STEM careers by inviting them to earn STEM, Engineering, Science Investigator and Online Surfer badges.

What I'm particularly interested in, during my term as Ambassador, is empowering Girl Guides to pursue in life what they are most passionate about, which is usually what they are also most curious about, said Dr Shaw.

STEM will naturally play its part in that exploration, so rather than promote STEM in isolation, I want to encourage them to see STEM as a suite of tools with which to unearth and explore what they are most passionate about. And they can use this knowledge to enhance this passion directly or indirectly.

STEM subjects can belong in a creative environment as much as a technical one. If I can achieve success in delivering that message to Girl Guides in the next year, then I will feel that I have made a worthy contribution to Irish Girl Guides. And, since my passion is space, I would also like to explore the creation of a space badge too, if possible.

Dr Shaw, who was a member of IGG for some of her childhood, has fond memories of her time in the organisation. She was disappointed that it was difficult to stay involved because the family moved location frequently.

I remember one time we had to collect the leaves of different trees, which led me to read and research more on the topic. And there was no internet then to do a simple Google search! Thankfully, we had the children's encyclopedia, so I referred to that a lot, and to other nature books in the house. To this day, I still test myself on tree identification!

Dr Shaw said she was delighted to be selected as IGG Ambassador. Its a huge honour, she says, And Im really looking forward to the year ahead.

Irish Girl Guides welcomes new members from age 5+ and volunteer Leaders from age 18+. To find out more, see www.irishgirlguides.ie or telephone 01 6683898.
Erin McGreehan Local Election candidate for Dundalk Carlingford LEA has raised the issue of dog owners taking responsibility for their pets after following a spate of recent dog attacks on sheep in the Cooley Peninsula.

Fianna Fail candidate McGreehan said: "It is the responsibility of the owner and not the fault of the innocent dog that they are allowed to roam wild and attack farmers livestock. This livestock is a farming familys livelihood, their income.

"Farmers get no joy out of the necessity to put down a dog it is cruel but once a dog kills other animals it will continue to do so and in the long run, it is the only safe thing to do."

Louth farmers have called for the Government to re-run a television ad campaign about responsible dog ownership from the 1980's. The ad first aired on RTE in 1984 and proved to be a very effective way to inform television viewers that 'running free, he can be a killer.'

McGreehan added: "After all the awareness and dog attacks; the Government continues to ignore the calls to run this advert, it already exists they should not be holding back in encouraging responsible dog ownership."

McGreehan also emphasised that it is now "a necessity" for tighter laws to be implemented with regard to the micro-chipping of dogs and that there is "a need for more for resources for the dog warden service so that it can give an after-hours service".

"The dog licence is run by the Department of Environment, whereas microchipping is run by the Department of Agriculture. The two databases dont talk to one another, so there is no connection at all between them.

"This probably increases the compliance level for microchipping as people are not being forced to get a dog licence if they get their dog microchipped but it is clearly not very efficient.

McGreehan concluded: "There should be an adequately contained area where dog owners can let their dog run free and off lead. Dog Parks are commonplace in many countries but not that common in Ireland.

"If there was an area for example in a Coillte forest that was fenced off and the dogs could run free and happy enjoying nature like they should be, but it would be in a safe environment for all, its only one option but something in this line could be a positive for tourists and local dog owners alike."


"By using traditional water features such as high altitude wetlands and traditional irrigation channels, it may be possible to store more water upstream and have more water available downstream all year". AquaFondo and Wetlands International are studying the possibilities of combining nature and semi-natural structures for water management and risk reduction in the Peruvian basins. "Let us build the Blue-Green Infrastructure necessary to make Peru adaptable to the extremes of a changing climate and make sure all Peruvians benefit from the services these provide". Five Dutch and Peruvian experts made this call in a blog on the website of Wetlands International. They are studying the possibilities in Peru to create a more constant flow of water from the mountains throughout the year.

Swelling of the Rimac river, causing floods down stream.

Bofedales

Their suggestion is to use Perus high altitude wetlands (bofedales) that are situated 3,800 m above sea level. These wetlands have underlying peat layers that act as a sponge to retain and purify water in the upper section of the river basins. However, bofedales have been affected by human activities including overgrazing, metal mining and peat extraction.

Pre-Inca water engineering

Old pre-Inca irrigation channels, amunas (on top photo) allow communities to distribute and harvest this water. These amunas still exist high up in the Andean mountains, and they also facilitate superficial and underground water recharge, ensuring the availability of water throughout the year.

With more prolonged droughts caused by climate change, the amunas represent a lifeline for peasant populations in the highlands while also contributing to the water supply of dams downstream.

Management of the grazing is one of the measures to restore high Andean bofedales.

The potential of this Blue-Green Infrastructure is illustrated by the 135 km of amunas in the Chillon, Rimac and Lurin river basins that are within the scope of the expert organisation AquaFondo.

Beyond grey engineering

In their blog the experts argue that it is necessary to think beyond traditional or grey engineering that channels rivers to protect the banks. This leads to faster discharge of excess water, increasing the risk of lower basin flooding. On the other hand, natural Blue-Green Infrastructure of floodplains can retard runoff due to their ability to temporarily store water (filling up and expanding the river); and lower the velocity of the river channel, thus controlling erosion.

This means that, instead of limiting the river, you must give it the space to grow and shrink, they advocate.

Read the full blog on the website of Wetlands International and more about the High Andes Wetlands project.

(Photos: Wetlands International / AquaFondo)

Read also on this website

 AIWW Summit 2018: How to speed up climate adaptation globally?, 20 November 2018

 World Water Forum 8: Huge potential for nature based solutions to reduce water risks, 28 March 2018

 Wetlands International helps to stop downward spiral of water insecurity in Sahel region, 6 March 2018

 Expertise: Water for all



More information

Wetlands International

Ede, the Netherlands

+31 318 660 910

www.wetlands.org
A recent violent attack on police officers that splashed across national news has highlighted the need for better employment practices, particularly when a staff member is at the centre of the story.

Human resources specialist Kelli McDougall from Fifth Eagle says many people were surprised that a female childcare worker was charged as part of the sickening incident in Melbourne where two officers were set upon by a group of people.

While I dont want to detract from the seriousness of the incident, a number of businesses would have been horrified to see the faces of people they trusted in their workplace in the lead story of the nightly news, Ms McDougall says.

One of them was a childcare worker, and Im sure the centre she worked at would be scrambling to know what to do, particularly when their parents would have also seen it.

There could be elements of concern for her welfare but given her role and industry, and the nature of the crime, Im sure they would be also considering immediate termination.

Unfortunately its not as simple as that, but most employers wouldnt know their rights when they see something like this play out on national news.

Ms McDougall says the first thing businesses need to ensure is a thorough check of employees backgrounds, in some cases police checks.

Its amazing how many companies just dont go through the proper checks when taking on a new hire, Ms McDougall says.

If they did theyd potentially find out problems before they end up on the front page of the paper.

However when they do find an employee in the media spotlight, theres certain things to consider.

Ms McDougall says that employers cant simply terminate an employee, or they risk severe legal ramifications.

Employers must never assume gross misconduct has occurred but should launch an independent investigation to establish the facts, says Ms McDougall.

If gross misconduct is determined, there are still various processes which must be followed; for example, it is important to offer an employee reasonable right of response to the allegations.

Remember, the more serious the allegations are, the stronger the evidence against them must be.

The rule of thumb for employers in these instances is dont assume, and if in doubt seek the assistance of a qualified human resource or employment relations expert before acting.

Fifth Eagle is a dynamic and industry leading business advisory firm providing consultancy in the C-Suite as a Service space as well as HR and innovative financial services.

Kelli McDougall from Fifth Eagle has 15 years HR Consulting experience.
BARCELONA  Fashion for Good will once again host the Pitch for our Planet textile innovation session at the forthcoming Planet Textiles event which takes place on 22nd June in Barcelona where it is being co-hosted alongside ITMA 2019.

Speakers at this special innovation session on new and emerging textile technology include Petri Alava, CEO of Infinited Fiber a company that turns textile, cardboard and agricultural waste into new fibres; along with Spencer Null, Director of Product Development at Natural Fiber Welding, which uses a closed loop platform to fuse fibres together without denaturing the natural polymers of the fibres.

Speaking to Ecotextile News earlier, Luke Haverhals, CEO and founder of Natural Fiber Welding told us: My scientific research hinges on a key technical insight that the glue that holds cellulose molecules in cotton together  intermolecular forces  can be extended from within a fibre to bridge to surrounding neighbouring fibres.

The technology is said to use intrinsically safe salt-based chemistries to activate fibres to controllably fuse them together (using no resins, glues, or synthetic plastics) to make new materials. The salt is then continuously reclaimed and recycled making the process closed loop, says Haverhals.

Reserve your place at Planet Textiles here to avoid disappointment  places are now being snapped up fast. Full price ticket includes a discounted 7-day free pass to ITMA.

Hosted by Georgia Parker, Innovation Manager at Fashion for Good, the Pitch for the Planet is an interactive session that will feature brief pitch presentations of new technology from each speaker which will then be opened up to questions from delegates.

This popular session is an eagerly anticipated feature of Planet Textiles and will also feature Pete Santora, the Chief Commercial Officer at Software Automation, the US-based company thats disrupting the US$100 billion sewn products industry by creating autonomous sewbots that use artificial intelligence to automate garment and footwear production.

Santora describes his company as: Like an autonomous driving car for sewing. We use machine vision to map fabric and robotics to steer the fabric through the needle. This is the critical step to creating rapid reaction urban manufacturing anywhere in the world regardless of the supply of cheap labour.

New materials

Meanwhile, Lea Easterhuizen, the founder of &Wider will talk the diagnostic tools it provides such as workers mobile phones to track and encourage improvement in labour practices along the textile supply chain; while Checkerspot will reveal details of its innovative work at the molecular level using oils to engineer building blocks for new state-of-the-art materials that it says can be used to produce a new generation of textile materials.

Also featuring in Pitch for the Planet will be Sudhakar Puvvada, formerly of VF Corporation and now with Indigo Mill Designs, which has already made early in-roads in the denim manufacturing sector using a foam-based technology to dye yarns, which its claimed can significantly reduce water use compared to conventional indigo dyeing. The company has already worked with Wrangler and Lee jeans.

Partnering once again with the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Planet Textiles 2019 takes place June 22nd in Barcelona as part of the ITMA event and looks set to sell out even quicker than last years event, with only 420 tickets available in total. Register now to avoid disappointment.

Speakers and some delegates may be invited to partake in filmed interviews in the Planet Textiles Pod. Interested to be interviewed? Get in touch.

The full agenda will be released shortly, more speakers to confirm soon, and for more detailed information about the event, please visit: www.planet-textiles.com

Event partner is Sympatex, the manufacturer of breathable membranes.

Follow us on Twitter @ecotextile and @PlanetTextiles
Glaciers may be melting faster than scientists thought, causing 25 to 30 percent of global sea level rise, according to comprehensive research published in Nature on Monday.

While previous studies had only assessed 500 glaciers, the new study looked at more than 19,000 glaciers using both satellite data and field visits, lead study author and University of Zurich glaciologist Michael Zemp told CNN. The researchers found that, between 1961 and 2016, the world's non-polar glaciers had lost around 9,000 billion tons of ice and contributed 27 millimeters to rising ocean levels. That's enough ice to turn the U.S. into an ice-rink four feet thick. "Over 30 years suddenly almost all regions started losing mass at the same time," Zemp told the Associated Press. "That's clearly climate change if you look at the global picture."

The new report put the shrinkage rate for glaciers at 18 percent faster than that calculated by another international study in 2013. It found that glaciers are contributing as much ice melt to sea level rise as the Greenland ice sheet and more than the Antarctic ice sheet, National Geographic reported. In the 1960s, when the study period began, glaciers would melt in summer and regain mass in winter. But beginning around the 1980s, they began to lose more in the summer than they regained in winter, and by the 1990s, almost every glacier they studied was losing more than it could recuperate. Only glaciers in southwest Asia are not losing mass because of regional climate factors, the Associated Press reported. "The drama is that it's increasingly negative," study co-author and University of Zurich geographer Frank Paul told National Geographic. Today, glaciers lose about 335 billion tons of ice a year, the equivalent of one millimeter per year of sea level rise, according to a University of Zurich release. "Globally, we lose about three times the ice volume stored in the entirety of the European Alps  every single year!" Zemp said.
Thailand and Vietnam are two of the five countries that account for 60 percent of the plastic in the world's oceans, according to a 2015 study. Now, Vice reported Friday that supermarkets in both countries are going back to nature to find an alternative to plastic bags: banana leaves.

A March 21 Facebook post showing how Rimping Supermarket in Chiangmai, Thailand had begun wrapping produce in the durable leaves received more than 7,000 positive reactions.

"People seem to like this," Perfect Homes Chiangmai, the real estate company responsible for the post, wrote in the comments. Meanwhile, in Vietnam, several stores have begun using banana leaves. A Lotte Mart has been trialing wrapping vegetables with the leaves at one outlet in Ho Chi Minh City. The chain said if the trial went well, it would expand the practice to other stores. It also hopes to use environmental wrapping on other products, like meat, VnExpress reported. Responses have so far been positive.

"When I see vegetables wrapped in these beautiful banana leaves I'm more willing to buy in larger quantities. I think this initiative will help locals be more aware of protecting the environment," Lotte Mart shopper Hoa told VnExpress. Other stores adopting banana leaves include Saigon Co.op, which is using them in stores in Ho Chi Minh City, Phan Thiet, Tay Ninh, Quy Nhon and Tam Ky. The Big C chain began using them in Hanoi April 1.
By Jake Johnson

Just a week after a chemical plant explosion killed one worker and spewed thousands of pounds of dangerous pollutants into the air in Crosby, Texas, President Donald Trump is reportedly planning to visit that city Wednesday to sign executive orders to speed up approval of pipelines and other fossil fuel projects.



In coming to the location of a deadly fossil fuel-related explosion to sign an order that would gut states' power to protect residents from the hazards of oil and gas pipelines, Trump is adding tasteless insult to the injury he is inflicting on our planet," Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch, said in a statement.

"Trump's support for the fossil fuel industry reflects a real disdain for public safety and a livable climate for generations to come," Hauter continued. "Expediting pipelines means more petrochemical buildout in places like Appalachia, and more disasters waiting in the wings  not to mention climate catastrophe."

According to the Houston Chronicle, Trump will appear at the International Union of Operating Engineers International Training and Education Center in Crosby, where he will deliver a speech about "how he plans to aid the United States' booming domestic oil and gas production."

While the full details of Trump's forthcoming executive orders have not yet been made public, a White House official told the Chronicle they will be geared toward helping oil and gas companies avoid "red tape."

"With oil industry cronies and swamp monsters filling the ranks of his administration, it's no surprise that Trump is once again taking an action championed by climate deniers and fossil fuel companies," Rachel Rye Butler, climate campaigner with Greenpeace USA, said in a statement. "This executive order is nothing but an attempt to trample people's rights to protect their air, water, and climate from polluting oil and gas pipelines."
Eric and Alberto remember exactly when their life changed in Honduras.

It was 2012. Eric was 8 and Alberto was 10. Even though the family was poor, they were content. We were all together, and we lived very happy until my uncles were killed, Alberto said.

The uncles were police officers and their killers were members of an influential gang, the boys said. So when their mother complained to law enforcement that their murders werent being investigated, instead of justice, she began getting death threats. The family went into hiding. That marked the end of their happy life. And it was also the end of the boys schooling. Now, Eric is 15 and Alberto is 17. They can barely read and write, even in Spanish.

Their mother decided their only hope for survival was to make the long and dangerous trek to the United States. We had to do it, said Alberto. If we stayed they would have harmed us badly. They would have made lots of harm to us. It took the three of them about six months to reach the U.S.-Mexico border because they didnt have enough money for bus tickets along the way.

When the family was caught by Border Patrol in 2017, they were first told they could stay together. But the next day, they were separated. Their mother went to detention and the brothers went to a shelter; Southwest Key Casa Antigua in San Benito, Texas. Alberto was placed in A block and Eric was sent to B block. They had different schedules, so they rarely saw each other. I would cry. I told my mother that I would take care of him and I couldnt do what she told me, Alberto said of the two and a half months in the shelter. Eric didnt talk much. He listened to other boys stories, anxious not to break any of the rules: No hugging, no joking, no bad words, no fighting, no borrowing things from each other.

The boys were sent to live with relatives in Philadelphia while the government fought their mothers asylum application. She was deported and lives in hiding, back in Honduras.

Meanwhile, the boys are trying to navigate their new life, and in some ways, its as hard as ever. They live with 11 relatives they had never met before, in one house, in a tough neighborhood. Its close to one of the largest open-air drug markets in the country. They pass addicts, prostitutes, homeless tents, and used syringes every day.

Their school is not a friendly place either, and its not a place where many students are thriving academically. The percentage of students reading and doing math on grade level is less than half the state average. Most students belong to gangs, so they are dangerous, said Alberto. As soon as you just look at them they turn around and they try to confront or pick a fight. So, its scary. Alberto said he was targeted by a student last year. He said a bad word to me and I asked him not to use that word, and so he went and talked to his friends and they were waiting for me outside at the end of school. I told them I didnt want any problem. I didnt want to fight, but he wanted to harm me. Alberto rarely goes to school. Im not going too much because Im scared, he said.

Eric, on the other hand, likes going to school, but he doesnt understand much of what goes on. Im in English level two, and they put me in class with level four. That makes it complicated. They are slowly learning English. But both brothers are struggling without their mother, whom theyve never been separated from before, as they try to make sense of their new world.

I miss her hugging me. She used to kiss our cheeks and tell us that she loved us, that she misses us, and she loved us, said Alberto, wiping away tears. Eric breaks down as well.

I feel sad. I have a picture of my mother on my phone and I look at it all day, every day, Alberto said. On the rare occasions they speak to their mother on the phone, they beg her to try and come back to the U.S. God will guide your steps, they plead.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 9)  Having a namesake heavenly body is among the top rewards given to scientists. For three Filipino high school students, this recognition came early.

The Department of Education (Deped) in a Facebook post Tuesday said three minor planets were named after students of Camarines Sur National High School who won in the 2018 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair held in May last year.

The studentsEugene Rivera, Joscel Kent Manzanero and Keith Russel Cadoresbagged the second place in the competition for their project called "Solar-Tracking Arduino-Rooted PV Panels."

The three received a certificate identifying their very own minor planet and an orbital plot showing its current location, the Deped said.

Since 2001, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory has named asteroids discovered by their laboratory in honor of high school students who excel at science competitions.
Puerto Rico Secretary of Education Julia Keleher stepped down last week as the islands top K-12 officialand just two days later gave up a new post where she was to be a paid adviser at the islands education department.

The new education secretary for Puerto Rico on an interim basis is Eleuterio Alamo, who most recently oversaw the Puerto Rico education departments San Juan regional office. He was named by Gov. Ricardo Rossello, who had also picked Keleher as education secretary for the U.S. territory, a role she took on in January 2017.

Alamo appealed to Puerto Ricos leadership because of his experience dealing with schools in San Juan, Puerto Ricos capital and its largest city, and the complexity that work entails. Alamo said he was looking forward to continuing ongoing education reforms, according to the Associated Press.

After stepping down April 2, Keleher initially assumed the role of adviser for the department she previously led. She was to focus on the leadership transition and ongoing policy changes. Her $250,000 salary for that job was to have been paid by the islands Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authorityher salary as secretary had also been paid by that agency.

But she confirmed the end of her brand-new job in a text message on April 4, the same day that news reports from the island referred to a legislative inquiry into Kelehers conduct while in office.

Last year, Keleher said she envisioned staying on as secretary for several more years.

Weve finished phase one. Phase two, the running of this, requires a different leader, Keleher said in an interview last week of the governments plan to revamp schools. Im more of a change agent. Now, what we need is someone to hold the course.

Polarizing Figure

When Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico in September 2017, Keleher and other educators were confronted with a humanitarian crisis that crippled the island for months and presented a slew of dire problems for its public school system, which educated roughly 350,000 students before the storm and had been struggling academically and financially for years.

Keleher won praise from some quarters for her determination to revamp K-12. She focused on teachers professional development, getting more and better materials to classrooms, and forging closer connections between schools and the private sector.

Yet other policies she successfully pursued, such as a new law allowing charter schools and vouchers, as well as the closure of hundreds of schools on the heels of declining enrollment, drew her into frequent conflict with the islands teachers unions. At a San Juan rally last summer in opposition to her record, protesters shouted, Julia go home! Keleher is not Puerto Rican.

Aida Diaz, the president of Asociacion de Maestros de Puerto Rico (the islands teachers union, which is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers), told the Associated Press that she is not surprised by Kelehers resignation. She has created chaos, Diaz said.

New Role

Keleher minimized her well-publicized friction with the union, saying that aside from school choice and school closures, she didnt believe she had serious conflict with the labor group. She highlighted a recent announcement that she plans to institute a pay raise for teachers, for example.

However, those two major fights went to court, as the union sought in vain to stop both school closures and the law permitting charters and vouchersone charter is open this school year in Puerto Rico, and two more are slated to start next year. The voucher program is also slated to start in the 2019-20 school year. And AFT President Randi Weingarten recently highlighted the push to oppose the spread of charters in Arecibo, west of San Juan.

Theres a ream of statistics that Keleher and her team have showcased to demonstrate the islands progress during her two-year tenure. They include:

 Delivering 1.2 million textbooks and digital resources to classrooms covering core subjects;

 Increasing the number of nurses in schools from 32 to 430, with each nurse getting training in screening for trauma;

 Upgrading internet bandwidth at schools; and

 Distributing 150,000 laptops and tablets to schools.

One of the biggest remaining problems for the islands public schools is their state of repair. In January, Keleher said it would ultimately cost $11 billion to bring damaged and deteriorating schools up to the necessary building standards.

The school buildings are a real challenge, Keleher said. Not having a beautiful, modern, healthy, safe, engaging learning environmentthats going to be a longer road.

In the short term, Keleher said whether test scores rise is an important barometer for improving schools. Over the longer term, she wants to see greater connections develop between schools and the islands business community.

Asked if she would have done anything differently if given a do over, Keleher responded, I dont have regrets. I think I learned a lot and I grew a lot as a person. If I had to do it all over again, I think I would like to take the time to create stronger, closer connections with each of the communities and understand their needs.
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South Africa is in the midst of an electricity crisis, which is curiously the result of plans by Eskom to prevent this exact scenario from happening.

Energy analyst and EE Publishers MD Chris Yelland explained that Eskom was faced with two choices a few years ago: Spend money on maintenance of old power plants to ensure they continue to function optimally. Divert the maintenance funds to the Medupi and Kusile power plants to expedite bringing their 800 MW units online. Medupi and Kusile have six 800 MW generation units each with more modern technology and higher efficiency than Eskoms older power stations.

If all 12 of Medupi and Kusiles generation units were functioning optimally, they would add 9600 MW of electricity to the grid. This, in turn, would relieve pressure off Eskom and allow it to decommission old power stations which are expensive to run and maintain. Eskom therefore decided to divert maintenance funds to finish construction at Medupi and Kusile.

Plan backfired spectacularly

Yelland explained that spending money which should have been used for maintenance on Medupi and Kusile has backfired spectacularly. Instead of having two fully-functional and modern power stations adding 9,600MW to the grid, here is what actually happened:

Only 3 units at Medupi and 1 unit at Kusile are in commercial service. The other units are still under construction or going into commission. Instead of producing 800 MW each, these units can only generate 600 MW each before problems arise. The new generation units at Medupi and Kusile have serious problems, with an energy availability factor of around 50%. This should be between 85 and 90%. The power generation units at Medupi and Kusile trip regularly and have worse reliability than Eskoms older power stations. Reasons for these problems are corruption and mismanagement at Eskom and its partners.

Widespread corruption and mismanagement have also seen the cost to build Medupi and Kusile increase by more than R300 billion, reaching R145 billion and R161,4-billion respectively. Additionally, the Special Investigating Unit is currently looking into the theft of R170-billion from Eskom: R139-billion of which is related to 11 contractors who helped build the Medupi, Kusile, and Ingula power plants.

With Eskoms Medupi, Kusile, and Ingula plants costing R334-billion to construct, the R139-billion stolen by contractors makes up a large chunk of the total price tag. Yellend said Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan has even suggested that the strategy to divert maintenance money to Medupi and Kusile may have been because corruption is easier with capital projects.

Eskom left in a tough spot

With Medupi and Kusile not functioning as planned, Eskom is in a tough spot. Medupi and Kusile are not adding nearly enough electricity to the grid to relieve pressure off Eskom and allow it to take older power stations offline. The older plants now need to run optimally, but they have not been maintained properly for years because funds were blown on Medupi and Kusile.

Eskom does not have enough money to increase maintenance and finish Medupi and Kusile, and Yelland said Eskom now wants to backtrack on its previous strategy  planning instead to focus its finances on maintenance of older plants again. To get the older plants to run optimally will not be easy, however, because of their deterioration in recent years. Just like a car which is not serviced, these power stations are now seeing more unexpected breakdowns which are costly to repair.

Winter is coming

With an increase in unplanned outages and a much lower energy availability factor in 2019 than in previous years, Eskom will have to perform miracles to prevent load-shedding this winter. Yelland said South Africas electricity demand is currently very close to the supply, which means any unexpected event can lead to load-shedding. With electricity demand significantly increasing in winter months, Eskom will have to rapidly increase its power generation.

This will not be easy, according to energy expert Ted Blom who said recently that load-shedding will absolutely return  it is only a matter of time before the power cuts are back.

Acknowledgement

This article was first published by My Broadband and is republished here with permission.

Send your comments to energize@ee.co.za

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San Cristobal, Bolivia, Apr 9 (efe-epa).- A group of women in this community in southwestern Bolivia's Potosi region are preserving the local traditional dishes made with llama meat and offering them to residents.

The Jayula Warmis group, named after an ancient hill in San Cristobal, has brought over a dozen women together.

"We prepare the traditional dishes of the village, something that used to be a common custom but was lost over time," group member Nelly Quispe told EFE.

Right from the start, the women were encouraged to take culinary lessons with the help of Spanish NGO Codespa and the San Cristobal mining company.

Quispe said that they are aiming to "recover the identity of the town" through its flavors, for which they created a cookbook with dozens of dishes, to preserve them.

Among the recipes is a soup called "kalapari" - made with llama meat broth, cooked corn and a little chili on top - and served with a hot stone in the bowl to keep it boiling while a person eats.

Quispe said her grandparents used to cook a type of "queque" (sponge cake) with flour and llama blood.

"Our grandparents used to tell us that nothing must go to waste, which explains these powerful recipes," she said.

Another traditional dish is "yawar phari," a sausage made with llama blood mixed with onions, quinoa and corn.

"I enjoy being part of the organization and preserving the town's identity, but I am also learning new recipes to take advantage of the ingredients we have here," said Quispe.

The chefs of two La Paz restaurants, Gustu and Jardin de Asia, along with biologists from the Wildlife Conservation Society visited San Cristobal on a trip through the southern Bolivian highlands at the end of March to find rarely used ingredients.

Another goal of the "Wild Flavors" trip was to exchange knowledge with local chefs.

The women and chefs combined their ideas and ingredients to create original recipes.

Among the new creations was sauteed llama, made with the healing herbs that grow in the area such as "rica rica," "suico" and "chachacoma."

"This experience gave me new ideas about what I can do with these ingredients. I want to experiment and - for example - make suico ice cream or rice with chachacoma," she said.

By Yolanda Salazar.
Artificial Intelligence EU wants to develop Ethical Rules for AI 9. April 2019, 10:45 Uhr | dpa, Joachim Kroll

Flags before the EU Parliament in Brussels

In contrast to China and the United States, the EU Commission wants to develop an ethical set of rules for the use of artificial intelligence.

The Brussels authority presented corresponding recommendations on Monday. By 2020, companies, research institutes and authorities are to test the guidelines and report on their experiences. Specific legislative proposals will then follow if necessary.

In detail, the EU Commission recommends that artificial intelligence should generally contribute to the strengthening of fundamental rights and not restrict the independence of humans. People should also have full control over their data. These should not be used to harm them or discriminate against them. Clear responsibilities and accountability should also be created for independent machine decisions.

The initiative is part of the EU Commission's AI strategy. According to the strategy, at least 20 billion euros in private and public investment in this area are to be raised by the end of 2020. The Brussels authority wants to provide an additional 1.5 billion euros in public funds.

The definition of artificial intelligence is still under discussion. Generally speaking, it is about machine learning and the ability of computers to work independently on problems. The EU Commission also wants to promote the ethical development of AI on a global level, working in particular with like-minded partners such as Japan and Canada.

The ethical dimension of artificial intelligence is not a luxury or an add-on, said EU Commissioner Andrus Ansip. Only with trust can our society fully benefit from technology. Ethical AI is a win-win proposal that can become a competitive advantage for Europe.

Relevante Anbieter

Lobbyists warn against over-regulation

The VDMA (Association for Mechanical Engineering Industry) takes a fundamentally positive view of the development of ethical guidelines. The successful use of artificial intelligence in industry presupposes a broad acceptance of this technology in society, says a statement. At the same time, however, the association warns against overshooting the mark. The planned regulations would have to be dependent on the field of application, because humans would often not be affected by AI at all  for example in quality assurance or predictive maintenance. The race against countries such as the USA and China should not be restriced by red lines.

Oliver J. Sume, CEO of eco, the Association of the Internet Industry, also welcomes the EU Commission's initiative: Trustworthy AI applications should be developed and used in such a way that they respect human autonomy. He points out that many companies are already assuming responsibility for ethical challenges in connection with digital transformation and are successfully contributing to compliance with ethical standards, for example through voluntary initiatives. He points out that transparency is the key to the responsible use of digital technologies. Only a transparent approach to artificial intelligence can strengthen people's trust in an autonomous and decisive system, says Sume.
Police Confirm Man Dead At Scene - Back Marina Road Incident

Police have now confirmed the man found unresponsive near to the Sefton Hotel was pronounced dead at the scene.

The area on Back Marina Road was sealed off at around 7pm this evening (Monday).

An investigation is underway and Police have warned users of social media not to post speculation as this could impact their investigations.

The road behind the Sefton Hotel and Gaiety Theatre (Back Marina Road) remains closed this evening but other roads are now open (2350).

Police are expected to make an appeal for information in the morning and will be issuing a dedicated telephone number. However if anyone has any urgent information they should ring Police HQ on 631212.
Tributes paid to Jack Corrin CBE



Culture Vannin

Tributes are being paid to former Deemster Jack Corrin.

Mr Corrin passed away over the weekend at the age of 87.

The Manxman was educated at King William's College. He was called to the Manx bar in 1954.

Mr Corrin served as Attorney General between 1974 and 1980, Second Deemster between 1980 and 1988 and then First Deemster and Clerk of the Rolls between 1988 and 1998.

Tributes were paid to Mr Corrin in today's Tynwald sitting.
2,000 irregular migrants continue to flock to Greece-Turkey border

Turkish security forces hold over 2,000 irregular migrants planning to cross the border, upon false social media reports.

Dozens of irregular migrants planning to cross into Greece continued to flock into northwestern Turkey following false rumors that Ankara had opened the border.

2,000 IRREGULAR MIGRANTS

As of last Thursday, migrants have been making their way via train and bus to the province of Edirne which borders Greece upon social media reports alleging that Turkey would allow them through. Turkish security forces have held more than 2,000 irregular migrants planning to cross to neighboring Greece in the city in the past 5 days, security sources said.

Police and gendarmerie forces tightened security measures near the border to prevent the influx of migrants.

Thousands of irregular migrants had previously flocked to Edirne in 2015 after claims that Germany would accept migrants and that border crossings would be open. Turkey has been the main route for irregular migrants trying to cross into Europe, especially since 2011 when the Syrian civil war began.
IAF says it has proof that it shot down Pakistani jet

Indian Armed Forces (IAF) releases radar images to rebut Pakistans claim that it had not lost an F-16 during a dogfight in February.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) said Monday it has irrefutable evidence that one of its pilots shot down a Pakistani F-16 in February when the two nuclear-armed nations engaged in a dogfight.

IAF REJECTED THE REPORT

The IAF has irrefutable proof of not only the fact that an F-16 was used by the PAF on Feb. 27 but also that an IAF MiG-21 Bison shot down a PAF F-16," Air Vice Marshal RGK Kapoor said in a press briefing, referring to the Pakistan Air Force. The IAF also released radar images and graphics to rebut a statement by Pakistan that it had not lost an F-16 fighter jet in the dogfight.

Mondays statement came days after Washington-based publication Foreign Policy reported that US personnel had done a count of Pakistans F-16s and found none missing. The F-16 is manufactured by US firm Lockheed Martin. The report said the count sheds doubt on New Delhis version of events, suggesting that Indian authorities may have misled the international community about what happened that day. Pakistani officials welcomed the report while the IAF rejected it.

The Indian Army posts in the vicinity of the LoC had visually sighted two separate parachutes. The first sighting was due west, in the general area of Sabz Kot, and the second was after a few minutes, southwest, in the general area of Tandar the two parachutes were seen from places at a vintage point, said Kapoor. "The IAF has more credible information and evidence that is clearly indicative of the fact that the PAF lost one F-16 in the air action on Feb. 27. However, due to security and confidentiality concerns, we are restricting information being shared in the public domain," added Kapoor.

He further said that there is no doubt that two aircraft went down one of which was the Bison of the IAF while the other was an F-16 of the PAF conclusively identified by its electronic signature and radio transcripts.

Contradictory claims were made by Pakistan and India in the aftermath of air raids by the IAF on Feb. 27. Pakistan claimed to have shot down two Indian warplanes, while India said it had shot down a Pakistani F-16. The air raids came after India blamed Pakistan for a Feb. 14 attack in which an explosive-laden vehicle rammed into a paramilitary bus in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, killing at least 40 Indian troops. Islamabad denied the accusation.
Iranian Lawmakers wear IRGC uniforms in defiance of US

On Monday, the US administration designated the IRGC as a "foreign terrorist group", in a move that marked the first time a government agency has been blacklisted as a terrorist body.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and MPs wore the uniform of the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) on Tuesday in protest of a US decision to designate the elite force a "terrorist group."

"FOREIGN TERRORIST GROUP"

In response, Tehran formally blacklisted the US Central Command (CENTCOM) as a terrorist organization.

Addressing a parliamentary session on Tuesday, Larijani decried the US administration and military as "examples of international military and economic terror." " Donald Trump acknowledged that his country has a role to play in the establishment and strengthening of Daesh, and Trump should not forget that the US Secretary of State admitted that his country was behind the emergence of Daesh," he said.

Larijani said the IRGC had directed "the biggest blow to the terror threat in the region." Irans powerful IRGC was initially established to serve as the vanguard of Iran's 1979 revolution. It currently enjoys more autonomy than the rest of the Iranian military, answering only to Iran's supreme leader. The IRGC is also solely responsible for Iran's formidable ballistic missile program.
Netanyahu thanks Trump for labeling Iranian military a terror group

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took credit for Trumps decision to impose sanctions on Irans powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, by designating it a foreign terrorist organization.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanks US President Donald Trump for designating Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization.

"THANK YOU FOR ACCEPTING MY REQUEST"

Thank you for accepting another important request of mine, which serves the interests of our countries and countries in the region, Netanyahu says in a tweet.

We will continue to take action in various means against the Iranian regime, which threatens the State of Israel, the US and world peace.





Netanyahus choice of words seemed to imply that Trumps earlier decision to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, Syrian territory Israel seized by force in 1967, was also a gift given at the request of the embattled Israeli prime minister.
Putin signals visa-free travel for Turkish citizens

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin lead Russian-Turkish talks in Moscow amid growing bilateral ties.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said humanitarian contacts and relations between the countries civil societies are strong, citing regular meetings of university heads and exchanges between Russian and Turkish news agencies.

"RUSSIA TO WORK CONSISTENTLY TO LIBERALIZE IT"

Last year, Turkey was visited by 6 million Russians, making Russia the top country in the number of tourists visiting the country. Were grateful to the Turkish side for ensuring the safety and comfort of Russian tourists, he said.

Putin promised to work consistently to liberalize the visa regime.

In the near future, the issue of ending visa requirements for professional drivers will be resolved. We agreed that all holders of service passports will enjoy a visa-free regime, Turkey has three times more holders of such passports than in Russia. As for the visa-free regime in general, it is connected with ensuring security in the region as a whole, including a lasting solution to the Syrian problem. Here, our special services must develop certain parameters. And the work goes on, he said.
Russia deploys drone to monitor isles claimed by Japan

Moscow uses the same type of drone in surveillance operations in Syria.

Russia has deployed a surveillance drone to watch a number of Tokyo-claimed islands off Japan's northernmost prefecture, media reports said Tuesday.

SURVEILLANCE DRONE

According to the Japan Times, the Russian military has deployed the surveillance drone to monitor two of the four Russian-controlled islands off the coast of Hokkaido prefecture. The four islands have been controlled by Russia since World War II.

The two islands claimed by Japan are known as Etorofu and Kunashiri in Japanese and they host a Russian artillery unit.

The drone, called Orlan-10, is similar to one Russia uses for surveillance operations in Syria. The aircraft can operate within a 120-kilometer radius for up to 14 hours according to the Japan Times said.
Saudi Arabia hails US terror blacklisting of Iranian army

Riyadh welcomed Tuesday Washingtons blacklisting of Tehrans elite Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization, state media reported.

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday hailed a US decision to blacklist Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a "terrorist group".

On Monday, the US administration designated the IRGC as a "foreign terrorist group", in a move that marked the first time a government agency has been blacklisted as a terrorist body. In response, Tehran formally blacklisted the US Central Command (CENTCOM) as a terrorist organization.

"INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY MUST TAKE A FIRM STEP"

The US decision "translates the Kingdom's repeated demands of the international community for the necessity to address terrorism backed by Iran," the official SPA news agency quoted an official source at the Foreign Ministry as saying. The source went on to describe the US move as a "practical and serious step in the efforts to combat terrorism". "The international community must take a firm stance to address the role being played by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in undermining the international peace and security," it added.

Irans powerful IRGC was initially established to serve as the vanguard of Iran's 1979 revolution. It currently enjoys more autonomy than the rest of the Iranian military, answering only to Iran's supreme leader.

The IRGC is also solely responsible for Iran's formidable ballistic missile program.
Supreme Election Council rejects AK Party's appeal to recount votes

Supreme Election Council (YKS) partially rejects Justice and Development (AK) Party's appeal to recount all votes in the city except for 51 ballot boxes

Turkeys Supreme Election Council (YKS) on Monday partially rejected an appeal by the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party to recount all votes in Istanbul except for 51 ballot boxes in 21 districts.

"ORGANIZED IRREGULARITIES"

Recep Ozel, the AK Partys representative on the election board, told reporters that his party's appeal to cancel the election results in the citys Buyukcekmece district will be decided by the council Tuesday.

The party is calling for a repeat of elections in the district, alleging "organized irregularities." Ozel said the party will continue its legal efforts to contest the elections in Istanbul.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also raised concerns about "organized interference" in the Istanbul elections earlier Monday. "We, as the political party, have detected organized crime and some organized activities," President Erdogan told reporters ahead of his departure from Istanbul for Moscow.
Turkey and Russia to launch joint Syria patrols

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Putin lead Russian-Turkish talks in Moscow amid growing bilateral ties.

Russian-Turkish ties have recently significantly stepped up in pace and volume, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday, concluding a meeting at the Kremlin with President Erdogan. During several phases of talks today at the Kremlin, the two leaders discussed the whole range of bilateral ties, Putin told a news conference in Moscow.

"JOINT EFFORTS TO HELP NORMALIZE THE SITUATION"

Vladimir Putin stated that two leaders discussed military cooperation, in particular, the contract for Turkey to buy S-400 air defense systems from Russia. There is room for developments here. We may enter into a joint development and joint production of high-tech military equipment, Putin said.

"FOR PEACE, WE NEED TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM"

On the situation in the province of Idlib, he said he expects joint efforts will help normalize the situation inside and around the de-escalation zone, and will eventually lead to neutralization of the terrorist hotbed. At the same time, we proceed from the need to preserve Syria's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. It is unacceptable to divide the country into zones of influence. The Idlib problem is acute, we were not able to reach the parameters that were agreed to in Sochi, but I believe it is solvable, Putin said.

Putin mentioned how the defense ministers of the two countries met and discussed this issue and agreed on joint patrols. We have not yet succeeded in establishing a joint monitoring center, but I am confident that we will do so. The movement is not as fast as we would like, but there is movement in this direction. All terrorist centers must be destroyed. For the peace process, we need to solve this problem, he said.
A study from the University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, sought to examine possible health disparities in the treatment of lung cancer within the Asian community in the U.S. In this study, rates of recommended care for non-small cell lung cancer were compared among patients in the Asian community. The authors concluded that practice patterns within different Asian ethnicities vary widely, and cultural and gender preferences appear to exist for different modalities of care.

Using the American College of Surgeons' National Cancer Database, researchers examined the records of nearly 19,000 Asian patients of various ethnic origins and the treatment they received after their diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer. The authors found that Chinese, Indian and Korean patients were more likely to receive surgery and chemotherapy, but not radiation when compared with white patients. Japanese patients were more likely to receive surgery, but less likely to undergo chemotherapy. Filipino patients were more likely to undergo chemotherapy, but not radiation. Women were more likely than men to receive surgery and chemotherapy, but not radiation.

"Our study shows the differences in care to different Asian ethnicities and that targeted interventions need to be tailored to gender and ethnicity to reduce Asian lung cancer disparities," states Dr. Alex Balekian, lead researcher.

###

Further results from this study will be shared at CHEST Congress 2019 in Bangkok on Thursday, April 11, at 4:15 p.m., in the Exhibition Hall. The study abstract can be viewed on the journal CHEST website.

ABOUT CHEST Congress 2019 Thailand

CHEST Congress 2019 is a global event connecting clinicians from around the world specializing in pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine, held April 10-12, 2019, in Bangkok, Thailand, with the support of the Thoracic Society of Thailand. The American College of Chest Physicians, publisher of the journal CHEST, is the global leader in advancing best patient outcomes through innovative chest medicine education, clinical research and team-based care. Its mission is to champion the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of chest diseases through education, communication and research. It serves as an essential connection to clinical knowledge and resources for its 19,000 members from around the world who provide patient care in pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. For more information about CHEST Congress 2019, visit chestcongress.chestnet.org, or follow CHEST meeting hashtag, #CHESTCongress19, on social media.
A strain in ICU capacity has been linked to adverse patient outcomes. New research to be presented at CHEST Congress 2019 Thailand suggests that near-simultaneous ICU admissions are frequent and may also have an adverse effect on patient outcomes. Researchers conducted an observational study of patients admitted to an academic adult ICU of a tertiary medical center. Over the five-year period of the study, they found a correlation between the elapsed time between two consecutive admissions and mortality.

Researchers examined 13,234 consecutive ICU admissions. A quarter of these admissions had an elapsed time between two consecutive admissions of less than 55 minutes. They found a "dose-dependent" and inverse relationship between the elapsed time between admissions and mortality. In summary, the shorter the interval between admissions, the higher the odds of death. Specifically, the adjusted odds ratio (OR) of death gradually decreased by an additional average of 0.93 (95% CI 0.9?0.97, P=.001) for each log(unit) of time separating admissions.

"This study shows that providing the same level of care during multiple admissions is difficult when patients of equal severity arrive at the same time. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and work towards ways to improve mechanisms, structures and processes to improve patient outcomes regardless of admission rates," says Dr. Markos Kashiouris, lead researcher.

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Further results from this study will be shared at CHEST Congress 2019 in Bangkok on Friday, April 12, at 3:00 p.m., in the Exhibition Hall. The study abstract can be viewed on the journal CHEST website.

About CHEST Congress 2019 Thailand

CHEST Congress 2019 is a global event connecting clinicians from around the world specializing in pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine, held April 10-12, 2019, in Bangkok, Thailand, with the support of the Thoracic Society of Thailand. The American College of Chest Physicians, publisher of the journal CHEST, is the global leader in advancing best patient outcomes through innovative chest medicine education, clinical research and team-based care. Its mission is to champion the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of chest diseases through education, communication and research. It serves as an essential connection to clinical knowledge and resources for its 19,000 members from around the world who provide patient care in pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. For more information about CHEST Congress 2019, visit chestcongress.chestnet.org, or follow CHEST meeting hashtag, #CHESTCongress19, on social media.
The global burden of COPD is high, and prevalence of nonsmokers with COPD has been increasing. In a study to be presented at CHEST Congress Thailand 2019, researchers in Nagpur, India, sought to describe the characteristics of nonsmoking patients with COPD and to determine associated comorbidities and exposures.

Researchers examined 180 nonsmoking patients with COPD between the years of 2016 and 2018. Each patient was categorized into either mild, moderate, severe and very severe COPD, based on their responses to Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guideline questionnaires.

In this cohort, the percentage of mild, moderate, severe and very severe patients were 26%, 53%, 58% and 43%, respectively. The most common comorbidity among nonsmoker COPD was hypertension (34.4%) followed by diabetes mellitus (17.8%). Most of the patients (61%) lived in rural areas, while 38% belonged to urban areas. Forty six percent of patients had exposure to biomass gas, while 26% had exposure to toxic gases. These results support that exposure to biomass fuel is a major contributing factor to COPD and a higher risk among the rural population.

"Exposure to industrial smoke, environmental pollution and household smoke are major contributors for COPD in nonsmokers," says Dr. Sameer Arbat, lead researcher. "There is a need to study this subset of nonsmokers having COPD further to determine the true cause of this increase."

Further results from this study will be shared at CHEST Congress 2019 in Bangkok on Friday, April 12, at 3:00 p.m., in the Exhibition Hall. The study abstract can be viewed on the journal CHEST website.

###

About CHEST Congress 2019 Thailand

CHEST Congress 2019 is a global event connecting clinicians from around the world specializing in pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine, held April 10-12, 2019, in Bangkok, Thailand, with the support of the Thoracic Society of Thailand. The American College of Chest Physicians, publisher of the journal CHEST, is the global leader in advancing best patient outcomes through innovative chest medicine education, clinical research and team-based care. Its mission is to champion the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of chest diseases through education, communication and research. It serves as an essential connection to clinical knowledge and resources for its 19,000 members from around the world who provide patient care in pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. For more information about CHEST Congress 2019, visit chestcongress.chestnet.org, or follow CHEST meeting hashtag, #CHESTCongress19, on social media.
Orlando, Fla. (April 7, 2019)--A combination of over-the-counter antioxidants shows promise for mitigating some damaging effects of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), a new study reports. The research, which will be presented today at the American Physiological Society's (APS) annual meeting at Experimental Biology 2019 in Orlando, Fla., is the first to evaluate the efficacy of antioxidants to improve vascular function in patients with HFpEF.

HFpEF, previously known as diastolic heart failure, is a chronic condition in which the heart does not fill properly. It is the most common form of heart failure among the elderly, particularly women. To date, very few treatments have proven successful in improving clinical status in patients with HFpEF. Because of this, there is a focus on treating the many comorbidities that accompany the disease, such as inflammation, which can impair vascular function.

In a double-blind study, 16 patients with HFpEF were given a placebo or an antioxidant cocktail consisting of alpha lipoic acid (600mg), vitamin C (1,000mg) and vitamin E (600IU). This was a balanced, cross-over study, which means that all participants receive both treatments sequentially, thus serving as their own controls. The research team measured various markers of vascular function, inflammation and oxidative stress. Though the measures of small blood vessel function and oxidative stress did not show changes, the measure of function in large blood vessels and of inflammation improved with treatment. Similarly, the presence of biologically available nitric oxide, a compound that helps blood vessels dilate, also increased.

The findings provide "new insight into the mechanisms that govern peripheral vascular dysfunction" in HFpEF patients, the researchers explained, and suggest that antioxidant administration may represent a simple and readily available option to improve vascular health in this patient group.

Stephen Ratchford, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Utah Department of Internal Medicine and the Salt Lake City VA Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC), will present "Impact of acute antioxidant administration on inflammation and vascular function in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction" Sunday, April 7, as part of the oral session "Aging, exercise and heart failure: common connections and new targets" in the Orange County Convention Center W312A. He will also present the poster on Tuesday, April 9, during the APS Cardiovascular Section Young Investigators poster session in West Hall B of the exhibit hall of the Orange County Convention Center.

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NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: To schedule an interview with a member of the research team, please contact the APS Communications Office or 301-634-7209. Find more research highlights in the APS Press Room.

About Experimental Biology 2019

Experimental Biology is an annual meeting comprised of more than 14,000 scientists and exhibitors from five sponsoring societies and multiple guest societies. With a mission to share the newest scientific concepts and research findings shaping clinical advances, the meeting offers an unparalleled opportunity for exchange among scientists from across the United States and the world who represent dozens of scientific areas, from laboratory to translational to clinical research.

Physiology is the study of how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function in health and disease. Established in 1887, the American Physiological Society (APS) was the first U.S. society in the biomedical sciences field. The Society represents more than 10,000 members and publishes 15 peer-reviewed journals with a worldwide readership.
Russian physicist Viktor Lakhno from Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics, RAS considers symmetrical bipolarons as a basis of high-temperature superconductivity. The theory explains recent experiments in which a superconductivity was reached in lanthanum hydride LaH10 at extra-high pressure at nearly room temperature. The results of the study are published in Physica C: Superconductivity and its Applications.

Superconductivity implies a total absence of electric resistance in the material when it is cooled below a critical temperature. Heike Kamerlingh Onnes was the first to observe that as the mercury temperature goes down to -270C, its resistance decreases by a factor of 10 000. If one could reveal how to achieve this at higher temperatures, it would affect technologies in a revolutionary way.

The first theoretical explanation of the superconductivity at the microscopic level was given in 1957 by Bardeed, Cooper and Schrieffer in their BCS theory. However, the this theory does not explain superconductivity above the absolute zero. By the end of 2018 two research groups discovered that lanthanum hydride LaH10 becomes superconducting at record-high temperature. The first group asserts that the temperature of transition into the superconducting state is Tc = 215 K (-56C). The second groups reports the temperature is Tc = 260 K (-13C). On both accounts the samples were under a pressure of more that one million atmospheres.

High-temperature superconductivity is found in new materials nearly at random since there is no theory which would explain the mechanism. In his new work Viktor Lakhno suggests to use bipolarons as a basis. A polaron is a quasiparticle which consists of electrons and phonons. Polarons can form pairs due to electron-phonon interaction. This interaction is so strong that they turn out to be as small as an atomic orbital and in this case are called small-radius bipolarons. The problem of this theory is that small-radius bipolarons have very large mass in comparison with an atom. Their mass is determined by a field which accompanies them in the course of motion. And the mass influences the temperature of a superconducting transition.

Viktor Lakhno constructed a new translation-invariant (TI) bipolaron theory of high-temperature superconductivity. According to his theory the formula for determining the temperature involves not a bipolaron mass but an ordinary effective mass of a band electron which can be either greater or less than the mass of a free electron in vacuum and about 1000 times less than the mass of an atom. The band mass changes if the crystal lattice in which an electron runs is squeezed. If the distance between the atoms decreases, the mass decreases too. As a consequence, the temperature of the transition can several times exceed the relevant temperature in ordinary bipolaron theories.

I have focused on the fact that an electron is a wave. If so, there is no preferable place in a crystal where it would be localized. It exists everywhere with equal probability. On grounds of the new bipolaron theory one can develop a new theory of superconductivity. It combines all the best features of modern conceptions, -- comments Viktor Lakhno.

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In the context of a major European Union project, experts from 14 institutions in ten European countries have spent three years combing the Antarctic ice, looking for the ideal site to investigate the climate history of the past 1.5 million years. Today, the consortium Beyond EPICA - Oldest Ice (BE-OI), led by Olaf Eisen from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) in Bremerhaven, presented its findings at the General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union in Vienna.

The researchers selected one of the coldest, most barren and lifeless places on Earth: "Little Dome C" is three hours by snowmobile (ca. 30 kilometres) from Concordia Antarctic station, which is jointly operated by France and Italy and located in the Wilkes Land region at an elevation of 3233 metres above sea level. The researchers there almost never see precipitation, and the mean annual temperature is a frigid minus 54.5 degrees Celsius; temperatures rarely rise above minus 25, and can drop below minus 80 in winter.

As part of the European EPICA project (European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica), from 1996 to December 2004 researchers drilled 3270 metres deep into the Antarctic ice at the current location of the Concordia station. Using detailed analyses of the resulting ice cores, they were then able to reliably reconstruct the climate history of the past 800,000 years. "During that time, there were alternating periods: long glacials and shorter interglacials, at an interval of roughly every hundred thousand years," explains AWI researcher and BE-OI project coordinator Olaf Eisen. Since there are also tiny bubbles trapped in the ice, which contain air from the time in which the ice formed, the climate researchers can use them to measure concentrations of the important greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane. And they're finding clear connections: when the Earth's climate was cold, there was considerably less carbon dioxide and methane in the air than in warmer periods.

Unfortunately, the experts don't yet have any ice cores from the hundreds of thousands of years before that time that contain air bubbles suitable for measuring the atmosphere - and it was in precisely that age when the rhythm at which the cold and warmer periods alternated changed significantly. According to Eisen: "More than 1.2 million years ago, the cycles were only roughly 40,000 years long, and were set off by regular changes in the angle of the Earth's axis. This was followed by a transitional period of roughly 300,000 years, before the hundred-thousand-year rhythm began, roughly 900,000 years ago."

Climate researchers are familiar with this development thanks to investigations of the sediments that have accumulated on the ocean floor over the millennia. These analyses provide insights into the past temperatures, and to the masses of the ice sheets that covered the Antarctic, Greenland and, for a time, North America and Northern Europe. In contrast, testing the air bubbles trapped in the ice is the only way for them to gather data on carbon dioxide and methane, and their connections to the climate's development.

"Accordingly, after having gathered the 800,000-year-old EPICA samples, there are very good reasons for drilling into ice that's at least 1.5 million years old," Eisen explains. This would allow the researchers to not only assess the climatic conditions during the 'mid-Pleistocene transition', but also the 40,000-year rhythm that preceded it. Since the molecules trapped in the ice tend to deteriorate somewhat in the course of several millennia, which can skew the analyses, the experts are searching for ice with a higher resolution, in which a metre-long ice core contains ten thousand years of climate history, and the deterioration due to aging is negligible.

With this goal in mind, over the past three years researchers in the BE-OI project from ten European countries - supported by peers from the USA, Australia, Japan and Russia - have searched for ice in the Antarctic that satisfies these criteria. During flights over the Antarctic, they used radar to analyse the layers of ice below the surface, which they also directly tested by gathering cores at depths of up to 400 metres. Their findings allowed them to draw conclusions on the characteristics of deeper and therefore older layers. In the process, the site "Little Dome C" gradually emerged as the best candidate for ice that a) is at least 1.5 million years old; b) offers good resolution even in its oldest parts; and c) is not melting at the base, despite the tremendous pressure created by the masses above it.

If the European Union approves the second phase of BE-OI as hoped, a team of experts coordinated by Carlo Barbante from the University of Venice will set up a camp at Little Dome C, and will live in cargo containers during the drilling. This is slated to begin in mid November 2021, the goal being to gather ten-centimetre-thick ice cores. During three Antarctic summers, the drilling will continue from mid November to early February, until a depth of 2730 metres is reached (in 2024), where the ice should be at least 1.5 million years old. In 2025 the initial data from the ice-core analyses should be available, allowing the international team of researchers to explore the connections between greenhouse gases and the climate during the 'mid-Pleistocene transition' and the ages before it.

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Background information:

BE-OI is the European contribution to the worldwide search for the right place for an ice core drilling. The consortium has undertaken the preliminary studies for the site selection around Dome C and Dome Fuji, both potentially suitable regions in the eastern Antarctic. Other science consortia are exploring other locations within IPICS (International Partnerships in Ice Core Sciences). This project is funded by the European Union in the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under grant number 730258.

Members of the BE-OI consortium:
Antibiotic resistance is an emerging global public health threat spurred by the overuse and misuse of antibiotics. While "overuse" of antibiotics is widely accepted as a major health challenge, it is less well known that many people in low- and middle-income countries continue to die because they lack access to antibiotics. The majority of the world's annual 5.7 million antibiotic-treatable deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries where the mortality burden from treatable bacterial infections far exceeds the estimated annual 700,000 deaths from antibiotic-resistant infections.

In a new report, titled "Access Barriers to Antibiotics" (available upon request and online at http://www.cddep.org beginning April 11, 2019) researchers at the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP) conducted stakeholder interviews in Uganda, India, and Germany, and literature reviews to identify key access barriers to antibiotics in low-, middle-, and high-income countries. The report makes several recommendations proposing action on R&D (new antibiotics and rapid diagnostic tests), strengthening regulatory capacities, encouraging the development and diversification of quality local manufacturing, exploring innovative funding to reduce out-of-pocket payments, better treatment guidelines, and awareness raising.

"Lack of access to antibiotics kills more people currently than does antibiotic resistance, but we have not had a good handle on why these barriers are created," said Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan, CDDEP director and a co-author of the report. The findings of the report show that even after the discovery of a new antibiotic, regulatory hurdles and substandard health facilities delay or altogether prevent widespread market entry and drug availability," explains Dr. Laxminarayan. "Our research shows that of 21 new antibiotics entering markets between 1999 and 2014, less than five were registered in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Just the mere existence of an effective antibiotic does not mean that they are available in countries where they are most needed."

Health facilities in many low- and middle-income countries are substandard and lack staff who are properly trained in administering antibiotics. In Uganda, 10 to 54 percent of health staff posts are unfilled because of poor pay, high stress, lack of resources, and poor management. Staffing on wards is inadequate to administer medicines, patients miss antibiotic doses, and public nurses sometimes request compensation for administering medicines. In India, there is one government doctor for every 10,189 people (the World Health Organization [WHO] recommends a ratio of 1:1,000), or a deficit of 600,000 doctors, and the nurse:patient ratio is 1:483, implying a shortage of 2 million nurses.

In low- and middle-income countries, weak drug supply chains fail to make antibiotics consistently available. In Uganda, researchers found that many products were stored and transported long distances without cold-chain temperature control, and only 47 percent of medicines on the WHO's Essential Medicines List were procured through the centralized authority, resulting in chronic shortages. Moreover, public-private supply chain delivery systems were not leveraged to improve drug availability outside specific programs.

Lack of oversight and regulation in the drug manufacturing and supply chain leads to poor drug quality and falsified medicines; 17 percent of the substandard or falsified medicines reported to the WHO are antibiotics, and each year, more than 169,000 childhood pneumonia deaths are caused by falsified antibiotics, researchers reported.

Even when antibiotics are available, patients are often unable to afford them. High out-of-pocket medical costs to the patient are compounded by limited government spending for health services. In Uganda, where just 8.9 percent of the national budget goes to health services, 41 percent of health expenditure is out-of-pocket, and 23 percent of households spend more than 10 percent of their income on healthcare. Moreover, limited government spending results in drug shortages in public health facilities which forces patients to go to private pharmacies or drugstores to buy medicines that should be provided free. In India, 65 percent of health expenditure is out-of-pocket, versus 13 percent in Germany, and such expenditures push some 57 million people into poverty each year in India alone.

Worldwide, the irrational use of antibiotics and poor antimicrobial stewardship lead to treatment failure and propagate the spread of drug resistance which, in turn, further narrows the available array of effective antibiotics. Finally, research and development for new antimicrobials, vaccines, and diagnostic tests has slowed since the 1960s as profitable investment in this area is limited by low sales volumes, short duration of treatment, competition with established products and cheaper generics, and the possibility that resistance will rapidly emerge.

National governments, policymakers, pharmaceutical companies, public and private healthcare institutions, and international public health bodies all have a role to play in improving access to antibiotics worldwide. While interventions to improve access must take into account differences among countries, the researchers provided the following recommendations to address key barriers and improve access to antibiotics:

Encourage research and development of new or improved antibiotics, diagnostic tests, vaccines, and alternatives to antibiotics for bacterial infections,

Support the registration of antibiotics in more countries according to clinical need,

Develop and implement national treatment guidelines for the use of antimicrobials,

Explore innovative funding for essential antibiotics,

Ensure the quality of antibiotics and strengthen pharmaceutical regulatory capacity, and

Encourage local manufacturing for cost-effective antibiotics.

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About the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy

The Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP) produces independent, multidisciplinary research to advance the health and wellbeing of human populations around the world. CDDEP projects are global in scope, spanning Africa, Asia, and North America and include scientific studies and policy engagement. The CDDEP team is experienced in addressing country-specific and regional issues, as well as the local and global aspects of global challenges, such as antibiotic resistance and pandemic influenza. CDDEP research is notable for innovative approaches to design and analysis, which are shared widely through publications, presentations and web-based programs. CDDEP has offices in Washington, D.C. and New Delhi and relies on a distinguished team of scientists, public health experts and economists.
Trump recently renewed the "repeal and replace" battle cry promising to make the 2020 election a referendum on Obamacare. While many speculate about the impacts of potentially repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a new study published in the journal Contraception by Drs. Alicia Nobles and John W. Ayers of UC San Diego, found the debate is already impacting women's health across the United States, namely their contraceptive choices.

Study finds link between politics and women's health

Under the ACA, Americans gained access to prescription contraception without out-of-pocket costs. This included intrauterine devices (IUDs) that had long been favored by doctors because of their effectiveness, but shunned by women because of their historically high out-of-pocket costs.

Studies have shown that uptake of IUDs under the ACA both reduced women's total out-of-pocket health care costs by 40% and reduced unintended pregnancies. However, given the "repeal and replace" debate is heating up again, how are women responding to potentially losing this birth control benefit?

For the new study, the team -who often weigh in on current events with data (such as #MeToo, the opioid crisis, or Netflix's 13 Reasons Why)- turned to Google Trends, a public archive of aggregate internet searches, where searches often mirror what the public is thinking and doing with their health. The team monitored the fraction of Google searches emerging from the United States for the three most popular reversible contraceptive methods between January 1, 2004 through October 31, 2017, one year following the 2016 presidential election. This included searches for IUDs (those mentioning "IUD" or IUD brands "ParaGard", "Mirena", "Skyla", "Liletta", and "Kyleena") contrasted against searches for oral contraceptives and condoms.

Searches for IUDs were cumulatively 15 percent higher than expected the year following the 2016 election, reflecting 10 to 21 million more searches than normal. Searches for IUDs were significantly higher in all states, except Nevada, and the increase was consistent regardless whether the state was won by Trump or Clinton.

Moreover, patterns in search trends mirrored the political debate on Capital Hill, revealing for the first time that just the conversation on Capitol Hill is impacting women's choices. For instance, "searches for IUDs reached a record high in May 2017, with 8.3 million total searches that month, when an ACA repeal advanced in the House" said Nobles, a data scientist at UC San Diego and first author of the study.

At the same time, the team found searches for oral contraceptives and condoms remained stable or declined, respectively, the year following the election; reinforcing the finding that women's increased interest in IUDs is uniquely related to the ACA debate.

A quandary for women

"Trump often extols his support of women and their health on Twitter. Surprisingly by threatening to take away their birth control benefits, Trump is prompting more women to consider IUDs, the most effective and long-term cost-efficient form of reversible birth control," said Ayers, the vice chief of innovation at UC San Diego Medicine and study coauthor.

The team attributes this contradictory and puzzling result to women's fears of losing access to birth control without the financial burden. "Women's interest in IUDs appears to be a hedge against ACA repeal by providing long-term family planning," added Nobles.

Implications for the most recent political debate

Based on these results one might hypothesize that more women are turning to IUDs as the ACA debate once again heats up, and you'd be right. "Extending our analyses strategy to the week of March 25, 2019, when Trump urged congress to repeal and the Supreme Court to nullify the ACA, we found searches were 15% higher than the previous week," said Nobles.

Regardless, these data suggest the heightened focus on an ACA repeal is a concern to the record number of Americans seeking out information about IUDs. "With millions more than ever voicing their interest in IUDs it is critically important that health policy makers ensure that IUDs remain affordable," concluded Ayers.

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Dr. Mark Dredze, the John C. Malone associate professor of computer science at Johns Hopkins University, also contributed to the study.
Geneva, Switzerland, 10 April 2019 - Two studies to be reported at ELCC 2019 (1,2) provide new insights on the efficacy and safety of immunotherapy in elderly patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), where information has previously been lacking despite being the age group most commonly affected.

Immunotherapy with drugs that target immune pathways to enhance the body's ability to recognise and destroy tumour cells is emerging as an effective treatment option for patients with advanced NSCLC (3). Although around half of all people newly diagnosed with NSCLC are elderly (4) there is currently limited evidence on the efficacy and safety of immunotherapy in this age group because they have been under-represented in clinical trials. There have also been concerns that age-related decline in the immune system might affect the efficacy of immunotherapy in older patients.

Real-life study suggests shorter overall survival with immunotherapy in elderly A retrospective study of patients with advanced NSCLC treated with immunotherapy in real-life clinical practice (1) suggested that elderly patients (greater than equal to 70 years) may have shorter overall survival than younger patients but demonstrated that toxicity was similar.

Researchers retrospectively reviewed all patients with advanced NSCLC treated with immunotherapy agents at Hospital Universitario Ramon y Cajal in Madrid, Spain, between 2014 and 2018. Just over one in four (27 patients; 27.5%) of the 98 patients treated with immunotherapy agents over this four-year period were aged 70 years or older. PD-L1 status was known in 50% of patients.

Overall survival in these elderly patients was significantly shorter than in patients younger than 70 years of age (median 5.5 months vs 13 months, hazard ratio [HR] 3.86, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.073-7.214, p<0.0001). Progression-free survival was also significantly shorter in elderly patients than in younger patients (1.8 vs 3.6 months, HR 2.1, 95% CI 1.181-3.744, p=0.012).

Considering toxicity, there were no statistically significant differences in immune-related adverse events between elderly and younger patients (p=0.535).

The study shows that immunotherapy was administered mainly as second-line treatment (61% of patients) or third-line or later (24.5%) across the entire group of 98 patients of all ages. Just over half (52%) were treated with nivolumab.

"Our results suggest that elderly patients could have worse survival outcomes with immunotherapy than younger patients, without differences in terms of toxicity," said study authors Elena Corral de la Fuente and Arantzazu Barquin Garcia, from the Hospital Universitario Ramon y Cajal, Madrid, Spain. They acknowledged that the study was limited by being an observational retrospective analysis with a small sample size. They suggested, "Prospective randomised clinical trials and more real-world data are needed to answer remaining questions on the use of immunotherapy in elderly patients."

Pooled analysis demonstrates improved overall survival with immunotherapy A second study pooling data from three randomised trials (2) shows significantly improved overall survival in elderly patients with advanced NSCLC treated with the immunotherapy agent pembrolizumab compared to those given chemotherapy.

The study compared the efficacy and safety results for 264 elderly patients aged greater than or equal to 75 years in the three trials with results for 2292 participants younger than 75 years. All of the patients had PD-L1 tumour proportion scores (PD-L1 TPS) of 1% or higher and half of the elderly group in this analysis had scores of at least 50% (5).

Results show significantly improved overall survival in elderly patients with PD-L1 tumours scores greater than or equal to 1% treated with pembrolizumab compared to those treated with chemotherapy (hazard ratio [HR] 0.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.56-1.02). The improvement in overall survival with pembrolizumab compared to chemotherapy was even greater in patients with PD-L1 tumour scores greater than or equal to 50% (HR 0.41, 95% CI 0.23-0.73).

One-year overall survival rates with pembrolizumab in elderly patients were comparable to those in younger patients (53.7% vs 54.9% in PD-L1 TPS greater than or equal to 1% and 61.7% vs 61.7% in PD-L1 TPS greater than or equal to 50%).

Fewer elderly patients treated with pembrolizumab had treatment-related adverse events compared to those treated with chemotherapy (68% vs 94%). Grade 3-5 treatment-related adverse events in elderly patients were also less common with pembrolizumab compared to chemotherapy (24% vs 61%). Common treatment-related adverse events with pembrolizumab in elderly patients were fatigue (17.4%), decreased appetite (12.8%) and pruritus (12.8%).

Immune-mediated adverse events and infusion reactions were more frequent with pembrolizumab vs chemotherapy in the elderly group of patients (25% vs 7%) but showed no difference compared to younger patients treated with pembrolizumab (25%).

"In elderly patients with advanced NSCLC with PD-L1-positive tumours, pembrolizumab monotherapy improved overall survival over chemotherapy, together with a more favourable safety profile," said lead author Kaname Nosaki, from the National Hospital Organization Kyushu Cancer Center, Fukuoka, Japan. He added, "Our data support the use of pembrolizumab monotherapy in elderly patients (greater than or equal to 75 years) with advanced PD-L1- expressing NSCLC."

Considering potential limitations, Nosaki noted that the elderly patients included in the pooled analysis met the inclusion criteria for each of the individual studies, which would have selected for a relatively fit elderly patient population.

Commenting on the studies, Marina Garassino, Chief of Thoracic Oncology at the Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy, said, "The pooled analysis of clinical trials showed no difference in the efficacy and safety of immunotherapy in the elderly compared to younger patients. But the real-world study is an alarm bell potentially suggesting lower efficacy with immunotherapy in elderly patients despite no difference in adverse events." In terms of limitations, she noted that PL-1 expression was known in only 50% of patients included in the real-world study and that data were collected retrospectively. "Data collected in real-world studies are not controlled as precisely as in randomised trials," she noted, but added that elderly patients are generally under-represented in clinical trials.

Looking to the future, Garassino concluded, "We need larger, prospective trials or larger real-world studies to gain a more detailed view on the efficacy and safety of immunotherapy in elderly patients with NSCLC."

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Notes to Editors

Please make sure to use the official name of the meeting in your reports: European Lung Cancer Congress (ELCC) 2019 Official Congress hashtag: #ELCC19

Disclaimer

This press release contains information provided by the authors of the highlighted abstract and reflects the content of this abstract. It does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of ESMO or IASLC who cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the data. Commentators quoted in the press release are required to comply with the ESMO Declaration of Interests policy and the ESMO Code of Conduct.

References

1 Abstract 169P_PR 'Benefit of immunotherapy (IT) in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in elderly patients (EP)' will be presented by Elena Corral de la Fuente during the Poster Display Session on Thursday, 11 April 2019, 12:30 (CEST) in Hall 1. Annals of Oncology, Volume 30, 20019 Supplement 2. doi:10.1093/annonc/mdz072

2 Abstract 103O 'Safety and efficacy of pembrolizumab (Pembro) monotherapy in elderly patients (Pts) with PD-L1-positive advanced NSCLC: Pooled analysis from KEYNOTE-010, -024 and -042' will be presented by Kaname Nosaki during the ESMO-IASLC Best Abstracts Session on Thursday, 11 April 2019, 14:45 (CEST) in Room B. Annals of Oncology, Volume 30, 20019 Supplement 2. doi:10.1093/annonc/mdz072

The pembrolizumab study pooled results from three randomised, controlled trials:

* KEYNOTE-010 included patients with advanced NSCLC and PD-L1 tumour proportion score greater than or equal to 1%. Patients were randomised to pembrolizumab (2 or 10mg/kg once every three weeks)

or docetaxel, as second- or later-line therapy. * KEYNOTE-042 also included patients with advanced NSCLC and PD-L1 tumour proportion score greater than or equal to 1%. Patients were random-ised to first-line pembrolizumab (200mg/kg once every three weeks) or platinum-based chemotherapy.

* KEYNOTE-024 included patients with advanced NSCLC and PD-L1 tumour proportion score greater than or equal to 50%. Patients were randomised to first-line pembrolizumab (200mg/kg once every three weeks) or platinum-based chemotherapy.

3 Planchard D, Popat S, Kerr K et al. Metastatic non-small cell lung cancer: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Annals of Oncology 2018; 29 (supplement 4); iv192-iv237.

4 Pallis AG, Gridelli C, Wedding U et al. Management of elderly patients with NSCLC; updated expert's opinion paper: EORTC Elderly Task Force, Lung Cancer Group and International Society for Geriatric Oncology. Annals of Oncology 2014; 25: 1270-1283.

5 PD-L1 TPS measures the proportion of tumour cells expressing PD-L1 (programmed-death ligand 1), which is the main ligand for the key immune checkpoint inhibitory receptor PD-1. A PD-L1 score of greater than or equal to1% means that at least 1% of tumour cells express PD-L1, while a PD-L1 score of greater than or equal to 50% indicates high PD-L1 expression, with at least 50% of tumour cells expressing PD-L1.

About the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)

ESMO is the leading professional organisation for medical oncology. With more than 20,000 members representing oncology professionals from over 150 countries worldwide, ESMO is the society of reference for oncology education and information. ESMO is committed to offer the best care to people with cancer, through fostering integrated cancer care, supporting oncologists in their professional development, and advocating for sustainable cancer care worldwide. Visit http://www.esmo.org

About the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC)

The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) is the only global organisation dedicated solely to the study of lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies. Founded in 1974, the association's membership includes more than 6,500 lung cancer specialists across all disciplines in over 100 countries, forming a global network working together to conquer lung and thoracic cancers worldwide. The association also publishes the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, the primary educational and informational publication for topics relevant to the prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment of all thoracic malignancies. Visit http://www.iaslc.org for more information and follow us on Twitter @IASLC.

103O_PR - Safety and efficacy of pembrolizumab (Pembro) monotherapy in elderly patients (Pts) with PD-L1-positive advanced NSCLC: Pooled analysis from KEYNOTE-010, -024, and -042

K. Nosaki1, Y. Hosomi2, H. Saka3, P. Baas4, G. de Castro Jr5, M. Reck6, Y-L. Wu7, J.R. Brahmer8, E. Felip9, T. Sawada10, K. Noguchi10, S.R. Han10, B. Piperdi11, D.A. Kush11, G. Lopes12

1National Hospital Organization Kyushu Cancer Center, Fukuoka, Japan, 2Tokyo Metropolitan Cancer and Infectious Diseases Center Komagome Hospital, Tokyo, Japan, 3National Hospital Organization Nagoya Medical Center, Nagoya, Japan, 4The Netherlands Cancer Institute and The Academic Medical Hospital Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 5Instituto do Cancer do Estado de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 6Lung Clinic Grosshansdorf, Airway Research Center North (ARCN), German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Grosshansdorf, Germany, 7Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangdong, China, 8Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD, USA, 9Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain, 10MSD K.K., Tokyo, Japan, 11Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA, 12Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA

Background: Approximately 70% of newly-diagnosed NSCLC cases occur in the elderly, and more than half are locally advanced/metastatic. We present a pooled analysis of efficacy and safety in elderly pts (aged greater than or equal to 75 y) enrolled in 3 randomized controlled trials of pembro monotherapy vs standard chemotherapy (chemo) for PD-L1-positive advanced NSCLC.

Methods: Pts were aged greater than or equal to 18 y with advanced NSCLC with PD-L1 tumor proportion score (TPS) greater than or equal to 1% (KEYNOTE-010, -042) or TPS greater than or equal to 50% (KEYNOTE-024). In KEYNOTE-010, pts were randomized to pembro 2 or 10 mg/kg Q3W or docetaxel, as second- or later-line therapy. In KEYNOTE-024 and -042, pts were randomized to first-line pembro 200 mg Q3W or platinum-based chemo. OS was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method.

Results: The 3 trials included 264 pts aged greater than or equal to 75 (range, 75-90) y with TPS greater than or equal to 1%; 132 pts had TPS greater than or equal to 50%. Independent of line of treatment, HRs (95% CI) for OS favored pembro vs chemo: 0.76 (0.56-1.02) in pts with TPS greater than or equal to 1% and 0.40 (0.25-0.64) in pts with TPS greater than or equal to 50%. Pembro also improved OS vs chemo in the pooled analysis of pts with TPS greater than or equal to 50% who received first-line therapy (KEYNOTE-024 and -042): HR, 0.41 (95% CI, 0.23-0.73). Overall, fewer treatment-related AEs across various categories were observed with pembro vs chemo, in particular, grade 3-5 treatment-related AEs in pts aged greater than or equal to 75 y (Table). Immune-mediated AEs and infusion reactions were more frequent with pembro vs chemo, with similar frequency in pts receiving pembro aged greater than or equal to 75 y and <75 y (Table). Table. Summary of pooled safety results by age group (greater than or equal to 75 y and <75 y) in pts with PD-L1 TPS greater than or equal to 1% from KEYNOTE-010, -024, and -042 (see table 1).

Conclusions: In this pooled analysis of pts aged greater than or equal to 75 y with PD-L1-positive advanced NSCLC, pembro monotherapy improved OS vs chemo, both in pts with PD-L1 TPS greater than or equal to 1% and PD-L1 TPS greater than or equal to 50%. The safety profile of pembro was similar in pts aged greater than or equal to 75 y and <75 y, with lower rates of grade 3-5 treatment-related AEs vs chemo.

Clinical trial identification: NCT01905657 (KEYNOTE-010); NCT02142738 (KEYNOTE-024); NCT02220894 (KEYNOTE-042)

Editorial acknowledgement: Medical writing and editorial assistance was provided by Michael S. McNamara, MS, of C4 MedSolutions, LLC (Yardley, PA), a CHC Group company. This assistance was funded by Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA.

Legal entity responsible for the study: Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA

Funding: This research was supported by Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA.

Disclosure: K. Nosaki: Honoraria: AstraZeneca, Chugai Pharmaceutical, Eli Lilly, MSD; Institutional research funding: MSD.

Y. Hosomi: Personal fees: MSD, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly Japan, Taiho Pharmaceutical, Chugai Pharmaceutical, Ono Pharmaceutical, Bristol-Myers Squibb.

H. Saka: Grants/research support: AstraZeneca, MSD, Ono Pharmaceutical; Honoraria: AstraZeneca, MSD, Ono Pharmaceutical, Chugai Pharmaceutical, Boehringer Ingelheim, Kyorin Pharmaceutical.

P. Baas: Consulting role: Genentech/Roche, Merck, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pfizer; Research support: Bristol-Myers Squibb, Roche, Merck.

G. de Castro Jr: Consulting/advisory role: AstraZeneca, MSD, BMS, Roche, Novartis, Boehringer Ingelheim; Speakers' bureau: MSD, BMS, Novartis, AstraZeneca; Travel/accommodation expenses: MSD, BMS, Roche, Bayer, Novartis, Boehringer Ingelheim, AstraZeneca.

M. Reck: Personal fees: Amgen, Hoffmann-La Roche, Lilly, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, MSD, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, AbbVie.

Y-L. Wu: Honoraria: AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Roche, Pierre Fabre, Pfizer, Sanofi; Consulting/advisory role: AstraZeneca, Roche, Merck, Boehringer Ingelheim; Research funding to institution: Boehringer Ingelheim, Roche.

J.R. Brahmer: Grant, personal fees, Advisory boards, consulting: Merck; Uncompensated advisor and consultant: Bristol-Myers Squibb; Grants: Bristol-Myers Squibb, MedImmune/AstraZeneca; Personal fees: Amgen, Celgene, Lilly.

E. Felip: Consulting, advisory role, speaker's bureau: AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Blueprint Medicines, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Guardant Health, Janssen, Merck KGaA, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Takeda; Research funding: Fundacion Merck Salud; Grant for Oncology Innovation EMD Serono.

T. Sawada, K. Noguchi, S.R. Han: Employee: MSD K.K., Tokyo, Japan.

B. Piperdi, D.A. Kush: Employee of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA.

G. Lopes: Research funding to institution: Merck & Co., Inc., EMD Serono, AstraZeneca.

169P_PR - Benefit of immunotherapy (IT) in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in elderly patients (EP)

E. Corral de la Fuente1, A. Barquin Garcia2, C. Saavedra Serrano3, M.E. Olmedo Garcia3, R. Martin Huertas2, J.J. Serrano Domingo2, V. Albarran Artahona2, A. Gomez Rueda3 1Oncology, Hospital Universitario Ramon y Cajal, Madrid, Spain, 2Hospital Universitario Ramon y Cajal, Madrid, Spain, 3Medical Oncology, Hospital Universitario Ramon y Cajal, Madrid, Spain

Background: Despite EP (aged greater than or equal to 70 years) represent the majority of patients with advanced NSCLC, the efficacy and toxicity rates of IT remain poorly described, as they are under-represented in clinical trials. Furthermore, the age-related decline in the immune system might affect efficacy of IT.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed advanced NSCLC patients treated with IT (antiPD-1, anti-PD-L1) monotherapy as first, second and subsequent-line settings, between 2014 and 2018 in our hospital. Patient and tumor features, irAEs, concomitant and subsequent treatments were collected. Stata 14.1 was used for the analysis.

Results: 98 patients were included. Mean age was 62 years (41-85). 73.5% were men. 73.5% had >30 smoked pack-years (py), 64.3% were adenocarcinoma (ADC), of which 41% were KRAS mutated; and 25.5% were squamous (SCC). PDL1 was known in a 50% of patients (11% <1%, 13% 1-49%, 25% >50%). IT was administered mainly as a second line (61%) and third or later (24.5%). Most employed drug was nivolumab (52%) (Table1). Response Rate (RR) was 32.7% (partial response 28%, complete response 5%). Disease control rate (DCR) was 55%. Overall Survival (OS) was significantly lower in EP compared to patients aged <70 years (5.5 vs 13 months (m) HR 3.86; IC 2.073- 7.214; P<0.0001). Progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly worse for EP than for younger patients (1.8 vs 3.6m, HR 2.1; IC 1.181 - 3.744; P=0.012). Regarding toxicity, 30.6% irAEs were reported. There were no statistically significant differences in terms of irAEs between EP and younger patients (P=0.535). The development of irAEs was associated with better PFS in younger patients (13.3 vs 5.5m, HR 0.45; IC 0.244 - 0.840; P=0.012) without significant impact on OS (see table 2).

Conclusions: Our results suggest that EP could have worse survival outcomes than younger patients, without differences in terms of toxicity, but prospective trials are needed to confirm this hypothesis.

Legal entity responsible for the study: Elena Corral de la Fuente

Funding: Has not received any funding

Disclosure: All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.
Defensive compounds produced by microbes are a major source of antibiotics and other important medicines. But with resistant bugs appearing faster than potential allies, researchers are taking their search for drug candidates offshore.

Published in Frontiers in Microbiology, a new study reveals for the first time that a common species of seaweed, Laminaria ochroleuca, is a rich source of bacteria with antimicrobial and anticancer activities - and potential new drug candidates.

20,000 leads under the sea

Almost a century since Fleming discovered penicillin in a stray mold, scientists continue to look to microbes for new antibiotics and other medicines. To date, none has given more generously than the Actinobacteria: a family of soil- and seabed- dwelling bacteria who think they're fungi.

"About half of the 20,000+ microbe-derived drug candidates currently known come from Actinobacteria," says senior study author Dr. Maria de Fatima Carvalho of the Interdisciplinary Center of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), Portugal. "Now the supply of new species on land - where they form spores and branched networks just like a fungus - is beginning to run out."

But relatively underexplored marine Actinobacteria may yet prove an even richer source of bioactive microbial molecules.

"Several novel drug leads derived from marine Actinobacteria are already known," says Carvalho. "These include anticancer agent salinosporamide A, currently in clinical trials, and several new antibiotics that are effective against drug-resistant infections like MRSA and tuberculosis."

Kelp is at hand

Predominantly found in sediments on the sea floor, Actinobacteria can also live inside other organisms that live and feed there - including brown algae (seaweed).

"The brown alga Laminaria ochroleuca forms complex structures called kelp forests, which are among the most diverse and productive ecosystems in the world," says Carvalho. "But until now, no-one had characterized the Actinobacteria that live inside L. ochroleuca."

In other kelp species, Actinobacteria are known to provide protective compounds in exchange for nutrients and shelter, which could be a source of new drug candidates.

Carvalho's team analyzed a sample of L. ochroleuca from a rocky shore off northern Portugal.

"After six weeks of culture in the lab, we isolated 90 Actinobacterial strains from the sample."

Extracts from these Actinobacteria were then screened for antimicrobial and anticancer activity.

"Forty-five of the Actinobacterial extracts inhibited growth of Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus, or both."

Some extracts were active against these common pathogens even at extremely low concentrations, making them promising candidates for the discovery of antimicrobial drugs. Several also showed selective anticancer activity.

"Seven of the extracts inhibited growth of breast and particularly nerve cell cancers, while having no effect on non-cancer cells."

New drug candidates

"This study reveals that the seaweed L. ochroleuca is a rich source of Actinobacteria with promising antimicrobial and anticancer activities," sums up Carvalho.

Further tests on the most potent of these strains revealed that some of the effects are likely the result of newly discovered compounds.

"We identified extracts from two Actinobacteria strains that do not match any known compounds in the most comprehensive international database of natural bioactive compounds. We intend to follow up on these exciting results."

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Please link to the original research article in your reporting: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2019.00683/full

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BIODIVERSITY Natural history museum paleontologists in Copenhagen and Helsinki have succeeded in mapping historical biodiversity in unprecedented detail. For the first time, it is now possible to compare the impact of climate on global biodiversity in the distant past - a result that paints a gloomy picture for the preservation of present-day species richness. The study has just been published in the prestigious American journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

The diversity of life on Earth is nearly unimaginable. There is such a wealth of organisms that we literally can't count them all.

Nevertheless, there is broad consensus that biodiversity is in decline and that Earth is in the midst of a sixth extinction event - most likely due to global warming. The sixth extinction event reflects the loss of plant and animal species that scientists believe we are now facing. It is an event that, with overwhelming probability, is caused by human activity.

Assistant Professor Christian Mac rum of the Natural History Museum of Denmark at the University of Copenhagen leads the groundbreaking study:

"One of the problems with the hypothesis of global warming is that it is difficult to predict what happens to ecosystems and biodiversity as the planet warms. By examining animals of the past and species adaptability, we can more accurately respond to the question of what leads to crises in ecosystems, and what happens thereafter. Thus far, it has been a big problem that some of the largest fluctuations in biodiversity through geological time have been exceptionally tough to grasp and accurately date. As such, it has been difficult to compare possible environmental impacts and their effects on biodiversity. Among other things, this is because climate change takes place quite abruptly, in a geological perspective. As previous calculations of biodiversity change in deep time have been based on a time-binning partitioning divided into 10 - 11 million year intervals, direct comparisons with climate impacts have not been possible. Our new biodiversity curves provide unprecedentedly high temporal resolution, allowing us to take a very large step towards the understanding and coherence of climate-related and environmental impacts on overall biodiversity - both in relation to species development and extinction event intervals," explains Christian Mac rum.

New method ensures better temporal precision

Researchers at the universities of Copenhagen and Helsinki have devised a new method that can provide unprecedented accuracy in the portrayal of biodiversity fluctuations on geological time scales. This has lead to new insight, both in relation to what spurred the largest marine speciation interval in Earth's history, as well as to what caused our planet's second-largest mass extinction event. This method has deployed, among other things, big data and the processing of large quantities of information collected on fossils, climate and historic geological changes. The study covers a prehistoric period characterized by dramatic changes to Earth's climate and environment. Among other things, it documents increasing levels of oxygen and heavy volcanic activity as well as important events that documents the rise in the number of multicellular marine species, such as during the 'Cambrian Explosion'.

"The studies we have been engaged with for over four years have, for the first time, made it possible to compare developments related to biodiversity with climate change, for example. We are now able to see that precisely when ocean temperature fell to its current level, there was also a dramatic increase in biodiversity. This suggests that a cooler climate - but not too cold - is very important for conserving biodiversity. Furthermore, we find that the very large extinction event at the end of the Ordovician period (485 - 443 million years ago), when upwards of 85% of all species disappeared, was not "a brief ice age" - as previously believed - but rather a several million years long crisis interval with mass extinctions. It was most likely prompted by increased volcanic activity. It took nearly 40 million years to rectify the mess before biodiversity was on a par with levels prior to this period of volcanic caused death and destruction," emphasizes Christian Mac rum.

Extinction events

It is widely accepted that there have been a considerable number of large extinction events throughout Earth's history, with five major extinction events in particular, the "Big Five". These are the three largest:

The largest extinction event occurred 250 million years ago, at the end of the Permian geologic period. 95% of all species are believed to have disappeared as a result of a catastrophe suspected to be due to volcanic activity.

The second largest extinction event occurred 443 million years ago, at the end of the Ordovician geologic period. Until now, it was believed that a sudden global cooling precipitated this event, during which up to 85% of all species became extinct. The new study published in PNAS does away with this assumption and points at volcanism as the main reason.

The most recent major extinction event took place 66 million years ago, when dinosaurs and other forms of life on Earth became extinct. Volcanism and meteor-impact events on Earth are thought to have caused the disappearance of up to 75% of all species. Today, researchers are talking about the planet being in a sixth extinction event prompted by human-induced change, including global warming.

Working methods

Among other things, the researchers have made use of a large database known as 'the Paleobiology Database '. It contains data about fossils collected from across the planet and from different periods of Earth's geological history. Until now, pulling data to provide an overall picture and assessment of the global situation with high temporal resolution has not been possible due to the arduous nature of the process. The new study has overcome this obstacle by first constructing a globally defined schema of 'time intervals' that divided a 120 million-year-long period into 53 'time bins'. They then juxtaposed these bins of time with rock formations in which fossils were found. Then, the researchers analyzed their data using a statistical method typically used by biologists to calculate the prevalence of animal life in a given area. The paleontologists used the method to calculate the diversity of genera per time bin, as well as 'to predict' how many genera ought to occur in subsequent time bin. Not only did this methodology allow for researchers to achieve an unprecedented high temporal accuracy, it also let them account for any lacking fossil remains over geological time.

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More and more companies are using Augmented Reality Marketing to interact with customers. Augmented Reality Marketing is a strategic concept that uses Augmented Reality (i.e. the Integration of digital information or objects into the subject's perception of the physical world), often in combination with other media, to expose, articulate, or demonstrate consumer benefits to achieve organizational goals. A recent BCG study indicates that many companies are still exploring the possibilities that AR offers. One of the main barriers to the use of AR as a Marketing tool is a solid understanding of how AR works and how it impacts business goals.

A team of the three researchers Philipp Rauschnabel (Universitat der Bundeswehr Munchen, Germany), Chris Hinsch (Grand Valley State University) and Reto Felix (University of Texas) conducted an empirical study to assess the effectiveness of AR. The core results: First, even strong brands can benefit from inspirational AR content. Second, in order to be effective, marketers should focus on creating inspirational content, i.e. content that triggers consumers' imagination and motivates them to generate new ideas. To do so, they need to invest in professionally developed Apps that provide a realistic augmentation of the real world and to create hedonic content that consumers really want to consume; purely functional content might not contribute to branding goals. Third, when assessing the effectiveness of AR apps in enhancing brand evaluations, looking at the more traditional "star ratings" might not be the best idea.

The researchers measured consumers evaluations before and after using an app and tried to explain the improvements in brand attitude. In sum, AR led to improvements among 40% of the respondents. The key to success is, according to the results, that AR provides inspirational content. When comparing the improvements in brands between those consumers who had a high (vs. low) inspirational AR experience, the results are even stronger. More specifically, they were 4X stronger among those consumers who rated their AR experience as highly inspirational. The more general evaluation of the app (i.e. ranging from bad to good, as typically reflected in star ratings) was less effective. Reto Felix recommends that firms should "go beyond simple star ratings as the preferred way to measure the success of AR".

"Although more research is needed to generalize these findings, our study provides the first evidence that AR can be an effective tool in brand management", Rauschnabel said. Indeed, the team of researchers is working on follow up projects to further validate these findings. In addition, the team is exploring further areas of AR Marketing. The researchers will be presenting additional research findings in June in Munich as part of the 5th international AR VR conference.

The study has been published in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, a peer-reviewed academic journal.

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BOULDER COLORADO (4/9/19) -- InDevR announced that it has been selected to exhibit and showcase their VaxArray technology at the upcoming BIO International Convention, to be held June 3-6, 2019 in Philadelphia, PA.

Through the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) program, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has funded many promising technologies and is committed to assisting its grantees/awardees further on their path to commercialization. This year NIH partnered with BIO to provide select SBIR/STTR awardees with premier visibility at the BIO International Convention, providing each company with access to business development executives from around the globe, as well as investors.

InDevR has an extraordinary track record of success for translating scientific ideas into innovative and impactful products. Since its inception InDevR has received three Phase 2 SBIR awards from NIH and successfully translated all three projects into commercial products. For example, development of InDevR's VaxArray platform, which is now transforming vaccine potency testing, was sponsored through a SBIR grant (R44AI102318) from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is part of NIH.

The BIO Convention is the world's largest biotechnology conference and exhibition, attracting over 16,000 biotech leaders from 72 countries. The Convention covers the wide spectrum of life science innovations and application areas including drug discovery, biomanufacturing, genomics, biofuels, nanotechnology, cell therapy, and more. The key elements of the conference are education, networking, the BIO Exhibition featuring over 1,800 companies, and BIO One-on-One Partnering, which facilitates more than 45,000 strategic partnering meetings during the three-day event.

This year, there will be a high profile, 6,300 square foot area of the Exhibition floor branded as the Innovation Zone, a turn-key exhibit space dedicated to showcasing 80 NIH SBIR/STTR awardees.

InDevR's CEO, Dr. Kathy Rowlen, commented "We are keenly aware that Small Businesses account for the majority of all jobs in the U.S., have significant economic impact, and often lead in innovation. The SBIR/STTR program is critical in supporting those efforts, especially for science-driven companies like ours. We are grateful not only for that important R&D funding but for this unique opportunity to communicate the impact of our products within this premier event."

The content is of this news release is solely the responsibility of InDevR and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.

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About InDevR

InDevR is a global leader in progressive new analytical technologies that enable accelerated development and manufacturing of vaccines and other biotherapeutics. For more information about the company and products, please visit http://www.indevr.com or call 303-402-9100.
Code 8.7, a two-day conference, brought together computer science researchers and technologists with policy experts, law enforcement officials, activists and survivors involved in the fight against human trafficking

The crime of human trafficking - defined by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as modern-day slavery that "involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act" - is notoriously difficult to prosecute.

"It is often misidentified as a single, isolated crime, like prostitution or a drug offense," says Dan Lopresti, professor and chair of the department of science and engineering at Lehigh University's P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science. "And unless you put together the pieces, you don't realize there is a much bigger picture."

A group of computational researchers, experts in artificial intelligence (AI) and other members of the technology community is joining forces with policy experts, law enforcement officials, activists and survivors to help put the pieces together.

"Imagine the techniques that Google and Facebook are using to make a profit--understanding people, the way they connect, what their interests are, what they might buy or the activities they engage in," says Lopresti. "We can apply those same techniques--data mining, text mining, what's called graph mining--AI that's being used for legitimate and really profitable purposes, to track these illicit behaviors."

Although traffickers have embraced the internet and social media platforms to recruit potential victims and advertise to customers, Lopresti says, the same networks provide opportunities for rooting out criminal activity.

As a member of the Executive Committee of the Computing Research Association's Computing Community Consortium (CCC), Lopresti helped organize a two-day conference at the United Nations in February called Code 8.7: Using Computational Science and AI to End Modern Slavery. The conference brought together top researchers, policy makers, social scientists, representatives of the tech community and survivors for a deep dive into the topic.

The name Code 8.7 refers to Target 8.7 of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals which seeks to end forced labor, modern slavery, and human trafficking by 2030, and the worst forms of child labor by 2025.

For Lopresti, the time is ripe to move beyond our reliance on good--but fortuitous--observations to uncover crimes of human trafficking. It's time, he says, to leverage technology to support trained law enforcement in tackling this complex issue.

"Finding a solution to the problem of human trafficking is not just a technical one. It also involves social policy and political," he says. "As a researcher, if you don't understand this, you could come up with a solution that you think is elegant mathematically but is totally irrelevant in the real world. So that's why we wanted to be in the same room with the social scientists and the policy makers."

Since 2015, Jennifer Gentile Long, a graduate of Lehigh and chief executive officer of Aequitas -- a resource for prosecutors working on cases of human trafficking and gender-based violence-- and Lopresti have collaborated on computer-science-based efforts to help AEquitas manage and make use of the large amount of text data in legal documents to support the organization's work in helping prosecutors build stronger cases.

The conference, which was co-hosted with the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research, the Alan Turing Institute, Tech Against Trafficking, University of Nottingham Rights Lab, and Arizona State University Global Security Initiative, kicked off what organizers plan to be a multiyear collaboration around the issue.

"It was amazing to see experts in all these fields come together and try to coordinate efforts so that people are working toward solutions, not working haphazardly," says Long. "They are making a true impact on this crime--identifying victims at points where they are missed, providing opportunities to leave and find safety, identifying perpetrators, and looking at policy in a coordinated effort. And it's so great to see Lehigh, in a way, sitting at the head of the table."

During the conference's closing session, survivors of human trafficking shared their stories with attendees.

"It reminded everyone," says Lopresti, "that even though we are talking about information, data, and policy, which all seem abstract, the data is real people. You can't treat a problem like this abstractly."

"Technology alone can't solve the problem," adds Long, "but when we combine it with training efforts to develop highly skilled, trauma-informed investigators and prosecutors, we can enhance victim identification and safety."

Mining the data for hidden evidence

Lopresti's participation in the global discussion around modern slavery follows his work outside the university on a local level, through his involvement with the Regional Intelligence and Investigation Center (RIIC) in Allentown, Pa., a city of more than 120,000 located near Bethlehem, where Lehigh University is located.

Launched in 2013, the RIIC has "revolutionized" the way area police departments "analyze and share collected data to solve crimes," according to the office of Lehigh County District Attorney James Martin.

"I had no idea in our own backyard this was happening," Lopresti says. "But the same reason that drives Amazon to build a big warehouse in this region of the country--accessibility to large populations--is why this region, known as the Lehigh Valley, is also a hub for human trafficking, drug trafficking, gangs, and some very serious criminal activity."

Lopresti, who is an expert in document analysis and pattern recognition, is working with RIIC Director Julia Kocis , prosecutors, law enforcement officials and other Rossin College computer science and engineering faculty members--Jeffrey D. Heflin, Sihong Xie, and Eric P.S. Baumer--to help overcome the challenges of turning vast amounts of data, primarily from police incident reports, into something useable, despite limited resources.

"If an expert sits down and reads enough of these, he or she will find a common thread--this person is related to this place, which is related to this activity, which is related to this other person," he says. "The trouble is, they've got millions of these reports and just don't have enough time to read through them. We're developing natural language techniques, text mining and data mining techniques that are oriented to processing lots of data to identify patterns of behavior that would reflect illegal activities related to human trafficking."

Kocis presented their work at Code 8.7, emphasizing the "wealth of evidence that's evidence hiding within freeform text and unstructured data that AI techniques can help identify." According to the Lehigh County DA's office, "Efficient access to this information will place law enforcement in a better position to help victims, investigate and prosecute traffickers and deter buyers."

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A research team featuring bioinformaticians from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) has identified reliable markers of gene activity. The discovery has potential for future applications in clinical practice. The findings are reported in BMC Genomics.

In terms of macromolecular chemistry, DNA is a polymer, or polynucleotide, composed of four kinds of repeated units known as nucleotides. What makes the four types different are the associated nitrogenous bases: adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G), and cytosine (C). A DNA region with a C followed by G, connected via a phosphate (p), is known as a CpG dinucleotide (figure 1).

Genes are DNA regions carrying primary information about the RNA and proteins produced by a cell. The DNA sequence is usually the same across all cells in an organism, but the "working" genes actually involved in RNA synthesis are different for every cell type. This is enabled by regulatory mechanisms functioning as switches that launch or halt the production of specific RNAs. Once a certain level of organism complexity is reached in evolution, the number of genes does not increase any longer. Instead, more elaborate regulatory programs evolve to make sure the right genes are activated at the right time.

As of now, two major types of mechanisms regulating gene transcription (RNA synthesis) have been studied in detail: those involving so-called transcription factors and epigenetic regulators. Transcription factors are regulatory proteins capable of binding to DNA by recognizing certain nucleotide sequences in the regulatory regions of genes. Once a transcription factor has bound to DNA, it engages special cell machinery to initiate RNA synthesis from that particular gene. A large number of such factors is known (over 1,500 in humans). Their combinations regulate how active transcription should be and whether it should happen at all.

Epigenetic regulation involves mechanisms that control how active a gene is without affecting the primary DNA structure. One of such mechanisms is DNA methylation. It is mostly achieved by attaching a methyl group (CH 3 ) to the cytosine in a CpG dinucleotide (figure 2). Once attached, the methyl group serves as a marker signaling which genes are active or repressed, ultimately determining the cell type. It is no surprise that DNA methylation is associated with numerous biological processes, both normal and pathological. Abnormal DNA methylation is observed in cancer, metabolic disorders, cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and other diseases.

By binding to cytosine nucleotides in distinct functional regions of the DNA, a methyl group can have distinct effects. For example, methylation of regions close to transcription start sites tends to suppress gene activity. Conversely, methylation of cytosines inside the gene usually serves to activate it (figure 3).

"In our previous papers, we showed that methylation of certain CpG dinucleotides was strongly associated with gene activity. We called such dinucleotides CpG traffic lights. Now we have demonstrated that the methylation of CpG traffic lights is a better indicator of gene activity than promoter or gene body methylation. In addition, we've shown that enhancers -- DNA regions located away from genes but regulating their activity -- are enriched in CpG traffic lights," explained Yulia Medvedeva, the senior author of the paper and associate professor of bioinformatics and systems biology at MIPT, who leads the regulatory transcriptomics and epigenomics group at the Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

"We noted that CpG traffic lights are conserved in the course of evolution. That is, these positions are relatively less susceptible to mutations, supporting their functional significance," added Anna Lioznova, the first author of the study and a doctoral student at the Research Center of Biotechnology, RAS.

"We used to think that the main role of CpG traffic lights was to switch the regions of transcription factor binding from the active to the passive state," said study co-author Ivan Kulakovskiy, a researcher at Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology and the Institute of Mathematical Problems of Biology, RAS. "Surprisingly, that previously explained and described mechanism proved to account for a relatively small share in the overall number of traffic lights. We suppose that the operation of traffic lights is tied to what's known as an activity 'map' of DNA regions [aka. chromatin states], but the specific mechanisms are still to be discovered."

CpG traffic lights are CpG dinucleotides whose methylation reflects the activation or repression of a gene encoded nearby. In other words, such dinucleotides signal whether RNA is to be synthesized from this gene, and ultimately whether the associated protein will be produced. By studying CpG traffic lights, the researchers hope to understand the mechanisms of gene regulation. In clinical practice, determining the status of cytosine methylation produces more reliable results, compared with direct measurements of gene activity. This opens up prospects for the clinical use of CpG traffic lights as effective indicators of gene activity.

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The study was conducted by researchers from MIPT, Lomonosov Moscow State University, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia, and the following institutions of the Russian Academy of Sciences: Research Center of Biotechnology, Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, the Institute of Mathematical Problems of Biology, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, and the Institute for Information Transmission Problems.

This research was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research and the Russian Science Foundation.
Kayak paddles, snowshoes, skateboards. Outdoor sporting goods used to be a tough market for 3D printing to break into, but fused particle fabrication (FPF) can change that.

A team led by engineers from Michigan Technological University and re:3D, Inc. developed and tested the Gigabot X, an open source industrial FPF 3D printer, which can use waste plastic particles and reform it into large, strong prints. Because of the unique challenges presented by sporting goods -- size, durability, specificity -- the team chose several Upper Peninsula-inspired items.

In their new paper, published in Additive Manufacturing, the team lays out how fab labs, which are prototyping and technical workshops that allow personal digital fabrication, and other 3D printing hubs like makerspaces, public libraries or schools can economically sustain themselves while printing environmentally friendly products using FPF. In some cases, the return on investment for a Gigabot X reached above 1,000 percent for high-capacity use paired with recyclable feedstock. Listen to one of the students involved explain the project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltA15GsUVF0&t=26s

"This isn't a gadget to make toys for your kids; this is an industrial machine meant to make real, large, high-performance products. With well over 1,000 Fab Labs worldwide spreading fast and morphing into environmentally friendly 'green fab labs', the Gigabot X could be a useful tool to add to their services as well as other makerspaces," said Joshua Pearce, Richard Witte Endowed Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. "Of course, for our testing we wanted to use recycled plastic."

That's a hallmark of the Gigabot X -- last year a Michigan Tech and re:3D collaborative study showed that it could be used with a wide range of plastics plucked from the waste stream to live on in a new productive life. The system is based on a previous design from the MOST Lab, the recyclebot, which makes waste plastic filament for 3D printers. Pearce's team has looked deep into better ways to sort, sift and classify plastic to improve its 3D printability. Melting and extruding, however, does weaken plastic, it can withstand five cycles before it's mechanically compromised. What's new with the Gigabot X is the process called fused particle fabrication (FPF) or fused granular fabrication (FGF) that skips the step of making filament before 3-D printing and saves on one melt cycle. Basically, it prints directly from shredded waste. The Gigabot X's size and versatility to use any material including waste is reflected in the machine's economics.

While not cheap by household standards -- the Gigabot X runs around $18,500 -- the upfront investment has greater potential return. The team used three case studies: a skateboard deck, double-bladed kayak paddle -- both child-sized and adult-sized fitted on an aluminum pipe -- and snowshoes.

Using their sporting goods prints, Pearce and his team compared costs of low-end and high-end options for commercially available products, prints with commercial filament, prints with commercial pellets and prints with recycled plastic. They ran these against four capacity scenarios: continuous printing, one new start per day, two new starts per day and printing once per week. The printed kayak paddle, which was the trickiest to produce and compare because of the metal pipe, was financially comparable to the least expensive off-the-shelf paddle. Skateboards and snowshoes were both easy to produce and significantly lower in cost than commercial products. FPF printing beat the economics of even the cheapest decks using commercial pellets and dropped in cost using waste plastic. Over their lifetime, if operated even only once a day, the Gigabot X could produce millions of dollars of sporting goods products.

"Once the capital costs are taken care of, which can often be less than a year, FPF or FGF machines have an enormous potential to make profit. Economically, they absolutely make sense," said Pearce. "The bottom line is that Gigabot Xs pay for themselves under a reasonable load and provide double or triple digit returns on investment under most scenarios. Essentially, if you're using it more than once a week then you're making money easily."

For green fab labs as well as the burgeoning makerspace scene around the world, the Gigabot X presents a customizable, open source, environmentally friendly and fun option to help sustain its 3D printing center.

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Researchers from the Higher School of Economics (Perm), in collaboration with an American colleague, confirmed the theory that impostor syndrome fully mediates the link between perfectionism and psychological distress.

Perfectionism is a personality trait that makes a person strive for perfection. It can manifest itself in an adaptive or a maladaptive form. Adaptive perfectionism is the desire to meet high standards that are achievable with certain efforts. Maladaptive perfectionism is the tendency to place excessive, unattainable demands on yourself, which ultimately leads to worry and stress when you fail to meet them.

Perfectionism is associated with impostor syndrome or feelings of incompetence. It is characteristic of both men and women of different ages and fields of activity. Feelings of incompetence arise when a person believes that they do not deserve their success and are afraid of being exposed as frauds. Like maladaptive perfectionism, impostor syndrome leads to an increased sense of anxiety, depressive moods and other psychological disorders.

In their article, 'Imposter Syndrome Among Russian Students: The Link Between Perfectionism and Psychological Distress', the researchers investigated whether impostor syndrome affects the relationship between perfectionism and psychological well-being.

Over the course of their study, the researchers interviewed 169 respondents (50 men, 119 women) aged 18 to 23 who study at various degree programmes at a university in Perm.

Students were asked to complete three questionnaires. The first one ('The Clance Imposter Phenomenon Scale') was designed to determine if a person suffers from impostor syndrome. The second ('The Short Almost Perfect Scale') measured respondents' degree of perfectionism. The third questionnaire ('The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21') determined the level of anxiety, depression, and stress in respondents.

The respondents' answers allowed the researchers to trace the relationship between perfectionism and imposter syndrome with levels of anxiety. Their statistical analysis of mediation confirmed the hypothesis that impostor syndrome is a mediator between perfectionism and anxiety. A person who suffers from maladaptive perfectionism focuses on what they have not accomplished and fears exposure. In fact, these feelings lead to the development of impostor syndrome. The latter, in turn, causes psychological distress, whether it be anxiety, stress, or depression. Adaptive perfectionism, on the other hand, does not lead to impostor syndrome and its psychological consequences.

In their article, the researchers give several recommendations on how to deal with impostor syndrome.

Firstly, one should focus on confirming that they are indeed competent and that all of their achievements are deserved.

Secondly, it is necessary to understand whether it is beneficial for one to consider themselves inadequate. It is possible that it is a manifestation of self-defense if a person does not want to take on more responsibility--when one would rather take another exam for the same high grade, for example.

Thirdly, it is necessary not to succumb to the behavioral aspect of impostor syndrome, which manifests itself in procrastination. Researchers recommend not postponing things for later, but rather maintaining a proactive attitude.

The final recommendation concerns external factors. A person suffering from imposter syndrome can be helped by a supportive environment--this allows them to feel that their accomplishments are not accidental.

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HOUSTON - (April 9, 2019) - Imagine a parole board trying to figure out whether a previously convicted person eligible for parole poses a future threat to the community.

Every day, in scenarios like this, decisionmakers in the criminal justice system use risk assessment tools in that help them determine the fate of people accused or convicted of crimes. But those decisionmakers need to be aware that the tools they're using can have problems, according to a Rice University sociologist.

Robert Werth, a senior lecturer in sociology in Rice's School of Social Sciences, reviewed research on various methods for assessing risk among accused or convicted criminals. "Risk and punishment: The recent history and uncertain future of actuarial, algorithmic and 'evidence-based' penal techniques" will appear in an upcoming print edition of Sociology Compass.

Actuarial and algorithmic instruments are among the tools used to assess these risks, along with the professional judgement of personnel such as parole officers, correctional officers and psychiatrists. Werth said that actuarial risk assessments can reduce discrepancies in how individuals are assessed and treated. But he said they can also exacerbate existing inequalities, particularly on the basis of socioeconomic status or race.

"These tools make calculations of risk based on what other people have done, which ultimately determine an individual's punishment or freedom," Werth said. "These results are usually based on arrest, rather than conviction. Previous literature has shown that some neighborhoods, especially poorer, urban communities with higher number of minorities, tend to be policed more extensively. That inevitably leads to higher arrest rates for individuals living in these areas. This can, and will, skew risk assessment scores to more harshly assess and punish individuals who are of lower socioeconomic position and who are racial minorities.

Actuarial science, the calculation and management of risk and uncertainty, was developed in the 18th century as a way to increase profit and minimize risk for commercial ventures. In the 1920s, it made its way into the penal system with criminal offender risk assessments. In the 1970s and beyond, the use of actuarial risk assessment in criminal justice began expanding, and it has proliferated in recent years. Today it guides an array of criminal justice decisions, such as participation in diversion programs, the delivery of correctional services, and probation and parole case plans. It also informs a growing number of decisions on pretrial detention and criminal sentencing.

Werth said previous research about actuarial risk assessment raises important questions about its constitutionality and ethics. "These calculations can ultimately lead to people being punished for what they might do rather than what they have actually done, which would seem to violate our standard conception of due process," he said.

Werth cautions against rushing into actuarial risk assessment in criminal justice, noting that while it may help reduce inconsistencies within a particular location, it can also lead to certain people being targeted more often.

"Proponents argue that it is a objective, scientific and transparent way of reducing discrepancies in the system," he said. "However, there are numerous reasons to be cautious and concerned about their potential for negative impacts. First and foremost, research shows that they may reproduce class-based and race-based inequalities. Further, some of the available assessment tools use proprietary algorithms developed by for-profit companies, which raise questions of transparency and fairness."

Werth stressed that risk assessment -- whether conducted by a computer or a human -- is not a perfect science. "The bulk of existing research doesn't necessarily suggest abandoning the use of actuarial risk assessments, but it does give us reasons for caution," he said. "Before rushing to adopt or use these tools, we need to have conversations about their problems and weaknesses."

Werth said that more research is needed on how actuarial risk assessments are impacting incarceration and punishment rates, and whether or not they are facilitating what's known as "net widening" -- increasing the overall number of people enmeshed in the criminal justice system.

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This news release can be found online at news.rice.edu.

Follow Rice News and Media Relations on Twitter @RiceUNews.

Related materials:

Robert Werth bio: https://sociology.rice.edu/robert-werth

Photo link: https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/news-network.rice.edu/dist/c/2/files/2018/04/werth-b-1h63prb.jpg

Photo credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University

Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,962 undergraduates and 3,027 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 2 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance.

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Fewer than a quarter of breast cancer patients and a third of ovarian cancer patients diagnosed between 2013 and 2014 in two states underwent genetic testing for cancer-associated mutations, according to a study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and several other organizations.

The findings indicate that substantial gaps exist between national guidelines for testing and actual testing practices. In particular, the findings show that too few women with ovarian cancer are tested for the presence of mutations that could be used to guide health care decisions.

The study looked at about 83,000 women diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer in California and Georgia in 2013 and 2014.

"We initiated this study -- the largest population-based study of multigene testing in breast and ovarian cancer patients -- because we wanted to see what cancer genetic testing and results looked like in the real world," said Allison Kurian, MD, MSc, associate professor of medicine and of health research and policy at Stanford. "Now we can see that women with ovarian cancer are dramatically undertested. We also learned that between 8 and 15 percent of women with breast or ovarian cancer carry cancer-associated mutations that could be used to drive care decisions and influence family members' health care and screening choices."

Kurian shares lead authorship of the study, which will be published online April 9 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, with Kevin Ward, PhD, MPH, assistant professor in epidemiology at Emory University. Lynne Penberthy, MD, MPH, associate director for the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance Research Program, and Steven Katz, MD, MPH, professor of medicine and of health management and policy at the University of Michigan, are co-senior authors.

Changing guidelines

Researchers have known for decades that inherited mutations or variations in certain genes, notably BRCA1 and BRCA2, increase the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers. Genetic tests for mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 have been available for several years. But since 2013, genetic tests have incorporated many more potential cancer-susceptibility genes, and results have become much more complicated.

"Integrating genetic counseling and testing into the management of cancer after diagnosis has become much more challenging for patients and their clinicians," Katz said.

National guidelines recommend that all women with the most common type of ovarian cancer be tested for the presence of cancer-associated mutations; guidelines for testing breast cancer patients have been less expansive. Although the guidelines for genetic testing have expanded to include more patients diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer and the more extensive multigene panel tests, it's not been clear to what degree these guidelines are followed in real-world clinical settings. Furthermore, the prevalence of known cancer-associated mutations in breast and ovarian cancer patients who are racial or ethnic minorities, as well as in the overall population, is unknown.

For the study, the researchers tapped the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program, which tracks cancer diagnoses and outcomes in large populations across the United States. They linked data on cancer cases in California and Georgia with data from four laboratories conducting the majority of cancer genetic testing from 2013 to 2014. They found that only 24.1 percent of 77,085 women diagnosed with breast cancer and 30.9 percent of 6,001 diagnosed with ovarian cancer underwent any genetic testing.

Disparities in genetic testing

The researchers also observed disparities in testing, particularly among ovarian cancer patients. Although nearly 34 percent of non-Hispanic white women were tested, only about 22 percent of black women and 24 percent of Hispanic women were tested. Income and insurance status played a role in the prevalence of testing among women with ovarian cancer from all racial and ethnic groups, the researchers found. About 20 percent of patients with Medicare were tested compared with about 34 percent of patients with other forms of health insurance. Testing prevalence decreased to about 20 percent in areas where residential poverty equaled or surpassed 20 percent, and it was about 38 percent in regions where the poverty level was less than 10 percent.

The researchers found that among women with breast cancer in the study who underwent testing for a panel of guideline-designated genes, the prevalence of mutation variants of unknown significance was much higher in minority patients: 28.5 percent, 26.6 percent and 19.3 percent in African-American, Asian and Hispanic patients, respectively, versus 14.5 percent in non-Hispanic whites. The prevalence of pathogenic variants also varied along racial and ethnic lines.

"These differences underscore the need to improve the clarity of genetic test results, especially for racial or ethnic minority patients," Kurian said.

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Researchers from Information Management Services Inc. and the University of Southern California, as well as other researchers from the National Cancer Institute, also contributed to the work.

The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grants P01CA163233 and R01CA225697), the California Department of Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Cancer Registry of Greater California.

Stanford's departments of Medicine and of Health Research and Policy also supported the work.

The Stanford University School of Medicine consistently ranks among the nation's top medical schools, integrating research, medical education, patient care and community service. For more news about the school, please visit http://med.stanford.edu/school.html. The medical school is part of Stanford Medicine, which includes Stanford Health Care and Stanford Children's Health. For information about all three, please visit http://med.stanford.edu.

Print media contact: Krista Conger at (650) 725-5371 (kristac@stanford.edu)

Broadcast media contact: Margarita Gallardo at (650) 723-7897 (mjgallardo@stanford.edu)
SAN ANTONIO -- April 9, 2019 -- Rice University is honoring Dr. James L. Burch, vice president of Southwest Research Institute's Space Science and Engineering Division, as a distinguished alumnus at its 2019 Laureates Awards ceremony.

"Dr. Burch's leadership has been instrumental to the growth of SwRI's internationally recognized space science and engineering programs," said SwRI President and CEO Adam L. Hamilton, P.E. "In addition, Jim's research has had, and continues to have, a profound impact on our understanding of the interaction between the solar wind and Earth's magnetosphere, which can affect daily life on the planet."

Burch is a renowned experimental space physicist who founded the first space science group at SwRI in 1977. That division, which now includes 380 staff members, is recognized as one of the preeminent space research organizations in the world. He has served on many panels and committees for NASA, the European Space Agency, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Geophysical Union and the American Institute of Physics.

As principal investigator of the current NASA Magnetospheric Multiscale mission, he designed a new plasma composition analyzer. The four MMS spacecraft fly in formation at the boundary of the Earth's magnetosphere, performing experiments on magnetic reconnection. This explosive process converts magnetic energy to particle energy and is responsible for magnetic storms and auroras as well as solar flares and numerous other energetic phenomena throughout the universe.

Previously, he was principal investigator of the first medium-class NASA Explorer mission, Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration. IMAGE performed pioneering global, multi-spectral imaging of the Earth's magnetosphere. He has also served as principal investigator for instruments on NASA's Dynamics Explorer spacecraft, the space shuttle and ESA's Rosetta comet mission.

Burch earned a bachelor's in physics from St. Mary's University, a master's in research and development management from George Washington University and his doctorate in space science from Rice University. Following his service as an officer in the U.S. Army from 1968 to 1971, he joined NASA as a space scientist. He began his career at SwRI as a senior research scientist in 1977. Burch has endowed undergraduate scholarships at Rice.

The Laureates Awards Program, created by the Association of Rice Alumni in 1937, recognizes highly distinguished individuals for extraordinary achievements and contributions to their professions, local communities and the university. The 2019 honorees will be recognized at the Laureates Awards Dinner May 11 at the River Oaks Country Club in Houston.

For more information about SwRI's space research program, visit https://www.swri.org/industries/space-research-technology.

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The team of scientists proposed a sequence of transformations starting from a chemical compound -- a triphenylene molecule -- to graphene nanoparticles, soot, and carbon dust, which are building materials for a considerable part of meteorites

The international team of scientists proposed a sequence of transformations starting from a chemical compound -- a triphenylene molecule -- to graphene nanoparticles, soot, and carbon dust, which are building materials for a considerable part of meteorites.

The team of scientists of Samara National Research University, Florida International University, the University of Hawaii and Lawrence National Laboratory (Berkeley) proposed and during the experiment confirmed the formation mechanisms of the primary building block for a part of meteorites and planets - triphenylene molecules. The results of the study are published in the article "Gas-Phase Synthesis of Triphenylene (C18H12)" and placed on the cover of the high ranking journal ChemPhysChem.

Triphenylene is a key element around which larger graphene-like structures are formed, which then gradually "stick together" into layered nanoparticles. The latter, colliding with each other, are combined into particles of soot and carbon dust. Due to gravity, dust is collected in the simplest meteorites - carbonaceous chondrites, and then in other, larger celestial bodies, including planets.

The formation mechanism of triphenylene was confirmed by quantum-mechanical calculations carried out by a team of Samara University scientists from the research laboratory "Physics and Chemistry of Combustion", supported by the megagrant of the Russian government "Developments of Physically Grounded Combustion Models" (grant No. 14.Y26.31.0020). The aim of the research is to study the formation mechanisms of harmful substances in combustion chambers, which include polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nanoparticles and soot.

"In fact, we have found one of the starting mechanisms for reactions that trigger the formation of nanoparticles, soot and carbon dust both in the combustion chambers of engines and in the molecular clouds of the galaxies," - said Head of Samara University Physics and Chemistry of Combustion Laboratory, Professor of Florida International University Alexander Mebel.

The calculations showed that the process of triphenylene formation can proceed not only in flames at high temperatures, but also in conditions of extra-low temperatures in interstellar space, triggering the growth mechanism of flat polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) up to nanoscale particles.

In addition, as it is shown by the analysis carbonaceous chondrides having flown to the Earth from space, their composition contains the entire spectrum of particles, ranging from simple PAHs to graphene nanoparticles.

"Our work aroused wide interest of the scientific community not only because we found the mechanism of formation of the triphenylene molecule, but we also determined all the kinetic constants of the processes involved in this reaction", - added Alexander Mebel. For this reason, the data obtained during the study, according to the Professor of Florida International University, will be in demand both by design engineers for creating environmentally friendly combustion chambers of aircraft and automobile engines operating on hydrocarbon fuels, and by scientists who are studying the formation of various galactic macrostructures from molecular clouds.

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For reference:

Triphenylene (C18H12) is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon consisting of four benzene rings. Within the study, an international team of scientists showed how a more complex compound of molecules- triphenylene is born in the reaction of the phenanthrenyl radical with vinyl acetylene.

ChemPhysChem is one of the leading interdisciplinary journals in Physical Chemistry and Chemical Physics. According to the Scimago Journal Rank, the journal has the highest quartile Q1 in all scientific areas defined in the database: Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy. According to the Journal Citation Reports, in 2017, the impact factor of the journal was 2.947.

Samara National Research University is a Russian educational and research centre in the field of aerospace technology. It is one of the leading Russian universities, the corresponding status of which is enshrined in the regulatory documents of the Russian Federation Government and recognized by the academic community. Samara University is one of 29 national research universities in Russia. Since 2013, the university has been participating in the programme which is to improve the competitiveness of Russian universities among the world's leading research and education centers (Project 5-100). Scientific and education activity of Samara University encompasses aerospace technology, engine-building, modern methods of information processing, photonics, materials science, as well as the fundamental technical and natural sciences. In addition to engineering, the university implements educational and research programmes in other areas, including law, economics, management, linguistics, historical and social sciences.
Plastic pollution in the world's oceans is now widely recognised as a major global challenge - but we still know very little about how these plastics are actually reaching the sea. A new global initiative, led by the University of Birmingham shows how focussing on rivers and river mouths can yield vital clues about how we might manage this plastic crisis.

The 100 Plastic Rivers Project is engaging with scientists in more than 60 locations worldwide to sample water and sediment in rivers. The aim is to better understand how plastics are transported and transformed in rivers and how they accumulate in river sediments, where they create a long-lasting pollution legacy.

First results of the project will be presented at the General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU), held in Vienna, Austria, from 7-12 April 2019. They show a complex picture, with a huge diversity in types and sources of plastic in selected river estuaries in the UK and France.

Professor Stefan Krause, of the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham, explains: "Even if we all stopped using plastic right now, there would still be decades, if not centuries-worth of plastics being washed down rivers and into our seas. We're getting more and more aware of the problems this is causing in our oceans, but we are now only starting to look at where these plastics are coming from, and how they're accumulating in our river systems. We need to understand this before we can really begin to understand the scale of the risk that we're facing."

The 100 Plastic Rivers programme analyses both primary microplastics, such as micro-beads used in cosmetics, and secondary microplastics - from larger plastic items that have broken down in the environment or fibres from clothing.

A key part of the project is to establish a standard method for the sampling and analysis of microplastics which can be used to provide an assessment of the plastic pollution of our river networks. The Birmingham team have produced a toolkit, with detailed instructions for sampling water and river sediments at locations where stream flow is known or measured and developed methods of automating and thus, objectifying the identification and analysis of microplastics.

In a recently completed pilot study, the University of Birmingham team collaborated with the Clean Seas Odyssey citizen science project to test parts of the developed methodology based on sampling water and sediments from river estuaries around the UK and France Channel coast. By analysing the samples taken by interested members of the public, they were able to test the sampling protocol and develop a picture of the different types of polymers accumulated in river sediments at their confluence with the sea.

The results of this initial survey showed a much wider variety of plastic types in the samples than had been anticipated. This shows that, even in relatively well-regulated countries like the UK and France, there are a variety of different sources contributing to a high concentration of microplastics in river systems.

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The research is funded by the Leverhulme Trust, the EU Horizon 2020 Framework, the Royal Society, and the Clean Seas Odyssey.

For further information please contact Beck Lockwood, Press Office, University of Birmingham, tel: 0121 414 2772: email: r.lockwood@bham.ac.uk

Notes to editor:
UC San Francisco scientists have designed a large-scale screen that efficiently identifies drugs that are potent cancer-killers when combined, but only weakly effective when used alone. Using this technique, the researchers eradicated a devastating blood cancer and certain solid tumor cells by jointly administering drugs that are only partially effective when used as single-agent therapies. The effort, a cross-disciplinary collaboration between UCSF researchers, is described in a study published April 9 in the journal Cell Reports.

When scientists developed the first targeted cancer therapies -- drugs that interfere with specific biological circuits that cancer depends on for growth and survival -- many thought they had finally cornered cancer. But cancer is a devastatingly clever disease that can outwit these precision medicines by "rewiring" itself to sidestep the circuits switched off by these drugs.

"Many cancers either fail to respond to a single targeted therapy or acquire resistance after initially responding. The notion that combining targeted therapies is a far more effective way to treat cancer than a single-drug approach has long existed. We wanted to perform screens with saturating coverage to understand exactly what combinations should be explored," said UCSF's Jeroen Roose, PhD, professor of anatomy and senior author of the new study.

Scientists have found that when they target two distinct circuits with two different drugs -- each of which is inadequate on its own -- the aggregate effect can be greater than sum of its parts. However, figuring out which drugs can synergize to kill cancer remains a challenge.

To demonstrate the power of their screening system, the scientists searched for targeted therapies that could join forces to kill an aggressive blood cancer called T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). Their hunt began with a drug that targets PI3K, an enzyme that promotes the growth of many cancers, including T-ALL. Though drugs that target PI3K already exist, the current crop of PI3K inhibitors can slow, but normally can't kill, this type of cancer.

"Nearly 65 percent of T-ALL patients have hyperactive PI3K, but most patients will likely not be cured by single-drug treatments. We wanted to find drugs that would kill T-ALL when combined with a PI3K inhibitor," said Roose, a member of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. To find those drugs, the researchers turned to RNA interference (RNAi) -- a technique that allows scientists to massively reduce the activity of specific genes. The discovery of RNAi, which occurs naturally in all animals and plants, and is now widely used in research, was a major breakthrough that was recognized with the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

"RNAi is sort of a magic bullet for targeting specific genes," said Michael T. McManus, PhD, professor at the UCSF Diabetes Center and study co-author, who designed the screen with Roose. "Although there is a great deal of fascinating underlying biology that relates to RNAi, most scientists use it as a tool to 'turn down the volume' of a specific gene in a cell."

The gene-editing tool CRISPR has made it possible to completely remove genes. But according to McManus, while eliminating a specific gene is the gold standard -- an essential first step in determining its function in cells -- at times, reducing a gene's activity level using RNAi activity may be more desirable. This is especially true, he says, when researchers are seeking to mimic the effects of drugs, which often reduce the activity associated with a particular gene without completely eliminating it.

"When searching for cancer drugs, for example, RNAi may do a better job of approximating precision therapies, both of which only partially inhibit their biological targets," McManus said. The researchers have also started exploring CRISPRi and CRISPRa -- modified forms of CRISPR that inhibit or amplify the activity of target genes, respectively, without making cuts to the DNA -- for these reasons.

Roose and McManus aren't the first scientists to use RNAi to search for these kinds of combinatorial therapies. But earlier efforts were error-prone because those screens used RNAi libraries that were too small, Roose said. What sets the new study apart is the ultra-complex collection of short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) that were used. These RNA fragments contain sequences that correspond to those found in messenger RNAs (mRNA) -- the molecular arbiters of gene activity in the cell. When an shRNA finds an mRNA that contains a matching sequence, the two molecules bind together to initiate a process that destroys the mRNA and inhibits the activity of that gene. In total, the researchers targeted some 1,800 cancer-associated genes with approximately 55,000 shRNAs, or about 30 shRNAs per gene, "more than enough to eliminate false positives and false negatives," Roose said.

The screen itself involved growing two different human T-ALL cell lines in the presence of PI3K inhibitors and then simultaneously administering shRNAs to find out which genes, when silenced in the presence of these drugs, killed the cancer. From this comprehensive screen, the researchers then focused on 10 genes whose activity, when curbed with precision medicines, was predicted to kill T-ALL cancer cells in combination with PI3K drugs. They tested these predictions and found that nine of the combined therapies could kill T-ALL -- a feat that none of the drugs could achieve on its own. The researchers then tested the most effective of these synergistic drug combinations on mouse models of T-ALL and found that it could extend survival by 150 percent.

The screen also yielded a digital tool that Roose says will be useful for other researchers: a user-friendly, searchable database based on results from the screen. The search engine -- developed by Marsilius Mues, PhD, a former Roose lab postdoc and lead author of the new study -- produces mansuscript-quality figures that help resarchers identify genes that emerged from the screen as potential targets for combination therapy with PI3K inhibitors.

Recognizing that discoveries made in blood cancers don't always translate to solid tumors, the researchers also tested the predicted drug combinations on 28 solid tumor cell lines derived from human breast, colorectal, pancreatic and brain cancers. They found that even in these solid tumor cells, the combination therapies synergized to reduce the number of cancer cells by up to 20 percent over the course of the experiment.

"An important message from our work is that scientists can use leukemia cells as a platform to find drug combinations that also work in solid tumors. Our screening platform is very generalizable," Roose said.

Among the most surprising and promising of the results was that the researchers were able to find pairs of drugs that impeded cancer growth, but which had no effect on normal cells.

"Finding therapies that specifically target cancer without harming healthy tissue is the holy grail of cancer research," Roose said. "This surprising result suggests that our method may aid in the discovery of this kind of cancer-specific precision medicine."

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Authors: Roose and McManus are members of the UCSF Bakar ImmunoX Initiative. Additional authors on the paper include Laila Karra, Damia Romero-Moya, Anica Wandler, Matthew J. Hangauer, Olga Ksionda, Yvonne Thus, Marthe Lindenbergh and Kevin Shannon of UCSF.

Funding: Support for this study came from a Gabrielle's Angel Foundation grant; an Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation Innovator Award; R01 - CA187318; NIH/NHLBI R01 - HL120724; a Leukemia & Lymphoma Society grant; NIH grants R01CA212767 and U01CA217882; American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowship PF-14-070-01-TBG, including a supplement from the Hillcrest Committee; NIH grants R37 72614 and R01 CA193994; an American Cancer Society Research Professorship.

Disclosures: Roose is a co-founder and scientific advisor of Seal Biosciences, Inc. and a member of the scientific advisory committee for the Mark Foundation for Cancer research.

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.
Little is known about the potential health effects of JUUL e-cigarette products that have recently risen in popularity, especially among adolescents. The Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, has a growing concern about this uptick in their use because these electronic cigarettes deliver nicotine -- a highly addictive stimulant, with potential to affect the still-developing adolescent brain.

A research team led by Prue Talbot, a professor in the Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology at the University of California, Riverside, and James F. Pankow, a professor of chemistry as well as civil and environmental engineering at Portland State University, Oregon, has now found that nicotine concentrations are higher in JUUL electronic cigarettes than in any of the hundreds of other electronic cigarette products the team analyzed.

"The nicotine concentrations are sufficiently high to be cytotoxic, or toxic to living cells, when tested in vitro with cultured respiratory system cells," said Talbot, the director of the UCR Stem Cell Center. "JUUL is the only electronic cigarette product we found with nicotine concentrations high enough to be toxic in standard cytotoxicity tests. A big concern is that its use will addict a new generation of adolescents to nicotine."

Study results appear in Chemical Research in Toxicology.

JUUL e-cigarettes are made by JUUL Labs, an electronic cigarette company. JUUL use is widespread among middle and high school students.

The research team made a second finding: Although each flavor of the JUUL pod -- eight different flavors are available -- has relatively few flavor chemicals, several of these chemicals are present in high concentrations.

"Some JUUL flavor pods have sufficiently high concentrations of flavor chemicals that may make them attractive to youth," Pankow said. "We still need to determine if JUUL products will lead to adverse health effects with chronic use."

"We found some flavor chemicals, such as ethyl maltol, also correlate with cytotoxicity, but nicotine seems to be the most potent chemical in JUUL products, due to it very high concentration," Talbot said.

The nicotine found in JUUL products is currently, on average, about 61 milligrams per milliliter of fluid in pods--equivalent to more than one pack of conventional cigarettes.

Talbot is hopeful that the FDA will limit the permissible concentration of nicotine in electronic cigarette products.

"The FDA is trying to prevent sales of JUULs to those under 21, but these products still find their way into high schools," she said. "Our data reinforce the need to prevent adolescents from using products with these extremely high nicotine concentrations."

UCR prohibits smoking and the use of smokeless tobacco products or electronic smoking devices, including JUULS, on campus.

"Despite advertisements promoting e-cigarettes and JUUL products as smoking cessation tools, studies have shown, concerningly, that increasing use of these products among youth and adolescents can serve as gateways to tobacco and other substance abuse," said Julie Chobdee, the coordinator of the Wellness Program at UCR, who did not participate in the study.

Talbot explained that various flavor chemicals present in e-cigarette refill fluids, such as diacetyl, cinnamaldehyde, menthol, and ethyl vanillin, are popularly found in sweet, buttery/creamy and fruity/citrus e-liquids.

"Depending on their concentrations in the products, these chemicals can elicit varying toxic effects, as has been noted in case reports and laboratory studies," she said. "For example, diacetyl is a flavoring ingredient commonly found in popcorn. Inhalation of diacetyl, however, can cause a serious lung disease called bronchiolitis obliterans."

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Talbot and Pankow were joined in the study by Esther E. Omaiye of UCR; and Kevin J. McWhirter and Wentai Luo of Portland State University.

The research was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes Health under award number R01DA036493. The content of this news release and the research paper is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

The University of California, Riverside (http://www.ucr.edu) is a doctoral research university, a living laboratory for groundbreaking exploration of issues critical to Inland Southern California, the state and communities around the world. Reflecting California's diverse culture, UCR's enrollment is more than 24,000 students. The campus opened a medical school in 2013 and has reached the heart of the Coachella Valley by way of the UCR Palm Desert Center. The campus has an annual statewide economic impact of almost $2 billion. To learn more, email news@ucr.edu.
At least six states with high opioid abuse rates also have strong work restrictions that hinder nurse practitioners (NPs) in prescribing medication that can help treat the problem, according to a study by researchers at UC San Francisco.

These states, and others with restrictive scopes of practice for NPs, should reform their regulations to take full advantage of the health care workforce in addressing the opioid crisis and meeting primary care needs, the researchers said. Their study appears April 9, 2019, in JAMA.

"An important part of addressing the opioid crisis is helping people access treatment when they need it, and medication combined with therapy is the most effective approach," said corresponding author Joanne Spetz, PhD, associate director for research at Healthforce Center and professor at the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, part of the Department of Family and Community Medicine, and School of Nursing at UCSF. "NPs in states requiring that they practice under physician supervision or collaboration are much less likely to get waivers to prescribe these medications, and many of these same states have the highest rates of opioid overdose and addiction."

A shortage exists in clinicians authorized to prescribe medications for treating opioid abuse. Drugs like methadone are only available in licensed narcotics treatment programs. But in the early 2000s through the Drug Addiction Treatment Act (DATA), physicians were granted waivers to prescribe buprenorphine, which safely and effectively reduces opiate withdrawal symptoms and cravings, in office settings. A 2016 update to the law gave NPs and physician assistants (PAs) the same authority.

If an NP or PA practices in a state requiring physician collaboration or supervision, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has specific requirements regarding supervisor/collaborator qualifications. These requirements, along with the possibility a supervising physician simply may not want an NP or PA to be involved in opioid treatment, may reduce their ability to get buprenorphine waivers.

In the JAMA study, Spetz and her colleagues obtained state-level data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration on the number of DATA waivers for physicians, NPs and PAs as of September 2018. The percentage of physicians and NPs with waivers per state was determined by dividing by the total numbers of licensed physicians and NPs as reported in the 2016 Area Health Resource File, and the percentage for PAs determined by the 2016 National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants.

In their analysis, the researchers classified a scope of practice as less restrictive if NPs could prescribe medications without physician oversight, and whether state PA regulations included at least five of the six essential elements of practice recommended by the American Association of Physician Assistants, which primarily advise it be defined at the practice level rather than be restricted at the state level.

Overall, there were 44,916 physicians (5.57 percent of all physicians), 7,280 NPs (3.17 percent) and 1,913 PAs (1.66 percent) with buprenorphine waivers. Greater practice restrictions were associated with a lower percentage of NPs, but not PAs, receiving waivers: in more restrictive states, 75 percent fewer NPs received waivers than those NPs working in less restrictive states.

Less restrictive regulations were found in 27 states for NPs and 23 states for PAs. The average percentage of NPs with waivers was 5.58 percent in less restrictive states and 2.44 percent in more restrictive states. When adjusting for various factors, the rate of NPs with waivers was 4.73 percent in less restrictive states and 2.7 percent in more restrictive states. The PA scope of practice was not significantly affected.

States with high opioid abuse rates in which NPs can prescribe without physician supervision/collaboration and in which the researchers found high shares of waivers (at least 6.5 percent) included New Hampshire, Maryland, Connecticut, Maine, Utah, New Mexico, Rhode Island and Vermont, while states with low shares (less than 5 percent) included Kentucky, West Virginia and Delaware. States with high opioid abuse rates in which NPs must have physician supervision/collaboration to prescribe and had high shares of waivers (3.9 to 5.8 percent) included Ohio, Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey, while states with low shares (1 to 3.7 percent) included Missouri, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.

Other states with restrictive scopes of practice for NPs include California, Florida, Oklahoma, Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Mississippi, Texas, Indiana, South Carolina, Louisiana and Virginia. Legislation has been introduced in California to eliminate the physician collaboration requirement, as recommended by the California Future Health Workforce Commission.

The differences in NP and PA scope-of-practice restrictions -- such as regulations in all states requiring PAs, unlike NPs, to collaborate with a physician -- may explain the impact on NPs, Spetz said. To learn about other barriers and strategies clinicians are using to overcome this discrepancy, the researchers will make site visits through January 2020 to four states with high opioid mortality rates -- West Virginia, Ohio, Michigan and New Mexico.

"If their supervision or collaboration regulations cannot be changed, states should try to develop programs to help connect NPs with physicians willing to supervise them in offering buprenorphine," Spetz said. "They also should make sure that NPs and PAs, and the other advanced practice nurses now allowed to get waivers, are aware of this opportunity and know how to complete the education requirement to do so."

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Authors: Study co-authors were Matt Tierney, Christopher Toretsky, Susan Chapman and Beth Phoenix, also from UCSF.

Funding: The research was supported by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) Center for Regulatory Excellence (R101026).

Disclosures: Spetz received grants from NCSBN during the study, and personal fees from the Center to Champion Nursing in America (American Association of Retired Persons) and grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, NCSBN and California Health Care Foundation outside the submitted work. Tierney received grants from the NCSBN Center for Regulatory Excellence during the study, and honoraria from Contemporary Forums, American Society of Addiction Medicine, Cabezon Group and American Psychiatric Nurses Association; grants from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; and honorarium from Johnson & Johnson outside the submitted work.

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.
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have identified for the first time an imbalance in a key neural pathway that explains how some people reactivate negative emotional memories. The finding could help scientists unlock new ways to treat psychiatric disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

The study, "Multiplexing of Theta and Alpha Rhythms in the Amygdala-Hippocampal Circuit Supports Pattern Separation of Emotional Information," is published today in the journal Neuron.

For decades, scientists have viewed emotional memory as a double-edged sword: while the entire emotional event is highly memorable, details of the event are often fuzzy. This lack of detailed recollection may lead to faulty reactivation of negative memories. For example, if someone is bitten by a dog, he or she may become anxious around dogs of all breeds and sizes. Understanding the nature of emotional memory could have implications for the treatment of PTSD and other mental disorders.

"Emotion exerts a powerful influence on how vividly we can remember experiences," said co-senior author Michael Yassa, professor of neurobiology & behavior, UCI School of Biological Sciences; professor of neurology and psychiatry, UCI School of Medicine; and director of UCI's Center for the Neurobiology of Learning & Memory. "However, studies in humans have shown that the impact of emotion on memory is not always positive. In many cases, emotional arousal can impair a person' ability to differentiate among similar experiences."

This neural computation is critical for episodic memory and is vulnerable in neuropsychiatric disorders, Yassa said.

According to this new study from UCI, an imbalanced communication between the brain's emotional center, the amygdala, and its memory hub, the hippocampus, may lead to the failure to differentiate negative experiences that have overlapping features. On the other hand, a balanced dialogue between the amygdala and the hippocampus allows one to separate overlapping emotional experiences and make distinct memories.

Further, two types of brain rhythms - a faster (8 cycles per second) alpha oscillation and a slower (4 cycles per second) theta rhythm - diametrically regulate communications between the amygdala and the hippocampus. Overamplified alpha rhythms from the amygdala to the hippocampus lead to faulty extrapolation of memories among similar experiences while balanced theta rhythms between the two brain regions promote correct discrimination and accurate recall.

"The teamwork between the amygdala and hippocampus is like a yin and yang and may be the key to disentangle overlapping emotional experiences and to overcome overreactions in a similar situation," said Jie Zheng, a UCI alumnus and the study's first author.

"Our findings provide a neural mechanism underlying this phenomenon and propose a circuit-level framework for possible neuropsychiatric therapy, such as deep brain stimulation, transcranial alternating current stimulation, and transcranial magnetic stimulation," said Dr. Jack J. Lin, co-senior author and professor of neurology, UCI School of Medicine, and professor of biomedical engineering, UCI Henry Samueli School of Engineering.

Measurements were collected from electrodes implanted by UCI Health neurosurgeons in seven patients with medication-resistant epilepsy as part of an assessment of their seizure activity. Electrode placement was guided exclusively by these patients' clinical needs, Lin said.

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This work was supported by several grants from the National Institutes of Health: NINDS R37NS21135, NIMH R01MH102392, NINDS T32NS45540, as well as support from the UCI School of Medicine and the Roneet Carmell Memorial Fund. The authors wish to express their appreciation to these patients and the staff of the UCI Health Epilepsy Monitoring Unit.

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 36,000 students and offers 222 degree programs. It's located in one of the world's safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County's second-largest employer, contributing $5 billion annually to the local economy. For more on UCI, visit http://www.uci.edu.

Media access: Radio programs/stations may, for a fee, use an on-campus ISDN line to interview UCI faculty and experts, subject to availability and university approval. For more UCI news, visit news.uci.edu. Additional resources for journalists may be found at communications.uci.edu/for-journalists.
The first large-scale study of the views held by those working to protect the natural world has found agreement on the goals of conservation - but substantial disagreement on how to move towards them.

Latest research reveals a sizable consensus among conservationists for many core aims: maintaining ecosystems, securing public support, and reducing environmental impact of the world's richest.

However, the study also shows the global community is deeply split on whether to place economic value on nature. The necessity of protected areas - and whether people should be moved to create them - is highly disputed, as is the worth of "non-native" species.

Conducted by Cambridge University's Dr Chris Sandbrook with colleagues from Edinburgh and Leeds universities, the new study collected the opinions of over 9,200 conservationists in over 140 countries. It is published today in the journal Nature Sustainability.

The research uncovers some demographic variation. For example, women and those from Africa and South America lean more toward "people-centered" conservation, which aims to benefit communities and give them a say in conservation decisions. Men and those from North America tend to favour a "science-led" approach associated with protecting nature for its own sake.

Next year's Convention on Biological Diversity meeting will see UN member states gather in Beijing to set global conservation goals for the following decade. The research team says their findings "raise important questions about whose voices get heard in conservation debates".

"A core set of aims must form the bedrock of any social movement," said lead author Sandbrook, from the Cambridge Conservation Initiative. "We can see that the world's conservation community is in general agreement on many fundamental beliefs and objectives."

"When it comes to the mechanisms for delivering conservation, we find significant rifts emerge. In some ways the conservation movement is like a political party, where some underlying beliefs bind together people who don't agree on absolutely everything. When big decisions need to be taken these splits come to the surface."

Researchers took great pains to reach as many conservationists around the world as possible. However, they say their sample is still skewed towards Europe and North America.

Sandbrook cautions that the diversity of opinion the study is helping to reveal is often underrepresented. "There will be huge decisions taken about the future of conservation in the next 18 months. Let's make sure we ask the whole global community, so we can build an inclusive and effective movement."

While the study's authors say conservation is facing "bitter internal disputes" over its future, their research confirms some key ideas around which the majority of conservationists coalesce.

The study finds 90% agreement for science-based conservation goals, as well as for giving a voice to people affected by those goals. Some 88% agree that the environmental impact of the rich must be curtailed, and only 8% think global trade is fine as it is.

Some 77% believe human population growth should be reduced, and only 6% think humans are separate from nature.

The fault lines in the global movement are also revealed. For example, only 57% think strict protected areas are required, and almost half (49%) believe it's wrong to displace humans in the process. Reports of 'eco-guards' suppressing local people in Africa's protected areas have recently brought these debates into sharp focus.

So-called invasive species also prove divisive. Some 35% think they offer little value to conservation, while 50% disagree. Sandbrook says that some examples of non-native species can help engage the public, but they are often bad news for local species.

"In the UK, many people love Ring-Necked Parakeets because they look beautiful and tropical. But these animals can threaten native wildlife and some argue they should be culled," he said.

The study shows the application of economics to nature is one of conservation's most contentious issues. "Some think assigning monetary value to nature is a pragmatic way to assist policy-making. Others believe it reprehensible to put a price tag on things that are priceless," said Sandbrook.

Only around half (52%) of conservationists think their movement "should work with capitalism". Some 61% believe "economic arguments for conservation are risky", and 73% think economic rationales risk displacing other motivations for protecting species.

However, a high number - some 84% - believe corporations "can be a positive force for conservation" and 62% say the movement needs the support of corporations, suggesting many conservationists see both the pros and cons of economic approaches.

This "conservation through capitalism" is viewed more favorably by younger conservationists and those from Africa, but also among those in more senior jobs.

"Our study shows that conservation is a diverse movement, both in people and ideas," added Sandbrook. "As the Convention on Biological Diversity 2020 meeting approaches, we need to improve the representation of this diversity when debating how best to preserve life on Earth."

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A boy 48 centimeters long, weighing 2900 grams, is the first baby born after the technological shift in Gothenburg's world-leading research on uterine transplantation. The birth, with the planned cesarean delivery (C-section), took place on Monday April 8th and the whole family is doing fine.

"It's a fantastic feeling to deliver such a special, longed-for child. To have been part of the whole process, from the first meeting with the couple to the uterus transplant, and now to see everyone's joy when what we've hoped for becomes reality. It's simply wonderful," says Pernilla Dahm-Kahler, a leading robot-assisted surgeon and gynecologist on the team and research scientist at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg.

This baby is the first to be born within the scope of this research project. He has come into the world after a uterine transplantation in which the donor, the recipient's mother, was operated on with robot-assisted keyhole surgery. This method is considerably less invasive for the donor than traditional open surgery.

Mats Brannstrom, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Sahlgrenska Academy, heads the research work.

"This is an extremely important step towards developing the surgery involved in uterine transplantation, and its safety. For the first time, we're showing that the less invasive robot-assisted surgical technique is practicable."

The donor is operated on through one-centimeter incisions in the abdomen. The robotic arms holding the surgical instruments are guided by two surgeons, one on each side of the patient. Each surgeon sits at a personal workstation a few meters away, with a joystick-like tool and magnified 3D screen image that allows immense precision for operating deep inside the lower abdomen.

Towards the end of the procedure, another incision is made so that the uterus can be removed. It is then immediately inserted in the recipient by means of open surgery. The new technique makes a big difference for the donors, who generally feel better afterwards and get back on their feet faster.

Niclas Kvarnstrom is the transplant surgeon in charge within the project, and the person who performs the intricate task of connecting vessels in the uterus recipient.

"In the future, we're also going to be able to transplant the uterus in the recipient using robot-assisted keyhole technique."

In the current case, the transplantation was carried out at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in October 2017. Ten months later an embryo, which had come into being through IVF (in vitro fertilization) before the transplantation, was inserted in the transplanted uterus, and a few weeks later the doctors were able to confirm pregnancy, with a distinct heartbeat. The pregnancy has been free from complications, with the mother in good health throughout; now, it has thus ended with a planned C-section at 36 weeks pregnant.

The child now born is the number nine in Sweden following a uterus transplant and number one in what the researchers call "the Robot Project" -- in which more pregnancies and babies are expected in the years ahead. Six transplantations were performed in 2017-2018, and the team is also posed to perform the first uterine transplant using an organ from a deceased donor.

To date, a total of 15 babies worldwide have been born from a transplanted uterus. Besides the nine born within the scope of this Sahlgrenska Academy research, there are two in the United States and one in each of Brazil, Serbia, India and China.

Mats Brannstrom points out the great importance of the technique, developed over more than 15 years' research at Sahlgrenska Academy, now also functioning elsewhere in the world -- in several cases following direct technology transfer from the team at Sahlgrenska.

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More about the research: https://sahlgrenska.gu.se/english/research/uterus

Contacts:

Pernilla Dahm-Kahler +46 707632847; pernilla.dahm-kahler@vgregion.se

Mats Brannstrom +46 736254455; mats.brannstrom@obgyn.gu.se

Niclas Kvarnstrom 0735 515 28 96; niclas.kvarnstrom@vgregion.se
ANN ARBOR--Frying pans, pill bottles, yoga mats, coffee cups and countless other nonelectronic objects could be turned into a network of Internet of Things sensors with a new RFID-based technology from the University of Michigan.

The system, called IDAct, bridges the gap between the estimated 14.2 billion "smart" electronic devices that are currently part of the Internet of Things and the hundreds of billions of everyday nonsmart objects left out of the picture.

U-M researchers say it's a key step toward creating a truly immersive IoT experience.

"Imagine a world where your pill bottle keeps track of your medication intake and a water glass monitors your hydration level," said Alanson Sample, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science and an author on a paper presented recently at the IEEE RFID Conference in Phoenix. "Even your yoga mat is aware of your exercises and could adjust lighting, temperature and background music accordingly."

The technology could also have applications in elder care, where it could be used to unobtrusively monitor medications and daily activities, helping seniors stay independent longer without the need for expensive and invasive live-in care.

Using RFID readers and battery-free RFID tags that cost only a few cents, IDAct can sense the presence and movement of people in a room and detect the movement of objects with enough detail to determine, for example, whether you've moved a pill bottle or cooked a meal. The tags can be attached to nearly any object in the form of a sticker, and RFID readers can be integrated into everyday objects like light bulbs.

"Given the ubiquity of these objects, there are significant opportunities in enhancing their sensing capabilities and creating interactive applications around them," said Hanchuan Li, a former graduate researcher in computer science and engineering at the University of Washington and lead author on the paper.

The technology accurately detected specific activities more than 96 percent of the time in a recent study.

"You could imagine assistive tools that could help the elderly stay in their own homes longer by monitoring their daily activities with this technology," Sample said. "It could detect changes in eating, sleeping or medication, for example, before the situation deteriorates and they end up in the emergency room."

RFID tags have been used for years to track objects in applications like shipping and theft prevention. The tags absorb just enough electromagnetic energy from the reader's signal to broadcast a simple, unique code. In the past, the reader simply picked up this code to identify whether the object was present or not--on or off, signal or no signal.

IDAct improves on this by providing a more nuanced reading of the signal from the RFID tags. It can detect minute fluctuations in the signal coming back from tags to detect when an object is moved or whether a person is touching it. It can also detect changes in a room's electromagnetic field to infer, for example, when a human is present.

"Every object causes electromagnetic interference in a specific way," Sample said. "We can use that information, along with information from RFID tags, to get a very detailed picture of what's going on in a given space."

These improved signals are then analyzed by a machine learning algorithm run by an onsite computer to infer what's happening in a room. In the testing phase, this processing was done on a laptop, but Sample envisions that the necessary hardware eventually will be integrated into the RFID reader itself.

The team tested the technology by outfitting a volunteer's apartment with a series of RFID readers and then tagging household objects with RFID tags. They collected 26 hours of data from each room while users were present, and also collected two hours of data from empty rooms as a control.

The team now plans to look for industry partners that could build out the technology for use in elder care settings. Sample and Li developed the technology with Shwetak Patel at the University of Washington and Chieh-yih Wan and Raul Shal of Intel Corp.

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The paper is titled "IDAct: Towards Unobtrusive Recognition of User Presence and Daily Activities." The research was supported by Intel Labs.
A remote island in the Caribbean could offer clues as to how invasive species are able to colonise new territories and then thrive in them, a new study suggests.

Scientists from the University of Plymouth have recently completed extensive research into a lizard population on the Cayman Islands.

Up until the mid-1980s, there had never been a recorded sighting of the Maynard's Anole (Anolis maynardi) on Cayman Brac island despite it being less than 10km from its native territory, Little Cayman.

However, since the species was first discovered on Cayman Brac in 1987 - in what is thought to have been a human-assisted colonisation - its population has spread right across the 39km island.

For this study, recent graduate Vaughn Bodden and Lecturer in Conservation Biology Dr Robert Puschendorf conducted a detailed analysis of the invasive species.

They wanted to assess whether individuals at the forefront of the invasion have developed distinct biological traits that are advantageous for dispersal, and compared their findings to animals in the area of first introduction and the native population on Little Cayman.

They discovered the Cayman Brac population has diverged morphologically from the native population, and within the invasive range there was trend of increasing forelimb length from the core to range edge areas. This ran contrary to the expected findings that longer hindlimbs would be the trait selected as a dispersal-related phenotype.

They also showed that the introduced population had lower levels of parasite prevalence, and that both males and females were of significantly higher body condition than the native population.

Writing in the Journal of Zoology, they say the results are a perfect example of how a species can colonise a new territory, and the biological adaptations it can make in order to do so.

Vaughn, who graduated with a First from the BSc (Hons) Conservation Biology programme in 2018, said: "There has been a history of lizard studies indicating that longer hindlimbs are an important factor affecting movement ability, so to not find longer hind limbed animals on the range edge was a surprise. For parasites, we found a clear decreasing trend in prevalence within the invasive population from the area of first introduction to the range edge, indicating that the parasites lag behind the host during periods of range expansion. We think our findings add to the growing body of literature that demonstrates the complex dynamics of species' invasions. The results highlight that the animals on the range edge of an invasion are likely to be experiencing different ecological selection pressures that can result in changes in behaviour, morphology, and health for the animals."

Dr Puschendorf has spent several years researching the consequences of emerging infectious diseases and climate change on biodiversity, with a particular focus on Central America. He added: "Biological invasions are an important conservation threat across the world. However, every invasion needs to be carefully investigated to identify impacts to native eco-systems and identify potential mitigation strategies. In this instance there is likely to be limited overlap with, and therefore a limited threat to, the endemic anole population - the Cayman Brac Anole (Anolis luteosignifer) - because one inhabit the crowns of trees while the other is found closer to the ground. This in some ways highlights the challenges biodiversity managers face when managing species invasions with limited resources, and emphasises the need for greater collaboration among scientific and policy communities."

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The publication is aimed at primary school children and features content from the Science of Chocolate workshops, during which women researchers from Universitat Rovira i Virgili and the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia explain their research

This project has been coordinated by the Scientific Communication Unit of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) and the Catalan Chemical Research Institute (ICIQ). It is published jointly by Publicacions URV and the Piscina, un petit ocea publishing house, with illustrations by Armand. The story was presented at the Public Library of Tarragona in an event attended by the nine URV and ICIQ researchers who feature in the story, the authors and the two institutions that have coordinated the project.

Archaeology, entrepreneurship, DNA, health, chemistry, agri-food engineering, crystallography, publicity and 3D printing are among the different research themes dealt with in the book, with chocolate forming the common denominator to each story. The stories are written in a language that is specially adapted for an infant audience. The story's content is based on the Science of Chocolate workshops which have been organised for the last two years by the URV and the ICIQ at different libraries in the local area, the next due to be held in Torredembarra. The aim of the project is to promote interest in scientific careers, particularly among girls, and to do so by helping to normalize the presence of women in science. All of the women leading the workshops are researchers at the URV and the ICIQ, and the book's protagonist is a girl who has fun learning about science through the medium of chocolate.

The book has been published in Catalan and Spanish and can be bought from bookshops. There is also an English version that can be downloaded free from the Publicacions URV website: http://www.publicacions.urv.cat

Promoting interest in science among girls

The Science of Chocolate series of workshops aims to highlight the research and knowledge hidden behind a day-to-day product such as cocoa. The sessions emphasize the importance of the work conducted by researchers working in different disciplines to increase our understanding of the world around us and, therefore, contribute to the progress of society in terms of health, sustainability, entrepreneurship and the environment.

The aim of the Science of Chocolate project is to share scientific knowledge with the young people attending the workshops and with those who read the story and, in this way, promote an interest in science and research as a profession. Special emphasis is placed on raising the profile of women researchers. The research that they conduct and their life experiences mean that they are role-models for the girls and boys who participate in the project.

The project has received funding from the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT).

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April 9, 2019 - Text messaging, mobile apps, and other digital technologies are being used in innovative ways to support nonspecialist health workers in increasing access to mental health care in low- and middle-income countries (LIMCs), according to a narrative review in the March/April issue of Harvard Review of Psychiatry. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

"There is immense potential to leverage the increasing availability and reach of digital technologies to enhance the capacity, skills, and support for nonspecialist health workers in low-resource settings, all in an effort to alleviate the global burden of mental disorders," write John A. Naslund, PhD, of Harvard Medical School and coauthors. They summarize promising programs that use digital platforms to support delivery of mental health care in resource-poor areas around the world.

Digital Tech Supports Efforts to 'Extend the Reach of the Mental Health Workforce'

A shortage of trained professionals poses major obstacles to delivering adequate mental health care worldwide, and especially in low- and middle-income countries. "Task sharing" - involving community health workers and other nonspecialists in delivering evidence-based psychosocial treatments - has emerged as a promising approach for addressing the global treatment gap.

Access to digital technology is expanding rapidly in most countries, opening new avenues to building the capacity of the mental health workforce through task sharing. Dr. Naslund and colleagues identify seven examples of programs using digital platforms to support nonspecialists in delivering mental health interventions:

In rural India, community volunteers are using smartphones and mobile apps to access training and information to identify and improve care for individuals with mental health disorders.

Nonspecialist health workers (all women) in Pakistan are using a tablet-based program to deliver a proven-effective, culturally appropriate psychosocial treatment for postnatal depression.

In Zimbabwe, nonspecialist health workers are delivering a program targeting depression and other common disorders, reinforcing program content with text messages and cell phone calls.

A mobile decision-support system is helping community and primary care health workers in rural India to provide screening, diagnosis, and management of mental disorders.

In low-income areas of Lima, Peru, primary care providers are using a digital platform and mobile app to improve detection and referral for mental disorders, including depression, anxiety, and problematic alcohol use.

A community-based program in rural China is using a digital platform to increase prescribed medication use and prevent relapse among people with schizophrenia.

In Nigeria, mobile technology is supporting a stepped-care intervention for postnatal depression, delivered by community midwives.

Representing a wide range of settings, targeted disorders, and research designs, the projects illustrate some of the possibilities of using digital platforms to support task-sharing interventions in LIMCs. While some programs use more-sophisticated digital platforms, others use readily available technologies such as text messages, voice calls, and smartphones. "Importantly, digital technology was largely used to support or strengthen the delivery of existing evidence-based programs for mental health care," Dr. Naslund and colleagues write.

While the seven projects provide highly promising examples, the researchers note that many challenges remain in exploring opportunities for digital technology to drive innovative models of mental health care delivery in lower-resource settings. The researchers add, "We observed that technology did not act as a replacement for human capacity but rather served as an important tool for supporting nonspecialist health workers in their roles."

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Click here to read "Digital Technology for Building Capacity of Nonspecialist Health Workers for Task Sharing and Scaling Up Mental Health Care Globally"

DOI: 10.1097/HRP.0000000000000217

About the Harvard Review of Psychiatry

The Harvard Review of Psychiatry is the authoritative source for scholarly reviews and perspectives on a diverse range of important topics in psychiatry. Founded by the Harvard Medical School Department of Psychiatry, the journal is peer reviewed and not industry sponsored. It is the property of Harvard University and is affiliated with all of the Departments of Psychiatry at the Harvard teaching hospitals. Articles encompass major issues in contemporary psychiatry, including neuroscience, epidemiology, psychopharmacology, psychotherapy, history of psychiatry, and ethics.

About Wolters Kluwer

Wolters Kluwer is a global leader in professional information, software solutions, and services for the health, tax & accounting, finance, risk & compliance, and legal sectors. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with specialized technology and services.

Wolters Kluwer, headquartered in the Netherlands, reported 2017 annual revenues of 4.4 billion. The company serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries, and employs approximately 19,000 people worldwide.

Wolters Kluwer Health is a leading global provider of trusted clinical technology and evidence-based solutions that engage clinicians, patients, researchers and students with advanced clinical decision support, learning and research and clinical intelligence. For more information about our solutions, visit http://healthclarity.wolterskluwer.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @WKHealth.
Jain will lead and introduce native advertising best practices, training, strategy development techniques and local payment options to the region

Httpool has announced the appointment of Pankaj Jain as Head of Native offerings for India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. He would be based out of Httpool Indias Mumbai office.

Jain brings with him over 18 years of extensive digital experience and has worked with companies like Asure Software, Equity Master & Resultrix, where he has led both online marketing and sales functions for different organisations.

An industry expert, Jain shares his abundant knowledge in digital marketing with aspiring MBA students as a visiting faculty to Amity Global Business School, Mumbai.

At Httpool, he will lead and introduce leading native advertising best practices, training, strategy development techniques and local payment options to the region with the help of Httpools expert advertising operations processes. Agencies will further benefit from team trainings, direct billing and direct support with extensive campaign management and execution related matters.

Httpool recently launched Httpool Native that provides advertisers and agencies direct access to the widest supply of native ad inventory on multiple supply sides and exchanges. This coupled with precise advanced targeting options and audience management capabilities forms a very formidable offering to a market thats rising to native advertising.

Httpool had also partnered with Outbrain, a leading global native ad solutions provides, as their Ad Sales partners in 2018 to provide expertise and advertising support to brands and agencies in India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand along with other countries in Europe. Outbrain offerings shall be encapsulated within the Httpool Native propositions.

Reflecting on his appointment, Jain, Head Httpool Native (IN + SEA) said, I am elated to be associated with Httpool, who are currently leading and redefining growth of major global platforms like Outbrain through their partnership models and local presence in Asia, Europe and Latam. In this new journey I look forward to taking Httpools latest native advertising solutions and Outbrain partnership to the region and provide brands and agencies a first hand support at the highest execution level

Announcing his appointment, Managing Partner Httpool India, Amit Gupta said, We are excited to have Pankaj join the Httpool family. His digital acumen and valuable contribution in the area of digital marketing will add to our existing expertise and ability to provide best advertising support to clients and agencies alike.

Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
UPDATE: In a bid to limit the potential negative impacts of extending Brexit, a draft document from the EU on extending Brexit appeared to contain several conditions aimed at limiting any disruption while potentially also including a condition allowing the EU to terminate the delay should the UK fail to participate in EU parliament elections.

According to the draft, "If the UK is still a member of the EU on 23-26 May 2019 and if it has not ratified the Withdrawal Agreement by 22 May 2019, it must hold the elections to the European Parliament in accordance with Union law, adding "If the United Kingdom fails to live up to this obligation, the withdrawal will take place on 1 June 2019. In the event that the UK does remain in the EU beyond the elections, EU leaders expect UK MEPs to refrain from disrupting the bloc's objectives, as some Eurosceptic MPs had already proposed.

The draft went on, "The United Kingdom shall facilitate the achievement of the Unions tasks and refrain from any measure which could jeopardise the attainment of the Unions objectives."

With Brexit-related focus turning to whether or not EU leaders will grant a further delay at their upcoming emergency summit (Wednesday April 10th) and if so, the length of such a delay, some analysts have noted that extending Brexit could pose significant tail risks for the already sluggish Euro zone economy.

While it's widely expected that EU leaders will agree to extend Brexit, given the mutually detrimental impact a no-deal withdrawal would have on both sides of the English channel, a number of EU officials have expressed concerns over the protraction of the already chaos-riddled process.

May's Successor To Take Hard-Line in EU Negotiations

With the remaining length of PM May's leadership in question, Berenberg analysts noted the potential risk to future negotiations between the UK and EU should a more 'hard-line' Brexiteer come to the fore as a likely successor.

Chief economist, Holger Schmieding, wrote "To spell out a potential EU27 nightmare: Would PM Boris honour anything May has promised?"

Parliament cannot bind its successors, the Prime Ministers promises have not invariably proved reliable and there has been little sincerity from the EU. https://t.co/cLblWCl1kD  Jacob Rees-Mogg (@Jacob_Rees_Mogg) April 9, 2019

Anti-EU UK Lawmakers See Opportunity to Cause Havoc

Should EU leaders agree to delay Brexit beyond May 22nd, the UK will be required to participate in European parliamentary elections meaning while on track to withdraw from the bloc, in the interim the UK will have the power to shape or veto any EU decisions, just like any other member. The risks posed are obvious, "But what if a future UK prime minister uses a pre-agreed long delay to block EU27 business in order to blackmail the EU27 into changing the terms agreed with May?" Comments from head of the European Research Group (ERG), Ress-Mogg did little to allay such concerns with the outspoken anti-EU Tory MP stating that if we are forced to remain in, we must be the most difficult member possible."

Short or Long Delay?

While a short delay, or series of short delays, could limit the UK's ability to determine policy within the bloc, it would also maximize levels of economic uncertainty, essentially prolonging the current conditions.

On the other hand, a longer delay may allow for the alleviation of near-term perceptions of risks - allowing businesses to free up capital for short-term investment and for downbeat consumer sentiment to recover somewhat while also keeping the door open to potentially 'softer' Brexit options or no Brexit at all. "Some EU leaders such as European Council President Donald Tusk may still be holding out the hope that, during a long delay, political developments in the UK could result in a new vote to cancel Brexit," wrote Schmieding. However, a longer delay could also entail the risks that UK MEP's abuse their veto-power to cause trouble for the bloc as outlined above.

European Parliamentary Elections

While Prime Minister May has expressed readiness to participate in the 23-26 May European parliament elections, the participation in and appointment of UK lawmakers as MEP's could be plunged into chaos should a deal then be reached and the UK exit the EU. The breakdown of seats among the remaining member states could also see a shift in voting power. Berenberg economists wrote "46 of the 73 UK seats will be cut, 27 will be redistributed to 14 other EU members including France, Italy and Spain. If the UK is still in the EU on 23 May and the old rules thus still apply, these countries would send fewer representatives to parliament than they currently expect, only to find out shortly afterwards that, with the UK leaving, they should have had the extra seats."

Will a Delay Break the Brexit Impasse?

Viewed from the EU perspective, despite the recent extension beyond March 29th, the UK doesn't appear to have made any headway towards an agreement which both the EU and a majority in the House of Commons can agree upon, raising the issue that a further delay could mean more of the same. While cross-party talks continue in a bid to seek a joint deal, progress has thus far been minimal with neither the Conservative or Labour parties shifting significantly on their "red lines" to allow for compromise.

Given all of the above factors, while investor focus has generally been on the Brexit impact on UK economic activity and the Pound Sterling, a further protraction of the tumultuous process could present significant risks for already sluggish European economic activity and in turn, the single currency. Nevertheless, EU leaders aren't expected to reject the UK's calls for a further delay just yet with Wednesday's summit indubitably the focus for investors amid continued uncertainty over the length of the delay and what, if any, conditions European leaders attach to said delay.
GBP/USD DAILY UPDATE #2: The Pound to US Dollar exchange rate edged off its best levels on Wednesday afternoon, dipping to around $1.3089 following the release of the latest US CPI figures.

According Wednesdays data, US inflation surged from 1.5% to 1.9% in March beating forecasts of a rise to 1.8% and putting inflation back in range of the Federal Reserves 2% target.

The real focus however will be on the upcoming EU summit, which will likely see some more notable movement in GBP/USD as EU leaders make the decision whether or not to grant the UK another Brexit extension.

GBP/USD DAILY UPDATE #1: The Pound to Dollar exchange rate remained muted throughout Tuesday's session with the GBPUSD trading from a floor of $1.303. Into Wednesday's session, the Cable was little changed ahead of a busy session, with the cross last seen at $1.30738.

On the data front, there's a number of potentially high-impact releases but with crucial Brexit developments expected these could be somewhat overshadowed.

For the GBP, the latest gross domestic product (GDP) growth and manufacturing production figures are due with both expected to register declines. In the US, the latest headline inflation figures are expected to print a modest increase with both core and non-core measures expected to rise by 0.1% to 0.2 and 0.3% respectively.

The latest FOMC monetary policy review meeting minutes are also expected, however these aren't expected to add much more colour to March's big dovish turn from the Fed.

The big-ticket item on the agenda will be the EU emergency summit to decide on whether to grant a Brexit extension. A leaked EU draft suggests the bloc could offer a flexible delay but with conditions to ensure the UK participates in EU parliament elections and refrains from disrupting the bloc's objectives.

GBP/USD Exchange Rate Static as Greenback Safe-Haven Demand Recedes

The Pound US Dollar (GBP/USD) exchange rate steadied today and is currently trading around $1.3088 on the inter-bank market.

The US Dollar (USD) is flat against the Pound (GBP) today following yesterdays weakening US factory orders figures for February, which came in at a disappointing -0.5%.

Today, meanwhile, has seen the US Dollar weaken as investors are fleeing the safe-haven currency for riskier assets as global growth fears ease.

Richard Turnill, a Global Chief Investment Strategist at BlackRock, commented:

We are neutral on the U.S. dollar. It has perceived safe-haven appeal but gains could be limited by a high valuation and a narrowing growth gap with the rest of the world.

Many USD traders will be awaiting this evenings speech by Richard Clarida, the Vice Chairman of the Federal Reserve, and with any indications of bullishness about the US economy, this could see the Greenback rise.

Sterling, meanwhile, has benefited from rising Brexit extension hopes as Prime Minister Theresa May heads back to Germany and France to discuss a possible short-term delay until the 30 June.

There are no influential UK economic data releases today with most Sterling traders focusing instead on Brexit developments.

Pound Sterling Exchange Rates Steady as No-Deal Brexit Fears Linger

Brexit fears, however, are proving a drag on the Pound today as no-deal fears still linger with Theresa May failing to deliver any concrete alternative plans for her withdrawal deal, ahead of the 12 April UK exit date.

Michel Barnier, the EUs Chief Brexit Negotiator, commented on a possible delay to Brexit, saying:

This extension has to serve a purpose. It has got to serve a purpose to provide more time if necessary to ensure that the political process [within the House of Commons] can be crowned with success, and that this majority can be attained.

However, the UK is increasingly more likely to be offered an extension until 31 December, according to Barnier, as many of the EU27 remain sceptical over the proposal.

Amelie de Montchalin, the French Europe Minister, echoed concerns throughout the bloc, commenting:

[The UK] mustnt stand in the way of any decisions that the EU would have taken without them.

GBP/USD Exchange Rate Forecast: Sterling could soar if EU Grant UK Brexit Extension

Pound traders will be looking ahead to the UK manufacturing production data for February tomorrow, and with any signs of improvement this could prove beneficial for Sterling.

These will be followed by the publication of the UK GDP figures for February.

US Dollar investors, meanwhile, will be awaiting the publication of the US CPI figures for March tomorrow which are expected to remain unmoved.

Tomorrow will also see the release of the influential The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) minutes report, and any bullish indications of a prospering US economy could provide the Greenback with some uplift.

The GBP/USD exchange rate will be particularly sensitive to the outcome of the emergency EU summit tomorrow, which will effectively announce whether the UK can be granted an extension for Brexit.

Any signs that this could be forthcoming would likely see the Pound soar.
A subsidiary of locally based Valero Energy Corp. is suing the Internal Revenue Service, demanding a $122 million tax refund for blending alternative fuels with gasoline.

Valero Marketing And Supply Co. argues in the suit filed April 1 in San Antonio federal court that fuels derived from biomass and butane are alternative fuels that qualify for a tax credit when they are mixed with gasoline.

For blending a cleaner alternative mixture with a taxable fuel such as gas, refiners could have received a 50-cent per gallon tax credit. But in a December 2017 ruling, the IRS said companies blending butane or certain other fuels with gasoline were not entitled to the tax credit.

All gasoline in the U.S. contains butane because of the refining process, the IRS noted.

But industry players, including Valero, maintained that butane is a form of liquefied petroleum gas, an alternative fuel, making it eligible for the tax credit that expired on Dec 31, 2016.

An IRS spokesperson declined comment on the 2017 ruling or the current lawsuit. Valero spokeswoman Lillian Riojas said the companys policy is not to comment on lawsuits.

In the lawsuit, Valeros outside attorneys  from the Washington D.C. firm of Miller & Chevalier Chartered  argued that IRS erroneously assessed and collected taxes from the Valero subsidiary in 2015.

This case is about the governments refusal to recognize as alternative fuels several substances that undoubtedly qualify in that regard, the lawsuit said. The substances in question are fuels derived from biomass, which are fuels created from organic materials that would otherwise go to to waste such as used cooking and animal fat, and butane, which is a liquefied petroleum gas that is abundant and cheap in the United States and has lower carbon emissions than gasoline.

The Valero unit is asking the IRS to return $122 million of the $565 million in what it claims were excess taxes paid for the sale of gasoline between January and March 2015, the lawsuit says.

The company said it didnt initially seek the tax credit in 2015, but instead filed an amended tax return in April 2018 asking for the refund.

Valero said the IRS never responded to its amended tax return seeking the refund.

The three lawyers who filed the lawsuit were part of a team that argued in January 2018 in a publication called Tax Notes that butane was an alternative fuel.

Miller & Chevalier Chartered lawyers Adam Feinberg, Georege Hani and Andrew Howlett argued that while butane is a taxable fuel, it simultaneously can be an alternative fuel.

The team noted that once butane is mixed with gasoline, it can be said to be a component of gasoline and thus a gasoline blendstock and taxable fuel.

But that would not disqualify the resulting blend from being an alternative fuel mixture. the lawyers added.

randy.diamond@express-news.net
A lot of people have wondered how an elite Special Forces soldier, CIA operative and FBI agent could have killed his commander and then himself. It was shocking and inexplicable.

There are things were probably never going to know about the murder-suicide April 8, but we were able to get a reasonably good idea of what was on the mind of the accused killer, Tech Sgt. Steven D. Bellino, in the last eight months of his life. Heres how we did it.

Last August, his half-brother, Scott Workman, visited San Antonio. A registered nurse, he is fiercely loyal to Bellino. He and others in the family believe his brother did not kill himself.

Steve was a highly decorated (noncommissioned) officer. He strived to be professional and he had high expectations, his twin brother, Michael Bellino Jr., 41, of Parma Heights, Ohio, said in a meeting recorded by the family. I mean, he was very disciplined. Steve did a lot for his country. He wasnt about violence. Steve was all about fighting against unjust evils, whether they were within the country or without of the country.

Steve Bellino was a stellar soldier. But recordings, transcripts and documents Workman provided to the San Antonio Express-News show he had a strong sense of honor  a code some would call inflexible. He recoiled when he encountered people in the Army and later the FBI who fell short of his standards. It made him angry. The documents reveal he grew angrier at Lacklands Medina Annex, in the Battlefield Airmen training pipeline.

In explaining what Bellino thought as he spent his final months in San Antonio  punctuated by a short stint AWOL in Parma Heights, Ohio, at his parents home  we used his own words. They come from a lengthy timeline he created for his last attorney, Dan Conway, but we also cited a two-page unsigned note the Air Force thinks was written in August 2015  eight months before the fatal showdown between Bellino and Lt. Col. William Bill Schroeder, commander of the 342nd Training Squadron.

The Air Force says that document, found on a flash drive it recovered from a storage unit, is a suicide note. His family believes it is a forgery.

We also capture Bellinos turmoil in transcripts of recorded conversations with others, one of them his second attorney, as well as recordings made by his father when he interacted with numerous people, including Air Force Office of Special Investigations, or OSI, agents.

In the coming days, well excerpt parts of those recordings and transcripts that we could not include in a very long and detailed story. We start with the meticulous, 13-page timeline, which even includes a glossary of terms. Bellino talks of his decision to leave the two-week pararescue Developmental Course, called Dev by the instructors and trainees.

The key: Instructors, called cadre, telling him to sound an air horn to signify he was quitting the program on the morning of Aug. 3, 2015. He refused. Hours later, Bellino was on a plane headed to Cleveland, absent without leave.

He returned to Lackland 10 days later.

When I withdrew from the Dev Course the withdrawal process was clearly going in the direction of the Cadre trying to humiliate me. When I resigned from the FBI two years ago they attempted the same thing handling my resignation in a very unprofessional manner. I am not going to be treated like an animal. This was briefly stated on my statement to OSI on 13 August.

However, what was not included was how insanely angry I become when I hear loud noises, such as a bull horn. The very thing they wanted me to do in order to exit the current situation was the very thing I could not do. Nor did I go into any of my deployment history, which I was not prepared to do. That should have been an obvious talking point for OSI, yet somehow they missed that. This organization cannot be reasoned with and I am not going to be treated like a child without cause.

Theres a lot more.

sigc@express-news.net
A block away from where a 36-year-old woman was gunned down, allegedly by her estranged husband on the Southeast Side, almost a dozen womens advocates gathered with signs Monday to convey a single message: Enough.

Their handmade signs bore the central theme  Stop Murdering Women and Stop Hitting Women  and referred to statistics showing family violence fatalities increased last year in San Antonio, even while the number of other homicides in the city fell.

Last year, 25 people in San Antonio died because of domestic violence  many of them women slain by intimate male partners  three more than in 2017 and almost triple the number in 2015. Three people in Bexar County also died because of family violence last year.

We broke a record last year and were seeing the same pattern this year, with five deaths already, said Patricia S. Castillo, director of the P.E.A.C.E Initiative, a nonprofit group that fights domestic violence and organized the vigil.

The vigil focused on Josephine Ramos, a mother of three, who was killed on the evening of April 1. Brian Ramos, 38, was arrested later that day and charged with her murder. Investigators said he and Ramos were arguing at the 100 block of Goliad Road when he shot her multiple times. She died there.

One of the signs held by protestors read: Say Her Name: #Josephine Ramos.

Many motorists who drove through the intersection of Goliad and Fair Avenue honked and gave the thumbs-up sign. A block away and tucked behind a building, flowers and other mementos rested on the ground where Ramos, a pharmacy technician, died.

On ExpressNews.com: Husband arrested moments after fatal shooting

Castillo said the systems and entities that are supposed to protect the victims of family violence arent doing their jobs.

Because of misinformation and lack of action by authorities, abusers are free to walk among us, to kill, to hurt. Theres no accountability happening.

Here and around Texas, many family violence murders, such as Ramos, involve firearms, she said  almost 68 percent.

Weve got to send a message, Castillo said. Weve got to be present every time a woman is murdered.

San Antonio is at the forefront when it comes to closing at least one loophole around guns and family violence, experts say.

Like Dallas  the only other city in Texas to do so  San Antonio began last year reporting to the Department of Public Safety the identities and fingerprints of anyone convicted of even a class C misdemeanor family violence charge, the lowest-level offense that usually results in a fine and no jail time. The information then goes to state and national crime databases.

Under federal law, any family violence conviction is supposed to prevent the guilty person from buying a firearm, although in Texas, background checks arent required at gun shows or in private purchases. The new practice of adding low-level convicts to databases addresses at least one gap.

But once someone arrested for a domestic violence assault has paid the required bond and is released from jail, law officers have no authority to search the persons home for firearms. Only if the weapons were used in the incident or are in plain sight can they be seized at the time of arrest.

Officers can remove firearms at the request of someone in the home  including the alleged victim  and impound them in the police property room for a time. But the owner can retrieve them once theyre released from jail if they arent restricted from owning guns as a condition of their bail.

Castillo said advocacy groups, such as the Texas Council on Family Violence, are championing bills in the Texas Legislature this session that would help keep guns out of the hands of abusers. However, similar bills in previous legislative sessions have died in committee.

At the vigil, the Rev. Sylvia Vasquez, a retired Episcopal priest, said that in the current political climate, violence in its many forms is becoming normalized, whether its mass shootings or aggression related to white supremacy. My fear is were going to become anesthetized to family violence deaths in San Antonio because of the increase.

On ExpressNews.com: Domestic violence survivor advocates for other women

Marisa Bono, chief of policy for Mayor Ron Nirenbergs office, stood holding a sign as the evening traffic flowed past. This week, City Council and city staff will be presented with the San Antonio Metropolitan Health Districts annual strategic plan for the city, she said.

Domestic violence is going to be a priority, she said. Weve all got to come together  stakeholders, elected officials, everyone  to address this, or its not going to work.

Brian Ramos, who had two previous assault charges, is being held at the Bexar County Jail in lieu of $350,000 bail.

He and his wife of 17 years were scheduled to go to court to finalize their divorce the day after the shooting.

Melissa Fletcher Stoeltje is a general assignment reporter covering breaking news, cultural trends and interesting people and goings-on around San Antonio and Bexar County, as well as all across South Texas. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | mstoeltje@express-news.net | Twitter: @mstoeltje
The city of San Antonio has asked Aguila Express, a bus company in Eagle Pass, to stop overcharging migrants for their tickets from the border town to San Antonio.

The vulnerable nature of this population is no secret. They are already overwhelmed without having to deal with predatory or illegal business practices, San Antonio City Attorney Andrew Segovia wrote. The mistreatment of these individuals must cease immediately.

Migrants dropped off by the Border Patrol in Eagle Pass had been directed by Aguila Express staff to take their buses to the San Antonio Greyhound station, where they would arrange transportation to their final destinations.

Aguila Express had been charging migrants at least $75 each for a ticket to San Antonio, three times higher than its regular fare, the San Antonio Express-News reported last week, based on interviews with more than a dozen migrants and San Antonio volunteers who assist them.

It has come to my attention that your company  or the drivers you employ may be wrongfully exploiting these migrant families for financial gain, Segovia wrote in his letter, sent to the company on Friday.

Now Playing: A Honduran migrant named Jorge called the company from a resource center in San Antonio. His family is in Eagle Pass. Video: San Antonio Express-News

Related: Small Eagle Pass bus company charges migrants steep fares to get to San Antonio

Aguila Express is one of several bus companies operating in Eagle Pass, but many migrants said they thought they had to take the bus because the Border Patrol dropped them off next to its station.

Greyhound and Turimex buses, only a couple blocks from Aguila Express, charge roughly between $12 and $33 dollars for adults, and less for children and infants.

Kenya Loani, 20, of Honduras, said Monday she took the Aguila Express and paid $25 for each of the four members of her family - including her 16-month-old daughter - totaling $100.

Aguila Express wouldnt disclose its prices last week. But when the Express-News asked the ticket price to San Antonio on Monday, a company official said it would cost $25.

When asked if it was still operating a shelter that was criticized by migrants for its poor conditions, an Aguila Express staffer transferred the reporter to another staffer, who declined to answer the question.

Tino Gallegos, San Antonios immigration liaison, said he heard the bus company had stopped housing them there. Loani said she was not dropped off at the Aguila house, the way hundreds of migrants were last week.

They say theyre not offering anybody a place to stay anymore, but Im not sure, said Becky Balou, executive director of the Eagle Pass nonprofit Mission Border Hope, which began providing aid to the recently released migrants last week.

Another bus company, El Dorado, has begun offering service to San Antonio. Company owner Alejandro Alvarez said he only realized last week that the Border Patrol was transporting migrants and dropping them off directly at Aguila Express.

At first I was feeling bad, because I felt like there was a monopoly, Alvarez said.

Related: Judge blocks Trump plan forcing asylum seekers to say in Mexico while awaiting court hearings

So he called the Border Patrol.

I said Do you have an agreement with Aguila? Alvarez said. Border Patrol told me there isnt one, but they would check to make sure there wasnt someone making a deal.

A few days later, the Border Patrol began dropping people off in a public parking spot near the Eagle Pass port of entry into Piedras Negras, Mexico, Alvarez said.

Now Border Patrol doesnt want to have any problems, so they drop them off in the free city lot, he said.

Customs and Border Protections Del Rio Sector didnt respond to an immediate request for comment.

I dont know why they left us there, in the lot. But they said here and here are different bus stations. Youre free to go to whichever you choose, said Lesly Martinez, of Honduras.

She took the El Dorado bus, and volunteers from Balous nonprofit paid for her ticket.

We want to do so many things in the United States, said Martinez, who is headed to North Carolina with her husband and her 3-year-old son. But first we want to work so we can survive.

Silvia Foster-Frau covers immigration news in the San Antonio, Bexar County and South Texas area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | sfosterfrau@express-news.net | Twitter: @SilviaElenaFF
Jennifer Ramirez became addicted to heroin at 17, using it to numb the pain of a traumatic childhood.

Several years later, she began taking methadone, an approved opioid that helps addicts stop using. She slipped up now and then, but finally put together five solid years free of heroin. By then, she wanted to quit methadone as well.

Two years ago, she began taking buprenorphine, a medication that, like methadone, helps reduce cravings for drugs and keeps users out of withdrawal.

Buprenorphine has the added benefit of being prescribed in a doctors office, which means patients dont have to wait in line every day at a methadone clinic. Its been shown to reduce the risk of overdose and  unlike methadone  isnt as likely to induce a high, no matter how much users take. It also blocks the effects of illicit opioids, helping recovered addicts stay on track.

On ExpressNews.com: Officials with opioid task force tout progress

But the medication can be hard to access, due to a scarcity of health-care providers who are able  or willing  to prescribe it. Theres now a movement afoot, backed by government funding, to get more physicians on board.

Ramirez, 34, takes a form of buprenorphine called Suboxone, which she was able to get at a methadone clinic. She says the medication has proved a life-changer.

Im on a very low dose and its my goal to close this chapter of my life forever, she said. You have to want to change. You have to want recovery.

In Texas, as elsewhere in the nation, not many providers have gone through the government-required training to obtain a buprenophine waiver, a federal legal document that allows them to prescribe the drug, which is classified as a controlled substance.

As of last year, fewer than 2,500 providers in Texas had taken the eight-hour workshop that lets them prescribe the drug. In Bexar County, the number was 92.

UT Health San Antonio is trying to address the dearth of approved providers, using a $1 million grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to host buprenorphine-waiver workshops across the state. The effort comes on top of new funding that gives health care providers in Texas up to $10,000 per patient to provide buprenorphine in an office-based setting.

We talk to doctors and they want to help this population of patients, theyre just not confident in their abilities, said Jennifer Sharpe Potter, vice dean for research and professor of psychiatry at UT Health San Antonio. What were doing with the workshops is creating a path or map to help them.

The number of addicts in Bexar County is unknown. One indicator, though inexact, is the 1,700 doses of of Narcan, a nasal spray treatment for opioid overdoses, administered by first responders last year.

Buprenorphine is one of three drugs approved to treat opioid use disorder  the third is naltrexone, which also blocks opioids effects. Studies show buprenorphine helps prevent relapse, especially when combined with counseling and other support services. While methadone has been around for decades, buprenorphine is relatively new, developed in 2002.

The first training was held in San Antonio in March and drew more than 30 providers. More workshops are scheduled across Texas, Potter said, with a goal of having about 1,000 health care providers sign up.

Thats just the first part of the battle, she said: Many of the providers who have the waiver arent prescribing the medication.

There are lots of reasons why theyre not, she said.

Stigmas about opioid medication

One involves stigma in the medical community, she said.

The perception is that prescribing buprenorphine changes your patient population in a negative way, Potter said. Theres some discomfort around treating those with an opioid use disorder. What we say is, Youre already treating those individuals in your practice, youre just not doing it in an evidence-based way.

Other barriers are logistical in nature, Potter said.

Physicians may be unsure of how to refer buprenorphine patients to counselors, psychiatrists or other support networks; they may worry about having to train their staff. Medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder is covered in Texas under Medicaid and other federal or state funding, for those who are income-eligible and for whom treatment has been deemed clinically appropriate. (Private insurance may also cover medication, but many struggling with addiction lack such coverage.)

But even when patients can afford treatment, providers are often faced with navigating a complex regulatory system and financial reimbursement process.

Say youre a primary care doctor who has just taken the eight-hour training, then you find out you have to get pre-authorization to prescribe Suboxone, Potter said. It just adds another layer of bureaucracy.

A federal study found that more than 80 percent of the estimated two million people in the U.S. with opioid addiction arent receiving any kind of medication-assisted treatment.

This is frustrating, Potter said, because research shows treating opioid addiction with medication is more effective than relying on counseling or support groups, such as 12 Step programs, alone.

On ExpressNews.com: Caught in the opioid snare

Often the medications arent permitted in residential drug treatment programs, jails or emergency rooms. Some in the medical or recovery community look down on medication treatment, saying it just replaces one addiction with another, she said.

But this stance flies in the face of research showing those treated with buprenorphine or related drugs are not only less likely to overdose or relapse, theyre less likely to be involved in crime, family violence, unemployment and the other consequences of addiction, she said.

Addiction is a disease, a medical condition, and medication is the only tested approach we have to treat it, Potter said. Therapy alone is insufficient. I have no objection to 12 Step or other support groups  I recommend them, in fact  but theyre not treatment.

Switching to buprenorphine

Its a regular morning sight: Knots of people smoking and hanging out outside the Restoration Center, either before or after their daily dose of methadone.

Located next to the Haven for Hope campus for homeless people, the center provides the citys only public methadone clinic, run by the Center for Health Care Services, which provides mental health care and substance abuse treatment for low-income people.

Ruben Gonzalez, who manages treatment services, said of the clinics 620 clients, only five receive buprenorphine. Thats because the state only funds five slots for that particular medication. That imbalance reflects the nature of the clinics patient population, Gonzalez said: Most are long-term, heavy users of heroin.

From his experience, our medical director has a better chance of stabilizing them on methadone, not buprenorphine, he said. Hed have to give a high dose of buprenorphine to get them stable.

A partial opioid agonist, buprenorphine produces weaker effects in the brain than methadone, a full opioid agonist.

At the Restoration Center, buprenorphine users must come to the clinic each day until they pass 90 days with clean, randomly taken urine tests, after which they are able to take some doses at home. The same is true for some methadone users, Gonzalez said.

On ExpressNews.com: Has the opioid pendulum swung too far?

The public clinic is where Ramirez received her methadone. She had to gradually taper from that drug in order to make the switch to Suboxone, and even at a low methadone dose, that final weekend was rough.

Lots of stomach upset and roller-coaster emotions, she said. Its a good thing I have my husband and kids.

Married for 17 years, Ramirez has five children and is earning a business degree from the University of Phoenix, with the goal of becoming a financial manager.

Donald Davis, her counselor, said the medication is no magic bullet  people have to be willing to look at the issues that led them to become addicts in the first place, as Ramirez did.

But there is a way to get help, he said.

For some, medication-assisted treatment can last for months, years or even the rest of their lives, given changes that happen in the brain with addiction. Ramirez, who is now down to 4 milligrams of Suboxone a day, looks forward to being medication-free soon. She said she was surprised recently when a new doctor she saw for an unrelated issue asked her what Suboxone was. Hed never heard of it.

I thought, Really? I have to educate you on this? she said.

Dr. Cristian Fernandez-Falcon, an assistant professor at UT Health San Antonio and a primary care physician at University Health Systems Robert B. Green clinic, was one of the providers who signed up for the clinic last month.

For a doctor, the worst thing that can happen is you dont have a tool to treat your patient, he said. We need to increase access to this medication.

mstoeltje@express-news.net

Melissa Fletcher Stoeltje is a general assignment reporter covering breaking news, cultural trends and interesting people and goings-on around San Antonio and Bexar County, as well as all across South Texas. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | mstoeltje@express-news.net | Twitter: @mstoeltje
The third debate between Mayor Ron Nirenberg and challenger Greg Brockhouse grew contentious Monday night, with the councilman telling Nirenberg at one point to dial it down and the mayor holding up a form showing Brockhouse delinquent on taxes.

The latter came during a discussion on efforts to offer property tax relief to San Antonians as the two candidates debated at the Urban Ecology Center at the Phil Hardberger Park.

On ExpressNews.com: Chick-fil-A, business issues focus of second debate

Brockhouse pointed to efforts he made in the last two budget cycles to reduce the tax rate or offer homestead exemptions, both of which the mayor opposed. Nirenberg said he is the one working for meaningful tax reform while Brockhouse is working on soundbites.

I thought this would come up, Councilman, so I printed out your delinquent tax report right here, the mayor said, holding up a piece of paper. Everyone is taking care of their fair share, except for Councilman Brockhouse.

Listen:

The online record for Brockhouses consulting firm, Everest Marketing, shows it is delinquent on $1,228.30 in property taxes on equipment and furnishings for the last two years.

After the debate, Brockhouse said he doesnt own the land or building where his office is located but has to pay taxes on what he keeps there. He said he is protesting the amount with the county because he thinks it is overestimating those assets. He said he missed a deadline to appeal.

Im disputing it. Its 1,100 bucks, Brockhouse said. Ill file the dispute again this year as well.

Nirenberg said Brockhouse hadnt filed that dispute in accordance with the process laid out by the county. The online report shows the latest batch of taxes became delinquent on Jan. 31.

On ExpressNews.com: Domestic violence allegations roil first mayoral debate

It only took a few minutes for the tension to rise in Monday nights encounter. After opening statements, KSAT anchor Steve Spriester, who moderated the debate, asked the candidates to name their cornerstone achievements.

Nirenberg pointed to the citys equity lens in budgeting, which directs resources to needy areas, and the dip in San Antonios crime rate. He criticized Brockhouse, who has made public safety a central tenet of his platform, for mischaracterizing that success.

Thats leadership that Im providing, thats something Ive demonstrated throughout my career, and that is something that is void in the office of Councilman Brockhouse, Nirenberg said.

Brockhouse responded: As you can tell, Ron gets angry when you disagree with him.

The mayor said he only gets angry when Brockhouse lies.

Nobodys lying, Ron, Brockhouse said. Hold on Ron, you really need to dial it down a notch.

At issue was how to characterize San Antonios crime rate. Nirenberg has pointed to decreases near 20 percent in each of the last two years as evidence of his record on public safety, but Brockhouse pointed out that San Antonio still has the highest rate among the nations 15 largest cities, according to an Express-News article last year.

Nirenberg said the FBI says not to use the underlying data behind those statistics as comparisons to other cities, since they can have varying definitions on specific crimes and other variables.

On ExpressNews.com: A debate about debates

During Monday nights discussion, Brockhouse also touted the support he received from police, whose union  the San Antonio Police Officers Association  has endorsed him in the race.

Youre not endorsed by the police officers. Youre endorsed by the union political hacks, Nirenberg interjected.

Ron, please allow me to finish, Brockhouse said. I am endorsed by the San Antonio police officers.

dylan.mcguinness@express-news.net

Dylan McGuinness covers City Hall and local politics in San Antonio. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | dylan.mcguinness@express-news.net | Twitter: @DylMcGuinness
Ricardo Brazziell /Associated Press

AUSTIN  Texas had the third highest property tax rate in the nation last year, according to a new study. The study by ATTOM Data Solutions found the average effective tax rate in Texas last year was 2.18 percent, trailing only New Jersey and Illinois. Unlike other states in the top tier, however, Texas has no income tax and relies heavily on property tax revenue to fund public schools and local government.

At the 2.18 percent tax rate, the owner of a $200,000 home in Texas paid $4,360 in property taxes a year, on average. The rates were 2.25 percent in New Jersey and 2.22 percent in Illinois.
For Rebecca Flores, co-founder of the Pro-Immigrant Coalition in San Antonio, the resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen couldnt have come soon enough.

On her head are the missing children who will never be found, all the women and children who will never survive the trauma, she said, of the Trump administrations family separation policy before it was rescinded.

However, Flores and former San Antonio City Councilwoman Maria Antonietta Berriozabal, who founded the group with her, arent celebrating Nielsens ouster.

Theyre cringing.

They know the Trump administrations handling of Central American migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border may get worse before it gets better, presumably after the 2020 elections when they hope a new administration takes over.

I wish that I could consider this an opportunity for someone who has compassion to be in that very important position, Berriozabal said Monday. I worry that it will be someone more insensitive and ill-prepared.

Customs and Border Protection commissioner Kevin McAleenan, a career official, was named as acting secretary of the mammoth department founded after 9/11 to fight terrorism.

Related: Judge blocks Trump plan forcing asylum seekers to say in Mexico while awaiting court hearings

Jacinta Ma, director of policy and advocacy at the National Immigration Forum, sounded more hopeful, especially about McAleenans ascent.

Hes somebody who has more experience. For the time being, we have somebody who understands DHS, Ma said. Thats a good thing for our country.

President Donald Trump reportedly saw Nielsen as not tough enough on immigration, which begs the question of how much tougher he expects the next DHS secretary to be, especially given that Nielsen publicly supported and implemented his every horrific policy proposal.

That included zero tolerance, which criminalized migrant parents and led to the separation from their children; the large-scale detention of families in inadequate, jail-like conditions which contributed to the deaths of several children; and an inability to track the separated children in order to reunite them with their parents.

Nielsens legacy includes a lack of transparency and some of the most confounding appearances before congressional committees, during which she couldnt or wouldnt answer basic questions about DHS.

In the end, Nielsen was willing to trade personal integrity for a job and a president who didnt return her loyalty.

Randy Capps, a research director for the Migration Policy Institute, analyzes Nielsens tenure as one in which each policy ultimately led back to square one, after courts and public opinion weighed in.

Capps said thats why the bipartisan think tank believes the best way forward is a middle ground that includes adjudicating asylum claims in weeks or months instead of years. About 850,000 asylum seekers are waiting for their court dates right now in the United States, he said. Some wont honor those court orders. Meanwhile, judges and courts remain overwhelmed.

Related: Fed-created crisis leaves vulnerable migrants to fend for themselves

He said that half of asylum seekers who arrived in 2014 were still waiting for their hearings in 2017, according to data.

DHS could reinstate an Obama-era case management system that was successful in tracking asylum seekers released into the country, Capps said. It was never scaled up, but is another concrete example that, in asylum, there is a middle ground.

Some Trump policy ideas will be non-starters, such as shutting down the border, a move that would impact traffic and business on both sides. A shutdown would cause Mexico to cease cooperating on the nations behalf, which includes the deportations of Central Americans in that country and issuing work permits allowing them to stay in Mexico.

Antonio Fernandez, CEO of Catholic Charities and a board member of the national Catholic agency, was in Washington, D.C., Monday, visiting members of Congress and sharing border experiences. He said however draconian Nielsens legacy will ultimately be, what haunts him is the way forward.

If hes planning to go in a tougher direction, he said, thats not good news for the children.

His group, together with Flores and Berriozabal, will continue their advocacy for the stranger in search of refuge from violence, fear and poverty, no matter who leads DHS or the White House.

Elaine Ayala is a columnist covering San Antonio and Bexar County. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | eayala@express-news.net | Twitter: @ElaineAyala
Gabrielle Lurie / San Francisco Chronicle

One must be a natural-born citizen to be an American president. Who is and who is not a natural-born citizen has been an issue since Chester A. Arthur was elected president. Most recently, it was an issue with then-Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain.

I said years ago, when I petitioned our government on two separate occasions, after Obama was elected for his second term, to look into this matter, knowing that the issue would come up again if something wasnt done about it. I did not receive the required signatures on either petition for it to be posted in public on the whitehouse.gov website for all Americans to see. I also asked our Supreme Court for its definition of a natural-born citizen. They told me they would reply, but they never did.
The national debate on race  which the president has made more angry and urgent with his racial demagoguery  is hindered by imprecise language.

Most whites do not feel personally guilty for Americas long history of imposed white supremacy. A white man who has lost his job at the coal mine or the daughter of a recent Ukrainian immigrant probably does not regard himself or herself as privileged. And they are not likely to have an emotional investment in the debates over race that have dominated American history.

For a certain kind of conservative, this is the end of the story. The oppressors of blacks in the past are dead. Their grandchildren and great-grandchildren, in this view, cant be held responsible for sins they did not commit.

Americas racial dialogue is distorted by the use of the word guilt. To most people, guilt involves a conscious, personal decision to engage in some wrong. But this situation is more complex. Whether they realize it or not, white people in America benefit from centuries of enforced white dominance. And their current indifference helps perpetuate the social and economic advantages that have resulted.

What is important is not the feeling of guilt  though many of us might benefit from taking an honest inventory of our personal prejudices. What is important is a recognition that our economic and social systems have been massively rigged in favor of whites, and that the unrigging is a continuing political responsibility.

Examining American history for evidence of oppression is a disturbingly easy task. Even a skim reveals a thick layer of scum.

The great rigging began about 400 years ago, when around 20 slaves were brought to Jamestown. The white settlers wrote laws that placed slaves and indentured servants in different categories  allowing poor whites to be slave overseers and permitting black slaves to be punished more harshly. Virginias colonial government determined that baptism would not confer freedom on slaves  effectively allowing some Christians to own other Christians.

Many Christians employed the Bible to defend slavery, but in the late 18th century some Enlightenment science also purported to prove black racial inequality. The American Constitution did not recognize the full personhood of African Americans. One of the early acts of the new republic was to restrict citizenship to white males. In 1854, the California Supreme Court invoked a California state law that said, no black or mulatto person, or Indian, shall be allowed to give evidence in favor of, or against a white man. In 1857, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that blacks have no rights which the white man was bound to respect.

Slavery itself involved physical and psychological violence on a massive scale, designed to prevent men and women from considering and organizing opposition. Marriage and education were restricted or forbidden, families were routinely separated, and slaves could usually be beaten, raped or killed with impunity.

While slavery eventually ended, economic and political oppression did not. White supremacy was written into Jim Crow laws and enforced by continued public and private violence. Voting rights were systematically denied. Sundown towns made it illegal for blacks to remain after dark. And nearly 4,000 lynchings revealed the evil at the heart of dehumanization. Sometimes thousands of white men, women and children would gather to watch the event. In some cases, fingers of the victim were cut off as souvenirs. Unborn children were ripped out of wombs. Corkscrews were used to tear out flesh. Men and women were beaten and burned to death.

The list continues. Redlining and restrictive covenants undermined black homeownership. Unions were permitted to lock nonwhites out of better jobs. Educational integration was resisted by segregation academies. Equal justice was resisted by white juries.

In all this, racism is not primarily a matter of human feelings. It is the systematic use of political, economic, social and religious structures to ensure white supremacy. And no response is serious that does not take the reform of structures seriously.

Conservatives and liberals will naturally disagree about how to close the wealth gap between African Americans and whites. (The average wealth of white households is about seven times greater than that of black households.) But such inequality is not a matter of bad feelings. It was consciously and purposely built into institutions over centuries. And it must be consciously and purposely undone.

michaelgerson@washpost.com
STAMFORD  Two Stamford Superior Court officers have been suspended without pay pending an investigation into a Stamford middle school field trip last week where over 30 students were made to file through a court metal detector in search of a purportedly stolen gold necklace.

As a result of the April 2 incident at the Stamford courthouse, an internal investigation is underway and both the chief judicial marshal for the Stamford-Norwalk Judicial District and a sergeant have been placed on administrative leave without pay, said state Judicial Branch spokesperson Rhonda Stearley-Hebert. Because the investigation is pending, the Judicial Branch has no further comment at this time.

According to letters provided by Stearley-Hebert, Chief Victor Corley and Sgt. Willard Hargrove were placed on unpaid administrative leave Friday pending the outcome of an investigation into their handling of an incident involving a patrons lost property at the courthouse last Wednesday.

The letters prohibit the two peace officers from entering any Judicial Branch work locations and they are not to talk about the incident with any branch employee. The two were also ordered to turn over their badges, identification cards and any other branch property deemed necessary by the marshals Director ODonovan Murphy. The state Marshal Commissions office referred all questions to Stearley-Hebert.

Joe Gaetano, president of the International Brotherhood of Police Officers Local 731, which represents judicial marshals and sergeants around the state, said he could not comment on the case on behalf of Hargrove because it was an ongoing investigation.

Sources at the courthouse said a group of students from Scofield Magnet Middle School went to the courthouse as part of a field trip and were addressed by a judge before midmorning recess had ended and court began again. As the students were filing out of the courthouse, three young men in their late teens or early 20s made a complaint to a court marshal, saying a gold necklace had been taken by four girls from the school.

As the Scofield bus was about to leave, sources said, Hargrove went out to the bus to discuss the allegation with the teacher; the kids were told to disembark and go through the metal detector to be searched without their parents being notified. The necklace was not found and one source called the allegation that led to the search far fetched.

According to the letters provided by the Judicial Branch, Corley and Hargrove have investigatory meetings planned for Wednesday when they will have the right to union representation and an opportunity to present reasons why leave without pay is not justified.

Sharon Beadle, spokesperson for the school district, said she was not aware of the incident.

jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com
The pews empty and the collection basket dries up. Enrollment declines and schools operate in the red.

The picture is familiar in Catholic churches and schools nationwide. But as Bishop Frank Caggiano proposes mergers of Catholic schools in Fairfield County, Greenwich Catholic School, the product of seven parochial schools that merged in 1979, is thriving, school officials say.

Caggianos plan to staunch the blood flow threatening the life of Catholic education includes establishing academies by merging parochial schools and turning over control to lay people, plus introducing some technology in the classroom to help teachers personalize learning.

The Bridgeport diocese has academies in Greenwich, Stamford, Shelton and Bridgeport, which are run by lay boards, who make decisions related to strategic planning and ensure the financial health and academic success of their schools.

The ultimate goal in this governance structure is that we empower the local community to lead their school, Diocese of Bridgeport Superintendent of Schools Steven Cheeseman said.

Appointed by Caggiano, the Greenwich Catholic School Board of Directors, parents of current and former GCS students, assumed responsibilities on July 1, 2018. GCS Principal Patrice Kopas and Cheeseman also are members of the board.

Since being appointed, the board has taken steps to reduce teacher turnover, improve finances, integrate STEM across disciplines, buy and update technology for the classrooms and improve the school atmosphere. It took a stride forward toward funding these changes with a 10 percent tuition increase it announced in a letter in February.

Some say they are happy with the decisions the board is making and the direction of the school. But others, provoked by a hike that was three times the increase of last year, question the boards rise to power and its authority to raise tuition, and worry about the future of the schools Catholic identity. They say they asked for a town hall in which they could have these questions addressed.

Since the announcement, 95 percent of current students have enrolled for next year. Parents will learn more about the boards strategic plan during a town hall-style meeting this Wednesday, which the school said was not in response to parent concerns.

The genesis of the board

Prompted by the tuition hike, a group of parents raised concerns about the board  including who chose the members, why they were chosen and why their meetings are closed  all concerns the superintendent said he understands.

In any time of transition, there will be questions of, How did we get there? Cheeseman said. Sometimes, people forget the steps that happened two years ago.

That is when members of the Greenwich Catholic Advisory Board, a group that served as a conduit between the school and the diocese, which used to handle strategic planning, finances and academics in its schools, asked to be considered to make the switch to greater lay control, Cheeseman said.

Some advisory board members applied to be on the new panel of directors, while others were tapped for competencies in finance, facilities, marketing and legal matters, he said.

The (Greenwich Catholic) board had done an incredible job as an advisory board, he said. We were happy to consider their request and move them into that model.

Cheeseman commended the advisory board for making progress and proving itself capable of handling the leadership model.

It was a recognition of our strength, of the good things happening here, GCS board Chair Mario Gaztambide said.

Advisory members recommended themselves for the initial board, and were appointed by the bishop, but Cheeseman said other parents should get involved in the schools various committees. These subgroups are where the real work gets done, Cheeseman said, and are pipelines for joining the Board of Directors.

For parents who have concerns about the boards governance, the primary contact should be the principal, he said.

That happened after the tuition hike was announced.

The tuition increase

The school announced a 10 percent tuition increase, from $12,200 to $13,500, in a letter sent out Feb. 6 and in an email on Feb. 8, the half-day inaugurating February vacation. Three-quarters of the extra funds would go toward hiring new teachers and giving raises to current teachers, board members wrote. The rest would go toward updating curriculum and adding access to technology.

The school has not seen such a high increase since 2014, when tuition increased 8 percent, from $9,775 to $10,600. Every year since, tuition increases have stayed between 3 and 4 percent.

Not all parents were concerned by the letter announcing the increase, but it upset enough that the principal apologized for the timing and tone of the letter in a subsequent Parent Association meeting, parents in attendance confirmed.

Some took the $1,300 increase as a sign that the directors are taking parent wishes for better teachers receiving higher compensation seriously.

GCS teachers make 45 percent less than Greenwich private and public school teachers, school officials said in the letter.

We need to retain good talent, but salaries were restricted by the diocese. Now we get to fulfill those wishes, parent Jennifer Koenigsberger said. In three or more years, good teachers have left without much notice because they needed to support their families.

Since the announcement, next years salaries have been approved and a hiring committee started interviewing candidates for new positions, including a dean of student life and an assistant principal for academics, GCS Communications Director Noelle Debes said.

Teachers are aware of all the work that has gone into the process and are excited to see that their hard work and dedication is being recognized, Debes said in an email.

But other parents said they were blind-sided by the letter, which justified an increase exceeding the customary $400 to $500 bump by comparing GCS to area private schools. One outcome of the hike is that less than half of parents have donated to the schools annual fundraiser, they said.

The school refuted that claim, saying as of April 9, 48 percent of families have participated, only 9.5 percent less than the 53 percent participation rate at this time last year, Debes said.

For these parents, the cost increase reveals a disconnect between board members and some families. They cite the invocation of private schools to support their concern that the board wants to fashion GCS after Brunswick School, Greenwich Academy, King School or Sacred Heart Greenwich.

If rates continue to go up, they said, it will affect the catholicity of the community. They predict the rising costs will discourage practicing Catholics, who tend to have larger families, from staying.

The school offers a $1,000 discount to parishioners of any parish in the Diocese of Bridgeport, plus $500 off per child in the school, Gaztambide said. The board has also considered changing tuition rates for families with multiple children enrolled.

Like Koenigsberger, parent Nina Balestriere did not find the letter explaining the tuition increase offensive, she said.

I was shocked when I heard people were flipping out about it, she said.

Gaztambide said future tuition increases will depend on enrollment, community feedback and short- and long-term plans.

Catholic identity

The tuition increase, along with other coming changes to the school  such as investments in technology  reflect differences in how some conceive of a Catholic education.

The remaining 25 percent of the increase is to pay for a consultant to review and update the schools curriculum, and to invest in technology. Both play into the dioceses plan to roll out personalized learning on devices over the next three years, Kopas said.

The diocese will not pair each student with a device, but will encourage enough tech to free up teachers to help students who have different learning styles, Cheeseman said.

Tech is critical to personalized instruction, Kopas said, but many parents like GCS because it does not give iPads or Chromebooks to every child.

When we have prospective families come, they say, Are you one-to-one? meaning fully individualized, and we say, No, and they say, Good, we dont want that, Kopas said.

Still there are signs that some families who want what they consider to be a more classical Catholic education are moving away from diocesan schools.

Kimberly Quatela, the headmistress of Regina Pacis Academy, a non-diocesan school in Norwalk, with its official Catholic designation pending, saw an uptick in GCS families touring her school after the tuition letter went out, which she described as an underground movement.

New RPA families come from GCS, St. Aloysius in New Canaan and Stamford Academy. The school was founded by families who were dissatisfied with diocesan schools, Quatela said. Regina Pacis Academy teaches works from Greek and Latin antiquity, the Latin language and the great books of Western civilization, and focuses on cultivating an appreciation of truth, goodness and beauty, she said.

Diocesan schools that depart from this teaching tradition, aligning their curricula with national standards and increasing the use of technology, are competing with public schools, and from the keep up with the Joneses model, a new wave of dissatisfied parents has emerged, Quatela said.

If youre trying to run a Catholic school youre either going to stand strong and not be fearful, and know thats an asset, not a liability, or youre going to try to compete with the public and private schools, Quatela said.

For Cheeseman, being open to different curricula and technology makes the dioceses schools more universal, and thus, more catholic. Any model works as long as faith is at the center, he said.

Whether you use a computer or use an original text, it doesnt matter how you do it, its that youre weaving in the centrality of Catholic faith into it, he said. Its just another choice in what type of school they would like to go to.

While the parents dissatisfied with the tuition hike worry the school is departing from traditionally Catholic ways of teaching, other parents see the Catholic identity strengthening through more scheduled masses and a school-wide service day.

Its not about turning into a fancy, independent school in Greenwich, Koenigsberger said. The Catholic identity part has deepened.

This story has been updated to clarify the purpose of a parent meeting that was held Wednesday, the number of contributions made to the schools annual fundraiser and the financial aid available to families.

jo.kroeker@hearstmediact.com
Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media

MILFORD  A New Haven man was charged Monday on an active warrant stemming from a liquor store larceny incident back in August.

Richard Smith, 35, of Eastern Street, was charged with sixth-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit sixth-degree larceny.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 9)  The infamous "Welcome to the Philippines, Province of China" banner has surfaced anew, prompting the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to take it down.

Photos sent in by the MMDA showed the takedown of the banner around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, which was hung on a footbridge along Quezon Avenue.

This is not the first time the banner has appeared. It was first seen in Metro Manila footbridges on July 2018, exactly two years after the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled invalidated China's nine-dash-line claim in the South China Sea and recognized the Philippines' sovereign rights over islands in the contested waterway.

Malacanang had previously said "enemies of the government" were behind the banner.
Grain traders finally have something new to talk about. After a winter of news and rumors and rumors of news about a trade deal with China, this week traders started to talk about delayed planting. In the first part of April. Out of desperation.

Yes, the China saga continues. President Donald Trump says we are making good progress. Rumors still have the ag portion to be $50 million or more a year for six years. The vice premier of China came to Washington, then went away again.

The market is bored, and tired of waiting. Maybe the China premium has gone out of the market as traders wait for the real news of a signed agreement.

But, the new news is talk of delayed planting. This talk has been around since the early flooding from the historic storms across the Western Corn Belt a month ago. If you actually talk to the farmers, some of them are devastated, but most are watching the fields dry up and are talking about planting.

The trouble is, it is time to start in Central Illinois and, although the fields are drying, significant rain is forecast for the middle of the week. So far, the futures traders do not care about the idea of late planting.

The farmers are primed with the knowledge that springtime is a race to plant that cant start well enough. They are reading about the benefits of early planting, and know that profit is not just about finally getting the crop in.

In modern times, the emphasis is on early of planting of soybeans, not just corn. Big farmers run two planting crews and plant both at the same time. Agronomists say that, contrary to tradition, the central Corn Belt will gain 10 bushels per acre in soybeans by planting April 15 instead of May 1.

Here in Northeast Ohio, we plant earlier than we used to, but not quite yet. In Ashtabula County, we are having an early, dry spring so far. We did not end the winter with 2 feet of snow on the ground waiting to soak in and keep us wet until May. The soybean stubble is showing the tile lines in drying patterns that get us thinking about planting in three or four days. However, most farmers this far north will not plant until the third week of April, so if we stay dry, we will see fertilizer applied and maybe that first (or only) cultivation pass soon.

What we will not see is a bump in the market if the coming rains keep us out of the field. Traders in Chicago are not as concerned with early planting. They know that farmers can sleep every other day, and the size of modern equipment means the crop can go in with a narrow weather window any time we get dry.

Still thinking about USDA reports

Prices recently have reflected the depression of the USDA reports the last Friday in March that gave us surprising corn acres, surprising grain stocks, and some new contract lows. A quick rebound got corn almost half the way back from the 3.84 1/4 December futures low in just four sessions, but we have been lower since.

The market is waiting to digest todays (Tuesdays) Supply and Demand Report, out at noon our time.

Our current supply of corn and the anticipated carryout at the end of the new crop year are the big issues for the market. Traders anticipate a carryout of 1.991 billion bushels. The March report said 1.835 billion, so anything less could help prices. There are estimates of over 2 billion, which is crushing for prices, but there are estimates much lower based on fewer acres and good disappearance. Spec traders are short a record 245,000 contracts, so any surprise could spark a quick rally. The large spec fund traders are notoriously fickle, and can turn on a dime and give six cents change.

The soybean markets did not see the surprise in the end of March reports, so they have not been so volatile. A poll ahead of the reports has the soybean carryout for the new crop year at 898 million bushels, but in a wide range of guesses.
An elderly farmer is 'lucky to be alive' after he sustained serious injuries following an incident with a cow on his Fife farm.

75-year-old David Blair suffered fractures and crushed vertebrae in his neck after he was trampled by a cow on his farm in Newbigging, near Ceres.

The incident happened on Saturday morning (6 April) and comes just days after the Farm Safety Partnership launched a livestock safety campaign.

One local farm worker told The Scottish Sun that the incident was a 'blur' and that Mr Blair was lucky to be alive.

It was just a complete accident. He was basically caught by the cow protecting her calf  I know that they can be very, very protective of their babies and he just happened to be walking in the wrong place at the wrong time, he told the paper.

It follows two separate incidents involving livestock within days of each other, further highlighting the safety precautions farmers should take when tending to animals.

Perthshire farmer Murray Alexander was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries on 31 March after he was injured by a cow.

Meanwhile, emergency services were called to a farm in Bletchingly, Surrey in March after a farmer was injured by a cow she had been helping to give birth to a calf.

The NFU and Farm Safety Partnership are encouraging farmers to select, use and maintain well-designed handling facilities and to be cautious when entering a cattle enclosure.

NFU Vice President and FSP chairman Stuart Roberts said: A lot of it is common sense which can be easily overlooked when youre busy or tired; taking extra precautions when a cow is with a calf, maintaining handling facilities so they are fully fit for purpose, not simply selling on an aggressive animal to another farmer.

If we can take a second to identify where the risks are, we can actually take those risks away.
Seven farming businesses have been appointed new Monitor Farms, ranging in size from 190 to 765 ha and representing a range of soil types and cultivation methods.

All seven of the farms have multiple enterprises including cereals and oilseeds, and all but one have livestock within the business.

Over the next three years the new AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds Monitor Farms will host meetings for local farmers and others in the industry discussing hot topics of the day, hearing from experts, sharing and comparing ideas to improve their businesses.

Although unified by their shared interest in learning and improving, the farm businesses bring a wide range of experiences and interests, from biodiversity to localism, work-life balance and resilience.

Each appointed farm business runs as a Monitor Farm for three years. The seven new hosts are:

Loppington Monitor Farm

Rory Lay runs a 457 ha mixed family farm with cereals, sheep and beef in Shropshire. The arable rotation is based around the livestock, so includes a lot of turnips, fodder beet and maize.

Rory recently converted the arable business to strip tilling which he says has given him huge cost savings, as well as improving the soil conditions.

During the three years of the Monitor Farm programme hed like to look in more detail at costs and benchmarking; health and safety on farm; soil health; and assessing the farm as a whole  livestock and arable together.

Saltash Monitor Farm

Ashley Jones runs the mixed 190ha Smeaton Farm, which is part of the Duchy of Cornwall estate. In partnership with his family, he farms 100ha cereals with maize and potatoes in the rotation, and has 200 head of beef and 200 ewes.

Diversification activities on the farm include a bed and breakfast, maize maze, Christmas trees and agricultural contracting.

During the three years of the Monitor Farm programme, Ashley wants to try new ideas, experiment and learn from others in the industry.

Hale Village Monitor Farm

Bill Webb farms with his son at Manor Farm in Hale Village, on the Mersey estuary in Cheshire.

They grow potatoes, spring barley, winter barley, oilseed rape and wheat at the 417 ha farm, on a range of light to medium-heavy land.

All but the barley is sold to customers within 20 miles of the farm  localism and strong links with the supply chain are key philosophies of the business.

Ryegrass is the primary weed challenge at Manor Farm. Bill wants to keep learning and improving his farm, as well as bringing more locally-relevant research and knowledge to the North West.

Diss Monitor Farm

Richard Ling farms 400 ha on varied soil types from sandy loam to heavy clay loams. His arable rotation, on 380 ha, includes wheat, oilseed rape, winter barley for feed or spring malting barley.

The Norfolk-based farm employs one full time member of staff and casual labour when required. Richard mainly operates a min-till system but assesses each field based on soil health.

The farm also has a beef finishing unit for Morrisons, aiming to finish 150 British Blues per year; business and residential lets; and a self-storage business.

Richards ambition is to carry on building a resilient and profitable farming business, with a good work-life balance for all.

Through being a monitor farmer, Richard is keen to learn with others and better understand the industry and the challenges facing it.

Huggate Monitor Farm

At his 657 ha, high-altitude family farm on the top of the Yorkshire Wolds, Gary Shipley grows winter wheat for feed, winter malting barley, oilseed rape/spring barley, vining peas for Birds Eye, potatoes, using a plough-based system.

He is starting to investigate using cover crops in the rotation for soil benefits and sustainable farming. Soils are calcareous silty loam soils stretching to heavier clay loam.

As well as arable cropping, the farm also has 150 gimmer lambs on rough grazing in the dales and a relatively young suckler herd.

Gary wants to grow and improve the business while reducing his impact on the environment. And personally, his aim is to improve his skills, learn from others and increase his knowledge of modern farming practices.

Vale of Belvoir Monitor Farm

Father and son team James and Michael Parker farm at Sherwood Farms in the Vale of Belvoir, Leicestershire. Their soil ranges from heavy clay to clay and sandy loam.

James and Michaels 560 ha increasingly flexible arable rotation includes winter wheat, winter oilseed rape, winter barley, spring barley, winter beans, winter triticale and spring linseed.

Sherwood Farms is also home to 72,000 laying chickens, a mixture of free range and colony. The eggs are packed and sold onsite.

Both James and Michael want to increase the efficiency of their business and to produce crops as economically as possible.

They are looking forward to comparing their business with other farmers facing similar challenges, identifying where improvements can be made.

Canterbury Monitor Farm

William Smith farms with his father, brother and one other employee at Beaute Farm near Canterbury.

Covering some 765 ha, of which 190 ha are owned, 100 ha are rented and the rest managed under varying contract farming agreements; the land features a variety of soil types including chalk loam, brick earth and marsh clay.

William grows milling wheat, oilseed rape, beans quinoa and maize for a local anaerobic digestion plant. Alongside their crops the farm has a sheep and beef enterprise, straw and hay and property development businesses.

William wants to improve his net margins through reducing input costs, via an integrated farm and pest management approach; reducing his impact on the environment and supporting local biodiversity.

Over the next three years William is keen to use the Monitor Farm programme to improve his farming methods and strategies, helping him to identify opportunities from the challenges ahead.
French farmers have destroyed a total of 18,000ha of rapeseed after the discovery of a non-authorised GMO variety in the seed.

France has completely outlawed genetically-modified organism (GMO) production due to perceived environmental and safety risks.

But traces of a Canadian GMO variety - developed by Monsanto and now acquired by Bayer - were found in batches of seed sold in Europe earlier this year.

This has led to farmers destroying thousands of hectares of the rapeseed crop before flowering, which could have spread the GMO variety.

Bayer has confirmed it will now investigate the incident and offer compensation to farmers for crop loss.

Ethical and safety concerns have been raised around the use of GMOs in Europe.

A major safety concern relates to the possible human health implications of eating genetically modified food, in particular whether toxic or allergic reactions could occur.

The following EU member states and regions have already opted-out of the GM process: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Wallonia, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland.
The NFU says it is 'very concerned' that there are almost 4,000 farmers in the UK who have still not received ELS or HLS payments from 2017.

The union highlights how it is 'unacceptable' for the thousands of farmers who have delivered their side of the contract only to be left still waiting for their payment.

It says that farming businesses may be facing 'considerable knock-on effects' on their livelihoods and families as a result of the delay.

It comes as Defra announced that farmers will start receiving bridging payments for delayed BPS and Countryside Stewardship payments.

Farmers will start receiving bridging payments from Friday 12 April, which aim to help with cash flow while the remaining amount on the claim is processed.

To date, the Rural Payment Agency (RPA) has processed 99% of BPS claims and 95% of CS payments for 2018.

The NFU says while this will provide 'much-needed relief', more work needs to be done in relation to farmers still waiting for 2017 Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) or Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) payments.

NFU Deputy President, Guy Smith says: It is vital that Defra addresses this as soon as possible by paying those holders in full. The danger now is that delayed 2017 payments could have further effects on the delivery of already delayed 2018 payments.

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) says that bridging payments should never be preferable to a full payment in a timely manner.

CLA Land Use Policy Adviser, Susan Twining says: As well as the additional administrative burden for all involved, bridging payments adds stress and worries for farmers already facing significant uncertainties with regards to the future.

This is, no doubt, exacerbated by the fiasco last year which has seriously eroded trust in the scheme. For these reasons we believe that if they have to be used, then they should be triggered in January, limiting uncertainty and enabling the RPA and others to work towards a common sense target, she says.
A Defra Minister has called for a clearer strategy for managing feral boar in the Forest of Dean as the pig sector says current numbers are unsustainable.

The latest population survey puts the number of feral boar in the forests core area at around 2,000, a number which the National Pig Association (NPA) calls 'way above levels considered to be sustainable'.

Failure to control feral wild boar is 'storing up potential problems' for the pig sector as part of its efforts in keeping African swine fever (ASF) out of the UK pig herd.

It comes as Defra Minister Lord Gardiner spoke in the House of Lords during a debate about transferring current EU rules on animal and plant health to the UK, including ASF control measures.

He said: Appropriate ministers are required to prohibit movement of live feral pigs and to erect advisory signage alerting the public to the ways in which the disease can inadvertently be spread by people who travel to and from affected areas.

Lord Gardiner assured peers that this amendment supplements Defras existing powers to prevent and control AFS, including powers to cull infected animals and establish protection zones, surveillance zones and feral pig control zones in the event of any such outbreak.

He added: Mature consideration about how we manage wild boar is needed, not only in relation to adjacent commercial pig production but in general.

I know that there is widespread concern among communities in the Forest of Dean about how best to manage an increasing population of wild boar.

He said the government was also trying to communicate wider biosecurity messages to the public and farmers, pointing out that the ASF jump to the Czech Republic was connected to someone dropping a pork product.

'Feral boar action group'

NPA chief executive Zoe Davies explains how the organisation had asked AHDB to set up a feral boar action group, which is developing a strategy for controlling feral pig numbers in the UK and reducing the threat they pose in terms of disease spread

The group is also working with the local council and forestry officials to raise awareness of risks associated with feeding the Forest of Deans growing feral pig population.

Ms Davies says wild boars can pass exotic diseases to the domestic pig population: These pigs are gaining access to waste food when they root around in household bins and at picnic sites, she says.

We need to be mindful that in Eastern Europe wild boar have been integral in the spread of the deadly African swine fever (ASF) virus,

She adds: If an exotic disease like ASF got into the UKs wild boar population, it would become almost impossible to prove that the disease had been stamped out. This would wreck our burgeoning export market, now worth 350 million a year, with devastating consequences for the industry.
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Alia Bhatt lashes out at trollers on criticism for romancing Salman Khan | FilmiBeat

After twenty years, Salman Khan is all set to reunite with filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali for a love story titled 'Inshallah'. As soon as the makers announced the film, speculations went rife as to who would play Salman's leading lady in the movie.

Finally, the makers revealed the supense by announcing Alia Bhatt as the female lead. While some were excited about Salman and the 'Gully Boy' actress finally sharing screen, there was a section of people who had mixed thoughts about their pairing due to their age difference.

Recently in an interview, Alia finally reacted to the mixed response on her pairing with Salman in this Sanjay Leela Bhansali directorial.

What Criticism? Alia said, "I didn't get any criticism. I think I got a lot of excitement. I think speculation is also a form of excitement in a way and why shouldn't there be speculation." Neither Salman Nor SLB Is Bothered With The Criticism She further added, "There should be and at least I am not bothered by that and I don't think Salman or Bhansali sir are bothered. I think this is a filmmaker who has given us very good films, he is someone who we all are very fond of and I think we should just trust him with his vision." Inshallah Is A Younger Film Earlier, Sanjay Leela Bhansali had dropped hint about the film's plot and said in an interview with Mumbai Mirror, "It's a younger film, the kind I've wanted to make for a long time after all the dark, intense, over dramatic ones. Life is not only about dark nights, it's also about beautiful, sunshiny mornings. It's a new chapter for me as a filmmaker." SLB On Casting Alia Opposite Salman Alia is an extremely young actress with a lot of magic. She fits the role beautifully," the filmmaker was quoted as saying by the tabloid.

Meanwhile, Alia is quite a busy bee these days. The actress is currently busy promoting her upcoming film 'Kalank'. She will be seen in Ranbir Kapoor's Brahmastra, Salman Khan's Inshallah and SS Rajamouli's RRR which stars Ram Charan Teja and Junior NTR.

Happy Birthday Jaya Bachchan: These Rare Pictures Are A Perfect Walk Down The Memory Lane!
A few days ago, the Chief Minister of Karnataka, HD Kumaraswamy targeted the Sandalwood actors Yash and Darshan for supporting Sumalatha Ambareesh. He made a few allegations against the trio. He went on to call them thieves who are looting farmers. And a while ago, his son and actor Nikhil Kumar also mocked Yash by saying that he hasn't paid his house rent. However, Yash has now responded to this statement of Nikhil's and it is hilarious! Sumalatha also addressed the on-going tiff and said that Nikhil Kumar has too much pride.

Sumalatha's exact words were, "He shouldn't have used those words against Yash. He's also a known actor in the industry. He (Nikhil) has acted in two films. Whereas, Yash is a senior actor who has gained the respect. The amount of disrespect he's displayed shows he's full of pride, and that's not good."

Meanwhile, Yash responded, "We have used our hard-earned money for the welfare of the people of North Karnataka. No government came forward when we did something good. And that's why it was not easy for us to pay the house rent. However, I wish we don't end up in a similar state in future."

Yash Says JDS' Comment On Sumalatha Is A Disgrace To All Women; 'The Ones That Lack Common Sense'

Seems like there's no end to this chain of reactions. Now that Sumalatha and Yash have responded to Nikhil's taunts, it wouldn't be long until another we find a response from the opposite end. Watch the space for latest updates on the Mandya elections and other related topics.
Jersey, the upcoming film of Nani is one among the big releases of this month. The film has been scheduled to release in the theatres on April 19, 2019. Now, a few updates have come up regarding the trailer launch, pre-release event and more about Jersey.

According to the reports, Jersey's theatrical trailer will be releasing in the online circuits on April 12, 2019. Reportedly, the trailer will be releasing at 9 AM. Meanwhile, the pre-release event of Jersey will also be held in a week's time. Reportedly, Jersey's pre-release event will be held on April 15, 2019.

If reports are to be believed, Jersey has shaped up to be a very good film. Some of the unconfirmed reports also suggest that Nani is very confident about this film.

The songs of Jersey set to tune by Anirudh Ravichander have turned out to be huge hits. The makers have already released the first three songs of the film. Most recently, the team came up with the song Pranapanchanme Ala, a very catchy number which has been sung by Shaasha Tirupathi and Inno Genga.

At first, they released the song Adhento Gaani Vunnapaatuga, a romantic song which has been sung by Anirudh. It is also the biggest hit among the four songs that have been released.

The songs Padhe Padhe, which is another interesting number sung by Anirudh Ravichander and Spirit Of Jersey, which is an inspirational song sung by Kaala Bhaiarva have also garnered the interest of the audiences.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 8, 2019) - MLI Marble Lending Inc. (CSE: MRBL) ("Marble" or the "Company") announces subject to regulatory approval the issuance of 3.5 million stock options to directors, employees and consultants under the Company's stock option plan. The strike price for the stock options will be set at the IPO price of $0.20 and vest over three years and a term of five years.

Marble would also like to announce that it has retained, subject to acceptance of filings with regulatory authorities, Independent Trading Group Inc. ("ITG") to provide market maintenance services to the Company in compliance with regulatory guidelines. ITG will trade shares of the Company on the Canadian Stock Exchange ("CSE") for the purposes of maintaining a reasonable market and improving the liquidity of the Company's common shares. The Company will pay ITG $4,000 per month for their services. The agreement with ITG may be terminated at any time by the Company or ITG following an initial three-month term. There are no performance factors contained in the agreement and ITG will not receive any shares or options as compensation for the services it will render. The Company and ITG are unrelated and unaffiliated entities but ITG and/or its clients may have an interest, directly or indirectly, in the securities of the Company.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS,

Mike Marrandino, President & CEO

About MLI Marble Lending Inc.

MLI Marble Lending Inc., dba Marble Financial (CSE: MRBL) provides Canadians with a second chance to rebuild their credit and fast track their way back to mainstream lending with socially responsible lending and fintech solutions. Since 2016, the Company's flagship product has funded in excess of $10 million in loans and helped over 1,100 Canadians rebuild their credit scores. Marble's proven consumer credit rebuilding strategy accelerates the timeline for its consumers by 50% relative to the current traditional methods available through Consumer Proposals.

For further information, please visit the Company's website at www.marblefinancial.ca.

Mike Marrandino, CEO, Director

Email: ir@marblefinancial.ca

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATIONS SERVICES PROVIDER HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43949
2019 First quarter sales

09 Apr 2019

Strong start to the year

In the first three months of 2019 Givaudan recorded sales of CHF 1,525 million, an increase of 6.3% on a like-for-like basis1, and 16.6% in Swiss francs compared to the previous year.

Fragrance Division sales were CHF 677 million, an increase of 8.7% on a like-for-like basis and an increase of 12.1% in Swiss Francs.

Flavour Division sales were CHF 848 million, an increase of 4.3% on a like-for-like basis and an increase of 20.4% in Swiss Francs.

Givaudan started the year with good business momentum and with the project pipeline and win rates sustained at a high level. This good growth was achieved across all product segments and geographies, with our key strategic focus areas of Naturals, Health and well-being, Active Beauty, Integrated solutions and local and regional customers delivering strong growth, supported by the recent acquisitions. The Company continues to implement price increases in collaboration with its customers to fully compensate for the increases in input costs.

The Company's 2020 ambition is to create further value through profitable, responsible growth. Building on the first three years of this strategic cycle, Givaudan's 2020 ambition is defined around the three strategic pillars of 'Growing with our customers', 'Delivering with excellence' and 'Partnering for shared success'. As part of the Company's 2020 strategy, Givaudan also seeks to create value through targeted acquisitions, which complement existing capabilities in providing winning solutions for our customers. Since 2014 Givaudan has announced nine acquisitions, which are fully in line with the growth pillars within the Company's 2020 strategy.

Ambitious financial targets are a fundamental part of Givaudan's strategy. We aim to outpace the market with 4-5% sales growth and a free cash flow of 12-17% of sales, both measured as an average over the five-year period of our strategy cycle. It is Givaudan's intention to maintain its current dividend practice as part of this ambition.

Sales January to March

2018 2019 Change % 2019 Change % in millions of

Swiss francs Sales

as

reported Like-for-like 1

development Sales

like-for-like 1 on like-for-like 1

basis Acquisition

impact Currency

effects Sales

as

reported in

Swiss francs Group 1,308 83 1,391 6.3% 140 -6 1,525 16.6% - Fragrance 604 52 656 8.7% 25 -4 677 12.1% - Flavour 704 31 735 4.3% 115 -2 848 20.4%

Sales evolution by market - January to March

2018 2019 Change % 2019 Change % in millions of

Swiss francs Sales

as

reported Like-for-like 1

development Sales

like-for-like 1 on like-for-like 1

basis Acquisition

impact Currency

effects Sales

as

reported in

Swiss francs Mature

markets 752 39 791 5.1% 108 7 906 20.7% High growth

markets 556 44 600 8.0% 32 -13 619 11.0%

Fragrance Division

The Fragrance Division recorded sales of CHF 677 million, a growth of 8.7% on a like-for-like basis and an increase of 12.1% in Swiss francs. Expressions Parfumees, acquired in June 2018 contributed CHF 22 million of sales and Naturex, acquired in September 2018, contributed CHF 3 million in the first quarter of 2019. The like-for-like performance was driven both by volume and price increases to fully compensate for the increases in input costs.

Total sales of Fragrance compounds (Fine Fragrances and Consumer Products combined) increased by 8.4% on a like-for-like basis. In Swiss francs, sales of compounds increased by 11.8% to CHF 582 million in 2019, compared with CHF 521 million in 2018.

Fine Fragrance sales increased by 10.3% on a like-for-like basis with growth recorded across all customer groups in both mature and high growth markets. These gains were driven by the combined impact of new business wins sustained at high levels and volume growth at key customers.

Consumer Products sales increased by 7.9% on a like-for-like basis with growth achieved across all customer groups and geographies.

On a regional basis, Latin America delivered double-digit growth, with good performance across all customer groups, product segments and sub-regions. Asia posted solid growth, driven by international customers' performance across all sub-regions and despite the weaker performance of local and regional customers in North Asia and South Asia sub-regions.

In Europe, Africa and the Middle East, the sales increase was spread across all customer groups, led by strong double-digit growth with local and regional customers in the African and Middle East sub-region as well as in Europe. North America recorded double-digit growth, versus a lower comparable in Q1 2018, with strong performance of international customers and continued good growth of local and regional customers.

On a product segment basis, sales growth was led by double-digit increase in Home Care and solid performance in Fabric Care and Personal Care.

Sales of Fragrance Ingredients and Active Beauty increased by 10.2% on a like-for-like basis. Sales of Fragrance Ingredients delivered strong growth, driven by price increases and favourable evolution of the product mix, whilst Active Beauty showed a strong double-digit sales growth. Active Beauty delivered positive performance in all regions.

Flavour Division

The Flavour Division reported sales of CHF 848 million, a growth of 4.3% on a like-for-like basis and an increase of 20.4% in Swiss francs. Centroflora Nutra, acquired in May 2018, contributed CHF 4 million of sales and Naturex, acquired in September 2018, contributed CHF 111 million to the performance in the first quarter of 2019.

The sales performance was driven by new wins and good business momentum across all regions mainly coming from regional and local customers. In the key strategic focus areas of the 2020 strategy sales growth continued to be strong, with double-digit growth in Health and well-being and single-digit growth in Naturals.

From a segment perspective Beverages, Snacks, Savoury and Sweet Goods all contributed to the positive sales performance.

Asia Pacific

Sales in Asia Pacific increased by 3.4% on a like-for-like basis. The high growth markets of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam all delivered double-digit growth followed by single-digit growth in India and Thailand. In the mature markets, Japan and Korea delivered a solid sales performance. From a segment perspective, the growth was led by Beverages and Savoury.

Europe, Africa and the Middle East

Sales in Europe, Africa and the Middle East increased by 2.7% on a like-for-like basis. Double-digit growth was achieved in the mature markets of UK & Ireland and Spain. In the high growth markets of Russia, Poland, Egypt, Maghreb and South Africa excellent business momentum was experienced, which was partially offset by challenging market conditions in Turkey, the Middle East and Nigeria. The growth was mainly achieved in the segments of Beverages, Snacks and Sweet Goods.

North America

Sales in North America increased by 1.3% on a like-for-like basis. The performance was a result of new wins and the growth of existing business in Beverages, Snacks and Sweet Goods.

Latin America

Sales in Latin America increased 23.7% on a like-for-like basis, led by strong double-digit growth in Brazil, Mexico, Columbia and Argentina and across all segments.

1 Like-for-like is defined as: (a) sales calculated using the invoicing exchange rates of the prior year, and (b) excluding sales of businesses acquired from the acquisition date until the period end date, up to 12 months from the acquisition date.

For further information please contact

Peter Wullschleger, Givaudan Media and Investor Relations

T +41 22 780 9093

Epeter_b.wullschleger@givaudan.com
Novartis International AG / Novartis continues transformation into a leading medicines company with completion of the Alcon spin-off . Processed and transmitted by West Corporation. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Novartis positioned for sustained growth, including plans to improve Innovative Medicines core margins into mid-30s by 2022

Novartis has a catalyst-rich pipeline with 10 potential blockbuster launches planned in the next two years, and 20 additional potential blockbusters on the horizon



Spin-off allows shareholders to benefit from a standalone Alcon and a Novartis with capital and management attention fully focused on medicines



Novartis retains a leading ophthalmology pharmaceuticals business and attractive pipeline

Novartis plans to pay a strong and growing annual dividend, from the CHF 2.85 per share paid in 2019, with no adjustment for the Alcon spin-off



Share buyback of up to USD 5 billion announced in June 2018 expected to be completed in 2019

Basel, April 9, 2019 - Novartis today completed the spin-off of the Alcon eye care devices business through a dividend-in-kind distribution to holders of Novartis shares and ADRs (American Depositary Receipts), with each holder receiving 1 Alcon share for every 5 Novartis shares or ADRs held on April 8, 2019, at the close of business.

The successful execution of the Alcon spin-off allows Novartis to fully focus its capital allocation and management attention on medicines. The spin-off gives Novartis a financial profile closer to its pharmaceutical industry peers, including higher group margins. As a focused medicines company, Novartis is well-positioned for sustained top- and bottom-line growth and plans to improve Innovative Medicines core margins into the mid-30s by 2022.

Vas Narasimhan, CEO of Novartis, said: "This is an incredibly exciting day for both Novartis and Alcon. Alcon has demonstrated consistent growth, and is coming to market from a position of strength. We wish them the very best for the future. At Novartis, we continue to reimagine ourselves as a leading medicines company powered by breakthrough medicines, data science and advanced therapy platforms. We are well positioned for the future and I am excited for our associates, our investors, and most importantly for patients."

Novartis has an industry-leading, catalyst-rich pipeline with 10 potential blockbuster launches expected in the next two years and an additional 20 potential blockbusters on the horizon. Of these potential blockbuster launches, four are planned in 2019, including brolucizumab (RTH258). RTH258 is part of the leading ophthalmology pharmaceuticals business retained by Novartis, with 2018 sales of USD 4.6 billion and a pipeline of potential novel treatments for presbyopia, dry eye and genetic diseases.

Novartis reiterated its disciplined shareholder focused approach to capital allocation, including its intention to continue paying a strong and growing annual dividend up from the CHF 2.85 per share paid in 2019, without adjustments for the Alcon spin-off. Share buybacks will continue to be part of the mix to create shareholder value, with USD 0.8 billion of an up to USD 5 billion commitment completed in 2018, and the remainder expected to be completed by the end of 2019.

Shares in Alcon, Inc. will be listed and commence trading today under the symbol "ALC" on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX) from 09:00 CET and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) from 09:30 EST. Shares of Novartis will continue to trade on the SIX under the symbol "NOVN" and Novartis ADRs will continue to trade on the NYSE under the symbol "NVS".

Novartis plans to provide more information on its strategic priorities and prospects to investors and analysts at its annual Meet Novartis Management event in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 22-23, 2019.

Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that can generally be identified by words such as "continues," "positioned," "plans," "by 2022," "pipeline," "potential," "launches," "planned," "in the next two years," "on the horizon," "focused," "growing," "expected," "focus," "well positioned," "for the future," "intention," "will," or similar expressions, or by express or implied discussions regarding the spin-off of Alcon; regarding the future performance of Novartis and Alcon as separate businesses, or regarding any potential strategic benefits, synergies or opportunities as a result of the spin-off; or by discussions of strategy, plans, expectations or intentions. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward looking statements. There can be no guarantee that Novartis or Alcon as separate businesses will be able to realize any of the potential strategic benefits, synergies or opportunities as a result of the spin-off, within any particular time frame, or at all. Neither can there be any guarantee that shareholders of Novartis or Alcon will achieve any particular level of shareholder returns. Nor can there be any guarantee that Novartis or Alcon will be commercially successful in the future, or achieve any particular credit rating or financial results. In particular, our expectations could be affected by, among other things: the potential that the strategic benefits, synergies or opportunities expected from the spin-off may not be realized or may take longer to realize than expected; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures and requirements for increased pricing transparency; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; the inherent uncertainties involved in predicting shareholder returns; a failure to successfully separate Alcon from the Novartis Group subsequent to the completion of the spin-off, or within the expected time frame; potential adverse reactions to the spin-off by customers, suppliers, strategic partners or key Alcon personnel and potential difficulties in maintaining relationships with such persons; the uncertainties inherent in the research and development of new healthcare products, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; the ability of Novartis or Alcon to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; safety, quality or manufacturing issues, including withdrawal of products from the market; uncertainties regarding actual or potential legal proceedings, including, among others, actual or potential product liability litigation, litigation and investigations regarding sales and marketing practices, intellectual property disputes and government investigations generally; uncertainties involved in the development or adoption of potentially transformational technologies and business models; general political and economic conditions, including uncertainties regarding the effects of ongoing instability in various parts of the world; uncertainties regarding future global exchange rates; uncertainties regarding future demand for our products or those of Alcon; and uncertainties regarding potential significant breaches of data security or data privacy, or disruptions of our information technology systems or those of Alcon; and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or in the Form 20-F filed by Alcon with the SEC, as amended from time to time, and the corresponding Swiss listing prospectus. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

This press release is not an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, any securities of Novartis or of Alcon, and may not be relied upon in connection with the purchase or sale of any such security. Should you wish to invest in Alcon, you should do so solely on the basis of information Alcon has filed with the SEC or in the corresponding Swiss listing prospectus, including the section "Risk Factors" included in the Alcon Inc. Form 20-F registration statement and the Swiss listing prospectus, respectively. The information filed with the SEC is available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov (http://www.sec.gov).

About Novartis

Novartis is reimagining medicine to improve and extend people's lives. As a leading global medicines company, we use innovative science and digital technologies to create transformative treatments in areas of great medical need. In our quest to find new medicines, we consistently rank among the world's top companies investing in research and development. Novartis products reach more than 750 million people globally and we are finding innovative ways to expand access to our latest treatments. About 105 000 people of more than 140 nationalities work at Novartis around the world. Find out more at www.novartis.com (http://www.novartis.com).

Novartis is on Twitter. Sign up to follow @Novartis at http://twitter.com/novartis (http://twitter.com/novartis)

For Novartis multimedia content, please visit www.novartis.com/news/media-library (http://www.novartis.com/news/media-library)

For questions about the site or required registration, please contact media.relations@novartis.com (mailto:media.relations@novartis.com)

# # #

Novartis Media Relations

Central media line: +41 61 324 2200

E-mail: media.relations@novartis.com (mailto:media.relations@novartis.com)

Eric Althoff

Novartis Global External Communications

+41 61 324 7999 (office)

+41 79 593 4202 (mobile)

eric.althoff@novartis.com (mailto:eric.althoff@novartis.com)

Novartis Investor Relations

Central investor relations line: +41 61 324 7944

E-mail: investor.relations@novartis.com (mailto:investor.relations@novartis.com)

Central North America Samir Shah +41 61 324 7944 Richard Pulik +1 212 830 2448 Pierre-Michel Bringer +41 61 324 1065 Cory Twining +1 212 830 2417 Thomas Hungerbuehler +41 61 324 8425 Isabella Zinck +41 61 324 7188





Media release (PDF) (http://hugin.info/134323/R/2241111/883848.pdf)


SAN DIEGO, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Mapp, one of the world's largest private marketing technology companies, today announced the close of a strong quarter, in which the company acquired new key customers, increased their agency customer base by 21%, and generated significant revenue solely from their new agency-friendly email marketing platform.

"We identified a gap in the market amongst agencies and consulting firms looking to serve multiple clients with a strong marketing automation tool. At the beginning of 2019, Mapp launched an email marketing platform designed specifically for agencies: Mapp Empower. Mapp Empower allows agencies to retain full ownership of their clients' experience through a multi-tenant, white label solution and a hands-off approach from Mapp as a vendor," said Steve Warren, CEO of Mapp. "We anticipated that Mapp Empower would become a top choice for partners going forward and now, at the end of Q1, this has been validated."

Highlights from the first quarter of 2019 include:

Company Growth: Since Mapp Empower's launch three months ago, international market entry has been significant, growing European sales by 270%.

Since Mapp Empower's launch three months ago, international market entry has been significant, growing European sales by 270%. New Customers: The 21%-increase in their agency customer base is attributed to digital marketing agencies across Italy , France , Bulgaria , Denmark , the UK, and the USA , who adopted the Mapp Empower platform in 2019 (agencies are anonymised to protect their white label implementation). One of Mapp's strategic UK resellers said: "We're excited to leverage Mapp Empower as our business expands continents. We'll be able to speed up time-to-revenue by contracting all our agency's email marketing clients on the go, with no need to go back to Mapp to update our account."

The 21%-increase in their agency customer base is attributed to digital marketing agencies across , , , , the UK, and the , who adopted the Mapp Empower platform in 2019 (agencies are anonymised to protect their white label implementation). One of Mapp's strategic UK resellers said: "We're excited to leverage Mapp Empower as our business expands continents. We'll be able to speed up time-to-revenue by contracting all our agency's email marketing clients on the go, with no need to go back to Mapp to update our account." Product Innovation: Mapp deployed two new product features for Mapp Empower within the quarter, including Visual Templates, a new drag-and-drop email builder to fully customise messaging, and Unified Segmentation with powerful list segmentation capabilities.

To learn more about Mapp Empower, visit https://mapp.com/agencies/.

About Mapp:

Mapp helps companies break away from the pack - without breaking the bank. In 2019, Mapp expanded its partnership and reseller options to include Mapp Empower, an email marketing platform for agencies, and Mapp Cloud, a cross-channel marketing platform for brands and resellers. Mapp is headquartered in San Diego with global offices in eight countries. They help more than 3,000 companies market smarter and achieve maximum return from their digital marketing efforts. Mapp customers include Puma, Xerox, PepsiCo, Qantas, Infinity, and Lloyds Banking Group.

Contact: Christine Paulson, (619) 342-4390, christine.paulson@mapp.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/429224/Mapp_Digital_Logo.jpg
09 April 2019



CRYSTAL AMBER FUND LIMITED

("Crystal Amber Fund" or the "Fund")

Monthly Net Asset Value



Crystal Amber Fund announces that its unaudited net asset value ("NAV") per share at 31 March 2019 was 219.37 pence (28 February 2019: 204.71 pence per share).

The proportion of the Fund's NAV at 31 March 2019 represented by the ten largest shareholdings, other investments and cash (including accruals), was as follows:

Ten largest shareholdings Pence per share Percentage of investee equity held Hurricane Energy plc 45.2 4.8% FairFX Group plc 41.6 24.2% Northgate plc 35.0 6.8% STV Group plc 27.5 18.1% De La Rue plc 22.4 5.4% GI Dynamics Inc. 5.5 48.4% Board Intelligence Ltd* 5.4 * Leaf Clean Energy Co 4.6 30.0% Allied Minds plc 4.3 2.7% Cenkos plc 2.7 6.9% Total of ten largest shareholdings 194.2 Other investments 24.6 Cash and accruals 0.6 Total NAV 219.4

*Board Intelligence Ltd is a private company and its shares are not listed on a stock exchange. Therefore, the percentage held is not disclosed.

Investment adviser's commentary on the portfolio

Over the quarter to 31 March 2019, NAV per share fell by 1%. The top three positive contributors to this NAV movement were Hurricane Energy plc (1.3%), STV Group plc (1%) and Leaf Clean Energy (0.8%). The top three detractors were FairFX Group (-2.9%), De La Rue plc (-0.9%) and Sutton Harbour Holdings (-0.3%).

Northgate plc ("Northgate")

In March, for only the second time in its eleven-year history, the Fund judged it necessary to requisition a shareholder general meeting ("GM") to effect change at the board of an investee company. This followed extensive attempts to engage with the executive and non-executive directors of Northgate since the Fund's investment in April 2016. In direct response to the shareholder GM requisition, Northgate announced on 28 March the resignation of its chairman Andrew Page, with immediate effect.

The Fund's assessment is that the company has suffered from inadequate strategic leadership, overseen as it is by a board lacking direct career experience within hire industries. In our view, primary responsibility for this lay with Andrew Page. During his tenure as chairman, Northgate delivered a total return of -15.3%, compared to +22.7% for the Numis UK Mid Cap Index (excluding Investment Companies).

The Fund welcomes the resignation of Andrew Page and looks forward to engaging with the company as it seeks a new chairman. We have expressed our view that this should ideally be someone with relevant industry experience, and who will be focused on delivering the best outcome for Northgate's stakeholders, including recognising and being open to releasing Northgate's strategic value. The Fund withdrew its requisition for a shareholder GM on 29 March.

Over the quarter, Northgate's share price fell by 1.5%.

De La Rue plc ("De La Rue")

De La Rue designs and prints banknotes, produces related components including security features, and also prepares polymer substrate that forms the basis for "plastic" notes. The company also produces individual identity documents and supports the related issuance infrastructure, as well as manufacturing tax stamps, and products and software to authenticate and track individual products throughout their supply chains.



In March 2018, De La Rue's share price dropped significantly as a result of the joint announcement of a minor profit warning and the CFO's unexpected departure, followed two days later by news of the company's failure to secure the renewal of the UK passport contract. At this time, the Fund initiated its investment.



The banknote industry has high barriers to entry due to the critical nature of the product and a relatively conservative base of central banks customers. Although the penetration of electronic payments is increasing rapidly in many countries, the volume of banknotes issued globally is experiencing modest growth. De La Rue has an attractive mix of long-term customer relationships in geographies with relatively high population growth, including various African and Asian countries. The integration of security features into more banknote denominations is also raising the average production value of new notes.



Despite the trends beneficial to revenues from banknote security features and the market tailwinds enjoyed by its identity and product authentication divisions, De La Rue has not delivered underlying earnings growth over the last three years. The primary explanations for this are the loss of a large security features contract towards the end of 2015 and the significant increase in expenditure on both R&D and sales and marketing efforts.



The Fund believes that De La Rue enjoys a combination of strong competitive positions in high return businesses and attractive growth opportunities backed by a capacity for both significant organic investment and the acquisition of further technological competencies. The company also has obvious strategic value, as evidenced by the takeover approach from its competitor Oberthur in late 2010, and the early 2018 acquisition of another banknote producer, Crane Currency, by the US-listed conglomerate Crane Co.

However, De La Rue's financial performance has been unacceptable, as demonstrated by earnings per share which at March 2015 were 46.1p, grew only slightly to 47.1p two years later, and then declined to 42.9p by March 2018. Moreover, market forecasts for the year to 31 March 2019 place the shares on a PE multiple of less than 10. Despite management speak of a growth strategy, the stock market lacks any evidence as to how growth in earnings per share is achievable. Therefore, in recent months, the Fund has engaged extensively with both De La Rue's Chief Executive and Chairman. The Fund has made constructive suggestions and specific proposals aimed at solving these fundamental issues. In addition, the Fund has provided suggestions to improve and increase financial transparency with the information that the company can provide to market participants.

The Fund hopes and expects that De La Rue's management will now effect the change that is required so that market participants can both identify growth and the substantial release of shareholder value.

Over the quarter, De La Rue's share price fell by 8.9%.

Allied Minds plc ("Allied Minds")

Allied Minds describes itself as an early stage investor in technology and life science companies. In 2014, it listed on the London Stock Exchange at 190p a share, valuing the company at 398 million. In December 2016, it raised 64 million at 367p a share.

In the period from 1 January 2014 to 30 June 2018, Allied Minds reported total operating losses of $418 million.

Since its formation, Allied Minds has invested in over 40 companies. In 2017, it discontinued funding several portfolio companies to focus primarily on its six largest remaining portfolio companies.

The net asset value of Allied Minds comprises these six entities, another five much smaller investments, plus $50 million of cash as at the end of 2018. Based on the disclosure regarding individual investee company holding values, we estimate that Allied Minds' net asset value per share currently stands at around 123p.

Last autumn, the Fund initiated a position in Allied Minds and currently owns 2.7% of its issued share capital at a cost of 60p a share, equivalent to a discount of more than 50% to net asset value.

In February 2019, the Fund met with Jill Smith, the Chief Executive of Allied Minds. On 2 March 2019, the Fund wrote to Allied Minds expressing a number of concerns regarding its parent company running costs which, at around $13m per annum, are in the Fund's view, both excessive and inappropriate.

The Fund also wrote asking on what basis the board of Allied Minds believes it is appropriate that officers of the company are to be paid 10% of gains arising from any investee company whilst the listed company will bear all losses. The Fund regards this practice as both unprecedented and wholly unacceptable. Despite follow up correspondence, the board of Allied Minds has failed to respond to the Fund on this matter.

The Fund also wrote to the board of Allied Minds requesting to understand on what basis it was continuing to award long term incentive shares to staff. In the first half of 2018, the cost of these was $3.9 million. Despite follow up correspondence, the board of Allied Minds has failed to respond to the Fund on this matter.

The Fund believes that there is an urgent need for the board of Allied Minds to re-align its cost base. Eleven companies with negligible revenues should not require an overhead of $13m per annum to manage. The original incubator model that Allied Minds adopted has clearly failed to deliver. Whilst Allied Minds invests in early stage companies, the Fund notes that its core remaining portfolio investments were each initiated several years ago: for example, Spin Memory in 2007, Precision Biopsy in 2008 and SciFluor in 2010.

The Fund believes that a board that has presided over such poor long-term performance at Allied Minds and that sanctions a culture of egregious total compensation payments is not aligned with shareholders, nor is it best placed to deliver for shareholders.

The Investment Manager to Crystal Amber has identified a US-based lawyer with direct experience of running-off and realising assets in a US-based, London-listed investment company. As a consequence, the Fund has therefore written to the Board of Allied Minds suggesting that Crystal Amber's Investment Manager, in conjunction with the identified US-based lawyer, take over the management of the portfolio of Allied Minds, with total annual costs of running Allied Minds being limited to 1 per cent. of net assets of Allied Minds as at 31 December 2018. The Fund also proposed that in the event that the total portfolio realisations exceeded 80p a share, a performance fee of 10 per cent. would be payable on any excess. On this basis, the Fund believes the annual costs of running Allied Minds would fall by around 70 per cent.

Issue of Shares to charities and transactions in Own Shares

During the quarter, the Fund issued 125,000 shares to five charities following the authority granted at its Annual General Meeting. The Fund also bought back a total of 73,800 of its own ordinary shares at an average price of 204.86p per share as part of its buyback programme.

For further enquiries please contact:

Crystal Amber Fund Limited

Chris Waldron (Chairman)

Tel: 01481 742 742

www.crystalamber.com

Allenby Capital Limited - Nominated Adviser

David Worlidge/Liz Kirchner

Tel: 020 3328 5656

Winterflood Investment Trusts - Broker

Joe Winkley/Neil Langford

Tel: 020 3100 0160

Crystal Amber Advisers (UK) LLP - Investment Adviser

Richard Bernstein

Tel: 020 7478 9080
Paris, 8 April 2019 - The Company's shareholders are invited to participate in the Combined Annual General Meeting (AGM), which will be held on Monday 29 April 2019, at 10:00 am, at the Salons des Arts et Metiers, 9bis avenue d'Iena, 75116 Paris.

The AGM prior notice, including the meeting agenda and the proposed resolutions, was published in the BALO (French Bulletin of Obligatory Legal Announcements) on 22 March 2019 and the AGM notice will be published in the BALO on 10 April 2019 and in a French journal of legal announcements on 10 April 2019.

In conformity with article R. 225-73-1 of the French Code of Commerce, the supporting documents to the AGM are available on the Company's website (www.altamir.fr).

The supporting documents to the AGM will also be made available to shareholders as of the AGM notice date. Thus, in conformity with the applicable regulatory provisions:

all registered shareholders may, up to and including the fifth day before the AGM, request that the Company forward them the documentation referred to in articles R.225-81 and R.225-83 of the French Code of Commerce, by electronic or other means. Bearer shareholders may exercise this right only after producing a registration certificate stating that their shares are recorded in a bearer securities account on the books of an accredited intermediary;

all shareholders may review the documents referred to in articles L. 225-115 and R.225-83 of the French Code of Commerce at the company's headquarters.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

About Altamir

Altamir is a listed private equity company (Euronext Paris-B, ticker: LTA) founded in 1995 and with an investment portfolio of nearly 1bn. Its objective is to provide shareholders with long term capital appreciation and regular dividends by investing in a diversified portfolio of private equity investments.

Altamir's investment policy is to invest via and with the funds managed or advised by Apax Partners SAS and Apax Partners LLP, two leading private equity firms that take majority or lead positions in buyouts and growth capital transactions and seek ambitious value creation objectives.

In this way, Altamir provides access to a diversified portfolio of fast-growing companies across Apax's sectors of specialisation (TMT, Consumer, Healthcare, Services) and in complementary market segments (mid-sized companies in continental European countries and larger companies across Europe, North America and key emerging markets).

Altamir derives certain tax benefits from its status as an SCR ("Societe de Capital Risque"). As such, Altamir is exempt from corporate tax and the company's investors may benefit from tax exemptions, subject to specific holding-period and dividend-reinvestment conditions.

For more information: www.altamir.fr

Contact

Claire Peyssard Moses

Tel.: +33 1 53 65 01 74

E-mail: investors@altamir.fr

------------------------



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(2019-04-09) The Annual General Meeting of Kitron will be held on Tuesday 30 April 2019 at 10 a.m. at Hotel Continental, Stortingsgaten 24/26, Oslo, Norway.



Further information on the matters on the agenda and the board of directors' proposed resolutions are set out in the attached notice.



For further information, please contact:

Cathrin Nylander, CFO and acting CEO, Tel: +47 900 43 284

E-mail: investorrelations@kitron.com (mailto:investorrelations@kitron.com)



Kitron is one of Scandinavia's leading electronics manufacturing services companies for the Defence/Aerospace, Energy/Telecoms, Industry, Medical devices and Offshore/Marine sectors. The company is located in Norway, Sweden, Lithuania, Germany, China and the United States. Kitron had revenues of about NOK 2.6 billion in 2018 and has about 1,700 employees. www.kitron.com (http://www.kitron.com)

This information is subject of the disclosure requirements acc. to 5-12 vphl (Norwegian Securities Trading Act).

Kitron Notice Annual General Meeting 20190430 eng (http://hugin.info/197/R/2241071/883850.pdf)



This announcement is distributed by West Corporation on behalf of West Corporation clients.

The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: Kitron ASA via Globenewswire


On the 8th of April, Reply opened registrations for its first Creative Challenge, which will take place on May 10th. The Challenge is a team-based competition open to students and creatives from all over the world who will compete in the development of a creative concept assigned by a jury of experts.

The creative teams of Reply's agencies Avvio Reply, Bitmama, Triplesense Reply and Xister have laid down the challenge in collaboration with their partners, including BP, Brose, Costa Crociere, Durex and Fiat. The task is to develop a creative for social, video, branding, customer experience and employer branding areas.

"Digitalisation and the increasingly pervasive dissemination of social media contributes to the significance of Digital Experience in companies' communication strategies. Reply, and its creative agencies, are committed to the promotion and development of these types of skills, which require specialisation and a high level of creativity," commented CTO Filippo Rizzante. "In the past few months we have successfully tested the Challenge formula on the themes of Code and Cybersecurity, involving more than 30,000 people. Today, with the support of important customers of our network we launch our first Creative Challenge, trusting to find creative talents."

The challenge will take place on Friday the 10th of May; during which each team will have 48 hours to read the brief and send their creative proposal. The finalists, selected by an expert panel, will present their projects during Reply Xchange 2019 (Milan, 3 July), prior to the announcement of the winning team.

To learn more about the event visit challenges.reply.com or watch the video.

Reply

Reply [MTA, STAR: REY] specialises in the design and implementation of solutions based on new communication channels and digital media. Reply is a network of highly specialised companies supporting key European industrial groups operating in the telecom and media, industry and services, banking, insurance and public administration sectors in the definition and development of business models enabled for the new paradigms of big data, cloud computing, digital media and the Internet of Things. Reply services include: Consulting, System Integration and Digital Services. www.reply.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005104/en/

Contacts:

Reply

Fabio Zappelli

f.zappelli@reply.com
LANEIGE enters European market exclusively through Sephora

Korea's representative hydration brand to be available at 800+ Sephora stores across Europe

SEOUL, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Korea's leading cosmetics company Amorepacific today announced the launch of its hydration-focused premium brand LANEIGE in Europe through an exclusive partnership with Sephora. The second major European launch milestone from the oldest and largest beauty company in Korea that boast 74 years of history and research prowess in Asian skincare, the newly introduced brand LANEIGE will be available in over 800 Sephora stores across 18 markets in Europe, including France, Russia, Spain, Italy, Poland, and Germany.*

Created in 1994, LANEIGE has at its base 25 years of research and mastery of the science on the interaction between healthy skin and water to create deeply hydrating complexes. With hydration at the core of its brand DNA, LANEIGE brings skincare to a new level of excellence with clinically proven technologies including its WATER SCIENCE technology (transformation and optimization of natural water ingredients into effective hydration formulas); as well as the use of hydro-ionized mineral water (a special formulation of six moisture-maximizing minerals -- zinc, manganese, magnesium, sodium, calcium, and potassium).

The first of Amorepacific's major brands to be launched and sought internationally outside of Korea as early as 2002, LANEIGE has over the years won over K-beauty and skincare enthusiasts across Asia, North America and Oceania with innovative textures and self-care routines. The European launch collection includes Laniege's global best sellers: the Water Bank Moisture Cream with hydro-ionized mineral water that provide deep hydration; and the Water Sleeping Mask, the renown night-time skincare item sold every 11 seconds around the world.

"Amorepacific is thrilled to have Sephora as the exclusive retail partner for LANEIGE," said Thierry MAMAN, General Manager of Amorepacific Europe. "Through this partnership we will finally share this trusted Asian brand with European customers - the simple yet effective, immediate hydration for healthy skin."

Previously, Amorepacific's European business included its luxury fragrance brand Goutal Paris which the company acquired in 2011. In 2017, Amorepacific launched its luxury skincare brand Sulwhasoo in Europe exclusively through the Paris Galeries Lafayette, as the first Korean skincare brand to open an exclusive online store there.

*Full list of markets: France, Russia, Spain, Italy, Poland, Luxemburg, Monaco, Germany, Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Portugal, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Denmark, Sweden, Turkey

About Amorepacific

Since 1945, Amorepacific has had a single, clear mission: to present its unique perception of beauty -- namely what it calls 'Asian Beauty' -- to the world. As Korea's leading beauty company, Amorepacific draws from its deep understanding of both nature and humanity to pursue harmony between inner and outer beauty. With its portfolio of over 20 cosmetics, personal care, and health care brands, Amorepacific is devoted to meeting the various lifestyles and needs of global consumers around the world. The company's research hubs located around the world are dedicated to sustainable R&D that combine the best of natural Asian ingredients and advanced bio-technology. With its world-class products, Amorepacific is acclaimed for the innovative ways in which it is transforming global beauty trends.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/858698/LANEIGE_Water_Sleeping_Mask.jpg
The European Investment Trust Plc - Transaction in Own Shares

The European Investment Trust plc ("the Company")

The Company announces that on 8 April 2019 it purchased the following number of its ordinary shares of 25 pence each on the main market of the London Stock Exchange.

Ordinary Shares:

Date of purchase: 8 April 2019 Number of ordinary shares purchased: 25,000 Lowest price per share 811.10p Highest price per share 816.00p

The Company intends to cancel the purchased shares.

Following the above transaction, the Company has 40,325,269 ordinary shares in issue. Each of the Company's shares carries one vote. Accordingly, the total number of voting rights of the Company is 40,325,269.

9 April 2019

LEI: 213800QNN9EHZ4SC1R12

Enquiries:

Kenneth J Greig

Edinburgh Partners AIFM Limited

Tel: 0131 270 3800

The Company's registered office address is:

Beaufort House

51 New North Road

Exeter

EX4 4EP
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.
SAN FRANCISCO, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The global automotive glass market size is anticipated to reach USD 21.72 billion by 2025 expanding at a CAGR of 5.7%, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Increasing automobile production across the globe on account of technological advancements and rising disposable income levels, especially in emerging countries like China, India, and Japan, will augment the product demand over the forecast period.

Key suggestions from the report:

Laminated glass segment held the highest revenue share of 55.1% in 2018 owing to various safety and value added features provided by the product

Sunroof is anticipated to be the fastest-growing application segment over the forecast period due to increasing integration of sunroof systems in mid-segment cars

OEM was the largest end-use segment in 2018 and is projected to maintain the dominance throughout the forecast years due to rising demand for passenger cars

Central & South America is forecasted to register the fastest CAGR of 7.4% from 2019 to 2025 due to increasing vehicle production in the region. Passenger car production in CSA grew by 21.4% in 2017 in comparison to 2016

Compagnie de Saint-Gobain S.A.; Asahi Glass Co. Ltd.; Fuyao Glass Industry Group Co., Ltd.; Nippon Sheet Glass Company, Ltd. (NSG); and Corning Inc. are some of the key companies in the market

Read 129 page research report with TOC on "Automotive Glass Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Laminated, Tempered), By Application (Windscreen, Sunroof), By End Use (OEM, ARG), By Vehicle Type (Passenger Car, LCV), And Segment Forecasts, 2019 - 2025" at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/automotive-glass-market

China, in particular, is the largest market due to its significant vehicle production, which was estimated at approximately 29 million units in 2017. As a result, Asia Pacific region is anticipated to hold the largest share of the global automotive glass market over the forecast period. Moreover, rising investments by international OEMs in the region due to factors like land and raw material availability, high domestic demand, and cheap labor cost will drive the regional market further. The passenger car segment is likely to have a high growth on account of development of advanced automotive glass products with high-end features.

In addition, consumers' willingness to pay extra for premium passenger cars to get better quality and durability are likely to have a positive impact on the product demand. Laminated glasses are widely used in vehicle backlites as they offer lower visual distortion than other products, resulting in enhanced road safety. Furthermore, they can be easily repaired after damage unlike the tempered glass, which needs to be replaced completely.

Grand View Research has segmented the global automotive glass market on the basis of product, application, end use, vehicle type, and region:

Automotive Glass Product Outlook (Volume, Million Square Meters; Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

- Tempered

- Laminated

- Others

Automotive Glass Application Outlook (Volume, Million Square Meters; Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

- Windscreen

- Backlite

- Sidelite

- Sunroof

Automotive Glass End Use Outlook (Volume, Million Square Meters; Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

- Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)

- Aftermarket Replacement (ARG)

Automotive Glass Vehicle Type Outlook (Volume, Million Square Meters; Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

- Passenger Car

- Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs)

- Heavy Commercial Vehicles (HCVs)

Ambulatory Services Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015 - 2026)

- North America

- U.S.

- Canada

- Europe

- Germany

- U.K.

- Spain

- France

- Italy

- Switzerland

- Netherlands

- Belgium

Asia Pacific

- Japan

- China

- India

- South Korea

- Australia

- Thailand

Latin America

- Brazil

- Mexico

- Colombia

MEA

- South Africa

- Saudi Arabia

- United Arab Emirates

Find more research reports on Specialty Glass, Ceramic & Fiber Industry, by Grand View Research:

Glass Substrate Market - The Glass Substrate Market is mainly driven by the growing demand from electronics industry, especially in television segment, as the product is extensively used in Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs).

The Glass Substrate Market is mainly driven by the growing demand from electronics industry, especially in television segment, as the product is extensively used in Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs). Building & Construction Glass Market - The global building & construction glass market is expected to witness considerable growth over the forecast period on account of development of green buildings and rising awareness regarding energy efficiency.

The global building & construction glass market is expected to witness considerable growth over the forecast period on account of development of green buildings and rising awareness regarding energy efficiency. Printed Textile Market - The global printed textile market is expected to witness steady growth over the forecast period owing to rapidly expanding digital printing industry.

Gain access to Grand View Compass, our BI enabled intuitive market research database of 10,000+ reports

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.

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Varde strengthens real estate platform in Spain

Varde Partners, a leading global alternative investment firm, today announced an agreement with The Management Company for Assets Arising from the Banking Sector Reorganisation, known as Sareb, to manage a portfolio of over 800 million residential development assets in Spain.

As part of the transaction, certain Varde funds will also acquire a 10% stake in the newly-formed Bank Asset Fund (FAB) that will hold the assets. The assets will be managed and developed by Aelca, a Spanish residential developer and asset management company owned by Varde.

"We are pleased to have been selected for this mandate by Sareb following a competitive evaluation process. We believe this underscores the remarkable quality of the Aelca platform and our team in Spain," said Francisco Milone, Partner and Head of European Real Estate at Varde Partners. "We look forward to establishing a long-term partnership with Sareb and converting these assets into thousands of homes across Spain."

In January 2019, Varde-owned Via Celere acquired the land bank assets of Aelca, making Via Celere one of the largest residential developers in Spain with a gross asset value of over 2.2 billion. Aelca continues to operate as an independent residential developer and manager.

Varde Partners established its office in Spain in 2014, now operating out of Madrid, and has invested $5.5 billion in real estate assets across Europe since 2006.

Varde Partners was advised by Clifford Chance and Alantra. Sareb was advised by Garrigues and Colliers International.

About Sareb

The Management Company for Assets Arising from the Banking Sector Reorganisation (Sareb) is a private institution created in November 2012, to help clean up the Spanish financial sector, and more specifically the institutions that received government funding. Sareb is committed to selling the properties and loans acquired prior to November 2027. A total of 32 private companies comprise the majority of Sareb's shareholders including banks, insurance companies, real estate companies and one electricity company. The State owns 45.90%, via the FROB (Fund for Orderly Bank Restructuring).

About Varde Partners

Varde Partners is a $14 billion global alternative investment firm that employs a value-based approach to investing across a broad array of geographies, segments and asset types, including corporate and traded credit, real estate, mortgages, financial services, real assets and infrastructure. The firm sponsors and manages a family of private investment funds with a global investor base that includes foundations and endowments, pension plans, insurance companies, other institutional investors and private clients. Now in its third decade, Varde employs more than 300 people globally with regional headquarters in Minneapolis, London and Singapore.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005404/en/

Contacts:

Media:

Varde Partners

Andrea Raphael

Global Head of Communications Public Affairs

communications@varde.com
BROOKFIELD, Wisconsin, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Cielo, the world's leading strategic Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) partner, today announced its position as a Leader on Everest Group's 2019 Global Recruitment Process Outsourcing PEAK Matrix report.

This is the seventh consecutive year that Cielo has been in the top quadrant of providers in the talent acquisition industry. Everest Group also named Cielo a Star Performer, a designation for select RPO providers that experience the fastest growth and movement year-over-year.

Cielo earned the highest score in Technology and Innovation out of the RPO providers Everest evaluated. Cielo secured the top ranking as a result of strong performance in two specific RPO services: Total Talent Acquisition and High Volume RPO.

Cielo's Total Talent Acquisition solution offers organizations a holistic approach to hiring all types of workers regardless of whether they are permanent employees or independent contractors. High Volume RPO leverages technologies like artificial intelligence for optimizing processes like basic fit assessment and job advertising to bring organizations high-quality candidates for hourly positions at the speed and scale they need.

"Being recognized as a Leader for the seventh year in a row by Everest Group is an incredible validation of the importance we place on consistently offering the best service to our clients," said Sue Marks, Cielo's Founder and CEO. "We take particular pride in our leadership position in innovation, as we continue to invest in our Cielo TalentCloud technology suite to help clients leverage our CRM, analytics, and next-generation tools and capabilities. Our customer-service approach, range of solution offerings, and commitment to innovation help our clients around the world achieve their talent acquisition goals today and adapt to whatever comes next."

For the PEAK Matrix Assessment, Everest Group evaluated 26 RPO service providers to assess market success and overall delivery capability and grouped them into three categories: Leaders, Major Contenders and Aspirants. Leaders, like Cielo, were placed in the top quadrant for both market success and delivery capability. Star Performers, like Cielo, were determined based on year-over-year revenue growth, new contract signings and extensions, the value of new contracts, and growth in portfolio mix and value delivered to clients.

"Cielo is at the forefront of the technology revolution in RPO, with its recent innovative offering of High Volume RPO demonstrating the perfect orchestration of digital elements to provide touchless hiring experience," said Arkadev "Arko" Basak, Vice President at Everest Group. "With its existing expertise in healthcare hiring, proficiency in strategic elements of employer branding, and a promising foray into the Total Talent Acquisition space, Cielo is well placed to continue to achieve superior-than-market success going forward."

This latest recognition from Everest Group reinforces Cielo's reputation for executing innovative talent acquisition solutions that deliver results for their clients. Other achievements within the last 12 months include #1 ranking as top healthcare RPO in HRO Today's annual Baker's Dozen list for the fifth consecutive year; Leader in NelsonHall's NEAT vendor evaluation for RPO; Recruitment Team of the Year by the HRO Today Services and Technology Association, for its partnership with O2 in Europe; Innovation in HR Technology by the HRO Today Services and Technology Association, for High Volume RPO solution in North America; and Best RPO Partner at the Asia Recruitment Awards, Singapore.

To learn more about Cielo's services, please visit cielotalent.com.

About Cielo

Cielo is the world's leading strategic Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) partner. Cielo leverages its global reach, local talent acquisition expertise and customized solutions to help clients achieve a sustained advantage and outstanding business outcomes through their talent practices. Cielo's dedicated recruitment teams serve clients in the financial and business services, consumer brands, technology and media, engineering, life sciences and healthcare industries. Cielo's global presence includes more than 2,000 employees, serving 177 clients across 95 countries in 39 languages. Cielo knows talent is rising - and with it, an organization's opportunity to rise above. For more information, visit cielotalent.com.

Contact:

Matt Quandt

(262) 439-1673

matt.quandt@cielotalent.com

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DUBAI, UAE, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) concluded Knowledge Week Jordan, held on March 24-28, 2019, in Amman, in collaboration with the Jordanian Ministry of Youth and Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation.

Findings of the Global Knowledge Index 2018 were announced at the event, where prominent Jordanian universities and 750 college students attended, exploring ways to improve Jordan's scores along the Index's seven sectors: pre-university education; higher education; vocational training; research, development, and innovation; information and communication technology; economics; and enabling environments.

Several workshops were announced as part of MBRF's "Know Talks" programme, launched by MBRF during the Knowledge Summit 2018. Meanwhile, Knowledge Week Jordan kicked off with a series of workshops at the Hashemite University and the University of Jordan, followed by a Knowledge Retreat for youth in all 12 provinces of the kingdom. An official spokesperson for the Jordanian Government asserted its intentions to benefit from the Retreat and the Knowledge Report to avoid falling behind on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, as did the Ministry of Culture.

Organised by the Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth and under the patronage of Jordanian Prime Minister H.E. Dr Omar Al Razzaz, the three-day Retreat urged participants to outline plans that address obstacles to establishing a knowledge-based society in Jordan, calling for a collaborative relationship between scientific research centres and knowledge institutions.

The workshop also shed light on the accomplishments of the UNDP-MBRF partnership, particularly, the Future of Knowledge Report, which provides a new data-powered knowledge-measuring tool, and a pilot survey covering 20 countries and exploring sectors that will shape the knowledge societies of the future.

The workshop concluded with a dialogue on "Media as a Source of Knowledge", and a discussion around Jordan's results in the Global Knowledge Index. MBRF and UNDP also announced that two of the teams participating in the workshop had won an opportunity to attend the Knowledge Summit 2019 in Dubai and participate in setting its topics of discussion.

The Knowledge Week initiative is a continuation of the Knowledge Summit and by taking the event around the world, MBRF and UNDP hope to spread the findings and recommendations of the Global Knowledge Index, and foster a meaningful exchange of knowledge, expertise, and best practices.

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Orange Belgium will publish its results for the first quarter of 2019 on Wednesday, April 24 at 07:00 CET.

Orange Belgium Investor Relations is pleased to invite investors and analysts to participate in a conference call hosted by:

Michael Trabbia, CEO

Arnaud Castille, CFO

Eric Chang, Investor Relations

The conference call will start at 10:00 am CET (9:00 am UK / 4:00 am EST). To access the call, please dial one of the following numbers 5-10 minutes prior to the start of the conference call in order to avoid waiting time. Consequently register with following pin code: 18450650# and provide your name and the company you work for.

Belgium +32 24035816 Canada +1 4162164194 France +33 170710159 Germany +49 69222225429 Ireland +353 15060451 Italy +39 0236013817 Luxembourg +352 27300163 Netherlands +31 207095119 Spain +34 911140101 Switzerland +41 445831805 United Kingdom +44 2071943759 United States +1 6467224916

The recorded session will be available after the conference call and can be downloaded from our website. You will find the link to access the recorded session on the website below.

The press release for the first quarter of 2019, the roadshow presentation and the results toolkit will be available on Wednesday, April 24 on the financial section of the corporate website at Financial results

About Orange Belgium

Orange Belgium is one of the leading telecommunication operators on the Belgian market, with over 4 million customers, and in Luxembourg through its subsidiary Orange Luxembourg.

As a convergent actor, we provide mobile telecommunication services, internet and TV to private clients, as well as innovative mobile and fixed line services to businesses. Our high-performance mobile network supports 2G, 3G, 4G and 4G+ technology and is the subject of ongoing investments.

Orange Belgium is a subsidiary of the Orange Group, one of the leading European and African operators for mobile telephony and ADSL internet access, as well as one of the world leaders for telecommunication services to enterprises.

Orange Belgium is listed on the Brussels Stock Exchange (OBEL).

For more information: corporate.orange.be, www.orange.beor follow us on Twitter: @pressOrangeBe.

Investors contact

Eric Chang - eric.chang@orange.com - +32

Press contacts

Isabelle Vanden Eede (FR) - isabelle.vandeneede@orange.com - +32 474 77 77 28

press@orange.be

Attachments
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 9, 2019) - Appia Energy Corp. (CSE: API) (OTCQB: APAAF) (FSE: A0I.F) (FSE: A0I.MU) (FSE: A0I.BE) (the "Company" or "Appia") is pleased to report that the winter diamond drill program (the "Program") on the Loranger property (the "Property") has been successfully completed. The Property is located 28 km southeast of Cameco's Rabbit Lake mill, Athabasca Basin, northern Saskatchewan.

A total of 1,063 metres was completed in eight drill holes covering three target areas. Anomalous radioactivity, hydrothermal alteration styles (bleaching, clay minerals, hematite and limonite redox fronts, smoky quartz, and chlorite), and re-mobilized ductile/brittle structural zones were intersected within each target area.

Mr. James Sykes, Appia's Vice-President, Exploration and Development, comments: "We are encouraged with the new drill results and remain confident that the Loranger property is highly prospective for high-grade uranium occurrences. We've observed a combination of radioactivity, alteration and structural styles, and characteristic mineral assemblages that all share visual similarities with nearby basement-hosted Athabasca high-grade uranium deposits (e.g., Eagle Point, Roughrider). The information we've gained from these drill holes has provided us with additional insight to guide future exploration programs on the Loranger property".

Together with the 2017 program, the Company has tested 5 of the 22 previously identified gravity low targets and covered only 2.3 km of the 94.0 total km of conductive strike length; with a cumulative total of 15 drill holes and 2,524 total metres drilled. The Company remains well-funded to continue the 2019 Rare Earth Element ground exploration program and drilling at Alces Lake and the uranium properties.

A downhole HLP 2375 natural gamma-ray spectrometer probe manufactured by Mt. Sopris was used to measure all natural gamma radiation in counts-per-second ("cps") in the drill holes. The reader is cautioned that Appia uses natural gamma-ray readings only as a preliminary indication of the presence of radioactive materials (uranium-, thorium- and/or potassium-rich minerals) and that the results may not be used directly to quantify or qualify uranium concentrations within the rock. The Company considers all HLP 2375 readings greater than 300 cps to be anomalous radioactivity.

All drill core samples have been sent to Saskatchewan Research Council's Geoanalytical Laboratory, an ISO/IEC 17025:2005 (CAN-P-4E) certified laboratory in Saskatoon, SK, for uranium, multi-element and REE analysis, and determination of source(s) and concentrations of radioactive materials. Lab analysis results will be announced as soon as they are received and reviewed by the Company.

The technical content in this news release was reviewed and approved by Dr. Irvine R. Annesley, P.Geo, Advisor to the Board of Directors of Appia, and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About Appia

Appia is a Canadian publicly-traded company in the uranium and rare earth element sectors. The Company is currently focusing on delineating high-grade critical rare earth elements ("REE") and uranium on the Alces Lake property, as well as prospecting for high-grade uranium in the prolific Athabasca Basin on its Loranger, North Wollaston, and Eastside properties. The Company holds the surface rights to exploration for 64,045 hectares (158,259 acres) in Saskatchewan.

The Company also has a 100% interest in 13,008 hectares (32,143 acres), including rare earth element and uranium deposits over five mineralized zones in the Elliot Lake Camp, Ontario, which historically produced over 300 million pounds of U 3 O 8 and is the only Canadian camp that has had significant rare earth element (yttrium) production.

Appia's Management and Board have over 250 years of combined industry experience, and the Technical team is directed by James Sykes, who has had direct and indirect involvement with over 450 million lbs. U 3 O 8 being discovered in five deposits within the Athabasca Basin.

Appia has 65.0 million common shares outstanding, 83.6 million shares fully diluted.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This News Release contains forward-looking statements which are typically preceded by, followed by or including the words "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "estimates", "intends", "plans" or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance as they involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. We do not intend and do not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements and shareholders are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such statements.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange 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.

For further information, please contact:

Tom Drivas, President, CEO and Director: (tel) 416-546-2707, (fax) 416-218-9772 or (email) appia@appiaenergy.ca

James Sykes, Vice-President, Exploration and Development, (tel) 306-221-8717, (fax) 416-218-9772 or (email) jsykes@uraniumgeologist.com

Frank van de Water, Chief Financial Officer and Director, (tel) 416-546-2707, (fax) 416-218-9772 or (email) fvandewater@rogers.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43965
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 9, 2019) - Great Bear Resources (TSXV: GBR) (the "Company" or "Great Bear") is pleased to announce that the Company's exploration team have been awarded the 2018 "Bernie Schnieders Discovery of the Year Award" for the discovery of high-grade gold zones at its 100% owned Dixie Property in Red Lake, Ontario, Canada.

The award, presented by the Northwestern Ontario Prospectors Association (NWOPA), recognizes an exceptional discovery in Northwestern Ontario during the previous calendar year. It was presented on April 2 to Great Bear Resources at the annual awards banquet hosted during the 2019 Ontario Prospectors Exploration Showcase in Thunder Bay, Ontario (http://www.nwopa.net/2019-exploration-showcase.html).

Chris Taylor, President and CEO of Great Bear, said, "We would like to sincerely thank the NWOPA for receiving this honour, and look forward to expanding on our exciting discoveries at the Dixie property through 2019 and 2020. We have been fortunate to receive strong industry support for our exploration work over recent years, including an exploration grant during 2017/2018 in the amount of $100,000, as part of the Ontario Prospector Association's Junior Exploration Assistance Program ("JEAP"), which partially funded our discovery drill program."

About Great Bear

The Dixie property is located approximately 15 minutes' drive along Highway 105 from downtown Red Lake, Ontario. The Red Lake mining district has produced over 30,000,000 ounces of gold and is one of the premier mining districts in Canada, benefitting from major active mining operations including the Red Lake Gold Mine of Goldcorp Inc., plus modern infrastructure and a skilled workforce. The Dixie property covers a drill and geophysically defined 10-kilometre gold mineralized structure similar to that hosting other producing gold mines in the district. In addition, Great Bear is also earning a 100% royalty-free interest in its West Madsen properties which total 3,860 hectares and are contiguous with Pure Gold Mining Inc.'s Madsen property. All of Great Bear's Red Lake projects are accessible year-round through existing roads.

Mr. R. Bob Singh, P.Geo, Director and VP Exploration, and Ms. Andrea Diakow P.Geo, Exploration Manager for Great Bear are the Qualified Persons as defined by National Instrument 43-101 responsible for the accuracy of technical information contained in this news release.

For further information please contact Mr. Chris Taylor, P.Geo, President and CEO at 604-646-8354, or Mr. Knox Henderson, Investor Relations, at 604-551-2360.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Chris Taylor"

Chris Taylor, President and CEO

Inquiries:

Tel: 604-646-8354

Fax: 604-646-4526

info@greatbearresources.ca

www.greatbearresources.ca

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.



This new release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially because of factors discussed in the management discussion and analysis section of our interim and most recent annual financial statement or other reports and filings with the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulations. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

We seek safe harbor

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43953
PHOENIX, AZ / ACCESSWIRE / April 9, 2019 / Uptick Newswire Stock Day Podcast welcomed MobiCard Inc. (OTC PINK: PTOP)("the Company"), a company also known as Peer to Peer Network which owns and markets its core technology, a SaaS mobile solution branded C2A MobiCard, a scalable mobile business card software platform that enables users to create a customized web-based personalized mobile app that is sharable by text SMS, email, digital and social media. CEO and Chairman, Joshua Sodaitis, joined Stock Day host Everett Jolly.

Jolly began the interview by asking Sodaitis about the Company's latest press release regarding the kick-off of the Think Latitude Inc. agreement. Sodaitis clarified the Think Latitude Inc. agreement by stating, "The deal is $145,000 cash and equity partnership with stock." He then added that the Company is extraordinarily excited to begin the development of their technology, upgrade their current platform, and introduce an entirely new platform.

"I want the shareholders to know that I've worked countless hours with the Think Latitude team to add over 384 new action items to this project," shared Sodaitis. However, the Company is waiting to announce many of these new features until this platform is completed.

Sodaitis then explained that partnering with a company like Think Latitude Inc. and developing the right platform will allow the Company to optimize their technology and eventually become the staple brand of business cards.

"The mobile business card market has not even begun to be revolutionized," stated Sodaitis. He explained that the slim amount of players in the industry offer little to no improvements on the current business card model. "MobiCard not only represents the best manner to tackle this market, MobiCard represents the best opportunity to exploit an enormous market segment that still needs to be brought into the 21st century," added Sodaitis.

Jolly then asked what makes the Company stand out among others in the industry. Sodaitis then announced, for the first time ever, that the Company has received confirmation that it will be granted a patent later this month. This patent includes third-party sharing, which is a feature of the application that will increase business productivity in an efficient manner.

Another important part of the patent involves data analytics tracking, which is shared by a link. This technology will make it possible for users to view valuable information about their MobiCard, including who opened their MobiCard and how much time was spent on their website. In addition, further patent applications are also being developed for this platform.

Jolly then asked about the Company's next steps and if the Company has considered breaking into the resume industry. Sodaitis explained that the Company is certainly exploring similar opportunities. As for next steps, the Company is currently seeking approval from their shareholders regarding a future settlement. Sodaitis explained that new details of this deal will be released in an upcoming press release if shareholder approval is granted. "This will be a key piece in completing our financials", added Sodaitis.

Sodaitis then explained that the transformation of the Company is nearly complete, and they have achieved many major milestones. Changes to their website will also be released soon, including a subscription option and the ability to contribute suggestions. "The future outlook of MobiCard is looking better and better," closed Sodaitis.

To hear Joshua Sodaitis' entire interview, follow the link to the podcast here: https://upticknewswire.com/featured-interview-ceo-josh-sodaitus-of-peer-to-peer-network-otc-ptop/

Investors Hangout is a proud sponsor of "Stock Day," and Uptick Newswire encourages listeners to visit the company's message board at https://investorshangout.com/

About MobiCard Inc.

MobiCard Inc. a.k.a Peer to Peer Network ("PTOP") owns and markets its core technology, a SaaS mobile solution branded C2A MobiCard, a scalable mobile business card software platform that enables users to create a customized web-based personalized mobile app that is sharable by text SMS, email, digital and social media. Subscribers are able to track when the card opens, views and shares all while validating and analyzing new leads and referrals in real time, thereby knowing who and when to follow up. www.freemobicard.com

Safe Harbor Statement:

This release includes 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. The Company invokes the protections of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements regarding our expected future financial position, results of operations, cash flows, financing plans, business strategies, products and services, competitive positions, growth opportunities, plans and objectives of management for future operations, as well as statements that include words such as "anticipate," "if," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "could," "should," "will," and other similar expressions are forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control, which may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from anticipated results, performance, or achievements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include those set forth in our filings at www.sec.gov . The company is no longer a fully reporting SEC filing company. We are under no obligation to (and expressly disclaim any such obligation to) update or alter our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact Information:

Joshua Sodaitis, CEO

MobiCard, Inc.

45 Prospect Street, Cambridge, MA 02139

Phone: 1-617-651-2460

Email: info@freemobicard.com

About Uptick Newswire and the "Stock Day" Podcast

Founded in 2013, Uptick Newswire is the fastest growing media outlet for Nano-Cap and Micro-Cap companies. It educates investors while simultaneously working with penny stock and OTC companies, providing transparency and clarification of under-valued, under-sold Micro-Cap stocks of the market. Uptick provides companies with customized solutions to their news distribution in both national and international media outlets. Uptick is the sole producer of its "Stock Day" Podcast, which is the number one radio show of its kind in America. The Uptick Network "Stock Day" Podcast is an extension of Uptick Newswire, which recently launched its Video Interview Studio located in Phoenix, Arizona.

602-441-3474

https://upticknewswire.com/

SOURCE: Uptick Newswire

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/541414/Uptick-Newswire-Hosts-MobiCard-Inc-on-The-Stock-Day-Podcast-to-Announce-Patent-Approval-for-Their-Revolutionary-Application
Company Accelerates Growth with Five New Offices in the Last Year and Plans for 375-acre U.S. Campus in Austin, Texas

Zoho, a global, privately held company that offers the most comprehensive suite of business software applications in the industry, announced today atZoholics Austin its forward momentum with more than 45 million users across 180 countries, at a revenue growth rate of 39 percent year-over-year. This global upswing includes the addition of offices in Singapore, Mexico, United Arab Emirates, Australia and the Netherlands. The company also announced plans for a new 375-acre campus in Austin, which entails aggressive hiring plans and the expansion of Zoho University, a Zoho-funded technology school for high school graduates based in India, to the United States.

Founded in 1996, Zoho has grown along with the explosive adoption of cloud-based software by businesses of all sizes. From day one, the company has been methodical in its approach. Zoho is financially bootstrapped, and plans to remain that way. The company does not participate in merger and acquisition activities largely because of the negative impact on customers associated with these transactions. Its extensive software repertoire, which includes 40+ applications, is created exclusively and meticulously in house.

Today, Zoho employs more than 7,000 employees worldwide across 12 offices spanning five continents. More than 30 different languages are spoken amongst Zoho's employees.

"As a private company that's been in operation for more than 22 years, we are invested in long term growth and crafting the very best business solutions for our customers," said Sridhar Vembu, CEO and Founder of Zoho. "Without the pressures of shareholders, we can grow with purpose. It is our imperative to invest in our employees and the communities we are in, while making sure our software remains accessible to every type of business, from small to large, whether they exist in yet-to-be-developed, emerging or fully developed markets."

Zoho's Global Growth Continues:

Zoho has more than 45 million users located in more than 180 countries around the world.

The company has experienced a revenue growth rate of 39 percent year-over-year.

Zoho currently has offices in Austin, Texas (U.S.); Pleasanton, California (U.S.); Chennai, India; Renigunta, India; Tenkasi, India; Yokohama, Japan; Beijing, China; Singapore; Queretaro, Mexico; Byron Bay, Australia; Utrecht, Netherlands; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with the last five offices launching just within the past 12 months.

Creating a New U.S. Campus:

Zoho has purchased 375 acres of land in south-east Austin to build a 100,000 square foot campus.

Zoho plans to hire hundreds of employees in the Austin area in the years to come, with a focus on finding and training local talent. It will not require its employees to have a four-year degree, due to its in-house technology program, Zoho University.

Zoho is committed to building a strong presence in the Austin community. Zoho plans to work closely with independent schools and community colleges to help educate local students and hopefully provide a path to the future.

Expanding Zoho University to the U.S.:

In 2005, Sridhar Vembu created Zoho University, the company's company-funded technology school in Tamil Nadu, India. It is designed as a college alternative to train engineers and developers from the ground up.

Zoho University will be replicated at the new campus in Austin, Texas. While the India campus offers deep technical training, the Austin campus will instead focus on business administration and marketing. Training will be offered at no cost, providing them with hire-ready skills upon finishing the program.

Zoho University started with six students; it has graduated around 900 individuals since its inception, most of whom secure employment with Zoho. Today, approximately 15 percent of Zoho employees, including many managers, are Zoho University graduates.

Zoho University takes in high school students from the local public schools. Through the years, Zoho has observed that the Zoho University graduates perform at the same level as those with formal college degrees. Both types of employees equally become competent managers and leaders within the company.

About Zoho

Zoho is the operating system for business-a single online platform capable of running an entire business. With 40+ apps in nearly every major business category, including sales, marketing, customer support, accounting and back office operations, and an array of productivity and collaboration tools, Zoho is one of the world's most prolific software companies.

Zoho respects user privacy and does not have an ad-revenue model in any part of its business, including its free products. More than 45 million users around the world, across hundreds of thousands of companies, rely on Zoho every day to run their businesses, including Zoho itself. Zoho Corporation is privately held and profitable with more than 7,000 employees. Zoho is headquartered in Pleasanton, California, with international headquarters in Chennai, India. Additional offices are in Austin, Texas (U.S.); Renigunta, India; Tenkasi, India; Yokohama, Japan; Beijing, China; Singapore; Queretaro, Mexico; Byron Bay, Australia; Utrecht, Netherlands; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. For more information, please visit www.zoho.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005400/en/

Contacts:

Sandra Lo

Zoho Corporate PR

1-925-924-9500

slo@zohocorp.com

Sammy Totah

BOCA Communications

1-415-225-8444

sammy@bocacommunications.com
Consolidating a key strategic position in Nevada's emerging Yerington Copper District

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 9, 2019) - Quaterra Resources Inc. (TSXV: QTA) (OTCQB: QTRFF) is pleased to announce the following letter to its shareholders:

Dear Fellow Shareholders:

Interest in Nevada's mining-friendly Yerington Copper District is gaining momentum. Three publicly traded companies, including Quaterra, have been consolidating their position in this emerging copper camp, about 70 miles southeast of Reno. Nevada Copper Corp. has announced it intends beginning production at its Pumpkin Hollow deposit, south of Quaterra's property, by the end of the year, with further mine expansion planned. In December last year, Hudbay Minerals Inc. acquired Mason Resource Corp., immediately west of Quaterra, adding the Ann Mason porphyry deposit to its development pipeline. Quaterra itself has recently closed a deal to sell certain primary ground water rights, providing funds to pursue its goal of de-risking the Company's Yerington asset portfolio.

The district is also beginning to gain the respect it deserves as one of the largest untapped repositories of copper mineralization in North America, with a total inventory of more than 17 billion pounds of copper in the measured and indicated resource categories held among three companies, and the prospect of enlarging it much more. Added to this is its location in Nevada, one of the very best jurisdictions for mining investment in the world, with excellent infrastructure including cheap power, ready rail and road access, a predictable permitting process, and a history of mining.

Quaterra holds a key strategic position in the Yerington District with its large, centrally located land package, topography suitable for district-scale mining infrastructure, a portfolio of copper assets that have multiple development and redevelopment opportunities, valuable water rights, and significant exploration upside.

A rare combination of elements makes up the over-all value of our Yerington project. Listed separately below they are:

Strategic value because of the property's central position in the district, and the importance of that for mine development, especially any plans for district cooperation or consolidation.

because of the property's central position in the district, and the importance of that for mine development, especially any plans for district cooperation or consolidation. Operational value because of its excellent location for plant, equipment, ore stockpiles and waste, while having access to extensive infrastructure to move things about.

because of its excellent location for plant, equipment, ore stockpiles and waste, while having access to extensive infrastructure to move things about. Resource value reflecting the open-pittable resources at the MacArthur oxide deposit, in the north of the property, and the Yerington mine site in the south, both prepared under NI43-101 standards.

reflecting the open-pittable resources at the MacArthur oxide deposit, in the north of the property, and the Yerington mine site in the south, both prepared under NI43-101 standards. Exploration value given the potential for discovery at the large Bear porphyry system, the sulfides under the MacArthur pit deposit, and other untested targets.

given the potential for discovery at the large Bear porphyry system, the sulfides under the MacArthur pit deposit, and other untested targets. Value attached to water rights that are already permitted for mining, and the key role they could play in district development. The price achieved in a recent sale by Quaterra of water rights has the added advantage of placing a value of about $20 million on the Company's remaining primary ground water rights, which should go some way to placing a floor under the Company's market capitalization. In addition, the Company has substantial decree, supplemental and storage water rights associated with private land it has under option.

that are already permitted for mining, and the key role they could play in district development. The price achieved in a recent sale by Quaterra of water rights has the added advantage of placing a value of about $20 million on the Company's remaining primary ground water rights, which should go some way to placing a floor under the Company's market capitalization. In addition, the Company has substantial decree, supplemental and storage water rights associated with private land it has under option. Value from decreased environmental risk and increased permitting certainty as negotiations are finalized between federal and state government agencies and BP subsidiary Atlantic Richfield Company ("ARC"), for remediating the old Yerington mine site.

We are working hard to realize the full potential of the value inherent in each of these elements, and doing so in a way that to the best of our ability deploys our limited funds judiciously and to maximum effect.

Over the past year, a lack of funds (an obstacle common to most junior explorers), slowed progress at Yerington. While this was not a good thing, it did provide an opportunity to rethink how we were applying our resources, and to renew our commitment to spending money wisely.

With a top up of our treasury following the closing of the $6.02 million water deal in March this year, we have resumed our efforts to de-risk MacArthur, focusing on better understanding the metallurgy, and optimizing the resource and mine plan. Quaterra has asked Independent Mining Consultants, Inc. ("IMC"), of Tucson, Arizona, and Process Engineering LLC ("PE"), also of Tucson, to commence the next step at MacArthur towards a prefeasibility study. They will be selecting pulps for sequential assay work, as well as tying the geology and mineralogy to an updated block model. With the mineralogy they will also be able to model areas of the deposit that could have better recovery for a heap leach process. And they will be examining different mine schedules to possibly minimize the upfront capital needed for plant, heap and mining. Their work may lead to additional leaching tests from zones of higher recovery to confirm the estimated recoveries based on the data from assays.

The Company will also be focusing on desktop studies and field work which are less expensive, only undertaking more costly exploration drilling once a thorough cost-benefit analysis has been completed, and with input from IMC and others to ensure that high priority targets are selected.

As negotiations for remediation of the old Yerington mine site continue among ARC, the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection ("NDEP") and the Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA"), Quaterra's goal is to consolidate its land position at Yerington, potentially streamlining the permitting process. The Company is also finalizing an agreement with ARC that will provide the framework for how the two entities will work together on the Yerington mine site allowing ARC to complete its remedial activities and the Company to move forward with development. We will bring you news of our progress in all these endeavors as and when we can.

The real upside at Yerington, however, remains the exploration potential associated with the Bear porphyry system. Given its large size, covering at surface an area of at least two miles by two miles, it has the potential to be defined as a significant copper deposit. Drilling at the Bear has been limited, and confined to a relatively small area. This year Quaterra will be undertaking an induced polarization (IP) survey over the Bear, with the aim of identifying high interest targets, and possibly drilling some of them.

In order to preserve our scarcest resource, capital, we have also lowered costs, especially that of our single largest one, land holding costs. Annual payments for options on private land over the Bear were reduced by 23% to $688,000 in 2018 from $895,258 in 2017, and will be further reduced by 65% to $238,000 in 2019. Thereafter they will decrease to between $188,000 and $51,000 a year until 2023. The land package covering the Bear will not be affected by these reductions. We have also settled all outstanding debts and made cuts to office and administrative costs, as well as consulting fees.

Quaterra is first and foremost a copper exploration company with the goal of identifying and acquiring projects capable of becoming world-class assets. We use a number of filters when assessing exploration opportunities and narrowing them down to those that have the potential to become mines. Projects should have the prospect of hosting large mineral deposits that would, if proven, be attractive to major mining companies. They must be located in stable political jurisdictions that are mining friendly and where it is feasible to permit, develop and build mines. Quaterra has a preference, though not precondition, for properties that can be moved to a drill-ready stage relatively quickly through previous geophysical, geochemical and geological work. Where possible, we also look for partnerships with local teams and experts who have demonstrated exploration success and good relationships with surrounding communities and governance authorities.

As part of its mandate for discovery, Quaterra continues to identify and assess exploration opportunities using the filters mentioned above, provided they can be acquired on reasonable terms, and without the obligation of long-term financial commitments. With this mind we acquired an option to earn a 90% interest in the Groundhog copper prospect, a 40,000-acre property situated on an established copper porphyry belt 200 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska, immediately north of the Pebble project, the largest undeveloped gold and copper prospect in the world.

Our focus on exploration opportunities has recently been reinforced by indications that improvements in commodity markets may become more deeply rooted, raising the possibility of a longer term firming in the price of copper, Quaterra's primary commodity.

Investors' appetite for copper may increasingly be driven by the belief we could be entering a prolonged period of demand exceeding supply. Supply constraints are well entrenched with declining head grades, large increases in capital expenditure, longer permitting and construction times, political instability, growing resource nationalism, environmental opposition and the industry's focus on "brown field" development rather than exploration. Short-term demand catalysts are increasing sharply, and now include an accelerating move towards renewable energy and clean energy initiatives, including electric vehicles, which will require large additional amounts of copper in order to be realized.

Major mining companies, mindful of all this, are looking inward to their project pipelines and often finding them depleted. To make matter worse, as they look outward for junior companies to fill the gap, they seem to be finding few independent explorers with assets that meet their criteria.

Given these trends, and our strategic position at Yerington, we believe that Quaterra represents one of the best ways for investors to participate in the future of copper, energy innovation, and the emergence of an important new copper district. And with our mix of attractive assets, and current low market valuation, we are hoping to prove it.

Sincerely

Gerald Prosalendis

President and COO

About Quaterra's Yerington Copper Project

Quaterra's 51-square-mile Yerington copper Project is located in the historic Yerington Copper District, a mining-friendly jurisdiction with a history of copper production and good infrastructure, about 70 miles southeast of Reno, Nevada. Assets on the property consist of the MacArthur oxide-leach and sulfide copper deposit; the Yerington pit sulfide and oxide deposit previously mined by Anaconda; the Bear porphyry copper deposit; and several untested exploration targets. The Company has reported oxide and sulfide resources at both MacArthur and the Yerington pit, and the 2012 PEA at MacArthur, all prepared under National Instrument 43-101. Quaterra also owns valuable water rights in the district.

About Quaterra Resources Inc.

Quaterra Resources Inc. (TSXV: QTA) (OTCQB: QTRRF) is a copper exploration company with the objective of advancing its U.S. subsidiary's copper projects in the Yerington District, Nevada. Quaterra also holds an option to earn a 90% interest in the Groundhog copper prospect, a 40,000-acre property situated on an established copper porphyry belt 200 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska, and immediately north of the large Pebble copper-gold porphyry project. The Company continues to look for opportunities to acquire copper projects on reasonable terms that have the potential to host large mineral deposits attractive to major mining companies.

Quaterra's financial statements and MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2018, are available at www.quaterra.com, on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards. This news release should be read in conjunction with those documents. All dollar amounts herein are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise specified.

For more information please contact:

Karen Robertson, Corporate Communications, 778-898-0057

Gerald Prosalendis, President and COO, Quaterra Resources Inc., 250-940-3581

Thomas Patton, Chairman & CEO, Quaterra Resources Inc., 604-641-2758

Email: info@quaterra.com

Website: www.quaterra.com

Disclosure note:

Some statements contained in this shareholder letter are forward-looking statements under Canadian securities laws and within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are identified in this letter by words such as "believes", "anticipates", "intends", "has the potential", "expects", "hopes"' and similar language, or convey estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives, potential outcomes, expectations, or goals. Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. In particular, forward looking statements in this letter include that the Company will continue to receive funding, that near term opportunities exist to enhance value, that a pre-feasibility study will be completed supporting the development of the MacArthur project, that value can be placed on the Company's remaining water rights, that exploration drilling will be undertaken, that results will define further mineralization or high grade zones; that historical and new exploration will support a resource on the property; that the Yerington assets have the potential to support mining operations; and that the copper price will support mining investment. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. A summary of risk factors that apply to the Company's operations are included in our management discussion and analysis filings with securities regulatory authorities, and are publicly available on our website. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date thereof. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43952
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- MYM Nutraceuticals Inc., (CSE: MYM) (CSE: MYM.CN) (OTCBB: MYMMF) ("MYM" or "The Company") is pleased to announce it has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Aqueous Sciences of Nevada, a wholly owned subsidiary of One World Ventures Inc.(OTC: OWVI), to grow 3,000 acres of hemp on Navajo Nation land located near the four corners area of Colorado, Arizona, Utah and New Mexico, USA.

MYM and Aqueous will incorporate a new company for the purpose of cultivating, extracting, and distributing hemp on 3,000 acres in New Mexico. Aqueous is the sole exclusive agent for the Navajo Nation, managing companies that wish to cultivate hemp on Navajo Nation land. MYM and Aqueous will work on an exclusive basis and will each own 50% of the new company. MYM and Aqueous plan to extend their activities to include extracting, manufacturing and distribution of hemp based products that will comply with Navajo Nation, USDA, FDA and FTC regulations and requirements.

"With the recent passing of the Farm Bill in the US, CBD-rich hemp was removed from the classified drug list, opening the door for farmers to legally grow hemp," said Howard Steinberg, CEO of MYM. "Our partnership with Aqueous is in keeping with our new strategic plan to become a global leader in the cultivation, extraction and distribution of hemp and CBD in bulk and for use in our own unique branded products."

MYM and Aqueous will fund the venture with up to an initial amount of $1,000,000 USD for operating and capital costs.

Aqueous will provide all labour, site management, and other resources as necessary to operate the business. Aqueous will ensure all regulatory approvals and compliance necessary to successfully cultivate legal hemp plants upon the Navajo Nation.

MYM will provide expertise and support in growing procedure, import/export facilitation, access to its research and development team, and distribution.

The Investment is conditional on the completion of the final documentation.

About One World Ventures Inc

Formed in 1997 OWVI is a publicly traded company who invests in & develops technologies, communities & systems that facilitate trade, finance, communication & travel across international boundaries, cultures & languages. They have substantial international experience in Europe, Asia & the United States setting up companies & establishing trade and commerce. The company leverages these skills with emerging technologies & strategic alliances to provide creative solutions & market opportunities. Their businesses together form the cornerstone of their enterprise giving the company opportunity to grow in the coming years. This combination provides OWVI with a trading, technology, and finance component to establish a strong presence across all business environments.

For more information visit: www.OneWorldVenturesInc.com

About MYM Nutraceuticals Inc.

MYM Nutraceuticals Inc. is an innovative company focused on the global growth of Cannabis and hemp. To ensure a strong presence and growth potential within the industry, MYM is actively looking to acquire complementary businesses and assets in the technology, nutraceuticals and CBD sectors. MYM shares trade in Canada, Germany and the USA under the following symbols: (CSE:MYM) (OTC:MYMMF) (FRA:0MY) (DEU:0MY) (MUN:0MY) (STU:0MY).

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Howard Steinberg, CEO

MYM Nutraceuticals Inc.

www.mym.ca

Keep up to date with MYM on our social media channels:

Twitter: @mymnutra

Facebook: @mymnutra

Instagram: @mymnutra

This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on assumptions and judgments of management regarding future events or results. Such statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. The company disclaims any intention or obligation to revise or update such statements. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulators, which are posted on www.sedar.com.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE or CNSX Markets), nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the CSE), accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein in the United States. The securities described herein have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities law and may not be offered or sold in the "United States", as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act, unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration requirements is available.

Investor Relations

Billy Casselman

+778-522-2261

investors@mym.ca
MUNICH, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science & Technology Co., Ltd. (Zoomlion) is exhibiting 43 products from six major categories at bauma 2019 in Munich, Germany. Themed "Local Presence Better Life," about 70% of the showcased products are manufactured in Europe with localized technology and designs.

Zoomlion's concrete machines are in the center of the spotlight, especially the MK28E from Zoomlion CIFA, the world's first hybrid truck mixer pump, and the debut of duo-mix connect technology developed by Zoomlion M-Tec for 3D concrete printing.

As a leader of the construction machinery industry, Zoomlion has always made sustainability a priority when developing innovative technologies and designing new products. The MK28E and duo-mix connect technology are examples of Zoomlion's localized strategy in Europe. Zoomlion strives to create better value for customers with cutting-edge products through deepening development with its subsidiary brands.

Sustainable concrete machinery

The most anticipated product from Zoomlion's bauma 2019 exhibition is the MK28E, the world's first hybrid truck mixer pump developed by Zoomlion CIFA, the only manufacturer capable of providing sustainable, hybrid-powered products for concrete transportation and pumping.

The MK28E hybrid truck mixer pump, from the diesel-electric hybrid series Energya, has combined hybrid and carbon fiber technologies seamlessly to deliver optimal performance that's low in fuel consumption and noise while high in sustainability and functionality.

The model's mixing tank is capable of operating with the diesel engine turned off, and can run with the electric engine powered by a lithium ion battery while in the processes of loading concrete at a mixing station, unloading on a construction site and pumping concrete.

The carbon fiber material used to make the MK28E significantly reduces the equipment's weight to lower energy consumption during transport. The environmentally-friendly MK28E is now selling in many countries including Norway and Finland.

Zoomlion's M-Tec is a pioneering brand in the dry-mixed mortar equipment sector that has created the world's first mixer and the first dry-mixed mortar mobile silo among other original products. It's also a leader in 3D concrete printing, which is praised for its high compressive strength and excellent construction performance.

Duo-mix connect is Zoomlion M-Tec's latest technological achievement, which was developed for 3D concrete printing with both analog and digital interfaces. It maintains stable mortar quality and consistency while enabling accurate control of construction speed.

The technology is being used in 3D concrete printing projects in more than 10 countries.

About Zoomlion

Founded in 1992, Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science & Technology Co., Ltd. (Zoomlion) is a high-end equipment manufacturing enterprise that integrates engineering machinery, agricultural machinery and financial services. The company now sells nearly 800 cutting-edge products from 49 product lines covering nine major categories. Zoomlion is China's first construction machinery company to be listed on both the Shenzhen and Hong Kong stock exchanges.

For more information, please visit http://en.zoomlion.com/.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/858875/1.jpg
WYOMISSING, PA / ACCESSWIRE / April 9, 2019 / Customers Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE: CUBI), the parent company of Customers Bank (collectively, 'Customers') today announced that it will host a conference call at 9:00 AM EDT on Thursday, April 25, 2019 to discuss its earnings results for the three months ending March 31, 2019. The first quarter 2019 earnings press release will be issued after market close on Wednesday, April 24, 2019.

Conference Call

Date:



Thursday, April 25, 2019 Time:



9:00 AM EDT US Dial-in:



+1 (800) 289-0459 International Dial-in:



+1 (323) 794-2558 Participant Code:



135554

Please dial in at least 10 minutes before the start of the call to ensure timely participation. Slides accompanying the presentation will be available on the Company's website at https://www.customersbank.com/investor-relations/ prior to the call.

Please submit any questions you have regarding the earnings in advance to rramsey@customersbank.com and the executives will address them on the call. The Company will also open the lines to questions following management's presentation of the first quarter results. A playback of the call will be available beginning April 25, 2019 at 12:00 PM EDT until 12:00 PM EDT on May 25, 2019. To listen, call within the United States 888-203-1112, or 719-457-0820 when calling internationally. Please use the replay passcode 1339299.

Institutional Background

Customers Bancorp, Inc. is a bank holding company located in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania engaged in banking and related businesses through its bank subsidiary, Customers Bank. Customers Bank is a community-based, full-service bank with assets of approximately $9.8 billion at December 31, 2018. A member of the Federal Reserve System with deposits insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Customers Bank is an equal opportunity lender that provides a range of banking services to small and medium-sized businesses, professionals,individuals and families through offices in Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, Illinois, New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New Jersey. Committed to fostering customer loyalty, Customers Bank uses a High Tech/High Touch strategy that includes use of industry-leading technology to provide customers better access to their money, as well as Concierge Banking by appointment at customers' homes or offices 12 hours a day, seven days a week. Customers Bank offers a continually expanding portfolio of loans to small businesses, multi-family projects, mortgage companies and consumers.

Customers Bancorp, Inc.'s voting common shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CUBI. Additional information about Customers Bancorp, Inc. can be found on the Company's website, www.customersbank.com .

'Safe Harbor' Statement

In addition to historical information, this press release may contain 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the 'safe harbor' provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include statements with respect to Customers Bancorp, Inc.'s strategies, goals, beliefs, expectations, estimates, intentions, capital raising efforts, financial condition and results of operations, future performance and business. Statements preceded by, followed by, or that include the words 'may,' 'could,' 'should,' 'pro forma,' 'looking forward,' 'would,' 'believe,' 'expect,' 'anticipate,' 'estimate,' 'intend,' 'plan,' or similar expressions generally indicate a forward-looking statement. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that are subject to change based on various important factors (some of which, inwhole or in part, are beyond Customers Bancorp, Inc.'s control). Numerous competitive, economic, regulatory, legal and technological factors, among others, could cause Customers Bancorp, Inc.'s financial performance to differ materially from the goals, plans, objectives, intentions and expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements. In addition, important factors relating to the acquisition of the Disbursements business, the combination of Customers' BankMobile business with the acquired Disbursements business, the implementation of Customers Bancorp, Inc.'s strategy to retain BankMobile for 2-3 years, the possibility that the expected benefits of retaining BankMobile for 2-3 years may not be achieved, or the possible effects on Customers' results of operations if BankMobile is never divested could cause Customers Bancorp's actual results to differ from those in the forward-looking statements. Further, Customers' expectations with respect to the effects of the new tax law could be affected by future clarifications, amendments, and interpretations of such law. Customers Bancorp, Inc. cautions that the foregoing factors are not exclusive, and neither such factors nor any such forward-looking statement takes into account the impact of any future events. All forward-looking statements and information set forth herein are based on management's current beliefs and assumptions as of the date hereof and speak only as of the date they are made. For a more complete discussion of the assumptions, risks and uncertainties related to our business, you are encouraged to review Customers Bancorp, Inc.'s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, subsequently filed quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, including any amendments thereto, that update or provide information in addition to the information included in the Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filings, if any. Customers Bancorp, Inc. does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time by Customers Bancorp, Inc. or by or on behalf of Customers Bank.

Contacts:

Jay Sidhu, Chairman & CEO 610-935-8693

Carla Leibold, CFO 484-923-8802

Bob Ramsey, Director of Investor Relations 484-926-7118

SOURCE: Customers Bancorp, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/541397/Customers-Bancorp-Inc-to-Host-First-Quarter-2019-Earnings-Call-on-April-25-2019
PHOENIX, AZ / ACCESSWIRE / April 9, 2019 / Uptick Newswire Stock Day Podcast welcomed US Nuclear Corp. (OTC PINK: UCLE ), a company that designs, manufactures, and markets branded, full line radiation and chemical detection and specialized advanced tritium technology for the nuclear energy industry, medicine, government and for emerging technological processes such as Thorium and Molten Salt (MSR) reactor technologies both domestically and internationally. Chairman and President, Bob Goldstein, joined Stock Day host Everett Jolly.

Jolly began the interview by noting that the Company's stock has experienced recent increases over the last few weeks and asked Goldstein to share his take on this increase. Goldstein explained that the Company stands out due to its radiation-detecting drones. However, recently the Company has also enhanced this technology to include chemical sensors, as well as sampling collection for a variety of serious diseases. 'We're really making these drones into the drones of the future.', stated Goldstein. This level of technology has helped the Company stand out even more, and the rising stock value shows it.

Jolly then asked about the Company's recent focus on the Middle East. Goldstein explained that this area represents a substantial value to the Company as they are eager to use this technology to patrol their borders and assist in first responder reactions. Recently, the Company sold a fleet of these drones to the Saudi government.

Jolly then asked Goldstein about the current medical isotope shortage in the United States. Goldstein explained that the shortage is getting worse, so bad that the government is currently providing funding to advance Companies and Projects working to fill this shortage. Other than US Nuclear Corp's project, there are only a handful of other companies in the United States that are receiving government support and recognition for this issue.

Goldstein then shared that the Company has seen an exponential rise in their stock value over the past week and believes that the medical isotope shortage and the Company's unique solution to this problem may be part of the cause of this increase.

For 2019, Goldstein expects to experience another year of revenue growth as the awareness for the Company's products and their importance continues to increase.

To close the interview, Goldstein shared that interested shareholders should watch this space closely. Going forward, Goldstein expects interest in the Company's products to continue to increase, allowing them to secure an important place in the industry.

To hear Bob Goldstein's entire interview, follow the link to the podcast here: https://upticknewswire.com/featured-interview-ceo-robert-goldstein-of-us-nuclear-corp-otcpink-ucle-8/

Investors Hangout is a proud sponsor of 'Stock Day,' and Uptick Newswire encourages listeners to visit the company's message board at https://investorshangout.com/

About US Nuclear Corp.

US Nuclear Corp is a fully-reporting, publicly traded company on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board, traded under the ticker symbol UCLE. The Company's operations are principally engaged through its subsidiaries, operating two leading nuclear radiation detection companies, Overhoff Technology Corp. and Optron Scientific Company Inc. The Company designs, manufactures and markets branded, full line radiation detection and specialized advanced tritium technology for the nuclear energy industry and for emerging technological processes such as Thorium and Molten Salt (MSR) reactor technologies both domestically and internationally to customers such as United States Government Agencies, the U.S. Military, Homeland Security, Scientific Laboratories, Universities, Hospitals, nuclear reactor facilities in the United States, China, Canada, South Korea, Argentina, Russia and others.

Safe Harbor Act

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ from expectations, estimates and projections and, consequently, you should not rely on these forward looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as "expect," "estimate," "project," "budget," "forecast," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "may," "will," "could," "should," "believes," "predicts," "potential," "continue," and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results.

Investors may find additional information by visiting US Nuclear Corp. and the SEC website.

CONTACT:

US Nuclear Corp. ( UCLE )

Robert I. Goldstein, President, CEO, and Chairman

Ph: (818) 883 7043 | Email: info@usnuclearcorp.com

www.usnuclearcorp.com

About Uptick Newswire and the 'Stock Day' Podcast

Founded in 2013, Uptick Newswire is the fastest growing media outlet for Nano-Cap and Micro-Cap companies. It educates investors while simultaneously working with penny stock and OTC companies, providing transparency and clarification of under-valued, under-sold Micro-Cap stocks of the market. Uptick provides companies with customized solutions to their news distribution in both national and international media outlets. Uptick is the sole producer of its 'Stock Day' Podcast, which is the number one radio show of its kind in America. The Uptick Network 'Stock Day' Podcast is an extension of Uptick Newswire, which recently launched its Video Interview Studio located in Phoenix, Arizona.

Media Contact:

Uptick Newswire

602-441-3474

https://upticknewswire.com/

SOURCE: Uptick Newswire

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/541390/Uptick-Newswire-Hosts-US-Nuclear-Corp-on-The-Stock-Day-Podcast-to-Discuss-Exponential-Increases-in-Stock-Value
VANCOUVER, CANADA / ACCESSWIRE / April 9, 2019 / Sarama Resources Limited ("Sarama" or the "Company") (TSXV: SWA) is pleased to announce that ASX listed mid-tier gold producer, Silver Lake Resources Limited will become a cornerstone investor in Sarama by investing C$2,500,000 as part of a larger non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") to raise gross proceeds of up to C$4,500,000. The Private Placement will involve the issuance of up to 52,941,176 common shares of Sarama (the "Shares") at a price of C$0.085 per Share.

Andrew Dinning, Sarama resources CEO commented: "We are pleased that an astute, growth-oriented, gold producer like Silver Lake Resources has decided to invest in Sarama as part of its stated strategy of supporting well credentialed management teams to pursue and advance prospective projects. We welcome them as a new cornerstone investor and look forward to realising the benefits this relationship will bring.

We intend to use proceeds from this raise to consolidate and advance our interests in the prolific Hounde Belt in south-west Burkina Faso where we intend to grow our already significant oxide and free-milling mineral resource base and define the development opportunity that is now before us."

Figure 1- Sarama Resources' Exploration and Development Projects in South-West Burkina Faso

The proceeds of the Private Placement will be used to fund payments to regain 100% ownership of the South Hounde Project (news release dated 27 November 2018), exploration activities and to meet working capital requirements of the Company. Sarama intends to undertake a resource development program to firm-up and expand existing oxide and free-milling mineral resources on the South Hounde and ThreeBee Projects.

The South Hounde Project hosts an inferred mineral resource of 2.1Moz Au(1), including an oxide and transition component of 611koz Au(1). The ThreeBee Project hosts the Bondi Deposit which has a historical mineral resource(1) of 282koz Au measured and indicated; and 150koz Au inferred. Together, these projects form the foundation for possible development in the region.

Exploration drilling in 2018 has identified extensions to the Bondi Deposit and new zones of high potential. The ThreeBee Project also hosts the Bamako Property where a +3km-long gold-quartz vein system has been identified that has returned rock-chip assays up to 18.9g/t Au and gold-in-soil values of up to 13.6g/t Au and historical scout drilling results including 16m @ 6.1g/t Au.

The Private Placement will be conducted on a non-brokered basis to accredited investors pursuant to prospectus exemptions available under applicable securities laws and is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

A four-month hold period will apply to all the Shares. The Company plans to close the Private Placement on or about April 20, 2019 but reserves the right to extend the closing date and may close the placement in one or more tranches.

The Shares 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 an exemption from registration is available. This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the Shares within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. Persons (as defined under Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act), nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

For further information on the Company's activities, please contact:

Andrew Dinning or Lui Evangelista

e: info@saramaresources.com

t: +61 (0) 8 9363 7600

ABOUT SARAMA RESOURCES LTD

Sarama Resources Ltd (TSX-V: SWA) is a West-African focused gold explorer and developer with substantial landholdings in Burkina Faso. Sarama is focused on consolidating under-explored landholdings in Burkina Faso and advancing its key projects towards development.

Sarama's 100%-owned(7) South Hounde and ThreeBee Projects are located within the prolific Hounde Greenstone Belt in south-west Burkina Faso and are the exploration and development focus of the company. Its exploration programs have successfully discovered an inferred mineral resource estimate of 2.1Moz gold(2) at the South Hounde Project which is complemented by the ThreeBee Project's Bondi Deposit (historical estimate of mineral resources of 0.3Moz Au measured and indicated and 0.1Moz Au inferred(2)).

Together, the projects form a cluster of advanced gold deposits, within trucking distance of one another, which potentially offers a development option for a multi-source fed central processing facility in the southern Hounde Belt region of Burkina Faso.

Sarama has also built a growth pipeline which features a new 600km exploration position in the highly prospective Banfora Belt in south-western Burkina Faso. The Koumandara Project hosts several regional-scale structural features and trends of gold-in-soil anomalism extending for over 40km along strike.

Sarama holds a 25% participating interest in the Karankasso Project Joint Venture ("JV") which is situated adjacent to the Company's South Hounde Project in Burkina Faso and is a JV between Sarama and Savary Gold Corp. ("Savary"). Savary is the operator of the JV and in October 2015, declared a maiden inferred mineral resource estimate of 671,000 ounces of contained gold(3) at the Karankasso Project JV.

Incorporated in 2010, the Company's Board and management team have a proven track record in Africa and a strong history in the discovery and development of large-scale gold deposits. Sarama is well positioned to build on its current success with a sound exploration strategy across its property portfolio.

FOOTNOTES

South Hounde Project - 43.0Mt @ 1.5g/t Au (reported above cut-off grades ranging 0.3-2.2g/t Au, reflecting the mining methods and processing flowsheets assumed to assess the likelihood of the inferred mineral resources having reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction). This mineral resource contains an oxide and transition component of 16.0Mt @ 1.2g/t Au for 611koz Au (reported at a cut-off grade of 0.3g/t Au for oxide and 0.8g/t Au for transition material). The effective date of the Company's inferred mineral resource estimate is February 4, 2016. For further information regarding the mineral resource estimate please refer to the technical report titled "NI 43-101 Independent Technical Report South Hounde Project Update, Bougouriba and Ioba Provinces, Burkina Faso", dated March 31, 2016 and prepared by Adrian Shepherd. Adrian Shepherd is an employee of Cube Consulting Pty Ltd and is considered to be independent of Sarama. The technical report is available under Sarama's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.



Bondi Deposit - 4.1Mt @ 2.1g/t Au for 282,000oz Au (measured and indicated) and 2.5Mt @ 1.8g/t Au for 149,700oz Au (inferred), reported at a 0.5 g/t Au cut-off.



i.The historical estimate of the Bondi Deposit reflects a mineral resource estimate compiled by Orezone Gold Corporation ("Orezone") which has an effective date of February 20, 2009. The historical estimate is contained in a technical report titled "Technical Report on the Mineral Resource of the Bondigui Gold Project", dated date of February 20, 2009 and prepared by Yves Buro (the "Bondi Technical Report"). Yves Buro is an employee of Met-Chem Canada Inc and is considered to be independent of Orezone and Sarama. The technical report is available under Orezone's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.



ii.Sarama believes that the historical estimate is relevant to investors' understanding of the property, as it reflects the most recent technical work undertaken in respect of the Bondi Deposit.



iii. The historical estimate was informed by 886 drillholes, assayed for gold by cyanidation methods, were used to interpret mineralised envelopes and geological zones over the area of the historical estimate. Gold grade interpolation was undertaken using ID methodology based on input parameters derived from geostatistical and geological analyses assessments. Field measurements and geological logging of drillholes were used to determine weathering boundaries and bulk densities for modelled blocks.



iv. The historical estimate uses the mineral resource reporting categories required under National Instrument 43-101.



v. No more recent estimates of the mineral resource or other data are available.



vi. Sarama is currently undertaking the necessary verification work in the field and on the desktop that may support the future reclassification of the historical estimate to a mineral resource.



vii. A qualified person engaged by Sarama has not undertaken sufficient work to verify the historical estimate as a current mineral resource and Sarama is therefore not treating the historical estimate as a current mineral resource.



Karankasso Project - 9.2Mt @ 2.3g/t Au (at a 0.5g/t Au cut-off). The effective date ("Effective Date") of the most recent Karankasso Project JV mineral resource estimate that is supported by a technical report is October 7, 2015. For further information regarding that mineral resource estimate please refer to the technical report titled "Technical Report and Resource Estimate on the Karankasso Project, Burkina Faso", dated October 7, 2015 and prepared by Eugene Puritch and Antoine Yassa. Eugene Puritch and Antoine Yassa are employees of P&E Mining Consultants Inc. and are considered to be independent of Savary and Sarama. The technical report is available under Savary's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Sarama has not independently verified Savary's mineral resource estimate and takes no responsibility for its accuracy. Savary is the operator of the Karankasso Project JV and Sarama is relying on their Qualified Persons' assurance of the validity of the mineral resource estimate. Additional technical work has been undertaken on the Karankasso Project since the Effective Date, including but not limited to, metallurgical testwork, exploration drilling and mineral resource estimation, but Sarama is not in a position to quantify the impact of this additional work on the mineral resource estimate referred to above.



The ThreeBee Project comprises the Djarkadougou, Botoro, Bamako(5) and Bouni(5) Properties and Sarama has, or is entitled to have, a 100% interest in each of the properties. The Djarkadougou, Bamako and Bouni Exploration Permits are going through a process with the government of Burkina Faso where it is required they be reissued as new full-term exploration permits. The Company anticipates this to be completed in due course, though there can be no assurance that the process will be successfully completed on a timely basis, or at all.



For further information regarding the drilling on the Bamako and Bouni Properties, please refer to the technical report titled "NI 43-101 Independent Technical Report South Hounde Project Update, Bougouriba and Ioba Provinces, Burkina Faso", dated October 28, 2013 and prepared by Adrian Shepherd. Adrian Shepherd is an employee of Cube Consulting Pty Ltd and is considered independent of Sarama. The technical report is available under Sarama's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.



Drilling previously disclosed in Sarama news release of September 20, 2018.



Upon completion of definitive agreements between Sarama and Acacia Mining plc.



CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

Information in this disclosure that is not a statement of historical fact constitutes forward-looking information. Such forward-looking information includes statements regarding the completion of the Private Placement and the intended use of proceeds therefrom, the potential for the receipt of regulatory approvals, the completion of definitive agreements, the potential of the projects to host mineralization of significance to support regional development plans, the timing and prospects for the reissuance of the Djarkadougou, Bamako and Bouni Exploration Permits by the government of Burkina Faso, plans for exploration at the South Hounde, ThreeBee and Koumandara Projects, the potential to expand the present oxide component of the existing estimated mineral resources at the South Hounde Project and the reliability of the historical estimate of mineral resources at the Bondi Deposit.

Actual results, performance or achievements of the Company may vary from the results suggested by such forward-looking statements due to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. Such factors include, among others, that the business of exploration for gold and other precious minerals involves a high degree of risk and is highly speculative in nature; changes in world commodity markets, equity markets, costs and supply of materials relevant to the mining industry; change in government and changes to regulations affecting the mining industry; Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves, they do not have demonstrated economic viability, and there is no certainty that they can be upgraded to Mineral Reserves through continued exploration; few properties that are explored are ultimately developed into producing mines; geological factors; the actual results of current and future exploration; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be evaluated, as well as those factors disclosed in the Company's publicly filed documents. There can be no assurance that any mineralisation that is discovered will be proven to be economic, or that future required regulatory licensing or approvals will be obtained. However, the Company believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, Acacia's continued funding of exploration activities, the Company's ability to carry on its exploration activities, the sufficiency of funding, the timely receipt of required approvals, the price of gold and other precious metals, that the Company will not be affected by adverse political events, the ability of the Company to operate in a safe, efficient and effective manner and the ability of the Company to obtain further financing as and when required and on reasonable terms. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

Sarama does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except as required by applicable laws.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

QUALIFIED PERSONS' STATEMENT

Scientific or technical information in this disclosure that relates to the Company's exploration activities in Burkina Faso is based on information compiled or approved by Guy Scherrer. Guy Scherrer is an employee of Sarama Resources Ltd and is a member in good standing of the Ordre des Geologues du Quebec and has sufficient experience which is relevant to the commodity, style of mineralisation under consideration and activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. Guy Scherrer consents to the inclusion in this disclosure of the information, in the form and context in which it appears.

Scientific or technical information in this disclosure that relates to the preparation of the South Hounde Project mineral resource estimate is based on information compiled or approved by Adrian Shepherd. Adrian Shepherd is an employee of Cube Consulting Pty Ltd and is considered to be independent of Sarama Resources Ltd. Adrian Shepherd is a Chartered Professional Member in good standing of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and has sufficient experience which is relevant to the commodity, style of mineralisation under consideration and activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. Adrian Shepherd consents to the inclusion in this disclosure of the information, in the form and context in which it appears.

Scientific or technical information in this disclosure, in respect of the Bondi Deposit relating to mineral resource and exploration information drawn from the Technical Report prepared for Orezone on that deposit has been approved by Guy Scherrer. Guy Scherrer is an employee of Sarama Resources Ltd and is a member in good standing of the Ordre des Geologues du Quebec and has sufficient experience which is relevant to the commodity, style of mineralisation under consideration and activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. Guy Scherrer consents to the inclusion in this disclosure of the information, in the form and context in which it appears.

Scientific or technical information in this disclosure that relates to the quotation of the Karankasso Project's mineral resource estimate is based on information compiled by Paul Schmiede. Paul Schmiede is an employee of Sarama Resources Ltd and is a Fellow in good standing of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Paul Schmiede has sufficient experience which is relevant to the commodity, style of mineralisation under consideration and activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. Paul Schmiede consents to the inclusion in this disclosure of the information, in the form and context in which it appears. Paul Schmiede and Sarama have not independently verified Savary's mineral resource estimate and take no responsibility for its accuracy.

SOURCE: Sarama Resources Limited

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/541411/Sarama-Resources-Announces-Strategic-Investment-By-Silver-Lake-Resources-To-Advance-Southern-Hounde-Belt-Projects-In-Burkina-Faso
Installation Assists in Achieving GHG Reduction Policies

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 9, 2019) - Smartcool Systems Inc. (TSXV: SSC) (OTC Pink: SSCFF) (FSE: R3W) are pleased to announce that Smartcool has established a wholly owned subsidiary in Germany. Smartcool Systems GmbH has been established in Germany for the purpose of selling its products directly into the German market.

The company has retained the services of Dr. Georg Hochwimmer to both manage the operations of the company and build a sales team for the country. Dr. Hochwimmer is well known to Smartcool management team and has had a successful career in assisting numerous small technology companies in financing and sales activities.

An installation has been completed in Germany at a large international food processing company. The company has 9 facilities in Germany and a total of 65 locations worldwide. Initial results are being monitored and savings are expected to be in the range of 25% - 40%. Once the initial installation savings have been confirmed the company expects other plants to install Smartcool technology.

Ted Konyi, CEO, stated, "I've known Georg for many years and have admired his strong business skills. I'm very pleased that he has joined the Smartcool team in this capacity. Establishing a presence in Germany is another positive step in the company's growth plans. In addition to Smartcool's proprietary optimization technology, I anticipate the products developed by our Total Energy Concepts division should also have applicability in this significant industrial market."

Dr. Hochwimmer added, "The German marketplace is very large, particularly its manufacturing base. The electricity rates are amongst the highest in Europe, far exceeding the costs in the USA. In addition, the government's energy policies and mandates for emissions reductions are a strong driver for companies to search out efficiency technologies. The combination of high rates and a need to reduce emissions, creates a tremendous opportunity for Smartcool and its suite of efficiency technologies. We are already generating interest and anticipate additional sales in the near term."

About Smartcool

Smartcool Systems Inc. provides cutting edge energy efficient and energy cost reduction solutions for businesses around the world. The ECO3, ESM and ECOHome are Smartcool's unique retrofit technologies that reduce the energy consumption of compressors in air conditioning, refrigeration and heat pump systems by up to 40%.

Total Energy Concepts (TEC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Smartcool, is a national leader in Power Protection, Energy Management, Power Quality, Facility Grounding, and Lighting Solutions that help companies improve their bottom line by reducing expenses that drastically cut into company profits. TEC focuses on a holistic approach to energy efficiency with proprietary technologies for power factor correction and third party technologies including LED, voltage conditioning and intelligent motor controls.

For more information please www.smartcool.net and www.totalenergyconcepts.com

Investor inquiries

Mike Kordysz

Vice President, Investor Relations

TEL +1 604 904 8632EMAIL mike.kordysz@smartcool.net

Legal Notice Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward looking statements". Forward-looking statements are projections of financial performance or future events. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "plan", "believe", "estimate" and words of similar meaning. Forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and assumptions and they are subject to risks that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include those concerning the company's belief in the growth opportunities in the UK. These statements are subject to risks that may cause the actual results to be materially different in future periods from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Risks that may prevent or delay the forward looking statements from coming to fruition as anticipated include the availability of working capital, risks inherent in product development, as well as market factors that may increase costs or time to market. It is our policy not to update forward looking statements except to the extent required under applicable securities laws. Further information on the Company is available at www.sedar.com or at the Company's website, www.smartcool.net.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43944
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 9, 2019) - KOPR Point Ventures Inc. (CSE: KOPR) (OTC: NPEZF) (FSE: 4NP) ("KOPR Point" or the "Company") offers an exploration update on the Majuba Hill Copper Project.

The Company is very pleased to update shareholders on the recent re-assay conducted on Diamond Drill hole MG 1703. The entire hole contains copper and was mineralized from top to bottom. Results returned a grade of 1142.2 feet @ 0.10% from 0 to 1142.2 feet. Hole MG 1703 was an angled drill hole to explore for the outer edges of the mineralization outlined by past exploration. Hole MG 1703 is located 1000 feet eastward of the oxide copper mineralization which is currently modeled, and subject to ongoing economic evaluation.

This hole is very significant for two reasons:

High-grade oxide values of 66.9 ft @ 0.71% Cu (including 10 ft @ 3.15% Cu from 337.7 to 404.6 feet) are very similar to the "Copper Stope" high-grade zone mined historically. The Company's technical advisors believe that this high-grade will extend to the high-grade copper in surface rock sampling on the ridge directly above it and which has not yet been explored by drilling.

The deeper, thick intervals of greater than 0.1% copper are in porphyry-stockwork sulfide-veins that contain silver and trace element values similar to drill hole MMX-24. This indicates that Hole 1703 did not go deep enough, but is getting closer to the higher grades intersected in hole MMX-24.

Using a mining-type intersection calculation*, with a greater than 0.05% copper cut-off the intersections include:

337.7 ft to 404.6 ft - 66.9 ft @ 0.71%

(includes 337.7 ft to 347.7 ft -10 ft @ 3.15% Cu)

665.6 ft to 793.6 ft - 138 ft @ 0.10%

904.0 ft to 1142.2 ft - 238.2 ft @ 0.13% Cu

(*No more than 1 internal "waste" assay less than 0.05% Cu and intersection still has to be at least 0.10%. True width is unknown at this time.)

David Greenway, President & CEO, comments:

"The results from this latest testing are frankly beyond our expectations! Having this sort of grade and mineralization in a hole that steps out 1000 feet completely changes our understanding and expectations with Majuba Hill. This unexpected gift clearly implies that the copper oxide zone extends AT LEAST 1000 feet eastward, is open to depth and also supports a reasonable expectation of further extensions of the deeper high grades associated with hole MMX-24. All our oxide target modeling to date was based on the surface and historic underground drilling around the historic underground workings. Clearly, this possible extension was missed and has left a lot of potential return for KOPR shareholders! We are completely reassessing the asset and couldn't be more excited with the newly added potential at Majuba."

Majuba Hill is a 4,198 acre copper silver porphyry prospect located 55 miles southwest of Winnemucca and 138 miles east-northeast of Reno Nevada. The property has moderate to strong Cu - Ag mineralization found within the Majuba intrusive porphyry complex. Between 2007 and the present, 38 holes with a total of 21,531 feet were drilled at Majuba. Prior to this, 28 holes with a total of 23,316 feet were drilled between 1920 and 1975. Drill logs and assays for the historic drilling are available in various formats. The modern (2007 and later) drilling records are in very good condition and have been converted to electronic format along with all assay certificates and results.

All sampling was conducted under the supervision of the Company's consulting geologist and the chain of custody from the project to the sample preparation facility was continuously monitored. A blank or certified reference material, was inserted approximately every 24 samples. The samples were delivered to Bureau Veritas Mineral Laboratories preparation facility in Elko, NV where they were crushed and pulverized. Resulting sample pulps were shipped to Bureau Veritas certified laboratory in Sparks, NV or Vancouver, BC. Pulps were digested using a multi-acid digestion and analyzed for copper and 34 additional elements using ICP-ES. Gold was analyzed using a fire assay fusion and an atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) finish on a 30-gram split. Data verification of the analytical results included a statistical analysis of the standards and blanks that must pass certain parameters for acceptance to insure accurate and verifiable results.

E.L. "Buster" Hunsaker III, CPG, Chairman of the Company's Advisory Board, is the Qualified Person who has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release on behalf of the Company.

About KOPR Point Ventures Inc.

KOPR Point (CSE: KOPR) (OTC: NPEZF) (FSE: 4NP) is engaged in the identification, review and acquisition of latter stage Copper and Copper/Gold assets. Management has been mandated to focus on safe, mining friendly jurisdictions and government regulations supportive of mining operations.

On Behalf of the Board of KOPR Point Ventures

"David Greenway"

President & CEO

Corporate Office

310-221 West Esplanade

North Vancouver, BC

V7M 3J3

For further information, please contact:

E: dg@KOPRpoint.com

P: (604) 318-0114

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.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on assumptions and judgments of management regarding future events or results. Such statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to revise or update such statements.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43948
Photo: The Canadian Press B.C. Attorney General David Eby and Federal Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction Bill Blair

B.C.'s attorney general says he's troubled by a report that finds there are no federal police dedicated to money laundering investigations in the province.

David Eby says despite two years of headlines that organized crime is laundering billions in illegal cash in B.C., the only dedicated RCMP presence is a provincially funded team fighting crime in casinos.

The information comes in the partial release of a money laundering report conducted by former RCMP deputy commissioner Peter German, who was appointed by Eby last fall to review the use of illicit money in B.C. real estate, horse racing and luxury vehicle sales.

German says his review found 26 federally funded positions on the RCMP's money laundering team in B.C., but not one of those was dedicated to money laundering investigations.

Eby says he is calling on the federal government devote more officers and resources to fighting the problem.

Organized Crime Reduction Minister Bill Blair, who has said previously that the federal government is committed to combating money laundering, was not immediately available for comment.
FN Media Group Presents Potstocknews.com Market Commentary

NEW YORK, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The cannabis industry is seen by professionals as one of the most exciting fields to participate in, with many companies attracting some of the brightest industry experts to join them. Agraflora Organics International (CSE:AGRA) (OTC:PUFXF), National Access Cannabis Corp (CSE:META) (OTC:NACNF), CBD Unlimited, Inc (CSE:EDXC) (OTC:EDXC), FSD Pharma Inc (CSE:HUGE) (OTC:FSDDF) and Chemistree Technology Inc (OTC:CHMJF) (CSE:CHM) have all been working hard to sign on cannabis experts in an effort to gain a competitive advantage over their competition.

As the relatively young cannabis industry continues to mature, one of the best predictors of whether a company will survive in the years to come is the strength of its management team. With becoming increasingly fierce, companies led by management teams with plenty of experience - drawn from both within and outside the cannabis industry - have historically had the best likelihood of success. While every company strives to enlist top cannabis industry veterans - the truth of the matter is, these individuals are a rare find. The addition of experts to any cannabis company not only is a big deal in terms of publicity, but also a strong indicator of future success.

The Importance of Experienced Management Teams

The sheer growth potential of the cannabis industry has attracted some of the best executive talents across the world. According to Grand View Research, marijuana is predicted to become a $146.4 billion market globally by 2025, representing a 34.6 percent increase every year. With such growth opportunities available, it's not surprising why many executives from Fortune 500 companies chose to leave their safe and conventional career paths to take a risk in the cannabis sector.

Recent Expert Partnerships

Cannabis companies are bringing in experts from diverse backgrounds. Depending on the type of cannabis company, the list of experts includes professionals ranging from cannabis market veterans to retail and healthcare professionals, and even law enforcement. The board of Agraflora Organics International Inc (CSE:AGRA) (OTCMKTS:PUFXF) boasts two longtime Toronto Police officers on their management team. While, FSD Pharma Inc (CSE:HUGE) (OTCMKTS:FSDDF) is headed by physician turned entrepreneur, Dr. Dr Raza Bokhari, Executive Co-Chairman & Interim CEO.

As such, it's not surprising that cannabis companies go out of their way to partner with high profile figures. Last month, Aurora Cannabis Inc announced it was partnering with billionaire Nelson Peltz. The relationship would help the cannabis giant better position itself for potential retail partnerships.

A much smaller company, Chemistree Technology Inc (OTCQB:CHMJF) (CSE:CHM), recently made news as well when it signed on legendary cannabis industry veteran Nicholas J. Zitelli - known within the industry by his pen name "Nico Escondido". As one of the most knowledgeable experts in the cannabis space, Nico Escondido has written hundreds of articles about the cannabis industry and best practices. He also founded the Cannabis Genetics Institute (CGI) in Amsterdam, Holland, helping create custom cannabis strains to treat various medical conditions. Besides all of this, Nico Escondido is best known for being a principal at the High Times brand.

With a monthly magazine in publication since 1974 , High Times is one of the best-known groups promoting and developing the cannabis culture. Publishing numerous books and documentaries, High Times also hosts the most prestigious marijuana-related competition in the world. The "Cannabis Cup" brings together industry experts, cannabis enthusiasts, and marijuana companies together across the world and holds contests in various product categories.

"I am very excited to join the Chemistree team" said Nico Zitelli in a press release. "Having known and worked with many of the team members in the past, I am confident we will be able build significant value in the Company and help define the future of the cannabis industry."

For a company like Chemistree Technology Inc (CHMJF) (CHM), getting Zitelli on board is a big deal. As an early investor in the international cannabis sector that's expanding their vertically integrated operations, the addition of Nico Zitelli to Chemistree Technology Inc (CHMJF) (CHM) will give the company the industry clout it needs to stand out in the market.

"As Chemistree continues its focus on building one of the world's leading cannabis companies, it is critical to have an experienced board to put us in the best possible position to achieve success. These are exciting times for Chemistree and Nico represents another outstanding addition to our board of directors on our path of rapid growth," added Chemistree Technology Inc (CHMJF) (CHM) President Karl Kottmeier. "The High Times Cannabis Cup is the most prestigious and extensive cannabis-related competition in the world and having his broad knowledge/specialized expertise, impressive network and reputation will be invaluable assets to the Company's strategic direction."

It's common for massive, multi-billion-dollar cannabis companies to boast impressive hires within the industry. Chemistree Technology Inc (CHMJF) (CHM), on the other hand, is a company with less than $20 million in market capitalization. The fact that this small cannabis company has signed on one of the top industry experts in cannabis is a major accomplishment for the firm. In comparison, few other companies of a similar size can expect such a major name to come on board - something that will propel Chemistree Technology Inc (OTCQB:CHMJF) (CSE:CHM) to a class well above its peers.

Further Cannabis Developments

Back in late March, Agraflora Organics International Inc (CSE:AGRA) (OTCPK:PUFXF) announced they had fully invested a $40 million equity participation agreement with Delta Organic Cannabis Corp. The agreement would see Agra own a 50 percent stake in the second largest cannabis greenhouse in Canada.

In a recent press release, National Access Cannabis Corp (CSE:META) (OTCPK:NACNF) announced their financial figures for their operations since federal legalization. The company achieved over $20 million in retail sales since October 17, 2018. National Access Cannabis has 23 stores across Alberta and Manitoba and is the largest private cannabis retailer in the country. The company is headed by a team with years of experience in retail and healthcare.

Todd A. Davis, Co-Founder and CEO of CBD Unlimited, Inc (CSE:EDXC) (OTCPK:EDXC), formerly known as Endexx Corporation, brings to the team years of experience in investment banking and entrepreneurship. The company has recently employed a private sales group to help expand the company's product reach both in Canada as well as internationally. Initially launching as a 25-person sales team, CBD Unlimited is expected to grow this salesforce to up to 500 in the next two years.

Another cannabis company that made a major management team announcement was FSD Pharma Inc (CSE:HUGE) (OTCQB:FSDDF). In a recent press release, the company announced that Dr. Charles Pollack would be joining FSD as the Chairman of their Scientific Board. He brings a long history of clinical research in the areas of pain treatment, thrombosis, and reversing anticoagulation.

For a free research report on Chemistree (CSE:CHM) (OTC:CHMJF), visit potstocknews.com

Disclaimer: Potstocknews.com (PSN) is the source of the Article and content set forth above. References to any issuer other than the profiled issuer are intended solely to identify industry participants and do not constitute an endorsement of any issuer and do not constitute a comparison to the profiled issuer. FN Media Group (FNM) is a third-party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNM is NOT affiliated with PSN or any company mentioned herein. The commentary, views and opinions expressed in this release by PSN are solely those of PSN and are not shared by and do not reflect in any manner the views or opinions of FNM. Readers of this Article and content agree that they cannot and will not seek to hold liable PSN and FNM for any investment decisions by their readers or subscribers. PSN and FNM and their respective affiliated companies are a news dissemination and financial marketing solutions provider and are NOT registered broker-dealers/analysts/investment advisers, hold no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security.

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New agreement will offer Tampnet service to thousands of companies operating in the North Sea and Gulf of Mexico

Tampnet and Globalgig announced today that they have completed testing and reached an agreement whereby access to the Tampnet's network will be available through Globalgig's patented multi-IMSI SIM. Globalgig provides wireless service for enterprise connectivity, SD-WAN and IOT applications globally in 200+countries on one SIM card. This partnership arrangement will create a single SIM that works both onshore and offshore

Tampnet operates the largest offshore high-capacity communication network in the world in the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico serving more than 350 oil and gas platforms, floating production storage and offloading vessels (FPSOs) and exploration rigs. Tampnet has quickly become the preferred provider of offshore communication to the oil and gas industry. This agreement expands Tampnet's ability to provide services globally, with the Globalgig SIM, to the oilfield services industry, equipment manufacturers and maritime markets including cruise ships, tankers and fishing vessels.

"Our agreement with Globalgig is further evidence of our expansion and growth as we develop key partnerships to fill the capacity on our advanced LTE network," said Helge Svensson, CEO of Tampnet. "Seamless mobility onshore and offshore provides the foundation in an ever-expanding ecosystem of solutions."

"The impact of this agreement is significant in that Globalgig's SIM card can be leveraged for offshore use in addition to providing connectivity for onshore enterprise applications such as SD-WAN and IoT," said Ernest Cunningham, CEO of Globalgig. "For the first time, our partners and customers can easily extend their reach to offshore locations. A ship and its crew can leave England, travel across the North Sea to Norway and stay connected in port and at sea with high speed LTE."

About Globalgig

Globalgig orchestrates hyperconnectivity for global enterprise customers using managed communications solutions. With a suite of wireless, mobility, voice and managed network solutions, Globalgig gives businesses of all sizes seamless connectivity for offices and mobile employees world-wide. Globalgig's patented multi-IMSI SIM technology provides local wireless connectivity in 200-plus countries, enabling secure and uninterrupted data access across geographic borders, diverse communications technologies and disparate devices and all orchestrated through end-to-end managed services. Globalgig is a registered brand of iGEM Communications Holdings LLC, which does business as Globalgig. Globalgig is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, with offices across the U.S., and in the U.K., France, Morocco, Mexico and Australia. To learn more, visit www.globalgig.com.

About Tampnet:

Tampnet was founded in 2001 in Sandnes, Norway and operates the world's largest offshore high capacity communication network in the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, serving customers within Oil Gas, Wind Energy, Maritime and Carrier sectors with first class telecommunications. The company employs more than 100 people, is headquartered in Stavanger, Norway and has offices in the UK, The Netherlands, USA, Brazil and Australia. Tampnet connects offshore installations to redundant and reliable terrestrial networks with high capacity and low latency (high speed). Tampnet also installs and operates offshore 4G LTE coverage networks enabling roaming and the digital transformation and internet of things (IoT) on offshore oil gas platforms, offshore windfarms and service vessels and other commercial vessels. To learn more, visit www.tampnet.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005338/en/

Contacts:

Jennifer Mao

Globalgig

+1 214 2447088

jennifer.mao@globalgig.com

Per Helge Svensson

Tampnet

+47 905 29 868

phs@tampnet.com
DECATUR, TX / ACCESSWIRE / April 9, 2019 / ENERGY worldnet, Inc. (EWN) is pleased to announce a definitive agreement with the Propane Gas Association of New England (PGANE) to become its Official Training Partner.

The Propane Gas Association of New England, headquartered in Epsom, New Hampshire, represents nearly 800 member organizations that sell propane or propane-related appliances and equipment in six New England states. Under the terms of the new partnership, EWN will develop and deliver industry-leading training focused on safely delivering propane to PGANE's residential and business customer locations.

PGANE's collaboration with EWN advances its mission to "serve the propane industry by promoting safety, education and public awareness of the uses of propane."PGANE's mission aligns well with EWN's position as the industry leader for Operator Qualification, safety training, and compliance services, whose vision is to "make the world a safer place to work."

When asked about the partnership, Coleman Sterling, CEO of EWN, stated, "Relationships with dedicated organizations like PGANE are integral to our company's mission to advance workforce education and compliance using innovation, technology, and service. We are honored to be working with PGANE and are committed to the long-term success of this exciting venture."

Leslie Anderson, PGANE's Chief Executive Officer, commented, "PGANE is excited to begin this partnership with EWN. We have been very impressed with their sophisticated online learning management system and experience in the Operator Qualification arena. We are thrilled to be able to offer our members a new, modernized, and efficient system to track employee qualifications." Anderson continued, "EWN's cutting-edge technology even includes a modern mobile app for seamless skill assessment documentation, both online and offline in the field. This will undoubtedly save our members valuable time, money, and hassle."

In 2019, ENERGY worldnet, Inc. celebrates its 25th anniversary of providing training, evaluations, record management, compliance management, and consulting services to the energy industry. EWN's ongoing industry presence and leadership have earned the company a long-standing, dominant position in the global marketplace. Based in Decatur, Texas, EWN supports training and compliance requirements for clients throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and South America.

CONTACT:

info@energyworldnet.com

SOURCE: ENERGY worldnet, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/541075/ENERGY-worldnet-Named-the-Official-Training-Partner-of-the-Propane-Gas-Association-of-New-England
SpendEdge, a leading provider of procurement market intelligence solutions, has announced the completion of their strategic sourcing engagement for a leading steel company.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005522/en/

Strategic sourcing engagement for a leading steel company. (Graphic: Business Wire)

Project background

The client wanted to improve cost savings in indirect and MRO spend by reducing their sourcing costs. The total engagement period that was agreed upon with the client to achieve this business objective was one year.

Objective 1: The company wanted to streamline processes of the acquired companies and adopt strategies that can improve the overall efficiency.

The company wanted to streamline processes of the acquired companies and adopt strategies that can improve the overall efficiency. Objective 2: They also wanted to analyze cost structure of suppliers, implement strategic purchasing, and reduce the reliance on tier 1 or direct suppliers.

They also wanted to analyze cost structure of suppliers, implement strategic purchasing, and reduce the reliance on tier 1 or direct suppliers. Looking for more information? Request a free demo and know how our experts can analyze the impact of various cost components in real-time.

"Strategic sourcing enables companies to mitigate risk, enhance the quality of goods and services, reduce costs, and improve supplier relationship. It also streamlines the procurement process and creates value in the customer-supplier interface," says a procurement expert from SpendEdge.

Key findings and solutions offered

In a span of one year, the client a leading steel company significantly enhanced saving opportunities by smartly using the excess material for offal utilization. The solution offered helped them to:

Ensure secure supply of materials by mitigating risks associated with resale programs and hedging.

Analyze different suppliers and re-allocate the processing to a low-cost producer in the value chain.

Improving logistics management capabilities can boost profitability for companies. Request a free proposal and access our complete portfolio of procurement market intelligence solutions today!

Outcome: The strategic sourcing process developed by experts at SpendEdge helped the steel company to shift volume to suppliers in other countries and import that steel at competitive prices. This enabled them to save between 15 and 20% which accounted for an annual savings of $17 million a year. The solution offered, helped the client to gain detailed insights to increase the usage of mini-mills and increase profit margins.

To access the complete case study on strategic sourcing, contact our experts here!

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.

Request free proposal to know more, https://www.spendedge.com/request-free-proposal

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005522/en/

Contacts:

SpendEdge

Anirban Choudhury

Marketing Manager

US: +1 630 984 7340

UK: +44 148 459 9299

https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us
World's largest organizations risking hefty fines and loss of market share by failing to make their websites accessible to consumers with disabilities

A staggering 815,600 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 issues were found on websites belonging to companies in the Fortune 100, according to research carried out by analyst firm, Ovum, based on audit data supplied by Crownpeak, a global leader in digital governance management.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005650/en/

These findings could see companies missing out on reaching their audience and losing sales, but worse still, be faced with litigation or fines if found to be in breach of equal access regulations, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

According to a report by law firm Seyfarth Shaw, 1053 federal lawsuits relating to website accessibility were filed against businesses found to be in violation of the ADA in just the first half of 2018, with the figure expected to have exceeded 2,000 by the end of the year.

Maxine Holt, Research Director, Ovum, says: "Digital is booming, but enterprises must act to ensure their digital governance systems keep pace. The fact that even companies with ample budgets are struggling to understand and resource digital accessibility is an alarming bellwether for the state of digital accessibility. Given the risks and revenue at stake, organizations need to act quickly to reverse this."

Darren Guarnaccia, Chief Strategy and Product Officer at Crownpeak says: "Consumers are reliant on the internet for countless aspects of their daily lives and these findings highlight the extent of the problem organizations are facing in delivering seamless online experiences. Having robust governance systems in place allows organizations to resolve issues before they become a problem and to conform to standards that will deliver a better overall user experience, increase website visits and boost marketing performance. Not only does this avoid the risk of a compliance breach, but it will also help businesses gain a competitive advantage."

Crownpeak conducted the survey using its Digital Quality Management (DQM) tool to audit a sample 2,500 web pages per company. Websites were assessed for compliance with 40 accessibility checkpoints, which map to selected success criteria from the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1.

The issues were categorised into differing levels of conformance: "A," "AA," and "AAA," with "A" representing the minimum level of conformance. Of the 815,600 issues identified, 705,300 Level A issues were found and 110,300 were Level AA. With WCAG, Level AA increasingly becoming the de facto standard for accessibility compliance cited in website accessibility legislation, the scale of basic compliance issues on the websites of the Fortune 100 should be ringing alarm bells for these companies.

The best performing industry was media, which had an average of 2.97 issues per page, with the finance and technology sectors also performing at a higher level than many others, with 5.69 and 5.83 issues respectively, per page on average. The retail industry was the poorest performing industry with an average of 8.35 issues per page and, although a highly regulated industry, telecommunications was also among the poorest in terms of performance with 7.31 issues per page on average.

ENDS

Notes to editor:

This survey focused on major aspects of WCAG 2.1 Levels A and AA that are verifiable through automated testing, including important factors that contribute to keyboard accessibility, navigability, and screen reader compatibility. These included:

use of headings and labels

provision of meaningful link text

provision of alternative (alt) text for non-text assets such as images

ability to resize text

inclusion of a visible focus

ability to navigate in a logical order

For the purpose of this research, one month's worth of data was assessed. Access the full report "Failure at the Top; Websites of America's Largest Companies Plagued by Accessibility Issues, Risking Litigation and Loss of Market Share".

About Ovum

Ovum is part of FTSE 100 Informa Group, one of the world's leading providers of business intelligence. Informa has over 6,500 employees and delivers specialized information to companies operating in sectors including finance, telecoms, media and IT.

A market-leading data, research and consulting business, Ovum is focused on helping digital service providers and their technology partners thrive in the connected digital economy. We create business advantage for our customers by providing actionable insight to support their business planning, product development and go-to-market initiatives.

For more information about Ovum, please contact them at ovum.informa.com/contact/contact-us

About Crownpeak

Crownpeak provides the leading, enterprise-grade, cloud-first Digital Experience Management (DXM) platform. The Crownpeak DXM platform empowers Fortune 2000 companies to quickly and easily create, deploy and optimize customer experiences across global digital touchpoints at scale. Besides featuring content management, personalization, search, and hosting, it is the only digital experience platform that includes built-in Digital Quality Management (DQM) to ensure brand integrity, best practices, and web accessibility compliance. In 2017, Crownpeak acquired Evidon, the leading provider of simple technical solutions to complex digital Governance, Risk Compliance (GRC) challenges. These solutions including the Universal Consent Platform and TagControl, are designed to help companies comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and other new country and state privacy regulations.

For more information please visit: crownpeak.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005650/en/

Contacts:

Press contact:

Jane Wilson

GingerMay PR

jane.wilson@teamgingermay.com

+44 (0) 203 642 1124
NEW YORK, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The demand for laser warning systems is on a linear trend with the imminent laser threat from economies such as North Korea, Russia, China, and some of the Middle Eastern countries. Developments in electronic warfare products and the rising demand for detection, surveillance and other applications are driving the growth of the global laser warning system market.

Growing military expenditure and investments by countries are creating opportunities for the installation of laser warning systems on military aircrafts, helicopters, naval ships, warships, and military tanks. The growth of laser warning systems is positively impacted by the production of electronic products related to detection applications. The global market for laser warning system has witnessed significant advancements in 2018, reaching the valuation of US$ 454 Mn.

Manufacturers of laser warning systems are globally limited to the target marketplace, which is the defence sector, and hence the competition is strongly stacked among the key players. Manufacturers are concentrating on acquiring new orders for the installation of laser warning systems. New orders and investments related to military aircraft are expected to be the key driving factors for the growth of the global laser warning system market.

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Segmentation Highlights - Global Laser Warning System Market

On the basis of number of sensors, laser warning systems with 3 or 4 sensors is anticipated to remain the leading segment in terms of global market share, and reach over a 73% share by the end of 2028.

On the basis of end user, the air force segment is anticipated to be a prominent segment in the global laser warning system market, accounting for more than 75% of the total market value by the end of 2028.

In 2018, Europe and North America are pegged to be attractive regions in the laser warning system market, accounting for more than 58% of the global market share.

Request a TOC of Report: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/13213

Swelling demand for 3 or 4 sensor type laser warning systems is anticipated to impact leading manufacturers to initiate production bases for electronic warfare products in developing nations to further strengthen their businesses. ELBIT SYSTEMS LTD, Saab Group, Thales Group, BAE Systems, Leonardo S.p.A., and Collins Aerospace are some of the key players operating in the global laser warning system market. The global laser warning system market is structured and the leading players account for nearly three-fourths of the market share.

Long-term Outlook: In terms of market value, the global laser warning system market is projected to register a 5.8% CAGR during the forecast period and create an absolute $ opportunity worth US$ 345.1 Mn. During the forecast period, Europe, North America and East Asia are likely to witness high adoption of laser warning systems and register CAGRs higher than 6.0%.

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DETROIT, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Stratview Research announces the launch of a new research report on Electric Drive Module (eDM) Market by Powertrain Type (Battery Electric Vehicles and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles), by Vehicle Type (Light Vehicles and Medium- and Heavy-Duty Commercial Vehicles), by Peak Power Type (<150 kW and >150 kW), and by Region (Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific), Trend, Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2019-2025.

This market report, from Stratview Research, studies electric drive module market in the global automotive industry over the trend and forecast period of 2013 to 2018 and 2019 to 2025, respectively. The report provides detailed insights on the market dynamics to enable informed business decision making and growth strategy formulation based on the opportunities present in the market.

Electric Drive Module (eDM) Market: Research Highlights

This decade is proving to be the most disruptive for the automotive industry with key trends, such as alternative vehicles, autonomous vehicles, shared vehicles, and connected vehicles, primarily transforming the industry. Among all, alternative vehicles, especially electric vehicles, earned the most traction in the industry, owing to their zero-emission feature. The sheer interest of non-automotive companies, such as Google and Apple, for the development of electric vehicles further augments its positive outlook in the coming years.

To make electric vehicle a more viable option for customers, automakers have rigorously been working on the development of efficient infrastructure, supply chain as well as high-performance and cost-effective components. Among many developments, one of the most promising one is the development of electric drive module (eDM). Electric vehicle powertrain has significantly evolved in the past few years, as researchers and manufacturers in the industry are paying significant attention and interest in the development of efficient powertrain solution for electric vehicles.

Electric drive module offers a compact, highly integrated, and an all-in-one solution for the electric vehicle powertrain. The three main components (electric motor, power electronics, and transmission) of an electric powertrain are integrated into a single module in order to deliver improved performance and omit many components, such as connectors, cables, and hydraulic connections.

Register here for a detailed TOC of the report

As per Stratview Research, the electric drive module market is a multi-million-dollar business today and is estimated to grow multi folds over the next seven years to reach US$ 10.7 billion in 2025. The expected journey of eDM from the current multi-million-dollar business to two-digit billion-dollar opportunity is primarily propelled by a magnificent growth in the demand for electric vehicles, owing to increasing adoption of over ICE vehicles, coupled with superior benefits of eDMs. This integrated system delivers high power-to-size ratio, excellent cost effectiveness, high system efficiency, excellent durability, and weight savings. It is a suitable claimant addressing the challenge of procuring individual components from a different supplier and further assembling of each component in the electric vehicle.

Based on the powertrain type, BEVs are likely to remain the growth engine of the market during the forecast period. Increasing production of BEVs, especially from Tesla and Nissan, and entry of other new start-ups and existing OEMs in the BEV segment are the major factors propelling the demand for eDMs in the segment. Increasing penetration of eDMs and recent advancements, such as development of 5th generation electric powertrain by BMW, are likely to drive the market in the PHEV segment during the same period.

Based on the peak power type, the eDM market is segmented into <150 KW and >150 KW.>150 kW type is projected to remain the more dominant segment over the next five years, whereas <150 kW type is expected to witness higher growth over the same period. >150 kW-based eDM currently founds usage in all the models of Tesla. Expected penetration of eDMs in MHCVs is further likely to boost the demand for >150 kW-based EDM in the future.

Register here for a free sample of the detailed report

In terms of region, the Americas is projected to remain the largest market for eDMs during the forecast period. The USA is likely to remain the growth engine of the region's market, owing to the presence of assembly house of major electric vehicle OEMs, such as Tesla and Nissan, stringent emission standards from the regulatory bodies, and increasing penetration of electric vehicles.

At present, EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) is the second-largest market for eDMs. The UK and Germany are the two major contributors in the EMEA's eDM market, owing to the presence of major auto OEMs and significant investment towards research & development to enhance electric powertrain. However, Asia-Pacific is expected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period, owing to increasing adoption of electric vehicles in the economies, such as China, Japan, and South Korea, to curb fuel emission as well as target exports.

Key players in the eDM market are Tesla Inc., Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., BorgWarner Inc., Continental AG, Magna International, Inc., GKN Driveline, Robert Bosch GmbH, and Siemens AG. Development of compact design and closely working with EV OEMs are some of the strategies adopted by the key 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 eDm market in the global automotive industry and has segmented the market in four ways, keeping in mind the interest of all the stakeholders across the value chain. Following are the four ways in which the market is segmented:

Electric Drive Module Market, By Powertrain Type

Battery Electric Vehicle (Regional Analysis: Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific )

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (Regional Analysis: Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific )

Electric Drive Module Market, By Vehicle Type

Light Duty Vehicle (Regional Analysis: Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific )

Medium & Heavy-Duty Vehicle (Regional Analysis: Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific )

Electric Drive Module Market, By Peak Power Type

Less than 150 kW (Regional Analysis: Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific )

More than 150 kW (Regional Analysis: Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific )

Electric Drive Module Market, By Region

The Americas (Country Analysis: The USA and Rest of the Americas)

Europe , Middle East , and Africa (EMEA) (Country Analysis: the UK, Germany , and Rest of EMEA)

, , and (EMEA) Asia-Pacific (Country Analysis: China , Japan , and Rest of Asia-Pacific )

Stratview Research has several high value market reports in the global automotive industry. Please refer to the following link to browse through our reports:

Click Here for Other Reports from Stratview Research in the Automotive Industry

Some of our other premium reports in the automotive industry:

Automotive Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) System Market by Vehicle Type, by Catalyst Type, by Catalyst Structure Type, and by Region, Trend, Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2018-2023

Automotive Engine Cover Market by Vehicle Type, by Material Type, by Manufacturing Process Type, and by Region, Trend, Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2018-2023

About Stratview Research

Stratview Research is a global market intelligence firm providing wide range of services including syndicated market reports, custom research and sourcing intelligence across industries, such as Advanced Materials, Aerospace & Defense, Automotive & Mass Transportation, Consumer Goods, Construction & Equipment, Electronics and Semiconductors, Energy & Utility, Healthcare & Life Sciences, and Oil & Gas.

We have a strong team of industry veterans and analysts with an extensive experience in executing custom research projects for mid-sized to Fortune 500 companies, in the areas of Market Assessment, Opportunity Screening, Competitive Intelligence, Due Diligence, Target Screening, Market Entry Strategy, Go to Market Strategy, and Voice of Customer studies.

Stratview Research is a trusted brand globally, providing high quality research and strategic insights that help companies worldwide in effective decision making.

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AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Constellium N.V. (NYSE: CSTM) will host a conference call and webcast on Wednesday, April 24 at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Daylight Time) to announce its first quarter 2019 results. The press release will be sent before market opening.



The conference call will be hosted by Jean-Marc Germain, Chief Executive Officer, and Peter Matt, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

Details of the conference call, webcast and accompanying presentation will be available on the Constellium Investor Relations page at:

https://www.constellium.com/financial-results-presentations

The webcast can be accessed live at:

https://edge.media-server.com/m6/p/e9qdxntc

To participate by telephone, please dial the following number and enter access code 9078647 to be connected to the Constellium earnings call:

USA: 1 866 394 7514

France: 0 805 081 488

Germany: 0 800 181 5287

Switzerland: 0 800 836 508

United Kingdom: 0 800 028 8438

Other: 1 409 350 3597

An archived recording of the conference call will also be available at www.constellium.com for three weeks.

About Constellium

Constellium (NYSE: CSTM) is a global sector leader that develops innovative, value added aluminium products for a broad scope of markets and applications, including aerospace, automotive and packaging. Constellium generated 5.7 billion of revenue in 2018.

www.constellium.com ?

Ryan Wentling - Investor Relations

Phone: +1

Delphine Dahan-Kocher - Communications

Phone: +1
Pentair Energy Efficient Pool Pumps Have Helped Consumers Save $1.9 Billion Since 2007

Pentair is proud to announce that it received the 2019 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence Award for continued leadership and superior contributions to ENERGY STAR. This honor marks the sixth year that Pentair has garnered recognition for its continued leadership in protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency achievements. Pentair's accomplishments will be recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on April 11, 2019.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005314/en/

Pentair's energy efficient pool pumps help conserve energy resources. (Graphic: Business Wire)

Since 2007, Pentair's pool pumps have helped U.S. consumers save $1.9 billion in operating costs, which translates into 18 billion kilowatt hours of energy saved.* The kilowatt energy savings helped prevent the release of 14.0 million tons of carbon dioxide, which is the equivalent of 31.1 billion car-driven miles.**

"Pentair's introduction of variable speed pump technology to the pool industry more than a decade ago illustrates our ongoing commitment to deliver smart, sustainable water solutions to our customers," said Jerome Pedretti, Senior Vice President, Pentair Aquatic Systems. "We are proud to be recognized as an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year, and to be the only manufacturer in our industry to achieve the Sustained Excellence designation."

In addition to its ENERGY STAR-rated pool pumps, Pentair offers smart, sustainable solutions to help pool owners conserve energy and water resources including automated controls, heaters and lighting products. Homeowners can learn more about Pentair's energy-efficient offerings, its rebate program for select ENERGY STAR certified models, and also find helpful ENERGY STAR resources at Pentair.com/energystar.

"For the approximately five million homes in the U.S. with an in-ground swimming pool, the traditional single speed pool pump is one of the top three energy-using appliances in the home," continued Pedretti. "Pentair's variable speed pool pumps help conserve energy resources and reduce energy costs, providing pool owners with peace of mind so that they can enjoy their pools with friends and family."

The highest honor among ENERGY STAR Awards is the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year-Sustained Excellence Award. EPA presents the Sustained Excellence Award to partners that have already received ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year recognition for a minimum of two consecutive years and have gone above and beyond the criteria needed to qualify for recognition. Winners hail from small, family-owned businesses to Fortune 500 organizations representing energy-efficient products, services, new homes, and buildings in the commercial, industrial, and public sectors.

To qualify for the voluntary ENERGY STAR certification, pool pumps must be at least 30-72 percent more energy efficient than typical pumps. Starting July 2021, pool equipment makers will be required to meet the U.S. Department of Energy's new energy conservation standards for dedicated-purpose pool pumps. Pentair's ENERGY STAR-certified variable speed pumps currently meet this standard.

For a complete list of 2019 winners and more information about ENERGY STAR's awards program, visit energystar.gov/awardwinners.

*Savings are based on a weighted average annual kWh savings from the Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE) at $0.11 kWh. Individual Weighted Energy Factor (WEF) scores and savings may vary by model. For more information regarding the energy efficiency features of current Pentair pool pump offerings, including WEF scores, please visit Pentair.com/energystar.

**Source: EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator: https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator

ABOUT PENTAIR

At Pentair, we believe the health of our world depends on reliable access to clean water. We deliver a comprehensive range of smart, sustainable water solutions to homes, business and industry around the world. Our industry leading and proven portfolio of solutions enables our customers to access clean, safe water. Whether it's improving, moving or enjoying water, we help manage the world's most precious resource. Smart, Sustainable Water Solutions. For Life.

Pentair had revenue in 2018 of $3 billion, and trades under the ticker symbol PNR. With approximately 130 locations in 34 countries and 10,000 employees, we believe that the future of water depends on us. To learn more, visit Pentair.com.

About ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR is the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, providing simple, credible, and unbiased information that consumers and businesses rely on to make well-informed decisions. Thousands of industrial, commercial, utility, state, and local organizations-including more than 40 percent of the Fortune 500-rely on their partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to deliver cost-saving energy efficiency solutions. Since 1992, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped save American families and businesses nearly 4 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity and achieve over 3 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions. In 2017 alone, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped Americans avoid $30 billion in energy costs. More background information about ENERGY STAR can be found at: energystar.gov/about and energystar.gov/numbers.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005314/en/

Contacts:

Rebecca Osborn

Pentair Communications

T: 763.656.5589

E: rebecca.osborn@pentair.com
In an Interview with CEOCFO, LifeForceIQ Founder David Weinstein Explains His Quest to Bring People Happier, Healthier Lives.

BACO RATON, FL / ACCESSWIRE / April 9, 2019 / CEOCFO Magazine, an independent investment publication that highlights important technologies and companies, today released an interview with David Weinstein, the co-founder of a groundbreaking company, LifeForceIQ, that helps people live far healthier and happier lives.

Weinstein is a successful investment banker, entrepreneur, and business executive. But as he told CEOCFO's Bud Wayne, he and his wife, Leidy, realized that 'we live in a toxic cesspool of electromagnetic pollution, contaminated food supplies, a population that is generally sedentary, obese and plagued by chronic diseases that did not exist a hundred years ago.' he said.

He and Leidy wanted something better. 'We decided it was time to get out there and change things,' Weinstein said. 'Our goal is to advance self-care as the new healthcare.'

The couple began to grow their own vegetables and went completely organic. Leidy plunged into body sculpting, dropping more than 100 pounds and winning the Bikini Body Sculpting Competition in Florida. Meanwhile, David discovered new technologies and approaches that can not just keep people healthy, but also reverse aging.

Most important, David and Leidy founded LifeForceIQ to bring these ideas to others. 'We started LifeForceIQ to empower people with the best available products and rituals to have a long, healthy and inspired life,' Weinstein said. 'Longevity without health is basically a prison sentence.'

The LifeForce approach is aimed at improving a person's physique and vitality, increasing their mental clarity, promoting better sleep and recovery, and reducing stress and boosting tranquility.

Weinstein described several of the technologies to CEOCFO. One is Kaatsu, a Japanese-developed system for using pneumatic bands to modify the flow of blood in the body. 'There is clinical data that shows Kaatsu increases human growth hormone. There is also clinical data on increased muscle size and a lot of physiological effects.' said Weinstein.

Another is a method of breathing higher levels of oxygen during exercise called LiveO2. 'Every man's version of a bariatric chamber,' Weinstein explained. 'What it does is super-saturate the body with oxygen.' That opens up blood vessels, helping to heal injuries and remove toxins.

Discovering the science and principles of LifeForceIQ has made an enormous difference in the Weinsteins' own lives, said Weinstein. 'We are in the business of building a community of people to take control of their health, longevity and performance with self-care.'

Contact:

Bud Wayne

Editorial Executive

CEOCFO Magazine

570-851-1745

budwayne@ceocfomagazine.com

SOURCE: CEOCFO Magazine

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/541402/CEOCFO-Magazine-Explores-How-to-Take-Back-Control-of-Your-Health-With-LifeForceIQ
Photo: The Canadian Press Jim Carr, Minister of International Trade Diversification

The federal government's long-awaited announcement Monday of a watchdog to enforce responsible conduct by Canadian companies operating abroad was greeted with disappointment by human-rights advocates.

The condemnation was sparked by a decision from International Trade Minister Jim Carr to consult further on the powers of the new "Canadian ombudsperson for responsible enterprise"  a legal review that he said could extend into early June.

That means the fate of the new office will be left to the waning days of the final sitting of Parliament prior to the October federal election. The Liberals promised to create this position as part of their 2015 campaign platform.

At issue is whether the new ombudsperson Sheri Meyerhoffer, a lawyer with a long record in business and international development, can compel reluctant companies to co-operate with her investigations into whether their conduct violated the human rights of local populations and to follow recommendations she makes.

Carr said he wants independent legal advice on how best to give Meyerhoffer the power to make companies disclose documents and answer questions.

The review will include an assessment of "the appropriateness of the Inquiries Act as a tool" to give Meyerhoffer the power to "compel witnesses and documents."

Her appointment as the new ombudsperson is intended to be a substantive upgrade to the current "corporate responsibility counsellor," an office widely criticized as a toothless entity for dealing with misconduct complaints against Canadian companies, mainly in the mining industry.

Alex Neve, the head of Amnesty international Canada, welcomed Meyerhoffer's appointment but said it's disappointing the government still hasn't defined her powers some 15 months after announcing the creation the position.

"We do not yet have clarity that she's going to have the power that will truly make her office stronger and different from what we have had in the past," Neve said in an interview. "It's disappointing this has not all come together at the same time."

The Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability said the government failed Monday to appoint an ombudsperson with real powers.

"Fifteen months into this process, news of a review is outrageous. We don't need more studies. We need action," said Emily Dwyer of the network.

Carr said Meyerhoffer's new office will focus on the mining, oil-and-gas and garment sectors, but that her mandate will quickly expand.

Meyerhoffer wouldn't speculate on how her office would've handled the current SNC-Lavalin controversy, which involves criminal charges against the Montreal engineering company for allegedly using bribery to win work in Libya.

However, her broad view is that bribery as a business tool is simply not acceptable, regardless of the context.

"I've worked in jurisdictions where it's difficult. I understand that culture. But just because everyone else is doing it doesn't mean we also need to do it, and Canada's brand is ... we follow international norms," said Meyerhoffer.

Liberal MP John McKay welcomed the forward momentum on an issue he has championed in Parliament for a decade. McKay described how his past attempt to pass his private member's bill on corporate social responsibility for Canadian resource and energy firms was thwarted by fellow Liberals who voted against Bill C-300 in 2010.

"We fought it all the way through various stages of Parliament, and ultimately lost on the floor of the House by six votes," McKay recalled. "Apparently there was a outbreak of diplomatic flu at the time, or a urgent call to the washroom, not yet quite determined which."
Charles Taylor plc ("the Company")

Annual Report and Accounts 2018 and Notice of 2019 Annual General Meeting

The Company has today published the following documents on its website at www.ctplc.com:

The Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2018; and

Notice of 2019 Annual General Meeting.

This follows the release of its unaudited results for the year ended 31 December 2018 on 13 March 2019.

The Company will hold its 2019 Annual General Meeting (AGM) at 10.00 am on Wednesday, 8 May 2019 at The Minster Building, 21 Mincing Lane, London EC3R 7AG.

In accordance with Listing Rule 9.6.1R, copies of these documents, together with a copy of the Proxy Form for the 2019 AGM, will shortly be available for inspection via the National Storage Mechanism at www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/NSM.

The Company's preliminary consolidated financial information and information on important events that occurred during the year, and their impact on the accounts were included in the Company's preliminary results announcement on 13 March 2019. That information, together with the information set out below, which is extracted from the Annual Report and Accounts 2018, constitute regulated information, which is to be communicated to the media in full unedited text through a Regulatory Information Service in accordance with the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules ("DTR"), Rule 6.3.5R. This announcement is not a substitute for reading the full Annual Report and Accounts 2018. Page and note references in the text below refer to page numbers and note references in the Annual Report and Accounts 2018. To view the preliminary results announcement, visit the Company's website: www.ctplc.com.

For further information please contact:

Robert Davison - Group Company Secretary - 020 7680 5666

Chisom Onita - Group Deputy Company Secretary - 020 7522 7437

Charles Taylor plc

9 April 2019

Our Principal Risks

What is the risk? What is the potential impact if the risk is not managed? How do we manage it? Business Risks 1. Delivery of growth initiatives Risk that the business does not deliver planned sustainable and profitable growth in its business plan.

> There are external and internal drivers for the Group to achieve sustainable and profitable growth. The Group invests in a range of growth initiatives including the diversification of the Claims Services business and the growth of InsureTech. > Any investment in growth has some risk of failure, and such a failure might lead to a loss of investment or reputational damage.

> Potential consequences include negative changes to shareholder or client perceptions and challenges in recruiting or retaining high-quality staff. > The Board sets the overall strategic direction for the Group, approves priorities for the year ahead, together with major initiatives, and regularly

reviews progress against plans.

> The Group's business plan includes a broad range of growth initiatives that reduces the impact of failure of any one initiative.

> Robust business plans for each business unit are developed and actively monitored and managed. A small number of the Group-wide organic growth initiatives are typically pursued at any one time and are subject to business case approval.

> Thorough due diligence on a target or potential joint venture partner is conducted prior to commitment. Acquisitions and joint ventures are monitored against initial projections regularly during the year.

> Group ExCo meetings include updates from key businesses on progress against Group priorities. The Group CEO and business leaders monitor

progress on key initiatives and performance versus plan through the Quarterly Performance Review and monthly financial reporting processes. 2. Business concentration Risk of loss or diminution of business from any of the Group's key clients responsible for a significant proportion of revenue.

> A few key longstanding mutual clients are responsible for a significant proportion of Group revenues. In addition, across the Group's other businesses there are a number of other important global clients who use multiple services. InsureTech, at this stage of its development, is also reliant on a small number of material projects and clients.

> Where key clients are limited in number, they may react negatively where competitors are preferred by us or where we provide services to a competitor. > The loss of any major client would have a negative financial impact on the Group that may include direct loss of revenue and potential knock-on cost efficiency implications for the remaining business. > Management of our mutual clients involves long-term relationships with deep connections between the manager and the mutual, mainly through the mutual's board. We invest significant senior time and resource to ensure that we maintain the standards of service that these important clients expect. Our multiple interactions with the client boards and with the mutuals' members provide opportunities to identify and address satisfactorily any potential issues, whether of service, conflict or otherwise, at an early stage.

> Diversification of the business and the client base is a key strategic objective of the Group. This has been achieved through various acquisitions over the past few years and the expansion of the Claims Services business. We have completed, and will continue to consider, organic growth initiatives and targeted acquisitions to further diversify our sources of revenue.

> A structured client relationship programme is in place for our most important non-mutual clients with nominated Charles Taylor senior executives leading on each one. Senior management of the relevant Charles Taylor businesses continue to build relationships with senior executives of our non-mutual clients and progress is reviewed regularly at the Group ExCo.

> Senior management takes responsibility for ensuring that high standards of service can be set for new clients and ventures without reducing the

quality of existing commitments. 3. Failure to provide committed service Risk that staff may be unable to provide the work product agreed with clients or the agreed level of service to them.

> The Group has many business units and locations. The needs of business development can make additional demands on key staff outside their day-to-day job specification.

> As a result, there is a risk that we could fail to provide the service product that we are committed to provide or to properly manage all parts of our business. > Failing to meet the high standards our clients demand in the delivery of our services could expose us to the loss of clients or claims for damages. It could also expose the Group and our clients to reputational damage which could adversely affect our competitive position. > Business unit CEOs are responsible for service delivery in their business and report to the Group CEO. Reporting lines in each key business help ensure accountability for service delivery and timely escalation of issues.

> Our Management Services clients monitor service levels through their boards and corporate governance processes. The long-term relationships and deep connections we have with them enable any potential issues to be identified and addressed in a timely manner. The Group's key clients are

supported by dedicated teams focused on client service, performance and prompt action to address issues as required.

> Contracts are in place with our major clients and standard terms and conditions, and disclaimers where appropriate, are used across our businesses.

> Periodic client surveys provide important feedback to senior management and careful business planning, performance management and peer review reduce this risk further.

> The Group constitutes incident response teams to deal with emergency situations with participants dependent on the nature of the incident. Crisis management and business continuity plans are in the process of being enhanced.

> We maintain professional indemnity insurance to mitigate the financial impact should we suffer a claim against the Group. 4. Material errors Risk of material mistakes from process, HR, IT, Compliance, Legal or other areas leading to costs to the Group; and the risk of incurring extra costs to mitigate the risk of mistakes.

> Our business is complex, operates in many countries and offers a diverse range of services.

> As a result, we are reliant on strong processes and highly

competent staff across the business.

> As the business grows, the costs of controlling our business units to avoid errors increase. > There is the potential for an ongoing extra cost burden across the Group to control our operations.

> In the event of a serious error, there is the risk of directly incurring costs to address the situation or of our clients or other third parties

seeking to recover their costs from the Group. > Business leaders are responsible for service, compliance with policies and avoidance of errors. Monthly Group ExCo and senior business management meetings review client, operational and financial performance.

> The Group's processes require that all material client contracts are reviewed by the Group's lawyers or senior managers and standard terms and conditions and appropriate protections are incorporated where possible.

> A number of business areas have formal peer review processes. Major businesses have Risk Officers and regularly review their risks and issues. Internal Audit has a programme of planned reviews covering a number of business areas.

> The Group has a comprehensive insurance programme to cover its main insurable risks. 5. Staff-related risks The risk that issues relating to staff impact our ability to operate one or more of our businesses, or to execute one or more growth

initiatives.

> As a predominantly professional services business which relies on the skill and expertise of its people, the Group faces various staff-related risks. These include the failure to attract and retain

suitable personnel and risks that they do not perform their duties as required. > Such risks could damage our ability to manage the business

effectively. Loss of key staff could impact service levels and might lead to loss of revenue or clients. > We aim to attract and retain high-quality staff by providing competitive remuneration and benefits packages and offering training and career development.

> Our working conditions and recruitment processes are carefully planned and implemented, and our procedures are reviewed regularly.

> The implementation of the Group HR strategy continues to improve the control environment through enhancements to compensation, talent management, learning and development and succession planning.

> Resourcing levels are monitored on an ongoing basis by line management, business unit leadership and HR business partners.

> Our annual employee engagement survey of all staff is used to identify issues and understand drivers of satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Business unit level results are made available to the leadership team of each business unit, which then formulates an action plan based on the findings. Financial Risks 6. High fixed cost/operational leverage Risk of a material fall in revenues not being matched by a reduction in costs resulting in a negative impact on earnings, or that revenue

growth lags investment in new or additional resources. > There is a risk that the Group's underlying profitability is negatively impacted, resulting in negative investor sentiment. The nature of the

Group's cost base makes this risk inherent to some extent in doing business. > We have clearly defined procedures for the management and monitoring of financial risks. We have relevant performance indicators in place which

are monitored regularly at business unit, Executive Committee and Board level.

> Senior management continues to focus on containing/reducing costs and making the cost base more flexible. For example, this is achieved through its purchasing of services and remuneration structures, without adversely affecting the delivery of services or opportunities for growth.

> A detailed annual budgeting and monthly performance review process is in place covering revenues and expenses. Quarterly performance reviews

are held with businesses, which includes monitoring of investment in resources relative to revenue generated for major growth activities.

> Investments that result in increased costs are subject to business case approval. Where investments are not generating the revenues anticipated in the business case, action is taken to reduce costs where appropriate.

> Programmes of work are being implemented to centralise and standardise financial control processes.

> Team utilisation is managed and, where possible, people are reallocated to more productive areas as required. 7. Breach of banking obligations The risk of a breach of banking obligations resulting in the Group's access to required loan facilities being restricted in some way.

> The Group maintains banking facilities on market standard terms to maintain an efficient capital structure and access working capital funds.

> Our banking facility agreements contain a range of standard covenants and other obligations. > In the event of a breach of covenant or conduct restrictions, the banking facilities might be withdrawn, not renewed, or renegotiated

on disadvantageous terms.

> If the Group's financing performance deteriorates, financing may not be secured for amounts outstanding when a facility expires. > The funding position has been maintained at appropriate levels as the Group has grown, providing financial flexibility and covenant headroom. We

manage working capital and monitor relevant performance indicators to identify and take appropriate steps to mitigate the risk. Covenant compliance is reviewed and monitored by the Finance Committee and reported to the Board.

> When considering acquisitions, our typical approach is to offer a proportion of the consideration on completion, with a proportion deferred and

contingent on performance. This mitigates the cash flow impact of the acquisition and reduces the risk of the overall transaction being less financially advantageous than originally assessed. The risk reward profile of new investments and other uses of cash are considered carefully by management.

> Cash flow forecasts are updated quarterly to project the future funding requirements and headroom against banking facilities and covenants. Monthly reports covering financial performance versus plans include analysis of financial covenant compliance.

> External auditors review the Group's compliance with financial covenants on a six-monthly basis. 8. Significant increase in liability to fund defined benefit pension schemes The risk that outstanding pension scheme deficits need to be funded within a short timescale, requiring an increase in Charles Taylor's contributions, and thus weakening our balance sheet. > The Company has four defined benefit pension schemes and of these the two largest ones have funding deficits. In the event that

this risk crystallises it is likely to negatively impact the Group's financial resources. > Each of the defined benefit pension schemes are closed to new members. The largest scheme has been closed to future accruals.

> There is regular dialogue between the trustees, their investment managers and senior management covering investment policy and assessment of asset and liability risks.

> The financial position of the Group's defined benefit pension schemes is regularly monitored. The size of any deficit is not a direct indicator of risk to the Group, which is driven primarily by its ability to meet future pension payment obligations as and when they become due.

> We maintain close working relationships with trustees with at least twice-yearly presentations/meetings. We have strengthened the control

environment in relation to this risk and we monitor pension regulations to ensure compliance with the latest requirements. Legal and Regulatory Risks 9. Material breach of legal and regulatory obligations Risk of non-compliance with national or international legal and regulatory requirements.

> The Group has to comply with a wide range of legal and regulatory requirements across its various businesses. It also has an indirect obligation to ensure its mutual clients comply with their legal and

regulatory requirements.

> Legal and regulatory frameworks are continually evolving in various areas which impacts our own and our clients' regulated businesses. > Breach of these requirements could affect adversely the Group's

relationships with regulators and clients and expose us to additional risks, including reputational damage, financial penalties or the withdrawal of the regulatory approvals we require to conduct

our business. > The ARCC and the GAC monitor compliance activities and provide challenge and recommendations where appropriate. This includes ensuring that the Group's regulated entities continue to meet relevant regulatory requirements.

> The Group regularly reviews its policies and procedures in relation to regulatory matters and to ensure that appropriate training is in place.

> Where there are specific regulatory changes, Group-wide projects and working groups are set up to identify and implement internal changes required.

> The Legal, Compliance and Risk functions across the Group have been further enhanced in 2018. Minimum set risk management requirements are in place with which key business areas need to comply.

> Internal Audit and our external auditor test compliance with the controls put in place to protect against legal and regulatory risks. These efforts are supplemented by additional external advisory resources where appropriate.

> The Group's processes require that all material client contracts are reviewed by the Group's lawyers or senior managers. Client teams have service-level agreements to set expectations and reduce the risk of contractual dispute. Externally-driven Risks 10. External events impacting the Group's business model The risk that external events which are unanticipated have an adverse effect on the businesses of Charles Taylor.

> This risk could crystallise suddenly or gradually. Examples include: consolidation of clients, new entrants/competitors in key markets, tax changes, and geo-political and macro-economic events.

> The Group's exposure to political and economic risk has increased with its growing presence in LatAm - there are mitigating controls and structures in place, and this overall exposure is manageable in the context of the overall Group. > In the event that this risk crystallises it may negatively impact the markets in which the Group operates. It may also impact the Group's key clients which in turn could have a knock-on impact on

our financial performance. > The Group has a diversified business model spanning a broad range of services, geographies and sectors. This allows it to spread the risk of the impact of an external event on one area of the business.

> The Group actively monitors market changes, trends and potential risks to its various businesses. Each business carries out a review of potential

internal and external risks annually, and this is reflected within its business plan. The Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee reviews current and emerging risks across the Group, and the controls for each, annually.

> The Group, on its own behalf and on behalf of its managed clients, has assessed the impact of the UK's exit from the EU and key business areas are executing plans to deal with potential Brexit outcomes. A Brexit Working Group spanning all relevant businesses and Group functions has been in

place throughout 2018 and reports to the Group Assurance Committee and Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee. Businesses have plans in place for potential Brexit outcomes.

> The Group constitutes incident response teams to deal with emergency situations with participants dependent on the nature of the incident.

However, although the risk of external events occurring is generally inevitable, in many scenarios there is likely to be warning and time to plan. 11. Cyber risk Risk of financial loss or other detrimental impact due to an attack by an external agent on Charles Taylor's technology systems.

> Three broad types of external attack are:

- An attack which disrupts service and access to systems;

- A "phishing" attack that may be aimed at committing fraud; and

- A hacking attack to obtain and/or modify the underlying data. > Cyber-attacks that result in a loss have the potential for financial, regulatory and reputational impacts. > The Group's main business areas have various controls in place to mitigate its exposure to cyber risk. These include:

- Information security controls covering email, system access, external compromise, security testing, data, technology resilience and external

accreditation.

- Operational controls include refining of business continuity plans, disaster recovery and incident response teams convened to respond to major

incidents including cyber breaches.

- Finance payments processes controls covering set-up, review and approval of payments.

- Staff-related controls including education, awareness and behavioural elements of cyber risk and phishing attacks.

- Compliance and risk controls covering the application of the Group risk management model, cyber insurance and cyber incident notification and

risk review. Preparing for Brexit

In common with all UK businesses, Charles Taylor has had to prepare for the potential outcomes of the Brexit negotiations. We are a global provider of professional services and technology solutions to the global insurance market, and our business model interacts with all stages in the insurance value chain. Brexit is a challenge that is faced by every sector in the UK and, as insurance specialists, with substantial experience responding to regulatory, political and economic change, we are well positioned to support both our own businesses and those of our clients in reacting to the potential outcomes of the government negotiations.



In 2017, we established a Brexit Working Group with representatives of each business and our central support functions such as HR, Legal, Compliance, Finance and IT. The purpose of the Group is to identify and plan for potential exposures to a negotiated settlement and transition period or to a "no-deal" scenario. This has required constant reassessment as varied outcomes have been considered during the UK/EU negotiations. As a result of this process, we are confident that we have the information and plans to respond appropriately to any outcome.

Potential impact on Charles Taylor

As a global business, the majority of our operations will not be affected.



While the ultimate outcome of the Brexit negotiations is still far from clear, following extensive planning work by the Company, we believe we are well placed to meet the demands of Brexit. We do not believe that our revenues or potential for profits will suffer any material negative impact due to Brexit. Moreover, our clients are seeking solutions for their Brexit plans and will rely on specialists with technical and specialist knowledge together with a global network to support them through this. We see this as a potential opportunity as the outcome of the Brexit negotiations becomes clear.



Charles Taylor Claims Services

Charles Taylor already operates Claims Services businesses in several EU jurisdictions other than the UK, including France, Italy, Greece and Spain. To supplement this, we have established a new legal entity in Ireland. Our network of entities and Claims Services teams will enable us to continue to support client business that migrates from the UK to other EU jurisdictions due to a loss of passporting rights. We believe that any such loss of client passporting rights would have a very limited negative effect on our Claims Services business.



Charles Taylor Insurance Management

One of our major insurance management clients with a UK-regulated insurance entity has decided to write some of this business from an EU carrier in another jurisdiction. On behalf of our client, we have established a regulated insurer in Ireland (as well as a Charles Taylor service company) to support this move and enable continuity of business for our client and for Charles Taylor. This included obtaining the required regulatory approvals, recruiting the local team and establishing the required operational procedures. There is minimal impact on our investment management, captive management and life insurance management businesses as the vast majority of this business does not relate to the EU.



Charles Taylor InsureTech

Current and future non-UK EU clients can be served via our existing EU entities. All software solutions are compatible with EU requirements. Data held on cloud-based servers in the EU should be easily migrated to alternative jurisdictions where required and a plan to do so is in place if required.



By functional area

Legal: Our material contracts have been reviewed; any potential issues have been identified and assessed for the potential for cancellation, reduction of revenue and income together with data protection issues.



People: A detailed assessment has been carried out to identify EU nationals working in the UK and UK nationals working in the EU. We identified fewer than 100 such individuals and are supporting them through their settlement/pre-settlement status applications, should this be necessary. We have agreed arrangements to limit travel to and from the UK at the end of March in order that staff are not hampered on their travels due to a "no-deal" outcome.



IT/data: We have a plan and timetable in place to ensure there is no loss of service or access to data in the event of a "no-deal" outcome. Charles Taylor is GDPR compliant and has identified options for EU-UK transfer post-Brexit if required.

Related Party Transactions

Balances and transactions between the Company and its subsidiaries, which are related parties, have been eliminated on consolidation and are not disclosed in this note 33.

Transactions with the associate undertaking including amounts due from and owed to the undertaking are disclosed in notes 18, 21 and 22.

Transactions and balances with the Charles Taylor Employee Share Ownership Trust are shown in the note below the Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity.

The remuneration of Directors is disclosed in the Directors' Remuneration Report. The remuneration of key management personnel is disclosed in note 7. Certain employees of the Group are members of one of the four defined benefit schemes operated by the Group, of which details are given in note 32.

Directors' Responsibilities Statement

The Directors are responsible for preparing the Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulation.

Company law requires the Directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law, the Directors have prepared the Group and the Company's financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) as adopted by the European Union. Under company law, the Directors must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Group and the Company and of the profit or loss of the Group and the Company for that period. In preparing the financial statements, the Directors are required to:

> select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

> state whether applicable IFRSs as adopted by the European Union have been followed for the Group's and the Company's financial statements, subject to any material departures that are disclosed and explained in those financial statements;

> make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent; and

> prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Group and the Company will continue in business.

The Directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the Group's and Company's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Group and Company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements and the Directors' Remuneration Report comply with the Companies Act 2006 and, as regards the Group financial statements, Article 4 of the

IAS Regulation.

The Directors are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Group and the Company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The Directors are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the Group's and the Company's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

The Directors consider that the Annual Report and Accounts, taken as a whole, is fair, balanced and understandable and provides the information necessary for shareholders to assess the Group's and the Company's performance, business model and strategy.

Each of the Directors, whose names and functions are listed in the Directors' Report on page 104, confirm that, to the best of their knowledge:

> the Company's financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the European Union, give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and loss of the Company;

> the Group financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the European Union, give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit of the Group; and

> the Directors' Report includes a fair review of the development and performance of the business and the position of the Group and Company, together with a description of the principal risks and uncertainties that it faces.

In the case of each Director in office at the date the Directors' Report

is approved:

> so far as the Director is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the Group's and Company's auditors are unaware; and

> they have taken all the steps that they ought to have taken as a Director in order to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the Group's and the Company's auditors are aware of that information.
NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN OR THE UNITED STATES OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.Fornebu, Norway - April 9, 2019: REC Silicon ASA (the "Company" or "REC") has retained SpareBank 1 Markets AS (the "Manager") to advise on and effect an undocumented private placement of new shares directed towards Norwegian and international investors after the close of Oslo Stock Exchange today (the "Private Placement").In the Private Placement, the Company is offering up to 254,381,870 new shares, representing approximately 9.9% of the outstanding capital of the Company. The price in the Private Placement will be determined through an accelerated bookbuilding process. The minimum application and allocation amount has been set to the NOK equivalent of EUR 100,000. The Company may however, at its sole discretion, allocate an amount below EUR 100,000 to the extent applicable exemptions from the prospectus requirement pursuant to the Norwegian Securities Trading Act and ancillary regulations are available.The bookbuilding period for the Private Placement opens today at 16:30 CET and closes on April 10, 2019 at 08:00 CET. The Manager and the Company may, however, at any time resolve to close or extend the bookbuilding period at their sole discretion and on short notice. The allocation of new shares in the Private Placement will be determined at the discretion of the Company's board of directors (the "Board") in consultation with the Manager, on or about April 10, 2019, subject to any shortening or extension of the application period.The net proceeds from the Private Placement will be used to strengthen and contain the Company's liquidity situation until access to the Chinese polysilicon market is restored. Specifically, the proceeds will be used for (i) non-recurring restructuring costs of USD 3.7 million to curtail and shut down Moses Lake FBR production, unless China market is restored, (ii) settle the remaining payments to the Yulin JV of USD 3.1 million and USD 5.2 million and (iii) for general corporate purposes.The Company has received significant indications from both existing shareholders and new investors to apply for Offer Shares in the Private Placement. Further, Umoe AS has pre-committed to subscribe for approximately NOK 40 million in the Private Placement, corresponding to Umoe AS' pro-rata share.The Offer Shares will be settled with existing and unencumbered shares in the Company that are already listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange, pursuant to an agreement (the "Agreement") between SpareBank 1 Markets AS, the Company and Umoe AS. The shares delivered to the subscribers will thus be tradable upon delivery, expected May 10, 2019.Subject to approval by the Company's AGM, Umoe AS has undertaken to use the full proceeds received from the settlement of the Private Placement to acquire new A-shares in the Company. All of the new A-shares will be converted into ordinary shares as soon as practically possible, expected within eight (8) weeks from the settlement date. Until such conversion takes place, the new A-shares will rank pari passu with the other shares in the Company.Completion of the Private Placement is subject to (i) approval by the Company's Board, (ii) approval by the annual general meeting ("AGM") of the Private Placement, the issue of the new A-shares and a share capital reduction, and (iii) the Company resolving to consummate the Private Placement and allocate the Offer Shares.Subject to successful completion of the Private Placement, the Board may consider to carry out a subsequent offering of new shares in the Company directed towards shareholders in the Company as of April 9, 2019 (as registered in the VPS on April 11, 2019) who were not allocated Offer Shares in the Private Placement or participated in the pre-sounding and who are not resident in a jurisdiction where such offering would be unlawful or, for jurisdictions other than Norway, would require any prospectus, filing, registration or similar action. Such shareholders will be granted non-transferable preferential rights to subscribe for, and, upon subscription, be allocated new shares. The subscription price in such subsequent offering will be the same as the subscription price in the Private Placement.Additional information regarded the transaction is included in the attached company presentation. Preliminary first quarter highlights are included in the presentation.For further information, please contact:James A. May II, Chief Financial OfficerPhone: +1 509 989 1023Email: james.may@recsilicon.comNils O. Kjerstad, IR ContactPhone: +47 9135 6659Email: nils.kjerstad@crux.noAbout REC Silicon:REC Silicon is a leading producer of advanced silicon materials, delivering high-purity polysilicon and silicon gas to the solar and electronics industries worldwide. We combine over 30 years of experience and proprietary technology with the needs of our customers, with annual production capacity of more than 20,000 MT of polysilicon from our two US-based manufacturing plants. Listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (ticker: REC), the Company is headquartered in Fornebu, Norway.For more information, please visit: www.recsilicon.comThis information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.Important information:The release is not for publication or distribution, in whole or in part directly or indirectly, in or into Australia, Canada, Japan or the United States (including its territories and possessions, any state of the United States and the District of Columbia).This release is an announcement issued pursuant to legal information obligations, and is subject of the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5 -12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. It is issued for information purposes only, and does not constitute or form part of any offer or solicitation to purchase or subscribe for securities, in the United States or in any other jurisdiction. The securities mentioned herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). The securities may not be offered or sold in the United States except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act. The Company does not intend to register any portion of the offering of the securities in the United States or to conduct a public offering of the securities in the United States. Copies of this announcement are not being made and may not be distributed or sent into Australia, Canada, Japan or the United States. The issue, exercise, purchase or sale of subscription rights and the subscription or purchase of shares in the Company are subject to specific legal or regulatory restrictions in certain jurisdictions. Neither the Company nor the Manager assume any responsibility in the event there is a violation by any person of such restrictions.The distribution of this release may in certain jurisdictions be restricted by law. Persons into whose possession this release comes should inform themselves about and observe any such restrictions. Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. SpareBank 1 Markets AS is acting for the Company and no one else in connection with the Private Placement and any subsequent offering and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to their respective clients or for providing advice in relation to the Private Placement and any subsequent offering and/or any other matter referred to in this release.
Tatsuro Goda, Assistant Professor at the Tokyo Medical and Dental University, was presented the Gold Award for development of an iridium oxide microelectrode that can perform localized pH measurements in the body. Also receiving a Gold Award was Shunsuke Fukami, Associate Professor at the Tohoku University, for his creation of an analog nano-spin memory device using CoPt-based nanocomposite material and an application of brain-like information processing. This winning research showcases the technology development for iridium oxide microelectrodes that facilitates the identification of lesions that cannot be distinguished with the naked eye. The application of this technology allows precious metal alloys to be used in sophisticated, low-power consumption electronics, information processing, and communications.



TOKYO, Apr 9, 2019 - (ACN Newswire) - The TANAKA Memorial Foundation's Representative Director, Hideya Okamoto, announced the recipients of the FY2018 Precious Metals Research Grants. Following a rigorous screening process, two Gold Awards, each valued at 2 million yen, were granted to Tatsuro Goda, Assistant Professor at the Tokyo Medical and Dental University, and Shunsuke Fukami, Associate Professor at the Tohoku University. In addition, five research projects received Silver Awards, and three Young Researcher Awards were granted.



The TANAKA Memorial Foundation undertakes programs designed to foster developments in new precious metal fields while contributing to the advancement of science, technology, and socio-economics for the overall enrichment of society. The research grant program was launched in FY1999 and has continued each year since with the goal of embracing the "new world opened up by precious metals." This year, the program's twentieth year, a total of 188 applications were received in a wide range of fields where precious metals can make contributions to the research and development of new technologies. A total of 16.2 million yen in research grants was awarded for 24 projects.



Gold Award winner, Tatsuro Goda, developed an iridium oxide microelectrode that can perform localized pH measurements in the body. This research suggests that Ir/IrOx can be used to screen for various types of lesions and other purposes by measuring pH. The possibility of quantitatively evaluating the degree of deterioration of dental caries has already been exhibited, and if the research that is currently underway is put to practical use, it may be possible to identify lesions that cannot be distinguished with the naked eye. This is expected to be highly useful for the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. This research was highly rated for the contribution that precious metals can make to improving society and its potential for applications in other fields.



Another Gold Award was presented to Shunsuke Fukami for the creation of an analog nano-spin memory device using CoPt-based nanocomposite material and the application of brain-like information processing. This research simultaneously makes use of two properties of the electrons of precious metals - charge (electrical characteristic) and spin (magnetic characteristic) - to investigate the occurrence of new physical phenomena. Previously, charge and spin have only been used separately. This research is expected to lead to the development of high-performance, low-power consumption electronics, as well as information processing and communication devices. It was highly rated for its contribution to the development of new applications for precious metals.



Five Silver Awards, three Young Researcher Awards, and 14 Encouragement Awards were also granted. The recipients and overviews of the Precious Metals Research Grants are indicated below. Applications for the FY2019 research granted are scheduled to open in the fall.



List of FY2018 Precious Metals Research Grants Recipients



- Platinum Award (0 award, 5 million yen)

Non granted



- Gold Award (2 awards, 2 million yen each)



Tatsuro Goda, Assistant Professor, Tokyo Medical And Dental University

Development of an iridium oxide microelectrode that can perform localized pH measurements in the body



Shunsuke Fukami, Associate Professor, Tohoku University

Creation of an analog nano-spin memory device using CoPt-based nanocomposite material and application of brain-like information processing



- Silver Awards (5 awards, 1 million yen each)



Katsutoshi Sato, Program-Specific Senior Lecturer, Kyoto University

Elucidation of structure formation and action mechanism of low crystalline ruthenium nano-layer catalysts for ammonia synthesis to be used for renewable energy



Yuichiro Himeda, Chief Senior Researcher, Advanced Industrial Science and Technology

Development of hydrogen formate carrier technology using an iridium catalyst



Yoko Yamabe-Mitarai, Group Leader, National Institute for Materials Science

Design of a platinum group metal high-entropy, high-temperature shape-memory alloy



Shinya Maenosono, Professor, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

Highly selective magnetic separation of membrane transport carriers and organelles using ligand-coupled multifunctional nano-magnetic beads



Hideyuki Murakami, Professor, Waseda University

Development of an added-value casting process using precious metals



- Young Researcher Awards (3 awards, 1 million yen each)



Hiroyuki Kai, Assistant Professor, Tohoku University

Development of a porous microneedle electrode and application in high-precision transdermal medications



Katsuaki Sugawara, Associate Professor, Tohoku University

Development of an atomic layer spintronics material using precious metal elements



Takeo Miyake, Associate Professor, Waseda University

Development of a metallic nano-hollow tube membrane for puncturing cells and application in intracellular gene introduction



- Encouragement Award (14 awards, 300,000 yen each)



Jun Tatebayashi, Associate Professor, Osaka University

Kohsuke Mori, Associate Professor, Osaka University

Ken-ichi Fujita, Professor, Kyoto University

Akito Ishida, Professor, Kyoto Prefectural University

Jun Komotori, Professor, Keio University

Yuto Moritake, Assistant Professor, Tokyo Institute of Technology

Shohei Tashiro, Associate Professor, The Unversity Of Tokyo

Takumi Kihara, Assistant Professor, Tohoku University

DAO THI NGOC ANH, Assistant Professor, Tohoku University

TSAI An-Pang, Professor, Tohoku University

Shochiku Kure, Associate Professor, Nagoya Institute of Technology

Yasuhide Inokuma, Associate Professor, Hokkaido University

Ichizo Yagi, Professor, Hokkaido University

Tetsu Yonezawa, Professor, Hokkaido University



Overview of the 2018 Precious Metals Research Grants



Theme:

- Research and development for new technologies or practical implementation of products to which precious metals can make a contribution



Grant amounts:

- Platinum Award: 5 million yen (1 award)

- Gold Award: 2 million yen (1 award)

- Silver Awards: 1 million yen (4 awards)

- Young Researcher Awards (for researchers of up to 37 years of age): 1 million yen (2 awards)

- Encouragement Award: 300,000 yen (several awards)

- The grant amount is treated as a scholarship donation.

- Each award is given to research deemed to make an unusually significant contribution to commercialization and practical implementation, and awards may not be granted in some cases.



Eligible candidates:

- Personnel who belong to educational research institutions or public research institutes in Japan

- Applicants working in research institutions in Japan are eligible regardless of whether they are based in Japan or overseas.

- Young Researcher Awards are given to young researchers aged up to 37 years old as of April 1, 2018.



Application period:

- 9am, September 3, 2018 (Mon) - 5pm, November 30, 2018 (Fri)



Application method:

- Enter the necessary information on the application form available on the TANAKA Memorial Foundation website (http://TANAKA-foundation.or.jp) and upload details of the research (papers and supplementary material on the theme).



Announcement:

- Results will be announced on the TANAKA Memorial Foundation website at about the end of March 2018.

- TANAKA will contact the award recipients directly.



Conditions:

- Precious metals must play an essential role in the commercialization and practical implementation of the research.

- Development related to precious metals must provide a breakthrough in the progress of the commercialization and practical implementation.

- When applying with joint research, the representative should apply.

- Students must obtain approval from the person responsible for their laboratory to apply.

- State if the research is being performed with other precious metal manufactures (including planned).

- Applicants may be asked to exchange information with TANAKA about product development, technology development, and guidance through the research.

- Excludes research such as analysis, evaluation and production technology that has already been commercialized or for which there are such plans.



Inquiries concerning the research grant program:



Precious Metals Research Grants Office

Marketing Department, TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K.

22F Tokyo Building, 2-7-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-6422

TEL: 03-6311-5596 FAX: 03-6311-5529 E-mail: joseikin@ml.tanaka.co.jp

TANAKA Memorial Foundation website: http://tanaka-foundation.or.jp



Press release: http://www.acnnewswire.com/clientreports/598/1904_EN.pdf



TANAKA Memorial Foundation



Established: April 1, 2015

Address: 22F Tokyo Building, 2-7-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Representative: Hideya Okamoto (Senior Advisor to TANAKA Holdings Co., Ltd.)

Purpose of Business: To provide grants for research related to precious metals to contribute to the development and cultivation of new fields for precious metals, and to the development of science, technology, and the social economy.

Areas of Business:

- Provision of grants for scientific and technological research related to precious metals.

- Recognition of excellent analysis of precious metals and holding of seminars and other events.



TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K.



Headquarters: 22F, Tokyo Building, 2-7-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Representative: Akira Tanae, Representative Director & CEO

Founded: 1885

Incorporated: 1918

Capital: 500 million yen

Employees: 2,246 (as of March 31, 2018)

Sales: 827,040.201 million yen (FY 2017)

Main businesses: Manufacture, sales, import and export of precious metals (platinum, gold, silver, and others) and various types of industrial precious metals products.

Website: http://pro.tanaka.co.jp/en



Press inquiries

TANAKA Holdings Co., Ltd.

https://www.tanaka.co.jp/en/protanaka/inquiry/index.php



Source: Tanaka Memorial Foundation



Copyright 2019 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.





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Press Release 9 April 2019

This announcement is deemed to contain Inside Information as defined under the Market Abuse Regulations n. 596/2014

Cadogan Petroleum Plc

("Cadogan" or the "Company")

Cadogan Petroleum plc ("Cadogan"), an independent, diversified oil & gas company listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange, is pleased to announce that the Blazh-10 well has encountered 207 meters of the Yamna target formation, at a depth 50 meters higher than prognosis and in the predicted sub vertical setting.

Cores taken from the upper part of the Yamna and a preliminary interpretation of the open hole logs suggest that the entire Yamna section could potentially be oil bearing. The well is being conditioned to run and cement a 7" casing, which will be followed by well testing. Full log interpretation and testing results will determine the net pay and the expected deliverability of the well. Further updates will be provided in due course.

The well reached its TD of 3394 m at a cost which was 10% higher than budgeted due to severe hole instability challenges which were experienced while drilling.

The Blazh-10 well is located in the Company's Monastyretska license, in the west of Ukraine near the border with Poland. The Yamna sandstones is the producing formation for the Company's three existing wells on the license.

Guido Michelotti, Cadogan Petroleum CEO, commented:

"The initial results of Blazh-10 are encouraging; we look forward to testing the well and providing further updates on progress. The well is a testimony to Cadogan's operational excellence and creates a local benchmark as it has been drilled in about a fifth of the time taken to drill the fastest of the nearby wells and some 10% of their average time".

-ENDS-

For further information, please contact:
Google Cloud recognizes SoftServe's technical proficiency and proven success in Internet of Things

AUSTIN, Texas, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- SoftServe , a leading digital authority and consulting company, announces it achieved the Internet of Things (IoT) Partner Specialization in the Google Cloud Partner Program. By earning the Specialization, SoftServe has proven its expertise and success in building customer solutions in the IoT field using Google Cloud Platform technology. SoftServe also achieved the Machine Learning Specialization in December 2018 and the Infrastructure Specialization in February 2019.

Specializations in the Google Cloud Partner Program are designed to provide Google Cloud customers with qualified partners that demonstrate technical proficiency and proven success in specialized solution and service areas. Partners that achieve the Internet of Things Specialization connect, process, store, and analyze device data both at the edge and in the cloud to drive new business value.

"Fully capitalizing on the Internet of Things necessitates investment in connected products and cloud solutions that enable disruptive business use cases. However, delivering an IoT system requires a purposeful strategy, knowledge of sophisticated technologies, and the ability to effectively combine multiple disciplines," said Serhiy Haziyev, SVP, advanced technologies at SoftServe. "Achieving the IoT Partner Specialization with Google Cloud further validates SoftServe's expertise in enabling devices, edge, and cloud to drive our clients' competitive advantage."

SoftServe joined the Google Cloud Partner Program in April 2017 and became a Google Cloud Premier Partner in August 2018. To date, SoftServe has 186 GCP-certified professionals.

About SoftServe

SoftServe is a digital authority that advises and provides at the cutting-edge of technology.

We reveal, transform, accelerate, and optimize the way enterprises and software companies do business. With expertise across healthcare, retail, media, financial services, software, and more, we implement end-to-end solutions to deliver the innovation, quality, and speed that our clients' users expect.

SoftServe delivers open innovation-from generating compelling new ideas, to developing and implementing transformational products and services.

Our work and client experience is built on a foundation of empathetic, human-focused experience design that ensures continuity from concept to release.

We empower enterprises and software companies to (re)identify differentiation, accelerate solution development, and vigorously compete in today's digital economy. No matter where you are in your journey.

Visit our website , blog , LinkedIn , Facebook , and Twitter pages.

SoftServe Media Contact

Paul Jones

Senior Manager, Analyst and Public Relations

pjone@softserveinc.com

512-796-7358

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/812484/SoftServe_Logo.jpg
06 April, 2019

U.S. Oil & Gas Plc.



("U.S. Oil" or the "Company")



Consolidated Audited Annual Results for Period Ended 31 July, 2018



The Company is pleased to report its consolidated annual results for the year period ended 31 July 2018.



Corporate Highlights

- Funds raised $2.218 M



Operational Highlights

- Eblana - 3 well drilled

- Multiple hydrocarbon-bearing zones identified

- Perforation operations commenced

- Additional acreage acquired



Financial Highlights

- Administration expenses $1,052,926 (2017: $750,849. The increase in expenditure was primarily due to increased exploration activity over the period and loss on currency movements.

- Total comprehensive loss $1,063,234 (2017: $620,911) and cash and cash equivalents $1,956,971 (2017: $3,274,903). The Group is debt-free.



Review of the year ended 31 July 2018

Operational progress

During drilling operations at the Eblana-3 well in April 2018, multiple potential hydrocarbon-bearing zones were identified from cutting samples, mud logs, and processed wire-line logging data. After a review of all available data, six zones indicating a higher potential for hydrocarbons were selected for perforation. Downhole operations, including perforating selected formations, were conducted between June 18 and June 30. However, perforation equipment failures led to significant delays in the program, curtailing swabbing and preventing preliminary flow testing of the perforated zones. The Company announced that it would recommence testing operations when equipment and personnel could be reassembled (please see "Outlook and post balance sheet events," below.).



Additional acreage acquired

On the basis of the initially encouraging results from the Eblana-3 drill, in June and July 2018 the Company bid for further Hot Creek Valley leases in auctions held by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The award of those leases was subsequently confirmed, bringing the total acreage position of the Company to 73,725 acres. However, since that time a third party has claimed that the BLM made a series of administrative errors, initiating a potential dispute involving two leases and 3,819.6 acres of the newly acquired land, approximately 5.2% of the Company's current total acreage. The Company is currently seeking legal advice on the matter, but the Board's view is that loss of the relevant leases, if that should occur, would not materially affect the Company's current exploration or drilling plans.



Fund raising

During the financial year, the company raised funds in two Placings. The Company raised approximately $2.218 m (before currency adjustments) issuing 5,338,419 new Ordinary Shares at 0.30 per share. These fundraisings placed the Company in a strong financial position to move forward on both operational and corporate fronts.



Outlook and post balance sheet events

Preliminary testing of Eblana-3

Downhole operations on the Eblana-3 well, including perforating selected formations, were continued between 12 August and 19 August 2018. After well shut-ins, light crude oil of API 34.5 flowed to the surface. Workover rig operations were terminated and a jack pump set to pump monitored fluids for an extended period with the objective of clearing the formation. In the event that this does not succeed, subject to regulatory permissions, the well will be subject to a hydraulic fracturing (fracking) operation of short duration. The purpose is to increase the permeability of the targeted formations, and clear volcanic ash and tuff believed to be impeding flow. The data continues to support the belief that a viable hydrocarbon reservoir is present and that local permeability is preventing commercial flow.

Eblana-3 fracking proposal

In Q4 of 2018 and Q1 of 2019 the Company carried out a series of complex data modelling exercises to devise the potentially most effective fracking plan for Eblana-3. The well design was also re-evaluated. In addition, the Company carried out a comprehensive study of local water resources, requiring multiple samples be collected over an extended period and be independently analysed. The resulting hydrogeology report and fracking permit application was submitted to the authorities. Dialogue with the regulators and additional required data collection is ongoing at the time of this statement. The implementation of the fracking plan and the associated operational timetable is contingent on regulatory approvals. Every effort is being made by the Company to satisfy requirements, but no timescale can be offered for the completion of the process.

Lease expiries

Leases NVN 87414 and NVN 87415 are set to expire on May 31 2019 if oil is not produced on the relevant lease in paying quantities. A successful hydraulic fracking of Eblana -3 resulting in commercial flows is required to secure Lease NVN 87414. Since no well will be drilled on Lease NVN 87415 by its expiry date, that lease will lapse. Lease NVN 87415 and Lease NVN 87414 each covers approximately 2,500 acres and each constitutes 3.4% of the currently held acreage. The Company's geological studies indicate that Lease NVN 87415 is of only moderate relative prospectivity compared to other leases.

Funding, ongoing exploration and planning

The Company has shown itself capable of developing an appropriate forward-looking strategy, raising funds, and making significant operational progress. In December 2018 the Company raised an additional $527k in working capital. Planning for corporate development and a stock market listing continues but listing remains contingent on producing oil in commercial quantities.

The large volumes of high quality data collected during the Eblana-3 drill are currently being integrated with all other data, including geochemical, VSP, geomagnetic and geophysical data, to generate targets for the next drilling campaign. Additional geophysical surveys are also planned. The Company views the results of these latest studies as highly encouraging, supporting the belief that its Hot Creek Valley lease area features a major oil system analogous to that in Railroad Valley. Of considerable importance for the cost of future drills is the finding that the areas now seen as of greatest potential require much shallower wells than have been necessary to date, as both Tertiary and Palaeozoic strata are found to be much closer to the surface. Highly prospective targets are clearly emerging from these studies and will form the basis of a multi-well development proposal now being prepared.



Brian McDonnell

Chairman







Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income

for the year ended 31 July 2018

31 Jul '18 31 Jul '17 US$ US$ Continuing Operations Administrative expenses (1,052,926) (750,849) _________ _________ Operating loss (1,052,926) (750,849) Finance Income 65 61 Interest payable and similar charges - (110) _________ _________ Loss for the year/period before taxation (1,052,861) (750,898) Income tax expense - - _________ _________ Loss for the year from the continuing operations (1,052,861) (750,898) _________ _________ Other Comprehensive Income Loss for the year from the continuing operations (1,052,861) (750,898) Foreign exchange movement (10,373) 129,987 _________ _________ Total Comprehensive Loss for the year (1,063,234) (620,911) _________ _________ Loss attributable to: Equity holders of the Company (1,052,861) (750,898) _________ _________ Total Comprehensive Loss attributable to: Equity holders of the Company (1,063,234) (620,911) _________ _________ Earnings per share from continuing operations Basic loss per share (cent) (1.81) (1.52) _________ _________ Diluted loss per share (cent) (1.71) (1.45) _________ _________







Consolidated Statement of Financial Position

as at 31 July 2018

31 Jul '18 31 Jul '17 US$ US$ Assets Non-Current Assets Intangible Assets 7,684,174 5,173,729 _________ _________ Total Non-Current Assets 7,684,174 5,173,729 _________ _________ Current Assets Trade and other receivables 78,518 124,747 Cash and cash equivalents 1,956,971 3,274,903 _________ _________ Total Current Assets 2,035,489 3,399,650 _________ _________ Total Assets 9,719,663 8,573,379 _________ _________ Equity Capital and Reserves Share capital presented as equity 7,722 7,074 Share premium 16,815,961 14,598,277 Other reserves 324,738 335,111 Retained loss (7,548,909) (6,496,048) _________ _________ Attributable to owners of the Company 9,599,512 8,444,414 _________ _________ Total Equity 9,599,512 8,444,414 _________ _________ Liabilities Current Liabilities Trade and other payables 120,151 128,965 _________ _________ Total Current Liabilities 120,151 128,965 _________ _________ Total Liabilities 120,151 128,965 _________ _________ Total Equity and Liabilities 9,719,663 8,573,379 _________ _________





FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

The statements in this communication reflect the current thinking of the Board and the Company's present plans. The Company reserves the right to alter plans in the light of developing knowledge and circumstances. Shareholders' attention is drawn to the note below concerning Forward-looking Statements.

This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information". Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: business plans and strategies of US Oil and Gas; operating or technical difficulties in connection with drilling or development activities; availability and costs associated with inputs and labour; drilling and exploration costs; the speculative nature of oil exploration and development; diminishing quantities or quality of reserves; synergies and financial impact of completed acquisitions; the benefits of the acquisitions and the development potential of properties of US Oil and Gas; the future price of oil; supply and demand for oil; the estimation of reserves; the realization of reserve estimates; costs of production and projections of costs; success of exploration activities; capital expenditure programs and the timing and method of financing thereof; the ability of US Oil and Gas to achieve drilling success consistent with management's expectations; net present values of future net revenues from reserves; expected levels of royalty rates, operating costs, general and administrative costs, costs of services and other costs and expenses; expectations regarding the ability to raise capital and to add to reserves through acquisitions, assessments of the value of acquisitions and exploration and development programs; geological, technical, drilling and processing problems; treatment under governmental regulatory regimes and tax laws.

All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements



THE DIRECTORS OF THE COMPANY ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CONTENTS OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT

Neither this announcement nor the information contained herein constitutes an offer or solicitation by U.S. Oil and Gas Plc for the purchase or sale of any securities nor does it constitute a solicitation to any person in any jurisdiction where solicitation would be unlawful.

For further information contact:

Brian McDonnell, Chief Executive Officer +353 (1) 631 9022



About U.S. Oil & Gas:

U.S. Oil & Gas plc is an oil and gas exploration company with a strategy to identify and acquire oil and gas assets in the early phase of the upstream life-cycle and mature them. The Company's main asset is in Nye County, Nevada where it holds the entire share capital of US-based company, Major Oil International LLC ("Major Oil"). Major Oil has acquired rights to exploration and development acreage in Hot Creek Valley, Nye County, adjacent to the oil and gas rich Railroad Valley area of Nevada, both of which are part of the Sevier Thrust of central Nevada and western Utah, USA.

For further information please refer to our website at: www.usoil.us
In Vienna from 10 to 14 April 2019, SuperSonic Imagine will be demonstrating the benefits and diagnostic performance of its new ultrasound platform Aixplorer MACH 30, for non-invasive assessment of chronic liver diseases

Several "Live" demonstrations will be taking place on SuperSonic Imagine's stand 110 in Hall B.

Regulatory News:

SuperSonic Imagine (Paris:SSI) (Euronext: SSI, FR0010526814), a company specialising in medical imaging using ultrasound technology, will be presenting the new generation of its solution for the liver with Aixplorer MACH 30, at the International Liver Congress organised by the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL), due to be held in Vienna from 10 to 14 April 2019. Every year the Congress brings together liver specialists and encourages promotion and scientific exchanges in the field of liver diseases.

A major actor in the innovation of ultrasound, SuperSonic Imagine proposes new quantitative ultrasound biomarkers available on its new ultrasound platform, Aixplorer MACH 30, for the screening and diagnosis of chronic liver diseases. Aixplorer ultrasound devices are the first to obtain an extension of the indication for use from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as tools to assist the clinical treatment of patients with liver conditions.

"With Aixplorer MACH 30 Hepato, the assessment of chronic liver diseases has never been so quick and easy, with highly reliable, reproducible and published results. The result of many years of Research and Development, Aixplorer MACH 30 benefits from new technological developments that facilitate the screening, diagnosis and follow-up of liver diseases, particularly with the ShearWave PLUS mode and B-Mode Ratio," explains Yves Tenaglia, the Director and Vice-President for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Ratio Mode-B screens intra-hepatic steatosis and the ShearWave PLUS (SWE PLUS) mode displays and measures in real time tissue elasticity to assess liver fibrosis, using a colour map.

"Our department has been equipped with an Aixplorer ultrasound system for 18 months. It is the nurses who are trained and who conduct the liver elasticity measurements over a wide area generally defined on the right lobe of the liver. The ultrasound platform is very easy to use, and the measurements are reproducible whoever the operator is. Aixplorer offers excellent diagnostic performance. It gives us a new parameter and changes our approach: liver elasticity measured in kilopascals has now become a reference. It's the new stethoscope in hepatology," explains Dr Victor de Ledinghen, hepatologist at Bordeaux University Hospital in France.

Aixplorer MACH 30 Hepato, the new reference for hepatologists

Aixplorer Mach 30 Hepato comprises all the imaging modes introduced by SuperSonic Imagine, and is an expert tool in hepatology with ShearWave PL.U.S. (SWE PLUS) elastography which displays and measures in real time tissue stiffness on a colour map, the B-Mode Radio for screening intra-hepatic steatosis, Angio PL.U.S. offering an unmatched solution for imaging micro-vascularisation of lesions, and also Doppler and contrast imaging for screening and characterisation of liver nodules.

Aixplorer Mach 30 features a new concept in ultrasound, the SonicPad touchpad, designed to enhance the user experience.

Liver applications remain strategic for SuperSonic Imagine. With its new generation of UltraFast imaging introduced on the Aixplorer MACH 30, the company is continuing its development of new ultrasound biomarkers for the liver that will be available soon.

Aixplorer platforms have appeared in over 160 clinical publications detailing the use of ShearWave Elastography (SWE) for patients with liver conditions.

Learn more about Aixplorer MACH 30 at supersonicimagine.com or aixplorer-mach.com

About SuperSonic Imagine

SuperSonic Imagine specializes in ultrasound medical imaging. The company manufactures the flagship Aixplorer series of products, which feature the exclusive UltraFast technology. UltraFast has given rise to new imaging modes that set the standards of care for non-invasive characterization of breast, liver and prostate diseases. The first groundbreaking UltraFast mode developed is ShearWave Elastography (SWE), which enables doctors to view and instantly analyze tissue stiffness, a vitally important factor in the diagnosis of many conditions. To date, more than 600 published articles have validated the diagnostic value its technologies.

The most recent addition to the Aixplorer range is the Aixplorer MACH 30 ultrasound platform that introduces the next generation of UltraFast imaging, which optimizes the system's innovative imaging modes: ShearWave PLUS, Doppler UltraFast, Angio PL.U.S, and TriVu.

The company has more than 2,300 ultrasound systems installed in over 80 countries. Its main growth markets are China, the United States and the European Union (France). The company generated a turnover of 24.6 million in 2018. SuperSonic Imagine is listed on Euronext (symbol: SSI).

Find out more at www.supersonicimagine.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005738/en/

Contacts:

SuperSonic Imagine

Marketing Communication

Emmanuelle Vella

emmanuelle.vella@supersonicimagine.com

+33 4 86 79 03 27

FP2COM

Relations Medias EU

Florence Portejoie

fportejoie@fp2com.fr

+33 6 07 76 82 83

NewCap

Investor Relations EU

Thomas Grojean Nicolas Merigeau

supersonicimagine@newcap.eu

+33 1 44 71 98 55
DUBLIN, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- UBiqube, the leading infrastructure Automation and Orchestration vendor, welcomes NTT COMWARE (NTT's system integration arm) as the lead investor in a newly launched Series B funding round.

In light of the growing market demand for the integration and automation of processes over multi-vendor and multi-domain network and security technologies, fueled by disruptive transformations (such as cloud, 5G, smart cities and IoT, security automation, AI, etc.), UBiqube shareholders have decided to launch a 20 M$ Series B to accelerate the company's expansion plans.

UBiqube's orchestration software, the MSActivator, empowers the industry with an evergreen vendor and domain-neutral DevOps platform for the design of Integrated Automation processes, spanning the entire infrastructure continuum, from cloud to core, to edge.

Automation workflows have already been designed and deployed using the MSActivator in a wide variety of domains and use cases, from managed security services, security automation (auto-remediation), cloud orchestration, SDWAN, Smart City applications, network orchestration, and many more.

The MSActivator enables Integrated Automation through Orchestration Continuum and breaks the vendor and domain silos' chasm that has plagued the industry for decades.

UBiqube's global expansion will rely entirely on an ecosystem of strategic channel partners, whose certified engineers will design the required automation solution for the different verticals and customers they are addressing, over the MSActivator.

A prominent example of the MSActivator's potential as an integration engine for complex infrastructure-based projects is the newly announced Las Vegas Smart City project which involves a broad ecosystem of technology vendors integrated by NTT Data Services in charge of the final solution delivery for the city of Las Vegas. NTT COMWARE acts as the multi Orchestration developer using MSActivator for building the solution in support of one of the most ambitious smart city projects to date.

The compelling impact of the MSActivator on the delivery and future operations of this strategic project, coupled with the solid vendor neutrality and independence of UBiqube, have convinced NTT and NTT COMWARE to lead UBiqube's Series B round.

Satoshi Kurishima, President of NTT COMWARE:

"NTT COMWARE, as one of the leading integrators in Japan, with global reach via the NTT group, strives to provide its customers with the most innovative solutions which will assist them in their digital transformation while dramatically improving their operations through automation. UBiqube is key to our strategy on the matter and as a strong believer in their vision, we are eager to support their global expansion via this strategic investment."

Nabil Souli, CEO of UBiqube:

"It is a privilege to have, yet again, an entity of the NTT group invest in our venture. This is a testimony to how compelling the MSActivator has become in a wide continuum of applications and use cases, making it the perfect technology for whoever is intending to navigate the digital transformation seas, without ever being vendor-locked and limited in integration scope. We look forward to having NTT COMWARE on our board of Directors."

Jun Sawada, President and CEO of NTT:

"The global emergence of SmartCity initiatives is among the many tangible indicators illustrating the rapid digitalization of our society. NTT's strategic ambition is to act as a global preferred value partner for its customers and partners, providing them with the extended expertise and technology know-how of the entire NTT group to ensure best in class migration towards a new intelligent secure and automated digital era. As part of our continued quest for strategic technologies enabling this transition, we have chosen UBiqube's industry-leading multi-domain orchestration platform. I am hence enthusiastic to see our tighter business relationship materialize through this investment round."

About NTT COMWARE

NTT COMWARE is the system integrator arm of the NTT group.
The Institut Pasteur will provide a selection of strains for the DEINOVE platform to evaluate their potential antibiotic and antifungal activities.

This agreement fits into the AGIR program, which aims at studying a wide range of bacterial strains to optimize opportunities for discovering novel antibiotic structures.

Regulatory News:

DEINOVE (Euronext Growth Paris: ALDEI) (Paris:ALDEI), a French biotech company that uses a disruptive approach to develop innovative antibiotics and bio-based active ingredients for cosmetics and nutrition, has announced that it will benefit from the Institut Pasteur's provision of biological resources for the research of new antimicrobial agents from original strains.

The Institut Pasteur, one of the most renowned worldwide players in the area of infectious disease research, will entrust a targeted selection of strains from their bacterial collection to DEINOVE.

As part of their AGIR program (Antibiotics against Resistant Infectious Germs), DEINOVE will assess the strains' antimicrobial properties on their technology platform.

Muriel GUGGER, Head of the Institut Pasteur's laboratory collection of Cyanobacteria whose work is supported by Institut Carnot Pasteur Microbes Sante, explained, "The selected bacteria produce a wide range of natural substances and therefore constitute a goldmine for research." As Isabelle BUCKLE, Executive vice president for Research Applications and Industrial Partnerships at Institut Pasteur, detailed, "Antimicrobial resistance is among the Institut Pasteur's top three scientific priorities, and the development of industrial partnerships with French SMEs is at the heart of our economic development strategy in the coming years. In this context, the DEINOVE platform will allow us to quickly assess the potential of our strains. "

Georges GAUDRIAULT, Scientific Director at DEINOVE, pointed out, "The Institut Pasteur is a major player in the area of infectious disease research. We are delighted to be able to benefit from their expertise and proud that the quality of our scientific approach has convinced them to work with us. We firmly believe that this agreement will be a real booster for the AGIR program."

ABOUT THE AGIR PROGRAM

The AGIR program Antibiotics Against Resistant Infectious Germs was selected in 2017 by the Investments for the Future Program and receives from Bpifrance a financial support of 14.6m over 5 years.

AGIR, a platform dedicated to the search for unprecedented antibiotic structures from rare bacterial strains

The AGIR program aims to explore a wide-ranging biodiversity, mainly rare micro-organisms, in order to identify and develop a portfolio of drug candidates. While the world lacks new antibiotics, research is still predominantly focused on a small number of micro-organisms of interest or on the construction by chemical synthesis of molecules derived from existing drugs. Conversely, the AGIR program is developing new methods of collection, culture, evaluation of the antibiotic potential of rare bacterial strains, and optimization of the molecules of interest.

The AGIR program is run with the Charles Viollette Institute which brings its expertise in microbial and enzymatic engineering as well as identification of molecules.

An ambitious collaborative project strengthened by targeted strategic partnerships to broaden the scope of research

Capitalizing on its technology that allows it to automate and accelerate the analysis of large quantities of strains, DEINOVE aims to maximize the opportunities to discover new antibiotic structures by expanding its field of research beyond its own bacterial library. The Company has entered into partnerships with several companies with portfolios of various strains collected as part of their pharmaceutical activities: bioMerieux, Naicons, and now the Institut Pasteur.

ABOUT THE INSTITUT PASTEUR AND ITS INTERNATIONAL NETWORK

The Institut Pasteur, a non-profit foundation with recognized charitable status set up by Louis Pasteur in 1887, is today an internationally renowned center for biomedical research with a network of 32 institutes worldwide. In the pursuit of its mission to prevent and control diseases in France and throughout the world, the Institut Pasteur operates in four main areas: research, public health, education and training, and development of research applications. More than 2,500 people work on its Paris campus. The Institut Pasteur is a globally recognized leader in infectious diseases, microbiology, and immunology. Other avenues of investigation include cancer, genetic and neurodegenerative diseases, genomics and developmental biology. This research aims to expand our knowledge of the living world in a bid to lay the foundations for new prevention strategies and novel therapeutics. Since its inception, 10 Institut Pasteur scientists have been awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine, including two in 2008 for the 1983 discovery of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS.

https://www.pasteur.fr/en

ABOUT DEINOVE

DEINOVE is a French biotechnology company, a leader in disruptive innovation, which aims to help meet the challenges of antibiotic resistance and the transition to a sustainable production model for the cosmetics and nutrition industries.

DEINOVE has developed a unique and comprehensive expertise in the field of rare bacteria that it can decipher, culture, and optimize to disclose unsuspected possibilities and induce them to produce biobased molecules with activities of interest on an industrial scale. To do so, DEINOVE has been building and documenting since its creation an unparalleled biodiversity bank that it exploits thanks to a unique technological platform in Europe.

DEINOVE is organized around two areas of expertise:

ANTIBIOTICS, new-generation anti-infective agents : DEINOVE is preparing to enter a first antibiotic candidate into Phase II. The Company is also pursuing the systematic exploration of biodiversity to supply its portfolio with new leads, drawing notably on partnerships with Naicons and bioMerieux (AGIR program supported by Bpifrance).

: DEINOVE is preparing to enter a first antibiotic candidate into Phase II. The Company is also pursuing the systematic exploration of biodiversity to supply its portfolio with new leads, drawing notably on partnerships with Naicons and bioMerieux (AGIR program supported by Bpifrance). BIOACTIVES, Active ingredients of natural origin with cosmetics as the first market and potential in nutrition and health: DEINOVE already markets a first innovative active ingredient, a second in partnership with Greentech, while two others are in development with Oleos (Hallstar Group). It also runs a program in animal nutrition with Groupe Avril. Several other partnerships are also being planned.

Within the Euromedecine science park located in Montpellier, DEINOVE employs 62 employees, and has filed more than 310 patent applications internationally. The Company has been listed on EURONEXT GROWTH since April 2010.

Visit www.deinove.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005777/en/

Contacts:

Press office

presse@pasteur.fr

Investors

Coralie Martin

Communication, Marketing and Investor Relations

Ph.: +33 (0)4 48 19 01 60

coralie.martin@deinove.com

Media

ALIZE RP

Aurore Gangloff Catherine Megelas

Ph.: +33 (0)1 44 54 36 66

deinove@alizerp.com
- Latest Guidebook for Chinese Special Examination and Approval Procedures for Innovative Medical Devices (2019 Edition)

- News Provided by Valuates Reports

BANGALORE, India, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Chinese special examination and approval procedures for innovative medical devices established a fast-track approval path and an interactive mechanism between the Chinese drug regulatory authorities and the applicant for innovative medical devices, which reduces risk from the review uncertainty and approval delays that avoid to exhaust applicant's time and energy.

This fast-track approval path and an interactive mechanism between the Chinese drug regulatory authorities and the applicant for innovative medical devices offer a huge business opportunity for the foreign medical device manufacturers to achieve a successful entry into Chinese healthcare market and smoothly operate their business in China

In order to speed up you should know the list of innovative medical devices that are applicable to Chinese special examination and approval procedures, Who are the Chinese regulatory authorities for approval?, How many application dossiers for special examination, detailed practical guidance to smoothly navigate complex regulatory requirements, priority processing and acquire the needed qualifications significant suggestions for imported devices & full set of overseas bilingual forms with feedback from Chinese regulatory authority.

Facing a gigantic population and rapid population ageing, China's regulatory framework for medical devices is undergoing radical changes. In order to promote the implementation of a strategy of healthy China, transform the treating diseases as focal points into the people's health as centre, prevent and control the major diseases, actively respond to the ageing of the population and accelerate the development of aged healthcare service to give the populace with a full range and full-cycle health and medical services for lifetime,

The Chinese "National Medical Products Administration (NMPA)" issued the latest modified version of "Special Examination and Approval Procedures for Innovative Medical Devices" on November 2, 2018, and implemented on December 1, 2018. Its aim is to encourage research and innovation of medical devices, promote the popularization and application of new technologies for medical devices to finally meet the growing medical care needs.





The organizations of this guidebook are arranged as follows.

Chapter 1: Executive Summary

Chapter 2 introduces what innovative medical devices are applicable to Chinese special examination and approval procedures.

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Chapter 4 elaborates the special regulations for overseas applicant.

Chapter 5 introduces how many application dossiers for an oversea innovative medical device should be prepared.

Chapter 6 provides the practical guidance for application of special examination and approval procedures of overseas innovative medical devices.

Chapter 7 elaborates the benefits from special examination and approval procedures of innovative medical devices: priority processing and interactive mechanism.

Chapter 8 conclusions give significant suggestions for overseas and multinational medical device manufacturers to acquire the qualifications of special examination and approval procedures for overseas innovative medical devices.

Chapter 9 appendices provide a full set of the English and Chinese bilingual forms relating to the overseas applicant applying for special examination and approval procedures of overseas imported innovative medical device and information communication and exchange of overseas imported innovative medical device with the Chinese drug regulatory authorities, and the feedback letter from the Chinese drug regulatory authorities.

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Key Highlights

What overseas imported innovative medical devices are applicable to Chinese special examination and approval procedures?

Who are the Chinese regulatory authorities for special examination and approval of overseas imported innovative medical devices?

The Chinese special regulations for overseas applicant.

How many application dossiers for special examination and approval procedures of an oversea imported innovative medical device should be prepared?

The detailed practical guidance for application of special examination and approval procedures of overseas imported innovative medical devices to smoothly navigate complex regulatory requirements.

What are the benefits from Special Examination and Approval of Innovative Medical Devices: Priority Processing and Interactive Mechanism.

The significant suggestions for overseas and multinational medical device manufacturers to acquire the qualifications of special examination and approval procedures for overseas imported innovative medical devices.

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Photo: Facebook/Didier Epars

The owner of the last surviving St. Lawrence River schooner, beached in Cuba after running aground more than two months ago, says looters made off with thousands of dollars worth of equipment from the ship last week.

The Grosse-Ile, the last seaworthy vessel of its kind and an important piece of Quebec's maritime heritage, has been grounded since Jan. 27, and salvage efforts have been repeatedly thwarted by Cuban authorities, said the ship's owner, Didier Epars.

For two weeks, everything has been in place to remove the schooner from the beach, but for reasons that remain unclear, Cuban authorities have delayed issuing a permit for a tug from the Cayman Islands requisitioned by Epars' insurer.

The delay allowed thieves to strip the two-masted schooner last week of GPS antennas, an outboard motor for a dinghy and valuable rigging for the sails.

Since he and his son, fearing for their lives, deliberately ran aground in a storm, the schooner has been looted several times, but Epars said the Cuban army refused to allow him to camp on the beach to watch over the ship.

His son has since left Cuba, but Epars remains "in custody"  albeit at a holiday resort run by the Cuban military. The Maria La Gorda resort is close to his ship, which he monitors from a distance when he can. There is a military base next to the resort, which is in a national park in a remote part of Cuba.

The shipwrecked skipper wonders where the looters have come from, since the national park is uninhabited and the nearest village, El Cayuco, is inland 45 kilometres from Maria La Gorda.

Epars said it is clear that the theft required the use of boats, and the only boats nearby are those of the army, recently relaunched after undergoing repairs for about two weeks.

The looting is all the more discouraging as Epars had hoped the Grosse-Ile would have been refloated weeks ago. On March 23, he was told the salvage would take place the following Tuesday, March 26, but the necessary permit has still not been provided.

Epars' insurance broker, the British firm Concept Special Risks, is also questioning the delay.

In an email to The Canadian Press last week, company representative Mark Thomas said a Cuban salvage company, also run by the military, is responsible for obtaining the permit. Thomas said the process has been bogged down by requests for information from the Cubans.

"A lot of the information doesn't seem relevant, but they insist," Thomas said.

Built in 1951, the Grosse-Ile was used to provision the island east of Quebec City after which it was named. Epars bought it in 1992, but it needed to be almost entirely rebuilt. It took him 20 years to get the necessary permits to take on passengers, and in 2015 the schooner returned to the water, sailing between Quebec City and Montreal.

Quebec Minister of International Relations Nadine Girault said in an interview that her office is closely monitoring the situation in collaboration with the Canadian Embassy in Cuba. "We offered our support to the embassy, but our hands are a little tied on it, because it is really under federal jurisdiction," she said.
Joe Mimran to Join Advisory Committee; Krisztian Toth Appointed to Board of Directors

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Pivot Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CSE: PVOT) (OTCQB: PVOTF) (FRA: NPAT) ("Pivot" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has signed a Binding Letter of Intent, datedApril 8, 2019, with High Park Ventures Inc. ("HPK" or "High Park Ventures"), a private investment company, for a non-brokered private placement of $15 million. The private placement will be of units at a price of $0.25 per unit, with each unit consisting of one common share and one common share purchase warrant ("Warrants") having a term of two years and an exercise price of $0.35. The private placement is expected to close in two tranches, with the first closing of $5 million within two weeks and the second tranche of $10 million closing within four weeks. Upon completion of the non-brokered private placement Pivot will issue 60,000,000 units to HPK. Completion of the private placement is conditional on HPK satisfactorily completing its due diligence investigation and High Park Ventures and Pivot entering into an advisory agreement pursuant to which High Park Ventures will provide Pivot with strategic advice.

High Park Ventures is a private investment company with a focus on US investments, whose chairman is renowned entrepreneur Joe Mimran. Upon completion of the closing, Joe Mimran will join Pivot's advisory committee and will provide strategic advice to Pivot. Mr. Mimran is Co-founder and Chairman of Gibraltar and Company, and an internationally recognized brand and retail concept visionary known for brands such as Joe Fresh and Club Monaco. Krisztian Toth, the Chief Executive Officer of High Park Ventures, will join the Board of Pivot on the closing date. The High Park Ventures team previously founded NettaGrowth International Inc. ("NettaGro"), who through Dormul S.A. obtained the first license to produce medical cannabis with THC for commercialization in Uruguay. NettaGro was sold to Khiron Life Sciences Corp. on January 25, 2019.

Pivot's CEO, Dr. Patrick Frankham stated, "We are thrilled to welcome Joe Mimran to Pivot's advisory committee and receive the investment from High Park Ventures. With the investment and support provided by the High Park Ventures Team, we are able to implement and accelerate our initiatives. I would also like to welcome Krisztian Toth to Pivot's Board of Directors. The experience and track record of the High Park Ventures Team will greatly benefit Pivot's management team as we commercialize our industry leading bio-cannabis product line."

Krisztian Toth, CEO of High Park Ventures Inc., "We are excited to work with the Pivot Team and assist them with the development, commercialization and branding of premium quality cannabinoid-based nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals and leveraging the worldwide rights of their patented drug delivery technologies."

Currency: CAD$

About Pivot Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Pivot Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a science-based consumer packaged goods cannabis company engaged in the development and commercialization of health and wellness products using innovative, patent-protected drug delivery technologies. Upon receipt of a Standard Processor license (pending) from Health Canada, Pivot's premium, bioavailable, stable and effective products will be manufactured at its 50,000-sq. ft. cGMP facility located in Montreal, Quebec. Pivot's wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary, Pivot Naturals, LLC, based in Costa Mesa, California, was granted a Temporary Manufacturing Type N: Infusion License by the California Department of Public Health in November 2018. Pivot's product line includes infused beverages, vegan capsules, dissolvable tablets, topical creams and gels, intimate lubricants, roll-on pain relievers, stick packs, and bulk powder for the edibles market. For more information please visit pivotpharma.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Except for historical information contained herein, the matters set forth above may be forward-looking statements that involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those in the forward-looking statements. Words such as anticipate, believe, estimate, expect, intend, and similar expressions, as they relate to Pivot Pharmaceuticals Inc., Pivot Green Stream Health Solutions Inc., Pivot Naturals, LLC, or its management or the completion of the private placement, identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs of management, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to management. Actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, such as the failure to close the private placement, meet the conditions imposed by the CSE or other securities regulators, the level of business and consumer spending, the amount of sales of Pivot's products, statements with respect to internal expectations, the competitive environment within the industry, the ability of Pivot to continue to expand its operations, the level of costs incurred in connection with Pivot's expansion efforts, economic conditions in the industry, and the financial strength of Pivot's customers and suppliers. Pivot does not undertake any obligation to update such forward-looking statements. Investors are also directed to consider all other risks and uncertainties.

Contact: Pivot Pharmaceuticals Inc., Patrick Frankham, PhD, MBA, Chief Executive Officer, Email: Info@PivotPharma.com, Phone: (514) 943-1899; Virtus Advisory Group, Shareholder Inquiries, Email: Pivot@virtusadvisory.com, Phone: (416)644-5081
Lortz adds remit to current role of CEO Publicis Media DACH

Horst Wagner to depart agency later this year following transition period

LONDON, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Publicis Groupe Germany has appointed Frank-Peter Lortz, CEO Publicis Media DACH, to lead Publicis Communications Germany, in addition to his current remit. Lortz will assume his new position with immediate effect.

Lortz, who joined Publicis Media in 1994, will be responsible for leading both organisations and their respective and separate leadership teams. Lortz will report to CEO, Publicis Groupe DACH and Chairman of Publicis Emil - Justin Billingsley - and work with him to strategically review how to further accelerate integration of Publicis operations in Germany to accelerate growth and even better serve our clients as the 'Power of One'.

Due to such integration and collaboration in the past two years, Publicis Groupe Germany counts significant examples of Power Of One agency and client models for brands including Daimler (Publicis Emil is headquartered out of Berlin), L'Oreal (iBeauty team based in Dusseldorf) and BSH.

Lortz joined Publicis Media in 1994 and has worked across most of the solutions hub agency brands including Starcom, Zenith, Spark Foundry, Digitas and Performics. Lortz held CEO roles across Zenith and VivaKi before taking the role as CEO Publicis Media DACH in 2016. He has worked with international clients within Publicis Groupe including L'Oreal, Nestle, Reckitt Benckiser, Telefonica O 2 and Toyota and led the Data Sciences practice across EMEA in the founding years. Lortz successfully expedited the transformation of Publicis Media in his region by developing new services beyond media and the acquisition of several agencies.

Lortz's role takes immediate effect and includes a handover period with Horst Wagner, Chairman of Publicis Communications Germany, who has decided to leave the company in the coming months after seven years to pursue new challenges outside of Publicis. Wagner had joined Publicis in 2012 in the context of the acquisition of Pixelpark AG. In 2017, Wagner was appointed Chairman of Publicis Communications Germany, which includes the agency brands Publicis Pixelpark, Saatchi & Saatchi, Leo Burnett, MetaDesign, MSL and Prodigious.

Justin Billingsley, Publicis Groupe CEO DACH and Chairman of Publicis Emil, commented: "It is great to have a leader like Frank-Peter in our team. He has consistently shown the ability to partner with clients and to drive innovation and growth. In this expanded role, he will be well positioned to accelerate our own transformation. I am looking forward to working with him more closely in the next stage of our journey."

"I would like to thank Horst for his hard work and outstanding service at the helm of Publicis Communications and in the years before. Under his leadership, we have made substantial progress in the transformation our agency group and establishing our country model."

Frank-Peter Lortz, CEO of Publicis Media and Publicis Communications DACH, added: "We are in exciting times. Our industry is changing dramatically. With the Power of One model, Publicis has the right strategy in place to successfully drive transformation for our clients. I'm proud and happy to get the chance to build that model together with a fantastic team here in Germany."

Publicis Groupe Germany is an aligned country model made up of over 3,300 employees and 20 agency brands that sit within the solutions hubs: Publicis Communications, Publicis Media, Publicis Sapient and Publicis Health. Clients include Daimler, BSH, L'Oreal, Philip Morris International, Deutsche, Samsung and McDonald's.

About Publicis Groupe - The Power of One

Publicis Groupe [Euronext Paris FR0000130577, CAC 40] is a global leader in marketing, communication, and digital transformation, driven through the alchemy of creativity and technology. Publicis Groupe offers its clients seamless access to its tools and expertise through modular offering. Publicis Groupe is organized across four Solutions hubs: Publicis Communications (Publicis Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi, Leo Burnett, BBH, Marcel, Fallon, MSL, Prodigious), Publicis Media (Starcom, Zenith, Spark Foundry, Blue 449, Performics, Digitas), Publicis Sapient and Publicis Health. Present in over 100 countries, Publicis Groupe employs nearly 80,000 professionals.

www.publicisgroupe.com | Twitter:@PublicisGroupe | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube | Viva la Difference!
SAN FRANCISCO, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Quantstamp, a Y Combinator-backed blockchain security company, won first place at the Smart Dubai Global Blockchain Challenge 2019. Organized by Smart Dubai and Dubai Future Accelerators , the Smart Dubai Global Blockchain Challenge is part of the government's Blockchain Strategy 2020, where blockchain will be used to enhance the quality of life of its citizens.

Smart Dubai is a government office running seven key initiatives in order to make Dubai "...the happiest city on earth through technology innovation ." One of these initiatives is the Dubai Blockchain Strategy , which aims to cement Dubai's reputation as a global leader in technology innovation and the smart economy. The Dubai Blockchain Strategy also aims to make Dubai the first blockchain-powered city by 2020 and the global capital of blockchain technology.

The core goals of the Dubai Blockchain Strategy include:

Increasing government efficiency by using blockchain in 100% of applicable government services,

Creating an active and enabling blockchain ecosystem for startups and businesses, and

Leading the strategic thinking on the global progress of blockchain technology.

The United Arab Emirates, the national government, also has an aggressive blockchain strategy . By 2021, the UAE aims to record over 50% of government transactions using blockchain technology.

"The United Arab Emirates and the city of Dubai are pioneering the use of blockchain technology to make concrete improvements in the lives of their citizens," said Richard Ma, CEO of Quantstamp. "Now that Quantstamp has won the Smart Dubai Blockchain Challenge, we will actively engage with our new network in the UAE in an effort to ensure that Quantstamp plays an active role in the implementation and security of their blockchain strategy."

As one of 20 shortlisted startups, Quantstamp flew to Dubai to pitch its blockchain solutions at the Future Blockchain Summit. In the process, Quantstamp met with investors, networked with government officials, and connected with potential customers.

In his presentation, Quantstamp Head of Business Don Ho discussed why Quantstamp is essential for the mainstream adoption of smart contracts and blockchain technology. Smart contracts act as the back end code of blockchain technology that power most blockchain applications.

Don Ho explained that, although smart contracts experienced exponential growth over the last two years, smart contract security still needs to be addressed. Over the same two year time period, over $350 million USD worth of cryptocurrency was either lost or stolen due to security vulnerabilities in smart contracts. If blockchain security is not addressed, economies will be unable to realize the potential growth enabled by blockchain technology.

Don Ho then described how Quantstamp aims to facilitate the proliferation of blockchain technology by developing tools and services that protect smart contracts throughout their entire lifecycle. Before smart contracts are published, Quantstamp offers full service white glove audits. Leading crypto-native companies like OmiseGO, Chainlink and Sharespost trust Quantstamp to address their security needs.

Quantstamp also offers tools and services that enhance smart contract security post-deployment. Quantstamp's monitoring tools detect irregular activity and malicious attacks on live smart contracts. Quantstamp is also developing the Assurance Protocol that allows security experts to assure the correct behavior of live smart contracts.

About Quantstamp

Quantstamp is a blockchain security company that conducts manual audits and automated scans and is developing security products, services, protocols, and other automated security tools powered by QSP. The Quantstamp protocol aims to enhance smart contract security and the reputation of projects that create smart contracts by producing openly accessible scan reports. Get an audit or run a security scan today at https://quantstamp.com/

Contact: Jared Harrill, jared@quantstamp.com, 415.579.8976

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/858705/Smart_Dubai_Blockchain_Challenge.jpg
Company now headquartered at iconic 2000 Avenue of the Stars

LOS ANGELES, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Gemini Rosemont Commercial Real Estate, a leading real estate investment company with holdings of approximately eight million square feet of commercial office space, has relocated its corporate headquarters to Los Angeles.

The strategic relocation of the company to the nation's second largest city favorably positions Gemini Rosemont to continue its aggressive investment strategy. The company has upwards of $250 million in equity ready to deploy. With the strong balance sheet of its partner, Gemini Investments Holdings, Ltd., an investment company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Gemini Rosemont is actively pursuing the acquisition of Class A commercial office buildings in its target markets.

"We're entering the next phase of our multi-pronged initiative to acquire Class A assets in the office sector in targeted, tech-centric coastal and gateway markets, and opportunistically in select target markets across the U.S.," said Ian Brownlow, Chief Executive Officer for Gemini Rosemont. "We will leverage our deep market knowledge and our impressive 27-year track record to identify and acquire those office buildings in which we can unlock value, provide superior tenant services and deliver enhanced returns to our investors."

The company signed a long-term lease at 2000 Avenue of the Stars in the heart of Century City, Los Angeles' world-renowned business district.

"Locating our corporate office in Los Angeles, one of the world's largest commercial real estate markets and a major transportation hub, provides us with greater access to U.S. and international industry partners and markets, and enables us to continue implementing our growth strategy," said Brownlow. "It also allows us to better serve our partner, Gemini Investments, and our domestic and international investors."

The company has been headquartered in Santa Fe since its inception in 1992 and the Santa Fe office will continue to provide support services to the company's Los Angeles and regional offices.

About Gemini Rosemont Commercial Real Estate

Gemini Rosemont Commercial Real Estate is a market leader in commercial real estate acquisition and asset management. The company and its affiliates' portfolios are comprised of approximately eight million square feet in 48 buildings in 14 states across the U.S.

Since its inception, Gemini Rosemont has sponsored 170 investment vehicles, deployed over $805 million of investor equity to purchase more than $2.5 billion in assets, and has acquired and/or managed approximately 30 million square feet of commercial real estate. Through sponsorship from Gemini Investments Holdings, Ltd, an investment company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the company has acquired approximately $400 million in Class A office buildings in technology-centric gateway markets representing nearly one million square feet since 2016.

Founded in 1992, Gemini Rosemont employs 135 real estate and other professionals. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the company has regional offices located in Dallas, Denver, Houston, New York, Santa Fe, and Seattle-Bellevue. For more information, please visit GeminiRosemont.com, or contact Jon Dishell, Chief Business Development Officer, at JDishell@GeminiRosemont.com.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/859029/Gemini_Rosemont_Commercial_Real_Estate_HQ.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/260437/gemini_rosemont_commercial_real_estate_logo.jpg
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 9, 2019) - Carube Copper Corp. (TSXV: CUC) is pleased to announce the Company has acquired through staking directly from the government, a 100% interest in 300 mineral claims covering the Stewart Brook Gold project area ("SBG"), totalling over 46 square kilometers. The claims are located in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia. The SBG project area was staked because it shows district scale exploration potential for saddle-reef and vein style gold mineralization. Property highlights include:

Located along strike of Atlantic Gold's Cochrane Hill deposit





Large gold in till anomaly defined, measuring 8000m by 4000m





Three historical gold districts located within 5km





Mapped anticline and synclines with cross cutting faults





Excellent infrastructure, access and investor friendly jurisdiction

Mr. Stephen Hughes, CEO, commented: "Having worked in Nova Scotia early in my career, I have always known the province is rich in gold. Atlantic Gold are proving that by operating the Touquoy Gold Mine and rated the lowest cost gold producer in the sector (All-in sustaining costs USD 566 per oz.). Atlantic recently announced total in-pit Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources for the Moose River Consolidated Mine topping 2 million ounces, confirming potential for large scale gold projects in the province. Carube staked the SBG project area because it shows significant exploration potential for saddle-reef and vein hosted gold mineralization. The large gold in till anomaly has never been followed up and the underlying Goldenville Formation is host to most of the gold produced historically in Nova Scotia. The Company is planning immediate boots-on-the-ground mapping and sampling in order to determine the source of the strong gold in till anomaly. Securing a prospective gold district in a favorable jurisdiction is just another step in positioning Carube for near term growth and creating long-term value for all stakeholders."

GOLD IN NOVA SCOTIA

Gold mining in Nova Scotia's dates back more than 150 years, commencing in the mid 1800's and continuing through to the early 1900's. It is estimated that over a million ounces of gold has been produced during that time, and the province is once again seeing a boom in mineral exploration and mining. Although not as well known as the Yukon gold rush, more than 60 gold districts were established in the province.

Forest Hills Gold District is located 6km north of SBG and records indicate more than 26,000 ounces was produced. The Forest Hills deposit is owned and operated by Resource Capital Gold Corp, who have defined an uncapped Indicated resource of 114,000 ounces gold grading 11.0 g/t Au and an Inferred resource of 308,000 ounces gold grading 10.6 g/t Au)(1).

Anaconda Mining's Goldboro deposit is located in the Upper Seal Harbour Gold District and 6.5km southeast of SBG, records indicate more than 57,000 ounces was produced. Anaconda recently announced PEA study results for the Goldboro deposit, indicating a 9-year mine life with gold production estimated at 375,900 ounces and an all-in sustaining cash(AISC) cost of $797 per ounce (~USD$615* per ounce)(2).

Country Harbour Gold District is located 5km west of SBG and historical records indicate more than 9,000 ounces was mined(3).

Atlantic Gold's Cochrane Hill open pit resource is located approximately 20km west of Carube Copper's SBG has a Measured and Indicated resource of 607,000 ounces of gold at 1.08 g/t and an inferred resource of 73,000 ounces of gold at 1.24 g/t (4). The close proximity of current gold resources and past gold production does not necessarily mean the same would be found on Carube Copper's SBG project area.

Notes:

(1) Forest Hill resource data from RCG website project summary http://www.rcgcorp.ca/projects/forest-hill .

(2) Goldboro reserve and AISC numbers from Anaconda Mining website https://www.anacondamining.com/goldboro-project.

(3) Country Harbour Historic production from Nova Scotia publication OFM ME 1986-055.

(4) Cochrane Hill resource from Atlantic Gold's website http://atlanticgoldcorporation.com/projects/cochrane_hill_project/.



Figure 1: Location Map of Carube Copper's Stewart Brook Project with Current Resources and Historic Production Noted



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2661/43978_3030947de4c938d7_001full.jpg

PROJECT SUMMARY

Seabright Resources Inc. conducted an extensive till and soil geochemical survey over the Meguma Terrane in Nova Scotia between 1986-1989. Seabright's comprehensive sampling program identified numerous gold in till anomalies across the province, including an 8,000m by 4,000m anomaly at SBG. A total 48 tills were taken, collected at 1000-metre spacings along 500-metre spaced grid lines. A heavy mineral concentrate was prepared from each till sample and analyzed for gold and 25 elements. In total more than sixty percent of the samples assayed above 0.07g/t gold, and up to 4.9g/t, and the anomaly is open in all directions. Anticline and syncline structures have been mapped in the project area, and a large northwest structure bisects the project area. The exploration target is a classic saddle-reef deposit within anticlinal structures, associated cross cutting auriferous veins and disseminated or fractured controlled gold mineralization.

The Company plans to initiate a till sampling program over the anomalous area to confirm historic data and to obtain representative samples for further studies. Till samples will be sent to Overburden Drilling Management (ODM) located in Ottawa in order to obtain a 300-400g sample of heavy minerals. Gold grains will be separated from the heavy mineral concentrate and counted, measured and classified, which can provide critical information regarding distance of glacial transport. The relative abundances of any sulphides or similar indicator minerals or metallic contaminants is estimated and the expected gold assay value of the contained gold grains calculated. A representative split is removed from each sample and submitted to ALS in Vancouver, British Columbia for geochemical analysis.



Figure 2: Stewart Brook project location map and Carube's 300 claims



To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2661/43978_3030947de4c938d7_002full.jpg

DISCUSSION

Carube is excited about securing the Stewart Brook gold project, and exploration activities are expected to commence soon. This is another step in the Company's corporate strategy to secure exploration projects with compelling targets that are at or close to drilling stage. Carube continues to look at options on how to optimize value of the current asset base in Jamaica and is engaged in discussions with interested potential strategic partners. Senior management continue to evaluate exploration properties, focusing on mining-friendly jurisdictions with transparent permitting and well-established infrastructure.

ABOUT CARUBE COPPER

Carube Copper is focused on creating substantive long-term value for its shareholders through the discovery and development of world class copper and gold deposits. Carube currently holds a 100% interest in 11 licenses covering 535 km2 of highly prospective copper-gold terrain in Jamaica, and a 100% interest in three porphyry copper-gold properties covering 492 km2 within the Cascade Magmatic Arc in southwestern British Columbia. Carube is actively searching for additional high potential copper and gold properties to add to its portfolio.

Stephen Hughes, CEO and President +1 (647) 517-4574  shughes@carubecopper.com

Jeff Ackert, Vice President, Business Development  +1 (647) 957-2249  jackert@carubecopper.com

www.carubecopper.com

QP Statement: This press release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Shannon Baird, P.Geo., Carube Copper's Exploration Manager, in his capacity as a qualified person as defined under NI 43-101.

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 release.

DISCLAIMER & FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" which are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, and by their very nature involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on currently available information, Carube Copper Corp. provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Factors which cause results to differ materially are set out in the Company's documents filed on SEDAR. Undue reliance should not be placed on "forward looking statements".

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Carube Copper hereby incorporates the entire disclaimer set forth on its website at http://www.carubecopper.com/uploads/1/6/5/2/16521880/disclaimers-and-forward-statements.pdf

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43978
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 9, 2019 / Vertical Exploration Inc. (TSXV: VERT) (the "Company") announces that it has issued 193,714 common shares, at a deemed price of $0.07 per share, in consideration for services provided by Agora Internet Relations Corp.

Pursuant to an online marketing agreement between the Company and Agora Internet Relations Corp. ("Agora"), the Company will receive advertisement space and other promotional features (eg. interviews, sponsored content) on the "Agoracom" website, located at www.agoracom.com, as well as analytics regarding online views, "hits", etc. with respect to same. Please refer to the Company's news release on February 4, 2019 for further discussion. Any further issuance of shares under the online marketing agreement remain subject to TSXV approval.

The shares will be subject to a four month hold period expiring on August 10, 2019.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Peter P. Swistak"

Peter P. Swistak, President

For further information, please contact:

Telephone: 604 683 3995

Toll Free: 1 888 945 4770

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Vertical Exploration Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/541462/Vertical-Exploration-Issues-Shares-for-Services
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 9, 2019) - Ateba Resources Inc. (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a binding letter of intent (the "LOI") with Glow LifeTech Ltd. ("Glow") whereby Ateba will acquire all of the securities of Glow by way of a three-cornered amalgamation, subject to the terms and conditions of the LOI (the "Proposed Transaction"). Pursuant to the terms of the Proposed Transaction, Glow will amalgamate with a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ateba, and Ateba will change its name to "Glow LifeTech Corp.". As a result of the Proposed Transaction, Ateba will continue on with the business of Glow. Glow is responsible for a termination fee of $100,000 in the event Glow breaches the terms of the LOI. Ateba has no commercial operations, no assets and minimal liabilities. Ateba has no commercial operations, no assets and minimal liabilities.

Ateba is a reporting issuer in the Provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec and its common shares (the "Ateba Shares") are not currently listed on any exchange or market. The Company will provide an update of the Proposed Transaction in a press release at a later date.

Under the terms of the LOI, Glow will complete a minimum financing of $500,000 through the issuance of 2,500,000 common shares prior to the closing of the Proposed Transaction. Additionally, Ateba will complete a 1.5555555 for 1 share consolidation prior to the closing of the Proposed Transaction.

Glow is currently owned 63.5% by Relay Medical Corp. and 36.5% by AgraFlora Organics International Inc. With initial funding of at least $500,000 prior to the closing of the Proposed Transaction, Glow will establish its operational structure with a mandate to build its current smart cannabis software and to find and identify appropriate technology opportunities within the cannabis sector. Glow has commenced initial due diligence on industry related innovative technologies. After the completion of the Proposed Transaction and the contemplated listing, Glow will be positioned to advance and fund its business model with access to public capital markets.

Resulting Capitalization

After completion of the Proposed Transaction, and assuming no further common shares are issued, an aggregate of 15,500,000 common shares in the capital of Ateba (the "Ateba Shares") will be issued and outstanding, with former securityholders of Glow holding 12,500,000 Ateba Shares, representing approximately 80% of the total outstanding Ateba Shares and the original shareholders of Ateba holding 3,000,000 Ateba Shares, representing approximately 20% of the outstanding Ateba Shares. The closing date for the Proposed Transaction is expected to be on or around June 30, 2019.

Management and Board of Directors

Upon completion of the Proposed Transaction, the board of directors and management of the resulting issuer will consist of the persons identified below:

W. Clark Kent - President & Chief Executive Officer, Director

Clark is a capital markets professional with extensive experience leading corporate development and finance initiatives in the natural resources, technology and life science industries. For over a decade he has advised emerging companies on strategic planning, finance and recruitment in the North American and international marketplace. Since January 2018 Clark has served as President of MedTech accelerator Relay. Clark began his career with a boutique investment firm where he focused on client relations and marketing.

Chris Hopkins - Chief Financial Officer

Chris has over 25 years of leadership and financial management experience in the capital markets. He has spent most of his career in senior roles with public mining companies, including U.S. Silver, Rio Algom, BHP Billiton, Suncor and several Canadian and international companies. He has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Toronto, and a Chartered Accountant designation and MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University.

Derek Ivany - Director

Mr. Derek Ivany was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of AgraFlora in April 2016 and was instrumental at leading the company away from its resource past to become a large-scale cannabis producer on the world stage. As a public company consultant, Mr. Ivany has worked with numerous publicly traded companies across many different industries. He began his career in investor relations, marketing and corporate development in the oil & gas industry. He transitioned into the junior resource and mining section and most recently to technology and cannabis industries where he has continued to excel. Mr. Ivany continues to be active in both private and public capital markets and is considered an international influencer in the emerging global cannabis industry.

Medhanie Tekeste - Director

Mr. Tekeste is an executive with over 20 years of information systems experience including many years of broad-based management expertise in systems development, implementation and support. He is experienced in strategically and cost effectively utilizing technology to achieve corporate goals. He has extensive global experience in service delivery in the pharmaceutical industry including Quality, Manufacturing and R&D processes. Medhanie also has considerable experience in laboratory quality assurance testing and computer systems validation. Currently, he is the Chief Information Officer at Apotex Inc., where he is responsible for delivery of all end to end IT services globally, including Enterprise Architecture, Cloud and platform services, Service Design, Data Governance, Software Quality Assurance and Security Management, Governance, Program Management and Business Enablement.

Chris Irwin - Director

Chris Irwin practices securities and corporate/commercial law and has been the managing partner of Irwin Lowy LLP since January 2010; prior thereto he was the President of Irwin Professional Corporation from August 2006 to December 2009; and prior thereto he was an associate at Wildeboer Dellelce LLP from January 2004 to July 2006. Mr. Irwin advises a number of public companies, board of directors and independent committees on a variety of issues. Mr. Irwin is a director and/or officer of a number of public companies. Mr. Irwin is a former Director of Trelawney Mining and Exploration Inc., a company acquired by IAMGOLD Corporation in a $608 million transaction; former Director of Southern Star Resources Inc., which was formerly listed on TSX prior to becoming Gold Eagle Mines Ltd. and being taken over by Goldcorp Inc. in a $1.5 billion transaction

Ateba Resources Inc.

Ateba is a reporting issuer in the Provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec and its common shares (the "Ateba Shares") are not currently listed on any exchange or market. The Company will provide an update on the Proposed Transaction and public listing process in a press release at a later date.

Glow LifeTech Ltd.

Glow is a private company founded by Relay and AgraFlora in December 2018 to pursue technology opportunities in the global cannabis sector. The newly formed entity combines Relay's techno-commercial leadership with AgraFlora's accumulated knowledge, expertise and access to cannabis industries across the sector. Glow will benefit from Relay's infrastructure, technical leadership and business knowledge for the research, vetting, product development and validation of innovative technologies and AgraFlora will support the Company in the pursuit of technology opportunities in scientific validation, diagnostics, health & safety, screening, compliance and quality control/assurance within the cannabis industry.

For more information visit mscience.ca

For more information, please contact:

Lisa McCormack

Chief Executive Officer

Tel: (416) 361-2515

Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "would", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the information is provided, and is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change, unless required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

Not for distribution to U.S. Newswire Services or for dissemination in the United States. Any failure to comply with this restriction may constitute a violation of U.S. Securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43986
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - April 9, 2019) - Petrox Resources Ltd. (TSXV: PTC) ("Petrox") is pleased to announce that it has signed a non-binding letter of intent (the "LOI") with Travel Plus International LLC, a limited liability company organized under the laws of California ("Travel Plus"). The LOI outlines the general terms and conditions pursuant to which Petrox and Travel Plus would be willing to complete a transaction that will result in a reverse take-over of Petrox by the securityholders of Travel Plus (the "Transaction"). The Transaction, if approved, will constitute a Reverse Takeover transaction and a Change of Business under the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV"). The Transaction is an arm's length transaction.

The LOI provides that pursuant to the Transaction, Petrox will complete a 10:1 consolidation of its common shares and that Petrox will acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Travel Plus from the existing shareholders of Travel Plus in exchange for 35,325,484 post-consolidation shares of Petrox. The LOI provides that if the consolidation is completed other than on a 10:1 basis, the number of Petrox shares that will be issued in exchange for the Travel Plus shares will be adjusted accordingly.

The transaction will be structured by way of a plan of arrangement, amalgamation, takeover bid, reorganization or other similar form of transaction, as determined following a review of all relevant legal, regulatory and tax matters. The LOI contemplates Petrox and Travel Plus entering into a definitive agreement with respect to the Transaction prior to or on July 31, 2019 or such other date as may be agreed upon by the parties, failing which the LOI will be terminated.

In connection with the Transaction, it is contemplated that Petrox will change its name to "Travel Plus International Ltd." or such other name as may be requested by Travel Plus and accepted by Alberta Registries and the TSXV. It is also contemplated that the then current directors of Petrox will resign to be replaced by nominees to Travel Plus.

Additionally, concurrently with the completion of the Transaction, it is intended that all of the assets and liabilities of Petrox held just prior to the closing of the Transaction will be transferred to a newly created wholly-owned subsidiary of Petrox and that all of the shares of the subsidiary will be distributed to the shares of shareholders of Petrox on record at the time of the distribution (the "Spin-Out Transaction"). The Spin-Out transaction will be completed by way of a plan of arrangement to be approved by the shareholders of Petrox and by the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta.

The LOI provides that completion of the Transaction is subject to a number of conditions including the approval from the Petrox shareholders of the proposed consolidation and name change, approval from the Travel Plus shareholders of the Transaction and approvals from the TSXV, securities regulators and third parties as may be required.

About Petrox

Petrox is a public Canadian junior oil and gas company engaged in the exploration and development of oil and natural gas resources in the Western Canadian Basin. Petrox owns a production property in Fletwode, Saskatchewan that produces approximately 28 boe/d.

Petrox currently has 55,132,258 common shares outstanding. As at September 30, 2018, Petrox had current assets of $355,512 and current liabilities of $17,468, and had non-current assets of $495,017 (consisting of property and equipment) and non-current liabilities of $339,537 (consisting of decommissioning obligations).

About Travel Plus

Travel Plus is a wholesale distributor of travel products, including suitcases, backpacks, bags and other travel accessories. It primarily distributes its products to the North American market. Its customers include Walmart, Amazon and Costco.

Sponsorship

Sponsorship may be required by the TSXV unless exempt in accordance with TSXV policies. Petrox is currently reviewing the requirements for sponsorship. Petrox intends to include any additional information regarding sponsorship in a subsequent press release.

All information contained in this news release with respect to Petrox and Travel Plus was supplied by the parties respectively, for inclusion herein, and each party and its directors and officers have relied on the other party for any information concerning the other party.

Trading of Petrox Shares

Pursuant to the policies of the TSXV, trading of the shares of Petrox has been halted on the TSXV and will remain halted until the conditions of the TSXV for the resumption of trading have been met.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Edwin Tam, Chief Executive Officer and Director; or

Alan Chan, Chief Financial Officer and Director

(403) 270 - 2290

Completion of the transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, Exchange acceptance and if applicable, disinterested shareholder approval. Where applicable, the transaction cannot close until the required shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the transaction will be completed as proposed or at all.

Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular or filing statement to be prepared in connection with the transaction, any information released or received with respect to the transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of Petrox Resources Corp. should be considered highly speculative.

The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements which reflect management's expectations regarding future growth, results of operations, performance and business prospects of Petrox and Travel Plus. These forward-looking statements may relate to, among other things, forecasts or expectations regarding business outlook for Petrox and Travel Plus, and may also include other statements that are predictive in nature, or that depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, and can generally be identified by words such as "may", "will", "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "plans", "believes", "estimates", "guidance" or similar expressions. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements.

Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of Petrox and Travel Plus. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Although such information is considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, it may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and Petrox and Travel Plus do not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by securities law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/43987
Adani wants to develop the Carmichael coal deposit in Queensland state, but has faced fierce environmental resistance

Melbourne: Adani Enterprises has taken a step closer to the construction of a controversial thermal coal mine in Australia after winning federal government approval for its groundwater management plan.

Adani wants to develop the Carmichael coal deposit in Queensland state, but has faced fierce environmental resistance that has turned the project into a political hot potato ahead of a federal election due next month.

Environment Minister Melissa Price said on Tuesday the project still needed nine further approvals from the Federal and Queensland state governments before mining can start. This decision does not comprise the final approval for this project, she said.

The groundwater management plan also requires approval from the state government, the states environmental department told Reuters last week, which is also assessing a management plan for an endangered bird.

While the Carmichael project would create jobs and has strong support in the region, both the ruling conservative Liberal-National coalition and opposition Labor parties fear losing votes in major cities where voters are worried about climate change.

A Queensland government official told Reuters in February that Adani may have to wait up to two years for some environmental approvals.

Adani said last year it would fully fund the coal mine and rail project itself, but did not give an updated estimate of the cost of the mine, previously estimated at about A$4 billion ($2.9 billion).

Adani was not immediately available on Tuesday to comment.
The Downtown Penticton Association is firing back at city councillors Katie Robinson and Jake Kimberley for critical comments made about the DPAs decision to stop delivering civic events like Canada Day and BC Day.

At a media conference Monday morning, the DPA board disputed the notion they dumped the events on the citys plate with little notice  maintaining they raised the issue with city staff back in November  well before they publicly dumped the events in March.

Do I feel that certain councillors should be accountable for what they say and really think before they speak sometimes? said DPA president Ryan Graham. Absolutely.

He went on to call the councillor's comments outrageous.

During Thursdays regular meeting, Coun. Katie Robinson called for consequences for the DPA for dropping the events in the context of arguing that the city should not deliver the Rock the Sun summer concert series.

There should be consequences to the actions that are taken, she said. And so far, weve seen no consequences to the decisions that the DPA made.

Coun. Jake Kimberley also lamented the situation, calling it sad.

I think personally theyve damaged their public relations in doing so, because all of a sudden we now have to organize these events, Kimberley said.

The DPA says the events  BC Day, Canada Day, Rock the Sun and the Santa Claus parade  do nothing for its paying membership, noting just 25 per cent of members are retailers.

We have doctors, lawyers, accountants, funeral homes. All kinds of things, board member Steve Brown said. Nobody comes down to the Santa Claus parade and says hey now that weve seen Santa Claus, lets go get tattoos.

The DPA has run the events since 2013, spending $141,000 to deliver them last year offset by $20,000 in city cash and in-kind support.

And do you know what? A thank-you wouldnt hurt, Brown added. Weve spent a half a million dollars of DPA money putting these events on and all weve taken for the last several weeks is abuse.

DPA executive director Lynn Allin said shes not aware of any other business improvement association in B.C. that manages civic celebrations. She added the group is refocusing on initiatives and a plan for downtown that supports its members, who pay into the DPA through a mandatory levy based on street frontage.

Brown says while an apology from city council would be nice, hes not expecting one because we are talking about a bunch of politicians and bureaucrats.

What we want is some civil discourse. If we are going to move this thing forward, we are perfectly happy to help them with that process, he said. But some of the outrageous remarks that they are making need to stop and they need to come back to us and say, hey lets put this back on course.
India's aviation regulator has asked all airlines to come out with an individual medium-term plan by Wednesday on enhancing the availability of domestic flights, in a move aimed at curbing rising airfares, government officials said

New Delhi: India's aviation regulator has asked all airlines to come out with an individual medium-term plan by Wednesday on enhancing the availability of domestic flights, in a move aimed at curbing rising airfares, government officials said.

Airfares have been on an upswing across India for last few weeks due to a sharp decline in a number of flights primarily caused by the grounding of three-fourths of cash-strapped Jet Airways' 119-aircraft fleet.

The availability of flights was also hit by pulling out of Spice Jet's 12 "737 Max" aircraft in March following safety concerns in the wake of the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jet on 10 March.

"The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has been meeting with the airlines continuously so that they augment their additional capacity, which would be over and above the flights approved for the summer schedule," a senior government official said.

According to officials, the each of the airlines was "requested to bring an immediate and medium-term plan to augment the additional capacity in the market", and ways to increase the overall availability of flights will be discussed at a meeting on Wednesday.

The DGCA last month approved a nearly seven-month-long summer schedule beginning 31 March for SpiceJet, Vistara, IndiGo, Air India and GoAir. However, for Jet Airways, the DGCA approved the summer schedule for nearly a month only due to its financial crisis.

The DGCA approves winter as well as summer schedules every year in order to ensure smooth flights operations.

The airlines were asked to come out with an immediate and medium-term plan over and above the summer action plan to make available additional flights so that airfares remain in control.

During the last few weeks, Jet Airways has been grounding its aircraft in tranches due to non-payment of dues to its lessors. While the airline has a fleet of about 119 aircraft, civil aviation secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola said on April 4 that only 26 aircraft of Jet Airways are flying "currently".

After Jet withdrew some of its flights from several routes, budget carrier IndiGo on April 8 announced rolling out new flights on both international and domestic networks.

Similarly, AirAsia said it will start operating additional flights on Mumbai-Bengaluru route and Mumbai-Kochi route from 15 April onwards.

In its fleet, SpiceJet had 12 "737 Max" aircraft. On March 12, the DGCA announced its decision to "immediately" ground the Boeing 737 Max aircraft that were being used by airlines in India.
The commerce ministry has recommended an anti-dumping duty of $1,633.17 per tonne on Saccharin, a kind of sweetener, from Indonesia to guard domestic manufacturers from cheap imports from the Southeast Asian country

New Delhi: The commerce ministry has recommended an anti-dumping duty of $1,633.17 per tonne on Saccharin, a kind of sweetener, from Indonesia to guard domestic manufacturers from cheap imports from the Southeast Asian country.

The ministry's investigation arm - Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) - has conducted the probe of alleged dumping of this product following a complaint from Swati Petro Products Ltd.

The directorate has concluded in its findings that the product has been exported to India from Indonesia below their normal values, due to which the domestic industry has suffered material injury.

Material injury has been caused by the dumped imports, the DGTR has said in a notification.

"The authority recommends imposition of definitive anti-dumping duty... so as to remove the injury to the domestic industry," it said.

The final call to impose the duty would be taken by the finance ministry.

Saccharin is used in a variety of industry such as food and beverage, personal care products, table top sweeteners, electroplating brighteners, and pharmaceuticals. Saccharin is more than 500 times sweeter than sugar.

Import of the item into India has increased from 421 tonne in 2014-15 to 543 tonne during 2017-18.

Indonesia is a key trading partner of India in the Southeast Asian region. The bilateral trade between the countries increased to 20.4 billion in 2017-18 from about $17 billion.

In international trade parlance, dumping happens when a country or a firm exports an item at a price lower than the price of that product in its domestic market.

Dumping impacts price of that product in the exporting country, hitting margins and profits of manufacturing firms.

According to global trade norms, a country is allowed to impose tariffs on such dumped products to provide a level-playing field to domestic manufacturers. The duty is imposed only after a thorough investigation by a quasi-judicial body, like DGTR in India.

In its probe, the directorate has to conclude whether the dumped products are impacting domestic industries.

Imposition of anti-dumping duty is permissible under the World Trade Organization (WTO) regime.

The duty is aimed at ensuring fair trading practices and creating a level-playing field for domestic producers vis-a-vis foreign producers and exporters.
Jet Airways domestic pilots body, the National Aviators Guild (NAG) on Tuesday served a legal notice to the airline, setting 14 April deadline for the new management to clear their salary dues

Mumbai: Jet Airways domestic pilots body, the National Aviators Guild (NAG) on Tuesday served a legal notice to the airline, setting 14 April deadline for the new management to clear their salary dues.

Jet Airways pilots along with engineers and senior executives have not been paid for the last three months amid cash-drought in the airline that saw an ownership change last month with banks taking majority shares.

Along with these staff, the airline has defaulted on the payment of March salaries to other employees as well.

"My client (NAG) calls upon the management of Jet Airways to pay their outstanding salaries for January, February and March, by 14 April (and future salaries by the first of every month," NAG said in a legal notice.

"Failing which my client shall be constrained to resort to all constitutional and legal means available with them to ensure payment of their salaries," the notice stated.

The NAG claims to represent around 1,100 of the total 1,600 pilots of the carrier.

Late March, the guild had warned of a "no flying call" from 1 April over the delayed salaries, which they had deferred to 14 April.
Prospective bidders of struggling Jet Airways need to settle the airlines existing debt as part of any deal to buy a stake in the carrier, its consortium of lenders led by SBI said in a statement on Monday.

The first day of the bidding process of the crisis-hit Jet Airways drew a blank as no investor turned up on Monday after State Bank of India (SBI) invited bids from strategic as well as financial bidders for stake sale in the ailing carrier, said a media report.

According to a The Hindu Business Line report, citing a source close to the lenders, Etihad Airways along with National Investment Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) may emerge as a top contender for a majority stake in Jet Airways. The lenders are yet to receive any expression of interest (EoI) from any potential investor so far.

The report quoting market experts said that Tata Sons, Delta Air, TPG, SpiceJet, along with the current stakeholders Etihad and Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal could be the potential bidders for the debt-laden airline.

SBI, which is the lead lender of a consortium of domestic lenders that have extended loans to Jet Airways, is looking for "change in control and management" of the carrier, as per a public notice, said a PTI report. SBI Capital Markets would be assisting and advising the lenders on the bid process.

The bids have to be submitted by 10 April. The lenders' consortium has taken control of the airline under a debt recast plan.

Prospective bidders of struggling Jet Airways need to settle the airlines existing debt as part of any deal to buy a stake in the carrier, its consortium of lenders led by SBI said in a statement on Monday.

In a notice on its website, SBI Capital Markets, a unit of SBI, said that prospective bidders are required to submit expressions of interest for up to 75 percent stake in debt-laden Jet Airways by 6 pm local time (1230 GMT) on 10 April, said a Reuters report.

Individuals, including foreign nationals, as well as a consortium of up to three companies, are allowed to bid for a stake in the airline subject to Indian laws, the notice said. Foreign ownership of Indian airlines is capped at 49 percent.

Under the debt resolution plan approved by the Jet Airways' board on 25 March, lenders have taken a majority stake in the airline and are set to infuse Rs 1,500 crore.

Besides, Goyal, as well as his wife Anita, quit the board last month. The shareholding of Goyals has come down to 25 percent from 51 percent earlier.

The acute financial crunch has forced the airline to ground aircraft, cancel flights and delay payment of salaries, including to pilots.

The consortium has proposed to offer at least 3.54 crore shares of the airline comprising 31.2 percent of the equity share capital of the company and up to a maximum of 8.51 crore shares comprising 75 percent on fully diluted basis subject to approval, it said.

"Bidders shall bear all costs associated with the preparation and submission of the EOI. The lenders or authorised representative shall not, under any circumstances be responsible or liable for any such costs in this regard, whether direct, incidental or consequential," it added.

It further said that the bidders can be strategic investors (SIs) and/ or financial investors (FIs).

"SIs may include body corporates having experience in similar sectors with domestic or global experience or both. FIs may include private equity funds, investment funds etc," it said.

 With inputs from agencies
Modi said that its a matter of pride for the country that global agencies like World Bank and IMF have unanimously hailed India as the fastest growing major economy in the world

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that demonetisation was needed to speed up formalisation of the economy and added that the move crippled illegal companies.

"Big people whose businesses were hit and exposed by demonetisation have still not been able to recover from the blow. But the common citizen who suffered initially due to demonetisation stood by us," the prime minister said in an exclusive interview to Network18 Group editor-in-chief Rahul Joshi.

Hours after the release of BJP's manifesto called 'Sankalp Patra', the Congress on Monday dubbed it as 'Jhansa Patra' (document of delusion) and said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders while speaking at their manifesto launch did not mention the words like 'job', 'employment,' 'demonetisation' and 'GST'.

Talking about the progress of the economy over the last five years, Modi said that its a matter of pride for the country that global agencies like World Bank and IMF have unanimously hailed India as the fastest growing major economy in the world.

"If a person believes in development, he should not be happy even with 10 percent growth. Sometimes not being satisfied is a source of energy. So, whatever the achievements, I keep that non-satisfaction within me alive," Modi said.

Talking about the currency in circulation (CIC), the prime minister said, "If we go by the earlier rate of currency entering the system, there would have been a far higher volume of currency today (if demonetisation had not happened). It must be seen in the context of growth in currency figures..."

ALSO READ: Congress manifesto is an announcement, but BJP's is a resolution, Narendra Modi tells News18

Modi said that the Uttar Pradesh election was fought on the issue of demonetisation and the BJP emerged victorious. He claimed that the people who have suffered due to demonetisation are those who lost their vote bank of the poor and those who were unable to carry out their black money dealings.

"Demonetisation is the reason why our formal economy has risen so fast. The number of people paying income tax in the 60 years since Independence has doubled in the last five years," Modi said.

The prime minister said that more than 3.5 lakh illegal companies were identified due to demonetisation and their operations were stopped. "I believe that if we hadnt carried out the move, the formal economy would not have been able to take off. Only the parallel economy would have been visible. Property prices fell because black money disappeared," he said.

The interview will be aired at 7 pm on Tuesday night on CNN-News18 and all other 19 news channels of the group. Firstpost will also stream the interview live.
Shares of Usha Martin fell over 7 percent on Tuesday on the back of reports that Tata Steel is to take over the company's Jamshedpur steel plant

Tata Sponge, a subsidiary of Tata Steel, has reportedly closed a deal to acquire the steel business of Usha Martin Ltd for around Rs 4,600 crore, a media report said.

According to The Economic Times, Tata Steel will take possession of Usha Martin's steel unit at Jamshedpur on Tuesday. The report added that the proceeds from the deal will be kept in an escrow account of SBI and will be utilised to repay Usha Martin's debt.

Usha Martin has a debt of around Rs 4,400 crore. The steel business that Usha Martin is selling to Tata Sponge includes a 135 MW power plant and a lucrative iron ore mine and coal block, The Times of India said.

Shares of Usha Martin fell over 7 percent on Tuesday on the back of reports that Tata Steel is to take over the company's Jamshedpur steel plant.

At 2.35 pm Usha Martin was quoting Rs 37.45, down 7.87 percent on the BSE.

In September 2018, Tata Steel announced it would acquire the steel business of Usha Martin Ltd. The sale of steel business to Tata Steel will help the company in significant reduction" of its debt, Usha Martin had said.

Last week, Tata Steel said its output rose 23 percent to 7.70 million tonne (MT) during the last quarter of 2018-19.

The company had produced 6.26 MT of steel during the same quarter a year ago, Tata Steel said in a statement. Its India production stood at 4.47 MT during the January-March 2019 quarter as against 3.07 MT in the year-ago period.

"India operations achieved the highest ever crude steel production in 4QFY19 driven by better plant availability across the locations including ramp-up at Tata Steel BSL," it said.

In May 2018, Bamnipal Steel (BNPL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Steel, had completed the acquisition of controlling stake of 72.65 percent in Bhushan Steel. Tata Steel Ltd had won the bid to acquire debt-laden Bhushan Steel Ltd (BSL) in an insolvency auction. The bankrupt firm was among the 12 stressed assets the RBI had referred for NCLT proceedings last year.

Tata Steel Group is among the top global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of 33 million tonnes per annum (MTPA).

With PTI inputs
Describing the scheme, the magazine said that rather than a surgical strike on poverty, NYAY is more like 'dropping barrelfuls of ordnance from 30,000 feet.'

Weekly business news magazine The Economist in its latest issue has raised several questions about the Congress partys ambitious NYAY scheme.

The magazine, in an article titled "The war on penury", appeared in the Asia section of the print edition, said that the Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY) might contribute to injustice "by stripping benefits from people striving to escape the bottom fifth and rewarding people striving deceitfully to enter it."

Describing the scheme, the magazine said that rather than a surgical strike on poverty, it is more like "dropping barrelfuls of ordnance from 30,000 feet."

Pointing out the governments ability to identify the poor, the magazine said, "Rather than struggling to include all the identifiably poor, why not exclude the identifiably rich?"

Last week, the Congress party had released its manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls, making a slew of promises, including giving Rs 72,000 each to five crore poor families under the NYAY scheme.

Former NITI Aayog vice chairman Arvind Panagariya had said the implementation of the Congress partys ambitious NYAY scheme not only poses a fiscal challenge to Indias economy but also has a serious incentive problem.

Panagariya, who served as the first vice chairman of NITI Aayog for two years from 2015 to 2017, said the scheme is difficult to implement and unlikely to achieve its intended objective. It raises three major questions - the incentive compatibility issue, the fairness issue and fiscal challenge, Panagariya, an eminent Indian-American economist, said.

But Congress president Rahul Gandhi had said the scheme had the twin objectives of giving money to the 20 percent of the poorest families and remonetising the economy damaged by demonetisation in 2016. Its aim is two-fold: the first is to guarantee a minimum income to the bottom 20 percent of the families, the second is to remonetise the economy that has been demonetised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi had said.

The party had said that the scheme would not be a top-up scheme but a flat cash transfer, which means that Rs 6,000 per month will be transferred per eligible family irrespective of their current annual or monthly income. Earlier there were rumours that the party would transfer just enough money to bring up each below poverty line (BPL) family's income to Rs 12,000 a month

With agency inputs
Assam: In yet another case of cow vigilantism, an elderly Muslim man, Shaukat Ali, was beaten up and forced to eat pork, which is forbidden among followers of Islam, while his restaurant was vandalised by another group at some distance in Biswanath Chariali district in Assam on Sunday

Guwahati: In yet another case of cow vigilantism, an elderly Muslim man, Shaukat Ali, was beaten up and forced to eat pork, which is forbidden among followers of Islam, while his restaurant was vandalised by another group at some distance in Biswanath Chariali district in Assam on Sunday. The incident came to light on Monday after a video showing a mob assaulting Ali, a 68-year-old restaurant owner, was circulated on social media platforms.

Attention @sarbanandsonwal This old man was beaten up in Bishwanath Charialifor selling beef. Beef is not banned in Assam and the northeast. Many communities apart from Muslims consume beef. But interestingly self appointed gaurakshaks find only poor Muslim traders to harass. pic.twitter.com/I7lg1YMKu0  Berojgar BeingMuzakki (@Muzakki82091009) April 8, 2019

In the video, Ali is seen surrounded by a mob of 25 to 30 people, while one of them asks him why he sold beef and whether he possessed a licence to do that. Another man asks whether he is a "Bangladeshi", and if his name is enlisted in the National Register of Citizens (NRC). In the video, the mob is seen forcibly feeding meat to Ali, which they call "gahori" (pork).

"Chew the meat and gulp it down your throat," the men are heard ordering him.

Ali seemed baffled by the events because he has never had to live through such fear as a result of the business that his family has run for 35 years since his father set it up. Narrating the chain of events, he said that three days before he was attacked, around 15 boys barged into his restaurant asking where he had kept the beef. "I used to keep it in a room, away from sight. They searched and found the beef. They took videos of it. After that, I got scared and went to the mahaldar's office," said Ali. The mahaldars, or market managers, advised him not to sell beef. "Since then I stopped selling (beef)," said Ali.

However, the group of boys who had threatened him earlier returned to his hotel on Sunday morning and asked if he was still selling beef. "But, they didn't find (beef). Then at around 3 pm, one mahaldar whose name is Maina, came to tell me that I cannot work in the market anymore. I was tense and decided to head home. On the way, Maina stopped me and asked where I was going. I told him I was going to offer prayers. He then took me to a paan shop nearby and asked me not to move from there as I might be hurt if I go alone. Then he left. I waited for almost one-and-a-half hours when the same group from three days ago appeared. They dragged me to a school and started thrashing me," narrated Ali, while also suspecting Maina's involvement in conspiring against him.

Maina, one of the four managers at the market, is absconding, according to sources from the All Assam Minority Students Union (AAMSU). After Thursday's threat, Ali had contacted AAMSU, an organisation that voices concerns on harassment of the minority community in Assam, where he was advised to inform the mahaldar about the incident.

An FIR (Case no. 80/2019) has been registered in relation to the incident at Biswanath Police Station under Sections 143/341/325/294(a)/295A/153-A(b) and 384 of the IPC. Subhan Chandra Das, officer-in-charge, Biswanath Police Station, said he received a phone call at around 4 pm on Sunday informing him that a man was being assaulted by a group. "Five other policemen and I immediately rushed to the spot. There, I saw a man was made to kneel down and (was being) punched and slapped by a mob. There were around 100 people. I made my way through the mob and stood behind the person trying to save him from the assault. The mob also tried to push me. Somehow, I put him in our vehicle. But the mob gheraoed (encircled) our vehicle demanding that we leave the man to them. I called for additional help. Paramilitary forces also came," said Das.

The mob had by then started assaulting Kamal Thapa, another mahaldar, who had tried to save Ali. "We again went into the mob and rescued him as well," said Das, adding, "We have arrested one person identified as Dipen Baruah. We have identified a few more and located the homes of two. But they are absconding."

The OC denied the suspects' allegiance to any political or religious outfit as per the "available information". Biswanath Chariali deputy commissioner Pabitra Ram Khaund said, "Cooked beef was being sold in one of the small restaurants in the weekly market and this has been going on for long, but nobody has come to the DC or the SP to complain about it as yet. Selling of beef is not banned here, but there are some sections of law under which you can ban the selling of beef if it breaches the tranquillity of the place. But, so far no such incident had occurred."

Khaund said the district administration held a meeting with two organisations on Monday and two people were picked up for questioning while measures to contain the situation were being taken. Biswanath happens to be a peaceful place, but the video that has gone viral has created tension in the town, said the DC. "In this area, there are no problems as yet and on Tuesday, we have called a meeting with all the local organisations. The superintendent of police and I have been constantly on the move and are in close contact with the paramilitary, as elections are (scheduled) here in two days," he added.

Five of the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies of Assam go to the polls on 11 April in the first phase of the General Election.

Thapa, who tried to save Ali from the mob violence, said the group had contacted him after threatening Ali on Thursday. "When Shaukat Ali came to me to inform about the incident (on Thursday), I asked him not to sell beef for a few days, as it was election time and the situation regarding selling and eating of beef in the country can escalate into anything. Shaukat agreed to follow my advice," he said.

Kuddus Ali, a student leader who witnessed the attack on Ali, said, "Tension was brewing since Thursday when some people went to Shaukat Ali's restaurant and shot a video of the beef he (had) kept separately. The group asked him whether he had permission from the market committee to sell beef. The group later warned him not to sell beef."

Kuddus Ali added that four or five places in the market have been selling beef for decades on weekly market days, which are Sunday and Thursday. The customers who consume it are served separately in a closed room. For others in the market, these shops serve tea and biscuits. Pork is also served by non-Muslim shop owners in the market, albeit not in closed rooms the way beef has been served by the Muslim shopkeepers over the past few decades.

Shaukat Ali's son, Abdul Wahab, 14, said the restaurant they own in the market was established by his grandfather. "After his death, my father used to run it. On Sunday, he closed the restaurant early as it was a rainy day and there were not many customers. But he was dragged from his bicycle on his way to Phulphali, where we live, and was taken in front of Chariali Girls Higher Secondary School, a kilometre away from the market. He was tortured brutally. Now, he is admitted at the Biswanath Chariali Civil Hospital. The doctor attending to him told me that he almost has no skin on his back due to the torture. He has sustained chest and head injuries as well," said the teenage son.

Mahmudal Hassan, district president of AAMSU and an eyewitness to the assault, said, "A person called Kalam called me up to inform that a person was being beaten up in the market. Immediately, I went to the police station. But, I was informed that a police team had left for the spot. I, too, went there and saw Shaukat Ali gheraoed by a mob. The mob had already beaten him up, there was blood all over his shirt, and he was almost losing conscious."

Reportedly, Ali was thrashed with sticks and rods, and his bicycle was also destroyed by the mob. While he was being beaten, another group vandalised his restaurant, broke the utensils and ran away with gas cylinders, cooking pots and food items. "The group didn't find beef in his restaurant that day," said Hassan.

Civil society organisations staged a protest against the incident in Guwahati on Tuesday.

The author is Guwahati-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters
The Balakot airstrikes and the aftermath occurred at a sensitive time when India was getting ready to hold its general elections for the Lok Sabha where Prime minister Narendra Modi is seeking a return mandate

It may very well lend itself to a racy fiction entitled The Mysterious Case Of The Missing F16. Bollywood may pick it up. Or it could be Netflix, turning the 27 February dogfight between the Indian Air Force and Pakistan Air Force into an original. Theres enough masala to run multiple seasons. It would be interesting to see which version of the truth comes out in these mediums, because right now there are as many versions of it as the number of analysts willing to comment on the subject.

Thats a shame, because one clear, unequivocal truth underlies the Balakot airstrikes and the resulting dogfight: India managed to achieve its objectives. What were these objectives? One, imposing costs on Pakistan to discourage it from using terror as a tool to achieve revanchist motives. Two, prove to Pakistan that it is willing to take risks of a sub-conventional war below the nuclear threshold in doing so. Three, flag its zero tolerance policy on terrorism without worrying about any commitment traps. Whats more, the objectives were accompanied by a near diplomatic coup where Pakistan stood isolated and was pretty much forced to return the captured Indian pilot to buy peace when India indicated that it is not interested in any negotiation.

This is also where the trouble started. The Balakot airstrikes and the aftermath occurred at a sensitive time when India was getting ready to hold its general elections for the Lok Sabha where Prime minister Narendra Modi is seeking a return mandate. If the fog of war causes confusion, the fog of election even more so. Both the ruling party and the Opposition made an election issue out of Balakot, and the raucous debate over national security distorted the truth beyond recognition. The outrageous claims made by the politicians on both side of the divide  and magnified through the media  created a fork in the road for the Balakot narrative.

In domestic politics, the airstrikes enabled the BJP to use national security as a poll plank and corner the Opposition, to the extent that BJPs rivals were forced to either acknowledge the efficacy of the kinetic action, or toe Pakistans line that India had failed its missions. This benefitted the BJP and discomfited the Opposition. We find Congress chief Rahul Gandhi praising the IAF for its valour in conducting the strikes while his partymen such as Navjyot Singh Sidhu, among countless others, raising questions against the IAFs accuracy and blaming the prime minister for misleading the nation. The involvement of Pakistan in the issue made it trickier, because India-Pakistan rivalry pays rich dividends on both sides of the border during elections.

A spin-off of making national security an election issue and politicians making outrageous claims is that internationally, Indias reputation as a rational actor that is careful while disseminating information about a conflict took a hit. Suddenly, Indias measured statement  issued by the foreign secretary  of the objectives having been met in Balakot airstrikes and thwarting of Pakistans aerial attack the day after was being called into question, and an equivalence was being created between a democratic India and a semi-democratic Pakistan that has historically been guilty of using propaganda, lies, deceit and fake news as useful tools to control the war narrative.

The other important role in this confusion was played by scholars and independent analysts who seemed not only inclined towards giving similar weightage to Pakistan and Indias claims, but were bent on buying Islamabads story while overlooking evidences, circumstantial or otherwise.

Assessing commercial satellite images, Australian analysts suggested that the Indian Air Force missed its targets in Balakot and seemed to concur with Pakistans claims that Indias precision bombing of Jaish-e-Muhammad seminary (which India has designated as a terror camp) was not so precise after all.

Claims such as these found wide display in Pakistani media and quickly became fodder for the Opposition in Indias election campaign. In the fog of elections, Pakistans version of the narrative gained ground, despite the IAFs assertion that its objectives in Balakot airstrikes were met and a series of reports that backed the IAFs claims. Reuters reported that its team was prevented by the Pakistani authorities from visiting the affected seminary on Jabba Top three times in nine days.

This Newslaundry piece pointed out that more than a month after the attack, they (Pakistani authorities) finally took eight journalists to the camp in what was obviously a carefully choreographed event. Even then, reports mentioned that some areas of the site were covered with tarpaulin and access to them was denied to the journalists.

It seemed likely that a cover-up action had been under way as Colonel Vinayak Bhat (Retd), an expert in assessment of satellite imagery, in his piece for The Print challenged the version posted by Australian analysts to claim that the researchers made a gross error in calculation to reach incorrect conclusions. In other words, IAF strikes were a hit.

Two separate pieces for Firstpost busted Pakistans claims on Balakot. The first quoted eyewitnesses to state that the 26 February strikes against Jaish-e-Mohammed caused significant casualties and eyewitnesses saw up to 35 bodies being transported out of the site by ambulance hours after the attack.

The other detailed how Pakistan lied about the JeM terror camp. It is in this context that we must place the debate around the missing Pakistan F-16. Pakistan has gone through the hoops on this issue, changing its statement multiple times. Major General Asif Ghafoor of the Pakistan Army, who heads the infamous Inter-Services Public Relations has been its propaganda-in-chief, trying to control the damage of a state-of-the-art F16 being hit by a grandfatherly MiG 21-Bison during the dogfight by controlling the narrative.

In response to PAF strikes this morning as released by MoFA, IAF crossed LOC. PAF shot down two Indian aircrafts inside Pakistani airspace. One of the aircraft fell inside AJ&K while other fell inside IOK. One Indian pilot arrested by troops on ground while two in the area.  Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor (@OfficialDGISPR) February 27, 2019

Accordingly, we first heard that Pakistan had hit two Indian jets and captured multiple Indian pilots. A few hours later it became two pilots arrested. Our ground forces arrested two pilots; one of them was injured and has been shifted to CMH (Combined Military Hospital) and, God-willing, he will be taken care of The other one is with us, said Ghafoor.

Later, the ISPR chief claimed that the pilot who was lodged in CMH hospital (which Pakistan claimed to be an Indian) has died. The IAF had all along maintained that one of its MiG21-Bison was hit before it took down an F16, and IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was missing. There was no acknowledgement from Indian side at any time that two pilots were missing. During his message to India, Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan also claimed two Indian pilots were in custody. Later, Pakistan conveniently claimed that just one IAF pilot was in custody: Abhinandan Varthaman.

These flip-flops should have served as red flags for any analyst who wishes to take stock of what might happened during the 27 February dogfight, but for some unknown reason Pakistans shifting narrative was given a short shrift. Indias claims, that it shot down an F-16, carried little truck. This, despite media reports claiming that the mysterious second pilot who apparently died in Pakistans CMH hospital was actually the pilot of F-16 who was downed by Varthamans missile and ejected onto Pakistan-occupied Kashmir territory where he was tragically killed by his own countrymen who mistook him for an Indian (even this piece in Newslaundry cast doubt on the story).

How and why did this mistake occur? In his piece In PAF lies & subterfuge, an F-16 tail number & a PAF pilot  both hidden to serve a myth, former IAF Mirage pilot and air warfare writer Sameer Joshi wrote that the colour of the C-9 parachute on the PAF F16s resembles an Indian flag and the PoK civilians may have mistaken the F-16 parachute to be an Indian and lynched the possibly injured PAF pilot who later died in CMH hospital. Joshi painstakingly pieces together compelling circumstantial evidence (including open-source intelligence analysis) in his exhaustive piece to conclusively suggest that a Pakistan F-16 was indeed downed.

This assertion came on top of the Foreign Policy piece where it was suggested that US personnel recently completed a headcount of Pakistani F-16s and found none missing. This prompted analysts to suggest that as details come out, it looks worse and worse for the Indians It looks increasingly like India failed to impose significant costs on Pakistan, but lost a plane and a helicopter of its own in the process.

Its not so simple, however. The Pentagon told Hindustan Times it was not aware that such an audit has taken place. The Pentagons denial could mean two things. One, it was a refutation of the Foreign Policy article that named two unnamed sources while revealing the headcount. Two, that such an audit had taken place and the Pentagon was either unaware of it or was lying. Both these possibilities seem fantastical.

Even at this stage, with Pentagon denying the knowledge of an audit, analysts were more inclined to believe Pakistans version corroborated by unnamed sources in a US magazine article.

Respectfully, it has done no such thing. At best, it's 1 anonymous spokesperson v 2 anonymous sources in the FP article. IAF can clear this up *publicly* if it so chose to. And so can a public statement from @DeptofDefense, for that matter. (@StateDept has refused to comment.) https://t.co/XR8pqRgYen  hijnan Rej (@AbhijnanRej) April 6, 2019

Finally, the IAF went public with radar images to rebut Pakistans claims. It aired the radar images of the dogfight and said it had irrefutable evidence of a Pakistan Air Force F-16 being downed by an IAF MiG-21 Bison. Air Vice Marshal RGK Kapoor cited radio intercepts, Indian Army sightings and statements by the Pakistan ISPR to underline that the PAF lost an F-16 and added that the IAF is in possession of more evidences.

As the saga lies now, one thing is clear. India has all along stuck to its claims since the 27 February aerial engagement. The IAF has produced radar images and cited radio comms. Analysts and reporters have painstakingly pieced together circumstantial evidences to back Indias claims. On the other hand, Pakistan has changed its story multiple times, went back on its claims on F-16 usage and remained silent on the issue of the mysterious second pilot. Yet, it is India that must provide the proof of the burden.

Political jibes against IAFs claims are understandable in an election season. It is sad to see the loss of objectivity among analysts and commentators who are ready to believe every outlier theory and claims by unnamed sources just to prove the IAF wrong. For them, even Pakistans statements seem kosher in comparison. It may or may not have to do with their dislike of an individual who looks set for another term at helm as prime minister. The mental gymnastics may become weirder.
Documents reviewed by Firstpost shows BEL, in the gross violation of purchase procedure, awarded plant and machinery contracts worth hundreds of crores to foreign firms including Temet OY of Finland, Pro Hub Hebetechnik GmbH and Mueller Safe of Germany.

New Delhi: Defence public sector undertaking Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) handling Indian Air Force's (IAF) confidential Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) awarded a sub-system contract without floating global tender to a German company Mueller Safe GmbH, which had produced only 75 pieces of valves used for such installation.

Another company Pro Hub Hebetechnik GmbH was also selected by BEL for a contract despite submitting the technical proposal after closing time of bid. A Finland-based company Temet OY was given an award on a single tender basis. Interestingly, Temet OY and Pro Hub Hebetechnik GmbH were already mentioned in a detailed project report of IACCS prepared by M/S RD Konsultants in 2013, raising serious questions over conflict of interest. It is learnt that two BEL officers currently working on IACCS project are also under the scanner of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which recently received source based inputs regarding their activities.

These facts emerging from documents and BELs internal inquiry report raise serious questions that Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) rules and BELs own purchase procedures 2016, were allegedly violated in the entire process of the project contracts, which began when the UPA government was in power. As reported by Firstpost on 2 April, BEL has come under the cloud by its own inquiry report for allegedly favouring project design consultant M/S RD Konsultants.

Documents reviewed by Firstpost shows BEL, in the gross violation of purchase procedure, awarded plant and machinery contracts worth hundreds of crores to foreign firms including Temet OY of Finland, Pro Hub Hebetechnik GmbH and Mueller Safe of Germany. No open or global tender was floated to select the vendors. Sources confirmed that the government is likely to ask investigative and enforcement agencies to probe into alleged irregularities in hiring design consultant, the award of contracts for the plant and machinery and role of the serving and retired officers in the process.

After Firstpost mailed a detailed questionnaire to MV Gowtama, chairman and managing director (CMD) of BEL, his office said BEL follows standard procedures, guidelines and its business practices conform to C&AG and CVC guidelines.

The contracts for any project are awarded through competitive tendering and based on capabilities and capacities of partners/vendors. Hence prima facie BEL does not see any irregularity, the BEL CMD's office said.

Temet OY, Finland citing non-disclosure agreement refused to comment on the contract and chose not to respond on working arrangements and details about its association with M/S RD Konsultants. It, however, claimed M/S RD Konsultants was not Temets agent.

We can confirm that M/S RD Konsultants mentioned below is not and has not been an authorised Temet dealer. Of course, if there is an official investigation in progress, we will cooperate with the relevant authorities, Tero Hanhinen from Temet OY said.

Temet OY though conveniently suppressed the fact that two of its officers, Likka Elias Kivisarri and Adel Velic were accompanied by M/S RD Konsultants' Vikram Parvathoju to BEL office from 6 to 8 August 2018 for technical discussion with defence PSU officers.

Questionnaire sent to Pro Hub and Mueller Safe, Germany, seeking comments went unanswered. M/S RD Konsultants did not respond to a detailed questionnaire sent on 31 March.

Deal with IACCS design consultants foreign affiliates raises a stink

The design firm M/S RD Konsultants in the detailed project report had mentioned that it was working with several foreign companies including Temet OY, Finland and Pro Hub, Germany. The fact has rattled BEL's internal investigators, who alleged that decision to go with a single vendor is surprising as the design consultant is questionable and requires further probe. The design consultant selected for all 10 sites has total control in the choice of sub-systems like electronic items, building management system and other sensitive hardware. By sidestepping the procurement procedure, BEL did not go for open or global tender for the procurement.

As per BEL purchase procedure para 10.1.7: Open tenders shall be resorted to in case of non-production/ non project materials estimated to cost Rs 1 crore and above. The time allowed for receiving quotations against open tenders can be fixed, depending upon the geographical area covered, effort required to be put in by the vendors and other relevant factors, however shall not be less than 7 days. In case of global tenders, the notice will also be published in Indian Trade Journal and sent to Indian Missions abroad deemed necessary for adequate response in addition to the press advertisement and BEL website.

None of these guidelines was followed by BEL in the procurement of equipment of IACCS and the competitive bidding for all 10 operation sites was surreptitiously eliminated and firms directly/indirectly linked with the design consultant were roped in. This is what BEL's inquiry report had feared. The report mentioned Temet OY, Finland is represented in India by Stahl Tecniks Private Limited, which is directly/ indirectly linked to M/S RD Konsultants. One of the past directors of Stahl Tecniks was Suruchi Totala, who was also director of RD Designs LLP that was floated in 2015 by M/S RD Konsultants partner SK Anand. Now, the RD Designs LLP is in the process of shutting the shop. The BELs report also alleges that being the single vendor for all 10 sites, the design consultant carried out works to make sure that it suits the private vendors of plant and machinery of its choice.

The civil design for the underground structures would have been carried out keeping in mind the various sub-systems to be installed inside. For example, if blast doors of M/S Temet, Finland are chosen that all the openings for the doors would have been designed suiting the doors from Temet. Same would be the case for hydraulic lifts, air conditioning ducts, opening for blast valves etc. Hence either the systems selected by the consultants have to be used or else minor/major modifications would have to be carried out in the civil structure for interfacing any alternate make sub-system. This also substantiates the fact that if minimum two consultants had been hired then at least the two consultants selected would have proposed multiple vendors for the various sub-systems which would have led to healthy competition between various vendors leading to competitive biddings for various sub-systems, BELs internal inquiry report said.

As indicated in the internal inquiry report, after submission of detailed project report, the IACCS contract signed between BEL and IAF had no other choice but to include several of these companies against the requirement with a condition that something equivalent could also be explored. The CVC guidelines are very clear that any purchase order above Rs 1 crore should be concluded through the tendering process and for foreign vendors global tender should be floated. The opaque procurement process of BEL was orchestrated in such a way that it gives an impression of a level playing field by exploring other alternatives other than the vendor already mentioned in the detailed project report.

Documents reviewed by Firstpost reveals that a smokescreen was created by constituting a technical committee within the BEL for procurement of plant and machinery for IACCS. On 24 May 2017, BEL chairman and managing director (CMD) MV Gowtama formed the technical panel to explore and identify vendors for the equipment for IACCS complexes (details withheld). This was an interesting turn of event because BEL purchase procedure, 2016, does not mention the constitution of a technical committee to explore, finalise and recommend the vendors. Nevertheless, the technical committee chaired by Umesh Chandra with Pugazhenthi R, BP Pahuja, Subbarao G, Prashant Ranjan Maurya and Udit Agarwal as members were tasked to finalize specifications, identification, shortlisting of original equipment manufacturers/ vendors for supply, finalization of quotation for the equipment and evaluation of suitable make/model for each of the items required for seamless integration with the civil structure of IACCS.

How the contract process was manipulated?

The internal investigation report of BEL gives an indication that the procedures to select vendors for the project was handled through a very simple method of picking the names from the documents submitted by the design consultant, which had prepared a detailed project report mentioning the name of foreign companies it was working with. The project report submitted to BEL was later forwarded to IAF which signed the contract and sent it back to BEL. Subsequently, BEL formed a technical committee to purchase IACCS associated equipment. Thereafter, the technical committee went for shopping at companies first mentioned by M/S RD Konsultants in the detailed project report.

Documents reveal the Finnish firm Temet OY was given the contract for regenerative Carbon Dioxide Removal System for IACCS sites for more than Rs 60 crore without floating global tender. Interestingly, purchase order said that technical committee headed by Umesh Chandra had recommended searching more vendors and two other firms M/S Parker and M/S Airef were explored but both were found not capable of manufacturing Cabon Dioxide removal system with required specifications. Why and how these two companies were selected by the technical committee to explore more option instead of going for an open or global tender remain in the domain of speculation. A BEL officer in the finance division noted in the file that price of the system given to Temet OY needs to be justified since it was on a single tender basis.

As per company's policy, the price needs to be justified by technical evaluation or by comparing similar product available in the market not considered for the bidding," Sanjoy Kumar Pal, senior deputy general manager, finance wrote on 22 August 2018.

There is some interesting observation in the documents, which expose the alleged irregularities. RK Sharma, an officer from the material management division (Network Centric System) gave a contradictory statement in a bid to clarify the pricing based on a single tender. He said price quoted by Temet OY was well below the unit cost considered for the selling price, however, he further went on to say that there was no procurement history of similar items and prices of this system is not readily available in the market.

Subsequently, the technical committee recommended that enquiry for carbon dioxide removal system be sent to Temet OY, Finland only. The proposal was on a single tender basis and Temet OY, Finland was called for technical-commercial negotiations, which was held from 6 to 8 August 2018. Besides BEL and Temet OY officials, Vikram Parvathoju from design consultant M/S RD Konsultants was also present in the meeting.

While appointing the technical committee in May 2017, the CMD, BEL had clearly mentioned that representatives of design consultant, project management consultant and the third-party inspection and certification agency should be involved in the proceeding but neither project management consultants nor officials from third party inspection agency were present in technical and price negotiation meetings. After technical committee recommendation, the single tender proposal was approved.

Just a day after the committee meeting on 8 August 2018, which was attended by senior BEL officers including Joydeep Majumdar (General Manager, Network Centric System), BP Pahuja ( Assistant General Manager, Infrastructure, Network Centric System) and two representatives of Temet OY, the defence PSU started placing the purchase order for Temet OY, Finland. The total quantity of carbon dioxide removal system (details withheld) is mentioned on the 20 August 2018 note, which further said, The total quantity was indicated by Infra group based on the design and requirements finalized by design consultant M/S RD Konsultants.

Technical committee recommended that enquiry for Carbon Dioxide Removal System be sent to M/S Temet OY only. The proposal is on a single tender basis, the note said.

German company favoured despite submitting the technical proposal after closing time

Another foreign company under the cloud is Pro-Hub Hebetechnik GmbH based in Germany that was awarded the multi-crore contract of goods lifts for the IACCS project. The company was mentioned by M/S RD Konsultants in the detailed project report submitted during the UPA regime. M/S RD Konsultants had claimed that it provides design consultancy to the Pro Hub Hebetechnik GmbH. This issue has been raised in the internal investigation report of BEL, recommending further probe to ascertain conflict of interest.

Satyaprem from M/S RD Consultants was present in the technical meeting on 16 July 2018 between officials from BEL and Pro Hub Hebetechnik GmbH. No representatives from the project management consultant and third-party inspection and certification agency were present in the meeting. Documents reviewed by Firstpost shows technical committee had selected two companies for goods lift -- Pro Hub Hebetechnik GmbH and M/S Maspero Elevatori.

Documents reveal that Pro Hub Hebetechnik GmbH technical response vide 11 emails were received on 26 June 2018, after the closing time of bid. However, it was not disqualified. This move triggered suspicion among the BEL officers ranks and Sanjoy Kr. Pal, Senior Deputy Manager, Finance division, BEL on 26 July 2018 objected the move. He questioned on the proposal file for awarding the contract to Pro Hub Hebetechnik GmbH asking as to why late tender is being entertained and why purchase clause is not being followed in this case.

The proposal is put up to CMD under what Sub Delegation of Powers (SDOP) clause? As per clause 10.2.7 of the purchase procedure, no late tender should be entertained. Why purchase procedure clause was not followed? Pal questioned.

On 27 July, RK Sharma, deputy general manager, Material Management (Network Centric System), BEL clarified that since the happenings and the facts related to the receipt of bids after closing time are in variation of the actually prescribed process in purchase procedure 2016, approval is sought of CMD for the process followed by Strategic Business Unit (SBU) of BEL. He further said that Pro Hub Hebetechnik GmbH was not disqualified because a conscious decision was taken by the SBU, keeping in view the project requirements.

Sanjoy Kumar Pal, BEL officer from finance division, however, was not satisfied with the clarification and he clearly said that proposal was in violation of purchase procedure.

The proposal is in deviation of purchase procedure and accordingly it is put up to CMD, Pal wrote.

Despite the proposal contested by his own officer in finance division, CMD MV Gowtama approved the proposal on 27 July 2018.

Technical capability? Produced just 75 valves but selected by BEL

Another deal that has come under the scanner is blast valves, gastight valves and wall sleeves for the IACCS sites. The contract has been awarded to German company Mueller Safe GmbH, which primarily deal in safe and very recently ventured into valve manufacturing and till May 2018 had only produced 75 pieces. On the other hand, a UK company, European EMC Products Ltd (EEP), which had produced and supplied more than 2,000 valves was simply disqualified on the basis of not meeting the criteria for average annual turnover for last three years, which was vigorously contested by BEL officer Nataraj Krishnappa, Director arguing that EEP is technically suitable and competent.

M/S EEP, UK has been dropped based on the criteria that annual turnover of the company for the last 3 years does not meet the desired requirement. This vendor is technically suitable and competent. Why cannot they be considered for Request for Quotation (RFQ) purpose? The site visit report of the committee does not indicate any reason for the disqualification of the vendor, Krishnappa wrote on 28 May 2018.

Joydeep Majumdar, general manager (Network Centric System) wrote that the technical committee felt EEP being a small organisation with low turnover will not be able to handle contract estimated to be worth Rs 200 crores. Subsequently, the EEP, UK was dropped and instead of going for global tender, Request for Proposal (RFP) on the restricted tender basis was sent to Mueller Safe GmbH and Temet OY, a world leader in valve business, which had supplied more than 60,000 valves till May 2018 globally.

The bid was invited on 15 June 2018 and while the response from Temet OY was submitted before the expiry of bid submission time, Mueller Safe GmbH bid was received after closing time. Subsequently, Mueller Safe GmbH, which had no expertise in manufacturing valves was declared L1 and it was called for techno-commercial negotiations, which were held from 9 to 14 July 2018. Questions were raised within BEL as to why Mueller Safe, an inexperienced company in making valves, was given contract and why not re-tendering process inviting more companies was initiated by the BEL.

Documents reviewed by Firstpost reveals that an officer in the finance division had warned just before the finalisation of the contract to Mueller that selection should be as per the technical manufacturing capability. But, that was ignored. Even after Mueller Safe GmbH was awarded the contract, Naresh Kumar, deputy general manager of the finance division, BEL said that the bid of M/S Mueller Safe GmbH is received after the closing time and approval for bid acceptance received after closing time requires CMD approval. Another officer V Muralidharan, General Manager (Finance) also flagged the concerns on 26 July 2018 that since the proposal was accepted after the closing time of bid, CMD post facto approval of deviation would be required. The proposal was approved by the CMD on 27 July 2018.

Documents reviewed by the Firstpost also revealed Mueller Safe GmbH was not mentioned in the RD Konsultants documents and thus it appears that no representatives from the design consultants attended the meetings. No one from the project management consultant and third-party inspection and certification agency was present either. Also, the meetings held between 11-12 July 2018 at BEL office with the Mueller Safe GmbH functionaries had not representatives from the above-mentioned group.

It is further learnt that original equipment manufacturer for valve refused on Transfer of Technology (ToT) arguing that its business will be adversely affected in the case full know-how is given to BEL as defence PSU will become the competitor in the market. The technical committee agreed upon partial ToT and gave its go-ahead for the contract.

The BEL internal inquiry report has recommended further probe into the installation of the sub-systems of IACCS observing that site design might be designed keeping a particular company in mind.

It is also claimed that M/S RD Konsultants has designed the underground RCC structure taking into consideration a particular make of doors, hatches, blast valves, lifts, air conditioning, building management systems etc. All the reinforcement, cut-outs etc in the RCC structure were designed for interfacing with the particular brand (example for the doors the steel reinforcements in the opening were designed as per the hinge locations in the particular band of blast doors). Since the RCC structures have been made at many sides even before the finalization of the sub-systems to be installed hence it needs to be studied what was the repercussion in the change in scope of RCC structure already built and what was the cost repercussion BEL had to bear," the internal inquiry report said.

Similarly, the order for radio and its accessories worth more than Rs 9 crore, was also given to a Germany based company (details withheld) on a single source basis without inviting tender. It appears this German firm selected without tendering process was not the original manufacturer. A key document reviewed by Firstpost said, The firm indicated that most of the hardware being delivered by them is third-party hardware.

IACCS prototype makers joined fugitive arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari firm

It is learnt that two senior officers of defence PSU, BEL, who were instrumental in designing prototype for Indian Air Force's confidential IACCS project in 2007 joined fugitive arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari's firm OIS Advanced Technology Private Limited after retirement in 2011. Interestingly, BEL was preparing to formally launch the IACCS project by inviting preliminary project report for 10 automated air operation centre for Indian Air Force around the same time. The two officers, who joined arms dealers company at senior positions, are now under the scanner of Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing alleged kickbacks linked to Bhandari in Swiss basic trainer aircraft Pilatus during UPA regime in 2012. Incidentally, BEL is the offset partner of Pilatus.
According to the Law Society of Ontario, of which Jody Wilson-Raybould is an honorary member, lawyers are prohibited from recording calls from clients.



The Canadian Bar Associations also prohibits recording without client permission.



Then top lawyer as attorney general, Wilson-Rayboulds taping constitutes a breach of professional regulations.



Why, then, is this taped conversation allowed to be used in a public forum? Wilson-Raybould breached what she swore to uphold  client and lawyer confidentiality. Why has action not being taken to bar her from practising law?



By her own admission, she was very clear in her first statement, she was a "truth talker," and Canadians must ask themselves what they think of her now.

Dale Dirks
On the last day of campaigning for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in Chhattisgarh, BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi and four security personnel were killed in an attack on their convoy by Naxals in Dantewada district

On the last day of campaigning for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in Chhattisgarh, BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi and four security personnel were killed in an attack on their convoy by Naxals in Dantewada district.

The convoy was attacked between Kuakonta and Shyamgiri when an improvised explosive device (IED) blew up a vehicle in the convoy and Naxals opened fire. The killed security personnel have been identified as driver Danteshwar Maurya and District Force jawans Chhagan Kuldeep, Somdu Kawasi and Ramlal Oyami. After the attack, CRPF and ambulances were rushed to the spot.

Chhattisgarh director general of police (Naxal Operations) Girdhari Nayak said, "The BJP MLA was returning after an election rally. Bhima Mandavi was alerted about the threat and warned against going into the district."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack, calling Mandavi courageous and diligent, and adding that his demise was "deeply anguishing". BJP chief Amit shah, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, former Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio also condemned the attack.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, through a series of tweets said that this was an attack on parliamentary democracy. Who will understand the pain more than us who have lost a whole generation of leaders to a major Naxal attack? I have directed authorities that Naxal bullets be answered back in their own language, he said.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission said that polling in the state will be held as per schedule. Chief Electoral Officer, Chhattisgarh instructed through video conferencing collectors and SPs of the affected districts covering phase 1 and phase 2 in Chhattisgarh to take utmost precautions over the next few days.

Sole BJP legislator in Maoist-hit region

Mandavi, 40, was the only BJP legislator in the 12 seats of the Maoist-hit Bastar region. The other 11 belong to the Congress. He became a legislator for the first time by defeating rival Manish Kunjam (CPI), and thereby relegating Congress veteran and former leader of Opposition Mahendra Karma to a third position in 2009, reported The Times of India.

He then snatched the reserved constituency of Dantewada from Congress' Devti Karma in the Assembly elections held in the district in 2018. Devti, wife of Mahendra Karma who was killed in a Maoist attack in Jhiram Valley in 2013, earlier defeated Mandavi by nearly 6,000 votes. Incidentally, Mandavi was also the brother-in-law of Devti.

Mandavi had spoken out against the Naxal attack on a Doordarshan crew in October, 2018 in which cameraperson Achyuta Nanda Sahu and two police officers were killed in Dantewada. He had also been vocal in his criticism of the ruling Congress. In November 2018, when a Narendra Modi lookalike from Dantewada, Abhinandan Pathak, joined the Congress saying 'achche din won't come', Mandavi was quick to remark that it only proved how the prime minister was immensely popular.

Third attack since elections announced

This is the third attack by Naxals in the Batar region since the polls were announced on 10 March. On 5 April, a CRPF jawan was killed and another injured in a gun battle with Maoists in the Dhamtari district. This incident occurred when security forces were conducting an anti-Maoist operation.

On 4 April, four BSF personnel were killed in Bastars Kanker district after being ambushed by Maoists. The BSF soldiers were on a domination operation in the area, when Maoists opened fire on them, leading to a gunbattle.

Chhattisgarh will vote on 11, 18 and 23 April and Dantewada will vote on 11 April.

With agency inputs
Narendra Modis BJP-led alliance will be just a few seats short of a majority in the Lok Sabha, bolstered by a rise in nationalist sentiment over hostilities with Pakistan, a survey showed.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modis ruling alliance will be just a few seats short of a majority in Parliament, bolstered by a rise in nationalist sentiment over hostilities with arch foe Pakistan, a survey showed on Monday, days before voting begins.

About 900 million people are eligible to vote in the election starting on Thursday, in which Modis Bharatiya Janata Party-led group is taking on the Congress and its allies and a clutch of regional parties.

The election had become tighter because of discontent in the countryside over a weak rural economy and lack of jobs for young people. But over the last month, support for Modis Hindu nationalist party has grown following a spike in tension with Pakistan, the polls say.

The BJP and its allies are expected to win 267 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats at stake, the CVoter polling agency said, just five short of the halfway mark required to rule.

The latest estimate is down sharply from the alliances current tally of 330 seats secured when Modi swept to power in 2014, promising to transform Asias third-largest economy.

Modi ordered air strikes in February on the suspected camp of militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed based in Pakistan that had claimed responsibility for a deadly car bombing in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama, dramatically ratcheting up tension with the neighbouring nation.

Pakistan sent war planes into India the next day, and the two nuclear-armed foes engaged in their first air duel in decades.

In the immediate aftermath of the Balakot strikes, the percentage of those strongly satisfied with the government rose to a recent all-time high of 52 percent, CVoter said, referring to the raid in Pakistans Balakot area.

A second poll by India TV-CNX pre-poll said Modis alliance would clear the halfway mark, winning 275 seats.

Modi has made his strong stance on national security a key part of the BJPs election campaign.

On Monday, the party said it would scrap decades-old special rights for the people of Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir so as to integrate the state more closely with the rest of the country, a move the partys base has long sought.

Political leaders in Kashmir, where India is battling an armed insurgency against its rule, have warned that repealing the law could trigger unrest.

Kashmirs special constitutional status prevents outsiders from buying property in the state, among other restrictions.
Amid reports about Election Commission officials fearing for their safety in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal, the poll body Tuesday demanded adequate security for everyone mandated with the fair conduct of the election process.

Kolkata/New Delhi: Amid reports about Election Commission officials fearing for their safety in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal, the poll body Tuesday demanded adequate security for everyone mandated with the fair conduct of the election process.

The West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer in a statement said apprehensions have been expressed by polling officials in training classes concerning their safety and security in different parts of the state.

"It is hereby stated for information of all that there shall be adequate security arrangements at the polling stations under the direct superintendence and control of the Election Commission of India to ensure safety and security of the presiding and polling officers and all other personnel associated with the process," it said.

It is reiterated that their safety and security is attached highest priority, the statement said.

LOK SABHA ELECTION 2019 TRACKER: Who is campaigning where
The emergence of Bharatiya Jan Sangh: The unrest within RSS grew over the fact that they couldn't participate in elections and directly confront Congress. This led to the formation of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh in 1951 which later morphed into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Editor's note: This is the eighth reported piece in an 18-part series on the contemporary history of Hindutva in coastal Karnataka. The series features interviews, videos, archival material and oral histories gathered over a period of four months.

Read other articles of the series here

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Urimajalu Ram Bhat's eyes light up when he talks about the visit of one leader who he says left a profound impact on him. "I attended a public meeting at Town Hall in Mangalore where Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya was addressing those who were contesting elections. I was completely in awe." Upadhyaya was one of the founders and the national general secretary of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh (BJS) at the time.

As the BJS was scouting for mass leaders with a strong connect with the grassroots (to become electorally relevant), they approached Urimajalu Ram Bhat, who by then had spent close to a decade working for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Bhat was from the bunch of initial recruits, who faced the brunt of the RSS ban in 1948.

The emergence of Bharatiya Jan Sangh

The assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in January 1948 led to a ban on the RSS and a nationwide crackdown on its leadership by the Congress government led by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The Hindu nationalists were at the mercy of the government and RSS supremo MS Golwalkar was reduced to lobbying with Sardar Patel who eventually lifted the ban in July 1949 on the condition that they will not participate in elections.

The unrest within the RSS grew over the fact that they couldn't participate in elections and directly confront the Congress. This led to the formation of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh (BJS) in 1951 which later morphed into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In South Kanara, the RSS had created a network comprising mostly of Brahmins across Dakshina Kannada through the efforts of the first set of leaders who came here, such as Anna Sesha. This became the first electoral base of the BJS.

Jagannath Rao Joshi is often referred to as the 'Karnataka Kesari' for helping establish BJS in the state. Joshi played a crucial role expanding and establishing Jan Sangh in South Kanara along with RSS leaders like Karkala Sadashiva Rao, one of the founders of RSS in Dakshin Kannada. They organised regular public meetings featuring Joshi as a speaker in Dakshin Kannada along with other BJS leaders such as K Nagarajayya and U Rajaram Mallya.

The recurring theme in Joshi's speeches were 'national pride' and the need to protect cultural traditions of India. BJS, for the first time, contested state legislative elections in 1951 with three nominations in the Mysore Legislative Assembly Elections but failed to register a victory.

Dakshin Kannada also played host to the visits of national leaders of BJS, such as Upadhyaya, who visited Mangalore often. In November 1960, he took part in a public program in Dakshin Kannada where he spoke about prevalent corruption in the Indian National Congress and how the five year plans were failing. This program was organised by the initial leaders of the BJS in Mangalore: Ranganath Shenoy, M Vittal Kini and Airodi Radhakrishna Pai.

Ram Bhat recollects how he was immediately taken by Upadhyaya's oratory skills. He remembers Upadhyaya being a source of inspiration for his generation of Hindutva activists. "Panditji developed an ideology he called 'integral humanism' and many loved it. But it was tough to implement at that time, as is the case even today," Bhat says.

Upadhyaya proposed a methodology for the BJS in 1965 which aimed to "reconcile nationalism, democracy, socialism and world peace with the traditional values of Bharatiya culture and to think of all these ideals in an integrated form".

"I was inspired beyond words. Nationalism should guide us, the interests of the Hindu Rashtra should always come first," Bhat asserts. Asked about the place for non-Hindus in a Hindu rashtra, he is quick to reply, "They were also Hindus before they converted, weren't they? Upadhyaya always mentioned this in his talks."

Upadhyaya put forward a proposition to assimilate Muslims in the national cultural stream in his book Akhand Bharat: Objectives and Means:

".. No sensible man will say that six crores of Muslims should be eradicated or thrown out of India, but then they will have to identify themselves completely with Indian life. If the consciousness of oneness is possible in the geographically partitioned India, the identification of the rest of the region will be achieved in no time

.. We will have to convince the Muslims that Pakistan was the artificial creation of an unnatural State. They will have to be reminded of their ties with the earlier history and of their old Hindu ancestors. Efforts will have to be made to make them feel that it is their history."

Bhat says, "After I met Upadhyaya for the first time, he stayed in my house almost every time he visited. He was such a hard worker, he worked till 2 in the morning." The hard work didn't instantly pay off and the Jan Sangh suffered a string of crushing defeats at the hands of the Congress. But Ram Bhat says that he knew back then that their success was just about matter of time. "We knew we will emerge," he said.

Ram Bhat made his political entry by contesting in the 1957 Legislative Elections and takes pride in the fact that he was the only BJS candidate to not lose his election deposit. It took another twenty years for him to win an election.

In the 1977 election, which was fought against the backdrop of the Emergency, anti-Congress sentiments were at its peak across India. Bhat was elected from his hometown in Puttur and became an MLA. He had contested as a candidate of the Janata Party  BJS had merged along with the other anti-Congress parties.

As the opposition to the Hindutva ideology of RSS grew within the Janata party, the Jan Sangh split in 1980 to form the Bharatiya Janata Party. Ram Bhat joined the BJP and won in 1983 again. He continued to work for the BJP until 2008, when he quit the party and publicly accused B S Yeddyuruppa of being corrupt and undemocratic. He was famously quoted as saying that the Yeduyarappa and the Bellary Reddy brothers had failed the vision of "Ram Rajya" that his generation of RSS leaders had created for the party.

He formed the 'Swabiman Vedike' and contested as an Independent in the 2009 elections from the Mangalore Constituency but lost to Nalin Kumar Kateel, the present BJP MP.

When asked about what he thought about present-day politics, Ram Bhat says, "Our time was different. Things are no longer as how they used to be. It is all about money now. I don't want to say anything more."

RSS and Jan Sangh in Udupi

Someone who saw electoral victory before Ram Bhat is Gaud Saraswat Brahmin businessman Somshekhar Bhat from Udupi. A member with the RSS since 1941, Somshekhar attributes the initial spread of RSS in Udupi to the work of RSS pracharak MR Natoo from Nagpur. Somshekhar says that Natoo stayed in Udupi for ten years at the residence of Kochegar Narayan Pai and used it as a base to travel to villages, setting up branches and recruiting members.

Like Ram Bhat, Somshekar joined the BJS as soon as it was formed and was part of their core team which scripted history for the party in India.

"We were the first to win elections from Jan Sangh in the country. In 1968, we won 18 seats out of 23 in the Udupi Municipal Commission elections. I was one of the elected Councillors. The Chairman of the Municipal Commission was V S Acharya, who heralded the region to national fame," says Somshekhar.

In those days, the Jan Sangh and the RSS saw rapid growth in Udupi owing to the growing support from priests who controlled the eight monasteries and had considerable influence over the voting public.

On 18 October, 1947, at the grounds adjoining the Kochegar Building in Ajarakadu, the first district-level navaratri celebrations organised by the Udupi unit of the RSS saw participation of the Swami of Bhandarkeri Mutt and Vishvesha Teertha of Pejavara Mutt. They praised the work of the RSS and spoke about how Hindutva is the need of the hour.

At 91, Somshekhar is the senior-most BJP leader in the region. "One of the oldest shakhas of the RSS in Udupi is where Shetty Hospital stands now. That is where I started my journey. By the time we won elections in 1968, we had a great amount of support because of the consistent work of the RSS."

First Vishwa Hindu Parishad regional conference in Udupi

Recalling the second VHP Regional Conference organised by them under the leadership of Vishvesha Theertha of Udupi in 1969, Somshekhar says, "We were an 18,000-strong municipality. But here we were with an expected turnout of 30,000 from across the state. The night before the conference, 13 buses arrived from North Karnataka. We had no accommodation left. Veerendra Hegde of Dharmastala was the head of the reception committee. After discussions, we made a public announcement on the streets of Udupi, requesting residents to take in 20 members each. At 2 am, people opened their houses to delegates and by 4 am we were able to provide accommodation to all of them."

Congressman and former minister HK Veeranna Gowda was the chief guest. The programme was inaugurated by the 1947 India-Pakistan war hero Field Marshal Kodandera Madappa Cariappa, who was also Independent India's first Army chief. Cariappa, a firm supporter of Hindu nationalism, spoke about the importance of Hinduism and said that those attacking Hinduism shouldn't be taken lightly.

The program, the first of its kind in undivided Dakshin Kannada, had dignitaries like Jayadevithaayi Lagade, who was the first female President of the Kannada Sahitya Sammelan and Vijaya Raje Sindhya, the Queen of the erstwhile Gwalior dynasty. The two women leaders stressed on the need for Hindu women to preserve Hindu culture by safeguarding their modesty, ending untouchability and protecting the cow.

At the conference, the then Secretary of VHP YK Raghavendra Rai declared that 15,000 members from 18 districts across Karnataka had been brought back to Hinduism through shuddhi (purification ceremony).

The VHP leadership also passed a resolution to financially support those who converted back to Hinduism and punish those who converted out of the faith by stripping them of all caste privileges. The news clippings from which this information has been gleaned did not elaborate on what methods were used to strip off the caste privileges from those who converted to other religions.

The resolution also called upon religious and cultural organisations to re-convert people to Hinduism at the earliest. Finally, a national cow slaughter ban was called for.

"Everybody was instructed to work on organisational expansion in their districts. The program was a grand success, people were inspired by the presence of important figures," Somshekhar says and quickly adds, "Also, the reason for our organisation to grow is the unflinching support of the Moghaveeras, the largest community in the district. Take a walk on Malpe beach, every Bhajani Mandali will have our people in it."

Following Somshekhar's advice, I ventured out to Malpe Beach. As soon as I got off the bus, I realised I had multiple options  in front of me was an Ayappa Swami Mandir; on the other side, I spotted two more boards pointing to two differnt temples; I took a right, walked ahead and on my left was a Durga Parameshwari Temple; and a little ahead, a Shirdi Sai Baba Mandir.

I walked ahead and took a left. I passed a Deiva sana which didn't look any different from the other mandirs. A coast surfaced a little further, but another board on the right pointed to a Ram Bhajana Mandir. The Bhajana mandirs weren't exactly big structures. They didn't seem to have an alienating effect on those who were in its vicinity, like the mutt structures in neighbouring Udupi had. There were bars in the neighbourhood, the coast was a few metres away and the smell of fish fry was omnipresent.

I saw a middle-aged man lounging next to the Bhajana Mandir and I asked him how many more such mandirs were there. He was bored but he was kind enough to indulge in pointing to all directions and listing out names. There were two in the parallel alley. He said there are equal number of Deiva sanas along the route as well. As I set out to check out these spots, I asked him a parting question:

"Why so many Bhajana mandirs? How is one different from the other? Aren't one or two enough?

"What is your problem? Nobody is complaining about all these bars, why do you want fewer Bhajana mandirs? Some space is there for us and our religion, for us to come together. Why do you have to question even that?"
The result of the recent election in the Maldives is likely to make a lot of politicians green with envy. From all accounts, it's a landslide win for President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)

The result of the recent election in the Maldives is likely to make a lot of politicians green with envy. From all accounts, it's a landslide win for President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). Claiming around 60 of 87 seats in the Majlis or Parliament completely negates the need to stitch together yet another coalition, and the wheeling and dealing that it entails. It's also an unprecedented experience for a political party in the Maldives' evolving experiment in democracy. No party has ever been able to cross even 50 percent of the vote so far in a parliamentary election.

Everything therefore looks very hunky dory for the president, as well as former president Mohamed Nasheed  now elected as an MP from Male. Nasheed's triumph is particularly poignant. As the first democratically-elected president, and the founder of the MDP, he was forced to live in exile and barred from contesting for presidency by a supine court under the previous government headed by Abdullah Yameen.

His newly-formed Peoples National Congress has been mauled badly. That's hardly surprising. There was very little Yameen did not do to alarm and frighten much of an otherwise peaceful population. What may also have tilted the balance strongly against Yameen would have been the loss of income from tourism  the mainstay of Maldivian lives  which dwindled to virtually nothing as political instability worsened under his "rule". Money, or in this case the loss of it, talks every time.

While Solih and Nasheed can now heave a sigh of relief, there are storm clouds ahead.

The first of these is the question of propitiating coalition partners, who were after all responsible for bringing Solih to presidency last year. The MDP's decision to go it alone in the present parliamentary election has been seen as a betrayal of the trust placed in the quiet and dignified president. The Jamhooree Party (JP) of Gasim Ibrahim then decided to ally with Yameen's PNC and the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) in a seat adjustment exercise together  a decision they are probably now bitterly regretting. The JP won five seats after fielding 41 candidates in a performance that was probably worse than that of Yameen's party.

Earlier, Gasim had also used his position as Speaker to scuttle the tabling of the Presidential Commission Bill aimed at recovering billions of stolen assets and investigating unsolved murders. Had that bill been passed into law, Yameen's future would have been dangerous in the extreme. Gasim had also been demanding the release of Yameen from detention, all this despite the fact that he owes his imprisonment and that of his son to the very same former president. But then that's politics.

While Solih has repeatedly said that the coalition will remain intact, the reality is that the relationship has now changed with no doubts as to who now holds the whip. There were already indications that members of the JP were still supporting Solih. Ironically, those included Gasim's wife, who is the present transport minister. Families are split in this election, with former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom's son on the side of the PPM. But with the MDP's dominant position, unruly elements are likely to get in line.

Moreover, the shift to a Westminster system promised by the MDP and the proven ability of Solih to bring together recalcitrant elements on a common platform, is likely to ensure that Maldivians  sorely beset by political infighting  can look forward to a period of calm and positive shifts in governance. Reform should ideally include removal of repressive laws, giving judiciary its due constitutional place, and setting right all the institutions that underpin democracy.

All of the above is also related to the second challenge, which is primarily the issue of Chinese investment in Maldives that has turned into a debt trap. The actual numbers are somewhat feisty. Nasheed was quoted in a Reuters report, that the Chinese ambassador Jhang Lizong handed over an invoice for $3.2 billion. Mumbai-based think-tank Gateway House has estimated that three large Chinese projects come to around $1.5 billion, which is about 40 percent of the Maldivian GDP. China also holds leases on seven of the archipelago's islands, and has spread money into housing, tourism and other sectors. The most surprising is the Free Trade Agreement with Male  which was rushed through Parliament in about an hour  which essentially allows China to use the Maldives as a base for re-export into India. The new government may easily scrap the FTA, provided India is willing to assist Male in getting out of the debt trap into which it has fallen.

For once, India has risen to the occasion. Following the fracas with China last year, and threats of intervention, New Delhi has stepped up smartly to not only provide budgetary support, but also sign agreements directed at assisting Maldives to support itself once again. Much of this is evident in the joint statement issued after the visit of Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj last month. The key statement in that document was that "India stands ready to fully support the Government of Maldives in its socioeconomic development".

That's the sort of thing Maldivian leaders like to hear. Especially when it is accompanied with a commitment of $1.5 billion as part of a financial assistance package. In return, Male will sign on to India's growing maritime surveillance and security plans for the Indian Ocean. With Solih and his party now solidly in place, Indian purse strings are likely to be open even more, regardless of which government comes to power in Delhi.

While India can justifiably celebrate the victory of Solih and the establishment of a stable government so close to Indian shores, the reality is that the Chinese yoke cannot be dispelled so easily, given the sheer extent of Chinese presence and influence. For Beijing, this is only a temporary setback, and before long it will again try to rope in members of the government, and more dangerously, high-level army elements. The politicisation of the army is something Male has to quietly and tactfully deal with, and quickly.

Meanwhile however, Maldives will find itself in a pretty position of being pursued by both Beijing and New Delhi. For India, that means keeping up the engagement and assistance well into the next government, and not let its attention be diverted  which has happened often enough in the past. Chinese machinations on the archipelago will hopefully keep India 'engaged'. Male knows that only too well.
Maoists of Bastar in Chhattisgarh have extended support to Kashmiri separatists and militants and also called for a boycott of the Lok Sabha election.

Bastar: This high-octane election season, ultra-Left cadre in the Maoist-hotbed of Bastar in Chhattisgarh have extended support to Kashmiri separatists and militants, who have a common "Struggle against the State" cause. They have also called for a boycott of the Lok Sabha election.

Maoists have plastered posters and banners on the road leading to Nilavaya village in Bastar's Dandakaranya region, in which they have demanded that the government lift the ban on the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF).

Nilavay  Maoists stronghold  is the same village, nearly 70 kilometres from Dantewada district, where Doordarshan cameraman Achyutanand Sahu and two policemen were killed in a Maoist attack on 29 October, 2018, ahead of the Chhattisgarh Assembly election.

One of the posters reads: "The government's ban on the JKLF that has been fighting for an independent Kashmir (Azaad Kashmir) reflects its 'Brahminical, Hindutva, Fascist and oppressive mindset', and the ban should be lifted immediately."

With their differing ideologies and causes, it is surprising to see the ultra-Left extending support to Kashmiri militants.

"This time, Maoists have put up posters extending their support to Kashmiri separatists and have demanded a revocation of the ban on the group. Even in the past, they showed solidarity with ULFA (United Liberation Front of Assam) insurgents and those in other parts of the North East. Irrespective of their ideology, Maoists support any cause that is against the State," said Inspector General of Chhattisgarh Police (Bastar Range) Vivekananda.

In the past, intelligence agencies and the police found evidence of interactions and connections between Maoists and insurgents in Assam. It was suspected that ultras from the North East helped Maoists procure sophisticated arms from across the border. However, besides support, agencies could not establish any arms dealing or supply chain.

The first phase of the Lok Sabha election begins on Thursday, 11 April. In Chhattisgarh, polling will be held in three phases, starting with Phase 1 on Thursday.

With voting just round the corner, Maoists in Bastar and in the neighbouring Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra have called for a boycott of the polls, appealing to tribal villagers to not participate in the "fraud election" ("farzi matdaan").

The posters have also asked voters to not participate in public rallies organised by the BJP and Congress, with the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) dubbing the Narendra Modi government at the Centre a "Hindu fascist government".

The Maoists that operate from the forests of Gadchiroli have also called for a boycott of the parliamentary polls.

CPI (Maoist) circulated a two-page press release on WhatsApp, urging villagers to boycott the Lok Sabha polls and support them in establishing their "People's Council" (Janatana Sarkar)  a state within a state in the "liberated zone" claimed by the Maoists and completely under their control.

They also called for a "struggle" against the Supreme Court's order on the eviction of over 10 lakh tribal families that live in forests.

Besides the poll boycott, the Darbha Division Committee, a sub-unit of CPI (Maoist) in Dantewada district, has demanded the immediate release of all the tribal villagers the government has detained or jailed on false charges of being Maoists.

"Before every election, whether it is the Lok Sabha or Assembly polls, Maoists call for a boycott of the polls as they don't believe in the democratic process. It is also their way to draw the attention of the government, public and media during elections. We're keeping a close watch on their movements and activities. Security arrangements have been beefed up across the state, not just in Bastar," the inspector general said.

According to the Chhattisgarh Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Maoists are likely to step up their activities as the polling date nears, which has been made evident from the recent attacks they launched on security forces.

The latest was on 5 April, when a CRPF jawan was killed in an encounter in Dhamtari district's Borai. Just the previous day, four Border Security Force personnel were killed in a Maoist ambush in Kanker district.

On 18 March, Maoists ambushed a search party near Aranpur village in Dantewada district, killing one CRPF jawan and severely injuring five. This was the first Maoist attack on security forces in Chhattisgarh since Congress formed the state government.

Earlier, there were instances of Jan Militia cadre attacking contractors and workers and setting their vehicles on fire. In one case, Maoists murdered a villager on suspicion of being a "police informer".

In the past one year, Maoists have adopted an aggressive posture and have not limited themselves to merely issuing calls for poll boycotts or threats. Instead, they resort to attacking the security forces deployed in this volatile red zone.

Even ahead of the Assembly election in Chhattisgarh, Maoists had blown up a bus carrying security personnel in Bijapur district in April 2018. This was a few days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi was slated to visit Jangla in Bijapur on 13 April as part of the BJP's election campaign.

The previous month, Maoists had blown up a mine protection vehicle in Sukma, killing nine CRPF soldiers.

Even before former Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh's Vikas Yatra, Maoists had triggered a blast as a mark of protest.
Militants on Tuesday shot at Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh member Chandrakant Sharma in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, leaving him injured and killing his personal security officer.

Militants on Tuesday shot at Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh member Chandrakant Sharma in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, killing him and his personal security officer.

Sharma had initially been injured and was undergoing treatment. BJP spokesperson Sunil Sethi confirmed later on Tuesday that the RSS worker had succumbed to his injuries.

ANI has reported that Sharma was a medical assistant at the Kishtwar district hospital.

A video shared on Twitter, purportedly of the aftermath of the incident, shows security personnel rushing in and out of the outpatients' department of a hospital where Sharma was presumably shot. Police officials have said Sharma was working at the hospital when he was shot at.

PTI, meanwhile, has reported that Sharma had gone to the local hospital for a check-up. It is therefore not clear whether he was shot while at work or while waiting for the check-up.

PTI quoted officials as having said that militants had barged into the hospital and snatched the security officer's weapon. "They attempted to fire at the RSS leader. In the ensuing scuffle, the policeman was shot dead while the RSS leader received injuries," an official said in the minutes following the incident.

Shortly after the incident, police imposed curfew across the whole of Kishtwar. An official at the Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner's office said the curfew was imposed to ensure that no untoward incidents took place and tension could dissipate fast.

Internet services have been snapped in Kishtwar following huge protests in the aftermath of the attack, reports say.

Huge Protests started in Kishtwar town , after attack on RSS leader, authorities snapped internet services in the town pic.twitter.com/iYvVA76nPQ  CHOWKIDAR AMITA NANDAL (@amitanandal88) April 9, 2019

The district has previously seen incidents of communal clashes between Hindus and Muslims in 2013, in which three people were killed. The clashes, then, had followed a brawl between two groups, during an Eid procession.

A police official said militancy had been largely under control in Kishtwar but did not rule out the possibility of "old militants" having become active from the area.

Sentiments in the Valley have not exactly been favourable to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party dispensation, thanks to reasons ranging from the ban on the Jammu and Kashmir Highway to the BJP's poll promise of abrogating Articles 370 and 35A, which give Jammu and Kashmir special status.

The administration in Jammu and Kashmir, currently under the Governor's Rule, has implemented an 'authoritative' order that prevents civilians from travelling the National Highway 44 on Sundays and Wednesdays until 31 May. This has led to a huge uproar in the Valley.

Mainstream political parties in Kashmir are already up in arms against the BJP's promise of striking down the special status of the state, with People's Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti saying warning as recently as Monday that abrogating Article 370 would lead to freedom for the state from India.

With inputs from 101Reporters
The I-T dept launched raids at 52 locations against close aides of Kamal Nath and others on charges of tax evasion and hawala transactions.

Reacting to the raids on Kamal Nath's associates, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday in an exclusive interview with Network18 editor-in-chief Rahul Joshi asked why no action be taken against scams and corruption.

"I didn't raise the finger against corruption, corruption is an issue for us. Just see what happened in Bhopal. 'Bhrasht' Nath can say anything but it doesn't matter (reference to Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath and the I-T raids on his close aides). Shouldnt action be taken against scams and corruption?" asked Modi.

The Income Tax department on Sunday launched pre-dawn raids at 52 locations, including in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh, against close aides of Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath and others on charges of tax evasion and hawala transactions, officials said. According to a press release from the Ministry of Finance over 300 I-T officials participated in the operation in the three states.

Officials from I-T department and state police swooped down on the premises at around 3 am and recovered undisclosed cash amounting to Rs 10-14 crore, they said. Sources added there is a "strong possibility" of this cash being used as an election inducement to fund political campaigns and bribe voters in the poll-bound state and in Delhi.

A preliminary report of the raids has been shared with the Central Board of Direct Taxes, the policy-making body of the I-T department, and the Election Commission in Delhi, the sources told PTI. The recovered cash figure continues to build up and more note counting machines are being arranged in Bhopal, they said.

The search operation is being carried out by the investigation wing of the department in Delhi with assistance from its units in Bhopal and neighbouring Raipur. Sleuths used buses, auto-rickshaws and taxis to fan out in the state to keep the surprise element intact, they added. The raids are linked to the suspected movement of hawala money during the ongoing poll season and tax evasion, they said.

Locations in Indore, Bhopal, Goa and Delhi (Green Park) were raided and included Nath's former Officer on Special Duty Praveen Kakkar, former adviser Rajendra Miglani and executives linked to his brother-in-law's firm Moser Bayer and his nephew Ratul Puri's company, officials said.

Locations in Ahmedabad are also among the total of 52 premises being searched. The properties linked to Ashwin Sharma, allegedly associated with Kakkar, in Bhopal's Platinum Plaza residency were also covered during the operation.

Indore: Visuals from official premises of Praveen Kakkar, OSD to Madhya Pradesh CM, where income-tax officials are conducting a raid. pic.twitter.com/fWoOS4qT4o  ANI (@ANI) April 7, 2019

#WATCH Bhopal: Argument breaks out between CRPF and Madhya Pradesh Police officials outside the residence of Ashwin Sharma, associate of Praveen Kakkar (OSD to Madhya Pradesh CM, where Income Tax raids are underway. #MadhyaPradesh pic.twitter.com/ltXNnESE3b  ANI (@ANI) April 7, 2019

Visuals: I-T raid underway at residence of Ashwin Sharma, associate of Praveen Kakkar (OSD to Madhya Pradesh CM), in Bhopal. #MadhyaPradesh pic.twitter.com/rUHMiJC7dO  ANI (@ANI) April 7, 2019

Both Kakkar and Miglani resigned from their posts just before the dates for Lok Sabha polls were announced, officials said. In Indore, the raids were conducted at Kakkar's residence in Vijay Nagar area and other places linked to him, sources said.

Searches were also conducted at Kakkar's house in Bhopal's Nadir Colony and a couple of other places in the state capital, they said. Officials said documents related to undisclosed transactions worth Rs 281 crore are being scrutinised and a number of them have been seized.

"Searches in Madhya Pradesh have detected widespread and well-organised racket of collection of unaccounted cash of about Rs 281 crore through various persons in different walks of life including business, politics and public service. A part of the cash was also transferred to the headquarter of a major political party in Delhi including about Rs 20 crore which was moved through hawala recently to the headquarter of the political party from the residence of a senior functionary at Tughlak Road, New Delhi," the release said.

A total of 252 liquor brand bottles, firearms and hide-skins of tiger have also been recovered from some premises being raided, they added. The raids are also being conducted against Kolkata-based businessman Paras Mal Lodha, the sources added. Lodha was arrested by Enforcement Directorate on money laundering charges post demonetisation.

"The searches in Delhi in the group of a close relative of the senior functionary have further led to seizure of incriminating evidence including cash book recording unaccounted transactions of Rs 230 crore, siphoning off money through bogus billing of more than Rs 242 crore and evidence of more than 80 companies in tax havens. Several unaccounted/Benami properties at posh locations in Delhi have also been detected," the release said.

The department, this time, had a tip-off about Lodha-linked operatives making hawala transactions in connection with a money laundering case being pursued against Nath's brother-in-law Deepak Puri, they alleged.

Kakkar, a former Madhya Pradesh police officer, was appointed OSD to Nath after the Congress-led government came to power in the state last year. He served as OSD to former Union minister Kantilal Bhuria during the UPA government. Bhuria is contesting this Lok Sabha poll from Ratlam-Jhabua seat in Madhya Pradesh.

Kakkar's family is associated with a number of businesses, including hospitality. Ratul Puri was last week grilled by ED in Delhi in connection with a probe into the controversial Rs 3,600 AgustaWestland chopper deal. Reacting to the raids, a Congress leader in Madhya Pradesh accused the BJP-led central government of targeting opposition leaders for "political vendetta".

Madhya Pradesh Congress's media cell vice-president Bhupendra Gupta, also a former OSD to Nath, charged, "The BJP government has been targeting opposition leaders across the country due to political enmity. Due to such act of political vendetta, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister (N Chandrababu Naidu) and DMK leader MK Stalin had to stage protest against the Centre."

The BJP hit back saying thieves were now having a complaint against the 'watchman'. "Black money worth crores was recovered during the Income Tax Department's raid at the house of the private secretary of Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath.

This has made one thing clear that those who are thieves have a complaint against the watchman," BJP's national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said.

With inputs from PTI
In an exclusive interview to Network18, Prime Minister Narendra Modi summarily dismissed any talk of repealing the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Kashmir, likening its removal to sending soldiers to the gallows.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday summarily dismissed any talk of repealing the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Kashmir, likening the removal of AFSPA from the Valley to "sending our soldiers to the gallows."

The prime minister said this in an exclusive interview to Rahul Joshi, group editor-in-chief of Network18, hours after releasing the Bharatiya Janata Party's election manifesto which put nationalism and national security at the front and centre of its next term, if re-elected. The interview will be aired at 7 pm tonight on CNNNews18 and all the other 19 news channels of the network. Firstpost will also stream the interview live.

Repealing of AFSPA in Kashmir, a long-standing demand of human rights groups, was brought back into national discourse on 3 April when the Congress party promised to kill the Act if it is voted to power. Apart from giving powers to the Army to enforce law and order in disturbed areas, AFSPA protects the Army from litigation in human rights violation cases. The Congress wants to remove this legal cover with respect to "enforced disappearance, sexual violence or torture".

But Modi, in the middle of a high-voltage election campaign on the theme of nationalism and patriotism  in full bloom after the Balakot air strike deep inside Pakistan  will have none of it. We are on the verge of eliminating terrorism. Terrorists are demoralised, we are winning a psychological war against them. Instead (of backing such efforts), the Congress manifesto is soft on terror. Their views on the Army are similar to those of Pakistan. No patriot will tolerate this language. Their manifesto talks about removing AFSPA. This amounts to removing weapons from a soldier's hands. Is this right? he asked.

Suggesting that charges of excesses and human rights violations by the Army in Kashmir are exaggerated, Modi said Indian Army was an army of peace. Indian soldiers have been part of the United Nations peacekeeping force right from its inception. And we send the maximum number of soldiers on UN peacekeeping missions. The discipline of Indian soldiers and their devotion to duty have always been praised. It isn't seemly for a party that has been in government for 50-60 years to speak this kind of language.

Asked if his government would then work towards a time-bound withdrawal of AFSPA in Kashmir, Modi it was best that conditions did not exist for imposition of AFSPA in the first place. First, we must create an environment where AFSPA is unnecessary, like we did in Arunachal Pradesh. We removed it from a few districts. We then removed it from some states. We were the first to take such a step since 1980. But we have maintained law and order. The government must have the power to protect its armed forces. Only then will they have the morale to fight. Removing AFSPA from Jammu and Kashmir is the same as sending our soldiers to the gallows. I will never let this happen to our soldiers," he said.

With regard to Articles 35A and 370 also, the prime minister was equally vehement, but this time, for their abrogation. Within minutes of the release of the BJP manifesto, Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti issued dire warning of bloodshed in the Valley. Asked to comment on their reaction, Modi said: The problem in Kashmir is largely due to the 50-odd political families there. They have been milking the issue. They don't want any benefit to be given to the ordinary Kashmiri. They use public sentiment for political gains. These days the income tax department has cracked down on such elements. While stone-pelters are funded by Pakistan to protect militants, but when there is crackdown by the NIA on terror operators, people stand outside their homes and clap. The people of Kashmir want freedom from such political families who have been preying on their emotions for 50 years. The situation in Kashmir is such that people want change, whether it is about Article 35A or Article 370.

The Prime Minister addressed several other issues such as the impact of the mahagathbandhan in Uttar Pradesh, Rahul Gandhis Rafale campaign, relations between India and China, economic growth, demonetisation and why he thinks if Sardar Patel had been prime minister instead of Jawaharlal Nehru, India would have achieved lot more success a lot faster.

Catch the full interview at 7 pm on all News18 channels. It will also stream live right here on Firstpost at the same time.
The Pakistan Army on Monday said India has failed to provide any evidence of downing a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet during the 27 February aerial combat over Nowshera in Jammu and Kashmir, despite claiming that it has proof of the incident.

Islamabad: The Pakistan Army on Monday said India has failed to provide any evidence of downing a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet during the 27 February aerial combat over Nowshera in Jammu and Kashmir, despite claiming that it has proof of the incident.

The statement came hours after the Indian Air Force on Monday released radar images as part of its "irrefutable evidence" to assert that it shot down an F-16 fighter jet of Pakistan during the airstrike.

In a tweet, Pakistani military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said, "Repetitions don't make truth of a lie."

Repetitions dont make truth of a lie. Despite claiming possession of evidence on shooting F16, IAF still short of presenting it. Dont overlook Pakistans silence for not drum beating losses on Indian side. Fact is that PAF shot down two IAF jets, wreckage seen on ground by all.  Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor (@OfficialDGISPR) April 8, 2019

Graphic captures from an airborne warning and control system (AWACS) were shown by the IAF in New Delhi at a media briefing, reiterating that it has credible evidence that Pakistan Air Force (PAF) lost an F-16 fighter jet in the aerial engagement.

The IAF had issued a similar statement on Friday asserting that it shot down an F-16 in Nowshera sector after leading American magazine 'Foreign Policy' reported that a US count of the F-16s with Pakistan has found that none of them are missing.

Air Vice Marshal RGK Kapoor, the Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Operations and Space), said the IAF has more credible information and evidence that is clearly indicative of the fact that PAF has lost one F-16 in the air action on 27 February. "However, due to security and confidentiality concerns, we are restricting the information being shared in the public domain."

India has been maintaining that IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman had engaged with one of the Pakistani F-16s and shot it down before his Mig-21 Bison was downed, but Pakistan has denied losing any aircraft in the combat.

Varthaman was captured by Pakistan and was released after spending nearly 60 hours in Pakistani custody.

Ghafoor also reiterated that Pakistan destroyed two Indian jets and claimed the "wreckage seen on ground by all".
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 9)  The President admitted his special fondness for the armed forces, hinting at appointing more military officials to government.

"I have a special fondness for the military for being fundamentally honest at industrious," President Rodrigo Duterte was quoted saying during the commemoration of the Day of Valor in Jolo, Sulu Tuesday.

He explained his strained relationship with bureaucracy since he has met several failures with it, and most of his orders are either not followed properly or laden with corruption.

"Kaya [That's why] as you would see, 'yung unang [the first] --- the next few officials coming in would be military guys," he then added.

Duterte reiterated he needs the armed forces to help him run the country.

"Hindi ko man kaya kung ako lang mag-isa [I cannot do this alone]. There are so many things to do and I function through Cabinet members," he said, citing that the latest additional Cabinet members came from the military.

Many of the President's appointees are former military officials. Among them are Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano, Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Bautista, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, and Bureau of Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero.

Duterte had earlier ordered military intervention in the Customs bureau after multibillion-peso drug shipments slipped through the agency. Expecting a similar outcome, the President threatened a military 'takeover' in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport so it could improve its services.

Recently, the President said he would fire another Cabinet official who had the "ability to convert" on grounds of corruption.

The President skipped the commemoration ceremony in Bataan, saying he purposely attended the event with the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Jolo.

Before ending his speech, Duterte told the soldiers, "So I'm very happy. I'd like to embrace you. I really love you as a human being. Talagang mahal ko kayo [I really love you]."
Photo: Contributed

Shivanya Albas, a passionate, high-octane and empathetic role model, is the Rotary Club of Penticton Sunrise Student of the Month for April.

Albas, a grade 12 student at Penticton Secondary School, is being recognized for outstanding leadership, artistic and academic achievement and laudatory involvement in numerous school and community activities.

This stellar performance is especially notable given that at age three, Albas was diagnosed with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder  a neurodevelopmental condition causing difficulty with communicative and social interactions and restrictive/repetitive patterns of behaviour.

Pen High Learning Support Teacher Lorna Foster said: Autistic students often struggle, both socially and academically, and find it difficult to keep trying when faced with such obstacles daily. However, not Shivanya! She optimistically dives in and pushes through to the finish.

Albas has thrived within Pen Highs highly interactive student body, proactively participating in virtually all clubs and activities related to social justice and school spirit. She is a pillar of strength in the Global Awareness club, which tackles such global issues as access to education, womens and childrens rights, and sustainable living.

Vice Principal Shaune Gowe said, Shivanya is a very vocal and energetic participant in our clubs discussions, articulately sharing her perspectives and ideas, and working very hard in her leadership capacity. Ultimately, her strength of character makes her stand out.

Albas exudes infectious passion for worthy school projects like the Diversity group and the Ten Thousand Tonight food drive. She routinely devotes substantive volunteer hours to support humanitarian causes and joins in fundraisers for such local organizations as the South Okanagan Women in Need Society.

For several years Albas has served with distinction as a youth advisor to the Youth Engagement Strategy Project, deeply committed to advancing its overarching goal to create a healthy and supportive environment for Penticton youth.

In the classroom, Albas works diligently to maintain her grades in good standing (93% average in Grade 12), exemplifying Pen Highs motto, Excellence through Action. She is an avid student of music, theatre and the arts.

Last spring, she gave a strong portrayal of Mrs. Sowerberry, a mean, judgmental woman, in Pen Highs highly acclaimed musical production Oliver. Next month she will play the headstrong, impulsive and emotional Miss Adelaide in the schools Guys and Dolls production.

Shivanya takes full responsibility for her learning journey, setting the bar very high in her artwork, community service and academic courses, said Tara Baron, learning assistance teacher.

One area where Albas truly excels involves her passionate commitment to contribute something of lasting value to others as demonstrated by her advocacy for societal inclusion of individuals with autism. She often employs different school forums to share openly not only her challenges but also her unique strengths as a person with autism, to create greater understanding and acceptance of fellow autistic students.

Billed as one of 12 youths with powerful ideas, Albas will deliver a [email protected] Ave talk in Kelowna next month. The thrust of her talk, Bursting the Safety Bubbles of Stereotypes, aims to inspire others to be themselves, uninhibited by any stereotype label, and to live by her provocative philosophy, If youre destined to be a little Odd, you might as well defy the Odds.

To staff and students alike, Albas is polite, optimistic, fun-loving and empathic. Her selfless contributions have garnered her several citizenship honours, including the Sheila Bruneau award, given annually to a Pen High student who is a doer simply for the joy of giving.

Upon graduation, Albas plans to obtain a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree possibly from her moms alma mater, Mount Allison University, where she has recently been accepted, with the goal of working in creative production as an Art Director. Regardless of her career direction, she is surely destined to enjoy a productive and fulfilling life as a highly respected role model for service above self (coincidentally, Rotarys universal motto).

--

"Student of the Month" is a Rotary Club of Penticton Sunrise project. The award aims to recognize outstanding students for unique achievement in scholastics, extracurricular activities, community involvement, leadership and service to others.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said tough action was taken against the separatists after they 'failed' to respond to the olive branch extended by the Centre to them over the past four years.

Marh (Jammu and Kashmir): Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said tough action was taken against the separatists after they "failed" to respond to the olive branch extended by the Centre to them over the past four years.

He assured protection to Kashmiri students outside the state and said advisory has been given to all the states to ensure their protection, while BJP workers were also directed to stand by them if they faced any problems in any part of the country.

"There is a talk that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government is taking stern action against separatists in Kashmir. We have banned some organisations, and I want to say that if there is a need, more strict action will be taken against them," Singh said addressing an election rally in support of party candidate Jugal Kishore from Jammu parliamentary constituency.

He said the Centre tried to reach out to the separatists and invited them for talks, but they paid no heed. "Over the past four years, we repeatedly offered the olive branch and invited them for talks, but nobody turned up and instead efforts continued to strengthen the separatism in the valley," he said, adding that "we banned some organisations as they left us with no option but to go tough against them".

The Centre recently banned Jamaat-e-Islami (Jammu and Kashmir) and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) in the valley. "They (separatists) ruined the state and are giving money to minor boys, aged between 10 and 16 years, for indulging in stone-pelting at the behest of Pakistan and creating passions for separatism.

"We went too far and ordered revoking of cases against these boys to save their future, but it too had no impact on the separatists who continued with their disruptive activities," he said. The home minister said advisory was given to all the states to ensure respect and protection to the Kashmiri students pursuing studies outside the valley.

Attacking the Congress for denying credit to Modi for taking actions against terrorists inside Pakistan, he asked why the prime minister should not be given credit for the actions. "Our opponents say why Modi should be given credit for the actions of our brave security forces against terrorists inside Pakistan.

"Modi had never sought credit, but I want to ask the Congress people when Indira Gandhi divided Pakistan into two, leading to the creation of Bangladesh, our senior leader and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee praised her and she was given full credit for it," Singh said.
The problem of an acute shortage of doctors in Uttarakhand is a very real one, largely because of an unwillingness to serve in rural areas.

Editor's Note: A network of 60 reporters set off across India to test the idea of development as it is experienced on the ground. Their brief: Use your mobile phone to record the impact of 120 key policy decisions on everyday life; what works, what doesn't and why; what can be done better and what should be done differently. Their findings  straight and raw from the ground  will be combined in this series, Elections on the Go, over a course of 100 days.

Read more articles from the series here

***

Dehradun: A pregnant lady delivers her baby in the toilet. Doctors perform surgeries under light from torches and candles. There are no oxygen points for two dozen patients suffering from chlorine inhalation. This is the condition at Doon Hospital, Uttarakhands biggest government healthcare centre in the state capital of Dehradun. One can imagine, then, the state of healthcare centres in the remote hilly areas.

Hill states like Uttarakhand get a special status under the National Health Mission. This Centre-state funding pattern was revised to 90:10 from the 60:40 norm applicable to other states. In addition, these states benefit from higher per capita funding and relaxed norms for ambulances and mobile medical units, with the objective of reducing time-to-care to under 30 minutes.

The electorate massively supported the BJP in the last Assembly polls largely on the promise of double engine government for development, meaning a BJP government at the Centre and state. But the reality on the ground is a crumbling rural health infrastructure, one of the primary causes of Uttarakhands migration crisis with about eight percent of the hill population having moved to towns in the plains. The Opposition Congress has been demanding that the state needs a full-time health minister, the portfolio managed by Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat. But that by itself is unlikely to improve matters.

What kind of double engine government you are talking about? asked PC Tiwari, chief of Uttarakhand Parivartan Party. There is no proper deployment of doctors in Almora district and base hospital. I am not referring to specialists, but general practitioners. My wife died due to negligence in Almora government hospital. The hospital admitted in response to an RTI application that the person who saw my wife was not a doctor. Regardless of the double engine, health services have not changed much.

The problem of an acute shortage of doctors is a very real one, largely because of an unwillingness to serve in rural areas. Ravindra Thapliyal, director general of Health and Medical Services, said of the 2,727 sanctioned posts, only 1,589 doctors are permanent appointees in various government hospitals. Another 456 doctors have been appointed on contract with 681 posts lying vacant, said Thapliyal. Most posts of super-specialist doctors are vacant in almost every hospital in the hills for a long time.

To address this issue, the BJP government last year decided to move a few government-run district and rural health centres to the public-private partnership (PPP) model. Thapliyal justified this move saying it would provide better healthcare to the people. Any problems will be sorted out soon, he assured.

So far, five hospitals, including the district hospital, Tehri and Coronation Hospital, and Combined Health Centres (CHC) in Dehradun, Devprayag and Baleshwar in Tehri and Doiwala, have been handed over to private parties to be run on the PPP model. The complete cluster of CHCs in Tehri, in particular, have been handed over to the Swami Ram Himalayan Trust Hospital (SRHTH) in Jollygrant in Dehradun district, with the process to convert district hospital, Pauri and CHCs in Ramnagar, Nainital and Bhikiyasain, Almora, in the pipeline.

But hopes that the PPP model will deliver better healthcare services have been dashed. After conversion to PPP model, the district hospital has become a referral centre to send patients to their main SRHTH hospital, said JP Pandey, an advocate residing in Tehri. There are serious questions about the state governments intentions. Ever since the district hospital started running on the PPP model, health services have worsened. The SRHTH has not replaced the government doctors who were redeployed. In fact, the situation when the hospital was run by the government was not as bad as it is now.

Reena, a Tehri resident, was given this kind of runaround last month when complications arose in her pregnancy. My husband took me to the district hospital in Tehri, said Reena. After seeing my condition I was referred to a bigger hospital in Dehradun. Eventually, I was admitted to a missionary hospital at Chamba where I received treatment. This is the situation in the Tehri district hospital, where neither a proper doctor nor an ultrasound machine was available. Reena eventually miscarried.

When the government doctors left, the Jollygrant trust was to bring in its own doctors as replacement, said Ramesh Dangwal. But the trust did not do so. Patients are either being referred to their main hospital or are just wandering around Tehri and not getting proper treatment. The 108 emergency number ambulance services, a critical service needed in the hill areas, is also not available due to lack of funds.

Many other residents who visit these hospitals complain that they now function as a referral centre, directing patients to fully private hospitals. Jahid Anjum, an activist based in Doiwala, the chief minister's constituency, said earlier Doiwalas CHC hospital had physicians and experienced surgeons. The people were told that PPP model would lead to modernising the hospital and specialist doctors being brought in. But since the change was made, intern post graduate doctors are running it and the out patient department sends patients to the Himalayan Hospital in Jollygrant. Rawat has given the worst gift to the people of his Assembly constituency.

Jahid organised a protest and staged a dharna for 45 days during the process of converting this hospital to the PPP model. The government has mortgaged our CHC to the Swami Ram Trust Himalayan Hospital Jollygrant, said Jahid. The governments intention is to promote private hospitals. In such a situation treatment will cost more, which not everyone can afford.

BJP spokesperson Dr Devendra Bhasin denied these allegations, insisting that healthcare had improved under the new government. Dr JD Rana, retired additional director of the health and medical department charged the government with giving away priceless infrastructure to private organisations and paying them a huge amount of money. I dont think these private organisations are ensuring doctors and other facilities in the manner specified in the memorandum of understanding, said Dr Rana. There will be no worthwhile results until the government ensures accountability and transparency. Our district hospitals are not mere healthcare centres, but they are the face of our government system. Having served in the health and medical department, I can say there is a need to reconsider the PPP model and look at other options to upgrade and improve healthcare facilities.

The earlier Congress government too tried the PPP model, but it kept the district hospitals out of it. Government hospitals are the only hope for weaker sections who cannot afford private treatment, said Karan Mehra, MLA from Ranikhet and deputy leader of the Opposition. It is unfortunate that this government is determined to promote private organisations. We will put this sensitive issue before voters in the upcoming polls, he added.

The author is a Dehradun-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters
The author of Far Off, Favell Lee Mortimer, was best known for a book called 'The peep of day, or, A series of the earliest religious instruction the infant mind is capable of receiving' which has been called one of the most outspokenly sadistic children's books ever written.

'Allegedly Problematic' is a monthly column by Kuzhali Manickavel, which takes a cheeky look at literary/cultural offerings from the past that would now be considered, well, problematic  and asks, 'But are they really?'.

***

Once upon a time, I used to get into fights with people on the internet. This is already an incredibly boring thing to say and unfortunately, it gets worse. These fights were usually over the question, Are only certain people allowed to write about certain things?, or as an Illustrious Acquaintance calls it, That weird peacock thing you keep talking about.

Someone had once written about droves of peacocks swooping down and chilling on everyones front lawns in Mumbai as if it was a real thing and not speculative fiction. I had said hahahaha what? and thusly an online fight of truly ridiculous proportions began  it was replete with passive aggressiveness, posts which were far too long, and it was very, very exhausting.

It pains me to say that despite being a person of colour, I did not win this fight. The right to wax eloquent on droves of peacocks and more bizarrely, on everybody in Mumbai having front lawns, was bravely and fiercely defended and I was essentially reprimanded for telling white people they couldnt write about India.

It was around this time that I discovered the book Far Off. Initially, I enjoyed it in that weary, unhealthy way one enjoys excessively racist things. At the very beginning of the book, the author says the following: Its plea is not completeness, nor comprehensiveness, nor depth of research, nor splendour of description; but the very reverse  its simple, superficial, desultory character, as better adapted to the volatile beings for whom it is designed.

In other words, this may not be totally true or whatever but I wrote it anyway because I wrote it anyway.

The author of Far Off never actually went to the places she writes about, and as she states above, her research is meh at best. But none of this stopped her from writing a book about the very things she knew nothing about.

What is it that drives us to present what we feel should be the truth instead of the actual truth? Is it because we think the subject is not worth knowing or presenting truthfully? Or is it because our version of it is just way cooler?

Far Off was written in 1849, intended to be an educational and religious resource for children, teaching them all about China, India and other far off places. It was written by Favell Lee Mortimer, a British evangelical childrens author who had travelled outside of England twice. She is best known for a book called The peep of day, or, A series of the earliest religious instruction the infant mind is capable of receiving which has been called one of the most outspokenly sadistic children's books ever written. She did not have a great life and we are informed that the lives of those around her were also beset by a colourful array of sufferings, which included, among other things, someone who got their face crushed by a wagon.

So what does she say that is so allegedly problematic? I thought it best to stick to the portion of the book entitled 'Hindostan' because lets face it, thats the only section were really interested in (though her section on China is pretty bonkers too). This is hardly the first or only book to ever say bizarre things about India, but there is something about Mrs Mortimers racism that is authoritative yet breathtakingly absurd. It is flabbergasting, hilarious and really horrible, especially when you consider that she is basically writing about us.

Part II: Examining some of what Favell Lee Mortimer says in Far Off.

Kuzhali Manickavel is the author of the short story collections 'Insects Are Just like You and Me except Some of Them Have Wings' and 'Things We Found During the Autopsy', both available from Blaft Publications
Practitioners of Kalamkari art have to deal with poor working conditions, increasing cost of raw materials, middlemen and the lack of access to working capital and credit facilities

The village of Pedana in Andhra Pradesh can seem nondescript at first sight. But when you step inside and take a stroll through its lanes, you are sure to be greeted by a strange-yet-colourful spectacle: Metres and metres of brightly printed fabric lie strewn everywhere, whether it is on the terraces, streets, on clothes lines and even in front of the houses. Pedana, located 70 kilometres away from the bustling city of Vijayawada, is the manufacturing hub for the renowned block-printed Kalamkari fabric.

A slice of history

Derived from the words kalam and kari, which translate to pen and craftsmanship respectively, the art of Kalamkari dates back to several centuries and is believed to have first originated in Iran about 2500 years ago. History has it that Kalamkari has been in existence in India since the last 2000 years and in two unique styles, the block-printed as well as the hand-painted variety. While the hand-painted variety is practised in the Srikalahasti village in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, the block-printed variety is manufactured largely in Pedana.

The craft is believed to have been very popular, and in great demand by the Persian traders who came to the country via the sea. They bought these fabrics in bulk and made carpets, furnishings and kurtas with them that they sold in their country for a huge profit. In the 16th and 17th century, these fabrics were patronised by the Mughals and Deccan Sultanates, consequently gaining popularity over the years.

An elaborate process

The process of manufacture of these fabrics is a complex and time-consuming one, entailing as many as over 15 steps. The process includes multiple rounds of dyeing, boiling, washing and drying. The first step is the procurement of the base fabric which generally happens in parts of Tamil Nadu and from Surat in Gujarat, where good quality fabric is available in abundance. The fabric is thoroughly washed and is then dyed ingenuously with 'karkaya' or the tannin-rich fruits of the Myrobalan (Terminalia chebula) tree. The fabric turns a pale creamish-yellow and is now ready for printing.

The printing is traditionally done using wooden blocks coupled with vegetable dyes, but many have now resorted to using screen printing techniques. Once the basic design is printed on the fabric, the dyes are applied consecutively. In order to do this, the fabric is washed and boiled in large cauldrons with the required dye and a chemical called alizarin and a leaf locally known as gaja'. These act as 'fastening' agents and help the dye to bind with the fabric. This process of boiling and washing is repeated each time a new dye is applied. Considering the fact that Kalamkari fabrics have a minimum of three to four colours, the process is indeed laborious.

The coming together of natural dyes and mythology

Traditionally the process makes use of natural, organic materials like extracts of leaves, flowers and fruits as dyes. Blue, black, red, yellow and green are the main colours used. Iron and indigo are used for black and blue respectively, while mango bark and pomegranate are used for hues of yellow and red. A solution of alum, tamarind and Indian madder root is used to obtain the signature red of Kalamkari.

The theme of the prints and patterns is largely mythological, and bright colours like red, blue, green and yellow are used. Traditionally, the art represents the depictions of the Ramayana and Mahabharata, but to suit the modern demands of the present generation, techniques of block printings are being amalgamated into the process and new kinds of motifs are being created by craftsmen such that the fabrics have a global appeal. New-age techniques are being introduced to turn this art form into digital prints as well. Moreover, the dyeing techniques have also been improvised, says Mithi Kalra, a fashion designer. Images of Durga and Buddha are highly popular patterns observed in Pedana Kalamkari.

Demand, supply  and challenges

Like all handloom and native crafts, there are several factors that impede Kalamkari artists and weavers today. These include poor working conditions, increasing cost of raw materials, middlemen and the lack of access to working capital and credit facilities. Due to these problems, there is a lack of interest in the craft from the next generation of artisan families. On the contrary, there are lots of consumers and designers who vouch for the craft, and this kind of fabric is now available in most major cities.

An initiative called AadikarInk Designs looks at bridging this gap between the increasing demand and fading motivation to pursue the craft. "We work directly with the craftsmen to produce the hand-block printed fabric in its traditional form. We use natural dyes and all our fabrics are entirely printed by hand, just like the age-old technique... Our dresses showcase a huge variety of cuts, from comfort fits to skater and shift dresses. We also do a capsule collection of kurtis which are best suited for a formal set-up for working women," says Meghana Joshi, founder of AadikarInk Designs.
Insurance companies think mental illness can lead to physical illness or accident, and consequently reject what are termed bad lives or substandard lives. This is not surprising; viewed as a purely capitalist enterprise, insurance companies can be expected to only seek profit

Editor's note: What does it mean to be mentally ill? In this weekly column, Sneha Rajaram writes about navigating through a mentally ill life  encompassing aspects that are both everyday (medications, rights) and contemplative (the universality of suffering).

Over the last few years, a new opportunity for victimhood has presented itself in my life, overlapping with actual victimisation somewhat  my search for purely medical insurance, not covering psychiatry or death. In 2015 I was asked by an insurance company (in this case, a government subsidiary) to get a letter from my psychiatrist, although their policy didnt cover psychiatry or suicide. My psychiatrist obliged, using words like currently stable and attending follow-up sessions regularly, but I was rejected nevertheless. This year, I finally mustered the courage to try again with another (private) company. This time I was rejected within an hour of payment and my money refunded.

The customer care executive called me and said their doctor had rejected my application on the grounds of the disease Id mentioned: bipolar disorder. This very obvious discrimination resulted in the exploration of a world new to me.

I was merely searching for an insurer to cover possibilities of physical disease (say, cancer) or accident. Not bipolar. (As one insurance agent paraphrased this back to me: Is cheez ka cover nahi chaahiye na?) So the idea of my mental illness being covered (albeit after a reasonable cooling-off period) seemed far-fetched.

But Section 21 of the progressive Mental Healthcare Act of 2017, titled Right to Equality and Non-Discrimination, states that any other health services provided to persons with physical illness shall be provided in same manner, extent and quality to persons with mental illness, and Every insurer shall make provision for medical insurance for treatment of mental illness on the same basis as is available for treatment of physical illness. A year after the Act was passed, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India issued a directive: All insurance companies are hereby directed to comply with the aforesaid provisions of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 with immediate effect. This resulted in a bunch of news stories that interviewed the mentally ill as well as insurers and explored what the implications of this would be. A representative of an online insurance agent was quoted as saying that "Insurers are to start covering mental illness from the day the regulation was issued which is 16 August, 2018 and the mental illness will be covered in the existing plans to the extent specified by the National Mental Healthcare Act, 2017. With more coverage, an increment in premium is expected in six to ten months as companies go for revision in the policies. However, as far as I know, no policies have been revised to include mental illness yet.

I know this because Ive turned to insurance agents now in my search for a policy to cover physical disease and accidents. I expected some companies to simply demand a higher premium. Instead, I was directed to all of two existing policies that wouldnt cover pre-existing diseases and therefore presumably felt safe from my bipolar disorder. The bipolar, I was told, would be treated as a permanent exclusion  ominous-sounding jargon but not my primary concern at the moment. When I rejected one of these policies because that particular company had filed for insolvency, I was subjected to some rather paternalistic and unpleasant rhetoric from the agent, who (perhaps reasonably) expected me to be grateful that anyone would underwrite me at all. Insurance companies, it seems, can reject me for supposed financial unviability, but I cannot do the same to them.

From a certain viewpoint, it is in fact reasonable for insurance companies to reject what, even in 21st-century actuarial exams, are called bad lives (or more usually substandard lives).

They think mental illness can lead to physical illness or accident (on what basis, I dont know  arent actuarial studies called actuarial science?). Viewed as a purely capitalist enterprise, insurance companies can be expected to only seek profit. However, insurance is regulated and has been conflated with social service under socialism, perhaps rightly so in the case of nationalised insurance companies. The result is insurance agents who tell you that insurance is one of the most desirable factors in social and personal harmony and that in the ultimate utopia, everyone is covered (at different premiums, of course).

So we end up with insurance companies that sound benevolent but practice discrimination, either by rejecting policies or charging higher premiums. Discrimination is nothing new in the history of insurance, though: In the 19th century, Indians were charged 10 percent more than the premium for Europeans. I dont know anything about caste and gender discrimination in the history of insurance, but Im willing to bet it exists. The very terms good and bad lives, standard and substandard lives, make it seem very likely  because who decides these things and on what basis?

I should be cautious about politicising my own health insurance, since a more pragmatic, private and persistent approach is likely to get me a longer, healthier, more comfortable life. What of people who cant afford insurance at all though? Or people who cant afford higher premiums meant for the mentally ill? Or those who have already been hospitalised multiple times for mental illness? Or those who would be rejected not on the basis of mental illness, but of income, gender, caste, physical illness? Or those who need to cover outpatient psychiatric expenses?

Im hardly familiar with the politics of insurance discrimination. But I do know that in modern life, antibiotics, physical comfort, medical treatment and long lives are taken for granted by the privileged. In such a world, sorting and quantifying people and their bodies ensues. Its not hard to imagine which people at the margins of society are treated as permanent exclusions. This is done on the basis of actuarial science, a commonly respected discipline, which works on assessing and regulating risk in insurance. A useful way to understand this kind of risk regulation is through the scholar Michel Foucaults concept of biopower, which he defined as "an explosion of numerous and diverse techniques for achieving the subjugation of bodies and the control of populations", of which insurance is one such.

In this context, the word functionality, used by psychiatrists so much, seems less like a benevolent concern for our ability to take care of ourselves and more like a calculated assessment of our tangible contribution to society based on economic and other visible criteria. After all, psychiatrys terminology wasnt born in a vacuum. After all, the insurance company did require a letter from my psychiatrist affirming my stability. The joke, however, is on psychiatry, because in my case the letter didnt cut it. That means that the concept of functionality may serve psychiatry well, but it serves neither the patient nor the world as much.

Read more from this series
Simultaneous I-T raids at 52 locations and the seizure of huge amounts of cash, liquor and incriminating documents have given a handle to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to launch a blistering attack on the Congress

Simultaneous Income Tax Department raids at Delhi, National Capital Region, Bhopal, Indore and Goa and the seizure of huge amounts of cash, liquor and corroborative incriminating documents from premises related to persons who were either close to Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath or his close relatives have given a handle to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to launch a blistering attack on the Congress.

In an exclusive interview to Network 18 Group editor-in-chief Rahul Joshi, Modi called the Madhya Pradesh chief minister "Bhrasth Nath". This was the first reaction of the prime minister, hours after raids were conducted at the offices and residences of Nath's OSD Praveen Kakkar and former advisor RK Miglani. Premises of executives linked to Nath's brother-in-law Deepak Puri's firm Moser Baer and his nephew Ratul Puri's company were also searched. It should be noted that the Enforcement Department had recently questioned the Puris in connection with the VVIP AgustaWestland chopper bribery case. Nath and Congress had called it 'political vendetta'.

In the interview, Modi said, "Bhrasht Nath could say anything, but it doesnt matter. Action needs to be taken on scams and corruption."

The Income Tax Department's statement issued on Monday night did not name any leader or political party, but gave enough hints as to who was under its scrutiny. It talks about a money trail (Rs 281 crore) that could land at the doorsteps of the high and mighty from the ruling party in Bhopal and one of the main Opposition parties in Delhi.

"Based upon credible information of large scale collection, possession and movement of unaccounted assets, Delhi Directorate of Income Tax (Investigation) initiated search and seizure action on a group in NCR, Bhopal, Indore and Goa. Searches in Madhya Pradesh have detected wide spread and well-organised racket of collection of unaccounted cash of about Rs 281 crore through various persons in different walks of life including business, politics and public service. A part of the cash was also transferred to headquarter of a major political party in Delhi including about Rs 20 crore which was moved through hawala recently to the headquarter of the political party from the residence of a senior functionary at Tughlak Road, New Delhi. Unaccounted cash of Rs 14.6 cr has been found so far, besides 252 bottles of Liquor, few arms and hide-skins of tiger," the statement read.

Since the Model Code of Conduct is in force, the Election Commission was informed of the raids and seizures. It is suspected that the alleged amount of Rs 281 crore was money collected through illicit means and portions of it transferred to others was meant for election-related expenses of the party. The reference to cash transferred "to headquarters of a major political party in Delhi from the residence of a senior functionary at Tughlak Road, New Delhi" is noteworthy. Incidentally, one of the houses on Tuglak Road is in the name of a former minister in UPA government who is now chief minister.

Modi has now made it an election issue: "Congress mein bhrastachar hi shistachar hai (In the Congress, corruption is a value system)." At a public rally in Latur, he began by referring to Income Tax Department raids at 52 locations at premises related to persons who worked as aides of Madhya Pradesh chief minister or were perceived to be close to him, asking the gathered crowd if they saw the crores of cash stashed in suitcases.

"The cash was meant to buy votes. This sin is part of Congress' culture. It has been only six months since a Congress government was formed in Madhya Pradesh, but see their artistry, they have already looted millions and billions of rupees. Crores of black money have been moved in and out of bungalows of the high and mighty. While the seizure was going on, some 'Ragdarbaris' and a leader who is very close to the Congress' first family reached there and started trying to put pressure to stop the seizure of cash. But when he saw some camera persons were taking his photograph, he ran away from there," said Modi

The person he was referring to had been all-powerful during the 10 years of UPA rule and is still one of the most influential persons in the Congress organisational set up and it is believed that he draws his authority in the party and within the erstwhile UPA regime due to his close connections to the Nehru-Gandhi family.

Modi also used the issue to turn the tables on Rahul Gandhi's "chowkidar chor hai" jibe, telling his audience that they could work out who the "asli chor" was. Modi and the BJP are using corruption in the Congress as their main plank. The ghost of the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam has come back to haunt the party with investigative agencies filing supplementary charges, listing that entries of "AP" refer to Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Sonia Gandhi and "FAM" meant family. It does not specify which family, but leave matters open for open interpretations because there are also references to an Italian woman.
Congress workers worried about their winning prospects in Saharanpur, and Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi's presence would have helped build much-needed confidence.

On Monday morning, the people of Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, which goes to polls on 11 April, braved rough weather to reach to Gandhi Park, where Congress president Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary for Eastern Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi were scheduled to address an election rally.

However, the rally was cancelled at the last minute, leaving Congress workers upset and its local leaders angry.

Congress candidate from Saharanpur Imran Masood said they immediately got to planning Priyanka's roadshow on Tuesday, but there was no confirmation on whether Rahul would accompany her at the rally.

By Monday evening, it was confirmed that Priyanka will lead a roadshow from Gol Kothi to Qutub Sher in Saharanpur from 11.30 am on Tuesday. It was also confirmed that Rahul will be in Bihar's Gaya at the same time to address an election rally.

The presence of top Congress leaders in Saharanpur was significant, given that top leaders of other parties have already addressed voters in the region, attacking the Congress sharply at these rallies. In this context, the presence of the party president and top Congress leaders was expected to raise the dipping morale of the party workers.

While addressing a rally in Saharanpur on 5 April, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked both the Congress and the alliance of the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) in equal measure. Modi said Congress candidate Imran Masood, who had said in 2014 that he would cut him into pieces, has Rahul's patronage and love.

While campaigning for the 2014 Lok Sabha election, Masood had said: "Voh Gujarat samjh raha he, jaha sirf 4 percent Musalman hai, Yahan (Uttar Pradesh) 42 percent Musalman hai. Gujarat bana dega isse. Uski boti kaat denge, choti choti (He thinks this is Gujarat, where there are only 4 percent Muslims. Here there are 42 percent Muslims. He will make the state like Gujarat. We will chop him into pieces).

Modi had used this statement prominently to attack the Congress and its candidate.

On Sunday, BSP chief Mayawati also launched a strong attack on the Congress at a joint rally of her alliance in Deoband, one of the key Assembly constituencies in the Saharanpur parliamentary seat.

Mayawati urged Muslims to not vote for the Congress and instead, support the SP-BSP-RLD alliance. "I am warning you, especially people of the Muslim community, that the Congress is not in a position to fight the BJP in Uttar Pradesh," she said.

The salvos fired at the Congress one after another, first by Modi and then by Mayawati, has considerably lowered the morale of its party workers, who are now keenly awaiting Rahul and Priyanka's presence in the region. The Gandhi siblings were expected to raise the morale of Congress workers in the region together.

The joint rally in Saharanpur was also important for the fact that it would have been the first full-fledged public rally that the Congress president and the newly appointed general secretary  the biggest star campaigners of the party  were to address in this election season. It would have been interesting to see how the crowd would respond when the two appeared on stage together.

The joint rally was scheduled to be held at Shamli in the Kairana Lok Sabha seat, Bijnore and Saharanpur. Shamli, Bijnor and Saharanpur will vote in the Lok Sabha election on 11 April.

Under Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which governs election procedures in India, all parties must observe an "election silence", which prohibits any form of campaigning in the last 48 hours leading up to voting. Given this fact, the Congress leaders will have a short window to hold their roadshow.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, Masood lost to BJP's Raghav Lakhanpal by the margin of 65,090 votes. The Congress has fielded Masood against Lakhanpal for the upcoming polls, as well. The BSP has fielded Haji Fazalur Rahman as the joint candidate for the alliance. Rahman, too, is considered a strong candidate who is sure to eat into the grand old party's "minority votes".

BSP ally Samajwadi Party is known to get a majority of the Muslim votes in Uttar Pradesh. With Rahman in the fray, the SP-BSP-RLD alliance has a starting edge over the Congress. These two factors have Congress workers worried about their winning prospects, and the presence of their top leaders would have helped build much-needed confidence. With Rahul opting out of the joint rally, it is now solely up to Priyanka to ensure that a new energy is infused in the party and its supporters just before the elections.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath stoked controversy on Tuesday, dubbing the Muslim League a green virus and suggesting that Hindu and Muslim voters are in an Ali-Bajrangbali contest.

Meerut: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath stoked controversy on Tuesday, dubbing the Muslim League a green virus and suggesting that Hindu and Muslim voters are in an Ali-Bajrangbali contest.

Attacking Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mayawati for recently appealing to Muslims to vote for the Opposition alliance in Uttar Pradesh, Adityanath said now the Hindus have no option but to vote for the BJP.

The BJP leader said Dalit-Muslim unity is impossible, and in Bareilly, he accused Mayawati of hurting Dalit sentiments with her call to Muslim voters at a rally in Saharanpur's Deoband. "Agar Congress, SP (Samajwadi Party), BSP ko Ali par vishwaas hai, toh humein bhi Bajrang Bali par vishwaas hai (If the Congress, the SP and the BSP have faith in Ali, then we too have faith in Bajrang Bali)," the BJP leader said at an election meeting in Meerut. Ali is a revered figure in Islam and Lord Hanuman is often called Bajrangbali.

Adityanath had used the Ali-Bajrangbali formulation in 2018 as well after Congress leader Kamal Nath allegedly said the support of 90 percent of Muslim voters was needed for the Congress to win the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls.

Adityanath recently attacked the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML)  a constituent of the Congress-led United Democratic Front in Kerala  for being the same organisation that had brought about Partition. On Tuesday, he said not only the Congress but the parties in the Uttar Pradesh alliance  Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party, the BSP and the Rashtriya Lok Dal  are also infected by the green virus.

These are the people who, with the green virus Muslim League, are plotting against the nation. Both Akhilesh and Mayawati are playing the Muslim card. Hindus have no other choice than the BJP, he said.

"Mayawati urges Muslims to vote for the coalition and not to split their vote. Now, the Hindus have no option but to vote for the BJP," he said.

If the Congress, the SP and the BSP have faith in Ali, then we too have faith in Bajrangbali. The Opposition has acknowledged that the followers of Bajrangbali will not vote for them, he said.

The coalition is shouting 'Ali-Ali' on the stage at their rallies. These people want to ruin the country with the collaboration of the 'green virus' of Muslim League. Time has come to eliminate this virus forever," he said.

Adityanath said the SP, the BSP and the Congress have concluded that the followers of Bajrangbali will not tolerate them.

On the Ayodhya issue, he said, Whenever the Ram temple is built, it will be by the BJP only. We are doing our best to build the temple as soon as possible.

At another rally in Bareilly, the chief minister said, "It will only be the BJP which will get the Ram temple constructed in Ayodhya and all options under the Constitution are being explored.

No one should have any doubt on the BJP on this count," he said.

He charged Mayawati with playing with the sentiments of the Dalit community for the sake of Muslim votes.

Adityanath had waded into controversy last week by calling the armed forces "Modi ji ki sena", prompting the Election Commission to ask him "to be careful" in his utterances.
The EC's advice had come against the backdrop of Income Tax Department's raids in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday and in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in the recent past on politicians and people connected to them

New Delhi: The Election Commission has called the revenue secretary and chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on Tuesday to discuss ongoing income tax raids.

Revenue Secretary A B Pandey and CBDT Chairman P C Mody have been called to explain the raids amid allegations by the Congress that the ruling BJP was using enforcement agencies to target it during the poll season.

The EC had on Sunday "strongly advised" the finance ministry that any action by its enforcement agencies during election time should be "neutral" and "non-discriminatory" and officials of the poll panel should be kept in loop about such actions.

The EC's advice had come against the backdrop of Income Tax Department's raids in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday and in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in the recent past on politicians and people connected to them.

Since the Model Code Conduct came into force on 10 March, the I-T department has carried out several raids on political leaders and their associates which the opposition has dubbed a misuse of central agencies during poll season.

The I-T department had on Monday said it has detected a "widespread and well-organised" racket of collection of unaccounted cash of about Rs 281 crore during raids against close aides of Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath and others.

It said sleuths have recovered Rs 14.6 crore of "unaccounted" cash and seized diaries and computer files of suspect payments made between Madhya Pradesh and Delhi.

The CBDT said the department has also detected a trail of Rs 20 crore suspect cash allegedly being moved to the "headquarters of a major political party in Delhi" from the house of an important person who lives on Tughlaq Road, home to many VIPs.
Former JNU students' union president leader Kanhaiya Kumar on Tuesday filed his nomination papers as the CPI candidate from Begusarai Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar

Begusarai: Former JNU students' union president leader Kanhaiya Kumar on Tuesday filed his nomination papers as the CPI candidate from Begusarai Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar.

Bollywood actress Swara Bhaskar, civil rights activist Teesta Setalvad, young Gujarat MLA and Dalit activist Jignesh Mevani, CPI national secretary Atul Anjan and fellow JNU student leader Shehla Rashid making her electoral debut in Jammu and Kashmir - were among those who arrived in this provincial town on the occasion.

Kumar is pitted against Union minister and BJP leader Giriraj Singh.

Before leaving his house in his native village of Bihar, Kumar shared pictures on social media of himself seeking the blessings of his mother Meena Devi an Anganwadi worker besides Fatima Nafis a resident of Badaun district in Uttar Pradesh whose son Najeeb Ahmed studied at JNU and went missing more than two years ago after allegedly picking up a fight with activists of the pro-RSS ABVP.

En route to the collectorate where he reached in a massive procession, Kumar also garlanded and paid tributes to renowned Hindi poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, who hailed from Begusarai district, and posted on Facebook a couple of stanzas by the bard which imply until the disparity between man and man is not eradicated, the noise shall not cease, the struggle shall not lose intensity.

After filing his nomination papers, Kumar reached the venue of a rally where aforementioned dignitaries were also present amid chants of "leke rahenge azadi" (we shall achieve freedom) the slogan that became famous in the wake of the sedition case that was slapped on him in December 2016.

Before addressing the rally, he told journalists who had gathered on the occasion "my fight is not against a particular individual but against an ideology that seeks to do away with the Constitution."

"My fight is against those who conspire to get the people dissipated in bogus polemics so that real issues of bread and butter, health and education and social justice could be pushed to the backburner. Giriraj Singh symbolizes such forces," Kumar added.

Kumar, who was then the JNUSU president, was booked for sedition following complaints that at a gathering organized inside the varsity premises in protest against the capital punishment awarded to Parliament attack accused Afzal Guru, anti-India slogans were allegedly raised.

Kumar has been maintaining that he was innocent since although he was present at the spot neither he was the organizer of the gathering nor did he shout any such slogans.
Alanna Kelly

The family of a woman whose death on Okanagan Lake in 2016 is being investigated as a homicide hopes justice will be served.

Castanet spoke with the Hennig family by phone in Eastern Canada.

Arlene died on June 26, 2016, when she and her husband were canoeing on Okanagan Lake. Their boat capsized, and her husband Lambertus was the only one to surface.

Arlenes body was found by a police dive team the next day, and her death was initially considered an accident by police.

Her sister, Debbie says the death has left a huge hole in the family.

Lambertus Westervelt was arrested Friday and charged with second-degree murder.

On Monday, the 63-year-old appeared in Kelowna court wearing a brown and white flannel shirt that was wrinkled and rolled up to his elbows.

Arlene was originally from Grande Prairie, Alta., and the two had been married for about 30 years. She worked for Interior Health in Kelowna.

Arlene will always be remembered for her sense of adventure, zest for life and above all her infectious giggle, said family member Debbie.

We cant express how much we miss her, and she will live forever in our hearts, said the family. We pray that justice will be served.

Friends of Lambertus said they are shocked and devastated that he has been arrested.



Its a shock to everybody, because anyone who knew him would never think anything like this is possible because he loved his wife very much, said Diane Miller.

Lambertus is next scheduled to appear in court on April 15 at 9:30 a.m.
In this interview, Sajaya speaks to YS Sharmila Reddy, who plays a central role in the YSR Congress Party, led by YS Rajasekhar.

As part of our coverage of the upcoming seven-phased Lok Sabha 2019 elections, we asked prominent media personalities in south India to interview leaders from their respective states. In Andhra Pradesh, we spoke to Nara Lokesh, YS Sharmila and Manohar Nadendla about a range of issues, from farmer distress to infrastructural spending.

In this interview, Sajaya speaks to YS Sharmila Reddy, who plays a central role in the YSR Congress Party. The interview looks into the aspirations of the YSR Congress Party, what they have to offer if they come to power and their criticism of chief minister Chandrababu Naidu's government.
Yet for something as demanding of popular support as a national election, the BJP has been rather steadfast in maintaining its stand on these following issues, irrespective of the reaction on the ground among people it would affect the most.

This time, the Bharatiya Janata Party rides into the Lok Sabha elections not on a wave generated by an individual's promise, but on some of its own promises.

Some of these promises are extremely polarising, so much so that protests have been held over them, protests that have crippled normal life in pockets of the country.

Yet, the BJP has been steadfast in maintaining its stand on these following issues, irrespective of the reaction on the ground.

Articles 35(A) and 370

The BJP has consistently advocated an end to Jammu and Kashmirs special status, afforded by the Articles 35(A) and 370 of the Constitution, which prevent outsiders from buying property there, arguing that such laws have hindered its integration with the rest of India.

In the last five years, we have made all necessary efforts to ensure peace in Jammu and Kashmir through decisive actions and a firm policy, the party said in its manifesto. We are committed to overcome all obstacles in the way of development and provide adequate financial resources to all the regions of the state.

In rallies, at meetings, BJP chief Amit Shah can be counted upon to call for the abrogation of these articles. Before his Saturday roadshow from Ahmedabad to Gandhinagar, Shah garlanded photographs of Jan Sangh founders Deen Dayal Upadhyaya and Syama Prasad Mukherjee and then asked people present to chant, "the whole of Kashmir is ours."

People's Democratic Party chief and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has been unfaltering in her criticism of BJP's stand on the disputed articles, issuing warnings that should they be struck down, Kashmir would stop being a part of India. National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah said abrogation will mean the "freedom for Kashmir." People's Conference led by Sajad Gani Lone has also joined the ranks against the abrogation.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh, on Tuesday, however, reiterated that Kashmir "will never be separated from India."

Citizenship Amendment Bill

The BJP has also not given up on its dream to bring the Citizenship Amendment Bill. Its manifesto, released on Monday, says as much.

Yet, the same bill, while it was in the Lok Sabha, garnered extensive protests across the North East. In late January, ten political parties of the North East  all members of the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance  unanimously decided to oppose the Bill. The Janata Dal (United) had also joined the 10 fronts to criticise its ally in Bihar for "failing to look after the concerns of the North East".

The Citizen (Amendment) Bill, 2019, seeks to amend the Citizen Act of 1955. It relaxes the eligibility rules to get Indian citizenship for immigrants belonging to six minority religions  Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians  from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

While protests have been seen against the obvious disinclusion of Muslims in the list of people the government is willing to provide citizenship too, far bigger ones have been seen in the North East, opposing the ease with which illegal immigrants will be able to become citizens.

The indigenous communities of Assam see the bill as a threat as it goes against a provision in the Assam Accord, which mentions that any person who came to Assam after midnight of 24 March, 1971, will be identified as a foreigner. The people of Assam also fear that an influx of immigrants will take a toll on the limited state resources and alter its demography.

Given the vehement opposition to the proposed legislation, it has puzzled many as to why the BJP had pushed so hard to have it passed in an election year. It seems, for now, to be convinced that the value of the legislation outdoes the electoral losses it might incur.

Armed Force (Special Powers) Act

The talk on the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) was started this election season by Congress. In its manifesto, the party vowed to look once again at the 1958 Act "in order to strike a balance between the powers of security forces and the human rights of citizens and to remove immunity for enforced disappearance, sexual violence and torture."

This mention gave the BJP ammunition to charge the Congress with disrespect of the Indian Armed Forces. Not a day had passed before Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman asked in a press conference, "Why should it be presumed that the powers of the security forces are opposed to human rights? This is very, very insidious."

One person who has taken the AFSPA amendment spectre raised by Congress to heart is none other than the Prime Minister, who in successive rallies has said this Act is a raksha kavach or security cover for the Indian Army.

On Monday, in an interview with CNNNews18, Modi summarily dismissed any talk of repealing the controversial Act, especially in Kashmir, likening its removal to "sending soldiers to the gallows."

With inputs from agencies

LOK SABHA ELECTION 2019 TRACKER: Who is campaigning where
Congress Will Deliver is replete with promises, which is natural for a party which wants to come to power. Sankalpit Bharat, Sashakt Bharat has more chest thumping about achievements, which, too, is natural for an incumbent party that wants another term

Late on Sunday night, Arihant Panagariya, a public policy student at Columbia University, tweeted: "This election in a nutshell: Congress makes you want to vote for the BJP. And BJP makes you want to vote for Congress."

This election in a nutshell: Congress makes you want to vote for the BJP. And BJP makes you want to vote for Congress. https://t.co/q5KqpQzjMY  Arihant Panagariya (@arihantp) April 7, 2019

This was much before the BJP unveiled its manifesto  or the pledge document, as it prefers to call it. After comparing what the Sankalp Patra had to say on the economy with what the Congress manifesto did last week, one is tempted to put out a similar tweet.

Sure, both documents are different. Congress Will Deliver is replete with promises, which is natural for a party which wants to come to power. Sankalpit Bharat, Sashakt Bharat has more chest thumping about achievements, which, too, is natural for an incumbent party that wants another term. Beyond that, neither give any indication that India's two main political parties have figured the recipe for economic growth right.

The promises made in both documents strengthen the mai-baap sarkar syndrome, leading to the inescapable conclusion that the two parties either do not recognise or are unwilling to admit, that it is this paternalistic State that is the single biggest hurdle to economic growth. How different is the Congress promise of setting up a Ministry of Industry, Services and Employment from the BJP's pledge of a National Traders' Welfare Board?

Take the burning issue of employment. In terms of optics, the Congress scores because its manifesto not only leads with the issue but also devotes five pages to it. In contrast, the BJP document appears to gloss over it, with two paragraphs in the context of the youth in the section on good governance. But can one honestly say that the Congress promise of setting up a ministry, protecting existing jobs, creating seva mitra positions in urban and rural local bodies and massive expansion of education and health spending is the ideal way of going about it?

Both documents talk about encouraging high employment sectors. The BJP says it will provide "more support" to 22 Champion Sectors, but remains silent on what this support involves. The Congress says it will reward businesses in certain job-creating sectors that create new jobs by lowering the effective direct tax rate and lowering the contributions to the CSR (corporate social responsibility). What this is going to do really is create avenues of lobbying and corruption. It is worth noting that both parties do not talk about identifying the regulatory issues that are holding back these sectors and removing them.

Both the BJP and Congress promise to unleash entrepreneurship as a way to encourage employment generation. The Congress plan is somewhat vague  'support entrepreneurs to replicate tried and tested models of businesses'. The BJP promises more schemes, including one to provide collateral-free credit up to Rs 50 lakh. The lack of collateral and the insistence of banks on this has, indeed, hampered the flow of credit to entrepreneurs but how this scheme is structured remains to be seen.

On the other hot-button issue is agriculture which the two parties rely heavily on the welfarist approach. The Congress manifesto appears to make the right noises by talking about karz mukti (freedom from indebtedness through remunerative prices, lower input costs and assured access to institutional credit), instead of just karz maafi (loan waiver). This would have gladdened the heart of the late Sharad Joshi, the libertarian farmers' leader, but it's not clear how a separate 'Kisan budget', a National Commission on Agricultural Development and Planning and another Commission on Marginal Farmers and Agricultural Labour will take this forward.

The BJP document, too, is more about largesse  expanding the Pradhan Mantri KISAN scheme to all farmers and a pension for small and marginal farmers (its response to the Congress' NYAY scheme), zero interest loans up to Rs 1 lakh, among other things. What farmers need is more freedom, but that is not given enough emphasis in both documents.

Both parties talk about building more warehouses and cold storage facilities but the Congress manifesto scores when it promises to repeal both the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act and the Essential Commodities Act. These two laws were major hurdles in private investment in storage facilities, the lack of which was the main reason for post-harvest losses. The BJP document is silent on both.

Some similarities in the two documents are, however, reassuring. They both talk of simplifying GST (though the BJP is silent on a single rate, which the Congress promises), easing regulatory compliance for small and medium enterprises, digitisation of land records and titles (a very important prerequisite for many agricultural reforms as well as subsidy payments and direct benefit transfers) and give a big push to infrastructure. For the economys sake, one can only hope that whoever comes to power concentrates on these positive measures, instead of the more populist and bureaucracy-reinforcing ones.

The writer is a senior journalist and author. She tweets at @soorpanakha
Unlike the previous election where Farooq faced his first defeat in his 42-year-long career at the hands of Tariq Hameed Karra, who was then part of the Peoples Democratic Party, the upcoming contest looks like a walk in a park for Farooq. He goes around these days seeking votes while exhorting voters to turn to religion 'for some inner solace'.

One carries a chequered track-record of some laughable felony, while the other comes from a Shia-dominated pocket with least sway over Srinagar. Another is a businessman-turned-politician, following the footprints of his brother. In the upcoming Lok Sabha election from the Srinagar constituency, all these political rookies are up against Kashmir's veteran politician and National Conference patron Farooq Abdullah.

Bharatiya Janta Party has fielded Khalid Jahangir, Peoples Democratic Party has picked Agha Mohsin and while Peoples Conference has fielded Irfan Ansari against Farooq. In this presumably one-sided contest, Farooq is being predicted as a clear winner. The drab contest devoid of some serious competition, however, has made the Srinagar parliamentary poll a least talked about affair this time.

Unlike the previous election where Farooq faced his first defeat in his 42-year-long career at the hands of Tariq Hameed Karra, who was then part of the Peoples Democratic Party, the upcoming contest looks like a walk in a park for Farooq. He goes around these days seeking votes while exhorting voters to turn to religion "for some inner solace". Otherwise known for his tongue-in-cheek comments, Farooq's preacher avatar has so far played well to galleries.

"The very nature of this contest makes one believe that Farooq has already booked another Parliamentary berth for himself," says Humayun Nazir, a political commentator from Srinagar. "And since National Conference's ally Congress has decided against fielding any candidate from Srinagar, that further makes this about him alone."

Farooq is current Member Parliament from Srinagar  the seat he won in 2017 by-election after Karra's anti-PDP crusade created the political void. In an election which was massively boycotted and saw bloodied protests, the National Conference president won by small votes.

And now, amid heightened tensions in the Valley following controversial decisions by the Centre (latest being the partial highway closure for civilians), Farooq is only living up to his mercurial reputation. He blatantly termed the Pulwama terror attack of 14 February as kaarnama of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, protested against highway ban and threw his weight behind the state's demand for special status.

His opposition, on the other hand, looks comparatively weaker, barring BJP's Khalid Jahangir.

Jahangir recently raked up a controversy by floating green campaign advertisement in local dailies and billboards. Instead of picking saffron colour, Jahangir chose the largely-presumed colour of separatism in the Valley  green. Jahangir also went Kashmirs Chrar-e-Shrief town to seek blessings of the saint Noor Din Reshi, who, interestingly, had predicted the advent of such controversial characters in his mystic writings a few centuries ago.

Jahangir first came to the public prominence when his selfie with Modi during the prime minister's Srinagar rally went viral on social media. BJP cadre has often presented him as someone who has 'shades of the prime minister'.

PDP's Agha Mohsin is considered Farooq's main contender for Srinagar seat. In 2014, the Shia leader contested the Lok Sabha election from Srinagar as an Independent. Out of 3.12 lakh votes polled, Mohsin bagged 16,000 votes. After filing his nomination papers recently, Mohsin tweeted: "Thank you @MehboobaMufti & @jkpdp for putting your trust in me and giving me an opportunity to serve the people of the state. Insha Allah, we will come as winners."

Irfan Ansari of Peoples Conference is the younger brother of former PDP minister Imran Raza Ansari. Last year, following the crashing of PDP-BJP alliance in the state, the two brothers, along with their uncle, joined Sajad Lone's Peoples Conference. Lone, the dark horse of Kashmir politics, is confident of winning from Srinagar. He made inroads in the constituency with last year's municipal elections when his party man Junaid Matoo became mayor of Srinagar.

Spread over three districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal, the polling for Srinagar Lok Sabha will be held on 18 April in the second phase of Lok Sabha election. It has 12,90,318 voters who will cast their votes at 1,716 polling stations which are likely to be set up in the constituency. But so far, the National Conference has maintained its firm grip on the Srinagar seat, which is considered their stronghold.

It was Kashmir's former deputy Prime Minister and National Conference leader Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad who first became an MP from Srinagar in 1967. In 1971, a popular Kashmiri journalist Shamim Ahmad Shamim won as an Independent candidate from the same seat. National Conference retained the seat, for the next four elections  Begum Akbar Jehan in 1977, Farooq in 1980, Abdul Rashid Kabuli in 1984 and Mohammad Shafi Bhat in 1989.

When "democracy returned to the Valley" in 1996 after a long pause due to a raging insurgency, it was Congress leader Ghulam Mohammad Mir Magami who won the seat. National Conference leader Omar Abdullah won it thrice after that  1998 (bypolls), 1999 and 2004  before his father Farooq won it in 2009. In 2014, Tariq H Karra won it for PDP. Abdullah retained in 2017 bypoll.
Lok Sabha Election 2019 LIVE updates: Strongly protesting the Election Commission's decision to stop disbursement of funds to farmers under Odisha government's Kalia scheme, Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday went to office of the chief electoral officer to lodge a complaint.

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The two leaders will address a public gathering at Ausa in Latur in support of the alliance candidates in that district and Osmanabad, where polling will be held on 18 April, BJPspokesman Keshav Upadhyay said on Sunday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will share the stage at a rally in Maharashtra on Tuesday for the first time after the tie-up of their parties for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray last shared the dais in Mumbai in December 2016 at a function to lay the foundation stone of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj memorial off the Arabian Sea.

With two days to go for the first phase of the Lok Sabha election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keeping up his campaign for re-election with rallies across the country. Modi will address rallies in Maharashta's Latur with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday and then head to Karnataka, where he will address rallies in Chitradurga and Myusuru.

With the first phase of the Lok Sabha election scheduled for 11 April, Tuesday is the last day of campaigning for all political parties, reports said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address four rallies across three states while BJP president Amit Shah will campaign in Maharashtra, Odisha and Telangana.

Today is the last day of campaigning for the first phase of polls

The prime minister spoke to Rahul Joshi, Group Editor-In-Chief of Network18 in an interview on Monday, just hours after releasing the Bharatiya Janata Party's election manifesto which put nationalism and national security at the front and centre of its next term, if re-elected.

In an exclusive interview with CNN-News18, Prime Minister Narendra Modi summarily dismissed any talk of repealing the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Kashmir, likening the removal of AFSPA from the Valley to "sending our soldiers to the gallows."

BJP president Amit Shah will be on the campaign trail in Maharashtra's Nagpur, Telangana's Ranga Reddy, and in Odisha's Balagondi. In Odisha, Shah will conduct a roadshow.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi will address rallies in Assam, Bihar and Odisha on Tuesday. He will hold public rallies in Bihar's Gaya, Kandhamal in Odisha and Hailakandi in Assam.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi is scheduled to hold a roadshow in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur on Tuesday. On Monday, Priyanka and Congress president Rahul Gandhi had planned to hold rallies in the state, but they were cancelled due to bad weather, reports said.

The locals have planned to boycott the election alleging non-availability of basic facilities in their area and non-payment of crop insurance money 2017-18.

In Tamil Nadu's Ramanathapuram district, the residents of Melasirupothu village have decided to boycott the Lok Sabha election. They also held a protest march on Monday.

In a scathing criticism of the BJP's manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said it was the voice of "an isolated man", besides being "short sighted" and "arrogant".

After the BJP released its manifesto for the Lok Sabha election on Monday, the Congress called the document a "Jhansa Patra" (deception document) and a "bubble of lies" on Monday and said it would have been better had the saffron party issued a "maafinama" instead.

Azad, a former BJP MP from Darbhanga in Bihar had to shift out after the seat was given to the Rashtriya Janata Dal as part of the seat sharing arrangement for the alliance in the state. The cricketer-turned-politician was seeking to contest from his Darbhanga seat, but had to relent after senior Congress leadership intervened.

The Congress on Monday fielded former BJP leader Kirti Azad from Dhanbad Lok Sabha constituency in Jharkhand. The party also fielded Kalicharan Munda from Khunti ST seat in Jharkhand, a party statement said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a rally in Maharashtra's Latur on Tuesday, slammed the Congress over points made in the manifesto for the Lok Sabha election. "Congress is saying they will not abolish Article 370, they are saying that they will remove the anti-traitor law, which is exactly what Pakistan wants also," Modi said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a blistering attack on the Congress and also other Opposition parties like NCP and National Conference. "The Congress will have to answer every citizen of the country for the decisions they have taken in the past," Modi said.

Congress-NCP are also supporting the demand for two separate PMs for Jammu and Kashmir, says Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the Congress for its manifesto promise on Article 370. He said that the Congress manifesto was "in accordance" with what Pakistan wants, especially when it says that Article 370 will never be scrapped. "Congress wants to give an open license to anti-nationals...this is exactly what Pakistan wants...how can you trust such a party?" he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his rally in Maharashtra, said that BJP went beyond the promises that were made in the manifesto for the 2014 Lok Sabha election. Modi also said, "PM-Kisan scheme is now depositing money directly into the accounts of 1.2 crore small and marginal farmers today. The BJP in its 'Sankalp Patra' has declared that the scheme will be extended to all farmers after the election when our new government gets elected."

"Take a step for your future and for the country's future," Modi said.

Narendra Modi spoke directly to first-time voters in his rally in Maharashtra on Tuesday. "I want to appeal to the first-time voters today. It's a historic moment, one that is always remembered. I want to ask you, do you want to vote for the brave soldiers who struck in Balakot? Do you want to vote for the soldiers who lost their lives in Pulwama? Or do you want to vote for an indecisive government?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "The Opposition is calling the chowkidar a chor, but from whose houses did notes and notes of money come from? It's barely six months since the Congress government has been formed in Madhya Pradesh, but the first thing the party does in power is corruption."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his rally in Maharashtra's Latur district on Tuesday, said that the Congress' "dakhosla patra" had been written with a view to fool people just like previous generations of Nehru-Gandhi family. "But now the people are not going to be fooled," Modi said.

Modi also blamed Congress for the issues with Pakistan. He said that if Congress had maintained a strong stand in 1947, Pakistan wouldn't have existed in the first place.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated his government's 'decisive' action against terrorists and said that dealing with terrorists on their own turf is the policy of 'New India'. He said, "To kill terrorists right in their dens is the policy of New India."

In his rally in Maharashtra's Latur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that BJP Sankalp Patra aims to fulfill the aspirations of the country. "Interest-free kisan credit card loans, short term agricultural loans up to Rs 1 lakh to be given at zero percent interest, for one to five years, on the condition of prompt repayment of principal amount. All this will be done to bring respite to the farmers," he said.

BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday addressed a rally in Telangana's Ranga Reddy district. Shah said that the people have "already" decided that Narendra Modi will be the next prime minister of India.

BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday, in a rally in Telangana said, "Congress and KCR party both are dynastic parties. It's quite clear who is going to head KCR's party after him."

"In 2016, the Hyderabad Metro was inaugurated by Narendra Modi and released a sum of 16,000 crore rupees for its construction," he said. "UPA gonly gave Rs 16,500 crore to Telangana. But BJP-led NDA government gave whopping Rs 2.45 lakh crore for the development of Telangana."

In his rally in Telangana's Ranga Reddy two days ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, BJP president Amit Shah slammed the K Chandrasekhar Rao-led TRS government in the state and said even though the government had been in power for a while, it had done nothing for the development for the state. "However, Narendra Modi has worked for this state even though it is not a BJP-ruled state.

BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday, slammed K Chandrasekhar Rao and said that a chief minister "who wasn't able to form his cabinet for more than two months cannot be trusted". He added, "Due to fear of (Asaduddin) Owaisi, KCR government no longer celebrates Liberation Day on 17 September. After being elected, KCR wasn't able to form his cabinet in the state for more than two months. What do you expect from such a person and party?"

Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Tuesday addressed the media regarding the Election Commission's "actions" regarding the Narendra Modi biopic, among other issues ahead of the Lok Sabha election. "We have appealed to the Commission, we have spoken to the media, but what else can we do?" Sibal said.

Congress leader Kapil Sibal slammed the Narendra Modi-led government over a host of issues. The advocate also criticised the Election Commission over the poll panel's clean chit to media related to the prime minister. "Demonetisation is the biggest scam in the history of India. Mr. Modi started his tenure by fooling the people of India and he is ending his 5-year tenure by traumatising the people of India. He has used institutions to target people who oppose him," Sibal said.

The home ministers comments came almost a week after former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah, in a speech in Kashmir's Bandipora, pitched for the revival of the posts of prime minister and president for Jammu and Kashmir.

Rajnath said in an interview , "Kashmir will never be separated from India. Kashmir was, is and always will be an integral part of India. There cannot be two prime ministers in the country. It is absolutely clear in our election manifesto that if we form government Article 370, Article 35A will be removed."

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday asserted that Kashmir is, was and will always be an integral part of India and thus it cannot have its own prime minister.

Modi, in an interview with CNN-News18, referred to Rahul only as an "individual" and said that one individual kept repeating the same "Rafale lies", and these lies were rejected everywhere, "be it in the Supreme Court or by the Comptroller and Auditor General".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has claimed that Congress president Rahul Gandhi was propagating the Rafale controversy to wash away the stain of the Bofors scam from his father's legacy.

On these remarks, Modi said it was "unsurprising" that Mayawati was making such statements "as she is facing defeat". "She is appealing to Muslims to specifically vote for her. This is a matter for the Election Commission to look into. I am less worried about Mayawati. She is part of a sinking ship and is looking to Muslims for support," the prime minister said. However, he questioned why the "secular brigade" was silent on her remarks.

At a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Deoband on Sunday, Mayawati had said: "I would like to tell Muslim voters to not waste their vote on the Congress. The Congress is not in this fight. We are fighting the BJP, and we will win."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said he was unperturbed by Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati's appeal to Muslims to vote for the alliance of her party and the Samajwadi Party to prevent the minority votes from getting split.

"The list includes PM Narendra Modis address to the nation on the anti-satellite weapon (ASAT), the upcoming Modi biopic and a web series on his life, NaMo TV and alleged incendiary speeches by the PM and other BJP leaders," The Indian Express reported.

At least 66 former civil servants wrote to President Ram Nath Kovind to lodge their concerns over the functioning of the Election Commission, reports said. In the letter, they also listed violations of the Model Code of Conduct that the EC had "failed" to address.

With the first phase of the Lok Sabha election just two days away, the Election Commission and political parties are appealing to first-time voters to participate in the process.

With the first phase of the Lok Sabha election just two days away, the Election Commission and political parties are appealing to first-time voters to participate in the process. Here is an illustration of what a first-time voter should know about a polling booth.

Former JNU students' union leader Kanhaiya Kumar filed nomination for the Lok Sabha election as a candidate of the Communist Party of India (CPI) from the Begusarai constituency in Bihar.

Mamata also slammed the Congress and said that Congress had "failed" to put up a fight against the BJP in 2014, which is why the the saffron party had grown.

Launching a scathing attack on Modi, she said, "BJP doesn't like West Bengal and Bengalis, that is why they have stopped the process of renaming the state to Bangla."

Addressing a rally in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that alliances had been formed in every state to "remove" Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the Centre. She also said that once Modi was "voted out of power", all the Opposition leaders could work together "to build a new India".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his second rally in Karnataka's Chitradurga, said that the electorate will need to choose a "strong government" in the upcoming Lok Sabha election.

In a rally in Karnataka's Chitradurga, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in the state. "Congress and JD(S) have no intention to work for the welfare of the people. If they did, there would have been progress in the state. But where are the benefits promised to the farmers and other people?" Modi said.

"The Congress has meted out only injustice to four generations of Indians," said Modi in an attack on the Congress in Karnataka. "The Congress has weakened India's defence and has brought only a governance of corruption. Now the people are asking the party that has given injustice to the people for 60 years, for accountability," he said.

"The Congress has only done anyay for all these years, but now they will be brought to justice for all of it," Modi said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, listing the "corruption scams" that allegedly happened under the UPA governments  the Bofors case, the National Herald case, the AgustaWestland case  said that the youth of the 21st century will "punish" the Congress for the crimes done in the 20th century.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi continued his appeal to the first-time voters in his rally in Karnataka's Chitradurga. "If all the youth of the country vote for me, if you give me your valuable vote, I will be able to do much more work," the prime minister said.

The grand old party released its manifesto titled "Congress Will Deliver" on 2 April, promising to tackle the employment crisis, poverty, farmers' woes and crimes against women. The BJP released its poll document titled "Sankalpit Bharat, Sashakt Bharat" on Monday, in which the saffron party focused on development, national security, Uniform Civil Code, Ram Temple and tackling terrorism.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that the difference between the manifestos released by his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress was evident in their names. "Theirs is an announcement, ours is a resolution," he said in an interview with CNN-News18.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath in a rally on Tuesday  two days before the first phase of the Lok Sabha election  reiterated his "Ali, Bajrangbali" remark. Adityanath has been using the "language of polarisation" ever since he became one of the BJP's "star campaigners".

"Modi had promised special status for Bihar. I'll tell you, he meant that he wanted to give the special status of unemployment to Bihar. You go to Gujarat, his partymen tell you to go back. You go to Mumbai, there, too, you're told to go away. There should be job opportunities in Bihar."

Pockets of Anil Ambani, 'chowkidar' to fund NYAY scheme, says Rahul In Gaya, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said, "The pockets of people Anil Ambani, Nirav Modi, Mehul Chowksi and chowkidar will fund NYAY scheme.

Lashing out at the Modi government for allegedly favouring a few businessmen, he said, "I will not let India to get divided into two. We will always stay under one flag. The entire Mahagathbandhan team is here united. We will implement NYAY and provide jobs to the unemployed."

'Jumledar' Modi called our loan waiver promise a jumla: Rahul Addressing a rally in Gaya, Rahul Gandhi said, "We promised farm loan waiver for farmers in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan. Modi called the promise a jumla. Jumledar bolta hai jumla hai. We fulfilled our promise within few days of forming the governments."

While referring to minorities, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said in Saharanpur, SP-BSP is trying to send a 'green virus' to West Uttar Pradesh, but this region does not need the virus." His remarks come against the backdrop of remarks made by BSP supremo Mayawati appealing to Muslims to vote for the SP-BSP alliance.

"We are very hopeful that we will win, there is a lot anger in the public against BJP and support for Congress. I request people to vote for our candidates here(Kairana, Saharanpur and Bijnor) so that we win with a huge margin," AICC genera;-secretary Priyanka Gandhi said while campaigning in Saharanpur.

In Mysuru, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "The only agenda of some parties is to remove Modi. You can't expect them to work for the welfare of the people."

He further questioned Rahul's move to contest from a seat in Kerala (Wayanad) and not in Karnataka, where it is in power. "When Deve Gowda ji was the prime minister, he was backstabbed by Sonia Gandhi. Congress doesn't trust JD(S) and, hence, naamdaar hasn't dared to fight elections from Karnataka," he claimed.

"The Lok Sabha seat of the Congress president (Rahul Gandhi) is in danger. If the leader of the party is running away, then what will be the state of the party itself?," Narendra Modi said at a rally in Mysuru.

A BJP convoy was attacked by Naxals in Dantewada. Party MLA Bheema Mandavi was also in the convoy.

Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik went to the state electoral officer over the Election Commission's (EC) decision to stop his governments flagship KALIA (Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation) scheme. The KALIA scheme is very important for the farmers particularly during this season when they need those funds. Also disappointed to see that BJP has complained to EC about the KALIA scheme. The farmers will give them a befitting reply." he said.

BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi was among the six people who were killed after Naxal targetted a BJP convoy between Kuakonta and Syamgiri in Dantewada. Firing is currently going on at the spot and additional police force have been sent to the place.

Mani, who had been undergoing treatment at the VPS Lakeshore hospital for pulmonary disease, breathed his last at 4.57 pm, they said. He had been suffering from COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) for several years and had frequently been hospitalised for chest infection.

Kerala Congress veteran and former state Finance Minister K M Mani died at a private hospital Tuesday evening, hospital sources said. He was 86 amd is survived by his wife and six children.

Bhim Army chief Chandrasekhar Azad is at Congress Saharanpur candidate Imran Masoods residence. News18 reported that Azad is likely to announce support for Masood in upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

"A wave of development has spread in the entire country. But like it is said, 'ye to trailer tha, picture abhi baaki hai'. We've said in our manifesto that Rs 100 lakh crore will be invested in development of infrastructure,' said Union minister Piyush Goyal in Dehradun.

In Assam, five constituencies  Tezpur, Kaliabor, Jorhat, Dibrugarh and Lakhimpur  are going to polls on 11 April.

"We are very hopeful that we will win, there is a lot anger in the public against BJP and support for Congress. I request people to vote for our candidates here(Kairana, Saharanpur and Bijnor) so that we win with a huge margin," AICC genera;-secretary Priyanka Gandhi said while campaigning in Saharanpur.

In Mysuru, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "The only agenda of some parties is to remove Modi. You can't expect them to work for the welfare of the people."

He further questioned Rahul's move to contest from a seat in Kerala (Wayanad) and not in Karnataka, where it is in power. "When Deve Gowda ji was the prime minister, he was backstabbed by Sonia Gandhi. Congress doesn't trust JD(S) and, hence, naamdaar hasn't dared to fight elections from Karnataka," he claimed.

"The Lok Sabha seat of the Congress president (Rahul Gandhi) is in danger. If the leader of the party is running away, then what will be the state of the party itself?," Narendra Modi said at a rally in Mysuru.

Chhattisgarh: BJP convoy attacked by Naxals in Dantewada. BJP MLA Bheema Mandavi was also in the convoy, further details awaited. pic.twitter.com/MhNVtar2aD

A BJP convoy was attacked by Naxals in Dantewada. Party MLA Bheema Mandavi was also in the convoy.

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar: I came here to see the Chief Electoral Officer about a strong complaint of the election office stopping our govt's KALIA Scheme for the farmers. This is most unfortunate as they haven't stopped the agricultural scheme of the central govt. pic.twitter.com/d2L9E6LRzw

Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik went to the state electoral officer over the Election Commission's (EC) decision to stop his governments flagship KALIA (Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation) scheme. The KALIA scheme is very important for the farmers particularly during this season when they need those funds. Also disappointed to see that BJP has complained to EC about the KALIA scheme. The farmers will give them a befitting reply." he said.

BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi was among the six people who were killed after Naxal targetted a BJP convoy between Kuakonta and Syamgiri in Dantewada. Firing is currently going on at the spot and additional police force have been sent to the place.

Mani, who had been undergoing treatment at the VPS Lakeshore hospital for pulmonary disease, breathed his last at 4.57 pm, they said. He had been suffering from COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) for several years and had frequently been hospitalised for chest infection.

Kerala Congress veteran and former state Finance Minister K M Mani died at a private hospital Tuesday evening, hospital sources said. He was 86 amd is survived by his wife and six children.

Bhim Army chief Chandrasekhar Azad is at Congress Saharanpur candidate Imran Masoods residence. News18 reported that Azad is likely to announce support for Masood in upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal in Dehradun, Uttarakhand: A wave of development has spread in the entire country. But like it is said, "ye to trailer tha, picture abhi baaki hai". We've said in our manifesto that Rs 100 lakh crore will be invested in development of infrastructure. pic.twitter.com/xbzklyR4FP

"A wave of development has spread in the entire country. But like it is said, 'ye to trailer tha, picture abhi baaki hai'. We've said in our manifesto that Rs 100 lakh crore will be invested in development of infrastructure,' said Union minister Piyush Goyal in Dehradun.

Dibrugarh: Preparations underway for #LokSabhaElections2019 . 5 Lok Sabha constituency of Assam- Tezpur, Kaliabor, Jorhat, Dibrugarh and Lakhimpur, are going to polls on April 11 pic.twitter.com/MC0LHUXehC

In Assam, five constituencies  Tezpur, Kaliabor, Jorhat, Dibrugarh and Lakhimpur  are going to polls on 11 April.

Lok Sabha Election 2019 LATEST updates: Strongly protesting the Election Commission's decision to stop disbursement

of funds to farmers under Odisha government's Kalia scheme, Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday went to office of the chief electoral officer to lodge a complaint.

Addressing a rally in Mysuru, Prime Minister Narendra Modi questioned Rahul Gandhi's move to contest from a seat in Kerala (Wayanad) and not in Karnataka, where the Congress is in power with JD(S). "When Deve Gowda ji was the prime minister, he was backstabbed by Sonia Gandhi. Congress doesn't trust JD(S) and, hence, naamdaar hasn't dared to fight elections from Karnataka," he claimed.

Addressing a rally in Gaya, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said, "Modi had promised special status for Bihar. I'll tell you, he meant that he wanted to give the special status of unemployment to Bihar. You (the people of Bihar) go to Gujarat, his partymen tell you to go back. You go to Mumbai, there, too, you're told to go away. There should be job opportunities in Bihar."

Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy in a rally on Tuesday said, "(Narendra) Modi wakes up every morning, applies make-up, or wax to get a shine on his face and sits in front of cameras."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi continued his appeal to the first-time voters in his rally in Karnataka's Chitradurga. "If all the youth of the country vote for me, if you give me your valuable vote, I will be able to do much more work," the prime minister said.

Modi in his second rally in Karnataka's Chitradurga, said that the electorate will need to choose a "strong government" in the upcoming Lok Sabha election.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweeted a "challenge" to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, inviting him to "debate on corruption".

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday asserted that Kashmir is, was and will always be an integral part of India and thus it cannot have its own prime minister.

Rajnath said in an interview, "Kashmir will never be separated from India. Kashmir was, is and always will be an integral part of India. There cannot be two prime ministers in the country. It is absolutely clear in our election manifesto that if we form government Article 370, Article 35A will be removed."

The home ministers comments came almost a week after former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah, in a speech in Kashmir's Bandipora, pitched for the revival of the posts of prime minister and president for Jammu and Kashmir.

BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday addressed a rally in Telangana's Ranga Reddy district. Shah said that the people have "already" decided that Narendra Modi will be the next prime minister of India.

Narendra Modi spoke directly to first-time voters in his rally in Maharashtra on Tuesday. "I want to appeal to the first-time voters today. It's a historic moment, one that is always remembered. I want to ask you, do you want to vote for the brave soldiers who struck in Balakot? Do you want to vote for the soldiers who lost their lives in Pulwama? Or do you want to vote for an indecisive government?

"Take a step for your future and for the country's future," Modi said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his rally in Maharashtra, said that BJP went beyond the promises that were made in the manifesto for the 2014 Lok Sabha election. Modi also said, "PM-Kisan scheme is now depositing money directly into the accounts of 1.2 crore small and marginal farmers today. The BJP in its 'Sankalp Patra' has declared that the scheme will be extended to all farmers after the election when our new government gets elected."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the Congress for its manifesto promise on Article 370. He said that the Congress manifesto was "in accordance" with what Pakistan wants, especially when it says that Article 370 will never be scrapped. "Congress wants to give an open license to anti-nationals...this is exactly what Pakistan wants...how can you trust such a party?" he said.

For the Lok Sabha election, of which the first phase is scheduled for 11 April, the BJP and Sena announced to contest 25 and 23 seats, respectively, in Maharashtra which has 48 Lok Sabha constituencies. The two parties went separate ways after the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and contested the Maharashtra Assembly elections held later that year on their own.

Rahul Gandhi has called the BJP manifesto, released on Monday, the 'voice of isolated man'. In a scathing criticism of the ruling party's manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, the Congress chief also said the document was "short sighted" and "arrogant". Congress has maintained that its own manifesto was the product of extensive ground work and research, involving grassroots-level political participants.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi is scheduled to hold a roadshow in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur on Tuesday. On Monday, Priyanka and Congress president Rahul Gandhi had planned to hold rallies in the state, but they were cancelled due to bad weather, reports said.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi will address rallies in Assam, Bihar and Odisha on Tuesday. He will hold public rallies in Bihar's Gaya, Kandhamal in Odisha and Hailakandi in Assam.

With the first phase of the Lok Sabha election scheduled for 11 April, Tuesday is the last day of campaigning for all political parties, reports said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will share the stage at a rally in Maharashtra on Tuesday, for the first time after their parties joined hands, once again, for the Lok Sabha election. They will address a public gathering at Ausa in Latur in support of the alliance's candidates in the district, where polling will be held on 18 April.

Modi and Thackeray last shared the dais in Mumbai in December 2016 at a function to lay the foundation stone of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj memorial off the Arabian Sea.

The prime minister will also address rallies in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu on Tuesday, while BJP president Amit Shah is scheduled to hold public meetings in Telangana, Maharashtra, and Odisha.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi will also be on the campaign trail in Assam, Bihar and Odisha on Tuesday. He will hold public rallies in Bihar's Gaya, Kandhamal in Odisha and Hailakandi in Assam. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi will hold a roadshow in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur, a day after her joint rally with Rahul was cancelled due to "bad weather".

West Bengal chief minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee will also be on the campaign trail in the state's Raiganj.

On Monday, the BJP released its manifesto for the Lok Sabha election. Several Union ministers, including Modi, addressed the gathering during the event. Modi said "nationalism was the BJP's inspiration, inclusion its philosophy and good governance its mantra". He added that the party aimed to make India a "developed" nation by 2047, 100 years after Independence.

The "Sankalp Patra" (document of resolve) has 75 definitive, time-bound targets for the country, Modi said after releasing the party's manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls starting 11 April.

"The manifesto highlights three major points  nationalism is our motivation, inclusion is our philosophy and governance is our mantra. We want people to hold us accountable. Hence, we have set out 75 goals to be achieved by 2022," he said.

The BJP manifesto was a "multi-layered and multi-dimensional" document that addressed the expectations and aspirations of all sections of the society, the prime minister said, adding that it contained "jan ki mann ki baat". "We want to fight poverty rather than sit inside air-conditioned rooms. Nationalism is our inspiration and inclusion and good governance is our mantra.

"We first addressed the needs of the people, now we will fulfil their aspirations," Modi added. He further said, "Our sankalp (resolve) is to change India from a developing country to a developed country. This should turn into a mass movement. We have kept the common man at the centre of our manifesto and our promises."

Rahul reacted to the BJP's manifesto on Tuesday and said that it was a document "created in a closed room". "The Congress manifesto was created through discussion. The voice of over a million Indian people it is wise and powerful. The BJP Manifesto was created in a closed room. The voice of an isolated man, it is short-sighted and arrogant," he tweeted.
Lok Sabha Election 2019; Model Code of Conduct Watch: The Election Commission (EC) has issued a notice to BJP's Chandigarh candidate Kirron Kher, seeking a reply after she shared a video on Twitter in which children were seen campaigning for her.

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However, Sharma deleted the post later, but said that he did not understand why was the poll body was so "allergic" to a person cheering the heroic act of its soldiers and rejoicing over an act of national honour. "The Election Commission is biased against nationalist leaders like me," he said.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday issued a show-cause notice to Delhi BJP MLA Om Prakash Sharma for putting up two posters featuring him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman on Facebook. The Commission asked him to take down the post and give a reply by Thursday.

Bahujan Samaj Party's (BSP) Pratapgarh Lok Sabha constituency in-charge Ashok Tripathi was among 68 booked for poll code violation on Wednesday. A case was registered against Tripathi, divisional president Ajay Pasi, Kamlesh Verma and 65 unnamed people at Lalganj Kotwali on Wednesday evening, police said. On Saturday, sector magistrate Pradip Kumar reached Verma Nagar crossing where an election meeting was going on without permission. The organisers failed to produce any document to establish they had permission for the meeting, the police said

According to UT administration, a complaint was received on the C-vigil app on Wednesday, following which the Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) took cognizance and thereafter issued notices for convening the election meetings at government properties Community Center in Sector 29, Ram Darbar in community centre at Sector 37, Chandigarh.

Show cause notices were issued to BJP's Chandigarh chief Sanjay Tandon , four BJP councillors, two nominated councillors and three officials of the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh on Wednesday for violating the model code of conduct. The notice asked the officials to reply within 24 hours as to why disciplinary action may not be taken against them.

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday asked the Election Commission to take action against Congress President Rahul Gandhi for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conduct by making unverified allegations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ANI reported . Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, We have requested the EC to take action against Rahul Gandhi for levelling unverified allegations against Narendra Modi on Wednesday in Ahmedabad, when the Model Code of Conduct is already in effect."

Congress registered it's first complaint MCC violation complaint with the Election Commission on Thursday. In Maharashtra, the party gave a written complaint to the chief electoral officer against government advertisements still displayed outside state transport buses, bus stops and petrol pumps. Congress general secretary and spokesperson Sachin Sawant said that despite the MCC coming into force, ST buses, bus stops and petrol pumps among other public places were displaying government advertisements. He said that the commission should ask the government about it and register a case of violation, and wrote a letter to the Maharashtra chief electoral officer (CEO) Ashwani Kumar for the same.

In a letter, the Goa NSUI president has said, The NSUI, Goa writes to you demanding: ban of the movie in theatres in states during the 'election silence' period that is two days prior to the day of voting and ban of the movie in the Lok Sabha Constituency where the prime minister would be contesting.

The NSUI demands a ban on the movie 48 hours prior to voting which is known as election silence where a party is not allowed to promote or campaign.

The National Students' Union of India  Goa, the Congress party's student wing, on Friday urged the Election Commission to ban the release of the Narendra Modi biopic, alleging that the movie was propaganda by the BJP to influence voters during the Lok Sabha elections.

Das's photographs allegedly appear on posters of schemes like the mid-day meal. The party also told the newspaper that tablets distributed to teachers under the Gyansetu initiative have Das's photograph on display and alleged that this too was a violation of the model code of conduct.

The Aam Aadmi Party's East Singhbhum wing) has written to the deputy commissioner of the Election Commission, alleging that posters of Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das were seen inside school campuses in the district, reported Times of India .

The notice also stated that comments on other political parties had been visible on boards put up along the sides of the e-rickshaw.

The notice issued to her states she had displayed her name in a poster on an e-rickshaw on which she travelled across city, on 14 March, reported ANI.

An assistant returning officer of Vidhan Sabha constituency 25, Jagdish Lal, has issued a notice for violation of the Model Code of Conduct on the mayor of Haridwar Municipal Corporation, Anita Sharma, reported Daily Pioneer.

It is the duty of the EC to conduct a fair election and protect democracy. The threatening by Delhi Police is still continuing even after MCC has come into force. The Delhi Police is acting like BJPs goons. We have asked that it should be stopped, he added. They (call centre) are not doing something proxy. AAP has hired them. AAP has an agreement with them, Sisodia clarified.

An AAP delegation lead by Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia met EC officials urging them to suspend three Delhi Police officials whom he accused of working on behalf of BJP As per BJPs directions, names of 24 lakh voters were stuck off voter list. We launched a campaign to get their name re-registered in the voter list. Delhi Police acting on behest of BJP has been raiding the call centre with whose help we did this campaign, Sisodia said. Delhi police is threatening the owner of the call centre that if you work for AAP, we will make you fall in line, Sisodia claimed.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday complained about the alleged harassment of the owner of a call centre by the Delhi Police on the "behest of BJP." The call centre was alleged to be hired by AAP to "help people whose names were allegedly stuck off the voters' list," ANI reported.

On 17 March, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera had told ANI: "Whenever farmers of this country and unemployed youths ask tough questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he hides behind terrorists and Pakistans intelligence agency ISI."

On 16 March, Khera had said that 'Modi' stood for 'Masood, Osama, Dawood and ISI' during a television debate, a comment which the Congress leader is facing flak for.

BJP has appealed to the Election Commission to take appropriate action under penal laws and election laws, for allegedly violating the MCC.

Calling it a blatant violation of the MCC, the BJP in its letter said: "Such speech amounts to a violation of the MCC. The MCC Manual 2019 under Chapter 4 Clause 4.4 prescribes no criticism of other parties or their workers on the basis of unverified allegations or on distortions."

The BJP in its letter to the Chief Electoral officer has asserted that 'comparing Prime Minister Narendra Modi with dreaded terrorists is not only unparliamentary but defamatory and deplorable.'

The BJP in its complaint has claimed that Khera, during a news channel's event, had stated that 'Modi stands for Masood Azhar, Osama, Dawood and ISI.'

Since the Model Code of Conduct came into effect on 10 March, the Delhi Police has also seized 82 unlicensed weapons, 2,113 live cartridges, 16,495 litres of illicit liquor and 94.337 kilograms of drugs.

Also, four FIRs have been registered against political parties , including two against AAP and one against the BJP, for violating the Model Code of Conduct.

Chief Electoral Office of Delhi Ranbir Singh said 90,937 posters, hoardings and banners had been removed from across the city on Monday. He added that 235 FIRs had been registered under the Excise Act and 242 people had been arrested for violating the Act.

"In order to secure votes, Chief Minister Rao has used illegal means and made statements against the Hindus of this country. He tried his level best to flare up religious tension and instigate the people of other religions against Hindus," claimed the VHP in its memorandum.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has approached Telangana Chief Electoral Officer Rajat Kumar for action against Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conduct by "defaming" Hindus during a public meeting. The group has handed over a memorandum to Kumar, in which it has claimed that KCR had made many derogatory and defamatory statements against Hindus and tried to flare up "religious tension".

Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu on Monday accused Palladam AIADMK MLA A Natarajan of violating the Model Code of Conduct by inspecting a number of developmental projects in his constituency. They raised the issue at the all-party meeting organised by the district administration at the collectorate in Tirupur. CPM Tirupur district executive member N Gopalakrishnan also presented photos as evidence at the meeting. The District Revenue Office said it has yet to recieve a complaint.

The Ranchi district administration on Monday filed a poll code violation case against Union minister Jayant Sinha, who is an MP from Hazaribag. The case was filed on a complaint by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha that wrote to Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer L Khiangte, claiming that Sinha has used the convocation ceremony at IIM-Ranchi to publicise the BJP government's achievements, in gross violation of the Model Code of Conduct.

In order to put a check on the poll irregularities and other malfunctions ahead and during the Lok Sabha elections, a 24x7 control room was opened at the office of the Chief Electoral Officer in Bhubaneswar on Friday. The control room would monitor activities like poll irregularities, model code of conduct (MCC) violation, and other violations such as the distribution of illegal inducements, black money and hate speech. The CEO office has issued a number 0674-2395015 for this purpose. Based on these complaints, the control room will direct the concerned authorities which will then spring into action to check the violation, reports said.

However, state BJP president Jitu Vaghani dismissed the complaint and said that there was no violation of the code of conduct. "The chief minister has certain rights. Election campaigns are not allowed (from government buildings), but it is his residence. Chief Minister's security... everything has to be considered. We are meeting and having discussions at the CM residence. Campaign or speeches are not being done," he said, according to a DNA report .

"The CM's official residence is a government building. Political activities are not allowed there when the model code of conduct is in force. BJP's meetings of 17 and 18 March for selection of candidates (for Lok Sabha elections) at the chief minister's residence are a violation of the code of conduct," Balubhai Patel, chairman of Gujarat Congress' election coordination committee, said in a complaint to the state's Chief Electoral Officer S Murali Krishna. Following the complaint, the CEO office directed the Gandhinagar collector to look into the matter and to submit a report.

The Gujarat Congress on Monday complained to the election authorities that BJP had violated the model code of conduct by holding meetings of its parliamentary panels at the Chief Minister Vijay Rupani's official residence.

The highest number of 85 complaints were received from Pune, followed by Thane (61), Solapur (44), Mumbai suburban (40), Mumbai city (39) and Nagpur (26). Most of the complaints pertained to banners being put up without permission, the official said.

The Maharashtra Chief Electoral Office has received as many as 400 complaints of MCC violations through its cVIGIL app, an official said Wednesday. "The local team gets an alert once the complaint is lodged, and our people reach the spot and verify the details. If the complaint is valid, we record the details and initiate an inquiry," the official added.

"The very title of the book and its display on the election poster is an open declaration by the candidate that he is Hindu. This is a subtle attempt aimed at exploiting Hindu religious sentiments. This is a gross violation of election rules and the Model Code of Conduct. Significantly, the poster was published and publicised after the election notification," the BJP's complaint read.

The Kerala BJP on Tuesday complained to the Chief Electoral Officer in Thiruvananthapuram, claiming that the posters put up by the Congress related to MP Shashi Tharoor's book Why Am I A Hindu violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

The saffron party claimed APP had burned the manifestos to attack the BJP on the issue of full statehood to Delhi. "AAP leaders violated the MCC by either not seeking permission for such events from the Election Commission, or they sought permission for election meetings from the EC and misused this permission to violate the MCC by burning BJP's manifesto," read the letter written by SN Verma, co-convener of Delhi BJP's legal department.

The Delhi BJP on Tuesday filed a complaint with the Chief Electoral Office in the city, seeking action against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for allegedly "indulging in violent acts" and violating the MCC. The BJP claimed AAP leaders, including Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, had burned copies of its 2014 manifesto on 13 March.

The BJP leader claimed he had not made the music video, and that media houses had covered it while he was recording of the song, WION reported.

West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Sanjay Basu said, ''We are keeping a close watch on media and through the surveillance, we came to know of the election campaign song of Babul Supriyo... This is a violation of the Model Code of Conduct. We have issued a showcause notice to Babul Supriyo. He has to reply to the notice within 48 hours."

The Election Commission on Tuesday issued a showcause notice to BJP leader and Union minister Babul Supriyo for violating the MCC. The notice is related to a campaign song, which Supriyo allegedly promoted on electronic media and social media sites without a media certification from the EC. The Trinamool Congress had also registered a complaint against the song with the EC

He said that they did so "by publicising materials in a bid to appeal to religious sentiments of voters."

Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday wrote to the chief electoral officer (CEO) or Kerala in order to "file a complaint in relation to the malicious attempt by BJP and the Sabarimala Karma Samithi to vitiate free and fair polls in Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency."

Earlier in March, a BJP delegation comprising Ravi Shankar Prasad, JP Nadda and others had urged the EC to declare Bengal as a super sensitive zone while expressing apprehensions that the ruling TMC government might not allow free and fair elections to be held in West Bengal.

A Trinamool Congress (TMC) delegation comprising Derek O'Brien, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, and Chandan Mitra approached the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday to lodge a complaint against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regarding an alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct. The TMC claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modis photo was being published on railway tickets as part of a government scheme, which, the party said, was in violation of the MCC. It urged the poll body to ensure that the pictures were taken off rail tickets.

The Cubbon Park police have booked Praveen, Abhilash and Raj under various sections of the Representation of People's Act and also under the Karnataka Police Act.

In a complaint to the police on 19 March, a flying squad official for the 163 Vidhana Sabha constituency, stated that actor-turned-politician Prakash Raj had used a mike and campaigned for elections at a public rally held at the Mahatma Gandhi Circle near MG Road on 12 March. The rally was organised by one Praveen K and Abhilash CS under the banner Media and Freedom of Expression and it was a non-political programme. Several writers, artists and activists attended the programme where Prakash Raj used the mike and began to canvass seeking votes, Murthy stated in his complaint. A whatsapp video footage as evidence of Raj speaking on the mike was handed over to police. However, by the time the flying squad reached the spot, the programme was over and people had dispersed. Permission was taken to conduct a non-political programme but Raj used it as a platform canvassing for the election. This amounts to violation of the model code of conduct, Murthy said in his complaint.

Twenty-nine FIRs have been registered against various political parties in Delhi so far, including three each against the AAP and the BJP, for violating the model code of conduct, Delhi's chief electoral officer said on Wednesday. Special CEO Satnam Singh said that the poll body has also removed more than 1.8 lakh hoardings, banners and posters since the enforcement of model code of conduct. Of the three FIRs registered against the AAP, one is related to using auto rickshaw for election campaign, Singh said. In most of the 29 cases, FIRs were registered against political parties for defacing public property, he said. Singh said 91 FIRs have been registered and 112 people arrested under the Arms Act since March 12 while police have seized 99 unlicensed weapons from them. As many as 296 FIRs have been registered and 302 violators arrested under the Excise Act, PTI reported.

21 March, Thursday | Three FIRs each against AAP, BJP so far for violating MCC in Delhi; 29 against all political parties

Mallikarjun Utture, the Expenditure Observer appointed by the Central Election Commission for the Udupi-Chikkamagaluru parliamentary seat , said on Wednesday that government officers should immediately suo motu register a case if there was any violation of the Model Code of Conduct. Utture said that the officers should act in such cases without waiting for the public to lodge a complaint. The officers should maintain a tight vigil to see that there was no violation of the Model Code of Conduct during campaigning by political parties. The different teams and squads appointed for election purposes should ensure that there was no effort being made to induce or influence the voters.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday said that Congress president Rahul Gandhis interaction with students of a womens college in Chennai did not violate the model code of conduct (MCC), though it has sought a report on his speech. Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Satyabrata Sahoo said local election officials have reported that there was no violation in terms of permission obtained by Stella Maris College for Women to host the interaction on 13 March. He said the District Electoral Officer (DEO) had informed him that there was permission for Rahul's event. So, there is no violation of the MCC. However, Sahoo sought further information on Rahul's speech. Have sought further information on what kind of speech was given... have asked the DEO to give a report based on the speech content, he said.

Speaking to reporters after a Congress delegation met the Election Commission on Monday, Kapil Sibal said, "We represented to the EC that there is a film being made on Narendra Modi, to be released just a few days before election. It's purpose is political. Three producers and actor belong to BJP; the director is involved in 'Vibrant Gujarat' (investors' summit). This is violative of all norms."

Earlier Banerjee had filed a complaint against Supriyo on 20 March for the circulation of false, unverified and distorted news criticising his family members. On 24 March, Supriyo made another defamatory statement in public, Banerjee cited in the letter.

In a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Banerjee said that Supriyo has maligned his image by levelling false and unverified allegations against him. Banerjee alleged that Supriyo on 24 March made a public statement against him which was "vindictive, libelous, and defamatory."

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has written to the Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Civil Aviation , asking them why the pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi were not removed from rail tickets and Air India boarding passes even after the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into effect. They've been asked to submit a reply within three days to the commission.

The Odisha Congress on Monday filed a complaint with Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the state against BJP's Lok Sabha candidate from Puri Sambit Patra alleging violation of Model Code of Conduct (MCC). The Odisha Pradesh Congress in its complaint said that Patra violated MCC by holding the idol of Lord Jagannath in his hand during an election rally.

The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday sent a notice to four producers of the upcoming film ' PM Narendra Modi '. Congress and the CPM had complained to the commission about the film's release, saying it's being done with political intent. EC had earlier sent notices to two newspapers on 20 March over publishing 'PM Narendra Modi' film's poster for promotions

Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi and producer of film 'PM Narendra Modi', Sandeep Singh arrived at the Election Commission in Delhi on Thursday after complaints were filed over the release of the movie and ban of its trailer in light of the Model Code of Code (MCC) being in force ahead of the Lok Sabha election.

The EC committee headed by Deputy Election Commissioner in charge of the MCC division Sandeep Saxena came to the conclusion that Modi's speech did not violate the guidelines because "he did not mention the BJP, nor did he appeal for votes" in the duration of his address.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech on 'Mission Shakti' did not violate the Model Code of Conduct, the Election Commission announced on Friday, even as the Opposition had accused the prime minister of violations and "publicity mongering".

Cups sporting Main Bhi Chowkidar ads, the prime minister's pet campaign unveiled just before elections, were spotted at a Shatapdi train today. Tea was served in these paper cups but these were later withdrawn after some passengers brought this to the notice of railway officials and pictures of it became viral on social media.

Ministry of Railways reacted to the controversy over tea being served in Shatabdi train in 'Main bhi Chowkidar' cups. The railway officials said that the incident happened today but the cups were immediately withdrawn. The ministry said that these are not procured from any political party and penal action will be taken against the contractor, and the railways supervisor.

The office of Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has shot off a letter to head of departments, saying the projects that actually started on the ground after obtaining all necessary permission, before the poll code came into force, can be continued.

The Delhi poll body has received several complaints about the AAP government departments and BJP-ruled MCDs starting work on projects before the model code of conduct came into force, but seeking formal approvals later.

He said as per the FIR, based on the complaint of Mansur Chak Block Development Officer-cum-flying squad magistrate Shatrughan Rajak, Kanhaiya had addressed a public meeting in a village on Thursday without obtaining prior permission for the same from the authorities.  PTI

The case was lodged at Mansur Chak police station of the district under relevant sections of the Representation of People Act, SHO Arvind Kumar said.

Former JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who is contesting the Lok Sabha polls in Bihar's Begusarai as a CPI candidate, was booked for violation of Model Code of Conduct.

"Jokes apart, Sanjaykaka Patil has done a good job here in Miraj by getting funds for development of roads, highways, railways and other infrastructure," he added. - PTI

When someone from the crowd asked what would he give them if they got Patil re-elected, he said, "You will get five lakh rupees or even more."

Addressing a joint gathering of the BJP, Shiv Sena and RPI (A) workers Wednesday, Deshmukh purportedly said it was not going to be easy to retain the Sangli Lok Sabha seat, where the BJP has fielded sitting MP Sanjaykaka Patil.

"After ascertaining the facts, a complaint was registered at Miraj and Bhilwadi police stations," the CEO's office said in a release.

The Election Commission had received a complaint about the comments made by Deshmukh in Miraj on 27 March, it said.

A case has been registered against Prithviraj Deshmukh, Sangli district unit chief of the BJP, for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conduct, the office of Maharashtra's Chief Electoral Officer said Saturday.

According to Babu, the chief minister has moved a civil suit in the high court in connection with the issue and has obtained an injunction against certain people from making such statements.- PTI

He alleged that Stalin and the DMK with an intention to cause disrepute, to defame, and damage the name and reputation of Chief Minister K Palaniswami has been circulating video clips, making allegations linking the chief minister to the Kodanad Estate murder and robbery case.

RM Babu Murugavel submitted that the code of conduct prohibits levelling false statements by any candidate or his agent or any other person in public domain.

A spokesperson of the ruling AIADMK has approached the Madras High Court seeking a direction to the State Chief Electoral Officer for taking action on a complaint against DMK chief M K Stalin for alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct.

This comes after the BJP leader (Choubey) was caught on camera while having a verbal altercation with Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) KK Upadhyay after the official had stopped his convoy for allegedly violating MCC. Giving clarifications over the incident, Choubey said, "I abide by the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), as I'm not the kind of guy who goes against the rules. But, I would like to mention that these people are stopping me from doing 'Chowkidari'. I will keep on raising my voice against them."

Following a verbal altercation between Union Minister Ashwini Choubey and a government official over alleged violation of Model Code of Conduct, an FIR has been lodged against 150 people including Choubey. The FIR also names BJP leader Rana Pratap Singh and various other leaders. The said 150 accused have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including 'assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty'.

Singh courted controversy last week when he told reporters in Aligarh on 23 March that everyone wants Modi to win and that its necessary for the country. Hum sabhi log BJP ke karyakarta hai aur iss naatey se hum zaroor chahengey ke BJP vijai ho. Sab chahengey ek baar phir sey kendra mein Modiji pradhanmantri banein. Modiji ka pradhanmantri banna ye desh ke liye avashyak hai, samaaj ke liye avashyak hai (We are all BJP workers, so we will want the BJP to win. Everyone will want Modi to become PM again. Modi becoming PM is necessary for the nation and society), he had said.

The Election Commission has found Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singhs remark that Narendra Modi should be re-elected as the Prime Minister violative of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and the commission will write to President Ram Nath Kovind to bring it to his notice, The Indian Express reported.

"Congress ke log aatankwadiyon ko biryani khilate they aur Modi ji ki sena aatankwadiyon ko goli aur gola deti hai (Congress would feed biryani to terrorists, while Modi's army gives them bullets and bombs). This is the difference. The Congress people use 'ji' to refer to Masood Azhar to encourage terrorism," Adityanath had said at an election rally in Ghaziabad on Sunday.

The Election Commission on Monday took cognizance of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yodi Adityanath referring to the Indian Army as 'Modi ji ki sena'. The district magistrate of Ghaziabad has been asked to furnish a report in this regard, a functionary said. The report will be submitted to the office of chief electoral officer of Uttar Pradesh which has sought the details after taking cognizance of media reports in this regard.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) filed a Model Code of Conduct (MCC) violation complaint against BJP accusing it of advertising on commercial taxis in the run-up to the general elections. AAP has alleged that some public service vehicles are being used for political advertisement by BJP and were spotted plying in Delhi. It also mentioned that such advertisement was in violation of the Delhi Transport Policy. Delhi Transport policy also forbids political advertisement through any vehicle which is being used for transporting passengers, the letter reads. In its letter, AAP has also given the number and image of a car which it claims was spotted on 2 April, carrying an advertisement of the BJP in Delhi.

Meanwhile, the producers of PM Narendra Modi, which is slated for release on Friday, have already replied to the poll panel's notice to them on the Oppositions' complaint against the film.

Earlier, Opposition parties had alleged "political intent" in the release of the Vivek Oberoi-starrer and had complained to the poll watchdog, claiming that 'PM Narendra Modi' would serve as an advertisement for the BJP. Till Tuesday, the Election Commission had been awaiting the BJP's reply to a plea by Opposition parties seeking to prevent its screening amid the ongoing poll process. Since the complaint to the commission had mentioned BJP in it, its copy was sent to the party for its reply.

The Election Commission has given its approval for the release of the biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reports said . News18 reported sources as saying that the Election Commission has asked the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to decide on whether to allow the release of 'PM Narendra Modi'.

CEO Krishna said he has directed collectors of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar to inquire into the matter. "I have received that complaint. I have directed collectors of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar districts to conduct an inquiry into the matter," he said.

On Saturday, Shah had addressed a gathering near Sardar Patel's statue in Naranpura area of Ahmedabad before participating in a 4 km-long road show from Naranpura to Ghatlodia. He then left for Gandhinagar to file his nomination papers. In its complaint, the Congress alleged that despite knowing that three big hospitals with emergency and trauma care are situated close to the Sardar Patel statue, loudspeakers were used during Shah's rally at the venue. Such use of the loud speakers near the hospitals is a clear violation of the model code of conduct, the party said.

The Gujarat Congress on Tuesday lodged a complaint of model code violation against BJP chief and party's Gandhinagar nominee Amit Shah's rally cum roadshow on 30 March alleging that loudspeakers were used near hospitals. In its complaint sent to Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) S Murali Krishna through fax, the Opposition party demanded necessary action against Shah for "violating" the poll code.

The Election Commission had sought a response from the ministry on the 24-hour TV channel 'NaMo TV' based on a complaint filed by the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

In its reply, the information and broadcasting ministry told the polling watchdog that NaMo TV is not a licensed channel but a direct-to-home (DTH) advertisement platform, reported India Today.

Hema, who is re-contesting elections from Mathura, held a public rally in the premises of a government school in Chaumuha on Tuesday.

Mathura DM SR Mishra told ANI that permission was granted to BJP MP Hema Malini to hold a public meeting but not at a govt school premises. He said that if a violation of model code of conduct is found, a FIR will be registered against the concerned persons and appropriate action will be taken.

4 April, Thursday | Hema Malini did not have permission to conduct public meeting at govt school, action will be taken: Mathura DM

The Congress had questioned the decision to run the address in full. EC had asked DD News for complete information on coverage of various political parties and prominent leaders to assess whether there was any truth in Congress allegations of preferential treatment to the ruling party.

In response to a notice from the Election Commission of India, DD News is learnt to have defended its decision to run Prime Minister Narendra Modis 1.24-hour public address  Main Bhi Chowkidar  in full on 31 March on the grounds of its high news value". According to The Economic Times' report , DD News, in its response, has said that that various other private TV channels also ran the address in its entirety due to the same reason.

When contacted for his reaction, Joshi said "it is for the Election Commission to decide on the matter."

He alleged that the report was deliberately released at this point of time just to benefit the ruling TRS.

In a complaint to the EC on 6 April, G Niranjan, Convener,Election Commission Coordination Committee of state Congress, said Chief Secretary S K Joshi and other officials released the report on 5 April, "just five days before the elections, which is against the Model Code of Conduct (MCC)."

The Congress in Telangana has requested the Election Commission to take action against the Chief Secretary and government officials for allegedly violating the model code of conduct for the 11 April Lok Sabha polls by releasing a report on the governments achievements.

Singh had filed his nomination earlier on Monday in the presence of former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Jabalpur. The district administration also registered a First Information Report report against eight people in this regard.

Madhya Pradesh BJP chief and Jabalpur candidate Rakesh Singh has been issued a show-cause notice for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conduct. The notice was issued to Singh for allegedly taking more than five people to the returning officer's room while filing nomination.

Baghel, who also holds the post of state Congress president, reached the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Subrat Sahoo along with senior party leaders and handed over the written complaint.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel Monday lodged a complaint of alleged poll code violation against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making statements about the Army and surgical strikes during his public meeting held in Balod district of the state on 6 April.

9 April | Addressing first-time voters, Narendra Modi invokes Pulwama attack, Balakot air strikes at Latur rally Prime Minister Narendra Modi violated the Model Code of Conduct on Tuesday, by appealing to first-time voters in Maharashtras Latur to vote for the BJP government for carrying out the Balakot air strikes against Pakistan reportedly as a response to Pulwama terror attack that killed over 40 CRPF soldiers in February. Addressing a rally in Latur, where he shared the stage with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, Modi urged first-time voters to exercise their franchise carefully. You will remember you first vote for all of your life. Would you dedicate your first vote to the brave soldiers who conducted the Balakot air strikes in Pakistan? Would your first vote honour the CRPF soldiers who lost their lives in the Pulwama attack? Modi said. Through a notification dated 9 March, the Election Commission (EC) had asked political parties to not use the armed forces for political advertisements or campaigns. The Armed Forces of a nation are the guardian of its frontiers, security and political system. They are apolitical and neutral stakeholders in a modern democracy. It is therefore necessary that political parties and leaders exercise great caution while making any reference to the armed forces in their political campaigns. The Commission is of the view that photographs of Chief of Army Staff or any other Defence personnel and photographs of functions of Defence Forces should not be associated with or used in any manner in advertisement/propaganda/campaigning or in any other manner in connection with elections by political parties and candidates, the EC had said in the notification. The prime minister had allegedly violated the MCC last month as well while addressing the nation after the successful completion of the A-SAT test by the DRDO.

The Meerut District Magistrate is expected to file a report on the matter by 11 am on Wednesday.

The BJP leader said Dalit-Muslim unity is impossible, and in Bareilly, he accused Mayawati of hurting Dalit sentiments with her call to Muslim voters at a rally in Saharanpur's Deoband. "Agar Congress, SP (Samajwadi Party), BSP ko Ali par vishwaas hai, toh humein bhi Bajrangbali par vishwaas hai (If the Congress, the SP and the BSP have faith in Ali, then we too have faith in Bajrang Bali)," the BJP leader said at an election meeting in Meerut.

Attacking Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mayawati for recently appealing to Muslims to vote for the Opposition alliance in Uttar Pradesh, Adityanath said now the Hindus have no option but to vote for the BJP.

The Election Commission has taken cognisance of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath's remarks at Meerut on Tuesday, with which he seemed to suggest that Hindu and Muslim voters were in an Ali-Bajrangbali contest.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday sent a notice to Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao for violation of Model Code of Conduct over his derogatory remark against Hindus at a public rally in Karimnagar on 17 March, PTI reported. The Commission has produced his remarks in Telugu but did not give English translation of the same. "... the Commission is, prima facie, of the opinion that by making the aforesaid statement which has the potential of disturbing the harmony and aggravating existing differences between social and religious communities, and appealing to communal feelings, you have violated the ... the Model Code of Conduct," the notice served Tuesday said.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is learned to have directed the Chief Electoral Officer of Delhi to ensure that the contents of NaMo TV are pre-certified by the local media certification and monitoring committee. The EC has also asked the CEO to inform whether the political contents were at any time cleared by the certification committee. The commission has ruled that the channel which touted as BJPs purported advertising portal carried by DTH operators, should be subjected to content certification regime, like all other political advertisements during the poll code period.

The Election Commission of India on Wednesday stalled the release of PM Narendra Modi, a day before it was set to hit theatres. The election watchdog has ruled that no biopics can be released during elections as the political content in such movies "threaten level playing field".

District poll authorities issued her with a show cause notice. The Election Commission in Delhi is also examining the transcript of the minister's speech, which was condemned by the Congress.

In a controversial remark, Union minister Maneka Gandhi has told Muslims to vote for her as they will need her once the Lok Sabha elections are over. We are not Mahatma Gandhi's children that we keep giving and not get anything in return, she said in Sultanpur's Muslim-dominated Turabkhani area on Thursday.

A case registered against her under the 171-D and 171-F of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the Kopar Khairane police station. 58-year-old Mhatre had won the Belapur assembly seat on BJP ticket in the 2014 assembly election in Maharashtra.

A case was registered against BJP MLA Manda Mhatre for allegedly violating MCC. Mhatre was accused of flouting Election Commission's norms by requesting voters to cast their ballots twice in favour of Rajan Baburao Vichare, a sitting Member of Parliament (MP) from Thane Lok Sabha constituency, while campaigning for him on 13 April.

BJP also complained against Congress spokesperson Sunil Kauthankar for allegedly violating MCC "while addressing a press conference, wherein he has grossly misinterpreted the statement of BJP national president Amit Shah and has tried to spread lies."

Goa BJP complained to the Election Commission (EC) against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by propagating fear-mongering among Christian and Muslim community at a public meeting. Kejriwal was in Goa on 13 April to address a public meeting at Margao in south Goa. "Arvind Kejriwal has blatantly violated MCC by way of inciting religious sentiments in his speech," read the letter. "Arvind Kejriwal has been reported to have made utterances such as 'Mob lynching taking place in the country under the guise of cattle theft is actually organised murder," said the complaint. "He also tried to propagate fear-mongering among the Christian and Muslim community by his utterance that 'Christian and Muslim will be driven into the sea under the guise of infiltrators," it read.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath was seen visiting a temple on Tuesday morning, a day after the Election Commission  citing Article 324 of the Constitution  barred him from holding any public meetings, public processions, public rallies, road shows and interviews, public utterances in media (electronic, print and social media) in connection with the ongoing Lok Sabha election. He was handed a 72-hour ban for delivering a communal or hate speech during one of his rallies. Though the BJP leader did not defy the ban by participating in a poll campaign, he did violate the spirit of election by making a public visit to the temple.

A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Gujarat Ramesh Katara on Tuesday reportedly told villagers at a rally in Dahod constituency that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has installed cameras in polling booths and he will come to know who votes for whom in the Lok Sabha elections. Katara has been served a show-cause notice by the Dahod collector and district election officer VL Kharadi for his remarks and also notice by the Election Commission (EC) for violation of MCC.

The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the BJP has written to the Election Commission demanding an FIR against Ghulam Nabi Azad, Vikramaditya Singh and Waqar Rasool Wani for allegedly violating the model code of conduct, ANI reported.

The Election Commission has taken cognisance of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur's remarks that former Mumbai Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare, who died during the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, met his untimely death due to bad karma, and ordered an enquiry into the same. Thakur on Friday had said that the former ATS met his unfortunate fate because he had "tortured" her during the investigation of the 2008 Malegaon blast case. A complaint was filed against the BJP candidate from Bhopal with the Madhya Pradesh EC hours after she made the controversial statement.

The poll panel pointed out that an FIR has already been lodged against him in Bihar's Kathiar under some sections of the penal code and section 123 of the Representation of the People Act.

The Punjab minister has been asked to respond within 24 hours, failing which the EC will take a decision without further reference to him.

The EC said prima facie he has violated provisions of the model code of conduct, election law and a Supreme Court direction asking politicians not to mix religion with political discourse while electioneering.

The Election Commission on Saturday issued a showcause notice to Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu for his remarks in which he allegedly warned the Muslim community that efforts were on to divide their votes in Bihar.

Singhvi alleged the EC hesitates in taking action against one-two persons sitting on top posts. He said: "The EC listens to us. They act on our request. It is, however, unfortunate that the EC hesitates in taking action against one-two people sitting on tops posts of the country."

He also expressed his disappointment over the ECIs inaction on another complaint earlier submitted by the Congress against Modi for allegedly violating the MCC by citing the services at a rally in Maharashtra on 9 April. "It is very distressing and sad that the very credibility of an independent police force of the elections is at stake. We showed the EC a video of Modis campaigning. We have demanded a ban on him for 48 to 72 hours from campaigning, and also on Shah," he said.

A Congress delegation led by Abhishek Manu Singhvi met the Election Commission officials and sought action against Modi for holding a procession after casting his vote on Tuesday in Ahmedabad. They also requested the EC to act against Shah for repeatedly citing the services of armed forces in his election rallies. "The Prime Minister is violating the Model Code Conduct (MCC) shamelessly and advertently. He made political statements, held a procession after casting his votes today," Singhvi told reporters. The Congress spokesman said: "On Monday we had filed a written complaint to the EC that Modi would violate the Model Code of Conduct by holding a procession after casting his vote." Singhvi termed Modi as a "habitual, egregious and completely uncaring offender".

The Congress party on Tuesday sought to impose 48 to 72 hours ban on campaigning by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

The party has requested the ECI and Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Jammu and Kashmir Shailendra Kumar to take appropriate action against the three leaders under the rules and regulations governing MCC and relevant provisions of Representation of the People Act, 1951. BJP has further requested the ECI to debar Azad from campaigning for Congress in the country.

The BJP, in a complaint filed on Thursday, accused Waqar Rasool Wani, who was campaigning for Congress' candidate from Udhampur-Doda parliamentary constituency Vikramaditya Singh, of violating MCC by campaigning on polling day and requesting voters of a particular religion to vote for their party. In the audio clip, a copy of which has been sent to the ECI, Wani could be heard saying that Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is currently campaigning in Kerala, called him up and directed him to appeal to the voters of the erstwhile Doda region belonging to particular community to cast their votes on communal lines, BJP claimed.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has moved the Election Commission of India (ECI) demanding FIR against Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Vikramaditya Singh and an ex-MLA of Banihal town for allegedly violating Model Code of Conduct (MCC) during the ongoing Lok Sabha polls in the state.

The Election Commission has taken cognisance of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur's remarks that former Mumbai Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare, who died during the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, met his untimely death due to bad karma, and ordered an enquiry into the same. Thakur on Friday had said that the former ATS met his unfortunate fate because he had "tortured" her during the investigation of the 2008 Malegaon blast case. A complaint was filed against the BJP candidate from Bhopal with the Madhya Pradesh EC hours after she made the controversial statement.

The poll panel pointed out that an FIR has already been lodged against him in Bihar's Kathiar under some sections of the penal code and section 123 of the Representation of the People Act.

The Punjab minister has been asked to respond within 24 hours, failing which the EC will take a decision without further reference to him.

The EC said prima facie he has violated provisions of the model code of conduct, election law and a Supreme Court direction asking politicians not to mix religion with political discourse while electioneering.

The Election Commission on Saturday issued a showcause notice to Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu for his remarks in which he allegedly warned the Muslim community that efforts were on to divide their votes in Bihar.

While addressing a rally in Jalna on Sunday, BJP leader Pankaja Munde said: "We did surgical strike after cowardly attack on our soldiers (by Jaish-e-Mohammed in Pulwama). Some peole ask what was surgical strike and what's the evidence? I say we should've attached a bomb to Rahul Gandhi and should have sent him to another country. Then they would have understood."

The Election Commission found Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu guilty of violating model code of conduct for appealing for Muslim votes. It has banned him from campaigning for 72 hours.

Singhvi alleged the EC hesitates in taking action against one-two persons sitting on top posts. He said: "The EC listens to us. They act on our request. It is, however, unfortunate that the EC hesitates in taking action against one-two people sitting on tops posts of the country."

He also expressed his disappointment over the ECIs inaction on another complaint earlier submitted by the Congress against Modi for allegedly violating the MCC by citing the services at a rally in Maharashtra on 9 April. "It is very distressing and sad that the very credibility of an independent police force of the elections is at stake. We showed the EC a video of Modis campaigning. We have demanded a ban on him for 48 to 72 hours from campaigning, and also on Shah," he said.

A Congress delegation led by Abhishek Manu Singhvi met the Election Commission officials and sought action against Modi for holding a procession after casting his vote on Tuesday in Ahmedabad. They also requested the EC to act against Shah for repeatedly citing the services of armed forces in his election rallies. "The Prime Minister is violating the Model Code Conduct (MCC) shamelessly and advertently. He made political statements, held a procession after casting his votes today," Singhvi told reporters. The Congress spokesman said: "On Monday we had filed a written complaint to the EC that Modi would violate the Model Code of Conduct by holding a procession after casting his vote." Singhvi termed Modi as a "habitual, egregious and completely uncaring offender".

The Congress party on Tuesday sought to impose 48 to 72 hours ban on campaigning by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

Taking a jibe at the poll panel, he said the Congress is saddened to say that it seems that from the second word of Election Commission, 'C' has been dropped, and it has become "Election Omission" for the Modi-Shah duo.

"We have a right to approach the courts seeking action over model code violations... we can exercise that option... the mega policeman has turned a blind eye," Singhvi said, adding that silence can be construed as approval.

The two leaders have "cheated" on the issue of level playing field for all parties during elections and questioned the "silence of mega policeman" Election Commission (EC), Senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi alleged at a press conference.

Alleging that the Model Code of Conduct has become "Modi code of conduct", the Congress on Saturday questioned the EC's "silence" over poll code "violations" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, and said it may approach courts to seek action against the duo.

Satti said that the alleged speech was circulated on social and print media by the Congress party workers who intended to malign and rapture of his image.

In his reply to Mandi District Electoral Officer, he said, "I was not having any political vendetta or intention against any of the workers or leaders of any of the political party/opponents. I never made any false, derogatory or inciting remarks, as alleged in the notice under reply. Moreover, the wording of my speech was taken otherwise by press correspondents," he added.

"Our leaders are sitting on the dais. If anyone dares to raise their finger, we would chop their hands off. We are not nincompoops. We are not a group of stupid people," Satti had said addressing a rally in Mandi on Wednesday.

Himachal Pradesh BJP president Satpal Singh Satti on Saturday replied to the Election Commission's notice over his "will chop off hands of those who point fingers at BJP leaders" remark and denied making any false, inciting or derogatory remark.

Kejriwal said even Pakistan wants to divide India and accused BJP of fulfilling Pakistans agenda. "The BJP is fulfilling Pakistan's agenda of dividing India," he added.

"Can it be done, is it possible. At least 20-25 crore people come from these religions. So I want to ask Amit Shah what is your plan. Are you going to throw all these people, throw them in the Pacific Ocean or would they be mob lynched? What will be done with all these people," Kejriwal had asked.

Quoting Shah's tweet, Kejriwal said this means the BJP's plan is to remove all religions except Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs from the country.

"He has made the highly provocative speech which has the tone and tenor to aggravate existing differences or create mutual hatred between different religious communities, and thus violative of provisions of MCC. That such statements that have the undertone and propensity to polarize the elections" the BJP's letter to the EC said.

"Arvind Kejriwal with the sole intention of creating panic and mutual hatred between the communities made a deliberate and false statement. Kejriwal is trying to mislead the people of India by saying that BJP considers Muslims, Christians, Jains, Parsis and other minorities in India as infiltrators..," read the complaint.

Shah had in his tweet had said: "We will remove every single infiltrator from the country except Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs".

The BJP has written to Election Commission of India (EC) alleging that Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal had violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) with his statement related to a tweet by BJP president Amit Shah.

Kher later said she has sent her reply to the EC.

The EC had subsequently instructed that it should be ensured by all political parties and election officials that children are not involved in any election-related activity, as per the notice.

In the notice, it was mentioned that the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights in January, 2017 had requested the EC to ensure that children are not involved in any form with election-related activities, by either election officials or political parties.

"You have shared a video on your Twitter account which shows that children are being used for election campaign in your favour through slogan 'Vote for Kirron Kher' and 'Ab Ki Baar Modi Sarkar'," the notice issued on 3 May said.

However, in her reply, Kher said it was done "unintentionally", acknowledging that it was "wrong".

The Election Commission (EC) has issued a notice to BJP's Chandigarh candidate Kirron Kher, seeking a reply after she shared a video on Twitter in which children were seen campaigning for her.

Lok Sabha Election 2019; Model Code of Conduct Watch: The Election Commission (EC) has issued a notice to BJP's Chandigarh candidate Kirron Kher, seeking a reply after she shared a video on Twitter in which children were seen campaigning for her.

However, in her reply, Kher said it was done "unintentionally", acknowledging that it was "wrong". The poll panel had asked the actor-turned-politician to reply within 24 hours.

"You have shared a video on your Twitter account which shows that children are being used for election campaign in your favour through slogan 'Vote for Kirron Kher' and 'Ab Ki Baar Modi Sarkar'," the notice issued on 3 May said.

Alleging that the Model Code of Conduct has become "Modi code of conduct", the Congress on Saturday questioned the EC's "silence" over poll code "violations" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, and said it may approach courts to seek action against the duo.

The two leaders have "cheated" on the issue of level playing field for all parties during elections and questioned the "silence of mega policeman" Election Commission (EC), Senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi alleged at a press conference.

The Congress party on Tuesday sought to impose 48 to 72 hours ban on campaigning by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

A Congress delegation led by Abhishek Manu Singhvi met the Election Commission officials and sought action against Modi for holding a procession after casting his vote on Tuesday in Ahmedabad. They also requested the EC to act against Shah for repeatedly citing the services of armed forces in his election rallies.

The Election Commission found Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu guilty of violating model code of conduct for appealing for Muslim votes. It has banned him from campaigning for 72 hours from 10 am on Tuesday.

BJP leader Pankaja Munde said on Monday that a bomb should be tied around Congress president Rahul Gandhi and sent to the neighbouring country for questioning surgical strikes.

While addressing a rally in Jalna on Sunday, Munde said: "We did surgical strike after cowardly attack on our soldiers (by Jaish-e-Mohammed in Pulwama). Some peole ask what was surgical strike and what's the evidence? I say we should've attached a bomb to Rahul Gandhi and should have sent him to another country. Then they would have understood."

The Election Commission on Saturday issued a showcause notice to Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu for his remarks in which he allegedly warned the Muslim community that efforts were on to divide their votes in Bihar.

The Election Commission has taken cognisance of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur's remarks that former Mumbai Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare, who died during the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, met his untimely death due to bad karma, and ordered an enquiry into the same. Thakur on Friday had said that the former ATS met his unfortunate fate because he had "tortured" her during the investigation of the 2008 Malegaon blast case

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has moved the Election Commission of India (ECI) demanding FIR against Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Vikramaditya Singh and an ex-MLA of Banihal town for allegedly violating Model Code of Conduct (MCC) during the ongoing Lok Sabha polls in the state.

The BJP, in a complaint filed on Thursday, accused Waqar Rasool Wani, who was campaigning for Congress' candidate from Udhampur-Doda parliamentary constituency Vikramaditya Singh, of violating MCC by campaigning on polling day and requesting voters of a particular religion to vote for their party.

A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Gujarat Ramesh Katara on Tuesday reportedly told villagers at a rally in Dahod constituency that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has installed cameras in polling booths and he will come to know who votes for whom in the Lok Sabha elections. Katara has been served a show-cause notice by the Dahod collector and district election officer VL Kharadi for his remarks and also notice by the Election Commission (EC) for violation of MCC.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath was seen visiting a temple on Tuesday morning, a day after the Election Commission  citing Article 324 of the Constitution  barred him from holding any public meetings, public processions, public rallies, road shows and interviews, public utterances in media (electronic, print and social media) in connection with the ongoing Lok Sabha election. He was handed a 72-hour ban for delivering a communal or hate speech during one of his rallies. Though the BJP leader did not defy the ban by participating in a poll campaign, he did violate the spirit of election by making a public visit to the temple.

Goa BJP complained to the Election Commission (EC) against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by propagating fear-mongering among Christian and Muslim community at a public meeting. Kejriwal was in Goa on 13 April to address a public meeting at Margao in south Goa, where, BJP alleged, the AAP leader said that "Christian and Muslim will be driven into the sea under the guise of infiltrators".

The Goa Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) ordered an inquiry into an alleged hate speech given by a Christian priest against the BJP following a complaint from the party. A video of the priest from South Goa addressing some people inside a church had gone viral in which the priest, speaking in Konkani, is seen criticising the BJP, party president Amit Shah, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and late Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar.

A case was registered against BJP MLA Manda Mhatre for allegedly violating MCC. Mhatre was accused of flouting Election Commission's norms by requesting voters to cast their ballots twice in favour of Rajan Baburao Vichare, a sitting Member of Parliament (MP) from Thane Lok Sabha constituency, while campaigning for him on 13 April.

In a controversial remark, Union minister Maneka Gandhi has told Muslims to vote for her as they will need her once the Lok Sabha elections are over. We are not Mahatma Gandhi's children that we keep giving and not get anything in return, she said in Sultanpur's Muslim-dominated Turabkhani area on Thursday.

District poll authorities issued her with a show cause notice. The Election Commission in Delhi is also examining the transcript of the minister's speech, which was condemned by the Congress.

The Election Commission of India on Wednesday stalled the release of PM Narendra Modi, a day before it was set to hit theatres. The election watchdog has ruled that no biopics can be released during elections as the political content in such movies "threaten level playing field".

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh wrote to the Election Commission over the 'shockingly disgraceful' invocation of the Balakot air strikes and Pulwama terror attack during his speech in Maharashtra's Latur on 9 April.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is learned to have directed the Chief Electoral Officer of Delhi to ensure that the contents of NaMo TV are pre-certified by the local media certification and monitoring committee. The EC has also asked the CEO to inform whether the political contents were at any time cleared by the certification committee. The commission has ruled that the channel which touted as BJPs purported advertising portal carried by DTH operators, should be subjected to content certification regime, like all other political advertisements during the poll code period.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday sent a notice to Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao for violation of Model Code of Conduct over his derogatory remark against Hindus at a public rally in Karimnagar on 17 March, ANI reported.

The commission also issued show cause notices to producers of two TV serials following allegations that the shows were violating the Model Code of Conduct by promoting various government schemes.

The Election Commission has taken cognizance of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath's remarks at Meerut on Tuesday, with which he seemed to suggest that Hindu and Muslim voters were in an "Ali-Bajrangbali" contest. "If the Congress, the SP and the BSP have faith in Ali, then we too have faith in Bajrang Bali," the BJP leader said at an election meeting. The Meerut District Magistrate is expected to file a report on the matter by 11 am on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi violated the Model Code of Conduct on Tuesday, by appealing to first-time voters in Maharashtras Latur to vote for the BJP government for carrying out the Balakot air strikes against Pakistan reportedly as a response to Pulwama terror attack that killed over 40 CRPF soldiers.

Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel Monday lodged a complaint of alleged poll code violation against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making statements about the Army and surgical strikes during his public meeting held in Balod district of the state on 6 April.

The Madhya Pradesh BJP chief and Jabalpur candidate Rakesh Singh has been issued a show cause notice for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). The notice was for allegedly taking more than five people to the returning officer's room while filing his nomination.

The Tripura unit of the Congress has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission (EC), seeking the immediate arrest of Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb for allegedly spreading communal hatred in the state.

A case was registered against BSP leader Omar Ali Khan and his supporters for violation of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) as they carried out a procession on the road without permission and misbehaved with the SDM.

In response to a notice from the Election Commission of India, DD News is learnt to have defended its decision to run Prime Minister Narendra Modis 1.24-hour public address  Main Bhi Chowkidar  in full on 31 March on the grounds of its high news value".

Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh chairperson and grandson of BR Ambedkar, Prakash Ambedkar, on Thursday threatened to take action against the Election Commission of India (ECI) if his party is voted to power. While addressing a public gathering at Yavatmal, Ambedkar called the Election Commission biased and slammed the organisation for directing political parties to not talk about the terror attack in Pulwama.

The Congress had questioned the decision to run the address in full. EC had asked DD News for complete information on coverage of various political parties and prominent leaders to assess whether there was any truth in Congress allegations of preferential treatment to the ruling party.

The District Magistrate of Mathura has said that BJP MP Hema Malini did not have permission to conduct a public meeting at a government school and appropriate action would be taken in the matter if MCC violation is found. Hema, who is re-contesting elections from Mathura, held a public rally in the premises of a government school in Chaumuha on Tuesday.

In its reply to the Election Commission, the information and broadcasting ministry told the polling watchdog that NaMo TV is not a licensed channel but a direct-to-home (DTH) advertisement platform, reported India Today. The Election Commission has sought a response from the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry on the 24-hour TV channel 'NaMo TV' based on a complaint filed by the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

The Madhya Pradesh Election Commission has sent a notice to Congress for using the Rafale issue in poll advertisements as the matter is sub-judice. EC has ordered Congress to take down the six advertisements using Rafale issue as a campaign plank of the party, India Today reporte

The Gujarat Congress on Tuesday lodged a complaint of model code violation against BJP chief and party's Gandhinagar nominee Amit Shah's rally cum roadshow on 30 March alleging that loudspeakers were used near hospitals. In its complaint sent to Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) S Murali Krishna through fax, the Opposition party demanded necessary action against Shah for "violating" the poll code.

The Election Commission (EC) has given its approval for the release of the biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reports said. News18 reported sources as saying that the Election Commission has asked the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to decide on whether to allow the release of 'PM Narendra Modi'.

Niti Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar on Tuesday told the Election Commission that his comment son Congress' Nyay scheme were made in his personal capacity as an economist and should not be interpreted as Niti Aayogs stand on the Congress announcement. The Election Commission had pulled up Kumar for targeting Congress's minimum income guarantee scheme, NYAY during a media interview. Speaking to India Today, Kumar had said that the Congress has made the announcement only for the sake of winning the elections. "This is the worst kind of vote politics," he said.

BJP MP from Mathura Hema Malini, who is re-contesting elections from the seat, may face a case of MCC violation for holding a public rally in the premises of a government school in Chaumuha on Tuesday, The Times of India reported.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) filed a Model Code of Conduct (MCC) violation complaint against BJP accusing it of advertising on commercial taxis in the run-up to the general elections. AAP alleged that some public service vehicles are being used for political advertisement by BJP and were spotted plying in Delhi.

The Election Commission took cognizance of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yodi Adityanath referring to the Indian Army as 'Modi ji ki sena'. The district magistrate of Ghaziabad has been asked to furnish a report in this regard, a functionary said. The report will be submitted to the office of the chief electoral officer of Uttar Pradesh which has sought the details after taking cognizance of media reports in this regard.

A case was registered against Samajwadi Party's Badaun candidate Dharmendra Yadav and three others for allegedly violating the model code of conduct. Yadav had apparently used a convoy of cars for campaigning. A video of the incident had also gone viral on social media. A case was registered and the matter is being investigated further.

The Election Commission found Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singhs remark that Narendra Modi should be re-elected as the Prime Minister violative of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). The commission will write to President Ram Nath Kovind to bring it to his notice, The Indian Express reported. Singh had courted controversy last week when he told reporters in Aligarh that everyone wants Modi to win and that its necessary for the country that he is re-elected.

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut was also served a notice by the Election Commission on Monday for his editorial in Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana in which he made reference to tampering of EVMs in Begusarai. Raut has been asked to give a clarification by 3 April to the notice issued by Mumbai District Election Officer Shivaji Jondhale.

Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) wrote to the Election Commission on Monday complaining against the recently-launched "NaMo TV", asking the poll panel if political parties having TV channels was in adherence to the Model Code of Conduct. The Arvind Kejriwal-led party asked the EC if the BJP had sought approval for the launch of the channel, which has Prime Minister Narendra Modi's photograph on its logo and runs all his speeches.

Following a verbal altercation between Union Minister Ashwini Choubey and a government official over alleged violation of Model Code of Conduct, an FIR has been lodged against 150 people including Choubey. The FIR also names BJP leader Rana Pratap Singh and various other leaders. The said 150 accused have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including 'assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty'.

A video had surfaced on Sunday purportedly showing Choubey, on the front seat of a vehicle, furiously reacting to the official who attempted to apprise the Union minister about Election Commission's order.

Former JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who is contesting the Lok Sabha polls in Bihar's Begusarai as a CPI candidate, was booked for violation of Model Code of Conduct.

Ministry of Railways reacted to the controversy over tea being served in Shatabdi train in 'Main bhi Chowkidar' cups. The railway officials said that the incident happened today but the cups were immediately withdrawn. The ministry said that these are not procured from any political party and penal action will be taken against the contractor, and the railways supervisor.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech on 'Mission Shakti' did not violate the Model Code of Conduct, the Election Commission announced on Friday, even as the Opposition had accused the prime minister of violations and "publicity mongering".

Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi and producer of film 'PM Narendra Modi', Sandeep Singh arrived at the Election Commission in Delhi on Thursday after complaints were filed over the release of the movie and ban of its trailer in light of the Model Code of Code (MCC) being in force ahead of the Lok Sabha election.

The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday sent a notice to four producers of the upcoming film 'PM Narendra Modi'. Congress and the CPM had complained to the commission about the film's release, saying it's being done with political intent. EC had earlier sent notices to two newspapers on 20 March over publishing 'PM Narendra Modi' film's poster for promotions.

The Odisha Congress on Monday filed a complaint with Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the state against BJP's Lok Sabha candidate from Puri Sambit Patra alleging a violation of Model Code of Conduct (MCC). The Odisha Pradesh Congress in its complaint said that Patra violated MCC by holding the idol of Lord Jagannath in his hand during an election rally.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has written to the Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Civil Aviation, asking them why the pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi were not removed from rail tickets and Air India boarding passes even after the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into effect. They've been asked to submit a reply within three days to the commission.

After a Congress delegation met the Election Commission on Monday, Kapil Sibal told reporters, "We represented to the Election Commission that there is a film being made on Narendra Modi, to be released just a few days before election. It's purpose is political. Three producers and actor belong to BJP; the director is involved in 'Vibrant Gujarat' (investors' summit). This is violative of all norms."

Karnataka Congress has asked the Election Commission to allow political parties to pre-view the biopic on Narendra Modi.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday said that Congress president Rahul Gandhis interaction with students of a womens college in Chennai did not violate the model code of conduct (MCC), though it has sought a report on his speech.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab, led by Leader of Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema, filed a complaint with the Chief Electoral Officer against cabinet minister Vijay Inder Singla for allegedly influencing voters of Sangrur by misusing his official position. Cheema alleged Singla had violated the model code of conduct by trying to induce voters by sanctioning funds worth crores for the repair of government schools.

Actor-turned-politician Prakash Raj was booked by the Cubbon Park Police for violating the Model Code of Conduct as he was accused of using a mike and campaigning for elections at a public rally held at the Mahatma Gandhi Circle in Bangalore on 12 March.

A Trinamool Congress (TMC) delegation comprising Derek O'Brien, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, and Chandan Mitra approached the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday to lodge a complaint against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modis photo was being published on railway tickets as part of a government scheme, which, the party said, was in violation of the MCC.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday wrote to the chief electoral officer (CEO) or Kerala in order to "file a complaint in relation to the malicious attempt by BJP and the Sabarimala Karma Samithi to vitiate free and fair polls in Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency."

He said that they did so "by publicising materials in a bid to appeal to religious sentiments of voters."

The Delhi BJP on Tuesday filed a complaint with the Chief Electoral Office in the city, seeking action against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for allegedly "indulging in violent acts" and violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). The BJP claimed AAP leaders, including Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, had burned copies of its 2014 manifesto on 13 March.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India issued a showcause notice to BJP leader and Union minister Babul Supriyo for violating the MCC. The notice is related to a campaign song, which Supriyo allegedly promoted on electronic media and social media sites without a media certification from the EC. The Trinamool Congress had also registered a complaint against the song with the EC.

In Kerala, the BJP complained to the Chief Electoral Officer in Thiruvananthapuram, claiming that the posters put up by the Congress related to MP Shashi Tharoor's book Why Am I A Hindu violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). Tharoor, however, claimed they were not election posters.

Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer S Murali Krishna has ordered an inquiry after the Congress, on Monday, filed a complaint alleging that the BJP had violated the MCC by holding a meeting of the party's state parliamentary board at Chief Minister Vijay Rupani's official residence. The Congress pointed out that the chief minister's official residence in Gandhinagar is a government property, and no political activity is permitted from a government premises when the poll code is in force.

meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner of Baramulla (Jammu and Kashmir) on Monday rescinded transfers ordered by the districts assistant commissioner in violation of the model code of conduct, after the state government questioned the reshuffle affected despite standing directions.

On the other hand, after last week's takedown notification to Facebook, the EC called all social media platforms including Google, Twitter, Whatsapp, ShareChat and Tiktok for a meet to discuss over their violative social media content, ad policy and response time over complaints on Tuesday. The meet comes in wake of confusion over ECs first takedown notice to Facebook regarding a Model Code of Conduct (MCC) violation on 13 March.

A delegation led by Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Election Commission Coordination Committee convenor G Niranjan complained to the CEO on MCC violation by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao for inviting Congress leader and former home minister Sabitha Indra Reddy and her sons to his camp office on 13 March for deliberations and reportedly influencing them to joins TRS.

BJD accused BJP of violating the Model Code of Conduct by allegedly shifting the Railway Electrification Board unit from Bhubaneswar to Bengaluru on 13 March after the announcement of the Lok Sabha election dates. Whereas, in order to put a check on the poll irregularities and other malfunctions ahead and during the Lok Sabha elections, a 24x7 control room was opened at the office of the Chief Electoral Officer in Bhubaneswar on Friday.

BJPs Delhi unit wrote to the Election Commission to appoint special observers in mosques to prevent religion from influencing electoral outcomes. The BJP has squarely blamed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for polarising the voters on religious and caste lines and has stated that it is Arvind Kejriwal who has been delivering many inflammatory and baseless statements to polarise votes, especially in Muslim dominant areas.

The Ranchi district administration on Monday filed a case of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) violation against Union minister Jayant Sinha on a complaint by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. In its complaint to Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer L Khiangte, the party claimed that Sinha had used the convocation ceremony at IIM-Ranchi to publicise the BJP government's achievements, violating the poll code.

Meanwhile, the BJP on Monday filed a complaint against Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera for allegedly violating the MCC. In its complaint, the party claimed that Khera, during a news channel's event, had stated that 'Modi stands for Masood Azhar, Osama, Dawood and ISI.'

The Congress registered its first Model Code of Conduct violation complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday. In Maharashtra, the party gave a written complaint to the chief electoral officer against government advertisements still being displayed outside state transport buses, bus stops and petrol pumps.

Show cause notices were issued to BJP's Chandigarh chief Sanjay Tandon, four BJP councillors, two nominated councillors and three officials of the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh on Wednesday for violating the model code of conduct. The notice asked the officials to reply within 24 hours as to why disciplinary action may not be taken against them.

In Arunachal Pradesh, the Nirjuli police under the supervision of Capital Complex Superintendent of Police Tumme Amo on Tuesday night seized Rs 15.6 lakh from undisclosed people for violation of the model code of conduct.

Bahujan Samaj Party's (BSP) Pratapgarh Lok Sabha constituency in-charge Ashok Tripathi was among 68 booked for poll code violation on Wednesday.

The ECI on Wednesday issued a notice to BJP's Jaipur MP Ramcharan Bohra and Rajasthan Congress' General Secretary Sunil Sharma for putting up posters in different locations across Jaipur depicting various operations done by the Indian Armed forces along with their own photos. It also asked both the politicians to file a reply within three days.

The Commission on Wednesday issued a show-cause notice to Delhi BJP MLA Om Prakash Sharma for putting up two posters featuring him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman on Facebook. The Commission asked him to take down the post and give a reply by Thursday.

The Election Commission has asked all political parties to refrain from making reference to the armed forces during their campaign.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, hoardings and banners containing the photographs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi were removed from petrol pumps in New Delhi on Tuesday following the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct for Lok Sabha elections.

ECI on 10 March, 2019 announced the dates of the seven-phase upcoming Lok Sabha election scheduled to begin on 11 April. The results will be announced on 23 May. The last polling date is 19 May. With the announcement of the schedule, the Model Code of Conduct kicked in the very same day.

The ECI referred to its December 2013 letter in which it had "called upon all political parties to advise their candidates and leaders to desist from displaying photographs of defence personnel or photographs functions involving defence personnel in advertisements".

More than 820 million citizens will cast their votes across India this year. The number of eligible voters has gone up by more than five times since the first General Election. Voter turnout has also increased from 46 percent in 1951-52 to 66 percent in 2014. In the last election held in 2014, there were roughly 815 million, but just 550 million exercised their right to vote. Lok Sabha Election 2019 will see over 1.5 crore first-time voters. These voters in the age group of 18-19 years constitute 1.66 percent of the total electorate. Two-thirds of Indians are under 35 years of age.
Slamming the Congress over its stand on Article 370, PM Modi said that the grand old party speaks the language of Pakistan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday shared the stage at Ausa in Latur with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, who has often been unsparing in criticism of the NDA government at the Centre.

This coming together of the leaders, on the last day of campaigning for the first phase of 11 April Lok Sabha polls, came after a gap of nearly four years. Modi and Thackeray had last shared the dais in Mumbai in December, 2016, at a function to lay the foundation stone of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj memorial off the Arabian Sea.

The Sena has almost continuously targeted Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, before entering into a seat-sharing arrangement for Maharashtra, in which the saffron party will be contesting 25 seats and Shiv Sena, 23.

Slamming the Congress over its stand on Article 370, Modi said, "Congress speaks the language of Pakistan. The grand old party says it will not abolish Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan also says the same thing."

PM Modi in Latur, Maharashtra: Those who talk of a separate PM & secession of J&K are the ones whom the nation had trusted once. The country can now understand whom did those, who governed J&K for decades, actually serve. The thoughts in their hearts is now in the open. https://t.co/QGy9p7O5dh  ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

He also slammed the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party alliance over their alleged support of the demand for a separate prime minister for Jammu and Kashmir. "The Congress will have to answer every citizen of the country for the decisions they have taken in the past," he added.

The Congress has been facing sharp criticism from the saffron party for contesting elections in agreement with the National Conference (NC) party, led by Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, in Jammu and Kashmir.

LOK SABHA ELECTION 2019 TRACKER: Who is campaigning where

Attacking the Congress manifesto, the prime minister further said that it aims to weaken our security establishment. "Congress and its friends have anti-national thoughts. Language that the grand old party speaks is the same as that of Pakistan. Had the party stood its ground in 1947, Pakistan would not even have been born," he said.

The PM went on to speak about the recent Balakot air strikes, slamming the Opposition for asking for "proof". "The Opposition has disregarded the country's national security. How much proof do they want? How much evidence does the Congress need from the country's military? How much evidence is needed from the Air Force? Those who do not trust the government and our brave soldiers should be punished," he added.

Speaking about the recently released BJP manifesto, Modi said that the party went beyond its promises made in the 2014 manifesto.

"The PM-KISAN scheme is now depositing money directly into the accounts of 1.2 crore small and marginal farmers. The BJP in its Sankalp Patra has declared that the scheme will be extended to all farmers after the election, when our new government gets elected."

He also appealed to first-time voters, pitching for a strong case by connecting air strikes with nationalism. "Do you want to vote for the brave soldiers? For those who lost their lives in Pulwama? Or do you want to vote for an indecisive government?"

Millennials are likely to play a decisive role in this year's elections considering the fact that there are nearly 15 million new voters in the age group of 18-19 years. No wonder then that minutes after the Election Commission had announced its schedule for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections early in March, Modi took to Twitter to "particularly call upon first-time voters to vote in record numbers".

He went on to further target the Congress over the recent I-T raids on Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath's associates. "The Opposition is calling the chowkidar chor but from whose houses did those notes of money come from? It has been barely six months since the Congress had formed its government in Madhya Pradesh but the first thing the party engages in is corruption," he said.

The prime minister also promised a separate ministry of water for drought-hit Latur which, he promised, will ensure fair distribution of water.

Modi and Thackeray addressed the gathering in support of alliance candidates in Latur and Osmanabad, where polling will be held on 18 April. BJP and the Sena had contested the 2014 Maharashtra Assembly elections, the 2017 BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections and the 2018 Palghar Lok Sabha by-election separately and against each other.
A little over 48 hours before Sikkim simultaneously votes for 32 Assembly seats and the lone Lok Sabha constituency in the first of the seven-phase parliamentary polls this year, an abnormal rise of over 16 percent 'outsider' voters since 2014 holds the key in the erstwhile tiny Himalayan kingdom, strategically wedged between India and China.

Gangtok: A little over 48 hours before Sikkim simultaneously votes for 32 Assembly seats and the lone Lok Sabha constituency in the first of the seven-phase parliamentary polls this year, an abnormal rise of over 16 percent 'outsider' voters since 2014 holds the key in the erstwhile tiny Himalayan kingdom, strategically wedged between India and China.

Opponents of Pawan Kumar Chamling  the country's longest-serving chief minister who is seeking a record sixth term in office  are accusing him of encouraging the "ever-growing and uncontrolled influx" from the neighbouring Darjeeling hills, other parts of India, as well as eastern Nepal, queering the political pitch for the hill state's 4,23,325 voters, who enjoy special status under Article 371F of the Indian Constitution.

"Usually, the rise in new voters is around five to six percent over five years. However, Sikkim's voter list has seen an unprecedented 16 percent rise. Does Chamling have an answer to this?" asks Tseten Tashi-Bhutia, the convener of the Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC), who is waging an uphill battle for indigenous people's rights since 1993.

Prem Singh Tamang, 51, better known as PS Golay, Chamlings trusted aide-turned-arch-rival and the founder of the principal Opposition party Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM), also finds the trend alarming. "Chamling has had a stranglehold over power for the last 25 years, thanks to bogus voters, money and muscle power," he says.

Chamling, Golay says, may claim that Sikkim tops the list as the most prosperous state on the back of the highest per capita income  Rs 2,33,954 against the national average of Rs 94,731 as of April 2018  but "the impressive figure is nothing but the Centre's handout to the border state and not accrued from hard work and productive labour. Chamling is controlling the state's youth by handing out ill-gotten wealth. But, this time around, his bluff will be called."

Golay, who sounded upbeat about his electoral prospects till last week, appears to be shaken hours before the campaigning officially ended on Tuesday evening. This is when "Chamling's parallel election machinery kicks in, luring voters with cash, alcohol and all kinds of goodies," he alleges.

Chamling's clever ploy to get the hotline going with New Delhi irrespective of who is in power  the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front has been in alliance with successive Central governments since 1994  has made him an uncrowned king in a virtually independent republic aided and abetted by his children, family retainers and hangers-on. The chief minister is seldom seen and heard on the national stage. He grabs national attention by grabbing international headlines.

Last October, he was in the news, when Sikkim received the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation's (FAO) Future Policy Gold Award in Rome for becoming a 100 percent organic state. Although Sikkim pipped 51 other global nominations, including Brazil and Denmark, to win the coveted award, Sonam Wangdi, the former chief secretary of Sikkim, has exposed Chamling's "organic fraud".

Wangdi, who retired as the chief secretary in 2004 after cooling his heels for three-and-a-half years because of a bitter fallout with Chamling over the chief minister's 'autocratic ways', found out through an RTI that his fallow agricultural land in Simiklizey in East Sikkim district is shown on official records as known for "100 percent organic produce".

Chamlings claim of turning Sikkim into a '100 per cent organic state' is a hoax," says Wangdi, who released his second book titled, Pawan Kumar Rai Chamling: The Greatest Fraud in History, in Gangtok on 28 March. The book exposes the myths about the strongman of Sikkim politics.

Dil Kumari Bhandari, the former Lok Sabha MP and the widow of the second longest-serving chief minister of Sikkim, Nar Bahadur Bhandari, too, says that Chamlings claim to champion the states organic cause is far from truth. He is on record to credit my late husband way back in 1991, when he used to be a minister in the ruling Sikkim Sangram Parishad cabinet.

Chamling's global honour, amplified by a frenetic publicity machinery working overtime, appears to have few takers among the young  half of the state's voters are in the 18-45 group, who are restless for a change.

Many, especially the 20 percent indigenous Bhutia-Lepcha community, have been demanding that a National Register of Citizens, or NRC, exercise should be carried out in Sikkim  on the lines of Assam  as thousands of people are overstaying their welcome in the strategic border state with a "dodgy citizenship record".

Tashi Lhamu-Lepcha, the general secretary of the Sikkim Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association (SILTA), says, "India's national security is under serious threat. China has been provoking us since the Doklam standoff to take up cudgels against India on Beijing's behalf. But, weve been loyal border guards since Sikkim's merger with India in 1975. But, Chamling wants to change the demographic profile of our homeland. We've been overrun by Nepalis, many of whom are rank outsiders and not of Sikkimese origin. Weve been reduced to an insignificant minority in our own homeland."

Tshering Wangchuk Lepcha, the general secretary of Nationalist Sikkim United Organisation (NSUO), agrees with Lhamu-Lepcha as the Lepchas, known as the vanishing tribe, struggle for survival in their own homeland in North Sikkim district. Although the Kanchenjunga Biosphere Reserve in North Sikkim district found a pride of place in UNESCO's global heritage list in 2016, Chamling's "wanton greed" has opened up the pristine Eastern Himalayan belt to hydropower fortune hunters.

"Our ancestors' homeland is being desecrated because of Chamling's greed for money and power. Sikkim needs only 150 megawatts of electricity, yet Chamling has opened up the sacred area for the 520-MW Teesta Stage IV hydropower project, the fifth one in quick succession. We'll thwart 'dictator' Chamling's bid to turn our sacred rivers into 'white gold'. The biosphere is home to at least 130 endemic species of eastern Himalayas and over 212 bird species, including seven globally threatened species," says Lhamu-Lepcha as the "particularly vulnerable tribal group", whose population in Sikkim is estimated to be less than 60,000, tries to assert its rights in the face of Chamling's distinct numerical strength.

Of the over-75 percent Nepali majority, the ethnic group of the Rai, to which Chamling belongs, are a dominant force as they make up 30 percent of Sikkimese society. As Citadel Chamling appears to crumble under the historic smash-and-grab of Sikkim politics, the demand for an inner line permit, or ILP, to keep the 'outsiders' at bay, is gathering momentum.

The ILP is an official document issued by the Centre to allow inward travel of a citizen into certain areas for a limited period. Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram are the three states in the North East, where the ILP is in force.

Will the Centre accede to Sikkim's dwindling indigenous people's groups' requests to safeguard their socioeconomic and political rights as successive governments have been under Chamling's magic spell for over 25 years? New Delhi's change of heart may determine the fate of Sikkimese people, who have little cultural connect with the rest of India.

Read more reportage from this series here
The Congress had dubbed the BJP's election manifesto a 'Jhansa Patra' (deception document) and a 'bubble of lies' on Monday and said it would have been better had the saffron party issued a 'maafinama' instead

New Delhi: In a scathing criticism of the BJP's manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said it was the voice of "an isolated man", besides being "short sighted" and "arrogant".

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released its manifesto for the high-stakes general election starting 11 April on Monday, promising to implement the NRC in different parts of the country to push out infiltrators and zero tolerance to terror while reiterating its pet causes  construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and scrapping of Articles 370 and 35A, dealing with Jammu and Kashmir's special status.

"The Congress manifesto was created through discussion. The voice of over a million Indian people it is wise and powerful," Gandhi said in a tweet.

LOK SABHA ELECTION 2019 TRACKER: Who is campaigning where

"The BJP manifesto was created in a closed room. The voice of an isolated man, it is short sighted and arrogant," he added.

The Congress had dubbed the BJP's election manifesto a "Jhansa Patra" (deception document) and a "bubble of lies" on Monday and said it would have been better had the saffron party issued a "maafinama" instead.
Photo: Contributed

British Columbia's attorney general is encouraging people to make a will, especially because most residents with dependent children do not have one.

David Eby says that's the reason the province has proclaimed this Make a Will Week.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will share the stage at rallies in Maharashtra on Tuesday for the first time after the tie-up of their parties for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will share the stage at rallies in Maharashtra on Tuesday for the first time after the tie-up of their parties for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

The two leaders will address a public gathering at Ausa in Latur in support of the alliance candidates in that district and Osmanabad, where polling will be held on 18 April, BJP spokesman Keshav Upadhyay said on Sunday.

Modi and Thackeray last shared the dais in Mumbai in December 2016 at a function to lay the foundation stone of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj memorial off the Arabian Sea.

On Saturday, Modi addressed a rally in Nanded, where state Congress president and former chief minister Ashok Chavan is contesting against BJP's Pratap Chikhalikar.

The Sena, which has often been critical of the BJP and policies of the NDA government, entered into a seat-sharing pact with it recently after the ruling party's president, Amit Shah, visited Thackeray at his residence.

The BJP and Sena announced to contest 25 and 23 seats, respectively, in Maharashtra which has 48 Lok Sabha constituencies.

Earlier, the two parties went separate ways after the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and contested the Maharashtra Assembly elections held later that year on their own.

The BJP-led government under the leadership of Devendra Fadnavis took charge in the state in October 2014 and the Shiv Sena joined it in December that year.

Polling for the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra will be held in four phases on 11, 18, 23, and 29 April and the results will be declared on 23 May.
Proposing a theory on why the media features Narendra Modi more than other political leaders, Karnataka Chief Minister KD Kumaraswamy said that the Prime Minister applies make-up and wax before coming in front of the camera

Proposing a theory on why the media features Narendra Modi more than other political leaders, Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy said that the prime minister applies "makeup and wax" before coming in front of the camera.

At a rally held in Bengaluru on Tuesday, the Janata Dal (Secular) chief said, "Before coming in front of the people or camera, he (Modi) applies wax and make-up. The shine is seen on the face." He said that this was the reason why the media did not pay enough attention to other leaders and political parties.

At the rally that he attended in support of the Bangalore North congress candidate Krishna Byre Gowda, he added that BJP candidates were appealing that people look at Modi and vote. "In the morning we shower and leave and it is only the next morning that we shower again. Our faces don't look good on camera. Our media friends also don't like showing our faces, they only say Narendra Modi, Narendra Modi," Kumaraswamy said.

The Congress and JD(S) are contesting the Lok Sabha polls as alliance partners in Karnataka. He said that the coalition government in the state is stable and will remain so after the General Election. I have your blessings. Let people say whatever they want, this government will be stable," Kumaraswamy said.

Karnataka will go to the polls on 18 and 23 April and the counting of votes and announcement of results will be held on 23 May.
Voters are willing to overlook the failures of Modi and continue trusting him because the prime minister has convinced them that his intentions are noble.

In the interests of fairness (and perhaps also for a not-so-lofty motive of grabbing eyeballs, gaining TRPs and getting page-hits), there is an attempt in the media to always set up every election as a grand battle of equals. As if both sides are equally matched and only the shrewd and unpredictable Indian voter is aware of the truth. Opinion polls and surveys, however meticulously and carefully done, are never taken seriously. The attempt is towards a build-up that reaches the climax on the day of results, when depending on the results, pundits may say either "I told you so", or "no one saw it coming."

This time-tested formula of building up tension before every election is pointless before this edition of the Lok Sabha polls, because the answer is evident to all except those who indulge in willful suspension of disbelief or cannot afford to acknowledge the reality. Barring a miracle or an act of god, expect the BJP-led NDA to retain power and Narendra Modi to extend his term as prime minister for another five years, if we are to go by pre-poll surveys.

This premature verdict is not induced by faith. It is an inference drawn from surveys, long-term trends and current realities. The thing to consider, before we delve into the pointers provided by surveys, is that Modi has approached his tenure of prime ministership like no other before him. He has strived over the course of five years to communicate with the masses at a granular level on a regular basis. And he did this by bypassing the formal lines of communication and creating new channels. He has relied on a direct approach, instead of communicating through the traditional media.

Using technology old and new (such as radio and social media) and showing an almost inexhaustible energy to hold rallies and speeches all through his tenure (over and above those during the election campaign), Modi has taken prime minister-to-people and people-to-prime minister communication to the next level. He has presented a model for others to emulate.

As an article in The Times of India notes, through regular radio broadcasts, social media interactions, and personal appearances at hundreds of functions and rallies each year, he has successfully conveyed to the average Indian that he is sincere, hardworking and decisive. Many may have specific complaints about unfulfilled promises. But few doubt his unwavering commitment to the nation and its people.

The importance for a politician to remain in close touch with the people is often understated. Many critics and pundits are flummoxed by an apparent contradiction in voter behavior. They correctly detect a sense of disillusionment among the electorate over the illusive achhe din. They correctly assess the collective worry of the young over lack of jobs and the level of rural distress. Yet, for all the unmet promises and sense of disappointment with Modi, a majority of voters still seem to be taken in by him and prefer him by a mile over other candidates.

As an article in Washington Post points out, Despite the governments many foibles, from the inability to address the rising tide of rural distress to the disastrous consequences of demonetisation, there is a simple truth animating public opinion: All told, most voters like Modi. A lot.

What may have escaped many critics  leading to their confusion over why those who are apparently dissatisfied with the Modi government and still willing to bet on the prime minister solving their problems if given another five-year extension  is that when a politician manages to persuade the people that his intentions are right ("saaf niyat") through a relentless effort to stay in close touch, then that politician surprisingly gets a lot of leeway for failure.

Simply put, voters are willing to overlook Modis failures and continue trusting him because the prime minister has convinced them that his intentions are noble, he works hard and doesnt shy away from taking even tough, unpopular decisions. Despite all the miseries caused by demonetisation and GST, Modi continues to reap electoral dividends through a deeper, karmic rationale at play. And Modi has largely been successful in conveying this impression through his painstaking effort to remain in close contact with the electorate.

Modi has also been helped in no small measure by the listlessness of his political opponents, who have offered no alternate vision for the countrys future except a desperate desire to unseat him. Their lack of mutual understanding, internal inconsistencies, varying ambitions and geographical limitations have added to the impression that Modis opposition is a motley crew interested only in self-preservation. Modi has hammered home this difference by launching a presidential style of campaign, knowing that his rivals are in no position to offer the name of a challenger.

The result of this is evident. The second iteration of the National Trust Survey conducted by Firstpost-IPSOS polled 31,621 voters from 2 to 22 March from 287 urban wards and 582 villages in 62 socio-cultural regions. The exercise covered 334 parliamentary constituencies and was spread over 329 districts across 30 states/union territories of India.

The survey, that has 95 percent confidence interval and 5 percent margin of error, finds that the prime ministers popularity has transcended geographical and social divides whereas the BJPs popularity is constrained by these divisions. Compared to the previous round of the National Trust Survey conducted in November-January 2018, it was found that preference for Modi as the next prime minister has increased by 10 percentage points. Modi, who enjoyed approval rating (52.8 percent) levels two times more than Rahul Gandhi (26.9 percent) has now doubled the lead to four times, 63 percent against 16 percent. The perception around Modis performance as prime minister has also gone up in similar proportions.

The survey also points out that Modi punches above the weight of his party and in many ways, Modi is contesting the election on his partys behalf instead of the other way around in Indias representative democracy. It is also interesting to note that Modis popularity is higher in West Bengal and Odisha than that of BJP, and it raises the possibility that BJPs seat share may go up in these crucial eastern states because the election is perceived as a mandate on Modi.

When it comes to trust, that ephemeral commodity that politicians strive for, it is worth noting that the electorate trusts Modi more than even the Supreme Court. His trust level at 51.7 percent is next only to the armed forces at 60.1 percent. This explains a key finding in the survey and one that has commentators grappling for explanation.

If this election was to be fought on parameters such as the state of the economy, jobs, dip in farm incomes and distress in rural economy, incumbent Modi would have to give a lot of explanations. Curiously, however, public faith in Modi is primarily built on abstract notions, not concrete issues, due to voters perception of him creating a better image of India abroad, capacity for taking big risks, bringing big changes and taking care of the country. Politicians strive to gain the electorates faith because trust has the power to mitigate and even overcome reality, and Modi seems to be doing well on this score.

Other surveys corroborate this reality. The CSDS-Lokniti 2019 pre-poll survey conducted in March this year indicates that Modis popularity (43 percent) has rebounded from what it was in May 2018 (34 percent) to touch May 2017 figures (44 percent), and it is significantly higher than even the May 2014 level (36 percent)  the year he stormed to power.

The survey also points out that the dissatisfaction level with the Modi government has ebbed, and the satisfaction measure is now almost back to the pre-demonetisation high. More significantly, anti-incumbency sentiment seems to have weakened in the past one year. Other pointers include a rise in the number of respondents (34 percent) who believe the state of economy is now better, up from 26 percent in January 2018 and 19 percent in May 2014.

An opinion survey by Times Now-VMR predicts that the NDA will return with 279 out 543 seats in the Lok Sabha. The survey, which was carried out between 22 March to 4 April, 2019, interacted with 14,300 respondents, projected 149 seats for the Congress-led UPA while the Others (parties not aligned to either the BJP or Congress, are expected to win 115 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Finally, compared to last year, for half of the respondents, Modi seems to have delivered on his promise of achhe din.

These findings are subject to appropriate disclaimers, but they point towards a truth that many Modi critics reflexively deny. The prime minister enjoys a high level of trust and the voters are willing to give him at least one more chance to build on the foundation that he has laid over the course of five years. It is nobodys case that there are no dissatisfactions with the Modi government but surveys, anecdotal experiences and the dynamism of Modis well-attended campaign rallies are suggestive of the fact that voters consider him to be the man best suited to deal with the country's problems and take India to greater heights.
In an exclusive interview, Narendra Modi pointed out that the difference between the BJP and Congress manifestos was evident in their names.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday pointed out that the difference between the manifestos released by his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress was evident in their names. "Theirs is an announcement, ours is a resolution," he said in an exclusive interview to Network18 Group editor-in-chief Rahul Joshi.

The Grand Old Party released its manifesto titled "Congress Will Deliver" on 2 April, promising to tackle the employment crisis, poverty, farmers' woes and crimes against women. The BJP released its poll document titled "Sankalpit Bharat, Sashakt Bharat" on Monday, in which the saffron party focused on development, national security, Uniform Civil Code, Ram Temple and tackling terrorism.

Speaking to News18 hours after his party released the "sankalp patra", Modi said: "I would like the intellectual class to compare both our manifestos. Our manifesto should be viewed on the basis of our track record. The Congress manifesto should be weighed against their track record. There is a world of difference on many parameters."

"We are at the crossroads of eliminating terrorism. Terrorists are demoralised as we are winning a psychological war against them. Instead (of backing such efforts), the Congress manifesto is soft on terror. Their views on the army are similar to those of Pakistan. No patriot will tolerate this language. Their manifesto talks about removing AFSPA  the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act. This amounts to removing weapons from a soldier's hands."

Modi further said that BJP's was a "mature manifesto" drafted by a "responsible political party that will be given the task of continuing to govern the country".

"For the first time, we have presented a manifesto that lays down a roadmap for both 2022 and 2024. This means the government's accountability will not end after five years. No party has ever done this before.

Highlighting some of the key points of the BJP manifesto, the prime minister said the party aims to "lay the foundation for where the country should be in its 100th year of Independence in 2047", as well as ensure national security and tackle black money and corruption.

"Earlier manifestos have done grave injustice to the poor, Dalits, downtrodden, deprived and tribals. There has been no time-bound programme for their development. What can be done for women, youth and senior citizens? How can the lives of villagers and farmers be transformed? And how to build a Modern India? How can technology be used for development and to meet the common citizen's aspirations?"

"In the five years since 2014, we have worked to bring India out of a cocoon of despair, to bring in a new era of self-confidence," Modi said. "We have focused on the needs of the common citizen  housing, power, water, roads, etc. We have fulfilled basic needs in the past five years. In the next five years, we will work on empowering people to fulfil their aspirations."

ALSO READ: With 'Rafale lies', Rahul Gandhi is trying to erase Bofors scam from father Rajiv's legacy, Narendra Modi tells News18

In the interview, Modi addressed several other subjects, such as Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati seeking Muslim votes, the Congress promising to review the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, the impact of the "Mahagathbandhan" in Uttar Pradesh, India-China relations, economic growth, demonetisation and why he thinks India would have achieved a lot more success a lot faster if Sardar Patel had been prime minister instead of Jawaharlal Nehru.

The interview will be aired at 7 pm on Tuesday night on CNN-News18 and all other 19 news channels of the group. Firstpost will also stream the interview live.
Amid growing tensions with China following its move to veto at the United Nations (UN) on Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told CNN-News18 that both New Delhi and Beijing have accepted they have certain 'differences'.

Amid growing tensions with China following its move to veto at the United Nations the blacklisting of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told CNN-News18 that New Delhi and Beijing have accepted they have certain "differences" but his government's objective is that the differences don't turn into disputes.

India lost at least 40 CRPF personnel in February after a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) operative attacked their convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district. Since then, China has blocked several bids to designate Azhar as a global terrorist at the UN.

"On one hand, there is our bilateral relationship with China. We have a political engagement with China, we have investments there, and they have investments here. Our leaders go there, their leaders come here. Amid all this, there are border disputes which are still unresolved. India has one perspective, China has another. So, both sides have accepted that we have differences, but our objective is that these differences don't turn into disputes," he said in an interview to Network18 Group editor-in-chief Rahul Joshi. "And if there are such incidents, then we hold high-level talks. This is a continuous process."

Modi claimed that the proof of India's "success" was in the support being extended by other countries. "There was a time when India had only Russia's support on the international stage: and the rest of the world was with Pakistan. Today, the entire situation has changed. Now, only China stands with Pakistan, and the rest of the world with India. We must understand this change. This is proof of our success," he said.

He added that the issue about China's veto was discussed with the country in one of the meetings.

During the interview, he also spoke on the difference between the manifestos of BJP and Congress, the issue surrounding the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati's appeal to Muslims voters, Congress' NYAY scheme among other things ahead of the Lok Sabha election.

On the sentiment to boycott Chinese goods and stop trade with the country, Modi said since there were international laws in place, India's official stand must align with international rules and regulations. "As far as public sentiment on Chinese goods is concerned, that is up to them. We, including the media, should guide the public," he said.
In an interview to News18, Narendra Modi said he was unperturbed by Mayawati's appeal to Muslims to vote for the BSP and Samajwadi Party, not Congress.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said he was unperturbed by Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati's appeal to Muslims to vote for the alliance of her party and the Samajwadi Party to prevent the minority votes from getting split.

Modi made the statement in an exclusive interview to Rahul Joshi, group editor-in-chief of Network18. The interview will be aired at 7 pm Tuesday night on CNN-News18 and all other 19 news channels of the network. Firstpost will also stream the interview live.

At a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Deoband on Sunday, Mayawati had said: "I would like to tell Muslim voters to not waste their vote on the Congress. The Congress is not in this fight. We are fighting the BJP, and we will win."

On these remarks, Modi said it was "unsurprising" that Mayawati was making such statements "as she is facing defeat".

"She is appealing to Muslims to specifically vote for her. This is a matter for the Election Commission to look into. I am less worried about Mayawati. She is part of a sinking ship and is looking to Muslims for support," the prime minister said.

However, he questioned why the "secular brigade" was silent on her remarks.

"Had someone made such an appeal to Hindus, they would have expressed outrage. The 'award wapsi' gang would have returned their awards and a signature campaign would have started. Why is this group silent? This is a worrying subject for the nation. I request you to expose such elements. Why are they selective? Don't these remarks hurt their secularism? Did this statement boost their secularism?"

"The biggest threat to India are these people who hide behind the mask of secularism. Mayawati is looking for a means to survive in politics. She will continue to try to gather votes by any means."

ALSO READ: Narendra Modi tells News18, removing AFSPA in Kashmir is like sending soldiers to the gallows

When asked about his opinion on whether the SP-BSP alliance would work and its appeal to 42 to 45 percent of the voters in Uttar Pradesh, Modi said he did not believe they would succeed in their agenda. The prime minister remarked that the two parties were once enemies who were willing to harm each other, and that when such parties unite, it means they are fighting for survival.

"They are looking for a lifeline, but I don't think they will succeed," he added.

Modi also expressed confidence that the BJP will "expand its footprint across the country", including in West Bengal, Odisha and the North East.

"We are rising across the country, so our seat tally will go up. We will maintain our hold where we had won the most and boost our vote share. We will also make gains where we lost one or two seats. There is a wave in our favour across India," the prime minister said.

In the interview, Modi addressed several other issues such as the impact of the "Mahagathbandhan" in Uttar Pradesh, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's Rafale campaign, India-China relations, economic growth, demonetisation and why he thinks India would have achieved a lot more success a lot faster if Sardar Patel had been prime minister instead of Jawaharlal Nehru.
In an exclusive interview, Narendra Modi said Rahul Gandhi repeats the same 'Rafale lies', and these lies were rejected everywhere, 'be it in the Supreme Court or by the Comptroller and Auditor General.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has claimed that Congress president Rahul Gandhi was propagating the Rafale controversy to wash away the stain of the Bofors scam from his father's legacy.

Speaking to Network18's Group editor-in-chief Rahul Joshi, Modi, in an exclusive interview, referred to Rahul only as an "individual" and said that one individual kept repeating the same "Rafale lies", and these lies were rejected everywhere, "be it in the Supreme Court or by the Comptroller and Auditor General".

"Some neutral journalists also raised the issue of the money trail in the Bofors case. But here, that individual spoke without any basis. How long could that have lasted? His advisors also told him that Rafale does not resonate as a political issue. His own people told him to let the issue be. But he wanted to wash away the Bofors stain from his father's legacy by raising the Rafale deal," Modi claimed.

The Congress has been accusing the Modi government of inking the deal with France for 36 Rafale fighter jets at prices higher than what the Congress had negotiated. The party has also accused the Centre of favouring a private defence company over the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in the Rafale deal.

The prime minister said that the Congress was trying to make the same allegations against all governments as the party was "destroyed by defence scams".

"During the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, they tried to trap George Fernandes in the coffin scam. It turned out to be a lie. Now, they are trying to similarly trap me. We are asking for proof to be shown in public, but they are not giving any. They are only lying. That's why this issue will not fly," he added. "However hard they try, the people of India will never accept lies. The public is very smart; they understand these people (Congress)."

ALSO READ: Why is 'secular brigade' silent on Mayawati's appeal for Muslim votes, Narendra Modi tells News18

When asked how he had turned the Congress' "chowkidar chor hai" to come up with the "Main Bhi Chowkidar" campaign slogan, he said: "In 2013-2014, when I was campaigning for the Lok Sabha election, I used to tell people 'you make me the chowkidar, and I will not let anyone steal India's wealth'. That used to be part of my speech. Even today, I say I am the chowkidar, and I will not let anyone steal. If someone does, I am strengthening the law and taking strong action. The government has succeeded in creating an environment that encourages honesty."

In the interview, Modi addressed several other subjects, such as the Congress promising to review the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, the impact of the "Mahagathbandhan" in Uttar Pradesh, India-China relations, Mayawati seeking Muslim votes, economic growth, demonetisation and why he thinks India would have achieved a lot more success a lot faster if Sardar Patel had been prime minister instead of Jawaharlal Nehru.

The interview will be aired at 7 pm Tuesday night on CNN-News18 and all other 19 news channels of the group. Firstpost will also stream the interview live.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi defended demonetisation, castigated the Congress and welcomed first-time voters in an interview with News18 just days ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi defended demonetisation, castigated the Congress and welcomed first-time voters in an exclusive interview with News18 just days ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Modi, speaking to Network18 Group editor-in-chief Rahul Joshi, said, "The Uttar Pradesh election was fought on the issue of demonetisation and we came out victorious. So people who have suffered due to demonetisation  those who lost their vote bank of the poor and those who were unable to carry out their black money dealings  they are the people who suffered and even today, they are crying. But the people of India know full well why they are complaining." He further claimed that demonetisation is the reason why the formal economy has grown so fast and that the number of taxpayers has doubled in the past five years.

On Congress

Modi accused the Congress of "ruining every institution" in the country and claimed that the BJP had empowered institutions. "Such issues raised by the Congress are completely nonsensical. When they lose elections the Election Commission is 'flawed'. They want the judiciary to run as per their whims and fancies. Theyll raise impeachment norms against the chief justice and then keep the issue hanging till their ends are met... These are the people who promulgated the Emergency, turned the country into a prison, jailed senior political leaders, muzzled the media and they talk about institutions? It doesnt behoove them (to talk about institutional integrity)."

On LK Advani blog post

Speaking about senior BJP leader LK Advani's recent blog post, Modi reiterated that the the country is supreme, the party is next and the self is last. "He (Advani) has stated the basic principles of the BJP," Modi said. "These are our principles. All BJP workers say the same. The nation is supreme, the party is next and the self is last. Even on the issue of nationalism, this remains our stand. Its the Congress that is to blame. Do you know a Congress leader termed (former prime minister) Atal Bihari Vajpayee a traitor? Do you know that on the floor of the House, a senior Congress leader who recently passed away called Atal ji a traitor? So, Advani is absolutely right."

On Ram Mandir

The prime minister also addressed the Ayodhya issue, saying the BJP has taken an "ideological stand" on the Ram Mandir which has never changed. "The problem is with the media," Modi said. "When we speak about it, they say you have no issue but Hindutva. When we stay silent they say why dont you speak on Ram Mandir.

On dynastic politics and Mayawati

Modi said he never personally attacked the Gandhi family and added that he was ideologically opposed to dynasty politics. "There is no anger," Modi clarified. "It is an ideological belief; dynasty politics is bad for India's democracy." Modi said he is not worried about BSP supremo Mayawati. On her appeal to Muslims to vote for the SP-BSP alliance, he said, "It is unsurprising that Mayawati is making such statements as she is facing defeat... She is appealing to Muslims to specifically vote for her. This is a matter for the Election Commission to look into. I am less worried about Mayawati. She is part of a sinking ship and is looking to Muslims for support."

Modi added he was more worried about the "secular brigade", asking why they were silent. He said that if someone had made such an appeal to Hindus, they'd have expressed outrage. He said the 'award-wapsi' gang would have returned their awards and a signature campaign would have started. He wondered why this group was silent and said this is a worrying subject for the nation.

"I request you to expose such elements. Why are they selective? Don't these remarks hurt their secularism? Did this statement boost their secularism? The biggest threat to India are these people who hide behind the mask of secularism. Mayawati is looking for a means to survive in politics. She will continue to try to gather votes by any means," Modi added.

On first-time voters

Modi urged all voters come out and cast their ballot early in the morning. "Vote first, then breakfast," Modi said. "Voters today are very aware. There are long queues at booths. I urge voters to carry water to drink. I would like to urge peaceful polling and a heavy turnout. I would like to specially reach out to first-time voters, people born in the 21st Century."

Modi added that new voters deserve a special respect and a place of pride as they are about to cast their vote on national issues and be party to the nations development. "I urge first-time voters to definitely come out and vote. Lets also verify our names in the voters list online in advance. Let all voters be part of this great election festival. Let democracy be eternal. Lets move forward with this mission," Modi added.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi's candidacy from Wayanad has upset the poll strategy of both the BJP and CPM in Kerala as the political discourse has now shifted from women's entry into Sabarimala to national issues

Rahul Gandhis candidature in Wayanad has turned the poll plan of BJP and CPM upside down. Both parties had built up their election strategy on the Sabarimala women entry issue. But the Congress presidents arrival on the scene like a bolt from the blue has made the temple issue almost irrelevant. The Gandhi scion has stolen the show and naturally, the focus of debate has been shifted to national issues.

For the BJP, this election is a matter of prestige in Kerala, more precisely for Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. It is high time the party opened a Lok Sabha account from the state, which is still an unfriendly terrain to the saffron squad.

The CPM, on the other hand, is fighting the election for its survival. Its national party tag is hanging in balance now. Unless it wins 2 percent of Lok Sabha seats from at least three states or gets 6 percent of the total polled votes from six states, the CPM will lose national party tag.

The largest Left party in the country, the CPM is gasping for survival in West Bengal and Tripura which were once its impenetrable fortresses. The CPM is doubtful whether it can retain its sitting seats  two each  in these states this time. So, the party is desperate to win the maximum number of seats and votes in Kerala, the only state where it is in power now. Accordingly, it planned its poll strategy, declared candidates and kicked off campaign well in advance when BJP and Congress were struggling to zero in on a suitable candidate for each of the 20 constituencies and were trying to contain the ferocious infighting between groups to grab "safe" seats.

It was a smooth ride for the CPM in the first phase of the campaign. But a formidable roadblock appeared in its way in the form of Rahul. Crestfallen, the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) mainly the leading partners of the coalition CPM and CPI unleashed attacks against the Congress president questioning the political propriety of him contesting from Wayanad. Several leaders tirade against Rahul crossed all decency.

"What message he is trying to give? He claims that Congress aim is to defeat the BJP, but it seems in Kerala, the Congress wants to defeat the Left, mainly the CPM," Sitaram Yechuri, CPM general secretary, said addressing a public meeting in Kerala recently.

"The decision (to contest from Wayanad) sends the signal that Congress considers the CPM and the Left as its principal adversary, not the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he added. S Ramachandran Pillai, a senior politburo member from Kerala, argues that by contesting from Wayanad, Rahul has proved that there is no match between his words and deeds.

Reactions of Kerala leaders were more pungent and bitter.

"He is trying to become the Opposition leader and not the prime minister of the country," said CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, annoyed at the decision. He was so infuriated by Gandhi's move that he did not remember that by making the statement he was accepting the fact that the BJP will retain the power.

Former chief minister VS Achuthanandan, the most revered CPM leader in the State, referred to Rahul is an "Amul Baby". The worst came from the party mouthpiece, Deshabhimani. It used one of the most derogatory words to personally insult Rahul in a front-paged signed editorial that appeared in the mouthpiece the next day of Congress' official announcement of his candidature in Wayanad.

However, contrary to the expectations of the daily, the editorial was condemned by people cutting across all the political hues. And the daily had to admit the lapse in judgment.

"It is not our culture to personally insult political rivals. But here I admit that it was unfair. We will inquire how it has happened," the dailys resident editor PM Manoj said in a TV channel discussion.

Despite his confession, the daily did not withdraw the edit, nor did it carry an apology later.

Political observers say that the Rahul-bashing by CPM leaders and the daily exposes the party's frustration over the close fight that has emerged with the arrival of Congress president as a candidate in Kerala. This may upset all its calculations. They cannot see any ideological base for CPMs criticism over Rahul Gandhis contest from Wayanad. The party is venting out its ire to the enemy who is trying to chase it out from its last base and nothing more, they say.

"The maximum the Left should have asked Rahul was the political message he was trying to give by selecting Wayanad as his second seat. They should have stopped there and should not have gone beyond that point. Beyond that question, there is no politics. It is a fact that, in Kerala, the contest is between the CPM-led LDF and the Congress-led UDF.

The Congress has decided to field its president from Wayanad. What is wrong with it? All political parties select the safest seat for their top leaders. The (Kerala) chief minister contested for the Assembly election from the safest seat of CPM. VS Achuthanandan was shifted from Mararikulam in Alappuzha to Malampuzha in Palakkad to ensure his victory. The LDF and CPM could have proved that their anti-Modi stand is sincere by withdrawing their candidate from Wayanad in favour of Rahul Gandhi," said CR Neelakandan, a political commentator and a leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the State.

The arrival of Rahul has given new vigour to the Congress in Kerala and it is palpable in the air. The infighting has come to an end, though for the time being, and the Congress is now working like a well-oiled machine. It has brushed up the relation between Congress and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), the second largest partner in the UDF and a decisive political force in north Kerala. Now Congress and IUML are working in tandem as never before.

Sensing the danger, the CPM has changed the strategy and now it's trying to weaken potential rival candidates in select constituencies.

A north Indian television channel aired a sting operation on Kozhikode Congress candidate MK Raghavan, in which he allegedly demands a brokerage of Rs 5 crore for a land deal. Though the channel claims that it was part of its nationwide operation and eight to nine leaders have been trapped, only Raghavans case got publicity, thanks to CPMs effort.

CPM also approached the Election Commission seeking action against Raghavan after other stories highlighting alleged corrupt deals involving him appeared in the media. A report alleges that he has siphoned off over Rs 70 crore collected from members of a cooperative body which he heads. The CPM leaders demanded his withdrawal from the election in the wake of the sting operation "exposure".

Raghavan who won in 2009 and in 2014 from Kozhikode is now seeking re-election. Popular among the people, the Congress leader's chances of re-election have gotten a boost with the arrival of Rahul in the adjacent constituency of Wayanad.

CPM has fielded A Pradeepkumar, sitting MLA of Kozhikode (North) constituency, to win back the seat. So, winning the seat is prestigious for the party. The party knows that if it loses the seat for the third time in a row to Congress, it will be impossible for it to wrest back the seat in near future. Kozhikode was onceone of the safe seats for the Left.

The CPM harps on the sting operation while campaigning in the constituency. The strategy has a twin effect. One, it can create a shadow of doubt in the voters mind. Second, the UDF can be confined to the issue preventing them from discussing other subjects.

People also smell a rat with Saritha Nair's decision to campaign against Hibi Eden, a Congress candidate for Ernakulam (Kochi). The prime accused in the sensational solar fraud case, Saritha alleges that she was sexually exploited by senior Congress leaders, including former chief minister Oommen Chandy, promising to help her get big orders for her solar firm during the previous Congress government's tenure.

She had made an abortive attempt to contest against Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad and Hibi Eden in Ernakulam, but her papers were rejected during scrutiny in both the constituencies. She said that though she had complained to Rahul against these Congress leaders, he has not taken any action against them. So, she planned to contest in Wayanad as a mark of protest. She also accused Hibi of sexually assaulting her. She had recently said that she had filed nomination in Ernakulam to expose him. Since her nomination papers have been rejected, now she is planning to campaign against Hibi.

Saritha is said to be playing to the tune of the CPM in the solar case. Twice, she has lodged complaints against the Congress leaders with the police reportedly at the insistence of the CPM. Chief Minsiter Pinarayi Vijayan ordered police action based on the findings of the Solar Commission. The commission reached its conclusions mainly from her statement.

Presently, Hibi is an MLA from Ernakulam. Son of former Ernakulam MP George Eden, Hibi is a young, energetic and street-smart Congress leader in Kochi. He is giving a good fight to CPM candidate P Rajeev, former Rajya Sabha member and current editor of CPM daily Deshabhimani. A blue-eyed boy of Vijayan, Rajeev was handpicked by the Kerala chief minister for hoisting the red flag in Congress fortresses. The Rahul factor, however, has made the fight tougher than the CPM expected earlier in Ernakulam (Kochi) too. It is an unpredictable equals' fights now.

Besides, Sarithas silence over Adoor Prakash and Benny Behanan has raised questions over her intentions. Prakash, who has also been accused of wrongdoings by Saritha in the past, is contesting against CPM candidate Sampath in Attingal. It is said that Sampath who has represented the constituency in the past two terms is comfortable in the CPM stronghold.

As for the present UDF convener Behanan, Saritha had accused him of telling her what to say in front of the court. Behanan is the Congress candidate in Chalakkudy where CPMs Innocent, a leading cine artiste, is his nearest rival.

Things are, without any doubt, getting tougher for the CPM as the campaign progresses.

Much to the discomfiture of the CPM, the amicus curiae appointed by the Kerala High Court to look into the reasons that caused last years flood, informed the court the other day that human error, mainly failure in dam management, had led to the centurys worst flood in the state that claimed over 400 lives.

Equally embarrassing for the CPM, was a government-run company issuing bonds to the Canadian pension fund which holds major stake in Canadian power giant Lavalin.

The Kerala State Electricity Board Ltd (KSEBL) lost over Rs 300 core in the deal which it had entered with the Canadian firm to overhaul four of its hydel power stations. The deal was inked when Vijayan was the power minister. The trial court has exonerated Pinarayi and five other from the case filed by the CBI without conducting a trial. And though the Kerala High Court has upheld the trial courts order, the case is still pending before the Supreme Court.

The Opposition alleges that it was an unholy deal and the pension fund has been offered the bond at a higher rate. The allegation is fast gaining momentum. The road is getting bumpy for the CPM.
Photo: CTV News

Anti-Trudeau graffiti has been sprayed on the sidewalk and street outside Jody Wilson-Raybould's Vancouver constituency office.

The graffiti includes the messages: "Let Jody speak," "Make Canada great again" and "Trudeau for treason."

A 37-year-old man was arrested for the vandalism, CTV News reports.

The former Liberal cabinet minister and MP for Vancouver Granville denounced the vandalism on social media.

"While I appreciate people wanting to show their support and enthusiasm as well as express their views, I would encourage them to do so without damaging private or public property or putting themselves in harm's way," Wilson-Raybould tweeted.

Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott were both recently kicked out of the Liberal caucus for their disagreement with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over the ongoing SNC-Lavalin scandal.

 with files from CTV Vancouver
Reuters

Canada may have to crack down on the world's major social media companies with new regulations to combat potential foreign meddling in this October's election, the cabinet minister in charge of ensuring a fair vote said on Monday.

Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould spoke shortly after one of Canada's two spy agencies said it was very likely foreign actors will try to interfere in the election.

Her comments also came after Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said last week she was "very concerned" about possible Russian meddling in the voting and that there "have probably already been efforts by malign foreign actors to disrupt our democracy."

Gould said Facebook, Twitter and Alphabet's Google should help safeguard the election by promoting transparency, authenticity, and integrity on their platforms. But she added that she had been disappointed by the slowness of talks with the companies.

The safeguards should include more efforts to counter malicious cyber activity, such as the spread of disinformation, Gould said.

"The platforms feel this is something they should be doing on their own and I don't have the confidence that they're disclosing everything with us," she told a news conference.

Asked whether the firms should be regulated to limit the threat posed by disinformation and a possible foreign cyber campaign to sway the election, she replied: "It's something we are looking at very closely". She noted that Britain had proposed a social media regulator on Monday.

Twitter declined to comment. Facebook and Google were not immediately available for comment.

Last month Google said it would ban political advertising on its platform before the election.

Facebook has said it would require advertisers to confirm their identities before running election-related material.

"Facebook has perhaps taken a few more steps than Google or Twitter but it's still not sufficient. I think there is much more they could do ... until they think they are going to be forced to make those changes I don't think they will willingly do it and I think that's disappointing," said Gould.

Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg last week called for regulators to play a "more active role" in establishing rules that govern the internet.

Earlier on Monday, the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), the agency responsible for foreign signals intelligence and protecting government electronic information and communication networks, issued a report on the potential hazards around October's election. The report did refer to any specific threat from Russia.

US intelligence officials and the governments of some European Union countries have accused Russia of interfering in their elections in recent years, allegations denied by Moscow.

"It is very likely that Canadian voters will encounter foreign cyber interference ahead of, and during, the 2019 general election," said the CSE, which noted democratic governments around the world were experiencing more cyber attacks.
Sheldon Pinto

Huaweis just announced its P30 Pro smartphone that seems to have it all, at least on paper, in terms of hardware specifications. It packs in an arsenal of cameras and even 5X periscope zoom lens that is somehow sandwiched into that design. There are other new features such as reverse wireless charging, use of electromagnetic sound levitation instead of a traditional speaker for placing calls and an optical in-display fingerprint reader. Oh! And did I mention that it looks good too?

The last time I saw so much camera equipment on a smartphone, it was the Asus ZenFone Zoom (2016) with 3X optical zoom in a similar periscopic setup in a really chubby and clunky body with an Intel chipset inside. Before that, it was the Samsung K Zoom (2014) which was a camera with a smartphone attached to it.

Yes, we have come a long way.

Whether or not, all the features add up to make the Huawei P30 Pro a better device in comparison to the recent Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus, is something Ill leave for the full review. But it sure looks like the P30 Pro is looking to outdo its predecessor, the Huawei P20 Pro which was a pretty capable smartphone camera as well. But plenty has changed since the Huawei P20 Pro, which was launched in May 2018.

Samsungs Galaxy S10 Plus can shoot some amazing Super Steady video, while the Pixel 3 has mastered the art of the Portrait shot and night shooting like no other smartphone thanks to machine learning. Apple being Apple has seen subtle improvements with video and photos on its new iPhones as well. So its high time that we had a look at what has changed and how the new Huawei P30 Pro compares with its competition, which would be the recently Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus (Rs 73,900), the Google Pixel 3 XL (Rs 83,000) and the iPhone XR (Rs 59,000, earlier Rs 76,900).

Editors note: Since the Google Pixel 3 XL was not at hand, we shot the Pixel samples using a Pixel 3 instead which packs in the same camera as the bigger Pixel by Google.

You can click on the thumbnails below to view the comparison crops in a higher resolution.

Landscapes: Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus

Yes, Samsung is finally making a comeback in the camera department ever since they incorporated the dual aperture system that seemingly ruined things for the brand (the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 shot some really crisp images). The S10 Plus stands out, for a well-exposed landscape photo even though its competitors came quite close.

It managed to expose the building in the background perfectly and did not crush the shadows in the foreground as well in the odd lighting scenarios shown below. Colour saturation was a bit of a problem, but the photos still look great.

Low Light: Huawei P30 Pro

The P30 Pro not just shoots, the better low light photos with better details but also gets the colours right. Its impressive to see how much colour the P30 Pro rescued from the leather couch in this dimly lit bowling alley scene.

Ultra Wide: Huawei P30 Pro

Just like its sibling from the Mate series, the Huawei P30 Pro manages to click a really good ultra-wide-angle shot.

To make things extremely difficult for both the Galaxy S10 Plus and the P30 Pro, I picked a scene with dim lighting.

Huawei nailed the focus in this aspect with an image which balanced saturation and proper focus which was impressive given the low lighting scenario I shot these photos in. Still, there is always room for improvement as both smartphones did showcase blurry edges and plenty of lens barrel distortion.

Selfies: Pixel 3

There was no defeating the Google Pixel 3 XL when I reviewed the device last year and Googles machine learning bits still do a great job this year as well. With near-perfect edge-detection and a cart-load of detail, the Pixel 3 shot the best portraits in both daylight and low light scenes.

I even tried the worst type of selfie portrait shot possible, with bright backlighting in the background and the Pixel 3 pulled it off like a professional photographer (even though I like I have been sunburnt). But it managed to expose that extremely bright background unlike any other smartphone in this comparison.

Portraits: Huawei P30 Pro

While the Pixel 3 came out on top for selfies, this was not the case with Portrait images shot from the rear camera (or cameras).

Its hard to get an idea where my colleague Shomik is standing as the blur applied is a bit too much. The P30 Pro did a better job with the blur and one can even adjust the level of blur (and apply cool effects to the background) which is something you just cannot do on a Pixel.

In low light and the confused lighting scenario at the arcade, the Pixel did not only have trouble focussing on the subject, but the thanks to its already cranked up saturation levels went overboard with the colours.

The P30 Pro is the winner here, as it produced a really clean shot with great detail and near-perfect edge-detection.

Objects: Google Pixel 3

In our difficult low light close-up of the two Tabasco bottles in low light, the Pixel 3 did a better job than the competition, keeping the objects in focus. Its interesting to see how each smartphones camera, took a slightly different approach to background separation.

Close-up: Huawei P30 Pro

Slapping on an autofocus system to the wide-angle lens does allow the P30 Pro to get really close to the objects. I was not shooting bugs, but its jaw-dropping to see the freckles in the paint on the letters of the date dial on my wristwatch. Thats something that is barely 3 mm wide.

Zoom: Huawei P30 Pro

Enough said.

Night mode: Huawei P30 Pro

I tested out the night modes (where available) in a studio setting. My subject was my colleague Kshitij and he was more than willing to pose to find out which smartphone could see better in the dark.

In the first go, we went with absolutely no light, a pitch dark studio where I could not see the subject but just my hands because of the light coming from the display.

The P30 Pro was the only phone to pull out something out of nothing. The Pixel 3 did not even come close and Samsung and iPhone probably never knew that Kshitij was in the room.

In the second test. I allowed a wee bit of light to seep into the pitch dark studio I could finally see the ghost of Kshitij in the digital viewfinders. To my eyes, he was barely visible.

The P30 Pro not only clicked a decent shot grabbing enough light to expose the silk black background curtain but also exposed his shirt and beard better than any other smartphone. The Pixel being the Pixel, oversaturated Kshitijs face and turned him into a Simpson but was only able to see him and not the background.

Video: Apple iPhone XR

I have always complained about Huawei smartphones featuring below average video capabilities. Well, Huawei did some tweaking with the P30 Pro (after the Mate 20 Pro) and has now finally delivered some video that can now be compared with flagships. But nothing more.

The iPhone XR shot the best video, both when it comes to selfies and from the rear camera. Its HDR capabilities are the best in class and it does not burn out any details as seen in the mall panning shot with plenty of confusing bright lighting, which none of the smartphones could master. The noise was a bit high, but if I had to pick a phone for a video, I would pick the iPhone.

You check out all the image and video camera samples in high-resolution in our Flickr album.

Verdict

In this camera comparison, the Pixel 3 shot the best portrait selfies, while Galaxy S10 Plus clicked the most impressive landscape photos in daylight. The iPhone XR shot the best video, but for everything else and more, there was the P30 Pro.

The Huawei P30 Pro literally feels like a black hole that feeds on light. It made me point a smartphone and shoot in places that I would not dare to, forcing me to capture things that I could not physically see (be it low light or zoom). The addition of a capable wide angle lens also makes things interesting for the P30 Pro.

So which one would I pick on my next vacation instead of a DSLR? It would definitely be the P30 Pro because it lets me do so much more.
tech2 News Staff

Samsung is reportedly working on launching four different versions of its Galaxy Note 10.

As claims a report by ETNews, similar to the Galaxy S10, which was launched in an S10, S10 Plus, S10 E and an S10 5G variant, Galaxy Note 10 may also come four different models.

You can read our review of Galaxy S10e and Galaxy S10 Plus here.

Reportedly, the Galaxy Note 10 will come in two different variants, with different display sizes  6.28-inch and 6.75-inch. This set of display sizes will be available in both 4G LTE and 5G models. Basically, two display sizes, with the pair available in both 4G and 5G option.

Besides that, the report also claims that the smaller 6.28-inch variant of the Galaxy Note 10 will sport a triple camera setup at the rear with a wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto sensor. The larger version, on the other hand, will reportedly come with a four-camera setup, with the fourth sensor being a depth sensor aka "time of flight" (ToF) sensor like on the Galaxy S10 5G.

Separately, there are also reports that the Galaxy Note 10 may be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 855 chip, accompanied with 6 GB or 8 GB of RAM. It is also believed to include an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor.
Devika Agarwal

The Madras HC recently passed an interim order banning TikTok, a Chinese app used to create and share short videos, in a PIL that the app promoted the sharing of inappropriate and pornographic content. The court is considering whether the Central Government should enact a law similar to the Children Online Privacy Protection Act in the US. While the official court order is not yet publicly available, the interim order directs the government to do the following: prohibit download of the TikTok app and television telecasts of TikTok videos.

The Madras HC order has been challenged in the Supreme Court.

This is not the first time that a ban on TikTok has been debated in India. In February 2019, the TN state government hinted that it would urge the Centre to ban TikTok over concerns related to obscenity and law and order problems; these incidents include morphed images of women downloaded from TikTok used to lure customers in a flesh trade racket and suicide by a youth who had been bullied on social media because of his TikTok videos. Around the same time, the Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) (the economic wing of the RSS) wrote to Prime Minister Modi to ban Chinese apps like TikTok citing data security concerns.

In February 2019, a UK-based charity reported that children as young as five were being groomed by paedophiles on TikTok; the predators were able to establish contact with children using the live comments feature on TikTok. A BBC Investigation found that TikTok had failed to take any stringent action against child predators on its app. One of the biggest concerns is that apps like TikTok are unsafe for children as the apps violate childrens privacy, makes it easier for sexual predators to contact children, and promotes the distribution of pornographic content. This brings into question whether there is a need to regulate user-generated video content apps like TikTok.

TikTok in India

TikTok has gained popularity among preteens and adolescents especially in Tier II and Tier III cities in India.

In February this year, it was reported that TikTok does not have a grievance redressal officer in India. Presently, the TikTok website does list contact details for a grievance officer in India. In March, Tik Tok announced a new initiative to protect Indian users against cyberbullying, namely, a new user-defined filter to block obscene comments on TikTok.

Measures taken by TikTok to promote online safety include a moderation team which covers major Indian regional languages including Tamil, Hindi and Bengali. Further, the Digital Wellbeing feature on TikTok allows users to manage time spent on the app, and limit the appearance of content which is not appropriate for all audiences. Under TikToks General Terms-for India Resident Users, the minimum age limit for TikTok users is 13 years.

Existing law on liability of internet intermediaries in India

Under section 79 of the IT Act, an internet intermediary is not liable for third-party content hosted on the intermediarys platform. Internet intermediaries are broadly defined under the IT Act and would cover social media platforms like TikTok. Under section 79, an internet intermediary can avail of safe harbour from the acts of third parties if the intermediary exercises due diligence in accordance with the IT Rules and if the intermediary does not play an active role in the information transmitted by third parties (i.e. the intermediary does not initiate/modify/select the receiver of the information transmitted on their platform).

In the case of cyber-crimes committed through social media, internet companies often take the defence that they are merely platforms and therefore, protected by the safe harbour provisions in the IT Act. However, in the light of fake news, hate speech and disturbing content that is often circulated through these platforms, it is becoming increasingly difficult to accept the argument that internet platforms have minimal responsibility with respect to user-generated content. It is also debatable whether TikTok plays only a passive role with respect to content since its key features include using AI to determine users' interests and preferences, and displaying a personalised content feed to the user accordingly; one could argue that this amounts to selecting the recipient of information transmitted on the apps platform by TikTok.

Ban on TikTok in other jurisdictions

As recently as February 2019, the Bangladeshi government banned TikTok along with close to 20,000 websites as part of its anti-pornography efforts. The pornography ban in Bangladesh follows the November 2018 ruling of the High Court (the lower division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh) wherein the court ordered the government to ban all pornography websites for six months (and consider a permanent ban). Interestingly, the court also referred to the use of the National Identity Card (NID) number by social media (including Facebook) to verify users' age. In Bangladesh, the NID functions as a voter ID card and is mandatory for opening a bank account or getting a new mobile connection.

Indonesia had banned TikTok in July 2018 for hosting content which was considered blasphemous and pornographic. The Indonesian government lifted the ban only after TikTok agreed to establish a censorship team to monitor negative content and a liaison office in Indonesia. TikTok also promised to raise the minimum age requirement for users from 12 to 16 years.

Cases involving breach of privacy of children by TikTok

In February 2019, TikTok paid the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) $5.7 million to settle a case involving claims that the app had collected personal data of children under the age of 13 in violation of the Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Under section 312.5 of COPPA, an operator of general audience websites or online services must obtain verifiable parental consent before collection, use or disclosure of personal information from children (defined as an individual below the age of 13). To register for the app (at that time Musical.ly), users were required to provide a username, first and last names, a phone number, an email address, a short bio and a profile picture. Musical.ly received thousands of complaints from parents that their children had created accounts on the app without parental consent.

While Musical.ly would respond by deleting such accounts, the app retained users videos and profile information on its servers. It was also reported that adults were attempting to contact children via the app. Apart from paying the fine, TikTok was also required to take down all videos made by under-age children. In the aftermath of the US FTC fine, TikTok sought to verify that its users were above the age of 13 by asking users to submit copies of government ID proofs.

In Australia, it was reported that a man posing as Justin Bieber had asked an 8-year-old girl on Musical.ly to send him nude photos.

In May 2018, a Post investigation in Hong Kong revealed that children as young as nine years had exposed their identities on TikTok raising concerns that this placed them at risk of harassment.

Possible measures which TikTok could employ

The legal framework for holding internet intermediaries liable is being strengthened by the Indian government. MeitY recently issued draft IT (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules 2018 to replace the existing intermediary guidelines some of the proposals include incorporation requirements for internet intermediaries having more than 50 lakh users in India and use of automated tools by intermediaries to proactively monitor unlawful content on their platforms.

In the meantime, TikTok can take measures to make its platform more children friendly. Taking a cue from YouTube, TikTok may disable comments on videos featuring minors  this will prevent predators from contacting children on TikTok through the apps comments feature. Secondly, TikTok may develop its facial recognition technology (which lets users add filters or funny features to their photos) to verify that its users are not under-age.

It is important that internet intermediaries take on greater responsibility voluntarily to ensure that the internet remains a healthy space for people to exchange information and ideas.

Devika Agarwal is a Policy Analyst at Nasscom. The views expressed are personal and should not be attributed in any way to Nasscom or its members.
Reuters

Raquel Urtasun, who is chief scientist at Uber Advanced Technologies Group (ATG) and heads the group's unit in Toronto, spoke about the challenges for self-driving development at a Reuters Newsmakers event in New York.

"Self-driving cars are going to be in our lives. The question of when is not clear yet," Urtasun said. "To have it at scale is going to take a long time."

The more cautious tone marks a change from three years ago, when Uber embraced aggressive tactics to turbocharge its autonomous vehicle development in a bid to get more robot taxis on the street driving more miles. The company had been seen as an industry leader in the technology until one of its autonomous SUVs killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona, in March last year.

Urtasun's comments fall in line with the rest of the self-driving industry, which after much hype and bold promises has tempered expectations and pushed out timelines for deployment. The extreme technical challenges of building cars that can predict human behaviour and respond appropriately proved greater than even some of the industry's brightest minds had anticipated.

The progress of Uber's self-driving car unit is in the spotlight as the company prepares to kick off its initial public offering this year. Uber, whose losses before taxes, depreciation and other expenses were $1.8 billion last year, has at times spent close to $200 million in a single quarter on its self-driving unit, sources told Reuters.

Uber, last valued at $76 billion in the private market, is seeking a valuation as high as $120 billion in its IPO and may kick off its investor roadshow before the end of April, Reuters has reported.

"It is true that when you go to an IPO, there is much more of a look into your finances," said Urtasun. "That being said, again because Uber understands that self-driving cars at scale is not something that's going to happen tomorrow, they understand the need for the science."

Urtasun declined to offer any guidance on what mix of human-driven cars and autonomous cars Uber will have in the next 10 years, citing too many uncertainties in the industry.

"What is clear is that in a 10-year timeframe there will be a mix of both (self-driving and human-controlled cars)," she said.

Uber Seeking Partners

The business of building self-driving cars is extraordinarily expensive and the timeframe to payoff is increasingly uncertain. However, some consider Uber's ability to successfully navigate the transition to autonomous vehicles as crucial to the company's long-term financial prospects.

By removing drivers and adding automation, Uber will be able to pocket the full fare that passengers pay and create more efficient routes to move around people and packages.

Uber opened ATG in Toronto in 2017 and named Urtasun, who is also an associate professor at the University of Toronto, as head of the Toronto organization. Uber said last year it would invest more than $150 million in Toronto to grow its self-driving car operations, open an engineering hub and expand its work in artificial intelligence.

After the fatal Arizona crash, Uber removed its autonomous cars from the road, laid off hundreds of test drivers and shuttered operations in Arizona, its testing hub. Uber resumed very limited testing on public roads in Pittsburgh in December.

Uber has recently taken a more collaborative approach, inviting General Motor Co's self-driving car unit Cruise and Alphabet Inc's Waymo to put their cars on Uber's ride-hailing network. Urtasun said on Monday that Uber encouraged every self-driving company to add their cars to the Uber network.

"We've been very, very open that we would like every other company to be in our (autonomous vehicle) network," said Urtasun.

A group of investors led by SoftBank Group Corp and Toyota Motor Corp are in talks to invest $1 billion or more into Uber's self-driving vehicle unit, Reuters reported last month.

Toyota previously invested $500 million to jointly develop self-driving cars with Uber.
tech2 News Staff

Following India's 'Mission Shakti' anti-satellite test on 27 March, NASA had reportedly stopped all cooperation with ISRO under the 'NASA-ISRO Human Space Flight Working Group' collaboration between the two national space agencies.

NASA suspended any and all of its activities under the collaborative program two days after the test was carried out, only resuming a few days later, a SpaceNews report said.

On 27 March, India's Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) intercepted one of the country's own satellites using a powerful missile under Mission Shakti. This was intended as a test of anti-satellite capabilities in India's defense arsenal.

In a letter addressed to Dr K Sivan, Chairman of ISRO, on 29 March, NASA's associate administrator for international and interagency relations Al Condes said that NASA was suspending its participation in a working group between the two agencies in matters related to human spaceflight.

"It is NASAs view that human spaceflight is simply incompatible with the purposeful creation of orbital debris generated by anti-satellite testing," the letter, provided by NASA to SpaceNews, reads.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine had publicly condemned Indias anti-satellite missile test in the days after it happened. He pointed out that the 60 pieces of trackable debris and the 400-odd piece whizzing around were a hazard to space programs globally. A week after the test, Bridenstine also announced that some of the debris was gradually moving to higher altitudes and posing a threat to the space station and the astronauts aboard.

"That is a terrible, terrible thing, to create an event that sends debris in an apogee that goes above the International Space Station," Bridenstine had said.

The reasons for NASA temporary pulling out of the collaboration also came with conditions under which the partnership can continue.

"The administrator has asked me to inform you that NASA is immediately suspending activities under the NASA-ISRO Human Space Flight Working Group until it receives assurances from ISRO that India will refrain from future anti-satellite tests that could have an impact on human space flight activities in low Earth orbit, Condes said, according to SpaceNews.

Bridenstine had to address US Congress members in a hearing of the House Science Committee on 2 April with regard to a NASA budget request. Two days later, on 4 April, came a second letter addressed to Dr Sivan, just as the number of objects linked to the test in orbit going above the space station had increased. The letter said that the cooperation between the two agencies would resume, along with work on several working groups including that for Human Space Flight.

NASA had no plans to reduce "cooperative engagements" with India or do "anything asymmetric," Bridenstine said, citing NASA's lunar project hitching a ride on ISRO's upcoming Chandrayaan-2 moon mission as an example. While Bridenstine spoke of the mission to media, neither of the two official letters to the ISRO Chief made mentions of changes to the original plans for the Chandrayaan-2 mission, which carries a laser retroreflector instrument developed by NASA.
Still struggling to get her EU divorce deal through parliament,Theresa May is hoping European leaders will agree on Wednesday to delay Brexit for a second time to stop Britain crashing out of the bloc two days later.

London: British prime minister Theresa May on Monday started a last-minute flurry of European diplomacy that includes visits to Paris and Berlin as she prepares for a make-or-break Brexit summit.

Still struggling to get her EU divorce deal through parliament, May is hoping European leaders will agree on Wednesday to delay Brexit for a second time to stop Britain crashing out of the bloc two days later.

After putting her request in a letter to European Council president Donald Tusk last week, she had phone calls on Monday with him and European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker.

May will also visit German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, in what her spokeswoman said was an attempt to set out "the rationale" for a further short delay.

Faced with political deadlock in London, the EU agreed last month to postpone Brexit from 29 March to 12 April, and May will ask at a special summit on Wednesday for it to be pushed back again to 30 June.

All other 27 EU leaders must agree and most seem ready to accept the idea of another delay to avoid a harmful "no deal" Brexit, but likely for a much longer period than Britain has asked for.

In anticipation of this, May's government on Monday reluctantly laid the legal order needed to hold European Parliament elections on 23 May.

But she is hoping that EU leaders might agree to a flexible delay proposed by Tusk, whereby Britain could leave earlier if it agrees a divorce deal, and never hold the elections.

"It does not make these elections inevitable as leaving the EU before the date of election automatically removes our obligation to take part," a spokeswoman said.

European leaders have also asked May to come up with a reason for a delay, with France in particular warning that it does not want simply to prolong the uncertainty.

After MPs rejected her divorce deal for a third time, May last week approached main opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to try to find a compromise.

But Corbyn said Monday that he was still waiting for her to alter her approach.

"Talks have to mean a movement and so far there has been no change in those red lines," he said, adding that his team would speak to her ministers on Tuesday.

May says she is determined to implement the 2016 referendum vote for Brexit, but that Britain should only sever ties with its largest trading partner once it has new arrangements in place.

Her decision to meet with Corbyn has sparked fury in her own Conservative party, with former foreign minister and leading Brexit supporter Boris Johnson warning against any "surrender".

Labour wants a new customs union with the EU, something May has previously rejected as it would stop Britain striking its own global trade deals.

But in a video-message on Sunday, she said: "The longer this takes, the greater the risk of the UK never leaving at all." In Dublin, Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar expressed optimism about the cross-party process as he met with the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier.

"We're open to extending the deadline to allow these discussions to run their course," he said.

But Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who also spoke to May on Monday, said it was "crucial to know when and on what basis the UK will ratify the withdrawal agreement".

He tweeted that any Brexit delay would require "assurances from the UK on sincere cooperation".

May used that phrase in her letter to Tusk, saying Britain would continue to act as a "constructive and responsible" member state while it remained part of the bloc.

Labour is pressing for changes to a political declaration on Britain's future relationship with the EU, which accompanies the withdrawal deal. Barnier repeated that this could be reworked "extremely quickly".

Corbyn said May's government had been open to the idea, "but they haven't said in which way". He added: "We are looking for movement. We do not want to see a crashing out of the EU with no deal." The EU has by contrast refused to renegotiate the withdrawal agreement itself, which includes controversial plans to keep open the Irish border.

Barnier repeated his warning to hardline Brexiteers that, in the case of a no-deal Brexit, the EU would not start trade talks until the Irish issue was resolved.
President Donald Trump has ordered a shake-up of the leadership of the Department of Homeland Security, the head of the US Secret Service said on Monday, after the White House said the official would be soon be leaving his post.

Washington: President Donald Trump has ordered a shake-up of the leadership of the Department of Homeland Security, the head of the US Secret Service said on Monday, after the White House said the official would be soon be leaving his post.

The Secret Service said Randolph Tex Alles would depart his job next month. The announcement came a day after Trump ousted Alles boss, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, with whom he had clashed over immigration issues.

No doubt you have seen media reports regarding my firing. I assure you that this is not the case, and in fact was told weeks ago by the administration that transitions in leadership should be expected across the Department of Homeland Security, Alles said in a message to Secret Service agents.

Neither Trump nor the White House has explained the overhaul of DHS, but the presidents anger over a recent surge in migrants from Central America has been well documented. The DHS oversees immigration and border security.

The Republican president made stopping illegal immigration a centerpiece in his run for office in 2016, promising to build a wall on the southern border with Mexico. Trump has said he will make border security a key part of his campaign for re-election in 2020.

Senior senators from both parties said they were concerned about a vacuum in leadership at the agency, which also oversees the Secret Service, the Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Transportation Security Administration, among other critical functions.

Ron Johnson, the Republican chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, said in a statement that he was concerned with a growing leadership void within the department tasked with addressing some of the most significant problems facing the nation.

Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said at least 10 top positions in the department were being filled with acting officials.

The purge of senior leadership at the Department of Homeland Security is unprecedented and a threat to our national security, Feinstein said in a statement.

The Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting senior US officials including the president and vice president, former presidents and visiting heads of state, came under scrutiny last week after a Chinese woman carrying electronic devices was charged with bluffing her way through security checks at Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said James Murray, a career Secret Service agent, would take over the agency in May.

Alles had run the Secret Service for two years and served in the US Marine Corps for 35 years before retiring as a major general in 2011.

Long list of departures

Alles was the latest in a long list of senior officials to leave the Trump administration, including the secretaries of state, defense, homeland security, interior, veterans affairs and health and human services, the attorney general and numerous senior White House aides.

The first sign of Trumps overhaul of Homeland Security came late on Thursday, when he abruptly pulled his nomination of Ron Vitiello as director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, part of DHS.

Trump addressed the decision perfunctorily to reporters as part of a policy change going in a tougher direction.

It was followed by the resignation of Nielsen on Sunday. A senior administration official said Trump asked Nielsen to step down. On Twitter, Trump said Kevin McAleenan, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection commissioner, would become acting DHS secretary.

CNN reported that L Francis Cissna, director of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services agency, and department General Counsel John Mitnick were also expected to leave their positions soon. The White House and DHS did not respond to requests for comment.

Trump in recent weeks empowered his hard-line conservative aide Stephen Miller to lead the administrations border policies, CNN said.

Nielsen had been a trusted aide to John Kelly, Trumps first DHS secretary and later his chief of staff, with whom he had an often-difficult relationship.

Nielsen and Trump had often clashed over immigration issues during her 16 months in the job. Her departure had been long rumored particularly after criticism of the administrations 2018 family separation policy at the border with Mexico and as US border officials estimated that 100,000 migrants were apprehended at the southern border in March, the highest level in a decade.

Trump was so frustrated about the surge in migrants that he announced he would cut off US aid to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
By Ahmed Elumami and Stephanie Nebehay TRIPOLI/GENEVA (Reuters) - Casualties from the battle for Libya's capital mounted on Tuesday and the United Nations moved dozens of migrants to safety from a detention centre in the south of the city where fighting had raged nearby. Medical facilities reported 47 people killed and 181 wounded in recent days as eastern Libyan National Army (LNA) forces seek to take Tripoli from an internationally-recognised government, the World Health Organisation said.

By Ahmed Elumami and Stephanie Nebehay

TRIPOLI/GENEVA (Reuters) - Casualties from the battle for Libya's capital mounted on Tuesday and the United Nations moved dozens of migrants to safety from a detention centre in the south of the city where fighting had raged nearby.

Medical facilities reported 47 people killed and 181 wounded in recent days as eastern Libyan National Army (LNA) forces seek to take Tripoli from an internationally-recognised government, the World Health Organisation said.

The fatalities were mainly fighters, although they also comprised nine civilians, including two doctors, the WHO said.

In central Tripoli, while there were no signs yet of military and security vehicles or personnel on the streets, shops and cafes were closing earlier than usual in the evening and residents were apprehensive about the prospect of violence.

"War is war: I am not afraid of the Libyan National Army, but I am afraid of the destruction that will never be reconstructed," said Mohamed Salem al-Sharwe, a taxi driver in Tripoli.

The LNA forces of Khalifa Haftar - a former general in ousted strongman Muammar Gaddafi's army - seized the sparsely populated but oil-rich south earlier this year before heading toward Tripoli this month.

They are fighting on the southern side of the city, where witnesses said on Monday afternoon the LNA had lost control of a former airport and withdrawn down the road.

The government of Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj, who has run Tripoli since 2016 as part of a U.N.-brokered deal that Haftar boycotted, is seeking to repel the LNA with the help of armed groups from Misrata.

Serraj's forces carried out an air strike on an LNA position in the suburb of Suq al-Khamis on Tuesday, a resident and an eastern military source said, without giving more details.

The renewed conflict threatens to disrupt oil supplies, boost migration across the Mediterranean to Europe and scupper U.N. plans for an election to end rivalries between parallel administrations in east and west.

'FRIGHTENED AND WORRIED'

Libya has become the main conduit for African migrants and refugees trying to reach Europe, with many detained if their journey fails and they are sent back. Some 5,700 refugees and migrants are trapped in detention centres in conflict areas, U.N. agencies say.

The U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said that it had relocated more than 150 refugees from the Ain Zara detention centre in south Tripoli on Tuesday to a UNHCR facility in a safe zone.

There had been heavy clashes near the Ain Zara centre in recent days, the agency said in a statement.

"Refugees told UNHCR that they were frightened and worried about their safety, given ongoing fighting in the vicinity, and that they were left with minimal supplies," the statement said, adding the agency was working to ensure other detained migrants and refugees were not in harm's way.

A U.N.-sponsored peace conference, scheduled to start on Sunday in the southwestern town of Ghadames, was postponed by envoy Ghassan Salame, who said he was working to hold the meeting "as soon as possible".

"I would interpret Mr Salame's statement ... as a shifting (of) dates and I think as reaffirming his commitment to hold the conference," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York.

The United Nations, United States, European Union and G7 bloc have appealed for a ceasefire, a return to a U.N. peace plan, and a halt to Haftar's push.

On Monday, a warplane took out Tripoli's only functioning airport, and the number of displaced people - 3,400 at the last U.N. count - is mounting alongside the casualties.

A woman teacher shopping at a supermarket in Tripoli said she planned to leave the capital, adding: "I don't care who wins or loses, I just want to survive with my family".

ISLAMIC STATE

Far south of Tripoli, the jihadist Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for attacking the town of Fuqaha, where residents said three people were killed and another kidnapped. The attack indicated IS may be looking to exploit gaps left by movements of Haftar's troops.

Fuqaha is controlled by fighters loyal to Haftar, who casts himself as a foe of Islamist extremism, though he is viewed by opponents as a new dictator in the mould of Gaddafi.

IS has been active in Libya in the turmoil since the Western-backed overthrow of Gaddafi eight years ago. It took control of the coastal city of Sirte in 2015 but lost it the following year to local forces backed by U.S. air strikes, and now operates in the shadows.

The Libyan state oil firm NOC met with oil operating firms to discuss security at oil fields and allow production to continue, a company statement said on Tuesday.

(Additional reporting by Ayman al-Warfalli in Benghazi, Tom Miles and Stepahnie Nebehay in Geneva, Ulf Laessing in Cairo and Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; Writing by Andrew Cawthorne and Frances Kerry; Editing by Kevin Liffey, Giles Elgood, Frances Kerry and Jan Harvey)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Photo: Contributed

UPDATE 8:37 a.m.

Former cabinet minister Jane Philpott is asking the Speaker of the House of Commons to examine whether Prime Minister Justin Trudeau violated the law when he expelled her and Jody Wilson-Raybould from the Liberal caucus.

Despite new rules laid out in the Parliament of Canada Act, MPs can't be kicked out of caucus without a vote, and yet Trudeau made a unilateral decision last week to eject her and Wilson-Raybould, Philpott declared Tuesday as she asked Speaker Geoff Regan to declare that their privileges were violated.

A set of amendments to the act, spearheaded by Conservative MP Michael Chong, was passed in 2015 in an effort to make it more difficult for MPs to be removed from caucus  part of an effort to decentralize political power on Parliament Hill and put it back in the hands of rank-and-file legislators.

If Trudeau had followed the rules, it would have taken 90 Liberal MPs to vote to kick her and Wilson-Raybould out, said Philpott  and yet no such recorded vote was held before the prime minister expelled the pair on the grounds that they had lost the trust of caucus.

"We were expelled prior to the commencement of the Liberal caucus meeting," Philpott told the Commons from her new perch among Independent MPs.

"The prime minister's words that night to the Liberal caucus are important to underscore, because expulsion should not be his decision to take unilaterally. However, the decision had been already made."

Members of Parliament are not accountable to the leader but rather the leader is accountable to members of Parliament, she said. "This is a constitutional convention."

Wilson-Raybould believes she was moved out of the prestigious justice portfolio to Veterans Affairs in a mid-January cabinet shuffle as punishment for refusing to intervene to stop the criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin on bribery charges related to contracts in Libya.

She has testified that she faced relentless pressure last fall from Trudeau, his office, the top public servant and others to override the director of public prosecutions, who had decided not to invite the Montreal engineering giant to negotiate a remediation agreement, a kind of plea bargain.

Wilson-Raybould quit the cabinet in mid-February and Philpott followed a few weeks later, saying she had lost confidence in the government over its handling of the SNC-Lavalin file. But both MPs remained members of the Liberal caucus until last week.

The revelation that Wilson-Raybould had surreptitiously recorded a phone conversation with Michael Wernick, the clerk of the Privy Council, to bolster her contention of undue pressure was the last straw for Liberal MPs, who openly called on Trudeau to expel the former ministers. On April 2, Trudeau called the secret recording "unconscionable," proof that the ex-minister could no longer be trusted.

Regan told Philpott he would consider her argument and report back to the House at a later date.

ORIGINAL 7:43 a.m.

Former cabinet minister Jane Philpott says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau violated the law when he expelled her and Jody Wilson-Raybould from the Liberal caucus.

In the House of Commons, Philpott says the Parliament of Canada Act says MPs can't be kicked out of their party groups without a vote and Trudeau ejected them on his own.

She's asking Speaker Geoff Regan to declare that their privileges were violated.

More Coming
Photo: The Canadian Press A Sunwing Boeing 737-800 passenger plane prepares to land at Pearson International Airport in Toronto.

The Canadian Transportation Agency has ordered Sunwing Airlines Inc. to compensate more than 16,000 passengers and pay a $694,500 fine due to widespread service problems sparked by an ice storm that hit Toronto one year ago.

The transportation watchdog says blizzards and high winds triggered problems on 96 Sunwing flights between April 14 and April 18, 2018, but that the low-cost carrier's control centre did little to manage the disruption as conditions deteriorated and flight backlogs grew .

The agency says the Toronto-based airline failed in many cases to provide meal vouchers, hotel accommodations and refund or cancellation options, or food and drinks during tarmac delays that, in one case, lasted more than six hours.

On 15 flights Sunwing also breached rules that require it to give passengers the opportunity to disembark after 90 minutes on the tarmac. Other flights were plagued with communication breakdowns regarding baggage and the airline failed to provide consistent updates on their flight status, the agency says.

In contrast to other carriers, Sunwing did not cancel any of its flights in or out of Toronto and Montreal, a choice the agency blames in part on the company's business model, which focuses mainly on vacation destinations. Torontos Pearson airport saw about 600 flight cancellations in 48 hours.

Sunwing has apologized to the 16,255 affected passengers and says it has taken steps to improve its ground-handling, scheduling and communication during disruptions.
Photo: The Canadian Press An orange tabby-style cat has likely used up more than a few of its nine lives during an unauthorized trip from China to British Columbia.

An orange tabby cat is likely to have used up more than a few of its nine lives during an unauthorized trip from China to British Columbia.

The North Cariboo District Branch of the B.C. SPCA says the emaciated, six-year-old female was found inside a shipping container originally loaded nearly a month ago in Shenzhen.

The container arrived by freighter in the Port of Vancouver and was shipped to Prince George, where the unnamed cat was found amongst the pallets, shredded cardboard and foam pellets inside the container.

No food or water was available but it's believed the cat survived by licking condensation that had formed on the walls of the shipping container.

Animal control officers say the feline weighed just 1 1/2 kilograms when it was found by staff at a Prince George auto glass distribution company as they unpacked the crates.

The cat is quarantined while being nursed back to health and the SPCA estimates the cost to save it will reach almost $2,800.

Alex Schare with North Cariboo District SPCA says she knew right away that the cat would have an amazing story, but would also require life-saving care following weeks of starvation.

"We rushed her to the vet because she was in such poor condition that we knew she would require intensive veterinary care for an extended period of time to regain her strength, Schare says in a news release.

The cat is on fluids and is receiving small amounts of food to ensure its body adjusts properly to renewed nutrition.

The strict quarantine is to ensure no diseases are passed to people or animals in this country.

"She has also undergone blood work and will receive a rabies vaccine and dental work when she is strong enough," the release says.

Quarantine won't end until two weeks after the rabies shot, so the cat will be under care for some time. The SPCA is appealing for donations to help defray the costs.
Microsoft has announced the release of the first Canary and Developer builds for Windows 10 which brings the availability of test version of Chromium-based Edge browser. Windows 10 devices will be getting daily updates if on Canary build and weekly update if on Developer builds.

With the new builds, Microsoft has released Chromium-based Edge preview build and brought quite a few changes to the Edge browser. The company has made subtle changes to the design of the browser, included support for a broader selection of extensions and adds the ability to manage the users sign in profile. The build is intended only for early adopters, enthusiasts and web developers and not for everyday users.

Microsoft joined the Chromium open source community in December 2018 and has added 275 commits into the Chromium project, as of today. It also started back to make contributions in areas like accessibility, touch, ARM64, and others. The company is working directly with the teams at Google and the broader Chromium community on this project.

For those who would like to try out, the new builds can download the new build from Microsofts official website. Anyone using the current build of Microsoft Edge that is based on EdgeHTML and not Chromium can continue using the existing build.

Microsoft is planning to bring the Beta channel and Stable channel of Chromium-based Edge browser to the masses in the future. It will also launch a version for MacOS soon.

Commenting on this, Joe Belfiore, Corporate Vice President, Windows, Microsoft said:

In these first builds, we are very much focused on the fundamentals and have not yet included a wide range of feature and language support that will come later. Youll start to see differences from the current Microsoft Edge including subtle design finishes, support for a broader selection of extensions and the ability to manage your sign-in profile. We look forward to people starting to kick the tires and will be refining the feature set over time based on the feedback we receive.

Source 1, 2
Photo: The Canadian Press

Nissan's former Chairman Carlos Ghosn maintained his innocence in a video released by his legal team Tuesday and accused some executives at the Japanese automaker of a "conspiracy" that led to his arrest on financial misconduct allegations.

"The first message is that I'm innocent," said Ghosn, wearing a white shirt and dark jacket and speaking calmly in the nearly 10-minute video shown at the Foreign Correspondents' Club in Tokyo.

"This is a conspiracy," he said. "This is not about specific events, this is not about, again, greed, this is not about dictatorship. This is about a plot. This is about conspiracy. This is about backstabbing."

His lawyer Junichiro Hironaka said the video was prepared in case Ghosn was not able to speak at a news conference planned for Thursday. Ghosn was arrested last week while out on bail and remains at the Tokyo Detention Center.

Ghosn said the executives behind the conspiracy were motivated by what he called "selfish fears," including what they saw as a merger with French alliance partner Renault SA. They mistook his leadership for greed and dictatorship, when he was the biggest defender of Nissan's autonomy, Ghosn said.

He also said he was worried about Nissan, wondering whether those executives were really watching out for the company.

Hironaka said a section of the video in which Ghosn mentioned names was removed on his legal advice.

Nissan Motor Co., while declining to comment on the criminal case, has said an internal investigation has found that Ghosn falsified financial documents to under-report compensation, and that he used Nissan money for personal gain.

"Nissan's internal investigation has uncovered substantial evidence of blatantly unethical conduct," company spokesman Nicholas Maxfield said when asked for comment on Ghosn's video. "The company's focus remains on addressing weaknesses in governance that enabled this misconduct."

Ghosn's fourth arrest was on a fresh breach of trust allegation based on suspicion that payments from a Nissan subsidiary to an Oman dealership were diverted to a company effectively run by Ghosn.

On Monday, Nissan Motor Co. shareholders voted to oust Ghosn from its board and to approve the appointment of French alliance partner Renault SA's Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard as Ghosn's replacement.

Renault owns 43 per cent of Nissan. Yokohama-based Nissan, which makes the Leaf electric car, March subcompact and Infiniti luxury models, was on the brink of bankruptcy when Renault sent Ghosn to turn it around two decades ago.

Ghosn stressed that he devoted 20 years to Nissan, and that he was worried about its future.

"I love Japan and I love Nissan," he said in the video, adding that the company had achieved much under his leadership.

He appeared to be saying he was the best leader for Nissan, while those behind the alleged conspiracy were failing.

"It's sad. For someone like me, it's sickening," he said.

Hironaka said he would appeal Ghosn's latest detention and would appeal to the Supreme Court about his new arrest. Multiple arrests and prolonged detentions are routine in Japan's criminal justice system, but an arrest after someone is released on bail is unusual.

Prosecutors say that the latest allegation is different, and that there is a risk that Ghosn may tamper with evidence. His defence team says the allegations are related, and authorities have already seized all the documents.

Ghosn's detention following his latest arrest was approved through Sunday but could be extended.

Ghosn's wife, Carole, who travelled to France after her husband's latest arrest, said she was not afraid of being arrested herself "because I am innocent as my husband is innocent."

She also said that her husband had not acted alone and that others at the company knew.

"With a company like that, one person alone can't sign off. There are eight signatures on each paper," she told France's RTL radio. "I know he is innocent, and I ask that he be given the presumption of innocence as are all French citizens."

The date of Ghosn's trial has not been set.
Photo: The Canadian Press Honduran migrants wait on the Gateway International Bridge, which connects the United States and Mexico.

A U.S. judge decided Monday to block the Trump administration's policy of returning asylum seekers to Mexico as they wait for an immigration court to hear their cases, but the ruling is on hold for several days.

Judge Richard Seeborg in San Francisco granted a request on behalf of 11 asylum seekers from Central America and legal advocacy groups to halt the practice while their lawsuit moves forward, but he held off on enforcing his decision until Friday to give the government a chance to ask an appeals court for a review.

The policy lacks sufficient protections to ensure migrants don't face "undue risk to their lives or freedom" in Mexico, the judge said. Seeborg also said a law that President Donald Trump's administration cited as its authority to send back migrants does not apply to asylum seekers such as those who sued.

It was not immediately clear whether the administration would ask an appeals court to put the ruling on hold. The U.S. Department of Justice declined to comment. Trump tweeted that the ruling was "unfair to the U.S."

The launch of the policy in January at the nation's busiest border crossing  in San Diego  marked an unprecedented change to the U.S. asylum system, government officials and asylum experts said. Families seeking asylum typically have been released in the U.S. with notices to appear in court.

The Trump administration says the policy responds to a crisis at the southern border that has overwhelmed the ability of immigration officials to detain migrants. Growing numbers of families are fleeing poverty and gang violence in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

The ruling came a day after Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen resigned and as the administration faces repeated court setbacks on strict anti-immigration measures that were a signature campaign promise for Trump, including losses on such policies as separating families at the border and ending protections for young immigrants.

The lawsuit says the Trump administration is violating U.S. law by failing to adequately evaluate the dangers that migrants face in Mexico.

Under the new policy, asylum seekers are not guaranteed interpreters or lawyers and don't get to argue to a judge that they face the potential of persecution or torture if they are sent back to Mexico, Judy Rabinovitz, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, said at a March court hearing.

Seeborg said in his ruling that "further procedural protections would be required to conform to the government's acknowledged obligation to ensure aliens are not returned to unduly dangerous circumstances."

The ACLU and other groups also argue in the lawsuit that a law allowing the return of some immigrants to Mexico does not apply to asylum seekers who cross the border illegally or arrive at a border crossing without proper documents.

Seeborg agreed, saying the "plain language" of the law supported that interpretation.

"Try as it may, the Trump administration cannot simply ignore our laws in order to accomplish its goal of preventing people from seeking asylum in the United States," Rabinovitz said in a statement after the ruling.

The administration hopes that making asylum seekers wait in Mexico will discourage weak claims and help reduce an immigration court backlog of more than 800,000 cases.
Photo: CTV News

Victoria's new and over-budget Johnson Street Bridge looks set to go under the audit microscope.

Gordon Ruth, B.C.'s Auditor General for Local Government, says in a letter to Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps that capital project management will be his next audit topic, and he will consider the mayors request for an independent audit of the controversial project.

The bridge opened in March 2018, with its cost ballooning from $35 million to more than $100 million, CTV News reports.

In the letter, the AGLG says he expects to announce the first audits this year.

 with files from CTV Vancouver Island
Taco Johns Names Barkley as New Agency of Record

April 09, 2019 // Franchising.com // Kansas City-based creative agency Barkley announced today that it has been named agency of record for quick-serve Mexican restaurant brand Taco Johns, following a competitive review process earlier this year.

Barkley will be responsible for brand strategy, integrated creative campaign development, digital/social strategy and content, media strategy and planning. Barkley is also tasked with amplifying Taco Johns new brand persona work (developed by AWC), and partnering with Taco Johns franchisees to improve the guest experience.

The pioneering 50-year-old QSR brand is the inventor of the ubiquitous Taco Tuesday. Headquartered in Cheyenne, WY, it's one of the largest franchisors and operators of Mexican quick-service restaurants in the U.S with nearly 400 restaurants across 23 states.

Taco Johns is an iconic brand with a fiercely loyal fan base. Were excited to leverage our deep restaurant expertise and understanding of modern consumers to build on that and connect with new guests. Our research on modern consumers tells us that millennial parents use of quick-service Mexican food offers tremendous growth potential for the Taco Johns brand, said Jason Parks, Chief Growth Officer at Barkley.

Barkley has a history of building long-term growth stories in the restaurant space, and reinvigorating legacy brands by connecting emotionally with modern consumers. That combined with a new strategic plan, our Bigger. Bolder. Better. brand persona, several new menu innovations, and a fresh new store design  were excited to partner with Barkley and build a strong foundation for the next 50 years for the Taco Johns brand, said Alan Wright, Taco Johns Vice President for Marketing.

The agencys first work for the brand will launch in September.

About Taco Johns

Taco Johns operates and franchises nearly 400 quick-service restaurants in 23 states. Privately owned, the business opened its first restaurant in 1969 in Cheyenne, WY. Taco Johns prides itself on serving generous portions, menu items prepared fresh to your order, high quality ingredients and special recipes, seasonings and sauces. For more information visit tacojohns.com.

About Barkley

Barkley is an independent strategy, design and creative idea company that builds potent modern brands, inside and out. We believe the only brands to survive will be the ones that evolve at the rate of the consumer. In the last decade, Barkley has become one of the preeminent experts on the Modern Consumer. We're committed to knowing the modern consumer better than anyone else and building brands to meet and lead them. We do this through our three idea centers - strategy, design, and activation.

About AWC

Since 1986, Adrienne Weiss Corporation (AWC) has developed award-winning brand identities for some of Americas most iconic companies. A three-generation family business based in Chicago, AWC is currently under the direction of Adrienne Weiss, founder and principal and Greg Weiss, president. For more information on AWC, please visit www.aweisscorp.com/

SOURCE Taco Johns

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Woof Gang Bakery Awards Outstanding Franchises at National Conference

Woof Gang Bakery Honors Top Franchisees in Six Categories, Including the Highest Achievement Millionaires Club

April 09, 2019 // Franchising.com // Orlando, Fla. - Woof Gang Bakery, the leader in specialty pet retail, awarded top honors to exceptional franchises during the companys national convention in Orlando, Florida, in March. The company held its annual national meeting concurrent with Global Pet Expo to amplify the on-site resources, education and support for franchisees.

This year was our most successful national convention with more than 240 franchise owners and guests in attendance, said Paul Allen, President and CEO of Woof Gang Bakery. It is an incredible experience to bring together the amazing people who have made Woof Gang Bakery the leader in specialty pet retail. We are awestruck by the talents and dedication of our franchise owners who work diligently to build their businesses and the Woof Gang Bakery brand.

The remarkable Woof Gang Bakery franchises include:

Millionaires Club

The Millionaires Club is awarded to franchises with annual gross sales of $1 million or more.

Woof Gang Bakery Cary and Woof Gang Bakery Raleigh, North Carolina - franchise owners Elise and Michael Morales

Elise and Michael have done a spectacular job building two of the best stores in the Woof Gang Bakery system, each achieving the annual million dollar mark. Their entrepreneurial spirit is unmatched. Impressively, they also have opened a new store in Shiloh, North Carolina, and have another store under construction in Apex, North Carolina.

Woof Gang Bakery Midland, Texas - franchise owners Brenda and Iram Molinar

Open for only two years, Brenda and Iram have built their business quickly at a strong and steady pace, and work daily to continue that growth. They implement brand standards with excellence and are eager to share best practices.

Woof Gang Bakery The Villages, Florida - franchise owners Beth and Woody Whitcomb

With two stores in The Villages, Beth and Woody have realized unparalleled growth. They are active in the community, highly regarded by their customers, and they are innovators and leaders in the Woof Gang Bakery system.

Franchise of the Year

Woof Gang Bakery Fleming Island, Florida - Mary and Pete Hardin

Woof Gang Bakery awards Franchise of the Year based on criteria including business growth, passion for the brand, customer service and ongoing contribution to the franchise system. Mary and Pete excel in each of these areas. They work tirelessly to cultivate their business, grow sales and help other franchisees. Last year, the Fleming Island store had sales in excess of $800 per square foot, which far exceeds typical retail revenue. In 2019, they will double the size of Woof Gang Bakery Fleming Island and open a second location in the same market.

Outstanding Grooming Store

Woof Gang Bakery SouthPark, North Carolina - Arti Jethwa and Sara Giruzzi

With the highest year-over-year growth in grooming, Arti and Saras achievement is due to their commitment to quality and a philosophy of always putting their customers and pets first. In addition to the SouthPark location, they also have very successful neighborhood stores serving their local communities in Wakefield and Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Outstanding Retail Store

Woof Gang Bakery Las Vegas, Nevada - Chin Li and Richard Hansen

Taking ownership of their store in 2017, Chin Li and Richard have done a fantastic job of building a tremendous retail business. They have excelled at overcoming challenges, boosting sales performance and focusing on success. They are getting ready to lend their ownership expertise to a second location, with a new store opening in Skye Canyon in northwest Las Vegas.

Outstanding New Store

Woof Gang Bakery Richmond, Texas - Sharon and Chris Taor

Opening in late 2017, Sharon and Chris Taor launched their business quickly and capably. They have rapidly established their store as a local leader in everything pet-related. This year, they will double the size of their store in Richmond, Texas.

Most Improved Franchise

Woof Gang Bakery South Tampa, Florida - Bianca Souza

Bianca works tirelessly within the South Tampa pet community. She builds connections and serves her customers with care and dedication.

About Woof Gang Bakery

Woof Gang Bakery is the leading specialty retailer of pet food, pet supplies and professional pet grooming in North America, with more than 110 locations across the U.S.

Woof Gang Bakery offers the very best in pet care by providing quality products and grooming with a service-oriented approach. Each location is a neighborhood store committed to the well-being, health and happiness of pets.

Woof Gang Bakery was recently designated one of the top 10 largest retailers by Pet Business Media and one of Central Floridas top privately held companies by the Orlando Business Journal. Woof Gang Bakery also was named best overall multi-unit retailer and received the Multi-Service Excellence Award from Pet Business Media, received the Retailer of the Year Franchise Award from Pet Product News and was recognized by Pet Insight magazine as one of the nations fastest-growing pet chains.

The Woof Gang franchise family includes Woof Gang Bakery, Woof Gang Grooming, Woof Gang Doggie Day Care, Woof Gang Pet Resort and Woof Gang Wellness Clinics.

An exceptional demand exists for pet products and services with more than 100 million pet households in the U.S., according to the American Pet Products Association. In 2018, pet care spending exceeded $72 billion and by 2020, the pet industry is expected to reach $96 billion in sales. Growth in the dog grooming industry is expected to be 11 percent per year through 2023, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

To learn more, visit woofgangbakery.com.

SOURCE Woof Gang Bakery

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 9)  A suspect in the killing of a mother and her two children in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan was found dead Tuesday inside the police station where he was detained.

The Bulacan provincial police office said Joselito Cortez, 48, took his own life at around 2 a.m. His body was found inside the comfort room of the custodial facility of the San Jose del Monte City Police Station.

Police are investigating the incident.

Cortez was arrested last April 4 and was facing robbery with multiple homicide charges for the slay of a 28-year-old mother and her kids aged eight and four. They were found dead in their home in San Jose del Monte last April 3.
Photo: Facebook

Fire at a temporary supportive housing site in Nanaimo displaced 20 residents Monday evening.

Flames and smoke poured from the Terminal Avenue facility shortly after 5 p.m.

"We were serving dinner and the residents, most of them, were over in the dining area, and that's when it happened," Violet Hayes of Island Crisis Care Society told CTV News.

One of the buildings sustained heavy smoke damage, but all occupants were safely evacuated.

The cause of the blaze is under investigation.

 with files from CTV Vancouver Island
Madison Erhardt

The Kelowna Fire Department and FortisBC want to make sure residents are alarmed about carbon monoxide.

Firefighters have started knocking on nearly 750 doors in the Lower Mission and Rutland neighbourhoods to check homes for working CO alarms.

If a home does not have one, firefighters will give and properly install on-the-spot a combined CO and smoke alarm provided by FortisBC.

Newer homes in Kelowna are required to have a CO alarm if they have an attached garage, natural gas or fuel burning appliances or a wood stove, said Rick Euper, fire and life safety educator with the Kelowna Fire Department.

Our concern is with older homes built 10 to 30 years ago, where residents may not have added or changed a CO and smoke alarm since its construction.

On average 50 Canadians a year die from carbon monoxide poisoning and Euper says all of those deaths could have been prevented.

Carbon monoxide is an odourless and colourless toxic gas produced when fuels are not burned off completely. Breathing it in reduces oxygen in the blood and can cause headaches and nausea and lead in more serious cases to unconsciousness, brain damage and even death.

When the Kelowna Fire Department responds to an emergency where carbon monoxide exposure is suspected, FortisBC is called and a natural gas technician is dispatched immediately.

Natural gas is a safe and reliable energy source and the risk of carbon monoxide exposure from well-maintained natural gas appliances is extremely low, said Ian Turnbull, damage prevention and emergency services manager at FortisBC.

Even with the low risk, proper installation and maintenance service will help ensure your natural gas appliances are working as safely and efficiently as possible.

If your CO alarm sounds:

Open all doors and windows

Turn off any appliances you suspect are faulty

Go outside for fresh air immediately

Call 911 and the FortisBC emergency line at 1-800-663-9911 when you are in a safe area

Seek medical attention if needed

Do not go back inside unless emergency personnel tell you it is safe

Once allowed back inside, have a licensed gas contractor inspect your gas appliances

To learn more about carbon monoxide safety visit kelowna.ca/fire.
The City of Freiburg in Breisgau and its partners throughout the world

Dear Twin Towns, Friends and Guests, Citizens of Freiburg,

Twinnings are capital whose interest is friendship and understanding  thus did a large German newspaper describe the essence of partnerships between cities many years ago. That motto is valid to this day. Even in an age when rapid means of transport and modern communication have made communication easier, and decreased distances to countries that were once far away, twinnings are indispensable. They are an eminent part of the local foreign policy of the city hall.



After World War II, many city twinnings were installed as a way towards understanding and peaceful collaboration among neighbours. One generation back, many of them had been at war with each other. At the same time, connections between cities were important tools in the construction of a communal European house. This was the intention guiding the foundation of Freiburgs first twinnings  with Besancon in France, Innsbruck in Austria, Padua in Italy, Guildford in England, and later with Granada in Spain. Thus, one shared aspect of history abides among Freiburg and its twin cities on the European continent: all were once part of the Habsburg Empire.



A generation later, Freiburg cast its gaze beyond the borders of Europe. In the late 1980s, the city almost simultaneously entered twinships with Madison in the USA and Lviv in the Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union. These agreements were meant as a contribution to the East-West detente at the local level, and as a step toward peaceful international cooperation. Similarly, the friendship agreements with Matsuyama in Japan and with Isfahan in Iran were initiated with the aim of cultivating communication among people of different cultures and religions in a globalising world. The founders wanted to enable a process of getting to know each other.



For a long time there has been a tight network of civil connections between Freiburg and its twin cities, which grew from the official contacts among political representatives. It is being sustained and perpetuated by clubs, youth groups, athletes, cultural institutions, trade organizations and many others. They are helping people from different countries to get to know each other, to abolish prejudices, and have enabled the beginnings of countless personal friendships. From these contacts, economic relations as well as cooperatives among city administrations and cultural groups have sprung. To this day, that is the paramount goal of our city twinnings.



Freiburgs friendship with the city of Wiwili in Nicaragua illustrates the aim of its local foreign policy exceptionally well. At the foreground of this cooperation, there is humanitarian aid in the areas of public health, education and the development of economic subsistence through agriculture. These connections, which sprang from private initiative, have led to friendly exchange among the two cities.



This brochure aims to provide you with information about Freiburgs network of twinnings and friendships with other cities throughout the world, and also about the cooperation with the other cities that were founded by the Dukes of Zahringen more than a millennium ago in Germany and Switzerland. With this book we mean to encourage you to discover our partner cities for yourselves. Each of Freiburgs twelve twin cities is a piece of home to any Freiburger. I invite you to acquaint yourselves with them, and in so doing to increase the interest of the capital of our municipal partnerships.



Martin Horn

Mayor of the City of Freiburg




Photo: RCMP

The trial of a Victoria-area father accused of killing his two young daughters on Christmas Day is expected to start soon.

CTV News reports jury selection is expected to finish on Wednesday.

Andrew Berry, 43, was charged with two counts of second-degree murder in connection to the deaths of Chloe Berry, 6, and Aubrey Berry, 4.

Police were called to an Oak Bay residence the evening of Dec. 25 and discovered the girls' bodies.

An injured man, whose condition was not disclosed, was found inside the home and taken to hospital.

A family friend said the girls' mother, Sarah Cotton, called police after their father didn't return them as scheduled on Christmas Day.

Berry was arrested and charged after he was released from hospital in January.

The cause of death of the young girls has not been made public.

The trial is set to begin April 15 in Vancouver.

- with files from CTV Vancouver Island
News

Federal authorities take custody of accused Santa Fe shooter

Dimitrios Pagourtzis

SANTA FE

Federal authorities Monday took a former student charged in the deadly mass shooting at Santa Fe High School into custody, apparently reversing an earlier decision not to bring charges against him.

Theyve apparently had their minds changed about filing charges, said Nick Poehl, the attorney representing Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 18, who is accused of killing 10 people and wounding more than a dozen others May 18 inside Santa Fe High School.

Federal authorities took custody of Pagourtzis at the Galveston County Jail and took him to the federal courthouse in Galveston for a 1 p.m. arraignment hearing, Poehl said.

We didnt learn much, because its a sealed case, he said.

The federal proceedings are sealed because Pagourtzis is considered a juvenile under federal law, Poehl said. He had been considered an adult in the state court system.

Federal authorities can take steps to certify Pagourtzis to stand trial as an adult, but its a lengthy process, Poehl said.

Angela Dodge, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Texas, declined to comment about the matter.

Parents and other relatives of those injured and killed during the Santa Fe shooting for months have lobbied federal authorities to pursue charges against Pagourtzis because a federal conviction might result in a longer sentence.

Because he was 17 at the time of the shooting, Pagourtzis might be eligible for parole after 40 years on a state conviction, while he could be sentenced to life without parole in the federal system.

Federal authorities, before reversing course on Monday, told the parents they had no plans to seek charges, said Rhonda Hart, mother of Kimberly Vaughan, who was among the 10 people killed.

Im just really glad that for the first time in almost a year, all of the families all agreed on one issue and made phone calls and wrote letters and spurred them to action, Hart said. I hope it means we, as victims, have a say in what happens.

Galveston County District Attorney Jack Roady told The Daily News he had to defer to federal authorities about Mondays events, saying they make their own decisions.

Even with federal intervention, the case should proceed normally in Galveston County, Roady said.

A district court judge in Galveston County on Feb. 27 agreed to move Pagourtzis trial to another county, but still has several weeks before he must make a decision about where. Before federal authorities took Pagourtzis Monday, he had been held at the Galveston County jail without bond, according to county jail records.

Just weeks before federal authorities seized Pagourtzis, U.S. Attorney Ryan Patrick told The Daily News he had assigned a full-time prosecutor, the first in some years, to the federal courthouse in Galveston and that his office had a renewed focus in the Galveston district.
LG V30, V35 ThinQ, and V40 ThinQ Android Pie update to roll out by June this year News oi-Sandeep Sarkar LG has already released the Android Pie firmware update for LG G7 ThinQ and LG G7 One smartphones.

Google had announced Android 9 Pie OS back in August, 2018. Since then, a majority of the smartphone manufacturers have dished out Android Pie OS for their respective smartphones. And now, with Google introducing its latest Android Q OS, the Android Pie update roll out has been picking up some pace.

LG, the South Korean tech giant has also rolled out Android Pie update to its premium offerings, the LG G7 ThinQ and the G7 One. Now, the company has announced that the Android Pie OS is coming to four other smartphones. The LG smartphones which have been confirmed to receive the Android 9 update include, LG V30S ThinQ, V30, V35 ThinQ, and the V40 ThinQ.

As of now, LG has not revealed any specific timeline for the rollout of the Android Pie firmware update to the aforementioned smartphones. However, LG is said to have prioritized the rollout of Google security updates for its smartphones in the second quarter of 2019. The Android Pie update is said to be available by June this year for the four LG smartphones mentioned above.

LG is expected to first release the Android Pie firmware update for its smartphones in its home country, South Korea. Following which, the global rollout of the update for its smartphones will be taking place. The company has further revealed that the update schedule might be changed depending on the telecom approval procedure and the developments on the same.

LG V40 ThinQ specifications and features:

The flagship LG V40 ThinQ flaunts a big 6.4-inch P-OLED display panel upfront, which offers a resolution of 1440 x 3120 pixels. The display comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The device runs on last year's flagship chipset Snapdragon 845 which is paired with Adreno 630 GPU and 6GB of RAM. The device comes with an in-built storage space of 128GB which is expandable via microSD card to up to 2TB.

via

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Hera spacecraft will drive itself during ESA's mission to Didymos asteroid News oi-Vishal Kawadkar The mission will be carried out in 2023.

The European Space Agency (ESA) is set to launch another mission to a space rock in 2023. The mission will be carried out alongside NASA's mission to the same asteroid. However, the ESA's spacecraft will attempt to fly itself.

If everything goes according to the plan, this will be a helpful feature for future space travels. A spacecraft that is capable of navigating itself will be a huge leap for technology. The spacecraft will also be able to avoid space debris which will make it less stressful for space agencies.

Dubbed 'Hera,' the ESA spacecraft is meant to visit the asteroid Didymos and its tiny satellite known as Didymoon. Hera will take flight alongside NASA's Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment (AIDA) mission spacecraft.

The AIDA mission would focus on NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART). This is basically a defense system for Earth that would redirect asteroids that are hurtling towards our planet. The spacecraft will crash directly into the space rock.

However, ESA's Hera will detach from the launch vehicle and orbit around Didymos, and will examine the collision from a distance. It will then swoop in and examine the crater after the collision.

This is where the self-driving function would be deployed. Until then, the spacecraft will be controlled from the headquarters. The Hera spacecraft will be fitted with a slew of

navigations systems similar to what is seen on self-driven cars.

"If you think self-driving cars are the future on Earth, then Hera is the pioneer of autonomy in deep space," Paolo Martino, the lead systems engineer for Hera, said in a statement.

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NASA Parker probe to make its second closest approach to Sun News oi-Vishal Kawadkar The probe will be 15 million miles from the Sun's surface.

NASA's Parker Solar Probe was launched last year to collect data from the Sun's corona. It the first probe to have gone this close to the host star of our solar system. Now, the probe will be making its closest approach ever by a man-made spacecraft. It will be reaching 15 million miles of the Sun's surface.

Now, the space agency has announced the probe has made a second close approach to the Sun and is entering the outbound phase of its second solar orbit. On April 14, the probe passed within 15 million miles of the Sun hurtling at a speed of 213,200 miles per hour. It achieved this breakneck speed when it passed Sun at its closest point known as the perihelion.

The team who collects the data from the probe, made contact with the probe using the Deep Space Network (DSN). The DSN uses a slew of antennas which are located at three different facilities in Goldstone, near Barstow, California; near Madrid, Spain; and near Canberra, Australia. This allows the team to stay connected to the spacecraft even after the planet's rotation.

The scientists were in contact with the probe for four hours to monitor its status during the risky part of the mission.

"The spacecraft is performing as designed, and it was great to be able to track it during this entire perihelion," Nickalaus Pinkine, Parker Solar Probe mission operations manager at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, said in a statement.

"We're looking forward to getting the science data down from this encounter in the coming weeks so the science teams can continue to explore the mysteries of the corona and the Sun."

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Several US troops killed in Taliban attack

Iran Press TV

Mon Apr 8, 2019 09:13PM

Three American service members and a US contractor have been killed when their convoy hit a roadside bomb near Bagram Airfield, the main US base in Afghanistan, the US says.

In a statement Monday, the Afghan military said three other US troops were wounded in the explosion and were receiving treatment.

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack and described it as a suicide car bombing, rejecting the US forces' account of the incident.

The group said an attacker detonated his explosives-laden vehicle near the base in Parwan province.

Located in Bagram district in northern Parwan province, the base serves as the main US air facility in the country.

The fatalities bring to seven the number of US soldiers killed in Afghanistan so far this year .

Last year, 13 US service members were killed in the country.

The Taliban have continued to carry out daily attacks on Afghan security forces despite holding several rounds of peace talks with the United States in recent months.

The Taliban's five-year rule over at least three quarters of Afghanistan came to an end following the US-led invasion of the country in 2001. But 18 years on, Washington is still entangled in the war and is now seeking a truce with the militants.

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12 Afghan security personnel killed in Taliban attack in Badghis province

Iran Press TV

Mon Apr 8, 2019 03:05PM

Twelve Afghan security personnel have been killed in clashes with the Taliban in the northwestern province of Badghis.

Afghanistan's Defense Ministry said in a statement on Monday that in a time span of 24 hours eight Afghan National Army soldiers and four police "who fought with bravery and courage" were killed in Bala Murghab district.

Ten soldiers and two dozen other police officers were also wounded in the clashes.

The statement said nearly a hundred Taliban militants were killed, too.

Jamshid Shahabi, the spokesman for the Badghis governor, said the militants "have suffered heavy casualties."

US-led foreign forces have cooperated with the Afghan army in the clashes, Shahabi added.

Fighting has raged since hundreds of Taliban militants stormed Bala Murghab on April 3, attacking several security checkpoints.

Last week, the defense ministry said Afghan forces had made a "tactical retreat" from a number of checkpoints to "avoid civilian casualties."

In March, 50 government soldiers were killed during a week-long battle in the district. Some 100 Afghan soldiers fled their posts and tried to cross into neighboring Turkmenistan. Many were captured by the Taliban after Turkmen government forces prevented them from crossing the border safely.

President Ashraf Ghani said earlier this year that 45,000 members of Afghan security forces had been killed since he took office in September 2014.

The Taliban's five-year rule over at least three quarters of Afghanistan came to an end following the US-led invasion of the country in 2001. But 18 years on, Washington is still entangled in the war and is now seeking a truce with the militants.

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Afghan Forces Battle Taliban For Fifth Day In Northwest

April 08, 2019

Afghan security forces are battling the Taliban for a fifth day after the militants launched a major attack in the northwestern province of Badghis.

The Defense Ministry said in April 8 statement that at least 12 security personnel had been killed in the past 48 hours in clashes in the Bala Murghab district, bringing the overall death toll to more than 40.

The ministry said another 10 soldiers and 24 policemen were wounded, while "99 Taliban terrorists" were killed.

Fighting has raged since hundreds of Taliban militants stormed Bala Murghab late on April 3, overrunning several security checkpoints.

Over the weekend, Afghan and NATO forces conducted air strikes in support of ground forces.

Mohammad Nasir Nazari, a provincial council member, said army commandos and special-police units were battling to clear the militants from the district.

Bala Murghab has been the scene of weeks of fierce clashes.

Last month, 50 government soldiers were killed during a weeklong battle in the district.

Nazari said 100 Afghan soldiers fled their posts and tried to cross into neighboring Turkmenistan during the battle in mid-March.

Many were captured by Taliban fighters after Turkmen government forces prevented them from crossing the border safely.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/afghan-forces- battle-taliban-for-fifth-day-in- northwest/29867627.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.

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Afghanistan To Send Delegates To 'Exchange Views' With Taliban In Qatar

By RFE/RL April 08, 2019

Afghanistan will send a government delegation for talks with the Taliban in Qatar, in a potential breakthrough in efforts to end the nearly 18-year war, even as the militants said participants will attend the meeting only in a "personal capacity."

Meanwhile, EU foreign ministers on April 8 said the bloc is ready to act as a guarantor for the Afghan peace process.

Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. envoy seeking a peace deal with the Taliban, said in a statement late April 7 that "representatives of the Afghan government and wider society will participate" in an intra-Afghan dialogue in Doha next week.

U.S. and Taliban negotiators have held several rounds of talks in the Qatari capital, Doha, but the militant group has refused to talk directly with the Kabul government which it sees as a U.S. "puppet."

Omar Daudzai, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's peace envoy, said on April 7 that a government delegation would go to Doha to "exchange views with the Taliban."

Daudzai said the government would finalize the componence of the delegation by April 10, with the talks scheduled for April 14-15.

The Taliban said in a April 7 statement that those attending the Doha talks will not be representing the government and will only "participate in a personal capacity."

The statement also said that the participants would not engage in peace negotiations, but "will only be clarifying their views and policies and sharing their stance with others."

EU ministers said in a statement after talks in Luxembourg that the EU "encourages the government of Afghanistan and the Taliban to intensify their efforts towards a peaceful and negotiated settlement of the conflict. The EU supports all efforts to catalyze such a process, which has created a political opportunity that should be seized."

"We could play that role both of guaranteeing the implementation of the agreement, the European Union has sufficient resources and presence on the ground to do that and I would say even more importantly, the European Union enjoys sufficient trust from different sites and parties of the Afghan society and of the region and international community to play that role,"

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said.

"Obviously we can also play a role of guaranteeing the process itself," she added.

Khalilzad has spent most of the past week in Afghanistan as part of an ongoing push for a peace deal.

He had previously said there were indications that the Taliban could sit down with government representatives in a "multiparty format."

Although the Taliban has not held direct talks with the government, it did meet powerful opposition politicians in Moscow in February.

Some of the prominent Afghan figures that took part in the Moscow talks are expected to be part of the government delegation in Qatar.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan, Rikard Jozwiak in Brussels, and AFP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-to- send-delegates-to-exchange-views-with- taliban-in-qatar/29867360.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.

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Travis AFB supports Cyclone Idai relief efforts

By Tech. Sgt. James Hodgman, 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs / Published April 08, 2019

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) -- Two C-17 Globemaster III crews assigned to the 21st Airlift Squadron from Travis Air Force Base arrived in Djibouti April 5 to aid Cyclone Idai relief efforts.

The cyclone was a Category 2 storm that hit the port city of Beira, Mozambique, March 15, with winds at speeds up to 110 mph. The storm, which is the worst to hit Mozambique in three decades, killed more than 800 people. It left several villages submerged in water before moving inland to Zimbabwe and Malawi.

"A lot of bad things happen on the planet--war, disease, famine, natural disaster  but we are all citizens of the world, we care and we are there to help," said Lt. Col. Steven Nolan, 21st AS director of operations. "When disaster strikes, no matter where it is, the United States, Air Mobility Command, the U.S. Air Force and our Airmen are ready, willing and able to help."

Travis AFB is supporting the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, which is leading the Department of Defense support to relief efforts in Mozambique, after a call for assistance from the U.S. Agency for International Development's Disaster Assistance Response Team.

"We received a request for two crews to support relief efforts in Mozambique on March 28 and a few days later we had those crews on a C-17 bound for Africa," Nolan said. "We are providing Rapid Global Mobility; the support that's needed, at the right place and the right time."

"The people affected by this disaster need help, whether that's food, shelter or something else and our Airmen are out there delivering hope," Nolan added.

According to various news reports about the cyclone, more than 100,000 people have lost their homes and more than 2 million people have been affected by the storm.

To date, the team from Travis AFB, utilizing a C-17 from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, has helped deliver more than 17,000 pounds of food, a forklift, a 25K loader and palletizing equipment from the United States Agency for International Development.

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At Least 150 Killed in Battle for Control of Afghan District

By Ayaz Gul April 08, 2019

Authorities in Afghanistan say the latest military-led offensives, backed by coalition airpower, have killed nearly 100 Taliban insurgents and injured dozens more in a bid to reclaim full control of a volatile district in western Badghis province.

Hundreds of heavily armed insurgents assaulted Bala Murghab last Thursday for the second time in a month and overran key parts of the district, including the police headquarters and main prison, before killing at least 30 Afghan troops and capturing as many others.

A government counteroffensive has since regularly carried out air raids against Taliban positions in the district and U.S.-led coalition planes have assisted, the Defense Ministry in Kabul said Monday.

The fighting during the past two days has killed 12 Afghan troops and wounded at least 34 others, according to the Ministry.

"The clearing operation continues in Bala Murghab district," it added.

Fighting also has intensified in other parts of Afghanistan with the advent of spring, despite U.S.-led efforts to reach a peace deal with the Taliban.

Sunday, chief American peace negotiator, Zalmay Khalilzad, concluded a nearly weeklong visit to Kabul where he held extensive consultations with leaders inside and outside the Afghan government as well as civil society representatives.

The Afghan-born U.S. special reconciliation representative is expected to enter into another round of peace negotiations with the Taliban later this month in Qatar in his bid to start an intra-Afghan dialogue to bring an end to the 18-year-old war that continues to inflict record levels of casualties on combatants and civilians.

Separately, Islamic State took responsibility for Monday's bombing of a police convoy in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province. Afghan officials said the blast killed a police officer and a civilian while eight other people were injured.

This was the third bomb attack in the city in three days, all of them claimed by Islamic State's local affiliate, Khorasan Province (ISKP). The violence has killed at least five people and injured dozens more.

But an IS statement claimed it detonated four improvised explosive devices (IED) in Jalalabad in five days, killing 21 people. The group's claims are often inflated.

ISKP's loyalists are mostly active in parts of Nangarhar and in the adjoining Kunar province, both of them sharing a border with Pakistan. The terrorist outfit is under attack from U.S.-backed Afghan forces, while Taliban insurgents are also waging attacks against the militant group in Taliban-controlled areas.

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Suicide Blast Kills 3 US Soldiers, Contractor in Afghanistan

By Carla Babb April 08, 2019

An attack outside Kabul, Afghanistan, has killed three U.S. service members and one American contractor, according to the U.S. military.

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for Monday's attack. U.S. Forces-Afghanistan spokesman Army Col. David Butler told VOA a vehicle-borne bomb exploded near a convoy on a security patrol near Bagram Air Base, the largest U.S. military base in the country. The base is about 50 kilometers north of Kabul.

The U.S. military medically evacuated three other U.S. service members who were wounded in the attack. Butler said the three troops are now in stable condition.

The spokesman for the Islamist insurgent group, Zabihullah Mujahid, claimed the massive explosion "killed and injured 10 American invaders." He added that three Afghan security personnel, including an important commander, were also among the dead. Taliban claims are often inflated for such attacks.

About 14,000 U.S. troops are supporting Afghan forces and conducting counterterror operations in Afghanistan.

The attack comes as U.S. representatives are working to negotiate a settlement with the Taliban to bring an end to America's longest war. U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said he had reached two "draft agreements" with Taliban representatives in Qatar last month.

To date, seven U.S. service members have been killed in Afghanistan this year.

Ayaz Gul in Islamabad contributed to this report.

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US Signs Defense Cooperation Agreement with Hungary

By Natalie Liu April 08, 2019

On the sidelines of two days of events marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the United States signed a bilateral defense cooperation agreement with Hungary, an act that went almost unnoticed by American media.

Hungarian media, however, widely published the news Saturday, quoting Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Peter Szijjarto, as saying this is a "modernized version" of an agreement reached 20 years ago.

In a statement, David B. Cornstein, U.S. ambassador to Hungary since June 2018, said "This agreement will modernize our previous status of forces agreement to reflect new realities in defense."

Daniel S. Hamilton, a transatlantic expert at Johns Hopkins University, told VOA that the agreement serves as a means to channel U.S. funding to signatory countries under the European Deterrence Initiative (EDI), "largely for infrastructure improvements but also related to missile defense coop(eration)." The United States, he said, has similar agreements with a number of allies and is negotiating with more.

The European Deterrence Initiative, known earlier as the European Reassurance Initiative, was first put in place in 2014 in response to Russia's actions in Crimea and eastern Ukraine, and has "grown steadily," researchers say, "amidst a firestorm of presidential tweets and fractious international gatherings, reaching just over $6.5 billion for fiscal year 2019."

Hours after the U.S. - Hungary defense agreement was signed, Hungary's foreign minister declared at an event in Washington that his government "applauds" how the current U.S. Administration treats his country and Central Europe as a whole, which he described as a drastic departure from the previous Administration.

The Obama Administration was "more critical of Hungary's slide to illiberal democracy than the Trump Administration," says Johns Hopkins University's Hamilton. The latter's criticism, he says, "has been directed more to Hungary's links to China and Russia rather than domestic issues."

The Hungarian government, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has often stated the need to "protect European Christian culture" as well as the need to "halt migration." In spite of his electoral victories, Mr. Orban also has a significant number of critics, both domestic and foreign, including the pastor who presided over Mr. Orban's wedding and christened his two eldest children.

In its announcement of the agreement's signing, the U.S. State Department credited both Hungary's commitment to strengthen ties with the United States as well as the U.S.'s commitment to bolster bilateral ties in Central Europe. Details of the Agreement are not yet available.

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Venezuelan FM: Caracas to Fulfill Cuba Oil Obligations Despite US Sanctions

Sputnik News

01:48 09.04.2019

BUENOS AIRES (Sputnik) - Venezuela will fulfill its obligations on oil deliveries to Cuba despite the new US sanctions, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said on Monday.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez denounced the United States' latest round of economic sanctions targeting Venezuela's oil sector as "economic piracy".

"When capitalism attacks you, you must respond [] I cannot disclose the strategy, but we will always fulfill our obligations to fraternal peoples such as Cuba", Arreaza said in a statement aired by Telesur broadcaster.

Earlier in April, the United States sanctioned 34 vessels tied to the Venezuelan PDVSA oil company, controlled by the government of President Nicolas Maduro, and two companies that allegedly transport oil from Venezuela to Cuba.

Moreover, a senior official from the administration of US President Donald Trump said the latest round of sanctions was introduced at the request of the Venezuelan opposition-led National Assembly.

The United States has imposed numerous rounds of sanctions against Venezuela in response to the political developments in the country. On 28 January, the United States announced the imposition of sanctions on Venezuela's PDVSA, blocking the company's assets worth $7 billion remaining under the US jurisdiction.

According to the White House' forecast, the company will lose another $11 billion in oil supplies. In addition, Washington introduced a ban on making deals with the company.

Venezuela has long been suffering from an acute economic crisis exacerbated by the US sanctions against the country. In January, opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president of Venezuela after disputing Maduro's re-election in May. Washington immediately endorsed Guaido and called on Maduro to step down.

Maduro has accused the United States of trying to orchestrate a coup in order to install Guaido as a US puppet. Russia, China, Cuba, Bolivia, Turkey and a number of other countries have voiced their support for constitutionally elected Maduro as the only legitimate president of Venezuela.



 Sputnik

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US Homeland secretary leaves after talking with Trump

Iran Press TV

Mon Apr 8, 2019 02:17AM

Secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security has quit her post after talking with President Donald Trump.

The president made the announcement Sunday, adding that US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Kevin McAleenan would replace Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who "will be leaving her position."

"I have confidence that Kevin will do a great job," Trump said.

Nielsen herself took to Twitter to also announce she would step down.

"Its [sic] been an honor of a lifetime to serve with the brave men and women of @DHSgov. I could not be prouder of and more humbled by their service, dedication, and commitment to keep our country safe from all threats and hazards," she said, adding in a letter to Trump that, "Despite our progress in reforming homeland security for a new age, I have determined that it is the right time for me to step aside."

She also called on "the brave and dedicated men and women of @DHSgov," saying she was "eternally grateful and proud of what you do each and every day [sic] to protect our homeland."

"Our missions as a Department are vast and have never been more vital," Nielsen wrote. "You are in the arena- keep up the good fight. Thank you for your sacrifices and those of your families. God bless you and God bless our great country."

Her departure comes at a time the administration claims there is a "crisis" at the US southern border to influx of migrants from central and South America.

The development also comes in the wake of Trump's failure to build his promised wall on the border.

Frustrated with the situation at the border, Nielsen met with Trump at the White House to quit her position.

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US News Accounts: Homeland Security Secretary Nielsen Forced Out

By VOA News April 08, 2019

Embattled U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was forced out rather than resigning willingly, several U.S. news outlets are reporting.

Nielsen submitted her resignation Sunday night after meeting at the White House with President Donald Trump, who almost daily has voiced his anger at the thousands of undocumented Central American migrants crossing the southern U.S. border with Mexico to seek asylum in the United States.

The news accounts say Nielsen had no intention of quitting when she arrived to meet with the U.S. leader, but that he was determined to ask for her resignation, which she submitted shortly after the meeting.

Immigration hardliners in the White House, including National Security Advisor John Bolton and immigration policy advisor Stephen Miller, had been pushing Trump to oust her, viewing her as not tough enough to deal with the crisis at the border.

Trump announced that current U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan will replace Nielsen, becoming the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, with Nielsen staying on through Wednesday in a brief transition.

"I have confidence that Kevin will do a great job," Trump said.

In Twitter comments, Trump twice contended that the United States has no room for more arriving immigrants.

Last week, Trump retreated from a days-long threat to close the U.S.-Mexico border after advisors told him that a closure would have a significant negative impact on the U.S. economy, the world's largest. Instead, he said Mexico had a year to curb the surge of migrants and interdict the flow of illicit drugs into the U.S. or else he would impose tariffs on automobiles Mexico exports to the U.S.

"Mexico must apprehend all illegals and not let them make the long march up to the United States, or we will have no other choice than to Close the Border and/or institute Tariffs," Trump said.

Also last week, Trump rescinded his nomination of Ronald Vitiello as the new Immigration and Customs Enforcement chief, saying he wanted to go "in a tougher direction."

Nielsen was the Homeland Security secretary for 16 months, overseeing the controversial separation of thousands of migrant children from their parents as they arrived at the border, a policy overturned in a court decision. She also secured an agreement with Mexico to start processing U.S. asylum requests while the immigrants were still in Mexico.

U.S. officials say the immigration crisis has worsened in recent weeks, with frequent complaints from Trump. He declared a national emergency to build a barrier wall along an increasing expanse of the border, tapping funding from various government programs after Congress refused to fund wall construction. Sixteen states and other groups have filed suit to contest his action, but the dispute has not been resolved.

Faced with declining support within the White House, Nielsen submitted her resignation, saying in a letter to Trump, "Despite our progress in reforming homeland security for a new age, I have determined that it is the right time for me to step aside."

While she did not say exactly why she is quitting, Nielsen wrote she hopes the next secretary "will have the support of Congress and the courts in fixing the laws which have impeded our ability to fully secure America's borders and which have contributed to discord in our nation's discourse. Our country and the men and women of DHS deserve to have all the tools and resources they need to execute the mission entrusted to them."

Trump has expressed frustration with the situation along the southern border, where hundreds of thousands of migrants trying to escape poverty and crime in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras have traveled through Mexico in hopes of entering the United States. Under U.S. law, foreign nationals are allowed to apply for asylum.

White House sources have said Trump often yelled at Nielsen for apparently not being strong enough in curbing the number of migrants trying to enter the United States.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the Trump administration's immigration polices "cruel" and said they "have only worsened the humanitarian suffering at the border."

"It is deeply alarming that the Trump Administration official who put children in cages is reportedly resigning because she is not extreme enough for the White House's liking," Pelosi said in a statement. "America needs a Homeland Security Secretary who will respect the sanctity of families, honor our proud heritage as a nation of immigrants, and restore sanity to this Administration's policies," she said.

Nielsen faced a public outcry over the administration's highly unpopular policy of separating migrant families when they crossed into the U.S.

Thousands of young children were taken from their parents and held in separation facilities. Nielsen was responsible for executing that policy while at times denying such a policy existed.

Despite the acrimony, Nielsen wrote, "I can say with confidence our homeland is safer today than when I joined the Administration. We have taken unprecedented action to protect Americans."

Trump thanked Nielsen for her service.

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CENTCOM: French Navy's Deployment in Qatar Reinforces Operation Inherent Resolve

Sputnik News

23:45 08.04.2019

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - France has sent warships to the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar to assist the integration of French aircraft into the US-counterterror campaign in Iraq and Syria, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a press release on Monday.

"The French detachment at the Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) in Al Udeid Airforce Base, Qatar, has been recently reinforced by a significant French Navy backups supporting Operation Inherent Resolve", the release said. French jets had been deployed in the Joint Operation Area for several months before the French Navy arrived, the release said.

The addition of naval assets will allow French aircraft to better integrate into the US-led coalition's fight against terrorists in Syria and Iraq, the release added.

The French Navy's aircraft carrier Charles-de-Gaulle and its strike group have joined the operations of the US-led coalition against the Daesh, the US Central Command said in a statement earlier in March. The carrier strike group consists of the Aircraft carrier Charles-de-Gaulle, the Danish frigate Daniel Juel, and an attack submarine among other assets, according to the statement.

The French air carrier group has already conducted three previous missions since January 2015 in support of the US-led coalition.

The US-led coalition of more than 70 members has been conducting military operations against the Daesh terrorist group in Syria and Iraq since September 2014. The coalition's activities in Syria are authorized neither by the Syrian government, nor by the UN Security Council.

* Daesh (ISIL/ISIS/IS/Islamic State) is a terrorist organisation banned in Russia and many other countries.

 Sputnik

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Zarif describes as dangerous Trump's new anti-Iran choice

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, April 8, IRNA -- Iranian foreign Minister in a message termed as a dangerous misadventure by US President Donald Trump new anti-Iran choice to blacklist the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC)

'A(nother) misguided election-eve gift to Netanyahu. A(nother) dangerous US misadventure in the region,' Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted on Monday.

The United States has been plotting anti-Iran measures for forty years now, but the Iranian nation has stood against these measures and will strongly support the IRGC forces.

On Monday, Trump administration designated Iran's IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization.

Earlier, Zarif called for labeling the US military forces terrorist after Washington's announcement to declare the IRGC as a terrorist organization.

In a letter to President Hassan Rouhani who also heads the Supreme National Security Council, Mohammad Javad Zarif suggested that this council to enlist the US Central Command (CENTCOM) in its terror list.

The US Central Command is responsible for defending and promoting US interests in 20 nations in the Middle East, Central and South Asia, and the strategic waterways that surround them.

Zarif in its letter referred to the US military forces' covert and open support for the terrorist groups in the region and their direct interference in terror activities and offered the Supreme National Security Council to enlist CENTCOM in its terror list according to the Iranian parliament's 'Bill Against US Adventurist and Terrorist Activities in the Region".

Responding to the report, a vast majority of lawmakers in Iran's parliament issued a statement threatening to designate elements of the US military a terror group.

9376**2050

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Iran mulling reciprocal act against possible US measure against IRGC

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, April 8, IRNA -- Iran is mulling reciprocal act against possible US measure against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Referring to Iranian FM's presence in the commission, Rapporteur for the National Security Commission of Parliament said that Mohammad Javad Zarif has sent a note to the Swiss Embassy in Tehran (in charge of US interests in Iran) after recent statements by the US on the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) saying in case of realization of this, Iran will act reciprocally.

In an explanation of the public meeting on Monday of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Parliament, Ali Najafi Khoshroudi, added that the meeting was held with the presence of Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, during which the latest developments in foreign policy and the plans and actions of the diplomatic apparatus were discussed.

Pointing to the American announcement of the inclusion of the Revolution Guards in the list of terrorist groups, the foreign minister condemned the move, and emphasized that such a move would create a lot of dangers. Although the Islamic Republic of Iran is not looking for tension, but if the United States makes such a decision, the Islamic Republic of Iran will also reciprocate.

He added that in this regard, the Foreign Ministry's actions include sending a note to the Swiss Embassy in Tehran.

Najafi Khoshroudi highlighted that Zarif, criticizing the recent statement of the Group of 7, considered it a violation of the nuclear agreement by the parties to the agreement that are also a member of this group.

Referring to recent trips to Iraq as historic, he also elaborated on the achievements of these trips, including the agreement for Arvandroud dredging, the issuance of free pilgrimage visas and the decision to develop economic relations.

The rapporteur for the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Parliament stated, 'Determination on strengthening economic diplomacy and taking advantage of the capacity of relations with its neighbors, US preventive measures against sending humanitarian aid to Iran's flood-hit people, US economic terrorism, the role of the Zionist regime, the latest state of INSTEX, Parliament plan to consider US troops in the region as terrorists in the event of US action against the Revolution Guard Corps, were among other issues raised by the Foreign Minister and members of the National Security Commission in the meeting."

9455**2050

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Iran FM calls for labeling US forces terrorist

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, April 8, IRNA -- Iranian foreign minister on Monday called for labeling the US military forces terrorist after Washington's announcement to declare the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.

In a letter to President Hassan Rouhani who also heads the Supreme National Security Council, Mohammad Javad Zarif suggested that this council to enlist the US Central Command (CENTCOM) in its terror list.

The US Central Command is responsible for defending and promoting US interests in 20 nations in the Middle East, Central and South Asia, and the strategic waterways that surround them.

Zarif in its letter referred to the US military forces' covert and open support for the terrorist groups in the region and their direct interference in terror activities and offered the Supreme National Security Council to enlist CENTCOM in its terror list according to the Iranian parliament's 'Bill Against US Adventurist and Terrorist Activities in the Region".

President Donald Trump announced Monday the US will formally designate Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

On Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported such a move against IRGC by Washington could come as early as Monday.

Responding to the report, a vast majority of lawmakers in Iran's parliament issued a statement threatening to designate elements of the US military a terror group.

9191**2050

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Trump's dangerous gambling with IRGC

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, April 8, IRNA -- The US is playing a dangerous game by trying to enlist the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in the list of terrorist organizations.

From the time US President Donald Trump stepped to the White House, to date, Tehran-Washington relations have become darker every day to the point where the hopes for improving relations have been diminished at least in the Republican government.

In the past days, the Reuters news agency quoted three US officials indicating the possibility of placing the Revolution Guards in the US list of terrorist groups. Of course, this is not the first time that the United States is targeting the IRGC.

In July 2017, the US Senate representatives also voted in favor of placing not only the Qods Corps as an overseas branch of the IRGC, but the entire Revolutionary Guard, under cover of allegations such as supporting terrorism and destabilizing measures in the region on the sanctions list. In addition, in recent years, the US Treasury Department has consistently placed a number of individuals on the sanctions list under the pretext of affiliation with the Revolution Guard.

But placing the IRGC as the official and legal force of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the list of terrorist groups is not only contrary to international rules and conventions, but also highlights the unilateral and unconventional policies of Trump's America exponentially; the policy that the Iranian authorities have condemned in different ways.

After the release of the news, Mohammad Ali Jafari, the Revolution Guards General Commander, warned that American forces in West Asia would not have any further calm in the event of the incident.

He added, 'If the Americans take such stubbornness and endanger our national security, we will put counter-measures operational in line with the policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran.'

Subsequently, MPs of parliament did not remain silent, and 255 MPs announced their support for the Revolution Guards Corps. They also warned the United States that if the Islamic Revolution Guards was included in the list of terrorist organizations, this would face with Iran's counter-measures.

The question now arises is why does the US seek to place an official Iranian organization in the terrorist group?

In recent years, the United States and its regional allies have worried about the increase in missile and military capabilities of Iran. Therefore, they have been working on various occasions to prevent the construction and testing of missiles by Iran. Repeated shows by American and Israeli officials to influence the general public's minds, as well as to show Iran's missile defense activities against the resolution 2231, are among their plans.

On the one hand, the Trump seeks to create restrictions on the development of Iran's military capability, and on the other hand, by concluding large arms agreements with the countries of the region intends to strengthen their military power in confronting Tehran. In addition to weaponry, some reports suggest that Trump will sell nuclear equipment to countries like Saudi Arabia is seeking to nuclearize Iran's rival.

Along with Saudi Arabia, the Zionist regime is backed by the United States at any cost. It was in this regard that Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, after announcing the possibility of placing the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps on the list of terrorist groups wrote on his Twitter page, 'Those who prefer Netanyahu's interests to their country's interests and have always pursued the plot of naming the IRGC as the foreign terrorist organization, are fully aware of the consequences of this policy for US forces in the region.'

Zarif considers this possible US action as another catastrophe in the region while experts on international affairs warn of its consequences. Undoubtedly, Iran's first move will be 'reciprocal action' that the world's players use as a common practice.

In this regard, the head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the parliament, Heshmatullah Falahatpisheh underlines that if the IRGC is placed on the list of terrorist groups, the Iranian parliament will do the same.

'We have prepared a double-urgency bill that, as soon as this happens, we will announce the US troops alongside ISIS on the list of terrorist groups,' he said.

According to observers, if this decision is implemented, the Middle East region, which has recently been released from ISIS's sabotage and terrorist acts, will again be plunged into turbulence, and undoubtedly the scope of insecurity, as has been seen in recent years, will include the West. This is why experts challenge the United States' double standards in countering terrorism and believe that the continuation of such behaviors can be dangerous not only for a region. but also for the whole world.

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Iran Guards commander reacts to US' plan to brand IRGC as terror group

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Mon / 8 April 2019 / 11:49

Tehran (ISNA) - The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps' chief commander reacted to the news that the U.S. is set to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization, stressing that in case the U.S. takes such a step, its forces in western Asia "will lose peace and quiet".

The IRGC's chief commander, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari said, "If Americans make the mistake, and endangers our national security we will take reciprocal measures, based on the policies of the Islamic Republic".

"In case the U.S. takes such a step, its forces in western Asia will lose peace and quiet," he insisted.

End Item

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Zarif warns of consequences of US' decision to designate IRGC as terror group

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Mon / 8 April 2019 / 11:03

Tehran (ISNA)  Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif warned that US' decision to designate the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization would have catastrophic consequences for American forces in the region.

"#NetanyahuFirsters who have long agitated for FTO designation of the IRGC fully understand its consequences for US forces in the region. In fact, they seek to drag US into a quagmire on his behalf. @realDonaldTrump should know better than to be conned into another US disaster," Mr. Zarif wrote on his official Twitter account.

Earlier on April 5, Reuters had reported, "The United States is expected to designate Iran's elite Revolution Guards Corps, a foreign terrorist organization".

According to Reuters, "The decision is expected to be announced by the U.S. State Department, perhaps as early as Monday (April 8)".

End Item

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FM spokesman raps G7's stances on Iran's missiles, regional role

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Mon / 8 April 2019 / 10:07

Tehran (ISNA) - Iran has denounced the Group of Seven's "untrue" and "unrealistic" positions on Tehran's constructive and undeniable role in consolidating stability and security and in fight against terrorism in the region, saying that the country's missile program is of peaceful and defensive nature.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Bahram Qassemi made the remarks in a statement in response to some paragraphs of the final statement of the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) in France, in which they discussed issues related to Iran.

Qassemi said, "The Islamic Republic believes the content of this statement, which is based on groundless accusations and misapprehension of Iran's peaceful nuclear program, its regional role and missile program, is unconstructive and completely unilateral".

"Iran maintains that these accusations clearly violate the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and the commitments of the three European countries," he added.

"It is a source of regret that the members of this group are influenced by the illegal and bullying behaviour of the United States, and are repeating false claims against Iran, using a rhetoric that they themselves admit does not belong to them," Qassemi noted.

"They only want to satisfy Washington and meet the US demands which is just one of the members of the G7."

The Iranian spokesman denounced as untrue and unrealistic the stances expressed by the G7 on Tehran's constructive and undeniable role in consolidating stability, security, and in fight against terrorism in the West Asia, and reiterated the peaceful and defensive nature of the country's missile program.

"Having complied with its international obligations, the Islamic Republic of Iran has shown its good faith in engaging, negotiating and maintaining contact with the international community," he said.

"Tehran believes that setting forth unrealistic issues and making unsuccessful attempts to portray Iran as a threat will not affect the determination of the Iranian people and the Islamic Republic's approach to pursue its national interests in the region and the world," he added.

Qassemi also condemned the violations of the fundamental principles of the Iran nuclear deal by the three European countries, calling on them to provide a clear explanation. He emphasized that the Islamic Republic of Iran will pursue this issue using the mechanisms existing in the JCPOA.

End Item

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Iran puts US forces in West Asia region on its terror blacklist

Iran Press TV

Mon Apr 8, 2019 05:13PM

Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) has slammed the US government as "supporter of terrorism," designating American forces in West Asia, known as the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), as a "terrorist organization."

In a statement on Monday, the Iranian top security council said the designation came as a "reciprocal measure" against US President Donald Trump's "illegal and unwise" move to blacklist Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organization.

Trump said in a statement earlier in the day that the Iranian elite forces' designation "makes crystal clear the risks of conducting business with, or providing support to, the IRGC. If you are doing business with the IRGC, you will be bankrolling terrorism."

The SNSC strongly condemned the "illegal and dangerous" move by the US regime against the IRGC and said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran regards this baseless move as a major threat to regional and international peace and security and a blatant violation of the compelling rules of international law and the United Nations Charter."

It added that CENTCOM has been tasked with implementing terrorist policies of the US government against countries in West Asia, noting that CENTCOM's effort to impose those policies has endangered Iran's national security and the lives of both Iranians and non-Iranians, including through participation of the US in the massacre of the Yemeni people and other civilians in the West Asia region.

Iran's SNSC also warned that the US regime "will be responsible for dangerous consequences" of this adventurist measure."

Earlier in the day, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif proposed that the SNSC should add American forces in West Asia to its list of terrorist groups in the Islamic Republic.

In his letter to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who also chairs the SNSC, Zarif said given overt and covert support of US military forces in the region for terrorist groups and their direct involvement in terrorist acts, the SNSC should designate American forces as terrorists based on a law titled "Countering America's Human Rights Violation and Adventurous and Terrorist Actions" passed by the Iranian Parliament in 2017.

The US has already blacklisted dozens of entities and individuals affiliated with the IRGC, but not the entire force.

Syria condemns US designation of IRGC as 'terrorist' organization

In a related development on Monday, an official source at Syria's Foreign and Expatriates Ministry said Damascus strongly condemned the US government's designation of the IRGC as a 'terrorist' organization, describing it as a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of Iran.

According to Syria's official SANA news agency, the unnamed official added that the US administration's "irresponsible step" was part of the declared war launched by the US against Iran.

The Syrian official further noted that Trump's announcement was meant to meet the interests of the Israeli occupation regime and was in line with the West's colonial project in the region.

"The US measure is a legion of honor for and recognition of the pioneering role of the IRGC in defending Iran's sovereignty and its  important role in the resistance front," the source added.

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Iran FM proposes terrorist blacklisting of US forces in West Asia

Iran Press TV

Mon Apr 8, 2019 03:45PM

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has proposed that the country's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) should add American forces in West Asia, known as the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), to its list of terrorist groups in the Islamic Republic.

Zarif made the proposal in a Monday letter to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who also chairs the SNSC, shortly after US President Donald Trump designated Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) a foreign terrorist organization.

"The IRGC is the Iranian government's primary means of directing and implementing its global terrorist campaign," Trump said in a statement.

In his letter to Rouhani, the top Iranian diplomat said given overt and covert support of US military forces in the region for terrorist groups and their direct involvement in terrorist acts, the SNSC should designate American forces as terrorists based on a law titled "Countering America's Human Rights Violation and Adventurous and Terrorist Actions" passed by the Iranian Parliament in 2017.

In August 2017, Iran's lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a motion in response to US sanctions, voting to boost spending on Tehran's missile program and the IRGC's defense mechanism.

In a session, 240 lawmakers voted for the bill, with only one abstention, to confront America's terrorist and adventurous acts in the region.

The chief commander of the IRGC warned on Sunday that the elite force will put reciprocal action against the US forces on its agenda if Washington labels it as a "terrorist organization."

"If the Americans make such a silly move and endanger our national security, we will implement and put reciprocal measures on our agenda based on the policies of Iran's Islamic establishment," Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari said.

Iran's Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi also said on Monday that the recent decision by the United States to put the IRGC on its blacklist of foreign terrorist organizations is doomed to fail like all other mischievous acts previously taken by the US against the Islamic Republic.

"A country, which has no other track records but arming, supporting and harboring terrorist groups, considers an official armed force of another country that has always been a pioneer in helping people and defending the Islamic movements, as [a] terrorist [organization]," Raeisi said.

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U.S. Designates Iran's Revolutionary Guards As 'Terrorist Organization'

By RFE/RL April 08, 2019

U.S. President Donald Trump has designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), the first time the United States has labelled another nation's military as a terrorist group.

Washington will continue to increase financial pressure and raise the costs on Iran "for its support of terrorist activity," Trump said in a statement.

Tehran responded in kind, announcing a couple of hours later that its top security council has designated the United States a "state sponsor of terrorism" and U.S. forces in the region "terrorist groups."

The United States has already blacklisted tens of entities and people for affiliations with the IRGC, but not the organization as a whole.

"This designation will be the first time that the United States has ever named a part of another government as an FTO [foreign terrorist organization]," Trump said.

"It underscores the fact that Iran's actions are fundamentally different from those of other governments."

"It makes crystal clear the risks of conducting business with, or providing support to, the IRGC," Trump said. "If you are doing business with the IRGC, you will be bankrolling terrorism."

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the designation will take effect in one week. Pompeo, speaking to the media in Washington, warned all banks and businesses to end dealings with the IRGC.

The move blocks any assets that IRGC entities may have in U.S. jurisdictions and bars Americans from any transactions with it.

When it takes effect, it will allow Washington to deny entry to people found to have provided the IRGC with "material support" or prosecute them for sanctions violations.

State news agency IRNA reported shortly afterwards that Iran's Supreme National Security Council has labelled the United States a "state sponsor of terrorism."

The council blasted Washington's move as an "illegal and foolish act," and said that in response, it "declares that it considers the regime of the U.S. a state sponsor of terrorism and the Central Command of America, known as CENTCOM, and all forces related to it terrorist groups," the statement posted by IRNA said.

CENTCOM's area of command covers multiple war zones and hot spots including Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and the Persian Gulf.

The decision came after Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif urged President Hassan Rohani to place CENTCOM on Tehran's list of "terrorist" groups.

Strong Political, Economic Influence

Zarif also sent a protest letter over the U.S. designation to the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which looks after the U.S. interests in Iran.

Critics had warned that such a step could open U.S. military and intelligence officials to similar actions by unfriendly countries.

But U.S. national security adviser John Bolton said the move proves America's determination to step up the pressure on Tehran to make it stop using terrorism as a "tool of statecraft."

The Guards were formed after the 1979 Islamic revolution with a mission to protect the regime, as opposed to more traditional military units that defend borders.

Over the decades, the IRGC has amassed strong political and economic influence inside Iran, while its elite Quds Force, named for the Arabic word for Jerusalem, supports Iranian allies, including Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Lebanon's Hizballah movement.

The U.S. move was welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who thanked Trump, saying the designation "serves the interests of our countries and of countries in the region."

Netanyahu wrote on Twitter following the announcement, "Thank you, President @realDonaldTrump for your decision to designate the Islamic revolutionary guards as a terrorist organization. Once again you are keeping the world safe from Iran aggression and terrorism."

Israel has long seen Iran as its greatest foe, citing its leaders' hostile rhetoric, suspect nuclear program, development of long-range missiles, and support for anti-Israeli militant groups such as Hizballah.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, Reuters, AFP, and AP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/u-s-designates-iran-s- revolutionary-guards-as-foreign-terrorist -organization-/29868680.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.

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Iran Designates US Military a Terrorist Organisation - Reports

Sputnik News

18:59 08.04.2019(updated 19:52 08.04.2019)

Previously, Iran warned that if US President Donald Trump lists Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps as a terrorist organisation, Tehran would respond with a similar measure against the US CENTCOM. The corresponding bill has already been prepared.

Iran's Supreme Security Council has designated the US CENTCOM and related forces as a terrorist organisation, Press TV reported. In addition, the media outlet noted, the council accused Washington of supporting terrorism.

"As a retaliatory measure to the US illegal decision [to recognize the IRGC as a terrorist organization], Iran declares the US regime a 'state that supports terrorism' and the CENTCOM and forces that are linked to it a 'terrorist group'," the security council's statement, quoted by the Islamic Republic of Iranian Broadcasting state media outlet, read.

The move was announced shortly after US President Donald Trump announced a similar decision against Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, warning about "the risks of conducting business" with the elite forces.

The council has blasted Trump's decision:

"The Supreme National Security Council of Iran, strongly condemning the dangerous and illegal step of the US regime, which put the IRGC on the list of foreign terrorist organizations, considers this groundless measure the main danger to peace and security in the region and around the world," the TV channel quoted the Iranian Security Council statement.

Since reports about Trump's plans to blacklist the IRGC appeared, Iranian officials have been warning that they would put the US Army in the region "on the terror blacklist besides Daesh*".

US Sanctions Against Revolutionary Guards Corps

The IRGC, a paramilitary organisation which was formed in the wake of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution to defend the government, was already sanctioned by the US. The US Treasury Department imposed restrictions against the organisation in 2017 under a 9/11-era executive order over the group's alleged 'terror-sponsoring' activities.

As Washington claimed, the Revolutionary Guards were providing assistance to the Syrian military, as well as backing the activities of the Hezbollah and Hamas, which the US and some of its allies consider to be terrorist groups.

The IRGC comply only to orders from Iran's supreme leader, operating independently of the regular military. Previously, the US claimed that the corps may control or have a significant influence over up to 50 per cent of the Iranian economy, including non-military sectors.

 Sputnik

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Trump Designates Iran's IRGC as Terrorist Group Despite Tehran's Warning

Sputnik News

17:15 08.04.2019(updated 18:24 08.04.2019)

Earlier, Iranian lawmakers warned that if Washington went ahead and designated the Revolutionary Guards as a terror group, Tehran would counter by listing the US military on a terror blacklist alongside Daesh (ISIS).

The United States has designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps as a terrorist organisation, President Donald Trump announced on Monday.

In a statement published on the White House's official website, Trump boasted that the "unprecedented" move "recognises the reality that Iran is not only a state sponsor of terrorism, but that the IRGC actively participates in, finances, and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft."

According to Trump, the IRGC is "the Iranian government's primary means of directing and implementing its global terrorist campaign." The designation, he said, "makes crystal clear the risks of conducting business with, or providing support to, the IRGC. If you are doing business with the IRGC, you will be bankrolling terrorism," Trump stressed.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed Monday that the designation will take effect one week from now, and called on the world to follow suit.

"We are calling on other nations to isolate the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps; we have to diminish their power," a senior administration official said during a background briefing on Monday.

The designation is the first time that the US has formally labelled another country's military as a terrorist group. Previously, the US moved to sanction dozens of individuals and entities over their connections to the IRGC, but not the organisation itself, possibly out of fears that such a move could lead to reprisals.

According to Trump, the terror designation "underscores the fact that Iran's actions are fundamentally different from those of other governments," and is aimed at expanding the overall "scope and scale" of the US's pressure "on the Iranian regime."

The IRGC is already sanctioned by the US, with the US Treasury Department imposing tough restrictions against the organisation in 2017 under a 9/11-era executive order over the group's alleged 'terror sponsoring' activities. Washington has accused the Revolutionary Guards of providing assistance to the Syrian military, and of supporting the activities of the Hezbollah and Hamas militant groups, which the US and some of its allies classify as terrorists.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Recommends Putting US Centcom on List of 'Terrorist Organisations'

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif responded to the designation Monday, recommending that President Hassan Rouhani and the Supreme National Security Council designate US Central Command (US CENTCOM), a US military theatre-level command whose area of responsibility includes the Middle East, on the list of organisations designated as terrorists by Iran.

Iranian officials previously warned that the IRGC's inclusion on the US terror list would be a "mistake" which would prompt Tehran to equate the US military with Daesh (ISIS).* Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, chairman of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said a bill to this effect had already been prepared.

Israel Praises Terror Designation

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump's decision on the IRGC on Twitter, calling the president his "dear friend" and thanking him "for responding to another important request of mine, which serves the interests of our countries and the countries of the region."

"We will continue to act together against the Iranian threats to the State of Israel, and the US and world peace," Netanyahu added.

IRGC Can Appeal Move

Under US law, a group is designated as a terrorist entity by the secretary of state, the attorney general and the Treasury secretary, absent a move by Congress to block the decision. The group in question can challenge the designation, however, by requesting a review in a US appeals court.

Relations between Tehran and Washington collapsed to their lowest level in decades last May, after the Trump administration unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which promised Iran sanctions relief in exchange for a halt to any nuclear weapons-related activities. Trump vowed to reinstate all nuclear-related sanctions, and to bring Iran's oil exports to a complete halt until Iran changes its "sinister behaviour."

*A terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many other countries.

 Sputnik

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Designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

Fact Sheet

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

April 8, 2019

The State Department intends to designate as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in its entirety, including the Qods Force. This is a historic step to counter Iran-backed terrorism around the world.

On April 15, the IRGC will be added to the State Department's FTO list, which includes 67 other terrorist organizations including Hizballah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Kata'ib Hizballah, and al-Ashtar Brigades.

The IRGC FTO designation highlights that Iran is an outlaw regime that uses terrorism as a key tool of statecraft and that the IRGC, part of Iran's official military, has engaged in terrorist activity or terrorism since its inception 40 years ago.

The IRGC has been directly involved in terrorist plotting; its support for terrorism is foundational and institutional, and it has killed U.S. citizens. It is also responsible for taking hostages and wrongfully detaining numerous U.S. persons, several of whom remain in captivity in Iran today.

The Iranian regime has made a clear choice not only to fund and equip, but also to fuel terrorism, violence, and unrest across the Middle East and around the world at the expense of its own people.

The Iranian regime is responsible for the deaths of at least 603 American service members in Iraq since 2003. This accounts for 17% of all deaths of U.S. personnel in Iraq from 2003 to 2011, and is in addition to the many thousands of Iraqis killed by the IRGC's proxies.

This action is a significant step forward in our maximum pressure campaign against the Iranian regime. We will continue to increase financial pressure and raise the costs on the Iranian regime for its support of terrorist activities until Tehran abandons this unacceptable behavior.

The IRGC, with the support of the Iranian government, has engaged in terrorist activity since its inception 40 years ago.

The IRGCmost prominently through its Qods Forcehas the greatest role among Iran's actors in directing and carrying out a global terrorist campaign. In recent years, IRGC Qods Force terrorist planning has been uncovered and disrupted in many countries, including Germany, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Kenya, Bahrain, and Turkey. The IRGC Qods Force in 2011 plotted a brazen terrorist attack against the Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. on American soil. Fortunately, this plot was foiled. In September 2018, a U.S. federal court found Iran and the IRGC liable for the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing which killed 19 Americans. In 2012, IRGC Qods Force operatives were arrested in Turkey for plotting an attack and in Kenya for planning a bombing. In January 2018, Germany uncovered ten IRGC operatives involved in a terrorist plot in Germany, and convicted another IRGC operative for surveilling a German-Israeli group.



The IRGC continues to provide financial and other material support, training, technology transfer, advanced conventional weapons, guidance, or direction to a broad range of terrorist organizations, including Hizballah, Palestinian terrorist groups like Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Kata'ib Hizballah in Iraq, al-Ashtar Brigades in Bahrain, and other terrorist groups in Syria and around the Gulf.

In addition to its support of proxies and terrorist groups abroad, Iran also harbors terrorists within its own borders, thereby facilitating their activities. Iran continues to allow Al Qaeda (AQ) operatives to reside in Iran, where they have been able to move money and fighters to South Asia and Syria. In 2016, the U.S. Treasury Department identified and sanctioned three senior AQ operatives residing in Iran and noted that Iran had knowingly permitted these AQ members, including several of the 9/11 hijackers, to transit its territory on their way to Afghanistan for training and operational planning.

The IRGC FTO designation is a significant step forward in our maximum pressure campaign against the Iranian regime.

This new FTO designation builds upon previous sanctions, sends a clear message to the world that the Administration is committed to exerting maximum pressure on the Iranian regime, and shines a spotlight on those in the IRGC who engage in terrorist activities. It builds upon previous sanctioning of more than 900 Iran-related individuals, entities, aircraft, and vessels by this Administration for human right abuses, censorship, ballistic missile program, malign cyber activities, support to terrorism, or associations with the Government of Iran. Since January 19, 1984, Iran has been designated a State Sponsor of Terrorism (SST) for providing support for acts of international terrorism. As a result of this designation, Iran is subject to a number of sanctions and restrictions, including restrictions on U.S. foreign assistance; a ban on defense exports and sales; exports controls of dual use items; and miscellaneous financial and other restrictions. In 2017, the Department of the Treasury designated the IRGC as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist pursuant to its counterterrorism sanctions authority (Executive Order 13224) for its activities in support of the IRGC-Qods Force, which was previously designated in 2007 under this same authority for providing support to a number of terrorist groups, including Hizballah and Hamas. The IRGC is also currently designated pursuant to various Executive Orders, including sanctions designations in 2007 for its support to Iran's ballistic missile and nuclear programs, and in 2011 and 2012 in connection with Iran's human rights abuses.



For further information, please contact CTPublicAffairs@state.gov.

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Briefing With Special Representative Hook and Ambassador Sales

Fact Sheet

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

April 8, 2019

Special Briefing

Brian Hook

Senior Policy Advisor to the Secretary of State and Special Representative for Iran

Nathan A. Sales

Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator for Counterterrorism

Press Briefing Room

Washington, DC

April 8, 2019

MR PALLADINO: Thank you all very much. We now have Special Representative for Iran and Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State Brian Hook and our Assistant Secretary for Counterterrorism Nathan Sales. They'd be happy to take additional questions. Please. Let's start  Associated Press, Matt.

QUESTION: So, I'm just curious. This has been obviously under consideration for a while. Previous administrations have considered it as well but opted not to do it, and one of the reasons has been for not doing it to date that it creates complications  particularly in Iraq but also in Lebanon and elsewhere for American soldiers but also American diplomats and how they  so are there any exclusions, waivers, carve-outs, however you want to call this, that would allow the kind of contacts, particularly in Iraq, that American commanders or regular troops might have with people  Iraqi officials who, by virtue of their station, have to interact with IRGC personnel.

MR HOOK: I'll do the first part and then ask (inaudible) to take on the second part. The IRGC has been threatening American troops almost since its inception. And whenever we impose sanctions on Iran, it's usually followed by a range of threats. What endangers American troops in the Middle East is an IRGC that operates with impunity and never has its ambitions checked in the Middle East. We're taking an entirely new approach to this of significant sort of sustained maximum economic pressure to deny the IRGC and the Iranian regime of the revenue that it needs to conduct its foreign policy.

And we know that the IRGC has been a principle architect, an enforcer of Iran's foreign policy since around 1979, the way the ayatollah designed the regime. And they are trying to reshape the Middle East in their favor, working as a power broker and as a military force. And they assassinate rivals, not only in the Middle East but in Europe. They organize, train, and equip these militias all over the Middle East. As we saw in Syria, they direct a network of militant groups, and in the case of Iraq, they've killed over 600 American servicemen. And so we think it's important to  in this case today, we're adding a layer of additional sanctions on the IRGC to make radioactive those sectors of Iran's economy that are influenced or controlled by the IRGC.

QUESTION: (Off-mike.)

MR HOOK: I'll let Nathan answer your second question.

QUESTION: Well, I just want to make sure you understood. I'm not talking about threats to U.S. forces and diplomats from Iran. I'm talking about threats to them from potential U.S. prosecution for violating sanctions by doing something that may be construed as providing material support to an IRGC affiliate or associate. That's --

AMBASSADOR SALES: We're not going to answer hypotheticals about various cases that could be conjured up in the future. We simply don't have anything to say on that. What I can tell you is the United States has a strong interest in an Iraqi Government that is strong and stable and sovereign and free from malign external influence. The record of Iranian involvement in the region is not a promising one. Look at Syria, look at Yemen, look at Lebanon. We have an interest in making sure that Iraq does not take that road and is able to stand on its own two feet as a strong and prosperous country in its own right.

MR HOOK: I would just maybe add one thing to that. The Middle East cannot be more stable and peaceful without weakening the IRGC. It's just simply not possible. When you study their 40-year history, it's impossible to allow the IRGC to continue to operate under this fiction that it's a benign part of the Iranian Government. It is the blunt instrument of Iran's foreign policy, and it has been that way for decades. And what we're doing today is, in addition to the new tools that this gives us, we're also stigmatizing this organization. We're highlighting to the world, as the Secretary just did, the perils of working with the IRGC, which by some estimates controls up to or more than half of Iran's economy.

MR PALLADINO: NPR, Michele.

QUESTION: Thank you. So does this rule out any sort of contacts with anyone connected to the IRGC? And I'm asking because in the past  the past  last administration had to negotiate with the IRGC to get American hostages out, for instance, or at least have some contacts with members of the IRGC. So do you not have any kind of contact with people who are holding Americans or people who are threatening Americans in places like Iraq?

AMBASSADOR SALES: Let me tell you what the law provides. The law provides that it is a federal criminal offense punishable by up to 20 years in prison for any person who provides material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. That is what the IRGC will be seven days from today. Now, the application of that law to particular cases, it's impossible to predict in advance what that's going to look like. We simply don't want to get into hypothetical situations.

But the point of this designation that the Secretary just announced is to render the IRGC radioactive, and so all businesses, all foreign officials who are thinking about engaging with the IRGC, should think long and hard about whether that makes sense.

QUESTION: But that includes U.S. Government, American diplomats?

MR HOOK: Well, we have  this is a tool. The FTO tool is something that we have used since 1993, I want to say, over 60 times. And we're still able to execute our diplomacy and our foreign policy without any impediments, and we have --

QUESTION: But this is the first time you've done it to a U.S. --

MR HOOK: Right, but we --

QUESTION: -- to a government entity. That's why I'm asking the question.

MR HOOK: Doing this will not impede our diplomacy.

MR PALLADINO: Al Quds, Said.

QUESTION: Thank you for taking this. Sir, just to clarify, on Iraq, will you be requiring the Iraqi Government as of now to turn over any suspected or known members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard since you've declared them as terrorists?

AMBASSADOR SALES: We're not making any demands of the Iraqi Government. As I said a moment ago, we share the Iraqi Government's interest in ensuring that the Government of Iraq is able to represent a proud and free and prosperous people without any undue influence from malign actors.

QUESTION: So they will continue to operate freely in Iraq?

AMBASSADOR SALES: It is a criminal offense for any person to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. How that applies in particular cases we're simply not going to speculate about right now.

QUESTION: Thank you.

MR PALLADINO: CNN, Kylie.

QUESTION: Yeah, hi. A quick question. So over the weekend, an IRGC commander warned that if the U.S. take  took this action, U.S. forces in Western Asia will lose peace and quiet. And it's obviously something we've been talking about, U.S. forces operating very close to the IRGC members in Iraq. So is there more being done to provide safety measures to members of the U.S. military that are in close proximity, or are you confident that they are defended enough against the IRGC at this point?

MR HOOK: The decision leading up to this process was a full interagency process that included every member of the National Security Council. We have taken all measures that are appropriate and prudent in the context of this designation.

With respect to Iranian threats, when you play under house rules, the house always wins. And Iran has a very long history of trying to get the world to play by its rules, and every time the world calls out this regime for being a mafia racket  the IRGC, as the Secretary said, resembles more a racket than a revolutionary cause. And so whenever we and other nations call out and expose the regime for what it is, it behaves like a mafia organization, increasing its threats, and we will not be deterred by their threats.

AMBASSADOR SALES: And let me just say we're not going to get into the details of what we're doing to make sure that our people downrange are safe. I can assure you that we take force protection very, very seriously, and that is why we have run a robust interagency process to make sure that all interested parties are prepared for whatever the Iranian regime might throw at us.

MR PALLADINO: Let's go to CBS, Christina.

QUESTION: Thanks. Hi, guys. Can you talk a little bit to Matt and a little bit Kylie's question about the timing of this designation? I know there has been some criticism about, especially now, because U.S. forces are in close proximity, this might put them at risk, which you answered a little bit. But we've been hearing about this for a year. Why now? What was the tipping point that made this designation important this week?

AMBASSADOR SALES: Well, it's the next step in our maximum pressure campaign. This administration previously designated the IRGC for providing support to terrorism. Today, we have stripped away the plausible deniability. It's not just that the IRGC supports terrorism that its proxies undertake. Today the IRGC stands accused and convicted of directly engaging in terrorism itself.

This new tool doesn't just add rhetorical heft to our campaign. It has practical, real-world consequences, some of which we've discussed. It's now a federal criminal offense to provide material support to a designated FTO such as IRGC when this take effect on Monday. The material support statute is an incredibly powerful tool. Since 2001, since 9/11, we've used it to obtain hundreds of convictions. And the sentence, "For which you are eligible if convicted," 20-year maximum penalty. So this creates very powerful deterrents for anyone who would provide material support to the IRGC or to any other designated organization.

QUESTION: Can I have a follow-up?

QUESTION: Let me just add your phrasing of that  IRGC's --

MR PALLADINO: Let him finish. Let him finish. Go ahead, Brian.

MR HOOK: Matt  we have said from the time the administration came into office that we're going to be taking a new approach to Iran, and you have seen over now two years we've had 25 rounds of sanctions. We've designated almost a thousand individuals and entities. We left the Iran deal, which has given us enormous diplomatic and economic leverage to go after the full range of threats that Iran presents to peace and security. This is just another chapter, and there will be more chapters to come. This is a sustained and focused effort at the direction of the President that enjoys the full support of the national security cabinet.

QUESTION: Can I --

QUESTION: And can I follow up? Last time you were here, we talked about that 600 number that's been mentioned several times today. You said the Pentagon would give more guidance. They didn't really. Do you have any more context as to how that number was arrived at as the 600 --

MR HOOK: Well, it's  there have been estimates over many years. I think in the Obama administration, one DOD official said that somewhere north of 500. It took a while to I think pull together all of the information and to be accurate about it, and the number that has come out of the Defense Department is over 600. Secretary gave the number  I think it's 603  and those are just the ones who've been killed. It's an enormous number of Americans who've been maimed and hurt because of Iran's improvised explosive devices.

That's only Iraq, which accounts for 17 percent of all American service  servicemens' deaths in Iraq. That doesn't include Lebanon and the bombings there and other terrorist attacks around the world conducted by this regime. This is the right thing to do; it's long overdue. It does give us a lot of new tools, and there will be more tools to come.

QUESTION: Thank you.

MR PALLADINO: Matt, do you have a follow-up?

QUESTION: Well, I just wanted to know about Ambassador Sales'  the IRGC stands convicted today. I mean, are you referring to a court decision, the one that the Secretary mentioned? I mean, it's a legal term, and I'm not aware that they have been convicted of being a foreign terrorist organization. They may well should  that may well happen, but are you referring to previous cases where that's happened?

AMBASSADOR SALES: Matt, don't be so literal.

QUESTION: Well, I just want  I mean, it's a legal phrase. You said "convicted," so --

AMBASSADOR SALES: That was a rhetorical turn of phrase.

QUESTION: Got you. Okay.

AMBASSADOR SALES: With the announcement today, which will take effect a week from now, the legal status of the IRGC will change from an organization to a designated foreign terrorist organization. That was the sense in which I used the phrase.

QUESTION: Got you. All right.

MR PALLADINO: One more question?

AMBASSADOR SALES: Yup, I'll do one more.

MR PALLADINO: Let's go right here. Please.

QUESTION: Yeah, thank you. Earlier on a conference call this morning, a U.S. administration official said that the IRGC's dual mission is to suppress people at home and the other terrorize abroad. Now, is this designation today in any way geared towards the first part of the mission here, suppress people at home? Do you expect this designation to in any way affect how the IRGC treats the people within the country?

MR HOOK: Yes, we do. Yes, we do. The IRGC is responsible for much of the repression at home. When you saw the protests in 2009, the detentions, the arrests, the harassment, and then the murders, that is very much an IRGC operation. And so they have been a principle driver of repressing the Iranian people who want a better way of life at home. So when we deny this organization revenue and we put a black cloud above it, it makes it harder for the IRGC to conduct its mission. And they also do this overseas, principally through the Quds Force. And so today's designation is IRGC and Quds Force, and they are the  of course, IRGC and QF rotate personnel domestically and internationally as Soleimani sees fit. As Qasem Soleimani said in March 2009, "The battlefield is mankind's lost paradise."

And this is the true nature of Iran's foreign policy. It is not the very nice-seeming tweets of Iran's foreign minister. If you want to know Iran's foreign policy, pay more attention to what Qasem Soleimani has said and continues to say. He was recently given a medal by the supreme leader, who wished for his martyrdom, and the supreme leader has said things  he's been lionizing people who drink "the sweet syrup of martrydom." This regime is in many ways a death cult, and their foreign policy resembles that with all of this talk about martyrdom. And it's a very dangerous, dark, and brutal regime, both for the Iranian people and for those nations who are on the front line of trying to respond to Iranian aggression.

And we know that Saudi Arabia, with the missile launches from Yemen into Saudi; Bahrain, which has  since '81 the Iranian regime has tried to destabilize and overthrow the government there in Bahrain; Lebanon, Syria, the Hizballah tunnels  the list goes on and on. It is very hard to imagine a peaceful Middle East with a strong Iranian regime.

QUESTION: But Brian, when --

MR PALLADINO: We're going to call it there, then. Thank you all very much.

MR HOOK: Thank you.

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Remarks to the Press

Remarks

Michael R. Pompeo

Secretary of State

Press Briefing Room

Washington, DC

April 8, 2019

SECRETARY POMPEO: Good morning. I'm here to make an important foreign policy announcement concerning the Islamic Republic of Iran. Today the United States is continuing to build its maximum pressure campaign against the Iranian regime. I am announcing our intent to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including its Qods Force, as a foreign terrorist organization in accordance with Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. This designation will take effect one week from today.

This is the first time that the United States has designated a part of another government as an FTO. We're doing because the Iranian regime's use of terrorism as a tool of statecraft makes it fundamentally different from any other government. This historic step will deprive the world's leading state sponsor of terror the financial means to spread misery and death around the world.

Businesses and banks around the world now have a clear duty to ensure that companies with which they conduct financial transactions are not connected to the IRGC in any material way. It also gives the U.S. Government additional tools to counter Iranian-backed terrorism.

This designation is a direct response to an outlaw regime and surprise no one, and it builds on the more than 970 Iranian individuals and entities that the Trump administration has already sanctioned.

For 40 years, the Islamic Republic's Revolutionary Guard Corps has actively engaged in terrorism and created, supported, and directed other terrorist groups. The IRGC masquerades as a legitimate military organization, but none of us should be fooled. It regularly violates the laws of armed conflict; it plans, organizes, and executes terror campaigns all around the world. From the moment it was founded, the IRGC's mandate was to defend and export the regime's revolution by whatever means possible. The IRGC institutionalized terrorism shortly after its inception, directing horrific attacks against the Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983 and the U.S. embassy annex in 1984 alongside the terror group it midwifed, Lebanese Hizballah. Its operatives have worked to destabilize the Middle East from Iraq to Lebanon to Syria and to Yemen.

With this designation, the Trump administration is simply recognizing a basic reality. The IRGC will take its rightful place on the same list as terror groups its supports: Lebanese Hizballah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hamas, Kata'ib Hizballah, among others, all of which are already designated as foreign terrorist organizations.

The long list of IRGC backed terrorist incidences is ample justification for today's decision. I want to just give you a handful of examples.

Last September a federal court in the United States found Iran and the IRGC responsible for the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing which killed 19 American service members. In 2011 the United States foiled an IRGC Qods Force plot right here in Washington, D.C. to bomb a restaurant. The attempt was to kill the Saudi ambassador to the United States of America.

Outside of the United States, the IRGC's terror campaign is just as active. In 2012 four Qods Force operatives were apprehended after plotting to attack Israeli targets in Turkey. In that same year, two other Qods Force operatives were arrested in Kenya for planning a bomb attack while the Qods Force also directed a bomb attack that targeted Israeli diplomats. And as recently as January 2018, German authorities uncovered 10 suspected Qods Force operatives active in their country. The IRGC supports Palestinian terror groups that target innocent civilians, and it helped create U.S. designated terror groups both in Lebanon and in Iran. And the IRGC also backs the murderous Assad regime which gasses and slaughters its own people.

Our designation makes clear to the world that Iranian regime not only supports terrorist groups, but engages in terrorism itself. This designation also brings unprecedented pressure on figures who lead the regime's terror campaign, individuals like Qasem Soleimani. He is the commander of the Qods Force and oversees Iran's forces deployed to advance the Islamic Revolution through terrorism and other forms of violence. He doles out the regime's profits to terrorist groups across the region and around the world.

The blood of the 603 American soldiers the Iranian regime has found to have killed in Iraq is on his hands and on the hands of the IRGC more broadly. Inexplicably the regime has faced no accountability from the international community for those deaths. Far from being an arbitrary attack on Iran, our pressure campaign imposes just and long overdue consequences for the regime's malign activity.

We should not also forget the IRGC's central role in the nationwide con artistry and corruption of the regime's leaders which they perpetrate against the regime's own people. Other governments and the private sector will now see more clearly how deeply the IRGC has enmeshed itself in the Iranian economy through both licit and illicit means.

In just this past July, the city council of Tehran announced that the IRGC Cooperative Foundation, which manages the IRGC's investments, has embezzled more than $1 billion from the city of Tehran. The next month, a former councilmember accused the long-time mayor of Tehran of steering contracts to the IRGC. It's no coincidence that the mayor also formerly served as an IRGC commander and the chief of Iran's police state. Back in 2017, Tehran arrested several IRGC commanders involved with the Cooperative Fund for corruption, including the IRGC's financial architect, Masoud Mehrdadi.

Then there's Mahmoud Ahmedinejad's old college pal, Sadeq Mahsouli. They call him "the billionaire general." He went from being a low-level IRGC officer to one of Iran's richest men, all thanks to scoring construction and oil contracts from companies linked to the IRGC.

The leaders of Iran are racketeers, not revolutionaries. The Iranian people deserve better than to be governed by this cadre of hypocritical and corrupt officials. They are opportunists.

And on a final note, the IRGC is also responsible for wrongly detaining U.S. persons, several of whom remain in captivity in Iran. The American people should know that we are working diligently to bring each of those individuals home.

With this designation, we are sending a clear signal, a clear message to Iran's leaders, including Qasem Soleimani and his band of thugs, that the United States is bringing all pressure to bear to stop the regime's outlaw behavior. We ask that our allies and partners around the world do the same. Thank you.

MR PALLADINO: The Secretary has time for one or two questions, and we'll have an additional opportunity with some others. Al Hurra, Michel Ghandour.

QUESTION: Thank you so much, Mr. Secretary. Javad Zarif has said today that there will be consequences for U.S. forces in the region after the designation, and he addressed President Trump, saying that he should know better than to be thrown into another U.S. disaster. What's your answer? And secondly, news reports say that the U.S. is considering sanctions on the Lebanese, the head of the parliament of the Lebanese speaker, Nabih Berri, because of his ties with Hizballah and Iran. Can you confirm that?

SECRETARY POMPEO: So to your second question, on my most recent trip to Beirut, made clear to the Lebanese leadership, including in conversations with Speaker Berri, that America was not going to tolerate the continued rise of Hizballah inside of the country, that it wasn't in the best interest of the Lebanese people to have a armed terror group underwritten by the very Iran that we're speaking about today, continue to have significant sway inside of that nation by use of force. This isn't about political parties; this is about armed forces inside the country of Lebanon. We made very clear that we were going to continue to evaluate sanctions for all those that were connected to the risk that was created to the Lebanese people.

As for the first question, I've seen Foreign Minister Zarif make many statements before. We have made clear both publicly and privately that an attack on the United States of America is something that they ought to think more than twice about.

MR PALLADINO: Al Arabiya, Nadia Bilbassy.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, I asked you this question two weeks ago and you didn't seem to be sure about it. Now that you have list them, I'm wondering what was changed. Now you have list them as a terrorist organization. Will you treat them like ISIS and al-Qaida? In other words, will you target Qasem Soleimani like you target Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi? And on a separate note, Prime Minister Netanyahu said that he wants to annex part of the West Bank today. What's your reaction to that? Will that undermine the peace plan?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah, I don't have comments on either one of  a response to either one of those questions. I'll leave  when you say "target," you're usually talking about things that the Department of Defense does. I'll allow them to respond to that question.

QUESTION: (Off-mike.)

MR PALLADINO: One more, Mr. Secretary?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Sure.

MR PALLADINO: Okay, let's go to Reuters. Go ahead, please.

QUESTION: Thanks. Hello, Mr. Secretary, how are you?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Hi.

QUESTION: Two quick ones. How will this affect EU trade, oil waivers, since the IRGC's involved in most parts of the Iranian economy  so the question  including banking and everything else? So how does this affect those relations?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah.

QUESTION: And number two: How  if you're  you said often that you want bring Iran back to the  this is aimed at forcing Iran back to the negotiating table. Do you believe that this would help bring them back, or is that no longer your aim here?

SECRETARY POMPEO: So I think what we've said before is we want Iran to behave like a normal nation. We hit on 12 things that they needed to do back in what would have been almost a year ago, May of last year. That's the mission; that's the mission of this designation as well. So that's our purpose. If you said "what's the intent," it's to achieve the outcomes that we laid out back in May of last year to get the Islamic Republic of Iran to do the simple thing like not launch missiles into Saudi Arabia, risking American lives each and every day.

What was your  remind me of your first question.

QUESTION: And then the first one is: How does this affect things on EU trade --

SECRETARY POMPEO: So, yeah. So here's the simple answer to that. If you're the general counsel for a European financial institution today, there is more risk. It is absolutely the case that the IRGC amounts to a significant piece of the Iranian economy through pure kleptocracy. And it is also the case that it is sometimes difficult to know whether the IRGC is involved. That is, the diligence effort is an enormous undertaking. I think this  I think this will require more diligence be done by every business that is considering doing things that are even now second and third orders removed from what you might think of as a traditional connection to the Iranian economy. This extends  to your point about trade  oh, you asked about oil waivers. We'll make that decision in due course as we move towards May 2nd, but it  this absolutely extends the  and creates clarity around those transactions that create risk for companies not just in Europe, but frankly all over the world.

QUESTION: Was that one of your goals, Mr. Secretary, to shut down EU business?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Thank you. Thank you all very much.

MR PALLADINO: Thank you all very much.

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US Designates Elite Iranian Force as Terrorist Organization

By Steve Herman April 08, 2019

For the first time, the United States is designating a part of another government as a terrorist organization, targeting Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), which is the Islamic Republic's most powerful security organization.

"This unprecedented step, led by the Department of State, recognizes the reality that Iran is not only a State Sponsor of Terrorism, but that the IRGC actively participates in, finances, and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft," President Donald Trump declared in a statement. "The IRGC is the Iranian government's primary means of directing and implementing its global terrorist campaign."

The U.S. action, which takes effect in one week and includes the IRGC's elite secretive Quds Force, means it will be a federal crime to provide any type of support to the IRGC.

The move "makes crystal clear the risks of conducting business with, or providing support to, the IRGC," according to Trump's statement. "If you are doing business with the IRGC, you will be bankrolling terrorism."

Minutes after the announcement from the White House, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took to the podium at the State Department to elaborate, stating the IRGC "organizes and executes terror campaigns around the world."

U.S. officials, in comments to reporters, are also referring to the IRGC as a "death cult" that is the true face of Iranian foreign policy.

"The leaders of Iran are racketeers, not revolutionaries," Pompeo told reporters, saying with Monday's announcement Washington is sending a clear message that the U.S. is bringing all pressure to bear for Iran to stop its "outlaw behavior."

Pompeo declined to say, when asked by a reporter, whether the terrorist designation means that the U.S. military will target IRGC leaders the same way it does those of the Islamic State group.

Iran responded Monday to the U.S. action by putting U.S. military forces on its list of terror groups. Iranian Major General Mohammed Ali Jafari had earlier warned that American forces in the Middle East "will no longer enjoy calm" if the Trump administration went ahead with the action against the IRGC.

"As a matter of policy, we do not discuss adjustments to force protection levels or measures for operational security reasons," says U.S. Defense Department spokeswoman Navy Commander Rebecca Rebarich, adding that the military "has taken prudent measures to ensure the safety of our forces around the world and maintain our readiness to carry out our missions."

Several top U.S. intelligence and defense officials are believed to have opposed the designation, fearing that Iranian hardliners would push for operations against Americans overseas, especially special operations and paramilitary forces.

Some analysts, however, expect Iran will react with restraint.

"They can't politically in Iran do nothing," says Middle East Institute Senior Fellow Alex Vatanka. "But are they going to get out there and ask their proxies in Iraq or elsewhere to start targeting and firing off missiles at U.S. bases? I doubt that very much."

Vatanka tells VOA the Iranians are not interested currently in escalating the situation.

"Their fundamental policy is to wait Trump out" and stay within the nuclear deal that the United States pulled out of last year, he says.

Trump's action coincides with the anniversary of his withdrawal from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (signed by Iran with the U.N. Security Council permanent members, plus Germany and the European Union) and the U.S. president's move to reimpose sanctions that had crippled the Iranian economy. It also comes on the eve of Israeli parliamentary elections that will decide the fate of a key Trump ally, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"They don't think it's coincidence. This isn't just about Israel. This is about supporting Netanyahu specifically," which is the view in Iran, according to Vatanka.

Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, following the announcement in Washington, took to Twitter to declare the action an "election eve gift to Netanyahu."

What is certain is that the action significantly tightens the noose around the IRGC, which is a substantial part of the Iran's economy and its political system.

The IRGC "designated in its entirety just will create more second-guessing among companies and countries that want to do business in Iran," says Vatanka.

VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb contributed to this report

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PM Benjamin Netanyahu Faces Tough Israeli Election Tuesday

By Ken Bredemeier April 08, 2019

Israeli voters head to the polls for parliamentary elections Tuesday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decade-long hold on power at stake in a tough contest with former military chief Benny Gantz.

Polls show Netanyahu's Likud party and Gantz's Blue and White winning a similar number of seats in the 120-member Knesset. If that occurs, the 69-year-old Netanyahu might be poised to win a fifth term in a coalition with smaller right-wing parties allied to him.

As the months-long campaign neared an end, Netanyahu again reminded voters of his close relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump. He thanked the U.S. leader  "my dear friend"  for responding Monday to a "request of mine" to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization.

In his two-year presidency, Trump already had acceded to other Netanyahu requests, including declaring the Jewish state's sovereignty over Syria's Golan Heights, territory that was captured in the 1967 Six-Day War; recognizing Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv; and pulling the U.S. out of the 2015 deal to restrain Iran's nuclear weapons development.

Netanyahu, facing corruption charges, has moved in recent days to shore up his base of conservative voters, vowing to annex settlements in the occupied West Bank, a move that if done on a large scale could end any remaining hope of creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.

"Who else can do this? Who can do this? Come on. Honestly," Netanyahu said, portraying himself as the face of Israel.

"Who can stand in front of the world?" he asked. "Who can stand in front of the American Congress? Who can move public opinion in that direction?"

The 59-year-old Gantz called Netanyahu's pledge "irresponsible." Gantz said he favors a "globally backed peace agreement" that envisions Israel maintaining its hold on the large settlement blocs in the West Bank and security control over the territory.

Gantz has portrayed himself as a unifying force in Israel and says that it is time to oust Netanyahu from power.

"There's a need for change and an opportunity for change," Gantz told Israel's army radio on Monday. "Israel needs to choose a direction of unification, connection and hope  or of extremity."

"Enough already, Bibi," Gantz's campaign videos say, using Netanyahu's widely known nickname.

Should he win, Netanyahu would be on track later this year to become Israel's longest-serving leader, surpassing founding father David Ben-Gurion.

But Netanyahu also faces an ongoing criminal investigation. Pending an upcoming hearing, the Israeli attorney general says he plans to indict Netanyahu on bribery, fraud and breach of trust charges. Netanyahu has, much like Trump in the U.S. investigation of his 2016 election campaign, called the Israeli probes a "witch hunt."

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Death toll in Libya's Tripoli clashes rises to 21

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 13:18, April 08, 2019

TRIPOLI, April 7 (Xinhua) -- The death toll in the clashes near the Libyan capital Tripoli between forces of the UN-backed government and the eastern-based army rose to 21, according to the Ministry of Health.

"Based on information from the central operation chamber of the Ministry of Health, the casualties are 21 dead and 27 injured," the ministry said.

The army, led by Khalifa Haftar, has launched a military campaign on Thursday to take over western Libya, particularly Tripoli where the UN-backed government is based.

Earlier on Sunday, spokesman of the government's forces announced launching a counter military operation against the army troops.

The army is allied with the eastern-based government, as the country is politically divided between western and eastern governments.

Libya has been struggling to make a democratic transition amid insecurity and chaos, ever since the fall of former leader Gaddafi's regime in 2011.

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Moscow calls for calm on 'all sides' in Libya conflict

Iran Press TV

Mon Apr 8, 2019 04:00PM

Russia has called on all sides in the Libya conflict to avoid more bloodshed as fighting between the two rival governments escalates near the North African country's capital of Tripoli.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Moscow was calling "on all sides to reject actions that could provoke bloodshed in battle and the deaths of civilians."

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov also announced that Moscow was in contact with all sides in the conflict to pave the way for a "political solution."

There has been heavy fighting near Tripoli since the forces of Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar launched an assault on Thursday to seize the capital city.

Libya has been the scene of increasing violence since 2011, when former dictator Muammar Gaddafi was killed in a NATO military intervention that followed a popular uprising. Gaddafi's ouster created a huge power vacuum, leading to chaos and the emergence of numerous militant outfits, including the Daesh terrorist group.

The North African country is now divided between two rival governments  the House of Representatives, which is based in the eastern city of Tobruk and under Haftar's command, and the internationally-recognized government of Fayez al-Sarraj, or the Tripoli-based unity Government of National Accord (GNA).

Fighting over the seizure of Tripoli escalated on Sunday after the so-called Libyan National Army, led by Haftar, carried out an air raid on the southern part of the capital and made progress towards the city center.

Libyan Health Minister Ahmid Omar told the Al-Ahrar television station later in day that at least 32 people had so far been killed and around 50 wounded in fighting with pro-Haftar forces near Tripoli.

Forces loyal to the Libyan strong man said 22 of their fighters had died so far.

The United Nations humanitarian office said in a report on Monday that at least 2,200 people have fled from fighting south of Tripoli since April 4, and many civilians were trapped and cut off from emergency services.

The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on the situation in Libya behind closed doors on Friday. In a statement to the press afterwards, the 15-member body called on LNA forces to halt "all military movements."

The United Nations has already voiced deep concerns about the escalating tensions. It plans to hold a conference later this month in the Libyan city of Ghadames to discuss a political solution to the conflict.

Tripoli's airport hit by air raid

Libya's security sources announced on Monday that a warplane had carried out an air strike against Mitiga Airport, the Libyan capital's only functioning airport.

Authorities at the site said no side had yet claimed responsibility for the raid, which hit a runway without causing casualties.

The capital's main airport was destroyed in fighting in 2014.

Mitiga airport is on a former military base on the city's eastern outskirts, and it was forced to close several times because of clashes between rival governments last year.

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UN-backed Libyan govt. launches counteroffensive to stop advance of Haftar's forces on Tripoli

Iran Press TV

Mon Apr 8, 2019 10:00AM

Libya's United Nations-backed government has launched a counteroffensive to stop the rival forces loyal to military strongman Khalifa Hafter from advancing on the capital, Tripoli, vowing that it will regain control of all the areas they have seized over the past days.

The counteroffensive  dubbed 'Volcano of Rage'  is aimed at purging "Libyan cities of aggressor and illegitimate forces," Colonel Mohamed Gnounou, spokesperson for forces of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), said on Sunday.

Pro-Haftar forces of the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA) control Libya's east and have recently expanded to the southern parts of the North African state. They started their advance on Tripoli on April 4 with the aim of seizing the city and toppling the internationally-recognized government there.

The military operation was launched after UN Secretary General visited Libya and announced a plan for a UN-backed conference slated for mid-April designed to help unite rival Libyan forces and pave the way for elections in the volatile country.

Fierce fighting was reported on Sunday south of Tripoli between the rival forces, with the two sides exchanging air strikes, despite a call by the UN's Libya mission, UNSMIL, for a truce aimed at letting civilians and the injured flee the conflict zones.

LNA forces carried out an air raid on the southern part of Tripoli on Sunday and made progress towards the city center, residents said, adding that the fighting had escalated and the situation there was tense.

"The air force took part for the first time in the military operations," said LNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari. "It conducted a very successful operation to secure the airport road (to city center)," he claimed.

The counteroffensive was announced as the clashes raged in the rural area of Wadi Raba and the destroyed international airport south of the capital.

At least 32 people have so far been killed and around 50 wounded in fighting with Haftar's troops near Tripoli, Libyan Health Minister Ahmid Omar told the Al-Ahrar television station late Sunday. Haftar's forces also said 14 of their fighters have died so far.

The United Nations humanitarian office said in a report on Monday that at least 2,200 people have fled from fighting south of Tripoli since April 4, and many civilians were trapped and cut off from emergency services.

"The fast increasing deployment of forces could potentially result in significant population displacement," the report added.

On Friday, the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on the situation in Libya behind closed doors. In a statement to the press afterwards, the 15-member body called on LNA forces to halt "all military movements."

The council's members "also called on all forces to de-escalate and halt military activity" and said, "There can be no military solution to the conflict."

Diplomats said Monday that Russia had blocked a statement demanding that Haftar's troops halt their advance on Tripoli.

Russia suggested that the UNSC statement must call on both sides of the conflict to stop fighting; however, the proposed change was rejected by the United States, council's diplomats added.

US, EU react

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday called for an "immediate halt" to Haftar's military offensive.

"We have made clear that we oppose the military offensive by Khalifa Haftar's forces and urge the immediate halt to these military operations against the Libyan capital," Pompeo said late Sunday. "This unilateral military campaign against Tripoli is endangering civilians and undermining prospects for a better future for all Libyans."

He urged both sides to return to "political negotiations" mediated by the UN, stressing that there was "no military solution" to the conflict in Libya.

As the situation worsened on the ground, the US military said earlier in the day that it had pulled out an unspecified number of its international AFRICOM peacekeeping force.

In turn, the European Union's foreign affairs chief, Federica Mogherini, called on Monday for a humanitarian truce in Libya and the return to the negotiating table.

Mogherini urged Libyan leaders to avoid any military escalation and said EU foreign ministers, who gather on Monday in Luxembourg for a regular meeting, are expected to uphold this message.

Libya has been the scene of increasing violence since 2011, when former dictator Muammar Gaddafi was killed in a NATO military intervention that followed a popular uprising.

Gaddafi's ouster created a huge power vacuum, leading to chaos and the emergence of numerous militant outfits, including the Daesh terrorist group.

The North African country is now divided between two rival governments  the House of Representatives, which is based in the eastern city of Tobruk and under the command of Haftar, and the internationally-recognized unity government of Fayez al-Sarraj in Tripoli.

Analysts say Haftar's offensive could plunge Libya into a full-blown conflict and once again thwart diplomatic efforts to find a solution to the country's woes.

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Battle Intensifies For Libyan Capital As West Calls For Truce

By RFE/RL April 08, 2019

The battle for the Libyan capital, Tripoli, has intensified even as the international community calls for an immediate end to hostilities.

More than 30 people have been killed since fighting broke out on April 4, when militia commander Khalifa Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) launched an offensive against the internationally recognized government in Tripoli.

The United Nations said on April 8 that around 2,800 people had been displaced by clashes and many more could flee, though some were trapped.

The UN, United States, European Union, and Russia have all called for a cease-fire, a halt to Haftar's advance on Tripoli, and return to political negotiations.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement on April 7 that Washington was "deeply concerned" about the battle near Tripoli and was seeking an "immediate halt" to Haftar's offensive.

"This unilateral military campaign against Tripoli is endangering civilians and undermining prospects for a better future for all Libyans," Pompeo's statement said.

The EU's foreign-policy chief, Federica Mogherini, on April 8 called for a "humanitarian truce" and to "avoid any further military action and escalation and a return to the political track."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on April 8 that Moscow was calling "on all sides to reject actions that could provoke bloodshed in battle and the deaths of civilians."

According to the Health Ministry of Libya's UN-backed government, 11 people were killed and 23 wounded by fighting on April 7 in the southern part of Tripoli between government forces and Haftar's Russia-backed forces. The ministry did not give details about whether the casualties were civilians or fighters.

Before those casualties were announced, the Tripoli-based government said at least 23 people had been killed and 27 wounded on both sides, including civilians, since April 4.

Casualties from fighting on April 7 were announced after Haftar's forces said they carried out an air strike near Tripoli Airport on the southern outskirts of the capital, escalating the battle despite calls for a truce from the United Nations.

Meanwhile, forces of the internationally backed Prime Minister Fayez Serraj said on April 7 that they launched a counterattack against Haftar's fighters, code-named Operation Volcano of Anger, in a bid to "cleanse all Libyan cities from aggressors and illegitimate forces."

Haftar's forces are allied with a self-declared administration in Libya's eastern city of Tobruk that is a rival to Serraj's unity government.

Russia has been a key supporter of Haftar, along with Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

France's AFP news agency reported that Russia on April 7 blocked a formal UN Security Council statement in line with Pompeo's call for Haftar's forces to halt their advance on Tripoli.

That draft statement also "called for those who undermine Libya's peace and security to be held to account," AFP reported.

The battle for Tripoli marks a sharp escalation of a power struggle that has gone on since longtime Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Qaddafi was overthrown in 2011.

In another sign of the deteriorating situation, the UN said on April 7 it had temporarily withdrawn some of its forces from the country due to "security conditions on the ground."

A small contingent of U.S. troops has been in Libya in recent years to help local forces combat Islamic State extremists and Al-Qaeda militants, as well as to protect diplomatic facilities.

"The security realities on the ground in Libya are growing increasingly complex and unpredictable," said U.S. Marine Corps General Thomas Waldhauser, the head of U.S. Africa Command.

He did not provide details on the number of U.S. troops that have been withdrawn or on how many remain within the country.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa, and BBC

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/libya-russia-backed-haftar -tripoli-battle/29867212.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.

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Libya's GNA Presidential Council VP Resigns Over Rift With Sarraj - Reports

Sputnik News

15:52 08.04.2019(updated 16:06 08.04.2019)

Commenting on his resignation, the vice president of the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) Presidential Council, Ali Faraj Qatrani, stressed that GNA head Fayez Sarraj would make Libya split and suffer even more.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The vice president of the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) Presidential Council, Ali Faraj Qatrani, announced his resignation after a rift with GNA head Fayez Sarraj, Al-Arabiya reported on Monday.

According to Al-Arabiya TV channel, Qatrani decided to resign being dissatisfied with Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj making decisions on his own. Qatrani also stressed that the prime minister would make Libya split and suffer even more.

In addition, Qatrani expressed support for military operations going on in Tripoli that are conducted by the Libyan National Army (LNA) under the leadership of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, 218 TV channel reported.

The Presidential Council of Libya carries out the functions of supreme executive authority in the country and is based in Tripoli, presiding over the Government of National Accord. Sarraj is currently the head of both structures.

Libya has been suffering from unrest since 2011. The county is split in two between the eastern Libyan parliament based in Tobruk and the Government of National Accord in Tripoli. Haftar, who is backed by the parliament in the east, ordered his troops on April 4 to wrestle the capital from what he called terrorist forces. In response, armed forces loyal to the Government of National Accord started a military operation on April 7 against the LNA.

 Sputnik

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Haftar's Libyan National Army Gains Control of Yarmuk Military Camp - Source

Sputnik News

10:10 08.04.2019(updated 10:37 08.04.2019)

The Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, took control of the Yarmuk military camp south of Tripoli, a source in Haftar's General Command told Sputnik.

"The forces of the Libyan [National] Army have gained control over the Yarmouk camp to the south of capital Tripoli," the source said.

Last week, Haftar announced an offensive against Tripoli in a bid to oust "militias" from the city. On April 7, forces loyal to the GNA said that they were launching a counteroffensive operation, dubbed Volcano of Rage.

Since the beginning of the offensive, the Libyan National Army, has already gained control over several cities near Tripoli and over Tripoli International Airport. The GNA later said that the airport had been retaken by its forces, but the LNA refuted the claims.

LNA has declared a no-fly zone over the western parts of Libya, which are governed by the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), and has warned that all aircraft, apart from commercial flights, that breach the restrictions will be targeted by the LNA, the forces' spokesman, Ahmed Al-Mismari, said.

"We are implementing a #NoFlyZone over west #Libya, any military jet will be considered a target as well as its takeoff location. This includes Aerial photography and excludes commercial flights," the spokesman tweeted late on Sunday.

As a result of a civil conflict which has lasted years, there is no single central government in Libya, and the country's eastern and western parts are controlled by separate powers. The Tobruk-based parliament, elected in 2014 and backed by the LNA, governs the east of Libya, while the Government of National Accord (GNA), established in 2015, controls Libya's western parts from Tripoli.

In late 2015, the parties to the conflict signed a Libyan Political Agreement in the Moroccan city of Skhirat, outlining the creation of the GNA as the legitimate interim Libyan government. However, the deal was not fully implemented due to the eastern-based parliament's disagreement over some of its provisions.

 Sputnik

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Pompeo: US Urges Forces of Libya's Haftar to Stop Offensive on Tripoli

Sputnik News

03:58 08.04.2019(updated 04:21 08.04.2019)

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a press statement on Monday that the United States requires the Libyan National Army loyal to Gen. Khalifa Haftar to stop its offensive on Tripoli.

"The United States is deeply concerned about fighting near Tripoli. We have made clear that we oppose the military offensive by Khalifa Haftar's forces and urge the immediate halt to these military operations against the Libyan capital. Forces should return to status quo ante positions," the statement said.

Control over Libya remains divided following years of conflict after a NATO-supported rebellion resulted in the murder of its former head of state, Muammar Gaddafi.

Since then, there has been no single central government in Libya despite recent negotiations by several parties, the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA). Tensions in the country escalated after 4 April, when the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Khalifa Haftar, started an offensive aimed at seizing Tripoli. While making its way to Tripoli, the LNA captured several settlements; at the same time, the GNA prime minister ordered troops to use force if necessary.

Late on Sunday, the GNA health ministry reported that clashes in the southern part of Tripoli had resulted in 11 killed and 23 wounded. The ministry did not clarify, however, whether the casualties were civilians or fighters. Earlier, the GNA health ministry said that at least 21 died and 27 were injured in Tripoli amid clashes.

 Sputnik

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Thousands flee fighting around Libyan capital as Guterres condemns escalation, urges 'immediate halt' to all military operations

8 April 2019 - The UN chief Antonio Guterres strongly condemned on Monday night the military escalation and ongoing fighting in and around the Libyan capital, Tripoli, including an aerial attack earlier in the day by aircraft from the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) force, which closed the city's only functioning civilian airport.

"The Secretary-General urges the immediate halt of all military operations in order to de-escalate the situation and prevent an all-out conflict", said the statement released by his Spokeperson. "He emphasizes that there is no military solution to the Libya conflict and calls on all parties to engage in immediate dialogue to reach a political solution. The Secretary-Generals Special Representative in Libya stands ready to facilitate that dialogue."

More than 3,400 people have fled fighting near the Libyan capital Tripoli in recent days, the UN warned, calling on all warring parties to halt military activities so that emergency services can rescue trapped civilians.

Earlier, the UN chief said the UN Support Mission, (UNSMIL), would continue with its work on behalf of all Libyans, from its headquarters in the capital, Tripoli. UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said that Ghassan Salame, head of UNSMIL and UN Special Representative, had met the head of the internationally-recognized Government in Libya, Faiez Serraj, on Monday, with whom he discussed ways the UN can assist, with this critical and difficult juncture. As the Secretary-General said before leaving Benghazi on Friday, the United Nations remains available to facilitate any political solution, able to unify the Libyan institutions.

Clashes with heavy weapons are affecting residential areas, and an unknown number of civilians are unable to flee these locations", said Mr. Dujarric. "We are calling for a temporary humanitarian truce to allow for the provision of emergency services, and the voluntary passage of civilians, including those wounded from the areas of conflict.

In a statement released earlier on Monday, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya, Maria Ribeiro, reminded the warring sides of their obligations to protect non-combatants, in line with international humanitarian and human rights law.

Ms. Ribeiros comments echoed a Security Council plea for a ceasefire after Ambassador Christoph Heusgen, of Germany, Council President for the month, told reporters on Friday that the 15-member bodys members were deeply concerned over the risk to Libyan stability.

According to reports, at least 32 people have been killed and 50 injured since Thursdays clashes between eastern Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftars forces and Government forces in the Libyan capital.

On Sunday, it was also reported that the Commanders forces  the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) - had carried out an airstrike on a Tripoli suburb, followed by retaliatory attacks on airbases in eastern Libya by forces loyal to the internationally-recognized Government of National Accord.

UNSMIL chief Salame, issued a statement late on Monday local time, condemning an "aerial attack today by LNA aircraft against Meitiga airport, the capital's only functioning airport that is available for civilian use. As such, this attack constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law which prohibits attacks against civilian infrastructure." Flights were suspended, and passengers evacuated, and there were no reports of any casualties.

Ms. Ribeiros comments on the deteriorating humanitarian situation, came as the World Health Organization (WHO) condemned the killing at the weekend of two doctors who had been providing critically needed services to civilians in Tripoli.

It is unacceptable for health workers to be targeted during armed conflict, said Dr. Ahmed Al Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean. These doctors risked their lives to evacuate wounded patients from conflict areas, and targeting them and health facilities at such times, worsens the situation for civilians caught up in conflict.

The fighting in and around Tripoli comes after the UN chief left the troubled country on Friday with a heavy heart, following meetings with Commander Haftar in Benghazi city in the east, and senior Government officials in Tripoli.

I leave Libya with a heavy heart and deeply concerned, the UN Secretary-General tweeted. The UN is committed to facilitating a political solution and, whatever happens, the UN is committed to supporting the Libyan people.

Highlighting the increased risk to migrants and refugees caught up in the offensive on Tripoli, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya, Maria Ribeiro, warned that it was further increasing the misery of all those arbitrarily detained in detention centres.

Echoing those concerns, the UN Migration Agency, IOM, warned on Friday that men, women and children who are being held in often sub-human conditionsare particularly vulnerable to the uptick in violence.

IOM Director General Antonio Vitorino also warned that Libya is not a safe place to return migrants who have tried and failed to make their way to Europe, noting that so far this year, 1,073 migrants, among them 77 children, have been returned to Libya after interception and rescue at sea and placed in arbitrary detention.

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Airstrike on Tripoli Closes City's Airport as Battle for Capital Rages

By VOA News April 08, 2019

Libyan authorities have closed the only functioning airport in Tripoli after an airstrike Monday, as a battle for the capital continues between rival forces in the country.

Security officers at Mitiga airport east of the Libyan capital said that no side had yet claimed responsibility for the attack, which hit the runway but caused no casualties. Forces loyal to military commander Gen. Khalifa Haftar have been continuing a push aimed at taking the capital.

Libya's U.N.-backed prime minister, Fayez Sarraj, has called the action by Haftar an attempted coup. Haftar and his forces appear to have gained ground along the outskirts of the capital, but Sarraj said government troops are prepared to confront them.

The United Nations issued an "urgent appeal" for a two-hour truce in the suburbs of Tripoli to evacuate civilians.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the truce would allow for "the provision of emergency services and the voluntary passage of civilians, including those wounded, from the areas of conflict." He said the clashes are affecting residential areas, and "an unknown number of civilians are unable to flee these locations."

Dujarric said that 3,400 people have been displaced by the latest violence, which began on Thursday.

The International Rescue Committee estimates 21 people, including two health workers, have been killed in the fighting, warning that the number of those in need of humanitarian assistance will rise as the conflict continues.

The fighting marks the first surge of unrest in Libya since the fall of dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.

The U.N. envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salame, condemned the attack on Tripoli's airport. In a statement Monday, he called the incident "a serious violation of humanitarian law."

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called for an immediate halt to the advance by Haftar's forces and said all of the parties involved "have a responsibility to urgently de-escalate the situation."

In anticipation of violence, the United States has pulled a contingent of troops out of Tripoli.

"The security realities on the ground in Libya are growing increasingly complex and unpredictable,'' said Marine Corps Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, head of U.S. Africa Command.

The U.S. has maintained a small number of troops in Libya to provide support for diplomatic missions, counterterrorism activities and improving regional security.

Margaret Besheer contributed to this report from the United Nations.

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UN Fears Dozens of Rohingya Killed in Myanmar Attack

By VOA News April 08, 2019

The U.N. human rights office says it fears dozens of Rohingya Muslims were killed in a military helicopter attack last week, far higher than the initial death toll of seven.

Spokesperson Ravi Shamdasani, of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, said Monday, "We are now receiving reports that the number may be much higher than that.We have unconfirmed reports that the number may be as high as 30."

Villagers in Buthidaung township said a military helicopter attacked a group of Rohingya who were gathering bamboo on Thursday.

Shamdasani said Myanmar's military has blamed the attack on "terrorists who were supporting the Arakan army." However, she said the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights rejects that accusation.

Myanmar's military blamed the attack on terrorists who support the army.

Shamdasani told VOA "the fact that civilians are suffering, the fact that civilians are dying, should not simply go unnoticed. We need to raise international attention and international concern on this."

She said the international community is watching the situation in Myanmar and is willing to hold accountable the perpetrators of violence against civilians.

Myanmar's western Rakhine state has drawn international attention in recent years following attack by Myanmar's army against ethnic Rohingya which forced more than 700,000 refugees across the border into Bangladesh.The government says the actions were in response to attacks by Rohingya insurgents on police posts.

The United Nations has accused Myanmar's army of acting with "genocidal intent."

Myanmar regards Rohingya as illegal migrants from the Indian subcontinent.

VOA's Ira Mellman contributed to this report.

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Taiwan to Buy 108 M1A2 Abrams Tanks From US Despite China's Objection - Reports

Sputnik News

17:46 08.04.2019

BEIJING (Sputnik) - Taiwan is planning to buy 108 M1A2 Abrams tanks worth almost $1Bln from the United States, Focus Taiwan news channel reported on Monday.

According to the local media, the Taiwanese Armed Forces have more than 1,000 tanks, mostly of M60A3 and CM-11 models. Once Washington approves the deal, 108 M1A2 Abrams tanks will enter service within the Sixth Army Corps, which secures the safety of northern Taiwan, where most of the central government establishments are situated.

At the beginning of March, Taiwanese Deputy Defence Minister Shen Yi-ming said that in order to increase its defence capabilities Taiwan had made a formal request to the United States for new fighter jets. Later that month, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said her government was also seeking to buy tanks.

China stands against US arms deals with Taiwan. In September 2018, when Washington approved a $330 million sale of military spare parts to Taiwan, China claimed that the United States' actions threatened Beijing's sovereignty and security interests.

Taiwan is an island nation off the southern coast of China that has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949. Beijing views the island as its province, while Taiwan maintains that it is an autonomous state, having political and economic relations with several other countries that recognise its sovereignty.

 Sputnik

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Turkey Says Not Giving Up On Russian Missile Deal Despite U.S. Pressure

By RFE/RL April 08, 2019

Turkey is not withdrawing from an agreement to buy an advanced Russian missile system, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on April 8, despite increasing pressure from Washington.

"No one can demand that we give it up," Erdogan told a joint news conference in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "This is our sovereign right, this is our decision."

Erdogan's trip to Moscow, his third this year, came as the United States and other NATO countries continued a dispute with fellow member Turkey over its decision to purchase Russian S-400 air-defense missiles that are not compatible with NATO systems and are seen as a threat to U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets.

Turkey's relations with Russia have historically been tense.

But Moscow and Ankara have established strong economic ties since the end of the Cold War and have moved closer in recent years as Turkey's relations with Washington and the European Union have suffered.

The meeting comes as the United States and other NATO countries are at loggerheads with Turkey over its decision to purchase a Russian S-400 air-defense system that is not compatible with NATO systems and is seen as a threat to U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets.

The two sides must "strengthen cooperation in the military-technical sphere," Putin told Erdogan as they met in the Kremlin.

"These regard first of all the completion of the contract to supply S-400 antiaircraft missile systems to Turkey," Putin said.

"There are other promising projects on the agenda related to the supply of modern Russian military products to Turkey," Putin said, adding, "We may reach agreements on the joint development and production of high-tech weapons."

Washington has demanded that Ankara call off its missile deal with Russia and has suspended Turkey's participation in the F-35 program..

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on April 3 that "Turkey must choose" whether it wants to "remain a critical partner" in NATO or "risk the security of that partnership by making such reckless decisions that undermine our alliance."

The U.S. State Department said last week that Ankara could face U.S. sanctions if it goes ahead with the purchase.

On April 8, Putin said the construction of the underwater segment of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline that will carry Russian gas to Turkey crossing the Black Sea has just been completed, adding that it's set to come online later this year.

Putin and Erdogan also talked about the planned construction of Turkey's first nuclear power plant, which is set to start operations in 2023.

In Syria, Russia and Turkey have backed opposing sides in the conflict, and experienced a tense period in 2015-16 after Turkish forces shot down a Russian warplane on the Syrian border.

Now they say they are cooperating to secure a buffer zone in Idlib, near the Turkish border, which they agreed on in September in order to prevent a massive Syrian regime offensive.

However, Putin said Moscow and Ankara were unable to reach an agreement to set up a monitoring center in Idlib, agreed at a previous summit in Sochi in February.

"We have so far not been able to create the monitoring center," Putin said. "But I am sure that we will do this."

Turkey has long been angered by U.S. support for Kurdish forces in neighboring Syria, which Ankara says are linked to a Kurdish insurgency fighting for autonomy within Turkey.

The U.S. State Department said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last week warned Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu of "potentially devastating consequences" if Turkey were to launch an offensive against U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in Syria.

The U.S. military has been backing Syrian Kurdish fighters in the north of the country in their battle against Islamic State (IS) extremists.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, dpa, and AFP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/turkey-erdogan-putin-meeting- moscow-s400-dispute/29867214.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.

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Russia, Turkey Have Other Arms Agreements In Addition to S-400 Deal - Putin

Sputnik News

16:34 08.04.2019(updated 20:15 08.04.2019)

The Russian president met with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday, who arrived in Moscow for talks about the state of Russian-Turkish relations.

Russia and Turkey have other arms sales projects in the works apart from the S-400 air defence system deal, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, speaking at the opening of a meeting of the Russian-Turkish Cooperation Council on Monday.

Putin stressed that the completion of the $2.5 billion contract to deliver Russian-made S-400s to Turkey is presently the top priority when it comes to military-technical cooperation between the two countries.

"There are serious tasks facing our countries when it comes to strengthening cooperation in the military-technical sphere. First and foremost, we are talking about the completion of the contract to supply Turkey with the Triumf S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems," Putin said.

"There are other promising projects on the agenda related to the supply of modern Russian defence products to Turkey," Putin added, without specifying what these might be.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference following his talks with Erdogan, Putin noted that Moscow and Ankara may very well reach agreements on the joint development and production of "modern, high-tech military equipment" at some point in the future.

For his part, President Erdogan stressed that Turkey's decision to buy the Russian-made S-400 was the country's "sovereign right," adding that no one had a right to demand that Ankara abandon its deal with Moscow. Erdogan reiterated his position that the S-400 question was "closed."

Moscow and Ankara penned a $2.5 billion contract on the supply of four battalion sets-worth of Russian-made S-400s to Turkey in late 2017. Once deliveries begin in July, Turkey will become just the fourth country to possess the system after Russia itself, Belarus and China. Designed to stop enemy aircraft, drones, cruise and ballistic missiles, the S-400 is presently the most advanced mobile air defence system in Russia's arsenal. Last month, Turkish media indicated that the first of Turkey's S-400s would be deployed to the Murted Air Base northwest of Ankara.

Last week, Putin said that S-400 manufacturer Almaz-Antey had accelerated the production of the Turkey-bound S-400s at Ankara's request.

The S-400 contract has emerged as a major headache for Washington and US arms manufacturers, who offered to sell Turkey the Patriot PAC-3 air defence system in place of the S-400. US officials have threatened to block deliveries of Lockheed Martin's F-35 new fifth-generation stealth fighter to Ankara if it goes through with the S-400 purchase amid fears that the Russian air defence system could compromise the F-35's stealth capabilities.

Putin hosted his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday for talks on a range of issues, including the situation in Syria, economic ties, and energy cooperation. Before taking off for Moscow on Monday, Erdogan told

Turkish media that Ankara was "ready" to launch a new operation in northern Syria against US-backed Kurdish militia which Turkey classifies as terrorists.

 Sputnik

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Erdogan Reports 'Stealing' of Ruling AKP's Votes in Istanbul Mayoral Election

Sputnik News

14:54 08.04.2019

ANKARA (Sputnik) - The mayoral election in Istanbul, which took place on 31 March, was accompanied by systematic irregularities, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, adding that votes had been stolen from his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

"There were not just some irregularities during the election in Istanbul, there were systematic irregularities The citizens demand that their rights be fully respected. Our duty is to protect them. There is proof from cameras and other evidence. We are talking about stealing of votes at polling places," Erdogan told journalists.

Although the People's Alliance, the political bloc the AKP is part of, received a total of 51.64 percent of the national vote, it lost the vote in Turkey's two main cities  Istanbul and Ankara. The AKP has been adamant in contesting the results through an official recount, while Imamoglu is pushing for Turkey's election board mandating him as the mayor of Istanbul.

On Sunday, the AKP said it was seeking the complete recount of all votes cast in the Istanbul mayoral election, in which Ekrem Imamoglu, an opposition candidate from the Republican People's Party, won the country's main economic centre by a slim margin of about 14,000 votes, according to preliminary results. Prior to that, the party had applied for the recount of only the ballots that were cancelled.

 Sputnik

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(CNN)  U.S. President Donald Trump is cleaning house in the Department of Homeland Security.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Secret Service Director Randolph "Tex" Alles have been ousted, and at least two officials have been named as possibly heading out the door: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services director Francis Cissna and Office of the General Counsel's John Mitnick.

"There is a near-systematic purge happening at the nation's second-largest national security agency," an official told CNN.

At least some of the sudden personnel changes come at the urging of White House senior adviser Stephen Miller, who played a key role in Nielsen's ouster. The President in recent weeks empowered Miller to lead the administration's border policies "and he's executing his plan" with what amounts to a wholesale decapitation of the department's leadership, an official said.

RELATED: How border hardliners nudged out Nielsen

The President has also pushed in recent weeks to reinstate the family separation policy, which Nielsen resisted, a source familiar with the discussions says. Trump rescinded that policy amid public outrage and scrutiny from the courts last summer.

Miller's heightened influence within the West Wing has been aided by the President, who recently told aides in an Oval Office meeting that Miller was in charge of all immigration and border-related issues in the White House, according to a person familiar with the meeting.

Trump administration officials say Miller wants the President to dismiss Cissna and Mitnick.

Miller has always informally been one of the leading hardliner voices on immigration in the West Wing. But this change formalizes that role and gives him the ability to call and chair meetings on immigration issues. The change was first reported by The Washington Post.

The sudden shift in personnel is indicative of the White House trying to redirect immigration policy following a surge of migrant apprehensions at the southern border in recent months.

Additionally, after Trump walked back his threat to close the U.S.-Mexico border and praised Mexico for doing more to stop the flow of immigrants, he has since soured on his own walkback. By the end of the week, the President became frustrated once again about the issues at the border, dissatisfied that Mexico was not doing enough and looking for his aides to take tougher steps to address the problem.

The changes have left the department in limbo, which has had at least three positions filled by people in an acting capacity in senior roles.

A senior administration official said that under the law, DHS Under Secretary of Management Claire Grady, the current acting deputy secretary, is next in line of succession to be acting secretary. That means there are questions as to whether she will need to be fired as well in order to make Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan the acting DHS secretary, as Trump tweeted Sunday night.

Late last week, the White House abruptly withdrew the nomination of Ron Vitiello for director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which caught Congress and the department by surprise. Nielsen was unaware what was happening until after the nomination was pulled, a person familiar with the news said.

"It's pretty somber over here," said an ICE official, adding that there are still questions about why Vitiello's name was withdrawn.

'You've got a hard job'

Nielsen had been on thin ice for some time. After the 2018 midterm elections, she and her advisers strongly suspected that she would not survive long. The President had long talked about making changes to his Cabinet after the midterms, and Trump was increasingly calling for drastic action to curb migration at the southern border.

Nielsen realized that optics were what mattered most to Trump  that's when she began to adopt a harder line and make a more public case for the President's immigration policies. In private, she also tried to adjust her style when talking to Trump, offering him workarounds to existing laws rather than simply telling him what he wanted at the border was not possible.

It all ingratiated her to Trump, according to multiple sources, and the President began to believe Nielsen might be the right person to implement his agenda despite the challenges of the job.

"You've got a hard job," the President told her at the time, a source familiar with the comments said.

At the same time, Nielsen worked with one of the President's closest advisers, his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to broker a deal with Mexico that would allow some asylum seekers to wait in that country while their claims were processed. Nielsen also felt that forging a closer relationship with Kushner could help her get more stability in the job.

She entered 2019 feeling that she had earned that stability. In February, she reshuffled her senior staff and began to eye additional senior hires.

But the ground shifted under her faster than she could adjust. She began to grow concerned that her position might be in danger last week, when a newly empowered Miller indicated there would be a shake-up in several deputy-level positions at DHS.

Nielsen tried to find solutions to the administration's chaotic response to the situation at the border that would allow her to remain in her position. She started to talk to White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney about bringing on an immigration czar to coordinate the administration's response  and take some of the heat off herself.

Ultimately, neither that nor her attempts to turn up the volume on her rhetoric were enough.

"The situation at the border just deteriorated super quickly," one source close to Nielsen said.

RELATED: It may take 2 years to identify thousands of separated families, government says

Asked about the mood at DHS following Nielsen's resignation, one DHS official told CNN there was "some exasperation," adding that the department doesn't "have enough depth" to fill longtime vacancies.

"We are losing leadership faster than we can get it confirmed or even hired permanently," the official said.

This story was first published on CNN.com "Trump overseeing 'near-systematic purge' at Department of Homeland Security"
Erdogan Weighs Efforts to Overturn Istanbul Vote Defeat

By Dorian Jones April 08, 2019

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has thrown his full political weight into efforts to reverse the defeat of his AK Party in mayoral elections for Turkey's largest city, Istanbul.

Speaking to reporters Monday before flying to Moscow, Erdogan questioned the validity of the vote.

"We, as the political party, have detected an organized crime and some organized activities,"he said.

Until now, Erdogan appeared to step back from the deepening political controversy over the opposition Republican People's Party's (CHP) success in Istanbul. The AKP in Istanbul is challenging the March 31 vote, seeking to overturn Ekram Imamoglu's 24,000 vote lead over Binali Yildirim.

AKP's efforts reduced Imamoglu's majority to around 15,000 votes. But the current reexamination of 300,000 invalidated ballots is almost complete. The AKP is now demanding a full recount of the nearly 10 million votes.

Erdogan also introduced the idea of a repeat of the Istanbul poll.

"No one has a right to say, 'I won' with a 13,000 to 14,000 vote difference," Erdogan said. "We made a promise. We said that we would protect the votes at ballot boxes, and we did so. After protecting the votes at the ballot box, we have continued to do the same in the ensuing process."

The prospect of a rerun of the vote drew scorn from opposition leaders.

"Renewing elections until the AK Party wins is what happens in African dictatorships. There are examples of it," said Good Party leader Meral Aksener.

With political tensions rising over the contested vote, CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu put the onus on Turkey's Higher Electoral Board (YSK) to end the dispute.

The YSK administrates elections in Turkey and has the final say in determining results and decisions on recounts and reruns.

"Whatever they (AKP) have tried so far didn't change the results," Kilicdaroglu said. "The YSK judges have to behave independently and decide in accordance with the law. This is about the fate of our democracy."

The majority of the ruling YSK board is made up of Erdogan and government appointees. YSK decisions on sanctioning recounts in the aftermath of the local elections is already raising questions over its impartiality.

"Election monitoring body YSK, which ought to be independent and which will decide on this appeal (Istanbul vote), has thus far granted 86 percent of AKP's requests for recounts versus 12 percent of opposition CHP and 0 percent of opposition HDP (pro-Kurdish party)," tweeted Sonar Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Research Program, in Washington.

Critics highlight the YSK's rejection of opposition parties' calls for recounts in the latest local elections, where the winning margin was in the hundreds or low thousands.

However, the YSK did reject AKP's calls for a full recount in the mayoral election in Ankara, which saw the CHP win control of the city after 25 years. In Istanbul, the board also rejected an appeal for a district mayoral election to be repeated.

Analyst Atilla Yesilada of Global Source Partners said the entrance of Erdogan into the controversy over the Istanbul vote changes the political landscape.

"While the YSK, has shown some backbone during this ordeal (Istanbul vote), let's not fool ourselves. No mortal or legal entity in Turkey has the guts to withstand Erdogan's wrath," he said.

Critics warn overturning the Istanbul vote or repeating the election could end many Turks' belief in the Turkish democratic system. Political scientist Cengiz Aktar said for Erdogan, that would be politically costly.

"Elections, on a general or local level or even referenda are extremely important to the regime as it constitutes the sole source of legitimacy for this regime. Therefore elections are crucial for the regime."

Erdogan's favorite rebuttal of criticism domestically and internationally is his repeated electoral success. Yesilada suggests the president's AKP defeats in Istanbul and Ankara could have been an opportunity.

"The victories in Istanbul and Ankara by opposition parties should have aroused respect for Turkey's resilient democracy and earned him (Erdogan) credit from the West for gracefully conceding defeat," Yesilada said. The alternative means Turkey is exiting the democratic fraternity and possibly another market quake to devastate the economy.

The Turkish lira fell sharply Monday following Erdogan's comments. Economists warn the currency remains vulnerable to political risk, with the economy recession and concerns over the scale of private sector debt.

Observers suggest the political and the economic risks will be considerable in any protracted struggle for Istanbul, Erdogan's base for 25 years, where he could be calculating that such risks more than outweighed the cost of losing control of his hometown city.

"He (Erdogan) was elected mayor in 1994. He knows how economically meaningful Istanbul is for his party, the AKP. It has extensively benefited from Istanbul," said Aktar. "In that sense, it's (Istanbul) extremely important and symbolic, and that is why the opposition will never be allowed to win in Istanbul."

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PM May warns Brexit could slip away as crunch week looms

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 08:43, April 08, 2019

LONDON, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Talks between Britain's two big political parties resume Monday after Prime Minister Theresa May issued a stark warning that the Brexit people voted for could "slip through our fingers".

The coming days will be among the most crucial since Britain voted almost three years ago to end its membership of the European Union (EU).

May is hoping that within the next 48 hours a breakthrough will be made in talks between her Conservative Party and the Labour Party led by main opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn.

On Wednesday, May heads to Brussels to meet leaders of the other 27 EU member states in the hope of winning a second delay to Britain's departure date.

Britain is currently scheduled to leave the EU on Friday unless a further extension is agreed.

In a weekend message, May said: "Because Parliament has made clear it will stop the UK leaving without a deal, we now have a stark choice: leave the European Union with a deal or do not leave at all.

My answer to that is clear: we must deliver Brexit and to do so we must agree a deal."

May said there are areas on Brexit where the two main parties agree, both want to end free movement, both want to leave with a good deal, and both want to protect jobs.

But she warned: "The longer this takes, the greater the risk of the UK never leaving at all. It would mean letting the Brexit the British people voted for slip through our fingers."

Her fears were echoed Sunday by Andrea Leadsom, Leader of the House of Commons.

In a Sunday television interview, Leadsom said the Conservative Party was having to listen "through gritted teeth" to what the Labour Party is saying.

Leadsom also said a second referendum would be an ultimate betrayal of what people voted for in 2016, and would be seen as an attempt by Remainers to re-run the original vote. She also said she would never vote to revoke Article 50, the measure that signaled Britain's intention to leave the EU.

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Leadsom said: "It's time to confront the grim truth; the vision we had of Brexit is fading away, and we are running out of time to save it."

Leadsom said finding a way to leave with a deal remained frustratingly deadlocked.

Labour's Rebecca Long Bailey, who has taken part in the bi-lateral discussions on Brexit between the Conservatives and Labour, said talks over three days had been good natures and the overall mood had been positive.

But she said Labour had not yet seen any compromise from May's government, saying Labour was waiting to see if there will be any changes to the deal in the coming days from May.

Former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, seen as a front-runner to replace May as Conservative leader, warned Sunday that the Prime Minister's Brexit negotiations with Labour's Corbym were a major mistake.

Writing in the Mail on Sunday newspaper, Raab believed striking a deal with Corbyn risked handing the keys of 10 Downing Street to the Labour leader and destroying Brexit in the process.

May said that when she goes to Brussels on Wednesday she will seek a short extension to Article 50, with June 30 cited as a target date.

"My intention is to reach an agreement with my fellow EU leaders that will mean if we can agree a deal here at home we can leave the EU in just six weeks," she said.

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UK's most advanced jets deploy overseas for the first time

F-35B Lightning aircraft are set to deploy to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus

8 April 2019

Britain's new cutting-edge F-35B aircraft will depart their home station of RAF Marham in Norfolk later this year for Cyprus in their first overseas deployment.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

"These formidable fighters are a national statement of our intent to protect ourselves and our allies from intensifying threats across the world."

"This deployment marks an important milestone in this game-changing aircraft's journey to becoming fully operational."

Owned and operated by the RAF, the Lightning Force is jointly manned by both the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy. This deployment will allow personnel from both services to gain vital experience in maintaining and flying the aircraft in an unfamiliar environment.

The deployment will also train and test all aspects of moving this aircraft to a new location, including logistics, maintenance, and sustainment of all the equipment and crew that comes with this impressive aircraft.

The Lightning, as the aircraft is known in the UK, is the first to combine radar-evading stealth technology with supersonic speeds and the ability to conduct short take-offs and vertical landings. With the ability to operate from land and sea, the F-35 forms a vital part of delivering a 'carrier strike' capability to the UK when combined with Britain's new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers.

Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier said:

"It is great to see 617 Squadron, the modern day Dambusters, flying the most advanced and dynamic fighter jet in the UK's history and about to start their first overseas deployment."

"I have no doubt that this short deployment will offer many tests, but likewise I am confident that our highly trained and skilled personnel will rise to the challenge and confirm our ability to deliver truly formidable capability."

Admiral Sir Philip Jones KCB ADC DL Royal Navy, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff said:

"This first overseas deployment of these world-beating British F-35B aircraft to RAF Akrotiri, together with their embarkation in HMS Queen Elizabeth for the first time in the Autumn of this year, are important milestones to prove their readiness for deployed operations anywhere in the world in defence of our national interests."

The UK currently owns 17 F-35B aircraft with the reformed 617 Sqn having arrived back in the UK last year, with RAF Voyager aircraft providing air-to-air refuelling on their trans-Atlantic journey. More jets are due in Britain over the coming years, and there is an overall plan to procure 138 aircraft over the life of the Programme.

The F-35 is the world's largest defence programme at over $1.3 trillion, with UK industry providing 15% by value of every one of over 3,000 jets set for the global order book. That makes the economic impact greater than if we were building 100% of all 138 aircraft which we intend to buy. The programme has already generated $12.9 billion worth of orders and at peak production will support thousands of British manufacturing and engineering jobs.

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So Far, Zelenskiy Is High On Charisma And Light On Policy. Do Ukrainians Care?

By Christopher Miller April 08, 2019

KYIV -- By just about any measure, Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been heavy on charisma and light on specifics.

Meanwhile, a glance at the only measure that really counts -- his first-place tally in last month's first round of the Ukrainian presidential election -- makes it hard to argue that the voters don't like what they are seeing.

So even veteran political analysts acknowledge the 41-year-old Zelenskiy's savvy path of essentially providing a divided country with a blank political canvas, allowing voters to paint their own picture of what he is and what he could be as head of state. For those who see the past five years as a series of blunders and missed opportunities, that represents a reverse image of incumbent Petro Poroshenko, Zelenskiy's opponent in the runoff in less than two weeks' time.

To such prospective voters, "Poroshenko represents everything, I think, that Ukrainians dislike in business, society, and politics -- oligarchs," said Timothy Ash, a London-based economist focused on emerging economies.

It is a strategy that Zelenskiy has largely maintained since the first round, despite his own links to Ukrainian oligarch and outspoken Poroshenko nemesis Ihor Kolomoyskiy.

The 56-year-old Kolomoyskiy, who reportedly lives in Israel, owns the TV channel on which Zelenskiy's comedy programs are aired and has provided security, lawyers, and vehicles for the candidate. A U.S. report this week suggested that Kolomoyskiy -- whose international activities span the metal, fossil-fuel, and finance businesses, among others -- was the subject of an FBI investigation over possible financial wrongdoing, a charge that his lawyer rejected.

A spokeswoman for the agency, Tina Jagerson, told RFE/RL by e-mail that under Justice Department policy, the FBI "neither confirms nor denies the existence of any investigation."

So far, that connection with Kolomoyskiy hasn't torpedoed Zelenskiy's candidacy.

If opinion polls are right -- and they largely were in the first round -- then Zelenskiy stands a solid chance of defeating Poroshenko in their two-man race.

"I think Zelenskiy wins, as his first-round lead is just too big for Poroshenko to pull back and the sheer dislike and distrust of Poroshenko [is] so large," Ash predicted.

A Kyiv International Institute of Sociology poll published in late March showed Poroshenko with a negative rating of over 61 percent -- higher than any other candidate. Zelenskiy's was just 23 percent.

If the comic whose only political experience is portraying a schoolteacher whose anticorruption rant lands him in the presidency can hold on, Ukraine could wake up on April 22 with more questions about its future than answers.

No Policies, No Problem

Personable, witty, and a master at social media, Zelenskiy has tapped into the psyche of Ukrainians desperate for "a new face" in a system long dominated by establishment politicians.

He has done so with a simple message that has resonated across the country: I am whatever you say I am.

"This vagueness is probably deliberate, because it increases the appeal of Zelenskiy to a wider centrist electorate," said Alex Kokcharov, a principal research analyst on Ukraine at the London-based risk-assessment-firm IHS Markit. "However, if elected, this would probably translate into inconsistent and erratic policy-making."

Critics would argue that erratic policymaking is hardly what a country that faces huge diplomatic and economic challenges, not least of which is a simmering armed conflict with Russia-backed fighters in its eastern Donbas region, needs.

Poroshenko, a confectionery mogul who also served terms as the minister of foreign affairs and of industry before emerging as a compromise candidate in 2014, has sought to play up his political experience as key to a steady and reliable alternative.

In an attempt to persuade voters still considering their options and wary of putting a political novice at the helm, Zelenskiy's campaign released a pre-election program last week.

The platform arguably reads more like a list of personal values than specific policies.

Advisers told RFE/RL recently that they had encouraged Zelenskiy to simply lay out his values matter-of-factly and leave them to draw up more specific policies for him based on those principles.

Former Finance Minister Oleksandr Danylyuk, former Economy Minister Aivaras Abromavicius, and a former member of the National Agency for Prevention of Corruption (NAPC), Rouslan Riaboshapka, were among the Zelenskiy camp's team members providing insight into the candidate's thinking and plans. All are also helping him to develop his platform.

"I hope that the first thing he will do [as president] is creatively ruin the system that for so many years was holding Ukraine back," Danylyuk told RFE/RL on election night. "After that, we will see a new Ukraine, a new government, a new type of people that will run the country."

While there is still much uncertainty about the front-runner, here is what we know so far about where Zelenskiy stands on key issues.

'Not Fighting But Defeating Corruption'

Speaking to RFE/RL, Riaboshapka said fighting corruption would be Zelenskiy's top priority if he became president.

"His plan for the first 100 days will focus on anticorruption measures," Riaboshapka said on election night, promising to publish the plan before the second round.

Riaboshapka offered few details as to how that would happen. But Zelenskiy has promised that "we'll institute the same rules for everyone. There's one law for everyone. Just like I learned in law school," he told Ukrayinska Pravda in January, adding, "We'll ask Great Britain, set up a High Court of Justice."

Zelenskiy's team also told RFE/RL that as president he would ban those convicted of corruption offenses from holding government posts and forbid those charged with corruption to be released on bail.

Government officials, they said, would need to be hired through open screening and granted higher salaries than those offered under the current administration to discourage bribe taking.

Moreover, Riaboshapka said, Zelenskiy would "relaunch" the special anticorruption prosecutor's office and other anticorruption agencies and "guarantee their independence."

Talk To Putin To End The War

Zelenskiy has complained that the war against Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, which has dragged on for five years and killed roughly 13,000 lives, needs to stop.

To make that happen, he has vowed to negotiate directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin. But he also said in an interview with the Ukraine TV channel this week that he would never agree to sacrifice any territory or citizens.

Moscow and Kyiv "will have to talk...coming together somewhere in the middle," he said in an interview late last year.

The comment brought criticism from Ukrainian war veterans and nationalists who were similarly disturbed by a 2014 comment the comic made that recently resurfaced about how to avoid war with Russia.

"I can beg you on my knees, but do not put our people on our knees," Zelenskiy said in public comments directed at Putin at the time.

For his part, Poroshenko has sought to portray Zelenskiy as unfit to defend Ukraine from Russia. Putin, the president said on the night of the first round of elections, "dreams of a soft, pliant, tender, giggling, inexperienced, weak, ideologically amorphous and politically undecided president of Ukraine. Are we really going to give him that opportunity?"

More recently, Zelenskiy has said he supports the Minsk peace accords -- two agreements between Moscow and Kyiv signed in September 2014 and February 2015 that provide a road map to peace, albeit one that has allowed each side to interpret the direction of that road differently.

While the Minsk deals have helped decrease the fighting and dying, they haven't led to a lasting cease-fire.

Zelenskiy has also said in the few interviews he's done that he would like the United States and the United Kingdom to join peace negotiations. Currently, those talks are held in the Normandy format -- a four-way dialogue between Ukraine, Russia, Germany, and France.

He has also shown interest in allowing an international peacekeeping force to secure the war-torn east.

"I like [U.S. special representative for Ukraine] Kurt Volker's plan: have a separation line, a peacekeeping mission, start with [liberating] small villages, then move on to Luhansk and Donetsk," Zelenskiy said recently.

The peacekeeper plan has been floated for the past two years, but Moscow has objected over who should control the eastern Ukraine-Russia border. With that border under the control of Kyiv, Moscow would in effect lose its direct support route to separatist forces, potentially losing much leverage.

Ukraine should also start a major "informational war" and win it, Zelenskiy said in the Ukraine interview.

Zelenskiy's seemingly unfocused thinking when it comes to the conflict has worried some.

"Frankly, I am worried about the vague statements of Zelenskiy about the Donbas and Crimea," Ukrainian reformist lawmaker Mustafa Nayyem wrote in an April 6 op-ed. "Caution during elections is acceptable in all but war."

Crimea Is Ukraine, But How To Return It?

A particularly tricky issue for Zelenskiy is likely to be Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in March 2014.

He has backed the official Ukrainian position -- that the Black Sea peninsula is indisputably Ukrainian. But he hasn't provided any answers as to how to return control to Ukraine.

Zelenskiy has said that "Crimea will be returned after the ruling regime changes in Russia" and that he wants Russia to compensate Ukraine for annexing it and fomenting war in the east.

Referendum On EU, NATO Membership

Unlike Poroshenko, who has been crystal-clear about his desire to see Ukraine join the European Union and NATO, Zelenskiy has taken a more cautious approach to the issue.

While seeming to support EU and NATO membership and saying he does not plan to change Ukraine's westward course, he says he would like to give Ukrainians the opportunity to decide for themselves whether to stay on the course set upon by Poroshenko with referendums on the matters.

"Ukraine chose a course toward European integration, a course toward Europe long, long ago, and nobody is going to change this course," Zelenskiy said on Ukraina. "But in order to join NATO, after all, we should explain to people...that this is not some alligator that wants to swallow us, Ukraine, and that this is really about the country's security."

"We need to reach out to every person living in the east of Ukraine...to every Ukrainian," he continued. "And NATO [membership] must be acquired through a referendum."

'Speak Whatever Language You Want'

A native Russian speaker from south-central Kryviy Rih, Zelenskiy has spoken out against the Poroshenko government's restriction on Russian language in government, media, and art. He has also taken a stand against bans on artists from Russia visiting Ukraine.

"We should not marginalize those who speak other languages," he told Russian newspaper Argumenty i Fakty. "Everyone knows Ukrainian; if they don't know it in the east, they'll learn it."

"There's the Ukrainian language, it's the federal language," he added. "But you should be able to speak whatever you want."

Judicial System 'Flipped On Its Head'

Speaking with Novoye Vremya news magazine, Danylyuk said Zelenskiy's team would present its plan this week to reform the judicial system. While Poroshenko has claimed to have carried out a "complete reboot" of the courts, many believe that hasn't actually happened.

Under a Zelenskiy presidency, the system "will be flipped it on its head," Danylyuk said.

While not providing specifics as to how that might be achieved, Danylyuk said Zelenskiy's administration would start with the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals.

Economy

Zelenskiy used the Ukraine interview to also explain -- again in broad terms -- his plan to create a favorable climate for foreign and domestic investments in Ukraine.

The country should set up a special institution dealing with economic crimes, Zelenskiy said.

"The law enforcement agencies, such as the Security Service, the Prosecutor-General's Office, and the Interior Ministry, must be deprived of all functions that allow them to put pressure on the business sector and influence the economy," he said.

To stimulate the economy Zelenskiy's team has proposed allowing shadow businesses to become legal upon paying a 5-percent fee, according to the Kyiv Post. The newspaper reported also that as president he vowed to continue cooperation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which he had previously spoken out against.

On Health Care, Elections, Social Benefits

Broadly, Zelenskiy has stated his support for health-care reform and acting Health Minister Ulana Suprun.

He has also laid out possible changes to election legislation, which include introducing an open-list, proportional-representation system for parties.

In parliament, where critics say lawmakers have for years neglected their duties, he say he will introduce a law allowing for their expulsion.

And Zelenskiy has also proposed renewing state pensions for Ukrainians living in the territories of eastern Ukraine currently controlled by Russia-backed separatists -- something that many there perceived as a punitive measure introduced by Poroshenko.

Wait And See

But all of these are merely promises, and vague ones at that, experts say. The true test of any candidate's governing abilities and desires come only after they are elected. And then, much could still change.

"As Zelenskiy is not viewed within Ukraine as someone driven by a specific ideological agenda or an established team, he will likely be targeted by various influence groups, from political parties and leaders to business interests, who would aim to modulate his policies to their own benefit," said Kokcharov.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/so-far-zelenskiy-is- high-on-charisma-and-light-on-policy-do- ukrainians-care-/29868871.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.

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MONTREAL, April 04, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LGC Capital Ltd. (TSXV: LG, OTCQB: LGGCF) (LGC) is pleased to announce that is has been advised that Global Canna Labs has now received their formal approvals late in March from the Jamaican Cannabis Licensing Agency (CLA) to commence commercial medical cannabis sales domestically to licensed dispensaries.



As of today, Global Canna Labs has now sold a total of 46.5 kilograms of dried medical cannabis products in to the local dispensaries. It is now receiving regular domestic sales inquiries and demand for Global Canna Labs products is expected to accelerate from here.

LGC also advises that Global Canna Labs has now planted out the majority of its 6.2 acre site in Montego Bay and expects to commence harvesting, under CLA supervision, two sectional harvests per months from various phases of crop growth and various Cannabis strains, with the first of these bi-monthly harvests scheduled for April 10.

Global Canna Labs is one of the very few Tier-3 licences in Jamaica for the cultivation and production of medical cannabis (licensed to cultivate and produce over 5 acres), after formally receiving its full approval for a Tier-3 cultivation license from the Jamaican Cannabis Licensing Agency ("CLA") in July 2018. This license allows GCL to cultivate medical cannabis at its 6.23 acres site in Montego Bay in Jamaica. GCL is planning on opening 2 Dispensaries and an Extraction facility in the very near future.

Mazen Haddad, Co-Chairman and CEO of LGC Capital, stated: This is a tremendous achievement for the team in Jamaica. We have seen many achievements within Global Canna Labs since LGC became a cornerstone funder of this exciting company. We see them continuing to expand and grow at their facility in Montego Bay, as the market demand grows. Senior LGC management recently toured the Montego Bay facility to witness operations almost at full planting capacity and witnessed the results of the first harvests. There is still scope to infill sections of the 6.2 acre site before looking to expand beyond the existing secured growing areas. We see Jamaica as a very key growth market in the area and can see considerable expansion opportunities for Global Canna Labs as a Jamaican leader in their field, as the domestic and internal markets for Jamaicas special brand of organic sativa strains and find their place in the market.

LGC has a secured debenture, convertible into a 30% strategic interest in Global Canna Labs and a 5% royalty on Global Canna Labs' net sales.

About LGC Capital:

Through its partners and assuming pending transactions under review by the TSXV are approved, LGC presently will have interests in over 450,000 square feet of planted cannabis in Jamaica, Switzerland, Italy, and Australia. That is expected to increase to over 2,100,000 square feet by 2021, as its portfolio companies execute their expansion plans, in addition to the anticipated licensing of Tricho-Meds operations in Quebec, Canada.

LGC partners currently sell cannabis products in over 1,000 points of sale across Switzerland and Italy under the ONE Premium Cannabis and EasyJoint brands as well as medical cannabis oils in Australia under the Little Green Pharma brand. LGCs partners branded products are available in a variety of formats including dry cannabis flower, tinctures, oils, seeds, and beverages.

For further information please contact:

John McMullen, President LGC Capital Ltd, +1-416-803-0698, john@lgc-capital.com

Investor Relations, Dave Burwell, +1-403-221-0915, dave@howardgroupinc.com

Notice Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements with respect to LGC Capital Ltd. ("LGC") and their respective operations, strategy, investments, financial performance and condition. These statements can generally be identified by use of forward- looking words such as "may", "will", "expect", "estimate", "anticipate", "intends", "believe" or "continue" or the negative thereof or similar variations. The actual results and performance of LGC and Global Canna Labs (GCL) could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Such statements are qualified in their entirety by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations. Some important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include, among other things, general economic and market factors, competition, government regulation and the factors described under "Risk Factors and Risk Management" in LGC's Management's Discussion and Analysis for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, as filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). The cautionary statements qualify all forward-looking statements attributable to LGC and persons acting on its behalf. Unless otherwise stated, all forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and neither LGC nor GCL has any obligation to update such statements, except to the extent required by applicable securities laws. 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.

Caution Regarding Press Releases

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.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5646c79f-02c0-4883-a31f-b35c1d999815

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/18ea8e15-e0d7-4070-b91c-5a362f94aec4
German English

SUCCESSFUL START TO THE YEAR WITH 7.1% SALES GROWTH IN FIRST QUARTER

Sales growth of 7.1% in local currencies to CHF 1,644.8 million (+5.8% in CHF)

Growth in all regions

New mortar factory established in Senegal

Announced acquisition of three companies: Parex, global, King Packaged Materials, Canada, and Belineco, Belarus

Confirmation of outlook with sales target of at least CHF 8 billion in 2019

Sika has continued its growth trajectory with a successful start to the 2019 business year, reporting a new sales record of CHF 1,644.8 million in the first quarter. This equates to an increase of 7.1% in local currencies. A negative currency effect (-1.3%) led to robust sales growth in Swiss francs of 5.8%.

Paul Schuler, Chief Executive Officer: In a commercially challenging environment we have delivered sales growth of 7.1%, which represents a strong start to the new business year. The acquisition of Parex, which is expected to complete in the second quarter, will provide us with a first-class growth platform. Our organization is set up for the next level of growth, and we anticipate sales to exceed CHF 8 billion for the first time in 2019 as a whole.

GROWTH IN ALL REGIONS

In the first quarter of 2019, sales in the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East, Africa) increased by 8.2% (previous year: 10.2%). Business developed well in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (DACH area). The countries of Eastern Europe and Africa posted double-digit growth rates. In Africa, the new national subsidiaries in particular significantly contributed to the strong growth.

At the start of 2019, Sika announced the acquisition of Belineco, a polyurethane foam systems manufacturer based in Belarus. The takeover will further improve access to the East European market. In addition, Sika has invested in a mortar production facility in Senegal.

The Americas region recorded growth of 4.8% (previous year: 12.2%). Numerous major construction projects have been delayed in the United States due to the ongoing shortage of skilled labor. In Mexico, the change in government has led to noticeable cost-cutting measures in the area of infrastructure. Business development in Brazil and Colombia was higher than average. In Canada, the acquisition of the King Packaged Materials Company in the reporting period brought a leading manufacturer of concrete repair systems into the Group.

Sales in the Asia/Pacific region rose by 2.8% (previous year: 3.9%). Double-digit growth rates were reported in two of the largest economies of Asia, namely China and India. By contrast, growth in the countries of Southeast Asia and the Pacific area was uneven, and in some cases even negative.

The Global Business segment recorded growth of 13.3% (previous year: 20.9%), 11.3% being attributed to acquisitions. In the Automotive area, Sika was further able to increase its market share in the first quarter and grow organically, despite the decline in car production figures worldwide. In particular, Sika is benefiting from the megatrends evident in modern automotive construction, which are dominated by electromobility and lightweight construction. New platforms and multi-material designs are opening up new avenues of growth potential for Sika.

OUTLOOK: SALES TARGET OF CHF 8 BILLION IN 2019

Sika expects sales to increase by 68% in 2019, in accordance with the Groups Strategic Targets 2020, and anticipates an over-proportional rise in profits. With the consolidation of Parex tentatively taking place in the second quarter, sales is set to exceed CHF 8 billion for the first time. The implementation of the Group's growth strategy will continue in 2019 with the opening of between seven and nine new factories, and the establishment of further growth platforms in the form of acquisitions. Details of the new Strategy 2023 will be presented at the Sika Capital Markets Day on October 3, 2019.

NET SALES IN THE FIRST THREE MONTHS OF 2019

In CHF mn 1/1/2018- 3/31/2018 1/1/2019-3/31/2019 Year-on-year change (+/- in %) in CHF



In local currencies1 Currency effect Acquisition

effect By region EMEA 691.5 723.8 4.7 8.2 -3.5 1.2 Americas 389.0 412.5 6.0 4.8 1.2 1.6 Asia/Pacific 257.7 266.2 3.3 2.8 0.5 0.0 Global Business 215.8 242.3 12.3 13.3 -1.0 11.3 Net sales consolidated 1,554.0 1,644.8 5.8 7.1 -1.3 2.5 Products for the construction industry 1,170.2 1,225.8 4.8 5.9 -1.1 1.2 Products for

industrial manufacturing 383.8 419.0 9.2 10.8 -1.6 6.4 1 including acquisitions

FINANCIAL CALENDAR

51st Annual General Meeting Tuesday, April 9, 2019 Half-Year Report 2019 Thursday, July 25, 2019 Results first nine months 2019 Thursday, October 24, 2019 Net sales 2019 Tuesday, January 7, 2020 Media conference/analyst presentation

on 2019 full-year results Friday, February 21, 2020 52nd Annual General Meeting Tuesday, April 21, 2020

CONTACT

Dominik Slappnig

Corporate Communications &

Investor Relations

+41 58 436 68 21

slappnig.dominik@ch.sika.com

SIKA CORPORATE PROFILE

Sika is a specialty chemicals company with a leading position in the development and production of systems and products for bonding, sealing, damping, reinforcing, and protecting in the building sector and motor vehicle industry. Sika has subsidiaries in 101 countries around the world and manufactures in over 200 factories. Its more than 20,000 employees generated annual sales of CHF 7.09 billion in 2018.

The media release can be downloaded from the following link:

Attachments
Seattle, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WatchGuard Technologies, a global leader in network security and intelligence, secure Wi-Fi and multi-factor authentication, today unveiled the WatchGuard Cloud platform, which centralizes security management and reporting from a single cloud-based interface. Built from the ground up to support and enable managed service providers (MSPs), WatchGuard Cloud reduces infrastructure costs, accelerates customer acquisition, and minimizes time spent on reporting and operational tasks.



MSPs need a modern, cloud-hosted security solution thats capable of providing powerful security insights, unlimited scalability and easy deployment processes, said Andrew Young, SVP of product management at WatchGuard. WatchGuards mission is to make cyber security simple, and this applies not just to end users, but also to the partners who deploy, configure, and manage our products and services. Simplicity is in our DNA, so we are extending that to our partners with the launch of WatchGuard Cloud.



The WatchGuard Cloud platform is the management platform of the future for MSPs because it simplifies how they protect their customers while enabling rapid, efficient and profitable growth. It delivers true multi-tier, multi-tenant capabilities, scaling automatically to allow MSPs to create and manage an unlimited number of customer accounts, deploy new WatchGuard appliances, manage and deploy WatchGuard applications, and gain valuable insights into a customers network.



Key Features of the WatchGuard Cloud platform include:

Limitless Account Management  WatchGuard Cloud is built on a multi-tier, multi-tenant architecture, allowing service providers to create and onboard any number and type of customer accounts, while ensuring separation of data between tenants and role-based access to information.

 WatchGuard Cloud is built on a multi-tier, multi-tenant architecture, allowing service providers to create and onboard any number and type of customer accounts, while ensuring separation of data between tenants and role-based access to information. Scalable Performance  The platform responds immediately and automatically to changing compute and storage requirements, allowing the platform to maintain high performance, running reports in seconds across terabytes of data while providing summarized insights.

 The platform responds immediately and automatically to changing compute and storage requirements, allowing the platform to maintain high performance, running reports in seconds across terabytes of data while providing summarized insights. Inventory Allocation & Account Delegation  WatchGuard Clouds powerful inventory management features let service providers view and track licensing across all customers. They can also allocate and deallocate services to those customers on terms that fit their service models. Additionally, WatchGuard Cloud provides tenants with the ability to delegate access to another tenant, including control over duration and permissions.

 WatchGuard Clouds powerful inventory management features let service providers view and track licensing across all customers. They can also allocate and deallocate services to those customers on terms that fit their service models. Additionally, WatchGuard Cloud provides tenants with the ability to delegate access to another tenant, including control over duration and permissions. Automated Alerts & Notifications  As a centralized management interface, the WatchGuard Cloud platform allows users to quickly and easily configure alerts and notifications across all security applications, including visibility of Firebox UTM and AuthPoint multi-factor authentication events. MSSPs can access notifications on anything from customer licenses, usage or expirations to security and performance updates.

 As a centralized management interface, the WatchGuard Cloud platform allows users to quickly and easily configure alerts and notifications across all security applications, including visibility of Firebox UTM and AuthPoint multi-factor authentication events. MSSPs can access notifications on anything from customer licenses, usage or expirations to security and performance updates. Flexible Data Retention  WatchGuard Cloud offers a variety of data retention options  including 30 days with the WatchGuard Total Security Suite  removing the need to configure, deploy, maintain and scale servers and appliances for logging and reporting.

 WatchGuard Cloud offers a variety of data retention options  including 30 days with the WatchGuard Total Security Suite  removing the need to configure, deploy, maintain and scale servers and appliances for logging and reporting. Zero Infrastructure Requirements  As a cloud-hosted service, the platform has no hardware requirements for service providers to deploy, resulting in reduced cost and time spent deploying and maintaining servers either locally or in datacenters.

 As a cloud-hosted service, the platform has no hardware requirements for service providers to deploy, resulting in reduced cost and time spent deploying and maintaining servers either locally or in datacenters. Powerful Visibility and Reporting  Building upon the award-winning Dimension solution, WatchGuard Cloud comes equipped with more than 100 dashboards and reports that identify key network security threats, issues and trends, while accelerating users ability to set and enforce meaningful security policies.

 Building upon the award-winning Dimension solution, WatchGuard Cloud comes equipped with more than 100 dashboards and reports that identify key network security threats, issues and trends, while accelerating users ability to set and enforce meaningful security policies. Platform and Data Security  Security of the centrally managed, cloud-hosted platform itself is a top priority for WatchGuard. Not only are user logins protected by advanced multi-factor authentication, but WatchGuard Cloud offers built-in security for data in transit, and at rest, which enables users to implement role-based access control and supports the logical separation of data between tenants, as well as partitions between subscriber accounts.



WatchGuard Clouds easy deployment, granular insight and cost-effectiveness has been a game-changer for our business, said Carl Mazzanti, president of eMazzanti Technologies. In the retail industry, delays, downtime and breaches can be impossible to come back from. Our customers have unrivaled peace of mind knowing that through the intuitive WatchGuard Cloud interface we can spin up new stores that are highly secure and compliant, manage and monitor each location from anywhere, and always access in-depth insight into performance and security anomalies in real time.



The WatchGuard Cloud platform provides centralized management of security applications and strengthens MSPs ability to easily deliver differentiated, profitable services to their customers.



For more information about the platform and how to get started today, visit the WatchGuard Cloud page.

Additional Resources:

About WatchGuard Technologies, Inc.

WatchGuard Technologies, Inc. is a global leader in network security, secure Wi-Fi, multi-factor authentication, and network intelligence. The companys award-winning products and services are trusted around the world by nearly 10,000 security resellers and service providers to protect more than 80,000 customers. WatchGuards mission is to make enterprise-grade security accessible to companies of all types and sizes through simplicity, making WatchGuard an ideal solution for distributed enterprises and SMBs. The company is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, with offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. To learn more, visit WatchGuard.com.

For additional information, promotions and updates, follow WatchGuard on Twitter @WatchGuard, on Facebook, or on the LinkedIn Company page. Also, visit our InfoSec blog, Secplicity, for real-time information about the latest threats and how to cope with them at www.secplicity.org.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ICC International Cannabis Corp. (CSE: WRLD.U)(FWB: 8K51)(OTC: WLDCF) ("ICC" or International Cannabis or the Company) is pleased to announce the Company has entered into an agreement with AgraFlora Organics International Inc. (AgraFlora) (CSE: AGRA)(FWB: PU31)(OTC: PUFXF), whereby AgraFlora will transfer its portfolio of exotic, native Colombian cannabis genetics to ICC for international marketing and distribution purposes.



Eugene Beukman, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of International Cannabis stated: This partnership further equips International Cannabis with the ability to provide highly coveted Colombian cannabis flower to its distribution global network of approximately 39,000 pharmacies and retail outlets. The transfer of these native Colombian strains will also allow for the continued differentiation of the International Cannabis brand in an increasingly generic and homogenized market.

In May 2018, AgraFlora formed a wholly owned subsidiary, Pure Grow Medicinals S.A.S. (Pure Grow), to pursue cannabis cultivation and genetics opportunities in Colombia. Pure Grow has since been working in concert with a Cannabis Cup winner whose strain Medellin Gold has received industry accolade and has, since formation, acquired a select library of rare and exotic native cannabis seed varieties from various regions in the country.

The Companies genetics portfolio consists of rare, native cannabis strains from the regions of Valle del Cauca, Cauca, Magdalena and Antioquia in Colombia. Under the agreement, Pure Grow is transferring to International Cannabis a library consisting of 20 unique strains that include both prominent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) varietals, including highly sought-after strains such as:

Caucana;

Purpura;

Medellin Gold; and,

Maroc.

As both the World Health Organization and many countries around the world shift their stance in favour of medical use of CBD-dominant cannabis oils and CBD-derived products, the demand for high-yield CBD strains is expected to increase geometrically.

Pure Grow has assembled a unique genetic library of cannabis native to Colombia which we believe is poised to become a valuable asset for our company, said Derek Ivany, President & CEO, AgraFlora Organics International Inc. With the aim of maximizing the value of our genetics portfolio, we have confidence in our new partnership with ICC as they have built an extensive infrastructure across the value chain in the international cannabis marketplace. Their vast international presence consists of distribution networks and various licenses in multiple jurisdictions that will assist in introducing our genetics library to the marketplace.

Under the terms of the agreement, AgraFlora will retain the rights to the genetics library for its own uses within North America, with International Cannabis being granted exclusive rights elsewhere globally. In consideration for the transfer of the genetics library, the Company will issue one million common shares of ICC to AgraFlora. The valuation of the shares will be based upon the five-day VWAP of ICC's common shares for the five trading sessions prior to the announcement of the agreement.

ABOUT AGRAFLORA ORGANICS INTERNATIONAL INC.

AgraFlora Organics International Inc. is a growth oriented and diversified company focused on the international cannabis industry. It owns an indoor cultivation operation in London, ON and is a joint venture partner in Propagation Service Canada and its large-scale 2,200,000 sq. ft. greenhouse complex in Delta, BC. The Company has a successful record of creating shareholder value and is actively pursuing other opportunities within the cannabis industry. For more information please visit: www.agraflora.com.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL CANNABIS

ICC International Cannabis, through its subsidiaries, has operating assets and is developing a world-class platform for cultivation, extraction, formulation and distribution across the globe in the United Kingdom, Denmark, Poland, Switzerland, Germany, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Malta, Colombia, Argentina, Australia, South Africa and Lesotho.

ON BEHALF OF THE ICC INTERNATIONAL CANNABIS CORP. BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Eugene Beukman



Eugene Beukman

CEO, Director

+1 (647) 427-2208

info@intlcannabiscorp.com

Learn more about ICC by visiting our website at: https://intlcannabiscorp.com/

Stay up to date with everything happening at ICC by following or liking us on:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ICCWRLD/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/ICC_WRLD

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/icc-wrld/

THE CSE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS RELEASE.



Notice Regarding Forward Looking Information:

This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or information that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. This information is only a prediction. Various assumptions were used in drawing the conclusions or making the projections contained in the forward-looking information throughout this news release. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to: political changes in Canada and internationally, future legislative and regulatory developments involving cannabis in Canada and internationally, the Companys ability to secure distribution channels in international jurisdictions, competition and other risks affecting the Company in particular and the cannabis industry generally.



The forward-looking information contained in this release is expressly qualified by the foregoing cautionary statements and is made as of the date of this release. Except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward- looking information to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise.




Agreement with Nice & Green S.A. can be extended for an additional CHF 5 million





Provides additional funds for roll-out of MagnetOs and further advancing clinical program





The Convertible Bonds are mandatory convertible into equity

SCHLIEREN (ZURICH), Switzerland, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kuros Biosciences (SIX: KURN) today announced that it has entered into a convertible bond financing agreement with Nice & Green S.A. for up to a maximum of CHF 5 million.

The facility is provided by Nice & Green, a private Swiss company which specializes in financing solutions tailored to the requirements of listed growth companies in the biotech and cleantech industries. This agreement can be extended by Kuros for an additional CHF 5 million over a further period of 12 months.

Joost de Bruijn, Chief Executive Officer of Kuros, said: The proceeds from this convertible bond facility and Decembers capital raise will be used to further focus on the commercial opportunity in cutting-edge orthobiologics. We will do this by expanding the commercial rollout of MagnetOs, our first product on the market, and further advancing the clinical program, particularly the Fibrin-PTH candidate, for which we are preparing a Phase II trial in spinal fusion.

The facility enables Kuros to draw 12 equal tranches representing 100,000 shares each over 12 months against issuance of convertible bonds. The convertible bonds are mandatory convertible into equity at the discretion of Nice & Green within a period of 12 months after their issuance, with a conversion rate of 95% of the lowest volume-weighted average price during the six trading days preceding the conversion date.

For further information, please contact:

Kuros Biosciences AG LifeSci Advisors Michael Grau Hans Herklots Chief Financial Officer Media & Investors Tel +41 44 733 47 47 +41 79 598 7149 michael.grau@kurosbio.com hherklots@lifesciadvisors.com



About Kuros Biosciences AG

Kuros Biosciences is focused on the development of innovative products for tissue repair and regeneration and is located in Schlieren (Zurich), Switzerland, Bilthoven, The Netherlands and Burlington (MA), U.S.A.. The Company is listed according to the International Financial Reporting Standard on the SIX Swiss Exchange under the symbol KURN. Visit www.kurosbio.ch for additional information on Kuros, its science and product pipeline.

Forward Looking Statements

This media release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to be materially different from historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. You are urged to consider statements that include the words will or expect or the negative of those words or other similar words to be uncertain and forward-looking. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements include scientific, business, economic and financial factors, Against the background of these uncertainties, readers should not rely on forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no responsibility for updating forward-looking statements or adapting them to future events or developments.
English Dutch

PRESS RELEASE

Regulated Information





Marek Sebestak, Alexander Saverys and Jos Thys to retire after 12 years of exemplary service

Ann Gaeremynck, Katherina Reiche and Vera Gade-Butzlaff to be proposed as replacements at Annual Shareholders Meeting on 10 May 2019

9 April 2019, Antwerp (Berchem), Belgium: VGP NV (VGP or the Group) distributed today the Convocation for the upcoming Annual Shareholders Meeting and announced that the Board of Directors have nominated Mrs. Ann Gaeremynck, Mrs. Katherina Reiche and Mrs. Vera Gade-Butzlaff for appointment as new independent board members. The Annual Meeting will be held on 10 May 2019.

Jan van Geet, CEO of VGP, said: Following twelve years of exemplary service, the mandate of our current independent board members, Marek Sebestak, Alexander Saverys and Jos Thys will come to an end at the upcoming Annual Shareholders Meeting and we would hereby like to express our sincere gratitude for their helpful insights, efforts and ever-lasting enthusiasm.

Upon approval of the proposed appointments by the Annual Shareholders Meeting of Mrs. Ann Gaeremynck, Mrs. Katherina Reiche and Mrs. Vera Gade-Butzlaff, the term of office will become effective as of 10 May 2019. In replacement of Mr. Marek Sebestak, Mr. Bart van Malderen1 will assume the role of Chairman of the Board of Directors.

CEO Jan Van Geet explained: I am extremely pleased that our Board has nominated Ann, Katherina and Vera to join the Companys Board of Directors. They have all three enjoyed exceptional professional careers: Katherina and Vera have invaluable experience in cooperating with German municipalities, state governments and with clients at the interface of the public/private sector and Ann in financial reporting, audit and governance.

Mrs. Ann Gaeremynck (Belgian) currently is professor of accounting and audit at the KU Leuven, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration. Her main research area focuses on the field of audit and governance. She is also holder of the Deloitte Chair on Governance. It is the intention of the board to elect Ann Gaeremynck as chairman of the audit committee.

Mrs. Katherina Reiche (German) has been Chief Executive of the Association of Municipal Enterprises (VKU) in Germany since September 2015 and President of the European Confederation of Public Employers and Enterprises (CEEP) since June 2016. She was a member of the German Budestag from 1998 to 2015 and deputy chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group from 2005 to 2009.

Mrs. Vera Gade-Butzlaff (German) was Assistant Secretary of State for the Environment and Agriculture at the Ministry for Regional Planning, Agriculture and the Environment of Saxony-Anhalt, from 2001 to 2002. In 2003 she became a member of the board of Berlin city cleaning and waste management companies (BSR), and she was appointed CEO from 2007 until 2014. From 2015 to 2018 she was CEO of GASAG AG, one of the largest regional German energy providers. Since April 2018 she is Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of Vivantes, the hospital group.

The full details of the proposed appointments to the board have been included in the convocation and agenda of VGPs Annual Shareholders Meeting scheduled for 10 May 2019 which can be found on the companys website:

http://www.vgpparks.eu/investors/en/shareholder-information/shareholder-meetings

CONTACT DETAILS FOR INVESTORS AND MEDIA ENQUIRIES

Martijn Vlutters

(VP  Business Development & Investor Relations) Tel: +32 (0)3 289 1433 Petra Vanclova

(External Communications) Tel: +42 0 602 262 107 Anette Nachbar

Brunswick Group Tel: +49 152 288 10363

ABOUT VGP

VGP is a leading pan-European developer, manager and owner of high-quality logistics and semi-industrial real estate. VGP operates a fully integrated business model with capabilities and longstanding expertise across the value chain. The company has a well-advanced development land bank of 5.6 million m and the strategic focus is on the development of business parks. Founded in 1998 as a family-owned real estate developer in the Czech Republic, VGP with a staff of 180 employees today owns and operates assets in 12 European countries directly and through VGP European Logistics, a joint venture with Allianz Real Estate. As of December 2018, the Gross Asset Value of VGP, including the joint venture at 100%, amounted to 1.94 billion and the company had a Net Asset Value (EPRA NAV) of 575 million. VGP is listed on Euronext Brussels and on the Prague Stock Exchange (ISIN: BE0003878957).

For more information, please visit: http://www.vgpparks.eu







1 Mr. Bart van Malderen as permanent representative for VM Invest NV









Attachment
Notice of Annual General Meeting

THIS DOCUMENT IS IMPORTANT AND REQUIRES YOUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION.

If you are in any doubt about the contents of this document or the action you should take, you should immediately consult your stockbroker, bank manager, solicitor, accountant or other independent professional advisor authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 as amended if you are resident in the United Kingdom or, if not, from another appropriately authorised independent financial advisor. If you have sold or otherwise transferred all your shares in G4S plc, please send this Notice and the accompanying documents to the person through whom the sale or transfer was effected so that it can be passed on to the purchaser or transferee.

Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of G4S plc will be held in the Orchard Suite at the Holiday Inn London Sutton, Gibson Road, Sutton, Surrey, SM1 2RF, UK on Thursday, 16 May 2019 at 12 pm in order to consider and, if thought fit, to pass the following Resolutions:

Resolutions 1 to 16 will be proposed as ordinary resolutions. Resolutions 17 to 20 will be proposed as special resolutions.

Report and Accounts

To receive the financial statements of the company for the year ended 31 December 2018 and the reports of the directors and auditor thereon.

Remuneration

To approve the Directors Remuneration Report (other than the part containing the Directors Remuneration Policy) as set out in the companys integrated report and accounts for the year ended 31 December 2018.

Dividend

To declare a final dividend for the year ended 31 December 2018 of 6.11p (DKK 0.5321)) for each ordinary share in the capital of the company.

Directors

To elect Elisabeth Fleuriot as a director.

To re-elect Ashley Almanza as a director.

To re-elect John Connolly as a director.

To re-elect Winnie Kin Wah Fok as a director.

To re-elect Steve Mogford as a director.

To re-elect John Ramsay as a director.

To re-elect Paul Spence as a director.

To re-elect Barbara Thoralfsson as a director.

To re-elect Tim Weller as a director.

Auditor

To re-appoint PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as auditor of the company to hold office until the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting of the company.

To authorise the audit committee of the board to determine the remuneration of the auditor.

Authority to Make Political Donations

That, in accordance with sections 366 and 367 of the Companies Act 2006 (the Act), the company and all companies which are subsidiaries of the company during the period when this Resolution 15 has effect be and are hereby unconditionally authorised to: make political donations to political parties or independent election candidates not exceeding 50,000 in total; make political donations to political organisations other than political parties not exceeding 50,000 in total; and incur political expenditure not exceeding 50,000 in total;

(as such terms are defined in the Act) during the period beginning with the date of the passing of this Resolution and ending at the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting of the company provided that the authorised sum referred to in paragraphs (i), (ii) and (iii) above may be comprised of one or more amounts in different currencies which, for the purposes of calculating the said sum, shall be converted into pounds sterling at the exchange rate published in the London edition of the Financial Times on the date on which the relevant donation is made or expenditure incurred (or the first business day thereafter) or, if earlier, on the day in which the company enters into any contract or undertaking in relation to the same.

Directors Authority to Allot

That the directors be and are hereby generally and unconditionally authorised pursuant to and in accordance with section 551 of Companies Act 2006 (the Act) to exercise all the powers of the company to allot shares in the company or grant rights to subscribe for, or convert any security into, shares in the company:



up to an aggregate nominal amount of 129,299,000; and



comprising equity securities (as defined in section 560 of the Act) up to a further aggregate nominal amount of 129,299,000 provided that they are offered by way of a rights issue to holders of ordinary shares on the register of members at such record date(s) as the directors may determine where the equity securities respectively attributable to the interests of the ordinary shareholders are proportionate (as nearly as may be practicable) to the respective numbers of ordinary shares held or deemed to be held by them on any such record date(s), subject to such exclusions or other arrangements as the directors may deem necessary or expedient to deal with treasury shares, fractional entitlements, record dates, shares represented by depositary receipts, legal or practical problems arising under the laws of any territory or the requirements of any relevant regulatory body or stock exchange or any other matter;

provided that this authority shall expire at the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting of the company or, if earlier, on the 15 August 2020, save that the company shall be entitled to make offers or enter into agreements before the expiry of such authority which would or might require relevant securities to be allotted after such expiry and the directors shall be entitled to allot relevant securities pursuant to any such offer or agreement as if this authority had not expired; and all unexpired authorities granted previously to the directors to allot relevant securities under section 551 of the Act shall cease to have effect at the conclusion of this Annual General Meeting (save to the extent that the same are exercisable pursuant to section 551(7) of the Act by reason of any offer or agreement made prior to the date of this Resolution which would or might require shares to be allotted or rights to be granted on or after that date).

Authority for the Disapplication of Statutory Pre-emption Rights

That, to the passing of Resolution 16, the directors be and are hereby authorised to allot equity securities (as defined in the Companies Act 2006 (the Act)) for cash under the authority given by that resolution and/or to sell ordinary shares held by the company as treasury shares for cash as if section 561 of the Act did not apply to any such allotment or sale, such authority to be limited to:



the allotment of equity securities and sale of treasury shares for cash in connection with an offer of equity securities (but in the case of the authority granted under paragraph (ii) of Resolution 16 above, by way of rights issue only) to or in favour of the holders of shares on the register of members at such record date(s) as the directors may determine where the equity securities respectively attributable to the interests of the shareholders are proportionate (as nearly as may be practicable) to the respective numbers of shares held by them on any such record date(s), but subject to such exclusions or other arrangements as the directors may deem necessary or expedient in relation to fractional entitlements, treasury shares, record dates, shares represented by depositary receipts, legal or practical problems arising under the laws of any territory or the requirements of any relevant regulatory body or stock exchange or any other matter; and



the allotment of equity securities or sale of treasury shares (otherwise than under sub-paragraph (i) of this Resolution 17) up to a nominal amount of 19,394,000;

provided that this authority shall expire at the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting of the company, or if earlier, close of business on 15 August 2020, save that the company shall be entitled to make offers or enter into agreements before the expiry of such authority which would or might require equity securities to be allotted (and treasury shares to be sold) after the authority expires and the directors may allot equity securities (and sell treasury shares) under any such offer or agreement as if the authority had not expired.

Additional Authority for the Disapplication of Statutory Pre-emption Rights

That, subject to the passing of Resolution 16, the directors be authorised, in addition to any authority granted under Resolution 17, to allot equity securities (as defined in the Companies Act 2006 (the Act)) for cash under the authority given by that resolution and/or to sell ordinary shares held by the company as treasury shares for cash as if section 561 of the Act did not apply to any such allotment or sale, such authority to be: limited to the allotment of equity securities or sale of treasury shares up to a nominal amount of 19,394,000; and



used only for the purpose of financing (or refinancing, if the authority is to be used within six months after the original transaction) a transaction which the board of the company determine to be an acquisition or other capital investment of a kind contemplated by the Statement of Principles on Disapplying Pre-Emption Rights most recently published by the Pre-Emption Group prior to the date of this Notice;

provided that this authority shall expire at the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting of the company, or if earlier, close of business on 15 August 2020, save that the company shall be entitled to make offers or enter into agreements before the expiry of such authority which would or might require equity securities to be allotted (and treasury shares to be sold) after the authority expires and the directors may allot equity securities (and sell treasury shares) under any such offer or agreement as if the authority had not expired.

Authority to Purchase Own Shares

That the company be and is hereby generally and unconditionally authorised for the purposes of section 701 of the Companies Act (the Act), to make market purchases (within the meaning of section 693(4) of the Act) of ordinary shares of 25p each in the capital of the company on such terms and in such manner as the directors may from time to time determine, provided that: the maximum number of such shares which may be purchased is 155,159,000;



the minimum price which may be paid for each such share is 25p (exclusive of all expenses);



the maximum price (excluding expenses) which may be paid for any such share is the higher of (a) an amount equal to 105% of the average of the middle market quotations for an share in the company as derived from The London Stock Exchange Daily Official List for the five business days immediately preceding the day on which such share is contracted to be purchased and (b) the higher of the price of the last independent trade and the highest current independent bid for a share in the company on the trading venues where the market purchases by the company pursuant to the authority conferred by this Resolution 19 will be carried out); and



this authority shall expire at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the company to be held in 2020 (except in relation to the purchase of such shares the contract for which was entered into before the expiry of this authority and which might be executed wholly or partly after such expiry).

Notice Period for General Meetings Other Than AGMs

That a general meeting of the company, other than an Annual General Meeting, may be called on not less than 14 clear days notice.

By order of the board

Celine Barroche

Company Secretary

2 April 2019

5th Floor, Southside

105 Victoria Street London

SW1E 6QT

Company No. 4992207

LEI Code 549300L3KWKK8X35QR12

Entitlement to attend and vote and to appoint proxies

To be entitled to attend and vote at the Annual General Meeting (and for the purpose of the determination by the company of the votes they may cast), shareholders must be registered in the Register of Members of the company at 6 pm on 14 May 2019 (or, in the event of any adjournment, at close of business on the date which is two working days before the time of the adjourned meeting). Changes to the Register of Members after the relevant deadline shall be disregarded in determining the rights of any person to attend and vote at the meeting.



Shareholders are entitled to appoint a proxy to exercise all or any of their rights to attend and to speak and vote on their behalf at the meeting. A shareholder may appoint more than one proxy in relation to the Annual General Meeting provided that each proxy is appointed to exercise the rights attached to a different share or shares held by that shareholder. A proxy need not be a shareholder of the company. Proxy instructions may be given by using the registrars share portal at signalshares.com.



In order to be valid, an appointment of proxy must be returned with any power of attorney or any other authority under which it is executed, by one of the following methods: in hard copy form by post to Freepost PXS, 34 Beckenham Road, Beckenham BR3 4ZF; in hard copy form to that address by courier or by hand during usual business hours; or, in the case of CREST members, by utilising the CREST electronic proxy appointment service as described in paragraphs 7 and 8 below. In each case the proxy appointment must be received by the company no later than 12 pm on 14 May 2019. To change your proxy instructions you may submit a new proxy appointment using the method set out above. The deadline for receipt of a proxy appointment also applies in relation to amended instructions. Persons listed on the VP Securities register should follow the instructions on their Voting Request Form.



The submission of a proxy form, other such instrument or any CREST appointment will not prevent a shareholder attending the Annual General Meeting and voting in person if he/she wishes to do so.



Any person to whom this Notice is sent who is a person nominated under section 146 of the Act to enjoy information rights (a Nominated Person) may, under an agreement between him/her and the shareholder by whom he/she was nominated, have a right to be appointed (or to have someone else appointed) as a proxy for the Annual General Meeting. If a Nominated Person has no such proxy appointment right or does not wish to exercise it, he/she may, under any such agreement, have a right to give instructions to the shareholder as to the exercise of voting rights.



The statement of the rights of shareholders in relation to the appointment of proxies in paragraph 2 above does not apply to Nominated Persons. The rights described in that paragraph can only be exercised by shareholders of the company.



CREST members who wish to appoint a proxy or proxies through the CREST electronic proxy appointment service may do so by using the procedures described in the CREST Manual (available via euroclear.com/CREST). CREST Personal Members or other CREST sponsored members, and those CREST members who have appointed a service provider(s), should refer to their CREST sponsor or voting service provider(s), who will be able to take the appropriate action on their behalf.



In order for a proxy appointment or instruction made using the CREST service to be valid, the appropriate CREST message (a CREST Proxy Instruction) must be properly authenticated in accordance with Euroclear UK & Ireland Limiteds specifications and must contain the information required for such instruction, as described in the CREST Manual. The message, regardless of whether it constitutes the appointment of a proxy or is an amendment to the instruction given to a previously appointed proxy must, in order to be valid, be transmitted so as to be received by the issuers agent (ID RA10) by 12 pm on 14 May 2019. For this purpose, the time of receipt will be taken to be the time (as determined by the time stamp applied to the message by the CREST Application Host) from which the issuers agent is able to retrieve the message by enquiry to CREST in the manner prescribed by CREST. After this time any change of instructions to proxies appointed through CREST should be communicated to the appointee through other means.



CREST members and, where applicable, their CREST sponsors or voting service providers should note that Euroclear UK & Ireland Limited does not make available special procedures in CREST for any particular message. Normal system timings and limitations will, therefore, apply in relation to the input of CREST Proxy Instructions. It is the responsibility of the CREST member concerned to take (or, if the CREST member is a CREST personal member, or sponsored member, or has appointed a voting service provider, to procure that his CREST sponsor or voting service provider(s) take(s)) such action as shall be necessary to ensure that a message is transmitted by means of the CREST system by any particular time. In this connection, CREST members and, where applicable, their CREST sponsors or voting system providers are referred, in particular, to those sections of the CREST Manual concerning practical limitations of the CREST system and timings.



The company may treat as invalid a CREST Proxy Instruction in the circumstances set out in Regulation 35(5)(a) of the Uncertificated Securities Regulations 2001.



Voting on all Resolutions will be conducted by way of a poll rather than a show of hands. This is a more transparent method of voting as shareholders votes are to be counted according to the number of shares held. As soon as practicable following the Annual General Meeting, the results of the voting at the meeting and the numbers of proxy votes cast for and against and the number of votes actively withheld in respect of each of the Resolutions will be announced via a Regulatory Information Service and also placed on the companys website: g4s.com.



Any corporation which is a shareholder can appoint one or more corporate representatives who may exercise on its behalf all of its powers as a shareholder provided that they do not do so in relation to the same shares.

Issued Share Capital

As at 1 April 2019 (being the latest practicable date prior to the publication of this Notice) the companys issued share capital consisted of 1,551,594,436 ordinary shares, carrying one vote each. Therefore, the total voting rights in the company as at 1 April 2019 was 1,551,594,436.

Audit Statements

Under section 527 of the Act, members meeting the threshold requirements set out in that section have the right to require the company to publish on a website a statement setting out any matter relating to: (i) the audit of the companys accounts (including the auditors report and the conduct of the audit) that are to be laid before the Annual General Meeting; or (ii) any circumstance connected with an auditor of the company ceasing to hold office since the previous meeting at which annual accounts and reports were laid in accordance with section 437 of the Act. The company may not require the shareholders requesting any such website publication to pay its expenses in complying with sections 527 or 528 of the Act. Where the company is required to place a statement on a website under section 527 of the Act, it must forward the statement to the companys auditor not later than the time when it makes the statement available on the website. The business which may be dealt with at the Annual General Meeting includes any statement that the company has been required under section 527 of the Act to publish on a website.

Information available on website

A copy of this Notice, and other information required by section 311A of the Act, can be found at g4s.com.

Any electronic address or web site address is provided in this Notice solely for the purpose stated expressly herein and may not be used to communicate with the company other than for such purpose. Notwithstanding any telephone number, fax number or email address that appears on this document or elsewhere, neither the company nor Link Asset Services will accept voting instructions received via media other than by post, courier or hand, or by CREST Proxy Instruction in accordance with the notes above.
Dublin, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Poland Animation, VFX & Games Industry: Strategies, Trends & Opportunities" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



Poland's animation can be traced back to before the First World War when Wadyslaw Starewicz made the early stop-motion films with insects. Funding support for film production in Poland is available from private as well as government sources as well as from industry associations.



The two key sources of funding are the Polish Film Institute (PFI) and the network of regional film funds. All Polish funds provide support to about 50% of the film budget, although, in the case of animation productions, the subsidy could be higher. The total value of the Polish games industry was US$ 567 million in 2018 and is projected to reach US$ 686 million by 2020.

Key Topics Covered:



European Animation Industry

DEMAND FOR TV CONTENT

Feature Film Industry in Europe

MARKETING AND MERCHANDISING

Trends in Europe

COLLABORATION AMONG EUROPEAN STUDIOS

DRIVERS FOR SUCCESS

ANIMATION COST STRUCTURES IN EUROPE

Animation Movie Budgets in Europe

Strategies and Models for Animation financing in Europe

ANIMATION FUNDING AGENCIES

CENTRALISED ANIMATION FUNDING AGENCIES IN EUROPE

Television Series Development in Europe

PITCHING TELEVISION SERIES TO BROADCASTERS

Copyright Chain in Europe

Co-Production Strategies in Europe

CONTRACTUAL ISSUES

KEY RIGHTS IN CO-PRODUCTION AGREEMENTS

CO-PRODUCTIONS AND OUTSOURCING

Distribution Strategies in Europe

PRODUCER-DISTRIBUTOR CO-FINANCING PATTERNS

3D Market in Europe

ADVANTAGES OF 3D

DISADVANTAGES OF 3D

Industry Constraints and Challenges

Market size of European Animation, VFX & Games industry

Animation Content demand by TV Channels in Europe

European Animation & VFX industry Market Size

European Games industry Market Size

Animation, VFX & Games industry in Poland

Recent Movie Trends in Poland

Successful Polish animations

INDUSTRY EVOLUTION AND KEY ANIMATION PRODUCTIONS

Key Animation Production Companies in Poland

Animation Funding in Poland

Industry Drivers, Challenges & Opportunities

Strategies for Animation Studios in Poland

Value of Animation Industry in Poland

Size of Animation Industry in Poland

Key statistics about the Animation industry in Poland

Games Industry in Poland

KEY TRENDS IN THE POLISH VIDEO GAMES INDUSTRY

VIDEO GAME BUSINESS MODELS IN POLAND

ONLINE VIDEO GAMING BUSINESS MODELS IN POLAND

Key Opportunities & Strategies for Polish Video Games Industry

Video Games Market Segments

MOBILE VIDEO GAMES SEGMENTS & GENRES

Polish Video Games Market Size & Opportunity



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/cn9iv7

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.
SEATTLE, WA, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE  CFN Media Group (CFN Media), the leading agency and financial media network dedicated to the North American cannabis industry announces publication of an article and on-site video discussing Halo Labs Inc. (NEO: HALO) (OTC: AGEEF) (Germany: A9KN). HALO is a cannabis extraction company founded in 2016 in Oregon with operations in California and Nevada. As an early manufacturer of high-quality cannabis oils and concentrates, the company has produced over three million grams of product since its inception, making it one of the largest cannabis concentrate manufacturers in the country. Investors have the opportunity to participate in this growth story following its public listing on the NEO exchange and more recently on the US OTC Market.

Concentrates are the fastest growing segment of the cannabis industry, according to Arcview Market Research , with sales growing nearly 50 percent to about $3 billion last year in the US. As consumers seek out discreet and healthier consumption methods, the market intelligence firm predicts that US concentrate sales will reach $8.4 billion by 2022 and surpass dried flower as the most popular consumption method for patients and consumers.

CFN Media traveled to Medford Oregon to film the companys operation and speak with CEO Kiran Sidhu.

Please click here to see the Full Video.

Recent Expansion into California & Nevada

Halo Labs has been rapidly expanding across the country with new operations in California and Nevada. In fact, the company recently reported three consecutive months of record revenue including $2.4 million in revenue during January, $2.6 million in revenue during February, and $2.8 million in revenue in March 2019, with over half of those figures coming from newly launched California operations. These three months combined account for over 50% of total revenues generated in 2018, putting Halo on a trajectory that boasts over 300% growth. With a 15,500 sq. ft. facility in Cathedral City, the company has signed contracts to deliver concentrates worth more than $4 million per month in the state.

In Nevada, the company acquired two licenses for manufacturing and cultivation with a pending license for distribution. The team is selling one private label and two in-house brands across 18 dispensaries with its 8,000 sq. ft. licensed processing facility near the Las Vegas airport. Given the states massive tourism industry, these sales could become a meaningful part of its total revenue over the near-term.

In addition to California and Nevada, the company has established international partnerships in Africa. These partnerships include a 14-hectare land package off-take agreement and a 20 percent stake and $0.50 to $2.00 royalty on a signed letter of intent in Lesotho Africa . Management is also in active discussions with potential European-based partnerships that could diversify and enhance its revenue.

Leading Market Position in Concentrates

Halo Labs has established a dominant position in Oregons concentrates market over the past three years with both white label and in-house brands. With a 20 percent market share in wholesale concentrates, the company has produced over two million grams of concentrate and generated over $25 million in revenue with its 19,200 sq. ft. facility in Medford and six acres of outdoor canopy in Jackson County.

The company has developed expertise in all four major extraction processes, including butane, propane, supercritical CO2, and proprietary solvents. Each of these methods has their own benefits and product categories, which provides the company with more flexibility than others focused on a single extraction method. This is especially important in white label markets where there are a wide variety of requirements among clients.

In addition to these extraction methods, the company has developed innovative new products that are redefining the way consumers use cannabis. Notably, the company has exclusive rights in California and Nevada to DabTabs. DabTabs are proprietary ceramic discs that store a pre-measured dose of either cannabis concentrates or oils to provide a cleaner, smoother, mess-free way to consume full spectrum cannabis concentrates in almost any dabbing device on the market.

Looking Ahead

Halo Labs Inc. (NEO: HALO) (OTC: AGEEF) (Germany: A9KN) is well positioned to capitalize on the fastest growing segment of the cannabis industry with operations in Oregon, California, Nevada and international markets. With the expansion already generating meaningful revenue, investors may want to take a closer look at the company as it continues to scale up its business and expand into new markets with innovative products.

For more information, visit the companys website at www.halocanna.com .

Please follow the link to read the full article on CFN: https://www.cannabisfn.com/halo-labs-building-a-cannabis-concentrate-empire/

About CFN Media

CFN Media (CannabisFN) is the leading creative agency and media network dedicated to legal cannabis. We help marijuana businesses attract investors, customers (B2B, B2C), capital, and media visibility. Private and public marijuana companies and brands in the US and Canada rely on CFN Media to grow and succeed.

Learn how to become a CFN Media client company, brand or entrepreneur: http://www.cannabisfn.com/featuredcompany

Download the CFN Media iOS mobile app to access the world of cannabis from the palm of your hand: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cannabisfn/id988009247?ls=1&mt=8

Or visit our homepage and enter your mobile number under the Apple App Store logo to receive a download link text on your iPhone: http://www.cannabisfn.com

Disclaimer

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.
LOS ANGELES, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The high brightness (HB) LED market is expected to grow at a noteworthy CAGR of around 4.6% during the period from 2019 to 2026. Some of the major factors behind these projections include the need for advanced equipment and machines benefits such as dimmability, longer life-span, and efficiency. In addition, the demand for HB-LEDs in backlighting, portable appliance, displays, and large screen display applications has increased significantly and is projected to endure during the forecast period.



Free Download Sample Report Pages for Better understanding@ https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/request-sample/1270

The research study estimates the global High Brightness (HB) LED market to grow at a significant rate and the market size was over $22 billion in 2017.

Asia-Pacific is the largest market for High Brightness (HB) LED supported by growth from India and China

Asia-Pacific has contributed the maximum revenue share in 2017 and is expected to uphold its lead in the forecast period. This would be attributed to several factors, for example, LED outdoor lighting installations and the government policies related for the installations are getting support mainly in emerging markets such as India, Russia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. Furthermore, improvement in government expenditure in LED orders has enhanced the HB-LED growth in Asian countries, particularly in India.

North America is anticipated to be the fastest growing region during the forecast period. The growing shipments of portable devices and decrease in the cost of LED components are key driver for HB-LED market in the region. Furthermore, expanding demand for brighter and ecofriendly LEDs in commercial applications, automobiles, and displays are some of the key factors that are contributing toward the growth of the market. Several government initiatives across the globe to detain the usage of traditional light bulb and to use LEDs is also a key factor for the increase the demand and sales of high-brightness (HB) LED. Moreover, Central & South America, as well as MEA, are expected to grow on account of the presence of a large aftermarket.

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General Lighting segment to lead the global high brightness (HB) LED market

The application segment is dominated by general lighting segment as there is a change in the consumer preferences from traditional bulbs to advanced HB-LEDs and rise in sales of down lights, replacement lamps, outdoor lights, commercial, and industrial products. However, signals & signage application segment is expected to exhibit fastest growth during the forecast period owing to its ability to produce multiple colors and low power requirements. In addition, long life span of these panels has led to an upsurge the performance of the ultimate product with minimum charge for repair and maintenance. Considering these factors, the consumer electronics segment is projected to grow in the estimated period. Moreover, high penetration of LEDs as well as HB LEDs in the segment coupled with the need for less panels is likely to result in relatively lower growth. Asia-Pacific has contributed the maximum revenue share in 2017 and is expected to uphold its lead in the forecast period. This would be attributed to several factors, such as, LED outdoor lighting installations.

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Most of the leading players are now targeting appliance manufacturers and patents to increase their footprint in the domestic as well as in the international market. Some of the leading companies operating in the global high brightness (HB) LED market include Toyoda Gosei, Epistar Corp, Moritex Corporation, Cree, Inc., Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, Osram Opto Semiconductor, Seoul semiconductor, Nichia Corporation, American Bright Optoelectronics Corps, and Philips Lumileds. In addition, the key players operating in high brightness (HB) LED market and identifies the key strategies deployed by them along with the market share of leading players. Certain leading companies such as Samsung have integrated operations where the corporation uses high brightness HB LEDs across a host of products such as laptops, televisions, and mobile phones.

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TORONTO, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gowest Gold Ltd. (Gowest or the Corporation) (TSX VENTURE: GWA) announced today that Fortune Future Holdings Limited (Fortune) has agreed to purchase, on a non-brokered private placement basis, common shares of the Corporation for aggregate gross proceeds of $8,000,000 (the Private Placement).



The Private Placement is subject to the completion of a consolidation of the outstanding common shares of the Corporation (the Consolidation), on a one (1) for ten (10) basis, prior to the closing of the Private Placement. Pursuant to the proposed Consolidation, holders of common shares of the Corporation will receive one (1) post-Consolidation common share in exchange for every ten (10) pre-Consolidation common shares outstanding immediately prior to the Consolidation. The Consolidation will affect all holders of common shares uniformly and will not affect any shareholders percentage ownership interest in the Corporation.

The common shares to be issued to Fortune pursuant the Private Placement will be issued at a price of $0.45 per share on a post-Consolidation basis (being equal to $0.045 per share on a pre-Consolidation basis).

Details of the Private Placement

In connection with the Private Placement, the Corporation has received, and accepted, an irrevocable subscription from Fortune for the full amount of the Private Placement.

Pursuant to the Private Placement, the Corporation will issue to Fortune an aggregate of 17,777,777 common shares at a price of $0.45 per share on a post-Consolidation basis (being equal to 177,777,777 common shares at a price of $0.045 per share on a pre-Consolidation basis). On April 8, 2019, the closing price of the common shares of the Corporation on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V) was $0.0375. During the prior month, the common shares of the Corporation traded on the TSX-V between $0.03 (low) and $0.04 (high).

Fortune is an investment company based in Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia, China, focused on investment in companies engaged in the exploration for, and the mining and sale of, mineral resources. In addition to its primary office in Chifeng City, Fortune has branches in Hong Kong and Beijing and is involved with various mining projects throughout China, Mongolia, Nigeria and Algeria. Fortune is incorporated under the laws of the British Virgin Islands.

Fortune made its initial investment in the Corporation in June 2014 and currently holds ownership of greater than 10% of the outstanding common shares of the Corporation. As of the date hereof, Fortune holds 85,000,000 common shares of the Corporation representing approximately 19.8% of the outstanding common shares of the Corporation. Fortune was previously a control person of the Corporation. Assuming the completion of the Private Placement, and no further issuances of common shares by the Corporation prior to the closing date, Fortune would hold 26,277,777 common shares on a post-Consolidation basis (being equal to 262,777,777 common shares on a pre-Consolidation basis), representing approximately 43.3% of the outstanding common shares of the Corporation.

Pursuant to the terms of the Private Placement, closing is to occur following the receipt of requisite shareholder approvals for the Private Placement and the implementation of the Consolidation (as described in greater detail below). There are no material conditions to the closing of the Private Placement, other than: (i) the receipt of required shareholder approvals (for the Private Placement and Consolidation); (ii) the receipt of required regulatory approvals, including the approval of the TSX-V; (iii) the requirement that there be no material adverse change with respect to the Corporation prior to the closing of the Private Placement; and (iv) the requirement that the representations and warranties of the parties given in the subscription agreement in respect of the Private Placement be true and correct, in all material respects, as of the closing date of the Private Placement.

Assuming the completion of the Private Placement, Fortune will have the right to appoint, and to have nominated by the Corporation for election at each annual meeting of shareholders, that number of directors or the Corporation as will represent a majority of the board of directors (the Board), so long as Fortune holds greater than 30% of the outstanding common shares of the Corporation. Pursuant to the terms of its initial investment in the Corporation, Fortune held a contractual right to appoint two directors to the Board.

The approval of the Private Placement follows an exhaustive search and evaluation of potential sources of capital undertaken by management and the Board over the past number of months. The terms and conditions presented to the Corporation by Fortune pursuant to the Private Placement have been determined by the Board to be reasonable in the circumstances of the Corporation; in particular having regard to the current challenging financial and operational circumstances affecting the Corporation and the difficult market conditions affecting junior mining issuers generally. No alternative commercially reasonable financing options of the magnitude of the Private Placement were identified the Corporation. In the opinion of management and the Board, the Private Placement represents the best financing option available to the Corporation at this time.

After consideration of all relevant circumstances, the Board (with the representatives of Fortune abstaining) has approved the Private Placement and has determined that the Private Placement is in the best interests of the Corporation.

Among other factors considered by the Board in approving the Private Placement: (i) the issue price of the common shares represents a premium to the recent trading price of the common shares on the TSX-V; (ii) the Private Placement presents lower-execution risk given Fortunes familiarity with the Corporation and its operations and no further due diligence is required to be conducted by Fortune; (iii) the investment by Fortune may assist the Corporation in its efforts to raise additional funds, including by way of additional flow-through investment in the Corporation; (iv) shareholders will continue to participate in any future appreciation in the value of the common shares of the Corporation; and (v) the significant investment by Fortune confirms its long-term commitment to the Corporation and to bringing its 100% Bradshaw Gold Deposit (Bradshaw) into commercial production

The proceeds of the Private Placement will be used by the Corporation for the continued development of Bradshaw. The proceeds of the Private Placement alone will not be sufficient to bring Bradshaw into commercial production. The Corporation is continuing to pursue additional financing opportunities to cover this anticipated funding shortfall and also to advance, in parallel, exploration opportunities both at and near Bradshaw.

All of the securities issuable in connection with the Offering will be subject to a hold period expiring four months and one day after date of issuance.

The securities offered have not been registered under the United States 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 absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements. This release does not constitute an offer for sale of securities in the United States.

Completion of the Private Placement remains subject to receipt of the approval of the TSX-V.

Minority Approval of Private Placement

By virtue of the fact that Fortune holds ownership of greater than 10% of the outstanding common shares of the Corporation and therefore is a related party of the Corporation pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101  Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (MI 61-101), the Private Placement will constitute a related party transaction of the Corporation under MI 61-101. As such, the Private Placement is subject to the minority approval requirements of MI 61-101 and will require the approval of shareholders of the Corporation, excluding Fortune (and any related parties of Fortune), prior to the closing of the Private Placement. As the Corporation is listed only on the TSX-V, the Private Placement is exempt from the valuation requirements of MI 61-101 by virtue of the exemption contained in Section 5.5(b) of MI 61-101.

Further, given that Fortune will hold greater than 20% of the outstanding common shares of the Corporation following the completion of the Private Placement, the Private Placement is subject to the approval of shareholders of the Corporation, excluding Fortune (and any related parties of Fortune), pursuant to the Corporations shareholder rights plan (the Rights Plan). The terms of the Rights Plan are set out in the Amended and Restated Shareholder Rights Plan Agreement, dated as of May 5, 2017, between the Corporation and TSX Trust Company, as rights agent. Specifically, the Private Placement is subject to the shareholders of the Corporation, excluding Fortune (and any related parties of Fortune), approving the Private Placement as a Shareholder Approved Financing in accordance with the Rights Plan.

The Corporation intends to call a special meeting of shareholders of the Corporation (the Meeting) as soon as possible for the purpose of obtaining the requisite shareholder approvals for the completion of the Private Placement. The Board recommends that shareholders vote in favour of the Private Placement.

Further information regarding the Private Placement will be contained in the management information circular to be prepared in respect of the Meeting. The management information circular will be filed under the Corporations profile on SEDAR ( www.sedar.com ) at the time that it is mailed to shareholders. All shareholders are urged to read the management information circular once it becomes available, as it will contain additional important information concerning the Private Placement.

The parties expect that the Private Placement will be completed shortly after the Meeting, subject to satisfaction of all conditions precedent to the closing of the Private Placement.

Consolidation

As indicated above, the completion of the Consolidation is a condition precedent to the closing the Private Placement. The completion of the Private Placement, among other purposes, will allow the Corporation to comply with the policies of the TSX-V, which generally prohibit the issuance of shares at a price of less than $0.05 per share.

If approved and implemented, the Consolidation will occur simultaneously for all of the Corporations issued and outstanding common shares and will occur prior to the completion of the Private Placement. The Consolidation will affect all holders of Common Shares uniformly and will not affect any shareholders percentage ownership interest in the Corporation. As the Corporation currently has an unlimited number of common shares authorized for issuance, the Consolidation will not have any effect on the number of common shares that remain available for future issuance. If the Consolidation is implemented, the exercise price and number of common shares issuable under outstanding incentive stock options and common share purchase warrants issued by the Corporation will be proportionately adjusted.

The Corporation intends to seek approval of shareholders for the Consolidation at the Meeting. The Consolidation will require the approval of not less than two-thirds (2/3) of the votes cast by the holders of common shares present in person or represented by proxy at the Meeting. The Board recommends that shareholders vote in favour of the Consolidation.

About Gowest

Gowest is a Canadian gold exploration and development company focused on the delineation and development of its 100% owned Bradshaw Gold Deposit (Bradshaw), on the Frankfield Property, part of the Corporations North Timmins Gold Project (NTGP). Gowest is exploring additional gold targets on its +100squarekilometre NTGP land package and continues to evaluate the area, which is part of the prolific Timmins, Ontario gold camp. Currently, Bradshaw contains a National Instrument 43101 Indicated Resource estimated at 2.1 million tonnes (t) grading 6.19 grams per tonne gold (g/t Au) containing 422 thousand ounces (oz) Au and an Inferred Resource of 3.6 million t grading 6.47 g/t Au containing 755 thousand oz Au. Further, based on the PreFeasibility Study produced by Stantec Mining and announced on June 9, 2015, Bradshaw contains Mineral Reserves (Mineral Resources are inclusive of Mineral Reserves) in the probable category, using a 3 g/t Au cutoff and utilizing a gold price of US$1,200 / oz, totaling 1.8 million t grading 4.82 g/t Au for 277 thousand oz Au.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, without limitation, statements relating to: the Private Placement; the proposed use of proceeds of the Private Placement; the ability of the parties, in particular the Corporation, to satisfy the conditions precedent to the closing of the Private Placement; the mailing of the management information circular in connection with the Meeting and anticipated timing thereof; and the anticipated timing of the completion of the Private Placement. Words such as may, would, could, should, will, anticipate, believe, plan, expect, intend, potential and similar expressions may be used to identify these forward-looking statements although not all forward-looking statements contain such words.

Forward-looking statements involve significant risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including risks associated with the Private Placement and financing transactions generally, such as the failure to satisfy the closing conditions contained in the subscription agreement, the absence of material adverse changes or other events which may give Fortune the basis on which to terminate the subscription agreement, and the ability of the the Corporation to complete and mail the information circular in respect of the Meeting and hold the Meeting within the time frames indicated. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results, performance or achievements may vary materially from those expressed or implied by this press release. These factors should be considered carefully and reader should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and, other than as required by law, the Corporation does not intend to or assume any obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.
Wholly-Owned Subsidiary Offers Complementary Revenue Stream, Opportunity for Both the Company and its Franchisees

SAN DIEGO, CA, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE  Generation NEXT Franchise Brands, Inc. (OTCQB: VEND) announced today that it has reached terms to acquire the assets of Print Mates, LLC, a small team of entrepreneurs, software engineers, and photography professionals in San Diego that are on a mission to reinvent the premium-quality photo printing experience by making it fast, fun, and inexpensive to get your photos out of your phone and into your hand with the Print Mates Kiosk .

Nick Yates, CEO of Generation NEXT Franchise Brands, said that the Print Mates assets will be held by a wholly owned subsidiary of Generation Next which will operate separately with its own facilities, staff, and resources. It is extremely important to us that Print Mates, or any acquisition, is mature enough and has the right team, product and supply chain to operate independently, as a wholly-owned but separate subsidiary. For us, anything less would have been a non-starter, Yates said, noting that the nationwide rollout of the companys flagship unattended franchising concept, Reis & Irvys, has both his and Generation Nexts undivided attention.

Print Mates is a turn-key subsidiary for us. The team, facilities, manufacturing and product fulfillment; everything is in place. The Print Mates Kiosk perfectly complements our product portfolio, and is ready to ship. The timing of the acquisition was designed to allow us to be first to market with a complementary unattended retail concept that is even more autonomous than our flagship Reis & Irvys kiosks, requiring only about 30 minutes per month in human maintenance, Yates said. The ultimate goal however is to own and operate thousands of these replicating the Redbox/Coinstar model and the team at Print Mates has already established relationships and tests with the countrys largest retail, convenience and grocery chains.

Generation Next is assuming the liabilities of Print Mates, LLC in exchange for the assets. There is no cash consideration being paid by Generation Next to Print Mates or any of its members. The assets acquired include five patent applications, complete engineering documents for the kiosk, customer contracts, supplier agreements, intellectual property, and proprietary software. A contract with a Canadian licensee with a commitment to purchase $7,000,000 of Print Mates Kiosks over a 5-year term is part of the assets acquired by Generation Next. The liabilities assumed by Generation Next net of kiosk inventory value are approximately $300,000.

An Unfulfilled Demand in a Billion Dollar Industry

Due in large part to consumers adoption of the smartphone, at least 1.5 trillion photos are estimated to have been captured in 2018. Predictions to 2022 continue to show a compounded annual growth (CAGR) in that figure of greater than 10 percent, so that by 2022 the number of photos captured annually will grow to over 2.3 trillion. Print Mates is an innovative new way to monetize consumers craze for the phone camera.

Print Mates unattended kiosks are designed to reinvent the premium-quality photo printing experience by making it fast, fun, and inexpensive to get your photos out of your phone into your hand, while creating a low-to-no maintenance, extremely high margin business opportunity in unattended retail for entrepreneurs and retailers. Recent consumer research reports show that consumers in every age group  from tweens to Millennials; from Generation X to Baby Boomers  still desire to preserve their most cherished memories in high-quality photo prints. But until now, professional-quality, third party services that turned digital photos into prints were either too inconvenient, too slow, or too expensive for todays consumer.

Print Mates easy-to-use, patented touchscreen kiosks are promising to close the loop on the consumer photo lifecycle, as well as drive much-needed foot traffic to traditional brick-and-mortar businesses ranging from supermarkets, grocery and drug stores to big box retailers, shopping malls, family fun centers, convenience stores, hotels, airports, and more.



The Print Mates Kiosks put reliable and quality photo printing at customers fingertips while allowing independent operators and business owners to earn a very high margin from each sale. Customers love using the Print Mates Kiosk because they can instantly, easily and cost-effectively print high-quality photos directly from their smartphones or through their favorite social media (Facebook, Instagram, Google Photos, Dropbox, and Flickr) photo sharing, or cloud storage accounts in six different sizes of prints in just seconds.

Consumers can also conveniently order decor and other photo products , gifts and accessories ranging from frames, picture books, posters, jumbo-sized prints, and fridge magnets to beautiful canvas and wood prints and have them conveniently shipped to their home with just a few taps. A soon-to-be-released software update will also add an option for passport photos, a product many retailers are asked for daily.

The team at Print Mates is solving another problem with a simple, unattended retail kiosk solution, Yates said. We all have hundreds, if not thousands, of photos stuck in our cell phones and stored on social media accounts like Facebook and Instagram. The only reason most of us dont print them is because we dont have a convenient way to do so, staring us in the face, Yates continued. Print Mates kiosks can be placed in any number of location categories, from grocery chains to hotels and big box retailers, just to name a few. And the kiosks earn extremely high margins on each sale with some products on the kiosks menu selling for as much as $125 dollars. The team at Print Mates has secured agreements to test the kiosks in some of the largest grocery, convenience and big box retail chains across the U.S., representing tens of thousands of potential locations, and our plan is to provide Generation Next, our shareholders, and our franchisees the exclusive opportunity to own, operate and share in the revenue provided by this extraordinary product, Yates concluded.

Print Mates location partners will be supported by a unique marketing program that leverages Google Business to drive consumers in real time directly to their machines whenever they need to quickly and conveniently print their photos. If a customer types photo printing in to the google search engine, it will point them to the closest Print Mates retailer. The strategy will be paired with a national regional marketing program to create awareness of the Print Mates brand.

Item 404 of Regulation S-K requires disclosure of any transaction over $120,000 in which the Company is a participant and any related person has a direct or indirect material interest. Related persons include directors, nominees, executive officers, five percent shareholders and their immediate family members. The present acquisition of the assets of Print Mates, LLC is a related party transaction as the sole member of Print Mates, LLC, Franklyn Yates, is an immediate family member (Brother) of Nicholas Yates, the CEO and Chairman of Generation Next Franchise Brands, Inc. The transaction has been duly authorized by the Board of Directors of the Company who have been informed of the related party interest.

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, 19 Degrees Corporate Service LLC and Print Mates.

www.gennextbrands.com

About Print Mates

Print Mates was formed by a team of entrepreneurs, engineers, and photography professionals in San Diego that are on a mission to reinvent the premium-quality photo printing experience by making it fast, fun, and inexpensive to get your photos out of your phone and into your hand with the Print Mates Kiosk - and creating a golden opportunity for retailers in the process.

Print Mates easy-to-use, patented touchscreen kiosks are promising to close the loop on the consumer photo lifecycle, as well as drive much-needed foot traffic to traditional brick-and-mortar businesses ranging from supermarkets, grocery and drug stores to big box retailers, shopping malls, family fun centers, hotels, airports and more.

The company began a nationwide expansion in 2019 by offering retailers, business owners and forward-thinking retailers across the country an opportunity to own a piece of an emerging multi billion-dollar industry.

Print Mates Kiosks and ever-expanding product line of photographic decor, gifts, prints and accessories are proudly Made in the USA.

www.printmates.com

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.

www.reisandirvys.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.
TORONTO, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sigfox Canada , the Canadian network operator for the Sigfox Global IoT Network, today announces the launch of the countrys first national low-bandwidth, Internet of Things (IoT) network. Sigfox Canada is leveraging a low-power wide area network (LPWAN) technology, with the capacity to support millions of IoT sensors, and will benefit from a current ecosystem of over 693 different Sigfox IoT enabled sensors, to provide connectivity solutions from coast-to-coast throughout Canada. The combination of the national network and hundreds of devices will provide Canadian businesses with simple and cost-effective connectivity to help drive efficiency in almost any area of their business.



Today, the network is live as far east as St. Johns, Newfoundland, and as far west as Vancouver, British Columbia, with coverage continuing to be added weekly. Sigfox Canadas ability to build out a network quickly will meet the demands of customers anywhere in the country. Through the partnership with the Sigfox Global Network, Sigfox Canada can provide customers with seamless coverage to any of 60 countries around the world. By offering access to both the Canadian and Global Network, device manufacturers can use the Sigfox development kit to easily enable country-agnostic IoT connected devices.

We are thrilled to bring the Sigfox Global Network to Canada, says Kent Rawlings, President of Sigfox Canada. We are building a national IoT network capable of connecting millions of individual devices that will forever change the way businesses and cities operate. We look forward to furthering innovation in Canada and creating a more connected world using the Sigfox low-power wide area network technology. Its Sigfox Canadas ultimate goal to give the entire country the opportunity to use IoT connectivity and change the way businesses measure and monitor their daily operations.

A cost-effective, low-bandwidth, high capacity network, Sigfox Canada will cover more than 14 million Canadians coast-to-coast across cities, towns, airports and universities from east to west by the end of June 2019. Each network base station covers several square kilometers and is capable of receiving up to 10 million messages per day.

We want to solve the problems that are holding back the proliferation of IoT by creating a national low-cost network, using devices that require minimal power and simple communication technology to easily provide connectivity to any device or object, said Rawlings. Our management team has more than 60 years of experience in telecommunications, and we understand the intricacies involved in building and operating high-performing networks. Once Sigfox Canada is fully deployed, anyone will be able to connect anything to the IoT network using one of our Sigfox enabled devices.

Sigfox Canada currently has launched service in eight out of the ten provinces today and will be live in every province by the end of June. The network team is capable of building coverage in almost any area within 90 days. If you are a business looking to drive efficiency, or you are a device manufacturer looking to add connectivity to your device, please visit www.sigfoxcanada.com .

About Sigfox Canada

Sigfox Canada is 100% Canadian owned and operated and has the exclusive rights to operate the Sigfox Network in Canada as part of the Sigfox Global IoT Network. The Sigfox network is designed to connect billions of devices to the Internet while consuming as little energy as possible. Sigfox Canada offers IoT connectivity through its nationwide deployment, currently covering eight of the ten Canadian provinces and having the ability to provide network coverage almost anywhere in the country within 90 days. Sigfox Canada is continuing to extend coverage in key regions and offers Connectivity as a Service for connectivity in areas not yet covered. Sigfox Canada is headquartered in Toronto. For more information, visit www.sigfoxcanada.com .

Press Contact

Tori Banser

Uproar PR for Sigfox Canada

tbanser@uproarpr.com

(312) 878-4575 X240




Omaha, NE, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Andrea Florsheim, owner of Lice Clinics of America  Omaha, has faced the perils of super lice first hand, having tried and failed to treat her daughter using traditional lice products and hours of combing over several days. When her daughter got lice a second time, the Wisconsin mom decided to get professional help. Andrea opted for a chemical-free Lice Clinics of America treatment over another nitpicker in the area who offered to spray some homemade solutions on her daughter and try to comb out the lice and eggs. Her daughter was treated, and the family was lice-free in an hour.



Thrilled with her experience, Andrea and her husband David opened a clinic of their own soon after. Today, the couple has four clinics in Wisconsin and have provided nearly 4,000 treatments to families in their community. Now they are taking the fight against super lice to Omaha.



Super lice are head lice that have developed a resistance to the pesticides used in most popular lice products. A 2016 study published in the Journal of Medical Entomology found that 98 percent of head lice in the United States have developed a genetic resistant to pyrethroids, the pesticides used in over-the-counter lice treatment products.



Like the Wisconsin clinics, Lice Clinics of America  Omaha (https://liceclinicsomaha.com) provides screening, diagnosis, and treatment for people infested with head lice. The clinic is staffed by certified operators of the FDA-cleared AirAlle, a medical device that kills head lice and lice eggs (nits) using heated air in a single treatment. The treatment takes about an hour and is guaranteed to be effective.



We have been opening new clinics because people travel so far to get this treatment, Andrea said. So, we know where the demand is and want to be able to make this great service available to more families.



Super lice are no match for the AirAlle device because it doesnt rely on pesticides or chemicals. Instead, the heated air kills lice and eggs by dehydrating them. Also, because it kills lice and eggs all at once, the AirAlle treatment eliminates the need for tedious, time-consuming nitpicking, which can take hours, whether done at home or professionally, and is prone to human error. Miss one nit and you have a fresh case of head lice and must start over, added Andrea.



The AirAlle treatment was found to kill live lice and more than 99 percent of eggs in clinical trials, and the device has successfully treated more than 500,000 cases of head lice in clinics around the world, with a success rate better than 99 percent.



The Omaha clinic is located at 8424 W. Center Road, Suite 212 and is open seven days per week by appointment. Call (402) 281-9188 or email info@liceclinicsomaha.com for an appointment. AirAlle treatments come with a 30-day guarantee when all household members are treated or screened for head lice.



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About Lice Clinics of America

With 330 clinics worldwide in 36 countries, Lice Clinics of America (www.LiceClinicsOfAmerica.com) is the largest network of professional head lice treatment centers in the world. Its patented heated-air device, AirAlle, has effectively performed more than 500,000 head lice treatments. Lice Clinics of America and AirAlle (www.airalle.com) are brands owned by Larada Sciences, Inc., which is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Denver, Colo., April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- From curricula to campuses, tribal colleges and universities, which serve communities on or near Indian reservations, are rooted in Indigenous cultural beliefs. Cheryl Crazy Bull, President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund, with Emily White Hat, Director, Strategy and National Outreach of the College Fund, have published a scholarly paper exploring how tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) incorporate tribal values and knowledge of land sustainability and ecology into their institutions, making them substantially different from other academic institutions. Both women are also members of the Sicangu Lakota nation in addition to their roles at the College Fund.



The article, titled Cangleska Wakan: The ecology of the sacred circle and the role of tribal colleges and universities, is available in the International Review of Education, 65(1), 117-141. A Digital Object Identifier, to help readers find the article more easily in print and online, is 10.1007/s11159-018-9760-8. The paper is also available online at the International Review of Education website.



About Cheryl Crazy BullCheryl Crazy Bull Sicangu (Rosebud) Lakota has nearly 40 years of experience working in education with American Indian institutions. Since 2012 she has served as the President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund. From 2002-2012 she served as the President of Northwest Indian College (NWIC), a regional tribally-controlled institution located on the Lummi Nation in Washington State. She led the colleges transition to a four-year degree-granting institution and completed substantial construction campus improvements while there. Prior to joining NWIC, Crazy Bull was the superintendent of St. Francis Indian School and held teaching and administrative positions at Sinte Gleska University, both on her home reservation of Rosebud in South Dakota. Crazy Bull graduated from the University of South Dakota with a bachelors degree in business management and South Dakota State University with a masters degree in education administration. She was an outstanding alumna of the South Dakota State University College of Education and received a special achievement award from the Rosebud Sioux Tribe for this accomplishment.



About Emily White Hat Emily R. White Hat, Sicangu (Rosebud) Lakota, is the Director of Strategy and National Outreach at the American Indian College Fund where she is working with tribal colleges and universities to develop and implement capital infrastructure projects, assists in capacity building, concept development, strategic planning, and national outreach. Prior to joining the College Fund, Emily worked as a project evaluator at Sanford Research/Health in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in the Center for Health Outcomes and Prevention. Emily also worked as program manager at the National Congress of American Indians Policy Research Center in Washington, D.C. where she managed and conducted research on a Native American Research Centers for Health-funded project and in the areas of public health, public health law, and veterans issues. She served as an expert panel member for the University of Washington Indigenous Wellness Research Center ETHICS research project focused on increasing American Indian/Alaska Native research engagement through a culturally adapted ethics training. Emily received a juris doctorate and a natural resources law certificate from the University of New Mexico School of Law. She has a bachelors degree in forestry with a concentration in Fire Science and a minor in rangeland ecology from Colorado State University, and an associate of arts degree in Lakota History and Culture from Sinte Gleska University.



About the American Indian College FundFounded in 1989, the American Indian College Fund has been the nations largest charity supporting Native higher education for 30 years. The College Fund believes Education is the answer" and provided 5,896 scholarships last year totaling $7.65 million to American Indian students, with more than 131,000 scholarships and community support totaling over $200 million since its inception. The College Fund also supports a variety of academic and support programs at the nations 35 accredited tribal colleges and universities, which are located on or near Indian reservations, ensuring students have the tools to graduate and succeed in their careers. The College Fund consistently receives top ratings from independent charity evaluators and is one of the nations top 100 charities named to the Better Business Bureaus Wise Giving Alliance. For more information about the American Indian College Fund, please visit www.collegefund.org.

Attachment
WAWA, Pa., April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wawa, Inc. today announced this years Wawa Day celebration will honor its 55th anniversary in convenience retailing and the fifth anniversary of The Wawa Foundation. Wawa Day will be held on Thursday, April 11, and themed around high-fives for fulfilling lives! Wawa will celebrate the occasion by offering customers any size free coffee, chain-wide, all day! Throughout the day, Wawa expects to give away more than 2 million free cups of coffee to customers at its more than 840 stores across PA, NJ, DE, MD, VA, FL and Washington, DC.



In April of 1964, Wawa entered the retail business when it opened its first convenience store in Folsom, PA. In April of 2014, Wawa celebrated its 50th anniversary in convenience retailing and marked the milestone with the first Wawa Day event, which included the launch of The Wawa Foundation, a 501c (3) non-profit organization founded to encompass most of Wawa's charitable giving. Since the Foundations inception, Wawa and The Wawa Foundation have donated more than $66 million in support to causes related to health, hunger and everyday heroes.

This years April 11th Wawa Day celebration gives Wawa the opportunity to celebrate high-fives for fulfilling lives by toasting the community with free coffee and announcing five big reasons to celebrate, including our combined support of health, hunger, and everyday heroes, as well as Wawas growth and new innovations. As part of the Wawa Day celebration, The Wawa Foundation will announce three contributions of $1 million each to three of its national partners.

1. Health  The Wawa Foundation will announce a contribution of $1 million to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to support LLSs new Childrens Initiative, a groundbreaking clinical trial program aimed at delivering precision medicine therapy to children with cancer and funding research for a cure. The Wawa Foundation will be a founding partner of the initiative.

2. Hunger  The Wawa Foundation will announce a contribution of $1 million to Check Out Hunger to support 23 Feeding America Food Banks operating in Wawas markets. Proceeds to Check Out Hunger and Special Olympics (see below) come from The Wawa Foundations in-store customer donation campaign, and both campaigns recently surpassed the $1 million mark  the first time the in-store campaigns have achieved this milestone.

3. Everyday Heroes  The Wawa Foundation will announce a contribution of $1 million to Special Olympics to support programs for thousands of athletes involved with Special Olympics in NJ, PA, DE, MD, VA, FL and Washington, DC. Funds for Special Olympics come from The Wawa Foundations in-store customer donation campaign recently surpassed the $1 million mark, as stated above.

4. Growth  Wawa will celebrate a historic year ahead in 2019, as it will open 63 new stores throughout the year across all six states and DC, including entry into new markets for Wawa in Miami, FL; and Ocala, FL, this spring.

5. New Innovations  Wawa is continuing to push the boundaries of customer access by meeting customers where they live and on their terms. This will include new store-level catering menus and packaging available the first week of May, and the addition of new delivery territories and enhanced technology throughout the year designed to make the customer experience more convenient than ever.

Wawa Day gives us a wonderful opportunity to step back and thank the millions of customers weve served over the past 55 years, who have made us an integral part of the communities we serve, said Chris Gheysens, Wawa President and CEO. This years Wawa Day is particularly special because we are also celebrating that, in just over five years, Wawa and The Wawa Foundation have already surpassed our initial giving goal and continue to support more organizations and communities across our operating area. We could have never achieved this level of support for such meaningful partners alone, and thank all of our customers who gave generously to our in-store campaigns and make everything we do possible. Happy Wawa Day, everyone, and cheers to 55 years of fulfilling lives!

Also, as part of Wawa Day, Wawa will be celebrating its associates with in-store digital tributes featuring photos of the many Day Brightener associates at Wawa who embody the spirit of community service and volunteering. This comes as a part of our celebrating National Volunteer Week. So many Wawa associates go out into their communities to make a difference in the lives of the people Wawa serves.

About Wawa, Inc.

Wawa, Inc., a privately held company, began in 1803 as an iron foundry in New Jersey. Toward the end of the 19th Century, owner George Wood took an interest in dairy farming and the family began a small processing plant in Wawa, PA in 1902. The milk business was a huge success, due to its quality, cleanliness and certified process. As home delivery of milk declined in the early 1960s, Grahame Wood, Georges grandson, opened the first Wawa Food Market in 1964 as an outlet for dairy products. Today, Wawa is your all day, every day stop for freshly prepared foods, beverages, coffee, fuel services and surcharge-free ATMs. A chain of more than 840 convenience retail stores (over 600 offering fuel), Wawa stores are located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and Washington, D.C. The stores offer a large fresh foodservice selection, including Wawa brands such as custom prepared hoagies, freshly-brewed coffee, hot breakfast sandwiches, specialty beverages and an assortment of soups, sides and snacks. In 2018, Wawa was recognized in Forbes as one of The Best Employers for New Grads and one of The Best Employers for Women, and as the Top Rated Workplace for Veterans by Indeed. In 2019, Wawa was designated by Forbes as a Best Employer for Diversity.

About The Wawa Foundation

The Wawa Foundation is an extension of Wawas commitment to making the world a better place by fulfilling customers lives every day. The Wawa Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation founded by Wawa, Inc. to support the companys charitable giving and philanthropic activities  and ultimately to help build happier, stronger communities. The Wawa Foundation focuses its support on organizations committed to health, hunger and everyday heroes through local, regional and national grants and in-kind donations. Since 2014, Wawa and The Wawa Foundation have donated more than $66 million to causes supporting health, hunger and the heroes who serve our communities every day.

CONTACT: public.relations@wawa.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2fede457-879d-4ce1-ac24-9dae8e495c13
SAN MATEO, Calif., April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rever , the leading frontline workforce empowerment solution for industrial companies, announced expansion of its North American team and a new U.S. office to support growing demand for its lean enterprise solutions. The companys new global headquarters is located in San Mateo, California, and will be the center of growth in North America, and expanding from its development center in Guadalajara, Mexico and European office in Barcelona, Spain. Rever also announced that Mitsubishi UniCarriers, a division of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, is a new customer using the Rever platform to improve processes.

Rever, a three-year-old enterprise, is rapidly growing with an installed base of twenty-five large enterprise customers, reaching 150,000 frontline employees, with over 5,000 ideas already submitted for improvements estimated at $40 million in savings. The company's expansion follows recent investments by Sequoia Capital and Zetta Venture Partners, strengthening Revers ability to further develop its products and serve an ever-growing array of customers.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is the newest enterprise customer to turn to Rever. It joins other major companies such as Grupo Bimbo, Mars and Philip Morris International using Rever technology to turn the collective creativity of frontline employees into process improvements.

There are an estimated three billion frontline workers whose ideas and recommendations have traditionally not been included in process decisionsyet have important ideas and observations from their day-to-day jobs. Revers mobile app enables frontline workers in industrial companies to quickly and easily capture their ideas, share them with management, test them, and implement them. With Rever, industrial companies worldwide unlock innovation by allowing every worker to contribute to a thriving company.

Our customers choose us to harness the innovation of every frontline employee, said Errette Dunn, CEO of Rever. Were thrilled to be able to work with cutting edge industrial companies such as Mitsubishi UniCarriers to ignite global workforces. Our solutions have been met with astounding demand, and weve ramped up our US operations and team to support continued growth.

To meet fast-growing demand, Rever has expanded its executive team with proven industry leaders to drive customer support, sales and marketing initiatives:

Ralf VonSosen joined as the Vice President of Marketing to lead Revers go-to-market efforts. With 20 years in the technology space, VonSosens experience spans from early-stage start-ups to established industry leaders such as Oracle, SAP, and LinkedIn.

Stella Treas joined as the Vice President of Operations, driving operational excellence to best serve Revers employees and customers. Prior to Rever, Stella opened up an international office, led a successful acquisition, managed a global customer success team and led operations at BloomReach.

Miki Cisic joined as Vice President of Sales, to build a world-class team that will help the worlds industrial companies improve each and every day. A Google, Meraki, and Cisco alum, hes passionate about developing and scaling sales efforts in both developed and emerging markets.

To learn more about how Rever can empower your frontline workforce:

Read the Rever blog, The Frontline Dojo

Join the Kaizen revolution at the Rever Center of Excellence

Sign up for a free demo

About Rever

Rever is a frontline workforce empowerment solution for industrial enterprises with large tactical workforces around the globe. With Rever, enterprises are able to build a fully engaged, aligned and empowered frontline workforce to drive continuous improvement from ideation to implementation and impact company performance. World-class companies such as Grupo Bimbo, Mars, Mitsubishi, and Philip Morris International use Rever technology to involve all employees in process improvement. Rever has offices in San Mateo, California, Guadalajara, Mexico, and Barcelona, Spain. Learn more at www.reverscore.com .

Three billion frontline workers citation: http://desklessworkforce2018.com/

Contact:

press@ktcmarketingandpr.com
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Erdene Resource Development Corp. (TSX:ERD; MSE:ERDN) (" Erdene " or the "Company") is pleased to announce the commencement of the 2019 drill program at its 100%-owned Khundii Gold Project (Khundii Project).



Since the grassroots discovery at Bayan Khundii three years ago, the Khundii Project has rapidly moved through exploration, drilling, resource definition and Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA), and has recently entered the prefeasibility and permitting stage. The current drilling program will provide further confidence in continuity within the ultra-high-grade gold zones, test for areas where pit limits could be expanded and explore expansion opportunities outside the current resource perimeter, said Peter Akerley, Erdenes President and CEO. We see the rapid move towards the development of a moderate size, high-grade open pit mine with low processing and capital costs as the best path to enhance shareholders value and position the Company for growth in this exciting new gold district.

2019 Khundii Project Drilling Program

The 2019 drilling program is separated into two phases. The first phase will include approximately 1,800 metres and focus on increasing confidence in the resource, confirming ultra-high gold grades and expanding the Bayan Khundii deposit to support the recently launched Prefeasibility study (PFS) led by Tetra Tech, Inc., a global engineering firm. A second phase, scheduled for later in the year, will focus on regional targets. Further details on the first phase are as follows:

Extend the open pit perimeter : Approximately 25% of total Bayan Khundii gold resources at a 1g/t gold cut-off, representing approximately 55,000 ounces of Indicated and 60,000 ounces of Inferred Resources, averaging greater than 3 g/t gold, are located outside the mineable open pit of the PEA. Drilling will seek to extend the continuity, and potentially increase the grade, of high-grade resources outside, or projected to extend outside, the current pit perimeter at North Midfield and Midfield. Extending the continuity and grade of these zones could lead to an expansion of the pit perimeter defined in the PEA, as part of the PFS pit optimization work. Increase average grades and continuity in the highest grade zones : The highest gold values in the resource block model in the PEA are 55 g/t gold, while more than 40 intersections ranging from 50 g/t to 2200 g/t gold were encountered during drilling at Bayan Khundii. These very high grades are often located along the western bounding structure of Midfield and North Midfield where structural intersections are present. Several holes will target these structures to test for greater continuity and ideally expand their size and grade. Expand the Resource : Targeting areas outside the resource, mainly to the south and southwest of, and extending at depth from Midfield and Striker West, has the potential to expand the resource. Ultra-high-grade intersections (greater than 50 g/t gold) in Midfield have been terminated on the west by the intersection of a post mineral intrusion. Based on continuity of these zones to the southeast, and results from surrounding holes, the intrusive may be an isolated body. Drilling will test the potential to expand the pit and the resource to the south-southwest of Midfield. Previous drilling at Striker West returned several high-grade gold intervals (20 - 105 g/t gold). Current results suggest the potential for increased continuity and expansion of high-grade gold in this area. The Striker West zone will be explored further through the current drill program to strengthen continuity of mineralization and increase resource confidence. Develop further near surface targets : Although the Midfield high-grade intersections begin near 50 metres depth, mineralization has been modelled to start 20 metres from surface on the east side of the zone. Drilling at Midfield is designed to confirm this near surface mineralization, continuing through the high-grade zones, penetrating the proposed pit wall, and continuing beyond the bounds of the resource blocks. This drilling is intended to enhance our understanding of all the above-mentioned variables while providing greater clarity on the near-surface resources available in the initial open pit development in the Midfield area. Additionally, in the Striker West area, a near-surface, gold-bearing zone has been identified but has yet to be fully tested. This zone will be targeted as part of the current drilling program.

In addition, a new water resource exploration program has been initiated and will include 11 drill holes totaling 1,375 metres. This program is designed to identify sufficient process-water resources within approximately 5 kilometers of the proposed Khundii Gold Project processing plant location. TetraTech, Inc. will incorporate these results into the PFS for the Khundii Gold Project.

Background on the Khundii Gold Project

Erdenes deposits are located in the Edren Terrane, within the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, host to some of the worlds largest gold and copper-gold deposits. The company has been the leader in exploration in southwestern Mongolia over the past decade and is responsible for the discovery of the Khundii Gold District comprised of multiple high-grade gold and gold/base metal prospects, two of which are being considered for development: the 100% owned Bayan Khundii and Altan Nar projects. Together, these deposits comprise the Khundii Gold Project (the Project).

The Company delivered the Projects maiden mineral resource estimate in Q3 of 2018 with a Measured and Indicated (M&I) resource of 751,000 oz gold at an average grade of 2.3 g/t gold and Inferred resource of 291,000 oz gold at an average grade of 1.8 g/t gold. (cut-off grade of 0.7 g/t gold). This was followed by a National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101) Preliminary Economic Assessment in December 2018 which returned an after-tax Net Present Value at a 5% discount rate (NPV5%) and a US$1,200/oz gold price of US$99 million and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 56%. The initial development has a life of mine head grade of 3.42 g/t gold with an average annual gold production of 51,200 ounces (oz) over an eight-year mine life.

Qualified Person



Michael MacDonald, P.Geo. (Nova Scotia), Vice President Exploration for Erdene, is the Qualified Person as that term is defined in National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release on behalf of Erdene.



About Erdene



Erdene Resource Development Corp. is a Canada-based resource company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of precious and base metals in underexplored and highly prospective Mongolia. The Company has interests in four exploration licenses and a mining license in southwest Mongolia, where exploration success has led to the discovery and definition of the Khundii Gold District. Erdene Resource Development Corp. is listed on the Toronto and Mongolia stock exchanges. Further information is available at www.erdene.com . Important information may be disseminated exclusively via the website; investors should consult the site to access this information.



Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information regarding Erdene contained herein may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements may include estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance or other statements that are not statements of fact. Although Erdene believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. Erdene cautions that actual performance will be affected by a number of factors, most of which are beyond its control, and that future events and results may vary substantially from what Erdene currently foresees. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration results, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. The forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The information contained herein is stated as of the current date and is subject to change after that date. The Company does not assume the obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

NO REGULATORY AUTHORITY HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THE CONTENTS OF THIS RELEASE
MJ Holdings continues to grow its presence in Nye County, NV by purchasing a 50-acre facility to house its hemp seed genetics lab

Las Vegas, NV, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- MJ Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: MJNE) (MJNE or Company), a leader in the Nevada cannabis market, has finalized the purchase of a nearly fifty-acre property, with 71-acre feet of water rights, in the Amargosa Valley of Nevada to provide: (1) necessary housing for the employees of its growing farm operations and (2) house the Companys planned 60,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art hemp seed lab, which is readily adaptable to grow larger as demand for high quality hemp seed genetics increases. MJNE purchased the property for $650,000.00 in cash and stock.

In addition to being home to the Companys growing farm-related employee base and housing the Companys planned 60,000 sq. ft. hemp seed genetics lab, the Company will also plant five-acres of hemp to study hemp genetics and provide product for its upcoming line of hemp-based products, including hemp cigarettes and CBD infused beverages and edibles. With the fast-paced expansion of hemp farming in the state of Nevada, it is crucial that we develop strains of hemp that will thrive in the harsh desert conditions.

Like many other hemp growing states, farmers in Nevada have been struggling with sourcing high quality hemp seeds with guaranteed germination rates. The flower required to extract high quality CBD only comes from the female plant, so it is vitally important that growers have access to seeds that are at least 95% feminized, noted MJNEs CEO Paris Balaouras. The Company expects the seed lab to be operational in mid Q3 of 2019 and when fully operational will be able to produce up to ten million feminized hemp seeds annually for sale and distribution to the growing number of active hemp farms in Nevada.

The Company has been transporting its farmhands and cultivation personnel from North Las Vegas to their Amargosa facility on an almost three hour daily round trip. With the expansion of the Companys cultivation capabilities and the additional personnel required, the Company sought a solution to its housing challenges. The housing facility is less than nine miles from the Companys present 120,000 sq. ft. facility and its recently acquired 260-acre farm.

We looked at rental options in Amargosa and we couldnt find sufficient inventory to fulfill our needs, said MJNEs CEO, Paris Balaouras. This facility provides a long-term solution and has the capacity to house more than 200 workers and should also help support the Amargosa Valley community.

The Company estimates that it will generate about $20,000 of monthly rental income, making the property completely self-sufficient. This purchase brings the Companys total land ownership in Nye County to over 300 acres.

About MJ Holdings, Inc.

MJ Holdings Inc. (OTCQB: MJNE) is a diversified, publicly-traded holding company providing cultivation, production management and infrastructure development services. Our management operations currently include: a three-acre, outdoor, marijuana cultivation facility in the Amargosa Valley of Nevada and a fully-licensed, indoor, agritourism facility located in the city of Las Vegas - known as the Highland Show-Grow. We also are 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.




New York, NY, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE-- Horizon Globex US, LLC (Globex), a SaaS business specializing in the development of proprietary blockchain software solutions that address the full life cycle of a Digital Securities Offering (DSO), today announced that Timeless Luxury Group AG, a Switzerland-based luxury rental and lifestyle products company, is licensing Globexs full suite of blockchain software solutions to power its DSO. The Globex software applications used to facilitate the fund raise pursuant to Reg D 506(c) and Reg S exemptions include Tokenetics, KYCware, AMLcop, and Custodyware.



The Timeless Luxury Group DSO marks the first offering in the United States to use an SEC registered Transfer Agent for the issuance and custody of digital securities. Custodyware is being licensed by Timeless Luxury Groups designated transfer agent VStock Transfer, granting VStock the ability to custody Ethereum ERC-20 securities while compliantly maintaining the identity of holders to facilitate the future payment of any dividends in US dollars.

In another industry first, KYCware and AMLcop were integrated to onboard, verify, and whitelist investors through a smartphone app customized to match Timeless Luxury Groups brand, introducing the first investor on-boarding app with an integrated US Broker-Dealer Subscription Booklet and SEC Reg D 506(c) Investor Accreditation that streamlines the investment process.

Compliance and security are of upmost importance for our digital securities offering, said Michael Gossl, CEO of Timeless Luxury Group. Licensing Globexs software solutions enables us to compliantly expand our offering to US investors while delivering a secure, seamless, and on-brand investment experience for all our investors.

Tokenetics, the underlying issuance and digital securities allocation system, was incorporated to create Timeless Luxury Groups ERC-20 based digital securities called TMLS Tokens, incorporating a range of features unique to the companys offering such as round discounts and a dividend tied to future profits.

While each of our products do operate as standalone solutions, their ability to seamlessly integrate with one-another offers an unparalleled user experience for issuers and investors across multiple jurisdictions, said Brian Collins, CEO of Globex. For the first time, a Reg D 506(c) and Reg S Digital Securities Offering is being deployed in the United States on a large scale with zero lag settlement, an explicit SEC aligned transfer agent role and future-proofing for secondary trading on US-regulated digital securities marketplaces.

About Globex:

Globex offers a suite of integrated blockchain software applications for compliant issuance and secondary trading of digital securities. Truly a compliance-first business, our solutions combine Wall Street and Silicon Valley to power the next generation of exchanges and securities offerings in the US and around the world.



Current SaaS product solutions include digital securities issuance and transfers through Tokenetics (tokenetics.com); white label investor onboarding and KYC identity verification through KYCware (kycware.com); watchlist management sanctions and PEP screening through AMLcop (amlcop.com); and transfer agent custody tools through Custodyware (custodyware.com). All software applications can be utilized independently or integrate with one another. Learn more at https://horizon-globex.com/.



Press Contact:

Vanessa Malone

Vanessa@Horizon-Globex.com

(805) 637-1963
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 1933 Industries Inc. (the Company or 1933 Industries) (CSE: TGIF) (OTCQX: TGIFF), a licensed cultivator and producer of cannabis flower and concentrates and manufacturer of hemp-derived CBD wellness products, and its subsidiary, Alternative Medicine Association (AMA) are pleased to announce a licensing agreement (the Agreement) with OG DNA Genetics, Inc. (DNA), a globally recognized leading cannabis brand, for the exclusive license to cultivate, manufacture, sell and distribute co-branded cannabis products for a two-year term in the State of Nevada.



DNA has developed expertise in the research and development of cannabis genetics including the breeding, growing, phenotyping and processing of cannabis. In this regard, DNA will provide specific expertise to AMA for the development of a consistent phenotype strain for the cultivation of high-quality cannabis flower in AMAs new cultivation facility in Las Vegas. Co-branded flower and pre-rolls will be specifically certified by DNA, thus ensuring that all products meet DNAs high certification standards.

AMA, an established producer in Las Vegas, will provide exclusive cultivation space for the licensed products as well as distribution through AMAs growing channels to Nevada-licensed cannabis dispensaries. In addition, AMA will provide turn-key marketing and promotional services for the term of the Agreement.

For more than 15 years, genetics bred by DNA have won more than 200 awards in all categories at the most prestigious cannabis events around the world, making DNA a global standard in breeding and growing truly best-in-class strains. Such awards include the High Times Top 10 Strain of the Year, which was inducted into The High Times seedbank hall of fame in 2009, and the High Times Trailer Blazers Award, for contributions made towards uniting the fields of entrepreneurship, politics and medicine.

We are excited for the opportunity to partner with such a world renowned brand in our new purpose-built, advanced cultivation facility. Through our strong distribution networks where our products are sold in state-wide dispensaries, AMA controls one of the largest market shares for wholesale branded goods in the state of Nevada, commented Mr. Chris Rebentisch, USA COO and Founder of Infused. We will welcome DNA into our first-class platform of education, sales, and customer service. We believe that the partnership between a world-class leader in genetics and a top producer and operator will set the standard for the highest quality products available in the rapidly expanding Nevada market.

I just can't wait to be able to land in Vegas and get the same fire we grow at home," said Don Morris, Co-Founder of DNA. We have always looked at Vegas as a key market and wanted to make sure we had the right partner. With 1933's new state of the art facility and their commitment to education and quality standards, we will really be able to showcase our work and bring the very best in California cannabis to Nevada.

About OG DNA Genetics Inc.

DNA was rooted in Los Angeles and founded in Amsterdam in 2004 by Don Morris and Aaron Yarkoni. Over the last decade, the Company has built and curated a seasoned genetic library and developed proven standard operating procedures for genetic selection, breeding, and cultivation. In a world that is increasingly opening up to commercial cannabis activity, DNA is positioned to become the first truly geographically-diversified company with multiple partnerships with top-licensed producers and brands that have built their companies and global presence utilizing the Powered by DNA model.

For more information, please visit www.dnagenetics.com.

About 1933 Industries Inc.

1933 Industries Inc. is a vertically integrated cannabis company with operations in the United States and Canada. Operating through three subsidiary companies, 1933 Industries owns licensed medical and adult-use cannabis cultivation and production assets, proprietary hemp-based, CBD infused products, CBD extraction services and a specialized cannabis advisory firm supporting clients in security, intelligence and due diligence. The Company owns 91% of Alternative Medicine Association and 100% of Infused MFG. and Spire Global Strategy.

Please visit our website at http://www.1933industries.com

For further information please contact:

Rezwan Khan, Vice President, Corporate Development

Rezwan@dnagenetics.com

Alexia Helgason, Corporate Communications Director

604-674-4756 (ext. 1)

alexia@1933industries.com

Brayden Sutton, Director/President & CEO

604-674-4756 (ext. 1)

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN



HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NOVA LEAP HEALTH CORP. (TSXV: NLH) ("Nova Leap" or the Company) is pleased to announce an agreement (the Agreement) with San Diego Torrey Hills Capital, Inc. (Torrey Hills Capital), a Rancho Santa Fe, California based investor relations firm, to provide market awareness and investor relations activities in compliance with regulatory guidelines. All amounts are in United States dollars unless otherwise specified.

Torrey Hills Capital is a leading investor and financial public relations firm specializing in small and microcap companies. Torrey Hills Capital will increase awareness of Nova Leap through its established relationships with investment professionals, investment advisors and money managers focused on the microcap market space. This will allow the Company to build and maintain an informed investor audience in both the U.S. and Canadian marketplaces.

In consideration of the services to be provided, the monthly fees incurred by Nova Leap will be cash consideration of $5,500 starting April 15, 2019 for a period of four months ending on August 15, 2019 and monthly thereafter, subject to a 30-day termination notice by either party. Nova Leap and Torrey Hills Capital are unrelated and unaffiliated entities. Torrey Hills Capital does not have any interest, directly or indirectly, in Nova Leap or its securities, or any right or intent to acquire such an interest. The Agreement is subject to regulatory approval.

About Nova Leap

Nova Leap is an acquisitive home health care services company operating in one of the fastest growing industries in the U.S. & Canada. The Company performs a vital role within the continuum of care with an individual and family centered focus, particularly those requiring dementia care. Nova Leap achieved 877% revenue growth in 2018 through a geographically focused expansion plan and achieved the #10 Ranking in the 2019 TSX Venture 50 in the Clean Technology & Life Sciences sector. The Company is geographically diversified with operations in 4 different U.S. states: Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island as well as Halifax, Nova Scotia.

About Torrey Hills Capital

Torrey Hills Capital was formed in 1998 and is headquartered in Rancho Santa Fe, California. The team of professionals offers experience and expertise in investor relations, corporate communications, non-deal road shows, and market support activities. Torrey Hills Capital specializes in the development and marketing of emerging growth companies which trade in the United States (NYSE, AMEX, and OTC) and in Canada (TSX, TSX-V, and CSE). Marketing activities articulate key investment attributes, strategic direction and financial expectations which combine to ensure that client market value fully reflects past achievements and future opportunities. Further information is available at www.torreyhillscapital.com.

FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION:

Certain information in this press release may contain forward-looking statements. This information is based on current expectations that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward looking-statements unless and until required by securities laws applicable to the Company. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in the Company's filings with the Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedar.com.
SAN DIEGO, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Driven Deliveries, Inc., (DRVD), the worlds first and only publicly traded cannabis delivery company, announced today the addition of Mr. Brad Dalmann to serve as the Companys Director of Sales and Mr. Lance Ott to serve as the role of Director of Business Development. Mr. Dalmann is an industry veteran in the cannabis space and was the former Brand Manager of Weedmaps, while Mr. Ott is the former Director of National Bank of California, and a 20-year veteran of the cannabis, banking and financial services industries.



Brad Dalmann has an extensive sales background which began in SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Previously he worked for Bonfire, a sister company to Weedmaps, a non-cannabis based businesses. In 2013, he started at Weedmaps as Regional Manager for San Diego. Mr. Dalmann helped with business development initially then later took on the responsibility of opening new ventures at Weedmaps. He worked with dispensaries in Southern California to increase the market penetration by 400%, and then went on to managing the Oregon market for the company. In his last year at WeedMaps, he helped develop the brands unit where he personally helped onboard over 500 brands. Mr. Dalmann also previously worked for Quality Resources and Flav, where he gained knowledge of track & trace, distribution and many other manufacturing components as well a large-scale production, manufacturing and distribution.

Lance Ott is renowned in the legal cannabis space. Last year, he was ranked #38 in the top 100 most influential cannabis business executives by Cannabis Business Executive. He is the Founder of Cirrata Ventures, Founder of Guardian Data Systems and the Founder of Bankcard Brokers which focuses on banking and financial services in the cannabis space., Lance is also a Certified Payments Professional CPP through the Electronic Transactions Association. He is currently serving his fourth term on the Board of Directors for the National Cannabis Industry Association and has served as a member of the ethics subcommittee. Guardian Data Systems is a Sustaining Member of the NCIA. Ott also serves on the Regulatory Advisory Board for the Los Angeles Cannabis Task Force, as well as the West Hollywood Bank Working Group. Ott believes that proper regulation coupled with technology will bring credibility, legitimacy and transparency to our emerging and evolving industry.

Management is extremely pleased to have both Mr. Dalmann, and Mr. Ott, join our team, said Mr. Chris Boudreau, CEO of Driven Deliveries, Inc. Their unique blend of industry knowledge coupled with strategic relationships will prove advantageous to us, as we continue forward on our growth trajectory. I look forward to working with them as we establish ourselves as a market leader within the emerging cannabis delivery space.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are identified by the use of the words "could," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "expect," "may," "continue," "predict," "potential," "project" and similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Although we believe that our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that these plans, objectives, expectations or intentions will be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical experience and present expectations or projections. Actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements and the trading price for our common stock may fluctuate significantly. Forward-looking statements also are affected by the risk factors described in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, we undertake 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.

About Driven

Driven Deliveries, Inc. is the only publicly traded cannabis delivery service operating within the United States. Founded by experienced technology and cannabis executives, the Company provides on-demand marijuana delivery, in select cities where allowed by law. Driven provides the legal cannabis consumers the ability to purchase and receive their marijuana in a fast and convenient manner. By 2020, legal cannabis revenue in the U.S. market is projected to hit $23 billion. In leveraging consumer trends, and offering a proprietary, turnkey delivery system to its customers, management believes it is uniquely positioned to best serve the needs of the emerging cannabis industry and capture notable market share within the sector. For more information, please visit https://godriven.com/ and review Drivens filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
DALLAS, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via OTC PR WIRE -- Alternet Systems, Inc. (USOTC: ALYI) (ALYI) management is currently in Kenya meeting potential partners and touring facilities to possibly open an assembly plant to complete manufacturing in Africa for ReVolt Electric Motorcycles to be sold across the African continent. The meetings in Kenya are being held in conjunction with a deal under development that would include an order for two thousand ReVolt Electric Motorcycles which would total $20 million in sales. ALYI has already signed $1.5 million in confirmed orders for its ReVolt Electric Motorcycles to be delivered in Kenya prior to this weeks meetings. ALYI management has set plans for this Friday, April 12th to publish from Kenya an out-brief summarizing the details of this weeks meetings and the status of the overall deal that would include the $20 million order. Now in the second day of meetings in Kenya, management is pleased to announce a separate but related agreement expected to be signed today that will substantially enhance and improve ALYIs prospects in signing the $20 million order. The agreement anticipated today is an electric vehicle industry opportunity expected to contribute substantially to the ongoing advance electric vehicle technology market wide. ALYI could potentially play a major role in what could become an electric vehicle institution.



ALYI is focused on offering varied, environmentally sustainable, energy storage solutions for targeted markets, including consumer electric vehicles and military applications. The first product category is lithium battery-powered motorcycles, to be followed by motorbikes. ALYI also has an ongoing hemp energy storage initiative leading its current efforts to introduce an alternative to lithium batteries.



Research Report Speculative Buy Rating And $0.09 Target PPS



Goldman Small Cap Research has recently issued a research report update on the Company. The report confirms a 'speculative-buy' rating with a target price-per-share of $0.09. The report provides an in-depth overview and analysis of Alternet's new strategy, new orders, and upcoming milestones. To view the report, along with disclosures and disclaimers, visit https://www.alternetsystemsinc.com/research-update or http://www.GoldmanResearch.com.



Disclaimer/Safe Harbor: This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act. The statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Among others, these risks include the expectation that any of the companies mentioned herein will achieve significant sales, the failure to meet schedule or performance requirements of the companies' contracts, the companies' liquidity position, the companies' ability to obtain new contracts, the emergence of competitors with greater financial resources and the impact of competitive pricing. In the light of these uncertainties, the forward-looking events referred to in this release might not occur.



For more information, please visit: http://www.alternetsystemsinc.com

Alternet Systems, Inc. Contact:

Randell Torno

info@lithiumip.com

+1-800-713-0297


LOS ANGELES, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Right On Brands, Inc. (OTC: RTON) a fully reporting SEC company, today has announced Worldwide Beverage Group, a leading distributor of fine spirits, wine and beer in the state of Kansas will provide ENDO Water product to retail, restaurant and bar accounts throughout the state. Worldwide Beverage Group has accepted their first order of CBD based ENDO Brands product for distribution through its sales network.



ENDO Water was launched in February of 2018 and is now distributed in Texas, Florida, Kansas, Nevada, Michigan, Arkansas and Oklahoma

"As we continue to grow our national footprint, Worldwide Beverage Group gives ENDO Brands another key distribution partner in the state of Kansas, states Vic Morrison (Vic) Executive VP of Right on Brands Corporate Development. Adding an additional distribution point in the Kansas City area represents huge opportunities for the company.

Endo Brands will be a co-sponsor at Backwoods at Mulberry Mountain 2019, in the beautiful Ozarks Arkansas. www.backwoodsmusicfestival.com. We will be participating with Belle Point Beverage Budweiser and Budweiser our EndoWater distributor in Northern Arkansas.

About Worldwide Beverage Group:

Founded in 2000, Worldwide continually aspires to be a premier distribution partner to our suppliers and customers. We take a progressive approach to the industry and our market by presenting products of quality and value that meet the demands of our customers. Built on a cornerstone of hard work, great service, and unwavering integrity, our cohesive culture allows us to exceed our suppliers expectations and to identify and strive to meet our customers needs. Our portfolio of Wine, Spirits, and Beer has been carefully selected by our dedicated and talented team and is distributed throughout the state of Kansas.

About Right On Brands, Inc.:

Right on Brands, Inc. , a Los Angeles California based consumer goods company specializing in brand development of health conscious, cannabis-based food and beverage products. Right On Brands consists of four subsidiaries Humbly Hemp, Endo Brands

Visit our corporate website at: https://RightOnBrands.com

Endo Brands CBD's are a healthy addition increased wellness in your life. CBD oil can now be formulated to be used in food, drink and your favorite snacks.

Endo Water is pH balanced, micro-clustered for antioxidant protection and oxygenated for improved performance and energy.

EndoEase is a topical Pain reliever available now.

Available in four flavors: Pure, Lemon Lime, Cucumber, Watermelon

all flavors available in Sparkling

Endo Drops are alcohol free coconut oil-based tinctures that are simply dropped right into your mouth. Tinctures are a discreet method of administration making it a good option for patients who require multiple treatments throughout the day.

Available in two flavors Berry and Mint. 300 mg

Available in 1000 Mg. Available for Pets in 300 and 1000 Mg with Salmon Oil.

Order Endo Brands products at: https://www.endobrands.com/

For Right On Brands Distribution Contact:

Vic Morrison: (323) 486-1809

(Nationwide)

Vic@RightOnBrands.Com

Visit us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/humblyhemp/?fref=ts

Follow us on twitter: https://twitter.com/HumblyHemp?lang=en

Join in on the conversation at Investors Hangout: https://investorshangout.com/Right-On-Brands-Inc-RTON-91651/

Safe Harbor Act: This release includes forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involves risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the impact of competitive products, the ability to meet customer demand, the ability to manage growth, acquisitions of technology, equipment, or human resources, the effect of economic business conditions and the ability to attract and retain skilled personnel. The Company is not obligated to revise or update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this release.
Enel X signed an exclusive agreement with Ameren Missouri to set up and operate a demand response portfolio based on resources made available by the utilitys commercial and industrial customers



The demand response program will be launched in May 2019 with the aim to reduce peak demand while adding value to Ameren Missouri customers



BOSTON, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Enel X, the Enel Groups advanced energy services business line, has signed an exclusive agreement with Ameren Missouri, the states largest utility with more than 1.2 million customers, to deliver 100 MW of demand response resources from the utilitys commercial and industrial (C&I) customers for the 2019 - 2021 program period, with delivery periods running May-September each year. Under the terms of the agreement, Enel X will exclusively manage Ameren Missouris entire C&I demand response portfolio, helping to reduce demand on the grid during peak load times.

With this agreement, Enel X will deliver a turnkey demand response solution for Ameren Missouri, providing its C&I customers with new revenue streams and reduced energy costs by optimizing usage during periods of peak demand, said Michael Storch, Head of Enel X in North America. This partnership is a testament to our position as a leader in demand response and we look forward to supporting Ameren Missouris commitment to providing customers with more choices, control and greater flexibility in their energy use.

In partnership with Ameren Missouri, Enel X will recruit participants from different industrial sectors in the utilitys territory and manage the portfolio of C&I demand response resources, helping to reduce peak demand across Amerens distribution network and provide additional resources to the MISO1 transmission system. Participants can enroll in Ameren Missouris demand response program by contacting Enel X online . In addition to the C&I demand response program Ameren Missouri offers financial incentives to C&I customers for energy efficiency projects through its BizSavers Program. More information on the incentives can be found on Ameren Missouri's BizSavers website . This partnership supports the utilitys commitment to the Missouri Energy Efficiency Investment Act (MEEIA), which encourages electric utilities to develop and implement energy efficiency and demand response programs in the state.

Customers participating in the C&I demand response program can earn payments for committing to reduce their electricity consumption temporarily when demand on the system is highest. Enel X will fully manage Amerens portfolio of C&I customers participating in the demand response program, optimizing each customers participation and maximizing their financial return. Additionally, Enel X enables customers to track and adjust their energy usage to avoid costly peak demand charges and reduce overall energy expenses. During a demand response dispatch, Enel Xs customer platform, available from PC and mobile devices, allows participants to monitor their consumption in real-time and view earnings in detail wherever they are. Enel X creates value by helping participants maximize their demand response payments while minimizing the impact on the customers operations.

Over the last year, we have worked hand-in-hand with Enel X to leverage their deep experience in C&I demand response to hone our program design and ensure we develop robust, reliable and cost-effective C&I demand response resources that drive the highest levels of customer satisfaction, said Bill Davis, Director of Energy Efficiency and Renewables at Ameren Missouri. This demand response program will provide C&I customers with tangible economic benefits, as well as provide broader benefits to the electric grid, our state and the environment.

Ameren Missouris service area covers 64 counties and more than 500 communities, including the greater St. Louis area.

Enel X provides C&I demand response resources to more than 20 utilities across North America with more than 600 MW of dispatchable demand response in utility programs in which Enel X is the exclusive provider to the utility.

Demand response programs pay large energy consumers, such as manufacturing facilities, government agencies, and commercial real estate companies, to adjust their power consumption, which provides valuable energy services to the grid. Demand response provides greater grid flexibility and more efficient use of power infrastructure, with a view to help keep electricity prices as low as possible for all consumers.

Enel X is a new Enel global business line dedicated to developing innovative products and digital solutions in sectors in which energy is showing the greatest potential for transformation: cities, homes, industries and electric mobility. Enel X in North America has nearly 3,400 business customers, spanning more than 10,400 sites, representing around 4.6 GW of demand response capacity and over 20 operational behind-the-meter storage projects. The companys intelligent DER Optimization Software is designed to analyse real-time energy and utility bill data, improve performance, and manage distributed energy assets, including behind-the-meter storage projects. Enel Xs electric vehicle charging station technology, called JuiceBox, and its JuiceNet platform, provide smart management of electric vehicle charging and other distributed energy storage facilities. Enel X technology is present in more than 38,000 electric vehicle charging stations across North America.

Media Relations

T +1 978 513 3433

M +1 978 965 0062

krista.barnaby@enel.com

enelx.com

_______________________________________

1 Midcontinent Independent System Operator
Chicago, Montreal, Paris., April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Generix Group, a leading provider of agile Supply Chain-Execution (SCE) solutions is pleased to herald its continued ascent of the rapidly evolving North American Supply Chain Management markets at this weeks Promat conference in Chicago, April 8th-11th. On display at the Generix Group pavilion, stand #S3871, the company will showcase its enhanced, highly adaptable SCE solution, Generix Supply Chain Hub.





Centered around extended Warehouse Management System (WMS|), Manufacturing Execution System (MES) and Enterprise Access Management (EAM) capabilities, Generix Supply Chain Hub offers the industrys first Feature-as-a-Service platform. It delivers to leading industry players a highly scalable, fully-flexible toolkit to support rapid growth and change in Supply Chain operations.

Drawing on decades of experience enabling successful operations for world-renowned and regional brands, Generix Group answers mounting market demand for evolved Supply Chain solutions that support digital transformation. From speedy implementations to streamlined integration of omni-channel online, automated and mechanized systems, Generix Groups solutions and its close collaboration with clients reflect its strong alignment with the needs of the US and Canadian markets.

Global supply chain operations are in a period of continuous transformation, said Stephanie Richelieu Stagger, CRO of Generix Group North America. Businesses cannot afford to rely on systems that in any way slow their ability to get ahead market change to seize opportunity. Supply chain operating groups must be equipped with the tools that keep them nimble, efficient and scaling, while ensuring execution excellence, compliance and operating stability. Generix Supply Chain Hub is that toolkit.

ProMat attendees and exhibitors interested in seeing Generix Group solutions first hand, are invited to visit our pavilion at stand #S3871 in Chicago all this week, April 8th-11th.





About Generix Group

Generix Group is an expert in collaborative supply chains. The company operates in 60 countries, through subsidiaries and a network of partners. Thousands of companies around the world use its solutions.

The Generix Supply Chain Hub helps companies meet their market promise. It enables companies to execute physical flows, to digitize information flows and to manage collaborative processes in real time.

The Generix Supply Chain Hub is for all players of the supply chain, including manufacturers, distributors, third and fourth-party logistics providers (3PL/4PL) and retailers.

Founded in France in 1990, the company is listed on the Eurolist market of Euronext Paris, compartment C (ISIN: FR0004032795).

To learn more: www.generixgroup.com





Attachment
SAN DIEGO, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Online learning platform developer Castle Point Learning Systems (CPLS) announced today at the 10th annual ASU GSV Summit that the Gradarius online platform will be utilized in Arizona State University Calculus courses, including those offered through universitys Continuing & Professional Education program.



A proven and effective online Calculus platform, Gradarius offers unique interactive instruction that provides a complete learning experience, from concept introduction and practice to assessment and mastery. The platform replaces written homework and enables students to construct complex solutions in a free-form manner similar to how they would traditionally solve problems on paper.

Were thrilled with the opportunity to collaborate with ASU in pioneering a new approach for technology-enhanced student learning with Gradarius, said Castle Point Learning Systems Chief Executive Officer Dan Kaminski. Castle Point Learning Systems has proved that students at universities and high schools can be more successful in learning the most challenging subjects through the adoption of Gradarius. At a time when reducing the shortfall of STEM graduates is crucial to economic growth, were providing the key to producing more and better graduates.

Gradarius helps students master Calculus concepts by offering immediate feedback and guiding problem solving. The artificial intelligence platform points out mistakes and provides hints during each step of the problem-solving process at any time of the day or night. Potential benefits for educational institutions and instructors include increased retention rates and sustainable scaling and outreach.

ASU is gaining national attention for its efforts to increase access to high-quality, rigorous education with a focus on inclusion and impact. As part of our mission at ASU, we look to provide our students with the educational tools they need in order to be successful in their academic journey. We look forward to working with Castle Point Learning Systems in incorporating the Gradarius platform into our courses, said Sean Hobson, Chief Design Officer for EdPlus at ASU. Currently, two Gradarius courses, Calculus for Business and Calculus for Engineering, are being implemented at ASU; additional courses will be offered in the coming semesters.

Mathematics ranks among the most fundamental areas of human inquiry, but it is among the most challenging subjects to teach, with most educators relying on conventional methods that leave students confused, disengaged, or with a false sense of what math is really about.

Initially created as a homework tool by two university mathematics professors, Gradarius has evolved into a complete learning experience. The platform has been used by Stevens Institute of Technology for the past five years. Additional pilot programs across the U.S. have demonstrated remarkable achievements with improved homework scores as well as dramatic drop-offs in D/F grades and withdrawal rates. CPLS is currently implementing the Gradarius platform in leading universities in Europe through its subsidiaries in London and Saint Petersburg.

About Castle Point Learning Systems

Castle Point Learning Systems Corp. is the developer of Gradarius  the worlds first Freeform Calculus Learning Platform. Gradarius is an innovative online learning platform designed to help students master STEM concepts for deeper understanding  offering immediate feedback, guiding problem solving, pointing out mistakes and providing hints during each step of the problem-solving process for every problem, any time of the day or night.

Contact:

Grant Draper

Castle Point Learning Systems

Phone: +1 415-745-0254

Email: Grant@CapstreamX.com

Contact:

James ODonnell

Castle Point Learning Systems

Phone: +1 201-923-5739

Email: JODonnell@Gradarius.com
MONTREAL, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PyroGenesis Canada Inc. (http://pyrogenesis.com) (TSX-V: PYR) (OTCQB: PYRNF) (FRA: 8PY), a TSX Venture 50 high-tech company, (the "Company", the Corporation or "PyroGenesis") that designs, develops, manufactures and commercializes plasma atomized metal powder, plasma waste-to-energy systems and plasma torch products, announced today that its DROSRITE System has been validated by a world leading primary aluminum smelter (the Smelter) as part of the process towards adopting the technology for use. After a preliminary due diligence of a system in operation at one of PyroGenesis clients facility, a process analysis was performed to validate its viability.



PyroGenesis DROSRITE system is a proven, salt-free, cost-effective, sustainable process for maximizing metal recovery from dross, a waste generated in the metallurgical industry. PyroGenesis patented process avoids costly loss of metal, while reducing a smelters carbon footprint and energy consumption, thus providing a high return on investment. The system has been designed to process and recover valuable metals such as aluminum, zinc and copper from dross. PyroGenesis sells DROSRITE systems, and provides tolling services worldwide. A tolling service arrangement is one in which a smelter provides dross to a third party to be processed for a fee either on or off site.

PROCESS VALIDATION BY A WORLD LEADING PRIMARY ALUMINUM SMELTER

The Smelter is one of the most well respected and competitive primary aluminum smelters in the world to which other smelters in the industry look to for guidance. This report is the most significant development since receiving the first DROSRITE sale, said Mr. David DAoust, Sales Manager  DROSRITE of PyroGenesis. The report effectively confirms the capabilities of the DROSRITE system which we have been advertising and, in part, mitigates the normal concerns a new technology has when penetrating a marketplace.

ACCELERATING DROSRITE SYSTEMS MARKET PENETRATION

This is a very important development for PyroGenesis DROSRITE system as it is timely in that our business development team and Japanese partner continue to advance DROSRITE opportunities with some of the largest primary aluminum smelters around the world, commented Mr. P. Peter Pascali, President and CEO of PyroGenesis. Seen as a leader amongst leaders, this Smelter is looked upon as an example to follow within the industry. The Smelter continuously demonstrates its commitment to be more sustainable and responsible in its own operations and DROSRITE, being a salt-free and environmentally-friendly process, integrates itself well with the Smelters environmental objectives.

About PyroGenesis Canada Inc.

PyroGenesis Canada Inc., a TSX Venture 50 high-tech company, is the world leader in the design, development, manufacture and commercialization of advanced plasma processes and products. We provide engineering and manufacturing expertise, cutting-edge contract research, as well as turnkey process equipment packages to the defense, metallurgical, mining, advanced materials (including 3D printing), oil & gas, and environmental industries. With a team of experienced engineers, scientists and technicians working out of our Montreal office and our 3,800 m2 manufacturing facility, PyroGenesis maintains its competitive advantage by remaining at the forefront of technology development and commercialization. Our core competencies allow PyroGenesis to lead the way in providing innovative plasma torches, plasma waste processes, high-temperature metallurgical processes, and engineering services to the global marketplace. Our operations are ISO 9001:2015 certified, and have been since 1997. PyroGenesis is a publicly-traded Canadian Corporation on the TSX Venture Exchange (Ticker Symbol: PYR) and on the OTCQB Marketplace. For more information, please visit www.pyrogenesis.com

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements containing the words "may", "plan", "will", "estimate", "continue", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "in the process" and other similar expressions which constitute "forward- looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements reflect the Corporation's current expectation and assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, our expectations regarding the acceptance of our products by the market, our strategy to develop new products and enhance the capabilities of existing products, our strategy with respect to research and development, the impact of competitive products and pricing, new product development, and uncertainties related to the regulatory approval process. Such statements reflect the current views of the Corporation with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and other risks detailed from time-to-time in the Corporation's ongoing filings with the securities regulatory authorities, which filings can be found at www.sedar.com , or at www.otcmarkets.com. Actual results, events, and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Corporation undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward- looking statements either as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange, its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) nor the OTCQB accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

SOURCE PyroGenesis Canada Inc.

For further information please contact: Clemence Bertrand-Bourlaud, Marketing Manager/Investor Relations, Phone: (514) 937-0002, E-mail: ir@pyrogenesis.com
Pune, India, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Mining Explosive Market is estimated to garner a valuation of USD 12,729.4 million during the forecast period (2018-2023), Market Research Future reveals in a detailed analysis. The mini explosives market is predicted to scale a stellar 6.38% CAGR in the long run. These high hazard blasting explosives are extensively used in the mining and construction industry. The surging demand by the coal industry and power supply mechanisms is presumed to dictate the growth trajectory of the market across the globe.

Prominent Players

Presently, a number of market players are contributing to the market growth. Explosia Inc. (Czech Republic), Solar Industries India Ltd. (India), MAXAMCorp Orica Limited (Australia), Hanwa Corp. (Republic of Korea), NITROERG SA (Poland), Bulk Mining Explosives (Pty) Ltd. (South Africa), NOF Corporation (Japan), Austin Powder GmbH (Austria), China Poly Group Corporation (China), Enaex S.A. (Chile), Holding S.L. (Spain), Pakistan Ordnance Factory (Pakistan), TITANOBEL (France), Incitec Pivot Ltd. (Australia), Yara (Norway), IDL Explosives Limited (India), ANHUI JIANGNAN CHEMICAL INDUSTRY CO. LTD (China), Forcit Group (Finland), EPC Group (France), Eurenco SA (France), and IDEAL Industrial Explosives Ltd. (India) are among them.

Industry Upgradations

April 03, 2019: BME USA, the blasting specialist, has been recently awarded a contract by the Usibelli Coal Mine in Alaska in order to supply explosive accessories and products. The mine also actively supports activities and events through the Usibelli Foundation.

Receive Free Sample @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/7169

Segmental Analysis

Ammonium nitrate fuel oil (ANFO), bulk emulsion explosives, ammonium nitrate explosives, cartridge emulsion explosives, and others form the type-based segmentation of the Mining Explosive Market. Among these, ANFO commands the largest market share, touching a valuation of USD 2,933.5 million by the end of the appraisal period.

By Application, the market constitutes of metal mining, coal mining, nonmetal mining, and quarry. Among these, the coal mining segment ruled the market with a valuation of USD 5,232.5 million worth in 2017.

Coal Industry Promises Good Traction

On a global scale, 40% of the power which is being produced comes directly from coal. The supply is always high in order to support the demand curve. Coal is considered as the most overrated fuel and is another commodity contributing to the rapid expansion of the mining industry. The rising public and private investments in several infrastructural sectors in order to tap the rich minerals has ensured a burgeoning market for Mining Explosives. Mineral extraction has been counted as a chief influencer for mining explosives worldwide and is experiencing an unprecedented rise. The inclination of governments towards enhancing the overall mineral production and extraction to propel the GDPs in the competitive market has triggered the demand for industrial explosives. The burgeoning demand for industrial explosives in open pit mining owing to the increased demand for construction stones and building materials is considered another propelling factor. Infrastructural progress is also offering leverage to the market.

Guided by increasing disposable income, the demand for metallic commodities is elevating during the appraisal period. With booming industries offering a larger horizon, the Mining Explosive Market is all set to expand its operation. The surging mining activities, especially in economies like China, Mexico, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkey, are likely to become desired destinations for the market behemoths.

Meanwhile, as the cost of explosives are extremely high and fluctuations in the prices of raw materials are rapid, the Mining Explosive Market is predicted to slow down in the coming years. Moreover, limitations in the transportation sector are highly hindering the market growth across the globe. The market can get bottlenecked due to the health-related concerns in the workplace and high production of waste which can cause serious damage.

Browse the market data and information spread across 174 pages with 155 data tables and 36 figures of the report Mining Explosive Market Report - Forecast 2018-2023 in-depth alongside table of content (TOC) at: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/mining-explosives-market-7169

Regional Insights

The regions discussed in the report spans across Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. The growing metal and non-metal industry have ensured the top position for the Asia Pacific region. With a 45.3% share, the region is predicted to lead the global market. Owing to the rapid development of rail network and urban public facilities, China is considered as one of the fast-growing economies in this region. The expanding mining industries have resulted in an increased demand for ammonium nitrate in India. The market in this region is estimated to garner USD 6,025 million by the end of 2023. Prominent market manufacturers are extensively focusing on product differentiation using value-added product launches, high investments in R&D activities, and exploration of novel applications which is generating a positive impact on the market.

Browse Related Reports:

Mining Chemicals Market Research Report by Product (Grinding Aids, Flocculants), Mineral Type (Base Metals, Non-Metallic Metals), Application (Mineral Processing, Explosives & Drilling, Water & Waste Water Treatment) and Region - Forecast to 2023

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/mining-chemicals-market-5851

Lithium Mining Market Research Report by Source (Brines, Hard Rocks), Type (Lithium Hydroxide, Lithium Carbonate), Application (Batteries, Glass, Grease, Air Conditioning Equipment), and Region - Forecast to 2023

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/lithium-mining-market-5060

Surface Mining Market Research Report by Type (Strip Mining, Terrace Mining, and Open-Pit Mining), Application (Coal Mining, Metal Mining, Mineral Mining), and Region - Forecast to 2023

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/surface-mining-market-5494

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), & Consulting Services.

MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.

In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.
BATON ROUGE, La., April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Investar Bank has hired Kevin Lacy as the new Commercial & Industrial (C&I) Market Manager and Senior Vice President to lead its expansion into the Lake Charles, Louisiana market. Kevin Lacy has 15 years of banking experience and has worked in various commercial banking positions at Hancock Whitney Bank. He specializes in the C&I sector where he has banked relationships located throughout Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes. Kevin Lacy is actively involved in many non-profit organizations in the Lake Charles area and is the newly elected Chairman of the Board for United Way SWLA. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Louisiana State University.

Joining Kevin Lacy will be his father and veteran banker, Steve Lacy, who will assist him with Investar Banks expansion into the Lake Charles market. Steve Lacy has over 43 years of banking experience and retired nearly two years ago from Hancock Whitney Bank as Lake Charles City President. He is well known for establishing brand presence in the market and has worked as a commercial banker for Hancock Whitney Bank, Calcasieu Marine, and Premier/Bank One. Steve Lacy specializes in working capital and capital expenditures financing and real estate lending. He joins the Investar Bank team as the Business Development Officer and Senior Vice President for the Lake Charles market.

We are so fortunate to have Kevin and Steve leading Investars entrance into the Lake Charles MSA. They live in Lake Charles and have spent the majority of their careers banking some of the top businesses in the area. They are well versed on the local economy and various in-market industries, Jeff Blum, C&I Banking President, said. Im extremely excited to be able to work with them again. We look forward to executing our strategy of growing core deposits while establishing a diverse loan portfolio in this new market, continued Blum.

Blum continues expanding a highly experienced C&I team across South Louisiana by investing in the Lake Charles market. Also joining Investar is Julie Prentice as a Commercial Banking Specialist to work alongside Kevin and Steve, with whom she has worked for the last four years.

The team will be located in temporary office space and will conduct all banking business through the Banks existing branch in Lafayette, Louisiana until the necessary regulatory approvals can be obtained. Eventually, the team is expected to operate out of a new Investar Bank branch, to be located at 2089 Country Club Road in Lake Charles. The plans to build a full-service branch are underway and construction should begin within 60 days. This branch follows our strategy of expansion along the Interstate 10 corridor and will bridge Investars presence to the Greater Houston, Texas market that the Bank recently entered in March 2019 with its acquisition of Mainland Bank.

At the site of the future Lake Charles branch, the Bank currently operates an Interactive Teller Machine (ITM). This ITM operates as an ATM 24 hours a day, seven days a week to anyone with a financial institution debit/credit/ATM card. In addition, during business hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, customers can touch the screen to interact with an Investar Bank teller in real-time. Existing Investar Bank customers can make deposits, cash checks and conduct many other transactions through the ITM.

About Investar

Investar Holding Corporation, headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, provides full banking services, excluding trust services, through its wholly-owned banking subsidiary, Investar Bank, a Louisiana-chartered bank. Investar Bank had total assets of approximately $1.8 billion as of December 31, 2018 and currently operates 24 branches serving southeast Louisiana and southeast Texas.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may include forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations and assumptions about our business that are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those described in this press release. You should not rely on forward-looking statements as a prediction of future events.

Additional information regarding factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in any forward-looking statements are described in reports and registration statements we file with the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, copies of which are available on the Investar internet website http://www.InvestarBank.com .

We disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking statements or any changes in events, conditions or circumstances upon which any forward-looking statement may be based except as required by law.

Contact:

Investar Holding Corporation

Chris Hufft

Chief Financial Officer

(225) 227-2215

Chris.Hufft@investarbank.com
New York, NY, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- Weyland Tech Inc. (OTCQX: WEYL) (Weyland or the Company), a global provider of mobile business applications, announced today the signing of a non-binding Letter of Intent (LOI) with Silver Wave International Pte. Ltd., a holding company organized under the laws of Myanmar ( Silver Wave ), setting forth the proposed terms for a joint venture (JV) in Myanmar for the purpose of introducing the Companys mobile and e-money services through Silver Waves merchant channels.



The first step of this JV is expected to be a pilot program of the AtoZpay e-wallet in Myanmar, combining Silver Waves financial service licenses and retail presence with Weylands AtoZpay and CreateApp/PaaS platform.

Brent Suen, Weylands CEO, stated, We are pleased to announce the proposed joint venture with Silver Wave in SE Asia. This project in Myanmar presents an exciting opportunity for us to expand our e-wallet platform, and a partnership with Silver Wave provides us with key assets to accelerate adoption and growth.

Suen further noted that a meeting to discuss and sign definitive agreements with the Chairman of Silver Wave is scheduled before the end of April in New York.

The consummation of the transaction remains contingent upon satisfactory completion of due diligence by both parties, completion and agreement on all final terms and conditions of the definitive agreements, obtaining all required consents and approvals, and other customary conditions to closing. Further details shall be made available after the definitive agreements are signed.

About Weyland:

Weyland is a global provider of mobile business applications. The Company operates a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) software used on mobile smartphones. The PaaS platform offers a mobile presence to Small-to-Medium-Sized-Businesses (SMBs) in emerging markets, with partnerships on 3 continents and growing. The PaaS platform, offered in 14 languages with over 70 integrated modules, enables SMBs to create native mobile applications (apps) for Apples iOS and Google Android without technical knowledge or background, empowering SMBs to increase sales, reach more customers and promote their products and services in an easy, affordable and efficient manner.

About Silver Wave International Pte. Ltd.:

Sliver Wave International Pte. Ltd., a Myanmar Registered Company, is organized as a holding company for the following three branches.

Silver Wave Energy Pte. Ltd. established in May 2005, registered in Singapore.

The main purpose is to enter the Exploration and Production (E & P) business around the world both Onshore and Offshore.

Silver Wave Trading Pte. Ltd. established in 1994.

The Multi-Trade businesses are:

Silver Wave Gasoline Stations

Production of fiberglass reinforced plastic boats

Mineral Exploration and production

Exporting agriculture products

Silver Wave Capital Pte. Ltd. is incorporated under the Myanmar Companies Act in 2016. Silver Wave Capital Company Limited is a Non-Bank Financial Institution and may engage in one or all of the following activities Subject to any conditions and restriction imposed by the following:

Finance company business;

Leasing business;

Factoring business;

Credit card business;

Money services business;

Any other credit business the Central Bank may prescribe;

Such other activities determined by the Central Bank

Forward-Looking Statements:

This release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to the business of the Company. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein are forward-looking statements including statements regarding: the continued growth of the e-commerce segment and the ability of the Company to continue its expansion into that segment; the ability of the Company to attract customers and partners and generate revenues; the ability of the Company to successfully execute its business plan; the business strategy, plans, and objectives of the Company; and any other statements of non-historical information. These forward-looking statements are often identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as believes, expects or similar expressions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, they do involve assumptions, risks, and uncertainties, and these expectations may prove to be incorrect. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this news release. The Companys actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including those discussed in the Companys periodic reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on its website (http://www.sec.gov). All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors. Other than as required under the securities laws, the Company does not assume any duty to update these forward-looking statements.

For further information contact:

Howard Gostfrand

American Capital Ventures, Inc.

President

Office: 305-918-7000

Email: hg@amcapventures.com

www.amcapventures.com
Naperville, Ill., April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The North Central College Coffee Lab ceremonially roasted its first batch of coffee beans last Friday at a First Crack event held in the new, 450-square-foot, on-campus facility. The lab is one of only a few college-operated facilities in the nation dedicated to studying the craft of coffee. North Centrals is the first with a primary focus on the business of coffeefrom sourcing, to supply chain, cost accounting, marketing and sales.



The Coffee Lab is a single initiative that ties together North Centrals core values of student-centered learning and purposeful collaboration, said North Central College President Troy D. Hammond. College and coffee go hand-in-hand, and the new Coffee Lab will bring together students and faculty from a wide range of academic programs in business, humanities, science and the arts to explore the impact of coffee. Its a distinctive program with benefits that will extend to the community around us.



The idea for the Coffee Lab was born out of the Colleges chapter of Enactus, a student and faculty collaboration promoting social justice through entrepreneurship. Enactus has sourced coffee beans directly from small plot family farmers in Guatemala since 2005. In 2006, North Central professors Gerald Thalmann and Dr. Matthew Krystal began leading students on biannual trips to Guatemala to personally connect with the farmers and learn about the local impact of their coffee purchases. Back on campus, the students package, market and sell the coffee to help fund their initiatives.



Alongside business and entrepreneurship students who will use the Coffee Lab to study the economics of coffee production, manage shipping and supply chain logistics, and create integrated marketing and sales plansnot to mention roasting and sampling coffeethe lab will integrate students from numerous other backgrounds into the Colleges coffee operation, including:



Accounting students who will apply cost accounting measures and business plan assessments

Chemistry students who will analyze different stages of the roasting, brewing and storage processes

Engineering students who will work hands-on with roasting and brewing equipment to gain a deeper understanding of their mechanics

Social sciences studentsincluding anthropology and sociologywho will study the social impact in the communities of coffee farmers

Additional academic integration will include art and graphic design, among other programs

Coffee is ubiquitous in our daily lives, but most people dont think about all that goes into getting the coffee from its source and into your cup, said North Central College Board of Trustees Chair Jim McDermet, former senior vice president of global and Americas operations at Starbucks Corporation, who, along with his wife Nancy, provided the lead donation that made the project possible. The new Coffee Lab will enable North Central students to explore the many facets of this multi-billion-dollar global industry, all with an eye toward social impact. That kind of educational experience is something very few colleges have access to.



The Coffee Lab features a professional-grade Probat P12/2 coffee roaster, which was donated to the College by Probat, Inc., a coffee industry leader based in nearby Vernon Hills, Ill. Seventy percent of the worlds coffee is roasted using Probat equipment. The College has received support from other coffee industry partners through the donation of additional equipment, including CHEMEX and AeroPress, Inc., coffeemakers; Acaia coffee scales; Acronova Technology, Inc., RoastRite and CoffeeTec analyzers; Cropster roasting software; and a BUNN grinder, hot water dispenser and brewers.



Initially, the North Central Coffee Lab will roast approximately 75 to 100 pounds of coffee beans per week. In addition to roasting, the lab will be used for student educational workshops and coffee tastings, as well as for facilitating Enactus current coffee operations, including quality control, cupping, packaging, sales and shipping. In the future, the lab will host community-based coffee classes, workshops and tastings.



For more information, visit northcentralcollege.edu/coffee-lab.



About North Central CollegeFounded in 1861, North Central College is an independent, comprehensive college of the liberal arts and sciences that offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and six graduate programs. With more than 2,900 students, North Central provides a rigorous, student-centered education and fosters a diverse, inclusive and globally engaged community that prepares students for action and leadership in a complex world. Just 30 minutes from Chicagos Loop, the campus is located in the Historic District of Naperville, Ill., rated by Money magazine as among the nations Best Places to Live and by niche.com as second on their list of Best Places to Live in Illinois. Visit northcentralcollege.edu and discover what it means to Be Central.

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In Vienna from 10 to 14 April 2019, SuperSonic Imagine will be demonstrating the benefits and diagnostic performance of its new ultrasound platform Aixplorer MACH 30, for non-invasive assessment of chronic liver diseases

Several Live demonstrations will be taking place on SuperSonic Imagines stand 110 in Hall B.

AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SuperSonic Imagine (Euronext: SSI, FR0010526814), a company specialising in medical imaging using ultrasound technology, will be presenting the new generation of its solution for the liver with Aixplorer MACH 30, at the International Liver Congress organised by the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL), due to be held in Vienna from 10 to 14 April 2019. Every year the Congress brings together liver specialists and encourages promotion and scientific exchanges in the field of liver diseases.



A major actor in the innovation of ultrasound, SuperSonic Imagine proposes new quantitative ultrasound biomarkers available on its new ultrasound platform, Aixplorer MACH 30, for the screening and diagnosis of chronic liver diseases. Aixplorer ultrasound devices are the first to obtain an extension of the indication for use from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as tools to assist the clinical treatment of patients with liver conditions.



With Aixplorer MACH 30 Hepato, the assessment of chronic liver diseases has never been so quick and easy, with highly reliable, reproducible and published results. The result of many years of Research and Development, Aixplorer MACH 30 benefits from new technological developments that facilitate the screening, diagnosis and follow-up of liver diseases, particularly with the ShearWave PLUS mode and B-Mode Ratio, explains Yves Tenaglia, the Director and Vice-President for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.



Ratio Mode-B screens intra-hepatic steatosis and the ShearWave PLUS (SWE PLUS) mode displays and measures in real time tissue elasticity to assess liver fibrosis, using a colour map.



Our department has been equipped with an Aixplorer ultrasound system for 18 months. It is the nurses who are trained and who conduct the liver elasticity measurements over a wide area generally defined on the right lobe of the liver. The ultrasound platform is very easy to use, and the measurements are reproducible whoever the operator is. Aixplorer offers excellent diagnostic performance. It gives us a new parameter and changes our approach: liver elasticity measured in kilopascals has now become a reference. It's the new stethoscope in hepatology, explains Dr Victor de Ledinghen, hepatologist at Bordeaux University Hospital in France.



Aixplorer MACH 30 Hepato, the new reference for hepatologists

Aixplorer Mach 30 Hepato comprises all the imaging modes introduced by SuperSonic Imagine, and is an expert tool in hepatology with ShearWave PL.U.S. (SWE PLUS) elastography which displays and measures in real time tissue stiffness on a colour map, the B-Mode Radio for screening intra-hepatic steatosis, Angio PL.U.S. offering an unmatched solution for imaging micro-vascularisation of lesions, and also Doppler and contrast imaging for screening and characterisation of liver nodules.



Aixplorer Mach 30 features a new concept in ultrasound, the SonicPad touchpad, designed to enhance the user experience.

Liver applications remain strategic for SuperSonic Imagine. With its new generation of UltraFast imaging introduced on the Aixplorer MACH 30, the company is continuing its development of new ultrasound biomarkers for the liver that will be available soon.

Aixplorer platforms have appeared in over 160 clinical publications detailing the use of ShearWave Elastography (SWE) for patients with liver conditions.

Learn more about Aixplorer MACH 30 at supersonicimagine.com or aixplorer-mach.com

About SuperSonic Imagine

SuperSonic Imagine specializes in ultrasound medical imaging. The company manufactures the flagship Aixplorer series of products, which feature the exclusive UltraFast technology. UltraFast has given rise to new imaging modes that set the standards of care for non-invasive characterization of breast, liver and prostate diseases. The first groundbreaking UltraFast mode developed is ShearWave Elastography (SWE), which enables doctors to view and instantly analyze tissue stiffness, a vitally important factor in the diagnosis of many conditions. To date, more than 600 published articles have validated the diagnostic value its technologies.

The most recent addition to the Aixplorer range is the Aixplorer MACH 30 ultrasound platform that introduces the next generation of UltraFast imaging, which optimizes the systems innovative imaging modes: ShearWave PLUS, Doppler UltraFast, Angio PL.U.S, and TriVu.

The company has more than 2,300 ultrasound systems installed in over 80 countries. Its main growth markets are China, the United States and the European Union (France). The company generated a turnover of 24.6 million in 2018. SuperSonic Imagine is listed on Euronext (symbol: SSI).

Find out more at www.supersonicimagine.com .

Contacts
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Coro Mining Corp. (Coro or the Company) (TSX: COP) wishes to announce the appointment of Mr Leonardo Araya Munoz as the new CFO of the Company replacing Mr Armando Veliz, effective immediately.



Mr Araya is a Chilean public accountant and commercial engineer from the University of Santiago. He has worked across a range of industries in senior finance and corporate finance management and board positions, notably as the head of finance for South America at SGS prior to joining Coro.

Mr Armando Veliz, the former CFO, has decided to leave the Company at the end of April 2019, to return to Argentina for a leading role with major gold producer.

Luis Tondo, CEO said: We are delighted that Leonardo has accepted our offer to become the new CFO at Coro as our Marimaca project advances. He will take over from Armando, who has been a valued member of the management team and made a significant contribution to the business, instituting financial and auditing systems that put Coro on a strong foundation for the future. I would like to thank him for his dedication and wish him every success in the future.
Oakland, California, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Legal cannabis spending in Canada is set to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 44.4 percent from $569 million in 2018, the first year of adult-use sales, to nearly $5.2 billion by 2024, according to a new report Canada Leads The Way on Global Cannabis Legalization released today by Arcview Market Research and BDS Analytics. The report is the first to provide detailed provincial-level forecasts of the Canadian market showing the expected impact of the varying regulatory regimes being adopted by provinces.





Canada is the largest country in the world to legalize cannabis and because of this, it has dramatically reshaped the cannabis investment landscape, said Troy Dayton, CEO of the Arcview Group. Whats been missing is a realistic view of the current and forecasted size of the domestic market that operators and investors could use to plan their future moves in Canada. Now, with a solid grounding in newly released data from the Ottawa government, we can offer that forecast and, critically, a briefing on the regulatory and market issues driving the forecast at the provincial level.





The new report states that while Alberta has just 11 percent of Canadas population, it was among the provinces best ready for the October 17 launch of adult-use sales. As a result, the provinces 2018 sales were 28 percent of national sales.





A number of factors caused 2018 sales to fall short of expectations: a delayed launch, few retail locations, supply shortages, limited selection of non-flower products, said Tom Adams, Editor-in-Chief of Arcview Market Research and Managing Director of BDS Analytics Industry Intelligence. These issues will also hinder the markets in 2019 and will have to be solved in order to reach the levels of growth were projecting, and thereby squeeze out the illicit trade.





Among the other key findings in the report:

Spending on adult-use cannabis is forecast to grow from $112.5 million in the partial year of 2018 to almost $4.8 billion by 2024.

After four years of growth at a 120% CAGR from 2014, medical cannabis spending will decline at a -3% CAGR, from $456.6 million in 2018 to $381.4 million in 2024.

The five largest Canadian licensed producers  Canopy Growth, Tilray, Aurora, Cronos and Aphria  closed out the year of 2018 at a combined market capitalization of $22.8 billion.

The limits on edibles and concentrates are expected to be loosened in October of this year but will substantially crimp Canadian market growth this year. Those categories have been the key drivers of market growth in legal US states.

On the other hand, by defining adults as those over 18-years-of-age (19 in some provinces) rather than 21 as in all US states, Canada has given itself a much better chance of reaching a key policy goal of legalization: minimizing the illicit market.

The 40+ page report is available for $297 or as part of the Cannabis Intelligence Briefing Series subscription service from Arcview Market Research and BDS Analytics for $1,975.





About Arcview Market Research:

Since 2011, Arcview Market Research has published over 20 reports analyzing and forecasting the rapidly evolving cannabis space. Arcviews flagship annual report, The State of Legal Marijuana Markets has become the industry standard for market analysis and data in the sector. In 2017, Arcview Market Research partnered with BDS Analytics to add more robust point-of-sale data and consumer insights to its offerings. Arcview Market Research is a project of The Arcview Group. Founded in 2010, The Arcview Group is responsible for a number of groundbreaking ventures in the cannabis industry. The Arcview Investor Network includes more than 600 accredited investors who have put more than $240 million behind 200 companies. In 2015 Arcview became a partner in Canopy, the first seed-stage mentor-driven business accelerator. Arcview is also co-founder of Cannasure Insurance Services, the leading provider of business insurance to the cannabis industry. Forbes Magazine recently named Arcview among the top 5 financial firms in the cannabis sector.

About BDS Analytics:



Headquartered in Boulder, Colo., BDS Analytics provides businesses with comprehensive, actionable, and accurate cannabis market intelligence and consumer research. The company provides a holistic understanding of the cannabis market by producing insights from dispensary point-of-sale systems through its market-leading GreenEdgeTM platform, driving consumer research with its Cannabis Insights Group, and generating market-wide cannabis industry financial projections through its Industry Intelligence Group. To learn more about how you can utilize BDS Analytics' superior market research, please visit www.bdsanalytics.com.

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OWINGS MILLS, MD, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For the 15th consecutive year, Maryland Public Television (MPT) will celebrate the Chesapeake Bay region with Chesapeake Bay Week, a slate of programs highlighting the importance and fragility of the nations largest estuary. During the week of April 21-27, MPT will offer nearly 20 hours of content celebrating the bays history, people, natural resources, and efforts to protect its diverse ecosystem, including 10 programs viewers will see on MPT for the first time.



This years Chesapeake Bay Week schedule on MPT-HD includes premieres of original productions, co-productions, and special presentations, such as The Chesapeake & Delaware Canal: Gateway to the World, Maryland Crabs: Tradition & Taste, Anacostia Revealed, and Saving Ellicott City. MPT will also present partner productions including An Island Out of Time, The Wild Ponies of Chincoteague, Welcome to the Table, The Legacy of Gilbert Klingel: Man of Steel, and Ocean Cities: Exploring Our Connection to the Sea.

MPTs annual Chesapeake Bay Week is a unique broadcasting initiative and part of the statewide public TV networks ongoing commitment to celebrating the bay and examining critical issues faced by communities throughout the Chesapeake region.

In concert with this years Chesapeake Bay Week broadcast line-up, MPT Digital Studios will debut Smith Island  a conversation with Tom Horton. This digital-first production highlights social, cultural, and environmental changes affecting the dwindling Chesapeake Bay island through the testimony of longtime resident and environmental expert Tom Horton. The nine-minute segment is available to stream online at mpt.org/digitalstudios/thedig/ beginning Thurs., April 11.

New programs airing on MPT during Chesapeake Bay Week 2019 include:

The Wild Ponies of Chincoteague  Mon., April 22 at 8 p.m.

This hour-long film follows the annual Chincoteague wild pony swim and auction, as well as one teenager's journey to buy her first foal. The documentary begins with the legend of how the ponies came to inhabit the islands of the Chesapeake in the 17th century and illustrates how the wild animals are managed today, including the annual auction held by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company.

The Chesapeake & Delaware Canal: Gateway to the World  Mon., April 22 at 9 p.m.

This half-hour MPT production offers dramatic aerial photography while telling the little-known but fascinating story of the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, an important 14-mile trade route used extensively by international commercial mariners. The canal is called Baltimores back door because its a money-saving shortcut between the Port of Baltimore and points north via the Atlantic Ocean. Its construction in the early 1800s was a catalyst to the citys growth as a major inland port. It continues as a nautical gateway to and from Baltimore and carries more than 40% of all trade traffic into the port.

Maryland Crabs: Tradition & Taste  Mon., April 22 at 9:30 p.m.

People love to eat crabs, and watermen are happy to catch and sell them. An entire industry grew out of this relationship between fisher and eater, one thats an economic engine for locals who work the water, and for the others who earn a living from its crab bounty. But times are changing. Facing unexpected challenges, the blue crab industry is tentative as it looks to the future. While water-men and -women are working trotlines and pulling crab pots to processing houses dotting the banks of the bay, uncertainty is todays watchword for an industry that works largely out of the public eye. From labor shortages to crab harvest declines, international competition, and water quality issues, this half-hour MPT film illustrates the challenges facing individuals who work on the water. Click here to view the trailer for Maryland Crabs: Tradition & Taste.

An Island Out of Time  Tues., April 23 at 8 p.m.

This half-hour documentary about Smith Island, Maryland, features island residents Mary Ada and Dwight Marshall. Their lives personify the Chesapeake Bays seafood-harvesting culture and history, but their four children chose to break with that tradition. The film, like Tom Horton's 1996 book, An Island Out of Time, is both a celebration and elegy for a place beset with increasing erosion, dwindling population, and vanishing economic opportunities. Click here to view the trailer for An Island Out of Time.

Welcome to the Table  Wed., April 24 at 8 p.m.

Long-time residents and new arrivals reveal how local foodways provide a powerful connection to the land and water, to family and community, to memory and tradition. The one-hour film is filled with great stories, told by diverse local characters, about their personal relationship to the land and the water that defines this region.

Saving Ellicott City  Thurs., April 25 at 8 p.m.

Ellicott City, Maryland, is a mill town that has lived with floods for 250 years and has always rebuilt after the waters recede. But its citizens are becoming fearful as the rains and flooding have worsened and development has increased. This half-hour documentary, produced by students at the University of Maryland Philip Merrill School of Journalism, tells the story of townspeople who have been traumatized after losing four lives, several local businesses, and their last bit of hope when they experienced two 1,000-year floods in less than two years.

Anacostia Revealed  Thurs., April 25 at 8:30 p.m.

Produced by students at the American University Center for Environmental Filmmaking, this half-hour film pulls back the curtain on the Anacostia River. The waters that run through the nations capital are beautiful, but they are troubled by centuries of abuse, neglect, and man-made pollution. Though some cleanup efforts by the city of Washington, D.C. have been implemented, a series of passionate local residents and river keepers  all experts in their fields  have generated public awareness of their watershed to shed light on its problems. Click here to view the trailer for Anacostia Revealed.

The Legacy of Gilbert Klingel: Man of Steel  Thur., April 25 at 9 p.m.

This one-hour film introduces viewers to Gilbert Klingel. The 20th-century naturalist and self-taught explorer spent his life studying the Chesapeake Bay. He also served as director of the Maryland Historical Society, reporter for The Baltimore Sun, chief metallurgist for ARMCO, and authored four books, including The Bay and Seeing Chesapeake Wilds.

Ocean Cities: Exploring Our Connection to the Sea  Thur., April 25 at 10 p.m.

In this era of climate change and sea level rise, how can coastal cities around the world innovate and connect to the oceans they border? During this half-hour documentary, Professor Timothy Beatley explores urban projects around the world representing the new green movement that hopes to move beyond our urban environments to a regenerative way of living.

About MPT

Launched in 1969 and headquartered in Owings Mills, MD, Maryland Public Television is a nonprofit, state-licensed public television network and member of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). MPTs six transmitters cover Maryland plus portions of contiguous states and the District of Columbia. Frequent winner of regional Emmy awards, MPT creates local, regional, and national television shows. Beyond broadcast, MPTs commitment to professional educators, parents, caregivers, and learners of all ages is delivered through year-round instructional events and the super-website Thinkport, which garners in excess of five million page views annually. MPTs community engagement connects viewers with local resources on significant health, education, and public interest topics through year-round outreach events, viewer forums, program screenings, and phone bank call-in opportunities. For more information visit mpt.org.

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Kennesaw, Georgia, USA, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Industrial Specialists, a BrandSafway company and a member of the American Welding Society, is introducing Quik-X, a refractory anchoring system that is designed specifically for use in FCCUs (Fluid Catalytic Cracking Units) cyclones and air grids and increases efficiency by almost 50 percent.



We are committed to developing innovative solutions that increase productivity and quality for our clients, said Dave Witsken, president of the Energy & Industrial Division at BrandSafway. The BrandSafway Quik-X anchor enables nearly a 50 percent reduction in the number of welds per square foot without sacrificing quality. This can generate significant cost and outage cycle time benefits.



Quik-X, an alternative to the traditional hex mesh, is a half-hexagon shaped, castable anchor grid and can be manufactured with a variety of alloy types, ranging from carbon steel to exotic stainless steels. It is primarily designed for, but not limited to, use in FCCUs, which can withstand the high temperatures used to crack petroleum crude oils into more valuable gasoline, olefinic gases and other products. Quik-X reinforces refractories against cracking and falling, which protects the integrity of the structure and allows it to be used with MIG (metal inert gas), TIG (tungsten inert gas) or stick welding and is specially designed to be used with BrandTech Precision Welding.



We modeled Quik-X after anchoring systems that have been used for the past 50 years to keep the design similar to what our customers are familiar with and make it easy to use, said Eduardo Almeida, director of Innovation, Research and Development (R&D) for Industrial Specialists by BrandSafway. In addition, Quik-X works with existing welding technologies as well as new technologies like BrandTech.



In addition, Quik-X has been shown to reduce metal volume by 6.29% per square foot in refractory linings when compared to other single-cell anchors, and the less metal used in refractory linings, the more efficient its abrasive properties become. Quik-X also offers a minimum 7.17% surface area increase per square foot for imporved anchoring grip.



Both design and utility patents for Quik-X are pending. For more information about Quik-X, visit https://brandsafway.com/quik-x-refractory-anchoring-system.



About Industrial Specialists by BrandSafway

Industrial Specialists by BrandSafway provides customers with more than 35 years of refractory installation experience. With 600-plus expert refractory specialists and supervisors, Industrial Specialists offers solutions for all phases of refractory construction, including turnarounds, major revamps, maintenance and new construction projects. Industrial Specialists has three locations in Louisiana and Texas, providing superior capabilities and delivering results that are safe, on time and on budgeteven in the most challenging environments. For more information, visit: www.indspec.com.



About BrandSafway

With a commitment to safety as its foremost value, BrandSafway provides the broadest range of services, products and solutions, with the greatest depth of expertise, to the industrial, commercial and infrastructure markets. A portfolio company of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, BrandSafway offers access, industrial services and forming and shoring solutions to more than 32,000 customers through a workforce of approximately 35,000 employees, who support our network of 330 strategic locations across 30 countries. With its global footprint, rigorous operating processes and extensive service offeringsa full range of work access, insulation, coatings, specialty industrial services and forming and shoring solutionsBrandSafway supports customers maintenance and refurbishment needs as well as new construction and expansion plans. Todays BrandSafwaylarge enough to leverage economies of scale to increase safety and productivity, while also remaining nimble and responsivedelivers unmatched service with local labor and management.

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Operations Continuing Without Interruption

Receives Court Approval of First Day Motions to Support Normal Business Operations

Granted Interim Approval to Pay All Vendors and Suppliers in Full

Granted Interim Approval to Access up to $85 Million of DIP Financing

DALLAS, Texas, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Southcross Energy Partners, L.P. (OTC: SXEEQ) (Southcross or the Company) today provided an update on its court-supervised restructuring process.

The Companys operations across its asset base continue in the normal course and have been uninterrupted since the April 1, 2019 Chapter 11 filing. Southcross is continuing to provide customers the quality service they expect from the Company and to pay all pre- and post-petition amounts due to its suppliers and vendors.

In addition, the Company had a successful First Day hearing in which it received approvals from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (the Court) for motions that are intended to support the Companys business. In particular, the Court provided interim approvals that enable the Company to:

Access to up to $85 million of the Companys $255 million in debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing, which will be used to support operations through the restructuring process. The Company intends to seek final approval to access the remainder of the DIP financing at a hearing that is scheduled for May 7, 2019. The Company already received $30 million of this amount;



Pay all vendors and suppliers in full for all goods received and services provided to the Company prior to the filing date. The Company will also continue to pay all vendors and suppliers in full for all goods received and services provided on or after the filing date, in the normal course; and



to the filing date. The Company will also continue to pay all vendors and suppliers in full for all goods received and services provided on or after the filing date, in the normal course; and Continue paying wages and salaries and other normal-course benefits to its employees.

We have achieved a positive start to our restructuring process and have ample liquidity to continue operating as normal throughout this process. We look forward to continuing to work with our vendors, suppliers and business partners and to providing our customers the high levels of service they have come to expect from us. Again, I want to thank all our key stakeholders for their continued support, said James W. Swent III, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Southcross Energy Partners, L.P.

Court filings and other information related to the court-supervised proceedings are available at a website administered by the Companys claims agent, KCC, at www.kccllc.net/southcrossenergy. Additional information is also available by calling (866) 967-0671 (US/Canada) or (310) 751-2671 (International).

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell are serving as legal counsel to Southcross, Alvarez & Marsal is serving as restructuring advisor and Evercore is serving as financial advisor.

About Southcross Energy Partners, L.P.

Southcross Energy Partners, L.P. is a master limited partnership that provides natural gas gathering, processing, treating, compression and transportation services and NGL fractionation and transportation services. It also sources, purchases, transports and sells natural gas and NGLs. Its assets are located in South Texas, Mississippi and Alabama and include two cryogenic gas processing plants, a fractionation facility and approximately 3,100 miles of pipeline. The South Texas assets are located in or near the Eagle Ford shale region. Southcross is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

Contact:

Mallory Biegler

mallory.biegler@southcrossenergy.com

(214) 979-3714

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release and accompanying statements may contain forward-looking statements. All statements that are not statements of historical facts, including statements regarding our restructuring process, our Chapter 11 proceedings, our operations, our evaluation of a range of options, including a possible sale of the business, the divestiture of certain assets or a standalone restructuring plan, our financial position, future growth, and the potential emergence by us as a viable, more profitable company, and our intent to make all vendor and supplier payments are forward-looking statements. We have used the words anticipate, believe, could, estimate, expect, intend, may, plan, predict, project, should, will, would, potential, and similar terms and phrases to identify forward-looking statements in this news release. Although we believe that the assumptions underlying our forward-looking statements are reasonable, any of these assumptions could be inaccurate, and, therefore, we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements included herein will prove to be accurate. These forward-looking statements reflect our intentions, plans, expectations, assumptions and beliefs about future events and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside our control. Actual results and trends in the future may differ materially from those suggested or implied by the forward-looking statements depending on a variety of factors including: the Partnerships significant indebtedness, the restructuring process, actions taken in our Chapter 11 proceedings, and other risks described in greater detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Please see the Partnerships Risk Factors and other disclosures included in our Annual Report on Form 10 K for the year ended December 31, 2018 and in subsequently filed Forms 10-Q and 8-K. All future written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the previous statements. The forward-looking statements herein speak as of the date of this news release. The Partnership undertakes no obligation to update any information contained herein or to publicly release the results of any revisions to any forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances that occur, or that we become aware of, after the date of this news release.
CALGARY, Alberta, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gibson Energy Inc. (Gibson or the Company), (TSX: GEI), announced today it expects to release its 2019 first quarter financial and operating results on Monday, May 6, 2019 after the close of North American markets. The 2019 first quarter management's discussion and analysis and unaudited consolidated financial statements will be available on the Company's website at www.gibsonenergy.com and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.



Earnings Conference Call & Webcast Details

A conference call and webcast will be held to discuss the 2019 first quarter financial and operating results at 7:00am Mountain Time (9:00am Eastern Time) on Tuesday, May 7, 2019.

The conference call dial-in numbers are:

478-219-0003 / 844-358-6759

Participant Pass Code: 9590537

This call will also be broadcast live on the Internet and may be accessed directly at the following URL:

https://edge.media-server.com/m6/p/hz7eibru

The webcast will remain accessible for a 12-month period at the above URL. Additionally, a digital recording will be available for replay two hours after the call's completion until May 13, 2019, using the following dial-in numbers:

404-537-3406 / 855-859-2056

Participant Pass Code: 9590537

Annual General Meeting & Webcast Details

Gibson is holding its annual meeting of shareholders on Tuesday May 7, 2019 at 11:00am Mountain Time at The Metropolitan Conference Centre, 333  4th Avenue S.W., Calgary, Alberta. At approximately 11:15am Mountain Time, and following the conclusion of the formal proceedings of Gibsons annual shareholder meeting, Mr. Steve Spaulding, President and Chief Executive Officer, will address shareholders and provide an update of Gibsons 2018 accomplishments, remarks on the current state of the business and discuss highlights of the Companys key initiatives.

To listen to a live broadcast of the presentation on the Internet, please access the following URL:

https://edge.media-server.com/m6/p/jsgqgthf

The webcast will remain accessible for a 12-month period at the above URL.

About Gibson

Gibson is a Canadian-based oil infrastructure company with its principal businesses consisting of the storage, optimization, processing, and gathering of crude oil and refined products. Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, the Companys operations are focused around its core terminal assets located at Hardisty and Edmonton, Alberta, and also include the Moose Jaw Facility and an infrastructure position in the U.S.

Gibson shares trade under the symbol GEI and are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. For more information, visit www.gibsonenergy.com.

For further information, please contact:

Mark Chyc-Cies

Vice President, Strategy, Planning & Investor Relations

Phone: (403) 776-3146

Email: mark.chyc-cies@gibsonenergy.com
WEST JORDAN, Utah, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mountain America Credit Union was recently honored with a Diamond Award recognizing outstanding marketing and business development achievements in the credit union industry.

The awards were presented by the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Marketing & Business Development Council, a national network comprised of over 1,300 credit union marketing and business development professionals. Awards are given in 35 categories ranging from advertising and branding to community events and beyond.

Mountain America earned a Diamond award in the Video (Commercial)-30 seconds or less category for the video, Make the Jump.

We are always honored to earn this recognition from the credit union community, says Sharon Cook, chief marketing officer at Mountain America. Our team is passionate about helping members achieve their financial dreams, and great story telling helps us reach more members.

The hard work displayed by these credit unions always leaves us feeling inspired and passionate about what we do, said Amy McGraw, Chair of the CUNA Marketing & Business Development Councils Diamond Awards Committee and VP Marketing, Tropical Financial CU. Receiving this award further highlights the dedication they have for our movement and their members.

Award winners were recognized at the councils 26th annual conference held March 20-23 in Las Vegas. For more information on the Diamond Awards or to view the entire list of winners, go to http://www.cunacouncils.org/events-recognition/mbd-awards/.

For more information about Mountain America Credit Union, visit www.macu.com .

About Mountain America Credit Union

With more than 810,000 members and $8.5 billion in assets, Mountain America Credit Union assists members on the right path to help them identify and achieve their financial dreams. Mountain America provides consumers and businesses with a variety of convenient, flexible products and services, as well as sound, timely advice. Members enjoy access to secure, cutting-edge mobile banking technology, over 90 branches across five states, thousands of shared-branching locations nationwide and more than 50,000 surcharge-free ATMs. Mountain Americasafely guiding you forward along your financial journey. Learn more at macu.com .

About CUNA

Credit Union National Association (CUNA) is the only national association that advocates on behalf of all of America's credit unions, which are owned by 115 million consumer members. CUNA, along with its network of affiliated state credit union leagues, delivers unwavering advocacy, continuous professional growth and operational confidence to protect the best interests of all credit unions. For more information about CUNA, visit cuna.org . To find your nearest credit union, visit YourMoneyFurther.com .



About CUNA Councils

CUNA Councils is a member-led, collaborative community of credit union leaders providing vibrant peer interaction, new ideas and innovation to foster professional development for our members while advocating for the overall success of the credit union movement. There are seven CUNA Councils with a network of more than 7,000 credit union professionals. For more information, visit cunacouncils.org .

Media Contact:

Tony Rasmussen

801-325-6430

trasmussen@macu.com
Revenue increased by 9.8% (7.3% in constant currency (1) ), to reach $608.6 million;



Adjusted EBITDA (1) increased by 12.6% (10.3% in constant currency), to reach $284.9 million;

Free cash flow (1) reached $128.2 million compared to $59.7 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2018; and

A quarterly eligible dividend of $0.43 per share was declared, compared to $0.39 per share in the comparable quarter of fiscal 2018.

MONTREAL, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Cogeco Inc. (TSX: CGO) ("Cogeco" or the "Corporation") announced its financial results for the second quarter ended February 28, 2019, in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS").

Following Cogeco Communications' announcement on February 27, 2019 of the agreement to sell Cogeco Peer 1 Inc., its Business information and communications ("Business ICT") services subsidiary, operating and financial results for the current and comparable periods were reclassified as discontinued operations.

For the second quarter of fiscal 2019:

Revenue increased by 9.8% (7.3% in constant currency) to reach $608.6 million driven by growth of 10.2% (7.6% in constant currency) in the Communications segment, partly offset by a decrease of 0.6% in the Other segment. Revenue increased in the Communications segment mostly as a result of the impact of the MetroCast cable systems acquisition ("the MetroCast acquisition") on January 4, 2018, which was included in revenue for only a two-month period for the comparable period of the prior year, partly offset by a decrease of 0.6% in the Other segment resulting mainly from a soft advertising market and increased competition in the media activities;



Adjusted EBITDA increased by 12.6% (10.3% in constant currency) to reach $284.9 million mostly attributable to the higher adjusted EBITDA in the Communications segment as a result of the impact of the MetroCast acquisition combined with strong organic growth in the American broadband services operations;



Profit for the period from continuing operations amounted to $87.6 million of which $27.4 million, or $1.69 per share, was attributable to owners of the Corporation compared to $161.9 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2018 of which $51.7 million, or $3.16 per share, was attributable to owners of the Corporation resulting mainly from variations in income taxes and depreciation and amortization, partly offset by higher adjusted EBITDA combined with a decrease in integration, restructuring and acquisition costs. The income taxes in the prior year included a $94 million adjustment following the United States tax reform which reduced the federal corporate rate from 35% to 21%;

On February 27, 2019, Cogeco Communications announced that it had reached an agreement to sell Cogeco Peer 1 Inc., its Business ICT services subsidiary, to affiliates of Digital Colony. The transaction, valued at $720 million, is expected to be completed during the third quarter of fiscal 2019. Operating and financial results from the Business ICT services subsidiary for both the current and comparable periods have therefore been reclassified as discontinued operations. For the second quarter of fiscal 2019, loss for the period from discontinued operations amounted to $5.4 million compared to $16.1 million for the same period of the prior year;



Profit for the period amounted to $82.3 million of which $25.7 million, or $1.58 per share, was attributable to owners of the Corporation compared to $145.8 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2018 of which $46.6 million, or $2.85 per share, was attributable to owners of the Corporation. The variation is mainly due to last year's $94 million income tax reduction following the United States tax reform and depreciation and amortization, partly offset by higher adjusted EBITDA combined with the decrease in integration, restructuring and acquisition costs and a lower loss from discontinued operations;



Free cash flow amounted to $128.2 million compared to $59.7 million for the same period of the prior year. On a constant currency basis, free cash flow doubled as a result of higher adjusted EBITDA combined with the decreases in acquisitions of property, plant and equipment, integration, restructuring and acquisition costs and current income taxes expense;



Cash flow from operating activities reached $204.7 million compared to $202.4 million for the same period of the prior year mainly due to higher adjusted EBITDA and decreases in income taxes paid and integration, restructuring and acquisition costs, partly offset by the decrease in changes in non-cash operating activities primarily due to changes in working capital and the increase in financial expense paid;



The Corporation revised its 2019 financial guidelines giving effect to the discontinued operations of Cogeco Communications' Business ICT services subsidiary. On a constant currency basis, the Corporation expects revenue to grow between 5% and 7%, adjusted EBITDA between 7% and 9% and free cash flow is expected to grow between 33% and 40%; and



At its April 9, 2019 meeting, the Board of Directors of Cogeco declared a quarterly eligible dividend of $0.43 compared to $0.39 per share in the comparable period of fiscal 2018.

(1) The indicated terms do not have standardized definitions prescribed by IFRS and, therefore, may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. For more details, please consult the Non-IFRS financial measures section of the MD&A.

We are very satisfied with our overall results for the second quarter of fiscal 2019, declared Philippe Jette, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cogeco Inc.

In our Canadian broadband services operations, Cogeco Connexions results and operations have been returning to levels that are in line with its performance before the implementation of a new advanced customer management system in fiscal 2018 which impacted operating results of the last few quarters, stated Mr. Jette. We are pleased to see increases in both revenue and adjusted EBITDA compared to the same quarter of last year.

At Atlantic Broadband, our American broadband services operations, I am delighted to report that we continue to see solid organic growth, continued Mr. Jette.

At the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2019, we reached an agreement to sell Cogeco Peer 1, our Business ICT services subsidiary, to affiliates of Digital Colony. This transaction will allow Cogeco Communications to focus its resources and efforts on our Canadian and American broadband services operations, with greater flexibility to pursue organic investment and acquisition opportunities, added Mr. Jette.

At Cogeco Media, our radio business, the highly challenging state of the advertising market continues to be reflected in our results. However, the integration of our 10 new radio stations is proceeding very positively and we are excited at the prospect of further enriching our offering throughout the province of Quebec, concluded Mr. Jette.

ABOUT COGECO

Cogeco Inc. is a diversified holding corporation which operates in the communications and media sectors. Its Cogeco Communications Inc. subsidiary provides residential and business customers with Internet, video and telephony services through its two-way broadband fibre networks, operating in Quebec and Ontario, Canada, under the Cogeco Connexion name, and in the United States under the Atlantic Broadband brand (in 11 states along the East Coast, from Maine to Florida). Through Cogeco Peer 1, Cogeco Communications Inc. provides business customers with a suite of information technology services (colocation, network connectivity, hosting, cloud and managed services), by way of its 16 data centres, extensive FastFiber Network and more than 50 points of presence in North America and Europe. Its Cogeco Media subsidiary owns and operates 23 radio stations with complementary radio formats and extensive coverage serving a wide range of audiences mainly across the province of Quebec, as well as Cogeco News, a news agency. Cogecos subordinate voting shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: CGO). The subordinate voting shares of Cogeco Communications Inc. are also listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: CCA).

Source: Cogeco Inc. Patrice Ouimet Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Tel.: 514-764-4700 Information: Media Marie-Helene Labrie Senior Vice-President, Public Affairs and Communications Tel.: 514-764-4700 Analyst Conference Call: Wednesday, April 10, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. (Eastern Daylight Time) Media representatives may attend as listeners only. Please use the following dial-in number to have access to the conference call by dialing five minutes before the start of the conference: Canada/United States Access Number: 1-877-291-4570 International Access Number: + 1-647-788-4919 In order to join this conference, participants are only required to provide the operator with the company name, that is, Cogeco Inc. or Cogeco Communications Inc. By Internet at http://corpo.cogeco.com/cgo/en/investors/investor-relations/

SHAREHOLDERS REPORT

Three and six-month periods ended February 28, 2019

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS



Three months ended Six months ended February 28,

2019 February 28, 2018(1) Change Change in

constant currency(2) Foreign exchange impact(2) February 28,

2019 February 28, 2018(1) Change Change in

constant currency(2) Foreign exchange impact(2) (in thousands of Canadian dollars, except percentages and per share data) $ $ % % $ $ $ % % $ Operations Revenue 608,574 554,143 9.8 7.3 13,884 1,215,935 1,070,876 13.5 11.3 24,157 Adjusted EBITDA(3) 284,863 252,879 12.6 10.3 5,958 561,064 488,771 14.8 12.7 10,297 Integration, restructuring and acquisition costs(4) 3,823 15,999 (76.1 ) 10,857 16,391 (33.8 ) Profit for the period from continuing operations 87,646 161,914 (45.9 ) 170,413 245,494 (30.6 ) Loss for the period from discontinued operations (5,369 ) (16,079 ) (66.6 ) (8,991 ) (17,964 ) (49.9 ) Profit for the period 82,277 145,835 (43.6 ) 161,422 227,530 (29.1 ) Profit for the period attributable to owners of the Corporation 25,667 46,618 (44.9 ) 51,835 76,117 (31.9 ) Cash flow from continuing operations Cash flow from operating activities 204,665 202,362 1.1 307,784 197,941 55.5 Acquisitions of property, plant and equipment(5) 94,138 112,886 (16.6 ) (19.6 ) 3,346 195,287 197,488 (1.1 ) (4.0 ) 5,767 Free cash flow(3) 128,229 59,726   630 241,151 159,347 51.3 50.6 1,146 Financial condition(6) Cash and cash equivalents 60,162 86,352 (30.3 ) Total assets 7,354,638 7,335,547 0.3 Indebtedness(7) 3,957,467 3,951,791 0.1 Equity attributable to owners of the Corporation 740,635 710,908 4.2 Per Share Data(8) Earnings (loss) per share Basic From continuing operations 1.69 3.16 (46.5 ) 3.37 4.99 (32.5 ) From discontinued operations (0.10 ) (0.31 ) (67.7 ) (0.18 ) (0.35 ) (48.6 ) From continuing and discontinued operations 1.58 2.85 (44.6 ) 3.19 4.64 (31.3 ) Diluted From continuing operations 1.67 3.13 (46.6 ) 3.34 4.95 (32.5 ) From discontinued operations (0.10 ) (0.31 ) (67.7 ) (0.18 ) (0.35 ) (48.6 ) From continuing and discontinued operations 1.57 2.82 (44.3 ) 3.17 4.61 (31.2 ) Dividends 0.43 0.39 10.3 0.86 0.78 10.3




Governments around the nation are working to design the best vaccine policies that keep both their employees and their residents safe. Although the latest data shows a variety of polarizing perspectives, there are clear emerging best practices that leading governments are following to put trust first: creating policies that are flexible and provide a range of options, and being in tune with the needs and sentiments of their employees so that they are able to be dynamic and accommodate the rapidly changing situation.
Last October, Texas education officials told lawmakers they would likely owe the federal government $33 million for illegally decreasing funding for kids with disabilities. They reassured them it was a fraction  just 3%  of their federal special education grant and wouldn't hurt students.Now, the state's estimate for how much it could owe has risen to $223 million, nearly a quarter of Texas' annual special education grant, officials confirmed to The Texas Tribune Friday. That total includes an estimated $111.6 million it may have to pay back for failing to spend it on kids with disabilities this fiscal year.The U.S. Department of Education has found Texas in violation of a federal statute prohibiting states from reducing their funding for kids with disabilities from year to year, and warned the state that a financial penalty was coming. Now, advocates are concerned that Texas could lose an even bigger chunk of its funding, harming its efforts to overhaul special education for hundreds of thousands of students.With seven weeks left in the legislative session, lawmakers could still spend the $111.6 million needed this year to avoid a federal penalty for 2019  but the budget is well on its way to being decided."It's good that we're becoming aware of [these violations] now, even late during this legislative session, because there's an opportunity to amend the state budget to account for the loss of federal aid," said Steven Aleman, a lawyer and advocate at Disability Rights Texas. "But the opportunity to bring even some degree of resolution is closing. It would be best if the state could resolve the entire issue, because otherwise we will be in a perpetual situation of having to address shortfalls."The Texas Education Agency said Friday that it is discussing solutions with the federal government and the Legislature."The primary objective of the discussions in progress is to ensure that special education services for students are not negatively impacted," said DeEtta Culbertson, a TEA spokesperson.The issue is tied to a major flaw in the way Texas chooses to spend money on kids with disabilities. Texas "weights" its funding for kids with disabilities, paying schools more to educate kids who have more severe disabilities or need more personalized attention in the classroom. The state's lawyers unsuccessfully argued at the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals last year that it decreased spending on kids with disabilities in 2012 because students just didn't need services that cost as much.A panel of Fifth Circuit judges bluntly opined in November that Texas' system "creates a perverse incentive for a state to escape its financial obligations merely by minimizing the special education needs of it students."Earlier this week, Rep. Mary E. Gonzalez, D-Clint, successfully added wording to a House school finance bill that would require the Texas education commissioner to shore up school district special education funding this school year."This amendment is one step in addressing the state's shortfall with respect to special education funding," Gonzalez told the Tribune Friday. "In order to ensure a complete process, we need to put more money towards our students who need special education services, and make sure that those who need services have access to them."But getting the money to schools would also require additional appropriations. Any additional spending tweaks House lawmakers want to make must be ironed out in conference committee negotiations toward the end of the session, said the House's lead budget writer Rep. John Zerwas, R-Richmond.In the last few years, Texas has continually fielded reprimands from the federal government for violation special education law. A federal investigation in 2018 found Texas in violation of effectively capping the percentage of students who could receive special education services.Education officials say they have followed federal requirements to overhaul special education, allowing them to "improve the standard of service to students with disabilities across Texas."Advocates worry any financial penalty would end up decreasing money given to schools for providing student services."The loss of federal aid because of the state's failure to spend at the appropriate level will directly affect agency operations and efforts to bring the state into compliance with the federal investigation, but more importantly would also affect the availability of services at the local level by putting even more of a burden on local tax dollars to pay for services," Aleman said. "Any shortfall in federal aid because of a state violation needs to be made up by the state."
Democratic lawmakers in the state capital want to help their congressional colleagues get a look at President Trump's taxes.A bill authorizing the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance to share tax return information with Congressional committees was introduced Monday by state Sen. Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan)."Donald Trump has broken 40 years of political tradition by not releasing his returns," Hoylman said. "His representatives say they will block all congressional efforts to obtain those returns through existing procedures. Well, it turns out that New York State has those returns and can do its part to assist the Congress in their oversight responsibility by releasing them to a relevant committee that requests them."The bill, which would amend state laws prohibiting the release of private tax information, would only apply to Trump's state returns, not his federal ones. The president's New York roots and his business being based in the city means a lot of the same information would be included on his state returns, Hoylman noted."This new bill will permit New York State to comply with requests from congressional investigative committees and help ensure Congress can't be blocked in their attempts to hold even the highest elected officials in the land accountable to the American people," he added.The push comes as congressional Democrats in Washington steel for a protracted battle with the White House after asking the IRS to hand over the president's tax returns by Wednesday. Administration officials have signaled Trump has no intention of complying.Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.), the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, put in a formal request to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig last week asking for the president's returns from 2013 to 2018.House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D- N.Y.) applauded the efforts in Albany."Congress is a co-equal branch of government. It is critical that to maintain trust in our government and uphold the rule of law, that we in Congress must be able to perform oversight over the executive branch," he said in a statement. "This legislation would make the work of a federal committee a little easier, if confronted with inability to receive the federal tax return, we can turn to New York State."Trump's personal lawyer, Jay Sekulow, dismissed the request for a peek at the president's federal returns from House Democrats, charging the probe sets a precedent for using the IRS for political purposes."What stops another party from doing the same thing?" Sekulow said on ABC's "This Week."Though not required to make his tax returns public, Trump is the first president in modern history dating back to fellow Republican Gerald Ford, who released summaries of his taxes, to not disclose his full returns. Trump repeatedly said he was under audit during the 2016 campaign and promised to eventually comply with tradition, but has since refused to do so.White House chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, vowed on Sunday that Congress will "never" see the President's returns."No, never," he said. "Nor should they."Democrats are demanding that the IRS turn over the documents. That is not going to happen, and they know it. This is a political stunt."Hoylman and Assemblyman David Buchwald (D-White Plains) are also behind a second measure, known as the NY Truth Act, that would require tax returns going back five years filed by all statewide elected officials, including the governor, state attorney general, state comptroller, federal senators and the president, be made public."We're not seeking the president's cooperation. We're not looking to the IRS to turn over a copy of returns," Buchwald said. "There's a copy of President Trump's New York state tax returns right here in New York state, in an office somewhere, and the only thing that prevents that state income tax return from being made public is a statute that we, the state Legislature, have the power to amend."The effort differs from other states that have tried and so far failed to tie releasing tax returns to getting on the ballot and would go into effect 30 days after passage.Buchwald said the bill has 93 co-sponsors in the Assembly and 32 in the Senate, meaning it has enough support in the two chambers to pass the measure, but a vote has not yet been scheduled.One Republican, Assemblyman Andrew Raia of Long Island, is listed as a co-sponsor."Obviously, it is a bill dominated by Democratic support, but by no means is it unique to Democrats to want President Trump to release his taxes," Buchwald said.An aide to Gov. Cuomo warned against politicizing private tax returns."Transparency and disclosure is vital, but tax return privacy is also important and we should not politicize the process. However, Gov. Cuomo believes elected officials on all levels should be prepared to release their taxes if they enter public service and he would include state and local, as well as federal officials, in any legal revision," said senior Cuomo adviser Rich Azzopardi.
SPEED READ:

On the same night of Lori Lightfoot's victory in Chicago, Satya Rhodes Conway was elected the first openly gay mayor of Madison, Wis.

Jolie Justus and Jane Castor finished first in initial rounds of mayoral voting in Kansas City, Mo., and Tampa, Fla., respectively .

Until this year, only three major U.S. cities have had openly gay female mayors.

The Confluence of Two Trends

Not Everyone Is Accepting

In all of American history, only three major cities have ever had openly gay women serve as their mayors: Houston, Salt Lake City and Seattle.That number could more than double this year.Last week, Lori Lightfoot was elected as mayor of Chicago, the largest city to elect an openly LGBT mayor to date. On the same night, Satya Rhodes Conway unseated incumbent Paul Soglin to become the first openly gay mayor of Madison, Wis., while Kansas City, Mo., Councilwoman Jolie Justus finished first in that citys initial round of mayoral voting. In Tampa, Fla., former police chief Jane Castor finished at the top of the list during that city's first round of voting last month. She has also racked up most of the key endorsements ahead of the April 23 mayoral election.Even if four openly gay women are elected mayor this year, their numbers would still not be at all representative of the percentage of the population as a whole that identifies as lesbian. Still, their collective success is a watershed moment.Sexual orientation is no longer a disqualifier for their success, says Andrew Reynolds, a University of North Carolina political scientist who studies LGBT politics. When marginalized communities break through, they usually do it individually, and then they reach the critical mass.When Neil Giuliano came out 23 years ago, he was serving as mayor of Tempe, Ariz., which at that point became the largest American city with an openly gay mayor. Back then, he recalls, polls showed that about 70 percent of Americans disapproved of gays in general, while only 30 percent approved.Today, that ratio is reversed.Giuliano believes that debates over national issues involving gay rights, including marriage and military service, have forged this new attitude.The very high-profile nature of these issues has raised everyones awareness, he says. The culture has clearly shifted in favor of LGBT rights and inclusion.The recent election of a small but historic number of lesbian mayors may be the result of the confluence of two trends.One is the greater acceptance and success of LGBT candidates in politics generally. Right now, Pete Buttigieg, the openly gay mayor of South Bend, Ind., is enjoying a moment of serious buzz as an out-of-nowhere Democratic presidential contender. Colorado Democrat Jared Polis took office this year as the nations first openly gay male governor. And last November saw a record number of LGBT candidates elected as state legislators.Im thrilled to see the transformation, says Giuliano, a former president of GLAAD, an LGBT advocacy organization, and now president of Greater Phoenix Leadership, a business group. Its still an issue, of course, but its becoming less and less of an issue.At the same time, record numbers of women are running for office at all political levels, from city council to the presidency. When the year began, no women were serving as mayor of any of the 10 largest cities. With the election of Lightfoot in Chicago and Kate Gallego in Phoenix last month, there will now be two in the top five cities.This is a change election, says Annise Parker, president of Victory Fund, which works to elect openly LGBT candidates, referring to Lightfoots victory. This is citizens wanting someone perceived as an outsider. Frankly, thats often when women ascend.Parker served as mayor of Houston from 2010 to 2016, the largest city at that time to elect an openly gay mayor. Currently, two other cities are run by openly gay women mayors: Jenny Durkan in Seattle, and Jackie Biskupski in Salt Lake City.When an openly gay individual becomes the first person to hold a particular office, they are bound to attract outsized media attention. They can serve as role models for young people wondering whether theyll find acceptance, as well as other potential openly LGBT candidates who see that victory is possible.It really does matter when you see other women who are running, says Ashanti Gholar, political director for Emerge America, which recruits and trains Democratic women candidates. It does inspire other LGBTQ women to get out there and do it.At the same time, openly gay candidates are aware that its part of the nature of belonging to a minority group that they must appeal to a broader constituency. Even if their identity is part of their message, they will spend more of their time talking about bread-and-butter issues, such as transportation and jobs. Ones sexual orientation has very little to do with how youd approach the city budget, Giuliano says.This is true for any marginalized group that is breaking through in important ways -- the historic nature is not lost on you, says Joe Saunders, who in 2012 became the first openly gay person elected to the Florida Legislature. At the same time, its important for you to make clear that youre there to work for your constituents on issues everyone cares about.Saunders is now senior political director of Equality Florida, an LGBT rights group. He says theres been a compounding effect in Florida, with openly gay mayors elected last year in Fort Lauderdale and Key West, as well as the election last November of Jennifer Webb as the first openly gay woman in the Florida Legislature.Hes optimistic about Cantors chances. His group has helped organize LGBT volunteers to knock on doors and make calls for her campaign.In a city like Tampa, everybody cares about inclusion, that its a city where everyone is welcome, Saunders says.Saunders characterization of Tampa jibes with research conducted by Reynolds, the UNC professor. He conducted a large national survey last year that found voters remain less likely to support openly gay candidates than straight ones, with a higher penalty for gay men than for lesbians.Nearly all of the penalty came from conservatives. Among progressives, Reynolds says, there was no penalty at all.If youre a lesbian in a Democratic city, theres no hindrance to your election, he says. If anything, theres a slight benefit.An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released last week found that 68 percent of Americans were either enthusiastic or comfortable about voting for a gay candidate for president. A dozen years ago, the survey found that more than half the country had reservations or would be uncomfortable with an openly gay candidate.Only a handful of openly gay men have served as mayor of sizable cities -- Sam Adams of Portland, Ore.; Ed Murray of Seattle; Jim Gray of Lexington, Ky., and Robert Garcia of Long Beach, Calif.Adams, who faced allegations hed had sex with a minor and was later accused of harassing a top aide, survived two recall attempts but did not seek reelection. Murray resigned toward the end of his term amid multiple allegations regarding sexual abuse of children. Adams and Murray both insisted on their innocence.Last month, John Duran stepped down as mayor of West Hollywood, Calif., following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct related to his service as a member of the board of the Gay Mens Chorus of Los Angeles. Duran retained his seat on the city council but relinquished the title of mayor, citing health reasons.Reynolds cautions against making too much of that track record, at a time when dozens of straight politicians face charges of sexual harassment.Its the product of a very small number of people, he says. The number of corrupt and harassing straight mayors is higher, but theres a bigger pool of straight mayors out there.The true normalization of LGBT politicians, Reynolds says, will come when they are able to succeed everywhere, running for any office on any type of platform. In the United Kingdom, he notes, there are LGBT conservatives, while in the U.S., openly gay politicians are still more likely to find success running as progressives in progressive jurisdictions.But that success -- practically unimaginable a generation ago -- is still emblematic of significant change.We are transformed as a society, says Gholar. The person who represents me doesnt have to be like me or look like me.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Robert Foster says someone broke into his truck Saturday and stole a trove of campaign materials during a GOP event in Jackson.Foster, a state representative from Hernando, is seeking the GOP nomination against former state Supreme Court Justice Bill Waller Jr. and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves.He said the break-in happened at around 11 a.m. during a College Republicans event at the state GOP's downtown Jackson headquarters. He'd parked his Chevrolet Silverado at a nearby intersection and said he was only inside about 30 to 40 minutes."It's very brazen, very quick, efficient," he said.A window was shattered but the alarm didn't go off, Foster said, and campaign documents, a briefcase with a campaign laptop and computer memory sticks were missing. A few other valuables were also taken, he said, though a couple pairs of pricey sunglasses were left behind.He said he reported the break-in to police. A Jackson Police Department spokesman confirmed the department responded to the call but did not immediately have any more details about the break-in.
Just five months off the race of his life, Joe Manchin is mulling a run for governor in 2020 against GOP Gov. Jim Justice.The Democratic senator said in an interview Thursday that hes once again thinking about running for the best job in the world: governor of West Virginia.I think about it every minute of every day. Now, thinking about it and doing it are two different things, Manchin said. Ill make a decision this fall sometime. I dont think theres any hurry at all.Manchin narrowly won reelection last year against GOP Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, a 3-percentage-point victory in a state President Donald Trump won by 42 points in 2016. Manchin, who already served as West Virginias governor from 2005 to 2010, largely relied on his retail politicking, help from Democratic outside groups and an aisle-crossing record to defeat Morrisey.A gubernatorial campaign would be something different altogether since Trump will be on the ballot again. But Manchin said its going to be very difficult for [Justice] no matter who runs against him.The race for 2020 starts now. Stay in the know. Follow our presidential election coverage.There are clear signals that Justice, who was elected as a Democrat but switched parties, and Manchin are preparing for a possible run against each other. Justice has criticized Manchin for his stewardship of the states roads and issued a news release lumping in Manchin with Washington liberals. Manchin has said the governor wont work and that you cant run the state from The Greenbrier, the resort Justice owns.
The Midwestern metropolis of Columbus, Ohio, is one of the fastest growing in the United States. Like leaders in much of urban America, officials in Columbus are looking for ways to handle the pressures that come with growth and demographic change. When Columbus applied in 2015 for the U.S. Department of Transportations Smart City Challenge, the only iteration of the contest so far, its vision for what it might do with the $40 million grant involved, among other things, targeting an aging population; younger residents attracted to already dense neighborhoods; and access to transit and other forms of transportation.After winning the competition by besting 77 other municipalities facing similar challenges, Columbus could become a leader in the smart city movement, a growing effort to use high-tech solutions to solve urban problems. Part of Columbus task will be to serve as a model for other areas wanting to attain the promised benefits of advanced data analysis, artificial intelligence and algorithms by bringing them more directly into contact with every city function.The smart city movement, while conceived of several years ago, is actually just getting underway, and participation is still very much an experiment. The term smart city has been in use since the early 1990s, but in the last decade -- particularly since the financial crisis of 2008 led governments and businesses to seek greater efficiency at a reduced cost -- the idea has begun to gain traction. Internationally, China, India and Singapore, in particular, have been pushing to upgrade their cities tech infrastructures.However, the long-term impact on government efficiency and economic growth remains murky, and there are unanswered questions about privacy, excessive intrusion and data collection on individuals. But that hasnt stopped cities -- and tech companies that could benefit from widespread use of their products -- from experimenting with the smart city concept.Columbus, for example, is trying to develop ways to ease travel, looking to provide more options for the first and last mile of residents trips, employing self-driven vehicles along common routes, coordinating freight vehicles going through the city, and creating a system to identify available parking. For expectant mothers, the city wants to create a system to make health-related transport more convenient and reliable with the goal of lowering the risk of maternal death and infant mortality. The projects are all attempts to improve mobility, thus simplifying commutes and potentially saving lives.How smart systems get set up can be complicated given the number of parties -- governments, product suppliers, public utilities, consumer advocates and residents -- who are trying to set goals, designs, needs, and protect privacy and civil liberties. Priorities will differ by city, but whether the focus is on easing traffic jams, making roads safer or improving public safety, there will be new and continuous debates about the most equitable and fiscally responsible ways to proceed.Products like smart streetlights, which react to ambient lighting levels and the proximity of pedestrians, represent a pretty straightforward first step toward using smart technology for improving city life. They have gained popularity in urban markets for their ability to cut down on energy consumption and costs, in turn lowering the price of the initial buy-in. According to Navigant Research and other market analysts, its expected that the use of smart streetlights will grow from about 6.3 million worldwide in 2017 to 73 million by 2026.The smart city in 2008 is what AI is today, says Jaana Remes, an economist and partner with the think tank McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), pointing out that smart cities were the next big thing 10 years ago but until recently hadnt generated enough experience for meaningful analysis. The smart city movement has begun to grow because improved technology is now in place in many cities and has become more affordable with the growth of wireless internet access and investment in communication networks, which have sped progress in already urban, Wi-Fi-friendly areas. [G]iven a citys physical and human infrastructure, what can you gain if you add a layer of connective smartphones and sensors that create a flow of continuous, real-time data into apps and electric tools? Remes says.Last year, MGI released a report examining 50 cities around the world that are implementing smart city strategies, finding that quality of life improved by as much as 10 percent to 30 percent in systems such as water and energy use to health care. Transit and traffic also showed improvement. Mobility was clearly the area weve seen the most adoption, Remes says. Real-time public transit information  car sharing, bike sharing, lights, information about public transit -- all of those things were relatively broadly adopted. Time spent in commute is one of the largest pain points for [residents], especially in large cities.Addressing traffic issues also can help the local economy. Chicago has estimated that more than $7 billion drains from the economy because of traffic congestion and inefficiencies in the transit system.However, while government officials, experts and academics would agree that the main drive behind the smart city movement is to improve quality of life for residents, so far it hasnt proved to be a great economic development strategy; according to the MGI report, that area was one of the least affected by smart city adoption, which more effectively allows people to get to their jobs and live their lives, facilitating economic development but not guaranteeing it.The Smart Cities Council, a privately funded industry coalition that is promoting smart city initiatives, has awarded multimillion-dollar grants since 2017 to stimulate smart city programs. The council recently released a list of resources for municipalities that emphasize a three-step approach: envision the needs and outcomes, plan how to achieve them, and then implement that plan. Where most municipalities stumble is the first step, envision, says Chairman Jesse Berst. Theyre skipping it or theyre not involving enough stakeholders  and they get partway down the road and they left out a neighborhood or they left out a vulnerable population.Funding for smart city initiatives is far from secure. In the most recent Smart City Survey by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the No. 1 reported challenge facing municipalities was ensuring the city will have the financial resources to sustain a project over time. Market analysts, however, estimate that the global market for smart city initiatives, nonetheless, will be a multitrillion-dollar industry in five years.The potential financial incentives driving the movement and the ubiquitous involvement of private-sector investment are hard to ignore. Though smart city upgrades may not generate many new jobs for residents themselves, the transition offers plenty of market opportunity for the companies that can secure their positions as suppliers.No discussion of smart city changes can avoid talk of the private-public partnership, which can both provide financing options but risk compromising individual freedoms for the sake of corporate sponsorship. Many applicants to the Smart Cities Council award said they would supplement their training with public-private investment; however, theres no guarantee that residents will be made proactively aware of the agreements being made in these situations. In Toronto, a waterfront project being conducted by Google-subsidiary Sidewalk Labs is being studied as one model of innovation prompting concerns from privacy advocates over the extent to which data behind smart city efforts will be protected or sold.As cities, towns and even whole states face increasing pressure to upgrade their services, the smart city mindset will become even more common. The U.S. smart cities market is at an interesting stage, where there is a lot of activity and many planned projects across the country, focusing on a wide range of city challenges, concluded the U.S. Conference of Mayors report. The progress of projects in the United States will be watched closely by cities around the world looking for ways to meet similar challenges.
In 2006, the state of Utah started to consolidate its IT services under the newly formed Department of Technology Services (DTS). Since then, DTS has been working to provide better service to its agency customers, while also operating more efficiently and reducing costs. As part of that effort, in 2013 DTS began moving its IT service management (ITSM) operations to a cloud-based platform from ServiceNow of Santa Clara, Calif. More recently, the department implemented the ServiceNow Asset Management system to gain better control over hardware devices employed throughout the state, and to improve billing to the agencies that use those assets. Together, those projects have saved Utah millions of dollars, streamlined processes for managing services, provided better security and increased DTSs revenue, to name just a few of the benefits the agency has gained.

ITSM in the Cloud

In its early years, although DTS moved many of its management functions to a centralized IT support platform, it still relied on separate solutions for certain functions, including portfolio management, configuration management and IT procurement. Those multiple platforms presented key challenges. We had to do quite a bit of customization to each of them to meet our needs, said Dave Fletcher, chief technology officer at DTS. The development work, including ongoing maintenance, consumed resources that DTS might otherwise have used for other activities. Largely to solve that problem, officials at DTS decided to replace the array of management tools with a single service management platform. As DTS started the search for its new solution, officials identified three major criteria. First, we wanted to move to the cloud, where the service provider would maintain our underlying architecture, so that updates happened seamlessly, Fletcher said. Second, they wanted to integrate as many functions and users as possible on a single platform. Finally, they wanted to be able to scale the system easily to match changing demand. This way, we wouldnt always have to be dealing with infrastructure and other issues underlying the system itself, Fletcher said. After an extensive procurement, in 2013 DTS chose the cloud-based ITSM solution offered by ServiceNow. In just six weeks, DTS had implemented the system, integrated it with Utahs single sign-on portal and completed training for all users  including about 100 agency procurement personnel and 725 DTS employees. The new system incorporates an array of functions, including:

Incident and problem management (service desk)

Hardware and software procurement

Self service/request fulfillment

IT knowledge management

Reporting and SLA management

Asset management

Portfolio management

Configuration management

Getting all of that onto a single platform was critical, especially a platform that could integrate with our real-time support system, Fletcher said. The platform was quickly embraced by the organizations employees and the agencies it supports. In the first year of operation, DTS used the system to manage more than 190,000 service requests. (It now uses the system to manage about 120,000 service requests per year.) Among other improvements, it gave end users more options to report problems. For example, users now can create requests through an online portal or from a mobile device. Tracking and notification allows DTS employees to ensure a request gets resolved as quickly as possible. Hardware and software procurement has also moved online.

Realizing Significant Improvements

Migrating its service operation to ITSM in the cloud has helped DTS realize major financial benefits, including a one-time cost reduction of $3 million and more than $1.2 million in annual savings. The upfront benefit came from not having to replace some of the agencys older management systems, since the integrated platform included those functions. The systems cloud-based architecture is responsible for the operational savings: DTS no longer needs internal resources to maintain on-premises technology for service management. We were able to reduce some support staff and reassign them to other issues, Fletcher said. By integrating the ServiceNow solution with the departments business intelligence platform, DTS gained valuable insights, helping technicians get to the root of persistent problems that once created extra work. For example, end users kept creating requests to help reset their passwords.

We identified where the issues were and automated those processes, Fletcher said. We saved a lot in that area by reducing the number of requests and support calls by about 80 percent. ITSM in the cloud has also improved the way agencies procure new technology. Automating the approval process and associated workflow has cut the process in half, from eight days to four days. Its a lot simpler and quicker now, and people can do it from their mobile devices, Fletcher said. Another benefit is simplified billing for IT services. In the past, DTS used several separate billing systems. State agencies had to aggregate data from multiple sources to understand which services DTS had provided them, and what they were paying for those services. Now they can find information about all their services, including the associated costs, in one place, Fletcher said. Finally, migrating to an integrated platform has given agencies a one-stop shop for IT services. People know where to go for all their issues associated with IT support, whether its purchasing a new laptop, or getting help with a password or buying software, Fletcher said. And since its all cloudbased, its accessible online and through mobile devices.

Going Further with Asset Management

Another big change Utah has seen since it implemented ITSM in the cloud is the advent of a new asset management capability. DTS started implementing ServiceNows Asset Management module, part of the ITSM solution, in June 2015.

The goal was to better manage and track the states desktop computers, laptops and thin clients. In Utah, each agency buys its own computer hardware, but DTS maintains the records on those machines. Because it bases its service billing on the number of machines an agency has in house, its important to keep an accurate inventory. DTS formerly used spreadsheets to monitor computer assets throughout the state, assigning technicians to record new machines as they installed them, moved them or took them out of service. Unfortunately, those spreadsheets were never entirely accurate. It was kind of a patchwork, said Dan Frei, chief financial officer (CFO) at DTS. Some people were using one spreadsheet; some were using another. Even when technicians tried to consolidate their information in a single document, the numbers never quite reflected reality. That got DTS in trouble with agencies, where auditors were counting machines on their premises, making spreadsheets of their own and then asserting that DTSs billing was wrong. We didnt want 23 agencies going around counting, Frei says. We wanted a single source of truth.

DTS found it especially hard to track computers after they were entered into inventory. Agencies complained to us, We have these computers we bought, but we dont know where they are, Frei said. Are they still being used? Have they been taken? Have they been retired? Imprecise asset management in Utah also raised security issues. According to standards established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), keeping an accurate inventory of physical devices is an important security measure. Among other benefits, it helps technicians respond faster to security alerts, since they know where each machine is and how its configured, and it ensures that techs install the necessary security patches on every machine.

Over the years, DTS tried several times to improve its asset management processes. In one instance, it sent technicians out to canvass the state, counting machines and putting the information into a single inventory spreadsheet. We didnt have the right tools, and we didnt have a good process, Frei said. For example, there was no bar code scanning software to capture serial numbers. DTS obtained an accurate, one-time snapshot of its computer assets, but it had no sure way to update the spreadsheet as machines were moved or retired.

That all changed after DTS implemented its new ITSM platform. Now, the organization had tools that were up to the challenge. Other elements also fell into line. We had the right team in place, and we got buy-in from senior leadership, Frei said. Using the ServiceNow platform, DTS inventoried and tagged more than 30,000 computers, including both billable and non-billable equipment. Technicians use bar code scanners to capture a serial number from each asset, immediately making that computer billable. A technician also scans the machine again each time its moved and when its taken out of service. This practice ensures the system always has an accurate count and knows the status of each asset. The asset tracking system generates a list of devices to be billed and transmits that information to Utahs billing system. It also automatically generates information for agencies to review, either directly in the console, or in a PDF file that DTS distributes monthly. At any time, an employee or DTS technician can query the system to find information on a device, such as its service history, warranty status and who it is assigned to. The system starts monitoring an asset the moment an agency initiates a purchase. We can track how long it takes to get approvals, how long it takes the vendor to ship to us, how long it takes us to inventory it and get it out to the location where its going to be installed, and how long it takes the techs to install the computer, Frei said. Early on, some service technicians resisted the project. Id hear things like, I work on tickets; I dont do inventory, Frei said. However, as employees discovered the valuable information the system could generate from inventory data, they got behind the project.

BY INTEGRATING THE SERVICENOW SOLUTION WITH THE DEPARTMENTS BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE PLATFORM, DTS GAINED VALUABLE INSIGHTS, HELPING TECHNICIANS GET TO THE ROOT OF PERSISTENT PROBLEMS THAT ONCE CREATED EXTRA WORK

Better Security, More Revenue

With a real-time, highly accurate view into inventory, DTS now complies with NISTs asset management standards aimed at security. The department knows where every desktop computer, laptop and thin client is located and to whom that machine is assigned. That knowledge is invaluable, for instance, to ensure laptops carrying sensitive material dont fall into the wrong hands. Also, if DTS becomes concerned about certain security vulnerabilities, the asset management system can help pinpoint which machines technicians should check first. We can run reports and see if we have machines that could be susceptible to those vulnerabilities, Frei said. The asset management system has also increased the accuracy of DTSs billing. With better inventory processes, DTS has increased the number of billable assets its tracking by more than 1,000. DTS has used the extra money to buy more bandwidth for the states network, replace network gear and add much-needed staff, among other initiatives. DTS now has an accurate count of all devices deployed across the state. The agencys leaders trust the data in the asset management system, especially since they can see it for themselves at any time. They wanted to be billed correctly, and they werent in the past, Frei said.

Conclusion

By putting all its service functions onto one management platform in the cloud, and gaining a single, accurate view of devices across the state, DTS has significantly boosted the quality of its service. Its also operating more efficiently, cutting costs and bringing in more revenue. Frei said he ranks the asset management portion of the ITSM initiative among the top five projects at DTS in the dozen years since Utah formed the department. Weve never had a project with such far-reaching effects. Its quite an amazing feat.This piece was developed and written by the Government Technology Content Studio, with information and input from ServiceNow
Stanton Gatewood, Georgias chief information security officer, appears to have stepped down and been replaced.The Georgia Technology Authority (GTA) has updated its leadership page , replacing Gatewoods name with that of new CISO David Allen. Meanwhile AMR Management Services, which provides support to professional associations, tweeted on April 9 that @NASCIO hasn't been the same since this superstar CISO for @georgiagov retired from the Peach State!Gatewoods LinkedIn profile still lists him as Georgias CISO; however, Allens profile says he started as the states CISO in April.The state has not put out an official announcement about the move, and a spokesperson for the GTA did not immediately return an email requesting details.Gatewood was appointed CISO in February 2016 after a career in cybersecurity spanning more than three decades. During his time with the state, Georgia built a massive cybersecurity center . In 2018, named Gatewood to its annual Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers list.Allen comes to the state after more than nine years with the Georgia Army National Guard, where he served as chief technology officer and chief of cybersecurity, according to his GTA bio
(TNS)  Colorado is one step away from having its own net neutrality law  one that would prohibit Internet service providers from receiving Colorado taxpayer money if they slow access to the Internet or unfairly favor certain websites. Senate Bill 78 passed the House and Senate along party lines, with all Democrats in favor and all Republicans opposed. Gov. Jared Polis, who founded an Internet company while in college, supports it.The bills passage this year, after failure in the Senate last year , is another example of Democrats show of strength since taking control of the legislatures upper chamber in the 2018 elections.Net neutrality is the notion that Internet service providers should not favor certain types of Internet content by speeding it up or slowing other content down. The Federal Communications Commission supported net neutrality under President Barack Obama but has shifted direction under President Donald Trump, formally ending net neutrality protections last year.SB 78 cant overturn the FCCs decision. Instead, it cuts off public money for Internet companies that dont engage in net neutrality. Any provider that blocks lawful Internet content, prioritizes paid content, throttles bandwidth or doesnt provide transparency for its practices must refund state grant money it has received in the past two years and is ineligible for more money in the future.If you receive taxpayer dollars to go out to rural Colorado and deploy broadband infrastructure, Sen. Kerry Donovan, a Vail Democrat and the bills sponsor, told a Senate committee, then the state has the authority and the obligation to say that infrastructure is going to be used to treat everyone the same, because you are using state dollars.Net neutrality supporters in the legislature say most Internet service providers in the state are currently engaged in net neutrality and the legislation will only require them to continue the status quo. Opponents of the bill say that while they favor an open Internet, they oppose state mandates.We also oppose this legislation because strong consumer protections remain in place today, making it unnecessary, Gerard Keegan with CTIA, a wireless communications industry group, told senators. And the FCC has preempted states from acting in this area.The Colorado Competitive Council, a business group, also opposes the bill. Its director, Nick Colglazier, said he, too, supports an open Internet but sees no need for the legislation.Given the limited instances of alleged net neutrality violations over the 20-plus year history of the Internet  none of which appear to have happened in Colorado, to the best of my knowledge  even this relatively modest bill seems to be an overreaction, Colglazier told senators. An amendment to exclude from net neutrality requirements companies that filter out sexually explicit materials or graphic violent content was defeated on a 32-32 vote in the House on April 3. An amendment to prohibit search engines with biased search results from receiving grants failed 24-40 that day.Meanwhile, the newly Democratic House in Congress has taken a more direct aim at the FCCs decision on net neutrality. House Resolution 1644 , which would restore net neutrality, has 197 Democratic sponsors and co-sponsors, including Colorados four House Democrats. It passed the Energy and Commerce Committee on Friday and now awaits a vote in the full House.
(TNS)  Stafford Countys Board of Supervisors recently proposed a new tax classification to attract data centers to the region.Data centers house computer systems, servers, and other related equipment used for large-scale digital storage, as well as the management and distribution of electronic data. If you work from home, read books, share photos, shop, use the cloud, or watch movies online, youre using a data center.Not only are data centers part of everyday life, they can also be substantial revenue generators for local governments.Surrounding counties have lowered business property tax rates on data center computers and associated equipment to encourage those businesses to locate in their region. By proposing a lower tax rate for data centers, Stafford supervisors have positioned the county to do the same.Tax incentives in Virginia have certainly attracted a massive amount of growth for the area and generated a great return on investment for the communities, said Ali Greenwood, senior vice president of Dallas-based JLL, a global commercial real estate firm.Stafford County collects roughly $5 million in tangible business taxes every year.That includes Geico, McLane, Wal-Mart, all of them, said Scott Mayausky, Staffords commissioner of the revenue.At the current tax rate of $5.49, a single large scale data center with $200 million in equipment would generate $3.8 million a year in revenue. At the new proposed tax rate of $1.25 for data centers, that same business would generate $1.25 million in revenuestill a significant amount of county revenue.Stafford will create a new tax classification specifically for data centers at the $1.25 rate. Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County plan to do the same.In late 2018, the Fredericksburg Regional Alliance hosted representatives from Fredericksburg, as well as Stafford, Spotsylvania, Caroline and King George counties. They agreed on both a uniform tax rate and a uniform depreciation schedule for data centers.If passed by Stafford supervisors, the new tax classification would become effective April 16.This was the first time Ive seen counties come together and agree on a set rate and depreciation schedule to try to attract these businesses to the region, said Mayausky. Weve done that on a regional basis so [data centers] dont have to negotiate with an individual county.Were lowering our rates to match Prince William Countys and have adopted the same depreciation schedule as theirs, said Mayausky. Were not giving away anything by lowering the tax rate, because at the current rate, data centers wouldnt be coming to Stafford.Neighboring localities have had success attracting data centers with their lower tax rates.Prince William County, for example, reports 34 data center projects, which have amounted to $6.9 billion in capital investment and 967 new data center jobs, as well as hundreds of tech and construction jobs. Data center business tax revenue for 2018 was $15 million.Loudoun County administrators project $300 million in revenue for computer equipment in fiscal year 2020. The vast majority of that amount is associated with data centers.Because data centers do not require a large workforce to operate, county officials dont expect a notable impact on county services such as schools, public safety, or an increased demand on the areas transportation infrastructure. Additionally, high-tech fiber networks are already in place in Stafford.Centerport Parkway is a target area [for data centers], but its not exclusive. There are other areas, said John Holder, Stafford Countys director of economic development and tourism.SummitIG, a Stafford-based bandwidth infrastructure provider, is already providing service to nearly 100 data centers in Northern Virginia, although none of them are in Stafford. An official with the company said the underground data network is already in place along the I-95 corridor.If data centers come to Stafford, well be ready for them, said Sunny Kumar, SummitIGs chief executive officer.
(TNS)  Heather Doyle was making fair progress in soliciting donations to install a privately funded system of buoys reportedly capable of detecting sharks. But a crucial part of the project was getting permission from an Outer Cape town or the Cape Cod National Seashore to locate it at one of their beaches.Although there were concerns about permitting and evaluating whether the system worked, the main impediment to any agreement seemed to be liability. Towns were worried that deploying any technology that promised a heightened level of protection by either detecting or deterring sharks would create a "false sense of security" for the public, lead people to be less cautious and make it easier for any victim or their families to sue municipalities and their employees."Verbally, and in all of my conversations (with town and federal officials) it has been raised," Doyle said. "It's been a barrier to the conversation."But Massachusetts has one of the most protective municipal liability laws in the nation, according to one expert. Worries about liability shouldn't be a barrier to progress, he cautioned."I would agree that they (municipalities) shouldn't simply be guided by whether or not they can be held culpable or liable for decisions they make. They should make decisions based on what's best for the public," said John Davis, a partner at the Boston law firm Pierce Davis & Perritano. Davis said his primary focus is defending cities, towns, and other public employers from civil and criminal claims, and he successfully defended the town of Dartmouth in a landmark case in 1999 that helped establish the limits of municipal liability.Last week, Wellfleet Town Administrator Dan Hoort said Doyle's sonar buoy project could not be located on town property, citing concerns over increasing the town's vulnerability to a lawsuit by installing any shark detection or deterrence equipment."Town counsel (John Giorgio of KPLaw) said if we put something in the water that ensures safety, or we're saying it's going to increase the safety, we risk becoming liable for that," Hoort told his Select Board at its March 26 meeting. "What (Giorgio) said is, 'You don't want to hear this, but it's best if you do nothing.'"Hoort later qualified that remark in a separate interview, saying he wanted to delay making a decision on any shark technologies until after the Woods Hole Group had completed the regional analysis of shark safety commissioned by six towns from Chatham to Provincetown. That study will not be finished until after Labor Day.State law sets a $100,000 cap on liability awards in cases against municipalities and protects public employees executing their job from litigation. Under state law, municipalities are authorized to insure employees for up to $1 million.Case law has reinforced those protections. In Brum v. Town of Dartmouth, the 1999 case Davis tried, school officials were found not to be liable in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old student attacked by three assailants in the town's middle school. Earlier in the day, the school principal was warned that these individuals would enter the school to harm the student. When the three individuals, visibly armed, did so later in the day, school officials failed to stop them.Even so, the state Supreme Judicial Court found that the school employees had not directly caused the death and could not be held liable.Jim Lampke, executive director of the Massachusetts Municipal Lawyers Association, cautioned that there is no blanket immunity from litigation under state law and that expenses arise in defending against lawsuits."It doesn't stop someone from filing a lawsuit even if under case law it's not a well-pled suit," he said. Discoveries, depositions, responses and information gathering all cost a lot of money.And lawyers are always looking for something that could distinguish their case from others and result in a big financial award for their clients, Lampke said. That is especially true in parsing just what kind of assurance of safety was given by the town and/or its employees, one of the major exceptions to immunity."If someone goes to a beach and there are drones flying around and someone asks a lifeguard, he might say it's safe to go in," Davis said.According to state law, public officials can be sued if direct injury occurred after the officials have given "explicit and specific assurances of safety or assistance" to a victim or member of his or her family or household. But even that bar is set high. In 1998, 16-year-old Wilson Ortiz drowned in heavy surf at Horseneck Beach in Westport. One of Wilson's friends had been told by a lifeguard that the beach would remain closed for swimming for about an hour, and that the seas were expected to drop in the afternoon.When Ortiz and a friend returned an hour later, the lifeguards were gone for the day and there were no warning signs posted. Ortiz was swept out to sea on a rip current and his mother sued the town. But the 2002 court decision found that town employees were protected under an immunity clause that gives them the right to make discretionary decisions. As in the Dartmouth case, the court also found that immunity from litigation was possible because the employees did not directly cause the man's death; they did not contribute to the dangerous surf conditions that resulted in the drowning."The Horseneck Beach case is still good law," Davis said. "In an incident involving a shark attack that analysis would still apply."Davis felt that in this state there is little chance of public officials or municipalities being successfully sued in the case of a shark attack."Massachusetts municipal law, in terms of negligence, is more protective of communities than most other jurisdictions," Davis said. Additional protections include the two-year limit on filing a case and a state law that exempts from liability landowners who allow their property to be used by the public for recreation as long as they don't charge for the use. Most municipalities charge for beach parking, not the use of the beach, Lampke said in a prior interview.Both Davis and Lampke agreed that signs explaining the limitations of technologies for shark detection or deterrence would help in defending municipalities."There are things you can do to lessen the risk of liability, but you're not likely to eliminate it 100 percent of the time," Lampke said. "That's the challenge that government has to take."Davis pointed to the decisions some towns face over whether to staff a beach with lifeguards."I grew up in Barnstable. Every summer they hired lifeguards, and that is a good idea even though there's potential liability. They protect the public," Davis said.
City court officials in Austin used to spend a lot of time answering rote questions related to parking tickets, court dates and other issues.Then about two years ago, the city began using a chatbot to field these requests. The move made life easier not only for workers in the court system, but also residents.They had a challenge with individuals coming down, asking questions about paying tickets, explained Austin CIO Stephen Elkins during a panel discussion last week at the Smart Cities Connect Conference in Denver.And so, what the court basically was finding was that they had a long line of individuals  some folks had questions about tickets, some had other questions. By pulling out the ticketing questions, they shortened the queue. There was a better experience with the residents as well as the employees, Elkins added.The discussion, titled The Role of AI in the Rise of Smart Cities, explored how artificial intelligence is being deployed across a number of communities, its ideal applications and cautionary warnings officials should keep in mind when considering the emerging technology.I think anything that requires waiting in line  a checklist type of thing  theres an opportunity to use AI, said Elkins.AI applications in the daily lives of residents will only grow, panelists said, particularly considering the emergence of next-generation wireless communication technologies like 5G.In our personal lives, we dont go to the banks as much as we used to. We dont even have to go to the grocery stores anymore, the CIO offered. And so we need to start shifting the behavior in government to match the behavior that the residents are used to.Jon Lewis, vice president of urban data at wireless smart city technology provider Telensa , believes the shift toward AI is part of a natural evolution that is moving closer and closer to approximating its human creators.Processing has got to the point where we can start emulating the human brain, said Lewis, explaining some of the societal apprehension around AI.AI is not hype. Its here, said Elkins. We all have devices in our pockets that we talk to, we get answers, we get responses from. And that is living in reality.The technology can help city departments with service delivery, as well as helping governments move further along with their sustainability goals for example, said Petra Dalunde, chief operating officer for Swedish think tank Urban ICT Arena AI should definitely help humankind to become a better thing, she said. Also, it should help us reach the sustainability goals. Thats No. 1.In Sweden at the moment, AI is super-hyped, she added. Its like a frenzy, and we need to slow down a bit to not lose use of these investments.Dalunde cautioned against diving into artificial intelligence simply for the sake of technology and without adequately thinking through the system and its technologies.AI could be like the icing on a molded muffin, Dalunde quipped. It looks really nice, but as soon as you start eating, its not all that fun."She urged those interested in the artificial intelligence to slow down, work with others and learn from their lessons. Elkins agreed, saying AI should be viewed as a portal to better engage with the community and put data to good use.Lets make sure everyone understands that AI is augmenting, not replacing, said Elkins. And Id say also that we need to make sure that we have the right infrastructure in place. We need to make sure that we have the space for the big data, that we have the data scientists to help design and figure where the opportunities are.
In a paper being presented at WCX SAE World Congress Experience in Detroit this week, a team from MIT is proposing the use of a flex-fuel gasoline-alcohol engine approach for a series-hybrid powertrain for long-haul Class 8 trucks.

In this approach the engine would provide comparable (or possibly greater) efficiency than a diesel engine while also providing around 90% lower NO x emissions than present cleanest diesel engine vehicles. Ethanol or methanol would be employed to increase knock resistance. Engines that could be deployed in the relatively near term could also use high rpm operation and /or water injection, to allow operation with a very small amount of alcohol in addition to a low concentration mixture such as E10 (or possibly with no additional alcohol). Further NO x reduction (by use of higher levels of EGR) and increased efficiency (by use of alcohol enhance heat recovery) could potentially be obtained over a longer term. Cohn and Bromberg (2019)

While the ultimate goal would be to power trucks entirely with batteries, the researchers say, this flex-fuel hybrid option could provide a way for such trucks to gain early entry into the marketplace by overcoming concerns about limited range, cost, or the need for excessive battery weight to achieve longer range.

The new concept was developed by MIT Energy Initiative and Plasma Fusion and Science Center research scientist Daniel Cohn and principal research engineer Leslie Bromberg.

Weve been working for a number of years on ways to make engines for cars and trucks cleaner and more efficient, and weve been particularly interested in what you can do with spark ignition [as opposed to the compression ignition used in diesels], because its intrinsically much cleaner. Daniel Cohn

Compared to a diesel engine vehicle, a gasoline-powered vehicle produces only a tenth as much nitrogen oxide (NO x ) pollution, a major component of air pollution.

In addition, by using a flex-fuel configuration that allows it to run on gasoline, ethanol, methanol, or blends of these, such engines have the potential to emit far less greenhouse gas than pure gasoline engines do, and the incremental cost for the fuel flexibility is very small, Cohn and Bromberg say.

If run on pure methanol or ethanol derived from renewable sources such as agricultural waste or municipal trash, the net greenhouse gas emissions could even be zero.

An all-electric heavy-duty truck will be very challenging, Cohn says, because of the cost and weight of the batteries needed to provide sufficient range. To meet the expected driving range of conventional diesel trucks, Cohn and Bromberg estimate, would require somewhere between 10 and 15 tons of batteriesa significant fraction of the payload such a truck could otherwise carry.

We think that the way to enable the use of electricity in these vehicles is with a plug-in hybrid. Daniel Cohn

The engine they propose for such a hybrid is a version of one the two researchers have been working on for years, developing a highly efficient, flexible-fuel gasoline engine that would weigh far less, be more fuel-efficient, and produce a tenth as much air pollution as the best of todays diesel-powered vehicles.

Cohn and Bromberg did a detailed analysis of both the engineering and the economics of what would be needed to develop such an engine to meet the needs of existing truck operators. In order to match the efficiency of diesels, a mix of alcohol with the gasoline, or even pure alcohol, can be used, and this can be processed using renewable energy sources, they found.

Detailed computer modeling of a whole range of desired engine characteristics, combined with screening of the results using an artificial intelligence system, yielded clear indications of the most promising pathways and showed that such substitutions are indeed practically and financially feasible.

Bromberg says that gasoline engines have become much more efficient and clean over the years, and the relative cost of diesel fuel has gone up, so that the cost advantages that led to the near-universal adoption of diesels for heavy trucking no longer prevail.

Over time, gasoline engines have become more and more efficient, and they have an inherent advantage in producing less air pollution, Bromberg says. In a series hybrid system, the engine can always operate at its optimum speed, maximizing its efficiency.

The research was supported by the MIT Arthur Samberg Energy Innovation Fund.

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(CNN)  The highest-ranked official at New Zealand's embassy in the U.S. planted a hidden camera in a unisex bathroom in 2017, a crown prosecutor has said in his opening address in court.

Alfred Keating, a former New Zealand naval commodore, appeared in Auckland District Court Monday to face trial for a charge of attempting to intentionally make an intimate visual recording. If convicted, he could face up to a year and a half in prison.

According to court documents, the recording device  which was mounted inside a heating duct in the Washington D.C. embassy's bathroom  was discovered on July 27, 2017, when it fell to the floor. There was a thick layer of dust on the platform the camera was mounted on, indicating the device had been in place for many months, according to court documents.

According to the court documents, Keating's DNA allegedly matched the DNA found on the camera's SD card.

At the time of the discovery, Keating was the highest-ranked New Zealand official at the embassy, according to CNN affiliate Radio NZ, and had immunity from prosecution in the United States. Keating no longer works for the Royal New Zealand Navy.

Keating has pleaded not guilty to the charge. His defense lawyer Ron Mansfield told CNN he would not comment on the case as the trial was ongoing.

This story was first published on CNN.com "Official planted camera in Washington DC embassy toilet, New Zealand court told"
GREENWICH  A major collision between two buses sent 10 people to the emergency room with serious injuries Tuesday afternoon.

An empty school bus serving Sacred Heart Greenwich slammed into another vehicle operated by Countywide Transportation, which was carrying nine people, Greenwich police said. That bus was carrying seven adults with developmental issues, as well as the driver and a group monitor.

All 10 people were transported to Stamford Hospital, some with serious injuries, according to police.

King Street was closed in both directions, near Brunswick School, as police investigators went to work to determine the cause of the crash, which occurred shortly after 3 p.m.

Everyone has been transported from the scene, and we are continuing to work on the investigation, police Capt. Kraig Gray said late Tuesday afternoon. There were all different types of injuries  broken bones, contusions, head strikes.

All of the passengers involved in the collision sent to the emergency unit at Stamford Hospital were listed in fair condition, hospital spokeswoman Christina Scott said in a statement late Tuesday afternoon. Stamford Hospital has a special trauma unit for emergency medicine.

The adults riding in the Countywide bus had completed day programs in the King Street area and were headed to their homes in Westchester County, N.Y., according to the Yonkers-based bus company.

Christine Soifer, of Countywide Transportation, went to the scene after the crash.

We just want to make sure everyones OK, Soifer said. We care deeply about the consumers we transport, and well do whatever we can to help. Whatever we can do to assist the investigation, we will.

There were some challenges involved in assisting the injured passengers on the bus, Gray said, but the first responders worked through them.

The two buses collided, nearly head-on, and the front ends of both vehicles were badly damaged. There was no word from authorities Tuesday on what might have caused the crash.

We have a unit on-scene to determine all the mechanics of how it happened, Gray said.

The Greenwich Fire Department and the Greenwich Emergency Medical Service sent multiple units to the scene, and the blare of sirens filled the neighborhood all afternoon.

Northbound traffic on King Street was redirected at Sherwood Avenue. Motorists were told to avoid the area if possible. Traffic was tied up heavily on King Street throughout the afternoon and into the evening.

rmarchant@greenwichtime.com
Most women under the age of, say, 45 dread a particular time of the month. (Fellas, stay with me.) So, Arion Long, an African American millennial out of the Washington, D.C., area, came up with the Femly Box, a way to make the monthly menstrual routine less burdensome and more like a gift. Her ultimate PMS kit includes a supply of organic, all-cotton feminine products, along with wholesome wellness treats, like shea butter, herbal tea, and organic chocolates. For about $30 a month, it comes in a pretty package that gets delivered right to a womans door, just in time for her cycle.

When Long, a former health plan communications specialist, launched her business in 2015, she had only one problem: getting funding from investors. Lets face it, she says. I was talking to middle-aged white men. They didnt know the product or use the product. And they didnt care. Im a brown-faced, five-foot-one-inch young woman, who wasnt taken seriously. I had done my research and was ready. But young white men -- some of whom had simply jotted down an idea on a beverage napkin -- got the nod. Long was hoping to snag a modest $10,000 to $75,000 investment. Everyone she talked to said no.

Related: My Female-Led Company Raised $6.25 Million in 2.5 Years. Here's How We Did It.

The numbers bear out her plight. Since 2009, out of the $424.7 billion in total tech venture capital funding, the portion given to Black female founders? A minuscule .0006 percent, according to Project Diane 2018, a report by DigitalUndivided, an entrepreneurial pipeline for women of color. Further, the average investment is only $42,000, compared with the overall average of $1.3 million. The picture is not much better for traditional bank credit. A recent report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City reveals that 40 percent of Black women who request financing dont receive a single penny -- nearly twice as many as nonminority women who are turned down.

Natalie Madeira Cofield, founder of Walkers Legacy, a national network for women of color in business, chalks it up to relatability. People invest in people they feel connected to, and the majority of those in power dont necessarily get a Black woman, she explains. Another way to put that is selection bias -- which researchers from the nonprofit Diversity VC found a staggering amount of after analyzing five years of deals made by 135 firms. The investors were largely from the same gender, educational, ethnic, and location background as the founders they chose to invest in, they write.

Cofield goes on to add that turning to family members isnt generally an option for a Black woman. Even if theyre middle-class or upper-middle class, they are often providing some kind of financial support to a brother, cousin, parent, or auntie in crisis, or a community group they support, and they just dont have the disposable income to invest in your business dream. Nor can they quit their jobs to do it.

But I dont need statistics to know this is true -- Ive seen it personally. Back in the mid 90s, when I started my company, Akwaaba Bed & Breakfast Inns, I spent many a sleepless night watching those far-fetched infomercials on how to buy a house with no money down. With eyes wide open, I dreamed of purchasing a dilapidated mansion in my Brooklyn neighborhood and converting it into a luxury bed-and-breakfast, where I would have the time of my life decorating the inn and meeting the world as guests at my breakfast table. In fact, I envisioned owning four B&Bs, one in a different city I loved for each season of the year.

I wasnt born to the manor; in fact, I hadnt even slept in a bed by myself until I was 22, because my sister was always pushed up next to me. (We were both queen-size, sleeping in a full-size bed!) I had no money, and so, most would say, I had no business having such a bodacious goal.

But it didnt stop me, and it didnt stop Arion Long with her PMS kits, and it didnt stop many just like us, because we Black women will find a way. In fact, despite the lack of funding and resources, we are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs today. The number of businesses we started between 2007 to 2018 shot up 163 percent -- 10 times the growth for nonminority women-owned companies, according to an American Express report. How do we do it? We do what any entrepreneur should do. We move through this world boldly, recognizing we have to use the word no like a vitamin. Swallow it -- and sometimes your pride -- as it makes you stronger, so you bounce back with a new plan, a renewed conviction.

After her rounds of rejection, Arion Long stepped back and took stock of what she had gained. I had tried so hard, so often, with the venture capitalists, she says, that I mastered the art of the pitch. This was a useful skill all on its own. Pitch competitions have been a funding staple for years -- contests usually held at incubators and conferences, and sponsored by the likes of UPS and Mastercard, where founders pitch their businesses in front of judges and winners snag a cash prize.

So Long entered one. In 2016, she won $125,000 at a Baltimore-based competition called Piranha Tank. With the winnings, she was able to service her first 5,000 subscribers. Then she started entering and winning more competitions. She has since competed in more than 40 of them, taking home a total of $300,000 in cash along with professional services and two office spaces. Thats helped Femly ship to almost 10,000 buyers and be on track to hit $1.2 million in sales this year. And as Long became a regular at these competitions, she began to notice some other regular contestants who, like her, seemed to be traveling the country to enter and win as many as possible.

They were all Black women doing what shed done: Theyd recognized an untapped opportunity and turned it into an asset.

Related: How Issues of Gender Equity Become Issues of Wealth Equity When It Comes to Startup Funding

Pitch competitions have become the sport of entrepreneurship, says Shelly Bell, founder of Black Girl Ventures, which sponsors its own contests exclusively for women of color. Bell sees her events -- where audience members donate to support the winner, whom they pick -- as an updated version of how Black people historically held each other up. Its crowdfunding meets rent party. During the Great Migration, Black people threw house parties and collected fees at the door to make money to pay their escalating rent. When Black people face adversity, innovation is our lifeline.

All the competitions, says Bell, offer a unique and viable way to perfect your message, gain access to investors, market your company to consumers, receive high-level, rapid feedback about what youre doing, and hopefully bankroll your business. She suggests women of color are especially drawn to these pitch-fests, because they can connect to an influential network they might not ordinarily have access to. And because, culturally, were strong storytellers. When you couple that with a business that works, our odds of winning the pitch are great.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Monique Greenwood

This is what I mean when I say we bounce back with a new plan and a renewed conviction. That Federal Reserve study identified two major characteristics of successful Black female entrepreneurs: self-learning and determination. We dont stay dejected. We learn from the experience and pivot to a new path.

And that goes for more than just pitch competitions.

I believe you may have to change your geography and go where your people are, says Ashlee Ammons. She and her mother, Kerry Schrader, launched their mobile networking app, Mixtroz, in 2014 in Nashville. Mixtroz lets conference or event attendees create a profile based on questions from the host or sponsor; the app then matches attendees and helps them connect at the event more productively. Ammons, an events producer, and Schrader, a Fortune 500 HR executive, were fortunate enough to raise about $200,000 from friends and family, but they found that their local network wasnt strong enough to support them for long. We were running low on cash, and with a hypertech startup, you have to move fast.

Related: The Story Behind the Nation's First Standalone LGBTQ+ Accelerator, Which Graduates Its 20th Startup Today

They also competed in more than 20 pitch events, their biggest win being at Revolutions Rise of the Rest Road Trip, where they took home $100,000. Theyve since gone on to score clients like Georgia Tech, Alabama Power, and BBVA Compass, and raise more than $1 million in outside capital -- making them only the 37th and 38th Black female founders to do so.

You have to be intentional, Ammons continues. Yes, you have a suit on you that you cant take off, and youre going to be judged before you open your mouth, but you have to be resilient. Use what you have to build what you want, even if all you have is Google and street smarts.

Of course, not all entrepreneurs have the luxury to jump into a project full-time, or the flexibility to move cities. And so they rely upon a method that is certainly no secret -- but that the Federal Reserve study says has been embraced by Black female founders more than anyone else: They build a side hustle.

Carmelle Kendall and Robin Beck are examples of what it means to truly side hustle. Its about committing the time, yes, but also engaging the community and scrappiness and patience for small steps. The two women have good jobs -- Beck works at the education company Pearson, and Kendall is an art director at The Integer Group advertising agency -- and they were friends growing up on the same block outside Atlanta. Years later, in their 20s, they became neighbors again in New York and began plotting out a greeting card company called Neighborly Paper.

We create cards that feel like theyve been written by a friend, not a company, says Beck, like one that reads, I love our strong connection, complemented by a sketch of the familiar symbol indicating online internet connectivity. For $1,500 each, they set up the business and produced eight card designs. Then they kicked off what has so far been two years of utilizing every available opportunity.

Their launch party was at a neighborhood gift shop in Harlem called NiLu, owned by another Black woman. They sold out of product. But later, when they failed to earn enough money to make it into that years National Stationery Show in New York, Beck says, it just made us more vigilant to press forward and try to exhibit this year. They found a way in, applying for space in a hallway entrance that was made available to emerging companies. We tacked up about 80 different cards, and with an investment of $960 for the four days of the show, we wrote large orders for 10 different retail stores in eight cities across the country, Kendall says. With the actual sales commitments in hand, only then did they place orders with their printer. Retailers were charged in full upon shipping of the cards.

Right now our business is a second source of income, but were determined to grow it into a full-time, profitable company, Beck says. Were going to need capital for that, but we can already envision the tote bags, wrapping paper, and related items we will create!

Vision is real. Folks certainly looked at me as if I had three eyes when I purchased the dilapidated Brooklyn mansion the neighborhood kids called the haunted house with plans of turning it into an inn. All entrepreneurs should hope for a third eye -- its the ability to see the possibility. With no money to renovate the 1890s structure, I turned to bartering, a tradition dating back to my African ancestry, and thought about what I had that someone else may want and what they had that I needed. I knew a plumber, for example, whose daughter was getting married, and the mansion became the wedding venue in exchange for him fixing all the pipes.

Staring down the challenges of being Black and female when getting my first Akwaaba inn off the ground has enabled me to leverage the $6 million equity of the Brooklyn inn, which my husband and I purchased in 1995 for $250,000, to finance four additional locations. Now my four-season dream is a reality: Im at my Brooklyn or Philadelphia inn in the fall; in Washington, D.C., in the spring; in Cape May, N.J., in the summer; and in Pennsylvanias Pocono Mountains in the winter. And though I didnt have my own bed until age 22, I now have plenty -- I can stretch out and sleep in peace in any one of 40 king-size beds within my hospitality collection.

Related:

How to Introduce Investors to Your Team the Right Way

Black Female Founders Face Constant Rejection. They're Thriving Anyway.

Kristen Bell and the Founders of This Saves Lives Talk Building a Brand With a Mission



Copyright 2019 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
One hundred forty-eight years ago this month, a member of Congress decried what he saw as a double standard regarding the protection of U.S. citizens from political violence. Overseas, Rep. Benjamin Butler of Massachusetts said on the floor of the House, "no nation . . . can unjustly lay its hand upon an American citizen in arrest or anger without calling down upon it the whole power of the republic."

Yet at that very moment in the American South, Butler noted, a domestic organization, the Ku Klux Klan, was murdering blacks and whites who supported the post-Civil War program of racial equality known as Reconstruction, and the Klan was operating with virtual impunity.

"Can it be," Butler demanded of those who insisted crime-fighting should be left up to the states, "that an American citizen is protected with the whole power of the government, everywhere, except on our own soil, under his own roof-tree, and covered by our own flag?"

Congress duly passed the Ku Klux Klan Act, and President Ulysses Grant signed it into law on April 20, 1871. The federal government could suspend the writ of habeas corpus in Klan-dominated areas and use federal marshals and troops to arrest Klan terrorists and bring them to trial in federal courts.

To this day, it remains arguably the toughest federal law ever aimed specifically at a white supremacist terrorist threat. It launched what might be called the first U.S. war on terror, including the use of covert operatives - detectives from the Secret Service - to infiltrate the Klan.

As if to mark the occasion, congressional Democrats, led by Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., have just introduced the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act, whose premise, like Butler's, is that terrorism is terrorism - whether it originates at home or abroad, on the racist right or the Islamist fringe.

Recent events, from the 2015 murder of nine African-Americans by a white supremacist in Charleston, South Carolina, to the massacre of Jews at a Pittsburgh synagogue last October, lend credence to that notion.

Though the body count is alarming, we are not witnessing violence on the scale of Reconstruction; Durbin's proposed measures are accordingly modest. Basically, his bill boosts training efforts, while requiring the federal government to gather intelligence on white supremacists and neo-Nazis, including any infiltration of law enforcement and the military. There would be annual reports assessing the threat.

The provision of the 1871 Klan Act it most resembles is one calling for Congress to impanel a special committee of investigation. Still, information is power; rebutting pro-Klan propaganda with the truth, gathered by the committee, was crucial to the Grant administration's success against the organization.

Grant's determination to defeat the Klan, based both on his morality and on his political interest in protecting Southerners, black and white, who were likely to vote for him, proved decisive in that long-ago struggle.

Conversely, there is a lack of presidential leadership regarding today's threat from the right - which President Donald Trump described, in the wake of the New Zealand mosques massacre, as "a small group of people that have very, very serious problems."

Trump calls to mind not Grant but his predecessor, Andrew Johnson, who used his bully pulpit to issue apologia for ex-Confederates and to play down outbreaks of violence against African Americans.

Another lesson of history is that an effective crackdown on white supremacist violence today, if and when it comes, may require tactics similar to those used in the U.S. government's recent "war" on other forms of terrorism.

The Reconstruction-era Klan used elaborate oaths, secret passwords and hand signals to keep law enforcement at bay, just as today's ultra-rightists communicate via encrypted electronic messages and chat rooms on the "dark Web."

U.S. government agencies will have to use surveillance and infiltration to penetrate these groups, just as Secret Service men, using skills previously honed fighting counterfeiters, donned disguises and spied on Klan units.

The Secret Service's chief, Hiram Whitley, had no qualms about any tactics to defeat lawbreakers, believing, as he put it, that "any strategy resorted to by the officers to bring them to justice is in my judgment perfectly justifiable."

This was Whitley's answer to those who questioned the constitutionality of federal covert operations against American citizens; a deep historical irony is that Southern propaganda against the Grant administration crackdown on the Klan drew heavily on the American civil-libertarian tradition.

By and large, the federal government today does possess the necessary means to address white supremacist and neo-Nazi terrorism within the law, and without violating constitutional boundaries. The missing ingredient is not the ruthlessness of a detective Whitley, but the commitment.
Today a trusted source who wishes to remain anonymous but has been reliable in the past sent us an image of an upcoming official case for a yet unannounced Honor device. Here it is in all its glory:

While seeing just the case doesn't give us a lot of information about the phone it's designed for, there are still some educated guesses we can make. First off, it looks like this handset will have a bunch of rear cameras, as the cutout for those is quite big. The design of the cutout itself makes us think of the Huawei P30 Pro's camera arrangement, with the LED flash placed to the right of the main camera array, although in this case it's on the lower side, not the upper.

We'd venture a guess and say this Honor device will come with at least three cams on the back, unless it completely apes the P30 Pro and adds a TOF 3D camera under (or above) the LED flash as well. Given that all of this implies it will be a high-end offering, it's likely to be the Honor 20 Pro, because so far we haven't seen any leaked renders of that handset itself - whereas the non-Pro Honor 20, if we go by past leaks, will have a different rear camera arrangement. Then again, if those previous rumors were wrong, we might in fact be looking at a case for the Honor 20. Only time (and more leaks) will tell for sure.

The Honor 20 Pro is expected to sport Sony's IMX600 sensor, which apparently has 48MP resolution just like the IMX586 that we've already seen in a few phones. The Honor 20 Pro has also been rumored to have a 6.1" OLED screen with an under-display fingerprint scanner, the Kirin 980 chipset, and three RAM/storage configurations - 6/128 GB, 8/128 GB, and 8/256 GB. Pricing in China should start around $450, which will probably translate into 500-550 in Europe, and the Honor 20 Pro could get official as soon as April 25.
Huawei introduced the Mate X at MWC 2019. This is the first phone of the company with 5G capabilities, thanks to the Balong 5000 platform. Now, the Chinese company is now open to delivering its in-house chips to one more company - Apple.

This claim might sound strange, especially after claims from January that the platform would be used only on smart products part of the Huawei portfolio, including phones and other IoT technology. Yet, the manufacturer was probably open to such a deal as Apple phones run iOS and it doesn't feel them as direct rivals to its Android phones. Plus if any company can offer a deal that's hard to refuse it's gonna be Apple.

And Cupertino might be more than willing to pay over the odds because otherwise it risks being left behind. Analysts are doubtful that Intel will manage to provide XMM 8160 5G systems for either of the next two generations of iPhones, while Qualcomm and Samsung have refused to sell theirs to Apple.

Via
Samsung has finally started rolling out the update to Android 9 Pie with the company's new One UI overlay for the unlocked Galaxy Note8, S8, and S8+ units sold in the US. This comes later than for carrier branded models in the States, which unfortunately has been par for the course for a couple of years now.

Anyway, if you have purchased an unlocked S8, S8+, or Note8 from the US, you'll be happy to know that a tasty serving of Pie is on its way to you. The new firmware version is N950U1UEU5DSC1 for the Note8, and it will require a 1.5GB download. The size is approximately the same for the S8 and S8+, and after installation you'll be on build G950U1UEU5DSC1 or G955U1UEU5DSC1, respectively.

The updates all come with the March 2019 security patch level, not April, but at this point that's still better than not having Pie at all. Obviously you should expect to see all the usual Pie goodies baked in, as well as Samsung's new custom skin - One UI - and all it brings to the table, including cosmetic changes and a system-wide dark mode.

Source




Haiti - FLASH : Mining in the country, differences of opinion





Saturday on a radio of the capital, the Geologist Engineer Claude Prepetit, Coordinator of the Technical Unit of Seismology, of the Bureau of Mines and Energy and Frandy Lesperance Technical Coordinator of "Kolektif Jistis Min" (KJM), have expressed differing views on mining in Haiti's development.



Concerning the mining potential, Prepetit points out that from 1973 to 1993, exploratory research on the mining potential in Haiti was carried out by the Haitian Government with the assistance of the UN organization in various zones (among others Morne bossa - Quartier Morin, Fay au Northern Hole, Grand Bois Limbe, Vallieres...) which revealed a total potential of 440,000 ounces of gold on these sites.



For Prepetit "Agriculture can not develop the country alone. To this must be added mineral resources "recalling" We have all the studies on the mining potential. We need a debate to know what we are going to do."



As a reminder to our Dominican neighbors, the Pueblo Viejo gold mine (100km northwest of Santo Domingo) with proven and probable reserves of 25.3 million ounces is the second largest high sulphidation gold deposit in the world. Operated under license by Barrick Gold, which extracts about 30 tonnes of gold a year, in 2017, the mining company was one of the main industrial enterprises contributing to the Dominican public treasury.



For his part, Frandy Lesperance denounces the foreign interference in the mining business of Haiti through the UN and the World Bank while stressing that mining has serious environmental consequences in terms of pollution due to the the use of highly toxic products as well as the health of populations living near farm sites.



In addition, the Prepetit Engineer denied information circulating on several sites and social networks suggesting that companies would exploit mining sites in Haiti recalling the veto of the Senate in 2013 on mining agreements operating in the far north since 2013 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-7929-haiti-economy-the-senate-voted-the-suspension-of-mining-permits-in-haiti.html Recalling that before any exploitation it is necessary studies of potential and environmental impacts and a ratification of the Senate



Download the 2016 study "The mining industry in Haiti stakes and reality" PDF in French:

https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/cph._l_industrie_minie_re_en_hai_ti._enjeux_et_re_alite_s_final_corrige_10_jan_2016_-2.pdf



Download the summary of this study in Creole :

https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/cph.l_industrie_miniere_en_haiti._resume_en_creole.pdf



Download the summary of this study in English :

https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/cph._l_industie_re_minie_re_en_hai_ti._resume_-_english_version-2.pdf



Challenges of developing the mining sector in Haiti: https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25486-haiti-economy-challenges-of-the-development-of-the-mining-sector-in-haiti.html



Towards the exploitation of the resources of the Haitian basement : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-10732-haiti-economy-towards-the-exploitation-of-underground-resources-in-haiti.html



https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25927-haiti-politics-civil-society-organizations-warn-against-mining.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-10538-haiti-economy-the-mining-stakeholders-in-haiti-present-at-pdac-2014.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-9935-haiti-economy-towards-the-revival-of-the-mining-sector.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-8724-haiti-economy-mining-resources-blessing-or-curse.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-8718-haiti-economy-the-country-relies-on-the-mining-sector-for-its-development.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-8604-haiti-justice-the-world-bank-is-helping-haiti-in-terms-of-mining-legislation.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-7929-haiti-economy-the-senate-voted-the-suspension-of-mining-permits-in-haiti.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-7467-haiti-economy-the-government-awarded-2-mining-exploitation-permits.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-6750-haiti-economy-laurent-lamothe-evokes-the-legal-framework-of-the-mining-sector.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-6356-haiti-economy-australian-interest-of-$200mm-in-the-mining-sector.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-6294-haiti-economy-the-gold-rush-in-haiti-ki-yes-kap-vin-rich.html



TB/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - NOTICE : Registration period for the 2nd session for those that failed at Bac (Philo)





The Ministry of National Education informs the concerned that the registrations for the 2nd session of "recales" (failed) of the examinations of the permanent bac exams for the academic year 2018-2019 are scheduled during the period from Monday, April 22 to Friday, May 3, 2019 in all the Departmental Directorates of Education (DDE).



Only candidates who have failed (recales) in the final year (Philo) are allowed to take part in the tests.



Documents to be submittd at the time of registration :



- Participation form for the last exams or attestation of the MENFP;

- 2 passport photos



The participation fee is 1,500 Gourdes (1,500 Gdes) per candidate.



The Directorate General of the Ministry asks the DDEs to take all necessary measures for the full implementation of this provision.



The exams will take place this July.



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Politic : Former PM Misick declares that Haitians invade the Turks and Caicos Islands





Following the sinking in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), on March 31 of a boat of Haitian migrants who made 15 dead https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27349-haiti-shipwreck-end-of-the-search-14-survivors-15-dead-4-missing.html the former Prime Minister of the Caicos (2003-2009) Washington Misick of the National Progressive Party (PNP) and Leader of the Opposition, in a video message in which he addressed the members of the Government of the TIC declared that the Haitians invaded the Islands Caicos, suspecting the Consulate of Haiti installed on the island of Providenciales, to be in complicit with the traffickers of migrants...



Adding " must also condemn those mercenaries who would exploit the vulnerabilities of persons who are essentially persons who have very little hope, and so they decide to do desperate things [...] to escape the poverty of Haiti."



The Leader of the Opposition wonders if the Haitian Consulate in Providenciales has a reason to be and if the Haitian Consulate was there to help find a solution to the illegal entry of boat people from Haiti or it was part of the problem "[...] one has to ask the question what purpose does the Haitian consulate serve in these islands? Whether they are a beacon of hope of light that says to the persons who want to escape that this is a safe haven to come to or whether they potentially are in collusion with the perpetrators of these vicious crime of human trafficking..."



Recall that the archipelago of Caicos composed of thirty islands, whose most of them are uninhabited, has an estimated population of 51,500 souls (2015). By 2017, the influx of Haitian migrants was important estimated at 2,000 loans for that year. Despite firm statements by the Government, boats from Haiti have not stopped and continue to flow into the TCI at a disturbing frequency. The cost of repatriation to Haiti has risen to more than 4 million US dollars in the last 3 years, a heavy burden for a small public treasury. Even the Haitian community of Caicos protests against the inaction of the Haitian Government. On 18 May 2018, the day of the Flag Day in Haiti, there were dozens in front of the Consulate of Haiti to urge the Government of Haiti to "do its part" to stem illegal migration, which makes life even more difficult for Haitians living legally in the Caicos.



SL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Politic : Jovenel Moise in Panama





As part of an official visit, President Jovenel Moise left the country on Monday for Panama to participate in the 3rd Edition of the Global Business Forum Latin America - Panama (GBF2019) in Panama.



This two-day forum will focus on the theme "Next Poles - New Regions". The round tables and workshops organized during the two days of the forum will focus on three main pillars (global reset, regional gateways and new directions) designed to identify common challenges and regional specificities and help delegates to identify and monitor opportunities.



Stakeholders include Heads of State, senior officials, Fortune 500 CEOs, along with other leading business and investment leaders from Latin America, the Persian Gulf, and others.



The first day of the forum will end with an official networking reception.



President Jovenel Moise will return home on Wednesday, April 10th.



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





Jovenel Moise appoints Jean-Michel Lapin as PM

"Following the consultations I had with the Presidents of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic, I appointed the citizen Jean Michel Lapin as new Prime Minister" confirmed on his twitter account President Jovenel Moise. A designation that should be formalized in the day by a presidential decree. Moise therefore chose to confirm the appointment of Acting Prime Minister Jean-Michel Lapin, whom he had appointed on March 21st. https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27239-haiti-flash-appointment-of-an-interim-prime-minister.html following the vote of no confidence of the deputies against the previous Prime Minister Jean Henry Ceant https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27219-haiti-flash-haiti-has-no-more-government.html . To be continued



Petit-Goave : Accident 4 victims

A traffic accident on the national roas #2 in Petit-Goave, around Morne Tapion, left one person dead and three injured. According to the substitute Judge Valbrun Jasmin, this accident would have happened when the brakes of a vehicle would have dropped.



More than 3 million Gdes zombies checks

40 checks valued at more than 3 million gourdes were seized by the Ministry of Youth, these checks were written in the names of deceased persons, others in the names of people living abroad or no longer working in the Ministry. According to the first elements of the investigation, it could be a corruption network.



255,000 barrels of fuel at Thor's terminal

Since Tuesday, April 2, the country is experiencing a shortage of fuel. Ignace Saint-Fleur, the Director of the Development Assistance Monetization Office, announces that a tanker of 255,000 barrels of petroleum products arrived at the Thor terminal in Carrefour on Sunday, April 7, 2019.



Seizure of more than 20 kg of marijuana

On Saturday, April 6, in Port-au-Prince, members of the Brigade to Fight against Drug Trafficking conducted an operation in which they seized 20.51 kilograms of marijuana and arrested a person identified as Louina Gravier.



The Lottery celebrates its 92nd birthday

April 6, 2019 marks the 92 years of existence (April 6, 1927 - April 6, 2019) of the Haitian State Lottery (LEH), the regulatory body of gambling in the country. A ceremony was held to commemorate this date, accompanied by a Mass of Thanksgiving in the presence of Marie Margareth Fortune, the Director General, the Secretary General, senior staff of the institution, members of the administration and staff.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















A jewel of the Westhampton community, the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center opened its doors on July 4, 1998. Created from a shuttered movie theater, the Performing Arts Center has become a beloved community resource and a regional performing arts center. Hamptons.com recently spoke with Executive Director Julienne Penza-Boone about the center's programs and performances. Ms. Penza-Boone has been with the PAC for 13 years, building the after-school programs and becoming interim Executive Director in 2019; the position was made permanent in 2020. The Center has come a long way since its early days, with a...
By Vasia Orion | Published on 2019/04/08

It takes outside the box thinking to tackle outside the box problems, and it takes a "madman" to tackle a mad situation. The protagonist of "Save Me 2", Kim Min-cheol (Um Tae-goo), is about to go against a terrible foe, and his young, troubled life is all that he has to protect him.

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The posters released for "Save Me 2" are as atmospheric and cool as its teasers, and their tagline is loud and clear: 'In the world of a crazy cult, a crazier bastard has appeared'. Um Tae-goo's ("The Great Battle", "Coin Locker Girl", "Maids") unlikely hero is fighting a cult that looks refreshingly more subdued, more sinister than "Save Me"'s extravagant frauds.

I'm also enjoying his similarities, and the potential of his differences, with the original work's heroine, Im Sang-mi (Seo Ye-ji). While she was not believed for being an outsider and a young woman, Min-cheol will probably be facing the stigma of his past criminal acts, and the person this life has shaped. I hope that the series tackles these social prejudices once more.

The production has commented that the actors are becoming more in tune with their respective roles every time they shoot, and that their characters are thus being created to perfection. They have added that this is also visible in the posters, where the essence of the characters is accurately conveyed by their actors through their gaze and facial expressions. My personal expression is a wide smile, so I'd say we're on the right track.

Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

___________

"Save Me 2" is directed by Lee Kwon, written by Seo Joo-yeon, and features Esom, Um Tae-goo, Chun Ho-jin, Han Sunhwa, Kim Young-min, Im Ha-ryong. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2019/05/08~Upcoming, Sat, Sun 22:20 on OCN.

Sources (1)
Published on 2019/04/09 | Source

Robert Holley is taken to a remand prison in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province on Tuesday. /Yonhap

TV personality Robert Holley, also known by his Korean name Ha Il, was arrested on Monday on charges of taking crystal meth.

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Police in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province said Holley was arrested on Monday afternoon on charges of buying the drugs online and taking them in his home in Seoul.

Police obtained an arrest warrant after being tipped off, and Holley has admitted some of the charges.

Holley (60) is a colorful character. California-born, he spent his childhood in Utah, where he became a Mormon, and first arrived in Korea as a missionary for the religion.

In 1997 he took Korean citizenship after marrying a Korean woman. He became famous for speaking Korean not only fluently but with a regional accent.

In 1999, he established his own international school in the southwestern city of Gwangju and he still heads the board.

Read this article in Korean
Northern Montana Health Care CEODave Henry, from left, Bill Chambers and Vice President of Regulatory and Community Services Christen Obresley pose for a photograph April 1 after Chambers received the C.A.R.E. Award.

From Northern Montana Health Care

Last week, Northern Montana Health Care the Compassionately Achieving Remarkable Excellence - C.A.R.E. - Award to Bill Chambers, a member of the Northern Montana Care Center Team.

Chambers serves as the receptionist for NMCC; greeting residents, visitors and staff as they come and go.

Chambers was nominated for this honor by several of his co-workers. He was complimented on his professionalism, willingness to pitch in and his excellent proofreading skills. Chambers sits on several committees throughout the Northern Montana Health Care organization and he works tirelessly to help improve processes.

"Having Bill as our receptionist at NMCC ensures that visitors will see not only a smiling face, but their business will be handled in a professional, caring manner," said Christen Obresley, NMCC Administrator and vice president of regulatory and community services for Northern Montana Health Care. "He also does announcements for us throughout the facility, and our residents enjoy hearing his friendly voice inviting them to activities."

Chambers is also very active in the community of Havre. He volunteers within NMHC as well. As part of the announcement from the High Five Club at NMHC April 1, he was presented with a special logoed jacket. Nominations are now being sought for the next recipient.

The "C.A.R.E." Award was started as part of NMHC's Customer Service Group, "The High Five Club."

The purpose of this bi-monthly recognition award is to acknowledge employees who have served at NMHC in an exceptional manner by exemplifying outstanding service through his or her work, and consistently exhibiting a positive and supportive attitude. Employees at NMHC nominate their fellow employees for this award.

Customer service is important to Northern Montana Health Care, as shown by a line of its mission statement: "Being the healthcare provider of choice."

Taking the time to recognize excellence in their employees is one of the ways Northern Montana Health Care tries to achieve this goal.
Havre Police Department

Monday at 7:53 a.m. a caller at Montana Avenue and Main Street reported a door kicked in on a building.

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Child and Family Services caller in the Havre area made a report to officers Monday at 8:31 a.m.

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A First Street West business caller Monday at 9:13 a.m. reported that the east side of the building was spray painted.

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Monday at 9:19 a.m. a Third Street caller reported that valves were laying in the alleyway.

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A 18th Street caller reported Monday at 10:11 a.m. that they found a motorcycle key.

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Officers assisted Rocky Boy Police Department Monday at 11:04 a.m. at the hospital.

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A Third Street West caller reported stolen checks Monday at 2:50 p.m.

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A non-injury accident between a Ford and a Nissan Maxima was reported Monday at 2:53 p.m.

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An arrest was made after a First Street caller reported Monday at 5:06 p.m. a vehicle stolen. Toni Lynn Mariani, a woman named in the dispatch log as an involved party, was listed on this morning's jail roster as being held on a charge of motor vehicle theft.

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Kermit Dean Eagleman of Box Elder, 50, was arrested on a charge of trespassing after a 10th Street West caller requested assistance removing a male Monday at 9:25 p.m.

Hill County Sheriff's Office

Bailey Houston Peter Fiddler of Box Elder, 22, was arrested on a Justice or City court warrant Monday at 12:32 p.m. after a caller reported suspicious activity in the parking lot of a U.S. Highway 2 West business.

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Treyton Reed Sutherland of Box Elder, 21, was arrested on charges of vehicle theft, shoplifting, criminal mischief, reckless driving, fleeing or eluding a peace officer, driving without a license, obstructing a peace officer or other public servant and driving while intoxicated by drugs or alcohol, after a caller reported Monday at 8:10 p.m. that a man was getting into fights with people and punching another man in the parking lot of an establishment on U.S. Highway 87 in Box Elder.

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Monday at 10:40 p.m. a caller on First Street Southwest in Rudyard reported hearing six shots fired.

Havre Fire Department

Emergency medical personnel responded to four calls Monday.

Havre Animal Shelter

The Havre shelter this morning held three medium-hair cats, one long-hair cat, a medium-hair 13-week-old kitten and a medium-hair 8-month-old kitten all of unknown gender, two medium-hair male cats, one short-hair female cat and one medium-hair female cat. Two other cats were being held at a foster as part of the trap-spay/neuter-release program.

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The Havre shelter also held this morning three female mixed-breed dogs, female shepherd-Labrador retriever dog, a female mixed-breed, 13-week-old puppy, a female husky dog, a male mixed-breed 19-week-old puppy, a male pit bull terrier dog and a female Australian cattle dog-blue heeler-border collie dog.
From Northern Montana Health Care

April 7 to 13 is National Health Care Volunteer Week and Northern Montana Health Care is proud to celebrate their volunteers.

A celebratory luncheon for the volunteers is set for Friday, as well as a recruitment event for the community.

President Richard Nixon established National Volunteer Week with an executive order in 1974, as a way to recognize and celebrate the efforts of volunteers. Since then, the original emphasis on celebration has widened; the week has become a nationwide effort to urge people to get out and volunteer in their communities. Every April, charities, hospitals, and communities recognize volunteers and foster a culture of service.

At NMHC the NMH Volunteer Auxiliary is going strong. The services and amenities they provide to the organization help the overall experience at NMHC immensely. From delivering coffee to visitors on the Medical/Surgery floor to sending greeting cards to all of the residents at the Northern Montana Care Center; from playing bingo with a NMCC resident to stocking and staffing two gift shops on campus; these folks volunteer their time and talents to make these things happen.

We truly appreciate the efforts of our NMH Volunteers daily Northern Montana Health Care CEO Dave Henry said. Their presence here allows us to provide the Extras in healthcare. The years of experience they bring to their tasks helps us to maintain a level of professionalism.

We enjoy the volunteers that light up our halls during the summer months as well, Henry added.

Wednesday at 6 p.m. an open house is set for for the volunteer program to provide the community with more information about the needs that they have.

We have volunteers that work for us just a few hours a month said Mim Tchida, volunteers supervisor at NMHC. We also have volunteers that come in several days a week. The level of involvement is entirely up to them.

Were looking to expand our program so that more folks can experience the joy of volunteering, she added.

In addition to helping with the gift shops and foot clinics at NMH, volunteers provide assistance with activities at the long term care facility as well. Whether community member have extra time during the day or on the weekends, the volunteers would love to have them participate.

To find out more, people can attend the Volunteer Recruitment Event Wednesday at 6 p.m. in Conference Rooms 3a, b & c at Northern Montana Hospital.

For more information on volunteering, people can call Tchida at 262-1330.
SkillsUSA Montana State Director Cassie Huntley, left, presents a certificate and pin to state Havre High School senior and Montana SkillsUSA Vice President Sydney Scheresky-O'Neil Monday at the Montana State University-Northern Armory Gymnasium.

Havre Daily News staff

Havre Daily News/Ryan Berry SkillsUSA members say the Pledge of Allegiance Monday in Montana State University-Northern's Armory Gymnasium during the SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference opening ceremonies.

Hundreds of college and high school students descended on Montana State University-Northern this week as it hosts the SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference for the 47th time.

SkillsUSA is a career and technical service organization aimed at complementing technical skills training provided by high schools and colleges.

The conference includes events in a variety of fields including automotive, culinary arts, speaking, welding and engineering.

Students perform a set of tasks in timed events in front of a panel of judges, who then determine who receives a gold, silver and bronze medal.

The conference culminates in an award ceremony Wednesday.

The top students in each category qualify for the National Conference June 24-28 in Louisville, Kentucky, and compete against students from 53 states and territories.
BU experts weigh in on current threats to family planning and abortion access

By Jessica Colarossi

The clock is ticking for the four million Americans who receive birth control and other health services through Title X, the federally funded family planning program. On May 3, 2019, sweeping changes set by the Trump administration are set to go into effect, which will prevent any medical organization that provides or refers patients for abortions from receiving program funds that support STD prevention, cancer screening, and contraception.

Attorneys general from 21 states have joined a federal lawsuit in an attempt to block the changes, and many states are preparing to drop their participation in Title X rather than put up with the so-called gag rule. These changes, as well as the uncertain future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), coincide with more and more women seeking out long-term birth control options.

In the days and months following the 2016 presidential election, womens healthcare providers across the country reported a spike in patients requests for long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) like intrauterine devices (IUDs) and under-the-skin implants. Among them were several physicians with Boston University ties who saw patients becoming more concerned about birth control access.

Due to President Trumps campaign promise to repeal the ACAwhich requires coverage for most contraceptivesthese physicians say many women felt the window of time to get free birth control was closing, especially for more expensive and highly effective contraceptives like IUDs and implants, which cost between $1,000 and $1,300. As long as the ACAs Womens Health Amendment is still enforced, most insurance companies must cover the costs.

Judy Platt, director of BU Student Health Services, remembers seeing firsthand an increase in the number of BU students requesting IUDs after the 2016 election, which, she says, then leveled off after about 12 months.

I saw a patient this morning who, when I was reviewing her history, talked about how she got an IUD the week after the election. That is how she refers to it: 2016, the week after the election, says Katharine White, a BU School of Medicine associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology and a Boston Medical Center physician. That was the incentive for her to get it.

According to physician Jennifer Childs-Roshak (Questrom10), president and CEO of Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, Planned Parenthood health centers across the country saw the total number of patients using IUDs increase 91 percent in recent years and an uptick in requests for IUDs after the 2016 election due to concerns about losing access to affordable birth control.

Research data now back up healthcare providers anecdotal reports about the increasing popularity of LARCs. A recent Harvard University study found the demand for IUDs and implants increased by 21.6 percent in the 30 days after Trump was elected.

The IUD and the implant are the most effective forms of reversible birth control available, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Depending on the type, an IUD can last for over 10 years of continued use and an implant can last 3 years or more. This set it and forget it method, combined with the devices being highly effective, can be incredibly freeing, White explains, and patients themselves are often the ones spreading the word about the benefits within their social circle.

A woman who has an IUD that shes happy with will talk to everybody about how her IUD has changed her life, says White. Theres a social element I see to LARC devices that there hasnt been around other methods of birth control.

White says that there are, of course, pros and cons to any method of birth control, which should be carefully considered with a healthcare provider no matter who is sitting in the Oval Office.

The answer is not: everyone should have an IUD, says White. Its that everyone should have free and easy access to one, so if thats what she decides is the best thing for her, she can just get it and get back to her life.

Two years into Trumps presidency, his administration has made it easier for employers to claim religious or moral objections to the ACAs mandate that they provide insurance for contraception. On April 1, 2019, Trump tweeted that a vote to totally replace the ACA will have to wait until after the 2020 election, when he hopes that the House of Representatives will return to a Republican majority.

But in a matter of weeks, the changes to Title X, outlined by the Department of Health and Human Services, are scheduled to become law of the land.

Why geography matters

In addition to the 21 states, medical organizations like Planned Parenthood have also sued over the proposed Title X changes. The rule changes remove the guarantee that patients receive full and accurate information about abortion options from their doctors, raising ethical concerns from medical professionals.

The Trump-Pence administration has put healthcare providers like Planned Parenthood in an impossible position: withhold information from patients or get pushed out of the Title X program, says Childs-Roshak.

Nationally, 41 percent of the people who receive care through the Title X program go to Planned Parenthood health clinics. According to Childs-Roshak, funding from the Title X program prevented over 1,500 chlamydia cases, 260 gonorrhea cases, and 43 cervical cancer cases in 2010 in Massachusetts. The rule will have disproportionate consequences for women of color, who make up at least 56 percent of Title X participants.

Advocates have also expressed concern that cuts to Planned Parenthood would leave patients stranded from healthcare in certain areas of the country.

Geography matters in this country with respect to health and human rights, says Wendy Mariner, a BU School of Public Health professor of health law, ethics, and human rights, a School of Law professor of law, and a School of Medicine professor of medicine.

Lawmakers in some left-leaning states like Massachusetts and New York are taking steps to protect access to reproductive care and remove barriers that limit a persons ability to choose to have an abortion. In response to the Trump administrations efforts to roll back coverage requirements for employers with religious or moral objections, Massachusetts enacted a bill in 2017 that mandates free access to contraceptives. New York has abolished a 1970-era law that criminalized abortion unless a mothers life was at risk and legalized abortion after 24 weeks if a womans health or the fetus life is in danger.

Meanwhile, in some right-leaning states, conservative lawmakers are making abortion services and contraceptive services less available by imposing Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (TRAP) laws, in hopes of getting a case in front of the Supreme Court that could potentially undermine a womans federally protected right to choose an abortion.

In 2016, one such case from Texas, Whole Womans Health v. Hellerstedt, made it all the way to the Supreme Court. The case challenged a 2013 Texas TRAP law that mandated that physicians who perform abortions have admitting privileges to a hospital within a 30-mile radius, which slashed the states number of abortion clinics from 42 to just 19.

In the Whole Womans Health case, the [Supreme Court] struck down the Texas TRAP law because it did not, in fact, provide any medical benefit but made womens right to have an abortion impossible to exercise in many cases, Mariner explains. But in todays current political climate, with the new Supreme Court justices who are believed to favor restrictions on abortion and contraception, I think states are being encouraged to enact laws that more directly attack womens rights to make all kinds of reproductive decisions.

A recently proposed law in Louisiana has presented new challenges, Mariner recently wrote in a blog post, that go well beyond abortion and could potentially alter how constitutional rights are defined and protected. On March 21, 2019, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant signed a bill banning abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected by ultrasound, which can happen as early as six weeks into pregnancy, often before a woman is even aware she is pregnant. Similar measures in other states have been repeatedly struck down or temporarily blocked in the courts.

When you think about what is actively happening right nowhow many women are not in control of their bodies right now. [Women are] already not able to fully decide what happens to their pregnancies, says White, who recently penned an article sharing her advice about what to do if Roe v. Wade was restricted or overturned by the Supreme Court.

Although White does not credit the upward trend in IUDs and implants to the threat of new laws restricting abortion accesssince most women dont anticipate needing a future abortionshe does see her patients worrying more and more about losing access to affordable methods of birth control.

I find that issues around reproductive health are one of those ways that people are realizing that what happens politically affects them personally, says White. Issues around contraception and abortion directly affect the decisions that they can make for themselves and for their family and I think that has been a very rude awakening.

Mariner says if a persons rights granted in Roe v. Wade were taken away by a Supreme Court decision, then it would be up to the states individually to decide what laws they wanted to pass. So where you live would determine what your rights were, the way that where you live now influences what kind of education you receive, what jobs are available, and whether you can breathe the air.

Boston University
Raumedic reshapes management team

Stefan Seuferling (left), the new Chairman of the Executive Board of Raumedic AG, and Martin Bayer, CEO and President of the U.S. business operation, plan to focus more closely on the needs of their target markets.

MILLS RIVER  The medical technology manufacturer Raumedic has re-assigned responsibilities among its top management team, naming Executive Board member Stefan Seuferling chairman of the Executive Board and shifting former chair Martin Bayer to focus on his function as CEO and President of the U.S. company and develop business in North America, the worlds largest medical technology market.

The changes by the companys Board of Directors that took effect March 15.

Medical technology and the pharmaceutical industry face different requirements in each economic region, Jurgen Werner, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, said in a news release. In addition, customers are approaching Raumedic with highly individual product requests. With the new management structure, we want to enable both companies to retain their flexibility and to be highly responsive to their respective markets.

As the highest oversight authority for both companies, the Board of Directors works closely with the management team to ensure that the principle of One Raumedic is systematically applied, Werner said in describing the new structure.



Seuferling joined Raumedic AG last September as the Executive Board member responsible for strategy, from which position he leads sales activities in Europe and Asia. He also oversees the departments of Marketing Communication, Quality Management, Regulatory Affairs, as well as Projects & Services. Together with his Executive Board colleagues, Seuferling will lead the business activities of Raumedic AG as Chairman of the Executive Board.



Closer to the worlds largest medical technology market

As part of the efforts of Raumedic to enter the worlds largest medical technology and pharmaceutical market, Martin Bayer moved his office to Mills River in spring of 2018. Bayer, who has extensive experience in the medical technology market, intends to generate the same success in the USA that he produced for the global organization: Under his leadership, both sales and staffing nearly doubled from 2008 to 2018.

The new leadership team is the next logical step in our efforts to make Raumedic increasingly agile and market-centric, Werner said. We have the utmost confidence in Stefan Seuferling and Martin Bayer. We are certain that they can help the entire company continue generating sustainable and profitable growth. With this goal in mind, they will remain in close dialogue in the future.



Raumedic specializes in processing medical-grade thermoplastic polymers and silicones at five production sites in Germany and the United States.




Connet honored as a Main Street Champion

Liz Crabill, Chief Deputy Secretary of North Carolina Dept. of Commerce; John Connet, Hendersonville City Manager; and Kenny Flowers  Assistant Secretary of Rural Economic Development.

The North Carolina Department of Commerce recognized Hendersonville City Manager John Connet as a North Carolina Main Street Champion, saying he exerts a positive influence downtown "from the big things to the little things."

He was honored along with 42 other champions for their contributions to Main Street programs and downtown districts across the state during a meeting in Salisbury on March 14 .



Every city and town needs a Champion - someone that will step up and invest time and money in the community, improve the quality of life and grow economic vibrancy throughout the state, said Anthony M. Copeland, N.C. Secretary of Commerce in a release. Commerce is so pleased, each year, to recognize those individuals that are making a difference in their communities.



During the awards ceremony Connet was recognized for his diligent work to move a variety of preservation, reinvestment, infrastructure and capital projects forward, all while annually attending the downtown program's volunteer recognition programs and volunteering his own personal time to support downtown events.



From my first interactions with the City to the work I do on the Advisory Committee, John has always served with a complete dedication to the people and our community, said Michele Sparks, chair of the Hendersonville Downtown Main Street Advisory Committee and owner of Art Mob Studios. He creates an environment where our town can continue to grow and flourish.



This years group of Main Street Champions brings the total number to 721 that have been recognized by the N.C. Department of Commerce over the past nineteen years.
In the context of a project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, a research group from the St. Polten University of Applied Sciences has developed a versatile framework for data visualisation that permits easy integration of expert knowledge.

Processing large amounts of data is one of the most important issues of our time and currently the subject of intensive research efforts. While some approaches try to control the flood of data with artificial intelligence methods, others try to organise it in such a way that humans can get to grips with it more easily. A research group headed by the computer scientist Wolfgang Aigner is working on connecting the two approaches and has now developed new methods to present time-dependent data in a comprehensible way and offer simple ways of integrating additional knowledge.

Combining the strengths of humans and computers

We are working in the visual analytics field, where the objective is to make the steadily growing and ever more complex data volumes more manageable, says Wolfgang Aigner. He describes a problematic information overload, which is often counterproductive: After all, the goal is not to end up with more data, but to find an answer to something. While automated information processing is becoming more and more central, Aigner emphasises that people are still very important when it comes to interpreting data. We humans are extremely good at dealing with visual sensory input, correcting mistakes or supplementing incomplete data, explains the researcher. Computers, on the other hand, can process very large amounts of data, always at the same quality level. Computer algorithms and human information processing are thus complementary in many ways. The idea behind visual analytics is to combine the two: We use what humans are good at and combine it with what computers are good at.

Integrating expert knowledge

In a project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, Aigner was concerned specifically with the processing of time-oriented data, such as medical measurement results. We started from the basic hypothesis that it should be possible to integrate at least parts of such background knowledge into the computer system and model it there in order to make it usable for human users, says the researcher. Previously, there had been very little research in this field. Aigner and his team therefore worked out a theoretical foundation. We concentrated on three things, explains Aigner: Descriptive power: can the model describe as large a number of existing systems as possible? Can I thus compare them systematically? Then there is the evaluative power of a framework: can I use it to make a statement about the quality of the result? For this purpose, there is a mathematical description of the model that enables quantitative comparisons. And, finally, we considered generative power: to what extent does the model support me in building new systems? Can it serve as a blueprint for something else? Our model manages to cover all three areas.

Prototypes

Two case studies were carried out as part of the project. We have applied the new concepts to two examples, first in IT security research, specifically in malware analysis, which is about the search for malicious software parts, and secondly in physiotherapy, specifically in gait analysis, explains Aigner. The team developed prototypes of computer programmes for this purpose. Aigner explains the system using gait analysis as an illustration: The patient walks over a pressure-measuring plate. Details in the heel-to-toe contact sequence are measured and the data can lead to conclusions concerning, for example, knee or hip problems. After recording an entire step cycle, various parameters are deduced on the basis of expert knowledge using statistical methods. The aim is now to be able to add this expert knowledge to the programme in a simple manner in the course of the application.

Lets say I am a physiotherapist, and I know that a person with a certain combination of parameters has a meniscus problem. In our system, I can highlight the entire measurement series with the mouse and drag and drop it into an area on the screen that I have created for meniscus problems. It contains the measurement data of the people who have the same problem, and I use them to define that knowledge. Each new data set is automatically compared with the stored datasets, and the programme will signal when it finds similar characteristics. This means that the computer analyses the data, but only up to a certain point, as Aigner explains: It is important to note that our goal is not to automate the diagnosis completely, but only to provide support. The diagnosis remains the responsibility of the experts.

Ease of use is crucial

Aigner focuses particularly on making sure that the tools are easy to use. Every usability barrier is a problem for knowledge-assisted systems in medicine, information technology and other areas, emphasises the researcher. In these fields, it is often necessary for someone to write programme code or use formal modelling methods if additional knowledge needs to be integrated. The crux of the matter is that this must currently be carried out separately from the actual work with the tools. As a result, it might take very long or nothing at all happens. Our idea in the project was to make it as easy as possible for the user to integrate new knowledge while actually working  via the user interface with the mouse, using drag and drop.

One of the two prototypes is still in practical use. In the area of malware analysis, there was already a spin-off project during the course of the FWF project, where the prototype was adapted in co-operation with a corporate partner. They are using the programme for internal purposes. Follow-up projects are designed to foster the application of the concepts developed and also to add sonification, i.e. working with sounds, to visualisation.
Patrick Quirke and his wife Imelda outside court, where he has pleaded not guilty to murder. Photo: Collins Courts

When gardai asked murder accused Patrick Quirke why he had searched the internet for "body decomposition timeline" he told them his son had died, and added "That's all I'm saying", a court has heard.

Gardai also put it to Mr Quirke that he had carried out similar internet searches before his son's tragic death in August 2012 but he denied that this blew his explanation "out of the water".

On the final day of prosecution evidence, it also emerged that gardai sent the sub-aqua unit to Ardmore in Co Waterford after a water diviner told them they would find Bobby Ryan's body there.

Powers

Mr Quirke (50), of Breanshamore, Co Tipperary, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Ryan, a part-time DJ known as 'Mr Moonlight'.

Mr Ryan went missing on June 3, 2011, after leaving his girlfriend Mary Lowry's home at about 6.30am.

His body was found in an underground run-off tank on the farm owned by Ms Lowry and leased by the accused at Fawnagowan, Tipperary, 22 months later in April 2013.

The prosecution has claimed Mr Quirke murdered Mr Ryan so he could rekindle an affair with Ms Lowry (52).

Garda Kieran Keane told Lorcan Staines SC, for the defence, that gardai sent the sub-aqua unit to Ardmore, Co Waterford, after a water diviner said the body would be found there.

He said that his understanding is that the diviner uses "psychic powers" using two rods over a map.

He told prosecution counsel, David Humphries BL, that he does not believe gardai went looking for the diviner but that they came into possession of the information.

Detective Inspector Seamus Maher yesterday told prosecution counsel Michael Bowman SC that gardai arrested Mr Quirke on suspicion of Mr Ryan's murder on June 19, 2014, and interviewed him the following day at Tipperary Garda Station.

Det Insp Maher agreed with counsel that, during those interviews, gardai asked Mr Quirke about a computer hard drive labelled as KKPQ1 which was seized from Mr Quirke's home in May 2013 and which gardai said they had identified as belonging to the accused.

A computer expert, they told him, had identified searches relating to the limitations of DNA evidence carried out some time before September 2012 and other searches relating to human decomposition on December 3, 2012.

There was also evidence, they told him, that someone had visited sites containing information about DNA and decomposition.

Gardai asked him if he could eliminate his wife and children as the people who carried out those searches. He said that he did not know what they meant.

They asked if there was any explanation for those searches and he replied: "My son had recently died. That's all I'm saying."

Gardai sympathised with him, telling him they could not imagine what that was like. He responded that the officers "don't believe a word I say".

His interviewers asked him why he looked at an article on the "limitations of DNA evidence" but he said he could not remember.

Gardai then put it to him that he was searching over a prolonged period on a number of occasions for terms relating to decomposition because he knew where Mr Ryan's body was and was trying to establish what condition it would be in.

He responded: "Why would I need to do that?"

He said that if he knew where Mr Ryan was, all he would have had to do is open the lid of the tank and look in.

Gardai suggested that someone might see him and ask questions but he said that did not make sense and, given the remote location, he could have checked it when no one was around.

"You wouldn't do it on a Saturday morning," he added.

Control

He told gardai they were not taking on board anything he was saying, and added: "What I say does stand up and make sense and you say, 'no, no, no, it wasn't like that Pat'."

He further described as a "load of crap" the theory that he alerted gardai to the body because he wanted to be "in control" and did not want it to be found by someone else after his lease on the land came to an end two months later.

He asked them why he would bring this "nightmare" on himself, his relationship with Ms Lowry coming out into the open.

He said repeatedly that the garda theory did not make sense and denied that the discovery was staged. If he wanted to, he said, he could have remained on the land for another two years and the decision to leave was his own.

Gardai later returned to the internet searches and confirmed that Mr Quirke's son Alan died on August 4, 2012.

Gardai said they had reviewed the evidence and found a search for "body decomposition" on July 25, 2012. They said this "blows out of the water" his explanation.

Mr Quirke said his explanation would not account for every search. He said the previous search did not "blow out of the water" his explanation for the searches.

The interview turned to the subject of the accused's affair and break-up with Ms Lowry.

Mr Quirke said he has "no real resentment of Mary" and added that he is not the one "going around saying what I think of her".

He said the best reaction was to say nothing, and added: "I'm constantly trying to defend myself."

He said he felt pressure, and added: "Why on Earth would I have discovered that body? Why on Earth would I have brought that on myself?"

He asked gardai why he would murder a man and then show people where the body was, particularly in April, one of the busiest farming months.

"Why not do it in January if this was thought out?" he said.

Ms Justice Eileen Creedon told the jury of six men and six women that they will not be required again until Thursday.
Research published in Science Advances shows that it may be possible to create rocket fuel that is much cleaner and safer than the hypergolic fuels that are commonly used today. And still just as effective. The new fuels use simple chemical "triggers" to unlock the energy of one of the hottest new materials, a class of porous solids known as metal-organic frameworks, or MOFs. MOFs are made up of clusters of metal ions and an organic molecule called a linker.

Satellites and space stations that remain in orbit for a considerable amount of time rely on hypergols, fuels that are so energetic they will immediately ignite in the presence of an oxidizer (since there is no oxygen to support combustion beyond the Earth's atmosphere). The hypergolic fuels that are currently mainly in use depend on hydrazine, a highly toxic and dangerously unstable chemical compound made up of a combination of nitrogen and hydrogen atoms. Hydrazine-based fuels are so carcinogenic that people who work with it need to get suited up as though they were preparing for space travel themselves. Despite precautions, around 12,000 tons of hydrazine fuels end up being released into the atmosphere every year by the aerospace industry.

"This is a new, cleaner approach to making highly combustible fuels, that are not only significantly safer than those currently in use, but they also respond or combust very quickly, which is an essential quality in rocket fuel," says Tomislav Friscic. He is a professor in the Chemistry Department at McGill, and co-senior author on the paper along with former McGill researcher Robin D. Rogers.

"Although we are still in the early stages of working with these materials in the lab, these results open up the possibility of developing a class of new, clean and highly tunable hypergolic fuels for the aerospace industry," says the first author, Hatem Titi, a post-doctoral fellow who works in Friscic's lab.

Friscic is interested in commercializing this technology, and will work with McGill and Acsynam, an existing spin-off company from his laboratory, to make this happen.
A Dublin mother wept in court as she was jailed for three weeks after her eight-year-old son missed almost 230 school days in less than two years.

The woman, in her 30s, was convicted at the District Court of neglecting the boy's education following a prosecution by Tusla, Child and Family Agency.

Judge Anthony Halpin did not accept she had done her best to get her child to school, and the situation got worse following her trial in October when sentencing was adjourned.

"I'm not satisfied the defendant has got the message," he said.

"[She had] not learned anything from the court hearing.

"The child is suffering, and his development has been significantly affected".

A parent can be fined up to 1,000 and jailed for a month for not complying with official warnings about a child's school attendance.

The west Dublin lone parent had been found guilty following a hearing last October 8.

She had been cleared of the same charge in relation to the child's older sibling who was suspected of suffering from depression and anxiety.

Absent

Education and welfare officer Georgina Traynor agreed with prosecutor Shane Reynolds that the boy had been absent from the school roll on 139 out of 175 days during the 2017-18 year, a 79pc absence rate.

Judge Halpin was told that so far in the 2018-19 year, he has missed 90 out of 134 days (67pc absence).

Ms Traynor said this "was going to have an obvious effect on teaching and learning" for him.

She agreed there were concerns the woman failed to put in place a routine to ensure her son attended school.

This had a knock-on effect on a speech and language service provided to the boy who had attended five out of nine of those sessions since November.

Judge Halpin noted the school principal had given evidence of learning and development delay which was "inextricably linked" to the child's attendance.

Pleading for leniency, defence counsel Beatrice Vance said teachers agreed the boy was bright, enjoyed school and seemed happy.

An older sibling of the boy was thought to have anxiety and depression and it had been difficult for the mother to get that child to school as well.

Sometimes the eight-year-old boy mimicked that behaviour, Ms Vance said.

He had also needed to get his tonsils taken out, the court was told.

Ms Vance said health problems impacted on the boy's ability to go to school, that his mother was the sole carer for her children and was doing her best.

However, the judge said he did not agree she was putting in her best effort.

A doctor's report stated there had been a "blanket refusal" by the boy to engage with the school.

Sentence

The judge said he thought there would have to be an improved attendance level for a mitigation plea to have any reality and that there was no alternative but to impose the custodial sentence.

The woman, accompanied to court by her mother, wept as sentence was passed. She did not give evidence yesterday.

In the event of an appeal, bail was set at 1,500.
Robert Fogarty had to be forcibly removed from a patrol car

A pub-goer stopped by gardai as he pushed an electric bike up a hill reacted badly as he thought officers were being sarcastic when they asked him for his name, a court has heard.

Robert Fogarty (49) tried to bite a garda and had to be forcibly removed from the patrol car following his arrest.

Judge John Cheatle imposed a three-month sentence, which he suspended for 12 months after Fogarty donated 200 to the Garda Benevolent Fund.

The defendant, of Cardy Rock Court, Balbriggan, admitted public order charges including threatening and abusive behaviour and failing to provide a name and address to gardai.

Sergeant Terri Ferguson told Swords District Court that gardai were on patrol at Drogheda Street, Balbriggan, on January 14 when they came across Fogarty, who was unsteady on his feet.

Difficulties

He became verbally abusive when gardai asked for his name and address, and a number of gardai were needed to remove him from a patrol car.

Sgt Ferguson said Fogarty tried to remove his handcuffs and tried to bite a garda.

The court heard he had 47 previous convictions, including previous public order offences.

Defence solicitor Fiona D'Arcy said that Fogarty went to the garda station the next day and apologised for his behaviour.

Ms D'Arcy said the defendant had been out socialising and had had a few drinks.

He had an electric bike and was having difficulties pushing it up the hill when gardai spoke to him and asked for his name.

Fogarty thought gardai were being sarcastic as he is from Balbriggan, and it "all kicked off" from there, Ms D'Arcy said.

She added that Fogarty was "so disappointed" and had been "punishing himself for his behaviour" as he had not been in trouble for some time.
Some of the weapons and ammunition seized in the raid

Detectives are investigating if a huge haul of weapons and bullets seized in a raid were due to be used in a "gangland spectacular" attack on close associates of a man who was shot last month.

Officers targeting an organised Traveller gang recovered a Makarov RAK submachine gun, a Skorpion machine pistol, five loaded magazines, a Colt Magnum, around 200 rounds of loose ammunition, more than 200 shotgun cartridges and a silencer in a high-profile raid in Finglas last Friday.

A monkey, nicknamed George by gardai, was also found in a cage when officers raided the site.

Blamed

The Herald can now reveal that this Traveller mob had "extremely close links" to gangster Eric Fowler (34), who was shot dead in December after he was blamed for stealing 50,000 in cash late last year from his former associates.

"Fowler was regularly observed at that halting site in Finglas. He was spotted up there on numerous occasions over the years and even in the days before he was shot dead last December 22. He was part of their organised crime network," a source told the Herald last night.

Gardai have been probing whether criminal Lee Boylan (24) was the victim of a retaliation shooting last month after Fowler's mates blamed his associates for the pre- Christmas murder.

It has now emerged that in a tangled gangland web, Fowler's mob is suspected of enlisting the Traveller crime gang to target more associates of Boylan, who was left with life-altering injuries after being shot in a daylight attack while he sat in his van at Blakestown Road, west Dublin, on March 6.

"This massive arms cache was brought to Dublin from the south-east of the country - its intended use was an attack against Lee Boylan's associates," a source told the Herald.

"This could have been a so-called gangland spectacular, resulting in multiple deaths - and in particular a very close associate of Boylan, based in the Blanchardstown area and aged in his 50s, was being lined up to be killed.

"However, gardai who have been investigating the Fowler murder, and a number of murder attempts in the locality in the last few months, gained important information about the weapons in the days before the find."

Two brothers who are suspected of being key members of the dangerous organised gang which was the target of the search operation at the halting site at Ratoath Road, Finglas, were arrested at the scene.

The brothers, aged 30 and 40, were released without charge on Saturday after officers were initially not able to link them to the weapons, guns and drugs - which were not found in "any particular property", according to gardai - but a file will be prepared for the DPP.

Hidden

It is understood the weaponry and ammo seized on Friday was actually hidden in waste ground on the site, meaning criminal charges could be difficult to obtain in the case.

One of the targeted Traveller mob's leaders is currently locked up awaiting trial for a massive cash seizure, while two other main players were busted with 220,000 of drugs cash in the Netherlands last year as part of a major operation by armed Dutch police in a suburb of Amsterdam.

The duo spent a number of months in custody in the Netherlands before eventually being bailed and returning to Ireland.

They are closely related to the suspects who were arrested in Friday's massive raid, which involved around 50 gardai, including armed officers.

The wider gang has been the subject of a number of operations by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB), including a massive raid in Co Meath last November which saw officers seize 1.5m in cash.

Last month, the Herald revealed that the botched shooting on Boylan was carried out in revenge for the Fowler murder - which has been blamed on associates of Boylan, who have links to the Kinahan cartel.

While not considered a major criminal and not an actual suspect in the Eric Fowler murder, Boylan has links to dangerous gangland criminals with connections to the cartel, including Finglas mobster 'Mr Flashy'.

In May 2017, Boylan was one of four men allegedly linked to the drugs trade who had thousands of euro in cash confiscated after a customs seizure at Dublin Airport in February 2016.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that a total of 17,600 was found on the four men as they prepared to travel to Malaga, Spain, on one-way tickets.

Despite the cash seizure setback, Boylan's associates continued to be involved in the lucrative drugs trade in the Dublin 15 area of the city.

Sources say that this brought them into contact with Fowler, who also had close links to the Kinahan cartel and was also heavily involved in the local drugs trade.

Gardai believe that just weeks before his murder, some of Boylan's associates accused Fowler of stealing the massive narcotics cash haul and decided to have him murdered when he failed to pay back the cash, the sources said.

Meanwhile, the seized monkey was still being cared for by the DSPCA last night.
The key to longevity? Stay relevant and always look to the future - that's 103-year-old Sr Maureen Kehoe's top tip.

The proud nun and family woman celebrated her big birthday surrounded by 30 of her closest family and friends at the weekend.

She has also received a third commemorative coin from President Michael D Higgins to add to her collection.

Sr Kehoe, who joined the Daughters of Charity at the age of 22, lives in St Theresa's Temple Hill in Blackrock, Dublin.

Her niece Phil Kehoe described the centenarian as a "people person, a wonderful communicator and a career woman".

Sr Kehoe is much-respected for her work in Crumlin Children's Hospital with well-known Irish heart surgeon, activist and newspaper columnist Maurice Neligan, who passed away in 2010.

"Sr Kehoe loves people, she's always been one for people," Phil told the Herald.

"She never kept in the past, she's always looking to the future.

Fantastic

"She's always been very relevant and she has a determination for a sense of achievement."

Phil described her aunt as "a fantastic person".

"She was so full of life on her birthday and had such a good time," she added.

"It was a fantastic thing to see all of her family and friends there and I'm sure we'll do it all again this time next year."

And although Sr Kehoe was born before the Easter Rising and the Battle of the Somme, she does not let her advanced age get in the way of living a full life.

"Maureen is quite the woman and continues to be very involved in life," Phil said.

"At 103, she loves going out for drives and would visit her church on a daily basis - and she is very much part of her community.

"She has such a great sense of humour and often says that she feels so lucky to still have her marbles."

Phil described how Sr Kehoe was heavily involved in the local community during her distinguished career.

She would even have been involved in the first Alzheimer's unit in Blackrock and was there when former president Mary Robinson came to visit.

"We all have such a huge amount of respect for Maureen because she has dedicated her life to giving, expecting nothing in return," said Phil.

"Maureen's family were also very supportive and I'm sure her parents were always so proud of her.

"Her godson is now going on 87 and has a very successful company, which he is still very much involved with."
A digger comes off the back of the truck it was travelling on after crashing into the bridge on Amiens Street yesterday

A digger smashing into a Dublin city bridge could have led to people being killed yesterday, Irish Rail has warned.

There were serious delays following the Amiens Street collision which happened at about 1.20pm.

Dramatic CCTV footage of the incident shows a lorry carrying the digger, which smashed into the bridge at Connolly Station as the truck tried to pass beneath.

Rail services between Connolly and Tara Street were suspended as a result but later resumed.

Irish Rail shared dramatic CCTV footage of the crash as it urged drivers to be aware of their load height.

There was also a warning that the crash could have been fatal.

"Had pedestrians, cyclists or motorists been on the other side of the road, people could have been killed at Amiens Street at lunchtime," Irish Rail said in a statement.

"Know your load height for the safety of all."

A garda spokeswoman told the Herald that there had been no structural damage to the railway bridge following the incident.

Last month, a similar incident happened at the same site, where an articulated lorry became wedged under the bridge.

Campaign

Irish Rail figures confirmed that there were 95 bridge strikes in 2018, compared with 85 the previous year.

One bridge, between Portmarnock and Malahide, was the country's worst for collisions last year, with seven incidents reported.

Dublin City councillor Janice Boylan is now calling for an awareness campaign into the height restrictions of bridges across the capital.

"This latest incident could have been fatal," she said.

"There was a poor man on the footpath.

"Only by the grace of God he wasn't in the way when the digger fell.

"People who drive trucks for a living really need to be aware of their surroundings.

"I believe the council need to create an awareness campaign and erect far more signposts in the proximity of these bridges."

Ms Boylan added that she does not think increasing the height of Irish Rail's bridges is the right thing to do.

"A lot of these bridges are more than 100 years old, and they have an important historic significance in our city," she said.

"I don't think it is necessary to increase their heights."

The Irish Rail network comprises around 400 bridges which cross public roads.

The company works closely with the Irish Road Haulage Association and local authorities to educate and inform drivers of the dangers.
BASF will increase the production capacity for its Sodium Methylate plant in Guaratingueta, Brazil. The nameplate capacity will increase by 30%, from currently 60,000 metric tons to 80,000 metric tons. The new capacity will come onstream in 2020.

Sodium Methylate is an efficient and reliable catalyst that provides a sustainable solution for the production and use of Biodiesel, meeting the requirements of engine manufacturers for high-quality fuels and lower emissions. Sodium methylate supports higher yields and low preparation cost for Biodiesel.

With this expansion, BASF will support the growth of its Sodium Methylate customers. Brazil is an important and significant market for Biodiesel and corresponding catalysts. Customers demands, and requirements have been evolving to accomplish the environmental and economic strategy of the country, supporting the local agriculture and biofuels production.

We will invest to join our customers in their fast growth and to support their future requirements. This will reinforce our commitment to serve them by providing a local and reliable supply of sodium methylate, said Alejandro Heine, Vice President, BASF Industrial Chemicals South America.

BASFs site in Guaratingueta, Brazil, is ideally suited for the investment to supply the growing customer demand in Brazil and other South American countries. The site is close to the leading biodiesel producers in Brazil, as well as close to Santos port providing logistic advantages for exports to the region.
Boeing is working on a software update that its CEO says will fix the problem, but the update was delayed recently by several weeks because of the discovery of a second software problem. Boeing hasn't described the second issue but says it is not related to the anti-stall system.
Theres still a lot of speculation about vaccines out there and, of course, we try to dispel those myths all the time when we talk to families, Belmonte said. I think we also know life is busy and if some people are waiting to get into their next visit, well get them in earlier to get the vaccine.
While the process is now in the hands of a Chapter 7 Trustee, Johnson Publishing Company is grateful for its 77 years of existence, and the unwavering loyalty, dedication and commitment of its employees, vendors and customers, the company said in a news release. The incredible legacy and impact of Johnson Publishing Company will always be honored and hold a proud place in the African American experience.
Crash involving three tractor-trailers, vehicle, closes I-81

Southbound Interstate 81 in Washington County has been closed following a crash involving three tractor-trailers and a vehicle.
The consultancy and auditing firms Ignition Center, as the new space is called, is meant to be used for advising clients on how to adapt new technologies and remain competitive. Some employees, such as the technology team, will sit on the floor, and there will be space for clients to see certain technologies in action.
Pipeline noted that last month it had also filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Melrose Park that accused Pipeline and two of its leaders of lying about their plans to close the hospital so they wouldn't face opposition when purchasing it. Pipeline said in its release Tuesday that it didnt know the full extent of Westlakes operating loss for 2018, which it called devastating, until after it applied to the state to buy the hospital. Westlake had a net operating loss of $14 million in 2018, according to Pipeline.
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The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was only one in a cluster of unconnected events in 1979 that transformed Asia and the world. Some others also stand out: the revolution in Iran; the execution of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto; the beginning of the age of globalisation represented by the election of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan in the UK and the US respectively; and, finally, the beginning of a new relationship between the US and China.

Each of these weighs heavily on the present. In our immediate neighbourhood in Pakistan and Afghanistan, democracy deficit and foreign invasion respectively have vitiated politics and society since 1979. The understanding forged in 1979 between China and the US seems now finally to be ending. The Brexit drama is fuelled in large part both by discontents of the European idea of 1989 as of globalisation in general.

As another foreign intervention draws to a close in Afghanistan, it also evokes memories of 1989 as Soviet intervention came to an end. This had been the Soviet Unions longest military intervention. Its origins in December 1979 lie at the end of a long season of political instability and intra-Afghan conflict. The entry of Soviet troops into Kabul was accompanied by the execution of the Afghan President, Hafizullah Amin. He had himself come to power only some weeks earlier following a coup against his predecessor, Nur Mohammad Taraki, who also was murdered after the coup. Taraki had in turn deposed (and murdered) the earlier President, Mohammad Daud Khan, in a coup in April 1978. Afghan disunity and outside interference created the conditions for foreign invasion and subsequent decades have shown how deep both these factors are.

Much like the Soviet Union did in the late 1980s, the US now contemplates the end of its longest ever military engagement. Its endgame throws up an inevitable comparison with the then Soviet Unions diplomatic moves. Then, as now, a principal driver of the diplomacy surrounding the entire negotiation was the imperative of withdrawal. The Soviet Union had been speaking about a time frame for phased withdrawal for some years but in December 1987, President Mikhail Gorbachevs announcement of a withdrawal within one year focused minds. This was followed by a further ultimatum in April 1988 that the withdrawal would take place with or without an agreement.

In the current US-Taliban negotiations, the feature most commented upon is the exclusion of the Afghanistan government. To many, this is the US delegitimising and eroding the standing of the government it has done so much to put in place and steadily support. In this view, it is not so much a political settlement that is being concluded as a framework for withdrawal. In 1988, too many felt that the Geneva Accords were no more than a face saver for Soviet withdrawal and not a template for intra-Afghan peace.

Two novel features of the 1988 agreement seem relevant to recall. The Geneva accords of April 1988 were signed by the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan with the Soviet Union and the US acting as guarantors. Nevertheless, Pakistan premised its signature on its existing policy of not recognising the regime in Kabul. The US similarly held that its role as a guarantor to an agreement the government of Afghanistan had just signed was not intended to imply in any respect recognition of the present regime in Kabul as the lawful government of Afghanistan! The second feature was equally novel. Both the Soviet Union and the US retained the option to continue military assistance to the conflicting parties  the Afghan government and the Mujahideen alliance based in Pakistan. This option was specifically intended to nullify in legal terms the principle of non-interference and non-intervention prominently mentioned in the Geneva Accord.

These two features show the enormous flexibility that can be embedded in a creative negotiating process. But they also underline what the Geneva accords really were  a mechanism for Soviet withdrawal. These two features ensured the subsequent failure to build peace in Afghanistan. The historical moment we are poised at today recalls elements of both 1979 and 1988/1989 as lack of internal Afghan consensus and legitimacy for external interference comprise an Afghan knot which is not easy to untie.

T CA Raghavan is a retired diplomat and is currently director general of the Indian Council of World Affairs.

The views expressed are personal
When Congress president Rahul Gandhi announced his intention to also contest from Wayanand besides Amethi a seat strategically chosen for its location on the tri-state border junction between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu  some of the sharpest attacks on the decision came not from the usual opponent, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), but from a nominal ally, the Left Front. They decried Rahuls decision as a betrayal of the unity of secular forces. Never mind the fact that Wayanad has traditionally been a Congress stronghold and any candidate of the United Democratic Front (UDF)-Congress-led alliance in Kerala would have won easily. The Lefts angst is understandable.

After being reduced to irrelevance across most parts of the country, the Left is heavily depending on the 20 seats in Kerala, the only state where it is ruling, to shore up its numbers in Parliament. If Gandhis candidature has a ripple effect across neighbouring constituencies, as it is likely to, this might upset the Lefts calculations. For the Indian Left, which, immediately after Independence, constituted the second most powerful block in Parliament after the Congress, the decline has been precipitous. This has occurred even as its main opponent, the BJP (or Jana Sangh in its earlier avatar), has grown from strength to strength.

If July 2008 represented the apogee of the Indian Left parties, when they collectively almost brought down the Union government on the Indo-US nuclear deal, the parliamentary elections this year may mark its nadir. Although the Lefts appeal has geographically shrunk over the decades, till recently it could reliably count on its traditional citadels like West Bengal, Tripura and, of course, Kerala to return a healthy chunk of seats The Left Front (comprising the CPI (M), CPI, RSP and AIFB) commanded 59 seats in the 14th Lok Sabha. However, with West Bengal now largely being a fight between the Trinamool Congress and the BJP, the Left has become a fringe player in the state. In the 2014 parliamentary polls, it won only two of the 42 seats in West Bengal. With Tripura now hosting a saffron government, the Lefts prospects in the state are not too bright. In any case, the state has just two seats in the Lok Sabha.

So Kerala was the one state where the Left was hoping to do really well. However the Pinarayi Vijayan-led governments mismanagement last year of the once-in-a-century floods, which devastated large parts of the state, the ham handed manner in which it tried to enforce the Supreme Court order on allowing entry of women into Sabarimala, the hasty introduction and withdrawal of a draft bill to regulate functioning of Churches (properties and institutions) alienating the powerful Christian community, all are likely to have an impact on the poll outcome. The political violence across the state, which left more than 30 dead in the three years of the Left rule, will have a bearing on the results.

Surprisingly the usually fractious UDF seems to have got its act together. Unlike in several other parts of the country, the Congress and its allies were quick to announce their candidates. Also, except for the odd note of dissent, as in Eranakulam, where the five-term Member of Parliament (MP), KV Thomas, was replaced by National Students Union of India leader, Hibi Eden, the UDF seems to have largely got its caste, region and religion balance right. With the Gandhi candidacy factor expected to boost the morale of the alliance workers, the UDF seems to be ahead in the race.

One X-factor on which no two analysts seem to agree is what role the BJP, which is the emerging force in the state, is likely to play. In the last general election, the party got 10.82% of votes but no seats. It came close to getting its maiden Lok Sabha MP from the states capital, Thiruvananathapuram, where the Congresss Shashi Tharoor barely managed to eke out a victory by a margin of 15,7000 votes, in a seat which saw nearly a million votes polled. This time the BJP is hoping for a better performance, which is why its star campaigners, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president, Amit Shah, have repeatedly toured the state. The Left Front would be dearly hoping that the BJP cuts into the UDFs votes. Otherwise the new Parliament might see the lowest representation of Left parties ever. If that comes to pass, the Left would have nobody but itself to blame because it has failed to adapt to changing aspirations of all sections of the society across the country.

venkatesha.babu@hindustantimes.com
Alia Bhatt, who is on the top of her game, has reacted to criticism around her onscreen pairing with much older Salman Khan in Sanjay Leela Bhansalis next, Inshallah. Speaking to Pinkvilla, she said that she received no criticism about the pairing; instead she saw a lot of excitement coming her way.

She was quoted as saying: I didnt get any criticism. I think I got a lot of excitement. I think speculation is also a form of excitement in a way and why shouldnt there be speculation. There should be and at least I am not bothered by that and I dont think Salman or Bhansali sir are bothered. I think this is a filmmaker who has given us very good films, he is someone who we all are very fond of and I think we should just trust him with his vision.

Dream with your eyes wide open they say & I did. Sanjay Sir and Salman Khan are magical together & I can't wait to join them on this beautiful journey called "Inshallah" #Inshallah #SLB @BeingSalmanKhan @bhansali_produc @SKFilmsOfficial @prerna982  Alia Bhatt (@aliaa08) March 19, 2019

After days of speculation, it was announced last month that Alia and Salman would star in Bhansalis next, a development not necessarily universally well received. Many of Twitter users expressed their disappointment and were quick in digging out an old picture of the two together when Alia was but a child. Alia remains unfazed by all the talk, so are Salman and Bhansali.

The Raazi actor remains busy as ever; come April 17 and her film, Kalank, will hit the screen. The multi-starrer is hugely anticipated with its trailer and various songs already a hit with fans. Alia has many other interesting projects in her kitty, including Ayan Mukerjis Brahmastra, SS Rajamoulis tentatively titled RRR, Karan Johars directorial Takht. She also has the sequel of Sadak in her kitty. Salman too is a busy star -- his film, Bharats shoot is over and it is expected to be an Eid release. He is currently shooting for Dabangg 3 and also has another remake of a Korean film named Veteran in the pipeline.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Once the final results come in, attention will turn to President Reuven Rivlin. The president, whose responsibilities are mostly ceremonial, is charged with choosing a prime minister after consulting with party leaders and determining who has the best chance of putting together a majority coalition. That responsibility is usually given to the head of the largest party.
Actor Alia Bhatt took everyones breath away with her beauty as she promoted her upcoming film Kalank in Mumbai on Tuesday. Alia and her co-star from the film, Varun Dhawan wore matching white outfits and looked stunning together.

The actors promoted their film on the sets of reality show Voice of India. Kalank is up for release on April 17. The films final song, featuring Madhuri Dixit, was also unveiled on Tuesday.

Alias boyfriend and actor Ranbir Kapoor also returned to Mumbai on Tuesday. He was in New York with his father Rishi Kapoor and mother Neetu Singh.

Ranbir brought the cool chic vibe to this airport outfit. He was seen in a black jacket, shirt, pants and even a black cap. Also channelling the same style at the airport was actor Kartik Aaryan. He gave photographers a big smile as he made his way to the Mumbai airport. Actor Shah Rukh Khans wife and film producer Gauri Khan was also seen at the airport. She was seen in a black jacket, blue jeans and knee-high boots.

Also read: Avengers Endgame new clip: Captain Marvel reveals why she didnt fight against Thanos in Infinity War. Watch

Actor Akshay Kumar and his author wife Twinkle Khanna were also seen at the aiport. The couple shared big laughs at the airport when the paparazzi caught them on camera.

Actors Shahid Kapoor and Kiara Advani were also seen together with the cast and crew of their upcoming film Kabir Singh. The films first teaser was launched on Monday. Kiara looked bright and fresh in a white top and blue bottoms while Shahid rocked a black jacket with a big smile on his face.

Check out pics here:

Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna at the airport. (Varinder Chawla)

Kiara Advani and Shahid Kapoor celebrate Kabir Singh teaser launch. (Varinder Chawla)

Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan promote Kalank on Voice of India. (Varinder Chawla)

Malaika Arora and Amrita Arora at the gym. Kiara Advani spotted in Mumbai. (Varinder Chawla)

Ananya Panday at her dancing class and Janhvi Kapoor stepping out of her gym. (Varinder Chawla)

Adnan Sami and Vivek Oberoi spotted by the paparazzi. (Varinder Chawla)

Gauri Khan, Kartik Aaryan and Ranbir Kapoor at the Mumbai airport. (Varinder Chawla)

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Actor Sara Ali Khan has shared another big bunch of pictures from her New York vacation. The photos show her with a friend as they take a walk on the Brooklyn Bridge and meet strangers in the Central Park.

My favourite spot on this planet is wherever I get to see you. Thank you @bookingcom for taking care of the (apple) of my (eye) in the Big Apple!! #bookingyeah #Ad #myhappyplace #myperson #favourite, she captioned the pics. She can be seen cuddling with her friend in front of a large graffiti, holding on to her as she sits on a large bar on the Brooklyn Bridge, catching up on some chat by the lakeside, visiting the Columbia University, and clicking selfies in large mirrors.

Sara also shared a hi-glam picture of herself from her favourite restaurant in New York in her Instagram stories. A second video showed her trotting on the Brooklyn Bridge and a third video showed her talking to a drummer in Central Park.

Also read: Avengers Endgame new clip: Captain Marvel reveals why she didnt fight against Thanos in Infinity War. Watch

She had earlier shared another picture from the getaway. Just wandering in the city of dreams. Thank you @bookingcom for this exciting escape. Cant wait to re-explore nyc! #ad #bookingyeah #sohonyc #nostalgia #memories, she captioned the pic. One picture is from the Whitney Museum of American Art, while another is from L.A. Burdick Chocolates, and another from Laduree, Soho. According to an IANS report, Sara is staying at a luxurious five star hotel at Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, overlooking the Empire State Building.

Sara recently wrapped up a shoot schedule of her untitled Imtiaz Ali film, reportedly a sequel to 2009s Love Aaj Kal. Sara, and the films male lead Kartik Aaryan, shot for the film in New Delhi for a couple of weeks. The film is scheduled to hit the screens next year.

Love Aaj Kal, a romantic-comedy film, released in 2009. It featured Saras father and actor Saif Ali Khan as the films lead and Deepika Padukone and Rishi Kapoor in key roles.

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Television show host Malaika Arora knows how to give the most perfect replies to her haters. She has shared yet another hot new pic from her recent vacation in Maldives and this time, it is dedicated to all those who age shamed her.

The new pic shows her giving a cheeky wink to the camera. She is wearing a colourful bikini and posing on the sunny beaches of the tourist paradise. Being happy is a choice .n I choose to be happy ..... also I think happiness looks good on me...... so keep ur opinions n ur negativity to urself n spare me ur crap #notinterested #toobusybeinghappy #notimefornegativity #tuesdaythoughts #43nhappy, she captioned the picture.

Malaikas friends and colleagues from Bollywood also loved her pic. Dia Mirza, Sophie Choudry, Bipasha Basu and more gave her big compliments.

Also read: Avengers Endgame new clip: Captain Marvel reveals why she didnt fight against Thanos in Infinity War. Watch

Malaika is now back in Mumbai from her holiday and was spotted awith her sister Amrita at their gym on Tuesday. She was reportedly vacationing with rumoured boyfriend and actor Arjun Kapoor in Maldives last week. While they did not share any pictures with each other on their social media profile, they returned to Mumbai together. Arjun shared selfies from the vacation and Malaika shared pics from her swim in the pool or day spent out at the sea.

Arjun and Malaika are rumoured to be planning their wedding. However, Arjuns father Boney Kapoor has refuted the rumours. Arjun himself has said that he will let people know about his plans when the time is right. Arjun said: When there is something to talk about, you will all know. Asked if he was disturbed with the intrusion of privacy, he said, Not really... It is a very small price to pay. At the end of the day, for what I have gained out of being an actor, somebody who is known across the country and the world, its a small price. And people like to know how we are. They like to be surprised how normal we are, they like to know our idiosyncrasies. It doesnt really bother me. If anyone says mujhe meri privacy chahiye (I want my privacy) then you are in the wrong profession. Because you sell that the day you become recognisable.

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Actor Amy Jackson and her husband-to-be George Panayiotou will throw an engagement bash in London on May 5, according to a report in Filmfare. It will be held at their home.

Amy has invited some of close friends from the film industry, adds the report. The invite to the event read: We would love to invite you to our home to celebrate our engagement and to kickstart Summer 2019. The dress code for the occasion is Classy Chic. Timing: 4 pm till late, the invite further says. As per a report in India Today, Amy is keen on a serene Greek wedding.

Also read | Avengers Endgame new clip: Captain Marvel reveals why she didnt fight against Thanos in Infinity War. Watch

On March 31, Amy had taken to Instagram to share a picture of both of them together to announce her pregnancy. She had written: Ive been waiting to shout it from the roof tops, and today, being Mothers Day, it couldnt be a more perfect time... I already love you more than anything in this world, the purest most honest love. We cant wait to meet you our little Libra one.

Amy and George got engaged to each other on January 1 this year in Zambia. Flaunting her engagement ring, Amy had written on Instagram: YES A GAZILLION TIMES!!!!! 1st January 2019 - The start of our new adventure in life I love you. Thankyou for making me the happiest girl in the world.

Amy was recently seen in the Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar starrer 2.0, where she played a robot. The actor was seen in Hindi films like Singh Is Bling with Akshay in 2015 as well.

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The three-day old infant of a CRPF jawan who was killed in the Pulwama terror attack earlier this year has been admitted to a private hospital in Ranchi in a critical condition.

About two months after jawan Ratan Thakur from Ratanpur village in Bhagalpur died in the attack, his wife Rajnandini Devi gave birth to a son on April 6. As the birth was premature, the baby developed health problems and was admitted to a private hospital in Bhagalpur, where the doctors referred the case to Rani Childrens hospital here.

Also Read: Killed CRPF jawan Ratan Thakur was to become a father again

Dr Rakesh Kumar, senior paediatrician at Rani hospital, said the infant had developed complications such as intraventricular haemorrhage (bleeding into the fluid-filled areas inside the brain and hydrocephalus (fluid in the brain) because of being born in the eighth month of pregnancy. As per the medical report, the baby did not cry after birth.

We have a fifty-fifty situation. The hospital is ensuring the best possible medical treatment for the baby. He has been kept on a ventilator, Dr Rakesh said.

The hospital administration announced a 50% waiver on all charges. It will be decided in the board meeting whether all charges can be waived off, said administrator Mukul Ghosh.

Rajnandini and the martyrs father Ramniranjan Thakur kept pleading with the doctors. I cant lose another son now. He is born after his father passed away. Ill ensure that he fills his fathers footsteps. Please save him, Ramniranjan appealed.

Rajnandini said the thought of losing her son after the demise of her husband was excruciating. She said, I have not lost hope. The people of India were united in their prayers when my husband was martyred. I appeal to the people to pray for the son of a martyr. Ratan left younger siblings Soni Kumari, a Bihar police employee; Milan Kumar, a graduate; and Neetu Kumari, an undergraduate student. He has a three-year old son, Krishna.
Exotic breeds, such as Saint Bernard and Siberian Husky, are not meant for tropical climate of India. The greatest act of kindness that one can show to these breeds is not to buy them at all

It was a scorching hot afternoon. From the relative comfort of my car, I saw a St Bernard being dragged for a walk. Rather, he was standing at one end of the chain, while the other was being held carelessly by perhaps a walker, who was busy jabbering on a mobile phone and had his headphones on.

There are so many things wrong with this; I dont know where to start.

First and foremost is the matter of the St. Bernard. Our friend here was a picture of misery. He was listless, panting heavily and was trapped under a heavy coat that suited the Swiss Alps but not the 45 Celsius heat of Gurugram or Delhi. Huskies are from the Siberian peninsula, where the temperature can be as low as -60 Celsius. Saint Bernard, with brandy barrels on its throat, has long been deployed in the snowy Swiss Alps on rescue missions to locate travellers trapped in snow storms. Obviously, both have a low tolerance for heat.

What is it that prompts the utter madness of owning (a word that I personally abhor. Dogs are friends or family. I dont own them, if anything at all, they own me) St Bernard or Siberian Husky  breeds that are only meant for the extreme cold weather.

It might be that St Bernard pups are utterly cute (but then all pups are) fur balls and Huskies have gorgeous blue eyes (though I prefer melting brown ones). Perhaps, it is a status symbol to acquire these fancy, imported breeds. But these dogs have heavy fur. Imagine wearing a heavy overcoat right through the summer. Trapped in extreme dry heat (or hot and humid cities like Mumbai), these dogs end up with serious health problems. Someone in our colony would keep theirs out in the small balcony all day long, through the year. This is another shocking act of cruelty to dogs, which are pack animals, social beings, and love being with their people. The dog, apparently, stank. Yes, it would. Because it had developed skin ailments in the hot weather and was neglected. Some owners do provide air conditioning throughout the day. But, most owners do not provide. However, being in such an artificial environment all day long with little exercise does the dog no good.

An act of kindness is not to get such breeds at all; they are simply not suited to Indian climate. Their upkeep is expensive, and even with the best care, ill-health dogs them.

What also distressed me was the carelessness of people employed to take the St Bernard for a walk. I learnt a lesson when mine broke free from our help (who was busy chatting) to rush toward me and was crushed underneath a speeding car. He survived. It taught me a bitter lesson. Now, either we take him out ourselves, or our help must go through a drill, not unlike those employed for the White House security, before we entrust our dog to them.

Check the credentials of the walker, impress how important the dog is to you, accompany them initially, and carry out surprise checks. A friends dog was stolen when out for such a walk, and it shattered her to know he was probably confined to a hellhole for breedingthe reason for stealing or dog-napping. It is on the rise in Gurugram. Certain breeds like the bully, mastiff, rottweiler, doberman and pit bull are also used for dog fights in Haryana and Punjab.

If you want a dog in your home, adopt one suited to Indian climates. Ask yourself if you are prepared to take the responsibility and expense. If she or he is going to be part of the family, only then get one home.

One of the worst fallouts of getting ill-suited breeds like the St Bernard is they are routinely abandoned. Most perish, and that is something I am going to focus on in my next column.

@prernabindra

(Prerna Singh Bindra is a former member of the National Board for Wildlife. She is the author of The Vanishing: Indias Wildlife Crisis.)
Calling it the biggest seizure of heroin in a single catch in the national capital in the last six years, the Delhi Police on Monday said that they had recovered 50 kilograms of the banned drug from two cars.

The police estimated the worth of the seized drug in the international market to be over Rs 200 crore.

According to Sanjeev Yadav, deputy commissioner of police (special cell), the previous biggest seizure was in 2013 when the Delhi Police had recovered 49 kilograms of heroin from Lodhi Colony.

With this, the special cell has seized 177 kilograms of heroin in a total of dozen raids since January 1 this year. In all, 39 suspected drug traders have been arrested by the specialised agency in these cases.

Going by the Delhi Polices usual estimation of the international price of heroin, the total worth of the recovered drug this year has being pegged at Rs 708 crore. In the latest instance, the DCP said that the four arrested men included the rackets alleged kingpin, 50-year-old Manoj Kumar Das. Das was procuring the heroin from Manipur. He has been a part of this business for at least eight years, the DCP said.

The police said that for the last five months, they had been on the trail of this racket, through which heroin was allegedly being supplied to states like Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The information available with the police was that the gang was collecting heroin from suppliers in Manipur, who in turn were procuring the raw material from the hilly terrains along the borders of Manipur and Myanmar.

On Thursday, the special cell received a specific tip that two members of this syndicate would be visiting Delhi in a Swift Dzire car to deliver heroin to a contact in north Delhis Burari.

Around 1.45pm, we noticed the car and checked it to recover 25 kilograms of heroin from the cavities of the vehicle. The rest of the heroin was found in the possession of the cars two occupants, Mohammad Sufiyan and Mohammad Ismail, the DCP said.

The interrogation of the two arrested suspects gave away the identity and location of the alleged kingpin. Das was subsequently arrested on Friday in Patna, the DCP said. On Saturday, the police also arrested Hasim, the alleged fourth member of the syndicate.

Sufiyan and Ismail have allegedly confessed to having smuggled heroin to Delhi at least five times in the recent months, all using the same modus operandi using the cavities of the car. Hasim allegedly turned out to be the man who was to collect the drug when the first set of arrests happened on Thursday.
On Sunday, the Samajwadi Party(SP)-Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP)-Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) alliance in Uttar Pradesh (UP) held its first rally in Saharanpurs Deoband. This was the first time that the three parties leaders  Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati and Ajit Singh  representing distinct political traditions and social groups, and with a long history of political rivalry, came together. The gathering was impressive in terms of both numerical strength and organisational synergy. More substantively though, in terms of messaging, the rally, as expected, was marked by a rather robust critique of the Narendra Modi government. But what was as striking was Ms Mayawatis sharp attack against the Congress  she is understood to have been the most resistant to a wider alliance with the Congress. Apprehensive that Muslims will split between the two anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) forces in the fray, the BSP leader explicitly appealed to the community to not waste their votes on the Congress but consolidate fully behind the Gathbandhan (alliance).

The quest for the Muslim vote has been a feature of a rather distorted secular politics in India for long, and Ms Mayawatis appeal fits into that tradition. This is disturbing because mobilising votes on the basis of religion is playing with fire. If this call for Muslim votes constitutes one danger, the quest to construct a Hindu vote  by appealing to raw emotions, and stoking suspicion and hatred of the minorities  constitutes the other danger. The BJP and its ideological fellow travellers have been most guilty of this. The two tendencies feed into each other.

Indias history has enough instances to show that majority and minority communalism have perilous consequences. In this election, all parties must stay away from both shallow secularism, which seeks to treat minorities as a homogeneous votebank to be mobilised, and majoritarianism, which seeks to blur all the diversity within the Hindu fold. Identity matters in electoral politics. But parties often use identity to divert the electorate from the real issues of livelihood, economy, governance, and escape the responsibility of providing a vision for the future. Let voters vote as individuals, exercising their judgement on issues, rather than treat their religious identity as the primary driver of political choice.
The controversy over the Indian Air Force (IAF) killing a Pakistani F-16 during the February 27 aerial dogfight between the air forces of the two countries refuses to die. In order to quash all doubts, the IAF called a press briefing on Monday and released evidence supporting its claim. If one puts all the circumstantial evidence together, it does presents a compelling narrative. To begin with, the Pakistani army spokesperson, Asif Ghafoor, spoke of two pilots captured on the day of the dogfight. Later he changed his statement to claim that Pakistan had just one Indian pilot in custody. Pakistan also made the claim that F-16s were not at all used in the dogfight. The IAF has conclusively established that this was patently untrue.

Now, did a Mig-21 Bison actually shoot down an F-16? On Monday, the IAF released radar images which show a Pakistani F-16 vanishing in a matter of eight seconds. The IAF also has telephone communications intercepts which corroborate the fact that two pilots were captured. Parachutes were sighted at two different locations. In normal course, this much evidence would have sealed the debate. However, a recent report in the Foreign Policy magazine quoted two unnamed senior US defence officials, who revealed that an audit of F-16s in Pakistan has been conducted and no plane was found missing. If this report is accurate, then there is no question of an F-16 being shot down on February 27. Then, the US Defence department said it was unaware of any such count having been undertaken. Pakistan has also released an image of missiles retrieved from the Mig-21 Bison that fell in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The experts are divided on whether one of those missiles (as seen in the picture) actually hit an F-16.

The IAF has released all the evidence it could without comprising confidential information, but the key lies with the Pakistan army, which had claimed the capture of two pilots but went completely mum on the second pilot. It is for the Pakistani media now to probe the matter and ask penetrating questions of the top armed forces officials in the country. Still, this is a good time for the IAF to review the happenings of the day and introspect on its battlefield capabilities and communication strategy.
A fortnight after the Khar police busted a fake admissions racket and arrested Mehfuz Shaikh from Bandra, the Santacruz police apprehended one of his accomplices on Friday.

Anand Ghosh, 33, provided Shaikh with bank accounts to deposit money the latter took from parents by promising admissions for their children in institutes of their choice. The police said Ghosh has six bank accounts and was paid 10% every time Shaikh used any of them.

In our case, we found the duo had targeted parents of a 3-year-old girl from Vile Parle. The complainant had sought admissions for his daughter at a local school in November 2018. A few days later, he received a call from an aide of one of the trustees, said sub-inspector Sanjay Sarolkar from Santacruz police station.

It was Shaikh who had called the complainant and promised admission for his daughter. He gave the man bank details and asked him to deposit 1 lakh. After a month, Shaikh again asked the complainant to deposit 40,000. This prompted the man to visit the school in December 2018.

After meeting the school authorities, the complainant realised that he had been cheated. He then approached us. A probe revealed that Shaikh had made more than 10 transactions using Ghoshs bank accounts, Sarolkar said.

The police said Shaikh would converse with school guards and slyly take pictures of the visitors book to find possible targets. A probe will be initiated to find out if any of the guards are part of the racket, said another police officer.
"The building that I purchased is in bad shape," says Petrow. "I can't say it's opening on June 1st or anything like that. It's going to take a while. I have plans to increase the square footage by 150 percent." While his first priority is to open a second Burt's location there, he can't say that will definitely happen just yet.
The fourth National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2019 list was released by President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday and the University of Mumbai (MU) had reason to celebrate as it finally broke through into the 101-150 rank bracket. In the university category, MU made it to the 81st rank this year, moving up several notches out of the 151-200 bracket in which it was stuck for the past two years.

The Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) took a hit this year and dropped by one rank in the overall (4th) as well as the engineering list (3rd).

University of Mumbai has made a lot of improvements according to NIRF standards. This includes mainly research publications, patent, research funding, and passing percentage. With the help of the faculty members and stakeholders, the varsity will make an effort to further improve its ranking, said professor Suhas Pednekar, vice chancellor, MU.

The Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), Mumbai, went up by three ranks and stood 37th in the overall rankings.

Among individual colleges, Mumbais St Xaviers College dropped several ranks on the NIRF list and stood 96th compared to the 76th and 46th rank it held in 2018 and 2017, respectively.
Police on Monday arrested a 22-year-old man from Aya Nagar in Delhi for allegedly killing his wife by smashing her head with a stone in the forest area near Nathupur, DLF Phase 3, after a heated argument between them over his suspicions that she was having an affair.

The police arrested the suspect, identified as Dharmender Kumar, after they recovered the womans body from Nathupur on Sunday morning. According to the police, Kumar, a resident of Akrauli in Uttar Pradesh, informed his brother after killing his wife. Later, his brother told his wife and she informed the nephew of the landlord who called the police. A PCR van reached the spot and rushed the woman to the Civil Hospital where she was declared brought dead.

The police said the couple had been living in a rented accommodation at Chhatarpur in Delhi for the past five months. They had got married after a courtship of six months.

The victim, 20, was identified as Kajal, a native of Assam. She worked as a domestic help in the area, said the police. The accused, who worked at an eatery shop in Ghaziabad, was currently unemployed, which was allegedly one of the reasons for frequent fights between the two.

The incident took place on Saturday afternoon when the couple was on their way to Gurugram to meet Kumars elder brother, who lived in Nathupur slum area, said the police.

While walking towards the house, the couple had a heated argument. In a fit of rage, Kumar allegedly attacked her head multiple times with a stone. He probably thought she would not be identified, said Karan Goyal, assistant commissioner of police (DLF).

Kumar then fled the spot and boarded a bus for Moradabad in UP from Delhi.

Kumars brother became suspicious when they did not reach his house until evening and their mobile phones were switched off. He approached the police. However, no missing report was lodged.

The man after killing his wife boarded a bus and went to his parents in Akrauli, some 280 km from Gurugram. He told his parents about the murder. He told them that she died on the spot. They informed his elder brother about it, said Goyal.

The police identified the woman with the help of her Aadhar card and mobile phone recovered from the spot. They called the last dialled numbers and also set three numbers, including of the husband, on technical surveillance, and tracked his location in UP and in Delhi on Monday.

The accused reached Aya Nagar on Monday, and was on his way to his rented room when the police nabbed him.

The police have recovered the stone used in the crime and the clothes the accused were wearing.
An engineer was killed and eight others were injured in an explosion in the gun shop of the Ordnance Factory on Kanpur on Tuesday.

The tragedy happened when a nitrogen cylinder, attached to the barrel of a light field gun (LFG), exploded when engineers were conducting static pressure test on the LFG barrel.

Ordnance factory general manager MK Garg said Nothing like this has ever happened before. The defence ministry has been informed.

This is a serious incident. We are gathering all details to find out what exactly went wrong, Garg said while ruling out sabotage.

UPs additional chief secretary Awanish Awasthi said Kanpur district magistrate Vijay Vishwas Pant informed him that a nitrogen cylinder had exploded.

Some factory employees said the explosion was deafening and the victims, who suffered burns injuries, were thrown several metres away due impact of the blast.

The deceased, AS Rajput, was an assistant engineer. Three other engineers, Pratap Singh, Pankaj Srivastava and Sandeep Kelkar, examiners Dwarika and MP Mahto, two casual labourers Ram Chandra Gupta and Karuna Shankar and another person were injured. They were taken to a hospital.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed grief over the death and injuries and wished the injured speedy recovery. He also directed the administration to ensure best possible treatment to the injured.
Ten months after a police complaint, and five years after the crime allegedly took place, ex-Bishop of Jalandhar diocese Franco Mullakkal was formally charged with the crime on Tuesday.

Last June, a nun accused the high-ranking clergyman of raping her for a period of two years, starting April 2014.Some of the charges mentioned include rape, non-consensual non-penile vaginal intercourse, illegal confinement, criminal intimidation and destruction of evidence.

Of the 83 witnesses listed, 25 are nuns and 11 are priests. The statements of 10 main witnesses have been recorded. The charge-sheet has been filed in the first-class judicial magistrates court in Pala, Kottayam district.

This is the first time in the country that a charge sheet has been filed against a clergyman of the rank of bishop. After months of struggle we are happy the case is coming to a logical conclusion...This is the happiest moment for us...truth will prevail finally, said Sister Anupama, who is one of the five nuns residing at the Missionaries of Jesus Convent in Kuravilangad in Kottayam district that have stood by the complainant, also a resident at the same convent, since she first spoke up against Mullakkal.

In June 2018, when the survivor filed a complaint with the police. She and the nuns, who moved to the convent where she stayed in May, did so after they appealed to the church authorities to take action against him for over a year, but to no avail. When police failed to arrest him, the nuns staged a protest in Kochi in September. A larger support group called Save Our Sisters also urged the police to take action. The complainant wrote a letter to CM Piniyari Vijayan to speed up the arrest. Finally, a Special Investigation Team arrested him on September 22. A day later, he was stripped off his post by the Vatican. He received bail three weeks later, and was received with much pomp back in Jalandhar, where his diocese is based.

Last month, the nuns met the Kottayam SP to submit a petition seeking a speedy submission of the charge sheet. In an interview last year, Mullakkal dismissed the rape charge against him as false and baseless.
Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has not published the annual crime data of Maharashtra for the last two years. The data is instrumental in gauging the law and order situation in the state.

Although the Crime Investigation Department (CID) has been updating monthly crime data on its website, but it has been unable to publish the annual statistics.

The last available report on the state website (www.mahacid.com) is Crime in Maharashtra, 2016, which has been published in December, 2017.There is also a delay in the crime report from the National Crime Records Bureau being published, which is being attributed to an updated pro forma prescribed by the bureau, which is required to be submitted by all the state CIDs.

SP Jadhav, former additional director general of police, CID, Maharashtra, said, It is not a necessity that state Criminal Investigation Departments wait for the National Crime Records Bureau to publish its annual Crime in India report, with comparative data of all the states in the country.

About the delay in publishing the report, Ashok Prasad, spokesperson, Ministry of Home Affairs, said, Select states have not submitted their data and select states have not provided the requested clarifications. The delay by the states may partly be because the pro forma has been updated. It was updated to make it more computer-friendly. We are expecting to get all the required details from the states in the next three to four months.

Sanjeev Kumar Singhal, Maharashtras Additional Director General, CID, explained that the national bureau introduced a new pro forma for submitting the 2017 crime statistics and accordingly, the data was collected and sent to the bureau.

According to him, a number of parameters are added to enable better analysis of the data. Earlier, the data was submitted to National Crime Records Bureau with 35 unique titles defining types of crimes along with a miscellaneous Section 36.

In the new format, various sub-sections are added like in the cases of rape, a record of the age of the survivor, the profession of the accused, among others had to be added, Singhal said.

According to him, the crime data is now processed under 75-76 parameters as against the 35-36 previously.

Singhal said, The data was being compiled under the new pro forma to counter media reports and claims of an upward trend in cases of offences like lynching, crimes against women and others.The new format would help verify whether the news reports about specific crimes were just hype, while helping the police to better analyse and appreciate the data, he added.The only demerit of publishing state data without the national data is that the chapter where the comparative data is published is not included.

It tells you where Maharashtra stands vis-a-vis other states, he added.

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The revenue department of the finance ministry told the Election Commission (EC) that prior information on income tax (I-T) raids cannot be provided, but assured the poll organiser that its actions are conducted without any political bias.

It added that its aim is to unearth illegal money that can be misused in the upcoming elections, government officials with direct knowledge of the matter said.

In Madhya Pradesh, chief minister Kamal Nath said on Tuesday that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will not succeed in what he termed its politically motivated actions. He was responding to questions at Chhindwara, his home turf, on the IT raids that targeted his former officer on special duty Praveen Kakkar and close associate RK Miglani, since Sunday.

Revenue secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey and Central Board of direct Taxes (CBDT) chairman Pramod Chandra Mody met the EC on Tuesday amidst allegations by opposition parties that recent IT raids are politically motivated and they are being conducted at the behest of the BJP government.

The taxmen conducted raids at the residences and offices of people linked to Nath since the beginning of this week, in at least 50 locations in MP, Goa and Delhi. The searches continued for the third day on Tuesday.

In the past few weeks, raids have also been conducted in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

Confirming the meeting, an EC spokesperson said: Issues arising out of the advisory of the Election Commission of India dated 07.04.2019 regarding all enforcement actions being neutral, impartial and non-discriminatory and its implementation were discussed in detail.

Pandey and Mody briefed the Commission about the process of searches, surveys and raids while reiterating that the I-T raids did not violate the model code of conduct (MCC), finance ministry officials said on condition of anonymity.

In its letter to the EC on Monday, the department sought cooperation of its field officers in eliminating the use of unaccounted money in elections.

Since it is the responsibility of the Election Commission as also of the revenue agencies to check and eventually eliminate the use of unaccounted money in election, we would also like to urge the Election Commission to advise its field officers involved in the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct to take immediate enforcement action at their end under the election and other appropriate laws, if they come across any specific information about the use of illicit money in electoral processes, the letter added.

We understand the words neutral, impartial, and non-discriminatory mean that we must act as and when information is available against anyone, irrespective of political affiliation, the revenue department said in reply to the April 7 letter written by the EC that advised the department to take enforcement actions without any bias during the election time.

The ECs letter was in response to a series of raids conducted by the enforcement agencies in various states , including Madhya Pradesh.

Since the Model Code of Conduct for the general elections came into force on March 10, the I-T Department has carried out several raids on political leaders and their associates, which the opposition has dubbed a misuse of central agencies during poll season.

The IT department on Monday said that searches in Madhya Pradesh detected wide spread and well-organised racket of collection of unaccounted cash of about 281 crore through various persons in different walks of life including business, politics and public service.

Talking to media persons CRPF commandant MS Verma said, Raids are over. State police was not aware of it. However, MP Polices SHO and DSP abused and misbehaved with CRPF personnel.

The department fully agrees with the [ECs] observation that there is a need to conduct operations ruthlessly to contain this malpractice, the revenue department said in the letter written to EC.

It said that the IT department acts only after actionable intelligence is available.

The IT department, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) are agencies under the revenue department that deal with white-collar crimes including investigations related to financial irregularities.

Nath had issued an earlier statement during the raids: It will be appropriate to comment only when the situation regarding the IT raids is clear but entire country knows as to how and against whom they have been using constitutional bodies for the past 5 years. They use these bodies to frighten others. When they have nothing to say on development they use such sinister design against opponents.

State BJP spokesperson Rajneesh Agrawal said, The central agencies are working as per their own feedback. There is no political vendetta.
The Theresa May government is expected to reiterate on Tuesday Britains position since the mid-1990s of expressing deep regret for the April 13, 1919, massacre in Jallianwala Bagh that may set the stage for a full apology later, amid growing demand for the gesture.

As Channel 4 and other media organisations in the UK gear up for documentaries and special features to mark the event, a debate secured by Conservative MP Bob Blackman is scheduled in the Westminster Hall on Tuesday, when foreign office minister Mark Field is likely to repeat Londons deep regret for the historic event.

A similar sentiment was expressed during the February 19 debate in the House of Lords, when the government said it has been reflecting on the demand for a full apology. Such apologies have been previously been tendered by prime ministers for various historical misdeeds.

A foreign office spokesperson said: The government rightly condemned the (Amritsar) incident at the time: Secretary of State for War Winston Churchill called it 'a monstrous event which stands in singular and sinister isolation.

HM the Queen and prime minister David Cameron both expressed our deep regret on visits to Jallianwala Bagh.

During a visit in 1997, Queen Elizabeth said at the Jallianwala Bagh memorial: "History cannot be rewritten, however much we might sometimes wish otherwise. It has its moments of sadness, as well as gladness. We must learn from the sadness and build on the gladness.

Cameron visited the memorial in 2013, but confined himself to calling the massacre a deeply shameful event, and sought to justify his decision not to tender an apology.

He said at the time: "In my view, we are dealing with something here that happened a good 40 years before I was even born, and which Winston Churchill described as 'monstrous' at the time and the British government rightly condemned at the time".
The Election Commission of India has directed the Punjab government to divest IPS officer Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh of his charge as inspector general of police (crime), and the additional charge of organised crime control unit (OCCU) for violating the model code of conduct.

In a communication sent to the Punjab chief secretary, the EC wrote that it had received a complaint from SAD leader Naresh Gujral against the IPS officer. Gujral, a Rajya Sabha MP, had stated that the latter had given a politically motivated interview to a TV channel on March 18- 19.

Following the directions of the EC, the Punjab government has posted Kunwar as inspector general of counter intelligence (Amritsar).

Kunwar is a member of the special investigation team probing the 2015 police firing incidents. Whether the EC order will change this or not, it was unclear. The matter was examined and it was found that the officer gave politically motivated interview to a TV channel on March 18 and 19 about ongoing investigation by SIT and made certain political comments. It has also been observed that the contents of the part of the interview has political connotations and the potential to show certain political leaders in poor light. The officer also mentioned the name of leaders of SAD which is clearly in violation of poll code, read the EC letter.

A notice has also been issued to the IG to explain his position and the EC has warned him against making comments related to the SIT probe, officials said. The commission has therefore decided that Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, IGP, (member SIT) shall be immediately relieved from his present post and shall not be given any post related to conduct of elections, says the EC letter.

The commission also directed that action may be initiated against the IPS officer for the lapse /violation.

The SAD had filed a complaint against the IPS officer, alleging he was working at the behest of the Congress to target Akalis. The party wanted Kunwar to be shifted out of the state till elections are over. The Punjab government told the EC that the SIT was functioning independently.
The board of governors of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, on Tuesday decided not to revoke the PhD degree of an assistant professor who is facing allegations of plagiarism but decided to get his thesis examined by an independent committee of experts.

The decision, which goes against the March 14 recommendation of the IIT senate, should come as a huge relief to assistant professor Subrahmanyam Saderla who had last year complained of caste-based harassment by some seniors at the institute. Saderla is a Dalit.

The board did not agree with the decision of the senate to revoke Saderlas PhD degree . But at the same time, it was decided that the thesis should be examined by a committee of technical experts from outside IIT Kanpur. The report of the technical experts, which will be put before the board, should be submitted at the earliest, IIT Kanpur director Abhay Karandikar said.

The technical committee will evaluate whether the plagiarism was limited to the introductory chapter or extended to the technical contents also, an official said on condition of anonymity.

Last October, an anonymous email was sent to IIT Kanpur authorities, alleging plagiarism in Saderlas PhD thesis. The matter was then referred to the institutes academic ethics cell (AEC) for investigation.

The AEC opined that there was nothing suspect about Saderlas own research work, including his experiments, tables, figures and inferences, and that plagiarism charges could be levelled only at introductory descriptions or equations that are standard and not taken credit for by any author. It suggested that Saderla rewrite in his own words all the sections found to be similar to passages in other works. The IIT senate, however, disagreed with the AEC.

Tuesdays meeting was chaired by former Indian Space Research Organisation chief K Radhakrishnan, who is the chairperson of the IIT Kanpur board of governors.

When contacted, Saderla said, I am waiting for an official communication and an update in this regard.

Saderlas guide and head of aerospace engineering, AK Ghosh, said the decision was very positive. The thesis was evaluated as per UGC (University Grants Commission) norms and was even shown to the board members. Anybody can see the report. But what has happened is unfortunate. His family has been deeply affected.

The HRD ministry, too, gave its opinion in the matter. The ministry was of the opinion that it is not correct to accept the senate recommendation for revocation of Saderlas PhD degree, an official said, not wishing to be named.
Jaish-e-Mohammed commander, Nisar Ahmed Tantray, deported from the UAE to India last Sunday, has disclosed that he knew about the February 14 Pulwama suicide car bombing because the key conspirator, Mudassir Khan, had asked him to participate in a spectacular attack being planned at the instructions of JeMs leadership in Pakistan, an official involved in Tantrays interrogation said.

This is the first confirmation from a JeM commander that the Pulwama attack was carried out on the orders of the outfits leadership, and that Khan was the person who executed it. Until now, Indian investigative agencies were depending on intelligence inputs and the questioning of some lower-level JeM terrorists.

Watch: Radar image proof that Abhinandan downed Pak F16: IAF counters Pakistan

Tantray, the brother of slain JeM leader Noor Ahmed Tantray, fled from India on February 1 this year.



According to an intelligence bureau officer who spoke on condition of anonymity, he has significant influence over JeM cadres in Kashmir valley, particularly after he planned the December 30, 2017 attack on a CRPF Group Camp in Lethpora.

Also Read | UAE deports Jaish terrorist Nisar Tantray wanted for 2017 CRPF camp attack in Kashmir: NIA

Tantray has told interrogators that Khan called him using a social media app and informed about the plan to hit a convoy in mid-February with heavy explosives somewhere in Pulwama.

Khan asked for Tantrays help in the logistics, planning and execution of the bomb blast . Tantray was a senior commander of JeM in the Valley and cadres, who were part of the operation, would be motivated with his presence, a NIA officer said on condition of anonymity.

Although Tantray has denied any involvement in the Pulwama attack, where a suicide bomber blew up a CRPF convoy, killing 40, and which brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war (he says he was in Dubai at the time), the NIA is not taking his word for it.

Nisar Tantray is a senior JeM operative in Kashmir. Commanders at his level are aware of all the plans, particularly for a Pulwama type attack which would have taken months of planning. We are further interrogating him about his role because the timing of his flight to UAE is suspicious. He might have taken active part in the Pulwama attack and fled two weeks before February 14 to avoid capture, the NIA officer added.
Within Star Wars fandom, Machete Order is shorthand for cutting Phantom Menace entirely from the narrative. For years, actor Topher Grace has been known for his underground (and unreleased) edit of the prequels, which reduced them to a single 85-minute film. And for the record, New York magazine once asked George Lucas himself how he felt about this argument: He likes chronological. Steve Sansweet, who runs the Rancho Obi-Wan archive in Northern California (and was former Lucasfilm head of fan relations), is more old school. He starts with the original 1977 film. But the longer there is Star Wars, the more entry points there are. Some begin with TV series. It depends where you were in life when you first found Star Wars. Someday that all could change, yes. But right now, Star Wars is the defining mythology of the second half of the 20th century, and as long as people are watching and arguing about it at all, itll be going strong.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked first-time voters to dedicate their votes to the forces that carried out an air strike in Pakistans Balakot and Congress president Rahul Gandhi accused him of running away from a debate on corruption on Tuesday, ratcheting up the rhetoric just two days before voting begins in this summers general elections.

Modis reference to security personnel at a public rally prompted the Election Commission of India to seek a report after the Communist Party of India (Marxist) alleged a poll code violation in view of an EC directive that has asked parties and leaders to exercise caution while making any reference to the armed forces in campaigns.

At his rallies in Maharashtra and Karnataka, Modi reiterated the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) commitment towards national security, blamed the Congress for the creation of Pakistan, and alleged that the Congresss election manifesto and Pakistan were speaking the same language.

Campaigning in Assam, Gandhi renewed his attack on the Centre over corruption charges and said the PM did not want to debate the issue with him. Separately, on Twitter, he said the BJPs election manifesto, which was released in New Delhi on Monday, was short-sighted and arrogant.

The war of words came on the last day of campaigning for the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections. Ninety-one constituencies in 18 states and two Union Territories will vote on April 11, kick-starting a seven-phase exercise in which Modi is seeking another term against a resurgent Congress and regional alliances.

In Maharashtras Latur district, Modi said Pakistan would not have been created had Congress leaders acted wisely during the pre-Independence days. Can your first vote be dedicated to those who carried out the air strike? he appealed to first-time voters.

Modi was referring to the Indian Air Forces (IAF) February 26 action against a terror camp deep inside Pakistan.

IAF strike in Balakot was Indias response to the February 14 suicide bombing that killed 40 security personnel who were part of a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy in Jammu and Kashmirs Pulwama. Balakot and Pulwama have figured prominently in Indias election narrative, with the BJP-led government saying it took decisive action against terrorism and the Opposition asking for proof of casualties in the IAF air strike.

Under the BJPs watch in the New India, forces will kill terrorists by entering their dens, Modi said at the rally in Ausa town, where voting will be held in the second phase.

The language that Pakistan has been using is now seen in the Congress manifesto... the Congress, in its manifesto, is talking about not removing [Article] 370... Had the Congress acted wisely and stood up with courage to not allow the Partition of India in 1947 at any cost, then Pakistan would not have been born, he said. The Congress has said it wants to do away with the sedition laws. Pakistan too wants this. It wants free hand for those who want to work against India, he added.

Union minister Ramdas Athawale, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, too, attended the rally. Holding Thackerays hand, Modi walked on the stage, in what could be seen as a message to workers of the BJP and the Shiv Sena which agreed to fight the Lok Sabha elections in an alliance after prolonged bickering.

Modi also targeted Sharad Pawars Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in his speech. Some people are demanding a separate PM for Jammu and Kashmir. Now Congress and NCP have also joined them, Modi said, referring to National Conference leader Omar Abdullahs recent comment that his party will strive for the states autonomy that could accommodate a Sadar-e-Riyasat (President) and a Wazir-e-Azam (Prime Minister).

While Modi stuck to his rhetoric on national security, Gandhi turned the heat on the government with the reiteration of his allegations about corruption and fake promises made by the BJP in its previous election campaign.

Chowkidar [watchman] is not only chor [thief] but also a coward. I told the chowkidar to debate with me as he talks about corruption. He does not have the guts and fled, Gandhi said at a public rally in Assam, underlining the term (chowkidar) that PM Modi uses to describe himself.

In Hailakandi, which will vote in the second phase on April 18, he repeated his charge that the Modi government worked to benefit just rich businessmen. After the Congress comes to power in 2019, the headline will be `Poor people are given money, he said.

He also spoke of the Congresss promise of implementing the much-talked-about minimum income guarantee scheme for the poorest families and the partys pledge of working towards 33% womens reservation in Parliament and state assemblies.

Hitting out at the BJP manifesto on Twitter, Gandhi posted, The Congress manifesto was created through discussion. The voice of over a million Indian people it is wise and powerful. The BJP Manifesto was created in a closed room. The voice of an isolated man, it is short sighted and arrogant.

In its manifesto released in New Delhi on Monday, the BJP promised zero tolerance to terrorism and pledged to implement the National Register of Citizens in different parts of the country to weed out infiltrators, while also reiterating its commitment to building a Ram temple in Ayodhya and scrapping Article 370 and Article 35A, which give special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

In Karnatakas Chitradurga, Modi attacked the Opposition, saying the country should have a strong prime minister whose high command should be the people. Attacking the efforts of the Opposition to forge alliances against the BJP, he said the country should not have a government whose remote control was in the hands of a dozen people.

Later in the day, Gandhi said his party had come up with NYAY (justice), a reference to the proposed minimum income guarantee scheme, to undo the anyay (injustice) done by the Centre.

He said the proposed scheme, known by the acronym NYAY, was a realistic measure that could be implemented without harming the economy or increasing the tax burden on the common people unlike the boastful promise made by Modi [ahead of the 2014 election] of remitting ~15 lakh into the bank accounts of all poor people in the country.
The Nirmohi Akhara, a party in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit, has filed a plea in the Supreme Court over Centres move to transfer excess land around the disputed site to its original owners.

The Nirmohi Akhara has opposed the governments move seeking the Supreme Courts permission to release excess land acquired in Ayodhya, news agency ANI reported on Tuesday. The land in question was acquired by the government in 1994.

The government, in January this year, requested the Supreme Court to allow release of around 67 acres of land to the original owners. The government has argued that this land is undisputed. Of 67 acres, 42 acres, is said to be belonging to the Ram Janam Bhumi Nyas.

The petitioner has said, according to ANI, that acquisition of land by the government had led to destruction of many temples managed by the Nirmohi Akhara. Contesting the Centres request in the Supreme Court, the Nirmohi Akhara said it wants the top court to decide the title dispute.

Currently, a Supreme Court-mandate mediation panel is holding deliberations with the concerned parties in the Ayodhya title dispute case. Former Supreme Court judge Justice FMI Kalifulla is heading the panel, which also has spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and senior advocate Sriram Panchu as members.

The Ayodhya title dispute reached the Supreme Court after appeals were filed against a 2010 Allahabad High Court judgment in the matter. The high court ordered a three-way division of the disputed 2.77 acres of the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya. The land was to be divided equally between the Nirmohi Akhara, the Sunni Central Wakf Board, Uttar Pradesh and Ramlalla Virajman.
The government on Tuesday rejected claims that an Indian Air Force aircraft was used to fly in currency notes from abroad as part of what the Congress alleged was a scam around the November 2016 decision to demonetize high currency notes.

The defence ministry denial came hours after the Congress played out videos at its briefing on Tuesday that it said, was proof of a scam. In one of these videos, a person is heard claiming that duplicate currency notes of the face value of Rs 3 lakh crore were printed abroad and brought in an Indian Air Force plane at the Hindon Air Base.

A defence ministry spokesperson rejected the claims made in the video. It is categorically refuted that any Indian Air Force aircraft was tasked to fly abroad for carrying currency prior to, during or after demonetization as alleged in a video released today, he said..

Kapil Sibal had alleged that a team of government officials drawn from different departments were engaged in the exchange of old notes for new post demonetisation. According to news agency PTI, Sibal did not authenticate the videos shown at the conference and said these are in public domain and the agencies concerned should initiate a probe.

Demonetisation is the biggest scam in the history of India. Current notes (issued after the old Rs 500/100 notes were demonetised in November 2016) were printed abroad and transported into India and there can be nothing more anti-national than this, Sibal told reporters, according to PTI.

The Congresss allegation had also drawn a sharp reaction from senior BJP leaders. Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad called the allegations false and threatened legal action.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said Sibal has exposed the stench of corruption in the government. Referring to the Income-Tax Department action against Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Naths aides, the Congress leader said the alacrity with which the Enforcement Directorate and I-T have acted, they should also act fast and arrest the people in the video and tell the country what has happened.
Pakistans Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has moved the Islamabad High Court (HC) seeking cancellation of the bail granted to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, who is wanted in India for plotting the 2008 Mumbai attacks that left 166 people dead.

Pakistani media reported FIA referred to the confessional statement of Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist arrested for the Mumbai attacks who was executed in 2012, and said it clearly established Lakhvis link to the Mumbai attacks. In its appeal, FIA has also cited the threats the judges of the anti-terrorism court hearing the case in Pakistan and FIA prosecutors face as well as the reluctance of the witnesses to depose against the accused.

Lakhvi was one of seven men arrested in Pakistan for their involvement in planning, financing and directing the attacks. He was released on bail from Rawalpindis Adiala Jail in April 2015. His current whereabouts are unknown.

Islamabad has been under pressure to act against terrorist groups based in Pakistan since 40 paramilitary troopers were killed in a car bomb attack in Jammu and Kashmirs Pulwama district on February 14.

The attack prompted India to carry out an airstrike on a Pakistani terror camp on February 26. Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attack.

On April 2, Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said anti-terror financing watchdog, Financial Action Task Force (FATF), could blacklist Pakistan. In June last year, the Paris-based FATF placed Pakistan on the grey list of countries with weak domestic laws related to money laundering and terrorism financing.

The Islamabad HC took up FIAs appeal for Lakhvis bail cancellation on Tuesday around a month before FATF is due to review in May Pakistans actions in curbing terror financing and money laundering. In a report earlier this year, FATF specifically raised concerns about the activity of eight terror groups, including the LeT, in Pakistan.

Pakistani media reported the HC sought within two weeks the records of the Mumbai attacks case as the FIA cited the difficulties in prosecuting the seven accused. The fact remains that such cases of [banned] terrorist organisations are not so easy to be conducted and especially the prosecution in such cases is the most difficult job in our country for the last many years, Pakistans Dawn newspaper quoted FIAs appeal as saying.

In the present case, the learned trial judge [of the anti-terrorism court] after the terrorist attack in Islamabad courts [in March 2013] refused to visit Adiala Jail [for the trial] for a long time due to security reasons.

The appeal added the threats prosecutors received during the proceedings were conveyed to the authorities concerned. The witnesses are also not secured, and reluctant to depose against the accused persons in the given situation.

The appeal said Kasabs confessional statement is still a part of the evidence in the case and had not been discarded.

Lakhvis lawyer argued the prosecution is not pursuing the case.

Dawn reported the local witnesses were not appearing to testify and the anti-terrorism court had issued perpetual warrants for their arrest. It added Pakistan had approached the Indian government to arrange the testimony of 24 Indian witnesses on an FIA request. After directing the prosecution to produce the records of the case, the high court adjourned the matter for a fortnight, it reported.

The trial against the seven suspects has made little headway over the past decade. The other six suspects are being held in the high-security Adiala Jail.

The court suspended the trial in the case in January to give the prosecution more time to produce 19 witnesses who have not testified so far.

India reiterated its call for prosecuting the masterminds and facilitators of the attacks on the 10th anniversary of the carnage in November last year. It said Pakistan has shown little sincerity in bringing the perpetrators to justice.

US and Indian officials have said Lakhvi continued to function as the LeTs operations commander while he was in jail, where he lived in luxury with several rooms at his disposal. A close relative of LeT founder Hafiz Saeed, Lakhvi had access to mobile phones and the internet and received visitors in prison.

Pakistan reinstated a ban on two groups linked to LeT  the Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation  in February following the Pulwama attack. The US has offered $10 million for information leading to Saeeds arrest and conviction for his role in masterminding the Mumbai attacks. Saeed has been placed under house arrest several times.
President Ram Nath Kovind Tuesday paid tributes to the police and paramilitary personnel killed in the line of duty, including the 40 CRPF men killed in the February 14 Pulwama terror attack, at the National Police Memorial here.

Kovind paid his respects to the slain security personnel and laid a wreath at the memorial during a remembrance service that marks the annual Valour Day event of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

The National Police Memorial, a 30-foot-tall and 238-tonne black granite structure, was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 21 last year on the occasion of the police commemoration day.

It was for the first time that the President visited the memorial located in Chanakyapuri area of the national capital.

Kovind, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, was accorded a national salute and presented a guard of honour by a joint column of troops from all the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) such as the CRPF, BSF, ITBP, CISF and SSB.

Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba, Director of Intelligence Bureau Rajiv Jain, Director of CRPF Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, other officials of paramilitary, police forces and the Union home ministry attended the event.

The day is celebrated to remember a gallant fight back by the CRPF men at the Sardar post in Gujarats Rann of Kutch in 1965.

The troops were posted on border-guarding duties that time and the event is mentioned as one of the glorious chapters in the countrys military history when only two companies (about 150 personnel) of the force stood their ground and repulsed a Pakistani brigade attack.

The force was tasked to secure the post seeing the aggressive posturing of the other side and the location was at a flat area, which was tactically disadvantageous.

On the intervening night of 8-9 April (1965), 3,500 men of the 51st Infantry Brigade of Pakistan, comprising the 18 Punjab Battalion, the 8 Frontier Rifles and the 6 Baluch Battalion, had stealthily launched a simultaneous assault on the Sardar and Tak posts under an operation code-named Desert Hawk.

The combat lasted 12 hours, during which the Pakistanis made three attempts to overrun the Sardar post, but was repulsed with heavy casualties by some dare-devil action of the CRPF men.

The retaliation by the CRPF personnel saw the numerically superior and better-armed Pakistani side retreating the areas and leaving behind 34 bodies of their soldiers, including two officers.

Four Pakistani soldiers were taken as hostages while six CRPF men made the supreme sacrifice and the post was saved.

The over three lakh personnel-strong force remembers all its slain men by observing Valour Day on April 9 every year.
Pakistan said on Monday that it will hold a technical meeting with India on April 16 to discuss the modalities for the corridor linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district of Punjab.

Continuing with Pakistans spirit of constructive engagement, we have agreed to the Indian proposal for a technical meeting on 16 April, foreign office spokesman Dr Mohammad Faisal tweeted.

We expect positivity from India so that the corridor becomes reality for 550th celebrations (of the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev), he further said.

India and Pakistan last month held a meeting of technical experts on the Kartarpur corridor during which its alignment, coordinates, and other engineering aspects of the proposed crossing points were discussed.

The technical meeting at the level of experts, including engineers and surveyors, was held at proposed zero points in the follow-up to the decision reached on the March 14 meeting.

Later, the Pakistani cabinet constituted a 10-member Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC) to facilitate Sikh pilgrims after opening of the Kartarpur corridor.

India voiced concerns over the presence of several Khalistani separatists in the committee on the Kartarpur corridor and said it will wait for a response from Islamabad on the issue and will not go ahead with a previously agreed meeting on the corridor on April 2 at Wagah on the Pakistani side.

On Thursday, India said Pakistan is yet to respond to its concerns over reports that controversial elements have been appointed to the committee.

Last November, India and Pakistan agreed to set up the border crossing linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, the final resting place of Sikh faiths founder Guru Nanak Dev, to Dera Baba Nanak shrine.

Kartarpur Sahib is located in Pakistans Narowal district across the river Ravi, about four km from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh had on November 26 last year laid the foundation stone of the Kartarpur corridor in Gurdaspur district.

Two days later, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan laid the foundation stone of the corridor in Narowal, 125 km from Lahore.

The Indo-Pak tensions escalated in recent months after a terror attack in Pulwama by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group that killed 40 CRPF soldiers on February 14 and a subsequent air strike by India on a JeM training camp in Balakot on February 26.

On February 27, the Pakistan Air Force retaliated by unsuccessfully targeting several military installations in Jammu and Kashmir.

In the dogfight, Pakistan downed a MiG-21 Bison jet and captured an IAF pilot, who was handed over to India on March 1. India had shot down a Pakistani F-16 but Islamabad has been denying that it lost any jet in the aerial combat.
In a large white house in the upmarket Kongba Nandeibam area of Imphal, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for Inner Manipur, RK Ranjan, faces a peculiar predicament. He is in a party whose politics in mainland India are not a palatable dish to serve up in Manipur, a state of beef- and pork-eaters. This is also a state where the Hindu population is only 41.39%, almost exactly equal to the Christian population that makes up another 41.29% , with Muslims accounting for the remaining 8.4%.

In Manipur, therefore, the party and the umbrella of Hindu nationalist institutions that make up the Sangh Parivar, have had to shift gear to enable their candidates to compete. And that is what makes the Manipur story so complex, when looked at from the lens of the BJPs ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Water and oil would somehow have to mix.

RK Ranjan is an environmentalist and unlike most living rooms of BJP politicians, there is no poster of RSS ideologues, no large Ganesha or Hindu idols on display in his. Instead, the shelves are crowded with books and dusty journals, indicating the serious academic that he is. Ranjan admits that he is a reluctant politician. Hes in it to get crop insurance and land to mostly the landless farmers. But he is also in it because he is Meitei. This is one of three tribal groupings that dominates Manipurs politics and inherent paradoxes where the fight for land, resources and tribal identities has led to waves of insurgent movements through the decades. The Meiteis account for over half the population of Manipur, but occupy only 10% of its land  in and around the Imphal valley. The hills that surround it are 90% of the land and a contentious territory being fought over by the Nagas and Kukis. The Sangh Parivar, in order to appease the Meitei voters in the valley, needs to assure them that their deep insecurity over land will be addressed. And alongside, the fact that most Meiteis are Hindus, helps.

Which is why Ranjan, the BJPs candidate in the Meitei-dominated valley, is dealing with an interesting set of contradictions. He is not in favour of the partys cow protection politics or the contentious Citizenship Amendment Bill. But now that he is part of a BJP-led coalition in Manipur, he cannot go against their essential idea that India is Hindustan either. Some may argue, that being Meitei, underlining that fact cant hurt.

The name of this country is Hindustan. That is why each and every citizen in this country, we are treating as a Hindu. That is the concept. Its not based on religion, Ranjan says as proof of his newly acquired loyalty.

Outside Imphal, Ranjan is aware that these words will have no impact at all. Which is why in the hills, or the Outer Manipur constituency, the Sangh has focused on its other way of building a captive vote base: giving power to neglected tribes. In this case, the Kukis. The previous Congress-led government that was in power for three successive terms tried to appeal to the Meiteis in the valley and wrote three contentious land bills that resulted in massive protests and violence by the Kukis and Nagas even as the BJP lent them a sympathetic ear. In the state election that followed, the Kuki-dominated district of Churachandpur voted overwhelmingly for the BJP  the candidate won by over 10,000 votes while the Congress got just over 500.

The appeal to one tribe over another may seem like business as usual in Manipur  political observers argue that every party does it. But when a pan-India eye is cast on the way the Sangh Parivar has observed and then moved in on tribes in Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and many other states, it is clear that there is a master plan at work, to give a political voice to tribes that have not had a share of power and make them a captive and permanent new vote bank for the party -- even if the local politics runs counter to much of what the Parivar promotes as its overarching national ideology.

The partys candidate for Outer Manipur exemplifies all of this. Benjamin Mate is visibly nervous as he sits in the makeshift party office that is actually his home. How will he respond to questions of the Citizenship Amendment Bill, to Ayodhya, to his partys campaign that everyone is essentially Hindu? Mate simply states the facts. He is Kuki. The tribe is a minority in Manipur; militant Kuki groups are in talks with the BJP for the very first time about their demand for a separate Kuki autonomous zone within Manipur; and for the sake of this alone, ideological differences, if any, can be set aside.

For Kukis, when it comes to the Outer Parliamentary seat, most of the vote bank goes to the ruling party, Mate says plainly. That is why I am going after a BJP ticket, otherwise I shouldnt.

The fact that Mates candidacy is backed by militant Kuki outfits such as the Kuki National Organization, or the KNO, is an issue the Congress has been quick to point out in its campaign in the state. But such is the irony of political alignments in Manipur, that it has turned out that the Sangh Parivar, which is seen as playing up majority sentiments against minorities in the rest of the country, has done exactly the opposite in Manipur. The Kuki National Organizations chief negotiator with the government, Seilen Haokip, explains: I once mentioned this to the BJP that Kukis are a minority people. And for us  no offence meant to anybody, whichever government or party  Congress or BJP is secondary to us. We will be grateful to whichever government takes an interest in our issues, he says, smiling. Which is why, Haokip adds, the KNO is openly canvassing for the BJPs Kuki candidate in this election.

The backing of this militant group could mean further complications for the BJP as allegations have begun to surface that the outfit threatened Kukis with dire consequences if they did not vote for the partys candidate  charges that have now been reported to the state police.

The outfit, in its defence, says it has not been banned, and has not threatened anyone. It says it laid down arms in 2008 to begin talks with the previous Congress government, but the administration did not take up Kukis demands for the next eight years. Then the BJP stepped in, ironically, as the supporter of this minority group.

At stake in this very tricky terrain is the survival of Manipur as a state and identity of its various ethnic groups. While in conversation with Kukis, the Modi government has also been in a long and continuous conversation with their rivals  Naga insurgent groups such as NSCN-IM. The Naga party, the Naga Peoples Front, is part of the BJP-led alliance in power in state.

How is the BJP balancing its conversation with the Nagas on the one hand with that of the Kukis? The answer is quite possibly much more nuanced than the simple identity politics they practice elsewhere. But equally messy.

A Kuki political observer who did not want to be named outlines what is at stake.

The Meiteis in the Imphal valley fear that if the Nagas are given political autonomy, they will join Nagalim (or the demand for a pan Naga state). And the Kukis will be affiliated with the Mizos (with whom they have an ethnic affinity). And that they fear could mean the disintegration of Manipur. Which is why, according to this observer, it may have been a deliberate calculation by the Congress government not to hold substantive talks with either the Kukis or the Nagas.

Meitei. Kuki. Naga. In election season, long festering wounds and blood spilled on either side is in the mix. The perceived imbalance by the previous government led to a lot of bloodshed in September 2015, in which nine tribals were killed. While each tribal group is vying for proximity with the party that is in power at the Centre, the Centre is playing the same card right back  looking for a captive vote bank wherever it can find one. Politics in Manipur for the moment is entirely transactional. Ideology can wait.

Revati Laul is an independent journalist and film-maker and author of `The Anatomy of Hate, published by Westland/Context in December 2018. She tweets @revatilaul
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday continued his spate of attack on the Congress alleging that the principal Opposition party is speaking the language that Pakistan speaks. PM Modi said the Congresss election manifesto has promises that suit Pakistans position on Jammu and Kashmir and terrorism.

The Congress says Article 370 wont be removed. The language of the Congresss Dhakosala Patra (a term used by PM Modi to describe election manifesto of the Opposition party) is the same as Pakistans. They have promised to hold talks with chaotic forces in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan wants the same thing to happen, he said at an election rally in Maharashtras Latur.

Watch | Pakistan using same language as Congress manifesto: PM Modi

The prime minister said the Congress is responsible for Pakistan coming into existence. He said the Congresss poll manifesto talks about diluting the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) which is what Pakistan wants.

The Congress has announced that those who abuse the nation, work for turning India into many pieces (tukde-tukde) by doing away with the law of sedition. Pakistan wants the same, PM Modi said adding, Can you trust such a Congress? Can you trust their allies?

He also raised the issues of Balakot air strike and Pulwama terror attack making an appeal to the first time voters if they can dedicate their votes to the heroes of IAF strike and martyrs. A suicide bomber had targeted a CRPF convoy on February 14 in Jammu and Kashmir killing 40 soldiers.

Days after the Pulwama terror attack, India Air Force (IAF) carried out a strike at a terror camp in Pakistans Balakot. The target was understood to be the biggest training centre of the Jaish-e-Mohammed, which owned the Pulwama terror attack.

The first-time-voters must vote in the name of the nation, PM Modi said in Latur, where he showered lavish praise on Bal Thackeray, the late chief of the Shiv Sena.

Maharashtra will to the polls in four of the seven phases of the Lok Sabha elections that begin on April 11 and end on May 19. Latur, where PM Modi addressed a public rally on Tuesday will vote on April 18 in the second phase of the national election. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief, Sharad Pawar, played a key role to bring the Opposition together and take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming general elections. He spoke to Shailesh Gaikwad. Edited excerpts:

How would you assess the election campaign so far?

I can see hostility towards Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi and the BJP. I am campaigning in rural areas and public opinion is against them. I knew there was resentment, but was unaware of the scale of discontent among farmers. I wont be surprised if the BJP loses.

How is the 2019 election different from the 2014 one?

An aspect of this election is the use of BJPs money power. For the first time I am seeing huge money being used...the Opposition practically has no money. For those who want to contribute, the banks are asking questions... Candidates need money for buying campaign material, hiring vehicles and organising rallies. The governments power is being used for the benefit of the BJP and to create obstructions for the Opposition. I have never seen this in my political life of 52 years.

We have seen many tough leaders, prime ministers from [Jawaharlal] Nehru to Indira Gandhi and [Atal Bihari] Vajpayee. They always maintained a certain dignity... Opposition parties criticised, but there were no personal attacks for the first time there are personal attacks by Modi  like (his) continuous attack of the Gandhi family. ... In his campaign in Wardha, he attacked me.

Modi said your nephew, Ajit Pawar, is taking control of NCP.

Is this an election issue? He said Pawars next generation is trying to throw him out of his party and they want to control the NCP. What is this nonsense? My family is together. It shows that he is unable to talk about his contribution. That is why he is taking the election campaign in a different direction.

What has gone wrong since he called you his guru?

My equation with him was good. I was agriculture minister during the [Congress-led] UPA [United Progressive Alliance] rule at the Centre, and I had accepted the challenge of increasing Indias agricultural production and we even succeeded in doing so. It was not possible without the cooperation of states. And the states are the responsibility of chief ministers... I regularly visited the states. The situation in Gujarat was different. Modi was the chief minister and his equation with Congress was bad. There was no dialogue between the Centre and Modi. I was the only minister visiting his state and he used to come to my place to discuss his problems. Now, things are different. We started criticising him over certain issues (policies of his government) and I think he is unhappy about it.

Have your attempts to bring opposition parties together fizzled out?

We were trying to bring opposition parties together to create awareness against the government. We were not thinking about providing an alternative... We organised some rallies... And we have also come to the conclusion that election will be contested by every party according to the situation in their state and come together after the election. In 2004, we had not contested elections together. Post-election, we decided to form the UPA. Then we selected Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister.

Why are there multi-cornered contests in states like Uttar Pradesh?

Most of the opposition parties have bases in certain areas. We thought let these forces concentrate on their effective bases, which will be ultimately beneficial. As per our strategy, we came to the conclusion that if we have to get good numbers in Uttar Pradesh, BSP [Bahujan Samaj Party] chief Mayawati and SP [Samajwadi Party] chief Akhilesh Yadav should come together. Fortunately, they worked out an alliance. When it came to including Congress in their front, Mayawati and some other colleagues felt that the base of most of the parties is on the basis of castes. The SP gets support of Yadavs and minorities. The BSP gets votes of scheduled castes and minorities. The BJP is preferred by upper castes. Among the upper castes, Brahmins are associated with Congress. The leaders of SP-BSP felt that the Congress would not be able to transfer its votes. Those votes would go to the BJP if Congress is not contesting. As such, if Congress contests separately, it would benefit them.

Why have the Aam Aadmi Party and Congress not joined hands despite your attempts?

[Delhi chief minister Arvind] Kejriwal was reasonable but Congress, particularly some senior leaders like Sheila Dikshit, took a very harsh line. That is why the Congress president [Rahul Gandhi] was interested, but could not forge an alliance...
Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who is pulling out all the stops to return to power for a second term in Thursdays elections to the state assembly, roped in his daughter-in-law Nara Brahmani, granddaughter of legendary actor and TDP founder N T Rama Rao, into the partys campaign.

Brahmani, a post-graduate in business management from the Stanford University, has been heading Heritage Foods, the business enterprise of Naidu family for the last five years and had never shown any interest in politics till now.

But with the TDP facing a tough fight from the YSR Congress party headed by Y S Jaganmohan Reddy in the upcoming elections, Naidu was forced to bring her into the electioneering for his son Nara Lokesh in Mangalagiri assembly constituency in Guntur district. Lok Sabha elections for the states 25 seats are also being held on Thursday.

Apparently, Naidu realized that Brahmani could be the partys trump card to win the elections in Mangalagiri, especially since Lokesh has proved to be a dull campaigner. It is his first electoral battle and he has not been able to attract much response from the crowds, because he is neither articulate nor aggressive like his father, M Sambasiva Rao, senior journalist and an independent analyst said.

Also read: Lok Sabha elections 2019: Today, BJP is the greatest threat to our democracy, says Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu

A senior TDP leader said Naidu had to bring in his talkative and young daughter-in-law to save Lokesh the blushes. After all, she is the granddaughter of NTR and daughter of Balakrishna. She has the glamour quotient that would definitely help the party, he said.

For the last two days, Brahmani has been aggressively campaigning for her husband Nara Lokesh in Mangalagiri and also for TDP candidate for Guntur Lok Sabha seat Galla Jayadev. She has the simplicity and is very straight in her talk. She has been able to convey the message of the party to the people effectively, Rao said.

Her rallies have been a big hit as the response from the crowds was tremendous. Vote for my husband as an MLA and give us three months time. You are going to see how Mangalagiri town will get a complete makeover, she said, at a road show in the town on Monday night.

Occasionally using her business language, Brahmani pointed out that she was very much aware of the problems being faced by handloom weavers and goldsmiths in marketing their products. We shall ensure you an access to international market like Dubai and will make Mangalagiri brand popular across the globe, she said.

She promised that the TDP government would resolve all the problems of Mangalagiri including drinking water crisis and housing. In the next five years, Lokesh will ensure construction of 12,000 houses for weaker sections, she asserted.

Brahmani, who graduated as an electrical engineer from Santa Clara University, went on to study MBA in Stanford University. She returned to Hyderabad in 2014 to take over the family business after Lokesh joined active politics.
There are very few cities in America left that dont have a classical ballet company of their own, said McKenzie. As the nations [ballet company], our goal is to present the best of what we do, and to try and demonstrate that ballet can surprise, as opposed to meet expectations. Were trying to find something relevant to society to challenge their assumptions. Do we have Swan Lake? You betcha. We got it. But if thats the only thing you will come and see, I guarantee youll be surprised enough that you will take a chance to see a different title.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his advisors may be banking on the NYAY scheme as a potential game-changer in the 2019 Lok Sabha election in Odisha.

But as the campaign in first of the four phases of polls rings down in the eastern state on Tuesday, there seems to be little or no information about the minimum income guarantee scheme in some of its poorest regions.

Rahul Gandhi recently announced the NYAY or Nyuntam Aay Yojana scheme that guarantees Rs 72,000 per annum for the poor. The Congress has promised to provide cash support to the poorest 20% households of the country if it is voted to power in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The opposition party promised to target five crore families or 25 crore individuals as beneficiaries of NYAY, which Rahul Gandhi has called a revolutionary scheme that will change the face of India.

The four Lok Sabha seats of Koraput, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi and Berhampur consisting of 28 assembly constituencies, possibly one of the poorest regions of Odisha, will go to polls on April 11. Of the estimated 5.6 million eligible voters who are expected to cast their vote in these constituencies, more than 50% are estimated to be living below the poverty line. A significant portion of them would possibly have been a beneficiary of the scheme, supposed to be Rahul Gandhis pet project.

However, on the ground, there is nothing to suggest that NYAY scheme has managed to create a buzz. With no poster of Congress in the districts talking about the scheme visible in Kalahandi, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Rayagada and Malkangiri, many old Congress voters seemed to be unaware of the scheme.

In Dangaragad village under Bhawanipatna assembly constituency of Kalahandi, Sira Sabar said she does not know the scheme.

Also read | Wont tax middle class to fund Nyay scheme, says Rahul Gandhi

The 64-year-old woman lives in a dilapidated tiled house and her husband owns less than an acre of land. All that she knows is the KALIA or Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation scheme, the Rs 10,000 a year cash-transfer scheme by the BJD government for farmers, of which she is a beneficiary.

I have received Rs 5,000 under KALIA scheme, Apart from that I have no idea about any other scheme, she said.

In tribal-dominated Nabarangpur and Koraput districts too, many said they have not heard about the scheme.

For the Congress, which has been on the wane after its listless performance in the 2017 panchayat polls in Odisha, it would have been a challenger to ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) had the NYAY scheme been publicised well.

In the 2014 assembly polls, the Congress had won six out of the 28 assembly constituencies and finished as runners-up in 18 seats. With the BJP emerging as a principal challenger to the BJD, Congress candidates were hopeful of turning the tide with NYAY scheme.

Though Gandhi in a public meeting in Kalahandi in February this year had indicated about NYAY benefitting the poor in Odisha, he has so far failed to make a single trip to the state after elections schedule was declared. On the other hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and even BSP chief Mayawati have visited the state and all of them have ridiculed the NYAY scheme.

Ch Santakar, a political analyst in Koraput, said none of the Congress candidates in Koraput are talking about NYAY scheme in their election meetings.

Also read | Voice of an isolated man: Rahul Gandhi trashes BJP manifesto

They are rather heaping abuses on BJD government in Odisha and BJP government in Delhi. Perhaps they know its futile to talk about a scheme whose details are not yet clear, said Santakar.

A senior Congress candidate in one of the districts that is going to the polls in the first phase said the party bungled in not advertising about the scheme that was tailor-made for the region.

We managed to publicise the paddy MSP of Rs 2,600 per quintal thing well, but on NYAY we have been a failure. I told the PCC leadership to give us publicity materials, but no one responded. The PCC chief was more focussed on social media sites like Twitter which very few in my constituency care about, the candidate, who did not want to be named, said.

The Congress failure to capitalise on NYAY seems to have coincided with a sudden implosion in its rank and file. Till Monday, the party was busy firefighting as two of its candidates for the assembly election refused to contest citing the delay in the announcement of their candidature.

Sitakanta Mohapatra, 76, said he was not interested in contesting from Barachana assembly seat from Congress as his name was announced just two days before the closing of nominations. In Dharmashala assembly constituency, Kishan Panda had not received a ticket for filing nomination papers with nominations about to end in an hour.

Earlier, three other MLA candidates including Congress veteran Yudhisthir Samantray opted out of the race citing delay in announcement of his name.

On Monday, the president of the partys womens wing, Sumitra Jena resigned from the Congress alleging that the state unit chief Niranjan Patnaik was ruining the partys chances by cutting a deal with the ruling BJD.

Niranjan Babu is playing the role of Shakuni in Congress. But the way he and his son have distributed tickets, I doubt if the party can win even five assembly seats. The mining mafia is now ruling the party, she alleged.

Polling in Odisha will take place during the first four rounds of the seven-phased Lok Sabha election scheduled on April 11, 18, 23 and 29. The votes will be counted on May 23.

Also read | PM Modi gave idea for Nyay: Rahul Gandhi
The Congress bastion of Amethi is caught between loyalty and the emerging ground reality.

It has begun warming up to the BJP, which kept its association with Congress chief Rahul Gandhis Lok Sabha constituency alive through union minister Smriti Irani despite her loss here in 2014.

The BJP claims that despite losing she has visited Amethi more than Rahul Gandhi, a point which the Congress counters.

Watch: Rahul vs Smriti: Amethi adversaries face off over Gandhis Wayanad move

The BJP has coined the slogan abki baar, Amethi hamaar (Amethi is ours this time), while the Congress has sought to counter it with abki baar Smriti Irani ki teesri haar, Rahulji ki jeet ka antar 5 lakh ke paar (Smriti set for her third loss as Rahul jis victory margin set to cross 5 lakh).

But there is no mistaking the fact that didi, as Smriti is referred to here, has managed to create a space for the BJP in a region where the Congress has lost just twice  the post-Emergency election of 1977 and in 1998 when Captain Satish Sharma was defeated.

Muqabala kathin hai (its a tough contest), says Rama, a villager in Salon, summing up the general sentiment.

Rahul Gandhis decision to contest from Wayanad in Kerala, along with Amethi, is the latest talking point here. The BJP is trying to market it as the Congresss admission that its unsure of Amethi now.

Satish Tiwari, 35, resident of Saraibhagmani village in Gauriganj, has always voted for the Congress but says he may opt for Smriti Irani this time.

I am hurt. Rahuljis decision to opt for Wayanad is an insult to Amethi. We have always treated the Gandhis as family and they too have given us a similar impression. But, Wayanad makes it obvious that they are exploring options, he says.

Through the Rahul Sandesh Yatra, the Congress has tried to counter the growing BJP-fuelled perception of Rahul feeling the heat of a relentless campaign that started in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Rahuls victory margin shrunk from 3.7 lakh votes in 2009 LS polls to 1.07 lakh votes in the 2014 Modi wave.

Ever since, Smriti Irani has kept returning to Amethi with VIPs promises and projects, as the BJP has pushed hard to dislodge the Congress by engineering defections.

For instance, Mohd Muslim, a former Congress MLA from Tiloi, who had been accusing the BJP of scrapping key projects in Amethi, surprised everyone by joining the BJP a few days back. Several locally influential leaders like former BSP lawmaker Vijay Shankar Tiwari too have joined the BJP.

Also Read | Lok Sabha elections 2019: Why is BJP strident on Amethi but soft on Rae Bareli?

Despite defections, its not uncommon to run into die-hard Congress supporters like Sunderlal Tiwari, 75, who says emphatically while the victory margin of Rahul Gandhi is debatable, his fate isnt.

The emotional bonds are far too strong here to crumble. How can I forget that even as Prime Minister, Rajiv ji would visit us like a common man. He was family to us and after him, his family is ours. We have 32 votes in our family and all of them will vote for Rahul ji, says Sunderlal Tiwari.

I think if Rahul ji wins from both Wayanad and Amethi, he could leave Amethi for Priyanka, says Sunderlal Tiwari with a smile, adding the emotional bond the Congress shares with Amethi will continue.

In 1999 too, when the then Congress chief Sonia Gandhi contested both from Amethi and Bellary, the BJP had tried to market it as an admission of defeat, recalls Parmanand Mishra, an old Congress hand in Gauriganj.

Sanjay Singh, the gram pradhan of Saraikhema village and a Congress supporter till the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, says he will vote for the BJP now.

In the last five years, I have seen how India has shown fresh resolve in taking on Pakistan. And yes, Rahuls decision to contest from Wayanad too has given the impression that Congress is feeling jittery, he says.

You can write it down. The Congress is losing Amethi, says UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath who has repeatedly engaged in clever posturing by saying the BJP will add Amethi and Azamgarh (from where SP chief Akhilesh Yadav is contesting) to its 2014 tally of 71 seats from UP. Two seats were won by Apna Dal, BJPs ally, which meant barring seven LS seats from UP, BJP and ally won all.

Sheetla Mishra, the Amethi Press Club president, feels Rahul Gandhis decision to contest from Wayanad could well be strategic.

There is a sense that the decision to contest from a second seat might pit the two constituencies in competition with both trying to ensure that they help Congress chief win with a bigger margin, he says.

Congress MLC Deepak Singh agrees. Yes, this time Rahulji will win with an even bigger margin, he says.

Wait and watch. May 23 would answer all, says UP minister Mohsin Raza, who is also Amethis in-charge. But Parmanand Mishra says unlike the BJP, which is on a marketing overdrive, the Congress failed to market its achievements. The BJP has already got PM Modi to visit Amethi once with projects worth several crores for the Congress bastion. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath is set to hold several rallies here while Smriti Irani has fired the latest Missing MP salvo at Gandhi.

For complete coverage of Lok Sabha Elections 2019, click here
Bardoli Lok Sabha constituency is situated in Gujarat. It came into existence only in 2008 following the Delimitation of Parliamentary and Constituencies Order that year. It is the constituency number 23 in Gujarat and reserved for the members of scheduled tribes.

The Congress won Bardoli Lok Sabha seat in 2009 but the party lost to the BJP in 2014 when the ruling party won from all 26 parliamentary constituencies in Gujarat. Prabhu Vasava is the sitting MP from Bardoli. Vasava had defeated then sitting MP Tushar Chaudhari in 2014 polls.

Bardoli Lok Sabha constituency is part of the administrative district of Surat in Gujarat. Bardoli is the primary satellite town of Surat Metropolitan Region. The administrative headquarters of Surat is located in Bardoli.

This Lok Sabha seat has a distinct place in Indian history for its association with a Gandhian movement in 1928 against increase of tax by the British colonial rulers. Vallabhbhai Patel provided guidance to the protesters at Bardoli. It was during this movement that the women of Bardoli gave Patel the title of Sardar meaning chief in Gujarati.

There are seven assembly segments in the Bardoli Lok Sabha constituency. These are Mangrol (ST), Mandvi (ST), Kamrej, Bardoli (SC), Mahuva (ST), Vyara (ST) and Nizar (ST).

Polling will take place at Bardoli Lok Sabha seat along with rest of the constituencies in Gujarat on April 23 in the third phase of the seven-phased parliamentary polls beginning April 11. The last phase of polling will be held on May 19. Votes will be counted on May 23.

Key facts about Bardoli Lok Sabha seat:

Name of the Lok Sabha constituency: Bardoli

Date of polling: April 23

2019 candidates: Prabhubhai Nagarbhai Vasava (BJP ), Tusharbhai Amarsinhbhai Chaudhari (Congress)

Sitting MP, Party: Prabhubhai Nagarbhai Vasava, BJP

Winning margin in 2014: 1,23,884

Runner up name, party: Tusharbhai Amarsinhbhai Chaudhari, Congress

Number of voters in 2014: 1,209,609

Percentage of votes polled in 2014: 78%

Number of polling booths in 2014: 1905

Number of women voters: 5,68,834
While the word cow has been replaced with cattle and the Ram temple issue finds only a passing mention, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) manifesto released on Monday has focused on other key concerns, including abrogation of Article 370 and implementation of uniform civil code, raised by the partys ideological parent, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

The document has also made space for the Sabarimala issue, on which the Sangh and its affiliates have criticised the Supreme Court for interfering in what they called was a matter of faith.

Last year, the apex court had allowed entry of women of all ages to the Lord Ayyappa temple in Keralas Sabarimala.

The manifesto also talks about abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution that grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and annulling Article 35A which provides special rights and privileges to the permanent residents of the state.

Senior functionaries of the Sangh said they are not disappointed with the perfunctory references to the Ram temple construction or the issue of cow protection in the document, since they are assured that the party will fulfil these promises, if it returns to power at the Centre.

We reiterate our stand on Ram Mandir. We will explore all possibilities within the framework of the Constitution and all necessary efforts to facilitate the expeditious construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the manifesto reads.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), which has been pushing the government to bring a legislation for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, reposed faith in the party as well. Surendra Jain, a senior functionary of the VHP, said they would like to see the construction begin as soon as possible, but does not doubt the governments intent.

Even in the case of restoring the provisions of the [Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe] Prevention of Atrocities Act, the government brought an ordinance only after the Supreme Court gave its judgment. The party leadership has already clarified that a decision on the construction [of Ram temple] will be taken after the court gives its verdict, said Rajiv Tuli, a senior functionary of the Delhi unit of the RSS.

This is in contrast to the posture that was visible when the party refused to bring an ordinance for the construction of the temple even as the case is being heard in the Supreme Court or when PM Narendra Modi lashed out at the cow vigilantes.

In 2009 and 2014, the issue of cow protection and a complete ban on the slaughter of cows that has been central to the RSSs ideological canvassing were adequately raised in the election documents. There are no such references in this years manifesto, but it says, We have given utmost importance to the dairy sector and have established Kamdhenu Aayog for the conservation of indigenous species of cattle...

The Sangh is not making too much of the fact that there is no heightened emphasis on the issues of cow slaughter and the Ram temple. There are several key concerns that the party has clearly stated that it will work towards  the abrogation of Article 370 and annulling Article 35A, resettlement of refugees from West Pakistan  so this is not the time to question their intent, said another RSS functionary.

Political commentator Hari Desai called the manifesto old wine in a new bottle. When Modi and LK Advani took out the rath yatra from Somnath [in 1990], they had pledged that if they get a majority, they will make a law for the construction of [Ram] Temple. So far nothing has been done, he said.
Away from the media glare, various Dalit- centric frontal organisations of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are moving from one Uttar Pradesh city to another to mobilise Dalit voters, especially the non-Jatav community, behind the party.

The Ambedkar Mahasabha and other lesser-known Dalit bodies are among those reaching out to the community in all 80 parliamentary constituencies across the state.

The move comes even as political observers says the SP- BSP alliance will give a tough fight to the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh. This alliance has a formidable Muslim-Yadav-Dalit (MYD) voter base behind it, they say, adding the MYD population is higher than 50% in 47 parliamentary constituencies in the state. Out of the around 21% Dalit population in Uttar Pradesh, (approximately) 9% belong to BSP chief Mayawatis Jatav subcaste and nearly 12% are non-Jatavs.

With Jatavs rallying behind Mayawati, the BJP is concentrating on the non-Jatav Dalit vote bank. Separate teams of the BJP led by Lalji Nirmal, chairman, of the Uttar Pradesh Schedule Caste Finance and Development Corporation, and Vidya Sagar Sonkar, state general secretary of the BJP, are on the move to reach out to the Dalit community.

We are getting a good response from the Dalit community. For the last two years, we have been on the move delivering benefits of the state governments welfare schemes to dalits at their doorsteps, said Nirmal.

Kanta Kardam, a Jatav leader from Meerut, and Manju Diler, member of the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis are also a part of the BJPs core Dalit team. National commission for scheduled caste chairman Ram Shankar Katheria is also touring the state.

For complete coverage of Lok Sabha Elections 2019, click here
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday appealed to the first-time voters to devote their votes to the Bharatiya Janata Party, to make country stronger. Modi made the appeal in a rally in Ausa, Latur in Maharashtra where he shared stage with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray after three years.

Modi said that he wanted to appeal especially to first-time voters, to dedicate their vote to honour the armed forces that conducted airstrikes in Balakot and to the martyrs of Pulwama. He added, Can your first vote in your life ensure that the poor get a home? Can your first vote ensure that water reaches the fields of farmers?

Modi, in his speech attacked the Congress and particularly Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar recognising him as the principal opponent in Maharashtra. Some people are demanding a separate PM for Jammu and Kashmir. Now Congress and NCP have also joined them. Sharad Pawar you? You are with such people. The people do not have any expectations from the Congress party, but this doesnt suit you, it is unbecoming, Modi said.

Also read: Congress speaking Pakistans language: PM Modi at Maharashtra rally

His reaction came a week after National Conference leader Omar Abdullah had said that his party will strive hard for restoring the autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir that could include having its own Sadar-e-Riyasat (President) and Wazir-e-Azam (Prime Minister).

Meanwhile, in a visual that is expected to boost the morale of the Shiv Sena and BJP workers, Modi walked on the stage in Ausa holding Thackerays hand. Both leaders raised their hands in symbolic gesture to end the bitterness between the two saffron parties. Modi, in his speech, referred to Thackeray as his younger brother and also showered lavish praise on Sena founder Bal Thackeray for not engaging in dynasty politics.

The political parties should learn from Balasaheb. He never became the chief minister, nor installed his son as the chief minister. He could have done that... It was the Congress that deprived Balasaheb Thackeray from voting, he said.

In 1999, Thackeray was banned from voting and contesting polls for six years for allegedly seeking votes in the name of religion while campaigning for an Assembly bye-election in 1987 in Mumbai. The ban was valid from 1995 to 2001.

Criticising the Congress for its promise to repeal sedition law, Modi said the Opposition party should look in a mirror. He said that the manifesto of the BJP will be valid for the next five years, while the Congress Dhakosala Patra (a term used by PM Modi to describe election manifesto of the Opposition parties) will remain valid till May 23 (counting day).

Our manifesto is for development and progress of this country, while theirs is for their personal and political gain of the family, he said adding that the BJP has carried out work that was not in the 2014 manifesto including the surgical strike against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.

Maharashtra will vote in the first four of the seven phases of the Lok Sabha elections that begin on April 11 and end on May 19. Latur, where PM Modi addressed a public rally on Tuesday will vote on April 18 in the second phase of the national election. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.
Hardening its stand on an alliance with the Congress for the Lok Sabha elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday said joining hands with the party would have no meaning if the seat-sharing pact is not implemented both in Haryana and Delhi.

Talking to reporters, AAPs Delhi unit convener Gopal Rai said the party was capable of defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alone in Delhi.

From the first day, our talks have not been about an alliance in Delhi alone. We have been talking only about defeating Prime Minister Narendra Modi. For this, instead of fighting from across the country like AAP did in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, we offered to fight from only 33 seats with support from the Congress and other regional parties. But the Congress doesnt look interested, Rai said.

Rais comment came a day after Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said the grand old party had no plans to go for an alliance with AAP in Haryana and Punjab. For Delhi, Surjewala had said a decision was awaited from the top leadership.

The AAP leadership, however, made it clear it would go for an alliance in Delhi only if discussions on seat-sharing in Haryana were made part of the deal. While AAP has asked for the Gurugram, Faridabad and Karnal seats in Haryana, the Congress wants New Delhi, Chandni Chowk and Northwest Delhi seats in the Capital, party leaders said.

The Congress is in maha confusion and every day this is getting exposed. I want to ask Surjewala why does the Congress want to repeat the mistake it did during the Jind by-elections. For Punjab, they (the Congress) said it is stronger and that Captain Amarinder is not in favour of an alliance, Rai said.

Rai said the Arvind Kejriwal-led party feels AAP, the Congress and the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) can together win 10 parliamentary seats in Haryana. But the Congress is engrossed in self-love and we do understand its unnecessary ego, Rai said.

Delhi goes to polls on May 12 and, so far, only AAP has declared its candidates in all seven parliamentary constituencies. Talks between the Congress and AAP for an alliance in Delhi, Haryana and Punjab have been going on for nearly seven months now. But the Congress is yet to give a final word, despite repeated offers from AAP. In several public meetings, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal had even said that his party was tired of proposing an alliance to the Congress again and again.
The most intense battle of the 2019 Lok Sabh election is being fought in the politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh (UP).

The outcome here will determine if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) returns to power with a majority yet again; if the BJP returns to power with a substantially reduced number of seats; or if the BJP is ousted entirely from power and a potent combination of the Samajwadi Party(SP)-Bhaujan Samaj Party(BSP)-Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) gets the keys to determining who forms the next government in Delhi. It will also reveal if the Congress is reviving, or continues to shrink in the state that was once its political citadel.

Three trips across the state  at the end December, in early March, and in early April  reveal shifting patterns in the public mood. HT visited a total of 16 Lok Sabha constituencies.

From what appeared to be rising disillusionment with the Narendra Modi government even among its own supporters at the end of last year even as the opposition consolidated its voters to a hawa (wave) in its favour a week after the Balakot strikes, there are now more crystallised responses  of support as well as opposition to the BJP  among different communities, in varying degrees, in separate regional pockets in the state.

There are three ways to understand what is happening in UP: viewing it as a national versus local election; seeing it as an election that hinges on personal chemistry versus one that hinges on complex arithmetic; and looking at it as a battle between two formidable social coalitions.

National versus local

Yeh bada chunav hai bhaiya. Chhote chunav main Akhilesh-Mayawati ko dekha jayega. Par Dilli main tu Modiji chahiye. (This is a big election. For the smaller, state election, we can look at Akhilesh (Yadav)-Mayawati. But in Delhi, we need Modi again), says Janardhan Singh Patel, a Kurmi, in Mirzapurs Jamui bazaar.

Playing cards with a group of younger friends, Patel argues that nationally, there has never been a Prime Minister like Modi, a refrain one often hears from his supporters. What has he done? He has taught Pakistan a lesson. He has given the armed forces a free hand for the first time in the countrys history. He has increased Indias standing globally. Iske pahle bharat ki koi maan nahin thi, India has no standing before this, Patel says

Behind him in a shop is Gulzar Maurya. He concurs. But his reasons are different. I think what he is doing will create a better life for my children. He is creating a corruption free India. Earlier, there were scams in all government recruitments. Now, a nephew of mine got a government job without paying anyone. Modiji needs five more years.

In Mirzapurs Chunar village, next to the Ganga, below the Chunar fort, a group of young Nishad men are playing cards in the middle of the day  clearly a favourite pastime for many. Anil Kumar Sahni says Modi has made India the worlds fourth most powerful nation. He is damdaar neta (strong leader). Before this, who knew Manmohan Singh? Now every child knows Modis name. When asked about employment prospects for the young, Babloo Sahni concedes that that is a concern. Chunar has no factories. But how much can Modi do alone? We can barely manage our homes and families. He has to manage the whole country. People below him are the problem.

At the other end of the state, in west UPs Muzaffaranagars Sisauli village, a group of Safai Karmacharis are sitting together. They are Valmikis (a Dalit sub-caste), and support Modi. Rajendra Kumar says, The poor are with BJP this time. It is a change. The government has given rural housing, electricity, gas cylinders. They have constructed toilets.

Voices like Patel, Maurya, Anil and Babloo Sahni and Kumar can be heard across west, central and east UP. There is a pattern in the conversations. Those who support the BJP primarily do so because they want Modi back as PM. And that is the partys biggest strength. Yet, that is also its vulnerability, because as the conversation moves from the national to local, the challenge becomes apparent.

In Unnaos Mohan town, Akhilesh Kumar Rawat runs a paan shop. Sakshi Maharaj is the BJP MP here. Rawat likes Modi, but he complains about Maharaj. Modiji is a good PM. He will come back. But here, I wont vote for BJP because of Maharaj. He rarely come to the constituency. If ever he comes this way, he doesnt even roll down the window of his car. And in contrast, you have the Congress Annu Tandon, who is very popular here.

These voices are echoed by a group of Pasi (a Dalit sub-caste) villagers in Chiriyari village in the same constituency. Kailash, a labourer, says they will vote for Tandon. If there is a wedding in the family, a function, Annuji always sends her blessings and support. We have not even seen Maharaj here.

The perils of the election turning local are visible in Sultanpur as well, where Menaka Gandhi is the BJP candidate, replacing her son, Varun, who has shifted to her constituency, Pilibhit.

At the Amahat crossing, Mohammad Taj, a contractor, says the SP-BSP alliance candidate, Chandrabhanu alias Sonu Singh, is in the strongest position in the seat. I am a Shia and some of us voted for the BJP last time. We are more open to them than others in the qaum, community. But Varun Gandhi did little here. It was very difficult to meet him. If anyone of us needed a letter of recommendation for school admissions or hospitals, he was never there. Ram Raja Thakur said. We want a local leader right now instead of these big leaders from Delhi. Sonu Singh will get Thakur, Muslim, Yadav, Dalit votes.

This may or may not happen, but the voices reflect disenchantment at the local level. The fact that BJP has the maximum number of sitting MPs and MLAs means it bears the burden of double anti incumbency at the local level. This feedback has gone up to the party leadership, which is why in his rallies, Modi has emphasised that people must vote knowing that each vote is for him.

Chemistry-arithmetic dialectic

If the issue of national or local leadership is one variable, a related variable in UP is the tension between personal chemistry and electoral arithmetic, and within electoral arithmetic, the complexities thrown up by the presence of a third player: the Congress.

The BJP believes that as in the general election in 2014 and the assembly polls of 2017, the UP outcome will once again confound observers and the opposition.

And this will be because of Modis personal chemistry, which will break the traditional boundaries of caste, generation, gender, and regional variations. Chandramohan, a UP BJP spokesperson and the Rampur in charge of the party, says, Mark my words. Our slogan of 74 seats is not just a slogan. There is a hawa again. Modiji has a direct connect with voters, and this will be reflected in the result again.

But notwithstanding the partys official claims, it knows that it faces the challenge of ganit (arithmetic).

An HT analysis by Roshan Kishore has shown that the combined vote share of the SP and BSP was higher than that of the BJP in 41 of the 80 seats in 2014 (excluding Amethi and Rae Bareilly). An India Today analysis showed that Muslims, Dalits and Yadavs together constitute more than 50% of the population in 47 of the 80 seats.

Not all three social groups vote in entirety for the non BJP candidate of course but they represent social constituencies most distant from the party.

The arithmetic challenge is visible in seats in west UP going to polls in the first phase. Take Muzaffarnagar, where the BJPs Sanjeev Balyan is contesting against the RLD chair and veteran Jat leader, Ajit Singh. He is the alliance candidate, and with the Congress choosing not to contest in the seat, it is a bipolar battle. While the exact demographic of all social groups is hard to know, political parties and local journalists suggest that the constituency has over five lakh Muslims; over two lakh Jatavs (a Dalit sub caste largely loyal to BSP); and close to two lakh Jats.

Suresh Singh and Budan Singh are Jat elders sitting in the Goyla village, smoking hookah. They are firmly with Chaudhary saheb, as Singh is known, and were loyal followers of his father, the late Charan Singh. Suresh Singh says, I am not interested in the PM. I am interested in having Chaudhary saheb win from here. Who can represent us better? The governments claims of successfully responding to Pakistan-backed terror does not impress him either. Indira Gandhi made two Pakistans. We have defeated it many times. Our forces deserve credit. Modi lies too much.

If these two voters are representative of the larger Jat mood, then Ajit Singh should have a relatively easy win on paper, because he has three solid social groups backing him.

But for this arithmetic to work out, there are three conditions that need to be met. Jats have to consolidate  largely, if not fully  behind Ajit Singh, but there are clear signs of division in the community, with a section staying with Balyan.

Two, Singh needs to ensure a very high turnout of his Muslim and Jatav voters, and votes of as a few other social groups, if possible. And finally, Singh has to ensure that there isnt a consolidation of all other social groups in the constituency  upper castes, smaller OBC groups, non Jatav Dalits  in favour of BJPs Balyan, for they together represent an almost equal number of voters as Singhs own three voter segments.

So Singh has the arithmetic advantage, because of the alliance, but only the exact voting pattern on polling day can tell if it has translated into votes.

The arithmetic of the alliance has also got complicated because of the presence of the Congress. This is visible in a constituency like Saharanpur.

On paper, in 2014, BJPs Raghav Lakhanpal won by a (relatively) narrow margin of 65,000 votes. He won 39.59% of the votes, while the Congress Imran Masood bagged over 34.1% of the votes; the BSPs candidate had 19.6%, and the SP bagged 4.4%.

Put together, this is a vulnerable seat for the BJP on paper for the combined opposition has over 57% of the votes. But this time around, while the Congress has stuck to Masood, the alliance has put up a Muslim candidate, Haji Fazlur Rahman.

It was this dynamic which prompted Mayawati at the alliances first rally on Sunday to appeal to Muslims to vote only for the alliance candidate, and not allow votes to go to Congress.

The BJP in turn hopes that their arithmetic advantage will collapse given the three-way contest, with a split in Muslim votes in the constituency. But take Kairana, the neighbouring constituency, where the Congress has put up a Jat candidate. Whether he takes away Jat votes of the BJP or those of alliance candidate is unclear.

And that is why as the UP story is broken down to a constituency level analysis, what emerges is a clear edge enjoyed by the alliance.

But this numerical edge is based on certain assumptions about past voting behaviour and future turnout and is tempered by the Congress presence.

Battle of social coalitions

But beyond the personalities and arithmetic, a final way to understand the UP political mood is to view it as a battle between two formidable social coalitions, which are jostling for power and dominance.

As the crowds began trooping towards the rally grounds of Saharanpur on Sunday, it was a sea of blue (BSP) and red (SP) flags and caps. Lokendra and Nitin were committed BSP workers and had come with their friends from the neighbouring constituency of Muzaffarnagar, but because the alliance candidate there is Ajit Singh, they wore RLD caps. All four belonged to the Jatav community.

When asked about the alliance, Lokendra said, Behenji has done the right thing with the alliance. Muslims, Jatavs, Jats and Yadavs have come together. We will all vote for each others candidate. But given the past acrimony between Jatavs and Yadavs in east UP, or Jatavs and Jats or even Jatavs and Muslims to some extent in west UP, would this work? Nitin chipped in, If Jats and Muslims could kill each other five years ago and come together now, why cant we work together with all other groups? This election is to defeat Modi. And if the alliance gets over 50 seats, Behenji will become the Prime Minister.

Mohammad Tazim, a Muslim participant at the rally from Saharanpur, claimed that the Modi government had harassed poor people with demonetisation. And they have harassed Muslims in particular by spreading hatred against us. The alliance is our only hope.

Supplementing these voices are the Yadavs, who are numerically far more significant elsewhere in the state. At the Phulpur tehsil, Sanjay Yadav, a lawyer, says emphatically that he is with the alliance. The SP is our party. I dont care if the party wins or loses. But I will always be with Akhilesh and support his decisions. In UP, it is clear that since the BJP government came to power, there has been discrimination against Yadavs. And nationally, I dont think the the Modi government has performed well either.

These voices, of Lokendra and Nitin, Tazim and Yadav, are the biggest strength of the alliance. Muslims, Yadavs and Jatavs have felt that since 2014 nationally.

But since 2017, in particular after the BJPs victory in the assembly polls, they have been systematically excluded from the power structure in the state. That prompted the pressure from below from these communities on their leaders  Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati  to come together.

But a caveat is essential here. We met several Yadavs who suggested that because this was a Lok Sabha election, they may well vote for Modi while supporting the SP in the state elections. We also met some Jatavs (especially those not attached to the BSP organisation), who were open to voting for the BJP in seats where the BSP had not put up a candidate.

But taking on this multi-religious coalition is another coalition: a broadly Hindu social alliance which compromises the most dominant castes with some of the most backward and invisible castes. They feel the return of the BJP has actually opened up the space for them, provided them a voice in the power structure, and ended the prolonged dominance of Yadavs, Jatavs and Muslims in the politics of the state.

Sitting with Sanjay Yadav in Phulpur is a teacher, Krishna Maurya. The two are friends and laugh about their political differences. Maurya is very clear he is with the BJP.

Modi has started good work. He needs five more years to complete it. He then admits that it is his caste identity which is the primary driver of his choice. Looks like Sanjay here will always be with the SP. We Mauryas are now firmly with the BJP. They are our party. I wish (deputy CM) Keshav Prasad Maurya had become CM, but I am still with them.

In numerous conversations with Brahmans, Thakurs, Kayasthas and Banias or the scattered and small but substantial OBC groups  Kurmis, Lodha, Gujjars, Sonara, Pals, Nishads, Telis, Prajaptis, Kashyaps, Kushwahas, Nais, Rajbhars  and smaller Dalit sub castes, it appears that the BJP commands the fierce loyalty of a range of these social groups.

Bringing them together is both a sense that under the SP and BSP, they are marginalised as well as a strong sense of Hindu identity, the feeling that the BJP protects Hindu interests, while the others side with Muslims. The BJPs alliance with Apna Dal (a Kurmi outfit), Nishad party, and the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (of Rajbhars) helps too. The opposition may have 40%, we have 60% of the votes, says a top BJP leader in the state.

But a caveat is essential in this instance as well. This does not mean all members of all these diverse social groups are entirely with the BJP. The SP and BSP, and even the Congress, have put up candidates from these social groups too. And therefore, they, too, will get the support of some of these social groups.

If the UP election becomes entirely about national leadership; if it depends on Modis personal chemistry; and if the BJPs broad social coalition stays intact and votes in large numbers, then the saffron juggernaut will continue to roll on across the Gangetic plains.

But if the election in UP boils down to local candidates; if it hinges on specific caste arithmetic in each seat; and if the alliance manages to keep its Muslim-Yadav-Jatav-Jat coalition intact, and get them to poll in large numbers, the outcome could well mark the beginning of the end of BJPs hegemony both nationally and in UP.
Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah on Tuesday reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir would continue to be an inseparable part of India like any other state in the country.

Addressing an election rally at Shamshabad on the outskirts of Hyderabad, Shah asserted that there would be no special identity for Jammu and Kashmir. The other day, National Conference leader Omar Adbullah, who is part of the alliance of the Congress party, wanted that Kashmir should have its own Prime Minister. How can that be possible? Does anybody agree with that? Can there be two Prime Ministers in the country? he asked.

He challenged Congress president Rahul Gandhi to clarify on whether he agrees with Omar Abdullahs demand. As long as BJP is in power, Kashmir will not be treated differently from other states. It is an inseparable part of India. Nobody can separate it from rest of the country, Shah said.

The BJP national presidents assertion comes a day after the release of its manifesto in which it said it would abolish Article 370 of the Constitution that grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

Describing the BJP manifesto as a document aimed at transforming India into a great nation, Shah explained a series of measures proposed to be taken by the NDA government to make the country an economic and military super power in the next five years.

He pointed out that the entire country was proud of the Narendra Modi government for carrying out air strikes at the terror camps at Balakot in Pakistan in retaliation to the Pulwama attack.

But there was panic only in two camps: one in Pakistan and the other in Rahul Gandhi camp. Rahuls guru Sam Pitroda questioned the air strikes stating whether they were necessary for a small mistake committed by terrorists. How can the killing of 40 jawans be a small mistake? He might have sympathy with terrorists, but we dont. If they fire one bullet, we reciprocate with a fusillade of bombs. Eenth ka jawaab pathar se dengey (If they hurl bricks at us, we shall reply with stones), Shah said.

Alleging that the opposition parties were more interested in protecting their own families, the BJP president said his party was interested in protecting the country from intruders. We brought in NRC to drive away illegal migrants. But the Congress wants to them to stay back in the country, he said.

Stating that the entire country was reverberating with Modis name, Shah said the people had only two options before them: a nationalistic and patriotic coalition led by BJP and an opportunistic and fragile coalition of parties led by Rahul Gandhi.

Of course, there are some other smaller parties like the Telangana Rashtra Samithi which also clamour for power. But the people have already taken a decision to bring Modi back to power again, he asserted.

Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Divided Opposition in Telangana gives KCR the upper hand

Describing the TRS as a family-based party, Shah said people had no doubt on who would succeed its president K Chandrasekhar Rao. It will be his daughter or son or nephew. Nobody else can even dream of leading the party, he said.

He wondered how KCR could ever think of becoming Prime Minister by winning just 16 Lok Sabha seats. The TRS, which is scared of antagonizing the descendants of Razakars, cannot protect the country, he said.

Also read: My Hindutva is real: Telanganas KCR takes an unusual swipe at BJP

Listing the projects that were granted by the BJP government for Telangana, including the Metro Railway and the Biodiversity centre here, Shah wanted the voters to compare it with what the UPA had done for the state.

Telangana goes to the polls in the first phase on April 11. The state has 17 Lok Sabha seats. In the 2014 elections, the TRS won 11 seats . However, three other MPs defected to the TRS later, taking the tally to 14. The BJP won only one seat.
Make in Gaya, Make in Bihar.. together make India: Rahul

Modi came up with Make in India, yet theres unemployment. With NYAY, with the NYAY money, we will make.. Make in Gaya, Make in Bihar, Make in UP. Modijis Make in India failed because he doesnt know that Make in Gaya, Make in Bihar... make India.

Modis Make in India, yet we are at our poorest in 45 years: Rahul

Modi said Make in India, but we are at our poorest in 45 years.

Modiji is giving your money to Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi: Rahul Gandhi

When its time to give money to our farmers, Modiji asks where will the money come for?, but he is giving the money to Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Anil Ambani.

I will give you your money, from pockets of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi... from Chowkidar.

They want to make two India, one for the rich, and one for us: Rahul Gandhi

Brothers and sisters, they want to make two India, one for Nirav Modi, Ambanis... the rich, and one for common people like us.

Rajnikant extends support to BJPs manifesto promises

Rajinikanth in Chennai: I have been advocating the project of interlinking of rivers since the time AB Vajpayee was the PM, he had accepted my idea. BJP in their 2019 manifesto has promised to undertake the project. People will be happier if this is done, reports news agency ANI

Rajinikanth in Chennai: I have been advocating the project of interlinking of rivers since the time AB Vajpayee was the PM, he had accepted my idea. BJP in their 2019 manifesto has promised to undertake the project. People will be happier if this is done. #TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/n6qOLCkuvj  ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

Will provide financial help to all farmers: PM Modi in Karnataka

We will make sure that every farmer get financial assistance under PM Kisan Yojana, our manifesto also says so: PM Modi in Karnataka

Warrant for farmers in Karnataka not waiver under Congress rule: PM Modi

Congress promised loan waiver for the farmers, but now after they are in power all that farmer gets is Warrant not waiver: PM Modi in Karnataka

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra holds a road show in Saharanpur

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra holds a road show in Saharanpur, reports new agency ANI.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra holds a road show in Saharanpur. #LokSabhaElections2019 pic.twitter.com/kGA97z5sIa  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 9, 2019

Who is running Karnataka government nobody knows: PM Modi in Karnataka

Who is running Karnataka government nobody knows because two parties that lost came together because of selfish interests: PM Modi

Country is becoming leading power, every person in India is confident now: PM Modi in Karnataka

Every person in the country has confidence because the country is becoming a leading power. Five years ago there was a time when Pakistani terrorists used to attack and then threaten after that as well. The defence forces used to ask permission to retaliate but the government was scared. Now if there is fear it is across the border: PM Modi in Karnataka

When world was standing with us Congress questioned us: PM Modi in Karnataka

When entire world was standing with us, it was Congress and its allies who questioned our stance against Terrorism: PM Modi

Karnataka is one of those states that has always been with BJP: PM Modi in Karnataka

Karnataka is one of those states that has always been with BJP. And this solidity was given to chowkidaar give years ago. Thanks to your support this chowkidaar could fight any problems: PM Modi in Karnataka

UP Congress to bring out supplementary manifesto

The Uttar Pradesh Congress will soon bring out a state manifesto to address issues that are peculiar to Indias most populous province.

This is being done at the behest of Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi.

The state manifesto will include issues related to Shiksha Mitras (contractual teachers), revival of the old pension scheme, relief to ad hoc employees, ASHA workers, cooks, police recruitment, modernization of madarasas and farmers, reports news agency IANS.

Rahul Gandhis Kandhamal rally cancelled

Congress president Rahul Gandhis scheduled visit to Odishas Kandhamal district on Tuesday was cancelled, party sources said.

Rahul Gandhis visit was cancelled in view of a possible thunderstorm in Kandhamal area on Tuesday evening, a party communication said, adding that Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik and Chhattishgarh health minister T S Singhdeo will attend the programme, reports news agency PTI

Congress cannot form government of its own: TMC President Mamata Banerjee

Congress cannot form government on its own, it will have to seek help from others: Mamata Banerjee, reports news agency PTI

Kashmir part of India, no force can separate it from India: Rajnath Singh

Home Minister Rajnath Singh to ANI on Farooq Abdullahs statement If Article 370 is removed then its possible Kashmir will secede from India: Kashmir will never be separated from India; no force can separate Kashmir from India, reports news agency ANI.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh to ANI on Farooq Abdullahs statement If Article 370 is removed then its possible Kashmir will secede from India: Kashmir will never be separated from India; no force can separate Kashmir from India. pic.twitter.com/JkcV7R8gSv  ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

Kapil Sibal addresses media on Demonetisation

Press briefing by former union minister Kapil Sibal on Demonetisation.

LIVE: Press briefing by former union minister @KapilSibal. https://t.co/FmpAWT90P3  Congress Live (@INCIndiaLive) April 9, 2019

NRC in our manifesto, will fulfil it : Amit Shah in Telangana

In our manifesto, we have promised to implement NRC in the entire country. Therefore, we will remove infiltrators from the country if we again form government at the centre:Amit Shah

In our manifesto, we have promised to implement NRC in the entire country. Therefore, we will remove infiltrators from the country if we again form govt in the centre: Shri @AmitShah #IsBaarNaMoPhirSe pic.twitter.com/MYa33iGSn2  BJP (@BJP4India) April 9, 2019

Rajnath Singh comments on Rs15 lakh promise

Never said that 15 lakh will come to peoples accounts: Rajnath Singh, reports news agency ANI.

Never said that 15 lakh will come to people's accounts: Rajnath Singh



Read @ANI story | https://t.co/aubO8tGdlw pic.twitter.com/VQASUMQkj0  ANI Digital (@ani_digital) April 9, 2019

Congress tried to pressurise IT official during raids: PM Modi in Maharashtra

Congress men were trying to pressurise IT officials in Madhya Pradesh during IT raids but as soon as the media reached the spot they all ran away: PM in Maharashtra

Congress believes in welfare of family only but Bala Saheb Thackeray example of selfless politics: PM Modi praises Thackeray family

On one hand it is Congress who believes in welfare of one family only and on other is the Thackeray who never used their power to get posts. Bala Saheb Thackeray could have become CM if he wanted to, but he refused: PM Modi praises Thackeray family

Dedicate your first vote to the nation: PM Modi

Like everyone dedicate their salary to someone special in their lives, first time voters must also dedicate their first vote to the nation: PM Modi in Maharashtra

Will return peoples tapsaya with interest: PM Modi

PM Modi in Latur, Maharashtra: I have come to know that you are sitting here since 9.30 AM. You are sitting here in this extreme heat. I wont let your tapasya go in vain. I will return this to you with interest.

PM Modi in Latur, Maharashtra: I have come to know that you are sitting here since 9.30 AM. You are sitting here in this extreme heat. I won't let your 'tapasya' go in vain. I will return this to you with interest. pic.twitter.com/OHJ5e1RCQt  ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

New ministry for water conservation: PM Modi in Maharashtra

We have been working for a better future of India, tracing the challenges related to the scarcity of water in major regions we have decided to create separate ministry of water.

PM Modi thrashes Congresss NYAY scheme

Congress believes in making fake promises to get poll victory but BJP believes in speaking only what we can fulfil. Our manifesto talks about basic facilities for the people: PM Modi

Pension for Shopkeepers and farmers a first for India: PM Modi in Maharashtra

By yesterday people were saying Farmers do not retire but now every farmer is happy with our announcement of pension. We have also kept provision shopkeepers and traders for the pension: PM Modi in Maharashtras Latur

PM Modi takes dig at Pakistan

First Pakistan came in media and said we have two pilots in our captivity but by evening they said no we only have one pilot. Even a child know what happen to the second pilot: PM Modi

Congress took away Bal Thackerays voting rights: PM Modi in Maharashtras Latur

It is the same Congress which could not take strong stand in 1947 against Indias division that took away voting right of Bal Thackeray: PM Modi in Maharashtras Latur

Congress wants to give free hand to people working against India: PM Modi in Maharashtra

Pakistan wants that anyone who works against India get free hands, but Congress and its manifesto has been doing the same: PM Modi in Maharashtras Latur

Will rest only after defeating terror, says PM Modi in Maharashtra

We have ensured that terrorist are identified and killed, even if we have to enter other countries to do so: PM Modi in Maharashtra

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses poll rally in Maharashtra

Prime Minister Narendra Modi address poll rally in Maharashtra Latur.

Smriti Irani counters Rahul Gandhis attack on BJP poll manifesto

Smriti Irani: Despite having a vision, theres a question mark on his efficiency as nations knows condition of Amethi. On one hand theres an efficient government which has taken resolution to build a New India, on the other theres a man who stays restricted to making announcements, reports news agency ANI.

Smriti Irani: Despite having a vision, there's a question mark on his efficiency as nations knows condition of Amethi. On one hand there's an efficient govt which has taken resolution to build a New India, on the other there's a man who stays restricted to making announcements. https://t.co/ekEU0awSAk  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 9, 2019

Congress president Rahul Gandhi calls BJP election manifesto short sighted

Congress president slams BJP election manifesto which was released yesterday. Rahul Gandhi claimed that BJPs manifesto is short sighted.

The Congress manifesto was created through discussion. The voice of over a million Indian people it is wise and powerful.



The BJP Manifesto was created in a closed room. The voice of an isolated man, it is short sighted and arrogant.  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 9, 2019

BJP president Amit Shah to address three poll rallies today

BJP president Amit Shah to address three poll rallies, one each in Odisha, Telangana and Maharashtra.

PM Modi to address poll rallies in three states

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address poll rallies in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu today.

PM Shri @narendramodi will address mega rallies in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu tomorrow. Watch LIVE



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 NaMo TV



Dial 9345014501 to listen LIVE pic.twitter.com/qmFG6Gxrvy  BJP (@BJP4India) April 8, 2019
He was an avid and loyal supporter of USC and a mighty member of the Board of Trustees who was so supportive not only financially but also with his time and commitment to helping USC gain popularity in Asia, said real estate developer Rick Caruso, chairman of USCs board. Wilshire Grand represents his belief and commitment to the region.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ally Apna Dal swept Uttar Pradesh in the 2014 elections. They got 73 out of 80 seats in the state with a 43.6% vote share.

Unless the BJP increases this vote share in 2019, it will be extremely difficult to replicate the 2014 performance in terms of seats.

The reason for this is simple. Unlike in the 2014 Lok Sabha and the 2017 assembly elections  both of which the BJP swept  the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party (SP) are in an alliance along with the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), a political party with a footprint in the western part of the state.

A simple addition of SP-BSP votes in 2014 reduces the NDAs tally of 73 to 37 in Uttar Pradesh.

In western Uttar Pradesh, adding RLD votes to the SP-BSP votes could bring down this tally even more.

Since the RLD contested the 2014 elections in alliance with the Congress, its exact vote share is difficult to ascertain.

To be sure, there is no guarantee that voter preferences will remain the same as in 2014.

Electoral alliances can also lead to coordination and mis-coordination effects.

This means that the combined vote share of SP-BSP-RLD alliance could get a bigger or smaller vote share than what it had in 2014.

It is entirely possible that a section of SP-BSP-RLD voters shift towards the BJP due to contradictions at the local level. However, there is nothing to role out the reverse  BJP voters from shifting to other parties  in principle.

A look at party-wise vote shares in Uttar Pradesh since 1989 show that 2014 was not a normal election in the states political history.

So, it is entirely possible that the BJPs vote share could come down from its unprecedented level in 2014.

Although Lok Sabha and assembly elections are not strictly comparable, the BJPs vote share did come down by 3 percentage points from the 2014 Lok Sabha.

A parliamentary constituency wise extrapolation of the 2017 results shows that while the NDA would still have got 70 out of the 80 seats in the state, its victory margin came down in 45 of 67 seats it retained compared to 2014.

Because the SP and the Congress fought the 2017 assembly elections in an alliance, it is not possible to add SP-BSP-RLD votes to check how the 2019 alliance would have fared against the NDA.

However, it is extremely likely that the BJP would be far more vulnerable in terms of seats than it was in 2014.

While electoral predictions are always hazardous, it can be said with some degree of confidence that 2014 vote share will not bring the 2014 seat share to the NDA in Uttar Pradesh in 2019.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was resorting to personally attacking opposition leaders, including me, as he is unable to talk about his contribution in the past five years of his government.

In an interview to Hindustan Times, Pawar also criticised Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis handling of drought in the state, and spoke about the NCPs alliance with the Congress. As of today, nominations are still being filed and the contest is not clear. But, my assessment is that our coalition will go to 22-24 seats and the NCP will get 14-15 seats, he said, as HT travelled with him during a poll campaign in Pune.

Watch: Sharad Pawar Interview I On oppositions 2019 game plan, PM Modi and more

Complimenting his ally, Pawar said, Congress, as a party, is in a better position than us. They have committed workers in every village.

He said the workers can be motivated to defeat BJP.

Thats what I am doing, so the entire attack is on me, he said, referring to the PM and Fadnavis hitting out at him.

We (Congress and NCP) are working well together. There is perfect understanding between us.

So, the BJP is worried about that, Pawar said.

They have come to the conclusion that unless we attack Pawar, we cannot survive. Modi came to Wardha and attacked me even though I have no base there, he said.

Reacting to Modis barbs that his nephew, Ajit Pawar, was trying to take control of his party, Pawar said Modi was resorting to personal attacks because he had nothing to say about the performance of his government. What is this nonsense? This is totally false. My family is together. The question is, what is the use of such issues in an election campaign? It only shows he (Modi) is unable to talk about his contribution. That is why he is taking entire election campaign in a different direction, he said.

Recently, Fadnavis, too, had said the Congress in Maharashtra was Pawars B-team.

The NCP chief said the chief minister and his party were worried that the Congress and NCP were working well in this election. Other opposition parties have also come together in Maharashtra, Pawar said.

What is unity of opposition parties in Maharashtra? Essentially, it is the NCP and Congress. The Peasants and Workers Party and Raju Shettis Shetkari Sanghatana are also with us.

These parties matter and they are together.

We are working unitedly,he said.

Pawar ridiculed the allegation made by senior Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil that his adamant attitude led to the latters son joining the BJP. I cant understand why someone wanted a constituency only because his son wanted to contest there? There needed to be some logic,he said.

In response to Vikhe Patils argument that his son was preparing to contest from Ahmednagar for the past two years, Pawar retorted: Why only his son? Everybody was preparing. Even my candidate was working. My daughter (Baramati MP Supriya Sule) was working for five years before she contested. In an alliance situation, the normal practise is if a party has a seat, its ally should not interfere there.

Pawar also said he offered to renominate NCPs sitting MP from the Madha constituency, Vijaysinh Mohite Patil whose son Ranjitsinh joined the BJP.

Asked about his grand-nephew, Parths candidature, Pawar said: There was no pressure from within the family as is being said. We lost the last two elections from the Maval constituency (in Pune district).

There was a suggestion from within the partys local unit and our ally, Peasants and Workers Party, that Parth would be a strong candidate.

As such, the decision was taken based on local calculations.

Pawar also hit out at the Fadnavis government over handling drought in Maharashtra.
Madhya Pradesh Kamal Nath on Tuesday alleged that the Income Tax department raids against several of his close aides were politically motivated. Those raided were CMs nephew Ratul Puri, officer on special duty (OSD) to Nath, Praveen Kakkar and a close associate RK Miglani.

They (raids) are politically motivated. They wont be successful, Kamal Nath was quoted as saying by ANI in Chhindwara. Nath filed his nomination papers for Chhindwara assembly seat by-poll while his son Nakul filed nomination papers for Chhindwara Lok Sabha seat.

At a poll rally on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi targeted the opposition over the I-T raids. They have been saying chowkidar chor hai for six months but see where bundles of note are being recovered from, Modi said at a rally in Maharashtra.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on Monday said that searches by the I-T department have detected widespread and well-organized racket of collection of unaccounted cash of about 281 crore through persons involved in business. A part of the cash was also transferred to the headquarter of a major political party in Delhi including about 20 cr [crore] which was moved through hawala recently to the headquarter of the political party from the residence of a senior functionary at Tughlak Road, New Delhi, CBDT said in a statement.

On Tuesday, the Election Commission met the revenue secretary A B Pandey and central board of direct taxes chairman P C Mody to discuss the raids. The meeting came amid allegations by the Congress that the ruling BJP was using enforcement agencies to target it ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

The Election Commission in its letter to Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey had on April 7 strongly advised the department that any action by its enforcement agencies during the election time should be neutral and non-discriminatory and officials of the poll panel should be kept in the loop about such actions.

News agency PTI reported that the finance ministry has told the Election Commission that enforcement actions by its revenue department are always neutral, impartial and non-discriminatory irrespective of political affiliation.

Replying to a letter from the Election Commission, the Revenue Department asked the poll panel to share specific information with the I-T department about illicit money in the electoral process.

We understand the words neutral, impartial and non-discriminatory mean that we must act as and when information is available against anyone, irrespective of political affiliation. This is precisely the practice that the department follows and will continue to do so, revenue secretary Pandey wrote to the poll panel, PTI reported.
If former prime minister Indira Gandhi can be praised for the creation of Bangladesh in 1971, PM Narendra Modi too deserved appreciation for avenging the Pulwama terror attack, Union home minister Rajnath Singh said at an election rally in Maharashtras Vidarbha region on Tuesday.

Launching a blistering attack on the Congress, which purportedly sought to know how many terrorists were killed during Balakot air strike, Singh said, The brave dont count bodies, only vultures do.

On February 26, the Indian Air Force had launched an attack on terror camps in Balakot, Pakistan, to avenge the Pulwama suicide bombing in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel lost their lives.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress are engaged in a verbal duel over the Balakot air raid, with the opposition party accusing the government of politicising a military action.

When Indira Gandhi divided Pakistan and created Bangladesh in 1971, our leader, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, stood and praised her in Parliament. Why cant the Congress show similar gesture towards Modi after the Balakot strike? Rajnath asked at the rally in Chandrapur, where he sought votes for Union minister, Hansraj Ahir. [After Balakot,] India is no longer treated as a weak nation.

At a separate election meeting in Amaravati, Singh said he was surprised at the way some people in India were upset after the Balakot strike. Singh said the action was carried out with utmost care and was targeted at terrorists. We didnt kill innocent people or army men in Pakistan. We targeted terrorists who carried out [the Pulwama terror] attack. India has never been expansionist.

Singh said there is a change in the way in how New Delhi functions, and after the Pulwama incident, Prime Minister Modi asked forces to avenge the death of CRPF personnel within 15 days. It was done within 13 days, Singh added. We dont trouble anyone, but if someone troubles us, we dont spare them, he said.

Earlier in Chandrapur, Singh hit out at the Congress over its promise to scrap the sedition law. Shouldnt the law take its own course against those who want to divide India? What does the Congress want to achieve? Please save the country from these people, he said. The home minister also claimed there was a Modi wave across the country and that even rival leaders such as Sharad Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party have sensed it and predicted the return of the Modi government.

Pawar saheb knows that Congress is not going to win, and has already deserted the battlefield, the home minister said, referring to Pawars announcement last month that he would not contest the Lok Sabha polls.

Singh also criticised the Congress poll promise of providing Rs 72,000 every year to poor families, and called it an eyewash.

They [Congress] have put conditions such as you get benefit of this scheme only if your income is less than Rs 12,000. It has promised to only provide for amount that is short of Rs 12,000. If a family has an income of Rs 11,500, then such families will only get Rs 500. This is an eyewash. They can afford to do this because they know they are not going to come to power, Singh said.

The home minister also talked about issues raised in the BJPs election manifesto such as universal income support to farmers, pension to the agrarian community and small businessmen. Campaigning for the Shiv Sena candidate, Anandrao Adsul, Singh said in Amaravati that the alliance with the Maharashtra based party was unbreakable.

Alliance is not a compulsion for us, it is our commitment, Singh said, referring to the Sena which had a bittersweet relationship with the BJP before announcing a seat sharing plan in February. Of the 48 seats in Maharashtra, the BJP will contest in 25 seats and the Sena in 23.

People were predicting that BJP and Sena will part ways, but I used to tell people that god has created these two parties to stay together and they will stay together. On Article 370, Singh said, I repeat that the BJP is committed to abrogation of Article 370 in J&K and repeal Article 35A.

While Article 370 of the Constitution grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir, Article 35A provides special rights and privileges to the permanent residents of the state. He also said the BJP-led NDA was comfortably ahead of rivals and he will not be surprised if the ruling alliance gets a three-fourth majority.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday threw an open book challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi inviting him for a debate. Taking a jibe at PM Modi saying that he is scared, Gandhi listed three topics for a political debate.

Dear PM, scared of debating me on corruption? I can make it easier for you. Lets go open book, so you can prepare: 1. RAFALE+Anil Ambani, 2. Nirav Modi, 3. Amit Shah+Demonetisation.

Gandhi has been attacking the prime minister alleging that he has benefited industrialist Anil Ambani in Rafale deal and played an instrumental role in securing a 30,000 contract for Reliance Defence, a firm that is an offset partner of the Dassault Aviation.

The Dassault Aviation is a French firm that has got the contract for the supply of 36 Rafale fighter jets to Indian Air Force under an intergovernmental agreement signed between India and France. The Rafale deal was signed in 2016.

Gandhi has alleged that PM Modi got the original Rafale deal that was being negotiated during the Congress-led UPA regime scrapped to facilitate entry of Anil Ambanis firm in entire process.

The Congress president has also targeted PM Modi over 14,000 crore Punjab National Bank fraud alleging that the BJP-led NDA government has been soft on main accused in the case Nirav Modi, a diamond businessman with global footprint.

PM Modi, on the other hand, has attacked the Congress over PNB fraud case saying that the scam could take place because of the previous UPA governments failure to tackle corruption. Referring to extradition proceedings against Nirav Modi in the UK, PM Modi recently said that everyone who looted the public money will be accounted for.

Demonetisation, announced in November 2016, has been another bone of contention between the Congress and the Modi government. Gandhi often refers to demonetisation as a scam while PM Modi in a recent interview to the Hindustan, a sister concern of the Hindustan Times, called it a necessary step taken in national interest at the cost of political arithmetic.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday stepped up his attack on Congress president Rahul Gandhi over his decision to contest Lok Sabha polls from Wayanad seat in Kerala.

PM Modi, who was addressing a public rally in Karnatakas Mysuru, said, There is lot of anger against the Congress in the country due to its politics of family-first, of corruption. The anger is so much that the seat of Congresss naamdar (referring to Rahul Gandhi) has come under threat.

Gandhi has won three Lok Sabha elections from Amethi parliamentary constituency in Uttar Pradesh. This is the first time, Gandhi has decided to contest from a second seat, Wayanad in Kerala for which he has filed nomination.

Filing his nomination papers, Gandhi had said that he wanted to send a message of unity by contesting for a Lok Sabha seat in the south India, which he said was feeling ignored under the Modi government.

They argue that he (Rahul Gandhi) wanted to contest from the south. He could have fought from a seat in Karnataka, where the Congress is in power. But he went to the neighbouring state, said PM Modi at his Mysuru rally.

He said, In fact, he was trying to find a safe seat in Karnataka but they (the Congress) knew the public mood here and were also not sure about the JDS (the Congresss alliance partner in Karnataka).

PM Modi alleged that the Congress feared revenge from Janata Dal-Secular leader and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda. He said, Madam Sonia Gandhi had backstabbed Deve Gowda and removed him from the prime ministers post. They were worried what would happen if Deve Gowda decides to take revenge from her son.

He was referring to 1997-incident when the Congress withdrew support to the Deve Gowdas United Front government. However, Sitaram Kesri was the Congress president and Sonia Gandhi had not yet joined the party. Sonia Gandhi became Congress president in March 1998. Deve Gowdas government fell in April 1997.

This is not the first time the prime minister has taken a potshot at Gandhi for contesting from Wayanad Lok Sabha seat. At another election rally, PM Modi said the Congress president chose to be in the fray where majority is in minority signalling to the demographic composition of the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat where Muslims constitute around 45 per cent of the population compared to nearly 41 per cent Hindus.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday cited Income Tax raids in Madhya Pradesh to target the Congress, alleging that corruption is the character of the principal Opposition party.

PM Modi, who was speaking at an election rally in Maharashtra, said, They have been saying chowkidar chor hai for six months but see where bundles of note are being recovered from. Who is scared of chowkidar? If so much money is being recovered, it is natural for them to abuse this chowkidar.

His remarks are in response to the Congresss chowkidar chor hai (watchman is a thief) campaign to target him over the Rafale deal.

The Income Tax Department has said that it has detected a widespread and well-organised racket of collection of unaccounted cash of about 281 crore during raids against close associates of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath and others.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has said it has also detected a trail of 20 crore suspect cash allegedly being moved to the headquarters of a major political party in Delhi from the house of an important person who lives on Tughlaq Road, home to many VIPs.

A little before the prime minister cited IT raids at the poll rally, the Election Commission called the revenue secretary and chairman of the CBDT to discuss ongoing income tax raids amid allegations by the Congress that the ruling BJP is using enforcement agencies to target it ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, voting in the first phase for which will be held on April 11.

The meeting was seen as a follow-up to the election commissions communication to the government, strongly advising the Finance Ministry that any action by its enforcement agencies during election time should be neutral and non-discriminatory and that officials of the poll panel should be kept in loop about such actions.

The poll bodys advice followed raids by the Income Tax Department in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in the recent days on politicians and people connected to them. Several of these raids were conducted after the Model Code Conduct came into force on March 10 prompting the Opposition parties to allege misuse of central agencies by the BJP-led government.

PM Modi said, It has not been six months since the government was formed in Madhya Pradesh but millions and billions are being recovered from their places.

The sin of buying vote with note has been their (Congress) political culture, PM Modi said adding, Corruption is the task that the Congress performs with complete honesty after coming into power.

The raids have turned into huge political row between the ruling BJP and Opposition parties ahead of the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections. Meanwhile, IT raids on Praveen Kakkar, the officer on special duty (OSD) attached to the Madhya Pradesh chief minister continued for the third day on Tuesday.

It was a political operation, news agency ANI quoted Kakkar as saying. Despite the two-day-long raid, they didnt find any document that they could seize, they didnt recover any cash or jewellery. They didnt find anything objectionable, it was a political operation, Kakkar said, according to the ANI.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath termed the IT raids on Kakkar as politically motivated action, ANI reported.

WATCH: MP CM Kamal Nath labels I-T raids political pressure
The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF) has cleared a proposal to cut 53,467 mangrove trees in the Thane, Navi Mumbai and Palghar districts to make way for the Mumbai - Ahmedabad bullet train project, the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) told the Bombay high court (HC) on Monday.

With this, NHSRCL, which is executing the project, has all necessary permissions to build the 1.08 lakh-crore bullet train, which seeks to reduce the travel time between Mumbai and Ahmedabad from 6.5 hours to 2.5 hours.

In March, the HC directed NHSRCL to get permissions from all the agencies and ministries involved.

The firm approached HC after the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA), in December 22, 2018, turned down its plan to cut the trees saying it required the high courts permission.

On March 7, the MCZMA recommended the proposal to cut 53,467 trees to the Centre for a final approval.

The court then asked NHSRCL to get the environment ministrys nod.

In all, 32.43 hectares of mangrove forest area in Mumbai and Thane needs to used for Indias first high-speed rail project, a letter from MCZMA to the director, Coastal Regulation Zone, MoEF, said. The letter said 53,467 mangrove trees spread over 13.36 hectares will have to be cut for this.

In NHSRCLs petition to the HC, it said that of the 508-km corridor, 155.642km was in Maharashtra. This would affect 131.30 hectares of forest, including mangroves spread over 32.43 hectares. Of the 32.43km passing through CRZ areas in Maharashtra, 8.39km is underground. Only 53,467 mangroves spread over 13.36 hectares would be actually affected by the project, it said.

At an earlier hearing, the firms lawyer told the HC that NHSRCL was willing to plant five times the number of mangrove trees that will be affected by the high-speed rail corridor, as against the statutory requirement of thrice the number of trees.
Mukul Sangma contested the Lok Sabha elections in 2004 and again in 2006 but lost both times to the stalwart politician PA Sangma from Tura parliamentary constituency.

Tura has indeed been PA Sangmas fort in the northeast, first sending him to the Lok Sabha multiple times since the 1970s. His children Conrad Sangma, now the chief minister of the state, and Agatha Sangma, a former Union Minister and the National Peoples Partys (NPPs) candidate from Tura, were also elected from the seat.

Mukul Sangma, however, has not lost any state election from Ampati one of the assembly seats in Tura since 1993 when he bade adieu to his two-year-old career as a medical health officer at a public health centre and jumped into politics.

Click here for full coverage of Lok Sabha elections 2019

Sangma, the face of the Congress party in Meghalaya, was first elected to the Meghalaya assembly from Ampati constituency as an Independent candidate in 1993. He was then re-elected to the assembly in 1998, 2003, 2008 and 2013 on a Congress ticket.

Sangma took oath as the chief minister of Meghalaya for the first time in April 2010 after DD Lapang resigned from the post. He got a second straight term in March 2013. In the 2018 assembly election, he won from both Songsak and Ampati seats. He then gave up Ampati to pave way for his daughter Miani D Shira to replace him. Shira won the election against her nearest rival of the NPP G Momin.

Read: All you need to know about Meghalaya

Born on April 20, 1965, to teacher parents Binoy Bhushan M Marak and Roshanara Begum at Ampatigiri, he graduated from the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Imphal in 1990 and joined Zikzak Public Health Centre as a health and medical officer the next year.

This year, Mukul Sangma has a tough fight at hand in Tura in Garo Hills, one of the two constituencies in the northeastern state.
Like so many travelers, my images of Germany -- cute villages, dirndls and lederhosen, and fairy-tale castles -- are from Bavaria, in the foothills of the Alps. You could easily spend a week here, soaking up culture as you bike along fragrant fields and tour the sights.

My favorite home bases for exploring the Bavarian Alps are Fussen and Reutte (just over the border in Austria). They put you an easy drive from the region's most popular sights: the wood-carving capital of Oberammergau and the popular "King's Castles" with their fairy-tale turrets and romantic aura.

The romance starts with the older castle, Hohenschwangau -- the hunting palace of King Ludwig II of Bavaria (a.k.a. "Mad" King Ludwig). Its mostly Neo-Gothic interior looks much like it did in 1835, with paintings inspired by Romantic themes.

Ludwig, who inherited the throne at age 18, did not want to deal with politics. He instead focused on constructing the fanciful Neuschwanstein Castle just up the hill, decorated with themes of brave knights, fair maidens and scenes from Wagnerian operas. Just a few months after he moved into Neuschwanstein, Ludwig -- who was already planning an even more extravagant castle -- was declared mentally unfit to rule. Two days later, he was found dead in a lake. People still debate: Was it murder -- as he was nearly bankrupting his kingdom with his costly castle building -- or suicide? But today nobody complains about the cost of his castles. In fact, within six weeks of his funeral, tourists were already paying to visit them.

From Fussen, it's a quick drive or bike ride to the King's Castles. The town itself, dramatically situated under a renovated castle on the lively Lech River, is a mix of real-world and cutesy-cobbled sights, with a colorful church painted in a fresco technique called Luftlmalerei, and a pleasant path to Lech Falls. Fussen's one must-see sight, its Heritage Museum, spans a thousand years of the town's history. A highlight here is the Dance of Death, painted shortly after a plague devastated the community in 1590. It shows 20 social classes, each dancing with the Grim Reaper -- starting with the pope and the emperor.

Just outside Fussen, the Royal Crystal Baths pool/sauna complex is an unforgettable chance to lounge around naked with German experts at relaxation. A nearby lake, the turquoise Forggensee, is a great place to boat or bike.

A 20-minute drive across the border is the Austrian town of Reutte. Although its setting -- surrounded by alpine peaks -- is striking, the town itself is unremarkable. But I like Reutte for its fine countryside accommodations (the farther from the town center, the more rustic, authentic and relaxing) and its proximity to one of my favorite ruined castles, Ehrenberg.

Ehrenberg was built to defend against the Bavarians and to bottle up the strategic Via Claudia trade route, which connected Italy and Germany. Now the castle is in ruins (though with explanatory signage), with hiking paths, a museum, and a 1,200-foot pedestrian suspension bridge, 300 feet above the valley floor.

The German village of Oberammergau is as commercial as it is cute -- busy with tour groups and the venerable shops of the town's famous woodcarvers. It's just a 45-minute drive from the King's Castles. Several sights are close by: Ettal Monastery (with a splendid Baroque church), Linderhof Castle (a Baroque and Rococo palace also built by Ludwig II), and the German lift to the Zugspitze (Germany's highest mountain, with a view of over 400 peaks in four countries).

Oberammergau is famous for its once-per-decade Passion Play -- next performed in 2020 (tickets are easiest through a package deal; www.passionsspiele-oberammergau.de). Back in 1633, in the midst of the bloody Thirty Years' War and with horrifying plagues devastating entire cities, the people of Oberammergau promised God that if they were spared from extinction, they'd perform a play telling the story of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection every decade thereafter. The town survived, and the people of Oberammergau are still making good on the deal. Every 10 years, about half of the town's population (a cast of 2,000) are involved in the production of this extravagant five-hour Passion Play.

Oberammergau is much sleepier in non-Passion Play years. Around town, you'll see onion-domed churches, and there are biblical and fairy-tale scenes painted on houses. Shop windows and the local museum display crafts from this wood-carving mecca. For thrills, nearby attractions include a gondola, alpine coaster, summer luge, and swimming/sauna complex.

Biking through Bavarian fields, I savor that moment when the setting sun warms up all the colors and the newly cut hay fills the air with a sweet and fertile humidity. Coasting home into my village, it occurs to me that the Alps hold a symphony of experiences that can endlessly delight lovers of culture, history, and nature. They certainly have for me.

(Rick Steves (www.ricksteves.com) writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio. Email him at rick@ricksteves.com and follow his blog on Facebook.)

(c)2019 RICK STEVES DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.
Kalank actor Varun Dhawan appeared on Arbaaz Khans online chat show Pinch and created a stir with his honest replies to haters. The actor spoke about everything from getting trolled to being accused of overacting in his films.

Varun was shown one of his controversial comments which earned him the wrath of Twitter users over his choice of words for a woman. You need to shutup cause you misjudged your brain for your ass. I guess thats where you think from, he had written in a tweet and later apologised for it. But the actor added that he stands by his words and said, I try to bring myself how I am in real life sometimes onto social media. You got to be yourself. Love it or hate it.

Varun also reacted to comments on his abs and how people called them fake and photoshopped. The actor accepted that he is not always in perfect shape all the time and also uses various filters on Instagram to sharpen his images. He went on to add, If you got it, you gonna flaunt it.

On reading the reactions to his wax statue at the Madame Tussauds museum, the actor revealed that his haters are not alone as his own brother Rohit Dhawan reads out negative comments to his pictures and videos at home. Varun also spoke about how he became a butt of jokes for comparing Dilwale with Inception. Talking about the incident, he said that he had casually asked the media at the launch of Dilwale trailer if they had understood the trailer of Hollywood film Inception. On getting a no for an answer, the actor had justified how it was normal for them to not understand the trailer of Dilwale.

Like other celebrities, Varun also gets trolled on social media. The actor, however, made it clear that he doesnt mind being trolled and gave a message to his haters, Even if its trolling and its fun, I dont mind. You hate me or you love me, you are doing my publicity.

Arbaaz also asked Varun about being compared to actor Govinda, to which he said that since he has grown watching the actor, he sometimes ends up emulating him subconsciously while dancing or doing comedy.

Also read: Complaint filed against woman who abused Varun Dhawan, threatened to commit suicide

Taking all the criticism positively, Varun gave replied to his haters and their queries. On being called a kid, Varun said, I am young so what if I look like a kid sometimes. On his body, the actor said, My body is good or bad, at least the girls like it. And even some men like it.

On being called out for overacting, he said, Since I know how to act, I can overdo it. If I didnt know acting, I wouldnt have been able to do it. Now its over or under, that depends on the film. I enjoy doing overacting so in order to hate me, you will have to watch my films. So dont forget to buy the tickets of my film and then if you want to hate me, let it be.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
As a ban on semi-automatic weapons in New Zealand comes into effect on Thursday, a closer look at civilian possession of firearms around the world shows a disturbing trend: a stunning 84.6% of the 1.01 billion firearms in the world were owned by civilians.

According to Geneva-based Small Arms Survey (SAS), a leading firearms monitor, only 13.2% (133 million) of the weapons were in the hands of state-run militaries and 2.2% (23 million) was with law enforcement agencies in 2017. An investigation published last June by SAS titled Estimating Global Civilian-held Firearms Numbers is the latest reliable round-up of global firearms statistics.

Among the civilians possessing arms, a vast majority are in the US, India and China. In the US, which is frequently troubled by mass shootings, civilians owned 393.3 million firearms, while in India they had 71.1 million and in China, the figure stood at 49.7 million.

Pakistan (43.9 million) and Russia (17.6 million) completed the top 5. US had the highest ratio of possession among civilians, with an average of 12 firearms owned by every 10 residents.

Only 1.2 million firearms were owned by residents in New Zealand, where 28-year-old Australian terrorist Brenton Tarrant gunned down 50 people in twin mosque attacks in Christchurch on March 15, 2019.

In the wake of the attacks, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced a ban on civilian ownership of semi-automatic weapons from April 11. She has also announced a buyback offer for gun-owning New Zealand citizens in a bid to flush firearms out of civilian possession.

In India, out of the 71.1 million firearms in the hands of civilians, 61.4 million were unregistered weapons.

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Uber Technologies Inc believes it will take a long time for self-driving cars to be used at scale but the technology will save lives, the chief scientist at its self-driving car unit said on Monday.

Raquel Urtasun, who is chief scientist at Uber Advanced Technologies Group (ATG) and heads the groups unit in Toronto, spoke at an event in New York.

The progress of Ubers self-driving car unit is in the spotlight as the company prepares to go public later this year.

The unit is a significant contributor to Ubers losses, which in 2018 were $1.8 billion before taxes, depreciation and other expenses.

However, some consider Ubers ability to successful navigate the transition to autonomous vehicles as crucial to the companys long-term prospects.

Uber opened ATG in Toronto in 2017 and named Urtasun, who is also an associate professor at the University of Toronto, as head of the Toronto organization.

Uber said last year it would invest millions of dollars in Toronto to expand its self-driving car operations. The company had been seen as a leader in the technology until one if its autonomous SUVs killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona, in March last year.

Uber then removed its robot cars from the road, laid off hundreds of test drivers and shuttered operations in Arizona, its autonomous testing hub. Uber resumed testing its cars on public roads in December.
L Francis Cissna, the chief implementor and defender of Trump administrations tightening of the H-1B visa programme, is among senior leaders who could go in a widening purge at the department of homeland security (DHS) that started with the dismissal of secretary Kirstjen Nielsen on Sunday.

President Donald Trump fired Randolph D Alles, the head of the Secret Service, an arm of the DHS, on Monday. And Cissna, head of the US citizenship and immigration services (USCIS) that runs the H-1B programme, one of his deputies Kathy Nuebel Kovarik; and DHS general counsel John Mitnick could be fired next, according to multiple news reports.

Trump has been frustrated by his administrations failure to bring down illegal immigration, a key poll plank for him. It has been surging instead and despite his tough rhetoric and actions that include the controversial decision to deploy US military personnel at the border.

Trump has indicated he wants to get tougher on immigration generally and if Cissna was indeed replaced, things could get really bad for the H-1B visa programme and its beneficiaries, the employers and employees, who are already facing intense scrutiny, which has been crippling and prohibitive.

H-1B is a short-term work permit granted by the United States to American firms to hire foreigners for speciality occupations. Most of the 85,000 of these visas go to Indians hired by US firms such as Facebook, Google and Microsoft, and American arms of Indian IT behemoths such as Infosys, TCS and Wipro.

Cissna has been very tough on H-1B, said Leon Fresco, a former Obama administration official and immigration attorney. But I would not say that he has crossed the line into the blatantly unlawful. The successor, he added, will be more likely to engage in conduct (that) could be unlawful.

Cissna changed the USCIC mission statement to drop the iconic phrase that defined the US as a nation of immigrants, as was noted widely, and went on to tighten H-1B rules to ensure Americans were not disadvantaged because of it, in line with Trumps Buy American, Hire American policy.

The USCIS under Cissna decided to rescind work authorisation for spouses of H-1B visa-holder in line for their Green Cards, introduced increased scrutiny of applications and workplaces to cut fraud and abuse and decided to give more weightage to US degree-holders in approving new petitions.

There was also a move to change rules to grant immigration officials the authority to determine extension requests and the duration, which, it was hoped by officials, would force hundreds of thousands of Indians to self-deport themselves. The move was killed after an uproar in India and the US.

But as Fresco argued Cissnas successor could turn out tougher, and the attorney feared it could be someone who could do something unlawful.

Experts have also said with the president intent on getting tougher and with the hawkish Stephen Miller, the top White House aide, driving the immigration agenda, the next lot of DHS leaders will have no option but to toe the line taken by the president and his top aide.
The Theresa May government on Tuesday assured MPs seeking an apology for the April 13, 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre that the issue is a work in progress among ministers, officials and the British high commission in New Delhi, suggesting it may happen later in the year.

Responding to a debate in Westminster Hall, foreign office minister Mark Field confined himself to repeating Londons hitherto policy of expressing deep regret, and added that there is an ongoing sense of consideration in the government on the issue.

He said: It is not appropriate for me today to make the apology I know many would wish to come. I can assure the house that this is a work in progress. It is an active debate taking place among ministers and among senior officials and our high commissioner in New Delhi.

I recognise the enduring and very deep feelings and emotions this incident raises not just here in the house but continues to raise across the worldThis was a tragedy and a shameful episode in British history.

Fields remarks complement those of foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt, who, when asked by the Foreign Affairs Committee in October 2018 if 2019 might be an appropriate moment to apologise, said: That is a very profound thought; let me reflect on that, but I can understand why that could be a potentially very significant gesture.

Field said the British high commission had been asked to visit the memorial site on April 13 and lay a wreath. There will also be a public acknowledgement of the centenary and the sense of deep regret in events organised in the UK, he added.

Conservative MP Bob Blackman, who secured the debate, said in an emotional speech that he is ashamed that the incident occurred in my name, and said its centenary is an appropriate time for the government to tender a full apology.

Senior Labour MP Virendra Sharma said the apology should be tendered by Prime Minister Theresa May in the House of Commons, and called for its history to be taught in schools in the United Kingdom, among other aspects of Britains past.

All MPs in the debate supported the apology demand, including those with sizeable population of the Sikh community in their constituencies, such as Emma Reynolds (Wolverhampton North East). MPs from Scotland, Wales as well as England joined the debate.
Britain will make social media bosses personally liable for harmful content and shut down offending platforms under a world-leading government plan published Monday in response to the spread of online abuses and crimes.

The long-delayed and eagerly anticipated proposals lay the groundwork for legislation that could be passed in the coming months.

They were drawn up after consultations with social media moguls such as Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg and have faced little resistance from other platforms that have also been blamed for inciting harmful behaviour online.

But some of the proposals have sparked concerns from free speech groups.

What were proposing today is that companies that deal with user-generated content should take greater responsibility for keeping those users safe, culture and media minister Jeremy Wright told BBC radio.

These are world-leading proposals.

Australia also fast-tracked legislation last week that threatened jailed time for social media executives who failed to enact the expeditious removal of footage of terrorism and other odious crimes.

- Punitive sanctions -

Australias laws came in direct response to last months live broadcast by Facebook and YouTube of the slaying of 50 Muslim worshippers in New Zealand.

Britains initiative was born out of public anger over the 2017 suicide of a 14-year-old girl who followed social media accounts about depression and self-harm.

The proposed UK regulations would see social media companies accept duty of care obligations that require them to identify and remove online harms.

Those that fail would be first issued warnings and then hit progressively with more punitive sanctions.

The government paper suggests that these include the creation of new liability (civil fines or extended to criminal liability) for individual senior managers.

The most serious would see internet service providers block non-compliant websites and apps.

This would only be considered as an option of last resort and deploying such an option would be a decision for the independent regulator alone, the plan says.

The regulations would only apply in Britain and should have no immediate impact on users elsewhere in the world.

But they may prompt other governments to take notice and follow suit.

Wright suggested the fines would be substantial.

He noted that those available to European Union authorities implementing the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules on data privacy reached up to four percent of a companys turnover.

We think we should be looking at something comparable here, Wright told BBC television.

- Minefield of problems -

Wrights office is navigating a minefield of problems regulating an industry that largely functions outside the bounds of existing legislation -- and whose harms are open to interpretation and remain undefined.

A joint letter sent by media executives to the British government in February stressed that legislation must be technically possible to implement in practise... (and) be targeted at specific harms.

The government paper lists both harms with a clear legal definition and harms with a less clear legal definition.

The first include terrorist activity and a range of cyber-stalking and hate crimes.

The second lists disinformation and violent content as a whole.

What types of harm fall where would be established by a new regulator whose enforcement powers would be funded by the social media companies themselves.

- Libertarian ethos -

The social media boom was born in the spirit of a libertarian Silicon Valley ethos of innovation and non-interference from government.

But the industry is now facing a litany of dangers that range from the spread of state propaganda to promotion of teen suicide and livestreaming or murders and serious crimes.

The techUK industry lobby group admitted Monday that platforms attempts at self-regulation have fallen short.

But it also urged the government to avoid creating discrepancies in law between the online and offline worlds.

Twitter UK public policy chief Katy Minshall said her platform would work with the government to strike an appropriate balance between keeping users safe and preserving the open, free nature of the internet.

Britains Article 19 free speech group also warned that the proposed legislation could violate individuals rights to freedom of expression and privacy.

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China on Tuesday said it has funded and built the first new rail line in post-independent Sri Lanka, adding that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project will boost regional economic development.

Inaugurated on Monday, the 26.75-km railway extension connecting Matara and Beliatta in southern Sri Lanka was constructed by the China Railway Group 5 (CR5) and financed by the Export-Import (Exim) Bank of China.

A major portion of the construction was carried out by China Railway Group 5 (CR5) and the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau (CECB) which acted as the consultant, the state media reported.

Trains on the track could run at 120 km per hour, the fastest in the country.

Yes, the phase one extension line of the southern railway in Sri Lanka is the first railway project contracted by a Chinese company in Sri Lanka under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and it is indeed the first railway built after the countrys independence, foreign ministry spokesperson, Lu Kang said at the regular ministry briefing on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka became independent in 1948.

The new rail segment will be a boost to Sri Lankas regional transportation, he said.

It is now officially opened and it will make regional transportation more convenient and facilitate local economic and social development. Yes, (the) Sri Lankan people are pleased to see that and China is pleased for the Sri Lankan people, Lu said.

China will like to expand and deepen our practical cooperation under the BRI and deliver benefits to the people with concrete outcomes, Lu added.

When asked about how much money China pumped into the project, Lu said he didnt know the funding amount.

But I can tell you that under the BRI, China encourages companies to engage in cooperation with other countries, he said.

New Delhi will be closely following the developments as Beijing rapidly expands its footprints on the island.

In late March, China agreed to provide a loan of $ 989 million to Colombo for a highway that will connect Sri Lankas tea-growing central region to the China-run Hambantota port on the southern coast.

The Exim Bank agreed to provide a loan covering 85 per cent of the contract price for Central Expressway Project  Section 1, whose total cost is US$1.16 billion.

The loan comes as Sri Lanka struggles to repay US$5.9 billion in foreign loans this year, of which 40 per cent must be paid by the end of this month. The country used its reserves to repay a US$1 billion sovereign bond loan in January. Much of Sri Lankas foreign debt is from China, with loans obtained to build motorways and other infrastructure projects, including some that have become white elephants, deepening the countrys debt burden, an Associated Press report said in March.

Several BRI projects, however, are ongoing in Sri Lanka, which supports the initiative.

Besides, the under-construction Colombo Port City, as well as the Hambantota Port and Industrial Park, are expected to become the new engines for Sri Lankan economic take-off. The pragmatic cooperation between our two countries has made a great contribution to Sri Lankas development, and also brought tangible benefits to our two countries and two peoples, Cheng Xueyuan, Chinas envoy to the island nation, said in Colombo last November.

Cheng added among the completed BRI projects in Sri Lanka were the Norocholai power station, the Colombo airport expressway, the Colombo international container terminals and the Moragahakanda Project, the biggest water reservoir in Sri Lanka.
South Africa: AARTO Bill ready to be signed by the President

The Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Act (AARTO) Amendment Bill has been passed by Parliament and is now ready to be signed into law by the President.

Through the AARTO Amendment Bill, we will be introducing the Points Demerit System. This system will allow us to identify, rehabilitate and ultimately eliminate habitual offenders found on our road transport network, Transport Minister Blade Nzimande said.

Addressing the official launch of the 2019 Easter Road Safety Campaign on Monday, the Minister said the rollout of the AARTO service outlets at selected driving licence testing centres in Gauteng has started.

These service outlets will contribute towards eliminating runners, who wait outside the registering authority / issuing authority or licensing department, where they trick road users by claiming that they have connections inside and can help to resolve traffic fines quickly in return for payment.

We will continue to roll out these centres countrywide. This means that all road users will be accountable for any deviant and reckless actions perpetuated on our roads, Nzimande said.

The Minister launched the campaign at a media and stakeholder breakfast at the Golden Horse Hotel in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. The Easter campaign is aimed at increasing driver awareness and reducing road accidents during and post the Easter period.

The focus of this years campaign is on the impact of alcohol on road users behavior and its contribution to road carnages.

Corruption

The Minister has appealed to motorists and law enforcement officers that they must avoid all forms of temptations that might lead them to be collaborators of crime.

I warn you that we will arrest everyone involved in crime without fear or favour, he said.

Nzimande said government continues to take firm and urgent measures to deal with fraud and corruption within the traffic law enforcement personnel.

Working together with the National Anti-Corruption Unit and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations, we continue to arrest traffic officers who instead of issuing fines for traffic violations, they demand gratification or bribes from motorist.

We will continue to crackdown of corruption and the fraudulent issuing of driving licenses and roadworthy certificates. Our anti-corruption units will be keeping a close watch on traffic officers who will be deployed on our countrys roads during this Easter period, the Minister said.

Members of the public have been encouraged to report bribery and corruption on 0861400800 or at ntacu@rtmc.co.za.

According to the Minister, South Africa spends in the region of R162 billion annually on road crashes, which is equal to 3.4% of the countrys Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

If all road users remain committed to road safety, resources that government spends unwittingly on crashes would be redirected to other government priorities such as infrastructure, education and health, he said.

During the launch, the Department of Transport showcased the Evidentiary Breathalyser Alcohol Testing (EBAT).

The use of technology, will greatly enhance our ability and success in implementing the National Road Safety Strategy and plans. This includes ensuring that at all times during our roadblocks targeted at alcohol testing, we have registered nursing sisters.

This will ensure that no driver will evade being arrested for drinking and driving. the Minister said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2019-04-09. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
What police do know is that the shooters, possibly two of them, recklessly opened fire in the presence of children. Authorities said the incident likely stemmed from ongoing gang conflict in the neighborhood, as such brazen shootings almost always do. Though the children unlikely were the intended targets, they nonetheless became the victims. That is just as despicable.
The United States on Monday barred entry to 16 Saudi nationals over what it described as their role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The announcement by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo comes as the administration of President Donald Trump has faced pressure from Congress over its response to the killing in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October, which sparked unprecedented international scrutiny of the kingdoms human rights record.

Some US lawmakers have publicly stated that they suspect the powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was directly responsible for the killing, based on the CIAs conclusions.

The State Department previously revoked the visas of nearly two dozen Saudi officials and froze the assets of 17 others.
Startups, when they raise venture money to build their businesses, begin with a Series A round and then proceed through Series E, F or maybe G before going public. The Indian ride-hailing service Ola is a bit unusual: It just completed its Series J fundraising and is marching toward Series K, a letter almost unheard of by researchers that track such things.

Whats going on here is about more than money. Ola co-founder Bhavish Aggarwal is fighting to maintain his independence against SoftBank Group Corp. The Japanese conglomerate, led by Masayoshi Son, was an early backer of Ola, but Aggarwal has grown concerned about its influence as SoftBank took a stake in his archrival, Uber Technologies Inc., and then encouraged the rivals to merge.

Son struck a preliminary deal to put another $1.1 billion into Ola to boost his stake to more than 40 percent, according to people familiar with the matter. But Aggarwal tried to include terms to guarantee his own control over the startup, and the deal ultimately fell apart, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private. Instead, Aggarwal is piecing together smaller slices of funding from unaligned backers. This year alone, he picked up $300 million from Hyundai Motor Co. and about $90 million investment from Sachin Bansal, the co-founder of Flipkart Online Services Pvt.

Bhavish is spurning SoftBank money as he doesnt want to get diluted out of Ola, said Mohandas Pai, venture capitalist and former chief financial officer of Infosys Ltd. Founders become employees when someone sits on your board and tells you how to run the show.

Bangalore-based Ola denies there is a rift with the Japanese company.

Softbank has been a great partner for us as weve grown our business, a spokesman for the company said in a statement. There are so many emerging synergies with SoftBank that we envisage in the years to come, as we continue to build a global mobility business out of India.

We enjoy a cordial relationship with all our portfolio companies, including Ola, said a SoftBank spokeswoman. Beyond this, we do not comment on specific individuals and internal matters.

Aggarwal avoids gatherings with Son and his portfolio companies when he visits India, according to people familiar with the matter. Aggarwal, for example, was missing from a meeting of SoftBank-backed founders when a delegation including the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman visited a few weeks ago, the Economic Times reported. Saudi Arabia contributed nearly half of the capital for Sons $100 billion Vision Fund. Aggarwal has said he declined SoftBank invitations only because he doesnt visit New Delhi, according to one person familiar with the matter.

Aggarwal has also gone to the founders of Indias Snapdeal for advice on managing SoftBank, the people said. SoftBank invested in the e-commerce startup about five years ago and then tried to push the founders to sell out to a larger rival, Flipkart. When Snapdeal refused the deal, Son switched allegiances by stopping further investment in the company and put $2.5 billion into Flipkart.

The 33-year-old Aggarwal founded Ola, a brand of ANI Technologies Pvt, in 2011 along with Ankit Bhati, his classmate from engineering school. It currently has 1.3 million drivers on its platform in over a hundred cities and since last year has expanded to Australia, New Zealand the U.K. It also entered the food delivery business in India, burning cash in a bid to grab market share from Uber Eats as well as local food delivery operators, Swiggy and Zomato.

Son was an early champion of local ride-hailing startups in Asia. He backed Anthony Tans Grab in Southeast Asia and Cheng Weis Didi Chuxing in China, in addition to first investing in Ola in 2014. The relationship between Son and Aggarwal was a warm one early on. He is inspiring and aggressive and a visionary. He is making history, the Indian entrepreneur told one newspaper.

Aggarwal and Son reached the preliminary deal to inject more cash into the India startup in 2017. Under terms of the agreement, SoftBank would invest $250 million right away and then plow the rest of the $1.1 billion within six months, the people said.

Yet as the two sides worked to finalize the agreement, SoftBank held talks to invest in Uber -- and Aggarwal grew more wary of the impact on Ola. Uber and Ola are bitter rivals in India, competing for customers and drivers, and have essentially split the market. Aggarwal sought conditions to assure his control, including a clause that founders would have veto rights over the appointment of any new CEO. Talks stalled as SoftBank resisted.

In the meantime, SoftBank made progress with Uber. In January 2018, the Japanese conglomerate completed its deal to spend about $9 billion to become the largest shareholder in the U.S. ride-hailing giant. Shortly thereafter, SoftBanks executives floated the idea of a merger between the rivals in India, according to people familiar with the matter. When Aggarwal balked, SoftBank attempted to buy out the stake of another Ola investor, Tiger Global.

Aggarwal found himself fighting for control of his company. Ola had modified its corporate bylaws so any sale between investors would need approval of the board -- effectively blocking the Tiger-SoftBank transaction. Aggarwal also knew that he couldnt take more money from SoftBank; the preliminary $1.1 billion deal died after six months when the two sides couldnt reach a compromise.

Ola did raise more money from Tencent Holdings Ltd., the Chinese internet giant. In its home country, the India company began raising tiny rounds, collecting as little as $50 million from investors. In the Indian e-commerce universe, there are very few investors who will write big checks of half-a-billion dollars or more, said Gautam Chhaochharia, managing director and head of India research at UBS.

SoftBank has a lot more at stake with Uber and needs it to succeed to demonstrate the potential of its massive Vision Fund. The San Francisco-based ride-hailing giant is said to be preparing for an initial public offering at a valuation of as much as $120 billion.

Merger talks with Ola are off now as Uber prepares for the IPO. The U.S. company sold its operations in Southeast Asia to Grab last year, a move that trimmed its losses but also cut off growth potential in an important region. India is sure to be highlighted as a key example of overseas opportunity when Uber files its IPO paperwork.

Meanwhile, Aggarwal appears to be girding for a future onslaught. Hes collecting cash and hoarding what he can. Ola has become more prudent with its spending, cutting incentives for drivers and trimming subsidies for both ride-hailing and food-delivery businesses. If he expects Uber -- and SoftBank -- to come after him again, hell need all the money he can to protect his business.

Its a good strategy, said Pai, the venture capitalist.
A soldiers diary preserves the only known text of an Emory Upton speech

A n entry in the 121st New Yorks regimental books describes Private Albert N. Jennings as a good soldier but lacks constitution, which doesnt quite seem to suit a man who served the Union cause throughout the war and survived wounding at the Battle of the Wilderness. Born October 15, 1837, the only son of Samuel and Catherine Jennings in the tiny hamlet of Salisbury, N.Y., he left at age 24 to join the Army, perhaps inspired by a desire to impress 18-year-old Martha Mattie Woolever, a local girl to whom he had taken a shine.

The regiment mustered in on August 23, 1862, for three-years service with 946 men and 36 officers. Recruited mainly from Otsego and Herkimer Counties in Upstate New York by Richard Franchot, who became the 121sts first colonel, the regiment left for Washington City after only one week of drill.

Arriving at Fort Lincoln in Washingtons northwest defenses on September 3, the men finally received English-made Enfield rifle muskets and began learning the manual of arms. Only four days later, the regiment left Fort Lincoln in the middle of the night without most of its equipment, expecting to return after a brief skirmish. The regiment never made it back to the fort or recovered its original gear, a disaster the men blamed on their green commander, Colonel Franchot.

Joining Maj. Gen. William B. Franklins 6th Corpsassigned to Maj. Gen. Henry Slocums 1st Division and Colonel Joseph Bartletts 3rd Brigadethe 121st chased General Robert E. Lees Confederate army into Maryland, witnessing but not participating in the Battles of South Mountain and Antietam. The 121st men nevertheless suffered for weeks with nothing but their uniforms to shield them from the nights chills and drenching rains, a condition that fostered growing resentment of their leader.

Perhaps knowing he was in over his head, Colonel Franchot resigned his commission after only one month. Determined to leave his regiment in the capable hands of a professional officer, Franchot used his friendship with General Slocum to ensure his hand-picked replacement was Captain Emory Upton, who would prove to be one of the most remarkable young commanders of the war.

Upton took command of the 121st on October 25, 1862, and immediately began to transform the volunteers into a crack fighting unit. He established Regular Army routines and established certification tests for officers. Upton forbade spitting, demanded attention during formations, and instituted new hygiene and medical practices to repair the physical toll from the Maryland Campaign. Other regiments in Bartletts brigade began referring to the 121st New York as Uptons Regulars.

Jennings, however, missed some of that transformation when he found himself at Harewood General Hospital outside Washington, D.C., rather than in the 121sts winter camp at White Oak Church near Fredericksburg, Va. By early 1863, Albert reported to Alexandrias Camp Distribution, where men were processed returning to their various units in the field. Once there, Albert for the first time served as Company Hs clerk, and said he wrote some for the captain.

In early May, Jennings regiment participated in Maj. Gen. Joseph Hookers Chancellorsville Campaign. The 121st, part of Brig. Gen. William Brooks 1st Division, waited with the 6th Corps in the Union rear, guarding the Rappahannock River crossings while the rest of the Army of the Potomac fought at Chancellorsville.

On the evening of May 2, Hooker ordered Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick, then commanding the 6th Corps, to reinforce his battered army at Chancellorsville. After successfully driving Confederate defenders from Maryes Heights, the 121st ran headlong into a Southern defensive line near Salem Church. In 20 minutes, the regiment lost 137 men killed or wounded, and retreated across the Rappahannock. Jennings diary entries track the advance of his regiment.



A Place To Get Well: This photograph shows recuperating Union soldiers in one of Harewood Hospitals well-kept and airy wards. Jennings spent time in this Washington, D.C., hospital during the winter of 1862-63. (Library of Congress)

1863

APRIL 28: Across the Rappahannock. We crossed the river this morning and drove the Rebs back from the river and I have been out on picket today. The Rebs are in plain sight. We crossed [in] pontoon boats. The Rebs fired on the first boats that come over and we had three or four killed.

May 1: Today we laid on [our arms] in line of battle and there is a little skirmishing along the front.

May 2 [Battle of Chancellorsville]: Today we had some shells come over from the Reb batteries and we dug rifle pits to screen us. There is a good deal of skirmishing on our front.

May 3 [Battle of Salem Church]: Today we advanced on the Rebs. We marched through Fredericksburg and out the road toward Gordonsville. We took the heights above Fredericksburg.We drove the Rebs a few rods and had to fall back. We rallied and drove them back again and held our position. We lost almost half our number.

May 4: Today we have been under fire but have not been engaged. To night we retreated across the river. The Rebs came near flanking us. We were the rear guard and covered our armys retreat.

Following the Chancellorsville debacle, the 121st New York pursued the Army of Northern Virginia as it headed north. Arriving at Gettysburg, Pa., in the midafternoon on July 2 after a brutal 30-mile nighttime march from Manchester, Md., Bartletts brigade deployed on the northern shoulder of Little Round Top to support the 5th Corps (which Jennings mistakenly calls the 12th Corps). On July 3, the 121st remained in reserve and witnessed Picketts Charge. Jennings recorded the experience in his diaries, referring often to Martha as M.

June 26: Today we got up at 3 AM. Broke camp and marched till 4 oclock P.M. [W]ere rear guard tonight; went and got some cherries & milked some cows.We came through Gainesville, Loudon Co. Va.

June 27: Today we marched to near Poolesville Md. We crossed the river at Edwards Ferry. We passed though a fine section of country. It is now rather damp. We are now in Montgomery Co. Md.

June 28: Today we marched through Poolesville. It is cool and good marching.We come round Sugar Loaf [Mountain] and we marched about 26 miles through a fine section of country.

June 29: Today we broke camp and marched 26 miles. We come through the village of Monroeville, New Market, & Ridgeville and Simons Creek. It was rather damp, so we had a hard march.

June 30: Today we marched about fifteen miles through the village of Westminster, which is quite a nice little village in Carrol Co. Md. I stood the march much better today than I did yesterday.

July 1: [Battle of Gettysburg]: Today we have lain in camp all day and have only been after water and sent three letters, one toM.We marched again tonight. It is quite warm and was about used up.

July 2: Today we marched till four oclock P.M. After marching all night, I was obliged to fall out but caught up soon after they stopped. We marched through Littlestown [Pa]. We came into Penn. in the forenoon. I had just caught up with the Regt. and had to go and support the 12th Corps that was engaged with the Rebs but did not get into the fight & lay on our arms all night but was not disturbed.

July 3: Today we have laid under arms all day and fired at the Rebs, there has been heavy fighting since before noon but none of us are injured. We have thrown up breastworks but have not used it.

July 4: Today we have been out in front but did not get into a fight and we lay where we did yesterday. There has only been a little picket firing. I have written to my Father & M. We had a heavy rainstorm this afternoon.

July 5: Today we followed up the Rebs, who are retreating. They left their wounded all in our possession. We overtook them about sundown and shelled them some and took two wagons. It is very wet and muddy marching.

After chasing Lees army back into Virginia, the 121st settled into camp at New Baltimore, and Jennings found himself serving as Colonel Uptons orderly. By early October, the 121st was on the move again in the Bristoe Station Campaign. On November 7, the regiment played a central role in the Second Battle of Rappahannock Station, Colonel Uptons first opportunity to command a brigade in battle and in which the 121st helped capture the only Confederate crossing of the Rappahannock. This often-overlooked Union victory became a point of pride for the 121st.



Panorama: Union 6th Corps skirmishers advance toward Confederate redoubts along the Rappahannock River during the November 7, 1863, Battle of Rapphannock Station. The Union victory took away General Robert E. Lees last bridgehead to the rivers north bank. (Library of Congress)

August 10: Today I am the colonels orderly and it is very hot. I received two letters tonight, one from L.J. & one from A. E. Cough, Kingsboro.

October 15: We marched about  of a mile and built some rifle pits and we are now waiting for the enemy to make their appearance.Today I am 26 Yrs. Old.

November 7: [Battle of Rappahannock Station]: Today we have broke camp and marched to the Rappahannock Station and where we charged a post and took 308 prisoners and 4 stands of colors.

The 121st spent the winter of 1863-64 near Brandy Station, Va., and in the spring learned that Colonel Upton had received command of the 2nd Brigade. On May 4, the regiment moved south to open Lt. Gen. Ulysses Grants Overland Campaign, and fought at the Battle of the Wilderness. Early in the battle, Albert was shot in the right armbecoming one of the regiments 73 Wilderness casualties.

1864

May 4: We broke camp at daylight and crossed the Rapidan at Jacobs ford at little after noon.

May 5: We broke camp this morning at five oclock A.M. and our skirmishers found the Johnnies and there was some heavy fighting all along the line.

May 6: [Battle of the Wilderness]: To day we put up some defenses and in the fore part of the evening we had a fight. They turned our right flank. I was wounded in the fore front part of the action, between the elbow and shoulder of the right arm. I came out of the fight and had the ball taken out and done at the 2nd Divs hospital.

Alberts wounding spared him some of the most costly fighting the 121st New York would endure. On May 10, the 121st formed part of Uptons innovative, concentrated attack on the Mule Shoe at Spotsylvania, which breached the enemy fortifications. A lack of reinforcements, however, undid the Union gains. Still, the assault earned Upton a promotion to brigadier general. On July 10, the regiment boarded steamers heading north toward Washington, D.C., to resist Jubal Earlys advance on the Union capital following his victory at the Battle of Monocacy. The New Yorkers then joined Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley and participated in the fighting at Opequon, the Third Battle of Winchester, Fishers Hill, and Cedar Creek. The regiment eventually bid farewell to General Upton at Harpers Ferry that November when he was assigned a division in Maj. Gen. James Wilsons Western cavalry force. In early December, the 121st rejoined Grants army at Petersburg. Albert Jennings returned to the 121st New York at Petersburg after a month-long furlough and five months at Washingtons Emory Convalescent Hospital. Early February brought Jennings and the 121st a return to fighting at Hatchers Run, as Grant moved left to overextend and thin Lees lines guarding Petersburg. By the end of March, the regiment took part in repulsing Lees last assault, at Fort Stedman, before advancing at long last into Petersburg.

1865

February 6: [Battle of Hatchers Run]: We advanced about three miles and got engaged with the Johnnies. Just before sundown W Greggs was very severely wounded..We were relieved by a portion of the 5 Corps.Received a letter from Mat.

March 22: Today we were reviewed by Genl. Meade, Wright, Wheaton, and Admiral Porter. It is very hot and pleasant.

March 25: [Battle of Fort Stedman]: The Johnnies attacked on our right and we had to go down, but it all was over with when we got there. We come back and went to the left and made a charge on the enemys lines and drove them in and took some 400 prisoners. I am feeling well. We only had a few men killed and wounded in our regt. I blistered my feet considerable in the march.

April 2: This morning at 1 oclock we moved off to the left. We made a charge on the enemy works and then took them and captured thirteen pieces of artillery and 500 prisoners. [We] had one man killed (J. Hendrix) and a few wounded.Were relieved by the 24th Corps and went down to the right. Near the 9th Corps, [the] 24th Corps and our Brigade were sent down to the left to support the 9th Corps. We were under a pretty sharp fire.We remained in the enemy works until four oclock and then advanced on Petersburg, where we arrived and entered the city at day light. Marched through some of the principal streets and were then sent out to patrol the city for prisoners. We stayed until near noon and then returned to our old camp for our knapsacks and remained there one hour and again marched off to the left. We marched until seven oclock and went into camp for the nighthaving marched about 10 miles from Petersburg. I am feeling well but rather sore about the feet.

Lee and his army abandoned Richmond, and the 121st New York joined in pursuing the Confederates. During the Battle of Sailors Creek, the 121st accepted the surrender of General Lees oldest son, Custis Lee, and General Richard Ewell and his corps. By April 9, the 121st arrived at Appomattox Court House, where the New Yorkers witnessed the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia.

Emory Upton: Military Visionary The real gem of Albert Jennings diary is his transcript of Emory Uptons farewell address to the 121st New York, given at Harpers Ferry in late November 1864. Jennings was in the hospital at the time and did not hear the address in person, but might have seen the text while working as the regiments clerk, which he then copied into his journal. Here is his version of Uptons words, published for the first time. Genl. Uptons Farewell Address to the 121st Regt NY Vols In talking of the gallant regt. which I have had the honor so long to command, I cannot refrain from expressing the affection and regard I feel for those brave officers & men with whom I have been so long & pleasantly associated. I thank you everyone for the kindness and courtesy which has ever shown me, and the alacrity with which my orders have been obeyed. Your record is one of honor, and I shall ever with pride claim association with the 121st Regt. The distinguished pastborne by you in the battles of Salem Heights, Rappahannock Station, Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, Winchester, Fishers Hill, Cedar Creek and many othershas made for you a history second to no regt. in the Army. But above all that is the present satisfaction of having voluntarily periled your lives in the defense of the noblest governments on earth and by your valor helped to place its flag first among nations. Many of you cannot reap the immediate reward of your service but the time is fast approaching when to have participated in your glorious battles will entitle you to the highest respect among men. Let your future rival them in valor and devotion. I leave you in brave hands and part from you with sincere regret. Brigadier Gen E. Upton Upton was born on August 27, 1839, in Batavia, N.Y., to a family of Methodist reformers. He was an ardent abolitionist long before entering Oberlin College and, in 1856, West Point. Graduating eighth in the Class of 1861, he rose quickly through the ranks, first with the 4th and then the 5th U.S. Artillery, before landing a post on Brig. Gen. Daniel Tylers staff. In this capacity, Upton was wounded during the Battle of Blackburns Fordthe day before the First Battle of Bull Run. Returning to the 5th U.S. Battery, Upton led it through the Peninsula Campaign and rose yet again to command the 6th Corps 1st Division artillery brigade during the Maryland Campaign, a position that introduced Upton to the 121sts Colonel Franchot. After the war, Upton returned to West Point as commandant from 1870-1875, and advocated for the Army reforms his personal study and Civil War experience suggested the United States needed. He favored abandoning line formations in favor of small unit assaults based in part on the operations of Civil War skirmishersoutlined in his 1867 manual Infantry Tactics. After conducting a detailed survey of military forces around the world in the wake of the Franco-Prussian War, he wrote The Armies of Europe and Asia. This work argued for a larger, permanent standing U.S. Army and introduced the first moves toward professionalizing the Armyadvocating regular performance reviews and examination-based promotionsas well as proposing creating a Prussian-style General Staff and establishing service-specific military schools. Upton expanded on these ideas in his draft work The Military Policy of the United States from 1775, which was published after his death. Tragically, Upton had for years suffered from tremendous headachesprobably the result of a tumorwhich may have caused the 41-year-old to end his life on March 15, 1881.



April 4: To day we broke camp at half past three oclock A.M. and moved out at five oclock. We marched about 8 miles and went into camp for the night at a little after dark.

April 6 [Battle of Sailors Creek]: We broke camp at daylight and moved off by the left flank. We got into a fight before night. G. Lampshear was killed and J. Morris. We had several killed in the Regt. and 14 wounded. We captured Gen Ewell and Gen Lees son.

April 9: Today we broke camp at day light andovertook the second Corps. It is pleasant but there is some cannonading in front. 2 pm the Rebel Army was surrendered by Genl Lee. There was considerable noise made in honor of it among the soldiers. There was two hundred guns fired in honor.

The war was over for Albert Jennings and his comrades in the 121st New York. After participating in the Grand Review of the Army of the Potomac in Washington, D.C., on May 23, the regiment mustered out on June 25, 1865.

Jennings returned home to New York, completed high school, and married Martha Woolever on April 19, 1866. Jennings and his wife moved to nearby Dodgeville, where Albert worked as a carpenter in the Albert Dodge Piano and Felt Factory, until moving to Lloyd sometime before 1900. Jennings suffered a heart attack while attending a G.A.R. encampment in Saratoga Springs, and passed away on September 13, 1907.

David A. Welker is the author of Tempest at Ox Hill: The Battle of Chantilly, among other publications on the war. He served as a U.S. government historian and military analyst for 35 years and lives in Centreville, Va., with his wife.

Jeffrey R. Fortais is an avid military historian and collector who frequently gives presentations on the Civil War and World War II. A technology teacher for 23 years, he lives in Camillus, N.Y., with his wife and two daughters.
In 1968, Lima Site 85 in Laos didnt exist beyond the classified knowledge of the CIA, a small number of commanders and 16 Air Force men in the 1043rd Radar Evaluation Squadron, including Chief Master Sgt. Richard Loy Dick Etchberger, who were given cover as civilian Lockheed Corp. employees. They were directed by two on-site CIA operatives. Also there was a forward air controller, who assisted in directing airstrikes.

Laos was a neutral country under a 1962 international treaty, but North Vietnam sent soldiers and supplies down the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos and supported the communist Pathet Lao guerrillas trying to overthrow the Laotian government. The U.S. was not permitted to have military facilities in Laos but conducted a secret war of covert operations that included bombings and training anti-communist fighters.

Laos mile-high Sacred Mountain (Phou Pha Thi), less than 150 miles from Hanoi, was a perfect place to direct U.S. bombers, even during cloudy weather. Operating there at Lima Site 85 from November 1967 to March 1968, the 16 Lockheed employees and the forward air controller in a mission code-named Heavy Green directed more than a quarter of the bombing strikes over North Vietnam.

The airmen, experts in radar, had limited combat training and normally werent issued personal weapons. Before the men were lifted to the top of the mountain to build the Site 85 compound, an Air Force officer ordered 40 M16 rifles, Browning automatic pistols and cases of hand grenades.

Two months after the site became operational, North Vietnamese Antonov An-2 biplanes bombed it. They were pursued by a CIA-operated Air America helicopter, and flight mechanic Glenn Woods downed one when he fired an AK-47 rifle at them.

The isolated outpost was in terrain controlled by the North Vietnamese Army, but there were no plans to reinforce or evacuate it. On the night of March 10-11, 1968, Lima Site 85 received heavy mortar, artillery and rocket fire.

Within hours much of the compound was destroyed, and 33 NVA commandos scaled the west side of the mountain under cover of darkness. Manning one of the defensive positions was Etchberger, who six days earlier had celebrated his 35th birthday. A native of Hamburg, Pennsylvania, the father of three sons had 17 years in the Air Force.

Despite having received little or no combat training, read a subsequent citation, Chief Etchberger single-handedly held off the enemy with an M-16, while simultaneously directing air strikes into the area and calling for air rescue. When the rescue helicopter arrived, only three of the men in Etchbergers position were alive, and they were wounded.

As the helicopter lowered a sling for hoisting the wounded, Etchberger fought off the attackers, manned his radio and exposed himself to enemy fire to hook wounded men into the sling. Once they were aboard, he slipped into the sling. Enemy fire killed him after he was being raised into the chopper. The sergeant was one of 12 airmen killed in the single-deadliest day of the war for the U.S. Air Force in ground operations.

Etchberger was nominated for the Medal of Honor. However, because Lima Site 85 was classified, his family was told he had been killed in a helicopter accident. Etchberger was buried in his hometown and awarded the Air Force Cross in December 1968.

Details of Lima Site 85 were declassified in 1985, but much of Heavy Green remained shrouded in secrecy for another 10 years. When the full picture became clear, Etchbergers Air Force comrades began a crusade to get his medal upgraded. On Sept. 21, 2010, Echbergers three sons saw President Barack Obama award their father the Medal of Honor for actions 42 years earlier, on a secret mission at a place that didnt exist.

Doug Sterner, an Army veteran who served two tours in Vietnam, is curator of the Military Times Hall of Valor, the largest database of U.S. military valor awards.
Many cases of the disease in the U.S. have been resistant to at least one anti-fungal treatment, but health officials said the vast majority of cases in Illinois have responded to treatment. Ninety-five of the known cases in the state are in Chicago, 56 in suburban Cook County and seven in DuPage, Lake and Will counties.
Half Moon Bay, CA (94019)

Today

Mostly cloudy early then becoming windy with periods of rain later in the day. High 54F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Windy with a steady rain in the evening. Showers continuing late. Low 48F. WSW winds at 20 to 30 mph, decreasing to 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch.
Lois Thomas remembers the young girl who stood in her bedroom doorway on Christmas morning of 1992.

Thomas had been crying, mourning the loss of her husband, who had died of an aneurysm on Thanksgiving eve.

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"Mother," the child said. "Don't cry. From now on it's gonna be you and me. We'll be all right."

Coming from her only daughter and namesake, Thomas could only believe it. From that moment, the mourning stopped.

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Sitting at her kitchen table recently, Thomas, 59, tells the story with renewed grief.

There is no more "you and me." Her daughter, Lois "Lolo" Thomas, 20, was abducted and killed on a cold morning last December.

With the year winding to a close, the Chicago region watched as the Thomas family grappled with Lolo's disappearance, news of her death and the search for her body.

And on Dec. 31, Thomas watched eight divers pull her daughter's body from the icy Calumet River.

Two young mothers and a high school sophomore were charged in the death.

Mary Ann Arnold, 23, of south suburban Phoenix and Evelyn Jackson, 19, and Kathryn Amos, 18, of Harvey were charged with first-degree murder, several counts of aggravated kidnapping and intent to inflict harm.

"After my husband died, my daughter changed my life," Thomas said, her voice trembling and barely audible. "She taught me how to be strong. She would always tell me: `Mother, smile. God loves you, and I love you too.'

"Now I tell myself that too. I say: `Girl, smile. Everything is going to be all right because you have an angel up there watching over you.'"

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Shortly before Christmas, a dozen relatives and friends joined Thomas at her Calumet City home on a day she finally felt she could put up holiday decorations. They are all coping with the death in their own ways.

Thomas' niece, DiKera Thomas-Moore, 21, cries openly and regularly. Lolo's aunt, Geneva Walker, who has buried two of her own children, talks of only the good times and calls Thomas daily. Lolo's brothers, Dontay and Deon, don't speak of her death at all.

"I used to hate those three girls, but then I remember how Lolo would tell me not to be so negative," said Thomas-Moore.

For Thomas, the past year has been nothing but lawyer conferences and court hearings broken up by work, family dinners and doctor's visits. She expects next year to be more of the same as the case stagnates in pretrial motions.

"Maybe when the court days are over, maybe then I can put some closure to it," she said. "Right now, there's no closure. It's just an open wound."

Giving a tour of her home, which serves as a gallery of her tragedy, Thomas stops under an enormous oil painting of her daughter by Thomas' cousin, D.L. Street of Chicago, who had delivered it that evening. The painting shows the smooth face of a smiling young woman emerging from a backdrop of golden clouds.

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Thomas said she cried for hours after the gift's arrival.

"I haven't been able to do much of anything today," she sighed as a lone strand of Christmas lights twinkled at the tip of the home's large Christmas tree. "I started to put the lights up, but, oh well."

Thomas' nightmare began the morning of Dec. 20, 1999, when she was home recovering from surgery.

Lolo followed her usual routine, going outside to warm up her car, then coming back indoors to say goodbye before heading to her job as a classroom assistant at the Childlife Daycare center nearby.

When her supervisor called to ask why she hadn't arrived, Thomas thought her daughter had been in an accident. Later she went to the back window and saw the car still idling in the chill of morning.

"I knew something was wrong," she said. "I thought some man had snatched my baby."

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Prosecutors say Lolo Thomas was dead within 45 minutes of her disappearance.

The three women allegedly told police they abducted Lolo from the car at gunpoint. They drove her around Calumet City, but, fearing she might turn them in, decided she must die, police said.

The women said they drove her to the Beaubien Woods Forest Preserve. Prosecutors allege they beat her with a cane, a concrete block and a hammer before cinching a string of Christmas lights around her neck and throwing her body in the river.

The suspects later allegedly said they killed her out of jealousy over her friendship with the father of Arnold's three children.

"I was just thinking about this case and about the family," said Calumet City Detective Tom Difiori, lead homicide investigator. "They are as much a victim as Lolo. What I think about the most is how the family is going to deal with the loss, especially at this time of year."

This Thomas knows.

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"It's a horrible process," she said. "No words can express it. Every mother expects for their children to bury them--not for them to bury their children. I've lost a lot of dear people in my life, but nothing was like burying my daughter. But ... her spirit keeps me going because I know she wouldn't want me to give up."

It hasn't been easy.

Since last year, Thomas has gained 35 pounds, the result of a compulsion to eat sweets and snack foods that began the day her daughter disappeared. Never one to eat sweets, Thomas devoured an entire pound cake that night.

A machine operator for south suburban Nabisco Co., Thomas takes consolation in work, signing up for overtime and weekend shifts. When she finds herself alone at home, she inevitably becomes sick.

In the last year, she's been treated for severe back pain, headaches and insomnia. Earlier this month Thomas saw a cardiologist for the first time after feeling chest pain that she described as a knife stabbing her in the heart.

Even driving to work requires strength.

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"There are times when I go over that Calumet bridge, and I look up and say, `Come on, God, get with me now. I don't want to deal with this river today,'" said Thomas, her eyes closed and hands clenched as if she were banging on the steering wheel for divine intervention.

Then she smiles.

"I get my strength and get over that bridge that day. But there's not a day that goes by that I don't think about her," said Thomas, adding in a whisper, "I don't think there's even an hour."

Jackie Buckley, director of the Cook County Victims Witness Assistance Program, said Thomas has a long road ahead.

The 20-year-old program provides assistance to families of homicide victims as they go through the judicial process and counseling for adults, children and teens left behind. Thomas was one of 125,000 people assigned to the agency in the first months of 2000.

"The issues are different for each group, but parents, particularly mothers, deal with an incredible amount of guilt," said Buckley. "For a person to have given life to a human being and raised that person ... it's almost as if someone has ripped a limb from their body."

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Thomas said part of healing is letting go of the animosity she held toward the three accused.

"I had to let that anger go," she said. "But I do wonder what goes through their minds. What do they think about? Because I see and think about Lolo from the time I wake up at 4:30 a.m. until I go to bed."
5:44pm: Robinsons contract is a three-year, minimum-salary deal like Matens that runs through 2020/21, a source confirms to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). The Heat used part of their mid-level exception to complete the deal, which features guarantee trigger dates in the offseason.

5:29pm: Two days after promoting Yante Maten to their 15-man roster, the Heat have done the same with their other two-way player, announcing today (via Twitter) that theyve signed forward Duncan Robinson to a standard contract.

Robinson, who will turn 25 later this month, signed a two-way deal with the Heat in 2018 after going undrafted out of Michigan. He has seen limited minutes in 13 games for Miami, having spent most of his rookie year with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heats G League affiliate.

In 33 games for the Skyforce, Robinson averaged 21.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 3.0 APG to go along with a very impressive .514/.483/.803 shooting line. He was named to the All-NBAGL Third Team.

While terms of Robinsons new contract have yet to be reported, the Heat presumably attempted to lock him up to a deal similar to Matens  that contract will run through the 2020/21 campaign, though it isnt guaranteed beyond this season.

The Heat, who ducked under the tax line today when Rodney McGruder was claimed off waivers by the Clippers, now have 14 players under contract, so they could add one more to their 15-man squad before Wednesdays regular-season finale in Brooklyn if they so choose.
Brendt Christensen, now 29, walked into a campus counseling center on March 21, 2017, saying he had recurring thoughts of committing murder, "ruminating about how one might go about killing a person and 'get away with it,'" according to defense filings unsealed this week. The physics student said he even bought items as part of plans to kill someone and dispose of a body but later returned them.
Appointment

9 April 2019

Best Western Hotels & Resorts announced today that it has appointed Brad LeBlanc as Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer. LeBlanc will oversee North American development and will report directly to David Kong, President and CEO of Best Western Hotels & Resorts.

In recent years, Best Western has transformed into a modern and innovative global hospitality powerhouse with 16 distinctive brands in key markets across the world. Now boasting more than 4,500 properties in nearly 100 countries and territories worldwide, Best Western offers hotel solutions to suit guest and developer needs in every chain scale segment, from economy to luxury. As Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer, LeBlanc will be responsible for driving the growth of Best Western in North America across the company's diverse portfolio of brands.

An industry veteran with 30 years' experience in hospitality, LeBlanc joins Best Western's executive team with a wealth of knowledge and experience. Most recently, LeBlanc served as Senior Vice President of Franchise & Partner Development with Serendipity Labs, in the new shared workspace "Coworking" office segment with a network of hospitality-focused workspaces meeting demand for an expanding mobile workforce. Prior to that LeBlanc successfully built multiple lodging brands across North America in his position as Vice President of Development for Choice Hotels and U.S. Franchise Systems.
Appointment

9 April 2019

Kai Behrens was appointed Cluster General Manager of Kempinski Palace Portoroz and Kempinski Hotel Adriatic with the aim of further positioning the two properties as the leading luxury hotels in the region. A German national, he graduated from the School of Management in Dortmund, Germany and holds an Executive MBA for Hospitality and Tourism from NEOMA Business School.

Having started his career in Rooms Division at the Hyatt Regency in Cologne, in 2007, he joined Kempinski as Resident Manager at Hotel Baltschug Kempinski Moscow. He acquired extensive experience within the company through managing hotels in Thailand, Bulgaria; Azerbaijan and China over the past 12 years. Kai returns to Europe from his recent position as General Manager of the Kempinski Hotel Chengdu China.

Following his new appointment Kai comments: "I feel extremely honoured for my new appointment at this wonderful destination of Istria. The two Kempinski hotels are both exceptional properties and true market leaders. I am excited for the great opportunity to clusterise the two properties and to further position their market shares as the luxury leaders in the region. Together with the experienced team on site, I will strive towards achieving high guest satisfaction through remarkable luxury activities and experiences, always embracing Kempinski's tradition of European Luxury, combined with the traditional local Istrian flair for hospitality."
Appointment

9 April 2019

Anne Madden, CMP HMCC, Senior Sales Manager, will bring a special blend of leadership and a unique management style, all while upholding Omni Hotels & Resorts' tradition of service and dedication to the needs of guests, associates and owners alike.

With 25 years in the hospitality industry, Anne Madden joins from Maritz, a sales and marketing services company, where as operations manager she led the sourcing team. Prior to joining Maritz, Madden served as president of the Meeting Professionals International chapter in Philadelphia, and held positions at both American Express Global Business Travel and Hilton Hotels Worldwide.
Appointment

9 April 2019

Conrad Manila has announced the appointment of Emile Otte as its new Director of Operations. In this role, Emile will provide strategic leadership and oversee the hotel's daily operations including rooms, food and beverage and banqueting services.

With more than 15 years of industry experience under his belt, including 13 years in Hilton, Emile's invaluable expertise furthers Conrad Manila's commitment to providing guests with inspired and innovative experiences.

Prior to joining Conrad Manila, Emile worked across various regions including serving as the Operations Manager at Hilton Niseko Village, Japan, and Director of Food and Beverage in Conrad Beijing, China, amongst other Hilton Hotels and luxury properties across China, the Middle East and Europe.

Emile, a Dutch national, holds a bachelor's degree in international hospitality management from the Netherlands International Hotel School.
Appointment

9 April 2019

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), one of the world's leading hotel companies, welcomes marketing analytics expert Matt Kistler as Senior Vice President of Global Insights, Analytics and Data.

Charged with elevating IHG's consumer insights and marketing effectiveness, Kistler and his team harness the power of analytics to better anticipate and meet guest needs and preferences and bolster the position of the company's global portfolio of 15 brands. In addition to consumer insights, Kistler's team is responsible for assessing brand and category performance and measuring the return on investment of marketing campaigns and activities around the globe. IHG will leverage his expertise and leadership to help define its future data strategy and harness insights to create intensely personal experiences for guests visiting its more than 5,600 hotels around the world.

Kistler brings more than 25 years of experience in leadership roles at best-in-class consumer organizations. Most recently, he served as Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy & Client Partner at Symphony AI. Prior to that Kistler was Senior Vice President, Global Consumer Insights & Analytics at Walmart where he positioned the company as a thought leader, with a pulse on trends shaping consumer behavior. He holds a bachelor's degree in marketing from Michigan State University and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Reporting to Chief Marketing Officer Claire Bennett, Kistler is based at IHG's Americas headquarters in Atlanta.
Press Release

9 April 2019

Booking is now live for the programme for the first continental European edition of the Independent Hotel Show. Taking place at the RAI Amsterdam, an attractive, substantive and innovative programme compliments the 120 specialist exhibitors, making it well worth the trip!

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Creative Hotel Thinkers Take to the Stage

Experts from across The Netherlands are deeply involved with the preparations for the Independent Hotel Show Amsterdam and many of them will take to the stage so hoteliers can leave the show inspired and motivated.

Here's a sneak peak at some of the speakers you'll be able to hear from at this year's show:

Annemoon Guerts, founder, Kazerne

Bram van der Hoek, CEO, Europe Hotels Private Collection

Erik-Jan Ginjaar, managing director, Postillion Hotels

Gladys Camphuijsen, sales and events director, The Pulitzer Amsterdam

Hans Meyer, co-founder and owner, Zoku

Inge van Weert, general manager, QO Amsterdam

Jan Stuurman, general manager, V Hotel

Joost van Beek, Chief operations Northern Europe, The Student Hotel

Marco Lemmers, owner and CEO, Conscious Hotel Group

Rob Wagemans, founder, Concrete

Eric Toren, Owner, Hotel TwentySeven

Holly Friend, Foresight Writer, The Future Laboratory

Kevin Rockey, MD Operations UK & Europe, The Hoxton

Vincent van Dijk, Owner & Partner, HBMEO Concepts

Charles Van Goch, Chief Empowering Officer, Mise en Place

Rene van Schie, Director of Hotel and Leisure Developments, Metropolitan Region Amsterdam

Visionary Speakers: Top Picks

Composed of inspiring and practical conversations, The Hotel Vision Stage, designed by H-Hospitality, will explore both local issues and global trends with content designed to serve the needs of today's modern hotelier.

There are 10 amazing sessions to choose from, but we'd suggest making space in your agenda for the below:

Wednesday, 8th of May

11.00: The Year in Review - lead by STR Global, this session will present the big picture in the European Hotel Industry as our expert panel review the last 12 months of the market.

14:30: Why Sustainability is Good for Business - taking on one of Amsterdam's hottest topics to discover the green practices hoteliers needs to know about now.

17:00: Designing for 'Bleisure' - an interview with Rob Wagemens of Concrete and Hans Meyer of Zoku exploring how the hospitality community is reacting to the discerning 'bliesure' guest.

Thursday, 9th of May

11:00: How to Use Technology and Personalization to Maximise Direct Bookings - following exclusive research ahead of the show this session will explore the changes in buyer booking behaviours and reveal what can really drive direct bookings.

12:15: Placemaking: Hospitality in the Heart of the Community - a 'how to' for hoteliers wishing to capitalise on their local community

14:00: Scale Up but Retain Your Independent Spirit - for hoteliers who want to scale up without losing sight of quality and guest experience, featuring representatives from Europe Hotels Private Collection, Hotel V, and The Hoxton.

Explore the full line-up at independenthotelshow.nl/programme

Social Business Space

If that isn't enough, you'll be able to find further enlightened discussion in the Social Business Space, an environment where knowledge is gained and shared in the form of "speed networking" - which looks a lot like "speed dating" but without the awkwardness. These targeted sessions enable you to get to know each other, exchange ideas and solve problems within the wider hotel community.

Bringing together up-and-coming young hoteliers, passionate Heads of Departments, and established industry leaders, these exclusive networking sessions will be themed around Expansion Plans, The Future is Female, 'Independently-Spirited' Hoteliers, and the Young Future Leaders Summit.

Tickets to attend Independent Hotel Show Amsterdam available now via independenthotelshow.nl at the early-bird rate of 25.
Press Release

9 April 2019

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Cambria Hotels is helping experience-hungry people maximize their time through a collaboration with Profs and Pints. Already known for offering local beers at its hotels, Cambria is building on their hallmark craft beer program and appealing public spaces by hosting a series of compelling talks - ranging from local history to emerging trends and more - at select locations across the country.

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With a mission to share local knowledge and current insights with broader audiences, Profs and Pints brings college professors out of the classroom and into casual, open environments, such as bars and cafes. Profs and Pints quickly gained attention when it launched in Washington, D.C., in October 2017, and the collaboration now takes the popular event format and content nationwide.

"Cambria Hotels offer visitors a greater sense of place and space. Our new collaboration with Profs and Pints takes that to a higher level," said Janis Cannon, senior vice president, upscale brands, Choice Hotels. "We're excited to bring local, stimulating content to guests and members of Cambria's local communities. Whether they're a young professional working nearby or business traveler in town for the week, Profs and Pints attendees have the opportunity to learn something new and interesting, all while sipping our signature local craft brews or grabbing a bite to eat."

Cambria will host several Profs and Pints events throughout 2019 at select Cambria Hotels in Washington D.C, Chicago, Nashville, Philadelphia, and Dallas. The events are open to the public and tickets are available for purchase at Brown Paper Tickets.

"I'm excited to expand my company's reach and start hosting events at Cambria Hotels throughout the country," said Peter Schmidt, founder of Profs and Pints. "The brand's immersive atmosphere and versatile bars are an ideal space to meet the growing demand for more content in more places."

The first Cambria Profs and Pints event takes place on April 11 at the Cambria Washington D.C. Convention Center. University of Maryland history professor Richard Bell will discuss "Hamilton's History Remix," a deep dive into the popular musical and what it reveals about the marriage of history and show business. Other Cambria Profs and Pints lectures include:

Hamilton - The Man and the Musical , a deep dive into Alexander Hamilton's short, thrilling life - just as the hit musical rolls into town - on Thursday, May 9 at the Cambria Dallas Downtown

, a deep dive into Alexander Hamilton's short, thrilling life - just as the hit musical rolls into town - on Colonial Philly's Organized Chaos , a stimulating mashup of colonial history, political science and urban planning on Monday, May 13 at the Cambria Philadelphia Downtown

, a stimulating mashup of colonial history, political science and urban planning on Nashville and the Underground Railroad, a fascinating study of the Underground Railroad movement and the role the Music City played as a starting point for many who climbed aboard, on Wednesday, May 22 at the Cambria Nashville Downtown

a fascinating study of the Underground Railroad movement and the role the Music City played as a starting point for many who climbed aboard, on Portrait of a Pirate, a look at the legendary life and troubling legacy of the real Captain Morgan, on Wednesday, May 29 at the Cambria Chicago Magnificent Mile

For more information about Profs and Pints and upcoming events at Cambria hotels, visit www.profsandpints.com. To learn more about Cambria Hotels, visit www.ChoiceHotels.com.

About Profs and Pints

Profs and Pints started as an idea from Peter Schmidt, a former journalist who spent more than 30 years covering education, to make higher learning more accessible and provide scholars with new audiences. Inspired by the informal, democratic model of education found in ancient Greece, the company brings college professors into off-campus venues, such as bars and cafes, to socialize and share their knowledge with the general public. Professors speak on topics of broad interest, including local and national history, the natural environment, emerging trends in business or politics, scientific innovation, the arts, folklore, and more. Since launching in 2017, Profs and Pints' popularity has grown rapidly across the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. It will be entering new markets across the country through its collaboration with Cambria Hotels. For more information, visit https://www.profsandpints.com/.
Supplier News

9 April 2019

INTELITY, the provider of the broadest enterprise guest engagement and staff management platform for hospitality, announced today that YOTEL has selected its platform as a brand standard. The trend-setting, tech-forward hotel brand plans to implement the INTELITY platform across all of its properties in order to provide travelers with a superior guest experience and streamline daily operations.

YOTEL's new mobile brand app and mobile key capability, powered by INTELITY, will give guests the convenience of skipping the front desk through mobile check-in. They will also be able to request hotel services, communicate with staff, and access information, including curated city guides. YOTEL staff will use INTELITY's full-service back-office solution, INTELITY Staff, to organize and fulfill guest requests, process and track work orders, and view real-time data analytics. The INTELITY platform also integrates with YOTEL's property management systems (PMS), room controls, and robot butlers.

"At YOTEL it is important to us to make the customer journey as seamless as possible, saving our guests and staff valuable time so that they can get on with what is important to them. It is for that reason that we will be introducing INTELITY as a brand standard across all YOTEL properties," said YOTEL CEO Hubert Viriot. "Being able to offer a single app that features all of our properties across three brands, YOTEL, YOTELAIR, and YOTELPAD gives guests the ability to not only skip the front desk but have ready access to hotel services, facilities and information as and when they need it."

The company, which has hotels in major city centers and airports terminals around the world, will implement INTELITY at their new properties first, followed by a rollout at pre-existing locations. YOTEL plans to kick off the first phase of the new platform with the soft opening of its YOTEL Istanbul property this year.

"We're thrilled to partner with such an innovative hotel group. YOTEL is known for creating smart multi-functional spaces, inspired by technology, that truly map to the needs of modern travelers, and we look forward to rolling out the INTELITY platform across the entire brand," said INTELITY CEO Robert Stevenson. "Our goal is to make the guest experience better in every way, and give guests access to the seamless experience they already have from airlines, mobile dining, and rideshare apps."

INTELITY will be at HITEC Europe in Booth #147. Visit the INTELITY website to schedule a time to meet with a member of the INTELITY team.

About YOTEL

Inspired by the luxury of first-class travel and uncompromisingly designed around guests, YOTEL takes the essential elements of luxury hotels into smaller, smart spaces and deliver extraordinary value and a sense of community with areas for co-working, social gatherings and exercise in sought after locations. Premium Cabins include YOTEL's signature adjustable SmartBed with rejuvenating rain showers and SMART TVs, multi power and USB points and easy connectivity.

YOTEL currently operates four airport hotels in London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Amsterdam Schiphol and Paris, Charles de Gaulle and five city centre hotels in New York, Boston, San Francisco, Washington D.C. and Singapore. YOTEL is expanding rapidly with new projects under development globally, including Istanbul Airport, Singapore Changi Airport, London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Geneva, Amsterdam, Miami, Dubai, Mammoth, Park City, Porto, and New York Long Island City.

YOTEL's major shareholders include a controlled affiliate of Starwood Capital Group, the Talal Jassim Al-Bahar Group, United Investment Portugal and Kuwait Real Estate Company (AQARAT).

YOTEL was created by YO! founder Simon Woodroffe OBE, who inspired by first class travel, translated the language of luxury airline travel into a small but luxurious cabin (www.yo.co.uk).

Visit www.yotel.com for more information.
Press Release

10 April 2019

ABERDEEN, S.D. - My Place Hotels is extremely pleased to announce the major partnership between the Des Moines area hotels and Knoxville Raceway, known as the Sprint Car Capital of the World. As the Official Hotel Partner of the 360 Knoxville Nationals, the nearby locations will connect with countless race fans who travel from around the world to attend weekly races and special events held at the world-famous race track from April to September.

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The 2019 My Place Hotels 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank, held August 1-3 this year, features three days of 360 sprint car racing at the prestigious Knoxville Raceway. The event officially kicks-off 10 straight nights of racing in southern Iowa, culminating with the finale of the famed Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey's General Store on Saturday, August 10. The multi-year partnership will include the 30thAnnual My Place Hotels 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank in 2020.

"The partnership with Knoxville Raceway demonstrates the fun-loving spirit of the owners and operators behind the My Place Hotels locations in Ankeny and Altoona, Iowa," said Ryan Rivett, President and CEO of My Place Hotels. "As exceptional hospitality providers and the Official Hotel Partner, I'm confident these nearby hotels will be an outstanding home base for race fans during the 360 Knoxville Nationals and throughout the phenomenal season at The Sprint Car Capital of the World."

Known as the Sprint Car Capital of the World Knoxville Raceway hosts winged 410, 360 and Pro Sprints sprint car racing nearly every Saturday night from April to September.  My Place Hotels

My Place Hotels

The My Place Hotels locations in Altoona, roughly 45 minutes northwest of Knoxville Raceway, and in Ankeny, roughly 50 minutes northwest from Knoxville Raceway, are now the Official Hotel Partner of the My Place Hotels 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank. Drivers, race teams and fans can take advantage of a special promotional rate at either of the two hotels. Any guests who use the promotional code "Knoxville" when booking will receive a $99 per night rate for the July 31 through August 5 nights. A limited amount of rooms will be available August 6 through August 11 at $139 per night with the promo code. To receive the promotional discount, reservations must be made by calling the two hotels directly at 515-348-7161 (Altoona) and 515-381-0589 (Ankeny).

"The My Place Hotels 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank officially kicks off the greatest 10 days of racing in America," said Kendra Jacobs, Director of Marketing for Knoxville Raceway. "Fans from around the world travel to Iowa, which means that fans from around the world are looking for a place to stay. My Place Hotels has two nearby locations in Altoona and Ankeny with generously discounted rates for our fans. This is a partnership that not only supports the race track and the event, but also the race fans."

Tickets for the My Place Hotels 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank are available on KnoxvilleRaceway.com or by calling the ticket office at 641-842-5431. More information about Knoxville Raceway and the My Place 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank visit www.knoxvilleraceway.com, like Knoxville Raceway on Facebook, or follow Knoxville Raceway on Instagram and @KnoxvilleRaces on Twitter. The Knoxville Raceway app is also a free download for all Apple and Android devices.

About Knoxville Raceway

Located on the Marion County Fairgrounds in Knoxville, Iowa, Knoxville Raceway is a 1/2-mile dirt track that hosts winged 410, 360 and Pro Sprints sprint car racing nearly every Saturday night from April to September. The "Sprint Car Capital of the World" also hosts the Knoxville Nationals, sprint car racing's most prestigious event, as well as the Late Model Nationals,360 Nationals and Corn Belt Nationals. Knoxville Raceway is the third-largest outdoor stadium in Iowa with 20,322 seats and 32 luxury suites.
He had last been seen about 6 p.m. Monday and may have been with Tishawn Blackwell, a 48-year-old woman who is black, has black hair and brown eyes, is 5 feet, 3 inches tall and weighs 219 pounds. She had last been seen wearing gray sweatpants, a gray shirt and sandals, and was driving a beige or tan 2005 Buick Rendezvous with a hole in the right tail light and tinted windows.
Opinion Article

9 April 2019

"All our knowledge has its origin in our perceptions." ~ Leonardo da Vinci

Is a pair of $50,000 Sennheiser Orpheus headphones really fifty times better than a pair that costs $1,000? Expensive items and experiences are often branded as high quality, exclusive, or bespoke. But are they really better than their less-expensive counterparts? And what truly motivates people to pay more for something?

In the hectic daily life of a hotel revenue strategist, coming up with optimal pricing presents the greatest challenge - a challenge that's typically handled through reliance on a sophisticated RMS, complex algorithms, and in-depth analysis. But there's a creative component that comes into play as well. And this involves looking at some of the fascinating psychological research on consumer behavior and pricing. Here we balance proven theories on pricing psychology with practical takeaways that you can utilize in your revenue strategy.

The Phenomenon of Preference Reversal

Human brains are wired to think in ways that seem irrational at times. There's an intriguing phenomenon known as "preference reversal"which was first observed in the late 60s and early 70s by Sarah Lichtenstein and Paul Slovic in the gambling context. They noted that if people were asked to choose between a game they perceived as a safe bet (good chance of winning a small gain) over a long shot (small chance of winning a larger gain), they tended to prefer the safe bet. However, when asked to place a specific dollar value on the right to play each game, respondents switched, placing a higher value on the riskier bet.

Takeaways:

This all comes down to preference toward risk. Preference reversal phenomenon presents an arbitrage opportunity for hotels - where the presence of risk subtly influences a customer's ability to put an estimate on value. As a result, you may be able to extract additional value from customers based on the decisions they make. This can come into play when upselling guests to premium room types - by tailoring your sales approach to affect what a customer considers "risky." There's the "risk" of paying more for a room versus the "risk" of missing out on valuable features like a view or enhanced service. These types of risk often influence a customer's willingness to make a purchase

Risky Business

Prospect theory holds that there can be shifts in preferences toward risk. We tend to be more risk averse when we stand to gain something, and we tend to be more risk seeking when we're faced with the possibility of losing something. Central to this concept are reference transactions - in other words, an expectation of what we think we should get, and some perception of what we think we should pay for it. Using the reference transaction as a starting point, anything that puts us worse off is a "loss," and anything that makes us better off is a "gain."

Dan Ariely, professor of psychology and behavior economics at Duke University, did research which he presented in a TED Talk showing the effect of "useless" price points in transforming "bargain hunters" into "value seekers."To illustrate his point, Ariely described a pricing situation he encountered at The Economist:

OPTION #1: A web-only subscription for $59

OPTION #2: A print-only subscription for $125

OPTION #3: A web + print subscription for $125

Ariely examined what would happen if you removed OPTION #2, a seemingly "useless" price since shoppers were better off getting the web + print for the same price. He found that while OPTION #2 appeared useless, it was actually useful in that it emphasized the great value of OPTION #3, with an overwhelming 84 percent of subscribers choosing it. However, when he removed OPTION #2, the purchase of OPTION #3 plummeted to 32 percent. The price differential was too extreme, and people convinced themselves they didn't need the upgrade.

Takeaways:

Apply techniques such as strike-through pricing that makes customers feel they're entering the "gains" domain. Unbundle gains, like detailing the benefits of upgrades. And bundle losses. For instance, combine a room upgrade with a "free" resort fee to make it more appealing, or package a high-priced room with a complimentary breakfast to transform bargain hunters into value seekers.

It's All Relative

Price anchoring is a technique of showing a very expensive price before revealing a cheaper price. The human brain tends to make judgments based on contrasts. (Which is why legendary Serendipity 3 restaurant's $1,000 Golden Opulence Sundae makes their $9.95 fruit cup look like a steal!) Not only does the contrast have a powerful effect, but the high price by itself influences what a shopper expects to pay for any product from that seller.

A practical example for hoteliers may be featuring a $10,000 penthouse suite on your website. Research shows that by doing so, you're more likely to sell your $500 standard room, as opposed to if you'd simply presented your standard rate alone. Clearly, the presentation of an offer makes a difference in our decision-making and perceptions.

Our perception of price also impacts our perception of the quality of something. A study by California Institute of Technology and Stanford University scholars,4 showed that people not only rated the same wine more highly when they were told it was expensive, but magnetic resonance imagery (MRI) scans of their brains showed that they even enjoyed the experience of drinking it more.

Another study by marketing professors at Stanford and Rice universities5 used an auction site on eBay to evaluate the impact of implicit versus explicit price comparisons. They found that when a $1.99 CD was flanked either by identical versions priced at $6.99 or $0.99, the selling price of the original $1.99 CD captured much higher prices when flanked by the $6.99 CDs. In this case, shoppers made comparisons on their own. However, when auction participants were explicitly told to compare the $1.99 price to its neighbors, the buying price dropped. The simple fact that they were asked to make a comparison made shoppers more cautious and risk averse. They were suspicious they were being tricked in some way.

Takeaways:

Go big with anchoring! The more you ask for, the more you get. And while you may not intend to sell your high-priced penthouse suite often, its price can serve as an anchor for customers in placing a value on your standard rooms. Also, be aware that comparative selling is powerful, but overt comparisons with competitors can backfire.

Time & Experiences Over Money

Canadian race car driver and businessman Josh Cartu admits that he collects Ferraris not only because he loves them but because of the accompanying perks he receives, like access to special events and the exclusive community he gets to be part of. Feelings can be powerful motivators, and you can get people to spend more by tapping into them.

"The Time vs. Money Effect" study by Stanford Graduate School of Business researchers, showed that mentioning time and increasing focus on "the experience," led to a favorable shift in product attitudes and decisions - and to more purchases.

As part of their study, the authors set up a lemonade stand operated by two six-year-olds. They used three different signs, displayed one at a time:

SIGN 1: Spend a little time and enjoy C&D's lemonade

SIGN 2: Spend a little money, and enjoy C&D's lemonade

SIGN 3: Enjoy C&D's lemonade

Customers could pay between $1 and $3 per cup, the amount was up to them. The results showed that the sign stressing time attracted twice as many passersby - who were willing to pay almost twice as much as when the sign emphasizing money was displayed.

Takeaways:

Our relationship with time and experiences are more personally meaningful than our relationship with money. Be aware of what experiences bring meaning to the lives of your potential customers to assist your pricing and marketing efforts.

When it comes to pricing psychology, perception can be more important than reality. And frames of reference will differ across individuals. So, your guests' perceptions may be very different from our own perceptions of your pricing and products - and will even vary from guest to guest. Hotels must clearly communicate the value they offer. It's crucial for hotel revenue managers to understand how and why their guests book, so you can adjust rates accordingly. By considering the psychological pricing factors that influence travelers' behaviors, you will enjoy healthier revenues and more robust profit margins.
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e-forecasting.com earliest and final for the month of April 2019 U.S. consumer confidence rose in April, following today's update of its predictive analytics database, derived from the largest in scope and size national consumer survey, conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics.

e-forecasting.com earliest and final for the month of April 2019 U.S. consumer confidence rose in April, following today's update of its predictive analytics database, derived from the largest in scope and size national consumer survey, conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics.

According to the highlights of the forward-looking predictive analytics published today in the April issue of the U.S. Consumer Confidence Digest, the popular confidence measure, which is indexed to equal 100 when growth is nil, increased 0.3 percent points in April to a reading of 109.4, after rising (+0.1 percent points) in March.

"The early bird's news about the level of confidence on the economy expected by consumers lead to the prediction that the United States' business-cycle will be in its expansion phase six months from now from a short-lived slowdown," said Evangelos Otto Simos, professor at the University of New Hampshire and editor of the Digest.

Adjusting the consumer confidence index to the economy's long-term trend, its co-movement with US monthly-GDP results in predictive intelligence for classic business cycle analysis, which is used officially to define the booms (expansions) and busts (recessions) for the economy. The trend-adjusted measure of consumer confidence increased 6.6% in April to a reading of 119.1, following an increase of (+4%) in March.

About e-forecasting.com

e-forecasting.com, a USA private, international research and predictive intelligence consulting firm, provides its clients sophisticated, scientifically-modeled and disruptive predictive analytics for what's next.

About Prosper Insights & Analytics

Prosper Insights & Analytics provides business intelligence services based on data integration analytics from over hundreds of thousands of data series. Using an advanced insight platform, Prosper creates unique analytics in high-tech business areas in retail, mobile, media and finance.

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Kistler brings more than 25 years of experience in leadership roles at best-in-class consumer organizations. Most recently, he served as Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy & Client Partner at Symphony AI.

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) welcomes marketing analytics expert Matt Kistler as Senior Vice President of Global Insights, Analytics and Data.

Charged with elevating IHG's consumer insights and marketing effectiveness, Kistler and his team harness the power of analytics to better anticipate and meet guest needs and preferences and bolster the position of the company's global portfolio of 15 brands. In addition to consumer insights, Kistler's team is responsible for assessing brand and category performance and measuring the return on investment of marketing campaigns and activities around the globe. IHG will leverage his expertise and leadership to help define its future data strategy and harness insights to create intensely personal experiences for guests visiting its more than 5,600 hotels around the world.

Prior to that Kistler was Senior Vice President, Global Consumer Insights & Analytics at Walmart where he positioned the company as a thought leader, with a pulse on trends shaping consumer behavior. He holds a bachelor's degree in marketing from Michigan State University and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Reporting to Chief Marketing Officer Claire Bennett, Kistler is based at IHG's Americas headquarters in Atlanta.

Claire Bennett, Chief Marketing Officer, commented: "Having worked with some of the largest global brands in the world, Matt brings extensive experience in consumer intelligence to IHG. His leadership will be critical as continually strive to get closer to our guests, and leverage data in the most responsible ways to create incredible, personal experiences for our guests."

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The hospitality industry, benefiting from surging tourism worldwide, is scrambling to keep up with demand while remaining aware of the potential pitfalls from the deluge of tourists.

This article originally appeared on JLL Real Views.

The hospitality industry, benefiting from surging tourism worldwide, is scrambling to keep up with demand while remaining aware of the potential pitfalls from the deluge of tourists.

According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, tourism and travel spending grew 3.9 percent in 2018, compared to global economic growth of 3.2 percent. The sector generated US$8.8 trillion in revenue in 2018 and accounted for 10.4 percent of global economic activity.

Budget airlines, new technology promoting destinations, and a greater disposable income among a rising global middle class in countries like China and India have led to a travel boom, says Pitinut Pupatwibul, senior vice president, JLL Hotels and Hospitality APAC.

Hotel construction has responded. In Australia, nearly 300 hotels in the works to cope with greater numbers of tourists. In China, the hotel pipeline is at an all-time high.

More tourists means more rooms are needed. And its not just in the cities, says Pupatwibul. Travelers are exploring beyond the usual spots thanks to a mix of social media and government campaigns promoting them.

When left unchecked by authorities, it causes overtourism, she says.

Curbing tourist numbers

The phenomenon of overtourism has led cities and rural locales around South East Asia, Japan and Europe struggling with the deluge of travellers. From Dubronik and Venice in Europe to Phuket and Kyoto in Asia, beautiful destinations are caught between the resultant economic spoils and the social costs.

While hordes of travelers keep the hotels busy, the longer-term fallout from overtourism can hurt business.

The island of Boracay in the Philippines was closed to tourists fox six months last year, as authorities said they sought to clean up the damage caused by tourism. The shutdown cost the island US$1 billion in lost tourism revenue. Hotels that failed to meet standards were not allowed to operate. As of December, new guidelines limit the daily number of tourists arriving to 6,400.

In Iceland, new hotel construction was banned in downtown Reykjavik last April, following similar steps taken by Barcelona, which passed an accommodation law in 2017 to stop hotels from being built in the city centre.

New rules will be put in place to combat overtourism. I foresee more of such laws as well as authorities taking a tougher stand on hotels to ensure compliance to minimize environmental damage, says Pupatwibul.

Globally, more destinations are starting to implement measures to control tourism. Bali is among the latest to announce it will be charging a US$10 levy on foreign tourists to fund efforts to preserve the environment. But the gold standard of high valuelow impact tourism can be seen in Bhutan. Visitors to the Himalayan kingdom need to book with a government accredited travel agency and pay US$250 a night to cover basic accommodation, a local guide, food and transportation.

The way forward

Some hotels are banding together to combat the effects of overtourism. Phukets Hotel Association and its members have rallied together to reduce plastic use, pledging to phase out plastic water bottles and straws by this year.

Pupatwibul suggests hotels can demonstrate more responsibility by screening tour operators and agents they partner with, curating external services provided to ensure standards and safety and educate guests about travelling more sustainably.

As its impossible to stop the flow of tourists, there is more urgency than ever in managing tourist numbers and planning ahead, she says. All stakeholders  hotels, travel operators and authorities  can work together to create more sustainable travel.

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MENA Chain Hotels Market Review - February 2019

Its been tough sledding for hotels in the Middle East & North Africa. February marked the sixth consecutive month of year-over-year profit decline, in spite of a slight rise in RevPAR, according to the latest data tracking full-service hotels from HotStats.

GOPPAR for the month declined 4.3-percent YOY and two months into 2019, profit levels in the region are already 9.6 percent behind the same period in 2018.

The decline in profit was led by a 1.6-percent decrease in non-rooms revenue, which fell to $89.33, equivalent to 42.2 percent of total revenue.

However, it was not a blanket decline in ancillary revenues, as YOY growth of 1.1 percent was recorded in the food & beverage department, on a per-available-room basis.

And while RevPAR for the month was up 0.5 percent (growing to $122.39, 8.0-percent higher than the average for the rolling 12 months to February 2019), TRevPAR suffered a 0.4-percent decline.

Growth in rooms revenue was driven by a 2.6-percentage-point increase in occupancy to 73.9 percent, which was one of the highest room occupancies recorded in the region in the last 12 months. Average room rate was down 3.1 percent YOY.

Rising costs evaporated the marginal revenue growth. These were led by a 0.6-percent jump in total hotel labour costs and a 2.1-percent increase in total overheads, on a per-available-room basis.

Profit & Loss Key Performance Indicators  Middle East & North Africa (in USD)

February 2019 v. February 2018

RevPAR: +0.5% to $122.39

TRevPAR: -0.4% to $211.72

Payroll % of Total Revenue: +0.3 pts. to 28.1%

GOPPAR: -4.3% to $79.45

Profit margin in the region was 37.5 percent of total revenue, marking the sixth consecutive month of profit conversion erosion.

MENA hotels are unfortunately part of a broader trend where flagging revenue is being gobbled up by rising costs, leading to profit decay, said Michael Grove, Director of Intelligence and Customer Solutions, EMEA, at HotStats. In a slowing economic climate, hoteliers will need to figure out canny ways to cut down on expense in order to deliver on the bottom line.

One bright spot in MENA: Sharm El Sheikh. Following the October 31, 2015, downing of a Russian passenger plane carrying 224 passengers from Sharm El Sheikh International Airport, a number of European countries and Russia suspended direct flights to the Egyptian resort town. More than three years later, a ban on flights from the UK still remains, but Russia has now lifted its own ban and tourism throughout the region is getting healthier. A report by the Arabian Travel Market noted that the yearly number of visitors to Egypt is expected to increase by 50 percent over the next three years.

Sharm El Sheikh hotels are slowly benefitting. A profit increase in February marks the sixth consecutive month of growth in this measure and, over the last 28 months, YOY GOPPAR has fallen only twice.

Profit & Loss Key Performance Indicators  Sharm El Sheikh (in USD)

February 2019 v. February 2018

RevPAR: +144.8% to $28.05

TRevPAR: +121.0% to $43.86

Payroll % of Total Revenue: -18.0 pts. to 28.6%

GOPPAR: +472.3% to $9.83

Performance of hotels in Kuwait City was more reflective of the challenges across MENA, with profit per room falling by 41.3 percent YOY to $92.70, as the city continues to be hit by declining revenue levels and rising costs.

As a result of falling room occupancy (down 9.1 percentage points), achieved average room rate (down 14.6 percent) and non-rooms revenues (down 23.9 percent), TRevPAR decreased by more than $75 YOY to $229.27.

On the cost side, while hotel labour costs on a per-available-room basis were down 8.4 percent YOY, as a percentage of total revenue, they were up 5.4 percentage points, illustrating revenue corrosion.

Profit conversion was at 40.4 percent of total revenue, down 11.2 percentage points over the same time prior.

Profit & Loss Key Performance Indicators  Kuwait City (in USD)

February 2019 v. February 2018

RevPAR: -26.1% to $123.83

TRevPAR: -25.1% to $229.27

Payroll % of Total Revenue: +5.4 pts. to 29.4%

GOPPAR: -41.3% to $92.70

HotStats provides two reporting tools to hoteliers:

Our unique profit and loss benchmarking service which enables monthly comparison of hotels performance against their competitors. It is distinguished by the fact that it provides in excess of 100 performance metric comparisons covering 70 areas of hotel revenue, cost, profit and statistics providing far deeper insight into the hotel operation than any other tool.

Our latest innovation in daily revenue intelligence, MORSE. Amongst its reporting are daily and highly granular market segmentation metrics as well as distribution channel and source of booking analysis. It takes daily market intelligence to a whole new level.

For more information contact:

Enquiries

+44 (0) 20 7892 2241

enquiries@hotstats.com

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It was just last week when Boosie Badazz dropped his album Badazz 3.5, and the rapper was enjoying having released a record that was well received by his fans until he had an unfortunate run-in with the law earlier today. The Lousiana native was driving through Newnan, Georgia when he was pulled over by police because they claimed the deputy noticed a white Dodge Charger swerving and nearly hitting another vehicle on a bypass, according to the Newnan-Herald Times.

After the vehicle pulled over in a Chick-fil-A parking lot, Sgt. Jeff Bugg approached the car and spoke with the driver who just happened to be Boosie, real name Torrence Hatch Jr. Also in the car was Antonio Allen, a former free safety for the New York Jets. Sgt. Buggs reportedly smelled a strong odor of marijuana and placed Boosie in the back of the police car while Allen stayed inside of the Charger.

After searching the vehicle, Bugg found approximately 11 grams of what's suspected to be marijuana and a loaded 9mm handgun. Both were located around Allen's seat. There was also a vape pen with suspected THC oil and a bag with a large sum of cash. Boosie reportedly told the officer that he was talking on the phone while driving and that Allen was his bodyguard.



Bennett Raglin/Getty Images

Both men were arrested and charged with possession of marijuana, possession of a schedule one drug, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. Boosie had an additional charge of failure to maintain a lane while driving. Both Boosie and Allen are currently in the Coweta County Jail.

Back in 2009, Boosie was sentenced to four years in prison over gun and drug charges for a similar incident. East Baton Rouge deputies found marijuana and a gun in his car then, too. The following year, Boosie was indicted on first-degree murder charges and later sentenced to eight years in prison for drug possession and intent to distribute. After spending three years on death row, he was found not guilty of murder in 2012. He spent five years in prison and was released in 2014, serving out his parole until 2018.

Allen currently has felony warrants out of South Carolina for firearm and drug charges, according to the Newnan-Herald Times. Bugg said charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon are pending for both men.
Derrick Rose made a name for himself while playing for the Chicago Bulls. Before a plethora of injuries stunted his career, Chicago was Rose's, first love. Heading into the offseason, Rose will be a free agent and will be free to leave the Minnesota Timberwolves. During an interview on Monday with 670 The Score, Rose's agent, B.J. Armstrong, explained that Rose would be open to the idea of someday coming back to Chicago.

"I think we're going to look at everything, we want to look at the situation," Armstrong said. "There isn't a situation we would not look at because Derrick is still a very capable player. We'll see what the Bulls have. There's no secret, there's no doubt that in his heart, Chicago will always be there. We'll see. I don't know what the Bulls are going to do at this particular time.  If it presented itself, we'd be open to that conversation. We'll find out in due time."

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Back in December, Rose told reporters that he still has a home in Chicago and that he intends to raise his son there, according to Sporting News. It's clear the Rose has a soft spot for the city and it wouldn't be a stretch to think he'll return if given the chance.

This should be good news for Bulls fans who have had to deal with a team that is 13th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 22-58.
Kodak Black's been testing many people over the past few months with his comments. He had a short-lived feud with Lil Wayne, Reginae Carter, and Toya Wright before getting into it with Young M.A. However, it's his comments about the late Nipsey Hussle's girlfriend, Lauren London, that has received the most amount of backlash. His music is being banned on radio stations across Los Angeles but one New York City radio station won't be participating in the boycott.

Ebro will continue to play Kodak Black's music but only out of spite towards people who thought the radio host was out of pocket to bring up the Florida rapper's pending sexual assault case.

"I already gave him the button a long time ago. In person," Ebro said. "So I didn't have time for Kodak Black and his comments about waiting a year to have sex with Nipsey Hussle's widow."

Ebro further explained that he won't be partaking in the radio ban against Kodak Black's music, saying that the Florida rapper's music was still in the rotation despite the sexual assault allegations against him.

"What y'all want me to do? Y'all want me to stop playing Kodak Black's music up here? Y'all kept playing his music when me and him got into it," Ebro said. "Now y'all tweeting me talking 'bout 'Y'all should yank his music too.' Nah, I ain't yankin' nothing. I'mma let that soak in on y'all. 'Cause it was all good when he had rape charges... Y'all didn't see what type of person he was -- or didn't want to see."

Peep the clip below.
Details about Nipsey Hussle's memorial service were announced earlier today. "Nipsey Hussle's Celebration Of Life" is set to take place at the Staples Center in Nipsey Hussle's hometown of Los Angeles this Thursday. Nipsey's family confirmed the news today before Staples Center shared details about the memorial service on their website.

Tickets for Nipsey Hussle's memorial service will be free for California residents only. Tickets will be available tomorrow (Tuesday, April 9th) at 10 a.m. on axs.com where fans will be able to grab their complimentary tickets which are delivered through Flash/AXS Mobile Delivery only.

The memorial service for Nipsey begins at 10 a.m. on Thursday and the Staples Center urges anyone attending to show up early. Those in attendance will also be subject to a metal detector search, as well as a visual and bag inspection done by the Staples Center security. The venue also asks that attendees refrain from bringing backpacks of any size or bags bigger than 14 x 14 x 6.

The venue warned attendees that they'll be asked to leave the service if they're found recording video or taking photos.

Out of respect to the family, cameras and recording devices will not be permitted inside the venue. You may be asked to leave the event if you are found recording or taking photos," it reads on the Staples Center website.
The female passenger, 20, was taken to Loretto Hospital for an evaluation as a precaution, but she was not injured, officials said. A boy who was in the vehicle, about 4 or 5 years old, also was uninjured but was taken to Stroger Hospital for an evaluation.
The Staples Center is arguably the only place big enough in the Los Angeles area to host Nipsey Hussle's memorial service but apparently, it's still not big enough. According to Karen Civil, the tickets for "Nipsey Hussle's Celebration Of Life," which was available for free to California residents, sold out in less than half an hour. Karen Civil said the tickets sold out in 20 minutes but other people on Twitter suggested it may have been less than that. One user said that it sold out in eight minutes while someone else said it sold out in five.

Prior to announcing details about the rapper's memorial service, reports surfaced that Nipsey's family was searching for a venue that would be large enough for the public to attend. They reportedly passed on venues that were limited to 2,000 and were searching for something upwards of a 15,000 capacity. The Staples Center seats roughly 21,000 people and was the same place where Michael Jackson's public memorial service was held.

Since Nipsey's passing, the rapper's peers and friends have paid tribute to him in various ways. Rick Ross and JR Smith paid tribute to the Crenshaw rapper with tattoos while fellow West Coast artists, Jhene Aiko, YG and ScHoolboy Q, pushed back the release of upcoming music out of respect for Nipsey and his family.
Over the weekend, J. Cole launched the inaugural "Dreamville Festival" in his home state of North Carolina. With a sold-out crowd in attendance, the Festival brought out the entire Dreamville roster - Cole, Bas, Cozz, J.I.D., EarthGang, Ari Lennox, Lute, & Omen - as well as performances from 6lack, Teyana Taylor, Nelly, Young Thug, King Mez, 21 Savage, and more.

While TIDAL came through to livestream the festival in its entirety, fans who missed it can officially catch up. Those of you with a TIDAL account can hit the homepage for a replay of the Dreamville Festival, which is currently rolling through Nelly's set as these words are written. Label president and Dreamville co-founder Ibrahim Hamad has openly praised their partnership with TIDAL: "Dreamville Fest is about celebrating a culture of supporting one other and reinvesting in our community. We're excited to partner with TIDAL to bring this message to a wider audience."

If you want to catch a repeat airing of Dreamville Festival, be sure to check out the ongoing stream below, exclusively on TIDAL. For those of you who already witnessed Cole's first official festival at work, who was the standout act?
He thought he had a minor victory in court after a judge agreed to grant his motion to suppress evidence in his case, but prosecutors are coming for Young Thug once again. According to The Blast, they're appealing that decision, one that was made after the rapper's team called into question the legality of the traffic stop that got him into this mess in the first place.

For those of you that may not know what's been going on, let's recap: Back in September 2017, Young Thug was pulled over for what cops say was a window tint violation. They allegedly smelled an odor of marijuana and when they searched the vehicle they found drugs and arrested the rapper. A grand jury later indicted Young Thug on eight felony charges that included possession and intent to distribute meth, weed, and hydrocodone along with possession of amphetamine, Alparzolam, codeine and possession of a firearm.



DeKalb County Sheriffs Office via Getty Images

Young Thug, real name Jeffery Lamar Williams, filed a motion in December 2018 saying that arresting officers never read him his rights and didn't have probable cause to search his vehicle, therefore the evidence against him should be suppressed. The judge granted Thugs motion as the stop of the vehicle was illegal in violation of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution.

The order also stated that the reason behind why the officers stopped the rapper in the first place was questionable. Officer Fikes testified, unequivocally, that the sole season for stopping the vehicle was based upon a supposed window tint violation  However, there was no credible evidence present, whatsoever, how this vehicles window tint violated.

Now, prosecutors are attempting to have that decision overturned so that evidence against Young Thug may be introduced in his trial. The rapper has denied the drug charges, yet the judge has ordered him to submit to weekly drug tests and to enroll in an out-patient treatment program. The case may still go to trial. If convicted, the rapper could be locked up for a while.
The Texas Workforce Commission on Tuesday approved a rule to classify on-demand workers that are hired for jobs through digital apps as independent contractors.

The rule, which allows the tech companies to avoid paying unemployment taxes if they can prove their workers are marketplace contractors, had provoked the outrage of worker advocacy groups and sparked the concerns of small business owners that view the measure as a loophole for big tech companies. The TWC adopted the rule by a vote of 2 to 1.

The rule had became particularly controversial in recent months due to intense lobbying by Handy, an app for booking home cleaners and other home services. State lobbying disclosure records show that Handy, headquartered in New York, began lobbying the workforce commission in 2017 to classify workers who get hired for on-demand work through online platforms as independent contractors.

The gig economy is quietly undermining a century of worker protections, said Gary Warren of the Central South Carpenters Regional Council, a union for construction workers, at the meeting on Tuesday.

Level playing field?: Local businesses say Texas rule limiting worker benefits in gig economy would hurt

How to classify workers who pick up jobs such as delivering food, picking up passenger, cleaning homes and doing yard work through app-based services has been debated around the country. Workers advocates say they should be treated as employees and the tech companies that hire them should be responsible for the taxes and benefits that other employers provide. Gig economy companies argue they are not employers, but rather intermediaries between people buying and selling services.

Emails obtained through a public records request and released by a workers advocacy group show that the commission largely adopted the language proposed by Handy during early conversations between the Texas Workforce Commission and the company. Handys lobbyists and others have pushed for similar rules or legislation across the country. Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Tennessee and Utah have approved marketplace contractor laws that treat most gig workers as contractors.

Handy said in a statement that it is dedicated to developing policy that provides protections and benefits for workers and addresses a changing nature of work in the economy.

The recent ruling by the Texas Workforce Commission is an important step forward in updating our employment laws to reflect these shared goals, a Handy spokesperson said in a statement.

The commission denies it was unduly influenced and says the rule is a response to a changing workplace. The state said the presumption by the commission is still that a worker is an employee unless the employer can prove otherwise. At the meeting, Commissioner Chair Ruth Hughs said that the commission would still evaluate employment on a case-by-case basis, and that she was in favor of the rule to provide stability and predictability for employers in a growing sector of the economy.

In no way will the mere existence of a website automatically confer independent contractor status, Lisa Givens, a spokesperson for the Texas Workforce Commission, said in a statement.

Workers advocacy groups in Texas attended the meeting and sharply criticized the commissions decision.

erin.douglas@chron.com

Twitter.com/erinmdouglas23
Pat Sullivan / Associated Press

Less than two months after leaving prison, former Enron Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Skilling settled a 17-year-old lawsuit claiming he helped defraud a Canadian investment firm with the promotion of the defunct energy companys securities as it headed toward collapse.

SilverCreek Management Inc., a Toronto-based investment firm that bought Enron-issued bonds in October 2001, sued in Manhattan federal court, accusing the companys accountants, banks, directors, law firms and underwriters of helping facilitate the oil traders demise.
Think of Ragtime as the musical as relevant as it is resilient.

When Marcia Milgrom Dodge took over the 2009 revival at Washington, D.C.s Kennedy Center, it was shortly after President Barack Obamas inauguration. The mood was bright, the national conversation filled with words like hope and change.

That Ragtime seemed to project, Dodge reflects, that people could come around to become more accepting and more understanding of people who are different than them.

But that was then.

Sadly, now were telling this story not so much as a cautionary tale but as a real call to arms (for) understanding and acceptance, as opposed to assuming that everythings going to turn out fine, Dodge says. Were in a very volatile state right now when it comes to bigotry and racism and anti-Semitism.

From Washington, where reviews were overwhelmingly positive, Dodges Ragtime moved to Broadway in late 2009. Although it closed after just 65 performances  a big cast plus a big orchestra made for a not-small weekly running cost, noted Broadway bible Playbill  Dodge landed a Tony nomination for best director.

After leading a national tour in 2015, Dodge is returning to direct Theater Under The Stars new production, which opens Tuesday night and runs through April 28. She labels her style a slightly Talmudic approach, because it echoes the first of Passovers four questions: Why is tonight different from all other nights?

Ragtime When: April 16-April 28 Where: Hobby Center, 800 Bagby Details: Tickets start at $30, 713-558-8887, tuts.com See More Collapse

Thats kind of a mantra I use when Im working on any show, explains Dodge: Why does this story need to be told today? Why is today different from all other days?

A story of America

Based on E.L. Doctorows 1975 novel, which throws together anarchists, industrialists, immigrants and musicians in early-1900s New York City, the musical was adapted by Texas-raised playwright Terrence McNally (Love! Valor! Compassion!) and the veteran composer/lyricist team of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens (Once on This Island).

It opened on Broadway in 1998 and ran for two years, ultimately winning Tonys for McNallys book; Ahrens and Flahertys score; and Audra McDonald as Sarah, the young woman whose baby by the prominent Harlem musician Colehouse Walker Jr. serves as both a plot device and  perhaps  a symbol of a brighter future.

Its very interesting how Doctorow laid (out) all these ideas and themes, and then Terrence McNally was able to distill it into book form for a musical, Dodge says. The dialogue is spare and to the point, so we can get to the music.

Indeed, Dodge estimates 90 percent of the action in Ragtime is told through music, starting with the nine-minute number that introduces its three microcosmic families: the affluent WASPs known simply as Father, Mother and Younger Brother; the immigrant Tateh, a Latvian Jew who draws and sells celebrity silhouettes to Lower East Side passers-by in order to support his sickly daughter; and the tragic lovers Colehouse and Sarah.

The story is also laced with real-life figures, who Dodge says function as a sort of Greek chorus but also can also play important roles themselves. Some, such as onetime vaudeville star Evelyn Nesbitt or Emma Goldman  the noted anarchist whose message enthralls Younger Brother, who declares I know how to blow things up  are less well-known nowadays than others like Booker T. Washington, plutocrat J.P. Morgan or noted magician/escape artist Harry Houdini.

Ragtime suggests this nation is more or less one big family, bound together with love but sometimes beset by mundane quarrels and more serious betrayals. But reducing such a sprawling, ambitious, unwieldy story to a simple narrative about the American Dream undersells whats actually happening onstage, cautions Dodge.

If you say, Its about three families finding their way to the American Dream at the turn of the 20th century, it could sound like a history lesson, she says. That is definitely not what they wrote and not what were going to depict. But what we are painfully aware of is that the struggles the characters are facing in 1902 are similar to struggles that people are facing today.

Selling kindness

One way Dodge directly links the events of Ragtime to the present is the experience of Mother. By taking in Sarah and her baby while her husband is away on Admiral Pearys North Pole expedition, she becomes, in the directors words, an accidental feminist.

She doesnt see that child on an intrusion on her life because of the childs skin color, she says. She makes choices that, if her husband were home, she wouldnt be able to realize because he would not allow that. That, in light of the #MeToo movement were in, seems very powerful now.

Elsewhere, a racist mob attacks Coalhouse and destroys the Model T hes just purchased from Henry Ford himself.

I talk to my African-American company members, and life is not the same as it was when there was separate toilets and separate eating areas and not being able to get on public transportation, says Dodge. So yes, we have made progress.

But when you open the paper and you read that somebody shot up a church while they were in prayer, or a mosque, or a temple, or a synagogue  its too much, she adds. Its human kindness  thats what this show really sells: that if were kinder, and we listen, and we understand one another, we can get along much better.

In that respect, Ragtime echoes an era much more distant than the turn of the 20th century  Elizabethan times, perhaps, or even ancient Greece.

There was a time, and one of my producers from Broadway said this, where the theater was a place you went to for your politics and your social conscience and your religion, Dodge notes. I believe that Ragtime gives you all of that and more.

Chris Gray is a Houston-based writer.
In 48 states, a felony conviction means that you lose the right to vote. This can be temporary or permanent, depending on your state. During the 2018 election, Florida pushed this issue into the national spotlight with a state constitutional amendment to restore voting rights to felons. It passed with two-thirds of the vote.

Texas, like 21 other states and Florida, suspends a convicted felon's right to vote during incarceration, parole and probation. Once they go "off paper," their voting rights get restored automatically, though they still have to register.

This approach is more progressive than states such as Wyoming (where an ex-offender must apply to restore their voting rights) or Delaware (which may require a formal pardon from the Governor).

But 14 states and the District of Columbia restore voting rights automatically upon release from prison. And two states  Vermont and Maine  don't suspend voting rights at all.

How do these attitudes shape our national conversation? Already, there are seeds of a proposal to end the suspension of voting rights at the federal level. All presidential candidates may have to take a stand.

If this issue becomes a pillar of criminal justice reform in the next presidential election, what would that mean for Houston? Over 30,000 people living in Harris County would gain the right to vote in the upcoming 2020 contest.

Specifically, I looked at people convicted of felony crimes in Harris County who are still completing their sentence of incarceration or probation and will not be "off paper" until after October 4, 2020. That's the last day to register to vote in the 2020 presidential election.

I wanted to understand where these people live, so I did the math and built the maps:

What would this mean for Houston elections?

An additional 30,000 registered voters isn't much in a city as big as Houston, but it can make a difference. Generally, Houston has low voter turnout and extremely close elections. An additional 30,000 registered voters might lead to:

3,800+ additional voters in a municipal election (based on 20.51% voter turnout from 2015 and adjusted for addresses inside the Houston city limits)

18,000+ additional voters in a presidential election (based on 61.33% voter turnout from 2016)

Since we don't know the political party of these new voters, this analysis stops short of making a case that ex-offender voting rights would alter the outcomes of any election.

But the 2015 municipal election for mayor came down to 586 votes.

What would happen if another 3,800 people voted? Could that influence how our elected officials make policies that affect ex-offenders?

Disenfranchising Houston's neighborhoods by precinct and Census block group

The data show that Houston's current and ex-offender home addresses cluster in particular voting precincts. In fact, the top 25 precincts represent fewer than 1% of all voting precincts, but they make up 10% of the current and ex-offender population, even after controlling for people who list the jail or a homeless shelter as their home address.

Since all these precincts swing left, the "Beto Margin" helps me understand the severity of the swing. It reflects the percentage of votes that Beto O'Rourke earned over Ted Cruz.

Almost all the addresses in the most popular precinct for current and ex-offenders, Precinct 0369, correspond to the Harris County Jail or the homeless shelter Star of Hope. Located just north of downtown, this is in the heart of Harris County's criminal justice system.

Finally, it's worth nothing that the average voter turnout in Harris County in the 2018 election was 52.86%, and all 25 of these precincts had a below-average voter turnout.

There are some trends that emerge in the 15 most affected block groups:

Nine of the block groups are majority black, three are majority Hispanic, three have no majority. No block groups have a white majority.

Seven out of 15 block groups are at least 66% black, with five of them at least 80% black.

Ten out of 15 block groups are below the 2017 Texas threshold of 200% FPL ($49,200).

My approach to the data

I followed these steps to complete this analysis:

Subset all felony cases from the Harris County criminal court dispositions dataset.

Standardized sentence length to a numeric field containing number of days. In the data, it is a text field such as "1 YEAR" or "6 MONTHS."

Added the sentence length to the disposition date to determine when the person goes "off paper."

Subset the dataset to October 4, 2020 and later (the last day of voter registration in Texas for the 2020 presidential election).

Removed duplicate cases by case number and defendant name to get a count of people, not records.

Geocoded the home addresses of the remaining people and subset the points to Harris County.

Aggregated home addresses by voter precinct and census block group.

The result is a dataset of 30,308 individuals who have been convicted of a felony and will not have their voting rights restored by October 4, 2020.

There were an additional 1,274 people with unknown addresses or marked as homeless. They are not included in this analysis, though it is likely that many of them live in Harris County.

If you'd like to talk about this analysis, please tweet @januaryadvisors.

Jeff Reichman founded January Advisors and Sketch City and serves on the board of the League of Women Voters of the Houston Area. This article originally appeared on the blog of January Advisors.
This isnt something you train for, OCampo said at a news conference in the lobby of the Chicago Patrolmens Federal Credit Union in the Near West Side neighborhood. We just came together. We kind of knew what to do. We decided to get together, get to the edge of the ice and get him out.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - A Chinese woman charged with bluffing her way past security at President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club will stay in jail at least one more week after prosecutors said in court Monday that she "lies to everyone" and authorities found a suspicious variety of electronics in her hotel room.

Yujing Zhang, 32, was arrested March 30 by Secret Service after she bypassed layers of security and got as far as the reception area of the club, which stays open for its members and their guests when the president is there. The incident has amplified concerns that the Florida resort where Trump and his advisers spend so much time is difficult to secure.

On Monday, Trump administration officials announced that Secret Service Director Randolph Alles would be removed from that position, though a Department of Homeland Security official insisted the move was part of a broader shake-up at the agency and not tied to the Mar-a-Lago arrest.

When Zhang was arrested, she was carrying a thumb drive with malicious software on it, four phones, a laptop, and a separate hard drive, authorities said. A subsequent search of her hotel room turned up more that alarmed investigators: nine thumb drives, five SIM cards for cellphones, about $8,000 in cash, several credit and debit cards, and a device used to detect hidden cameras, officials said.

At Monday's detention hearing to determine whether she should be released on bond, prosecutors argued that Zhang was a flight risk and therefore should remain in custody. Her defense lawyer, Robert Adler, asked for more time to gather family and financial support for a release on bond. U.S. magistrate judge William Matthewman ordered Zhang to remain in jail until another hearing next Monday.

Zhang is charged with lying to Secret Service agents and entering restricted space, and prosecutors described her in harsh, blunt terms, saying a formal indictment could be filed later this week.

"She lies to everyone she encounters," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Rolando Garcia. "The present charges have no allegation that she's a spy, or this is espionage, or whatever. . . . There are a whole lot of questions that remain to be answered. But at this point in time, that's not part of our allegation."

Adler countered with a different, possibly exculpatory revelation - he said his client had paid businessman Charles Lee $20,000 to get into Mar-a-Lago.

That claim is significant because before the incident, Lee had come under scrutiny as an event promoter who runs a group called the United Nations Chinese Friendship Association. Zhang had claimed to authorities that she was at Mar-a-Lago to attend an event that day hosted by a group with a nearly identical name. Authorities have said there was no such event scheduled at the resort that day.

Lee could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Miami Herald has previously reported that Lee sold travel packages to Chinese customers that included tickets to Mar-a-Lago events. Some of the tickets were provided by Li "Cindy" Yang, a South Florida massage-parlor entrepreneur who resold tickets to banquet events at Trump's club, the Herald reported.

During Zhang's interview following her arrest, she claimed her Chinese friend "Charles" told her to travel from Shanghai to Palm Beach to attend this event and attempt to speak with a member of the president's family about Chinese and American economic relations, according to the criminal complaint filed against her. At the time, she offered no more information about him, or his last name, officials said.

As part of Monday's hearing, Secret Service agent Samuel Ivanovich testified about his questioning of Zhang, and acknowledged a major misstep in the investigation's early hours. The agent said he documented about six hours of questioning on video, but when investigators played it back, they realized audio of the conversation had not recorded.

Ivanovich also testified that when the thumb drive they recovered from Zhang at the club was inserted into another agent's computer "a file immediately began to install itself." The agent, Ivanovich said, had never seen that happen before.

"He knew it was something out of the ordinary," Ivanovich said. "He had to immediately stop his analysis and shut down his computer in order to stop it."

A law enforcement official said the computer was not part of a government data network and no sensitive information was put at risk.

Tracing Zhang's movements, authorities determined she entered the country legally on March 28, flying into Newark on a flight from Shanghai.

Two days later, Zhang allegedly approached a Mar-a-Lago security checkpoint and told security officials she was there to go to the swimming pool, authorities said.

Initially, Mar-a-Lago employees seemed to think she might be a guest of one of the club's members, whose last name also is Zhang. She was brought inside the resort to the reception desk, where further questioning by a receptionist revealed she was not allowed on the property, according to the court papers.
One of the lawyers repeatedly slept through trial and the other had never handled a capital murder before. But last week a Houston federal judge decided that was good enough to keep George McFarland on death row, despite his longstanding claims of innocence and a conviction based largely on the testimony of a single, tentative eyewitness.

The Harris County man was sentenced to die in 1992 for the slaying and robbery of a local grocer, a 43-year-old man gunned down while walking back to his store with a bag of cash from the bank. There was never any physical evidence tying McFarland to the murder, but his primary attorney only cursorily prepared for the case, barely consulted with co-counsel, put on no evidence and dozed through key parts of the whirlwind four-day trial.

"I'm 72 years old," former defense attorney John Benn later told a court. "I customarily take a short nap in the afternoon."

FROM 2003: Death row inmate says he is innocent

The high-profile case sparked decades of legal wrangling and an award-winning movie, but it particularly resonated in Harris County in light of an earlier, more infamous sleeping lawyer case that helped usher in legislative changes to indigent defense and ended with the overturning of a local man's death sentence.

Yet in McFarland's case, U.S. District Judge Lynn N. Hughes determined Tuesday that the attorney's dozing was "appalling" and "regrettable"  but in the end decided it didn't matter because at least one of the two defense attorneys was awake at all times, so the accused was never entirely without counsel.

"It's amazing how cavalier the courts have been with regard to this case," said Yale Law School visiting lecturer Stephen Bright. "It's unconscionable."

Tuesday's opinion came more than a decade after the case landed in Hughes' court but, for unclear reasons, the jurist did not make a decision until months after a Houston-area activist wrote a higher court to complain about the delay.

APPEALS COURT: Texas man's execution halted over claims of defense lawyer's 'racist ideology'

Rusty Herman, McFarland's current attorney, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

On an unseasonably warm night in late 1991, a robbery crew gunned down Kenneth Kwan, the owner of C&Y Grocery north of Loop 610. The father of three was on the way back from the bank with $27,000 in hand when a robbery crew opened fire.

Carolyn Bartie, a civilian worker at the Houston Police Department, was a regular customer who happened to be sitting outside to witness the whole shooting. Early on, she tentatively identified McFarland in a photo line-up  though her initial description of the shooter didn't match the man accused.

None of the alleged accomplices was arrested or ever testified, and no prints or physical evidence tied any of the suspects to the crime.

Still, McFarland - who had a criminal background and a history of drug use - was arrested six weeks later after his teenage nephew called Crime Stoppers and said he'd heard the older man confess to a robbery. The teen later recanted, after McFarland had already been sent to death row.

For trial, McFarland hired Benn based on the recommendation of friends. But the elderly attorney hadn't tried a capital case in more than two decades, and started nodding off during jury selection. When the judge spotted the potential problem, he appointed Sanford Melamed  who had no capital experience  as co-counsel.

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Suicides in Texas prisons hit 20-year high

When asked if he'd really been snoozing during trial, Benn first said the court proceedings were just "boring" and later contended that he'd been "thinking," not napping. But, unlike in the other sleeping lawyer case - where Joe Cannon dozed throughout Calvin Burdine's trial - McFarland had a second attorney, and the courts so far have zeroed in on that.

Generally, the judge conceded, lawyers should not sleep during trial.

"The court does not approve of a sleeping lawyer," Hughes wrote. "This is unacceptable by an attorney in any case and particularly in a case of this magnitude."

But in this case, Texas courts already found that it didn't matter because at least one of the two attorneys was awake - even though other attorneys later alleged Melamed was badly prepared.

"This is not a case where the trial court ignored a defendant's constitutional rights," Hughes wrote. "The prosecution engaged in no misconduct. While not perfect, the attorneys made efforts to defend McFarland. Viewing the evidence and McFarland's choice in trial, McFarland has not shown that a different strategy would have ended in a different result. It is regrettable that Benn slept through trial. That does not change the fact that the court of criminal appeals did not misapply the law."

keri.blakinger@chron.com
GALVESTON  The teenager charged with capital murder in the Santa Fe High School shooting was taken into U.S. custody Monday morning and appeared in a federal courtroom where new charges are expected to be filed.

Federal agents arrived at the Galveston County Jail to take Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 18, into custody and escorted him to the federal courthouse in the afternoon.

Because Pagourtzis was 17 when the shooting occurred, he still is considered a juvenile under federal law, and only his parents and immediate family members were allowed in the courtroom. Pagourtzis appeared before a judge and was represented by a public defender because his attorney, Katy-Marie Lyles, is not licensed to practice in federal court.

Lyles said federal authorities plan to bring two new charges against her client related to the May 18 shooting that killed 10 and wounded 13: a firearm charge and another for having an explosive device. She said she could not discuss the exact charges to be brought against Pagourtzis because his case is under federal seal, but said the new charges were unexpected.

We were absolutely shocked, Lyles said. March 20th, theyre saying, Were not going to pursue federal charges, but then I guess Mr. Patrick consulted with his boss, so to speak, and I guess they decided to move forward with federal charges at this time.

Lyles said she expects federal prosecutors to try to certify Pagourtzis as an adult before proceeding with an indictment, a process that could take months. A spokeswoman for Ryan Patrick, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, whose office would prosecute any federal charges against Pagourtzis, declined comment.

Families of students and teachers killed in the 2018 shooting at Santa Fe High School were told in a private meeting in March with federal officials, including Patrick, that it was unlikely federal charges would be filed against Pagourtzis.

Afterward, survivors and victims families began calling their U.S. elected representatives and rallying others in Galveston County to do the same. Flo Rice, a substitute teacher who was shot through the legs, and her husband Scot called lawmakers every day and made several trips to Austin. Rhonda Hart, whose daughter Kimberly Vaughn was killed, met with Shaheera Albasit, whose cousin Sabika Sheikh also was killed in the shooting, in Washington over the weekend to talk to lawmakers. The family of Jared Conard Black, another student killed, wrote letters to state and federal officials.

All 23 families of those killed and injured made calling lawmakers  and encouraging their friends and neighbors to do the same  a daily ritual. They also had planned a news conference for Sunday, which they canceled in hopes federal authorities would act in the coming days.

Apparently, the right foot got in the right ass up there in Washington, D.C., so now hes getting charged, said John Barnes, a Sante Fe ISD police officer who was wounded during the massacre.

Pamela Stanich, the mother of Jared Conard Black, speculated that the appointment of William Barr as the U.S. Attorney General may have made a difference in deciding whether to bring federal charges against Pagourtzis. Victims families were told in the March meeting that Patrick planned to meet with Barr about the case. Barr was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in February, replacing Jeff Sessions.

My understanding is that it wasnt the federal government itself that wanted to not prosecute, it was the (former) attorney general, Stanich said. The new attorney general is the one that may have pushed this through, the old one was the one that decided not to.

The possibility of federal charges against Pagourtzis stirred the emotions of victims and their families, several of whom waited in the lobby of the federal courthouse in Galveston to hear the news.

Gail McLeod wore a locket that belonged to her 15-year old son, Kyle, who was killed in the shooting. She put the locket on for the first time since the shooting Monday morning and suggested it may have brought good fortune.

It was the first day I ever took it out of the box because it hurt too much to wear it, McLeod said. Maybe (Kyles) just saying, This is whats going to happen, Mom.

Rosie Y. Stone, whose 17-year-old son Chris was killed, said Monday she did not want to get her hopes up when she heard unconfirmed reports that the gunman was taken into federal custody. She began sobbing when she learned his attorney confirmed he would be charged federally.

This is so awesome, its finally coming, Stone said, pausing to catch her breath. You dont know how much Ive prayed for this. Im so happy that everybody came together when we posted it out there. Everybody did their part to make this happen.

Galveston County District Attorney Jack Roady, whose office is prosecuting the state charges against Pagourtzis, said he did not have any information on the nature of the federal charges, but said they would not impact the states case against the accused shooter.

The Federal Juvenile Delinquency Act of 1974 encourages prosecutors to refer juveniles to state authorities whenever possible. Federal proceedings are permitted if the Justice Department seeks to pursue charges under laws where state courts do not have jurisdiction or if state prosecutors decline to use the laws on the books. One instance where it could be used, according to a lawyer familiar with the protocol, is in an immigration matter involving a juvenile.

The law for such proceedings only applies to people who are under 21 and are charged with a breaking a federal law before the age of 18. Pagourtzis falls into that category.

Because most criminal acts are encompassed in state laws, it is rare that charges against a juvenile would proceed in federal court.

Pagourtzis, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, already is facing state charges for capital murder and aggravated assault against a public servant. Pagourtzis faces life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years if convicted.

At a news conference held by some of the families Monday afternoon, Recie Tisdale, whose mother Cynthia Tisdale was killed in the shooting, said he hopes the charges will dissuade potential school shooters.

Ultimately, at some point, I hope the powers that be look at these (shootings) in detail, Tisdale said. And anybody in the future who thinks theyre going to conduct a shooting may think twice about being prosecuted federally, as well as at the state level.

Reporter Gabrielle Banks contributed to this report.

nick.powell@chron.com

shelby.webb@chron.com
Harris County officials are using flood control regulations passed after Hurricane Harvey to delay the reopening of two chemical companies where fires erupted in recent weeks, killing one worker and sending large plumes of black smoke into the Houston area.

The Harris County Attorneys office cited the post-Harvey rules on floodplain construction and stormwater drainage in its civil lawsuits against KMCO and Intercontinental Terminals Co., where cleanup is still ongoing after the fires.

We dont shy away from going after the biggest, baddest companies out there, said Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan. It sends a message to everyone.

The county is digging through maps and available data to determine if both companies are in a floodplain. The new regulations put chemical facilities that are in a 500-year floodplain under tighter scrutiny.

DETAILS EMERGE: Suit alleges KMCO officials aware of valve leak before explosion

The drainage rules restrict discharges of hazardous materials into the countys stormwater system. If a company is found to have discharged hazardous materials, it can be cited by the county. Larger releases could lead to additional legal action.

The floodplain rules apply to more than facilities with fires and toxic releases and can force companies to meet new requirements when seeking to expand or change an existing facility, said Rock Owens, managing attorney for the Harris County Attorneys environmental section.

The new rules were used in the countys suit against the Arkema facility in Crosby that caught fire in the aftermath of Harvey after losing control of its stores of organic peroxides. The site had a 40-year history of flooding and its former insurer FM Global warned the company it was in a floodplain in a 2016 report to Arkema.

Nonetheless, the company did not have the proper permits for operating in a floodplain and must now clear all floodplain rules before resuming operations.

A Houston Chronicle report in 2016 found theres a major chemical incident every six weeks in the greater Houston area.

The report, researched in coordination with Texas A&M University, evaluated facilities based on the potential dangers posed by chemicals on site and the number of people who lived nearby. The analysis found there were 55 chemical facilities with high potential in the greater Houston area, with 35 percent of those facilities located inside the 100- or 500-year floodplain.

About one in five of the more than 500 facilities that posed a medium potential for harm are inside the 100- or 500-year floodplain.

String of new legislation

For most of the history of environmental law in Texas, local governments have had the authority to penalize companies for violating state regulations, according to Cathy Sisk, retired chief of the environmental division of the Harris County Attorneys Office.

Local government would file suit, include the state as joining local officials in the lawsuit, and then both would resolve the suit through a trial or settlement. If the case closed with a penalty, the state and the local government would each get half of the fine.

The main goal of penalties were to pose as deterrents to bad behavior, Sisk said.

But in 2015, the state Legislature started taking away authority from the local governments. Lawmakers approved a bill capping the amount of money a local government could receive from civil penalties sought in environmental cases.

FATALITY: KMCO identifies worker killed in Crosby plant explosion

In 2017, another bill passed forcing local authorities to ask permission from the Texas attorney general before seeking penalties. If the attorney generals office does not file its own suit in 90 days, the local government can go forward with a civil suit.

Lawmakers are currently considering two bills that would restrict local governments even more.

House Bill 3981, filed by state Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, would give the attorney general the authority to settle lawsuits started by the county, without the approval of the county.

House bill 2826, filed by state Rep. Greg Bonnen, R-Friendswood and three others, would let the attorney general prohibit the county from hiring outside attorneys on cases.

The concern isnt that the local governments are intentionally causing any problems with these suits, just that a more efficient state-led effort may at times be more desirable, said Justin Till, Bonnens chief of staff.

The restrictions have left county officials looking to other enforcement tools, such as the floodplain regulations, to regulate the chemical industry.

We dont have to ask the AGs office for permission to do this kind of enforcement, Owens said.

Keep the conversation going

There are limits to the new regulations, however. Facilities have to be in unincorporated Harris County and in the 100- or 500-year floodplains.

And the city of Houston has authority over any facilities that are within 2,500 feet on either side of the center of the Houston Ship Channel, according to Owens.

Thats still a huge part of Harris County, Ryan said.

The county attorney said its a constant challenge to make sure everyone in the petrochemical industry is following the rules. His office deploys five attorneys that are frequently involved in enforcement actions against companies large and small. Thats on top of the countys Pollution Control Services Department.

For every enforcement action against a big facility, theres five or ten going out to smaller or medium sized companies, Ryan said.

Not all are bad actors though.

Owens said the countys goal is compliance. If a company has some permitting issues but is not a habitual violator, the county will work with the company to get in compliance.

Craig Beskid, executive director of the East Harris County Manufacturers Association, says the organization and its members work with regulatory agencies like the county all the time.

The organization represents 90 companies and 130 facilities in the area. On behalf of its members, it focuses on health, safety, security and environmental issues. As far as the county using new regulatory tools on the industry goes, were happy to keep the conversation going on, Beskid said.

The conversation changed some when a new administration swept into office after the 2018 elections.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and a number of new county commissioners have put an emphasis on environmental enforcement.

We live in the petrochemical center of the world, Hidalgo said recently, and protecting the health of our residents and the environment are top priorities.

matt.dempsey@chron.com
*City Council committee chairmen will be allowed to recuse themselves from voting on requests that come before the council from people they represent in their outside jobs just three times per year. More than that and they would need to either give up their chairmanships or divest of the financial relationships that caused the conflicts. And aldermen couldnt preside over matters where they would need to recuse themselves from votes, as Burke often has, under the plan.
When Tech Sgt. Steven Bellino walked into his squadron commanders office in San Antonio three years ago Monday with two handguns and a knife, a stellar career that had seen him rise through the Armys enlisted ranks had come to an inglorious end.

Bellino had fought with distinction in Afghanistan, learned Arabic and Spanish, graduated from Ohio State University with honors  but his perfectionist disenchantment with supervisors had followed him into civilian life and had cut short his stint as an FBI special agent.

He had tried to restart a military career with Air Force special operations training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lacklands Medina Annex. But now his many achievements lay in ruins.

After going AWOL and facing an other-than-honorable discharge, Bellino had a final mission  to kill the man who ran the Air Forces battlefield airmen training program, Lt. Col. William Schroeder, and then himself. Both were elite warriors, but Bellino was being driven out of the tribe, believing his instructors here had tried to humiliate him.

The findings of an exhaustive probe by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, obtained by the San Antonio Express-News under the federal Freedom of Information Act, said Bellino had known that the brief, violent showdown would likely end the way it did, by putting a gun into his mouth and pulling the trigger.

Steven Bellinos military career 1993 - Bellino enters the Army at age 18. 1997 - A psychological examination given as part of the Special Forces' assessment and selection process includes an interview in which Bellino claims to have eaten uncooked human flesh. No diagnosis is made. 2002 - Bellino leaves active duty and enters the Ohio National Guard and Ohio State University, graduating magna cum laude six years later with a bachelor's degree in psychology and a 3.77 GPA. Deploys to Kuwait with the Ohio Guard from November until July 2003. 2004-07 - Works for Marquez Vance Marquez Inc., a security contractor, providing high-threat protective services for intelligence officers in combat theaters. 2008-09 - Bellino deploys to Afghanistan with the Ohio Guard. 2011 - Joins the FBI, receives top secret clearance. 2012-15 - Leaves the Ohio National Guard, serves in the Massachusetts National Guard. 2013 - Bellino resigns from the FBI after clashing with a supervisor. 2015 - Bellino starts the Air Force pararescue training course July 27. He quits and leaves town Aug. 3, returns Aug. 13, and is charged with AWOL. In September and November he turns down an Article 15, a form of non-judicial punishment, telling a lawyer it would mean his "life was over as he knew it." April 5 2016 - Bellino accepts an Article 15, with an other-than-honorable discharge. April 8 2016 - A first sergeant summons Lt. Col. William Schroeder from his office after seeing Bellino has arrived for an appointment armed. Bellino curses his commander and says, "I have watched you ruin ... airmens' lives." The two struggle and the first sergeant calls 911. The base is locked down. SOURCES: Air Force Office of Special Investigations report; documents and interviews provided by Bellino's two brothers. See More Collapse

What can I do? What do you need from me? 1st Sgt. Tiwanda Griffin-Greer asked Bellino as he sat in front of her desk outside Schroeders office at 8:30 a.m. April 8, 2016. He had placed a Glock handgun in the lap of his Air Force blue suit dress uniform, its barrel facing her, according to the report.

Its too late for that, he replied.

Seeing Bellino was armed, Schroeder lunged and wrestled with him as Griffin-Greer fled the office. Moments later, shots were fired and the men fell to the floor. A base lockdown ensued.

Bellino, 41, who grew up in Parma, Ohio, and Schroeder, 39, of Ames, Iowa, were dead by the time paramedics arrived. The murder-suicide sent shock waves through the Air Force.

The report couldnt say when Bellino decided to kill, whether it was an act of revenge or if he thought he could force changes in the 342nd Training Squadron, which Schroeder led.

If he killed only himself, it would have been about him, the 406-page report said. If he killed the commander, it was bigger than himself.

On ExpressNews.com: Tracing the arc of Steven Bellinos steep descent

Schroeder had been the object of Bellinos growing rage for months. That morning they were supposed to discuss an Article 15, a form of nonjudicial punishment that would end Bellinos military career for good. No suicide note was found. Bellino had written a farewell note the previous August in which he said, I do not like this world, and I do not want to be a part of it any longer.

Warnings that Bellino was mentally unstable, including his perception that individuals and commanders he worked with violated his sense of honor, had accumulated long before he came to Lackland.

Bellino joined the Army at 18. He had been suspended or expelled in high school, and once was arrested at Fort Bragg, N.C., for letting air out of car tires in a parking lot, his only infraction as a soldier.

In a 1997 psychological test he admitted to vandalizing property, starting fires, fighting and breaking rules he didnt agree with, which may have been adolescent misconduct at the age of 22, the OSI report states.

But he also claimed to have eaten uncooked human flesh.

If a joke, (he) had poor judgment to share such a response, the report said. If it was a fact, it is clearly disturbing and a crime.

On ExpressNews.com: Lackland gunman had been a standout soldier

Bellinos antipathy for both Schroeder and the intructors in the Air Force training program fit a pattern. One old friend from high school told investigators of Bellinos dislike, as a soldier, of those in authority who he thought had abused their rank.

Air Force investigators stated that a fellow soldier in Bellinos Ohio National Guard Ranger battalion said he could function in society and in his unit but was mentally unstable and had an irrational hatred for certain people in positions of authority.

Two people in the unit agreed he was unstable but could not get him help because there was no mechanism at the time to refer soldiers for psychological screening without the commission of an overt act. That rule has since changed.

(Bellino) had to have somebody, an authority figure, to pit himself against, one soldier said, according to the OSI report. The soldier described Bellino as functionally insane.

Yet most people who knew Bellino  and his high standards and achievement through years as an Army Ranger, Green Beret and military contractor with stints in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo and Bosnia  were stunned to learn he had committed murder.

His twin brother, Mike Bellino Jr., asked to comment on the OSI conclusions, called him the ultimate soldier, warrior, and hero.

Our hearts go out to the families of the victim, the first responders, and all those affected, he added. Even though this was a tragedy, the Steven we knew had many wonderful qualities. It's very difficult for us to accept that he acted that day with any premeditation. Special operations was his life. His service was what he was most proud of.

Things might have ended differently if Bellino had taken a deal offered by prosecutors months before. It would have allowed him to leave the service with a general discharge under honorable conditions. Bellino went through three lawyers, rejecting the offer and hoping to expose injustices in the battlefield airmen training program by facing Schroeder in a court-martial.

That deal was off the table on the day they met. An other-than-honorable discharge, which could result in lost benefits, had been approved days before.

Given (Bellinos) entire adult life had been dedicated to the pursuit of special operations work and being a warrior, to no longer have that opportunity would likely have been devastating, the report stated.

Bellino had come to blame Schroeder and his instructor cadre for ending his career. He believed the Air Force training squadron unfairly tried to drum out prior-service troops, himself and a handful of former Army Green Berets in particular.

On ExpressNews.com: Gunman in Lackland murder-suicide had 66 rounds of ammunition

Schroeder, in turn, believed Bellino repeatedly had changed his attorneys as a delaying tactic.

The OSI report found some people in the training pipeline shared Bellinos view that instructors in the Pararescue-Combat Rescue Officer Indoctrination Course singled out trainees from other services for mistreatment. But many others told investigators they saw nothing wrong with the way the program was run.

It fueled a growing anger within Bellino, who lived by a rigid, idealistic code outlined in an unpublished book, A Gentlemans Guide to Combat, where he and co-authors wrote that ethics are a black and white matter. It isnt clear when the book was written.

Weak men coerce and strong men lead, it said in one passage on ethics. The point we are building up to is there is nothing morally wrong with removing evil men and women from the face of the planet when they are intent on taking your life.

On ExpressNews.com: Commander went out swinging in Lackland murder-suicide

Bellino wrote a self-evaluation at the request of Dan Conway of San Antonio, his final lawyer, that described having close calls and haunting memories that triggered PTSD symptoms, one of them an incident in which in he unintentionally killed a young Afghan girl with an M203 grenade launcher during a firefight. The OSI report also described him as deeply affected after having to kill puppies born to a dog that lived near his military unit.

An Air Force psychologist found him competent to stand trial on the AWOL charge. The Air Force denied a defense request that it hire a consultant, prompting Conway to arrange a psychiatric examination in the months leading up to the shooting.

Bellino was going to have to pay out of pocket for it, Conway said.

Sig Christenson covers the military and veterans in San Antonio, Bexar County and the nation. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | sigc@express-news.net | Twitter: @saddamscribe
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER - During the space shuttle's last flight three summers ago visitors crammed the NASA Causeway to glimpse a final, majestic launch. But this June, as sunshine dappled the waters below, the bridge stood nearly empty.

As NASA considers what company will build a replacement for the space shuttle, which the space agency needs to transport its astronauts to the International Space Station and end an uncomfortable dependence upon Russia, one of the three competitors is offering more than just a spacecraft.

Boeing has put jobs on the table, too, saying it will build its CST-100 spacecraft at NASA's Florida space center, where the launch crowds could return as soon as 2017.

Boeing's insider style differs markedly from that of another competitor, SpaceX, an upstart that has taken an outsider's approach, preferring to build its spacecraft in-house. The final bidder, Sierra Nevada, is somewhere in between.

NASA should make its decision on the "commercial crew" competition in the next few weeks. At stake is not just a $4 billion contract, but prestige. The next spacecraft that flies U.S. astronauts will have an American flag, yes, but also a prominent corporate logo. That company will also join the elite club - whose only members include the United States, Russia and China - that has flown humans in space.

When Boeing brought a mock-up of its CST-100 to Kennedy Space Center in June, Boeing chose a setting both symbolic and pragmatic for a blue-blooded NASA contractor.

"It's just really great to be back here," said John Elbon, head of Boeing's space divison, standing on a platform inside the Orbiter Processing Facility. To his right was the CST-100 spacecraft. To his left sat Florida Senator Bill Nelson, a former astronaut who wields considerable influence over NASA.

Nelson was all smiles at the prospect of returning manned spacecraft launches and 300 jobs to the sunshine state. "This is the celebration of a great public-private partnership," he said.

The partnership goes back more than half a century. Beginning with Project Mercury, America's first manned orbital spacecraft, Boeing has served as lead contractor in most of NASA's human spaceflight endeavors. Today it has the contract to sustain the International Space Station and is building NASA's next rocket, the large Space Launch System.

Not only is Boeing offering incentives in Florida, it's doing so in Houston as well. The shuttle's retirement also battered Johnson Space Center. Without regular flights to manage, mission control has shed 40 percent of its workforce, or more than 1,300 jobs. Boeing has contracted to use mission control to manage CST-100 flights.

Elbon said the company has emphasized safety and reliability in its design and development of the spacecraft.

The CST-100's shape, mimicking the Apollo capsule, is proven. Its flight computers are the same as those in Boeing's proven X-37 unmanned space plane. Many of its other systems have previously flown in space. The spacecraft will launch into orbit on the Atlas V rocket, which has made four dozen successful flights.

"We go for substance," Elbon said. "Not pizazz."

A reusable capsule

He was referring to SpaceX and, both on and off the record, a lot of people in the aerospace make such allusions. That's because SpaceX has captured the public's imagination and shaken up the spaceflight community with its low-cost rockets.

And the California-based company is flashy, like its chief executive Elon Musk, a dot-com entrepreneur with a rock star persona who helped found Paypal and also heads Tesla Motors, the electric car manufacturer.

A month before Boeing's event in Florida to showcase the CST-100, SpaceX held its own affair to reveal the Dragon V2, its entrant into the competition.

SpaceX unveiled the capsule at its California headquarters as multi-colored lights flashed and smoke swirled.

And there was Musk, a master showman, working the crowd. Wearing a sport coat with the top two buttons undone on his collared shirt, Musk explained that the Dragon V2 would be the first reusable capsule and, with thrusters, could land up to seven astronauts almost anywhere they liked on Earth. No more thudding to the ground on a predetermined course.

"That is how a 21st century spaceship should land," Musk said.

It was classic Musk: boasting and proud before an audience of employees, guests and invited journalists. Building a reusable capsule, never before done, may prove difficult to back up.

But by building in-house, and pressing employees to work long hours, there's no question SpaceX is cutting the cost of access to space and shaking up the establishment.

The Air Force recently awarded a contract for dozens of security satellite launches to United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, which flies the Atlas V rocket. The Air Force did so on a non-competitive basis, saying Musk's Falcon 9 rocket wasn't certified. But Musk, whose Falcon 9 rocket is three to four times cheaper, said the contract should be re-competed and has sued.

Sierra Nevada

If SpaceX is the unqualified outsider to Boeing's consummate insider, Sierra Nevada, based outside Denver in Louisville, Colo., lies somewhere in the middle.

While it's no Boeing, Sierra Nevada is probably the biggest aerospace company most Americans have never heard of. Privately held, with $2 billion in annual revenues, Sierra Nevada builds spacecraft motors, propulsion systems and is the largest small satellite builder in the world.

"It surprises people because often times, if they don't know me or us, they come in thinking maybe these guys make beer or something," said Mark Sirangelo, Corporate Vice President of SNC Space Systems. "The truth is we know what we're doing and this isn't a new game for us."

In 2005, five years before NASA awarded its first contracts to private companies, Sierra Nevada began work on its vehicle, the Dream Chaser.

"We made an audacious bet, that some day America was going to need an updated version of the space shuttle," Sirangelo said.

The company found the answer in an old NASA design, the HL-20 space plane the agency worked on in the 1990s but never actually built. Sierra Nevada kept the vehicle's shape, but reworked the vehicle's engine and made room inside for up to seven astronauts.

The Dream Chaser lands like an airplane, on the same sized runway that 737 jets do. It can also fly around in space and, for example, take astronauts up to the Hubble Space Telescope for repairs.

Like Boeing, Sierra Nevada is working with NASA to develop the vehicle and has contracts with most of NASA's field centers for work.

Yet Sierra Nevada is similar to SpaceX in some ways. Both companies are investing heavily in their vehicles. Sirangelo said, "we are nearly putting in dollar for dollar" for development money received so far from NASA. Like SpaceX and the DragonV2, Sierra Nevada also plans to continue developing Dream Chaser, albeit at a slower rate, if it fails to win a new NASA contract.

Boeing could lay off 215

Boeing will not say how much of its own money has been invested in its CST-100. The large aerospace contractor also says it won't continue developing the CST-100 if it loses the commercial crew contract. The company has notified 170 employees in Houston and 45 in Florida that they would be laid off in the event of a loss.

NASA hopes to support two companies moving forward, to have multiple ways to space. However, due to funding, the space agency may only be able to pick one winner, or perhaps one winner and a partial award to a second company.

Although the commercial crew idea originated during the administration of George W. Bush, President Obama endorsed it as the quickest and cheapest means of ending American reliance on Russia.

Yet as the president sought to privatize parts of NASA, Congress objected and underfunded the program. Perhaps mindful of its home districts and states, Congress was reticent to divert money from NASA's other programs.

This attitude has softened in recent months, however, as the Ukraine crisis has lain bare NASA's reliance upon Russia for access to space.
Relationships with neighbors can be complicated. Some neighbors youre really close with and speak to on a regular basis. Some you see when you check the mail but dont really talk to. Others you never see or speak to until theres a reason for the neighborhood to come together.

We got to know our neighbors a little better the past two weeks.

When I got word about the ITC fire in Deer Park on March 17, I immediately reached out to my typical neighbors  the Deer Park mayor, Harris County Public Health, Environmental Protection Agency, and more. We knew ITC had moved into the Deer Park neighborhood in 1972, provided jobs to our friends and boosted our economy, but before March 17, we never really talked to our industry partner down the street.

Those silos end today.

All stakeholders  business, government, and community organizations alike  need to have a seat at the table when discussing how industry and residents coexist. We all need to work together to ensure our economy can thrive while our communities are safe. It is our job to make sure incidents like this dont happen again.

The first step to doing that is addressing problems that this event exposed. We lacked three key things: foam on site, air monitors, and first responder/public knowledge about tank contents.

As a dark plume of smoke tangled with chemicals snaked through the sky over the Houston region, residents were rightly concerned for their safety. It hovered over school playgrounds, park trails and field workers for days, and though various state and federal agencies were monitoring air quality, we still did not have enough air monitors to station across the region to tell residents whether they had cause for concern. More permanent air monitors are needed to provide up-to-date air quality information, especially near schools and parks.

Through this, weve learned government agencies must do a better job regulating our partners when potentially unsafe materials are near our communities. ITC is only required to have enough foam on site to battle one tank fire for 65 minutes if chemicals are released. We learned quickly that is not nearly enough. Out-of-state partners had to be requested to bring additional foam for the fire, which was finally extinguished days after the fire began. New regulations need to be implemented to ensure industry partners have enough foam on campus to handle worst-case scenarios.

Additionally, our industry neighbors are not required to report what materials are in tank farms. Due to Homeland Security matters, we know this information cannot be public at all times. But when an incident breaks out, this information needs to be made readily available to both the community and firefighters. The firefighters need this information to maintain safety and strategically address the fire. The residents also need to know the tanks contents so they can make informed decisions about what actions to take for their familys well-being in the unfortunate event those materials are released.

It comes down to being good neighbors  ones that look out for each other and are willing to communicate openly. We should not get to know our neighbors because theres a disaster. I hope ITC and our industry neighbors take this as an opportunity to learn, build public trust and be a positive presence in our region. I want to see this company and others invest in this community. As a good neighbor, they should be looking at issues that matter to their neighbors such as public health, access to healthcare, the environment, education and firefighter resources.

When things happen in a community, and eventually they will, good neighbors talk with each other and work through most difficulties. When we know one another in advance, we are more willing to address each other. When we make ourselves available to answer to the issue at hand, we build trust and confidence that together we will get through whatever has happened.

We will all continue to get answers and act on solutions. Together we can work to ensure our residents feel safe, engaged and educated about our industry neighbors. Harris County can lead the way in collaboration between industry, community organizations and government to promote a healthy and economically strong area.
Facing the intensifying concerns from Democrats that he may have whitewashed Mueller's findings, Barr has twice moved to defend, or at least explain, his handling of the process since receiving the special counsel's report. He has said that he did not intend for his four-page summary of Mueller's main conclusions to be an "exhaustive recounting" of his work and that he could not immediately release the entire report because it included grand jury material and other sensitive information that needed to be redacted.
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Annual Departures totaled a Record 93.0 million travelers - U.S. Travel in December up Five Percent

Annual 2018/2017 Comparisons

U.S. air travel to overseas markets (1) totaled 41.8 million, up nine percent for the year. Regional results were:

Europe, 17.7 million travelers, up 12 percent

Caribbean, 8.3 million travelers, up five percent

Asia, 6.3 million travelers, up eight percent

Central America, 3.2 million travelers, up seven percent

Middle East, 2.4 million travelers, up six percent

South America, 2.1 million travelers, up nine percent

Oceania, 861,000 travelers, up 11 percent

Africa, 432,000 travelers, up seven percent

U.S. travel to North American markets totaled 51.3 million, up four percent compared to 2017.

To Mexico, U.S. travelers totaled a record 36.9 million, up six percent

Tourist (longer haul travel) 19.1 million, up four percent.

U.S. air travel to Mexico (10.1 million), part of Tourist, was up three percent

Border (1+ nights travel) 17.8 million, increased eight percent.

To Canada, 14.3 million U.S. travelers, flat year-over-year. Air travel (4.6 million) was down four percent

Annual 2018 Market Shares



U.S. air travel to overseas locations accounted for 45 percent of total U.S. outbound travel, up one percentage point from 2017. Regional composition:

Europe, a 19 percent share (up one percentage point from 2017); Caribbean, a nine percent share; (down one percentage point from 2017) Asia, a seven percent share; Central America, a four percent share; Middle East, a three percent share; South America, a two percent share); Oceania, a one percent share, and Africa, almost a one percent share



North American markets received 55 percent of all U.S. international outbound travel.

U.S. travel to Mexico a 40 percent share; To Canada, a 15 percent share (down one percentage point from 2017).



For detailed information and data tables please visit:

https://travel.trade.gov/view/m-2018-O-001/index.html

Source - National Travel & Tourism Office (NTTO)

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Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, described Pugliese as a pioneer in the field. Pugliese spearheaded practices to prevent patients from contracting infections while hospitalized and from becoming injured in falls, or from mistakes such as having surgery on the wrong limb, receiving the wrong drugs or getting incorrect dosages of medication.
His supporters contend that a deep state within the federal bureaucracy is working to subvert his noble policies. But every time one of his appointees leaves and a new one has to be found and installed, the bureaucracy is left to operate more or less on its own, unconstrained by a boss who has the capacity to put Trumps policies into practice. It would make more sense for Trump to enlist talented leaders and let them do their jobs.
Others came to Foxxs support, notably at a Saturday news conference at the Rev. Jesse Jacksons Rainbow/PUSH Coalition headquarters. U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush declared unhelpfully that the Fraternal Order of Police is the sworn enemy of black people. Foxx also spoke at the event, where she wondered aloud what the Smollett case hullabaloo is really about. As someone who has lived in this city, who came up from the projects of this city to serve as the first African-American woman in this role, it is disheartening to me, she said.
4) According to DRACH, a number of their members or people their members have tried to assist have been turned away from shelters that are identified as ADA compliant and told to call 311. Some of those shelters include Safe Haven, Cornerstone, Olive Branch, The Night Ministries and San Jose Obrero, which turned away people who are deaf, blind or in manual wheelchairs. Is there a city policy for turning away people with certain disabilities at certain shelters, and if so, can you tell me how that policy works? What is the safety net if a person with a disability arrives at a shelter that isnt able to accommodate that person?
Hours after that rally, those so-called enemies of black people responded to a mass shooting in West Englewood, Rushs home base on Chicagos South Side. An estimated 20 children were playing outside during a baby shower in the 6300 block of South Seeley Avenue when someone began firing from down the block. According to Tribune reporters who also went to the scene, a 10-year-old girl was shot in the shin, and an 8-year-old boy was shot in the back and chest. Four adults at the party also suffered gunshot wounds.
Three main telecom carriers in China (e.g. China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom) announced their capital expenditure (capex) plan for 2019. The 5G capex is lower than expected. China Telecom will spend 9 billion CNY, slightly higher than China Unicom's plan of 6-8 billion. Market leader China Mobile did not disclose any number, but it is likely to be around 17 billion CNY. In total, the capax for 5G is estimated to be 34 bn CNY in China in 2019, which is much smaller than expected (50-100 bn CNY in 2019 and over 250 bn in 2020).

China is set to be one of the biggest markets for 5G, alongside America and possibly Europe. There will be over 120 million 5G subscribers in 2022 and 1.5 billion by 2029 in China, about half of the total number globally, according to the new IDTechEx Research report 5G Technology, Market and Forecast 2019-2029 . However, it is not crazy to suspect that 5G is slowing down in China.

Source: IDTechEx Research

One reason for the low expanse plan for 5G roll-out is the on-going 4G network deployment. China Mobile alone has built 350K 4G station in 2018, more than double of the plan (140K). On the other hand, the revenue from each subscriber is declining, as the Chinese government urges to reduce the price for subscribers to use the cellular network. Facing the financial pressure, Chinese operators hesitate to throw money into the high-cost 5G roll-out without knowing if they will be able to earn money back. The CEO from Huawei , the top one telecom infrastructure supplier and number two smartphone provider in the world, has publicly expressed a similar concern on the payback from 5G.

It is predicted that by 2030 the direct 5G revenue in China will be 6.3 trillion CNY (about $930 bn) and the Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) in the coming ten years will be 29%. 5G will create 8 million jobs and contribute around 5.8% GDP growth in China by 2030. The indirect revenue generated by 5G will be 10.6 trillion CNY (about $1,579 bn), with CAGR of 24%. Among them, the direct revenue for telecoms will be over $200 bn by 2029.
BERLIN  Dr Fatih Birol, the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, traveled to Germany today to speak at the opening of the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue (BETD). This annual event brings together key energy-sector stakeholders to share expertise and experience on a safe, affordable and environmentally responsible global energy transition.

In his keynote address, Dr Birol highlighted the IEAs recent announcement that CO2 emissions are still on the rise, driven by the fastest growth in energy demand over the last ten years.

The pace and scale of the global clean energy transition is not in line with climate targets,  said Dr Birol. Energy-related emissions are on the rise again, and were seeing an increasing disconnect between climate ambitions and what is actually happening in markets.

Underlining the IEAs commitment to driving action on secure, affordable and sustainable energy for all, the IEA and IRENA agreed to step up collaboration by signing a Memorandum of Understanding. Dr Birol also held a range of bilateral discussions with Ministers from Germany, Africa, Chile, Switzerland, Iraq and Colombia.

As in previous years at the BETD, the IEA launched Perspectives for the Clean Energy Transition  The Critical Role of Buildings, prepared with the support of the German government. An often overlooked sector, buildings play a critical role in the energy system as they account for about a third of total final energy consumption and energy-related emissions globally. Buildings also have very long lifetimes that can impact energy and emissions for 50 years or more.

The report warns of a serious lock-in as countries without mandatory codes are expected to see an explosion of building construction, half of which will be built already by the early 2030s, potentially locking in inefficient buildings for decades to come. Mandatory building energy codes have been adopted across North America, Europe and China, while India is working to expand its existing codes, and some African countries are working to put codes in place.
The Steering Committee of the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ), the regional organisation of the IFJ, pledged to tackle threats to journalists, campaign for improved working conditions and build a stronger voice for journalists across the region as leaders from across the continent met in Maputo.

Elected representatives from across Africa met on 3-4 April 2019 at the first statutory Steering Committee Meeting in Maputo, Mozambique since the united congress of the federation - held on 13-14 December 2018 in Khartoum, Sudan - brought together 32 of its 36 member unions and associations in Africa.

The meeting, chaired by FAJ President, Sadiq Ibrahim Ahmed, was attended by members elected at the congress as well as representatives of FAJ sub-regional organisations and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), and hosted by the Sindicato Nacional dos Jornalistas (SNJ) of Mozambique.

The Steering Committee (SC) received reports from various sub-regions of Africa and discussed the difficult working environment in which journalists are currently operating, including poverty wages and exploitative conditions. African journalists are yearning for better wages, more secure contracts and decent working conditions. As a first step to help improve pay and secure better conditions in media houses, the Steering Committee resolved that FAJ will organise in the near future a continental conference on working conditions and collective bargaining.

Representatives also addressed reports of the continued dangers faced by journalists and discussed ways to improve their safety. The safety of journalists, more recently increasingly online, has become more important than ever as threats and physical violence occur daily and are often carried out with impunity. The Steering Committee resolved to launch a safety of journalists campaign at regional and sub-regional levels, placing safety of journalists on the immediate agenda of governmental and inter-governmental structures, and lobby for the adoption of the safety of journalists convention submitted by the IFJ to the United Nations.

The Steering Committee also condemned the repression against journalists and the peoples of Africa who are denied the right to freedom of expression through censorship, shutting down of the internet or the closing down of social media platforms. The meeting called on the governments of Africa to end the persecution of journalists for exercising the right to free expression, to release all arrested journalists and stop harassing them and to respect their human rights - including their right to access to information - and allow them to do their job without fear of intimidation or arrest. FAJ urges all its member unions to make adoption of progressive freedom of information laws a priority in their campaigns.

The motions and the strategic plan for 2019-2021 adopted at the Khartoum congress were also discussed and the SC agreed a working programme dealing with the wide range of challenges currently confronting African journalists and the strategic alliances necessary to make FAJ the strong voice for journalists within regional and international institutions.

The Steering Committee also offered its solidarity and sympathy to peoples of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi, particularly the victims of the death, injuries and loss of property following the humanitarian catastrophe from devastating tropical cyclone Idai.
Two Iranian journalists working for Radio Farda were fired in a disagreement over editorial issues and for raising concerns with management over the stations news coverage.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has expressed its deep concern over the disregard for and lack of protection of Iranian journalists labour rights the sackings demonstrate.

Arash Hassan Nia and Arash Salehi, members of the Association of Iranian Journalists, an IFJ affiliate, were working full-time for Radio Farda, the Iranian branch of the United States government-funded Radio Free Europe. RFE has its headquarters in Prague, Czech Republic, and is part of the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM).

One of the two journalists had already raised concerns about job security at the station in a meeting with the IFJ in Brussels in September 2018. He pointed out that Radio Free Europe and USAGM deny their staff the right to create a union, which deprives them of the ability to defend their rights collectively. Union busting cant be tolerated.

The IFJ said: We stand in solidarity with our Iranian colleagues. We utterly condemn Radio Fardas management attitude and urge them to reinstate both journalists and to respect journalists fundamental right to unionise. They will always find us at the forefront of challenging them when they attack journalists fundamental labour rights.
Imperial Valley News Center

U.S. Attorney Announces the Indictment of Fentanyl and Heroin Darknet Vendors

Sacramento, California - A Rancho Cordova woman was indicted on Thursday, charged with distribution of fentanyl and oxycodone and other opioids as a result of a coordinated operation by the U.S. Attorneys Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service that has identified, disrupted, and prosecuted illegal operators on the darknet.

U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott, FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ragan, HSI Special Agent in Charge Ryan L. Spradlin, DEA Special Agent in Charge Christopher Nielsen, and USPIS Inspector in Charge Rafael E. Nunez made the announcement today.

U.S. Attorney Scott stated: Building on the seizure and shut-down of the AlphaBay criminal marketplace in 2017, the cases we are discussing today continue to send a clear message, that if you choose to engage in criminal transactions on the darknet, you will have federal law enforcement from every district and state across the nation pursuing you. There is no hiding, no safety, and no anonymity in the darknet.

The darknet supports an illegitimate commerce system where criminals think they can anonymously traffic dangerous substances and goods into the Unites States, said Ryan L. Spradlin, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge for northern California. HSI is watching and taking down criminals by using innovative technology and uniquely trained analysts and special agents to uncover this type of illicit and dangerous activity. Our country is in the midst of a serious opioid addiction crisis; and some users will do anything to get their hands on drugs like fentanyl. Tens of thousands of people die every year from overdosing on opioids. We all need to do our part to police the streets and all corners of the internet to make sure people do not have unlimited access to these potentially deadly substances.

The darknet has become a one-stop shop for individuals peddling powerful opioids, like fentanyl, because of the anonymity it seemingly offers to those who seek to evade detection. As these investigations demonstrate, sophisticated technology is no match for law enforcement when resources and expertise are combined to achieve a common public-safety goal. We will identify and prosecute those who distribute drugs under this illusion of secrecy, stated DEA Special Agent in Charge Chris Nielsen.

San Francisco Division Inspector in Charge Rafael Nunez of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service stated, Postal Inspectors are continuously working with the U.S. Attorneys Office and our partners in law enforcement in operations just like this one to keep dangerous drugs out of the communities we serve.

The operation, which was initiated in September of last year, has yielded 14 arrests, four indictments, and 40 search and tracking warrants. In addition, agents have seized $423,912 in U.S. currency, $1,937,410 in cryptocurrency, four vehicles, two pill presses, and six firearms. Agents have also made large seizures of narcotics, including heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, marijuana, and oxycodone.

Two recent cases exemplify the work of the coordinated operation.

United States v. Carrie Alaine Markis, et al. (Case No. 2:19-cr-062 JAM):

On April 4, 2019, a federal grand jury returned a six-count indictment against Carrie Alaine Markis, 42, of Rancho Cordova, charging her with distribution of fentanyl, distribution of oxycodone, and conspiracy.

According to court documents, Markis was a registered California nurse who sold more than 20,000 prescription opioid pills and products on various darknet sites, including Silk Road 2.0, Pandora, and AlphaBay. Between 2013 and 2016, she purchased legitimate prescriptions from willing sellers. Then, she resold these pills and patches through her darknet business, Farmacy41, which she ran from her Rancho Cordova home.

Markiss business operated on Silk Road 2.0 from November 2013 through May 2014. During this time, Markis sent private messages to her customers revealing that she was a licensed California medical professional. She sold more than 8,500 hydrocodone pills and more than 2,500 oxycodone pills. In combination with other sales of morphine, hydromorphone, fentanyl, and methadone, Markis earned about $230,000 in Bitcoin at the time.

Markiss Farmacy41 business operated on Pandora from December 2013 through August 2014. During this time, she again sold more than 2,500 hydrocodone and more than 2,000 oxycodone pills. In combination with other sales of morphine, hydromorphone, methadone, and fentanyl, she completed about 393 transactions and earned about $122,000 in Bitcoin at the time.

On AlphaBay, Markis operated her Farmacy41 business from November 2015 through April 2016. There, she completed about 262 transactions for hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine, methadone, and fentanyl. At the time, her Bitcoin earnings were worth about $74,000.

Federal agents searched Markiss residence on January 24, 2019, and found about $1.8 million in Bitcoin held on a cold storage cryptocurrency wallet. Agents also found about $234,000 in cash. Markis was arrested on a federal complaint and made her initial appearance in court on January 25, 2019.

Andrea Michelle Jordan, aka Jill Jordan, 52, was arrested April 4, 2019, in Elk Grove. According to court documents, Jordan allegedly purchased legitimate pill and patch prescriptions from sellers in the area and then provided these to Markis, who then sold them to customers through Markis Farmacy41 darknet storefronts.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Beck is prosecuting the case. If convicted, Markis faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

United States v. Jason Keith Arnold, et al. (Case No. 2:19-cr-043-MCE):

On March 7, 2019, a federal grand jury returned a five-count indictment against Jason Keith Arnold, 45, David Lee White, 49, and Alicia Marie McCoy, 30, all of Chandler, Arizona, charging them with distribution of heroin and methamphetamine, and conspiracy. According to court documents, Arnold, White, and McCoy operated the vendor accounts TheSickness and SicknessVersion2 on Dream Marketplace, through which they conducted more than 3,000 transactions for heroin and methamphetamine to customers throughout the country.

Federal agents conducted several undercover purchases of heroin from SicknessVersion2 from May 2018 through October 2018. In the parcels received by agents, the purchased heroin was placed inside Haribo Gold gummy bear packages. All of the parcels were mailed from the Chandler, Arizona area. One of the undercover purchases was paid for with a postal account controlled by Arnold. Agents conducted surveillance of post offices in the Chandler, Arizona region and were able to determine that White and McCoy were mailing a large volume of parcels and were purchasing thousands of dollars in stamps. Arnold, White, and McCoy also held accounts at a cryptocurrency exchange company in which they exchanged hundreds of thousands of dollars in Bitcoins for U.S. currency.

On February 21, 2019, federal agents executed search and arrest warrants at Arnolds residence, his tattoo shop, and a motel room occupied by White and McCoy. In the motel room, agents found heroin, and methamphetamine. Agents also found heroin at Arnolds residence.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Grant Rabenn and Paul Hemesath are prosecuting the case. Arnold made his initial appearance in Phoenix, Arizona on February 22, 2019. White made his initial appearance in Sacramento, on March 21, 2019. McCoy made her initial appearance in Sacramento, on March 7, 2019.

If convicted of conspiracy, Arnold, White, and McCoy face a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison, a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, and a $10 million fine. If convicted of distribution of a controlled substance, Arnold, White, and McCoy face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

These and other cases are the product of investigations by the Northern California Illicit Digital Economy (NCIDE) task force, which is composed of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the United States Postal Inspection Service. The Rancho Cordova Police Department and Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General assisted in U.S. v. Markis.

These cases were brought in conjunction with the Joint Criminal Opioid Darknet Enforcement (J-CODE) Team. Established within the FBIs Hi-Tech Organized Crime Unit, JCODE is an initiative announced in January 2018, targeting drug trafficking, especially fentanyl and other opioids, on the darknet. Building on the work initiated with the takedowns of Silk Road and AlphaBay, the FBIs J-CODE team brings together agents, analysts, and professional staff with expertise in drugs, gangs, health care fraud, and more, and our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners from across the U.S. Government, to focus on disrupting the sale of drugs via the Darknet and dismantling criminal enterprises that facilitate this trafficking.
Imperial Valley News Center

Unlicensed Lawyer Found Guilty of Bilking Clients and Claiming Illegal Tax Refunds

Los Angeles, California - A Pasadena man who falsely claimed to be a licensed attorney was remanded into custody this afternoon after a federal jury found him guilty of fraud charges related to his representation of clients in federal and state courts.

Kenneth Paul Ferreyro, 37, who resided in Glendale during most of the criminal conduct, was also convicted of tax offenses for seeking well over $100,000 in refunds on federal tax returns that falsely claimed substantial payroll taxes had been withheld and remitted to the Internal Revenue Service.

Following a four-day trial in United States District Court, the jury deliberated for about two hours before convicting Ferreyro of four counts of wire fraud and four counts of making false claims on his tax returns.

The evidence presented at trial showed that, from at least 2010 to 2017, Ferreyro told people, most of whom were affiliated with his fathers church, that he could represent them in United States Bankruptcy Court and other courts and that he could perform work related to real estate refinancing and tax liens. While Ferreyro did graduate from a law school, he never received a license to practice law.

In relation to several victims, Ferreyro prepared and/or filed bankruptcy petitions in Los Angeles, Sacramento and Phoenix. In relation to petitions filed in the Central District of California, Ferreyro concealed his participation by claiming that the victims were filing on their own behalf.

Ferreyro also represented a person in a child support dispute in a state court in Idaho, and he charged another person $5,000 based on false claims he could remove federal tax liens so the victim could refinance a residence.

Ferreyro, who at times described himself as a tax attorney, also defrauded the government by making false claims on tax returns he filed for the years 2013 through 2016. Ferreyro submitted tax returns to the IRS which falsely stated that he and his wife had already paid substantial amounts of payroll taxes and he fraudulently sought refunds totaling $126,826, some of which was paid by the IRS.

Ferreyro is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge John F. Walter on June 24. As a result of todays guilty verdicts, Ferreyro faces a statutory maximum sentence of 100 years in federal prison.

The investigation of Ferreyro was conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the United States Postal Inspection Service. The United States Trustee Program offices in Los Angeles, Sacramento and Phoenix provided substantial assistance.

The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Monica E. Tait and Ashwin Janakiram of the Major Frauds Section.
10 Orgs Highlighting the True Cost of Food

New Orleans, Louisiana - The price we pay at the grocery store for what we eat does not always reflect the actual cost of producing and consuming that food. This disconnect can make it difficult to create a more sustainable, more just, and more nutritious food system.

To truly improve the food system and account for both its cost and benefits, it is necessary to look at a range of social, human, and environmental factors. This approach is called True Cost Accounting (TCA).

TCA looks at all impacts from farm to fork to gut and landfill, including effects on livelihoods, the environment, and health. This can help farmers, decision makers, and businesses in making better-informed decisionsdecisions that will improve public health, regenerate soils, and nurture people and the planet. The goal of TCA is to improve the transparency of the true cost of producing food to increase fairness to farmers, make food more affordable for consumers, and decrease environmental and public health impacts.

The current economic systems do not include or reward the value of social, human, and natural capital in agriculture and food systems. This often leads to the promotion of practices that are harmful to farming, the environment, and people, says agricultural scientist Dr. Harpinder Sandhu to Food Tank.

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity for Agriculture & Food (TEEBAgriFood) recently published a report about the hidden costs and various externalities of food and agriculture chains. The report also provides recommendations for ensuring a better food system. It states, Investments in sustainable food systems have to go far beyond increasing productivity only; they have to take the eco-agri-food system as a whole into account.

We must link the health of people with the health of the planet, and we can only ensure long-term food security if our food systems dont destroy the basis of food production, says Alexander Muller, study leader for TEEBAgriFood.

To tackle the issues of climate change, global health, and food security, every eaterfrom policymakers, academics, and scientists to consumersneeds to recognize the interconnected nature of these systems. Changemakers across the globe are rising to this challenge and are bringing sustainable and regenerative practices into the farming of the future. Here are 10 organizations working to highlight true cost accounting in the food system!

The B Team

The business leaders of the B Team are moving on from Plan A, business as usual, to Plan B, a series of action plans that will eventually transform all businesses into driving forces of social, environmental, and economic benefit. One of their 10 key challenges is to bring true cost accounting to a global scale so all businesses can measure their impact on social and environmental externalities.

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity for Agriculture and Food (TEEBAgriFood)

Led by the United Nations Environment Programme, TEEBAgriFood brings together scientists, economists, policymakers, business leaders, and farmer organizations to examine the food system and the role of positive and negative externalities. The study provides a comprehensive evaluation of eco-agri-food systems and the natural, human, and social capital that is often overlooked in the economics of food production.

Global Alliance for the Future of Food

The Global Alliance for the Future of Food (GAFF) is a team of private foundations who combine their resources to tackle key issues in agroecology, health and well-being, and true cost accounting. GAFF devotes research to true cost accounting methods so that TCA will ultimately be accepted as a validated approach to inform government food policies and investments in rural communities. GAFF has invested in the TEEBAgriFood Evaluation Framework to study true cost economies of farming systems in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Natural Capital Coalition

The Natural Capital Coalition is a group of nearly 300 organizations united under the same ideology that renewable and non-renewable resources from the earth should be conserved and enhanced. An offshoot of TEEB for Business, The coalitions main focus is on the true cost of business models and their impact on the natural world. The coalitions end goal is to create relationships between businesses and nature that benefit both people and the environment.

Natural Capital Project

A collaboration of multiple universities around the globe, the Natural Capital Project (NatCap) aims to improve the well-being of people and nature by prioritizing investment in natural capital. Some NatCap projects include quantifying the value and benefits that nature can add to businesses or city plans. With this understanding, NatCap provides tools so corporations and governments can work with nature instead of against it.

Sustainable Food Trust

Founded in 2011, the Sustainable Food Trust (SFT) works with organizations around the world to enhance and support sustainable food and farming initiatives. SFT believes that understanding the true cost of food is imperative to building a food system that can nourish the planet. Through research, visual infographics and films, and conferences that include influential leaders in the food and farming industry, SFT aims to inform the public about the true costs of food.

TruCost

Since 2000, TruCost has provided tools to big businesses to help them transform into low carbon companies. Since its founding, TruCost has performed multiple carbon audits on large corporations and banks and has contributed to reports on better environmental practices for businesses. In 2013, commissioned by TEEB for Business, TruCost led a study to identify the top 100 natural externalities at risk in businesses, investors and governments.

True Price

True Price is a social enterprise committed to evaluating the economic, environmental, and social impacts of businesses by measuring biodiversity loss, pollution, water use, child labor, and health risks. True Price uses this information to assist governments, corporations, NGOs, and other organizations make business decisions that have little to no negative impact on the larger global economy.

Wealth Accounting and the Valuation of Ecosystem Services

Wealth Accounting and the Valuation of Ecosystem Services (WAVES) works with banks and ministries of planning around the world to ensure that natural capital accounting (NCA) is a part of business decisions and developments. Natural capital accounting assesses the use of natural resources in an ecosystem to provide a broader understanding of stocks and flows in a large economic system. The goal of WAVES is to create a global platform for training and knowledge sharing around NCA.

World Business Council for Sustainable Development

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) leads a number of initiatives to support their goal of Vision 2050: a plan to have the projected 9 billion people on the planet living well and within the boundaries of the earth by 2050. In 2018, WBCSD published a report with Food Reform for Sustainability and Health (FReSH) about the true cost of food. The paper highlighted the gaps in todays true cost accounting methods and what is needed to work efficiently with NGOs and policy experts to execute true cost accounting for long-term planning.
Sherman Oaks Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Launder Money from Illegal Gambling Business

Sacramento, California - Atir Dadon, 34, of Sherman Oaks, pleaded guilty Friday to conspiring to launder money, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, between October 2016 and November 2017, Dadon conspired to launder money with his co-defendants, Orel Gohar, 28, of San Francisco, and Bar Shani, 27, of San Francisco. Orel Gohar and co-defendant Yaniv Gohar, 35, of Berkeley, operated an illegal gambling business that placed and maintained video slot machines at businesses in Northern California, including locations in the Eastern District of California. Dadon, Shani, and Orel Gohar conspired to launder the proceeds of the illegal gambling business.

According to court documents, Dadon, Shani, and Orel Gohar agreed that Orel Gohar would give cash proceeds from the Gohars gambling business to Dadon and Shani, who would use the cash to pay the workers in their cosmetics business. They agreed that in exchange for the cash from Orel Gohar, Dadon and Shani would arrange for Orel to receive checks from the cosmetics business. To conceal the fact that the financial transactions involved the proceeds of illegal activity, Dadon, Shani, and Orel used code words in their conversations about the transactions, referring to the money as bottles of alcohol or other non-cash items. Dadon also put false memo lines on the checks to Orel Gohar, indicating that Gohar had providing consulting and training services, when in fact he had not done so. Between October 2016 and November 2017, Dadon laundered over $150,000 from the Gohars gambling business.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the California Department of Justice  Bureau of Gambling Control. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew M. Yelovich and Miriam R. Hinman are prosecuting the case.

Yaniv Gohar and Orel Gohar fled the United States upon their release in December 2017 and remain at large. Anyone with information about their whereabouts should call the Federal Bureau of Investigation at (916) 746-7000. Bar Shani is detained pending trial. Co-defendant Adam Atari, 35, of Sherman Oaks, charged with conspiring to launder money with Yaniv and Orel Gohar and with witness tampering, is also detained. Co-defendant Raz Razla, 48, of Sherman Oaks, charged with making false statements to the grand jury, is out of custody. Co-defendant Eran Buhbut, 33, of Oakland, charged with operating an illegal gambling business, is also out of custody. Co-defendant May Levy, 28, of Walnut Creek, charged with operating an illegal gambling business, pleaded guilty.

Dadon is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr., on July 12, 2019. Dadon faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000, or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved, whichever is greater. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
A little out of touch? Getty Images

Absurdly Driven looks at the world of business with a skeptical eye and a firmly rooted tongue in cheek.

People say and do silly things all the time.

What's remarkable, though, is when allegedly sensible people put money behind the asinine, the half-witted, the blindly tasteless or the casually thoughtless.

Please consider what you feel as you stare at Burger King's attempt to sell its allegedly Vietnamese Sweet Chilli Tendercrisp Burger in New Zealand.

No, the burger chain didn't offer something featuring a burger-tossing contest between an American and a member of the Viet Cong.

Instead, it presented people trying to eat this new concoction with chopsticks.

Because Vietnam is, like, Asian, right? And so are, like, chopsticks, right?

And so, ho, ho, ho.

Korean New Zealander Maria Mo took one look at this and thought no, no, no.

The concert pianist featured a few seconds of this work of art on Twitter.

So this is the new Burger King ad for a "Vietnamese" burger ok coolcoolcoolcoolcool CHOPSTICKS R HILARIOUS right omg etc pic.twitter.com/zVD8CN04Wc -- . Maria. (@mariahmocarey) April 4, 2019

Mo wasn't alone.

What the hell is wrong w white ppl https://t.co/EV5bTGRfBJ -- Jenny Yang (@jennyyangtv) April 5, 2019

Some, I fear, will mutter about some people's sensitivity to micro-aggressions these days.

On Twitter, some did, in less than polite tones.

This ad just yelled 'ching chong' at me with its eyes pulled up and asked me if I eat dogs. This is what happens when no poc are on the creative team.

Isn't it a little careless, some might feel, to be selling a supposedly Vietnamese delicacy while simultaneously insulting people from the region?

Naturally, Burger King responded in stiltedly PR terms:

The ad in question is insensitive and does not reflect our brand values regarding diversity and inclusion. We have asked our franchisee in New Zealand to remove the ad immediately.

Fundamentally, the ad bathes in its own laziness and expects everyone to jump in because the water's warm. Which quite a few ads do.

It doesn't accept that things change in the world and that it's worth reflecting some of the changes once in a while. At least before you make an ad. You know, just in case.

Why, it's not as if this ad was part of campaign where there was also an ad for a Japanese tonkatsu burger, with people trying to eat it using robotic hands, was there?

Oh, actually it was.

Because Japan says robots, right?
Everyone sells, whether they know it or not. You may be a programmer who's never spoken to an end user, but you still have to sell your problem-solving approach to the rest of the team. You may work in the mailroom, but you still have to sell your boss on giving you that much-deserved raise.

I'll not belabor the point because it's sufficiently obvious, but it's fair to say that the likelihood that you'll get top dollar for your work in any field depends completely on your ability to sell your brand and your ideas. How ever much you might wish it weren't true, that's the fact, Jack.

Unfortunately, when most people think of selling, they immediately conjure the popular media's caricature of a salesperson: a glad-handing, backslapping, manipulative, overdressed fast-talker. Not surprisingly, many people wrongly believe that to be successful at selling, you need to be an extroverted jackass.

As I've pointed out previously, though, many of the world's greatest salespeople are introverts who excel at asking questions and solving problems rather than extroverts who excel at pitching products and closing deals. That being said, though, it can't be denied that some very successful salespeople are indeed extroverts.

So the key personality trait isn't extroversion or introversion.

Many people also believe that the key personality trait for successful selling is being naturally charming and personable. Horse feathers. Many great entrepreneurs (and don't kid yourself, nobody sells harder than entrepreneurs) frequently seem arrogant and off-putting. So friendliness isn't the key personality trait.

A while back, I pointed out in this column that all successful entrepreneurs have courage but that defining attribute is peculiar to entrepreneurism, which always involves a leap, or multiple leaps, into the great unknown. However, there are many successful, non-entrepreneurial people who aren't particularly courageous. (But they are good at selling.)

So, then, what is the one personality trait that you absolutely must have to be successful at selling anything.

I will tell you.

Resilience.

You see, selling means getting to yes, and, by the very nature of the world and all its variety and choices, the only way to get to yes is to be willing to live through a barrel full of no.

Most people curl up like a snail in a salt pit when they hear no. So they avoid asking. They avoid trying. They avoid situations where they might be rejected. They nurse, not a wounded ego, but the specter that their ego might be wounded. They're emotional snowflakes.

Resilience means being willing to hear no, learn from the experience, and move on. Resilience means being willing to make a fool of yourself, learn from the experience, and do it again. Resilience means being willing to take a risk and fail, learn from the experience, and take the risk again.
Who can forget the images of that 69-year-old Kentucky doctor -- David Dao -- who was knocked out and then dragged off a United Airlines plane when he refused to give up his seat on the overbooked flight from Chicago O'Hare to Louisville? I know I can't. It's every flyer's nightmare.

Today, for the first time, David Dao spoke publicly about that nightmare.

This morning on the popular television show Good Morning America, Dao explained that when the video of his forceable removal from the United Airlines flight first went viral, he had no idea that it had. But, when he saw the video months later, his reaction was immediate:

Few months later, after I get my cell phone back, my iPhone back, the first reaction is, I just cried.

According to Dao, he had no idea that his refusal to give up the seat he had paid for would result in physical violence against him. Said Dao in this morning's interview:

They pulled me out of the seat and I said I didn't know anything. Until I wake up in the hospital and they try to fix me.

Previous reports say that United Airlines reached a confidential settlement with Dao to the tune of $140 million for the injuries he suffered, including a broken nose, a concussion, and broken teeth.

Dr. David Dao, who was dragged off a United Airlines flight at O'Hare International Airport two years ago, is speaking out for the first time ever. https://t.co/TGhZzVVX3U -- ABC 7 Chicago (@ABC7Chicago) April 9, 2019

Said United CEO Oscar Munoz three days after the incident:

This will never happen again. We are not going to put a law enforcement official onto a plane to take them off...to remove a booked, paid, seated passenger. We can't do that.

For his part, Dao says that there's a silver lining in his terrible experience. He believes that the incident turned out to be a positive thing because it forced United Airlines to take a close look at its policies and change them for the better. Said Dao in the interview, "Everything happens with a reason."

In a statement to ABC News, United said this about the aftermath of the incident:
Game of Thrones author George RR Martin doesnt know why the HBO series is coming to an end.

The writer, who is the creator of Westeros and its many inhabitants, doesnt think that season eight should be the final batch of episodes.

Martin created the book series A Song of Ice and Fire, which is the source material for Thrones showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Martin said: I dont think it should be the final season. But here we are. It seems to me we just started last week. Has it been longer than that? The time has passed by in a blur.

Arya Stark's death list  Game of Thrones Show all 13 1 /13 Arya Stark's death list  Game of Thrones Arya Stark's death list  Game of Thrones Cersei Lannister Why? Cersei falsely accused Arya's father, Ned Stark, of treason, leading to his eventual arrest and beheading. Current status: Alive, sitting on the Iron Throne, probably drinking wine and plotting revenge against the Starks as her newly bought Golden Army comes to Westeros. HBO Arya Stark's death list  Game of Thrones Tywin Lannister Why? The Lannister patriarch helped orchestrate the Red Wedding (AKA the day Robb, Catelyn and Talisa were butchered by the Freys). Current status: Dead. Tywin's own son, Tyrion, shot him with a crossbow while he was sat on the toilet. HBO Arya Stark's death list  Game of Thrones Gregor 'The Mountain' Clegane Why? Arya was forced to watch the Clegane brother torture a group of locals at Harrenhal. Current status: Undead. The Mountain was poisoned by Oberyn Martell, only to be brought back from the dead by Maester Qyburn. Now, he stands by Cersei's side. HBO Arya Stark's death list  Game of Thrones Meryn Trant Why? The first man to be put on Arya's list, Meryn killed her dance instructor Syrio Forel in season one. Current status: Dead. After training as a Faceless person, Arya tracked down Meryn in Braavos. Arya lured him into a trap, stabbed him in the eyes and slit his throat. HBO Arya Stark's death list  Game of Thrones Melisandre Why? Melisandre took Gendry away from the Brotherhood Without Banners in the hope of using the Baratheon for Black Magic purposes. Current status: Alive (although very, very old). Jon Snow banned her from stepping foot in Westeros. However, Melisandre has already prophesied her own death will take place in Westeros. Perhaps at the hands of Arya. HBO Arya Stark's death list  Game of Thrones Beric Dondarrion Why? The leader of the Brotherhood Without Banners captured Arya, Gendry and The Hound. He then sold Gendry to Melisandre and freed The Hound. Current status: Alive and currently at The Wall, hiding from the Night King's zombie dragon. HBO Arya Stark's death list  Game of Thrones Thoros of Myr Why? Beric's fellow brother without a banner. Thoros helped sell Gendry. Current status: Dead. Thoros was one of Jon Snow's troupe who headed north of The Wall to retrieve a Walker. The idea was to present the creature to Cersei. On that journey, Thoros was attacked by an undead bear and eventually froze to death. HBO Arya Stark's death list  Game of Thrones Walder Frey Why? Because Walder Frey was the host of the horrendous Red Wedding. Current status: Dead. When Arya got back to Westeros from Braavos, Walder was the first person she went after. Using her new Faceless skills, she infiltrated the Frey household and slit Walder's throat. She then stole his face and poisoned the rest of the Frey family. HBO Arya Stark's death list  Game of Thrones Ilyn Payne Why? Ilyn Payne, played by Dr Feelgood himself Wilko Johnson, was the one to behead Ned Stark. Current status: Alive. Ilyn has not appeared on the show since season two. One of the reasons for this could be because Johnson was diagnosed with cancer in 2013. The actor/musician has since made a recovery, and could be back for season eight. HBO Arya Stark's death list  Game of Thrones Rorge Why? Rorge threatened to rape Arya when he was a prisoner heading to The Wall. Current status: Dead. Rorge attempted to ambush The Hound and Arya on their journey to Eyrie. What he did not count on was being bested by The Hound. Arya then quickly learns Rorge's name, adds him to the list, and kills him. HBO Arya Stark's death list  Game of Thrones Joffrey Baratheon Why? For sentencing Ned Stark to death (and generally being awful). Current status: Dead. Joffrey was poisoned at the Purple Wedding (when the King was to be married to Margaery Tyrell). Although Tyrion was initially blamed, Olenna Tyrell was the actual perpetrator. HBO Arya Stark's death list  Game of Thrones Polliver Why? Polliver knocked over Arya during the attack on Yoren and stole Needle. "Fine little blade; maybe I'll pick my teeth with it," he said. Current status: Dead. While travelling with The Hound, Arya bumped into Polliver (still with Needle) at a tavern. Polliver then offered to exchange a chicken for sex with Arya. Funnily enough, that did not go down well, and The Hound soon did away with Polliver's men, leaving the thief for Arya. HBO Arya Stark's death list  Game of Thrones Sandor "The Hound" Clegane Why? During season one, The Hound murdered Arya's friend, Mycah the butcher's boy, at the orders of Joffrey. Despite travelling around Westeros with Arya, The Hound was never forgiven, and the Stark girl left him for dead. Current status: Alive. The Hound was on the verge of death when Brother Ray came and saved him. He then joined Jon Snow and is currently on his way to Winterfell  where Arya awaits. HBO

He continued: But its exciting. I know its an end, but its not much of an end for me. Im still deep in writing the books. We saw five other sequel shows in development. I think Im going to be hanging around Westeros while everyone else has left.

The sequel shows he mentions includes a prequel series starring Josh Whitehouse and Naomi Watts that will be set thousands of years before the events of Game of Thrones.

Fans will also hope Martin will finish work on the seriess final books: The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring.

You can find a countdown of every Game of Thrones character  from worst to best  in the gallery below.

Game of Thrones characters - ranked Show all 70 1 /70 Game of Thrones characters - ranked Game of Thrones characters - ranked 70. Rickon Stark Played by: Art Parkinson : Art Parkinson Easily the most annoying Stark child  an impressive feat next to Bran  Rickon was at least handed one hell of a death scene: taken out by an arrow courtesy of Ramsay Bolton. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 69. Robin Arryn Played by: Lino Facioli : Lino Facioli Robin Arryn is remembered by most Thrones fans as being the 10-year-old breastfed by his mother (still weird). That's about it. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 68. Renly Baratheon Played by: Gethin Anthony : Gethin Anthony The Rickon of the Baratheon brothers. His claim to the Iron Throne was tenuous, considering his older brother, Stannis, was still alive. When Stannis's shadow monster came to kill him, it was only good news for the show. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 67. Leaf Played by: Kae Alexander : Kae Alexander A lot of mystery may surround Leaf, one of the show's mythical Children of the Forest, but her noble sacrifice to save Bran, Meera and Hodor from a horde of wights robbed her of any worth. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 66. Tommen Baratheon Played by: Dean-Charles Chapman : Dean-Charles Chapman Another boring younger brother. Whereas Joffrey was pure evil, Tommen was innocent and, inevitably, very boring. His cat, Ser Pounce, was an asset to the show. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 65. Lysa Arryn Played by: Kate Dickie : Kate Dickie Lysa, the creepy sister to Catelyn Stark, was first seen with Robin Arryn, her 10-year-old son, latched to her breast. Her death  being pushed through the Moon Door  couldn't have come sooner. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 64. Benjen Stark Played by: Joseph Mawle/Matteo Elezi : Joseph Mawle/Matteo Elezi Having gone missing in season one, Benjen returned during season six to save his nephew, Bran. The moment was a surprise to TV watchers  book readers, however, had long speculated that Coldhands was an undead version of the Stark. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 63. Syrio Forel Played by: Miltos Yerolemou : Miltos Yerolemou The ill-fated Syrio's appearance way back in season one was a formative experience for one Arya Stark (Maisie Williams); he's the one who helped her on her way to becoming the vengeful assassin fans know and love today. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 62. Jeor Mormont Played by: James Cosmo : James Cosmo Father of Jorah Mormont, Jeor was an honourable leader of the Night's Watch  perhaps to a fault. After giving Jon Snow the sword Longclaw, Mormont inadvertently showed the Stark bastard that Valerian steel can cut through White Walkers. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 61. Roose Bolton Played by: Michael McElhatton : Michael McElhatton Let's be honest: it's hard to really like as scheming a character as Roose Bolton, the man who orchestrated the violent Red Wedding  the most infamous scene in the show's six-year history that saw the death of Robb, Catelyn and Talisa. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 60. Ellaria Sand Played by: Indira Varma : Indira Varma Ellaria Sand may have been a more enticing creation on the page, but in the series, her screen time regrettably amounts to reacting to loved ones being killed off in increasingly awful ways. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 59. Grand Maester Pycell Played by: Julian Glover : Julian Glover The secretly sprightly Pycell had seen a lot of things in his time, but there's an element of "unfulfilled potential" surrounding Glover's character whose late betrayal of Cersei Lannister saw a grisly end to his life of luxury at King's Landing. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 58. Three-Eyed Raven Played by: Max von Sydow : Max von Sydow Perhaps it was the casting of Max von Sydow that heightened anticipation for the Three-Eyed Raven in the series, but the half-hearted story arc left a lot to be desired. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 57. Gilly Played by: Hannah Murray : Hannah Murray Gilly's long journey from Craster's Keep to Winterfell sounds exciting on paper. But, unfortunately, she has been merely a passenger on Sam's journey for far too long. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 56. Daario Naharis Played by: Michael Huisman : Michael Huisman The man who won the heart of Daenerys Targaryen, only to be left behind in Essos. Ed Skrein originally played the character, but was soon replaced after the actor landed a role in Deadpool. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 55. Shae Played by: Sibel Kekilli : Sibel Kekilli Oh Shea. Her ill-fated betrayal  sleeping with Tywin (Charles Dance)  was a slap in the face not just for lover Tyrion, but the viewer also. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 54. Grey Worm Played by: Jacob Anderson : Jacob Anderson Leader of the Usullied, Grey Worm remains unmoved at all times  unless around Missandei. While their romance can be heartwarming, it's hard to invest in two characters who are so wooden. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 53. Talisa Maegyr Played by: Oona Chaplin : Oona Chaplin To be fair to Robb Stark's wife Talisa, should she have avoided being murdered in arguably the most horrific way during the Red Wedding, she would most likely have been higher on this list. Alas. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 52. Shireen Baratheon Played by: Kerry Ingram : Kerry Ingram All the Greyscale-suffering Shireen ever wanted to do was read stories in her chamber, but due to her impressionable power-hungry father, Stannis, she was tragically reduced to ashes after being sacrificed to the Lord of Light. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 51. Viserys Targaryen Played by: Harry Lloyd : Harry Lloyd Viserys wanted the Iron Throne at any cost, giving away his own sister in exchange for an army. Dany, though, had other plans. Her new husband, Khal Drogo, covering Viserys in molten gold made for one of the show's most memorable death scenes. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 50. Maester Luwin Played by: Donald Sumpter : Donald Sumpter The kindly Maester Luwin was one of the nicest characters in the first few seasons, becoming a stand-in father for Bran and Rickon while the Starks endured horrors elsewhere. He was eventually killed when Ramsay Bolton took over Winterfell. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 49. Thoros of Myr Played by: Paul Kaye : Paul Kaye Thoros spent the majority of his time on the show resurrecting Beric and was most recently seen wielding his flaming sword alongside Jon Snow beyond the wall. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 48. Mance Rayder Played by: Ciaran Hinds : Ciaran Hinds Ciaran Hinds brought an intensity to Mance Rayder, a character who would otherwise have got lost in the crowd. As a result, his death at the hands of Melisandre was unexpectedly affecting. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 47. Podrick Payne Played by: Daniel Portman : Daniel Portman Ever loyal, Podrick Payne has become a fan favourite for being surprisingly brave in the face of adversity. He and Brienne of Tarth make an excellent duo. HBO/Helen Sloan Game of Thrones characters - ranked 46. Euron Greyjoy Played by: Pilou Asbk : Pilou Asbk While Euron Greyjoy may have only joined the show in season six, his presence was immediately felt. A wildcard character, Greyjoy's cut-throat, power-hungry nature has proven exciting to watch. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 45. Jaqen H'ghar Played by: Tom Wlaschiha : Tom Wlaschiha Jaqen H'ghar  one of the Faceless Men of Braavos  had such promise, but ultimately ended up being the one responsible for sapping Arya's story of the energy she'd had seasons before, alongside The Hound (Rory McCann). HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 44. Missandei Played by: Nathalie Emmanuel : Nathalie Emmanuel Missandei has somehow managed to come up trumps within the new world order, being an advisor to Dany. However, her stilted nature can make for some awkward encounters  but at least she and Grey Worm are happy together. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 43. Ygritte Played by: Rose Leslie : Rose Leslie Ygritte  the Wildling lover of Jon Snow  will go down in Thrones lore for providing the series the with oft-quoted famous line: "You know nothing, Jon Snow." Spoken with a northern accent, obviously. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 42. Hot Pie Played by: Ben Hawkey : Ben Hawkey Has an actor ever been more suited to a role? Ben Hawkey, after all, has gone on to run a bakery of his own, even selling Thrones-themed goods. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 41. Walder Frey Played by: David Bradley : David Bradley One of the orchestrators of the Red Wedding, Walder Frey was a lurching, terrifying villain. When Arya unmasks herself and kills the old man, it's a sweet, sweet moment of revenge. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 40. Gendry Baratheon Played by: Joe Dempsie : Joe Dempsie The true heir to the Iron Throne. Gendry may have spent a few seasons rowing out at sea, but his return hints at big things to come for the Baratheon bastard. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 39. Robert Baratheon Played by: Mark Addy : Mark Addy Mark Addy brought a certain gravitas to Robert Baratheon, making him a believably world-weary king. Despite only having a few scenes, his character's presence is still felt on the show thanks to Gendry. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 38. Barristan Selmy Played by: Ian McElhinney : Ian McElhinney After being fired by the Lannisters, Selmy pledged allegiance to Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), bridging the gap between two of the show's key characters. He was also a bloody good warrior. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 37. Yara Greyjoy Played by: Gemma Whelan : Gemma Whelan Lily Allen was initially wanted for the role of Theon's sister. However, she declined: 'I felt uncomfortable because I would have had to go on a horse and he would have touched me up and s***.' Seeing as Allen's brother, Alfie, had already been cast as Theon, it was probably for the best. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 36. Margaery Tyrell Played by: Natalie Dormer : Natalie Dormer Margaery Tyrell was one of Game of Thrones's biggest players, wheedling her way into the Lannister family politics and actually becoming Queen for a spell. Her number was up the moment she made an enemy of Cersei, and her fiery death, while underwhelming, was a huge moment. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 35. Samwell Tarly Played by: John Bradley : John Bradley There's a theory going around that Samwell Tarly, who trains as a maester, is actually the author of the Song of Ice and Fire  AKA the book series. In other words, Sam is George RR Martin. Go figure. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 34. Osha Played by: Natalia Tena : Natalia Tena The underused Osha was our very first wildling, an unpredictable knife-wielding danger to the characters we loved. Her subsequent evolution into Stark servant was interestingly played, which made the fact she was sidelined for multiple seasons, before being brought back just to be unceremoniously offed, a travesty. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 33. Ramsay Bolton Played by: Iwan Rheon : Iwan Rheon Ramsey cut off Theon's penis and sent it to the Greyjoy's father. He imprisoned and raped Sansa Stark. He killed Rickon Stark in front of his brother. And Ramsay eventually died by being fed to his own dogs. A terrifying death for a terrible human. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 32. Night King Played by: Richard Brake, Vladimir Furdik : Richard Brake, Vladimir Furdik The embodiment of evil. Why, exactly, the Night King marches South to destroy mankind remains somewhat a mystery. But, whatever the reason, he's a terrifying foe. Winter has, as the Starks say, finally come. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 31. Beric Dondarrion Played by: Richard Dormer : Richard Dormer Beric danced on the outskirts of the series until its third season when he surfaced as the leader of the Brotherhood Without Banners. His introduction paved the way for the Lord of Light's ability to resurrect the dead, a mystical sub-plot that would become very important for Jon Snow. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 30. Bran Stark Played by: Isaac Hempstead Wright : Isaac Hempstead Wright It says a lot that Bran Stark has become marginally more interesting since he sacrificed his personality in favour of becoming the spiritualistic heart of the series. His role in the final season looks set to be a huge one what with the long-standing theory that he could become the fearsome Night King. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 29. Theon Greyjoy Played by: Alfie Allen : Alfie Allen While Theon starts as a cocky kid, after being neutered by Ramsay he becomes the annoyingly weak Reek. Thankfully, Theon comes back around again in the later seasons, but not without us still hating his guts for not saving Sansa sooner. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 28. The High Sparrow Played by: Jonathan Pryce : Jonathan Pryce While at first a seemingly wise old man, the High Sparrow quickly becomes a tactical villain, using his newfound powers under King Tommen to turn King's Landing into his own domain. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 27. The Mountain Played by: Hafor Julius Bjornsson : Hafor Julius Bjornsson The hulking Clegane brother known as The Mountain  now a zombie-esque servant to Cersei  may not have come face-to-face with lots of characters in the series, but his presence is known by all in Westeros. His biggest moment? Battering poor Oberyn's head into mush. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 26. Khal Drogo Played by: Jason Momoa : Jason Momoa To the world he's now Aquaman, but for a brief time, Jason Momoa was Khal Drogo, the beloved Dothraki husband of his Khaleesi, Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke). HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 25. Jon Snow Played by: Kit Harington : Kit Harington Every show needs a hero, and they do not come more obvious than Jon Snow. Rising from discarded bastard to King of the North, his climb has been one of the show's best storylines. A shame, then, that Snow can be such a bland person, doing only what is right and seemingly having no faults. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 24. Stannis Baratheon Played by: Stephen Dillane : Stephen Dillane With his propensity to make tough decisions for the greater good, Stannis could have been a heroic warrior. However, the Baratheon brother's continual fall from grace  including sacrificing his own daughter and murdering his own brother  were horrendous decisions that eventually doomed him. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 23. Hodor Played by: Kristian Nairn : Kristian Nairn Once you get over the fact that Kristian Nairn was essentially getting paid to repeat the word "Hodor" over and over, it's hard to deny that Bran Stark's protector was a heartwarming addition to the show. His death  the breathtaking "Hold the Door" sequence  will go down as one of the show's most memorable moments. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 22. Tywin Lannister Played by: Charles Dance : Charles Dance Stannis was a horrible father. His two favourite children became incestuous lovers, and he blamed his youngest for the death of his wife. Without Tywin, though, the Lannister family would not be nearly as riveting as they are to watch. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 21. Tormund Giantsbane Played by: Kristofer Hivju : Kristofer Hivju Tormund has some of the best lines in the series, particularly when expressing his admiration for Brienne. Here's one of the least explicit: "I want to make babies with her. Think of it. Great big monsters. They'll conquer the world!" HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 20. Daenerys Targaryen Played by: Emilia Clarke : Emilia Clarke "Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, First of Her Name, the Unburnt, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains, and Mother of Dragons." Every time Dany meets someone new, she forces Missandei to read out her entire CV. I guess everyone would if theirs was as impressive. Dany really has had a great journey to the top  a shame she could not have come to Westeros slightly earlier. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 19. Olenna Tyrell Played by: Dianna Rigg : Dianna Rigg Olenna's scenes were always ones to cherish. The Queen of Thorns was as cunning as the best of them and seemed like she could worm her way out of any situation, all from the comfort of her own chair. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 18. Jorah Mormont Played by: Iain Glen : Iain Glen Poor Ser Jorah. Dany may be 25 years younger than him, but that never stopped the disgraced warrior from loving her. He even fought off Grey Scale to fight by her side. If that's not true love, then what is? HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 17. Davos Seaworth Played by: Liam Cunningham : Liam Cunningham Liam Cunningham's performance as the curt Davos Seaworth has quietly been one of the best things about the series since his introduction. As Jon Snow's kingly advisor, he's recently seen himself thrust into the heart of the series and, simply put, Game of Thrones would be a less enjoyable show without him. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 16. Melisandre Played by: Carice van Houten : Carice van Houten Lest we forget that Melisandre is actually a shrivelled old witch who has been manipulating men for hundreds of years. Her faith in the Lord of Light, though, could very well be misplaced. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 15. Oberyn Played by: Pedro Pascal : Pedro Pascal Few shows can bring in characters midway through their run that have such an impact as Oberyn. The Viper quickly became a fan favourite, and his death remains one of the show's most squirm-inducing moments. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 14. Eddard "Ned" Stark Played by: Sean Bean : Sean Bean Killing off a main character during a show's first season was practically unheard of before Game of Thrones. Yet, as dictated by George RR Martin's books, they cut off Sean Bean's head without a second thought, setting the tone for everything to come. No death has impacted the Thrones quite as much since. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 13. Varys Played by: Conleth Hill : Conleth Hill Early on in the series, it was hard to pin down Varys, a slippery eel of a character who has "little birds" fluttering around Westeros, feeding back crucial information. Going into the final season, his true intentions are clear: he's all for Daenerys taking the Iron Throne, even if he doesn't live to see the day (I have to die in this strange country, just like you," Melisandre prophesied last season). HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 12. Bronn Played by: Jerome Flynn : Jerome Flynn Perhaps the show's best wise-cracking side-kick, Bronn only has one loyalty: money. Paired with either of the Lannister lads, Tyrion or Jaime, Bronn makes for excellent company. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 11. Robb Stark Played by: Richard Madden : Richard Madden Before Bodyguard, Richard Madden was the extremely temporary king of Westeros. Robb was a man of honour, trying to bring light to the Thrones universe. He was a likeable presence who ruled with his heart, an act that ultimately saw him die during the infamous Red Wedding in season three. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 10. Brienne of Tarth Played by: Gwendoline Christie : Gwendoline Christie Brienne is a reassuring force of good in a world filled with scheming layabouts. She's also one of the most deadly. Her time on the series has been spent protecting the likes of Renly Baratheon, Catelyn Stark and Jaime Lannister, the latter of which made for an interesting turn as it put her at odds with her loyalty. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 9. Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish Played by: Aidan Gillen : Aidan Gillen There would be no Game of Thrones without Littlefinger. The silver-tongued manipulator had Jon Arryn killed, setting off a snowball that turned into an avalanche. As smart as he may have been, Littlefinger was finally outplayed by his own pupil, Sansa Stark. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 8. Sansa Stark Played by: Sophie Turner : Sophie Turner Sansa has perhaps had the most interesting story arc of any character on Thrones. Beginning as a cliched annoying teenager, she gradually became a stone-cold killer, capable of holding Winterfell and outsmarting even Littlefinger. With any luck, she could sit upon the Iron Throne when the war is over. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 7. Arya Stark Played by: Maisie Williams : Maisie Williams Arya Stark, arguably the greatest character of the first few seasons, was one of the biggest victims of the series overtaking George RR Martin's source material. Her limited screen time, due to being away from the central action, robbed us of classic moments that we're grateful she's been a part of in an otherwise lacklustre season eight. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 6. Sandor "The Hound" Clegane Played by: Rory McCann : Rory McCann From his regular delivery of the phrase"F** the king" to that chicken scene, The Hound is a reckless creation whose high ranking on this list can be attributed to the searing performance from Rory McCann. Most effective when paired with Arya Stark. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 5. Joffrey Baratheon Played by: Jack Gleeson : Jack Gleeson No character has been as hated by the fandom as Joffrey. His wicked ways and disgusting behaviour haunted the show's first four seasons. You never knew what was going to come next: whether he was about to behead your favourite character or start crying to his mother. It made for thrilling television. But, as The Hound says, "F**k the King". HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 4. Catelyn Stark Played by: Michelle Fairley : Michelle Fairley The lady of Winterfell, Catelyn Stark, became the show's honorary lead after the untimely beheading of her husband, Ned (Sean Bean) at the end of season one. As she tried to take control of spiralling events in the second and third run, Thrones was handed its most resilient character. Michelle Fairley's guttural cry of anguish before meeting her tragic end during the Red Wedding will always be the show's most horrific moment. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 3. Jaime Lannister Played by: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau : Nikolaj Coster-Waldau If the characters above Jaime in this list are the show's greatest characters, Jaime is the show's most disarming. The Lannister brother  the Kingslayer  started the series as a long-haired bad guy of the tallest order, but his humbling over the past few seasons have seen him inch his way into the hearts of viewers. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 2. Tyrion Lannister Played by: Peter Dinklage : Peter Dinklage Blamed for the death of his mother and hated for being a dwarf, Tyrion turned to drink and prostitutes to numb the pain. However, Tyrion has a fierce intellect, capable of outsmarting the toughest enemies (and offering cutting lines that George RR Martin says often take weeks to write). More importantly, despite being betrayed and cast away time and time again, Tyrion selflessly only wants the best for the people of Westeros. A true hero. HBO Game of Thrones characters - ranked 1. Cersei Lannister Played by: Lena Headey : Lena Headey The Mad Queen, alone on the Iron Throne. Cersei has, over the course of seven seasons, seen her three children die, driven her lover/brother away, blown up a church with a half dozen major characters inside, arranged the death of her husband (King Robert) and attempted to have her other brother (Tyrion) killed multiple times. Yet, thanks to Lena Headey's empathetic performance, you still feel sorry for the terrifying Queen of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. As one of the most complicated character to have ever reached television screens, there's no denying her place as the best Thrones character to date. HBO

The final season of Game of Thrones reaches TV screens 14 April. The show will be available on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV in the UK. Read everything you need to know about the forthcoming season here.
Europes ski resorts and mountain communities are under threat as global warming will rob them of their glaciers in the coming decades, a new study has found.

Scientists have warned that even if greenhouse gas emissions are cut dramatically, the warming that has already been locked in will see much of the ice covering the Alps disappear.

If governments take urgent action to curb warming, half of the 4,000 glaciers covering the Alps will still be gone by the middle of the century. This proportion will rise to two thirds by 2100.

In the worst-case scenario in which emissions continue rising at their current rate, the Alps will likely be ice-free by the end of the century.

Dr Harry Zekollari from Delft University of Technology, who led the study, said we are already witnessing ice in the region receding.

We have entered a period in the last 30 years when the glaciers have been massively losing mass, from the 1990s onwards, he told The Independent.

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Children worldwide protest climate change Students protest in Bangalore, India on March 15 EPA "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change A student protests in Lucerne, Switzerland on 15 March EPA "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in London on March 15 AFP/Getty Images "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in Lausanne, Switzerland on March 15 EPA "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in Milan, Italy on March 15 EPA "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in London on March 15 AFP/Getty "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in Lund, Sweden on March 15 AP "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in London on March 15 PA "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change A poster with Greta Thunberg, who began the current children's movement at the protest in Lausanne, Switzerland on March 15 AP "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in Cape Town, South Africa on March 15 EPA "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in London on March 15 PA "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in Canterbury, Kent on March 15 PA "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in London on March 15 PA "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest in Canterbury, Kent on March 15 PA "Act now or swim later" - Children worldwide protest climate change School children protest outside Holyrood in Edinburgh Getty

In their new research, Dr Zekollari and his colleagues created sophisticated new computer models to predict future outcomes for the region in a range of different situations.

While they said it was crucial to maintain warming below 2C if any glaciers are to be preserved, they said even if this target is achieved the region will experience profound changes in the coming years.

This transition will be felt most by the people living in the region or travelling there to make use of its ski resorts.

If you dont have that glacier any more there are going to be fewer possibilities to ski. You can ski on the snow but there is going to be less  as the fact is your glacier is really cold so it is also helping you keep the snow where it is, said Dr Zekollari

Also over the summer the glaciers attract a lot of people; they have a large tourist value in the Alps.

But he said tourism is only a fraction of the economic value provided by these enormous structures, which also serve as vital reservoirs to provide the surrounding area with water.

The loss of these stretches of ice is likely to be felt even more in mountain ranges in other parts of the world, including mountainous nations in South America where water shortages are a real threat.

Glaciers in the European Alps and their recent evolution are some of the clearest indicators of the ongoing changes in climate, said Dr Daniel Farinotti, a senior co-author of the study at ETH Zurich.

The future of these glaciers is indeed at risk, but there is still a possibility to limit their future losses.

The results were published in the journal The Cryosphere and presented at the European Geosciences Union conference in Vienna.
A council will partially remove netting that prevents birds from accessing their nests after flying thousands of miles to their spring breeding grounds in Norfolk, after it came under fire from campaigners.

Sand martins undertake enormous migrations from Africa, and return every year to sandy burrows in the UK in which they lay their eggs and raise chicks.

However, this year their progress has been hampered by nets set up by North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) in a bid to deter the birds and make way for a sandscaping project near the village of Bacton.

Nature experts have highlighted a growing trend in which netting is used by developers in an overly simplistic attempt to keep wildlife away from sites.

The Bacton project will see 1.8 million cubic metres of sand hauled onto nearby beaches to protect a gas terminal and local villages from erosion.

Officials said the measures had been taken to encourage the migrating birds to move elsewhere, and had received approval from Natural England and input from the RSPB.

Environment news in pictures Show all 8 1 /8 Environment news in pictures Environment news in pictures Davos 2019: David Attenborough issues stark warning about future of civilisation as he demands practical solutions to combat climate change Sir David Attenborough has issued a stark warning about climate change to business figures gathered in Davos, telling them that "what we do now...will profoundly affect the next few thousand years". On the eve of this year's World Economic Forum, the renowned naturalist told the audience that the worlds of business and politics should "get on with the practical solutions" needed to prevent environmental damage. "As a species we are expert problem solvers. But we've not yet applied ourselves to this problem with the focus it requires. "We can create a world with clean air and water, unlimited energy, and fish stocks that will sustain us well into the future. But to do that, we need a plan," he said. The broadcaster made his speech after receiving a Crystal Award, which is awarded by the forum to "exceptional cultural leaders". AFP/Getty Environment news in pictures At least 60% of wild coffee species face extinction triggered by climate change and disease Two decades of research have revealed that 60 per cent of the worlds coffee species face extinction due to the combined threats of deforestation, disease and climate change. The wild strain of arabica, the most widely consumed coffee on the planet, is among those now recognised as endangered, raising concerns about its long-term survival. These results are worrying for the millions of farmers around the world who depend on the continued survival of coffee for their livelihoods. As conditions for coffee farming become tougher, scientists predict the industry will need to rely on wild varieties to develop more resilient strains Alan Schaller Environment news in pictures Warming Antarctic waters are speeding the rate at which glaciers are melting The Antarctic ice sheet is losing six times as much ice each year as it was in the 1980s and the pace is accelerating, one of the most comprehensive studies of climate change effects on the continent has shown. More than half an inch has been added to global sea levels since 1979, but if current trends continue it will be responsible for metres more in future, the Nasa-funded study found. The international effort used aerial photos, satellite data and climate models dating back to the 1970s across18 Antarctic regions to get the most complete picture to date on the impacts of the changing climate. It found that between 1979 and 1990 Antarctica lost an average of 40 gigatonnes (40 billion tonnes) of its mass each year. Between 2009 and 2017 it lost an average 252 gigatonnes a year. This has added 3.6mm per decade to sea levels, or around 14mm since 1979, the study shows Nasa/Getty Environment news in pictures Greater Manchester to ban fracking, paving way for confrontation with government over controversial industry Greater Manchester is to effectively ban fracking, raising the prospect of fresh confrontation with the government over the controversial industry. All of the regions 10 councils are to implement planning policies which create a presumption against drilling for shale gas in their areas, Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has announced. Campaigners said the move was the latest sign that the tide was turning against fracking, which has been the subject of multiple legal battles across the country. Critics of fracking say it poses environmental and health risks. Drilling at the UKs only operational fracking site, run by Cuadrilla in Lancashire, has repeatedly been halted due to earth tremors. But ministers support the industry and last year unveiled plans to accelerate the development of new drilling sites Ross Wills Environment news in pictures Japan confirms plan to resume commercial whaling in its waters from next year Japan will resume commercial whaling next year for the first time in more than three decades, in a move that has provoked strong criticism from campaigners and the international community. Chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said his nation would leave the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to resume hunting the marine mammals in Japanese waters. However, he stated the activity would be limited to Japans territory and the 200 mile exclusive economic zone along its coasts. This means controversial scientific trips to Antarctica in which Japanese vessels killed hundreds of whales, as well as activity in the northwest Pacific, will stop in 2019 AP Environment news in pictures COP24: Environmental groups criticise morally unacceptable climate deal reached after major Poland summit Diplomats from around the world have agreed a major climate deal after two weeks of United Nations talks in Poland. But climate campaigners warned the deal  effectively a set of rules for how to govern the 2015 Paris climate accord  agreed between almost 200 countries lacked ambition or a clear promise of enhanced climate action. Activists cautiously welcomed elements of the plan, saying important progress had been made on ensuring that efforts to tackle climate change by individual nations can be measured and compared. But environmental groups were also highly critical of the agreement, warning it lacked ambition and clarity on key issues, including financing for climate projects for developing countries. The COP24 deal, which is aimed at providing firm guidelines for countries on how to transparently report their greenhouse gas emissions and their efforts to reduce them, was confirmed on 15 December, after talks overran Reuters Environment news in pictures Unprecedented changes needed to stop global warming as UN report reveals islands starting to vanish and coral reefs dying Greenhouse gas emissions must be cut almost in half by 2030 to avert global environmental catastrophe, including the total loss of every coral reef, the disappearance of Arctic ice and the destruction of island communities, a landmark UN report has concluded. Drawing on more than 6,000 scientific studies and compiled over two years, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) findings, released this morning, warn enormous and rapid changes to the way everyone on Earth eats, travels and produces energy need to be brought in immediately. Though the scientists behind the report said there is cause for optimism, they recognised the grim reality that nations are currently nowhere near on track to avert disaster AFP/Getty Environment news in pictures Africas three biggest elephant poaching cartels exposed using DNA from illegal ivory shipments DNA taken from massive shipments of ivory has been used to identify the three largest wildlife trafficking gangs operating at the height of Africas elephant poaching epidemic. Ivory tends to be shipped around the world from African ports in bulk, and scientists have used genetic evidence gleaned from intercepted batches to reveal their origins. Led by Dr Samuel Wasser from the University of Washington, they traced a number of these shipments to three cartels operating out of Kenya, Uganda and Togo. Evidence collected by Dr Wasser has already helped convict ivory kingpin Feisal Mohamed Ali, and as his team joins the dots between shipments they plan to shore up the cases against more of the continents most prolific smugglers Art Wolfe

However, the nature group said the councils actions did not reflect its recommendations.

The decision by North Norfolk District Council to net the cliffs at Bacton does not follow the advice previously given by the RSPB, nor indeed the councils own plans for this site, said a spokesperson for the group.

We are now calling on the council to remove the nets so that sand martins can return to their nest sites after their long flight from Africa.

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The alarm was raised by local wildlife enthusiasts who captured footage of sand martins apparently distressed, attempting to access their burrows but being blocked by nets.

The council has been forced to dedicate an option on its telephone system to deal with enquiries about the netting, and said yesterday it will remove the upper levels of the netting, following talks with the RSPB and Natural England.

It added: Minimum levels will be retained to assist in progressing with this critical project to protect peoples homes and national infrastructure.

Following this, ongoing discussions will take place between NNDC and the RSPB about the material to be used on the lower section of cliff to allow this to happen.

In recent months, people have begun reporting sightings across the nation of trees and hedgerows covered in netting.

While the nets are intended as a measure by developers to protect birds by preventing them from nesting in vegetation set for destruction, experts have warned there is a real risk of animals becoming tangled in them.

A joint statement issued by the RSPB and the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management said the nets were a simplistic approach that had become more prominent recently.

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They urged professional ecologists to think very carefully before recommending netting and for developers to consider the potential negative impact on wildlife and local communities.

On Monday, communities secretary James Brokenshire wrote to leading developers to remind them of their legal obligation to consider the impact of a project on local wildlife.

Developments should enhance natural environments, not destroy them. Netting trees and hedgerows is only likely to be appropriate where it is genuinely needed to protect birds from harm during development, he said.

I hope developers will take these words on board and play their full role to make sure we can deliver new communities in an environmentally sustainable way.

In response, Andrew Whitaker of the Home Builders Federation said the industry was committed to supporting and enhancing biodiversity, proactively protecting wildlife and providing an overall increase in the number of trees.
The largest party in Norways parliament has delivered a significant blow to the countrys huge oil industry after withdrawing support for explorative drilling off the Lofoten islands in the Arctic, which are considered a natural wonder.

The move, by the opposition Labour party, creates a large parliamentary majority against oil exploration in the sensitive offshore area, illustrating growing opposition to the polluting fossil fuel, which has made the country one of the worlds most affluent.

The country currently pumps out over 1.6 million barrels of oil a day from its offshore operations.

Norways largest oil producer, the state-controlled company Equinor ASA, has said gaining access to oil supplies in Lofoten is essential for the country to maintain production levels.

It is thought there are between 1 billion to 3 billion barrels of oil beneath the seabed off the Lofoten archipelago. The area had already been kept off limits for years by Norways coalition government through various political deals.

Lofoten Islands - Norway's natural wonder Show all 10 1 /10 Lofoten Islands - Norway's natural wonder Lofoten Islands - Norway's natural wonder The northern lights above Hamnoya, a fishing village in the Lofoten Islands Getty Lofoten Islands - Norway's natural wonder Reine Village, in the Lofoten Islands, Norway Getty Lofoten Islands - Norway's natural wonder The football pitch at Henningsvaer is one of the world's most remote Getty Lofoten Islands - Norway's natural wonder Henningsvaer, a fishing port in the Lofoten Islands Getty Lofoten Islands - Norway's natural wonder The northern lights above Hamnoya, a fishing village in the Lofoten Islands Getty Lofoten Islands - Norway's natural wonder Reine Village, in the Lofoten Islands, Norway Getty Lofoten Islands - Norway's natural wonder Henningsvaer, population 500, in the Lofoten Islands Getty Lofoten Islands - Norway's natural wonder The view from Reinebringen, a mountain in the Lofoten Islands Getty Lofoten Islands - Norway's natural wonder Henningsvaer, population 500, in the Lofoten Islands Getty Lofoten Islands - Norway's natural wonder Henningsvaer, a fishing port in the Lofoten Islands Getty

The whole industry is surprised and disappointed, Karl Eirik Schjott-Pedersen, head of the Norwegian Oil and Gas Association told Bloomberg. It does not provide the predictability we depend on.

Labours opposition, announced by its leader, Jonas Gahr Store, exposes a rift in the party as the leadership tries to reflect the populations rising environmental concerns, while also aiming to support workers unions in the oil industry, which have been major backers of the party.

Mr Store said his party would continue to support the oil industry, but has also said he wants oil firms in the country to commit to a deadline for making all operations emissions free.

Norways biggest oil union, Industry Energy, which has been a long-time ally of Labour, has attacked the partys new stance on drilling in Lofoten, which comes less than two years after an internal party compromise on the issue.

It creates imbalances in the policy discussions for an industry thats dependent on a long-term perspective and we cant accept that, Frode Alfheim, the unions leader, told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Theres probably a lot of people in the industry who are wondering what Labour actually stands for.

The move comes days after Norways government gave the go-ahead on Friday for its $1trillion (760bn) oil fund  the worlds largest sovereign wealth fund  to invest in renewable energy projects not listed on stock markets.

Billions are expected to be spent on wind and solar power projects.

It is the latest indication that wealth accumulated through fossil fuels is being redirected towards future profits in renewable energy. Greater numbers of industries and countries have begun fossil fuel divestment strategies, citing future risks to their business and economic models.

Last month Norways oil fund said it would no longer invest in 134 companies which explore for oil and gas, but would retain stakes in large oil firms including BP and Shell, which have renewable energy divisions.
A maternity hospital has shared a graph of Easter eggs depicting cervix dilation to help people understand what happens during birth.

The graph, which was created by the parenting blog KalmaBaby, was shared by the hospital Royal Devon and Exeter Maternity Services on Facebook  and has since gone viral.

The hospital captioned the graph, which compares 1cm dilated to the Mini egg, 6cm dilated to the Kinder Surprise egg, and 10cm dilated to the size of the Cadbury egg: For all the chocoholics out there a good way of knowing how dilated the cervix is in labour.

According to KalmaBaby, they decided to create the unique graph as a fun way of combining Easter and pregnancy  as spring is a time of life and growing.

The graph explains that before reaching a fully-dilated 10cm cervix, at which point the baby can pass through, a woman must dilate past the sizes of smaller chocolate eggs  including the 2cm Lindt egg and 5cm Boiled egg.

Meghan Markle's best pregnancy looks Show all 11 1 /11 Meghan Markle's best pregnancy looks Meghan Markle's best pregnancy looks 14 January 2019 In an unusual style choice for the Duchess, who traditionally favours neutral hues, this ensemble offers a vibrant twist on the colour-blocking trend with a red Sentaler coat, matching heels and a bright purple Aritzia dress. It was a playful choice for the royal couple's visit to Birkenhead Town Hall. Getty Images Meghan Markle's best pregnancy looks 30 January 2019 The Duchess wore head-to-toe blush for her visit to the National Theatre, where she is now a patron. The ensemble is by US designer Brandon Maxwell but the suede shoes are Aquazurra. Getty Images Meghan Markle's best pregnancy looks 1 February 2019 Oscar de la Renta can do no wrong when it comes to flirty patterned dresses. This theatrical bird and rose-covered number was an apt choice for the Duchess; visit to Bristol Old Vic. AFP/Getty Images Meghan Markle's best pregnancy looks 7 February 2019 This Givenchy skirt offers some pizzazz thanks to its knee-high slit and its flattering waistline. Markle paired the look Aquazzura mules and a white collared shirt. Getty Images Meghan Markle's best pregnancy looks 12 February 2019 Who said you couldn't wear all-white everything? Markle paired her turtleneck Calvin Klein dress with an Amanda Wakeley coat for a gala performance at the Natural History Museum. Getty Images Meghan Markle's best pregnancy looks 23 February 2019 The Duchess was a lady in red for her visit to Casablanca, Morocco in this bespoke Valentino midi-dress, which she paired with nude court heels and a matching clutch. Getty Images Meghan Markle's best pregnancy looks 24 February 2019 Markle arrived at a reception hosted by the British Ambassador to Morocco in this full-coverage caped gown by Dior, which came in an opulent shade of champagne. Getty Images Meghan Markle's best pregnancy looks 25 February 2019 This billowing Carolina Herrera dress was the perfect choice for the Duchess' outing to brace the balmy climes of Rabat, Morocco, where she'd been visiting King Mohammed VI of Morocco with Prince Harry. This hypnotic sea blue gown was a custom-made number, obviously. Getty Images Meghan Markle's best pregnancy looks 8 March 2019 Proving that maternity hemlines needn't be restricted to one's ankles, Markle stepped out in this 1960s-inspired shift dress by high street label, Reiss. Paired with a black blazer and a pair of matching Manolo Blahnik pumps, it was a classic but delightfully retro look. AFP/Getty Images Meghan Markle's best pregnancy looks 11 March 2019 The Duchess has a penchant for rich emerald green hues, and this ensemble exemplifies just how suited the shade is to her complexion. The outfit was designed by Erdem, which was a symbolic choice given she wore the Canadian designer's pieces to a Commonwealth Day Youth Event at Canada House in London. Getty Images Meghan Markle's best pregnancy looks 11 March 2019 For the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey, the Duchess wore a cream chain-print dress by Victoria Beckham, which made its runway debut just a few weeks ago at London Fashion Week. The look was topped off with a matching pillbox hat, emerald green stilettos and a satin clutch. Getty Images

Also illustrated is 7cm, the size of a Milkybar egg, the 8cm Buttons egg, and 9cm Rolo egg.

On Facebook, where the chocolate-oriented graph has received more than 12,000 comments and 5,000 shares, people have enjoyed the helpful depiction.

Wow and Ive done that six times, the cervix is amazing and this post has definitely not put me off chocolate eggs, one person wrote.

Others tagged pregnant women who may find the visual useful.

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I dont want to put you off your chocolate but this may help to mentally prepare you when the time comes, one woman wrote to a friend.
Burger Kings new plant-based Whopper has an unlikely fan in the form of a senior US meat industry lobbyist, who has urged livestock farmers not to underestimate the rise of vegan alternatives.

The fast food chain launched its meat-free burger, dubbed the Impossible Whopper, earlier this month at 59 stores in St Louis, Missouri, with the intention of rolling it out at all 7,200 Burger Kings if it proves popular.

Following the launch, Eric Bohl, director of public affairs and advocacy for Missouri Farm Bureau, the states largest farm organisation, wrote an online review in which he praised the product created by Californian start-up company, Impossible Foods.

If I didnt know what I was eating, I would have no idea it was not beef, he wrote.

According to Impossible Foods, the Whopper has been purposefully designed so that it bleeds like a traditional burger.

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Bohl said the differences in taste between it and a normal meat-based Whopper were pretty minor.

If farmers and ranchers think we can mock and dismiss these products as a passing fad, were kidding ourselves," he added.

"This is not just another disgusting tofu burger that only a dedicated hippie could convince himself to eat.

(Getty Images)

Bohl continued: Farmers and ranchers need to take notice and get ready to compete. Ive tasted it with my own mouth, and this fake meat is ready for prime time.

In a follow-up post in which he stresses that now is the time to fight for animal agriculture, Bohl described the Impossible Whopper as a wake-up call to the meat industry.

Recommended I went vegan for a year and this is why I stopped

The makers of these new products have one goal: to eliminate animal agriculture. Their products are real, theyre here now, and many more are in the pipeline, he added.

 Burger King Whopper prank advert explains net neutrality

Impossible Foods is backed by Microsoft founder Bill Gates. The company, which makes its famous plant-based burgers with wheat, potato protein and heme, aims to eliminate meat production altogether, as it says in its mission statement: Were making meat using plants, so that we never have to use animals again.
Cheese and wine may soon be more expensive for Americans as a result of the Trump administrations recent tariff proposal.

On Monday, the US Trade Representative (USTR) proposed tariffs on up to $11bn (8.4bn) worth of European products, ranging from seafood and jams to aircraft and mechanical wall clocks.

The 14-page proposal also includes nearly two pages for the various cheeses that would be subjected to the tax, such as Cheddar, Stilton, Pecorino, Swiss, Gruyere, and Roquefort.

On page six and seven of the proposed tariffs, wines of fresh grapes and sparkling wine are listed by alcoholic strength by volume and container size.

Other food items on the list include oysters, lobster, olives, olive oil, yoghurt and citrus fruits such as limes, lemons, grapefruit, oranges, and clementines.

While the proposed tariffs, which will be subject to arbitration at the World Trade Organisation this summer, threaten to increase goods prices for the European Union, they could also impact prices for customers in the US - as similar tariffs have done in the past.

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In September 2018, President Trump imposed a 10 per cent tax on $200bn (152bn) worth of Chinese goods.

At the time, analysts as well as retailers such as Walmart, Macys and Target warned the result of the tariffs would be price increases for consumers.

The immediate impact will be to raise prices on consumers and tax American business and manufacturers, Sarah F Thorn, a senior director for global government affairs at Walmart wrote in a letter.

In response to the Chinese tariffs put in place, brands such as Pepsi and Coca-Cola raised their prices.

The Trump administrations latest round of tariffs may also result in retaliatory tariffs on American products.

Last year, after the US imposed levies on steel and aluminium imports from the EU and other allies, the EU responded by imposing tariffs on $2.4bn (2.8bn) worth of US goods, including bourbon whiskey, and orange juice.

At the time, the BBC reported that Rick Helfenbein, president and CEO of the American Apparel & Footwear Association said the average family of four in the US would pay at least an extra $500 a year to buy consumer products affected by the tariffs.

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The Independent has contacted the US Trade Representative for comment.
Life could be evolving right this minute on planets not all that far away, scientists have said.

Those mysterious worlds that are orbiting around stars just next door could serve as homes for life, despite the harsh environments that could be found there, they say.

Rocky exoplanets that look like our own have been a continual source of excitement about extraterrestrial life ever since they were discovered. But those hopes have been tempered by the harsh environments on those worlds, many of which are being bombarded by intense amount of radiation.

Proxima-b, for instance, is only 4.24 light years away, and looks similar to Earth. But it is also being hit by 250 times more X-ray radiation than we are, and the levels of ultraviolet radiation there could be deadly.

But a new paper suggests that it is possible to withstand such a bombardment. And their evidence is ourselves  humans have managed to flourish despite being hit by that kind of environment in the past.

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

Astronomers Lisa Kaltenegger and Jack OMalley-James say that life on Earth arrived during a volley of radiation that is even more intense than seen on Proxima-b and other nearby exoplanets.

Recommended More than 100 new exoplanets found

Around 4 billion years ago, the world is what the researchers describe as a hot mess. But it was at that same time that life managed to find a way to start up and flourish.

That means that other nearby planets could be seeing the same process. All of the four nearby exoplanets that are potentially habitable  Proxima-b, TRAPPIST-1e, Ross-128b and LHS-1140b  were studied and examined to compare with the Earth both now and in the past.

They found that the modelled planets were receiving far more UV radiation than is being emitted by our own sun today. But it is also significantly less than the Earth was receiving 3.9 billion years ago.

Given that the early Earth was inhabited, the researchers wrote, we show that UV radiation should not be a limiting factor for the habitability of planets orbiting M stars. Our closest neighbouring worlds remain intriguing targets for the search for life beyond our solar system.
China is considering a ban on bitcoin mining in the country in response to environmental concerns about the creation process of the cryptocurrency.

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) in China, which acts as the country's economic planning agency, announced a revised list of 450 industrial activities that it hopes to either encourage or eliminate, with cryptocurrency mining among those earmarked to be phased out.

There is no set timetable for bitcoin mining to be eliminated and a public consultation will be open until 7 May. If implemented it could have a profound impact on the bitcoin network, as China is home to the majority of global bitcoin mining operations.

Chinas cheap energy, which is largely powered by coal-fuelled power plants, make it a profitable location for bitcoin mining - the process of generating new units of the cryptocurrency by solving complex computational puzzles.

Current estimates suggest bitcoin mining consumes more electricity than the entire nation of Ireland, which climate scientists say could push global warming above 2C in just two decades.

Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Satoshi Nakamoto creates the first bitcoin block in 2009 On 3 January, 2009, the genesis block of bitcoin appeared. It came less than a year after the pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto detailed the cryptocurrency in a paper titled 'Bitcoin: A peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System' Reuters Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin is used as a currency for the first time On 22 May, 2010, the first ever real-world bitcoin transaction took place. Lazlo Hanyecz bought two pizzas for 10,000 bitcoins  the equivalent of $90 million at today's prices Lazlo Hanyecz Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Silk Road opens for business Bitcoin soon gained notoriety for its use on the dark web. The Silk Road marketplace, established in 2011, was the first of hundreds of sites to offer illegal drugs and services in exchange for bitcoin Screenshot Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures The first bitcoin ATM appears On 29 October, 2013, the first ever bitcoin ATM was installed in a coffee shop in Vancouver, Canada. The machine allowed people to exchange bitcoins for cash Reuters Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures The fall of MtGox The world's biggest bitcoin exchange, MtGox, filed for bankruptcy in February 2014 after losing almost 750,000 of its customers bitcoins. At the time, this was around 7 per cent of all bitcoins and the market inevitably crashed Getty Images Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Would the real Satoshi Nakamoto please stand up In 2015, Australian police raided the home of Craig Wright after the entrepreneur claimed he was Satoshi Nakamoto. He later rescinded the claim Getty Images Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin's big split On 1 August, 2017, an unresolvable dispute within the bitcoin community saw the network split. The fork of bitcoin's underlying blockchain technology spawned a new cryptocurrency: Bitcoin cash Reuters Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin's price sky rockets Towards the end of 2017, the price of bitcoin surged to almost $20,000. This represented a 1,300 per cent increase from its price at the start of the year Reuters Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures What goes up... Bitcoin price crashes spectacularly, losing half of its value in a matter of days Getty Images Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin plunges The cryptocurrency eventually bottoms out below $4,000 in 2019 before slowly rebuilding momentum to outperform more traditional assets Getty Images

The loss of mining operations in China could have a significant impact on bitcoin's price, with experts suggesting it could be positive news for bitcoin investors.

"If this ban does end up happening, it is more likely to push bitcoin prices up than down," Mati Cgreenspan, a market analyst at the online trading platform eToro, told The Independent.

"The loss of cheap Chinese electricity would raise the mining cost, which is net positive on price."

Other experts pointed to the effect the ban would have on bitcoin's global infrastructure.

"If local authorities begin targeting mining farms, this could have a substantial impact on bitcoins global infrastructure," said Matt Hawkins, CEO of mining software company Cudo Miner.

"People talk a lot about the risks of a 51 per cent attack, but the problem with accumulating so much centralised hash power in areas such as China is that  should it be turned off  the bitcoin networks performance will be harmed."
Scientists have created a quantum device that allows them to predict alternative realities.

The complex computer is able to look at various "futures", allowing them to see the various possibilities that are available at any given moment.

While the computer is at the moment relatively limited, the researchers behind it say it could "scale without bound", and bring unimagined new possibilities.

Any decision could go a variety of different ways, and choosing one means picking from a whole array of different futures. The new device harnesses some of the most mysterious parts of our understanding of the universe to allow us to peak at those futures, seeing the possibilites that will follow from any one event.

For now, that does not mean being able to look into the future and see the lottery results. Instead, it focuses at the smallest scale, allowing the scientists to simulate 16 different timelines for most photons or packets of light.

Science news in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Science news in pictures Science news in pictures Pluto has 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen Pluto has a 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen that is doing strange things to its surface, Nasa has found. The mysterious core seems to be the cause of features on its surface that have fascinated scientists since they were spotted by Nasa's New Horizons mission. "Before New Horizons, everyone thought Pluto was going to be a netball - completely flat, almost no diversity," said Tanguy Bertrand, an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center and the lead author on the new study. "But it's completely different. It has a lot of different landscapes and we are trying to understand what's going on there." Getty Science news in pictures Over 400 species discovered this year by Natural History Museum The ancient invertabrate worm-like species rhenopyrgus viviani (pictured) is one of over 400 species previously unknown to science that were discovered by experts at the Natural History Museum this year PA Science news in pictures Jackdaws can identify 'dangerous' humans Jackdaws can identify dangerous humans from listening to each others warning calls, scientists say. The highly social birds will also remember that person if they come near their nests again, according to researchers from the University of Exeter. In the study, a person unknown to the wild jackdaws approached their nest. At the same time scientists played a recording of a warning call (threatening) or contact calls (non-threatening). The next time jackdaws saw this same person, the birds that had previously heard the warning call were defensive and returned to their nests more than twice as quickly on average. Getty Science news in pictures Turtle embryos influence sex by shaking The sex of the turtle is determined by the temperatures at which they are incubated. Warm temperatures favour females. But by wiggling around the egg, embryos can find the Goldilocks Zone which means they are able to shield themselves against extreme thermal conditions and produce a balanced sex ratio, according to the new study published in Current Biology journal Ye et al/Current Biology Science news in pictures Elephant poaching rates drop in Africa African elephant poaching rates have dropped by 60 per cent in six years, an international study has found. It is thought the decline could be associated with the ivory trade ban introduced in China in 2017. Reuters Science news in pictures Ancient four-legged whale discovered in Peru Scientists have identified a four-legged creature with webbed feet to be an ancestor of the whale. Fossils unearthed in Peru have led scientists to conclude that the enormous creatures that traverse the planets oceans today are descended from small hoofed ancestors that lived in south Asia 50 million years ago A. Gennari Science news in pictures Animal with transient anus discovered A scientist has stumbled upon a creature with a transient anus that appears only when it is needed, before vanishing completely. Dr Sidney Tamm of the Marine Biological Laboratory could not initially find any trace of an anus on the species. However, as the animal gets full, a pore opens up to dispose of waste Steven G Johnson Science news in pictures Giant bee spotted Feared extinct, the Wallace's Giant bee has been spotted for the first time in nearly 40 years. An international team of conservationists spotted the bee, that is four times the size of a typical honeybee, on an expedition to a group of Indonesian Islands Clay Bolt Science news in pictures New mammal species found inside crocodile Fossilised bones digested by crocodiles have revealed the existence of three new mammal species that roamed the Cayman Islands 300 years ago. The bones belonged to two large rodent species and a small shrew-like animal New Mexico Museum of Natural History Science news in pictures Fabric that changes according to temperature created Scientists at the University of Maryland have created a fabric that adapts to heat, expanding to allow more heat to escape the body when warm and compacting to retain more heat when cold Faye Levine, University of Maryland Science news in pictures Baby mice tears could be used in pest control A study from the University of Tokyo has found that the tears of baby mice cause female mice to be less interested in the sexual advances of males Getty Science news in pictures Final warning to limit "climate catastrophe" The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a report which projects the impact of a rise in global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius and warns against a higher increase Getty Science news in pictures Nobel prize for evolution chemists The nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to three chemists working with evolution. Frances Smith is being awarded the prize for her work on directing the evolution of enzymes, while Gregory Winter and George Smith take the prize for their work on phage display of peptides and antibodies Getty/AFP Science news in pictures Nobel prize for laser physicists The nobel prize for physics has been awarded to three physicists working with lasers. Arthur Ashkin (L) was awarded for his "optical tweezers" which use lasers to grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells. Donna Strickland and Gerard Mourou were jointly awarded the prize for developing chirped-pulse amplification of lasers Reuters/AP Science news in pictures Discovery of a new species of dinosaur The Ledumahadi Mafube roamed around 200 million years ago in what is now South Africa. Recently discovered by a team of international scientists, it was the largest land animal of its time, weighing 12 tons and standing at 13 feet. In Sesotho, the South African language of the region in which the dinosaur was discovered, its name means "a giant thunderclap at dawn" Viktor Radermacher / SWNS Science news in pictures Birth of a planet Scientists have witnessed the birth of a planet for the first time ever. This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the very act of formation around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet stands clearly out, visible as a bright point to the right of the center of the image, which is blacked out by the coronagraph mask used to block the blinding light of the central star. ESO/A. Muller et al Science news in pictures New human organ discovered that was previously missed by scientists Layers long thought to be dense, connective tissue are actually a series of fluid-filled compartments researchers have termed the interstitium. These compartments are found beneath the skin, as well as lining the gut, lungs, blood vessels and muscles, and join together to form a network supported by a mesh of strong, flexible proteins Getty Science news in pictures Previously unknown society lived in Amazon rainforest before Europeans arrived, say archaeologists Working in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, a team led by archaeologists at the University of Exeter unearthed hundreds of villages hidden in the depths of the rainforest. These excavations included evidence of fortifications and mysterious earthworks called geoglyphs Jose Iriarte Science news in pictures One in 10 people have traces of cocaine or heroin on fingerprints, study finds More than one in 10 people were found to have traces of class A drugs on their fingers by scientists developing a new fingerprint-based drug test. Using sensitive analysis of the chemical composition of sweat, researchers were able to tell the difference between those who had been directly exposed to heroin and cocaine, and those who had encountered it indirectly. Getty Science news in pictures Nasa releases stunning images of Jupiter's great red spot The storm bigger than the Earth, has been swhirling for 350 years. The image's colours have been enhanced after it was sent back to Earth. Pictures by: Tom Momary

But the quantum principles underlying the discovery could be applied at a much larger scale, they have noted, and are a demonstration of the vast and unknown possibilities that await in quantum computing.

Dr Mile Gu, one of the scientists from Nanyang Technical University (NTU) in Singapore, said: "When we think about the future, we are confronted by a vast array of possibilities.

"These possibilities grow exponentially as we go deeper into the future. For instance, even if we have only two possibilities to choose from each minute, in less than half an hour there are 14 million possible futures.

"In less than a day, the number exceeds the number of atoms in the universe."

His research group realised that, at a much smaller scale, a quantum computer can examine all possible futures of a decision process.

It does this by placing them in a quantum "superposition" - a kind of limbo in which different potential states occur simultaneously.

Only when the system is observed or disturbed does it "collapse" into one state or another.

This fundamental pillar of quantum mechanics was illustrated by the famous "Schroedinger's Cat" thought experiment, in which a cat is neither dead nor alive but a superposition of both states.

It also gave rise to the "many worlds" hypothesis - the idea that a myriad universes co-exist in parallel in which different fates are played out.

In the new study, potential future outcomes of a decision process were represented by the locations of photons.

The scientists showed that a superposition of multiple potential futures was weighted by the probability of one or other occurring when the system collapsed.

The machine has already demonstrated one application - measuring how much our bias towards a specific choice in the present impacts the future.

Lead researcher Farzad Ghafari, a PhD student at Griffith University in Australia, said: "Our approach is to synthesise a quantum superposition of all possible futures for each bias.

"Many current artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms learn by seeing how small changes in their behaviour can lead to different future outcomes, so our techniques may enable quantum enhanced AIs to learn the effect of their actions much more efficiently."

The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, was inspired by the late Nobel Laureate theoretical physicist Richard Feynman.

He was the first to realise that when a subatomic particle travels from point A to point B, it does not necessarily choose a single path. Instead, it simultaneously follows all the possible paths connecting the points.

Dr Jayne Thompson, a member of the Singapore team, said: "Our work extends this phenomenon and harnesses it for modelling statistical futures."

While the prototype device simulates no more than 16 futures, the underlying quantum algorithm could in principle "scale without bound", said the researchers.

Professor Geoff Pryde, who was in charge of the Griffiths group, said: "This is what makes the field so exciting.

"It is very much reminiscent of classical computers in the 1960s. Just as few could imagine the many uses of classical computers in the 1960s, we are still very much in the dark about what quantum computers can do."

Additional reporting by Press Association
Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke has shared previously unseen photographs taken in hospital after suffering from brain injury.

Last month, Clarke, who portrays protagonist Daenerys Targaryen on the hit HBO television show, revealed in an essay written for The New Yorker that she suffered two brain aneurysms which required surgery.

The 32-year-old explained that the first brain aneurysm had occurred in February 2011, shortly after filming for the first season of the show had finished.

This week, Clarke spoke in detail about her health scare on CBS Sunday Morning, and shared pictures that were taken while she was receiving care in hospital.

In one of the photographs, the actor is lying in a hospital bed holding her phone, with the red dragon sigil for House Targaryen visible on the back of her phone case.

Emilia Clarke shares unseen photos from hospital after suffering brain aneurysms (CBS Sunday Morning/YouTube)

In another picture, the star is looking at the camera with a medical tube attached to her head.

Clarke first realised that she was experiencing some sort of brain injury while at the gym, when she started to feel "excruciating pain" in her head, she told the American talk show.

The Me Before You actor likened the pain to "an elastic band [that] just went like snap".

Emilia Clarke wrote about suffering brain aneurysms for an article in The New Yorker (CBS Sunday Morning/YouTube)

Clarke said she suddenly felt an "enormous amount of pressure", before quickly realising that she was unable to stand or walk.

"And in that moment I knew I was being brain damaged," the Emmy Award nominee added.

When Clarke was rushed to hospital following the first brain aneurysm, she was informed she had suffered a subarachnoid haemorrhage.

A subarachnoid haemorrhage is an uncommon form of stroke caused by bleeding on the brain, the NHS states.

Emilia Clarke described the pain like 'an elastic band just went like snap' (CBS Sunday Morning/YouTube)

Following the publication of her essay in The New Yorker, Clarke launched a charity called SameYou.

The aim of the charity is to provide support for young adults who have suffered from brain injury and stroke.

Clarke said she plans on putting her "heart, soul and back" into improving aftercare for those recovering from brain injury.

The actor added that she also wants to raise awareness for the "invisible disease that is brain injury".

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Donald Trump said the US will impose tariffs on $11bn (8.4bn) of EU goods including cheddar cheese, aircraft parts and motorbikes, in retaliation for European subsidies supporting Airbus.

The US president tweeted on Tuesday: The World Trade Organisation finds that the European Union subsidies to Airbus has adversely impacted the United States, which will now put Tariffs on $11bn of EU products! The EU has taken advantage of the US on trade for many years. It will soon stop!

Late on Monday the US Trade Representative (USTR) released a list of items that it wanted to hit with import charges ahead of an expected decision on the matter by the WTO this summer. The WTO has previously said that subsidies for Airbus have an adverse impact on the US.

The move marks an escalation in tensions between Mr Trumps administration and the EU. While the value of the goods is a relatively small proportion of trade between the US and Europe, new tariffs would suggest that talks have broken down, signalling wider concerns for the global economy.

Goods to be targeted include salmon fillets, cheeses including stilton, roquefort and gruyere, virgin olive oil, cashmere sweaters and mechanical wall clocks.

US and EU representatives have been negotiating since last year about how to resolve a 14-year dispute over aircraft subsidies for Boeing and Airbus. Both sides have used billions of dollars from government budgets to gain a competitive advantage.

Following news of potential US action on tariffs, the EU started preparing to retaliate over Boeing subsidies, an EU official told Reuters on Tuesday.

US trade representative Robert Lighthizer said time has come for action on Airbus subsidies. The administration is preparing to respond immediately when the WTO issues its finding on the value of US countermeasures, he said.

Our ultimate goal is to reach an agreement with the EU to end all WTO-inconsistent subsidies to large civil aircraft. When the EU ends these harmful subsidies, the additional US duties imposed in response can be lifted.

It is the latest example of Mr Trumps combative style on trade policy. Last year, the US started charging import levies on steel and aluminium from allies including the EU.

The EU retaliated with tariffs on on 2.8bn (2.4bn) worth of US goods on products including orange juice, bourbon whiskey and motorcycles.

The US is also involved in a much larger tit-for-tat trade dispute with China that has resulted in tariffs being imposed on more than $500bn of goods.
Hundreds of children could be withdrawn from a Birmingham primary school that is facing daily protests from families who oppose LGBT+ lessons.

Anderton Park Primary is the second school in the city to face demonstrations from parents who argue that their children are too young to learn about families with same-sex parents.

Now the protest organisers are threatening to take 400 children out of class amid an escalating row over equality lessons. The protesting parents want the headteacher to resign.

Shakeel Afsar, whose niece and nephew attend the school, said a mass withdrawal could take place if the school refuses to suspend teaching about two mummies or two daddies.

Parkfield Community School, another primary school in Birmingham, suspended its No Outsiders programme, which uses story books to teach about same-sex couples, after hundreds of parents reportedly withdrew their children from class amid weekly protests.

"No to No Outsiders" - protests against LGBT rights teaching Show all 10 1 /10 "No to No Outsiders" - protests against LGBT rights teaching "No to No Outsiders" - protests against LGBT rights teaching Parents and protesters outside of the Parkfield Community School in Birmingham where the 'No Outsiders' programme teaches children about LGBT rights Getty "No to No Outsiders" - protests against LGBT rights teaching Parents, children and protesters outside of the Parkfield Community School in Birmingham where the 'No Outsiders' programme teaches children about LGBT rights Getty "No to No Outsiders" - protests against LGBT rights teaching Child protesters hold signs against the 'No Outsiders' programme Getty "No to No Outsiders" - protests against LGBT rights teaching Parents and protesters outside of the Parkfield Community School in Birmingham where the 'No Outsiders' programme teaches children about LGBT rights Getty "No to No Outsiders" - protests against LGBT rights teaching A sign outside the Parkfield Community School reads "we are a UNICEF gold rights respecting school" Getty "No to No Outsiders" - protests against LGBT rights teaching Parents and protesters outside of the Parkfield Community School in Birmingham where the 'No Outsiders' programme teaches children about LGBT rights Getty "No to No Outsiders" - protests against LGBT rights teaching A child protester holds a sign against the 'No Outsiders' programme Getty "No to No Outsiders" - protests against LGBT rights teaching Parents, children and protesters outside of the Parkfield Community School in Birmingham where the 'No Outsiders' programme teaches children about LGBT rights Getty "No to No Outsiders" - protests against LGBT rights teaching Child protesters hold a sign against the 'No Outsiders' programme Getty "No to No Outsiders" - protests against LGBT rights teaching Parkfield Community School in Birmingham where protests are being held against the 'No Outsiders' programme which teaches children about LGBT rights PA

A petition is due to be handed into Anderton Park Primary on Wednesday calling on headteacher Sarah Hewitt-Clarkson to resign and for the LGBT+ inclusive education to be suspended.

Protesting parents will then meet on Thursday to decide whether to withdraw their children.

Mr Afsar told The Independent: If our letter or petition is not listened to then we will go forward with a mass withdrawal of the school. At least 400 students [would be withdrawn]. Unfortunately the headteacher is putting us into a bracket of homophobia and she is not wanting to talk. She is not helping the situation at all.

Speaking last month, Ms Hewitt-Clarkson, who has been subjected to chants calling for her to resign, said teachers and parents have called the police repeatedly after feeling harassed by the daily protests during school pickup.

Staff have been given a phone number for a counselling service in the school in the wake of the protests, which have left children in tears and staff feeling incredibly intimidated, the head said.

Parents across the country have been leafleting against the governments decision to make relationships education compulsory in primary schools and relationships and sex education compulsory at secondary schools in England from September 2020.

The curriculum guidance, which a large majority of MPs backed last month, encourages primary schools to teach children about different families, including same-sex parents.

Under the reforms, parents will not be allowed to withdraw their children from relationships classes and from the age of 15, students can opt into sex education regardless of their parents wishes.

The headteachers union NAHT is to write to school leaders making clear they have a legal duty to teach about same-sex families in primary schools and about sex education in secondary schools.

But the union will urge them to do this sensitively and to involve parents in discussions to explain lessons.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT, said: Schools have a duty to eliminate discrimination. The Equality Act places an obligation on schools to talk to pupils about the differences between themselves and their peers.

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This is important because all children have a right to go home to whatever family they have without being forced to question whether their home life is any less loving, safe or proper than their friends families just because they look, sound or seem different. To some, this is unpalatable. But the law is the law. In fact, the law that permits a person to follow their chosen religion or hold a belief without being discriminated against is the same law that protects someone elses sexual orientation, or disability, or race.

He added: Each of the protected characteristics are of equal status. The law does not permit schools to pick which ones it educates pupils about.

Anderton Park Primary School has been approached for a comment.
A man has admitted planning to bomb a mosque in revenge for the Manchester Arena terror attack.

Steven Bishop, 41, had collected components for a homemade device and researched how to make explosives on the dark web.

Police said he had searched for sites and videos on the Isis-inspired terror attacks in Manchester, London Bridge and Paris.

Responding to a video featuring victims of the Manchester Arena bombing, he focused on the death of eight-year-old Saffie Roussos.

Dont worry something bad is going to happen soon mark my words, Bishop wrote in October.

In pictures: Van hits pedestrians near Finsbury Park mosques Show all 6 1 /6 In pictures: Van hits pedestrians near Finsbury Park mosques In pictures: Van hits pedestrians near Finsbury Park mosques Reuters In pictures: Van hits pedestrians near Finsbury Park mosques Reuters In pictures: Van hits pedestrians near Finsbury Park mosques Reuters In pictures: Van hits pedestrians near Finsbury Park mosques Reuters In pictures: Van hits pedestrians near Finsbury Park mosques Reuters In pictures: Van hits pedestrians near Finsbury Park mosques Reuters

The YouTube video had been posted by a small far-right group called Standing For Britain, which claims it is concerned about the Islamisation of the UK.

Bishop, of Thornton Heath, was believed to have been planning to target a nearby mosque in Morden in southwest London before his home was raided on 29 October.

Police were alerted by a key worker who had been helping Bishop recover from drug and alcohol addiction.

The woman told officers he had shown her photos of bomb-making components and told her he was intending to target a mosque.

When police first visited Bishops home, he claimed he was just planning a firework display at his mothers house but police found that the fireworks had been tampered with.

He had also collected fuses, a remote control, ignitor, firing device and other equipment to make incendiary devices.

Police said Bishop had bought a smartphone on 18 October, and used his first searches to find instructions on how to access the dark web and conduct covert internet searches.

Two VPN apps had been downloaded on to the phone in an attempt to conceal his activity, but Bishop had left a page open showing him researching explosive detonators and Morden mosque.

A firing system purchased by Steven Bishop (Metropolitan Police)

A search of his mothers home found another suitcase full of components for an improvised incendiary device.

Commander Clarke Jarrett, head of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command said: From our investigation it was clear Bishop stockpiled a quantity of fireworks and other component parts with the intention of creating a device that he was intending to use to target a mosque.

Thanks to the diligence of his key worker in alerting us we were able to intervene before he could progress with his plans any further and crucially, nobody came to any harm.

Bishop was initially charged with preparing an act of terrorism and making a record of information useful to a person committing an act of terrorism, but prosecutors changed the first count to possession of an explosive substance with intent.

He denied the allegation but changed his plea to guilty on the first day of his trial at Kingston Crown Court.

Bishop had pleaded guilty to the second count, relating to handwritten notes with detailed information on how to make various explosive substances and access the dark web, in March.

He was remanded in custody to be sentenced on Wednesday, following psychiatric reports detailing past mental illness and alcohol and drug addiction.

The case came amid heightened security at UK mosques in the wake of the Christchurch attack, where a white supremacist shot 50 Muslims dead at two mosques.

Fireworks that were being adapted by Steven Bishop to make an explosive device (Metropolitan Police)

A mosque was previously targeted in the 2017 Finsbury Park attack, where far-right extremist Darren Osborne ploughed a hired van into worshippers leaving Ramadan prayers.

He also claimed to be retaliating to Isis-inspired terror attacks, as well as grooming gangs, and particularly focused on the Manchester bombing in a period of online radicalisation.

Security analysts have warned of the danger of reciprocal radicalisation, where Islamist terror attacks inflame far-right extremism and vice-versa.

Police and intelligence agencies have foiled 14 Islamist and four far-right terror plots since March 2017.

Mr Jarrett said: Given Bishop was focused upon a mosque, and in light of recent events in New Zealand, we know that Muslim and other faith communities may be feeling particularly concerned and vulnerable.

Specialist officers continue to provide support and protective security advice to mosques, and indeed all places of worship across the UK on how to best keep their buildings and visitors safe.
Divorce will be made easier under a shake-up of the law introducing no-fault break-ups, ministers have announced.

The move has divided campaigners on relationships and traditional values, with critics accusing the government of tearing down the institution of marriage and warning the change would make life more chaotic for children.

The need to prove adultery, unreasonable behaviour or desertion  or to live apart for five years  will be scrapped, the government said.

Instead, spouses will be required simply to make a statement that the marriage has broken down, in an attempt to end blame game situations.

Under existing 50-year-old divorce laws in England and Wales, to obtain a divorce without a spouses agreement, someone has to provide evidence on their partners behaviour, or else live apart for five years.

Life vs Art: does making a film about a marriage affect your relationship? Show all 17 1 /17 Life vs Art: does making a film about a marriage affect your relationship? Life vs Art: does making a film about a marriage affect your relationship? 337281.bin Getty Life vs Art: does making a film about a marriage affect your relationship? 270012.bin Getty Images Life vs Art: does making a film about a marriage affect your relationship? 270011.bin Getty Images Life vs Art: does making a film about a marriage affect your relationship? 270001.bin Getty Images Life vs Art: does making a film about a marriage affect your relationship? 270021.bin Getty Images Life vs Art: does making a film about a marriage affect your relationship? 270003.bin Getty Images Life vs Art: does making a film about a marriage affect your relationship? 270009.bin 2005 Getty Images Life vs Art: does making a film about a marriage affect your relationship? 270015.bin Getty Images Life vs Art: does making a film about a marriage affect your relationship? 270016.bin Getty Images Life vs Art: does making a film about a marriage affect your relationship? 270005.bin Getty Images Life vs Art: does making a film about a marriage affect your relationship? 270017.bin Getty Images Life vs Art: does making a film about a marriage affect your relationship? 270000.bin Getty Images Life vs Art: does making a film about a marriage affect your relationship? 270020.bin Getty Life vs Art: does making a film about a marriage affect your relationship? 270018.bin Getty Images Life vs Art: does making a film about a marriage affect your relationship? 270007.bin Getty Images Life vs Art: does making a film about a marriage affect your relationship? 270006.bin Getty Images Life vs Art: does making a film about a marriage affect your relationship? 270019.bin 2009 Getty Images

The ability of a husband or wife to contest a divorce, used in fewer than 2 per cent of cases, will be scrapped.

Irretrievable breakdown of a marriage as the sole grounds for divorce will be kept, as will the two-stage process of a decree nisi followed by a decree absolute.

The shake-up will introduce a six-month minimum period between a petition being lodged and the divorce becoming final.

The government will also let couples make joint divorce applications.

Recommended How to divorce without hating your ex or tearing your family apart

Justice secretary David Gauke said: While we will always uphold the institution of marriage, it cannot be right that our outdated law creates or increases conflict between divorcing couples.

But Andrea Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern, condemned the reform as very bad policy.

No fault divorce is really no reason divorce. How can the justice secretary say in one breath that he wants to uphold the institution of marriage when he is tearing it down, allowing people to walk away from their solemn promises to hold together in life-long commitment? she said. Marriage matters for our children, and they need to know it matters. This legislation will make life less stable and more chaotic for them.

She also warned that a person may have access to their children ended, their assets divided and be ordered out of their home, despite being faithful to their marriage vows.

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Rushing into a divorce could throw away a marriage which would be happy, she said.

Aidan Jones, chief executive of charity Relate, welcomed the much-needed changes that he said would be good for children involved.

The outdated fault-based divorce system led parting couples to apportion blame, often resulting in increased animosity and making it harder for ex-partners to develop positive relationships as co-parents. While divorce isnt a decision people tend to take lightly, we do support the extension of the minimum timeframe which will allow more time to reflect, give things another go if appropriate, and access support such as relationship counselling or mediation.
An international news agency has been founded in London by a small group of Hungarian business leaders and politicians with close ties to prime minister Viktor Orban.

Most of the sites content is behind a paywall, but headlines on its front page have clear overtones of the populism of Mr Orban, who is one of the fiercest critics of immigration to Europe.

Migrant kills wife after she converts to Christianity, one headline from Monday reads. A report about Matteo Salvini, leader of Italys League, anti-immigrant interior minister and ally of Mr Orban, was headlined Salvini: Citizens should control Europe.

Hungarian minister on EP elections: Hungarian votes also matter and Immigration is a war of cultures and civilisations were headlines that borrowed directly from Mr Orbans rhetoric.

The agencys Twitter account has posted three tweets so far: two about Brexit and one quoting Mr Orban saying: Christian culture is the source of all power.

Protest against the government in Hungary: in pictures Show all 12 1 /12 Protest against the government in Hungary: in pictures Protest against the government in Hungary: in pictures Anna Donath, Vice President of opposition party Momentum Movement holds a flare during the protest Reuters Protest against the government in Hungary: in pictures A protester kneels in front of riot police outside the headquarters of Hungarian state television AFP/Getty Protest against the government in Hungary: in pictures Protesters hold up their phone lights outside the Hungarian parliament Getty Protest against the government in Hungary: in pictures Protesters march across the Margaret Bridge on the Danube n downtown Budapest EPA Protest against the government in Hungary: in pictures Protesters stand outside the Hungarian parliament building Reuters Protest against the government in Hungary: in pictures Police stand guard in front of the headquarters of Hungarian state television AFP/Getty Protest against the government in Hungary: in pictures Protesters line the streets by the Hungarian parliament building Getty Protest against the government in Hungary: in pictures Protesters march across the Margaret Bridge on the Danube in downtown Budapest EPA Protest against the government in Hungary: in pictures A protester lights a flare in protests against the Hungarian government Reuters Protest against the government in Hungary: in pictures Police forces secure the area outside the headquarters of Hungarian state television Reuters Protest against the government in Hungary: in pictures Protesters hold up their phone lights outside the Hungarian parliament Getty Protest against the government in Hungary: in pictures Protesters wave a flag outside the Hungarian parliament Reuters

The company, called V4NA, was registered in London by Hungarys ambassador to the UK, Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky, on 31 December, 2018, according to company filings.

The agency publishes in both English and Hungarian and its name reflects a focus on the Visegrad Four countries: Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic.

We give a conservative, right-wing perspective of the key political, economical and other news that are critical to our life in Europe and around the world, the agency said on its site.

V4NA Ltd. is registered and headquartered in London (UK). Our team of fifty journalists and fast-responding news teams, however, are always on location where the leading stories happen in Europe. Should it be London, Brussels, Paris, Berlin, Prague, Budapest, Belgrade, Bratislava, Warsaw or any other focal point in Europe, we are there 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The sites paywall requires users to send an email with their email address and billing information.

Associates of the Hungarian prime minister have gained control of a large chunk of the country's media in recent years and his Fidesz party has taken total control of state media.

However, Mr Orban has so far been unable to control international news coverage, which has been far more critical of him.

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Last month, Arpad Habony, Mr Orbans main spin doctor, acquired a 40 per cent stake in V4NA via his London political advisory firm, Danube Business Consulting Ltd.

Subsequently, New Wave Media Group, owned by KESMA, a foundation that controls most of Hungarys pro-government media, acquired a 57 per cent stake from Szalay-Bobrovniczky.

Despite its huge role in the Hungarian media market, KESMA was exempted from regulatory scrutiny last year on the grounds it was a strategic national asset.
Intelligence agencies are being brought in to help tackle the rising far-right terror threat in Britain, the home secretary has announced after a series of attempted attacks.

At least four far-right terror plots have been foiled since March 2017, with one man admitting planning to bomb a mosque earlier this week and another accused of stabbing a man in an anti-Muslim rampage inspired by the Christchurch shooting.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid said the remit of the MI5-led Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) was being extended to include assessing the threat posed by extreme right-wing terrorism.

This change will help to provide a better understanding of the shape and size of this aspect of the threat, he added in a document. The marked shift in the nature of extreme right-wing activity, and in the organisation of such groups and their reach, from being small groups mainly focused on promoting anti-immigration views and white supremacy to actual engagement in terrorist activity, has resulted in this aspect of the threat presenting a higher risk to national security than it previously has.

UK terror plots that were foiled by security services Show all 14 1 /14 UK terror plots that were foiled by security services UK terror plots that were foiled by security services Oxford Street terror plot Lewis Ludlow was jailed for life in March 2019 for planning a 'spectacular multi-victim attack' on Oxford Street in London. He pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey last year to plotting an attack in the UK and funding Isis abroad EPA UK terror plots that were foiled by security services Rosie Cooper MP plot Jack Renshaw admitted plotting to kill his local Labour MP with a machete in June 2018. Renshaw bought a 19in machete intending to use it to kill Rosie Cooper, MP for West Lancashire. His plan was foiled by whistleblower Robbie Mullen, who heard of the plot in a meeting of alleged and convicted National Action members in the Friar Penketh pub in Warrington Hope Not Hate UK terror plots that were foiled by security services 'Poppy terror plot' Nadir Ali Sayed, his cousin Yousaf Shah Syed, and Haseeb Hamayoon, were charged with terrorism offences over an alleged plot to behead a member of public. The trio were arrested in London and High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire on 6 November - three days before Remembrance Sunday in 2014 PA UK terror plots that were foiled by security services National Action arrests Following the arrest of six men in 2018 on suspicion that they were members of the banned far-right terror group National Action, two were jailed. Christopher Lythgoe was found to be leader of the banned group and jailed for eight years, while Matthew Hankinson was jailed for six years. While it was found that Lythgoe did not encourage Jack Renshaw's plot to kill a Labour MP, the judge noted that he "did nothing to stop or discourage" the attack PA UK terror plots that were foiled by security services Shane Fletcher A self-described 'loner', Fletcher planned to kill members of the public at a football match in his home town of Workington. He had been referred to the government's Prevent programme nine moths prior to his arrest after stating that he dreamed about "shooting up a mosque" PA UK terror plots that were foiled by security services Heathrow airport arrests A 19-year-old from Coventry man was arrested at London's Heathrow airport on suspicion of preparing for acts of terrorism in November 2014 UK terror plots that were foiled by security services Extradition of Abu Hamza Radical muslim cleric Abu Hamza was extradited to the US in 2014 after having been jailed in the UK for 7 years for 11 offences under the Terrorism Act Getty UK terror plots that were foiled by security services South East Counter Terrorism Unit arrests Six people were arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences after a series of dawn raids in the south of England in October 2014. Three men and three women were detained separately in two properties in Portsmouth, one in Farnborough and one in Greenwich following an operation by the South East Counter Terrorism Unit. Counter-terror officers said they had disrupted what was believed to be the early stages of what could have turned into a significant plot PA UK terror plots that were foiled by security services October 2014 arrests Three men were arrested in central London on 13 October as part of an investigation into Islamist-related terrorism. The arrests come nearly a week after five men were arrested in dawn raids that Whitehall officials said may have foiled the early stages of a plan to attack the UK Peter Macdiarmid/Getty UK terror plots that were foiled by security services Anjem Choudary arrest Anjem Choudary, the radical activist and co-founder of the banned al-Muhajiroun group, was arrested in September 2014 as efforts intensify to disrupt the ideological backers of young British Muslims travelling to fight in foreign conflicts. Mr Choudary was among nine men held on suspicion of supporting a banned terrorist group and encouraging terrorism. The arrests came shortly after Mr Choudary fired off a series of angry tweets after David Cameron called on MPs to back air strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria Oli Scarff/Getty UK terror plots that were foiled by security services North West Counter Terrorism Unit funds seizing Police seize 250,000 of cash intended to fund Isis at Manchester Airport and north-west ports. Using powers under the Terrorism Act, the money was confiscated by officers from the North West Counter Terrorism Unit in Ocotber 2014 Getty UK terror plots that were foiled by security services Tarik Hassane arrest A medical student who was offered a place at a London university has been named among four men who are being questioned by counter-terror police after a series of raids across the capital. Tarik Hassane, 21, is believed to have been Tasered when he was arrested on suspicion of being involved in a "significant" Islamist terror plot on 7 October 2015 UK terror plots that were foiled by security services Abu Qatada removed from UK Radical preacher Abu Qatada will not be returning to the UK after being cleared of terror charges in Jordan in 2013 Reuters UK terror plots that were foiled by security services Haider Ahmed knife plot Teenage Isis supporter Haider Ahmed purchased a 15ins hunting knife and threatened to launch a stabbing attack on the Tube. Prosecutors said he may alternatively have been planning to rob someone with the weapon to fund his travel to fight for Isis in Syria He was jailed for preparing an act of terrorism in June 2019 Counter Terrorism Policing South East

JTAC is overseen by the director general of MI5 and brings together 16 government departments and agencies, including MI6, GCHQ and counterterror police to analyse threats to the UK.

Mr Javid was responding to recommendations in an annual report by the former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, Max Hill QC.

Both he and his predecessor, David Anderson QC, called for counterterror powers to be used more evenly against different kinds of extremists.

A review launched by police and MI5 after the London and Manchester attacks came to the same conclusion, proposing changes to ensure the equivalence of processes in analysing and dealing with all kinds of terrorism, irrespective of the ideology that inspires them.

It outlined plans for formal dialogue and structures to enable MI5s involvement in far-right cases, and increased intelligence-sharing with police.

The governments refreshed counterterror strategy was clear that the threat from Islamist terrorism remains the foremost and most significant, but warned of a growing threat from the extreme right wing.

While Isis and al-Qaeda have been dealt with by MI5 and MI6 as international terrorism, the far-right has previously been classed as domestic extremism and left to police.

The historic division came under mounting scrutiny after authorities were caught off-guard by the murder of Jo Cox by a white supremacist in 2016.

The banning of neo-Nazi group National Action later that year was hailed as progress, but a plot by one of its members to behead a Labour MP was not known to police or security services until a fellow extremist raised the alarm.

The Independent understands that a turning point came in the meeting of the governments Cobra emergency committee that followed the Finsbury Park attack in June 2017.

When Theresa May asked for a security assessment of perpetrator Darren Osborne, who had ploughed a van into Muslim worshippers and killed one man, she was said to be surprised to be told MI5 had no information and he was not their responsibility.

 Four far-right UK terrorist plots foiled since Westminster attack, police reveal

Police had not been monitoring Osborne and his murder trial heard that he had become radicalised online within a matter of weeks. He was cited as an inspiration by the Christchurch mosque shooter.

Evolving technologies and increasing exploitation of social media for the purpose of spreading terrorist material and radicalising others poses a particularly difficult challenge, Mr Javid said. It has become all too clear that the UK was experiencing a shift in the nature of the threat, rather than a spike.

Police are currently running a record of around 700 live terror investigations, and the head of counterterror policing has warned that Islamists and the far-right are feeding each other.

White people have overtaken Asian suspects as the largest single ethnic group arrested on suspicion of terror offences in Britain, and the number of people referred to Prevent over suspected far-right extremism has rocketed by 36 per cent in a year.
The government has been accused of putting profit before peoples lives ahead of the start of a High Court case aimed at stopping the UK from exporting arms to Saudi Arabia.

The case is being brought by the group Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), which claims there is overwhelming evidence that British-made jets and bombs are being used by Saudi-led forces to violate international humanitarian law in Yemen.

CAAT says more than 10,000 people have been killed since a Saudi-led coalition began fighting Houthi rebels in 2015, and UK-made weapons have helped create a humanitarian catastrophe.

CAAT is being backed by other groups being represented at the hearing, including Human Rights Watch, Oxfam and Amnesty International, whose strategic litigation director Lucy Claridge said outside court: It is time for the UK Government to stop putting profit before people's lives.

By selling billions of pounds worth of arms to Saudi Arabia, ministers are signing a death warrant for the people of Yemen.

"Across Europe, several countries have stopped selling arms to Saudi Arabia because they know it goes against their legal obligations and have seen the devastation they are causing.

The children wounded in Yemen's war Show all 15 1 /15 The children wounded in Yemen's war The children wounded in Yemen's war Ali Ashwal / Save the Children The children wounded in Yemen's war Ali Ashwal / Save the Children The children wounded in Yemen's war Ali Ashwal / Save the Children The children wounded in Yemen's war Ali Ashwal / Save the Children The children wounded in Yemen's war Ali Ashwal / Save the Children The children wounded in Yemen's war Ali Ashwal / Save the Children The children wounded in Yemen's war Ali Ashwal / Save the Children The children wounded in Yemen's war Ali Ashwal / Save the Children The children wounded in Yemen's war Ali Ashwal / Save the Children The children wounded in Yemen's war Ali Ashwal / Save the Children The children wounded in Yemen's war Ali Ashwal / Save the Children The children wounded in Yemen's war Ali Ashwal / Save the Children The children wounded in Yemen's war Ali Ashwal / Save the Children The children wounded in Yemen's war Save the Children The children wounded in Yemen's war Save the Children

CAAT is seeking to overturn a 2017 High Court ruling in which it was denied a judicial review of the weapons exports.

CAAT had argued the government was breaching its own export licensing rules, which prevent sales when there is a clear risk that the arms might be used in the commission of a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

But the 2017 judges said the issue of arms sales to Saudi Arabia for use in Yemen was the subject of intense, genuine concern and debate by government officials who had better access to information than NGOs.

Secret evidence played a significant part in the 2017 case and the court delivered a closed judgment as well as a public ruling.

In their public ruling, the judges acknowledged that in one February 2016 email, senior civil servant Edward Bell said he had briefed Sajid Javid, then the minister in charge of trade, to the effect that: My gut tells me we should suspend [the arms sales]. This would be prudent and cautious given the acknowledged gaps in knowledge about Saudi operations.

The judges also quoted from a February 2016 memo by the head of policy at the export control organisation at Mr Javids department for business, innovation and skills, who wrote: We are concerned that FCO/MOD appear only to have insight into Saudi processes in respect of pre-planned strikes and have very little insight into so-called dynamic strikes  where the pilot in the cockpit decides when to despatch munitions  which account for a [significant proportion of all strikes].

The judges themselves noted: The UK is a bystander in this volatile conflict, is not a member of the Coalition, and the MoD is not involved in identifying targets and does not have access to the operational intelligence.

But they nonetheless found that the governments knowledge and experience of Saudi Arabia, borne of its close contacts, place it well to make the necessary assessment of whether human rights violations had occurred through the use of British weapons.

The judges made their ruling on the basis that civilian casualties in war did not automatically mean a breach of international laws, and added: Even if isolated incidents of international humanitarian law violations by a recipient country are considered likely to have taken place, that does not automatically trigger [the suspension of arms exports].

The judges said: The Coalition were not deliberately targeting civilians  Saudi Arabia remains genuinely committed to compliance with international humanitarian law.

They ruled: There was no clear risk there might be serious violations of international humanitarian law such that UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia should be suspended or cancelled.

CAAT is now seeking to overturn that ruling by drawing the Appeal Courts attention to two investigative reports by the UN's panel of experts on Yemen which concluded that the Saudi-led coalition had violated international humanitarian law.

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The appeal, before Master of the Rolls Sir Terence Etherton and two other judges, is due be heard over three days. Speaking ahead of the first day of the Appeal Court hearing on Tuesday, Andrew Smith of CAAT, said: "UK-made weapons have played a central role in the four-year Saudi-led bombardment of Yemen.

"The results have been catastrophic, with tens of thousands of people killed and vital infrastructure destroyed.

"We believe that these arms sales are immoral, and are confident that the Court of Appeal will agree that they are unlawful.

In a statement on its website, CAAT added: The complicity of the UK is undeniable. Instead of stopping arms sales to Saudi Arabia, the government has licensed the sales of an astonishing 4.6bn more weapons since the start of the attacks on Yemen.

Ignoring massive public pressure to stop the arms sales, the government has instead done everything it can to maintain its relationship with Saudi Arabia, the UK's biggest arms customer.

After the July 2017 High Court ruling, a government spokesman said: This judgment underscores the fact that the UK operates one of the most robust export control regimes in the world.

"We will continue to keep our defence exports under careful review to ensure they meet the rigorous standards of the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria."
A customs union with the EU would leave the UK "stuck in the worst of both worlds", cabinet minister Liam Fox has told Tory MPs.

In a four-page letter to the chairman of the 1922 committee of backbench Tory MPs, the international trade secretary claims the scenario would see the UK "on the menu" in Brussels, without any control.

Hinting he could quit the cabinet if the prime minister pursues such a policy with Labour in the ongoing talks to break the Brexit deadlock, Dr Fox claimed the UK "ourselves would be traded".

The letter is significant as a permanent customs union with the bloc is a key plank of Labour's Brexit policy, and likely a red line for Jeremy Corbyn in discussions with the government.

Brexiteers, however, vehemently oppose anything that could restrict the UK's ability to strike independent free trade deals post-Brexit.

Cliffs of Dover lit up in Brexit protest Show all 5 1 /5 Cliffs of Dover lit up in Brexit protest Cliffs of Dover lit up in Brexit protest Campaign group Led By Donkeys projected this statement by Nigel Farage on the Cliffs of Dover on the evening of April 4 @ByDonkeys / Twitter Cliffs of Dover lit up in Brexit protest Campaign group Led By Donkeys projected this statement by former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab on the Cliffs of Dover on the evening of April 4 @ByDonkeys / Twitter Cliffs of Dover lit up in Brexit protest Campaign group Led By Donkeys projected this message to the EU on the Cliffs of Dover on the evening of April 4 @ByDonkeys / Twitter Cliffs of Dover lit up in Brexit protest Campaign group Led By Donkeys projected this message on the Cliffs of Dover on the evening of April 4 @ByDonkeys / Twitter Cliffs of Dover lit up in Brexit protest Campaign group Led By Donkeys projected this message on the Cliffs of Dover on the evening of April 4 @ByDonkeys / Twitter

In his letter, published by The Telegraph, Dr Fox sets out how the UK would lose control of trade policy due to losing its member state input to the formation and agreement of EU trade policy.

Speaking ahead of further talks between the government and Labour, the cabinet minister said the loss of power was "something that Labour does not presently seem to understand".

"We would be stuck in the worst of both worlds, not only unable to set our international trade policy but subject, without representation, to the policy of an entity over which MPs would have no democratic control," he writes.

"As I said at the [1922] meeting, in such a scenario the UK would have a new role in the global trading system - we ourselves would be traded. As the saying in Brussels goes, if you are not at the table, you are on the menu."

The comments from Dr Fox also come after Robert Buckland, the government's solicitor general, admitted a customs union was the "most likely outcome" of the negotiations between both Ms May and the Labour leader.

Its not perfect but, frankly, in this particular hung parliament none of us can get perfection, we need to compromise, he told the BBC on Sunday.

The minister added that something approximating a customs arrangement or customs union would be the most likely outcome of the process.
EU leaders will consider giving Theresa May a Brexit extension until the end of the year at a crunch summit in Brussels on Wednesday that could delay Britains departure from the bloc until after Christmas.

Ahead of the crucial meeting the prime minister was warned that she needed a clear plan with credible political backing if she wanted the delay to avert no deal on Friday, as she met with Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron to try and win their support.

But there is still debate among the 27 EU countries about what sort of conditions any extension should come with  with talks between ministers in Luxembourg on Tuesday running over by an hour amid debate among countries.

The prolongation of the Article 50 deadline is an instrument and not an objective in itself. The British side must outline a clear plan with credible political backing to justify the decision of the European Council in favour of the extension, George Ciamba, the Romanian EU minister chairing the meeting said at a press conference afterwards.

The prime minister also faced dissent at home from Tory ministers, with trade secretary Liam Fox warning a customs union  as mooted in talks with Labour  would be the worst of both worlds. Minister Andrea Leadsom, a former leadership rival to Ms May, called for the withdrawal agreement to be reopened.

Recommended EU says Theresa May must produce Brexit plan within 24 hours for delay

The prime ministers original request for an Article 50 extension until 30 June is unlikely to be granted, with only a minority of EU member states sympathetic. But diplomats say one proposal gaining momentum behind the scenes is a plan to grant Britain an extension until the end of the year. Such a delay would see the UK participate in European parliament elections at the end of May.

In a letter to EU leaders ahead of the summit European Council president Donald Tusk warned that "our experience so far, as well as the deep divisions within the House of Commons, give us little reason to believe that the ratification process can be completed by the end of June". He suggested instead that an "alternative, longer" extension should be discussed by leaders.

"In reality, granting such [a short] extension would increase the risk of a rolling series of short extensions and emergency summits, creating new cliff-edge dates," he wrote. "This, in turn, would almost certainly overshadow the business of the EU27 in the months ahead. The continued uncertainty would also be bad for our businesses and citizens. Finally, if we failed to agree on any next extension, there would be a risk of an accidental no-deal Brexit."

Leaked draft conclusions seen by The Independent show leaders are likely to say an extension should "last only as long as necessary" and that the UK would leave on the first day of the next month after ratification was complete. They are also expected to include warnings that the UK should act in a "constructive an responsible" manner  following suggestions from Brexiteers that the UK should cause chaos at EU institutions while it remains in the bloc. The end date of the extension is still yet to be agreed, and is currently marked with "XX.XX.XXXX" in the draft version.

There has been relief in Brussels and European capitals that the government is finally sitting down with Labour to build a consensus on a way forward for Brexit  but it remains to be seen whether the talks will produce a way to get the withdrawal agreement through parliament.

A new element in this very, very serious and complex context were operating in is of course the fact that we have had cross-party discussions initiated finally with Labour by Theresa May, chief negotiator Michel Barnier said.

We all expressed our hopes and expectations in this regard ... that this dialogue will conclude with a positive result which will allow us at last to have a positive majority emerge with regard to this withdrawal agreement.

He added: This extension has to serve a purpose, to provide more time to ensure that the political process Ive described can be crowned with success and that this majority can be attained.

"Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march Show all 15 1 /15 "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march Nigel Farage waves from the top deck of the Brexit Betrayal bus on the march from Sunderland to London Reuters "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march Marchers pass a sign to "Cuckoo Land" in Easington Getty "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march Marchers plod on near Grangetown, Tyne and Wear Getty "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march A marcher holds up a blue passport as the march passes Grangetown, Tyne and Wear Getty "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march Nigel Farage poses for a photo in a pub in Hartlepool Reuters "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march Nigel Farage pays his respects to Tommy, the statue of a First World War soldier in Seaham, County Durham Getty "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march An anti-Brexit van has been graffitied in Sunderland on the Brexit Betrayal march Getty "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march A marcher carries a Union flag reading "Storm Brexit" in Sunderland Getty "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march A couple push a Save Our Sovereignty trolley through a tunnel in Easington, County Durham during the Brexit Betrayal march Getty "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march Nigel Farage enjoys a pint with fellow marchers in Hartlepool Getty "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march A pro-European counter-marcher lets off a smoke grenade with the colours of the EU flag Getty "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march Nigel Farage leads the march in Easington Getty "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march Marchers plod on near Easington Getty "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march Nigel Farage takes part in the Brexit Betrayal march Getty "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march Nigel Farage poses on the top deck of the Brexit Betrayal bus in Seaham Getty

Under EU treaties if the withdrawal agreement was approved by MPs before the end of the extension, the UK would be able to leave earlier  a dynamic Brussels dubbed a flextension.

The 27 EU presidents and prime ministers will make the final decision at the summit, which begins in the evening in the Belgian capital and is expected to run late into the night.

But the field of possibilities is wide open: last time EU leaders got together to agree an extension to Article 50 they tore up draft plans put together by officials and worked late into the night to draw up a new proposal of their own.

Among member states, France is said to be reluctant to see an extension run beyond the end of 2019, as some member states have proposed. Others such as Ireland and Germany are keen to allow the UK more time. Any decision on an extension would have to be unanimous  with even one dissenting voice acting as a veto.

Its Groundhog Day again. So far absolutely nothing has changed Michael Roth, Germany EU affairs minister

On their way into the preliminary meeting on Tuesday to finalise plan for the summit, ministers expressed various degrees of optimism about the process.

Michael Roth, Germanys Europe minister, was among the most critical, telling reporters: Its Groundhog Day again. So far absolutely nothing has changed. A long extension has to come with very strict criteria. We dont have a time problem, we have a decision-making problem, especially on the British side. There are clear expectations here from our side, but we will keep our hand extended.

Frances Europe minister Amelie de Montchalin said: The UK has asked for an extension. The French position hasnt changed. We consider this demand is neither agreed nor automatic. Its very important it comes with a credible political plan which will pass during the extension.

We want to understand what the UK needs this extension for and what is the political surroundings to have this extension. Then comes the question of the conditions; what role the UK wants to play during this extension time, how does it want to decide.

The message was also echoed by the Netherlands. Foreign minister Stef Blok said: Its in the Dutch interest to avoid a hard Brexit, and if more time will be needed to avoid a hard Brexit we should allow for more time.

Most important is that the UK makes clear what solution they will offer to avoid a hard Brexit.

Until now we only have the request for an extension but we are hoping for a specific plan from the UK side of how to avoid a hard Brexit.

Simon Coveney, Irelands foreign minister and deputy PM, appeared optimistic. He said: I think there will be a strong view that countries need to work together to avoid a no-deal Brexit and that the current process underway in London where the Conservative Party and Labour Party are now talking seriously about trying to find a middle ground position, thats something I think that ministers will want to encourage.

But theyll also want to see a clear plan in terms of how an extension can deliver the result that we all want, which is a managed and sensible Brexit with the withdrawal agreement in place.
 Close MPs vote for Brexit extension until June 30

MPs voted to authorise Theresa May to seek a Brexit delay until 30 June, amid fresh warnings from France and Germany over the details of any extension.

The prime minister personally appealed to Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron during meetings on Tuesday, while European Council president Donald Tusk said there was little reason to believe Brexit could be sorted by June.

His comments come ahead of a crunch Brussels summit on Wednesday, at which EU leaders will decide whether to approve the prime ministers request or offer a longer delay.

All 27 remaining EU heads of government must agree to an extension if the UK is to avoid the default position of a no-deal Brexit on Friday night.

See how the day unfolded below:
A second referendum amendment being tabled on to any Brexit deal Theresa May brings back to the Commons appears to be inevitable, the cabinet minister David Gauke has said.

As the prime minister travels to Paris and Berlin in a last-minute dash to secure support for an extension to the Article 50 negotiating period, the justice secretary also appeared downbeat about critical talks at Westminster producing a resolution.

With just 24 hours to go until Ms May heads to the emergency EU summit, Mr Gauke said it was too early to tell whether discussions between the government and Jeremy Corbyns Labour would result in any agreement.

Asked about the prospect of a confirmatory referendum on the prime ministers Brexit deal, he insisted a fresh public vote would be divisive rather than decisive and claimed in his own discussions with Ms May she had made her opposition towards a second referendum very clear.

Cliffs of Dover lit up in Brexit protest Show all 5 1 /5 Cliffs of Dover lit up in Brexit protest Cliffs of Dover lit up in Brexit protest Campaign group Led By Donkeys projected this statement by Nigel Farage on the Cliffs of Dover on the evening of April 4 @ByDonkeys / Twitter Cliffs of Dover lit up in Brexit protest Campaign group Led By Donkeys projected this statement by former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab on the Cliffs of Dover on the evening of April 4 @ByDonkeys / Twitter Cliffs of Dover lit up in Brexit protest Campaign group Led By Donkeys projected this message to the EU on the Cliffs of Dover on the evening of April 4 @ByDonkeys / Twitter Cliffs of Dover lit up in Brexit protest Campaign group Led By Donkeys projected this message on the Cliffs of Dover on the evening of April 4 @ByDonkeys / Twitter Cliffs of Dover lit up in Brexit protest Campaign group Led By Donkeys projected this message on the Cliffs of Dover on the evening of April 4 @ByDonkeys / Twitter

But he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: There is a point here to distinguish between the talks with the Labour Party that are ongoing and what will inevitably happen when we bring a withdrawal agreement through the Commons, which is that somebody will bring forward an amendment on whether there should be a confirmatory referendum.

If such an amendment is brought forward, however, it is unclear whether it would command the support of the Commons  given that rounds of indicative votes in recent weeks have failed to produce a majority among MPs for such a route.

Speaking after the Labour leader criticised Ms May in the Brexit talks for failing to compromise on her red lines, Mr Gauke insisted they had been constructive, but that further discussions at the Cabinet Office today would need to be held at a pace.

The cabinet minister said he hoped a way forward would be found as parliament was not prepared to leave the EU without a deal. There is no consensus on what that deal needs to be and thats why it is necessary for the prime minister to work across the floor of the house and see if we can find a consensus, he added.

Asked whether there needed to be movement on the prime ministers red lines, he replied: To reach a resolution the likelihood is that there will need to be flexibility from both sides.

His remarks also came as a government aide said he was ready to defy the whips by addressing a rally in support of a fresh referendum on Tuesday in central London.

Huw Merriman, a Conservative MP and parliamentary private secretary to the chancellor Philip Hammond, admitted it was likely his appearance at the Peoples Vote rally would cost him his government role.
The scale of the revolt against Theresa Mays planned Brexit delay has deepened after cabinet ministers and backbenchers refused to back the prime ministers strategy.

Tory MPs voted in large numbers in the House of Commons against delaying Brexit again until even 30 June, though Ms May is set to be forced into a much longer extension.

Cabinet members Andrea Leadsom and Liam Fox, along with transport secretary Chris Grayling, attorney general Geoffrey Cox and party chair Brandon Lewis all failed to positively back the governments approach.

Earlier Ms Leadsom publicly voiced her desire for the government to renegotiate Britains withdrawal agreement instead, something Ms May has repeatedly said cannot happen.

In a leaked letter to Tory MPs international trade secretary Dr Fox also poured scorn on the idea of Britain remaining in a customs union with the EU, something which other ministers concede is the likely outcome of cross-party talks with Labour to find a deal that can win a Commons majority.

The cross-party talks closed on Tuesday without having yet reached agreement but with both sides saying they are committed to doing a deal and agreeing to meet again in two days.

Following previous decisions by MPs, the government was forced to put Ms Mays request for an extension to the Article 50 negotiating period to a vote in the Commons.

While Ms Mays plan to extend until 30 June was approved by a majority, 97 Tory MPs voted against it  demonstrating the deep splits over her approach and her ever-diminishing authority.

Earlier in the day Brexiteer backbenchers vowed that the UK would sabotage European projects from inside the EU if Brexit does not happen, warned that Brussels will be facing perfidious Albion on speed and called for the removal of Ms May as prime minister.

Ahead of the prime ministers meeting with German chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday, leader of the Commons Ms Leadsom urged her to ask for the withdrawal agreement to be reopened  an idea the government has abandoned.

In such a scenario the UK would have a new role in the global trading system  we ourselves would be traded. As the famous saying in Brussels goes, if you are not at the table, you are on the menu International trade secretary Liam Fox

Ms Leadsom told ITV News: The prime minister is off to see Angela Merkel today and it would be fantastic if Angela Merkel will try to support a proper UK Brexit by agreeing to reopen the withdrawal agreement.

But Ms Mays official spokesman dismissed the idea, telling reporters: Any plan going forward would be based on the current withdrawal agreement.

Soon after the comments, other members of the prime ministers cabinet continued talks with Labour to try and find a compromise deal, including her deputy David Lidington, chancellor Philip Hammond, Brexit secretary Steve Barclay, environment secretary Michael Gove, and business secretary Greg Clark.

Labour is said to have demanded a customs union and is under pressure to also secure a confirmatory referendum on anything which is agreed.

 DUP's Arlene Foster says it is humiliating to see Theresa May beg EU for Brexit delay

But in a clear sign of intensely strained party unity, Dr Fox sent a letter to the chair of the Tory backbench 1922 Committee setting out in detail his opposition to a post-Brexit customs union.

The letter warned it would leave the UK unable to set its own trade policy but forced to open its markets to any country with which the EU struck a free trade agreement.

He went on: In such a scenario the UK would have a new role in the global trading system  we ourselves would be traded.

As the famous saying in Brussels goes, if you are not at the table, you are on the menu.

Negotiating teams from the government and Labour began their talks over an informal lunch of sandwiches, sausage rolls, onion bhajis, a fruit platter and biscuits.

After three hours Labours negotiating team left, with shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey saying: Weve had really constructive discussions today and covered a number of issues in great detail.

Theres not really been any fundamental shift or a change in position of the deal itself. But were hopeful that progress will be made.

 Brexit: Theresa May arrives in Berlin for talks with Merkel  but no one is there to greet her

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said earlier that Labour was actively seeking a way to stop a Brexit deal between the parties being unpicked by a future Tory leader like Boris Johnson.

Mr Gove also said there had been constructive discussions, but added: There are number of issues where we differ, but we are anxious to ensure that we can carry on with this process.

More talks are planned for Thursday, when Ms May is due to return from an emergency European Council summit where EU leaders are expected to dismiss her request for a short delay to Brexit until June and keep Britain in until the end of the year.
The Home Office has been urged to remove caps on the Windrush compensation scheme - something campaigners say is the "final betrayal" of those affected by the scandal.

David Lammy accused the Home Secretary of providing false reassurances to victims after it emerged the department had set out fixed sums on how much money can be awarded for different losses.

The Labour MP said this was misleading because, when launching the scheme, Sajid Javid implied that there were no caps and that it would be based on peoples needs.

An estimated 500,000 people now living in the UK who arrived between 1948 and 1971 from countries in the Commonwealth, including the Caribbean, have been called the Windrush generation, in reference to a ship which brought workers to the UK in 1948.

They were granted indefinite leave to remain in 1971 but thousands were children travelling on their parents' passports, without their own documents. Some later encountered difficulties proving their entitlement to live in the UK. Some were held in detention or removed despite living in the country for decades, resulting in a furious backlash over their treatment.

Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Show all 15 1 /15 Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK The ex-troopship 'Empire Windrush' arriving at Tilbury Docks from Jamaica, with 482 Jamaicans on board, emigrating to Britain. Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Jamaican immigrants being welcomed by RAF officials from the Colonial Office after the ex-troopship 'Empire Windrush' landed them at Tilbury. PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Alford Gardner who arrived in Britain in 1948 on the first Windrush ship to dock in Tilbury, Essex, speaking at his home in Leeds PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Alford Gardner in Leeds shortly after he arrived in Britain in 1948 on the first Windrush ship to dock in Tilbury, Essex PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Gardner was 22 years old when he boarded the ship in Kingston, Jamaica, with his brother Gladstone before they and hundreds of Caribbean migrants called on to rebuild post-war Britain disembarked the ship in Tilbury Docks PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Alford Gardner (right), during his RAF service in 1947 PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK The son of Ruth Williams, a Windrush-generation immigrant, wants to the leave the country after threats of deportation. According to his mother, Mr Haynes applied for British citizenship in 2016 but was rejected, despite Ms Williams having lived in the UK almost permanently since arriving from St Vincent and the Grenadines in 1959. Ruth Williams, 75, said she felt "betrayed" by Britain after the Home Office twice turned down applications for her 35-year-old son, Mozi Haynes, to remain in the country. Ms Williams is understood to have cancer and said she relies heavily on her son for support. PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK The British liner 'Empire Windrush' at port in 1954. Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Ruth Williams, 75, with her British passport. "I feel betrayed and a second class citizen in my own country," she said. "This makes me so sad and the Home Office must show some compassion. "I am unwell and almost 75, I live on my own and I need my son to stay here. I need my family around me and I cant face being alone. He has applied to the Home Office and been refused twice." PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK From the top, hopeful Jamaican boxers Charles Smith, Ten Ansel, Essi Reid, John Hazel, Boy Solas and manager Mortimer Martin arrive at Tilbury on the Empire Windrush in the hope of finding work in Britain. Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Jamaicans reading a newspaper whilst on board the ex-troopship 'Empire Windrush' bound for Tilbury docks in Essex. Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK After half a century in Britain, Anthony Bryan decided it was time to go abroad. But the decision set off a nightmare that saw him lose his job, detained twice and almost deported to Jamaica. AFP/Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Jamaica-born Anthony Bryan poses outside his home in Edmonton, north London. Now 60 and a grandfather, Bryan thought the issue could be resolved swiftly, as he legally moved to Britain with his family as part of the Windrush generation of Caribbean migrants after World War II. In 1948, the ship Windrush brought the first group of migrants from the West Indies to help rebuild post-war Britain, and many others followed from around the Commonwealth. A 1971 law gave them indefinite leave to remain, but many never formalised their status, often because they were children who came over on their parents' passports and then never applied for their own. AFP/Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Three Jamaican immigrants (left to right) John Hazel, a 21-year-old boxer, Harold Wilmot, 32, and John Richards, a 22-year-old carpenter, arriving at Tilbury on board the ex-troopship 'Empire Windrush', smartly dressed in zoot suits and trilby hats. Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Newly arrived Jamaican immigrants on board the 'Empire Windrush' at Tilbury in 1948. Getty

The guidelines state that victims will receive a fixed tariff of 500 if they were blocked from attending university, 500 if they were denied NHS healthcare and just 200 if they were unable to access banking services as a result of the scandal

But lawyers told The Independent last week the suggestion there was no cap was a false dawn because, in a separate document which was not widely publicised, it states that victims will receive fixed tariffs for different losses.

For example, a claimant would receive 500 if they were denied NHS healthcare, 200 if they were unable to access banking services and 10,000 if they were deported as a result of the scandal.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Lammy said: 10,000 is less than one secretary of state's salary per month. Is this all that youve lost if youve been locked up, if youve been deported, if youve been made homeless?

Is this all it costs someone to be denied access to their family and friends for years and decades from their own country? Is this the price you put on my constituents being deported for no wrongdoing and nothing they have themselves done? Is this how the government values the lives of black Britons?

He added: Let this be the final betrayal of the Windrush generation. Scrap the caps and compensate them properly for the wrongs that have been done to them.

Responding to his comments, immigration minister Caroline Nokes said the different heads of claim in the compensation scheme "need not be in the singular but can be cumulative".

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She added: "There also is a discretionary category which will enable people to claim for other losses not necessarily identified within the scheme which is uncapped. Whilst there is a tariff set at 10,000 for somebody who was wrongly deported, that could be in conjunction with other parts of a claim which could add up to significant sums in addition to that.

Mr Javid said last week that the baseline estimate for the scheme was 200m, and that payouts would be awarded to anyone who has been in the UK since 1988 and was wrongly targeted by immigration enforcement.
Africas richest man has recounted withdrawing $10m (7.6m) just to look at it and prove to himself he was rich.

Aliko Dangote, who owns the Dangote Group, told the story at a forum in Abidjan, Cote dIvoire, on Saturday.

When you first start a business your target is to make your first million, the Nigerian businessman said.

But after a year or so, I realised that I had much more than $12-13bn (9.2-10bn), and I said okay, fine, all these numbers are just written numbers.

One day I went to a bank, at that time there were no restrictions, and I wrote a cheque and cashed $10m. And I took it home for myself. And I put it in the boot of my vehicle and I went home and I opened it and I looked at $10m and I said: Okay fine, now I believe I have money.

The world's best banknote designs Show all 16 1 /16 The world's best banknote designs The world's best banknote designs Bahamas' 20 dollar note Introduced in September 2018. Equivalent to 15. Nominees for the International Bank Note Society's Banknote of the Year award 2018. Conversion to sterling correct as of March 11 2018. The world's best banknote designs Mauritania's 50 ouguiya note Introduced in January 2018. Equivalent to 1.05 The world's best banknote designs Solomon Islands 40 dollar note Introduced in July 2018. Equivalent to 3.77 The world's best banknote designs Sao Tome's 200 dobra note Introduced in January 2018. Equivalent to 6.75. The Dobra is the currency of the African island nation of Sao Tome and Principe The world's best banknote designs Canada's 10 dollar note Introduced in November 2018. Equivalent to 5.70 The world's best banknote designs Argentina's 50 peso note Introduced in August 2018. Equivalent to 93 pence The world's best banknote designs Australia's 50 dollar note Introduced in October 2018. Equivalent to 27 The world's best banknote designs Venezuela's 100 bolivare note Introduced in August 2018 The world's best banknote designs Armenia's 50,000 dram note Introduced in November 2018. Equivalent to 79 The world's best banknote designs China's 50 yuan note Introduced in December 2018. Equivalent to 5.70 The world's best banknote designs Switzerland's 200 franc Note Introduced in August 2018. Equivalent to 152 The world's best banknote designs Bolivia's 20 bolivianos note Introduced in July 2018. Equivalent to 2.22 The world's best banknote designs Russia's 100 rouble note Introduced in May 2018. Equivalent to 1.16 The world's best banknote designs Mexico's 500 peso note Introduced in August 2018. Equivalent to 20 The world's best banknote designs Norway's 500 kroner note Introduced in October 2018. Equivalent to 44 The world's best banknote designs Hong Kong's 1000 dollar note Introduced in December 2018. Equivalent to 98.

I took it back to the bank the next day, Mr Dangote added.

Asked how much money he had in his wallet, he said: Not even a dollar. Nothing.

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The Nigerian reached the rank of 23rd richest person in the world in 2014, according to Forbes magazine.

The magazine also named him as the Forbes Africa Person of the Year in the same year.

He had an estimated net worth of $10.6bn (8.1bn) as of March 2019.
An Egyptian company has become the first in the country to give women one day of paid leave each month for their period.

Campaigners in the UK welcomed the move and called for the government to introduce a similar measure here.

Female employees at Shark and Shrimp, a digital marketing agency based in Cairo, will not need to provide medical proof of having particularly painful periods.

It is an option for all women employees to choose which day of their period will be taken off," Rania Youssef, the company's head of human resources, told The Independent.

We trust our employees 100 per cent and we know they will not misuse this decision. At first, employees were shocked and shy as it is not normal to talk freely about the issue here in the Middle East and North Africa region.

But after understanding the policy gives all women the confidentiality to keep her menstrual days secret with our female HR representative, they were very happy Shark and Shrimp is not only dealing with their work performance but also with their humanity.

Period euphemisms around the World Show all 8 1 /8 Period euphemisms around the World Period euphemisms around the World Germany 'Erdbeerwoche': translates as 'strawberry week' iStock Period euphemisms around the World France 'Les Anglais out debarque' or 'The English have arrived' referring to past wars with England and possibly the British army's red coats Getty Images Period euphemisms around the World Brazil 'Eustou Com Chico' or "I'm with Chico' in reference to socialist Chico Mendes and possibly his gruesome assassination in the late 80's Getty Images Period euphemisms around the World Finland The Finnish affectionately refer to periods and pms as 'Hullum Lechman Tauti' or 'mad cow disease' Getty Images Period euphemisms around the World The United States Though there are many varied terms, a popular americans commonly refer to periods as 'Aunt Flo' iStock Period euphemisms around the World China In China you may hear 'its little sister to come in' iStock Period euphemisms around the World Denmark 'Der Er Kommunister i Lysthuset' or 'There are communists in the funhouse' Getty Images Period euphemisms around the World South Africa A famed colloquialism for a period in South Africa is 'Grannys stuck in traffic' iStock

The firms CEO Mohamed Naiem decided to introduce the policy after reading medical articles about period pains and noticing many women organisations were calling for paid holiday time when they are menstruating, the spokesperson said.

Some Egyptians mocked the notion of menstrual leave  with the firm facing "a lot of offensive and sarcastic comments"  but others hailed the companys decision. The move comes after a recent proposal by Egyptian female journalists who campaigned for women in the country to be granted menstrual leave.

Menstrual leave is recognised in countries such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia and Zambia. Some private Indian companies have also launched such policies.

In South Korea, women can be entitled to additional pay if they do not use the menstrual leave to which they are eligible for.

In 2015, Zambia became the first African country to enshrine a woman's right to menstrual leave in the law, giving them one day off a month when they are menstruating.

The country's labour law, which allows female workers to take off one day a month, is known as Mother's Day despite the fact it applies to all women regardless of whether they have children.

Recommended The female football fans fighting prejudice to end period poverty

Japan has offered menstrual leave policies since 1947, when a law was passed permitting any woman with painful periods, or whose job might intensify period pain, to take time off work.

South Korea granted women menstrual leave in 2001 but the policy has since been criticised by men who perceive it to be a type of reverse discrimination.

Italy attempted to bring in similar legislation  which would have made it the first Western country with an official menstrual leave policy for working women  last year but it failed to pass.

Amika George, a 19-year-old student who founded the Free Periods campaign, urged the UK to introduce menstrual leave.

 Michael Sheen encourages fathers to talk to their daughters about periods in new #Pads4Dads campaign

She said: It would be great. The more the government can do, to acknowledge what women have to go through every month, the better. These other countries are paving the way forward.

"Menstrual leave would help to equal the playing field in terms of the opportunities which men and women are presented with at work. Women have a lot of setbacks and periods can be something which stand in their way of participating in the workplace.

We live in a society where periods are seen as shameful and embarrassing  discussing them in the workplace helps to break taboos. There is nothing for women to feel embarrassed or ashamed about.

The campaigner argued it was slightly unrealistic to think a similar measure could be introduced in the UK but added that perhaps one day such a policy could be implemented.
Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro has sacked his far-right education minister  only to appoint a conspiracy theorist to the position.

The president dismissed the controversial Ricardo Velez Rodriguez from the office just three months into his tenure, following reports of internal disputes.

He will be replaced by Abraham Weintraub, a university professor whose credentials Mr Bolsonaro was keen to emphasise when announcing his appointment on Twitter.

Abraham is a doctor, a university professor and has extensive management experience and the necessary knowledge for the portfolio, he wrote. I take this opportunity to thank Prof Velez for his service.

Mr Rodriguez had been a controversial figure during his time in government, ordering textbooks be re-written to deny the countrys 1964 coup and subsequent 21-year military dictatorship.

Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Show all 20 1 /20 Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Brazil's new President Jair Bolsonaro waves as he drives past before his swear-in ceremony Reuters Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Supporters wait in front of the Planalto Palace, where he will take office EPA Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Jair Bolsonaro gestures at the Congress before he is sworn AFP/Getty Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Supporters take pictures as Brazil's new President Jair Bolsonaro drives past Reuters Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Flanked by first lady Michelle Bolsonaro, Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro waves to the crowd, as he rides in an open car after his swearing-in ceremony AP Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Jair Bolsonaro reacts as he drives past Reuters Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Reuters Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration The National Congress before Brazil's President-elect Jair Bolsonaro is sworn in AFP/Getty Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Jair Bolsonaro gestures at the Congress AFP/Getty Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Reuters Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration AP Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration AFP/Getty Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration EPA Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration AFP/Getty Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration AFP/Getty Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Reuters Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Reuters Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration AFP/Getty Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration AFP/Getty Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration AFP/Getty

He was also forced to apologise for demanding pupils across Brazil be read a letter containing several of Mr Bolsonaros campaign slogans before being filmed signing the national anthem.

However, far from representing a more moderate choice to succeed Mr Rodriguez, Mr Weintraub has a history of promoting right-wing conspiracy theories.

In an interview with Sao Paulo-based newspaper Estadao in August 2018, Mr Weintraub and his brother, Arthur, spoke about their support for the then-presidential candidate Mr Bolsonaro.

During the interview, Mr Weintraub claimed the far-left Colombian paramilitary group FARC had introduced crack cocaine into Brazil as part of a plot to trigger a communist revolution.

He suggested this plan had been concocted at the Sao Paulo Forum, an annual meeting of left-wing parties and organisations in Latin America.

Today, South America, and Brazil in particular, forms part of the habitat for a clear strategy for seizing power by totalitarian groups socialists and communists, Mr Abraham told the newspaper. I did not believe in that, I thought it was a conspiracy theory, but it's all documented  the Sao Paulo Forum is a reality.

FARC were guests of honour. Crack was introduced in Brazil in as a planned event. Look at the files, its on the internet.

Mr Bolsonaro has seen his far-right administration frustrated by infighting and dogged by allegations of corruption.

With a warring cabinet split into several factions, the government has found itself in a state of paralysis and achieved few of its campaign promises.

The inaction has seen Mr Bolsonaros approval rating drop to 32 per cent  the lowest of any first-term president in Brazil.

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Hailed by his supporters as a champion of anti-corruption, the president is now facing claims of familial wrongdoing.

Regulatory authorities said his son Flavio, who is also a senator, received 48 suspicious payments totalling around 19,000 in a single month from his former driver Fabricio Queiroz.

Mr Queiroz is also alleged to have made a payment to first lady Michelle Bolsonaro of about 4,200. All involved deny any wrongdoing and an investigation is ongoing.

Meanwhile, Mr Bolsonaro, a former army captain, has also come under widespread criticism for celebrating 31 March  the day on which in 1964 Brazils military launched a coup and seized control of the country.

The president and his allies believe the dictatorship saved Brazil from communist rule. Critics however point to the widespread censorship and human rights abuses carried out by the regime.
Brandon Reynolds said he had a ritual that would calm him. His daughter's heart formed with a hole while she was in the womb, and from time to time, he would put his ear to her chest to hear and feel the miracle of its beat.

He found it "soothing," Reynolds told police after emergency responders fought to save his five-year old daughter at his Albuquerque, New Mexico, home early Friday. Fire and rescue arrived to find her in possible cardiac arrest and no pulse.

But signs of physical trauma prompted paramedics to call the police, authorities said in a news conference. The girl regained a pulse and was transferred to the University of New Mexico hospital, where she died, according to a criminal complaint obtained by The Washington Post.

Reynolds was charged Friday with intentional child abuse resulting in the death of a child, authorities said, and his story began to unfurl in a taped interview at the police station.

His daughter was home-schooled, he told investigators, and she did her homework on the computer. She told him she didn't want to do any homework that night, according to the complaint.

Chichester clergy child abuse Show all 12 1 /12 Chichester clergy child abuse Chichester clergy child abuse Reverend Gordon Rideout Reverend Gordon Rideout was convicted of 34 counts of indecent assault and two counts of attempted rape against a total of 16 victims from May 2013. He was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. He also pleaded guilty in December 2016 to a further count of indecent assault against someone under the age of 16 and was sentenced to nine months imprisonment. PA Chichester clergy child abuse Reverend Pritchard Reverend Pritchard pleaded guilty in 2008 to seven counts of sexual assault against two boys and was jailed for five years. BBC Chichester clergy child abuse Reverend Robert Coles Reverend Robert Coles pleaded guilty to counts of indecent assault and two of attempted buggery and was sentenced in February 2013 to eight years imprisonment. Chichester clergy child abuse Reverend Jonathan Graves Reverend Jonathan Graves was convicted in 2017 of 12 offences, including indecent assault and cruelty to a child, and was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment. Chichester clergy child abuse Reverend Keith Denford Reverend Keith Denford was convicted of three counts of indecent assault in April 2013 and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment. Chichester clergy child abuse Michael Mytton Church organist Michael Mytton arrives at Hove Crown Court in East Sussex to face charges of indecently assaulting boys under 16 dating back to the 1980s. PA Chichester clergy child abuse Reverend Christopher Howarth Reverend Christopher Howarth was convicted of 26 counts of sexual activity with a child and causing a child to engage in sexual activity and received 16 years imprisonment in total. Chichester clergy child abuse Deacon Peter Pannett Peter Pannett was a deacon in the Brighton area. He pleaded guilty to two counts of making indecent images of children, one count of attempting incitement of a child to engage in sexual activity, and two counts of inciting a child under 16 to engage in sexual activity. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of causing a child to watch a sexual act. He was sentenced to 32 months of imprisonment. Chichester clergy child abuse Bishop Peter Ball Peter Ball was the Bishop of Lewes between 1977 and 1992 (later Bishop of Gloucester). In September 2015, Bishop Ball pleaded guilty to counts of misconduct in public office concerning sexual activity with young adults and two counts of indecent assaults against adults. He was sentenced to 32 months imprisonment. The Reverend Vickery House was a vicar within East Sussex and a close associate of Peter Ball. He was convicted of five counts of indecent assault and was sentenced to six-and-a-half years imprisonment in October 2015. PA Chichester clergy child abuse Reverend Vickery House The Reverend Vickery House was a vicar within East Sussex and a close associate of Peter Ball. He was convicted of five counts of indecent assault and was sentenced to six-and-a-half years imprisonment in October 2015. PA Chichester clergy child abuse Michael Walsh Michael Walsh, involved with Chichester Cathedral and the Prebendal School(which educates the choristers who sing in the cathedral and has boarding facilities.) In 1990, Michael Walsh, who was a teacher at a state-run Anglican secondary school and was head of music at an Anglican church in Chichester, was also involved heavily with music in the Chichester area. He was convicted, in 1990, of having unlawful sexual intercourse with teenage girls who were pupils at his school and some of them may also have been involved with Chichester Cathedral as well. It is not clear. He was sentenced to five years' imprisonment. Chichester clergy child abuse Terence Banks Terence Banks and the associated offending of Michael Walsh and David Bowring. Terence Banks was the steward of Chichester Cathedral. He was convicted in May 2001 and sentenced to 16 years' imprisonment for 32 sexual offences against 12 boys.

That response "triggered" him, Reynolds said.

"That's when the discipline came in," he told investigators. He beat her with a shoe before he began "blacking out" until he realised she was lethargic and cradled her on the living room floor, the complaint said.

Investigators interviewed a neighbour who reported a commotion, including Reynolds shouting, "Get up!"

Officers described a violent and surreal scene inside the home. There was blood on a wall and the carpet, and Reynolds called his daughter's mother on FaceTime to tell her about the incident as officers were still there.

Reynolds said he was alarmed when the girl's breathing became shallow and his ritual nearly went silent - he could barely feel her heartbeat. He then called first responders.

 'I beg the Lords forgiveness' for child abuse 'betrayal' says Pope Francis at a service in Knock, Ireland

Police observed him to be "emotionless," the complaint said.

It is unclear if Reynolds is represented by an attorney.

A neighbour told KOAT that she used to babysit the child. They painted each other's nails. "She was a little angel," the neighbour said. "She didn't deserve this."

Detectives from the child abuse unit have helped in the investigation, Albuquerque Police Chief Michael Geier said.

"This is definitely a heartbreaking tragedy, and our officers and detectives are working diligently at this time to get justice for this little girl," Mr Geier said.

Washington Post
 Close Joe Biden jokes about inappropriate touching

With a burgeoning field of Democratic presidential hopefuls vying for their partys nomination to take on Donald Trump in 2020, a tight grouping of candidates has emerged with a just a few earning the distinction as front-runners in the polls.

As those democrats cross the country from Iowa to New Hampshire and South Carolina hoping to earn voter support, Mr Trump faces his own reckoning in the form of approval ratings for the job he is doing as president.

So far in the just over two years he has been in office, Mr Trump has seen approval ratings in the low 40s  a troubling sign for a man who hopes to once again win one of the most powerful offices in the world.

Take a look below for the latest poll coverage from The Independent. We will be updating with the latest individual polls of import, as well as frequent updates on the aggregates of polls and what they mean for the 2020 election prospects.

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Joe Biden has become arguably the most popular  and controversial  2020 Democratic candidate who has yet to officially launch their campaign for the White House.

The former vice president has garnered national headlines after numerous women described feeling uncomfortable with his physical greetings and other exchanges from over the years, including former Nevada Democratic lawmaker Lucy Flores, who recently wrote about her awkward experience with Mr Biden in The Cut.

But not everyone is apparently buying the accusations of inappropriate contact levelled against him.

Christopher Coons, a Delaware Democrat, said during an interview on Monday: There are folks who, I think, are coming forward and standing up about this because they support other candidates.

Speaking to CNN, the senator also added: There are folks who, I think, are coming forward out of a genuine sense of feeling disrespected or unappreciated.

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

At the end of the day, the best way to measure this is to see how former Vice President Biden does on the campaign trail, he continued.

Mr Coons has previously spoken out in defence of the former vice president, who has been mulling a 2020 bid in recent months.

Recommended Nancy Pelosi offers a different way for Joe Biden to touch women

He has said photos of Mr Biden had been taken out of context to claim wrongdoing in some cases, when the former vice president was actually being kind or thoughtful towards constituents.

In my many years on the campaign trail and in public life, I have offered countless handshakes, hugs, expressions of affection, support and comfort. And not once  never  did I believe I acted inappropriately, Mr Biden said in a statement addressing the controversy.

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He added, If it is suggested I did so, I will listen respectfully. But it was never my intention.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a subtle jab towards Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over her alleged dependency on Twitter for public support, insinuating that the freshman lawmaker is neglecting to do work required pass the Democratic agenda into laws.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez has almost 4 million followers on Twitter and has often used Twitter as a tool to rally public support for her progressive proposals including the Green New Deal.

Ms Pelosi, 79, told USA Today on Monday that she is running into issues of leading a House caucus while freshman Democratic lawmakers are pushing the party further to the left. She accuses them of prioritising symbolic gestures over actual legislative achievements.

While there are people who have a large number of Twitter followers, whats important is that we have large numbers of votes on the floor of the House, the California Democrat said.

She did not mention Ms Ocasio-Cortez by name in the interview.

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

Ms Pelosi added that she believes progressives are fine after she told them they needed to look into introducing moderate legislation that have a higher chance of passing the House.

As I say to my own district, You go out and elect 218 people, just like San Francisco, then we can talk, Ms Pelosi added.

This isnt the first time the House Speaker derided Ms Ocasio-Cortez. In February, Ms Pelosi scoffed at the Green New Deal, a climate change proposal introduced by the New York Democrat, in an interview with Politico.

It will be one of several or maybe many suggestions that we receive, Ms Pelosi said. The green dream, or whatever they call it, nobody knows what it is, but theyre for it, right?
Donald Trumps advisor Stephen Miller is a white nationalist who should have no role in government, Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar has said.

The Minnesota representative described it as an outrage that Mr Miller, the driving force behind administrations controversial immigration policies, had influence over the White House.

Her comments came following reports that Mr Miller had been personally lobbying the president to take Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in a tougher direction.

He was also the architect of Mr Trumps so-called Muslim ban and policy of separating migrant children from their parents at the US border.

Ms Omar, one of the first two Muslim women elected to congress, tweeted: Stephen Miller is a white nationalist. The fact that he still has influence on policy and political appointments is an outrage.

Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy Show all 8 1 /8 Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy Mishawaka, Indiana AP Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy Washington DC AFP/Getty Images Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy New York Mayor Bill De Blasio speaks in Tornillo, Texas alongside the many other US mayors who have called for detained immigrant children to be reunited with their families AP Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy Albuquerque Mayor Tim Kelle leaves a teddy bear as a gift for detained immigrant children in Tornillo, Texas AP Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti leave sandals as gifts for detained immigrant children in Tornillo, Texas AP Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy San Diego, California EPA Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy US embassy, Mexico City AFP/Getty Images Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy San Diego, California EPA

Mr Miller is said to have been the impetus behind an ongoing shake-up of senior immigration officials at the Department of Homeland Security.

He is reported to have convinced the president to oust Kirstjen Nielsen, who resigned as homeland security secretary on Sunday, in part because she was trying to obey laws on treatment of refugees, granting of amnesty, and separation of families.

Last year a White House aide, speaking anonymously, claimed Mr Miller "actually enjoys" seeing pictures of migrant children detained at the border. They told Vanity Fair: "Hes a twisted guy ... He's Waffen-SS.

Ms Omars tweet contained a link to a story about Mr Miller reportedly pushing Mr Trump to withdraw his nomination of Ronald Vitiello to be next ICE head due to his lack of support for fully closing the border between the US and Mexico.

The congresswomans post was quickly condemned by Donald Trump Jr, who replied: I see that the head of the Farrakhan Fan Club, @IlhanMN, took a short break from spewing her usual anti-semitic bigotry today to accuse a Jewish man of being a white nationalist because she apparently has no shame.

Ms Omar has previously been rebuked by Democratic House speaker Nancy Pelosi for her use of antisemitic tropes and prejudicial accusations about Israels supporters.
Donald Trump has claimed the Obama administration originally separated immigrant families arriving at the border, and that he took decisive measures to end it  in spite of recent reports that the current president wants to bring the policy back after a court ruled it was illegal.

"Just so you understand, President Obama separated the children. Those cages that were shown  I think they were very inappropriate. They were built by President Obama's administration. Not by Trump," the president said during a meeting in the Oval Office. "President Obama had child separation. Take a look."

"I'm the one that stopped it," he said.

The comments come as top ranks of the US Department of Homeland Security have come under fire by the president, leading to the notable departures of secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Secret Service chief Randolph Alles.

Those departures have been seen as a shift for Mr Trump, who appears poised to crack down even harder on immigration issues than his previous approach to the issue.

Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy Show all 8 1 /8 Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy Mishawaka, Indiana AP Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy Washington DC AFP/Getty Images Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy New York Mayor Bill De Blasio speaks in Tornillo, Texas alongside the many other US mayors who have called for detained immigrant children to be reunited with their families AP Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy Albuquerque Mayor Tim Kelle leaves a teddy bear as a gift for detained immigrant children in Tornillo, Texas AP Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti leave sandals as gifts for detained immigrant children in Tornillo, Texas AP Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy San Diego, California EPA Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy US embassy, Mexico City AFP/Getty Images Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy San Diego, California EPA

Just last week, for instance, Mr Trump floated the idea of getting rid of immigration judges in order to fix the American immigration system. Also last week, reports indicate that the president instructed Border Patrol agents to illegally turn immigrants away at the US-Mexico border.

The president's claim that Barack Obama's administration separated families is not a new one for the administration, and had been made by Ms Nielsen previously.

Those claims were hard to evaluate at the time, with DHS refusing to provide FactCheck.org with a breakdown of the number of separated families at the border during previous administrations.

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The separations are generally thought to have started after attorney general Jeff Sessions penned a memo introducing a so-called "zero tolerance" policy that mandated detention and prosecution for individuals who enter the United States illegally, even if they did so seeking asylum.

The policies led to major news coverage after images of the children began to be released publicly, leading to widespread condemnation and calls for an end to the policy.

While Mr Trump claims his administration ended family separation, a federal judge also ordered the reunification of families after Mr Trump signed an executive order last summer to detain families together.
The former acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has said Donald Trumps idea to eliminate immigration judges was one of the worst ideas he had ever heard.

John Sandweg, who served ICE during the Obama administration, said during an appearance on CNN that Mr Trumps idea was the single dumbest idea I have ever heard in terms of dealing with this current crisis.

Instead Mr Sandweg said the US should be hiring more judges to handle the backlog of immigration cases that have overburdened the American immigration system.

What we need to do is the exact opposite of what the president is saying, Mr Sanweg said. Flood the zone with the rule of law, surge the number of immigration judges and process these cases quickly.

Mr Trump appeared to float the idea on Friday during a press conference, where he also claimed that the United States is full, and could not accept any more immigrants.

Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy Show all 8 1 /8 Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy Mishawaka, Indiana AP Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy Washington DC AFP/Getty Images Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy New York Mayor Bill De Blasio speaks in Tornillo, Texas alongside the many other US mayors who have called for detained immigrant children to be reunited with their families AP Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy Albuquerque Mayor Tim Kelle leaves a teddy bear as a gift for detained immigrant children in Tornillo, Texas AP Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti leave sandals as gifts for detained immigrant children in Tornillo, Texas AP Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy San Diego, California EPA Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy US embassy, Mexico City AFP/Getty Images Families belong together protests over Trump immigration policy San Diego, California EPA

We should get rid of judges, Mr Trump said. You cant have a court case every time somebody steps their foot on our ground.

The president was visiting California on Friday to see a portion of border wall that had been renovated since he became president.

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Since that trip, reports have emerged indicating Mr Trump personally instructed Border Patrol agents to illegally block immigrants from entering the United States.

When they sought further instruction from superiors, the agents were reportedly told to ignore the president and instead follow the rule of the law.
A day after Donald Trump designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organisation, reports are reemerging of the Trump Organization's alleged participation in a scheme that likely helped the IRGC launder money to fund its interests abroad.

The US government made the unprecedented move to blacklist another countrys military because, Mr Trump said, the IRGC actively participates in, finances, and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft.

The designation imposes sanctions including freezing assets the IRGC may have in US jurisdictions and a ban on Americans doing business with the organisation.

But according to a 2017 report by the New Yorker, the Trump Organization signed contracts in 2012 with developers to build a skyscraper in Azerbaijan that appeared to be a corrupt operation engineered by oligarchs tied to Irans Revolutionary Guard.

The family the Trumps partnered with on the Trump Tower Baku project were the Mammadovs, whose billionaire patriarch Ziya Mammadov was the then-Azerbaijani transport minister, on a reported salary of little over 9,000.

According to Transparency International, Azerbaijan is one of the most corrupt countries on Earth, and, according to one US diplomat  in comments made public by WikiLeaks eight years ago  Mr Mammadov was notoriously corrupt even for Azerbaijan.

In 2008, Mr Mammadov awarded a series of multimillion-pound contracts to Azarpassillo, an Iranian construction firm allegedly controlled by the IRGC as part of a larger scheme to export money from Iran in order to fund terror and other activities abroad.

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The company was run by the Darvishi family, at least three members of whom were associated of the IRGC, the New Yorker reported. Two brothers in the family, Kamal and Keyumars, made frequent visits to Azerbaijan and reportedly developed a close relationship with the Mammadovs.

The Trump Tower Baku project carried some classic hallmarks of a money-laundering operation, including firms being paid in cash, some of which was transferred in duffel bags.

I got a hundred and eighty thousand dollars one time, which I fit into my laptop bag, and two hundred thousand dollars another time, said Frank McDonald, who performed work on the buildings interior.

Trump Organization lawyer Alan Garten said the company learned in 2015 about the possibility the Mammadovs had ties to the IRGC, which was under US sanctions, but did not pull out of the deal until December 2016 as there was no rush because the project had stalled.

 Trump Tower hotel on fire in Azerbaijan capital Baku

He also said the Trump Organization had binding contracts with the Mammadovs that they could not just abandon, something sanctions experts rubbished.

You cant violate sanctions just because you have a contract with someone, said Jessica Tillipman, an assistant dean at George Washington University Law School.

There is no evidence Mr Trump or any Trump Organization officials acted illegally in the deal. Mr Trump, in fact, was reportedly only lightly involved in the project, which was spearheaded by his oldest daughter, Ivanka.

Baku XXI Century, the firm owned by the Mammadovs, has denied involvement in corruption. Azarpasillo and the Trump Organization have been contacted for comment.
Donald Trumps purge of top officials at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has alarmed congressional Republicans, who warn the presidents immigration shake-up is creating a growing leadership void.

The presidents allies fear further sackings are on the cards following the ousting of a string of senior figures including homeland security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

The overhaul has been fuelled by Mr Trump's frustration with the increasing number of migrants at the US-Mexico border and was reportedly orchestrated by his adviser Stephen Miller, the impetus behind some of the administration's most controversial policies.

Ms Nielsen submitted her resignation on Sunday after meeting with the president at the White House. Three days earlier, the administration withdrew the nomination of Ron Vitiello to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The head of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, Lee Francis Cissna, and homeland security general counsel John M Mitnick are also expected to be forced out of their positions, officials told Associated Press.

Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California Show all 20 1 /20 Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California The prototypes for President Trumps border wall are being demolished. AP Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California The US Customs and Border protection had built the eight 30-foot tall steel and concrete models near San Diego on the US-Mexico border. Reuters Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California A 2018 report from the Government Accountability Office found that the construction challenges presented by the four concrete models would be extensive and those presented by two of the other models would be substantial. Reuters Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California It was intended that Mr Trump would choose his favourite of the designs after testing had been completed. AFP/Getty Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California The President is yet to comment. AFP/Getty Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California Each prototype cost $300,000 to $500,000 to build and they are being knocked down in order to make way for the San Diego Secondary Wall project which will see up to 14 miles of barrier being built to support the existing steel border fence. AP Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California The new barrier will not employ the design of any of the prototypes, instead being built of the favoured steel bollards which make up the current section of the wall at San Diego. Reuters Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California The new secondary barrier being built near San Diego. Reuters Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California The rubble of one of the demolished prototypes. Reuters Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California A steel wall prototype AFP/Getty Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California A wall prototype made from a mix of steel and concrete AFP/Getty Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California A wall prototype made from a mix of steel and concrete AFP/Getty Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California A concrete wall prototype AFP/Getty Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California A steel wall prototype AFP/Getty Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California A concrete wall prototype AFP/Getty Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California A concrete wall prototype AFP/Getty Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California A concrete wall prototype AFP/Getty Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California A digger approaches the prototype wall AFP/Getty Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California Aerial view of the wall prototypes at the US-Mexico border after they were torn down AFP/Getty Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California An aerial view showing Tijuana, Mexico on the left and the demolished wall prototypes on the right AFP/Getty

Other long-time civil servants in agency posts also face the chop, said the officials, who spoke to on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly.

Court challenges, immigration laws and Mr Trumps own advisers have blocked several of his proposals as his re-election campaign looms.

But Republicans said a new immigration team was likely to face the same obstacles.

Its a mess, Texas senator John Cornyn told Politico. Strikes me as just a frustration of not being able to solve a problem. Honestly, it wasnt Secretary Nielsens fault. It wasnt for lack of effort on her part. I dont know if theres anybody whos going to be able to do more.

Wisconsin Republican Ron Johnson, chair of the Homeland Security Committee, said: "I am concerned with a growing leadership void within the department tasked with addressing some of the most significant problems facing the nation."

Democrats have also voiced alarm over the dismissals.

"The purge of senior leadership at the Department of Homeland Security is unprecedented and a threat to our national security," said Dianne Feinstein, of California. "President Trump is trying to remake DHS into his own personal anti-immigration agency."

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Beyond changing senior personnel, Mr Trump is also considering resuming the separation of migrant parents from their children at the border, a policy which provoked outrage before it was scrapped last year. That could mean he would have to violate his own executive order and possibly run afoul of a federal judge overseeing reunifications.

Gil Kerlikowske, who led Customs and Border Protection from 2014 to 2017, said: "I don't envy anybody in that position because these are policies that are White House policies, not DHS."
 Close Donald Trump: 'Obama started children separation. I'm the one who stopped it'

William Barr appeared before Congress to answer questions on the Justice Department's budget, but the hearing instead turned into a barrage of questions about the much-delayed release of the Mueller report.

The attorney general told members of Congress at his first public appearance since receiving the special counsels report that his earlier projection of releasing a version by mid-April still stood.

The nearly 400-page report is being scoured now to remove grand jury information and details relating to pending investigations.

The redactions will be colour-coded and accompanied by notes explaining the decision to withhold information, he said.

Democrats scolded Mr Barr over his handling of the report, telling him they were concerned that a summary of its main conclusions he released last month portrayed the investigations findings in an overly favorable way of the president.

Mueller investigation: The key figures Show all 12 1 /12 Mueller investigation: The key figures Mueller investigation: The key figures Robert Mueller is the special counsel overseeing the investigation into Russia's meddling in the 2016 election, and potential obstruction of justice by the president. Mr Mueller has a pristine reputation in Washington, where he was previously in charge of the FBI. Throughout his investigation, he and his team have been notoriously tight lipped about what they know and where their investigation has led. REUTERS Mueller investigation: The key figures Former FBI director James Comey was the catalyst that led to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller. Mr Comey was fired by the president after Mr Trump reportedly asked him to drop his own Russia investigation. Mr Trump has long maintained that the investigation is a "witch hunt". AFP/Getty Images Mueller investigation: The key figures Deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein had authority over the special counsel investigation for much of the two years it has been active. Mr Rosenstein found himself with that responsibility after then-attorney general Jeff Sessions recused himself from that oversight. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Attorney general Jeff Sessions's decision to recuse himself from oversight of the special counsel investigation may have cost him his job in the end. Mr Sessions resigned last year, after weathering a contentious relationship with Donald Trump who vocally criticised his attorney general for taking a step back. Mr Sessions recused himself from the oversight citing longstanding Justice Department rules to not be involved in investigations overseeing campaigns that officials were apart of. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Attorney General William Barr is currently responsible for oversight of the special counsel investigation. Mr Barr's office will be the first to receive the Mueller report when it is finished. His office will then determine what portion or version of that report should be delivered to Congress, and also made public. EPA Mueller investigation: The key figures Michal Cohn is the president's former personal lawyer, who has been helping the special counsel investigation as a part of a plea deal over financial crimes, and campaign finance crimes, he has pleaded guilty to. Among those crimes, Cohen admitted to facilitating $130,000 in hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 campaign. Cohen has said he did so at the direction of Mr Trump. Cohen has also admitted that he maintained contacts with Russian officials about a potential Trump real estate project in Moscow for months longer than Mr Trump and others admitted. The talks continued well into 2016 during the campaign, he has said. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Stormy Daniels has alleged that she had an affair with Donald Trump in 2006, soon after Melania Trump gave birth to Baron Trump. The accusation is of particular importance as a result of the $130,000 hush money payment she received to keep quiet about the affair during the 2016 campaign. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Paul Manafort was Donald Trump's former campaign chairman. Manafort was charged alongside Rick Gates for a slew of financial crimes, and was convicted on several counts in a Virginia court. He then pleaded guilty to separate charges filed in a Washington court. Manafort has been sentenced to just 7.5 years in prison for his crimes  in spite of recommendations from the special counsel's office for a much harsher sentence. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures George Papadopoulos was one of the first individuals associated with the Trump campaign to be charged by the Mueller probe. He ultimately received a 14 day prison sentence for lying to investigators about contacts he had with Russian officials. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Roger Stone is a well known political fixer and operative, who has made a name for himself for some dirty tactics. He has been charged by the Mueller probe earlier this year, and he has been said to have had prior knowledge that WikiLeaks planned on publishing stolen emails from the Hillary Clinton campaign in 2016. Getty Images Mueller investigation: The key figures Rick Gates was charged alongside former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort for a range of crimes. Gates, who worked alongside Manafort for a pro-Russia Ukrainian political party. The two were charged with conspiracy and financial crimes. Gates pleaded guilty. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Former national security adviser Michael Flynn was one of the first casualties of the Russia scandal, and was forced out of his position in the White House weeks after Donald Trump took office. Flynn pleaded guilty in 2017 to "willfully" making fraudulent statements about contacts he had with Russian officials including former Russian ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Flynn then lied to Vice President Mike Pence about that contact. REUTERS

Mr Barr was summoned to Congress to talk about his departments budget request, but lawmakers still asked about the Mueller report as they waited to see it.

His opening remarks focused on funding requests for immigration enforcement and the fights against violent crime and opioid addiction, not mentioning the special counsels report at all.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump is under fire from senior Republicans after he forced out Homeland Security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, with the likes of Texas Senator John Cornyn breaking ranks to denounce the mess left behind at the department tasked with ending illegal immigration from Central America.

Veteran senator Chuck Grassley warned further sackings could follow while others have expressed disquiet about the ever-growing influence of White House aide Stephen Miller, a zero-tolerance hard-liner.

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Additional reporting by AP. Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load
President Trump moved to clear out the senior ranks of the Department of Homeland Security on Monday, a day after forcing the resignation of its secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen, as he accelerated a purge of the nations immigration and security leadership.

The White House announced the departure of Randolph Alles, the director of the Secret Service, who had fallen out of favour with the president even before a security breach at his Mar-a-Lago club that the agency effectively blamed on Mr Trumps employees.

Government officials, who asked not to be identified discussing personnel changes before they were announced, said at least two to four more high-ranking figures affiliated with Ms Nielsen were expected to leave soon, too, hollowing out the top echelon of the department managing border security, presidential safety, counterterrorism, natural disasters, customs and other matters.

The wave of departures of officials originally appointed by Mr Trump underscored his growing frustration with his own administrations handling of immigration and other security issues. In recent days, Mr Trump has threatened to close the southwestern border altogether only to back off and give Mexico a one-year notice in the face of warnings about deep economic damage from such a move.

The shake-up, coming more than two years into Mr Trumps term, indicated that he is still searching for a team that will fulfil his desire for an even tougher approach to immigration. It also signalled the enduring influence of Stephen Miller, the presidents hard-line senior adviser who has complained about recalcitrant homeland security officials.

Criminals who worked for Trump Show all 5 1 /5 Criminals who worked for Trump Criminals who worked for Trump Michael Cohen Former lawyer for Donald Trump was sentenced to three years in prison on counts involving evading income tax, false disclosure of the hush money paid to Stormy Daniels and another hush money charge Getty Criminals who worked for Trump Paul Manafort Former campaign manager for Trump Manafort was found guilty in February 2018 of five counts of tax fraud, two counts of bank fraud and one count of failure to disclose a foreign bank account. The crimes occurred prior to his appointment in Trump's campaign Getty Criminals who worked for Trump George Papadopoulos Former Trump campaign adviser Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in October 2017. He had lied about making contact with a professor who claimed that the Russians had dirt on Hillary Clinton. He was sentenced to 14 days in jail Getty Criminals who worked for Trump Michael Flynn Former White House National Security adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in December 2017. He had lied about conversations that he had with the Russian ambassador to the US during Trump's Presidential campaign. He was not given prison time due to his "significant assistance" to the Mueller investigation Getty Criminals who worked for Trump Rick Gates Deputy chairman of Trump's presidential campaign Gates pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in February 2018 AFP/Getty

Some of the presidents allies complained that he was going too far, taking out subordinates who actually share his goals on immigration at the prodding of White House aides hunting for scapegoats for the failure to control the border as he has promised to do.

Without names, theres people in the White House that speak about immigration, Senator Charles Grassley, Republican of Iowa, said in an interview. They havent accomplished a whole lot, so they need to find some other way to make themselves look important.

The latest shuffle came just a day after Mr Trump pushed out Ms. Nielsen for not doing enough in his view to secure the border and three days after Ronald Vitiello, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was told to step aside so the administration could go in a tougher direction, as Mr Trump put it.

Officials said they expect to see the departures of L. Francis Cissna, the head of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services; Kathy Nuebel Kovarik, one of his top deputies; and John Mitnick, the departments general counsel and a senior member of Ms. Nielsens leadership team. All of them were said to be viewed by Mr Miller as obstacles to implementing the presidents policies.

Since President Trumps inauguration, White House staffers and cabinet officials have left in firings and resignations, one after the other.

 Trump says he made snap decision to recognise Golan Heights as Israel's after 'quick history lesson' on Middle East

The White House is also pressing for the resignation of Claire Grady, the acting deputy secretary, who under law would normally fill in for Ms Nielsen. Mr Trump has already announced that he will install Kevin McAleenan, the Customs and Border Protection commissioner, as Ms Nielsens acting replacement, which he cannot do if Ms Grady remains in place.

The latest moves appeared to be a housecleaning of officials associated with John Kelly, the presidents former chief of staff and his first homeland security secretary, who was pushed out at the end of last year after months of tension with Mr Trump.

Mr Alles, a retired Marine major general who served with Mr Kelly in the military and goes by Tex, was the first person from outside the Secret Service to head the agency in more than a century and some administration officials said he had a hard time fitting in.

At Mr Trumps instruction, Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, told Mr Alles at least 10 days ago to expect a transition after two years in office and to develop an exit plan, according to officials familiar with the discussions.

Mr Trump, who talks with members of his own Secret Service detail, had soured on Mr Alles a while ago, convinced that as an outsider he was not popular among the agents, officials said. The president even made fun of the directors looks, calling him Dumbo because of his ears. But a Secret Service ally of Mr Alles disputed the notion that he did not fit in, saying that the director was well liked among the work force.

Mr Alles was told to develop an exit plan before the arrest of a Chinese woman carrying a malware-laced device at Mar-a-Lago, exposing holes in the security of the private club. The Secret Service was so disturbed that it issued a statement faulting the clubs staff for not tracking its guests closely enough.

Some Secret Service officials said on Monday that they suspected that Mr Alless departure was accelerated in part because of the episode.

The White House made no mention of that in its statement announcing Mr Alless departure issued shortly after it was reported by CNN.

Mr Alles has done a great job at the agency over the last two years, and the president is thankful for his over 40 years of service to the country, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, said in the statement.

She said he would be replaced in May by James M. Murray, a career Secret Service official who oversees protective operations.

Mr Alles was the focus of an early fight between Mr Trump and Mr Kelly in the first months of the administration. Mr Kelly threatened to resign as homeland security secretary if Mr Alles was not made Secret Service director, according to former administration officials.

Randolph Alles, the director of the Secret Service, received instructions 10 days ago to come up with an exit plan and was expected to leave on his own timeline.CreditDavid Goldman/Associated Press

In an email message to his work force on Monday, Mr Alles confirmed that his departure was ordered by the president last month.

No doubt you have seen media reports regarding my firing, he wrote. I assure you that this is not the case, and in fact was told weeks ago by the administration that transitions in leadership should be expected across the Department of Homeland Security.

The president has directed an orderly transition in leadership for this agency and I intend to abide by that direction, he added. It is my sincere regret that I was not able to address the work force prior to this announcement.

Regardless of when the decision was made, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, said Mr Alles should testify before Congress about the Mar-a-Lago breach.

The public and Congress need to know the extent to which adversarial governments  like China  and their agents are attempting to gain access to, or conduct electronic surveillance on, conversations or other information regarding national security at President Trumps properties, he said.

 Kirstjen Nielsen: US Homeland Security chief resigns

Not all of Mr Trumps allies were happy with the moves.

Theres no doubt that Cissna has proved his competence, in a lot of things hes doing  things that the president is for, Mr Grassley said. Referring to Mr Cissna and Ms Kovarik, both of whom once worked on his staff, Mr Grassley said, If he gets rid of these two, its self-defeating because I dont know anyone else in the department or at least in immigration who could do better.

One administration official said Mr Cissna angered Mr Miller by refusing to make changes to asylum policy without congressional approval. Under current law, unauthorized immigrants facing expedited removal may seek asylum before an immigration judge if found to have a credible fear of persecution or torture.

As for Ms Nielsen, she expressed no unhappiness about her departure on Monday and thanked Mr Trump for the tremendous opportunity to serve her country and the employees of her department for their efforts to secure the nation.

The latest departures, along with previous vacancies, will leave the Department of Homeland Security without a permanent secretary, deputy secretary, two under secretaries, Secret Service director, Federal Emergency Management Agency director, ICE director, general counsel, citizenship and immigration services director, inspector general, chief financial officer, chief privacy officer and, once Mr McAleenan moves, Customs and Border Protection commissioner.

The purge of senior leadership at the Department of Homeland Security is unprecedented and a threat to our national security, said Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California.

Senator Ron Johnson, Republican of Wisconsin and chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, complained about congressional dysfunction in addressing border security, but added, I am concerned with a growing leadership void within the department tasked with addressing some of the most significant problems facing the nation.

The New York Times
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Democrats in New York State have launched a new effort that would make it possible for Congress to get ahold of Donald Trumps tax returns, sparking criticism among Republicans who say the effort is ludicrous and illegal.

While New York law currently makes it illegal to release any individuals tax returns, a new bill would allow the states commissioner of taxation and finance to cooperate with congressional investigations and queries.

This new bill will permit New York State to comply with requests from congressional investigative committees and help ensure Congress cant be blocked in their attempts to hold even the highest elected officials in the land accountable to the American people, state senator Brad Hoylman, who introduced the legislation, said in a statement.

US House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler responded to the new bill by praising the law as an alternative for getting Mr Trumps returns if efforts are blocked at the federal level.

This legislation would make the work of a federal committee a little easier, if confronted with inability to receive the federal tax return, we can turn to New York State, Mr Nadler said said in a statement.

Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Show all 20 1 /20 Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Donald Trump sits in the living room at Mar-a-Lago in 1993. The following pictures show the interior of the Mar-a-Lago estate. Many of them are from before Trump bought the property in 1985 but, as the newer pictures show, he hasn't done much with the place Rex Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home The dining room at Mar-a-Lago under Trump. The following pictures show the interior of the Mar-a-Lago estate. Many of them are from before Trump bought the property in 1985 but, as the newer pictures show, he hasn't done much with the place Rex Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home The dining room at Mar-a-Lago in 1967. The following pictures show the interior of the Mar-a-Lago estate. Many of them are from before Trump bought the property in 1985 but, as the newer pictures show, he hasn't done much with the place US National Park Service Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home The dining room at Mar-a-Lago under Trump in 2015 The Washington Post/Getty Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Function room at Mar-a-Lago in 1967 US National Park Service Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Donald Trump sits in the living room at Mar-a-Lago in 1993. Rex Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home The living room in Mar-a-Lago in 1967 US National Park Service Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Master bedroom at Mar-a-Lago in 1967 US National Park Service Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Library at Mar-a-Lago in 1967 US National Park Service Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Cloister at Mar-a-Lago in 1967 US National Park Service Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Entrance hall at Mar-a-Lago in 1967 US National Park Service Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Spiral staircase at Mar-a-Lago in 1967 US National Park Service Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home The dining room at Mar-a-Lago in 1967 US National Park Service Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Patio at Mar-a-Lago in 1928 US National Park Service Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Cloister at Mar-a-Lago in 1967 US National Park Service Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Mar-a-Lago in 2018 Getty Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Mar-a-Lago in 2018 Getty Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Mar-a-Lago in 2018 Getty Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Mar-a-Lago in 2018 Getty Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Mar-a-Lago in 2018 AFP/Getty

At least one investigation in Congress has requested that the presidents tax returns be handed over, but those efforts are being met with resistance from the White House.

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Republicans have responded by calling the effort partisan, and suggesting that the legislation is essentially writing laws to target a single individual.

This is so political, so aimed at Donald Trump no matter how they disguise it otherwise, said Ed Cox, the chairman of the New York State Republican Party, told Fox News.
Joe Biden has established a sizable lead in polls of Democratic presidential contenders despite allegations of unwanted physical contact with women.

The former vice president had the support of 32 per cent of voters, according to a Morning Consult survey.

He was nine points ahead of Bernie Sanders, who had 23 per cent of support.

It was the first national poll conducted after several women came forward to accuse the 76-year-old Democrat of unwanted touching.

In response, Mr Biden pledged in a video to be more mindful of respecting personal space.

(Infographic by Statista)

Mr Biden has said he has 95 per cent decided to run for the White House for a third time.

He is likely to face questions about his age  at 76 he will be the second oldest candidate after Mr Sanders  and his Senate record, which has been criticised for his authorship of the 1994 crime act that led to increased incarceration rates.

At least four women have come forward to accuse him of uninvited physical contact, including Lucy Flores, a Democrat who served in the Nevada State Assembly, former congressional aide Amy Lappos, Caitlyn Caruso and DJ Hill.

The women claimed he touched them or hugged them in a manner which made them feel uncomfortable.

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

Mr Biden also appeared to make light of the allegations by twice claiming he had permission to hug people he put his arms around on stage.

Donald Trump, who himself has been accused of sexual harassment of assault by around two-dozen women, used the allegations to mock Mr Biden by tweeting a doctored video showing the former vice president appearing to caress his own shoulders.

 Joe Biden jokes about inappropriate touching

The Morning Consult poll was conducted between 1 and 7 April and included 13,644 voters.

Kamala Harris came in behind Mr Biden and Mr Sanders at 9 per cent, Beto ORourke at 8 per cent and Elizabeth Warren at 7 per cent. They were followed by Pete Buttigieg at 5 per cent, Cory Booker at 4 per cent, then Kirsten Gillibrand and Amy Klobuchar at 2 per cent.
US attorney general William Barr has told legislators they could expect a redacted copy of special counsel Robert Muellers report within a week.

Mr Barr was speaking about the report  the findings of an investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible links collusion with Donald Trumps 2016 campaign  during a tense hearing on Capitol Hill that yielded more questions than answers.

The attorney general abruptly declined to answer further questions about the investigation halfway through the hearing, saying: Ive said what I was going to say about the report today. He then refused to answer whether the White House had been briefed on any aspect of the special counsels report.

Im not going to say anything more about it until the report is out, he added.

Democrats expressed frustration and concern with Mr Barrs handling of the report. Nita Lowey, chair of the House Appropriations Committee grilled him over how he managed to reduce the massive document into four pages just days after he had received it.

Even for someone who has done this job before, I would argue its more suspicious than impressive, she said.

Mueller investigation: The key figures Show all 12 1 /12 Mueller investigation: The key figures Mueller investigation: The key figures Robert Mueller is the special counsel overseeing the investigation into Russia's meddling in the 2016 election, and potential obstruction of justice by the president. Mr Mueller has a pristine reputation in Washington, where he was previously in charge of the FBI. Throughout his investigation, he and his team have been notoriously tight lipped about what they know and where their investigation has led. REUTERS Mueller investigation: The key figures Former FBI director James Comey was the catalyst that led to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller. Mr Comey was fired by the president after Mr Trump reportedly asked him to drop his own Russia investigation. Mr Trump has long maintained that the investigation is a "witch hunt". AFP/Getty Images Mueller investigation: The key figures Deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein had authority over the special counsel investigation for much of the two years it has been active. Mr Rosenstein found himself with that responsibility after then-attorney general Jeff Sessions recused himself from that oversight. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Attorney general Jeff Sessions's decision to recuse himself from oversight of the special counsel investigation may have cost him his job in the end. Mr Sessions resigned last year, after weathering a contentious relationship with Donald Trump who vocally criticised his attorney general for taking a step back. Mr Sessions recused himself from the oversight citing longstanding Justice Department rules to not be involved in investigations overseeing campaigns that officials were apart of. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Attorney General William Barr is currently responsible for oversight of the special counsel investigation. Mr Barr's office will be the first to receive the Mueller report when it is finished. His office will then determine what portion or version of that report should be delivered to Congress, and also made public. EPA Mueller investigation: The key figures Michal Cohn is the president's former personal lawyer, who has been helping the special counsel investigation as a part of a plea deal over financial crimes, and campaign finance crimes, he has pleaded guilty to. Among those crimes, Cohen admitted to facilitating $130,000 in hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 campaign. Cohen has said he did so at the direction of Mr Trump. Cohen has also admitted that he maintained contacts with Russian officials about a potential Trump real estate project in Moscow for months longer than Mr Trump and others admitted. The talks continued well into 2016 during the campaign, he has said. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Stormy Daniels has alleged that she had an affair with Donald Trump in 2006, soon after Melania Trump gave birth to Baron Trump. The accusation is of particular importance as a result of the $130,000 hush money payment she received to keep quiet about the affair during the 2016 campaign. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Paul Manafort was Donald Trump's former campaign chairman. Manafort was charged alongside Rick Gates for a slew of financial crimes, and was convicted on several counts in a Virginia court. He then pleaded guilty to separate charges filed in a Washington court. Manafort has been sentenced to just 7.5 years in prison for his crimes  in spite of recommendations from the special counsel's office for a much harsher sentence. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures George Papadopoulos was one of the first individuals associated with the Trump campaign to be charged by the Mueller probe. He ultimately received a 14 day prison sentence for lying to investigators about contacts he had with Russian officials. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Roger Stone is a well known political fixer and operative, who has made a name for himself for some dirty tactics. He has been charged by the Mueller probe earlier this year, and he has been said to have had prior knowledge that WikiLeaks planned on publishing stolen emails from the Hillary Clinton campaign in 2016. Getty Images Mueller investigation: The key figures Rick Gates was charged alongside former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort for a range of crimes. Gates, who worked alongside Manafort for a pro-Russia Ukrainian political party. The two were charged with conspiracy and financial crimes. Gates pleaded guilty. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Former national security adviser Michael Flynn was one of the first casualties of the Russia scandal, and was forced out of his position in the White House weeks after Donald Trump took office. Flynn pleaded guilty in 2017 to "willfully" making fraudulent statements about contacts he had with Russian officials including former Russian ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Flynn then lied to Vice President Mike Pence about that contact. REUTERS

Mr Barr acknowledged his quick work, claiming: The thinking of the special counsel was not a mystery to the department of dustice prior to the submission of the report. He added that Mr Muellers team was redacting the report before providing it to Congress.

The attorney general said he plans to produce a report during this first go with four types of redactions  relating to grand jury information, classified information that could reveal agency sources or methods, information pertaining to ongoing prosecutions, and information that may implicate privacy or reputational interests of peripheral players.

The report will be colour-coded, according to Mr Barr, and will feature explanatory notes for all of his redactions. It remains unclear what legal grounds the attorney general has to place redactions for all four of his listed components, however.

Mr Barr added he would convene with Republican and Democratic leadership from the House judiciary committee after the report is released to determine whether they required any further information. Legislators may also request grand jury information from the courts, he said  a move he noted the justice department would not be making under his leadership.

The attorney general was brought to the house committee to discuss Mr Trump's budget request for the justice department for 2020. This was the central focus of Mr Barrs opening statement and he did not at any point mention the Mueller report.

At times, there appeared to be two testimonies taking place. As Democrats grilled the attorney general over the special counsels conclusions, Republican lawmakers asked Mr Barr about his departments plans surrounding issues including human and sex trafficking, and immigration along the US-Mexico border.

The Mueller report wasnt the only thing Democrats flagged up, however. The hearing provided some tense moments when they grilled Mr Barr over the justice departments opposition to the Affordable Care Act in federal courts under Mr Trump.

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Asked whether he had considered the consequences of his department opposing the healthcare bill for Americans at risk of losing their coverage, Mr Barr shot back at one Democratic lawmaker: If you think its such an outrageous position, you have nothing to worry about.
Nine leaders of Hong Kongs pro-democracy Umbrella Movement have been found guilty of charges including conspiracy to commit public nuisance.

The defendants face the prospect of years in prison, although the judge did not immediately hand down sentences in the landmark case which relates to a 2014 campaign of civil disobedience that received international attention.

Scores of supporters turned out to cheer the defendants, who included a law professor, two politicians and former student activists.

The trial has been seen by critics as indicative of a move towards more authoritarian rule by China in Hong Kong, where political freedoms and the right to dissenting voices have shrunk in recent years.

Three of the defendants accused of playing a leading role in planning and mobilising supporters during the 79-day street occupations in 2014 were found guilty of conspiracy to commit public nuisance. They were Benny Tai, 54; Chan Kin-man, 60; and retired pastor Chu Yiu-ming, 75.

Hong Kong activists preserve the past Show all 22 1 /22 Hong Kong activists preserve the past Hong Kong activists preserve the past HK URBEX members, inspect the interior of an abandoned British army barracks in Hong Kong Reuters Hong Kong activists preserve the past HK URBEX members are seen through a hole in the fence at an abandoned British army barracks in Hong Kong, China, June 1, 2017 Reuters Hong Kong activists preserve the past An abandoned British army barracks is seen through thick fog in Hong Kong, China, June 1, 2017 Reuters Hong Kong activists preserve the past A HK URBEX member, stands at an abandoned British army barracks in Hong Kong, China, June 1, 2017 Reuters Hong Kong activists preserve the past A HK URBEX member looks through a window at an abandoned British army barracks in Hong Kong, China, June 1, 2017 Reuters Hong Kong activists preserve the past A HK URBEX member walks through an abandoned British army barracks in Hong Kong, China, June 1, 2017 Reuters Hong Kong activists preserve the past A HK URBEX member looks around an abandoned residential building in Hong Kong, China, June 7, 2017 Reuters Hong Kong activists preserve the past HK URBEX members walk towards an abandoned British army barracks in Hong Kong, China, June 1, 2017 Reuters Hong Kong activists preserve the past A HK URBEX member climbs a ladder at an abandoned British army barracks in Hong Kong, China, June 1, 2017 Reuters Hong Kong activists preserve the past A HK URBEX member inspects the interior of an abandoned British army barracks in Hong Kong, China, June 1, 2017 Reuters Hong Kong activists preserve the past A HK URBEX member, looks at a newspaper from 1982, inside an abandoned residential building in Hong Kong, China, June 7, 2017 Reuters Hong Kong activists preserve the past A tag is seen inside an abandoned British army barracks in Hong Kong, China, June 1, 2017 Reuters Hong Kong activists preserve the past An external view of an abandoned mansion called Yu Yuen, built the 1920's colonial era, is seen in Hong Kong, China, June 7, 2017 Reuters Hong Kong activists preserve the past HK URBEX members look around an abandoned residential building in Hong Kong, China, June 7, 2017 Reuters Hong Kong activists preserve the past A soft toy is seen inside an abandoned residential building in Hong Kong, China, June 7, 2017 Reuters Hong Kong activists preserve the past An interior view of an abandoned mansion called Yu Yuen, built during the colonial era of the 1920's, in Hong Kong, China, June 7, 2017 Reuters Hong Kong activists preserve the past An interior view of an abandoned mansion called Yu Yuen, built during the colonial era in the 1920's, is seen in Hong Kong, China, June 7, 2017 Reuters Hong Kong activists preserve the past People walk past the abandoned historic Central Market, which was built in the 1930's during the colonial era, in Hong Kong, China, June 10, 2017 Reuters Hong Kong activists preserve the past HK URBEX members inspect an abandoned residential building in Hong Kong, China, June 7, 2017 Reuters Hong Kong activists preserve the past An external view of the now closed Wing Woo Grocery Shop on Wellington Street, which was built during the colonial era in the 1870's, in Hong Kong, China, June 10, 2017 Reuters Hong Kong activists preserve the past Colonial era buildings (front to back), St John's Cathedral, former Central Government Offices and Government House are seen in Hong Kong, China, June 3, 2017 Reuters Hong Kong activists preserve the past A man stands outside the abandoned historic Central Market, which was built in the 1930's during the colonial era in Hong Kong, China, June 10, 2017 Reuters

Tai and Kin-man were also found guilty of incitement to commit public nuisance. They appeared calm after the verdict was delivered, and Kin-man bowed to supporters, applauding them outside court. The trio had pleaded not guilty to all charges, which each carry a maximum seven years jail.

The six other defendants include pro-democracy legislators Tanya Chan and Shiu Ka-chun, two former student leaders Eason Chung and Tommy Cheung, activist Raphael Wong and veteran democrat Lee Wing-tat. All were found guilty of at least one public nuisance charge.

Tai said they would continue the struggle for full democracy.

The reason that we committed civil disobedience is because we want justice for Hong Kong people.

In a summary of his judgement, Justice Johnny Chan noted that while the concept of civil disobedience is recognised in Hong Kong, it wasnt a defence to a criminal charge.

The offence of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance does not have the undesirable effect of curtailing or suppressing civil disobedience at its formation stage or suppressing human rights as the defendants contended, the summary read.

Since the city returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997, critics say China has reneged on its commitment to maintain Hong Kongs high degree of autonomy and freedoms under a one country, two systems arrangement.

In the nearly five years since the Occupy protests, democracy activists, diplomats and business leaders have expressed grave concerns about what they say is Beijings tightening grip on the citys freedoms.

Pro-democracy lawmakers have been kicked out of the legislature, a pro-independence party banned, and democracy advocates barred from contesting local elections. A senior Financial Times editor was also effectively expelled from the city after he hosted a talk with a pro-independence activist at the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents Club.

Additional reporting by Reuters
An Indian Roman Catholic bishop has been charged with repeatedly raping a nun in her rural convent, a case that helped make the sexual abuse of nuns a public issue in the church.

Bishop Franco Mulakkal has been charged with rape, illegal confinement and intimidation, said Hari Sankar, a district police chief in the southern state of Kerala.

The nun, who has not been publicly identified, said she went to the police last year after complaining repeatedly to church authorities.

In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Show all 28 1 /28 In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters In Colombia, victims of sexual abuse speak out Reuters

Eventually, a group of fellow nuns launched unprecedented public protests to demand Mulakkal's arrest.

Mulakkal has angrily denied the accusations, calling them "baseless and concocted".

In February, Pope Francis for the first time publicly acknowledged the sexual abuse of nuns by priests and bishops.

Associated Press
Sri Lankas former powerful defence chief has been accused of torture and killing during the countrys bloody operation against Tamil militants, in an legal filing he was served in the parking lot of a grocery store.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, 69, the bother of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, and who for a decade was the minister in charge of the countrys powerful military, has been sued for damages in a civil claim in the United States, where he has joint citizenship.

The South Africa-based International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP), working with the law firm Hausfeld and human rights lawyer Scott Gilmore, filed the damages case on behalf of a Tamil torture survivor, Roy Samathanam.

The lawsuit, which served to Mr Rajapaksa in the car park of the Trader Joes supermarket in Pasadena, California, alleges that Mr Samathanam, an ethnic Tamil, was arrested on false charges in Colombo in September 2007 by Sri Lankan police who at the time reported directly to Mr Rajapaksa.

It was brought under the Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991, which gives torture victims legal redress in US courts.

Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Show all 15 1 /15 Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Sahira 34, her husband Ahm 38 and their 4 children at the foot of their plot. Their two room home is not big enough to raise a family. Paddy Dowling Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Sahira 34, resident of Muththunagar resorts to to collecting mussels for 12 hours a day which she sells on the market for 2.50 which barely feeds her family of six. The work is exhausting and dangerous. Paddy Dowling Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis One of many buildings destroyed in Muttur during Sri Lankas 26 year civil war. Typically doors, windows and roofs were removed by soldiers on both sides to construct bunkers. Paddy Dowling Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Sajeeda 23, single mother of two left to raise her children after her husband divorced her to re-marry in a neighbouring town whilst he was looking for work. Paddy Dowling Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Nasmeeya 6, plays on their plot of land which is covered in blend of sand and burnt rice husks which make it black in appearance but helps the nutrients in the soil for growing vegetables. Paddy Dowling Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Abdul Cadar 67, a recipient of a new home under the Muslim Aids Housing scheme after he became to ill to work and provide any income from his family. Paddy Dowling Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Hairunisas family living in Kulumeemakada are all beneficiaries of the Muslim Aid Livelihoods programme designed to provide economic empowerment to rebuild their lives. Paddy Dowling Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Farshana 46, works the tides collecting mussels to provide for her family. Paddy Dowling Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Rafeek 55, is too tired to hold a conversation with me. He suffers from a deteriorating medical condition which he cannot afford to treat. Rafeek and his family had not eaten for 3 days. Paddy Dowling Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Hairunisa 35, a widower, enrolled in the Muslim Aid Livelihoods programme now supports her mother and her children working from home buying fabric and making garments for local villagers in Kulumeemakada. Paddy Dowling Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Hairunisa 35, working from home on her newly purchased industrial sewing machine making garments which she sells and carrys out alterations. Paddy Dowling Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Amir Khan 80, living alone whilst his wife receives treatment and remains in hospital. He grows his own vegetables on his plot and has a few chickens which yields enough for him to live off. Paddy Dowling Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Asmya 13, lives with her family in Shafi Nagar, Muttur. Her and the rest of her family have not eaten for 3 days as they have no money to buy food. They wait patiently for handouts from villagers. Paddy Dowling Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Abdul 50, The 'Tailor of Mutur. Wanted to provide a better education for his children so he received a micro finance loan to buy an industrial sewing machine and some fabric. With his loan repaid in full he has now increased his monthly income from 75 to 225. As his business expands he looks to create 6 new jobs. Paddy Dowling Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Younis 56, a widower lives alone as her home was too small to accommodate her children and their families. She sells watermelon for 12 hours a day by the roadside in the relentless sun to earn herself 2 p/day. She dreams of having her own business wholesaling fabric. Pictures by Paddy Dowling

Visiting Sri Lanka to marry his wife, Mr Samathanam was detained for three years and repeatedly denied access to a lawyer or a judge, the lawsuit claims.

Under Mr Rajapaksas command, guards tortured Mr Samathanam, threatened to rape and kill his wife and child, and made him watch the electrocution of other prisoners. He was forced to sign a false confession before being released in August 2010 on a plea deal.

Meanwhile, a separate case was filed by the family of murdered Sri Lankan editor Lasantha Wickremetunge, whose January 2009 assassination stunned the island and the international community. He was an outspoken government of Mr Rajapkasa and his brother.

 Sri Lanka Parliament brawl after no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa

In an essay that was written before his death and published posthumously by his newspaper, The Sunday Leader, he wrote: People often ask me why I take such risks and tell me it is a matter of time before I am bumped off. Of course I know that: it is inevitable. But if we do not speak out now, there will be no one left to speak for those who cannot.

Mr Rajapaksa was in charge of the effort to end the civil war that had marred Sri Lanka for three decades and wipe out the Tamil Tiger rebels, who had used suicide bombers and child soldiers as part of their effort to secure a separate ethnic homeland in the north. Sinhala Buddhists constitute around 70 per cent of the islands population.

In the final stages of the 2009 operation, tens of thousands of Tamil civilians were caught up in the fighting, some of them being used as human shields by the militants. Survivors accused the Sri Lankan military of shelling designated safe zones. A UN panel that investigated the final stages, estimated that around 40,000 civilians were killed.

While I was in prison I learned what inhumanity looks like, Mr Samathanam, the plaintiff, said in a statement. So far, there has been no accountability, so I am happy to take this first step to get justice.

Mr Rajapaksa has been touted as a potential presidential candidate for his familys party. He was reportedly served with the notice while making his way to a Meet the future president event hosted by a former Sri Lankan consul in Los Angeles.

Mr Rajapaksa did not respond to attempts to contact him.

It is about time that this alleged war criminal is exposed through credible legal mechanisms internationally to show what kind of mass murderer this guy truly is, Suren Surendiran, a spokesman for the Global Tamil Forum, told The Independent. He is now trying to portray himself like a credible individual who can even represent communities as a presidential candidate in Sri Lanka.

The torture lawsuit is being overseen by Mr Gilmore, who earlier this year won a civil case against the Syrian government, in which it was ordered by a Washington DC court to may $300m in damages for the killing of Sunday Times journalist Marie Colvin. She and a French photojournalist, Remi Ochlik, were killed in a rocket attack on a media centre in the rebel-held city of Homs in 2012.

Mr Samathanam was one of countless civilians detained and tortured in Sri Lanka because of their ethnic Tamil identity, said Mr Gilmore. Under international law, Mr Rajapaksa bears command responsibility for the abuses carried by his security forces.
A German tourist has been raped and killed on the island of Koh Sichang in the Gulf of Thailand.

Thai police say Ronnakorn Romruen, a local man, has been arrested on suspicion of approaching and attacking the woman while she was travelling on her rental motorbike.

The 23-year-old has been charged with murder, rape and concealing a body, an investigator at Chonburi police station, Somkid Kaensa, said.

Police said the suspect, who operates a trash collecting boat, admitted to the crimes and said he used drugs before the incident.

The body of the 27-year-old tourist with injuries to her head and legs was found on Sunday, hidden under rocks and a pile of leaves.

Thai suspect Ronnakorn Romruen, 23 years old, is escorted by police as he arrives at the Koh Si Chang police station in Chonburi province, Thailand (AP)

Koh Si Chang is a popular weekend tourist destination for both locals and foreigners with a population of only 5,000 people.

The island is in Chonburi province, about 40 miles (64km) south of Bangkok.

Mr Somkid said a Thai tourist called police after they saw Mr Ronnakorn's clothes covered in blood. Police then searched the area and discovered the tourist's body.

The investigator said a flower vendor who knew Mr Ronnakorn also saw his clothes were covered in blood and asked him what he was doing.

Mr Somkid said the vendor identified Mr Ronnakorn for police, who went to his home where they found him and the shirt that was covered in blood.

 Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

The maximum punishment for premeditated murder in Thailand is the death penalty.

Additional reporting by Associated Press
Near-complete results suggest Israel's election has returned Benjamin Netanyahu for a record fifth term as prime minister, after a night in which both he and his opponent Benny Gantz claimed victory as contradictory exit polls released by Israeli media sparked mayhem across party headquarters.

Prime Minister Netanyahu greeted jubilant crowds at his Likud party base in Tel Aviv saying that "this is a night of a tremendous victory". With 97.4 per cent of the vote counted on Wednesday morning, Likud and its right-wing allies were seen as commanding a solid 65-55 majority in parliament.

Against the backdrop of indoor fireworks and bursts of glittering confetti, the incumbent premier vowed that the right-wing bloc would continue to lead Israel for the next four years.

He called the win almost unprecedented, adding, When did we receive so many seats? I dont remember.

Earlier in the night and just a few hundred metres away, the countrys ex-army chief Mr Gantz, also delivered a victory speech to an ecstatic crowd amid a confusing array of knife-edge initial results and exit polls.

 Israeli police confiscate hidden cameras and recording devices from activists in polling booths

"Elections have losers and elections have winners. And we are the winners," he said giving the victory sign with his hands and vowed to start work on building a government.

Exit polls in Israel are only provisional and in past elections have been notoriously imprecise. The first three initially gave Blue and White a strong lead over Likud. But as the polls also said no party won an outright majority of the 120-seat parliament, as is usual practice in Israel, the winner will be tasked by the president with forming a parliamentary coalition.

Israeli TV Channel 11 and 13 gave the Right bloc, traditionally lead by the Likud party, a significant lead to do that over the left.



As the evening wore on there was further uncertainty when two of the channels then altered their polls to give Netanyahu's Likud a one-seat lead.



The official central election committee count, meanwhile, showed a steady but narrow Likud win, as they worked through the ballots.

Either way, and in spite of what now looks like a sizeable lead for the right wing bloc, the country is still likely to face what could be weeks of political negotiations over the precise composition of the ruling coalition.

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

Likud ministers told The Independent that there was no question that Mr Netanyahu would not be assembling the next cabinet, calling the results a vote of confidence in the leader.

We will be the ones that have the option to build the next government and coalition... even the most optimistic scenario for Gantz and the left wing, means they can only build with Arab seats, Gilad Erdan, Likud Minister of Strategic Affairs said.

Minister Erdan said the incumbent premier had won despite the fact he faces indictment on corruption charges across three cases. Our strategy proved itself... Netanyahu proved he can run the country even under police investigation, he added.

Yuval Steinitz, the Likud Minister of Energy said it was a relief that Israel voted right, voted Likud, voted for Netanyahu

This was a vote of confidence... [People knew] it was better than voting a prime minister who had no experience, he added referencing Gantzs lack of political credentials.

Moshe Yaalon, Benny Gantz, Gabi Ashkenazi, and Yair Lapid of the Blue and White party, appear before supporters at the alliance headquarters in Tel Aviv (GALI TIBBON/AFP/Getty Images)

A few hundred metres away at the Blue and Whites main base, Yael German, a current Knesset member who is on centrist alliances list, also claimed their team was preparing to create a government.

The feeling tonight is wonderful, after two months who would have believed we would be able to succeed in such a clear way, she said declaring a win.

The public has spoken extremely clearly and said that we do not want racism, we do not want hatred any more, we want Blue and White and we are ready to make a change, she added.

Israel's Netanyahu declares victory at his party headquarters shortly after rival Gantz does as well (Bel Trew)

Mr Netanyahu had hoped to win the elections becoming the longest-serving prime minister in Israels history. But he may also be the first Israeli premier to face indictment while still in office.

His elections campaigning has been blighted by a February announcement from the countrys attorney-general that he may face trial on corruption charges.

Mr Netanyahu also courted controversy by overseeing the merger of key coalition partner, the ultranationalist party Jewish Home with Jewish Power, an offshoot of the Kach movement, which was outlawed by Israel and the US because of its racist and extremist views.

Netanyahu's supporters celebrate what he said was a Likud win at their headquarters in Tel Aviv (Bel Trew)

Both issues have boosted the chances of political newcomer Lt. Gen Gantz, who led the countrys army during the Gaza war in 2014 and has now formed a powerful coalition with opposition leader Yair Lapid and two former generals. That said, many criticised Gantz for being too inexperienced and unclear about his policies.
Israelis are voting in a knife-edge election that could secure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a record fifth term in office or see the countrys ex-army chief break the incumbent's decade-long grip on power.

Over 6 million registered voters are pitted to cast their ballot on Tuesday with exit polls due to be released around 10pm local time and final results expected around dawn on Wednesday.

Benny Gantz, former army chief of staff, and Mr Netanyahu, launched frantic last-minute bids to secure more votes in the polls which many see as a referendum on the premiers hold on power.

Most of the final polls released on Friday gave Gantzs Blue and White centrist alliance a one-seat edge over Mr Netanyahus right-wing Likud Party in the 120-seat Knesset with Labour Party trailing in a distant third.

But all predicted that a right bloc would sweep a victory from the centre-left, signalling Mr Netanyahu would more likely be tasked with forming the next government.

Israeli elections: growing calls for Arab boycott Show all 5 1 /5 Israeli elections: growing calls for Arab boycott Israeli elections: growing calls for Arab boycott Rafik Halabi, mayor of Daliyat al-Karmel Bel Trew Israeli elections: growing calls for Arab boycott Photos of the Druze mayors of Daliyat al-Karmel in Israel ahead of the elections Bel Trew Israeli elections: growing calls for Arab boycott Layla Zahrour, a sweet shop owner in Haifa says the Arab community are disillusioned Bel Trew Israeli elections: growing calls for Arab boycott Rooa, a Druze woman, says she will not vote in the upcoming Israeli elections Bel Trew Israeli elections: growing calls for Arab boycott Many members of the Druze community in Daliyat al-Kamel say they will boycott the upcoming elections over the Nation State Law Bel Trew

The voting was briefly blighted by media reports that Mr Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party had placed over 1,200 body cameras on its activists to observe Arab polling stations.

Police confiscated the illegal cameras, and Israel's Central Elections Committee chairman Judge Hanan Melcer reportedly filed a complaint to the Israel Police over the incident.

Mr Netanyahu was quoted by Haaretz as saying that cameras were needed everywhere in order to ensure a "kosher" voting process.

Battling over possibly a few thousand crucial votes, elections newcomer Lt. Gen. Gantz said "change is possible" as he cast his vote on Monday morning in central Israel, adding: "We will take this new path".

Mr Netanyahu, who has been dogged by possible indictment on corruption charges, said "with God's help the State of Israel will prevail" as he voted in Jerusalem.

The incumbent took to Twitter in the afternoon to state he was calling an emergency meeting with his campaign officials to discuss what he described as lower voter turnout in Likud strongholds compared with a strong voting percentage in "left-wing bastions". The remarks were reminiscent of comments during the last election day, in which he said Arab voters were heading to the polls in "droves" and urged his supporters to vote.

Earlier Mr Netanyahu played up recent wins with US President Donald Trump and controversially promised to annex the occupied West Bank, which is a far-right demand but illegal under international law.

"This is a choice between a strong right-wing government under Netanyahu or a weak leftist government under Gantz," the Likud Party said in a final statement.

If Mr Netanyahu wins the elections he will be longest-serving prime minister in Israels history, beating the countrys founding father David Ben-Gurion. He may also be the first Israeli premier to stand trial while still in office.

In February, the countrys attorney-general announced that he planned to indict Mr Netanyahu on corruption charge in three cases. The embattled leader will face a pre-trial hearing after the elections, before the final decision on his indictment will be made.

He also courted controversy by overseeing the merger of key coalition partner, the ultranationalist party Jewish Home with Jewish Power, an offshoot of the Kach movement, which was outlawed by Israel and the US because of its racist and extremist views.

Both issues have boosted the chances of political newcomer Lt. Gen Gantz, who led the country's army during the Gaza war in 2014 and has now formed a powerful coalition with opposition leader Yair Lapid and two former generals.

Lt. Gen Gantz has repeatedly said that change is needed. On Tuesday morning he told Reuters: "Netanyahu is not the messiah, nor an irreplaceable legend. The people of Israel long for something else."

At the polling stations in central Jerusalem, voters said that the elections did feel like a "referendum" on Mr Netanyahu, known by his childhood nickname Bibi. Although many were fed up with his 13-year rule they felt that there was no one qualified enough to properly challenge him.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waves as he visits Mahane Yehuda Market a day ahead of Israeli elections (Ronen Zvulun)

We have had enough of Netanyahu but unfortunately we do not have another politician of such calibre to do the job. He is almost majestic in the way he handles foreign affairs," said Sicha Yagl, 67, a professor of obstetrics and gynaecology who voted for the New Right, an ultranationalist right-wing party and key coalition partner for Mr Netanyahu.

"People do care about the corruption cases against him but people forgive him for this behaviour because there isnt anyone else. Gantz doesnt even compare," he added.

It was a different story in Pisgat Ze'ev, an Israeli settlement in East Jerusalem, and also the ultra orthodox neighbourhoods of Mea Shearim, where hardline supporters of the religious parties said they backed the incumbent premier, fearing a Gantz win would see softer policies towards the Palestinians but less tolerance for Orthodox demands.

Im voting for Shas but want Netanyahu to be my prime minister. He is the only one brave enough to speak up for the settlements, the only one with actual experience to can rule the country,  said Yossi Shkalo 20 a religious student.

In Mea Shearim Ami Green, 35, who voted for Likud said: 13 years is not enough in power frankly, give us another 13.

In Tel Aviv, Isreal's cultural and commerical capital, many voters placed their hope in Gantz, saying a fresh face was needed.

"We voted Blue and White because, first of all, let's start with anything but Bibi, said Lilach Nasini, who came to vote with her husband Itay Geffen. They both expressed concerns about the premiers involvement with extremist group Jewish Power, and the corruption cases against him.

We need to provide hope for the next generation, which doesn't anymore believe in our leadership. We want to leave [Israel] because we feel like the country has just been lost. The politicians are corrupt," she added.

Recommended Frontrunners make final rallying calls ahead of Israel election

Avi Barshavsky, 67 taxi driver, also a blue and White supporter, said little had been achieved in Netanyahu's last decade of rule, including dealing with soaring living costs and the worsening security situation.

After 13 years, he hasnt done anything. He just knows how to take the microphone and to speak, Mr Barshavsky said.

These extremists [Jewish Power] will do nothing but destruction," he added.

Late on Monday, Mr Netanyahu reminded the electorate of his recent successes with Mr Trump. On Twitter, Mr Netanyahu thanked the American president for designating the Iranian Revolutionary Guards as a terror organisation, claiming Trumps surprise decision on Monday was a response to one of his requests.

It came just weeks after Mr Trump controversially signed a declaration recognising Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, which Israel seized from Syria in the late 1960s: one of Israels key demands.

"Who else can do this? Who can do this? Come on. Honestly," Mr Netanyahu said on Monday.

Benny Gantz, leader of the Blue and White party, casts his ballot in Rosh HaAyin, central Israel (Blue and White Party)

The elections may also be blighted by a large boycott from Israels 1.9 million Arab citizens, who make up around 20 per cent of the population.

Mr Netanyahus announcement he would annex the West Bank and earlier decision to push through a controversial Nation State Law, branded by critics as racist, upset much of the countrys non-Jewish citizens.

The constitution-like legislation downgraded Arabic from an official state language, promoted the creation of Jewish-only settlements and defined national self-determination as the unique right of the Jewish people, angering many.

At polling stations in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem, Arab voters said they feared a Netanyahu win was inevitable and another term in office would only embolden him and the far right to further crackdown on the Arab population.

"We have no real equality in the state, and his win will only mean the government will become more extreme and we will face more discrimination. Now they are very blunt about wanting to kick us out," said Rajaa Tabar, 53, a programmer from Beit Hanina who was voting for an Arab party. He said his wife, who is from Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, had not been able to secure an Israeli ID card despite 20 years of marriage and so her movement is restricted as a Palestinian.

"No democracy in the world treats a portion of its citizens like this," he added.

Shada Mohamed, 25, a lawyer, said that Gantz as prime minister would be no better.

"Both are bad, you're choosing from the worst of all worlds," she said.
Lets start with anything but Bibi, said Lilach Nasini, one of Israels six million voters, as she cast her ballot in Tel Aviv during the country's knife-edge elections.

Her words echoed a number of voters The Independent spoke to in the countrys commercial capital. Many opted for Benjamin Netanyahus main rival, ex-army and election newcomer chief Benny Gantz.

It was a stark contrast to areas of Jerusalem, where voters warned that the country would collapse without the incumbent premier.

Thirteen years isnt enough, hes barely begun, well take another decade, one elderly gentleman said as he left a polling station near the ultraorthodox neighbourhood of Mea Shearim after voting for Netanyahus right-wing Likud party.

Walking over a street strewn with Netanyahu flyers, Ami Green, another Likud voter added: Israel is a tough neighbourhood we need someone strong who has experience  not someone playing at this. Simply put, without Bibi there will be war.

Israeli elections: growing calls for Arab boycott Show all 5 1 /5 Israeli elections: growing calls for Arab boycott Israeli elections: growing calls for Arab boycott Rafik Halabi, mayor of Daliyat al-Karmel Bel Trew Israeli elections: growing calls for Arab boycott Photos of the Druze mayors of Daliyat al-Karmel in Israel ahead of the elections Bel Trew Israeli elections: growing calls for Arab boycott Layla Zahrour, a sweet shop owner in Haifa says the Arab community are disillusioned Bel Trew Israeli elections: growing calls for Arab boycott Rooa, a Druze woman, says she will not vote in the upcoming Israeli elections Bel Trew Israeli elections: growing calls for Arab boycott Many members of the Druze community in Daliyat al-Kamel say they will boycott the upcoming elections over the Nation State Law Bel Trew

Tuesdays fraught general election set Israels right-wing prime minister, Mr Netanyahu, who hopes to secure the title of Israels longest serving premier against Lt Gen Gantz, a former army chief who formed a centrist alliance despite never being in politics before.

The final polls, published on Friday, gave Mr Gantzs Blue and White party a mere one-seat lead over the Likud in the 120-seat parliament or Knesset. But they also predicted a right-wing bloc would eventually triumph over a centrist or left one, meaning the Likud would likely be chosen to form a ruling coalition.

With the results so up in the air, both sides have fought a fierce battle to secure the swing votes.

Mr Netanyahu, who has campaigned under the shadow of possible corruption charges, in the eleventh hour urged right-wing voters to head to the polling stations, saying turnout at Likud strongholds had been too low.

He later filmed himself at the beach in Netanya, telling people to head to the polling stations or wake up tomorrow to a leftist government.

Benny Gantzs coalition partner, opposition leader Yair Lapid, meanwhile, said that their party needed just two more seats.

A vote for any party except Blue and White is a vote for Netanyahu, he warned.

On the ground, the polling stations in different areas voters appeared bitterly divided, as many said the election was really a referendum on Mr Netanyahu's 13-year-old right-wing rule.

Gantz will be different. Unlike Bibi, who is one, Gantz is four people. As they say a new broom is a good broom, said Avi Barshavsky, a 67-year-old taxi driver form Rishon Leziyyon who voted Blue and White.

We need to stop this corruption. Its not nothing that he has four cases of corruption and a breach trust case against him. If theres smoke theres fire, he added.

Across town in the Arab neighbourhood of Jaffa, Arab-Israeli citizens were also voting for Mr Gantz.

Im only voting Gantz because my top priority is to replace Bibi, said one. Its the most realistic way.

Back in Jerusalem in the Israeli settlement of Pisgat Zeev, settler voters said they would do everything in their power to keep Mr Netanyahu. Particularly after he vowed to annex the occupied West Bank if he won, which is illegal under international law, but a key demand of the far right.

They dismissed corruption cases against the prime minister, saying it was plot by the left to unseat him because they couldnt beat him in elections.

For us, a Blue and White win would be a disaster  not because of Gantz but because of his coalition partner Lapid, we need to protect the right, said Yossi Shkalo, 20, a religious student.

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In the Arab neighbourhoods of Jerusalem, most Arab-Israelis were voting for Arab parties like Ahmed Tibis Arab Movement for Change coalition and dismissed both Mr Gantz and Mr Netanyahu as choosing between the bad and the worst.

Disillusionment in the elections process and anger at rising levels of racism in Israel, after Netanyahus divisive campaign tactics, had driven a noisy boycott movement. Many were angered by legislation pushed through by Mr Netanyahu that declared Israel to be the nation-state of the Jewish population.

Prominent Israeli pollster Camil Fuchs warned that Israel has never seen such a decline in Arab turnout, calling it the biggest drama facing the national election.

Veteran Arab politician Ahmad Tibi called the low turnout a real danger to his party and the other Arab factions.

A lot of friends think we have to boycott the elections saying its pointless, Said Khalil, 29, from Haifa, a mixed Arab and Jewish town who only decided to vote at the last minute. Our struggle in the street is more essential and important but I think we need a voice in the Israeli Knesset. We cannot be shut out of the conversation.
It's a crowded field in Israel's elections as over 40 parties are slugging it out on Tuesday for seats in the country's parliament.

There is the right-wing flagship, centrist newcomers, ultra-Orthodox parties, Arab parties and fringe movements. But only a handful will win the necessary 3.25 per cent of total votes cast to cross the electoral threshold needed to enter the Knesset.

Israeli democracy operates on a parliamentary system of proportional-representation in which the government needs a majority to rule. Since no party has ever earned more than 61 of the 120 seats in the Knesset, a coalition is required.

Polls show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rightist Likud in fierce competition with the centrist Blue and White party. Both camps are trying to rile up their bases to become the largest party in parliament while also convincing the smaller parties to join them in a coalition after the results become known.

Here's a look at the major players:

Israeli elections: growing calls for Arab boycott Show all 5 1 /5 Israeli elections: growing calls for Arab boycott Israeli elections: growing calls for Arab boycott Rafik Halabi, mayor of Daliyat al-Karmel Bel Trew Israeli elections: growing calls for Arab boycott Photos of the Druze mayors of Daliyat al-Karmel in Israel ahead of the elections Bel Trew Israeli elections: growing calls for Arab boycott Layla Zahrour, a sweet shop owner in Haifa says the Arab community are disillusioned Bel Trew Israeli elections: growing calls for Arab boycott Rooa, a Druze woman, says she will not vote in the upcoming Israeli elections Bel Trew Israeli elections: growing calls for Arab boycott Many members of the Druze community in Daliyat al-Kamel say they will boycott the upcoming elections over the Nation State Law Bel Trew

LONG-RULING LIKUD

Israel's conservative Likud party has dominated the political stage since 1977 with only a few exceptions, and it has controlled government for the past decade in large part thanks to Netanyahu's personality cult and strong base.

Mr Netanyahu has brazenly allied himself with Israeli settlers and courted nationalist and ultra-Orthodox parties for his current coalition.

In past elections, Likud has depended on a groundswell of populist support from Mizrahi, or Middle Eastern, Jews who harbour deep-seated resentment toward Israel's European-descended founding elite and their social democratic brand of politics.

This constituency appears poised to support Mr Netanyahu again, despite the attorney general's intention to indict him on three serious corruption charges.

If Mr Netanyahu wins another term, he will be on track to become the longest serving leader in Israeli history. He'll also have to simultaneously lead the state while fighting criminal charges against him.

 Trump says he made snap decision to recognise Golan Heights as Israel's after 'quick history lesson' on Middle East

THE CENTRIST VANGUARD

Ex-army chief Benny Gantz shook up the scene when he announced the formation of a new party earlier this year, and several weeks later, when he formed a partnership with centrist politician and former television host Yair Lapid, head of the centrist Yesh Atid. Their joint Blue and White list presents the first viable challenge to Netanyahu's long rule.

If elected, Gantz would lead the government for the first two and a half years with Lapid taking over for the rest of the term.

The new coalition of centrists and former military officers has sought to mobilise a united front to oust the scandal-plagued Netanyahu, carrying the mantle of clean government, economic reform and respect for Israel's state institutions.

Gantz and his slate talk tough about standing up to Iran and striking Palestinian militants to appeal to hard-liners but have also hinted they won't foreclose future peace negotiations.

Although Blue and White has inched ahead of Likud in some polls, the party may find it more difficult to recruit suitable coalition partners.

THE NEW RIGHT

A pair of nationalist ministers, Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked, ditched their religious Jewish Home party and formed the "New Right" to attract a broader range of secular but still staunchly pro-settler voters.

They've promised to join Likud's coalition, along with a handful of other right-wing and religious parties, but their sudden manoeuvre hints that their political aspirations may extend beyond Mr Netanyahu's corruption-stained rule.

Bennett, often the first to slam Mr Netanyahu for his failure to deter Gaza rockets, is jostling for the position of defense minister.

As justice minister, Ms Shaked has clashed with the Supreme Court, which she views as a bastion of the Israeli left that unfairly curtails her party's nationalistic agenda.

Their sardonic campaign ads have stirred online debate, including one that features Ms Shaked spritzing herself with a faux perfume called "Fascism."

THE OLD LEFT

The venerable Labour Party, once Israel's largest faction that founded the state and promoted a statehood deal with the Palestinians, has languished under decades of Likud rule and an impasse in the peace process. It now appears overtaken by Blue and White and can only hope to join a coalition led by the new front-runner of the center-left bloc.

The liberal Zionist Union party dramatically split early this year after Labour leader Avi Gabbay announced the end of his party's union with former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, embarrassing her on live television. Ms Livni subsequently bowed out of politics, ending her storied 20-year career.

THE CONTROVERSIAL ALLIANCE

The religious Zionist party Bennett once headed, Jewish Home, has joined forces with Jewish Power, a far-right faction inspired by the banned Kahanist movement, branded a terrorist organisation by the US for an extremist agenda that includes forced expulsion of Palestinians.

Mr Netanyahu helped cut the deal in order to give the parties a better shot at passing the parliamentary threshold and serving as a potential coalition partner.

Both at home and abroad, Mr Netanyahu's overture to Jewish Power drew sharp condemnation.

THE ARAB VOTE

Arab parties, which represent over 20 per cent of Israel's citizens, could help sway the vote  if their constituents vote.

In the last election cycle, four Arab factions joined forces into a single list, energizing voters and winning a record number seats in the Knesset  13. But this year, political infighting split the slate, which looks likely to cut away at their overall numbers.

Low turnout could also be an issue. Mr Netanyahu's campaign against Arab politicians, seen as incitement in the Arab sector, together with the new alliance with anti-Arab extremists and the passage of last year's contentious nation-state law, which enshrined Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people alone, have deepened calls for a ballot boycott in Arab communities.

But some hope these blows will have the opposite effect, fuelling enough frustration to drive up the Arab participation rate. That could complicate Mr Netanyahu's attempts to form a coalition as he fights for a fourth consecutive term.

The Associated Press
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's party has been accused of trying to intimidate voters after it sent activists equipped with body cameras to a number of polling stations with majority Arab constituents on Tuesday.

Israeli police said there had been "a number of suspected irregularities" in the north, where many Israeli Arabs  who comprise 21 per cent of the population  live.

Arab lawmaker Ahmad Tibi said the cameras seen at polling stations were illegal, and were a "direct attempt to sabotage" the freedom to vote.

The cameras were reportedly attached to the shirts of the Likud activists with the camera lenses visible.

Jamil Baransi, Deputy Mayor of Reineh, an Arab town in northern Israel, said that the representatives had entered all 17 local polling centres.

"We noticed that each one of these representatives had a camera on them, on their bodies," he said, adding that he believed the cameras were "designed to intimidate voters."

Israeli elections: growing calls for Arab boycott Show all 5 1 /5 Israeli elections: growing calls for Arab boycott Israeli elections: growing calls for Arab boycott Rafik Halabi, mayor of Daliyat al-Karmel Bel Trew Israeli elections: growing calls for Arab boycott Photos of the Druze mayors of Daliyat al-Karmel in Israel ahead of the elections Bel Trew Israeli elections: growing calls for Arab boycott Layla Zahrour, a sweet shop owner in Haifa says the Arab community are disillusioned Bel Trew Israeli elections: growing calls for Arab boycott Rooa, a Druze woman, says she will not vote in the upcoming Israeli elections Bel Trew Israeli elections: growing calls for Arab boycott Many members of the Druze community in Daliyat al-Kamel say they will boycott the upcoming elections over the Nation State Law Bel Trew

Mr Netanyahu, head of the right-wing Likud party, defended the filming, saying that cameras should be posted openly at voting stations everywhere to ensure "a valid vote".

"They are not hidden cameras. They are cameras in the open," Kobi Matza, a Likud election official, told Kan radio station. "We are worried about counterfeit (votes) in the Arab sector."

The party spent hundreds of thousands of shekels to provide the monitors with some 1,200 hidden cameras, Haaretz reported.

A right-wing source told the news agency that "the move was aimed to preserve the purity of the election and to assure that [Arab slate] Ra'am-Balad wont pass the electoral threshold through falsifications."

Mr Netanyahu and opponent Benny Gantz were launching frantic last minute bids to secure more votes, with most final polls giving the former army chief a one-seat lead over the premier.

Ahmad Jamal Mahagny, 30, voting in the northern town of Umm al-Fahm later in the day, said: "I'm not sure what they were trying to do. Perhaps they wanted to disqualify the votes here."

In 2015, Netanyahu infuriated Israeli Arab leaders when he said that Arabs were flocking in droves to cast ballots, seen as an attempt to galvanise his right-wing base.

Many Israeli Arab were also angered by the passing of Israel's nation-state law last year, which declared that only Jews have the right of self-determination in the country.
At least 14 children were killed in a blast near a school in Yemen, the UNs children agency reported on Tuesday.

Another 16 children, most of whom are under nine years old, were critically injured and are now in hospitals fighting for their lives, Unicef said.

The attack occurred near two schools in Sanaa at lunch time, when students were in class.

The blast shattered the windows and unleashed a burst of shrapnel and broken glass into the classrooms, the UN agency said.

Yemens Houthi rebels accused the Saudi-led military coalition of carrying out an airstrike.

The coalition denied conducting any air raids on the capital on Sunday, according to reports.

It is hard to imagine the sheer horror that those children experienced  and the sheer horror and guilt parents may feel for having done what every parent aspires to  sending their children to school, said Geert Cappelaere, Unicef regional director for the Middle East and north Africa.

Children suffering from acute malnutrition in Yemen Show all 17 1 /17 Children suffering from acute malnutrition in Yemen Children suffering from acute malnutrition in Yemen Doctors take some blood of Yemeni Yousef Abdullah Bakhit Ali, 13, suffering from severe acute malnutrition. With ongoing and unending conflict in Yemen, humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate across the country Unicef/Huwais Children suffering from acute malnutrition in Yemen A doctor weighs Yemeni baby Yahya Hamoud Ali Al Huzef, 9 months suffering from malnutrition Unicef/Huwais Children suffering from acute malnutrition in Yemen Ali Mohammed Ahmed Jamal,12 years old and suffering from severe acute malnutrition. He arrives with his family at a Unicef supported treatment centre in a hospital in Sanaa Unicef/Huwais Children suffering from acute malnutrition in Yemen A doctor measures the arm of Yemeni Ali Mohammed Ahmed Jamal, 12, who is suffering from malnutrition at a treatment centre in a hospital in Sanaa Unicef/Huwais Children suffering from acute malnutrition in Yemen There are over 400,000 severely malnourished children in need urgent lifesaving assistance in Yemen Unicef/Abdulhaleem Children suffering from acute malnutrition in Yemen Ali Mohammed Ahmed Jamal is weighed Unicef/Huwais Children suffering from acute malnutrition in Yemen A doctor measures the arm of baby Yahya Hamoud Ali Al Huzef Unicef/Huwais Children suffering from acute malnutrition in Yemen Unicef are currently working to reach 275,000 malnourished children with critical life-saving supplies and care for over 5 million people with safe and clean water to stop the spread of life-threatening diseases Unicef/Huwais Children suffering from acute malnutrition in Yemen Yahya Hamoud Ali Al Huzef with his family in his house in the outskirts of the capital Sanaa Unicef/Huwais Children suffering from acute malnutrition in Yemen The country is on the brink of famine and children's chances of survival are becoming slimmer by the day Unicef/Abdulhaleem Children suffering from acute malnutrition in Yemen Ali Mohammed Ahmed Jamal has his arm measured Unicef/Huwais Children suffering from acute malnutrition in Yemen Unicef are currently working to provide nearly 1 million children with vaccines and healthcare Unicef/Huwais Children suffering from acute malnutrition in Yemen Unicef/Huwais Children suffering from acute malnutrition in Yemen Unicef are working with partners around-the clock to save children suffering from malnutrition and disease Unicef/Abdulhaleem Children suffering from acute malnutrition in Yemen Unicef are currently working to provide 9 million people with emergency cash assistance to help families buy basic commodities so they can survive Unicef/Huwais Children suffering from acute malnutrition in Yemen Ali Mohammed Ahmed Jamal is suffering from malnutrition Unicef Children suffering from acute malnutrition in Yemen Unicef/Abdulhaleem

Just two weeks ago four children were killed in a Saudi-led coalition airstrike on a remote hospital in Yemen.

The attacks come as the devastating conflict enters its fifth year, which the UN says has left at least 10,000 dead, displaced more than three million people, and left most of the population facing food shortages.

The civil war pits Houthi rebels  who control northern Yemen  against the Saudi-led coalition backing the internationally recognised government.

UN experts have accused both sides of committing war crimes.

Unicef said it was providing the affected children and their families with psychosocial support and financial assistance to cover medical treatment.
A repetitive clackety-clack echoed from behind the peeling wooden door and as I stepped inside the dimly lit workshop, I found Abdelkhader sitting at his ancient loom, hands and feet expertly working the intricate network of 4,000 threads. He was creating a length of luminous, one-of-a-kind silk brocade commissioned by a New York fashion editor.

My next stop was Nordeen and Abduls wardrobe-sized workshop, piled floor-to-ceiling with intricately carved, lavishly painted wood. Like many craftspeople in Fezs medina, the woodworkers  whove been honing their skills for more than 30 years  are facing stiff competition from cheaper, machine-made copies.

But they havent invented a machine that can do this yet, Abdul told me proudly, as he put the finishing flourishes to a door. Thankfully people still value our work. Its more than just an object, we put our heart and soul into it.

For centuries, Fez has been one of the worlds great craft hubs where time-honoured traditions including brass etching, woodcarving and leatherwork have been passed down from masters to apprentices. And on the Artisanal Affairs tour with Culture Vultures I was getting to meet and  with the aid of my guide  talk to the artisans in their workshops, hidden along the medinas twisting alleyways.

Fez craft scene Show all 13 1 /13 Fez craft scene Fez craft scene Tanneries Tanneries Sarah Gilbert Fez craft scene Fez pottery Fez pottery Sarah Gilbert Fez craft scene Drum bases Drum bases Sarah Gilbert Fez craft scene Zellij tiles Zellij tiles Sarah Gilbert Fez craft scene Craft Draft coptic binding Craft Draft coptic binding Sarah Gilbert Fez craft scene Craft Draft coptic binding Craft Draft coptic binding Sarah Gilbert Fez craft scene Anajam Home products Anajam Home products Anajam Home Fez craft scene Wood painting Wood painting Sarah Gilbert Fez craft scene Restored medina doorway Restored medina doorway Sarah Gilbert Fez craft scene Medin'Art Medin'Art Sarah Gilbert Fez craft scene Jardin de Biehn boutique Jardin de Biehn boutique Sarah Gilbert Fez craft scene Fondouk Chemmaine-Sbitryine - brass etching Fondouk Chemmaine-Sbitryine - brass etching Sarah Gilbert Fez craft scene Fondouk Barka - rug Fondouk Barka - rug Sarah Gilbert

Camel caravans once transported Fassi handicrafts across continents and nomadic merchants lodged in fondouks, medieval inns built around a courtyard where they parked their animals on the ground floor, stored their goods inside and slept upstairs.

Now, four long-abandoned fondouks have been restored to their former glory and transformed into craft centres, following an ambitious project between ADER-Fes and the US Millennium Challenge Corporation.

Traditional Fez pottery (Sarah Gilbert)

The 13th-century Chemmaine-Sbitryine fondouks on Rue Quaraouyine, all soaring stone columns and fragrant cedar wood, are dedicated to disappearing crafts, such as wooden hammam buckets, fire bellows and ornate Fassi embroidery, with space for artisans to make and sell their wares, exhibition areas and cafes. And it makes it easier for visitors to buy direct from the artisans, too.

As Fouad Serrhini, director general of ADER-Fes, explains: Our mission is to create new opportunities for artisans in the medina. We dont want it to be a relic of the past, but a living city of the future.

Inside the Chemmaine-Sbitryine fondouks (Sarah Gilbert)

Meanwhile, the Barka fondouk on Rue Kettanine supports womens cooperatives creating everything from hand-stitched kaftans to hand-woven carpets.

Many women work from home selling through a middleman, now weve got the opportunity to showcase our own work, Halima, who works at Barka, told me.

For some hands-on craft experience, I took a tour with Plan-it Morocco. My guide led me into a far smaller, more ramshackle fondouk off one of the medinas main arteries, where a three-man, drum-making production line was in full swing.

Painting the drum bases (Sarah Gilbert)

I helped paint the drums ceramic base, while a man removed the fat and hair from a camel hide and another artisan stitched the leather tightly over the base.

In the neighbouring leather workshop, I learnt how to make a pair of traditional babouche slippers, cutting out the leather  traditionally goatskin on top, cowhide on the bottom  before they were glued and hand-stitched together.

Traditional Fassi crafts including brass etching and bookbinding (Sarah Gilbert)

I got even more hands-on in the Craft Draft studio. The founder, multi-talented artisan Hamza El Fasiki, leads workshops in traditional Fassi crafts from brass etching to bookbinding.

Hamza began by explaining the threats that crafts are facing and the age-old tools he uses. Without the toolmakers, the crafts will die out.

There was just a compass, a metal scorer and a ruler laid on the workbench in front of me but I soon discovered that theres no measuring involved in tooling leather, I simply followed the Islamic design by eye  as Hamza put it, no eraser, no perfection.

Coptic-style book binding (Sarah Gilbert)

He gave me a fold of handmade paper and showed me Coptic-style binding, a rhythmic plaiting and looping of thread and, after three hours Id created an imperfect but still beautiful, leather-bound book.

Designers are also breathing new life into traditional crafts. MedinART, the medinas first concept store, is a showcase for Moroccan and Morocco-based designers, including finely woven scarves from Mouhib, embroidered T-shirts from Mawj and Ceciles covetable cactus-silk bags and shoes.

Inside the MedinArt concept store (Sarah Gilbert)

And at Le Jardin des Biehns bijoux boutique, vintage boucherouite rag rugs sit side-by-side with contemporary Fassi designs, such as handwoven blankets from Artisan Project, founded by Palestinian-American Nina Mohammad-Galbert. Handcrafted leather bags from Italian designer Alfred Berlin using leather from the 11th century tanneries are also not to be missed.

The colourful Fez tanneries (Sarah Gilbert)

Tara Stevens, co-founder of Anajam Home (showroom by appointment), sources artisans from all over Morocco to produce their collection of homeware, including textiles  woollen blankets from the Middle Atlas, unbleached cotton throws and cactus silk tablecloths  plus ceramics and hand-blown glass. She supports small producers, as well as giving their products a contemporary spin.

Theyre a bit more expensive than the mass-produced goods and Chinese imports that you can find in the medina, Tara told me, but we need to educate the consumer  and the artisan  about the enduring value of traditional crafts.

Travel essentials

Staying there

Dar Malika is a beautifully restored traditional house in the heart of Fez medina. Doubles from 65.

Getting there

Air Arabia and Ryanair have twice-weekly direct flights to Fez from London Gatwick and Stansted respectively.

Visiting there

For more information on Fez crafts, see Much Morocco
Q I have committed to a trekking trip in Nepal leaving on Easter Sunday and returning two weeks later. I am now looking for flights and unfortunately they seem extremely expensive  close to 1,000 return, when I was looking for something around 600 or 700. What do you suggest?

Name withheld

A Unlike the Indian powerhouses of Delhi and Mumbai, Kathmandu is something of a niche destination from the UK. There are no longer any direct flights, and connecting services are limited to a handful of airlines: Emirates and its partner FlyDubai, Oman Air, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines.
The job of a Moscow correspondent for a British paper isnt an easy one at the best of times.

Skripal, Litvinenko and the occasional halfwitism from Gavin Williamson have certainly made sure there have been better periods.

But its not the obvious things that cause the most problems.
If someone tells you they went to a top universitysay Harvard, Yale, Stanford or MITthe typical response will most likely include an exclamatory Wow!, or Oh!, accompanied by a raising of the eyebrows and simultaneous approving nod. If you yourself did not attend one of these elite institutions then a subtle but tangible power dynamic is silently created. There is instant signaling and an unspoken understanding between two people, where both silently acknowledge the superiority of the Ivy League grad, thanks to nothing more than a reference to an academic pedigree. The merit of the pedigree, until recently, wasnt often questioned.

Thanks in large part to the Operation Varsity Blues scandal, however, we are finally coming to terms with the more important truth behind the scheme, which isnt about some shameless adults buying their way into important institutions  politicians have done that forever. Our political system is rife with people who are elected officials only because they had the family money to put behind prohibitively costly election campaigns.

For me, the most important part of the Operation Varsity Blues scandal is that while legacy admissions may be an important part of continuing to fund these institutions, many more young people than previously thought are attending schools that they quite simply dont belong in thanks only to the wealth of their parents. The students caught in this scandal are the result of the snowplowing parenting style of their progenitors and are mediocre pupils at best, with little to nothing to offer society. Nevertheless, they are rich and highly connected and in America money still talks.

I am also guilty. I have met plenty of graduates from top universities over the course of my life and I have always subtly treated them as somehow inherently better than myself. I would have never admitted that out loud, but I believed it. But this is because my whole life people who went to such schools were always presented to me as better; the weight behind the university name dropped in conversations among my friends parents and other adults was always apparent: Her daughter got into Yale! That statement in itself meant the entire family was now superior and everyone knew it.

The idea that elite schools are only for the best and brightest is a narrative that parallels the other false narrative about America where you can pick yourself up by your bootstraps and where anyone can be successful if they work hard. It is a lie that Americans and immigrants to the US have been fed for centuries: that those who get into top schools earned it, while others either didnt work as hard or werent as smart.

Universities matter more in the US than anywhere else in the world I have lived or visited, and that has been made clear to me my entire life. At my Denver public high school, my senior year classmates posted their name and the university they got into on a wall of fame board in the hallway of my school. People oohd and ahhd over the Berkley, USC, Harvard and Yale admissions letters. Those of us who didnt get into top schools were left mildly humiliated, our mediocrity exposed to the world. We were clearly destined to be nobodies.

Top 10 universities 2019 Show all 10 1 /10 Top 10 universities 2019 Top 10 universities 2019 10. University College London Down 3 places on last year in the Complete University Guide rankings Getty Top 10 universities 2019 9. University of Warwick Down one place on last year in the Complete University Guide rankings Jez Sutton Top 10 universities 2019 8. University of Lancaster Up one place on last year in the Complete University Guide rankings Rwendland Top 10 universities 2019 7. Loughborough University Up 3 places on last year in the Complete University Guide rankings Top 10 universities 2019 6. Durham University In the same place as last year in the Complete University Guide rankings Getty Top 10 universities 2019 5. University of St Andrews Down 2 places on last year in the Complete University Guide rankings Getty Top 10 universities 2019 4. Imperial College London Down 3 places on last year in the Complete University Guide rankings PA Top 10 universities 2019 3. London School of Economics Up one place on last year in the Complete University Guide rankings Getty Top 10 universities 2019 2. Oxford University In the same place as last year in the Complete University Guide rankings Getty Top 10 universities 2019 1. Cambridge University In the same place as last year in the Complete University Guide rankings Getty

During my embarrassingly short-lived career as an associate attorney at a top national law firm, I quickly found out that I was being paid tens of thousands of dollars less than another new hire at my same junior associate level, only because she had gone to a better law school than I had. The partners that I worked for had been able to see beyond my diploma, but the rest of the hiring partners hadnt. I quit.

Now, in the case of my high school, most of the students that got into top schools definitely earned it  I can say that because I knew them personally. But they were in the minuscule percentage of persons who make it into elite universities without money or connections, or both. Our conditioning to treat acceptance to such schools as the equivalent of celebrity status is wrong and harmful in terms of education and national development. We overlook some of the best and brightest while we push ahead others who dont deserve it: undoubtedly a suboptimal system for improving as a society.

If nothing else comes of this scandal, lets start to look more closely at the qualities of the people in front of us, and not merely their academic pedigree, before we judge their capabilities and their merit in the incredibly unfair rank-order system of our present society.

Carli Pierson is an American journalist living in Mexico
Cut through all the background noise and the facile soundbites, and Theresa May has allowed herself a binary choice between either a customs union or a no-deal Brexit. That amounts to acting either in the least bad interests of the country or, in a desperate bid to keep the Conservative Party intact, knowingly acting in its very worst.

That is the measure of the poverty of the prime ministers ambition, and let me be quite clear that, even if she goes for a customs union, there will be no prospect of any sunlit uplands. It will take us back almost half a century to the bad old days before we signed up to the European project and we were ridiculed as the sick man of Europe.

All the privileges won for us in the intervening years by such tough negotiators as Margaret Thatcher will be casually discarded, along with the coveted seat we had at the EUs top table. Love her or hate her, it is important to acknowledge how Thatcher had championed inward investment from Japanese companies who could use our membership as a springboard into Europe. We have been in receipt of 46bn to date from 1,000 Japanese companies that chose to operate in the UK  and never expected theyd find themselves outside the EUs customs union and having to set up shop elsewhere in Europe.

Pressing the customs union button does not address, either, the vexed issue of the Irish border, which will mean that the DUP wont be able to sign up to it and the spectre of a return to the Troubles will once again loom large. It will not by any stretch of the imagination amount to taking back control as the UK would have no voice and no veto on agreements or tariffs. To all intents and purposes, a customs union would equate to no deal for the services sector, which accounts for 85 per cent of our economy.

And Im not talking just financial services, as the sector includes retail, transport, distribution and food services, as well as other service-dominated businesses. Just a 10 per cent shift in banking and finance transactions would reduce government revenues by about 1 per cent, which works out at 7.9bn. To put this into context, this is almost 10 per cent of the 88bn that the government annually spends on education.

So why is no one in government seriously disputing the fact that the customs union option would be significantly worse than the bespoke deal we presently enjoy with the EU? A line from Shakespeare occurs to me: O Judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts, and men have lost their reason!

A customs union option could probably pass through parliament and there would then be the two-year transition period, but what then? Will whoever it is who succeeds May in 10 Downing Street not be tempted to tear up the non-legally binding political declaration containing the customs union? New leaders like to put their own imprimatur on proceedings. This could all too easily amount to hell postponed in the form of no deal two years down the line.

 Gina Miller delivers the speech Theresa May should have given

Should Number 10s new tenant be Boris Johnson, there is no way, incidentally, that May could put a so-called Boris lock on any of the arrangements that she is now trying to put in place. Why? Because, constitutionally, no government or parliament may bind the hands of a future government or parliament.

May has said that the only alternative to a customs union is leaving the EU with no deal on 12 April. The Brextremists talk with ill-disguised menace in their voices about the consequences of May defying them and denying them their unicorns. But, make no mistake, no deal is still a real and present danger, which is the worst case scenario for our police force, health professionals, intelligence services, farmers and manufacturers. It could also mark the end of the United Kingdom  as the SNP and all those on the island of Ireland emphatically say: Not in our names!

Matt Hancock, the health secretary, has gone on record as saying no deal would be fine, but, as an all too obvious leadership contender, he also declined to say whether people may die in the chaos that will ensue. Type one diabetics who ask their pharmacists to guarantee security of supply of their EU-manufactured insulin are being met  like others who need certain drugs to live  only with polite obfuscation.

With a choice of bequeathing two profoundly grim legacies to her successor and the country, May will have no spring in her step as she travels to meet first Angela Merkel then Emmanuel Macron to beg them for a short extension to Brexit on the dubious grounds that her talks with Labour are going swimmingly and likely to result in a positive outcome that will pass through parliament.

The emergency European summit follows tomorrow in Brussels, when it is by no means inconceivable that the fine print of any extension will be taken out of her hands and dictated by the EU 27, as that is what realpolitik now means. There are already complaints in some quarters of the EU that Brexit is proving to be an unacceptable drain on resources and time as the trading bloc needs to focus on other pressing issues. As on official told me in Luxembourg last week: We have to decide whether we should amputate the UK before it infects the rest of the EU with its madness.

Ive given up trying to work out what is going on in Mays head, but there are still some who see method in her particular brand of madness. One well-placed Conservative tells me May could make an announcement on a customs partnership as late as possible this afternoon, then head off directly to ask the EU to grant it before the rebellious factions in her party have a chance to topple her. Another theory is that May is playing a game of smoke and mirrors with the Labour Party and on Friday will allow no deal to happen by default and blame it all on Jeremy Corbyn now that she has ensured his hands are steeped in blood.

 Brexiteer explains to Nigel Farage why Article 50 should be revoked

I understand of course that people just want Brexit to be over. People are desperate, depressed and exhausted  including our representatives in Parliament. Yet how unfair and irresponsible it is that they are expected to make decisions that will affect future generations  who never voted for this  in these fraught circumstances. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, things are now in the saddle and they are riding mankind.

Allow me, if I may, to be completely candid in these, the final hours of this Brexit nightmare. There never were any sunlit uplands, no easy deals, no prospect ever of taking back control that would not have left us worse off than we are now as influential members of the EU. And, for those who just yearn for it to all end, lets be clear that no customs union or no-deal scenario will put an end to the row about Brexit. Neither will allow our lawmakers and civil servants the calm they yearn for to look after our country and solve the deep-seated problems facing almost every aspect of our national life.

It breaks the hearts of all those of us who love our country  no matter how we might have voted almost three years ago  to see the great British lion vanquished and manacled in this way by circumstances, and, yes, small-minded, self-serving individuals. The great irony of all of this is that lion will have to look on, muzzled and enfeebled, in the years ahead as the EU sets about reforming itself and making it the union that realises the dreams of its founding fathers and becomes what all of us wished it to be.

No longer the lord of any jungle, the UK will, meanwhile, have to limp towards far-flung countries to try to seek help, but they are more likely to seize the opportunity to exploit our manifest weakness. I end my admittedly very depressing inaugural column with a single word: if. That is a big if, but it could yet save the union, our reputation, our future as a great trading entity and quite possibly our lives. That is if May accepts that there is  and always has been  a third option. And that is to revoke.

Find out more about campaigner Gina Millers new initiative Lead Not Leave.
An inquiry found significant failures happened during the crucial planning and budgeting stages of the project (Niall Carson/PA)

A report into the cost overruns at the new National Childrens Hospital has criticised the hospital board for missing red flags.

An independent inquiry by PWC, which was set up to assess the spiralling costs, found significant failures happened during the crucial planning and budgeting stages of the project.

It further warned that the cost of the new hospital could rise above 1.7 billion euro (1.45 billion).

The hospital, being constructed on a 12-acre site at the St Jamess Hospital campus in Dublin, has been marred in controversy over spiralling costs for a number of months.

In light of @PwC report on National Childrens Hospital the Government talk of Spending Delays Not Cuts But last week James Hospital cut services in Family History Clinic for women with propensity for breast cancer - Cut or Delay? @SimonHarrisTD @FergalBowers @IrishTimes  Brid Smith TD (@bridsmithTD) April 9, 2019

The report stated: The basis of the original budget was flawed and risks were understated in the business case.

There was a lack of sufficiently comprehensive or robust planning for the process to establish a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) for the construction of the New Childrens Hospital.

This created a situation in which the approved project could never be delivered within the financial parameters agreed.

As a consequence the budget significantly underestimated the likely outturn cost. Furthermore, red flags indicating the inadequacy of the budget were missed.

One of its many recommendations is to overhaul the project control environment to bring it up to the level of maturity and sophistication needed for a project of of this scale and complexity.

The PWC report makes grim readingLeo Varadkar

It has advised to develop comprehensive plans to mitigate further risks, adding that if it is not effectively managed, it could lead to further cost rises.

The report further recommended: The commercial capability and capacity of the NPH (National Paediatric Hospital) executive should be strengthened so that it is more self-sufficient and less reliant on external advisers.

The Executive of the NPH should be strengthened in the short term to support the planning and execution of the next phase.

The scope and responsibilities of the advisory firms that constitute the Design Team should be reviewed to reflect their future roles.

In view of the potential consequential programme risks, a scrutiny process that includes all levels of the governance structure should be put in place.

The Taoiseach said the report makes grim reading.

The report finds the escalating costs of the new National Childrens Hospital related largely to an underestimation of the cost of building it in the first place, as well as the cost of delays, higher building standards and the knock-on effect of VAT.

It does not recommend retendering as a feasible option and suggests there is little scope for savings.

Our priority now must be to finish the job on time to meet the 2023 opening date, contain further cost increases and learn from the mistakes made in advance of other major projects like Metro and the National Broadband Plan.

Stephen Donnelly, Fianna Fail health spokesman, said the report shows the cost could go beyond the current 1.73 billion euro estimation.

We were told by the Government that the two-stage construction process was chosen because it provided a Guaranteed Maximum Price, he added.

The PWC review has made it clear in its findings that the so-called guaranteed price doesnt actually provide a contractual ceiling on cost.

In fact its worse than that. Weve learnt that there are risks of the price rising even higher, potentially another 300 million euro more.

People Before Profit TD Brid Smith said: Spending delays and re-profiling of funds are cuts by another name.

The Government have now admitted that they are cutting projects like roads, the carbon fund and flood defences to pay for the cost overruns at the National Childrens Hospital.
The numbers come after the highest total of patients waiting on trolleys was recorded at University Hospital Limerick last week (Tim Ockenden/PA)

The Government has been criticised after the number of patients waiting on hospital trolleys hit the highest level for the year so far.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) confirmed that more than 631 people were on trolleys on Tuesday during the daily 8am count at hospitals across the country.

A total of 465 were waiting in emergency departments, while 166 were in wards.

The worst-hit hospitals were University Hospital Limerick, with 55 patients waiting for a bed, Sligo University Hospital with 50, and Cork University Hospital on 42.

There are 55 patients on trolleys and chairs today in #Limerick. Yet a ward remains closed by hospital management.



Sign the petition for extra capacity in UHL: https://t.co/qyWUC6YrhE  Irish Nurses & Midwives Organisation (@INMO_IRL) April 9, 2019

The numbers come after the highest total of patients waiting on trolleys was recorded at University Hospital Limerick last week.

The hospital is the most consistently overcrowded in the country. It saw a 17-bed ward closed over two weeks ago, and local representatives say the issue is now at crisis point.

The number of patients waiting in permanent beds has been a consistent issue for the Government, with political opponents claiming not enough is being done to remedy the issue.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald accused the government of failing to take meaningful action to address the crisis.

University Hospital Limerick was similarly in a state of chaos last week and that shows no sign of letting up because there are 55 patients on trolleys there today and Limerick is yet again the worst effected hospital in the state, she said during leaders questions.

State-wide today there are 631 patients on trolleys  the highest number in Ireland this year. It is frightening.

Overcrowding impacts on patients and it puts them at risk. It also affects the health and wellbeing of staff and both of these things are intolerable. I think thats a disgrace, she said.

Record trolley figures show Fine Gael's frightening contempt for public healthcare - @LiadhNiRiadaMEP https://t.co/m4vRvyIrph pic.twitter.com/snNBfGSgZY  Sinn Fein (@sinnfeinireland) April 9, 2019

This is no longer a winter problem and one that is amenable to a seasonal intervention, it is year-round now. You have failed to get to grips with it.

Mr Varadkar said: I understand the enormous inconvenience and suffering that hospital overcrowding causes to patients and their families and also the stress and pressures it puts on staff.

We should focus on solutions not on accusations. Our solutions are threefold  they are about capacity and better use of existing resources and beds and it also means investment in primary care and community care.

We are increasing the number of beds in our hospitals all the time. By the end of year we will back up to about 11,00 beds in our acute hospital system, thats the highest number since 2009.

Fianna Fail health spokesman Stephen Donnelly said: We have the second lowest number of beds per capita in Europe.

Hospital overcrowding has reached a record high with 631 patients on #trolleys today acc to @INMO_IRL - the highest number so far this year. Whats causing this? Our shortage of doctors. I explained on the #plinth with @fiannafailparty @lichamber & @DarraghOBrienTD pic.twitter.com/5fzm4CBA0d  Stephen Donnelly (@DonnellyStephen) April 9, 2019

What were seeing is crisis after crisis after crisis, and ultimately its the patients who suffer, their families suffer, and its putting our doctors, nurses and midwives in an impossible situation.

Theyre trying to provide a service that the Government is making it harder and harder for them to provide.

Labour Party health spokesman Alan Kelly described the issue as unacceptable.

We are now near the middle of April, the worst of the winter flu crisis is over, but yet 631 people are on trolleys today, he said.

It is a sad state of affairs that these types of figures are not shocking people any more.

The INMO have not recorded a day where there has been less than 250 people on trolleys. We should not have to accept these kind of figures as the new normal.

Excessive trolley numbers like these are not acceptable to patients, their families or those who have to work in these conditions.

The solutions are there, theyve been presented to the Minister for Health so many times, but he continues to ignore this problem.

A spokeswoman from the HSE said that the figures were due to patients staying longer in hospitals.

While the winter period initiatives are coming to an end, acute hospitals are continuing to see growth in attendances that are not flu-related, she said.

Many of the patients presenting require longer periods of hospitalisation due to underlying conditions and frailty.

The HSE regrets that any patient should have to wait for admission from emergency department (ED) to a hospital ward.

However, it is important to note that once a decision is made to admit a patient, they still remain under the care of the staff in ED until they can safely transfer to the appropriate hospital ward for their ongoing care.
Health experts warned Department of Health officials against offering free out-of-cycle smear tests hours after a public announcement was made, the Taoiseach has said.

The leader of Irelands main opposition party Micheal Martin questioned Leo Varadkar about advice received by the Health Minister at the time he made a decision to offer women free repeat smear tests.

The Fianna Fail leader claimed warnings from very senior people were sent to Simon Harris.

It emerged last week that the former clinical director of CervicalCheck, Dr Grainne Flannelly, warned senior officials that repeat smear tests would fundamentally undermine the screening programme before Mr Harris announced the free tests in April last year.

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Some 79,500 women are waiting for results after a backlog was created by the increase in the number of tests, with some women waiting up to 33 weeks.

During leaders questions, Mr Varadkar told the Dail that advice from CervicalCheck came after the announcement was made, albeit on the day.

He said an email from a CervicalCheck official went to the Department of Health, adding: It did not go to the minister himself.

The advice from the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) (Dr Tony Holohan) was reflected in the decision that was made by Minister Harris and was subsequently endorsed by government.

I can tell the House that during the period between May 1 and December 1, when the free test was on offer, there was 112,000 consultations with GPs but only 57,800 repeat smear tests, so that proves that the CMOs advice was followed.

Mr Martin accused the health minister of continuously shifting his story.

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We do need a comprehensive statement from the minister. We now know there was official advice against this decision, he added.

We now know that an email went to the minister that day from CervicalCheck to the department. The minister subsequently said the warnings were significantly after he made the decision.

There were warnings on the day and the day after from very senior people.

Will you publish the email that was sent by CervicalCheck to the department on the day he made the decision?

This has been going on for three months and has shifted and shifted and changed. Sometimes you are better putting the hands up day one and admitting this was a huge error.

Mr Varadkar said efforts are being made to clear the backlog of tests.

The National Screening Service have have been doing a lot of work to try and find laboratories who are willing to take on the additional testing, he added.

They have sourced the capacity now but they need to go out and inspect the labs and come to commercial arrangements with those labs to take on additional tests.

It can be difficult to get laboratories to agree to take on additional testing.

But the HSE has identified labs that may be willing to take on additional testing subject to commercial agreement and subject to liability should there be future claims.

He added that Mr Harris will appear before the Oireachtas Health Committee on Wednesday to answer further questions.
Richard Burrows is a former governor of Bank of Ireland

British American Tobacco (BAT), the owner of cigarette brands including Dunhill and Lucky Strike, is hunting for a new chairman to succeed its Irish incumbent, Richard Burrows.

Mr Burrows, a former managing director of Irish Distillers, has been chairman of the tobacco giant for almost 10 years. He was the boss at Irish Distillers, whose brands include Jameson, when the group was acquired by French drinks maker Pernod Ricard in 1988. That followed a hostile takeover attempt by Guinness owner Grand Metropolitan, which later became Diageo.

In 2000, Mr Burrows was appointed co-chief executive at the French group.

Mr Burrows (73) was paid a 680,000 salary at BAT last year, while additional benefits brought the total to 796,000 (923,000).

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The chairman will have served as a director for just over nine years at the time of the 2019 AGM (annual general meeting), noted BAT in its most recent annual report.

It added: The [nominations] committee has given careful consideration to director transitions to ensure orderly board succession and has prioritised effective succession planning for the executive and the finance director which takes effect during 2019.

In the forthcoming year, the committee will be focused on succession planning for the chairman and will have close regard to the requirements of the new Corporate Governance Code.

Its been reported by Sky News that BAT, which is a FTSE-100 firm, has hired Korn Ferry to help find a successor for Mr Burrows.

Mr Burrows is also a former governor of Bank of Ireland and also sits on the board of Carlsberg.

BAT generated revenue of 25.5bn (29.5bn) last year and a 9.3bn (10.7bn) operating profit.
The DUP have branded British Prime Minster Theresa May's bid for a Brexit extension as humiliating and embarrassing.

DUP leader Arlene Foster and the party's Westminster leader Nigel Dodds both accused Mrs May of "begging" European leaders for help to break the impasse.

Expand Expand Previous Next 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 DUP leader Arlene Foster. Photo: Reuters / Facebook

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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

The senior figures in the Government's confidence and supply partners did not hold back in their criticism of the Prime Minister's handling of the process as she spent the day holding talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron.

"The talks between the Prime Minister and the leaders of France and Germany is humiliating and embarrassing for the United Kingdom," Mr Dodds said on Tuesday evening.

"The problems the Prime Minister is attempting to solve were not created by the decision to leave the European Union, rather the ineffective negotiations by the Prime Minister to implement that decision.

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"A solution was put forward by the House of Commons on 29th January through the Brady amendment which could have charted a course by which Parliament could have supported a deal.

"Instead of treating this proposal seriously, the Prime Minister has effectively accepted the backstop and opted not to stand up to Brussels.

"Nearly three years after the referendum the UK is today effectively holding out a begging bowl to European leaders."

Earlier, Mrs Foster questioned Mrs May's leadership qualities.

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"She needed to be strong, she needed to show leadership, and I'm sorry to say that hasn't been evident in these past couple of months," she told the BBC.

Mrs Foster said the Prime Minister had found herself "pleading" to stay in the EU to resolve issues that should have been already settled.

"I find it quite painful to watch what's going on at this present moment in time, it is rather humiliating that we are having to go and beg so that we can leave," she said.
Tea and solidarity: Leo Varadkar pours tea for Michel Barnier at Government Buildings in Dublin as they meet for talks. Photo: Clodagh Kilcoyne/PA

EU officials will demand the UK provides solutions for maintaining an open Border in Ireland before agreeing to talk about trade issues in a no-deal Brexit.

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier made a timely visit to Dublin yesterday - but he brought a message for London.

In the first clear outline of how the EU will react to a disorderly Brexit, Mr Barnier said that the pressure would be piled back on to the House of Commons.

"We would not discuss anything with the UK until there is an agreement on Ireland and Northern Ireland, citizens' rights and the financial settlement," he said.

That statement is likely to be carefully studied by British Prime Minister Theresa May and opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn, who are attempting to reach a compromise on a way forward.

Mrs May will travel to Germany and France today to meet with Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron ahead of an emergency EU summit in Brussels tomorrow.

It is understood she will make the case for pushing the Brexit deadline back from this Friday until the end of June.

EU leaders are split on the best approach, with European Council president Donald Tusk favouring an extension until March 2020.

Shortly after Mr Barnier departed Dublin, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was on the phone to Mrs May.

"The Taoiseach repeated his openness to an extension of the deadline," a brief statement said afterwards.

Mr Varadkar also had talks with the leaders of the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Malta.

All 27 remaining member states must agree on an extension.

Irish Government sources were last night confident that Brexit would be delayed for a second time.

"It won't be this Friday. There'll be disagreements about when it should be - but it won't be this Friday," a source said.

Some EU leaders are wary of further prolonging uncertainty over Brexit.

Others favour only agreeing to a much longer extension so that the EU can then focus on other topics in the coming months.

It is not expected that the discussion in London will result in Mrs May bringing a concrete proposal to Brussels.

But leaders hope she will be able to outline a framework for progress.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who also spoke with Mrs May by phone yesterday, said he needed to be convinced that her country will continue co-operating with the EU if an extension is granted. He said "a positive decision hinges also on assurances from UK on sincere co-operation".

Mr Varadkar said EU leaders would work through the options and reach a compromise.

"There will be different views but I am confident that we will reach agreement," he said.

The Irish Government is pleased with what it sees as a high-level show of solidarity from key EU players in recent days.

Amid continued concerns about what would happen at the Border in a no-deal scenario, Mr Varadkar now believes protecting the EU's single market can be portrayed as a "shared challenge".

In language that matched that of Mrs Merkel and Mr Macron last week, Mr Barnier said the EU "will stand fully behind Ireland".

"You have our full support. The backstop is currently the only solution we have found to maintain the status quo on the island of Ireland," he said.

Mr Barnier said that he hoped the talks in Westminster "will produce a positive outcome".

And in comments that are likely to boost Mr Corbyn's hand, he said: "I've said many times before, we can be more, much more ambitious in our future relationship with the UK.

"The political declaration provides for a range of outcomes including a customs union.

"We are ready to make this clearer if it helps and this work can be done extremely quickly."
The Impossible Whopper has been described as the Whopper's "twin" by the burger's manufacturer, and contains 17g of protein and 0mg of cholesterol. Photo: Burger King/YouTube/PA Wire

Burger Kings new plant-based Whopper has an unlikely fan in the form of a senior US meat industry lobbyist, who has urged livestock farmers not to underestimate the rise of vegan alternatives.

The fast food chain launched its meat-free burger, dubbed the Impossible Whopper, earlier this month at 59 stores in St Louis, Missouri, with the intention of rolling it out at all 7,200 Burger Kings if it proves popular.

Following the launch, Eric Bohl, director of public affairs and advocacy for Missouri Farm Bureau, the states largest farm organisation, wrote an online review in which he praised the product created by Californian start-up company, Impossible Foods.

If I didnt know what I was eating, I would have no idea it was not beef, he wrote.

According to Impossible Foods, the Whopper has been purposefully designed so that it bleeds like a traditional burger.

Bohl said the differences in taste between it and a normal meat-based Whopper were pretty minor.

If farmers and ranchers think we can mock and dismiss these products as a passing fad, were kidding ourselves," he added.

"This is not just another disgusting tofu burger that only a dedicated hippie could convince himself to eat.

Bohl continued: Farmers and ranchers need to take notice and get ready to compete. Ive tasted it with my own mouth, and this fake meat is ready for prime time.

In a follow-up post in which he stresses that now is the time to fight for animal agriculture, Bohl described the Impossible Whopper as a wake-up call to the meat industry.

The makers of these new products have one goal: to eliminate animal agriculture. Their products are real, theyre here now, and many more are in the pipeline, he added.

Impossible Foods is backed by Microsoft founder Bill Gates. The company, which makes its famous plant-based burgers with wheat, potato protein and heme, aims to eliminate meat production altogether, as it says in its mission statement: Were making meat using plants, so that we never have to use animals again.
Food and agriculture is easily the sector most vulnerable to Brexit, with a potential move to World Trade Organisation tariffs looking set to inflict an 800m hit on the beef sector alone.

But it doesn't need to be like that, according to a new report from the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA), a Dublin-based policy and economic think-tank. It said agriculture can leverage the same kind of post-Brexit dynamics that have already been seen in areas like finance.

In order to maintain access to European markets after Britain leaves the EU, financial firms have been setting up operations in Ireland, many establishing regional operations here.

While it isn't going to be an overnight solution to the huge problems facing the agriculture sector in the event a hard Brexit sees hefty tariffs imposed on exports to Britain, it does offer a way out.

"The parallel between UK financial services firms establishing in Ireland and Irish agri-business firms investing in the UK suggests an avenue of opportunity," Frank Barry, professor of international business and economic development at Trinity, wrote in the report.

"Some of the damage of a hard Brexit would be offset if UK agri-food firms were to establish export platform facilities in Ireland to service their existing EU markets."

Although the UK is a huge market for exports in the dairy sector, for example, UK dairy exports to the rest of the EU are 150pc of Irish dairy exports to the UK. A large proportion are branded products, which means they have high degrees of customer loyalty.

Items from industries such as confectionery, dairy, animal products, soft drinks and distilling are among the industries which are advertising and brand intensive, according to the IIEA report, which cited the prior use of Irish chocolate crumb in Cadbury's confectionary.

The ingredients of those brand name products are precisely what Ireland will have in excess post-Brexit.

Add some products which are research and development intensive - chemicals and medical instruments among them - which will also attract high tariffs, and there is an opportunity for UK firms to invest here.

"Some of the UK firms that will suffer diminished market access may be relatively small and have little experience of overseas production: to these the familiarity of the Irish environment will be particularly appealing," Prof Barry wrote.

Ireland will be the worst-hit of any country by the Brexit shock and the Central Bank estimates economic growth this year could be just 1-1.5pc.
Farmers will be granted EU support measures in the event of a no-deal Brexit, subject to "budgetary constraints", the Commission has said.

Agriculture chief Phil Hogan lashed out yesterday at the "madness of Brexit" and said the bloc would use all the tools it currently has - including public intervention, private storage aid and targeted aid - to support farmers.

The UK could crash out of the EU without a deal as soon as this Friday, unless prime minister Theresa May can secure a second extension to the negotiating time. EU leaders meet tomorrow in Brussels to discuss it.

EU commissioners will also meet on Wednesday to discuss agricultural aid, though they have previously ruled out a specific Brexit emergency fund.

"I understand fully the budgetary constraints in which we have to work," Mr Hogan said, adding that the bloc has "planned well" and will be able to "respond effectively" using existing market intervention measures.

"We still can't say when and in what circumstances the UK will leave," Mr Hogan told reporters in Brussels, two days ahead of the Brexit summit and four days from Brexit day.

"Despite the madness of Brexit I still believe that common sense might prevail. I hope it does.

"No deal makes no sense. It's simply crazy.

"I hope that we will see political developments this week between all parties in the House of Commons that will be able to avert the no-deal scenario."

He warned of new tariffs - as outlined by the UK last month - and "logistical disruptions" for EU exporters under a no-deal Brexit.

Tariff

Mr Hogan described the UK's tariff announcement last month - which will hit beef, pig meat and dairy producers particularly hard - as "essentially a concept paper".

"We still lack clarity and the details of the necessary legislation to see how this regime will operate in practice," he said.

In Ireland, it is still unclear what checks will apply (and where) if the UK does crash out without a deal.

Last week, Commission vice-president Jyrki Katainen said "new controls will have to be carried out at our borders with the UK", and refused to rule out customs posts.

He said the bloc is working on "new ways" to conduct the checks, but refused to go into detail.

Mr Hogan said border checks will depend on what kind of future relationship the UK decides it wants with the EU.

"The outcome of the negotiations in London will dictate what our response should be," Mr Hogan said.

"If there is a customs union or regulatory alignment between the UK and EU, of course, we will have business a usual."

Commission will look instead to market supports if UK crashes out
Around 10pc of the calves involved in the Kepak-Glanbia dairy-calf-to-beef programme will be genotyped to ensure that they meet with the guidelines of the initiative.

The 'Twenty20 Beef Club' pilot programme, which was launched last week, aims to finish around 6,000 calves from Glanbia milk suppliers.

However, Jersey calves, and Jersey crosses are excluded from the programme.

A Glanbia spokesman said the genotyping will be part of the initiative's validation process and will be paid for by the sponsors.

Jersey bull calves have been very difficult to sell this spring, with as low as 5/hd being offered for them in the marts.

Glanbia officials also insisted that using bulls with a high Dairy Beef Index will help farmers to breed calves that are capable of finishing at higher weights and that grade under the QPS.

Producing stock that finish at an R grade or better has been a major challenge for farmers operating dairy-calf-to-beef systems. Cattle grading O and P from these units face cuts of 18-24c/kg off the QPS base price.

However, Glanbia officials maintained that the correct sire choice and management can ensure that stock finished under this system can get onto the grid.

With the surge in dairy expansion now slowing, farmers will be in a better position to tailor their breeding regimes and deliver more dairy-beef stock, a Glanbia spokesman said.

Teagasc has stated that farmers involved in dairy-calf-to-beef production will have to be paid a minimum of 4.05/kg into the hand to make a margin of 200/hd on calves bought this spring. This is based on an average purchase price of 75/hd, and 1,000/hd to finish the calf to beef.

Under the Kepak-Glanbia programme, animals enrolled in the first two years (2019 and 2020) will be paid the average market price, plus a club premium of 15- 25c/kg, as well as a Club Protocol Bonus of 12c/kg (this equates to the QA bonus). Members will also benefit from additional price support in the event of a weak market price.

There will also be a 'seasonality' bonus to promote the marketing of animals in April (+6c/kg), May (+10c/kg) and June (+6c/kg). Members will also be eligible for Angus or Hereford breed bonus payments.

"At an average market base price of 4.00/kg, a Twenty20 Beef Club Angus steer slaughtered in April 2021 will qualify for a net price of 4.43/kg; at a market price of 3.75/kg, the same animal would earn 4.28/kg," the programme sponsors claimed.

Glanbia and Kepak aim to grow participation in the initiative to 50,000 calves over the coming years.

Much of this growth will come from Glanbia suppliers finishing their own stock, a Glanbia spokesman accepted.

He pointed out that 37pc of Glanbia's suppliers have beef operations which are run in parallel with their dairy enterprise. The Twenty20 Beef Club might suit many of these farmers, he said.
Going Home, a farmer from Curra, Loughrea, Co.Galway taking the herd home in a lovely sunny evening. Photograph: Hany Marzouk

Milk production is on target to top eight billion litres this year, with deliveries to some processors up 12-13pc in the first quarter compared to 2018.

Official figures for the opening three months have yet to be compiled but processors report exceptionally strong growth in output.

First quarter milk supplies at Glanbia were 12pc ahead of last year, while Lakelands was 13pc up on 2018. However, March deliveries at Lakelands were 15pc higher than in 2018.

Weekly milk supplies at Dairygold are running 15pc ahead of 2018 and intakes at the co-op are 5pc up on last year for the first quarter.

At Arrabawn, weekly deliveries are 20pc ahead of last year, while Kerry is just 1.2pc ahead of 2019. National milk output exceeded 7.5bn litres in 2018 and growth of just 6pc would be enough to top 8bn litres this year.

However, a number of processors cautioned that the supply growth seen in the first quarter might not be sustained through the year as milk output between January and March in 2018 was badly affected by poor spring weather and Storm Emma.

Teagasc dairy specialist George Ramsbottom said milk supplies were currently running well ahead of other years. But he warned that conditions could change radically as the year progressed.

Mr Ramsbottom said farmers were reporting unprecedented milk yields for the early part of the year, despite the delayed start to calving.

"The volumes being produced at the moment are quite substantial and will probably peak earlier due to favourable weather in February and early March," he said.

Mr Ramsbottom said that while grass growth rates had dropped back over the past week, some farms were still struggling to get covers grazed.

Meanwhile, Ornua's Joe Collins warned of "mixed signals" currently coming from the marketplace.

"Milk is expected to push on; we are probably seeing that more so in the UK and Ireland in the last few weeks, but also in places like Poland. Europe looks like milk production, after being flat for the last six months, will push on," said Mr Collins.

Peak period

"The key thing we will watch over the next few months is European milk production, particularly over the April to August period, which is the flush or peak period."

However, Ger Quain of ICMSA claimed there was scope in the current market returns to deliver higher prices to dairy farmers.

Mr Quain called on milk processors to at least pay the Ornua PPI milk price equivalent of 32.2c/l (including VAT) for March supplies.

"The fundamentals of the market are solid. Global supply growth is running at its lowest levels for a number of years and the GDT was up again, the ninth consecutive increase," he said.

While accepting that Brexit had acted as a "drag" on milk prices, he said processors and retailers could not protect their own margins by curtailing returns to farmers.

"Milk processors in other EU member states are equally exposed to Brexit and they haven't been fit to cut their milk price as a precaution," Mr Quain pointed out.

Deliveries running at up to 20pc ahead of 2018 but Ornua warn of 'mixed' market signals
The president of the Ulster Farmers' Union has warned that a no-deal Brexit will be "economically disastrous" for Northern Ireland.

Speaking in Enniskillen yesterday after a meeting with the presidents of the largest farming bodies in England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic, Ivor Ferguson called for "sufficient time" to enable a way forward on Brexit to protect agri-businesses.

The farming leaders met ahead of a UFU event at the Lough Erne Resort in Co Fermanagh, with Theresa May's request to extend Article 50 topping the agenda.

Mr Ferguson said it remained crucial for politicians to prioritise the needs of business and the welfare and long-term prosperity of the agri-food sector.

"We want to make clear that a no-deal exit would be economically disastrous, and that we need to avoid a catastrophic, disorderly exit from the EU," he said.

"Any extension must be used constructively and not merely delay no-deal, setting up another 'cliff edge' scenario."

Mr Ferguson said the choice of the border location for yesterday's meeting was significant.

"Farming families in border regions, like Co Fermanagh, have much to lose in a no-deal scenario or a badly managed Brexit," he warned.

"It is unbelievable that farmers and growers in the UK, Ireland and in the rest of Europe are still operating without any certainty on a future trading relationship. This is having real world business consequences right now as well as causing unnecessary stress and huge anxiety for farmers who simply don't know what trading conditions they will be operating under in the future," he continued.

"There is a common call coming from organisations representing thousands of farming families to ensure free and frictionless trade, alignment on high standards of production, and a determination to cooperate for the best possible future for our members.
Mortgage-to-rent is a State-backed initiative whereby homeowners that are unable to pay their mortgage can voluntarily sell their property to Home for Life. The property is then rented back to the homeowner.

A hard Brexit poses the biggest risk to the economy, closely followed by the governments budget policies and a shortage of housing, according to the Oireachtas Budget Committee.

In a report published today, the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) Quarterly Economic and Fiscal Commentary included for the first time a representation of the risks facing the economy in a highlighted section.

The office noted that a hard Brexit was set to cut economic growth here by 2.3pc-7pc, according to official and private sector forecasts, relative to a situation in which Britain remained a member of the European Union.

This impact would be propagated via severe trade disruptions and weaker consumer and business sentiment, adversely affecting the current account balance and domestic demand, respectively, the report said.

The PBO assigned Brexit a high probability rating along with the budget risks and housing.

On the budget, it highlighted the pursuit of inappropriate pro-cyclical fiscal policy which means a situation in which the stance of the budget amplifies the economic cycle which it said risks contributing to overheating.

The budget has repeatedly overshot its target thanks to overspending, much of it in health, and the expansion in spending has been financed by windfall tax receipts from companies.

Having a tax base that consists of highly volatile revenue sources complicates prudential fiscal planning; more volatile revenues are harder to predict and this can result in substantial forecast errors, making it more difficult to plan future spending, the report said.

Housing risks are double edged, according to budget office the risk assessment.

Constraints on supply are placing upward pressure on both prices and wages and undermining labour mobility, it said.

In addition, expectations of future price growth are a risk to consumer sentiment. However, a supply response risks inflating domestic demand and contributing to overheating, the PBO warned.
Global growth will likely be 3.3pc this year, according to the IMF

IMF lifts Irish growth forecast.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) cut its global economic growth forecasts for 2019 and warned growth could slow further including because of a potentially messy Brexit.

However, the global rescue fund raised the growth forecast for Ireland, by 0.1pc point to 4.1pc this year, but that figure does not allow the risk of the UK crashing out of the European Union without a deal.

In a third global downgrade since October, the IMF said some major economies, including China and Germany, might need to take short-term actions to prop up growth.

A sharp slowdown in Europe and some emerging market economies will give way to a general re-acceleration in the second half of 2019, the IMF reckons.

Global growth will likely be 3.3pc this year, the slowest since 2016, the IMF.

More than two-thirds of the expected slowdown in 2019 owes to trouble in rich nations.

A no-deal Brexit would see the UK economy shrink 1.4pc this year.
PERMANENT TSB has found no evidence that it deliberately failed to properly treat its customers who lost valuable tracker mortgages.

Bank boss Jeremy Masding also has insisted to TDs and senators that there are no more customers of the bank that have yet to be refunded and compensated for loss of trackers.

Addressing members of the Oireachtas Finance Committee, Mr Masding said 1,979 accounts were eligible for redress and compensation.

The bank has finished its tracker probe, he said.

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This is despite a leading authority on tracker denial cases claiming there are another 2,500 cases that the bank is refusing to concede on, or where people got redress but were put on the wrong tracker margin.

Trackers are priced at a set margin over the European Central Bank (ECB) rate, usually around 1pc above the rate.

Financial adviser Padraic Kissane has said the disputed cases will now be resolved by either the Financial Services Ombudsman or in the courts.

However, Mr Masding told the committee: We are not aware of any cohort of customer accounts  outside those identified by us  which the Central Bank of Ireland believes should be included in our impacted population.

He revealed that 14 customers have refused to take the offer of compensation and refunds.

These people are understood to be taking legal actions against the bank.

The Central Bank has stated a number of times in the past that taking the refunds offered does not preclude appealing the decision to the banks appeals panel, the financial services ombudsman or the courts.

Permanent TSB said it was not possible to contact another 19 account holders and it is believed they have left the country.

Mr Masding said he has been asked repeatedly if Permanent TSB can identify individuals who are responsible for the tracker mess.

During the banks work, and in responding to the CBI [Central Bank of Ireland] tracker mortgage examination, we have found no evidence that the failure to provide this disclosure was planned or deliberate.

He said the key issued identified by the bank was a failure to disclose fully to customers that their request to break early from a fixed rate product would result in the loss of a right to return to a tracker rate.

The bank, still more than 70pc owned by taxpayers, has cut its level of non-performing loans, helped by the controversial sale of a loan portfolio and a mortgage securitisation deal last year.

Permanent TSB, which is 75pc owned by the State, came in for strong criticism when it sold around 16,000 mortgage accounts in two controversial loan sales, Projects Glas and Glenbeigh.

Around 4,000 customers whose mortgage was sold were engaged in rescheduled payment deals.

The loans were moved out of the State-owned lender despite a practice that people in arrears who engage do not have mortgages sold.

But Mr Masding defenced the loan sales, which have reduced its proportion of non-performing loans (NPL) from 26pc to 10pc.

At all times, we undertake these activities in good faith, doing our very best to deliver fair and certain customer outcomes as we fully appreciate the sensitive nature of NPL sales, Mr Masding said.
A Canadian producer of industrial alcohol and fuel ethanol has announced plans to establish a new EU manufacturing headquarters in Portlaoise, creating 75 jobs over five years.

Greenfield Globals investment is backed by the IDA Ireland.

Greenfield is headquartered in Toronto and has operations in 12 locations across North America. Its products are used in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, life science, personal care, and food, flavor and fragrance markets in over 50 countries.

The new 3,800 sq. metre manufacturing HQ in Portlaoise will be constructed on the IDA Ireland Business and Technology Park and is expected to be operational in Q2, 2020. An estimated 100 jobs are expected to be created during the construction and fit-out phase of the project.

Our commitment to building a world-class GMP manufacturing facility in Portlaoise is our first foray into manufacturing outside of North America, said Greenfield President and CEO Howard Field.

This facility will ensure we have the capacity to meet increased demand from our life science customers throughout Europe and the region. Greenfield is an ambitious company, focused on continually investing in innovation, our people, and our products. We are proud to have this opportunity to expand our operations and become a part of Ireland's economic success.

Martin Shanahan, CEO of IDA Ireland, said: This is a most welcome announcement for Portlaoise and the entire Midlands region and one which will considerably benefit the economy of the region.

Greenfield Global is a welcome addition to the EIT sector here and will be an important support to the strong and growing life sciences ecosystem in Ireland, providing locally sourced, critical raw materials. I wish Greenfield Global every success with their plans. It is great to see further investment coming into Portlaoise.
'The era of self-regulation for online companies is over," claimed Jeremy Wright, Britain's digital secretary.

He was speaking in the wake of the latest initiative to try to curb the worst excesses of what happens on social networks.

The UK's new plan - to hold companies such as Facebook and Google more strictly accountable for not blocking harmful content such as incitement to terrorism and child sexual exploitation - sounds like the start of better online policing.

It follows the lead of Australia, which last week passed some of the world's toughest laws around objectionable social media content, including new sanctions which would see tech executives jailed for not dealing with the problem.

But is the UK move enforceable or just more hot air from a political class which talks tough but doesn't take action when it comes to specific examples?

The British plan centres on appointing an independent regulator tasked with enforcing the tougher new standards - but there are a hundred questions around the process and powers this regulator might pursue. The legal, policy and regulatory teams employed by companies such as Facebook will take some matching.

It is inevitable there will be a negotiation process with Facebook as to what the new regulator can and can't do. Arguably, that has already begun: the UK government is holding a three-month 'industry consultation' over the powers and processes of the new position before it proceeds. That basically means meetings with Facebook, Google and a small handful of others.

According to the British proposals, sanctions include the companies being banned in the UK. While an ultimate sanction has to be a possibility of last recourse for any law-making body, it is difficult to see how banning Facebook or Google is a realistic proposal.

China does this and, to be sure, there are some entrenched industries which still long for a pre-Facebook, pre-Google era. But in the real world, this seems undeliverable.
Technology giant Amazon is investing in a wind farm in Co Donegal, as part of a wider push by its Amazon Web Services (AWS) arm to rely entirely on renewable energy.

Amazon.com announced the renewable energy project in Ireland as part of a larger announcement that also includes schemes in Sweden and the United States. It fits with a long-term goal to power all AWS global infrastructure with renewable energy.

The 91.2MW Donegal wind farm will be built without subsidies, the first of its kind in Ireland. The Donegal wind farm project will be developed by Cork-based Invis Energy, and is expected to be in production by the end of 2021.

Amazon will also purchase 91MW of power from a new wind farm in Backhammar, Sweden, which is expected to deliver renewable energy by the end of 2020. The wind farm project in Tehachapi, California, is expected to bring up to 47MW of new renewable energy capacity by the end of 2020.

These projects, combined with AWS's previous nine renewable energy projects, are expected to generate more than 2,700,000MWh of renewable energy annually.

"AWS's investment in renewable projects in Ireland illustrates their continued commitment to adding clean energy to the grid and it will make a positive contribution to Ireland's renewable energy goals," said Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. "As a significant employer in Ireland, it is very encouraging to see Amazon taking a lead on this issue."
A bank has been ordered to pay 4,000 in compensation to a Syrian refugee after it refused to open a bank account for him on the grounds of his nationality.

The adjudication by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) came after the man took a case with the support of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC).

The man came to Ireland under a programme to protect refugees displaced by the conflict in Syria.

He was seeking to set up the bank account in 2017 after he entered employment.

However, he was refused by a member of the banks staff on presentation of his refugee travel document and told: "We dont open bank accounts for Syrians at the moment."

The man complained to the bank and brought a case to the WRC under the Equal Status Acts 2000 to 2015.

At a WRC hearing, the bank said that it accepted, and had always accepted, refugee travel documents as proof of identity.

The bank said that, since becoming aware of the incident in question, it had updated its website to specifically refer to the fact that it accepts refugee travel documents as proof of identity.

But in its adjudication, the WRC found that on the day in question two front line staff members of the bank "appeared to be oblivious to any policy that may have been in place to cover such a situation".

The WRC adjudicator said: "This reflects on the [bank] and is I believe the complaint being presented and not the fact that a front-line member of staff made a mistake."

The adjudicator said it was difficult to disagree with the mans argument that where a service provider, such as the bank, was to have applied an explicit policy of direct discrimination based on nationality, there had to be an extensive duty on the bank to ensure that such a policy was carefully applied to avoid this kind of situation.

The WRC ordered the bank to pay compensation of 4,000 to the man.

The decision was welcomed by IHREC, which used its statutory powers to provide the man with legal assistance.

It said the case was not an isolated incident and that the bank had also been ordered to engage directly with IHREC to minimise the possibility of any type of re-occurrence.

Both the IHREC and the bank have been asked to report back to the WRC on the issue in six months time.

"Financial institutions need to ensure that customers are protected from any form of discrimination by putting in place appropriate training mechanisms and clear guidelines, and ensuring staff are aware of them," said IHREC chief commissioner Emily Logan.

"As a lawful resident of Ireland, this man had the right to open a bank account subject to the usual banking conditions, irrespective of his nationality.

"The commission welcomes this outcome from the WRC following our legal support for his case. We will be engaging with the bank over the next six months to ensure that appropriate actions are taken.

"The commission is aware that this is not an isolated incident and we are aware of other people who have experienced similar incidents, and we would ask all service providers to pay attention this outcome."

Neither the bank nor the complainant were identified in the WRC adjudication.
FORMER professional boxer Jim Rock has lost his claim for damages against ex-justice minister Alan Shatter following a collision between their cars on a road in south Dublin.

The 47-year-old sued the former Fine Gael politician at Dublin District Court for 1,800 after the accident involving his 50,000 Mercedes CLS and Shatters Saab at around midnight of December 2, 2015.

Expand Close 9/4/2019 Former Boxer, Jim Rock pictured leaving the Four Courts after a District Court action for damages.Pic: Collins Courts / Facebook

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Whatsapp 9/4/2019 Former Boxer, Jim Rock pictured leaving the Four Courts after a District Court action for damages.Pic: Collins Courts

Rock, who boxed professionally from 1995 to 2009, did not seek personal injuries and his claim was for cost of car repairs and to rent a replacement vehicle while the work was being carried out.

Dublin District Court heard the two cars suffered minor minor scrapes and damages to paint work in the crash as they were both going slowly around a bend on Sussex Road.

Rock and Shatter accused one another of crossing into each others lane causing the collision. Rock was driving on the middle lane and Shatters Saab was on the right side lane.

Rock told he court he had beeped his horn and applied the brakes.

He said the politician was obnoxious after their cars came to a halt while Shatter said the plaintiff was belligerent.

His parliamentary assistant who was travelling with the former TD called the gardai, the court was told.

Dismissing the hotly contested case, Judge Anthony Halpin said there was very little common ground in their testimony and it was difficult to adjudicate.

Judge Halpin said the accident was a result of momentary inattentiveness but the evidence was not clear that Shatter was responsible.

Both men believed their version of evidence, he said.

Rock testified Shatter crossed into his lane causing scuffing and scrapes to the Mercedes while Shatter stated he had taken regularly used this route and was taking a corner slowly.

Rock told the court he told an insurance firm representative that had got the car fixed in January 2016 and his wife had paid.

He said in his claim that Shatter swerved suddenly and without warning and in evidence Rock told the court he beeped and applied the brakes.

He agreed in cross-examination with defence solicitor Jerry OReilly he had an invoice for work from a Dublin auto-repair firm but the car was fixed in February 2016 when his wife went on a trip to Belfast.

No receipt was available but his wife, who normally used the car, told the court she paid.

Rock had sent numerous emails to Shatters insurance firm. In one email, Rock wrote that Shatter was a former minister for justice and probably knows every trick in the book to get away with this but I think his luck has run out, like when he had to resign.

He also called Shatter a very unpleasant man in the same message.

Shatters parliamentary assistant Jane Lehane, who was in the front passenger seat, stated in court that she warned the former government minister that Rocks car was going to hit them but the impact occurred before she could complete the sentence. She also said Rock was aggressive.

Mr Shatter stopped after about 20 feet away and the judge remarked that was eminently sensible to prevent a further collision.

Denying he had caused the accident, Shatter told the court Rock had been belligerent and he said he did not hear any car beeping before the collision. He said the amount of damages claimed was so ridiculously small compared to the time spent on the case, but I think the truth is important.

He said he did not cross into Rocks path.

Judge Halpin said from looking at photo evidence he accepted the collision resulted in superficial damage.

Witness John English said he had been travelling in a taxi when he saw Shatters Saab move left and hit Rocks car. In a statement he gave earlier he said the taxi was behind the Saab but in court he said it was behind Rocks car.

He recognised Rock getting out of his car as he passed by but did not see who was in the Saab.

Mr English said the taxi driver told him it was the politician. He came forward months later and gave a statement to an insurance assessor.

Judge Halpin said he was not satisfied with this witness on a number of points.

He said both Rock and Shatter and their engineers agreed speed was not a factor.

He noted Shatter told the court he had not heard a horn beeping.

The court had to assess who drove negligently on the night in question and whose conduct was blameworthy.

He noted Rock had modified his evidence and this affected the weight of his evidence.

He dismissed the case but put a stay on making an order for costs in the event of an appeal.
Patrick Quirke asked gardai why he would murder Bobby Ryan and then show people where his body was and "try to manipulate that".

He described as a "load of crap" the theory that he alerted gardai as to the whereabouts of the body because he wanted to be "in control" and didn't want it to be found by someone else, asking them why he would bring this "nightmare" on himself.

When gardai asked Mr Quirke about searches for human decomposition that were carried out on his computer, he told them: "My son had recently died. That's all I'm saying."

However, they put it to him that since his young son had died in August 2012 and that he looked up 'body decomposition' on July 25, 2012, that it "completely blows out of the water" what he had told them.

Mr Quirke (52), of Breanshamore, Co Tipperary, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Bobby Ryan (52), a part-time DJ known as Mr Moonlight between June 3, 2011 and April 2013.

Detective Inspector Seamus Maher told prosecution counsel Michael Bowman SC that gardai arrested Mr Quirke on suspicion of Mr Ryan's murder on June 19, 2014, and interviewed him the following day at Tipperary garda station.

Gardai put it to him that Mr Quirke had carried out internet searches on human decomposition in a bid to establish the condition of the remains of Mr Ryan.

However, he rejected this, saying that if he knew where Mr Ryan was, all he would have had to do was open the lid of the tank and look in, given that he had access to the tank at all times.

Gardai urged Mr Quirke "for the sake of the two boys and [his wife] Imelda" - who also had access to the family computer - to be fair to them and asked him whether there was anything he wanted to tell the gardai.

"My son had recently died. That's all I'm saying," he told them.

Gardai subsequently told him these items had been viewed over "a long time" and put it to him he was not looking at it for the reasons he had said but because of "the body of Bobby Ryan and what condition he would be in".

"If I knew where Bobby Ryan was and I wanted to view the decomposition, surely all I'd have to do is open the lid of the tank and put it back on again?" he told them.

He added that what they were suggesting didn't "make any sense".

Gardai said he could have adopted the view that his hand was being forced regarding the farm because he was no longer going to be leasing it.

Mr Quirke told them the website said the remains would be skeletalised after two years but the body he saw in the tank "was not a skeleton". So for them to suggest he had "done his homework" did not make any sense.

He put it to them he could have put "a load of earth" in and covered in the tank and gardai replied: "There was a million and one things you could've done, Pat."

They suggested to him that it went back to his need for control and he decided he would discover the body.

"I decided to give the body back - what a load of crap," Mr Quirke told them. "Why would I invite that nightmare into my life?"

Mr Quirke later again asked why he would bring it all on himself and gardai suggested it was down to "decency".

"You're an inherently decent man who may have made a mistake," they put it to him.

Mr Quirke replied: "There's a connection between losing my son and I wanting to do the decent thing - is that what you're saying?"

The gardai added: "And closure."

Again put to him he was a decent man, Mr Quirke said he could not accept that as a reason. "Why would I murder a man then ponder over it later and say I'll show people where it is and try and manipulate that?" he said.

He told them he could not understand why he would bring that on himself in April - "one of the busiest times in the farming calendar" - asking: "Why didn't I do it in January?"
Issue: former State pathologist Dr Khalid Jaber was not available for the case

The prosecution has rested its case in the Patrick Quirke murder trial.

Justice Eileen Creedon told the jury of six men and six women they would not be required again until Thursday.

It emerged gardai sent the sub-aqua unit to Ardmore in Co Waterford on the advice of a water diviner, who told them they would find Bobby Ryan's body there.

Exhibits officer in the case Garda Kieran Keane told Lorcan Staines SC, for the defence, that sometime between 2011 and 2013, gardai sent the sub-aqua unit to Ardmore, Co Waterford, after a water diviner said the body would be found there.

Asked what a water diviner was, Gda Keane said it was his understanding the diviner used "psychic powers" using two rods over a map to find things - in this case, a missing person.

He told the trial he did not believe the Garda had engaged the water diviner personally, saying: "I don't believe we chased anyone down."

However, he agreed they had come into possession of the information.

Concluding the prosecution case, some admissions were put before the jury by the prosecution.

The court was told that an issue has arisen with former deputy State Pathologist Dr Khalid Jaber in a number of cases, including this case, and that he has not made himself available.

The jury also heard the garda member who had accidentally caused Mr Ryan's arm to separate on the recovery of the body from the run-off tank at Fawnagowan, Co Tipperary, was Sinead Pigeon, who "became and remains upset" by the incident.
Galway city is on the verge of running out of burial space, despite a lengthy search for new lands.

The city council is bringing forward plans to extend Rahoon Cemetery on the west side of the city - a move which will provide 641 additional spaces. But a meeting of the local authority yesterday was told "it wouldn't take a genius" to work out that the extra capacity would not last long, based on annual burial rates.

The city council is currently looking to secure lands for two new cemeteries - one on the east side and another on the west side - but has so far failed to make any meaningful headway, as several identified sites have proved unsuitable following testing.

Independent councillor Declan McDonnell claimed the situation had become so bad that some residents living on the east side were now being told to travel to the village of Oranmore 11km away to bury their loved ones.

"It's a joke, we're over 10 years looking for a site on the east side and people are now being told to go to Renville in Oranmore. The extension will cover a few years, but we should be planning new graveyards, not extensions," he said. "We've been talking [the past 10 years], but the executive are at fault."

Other councillors agreed that the situation was so desperate that it may be time for Galway City Council to use Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs) to acquire the land needed.

However, director of services Tom Connell strongly denied that the local authority was "laid back" about the situation.

"We are actively pursuing other sites and I reject the claim we're laid back about it," he said.

"We've been pursuing land for years and we're encountering issues, but it is urgent work.

"You will see the same issues crop up across the county when searching for cemetery grounds.

"We don't have a difficulty with using CPO if it comes to that."

Last November, Galway City Council CEO Brendan McGrath indicated that a new cemetery for the city - which he then deemed as urgent - could cost up to 2m.

A full progress report on efforts to secure badly needed new cemetery lands for Galway city will be presented to councillors in June.
The Government has been accused of failure in relation to making it illegal for people to travel to join Isil and other terror groups.

As Irish officials work on the repatriation of Dundalk woman Lisa Smith and her child from the Al-Hawl camp in Syria, there is renewed scrutiny on Ireland's failure to follow up on an EU directive to outlaw travel abroad for terrorist purposes.

It is understood that the Government is not aware of a second Irish child in the camp as has been reported locally. Enquires are being made but at this stage there is no firm evidence of other Irish passports holders in the camp where Smith is based.

In 2017, an EU directive recommended that all member states legislate to outlaw citizens from travelling to join terrorist groups. Some 22 countries moved to make laws on the back of the directive but Ireland did not.

That legislation would enable people who travelled to join the terror group be prosecuted on their return - or in advance of leaving - here in Ireland under domestic law.

But the Government did not progress any laws in this area and last night the Justice Minister declined to offer an explanation as to why or to answer questions on whether legislation was planned.

Fianna Fail's justice spokesman Jim O'Callaghan said that decision has had "serious consequences".

"The Government needs to explain why it has failed to introduce this law and it needs to recognise that this failure means that Irish people who went to Syria to fight with Isis may not be at risk of any criminal prosecution," he said. The Department of Justice said it could not comment on individual cases but said that the level of threat faced by the State is kept under constant review.
Leo Varadkar said Simon Harris received expert advice against offering new free cervical smear tests free of charge for women worried by the controversy after he had made the announcement Picture: Damien Eagers

Health Minister Simon Harris received expert advice - against offering new free cervical smear tests free of charge for women worried by the controversy  only after he had made the announcement, the Taoiseach has told the Dail.

Under pressure from Fianna Fail leader, Micheal Martin, Mr Varadkar insisted that the priority must now be to deal with the tests backlog. The Taoiseach said some women were getting cervical smear test results within four weeks, and the average was now 15 weeks.

But some women are waiting up to 33 weeks  and that is not acceptable, Mr Varadkar said.

The Taoiseach said efforts to find more laboratories to help clear the smear test backlog were hampered by the litigious environment in Ireland.

He said efforts to find new laboratories were continuing with the HSE and talks included guarantees on potential legal actions.

Mr Varadkar said the Health Minister Simon Harris will appear before the Oireachtas health committee on Wednesday and deal with any outstanding questions on the timeline of events surrounding the re-check decision. He said the advice of the cervical check director was received after the Ministers announcement  though it did arrive on the same day.

Mr Varadkar said the advice of the chief medical officer, Dr Tonly Holohan, was that free re-tests should be subject to consultation by women with the GPs. A total of 112,000 women consulted with their GPs but some 57,000 women took a second test.

Officials have recently put the current backlog of women awaiting test results at 80,000.

The Fianna Fail leader argued that the decision to offer repeat smear tests was endorsed by Cabinet a few days Mr Harriss announcement. Mr Martin wanted to know if any negative advice came to light, or was taken on board, during the intervening days.
A GP representative body said at no point did it "formally call for or lobby" the Government to provide free repeat smear tests for women last year after the CervicalCheck scandal erupted.

The National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP) said it was "not privy" to the advice received by Health Minister Simon Harris from his advisers and it did not take part in any decision making process with regard to offering the repeat smears.

The statement follows calls on Mr Harris by Fianna Fail spokesman on health TD Stephen Donnelly to be more precise about the advice he received before making the offer in late April last year.

Mr Harris insisted again yesterday the decision was consistent with the advice of his Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan and the offer involved a consultation with a GP and not just a test.

He added: "It is a little bit disappointing that some are choosing to play party politics with such an important issue in relation to women's health. I think it is actually more than disappointing. It is a little bit crass."

He has previously referred to GPs highlighting how they were inundated with worried women seeking repeat tests and that he was contacted on Twitter by the President of the NAGP Dr Maitiu O'Tuathail who is currently on holiday.

Dr O'Tuathail tweeted the minister in April 28 last year stating: "Simon can I talk to you regards the CervicalCheck crisis. We are being overwhelmed with worried patients and we have had an emergency meeting today and feel that worried patients should be allowed to have a repeat smear, whether they are due one or not. Would you support this?"

Yesterday Chris Goodey, chief executive of the NAGP, said: "It is ludicrous to think that a minister, who has direct access to the chief medical officer, the CEO of CervicalCheck, the then director general of the HSE along with a countless entourage of advisors, would make such a decision for the women of Ireland based on an informal conversation with a GP.

"What we have now been told is that the waiting time for smear test results has increased from six weeks to 33 weeks as a direct result of the inability of laboratories to cope with demand. The capacity of laboratories to provide these additional smears should have been addressed prior to offering repeat smears."

Mr Harris expressed optimism yesterday the backlog will be cleared over the summer now that the HSE has eventually found additional laboratory capacity which it hopes to copperfasten shortly.
Simon Harris: The Health Minister wants patients to see the benefits. Photo: PA

A REVIEW of the cost overruns at the National Childrens Hospital has found quantity surveyors and the contractors were using different techniques to determine quantities.

Independent.ie understands the report says there was a "rapid escalation of costs in a late stage of the progress".

The report says the original cost estimate for the hospital was never adequate for a project of this type.

The cost of construction for the hospital at the St Jamess site in Dublin has increased by 450m to 1.4bn.

The report, compiled by PWC, includes 11 recommendations which Health Minister Simon Harris and Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe must now implement.

Cabinet today set them a deadline of one month to come back with a plan for how to respond to the review.

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One recommendation states that there needs to be a "challenging function" within Government. This means that there should be people within government who push back against assumptions when big projects are being agreed.

Sources say the report is very critical of the quantity surveyors who worked on the NCH.

At the same time it says "complex and unique programmes of work like NCH can never be de-risked".

The auditors concluded that there was no option but for the Government to proceed with the project despite the cost overruns.

They said a significant delay would have increased the likelihood that the hospital would not be built at all.

The report also says that "had the true cost of of the NCH project been known at an earlier stage in the process, the information could have led to a material impact on decisions relating to planning, budgeting and design".

The report also said that once it had emerged that costs had escalated "taking any alternative course of action, other than continuing, would have in all likelihood resulted in significant delay, increased costs and the possibility that the hospital would not be built."

The government published the PWC report this afternoon.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: The PWC report makes grim reading.

"The report finds the escalating costs of the new National Childrens Hospital related largely to an underestimation of the cost of building it in the first place, as well as the cost of delays, higher building standards and the knock-on effect of VAT.

He added: "It does not recommend re-tendering as a feasible option and suggests there is little scope for savings."

The public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe and Health Minister Simon Harris have been given a month to come back to government with an implementation plan for the recommendations contained in the report.

Mr Varadkar also said: Our priority now must be to finish the job on time to meet the 2023 opening date, contain further cost increases and learn from the mistakes made in advance of other major projects like Metro and the National Broadband Plan.

The PWC report contains 11 recommendations.

The recommendations relating to the NCH project are:

1. An overhaul of the NCH project's "control environment" to bring it up to the level of maturity and sophistication required for a project of the scale, complexity and importance;

2. Comprehensive plans should be developed to mitigate the residual risks identified;

3. A Project Assurance Strategy should be developed and implemented for the remainder of the NPH (National Paediatric Hospital) Project;

4. The commercial capability and capacity of the NPH Executive should be strengthened so that it is more self-sufficient and less reliant on external advisors;

5. The Executive of the NPH should be strengthened in the short term to support the planning and execution of the next phase;

6. Consideration should be given to opportunities for the closer working of the NHPDB (National Paediatric Hospital Development Board) and the CHI (Children's Health Ireland) Board including the potential for some shared appointments to promote integration and to address skills gaps;

7. The NHPDB should request confirmation of a number of key decisions in relation to the procurement/approach for medical, ICT and electronic health records to enable effective planning for the next phase of the programme;

8. The scope and responsibilities of the advisory firms that constitute the Design Team should be reviewed to reflect their future roles;

9. view of the potential consequential programme risks, a scrutiny process that includes all levels of the governance structure should be put in place.

The recommendations relating to other capital infrastructure projects are:

10. The rules that govern public sector spending on major capital projects should be strengthened. The standards to which business cases must adhere should be more clearly defined and robustly enforced; and

11. A central assurance and challenge function should provide consistent challenge to and review of major projects through their lifecycles.

The PWC report makes a number of key findings.

It says that "significant failures occurred during the crucial planning and budgeting stages of the project."

The basis of the original budget is said to have been "flawed" and "risks were understated in the business case".

The report says there was a lack of sufficiently comprehensive or robust planning for the process to secure a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) for construction of the hospital.

It says: "This created a situation in which the approved project could never be delivered within the financial parameters agreed."

In terms of the execution of the project it says that "once underway, the process by which the GMP was determined was poorly coordinated and controlled."

One issue identified is that the quantity surveyors used a number of different techniques to determine quantities, which were in some cases different to those used by the contractors.

This is said to have complicated the process of determining the GMP.

In relation to governance the report says that "the level of trust that the NPHDB placed on the NPH Executive and Design Team gave rise to insufficient scepticism and challenge."

It adds that: "The structures above the NPHDB became reactive, limited by their terms of reference."

A spokesperson for the board overseeing the Children's Hospital project said: "The NPHDB wont be commenting on the PwC Report until it has had a chance to review it."
Unscrupulous companies that force people to falsely register as self-employed are being warned inspections are set to ramp up as part of a Government crackdown.

Writing in today's Irish Independent Employment Affairs and Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty confirms that as unemployment falls, inspections will ramp up.

The issue of bogus self-employment is difficult to quantify, according to Ms Doherty.

One trade union has estimated the issue is costing the State 300m a year in lost taxes. However, experts argue the situation may be worsening in the jobs market.

Bogus self-employment refers to companies forcing people to register as self-employed when they are effectively employed.

It also refers to people who register as self-employed to avoid paying the required taxes or covering benefits for employees.

Cabinet has signed off on a range of measures to clamp-down on the practice. These include a review of the code of practice used to determine if someone is self-employed. Officials are examining whether this can be updated and put on a legal footing.

The Work Relations Commission is also set to be granted wider powers in order to tackle the problem of people being unfairly treated if they ask for their status to be reviewed.

Ms Doherty writes of a need to "recalibrate our current inspection regime": "Now unemployment has fallen significantly, we have an opportunity to focus inspection resources on employment issues. In this regard, my department has engaged in a programme of training for its inspectors with a view to more intensive employer inspections from here on."

A dedicated team is also set to be in place by the end of the month to specifically target larger companies.
Unearthed: Matthew Seaver, of the Irish antiquities division at the National Museum of Ireland, with the axe. PHOTO: Julien behal

A miniature axe from the Bronze Age has been recovered by gardai and handed to the National Museum of Ireland after a member of the public saw it on social media.

Representatives from the museum said it was understood that the artefact had been unearthed as a result of illegal metal detecting and it was not reported to the National Museum, as is required by law. It was spotted on social media and reported to gardai. A file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The Bronze Age axe dates to approximately 1000-800 BC. Previous finds of similar axe heads suggest they may have been used for woodworking.

The National Museum has called on members of the public to report any potential discoveries of archaeological objects, as they may deteriorate if not treated with care.

"The moment artefacts of archaeological significance are taken from the ground, they are under threat of deterioration and it's also critical for our staff to study the 'find spot', because it can provide important evidence, both about the item and the area in which it was discovered," said National Museum of Ireland director Lynn Scarff.

"It's a matter of grave concern for us that the illegal use of metal detectors to search for archaeological objects continues, and we want to appeal to members of the public to consider the greater public interest and the importance of these items to our national heritage, and to report any finds of note to us.

"Thankfully, this impressive axe-head was spotted on social media and a vigilant member of the public reported it.

"We would like to pay tribute to An Garda Siochana, and in particular Garda Patrick Buckley at Adare garda station and Superintendent John Deasy and members at Newcastle West garda station for their work to secure its recovery. It's a great example of active and responsible citizenship, working with the authorities to protect our shared heritage."

Maeve Sikora, keeper of Irish antiquities at the National Museum, said: "Each discovery has the potential to reveal information about undiscovered settlements or ritual activity, so it's very important finds are reported to us, and as soon as possible after their discovery. Analysis of similar axe heads suggests they may have been used for woodworking."

Detective Superintendent Ken Keelan, of the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, said using a metal detector without a licence to search for archaeological objects was an offence under the National Monuments Act.
A minister whose home was targeted by demonstrators at the weekend is to seek new laws that will limit protests.

Defence Minister Paul Kehoe was escorted from his Wexford home by gardai, along with his wife and children, after the 'Fingal Direct Action Battalion' and 'Anti Eviction Flying Column' gathered outside.

There have previously been demonstrations outside the residences of ministers Simon Harris, Richard Bruton and Paschal Donohoe.

Mr Kehoe told 'Morning Mix' on South East Radio that he is to meet with Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan to discuss the new trend.

"Children should not have to witness this, they are not in politics, they are not the elected representative of the people, I'm the elected person. The elected person has a constituency office in Enniscorthy for over 17 years now and that is where people can protest," the minister said.

He added: "I believe this is something that should be legislated against and it's becoming too prevalent that there are people protesting outside people's homes."

He said it was "an invasion of privacy" and "frightening on young people".

"I will be speaking with Minister Charlie Flanagan on this. I actually didn't think much of this but when it happens outside your own home it is totally, totally different," he said.

"It brings you to a different perspective, you understand what people go through, you understand what families go through.

"More importantly, you understand what children go through."

Minister Kehoe told presenter Alan Corcoran that he is disgusted that his family had to witness the protests.

Asked by Mr Corcoran if the protest would make him consider leaving politics, Mr Kehoe replied: "Won't say walk away, but it does question your involvement in politics and public life absolutely."
A significant proportion of employers have revealed an increase in their gender pay gap (Philip Toscano/PA)

EMPLOYERS must explain how they will eliminate gaps between male and female workers pay under a proposed new law.

It is one of the measures in a new bill published by the government today that will force bosses to publish details of their gender pay gaps every year.

A spokesperson for the largest public sector union Forsa said it wants to see a quick expansion of the number of companies that will be covered by the law.

It will initially apply to companies with over 250 staff - but this omits about two thirds of the workforce.

The union said it is imperative that the threshold falls to employers with 50 or more employees after three years as set out in the bill.

Siptu spokesperson Marie Sherlock said it is supportive of the bill but had been concerned by delays in rolling out the legislation.

Fianna Fail spokesperson on Equality, Immigration and Integration, Fiona OLoughlin said legislation alone is not enough to bridge the divide between men and womens wages.

She said measures to increase the number of women in senior and better-paid roles, improved childcare provision and dealing with gender stereotypes need to be undertaken in tandem with the legislation.

"Just this week we saw that similar legislation in the UK has failed to make any great impact, she said.

A UK report showed very little change over the course of a year with the pay gap being 14.23pc on April 5, 2018 compared with 14.21pc on April 5, 2017.

Forsa official Geraldine OBrien noted that the published data must include an employees pay band and job classification.

This implies that gender pay data will be available on a grade-by-grade basis, he said.

Im also pleased to see that regulations could give employers a duty to publish the measures they are taking to close the pay gap. This would give Forsa and other unions a great opportunity to negotiate actions to address pay inequality.

Employers will have to report on differences in bonus pay, part-time pay and the pay of men and women on temporary contracts.

The Minister for Justice and Equality may appoint special officers to investigate how employers prepare the information for publication to ensure it is accurate.

These officers will have powers to enter premises and ask staff for information.

In addition, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission can apply to the Circuit Court for an order requiring an employer to comply with the regulations.

A worker can also make a complaint if they believe their employer is not compliant with the regulations to the Workplace Relations Commission, which can order them to comply.

Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan said firms that report a low or non-existent pay gap will be at an advantage in recruiting future employees.
David Cooley (67) from Youghal, Co Cork had flown into Malta with his wife

AN Irishman is fighting for his life in a Maltese hospital after suffering horrific injuries in a road traffic accident just 24 hours after he arrived on holiday.

David Cooley (67) from Youghal, Co Cork had flown into Malta with his wife, Margaret, for a dream holiday on his favourite island when he was struck by a car as he walked on a pavement outside a restaurant in Sliema.

The accident happened at 1am on Saturday, just 24 hours after the couple had arrived for a two week break.

David, who only retired two years after 40 years service with Cork County Council, is now fighting for his life in a Maltese hospital.

He has been in an induced coma since Saturday after suffering skull, chest, hip, leg and arm injuries.

It is understood he sustained a fractured skull when he was knocked down by a Smart car which apparently mounted the pavement after the driver lost control while turning a corner.

The driver of the car, a 30 year old local man, was taken to a police station.

Maltese news website, TVM, said that man later failed a breathalyser test.

A spokesperson for the Cooley family appealed for privacy.

"This is a truly horrible time for the family," they said.

"We would appeal for privacy and for the family to be given the time and space they need."

"We are all hoping and praying now that David will pull through."

"It is a terrible tragedy because David absolutely adored Malta and loved spending time on the island."

The Maltese news website said Inspector Jonathan Ransley is now investigating the accident.

No charges have been levelled as yet.

Mr Cooley developed a special relationship with Malta after he was one of the main organisers in an effort to restore a famous bronze naval crest to Malta.

The crest had been in Ireland for over 60 years without anyone realising its significance.

It was finally passed to a man from Youghal, Co Cork, whose father had, by coincidence, served in the British Navy at the actual stone frigate base in Malta.

The Naval Service patrol vessel, LE James Joyce, returned the crest two years ago when it undertook a humanitarian migrant rescue mission in the Mediterranean operating from Malta.

The crest represents the Maltese heritage site, Fort St Angelo.

It was one of only two such forts categorised as stone frigates by the British.

Two original crests were created for the fort, with the other now in private ownership.

Fort St Angelo, about 1,000 years old, served as a British garrison from 1800 to 1979, during which time it was first classified as HMS Egmont (1912) and later HMS St Angelo (1933).

Mr Cooley was instrumental in returning the crest and loved visiting Malta as a result.
FIANNA Fail is to demand a review of how so-called Cuckoo Funds who buy up housing units for rent are taxed.

The party believes the Government has been blind to the growing trend of big corporations distorting the market.

Housing spokesman Darragh OBrien said many companies pay effectively no tax while securing homes that should be available for first-time buyers.

Last year, corporations spent more than 1.1bn buying a record 2,923 housing units in Ireland, blasting through previous records and cementing a radical shift in housing patterns.

Even with added supply, rents are now forecast to increase by a further 17pc over the next three years in Dublin, according to new research from Savills. The lucrative rents are a key reason big investors will continue piling into the market.

These have been described as "cuckoo funds" because they snap up accommodation before individuals get a chance to purchase. It is a trend that is locking many working families out of buying their own homes.

Mr OBrien wants Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe to carry out a full review and potentially even restrict planning laws to protect supply for families wanting to get on the property ladder.

Why is it so advantageous for these funds to come in? he asked.

He claimed some charge extortionate rents and the issue cannot wait until Fianna Fail enter budget negotiations with the Government later this year.

This review should be time bound, he said.
The population of Dublin City could rise by more than 64,000, based on calculations from the 2016 level, by 2022, heaping further pressure on the housing market.

A hard Brexit combined with an economic shock could hugely add to the population pressures in Dublin, according to a new study.

Existing migration patterns are bringing 34,000 people a year to the State, many of them to Dublin, whose housing and transport infrastructure struggles to cope with the number of people already living there.

The study by Future Analytics Consulting, for Dublin City's Housing Observatory, said the population of the capital  555,000 in 2016 - could rise by 7.5pc to as much as 11.5pc, depending on the severity of Brexit.

The number of people added by 2022 versus the 2016 census would be more than 150,000, if the same trend extended to the full Dublin area, including Fingal, South Dublin and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown.

The migration data will be plugged into the housing and demand assessment for the city, said Professor William Hynes, director of Future Analytics Consulting.

"The findings to date have really brought to light the importance of understanding migration as a key component of population change, particularly given Ireland, by its nature, is a small, open but globally connected economy," he said.

In the years between 2011 and 2016, Dublin City added 27,000 residents, so the numbers being discussed in today's report would, if they panned out, represent a huge expansion for a city that does not build enough houses for the current population.

The shortage of affordable housing has become a major political issue as a nation that once aspired to move into property ownership now finds that is out of its reach.

A lack of housing provided by the local authority and an overall shortage means the numbers in the private rental sector have surged and the industry has attracted investment from global funds.

There were just 1,343 properties for rent on the Daft.ie website yesterday.

The growth of the institutional private rented sector has been so strong that it bought 11.1pc of all residential units sold in the city last year, according to a report by property firm Savills, which estimates that demand will outstrip supply until 2023.

Funds worth 926.7m were invested in the private rented sector last year, Savills said.

Almost 27pc of households in the Dublin area are now in private sector rentals. It is the dominant form of housing for younger people, accounting for 60pc of the under-35 age group.

"Dublin's housing system is currently imbalanced in important ways, which initially imposes financial challenges but will also result in the creation of further inequality and will erode social mobility," said Professor Kenneth Gibb, chair of the Independent Advisory Board to the Dublin Housing Observatory.

While much of the focus on population growth in the Dublin area has been on housing, the CSO warned in its latest projections that planning needed to account for the location of enterprise and employment opportunities.

The CSO projects the population of the greater Dublin area will hit 2.2 million by 2031.
Steve Collins pictured at his home in Limerick in 2009 with a picture of son Roy

The father of murdered Roy Collins said it was "tough" to leave their beloved Limerick - and the family are optimistic about their move home to the city.

Speaking on the 10-year anniversary of his son, Steve said the family will always be "haunted" by his murder.

Mr Collins and his family were placed in a witness protection programme abroad after he testified against members of the Dundon McCarthy criminal gang who murdered Roy in 2009.

Roy Collins was found crouching down in the casino he owned next to his father's pub, The Steering Wheel, at the Roxboro Shopping Centre in Limerick shortly after 12pm on April 9, 2009.

Steve then bravely led the fight against gangland criminals in Limerick following his son's killing.

"It's been tough every year, it never leaves you, we'll always be haunted by it," Steve told RTE Radio One's Morning Ireland.

"It's something you never expect to happen, and the horrific way it happened, it's a loss you will never get over.

"Nobody ever gets over losing a child, no matter what age they are. We are happy to be moving home now."

Steve Collins said the people of Limerick always supported his family in their campaign for justice.

"Limerick is different place now, we've noticed it. Things have changed. There is investment in the city.

"Back in the day in 2009 when all this was going on, or before it, anyone trying to come in and invest just googled it and saw the mayhem going on in such a small city."

Mr Collins is optimistic about the family's new business venture in their native Limerick city, but acknowledged the stress of the last decade has put a burden on their health.

"It was a big cost to us," he said.

"We had to rebuild our lives. It was tough to stay away. We always wanted to come back.

"We always wanted to be in Limerick. We sacrificed a lot for this city and people should never forget that."

He continued; "Limerick is a safe place now. It took what we did. It took people to stand up and say 'we're sick of this'.

"It took all of that. I'm just so happy it did happen. All these laws that have changed, thje surveillance law and the non-jury courts, it didn't just help Limerick, it helped the whole country."

Now Mr Collins and his son Steve Jr are rebuilding their families' lives with their new business, The Number 3 pub.

"We are trying to rebuild our lives. We were comfortable and then we were destroyed and devastated. Now this is a rebuilding thing."
Five times in the past two years, Michel Barnier has boarded a plane to Dublin. His latest visit on a damp Monday was probably the least noticeable, but arguably the most significant.

Irish people like to see the Frenchman coming. He is the opposite of the bogeymen that Europe sent over during the economic crash.

Rather than telling us hard truths, he soothes the nation by telling us everything is going to be OK.

"One thing is certain, whatever happens, the EU will stand fully behind Ireland - you have our full support," Mr Barnier said yesterday.

His comments echoed expressions of solidarity made last week by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron.

We are in the best of places and the worst of places. Ireland is the "best in class" when it comes to Brexit - but the last-minute panic might still cause us to fail the final exam.

With the countdown in overtime, Mr Barnier had two items on his Dublin agenda. Top of the list was how to stop Armageddon. Second was "what if?".

The first bit is actually the easier of the two. Bizarre as it might seem, we are still at the point where it would be easier to stop or delay Brexit than deal with the fall-out of disorderly Brexit.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will be using the next 24 hours to try to convince other EU leaders to give British Prime Minister Theresa May more time.

Often portrayed by the British media as "the enemy" in the current debate, the Taoiseach is actually the UK's best ally. He is better positioned than Mrs May to secure an extension.

Irish Government sources confidently insist a Brexit extension will be granted. However, even if Brexit is postponed, that still doesn't mean the nightmare is over.

The odds of Mrs May and British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn reaching a cross-party deal seem low. And "what if" those talks break down?

Mr Barnier told reporters afterwards that Dublin and Brussels were intensifying discussions on how they could protect peace on the island while simultaneously maintaining the integrity of the EU's single market.

The claim that talks are "intensifying" is now an overused effort at filling airtime, without actually providing any information. If they get any more intense, there will be a risk of self-combustion.

"It is not an easy task, but I am confident, I am confident that we will find operational solutions," Mr Barnier said, without giving any indications of what those solutions might be.

He did hint at the direction of travel in a no-deal scenario. The EU will push the pressure straight back on to London.

Soothing words indeed. But it is still hard to move past "what if?".
The incident in which a bomb-proof PSNI vehicle carrying the Garda Commissioner was skewered by a security bollard at Garda HQ raises some embarrassing questions for the country's top policeman.

They are questions he really needs to clarify before this becomes a much bigger issue.

What we know so far is that the specially adapted Range Rover, belonging to the PSNI's close protection team, was delivering Drew Harris to the Phoenix Park following a visit to the North on Monday 25 March.

The Northern vehicle was driving in convoy behind an ERU vehicle that met the escort at the Border.

After the ERU vehicle drove in, the quick-thinking garda on sentinel duty was alarmed.

After all, she had spotted an unknown Northern-registered car driving towards the gates and immediately moved to activate the security bollard which is designed to prevent a suspect vehicle entering the complex.

It is understood the specially adapted Rover, which costs around 200,000 (230,000), was badly damaged when the bollard speared its engine, rendering it immobile - and in need of very costly repairs if it's not written off.

Unlike any other Garda Commissioner in the history of the State, Mr Harris, a former member of the RUC and the PSNI and the first outsider to lead the force, receives the highest level of personal security available in the State because he is classified as a major target for dissident Republican gangs.

That means that wherever he goes on the island, either North or south, he is under constant armed guard by elite officers on both sides of the Border.

In the Republic, the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) provides round-the-clock armed protection for their boss and normally, after paying visits to his Northern home, they collect Mr Harris from his PSNI minders at the Border and then proceed to Garda HQ.

The most obvious question that requires answering is why was Mr Harris, as the Commissioner of police in the Republic of Ireland, being escorted to his HQ by police officers from a different jurisdiction who are not authorised to carry firearms here?

And then there is the issue of why security at the gates of the Phoenix Park had apparently not been informed in advance that their commissioner was arriving in a PSNI vehicle?

The optics surrounding this incident are bad to say the least. It is something of a PR disaster: the circumstances of what happened will give Harris's critics a unique opportunity to point out that by allowing his former colleagues to drive him back to his new home suggests he may still think he is in the PSNI.

In particular he has given his most ardent detractors in Sinn Fein a whip to beat him with as they have already begun demanding that he clarifies the facts around what happened.

Sinn Fein Justice spokesperson Donnchadh O Laoghaire TD said the Garda Commissioner needs to clarify the circumstances surrounding the incident.

"My understanding is that, contrary to standard procedure, Commissioner Harris did not change between PSNI and Garda vehicles at the Border and continued to Dublin from the North in the PSNI vehicle.

"I would call on him to immediately make a statement and clarify this matter," Mr O Laoghaire said.

Of course, Sinn Fein loathe and fear Harris in equal amounts because of his past policing experience which involved him investigating many Republican terrorist crimes - and generally knowing them better than many of his southern predecessors.

Drew Harris is still very much settling into his role as commissioner and his relationship with many of his top management staff is described as purely professional.

But despite any initial embarrassment about the actual incident, Mr Harris should in fact be congratulating the garda on the gate for her quick, clear-headed reaction to an alarming situation.
A hunter who has killed more than 5,000 elephants and 50 hippos has said he is 10,000 times unrepentant.

Zimbabwean Ron Thomson has been identified as a prolific wildlife hunter in a new report revealing how elephant populations have plummeted by about two-thirds.

As well as thousands of elephants, the 80-year-old states on his website he has also shot dead more than 800 buffalo, up to 60 lions (including six man-eaters), up to 40 leopards, about 50 hippos and many more.

The father of two, who spent his life as a game ranger in African national parks, denied being motivated by bloodlust and insisted he killed to help populations survive.

If key species were not reduced, their growing numbers would destroy their own habitats, Mr Thomson said.

He also accused western conservationists of spreading fraudulent lies to extract money from the public while understanding nothing about managing wildlife.

Elephant numbers have sunk from about 1.3 million in the 1980s to about 400,000, according to an investigation by the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting (CBTH).

The Great Elephant Census, finalised in 2016, showed 352,271 African savanna elephants in 18 countries, down 30 per cent in seven years.<r

Mr Thomson denied being a trophy-hunter or culling animals, arguing his job was major population reduction.

He said he no longer regularly hunts but may do so if invited. Ive done enough in my lifetime to satisfy any bloodlust people may think I have. It wasnt bloodlust  it was my job," he said.

When he raised a rifle to an animal, he thought Ive got to kill it absolutely with one shot, he told The Independent.

I didnt have any sentiment. Im totally unrepentant, a hundred  ten thousand  times over for any of the hunting Ive done because thats not the problem. The problem is weve got a bunch of so-called experts from the West telling us what to do. Im a trained university ecologist  I must surely know something about this.

I wish I could take you by the shoulders and shake you hard and say dont assume everything youve heard is correct, he said. The African elephant is nowhere near extinct. People who say this are animal-right-ist NGOs who ask for money and tell lies to get it. When you have a healthy population you must ensure they dont increase beyond the capacity of their habitat.

The CBTH found 1.7 million trophies were legally traded between 2004 and 2014, including 200,000 from threatened species.

Lions fared worst, suffering the biggest increase in trophy hunting among key species since 2004.

Eduardo Goncalves, founder of the campaign, said: Trophy hunting is a cruel and abhorrent hangover from colonial times. The recent surge in elephant hunting shows the industry is out of control.

Operations sometimes overstock but that is rare in natural populations, he said.

The African elephant population as a whole is in very serious decline," he said. There are numerous instances of management culling being used as a cover for trophy-hunting. Hunting and culling can create more human-wildlife conflict issues than they solve. If you remove a mature elephant bull from a herd, young males often display behaviour similar to juvenile delinquency among humans. This causes more conflict and persecution.
Fighting for control of the Libyan capital escalated dramatically yesterday, when rebel forces carried out an airstrike on Tripoli's only operational airport.

The attack came amid reports that the internationally recognised government of National Accord led by Fayez al-Sarraj had begun conscripting migrants held in detention centres to fight against troops loyal to General Khalifa Haftar.

At least one jet was seen firing rockets at the Mitiga airport in northern Tripoli yesterday. The airport said it would be closed for the foreseeable future. No casualties were reported.

At least 2,800 people have been displaced since Gen Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) launched an assault on Tripoli last week.

The LNA said yesterday that 19 of its soldiers had been killed in recent days. The Tripoli-based health ministry, on the government side, said at least 25 people including fighters and civilians had been killed and 80 wounded in fighting to the south of the capital.

The World Health Organisation said two doctors had been killed while treating civilians and trying to evacuate patients from combat zones in the city.

Gen Haftar announced his assault on Thursday, citing the need to clear the city of "terrorists". Tracking progress on the ground is difficult partly because both sides are made up of loose alliances of militia groups rather than professional armies.

But despite clashes in the southern suburbs, the LNA advance appears to have made little progress. Residents said LNA troops retreated from the former international airport, 25km south of the city centre, yesterday.

Analysts say Gen Haftar's assault has compelled the disparate militia groups who control western Libya to band together, presenting a harder target than he may have anticipated. "He created that alliance by going in too early, too strong," said Jalel Harchaoui, a research fellow at the Clingendael Institute, a think tank.

"It prompted potential opponents who were considering siding with Haftar to do an about face and fight him."

Mr Harchaoui warned that the situation could "worsen dramatically".

"If the airstrikes continue escalating, you could see the two camps committed in a very blind manner to saving face, and that means a lot of destruction," he said.

Meanwhile reports emerged that the internationally recognised government is offering migrants held in detention centres their freedom in exchange for military service.

Thousands of asylum seekers, many of them sub-Saharan Africans, are stuck in detention centres along the coast around Tripoli, hoping to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
Victim: John Curran was found murdered in his flat in Cape Town. Photo: Irish Primary Principals' Network/PA Wire

THE accused murderer of John Curran has admitted stabbing the charity worker 26 times, but claimed he was acting in self-defence.

Congolese national Mitspa Onyoka, 25, was not granted bail at the hearing five months after Mr Curran, 60, was found brutally stabbed to death at his flat in South Africa.

Cape Town Magistrates heard how Mr Curran had been stabbed 26 times in the head, neck, chest and back and had suffered blunt trauma injuries to his body.

He had also been strangled so violently that the thyroid bones on both sides of his neck had been broken and had grazes and contusions "consistent with a struggle".

Mr Onyoka, who was a cleaner at popular nightspot The Fantasy Lounge in Cape Town, was arrested several weeks after Mr Curran's body was found on November 7 last year.

Mr Onyoka has since been held in notorious Pollsmoor Prison and has claimed his life was in danger behind bars.

Defence barrister Anthony Berinato, in applying for bail, gave an account of how Mr Curran and illegal immigrant Mr Onyoka came to know each other.

He put before Magistrate Mr Vusi Mhlanga a sworn affidavit in pursuit of his bail plea in which he said his client was befriended by Mr Curran in the nightspot.

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He claimed Mr Curran offered to get him a job as a car dealer, so he called to his Cape Town apartment alone, where he claims he was drugged and Mr Curran attempted to rape him.

His affidavit detailed how he saw a knife on the table and "began stabbing him".

"He became very angry and began to choke me. I stabbed him again with the knife and he stopped choking me, Mr Onyoka said.

Mr Onyoka, who is charged with murder, told the court he had no idea what he had done to Mr Curran or if he was dead or alive saying he fled out the door and down the lift.

The cleaner was arrested later that month at work after CCTV images taken in the lift at the secure apartment block where Mr Curran lived alone were released by police.

He continued in his affidavit: I was acting in self-defence... I will not flee bail as I want to prove in court I am not guilty.

Detective Bardien said Mr Onyokas bloodied fingerprints on a knife and footprints and CCTV footage placed him inside the flat and leaving the apartment and he admitted being there.

He said the State would contest Mr Onyokas version of events in "due course" but said that the bail hearing was "not the time or place" to do so but was to ensure bail was refused.

Wo Bardien said: "If he fled across the border he would be very difficult if not impossible to trace. It is essential for justice to be done that he remains in custody until his trial".

Warrant Officer Shaun Bardien, attached to Cape Town Central CID, who is the investigating officer opposed the granting of bail saying Mr Onyoka was a "flight risk" if released.

He told the court the accused man was an illegal immigrant with no family or property ties to South Africa and was facing extremely serious charges and must remain in prison.

Defending, Mr Berinato argued: "I submit my client has put forward a strong defence as there was clearly a struggle and fight and my client feared being a victim of rape.

"He fought back in self-defence and that is consistent with the post mortem report," he said.

Prosecutor Johan Swart replied: "Being stabbed 26 times does not suggest self defence".

Magistrate Mr Mhlanga agreed with the prosecution that the accused was a flight risk and denied bail and sent him back to Pollsmoor Prison until the next hearing on May 16.

He said that bail was not being granted to Mr Onyoka in the interests of justice.

Mr Onyoka told the court he had fled the Democratic Republic of Congo in fear of his life as he had demonstrated against the Government and if he returned he could be killed.

His lawyer confirmed Mr Onyoka was an illegal immigrant but checks in the DRC and South Africa showed he had no previous convictions or pending convictions against him.

He said his client could put up R5000 bail (347) and had an address to live in provided by his parents in Cape Town and would report to police three times a day if necessary.

Mr Onyoka said he would not jump bail as he wanted to start a fresh life in South Africa and promised not to interfere with the case if given bail and had surrendered his passport.

He said he had been an art student in the DRC until he contracted malaria at his home in the capital Kinshasa but had fled to South Africa after demonstrating against politicians.

Pleading for bail he said that his life in Pollsmoor Prison was a day to day battle of survival.

He said: "Drugs are rife and I am at the mercy of the gangs and if I remain in detention I may lose my life as I am not a violent person and I am not able to defend myself in there.

"We are neglected and left to fend for ourselves and my food is often stolen by the gangs," he said.

Mr Curran had just finished a two-year contract as Director of Education for Mellon Educate which is an Irish-based charity founded by philanthropist Niall Mellon.

The Cape Town charity has over 25,000 volunteers who since it was set up in 2002 have helped build houses for 125,000 people in South Africas very poorest townships.

It has also built countless schools to help educate over 100,000 children living in poverty.

Mr Curran was taking a two-month break after his two year contract in Cape Town with the charity ended before returning to Ireland before being violently stabbed to death.

He was murdered on November 6 and his body was found by his cleaner the following day.

Mellon Chief Executive Niall Mellon said after the murder: John was much lover by everyone who met him and especially the thousands of children that he helped.

He was a respected former school teacher and principal in Dublin before his retirement.

South African Police have charged Mr Onyoka with murder and aggravated robbery alleging the Samsung Galaxy 9 mobile phone was not a gift but was stolen from Mr Curran.

Mr Onyoka dressed in a grey hoodie, jeans and flip flops said nothing as was led to the cells.
Mozambique has confirmed more than 3,100 cases of cholera since the outbreak was declared in the wake of Cyclone Idai.

Six people have died in the past two weeks after the floods left tens of thousands of people stranded in camps with few toilets and little clean water.

Health workers are battling to carry out a mass vaccination in the storm-hit city of Beira following a delivery of nearly 900,000 doses last week.

It has been described as "the most ambitious campaign ever conducted using the one-dose oral cholera vaccine strategy" by the humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders.

The UN specialist co-ordinating the relief effort, Julien Graveleau, said he was "quite optimistic" of success.

"Of course, the numbers will be increasing but I believe we're ready for it," he added.

Mozambique's health ministry said more than 70pc of the vaccines had been administered by Sunday morning, partly thanks to megaphone-wielding promoters handing out doses.

At Beira's popular Shoprite grocery, people knocked back the doses like shots in a bar and walked on.

"We were prepared really for the worst," said Francisca Baptista da Silva, a project coordinator for Doctors Without Borders. "But for the moment we are controlling it."

Outside one cholera treatment centre in the Beira neighbourhood of Pioneros, a woman sold bottled water while passers-by stepped around fetid pools of water in the street.

Treatment for cholera can involve simple rehydration but the disease can kill within hours.
A dog who was badly hurt in a house blaze has been adopted by a firefighter and is starting a new life supporting young burn victims.

Lexi Ann suffered such severe burns in a house fire in Minnesota in January that her owners took her to a vet to be put down.

Recently we had another special kid join our rescue that is in need of some special attention and care. Meet Lexi Ann.... Posted by Ruff Start Rescue on Thursday, January 24, 2019

According to animal shelter Ruff Start Rescue, she only made it out of the fire  which killed a number of other pets including a litter of Lexis puppies  because the plastic kennel she was in literally melted around and onto her, allowing her to escape.

A vet tech reached out to Ruff Start for help, and the shelter found a foster home for the dog to live in as she healed.

Lexis foster parents kept up an Instagram page showing her progress, an account that caught the eye of Travis Oliver, a firefighter from Indiana.

Travis said he knew he wanted to adopt Lexi straight away.

He said: Im sitting at work and I almost cry seeing her story, because Ive pulled dogs out that didnt make it, and Im like, Youre my new best friend because I know what youre going through has to be hell.

It was an unusual situation for the shelter, which normally only sanctions adoptions within the state of Minnesota.

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But because of the apparent connection between firefighter and burn victim, they decided to make an exception.

The shelter said: Traditionally Ruff Start does not do out-of-state adoptions, but after long communication between the rescue, the fosters, and the adopters, it was clear this was a perfect match.

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Lexi has now moved to Indiana with Travis and his family  including another dog named Odin  and she will now be helping other victims of fires on their journeys back to health.

Ruff Start said: Her dad will even be bringing Lexi to a camp in Indiana that helps burn victims to help the kids with their own healing.
Julian Assange speaks from the balcony of the Ecuadorian embassy (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Ecuador has reminded WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange once again that he cannot stay indefinitely in the nations London embassy.

The countrys foreign minister Jose Valencia told Teleamazonas that a permanent stay would not be good for Mr Assanges state of mind, his health.

He said that if Mr Assange were to appear before the British justice system he would be guaranteed a fair trial and right to a defence.

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Londons Metropolitan Police force said last week that officers would be obliged to execute an active warrant for Mr Assanges arrest if he were to leave.

Mr Assange also fears the possibility of extradition to the US for publishing thousands of classified military and diplomatic cables through WikiLeaks.

Mr Assange has lived in Ecuadors embassy for over six years and relations with his host country have grown increasingly tense.
German businessman Jurgen Pierburg leaves the Royal Courts of Justice where he is embroiled in a London divorce fight with his estranged wife Clarissa Pierburg after having an affair. Nick Ansell/PA Wire

Clarissa Pierburg leaves the Royal Courts of Justice where she is embroiled in a London divorce fight with her estranged husband German businessman Jurgen Pierburg after he had an affair. Nick Ansell/PA Wire

German businessman Jurgen Pierburg leaves the Royal Courts of Justice where he is embroiled in a London divorce fight with his estranged wife Clarissa Pierburg after having an affair. Nick Ansell/PA Wire

Clarissa Pierburg leaves the Royal Courts of Justice where she is embroiled in a London divorce fight with her estranged husband German businessman Jurgen Pierburg after he had an affair. Nick Ansell/PA Wire

The estranged wife of a wealthy German businessman has told a divorce court judge how she cannot find a "very good hairdresser" in England despite moving to London nearly two years ago.

Clarissa Pierburg said she still sometimes visited a hairdresser nearly 300 miles away in Dusseldorf, Germany.

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She outlined her problem to Mr Justice Moor after being embroiled in a dispute with Jurgen Pierburg following the breakdown of their 35-year marriage.

Mr and Mrs Pierburg are fighting about where they should divorce.

Mr Justice Moor is overseeing a trial in the Family Division of the High Court in London and is expected to finish analysing evidence and legal argument later this week.

He has heard that both Mr and Mrs Pierburg are German and had lived in Switzerland.

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Mrs Pierburg, who is in her 60s, says she now lives in London and wants to divorce in England.

Mr Pierburg, who is in his 70s, wants to divorce in Germany.

The judge has heard that the marriage broke down after Mr Pierburg admitted having an affair in late 2016.

He was told that the Pierburgs had lived in a chateau about an hour from Geneva.

Mrs Pierburg said, when living in Switzerland, she had been in the habit of flying to Dusseldorf to get her hair done.

She said she would visit her mother at the same time.

Mrs Pierburg said she still made trips from London to see her hairdresser in Dusseldorf.

"I am still searching for a very good one (in England)," she told Mr Justice Moor.

"When I am visiting my mother, and there is time, I like to see my hairdresser (in Dusseldorf)."

She said she stopped living in Germany nearly 20 years ago.

"London is the city of things I am interested in," she said.

"There is nothing for me to go back to Germany for.

"There is, for me, no culture. There is culture but not for me."

She added: "There is nothing for me now to go back to in Germany."

Mr Pierburg, an art collector, told the judge on Tuesday that he and his estranged wife were tied to Germany.

"Our main connection, like an umbilical cord, to Germany has never been broken," he said.

"We were living in Switzerland but our hearts were still beating in Germany."

He told Mr Justice Moor he had been "fortunate" to inherit a lot of assets.

Lewis Marks QC, who is leading Mr Pierburg's legal team, questioned whether Mrs Pierburg was really resident in England.

He suggested that the four-bedroom house she had in London was not big enough.

"These are people who at home have a staff of eight or nine people looking after them," he said.

"They have a chef."

He added: "It is hard to imagine Frau Pierburg rustling up some scrambled eggs and toast. Maybe she does."

Mr Marks said Mrs Pierburg had been married for 35 years to an "incredibly tax sensitive, wealthy man".

He said their life was a life of "socialising", "going to the opera" and "having dinner out".

Eight years ago a newspaper and magazine reported that Mr Pierburg had been invited to Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding breakfast by the Prince Charles and his wife Camilla.
Iranian MPs have convened an open session of parliament with chants of death to America after the White House designated Irans elite paramilitary Revolutionary Guard force as a terrorist organisation.

The Fars news agency said many of the MPs wore the uniform of the guard in a show of support.

The parliamentary session in Tehran comes as Iran marks its annual National Day of the Revolutionary Guard.

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Parliament speaker Ali Larijani denounced the US decision as the climax of stupidity and ignorance.

Mondays move by the US government is an unprecedented declaration against a foreign administration and may prompt retaliation, making it harder for America to work with allies in the region.

Iran responded by designating all US forces as terrorist, and labelling America a supporter of terrorism.
Police say they will not charge the Australian teenager or the senator (AP/file)

Police have said they will not charge an Australian teenager or a senator for a spat in which the boy cracked an egg on the politicians head and the man retaliated.

Victoria state police said in a statement that after reviewing footage and interviewing both participants, they had issued an official caution only to 17-year-old Will Connolly.

They said they concluded Senator Fraser Anning had acted in self-defence when he twice struck the teenager afterwards.

The teenager gained fame as Egg Boy for egging Mr Anning in Melbourne last month, after the senator controversially blamed the Christchurch mosque massacre on Muslim immigration.

Mr Annings colleagues in Australias Parliament passed a censure motion against him last week, saying his statements blaming the victims were ugly and dangerous.
When Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took office in late 2015, he was a political golden boy who seemed destined to build on the legend of his father, who led the country for more than 15 years.

But six months ahead of an October election, polls suggest the 47-year-old politician with the broad smile and a penchant for colorful socks could become the first prime minister to lose power after a single majority mandate since the 1930s.

Trudeau is mired in a relentless scandal over alleged interference in a corporate corruption case that has led to the resignations of two Cabinet members, his top advisor and the head of the federal civil service.

The ruling Liberals have lost 6 percentage points since the start of the year, ceding the lead to the rival Conservatives, according to a Nanos Research poll published on Tuesday.

If an election were held now, the Conservatives would win 34.9 percent of the vote, the Liberals 32.8 percent and the left-leaning New Democratic Party 16.6 percent. The poll suggests the result would be deadlock or a fragile minority government.

"The Liberals have taken a hit, but they're still competitive," said pollster Nik Nanos. "The most significant effect has been the negative impact on the prime minister's personal brand."

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An Ipsos poll from last month put the Conservatives at 40 percent, 10 points ahead of the Liberals.

Trudeau, the oldest son of the late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, has from the start pushed a progressive agenda in support of gender equality, the environment and aboriginal rights, all issues that appeal to his core voters, but which after more than three years sound increasingly scripted to some.

Trudeau is not helped by the optics of the scandal involving SNC-Lavalin Group Inc, a prominent Montreal-based engineering and construction firm that has been accused of bribing Libyan officials to get contracts between 2001 and 2011.

The prime minister has been on the defensive over allegations government officials inappropriately pressured Canada's former Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould to drop a criminal case against the company in favor of a deferred prosecution agreement, or out-of-court settlement.

Wilson-Raybould, the first indigenous justice minister in Canadian history, resigned over the scandal. Former Treasury Board chief Jane Philpott also quit in protest. They were two of the highest-profile women in Trudeau's Cabinet.

POLITICAL PIVOT

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So far, Trudeau's strategy appears to have changed little, and people close to him say he plans ride it out without major shifts in strategy.

"Successful politicians know when to pivot, and they have a strong survival instinct," Nanos said, calling the scandal the "first major test of Justin Trudeau's leadership".

Ipsos pollster Darrell Bricker said even before the crisis erupted in early February, Trudeau's support had been softening amid complaints he had broken major commitments such as reforming the voting system and balancing the budget by 2019.

"Justin Trudeau was standing on thin ice at the end of last year, and then somebody handed him an anvil and crash, the ice broke," Bricker said.

"There's a credibility problem driven by a bunch of things, one of which is promises made and not kept."

In a bid to finally put the scandal behind him, Trudeau expelled Wilson-Raybould and Philpott from the Liberal caucus last week.

Neither minister has gone quietly, and on Tuesday Philpott disputed the legitimacy of the expulsions.

On Sunday, Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer revealed that Trudeau had threatened to sue him for libel over a Facebook post about the scandal.

Read more here:
Democratic presidential hopeful Beto O'Rourke described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a "racist" whose outreach to far-right interests as he seeks to hang on to political power has seriously damaged the chances of peace in the Middle East.

Speaking at a town hall at the University of Iowa, the former Texas congressman denounced Mr Netanyahu's pledge that he would annex Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank if he wins another term in today's Israeli general election. Mr Netanyahu's proposed annexation, Mr O'Rourke said, "will make peace in the long term impossible".

In response to a voter's question about his policy toward Israel and Palestinian rights, Mr O'Rourke reiterated his support for a two-state solution and accused Mr Netanyahu of having "joined forces with far-right parties who are inherently racist in their speech and the way that they want to treat their fellow human beings in that part of the world".

He then went further, telling reporters in a gaggle afterward that Mr Netanyahu is a "racist".

"The US-Israel relationship is one of the most important relationships that we have on the planet, and that relationship, if it is to be successful, must transcend partisanship in the United States, and it must be able to transcend a prime minister who is racist as he warns about Arabs coming to the polls, who wants to defy any prospect for peace as he threatens to annex the West Bank and who has sided with a far-right racist party in order to maintain his hold on power," Mr O'Rourke said.

His comments came one day after US President Donald Trump played up his pro-Israel agenda in a speech before an influential conservative Jewish group. Speaking to the Republican Jewish Coalition, in Las Vegas, Mr Trump accused Democrats of "advancing by far the most extreme, anti-Semitic agenda in history". "The Democrats' radical agenda very well could leave Israel out there all by yourselves," Mr Trump said.

As he seeks to become Israel's longest-serving prime minister, Mr Netanyahu has played up his ties to Mr Trump, who has all but formally endorsed the Israeli leader ahead of today's election. ( Washington Post)
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Indian Health Service is back in the spotlight on Capitol Hill as the Trump administration struggles with old, emerging and self-inflicted controversies.

In testimony on Tuesday, the highest-ranking official at the embattled IHS will once again discuss the case of a pediatrician who was convicted of abusing young patients on the Blackfeet Nation . The former employee, Stanley Patrick Weber , awaits trial on similar charges in connection with young citizens of the Oglala Sioux Tribe

"Regarding the recent media reports on patient abuse by a former IHS employee, we have taken every opportunity to speak with our tribal and urban partners, as well as our federal employees, about how this conduct is unacceptable and will absolutely not be tolerated at IHS," Principal Deputy Directory Michael Weahkee states in his written testimony, a copy of which has been posted by the House Committee on Appropriations

Weahkee and other IHS officials visited the Blackfeet Nation earlier this year to discuss a case that attracted the attention of the mainstream media and even the White House . A similar meeting recently took place with leaders of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, the testimony reveals.

"I expressed my sincere regret that children were victimized by those entrusted to care for them and have made it absolutely clear that IHS will not tolerate sexual assault and abuse in its facilities," states Weahkee, who is a citizen of the Pueblo of Zuni

"This opportunity followed a similar meeting I had in February with the Blackfeet Nation in Montana," he continues. "These two communities were victimized by the actions of the former IHS employee. I want to thank the leadership of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Blackfeet Nation for their partnership as we work to re-establish trust with our patients."

Indianz.Com on YouTube: Indian Health Service at United South and Eastern Tribes Impact Week

Weahkee also brings up the newly-established Presidential Task Force on Protecting Native American Children in the Indian Health Service System . The seven-member group, which includes one IHS representative, held its first meeting last week in Oklahoma, with a goal of ensuring Indian children aren't victimized by the likes of Weber, described by federal prosecutors as a "pedophile" who feels no remorse for the hurt he caused on two reservations.

"I assure you that our workforce understands how serious this issue is, and I am proud of the efforts and commitment of our staff for the progress weve made, and we continue to press forward," Weahkee says in his testimony as he outlines the additional steps the IHS is taking to address the scandal.

The remarks, which take up a significant portion of Weahkee's statement, show how the IHS continues to wrestle with yet another quality of care issue. A slew of facilities in the Great Plains Region , a four-state area that includes the hospital where Weber is accused of abusing boys, have been forced to reduce, divert and even eliminate services due to inadequate and life-threatening practices that date back almost a decade.

According to Weahkee, the agency has retained certification at two of those facilities -- the Sioux San Hospital in Rapid City, South Dakota, as well as the hospital that serves citizens of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe , also in South Dakota. Due to substandard care, the latter facility had to shut down its emergency room for seven months, during which at least nine people died while seeking assistance away from the reservation.

The IHS is "preparing" to seek certification for a third facility in the Great Plains, this one on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, That's where Weber was sent by the IHS after leaving Blackfeet county, and it's where federal prosecutors allege he abused even more young patients for more than a decade, according to the superseding indictment in his case.

A 'pedophile': Stanley Patrick Weber, a former Indian Health Service pediatrician, has been convicted of abusing Indian children on the Blackfeet Nation in Montana and is facing a trial for abusing children on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Photo: U.S. Attorney's Office

The trial on the charges isn't scheduled to start until September 6 , ensuring that the scandal will continue to batter the IHS for several more months to come. And with appealing his conviction after being sentenced to 18 years in prison in neighboring Montana, the legal drama is far from over.

But the victimization of children isn't the only crisis afflicting the IHS. A day before the White House announced the task force in a conference call with reporters, the Trump administration dropped a bomb -- the Department of Justice will no longer defend the legality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a move that puts the future of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (IHCIA) in doubt.

A week later, almost every tribe in the nation signed onto a court brief to do what the Trump administration so far has been unwilling to do -- stand up for the IHCIA , which was made permanent by the ACA in 2010. All six Democrats who serve on the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs have since rebuked the executive branch's decision.

The Trump administration has made clear it will stop at nothing to gut the Affordable Care Act and leave millions of Americans  including thousands of families in New Mexico and across Indian Country  without access to health care and protections for pre-existing conditions, said Sen. Tom Udall (D-New Mexico), the vice chairman of the committee. President Trump and the Department of Justices decision to support a full repeal of the ACA puts the health and wellbeing of Native families at risk.

The Trump administrations irresponsible decision to rip health care from millions will have devastating consequences for Montana families, including the many American Indians who qualify for expanded Medicaid or financial assistance to buy coverage. And it puts rural hospitals and community health centers at grave risk of closing their doors to Native American communities who rely on them for quality, affordable care, added Sen. Jon Tester (D-Montana), a former chairman and vice chairman of the panel.

Pine Ridge Hospital's HIM Staff with RADM Michael Weahkee, Principal Deputy Director, IHS, and Mr. James Driving Hawk, Acting Area Director, Great Plains Area IHS Posted by Great Plains Area Indian Health Service on Friday, March 29, 2019 Principal Deputy Director Michael Weahkee of the Indian Health Service is seen on the far right with staff of the Pine Ridge Hospital in South Dakota, along with James Driving Hawk, far left, who has since been named permanent director of the Great Plains Area of the IHS. Photo: Great Plains Area Indian Health Service

The view from the White House is understandably different, even as the co-chair of the IHS task force was outed in the mainstream media as a key player in getting the administration to blow up the ACA and the IHCIA. In the April 26 conference call with reporters, one official said President Donald Trump was uniquely positioned to "solve" the problem of predators preying on Indian children.

"Speaking from the perspective of the White House, we believe this is exactly the type of situation that this president was elected to solve," a senior administration official told reporters. "This has gone on for more than 20 years. It transcended both Republican and Democratic administrations. This is not a Democrat or a Republican issue; this is a systemic failure."

But one area Trump has yet been able to fix is finding a permanent director for the IHS. His first pick was forced to drop out of the confirmation process more than a year ago after doubts were raised about his background and experience. There's been no word of a replacement nominee since then and it's why Weahkee continues to serve as the public face of the agency even though he was never intended for job.

Its been four years," National Congress of American Indians President Jefferson Keel said of the vacancy at the agency charged with delivering health care to more than 2 million Native Americans. "This is a travesty that the federal government must rectify, not next year, not next Congress, but right now.

Michael D. Weahkee, a citizen of the Pueblo of Zuni, serves as the Principal Deputy Director of the Indian Health Service. he is seen her testifying before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs in Washington, D.C., on March 12, 2019. Photo: SCIA

Congress, for now, is going to focus on the fiscal year 2020 budget for the IHS. That's the topic of Tuesday's hearing before the House Appropriations subcommittee that's in charge of writing the agency's funding bill.

The 2020 budget, released by the White House a month ago, calls for the IHS to receive $5.9 billion. That represents an increase of $392 million, or 7 percent above current levels.

"The budget advances our mission to raise the physical, mental, social, and spiritual health of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) to the highest level," Weahkee's testimony reads.

"The presidents budget grows the resources available to meet the nations commitment to AI/AN in a constrained budget environment, reflecting a strong commitment to Indian Country," it states.

The testimony does not disclose what happened to another facility in the Great Plains, this one in Nebraska. Almost four years ago, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services , a federal agency, revoked the certification of the hospital that serves citizens of the Omaha Tribe , and the Winnebago Tribe

"The Winnebago Hospital still holds the distinction of being the only federally operated hospital in the United States to have lost its CMS certification," Victoria Kitcheyan, a council member from the Winnebago Tribe told the House subcommittee last month. "This occurred as a result of years of mismanagement and serious patient care deficiencies including lack of staff training, equipment and overall hospital operations."

"When this ordeal began for the Winnebago Tribe in 2015, we were adamant that because the Indian Health Service created this problem, the Indian Health Service needed to fix it," Kitcheyan said. "As the weeks turned into months and then into years, the tribe finally came to the hard conclusion that it could wait no longer for the IHS to solve the problem."

Last July, the tribe took over operation of the facility under a self-governance compact with the IHS. It's now known as the Twelve Clans Hospital , a nod to the traditions of the Winnebago , or Ho-Chunk people.

Officials from the hospital -- whose leadership consists of a majority of Native women -- have since expressed confidence that the facility will do what the IHS failed to do -- regain certification, possibly before the end of the year.

Today in #Tulsa, Muscogee (Creek) Nation Principal Chief James Floyd met w/ @realDonaldTrumps Presidential Task Force Protecting Native American Children in the Indian Health Service System & other officials supporting the effort. #IndianCountry #Partnerships @WhiteHouse pic.twitter.com/oXMXFqBRJW  US Attorney Shores (@USAttyShores) April 4, 2019

The IHS, meanwhile, just got around to naming a permanent director for the Great Plains Area, more than three years after the prior person was ousted on the eve of a hearing on Capitol Hill. James Driving Hawk, a citizen of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, has served in the position in an "acting" capacity for the last two years.

Over the past two years, James Driving Hawk has demonstrated the experience and leadership necessary to lead the IHS Great Plains Area as we continue to improve and provide access to quality health care services for American Indians and Alaska Natives, Weahkee said in a news release last Thursday. I want to congratulate James on his selection as area director and thank him for his years of dedicated service in fulfilling the IHS mission.

Im proud to lead the IHS Great Plains Area and Im excited to continue the incredible progress staff across the region has made in improving and sustaining access and quality of care for the patients we serve," Driving Hawk said. "I look forward to continuing to build and maintain relationships with tribal leaders and members across the IHS Great Plains Area,

Afternoon agenda of @WhiteHouse Presidential Task Force included a discussion w/ Dr. Mark Butterbrodt (who worked for @IHSgov at Pine Ridge), discussion about vetting, recruitment, & retention of doctors, and a presentation re: MOU for child abuse reporting in OK #IndianCountry. pic.twitter.com/aOdf5gM2I5  US Attorney Shores (@USAttyShores) April 4, 2019

As for the Presidential Task Force on Protecting Native American Children in the Indian Health Service System, the first meeting took place last Thursday in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the office of R. Trent Shores , the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma . He's a citizen of the Choctaw Nation and co-chair of the new body. As the only Native American currently serving as a U.S. Attorney, he has significant experience in prosecuting child abuse in Indian Country.

The group met with Chief James Floyd of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and Mark Butterbrodt, a physician who used to work at the Pine Ridge Hospital before being transferred to another state when he raised suspicions about the predator pediatrician. Protocols for reporting and investigating child abuse in Indian Country were discussed, and an investigator from the Office of the Inspector General for Health and Human Services , which is also investigating the scandal, was present, according to the White House

"Upon completion of its initial deliverables, the task force will convene again for meetings, including in South Dakota and Montana," the White House said, highlighting the places where young IHS patients were victimized.

Important topics of discussion w/ #MCN Chief Floyd: Recruitment & Retention of Quality/Skilled @IHSgov Healthcare Professionals; Credentialing & Privileging Process; Mandatory Reporting Requirements for Child Sexual Abuse #PresidentialTaskForce #IndianCountry @WhiteHouse pic.twitter.com/xcaUocBBeU  US Attorney Shores (@USAttyShores) April 4, 2019

House Committee on Appropriations Notice

'Stanley Weber is a pedophile'

Stanley Weber is a pedophile. For over two decades, he used his position as a pediatrician with the Indian Health Service to gain access to vulnerable prepubescent males, and subsequently committed terrible acts of sexual abuse upon his victims under the guise of providing them with medical treatment. While living and working on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Weber lured young juvenile males to his home by providing them with alcohol, pizza, soda, ice cream, video games, money, clothing, and overnight trips both on and off the reservation. Once isolated with these children, Weber seized his opportunity to act upon his deviant sexual desires by engaging in forced or coerced sexual activity with them. Weber leveraged his position within IHS and the communities where he worked and lived to gain the trust of many of his coworkers and supervisors, allowing him to survive multiple allegations and investigations into his suspicious behavior. Although the crimes at issue in this case occurred more than 20 years ago, Weber has never had to face the consequences of his actions. In fact, when questions were raised about his behavior, he simply moved to a new community where he continued his pattern of criminality. Meanwhile, his victims grew up, saddled with confusion, shame, and fear that they could not reveal what happened to them as children, lest they face further embarrassment and ridicule from members of their community. The impact of Webers crimes ultimately manifested in his victims in the form of legal problems, drug and alcohol abuse, the inability to maintain stead Even after his conviction, Weber continues to be unapologetic for his actions and shows no remorse for his victims or the harm he inflicted upon them. In fact, it is doubtful that he views his actions as criminal at all. His decades of predatory sexual abuse of children are among the most heinous and serious crimes cognizable by federal criminal law. At nearly 70 years of age, and with no sign of remorse, there is no reason to believe that Weber either recognizes the severity of his crimes or any realistic hope that he can ever be rehabilitated. Accordingly, justice demands that Weber face a severe sentence despite the age of his misconduct in this case.

From the sentencing memorandum in Stanley Patrick Weber's case in Montana:

'Predator on the Reservation'

Former IHS pediatrician Stanley Patrick Weber also awaits trial in South Dakota for allegedly abusing boys on Pine Ridge Reservation. He was subject of @frontlinepbs + @WSJ expose "Predator on the Reservation" https://t.co/DzNxaCNIbf  indianz.com (@indianz) February 13, 2019

FRONTLINE PBS: Predator on the Reservation

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The Nez Perce Tribe has declared a state of emergency due to heavy flooding on and near the reservation in Idaho.

"If you are in a flood zone or located at a low elevation near water, please be prepared to evacuate,' the tribe said in an announcement on Tuesday.

According to the tribe, water levels in creeks and rivers are rising. Mudslides have already resulted in the closure of portions of three highways, the Idaho Department of Transportation said in a series of announcements on social media.

"Families, please check on your loved ones. Your assistance in helping with children and the elderly is greatly appreciated," the tribe said.

The tribe is asking volunteers to help place sandbags around threatened homes and to help divert water from streams, The Lewiston Tribune reported. A spokesperson told the paper that several elderly and disabled people live in the flood plain.

For those wishing to donate food or supplies, they can be dropped off at the Pi-Nee-Waus Community Center in Lapwai and the Wa-AYas Community Center in Kamiah. Both centers are also available for use as shelters.

For more information contact Rebecca for Pi-Nee-Waus at (208)791-7732 or rebeccam@nezperce.org and Etta for Wa-AYas at (208)935-5261.

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House, Senate OK Colorado River drought plan, capping years of debate

Cronkite News

WASHINGTON  Two weeks after water officials told Congress there was urgent need to approve the Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan , the House and Senate both passed a plan Monday and sent it to the presidents desk.

If signed by President Donald Trump as expected, it would be the culmination of years of negotiations between seven states in the Colorado River basin on how much each state can draw from the river if Lake Powell and Lake Mead drop to crisis levels.

The votes came in rapid succession Monday evening, with little debate and each chamber approving the measure H.R.2030 ) by acclimation.

This immediate action is essential to preserving the water supply for millions of people in the American Southwest, Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson, said on the House floor before the vote.

Thanks to the seven Colorado River basin states, tribes, conservationists and stakeholders, the House just passed my bill implementing the #ColoradoRiver Drought Contingency Plan. A huge step for 40 mil Americans who rely on the Colorado every day. pic.twitter.com/yM1PvvoCC2  Raul M. Grijalva (@RepRaulGrijalva) April 8, 2019

House and Senate versions of the Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan Authorization Act are identical: Both require that the Interior secretary authorize the water allocation agreement hammered out by the seven basin states. That deal is designed to prevent a potential water crisis and settle disputes over who gives up water if the river reaches a crisis level.

For Arizona, that means that once Lake Mead levels fell below a certain point, the state would lose access to 192,000 acre-feet a year that it can now pull from the river. An acre-foot is the amount of water needed to cover an acre of land that is one foot deep, or 325,853 gallons.

The plans backers note one primary goal is to prevent those drops in reservoir levels from ever happening by requiring states to cede less water but at an earlier point.

Sen. Martha McSally, R-Arizona, praised her fellow lawmakers for acting quickly to pass the legislation.

 I just introduced the Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan Authorization Act with ALL senators from CR basin states on board  pic.twitter.com/TO5HznBlXX  Martha McSally (@SenMcSallyAZ) April 2, 2019

We just introduced this legislation last Tuesday, she said on the Senate floor Monday. But by acting so quickly, the lower basin states will be able to immediately begin saving hundreds of thousands of acre-feet of water.

Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, who last month urged Senate and House committees to move swiftly on the agreement , welcomed Mondays votes.

The last few weeks have been one of the most extraordinary periods in the history of ADWR and was a remarkable chapter in the long story of securing Arizonas water supplies, Buschatzke said in a statement.

Im grateful that Congress has approved the bipartisan Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan Authorization Act, which will enable the seven Colorado River Basin States to keep Lake Mead from falling to critically low levels, his statement said.

Like others, Rep. David Schweikert, R-Fountain Hills, welcomed passage of the bill. But he also said on the House floor that he wanted to add a little caveat that we understand the work isn't done.

This legislation does not lay out every last step that those of us in Arizona must do, Schweikert said. We are going to have to step up and meet our obligations, and I think thats important we understand there is much work left to be done.?

Grijalva echoed Schweikert and said the job is not done, there is much to do, noting that the current plan would only last until 2026, when it will have to be renegotiated..

It is not an infinite resource, water, it is a finite resource and we need to treat it that way, Grijalva said.

Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, said the states should be recognized for hammering out the deal that Congress only had to approve.

This is a totally unique bill, Bishop said. What we have done is let the seven affected states get together and work out a solution and bring it to us, and we in Congress didnt screw it up too bad.

Congressional Notices

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

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Go to the Doctor. Fix it. Let it Heal.

I often joke that Ive had surgery from my nose to my toes.

When I broke my leg over Christmas last year, I went to the surgeon and got it set back in place and wore a boot for a few months. I knew the leg was broken. I knew I needed to go to the doctor to fix it. I knew it would heal.

Not all fixes in our healthcare system are as straightforward as a broken leg. Serving in Congress has put me right in the middle of one of our nations biggest debates: how to treat patients with mental health and substance use disorders.

We as a nation are not doing enough. As a society, we have no problem recognizing and treating broken legs, cuts and bruises, and taking sick days for a cold. Rarely is a mental health disorder recognized, and even rarer is full treatment for it insured.

Announcing my Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Act. Posted by Senator Debbie Stabenow on Thursday, March 14, 2019

Ive introduced a number of bills to help provide additional help for patients struggling with mental health issues. My bill, the Overdose Prevention and Patient Safety Act, decreases stigmatization and increases care for patients struggling with substance use disorder by modernizing laws so a physician can fully know their patients healthcare record.

Jessie Grubb, who was recovering from an opioid addiction, was sent home with a bottle of 50 oxycodone pills. But a regulation known as 42 CFR Part 2 created a barrier between her and her doctor. Jessies doctor didnt know her medical history, and the bureaucratic firewalls contributed to her death. My bill would change that.

Most older Americans do not have access to a mental health specialist and are treated by primary care physicians. Only 40-50 percent of these patients are referred and treated. Instead our elderly are given a prescription and sent home to deal with their mental health struggles alone.

If there is one thing the opioid crisis has taught us, its that pills are not the silver bullet. My bill, the Medicare Mental Health Access Act ( H.R.884 ), will ensure that our seniors have access to psychologists so that they can receive comprehensive mental health care.

This past Monday, April 1, a critical Oklahoma demonstration that helps patients with mental health and addiction programs expired. My bill, the Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Act S.824 ),, would renew this program and extend a demonstration program in Oklahoma that provides mental health and substance use disorder treatment. Grand Lake Mental Health Center, which is a part of the demonstration, has seen a 95 percent reduction in inpatient psychiatric admissions in its 7-county service area.

In 2015, before the program began, there were 1,115 inpatient psychiatric admissions in the Grand Lake Mental Health Center service area. In 2018, there were only 15. A short term extension of the program passed the House and Senate this week and will be signed by the President shortly.

Nearly 40 million American adults have untreated substance use disorders or mental health conditions. According to a national survey, many of these patients don't think they need to get care.

The first thing we need to do to help these patients is to start recognizing it. If you have a broken leg, you go to the doctor. The doctor fixes it. You let it heal.

Lets start fixing mental health.

Markwayne Mullin, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, was first elected to serve the people of Oklahomas Second Congressional District in November 2012. He is currently serving his fourth term in office. Mullin and his wife Christie have five children: Jim, Andrew, Larra, Ivy, and Lynette. The Mullin family currently resides in Westville, Oklahoma on the same family farm where Markwayne was raised.

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ISRO

According to reports, scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) are now hoping for a launch of the mission anywhere between May and July. Read more

Here's more top news of the day:

1) Mobocracy Rules: Muslim Man Attacked, Beaten Up By Mob In Assam For Selling Beef, Forced To Eat Pork

Reports suggest that police have detained at least five people after the video of the incident went viral on social media. The man was seen on his knees in deep slush, begging to let him go. Read more

2) From The Man Who Fought 200 Polls To Biggest Win Margin, These Election Records Can Never Be Beaten

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The Indian General Election is rightfully called the world's largest democratic exercise. There is nothing like the Indian election anywhere in the world. The sheer number of voters, candidate and seats and the chaos around it make it a unique spectacle. Read more

3) Former Chief Justice Of India Dipak Misra Believes Marital Rape Need Not Be A Crime

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Marriage doesnt mean that wife is always consenting for sex - The Delhi High Court, while hearing petitions on making rape an offence, made this statement. However, former Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra is of a different point of view. Read more

4) Human-Animal Conflicts Rising In India And It's Not Even A Poll Issue Nor Part Of Manifesto

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This expansion has resulted in wild animals losing their natural habitat and often straying into human settlements in search of easy prey like domestic animals. Read more

5) Rajnath Singh Says BJP Never Promised Rs 15 Lakh, Twitter Says 'April Fool Banaya'

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Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that the BJP never made promises of transferring Rs 15 lakhs into people's bank accounts during the campaign for Lok Sabha election in 2014. Read more
Rajat Gupta, former head of McKinsey & Company, who spent 19 months in a U.S. jail, said he would like to work for reforms in the U.S. criminal justice and prison system. He is seen here in a file photo leaving federal court in New York, Oct. 26, 2011. (Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images)
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (center), Indian political leader and the Congress party's general secretary for eastern Uttar Pradesh, gestures to supporters after visiting Kashi Vishwanath temple during her three-day boat trip from Allahabad to Varanasi along the Ganges river as part of the election campaign, in Varanasi on March 20. (Sanjay Kanojia/AFP/Getty Images)
Insurance fraud seems like it might be an easy thing to do. Insurance companies are often so huge, one wonders how they might not even notic...
EURUSD may test new lows sooner or later: Elliott Wave analysis EW-Forecast.com - 11 minutes ago Investors are preparing for FED to announce it's policy decision later today, so we may see a quiet session till the report comes out. Technically EURUSD remains ^EURUSD : 1.12733 (+0.13%)

Happy 100th, Bloody Mary: Paris marks cocktail's birthday AP - 29 minutes ago PARIS (AP)  Harrys Bar in Paris is celebrating the 100th birthday of the Bloody Mary, the vodka-tomato juice cocktail believed to have been invented in the iconic watering hole in 1921. $SPX : 4,634.09 (-0.75%) $DOWI : 35,544.18 (-0.30%) $IUXX : 15,914.90 (-1.04%)

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Succeeding Rash as president is Dick Sanford, who brings three and a half decades of industry experience and will oversee the groups global underwriting and reinsurance strategy. Previously the chairman & president of PartnerRe US, Sandford started his career in 1984 as an AIG casualty underwriter.

Meanwhile Ed Noonan, who was chair & CEO of Validus Group from 2005 to 2018, has been named as StarStone chairman. Noonan joined Swiss Re in 1979 and moved to American Re in 1983.

This is a pivotal moment for StarStone, commented Hendrickson. As we reposition StarStone to deliver profitable growth, Ed and Dick bring a wealth of knowledge.

Their respective contribution, together with Chriss financial and operational expertise, will prove invaluable as we continue to provide highly professional, bespoke specialty solutions to our clients, locally and globally.

Owned by Enstar Group Limited  the Trident V funds managed by Stone Point Capital LLC and Dowling Capital Partners I, L.P.  StarStone has operations in London, Continental Europe, and the US. It underwrites business across the property, specialty, and casualty risk classes.

The experience that Ed and Dick bring to StarStone is considerable, said Enstar and Stone Point in a joint statement. Their appointments demonstrate our collective investment and commitment in realising StarStones ambitions, and we are very pleased to welcome them to the group.
Not only was she included in the 2018 Insurance Business Young Guns list, but Dametto is also a finalist for the Young Gun of the Year category at this years Insurance Business Awards.

The Adelaide-based up-and-comer also picked up the prestigious Outstanding Broker of the Year Award at this years Steadfast Convention after she achieved the highest average score within the broker group for the ANZIIF Diploma of Insurance Broking.

While much of that success is obviously down to Damettos own hard work and determination, she is quick to acknowledge the invaluable input from her current employers.

It has a lot to do with the company that I work with  Im very aware that if I started in a larger organisation with hundreds or thousands of employees, it would have been different, says Dametto. I started as an admin assistant three years ago, but they quickly saw that I had an interest in the industry and started pushing me to do other things and it just naturally flew from there.

After eight months as an admin assistant, Dametto was moved into a broker assistant role before stepping into an account broker position, with her own book of clients.

Webber pushed me to do my studying and they were straight on it, wanting me to do my Tier Two so I could start speaking to clients, she tells Insurance Business.

The director, Daniel Webber, has really been an overarching mentor for me during my entire career and if Im ever unsure of something, its an easy place to ask questions, she continues.

Nobody ever looks at you funny or makes you feel silly for not knowing something, its just a really comfortable environment, theyre really supportive and theyve really nurtured my growth.

While Dametto is carving a name for herself as one of Australias most promising young insurance professionals, she says she has no intention to move elsewhere for the foreseeable future as Webbers investment in her has instilled a strong sense of loyalty.

Im extremely happy in my role and Ive got that constant opportunity and room to grow as well, she says. I have a really good repertoire with my clients, I work within an incredibly supportive team  its just an all-round great position for my point in life.
Commenting on the appointment, Ariel Re deputy global head of reinsurance Matthew Wilken described the key arrival as having a consistent and exceptional track record of growing successful books of business from the ground up.

His knowledge and wealth of experience in the marine and energy market are valuable to us as we build out the portfolio and provide a broader product offering to our customers, said Wilken. We are thrilled to have David as part of the Ariel Re team.

Martins experience includes time spent at the likes of Equitas and XL Re.
The U.K. joined a growing global backlash against technology companies such as Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc., proposing fines and bans if social-media platforms fail to curb illegal activity.

The government outlined plans for an industry-funded regulator that would police the technology companies platforms for harmful content, such as incitement to terrorism and child sexual exploitation. The move is part of a push to hold the companies accountable, and fines for breaches of the new law could reach as high as 4 percent of global turnover, Digital Secretary Jeremy Wright said in an interview with Bloomberg TV.

There is an acceptance that some form of regulation on social media is inevitable, Wright said on Monday. Companies will be subject to Internet rules wherever they are.

The U.K. plan follows steps by countries from Australia to the European Union to increase scrutiny of tech companies that until now have largely avoided any form of industry regulation. Last week, Australia passed legislation that included potential prison sentences of up to three years for executives who fail to remove abhorrent material from their platforms.

In the U.K., too, enforcement powers could go as far as imposing liability on individual company managers. The government laid out the proposals as it opened a 12-week consultation Monday.

Broader Effort

European lawmakers are also voting Monday on removal rules for online terrorism content, part of a broader EU effort to make platforms increasingly liable for what their users post.

The U.K. proposal wasnt universally welcomed. The Institute of Economic Affairs, a pro-market research group, labeled the plans draconian and more likely to do harm than good by holding back innovation. Giving the government power to dictate what content is appropriate sets a dangerous precedent, Director General Mark Littlewood said.

Following the March 15 mosque attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand, that left 50 people dead, Facebook and Alphabet Inc.s YouTube faced worldwide condemnation for failing to take down quickly a video live-streamed by the alleged gunman.

Damian Collins, a member of the U.K.s ruling Conservative Party who chairs the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, cited the New Zealand terrorist attack as a reason for introducing regulation.

Atrocity

A regulator should have the power to investigate how content of that atrocity was shared and why more was not done to stop it sooner, he said.

The U.K.s proposed laws will apply to any company that allows users to share or find content or interact with each other online, such as social-media platforms, file-hosting sites, public discussion forums, messaging services and search engines.

Other proposals outlined by the government include a code of practice that could include requirements to minimize the spread of misleading information, and an annual transparency report on harmful content.

Even in the home country of Facebook and Google, opposition has been growing. After a plethora of congressional hearings, a bill that would have restricted online political advertising lost steam when its Republican sponsor, Arizona Senator John McCain, died. But Republican Congressman Devin Nunes of California has sued Twitter, while Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, a Democratic presidential candidate, last week complained Facebook has too much power.

Related:

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

Topics Legislation InsurTech Tech Europe Uk
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. announced it has completed its acquisition of UK specialist insurance broker Stackhouse Poland Group Ltd., which was first announced in January 2019.

Financial details of the deal were not released.

Guildford, England-based Stackhouse Poland was founded in 1974 as a local community broker. Via organic growth and acquisitions, Stackhouse Poland has become a large-scale specialist UK insurance broker generating over 55 million ($70 million) in annualized revenues, said Gallagher in a statement issued in January when the deal was first announced.

Stackhouse Poland operates from 23 UK offices and specializes in high-net-worth private clients, real estate, commercial, healthcare and a wide range of specialist insurance sectors, said Rolling Meadows, Ill.-based Gallagher.

Source: Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Topics Mergers Agencies A.J. Gallagher
Chubb has appointed Jonathan Kennett as head of Financial Institutions for the UK and Ireland and Chubb Global Markets (CGM), the insurers London market wholesale and specialty arm.

In this role, Kennett will have responsibility for the leadership, strategy and performance of Chubbs Financial Institutions business in the UK and Ireland and CGM after a restructure merged the two underwriting teams.

Kennett will report to Matthew Shaw, division president, Chubb Global Markets and Hilda Toh, Financial Lines manager, UK and Ireland. His appointment is effective immediately.

Kennett, who was previously Financial Institutions manager for the UK and Ireland, joined Chubb in 2017. Before that he held a number of senior leadership roles at several insurers and reinsurers including AIG, Munich Re and Zurich.

I am delighted to welcome Jonathan to this new and important role. The restructure of our underwriting teams has been untaken to enable the seamless delivery of our Financial Institutions offering, focused around broker and customer needs, said Matthew Shaw, division president, Chubb Global Markets.

Source: Chubb

Topics Chubb
In a commentary on the recent Midwest flooding, AM Best said the states hit hardest by these floods  such as Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and South Dakota  generally have National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) insured rates of less than 1%, another reminder of the massive insured protection gap in the United States and the ineffectiveness of the current flood program.

Plus, federal flood maps are outdated in many cases so it is likely that prospective insureds did not have a true idea of their susceptibility to potential flood losses, AM Best pointed out.

Bests commentary, Blizzards, Heavy Rains and Melting Ice Produce Catastrophic Midwest Flooding, also notes that early published estimates of damage to infrastructure, private property and agriculture have exceeded $1 billion and have since been increased to as much as $3 billion, with that figure expected to increase even further.

National and multinational insurers whose portfolios are diversified geographically should not be subject to losses that result in pressure on their capitalization, therefore AM Best does not expect rating pressure on those carriers.

Smaller, single state, or regionally focused insurers whose portfolios feature a concentration of risks in the affected states however, could suffer proportionately larger losses. Less diversified companies could be affected materially, not only from a profit and loss perspective, but in terms of balance sheet strength as well.

While property/casualty insurers will bear the cost of certain claims  submerged automobiles, lost livestock (cattle), and damages to heavy farm equipment  the vast majority of the damage to homes and personal property is expected to be uninsured. In all likelihood, the damage costs will again be absorbed by residents and business owners, with state and local authorities likely bearing a portion of the cost to rebuild communities.

Flood losses to business and vehicles, including business interruption claims, will likely generate the lions share of the insurable losses from the storms. Losses to onshore commercial and industrial properties and their contents, along with insured commercial automobiles, are expected to be substantial, especially for companies with geographic concentrations in the affected states. Business interruption claims for commercial enterprises and, to a lesser extent, additional living expenses for covered residential property owners could also drive up the loss total for which primary insurance companies, and their reinsurers, will be liable.

Source: AM Best

Topics Flood Agribusiness AM Best Homeowners
Lansing, Michigan-based PROTO InsurTech, a business accelerator and equity investment fund led by Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP), said three new international high-tech startups have begun operating in LEAPs REO Town office.

The startups aim to transform the Michigan insurance industry through technology innovation. The three companies are Supportomate from Israel, LVLFi from Great Britain and Kudos Health from Ireland.

The initiative is a statewide partnership between LEAP, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and initial founders Delta Dental and Farm Bureau. It allows cohort members the chance to participate in an intensive four-month program that provides access to critical business development resources for Michigans insurance industry.

The PROTO InsurTech program will provide this first cohort of companies with up to $60,000 each in exchange for a small equity stake in the company. During the program the cohort will be living, working, creating, eating and drinking in the Lansing region, with the optimum end result being the creation of a subsidiary, licensing possibilities, acquisition or other activities that enhance the competitiveness of our investor insurance companies, and to permanently bring new high-tech companies to Michigan.

Source: LEAP

Topics InsurTech Tech Michigan Startups
Some of the worlds largest insurers are eagerly pitching cities, states and even school districts on policies designed to pay out quickly with few questions in the event of extreme weather. The catch: Even a hurricane might not be extreme enough.

Its called parametric insurance, and it aims to provide a quick-cash payout within days after a storm hits, beating federal disaster aid to the punch with no restrictions on the moneys use. Among the recent clients of reinsurer Swiss Re AG are Louisiana, one of the most hurricane-prone states, and the Miami-Dade County school board.

Louisiana gets up to $1.25 million if a named storm produces winds of 80 miles per hour for at least a minute, while Miami-Dade gets $10 million if wind speeds there exceed 87.5 miles per hour. But its a gamble: In 2017, Hurricane Irmas winds fell short of that level in Florida, while still causing the school district $19 million in damage.

Youve got to balance how much premium youve got to pay versus the possibility of getting a covered event, said Michael Fox, the school boards risk and benefits officer.

Fox doesnt regret buying the insurance, he said, and he expects the board will renegotiate the trigger when the policy expires next month, even if it raises the price. The money can be used for operations or emergency repairs, costs that may not be repaid by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Even when they are, that money can take years to arrive, he said, noting that the board is still waiting for FEMA funds from Irma.

The recent spate of extreme weather events have proven expensive for insurers. Natural catastrophes cost the industry $80 billion last year, double the average for the past 30 years, according to Munich Re AG.

Insurers such as New York-based Travelers Cos. are seeking to raise rates on homeowners policies in California after last years deadly wildfires, while European insurers including Italys Assicurazioni Generali SpA and Frances Axa SA have been working to address climate change by divesting from some fossil fuel-tied assets or refusing to underwrite certain projects.

Parametric policies offer insurers a way to cover risks without the messy complications of sending in a flood of adjusters to assess the damage after a catastrophe. Coupled with the speed of payment that insurers say they can provide with those policies, that could ease the post-crisis burden for both sellers and buyers.

Limitless Potential

Where this is going, the potential is almost limitless: hail, wildfire, river flood, extreme rainfall, snowfall, Alex Kaplan, head of North America for Swiss Res Public Sector Solutions unit, said in an interview. If I can be successful in just getting people to recognize that the risk is probably bigger than they think, and they can be doing more to manage that exposure, then I think Ive done my job.

Louisiana signed a three-year contract last summer. If theres a payout, the state can use the money however it wants, including to cover things that property insurance and federal disaster aid dont, such as lost tax revenue.

Six of seven hurricanes that have made landfall in Louisiana since 2002 would likely have triggered a payoff, depending on where the devices that measure the wind were placed. The strongest winds  126.5 miles per hour  were recorded by Katrina in August 2005. The latest storm with winds high enough for the payoff came in October 2017, when Nate had winds of 86.3 miles per hour.

These policies arent entirely new. But in the past, they were used mainly for weather-sensitive businesses. For instance, a retailer selling winter coats might be able to get a policy that would pay the company if the weather was too warm, dinging those sales. Axa cites an example of a water company using a policy that would pay out if there was a prolonged weather freeze.

Increasingly, though, as climate change has stirred up extreme weather events across the country, insurers have seen an opportunity to expand the customer base to states and communities.

After the Haiti earthquake, Alabama became the first U.S. government to buy such a policy, according to Swiss Re. The state never received a payout and decided not to renew it because of a price increase, according to the Alabama Department of Finance.

Parametric policies have their charms, according to Kathy Baughman McLeod, director of the Atlantic Councils Adrienne Arsht Center for Resilience.

If you understand what youre trying to cover, and you understand the risks, a parametric is a good solution because it can be tailored to your needs, McLeod said by telephone. The beauty of the parametric policy is its flexibility  what it covers, and how fast.

These policies can serve as a bulwark for vulnerable cities and states against disaster-induced budget shortfalls, rising borrowing costs and population flight. To some city leaders, falling bond ratings are a more immediate threat than rising seas.

Beautiful Flexibility

Still, little is known in the U.S. about how the product works in real life, or even how widely theyre used. No U.S. government has ever made a claim under a parametric policy, according to Swiss Re. Meanwhile, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners says it doesnt collect data on parametric policies.

Swiss Res Kaplan calls it a fluke that none of the policies have yet been triggered. There just havent been any large-scale events where theyre now being used since the 2005 hurricane season, he said.

Parametric insurance, though, does have a track record in developing countries, where traditional insurance based on claims data was impractical because that data didnt exist. Instead, insurers began offering policies that would pay governments if a storm exceeded a particular parameter.

Haiti Earthquake

The approach gained popularity in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean  including Haiti, where the 2010 earthquake triggered a $7.8 million payout that represented about 20 times the amount of its premium.

Miami-Dades Irma experience underscores the gamble for those buying in.

Parametric policies create what insurance nerds call basis risk, said David Eckles, a professor of risk management and insurance at the University of Georgias Terry College of Business. Basis risk refers to the mismatch between the policys parameters and the actual event, such as a storm where the damage inflicts a loss on the insured party but doesnt trigger the precise measurements to generate a payout.

Other state governments have expressed interest in the idea, but havent yet dipped into the market. Hawaiis state legislators, for instance, have proposed bills in recent years to look into a parametric option, but those efforts failed to pass.

Meanwhile, Swiss Re isnt alone on the field. Axa has been building a parametrics business, with much of the public sector part of the portfolio being focused outside of the U.S., according to Karina Whalley, public sector business development manager at Axas global parametrics group. The French insurer is now looking to increase its presence in the U.S. after its acquisition of XL Group Ltd., she said.

Climate change is becoming much more of a creator of demand for this kind of insurance coverage, Whalley said in an interview. Buyers of the policies, she said, want that money to come in very, very quickly so that they can start cleaning up.

As climate change takes an ever-larger chunk out of local governments revenue, the demand for parametric insurance will grow, according to Swiss Res Kaplan. If you can offload a risk off the back of your citizens and taxpayers into a willing and able private market, thats something that should be reviewed and explored, he said.

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

Topics Carriers Catastrophe USA Louisiana Climate Change Hurricane Swiss Re
Dogs remain the undisputed champions at generating insurance claims, while deer, birds and cats are contributing their share of mayhem as well. But according to a review of 470,000 insurance claims over five years by Allianz Global & Specialty, bedbugs are a growing liability keeping insurers up at night.

According to Allianzs Global Risk Dialogue, animals caused nearly 2% of the 470,000 claims filed over a five-year period and caused $500 million in losses. Bedbug indents, such as bites and infestations, accounted for 8% of those animal claims, generating $2.84 million in losses.

Dog incidents such as bites and scratches made up 30% of animal claims, costing an average of $7,940 each. Deer incidents, particularly collisions with cars, accounted for 17% of animal claims and cost an average of $6,240. Bird incidents also accounted for 17% of animal claims. The vast majority of those claims resulted from collisions with aircraft. Cats caused 8% of the animal claims.

But its the bedbugs that have the global insurer worried. According to Allianzs report, a 2018 survey by the National Pest Management Association found that 97% of the exterminators who responded had treated for bedbugs in the past year, up from only 25% 15 years ago. In the United Kingdom, the number of bedbug incidents has increased every year since 2006 and shows no signs of plateauing, according to Bed Bugs Limited, an extermination company.

Calvin Sugimaya, a risk service specialist for Allianz based in Oregon, said he has seen firsthand how bedbugs  or the fear of bedbugs is a frequency driver. He said deer investigations will often reveal that claimants who thought they were bit by bedbugs were actually bitten by a mosquito or other insect.

But legitimate bedbug claims are filed as well. Sugimaya said he counsels clients to be proactive. They should train maintenance workers to recognize the tell-tale signs of a bedbug infestation: the blood droplets that are left behind. He said businesses also need to have a plan in place to isolate any areas that are infested and an exterminator on retainer who can respond quickly to outbreaks.

Bedbugs are very opportunistic, he said. They can be anywhere and everywhere. They can go for months without a blood meal.

Sugimaya said in the past year, hes also seen a fair share of rattlesnake claims. One of those claims came from a visitor to a campsite who was bitten while walking his dog. The camper did not seek medical treatment, which exacerbated the injury and led to to an expensive settlement. Eventually the manager of the campsite insisted on driving the snake-bitten camper to an emergency room.

Sugimaya said he advises any businesses that have spotted venomous snakes on their property to post warning signs and keep in mind that visitors from other states may not be aware of the danger posed by snakes.

He said his clients in Alaska are very experienced with cautioning visitor about wildlife dangers.

When the moose are out and in rut and the bears are out of hibernation and scouting the area, the resorts put up signs, Sugimaya said.

Topics Trends Claims Allianz
Late last month as crews worked to contain a roaring fire at a Houston-area petrochemical storage facility, the state of Texas did something unheard of, at least in recent memory: It sued the company that operates the site before the blaze was fully extinguished. It did the same thing the same day a chemical fire broke out at another Houston-area plant.

Polluters will be punished, Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted on March 22 after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton  Abbotts successor  announced he had filed suit against Intercontinental Terminals Company, alleging violations of state environmental laws.

In a statement that day, Paxton said the state works hard to maintain good air quality and will hold ITC accountable for the damage it has done to our environment. He also noted that ITC has a history of environmental violations.

Less than two weeks later, Paxtons office on Tuesday sued chemical manufacturer KMCO the same day a fire broke out at its plant in Crosby, killing one worker and critically injuring several others.

Paxtons decision to swiftly file suit over both incidents is a significant departure from the states past approach to environmental enforcement. For one, the state often doesnt sue over such incidents  even bigger, more deadly ones like the 2013 explosion at a fertilizer plant in the Central Texas town of West that killed 15 people, including 12 first responders, and injured 200 (The year after that incident, then-Attorney General Abbott issued a ruling that made it more difficult for the public to know what hazardous chemicals are housed in such facilities).

When the state has taken action in court, it has often been slow to move:

After a 2005 explosion at BPs Texas City refinery killed 15 workers and injured 180, Texas filed suit against the company years later  and only after the federal government had hit the company with tens of millions of dollars in fines.

The state was similarly slow to sue BP after a fire and explosion at its Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig in 2010 killed 11 workers and resulted in what is believed to be the largest marine oil spill in history. Abbott took the company to court three years later after five other Gulf Coast states and a bevy of local communities had already sued.

In 2015, Harris and Fort Bend counties  to Paxtons apparent chagrin  beat the state to the punch in suing Volkswagen after the German automakers admitted use of software that allowed its vehicles to circumvent emissions limits.

And after explosions at another Houston-area chemical plant during Hurricane Harvey, Harris County almost immediately filed a lawsuit against the owner of the facility, Arkema Inc. The state joined the lawsuit months later. It is still pending.

For environmental groups that have long asked the state to crack down on rogue industrial polluters  and who closely track its handling of such incidents  Paxtons swift legal action against ITC and KMCO was a welcome surprise.

I have not found anybody who remembers an instance like this, said Adrian Shelley, the director of the Texas office of Public Citizen and the former longtime head of the Air Alliance Houston.

Its great, said Bob Stokes, president of the Galveston Bay Foundation and former Harris County environmental prosecutor, adding Ive never seen the state file an action on the day of an incident.

Paxtons office referred questions about the lawsuits to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the states environmental enforcement agency, which referred the cases to Paxton. An agency spokesperson said in statement that it has consistently exercised its enforcement authority to protect public health and the environment by referring companies to the Office of the Attorney General for civil enforcement.

TCEQ will continue to hold bad actors accountable for violations of environmental laws, the statement said.

Indeed, TCEQs annual state enforcement reports indicate that the agency refers a few dozen civil cases to the attorney generals office every year that result in tens of millions of dollars in fines, usually after failed attempts to get a company to comply with state laws through administrative enforcement action.

Environmental regulators in Republican-led Texas have long been up front that their approach to environmental enforcement is less about financial or legal punishment and more about coaxing industry into compliance with state and federal regulations. State records show that the most common approach to environmental enforcement is through a far less transparent administrative process, where companies often negotiate lower fines that are handed down through enforcement orders months or even years later.

And Paxton and Abbott have made more headlines going after environmental regulators than environmental offenders, filing dozens of lawsuits against the Obama-era U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. So the sudden change in the states enforcement approach also has raised suspicions.

On Wednesday, the progressive group Lone Star Project sent out a news release that accused Paxton of having ulterior motives  even going so far as to call him Chemical Ken  claiming that his swift action was fueled by a desire to preempt local environmental prosecutors, who the group argues would pursue larger penalties against the companies  and would receive a cut of those penalties if they won in court.

Paxton can now act as a friendly plaintiff who is only technically in opposition to the companies, the release said. He can agree to a settlement with a relatively small fine and little or no safety reforms.

The Harris County Attorneys office has long employed a team of aggressive environmental prosecutors, who filed their own suits against ITC and KMCO shortly after the state did. Whether the state lawsuits will override Harris Countys isnt clear, said Rock Owens, the countys chief environmental prosecutor.

But if Paxton does attempt to preempt Harris Countys lawsuit, we intend to challenge him, he said.

Owens said the county is often motivated to sue companies because it knows the state wont take the lead.

Since at least 2013, state Republican lawmakers have  with mixed results  repeatedly pushed legislation that would limit the ability of Harris County and other local governments to sue over environmental offenses. This session, a bill proposed by state Rep. Greg Bonnen, the brother of House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, would require Paxton to sign off when counties and cities want to hire outside lawyers for environmental cases and allow him to reject those arrangements if his office is already pursuing similar legal action.

Owens said using outside lawyers has been a key tool for his team over the years in major environmental cases  they typically do not get paid unless they win, which can save taxpayer dollars.

Neil Carman of the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club, who worked for a dozen years as an enforcement inspector for TCEQs predecessor agency, said he believes the timing of Paxtons lawsuits has less to do with Harris County and more to do with pressure from state lawmakers  who held hearings this week on the ITC fire  and national media coverage of the incident, which sent a dramatic black plume of smoke billowing over the states largest city.

Carman also said lawsuits are low-hanging fruit for the state because they involve relatively unknown companies that dont have the political clout of the bigger players in the industry.

ITC is not ExxonMobil or Shell Oil, he said. TCEQ wants to show its aggressive in enforcement when its not.

This story originally appeared in The Texas Tribune: https://www.texastribune.org/2019/04/05/texas-attorney-general-ken-paxton-quickly-sue-industrial-polluters/.

The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans  and engages with them  about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

Topics Lawsuits Texas Legislation Pollution Chemicals
The North Carolina Department of Insurance announced multiple fraud enforcement actions during the month of March 2019.

Insurance fraud costs American consumers approximately $80 billion dollars a year. According to North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey, fraud costs North Carolinians between 15 and 20 cents of every dollar paid on insurance premiums  and its getting worse.

Insurance fraud affects our economy. Not only does it damage insurance companies, it cheats businesses and consumers too, Causey said. This kind of white-collar crime is unacceptable. Thats why Ive doubled the number of Special Agents to investigate insurance fraud. Cracking down on fraud will put more money in the pockets of businesses and consumers.

Details of the incidents, as reported by NCDOI, are as follows:

Mooresville Man Charged with Insurance Fraud

Darren Jacob Surratt, 35, of Mooresville, N.C., was arrested and charged with insurance fraud and obtaining property by false pretense, both felonies, according to a March 8 statement from the North Carolina Department of Insurance.

Special Agents with the Department of Insurances Criminal Investigations Division accuse Surratt of taking out an automobile insurance policy with Permanent General Assurance Corp. just hours after having an auto accident on Jan. 7, and then filing an insurance claim for payment three days later.

According to the arrest warrant, Surratt also received $419.89 from the insurance company for payment for a rental car after filing the fraudulent insurance claim.

Special Agents, along with Mooresville police, arrested Surratt on March 4. He was released on an unsecured bond pending an April 4 date in Davidson County District Court.

Fletcher Man Accused of Filing False Stolen Vehicle Claim

James Anthony Bowman, 36, of Fletcher, N.C., was charged with insurance fraud and obtaining property by false pretense, both felonies, according to a March 8 statement from NCDOI.

According to the arrest warrant, Bowman falsely reported to National General Insurance Co. that his Lexus ES 350 was stolen. The insurance company provided Bowman with a rental vehicle and a $9,710 settlement as a result of the claim, the warrant says.

The offenses occurred on July 1, 2018.

Special Agents with the Department of Insurances Criminal Investigations Division, along with Buncombe County deputies, arrested Bowman on Feb. 11. He was released on a written promise to appear in court.

Greensboro Man Accused of Filing Claim with 2 Insurers

Taekwon Connor, 42, of Greensboro was charged with insurance fraud and obtaining property by false pretense, both felonies, according to a March 8 statement from Causey.

Special Agents with the Department of Insurances Criminal Investigations Division accuse Connor of filing a claim with N.C. Farm Bureau Insurance for damages to his 2011 Infiniti that had been previously paid for by Nationwide Insurance.

The offenses occurred between May 14, 2018, and July 19, 2018.

Special Agents along with State Highway Patrol troopers arrested Connor on Feb. 10. He was released on a written promise to appear in court.

Waxhaw Woman Arrested for False Claim with GEICO

Tianda Patrice Tuft, 37, Waxhaw, N.C., was charged with insurance fraud and attempting to obtain property by false pretense, both felonies, Causey said in a statement on March 8.

Special Agents with the NCDOI Criminal Investigations Division accuse Tuft of filing a claim with Geico Insurance Co. for damage to a vehicle while knowing that the damage was from a previous claim with a different insurance company.

According to the criminal summons, the offenses occurred between Nov. 5, 2018, and Jan. 2, 2019.

Special Agents, along with Union County deputies, served Tuft with a criminal summons on Feb. 18. She is scheduled to appear in court in Union County on March 14.

High Point Man Accused of Filing Duplicate Claim with Allstate

Jamarus Jaquis Hamilton, 25, of High Point, N.C., was arrested and charged with felony insurance fraud, NCDOI said in a statement on March 8.

Special Agents with the Department of Insurances Criminal Investigations Division accuse Hamilton of filing a claim with Allstate Insurance for damages to a 2006 Dodge Charger on July 15, 2018, knowing that a claim had been filed with the insurance company for the same damages on June 21, 2018.

Hamilton was arrested on Feb. 20. He was given a $500 secured bond.

High Point Man Accused of Scamming Progressive

Jason Lee Hinson, 46, of High Point, N.C., was charged with felony insurance fraud, NCDOI reported on March 8.

Special Agents with the Department of Insurances Criminal Investigations Division accuse Hinson of providing false information relating to an auto policy claim with Progressive Insurance.

According to a criminal summons. Hinsons vehicle was damaged at 6:39 a.m. on Aug. 2, 2018. He renewed a canceled policy with Progressive later that morning, at 10:14 a.m., and filed a damage claim on Aug. 8, 2018.

Special Agents and Guilford County deputies served Hinson with a criminal summons on Feb. 25. He was scheduled to be in Guilford County District Court on March 11.

Yadkin County Woman Accused of Renters Insurance Fraud

Shawntel Gonzalez, 29, of Jonesville, N.C., charged with felony insurance fraud, Causey said in a statement March 12.

According to the arrest warrant, Gonzalez provided Assurant Insurance Co. with a fraudulent lease as a part of an insurance liability claim involving a structure fire.

The offense occurred between Oct. 18, 2018, and Dec. 18, 2018.

Special Agents with NCDOI Criminal Investigations Division and Yadkin County deputies arrested Gonzalez on March 8. She was given a $1,500 secured bond pending a March 20 appearance in Yadkin County District Court.

N.C. Volunteer Fire Chief Convicted of Insurance Fraud, Embezzlement

A former Johnston County volunteer fire chief was convicted March 13 after filing fraudulent insurance claims for fire department equipment and given probation and ordered to repay more than $23,000 he took, Causey said in a statement.

Kenan Wayne Kearney, 45, of Four Oaks, N.C., pleaded guilty in Johnston County Superior Court to six felony counts of insurance fraud, seven counts of felony embezzlement, and 12 counts of felony obtaining property by false pretense. Kearney was the former chief of the Blackmans Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department.

Superior Court Judge Tanya T. Wallace gave Kearney a six to 17-month suspended sentence on the condition that he pay $23,841 in restitution, court costs, and submit to 36 months of supervised probation. Kearney was also ordered not to hold a position of trust or a position to handle funds and to notify the state fire marshal within 14 days of being employed with a fire department.

This is a sad day for the dedicated volunteer firefighters in Johnston County because Mr. Kearney held a position of trust with them, Causey said. But its also a good day, because justice has been served, and the fire department and insurance company will be reimbursed for their losses.

According to court documents, Kearney turned in claims for four portable radios, a portable air pack, and a thermal imaging device, falsely saying that they were either lost or damaged between 2013 and 2017.

Charlotte Man Charged with Felony for Fraudulently Obtaining Auto Policy

Terrell Deon-Ellis Johnson, 41, of Charlotte, N.C., was charged with a felony for attempting to obtain property by false pretense, NCDOI said in a statement March 20.

Special Agents with the NCDOI Insurances Criminal Investigations Division accuse Johnson of obtaining an auto insurance policy from National General Insurance Co. the afternoon of Dec. 12, 2018, after his vehicle had been involved in an accident earlier that morning.

According to a criminal summons, Johnson filed a claim for $10,498 with the insurance company on Dec. 13, 2018, saying that the accident occurred at 7 p.m. the previous day.

Johnson was served with a criminal summons on March 11 and given an April 8 date in Mecklenburg County District Court.

Denver Woman Accused of Insurance Fraud Involving Lapsed Policy

Madalena Carroll Nisi, 52, of Denver, N.C., was charged with felony insurance fraud, according to a March 20 statement from NCDOI.

According to a criminal summons, Nisis vehicle was involved in a wreck on Nov. 30, 2018, at approximately 12:37 p.m. She called Geico at 12:50 p.m. that day to reinstate her lapsed coverage, the summons says.

Special Agents with the Department of Insurances Criminal Investigations Division say Nisi then filed a claim with the insurance company, saying the wreck occurred at 1 p.m. on that date.

Little was served with a criminal summons on March 13 and ordered to appear in Lincoln County District Court on April 5.

Castle Hayne Woman Accused of Falsely Reporting Accident to Nationwide

Jeneva Powell, 25, of 578 Island Creek Road, Castle Hayne was arrested and charged with felony insurance fraud, according to a March 28 statement from NCDOI.

Special Agents with the NCDOIs Criminal Investigations Division accuse Powell of falsely reporting to Nationwide Insurance Co. the details of how damage occurred to her SUV when, in fact, the damage was the result of an argument between Powell and her boyfriend.

According to the arrest warrant, the offense occurred on Nov. 1, 2018.

Powell was arrested on March 14. An Onslow County magistrate gave Powell a $2,800 unsecured bond.

Greensboro Woman Charged with Filing False Claim to Progressive

Madalena Carroll Nisi, 52, of Denver, N.C., was charged with felony insurance fraud, Causey reported March 28.

According to a criminal summons, Porter filed a false claim to Progressive Casualty Insurance Co. about rear-end damage to her 2015 Nissan Sentra.

The offense occurred between July 10, 2018, and March 11, 2019.

Special Agents with NCDOIs Criminal Investigations Division served Porter with a criminal summons on March 15. She is due in Guilford County District Court on April 15.

Topics Carriers Trends Agencies Auto Claims Fraud Abuse Molestation Property North Carolina
Two bills seeking to change the way Florida surplus lines business is handled are currently working their way through the Florida State Legislature and advocates say the potential laws could bring much needed efficiency to the states surplus lines market.

The bills  Senate 538 and House Bill 387  propose small changes with potentially large effects on Florida surplus lines agents. The bills were introduced by Senator Jeff Brandes, R- St. Petersburg, and Representative Colleen Burton, R-Florida, respectively.

Both of these bills would update the current process applicable to surplus lines agents in the state statute and waive a requirement for filing certain affidavits with the Florida Surplus Lines Service Office (FSLSO) on a quarterly basis. They would also delete wording placing limitations on the amount that Florida surplus lines agents are allowed to charge on a per policy basis, while still providing that such fees are disclosed separately from the premium charged.

Currently, Florida law places a cap on the per policy fee amount in surplus lines business transactions. The current Florida statue reads: [A] reasonable per-policy fee, not to exceed $35, may be charged by the filing surplus lines agent for each policy certified for export. If these bills are passed by the legislature, the $35 limit will be removed and will only require the fee charged to be reasonable.

This change will bring Florida in line with the other states in the top five of surplus lines premium volume, which according to the Insurance Information Institute are: 1. California, 2. Texas, 3. Florida, 4. New York, 5. Illinois. Surplus lines agents will be able to seek increased compensation for their efforts on behalf of Florida policyholders when seeking coverage, giving agents the ability to establish the value of the service they provide to insureds. But, in keeping with statute, the value will still have to be communicated clearly, and shown separately from premiums charged by surplus lines carriers.

While not as readily evident, the other change these bills are attempting to enact could have a great impact in allowing surplus lines markets to work in the state. Florida currently requires that affidavits quarterly filed to the state include efforts to place risk with admitted companies before placing risks elsewhere. By removing this requirement, surplus lines agents can seek coverage from non-admitted markets doing business in the state without having to first seek coverage for the same risks with admitted companies.

This change to the state law will give surplus lines agents more flexibility when placing coverage for their clients.

On risks that are currently subject to these diligent effort reporting requirements, surplus agents must seek the approval of multiple admitted companies and be denied before proceeding with non-admitted carriers.

Opponents of these bills are critical of these changes, saying that by reducing the diligent effort requirement agents will be exposing their insureds to carriers with less stringent regulations. However, admitted carriers should find it beneficial to not review risks largely outside of their appetite, solely to meet procedural requirements.

The proposed changes should also decrease underwriting costs and enable the admitted carriers to better serve the insureds they seek to indemnify. Additionally, surplus lines agents will be able to cover many of the non-standard risks typical to the state of Florida with greater ease, necessary due to Floridas always-changing legal environment and large amount of coastal property.

In particular, these bills could help insureds with one risk in particular  flood. Removing the diligent effort requirements would promote growth in the market of private flood insurance solutions, allowing Floridians to seek coverage away from the NFIP. Policyholders should find it beneficial to seek tailored coverage, while also avoiding some of the uncertainty surrounding the continued funding of the NFIP during the recent government shutdowns.

Surplus lines insurance is a safety valve for some of the most exciting and economically beneficial businesses in our state, yet it has been operating under 1980s-style regulations, said Florida Surplus Lines Association (FSLA) President Erin OLeary of Shelly, Middlebrooks & OLeary, Inc. in Jacksonville, Fla. Were grateful to see lawmakers prioritizing updates that will increase efficiency and reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens.

Because both the Senate and House have drafted these bills, it is clear the Florida Legislature is taking the needs of Floridians in the changing market seriously. The House bill was voted forward almost unanimously on March 27 and sent to the Senate for review. Though progress seemed to have stalled on the Senates bill in March, the Senate Appropriates Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment and General Government put SB538 and HB387 on their April 9 meeting agenda.

It remains to be seen if the Senate will pick up the bill passed by their colleagues in the House, or if they will continue forward with their own bill and complete a finalized version during the reconciliation process.

In either case, it is clear that these changes are a priority for the state legislature in this years session, and surplus lines agents should look forward to the updates and anticipate how to work with these changes in the near future.

Topics Trends Agencies Legislation Florida Excess Surplus Abuse Molestation Market
A judge on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Florida sheriff whom Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended after accusing him of failing to prevent the Parkland school shooting.

Broward Circuit Judge David Haimes ruled that DeSantis executive order removing Scott Israel from his position as Broward County sheriff was consistent with the Florida Constitution. The judge didnt assess the merits of the specific allegations against Israel.

DeSantis, who suspended Israel from his elected position in January and appointed an acting sheriff, accused Israel of neglect of duty and incompetence. The governor has said Israel displayed poor leadership and failed to keep families and children safe before and during the Feb. 14, 2018, shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 17 people dead.

I am pleased that the court recognizes my authority as governor to suspend a public official for reasons of neglect of duty and incompetence, DeSantis said in a prepared statement. Now, I will ask the Senate to move forward with the process of the formal removal of Scott Israel. Broward County deserves professional law enforcement leadership that will safeguard the best interests of the community and work diligently for the protection of life.

Israel has said DeSantis overstepped his constitutional authority and interfered with the publics right to determine their elected official. His attorney said theyre appealing Thursdays decision.

The governors disagreement with Sheriff Israels decisions is not a basis to remove him from office, attorney Benedict Kuehne said in a prepared statement. Only the voters of Broward County, who overwhelmingly elected Scott Israel as sheriff, should have the authority to decide who is their elected sheriff. The Fourth District Court of Appeal will be asked to decide this important constitutional question.

The Florida Legislature, which must approve DeSantis decision to suspend Israel, is reviewing the matter. The Senate president has appointed a special master to preside over a hearing on the suspension. Senate President Bill Galvano previously said the Senate would wait for Israels court proceedings to play out first.

Before the shooting, Israel had changed his departments policy to say deputies may confront shooters, instead of shall. Critics say that gave eight deputies an excuse for not confronting the gunman during the shooting.

Several parents of slain students had pushed the newly elected Republican governor to remove Israel, a Democrat. Calls for Israels ouster began shortly after the shooting when it was revealed that the deputy assigned to guard the school, Scot Peterson, had not gone into the building to confront the shooter, but took cover outside.

The pressure increased after it was learned the sheriffs office received and disregarded a call in 2016 and another in 2017 warning that suspect Nikolas Cruz, now 20, was a potential school shooter. Deputies also had about 20 contacts with Cruz as a juvenile  mostly over arguments with his now-deceased mother.

Israel has said none of those contacts warranted an arrest. Law enforcement members of the state commission investigating the shooting have agreed with that conclusion.

Cruz remains jailed, charged with 17 counts of first-degree murder. He has offered to plead guilty if prosecutors take the death penalty off the table. Prosecutors have refused.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Legislation Florida Education
Lobbyists for the property/casualty insurance industry are trying to prevent a $125 million jump in the state of Washingtons insurance premium tax that would fund wildfire prevention and suppression.

The tax would affect home, auto and business insurance in an action that would be unfair to consumers, argues the American Property Casualty Insurers Association, the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies and the Northwest Insurance Council.

The groups claim that Washingtons existing premium tax  a 2 percent tax on all insurance premiums paid ultimately by consumers  currently generates $1.4 billion in revenue to help fund state government programs and services, including fire services and agencies.

Taxes on insurance companies and our customers are contributing to support the state budget  including efforts to train wildland firefighters, prevent loss and improve forest health  and insurance consumers are doing their part to protect the investment they make in their homes, vehicles and businesses when they buy insurance, said APCIAs State Government Relations Vice President Mark Sektnan. Improving forest health and protecting wildlands and communities is a societal good, and should be a priority shared by all taxpayers, not just insurance consumers.

SB 5996, introduced the same week as House and Senate Democrats proposed a $54 billion two-year state budget, would impose an additional .52 percent exclusively on all lines of property/casualty insurance, on top of the existing 2 percent insurance premium tax, the lobbying groups said. Revenue from the tax increase would go into a newly-established Wildfire Prevention and Suppression Account to add funding for the state Department of Natural Resources and other state agencies including the military department, the state parks department and the Washington State Patrol.

Supporters argue the money is needed to pay for wildfire suppression and prevention, as part of a 10-year plan to reduce wildfire risk.

The insurance lobbyists insist that carriers arent disputing whether such programs are needed or valuable. Instead, they worry that that legislators are replacing funds currently available in the states general fund budget  paid for by all taxpayers  with funds that will come from a single source: insurance premiums paid by P&C insurance policyholders.

NAMIC Senior Regional Vice President Christian Rataj argued in prepared remarks that the proposed legislation amounted to a hidden tax on insurance consumers for matters that are or should be addressed in the states taxing system.

As proposed, the 25 percent tax increase will apply to not just personal or commercial property insurance, the insurance lobbying groups argue. SB 5996 would increase the tax on all P&C lines including home, auto, commercial property, business owners liability, medical malpractice, inland marine, construction contractor liability, municipal and school district excess liability, umbrella policies, even insurance for mobile phones.

In addition to the states existing 2 percent premium tax, P&C insurance companies also pay a .125 percent (one-eighth of one percent) premium tax surcharge that fully funds the operation and staff of Washingtons Office of Insurance Commissioner.

NWIC President Kenton Brine, whose members include Washington-domiciled insurers, warned that the tax increase would put Washington-based insurers at a competitive disadvantage to out-of-state companies as they compete for business in neighboring states and lower-tax states across the country.

SB 5996 was scheduled for a public hearing in the state Senate Ways and Means Committee on Monday, April 8. At the hearing, insurance agents and companies, along with some of the states major employer industries, were to testify against the tax increase, urging legislators instead to use existing revenues, which include $1.4 billion in taxes paid by insurance companies and insurance consumers.

Topics Carriers Catastrophe Natural Disasters Legislation Wildfire Washington Property Property Casualty
Dr. Laura Anderson, 64, a neurosurgeon from Carmichael, Calif., has been charged with multiple counts of medical insurance fraud, workers compensation fraud, and grand theft after allegedly submitting over $500,000 in fraudulent medical services reimbursement claims to the State Compensation Insurance Fund.

Dr. Anderson was arrested on Monday and booked on these charges at the Sacramento County Jail. She was released on bail and is scheduled to appear in Sacramento County Superior Court 8 on April 18 for arraignment.

From 2013 to 2018, Anderson allegedly orchestrated a fraudulent scheme of billing State Fund for medical services she never provided her patients and upcoding of bills to illegally obtain a greater payout from the insurer.

The case was investigated by the Northern Impact Workers Compensation Insurance Fraud Task Force comprised of investigators and attorneys from the California Department of Insurance, El Dorado County District Attorneys Office, Yolo County District Attorneys Office, Nevada County District Attorneys Office, Placer County District Attorneys Office, Sacramento County District Attorneys Office and the state Franchise Tax Board.

A Deputy District Attorney from El Dorado County has been cross-designated to prosecute the case in Sacramento County, where it has been filed.

Topics California Workers' Compensation Fraud Abuse Molestation
Trumbull, CTApril 9, 2019  TMC and Crossfire Media today announced the 21st iteration of IoT Evolution Conference & Expo is accepting speaking proposals through June 29th. The event will take place February 12-14, 2020 at the Greater Ft. Lauderdale/Broward Country Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. IoT Evolution is squarely focused on the enterprise and how IoT solutions will impact operations, business intelligence, new product development and revenue generation.

Through collocated events, Industrial IoT Conference, Intelligent Edge Expo and The Smart City Event, attendees will gain practical skills that they can take back to the office. The in-depth conference program will showcase real life case studies that delve into the growing disciplines of blockchain, Digital Twin, Smart Buildings, Data Analytics, Edge, Security, Transportation, Fleet management, SD-IoT and more.

The next phase of the industry is arriving, said Ken Briodagh, Editorial Director, IoT Evolution. The Thinking IoT, as were calling it, is being designed to leverage sensors and Big Data to create truly intelligent analytical models that will allow AI and machine Learning systems to move toward a more connected, automated world. With IoT Evolution 202, we will be examining these processes as they are gaining maturity in the Intelligent Edge, Industrial IoT, and Smart City. Submit your proposal now and join us on the faculty of the most future-looking IoT show in the world.

For full details and to submit a proposal, please visit the call for papers section of the website. For questions, please contact Ken Briodagh. Please submit your speaking request by May 1, 2019 on the following topics or provide a topic of your own choosing.

General IoT Topics/Sessions

IoT Gateways

AI, Machine Learning and making IoT Aware

IoT Deployments with platforms and APIs

Managing IoT between IT and OT

Blockchain

Software Defined IoT

Industrial IoT Topics/Sessions

Smart Manufacturing: Beyond Downtime

IIoT Security: AI and Machine Learning beyond identification

Industrial Smart City: Infrastructure

How Machine Learning Makes IIoT Smart

The Smart Building for Facilities Managers

Digital Twin: Uses, Advantages, Implications

The Smart City Event Topics/Sessions

Smart City Systems

Public/Private Partnerships for SS Success

How Smart Cities Will Leverage the Edge

What the Smart City can Learn from Smart Building

5G and smart city rollouts

Managing Regulatory compliance

Intelligent Edge Expo Topics/Sessions

Edge Intelligence

How Smart is the Edge

Intelligent Edge of the Smart City

Security at the Edge

Connected Transportation: The Truly Mobile Edge

Intelligent Systems Design from Edge to Edge

Open Source Topics/Sessions

Open Source Platforms for IoT

Coding Open Source Operating Systems

Connectivity: Open Source Networks

Security for Open Source IoT

Registration for IoT Evolution Expo is now open. For more information, contact Scott Kargman. For media registration, contact Jessica Seabrook. Companies interested in exhibiting, sponsorship or advertising packages should contact Dave Rodriguez at 203.852.6800 ext. 146 or Maureen Gambino 203-852-6800 x 109.

For the latest IoT Evolution Expo news, updates and information, follow the event on Twitter at @IoTEvolution.

About TMC

Through education, industry news, live events and social influence, global buyers rely on TMC's content-driven marketplaces to make purchase decisions and navigate markets. As a result, leading technology vendors turn to TMC for unparalleled branding, thought leadership and lead generation opportunities. Our in-person and online events deliver unmatched visibility and sales prospects for all participants. Through our custom lead generation programs, we provide clients with an ongoing stream of leads that turn into sales opportunities and build databases. Additionally, we bolster brand reputations with the millions of impressions from display advertising on our news sites and newsletters. Making TMC a 360-degree marketing solution, we offer comprehensive event and road show management services and custom content creation with expertly ghost-crafted blogs, press releases, articles and marketing collateral to help with SEO, branding, and overall marketing efforts. For more information about TMC and to learn how we can help you reach your marketing goals, please visit www.tmcnet.com and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, @tmcnet .

About Crossfire Media

Crossfire Media is an integrated marketing company with a core focus on future trends in technology. We service communities of interest with conferences, tradeshows, webinars and newsletters. Crossfire Media has a partnership with Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC) to produce events and websites related to disruptive technologies. Crossfire Media is a division of Crossfire Consulting, a full service Information Technology company based in New York.

Media and Analyst Contact:

Jessica Seabrook

Marketing Director

203.852.6800 ext.170

[email protected]

Edited by Ken Briodagh
The Central Bank has pressed UK investment funds selling into Ireland not to market products here or in the rest of the EU after Brexit, warning they could be breaking the law by doing so.

The regulator has written to 53 UK mutual funds, known as UCITS, warning them they will lose the right to sell access to their funds in Ireland and the EU after the UK becomes a so-called third country outside the bloc.

The Central Bank also forewarned them that its a criminal offence for an unauthorised firm to provide financial services in Ireland, and asked for details of any Irish investors in relevant funds by April 12.

Europe is seeking to ensure that it will continue to have oversight of asset managers, and regulators have warned that letterbox entities, nominally based in Europe but managed from abroad, will not be tolerated.

The financial regulator, here, has consistently said so-called brass-plate operations arent welcome.

Firms authorised in Ireland must be run from there, the regulator insists.

The 53 funds had all previously informed the Central Bank it intended to market its units to Irish investors under EU rules, the regulator said.

The letter informed the funds they will lose their right to market units in other member states of the EU including Ireland when the UK exits the bloc.

Meanwhile, the London Stock Exchange  via its Turquoise trading platform  is pressing ahead with plans to shift trading of European stocks to its newly minted Amsterdam operation as Brexit negotiations go down to the wire.

If the UK leaves the EU without a deal on April 12, European shares will trade in Amsterdam, Turquoise said.

Meanwhile, UK, Swiss, and US shares will remain in London.

But in a twist, the LSE said it would re-introduce European shares to its London exchange later this year without giving any further detail.

Negotiations on whether the UKs rules are equivalent to the EU are ongoing. Because of that, exchanges have established non-UK EU-based venues to ensure continued cross-border services between the EU and UK.

Currency and equity markets are leaving London in preparation for Brexit.

CME Group said it will move its foreign-exchange forwards and swaps venue, which has trading volumes of about 13.3bn a day, from London to Amsterdam.

- Bloomberg
Europe needs to decide on a digital tax and should lead the way if there is insufficient consensus globally, the EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager, has said.

There is still disagreement among EU members over how to implement a so-called Gafa tax  named after Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon  to ensure that the global internet giants pay a fair share of taxes on their massive business operations in Europe.

France has been driving hard for such a tax.

However, at a meeting of EU finance meetings over the weekend, Sweden, Finland, Ireland, and Denmark blocked a draft EU-wide Gafa tax proposal, officials said.

We are becoming an increasingly digital world and it will be a huge problem if we do not find a way to raise (digital) taxes, Ms Vestager told France Inter radio.

Ms Vestager  who is widely talked about as a candidate for the European Commission presidency when Jean-Claude Junckers term expires in November  said European countries first needed a deal which could lead to a EU-wide harmonised tax.

The best thing is a global solution. But if we want to obtain results in a reasonable period of time, Europe must take the lead, the commissioner said.

Lawmakers in Frances National Assembly, Frances lower house of parliament, have this week begun debating a draft national Gafa tax law.

The bill proposes a 3% tax on digital advertising and other revenues of technology firms with worldwide revenues of more than 750m.

Ms Vestager, a former Danish economy minister, has a high profile in Brussels for attacking tax avoidance and monopoly powers among US multinationals.

Asked if she was interested in the commission presidency, she said: I take a lot of interest in the future of Europe. My point is that before we decide on any kind of new face for the commission, we really need to know what we want to do.

She hasnt announced a public bid for the job, but if she does she would likely need the backing of French President Emmanuel Macron.

Internet giants are coming under increasing pressure from regulators globally.

- Reuters
Western Europes biggest oil producer is, seemingly, falling out of love with oil.

To the dismay of the nations powerful oil industry and its worker unions, Norways opposition Labour Party has decided to withdraw its support for oil exploration offshore of the sensitive Lofoten Islands in Norways Arctic, creating a solid majority in parliament to keep the area off limits for drilling.

The dramatic shift by Norways biggest party is a significant blow to the support the oil industry has enjoyed, and could signal that the Scandinavian nation is coming closer to the end of an era that made it one of the worlds most affluent.

Oil companies led by state-controlled Equinor, the biggest Norwegian producer, have said that gaining access to Lofoten is key if the country wants to maintain production as resources are being depleted.

Estimates suggest that there could be 1bn-to-3bn barrels off the archipelago, which is also considered a natural wonder.

The whole industry is surprised and disappointed, said Karl Eirik Schjott-Pedersen, head of the Norwegian Oil and Gas Association. It doesnt provide the predictability we depend on.

Yet, Labours decision wasnt a big surprise. Norwegians are starting to question their biggest export and source of wealth amid growing concerns over climate change. Even some oil executives had already given up on Lofoten, which has been kept off limits for years, thanks to political compromises.

However, the battle will now likely move on to whether drilling should continue in the Barents Sea.

The oil industry also fears that Labour now could be willing  or forced  to compromise on other issues the next time it takes the reins of government, such as petroleum taxes and an attractive exploration refund for companies that arent profitable.

Labour leader Jonas Gahr Store said his party will continue to be a supporter of the oil industry and to back the existing tax system.

Yet, Mr Gahr last week also said he wants oil companies in Norway to commit to a deadline for making operations completely emissions free, an ambition the countrys top oil lobbyist called very demanding.

Norways biggest oil union, Industry Energy, a long-time ally of Labour, lashed out at the partys new stance on Lofoten, which was adopted less than two years after an internal party compromise on the issue.

It creates imbalances in the policy discussions for an industry thats dependent on a long-term perspective and we cant accept that, said Frode Alfheim, the unions leader.

- Bloomberg
Just hours before pledging support for his successor, the Bishop Emeritus of Cork and Ross was visiting the sick in Cork University Hospital, supporting, among others, a man from West Cork who had lost several fingers in a horrific lawnmower accident.

And while Dr John Buckley said he hopes to continue from time to time his hospital visits to comfort and console patients, he will "move quietly" through the diocese and help his successor where he can after retirement.

But he said he will be very busy over the coming weeks with confirmations across the diocese before his successor, Fr Fintan Gavin, is ordained within four months.

"My plans for the future? To help Bishop Fintan. He will need support and advice in different ways and I will be delighted to help him," Bishop Buckley said.

But as he approaches his 80th birthday, he said: "There is such a thing as the durability of the human frame. I will move quietly and maybe help out in parishes with whatever ideas Bishop Fintan might have."

Bishop Buckley was ordained in 1965 and was appointed the third bishop of the 1958-formed Diocese of Cork and Ross by the Holy See on December 19, 1997. He was installed on February 8, 1998.

He said he enjoyed serving in one of the country's largest dioceses - 68 parishes with an estimated 222,000 Catholics.

"One of my greatest joys was the enrichment contact with people brought into my life," he said.

"People were very supportive and very positive. They carry crosses in life. Our job is to support people as they travel through life."

But vocations have plummeted with the number of priests in active ministry in the diocese down from around 150 to between 75 and 80 since his ordination, and mass attendances down too.

Priests in parishes are working under considerable constraints as regards personnel because of the decline in vocations.

"I am constantly saying to communities that the responsibility for promoting vocations partly devolves on the community.

"What parish today can be without a priest when the doctor says there is no more I can do.

"In hospitals, I find the first man they will send for, young and old, is the priest.

"That's our job - to encourage people.

"And yes, there is a decline in church attendance, a pronounced decline, but we are all trying to encourage people in so far as possible. They all have an affiliation to the church.

There are huge numbers at Christmas, huge numbers attending for the ashes on Ash Wednesday. Deep down they have this gift of faith all the time.

"They may not be regular church-goers but Pope Francis has said, reach out to them all, go to the peripheries and that what I tried to do, go out to the peripheries."

He recalled how his practice of visiting hospitals began following his appointment as chaplain to Sarsfield Court and how the story of a teenager from Ballingeary, Michael Twomey, who required heart surgery, has stayed with him over the years.

He said he contacted the boy just hours before the operation but that he died later that night during the operation.

"Our job is to support people, in every way, bringing the good news to people," he said.

Among the highlights of his time in the Diocese was his own ordination as Bishop and his celebration of Jack Lynch's requiem Mass at the North Cathedral, at the request of the former Taoiseach's widow, Maureen.

"The way the people turned out that day to celebrate Jack Lynch's life, the popularity of the man, the love for Jack Lynch, the way his name lives on - that would have been a highlight," he said.
A pensioner with a "heart of gold" who has a special relationship with Malta after he donated a historic Naval crest to the country is fighting for his life after being knocked down while holidaying in the resort town of Sliema.

David Cooley, 67, from Youghal, Co Cork arrived in Malta with his wife Margaret and another couple last Thursday night.

He was hit by a car as he walked on a path outside a restaurant just hours after he landed in the island.

The former Cork County Council employee is in a coma and fighting for his life.

The family of the father of three have flown to Malta to be at his bedside.

It is understood the driver of a Mercedes smart control lost control of his vehicle.

Media reports in Malta indicate that the 30-year-old driver of the car failed a breathalyser test. No arrests have been made.

A spokesperson for the Cooley family has described the accident as being "horrendous."

"He is a big soft man with a heart of gold. He loved his job and has a special relationship with Malta.

"They only arrived earlier that day and had gone out for something to eat when it happened.

Everyone in Youghal knows David. He has been involved in everything. Things like the Tidy Towns. He is a big character. A positive, lovely person. It is hard to believe this has happened to him.

David has a special fondness for Malta after he unearthed a historical Naval crest which lay in Irish homes for over sixty years with the owners unaware of its significance to the island.

A Youghal based inspector of fisheries had the crest in his garage for 25 years.

Several years ago he passed it to David Cooley who was then a member of Cork County Council's outdoor staff.

A collector of memorabilia David asked a historian to research its history.

It was discovered that the crest represented the Maltese heritage site, Fort St Angelo which was one of only two such forts categorised as "stone frigates' by the British.

The LE James Joyce, returned the crest in 2016 whilst operating from Malta during a humanitarian rescue operation.

Mr Cooley formally handed over the crest to Fort Angelo museum curator, Mathew Balzan,in a ceremony on board the Naval ship.

Made of solid bronze casting and still mounted on its base the crest was created either during or shortly before World War II.

It was first unearthed in an antique drawer chest brought from England to south Tipperary by a returning emigrant. The item gathered dust for 20 years.

It then came into the hands of the fisheries inspector who kept it in his garage for over two decades. He then passed it on to David Cooley who returned it to its rightful home.

The Department of Foreign Affairs is aware of the accident in Malta and is providing consular assistance to the Cooley family. The Cooley family are appealing for privacy in the coming days.
A new study says a hard Brexit could add to the population pressures in Dublin, with a potential population increase of 150,000

The figures would put further pressure on the housing market.
Flying Tiger Copenhagen stores are recalling a children's train set over safety concerns.

Parents are being advised to keep the toy away from children as it contains a small part which may cause them to choke.

The voluntary recall of the product known as "train cart wood with magnet mix" only affects those with the item number 3010874 and batch code 211693.

Approximately 3,293 units have been sold onto the Irish market since November 2018.

It can be returned to any Flying Tiger Copenhagen store for a full refund.
Plans to double the number of community police in Cork will provide gardai with the capacity to saturate antisocial blackspots with high-visibility patrols.

The pledge came from senior gardai who outlined the aims and benefits of a radical Garda restructuring programme which is being piloted in the Cork City Garda Division.

The divisional policing model (DPM) was among the recommendations of the Garda Inspectorates Changing Policing in Ireland report. It identified a range of problems with the current district model of policing where the local superintendent has full responsibility for a wide range of policing activity in his or her geographical area.

The DPM, which is being piloted in the Dublin Metropolitan Region South Central, Cork City, Galway and Mayo, will see superintendent duties reassigned, administrative functions centralised, and a greater reliance on civilian staff to free up gardai for frontline duties.

Chief Supt Barry McPolin told members of the Cork City joint policing committee yesterday that a new community policing strategy is planned as part of the overhaul.

It will see an additional two sergeants and 22 gardai being appointed to the existing 20-strong community policing unit to bring its strength to four sergeants and 40 gardai spread across the divisions four districts.

Barry McPolin: Changes will free up gardai for frontline work.

They will be assigned to garda stations in Mayfield, Gurranabraher, Anglesea St and Togher over the coming months.

There are also plans to establish, for the first time, a dedicated event management unit as part of roads policing to oversee the policing of large sporting, concert and cultural events in the city.

Chief Supt McPolin said that the restructuring would ultimately free up gardai for frontline policing duties.

He also said gardai have finalised a plan to open Carrigaline Garda Station during office hours within the next two weeks.

It follows an assessment of policing in the area on the back of several incidents of antisocial activity and minor assaults in the town over recent weekends.

Gangs of teenagers hanging around have been blamed for the activity.
Tributes have been paid to the heartbeat of Trocaire, Sally ONeill Sanchez, who was killed in a car crash in Guatemala.

The Tyrone woman joined Trocaire in 1978 and dedicated her life to working with the poor, the marginalised, and victims of human rights abuses. She retired from Trocaire in April 2015 after 37 years of service.

Ms ONeill Sanchez worked primarily on Trocaire projects in Latin America, but she was also involved in providing famine relief in Ethiopia in the mid-1980s. She established Trocaires programme in Somalia in the early 1990s in response to a famine there.

Prior to her retirement, she was Trocaires head of region for Latin America, based in Honduras.

In recognition of her career, Ms ONeill Sanchez was awarded the Hugh OFlaherty Humanitarian Award in 2011. She was also appointed by President Higgins as a member of the high level panel for the Presidential Distinguished Award for the Irish Abroad in 2012.

Trocaire CEO Caoimhe de Barra expressed profound shock and devastation at the news.

We are heartbroken by this news, she said.

Sally was the heartbeat of Trocaire for almost 40 years. She was a truly remarkable person.

Trocaire was only five years old when Sally joined. Sally built the foundations of the organisation. She embodied our values and through her courage and commitment to human rights, touched the lives of so many people.

I was with Sally last week in Guatemala. Despite having officially retired, she remained a driving force for human rights in Central America. Her drive, passion and commitment was as strong as ever.

Sally was much beloved by communities and human rights activists throughout Central America.

She dedicated her life to improving the lives of others.

Her legacy will live on through the thousands of people whose lives she helped to improve, she said.

Tanaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney described Ms ONeill Sanchez as a remarkable woman who made a tremendous contribution to Irish society and to disadvantaged communities across the world.

She presented the best of what it is to be Irish, working tirelessly to empower those impacted by poverty and injustice, he said.
The Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTS) said they are aware of a report of the alleged use of a laser pointed at the crew of the Shannon based Rescue 115 helicopter.

The incident is understood to have occurred on Thursday evening of last week.

Rescue 115, which had earlier left its base at Shannon Airport, was hovering over the River Shannon in Limerick city searching for a female casualty reported in the water when a laser was allegedly pointed towards the aircrafts cockpit.

A laser beam can refract through tiny abrasions on the exterior of the cockpit windscreen and thereby illuminate the entire flight deck. Shining a laser light at an aeroplane can have serious consequences on the safety of a flight, making it difficult for pilots to navigate.

When contacted, a DTTS spokesman confirmed the helicopter crew was stood down after the callout was deemed to be a hoax and that it,does not comment on incidents involving lasers out of concern it might lead to copycat incidents.

A member of a voluntary search group who responded to the river after hearing the helicopter, later wrote on Facebook:

As most of Limerick would have heard, Coast Guard helicopter 115 was over the river tonight as emergency services rushed to search for a reported person seen entering the water, as the search went on, 115 was stood down as certain individuals in the apartments overhead were shining lasers at 115, endangering the crew...

Searching is hard enough, without idiots like this making the task more hazardous. Nothing was found, and search was eventually called off.

The Department A source in the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTS), said they were aware of a report of a laser been pointed at the crew of the Shannon-based Rescue 115 helicopter, however they said the department does not comment on incidents involving lasers out of concern it might lead to copycat incidents.

Rescue 115, which had earlier left its base at Shannon Airport, was hovering over the River Shannon in Limerick city searching for a female casualty reported in the water when a laser was allegedly pointed towards the aircrafts cockpit.

When contacted, a DTTS spokesman confirmed the helicopter crew was stood down after the callout was deemed to be a hoax.

A member of a voluntary search group who responded to the river after hearing the helicopter, later wrote on Facebook: As most of Limerick would have heard, Coast Guard helicopter 115 was over the river tonight as emergency services rushed to search for a reported person seen entering the water, as the search went on, 115 was stood down as certain individuals in the apartments overhead were shining lasers at 115, endangering the crew..

Searching is hard enough, without idiots like this making the task more hazardous. Nothing was found, and search was eventually called off.

Niamh Fitzpatricks sister captain Dara Fitzgerald and three other crew members, died in an unrelated matter, on board the Rescue 116 Coast Guard helicopter which crashed off the coast of Mayo. Niamh Fitzpatrick said that people needed to ask themselves:

Given that it brings a safety concern for aircraft, would you honestly aim that laser at the helicopter if you knew that it was heading out on a mission to rescue your loved one? Your brother, sister, friend?

Would you continue that behaviour if your own mother or father was a member of the crew on board the helicopter? Or do you simply view it that these crews are random people who you don't know, so it doesn't impact you if there's an accident?

Local voluntary and professional emergency services sources have recently criticised people taking photographs and and engaging in rubbernecking during emergencies on the river.

In 2014 the State Airports (Shannon Group) Act made it illegal to aim laser pens at aircraft. As of August 26 2016, there were 31 reports of lasers deliberately pointed at aircraft in Irish airspace.

Since the legislation was introduced, there has been a significant decrease in the number of laser incidents reported by Irish pilots in Irish airspace to Irish Air Traffic Control.

Gardai have been asked if they are investigating the latest alleged incident in Limerick.

- Additional reporting by Sarah Slater
Nearly 60% of Irish parents don't know the recommended amount of daily exercise for their children, and 89% blame technology for stopping their kids from being active.

A survey of 1,000 parents for Kellogs GAA Cul Camps - also found that 1 in 5 parents can't afford to have their kids involved in sport.
The Catholic Bishop-elect of Cork and Ross has pledged to reach out to people with a message of hope.

Against the backdrop of ageing priests and declining Mass attendance figures, Fr Fintan Gavin, 53, said he is looking forward to getting to know the diocese, to listening to people and approaching and embracing the various challenges in a realistic and honest way.

The chancellor of the Archdiocese of Dublin was speaking in Cork after his appointment as the new Bishop of Cork and Ross, by Pope Francis. The appointment was announced from the altar of the Cathedral of Saint Mary and Saint Anne on the northside of the city by the apostolic nuncio to Ireland, Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo. It was announced simultaneously in the Vatican.

Fr Gavin, who succeeds Bishop John Buckley, 79, who was installed in February 1998 and who announced his retirement just over four years ago, will be ordained bishop within the next four months.

I met the papal nuncio just two weeks ago, said Bishop-elect Gavin.

I thought it was about other business and he began the conversation talking about other things and then he moved on to the question  he said Pope Francis would like me to take on new responsibilities and with that he said that hed like me to be Bishop of Cork and Ross.



It was something that came as a huge surprise. It wasnt part of my plan, but its part of Gods plan.

There are an estimated 75-80 priests in active ministry across the dioceses 68 parishes about half the number when Bishop Buckley was ordained. Bishop-elect Gavin said that poses challenges.

But the Gospel is the same. We just have to find new ways of bringing that Gospel, bringing energy and enthusiasm, we have something really important to offer people and well just have to find new ways of doing that, he said.

Reaching out to young people, in particular, will be one of his priorities as the Church will have to find new ways of connecting to their experience, their reality, he added.

They are the future of the Church and we have to find ways of dialoguing with them so that they feel part of the Church and they feel an important part of, and listened to by the Church, he said.

The papal nuncio described Bishop Buckley as a good man and paid tribute to his human touch.

And he thanked people for their patience as his successor was chosen. Its not easy in these times to find a priest and also to correspond to the yearning of the Holy Father because he is the one who makes the appointment, he said.

Fr Fintan Galvin, the incoming bishop, with apostolic nuncio Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo and Bishop John Buckley, during the announcement from the Altar. Picture: Jim Coughlan

He studies every detail and he wants it his own way. And the people of Cork are very good, they are demanding, they want the best  which is good  so we had to look for the best for them.

Asked what qualities the Pope saw in Fr Gavin, the papal nuncio said: You will live with him [Bishop-elect Gavin], you will challenge him, you will walk with him, you will love him and he will love you and then you will discover him much more than I do.

Archbishop Eamon Martin, president of the Irish Catholic Bishops Conference, congratulated the bishop-elect whom he described as a gentle, friendly pastor, and a hardworking priest and canon lawyer.

Paul Colton, the Church of Ireland Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, who also offered his congratulations, said he has worked with Bishop-elect Gavin in a number of pastoral contexts over the years.

I look forward to working with the new Bishop in the years ahead and to supporting him in his induction to all things Cork, he said.

He also paid tribute to Bishop Emeritus John Buckley.

I have seen at first hand, in our work alongside one another over the past 20 years, his untiring work as Bishop, as well as the empathy and warmth of his pastoral work in our community, he said.

I have found it deeply enriching to work and pray with him, and to have his friendship.

Bishop John Buckley, Fr Fintan Galvin, Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo with local school children in Corks North Cathedral. Picture: Jim Coughlan

Speaking after the Mass, Bishop Buckley joked it is a great honour for a Dublin man to be promoted to the real capital. We always think down here that there are only two categories of people in Ireland  Cork people and those who wish they were Cork people. You have now obtained your wish thanks to Pope Francis, he said.

He spoke of the dioceses contribution to the missions and said it and its priests face challenges.

Cork and Ross is an extensive diocese, encom passing a large city, ever-growing suburbs, large towns, rural parishes, islands, educational establishments, prison, hospitals and, for 40-years, a faraway mission in Peru and Ecuador, he said.

The demands on the priests, therefore, have been varied and challenging.

There was always a willing manpower to fulfil whatever duties were demanded to provide for the spiritual care of the people.
A new law to name and shame companies with a poor record of equal pay for female staff has been introduced by the Government, five years after being asked to do so by the European Commission.

Justice and Equality Minister Charlie Flanagan and Minister of State David Stanton, with responsibility for equality, yesterday announced the publication of the Gender Pay Gap Information Bill which has been presented to the Dail.

Under the Bill, Mr Flanagan will make regulations obliging employers to publish information relating to their gender pay gap.

The provision will apply initially in firms of 250 or more employees with the threshold reducing to 50 when the legislation is fully operational.

The requirement will apply in the private and public sectors and the Bill also provides that employers must set out the measures, if any, they are taking to eliminate or reduce any pay gap.

The aim of this Bill is to provide transparency on the gender pay gap, the minister said.

I believe firms which can report a low or non-existent pay gap will be at an advantage in recruiting future employees and I hope mandatory reporting will incentivise employers to take measures to address the issue insofar as they can.

"Measures such as those included in the Bill have been taken in a number of other countries and, indeed, EU member states were encouraged to take such measures in an EU Commission Recommendation of 2014."

The detailed information that must be published under the ministerial regulations includes the mean and median gap in hourly pay between men and women; the mean and median gap in bonus pay between men and women; the mean and median gap in hourly pay of part-time male and female employees; the percentage of men and of women who received bonuses and benefits-in-kind.

The regulations may also require the publication of information on employees on temporary contracts, the percentage of employees in each of the four pay quartiles who are men and who are women and the publication of information by reference to job classifications.

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) is given power to apply to the Circuit Court for an order requiring a person to comply with the regulations while an individual employee may make a complaint to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) which will be given the power to make a compliance order against the employer.

This Bill is one element in a substantial programme of work by Government to promote gender equality, all within the framework of the National Strategy for Women and Girls, said Mr Stanton.

Noting the extensive consultation carried out by the department, he said the Bill reflects the feedback received to the greatest extent possible.

As regards enforcement, Mr Stanton may appoint designated officers to investigate how employers prepare the information for publication to ensure its accuracy.

Designated officers will have powers to enter premises, obtain information, and require employers to provide information.
The Government says there is still no plan for the border area in the event of Britain potentially crashing out of the EU this Friday.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar also said his preference overall is for Britain to remain in the EU and that there is still a chance of Westminster supporting a second referendum. But Ireland must respect its vote to leave, he said. He was speaking ahead of travelling to Brussels for an EU leaders' summit on Brexit.

A Government spokesman this evening confirmed there was still no plan in place to protect the EU's single market if there is a no-deal by the Brexit deadline of 11pm on Friday.

Both the Government and EU figures maintain that in the event of a no-deal, there will still be a twin responsibility to protect peace in Ireland and the EU's economic borders. But there is no plan yet.

The Government spokesman also said that a plan for a no deal will be determined by the scenario we find ourselves in and a lot would depend on what they [the UK] would come to the table with. This could potentially include a standstill agreement after a no-deal Brexit, the spokesman admitted.

Cabinet today discussed other no-deal measures - including allowing citizens in the North access medical card facilities and third-level courses under the Erasmus programme in the EU.

The Government also said there were 40,000 views of its Brexit website in the last week, as businesses are encouraged to register with Revenue to trade with Britain post-Brexit.

In the Dail, Mr Varadkar was quizzed about a series of talks with EU leaders this week, including a phone call with British prime minister, Theresa May, ahead of the summit.

He said he hopes that cross-party talks in Britain between Conservatives and Labour will lead to a deal to back the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, but that Ireland is open to an extension: The talks in London are likely to require some time. It would be damaging for everyone if the UK were to crash out of the EU without a deal on 12 April.

Asked about his preference, the Taoiseach also told the Dail: The optimal outcome in my mind for Ireland, and for Europe and the UK, would be for the United Kingdom to remain. However, we have to respect their democracy and their referendum. They voted to leave.

We also have to respect the fact that Parliament voted not to have a second referendum. That may change but it is none of our business really.

We have to respect the decisions of their Parliament and their people in a referendum. In the absence of an option to remain, the withdrawal agreement is the best outcome for us and I think it can be achieved.
Latest: Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has played down concerns about the highest hospital trolley numbers this year amid warnings patients are fearful of attending emergency units.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald raised the hospital overcrowding crisis and noted the 'black status' declared at Cork University Hospital (CUH) last week when the facility was at maximum capacity and could not admit more patients.

She highlighted how a Bandon GP had described how an 84-year-old female patient refused to be admitted to the emergency department at CUH, saying 'I'd rather die at home than be in there'.

Ms McDonald said: She [the GP] said that particular patient's response is not unique and that many other patients have expressed similar fears. These are patients who need to be in hospital but are unwilling to attend A and E.

Claiming it was a "scandalous situation", she also highlighted the case of an elderly man who had fallen in Skibbereen and was left lying on a pavement for almost two hours for an ambulance.

Such situations exemplified the crisis, she said, citing the trolley numbers for 2019 recorded yesterday.

While the Taoiseach refused to discuss personal cases, he questioned Ms McDonald's mention of the hospital trolley statistics.

He said:

I never like to reduce statistics, because it isn't like statistics, it is about people."

Nonetheless, Mr Varadkar went on to play down the high trolley figures It is not higher than it was last year or the year before that, the year before that or the year before that. It is always possible to pull out record highs and record lows.

He also noted the HSE had recorded the first three months of this year as having the lowest trolley figures in five years.

Earlier (2:03pm): Over 631 patients on trolleys; highest level in 2019

By Evelyn Ring

There were 631 admitted patients waiting for beds today, the highest ever this year, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.

INMO general secretary, Phil Ni Sheaghdha, said they were seeing overcrowding in nearly every acute hospital.

There were over 10 hospitals with more than 30 patients on trolleys today. This is a failure by any measure, she said.

Ms Ni Sheaghdha said such overcrowding caused problems for patients care and staff conditions.

Our members face a daily ordeal of endemic staffing shortages and a constant cycle of burnout. Investment in safe staffing levels is absolutely crucial to reforming the health service for staff and for patient safety.

According to the INMO, 465 admitted patients were waiting for beds in emergency departments, while 166 were in wards elsewhere in the hospital.

The worst-hit hospitals were:-

University Hospital Limerick  55.

Sligo Univesity Hospital  50.

Cork University Hospital  42.

The numbers come after the highest total of patients waiting on trolleys was recorded at University Hospital Limerick last week.

The hospital is the most consistently overcrowded in the country. It saw a 17-bed ward closed over two weeks ago, and local representatives say the issue is now at crisis point.

Patient advocate, Stephen McMahon, said he was very concerned about the impact of hospital overcrowding on patient safety and quality.

Mr McMahon, who is co-founder and chairman of the Irish Patients Association is also worried about the effects on staff who have to work in such stressful conditions.

It is a crisis and with the number of admitted patients on trolleys continuing to increase so we are not through the worst of it yet, he said.

According to the INMO, the highest trolley figure reached last year was 714 on March 12, surpassing the second highest figure of the year  677 on January 3 (2018).

Fianna Fail health spokesman Stephen Donnelly said: "We have the second lowest number of beds per capita in Europe.

"What we're seeing is crisis after crisis after crisis, and ultimately it's the patients who suffer, their families suffer, and it's putting our doctors, nurses and midwives in an impossible situation.

"They're trying to provide a service that the Government is making it harder and harder for them to provide."

Labour Party health spokesman Alan Kelly described the issue as unacceptable.

"We are now near the middle of April, the worst of the winter flu crisis is over, but yet 631 people are on trolleys today," he said.

"It is a sad state of affairs that these types of figures are not shocking people any more.

"The INMO has not recorded a day where there have been less than 250 people on trolleys. We should not have to accept these kind of figures as the new normal.

"Excessive trolley numbers like these are not acceptable to patients, their families or those who have to work in these conditions.
Renowned soprano Cara OSullivan has been presented with the inaugural Cork Culture Award.

Ms OSullivan, who has been diagnosed with what friends say is a life-changing illness, was joined by a small gathering of close family and friends at Cork's City Hall recently for a very personal and intimate presentation ceremony.

The award itself was designed and produced by Eleanor Cahalane of Cork Craft and Design and features the Reiki symbol of power.

Lord Mayor, Cllr Mick Finn, says he wanted to create, during his term as Lord Mayor, an award to recognise citizens specifically for their contribution to the arts and to the artistic life of the city.

He said he chose Ms OSullivan as the inaugural recipient of the new award in recognition of her glittering career, and to mark her outstanding contribution to the artistic and cultural life of the city over several years.

His proposal to honour Ms O'Sullivan received unanimous approval from the members of Cork City Council earlier this year.

Cara is a superstar and the fact that concerts in celebration of her career sold out in days is a testament to just how much Cork and Irish people love her," he said.

From Sundays Well to Sydney Opera House, Cara has entertained music lovers all over the world and this award from Cork City Council celebrates her achievements.

Cara and her fellow sopranos, Majella Cullagh and Mary Hegarty, treated the gathering to a medley of their favourite operatic arias.

Meanwhile, preparations are well advanced for the first of a series of sell-out fundraising concerts in Ms OSullivans honour this weekend.

Cork Opera House will stage, Cara: A Celebration, on Sunday night to celebrate her remarkable singing career.

The gala concert will be led by Ms Cullagh and Ms Hegarty, and will feature a host of special guests, supported by a 50-piece orchestra conducted by John OBrien and Conor Palliser.

The show will be staged in the City Hall concert hall the following night. A similar show is due to be staged in Dublin soon.

Ms O'Sullivan is one of the best-known and loved performers to come from Cork. She has performed in opera houses and on concert stages all over the world.

Friends involved in the organisation of the fundraising concerts say they have been overwhelmed by the public response since news of her illness was made public, and by the demand for tickets as the music community unites to honour and say thank you to her.
A Youghal man with a heart of gold is in critical condition in Malta after he was hit by a car while on holiday with his wife.

David Cooley, 67, had only just arrived on the island from a late evening flight from Cork last Thursday when he was hit by the car as he crossed the road to a restaurant.

The father of three adult daughters was with his wife Margaret and friends at the time of the incident and is now in an induced coma at a Maltese hospital.

A spokesperson for the family said they are taking it day by day, but that Mr Cooley is in an induced coma and is in a critical, but stable condition.

Mr Cooley recently retired from his position with Cork County Council, a role for which he was well known in the town.

His retirement was marked by local radio station CRY FM.

Enjoy your work and help out anyone you can help out, especially the older people, he told the station when asked what advice he would have for his successor.

The family spokesperson said Mr Cooley had dreaded retirement as he loved his job so much: He has a heart of gold, and would do anything for anyone, he was very well-known out and about in Youghal.

Hed be the sort who would meet someone when out, collect their tablets from chemists and drop them over to them, that was the kind of guy he is.

"He is a big man with a big heart and this is heartbreaking for his family who are having a very difficult time."

The spokesperson confirmed that the family is receiving consular assistance: They are appealing for privacy, but appreciate the support theyve received."

Mr Cooley has a special relationship with Malta, since he uncovered a historic naval crest from the island that had been in Irish homes for more than 60 years.

In 2016 this newspaper reported how the crest from the Maltese heritage site Fort St Angelo was given to Mr Cooley - an avid memorabilia collector - and he then had its history researched.

It was subsequently discovered that it came from Fort St Angelo, a fixture that is about 1,000 years old and served as a British garrison from 1800 to 1979.

The crest was later handed over to a Maltese museum by the Irish Navy.
Boeings 737 MAX fleet has been grounded by airlines around the world for the last three weeks. First flown commercially in 2017, the 737 MAX is the fourth generation of Boeings 737 series and it is actually not unusual for new aircraft to go through technical issues in the early years of operation. Both Airbus A380 airliner and Boeings Dreamliner were grounded in the past due to technical problems (the A380 had engine trouble in 2010 and the Dreamliner had battery issues in 2014). But the current situation is different on several fronts and could prove costly for Boeing.

First, the scale of the problem is much larger. Only a handful of A380s and Dreamliners were in operation at the time their problems surfaced. Boeing has already delivered nearly 400 of its 737 MAX series aircraft and has orders for about 5,000 more. This is a lot compared to rival Airbus, which has delivered just 234 A380 aircraft since 2007, and the 1,400 orders of Boeings Dreamliner since 2004 (around 800 have been delivered already).

Second, previous cases did not involve fatal crashes  although there have been a couple of serious incidents, such as Qantas flight 32 in 2010. In that case, the Qantas planes A380 aircraft suffered engine failure but nobody was hurt in the emergency landing that ensued.

The crash of Ethiopians Airlines Flight 302, however, which led to the grounding of 737 MAX planes around the world, killed 157 people. The Lion Air 737 MAX that crashed in October 2018, and which reports indicate had similar issues to the Ethiopian Airlines tragedy, killed 189 people.

A Lion Air 737 MAX crashed in October 2018. Gusti Fikri Izzudin Noor / flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

Now serious questions are being asked of Boeings software and the automated flight control feature that investigators suspect caused the two fatal crashes. Boeing has promised a software fix for this, but its roll out is delayed and airlines around the world are keeping their 737 MAX planes grounded.

Costly situation

This is a costly situation for the airlines. If we assume that an airline operating in the US uses its 737 MAX aircraft for three round trips a day and carries 145 passengers on an average flight, we can estimate some of the losses involved.

According to the US Department of Transportation, the average airfare in the US is US$343.28. Under the assumption that this is for a round trip, a 737 MAX aircraft will generate around US$150,000 of revenue for the airline per day. Of course, about 10-15% of this is taxes, but then the US transport department data does not account for any revenues the airlines may get for ancillaries such as checked luggage.

Southwest Airlines  the largest 737 MAX operator in the US  currently has 34 of these aircraft grounded. This means that a day of all these planes not flying might be costing the airline as much as US$5m in lost revenue.

e cbc f o. Bill Abbott / flickr, CC BY-SA

For all the 737 MAX planes now grounded, the total revenue airlines are losing per day might be close to US$60m. And these calculations only account for the potential lost revenue  airlines are bound to bear additional costs associated with the mitigation planning involved, rescheduling, and potential longer-term loss of business due to routes being suspended as a result.

Of course, the US$60m figure above is to be viewed with caution. It may not be entirely appropriate to extrapolate the figures for the US market to calculate a number for the rest of the world, and at best one tenth of the above amount is profit. Nevertheless, we can easily foresee Boeing facing lawsuits from the airlines amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars, should the planes remain grounded for any extensive time period. There is no international convention to limit the amount of liability that aircraft manufacturers may face if they are found to be at fault.

A manageable amount?

Hundreds of millions of dollars may seem like a manageable amount for a company that earned US$10.5 billion profit in 2018 alone. But longer term costs to Boeing due to lost business will likely be in the billions of dollars. For instance, the order of 50 planes, which was cancelled by Indonesian airline Garuda was worth US$4.9 billion.

Garuda have cancelled a big Boeing 737 MAX order. Christian Juncker / flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

Boeings long-term viability as a manufacturer is not really in doubt, however. Airbus forecasts that the global commercial aviation industry will require 37,400 new aircraft over the next 20 years  and Airbus cannot build all of those planes alone. Even with the entry of Comac  the nascent Chinese aircraft manufacturer  there will still be a lot of market left for Boeing, which currently shares the market for narrow body aircraft nearly equally with Airbus.

The US manufacturer will no doubt learn lessons from all this. The 737 MAX disasters may remain a dark spot in Boeings history, and a cautionary tale for the future. But ultimately, it is impossible to put a price on the lives of the 346 victims of the two recent crashes, as well as the pain and suffering inflicted on their loved ones.

This article was written by Volodymyr Bilotkach of Newcastle University and was originally published on The Conversation This article is republished from theconversation.com under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here.
In four reports, they havent made a single finding of fact. We knew more about what happened in that foster home before this inquiry than we do now, writes Fergus Finlay.

THIS newspaper, at the end of 2015 and the start of 2016, first highlighted a case of abuse in the South-East of Ireland. The abuse had continued for 20 years, up to about 2009. It was John McGuinness and John Deasy who used their positions on the Public Accounts Committee to highlight the potential cover-up of that abuse.

I wrote a column here, on January 25, 2016, and suggested that the woman who had been abused (and she had been abused since the time she was a girl) should be given a name. Up to that point, in various official reports, she was called SU1.

I wanted her to be called Grace, as a reflection of her resilience and character. The system agreed, and this brave young woman stopped being labelled.

SU1 is short for service user 1, and the depersonalised way in which Graces case had been examined was a typical example of how inquiries into public failures are conducted without too many people being disturbed.

It was important that people would be disturbed about Grace. She had been placed in private foster care by the HSE.

It wasnt an institution: it was a house, with a family, in a village in the area of the original South Eastern Health Board. The HSE had become so concerned about what was going on in the foster home that they decided no child could be placed there.

READ MORE: Families utterly let down by Grace scandal probe

But they left Grace there, for another twelve years.

We know that the family was approved, by the health authorities, as a short-term provider of holiday respite care. They were never, apparently, approved to be full-time foster carers. They were never supposed to have more than two children at a time.

But in 1985, 14 children were placed with them. In 1986, it was 19 children. In 1987, there were at least 20 children  one child stayed for 10 months.

All the children were placed with the foster family by the former SEHB. Other children came from special schools and services for children with intellectual disability.

In 1989, they took Grace, and kept her for 20 years.

I wrote that, Grace will never expect us to be ashamed. She expects nothing. She has no reason to believe she has any rights at all, any entitlement to our protection. But she has.

She has more rights than most, because thats what were supposed to be about. We think of ourselves as an independent state, proud of our achievements. But if we cant protect Grace, we dont deserve statehood at all.

It emerged, however, that Grace was not alone. Other girls  we still dont know how many  had been abused. Other families had suffered terrible damage by placing their faith in a fostering system that was allowing abuse to happen under its nose.

So, eventually, an inquiry was established. That was in March 2017, but Grace had been placed in the care of the foster home in 1989, nearly thirty years earlier.

There was a botched attempt to confine the terms of reference to only one case, and then, ultimately, an agreement to conduct the inquiry in two phases: The first concentrating on Grace, the second examining what happened to the other children in that home.

But do you know the old saying about justice delayed being justice denied? Or, to put it another way, why did we bother setting up an inquiry at all?

Two years after being established, the inquiry has just published its fourth interim report. I feel a bit like underlining the word fourth and shouting it from the rooftops. Because in four reports, they still havent made a single finding of fact.

We knew more about what happened in that foster home before this inquiry than we do now.

According to the inquiry team, they have done the divil and all: 132 hearings, 101 witnesses, thousands of pages of documentation. Theyre making great progress, they tell us.

But it was a year ago when I read a very disturbing report in this newspaper, written by Daniel McConnell, under the headline, Families utterly let down by Grace scandal probe.

That report, which Ive never seen denied anywhere, talked about how confrontational and adversarial the inquiry team were with family members.

One relative was quoted as saying, We are shocked at how we have been attacked, accused almost of telling mistruths. This was not what we were expecting. It has been horrendous.

This is an inquiry, in its essence, into how a small group of public servants conducted themselves.

What decisions did they make, how did they make them, why did they make them, did they cover them up? You can be sure when it comes to decisions made by public servants that there will be a paper trail.

In that context, why anyone would consider it necessary to conduct hundreds of adversarial hearings and interviews with family members is a complete mystery to me.

But, of course, were not allowed to question inquiries of this sort. Once theyre set up, they, and they alone, decide how to do their business.

But heres the thing. An earlier report, by Judge Yvonne Murphy, took three years to complete.

But that report was about the systematic abuse of children by priests of the Dublin diocese of the Catholic Church, and into the equally systematic cover-up of that abuse by very powerful Church authorities.

Dozens of priests were involved, and hundreds of people had suffered at their hands. The report was unsparing and powerful. It told us everything we needed to know about a complex and corrupt architecture of abuse within the church.

It encompassed three volumes and, according to reports at the time, cost between 3m and 4m to produce.

I HAVE never met Marjorie Farrelly, who has been charged with conducting the inquiry into Grace and into the other children abused in one foster home.

But as far as any of us know, the abuse happened within one home. It seems clear that a small, and known, number of children were abused, not the hundreds identified by the Murphy Inquiry, in Dublin.

It is inexplicable, for all these reasons, that the inquiry has been unable to produce a single finding of fact after two years of work, and, instead, has only left behind a sense of hurt and betrayal among the families of the children who were abused.

Its surely time, isnt it, for some light to be shed on how this inquiry is doing its business behind closed doors.

Interminable interim reports from an inquiry team charged with investigating a terrible injustice, with no end in sight, are themselves a way to perpetuate the injustice.

This inquiry was set up to find the truth. Increasingly, we have to find the truth about how it has failed to get anywhere near the answers we need.

In four reports, they havent made a single finding of fact.

We knew more about what happened in that foster home before this inquiry than we do now.
Those who believed that Donald Trump might not be a good president for America or an inspiring, reliable partner in the alliances that have sustained the West for decades may feel vindicated. Those who opposed the inevitable chaos of Brexit equally so.

Those affirmations, not by any means universal, lead to some reflection and the conclusion that voter apathy played some part in both votes. Once upon a time, the idea of President Trump or Britain quitting the EU seemed so implausible, so counterintuitive that some of those who might have voted against those proposals stayed at home and left the heavy lifting of democracy to others.

Bad call.

However, Trump supporters or Brexiteers can dismiss that argument as wishful thinking, especially in the case of Brexit where 72.2% of those entitled to vote did so. Trumps presidency was endorsed by a process involving 55.5% of Americas voters.

If those figures showed deep dissatisfaction, indeed simmering anger, with the status quo, the turnout in 2014 European elections was so low  42.5%  that it showed a dangerous disconnect.

It was the fabled democratic deficit writ large and a vacuum exacerbated. Europes political equivalents of Trump and Brexit surged; populist and right-wing candidates made considerable gains.

This week, Italys deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, leads a Milan pre-election conference of Europes far-right parties to try to consolidate 2014 gains.

The meeting will be energised by polls from several EU states showing the right surging ahead of what might loosely  but all too accurately  be called the rearguard of social democratic/Christian democratic Europe.

To give that 42.5% figure (2014) context; in our last general election over 65% of those with a vote used it but a fragmented parliament was elected.

This, ironically, added to the loss of faith in politics and must at least fuel apathy if not anger. The significant commitment by so many young Irish people  only 21% of whom voted in the last EU elections  to recent climate protests over government inaction on the crisis suggests the latter.

Unfortunately, there are far too many examples of government inaction or tokenism dressed as policy that justify protest on too many issues, especially those having a negative impact on the lives of younger citizens.

These figures show a trend irrespective of turnout  the right is in the ascendant. In just 44 days Europe goes to the polls and that rightward swing may accelerate. Or it may not.

However, our half-cocked engagement with the issues and the candidates suggest a kind of hopelessness that is unlikely to turn a surging tide.

It is a Nero-fiddles warning that the debate around a boycott of the Eurovision song contest, to be held in Israel a week before the elections, has generated more heat than the EU elections.

That this is happening when Europe needs to be more and more united, more and more as one as a bulwark against growing threats  tech giants imperialism and China are two, the climate crisis is another  is a grave concern.

We were told not so long ago that anger is not a policy but it is the wave the right is riding towards power. By preparing to vote next month, by informing yourself you may help turn that tide. By staying at home you will endorse it.
Six people have died in the capital of Khartoum, the seventh in Darfur, during protests in Sudan..

Those protesting are calling for President Omar al-Bashir to resign. According to CNN, some members of the Sudanese army have moved to protect protesters after security forces attempted to break up the third day of a mass sit-in outside the presidential compound.
Burma Kachin Locals in the Dark Over China-Backed Industrial Zone Plan

People wear traditional costumes and dance during the annual Manaw Festival in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State in northern Myanmar on January 8, 2010. / Reuters

YANGONSince January, residents of Namjim Village northwest of the Kachin State capital Myitkyina have witnessed a number of Chinese workers bustling around the area.

Around 10 kilometers from the village, just across the Namkoi River, Chinese workers have been conducting a ground survey for a project site.

The road connecting Namjim Village to the project site is very rocky and at some points extremely narrow. The location of this project is not near the China-Myanmar border where Chinese investors usually prefer to carry out their investment projects.

Now, however, a Chinese company has announced grand plans to build the massive Myitkyina Economic Development Zone (MEDZ) on approximately 4,700 acres of land along the historic Ledo Road. The Ledo Road was built during World War II to enable the Western allies to deliver supplies to China and thus aid the war effort against Japanese forces. It was an overland connection between Ledo in Indias Assam and Kunming in Chinas Yunnan Province. Experts say China has chosen the area strategically, with an ultimate aim to link it with India as part of its Belt and Road Initiative.

The Yunnan Tengchong Heng Yong Investment Company (YTHIC) and the Myitkyina Economic Development Zone Committee (MEDZC), formed by Kachin State government, are expected to invest a combined total of more than US$400 million in the MEDZ which is to include nearly 500 factories and 5,000 buildings at the project site located 25 kilometers from Myitkyina.

Strategic importance

Currently, Kachin State is home to a number of China-backed investments ranging from hydropower to mining to agriculture. But the MEDZ was one of the lesser-known China-backed projects to be planned for the statethat was until Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Hong Liangs visit to the site area in late December 2018. The Chinese ambassador said the economic zone will be a crucial part of Chinas ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) which is being implemented under the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor agreement. The initiative is President Xis grand vision to create a network of trade routes from China to Europe passing through Central Asia, the Middle East and Russia. Unveiled in 2013, the BRI aims to ultimately encompass nearly 70 countries and two-thirds of the worlds population.

As well as the MEDZ, both Myanmar and China have planned to construct another $5-million economic cooperation zone as part of the BRI plan in Kanpiketi, a town in Kachin States Special Region 1, which is under the control of a militia group called the New Democratic Army-Kachin.

The MEDZ investors signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in May 2018. The Chinese company, YTHYIC, is owned by the Yunnan Baoshan Hengyi Group and Tengchong Border Economic Cooperation Zone, a company based in Baoshan, Yunnan. The formers company chairperson met several ministers in Naypyitaw last year to discuss the construction of the economic development zone in detail.

According to the MoU viewed by the Irrawaddy, both sides will collaborate to draw up a master plan, to calculate the estimate cost, rules and regulations, the share ratio and other framework details based on the project investment procedures. Moreover, YTHIC and the state government have agreed to establish a joint venture company to implement the zone a collaboration between YTHIC and the government-affiliated company. Both sides also agreed that YTHIC would cover expenses such as feasibility studies and the environmental impact assessment (EIA). Later, the joint venture company must pay back all expenses to the YTHIC.

According to the agreement, the joint venture company will obtain a 50-year lease for the land and the government must transfer the land rights within 90 days of the companys formation.

The MoU outlines the responsibilities of the Kachin government, such as the forming of one-stop service facility and related investment organizations for the MEDZ. It is also tasked with getting project permissions from various government departments, following tax procedures and applying for relevant tax exemptions as outlined in the local investment law. Both sides agreed not to disclose information concerning the project to third parties.

The MoU says the Chinese company has full authority to invite third-party investors and that the Kachin State government will not allow any other similar project near Myitkyina during the projects 15-year implementation period.

Kachin Minister U Khet Aung told The Irrawaddy that both sides are currently drawing up the framework agreement for the formation of the joint venture company.

The framework agreement is vital for forming a joint venture company. Both sides are also working on the master plan and feasibility study, he said.

U Khet Aung declined to comment on whether the government has chosen a government-affiliated company to form the company in conjunction with the Chinese company. He also didnt reveal when it will be announced officially.

The Kachin government has proposed for the 15-year implementation period to be reduced to 10 years, while the Chinese company has called for an 80 percent share of the ownership with the Kachin government joint venture company taking the remaining 20 percent. However, according to Kachin States chief minister, as discussions on forming a joint venture company are still ongoing, specific details on the project cannot be revealed yet.

U Khet Aung revealed his willingness to get the project off the ground: I am pushing the related minister to speed up the process, especially the forming of a joint venture company and agreement.

According to the minister, they will apply for permission from the Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) after the master plan is approved by the joint venture company.

Transparency over land-grab issues

When The Irrawaddy visited the project area in the first week of April and spoke to locals, they said they dont know specific information about the project or who the land owners in the project area are.

U Zaw Lwin, a Namjim Village ward administrator, told The Irrawaddy that he also has no information about the project. Yet, he was ordered to deploy police for the security of the Chinese land surveyors security.

The order came from above, he said, referring to the state government.

As more and more Chinese staff are coming into the project area which is being marked out by the surveyors, concerns are rising among localsespecially the owners of land which lies within the project area.

The Irrawaddy learnt that though no one lives in the project area, it has long been planted with crops, rubber trees and other medicinal plants. While a handful of people do have official documents to prove their rights to the land, a majority do not have ownership certificates for land they have been cultivating for generations.

Chinese company workers have been clearing out some areas of the site without [consulting] the owners. They entered our land to measure it without asking us, U Khun Myat Min Aung, told The Irrawaddy. He is the owner of six acres of land in the project area.

Land-grabbing is one the major issues in Kachin State, especially in Waimaw Township across the river from Myitkyina where there is a proliferation of Chinese-operated banana plantations. According to the Kachin State parliament speaker, the parliaments complaints committee received 345 complaints from locals since the NLD took office in the state and 179 of the complaints were over land-grabbing.

Recently, a group of landowners formed a committee in order to negotiate with officials over a particular 650 acres of land in the project area which was originally given by the government to practitioners of traditional medicine for growing medicinal plants. Last year, the state government agreed to give the official rights to farm the land to the famers in those areas. However, though officers have carried out land surveys, the famers havent been given the official documents.

After the project MoU was signed, the local administration department said they would no longer give us the farmland tenure, said U Khun Myat Min Aung.

The local officer said we are just trespassers. The project will be implemented in that area, so we have to leave the land, he said.

A local lawyer, U Gannes Basnez who works with local residents on land issues said, The peoples main concern is that they will lose their land without knowing anything about it.

Despite landowners sending several letters to officials and expressing their concerns, they have not received any replies of information on how the government will handle the compensation process and local resentment towards the project.

U Khun Myat Min Aung has personally sent five request letters to the chief minister and related government departments. His request is for his land not to be included in the project area or for him to be adequately compensated.

They havent replied to my request at all, he said.

Last month, President U Win Myint warned the state government to have transparency and accountability on the projects across Kachin State, saying, It is important to negotiate with the people. People need to know about it [the projects].

Despite the presidents warning, local residents said the government is still silent about further decisions on the project.

We officially sent three letters to the chief minister, but we didnt receive any reply from him, said U Gannes Basnez.

A local resident named Lu Ra said, I didnt know what to do after I heard about the project.

Lu Ras late sister and brother-in-law owned about 8 acres of land in the project areas.

Both died two years ago leaving two children, she said. We cant ask them to stop the project, but the children deserve to get compensation, she added.

Questions prompted

Kachin State Lawmaker U Khin Maung Myint said even local lawmakers have little knowledge about the project.

The agreement was made among a handful of people. Its no wonder that the agreement doesnt represent all local people, said U Khin Maung Myint.

Chief Minister U Khet Aung told The Irrawaddy of his hopes for over 5,000 jobs to be created for locals through the project. However, he refused to comment about the land rights issues, saying that they will be handled by the related departments of the state government.

U Khin Maung Myint said, When it comes to talking about job opportunities, I dont believe locals will get good job opportunities. Chinese companies always employ their own laborers.

He pointed out that Chinese companies operating the controversial banana plantations in Kachin State tend to only employ Chinese workers in supervisor positions and even as truck drivers.

Across Kachin State, negative sentiment has been mounting over Chinese projects following Beijings recent efforts to revive the controversial Myitsone hydropower dam project. In response to a statement released by the Chinese embassy in Yangon on Jan. 13 claiming that Kachin people are not opposed the dam project, three prominent Kachin parties issued a statement the following day, officially calling for the dam project to be cancelled permanently. The statement also said that all industrial projects in the state should not be implemented until peace prevails there.

Gumgrawng Awng Hkam, president of the Kachin Democratic Party, said that an alliance of Kachin parties will oppose the MEDZ if there is no transparency and if it is not supported by the local residents.

Recently, the landowners committee met with the alliance of parties to request Kachin politicians to mediate during the negotiation process with government officials. Moreover, the committee also met with a lawyers association based in Myitkyina for their assistance in legal issues. U Khun Myat Min Aung said the committee plans to send an official request letter for a meeting with the Kachin chief minister at the end of April.

We already tried many times through official channels. If it doesnt work [this time], we have to go out into the street, he said.
Business Quenching Myanmars Thirst for Craft Beer

A fresh glass of Burbrits German Weissen craft beer is poured at the microbrewery on brew day, April 3, 2019. / Aung Kyaw Htet / The Irrawaddy

YANGONOn a hot summer morning at a riverside plot in Yangons North Dagon, a small team of brewers carry sacks of grain imported from Germany on their shoulders to a small mill. Theres a brewer using a wooden paddle to stir the grain in the mashing tank. Its steamy and smelly and there are pressure and temperature gauges everywhere. The hot, gloopy mixture will go through sparging, boiling and fermentation, and malt, yeast and hops will be added in the perfect ratios to create the most deliciously smooth and refreshing craft beer in Myanmar.

This is Burbrit Craft Brewery, which was set up by a small group of enthusiasts in 2016, making history in Myanmar and delighting craft beer-lovers around Yangon. Initially, it took time to convince the local drinking community to pay up to five times more for a fresh, premium beer and outlets in the city and beyond were challenged by the necessity to keep it chilled at all times. But the brewery has defied the odds and gone from strength to strength, opening a flagship taproom close to downtown Yangon in 2017 and producing canned beer to supply 45 outlets right across the country this year.

Last week, The Irrawaddy interviewed three key team members behind Burbrit craft beer  general manager and co-founder Maung Zaw, factory manager Aung Kyaw Myo and marketing manager Zaw Min Aung  to find out what it takes to be successful in a nascent drinks industry and the exciting plans to produce a new line of beers.

Who started Burbrit and why?

Maung Zaw: We have four foundersHtin Lin, myself, Guy Heathers and Win Kyawand the story started like this: Htin and Guy were working for the same company in Singapore and every Friday, Saturday they went to a brewpub named Brewerkz on the riverside drinking craft beer. They frequented the brewpub so much they would joke with each other about one day opening their own microbrewery. At that time, it was just a jokenot very serious. In 2013, myself and Htin came back to Myanmar and we got very serious about setting up a microbrewery and the others started pushing for us to buy a brewing license.

In 2014 we applied for the brewing license but it was very difficult because at the time it was government policy not to issue any more brewing licenses. We submitted the application without much expectation. In 2015, they replied that our application was rejected. But we didnt want to give up so easily. We changed the application to include that this brewing business would create a lot of jobs and would attract more tourists and we applied again. In 2016 we got the license.

How has the company developed since then?

MZ: Actually, when we started our brewery, our brewing capacity was only 3,000 liters per month. We started with only three flavors. Three or four months later we added three more beer flavors. Now, we are brewing 10 regular beers and two or three seasonal beer flavors. The point is our product line is getting bigger and bigger. That was the first major change.

After that we managed to open the flagship taproom [Burbrit Taproom], because at the time a lot of people complained that North Dagon is very far and its not convenient to come here and have a drink, so we opened the taproom in downtown to make it more accessible for people to come and drink craft beer. Another reason for opening the Taproom is branding, for marketing purposes actually. We wanted to have more visibility.

Recently we started to produce cans, which is very exciting. We expect to shift our cans to many different parts of Myanmar.

Yes, producing Burbrit craft beer in cans has become a game-changer for the customers. How does it change things for the company?

MZ: We are now distributing [canned craft beer] to supermarkets like City Mart, Capital and Orange. And regarding the price, while a bottle of [our] beer was sold for around 6,000 kyats (US$4) in the past, beer drinkers can now buy a can [of it] for 2,500 kyats. Now we can also distribute to places further away. Through there was demand for our beer in Mandalay and Naypyitaw before now, we could not distribute it there. But with the production of beer cans, we can now supply it to many towns including Myeik, Nyaungshwe, Inle and up to Loikaw in Kayah State as well as Mandalay and Naypyitaw.

How does Burbrit defend itself against the dominant beer brands already in the industry?

MZ: Myanmar Beer, Tuborg, Carlsberg and Heineken are targeted at those who want to drink a lot at a cheap price. Our craft beer is an upmarket one. We cant compete with them because the product is of a different nature. We dont have intentions to mass-produce. We dont have a strategy to defend [against their competition]. We will proceed according to our marketing strategy and business plan. We dont intend to compete with them.

What are your ambitions in terms of the international market?

MZ: At this moment, our main focus is in Yangon, so we are doing a lot of marketing so people know our product and start noticing our beers, but we are also trying to find ways to export our beer to neighboring countries. Htin, my business partner, is working on it and we plan to ship our beer cans to Singapore and Thailand. Thats what we are focusing on. We plan to export our beer to India, China and Japan as well. I think it will happen very soon. So yeah, we are trying to get our cans exported to the international market.

Whats the fastest-selling Burbrit beer and why do you think its so popular?

MZ: German Weissen was our fastest-selling beer for the last two years. We introduced Nevada Pale Ale about four months ago and amazingly it has already overtaken all other beer flavors. There is for a few reasonscompared to other beer flavors, the American hops that we use make a hoppy flavor shine through. It is a very outstanding beer. Another reason is the maltiness. Myanmar people are rice-eating people and they like a malty kind of beer flavor. That hoppiness and maltiness, the balance makes it different to the other beers.

What is the Burma Brewers Club?

Zaw Min Aung: The purpose of establishing the Burma Brewers Club is to give the knowledge of brewing in Myanmar, to develop brewing in Myanmar. We are the first to have a craft brewery in Myanmar so we need to educate people because otherwise they wont know what craft beer is or what it tastes like. Thats why we have the Burma Brewers Club. We do demonstrations and give them samples of the special brews, the ones we are not currently selling, other kinds of beer flavors. The idea is that we want to introduce them to many kinds of [beer] flavors and to develop home brewing in Myanmar. Another thing is that we want to give them the message that beer-making is not so difficult.

How does Burbrit craft beer compare to other beers?

Aung Kyaw Myo: Normally, most of the industrial beer brands in the market are different from our product in terms of color and taste. Most of the industrial beers are clear [in color], and have a lot of CO 2 . Their strength is that they have a long shelf life. We dont put much CO 2 in our craft beer. We dont filter them, so our beer is heavier than industrial beer and has a full flavor.

What can craft beer-lovers expect from Burbrit in the future?

MZ: We have plans to produce beer under a different brand name. We are experimenting with beer that can [stay fresh] in air-con temperatures. Our research and development team is working on that at the moment. So hopefully, in four or five months, we will have two beers that will be stable under air-con temperatures. When this new beer is out, hopefully well be able to distribute it to convenience stores in Yangon and further places like Myitkyina, Mandalay, whereveryou name it. At this moment we are selling fresh beer, which must be chilled all the time. The new beer will be more convenient for wholesalers, supermarkets, convenience stores. Thats our next major project were working on.
Asia China's Regions Seek Support as Environmental Compliance Costs Hit

Buildings are seen amid smog on a polluted day on which a blue alert is issued in Beijing, China, on April 2, 2018. / Reuters

SHANGHAIChinas cash-strapped regions are lobbying Beijing to loosen its purse strings to help fight pollution, saying they dont have the funds to meet state policies aimed at fixing the damage done by decades of unrestricted development.

The cost of environmental compliance was a major theme at this months annual session of the National Peoples Congress, where thousands of non-binding recommendations submitted by delegates give an insight into the major preoccupations of legislators.

Beijing has been at pains to stress it will not ease up in the war on pollution launched five years ago by Premier Li Keqiang, even though the economy grew at its slowest rate since 1990 last year.

But with resources tight and controlling debt a priority, many parliamentary delegates called for more spending support from Beijing and a more coordinated approach to keeping pollution in check and the economy on track.

We cannot stop or hinder economic development in order to pursue environmental protection, said delegate Pei Chunliang from central Chinas Henan Province, which has struggled to find new sources of growth.

In some regions the rules of economic development have not been respected, Pei warned in a proposal calling for more support for environmentally friendly firms.

For regions under pressure to meet smog targets or resolve long-standing environmental problems while trying to meet growth targets, immediate relief is seen as essential.

There is a big gap between fiscal revenues and expenditure, said Zhang Leiming, mayor of the city of Pingdingshan in Henan, blaming the economic slowdown and the citys dependence on coal.

Zhang said his city had spent hundreds of billions of yuan to tackle problems like land subsidence, but it was far from enough, and the state needed to establish a giant fund to help resource-dependent cities meet their goals.

Many regions called for state aid to rectify such longstanding pollution problems, with delegates from coal-producing regions like Shanxi lobbying for tax and debt relief.

Other regions are also struggling to implement new directives to prevent agricultural pollution and clean up rivers.

Due to insufficient local financial resources and historical debts, it is difficult to meet the funding requirements, said delegate Yu Huiwen, head of the environment bureau in Sichuan province, which is responsible for protecting the upstream area of the Yangtze.

The finance ministry said in its report to parliament this month that it will allocate 25 billion yuan (US$3.7 billion) to a smog prevention fund this year, a 25 percent increase on 2018, and 30 billion yuan to treat water pollution, up 45 percent.

Environment Minister Li Ganjie, who acknowledged earlier this year that some regions were struggling with the historical burdens of polluting industries, also told a briefing during the parliamentary session that China would provide more support for local governments.

The government was currently studying and preparing to adopt new measures, he said, but added it wasnt just about money, but also policies and technical guidance.

Whatever the difficulties, we will help them find a reasonable solution, he said.
Asia Second Group of Rohingya Muslims Found on Malaysian Beach  Police

Dozens of people, believed to be Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar who were dropped off from a boat are pictured on a beach near Sungai Belati, Perlis, Malaysia on April 8, 2019. / Royal Malaysian Police via Reuters

KUALA LUMPURThirty-seven people believed to be Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar were found on a beach in northern Malaysia on Monday, police said, the latest arrivals in what authorities fear could be a new wave of people smuggling by sea.

Dozens of Rohingya in Myanmar and Bangladesh have boarded boats in recent months to try to reach Malaysia, which had seen a decline in arrivals after a 2015 crackdown on trafficking.

Last month, 35 migrants were found on Sungai Belati beach in the northern state of Perlis.

On Monday, 37 men were detained around the town of Simpang Empat after landing at the same beach in the early morning, state police chief Noor Mushar Mohamad told Reuters.

We believe they were travelling on a much larger boat, before being transferred into smaller boats at sea and taken to different places, he said, adding the men were in good health and have been handed over to immigration officials.

More than 700,000 Rohingya crossed into Bangladesh in 2017 fleeing an army crackdown in Myanmars Rakhine State, according to U.N. agencies.

Myanmar regards Rohingya as illegal migrants from the Indian subcontinent and has confined tens of thousands to sprawling camps in Rakhine since violence swept the area in 2012.

Officials believe the migrants found on Monday are from Myanmar or Bangladesh.

We are still investigating where the boats are coming from, but we suspect human trafficking syndicates are involved, Noor Mushar said.

An outbreak of sectarian violence in Rakhine in 2012 prompted tens of thousands of Rohingya to flee Myanmar by sea. The exodus peaked in 2015, when an estimated 25,000 people fled across the Andaman Sea for Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, many drowning in unsafe and overloaded boats.
Burma Meth Use Rising in Myanmar, Thailand, Southern China: Report

A police officer walks past seized drugs before they are destroyed on the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on June 26, 2016. / The Irrawaddy

YANGON  The use of amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) is on the rise across Myanmar, Thailand and southern China, according to a new report by the Netherlands-based Transnational Institute (TNI).

Methamphetamine use in Myanmar, Thailand and southern China: Assessing Practices, Reducing Harm, launched Monday in Yangon, says ATS use has been on the up across the region for the past decade.

Thats despite what the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime recently said was a drop in the area under poppy cultivation in Myanmar from 41,000 hectares in 2017 to 37,300 hectares last year, continuing a downward trend since 2014 in the worlds second largest opium producer.

TNI says more than a year of research went into its report, including visits to Yangon, Kachin State and Tanintharyi Region.

Trends are quite similar in the areas where we had conducted the research, TNI Myanmar Program researcher Renaud Cachia told The Irrawaddy at the launch.

Methamphetamine is popular and many people use and the availability has become more easier. The prices have either decreased or some places increased. But where they increased, they are small increases and they are quite available, he said.

Depending on the area, the prices of a tablet  also known as WY, yaba or yama  varies from 1,000 kyats to 3,500 kyats, according to TNI.

U Ye Thiha, a member of a drug users network in Shan States Lashio Township, said meth prices in the area have remained stable since 2000.

One WY tablet costs about 500 kyats, but sometimes you can get it at the original price of 300, 400 kyats, he said.

U Ye Thiha said the tablets remain abundant despite the rising number of drug busts.

He said he took meth for several years before joining the network in 2007 to promote harm reduction practices among fellow users.

Nang Hom, who works with the Pa-O Youth Organization in Taunggyi, the capital of Shan State, said meth pills in her area go or as little as 200 kyats.

With easy access to the little pink tablets, she said, even boys as young as 12 and girls in university are trying them.

In March, police seized 10 million meth pills in Rakhine State and Magwe Region worth more than 7 billion kyats ($4.6 million). Last year, an operation led by the Presidents Office netted 211.1 billion kyats ($132 million) worth of meth tablets and crystal meth between June and October.

While methamphetamine tablets are mostly smoked, crystal methamphetamine has a greater potential to be injected and is also a more potent substance. It therefore carries specific health risks that need to be addressed through the lens of public health rather than criminal justice, TNI said in its report.

Researchers and drug policy experts urged the governments to consider creating robust public health approaches to reduce the use of ATS rather than rely on repressive laws.

Cachia said a better understanding of meth use was needed to develop effective interventions that can help reduce the negative consequences of drug uses, help people protect their health and create safer communities.

All of these countries have tried to respond to increasing drug use with ever-more punitive measures, more arrests, more seizures everywhere and very significant increases in the number of arrests and in the number of seizures in Myanmar, but also in Thailand, also in China, in Vietnam  all across the region, he said. The results everywhere were similar, where they have not been successful in curbing the use. So  they should review the strategy.

But in Myanmar, Cachia said, the governments line was about as sophisticated as drugs are bad.

Often we found out that people who use methamphetamine in Myanmar did not have anywhere they could get the information on the products, so they have to learn by experiences, he said. So they started using and then they came to understand what are the benefits, what are the negative consequences, and they became somehow experts with a lot of knowledge. But they have to learn by experience.

There are also social and legal barriers to raising awareness about drug and harm reduction practices, said U Lin Aung Thu, program coordinator for the Asia Harm Reduction Network. The non-government group has been working in Kachin and Shan states and in Sagaing Region on harm reductions awareness, treatment and prevention for more than 15 years.

It is best that people dont use it, U Lin Aung Thu said.

But if they do, he added, and if they are aware of the possible health consequences, they can help protect themselves from infections from HIV and other diseases.
Burma Myanmars Military Chief in Beijing on Goodwill Visit

Myanmar Militarys Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing during his goodwill visit to China in April 2019. / Office of Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services

YANGONMyanmar military chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing is currently in Beijing on a goodwill visit at the invitation of Chinas Central Military Commission and Chief of Joint Staff Gen. Li Zuocheng to hold talks with leaders of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army and tour training schools, factories and other significant places.

The tour came two weeks ahead of Myanmar State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyis visit to the countrys northern neighbor to attend the second Belt and Road forum, which is scheduled to start on April 26. During the meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the State Counselor will likely discuss controversial Chinese projects in Myanmar, including the Myitsone dam and a suspended hydropower project in Kachin State.

During a meeting with religious leaders in Kachin State in February, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing said a final decision on the Myitsone dam would depend on the publics wishes and on Parliament.

This is Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaings fifth visit to China since becoming the commander-in-chief of Myanmars military in 2011.

The military delegation, including Lt-Gen Than Tun Oo, Lt-Gen Soe Htut and senior military officers from the armys Office of the Commander-in-Chief, first left for Kunming on Monday, and has already had a meeting with Yunnan Province Communist Party Secretary Mr. Chen Hao. In the afternoon, the delegation was welcomed to Beijing by officials from the Office for International Military Cooperation of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army.
Burma Natl Human Rights Commission to Probe Irrawaddy Man's Death in Custody

Relatives of U Kyaw Aye meet with the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission on Saturday. / Zaw Yan / Facebook

YANGON  The Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC) says it will investigate the death of an Irrawaddy Region man while in police custody last month.

The body of U Kyaw Aye, 50, a resident of Su Twin Myit Kalay Village in Irrawaddy Regions Wakema Township, was returned to his family six days after he was arrested by three officers from a local police station. The mans sister-in-law, Daw Than Than Moe, filed a complaint with the MNHRC last week.

MNHRC Secretary U Phone Kywe told The Irrawaddy what the commission would begin an investigation on Thursday.

According to Daw Than Than Moe, police arrested U Kyaw Aye on March 21, a day after a village administrator got into a brawl with him and his wife when he intervened in a quarrel the couple was having.

Daw Than Than Moe said he was arrested on a complaint from the administrator by two corporals and a constable from the Nga Pyaw Chaung police station and transferred to the Wakema central police station, where the township court denied him bail.

I was there at the Wakema Township court that day. His face was covered in black and purple bruises so that I could hardly recognize him, Daw Than Than Moe told The Irrawaddy.

She said the family heard nothing from him after that and was informed of his death on the morning of March 27. The family was asked to retrieve his body from the Wakema Peoples Hospital and to open the body bag only at home.

When we opened it, the intestines were outside of the body, his eyes were badly bruised, and his head was also shaved, Daw Than Than Moe said.

We saw the injuries on his legs apparently caused by contact with something hot. His penis was cut off, and his ribs were apparently kicked with boots. He died from brutal torture, she said.

U Kyaw Aye is survived by his paralyzed wife and 8-year-old daughter.

I want effective actions to be taken against the perpetrators including the villager administrator, said Daw Than Than Moe.

U Zaw Yan, a member of a local community-based human rights group helping the family, said his group has filed complaints with the authorities including the office of State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

I am really worried that police have entrenched attitudes that they can crack cases only by beating suspects, he said.

The Wakema central police station could not be reached for comment.

In June, also in Irrawaddy Region, a suspected thief died while in police custody at the Dedaye Township police station. In May, police at the Labutta Township police station in Irrawaddy were demoted after they tortured two suspected burglars.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.
Burma U Shwe Mann Says He Doesnt Visit U Than Shwe Anymore

U Shwe Mann meets reporters at his residence in Naypyitaw on April 8. / Htet Naing Zaw / The Irrawaddy

NAYPYITAWFormer Lower House Speaker U Shwe Mann said he no longer calls on military strongman U Than Shwe, the leader of the military regime that ruled the country from 1998 to 2010.

Speaking to the media at his residence on Monday, the retired general and the third-most-powerful man in the former military regime said in response to The Irrawaddys questions that he is no longer visiting U Than Shwe because it only sets off wild speculation.

At present, we just mind our own business and the relationship is normal. Because of the wild speculation about our social relationship, I dont visit him, he said.

In response to rumors spreading on social media that U Than Shwe had died, he said, As far as I know, he is in good health.

On April 4, the Speaker Journal reported that Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing in February accompanied U Than Shwe to visit the jetty and airport in Coco Islands in Yangon Region.

The Irrawaddy could not independently confirm the report.

While he was serving as Lower House Speaker, U Shwe Mann told reporters in 2013 that U Than Shwe still took an interest in Myanmars political process, though he was no longer directly involved in it.

When the military transferred power to a quasi-civilian government after the 2010 election, U Than Shwe hand-picked ex-general U Thein Sein as the president, U Shwe Mann as the Lower House speaker and Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing as his military successor.

Ex-generals who served in the top positions of the military government, the State Peace and Development Council, live in six mansions numbered from A 1 to A 6 in Naypyitaw. Retired Vice Senior General Maung Aye lives between U Than Shwe and U Shwe Mann, and the three others are owned by retired General U Tin Aung Myint Oo, former president U Thein Sein and former Union Election Commission chairman U Tin Aye.

U Shwe Mann said he still has personal ties with State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi despite the abolition of the Parliaments Legal Affairs and Special Cases Assessment Commission led by him.

He moved to ally himself with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the National League for Democracy, ahead of the 2015 general election, and though he lost his race to an NLD candidate that year, he was appointed by her to head the commission.

When asked by The Irrawaddy if his Union Betterment Party would forge an alliance with the NLD, he said he is willing to cooperate with any party that respects democracy and human rights. His party will be headquartered at his residence, he said.

Having served in the military for 45 years, he is deeply attached to the Tatmadaw, U Shwe Mann said.

There is a need to distinguish between Tatmadaw, the organization and its individual members. Otherwise, national reconciliation cant be achieved, he said.

He also presented the reporters with two books on the role his commission played in the democratization process of Myanmar, and the commissions works over its three years of existence.
Travel A Week in Korea: Barefoot Hiking, a Brush with History and the DMZ Close Up

Tourists pose for photographs near a military fence decorated with ribbons bearing messages wishing for reunification near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas in Paju in February 2019. / Reuters

Climbing mountains is an age-old pastime, but Mt. Gyejok Red Clay Road in Daejeon City, in the central region of South Korea, famously puts a twist on the activity with its barefoot hiking.

The attraction was created by Cho Wung Rae, president of the Mackiss Company, a regional distiller of soju traditional Korean liquor. The idea behind it is indeed simple. Cho got the idea after his first experience of barefoot walking in 2006 while on a normal hike with friends. A woman in his group was tottering on high heels, so he gave her his shoes and walked barefoot on the gravel path. That night, he realized the positive effects of barefoot walking: sound sleep and stress release. He wanted to share his discovery with as many people as possible.

So he began spreading red clay, which is pleasing to the touch and warms the body, over a 14.5-km gravel path.

The trail was one of the site visits during the recent World Journalist Conference, which I attended. The Journalists Association of Korea invited more than 70 journalists from 50 countries to attend the annual international conference in the last week of March.

Upon arriving at the entrance to the red clay road, we received a clean towel to wipe away the sweat and also to clean our feet after walking. Mr. Cho was waiting for us there to join the walk.

If you dont want to walk barefoot on the red clay road, you can walk on the normal road. As walking on the clay road is believed to have health benefits such as preventing and healing diseases and stress relief, I chose to take off my tight shoes and do the barefoot hike.

To keep the red clay in optimum condition and offer visitors maximum healing, tons of red clay are spread on the trail and watered every day. Cho said the cost is covered by his soju companys profits.

A Barefoot Festival is held every May, and the Mackiss Opera holds a Fun Fun Classic Concert every Saturday and Sunday at Mt. Gyejok.

This simple but innovative idea made me think it would be great if the leading business groups in our country offered such contributions to the community. Thats not to say there are no businesspeople in Myanmar giving back to society. But mostly it is in the form of customary donations and other charitable activities. Innovative ideas like the Mt. Gyejok Red Clay Road create enjoyment for the community while boosting their health and connectedness, and increasing their incomes.

At Mt. Gyejok Red Clay Road, what began as a simple idea to share one mans joy with more people has became a famous landmark and eco-healing spot in South Korea, attracting more than 1 million people yearly. It has been selected as one of the Korea Tourism Organizations must-visit tourist spots in from 2015 to 2020.

While visiting heritage and cultural sites and different cities in South Korea during the week, the governments investment in Artificial Intelligence (AI) was visible. In Daejeon, we toured the government-funded Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute.

Daejeons vice mayor for political affairs Park Young Soon said the central government allocated annual budgets for the research institutes, though he declined to provide precise figures.

The democracy-activist-turned-vice mayor told me he is a friend of Min Ko Naing, a well-respected democracy activist and former political prisoner in Myanmar. The vice mayor was also once imprisoned for his political activism.

The modern histories of Korea and Myanmar include similar popular struggles for democracy against dictatorships.

One striking difference, however, is that Korea now has a national cemetery and memorial hall to honor the fallen heroes and those who didnt hesitate to sacrifice during its May 18 democratization movement in 1980, centered in Gwangju City. Those responsible for the massacre also stood trial murder and insurrection.

In Myanmar, despite the push by the 88 generation student leaders who took part in the countrys popular 8888 Uprising in 1988, which ended in a bloody military coup, to establish a history museum, none has been established to date. The current Yangon regional government has agreed to do so and held meetings with the organizing committee for the 8888 museum since 2017. However, they have been unable to reach an agreement regarding land acquisition for the museum.

Our group also got to visit the Independence Hall of Korea in Cheonana Korean history museum focusing on the oppression of Japanese colonial rule and Koreas independence movement. Out of seven indoor exhibition halls there, I got a chance to explore two.

Unlike museums in Myanmar, the exhibition tour is exciting, as it displays not only a collection of historical materials but also interactive displays depicting scenes of how Korean freedom activists were oppressed and tortured featuring sensor-triggered figures, and canned screams of pain, bringing Korean history alive.

The exhibition tells how a human can be cruel and how a human can be strong, a guide from the museum told us.

Being both educational and entertaining, the museums in Korea seem popular among both foreigners and locals. It was crowded even on the Friday when we visited. The old and the young as well as military personnel were seen visiting the museum.

It also served visitors well with a large space, rest areas, food stalls and parking facilities. Visitors can also participate in an audio tour while listening to a detailed audio guide available in English, Chinese and Japanese.

After the conference, I got a chance to join the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) tour at the invitation of the Korea Tourism Organization. The DMZ was established in 1953 when the armistice deal was signed between the two Koreas to serve as a buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea.

The stops on the tour included the Imjingak tourist site, which exhibits various artifacts and monuments related to the Korean War, the 3rd Tunnel, one of four tunnels built by North Korea into the South that have been discovered; the Dora Observatory, the closest area to the North, where people can see North Korea by telescope; and the youth hostel at Camp Greaves, where one can spend the night.

Camp Greaves is a former U.S. Army base located within a restricted area renovated into a DMZ experience site with lodging facilities.

We werent allowed to enter the Joint Security Area (JSA) where North and South Korean forces stand face-to-face because of security reasons. One person in our group speculated that top-level inter-Korean talks for the unification of the two countries were being held. But we did get a chance to explore the Civilian Control Line (CCL), an area normally restricted to civilians.

Without permission to enter you would immediately be shot, our guide warned us. No photos are allowed and 360-degree CCTV cameras placed along the line checked each of us out.

Carrying on with the group, I walked along the line and talked to a solider accompanying us who looked around 20 years old. He was deployed there for two years with another 500 or so soldiers to safeguard the zone from any intruders.

It was an exciting trip not only for foreign tourists like us, but also for the locals who joined the tour. A young Korean lady said it was her first visit to the area. Her favorite spot was the Dora Observatory, where she glimpsed the other half of a divided nation about which she had long been curious to know more.

Having been a restricted area for decades, the very well-preserved natural ecosystem has become a major eco-tourism destination.

The area is also a popular destination among locals, as many areas are open to the general public, while some areas remain restricted. Many families, groups of friends and students visit the sites. With hope, their message of peace and unification will spread across the DMZ.
The technical director of the UK National Cyber Security Centre has slammed Chinese telecommunications equipment vendor Huawei Technologies for its engineering practices, which he characterised as "very, very shoddy".

Appearing on the BBC's Panorama program on Monday night, Dr Ian Levy said he had yet to be convinced that a remedial program, promised by Huawei to sort out issues that were identified last year, was going to be effective.

He said this meant Huawei gear could be banned from Westminster and other sensitive parts of the country and kept out of the core of 5G networks in the rest of the UK.

"The security in Huawei is like nothing else  it's engineering like it's back in the year 2000  it's very, very shoddy," Dr Levy said, according to the BBC.

"We've seen nothing to give us any confidence that the transformation program is going to do what they say it's going to do."

Last month, a report from the Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre Oversight Board in the UK identified a number of issues in the company's approach to software development, and said these were significantly increasing risk to operators and needed ongoing management and mitigation.

For nearly two years, the US has been pushing countries it considers allies to avoid using equipment from Chinese companies, Huawei foremost, in 5G networks. But Washington has produced no proof to back up its claims that these products could be used to spy for China.

Only Australia and New Zealand have fallen in line with Washington's dictates, but Wellington has indicated that the initial refusal for telco Spark to use Huawei gear is not the end of the matter. That stance was reiterated by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern during a one-day China visit in April. Huawei sued the US on 7 March, seeking to be reinstated as a telco supplier in the country.

Ryan Ding, chief executive of Huawei's carrier business group, told Panorama that he planned to spend more than the US$2 billion already committed to tackle the issues that had been identified.

"We hope to turn this challenge into an opportunity moving forward," he said.

"I believe that if we can carry out this program as planned, Huawei will become the strongest player in the telecom industry in terms of security and reliability."

Mobile UK, a lobby group for telcos in the UK that represents Vodafone, BT, O2 and Three, has said that if Huawei is banned from 5G networks in the UK, it could cost the economy up to 6.8 billion (A$11.73 billion) and delay the 5G launch by up to two years.

The group said:

"A partial to full restriction on Huawei in the telecoms supply chain could result in an 18-24 month delay to the widespread availability of 5G in the UK;

"A delay to launch will result in the UK failing to be a world leader in 5G  something that has been central to the UK governments 5G strategy;

"Using the governments own estimates on the benefits of 5G, the cost to the UK economy of a delay in rollout is calculated at between 4.5bn and 6.8bn; and

"As well as the measurable financial impact, the UK will also suffer in terms of lower inward investment and lost productivity gains through stagnation of digital infrastructure."

iTWire has contacted Huawei for comment.
If you've ever wanted to order your air conditioner around by voice so you could order up the right temperature, then Mitsubishi Electric's new voice control capability will get you talking.

There's a Mitsubishi Electric Air Conditioner commercial on TV at the moment, which I found at YouTube, (and which I've embedded at the end of this article) and you'll probably remember the dialogue.

It goes: "Remember how power-hungry light globes were fifteen years ago? What about those bulky televisions, theyve really come a long way!

"And a fifteen-year-old smartphone certainly doesnt seem so smart these days. Well, air conditioners have come a long way in fifteen years too! Theyre more streamlined, up to 40% more energy efficient AND they can now be controlled via WiFi as well how smarts that!"

Well, Mitsubishi Electric Australia has introduced some new smarts designed to get its customers talking quite literally in what the company says is "a new step forward" in its "commitment to continual innovation".

We're told that "all Mitsubishi Electric air conditioning units installed with Mitsubishi Electric Wi-Fi Control offer hands-free operation thanks to newly added compatibility with Amazon Alexa and Google Home.

"This innovative technology gives consumers the freedom to control their unit through voice control via their smart home hub.

"As Australian homes evolve to a hands-free way of living, this innovation from Mitsubishi Electric answers consumer demand for ultimate home comfort. Just as playing music or checking the news is as simple as speaking to your smart speaker, so is controlling the air temperature.

"The new connectivity feature is simple to activate across both Google Home and Amazon Alexa. Consumers only need to link their smart speaker account to a Mitsubishi Electric Wi-Fi Control account. Once the two apps are introduced, Mitsubishi Electric Wi-Fi Control is discoverable alongside any other smart home devices within the smart speakers app."

Atesh Mani, national product manager, Mitsubishi Electric Australia, said that the new voice control feature was developed in response to consumer demand and is a milestone in the Companys commitment to pioneer a better tomorrow.

Mani added: We listened to our customers who wanted to integrate heating and cooling into their Smart Home. The addition of Amazon Alexa and Google Home compatibility to Mitsubishi Electric Wi-Fi Control provides our customers with a Smart Air Conditioning solution.

Mitsubishi Electric Wi-Fi Control already provides great convenience. The ability to use a device to turn your air conditioner off remotely that is left on accidentally or the ability to precool or preheat your home before you get there can save energy by preventing excessive use.

"Now your air conditioner can be controlled along with other smart devices such as lights and power outlets, Mani concluded.

The company reminds us its new voice control feature is available in Mitsubishi Electric split systems, ducted and the commercial City Multi air conditioning units installed with a Wi-Fi adapter.

So, be silent no longer and speak up to get the hot or cold treatment you desire, whereby you can speak your truth to let your voice be heard - via Alexa and/or Google Home, of course!
Global travel, technology and recreational vehicle company TH2, has announced the merger of its online travel companies Roadtrippers Australasia and CamperMate with Australias outdoor tourism marketplaces, GoSeeAustralia and Outdoria to form a dedicated marketplace for outdoor tourism and adventure seekers.

The deal, inked on Tuesday, involves a cash and asset investment into the merged entity with TH2 becoming the largest shareholder with a 35% stake.

The newly formed Outdoria Group comprising Roadtrippers Australasia, CamperMate, GoSeeAustralia and Outdoria is claimed as the regions largest, dedicated marketplace for outdoor tourism and adventure seekers, offering customers booking and planning services for camping holidays and experiences, as well as equipment sales ranging from campervans to RVs, mountain bikes to fishing gear.

The new group says it will also harness geofencing technologies to deliver app-based planning- and booking-on-the-go functionality, including real-time weather forecasts, map and safety updates, as well as extensive travel tips and local points of interest to ensure customers have the ultimate outdoor travel experience.

Nick Baker, chief executive of GoSeeAustralia and Outdoria, said the amalgamation of brands, platforms and marketplaces, all specialising in camping and outdoor adventure experiences, was truly unique across the world.

According to Baker, the deal is also being applauded by local industry experts and associations such as the Caravan and Camping Industry Australia as a game-changer for Australian and New Zealand businesses within the outdoor travel and adventure market.

The immediate access to the hundreds of thousands of new, qualified customers brought into Australia and New Zealand through the CamperMate and Roadtrippers Australasia communities offers a magnitude of growth to the Australian and New Zealand tourism sector, Baker said.

Set to benefit are camping grounds; caravan parks; glamping providers; caravan tour and activity operators; RV distributors; hobby and adventure retailers; restaurants  really any businesses who services the outdoor holiday and adventure markets.

Chairman of Jayco and founder of Outdoria, Gerry Ryan, said the merger combines every aspect of outdoor travel into an integrated experience for the customer.

This means customers benefit from having one place to go when needing to plan, book, equip and then embark upon their outdoor adventures. Businesses benefit from listing on an Australian-based, majority Australian-owned, marketplace that offers all the benefits of an international OTA, without exorbitant booking fees being channelled off-shore, together with a deep understanding of the industry, Ryan said.

Baker said another differentiating feature of the Outdoria Group is its ability to help travellers along every step of their journey - from booking a campsite or cabin, to weather updates and road closures when travellers are off the grid, to offers and local attractions when passing through a town that can be pushed out to them in real-time.

Australia and New Zealand are some of the most popular holiday destinations in the world, particularly with outdoor and adventure enthusiasts who want to experience natural wonders and destinations less travelled.

All of this content, mapping and apps are designed not only to enable campers and caravaners to get out more, but to encourage new audiences both domestic and increasingly international to explore our country. We believe that escaping into the outdoors has a great impact on peoples lives both in connecting with nature and with each other. We want to help more people get out there, Baker said.

TH2 is delighted to be a part of delivering this integrated experience for customers, said Danny Hest, chief executive of TH2.

We found that the businesses were very complementary and bringing them together will create a unique set of features in camping and outdoor adventure experiences. By combining the member communities across TH2, its joint venture partners thl and Thor, Jayco, Discovery Parks, Marketplacer and CamperMate, the reach and revenue potential for the combined businesses is considerable.
To coincide with the 15th anniversary of The Passion of the Christ movie, The Passion Oratorio: A Live Concert Event releases to DVD and On-demand April 15

Featuring original music from John Debney, the Oscar-nominated composer for the film

April 9, 2019
A Wilkes County Schools calendar for the 2021-22 school year, similar to others in recent years, was proposed during the Wilkes Board of Education meeting on Dec. 6.
Summerville, SC (29483)

Today

Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High 67F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low 48F. Winds light and variable.
VTU President Abiut and Acting SG Willie Sandy warn members to think carefully before engaging themselves in an industrial action over pay anomalies
VANCOUVER, CANADA / ACCESSWIRE / April 9, 2019 / Sarama Resources Limited ("Sarama" or the "Company") (TSXV: SWA) is pleased to announce that ASX listed mid-tier gold producer, Silver Lake Resources Limited will become a cornerstone investor in Sarama by investing C$2,500,000 as part of a larger non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") to raise gross proceeds of up to C$4,500,000. The Private Placement will involve the issuance of up to 52,941,176 common shares of Sarama (the "Shares") at a price of C$0.085 per Share.

Andrew Dinning, Sarama resources CEO commented: "We are pleased that an astute, growth-oriented, gold producer like Silver Lake Resources has decided to invest in Sarama as part of its stated strategy of supporting well credentialed management teams to pursue and advance prospective projects. We welcome them as a new cornerstone investor and look forward to realising the benefits this relationship will bring.

We intend to use proceeds from this raise to consolidate and advance our interests in the prolific Hounde Belt in south-west Burkina Faso where we intend to grow our already significant oxide and free-milling mineral resource base and define the development opportunity that is now before us."



Figure 1- Sarama Resources' Exploration and Development Projects in South-West Burkina Faso

The proceeds of the Private Placement will be used to fund payments to regain 100% ownership of the South Hounde Project (news release dated 27 November 2018), exploration activities and to meet working capital requirements of the Company. Sarama intends to undertake a resource development program to firm-up and expand existing oxide and free-milling mineral resources on the South Hounde and ThreeBee Projects.

The South Hounde Project hosts an inferred mineral resource of 2.1Moz Au(1), including an oxide and transition component of 611koz Au(1). The ThreeBee Project hosts the Bondi Deposit which has a historical mineral resource(1) of 282koz Au measured and indicated; and 150koz Au inferred. Together, these projects form the foundation for possible development in the region.

Exploration drilling in 2018 has identified extensions to the Bondi Deposit and new zones of high potential. The ThreeBee Project also hosts the Bamako Property where a +3km-long gold-quartz vein system has been identified that has returned rock-chip assays up to 18.9g/t Au and gold-in-soil values of up to 13.6g/t Au and historical scout drilling results including 16m @ 6.1g/t Au.

The Private Placement will be conducted on a non-brokered basis to accredited investors pursuant to prospectus exemptions available under applicable securities laws and is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

A four-month hold period will apply to all the Shares. The Company plans to close the Private Placement on or about April 20, 2019 but reserves the right to extend the closing date and may close the placement in one or more tranches.

The Shares 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 an exemption from registration is available. This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the Shares within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. Persons (as defined under Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act), nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

For further information on the Company's activities, please contact:

Andrew Dinning or Lui Evangelista

e: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

t: +61 (0) 8 9363 7600

ABOUT SARAMA RESOURCES LTD

Sarama Resources Ltd (TSX-V: SWA) is a West-African focused gold explorer and developer with substantial landholdings in Burkina Faso. Sarama is focused on consolidating under-explored landholdings in Burkina Faso and advancing its key projects towards development.

Sarama's 100%-owned(7) South Hounde and ThreeBee Projects are located within the prolific Hounde Greenstone Belt in south-west Burkina Faso and are the exploration and development focus of the company. Its exploration programs have successfully discovered an inferred mineral resource estimate of 2.1Moz gold(2) at the South Hounde Project which is complemented by the ThreeBee Project's Bondi Deposit (historical estimate of mineral resources of 0.3Moz Au measured and indicated and 0.1Moz Au inferred(2)).

Together, the projects form a cluster of advanced gold deposits, within trucking distance of one another, which potentially offers a development option for a multi-source fed central processing facility in the southern Hounde Belt region of Burkina Faso.

Sarama has also built a growth pipeline which features a new 600km exploration position in the highly prospective Banfora Belt in south-western Burkina Faso. The Koumandara Project hosts several regional-scale structural features and trends of gold-in-soil anomalism extending for over 40km along strike.

Sarama holds a 25% participating interest in the Karankasso Project Joint Venture ("JV") which is situated adjacent to the Company's South Hounde Project in Burkina Faso and is a JV between Sarama and Savary Gold Corp. ("Savary"). Savary is the operator of the JV and in October 2015, declared a maiden inferred mineral resource estimate of 671,000 ounces of contained gold(3) at the Karankasso Project JV.

Incorporated in 2010, the Company's Board and management team have a proven track record in Africa and a strong history in the discovery and development of large-scale gold deposits. Sarama is well positioned to build on its current success with a sound exploration strategy across its property portfolio.

FOOTNOTES

South Hounde Project - 43.0Mt @ 1.5g/t Au (reported above cut-off grades ranging 0.3-2.2g/t Au, reflecting the mining methods and processing flowsheets assumed to assess the likelihood of the inferred mineral resources having reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction). This mineral resource contains an oxide and transition component of 16.0Mt @ 1.2g/t Au for 611koz Au (reported at a cut-off grade of 0.3g/t Au for oxide and 0.8g/t Au for transition material). The effective date of the Company's inferred mineral resource estimate is February 4, 2016. For further information regarding the mineral resource estimate please refer to the technical report titled "NI 43-101 Independent Technical Report South Hounde Project Update, Bougouriba and Ioba Provinces, Burkina Faso", dated March 31, 2016 and prepared by Adrian Shepherd. Adrian Shepherd is an employee of Cube Consulting Pty Ltd and is considered to be independent of Sarama. The technical report is available under Sarama's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.



Bondi Deposit - 4.1Mt @ 2.1g/t Au for 282,000oz Au (measured and indicated) and 2.5Mt @ 1.8g/t Au for 149,700oz Au (inferred), reported at a 0.5 g/t Au cut-off.



i.The historical estimate of the Bondi Deposit reflects a mineral resource estimate compiled by Orezone Gold Corporation ("Orezone") which has an effective date of February 20, 2009. The historical estimate is contained in a technical report titled "Technical Report on the Mineral Resource of the Bondigui Gold Project", dated date of February 20, 2009 and prepared by Yves Buro (the "Bondi Technical Report"). Yves Buro is an employee of Met-Chem Canada Inc and is considered to be independent of Orezone and Sarama. The technical report is available under Orezone's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.



ii.Sarama believes that the historical estimate is relevant to investors' understanding of the property, as it reflects the most recent technical work undertaken in respect of the Bondi Deposit.



iii. The historical estimate was informed by 886 drillholes, assayed for gold by cyanidation methods, were used to interpret mineralised envelopes and geological zones over the area of the historical estimate. Gold grade interpolation was undertaken using ID methodology based on input parameters derived from geostatistical and geological analyses assessments. Field measurements and geological logging of drillholes were used to determine weathering boundaries and bulk densities for modelled blocks.



iv. The historical estimate uses the mineral resource reporting categories required under National Instrument 43-101.



v. No more recent estimates of the mineral resource or other data are available.



vi. Sarama is currently undertaking the necessary verification work in the field and on the desktop that may support the future reclassification of the historical estimate to a mineral resource.



vii. A qualified person engaged by Sarama has not undertaken sufficient work to verify the historical estimate as a current mineral resource and Sarama is therefore not treating the historical estimate as a current mineral resource.



Karankasso Project - 9.2Mt @ 2.3g/t Au (at a 0.5g/t Au cut-off). The effective date ("Effective Date") of the most recent Karankasso Project JV mineral resource estimate that is supported by a technical report is October 7, 2015. For further information regarding that mineral resource estimate please refer to the technical report titled "Technical Report and Resource Estimate on the Karankasso Project, Burkina Faso", dated October 7, 2015 and prepared by Eugene Puritch and Antoine Yassa. Eugene Puritch and Antoine Yassa are employees of P&E Mining Consultants Inc. and are considered to be independent of Savary and Sarama. The technical report is available under Savary's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Sarama has not independently verified Savary's mineral resource estimate and takes no responsibility for its accuracy. Savary is the operator of the Karankasso Project JV and Sarama is relying on their Qualified Persons' assurance of the validity of the mineral resource estimate. Additional technical work has been undertaken on the Karankasso Project since the Effective Date, including but not limited to, metallurgical testwork, exploration drilling and mineral resource estimation, but Sarama is not in a position to quantify the impact of this additional work on the mineral resource estimate referred to above.



The ThreeBee Project comprises the Djarkadougou, Botoro, Bamako(5) and Bouni(5) Properties and Sarama has, or is entitled to have, a 100% interest in each of the properties. The Djarkadougou, Bamako and Bouni Exploration Permits are going through a process with the government of Burkina Faso where it is required they be reissued as new full-term exploration permits. The Company anticipates this to be completed in due course, though there can be no assurance that the process will be successfully completed on a timely basis, or at all.



For further information regarding the drilling on the Bamako and Bouni Properties, please refer to the technical report titled "NI 43-101 Independent Technical Report South Hounde Project Update, Bougouriba and Ioba Provinces, Burkina Faso", dated October 28, 2013 and prepared by Adrian Shepherd. Adrian Shepherd is an employee of Cube Consulting Pty Ltd and is considered independent of Sarama. The technical report is available under Sarama's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.



Drilling previously disclosed in Sarama news release of September 20, 2018.



Upon completion of definitive agreements between Sarama and Acacia Mining plc.



CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

Information in this disclosure that is not a statement of historical fact constitutes forward-looking information. Such forward-looking information includes statements regarding the completion of the Private Placement and the intended use of proceeds therefrom, the potential for the receipt of regulatory approvals, the completion of definitive agreements, the potential of the projects to host mineralization of significance to support regional development plans, the timing and prospects for the reissuance of the Djarkadougou, Bamako and Bouni Exploration Permits by the government of Burkina Faso, plans for exploration at the South Hounde, ThreeBee and Koumandara Projects, the potential to expand the present oxide component of the existing estimated mineral resources at the South Hounde Project and the reliability of the historical estimate of mineral resources at the Bondi Deposit.

Actual results, performance or achievements of the Company may vary from the results suggested by such forward-looking statements due to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. Such factors include, among others, that the business of exploration for gold and other precious minerals involves a high degree of risk and is highly speculative in nature; changes in world commodity markets, equity markets, costs and supply of materials relevant to the mining industry; change in government and changes to regulations affecting the mining industry; Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves, they do not have demonstrated economic viability, and there is no certainty that they can be upgraded to Mineral Reserves through continued exploration; few properties that are explored are ultimately developed into producing mines; geological factors; the actual results of current and future exploration; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be evaluated, as well as those factors disclosed in the Company's publicly filed documents. There can be no assurance that any mineralisation that is discovered will be proven to be economic, or that future required regulatory licensing or approvals will be obtained. However, the Company believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, Acacia's continued funding of exploration activities, the Company's ability to carry on its exploration activities, the sufficiency of funding, the timely receipt of required approvals, the price of gold and other precious metals, that the Company will not be affected by adverse political events, the ability of the Company to operate in a safe, efficient and effective manner and the ability of the Company to obtain further financing as and when required and on reasonable terms. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

Sarama does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except as required by applicable laws.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

QUALIFIED PERSONS' STATEMENT

Scientific or technical information in this disclosure that relates to the Company's exploration activities in Burkina Faso is based on information compiled or approved by Guy Scherrer. Guy Scherrer is an employee of Sarama Resources Ltd and is a member in good standing of the Ordre des Geologues du Quebec and has sufficient experience which is relevant to the commodity, style of mineralisation under consideration and activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. Guy Scherrer consents to the inclusion in this disclosure of the information, in the form and context in which it appears.

Scientific or technical information in this disclosure that relates to the preparation of the South Hounde Project mineral resource estimate is based on information compiled or approved by Adrian Shepherd. Adrian Shepherd is an employee of Cube Consulting Pty Ltd and is considered to be independent of Sarama Resources Ltd. Adrian Shepherd is a Chartered Professional Member in good standing of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and has sufficient experience which is relevant to the commodity, style of mineralisation under consideration and activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. Adrian Shepherd consents to the inclusion in this disclosure of the information, in the form and context in which it appears.

Scientific or technical information in this disclosure, in respect of the Bondi Deposit relating to mineral resource and exploration information drawn from the Technical Report prepared for Orezone on that deposit has been approved by Guy Scherrer. Guy Scherrer is an employee of Sarama Resources Ltd and is a member in good standing of the Ordre des Geologues du Quebec and has sufficient experience which is relevant to the commodity, style of mineralisation under consideration and activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. Guy Scherrer consents to the inclusion in this disclosure of the information, in the form and context in which it appears.

Scientific or technical information in this disclosure that relates to the quotation of the Karankasso Project's mineral resource estimate is based on information compiled by Paul Schmiede. Paul Schmiede is an employee of Sarama Resources Ltd and is a Fellow in good standing of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Paul Schmiede has sufficient experience which is relevant to the commodity, style of mineralisation under consideration and activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. Paul Schmiede consents to the inclusion in this disclosure of the information, in the form and context in which it appears. Paul Schmiede and Sarama have not independently verified Savary's mineral resource estimate and take no responsibility for its accuracy.
Sudanese protesters on Monday called on the army to hold talks on forming a transitional government, as thousands braved a deadly crackdown for a third day to urge the military to back them.

The east African country has been rocked by more than three months of protests that erupted over a hike in bread prices before transforming into nationwide demonstrations against President Omar al-Bashirs iron-fisted 30-year rule.

At the biggest rally so far, thousands of protesters have since Saturday been camped out around the army headquarters in Khartoum which also houses Bashirs residence and the defence ministry.

They are calling on the military to protect them and to back calls for Bashir to resign.

When the army is here, we have no fear, protesters flashing victory signs chanted as military vehicles with soldiers fanned out around the complex, onlookers said.

Riot police have fired tear gas at the protesters, but they have failed to dislodge them.

Officials say 38 people have died in protest-related violence since December.

Interior Minister Bushara Juma said seven protesters died on Saturday when forces tried to disperse them and 15 were wounded along with 42 members of the security forces. In all, 2,496 protesters were arrested.

The group spearheading the protests on Monday appealed to the army for talks on forming a transitional government.

We call on the Sudanese armed forces to talk directly with the Alliance for Freedom and Change for facilitating the peaceful process of forming a transitional government, said Omar el-Digeir, a senior member of the group.

Digeir said the protest organisers had also formed a council to initiate talks with security forces and the international community aimed at agreeing a transition that gives power to a transitional government that represents the wish of the revolution.

We reiterate our peoples demand that the head of the regime and his government have to immediately step down, Digeir said.

Reading from a statement, he also called on the armed forces to withdraw their support for a regime that has lost its legitimacy and to support the peoples alternative for a transition to a civilian democratic government.

 Protecting the people 

Since protests erupted across Sudan in December agents of the powerful National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) and riot police have cracked down on demonstrators, but the army has not intervened.

Soldiers put up barricades in streets near the army compound after reinforcements of intelligence agency members and riot police arrived in the early hours, witnesses told AFP.

After that, security forces began firing tear gas at protesters, one said on condition of anonymity.

Gunshots were also heard, witnesses said, but it was unclear who fired.

Some activists on the ground said it was the army shooting in the air, but this could not be confirmed independently.

Protest organisers urged the military to protect the demonstrators.

We want you, the young officers and soldiers, to remain committed to the role of the national army, which is of protecting the people, said the Sudanese Professionals Association.

A few hours later security personnel again fired tear gas at the demonstrators, witnesses said.

Protest organisers urged the residents of Khartoum and nearby areas to join the demonstrators.

Crowds of people carrying food and water were later seen walking towards the complex to take part in the protest, according to onlookers.

Some companies have told employees not to come into work until further notice.

The rally outside the army headquarters has been the largest since protests began on December 19 in the central town of Atbara, quickly spreading to the capital and towns and cities across the east African country.

The European Union said an unprecedented number of people had come out calling for change since Saturday.

The people of Sudan have shown remarkable resilience in the face of extraordinary obstacles over many years, the EUs External Action Service said.

Their trust must be won through concrete action by the government.

 Economic mismanagement 

The protesters accuse Bashirs administration of economic mismanagement that has led to soaring food prices and regular shortages of fuel and foreign currency.

Sudans security council on Sunday said the demands of the protesters have to be heard after a meeting chaired by the veteran leader.

Bashir, wanted by the Hague-based International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes and genocide in the conflict-wracked region of Darfur, swept to power in an Islamist-backed coup in 1989.

He has remained defiant, introducing tough measures that have seen protesters, opposition leaders, activists and journalists arrested.
A German woman who joined the Islamic State jihadist group goes on trial Tuesday accused of the war crime of letting a five-year-old slave girl die of thirst.

Prominent London-based human rights lawyer Amal Clooney is part of the team representing the dead Yazidi girls mother, but Clooney was not expected to appear in the Munich trial on Tuesday.

The defendant, identified only as Jennifer W., 27, faces life in jail if found guilty of committing a war crime, murder, membership in a terrorist organisation and weapons offences.

According to news weekly Der Spiegel, the defendant, herself the mother of a small girl, had incriminated herself while talking at length to an undercover FBI informant in a bugged car.

German prosecutors allege her IS husband had purchased the Yazidi child and her mother  a co-plaintiff in the trial  as household slaves whom they held captive while living in then IS-occupied Mosul, Iraq, in 2015.

After the girl fell ill and wet her mattress, the husband of the accused chained her up outside as punishment and let the child die an agonising death of thirst in the scorching heat, prosecutors charge.

The accused allowed her husband to do so and did nothing to save the girl.

German media said the defendants husband, Taha Sabah Noori Al-J., had beaten both the Yazidi mother and child, and that Jennifer W. allegedly also once held a pistol to the womans head.

The trial will start at 0730 GMT under tight security in a Munich court that deals with state security and terrorism cases, with hearings initially scheduled until September 30.

 FBI informant 

Jennifer W., who reportedly left school after the eighth grade and converted to Islam in 2013, left Germany in August 2014 and travelled via Turkey and Syria to Iraq where she joined the IS.

Recruited in mid-2015 to an anti-vice squad of the groups self-styled Hisba morality police, she patrolled city parks in IS-occupied Fallujah and Mosul.

Armed with an AK-47 assault rifle, a pistol and an explosives vest, her task was to ensure that women complied with IS behaviour and clothing regulations, said prosecutors.

In January 2016, months after the Yazidi childs death, Jennifer W. visited the German embassy in Ankara to apply for new identity papers.

When she left the mission, she was arrested by Turkish security services and extradited several days later to Germany.

For lack of actionable evidence against her at the time, she was allowed to return to her home in the German state of Lower Saxony, but quickly sought to return to IS territory.

Der Spiegel reported that an FBI informant had posed as an accomplice who offered to take Jennifer W. back to the IS caliphate, and who chatted with her in a bugged car while they drove through Germany.

Jennifer W. allegedly said that the death of the little girl had been hard-core even for the IS and unjust because only God had the right to use fire as punishment.

Her husband had later been beaten as punishment by the IS, she said.

Police followed close behind her vehicle for several hours and listened to a live audio feed as Jennifer W. spoke and then arrested her at a highway stop.

Clooney, the wife of Hollywood star George Clooney, has been involved in a campaign with Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Murad, a former IS sex slave, to have the IS crimes against the Yazidi minority be recognised as a genocide.
Sudanese security forces Tuesday fired tear gas at thousands of anti-government protesters demonstrating for a third night outside the army headquarters in Khartoum, witnesses said.

Gunshots were also heard by protesters and witnesses, but they said it was unclear who was firing.

Thousands of protesters have massed at the army complex since Saturday, urging the military to back them in demanding the resignation of President Omar al-Bashir and the formation of a transitional government.

It is the largest rally since protests erupted in the northeast African country in December over a hike in bread prices, before transforming into nationwide demonstrations against Bashirs iron-fisted 30-year rule.

The security officers are firing heavy tear gas. I can see protesters coughing and covering their faces with hands and medical masks, a witness told AFP from near the site of the demonstration early Tuesday morning.

I can also hear gunshots but its unclear who is firing.

A protester at the complex also confirmed hearing gunshots but did not know who had fired.

An AFP correspondent, some five kilometres away from the protest site, heard shooting for about four minutes.

Demonstrators have called on the army to protect them from the deadly crackdown, after days of camping outside the headquarters in Khartoum, which also houses Bashirs residence and the defence ministry.

When the army is here, we have no fear, protesters chanted as military vehicles with soldiers fanned out around the complex, onlookers said.

Officials say 38 people have died in protest-related violence since December.

Interior Minister Bushara Juma said seven protesters died and 15 were wounded on Saturday when forces tried to disperse them, with 42 members of the security forces also injured. In all, 2,496 protesters were arrested.

Defence Minister General Awad Ibnouf vowed to preserve the security and stability of Sudan.

Sudans armed forces understand the reasons for the demonstrations and is not against the demands and aspirations of the citizens, but it will not allow the country to fall into chaos, Ibnouf said, according to the official SUNA news agency.

History will not forgive if the armed forces let the country lose its security.

In a separate statement, army chief of staff Kamal Abdelmarouf said the military was discharging their responsibility in securing and protecting the citizens together with other security forces.

 Peoples alternative 

The group spearheading the protests on Monday appealed to the army for talks on forming a transitional government.

We call on the Sudanese armed forces to talk directly with the Alliance for Freedom and Change for facilitating the peaceful process of forming a transitional government, said Omar el-Digeir, a senior member of the group.

Digeir said the protest organisers had also formed a council to initiate talks with security forces and the international community, aimed at agreeing to a transitional government that represents the wish of the revolution.

We reiterate our peoples demand that the head of the regime and his government have to immediately step down, Digeir said.

Reading from a statement, he also called on the armed forces to withdraw their support for a regime that has lost its legitimacy and to support the peoples alternative for a transition to a civilian democratic government.

Since protests erupted across Sudan in December agents of the powerful National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) and riot police have cracked down on demonstrators, but the army has not intervened.

 Economic mismanagement 

Some activists on the ground accused the army of shooting in the air on Monday, but this could not be confirmed independently.

The rally outside the army headquarters has been the largest since protests began on December 19 in the central town of Atbara, quickly spreading to the capital and towns and cities across the east African country.

The European Union said an unprecedented number of people had come out calling for change since Saturday.

The people of Sudan have shown remarkable resilience in the face of extraordinary obstacles over many years, the EUs External Action Service said.

Their trust must be won through concrete action by the government.

The protesters accuse Bashirs administration of economic mismanagement that has led to soaring food prices and regular shortages of fuel and foreign currency.

Sudans security council on Sunday said the demands of the protesters have to be heard after a meeting chaired by the veteran leader.

Bashir, wanted by the Hague-based International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes and genocide in the conflict-wracked region of Darfur, swept to power in an Islamist-backed coup in 1989.

He has remained defiant, introducing tough measures that have seen protesters, opposition leaders, activists and journalists arrested.
British police said Tuesday it was reviewing allegations against five men accused by Rwanda of involvement in the countrys 1994 genocide.

Two days after the world commemorated the quarter-century anniversary of the gruesome ethnic massacre, the Metropolitan Polices War Crimes Unit said it had received a request from Rwandan authorities in January 2018 to investigate five individuals.

Documentation relevant to this request has been passed to the War Crimes Unit and the unit is currently assessing this material, it said.

Some 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis and moderate Hutus, were beaten, shot, or hacked to death with machetes in 100 days of slaughter.

Citing human rights concerns, a British court in 2015 denied a Rwandan extradition request for the five men: Vincent Brown, Charles Munyaneza, Emmanuel Nteziryayo, Celestin Ugirashebuja and Celeste Mutabaruka.

They are accused by Rwanda of genocide, complicity in genocide, crimes against humanity, conspiracy to murder, forming a criminal gang and inciting disorder, but have reportedly denied any involvement.

Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the creation of a commission of historians and researchers that will delve into the state archives for clarity on Frances actions during the genocide.

Rwanda accuses France of having supported the ethnic Hutu forces behind most of the killing and of helping some of the perpetrators to escape, allegations Paris rejects.
German prosecutors said Tuesday they had laid war crimes charges against a former Afghan military officer for abusing prisoners and desecrating the corpse of an enemy commander.

The soldier, identified only as 26-year-old Ahmad Zaheer D., allegedly abused three captured enemy fighters in late 2013 or early 2014 while other troops stood guard.

He punched them, pulled their hair and threatened to use an electro-shocker while another soldier beat them with a heavy hose, according to prosecutors.

In March 2014, he allegedly desecrated and battered the corpse of an enemy commander whom he bragged he had killed like a donkey.

The accused then showed villagers how to attach a meat hook to the dead mans head before suspending him by a rope around his neck and saying he should be hanged like a donkey.

Ahmad Zaheer D. was arrested in Germany in October last year. The charges were brought before a Munich court on March 29 but only announced now.

Germany is the second-largest contributor of military and developmental support to Afghanistan after the US, primarily training Afghan soldiers in the countrys north.
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir came under mounting pressure Tuesday as three Western nations pushed for a political transition plan following weeks of unprecedented protests against his rule.

Bashir, who has ruled Sudan with an iron-fist since sweeping to power in an Islamist-backed coup in 1989, has been battling the biggest challenge of his 30-year-old reign since December when nationwide demonstrations erupted against his government.

Thousands of angry protesters chanting overthrow, overthrow, have taken to the streets of the capital and towns and villages across the country, blaming the veteran leader for the nations worsening economic crisis.

But the protest movement reached its peak on Saturday when the protesters braved volleys of tear gas to reach the countrys army headquarters, urging the militarys top brass to back them.

Protesters late Tuesday were preparing to camp out for a fourth night in a row at the complex, which also houses Bashirs residence, singing revolutionary songs and anti-government slogans.

Soldiers meanwhile foiled repeated attempts by the feared National Intelligence and Security Service agents to disperse the demonstrators with tear gas, witnesses said.

And on Tuesday the United States, the United Kingdom and Norway for the first time threw their weight behind the protestors, calling for a credible political transition plan in Sudan.

The time has come for the Sudanese authorities to respond to these popular demands in a serious and credible way, the embassies of the three countries said in a joint statement.

The Sudanese authorities must now respond and deliver a credible plan for this political transition.

Washington had imposed one of the harshest trade embargoes on Sudan in 1997 for Khartoums alleged links to Islamist groups. The embargo was lifted only in October 2017.

Pressure further mounted on Bashir when the countrys police, a key element of security forces, on Tuesday ordered its members to avoid intervening against the demonstrators.

We call on God to preserve the security and calm of our country  and to unite the Sudanese people .. for an agreement which would support the peaceful transition of power, a police spokesman said in a statement.

He added that police had ordered all its forces not to intervene against the citizens or peaceful rallies.

The latest demonstration that erupted on Saturday at the sprawling military complex is the largest since the protests were triggered by a three-fold increase in bread prices in December.

 Defiant despite tear gas 

On Tuesday, security agents twice fired tear gas at the protesters in abortive bids to end their sit-in, protest organiser said.

There was heavy firing of tear gas after which army soldiers opened the gates of the compound for protesters to enter, a witness told AFP.

A few minutes later a group of soldiers fired gunshots in the air to push back the security forces who were firing tear gas.

A second witness said soldiers had intervened against the security agents.

Since the protests erupted, the armed forces have remained on the sidelines even as security agents and riot police have cracked down.

The demonstrators have called on the army to protect them from the deadly crackdown during their four days camped outside its headquarters.

On Tuesday, the crowds could be seen hoisting soldiers into the air on their shoulders, and dancing and chanting with them.

One photo of a woman dressed in an long white dress, with gold earrings and singing while standing on top of a car on Monday while surrounded by protestors went viral on social networks.

Footage obtained by AFP in Paris showed security agents also firing in the air to clear the sit-in on Monday, an operation which had to be abandoned after troops intervened.

Troops can be seen firing machine-guns as protesters run in groups, some taking shelter behind army vehicles and chanting Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest).

 No chaos 

Defence Minister General Awad Ibnouf has vowed the army would prevent any slide into chaos.

Sudans armed forces understand the reasons for the demonstrations and is not against the demands and aspirations of the citizens, but it will not allow the country to fall into chaos, Ibnouf said on Monday, according to state media.

The umbrella group spearheading the protests has appealed to the army for talks on forming a transitional government.

Omar el-Digeir, a senior member of the group, said protest organisers had formed a council to open talks aimed at agreeing a transitional government that represents the wish of the revolution.

Officials say 38 people have died in protest-related violence since December.

Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague on charges of war crimes and genocide connected with the suppression of a now 16-year-old ethnic minority rebellion in the western region of Darfur.

He has responded to the protests with tough measures, including imposing a state of emergency, that have seen protesters, opposition leaders, activists and journalists arrested.
John Charles Mendy, a former witness before Gambias Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission (TRRC) was arrested last week by the police as he attempted to leave the country through the southern region of Senegal, Casamance. He was apprehended at the Giboro border post and later charged with murder.

His arrest came two weeks after he had testified before the TRRC, which is currently hearing cases relating to the November 11, 1994 execution of close to two dozen soldiers. Soldiers led by Lieutenant Basiru Barrow were killed for organizing a counter coup to return the country to civilian rule, less than four months after a coup, brought Yahya Jammeh to power.

Various witnesses before the Commission confirmed that a counter coup was planned by soldiers before but information about it was leaked to the junta leaders. Jammehs men attacked Fajara and Yundum Barracks, capturing and executing the leaders of this counter coup. According to Demba Njie, a former chief-of-staff of Yahya Jammeh (now in exile in Equatorial Guinea), the order for execution came from Jammeh himself. However, the vice-chairman of the military junta in charge of the country at the time, Sanna Sabally, was said to have been the leader of the execution team.

An unconvincing testimony

John Charles Mendy was Saballys bodyguard. He admitted to participating in the killing of Lt. Basiru Barrow and Abdoulie Faal who were part of those executed at Fajara Barracks, a military encampment about 20 minute drive from Banjul, the capital city. They were lined up at the Fajara Barracks and we were lined up in front on them and Sanna (Sabally) ordered us to fire and we shot, said Mendy during his testimony before the TRRC.

However, Mendys appearance before the Commission was tense. He was considered to be largely uncooperative with the TRRC lead counsel Essa Faal. He said he witnessed the three executions of soldiers at various locations but claimed he only participated in one. In his written statement, he had in fact denied any participation in the killings, only to admit it during his public testimony.

Recommended reading Gambias searching the truth on summary executions

Mendy also said he had witnessed nine incidents of torture against Gambian civilians who left the road quickly enough as Saballys convoy passed. Yet he claimed participation on only one occasion. It took a long time for the lead counsel to get Mendy to accept that the civilians were tortured. He would prefer expressions like rough-handled or jumped on.

The Justice Ministrys strong message

The Gambian police said very little about Mendys arrest. But it seems clear that it was in connection to his participation in the November 11 executions and his testimony before the TRRC. With his arrest, Gambias Justice ministry sends a signal to alleged perpetrators that they will prosecute anyone who is not seen to be cooperating with the Commission. Mr Mendys outrageous dishonesty, in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, betrayed a lack of empathy towards the families of the victims and the unwillingness to cooperate and assist in the reconciliation process in the country, stated the Justice Ministry. The Ministry even recommended the immediate dismissal of Mendy from Gambia International Airlines (GIA) where he now works as a chief security.

The perpetrators are particularly encouraged to be truthful and to take advantage of the amnesty provisions at the TRRC and give reconciliation a chance, continued the Justice Ministry. The Ministry would like to further reassure the general public that the TRRC process is not a witch hunt and that there is no need for anyone to abscond from the country, but that any attempts to deliberately conceal the truth in the face of overwhelming evidence will be regarded as an attempt to undermine the integrity of the process, and an unwillingness to cooperate and assist in the reconciliation process, and will therefore bear serious consequences.

Mendy was granted bail on April 5. Both the Commissions lead counsel Essa Faal and executive director Baba Galleh Jallow would not comment on Mendys arrest and prosecution.
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OROVILLE, Calif. -- Near the end of February, the Butte County Sheriffs Office (BCSO) took an identity theft report from an 80-year-old victim in the Oroville area. During this investigation, it was learned there were checks stolen from the victims mailbox. Those stolen checks were used to create fake checks using the victims account information, and then cashed at an online bank.

Through his investigation, Deputy Vaj Thao was able to identify one of the suspects as James Dye, as the person who was responsible for cashing these fictitious checks. A warrant for identity theft, creating fictitious checks, and petty theft was issued for the arrest of James Dye at that time.

On the 5th of April, the Sheriffs Office located James Dye driving near the new Walmart in Oroville. James was subsequently arrested for his outstanding warrant. During a search of the vehicle Dye was driving, deputies located more than 40 other potential victims of identity theft including a torn fake check of the original 80-year-old victims. Deputies also located numerous printed fake checks, hundreds of blank check pages, copies of checks, bank cards, tax documents, and other personal identifying information belonging to local business as well as businesses from Sacramento, Nevada, and Texas. Also located inside Dyes vehicle was a laptop computer, a printer, and a scanner, all believed to have been used in the creation of these fictitious checks, and to steal the identity of the victims.

James Dye also had mortgage payout checks from Camp Fire victims that he was using the information from, to create other fraudulent checks. Deputies located scanned versions of mortgage payout checks for addresses in the Paradise area in Dyes vehicle, along with fictitious checks with the victims policy numbers, insurance companys routing numbers, all made out to James Dye.

James Dye was charged with additional crimes of identity theft, identity theft of 10 or more victims, making fictitious checks, forgery, being in possession of stolen property, and being in possession of burglary tools. A bail enhancement was authorized by a Butte County Superior Court Judge, and James bail was increased to $531,000.00. James remains in custody at the Butte County Jail.

A second suspect was identified through Deputy Thaos investigation as Ashley Buck, 28 years of age, from the Biggs and Oroville area. Ashley is currently wanted for questioning by the Butte County Sheriffs Office. The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information pertaining to this case or Ashleys whereabouts is asked to contact BCSO at 530-538-7321.

The Sheriffs Office wishes to remind its citizens to be vigilant with their personal identifying information. Something as simple as leaving your mail in your mailbox overnight can give criminals the opportunity to steal your identity. Make sure retailers check your ID when you use your ATM cards, credit cards, or when you write checks. This can help limit the ability for criminals to steal your identity. It only takes minutes to lose hundreds, or thousands of dollars to identity thieves. Should you have your mail stolen, take it seriously; you may have just lost your identity. And lastly, call your local law enforcement to report these crimes of identity theft and theft of mail. Something as simple as having a piece of mail stolen from a mailbox can mean years of frustration and the loss of ones identity.
SALEM, Ore.  The state of Oregon's wolf population continues to thrive, but the number of attacks on livestock has seen a sharp increase in the past year, according to a new report from the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW).

The agency conducted its most recent count of Oregon's wolves over this past winter. Wildlife officials counted 137 wolves  a 10 percent increase over the previous year's count of 124.

Highlights from the ODFW wolf report: Wolf numbers and reproduction increased in western Oregon. A new pack (White River Pack) reproduced and was designated a breeding pair for 2018, joining the Rogue Pack. The Indigo group of at least three wolves was also found in the Umpqua National Forest.

Three collared wolves dispersed to California and one to Idaho.

About 13% of known wolves in Oregon were monitored via radio collar.

Biologists documented more than 15,000 wolf location data points. 53% of these locations were on public land, 40% on private and 7% on tribal.

The breeding female of Oregons oldest known pack, the Wenaha Pack, disappeared and no reproduction has been documented in the past year. She was at least 10 years old (old for a wolf living in the wild), and she appeared to be in poor condition in the most recent photos.

The count is based on "verified wolf evidence" from a combination of visual observations, tracks, and photos taken by remote cameras. This number is considered the minimum for how many wolves actually live in the state.

"The actual number of wolves in Oregon is likely higher, as not all individuals or groups of wolves present in the state are located during the winter count," ODFW said in a statement.

Wildlife officials believe that they have found evidence for 16 different packs, up from 12 packs in 2017. A "pack" is defined as four or more wolves traveling together during the winter months. ODFW also identified eight smaller groups of 2-3 wolves.

One of those recent finds is the so-called Indigo group recently discovered in the Umpqua National Forest between Douglas and Lane counties.

The states wolf population continues to grow and expand its range, now into the central Oregon Cascade Mountains too, said Roblyn Brown, ODFW Wolf Coordinator.

Despite a documented 10 percent increase in the number of wolves, depredation  or incidents in which wolves attack and kill livestock  has increased dramatically.

Confirmed incidents of depredation rose 65 percent over the previous year, ODFW found, with 28 known incidents.

"A total of 17 calves, one llama and two livestock guardian dogs were lost to wolves and an additional 13 calves were injured," ODFW said.

ODFW found that three wolf packs were responsible for the vast majority of depredations  Southern Oregon's Rogue Pack chief among them.

CLICK HERE for our latest story on the Rogue Pack and a rancher's struggle with livestock losses.

"While known wolf numbers have increased considerably over the last nine years, depredations and livestock losses have not increased at the same rate," ODFW admitted.

Still, the agency has continue to work closely with farmers and ranchers in an effort to deal with the threat of wolves without having to kill any of the animals.

As the wolf population has expanded into new areas in Oregon, livestock producers have adjusted the way they do business to remove bone piles and incorporate non-lethal measures that can reduce the vulnerability of their livestock to depredation by wolves and other predators, said Brown. We extend our thanks and appreciation for their efforts.

ODFW offers grant funds to producers who have lost livestock to wolves, and for the installation of non-lethal deterrent methods  but as one local rancher intimates, these countermeasures may soon fall short if the trend continues.

In rare cases, the agency has approved lethal methods for deterring wolves from preying on livestock when non-lethal measures have repeatedly failed  a contingency that is provided under state law.

Were thrilled to see more wolves and more wolf packs in Oregon, said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director with the Center for Biological Diversity. Were working with the state to ensure nonlethal measures to reduce the likelihood of livestock loss are prioritized over killing wolves. If nonlethal measures are used, the wolf population will continue to grow, including in western Oregon, where wolves are just beginning to return.

While the vast majority of Oregon's wolf packs frequent the northeastern corner of the state, the Rogue Pack has established itself in the southwest (Jackson and Klamath counties). Recent evidence suggests that there are now additional wolf groups in the south and western areas of the state.

For more on the ODFW wolf report, you can view the entire document here.
LAKEVIEW, Ore.  The public is asked to stay home for both public and emergency personnel safety, unless they are a part of emergency response. Currently there are not any evacuation orders in place. However, all Lake County School District 7 schools are closed Tuesday, April 9.

If you dont have to be out in the weather, please dont, said Lake County Commissioner Mark Albertson.

Crews are working to place sandbags as the rain continues. The Town of Lakeview is responding to widespread flooding in the area as Bullard and Deadman Creeks are overflowing their banks as a result of the current storm and snowmelt.

Despite the increased water, Town and Lake County officials want to assure the public that Bullard Canyon Dam is still intact. Water is coming over the spillway, but the dam is holding. Emergency officials stated that the dam and spillway structure is doing what its designed to do. Area officials will continue to monitor the dam Monday night.

Meanwhile, several parts of Lakeview are flooding, including downtown streets. The Town Shop has piles of sand, bags and some filled sandbags at their location on the 200 block of North N Street. Firefighters and other personnel are working to fill sandbags for the town and area residents.

We are doing the best we can with the resources we have  the Fire Department, County, State and Federal resources, said Town Mayor Ray Turner.

The Town of Lakeview and Lake County are first and foremost concerned about public safety.

Water levels on area roadways are high, creating increased hazards, especially for those driving tonight.

The National Weather Service in Medford has issued a Flood Warning for small streams in south central Lake County and south central Oregon until 3:15 a.m. Tuesday.

Currently the Town of Lakeview and Lakeview Fire Department, Lake County and the Lake County Sheriffs Office, Oregon State Police, the South Central Oregon Fire Management Partnership, Lake Health District Hospital, Lake County School District 7, Oregon Department of Transportation and Warner Creek Correctional Facility are working together on this emergency situation.

For more information on the flood response, please contact the Lakeview Interagency Fire Center at 541-947-6315.

Attached and following is a news release regarding flooding in the Town of Lakeview and Lake County this evening. Also attached are photos of the flooding. The photo of Bullard Dam was taken today around 5 p.m. The photo at E Street was taken at 7:10 tonight.

Of importance:

 Bullard Dam is not failing  the water is going over the spillway as it is supposed to.

 The public is asked if they are not part of emergency response to please stay home. This is for public and emergency personnel safety. Crews are out tonight, in the dark and rain, placing sandbags.

 All Lake County School District 7 schools are closed tomorrow (Tuesday).

 There are sandbags available for those who need it at the Lakeview Town Shop, located on the 200 Block of North N Street.
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Abbey Community College in Ferrybank celebrated a major milestone recently when students and staff hosted a visiting delegation from the Howard W Blake High School in Tampa, Florida.

The visiting group, comprising 135 students, staff and parents, featured a very impressive choir, orchestra and wind band.

The American party had been travelling around Ireland with Encore Tours, and were welcomed to Ferrybank in glorious sunshine to the sound of the Colleges Transition Year drummers beating out a warm Irish welcome. A large crowd had gathered to greet the US guests who were formally welcomed by music teacher Tammy Lapthorne and deputy principals Colm Rice and Helen O Connor.

Abbey Principal Michelle Jefford was unavoidably absent due to a bereavement, and condolences and messages of support were sent to her by staff and students of both schools.

The main feature of the afternoon was a concert featuring the Howard W Blake students under the direction of musical directors Dan Dubay, Jason Jerald and Jason Galeczka. The Abbey students were used to seeing American High Schools portrayed on television and were thrilled to experience the real thing as the US guests produced scintillating performances from their orchestra, guitar ensemble, wind band and choir.

In turn, the Florida youngsters were blown away by the amazing talent from the Abbeys Music Department when the Trad Group, Brass Quartet and Senior Guitarists played up a storm.

One of the highlights of the day was the genuine and warm interaction between the Irish and American students who mixed and chatted freely swapping stories and comparing their lifestyles. The experience for all the young people involved will last a lifetime.

Deputy principal Helen O Connor thanked all the generous sponsors who made the day possible. A sumptuous lunch was provided by the Abbey, with generous donations from O Reilly Butchers, Kilmacthomas; O Briens Butchers, Kilkenny; Iverk Produce, Piltown, Cadburys Ireland and Dawn Meats International. To mark the occasion, Keoghs Bakery, Kilkenny produced a fantastic ceremonial cake.

To commemorate the historic visit, the high school was presented with a framed bookmark specially designed for the occasion by GK Print, who also provided every student with a keepsake copy. K Sport, Glanbia Ingredients and Sun Life were also generous sponsors of the mammoth event.
Kilkenny LEADER Partnership has been approved for funding of 5,825,102 to finance 62 projects, new figures provided by Junior Minister, John Paul Phelan, TD, show.

The Kilkenny allocation is part of a 64 million national package announced by Minister Michael Ring and covering 1,888 LEADER projects around the country.

This increase reflects a significant expansion of activity over the last 18 months since Minister Ring introduced a range of measures to make the programme work better for both potential applicants and for the LEADER Local Action Groups which deliver the programme on the ground.

We want to see this momentum continue over the coming months and the funding for the approved projects drawn down as quickly as possible. LEADER funding represents an enormous opportunity for rural businesses and communities that are in need of investment and its great to see the programme continuing to grow and make a difference for rural Ireland over the coming years, Minister Phelan said.

Specifically in Kilkenny, finance is being provided for 62 projects which have a value of 1,615,488. A further 12 applications are in process for projects with a value of 524,892. Specifically in Kilkenny, 18,450 has been set aside for a Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) initiative for rural Kilkenny communities with little or no broadband services.

Furthermore, 13,400 is being invested in a Migrant Integration Strategy for Training and Development. The finance announced by Minister Ring also provides just under 25,000 for a Turn to the River Tourism Training package.
You probably already know that most Americans have to file their 2018 federal tax return by April 15, 2019 (as we told you earlier). For most states with an income tax (there are nine states with no income tax), the state return is also due on April 15 this year. However, some states give you more time to file  such as Louisiana.

States With Tax Deadlines After April 15 in 2019

State Due Date Delaware April 30 Hawaii April 22 Iowa April 30 Louisiana May 15 Maine April 17 Massachusetts April 17 New Mexico April 30 (if e-filed) Oklahoma April 22 (if e-filed) Virginia May 1

The Pelican State has the latest tax return deadline in the nation. For the 2018 tax year, Form IT-540 isn't due until May 15, 2019. That's a full month after the due date for federal returns.

There are four ways to ask for a six-month extension if you can't file your Louisiana return by the deadline. You can request an extension (1) through the Louisiana Department of Revenue's website, (2) by calling 225-922-3270 or 888-829-3071, (3) by checking the state extension box in your tax-preparation software, or (4) by mailing Form R-2867 with a copy of your federal extension to the LDR. Your request must be submitted by May 15. Also remember that a filing extension does not extend the time to pay any tax due. Interest and penalties will be applied to tax payments received after May 15.

We recommend filing both federal and state returns at the same time if possible. State returns typically "piggyback" off the federal return, so it's usually easier to do them at the same time. There's also a better chance of avoiding discrepancies if you do them together. However, if that's not possible, having an extra month to file your Louisiana return can help. It gives you more time to focus on getting your federal return off before the April 15 deadline and then to get your state return just right.

For information about other states with delayed tax filing deadlines, see 9 States Where You Can File Your State Tax Return After April 15.
Osisko Metals (TSXV:OM) controls two of Canada's premier zinc mining camps, says executive VP Paul Dumas who spoke with Kitco Mining at the Metal Investors Forum in Toronto earlier this month.

With the ramp up of global infrastructure projects underway while the world's supply of zinc shrinks, Osisko Metals will be in an enviable position to meet future demand.

"Zinc is an under-valued commodity right now," says Dumas noting zinc mine depletions and closures.

"The underlying value of our assets should eventually be reflected in the price of our equity."

Osisko Metals' flagship Pine Point Mining Camp is located in the Northwest Territories and has an inferred mineral resource of 38.4 Mt grading 4.58% zinc and 1.85% lead. The property has tremendous upside potential as it has never been explored using modern-day technologies and has never seen any drilling deeper than approximately 100 metres. It is a brownfield site, once a large-scale mine operated by Cominco. The mine closed in 1987.

The project is located on the south shore of Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories, and is accessible directly and year-round by an all-weather highway from Hay River, the economic "Hub of the North".

The project is comprised of mineral claims and mineral leases covering an area of 22,213 hectares containing key stratigraphy that hosts zinc and lead mineralization. The center of the property is located 96 km east of Hay River that has rail transportation and loadout options as well as other available services. On-site infrastructure consists of approximately 100km of intact 25-metre wide haulage roads that link the mineralized zones and an active electrical substation located in the middle of the property that previously serviced mine and mill operations.

The second property is the Key Anacon project, located 20 km south of the town of Bathurst, New Brunswick. A maiden resource estimate released last month to convert historical resources to compliant NI43-101 found 249.1 mil (million) lbs zinc, 102.6 mil lbs lead, 9.3 mil lbs copper, and 4.3 mil oz of silver and Inferred: 453 mil lbs zinc, 126.4 mil lbs lead, 27.0 mil lbs copper, and 5.9 mil oz of silver. The camp has good infrastructure and is located beside major forestry roads. Like Pine Point, Key Anacon has not seen any use of modern-day exploration techniques and only very sporadic drilling , due to the fact that the project was privately owned for the last 60 years or so, prior to Osisko Metals acquiring it. In 2018, the Company began a drill program and was successful at extending the project's Main and Titan Zones at depth and along strike,and both remain open. Work will continue into 2019.

With Pine Point and Key Anacon, Osisko Metals is being propelled to become to the leading base metals mining company in Canada.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Chinas lengthy approval process for genetically modified crops remains a sticking point in talks to end the trade war between China and the United States, according to two sources with knowledge of the talks.

Beijing has taken years to approve new strains of GM crops, which U.S. companies and farmers have complained stalls trade by restricting the sales of new products from companies such as DowDuPont Inc, Bayer AG, and Syngenta AG.

The issue is one of a host of U.S. complaints that the administration of President Donald Trump is demanding China address if it wants to end trade disputes that have cost both countries billions of dollars and slowed the global economy.

Trump on Thursday said the two sides were getting very close to a deal that could be announced in about four weeks, though there were still differences to be bridged.

GM crops and the approval process are still a big issue in the discussions, said one of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The issue has been a source of tension between the two countries for years. China is the biggest buyer of U.S. soybeans, the bulk of which are genetically modified. If it does not approve new strains, then farmers in the United States cannot plant them because China may reject shipments that include them.

Seed companies cannot fully commercialize sales of new strains without those approvals. The two sides had appeared to make some progress on the issue in January, when China approved a handful of GMO crops for import. They were the first in about 18 months. The move did not address the core U.S. concerns over delays to the process.

A spokeswoman from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, who is leading the Washington team in the discussions, did not respond immediately to request for confirmation or comment.

Chinas Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs did not immediately respond to faxed questions on Friday, which was a public holiday in China.

It is unclear what differences on the issue remain. The United States wants China to accelerate its approval process and make it more similar to Washingtons.

Beijing allows imports of GMO soybeans and corn for use in animal feed, even though it does not permit planting of them.

China bought about 60 percent of U.S. soy exports, worth about $12 billion, before the ongoing U.S.-China trade war and could reject shipments of unapproved varieties.

Beijing promised to speed up its review of applications during previous trade talks with the United States in 2017. In the past, Beijing has held back approvals of imported GMO products amid concerns about anti-GMO sentiment in China.

The trade deal, should it be agreed, is expected to include a six-year time frame for purchases of more than $1 trillion in U.S. goods, including commodity products.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trumps new acting chief of Homeland Security will be under pressure to implement legally dubious solutions to an influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border - policies that his predecessor either could not, or would not, deliver.

Kevin McAleenan, presently commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), will be the fourth person to helm the agency under Trump. He takes over as U.S. border officials estimated that 100,000 migrants were apprehended at the southern border in March, the highest level in a decade.

The president, who made immigration a key campaign theme, has grown increasingly frustrated with his officials, even as they have implemented aggressive policies to limit immigration.

Immigration experts say Trump lately has called for policies that would violate U.S. laws, international agreements and court settlements or require U.S. Congress to pass major legislation.

On Friday, he called for Congress to get rid of the whole asylum system and get rid of immigration judges, and criticized a long-standing federal court decree mandating certain standards of care for migrant children.

A congressional official familiar with the matter said some in Congress believe Trump forced out Kirstjen Nielsen, who resigned as secretary on Sunday, in part because she was trying to obey laws on treatment of refugees, granting of amnesty and separation of families.

A source close to Nielsen said Trump was convinced to oust her by his senior aide Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner.

Nielsen did not respond to a request for comment.

It was not immediately clear what strategies McAleenan could implement to achieve Trumps objective of limiting migrant crossings at the southern border, especially as they are expected to reach their yearly peak in the coming months, experts said.

A U.S. judge on Monday halted the administrations policy of sending some asylum seekers back across the border to wait out their cases in Mexico, a policy it said last week it planned to expand. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

So much of what the president put out there isnt really legally feasible, said Sarah Pierce, an immigration policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, a non-partisan think tank in Washington. I, like many, and maybe Nielsen herself are kind of puzzled as to what could happen.

A CBP spokesman declined to comment and directed questions to the White House.

McAleenan follows Nielsen and Elaine Duke, who led the DHS on an acting basis after John Kelly, Trumps first DHS secretary, became White House chief of staff in 2017. Trump took office in January that year.

ZERO TOLERANCE

Nielsen oversaw a zero tolerance prosecution policy that led to the separation of thousands of parents and children, and launched a policy to return asylum seekers to Mexico until their claims are heard. Both policies garnered legal challenges, and both required extensive implementation by McAleenan and his agency.

Stephen Legomsky, a former chief counsel at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services under Democratic President Barack Obama, said McAleenan likely will not have much freedom to pursue policies opposed by Trump or Miller.

Whoever is put in that position in this administration is going to have a very hard time resisting the philosophy of the White House, Legomsky said.

John Sandweg, former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during the Obama administration, said the Trump administrations focus on deterring migrants at the expense of other policies had hamstrung Nielsen and would likely hobble McAleenan.

Theres nothing we can do thats worse than what people are facing in Central America, he said. If were going to work our way through this problem, being tough is not a strategy, its a soundbite.

NOT RADIOACTIVE

White House officials said Trump wanted someone at DHS who would focus on the border as the top priority. McAleenan is seen as having a good relationship with Trump and 20 years of experience, so the president felt he would be a good choice to handle the influx at the border, officials said.

The White House envisions McAleenan working more with Congress, one official said, though the official declined to be specific about policy details.

McAleenan is a rare Trump appointee with cordial relations with Democrats in Congress. After testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee in December, McAleenan chatted afterwards for close to 15 minutes with Senator Dianne Feinstein and other Democrats on the committee.

Hes not considered to be radioactive, said a congressional Democratic aide on condition of anonymity.

Democratic Representative Joaquin Castro demanded McAleenan resign in December, after a Guatemalan migrant girl died in federal custody and McAleenan failed to report it to Congress within 24 hours, as required.

On Sunday, he said McAleenans appointment as acting secretary was deeply disturbing.

Trump further reshuffled the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Monday by replacing the director of the Secret Service - which does not have immigration responsibilities - with a career agent.
NEW YORK, April 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday sold $38 billion of three-year government notes at a yield of 2.301%, the lowest yield for this debt maturity at an auction since February 2018, Treasury data showed. The ratio of bids to the amount of three-year notes offered was 2.49, which was the lowest reading since January. This gauge of overall auction demand was 2.56 at the previous three-year note sale in March. (Reporting by Richard Leong; Editing by Dan Grebler)

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.
LONDON (Reuters) - Britains House of Lords on Monday approved legislation that will give parliament the power to scrutinize and even change Prime Minister Theresa Mays request that the European Union agree to delay Brexit until June 30. The legislation, which is being passed despite government opposition to it, will now return to the elected House of Commons for further consideration with a view to being finalised and turned into law later on Monday. Reporting by William James, Editing by Kylie MacLellan

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.
(Updates bitcoin price, adds analyst comments)

By Brenda Goh and Alun John

SHANGHAI/HONG KONG, April 9 (Reuters) - China's state planner wants to eliminate bitcoin mining in the country, according to a draft list of industrial activities the agency is seeking to stop in a sign of growing government pressure on the cryptocurrency sector.

China is the world's largest market for computer hardware designed to mine bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, even though such activities previously fell under a regulatory grey area.

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said on Monday it was seeking public opinions on a revised list of industries it wants to encourage, restrict or eliminate. The list was first published in 2011.

The draft for a revised list added cryptocurrency mining, including that of bitcoin, to more than 450 activities the NDRC said should be phased out as they did not adhere to relevant laws and regulations, were unsafe, wasted resources or polluted the environment.

It did not stipulate a target date or plan for how to eliminate bitcoin mining, meaning that such activities should be phased out immediately, the document said. The public has until May 7 to comment on the draft.

State-owned newspaper Securities Times said on Tuesday the draft list "distinctly reflects the attitude of the country's industrial policy" towards the cryptocurrency industry.

"The NDRC's move is in line overall with China's desire to control different layers of the rapidly growing crypto industry, and does not yet signal a major shift in policy," said Jehan Chu, managing partner at blockchain investment firm Kenetic.

"I believe China simply wants to 'reboot' the crypto industry into one that they have oversight on, the same approach they took with the Internet."

Other bitcoin traders said they were not surprised by the government's move.

"Bitcoin mining wastes a lot of electricity," said one Chinese bitcoin trader who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the situation.

CRACKDOWN CONTINUES

Last week, the price of bitcoin soared nearly 20 percent in its best day since the height of the 2017 bubble, and breaking $5,000 for the first time since mid-November, though analysts and traders admitted they were puzzled by the surge. Bitcoin, which accounts for around half of the cryptocurrency market, was down by around 1.4 percent on Tuesday, while other major coins such as Ethereum and Ripple's XRP also fell by similar amounts. Traders in London said it was unclear how much the Chinese move was weighing on the market.

The cryptocurrency sector has been under heavy scrutiny in China since 2017, when regulators started to ban initial coin offerings and shut local cryptocurrency trading exchanges.

China also began to limit cryptocurrency mining, forcing many firms - among them some of the world's largest - to find bases elsewhere.

Nearly half of bitcoin mining pools  groups of miners that team up for economies of scale - are located in the Asia-Pacific, a Cambridge University study said in December.

"Half of the network is probably located in China," said Alex de Vries, a consultant with PwC in Amsterdam who specialises on blockchain and researches cryptocurrency mining. He added that the number of mining facilities in the world is still limited to several hundred.

Countries with relatively cheap electricity have emerged as major hosts of cryptocurrency mining. Mati Greenspan, an analyst with eToro in Israel, said any ban by China would cut a key supply of cheap electricity for the industry and raise the average cost to mine bitcoin.

Chinese companies are also among the biggest manufacturers of bitcoin mining gear, and last year three filed for initial public offerings in Hong Kong, looking to raise billions of dollars.

However, the two largest, Bitmain Technologies, the world's largest manufacturer of bitcoin mining gear, and Canaan Inc, have since let their applications lapse. People familiar with the deals said that Hong Kong regulators had many questions about the companies' business models and prospects.

Bitmain declined to comment on the NDRC's proposal to ban bitcoin mining. Canaan did not respond to requests for comment.

According to Canaan's IPO prospectus filed last year, sales of blockchain hardware primarily for cryptocurrency mining in China were worth 8.7 billion yuan ($1.30 billion) in 2017, 45 percent of global sales by value.

The prospectus forecasts that sales in China would rise to 35.6 billion yuan by 2020.

($1 = 6.7084 Chinese yuan)

(Additional reporting by Toby Sterling in Amsterdam, Tom Wilson in London and Winni Zhou in Shanghai; Editing by Sam Holmes and Jacqueline Wong)
A very good op ed by Masih Alinejad and Roya Hakakian on the hijab:

In an interview for the April issue of Vogue Arabia, Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar said, To me, the hijab means power, liberation, beauty and resistance.

As two women who once lived with the mandatory hijab in Iran, we hope to bring another perspective to this complex matter by describing our experiences.

There are two vastly different kinds of hijabs: the democratic hijab, the head covering that a woman chooses to wear, and the tyrannical hijab, the one that a woman is forced to wear.

In the first kind, a woman has agency. She sets the terms of her hijab, appearing as ascetic or as appealing as she wishes. She can also wear makeup and fashionable clothing if she likes. In the second kind of hijab, the woman has no agency. Where we lived, the terms were set by Iranian government authorities under a mandatory dress code that banned women from wearing makeup in public and forced them to wear a baggy, knee-length garment to fully disguise the shape of their bodies, over a pair of pants and closed-toed shoes.

For a while, the authorities even decreed the colours that women could wear: gray, black, brown or navy.

I like how they distinguish between the democratic hijab and the tyrannical hijab. And that is why having the PM wear a hijab after the terrorist attack was so powerful  she was showing empathy to Muslim women who choose to wear the hijab. It was not about the tyrannical hijab, but the democratic one.

We are pleased to see Omar proudly exercise her right to don the hijab. In an era when nativism is rising in the United States and in many other countries, it is important for those who support the values of a pluralistic society to stand up for the rights of their threatened minorities. In that spirit, we wholeheartedly stand with our Muslim sisters in the West and support their choices.

In return, we ask the global sisterhood to stand with Iranian women as they fight against the mandatory hijab.

We ask that American women support Irans most prominent human rights lawyer, Nasrin Sotoudeh, who has been sentenced to 38 years in prison and 148 lashes after defending the women who have defied the hijab laws with their peaceful acts of protest.

Disgraceful.

Just as Americans must distinguish between violent radicals and ordinary Muslims to successfully fight the former and honour the rights of the latter, so must they recognise that not all hijabs are created equal.

Omar and other Muslim women who benefit from the freedom that America has bestowed on them are especially well positioned to speak up for women forced into hijab.

By itself, the hijab is a mere piece of cloth. Tyranny turns it into a symbol of oppression. It is democracy, with its embrace of diversity, that turns hijab into an emblem of power or beauty for those who choose to wear it.

I like the part I bolded.

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Stuff reports:

A man is accusing Immigration NZ of ageism after an official made a note of the 33-year age gap between him and his Filipina partner.

Wayne Greenwood obtained a document written by an Immigration NZ (INZ) officer that scrutinised the age difference and differing cultures between himself and his fiancee Liza Nofoaiga, whose residence visa application was later declined.

Ages of couple matches: No  there is a 33 year age gap, the staff member wrote in early 2018 in a memo, obtained by Greenwood under the Official Information Act and provided to Stuff.

Thats not ageism. Immigration NZ is not saying that a relationship cant be genuine if there is a 33 year age gap  just that it is less likely to be so. It is their job to establish if a relationship is genuine, or just an attempt to rort the immigration system.

Nofoaigas application was declined in September 2018. Greenwood said he was gobsmacked when he saw the internal document, which he described as ageist and discriminatory.

Its against everything that this country stands for. Weve got a big age gap  theres no two ways about that  but thats our choice, and if thats the way [Associate Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi] decided against us, thats a breach of human rights.

There is no human right to get residency in New Zealand, if you are not a citizen.

One of the requirements for residence visa applications is that the applicants sponsor must not have acted as a sponsor in one previous successful visa application.

Greenwood said that he had successfully sponsored the application of a Chinese woman in 2010, but they had since broken up.

He suspected that INZ believed his new partner was trying to use him to obtain residency, but he said that was unfair: You cannot assume that.

They can assume that, especially when it seems that is what his previous partner did.

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A job fair for Chinese students returning from overseas was held in Beijing Monday to facilitate employment of students by Chinese institutions.

The event, held by the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange under the Ministry of Education, attracted 169 well-known domestic institutions, many of which take part in the Belt and Road Initiative.

Organizers provided consulting services for students visiting the fair, including on certification of overseas academic degrees, and procedures concerning employment and settlement.

The fair has been held 13 times since 2012, attracting over 2,000 enterprises and institutions, as well as nearly 40,000 students, and providing over 10,000 job positions.
Angola, IN (46703)

Today

Cloudy with rain ending for the afternoon. High 58F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Cloudy with gusty winds developing after midnight. Low around 55F. Winds SSW at 20 to 30 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.
At Egypt's renowned Cairo Opera House, a Chinese musical band played traditional Chinese and Egyptian music on Monday, winning applause of the audience.

The show was part of the sixth edition of the Damanhour International Folklore Festival, which lasts from April 6 to 11.

The festival, which hosts 26 Arab and foreign bands from 13 countries, extended for the first time from Beheira province in Delta to Cairo and Alexandria.

The open air theatre at the Cairo Opera House was packed with Chinese and Egyptian audiences who enjoyed the festive and famed Chinese folk melodies performed by artists from Jiangsu Women's Traditional Orchestra, which is the first professional women orchestra that performs traditional Chinese folk music.

The famous band has previously played in countries, including the Neitherlands, Australia, Lebanon, and Morocco.

Ghada Ahmed, 15-year-old student who plays piano, said it was her first time watching a live Chinese musical show.

"I'm a musician and I really admired what the Chinese band has performed," said the girl, who came to the concert with her parents.

Ahmed said there are many similarities between the Egyptian and Chinese music as they use similar instruments and musical scales.

Her father, Ahmed Mahmoud, who learns Chinese at the Chinese Cultural Center in Cairo, said he liked the performance of an old Egyptian musical piece.

"They Chinese artists played the piece skillfully. It was a pure Egyptian music with a Chinese soul," Mahmoud said.

The man added that the performance showed that music is a common language between different cultures and a strong bridge linking the people of the globe.

Cultural exchanges benefited from China and Egypt upgrading their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2014, with artists, cultural and musical delegations paying mutual visits.

Through such moves, both countries want to boost friendly ties and enhance mutual understandings and future development.

Ge Chengli, deputy director-general of Lianyungang's Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau, said the orchestra's participation in the festival is meant to enhance cooperation between China and Egypt.

"We're able to know more about the Chinese culture and the Egyptian audience can know what Chinese folk music is like," he told Xinhua. "Through folk music, we can tell the story of China to the world."

He added that the performance is meaningful under China's Belt and Road Initiative, stressing that Egypt is one of the most important Belt and Road countries.

Yan Yan, chief performer of the orchestra, said the music and songs performed at the festival are well-known in China, such as the Jasmine Flower.

"We can feel the passion of the audience. We hope to study more Chinese folk music, in order to make our performance more joyful for the audience," she told Xinhua.
Nearly 800 artifacts smuggled from China will finally set off for home this month after they were first noticed by an Italian gendarmerie unit 12 years ago, and they will be an exemplar of Italian authorities' achievements in the battle against artifacts smuggling.



The batch of Chinese artifacts was noticed by a unit of Carabinieri, or the national gendarmerie of Italy, focusing on the protection of cultural heritage, in 2007, when a television auction program was looking to sell items from a large trove of ancient Asian cultural and historical artifacts.

"There was a tip that the items being offered for sale were illegally smuggled out of China," lieutenant colonel Valerio Marra, commander of the Carabinieri unit for Rome, says. "So officials were sent in to investigate and they ended up seizing 796 artifacts."

Marra adds: "It's impossible to put a precise value on these items since it is never easy to put a price tag on culture and history, but I think it is safe to say that combined they would have a market value of many millions of euros."

Twelve years later, those items are set to be returned to China in a repatriation that, once complete, will be the biggest transfer of cultural and historical artifacts to China since Britain returned around 3,000 items in 1998.

The path between the discovery of the illegal items near the city of Monza, just outside Milan, and their presentation to Chinese officials is long and complicated.

The first task facing the Carabinieri unit, according to Marra, was to determine the true provenance of the objects, especially since the would-be seller reportedly claimed they were not taken from China. A team of archeologists, art historians and other specialists determined the items were from a period spanning from the Neolithic age 5,500 years ago to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

After that, it fell upon Italian courts to determine what should be done with them. A judge in Milan finally ruled that they should be returned.

The case represents one of the highest-level successes for the Carabinieri unit, which has around 300 investigators across the country. The division is considered a source of pride in a country known for its own cultural and historical riches spanning from ancient times to the present.

"Respecting international norms for the proper treatment of these kinds of items is one of the marks of a civilized culture," Giuliano Volpe, rector at the University of Foggia and president of the Superior Council for Cultural Heritage, says. "If an object was obtained illegally, it must be returned to where it belongs."

According to Marra, the Chinese artifacts originate from archeological digs and collections in four Chinese provinces: Guangdong, Qinghai, Shaanxi and Sichuan.

The transfer of the items from Italy to China is expected to start this month. Once complete, China will display the items in Beijing next year as part of a wider plan to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Italy and China.
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The Sri Lankan government declared on Monday to open a railway line constructed between Matara and Beliatta in the southern part of the island country which will hopefully boost passenger traffic into the deep south.



In the Matara railway station, a special train set off on its maiden journey on the newly-built railway around 9:00 a.m. local time, and arrived at the final Beliatta station an hour later.

The 26.75-km long Matara-Beliatta railway extension was declared open for the public by Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Arjuna Ranatunga in the presence of Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera and other parliamentarians.

The railway extension was financed by the Export-Import Bank of China (China Exim Bank) and the contract was awarded to China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation.

A major portion of the construction was carried out by China Railway Group 5 (CR5) and Sri Lanka's Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau (CECB).

Ranatunga, speaking at the launching ceremony, said that the railway extension project was a victory for the country as it would immensely benefit the people, especially those living in Matara and Hambantota areas.

The minister expressed gratitude to the Chinese government for their assistance in the project.

"I am also glad to be able to open this railway line before the Sinhala and Tamil New Year so that it would benefit the people travelling from Colombo to Hambantota for the New Year," Ranatunga said.

The official said the remaining work of expanding the railway line from Beliatta to Hambantota and then to Kataragama, in the Uva province will also commence soon.

The Matara-Beliatta railway line is the first to be constructed in Sri Lanka since 1948 and it includes the longest and second longest railway bridges of 1.5 km and 1.04 km, respectively.

The railway line also includes one of the tallest railway bridges, the longest railway tunnel and the most modern railway station buildings in the country.
A vessel, COSCO Shipping Panama, arrived from China at the Port of Tripoli on Tuesday to unload 1,200 containers, the National News Agency (NNA) reported.

The ship sent by COSCO, short for China Ocean Shipping Company, a Chinese shipping and logistics services supplier company, unloaded some of the products at Tripoli's port to be distributed in the local market and exported to other countries in the East Mediterranean sea, according to NNA.

Tripoli's Port Director General Ahmed Tamer said that activity at the port is excellent and the ship arrived within the framework of the weekly program for ship arrivals for COSCO and CMA CGM on the line between Chinese ports and Port of Tripoli.

Tamer added that Tripoli port will witness an increase in activity in 2019.

Tripoli port has expanded its terminal to receive the largest types of vessels in addition to creating a terminal to receive Chinese cranes capable of lifting and transporting more than 700 containers a day.
With the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), mankind might lose its intellectual superiority, which is the main advantage we have as a species. There are several reasons why this could become an eventuality.



First, the software that forms the basis of AI is a mathematical code based on certain algorithms, the author of which is still a human. However, in the near future, AI will be able to independently change existing codes and even create new ones. This development is already in its nascent stages as part of the so-called Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things (IoT). Such technologies allow physical objects to interact with each other, eliminating the need for human participation. Thanks to certain algorithms and neural-like computing structures, and the use of big data and the Internet, modern computers already have predictive and self-learning functions.

Secondly, unlike humans, AI is not limited to biological matter. It requires a long period of time for biological matter to naturally undergo development or modification. As a mathematical code, AI has the potential to change or develop exponentially in a much shorter time compared to natural evolution. Also, while the process of transferring information and knowledge from person to person is extremely limited and could take years, AI will be able to transfer information in a matter of seconds. Moreover, updating the AI model does not mean the loss of information and knowledge, which occurs in the case of a person's death. Thus, the development of skills, professions, and any other physical, informational and intellectual activities can occur at lightning speed with AI.

Thirdly, in contrast to a biological organism, such as man, AI does not have to be tied to a biological body, and therefore can exist not only outside of it, but also in other physical conditions and dimensions unknown to us. In fact, all life-supporting resources necessary for a human such as water, food, air, light, sleep, movement, and so on, are not critical factors for the existence and efficiency of AI. This in turn means that in an efficiency and profit-oriented society, AI has many more economic advantages.

Vector of new development

The creation of the "real" AI will mean that a human armed solely with its brain and body will not be able to compete with AI in the future. Humans will objectively lose the ability to control AI, and, as is commonly believed in the biological world, they will become less competitive and lose their intellectual primacy on earth. In order to prevent such a scenario, we will have to find synergies between human abilities and technical innovation, which will be the beginning of a merger of sorts to restore the balance of power between humans and AI. In my opinion, this option is the most feasible, since it has already been successfully launched!

Scientific research is making progress in this area, and projects involving nanorobots will soon be implemented. Projects are also in the works to recreate living matter  from cell cloning and integrating chips into the human body, up to printing entire living organs on a 3D printer. It is likely that these efforts will be supported by genetic engineering, which will become essential, since there is insufficient time for humans to increase their potential through a natural evolutionary process. This in turn will set a precedent for the emergence of a different form of cyborgs  a cybernetic human, which will lead to the increased blurring of boundaries between humans, computers and robots. Following this development, it can be assumed that with technical progress, the natural parts of the human body will be replaced by more practical, artificially created ones. This will sooner or later lead to the question of who can still be considered human or robot.

Merging humans with smart technologies will first of all be implemented in the field of medicine. Even today, we are already able to integrate auxiliary materials and sensors into the human body to maintain or enhance the natural physiological parameters of living tissue. Those sectors in which the improvement of physiological and intellectual indicators will mean a strategic advantage over competitors will also follow suit. Hence, such cybernetic improvements will soon spread to the military and rescue departments, as well as manufacturing and research centers. In turn, these sectors will provide huge funds for further development and implementation of AI projects worldwide.

Considering all of the above, I believe that in just a few decades, a new type of non-biological intelligence will appear. This will likely be created in China and in the USA as both superpowers have the scientific talent and necessary funding to run expensive research and development programs.

Conclusion

Today's world is significantly different from the one in which humans lived in for the last 200 thousand years. Scientific research, as well as technical developments of the last 300 years, have shown that the future of mankind will not be anything like its past, and humans will be forced to adapt quickly. However, such changes are unlikely to be achieved in a natural way as it requires a long evolutionary process. It seems that humans will make great efforts to accelerate its development, and therefore will have to merge with AI to survive.

Dr. Konstantin Schamber is an international entrepreneur, expert in intercultural communication and artificial intelligence from the social sciences point of view. He is the Managing Director of the Center for Strategic Intercultural Communication GmbH in Germany and the Founder of the Business Innovation Congress in Asia.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.





If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn.
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Northwest China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region will spend 42.1 billion yuan (6.3 billion U.S. dollars) to expand its airport in Urumqi, the regional capital, according to the regional economic planner.





The project, expected to be completed in 2022, will include the construction of two new runways in the Urumqi Diwopu International Airport designed to accommodate the world's largest aircraft.





The move aims to ease the pressure of growing tourists to the region, according to regional Development and Reform Commission.





Xinjiang's tourism has been booming in recent years, with more than 33.51 million passengers traveling by air in 2018. The volume of cargo and mail carried by the planes reached 191,800 tonnes, up 11.4 percent and 2.3 percent year on year respectively.





The region is also accelerating the construction of airports. So far, it has 21 civilian airports with 244 air routes covering the entire region.




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The United States on Monday designated Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) as a "foreign terrorist organization" (FTO), an unprecedented move that will further heighten U.S.-Iran tensions, and complicate the Middle East situation.

"This designation will be the first time that the United States has ever named a part of another government as an FTO," U.S. President Donald Trump said in a statement issued by the White House.

"This unprecedented step, led by the Department of State, recognizes the reality that Iran is not only a State Sponsor of Terrorism, but that the IRGC actively participates in, finances, and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft," Trump said.

Iran immediately condemned the Trump administration's decision as "a dangerous U.S. misadventure in the region" and labelled U.S. Central Command forces in West Asia as "a terrorist group."

Iran's Supreme National Security Council considers the U.S. government as the "sponsor of terrorism" and announces the U.S. Central Command and its affiliated forces in West Asia as a "terrorist group," the official IRNA news agency reported, citing a statement by the council.

Tensions between the United States and Iran have escalated since the Trump administration withdrew from the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal in May last year and snapped back sanctions on Iran's "critical sectors" of energy, shipping, shipbuilding and finance.

The United States has already blacklisted dozens of entities and individuals affiliated with the IRGC, but not the entire force.

Trump said in Monday's statement that the new designation "will significantly expand the scope and scale of our maximum pressure on the Iranian regime. It makes crystal clear the risks of conducting business with, or providing support to the IRGC."

Moments later, the White House issued a separate statement, saying that the unprecedented designation, part of "a broader effort to counter Iran-backed terrorism around the world," will "increase the financial pressure and isolation of Iran and deprive the regime of resources it uses for its terrorist activities."

"This action puts other governments and the private sector on notice about the nature of the IRGC," it said.

For his part, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told a media conference held after Trump's announcement that "this designation will take effect one week from today."

"Businesses and banks around the world now have a clear duty to ensure that companies with which they conduct financial transactions are not connected to the IRGC in any material way," Pompeo said, noting that the U.S. designation will increase the risk of business cooperation between European financial entities and Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted that the U.S. designation is "a(nother) misguided election-eve gift to Netanyahu. A(nother) dangerous U.S. misadventure in the region."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also responded via Twitter on Monday, saying that "thank you, President @realDonaldTrump for your decision to designate the Islamic revolutionary guards as a terrorist organization."

"Once again you are keeping the world safe from Iran aggression and terrorism," he said.

After reports of the designation emerged late on Friday, the Iranian foreign minister has taken to Twitter to warn against such a move.

Zarif tweeted on Sunday that "#NetanyahuFirsters who have long agitated for FTO designation of the IRGC fully understand its consequences for U.S. forces in the region. In fact, they seek to drag the U.S. into a quagmire on his behalf."

"@realDonaldTrump should know better than to be conned into another U.S. disaster," Zarif added.

The IRGC on Sunday warned that "if the Americans make such a silly move and endanger our national security, we will put reciprocal measures on our agenda based on the policies of Iran's Islamic establishment."

In case of such a decision by the United States, "the American army and U.S. security forces would not experience peace and calm in the Middle East anymore," Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari was quoted as saying by Press TV.

U.S. media quoted analysts as saying that the U.S. move, together with possible retaliation from Iran and the Shiite forces in Middle East nations, would further escalate the regional confrontation, and complicate the mission of U.S. forces and diplomats in the region that have to engage with governments that may have close links with Iran.
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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrived in Brussels Monday for the 21st China-European Union (EU) leaders' meeting.

China and Europe are two major forces and markets in the international arena, and are important cooperation partners to each other, Li said upon his arrival.

Li said he looks forward to having an in-depth exchange of views with the European side on bilateral ties and other issues of common concern on the basis of mutual respect, consultation, coordination and win-win outcomes.

China, he added, hopes that the two sides will reach broad consensus on practical cooperation and make substantial progress on their investment agreement negotiations, so as to further enrich the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership and steer their relationship towards higher levels, broader areas and deeper degrees.

China firmly supports the European integration process, the EU's unity and growth, and Europe's more important role in international affairs, said the Chinese premier.

In the current situation, China is willing to work with the EU to strengthen coordination and cooperation on international issues, uphold multilateralism and free trade, consolidate the global and strategic significance of their relations, and contribute to world peace, stability and prosperity, he added.

During his stay in Brussels, Li will co-chair the China-EU leaders' meeting with European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. They will jointly attend a signing ceremony and meet the press.

Li and Juncker will meet with representatives attending the fourth China-EU Innovation Cooperation Dialogue. Li will also meet with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel.

This is the first stop of the premier's five-day tour to Europe. After Brussels, Li is scheduled to pay an official visit to Croatia, where he will also attend the eighth leaders' meeting of China and Central and Eastern European countries.
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As British Prime Minister Theresa May held individual phone talks with leaders of European Union states Monday, negotiations to find a Brexit breakthrough resumed between her Conservative government and the main opposition Labour Party.

The stakes have been raised in the quest to agree a deal between the two big political parties in Britain as a Friday departure deadline date looms.

Downing Street said government ministers had contacted the opposition Labour Party to pave the way for technical discussions Monday evening.

But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn complained talks between both sides have so far yielded no change in May's so-called red lines. Labour wants May to agree a deal that keeps Britain linked to the European Customs Union.

Media in London quoted sources close to the government indicating May had not accepted Labour's customs union demand, while pro-Brexit Conservative politicians fear such a link would undermine Brexit.

Corbyn said: "The exchanges with the government have been serious, but our shadow cabinet expressed frustration that the prime minister has not yet moved off her red lines so we can reach a compromise."

An emergency summit of European Union member state leaders takes place in Brussels Wednesday where May is expected to detail fresh plans aimed at ending the impasse in the British parliament.

Her aim is to win support to agree to an extension of Britain's departure date until June 30.

On Tuesday May travels to Europe for separate talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron in Berlin and Paris respectively.

It is part of May's plan to speak with all 27 European leaders ahead of Wednesday's crunch summit meeting. May also spoke Monday with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

In the unelected House of Lords, politicians Monday night backed the bill introduced in the House of Commons by Labour MP Yvette Cooper to prevent Britain leaving the EU with no deal.

The leader of the House of Commons Andrea Leadsom told MPs that if the bill receives Royal Assent from Queen Elizabeth there will be a government motion Tuesday asking the British Parliament to approve the May's request to the EU to delay Brexit.

Across the Irish Sea, talks took place Monday in Dublin between Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier.

Speaking later to journalists, Barnier said the EU could be much more ambitious in the future trade relationship if Britain were to drop its red lines.

Barnier welcomed May's decision to hold cross-party talks with the main opposition Labour Party, adding: "There are intensive cross-party discussions happening in London as we speak. We all hope these talks produce a positive outcome. I have said many times before that we can be much more ambitious in our future relationship with the UK."

"The political declaration allows for a range of outcomes, including a customs union. We are ready to make this clear if it helps and the work can be done extremely quickly."

Varadkar said he and Barnier exchanged views on the length of a possible extension for Britain.

He said: "I look forward to discussing it further with my EU counterparts at the European Council on Wednesday. There will be of course different views but I am confident we can reach agreement."

Britain also started making formal arrangements Monday for the country to take part in next month's European Parliament elections, but the government said it hoped a Brexit deal could be reached to avoid Britain having to elect Euro MPs (MEPs).
Netflix has been portrayed as the boogeyman of the movie theater industry for years. But now the streaming video giant is looking to preserve one of cinemas most famous historical institutions: the Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.

The Los Gatos, Calif., company is in talks to buy the storied Egyptian Theatre from American Cinematheque, the Los Angeles nonprofit that owns the venue known for hosting special screenings and events, said two people close to the matter who were not authorized to comment. American Cinematheque declined to comment.

Netflix is not interested in becoming a major player in the exhibition industry. Rather, the talks signal the companys desire to endear itself to filmmakers who want to preserve the old way of going to the movies. Netflix has irked theater owners by making films available on its streaming service at, or near, the same time they are released in theaters. But the company increasingly needs to court filmmakers at a time when it is rapidly expanding. The company is expected to spend $15 billion on content this year.

Purchasing the Egyptian would also enhance Netflixs already formidable presence in Hollywood, adding to Netflixs big office space on Sunset Boulevard and the Netflix-owned billboards blanketing the Sunset Strip with advertisements for the firms movies and shows.

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If a deal closes, American Cinematheque is expected to continue screening films at the Egyptian on weekends while Netflix presents its own programming midweek.

Deadline first reported on the talks, which are said to be in the advanced stages. A deal has not been finalized.

Netflixs rising clout in the cinema industry was a hot topic at the annual CinemaCon trade show in Las Vegas last week.

At the event, John Fithian, head of the National Assn. of Theatre Owners, called on the industry to protect the traditional business practice of putting movies exclusively in theaters before making them available for home viewing. Movies typically run in theaters for an average of 90 days before becoming available on home video. The comments were widely seen as a dig at Netflix and other attempts to shrink the theatrical window.

In this new climate, its important to ask, How does any given movie stand out against endless choices in the home? he said. Everyone in this room knows the answer to that important question  a robust theatrical release provides a level of prestige to a movie that cannot be replicated.

The Times reported last year that Netflix had explored the idea of buying theaters in Los Angeles and New York, and even considered acquiring L.A.-based Landmark Theatres. The thinking at the time was that owning its own venues would make it easier for Netflix to get Oscar nominations.

Last year, Netflix broke through with Oscar voters without the benefit of owning theaters, getting multiple nominations for Alfonso Cuarons Roma and the Coen brothers The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. Netflix granted a short theatrical window to those movies in order to satisfy Oscar eligibility rules and get a bigger audience.

Filmmakers remain split on the influence of Netflix on film. Steven Spielberg has reportedly supported proposed rule changes that would rein in Netflixs clout at the Oscars (Spielberg has a small auditorium named after him within the Egyptian). But others counter that Netflix supports interesting independent filmmaking that is overlooked by traditional studios.

Sid Grauman first opened the Egyptian Theatre in 1922 at a time when an Egyptian craze was sweeping the nation after the discovery of King Tutankhamens tomb. Its first film was Robin Hood, starring Douglas Fairbanks. It also hosted the premiere of The Ten Commandments in 1923.

The theater closed in 1992. The city of Los Angeles later sold it to American Cinematheque, which renovated the space and reopened it in 1998.

The venue could be spruced up again if Netflix buys it. The deal could also improve the financial picture for American Cinematheque, which could use the cash to support its programming. Netflix is not expected to purchase American Cinematheques other location, the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica.

American Cinematheque has promoted an eclectic variety of events. Upcoming screenings, for example, include a double feature of the Marx Brothers movies A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races on April 25 and the MaltinFest film festival, named for critic Leonard Maltin, in May.

The deal is not expected to affect Netflixs deals with theater chains including Landmark and IPic Entertainment, which screen the streamers movies.

ryan.faughnder@latimes.com

@rfaughnder
Theres a joke going around Washington about the best strategy for the Wall Street chief executives when they face off with lawmakers this week: Stay calm and let Jamie Dimon take over.

Unlike the rest of the bank leaders slated to testify before the House Financial Services Committee, the JPMorgan Chase & Co. boss has been in the congressional hot seat many times before. And rival executives point out, he has a tendency to dominate the conversation anyway.

Wednesdays hearing has consumed big banks lobbying and public relations operations for weeks. The banks have compiled thick briefing binders on issues such as small-business lending and minority hiring, readied responses to pointed questions about pay and inequality, and conducted murder boards  practice sessions in which CEOs are cross-examined by a team pretending to be hostile members of Congress.

Snubbed by Ocasio-Cortez

Despite the extensive preparations, few predict that the executives will come out unscathed. An anti-Wall Street sentiment runs through the Democrats now in control of the financial services panel, particularly among a group of newly elected progressives who are pulling the party to the left.

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A case in point is Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). She and her staff have refused to meet with the bank CEOs main trade group ahead of the hearing, according to people familiar with the matter.

Bulletproof vests covered with fire-retardant suits may not protect the banks, Jonice Gray Tucker, a partner at the Buckley law firm in Washington, warned a group of bankers at a conference last week. Its just a question, unfortunately, of how much scrutiny and how bad it is.

More important than who gets scorched, however, is whether Wednesdays hearing turns out to be a preview of the intense political heat that Wall Street could face throughout the 2020 presidential campaign. With critics such as Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders seeking the Democratic nomination, the industry fears months of bad publicity and calls for big banks to be broken up.

Banks have been eager for Washington to turn the page on the 2008 financial crisis and instead focus on more recent business scandals, including those involving Facebook Inc. and other technology giants. Theyd like to set a fresh narrative that highlights their post-crisis guardrails and the trillions of dollars they pump into the economy.

CEO slate

Along with Dimon, the other CEOs scheduled to appear are David Solomon of Goldman Sachs Group Inc., James Gorman of Morgan Stanley, Michael Corbat of Citigroup Inc., Brian Moynihan of Bank of America Corp., Charles Scharf of Bank of New York Mellon Corp. and Ronald OHanley of State Street Corp.

Absent will be anyone from Wells Fargo & Co. The tarnished bank got its own turn in the spotlight when then-CEO Tim Sloan testified last month. Sloan stepped down two weeks later.

In remarks prepared for this weeks hearing, the bank leaders touted their efforts to hire women and minorities, highlighted lending in low-income communities and credited regulations for making their firms safer. Gorman even praised the Volcker Rule, which prohibits institutions from trading for their own profit and limits ownership of risky investments; Gorman said it is preventing Morgan Stanley from taking extraordinary risks.

But banks may not get much more of a chance to tell the story they want Wednesday. The committee plans to have them appear as a group  a configuration that means the executives will probably have little time to give in-depth answers to questions from as many as 60 lawmakers (34 Democrats and 26 Republicans).

Questionable purpose

The setup isnt conducive to serious policy discussions, a point Republicans have been quick to make.

Other than to pull before the committee the CEOs of the seven big banks, whats the purpose of it? said North Carolina Rep. Patrick McHenry, the top Republican on the panel. Its an attempt for media attention.

Moderate Democrats on the panel are wary, too.

From a politics perspective, its so cheap and easy to beat up on the financial services sector. That isnt what we should be doing here, said Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), who said he has constructive questions on housing, small-business lending and financial technology that he wants to pose.

Important oversight

Panel Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) has tried to downplay the potential for theatrics. She is billing the hearing as important oversight.

It has been 10 years since the CEOs of the largest banks testified as a group before Congress, Waters said at an American Bankers Assn. conference last week. In that time, the banking industry has changed dramatically.

Change is exactly what the bank CEOs would like to discuss. The Financial Services Forum, the trade association that represents all the CEOs who are testifying, has led the lobbying campaign. Ahead of the hearing, the group has organized meetings with the offices of nearly every committee member, Ocasio-Cortez being a notable exception.

This weeks hearing will reinforce both the criticality of these well-capitalized, customer-driven firms, and the fundamental strength of our financial system, Kevin Fromer, the forums president, said in a statement. The largest banks are integral to the success of our economy, he added.

No private jets

One of the forums main talking points is that banks are better off because of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act  a somewhat ironic argument because few in the industry backed the law when it passed. Still, it enables the firms to turn the tables on potentially unfriendly Democrats by, in effect, asking: Dont you think the reforms that you supported worked?

Each individual bank has been preparing its CEO for his testimony. The WilmerHale law firm has been hired by four banks  Citigroup, Bank of America, Bank of New York Mellon and State Street  to advise their leaders, according to people familiar with the matter. Davis Polk & Wardwell has worked with Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.

Theres even a video making the rounds that shows clips from Sloans March appearance before the committee  its being used as a primer for what not to do. And the CEOs have all been told to ground the private jets and plan on taking Amtrak.

The banks are on alert for uncomfortable questions, said people familiar with the preparations who asked not to be named because they werent authorized to speak publicly. Inequality is expected to be a hot-button issue, with queries over issues such as why CEOs make so much money and the salary gap between men and women. The fact that all the bank leaders testifying are white men could attract scrutiny.

Prisons and guns

Other topics that have come up in practice sessions include the amount of taxes the executives pay and stock buybacks. Some banks are also concerned that Democrats may home in on issues such as the financing they provide for private prisons and oil and gas pipelines.

A few firms have their own specific landmines that may be raised by lawmakers. Goldman Sachs is caught up in a massive corruption scandal in Malaysia. Citigroup and Bank of America, according to people familiar with the matter, expect they may be hit by Republicans over their decisions to stop doing business with some firearms manufacturers.

Goldman scrutiny

The two executives expected to get the most attention are Dimon and Solomon.

Dimon is the longest-serving CEO of the group. His tenure dates back to before the crisis. Hes a frequent visitor to Washington and has defended JPMorgan at high-profile hearings, including in 2012 when he won plaudits for his congressional testimony about the London Whale trading debacle.

Solomon, who took over Goldman Sachs in October, isnt well known on Capitol Hill, and this will be his first testimony before Congress. But the prominence of his firm almost guarantees he will be a focus.
The death of Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Yang-ho this week threatens to weaken his familys grip on an aviation-to-logistics empire built over two generations.

While the family has yet to disclose it, Chos eldest son, Walter  president of the groups Korean Air Lines Co. and its parent  is seen by analysts as his natural heir. But South Koreas inheritance tax laws might require the son to pay more than half of the value of the Chos 17.8% in Hanjin Kal Corp., the holding company.

Selling a part of that stake, worth about $278 million based on Tuesdays prices, in order to pay the levy would see the Cho familys control diluted.

Walter Cho is likely to inherit the chairmans stake, which is more than 17%, said Lee Sang-heon, a corporate governance analyst at Hi Investment & Securities in Seoul. The problem is, the death tax exceeds more than 50% in Korea and the chairmans stake inherited by Walter could shrink.

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At 50%, South Koreas top inheritance tax rate is among the highest in the developed world, with an extra 20% tax levied when passing down shares owned by the largest investor.

While his succession to the chairmans position hasnt been announced, precedence at the group favors Walter Cho, because the oldest son of the family has held that role for two generations. He also has the option of mortgaging assets to make the tax payment, potentially leaving the stake intact, Lee said.

Representatives for Korean Air and Hanjin declined to comment on who will succeed the older Cho as chairman of the group, or how the tax levies will be paid.

The 43-year-old son faces challenges as he prepares to possibly take over the running of a conglomerate that has been at the center of controversy in recent years. About two weeks before his death, Cho was ousted from Korean Airs board amid charges of embezzlement, while Walter Chos two sisters were previously removed from managerial positions for abuse of power.

Heather Cho gained notoriety  and spent five months in jail  after the nut rage incident that made headlines around the world. She forced a Korean Air plane to return to the gate in New York because she was angry over the way shed been served macadamia nuts.

Her conviction was overturned eventually by the countrys Supreme Court, but not before she was ousted as the carriers vice president for cabin service and catering. Emily Cho, the other sister, lost her post as senior vice president after she threw water in the face of an advertising agency worker during a business meeting.

Then their father was accused of embezzling $17 million in fees meant for Korean Air from maintenance and duty-free operations in the five years through 2018. Cho was awaiting trial at the time of his death, a situation that had emboldened activist investors to agitate for reform at the 73-year-old conglomerate, which also encompasses budget carrier Jin Air Co. and Hanjin Transportation Co.

Hanjin Shipping Co., once South Koreas biggest container line, collapsed in 2016 because of overcapacity in the industry, dealing another blow to the group.

Korea Pension Service, which voted to remove Cho from Korean Airs board last month, owns about 6.7% of Hanjin Kal, while the Korea Corporate Governance Improvement fund has 13.47%. The Cho family and its close allies own about 28.95%, with the siblings owning about 2.3 percent each.

South Koreas biggest family run conglomerates, known as chaebols, have been targeted by activist investors in recent years for their comparatively weak returns and lack of shareholder transparency. They include international business empires as Samsung Group and Hyundai Motor Group have been in the crosshairs.

The National Pension Service has adopted a stewardship code to take a more active role as a shareholder in the companies, but proposed rule changes that would make it harder for founding families to exert control have been stuck in South Koreas National Assembly since November 2018.

The Chos arent the first Korean tycoon family to be hit with a hefty tax bill on the death of their patriarch. Kwang-mo Koo, the current chairman of LG Group  one of South Koreas largest conglomerates  faced an inheritance tax bill of more than $630 million when his father died in May, according to Bloomberg calculations.

Hanjin Kal shares soared by a record 21% on Monday following the news that Cho died at age 70 in Los Angeles after receiving treatment for a lung ailment. Investors speculated his death might prompt the dismissal of the embezzlement case, and a potential change of direction at the conglomerate.

If he succeeds to the top job, Chos son might look to replace family members and allies holding positions of power at Hanjin with professional executives, along with other shareholder-friendly steps, said Ju-gun Park, president at corporate research firm CEOScore.

The Cho family will never give up the management right over the group, Park said. The group could try to come up with plans to improve public opinion about the family before Walter Cho assumes the chairman position.
Johnson & Johnson won the latest trial last week over claims its iconic baby powder can cause cancer, as a jury in Long Beach rejected a lawsuit brought by a 65-year-old retired teacher who claimed the product was contaminated with asbestos.

The J&J victory Friday came the week after the company settled three cases alleging baby powder caused a rare asbestos-connected cancer. Two, in Oklahoma and California, were settled during trial. The other, in New York, was settled less than two weeks before trial was set to begin.

Plaintiff Robert Blinkinsop was diagnosed in July 2017 with mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the lining of the lung generally caused by asbestos exposure. Blinkinsop used Johnsons baby powder daily for personal hygiene from 1977 to 1994 and on his children from 1992 to 1996, his attorney, Mark Bratt, said at trial. He also used the companys Shower to Shower talc product.

J&J is facing more than 13,000 lawsuits linking baby powder and Shower to Shower to ovarian cancer or mesothelioma. More than two dozen trials have been scheduled in U.S. courts in 2019.

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Todays jury unanimously ruled that Johnsons Baby Powder does not contain asbestos and was not the cause of the plaintiffs disease, Kim Montagnino, company spokeswoman, said in an emailed statement. This conclusion is aligned to the decades of clinical evidence and scientific studies by medical experts around the world that support the safety of Johnsons Baby Powder.

Blinkinsops attorney said he was shocked and disappointed by the verdict.

Given the hundreds of positive historical tests from J&J showing asbestos in its talc containing baby powder, as well as J&Js ongoing decision to use deceptive testing techniques that allow for false negative results  we have no doubt asbestos was, and currently still is in J&Js talc baby powder products, Bratt said in a statement. Asbestos in baby powder is a huge public health concern that is far bigger than just this case.

The companys record at trial has been mixed so far. The company lost a $29-million jury award in a California mesothelioma case March 13 and won a defense verdict in a New Jersey trial March 27, the same day it settled the three cases.

Several of the first trials resulted in plaintiffs verdicts, including one for $4.69 billion in St. Louis in 2018 to 22 women with ovarian cancer. But J&J has been able to win reversals of three of the first five jury awards.

The company has also won other defense verdicts in cases alleging links between baby powder and mesothelioma beyond the New Jersey trial.

Some of the verdicts include awards against J&Js talc supplier, Imerys America, which filed for bankruptcy protection in February.

Lawyers for Blinkinsop and his wife, Karen, alleged that J&J knew for decades that its talc contained asbestos yet didnt warn or protect customers. People at J&J made some really poor decisions in the past, which led to Blinkinsops exposure to asbestos, Bratt said. Talc and asbestos were found in Blinkinsops lung tissue, he said.

Blinkinsop testified at trial that his condition is terminal.

Its not curable, he said. The doctors have all said the same thing that if everything goes well, I might survive three years, he told jurors. Never any guarantee about the quality of life during that time.

The companys attorney told jurors there is no asbestos in J&J talc products and its talc didnt cause Blinkinsops illness.

For over 40 years we have been working with the best scientists, the best universities and the best laboratories who have all confirmed our products do not contain asbestos, defense attorney Bruce Hurley said.

Blinkinsop could have been exposed to asbestos while working on construction jobs, he said. Mr. Blinkinsops mesothelioma was not caused by Johnsons baby powder, Hurley said. Cosmetic talc does not cause mesothelioma.
Federal authorities said Tuesday that theyve broken up a $1.2-billion Medicare scam that peddled unneeded orthopedic braces to hundreds of thousands of seniors via foreign call centers.

The Justice Department announced charges against 24 people across the United States, including doctors accused of writing bogus prescriptions for unneeded back, shoulder, wrist and knee braces. Others charged include owners of call centers, telemedicine firms and medical equipment companies, including two people from Glendora in the San Gabriel Valley.

The Health and Human Services inspector generals office said the fast-moving scam morphed into multiple related schemes, fueled by kickbacks among the parties involved. The FBI and 17 U.S. attorneys offices took part in the crackdown. Arrests were made Tuesday morning.

Medicare said its taking action against 130 medical equipment companies implicated. They billed the program a total of $1.7 billion, of which more than $900 million was paid out.

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Telemarketers would reach out to seniors offering free orthopedic braces, also touted through television and radio ads. Beneficiaries who expressed interest would be patched through to call centers involved in the scheme. Officials described an international telemarketing network with call centers in the Philippines and throughout Latin America.

The call centers would verify seniors Medicare coverage and transfer them to telemedicine companies for consultations with doctors.

The telemedicine we are talking about is basically a tele-scam, said Gary Cantrell, who oversees fraud investigations for the Health and Human Services inspector generals office. We are not talking about the use of advanced technology to provide better access to care.

The doctors would write prescriptions for orthopedic braces, regardless of whether the patients needed them, officials said. In some cases, several braces were prescribed for the same patient.

The call centers would collect prescriptions and sell them to medical equipment companies, which would ship the braces to beneficiaries and bill Medicare, officials said. They said medical equipment companies would get $500 to $900 per brace from Medicare and would pay kickbacks of nearly $300 per brace.

The scam was detected last summer, officials said. Complaints from beneficiaries were pouring in to the Medicare fraud hotline, and some consumer news organizations warned seniors. As the investigation progressed, Cantrell said, federal agents gained cooperation from people familiar with the various schemes.

Officials said its one of the biggest frauds the inspector generals office has seen.

In addition to Darin Flashberg, 41, and Najib Jabbour, 47, of Glendora, charges were being brought against defendants in Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas.

Healthcare fraud is a pervasive problem that costs taxpayers tens of billions of dollars a year. The true extent of it is unknown, and some cases involve gray areas of complex payment policies.

Experts say part of the problem is that Medicare is required to pay medical bills promptly, which means money often goes out before potential frauds get flagged. Investigators call that pay and chase.

In recent years, Medicare has tried to adapt techniques used by credit card companies to head off fraud. Law enforcement coordination has grown, with strike forces of federal prosecutors and agents, along with state counterparts, specializing in healthcare investigations.

The Medicare beneficiaries drawn into the orthopedic braces scam didnt have to pay anything up front, but Cantrell said they have been harmed as well: A beneficiarys private information, once in the hands of fraudsters, can be resold for many illegal purposes.

Additionally, if a beneficiary whose information was misused ever does need an orthopedic brace, he or she may encounter waiting periods from Medicare. The program limits how often it pays for certain supplies and equipment.

It can be very attractive to receive equipment, Cantrell said. But after giving out your identifying information, it could be compromised to perpetuate additional fraud. There is no fraud without the ID number of a Medicare beneficiary.
Wells Fargo & Co. has agreed to sell a retirement plan services unit to Principal Financial Group Inc. for $1.2 billion as the bank streamlines operations in the wake of scandals.

The business, which has $827 billion in assets under administration, includes operations in the United States, the Philippines and India, Principal said Tuesday in a statement. Principal gains operations that handle 401(k) and pension plans, executive deferred compensation and institutional trust and custody offerings.

Wells Fargo, the fourth-largest U.S. bank by assets, has been paring smaller business lines since scandals began erupting from its branch network in 2016. Problems have since emerged in more units, prompting the Federal Reserve to ban Wells Fargo from growing until regulators are confident in executives ability to oversee their operations. That has added to pressure on the firm to shed some units and concentrate on those where it can earn the best returns.

This sale reflects Wells Fargos strategy to focus our resources on areas where we can grow and maximize opportunities within wealth, brokerage and asset management, Jon Weiss, head of Wells Fargos wealth and investment management business, said in a separate statement.

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The retirement plan services business is part of Wells Fargos wealth and investment management arm. Weiss has been working to make the unit more efficient since he took over in 2017. At the banks 2018 investor day, he said he was targeting $600 million in savings by 2020. This year, Weiss hired Nyron Latif from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. as head of operations to review the units efficiency.

In February 2018, the Federal Reserve barred Wells Fargo from increasing assets beyond their level at the end of 2017, citing concerns about a variety of abuses inflicted on customers, including the revelation that employees had opened millions of accounts in customers names without their permission. (The Los Angeles Times first reported Wells Fargos high-pressure sales tactics in 2013.) The bank told analysts and investors at the start of this year that its planning to operate under the cap through the end of 2019, rather than just the first half.

The bank has undergone a leadership change in recent weeks, announcing in March that it would replace Tim Sloan as chief executive after the leader faced calls for his ouster from politicians. C. Allen Parker, Wells Fargos general counsel, was named Sloans replacement on an interim basis.

The deal will double Principals U.S. retirement business and expand its reach with midsize employers, giving it 7.5 million retirement customers nationwide. The purchase, which is expected to be completed in the third quarter, will add to the companys net income next year, Principal said.

The acquisition will bring expanded capabilities, reach and scale, Principal CEO Dan Houston said in his companys statement.

To help finance the purchase, Principal will suspend its share-buyback program, resuming it no later than the first quarter of next year, Houston said on a conference call Tuesday. The acquisition also will be financed with debt and cash on hand, the company said.

Lazard Ltd. was a financial advisor to Principal on the deal, and Debevoise & Plimpton LLP was its legal counsel. Wells Fargos investment banking arm advised the company on the sale, while Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP was its legal advisor.
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Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan met with Chairman of the National Security Committee of Kazakhstan Karim Masimov Monday in Beijing.

Wang said China and Kazakhstan are good neighbors and partners, and have maintained close, high-level exchanges and solid political mutual trust thanks to the strategic guidance and leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping and the first President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev.

The two countries have achieved fruitful results in the joint construction of the Belt and Road and in other fields. Their coordination on international affairs has been highly efficient and close, and they have firmly supported each other on issues concerning their core interests, Wang said.

The new President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has been an old friend and good friend of the Chinese people, said Wang, adding that he believes the China-Kazakhstan comprehensive strategic partnership will continue to maintain a vigorous development momentum under the guidance of the two heads of state, to benefit the two countries and the two peoples.

Masimov said Kazakhstan and China are good neighbors and strategic partners. Developing ties with China is a priority of Kazakhstan's foreign policy.

He said Kazakhstan is willing to work with China to promote the construction of the Belt and Road and constantly push bilateral ties forward.
The headline on the press release was bland enough to attract little scrutiny: Equifax and FICO introduce strategic partnership to deliver the Data Decisions Cloud.

The contents of the announcement, meanwhile, gave the impression this was something good for consumers, albeit a bit on the techno-wonky side.

The new Data Decisions Cloud is an end-to-end data and analytics suite that addresses key needs across risk, marketing and fraud to enable financial institutions to meet the needs of consumers faster and more precisely than ever before, it proclaimed.

This broad strategic alignment will enable organizations to easily explore differentiated data, uncover deep new insights, build highly predictive models and rapidly deploy decisions into production systems across the customer lifecycle, the release said.

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So what does that mean in English?

Call it Big Data on steroids, answered Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, an advocacy group. Theyre unleashing a very powerful, unaccountable, potentially harmful technology to help other companies make decisions about us.

And remember, its your personal information. These companies are selling it to banks for their own gain, without your permission.

This should keep everyone up at night, Chester told me. This is a huge consolidation of information that gobbles up everything you do.

The Equifax-FICO partnership is the latest example of Big Data getting bigger  a merging of vast, shadowy databases and technologies that businesses use to decide how creditworthy you are, what rates to charge, what products to offer and to predict what youll do in the future.

It is, in other words, a sprawling network of consumer surveillance and manipulation that strives to know you better than you know yourself.

Equifax is a credit reporting agency  a company that specializes in telling lenders and others how creditworthy you are. In recent years, it and other credit bureaus have expanded to provide a variety of other services, including credit monitoring and background checks for employers, insurance companies and landlords.

FICO isnt so much a data aggregator as a number cruncher, using sophisticated algorithms to generate credit scores and other information.

Its hard to tell from the press release exactly what the two companies are cooking up beyond making lots of info about consumers available to financial firms, which already have lots of info about consumers.

This appears to be an effort to take Equifaxs treasure trove of consumer data, which includes information going well beyond Equifaxs namesake credit reporting agency, and monetize it by using FICOs software capabilities, said Paul Stephens, director of policy and advocacy for San Diegos Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.

Obviously, the more data that can be included, the greater the threat to consumer privacy, he noted.

Equifax and FICO say theyre making the world a better place.

Two industry leaders are joining forces to help financial institutions better meet the needs of consumers and improve business agility, Mark Begor, chief executive of Equifax, said in a statement.

Will Lansing, FICOs CEO, didnt go into specifics about what information would be made available to clients, but told me the beauty of the deal is that Equifax has tons of consumer data and FICO is really good at putting such data to use.

In very simple terms, he said, you have companies interested in optimizing their interactions with consumers based on data. Well be able to do it.

Well, that sounds fairly benign.

Except for a few teeny-weeny things.

Such as the fact that one of the partners here  Equifax  was hit by hackers a couple of years ago, resulting in the Social Security numbers, drivers license numbers and other personal information of 148 million people being put at risk.

The company had failed to update software that it knew for months was vulnerable to attack. It didnt tell the public for nearly six weeks after it learned of the breach.

Then theres the cloud aspect of the plan, presumably meaning that whatever data theyre offering will be stored online and accessed by clients via internet connections.

Equifax and FICO are pitching the new service as a one-stop shop for data crunching, including real-time access to raw and trended data.

If anyone doesnt think this could be Christmas for hackers, they need to catch up on current events. There were more than 6,500 known data breaches last year and more than 5 billion records exposed, according to the tech-security firm Risk Based Security.

Last but not least, theres the troubling notion of all our personal information  again, without our say-so  being parsed and examined by corporate interests using increasingly advanced methods, forming connections and conclusions that once were solely the realm of science fiction.

With enough data points, computer programs now can predict what you will buy, whom you will vote for, your likelihood of getting sick, your chances of committing a crime, the likelihood youll fall in love and how trustworthy you are, to cite just a few things that machines are learning about us.

The more Big Data players pool their resources, the more naked we become in this digital orgy of exploitation.

The partnership is basically claiming, Hey, were just using technology to leverage greater efficiencies and crunch more data so customer-banks can make better decisions about consumers, said Ed Mierzwinski, senior director of the federal consumer program for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.

But how will we know if any new AI-weaponized decision-making platform feeding on vast new data sets really complies with the consumer, fair credit and civil rights laws? he asked.

Short answer: We wont.

The Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have authority to oversee credit agencies but dont delve into the minutiae of the companies data-collection practices. There is no federal law regulating data brokers, companies whose sole purpose is to collect and sell peoples personal information.

To a great extent, Big Data companies run on the honor system.

Considering that hardly a week goes by without news of yet another privacy breach, that should worry everyone.

I agree that data has to be used carefully and managed wisely, FICOs Lansing told me. But it should also provide utility. It should help us offer you the things you really want.

Some modest suggestions:

A law requiring that all commercially stored data be encrypted, with hefty fines for any company that fails to do so.

Empowering consumers to opt in to any data sharing, rather than allowing companies to sell our information without prior approval.

Significantly more regulatory oversight over businesses that gather, store and sell peoples personal info.

Equifax and FICO say theyre focused on a connected, end-to-end development and decisioning management platform that allows customers to quickly explore, develop, test and deploy powerful insights into production systems across the organization.

Not one privacy advocate I spoke with understood what that means.

But it sure doesnt sound good.

David Lazarus column runs Tuesdays and Fridays. He also can be seen daily on KTLA-TV Channel 5 and followed on Twitter @Davidlaz. Send your tips or feedback to david.lazarus@latimes.com.
A congressional hearing about online hate turned into a vivid demonstration of the problem Tuesday when a YouTube livestream of the proceedings was bombarded with racist and anti-Semitic comments.

YouTube disabled the live chat section of the streaming video about 30 minutes into the hearing because of what it called hateful comments.

The incident came as executives from Alphabet Inc.s Google and Facebook Inc. appeared before the House Judiciary Committee to answer questions about their companies role in the spread of hate crimes and the rise of white nationalism in the United States.

They were joined by leaders of such human rights organizations as the Anti-Defamation League and the Equal Justice Society.

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Neil Potts, Facebook director of public policy, and Alexandria Walden, counsel for free expression and human rights at Google, condemned the spread of hate crimes and defended company policies prohibiting material that incites violence or hate.

There is no place for terrorism or hate on Facebook, Potts testified. We remove any content that incites violence.

The hearing broke down into partisan disagreement among the lawmakers and among some of the witnesses, with Republican members denouncing as hate speech Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omars criticism of U.S. supporters of Israel.

The hearing was prompted by the mosque shootings last month in Christchurch, New Zealand, that left 50 people dead. The gunman livestreamed the attacks on Facebook and published a long post online that espoused white supremacist views.

But controversy over white nationalism and hate speech has dogged online platforms such as Facebook and YouTube, which is part of Google, for years.

In 2017, after the deadly violence in Charlottesville, Va., tech giants began banishing extremist groups and individuals espousing white supremacist views and support for violence. In March, Facebook extended its ban to white nationalists.

Despite the ban, accounts such as one with the name Aryan Pride were still visible as of late Monday. The account read: IF YOUR NOT WHITE friend ur own kind cause Im not ur friend.

On Wednesday a Senate subcommittee will hold a hearing on allegations that companies such as Facebook, Google and Twitter Inc. are biased against conservatives, an allegation leveled by political figures from President Trump on down.

The companies have denied any such bias.
In Vietgone, playwright Qui Nguyen tells the story of how his parents met after escaping the Vietnam War and landing in the same resettlement camp in Arkansas. Its a tale of traumatic displacement written and performed with unstoppable comic verve that sneakily brings the reality of the refugee experience vividly to life.

Nguyen picks up the story of his parents in Poor Yella Rednecks, which is having its world premiere at South Coast Repertory, where Vietgone also had its start. Once again the talented May Adrales is directing and once again dollops of vintage and contemporary pop culture are crucial ingredients in a playwriting brew that has the characters rap their feelings when words seem inadequate to the task.

Vietgone, which was produced last fall by East West Players, resembles at times a brilliant graphic novel animated for the stage. Poor Yella Rednecks, conceived as the second installment in an autobiographical series, has more substantial sitcom DNA. But its sitcom served with a wacky difference.

The new play retains the unique Comic-Con theater aesthetic that Nguyen developed at his Obie-Award winning Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company. Comic-book fight scenes, cartoon projections and puppetry figure prominently and, as with Vietgone, these nontraditional elements find ways of intensifying the works emotional wallop.

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The Playwright (Paco Tolson) returns as a character in a play that glimpses its own creation. In the opening scene (jauntily set up by a random British narrator), Nguyens surrogate tries to get his 70-year-old mother, Tong (Maureen Sebastian), to recount the early days of her marriage. She thinks he should come up with a better idea for a play.

No one wants to hear story about old woman who speak bad English with fat son, she unceremoniously tells him. White people, she insists, have no interest in a Vietnamese refugee story.

All sorts of people like watching plays, mom, he objects.

Yes, all sorts of white people, she replies. Look around  it look like a Fleetwood Mac concert  soo white. (The audience at South Coast Rep couldnt help exploding with laughter.)

Before conceding to share her story, she has a few ground rules. The play must be true and hard, so cut the phony love-at-first-sight sentimentality. She wants the white characters to sound as dopey as she hears them. And she would like to speak all fly like her son, who warns her he has a potty mouth.

I want a pot and a mouth, she affirms before transforming into an F-bombing younger version of herself. Tong, who has a lovesick American boyfriend, and Quang (Tim Chiou), who left behind a wife and children in Vietnam, are head over heels in lust. Quang proposes by rapping his feelings to a soulful 1970s groove. The couple vow to make this place our new homeland, knowing full well how difficult, if not impossible, this task will be.

REVIEW: The White Album, Joan Didion and the seismic shifts of California in the 60s 

Flash forward to 1981. A trailer in El Dorado, Ark. Huong (Samantha Quan), Tongs fierce mother, is on the couch as an American sitcom blares inanely. Shes watching her grandson, Little Man, the Playwright as a child (played by a moon-faced puppet thats voiced by Eugene Young and manipulated by Young and Tolson), whos asleep in the other room.

With Tong working a late waitressing shift at a diner thats about to go out of business and Quang hanging out with his buddy (also played by Young), grandma keeps an ear pricked for danger. When anyone approaches the front door, she brandishes a knife and looks crazy enough to use it. First-hand experience of war has taught her to be hyper-vigilant, but she gets a kick out of carrying this strange behavior to extremes in a country in which she will always feel like a stranger.

A crisis ensues when Quang receives a letter from his first wife, who survived the war and has somehow found out where he lives. Quang and Tongs marriage is in short order annulled, causing family confusion that only escalates when Quang decides to send the couples joint savings to his wife and kids in Vietnam to appease his overwhelming guilt.

Quang is still devoted to Tong, but she decides she needs a break from him. Their separation is handled by Nguyen in the manner of a predictable rom-com that has been converted into one of those rackety sitcoms that grandma assumes is for American blockheads.

Maureen Sebastian, right, stars as Tong, and Samantha Quan is her fierce mother in South Coast Repertorys world premiere production of Poor Yella Rednecks. (Jordan Kubat / SCR)

What elevates the writing isnt the situational antics, but the stylistic variety in which the comedy is handled. Nguyens sensibility is invigoratingly hyperactive. When the humor starts to seem a bit too broad, the play shifts gears and turns to rap or puppetry or  heck, why not?  martial arts.

Adrales production accommodates this swirl with delightful ease. Jared Mezzocchis projections endow Arnulfo Maldonados set with childlike imagination. Shane Rettigs original music allows the play to comfortably frolic in that borderland between comedy and musical.

Sean Caweltis puppet design gives Little Man an expressive vulnerability. As Tong scrambles to keep her household afloat, her son struggles to find acceptance at school. Caught between cultures and languages, he takes refuge in Spider-Man fantasies while wondering why his increasingly absent father is emotionally bribing him with an Atari set.

SPRING THEATER: Dianne Wiest, Lucas Hnath, Nia Vardalos and more 

Sebastians Tong and Chious Quang are as vibrant and sexy as any couple put through the romantic comedy paces on the big screen. Nguyen, heeding the advice of his mother in the plays first scene to write true and hard, doesnt sanitize his parents story. Quang has a one-night-stand; Tong tries to rekindle her old relationship with clumsy American Bobby, a Vietgone holdover played by Tolson in the gag-like broken English prescribed by Nguyen.

Resentment stands in the way of reconciliation for Tong, whose job situation grows dire. Money is scarce and grocery shopping with an empty wallet requires some fast fighting moves. Complicating matters further is grandma (played with more vigor than control by Quan), who resists the assimilation program her daughter has decided is necessary for the sake of Little Mans future.

Some miracle of alchemy occurs late in the second half to bring all the various narrative and stylistic threads together in an emotional culmination that is too real to be described as a happy ending but is just as rewarding. What is the secret of Nguyens playwriting magic trick? Authenticity, for sure. Also, a personal story that is at the same time an under-represented American one.

This is not a love story. Its the story about surviving one. The Playwright underscores his mothers remark early on in the play. But Poor Yella Rednecks turns out to be a genuine love story of a family forced to reinvent itself repeatedly in a game of survival that might not be romantic but is remembered with courageous, comical love.

          

Poor Yella Rednecks

Where: South Coast Repertory, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa

When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sundays. Ends April 27

Tickets: Start at $23

Info: (714) 708-5555 or scr.org

Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
I have approached few recent films with the same anxious trepidation as I did The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. Through some 25 years in the making, through production starts and stops, rewrites, deaths, cast changes, financing hassles, bad weather  enough fodder for a 2002 documentary, Lost in La Mancha, on the collapse of one iteration of the movie  most filmmakers would have eventually taken the hint and moved on. But Terry Gilliam is not most filmmakers.

From his time as part of the Monty Python comedy troupe on to directing films such as Time Bandits, Brazil, The Fisher King and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Gilliam has explored the grotesque and the absurd in the human condition, with a particular attention to the flights of fancy we tell ourselves to make the world bearable in its darkest moments and the freedom to be found within the imagination. So the idea that he would become fixated on the Don Quixote story, that of a man who lives in a fantasy world of his own making, makes its own sort of sense.

Working with co-writer Tony Grisoni, Gilliams take on Quixote has changed over the years, landing on the tale of a successful director of commercials who is feeling artistically unfulfilled. One night the director, Toby (Adam Driver), comes across a bootleg copy of his old student film sold by a gypsy. The little village in Spain where he shot it is not far from where he is currently working and a return trip brings some unsettling discoveries. The young woman (Joana Ribeiro) he thought could be a star has fallen into a rough life as an escort to a treacherous businessman, and the old shoemaker he cast as his Quixote (Pryce) now suffers from delusions that his role was real. Toby soon finds himself doubting what he sees, as the line between reality and the imaginary becomes increasingly convoluted.

The notion of men falling into a delusion is something of a through-line in Gilliams work. Yet its hard to see that he has actually learned much after telling variations of this story again and again, and The Man Who Killed Don Quixote feels only surface-level deep. Hooray for creativity and the idea of an authentic self and all that, but that has come to seem too unexamined and easy of a position to take. Thinking how different the world feels from even five years ago, let alone 25, the movie feels at a remove, not so much dated as just distanced, needlessly off on its own.

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Adam Driver, left, who plays sidekick Sancho Panza, gets feedback from director Terry Gilliam on the set of The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. (Cannes Film Festival)

The natural reading of the film is that Gilliam has become Quixote, lost in his own mind, yet the filmmaker has insisted that he sees himself as the character of Sancho Panza, faithful servant to the story. Which may explain why within Gilliams ultimate telling of the tale, Drivers character of Toby is put into the role of Panza to Pryces Quixote. At least at first.

Working in a much broader range than he often has on-screen, Driver uses his full, long-limbed body to angularly depict a comic-strip caricature come to life, with a twitchy, pulsing anxiety. As Tobys grasp on reality becomes more tenuous, Driver becomes more manic and less composed. Pryce brings a deep sympathetic feeling to his portrayal of a man going through his own emotional struggles.

The films editing, overseen by Gilliams frequent collaborator Lesley Walker, often feels choppy as if simply trying to make the best of what they ended up with. The camerawork by Nicola Pecorini, another close Gilliam collaborator, makes the most of the films locations in Spain, Portugal and the Canary Islands to evocative effect.

The film at times recalls the energy of the run-and-gun films Orson Welles made in Europe during the 1950s and 60s, like Mr. Arkadin or Chimes at Midnight, and ultimately brings to mind Welles own troubled opus, The Other Side of the Wind, finished posthumously. If theres an upside to Gilliams long saga with Don Quixote, its that the film indeed is now finished and is still unmistakably his.

And so while Gilliam has undoubtedly made better films and certainly greater films than The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, there is something about the ridiculous effort and mixed results that make this arguably the most Gilliam-esque. For anyone struggling with whether to give up, concerned that the result will not match the effort, Gilliam seems to be planting a flag  or more accurately charging a windmill  to say the effort is the reward.

------------

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote

Not rated

Running time: 2 hours, 12 minutes

Playing: April 10, Fathom Events theaters across Southern California

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Mark.Olsen@latimes.com

Follow on Twitter: @IndieFocus
Libertine is coming home. Los Angeles designer Johnson Hartig will be hosting a runway show in L.A. for the first time on April 26 at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre.

Wed been feeling bored with New York Fashion Week for a few seasons and started thinking about a year ago that wed show our fall 2019 collection in Los Angeles, Hartig said. Being a native Angeleno I personally felt like it was time to represent. I really like that the show is in such a historical building as the Ebell, and I love that its in Hancock Park, where Ive lived for the last 13 years. It feels very near and dear.

The show will feature Libertines newest high-low pop arts n crafts pieces, as well as unveiling a collaboration with the Jimi Hendrix estate. When we were approached by his sister [Janie] to do a few pieces inspired by him we jumped at the chance, Hartig explained. I personally cant think of any other more iconoclastic rock n roll style icon. I like to think if he were still around he might really like Libertine.

Known for items with whimsical screen-printing and embroideries, Libertine launched in 2001, and sells at Bergdorf Goodman and Maxfield among other stores.

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Drawing inspiration from fine art, fashion, history, travel and a love of dogs, among many other things, Libertine has collaborated over the years with Damien Hirst, Goyard, Converse and Target, and has dressed stars including Mick Jagger, Katy Perry, P. Diddy, Tyga and Taylor Swift.

Hartig is the latest hometown brand to host a runway show in Los Angeles, following Rodarte in February, Cult Gaia in December, and Rachel Zoe, Jeremy Scott and Tom Ford in the years before.
Kaleigh Laurino keeps an eye on her drink when she meets up with friends at a bar  not because she fears that someone might spike her cocktail, but because she doesnt want her reusable stainless-steel straw cleared away yet again with the empty glasses.

My friends are like, are you serious? said Laurino, 26, a content specialist from Long Beach. But Laurino, who has long been serious about ditching single-use plastics  even before a restriction on their use became California law in January  now carries a small pouch with her that holds a reusable straw and small, bristled cleaning brush.

Ever since California became the first state to bar full-service restaurants from automatically giving out single-use plastic straws, many Californians have felt its impact. And some have definitely not been pleased to find out they have to specifically ask for one if they want to sip their drink through a straw.

Madison Mersola, who works as a server at the Open Sesame restaurant in the Belmont Shore neighborhood of Long Beach, said the early days of the new law were rocky, especially since the restaurant decided to eliminate straws, not just reserve them for people who asked for them. Mersola said she supported the ban on single-use straws  I saw that terrible video that went around with the straw in the turtles nose  but it wasnt a view always shared by the people she was serving.

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Customers got upset, she said of the restaurants hard-line approach. It got to the point we purchased paper straws because we were getting so many complaints. (In addition to paper straws, the restaurant also sells stainless steel straws, along with a cleaning tool and carrying case.)

It wasnt only the restaurant patrons in Open Sesame who balked at the new rules. In March, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Tulare) expressed outrage on his Twitter account over his own experience of eating out. At restaurant tonight waitress asks if we want straw, Nunes tweeted. Says she has to ask now in fear of THE STRAW POLICE. Welcome to Socialism in California! (The tweet generated 36,000 comments, many of them in support of reducing waste.)

When the law was passed in 2018, then-Gov. Jerry Brown hailed it as one of the most significant achievements of his administration. Plastic has helped advance innovation in our society, but our infatuation with single-use convenience has led to disastrous consequences, Brown said in a statement. Plastics, in all forms  straws, bottles, packaging, bags, etc.  are choking the planet.

And starting April 22  Earth Day  the city of Los Angeles will take an even tougher stance, with its Straws on Request Ordinance, which will require not only sit-down restaurants but all food and beverage facilities  including drive-throughs, food trucks and street carts  to eliminate single-use plastic straws by Oct. 1.

Into the breach have stepped canny entrepreneurs, creating a cottage industry of upscale straws and elegant carrying cases, along with such necessities as cleaning brushes, straw squeegees and dental-friendly silicone straw tips.

BYO Long Beach owner Julie Darrell with a reusable straw made of blue glass. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

To walk into BYO Long Beach, the environmentally friendly retail outpost of nonprofit Algalita  an organization that describes its mission as being at the forefront of the Great Plastic Awakening  is to see the commercial potential of a non-plastic-straw future.

The small shop, on the edge of a marina, directly across the street from where the San Gabriel River meets the Pacific, is filled with large, glass jugs that dispense liquid soap, detergent, shampoo, shower gels and lotions into reusable, empty containers. Environmentally friendly products like beeswax sandwich wraps, reef-safe sunscreen, organic bulk teas and assorted goods in compostable packaging line the shelves. In the center of the store, a variety of glass, stainless steel and bamboo straws, cleaning brushes and carrying cases sit in Mason jars atop wooden milk crates.

Justin Lorenzo, a store support supervisor at the Whole Foods Market in Aliso Viejo, was recently purchasing a stainless steel boba straw in BYO Long Beach. It was not his first.

He said he has been building his reusable straw collection, including everything from stainless steel and silicone to a collapsible design that attaches to his key ring, since he and his friends made a resolution in January to be more environmentally conscious. Its not much of an inconvenience once you create these habits for yourself, Lorenzo said. It becomes second nature.

Reusable straws made of metal, wood and glass for sale at the BYO Long Beach store. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Online resources for reusable straws and accouterments also abound. James Garvey, vice president of sales for the Chicago-based Swzle, said his company is approaching the increasingly competitive marketplace with an eye on design. We try to do something really eye-catching with the graphics, Garvey said, it becomes like an accessory. (A typical offering is the Swzle Pack. For $19.99, you get two stainless steel straws and a cleaning brush, along with a carrying case that comes in colors including ocean blue and rose gold, and straws that can be ordered bent or straight.)

Betty Gomez, a travel consultant from Long Beach, gave her entire family reusable straws with carrying cases and cleaning brushes in their stockings last Christmas after hearing stories from her kids, two of whom are veterinarians. John told us a story of a bird that came in with a straw wrapped around its neck, Gomez said. He is a wildlife vet for San Diego County, and I think that was probably my final push.

Katie Putterlik, the beverage director for Otono, a new Spanish restaurant in Highland Park, said the straw ban was definitely a consideration when she began stocking the bar. We looked into using reusable metal or glass straws, but the health department wasnt too keen on us using those, Putterlik said . So we started testing other straws to see how they would hold up in drinks.

A kit of two reusable straws made of metal, with cleaning brush and carrying pouch. for sale at Open Sesame in Long Beach. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Putterlik discovered Hay! Straws, made from natural wheat stems. We left a drink out with a Hay! Straw in it, and five hours later the straw still wasnt soggy, she said. Putterlik says she stocks two sizes of the all-natural straws and  with the exception of a specific cocktail served in a highball glass  still provides them only upon request. We do keep a few plastic straws in stock for the occasional gluten-free person, Putterlik said.

Emy Kane, digital director of strategy for nonprofit Lonely Whale and the Strawless Ocean initiative, said keeping single-use plastic straws from people who need them was not something that environmentalists ever proposed.

We learned very early that some people need a straw, and oftentimes the plastic straws, specifically, the bendy straw, is best for those who have mobility issues or difficulty grasping on to a paper or a metal straw, Kane said. Its been very important to us to make sure that [everyone] understands how to champion flexibility and to keep a small stock of plastic straws on hand, because if someone comes in and says, I need a plastic straw, no questions asked, they are given one.

Added Kane, Plastic straws are one of many, many single-use items, but if we can start there and create a groundswell movement that piques conversation and interest in people taking the next step, I think thats where we will start to see success.

Bonnie McCarthy contributes to the Los Angeles Times as a home and lifestyle design writer. Follow her on Twitter @ThsAmericanHome

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Josiah Guzman-Lopez, 9, missed school Tuesday to ask California legislators to support a proposal for new state rules on police use of force because it just helps little kids lives, he said.

His father was shot in the back by a San Jose State police officer five years ago.

Grief, frustration and mistrust filled a packed hearing room as speakers from law enforcement groups and reform activists  including dozens of family members of those killed by police  voiced their thoughts on Assembly Bill 392 as it faced its first move through the Legislature.

The bill passed its initial vote and will move forward to another committee. Yet hours of emotional testimony made public just how little common ground exists between law enforcement and communities of color, where black and Latino men have faced the brunt of deadly police violence. Both sides are passionate and have yet to find compromise  making the bills future uncertain.

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On both sides  we are all traumatized and thats why its risen to this level, said Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles), chair of the Assembly Committee on Public Safety, where the bill was debated.

Advocates for law enforcement spoke of their own pain when faced with violence, cautioning that they believed the bill would place them in danger by forcing them to hesitate in volatile moments.

Sacramento County Sheriffs Deputy Julie Robertson described the unexpected shootout that killed her partner in 2018 when an armed felon, Anton Lemon Paris, opened fire as they entered an auto parts store in a Sacramento suburb while responding to a routine call. Paris allegedly shot Robertsons partner, Mark Stasyuk, in the back of the head within moments of their arrival, then circled back to ambush Robertson.

Sacramento County Sheriffs Deputy Julie Robertson testified at the Capitol in opposition to Assembly Bill 392, a bill curtailing police use of deadly force. (Anita Chabria / Los Angeles Times)

At one point, during the firefight, the gunman began shooting with only his back exposed to me, Robertson said. I recall in that moment thinking that if I were to shoot him in the back, I would be the next officer in the news, being scrutinized for my actions.

Though the author of AB 392, Assemblywoman Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), was clear that such in-the-moment situations would not be affected by the bill, Robinson expressed the mistrust and acrimony that AB 392 has evoked for many rank-and-file officers across the state.

This bill makes me wonder if sacrificing everything is worth it, Robertson continued. By the sounds of it, the only options given to me if handed a similar set of circumstances are to die, be criminally charged or live with the blood of innocent people on my hands.

Robertson said the shooting is often on her mind.

Feelings of helplessness, loneliness and despair constantly flood my thoughts, she said.

Josiah and other relatives of people killed by police echoed those sentiments, highlighting shared trauma despite polarized positions.

Deep down inside, [I] feel bad, he said. But if you let it all out, you feel better.

AB 392, though billed as the toughest use-of-force standard in the country if passed, would not attempt to change the federal standard for when police are justified in using lethal force. Instead, it would bring into the states criminal code provisions already in place on the civil side, allowing an examination of officers tactics leading up to the use of deadly force. Currently, most use-of-force investigations are constrained to the seconds around the lethal moment.

By incorporating the idea that an officer could be criminally negligent in the lead-up to the use of lethal force, proponents of the bill say it will force district attorneys to expand their scope when investigating shootings, and thereby encourage departments to rethink their training and policies  creating greater accountability in the rare cases of unjustified shootings.

Law enforcement groups are proposing their own legislation, Senate Bill 230, which focuses on training and policy, including increased use of de-escalation. Police have been especially critical of a provision of AB 392 that would incorporate reasonable into the standard for when force is used, a bar that multiple speakers said would require superhuman judgment on the part of officers.

There is one part of this bill I can never support. Its not negotiable, said Assemblyman Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale), a veteran of law enforcement. And that is the term reasonable. I want you to know that all public servants who swear a willingness to die in preserving peace are threatened by this very  term.

When AB 392 passed out of committee, cheers erupted in a hallway packed by people in T-shirts reading #LetUsLive. Among them was Stevante Clark, brother of Stephon Clark, who was shot last year in Sacramento after police mistook his cellphone for a gun. AB 392 was crafted in part because of that shooting.

Its the first step out of the way, Stevante Clark said later, standing on the back steps of the Capitol with the families of others who had lost loved ones to police shootings. This is a club nobody wants to be a part of, but to see everybody come together and fight for something meaningful and lasting that will change the law, its powerful.
The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department is in the early stages of an investigation into allegations that actress Asia Argento sexually abused child actor Jimmy Bennett at a Marina del Rey hotel in 2013.

But like so many sexual abuse allegations in Hollywood over the last year, this case is playing out in the media and the court of public opinion.

Law enforcement authorities from Los Angeles to London have investigated dozens of allegations against Hollywood figures including Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and others.

The Argento case, however, is unique because she was one of the leading figures calling out others in Hollywood for alleged wrongdoing.

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Its a man-bites-dog story, and its an anomaly in a serious and profound movement forward, said Davia Temin, a crisis manager who does research on the #MeToo movement. It shows that the story gets more complicated.

Asia Argento (Getty Images)

Argento emerged as a powerful figure in the #MeToo movement in fall 2017 after telling the New Yorker that during the Cannes Film Festival in 1997, Weinstein invited her to his hotel suite, came out in a bathrobe and sexually assaulted her. At this years festival, she delivered a bold speech about the alleged experience.

In 1997, I was raped by Harvey Weinstein  here at Cannes. I was 21 years old. This festival was his hunting ground, she said in remarks that drew loud cheers and applause.

On Sunday, the New York Times reported that Bennett was paid a $380,000 settlement after he accused Argento of sexually assaulting him in a Marina del Rey hotel room when he was 17. In California, the age of consent is 18.

The newspaper reported that the settlement, paid in installments, secured the copyright for photos Bennett took during the alleged incident.

On the day of the alleged incident, Argento posted a photo on Instagram showing her hugging Bennett, referring to him as My son, my love, and included the month and year.

Q: Where is the case now?

Sheriffs Department officials said they are trying to reach out to all parties in the case.

No complaint was filed at the time by Bennett, which is usually the first step in a criminal investigation.

But the department said it would examine the matter anyway.

Legal experts have said the alleged incident would fall within the statute of limitations for sexual assault. Some of the allegations in the #MeToo movement were not prosecuted because they fell outside the statute.

As of Wednesday, it was unclear if detectives had interviewed either Bennett or Argento. Attorneys declined to comment.

New details have emerged all week, including photos of Argento and Bennett together.

Q: What does Argento say?

Argento admitted to the settlement but insisted she did nothing wrong.

I am deeply shocked and hurt by having read news that is absolutely false. I have never had any sexual relationship with Bennett, Argento said in a statement to the Guardian newspaper and the Huffington Post.

Subsequent to my exposure in the Weinstein case, Bennett  who was then undergoing severe economic problems and who had previously undertaken legal actions against his own family requesting millions in damages  unexpectedly made an exorbitant request of money from me, she said.

Q: Why does Bennett say he did not immediately report the incident?

In a statement issued Wednesday, Bennett, now 22, said that until now he was afraid and ashamed to speak about an incident he said happened in 2013.

I did not initially speak out about my story because I chose to handle it in private with the person who wronged me. My trauma resurfaced as she came out as a victim herself, he said in the statement. I have not made a public statement in the past days and hours because I was ashamed and afraid to be part of the public narrative.

At the time I believed there was still a stigma to being in the situation as a male in our society. I didnt think that people would understand the event that took place from the eyes of a teenage boy. Bennett said in his statement. I would like to move past this event in my life, and today I choose to move forward, no longer in silence.

Bennett said also that he tried to seek justice in a way that made sense to me.

They had worked together on a movie several years before the meeting at the Marina del Rey hotel.

Q: How is this case connected to Anthony Bourdain?

Argento said she made the settlement at the urging of Bourdain, who she was dating at the time.

Bourdain, a legendary food author and television personality, became an outspoken supporter of the #MeToo movement.

Anthony insisted the matter be handled privately and this was also what Bennett wanted. Anthony was afraid of the possible negative publicity that such a person, whom he considered dangerous, could have brought upon us, Argento said in her statement.

Bourdain killed himself in June.

Q: Where does this leave the #MeToo movement?

Many #MeToo movement activists have expressed outrage at what Argento has been accused of doing. And some say its a reminder that many sexual assault allegations are at their core about unfair power dynamics.

Genie Harrison, an attorney representing one of Weinsteins accusers, said abuse of power can never be ignored, even if the alleged wrongdoer is a #MeToo leader.

Though it seems incomprehensible for victims to become victimizers, history and storytelling are replete with examples of exactly this transformation, Harrison said. Victims need support and excellent therapy to have the best chance for full recovery and healthy relationships, including with themselves.
Four climbers descending Mt. Russell chose the wrong path and called for a rescue Sunday after getting stuck on the side of a cliff.

The Inyo County Sheriffs Office received an emergency satellite transmission Sunday afternoon requesting a rescue near Mt. Whitney.

Mt. Russell, with a summit height of 14,088 feet, is about a mile north of Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous U.S.

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The California Highway Patrol Inland Division Air Operations found the group about 5:30 p.m. and lowered an Inyo County Search and Rescue team member via a 100-foot cable hoist to their position.

The climbers, who got off-route while descending and had no way of getting up or down, were stuck above a narrow gully at about 13,550 feet, according to the Inyo County Sheriffs Office.

The rescue member secured the climbers on the cliff and stayed with the remaining three climbers after hooking one of them to the cable to be lifted into the helicopter.

A member of the Inyo County Search and Rescue team is lowered down to rescue four climbers who got stuck while descending Mount Russell. (Courtesy of Inyo County Search and Rescue)

The helicopter took the first climber to the Lone Pine Airport, then refueled. When the helicopter returned, the rescue team hoisted the other three climbers and dropped them to their camp near Lower Boy Scout Lake. The rescue team member was hoisted into the helicopter about 7:30 p.m. and taken to Lone Pine.

Mt. Russell, one of 15 of Californias 14ers  as in, above 14,000 feet  is usually climbed from May to October, according to SummitPost. Its recommended that only experienced alpine mountaineers attempt to climb Mt. Russell before May because of snow still left on the route, the site says.

Because of a big winter season, the High Sierra still has a significant amount of snow, according to the Inyo County Sheriffs Office. Authorities warn that difficult and potentially life-threatening conditions will probably remain in the Sierra back country throughout the spring and into summer. Climbers and hikers attempting Mt. Whitney and surrounding peaks need to be properly prepared and experienced.
The Super Bloom, of Lake Elsinore, died this past week. It was about 6 weeks old.

Not an actual scientific term, Super Bloom was born out of a drought  which killed invasive grasses that squash flowers chances of growing  and record rainfall that nourished wildflower seeds.

Remembered by local officials as an unplanned, natural phenomenon, Super Bloom enjoyed rain, sunshine, pollination, bees and the occasional sniff.

During its prime, Super Bloom attracted thousands of visitors from around the world, some of whom trampled on Super Bloom. But Super Bloom  known for its generosity  never complained, choosing instead to thrive and blanket hillsides with orange California poppies (and some other wildflowers that no one really seemed to care about).

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Its better than going to Disneyland, Randy Solis, a patrol officer with the Riverside County Habitat Conservation Agency, told The Times.

Super Bloom was fondly remembered by city leaders, who three weeks into its life declared a poppy nightmare, citing not only the problems caused by crowds but also the intense traffic created, in part, by drivers slowing down to take photos of Super Bloom from the 15 Freeway.

The Super Bloom has been unlike any event we have ever experienced before, Lake Elsinore Mayor Steve Manos said in a statement. The extreme beauty of our hillsides that drew attention from around the world is now diminishing quickly, and our residents sure are eager for things to get back to normal.

Super Bloom is survived by green hillsides, a dirt road that winds through Walker Canyon (that remains a fine hike), some very tired county park rangers and lots of selfies.

Public agencies that helped with the throngs of visitors include: Riverside County Sheriffs Department, California Highway Patrol, Riverside County Regional Park and Open-Space District, California Department of Transportation, County of Riverside Transportation and Land Management Agency, Riverside County District 1 Supervisor Kevin Jeffries, Riverside County Transportation Commission, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Riverside County Fire Department and Riverside County Emergency Management Department.

In lieu of sending flowers, as that would be horrifically insensitive, Super Bloom enthusiasts are encouraged to donate to their favorite Lake Elsinore charity, or maybe just send a nice thank-you note to city leaders.

Alejandra Reyes-Velarde contributed to this report.
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Kazakhstan's interim President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called an early presidential elections scheduled for June 9 in a televised address to the nation on Tuesday.

"In accordance with the Constitution, I made a decision to call for the extraordinary presidential elections of the Republic of Kazakhstan on June 9, 2019. On this matter I have consulted with the Leader of the Nation Nursultan Nazarbayev," said Tokayev. The presidential elections were originally scheduled for 2020.

The president instructed the Central Election Commission to organize the elections and ordered the government to take necessary measures for organizational, logistical and financial support of the elections.

Tokayev took office as Kazakhstan's interim president on March 20 following the sudden resignation of Nazarbayev who had served as the country's president for nearly three decades.
Three Los Angeles County women who say they were sexually assaulted by predators who posed as Uber drivers filed a lawsuit against Uber Technologies on Friday alleging the ride-hailing service didnt do enough to protect them.

The women, who are not named in the lawsuit, allege Uber was aware that violent individuals prey on women by masquerading as legitimate drivers while waiting outside popular nightclubs and bars in Los Angeles. However, the women allege the Bay Area company did not warn its customers and failed to implement technology that could make the experience safer, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges that Uber has made it easy for anyone to print the companys emblem and affix it to their car windshield.

Uber [has] marketed to college age and young women as an alternative to drinking and driving, with a known risk that this target market  are vulnerable to sexual assault as soon as they engage the Uber app, the lawsuit states.

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The lawsuit alleges nine people were sexually assaulted by people posing as Uber drivers between September 2016 and February 2018 in Los Angeles. The company has egregiously chosen to hide and minimize its safety problems, according to the suit. The Los Angeles Police Department could not immediately confirm if that number was accurate.

Uber said in a statement that it has been working with local law enforcement, including LAPD, for several years to educate the public about how to avoid fake ride-share drivers.

In 2017, we launched a national campaign to remind riders to make sure they get in the right car by checking the information, like the license plate and car make and model, shown in the app, the company said in a statement. These important reminders have been part of our safety tips, and our law enforcement team regularly discusses this issue with agencies across the country.

The lawsuit asserts the current safety measures arent enough to adequately protect customers.

In December 2017, one of the three women alleges she was taken to a secluded location and sexually assaulted by a man who posed as an Uber driver. The driver picked her up from the Down and Out, a bar in downtown L.A.

The womans alleged attacker, identified in the lawsuit as Nicolas Morales, 45, was arrested and charged with more than two dozen felony counts in connection with the December attack and six others. He has pleaded not guilty, according to court records.

As she got in the car, the woman checked the driver, who looked similar to the picture, and the license plate and told the driver that the plate numbers did not match. The man explained he had crashed his car two weeks earlier and didnt update the app.

After Jane Doe No. 2 entered the vehicle, the actual Uber driver called [her] and was irritated that she had gotten in the wrong car and hung up on her, the lawsuit states. Jane Doe No. 2 realized she was in the wrong vehicle, but was unable to avoid the abduction and brutal rape that followed.

The three women say the company charged them cancellation fees or forced them to pay for the ride they didnt receive despite the attacks, according to the complaint.

The lawsuit comes more than a week after University of South Carolina student Samantha Josephson was kidnapped and killed when she got into a vehicle she mistakenly thought was the Uber she ordered.

As part of the suit, the women are asking a court to require Uber to implement advanced safety devices to protect customers from sexual assault. They are also seeking an unspecified amount of money in damages.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @Hannahnfry
Richard Cole, the last of the 80 Doolittle raiders who carried out the daring U.S. attack on Japan during World War II, died Tuesday at a military hospital in Texas. He was 103.

Cole was mission commander Jimmy Doolittles co-pilot in the attack less than five months after the Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. The attack on the Tokyo area was credited with giving the U.S. a psychological lift after the shock of Pearl Harbor.

Cole had dreamed of being a pilotm and after attending Ohio University enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1940. Stationed in South Carolina, he signed up as a volunteer for a secret mission he knew would be dangerous, but not much else about. They trained at the Eglin Air Force Base in western Florida to fly B-25 bombers on short takeoffs, in preparation for flying off an aircraft carrier.

The raiders launched their April 18, 1942, assault in B-25 bombers from the deck of the USS Hornet. Suspecting they had been detected by Japanese patrols, they took off farther from Japan than at first planned.

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The crews of the 16 planes were very quiet as they neared Japan, Cole recalled. Doolittle soon ordered the bomb bay doors opened, and the attack was on in the face of what turned out to be limited anti-aircraft fire in the surprise attack.

The planes then headed to China, running low on fuel. Cole said Doolittle gave the command to prepare to bail out as they neared the coast. I wish you all good luck, Doolittle said.

Cole said it was terrifying to parachute into the dark unknown in rough weather. His parachute caught in a tree, he recalled, leaving him dangling but safe. Chinese partisans helped lead him and other raiders to safety.

Three members of the raiders died trying to reach China, and eight were captured by Japanese soldiers. Of those, three were executed and another died in captivity; four survived the war.

Cole recalled that Doolittle was distraught at first, upset that he had lost all of his planes and some of his men. Doolittle would later receive the Medal of Honor.

The raid inflicted scattered damage while providing a psychological lift back home. The stunned Japanese military diverted resources after a string of Pacific successes.

Seven decades later, we are still awed by the sheer audacity of the Doolittle raid and the incredible men whose grit and bravery made it possible, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said when the Congressional Gold Medal was awarded to the Raiders. Though time has thinned their ranks, it will never dim the daring of their deeds.

Cole continued to fly missions in the China-Burma-India theater until 1944, and had peacetime service assignments in several states.

Doolittle, who died in 1993, organized reunions that became annual affairs, and Cole was a regular. He also took part in other special events, including leading a special public final toast ceremony at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in 2013.

Cole will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
The announcement that Kirstjen Nielsen was stepping down as Secretary of Homeland Security was sudden, but it wasnt really a surprise. Never a favorite of President Trump, her days became numbered when her patron in the administration, Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, resigned in December. Nielsens biggest fault in the eyes of the president and those who surround him was that she failed to stop the steady stream of migrants from moving northward from Central America. Nothing, it seems, perturbs the president more than desperate people seeking sanctuary in the United States.

Her departure should be welcomed. Nielsen oversaw the draconian separation of thousands of migrant children from their families in a nasty and unsuccessful effort to deter others who might seek asylum. That was a policy so vile and destructive that even Trump, who has no shame, was eventually shamed into ending it.

In general, there were few significant public differences between Nielsen and Trump on immigration enforcement, the part of Homeland Security that matters the most to the president. For instance, Nielsen oversaw the presidents program forcing asylum seekers to wait out the lengthy process in Mexico  a policy struck down by a federal judge on Monday because the administration failed to follow federal law in crafting the new policy.

Nothing, it seems, perturbs the president more than desperate people seeking sanctuary in the United States.

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Yet the president held Nielsen responsible for the abject failures of his self-defeating policies, which have done little to address the reasons behind the increase in asylum applications from families fleeing violence and poverty in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. The rising number of asylum seekers is a complex problem, to be sure, and its predecessor issue  the arrival at the border of tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors, beginning in 2014  vexed the Obama administration. But Trump, who has ranted for years about immigration enforcement, has found no workable solutions either, beyond trying to stop people from exercising their legal right to seek asylum.

Nielsens resignation also is part of a sweeping purge of top leaders in the agencies charged with enforcing immigration laws that, according to reports of out Washington, has been orchestrated by top White House advisor Stephen Miller. Among the most anti-immigrant voices in Trumps ear, Miller has recently assumed more responsibility over immigration policy and homeland security. Late last week Trump withdrew the nomination of Ronald D. Vitiello as director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, saying he wanted to go in an unspecified tougher direction. One hint as to what that might be: NBC News reports that Trump wants to renew family separations as the most effective policy at deterring large numbers of asylum seekers, a move Nielsen reportedly resisted. Yet Vitiello, a career border patrol agent, also faced significant opposition from the National Immigration and Customs Enforcement Council, the union for some 7,000 ICE agents, which was an early and active supporter of Trumps campaign.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute 

The head of the Secret Service, Randolph Alles, who reported to Nielsen, also is heading for the door as part of a near-systematic purge, as one administration official put it.

These personnel moves are likely to add even more instability and uncertainty to the nations immigration enforcement apparatus. Trump on Sunday named Kevin McAleenan, head of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection division, to be acting DHS secretary, which means that his current job will likely have to be done by another fill-in appointment. To sum up: Trump now has acting top executives in charge of Homeland Security and two of its top immigration-enforcement arms  ICE (mostly handling enforcement in the nations interior) and Customs and Border Patrol (which handles enforcement at the border). And there are reports that the head of U.S. Customs and Immigration Services, Lee Francis Cissna, may also be targeted by Miller. This is government by chaos.

Meanwhile, the migrants continue to arrive, as many as 100,000 in March, according to the governments numbers. Trumps detention policies and his failure to sufficiently expand the immigration court system to handle the increased demand are yet more evidence that neither the president nor his top appointees know how to run a government. The president should work with Congress to finally adopt comprehensive immigration reform, craft informed policies to help stabilize the countries the migrants are fleeing, assess current asylum laws to see if they need changes, and prompt an overdue discussion of what the shape of future immigration should be. Instead, Trump throws a tantrum.

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There are at least two takeaways from the criminal charges filed Friday against six Los Angeles County deputy probation officers in their pepper-spraying of girls at Los Padrinos juvenile hall in Downey last year.

The first is that pepper spraying is serious. It is a form of attack nearly as brutal as the beatings of jail inmates that led to criminal charges against sheriffs deputies less than a decade ago. Pepper spray doesnt break bones or rupture internal organs, but it leaves the target both incapacitated and in agony from the burning on skin, in the eyes and other sensitive tissues. The effects are even worse if the victims are not permitted to immediately relieve their pain by rinsing the spray from themselves, as is charged in the complaints.

Pepper spray can be used as an instrument of self-defense and as a tool to stop inmate-on-inmate violence  or it can be misused as a weapon by staff seeking to demonstrate their authority or react to expressions of insolence as Dist. Atty. Jackie Laceys charges would seem to suggest.

When employed against juveniles, pepper spray comes close to child abuse or even torture. Some other probation departments in California still have it on hand, to be deployed in case of emergency, but many other states have banned it. Earlier this year, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors wisely ordered the phase-out of pepper spray at juvenile halls and camps after hearing a shocking report from the countys inspector general documenting an increase in its use and a failure to abide by required protocols for warning youths before spraying, and permitting them to decontaminate afterward.

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When employed against juveniles, pepper spray comes close to child abuse or even torture.

The second takeaway is that there is something seriously wrong in the countys Probation Department and the network of facilities it operates. In the halls, which house youths who have been arrested for serious offenses and are awaiting court hearings, and in the camps, where sentenced youths are supposed to receive guidance, a portion of the staff seems so unsuited or ill-equipped for their jobs that they lash out criminally. At meetings of a panel charged with recommending changes in the way the department is overseen, some deputy probation officers discuss the juveniles they are supposed to mentor as if they were dangerous animals. At a recent Board of Supervisors meeting, some officers sat in the audience and hooted approval as witnesses described juveniles in ugly racist terms.

Indiscriminate and allegedly criminal use of pepper spray signals a department culture in crisis.

Juvenile justice has changed dramatically over the last several decades, especially in Los Angeles County. There was a fashion, for a time, of turning juvenile probation facilities into boot camps dispensing military-style discipline  despite state laws that meticulously lay out the goal of the juvenile justice system as rehabilitation, not punishment. The focus has since returned to the core mission of rehabilitation. After decades of building and staffing up, probation leaders have come to see that juvenile rehabilitation can often be most successfully offered in their home communities, not in locked facilities.

The population of juvenile halls and camps has plunged, leaving only the most difficult cases  usually ones that involve trauma or mental illness and require a high level of specialized care. Not every deputy probation officer has the skills or the desire to deal with such cases.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute 

In L.A. County, chief probation officers have swiftly come and gone, leading to inconsistent messages about the departments mission and employee standards.

The current chief probation officer, Terri McDonald, said the department launched the investigation that resulted in the criminal charges, which shows that it takes excessive force allegations seriously.

The county has conducted or commissioned numerous studies of the Probation Department over many years. A Probation Reform and Implementation Team is in the midst of a series of hearings on juvenile probation practices, and we hold out hope that the panel can recommend changes that bring the department and its staff up to date. But its a tall order.

In the meantime, the use of brutal force in juvenile halls and camps should be investigated and, where appropriate, prosecuted. Excessive force cannot be tolerated, whether it is meted out by cops on the streets, by guards in the jails or  most certainly  by probation officers against juveniles.

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Several news organizations are reporting that the Trump administration in February reached an agreement with Texas Tech University under which the university will stop using race as a factor in admitting students to its medical school.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Department of Education, headed by Secretary Betsy DeVos, faulted Texas Tech for not conducting an annual review of its admissions policies to see if it could enroll a diverse class by giving preferences for non-racial factors, such as whether the applicant was a first-generation college student or bilingual.

Its not news that the Trump administration is skeptical about race-conscious admission policies. Last July it withdrew guidance from the Obama administration that arguably interpreted court decisions on affirmative action in a way that encouraged the use of race. The Los Angeles Times editorial board commented at the time: This is an administration that lacks a commitment to meaningful racial diversity in education or to the kind of affirmative action policies that encourage it.

The change in policy from one administration to another was made possible by the Supreme Court. The courts decisions on affirmative action have been so ambivalent and tortured that its easy for a Democratic administration to emphasize the courts approval of the use of race in some circumstances while a Republican administration can cite language from those same decisions decrying the use of race.

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Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute 

The courts most recent pronouncement came in a 2016 ruling upholding the University of Texas use of race in filling some slots in its freshman class. Writing for a 4-3 majority, now-retired Justice Anthony Kennedy reiterated that the use of race by a university was subject to strict scrutiny by the courts.

Kennedy added that the university must continually scrutinize the fairness of its admissions program; to assess whether changing demographics have undermined the need for a race-conscious policy; and to identify the effects, both positive and negative, of the affirmative-action measures it deems necessary.

The Obama administration chose to view the Supreme Courts affirmative-action jurisprudence as half-full; the Trump administration sees it as half-empty. In this realm as in others, elections have consequences.

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President Trump repeated a short time ago a falsehood hes pushed several times before, that President Obama had a policy of separating migrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border and that Trump had ended the practice.

To put it into fast-food context, thats a quadruple whopper, with extra cheese.

During the Obama administration, family separations were rare and predicated upon two conditions: whether border officials felt the parents or guardians posed a threat to the children, or whether the adults, under U.S. immigration law, had to be detained based on prior criminal convictions.

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Standard procedure, both in the civil immigration context and in the domestic criminal justice context, is to not incarcerate children with adults (yes, there are exceptions).

So when the Obama administration jailed an adult migrant, the minor was separated not as a part of a separations policy but as part of a policy to not jail children with adults. And to avoid just such separations, the adult detentions were rare.

Obama generally refrained from prosecution in cases involving adults who crossed the border with their kids, Peter Margulies, an immigration law expert at Roger Williams University School of Law, told Politifact last year.

To put it into fast-food context, thats a quadruple whopper, with extra cheese.

How is that different from Trumps approach? Well, under former Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, the government adopted a zero tolerance policy for dealing with people crossing the border without permission.

In short, they charged as many adults as they could with a misdemeanor count of illegal entry (crossing the border without permission), then chose to jail them purposefully to force the family separation as a deterrence tactic.

The plan was to arrest border-crossing parents  the vast majority of whom were exercising a legal right to seek asylum  and charge them with a crime, something previous administrations did not generally do. And then the policy was to detain the adults rather than issuing a citation and releasing them, thus leading to the family separation. All of this was aimed at imposing draconian punishment on those who arrived at the border to serve as a warning to others who might follow.

And yes, it was as inhumane as it sounds. As The Times editorial board wrote Tuesday morning, that was a policy so vile and destructive that even Trump, who has no shame, was eventually shamed into ending it.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute 

But not so shamed that Trumps given up on the canard of blaming Obama for it. This is what he told reporters gathered to witness his meeting in the White House on Tuesday with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi:

Just so you understand, President Obama separated the children, Trump said, then referred to images of children in cages shared on social media posts that erroneously tied them to the Trump administration. Those cages that were shown  I think they were very inappropriate  they were built by President Obamas administration not by Trump. President Obama had child separation. Take a look. The press knows it. You know it. We all know it. Im the one who stopped it. President Obama had child separation.

Trump went on to endorse family separations as a deterrent though said he didnt intend to bring them back (the courts might have a say in that), and then bizarrely claimed that President Obama has the law, we changed the law, and I think the press should accurately report it.

Um, OK, what law did Trump change? Id be happy to report on it.

Invoking the images of cages was a classic shift-the-focus ploy by Trump. The issue at hand isnt cages but family separations, which the previous administration rarely did and which the current administration embraced as an aggressive response to people asking the U.S. government for help.

And the separations issue wasnt the only lie he told in that short encounter. He repeated the falsehood that we have the worst [immigration laws] of any country in the world, claimed that we are building a lot of wall (in truth, just replacing some existing sections), and accused the Democrats of wanting open borders (they dont).

Thats a lot of whoppers.
Later this month, the Supreme Court will take up Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross controversial decision to collect the citizenship status of everyone in the country in the 2020 census. In court filings, the Trump administration has defended the citizenship question as normal and inoffensive, part of an unbroken tradition whose pedigree dates back nearly 200 years.

But look closer, as we did, and history tells a different story. Over the last year, we pored over archival material including 19th century census-taker instructions and decades-old papers on government statistics. We discovered that the Trump administrations history is misleading, where its not outright false.

Never in the census 230-year history has the decennial questionnaire asked for the citizenship status of everyone in the country. In reality, when a citizenship question was asked at all, it was directed to small segments of the population, such as foreign-born men 21 or older (1890-1910) or foreign-born people (1930-1950), mainly to gauge how well they were assimilating.

Theres no justification for a citizenship question in 2020.

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Whats more, these questions had a bad track record. They were part of an approach that the Census Bureau ultimately rejected as incompatible with its constitutional duty to count every person.

History isnt on Ross side. But one federal court already bought the administrations weve done this before narrative, so its vital to set the record straight before the nations highest court is similarly misled and the census is imperiled.

Before 1960, the Census Bureau tried to pursue two goals at once with the decennial census: to count everyone and to collect other information the government needs, such as mortality or employment statistics. This led to major problems. These censuses were tremendously long, enormously expensive, often took years to complete and  most important  were plagued by inaccuracy. Census takers were bogged down seeking out answers to questions such as, is anyone in the household a prisoner, convict, homeless child, or pauper.

By the 1950s, the Census Bureau was able to apply emerging technology and new statistical methods to evaluate how accurate its population count had been. It was deeply flawed. Later analyses put the undercount of the 1950 census at 5 million to 5.5 million people, including a 12% to 13% undercount of people that the bureau labeled nonwhites. The bureau also learned that it could collect better data more cheaply by asking most questions only to portions of the population and extrapolating from there.

So the Census Bureau slimmed down its headcount form to a handful of questions. Everything else it put on a longer survey that went out to small sample groups. It has used that model ever since.

Citizenship-related questions were among the first to go. The bureau took them off the census completely in 1960 (except for New York and Puerto Rico, which had unusual redistricting needs). And, from 1970 onward, citizenship-related questions were only ever on the smaller surveys, like the long form (through 2000) or the American Community Survey (from 2005 on). But census officials never let similar questions back on the headcount form, because they knew that would hurt the count.

The bureau has long recognized that anti-immigrant environments make citizenship questions problematic. In the 1970s, as waves of immigrants from Latin America and Asia arrived here, lawmakers and activists began searching for ways to limit their political power. In the lead-up to the 1980 and 1990 censuses, anti-immigrant groups and their allies pushed the bureau to exclude immigrants in this country illegally from the head count. To do so, the bureau would have to try to collect everyones citizenship status.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion 

The bureau repeatedly resisted these pressures. Census Bureau director John Keane warned the Senate in 1985 that citizenship questions posed a huge risk because the Census Bureau could be perceived as an enforcement agency. Efforts to gather this information, he said, would lead people to refuse to participate in the census for fear that their answers could be used against them.

In the lead-up to the 2020 census, President Trumps rhetoric and policies have already created headwinds for an accurate headcount. Bureau research in 2018 found that 35% of Asian respondents, 34% of black/African American respondents, and 32% of Latino respondents feared information about them would be illegally shared with other government agencies (as compared with 24% of respondents overall). Adding a citizenship question will not help matters.

When the issue lands before the Supreme Court on April 23, the history of the census will be central to the arguments. That history should make it clear: Theres no justification for a citizenship question in 2020.

Brianna Cea is a research and program assistant in the democracy program at the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law. Thomas Wolf is counsel in the same program.

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To the editor: The county office of sheriff, an elected position, is inherited from our former colonial masters. Police chiefs from Los Angeles to New York are appointed after an extensive selection and vetting process by elected city officials, whereas the sheriff of every county in America is elected directly by a majority of poorly informed registered voters who actually go to the polls. (Alex Villanueva says he is just assuming the proper role of an elected sheriff, April 5)

Voting is a poor way to determine the chief executive of a county law enforcement and corrections organization. The only requirement to be elected sheriff in any of Californias 58 counties is to have been a peace officer.

This is an anachronism, and the result is Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva.

Richard Goff, Ventura

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..

To the editor: The sheriff blithely claims that his support within the community is very, very strong. Is he kidding? Villanueva is rapidly losing the support of many of us who voted for him.

The sheriff says he is simply fulfilling campaign promises. That is not what I heard when he campaigned at the Canada Crescenta Democratic Club before the 2018 election.

He did not promise to ignore lessons from the #MeToo movement and rehire a deputy who had been fired for allegedly stalking and terrorizing an ex-girlfriend. He did not promise to create a secret truth and reconciliation committee to reinstate deputies terminated for misconduct. The very name of the committee is reflective of his shocking obtuseness  does he really think the angst of fired deputies can be compared to the suffering of black South Africans under apartheid rule?

The sheriff is doing a great disservice to both law enforcement and the community he serves. He needs to embrace reform, not thwart it. He needs to listen to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, not defy it.

Vicki Freimann, La Canada Flintridge

..

To the editor: The situation with how Villanueva is conducting himself is just wrong and very disappointing. But at least I can say that as a voter, I have absolutely no regrets, since I did not vote for him.

Now my spouse, thats another matter. He has told me that if he could take back his vote, he would absolutely do so.

To both of us, the moral of Villanuevas stunning upset of then-Sheriff Jim McDonnell in 2018 is a lesson voters have felt so many times in this country, especially in that last several years: Elections have consequences.

Loren Mark, Los Angeles

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To the editor: Reading about President Trumps visit to the section of border wall in Calexico, Calif., I was surprised and disturbed to learn there is a plaque mounted on the barrier proclaiming the structure the first section of President Trumps border wall.

This plaque implies ownership by Trump of a U.S. government asset. Is this even legal?

The recently constructed wall is, in fact, an upgrade to an existing section of fencing. The upgrade was planned under his predecessors administration and paid for by taxpayers. Did taxpayers cover the cost of Trumps vanity plaque as well?

It is an astounding act of narcissism and egotism that Trump would stamp his brand on this section of fence as if it were one of his hotels.

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Catherine Watson, La Canada Flintridge

..

To the editor: The L.A. Times notes the existence of a plaque that proclaims its location as the first section of President Trumps border wall.

His wall?

Please note that a truly remarkable achievement by a great president is called the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways. Notice the lack of possessive?

We will probably never see anyone like Eisenhower again, but the U.S. needs another Ike.

Joe Leggett Jr., Anza, Calif.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
Atty. Gen. William Barr told Congress on Tuesday that he plans in the next week to release special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs highly anticipated report on Russian interference in the presidential election.

Justice Department lawyers and officials in Muellers office are working to redact sensitive information in the lengthy document, a process that is going smoothly, Barr testified before the House Appropriations Committee.

The process is going along very well, Barr said, and my original timetable of being able to release this by mid-April stands. And so I think that from my standpoint, within a week, I will be in a position to release the report to the public.

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Barr also disclosed that Mueller declined an offer by Justice Department officials to review the attorney generals four-page letter he sent to Congress on March 24 that summarized the special counsels main findings.

Setting up a likely clash with Democrats, Barr said he had no intention of providing Congress the full, unredacted report. Barr said he is barred by laws and federal rules from releasing information gathered by Muellers grand jury, or other facts that might affect continuing criminal investigations or reflect negatively on peripheral figures who were not charged with crimes. He added that intelligence agencies are also reviewing details that might harm sources and methods.

Barr appeared before the House Appropriations Committee, a hearing that would typically be a fairly dry affair focused on how the Justice Department intends to spend billions of dollars on matters such as prisons and national security.

But the attorney general, who took office in mid-February, was nevertheless peppered with pointed questions from Democrats about the 22-month Mueller probe and how much of the final report  nearly 400 pages long  he intends to make public.

Democrats have been aggressively pushing to obtain the full report and have questioned how Barr could issue a sweeping summary of it just two days after receiving it from Mueller.

Rep. Nita Lowey (D- N.Y.), chair of the appropriations committee, described Barrs handling of the matter as unacceptable and accused him of cherry picking Muellers findings to draw the most favorable conclusion possible for the president.

Even for someone who has done this job before, Lowey said, I would argue its more suspicious than impressive. Barr served previously as attorney general in the early 1990s, in the George H.W. Bush administration.

Barr countered that he and other Justice Department officials had already been briefed on Muellers findings and had a strong inkling about what was coming when the special counsel delivered his report on March 22.

Pressed by Republicans about the Justice Departments initial probe into Russias interference in the election, Barr disclosed that the departments internal watchdog, Inspector General Michael Horowitz, is expected to conclude an inquiry into that counterintelligence investigation. The FBI investigation into Russias interference and whether there were any links between Moscow and Trump associates began in July 2016 and eventually included surveillance warrants targeting Carter Page, a former Trump campaign advisor.

Barrs four-page letter highlighted Muellers major findings that the special counsels investigation did not establish a criminal conspiracy between President Trumps campaign and the Russian government.

Mueller did not reach a conclusion on whether Trump had obstructed justice by trying to interfere with the probe, but Barr wrote in his letter that the president had not committed a crime. The House Judiciary Committee voted last week to authorize a subpoena to obtain the full report.

Full coverage: Robert Mueller finishes his investigation into President Trumps 2016 campaign 

Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, the Democratic chairman of the House committee, tweeted Monday that he planned to eventually call Mueller to testify. But he said he wanted to read the report first and question Barr about Muellers work at a hearing on May 2.

In order to ask Special Counsel Mueller the right questions, the Committee must receive the Special Counsels full report and hear from Attorney General Barr about that report, Nadler tweeted. We look forward to hearing from Mr. Mueller at the appropriate time.

Barr is likely to testify on May 1 before the Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee.

Despite Barrs favorable conclusion for Trump, more damaging information could be revealed through release of the full report, and House Democrats are hunting for areas where Barr may have shaded the truth in the presidents favor.

Trump seems to have belatedly recognized the political danger.

He has backed away from calls to release the full report and has resumed denouncing the investigation. On Monday morning he tweeted, The Russian Hoax never happened, it was a fraud on the American people!

Trump has also criticized Democrats pursuit of the report, which includes approving a subpoena that could be used in a court battle to obtain it.

The Democrats will never be satisfied, no matter what they get, how much they get, or how many pages they get. It will never end, but thats the way life goes! he tweeted Monday.

Related: The biggest indictments, guilty pleas and dramas in the Russia investigation 

The report, Barr wrote to the House and Senate judiciary committees in a follow-up communication on March 29, outlines Muellers findings, his analysis, and the reasons for his conclusions. Everyone will soon be able to read it on their own. I do not believe it would be in the publics interest for me to attempt to summarize the full report or to release it in serial or piecemeal fashion.

In his prepared testimony, Barr focused on the Justice Departments proposed $29.2-billion budget and its efforts to combat violent crime, opioids and immigration violations and did not talk about Muellers report.

Justice Department officials have said Barr intends to continue most of the policies advocated by his predecessor, Jeff Sessions, a former senator from Alabama and strong backer of Trump during the 2016 campaign.

Trump pushed Sessions to resign a day after the November midterm elections.

The president had long been irked by Sessions decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation, which was overseen by Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein until Barr was sworn in.

Trump has nominated Jeffrey Rosen, the No. 2 official at the Department of Transportation, to replace Rosenstein, who has resigned. Rosens confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee is slated for Wednesday.

Democrats pressed Barr over the administrations decision to no longer defend the Affordable Care Act in appeals of a federal judges ruling in December that said the law should be struck down as unconstitutional. Barr and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar both opposed the decision to not defend the law. Democrats questioned whether Barr was concerned about people who could lose healthcare protections if the law is voided.

Barr said that Trump supports protections for those with pre-existing medical conditions and urged Congress to work with the president to craft new healthcare legislation. He said his job was to weigh the legality of laws and to leave policymaking to lawmakers.

Barr also quipped that if Democrats are correct that his agencys legal position is outrageous, they have nothing to worry about because judges would certainly agree with the laws supporters.

Let the courts do their job, Barr said.
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South Korean President Moon Jae-in will visit Washington this week to consult with U.S. President Donald Trump on concrete ways for the Korean Peninsula's complete denuclearization, Moon's office said Tuesday.

Moon will leave for Washington on Wednesday for his two-day visit. The Moon-Trump summit will be held Thursday (U.S. Eastern Standard Time), according to the presidential Blue House.

The summit will be held based on a shared recognition that consultations between the two countries are important to rapidly restore the momentum for dialogue following the Hanoi summit in February, Kim Hyun-chong, a deputy director of the National Security Office (NSO) of the Blue House, told a press briefing.

Moon's trip to Washington will come after the second summit between Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), and Trump ended with no agreement in late February in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi.

During the upcoming summit, Moon and Trump would consult on concrete ways for complete denuclearization of and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula while maintaining a top-down approach, said the NSO deputy director.

A senior Blue House official, who declined to be identified, told the press briefing that South Korea and the United States were on the same page regarding the "end state" of the complete denuclearization and the need for a roadmap to achieve the goal.

The comment indicated Moon and Trump may discuss a detailed roadmap for the peninsula's denuclearization and corresponding measures that can be taken by the United States and South Korea.

The DPRK leader said he would seek the peninsula's complete denuclearization if Washington takes corresponding measures.

The Moon-Trump summit could be followed by another Moon-Kim summit or Moon's dispatch of his special envoy to Pyongyang.

Moon and Kim met three times last year, the latest in Pyongyang in September when the DPRK leader promised to visit Seoul to reciprocate Moon's Pyongyang visit.
California has launched few government projects with higher stakes than its ambitious 2018 program for registering millions of new voters at the Department of Motor Vehicles, an effort with the potential to shape elections for years to come.

Yet six days before the scheduled launch of the DMVs new motor voter system last April, state computer security officials noticed something ominous: The departments computer network was trying to connect to internet servers in Croatia.

This is pretty typical of a compromised device phoning home, a California Department of Technology official wrote in an April 10, 2018, email obtained by The Times. My Latin is a bit rusty, but I think Croatia translates to Hacker Heaven.

Although the email described the incident as the DMV system attempting communication with foreign nations, a department spokesperson later insisted voter information wasnt at risk.

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The apparent hacking incident was the most glaring of several unexpected problems  never disclosed to the public  in rolling out a project that cost taxpayers close to $15 million.

The Times conducted a four-month review of nearly 1,300 pages of documents and interviewed state employees and other individuals who worked on the project  most of whom declined to be identified for fear of reprisal. Neither the emails nor the interviews made clear who was ultimately responsible for the botched rollout, though an independent audit is expected to be released in the coming days.

The emails present a picture of a project bogged down by personnel clashes, technological hurdles and a persistent belief among those involved that top officials were demanding they make the motor voter program operational before the June 5 primary, so that it could boost the number of ballots cast.

Not meeting the deadline was not an option, said a project staffer who asked to remain anonymous to speak freely about what happened. Three other team members agreed there was enormous pressure to get part of the program running before the end of April.

Some of the mistakes popped up within hours of the system going live: frozen or blank DMV computer screens; private information remaining on touchscreen devices between appointments; selections sometimes flipping from what a customer had chosen.

Three weeks later, mistaken records showed up at local election offices, upward of 100,000 inaccurate documents by the fall. Party preferences were wrong. Some non-citizens were mistakenly added to the voter rolls. Other DMV customers didnt know theyd been registered.

Staffers from a trio of state offices were involved  led by Chief Information Officer Amy Tong, Secretary of State Alex Padilla and former DMV Director Jean Shiomoto. But none seemingly had ultimate authority over the beleaguered project. Emails show that advisors to former Gov. Jerry Brown also closely monitored the work.

Some on the team building the system sounded those alarms, but to no avail.

If we want to avoid an international incident and major security and launch failures on the scale of recent news stories about Facebook, IRS, or the Office of Personnel Management  we need state executives to understand the serious nature of the current high-pressure rush to launch, a senior programmer wrote in an email the day before the system went live.

A DMV office in Hollywood. Through February, the new motor voter system had been used for more than 6.7 million transactions. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Building Californias automated voter registration system wasnt going to be easy.

Programmers had to create a workaround for the DMVs outdated computer system that could transmit thousands of daily registrations to state elections officials. Even a small mistake could result in a voter with the wrong ballot, or no ballot at all.

For the DMV, the timing was particularly tough. Its employees were already behind on technology needs to implement the federal Real ID program  a separate task that a recent audit said contributed to long lines at local department offices last summer.

Across all the agencies involved, the pressure was intense. Some programmers worked 30 hours straight without sleep in the final days, taking short naps on conference room floors.

I wouldnt argue with anyone who would say give us more time, said Tong, who is both chief information officer and director of the California Department of Technology. Of course, I wanted more time.

Time  or lack of it  was a consistent problem. The CDT was enlisted to join the effort almost 19 months after the original law was signed. Tong said the Brown administration wanted it in place before the June 5 statewide primary. And at a May 2017 meeting, according to an email reviewed by The Times, a momentous decision was made: Move the projects launch date from July to April.

It was an aggressive decision, programmers involved in the effort and others with extensive knowledge of government information technology said. But any worries expressed werent widely shared.

We were told, yeah, sure, shaving off 90 days, that seems very doable, said Padilla in an interview. Nobody raised a significant concern.

The new motor voter program, as it was known to state officials, was born with great promise.

After more than two decades of complaints and a 2017 lawsuit over how Californias DMV handled voter registration, the new system was promised to be a solution. Democrats, too, were happy  seeing it as a way to boost voter turnout across California, likely helping their partys chances on election day.

The 2015 law required every citizen receiving a new or updated drivers license be registered to vote unless opting out. Seven million eligible Californians were unregistered to vote at the time of the laws enactment.

Implementation was slow. A database of all registered California voters, a key requirement and itself a decade overdue, wasnt completed until the fall of 2016. From there, another eight months passed without substantive discussions on the automated voter registration system.

Wesley Goo, a DMV deputy director, said officials needed final regulations and state budget funding. Our timeline to implement this project hadnt really started yet before the late spring of 2017, he said in an interview.

Tong said engineers struggled with the DMVs outdated, cumbersome computer system. You go in and you kind of open up the hood of the car, so to speak, and youre like, Wow, OK, this is kind of how all of these are cobbled together, she said. And we kind of tried to untangle all of that.

The partnership wasnt easy. DMV staffers werent prepared, Goo said, for the work plan imposed by the Department of Technology. Several people who worked for Tong, on the other hand, told The Times they found DMV officials reluctant to fully cooperate.

They had a thousand ways of saying no, said one former project employee about the DMV, who asked not to be identified in order to speak candidly.

Kane Baccigalupi, at the time a senior CDT programmer, said she spent months repeatedly asking DMV technology staff members for technical information to begin designing the motor voter system.

I had loud conversations with, like, anyone that would listen because we didnt have any access to the systems that we needed to integrate with, she said.

The CDTs team had its own internal problems. In mid-February, two months before the launch, a top programmer emailed Tong that the project was spinning out of control, insisting that a documented project plan still does not exist and noting that a highly regarded private contractor, John ODuinn, had abruptly quit after disagreements about how to prioritize the work. ODuinn declined to comment on the project.

The window for success in April is narrowing fast, the CDT programmer wrote.

In an interview, Tong denied such problems affected the projects ultimate success. Those were raised and we mitigated and had a very open dialogue about it, she said.

Still, documents and interviews reveal clashes that consumed valuable time needed to build the computer system, including additional testing before introducing it to the public.

As the launch drew near, various technical glitches appeared  some difficult to diagnose and fix in the push to launch the system early.

A project timeline written in late 2017 shows that three months for testing key elements were condensed to six weeks. In other areas, design and testing would have to be done simultaneously.

In late February, the secretary of States chief counsel said he was concerned that a key component  how voter data would be transmitted from the DMV  was still incomplete. There are a number of cascading issues on our end that are quickly mounting that we need to get a handle on, wrote Steven Reyes.

Emails frequently cited concern about the lack of time for testing.

I hope everyone appreciates that proper testing remains a significant long-term project risk, an outside consultant, Michael Wiederhold, wrote in an April 7, 2018, email. Consider, for a moment, the pressures we will face supporting these systems after go-live should something go wrong in production.

Three days later, a portion of the voter registration system tried to contact computers in Croatia.

Much of the traffic is highly suspicious, a state official, Marc Hanson, wrote in an email a few hours after the incident.

Others had expressed concerns about whether the system being built was fully secure. One engineer, who declined to be identified, said the incident was aided by the back door of the voter system being left unlocked.

CDT officials said the incident was not the reason for the program launching one week later than originally expected.

Carlos Ramos, Californias technology director from 2011 to 2016, said a hacking attempt on a major project should always merit more than a quick check. I would dig into that and find out whats going on, Ramos said.

Tong downplayed its significance in an interview with The Times. We were constantly monitoring, and this was brought to everybodys attention, she said. And it was addressed immediately.

If the project dodged a bullet with what staff members called the Croatia incident, other serious problems appeared in the hours leading up to  and the actual day of  the new motor voter systems April 23 launch.

Touchscreen devices at DMV offices seemingly changed customer selections from registering to vote to I do not want to register to vote or update my information. When discovered, two state engineers told The Times, some files were manually corrected  even though questions lingered about the customers intent.

Touchscreen problems were also the source of frantic emails among top DMV officials regarding the potential for identity theft  the screens werent clearing personal data between customer appointments. Here again, physical testing of the devices was limited to a single four-hour session the day before launch, probably insufficient to catch potential shortcomings.

Officials later discovered a problem with incorrect county information, thus sending a voters new or updated registration to the wrong location. The mistake was brought to the attention of Padilla, told by a top advisor to Gov. Brown in an April 28 email that there would be a remedy for this issue as quickly as possible.

Problems arose, too, after DMV officials turned on the systems second phase: internet registration and change-of-address functions. On May 1, a DMV official wrote that there were defects including errors in reporting eligibility information.

CDT officials hurriedly brought in new outside programmers who had worked on healthcare.gov and other national projects and were considered to be crisis experts. Contracts totaling $250,000 were awarded to the two companies involved, Layer Aleph and Open Lattice. Neither company is still working on the voter registration project.

In the first two days of operations, the DMV sent more than 35,000 voter records to state elections officials. By the end of the first month, the total was more than 313,000.

Errors by DMV field office employees were later cited as the cause of some 23,000 registration errors. But other mistakes may be attributable to the fact that multiple state government teams were involved with no clear leadership structure. CDT officials said it was the DMVs job to train its employees, for example, but the physical equipment needed for that training was developed by the CDT.

Baccigalupi, who left the project shortly before launch, said she had urged project leaders to launch the online registration system first  and not the more complicated task of in-person DMV appointments.

They rolled out in exactly the way we told them not to, she said.

Nor was there consistent oversight about data security. In August, a CDT employee mistakenly deleted official online voter and license data while using his laptop. A department spokesperson told The Times the mistake was quickly fixed and that rules were subsequently changed to ensure that employees could only read  not actually delete  the original information.

Through February, the new motor voter system had been used for more than 6.7 million transactions. The majority were either people updating their voter registration or opting out of the process. About 1 million new voters were registered.

Padilla, one of the systems most visible supporters, admitted to frustrations with the program  which led him last year to withdraw his support for Shiomoto, the former DMV director.

To this day, I believe California motor voter has been an overwhelming success, he said. Perfect, flawless rollout? No.

Californias Little Hoover Commission, an independent oversight agency, urged state officials last fall to ensure that the voter registration systems problems are fixed.

Otherwise, the commissions report concluded, the rich diversity of Californias population will be limited in voice and fairness, and the legitimacy of elections called into question.

john.myers@latimes.com

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Nurse practitioners, who undergo more training than registered nurses, have been lobbying the Legislature for years to care for patients on their own without a physicians approval. Theyve argued this change in state law would ensure the states aging population has access to medical care.

The California Medical Assn., the powerful lobbying arm for the states doctors, has so far blocked those efforts. But this year could be different, with a key lawmaker, Assemblyman Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg), switching sides.

Wood, who voted against a 2015 bill to grant autonomy to nurse practitioners, is authoring this years version of the legislation. Wood said he became convinced a change was needed because of the growing gap between primary care providers and patients, particularly in rural and inner-city areas. He hopes other reluctant lawmakers will flip, too.

A lot of people are lacking care, said Wood, who is a dentist. As we expand more and more to offering care to everyone, to not have providers is an empty promise and we cant do that in California.

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Assembly Bill 890 faced its first hearing in the state Legislature on Tuesday, where the bill was approved 16-0 by the Assembly Business and Professions Committee. Several lawmakers, however, said they could end up voting against the measure if it makes it to a full Assembly vote and if issues raised by doctors are not addressed.

The bill still has a difficult path ahead to clear the Assembly before it would then go to the Senate, which has been welcoming to previous attempts to expand the scope of practice for nurse practitioners. The bill next heads to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, a common graveyard for legislative attempts.

Megan Allred, a lobbyist for the California Medical Assn., said negotiations with Wood would continue, but that there are significant areas in which we differ from the author and supporters of the bill.

Among the changes Wood made to the bill in hopes of addressing concerns from the doctors group were provisions to create a new licensing board to oversee nurse practitioners who work independently and to require a minimum level of experience before a nurse practitioner can work without a doctors oversight.

The medical association said it continues to have concerns that nurse practitioners lack the extensive education or clinical training needed to practice without supervision by a doctor. The group said there are more effective ways to address the shortage of medical providers, such as expanding doctor residency programs.

The California Future Health Workforce Commission, a group that includes Wood and is co-chaired by University of California President Janet Napolitano, released a report in February proposing that the state invest in expanding doctor training programs and create incentives like loan forgiveness and scholarships for students who pledge to work in rural areas of the state where shortages are most severe.

But, the group also urged lawmakers to grant nurse practitioners across the state more autonomy as part of a $3-billion plan to ensure California can meet the medical needs of residents.

Two previous bills by former state Sen. Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina) in 2013 and 2015 passed the Senate, but failed in the Assembly.

Wood said working on the commissions report, which highlighted the states looming healthcare crisis, prompted him to reevaluate his opposition to expanding the role of nurse practitioners in the state. The state does not currently have enough doctors and nurse practitioners and more than one-third of those who are practicing are approaching retirement age.

California is expected to face a massive workforce shortage in the next decade, with the state needing 4,100 more doctors and 600,000 additional home care workers, the commission said in its report.

At the same time, Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to widely expand healthcare access for lower-income and immigrant communities. Newsom proposed extending Medi-Cal coverage to young adults who are in the U.S. illegally and providing more subsidies for middle-class families struggling to afford health insurance, with Democratic lawmakers taking up both of those issues in the Legislature.

Surani Kwan, a nurse practitioner at Russian River Clinic in Sonoma County, said this years effort comes as more people are seeing the effects of the doctor shortage and have experience being treated by nurse practitioners.

California is one of 28 states that require nurse practitioners to work under a doctors oversight, although the state does not require the physician to be in the same clinic or city, just available by phone.

Kwan said under AB 890, current patients would continue to have the same quality of care, but the bill would ease burdens for those setting up new practices in places like the Central Valley where it can be difficult or expensive to contract with a doctor.

Physicians dont sit at your side and supervise what you do, Kwan said. This will change the face of healthcare. It doesnt change what we do, we will do what we are trained to do in school. It will enable nurse practitioners to run clinics without having to have a physician sign off.

melody.gutierrez@latimes.com

Follow @MelodyGutierrez on Twitter and sign up for our Essential Politics newsletter.
Bacon and eggs were served Wednesday morning with a slice of sobriety and a dash of hope during this years State of the Schools Breakfast, sponsored by the Burbank Educational Foundation at the Castaway restaurant.

Burbank Unified Supt. Matt Hill spent a healthy portion of the get-together outlining the districts financial status and options to be considered in the wake of a $3.5-million structural deficit.

Rising pension costs, the defeat of the districts proposed parcel tax  known as Measure QS  among voters in November, low state funding, and a qualified budget certification filed in December stating the district might not be able to meet its financial obligations for the 2020-21 school year led Hill and district staff to propose several cuts in January.

Some reductions included district staff and teacher layoffs, including three elementary school music instructors.

The feedback we received from Measure QS was a lot of people didnt understand our budget situation, Hill said.

Today, I felt it was important to be direct and simple about This is where we are, and this how we got here, he added.

Some of the financial solutions Hill called for were the maximization of restricted funds and state grants, another proposed parcel tax to go before voters in 2020 and cutbacks that will hopefully be tempered by community donations.

 Burbank Unified Supt. Matt Hill told an audience at Wednesday mornings Burbank Educational Foundation breakfast at Castaway restaurant that we make a $500 donation if he saw at least five hands raised from people also agreeing to make a charitable

Roberta Reynolds, school board president, also called on the Burbank community to visit the website ed100.org to learn more about state funding.

We must continue to expand and overcome the underinvestment in public education, Reynolds said.

We must also recruit new partners to join. It is simply not acceptable for California to be ranked 41st out of all states in per-student spending, she added.

While the main message centered on educational needs, there was also a celebration of the districts career-technical training, a surprise performance by Burbank High Schools band, drumline and cheerleaders and a $10,000 matching grant from Warner Bros.

Some of the most robust applause came after Ana Connell, the foundations vice president, announced the organizations fundraising campaign, called Partnering for Success  All in for Burbank, had raised $82,000 since its inception in November.

 Cheerleaders made an appearance at the breakfast.

Those are primarily small donors, so this has been a huge, huge commitment from our community, and were continuing to ask, Connell said.

That total, along with a $100,000 grant made Feb. 13 by the Burbank Arts for All Foundation, led Hill to announce he will not eliminate two of the three music positions under consideration for layoffs.

We need about $90,000 more to be able to restore that last music teacher, Hill said. On top of that, if we raise another $50,000, we dont have to reduce two to three college and career courses.

The foundations fundraising total came with a bonus, as Connell announced Warner Bros. committed to give a $10,000 contribution by matching donations from individuals.

Donations can be made at befgives.org.

 Burbank Highs band made an appearance at the breakfast.

Hill wasted no time to personally offer a $500 donation, though he said he wouldnt make that commitment unless at least five breakfast attendees also made a charitable contribution. Between eight and nine people raised their hands to meet Hills challenge and make donations.

Hill also noted that financially strong districts dont just produce better students but provide more help for teachers.

The superintendent said hes fought against feedback that teachers were overpaid or only worked 10 months a year, which also drew a rebuttal from Diana Abasta, president of the Burbank Teachers Assn.

The truth of the matter is if you dont work in the summer, you dont get paid, Abasta said of teachers.

Were not eligible for employment benefits, so most teachers, including myself, work every summer. Rent is quite high in Burbank, and Im not driving a fancy car. You can find my 2004 [Chevy] Malibu in the parking lot, she added.

andrew.campa@latimes.com

Twitter @campadresports
Costa Mesa planning commissioners voted unanimously Monday to reject a sober-living operators petition for relief from a city permitting requirement.

The decision, which is final unless appealed to the City Council within seven days, turned away a request from The Ohio House for reasonable accommodation to continue running its facility housing up to 12 clients in two units at 2175 Tustin Ave. without filing for a conditional use permit.

Costa Mesa requires operators of sober-living homes  which typically house recovering alcoholics and drug addicts, who are considered disabled under state and federal laws  to seek such approvals if they have seven or more beds on a parcel.

As a city staff report put it, the requested accommodation does not appear to be actually necessary to provide one or more individuals with a disability an equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling, because this facility can be conditionally permitted under the existing procedures of the zoning code.

Tonight, for me, its not about the substantive issue of whether or not we should allow sober-living homes  I think weve discussed that exhaustively, said commission Vice Chairman Jeffrey Harlan. Its as simple as, Did you follow the process? 

Commissioner Jon Zich said hes generally supportive of the service that sober-living homes provide, but weve got rules. Theyre fairly straightforward. Theyre fairly simple to follow.

Representatives from the Ohio House, however, took issue with some of the citys required findings for granting a reasonable accommodation request. They pointed to the requirement that the city determine whether the existing supply of facilities of a similar nature and operation in the community is sufficient to provide individuals with a disability an equal opportunity to live in a residential setting.

Theres really no way for us to ever demonstrate to you all that the existing supply is insufficient to convince you to grant our reasonable accommodation request, Garrett Prybylo, an attorney who represented the operator, told the commission. So long as we have one other home in the community, it seems that there would be a basis to deny this.

Its really hard to believe that this is actually set up for us to have a chance, said Brandon Stump, co-founder of the Ohio House.

Costa Mesa has approved 17 applications for sober-living and group homes, according to the latest city figures. Another 73 such facilities are licensed locally through the state Department of Health Care Services.
For years, Skosh Monahans has been among Costa Mesas better-known restaurants  serving not only as a neighborhood watering hole and eatery, but a nerve center of sorts in the local political realm.

On Monday, however, the Irish-styled establishment owned by a former mayor is closing its doors for good after nearly 19 years.

In keeping with its theme, Skosh Monahans closing has been something of an Irish goodbye. There was no major marketing push announcing the decision, no glitzy, nostalgia-tinged events aimed at coaxing customers back through the doors one last time.

Thats not my style, owner Gary Monahan said.

Instead, the news has trickled out steadily in recent days. A conversation with a regular here, a Facebook post there.

Were going to go out with a bang, he said, as he surveyed the space from a seat at the bar.

Monahan said the closure can be chalked up to simple economics.

We havent been making much money for a while, he said, and his lease at 2000 Newport Blvd. recently ran out.

Theres also no denying that the day-to-day stress of running the restaurant has taken a toll.

That doesnt mean the decision was an easy one.

Its definitely emotional, he said. Ive had my breakdown moments. Im hoping to get through tonight without one. I dont know if thats going to happen.

Like the restaurant that bears his name, Monahan has long been a local fixture. Hes one of Costa Mesas longest-tenured City Council members  serving five nonconsecutive terms between 1994 and 2016. He also was elected to one term on the Costa Mesa Sanitary District board.

Its the end of being able to go to the neighborhood pub and being able to catch up on the neighborhood stuff. Jim Fitzpatrick, former city planning commissioner and sanitary district board member

Throughout that time, his politics and profession have often been bedfellows. While he was on the council, Skosh Monahans gained a reputation as a local Republican stronghold  a gathering place for Monahans political allies and a host venue for election night parties.

Longtime Republican congressman Dana Rohrabacher famously maintained an office above the restaurant. Theres still a darkened electric sign hung near a back entrance that reads, Rohrabacher Liberty HQ.

Skoshs is also the location from which a private investigator tailed former Councilman Jim Righeimer in 2012 and called police, reporting that the official was driving drunk when he wasnt. The private detective later pleaded guilty to filing a false police report and illegally placing a tracking device on another councilmans car.

Monahan himself was arrested on suspicion of DUI and hit-and-run outside of his restaurant in November after a driver hit a parked car.

Though the political tenor of the restaurant has waned since Monahans departure from the City Council in 2016 and Rohrabachers loss to now-Rep. Harley Rouda (D-Laguna Beach) last year, some residents credit their own local involvement to the people they met and the conversations they had at Skoshs.

Chanda Heinz and Gary Monahan hoist an Irish rootbeer in a toast to Skosh Monahans on Monday. (Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)

I attribute my integration into the city of Costa Mesa to Gary, said Krissie Bogner, a former member of the city Parks and Recreation Commission. Hes done a lot for a lot of schools and organizations and people in general for the city  and Skoshs has become a hangout for our family as well. I just think he deserves to be recognized for all hes done.

Jim Fitzpatrick, a former city planning commissioner and sanitary district board member, said Skoshs was where I first started to learn about Costa Mesa, Costa Mesa politics and the things that were going on in the city.

Its the end of an era, he said. Its the end of being able to go to the neighborhood pub and being able to catch up on the neighborhood stuff.

As employees geared up for the last hurrah Monday afternoon, a few regulars trickled in to shake Monahans hand and clap him on the back.

Monahan said he doesnt anticipate going anywhere. The new owner, he said, has big plans to renovate and redesign the space. Monahan said hell be involved with that new venture in some capacity.

Looking back, Monahan said there isnt necessarily one thing that particularly stands out from his time helming the restaurant. Instead, he said hes enjoyed developing relationships and interacting with the clientele over the years.

Its mostly regulars and locals, so its kind of like in Cheers,  he said, referencing the titular bar in the famed NBC sitcom.

After a second, he added with a laugh, I mean, Im shorter than Sam Malone.
Armenian business owners in Glendale for many years have been closed on April 24 to observe the Armenian Genocide, but not too long ago, they also started displaying specially made signs on their storefront windows reminding patrons why their shops wont be open.

Sevak Kouyoumjian moved to the city a year and a half ago from Lebanon and opened Anthony Flowers inside the Exchange just last month.

A florist for three decades in his home country, he said it didnt matter to him that he was still trying to get his business off the ground  he knew he would be closed on Friday.

Being a flower business, we usually dont close, we are open 364 days a year, Kouyoumjian said. We only close on April 24.

Like many Armenian-owned shops and restaurants in the downtown area, Kouyoumjian has hung a sign in his window that reads Closed on April 24, which is followed by a sentence stating that 1.5 million Armenians were killed starting in 1915 at the hands of the Turkish government.

The signs were printed and distributed by the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee  comprised of 19 organizations  ahead of the 100-year anniversary of the genocide. About 12,000 of them were distributed throughout Southern California, according to the committee.

For 20 years, Levon Boghossian, owner of a clothing boutique on Maryland Avenue, said he closes his shop every April 24 and said theres more to the sign than letting people know a business will be closed for the day  its about spreading the message.

We let people know why were closing and why were commemorating the Armenian Genocide that happened 100 years ago so that people, the ones that dont know about it, theyll read about it, he said.

Boghossians father was born in the Turkish city of Izmur in 1915.

Both he and Kouyoumjian said they werent aware of any non-Armenian business owners who had displayed the sign, though they are welcome to do so. But that absence of participation didnt bother either of the local business owners.

Kouyoumjian, however, said he views observance of the genocide a duty for Armenians.

On April 24, many Armenians flock to the streets of Hollywood and march in protest on the way to the Turkish consulate, while others head to church to remember the Armenian Genocide victims.

For Kouyoumjian, it definitely wont just be a day off.

Ill be marching with my family, he said.

--

Arin Mikailian, arin.mikailian@latimes.com

Twitter: @ArinMikailian
Rapid expansion, leadership changes and a communications breakdown the past few years may have pushed some Monte Vista Elementary parents to seek answers through a complaint filed last month against the Glendale Unified School District.

On March 7, a group of Monte Vista parents alleged students, primarily those in the dual-immersion Korean Foreign Languages Academy of Glendale, or FLAG, program lacked adequate restroom facilities as part of what is known as a Williams complaint.

The hardships were allegedly worse for kindergartners, who either walked long distances to reach a restroom, avoided the facilities altogether, urinated on themselves or even used diapers.

The complaint also states the restrooms for the older girls need at least two more stalls in order to be compliant with Californias required ratio of one stall per 30 girls.

District personnel last week denied knowing about any students wearing diapers and did not have evidence of a higher-than-normal number of children urinating on themselves.

Glendale Unified officials have 60 days to respond to the complaint.

What district staff and some school board members did acknowledge, however, were shortcomings related to Monte Vistas bungalows.

Seven of the schools 12 FLAG classes use bungalows, and plans to replace those portables have fallen through the cracks, according to school officials.

While holding a copy of a February 2016 plan over his head during a special meeting on March 26, Greg Krikorian, school board president, said, Even in here, it even identifies Monte Vista and Glenoaks [elementary schools] as future projects for long-term plans.

Stephen Dickinson, the districts chief business and financial officer, said proposals had been talked about even before he arrived at the district in April 2017.

Ive seen the reference to a $10-million estimate for the Monte Vista replacement of bungalows, Dickinson said during the special meeting on March 26. Thats been referenced for years.

Krikorian mentioned plans had been kicked around during the terms of previous chief business officers Eva Lueck and Robert McEntire and interim officer Cheryl Plotkin, who took over for McEntire in August 2016 and held the post temporarily until Dickinson was hired.

Theres a transition when Eva Lueck and Robert McEntire were here, Krikorian said. There was a gap when Mr. McEntire left. It took a little while to find a [chief business officer].

Krikorian added, This is a fact now, and Im noticing these gaps. A lot of these questions and things were asking were already delineated. When there was a transition of leadership, theres some communication gaps that happened with some of this information. Thats a fact.

The district has aggressively eliminated bungalows using local Measure S bond funds and state overcrowding relief grants.

Over the past few years, older bungalows have been replaced with new buildings at 13 GUSD school sites, the districts communications director, Kristine Nam, said in an email.

She added, Now that older bungalows on other GUSD campuses have been replaced, the bungalows at Monte Vista and Glenoaks elementary schools are among the oldest in the district.

Monte Vista did not qualify for a state overcrowding grant, according to Dickinson.

It had to be a site that was fairly limited on space already and didnt have much play space, Dickinson said. Thats why several sites that do have portables, like Monte Vista and Glenoaks, did not qualify.

Although it is believed Monte Vista has had bungalows since 1993, the school brought some as recently as 2015.

The bungalows became invaluable after the introduction of the Korean FLAG program, which Krikorian championed back in 2010.

Since that years first kindergarten cohort, Monte Vistas population has grown from 585 students during the 2010-11 school year to 811 this school year, according to figures from the California Department of Education.

The Williams complaint states many FLAG students suffered without additional restrooms, let alone permanent classrooms.

According to the complaint, some students have had to traverse considerable distances to use a restroom, such as the 100-yard walk from Elizabeth Nakanos third-grade class to the nearest girls facility.

In the case of FLAG kindergartners in the bungalows, students in Stella Kims and Ann-Marie Fongs classes do not have bathrooms installed in their classrooms, as is the case in Beth Hanks permanent structure for her kindergarten class.

Nam countered that, prior to this winter, there has never been a request from staff or parents for updated bathroom facilities at Monte Vista.

Nonetheless, she said the district committed $18,000 to bungalow beautification projects at Monte Vista in January, which will be done this spring and summer.

For the short term, district officials may consider adding bathroom structures closer to the bungalows or moving classrooms with younger students from bungalows into the main building, Nam said.

As for long-term plans, Krikorian said Glendale Unified will hold off on establishing those until the district hires a new facilities manager.

Once we get him or her involved  the team will take a helicopter view and talk to our stakeholders, too, he said.

andrew.campa@latimes.com

Twitter @campadresports
More than 300 guests stepped into Wonderland March 16 to celebrate at the Mad Hatters Dinner Party. The gala, held in the historic Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, was a fundraising event for Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy.

The evening honored the extraordinary life of the late Phyllis Mozilo, who passed away in 2017. It was a lovely tribute to Phyllis and her dedication and generosity to Flintridge Sacred Heart as well as to the community beyond.

Sister Celeste Botello, principal of the school and Sister Carolyn McCormack, president, greeted guests arriving at the gala venue through an elaborate archway.

Guests came wearing hats of their own imagining that ran the gamut from divine to ridiculous, a fitting nod to the Mad Hatter theme.

There was an elaborate display of over 100 silent auction items to be bid on and the tables saw of lot of eager people wanting to take the bids higher and higher. There was a live auction also that saw furious bidding.

Proceeds of the evening benefited the expansion of the Mozilo Family Center for the Arts at the hilltop girls academy.

Co-chairing the event were Lisa Coontz and Annie Rosenberger. Also helping on the committee were Deena Willis, Michelle Escobar and FSHAs special events manager, Brigitta Carlsson.

Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy has an intriguing history. In 1927, Sen. Frank P. Flint had a resort constructed in the area he was establishing as Flintridge and named it the Flintridge Hotel. Shortly afterward, it was sold to the Biltmore Hotel chain. Unfortunately, the retreat was deemed too expensive to maintain and closed shortly after the onset of the Great Depression.

At the same time of the hotels closing, the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose were making plans to build a convent and girls school on a tract of land they had purchased in Sierra Madre. After hearing about the closure of the Flintridge area hotel, the Los Angeles archdiocese contacted the Dominican Sisters and suggested the abandoned property would suit their needs. After careful consideration, the Sisters purchased the entire resort  including the nine original buildings, hotel furnishings and surrounding land  at auction for $150,000. According to legend, on Aug.15, 1931, three Dominican Sisters traveled up the hill to take possession of their new school, bringing a $5 bill, a statue of the Blessed Mother and their faith. The school opened for the first day of classes two weeks later  on Sept. 2, 1931  with 200 students enrolled in grades 1 through 12. Today it is a college-prep high school that accepts day students but also boards students.

***

The California Art Club on March 29 closed its 108th Annual Gold Medal Exhibition. Prior to its closing there was a weekend of preview activities that raised $270,000 for arts educational programming.

The historic exhibition was held at the former Pasadena Museum of California Art in Pasadena.

On the opening night of the exhibit, Peter Adams, president of the honorable club and Elaine Adams, chief executive of the organization, welcomed guests. Arcadia business executive Keith W. Renken was honored for his tireless devotion to preserving and furthering Californias rich traditional fine arts heritage.

The next event for the California Art Club will be on the evening of Thursday, May 23, when it will have an opening reception for Summer Impressions: Painting the American Landscape. The exhibition will be on view at the Old Mill, 1120 Old Mill Road in San Marino from May 21 to Sept. 8.

Jane Napier Neely covers the areas social scene. Email her at jnvalleysun@aol.com with news of your special event.
The Chargers 2019 preseason will include the same four opponents they met in their 2018 preseason.

They will play at Arizona in Week 1 and then have home games against New Orleans and Seattle before finishing at San Francisco. The Aug. 18 date against the Saints will be a national television game on CBS.

In advance of that matchup, the Chargers and Saints will conduct joint practices in Costa Mesa for the third year in a row.

The exact dates of the other three preseason games are to be determined. The NFLs regular-season schedule will be released later this month.

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jeff.miller@latimes.com

Twitter: @JeffMillerLAT
Ugandan police say they have arrested some people over the kidnapping last week of an American tourist who has since been freed.

Police did not specify how many people were arrested but said they were actively investigating the kidnapping, which took place on April 2 in a national park.

The victims  Kim Endicott of Costa Mesa, Calif., and local driver Jean-Paul Mirenge  were freed Sunday.

Police said the hunt for the kidnappers, including raids and extensive searches, was taking place in southwestern Uganda.

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RELATED: For Kimberly Endicott, a dream trip to Uganda turns into a kidnapping nightmare 

President Trump has urged Ugandan authorities to find the perpetrators.

The kidnappers had demanded a $500,000 ransom after abducting the two at gunpoint.

Ugandan officials say no ransom was paid, but a tourism operator said money was paid to secure Endicotts release.
U.S. forces in Afghanistan said Tuesday that a contractor who was initially reported among the fatalities in a Taliban attack the day before was not killed.

Two U.S. soldiers and a Marine died in the attack near the main American base in the country.

The U.S. and NATO Resolute Support mission issued a statement on Tuesday to clarify initial reporting.

It said a roadside bomb attack that struck a convoy near the Bagram Airfield killed three American service members and that the contractor, who was reported as killed, is alive.

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The statement said that the contractor, an Afghan citizen, was initially treated along with other injured civilians, later identified as a contractor and treated at Bagram Airfield.
With many members of the European Union fully resigned to Britains departure from the bloc, two questions took center stage Tuesday: how  and when  to get the U.K. politely out the door.

EU leaders will confront British Prime Minister Theresa May for the second time in three weeks on her governments delayed plans at an emergency Brexit summit on Wednesday, and such gatherings arent getting any friendlier.

The blocs leaders have tried to help May over the past two years of negotiations, even after she missed the planned Brexit date of departure on March 29 because of a parliamentary revolt.

So EU countries, especially France, have become increasingly exasperated with the political division and uncertainty in Britain about a way forward.

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On a charm offensive with key leaders, May first flew to Berlin pm Tuesday to plead for good terms with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and then set off for Paris to meet with President Emmanuel Macron, seen as her counterpart with the toughest demands.

France is really trying to play bad cop here, said Larissa Brunner, an analyst at the European Policy Center, referring to French insistence that another extension to her deadline must come with strings attached and assurances from London.

May has already obtained a delay until Friday, and she will be asking for another postponement that lasts until June 30 at the special EU summit, all because of the political chaos Brexit has wrought in London.

France is now pushing hardest to get the EU to take some decisive action.

Germany thinks likewise. There isnt an endless readiness to keep talking about delays so long as there is no substantial progress on the British side, said Michael Roth, Germanys deputy foreign minister.

All eyes are now turned toward Macron, who has it in his power to force Britain to choose between a no-deal Brexit on Friday and cancelling its departure altogether. A drastic cliff-edge exit would have huge costs to businesses and trade across the English Channel and be very cumbersome to travelers as it would hit airports, ports, tariff rules and standard regulations overnight.

EU rules say that any extension to the Brexit deadline needs unanimity among the 27 other member states.

Britains Byzantine parliamentary disarray that has left Brexit in a state of a flux has added to continental annoyance.

We are in a very, very frustrating situation here, Roth said as he arrived Tuesday at an EU meeting in Luxembourg. But, he added, a disorderly Brexit would be the worst of all options on the table.

Every British initiative to get a deal has foundered so far. Now, Mays Conservative government and the main opposition Labor Party have been trying to find a compromise Brexit deal before EU leaders decide Wednesday whether to grant a second extension to the U.K.s departure.

Labor favors a softer Brexit than the government has proposed, and wants to retain a close economic relationship with the bloc.

For two years, March 29 was the date etched in law to get Brexit through. The new red line has become the May 23-26 European elections and the July 2 start of the new five-year EU legislative session.

European Council President Donald Tusk has offered up the possibility of a long-term delay, a one-year flextension.

But some EU leaders worry that could have drawbacks  especially after British Brexit backers suggested they would try to make life difficult for the EU.

Conservative lawmaker Mark Francois said that if the U.K. remained in the bloc, then in return we will become a Trojan horse within the EU, which will utterly derail all your attempts to pursue a more federal project.
A key group of European Union countries endorsed Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the countrys interim president on Monday, piling the pressure on embattled President Nicolas Maduro to resign and let the country hold a new presidential election.

Maduro, for his part, stood defiant, accusing the United States of preparing a coup in the South American country and rejecting a U.S.-backed effort to send emergency food and medicine into his country.

We are not beggars, Maduro said on Venezuelan state TV.

Spain, Germany, France and Britain delivered diplomatic blows to Maduros rule by publicly supporting Guaido after giving Maduro a Sunday deadline to call a presidential election, which he didnt heed. Sweden, Denmark, Austria, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Finland, the Czech Republic and Portugal also lined up behind Guaido, the self-declared interim president who also has the support of the United States and many South American nations.

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The European countries urged Guaido to hold free and fair elections as soon as possible.

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.

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. Critics of Maduro blame the Venezuelan governments mismanagement for the lack of food and medical supplies.

British Prime Minister Theresa Mays spokesman, James Slack, said Britain is considering imposing sanctions to help bring about change in Venezuela.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said during a visit to Japan on Monday that Guaido is the legitimate interim president.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, speaking to France Inter Radio, appealed for an early presidential election that will ensure the Venezuelan crisis ends peacefully.

Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom said the election that brought Maduro to power was neither free nor fair and told Swedish broadcaster SVT on Monday that Venezuelans now must get new, free and fair elections instead.

Guaidos backers say he is the legitimate leader because he is president of Venezuelas congress, which they regard as the only lawfully elected power in the country.

Around 1 million people in Venezuela also possess a European passport, Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva told a news conference in Lisbon.

Western Hemisphere nations were set to add to the pressure Monday during a meeting in Canada of the Lima Group, which includes 13 countries that have been vocal in denouncing Maduro.

But the socialist leader showed no signs of caving in and lashed out at the EU and the Trump administration, which has also put pressure on the Venezuelan government by imposing sanctions on Venezuelan oil exports and demanding Maduros departure.

I dont accept ultimatums from anybody, Maduro told Spanish TV channel La Sexta in an interview broadcast late Sunday. Why should the EU be giving ultimatums to a country?

Guaido on Twitter expressed his gratitude to the EU leaders for supporting Venezuelas fight for freedom.
Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is one of the countrys wealthiest organizations and holds immense political, military and economic power.

Now it has a new distinction. President Trump announced Monday that his administration is designating it as a foreign terrorist organization  a first for an entire government entity.

So what exactly is the IRGC?

Heres a look at its history and its role in Iran and abroad.

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Protector of the Islamic Revolution

It was established as a grassroots organization shortly after the 1979 revolution that toppled the long-ruling monarchy and replaced it with an anti-Western theocracy. Its purpose was to safeguard the ideology of the Islamic Republic, which aimed to restrict the private sector, distribute wealth more equally and elevate the role of Shiite Islam in daily life.

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the first supreme leader of Iran, made the Revolutionary Guard separate from the regular army because he worried there were military forces still loyal to the pro-Western deposed monarch, Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi, best known as the shah.

People thought that there would be a long struggle against the shah and the Revolutionary Guards would act as resistance, said Ariane Tabatabai, an associate political scientist at the Rand Corp. think tank.

The Revolutionary Guard played an integral role in Irans war with Iraq in the 1980s, a brutal conflict that helped transform it from an informal group into a professional entity.

Branches within the guard

They are the Basij militia and the Quds Force.

The Basij is made mostly up of volunteers who are fervent believers in the ideology of the Islamic Republic. It is responsible for defending the country against foreign invasion and clamping down on anti-government dissent, such as street demonstrations.

The Quds Force is tasked with missions outside of Irans border, some of which have been very high-profile in recent years.

In Iraq, the Quds Force has been accused of providing weapons, money and training to Shiites. And in Syria, it has commanders on the ground who provide support to President Bashar Assad against the rebels his government has been fighting since 2011.

Supporter of industries

It has a construction branch that employs more than 40,000 people and has developed projects in transportation, construction, agriculture and manufacturing industries, according to a 2018 study by the Brookings Institution in Washington.

In recent years, the group has expanded into the oil and gas sector, securing a $1.3-billion contract with the government for a domestic pipeline, the study found.

Many of the Revolutionary Guard commanders in the Iran-Iraq war later went into politics. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was president from 2005 to 2013, and many of his Cabinet members had been in the Basij.

In recent years, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has tried to curb the Revolutionary Guards influence. Shortly after winning reelection in 2017, Rouhani appointed a defense minister who was not closely affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard.

U.S. accusations of terrorism

The U.S. has accused the group of sponsoring foreign militants in the region for decades.

One of the earliest accusations dates to the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Argentina in which more than 80 people were killed. In 2011, U.S. authorities alleged that the group assisted efforts to assassinate Saudi Arabias ambassador to the United States.

The Revolutionary Guard has also been accused of giving millions of dollars in arms to the Lebanese Islamic militia Hezbollah, which the State Department has designated as a foreign terrorist organization.

In his statement issued Monday, Trump said the Revolutionary Guard actively participates in, finances, and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft and is the Iranian governments primary means of directing and implementing its global terrorist campaign.

No stranger to U.S. blacklists

In 2007, then-President George W. Bush accused the Quds Force of providing militants in Iraq with roadside bombs. His administration then designated the Quds Force as a terrorist group and named several of its senior leaders as human rights abusers.

Four years later, after the U.S. announced it had discovered evidence that the Quds Force had provided support to the Syrian government and the Taliban, the Treasury Department sanctioned additional senior members of the group.

More names were added in 2017.

The IRGC has already been designated in a number of similar ways by the Treasury Department, said Afshon Ostovar, assistant professor of national security affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School.

Unintended consequence

In recent years, Rouhanis administration has continued to try and stem the power of the Revolutionary Guard. He would like to trim the organizations political and economic power so that it functions mainly as a military entity.

The new designation could make that harder to achieve, because moderates who criticize the guard now run the risk of being seen as supporting the U.S. agenda, experts said.

If youre in the Iranian system you cant be in conflict with the IRGC. You have to cooperate with them, Tabatabai said.

One of the important things to remember is that the IRGC thrives on isolation, pressure and devastation.
Benjamin Netanyahu appeared headed early Wednesday for another term as Israels prime minister, but a powerful electoral challenge from a political neophyte sharply dented his aura of invincibility as he battles expected corruption charges.

With 97% of the vote counted, official results of Tuesdays nationwide vote pointed to a dead heat between Netanyahus Likud Party and its main rival, the centrist Blue and White alliance, led by former military Chief of Staff Benny Gantz.

But just as significant was the showing by rightist parties aligned with the prime minister. Those totals were projected to give Netanyahu the parliamentary majority that he, one of the most durable Israeli leaders ever, would need to form and head yet another government.

Both Netanyahu and Gantz claimed victory soon after the polls closed. But it was well after 2 a.m. when Netanyahu at last addressed supporters who cheered him on with the sobriquet Bibi, King of Israel!

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Its a night of tremendous victory, the prime minister declared  a display of characteristic bravado, because his triumph at that point was not assured.

Earlier in the evening, Gantz, at a rally of his own, administered perhaps the ultimate diss, one military man to another.

We thank Benjamin Netanyahu for his service to the country, the former chief of staff told a raucous crowd, signaling that he regarded the prime minister as a spent force.

Amid a nail-biting night of vote-counting, the scale of the rebuke delivered by Gantz preoccupied some observers. More complete official tallies were expected later Wednesday.

Blue and White leader Benny Gantzs strong performance against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday was the result more of Netanyahu overstaying his welcome than anything Gantz did or said, said a commentary in the Jerusalem Post. In these elections, it was not as if much of the country said yes to Gantz as much as it said no to Netanyahu.

President Reuven Rivlin, whose post is largely symbolic, is tasked with picking the leader who will be asked to form a government. As the results trickled in, attention in the wee hours Wednesday quickly turned to prospects for coalition deal-making.

Shas, a party representing Sephardic Jews, was forecast to win seven seats in the parliament, or Knesset, and announced it would back Netanyahu for prime minister. But the centrist Kulanu party, led by Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, initially refused to commit its four projected seats to him.

The mixed result gives a greater kingmaking role to smaller parties  though it appeared that some would not reach the vote threshold to be seated in the Knesset.

Still, it was clear that Netanyahu would have enough allies to form a ruling coalition and that Gantz would not.

Notably, Israels once-iconic Labor Party, which bestrode the first decades of Israeli statehood, plummeted into single digits in terms of parliamentary seats.

But Netanyahus seeming invincibility might have been the nights biggest casualty.

Gantz proves there is an alternative to Netanyahu, Haaretz newspaper columnist and Netanyahu biographer Anshel Pfeffer wrote on Twitter as the votes were still being counted.

The race was shadowed by a corruption indictment hanging over Netanyahu, who may seek to use a victory to shield himself legally. The prime minister stands accused of improperly accepting expensive gifts, ordering government action aimed at hurting one newspaper in exchange for favorable coverage from another, and helping a telecommunications company get regulatory concessions.

The prime minister has denied any wrongdoing and denounced investigations as a witch hunt, but he is expected to be indicted this summer  which would be a first for a sitting Israeli prime minister.

If he manages to remain in office, the 69-year-old Netanyahu this summer would become the longest-serving prime minister since founding father David Ben-Gurion. This would be his fourth consecutive term and his fifth overall.

Netanyahu, whose image is mainly built around national security, made a last-ditch appeal to right-wing voters, pledging over the weekend to begin applying Israeli sovereignty to Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Such a move could upend decades of peace efforts and would be regarded as illegal by most of the international community.

The prime minister has also played up his close relationship with President Trump, plastering the country with giant billboards showing the two leaders together. And the Trump administrations designation Monday of Irans Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization was seen by many as an election-eve gift to the premier  one that Netanyahu gloated over on Twitter, saying in a Hebrew-language tweet that the U.S. move came at his request.

Netanyahu also got a campaign boost from Washington last month when Trump announced the United States would recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, the strategic plateau seized from Syria in 1967. That also flies in the face of a general international consensus, as did Trumps move of the U.S. Embassy last year from Tel Aviv to disputed Jerusalem.

Israels voter turnout is normally robust, but fell below 70% in this contest, a drop blamed in part on voter disillusionment with a campaign that did not turn on substantive issues.

Israels Netanyahu, consummate political survivor, faces voter test and legal peril 

Election day is a national holiday in Israel, and families swarmed beaches, shopping malls and restaurants. About 6.3 million people were eligible to cast ballots for more than 40 parties.

The number of representatives each party sends to the 120-seat Knesset depends on its total share of the vote. A total of 61 seats is needed to form a ruling coalition.

Likud and the Blue and White party were poised to take 35 seats each.

Netanyahus camp sought to rally his backers with an election day video expressing fears that too many of his voters might sit out the balloting. But he was probably bolstered by a very low turnout among the countrys Arab sector, which generally opposes him.

For Palestinians, the campaign and the vote  whatever its final conclusion  was a stinging reminder that their statehood quest has been relegated to near irrelevancy under Netanyahu.

The Trump administration lent its backing to the prime minister as hopes faded for a two-state solution  a scenario that was once the bedrock of U.S. Mideast policy.

Special correspondent Tarnopolsky reported from Jerusalem and Times staff writer King from Washington.
As a boy, Francisco Ramirez Cruz loved hiking with his grandfather up into the mountains of central Mexico. While the old man grazed sheep or hunted for wild mushrooms, Ramirez would play amid the throngs of monarch butterflies that migrated 3,000 miles to this forest each autumn, turning the blue sky into a sea of orange.

Ramirez is 75 now, himself a great-grandfather, and each winter he still goes looking for butterflies. But these days, he might spend hours searching the forest without catching sight of a single one.

The world is losing monarch butterflies at a startling rate, as logging, herbicides and other human activities destroy natural habitats. But the biggest threat yet has only recently come into focus. Climate change, with its extreme storms, prolonged droughts and warming temperatures, is poised to eradicate the forest that serves as the butterflys winter refuge.

To help his beloved butterflies, Ramirez has partnered with scientists on a monumental experiment: They are trying to move an entire forest 1,000 feet up a mountain.

On one of the scientists early scouting trips to the region several years ago, locals suggested they meet Ramirez, a respected farmer with graying sideburns and a thin mustache who lives on a windswept hillside in Ejido La Mesa, a community that overlaps with the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve  a national park 70 miles west of Mexico City.

Known by the honorific Don Pancho, Ramirez is a former elected leader of La Mesa and is hailed as a hero for helping to bring electricity to the area in the late 1980s. Most importantly, he knows the forest intimately, thanks to the time he spent there, starting in the 1950s.

Ramirez has seen the effects of climate change firsthand  parched fields in the winter, violent thunderstorms in the summer  and felt a calling to protect the butterflies, whose annual arrival and departure have long helped the community mark the passage of time.

Each fall, when the butterflies arrive as if by magic from Canada and the eastern United States, gliding by the millions down over the rolling hills of La Mesa, locals stop what they are doing and look up to admire them. They do the same each spring, when the butterflies depart.

Francisco Ramirez Cruz with an empty water collector on his family's ranch in Ejido La Mesa, Mexico. Climate change has meant the wet season is shorter and more brutal than in previous years, with a drier season that is even more dry. Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times

In the early days, we didnt know where they came from, said Ramirez, who talks the way he moves  slowly and deliberately. But we have always been so happy to see them.

He believes that protecting the butterfly and its habitat will also help protect his pueblo, which depends on timber from the forest and the tourists that flock to the region to see the monarchs.

He agrees with Cuauhtemoc Saenz-Romero, a forest geneticist who has hired Ramirez to help with the project, that it is necessary to create an ecosystem where the butterflies will be able to survive.

Its an idea that may sound radical, said Saenz-Romero. But by the end of the century it may be absolutely needed.

The butterflies that winter here, known as eastern monarchs, seek sanctuary in the oyamel firs that tower in and around the reserve.

The trees, known as sacred firs because their conical shape calls to mind hands clasped in prayer, offer a dense canopy that acts as an umbrella for the butterflies that cluster by the thousands on their trunks and branches. The oyamel protects the butterflies from chilly winter rains and creates a microclimate cold enough to keep the butterflies in a state of hibernation but not so frosty as to kill them.

Saenz-Romero, a forest geneticist at the Michoacan University of St. Nicholas of Hidalgo, in the lush mountain forest in Mexico that the monarch butterfly has historically called home. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) A monarch butterfly on the ground in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, a national park near La Mesa, Mexico. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) Thousands of monarch butterflies cluster on the oyamel firs that tower in and around the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Mexico. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) Cuauhtemoc Saenz-Romero, top, is a forest geneticist trying to move an entire forest 1,000 feet up a mountain to help preserve the habitat of monarch butterflies that gather each year in Mexico's Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, above. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Scientists fear that climate change may kill off these firs altogether. A 2012 research paper coauthored by Saenz-Romero and published in the journal Forest Ecology and Management found that the area suitable for the oyamel is likely to diminish by 96% by 2090, and disappear completely within the reserve.

The region is warming at such an accelerated pace that the trees wont be able to adapt, scientists say, and will need help migrating to areas where the climate is predicted to be suitable for them in future years.

Over the last several years, the team of researchers has overseen the relocation of about 1,000 fir saplings that were growing at lower altitudes up to higher  and cooler  elevations.

We have to assist them, said Saenz-Romero, a professor at the Michoacan University of St. Nicholas of Hidalgo. They cannot do this themselves.

The world is losing monarch butterflies at a startling rate, as logging, herbicides and other human activities destroy natural habitats.

Ramirez and the scientists have become fast friends. When he helped them search for the right location to plant the first round of saplings, he insisted that the researchers stay on his farm, which offers modest accommodations (the toilet is flushed with a bucket) but heart-stopping vistas of snow-covered peaks.

In the middle of Ramirezs orchard of apple and plum trees, the scientists helped him construct a small greenhouse, where he tends to several dozen saplings that were taken from the forest and will eventually be replanted. On a recent blustery morning, he watered the trees with a hose while listening to the sentimental ranchera songs drifting from the house of a nearby neighbor. Then he slowly folded himself into the passenger seat of Saenz-Romeros silver pickup truck, and they headed up the mountain to check on the trees that had already been planted.

They made an unlikely pair  the farmer in a straw cowboy hat and the city-dwelling scientist in a jaunty black beret  but on the 45-minute drive on a rutted dirt road, Ramirez and Saenz-Romero made easy conversation. They talked about a mudslide years earlier that had killed several people and taken down many fir trees, and they discussed the rain (there hadnt been any recently).

At one point, Ramirez gestured with a roughened hand toward a vast pine tree at a bend in the road; he remembered it from his youth. Saenz-Romero slowed the car and they paused to admire it.

Up the mountain, they parked and hiked a few minutes to the first of two planting sites, a clearing that had been created by a forest fire three decades before. Rows of small trees were growing, each marked by a pink plastic spoon stuck in the dirt. In the 3  years since the scientists hired locals to help plant these saplings, the trees have grown from 7 inches to a stately 4 feet.

As Ramirez showed off the plants, he grinned proudly.

Beautiful, he said.

Cuauhtemoc Saenz-Romero inspects an oyamel fir that was planted under the shade of nearby plants several years ago near La Mesa, Mexico. Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times

Ramirez and the scientists are learning what the trees need to survive. They have found, for example, that trees are more likely to live if planted under the shade of nearby nurse plants. They hope to expand the project and establish the trees at even higher altitudes on other nearby mountains  seeding ecosystems now that monarchs could potentially use later if temperatures continue to rise.

So-called assisted migration is happening in other parts of the world, including Canada, where commercial forestry operations have begun replacing dead lodgepole pines with a species of larch that grows at lower and drier elevations. Plant moving is controversial among some scientists, who warn of unintended consequences when humans intervene in natures course, but it is increasingly seen as a needed response to a rapidly changing climate.

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There's no doubt that things are going to change, said Chip Taylor, a retired ecology professor in Kansas and the director of Monarch Watch, which runs a butterfly tagging program. The experiment in Mexico, if successful, is a short-term solution, he said. But its an important one.

What these measures do is give us time to address climate change, he said. If we don't do something eventually about CO2s, eventually the new trees will be pushed off the mountain too.

La Mesa and the surrounding areas havent contributed many of the greenhouse gases that are transforming the climate. In fact, in many ways the region feels stuck in a previous century, with dusty burros that trudge up the pocked two-lane highway, firewood piled on their backs, and shepherds reclining in green pastures, one eye on their flocks. Ramirezs wife, Petra, whom he met half a century ago at a Day of the Dead celebration in a nearby town, still cooks her chicken mole in a pan over an open fire.

But La Mesa is clearly suffering the effects of an altered climate.

When Ramirez was growing up, it used to rain from June to November. Now the rains arrive in July and end in October. Not only is the wet season shorter, but it is also more brutal; the drier season is even more dry.

Cuauhtemoc Saenz-Romero, left, and Francisco Ramirez Cruz check out an empty water container on Cruz's ranch in La Mesa, Mexico. Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times

Over the last couple of decades, the areas agriculture industry suffered, partly because of warming and partly because of competition brought about by the North American Free Trade Agreement. Family-run corn and potato farms, which used to blanket the hillsides, couldnt compete with U.S. agribusiness. Ramirez stopped planting corn because it became cheaper to buy it. For many years, he lived in Mexico City and worked in construction.

As jobs dried up, many locals had to migrate, just like the monarchs do. That included two of Ramirezs sons, who toiled for a time in the United States, and several other family members who still live there. In a small chapel his father built on the farm, Ramirez and his wife keep fresh flowers and a framed picture of Toribio Romo Gonzalez, a Catholic saint known as a protector of immigrants. The money sent back from north of the border has funded construction of opulent  if architecturally discordant  homes in La Mesa, their archways and turrets standing out amid the typical adobe and concrete shacks.

Ramirez has helped win support for the tree-moving project from community members, some of whom tend to be suspicious of the scientists, journalists and tourists who have converged on the region since the 1980s.

Although tourism has provided some jobs for La Mesa, the community sees fewer visitors than nearby towns that have done more to promote themselves as easy access points to the reserve. Some locals grumble about the reserve itself, which sets limits on how much wood residents can chop from the forest.

Scientists predict that it will be many years before the nascent tree-moving experiment has any effect on the population of butterflies in the region.

Francisco Ramirez Cruz waters Oyamel fir saplings maturing in a greenhouse on his family's ranch in La Mesa, Mexico. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) Doctoral student Erika Gomez sorts through oyamel fir saplings maturing in a greenhouse on Francisco Ramirez Cruz's ranch. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) Francisco Ramirez Cruz holds an oyamel fir seedling maturing in a greenhouse on his family's ranch. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) Francisco Ramirez Cruz, clockwise from top, and doctoral student Erika Gomez care for oyamel fir saplings maturing in a greenhouse on his family's ranch in La Mesa, Mexico. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Monarchs are measured by the total area in which they are observed. In January, Mexican officials said butterflies had been spotted in a region 144% larger than last year. But many researchers have pointed out that hibernating colonies are less dense than usual, and have cautioned that any increase is probably due to favorable weather conditions in recent months, not conservation efforts. In the longer term, the news has been dire.

In the last two decades, the population of monarchs overwintering in Mexico has declined from an estimated 1 billion to fewer than 100 million. If they go extinct, it would mark the loss of one of the worlds few migratory insects. In the United States, conservationists have petitioned to have the monarch protected under the Endangered Species Act; a ruling is expected this year.

After checking on the trees, Ramirez went off to look for the butterflies. Following the advice of a friend who had heard where they had last been spotted, he trudged down a needle-covered path, leaning on a machete as a cane.

Firs loomed around him, ringed by pastel-colored flowers. He stopped to pluck a pink thistle and smiled when he tasted its petals. Eating wild plants reminded him of his youth, and the quesadillas his grandmother would cook with the mushrooms, potatoes and leafy herbs his grandfather found in this forest.

He spotted a few butterflies flitting in the sun, then a few more. He followed them. Then he saw it: a colony of tens of thousands of butterflies, some fluttering about and others resting in massive clumps on the firs, their bodies obscuring the branches and trunks.

There werent as many as he remembered from his childhood, but it was still a sight to behold. Ramirez eased himself down to sit on the soft forest floor and watched in silence. The only sound was the whistle of the wind and the gentle flapping of their wings.

Thousands of monarch butterflies cluster on the oyamel firs that tower in and around the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Mexico. Each fall, the butterflies arrive from Canada and the eastern United States, gliding en masse down over the rolling hills of La Mesa. Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times

Produced by Denise Florez.
The principle of pure art is not to portray but to evoke. Sibylle Szaggars is one of the few real artists whose flawless painting has gained the attention of many viewers. Sibylle has also grabbed the limelight as the wife of actor Robert Redford. Ever since she was young, she exhibited so much passion in drawing and making paintings about nature and things that destroy the environment.

Image: facebook.com, @sibylleszaggars

Source: UGC

Sibylle Szaggars Redford is an environmental artist. She was born in Germany and has dedicated her career to Mother Nature. Her work has been showcased in almost every part of the world including Europe, Peru, Japan, Suriname, Europe as well as the United States of America. She gets most of her inspiration from the environment and old age culture. One of her famous work is Rainfall that exhibited her deep love for the environment.

Sibylle Szaggars later made a film based on her paintings named The Way of The Rain. When she was young, her family made several trips to Malaysia, Morocco and Europe, which cultivated her inventiveness as an artist.

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Sibylle Szaggars bio

Image: facebook.com, @sibylleszaggars

Source: UGC

Her creativity as an artist spreads across decades, starting from oil sketches and pictures of her travels to Moroccan travels, canvas expressions derived from her visits to the American Indian Pueblo and huge oil paintings which she explores The shape of colour. Her most recent work is an abstract known as watercolour created by the monsoon rains of Santa Fe, New Mexico and California

Szaggars has been in the environmental field for more than four decades, and she has desired to make art that goes beyond languages, words, politics as well as culture. She creates art intending to speak to the entire worlds consciousness that is closely attached and dependent on the universe and its surroundings. She joined the world of performance art to find a stronger voice, as a way of honouring the collective elements and an artistic medium for actions in the environment.

In the year 2013, together with a composer and musician from Iceland known as David Thor, she designed a model for a staged piece known as The way of the Rain. This performance brought together various forms of dance, series, light, music spoken word and her initial designed stage backdrop of "Rain Painting Skills symbolising the falling of water from the skies.

During her career as an artist, she has worked with different composers worldwide, choreographers and performers giving presentations in different parts of the country, Stem auditorium at Camegie Hall and The United Emirates of Abu Dhabi.

She is also the founder of The Way of The Rain, Inc. This is a nonprofit organisation whose goal is to develop, produce and give educative and artistic performances. The activities of the organisation are themed and designed to enhance public awareness to support the protection of Mother Nature.

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Ten facts about Sibylle Szaggars

Below are ten facts you did not know about Sibylle Szaggars:

Her nickname is Sibylle Szaggars- Redford Her favourite colours are pink, purple and blue She loves eating chicken She hails from Hamburg, Germany Her favourite place to be is Germany Sibylle Szaggars shape is slim The colour of her hair is brown-dark The colour of her eyes is brown-dark Sibylle Szaggars ethnicity is white Her occupation is an environmental artist

Sibylle Szaggars art

Image: facebook.com, @sibylleszaggars

Source: UGC

How many painters is it possible to meet in one life? A few maybe. The art and imaginative people see the world differently and are very susceptible and thoughtful. They put their focus on the things we fail to notice. Sibylle Szaggars is one example of such insightful artists.

Sibylle had committed her life to making different forms of the art concerning the relationship between nature, land, life and the universe. Her actions and art try to make people and the world conscious of the environment hazardous activities. She gets inspiration from things surrounding her. These include antiques and Mother Nature.

Her first partnership was with Nina Kotova, a cellist. It was a large oil painting series named, Shape of Color. The painting was exhibited at the International Classical Music Festival held in Italy and Singapore in 2008.

Sibylle Szaggars age

The great environmentalist was born on 14th April 1957 in Germany. She is 62 years old as of 2019, and her birth sign is Aries. She belongs to the Caucasian ethnicity and holds German nationality.

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Is Robert Redford married?

Image: facebook.com, @Robert Redford

Source: Facebook

Many people keep asking, "Who is Robert Redford married to?" Robert Redford has married twice in his life. His first wife was Lola Van Wagenen whom he married in 1958. They later divorced in 1985. They had four children together, one of whom is an actress in America. He later married Sibylle Szaggars on 11th July 2009. Apart from the two wives, he has had different relationships with three other women. Robert Redford wife is Sibylle Szaggars.

It is no doubt that Sibylle Szaggars Redford earns a good amount of money from her work. She has, however, never disclosed her earnings or net worth. It is assumed that her net worth is beyond a seven-digit figure. Robert Redford, on the other hand, has an estimated net value of $170 million. The couple has purchased many properties together. Robert Redford and wife live a very bountiful life in a huge beautiful home in the USA.

READ ALSO: Joe Rogan wife Jessica Rogan: age, height, family life

Source: Legit
- President Muhammadu Buhari holds meeting with six different groups of investors at the sidelines of the annual investment meeting in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

- The president assures the investors that they will gain returns on investments within the shortest possible time if they invest in Nigeria

- Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum and other investors in the United Arab Emirate express the intention of doing business in Nigeria

President Muhammadu Buhari has urged investors in Dubai, United Arab Emirates to come and invest in Nigeria where they would make profits from returns on investments within the shortest possible time.

Femi Adesina, the spokesperson of the president disclosed that Buhari made the statement on Monday, April 8, when he met with six different groups of investors at the sidelines of the annual investment meeting in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

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Come to Nigeria and prosper. Come and have handsome returns on your investments, within the shortest possible time, Buhari was quoted to have said.

Adesina stated that some of the investors who met with the president expressed the intention of doing business in Nigeria.

Among them he said was Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum, a member of the Dubai ruling family who is also a private investor. He noted that Sheikh Maktoum said he is interested in establishing a power plant in Lagos.

Adesina said another potential investor who is keen on investing in Nigeria is Sheikh Ali Rashid Lootah who serves as the chairman of Nakheel Properties and Limitless Group.

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The presidential aide noted that Nakheel Properties and Limitless Group is one of the world's leading developers and a major contributor to Dubai's real estate transformation.

Adesina said another interested investor was Jitender Sachdeva, the CEO Skipperseil Group, an integrated energy company with operations in the manufacturing of substation equipment, who was delighted at meeting with President Buhari, looked forward to doing good business in Nigeria.

Below are some photos of President Buhari at the annual investment meeting in Dubai.

In a related report, President Muhammadu Buhari has called on world leaders to come up with proposals to create a digital world that is accessible, inclusive and safe to all.

According to a statement by the presidents spokesman, Femi Adesina, in Abuja, President Buhari gave the challenge in his keynote speech at the 2019 Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) in Dubai on Monday, April 8.

While acknowledging that digital globalisation is transforming the world almost every day with innovations and transformative ideas, the Nigerian leader cautioned that the cyber world would remain a constant threat if left unregulated.

Laolu Akande Speaks on How Presidency is Tackling Economy | Legit TV

Source: Legit
- The World Bank has said that Nigerian economy did not progress at all between the years 1995 to 2018

- The country was grouped with 18 other nations whose economies are at rock bottom in terms of performance

- The bank said high exchange rates, restrictions on foreign exchange, and infrastructure underdevelopment are some of the things harming Nigeria's economy

A new report by the World Bank group has put Nigeria among nations whose economies did not progress between 1995 to 2018.

This was revealed in a report titled Africas Pulse released on Monday, April 8, which is an analysis of issues concerning Africas future, Daily Trust reports.

According to the report, Nigeria was among the 19 countries which were at the bottom in terms of economic performance.

The other 18 countries are Angola, Burundi, Botswana, the Republic of Congo, the Comoros, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, Lesotho, Mauritania, Malawi, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Eswatini, Chad, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

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A part of the report read: These countries did not show any progress in their economic performance from 1995-008 to 2015-18. For instance, their median economic growth rate decelerated, from 5.4 percent per year in 1995-2008 to 1.2% per year in 2015-2018.

The population in this group accounts for 33 percent of the regions total population (similar to the top and middle terciles) and produces almost 60 percent of the regions total GDP (which is much greater than the top and middle terciles).

This group includes the three largest countries in the region - Nigeria, South Africa, and Angola - and comprises many commodity exporters. The bottom terciles average GDP per capita is about US$2,696."

The World Bank said that its reports yardstick for measuring economic performance is based on the average annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rates during the years.

The bank also added that the reason for the stagnation is connected with the fact that household consumption has been on the low because of high exchange rates, restrictions on foreign exchange and infrastructure constraints that have affected private investment.

The World Bank, however, added that there may be a slight change as growth may rise to 2.2% in 2020 and a bit high in 2021 at 2.4%.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Nigeria dropped a spot on the World Banks latest Ease of Doing Business ranking.

The development was made public on Wednesday, October 31, 2018, in the global banks report, themed: Doing Business 2019.

Legit.ng notes that while Nigeria moved 24 places from its 2016 spot of 169 to 145 in 2017, it dropped to number 146 in the 2018 edition.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: We have upgraded to serve you better

Minister of industry says economy is improving; Nigerians disagree | Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng
A Ghanaian lady named Joyce Dzidzor Mensah who has been portrayed as an AIDS ambassador over time recently shared a controversial video of herself cuddling a German man. The woman in question was all over the Oyinbo guy who received kisses and hugs from her through out.

This video which was more like an tutorial clip generated quite a number of frowns from the public who tagged it as an adult film.

Also, it stirred up the old rumour that Joyce infected her former husband with HIV/AIDS and caused his death. Due to this video, many got to embrace the gossip more.

In response to the controversy her kissing video is stirring, Joyce wrote a response which she felt would silence her haters and quell the rumour that she killed her husband.

Joyce Mensah Source: Joyce Dzidor Mensah/Facebook

Source: Facebook

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She particularly attacked Ghanaian TV presenter, Afia Schwarzenegger, who fueled the rumour. She told the media personality that she was yet to see anything.

See her post below:

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"Gyimifour you think Germany is a lawless country like Africa where someone with HIV virus will deliberately line up men to infect them. It is a criminal offence to infect someone with HIV and one can end up in prison for such act.

"Gutter mouth Afia Schwarzenegger accused me on Utv for killing my late husband with AIDS. Now after yesterday's post some Gyimifour people have started accusing me. You aint seen nothing yet those of you doing that munyinaaaa mumaame."

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This is coming after a top Kenyan actress claimed that her father infected her own mother with HIV

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We keep evolving to serve our readers better.

Top 4 Reasons to Get Tested For HIV in 2018 | Legit TV

Source: Legit
South Bethlehems Hayes Street corridor is seeing a resurgence.

There are 39 trees planted and new a community mural. There have been 13 home facade improvements and three Lehigh Valley Community Land Trust home rehabs. Theres a new pocket park at Fourth and Hayes streets.

This work is inspiring other homeowners to invest in their properties and more people to put down roots in the neighborhood -- U.S. Census data show a 9.1 percent increase in home ownership in the corridor over five years, said Anna Smith, director of Community Action Development Corporation of Bethlehem.

Multiple property owners in this neighborhood have embraced the opportunity to restore the historic character of this gateway neighborhood, Smith said.

City of Bethlehem officials and the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley now wish to keep that momentum going and spread it to the Southside Five Points and Indian Hills neighborhoods through a new housing stock rehab project.

On Hayes Street, weve seen the power of targeted investment in improving the quality of life for residents and attracting new homeowners, Smith, who bought a home in the neighborhood recently, said.

With neighborhood residents looking on, Mayor Bob Donchez announced Monday afternoon standing in the yard of 735 Hayes St. almost $1 million of funding to renovate South Bethlehem homes into affordable housing.

To jumpstart the program, CACLV is using $500,000 to buy five vacant South Bethlehem homes in need of some love and renovate them into affordable housing for low-to-moderate income homeowners. As these first five homes sell, the proceeds will be reinvested to buy more properties, rehab them and sell those houses to other low-to-moderate income homeowners, creating a revolving fund.

Home ownership strengthens neighborhoods, Donchez, a Southside native himself, said. It provides stability for families. It provides stability for school districts and it really leads to investment in the community.

To qualify to buy the homes, a family of four could make up to $59,700, a limit set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

This home at 735 Hayes St. in South Bethlehem is being rehabbed by the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley.

"The goal of this program really is to increase home ownership among people that have been excluded from the housing market, Donchez said.

The homes will be energy efficient with new HVAC systems, windows and appliances.

It actually makes the home more affordable over the long run, said Chuck Weiss, the construction manager for CACLV.  ... We want people to be able to move in and not spend more money on their house.

Three of the homes -- 662 and 735 Hayes streets and 737 E. Fifth St. -- are further investments in the Hayes Street corridor meant to bolster existing efforts.

It just made sense to continue that process and move it further up the hill, Smith said following the press conference.

This home at 735 Hayes St. in South Bethlehem is being rehabbed by the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley.

The other two homes -- 447 Pawnee St. and 541 Wyandotte St. -- are located in the neighborhoods surrounding Five Points that are displaying some of the same signs of distress Hayes showed 10 years ago, she said. Home ownership there is on a sharp decline in the last decade, Smith said. The hope is that trend can be reversed with targeted community investment, she said.

Resident Angelie Roche-Rodriguezs family had been living in South Bethlehem for five years when she and her husband began house hunting. They were drawn to Hayes Street because of the neighborhood investment, Roche-Rodriguez, who is office manager for CACLV, said. It was also important to her four children that they stay in the Bethlehem Area School District.

Shes now proud to call Hayes Street home.

Anyone you ask these days in South Bethlehem will tell you that our neighborhoods been changing lately, Smith said. As we look towards South Bethlehems future, however, we can draw inspiration from building on what has made this community strong for generations: closely-knit, mixed-income neighborhoods; committed and engaged residents; a racially and ethnically diverse community.

Since 2014 through the Southside Vision 2020 program, CACLV has partnered with the city and Community Action Development Corporation of Bethlehem to target neighborhoods in need of quality of life improvements and strategic investment in affordable housing.

The program is being funded via a $500,000 Project Reinvest: Neighborhoods grant as well as money from the city and the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. It was originally meant for the City Lights project, which sought to bring 36 units of workforce housing to the Southside. But late last year the project had to be abandoned because it was financially untenable, demonstrating the market challenges of developing housing for low-to-moderate-income homeowners, according to a news release.

Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @sarasatullo and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A father and son from Freemansburg accused of harassing the family of a sex offender are headed to Northampton County Court on their respective criminal charges.

James Forte Sr. and James Forte Jr., who both live in 200 block of Juniata Street in the borough, had their preliminary hearings Tuesday in front of District Judge Nicholas Englesson.

Following testimony from the victim and a borough police officer, Englesson sent all the charges to county court, where the pair now face possible trial.

Defense attorney Anthony Rybak, who represented Forte Sr., said his client had been willing to plead guilty to a summary count of harassment, in exchange for the stalking charge to be dropped. After the hearing, Rybak said the fathers case will be going to trial.

Forte Jr.'s attorney, Robert Eyer, declined to comment.

Borough police said Forte Sr. printed news articles about George Hess and placed them on vehicles and in mailboxes around the neighborhood. Hess, a former Freemansburg fire chief, pleaded guilty in 1999 to indecent assault, and was sentenced to county prison.

Freemansburg Officer Martin Ramirez testified Forte was in the borough police station to deal with a citation over dog poop, when he boasted he had researched leaving the articles. When an officer told Forte Sr. it would create more problems, Forte Sr. yelled there was nothing the police could do and he was going to keep doing it, Ramirez said.

In a separate incident, Forte Sr. is accused of yelling at Hess daughter that her father was a kiddie toucher."

Rybak argued distributing the articles was expression of free speech.

He looked up public information of a crime, a sexual crime against children where someone pleaded guilty, Rybak argued. This is still the United States of America ... He has a right to let his neighbors know who lives there  someone who is a danger to children."

As for the yelling, what Forte Sr. yelled was true and he was also exercising freedom of speech, the attorney said.

Its rude, it can be obnoxious but the incidents dont rise to stalking, Rybak said.

Police said the day Forte Sr. was arrested, officers were called to the neighborhood for Forte Jr. yelling obscenities and harassing the woman and her family.

Nicole Klein testified on Tuesday that she was in her house and the windows were open when Forte Jr. yelled You (expletive) with the wrong family," Watch your back and I will (expletive) you up.

A neighbor also provided police with a written statement that the incidents with Forte Jr. had occurred for the previous 10 days.

Eyer argued the statements were made in transient anger after the arrest of Forte Jr.'s father, but did not rise to a terroristic threat.

There was also no evidence that Forte Jr. knew Klein was in her house at the time, Eyer said.

The pair each remain free on bail in their cases.

Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A group of four men are accused of shooting up about 26 cars with pellet guns last month in Bethlehem, causing thousands of dollars in damage.

City police filed charges Friday against Daquan Haskins, 20, of the 700 block of East Fairview Drive in Bethlehem; Isaiah Turner, 20, of Baltimore; and Nathaniel Shepard, 26, and Tayquandrey Highsmith-Gillie, 18, both of Aberdeen, Maryland.

Each man is charged with propulsion of missiles onto roadways, and a felony count of conspiracy to commit criminal mischief. The group had not yet been arraigned in their respective cases as of Tuesday morning.

These individuals were apprehended due to the combination of alert citizens, diligent patrol work and tireless investigation, Lt. Benjamin Hackett said.

Police were called the night of March 24 for reports of multiple vehicles damaged by pellet guns on Fritz Drive, Stefko Boulevard and East North Street. The vehicles had broken windows and dented body panels, police said.

A total of 26 vehicles were damaged on the three streets, and the repair costs were expected to exceed $5,000, police said.

A short time later, officers were called for suspicious people in a vehicle in the 700 block of Goepp Street. The four defendants were in the car, that police said was searched because of a reported strong odor of marijuana inside. One of the men fled on foot; police did not say which one.

Inside the car police said they found two pellet guns, multiple empty compressed air canisters and loose metal pellets. Police did not say if they found marijuana in the vehicle.

The vehicle they were traveling in matched the description of a vehicle seen in surveillance footage from Fritz Drive a short time before the vehicles were damaged, according to police.

Haskins reportedly told police he was inside the car with the three others, and that they traveled on the three streets where the cars were damaged. Haskins allegedly said he could hear glass break as he was riding in the back seat with the car window partially down.

Anyone with any additional information about this case is encourage to contact Officer Limpar at 610-865-7222.

Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
One year after his death at age 94, the federal government is paying its respects to legendary Northampton County resident Bob Dorough.

The Library of Congress on March 20 announced the inclusion of Schoolhouse Rock! The Box Set from 1996 in the 2018 class of its National Recording Registry. Dorough composed the songs set to animation that became a staple of the ABC networks childrens programming in the 1970s and 80s. Doroughs work is included in the class of 2018 alongside 24 titles like Neil Diamonds 1969 Sweet Caroline, Curtis Mayfields 1972 Superfly, the 1959 single Long Black Veil from Lefty Frizell and music from Cyndi Lauper, Jay-Z and N.W.A.

Next week, Dorough will be honored posthumously as one of four 2019 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters.

"People may not realize, 'Oh it's that guy,'" longtime friend and spokesman for the Dorough family Patrick C. Dorian said, referring to Dorough being known most widely for "Schoolhouse Rock!" despite "his absolute brilliance as a jazz musician from the '40s through the last couple of years."

"He never looked down upon 'Schoolhouse Rock!' because ... someone would say, 'I know that voice,' and he would be singing the great American song book and standards," Dorian said. "You would go up on a break and say, 'Are you the person who sang "Conjunction Junction"?'"

Dorough didn't actually sing "Conjunction Junction" in the "Schoolhouse Rock!" recording -- Jack Sheldon did -- but Dorough composed it, arranged and directed it, and he was known to bust it out in performances locally at Delaware Water Gap's Deer Head Inn and around the world.

"He wrote all of them," Dorian said. "Then when you would hear Bob sing them, you could barely tell them apart.

"He would have sung those tunes for you if you asked him to. He knew that's how people knew him. ... He never said, 'Oh I have to sing that again.'"

Dorough and his family made Upper Mount Bethel Township their home in the 1960s, so his daughter, Aralee, could get out of the New York City school system, according to Dorian, professor emeritus of music at East Stroudsburg University. Doroughs wife, Sally, still lives there.

Arkansas-born and raised in Texas, Dorough had immersed himself in the New York City jazz scene after serving in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1945 and earning a degree in composition in 1949 from North Texas State Teachers College.

After working with the likes of Sugar Ray Robinson, a boxer pursuing show business, and the unparalleled jazz innovator Miles Davis, Dorough in 1972 was hired by advertising executive David McCall to help his son remember his multiplication tables as easily as he remembered the lyrics to his favorite pop songs, according to the Library of Congress. Paired with Tom Yohe artwork, Schoolhouse Rock! was born in 1973. The program aired for 12 years, introducing children to concepts of Elbow Room and Interjections! and how a bill becomes law. Along with YouTube, the 1996 Kid Rhino Records box set kept the music alive for new generations.

In addition to being named a 2019 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, Bob Dorough was recognized nationally with the inclusion of a 1996 box set of his "Schoolhouse Rock!" compositions in the Library of Congress National Recording Registry. (Bill Adams file photo | For lehighvalleylive.com)Express-Times

Dorough died unexpectedly April 23, 2018. About three weeks earlier, hed learned he was named a 2019 NEA Jazz Master. The nations highest honor in jazz, the lifetime recognition has been awarded to 153 people since 1982. Joining them in this years class, along with Dorough, are Stanley Crouch, Abdullah Ibrahim and Maria Schneider.

The four will be feted during an NPR listening party at 2 p.m. Sunday at its headquarters in Washington, D.C. Aralee Dorough, herself an accomplished flutist with the Houston Symphony for nearly three decades, will be taking part.

Then on Monday is the NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert, at 8 p.m. from Kennedy Center Concert Hall, also in the nations capital. Itll be streamed live on the National Endowment for the Arts and Kennedy Center websites, as well as the websites for NPR Music, All About Jazz and Jazz Near You, National Endowment for the Humanities, Voice of America (Khmer, Spanish, Creole, Tibetan and Chinese services), WBGO and WPFW. An archive of the webcast will be available following the event at arts.gov. In addition, SiriusXM Channel 67, Real Jazz and WPFW-FM 89.3 in Washington will audio-broadcast the concert live.

Editors note: This article was updated to correct the location of Sundays NPR listening party.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Take a look inside the historic caves, hand-dug in the days before refrigeration, of Americas oldest brewery, D.G. Yuengling & Son Inc. in Pottsville, Pa.

This year, Yuengling celebrates its 190th anniversary.

In 1829, David G. Yuengling arrived from Wurttemberg, Germany and settled in Pottsville, Pa., where he established Eagle Brewery. The Eagle Brewery was later destroyed by fire in 1831, and D.G. Yuengling relocated operations to the current location.

The location was chosen because of its close proximity to a mountain that allowed David G. Yuengling to dig a cave for cold storage, aging and fermentation. The caves were finished in 1841 after 10 years of hand digging.

35 Yuengling brewery celebrates its 190th anniversary

You can still see the remnants of brick walls once ordered built by the federal government to block beer production during Prohibition.

The caves can be seen during the brewerys public tours, available year-round. Check Yuenglings website for tour dates and hours.
Two unidentified high school students were arrested after an investigation into a potential threat last week at Northampton Area High School, according to the Northampton Area School District superintendent.

In a message sent Friday to the district community, Superintendent Joseph S. Kovalchik said the students were taken into custody before the start of school that day.

These students will not be in school and appropriate disciplinary and legal consequences are being taken at this time, the message said.

The message did not specify the nature of the the potential threat or the charges the students face.

Kovalchik said Monday afternoon that the students were charged as juveniles and the criminal case is being handled by the Northampton County District Attorneys Office.

The district learned of the potential threat to the high school community Thursday night. It launched an investigation that lasted until early Friday morning.

Kovalchiks message sent later Friday morning, after the students arrest, indicated that no credible threat remained at the high school or any district buildings.

Please know that the district will always react and investigate incidents that relate to threats to individuals or the general school community, Kovalchik said in the message. As in the past, I believe it is important to notify you when incidents occur that have potentially school-wide, district-wide, or individual implications. Thank you for your understanding as we continue to strive to provide a safe environment for your children.

Nick Falsone may be reached at nfalsone@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickfalsone. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A man has pleaded guilty to third-degree murder in the shooting death of his live-in girlfriend that sent a SWAT team swarming over a Lehigh Valley neighborhood last summer.

Thirty-three-year-old Matthew Jensen also pleaded guilty Friday in Lehigh County to a firearms crime in the July 26 shooting in Allentown.

The (Allentown) Morning Call reports that First Assistant District Attorney Steven Luksa said the case stemmed from "a stew of mental illness and methamphetamine."

Responding officers found 36-year-old Kristina Fenstermaker bleeding on the lawn from multiple gunshot wounds. Officers surrounded the home and ordered Jensen out, but later found he had fled.

He was captured without incident about seven hours later in outside a Walmart store in Pohatcong Township, just southeast of Phillipsburg, New Jersey.
Police in Bucks County asked for the publics help in tracking down whoever broke into two homes late last month.

Solebury Township police released photos of an older model Mercury sedan that was seen in the area of both break-ins reported March 29, one in Solebury and one in Bedminster Township, Bucks County.

In the Solebury break-in, someone forcibly entered a home between about 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. March 29 while the residents were at work, in the area of River Road (Route 32) between Windybush Road (Route 232) and Aquetong Road just south of New Hope, according to police.

Police in Bedminster Township, northwest of Solebury, investigated a break-in the same day in the 7100 block of Old Easton Road, close to where the road splits from Route 611. The homeowner arrived home to find a white sedan in the driveway and later saw a man exit the home, get into the car and drive away, according to police. He is described as white with a full beard, standing about 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall and heavy-set.

Police developed the white Mercury as a vehicle of interest through the course of their investigation, Solebury Detective Cpl. Jonathan Koretzky said.

Solebury Township, Bucks County, police asked for the public's help in tracking down the owner/operator of this older white Mercury sedan seen in the area of two home burglaries reported March 29, 2019.

The sedan has minor damage/scuff marks to the rear bumper and its front bumper lower portion is all black. It appears to have a Pennsylvania license plate, police said.

Police asked anyone who knows the owner or operator of the car to submit a tip via bucks.crimewatchpa.com or call police at 215-348-7400.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Charter schools are Pennsylvanias pioneers in education. They take risks. They blaze trails. They take chances so hundreds of traditional public schools dont have to. The payoff is the discovery of new and better ways to teach.

But when the wagon train winds up in a ditch, the community it was pulling along pays the price. Taxpayers from the Easton Area and neighboring communities have invested millions of dollars in the Easton Arts Academy Charter Elementary School. Some teachers say the school has become a toxic workplace environment. Theyve left at an alarming rate.

More than a dozen former employees told lehighvalleylive.com an administrator is ruining the school. They described an unpredictable taskmaster who screamed at children, joked about zapping a child with a car battery and took pride in crossing out teachers photos on a bingo board as they were fired.

Easton Arts Academy Charter Elementary School Chief Academic Officer Shawn Ferrara at a school board meeting on Dec. 20, 2018.Rudy Miller | For lehighvalleylive.com

The ex-employees say Chief Administrative Officer Shawn Ferrara is the reason more than half the employees hired when the school opened two years ago are now gone. During his tenure, the school faced a lawsuit alleging administrators changed grades and ignored some students special needs.

The ex-employees say it hasnt been easy getting the school board to listen to their concerns about Ferrara. Although the school receives more than $5 million in public funding annually, the school board was selected by school founder Thomas Lubben and as members leave, the remaining members choose the replacements. Voters have no say.

Easton Arts Academy Charter Elementary School Chief Executive Officer Joanna Hughes at a school board meeting on Dec. 20, 2018.Rudy Miller | For lehighvalleylive.com

An internal investigation led school board President Michelle Zattoni to shuffle some administrative jobs in December. But Ferrara remained in his position. School CEO Joanna Hughes confirmed on April 1 that Ferrara is now on leave, a change that suggests the board may finally be listening to the ex-staffers calls for Ferraras ouster.

Ferrara has not responded to repeated requests for comment. Hughes would not comment beyond her confirmation of Ferraras leave status.

On March 22, when the school lost its third principal, Zattoni and the board vice President Leigh Miller were seen conducting a special tour of the academy. They also conducted an exit interview with Principal Joanellyn Joey Schubert.

We were there seeking further information, said Zattoni, who declined to elaborate. Ten days later, Hughes confirmed Ferraras leave status.

Some individuals connected to the school hope theyve seen the last of Ferrara. If they have, its been a long time coming, they say.

Charter schools are publicly funded yet largely free of restrictions and mandates imposed on regular public schools. They were set up to encourage educators to try new teaching methods. The goal is for their creative approaches to boost student achievement.

At Easton Arts Academy, one of the innovations is its focus on the arts. Children in the kindergarten-through-fifth-grade school at 30 N. Fourth St. in Easton receive 80 minutes to two hours a day of artistic training, according to the school website.

But with the relaxation of educational mandates comes a relaxation of direct public oversight of the school.

So what can be done if a charter school is the subject of complaints? Legislators say the chartering school district, the Easton Area School District, is responsible for assuring that Easton Arts Academy is properly run. The school district says state law limits its authority.

The ambiguity of oversight can leave employees floundering. And the trouble at Easton Arts Academy spotlights flaws in the states charter school legislation that allows schools to accept millions of dollars in public subsidies with limited accountability over who is hired and who is fired.

Suit: Grades fixed, evaluations fudged

Fifteen former employees told lehighvalleylive.com they were either fired by Ferrara or left because of his practices and behavior.

The most serious allegations came from Susan Bostian, a principal who alleged in a lawsuit that Ferrara threw out her employee evaluations, rewrote them and forced her to sign off on them.

The lawsuit, filed in December in Northampton County Court, says Ferrara and school Operations Manager Jacqueline Zupko changed students grades when they felt some were incorrect or not appropriate. Zupko did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Bostians lawsuit says safety protocols werent followed when students threw chairs and desks, and that Ferrara and Hughes didnt report truancies to parents, among a slew of other complaints.

Bostian declined to comment beyond what was included in her lawsuit.

The lawsuit also says students didnt receive services required through their Individualized Education Programs, which are plans written for gifted or disabled students who require special instruction.

Bostians lawsuit says she was fired in retaliation for complaining.

Court papers filed in January by school attorney Brian Leinhauser say Bostian didnt complain until after she was fired, so she couldnt have been fired in retaliation for complaints she had yet to make. Attorney Ed Easterly now represents Easton Arts Academy in the lawsuit. He said Bostians claims have no merit.

The academy will vigorously defend itself in the lawsuit and the allegations made by Bostian or any other former employees, he said.

Ferrara is a former math teacher whose previous experience was as an operations manager for a school district in New Jersey, according to his LinkedIn profile. During his tenure at Easton Arts Academy he assumed control of the schools finances, although the school board outsourced many of those duties in January.

The position of chief administrative officer or chief executive officer of a charter school does not require a professional certification, according to Pennsylvania Department of Education spokesman Eric Levis. If the CAO is performing the duties of a principal, however, that person needs a principals certification, he said.

Complete investigation

Easton Area School District solicitor John Freund said the school district is aware of the potentially serious violations of the charter law alleged in Bostians lawsuit.

Easton Area School District Superintendent John Reinhart said he has forwarded concerns he has received in letters, emails and phone calls to Freund for a complete investigation.

Zattoni, the academys school board president, acknowledged she received a letter from the Easton Area School District in February that outlines various allegations. She said the board will follow up on it at its next meeting, April 25.

While the Easton Area School District has the authority to try to revoke the Easton Arts Academys charter and end its existence, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, it doesnt have the authority to intervene in the schools personnel or management decisions.

Charter schools are independent public schools. It is incumbent upon the CEO and board to appropriately handle the matter at the local level, Levis said.

A charter schools funding is tied to where its students live. Since most Easton Arts Academy students live in the Easton Area School District boundaries, the Easton Area School District taxpayers cover most the schools costs. Easton Area School District taxpayers funded $2.9 million of a $5.4 million budget in the first year of the schools operation. The next highest funding, from the Wilson Area School District, was $260,000.

There is another avenue for removing Ferrara short of revoking the schools charter, Levis said. Anyone who feels an administrators actions rise to the level of professional misconduct can file an educator misconduct complaint with the Department of Education. Its unclear whether anyone has done so concerning Ferrara.

Levis said investigations are confidential and would neither confirm nor deny that Easton Arts Academy is under investigation.

He would come out like a madman

Some teachers described Ferraras conduct as inappropriate and said he was a bully.

Former music teacher Alexis Adams is among at least four employees who saw Ferrara explode in the lunchroom when he thought children were too loud.

Former food services coordinator Kathy Keyes said her office was close enough to the cafeteria for her to see and hear Ferrara unleash on youngsters.

He would come out like a madman, screaming, where his whole face was beet red, Keyes said.

Adams and former teacher Miranda Thiessen said the children were so upset after being yelled at they couldnt finish their lunches.

This is kindergarten. They were afraid to move, let alone take a bite of their sandwiches, Keyes said.

"Kids were going to the nurse after lunch with upset stomachs because they were anxious from his yelling," teaching assistant Kristen Vogt said.

Adams recalled a staff meeting where Ferrara made a joke about attaching a car battery to a metal chair in order to discipline a student.

In early March, Zattoni blamed circumstances in (Ferraras) life for Ferraras conduct and said he is being trained on how to have a work-life balance through weekly professional development sessions and will be re-evaluated in July by the school board.

Some former employees looking for support said they didnt get it from Ferrara.

If you crossed Ferrara, you were terminated, these former employees said.

Former Operations Specialist Tracie Raven said Ferrara had a bingo board with photos of all the teachers on it.

(Ferrara and Zupko) were crossing out people with a Sharpie on their faces as they started to get rid of them, Raven said. He prides himself in bullying and terrorizing people.

The ex-employees said Ferrara tried to stifle dissent by forcing teachers to sign contracts with a non-disparagement clause. The clause prohibits each employee from disparaging the school and its administrators.

Some ex-employees said they didnt sign the contract but were asked to sign a non-disparagement agreement in order to receive a final paycheck or payout of unused sick time.

This is not the kind of thing that you would see in a public school. I doubt that it would be enforceable, said Freund, the attorney for the Easton Area School District.

Levis, the Pennsylvania Department of Education spokesman, had no comment on the non-disparagement clause.

Parent dismisses ex-employees complaint

School parent Irma Medina Rodriguez dismissed the complaints from former teachers and said they may be leaving because they arent willing to do what it takes to help their students succeed.

"You're a teacher. You're an adult. You aren't a kid. You know what your job is. Get it done," said Rodriguez, who is president of the Easton Arts Academy Community  a group that is similar to a parent-teacher organization but encourages membership from any interested school stakeholder, not just parents.

Rodriguez said lunchtime can get loud in a school, and it's understandable for a supervisor to get frustrated. Its important to show children there are consequences to bad behavior, she said. Holding children accountable is the sign of an educator who cares, she said.

"If they're not willing to go that extra mile, I don't care if all of them (the teachers) leave," Rodriguez said.

And leave, they have. By the end of the first year, 42 percent of the Easton Arts Academy staff was gone, according to records obtained through a right-to-know request. As of March 2019, at least 52 percent of the original staff was gone.

The human resources director at the Easton Area School District says the employee turnover rate has been about 3 percent each of the past three years. Teachers are typically paid more at a traditional public school than a charter school, however.

Teachers often start a career at a charter school before moving on to better-paying jobs. That said, the turnover rate at the first three charter schools founded by Lubben was about 20 percent after the first year, considerably less than the rate at Easton Arts Academy, which was also founded by Lubben.

Zattoni acknowledged the high turnover rate.

We are looking further into it, she said. It is very important to me for all involved to be diligent and responsible in resolving any situations that reflect negatively towards the education of the students. That also includes ensuring that the staff and administration are equipped with the necessary tools and mindsets to carry out their duties. However, negative press and/or unfounded allegations do not assist in the creation and maintenance of a healthy work environment.

Its time to take action

None of the employees who talked to lehighvalleylive.com cited pay as a reason for leaving. All of them cited the work environment.

Zattoni said the school is extremely important to her and her colleagues, and they want it to succeed.

"You're not talking about board members who don't care," she said. "I don't want anyone to think we don't care."

She has met one-on-one with employees. She invites those dissatisfied with the school to reach out to her. Zattoni said some have been reluctant to meet because they fear repercussions, even if they meet with her without administrators present. She plans to form a communications committee so that complaints from parents, employees or any interested stakeholder can be taken seriously. She plans to discuss the committee plan at the school board meeting in April.

We have heard those concerns, and its time to take action, Zattoni said.

Theres no indication the complaints have hindered the schools operations. In fact, the school is pursuing plans to add grades six, seven and eight. Zattoni said the school is looking at expansion sites and hopes to add the middle school grades by 2020.

Easton Superintendent Reinhart said he opposes the expansion. He said the school needs to address a range of parent and procedural concerns within their current program before it can even consider expanding.

Thiessen, one of the former teachers, said she wants to warn others about her experiences. She almost quit the profession after her time at Easton Arts Academy. Now in a teaching job she loves, she said shes speaking out.

She and her colleagues dont want to shut down Easton Arts Academy. They want to fix it.

Something definitely needs to change, she said.

Teachers deserve better so the kids can get better, another ex-teacher said. Its a great school, and its a great concept. We dont want the school to get shut down. We want to see it flourish but its not going to with the administration that they have.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
For the last two years, Pennsylvania car and truck owners have been freed of the task of placing vehicle registration stickers on the corner of their license plates. The state Department of Transportation ended the practice in 2017, expecting to save $3 million a year in processing costs.

State Rep. Barry Jozwiak, R-Berks, says the opposite appears to be true. He says the state is losing millions because more people are driving unregistered vehicles and getting away with it.

PennDOT notes that even without a display on license plates, police in the U.S. and Canada have electronic access to its database to check a vehicles registration. PennDOT based its decision on a Penn State study that said stickers had no effect on registration compliance.

Jozwiak has authored a bill that would not only restore registration stickers, but mandate a combination registration-inspection sticker for license plates.

What do you think? Should PennDOT go back to requiring registration stickers on license plates? Have a say in our informal, unscientific poll, and feel free to elaborate in the comment section.
A Warren County priest admitted that he engaged is sexual acts with a teenage girl in the early 90s, just three months after the victim reported the abuse via the states clergy abuse hotline.

The Rev. Thomas P. Ganley, 63, of Phillipsburg, pleaded guilty to sexual assault before a superior court judge, the state Attorney Generals office announced Monday.

Ganley admitted that he abused the girl when she was 16 or 17 years old, during a time when he had supervisory authority over her" while he was a priest at Saint Cecelia Church in Woodbridge, according to a release from the state.

Ganley had been the head of the youth ministry for the parish at the time, the attorney generals office said.

He was assigned to Saint Philip & Saint James Church in Phillipsburg when he was arrested on Jan. 16, just two days after his victim called the states 24-hour Clergy Abuse Task Force Hotline to report the sexual abuse, authorities said.

Ganley was also a chaplain at Warren General Hospital at the time of his arrest, officials have said.

Under the plea agreement, the state has recommended that Ganley should be sentenced to four years in prison. He was scheduled to be sentenced on July 2.

Ganley will be required to register as a sex offender under Megans Law and will be prohibited from having any contact with the victim and will not be allowed to have any unsupervised contact with children under the age of 18, the attorney generals office said.

Our message today is that we will move swiftly and decisively to secure justice for survivors, said Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said. Two days after this victim called our hotline, Ganley was arrested  three months later, he pleaded guilty and faces prison."

This was the first sexual assault case brought by New Jerseys clergy abuse task force, which was started in September a Pennsylvania grand jury last year detailed decades of abuse by priests.

The hotline, 855-363-6548, was set up by the task force and has received 480 calls as of Monday, the state said.

We hope that this first guilty plea secured by the Task Force will encourage other victims who have suffered in silence for years or decades to come forward, former Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert Laurino, who leads the Clergy Abuse Task Force, said in a release. Every caller who contacts our hotline can be assured that their case will be taken seriously, and that we will make every effort to hold their abuser accountable.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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After a 27-year-old man was found dead in his home from a fentanyl overdose, authorities in Warren County traced the source of the powerful painkiller.

A two-and-a-half-month investigation led them to Matthew Evans, of the first block of Woolston Way in Washington Borough -- a 10-minute drive from the Green Street home in Washington Township where his buyers body was found early the morning of Feb. 2, 2018.

On Monday, almost a year after his arrest, Evans, now 40, was sentenced to 20 years in prison, the county prosecutors office announced. His conviction in January may have been the countys first on the charge of strict liability for a drug-induced death, said Victor Jusino, who prosecuted the case.

In January, the prosecutors office had said Evans could face up to life in prison under a New Jersey law allowing the court to impose an expanded sentence. But on Thursday, it appeared Judge Robert Reed adhered to the 20-year maximum sentence that is typical for that type of charge.

Evans was also sentenced to five years each on three additional drug distribution and possession charges, but those sentences will run simultaneously with the 20-year one. Evans will have to serve at least 17 years, followed by five years of parole after his release, Jusino said.

When Evans was arrested, investigators at the time said the charges "should send a clear message" to dealers.

If you sell drugs to someone and they die as a result of taking those drugs, you can and will be charged with the death, they said. Lets hope they get the message.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter@SteveNovakLVL and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Laois beat off more than 30 other locations for a 30 million investment by life sciences Canadian company Greenfield Global which plans to open its first European base in Portlaoise next year.

The project will also deliver 100 jobs in the construction phase to the Laois county town. A further 75 jobs will be created in what the company terms its first phase of operation in Ireland and Europe.

"We are delighted to be here," Mr Howard Field, Greenfield Global President and CEO, told the Leinster Express at the announcement in the Midlands Park Hotel in Portlaoise.

The company has planning permission to build at the Industrial Development Authority (IDA) Business and Technology Park off the town's Mountrath Road.

"In this first project we will be investing almost 30 million," he revealed of the initiative which is backed by the IDA.

He said Laois was chosen because of its location close to the customer base in Ireland. Greenfield supplies raw material used by many of the big pharmaceutical and biotech companies such as Pfizer. It has been supplying from outside Ireland for a number of years.

"Because we are here in the Midlands we will be able to reach all corners of Ireland where the life sciences companies are located," he said.

Mr Field says the company will be supplying alcohol and speciality solvents which he described as the building blocks required by pharmaceutical companies to make medicines and other products.

"Without us, those drugs don't get made," he said.

Mr Field says location in Ireland also removes the supply chain risk to companies that produce on a just in time basis and rely on a ready and easy access to supplies.

Greenfield says the proximity of Portlaoise to Dublin via the motorway will allow the export of its products to its established customers in Europe.

As to the future, Mr Field also pointed to a possible expansion of its Portlaoise base. He said there are three units to the business. Apart from its speciality chemicals and ingredients unit, Greenfield also operates in the beverage and distilled products sector as well as having a renewable energy wing.

"Our long term vision, beyond this as being our first foray into the European market from a manufacturing perspective, would be to expand in all those sectors into Europe," he said.

He said the company has plans to expand its production of ethanol, hydrogen and renewable natural gas in the renewable energy market. There is also a vision to supply alcohol to Canadian beer brewers and distillers supplying drinks to European markets.

Mr Field said Greenfield already supplies these sectors in the United States and it is "absolutely" the case that it wants to do the same from Portlaoise.

"There is additional land for us to do that (at our Portlaoise site)," he said.

Another possible spin-off is the supply of the dried grain by-product from alcohol distillation to the agribusiness sector.

In the past multinationals have tended to operate plants which have had limited production. When products stopped being made factories have sometimes closed. Mr Field said Greenfield does not operate such a model and believes its strength is diversification.

"We have a lot of different products in many many markets," he said.

Read also: LAOIS JOBS REVEALED

Ken Finegan, Managing Director, Ireland has worked as an agent for the company for the past decade in Ireland. He said a broad spectrum of roles would need to be filled.

He said staff would be needed for laboratory, maintenance, warehousing and other roles. Recruits will include graduates. He referenced the proximity Institute of Technology Carlow and Athlone Institute of Technology as factors in the choice of Portlaoise.

Mr Finegan added that Greenfield visited 31 other sites before choosing Portlaoise.

As to the impact of Brexit, he said location in Ireland will offer the company's customers the certainty in their supply chain that they desire.

Work will start immediately on its Laois facility with the intention to be operational by spring 2020.
A solicitor who gave a mobile phone to a convicted rapist incarcerated in Portlaoise Prison after he threatened her family has been given a suspended sentence, with a circuit court judge accepting she was acting under unbearable stress, duress and fear at the time of the offence.

Joanne Kangley (41), formerly of Bailieborough, Co Cavan, but now residing outside of Ireland, pleaded guilty to supplying a mobile phone to an inmate of Portlaoise Prison, when the prisoner attended for medical treatment at the Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise, on November 6, 2014.

Portlaoise Circuit Court heard that when the phone was eventually recovered by the authorities, it was found that the prisoner had used it for online searches relating to his former solicitor and the victim of his rape and false imprisonment conviction. He also used the phone to leave threatening messages with persons associated with this case. The phone was also used to make regular contact with a number belonging to Ms Kangley.

When arrested and questioned, Ms Kangley told gardai that the prisoner had threatened her and her family.

The court heard that the prisoner threatened to fillet Ms Kangley and rape her child and so she gave him her work phone for her own protection.

Ms Kangley told the gardai that during visits with him he would drop in bits of information about her, or her family, and there was fear on her part.

On this occasion, he asked her for a phone and she said no. To this, the prisoner told her to remember what he was serving a sentence for and then mentioned her child, so she handed the phone over.

She also admitted buying him the SIM card and topping up the phone.

In sentencing, Judge Keenan Johnson said that in fairness to the accused, she was caught between a rock and a hard place in relation to her dealings with the prisoner. He said the named prisoner is an extremely unsavoury and dangerous individual who will lash out at anybody and anything in order to further his cause.

He said the prisoner had exploited Ms Kangleys vulnerability, thereby forcing her to commit the offence.

Judge Johnson said the crime represented a serious breach of trust on the part of the accused who was acting as an officer of the court. However, he went on to say that it was abundantly clear she was acting under unbearable stress, duress and fear when she committed the offence. A forensic psychiatric report indicated that Ms Kangley was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder when she committed the offence.

Judge Johnson noted that the accused had since lost her profession and her livelihood, which was a significant punishment in itself.

He said that the experience of the accused should provide a salient lesson to all lawyers of the importance of maintaining a healthy distance between their clients and themselves.

She was clearly in an extremely invidious position with choices to make that were all going to be highly unpalatable, said Judge Johnson.

Taking into account all factors, including the accuseds plea of guilt, her cooperation and remorse, her loss of livelihood, the duress, fear and stress she was under, the fact that she suffered from PTSD, and the glowing testimonials handed into court by her defence team, Judge Johnson imposed a 12-month sentence, suspended for five years on condition the accused enter into a peace bond to keep the peace and be of good behaviour for five years.

I am absolutely satisfied that the loss of her profession, livelihood and reputation together with the significant adverse publicity surrounding these proceedings more than sufficiently punishes the accused for her wrongdoing, said Judge Johnson.

In conclusion, the judge wished Ms Kangley well for the future and expressed his hope that she could move on with her life.
Laois is finally set to be put back on the map for foreign direct investment and the valuable jobs and spin-off employment created as a result.

Management at the Canadian firm, Greenfield Global travel to Portlaoise this week to officially confirm the building of a new manufacturing facility in the town.

Following the recent granting of planning permission, revealed by the Leinster Express, the company is set to confirm plans for a factory and distribution centre at the Industrial Development Authority (IDA) Business Park in Portlaoise.

Portlaoise's central location is believed to have been key to the life sciences firm's decision to locate in Laois. Laois TD and Minister Charlie Flanagan was present at the announcement on Tuesday.

Between 50 and 100 jobs are promised.

The decision by Greenfield Global to sign on the bottom line with the IDA marks the first time in decades that a big multi-national company has decided to bring foreign investment to Laois.

Laois County Council granted planning permission to the life sciences company in March.

Greenfield Global had applied for permission to construct a blending and packaging facility, an electrical sub-station building and other facilities to facilitate its business in the IDA Business Park on the town's Mountrath Road.

The IDA gave its backing to the company to develop a site that will also be its first venture in Europe. The almost 4,000 square metre facility will be located on a 15,000 square metre site.

The application said half of the facility will be used for manufacturing.

The company wants to begin construction in the coming months.

Headquartered in Toronto, Greenfield Global operates in 15 locations around the world. The company claims to manufacture and ship more than 1,600 products in 50 countries worldwide.

Greenfield is reported to be the largest high-purity alcohol company in North America.

It owns and operates four ethanol distilleries, three speciality chemical manufacturing and packaging plants, and three next-generation biofuel and renewable energy R&D centres across North America.

Under its Pharmco and commercial alcohols brands, Greenfield says it delivers hundreds of products to thousands of life science, food, flavour, fragrance, and beverage customers in more than 50 countries worldwide.

The company has manufacturing and processing facilities in Canada, the United States and Malaysia.

Kenneth Field is the company's founder. The company's website says that under his leadership, the firm has grown into the largest manufacturer and distributor of fuel ethanol, industrial alcohol, and alcohol-related products in Canada.
Irish Water has confirmed that a 450mm new trunk water main will be commissioned and made operational to facilitate an alternative water supply to Celbridge in the event of a future burst main on the existing supply line.

Read also: Arrests made during massive Kildare garda checkpoint

Dep Frank O'Rourke said: After the water mains burst again in January in Celbridge, I met last month with Irish Water, in Dail Eireann, to raise the issues surrounding the burst water main. It caused severe disruption which affected many homes and businesses in Celbridge. When it burst, it caused major disruption to residents, businesses, nursing homes, schools etc.

At that time, Irish Water acknowledges the difficulties caused, and gave me a commitment that they would propose a solution to the problem."

He said Irish Water has informed him that they will reconfigure the water network by bringing a new 450mm trunk main into use in order to facilitate an alternative water supply to Celbridge.

This will allow supply to all areas of Celbridge to continue, excluding a portion within Castletown estate, should the existing 12 PVC main fail again.

He said works on the 450mm section are expected to be concluded in the next six months.

Kildare north Labour general election candidate Emmet Stagg said he had also contacted Irish Water about the number of water main bursts in Celbridge in 2018 and 2019, and in particular the problems caused by the 12 inch water main bursts in Castletown, Celbridge, which caused major disruption to supplies in late 2018 and January, 2019, to homes, schools and businesses in Celbridge.

He said Irish Water acknowledged the inconvenience caused to customers in Celbridge by two major unplanned water outages in a short period of time. They informed him of the plans for the new line.

Welcoming the move by Irish Water, Mr Stagg stated that the additional water pipe supply will give a security of supply to most homes in Celbridge if the 12 inch main at Castletown bursts again, and he looked forward to the delivery of the project within the next six months.
Scoil Mhuire in Staplestown last Wednesday, April 3, hosted a visiting delegation of educators from Cambodia.

Read also: Residents raise questions over Kildare GAA August concert in Clane

The group was in Ireland to learn about the Irish education system, as the country tries to rebuild its own system of teaching in the wake of the murderous Pol Pot and Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s.

Most of the countrys teachers were killed during this time, and decades later the countrys education system is still in disarray, with untrained teachers, especially in rural areas.

As part of the CambodiaIreland exchange programme, Phan Sophen, technical education manager, and Chhout Sovoeun, project manager of SeeBeyondBorders visited educational institutions in Ireland.

They were interested in visiting a rural school, as most of Cambodias schools are in rural areas, and Staplestown was selected to host the visit.

Scoil Naomh Mhuire NS is a small rural school with multi-grade classes, said its principal Mary McDowell.

The high quality of our child-centred approach to teaching and learning has been commended by the Department of Education & Skills. We take an active, discovery-based approach to learning, using the most up-to-date practices.

Through our excellent teaching practices and through fostering an environment where the pupils are fully and enthusiastically engaged in all aspects of their learning, our pupils attainments in literacy and numeracy are consistently higher than the national norms. Our recently developed buildings and grounds also provide an attractive and productive outdoor learning environment for all our pupils.

The visiting group talked to teachers about the methodologies they use in the classroom. They also visited classrooms to see the Irish youngsters learning, and how they engage with their education; and conversed with the Staplestown teachers.

In return, said Ms McDowell, the Staplestown students got to enhance their understanding of global social justice issues through talking to the visitors.

Philip Donnelly EWO; Sarah Reynolds UK Country Manager, and Colm Byrne of SeeBeyondBorders; visiting teachers from Cambodia, Sophen Phan and Sovoeun Chhout; with Mary McDowel Principal, teacher Louise Fitzgerald, and some of the pupils from 3rd and 4th class, Staplestown National School, pictured during the visit to the school, Wednesday, April 3. Photo Tony Keane.
Leitrim County Council is to trial a new traffic flow plan in Carrick-on-Shannon for one month.

Officials told elected members at last Monday's meeting of the Carrick-on-Shannon Municipal District the trial would begin on April 30 and continue for one month.

The change to traffic flow is focused on the Main Street, Priest's Lane (Park Lane), the link road and Leitrim Road block.

Using local businesses to identify the changes, it is proposed to make the Main Street one-way only from Percy Whelan's pub to the junction with Priest's Lane.

So, coming onto Main Street from the Dublin Road side, there will be no turn right onto the Leitrim Road.

Instead, vehicles looking to travel out the Leitrim Road will continue straight and turn right at The Swan onto Priest's Lane and turn right again onto the link road at the fire station and from there onto the Leitrim Road.

Vehicles travelling on the two-way portion of Main Street coming from St Mary's Close direction would give way to traffic turning right at The Swan.

The Leitrim Road itself will become one-way, from the junction with the link road at the social welfare offices, up to Main Street.

At the Leitrim Road junction onto Main Street, vehicles will still have to stop but once again will have the option of turning left or right onto Main Street.

Details of the proposed trial routes will be advertised in the coming weeks.
Its time to take the plunge by nominating an older person in your world  maybe a friend, family member, or someone you know in the community who has embraced technology.

The Age Action Silver Surfer Awards, in association with DCU Age Friendly University, honour older people who challenge ageist stereotypes and demonstrate that the internet, social media and new technologies are for all people.

2019 sees the 10th anniversary of the Silver Surfer Awards hosted by Age Action which raises awareness of the fact that digital exclusion disproportionally impacts on older people.

Half of Irish people aged between 65 and 74 have never used the internet while internet use among those aged over 75 is negligible. For those older people who do get online it has the potential to change their lives as the Silver Surfer Awards has highlighted. People are discovering new hobbies, accessing services more quickly and keeping in touch with family.

Use of the internet has proven potential to deliver positive social and health related outcomes for older people, not least decreased feelings of loneliness and isolation.

National Development Manager of the Getting Started programme with Age Action Jennifer Glansford and her team witness both the challenges and the benefits older people experience with technology use. Jennifer comments, With technology still remaining a challenge for many older people, it can leave them feeling isolated and not in control of a world that has moved on when in fact it should be the exact opposite. Ive seen the benefits first hand with technology becoming a total lifeline for older people, keeping them connected to a whole world at their fingertips. People can feel frustrated asking for help every time they have to do something online so empowering people to understand that being online can make such a difference is important. This is a literacy issue  digital literacy and being online has become a necessity rather than a luxury. By investing a little time, a volunteer tutor, family member or friend can teach some simple ways that technology can be used to enhance their quality of life brings huge benefits all round.

This year Age Action is looking to present 5 awards to 5 people across Ireland to include:

- New To Technology Award: Someone who has felt the fear and embraced technology

- Hobbies On The Net Award: Someone who has used the internet to pursue their hobby

- Golden IT Award: Someone over the age of 85 who uses technology to enhance and make the most of life

- Community Champion Award: Someone who has used technology to support community

Pop online and nominate an older person you know, or simply nominate yourself on www.ageaction.ie/silversurfer before Thursday, 25 April 2019.
AROUND 20,000 commuters travel to Limerick City from outside the city and suburbs each day according to data released by Vodafone Ireland.

The information was gathered during their Smart Business workshop in the BOI Workbench. Using insights gained from the combined Vodafone network performance data and CSO population data analytics, the information provides a clear understanding of the commuter trends into the city and the sheer scale of people commuting to Limerick.

Treasa Doran, Head of Commercial at Vodafone Business Ireland, said: We believe that smart or flexible working is the next frontier for SMEs  particularly in attracting and retaining top talent, reducing costs and increasing productivity. Through recent research, we are aware that not all SMEs have access to the knowledge and solutions required to take advantage of initiatives such as smart working.

When we consider that 20,000 people commute to Limerick City every day, we need to think about the knock on effects that has on business costs in terms of traffic congestion, immobility and increased demand for office space. The statistics also show that people are leaving towns and villages for employment, creating an economic drain in their locations, said Mrs Doran.
PROPOSALS to extend the life of the Newcastle West and Abbeyfeale local area plans have been approved by members of the Newcastle West Municipal District.

However, some concerns have been expressed about the short notice given to elected representatives and the lack of consultation with members of the public and community groups in both towns.

Both plans, which were adopted by councillors in 2014, were due to expire in the summer of 2020. However, following this Wednesdays decision, they will now remain in place until 2024.

The plans, which are the main public statement of planning policies and objectives for both towns, feed into the wider city and county development plan which is to be reviewed by Limerick City and County Council in the near future.

In separate reports prepared for councillors, Pat Daly, director of economic development at the local authority recommended the extension of both plans.

In each report he stated there were a considerable number of policies and objectives (in the existing plans) that remain relevant and yet have not been secured.

In the case of Abbeyfeale, he noted there has been a lack of development since 2014 and a slower than expected growth in population.

In the case of Newcastle West, he said an extension of the plan is needed in order to sustainably strengthen the diverse employment base, population growth and regeneration of Newcastle West town centre as an economic driver for west Limerick and north Kerry.

Cllr Michael Collins, who opposed the extention of the Newcastle West LAP, said he was concerned about huge tracts of land in the town which are lying idle and are not being used.

He also raised the lack of progress regarding the proposed relief road while Cllr Jerome Scanlon noted it could be the middle of 2022 before the process of drawing up a new local area plan will begin.

While the Ireland 2040 plan proposes the dezoning of around 40 hectares of residential lands in Newcastle West, council planners were keen to point out there is adequate supply of zoned lands to meet the expected needs of the town.

Former Mayor, Cllr Liam Galvin, said he was concerned about the indicative route for the relief road in Abbeyfeale which, he said, cannot be allowed to pass to the south of the town.

He questioned the amount of lands which have been zoned for commercial and industrial use saying the Adare by-pass could create new opportunities for development in Abbeyfeale.

Cllr Seamus Browne noted the process to draw up a new local area plan cannot begin until the a new City and County Development Plan is adopted by the council.

He also noted that under the Ireland 2040 plan, around 20 hectares of residential lands will be dezoned around the town.

This will drive up the price of the residential -zoned lands that remain. There is a shortage of private residential houses in Abbeyfeale which is detrimental to the town, he said.

Issues regarding sewage treatment facilities in-and-around both towns were also discussed during Wednesdays meeting with planners confirming they are engaging with Irish Water.

Regarding the proposed relief roads for both towns, it was confirmed that consultants have been appointed.

Cllr John Sheahan noted nothing has been decided and that the consultants have a blank canvas to work with.

Almost 1 million has been allocated to progress the plans.
THERE is no change on the horizon for the Local Property Tax (LPT), local Fine Gael Senator Kieran ODonnell has said.

As a result of a decision made by the Government this week, there will be no change in the amount of property tax until 2021, news that will no doubt be welcomed by homeowners in Limerick, said Senator ODonnell.

Fine Gael in Government believes we need to keep the property tax in place to fund vital local services, but we also want to provide homeowners with stability in terms of the amount of tax they have to pay, he added.

According to Senator ODonnell, if the Government had not taken action this week, many homeowners in Limerick would be facing significant hikes in the LPT later this year due to rising house prices.

We dont think that would be fair, so the date for valuations is being deferred and more work will be done in the meantime to build a political consensus on how the tax can be maintained and reformed and to ensure that increases where they arise are fair and affordable, said Senator ODonnell.

I know there has been some concern that smaller homes in rural parts of Limerick may face increases. It is important to reassure people that nobody will face steep increases in the LPT, and any reports of that nature are simply not accurate, he added
ST GABRIELS School and Centre has been chosen as the official charity partner of this years Mayors charity ball.

The facility, located in Dooradoyle, is dedicated to the care and education of children with multiple physical disabilities.

The Mayors charity ball is set to be the social event of the year, as the annual charity spectacular prepares to celebrate all that is great on the Shannonside.

It is an occasion that celebrates life in Limerick and all we have to be proud of, Mayor of Limerick City and County cllr James Collins said.

It has been a wonderful year for the city and county and it is an opportunity to celebrate our successes, he added.

The black-tie event will showcase the very best local food produce including hand-reared pork from Rigneys Farm, apples from Attyflin Estate and seafood from Sextons.

Im delighted to be working with our local food hero Tom Flavin in the Limerick Strand Hotel to showcase the fabulous produce from Limerick and the Mid-West, Mayor Collins said.

It is set to be a great night that will be remembered with wonderful food, live music and a few surprises on the night.

Mayor Collins will host the blacktie event on Friday April 12 at the Limerick Strand Hotel.

Limited tickets are on sale from the Office of the Mayor, Limerick City and County Council, 061 557334 or email mayor@limerick.ie.
Tems is reflecting on her time in a Ugandan prison one year after the incide ...




The Lagos zonal office of EFCC on April 9, 2019, arraigned eight suspected members of a syndicate of illegal gold dealers before Justice A.O. Faji of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos on a three-count charge bordering on dealing in gold mine without lawful authorisation, conspiracy and being in possession of raw gold without lawful authorization.

The suspects are: Babagana Zannah, who claimed to be the owner of the raw gold bars; Ahmed Hamza Mannir; Manasseh Auta; Dahiru Habib Bali; Isa Umaru Ammani; Ajakaye Oladipo; Bamanja Jonah Samuel and Lasisi Aisha.

The second suspect, Mannir, who was arrested onboard an Emirates flight to Dubai on March 1, 2019 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, was allegedly helped by the third to eight defendants, who are employees of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, FAAN.

The suspected FAAN staff allegedly carried the raw gold bars through various doors, while carefully avoiding going through the scanners provided at the airport and handed them to the second defendant at the point of boarding.

One of the counts reads: That you, Babagana Zannah, Ahmed Hamza Mannir, Manasseh Auta, Dahiru Habib Bali, Isa Umaru Ammani , Ajakaye Oladipo, Bamanja Jonah Samuel and Lasisi Aisha, on or about 1st March, 2019 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, conspired amongst yourselves to defraud the Federal Government of Nigeria of the revenue accruing from the export of gold mineral and without the permission of the appropriate authority and committed an offence contrary to Section 1(8)(a) of the Miscellaneous Offence Act punishable under the same Act.

The defendants pleaded "not guilty" to the charge preferred against them.

In view of their pleas, the prosecuting counsel, Ayanfe Ogunsina, asked the court for a trial date and prayed that the defendants be remanded in prison. However, Habeeb Oredola, counsel for the first and second defendants, and I.I. Chiahulamiro, counsel for the third to eight defendants respectively, informed the court of bail applications on behalf of their clients.

The defence counsels, in an application dated April 8, 2019, also prayed the court to grant their clients bail in the most liberal terms pending determination of the charge preferred against them. Chiahulamiro further pleaded with the court that his clients are in the employ of the Federal Government and would not jump bail if granted.

However, Ogunsina, opposed the bail applications filed by the defence counsels, saying, The punishment of this offence carries life imprisonment. And if the court is to use its discretion to grant bail, it should be in terms that the defendants will be present in court.

Justice Faji adjourned the case to April 16, 2019 for ruling on the bail applications and ordered the defendants to be remanded in prison custody.
Did you know that almost half of all searches are local? Thats right, half of all search queries have local intent, and about a third of all search results contain a local pack. Thats a whole lot of traffic, and it all rides on whether or not your website displays proper location signals.

In this article, we will discuss how to convince Google that your website is relevant to a certain location and how to raise your websites prominence among the local competition.

Create local landing pages

If you serve two or more distinct areas, consider creating a separate landing page for each area. It might be different neighborhoods, cities, states, or even countries.

Say you are a photographer based in London, but you spend the wedding season in Milan and you frequently shoot weddings on nearby lakes Como and Garda. In this case, it makes sense to have a different landing page for each of your locations, something like this:

www.weddingphotography.com/london

www.weddingphotography.com/milan

www.weddingphotography.com/lake-como

www.weddingphotography.com/lake-garda

Or your case could be a little less glamorous. Say you are a caterer based out of a small town, but you serve a few nearby towns as well. Or you are an e-commerce website doing deliveries to certain locations. Or a plumber from a certain part of the city, but willing to travel to other parts of the city. All of these are good cases to create location-specific landing pages.

Find local keywords

If you have landing pages that are specific to a certain location, you have to fill them out with keywords that mark your relevance to said location.

In most instances, it would be as easy as adding the name of the location to the keywords already present on the page. If your page title is Wedding Photography, you can change it to Milan Wedding Photography and sprinkle the location throughout the page: best spots to shoot a wedding in Milan, best time of day to shoot a wedding in Milan, Milan wedding gallery, etc.

If you need more local keyword ideas, you can use a keyword research tool to discover location-specific search queries. Say, Im a plumber in LA and I want to optimize my website for common queries in my area. In this case, I could launch Rank Tracker, go to Keyword Research, and use a local seed word to discover other keywords related to my business:

In the screenshot above, Ive used Google Autocomplete, Related Searches, and Related Questions research methods to find keywords related to los angeles plumber. Ive discovered that other popular queries mention specific neighborhoods, like east los angeles plumber, west los angeles plumber, and woodland hills plumber, specific plumbing jobs, like hydro jetting, water filtration systems, and toilet repair, and cost queries, like how much does a plumber charge in la. All of these are great keyword ideas to be used on my local website.

Another Rank Tracker keyword research method that might be useful is the Keyword Gap tool. If you know of other local websites that are successful in your niche, you can compare them to your own website and see which keywords you are missing:

In the screenshot above Im analyzing two plumbing service websites from LA. I can see that one of them ranks for many job-specific queries, like faucet repair or reverse osmosis. The other website should definitely take some notes.

Finally, if you have a few interchangeable keywords that are equally appealing, you can use Google Trends to see which keyword is more common in your location. Here is a popular example we like to use to illustrate this point:

You can see that some US states search for lawyers over attorneys and others search for attorneys over lawyers. Using the location-appropriate keyword on your website is bound to give you some advantage in search.

Apply structured data

Structured data is a special markup that helps Google interpret your content. Its basically a system of tags that you can use to tell Google whats what on your page. For example, if you are posting a recipe, you can tag each ingredient, cooking time, calorie count, the number of portions, and so forth. Google will then be able to find this information on your page and use it to create rich snippets, like so:

And there are many different types of structured data used for all kinds of purposes. One of the types is the Local Business structured data. You can use it to tag your business information, including company name, address, and contact details. This way Google will be absolutely certain that your business is relevant to a specific location.

The easiest way to apply Local Business markup is to use Googles Structured Data Markup Helper. Its an online tool, where you can submit your URL and choose the type of structured data you want to apply:

And then, you can simply highlight the elements on the page and choose what they are:

Once youve tagged all of the essential information, you can download the markup code and add it to the code on your website.

If you are using a CMS, you might have certain types of structured data implemented by default or you might have an easier time implementing structured data with a plugin. Although its best to avoid plugins where you can  each of them is a drain on your page speed.

Claim your GMB listing

Google My Business is a business directory to end all business directories. When you create a profile in GMB, the information from this profile feeds directly into Google index and makes you eligible for the coveted local pack placement:

To create a listing, go to the GMB page and follow the directions from there. It is possible that Google already knows about your business and has created a listing for you. In this case, just google your business by name and claim it by clicking the Own this business? button in the listing.

Once youve created or claimed your listing, make sure to fill it out as much as you can. This includes basic information such as business hours and phone numbers, as well as some extras such as logos and photos.

Its in your interest to take this listing seriously  in the context of local SEO, it may be more important than your actual website.

Manage your reviews

Once youve got your business listed on Google My Business and maybe a few other relevant directories, you will start getting reviews from your clients. The number of these reviews and your aggregate rating will determine your position in the local pack, your visibility on Google Maps, and even your organic rankings.

To influence the number of reviews you receive, you may consider actively encouraging your clients to leave a review. It could be something as simple as a banner on your website:

You could also send a follow-up email, attach a card to the delivery, or even ask your clients in person. If you want a more aggressive strategy, you can even offer small bonuses to all customers who have reviewed your business.

To influence your aggregate rating, you will have to manage negative reviews and do your best to change them to positive reviews. Its more art than skill, but a few things that will help you are:

Acknowledge the problem. Even if you are not yet sure whether the client was indeed wronged, acknowledge the possibility it could have happened  this will get you on the same team.

Even if you are not yet sure whether the client was indeed wronged, acknowledge the possibility it could have happened  this will get you on the same team. Vouch to find a solution. List the exact steps you will take to get to the bottom of this and make sure it never happens again.

List the exact steps you will take to get to the bottom of this and make sure it never happens again. Be real. Either introduce yourself or sign off with your name and your position within the company. This shows you are committed and accountable, and it builds further trust between you and the client.

Either introduce yourself or sign off with your name and your position within the company. This shows you are committed and accountable, and it builds further trust between you and the client. Sweeten the deal. Offer compensation or a bonus to the wronged client. It will actually give you a chance to perform the service again and show the client that you have improved.

Build NAP citations

Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) refers to your key business information. Basically, the more often these details are listed across the web, the more confident Google is about your business.

Weve already discussed two main sources of NAP information: structured data on your own website and your GMB listing. These two are huge. But there might be other directories relevant to your location. It could be huge platforms, like Yelp, Yellow Pages, or Tripadvisor, or it could be local directories serving your specific area, like a city-wide review platform or an aggregate marketplace.

Pick a few of such platforms and create appropriate listings for your business. But try not to get carried away. There are services out there that offer to build thousands of citations across the web for a mere few bucks. Apart from the fact that this is pointless, youll have a hard time managing these citations in case any of your information changes. And this strategy may actually be considered spammy by Google.

Make certain to maintain NAP consistency throughout your listings. This way there is no confusion on which business is referenced. And by consistency I mean state your company name, address, and other contact details in the exact same format. Try to stick to the same phone number, same code and extension formats, and same email, down to a symbol.

Build local backlinks

Link-building is obviously a huge topic in SEO, and I dont need to tell you to always build more. But Im obliged to mention that for a local business at least a portion of your backlinks has to come from local websites.

Google views linking websites as a cluster, a sort of a community. If you are a part of a local community, then you are considered relevant for local search queries. But if your backlinks are built from all over, then, well, they dont hurt your website, but they are no help in building your local rankings. And thats a missed opportunity.

The best way to find local backlink prospects is to spy on your local competitors. To do that, launch SEO SpyGlass, go to Domain Comparison > Link Intersection, and enter a few of your competitors:

The tool will find websites that link to any of your competitors, but dont yet link to you. Your top priority prospects are the ones that link to two or more of your competitors  these are more likely to be relevant to your niche and are more likely to be open to link placement.

Track local rankings

Now that youve made an honest effort to rank for a specific location, its time to find out whether youve succeeded. The challenge here is that your regular ranking stats, like the ones you see in Google Search Console, are usually country-wide. Sometimes even worldwide. These stats dont tell you whether or not your pages are shown to your actual target audience, your local audience.

This is why its best to use a rank tracking tool that can show your rankings as if searched from a specific location. There are many tools that offer this feature, and its been added to Rank Tracker as well.

To track rankings for specific locations, go to Preferences > Preferred Search Engines, and click Add custom opposite any search engine. In the pop-up window, go to Preferred Location and enter any location recognized by Google Maps, down to a building:

Give this location a short name that will be displayed across Rank Tracker workspaces and click OK. Now you will be able to add this location to your rank tracking dashboard:

Feel free to add as many locations as you want. This is especially useful for those websites that serve several distinct areas and have corresponding landing pages.

Final thoughts

This local SEO guide should start you on the right path to ranking in your area. In case weve missed something or you have more practical advice  feel free to use the comments below, we frequently incorporate reader feedback into our articles ;)
The sun's corona constantly breathes wispy strings of hot, charged particles into space  a phenomenon we call the solar wind. Every now and then, however, those breaths become full-blown burps.

Perhaps as often as once every hour or two, according to a study in the February issue of the journal JGR: Space Physics, the plasma underlying the solar wind grows significantly hotter, becomes noticeably denser, and it pops out of the sun in rapid-fire orbs of goo capable of engulfing entire planets for minutes or hours at a time. Officially, these solar burps are called periodic density structures, but astronomers have nicknamed them "the blobs." Take a look at images of them streaming off of the sun's atmosphere, and you'll see why. [The 12 Strangest Objects in the Universe]

"They look like the blobs in a lava lamp," Nicholeen Viall, a research astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland and co-author of the recent study, told Live Science. "Only they are hundreds of times larger than the Earth."

While astronomers have known about the blobs for nearly two decades, the origin and impact of these regular solar weather events remain largely mysterious. Until recently, the only observations of the blobs have come from Earth-bound satellites, which can detect when a train of blobs bears down on Earth's magnetic field; however, these satellites can't account for the myriad ways the blobs have changed during their 4-day, 93-million-mile (150 million kilometers) journey from the sun.

"Even when it's a quiet space weather day, in terms of explosive solar storms, there's this base level of weather always happening on the sun," Viall said. "And those little dynamics are driving dynamics on Earth, too."

The blobs that swallow the world

Since the solar blobs were first studied in the early 2000s, scientists have known that they are big  initially measuring between 50 and 500 times the size of Earth, and growing ever larger as they propagate into space, Viall said  and they are dense, potentially packed with twice as many charged particles as ordinary solar wind.

This corrected-color image shows yellow 'blobs' (marked with white arrows) ejecting from the sun over the course of 5 and a half hours. NASA researcher Nicholeen Viall says these structures look similar to 'lava lamp blobs,' but enormous. (Image credit: Viall and Vourlidas)

Magnetic field readings show that when these gargantuan blobs of plasma ooze over Earth, they can actually compress the planet's magnetic field and interfere with communication signals for minutes or hours at a time. Still, those readings leave a lot of open questions, Viall said, because the blobs almost certainly evolve and cool as they wobble through space for the 4 days it takes solar wind to reach Earth. So, Viall and her colleagues decided to study the blobs much closer to their source.

In the new study, the researchers took a fresh look at historical data from Helios 1 and Helios 2, a pair of solar probes launched by NASA and the German Aerospace Center in 1974 and 1976, respectively. The twin probes orbited the sun for nearly a decade, making a closest approach of 27 million miles, or 43 million km (closer than the orbit of Mercury) while studying the temperature and magnetism of the solar wind that gushed past.

If either of the probes had been engulfed by a train of gargantuan lava-lamp blobs, the encounter should be reflected in these readings, Viall said. The researchers looked for one data pattern in particular  sudden bursts of hot, dense plasma punctuated by periods of cooler, flimsier wind  and found five instances that fit the bill.

The data from these events showed that the blobs bubbled out of the sun every 90 minutes or so, supporting visible light observations of the blobs made decades later. The results also provided the first real, space-based evidence that the blobs are indeed much hotter and denser than normal solar wind, Viall said.

Burning questions

As to why the blobs form in the first place, the jury is still out. But, based on magnetic field readings taken near Earth, it's likely that the blobs form in the same sort of explosions that create solar storms  massive blasts of plasma that launch forth when the sun's magnetic field lines tangle, break and recombine.

"We think a similar process is creating the blobs on a much smaller scale  ambient little bursts as opposed to giant explosions," Viall said.

Results from NASA's Parker Solar Probe, which launched in August 2018 and is now about 15 million miles from the sun (24 million km), could soon confirm these suspicions. In addition to the 40-odd years of technological advancement that Parker has over the Helios probes, the Parker mission also ranges far closer to the sun  coming within just 4 million miles (6.4 million km) of our local star at its closest approach. From this sizzling vantage point, the probe should be able to observe the blobs "right after they're born," Viall said.

Originally published on Live Science.
Revolutionary War hero Casimir Pulaski was a dashing young officer who served under George Washington. But a new examination of his remains reveals that he wasn't exactly the gentleman that he appeared to be.

Pulaski, an exiled Polish nobleman, founded America's first cavalry division. He died in battle in 1779 and his remains were entombed inside a monument in Savannah, Georgia, in 1854. But when the tomb was opened more than a century later, experts made a startling discovery: Some features of the skeleton were female.

At that time, scientists were unsure if the body was Pulaski's or that of an unknown woman whose remains were mistakenly placed in Pulaski's tomb. However, new DNA analysis confirms that the skeleton belongs to Pulaski, raising intriguing questions about the general's gender. [The Truth About Genderless Babies]

Details of this incredible story were recently described in "The General Was Female?," an episode in the series "America's Hidden Stories" that premiered yesterday (April 8) on the Smithsonian Channel.

Born in Poland in 1745, Pulaski's military expertise fueled his rise to the role of Brigadier General during America's struggle for independence. He formed a legion that combined cavalry and infantry, called the Pulaski Legion; the generalis known as "The Father of the American Cavalry," according to the National Parks Service.

When the Pulaski monument in Savannah was opened in 1996, experts determined that the skeleton inside was female based on the shape of the pelvis and features in the skull, "such as a delicate midface, with the jaw at more of an obtuse angle," Virginia Estabrook, an assistant professor of anthropology at Georgia Southern University, told Live Science.

But did that mean that Pulaski was actually a woman  or was the body not Pulaski's? Experts conducted genetic tests, comparing DNA from the skeleton with DNA collected from a deceased Pulaski relative. Though the forensic team's results were inconclusive, the body was reburied in 2006 as Pulaski's, Estabrook said.

A portrait of the Revolutionary War general Count Casimir Pulaski, engraved by H.B. Hall and published in 1871. (Image credit: National Archives at College Park)

A portrait of the Revolutionary War general Count Casimir Pulaski, engraved by H.B. Hall and published in 1871. Credit: National Archives at College Park

Recently, Estabrook and other experts revisited this historic mystery, analyzing mitochondrial DNA by using a database not available in 2006. They found that DNA from Pulaski and from a maternal relative matched each other more closely than DNA of 27,000 other genetic profiles in the database. This strongly suggested that the two were related  and that the remains in the monument were Pulaski's, Estabrook said.

What's more, the skeleton also preserved known details from Pulaski's life, such as height and build; an old heel injury; and wear in the hip sockets consistent with long-term horseback riding.

Pulaski was almost certainly not a woman living secretly as a man; the general's entire life was conducted as a male identity, and he was christened Casimir  a man's name  as an infant, Estabrook said. However, the researchers proposed something that was not seriously considered when the skeleton was examined 15 years ago: the possibility that Pulaski was intersex, possessing both male and female characteristics.

Intersex is a blanket term for a number of conditions in which development patterns don't all fit neatly into exclusively male or female categories. For instance, babies that are genetically female (two X chromosomes) may have an enlarged clitoris that resembles a penis, while babies that are genetically male (one X and one Y chromosome) may have an abnormally small penis and no testicles, according to the Mayo Clinic.

The Pulaski monument in Savannah contained remains that were genetically similar to the remains of another member of the Pulaski family, also deceased. (Image credit: Courtesy of Smithsonian Channel)

For Pulaski, one possible explanation could be a condition called congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), which can cause females to develop genitals that look more male than female, Estabrook said. Increased androgen production from CAH could also cause someone who was chromosomally female to have a slightly receding hairline and facial hair  as evident on Pulaski in portraits of the general.

Many cultures recognize more than two genders, and some include as many as five, according to Estabrook. Yet remains in archaeological sites are typically interpreted as either male or female, even when a body is buried with gendered objects that aren't consistent with the skeleton's biological sex. Such was the case of the so-called Viking warrior woman, who appeared to be biologically female and was buried with an array of weapons that are usually found in the graves of men.

"What we haven't really thought about is that maybe some of these individuals may have been some form of intersex as well," Estabrook said.

Originally published on Live Science.
Researchers on their way to Dome C near the Concordia station on the Antarctic Plateau in Antarctica.

European scientists looking for some of the oldest ice on the planet have homed in on a particular spot in Antarctica, where they will drill more than 1.5 miles (2.7 kilometers) below the surface of the ice.

Over the next five years, the "Beyond EPICA-Oldest Ice" mission will work at a remote location known as "Little Dome C" to start drilling for ice up to 1.5 million years old, the team announced today (April 9) at the meeting of the European Geosciences Union in Vienna, Austria.

"Ice cores are unique for geosciences because they are an archive of the paleo-atmosphere," said Beyond EPICA's coordinator Olaf Eisen of the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany. [Antarctica: The Ice-Covered Bottom of the World (Photos)]

From analyzing gas bubbles, molecules and particles trapped in thin layers of ancient ice, scientists can reconstruct carbon dioxide levels, temperature data and other climate indicators over a long period of time. A major goal of this project will be to understand why the cycle of Earth's ice ages changed in the distant past.

Field camp at the selected drill site Little Dome C in Antarctica, where researchers hope to find 1.5-million-year-old ice. (Image credit: Luca Vittuari/PNRA)

The expedition will build on a past mission, EPICA (the European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica), which took place from 1996 to 2004 at the Concordia research station, jointly operated by France and Italy. The EPICA researchers were able to obtain an ice core with an 800,000-year record of climate data. During this period, the climate flipped from glacial to interglacial periods on a 100,000-year cycle.

The EPICA core, however, "doesn't cover the time between 900,000 and 1.2 million years ago, where we had a transition in the climate system," Eisen told reporters during a press conference.

Prior to 1.2 million years ago, Earth's ice ages are believed to have been alternating on a quicker, 40,000-year cycle. Scientists don't know what happened during the following transition period in the climate system that caused the glacial periods to get longer and colder. The Beyond EPICA researchers hope to find some answers in the ice from Little Dome C as well as data that will help them build climate forecasts for the future.

Over the last three years, the researchers surveyed the region around Concordia as well as the region around Dome Fuji for a potential drill site that would be likely to have 1.5-million-year-old ice.

About 2 miles (3.2 km) above sea level, Little Dome C is about 18 miles (30 km) from Concordia station  or a 2-hour snowmobile ride. The average temperature at the drill site is minus 66 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 54.5 degrees Celsius), and the team will work only the two months during the Antarctic summer, camped out in shipping containers.

The area around Little Dome C is also very dry and hardly sees precipitation, which is good for the goal of the project.

The red dot shows where Little Dome C is located. (Image credit: British Antarctic Survey)

"The smaller the accumulation rate of snow every year, the more years you have in each meter," said project scientist Catherine Ritz, of France's Institute for Geosciences and Environmental Research (IGE).

Having more layers packed in tightly is important because, closer to the bedrock, ice can melt due to the heat from beneath the surface of Earth. Melting at the bottom is the reason the previous EPICA ice core only had layers back to 800,000 years.

"The most exciting information we will be looking at will be squeezed in the deepest part of the core," Carlo Barbante, of the University of Venice, told reporters. "Most probably, the ice as old as 800,000 years to 1.5 million years will be squeezed in the last 200 to 300 meters of ice."

It will likely take the Beyond EPICA team years to reach those ancient layers of ice as they remove 13-foot-long (4 meter), 4 -inch-wide (10 centimeters) tubes of ice at a time. That also means the most important results of the project won't come out until at least 2025.

The European Union-funded project is estimated to cost about 30 million euros ($33.8 million), according to the BBC.

Original article on Live Science.
Stacks of perfectly balanced large rocks in Israel's Negev Desert appear to defy gravity, but a good shake could send them tumbling. So, researchers are examining them to learn about earthquakes that have struck this region over the past millennium.

By evaluating the age and stability of the rocks, researchers have determined that the largest earthquake that struck the faults underlying the Negev over the past 1,300 years was likely not that big  no greater than a magnitude 5.0.

"If a strong earthquake occurs in their vicinity, they are likely to break or topple," researchers wrote in an abstract presented at the general assembly of the European European Geosciences Union in Vienna this week. [Photos: The World's Weirdest Balancing Rocks]

Likewise, those precariously balanced rocks, or PBRs as they're called, also indicated part of a fault system called the Dead Sea Transform (DST) likely hasn't experienced an earthquake greater than a magnitude 6.5 to 7 during this time period, the researchers found.

"This suggests that historic earthquakes [that] occurred during the life span of the PBRs were probably not as strong as previously thought," the researchers wrote in a summary, or abstract, of their presentation. (Their study has yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal.)

A researcher goes to inspect a rock formation in Israel. (Image credit: Yaron Finzi)

Studying PBRs as a proxy for earthquake magnitude is hardly a new concept. "This methodology has been proven as effective in evaluating the maximal magnitude on faults and fault systems around the world," the researchers wrote in the abstract. This information is critical for understanding the seismic rumblings in southern Israel, a region that's home to several fault lines, villages and valuable infrastructure, including hazardous-material disposal sites and nuclear research facilities, according to EOS, the news site of the American Geophysical Union, which first covered the research.

But finding PBRs takes time, so study lead researcher Yaron Finzi, a geophysicist at the Arava Institute and the Arava Dead-Sea Science Center, and his team collaborated with citizen scientists to find these picturesque rock pillars.

"I could not have completed the field work without the help of the tour guides and hikers," Finzi told Live Science. These citizen scientists were so enthusiastic, they drew him maps so he could find the rock formations. Many times, he would bump into people at the grocery store who would ask him how the project was going.

After looking at the photos of these PBRs, the researchers identified the best ones that could help with their research. Then, study lead author Noam Ganz, who just earned a master's degree in geology from Ben Gurion University and now works as a research assistant at the Dead Sea and Arava Science Center, spent about 80 days visiting each of these formations. In all, the team located about 80 limestone PBRs and rock pillars between 2015 and 2018, the tallest measuring more than 130 feet (40 meters) high.

Next, the researchers examined digitized images of each PBR to determine each formation's stability. Then, they estimated the ground motion each PBR could withstand, as well as its distance from different rupture points, so they could see how much shaking these rock stacks could take before toppling, EOS reported.

In addition, the researchers dated the rocks by analyzing the dust trapped between the cliffs and the pillars with a technique called optically stimulated luminescence. This method allows researchers to determine how long ago quartz crystals in the dust were exposed to the sun.

"I was relieved that most of the pillars were older than 1,000 years and older than 1,300 years," Finzi told Live Science. "So, they actually give us a bulk of significant and new knowledge about long term seismicity."

Originally published on Live Science.
When you hear the signature roars of Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion  the three key dragon cast members in "Game of Thrones"  tortoise sex is probably the furthest thing from your mind. And yet, according to series sound designer Paula Fairfield, the mating cries of giant tortoises are among the many sound samples she used to give the show's great winged beasts a voice.

In a 2017 interview with RadioLab, Fairfield explained how she crafted the sounds of the dragons moving, roaring and communicating with other characters by mashing up various animal noises, including screeching birds and reptiles, fluttering dragonfly wings and even her own dog's nasal whistles. Listen closely to the way Drogon purrs in the company of his friends, and you may even hear a sound you'll wish you hadn't  the mating moan of a giant male tortoise. [Photos: 33 Stunning Locations Where 'Game of Thrones' Was Filmed]

First of all, yes, tortoises moan while they mate. The males, especially, are loud; Their mating groans can rattle on for 10 or 20 minutes, and can carry for miles around, James Gibbs, a conservation biologist at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, New York, previously told Live Science. It's uncomfortable and a little funny to watch (here's a video if you're deathly curious), but a giant tortoise would probably say the same about your mating rituals.

So, why did Fairfield turn to this intimate corner of the reptilian soundscape for her dragon work? It's all a matter of imbuing each of the show's three dragon cast members with distinct personalities, she told RadioLab. Drogon, for example, is Daenerys' clear favorite. He is the rowdiest of the three, and yet the one Daenerys prefers to ride while flying about Westeros. He's even named after her "hot late husband" Khal Drogo, Fairfield said, so in a way "is like her lover."

"He's whistling at her all the time, he's whistling at her butt and saying, 'Ooh, baby,'" Fairfield said. "The groan of the male [tortoise] actually became, with some work and adjustments and stuff, the basis of Drogon's purr."

Fairfield added that the first time she watched the dragon-purring scenes with a larger audience, people couldn't help but giggle without knowing why. "To me, it's because [the purr] had that essence, that kind of sensual, sexual essence," Fairfield said.

You can listen for this tortoise essence while watching the final season of "Game of Thrones," which debuts Sunday (April 14).

Originally published on Live Science.
Bollore Transport & Logistics will this month open a new hub in the west African state of Ivory Coast, the phased project attracting total investment of 12 million and offering 15,000 sqm of logistics space at full build-out.

Located near Abidjan International Airport and less than 15 km from the citys seaport terminal, the Aerohub facility is equipped with temperature-controlled storage facilities and is designed to handle a range of goods, including dry, fresh and frozen food products, pharmaceuticals, and high-value-added high-tech goods.

Aerohub will support the development of the countrys economy by serving as a strategic connection point between sea and air logistics flows, noted deputy CEO Thierry Ehrenbogen. It will also favour inter-African trade - a central aspect in our current strategy - for the enhanced economic integration of Africa.

Meanwhile, in Ethiopia, Bollore is investing 15 million in a 12,000 sqm facility within the framework of an MoU to create a joint-venture with local company CLS Logistics, the French groups long-standing partner in the east African state.

Bollores manager for the Horn of Africa region, Patrick Gerenthon, noted: This new agreement will enable us to consolidate our logistics offer in Ethiopia, but it also reflects our desire to make a long-term commitment to strengthen the national logistics sector through structuring investments, a transfer of know-how, with the creation of 300 local jobs and the setting up of complementary services.

The French group also intends to support the Ethiopian authorities in the modernisation and development of dry ports, in particular that of Modjo in central Ethiopia, in order to position it as one of the main logistics hubs of east Africa.

Separately, Bollore is in exclusive negotiations with Brittany-based group Maritime Kuhn for the sale of the Bollore Ports France unit, which specialises in port handling activities at 15 French ports.
Oil fell by the most in more than two weeks as Russian President Vladimir Putin clouded the outlook for production cuts that have helped power this year's rally.

Brent crude futures slipped 0.7 percent on Tuesday, after gaining the previous three days amid rising tension in Libya. Putin, at a St. Petersburg forum, said Russia is comfortable with current prices and not yet ready to say whether it wants to extend output curbs it orchestrated with OPEC. Meanwhile, the industry-funded American Petroleum Institute was said to report U.S. crude stockpiles rose by 4.09 million barrels last week.

The International Monetary Fund, meanwhile, cut its forecast for global growth to the lowest since the financial crisis, reviving worries about oil demand. West Texas Intermediate crude also fell, with technical-trading indicators suggesting its 41 percent climb this year has pushed it into overbought territory.

EARLIER: Oil hits a five-month high as Libya clashes add to supply concerns

Investors have "reasonable excuses" to break their stride and take profits, said Kyle Cooper, a consultant at Ion Energy Group in Houston. "The market's taking a little bit of a pause after what's still been a very, very substantial rally."

Brent, the global benchmark, has gained more than 30 percent this year as the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries restricted production with Russia and other partners. Tensions in Libya, Iran and Venezuela have added momentum, along with enough optimistic data about the economy to mute fears about a slowdown.

Brent for June settlement fell 49 cents to $70.61 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange at the close of trading. The global benchmark crude was at a premium of $6.65 to WTI for the same month.

AT THE PUMP: Houston gas prices rising, but not as bad as California

WTI for May delivery traded at $64.14 a barrel at 4:40 p.m. after settling at $63.98 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, a day after posting its highest close since Oct. 31. The grade's 14-day relative strength index rose as high as 77 on Tuesday, above the 70 level that signals it's overbought.

Crude has rallied in recent days on potential disruption in Libya, although the latest fighting has been far from key oil installations. Previous bouts of violence have had a serious impact on the country's ability to ship crude.

The API was also said to report U.S. gasoline inventories fell 7.08 million barrels, distillate supplies slipped 2.4 million barrels and Cushing, Oklahoma, stockpiles fell 1.28 million barrels. The gasoline draw would be the largest since September 2017 if Energy Information Administration data confirms it on Wednesday.

--With assistance from James Thornhill, Heesu Lee and Grant Smith.

2019 Bloomberg L.P.
Metal mariachi music will fill the Paper Tiger this June.

Metalachi,"The World's First and Only Heavy Metal Mariachi Band," has a June 2, all-ages show scheduled at the St. Mary's Street live music venue.

The group consists of Vega De La Rockha, El Cucuy, "Queen" Kyla Vera, Paco Halen, Kiko Cane

and Warren Moscow. Dressed in leopard print trajes, the band performs mariachi renditions of songs like "Crazy Train," "Sweet Child O' Mine," "Welcome to the Jungle," "Santeria" and "Breaking the Law."

RELATED: Watch Snoop Dogg's live DJ set at inaugural San Antonio music festival for $20

"Metalachi somehow manages to twist the unlikely pairing of heavy metal and mariachi into an all-out sonic fiesta so gloriously wrong it can only be right," the band's website describes the unique sound.

Tickets to the show are available online for $10.

Madalyn Mendoza is a breaking news reporter and general assignment writer. Read her on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | mmendoza@mysa.com | @MaddySkye
As cities worldwide schedule events throughout June to celebrate Pride and commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Rebellion, San Antonians will gather at Crockett Park on June 29 for Pride Bigger Than Texas, an annual festival and parade celebrating the advancement of LGBTQ rights that will this year honor the 50th anniversary of the uprising.

Local nonprofit Pride San Antonio is welcoming vendors and parade participants to register for Pride Bigger Than Texas opportunities. Online registration opened in late March, according to the group's Facebook page.
Laredo citizen journalist Priscilla "La Gordiloca" Villarreal just dropped a bomb to her Facebook followers.

On Monday, Villarreal announced that she has filed a lawsuit in federal court against the City of Laredo, Webb County and several Laredo officials.

"The lawsuit alleges that the City, County and Laredo officials violated several of my constitutional rights, including my right to record and report on important local matters without being wrongfully arrested and retaliated against by government officials," a statement by Villarreal reads in a screenshot posted on her Facebook page.

The suit comes about a year after felony charges against the media personality were dropped.

READ ALSO: 'La Gordiloca' receives national attention as the 'swearing muckraker' on the border

In December 2017, Villarreal was charged with two counts of misuse of information. Police accused Villarreal of soliciting or receiving information from a Laredo cop in order to obtain a benefit.

But in March 2018, the charges against her were dismissed after a judge found she was denied due process because the Texas statute used to charge her with misuse of official information, a felony, is too vague. District Court Judge Monica Zapata Notzon deemed the statute unconstitutional.

The lawsuit filed by Villarreal's Austin attorney JT Morris singles out Webb County District Attorney Isidro R. Alaniz, Laredo Police Department Chief Claudio Trevino Jr. and the following others:

The City of Laredo

Webb County

Marisela Jacaman

Juan L. Ruiz

Deyanira Villarreal

Enedina Martinez

Alfredo Guerrero

Laura Montemayor

Villarreal's complaint reads: "Defendants have engaged in numerous acts to harass and intimidate Villarreal and interfere with her citizen journalism efforts."

The lawsuit can be found here.

RELATED: 'La Gordiloca' responds to 'adult Facebook bullies' following LMT story

In her statement posted to Facebook, Villarreal said she is proud of her efforts to provide Laredoans with information and news about important issues.

"I am determined to protect my constitutional rights so I may continue those efforts, and protect the rights of all others in and around Laredo who wish to speak and publish freely," she said.

Request for comment to Villarreal's lawyer was not immediately returned. The City of Laredo and Webb County declined to comment.

JeriLynn Thorpe is a digital reporter for the Laredo Morning Times. Read more of her stories on LMTonline.com | jerilynn.thorpe@lmtonline.com
Albany

Anna Boggess, a senior at Emma Willard School, won the first place award of $1,000 in the Albany-Tula Alliance's 2019 Student Essay Contest.

Her essay, along with those from two other high school students, was selected from a competitive selection of 1,500-word pieces that expand upon a quote by the late South African president Nelson Mandela: "If you talk to a man in a language he understands, it goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart."

Being a Russian-American, Boggess said she had fun researching the relationship the U.S. has with Russia and digging into Mandela's belief in the importance of language. Boggess researched academic articles describing the 'foreign language effect' and how better decisions were made when using a second language instead of a first.

Amelia Colafati, an Albany High School junior, won the second place award of $500. Colafati spent her elementary years in a dual-language program in English and Spanish. She touched on the reasoning and importance of learning foreign languages and benefits of bilingualism in international exchange and diplomacy.

Adam Aleksic, an Albany High School senior, won the third place award of $250. Aleksic said that if we do as Mandela urges, shortcomings in current foreign language education practices can be improved. Aleksic won third place in 2017 and first place in 2018.

Essay writers were recognized at the Fort Orange Club by guests from the Russian Consulate in New York City, Albany City Treasurer Darius Shahinfar, City Auditor Susan Rizzo, representing the county executive's office, and Katy Dunn, representing U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko.
A man has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a decorated Texas Army National Guard soldier, authorities said.

Gilberto Guadalupe Villarreal, 23, is accused of shooting and killing John Lydell Tyler, 28, of Beaumont, according to the Laredo police.
A woman was arrested following a domestic disturbance with a male, according to Laredo police.

Libna Rodriguez, 21, was served with an arrest warrant on Monday. She was charged with assault, family violence. She was released on bond on Tuesday, according to Webb County Jail records.

RELATED: Laredo PD: Couple's argument leads to slashed tires, broken car window

Laredo police officers responded to a domestic disturbance at about 12:20 a.m. Feb. 10 at the 600 block of Alamo Street. Responding officers said they encountered a couple arguing.

An investigation revealed that Rodriguez was the aggressor, according to police. Authorities said the argument started when Rodriguez questioned the male's fidelity.

Rodriguez then began punching the male in the arm, shoulder area. When the male tried to leave, Rodriguez allegedly grabbed a broom and started swinging it at him.
With National Crime Victims' Rights Week happening this week, Laredo police want to remind the community that they are ready to give a helping hand.

Since October, LPD's victim service program has provided services to 85 victims of crimes, such as assault, aggravated assault, sexual assault, family violence and homicides, according to Norma Maldonado, LPD's crime victim services coordinator.

"I've had people who call me and say they are going to come in, and they don't come in," she added.

Maldonado encourages the community to come by and see if they are eligible for crime victim compensation.

A person does not have to be a U.S. citizen, only a Texas resident. LPD does not look at victims' citizenship.

READ ALSO: Laredo police report zero roadway fatalities in first quarter

"That's one of the things that maybe people do not come in thinking, 'I'm not a U.S. citizen. Why would I be getting any benefits from a state or from a program like this,'" Maldonado said.

"We don't ask for citizenship as long as you are a resident of a state of Texas, resident meaning that they live here."

She added, "Come and get information. If you are a victim, why would you end up paying ... medical expenses being that they were not at fault ... The program is there for them to take advantage of, to help them."

The program can provide assistance in helping victims complete the application for certain services, depending on the type of crime they were a victim of, she said.

Maldonado said the program can also refer victims to other nonprofits in the community, such as Casa de Misericordia and Serving Children and Adults in Need, among other organizations.

Police can also help victims with a safety plan, if necessary.

The following services can be covered under crime victims compensation:

Relocation services for certain types of crime such as moving expenses, up to three months rent, rent deposit, utilities deposit and connection fees

Counseling services

Funeral expenses

Lost wages

Assistance with medical bills

Reimbursement of expenses as a result of a crime, such as doctor visits and mileage, among others

For more information on the program or eligibility, call 795-3160.
A Mexican police officer was indicted in a Laredo federal court on Tuesday for allegedly trying to smuggle a load of methamphetamine through a port of entry, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Gabriel Garrido Isaias, a 41-year-old Mexican citizen, was indicted on charges of conspiracy to import methamphetamine and importation of methamphetamine.
Authorities arrested 61 people on DWI charges last month in Laredo, according to records released by the Laredo Police Department.

Two of those resulted in felony charges, the data shows.

Kimberly Lissett Garcia and Andres Gonzalez-Vallarta were both charged with driving while intoxicated with a child under 15 years of age, a state jail felony punishable by up to two years in prison.

READ ALSO: LPD reports number of DWI arrests made during spring break enforcement period

A first DWI conviction carries a punishment of up to six months in jail, a $2,000 fine or both, a suspended driver's license for up to a year and $1,000 or $2,000 for three years to retain the driver's license, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.

TxDOT data indicates there has been 37 alcohol-related crashes in Laredo this year. The LPD reported 175 alcohol-related crashes in 2018, around a five percent increase since 2017.

Click through the gallery above to see the mugshots of the 61 arrested on DWI charges in Laredo last month.

JeriLynn Thorpe is a digital reporter for the Laredo Morning Times. Read more of her stories on LMTonline.com | jerilynn.thorpe@lmtonline.com
Gregg Murset says teaching children personal finance should start at home and use current technology. The BusyKid app lets parents use their phones to pay their children for chores and teach them how to save, share, spend and even invest.

According to the National Financial Educators Council, Americans spent approximately $295 billion in 2018 because they lacked sufficient knowledge about personal finance. Murset, a certified financial planner and CEO of BusyKid, said only three high schools of the 3,240 in Texas require students to take a personal finance class before they graduate.

Remembering his high school days, Murset said he took both French and ceramics and has not used either one since. He questions why more schools do not teach their students about money because all adults will think about it and use it daily.

I argue that teaching them something theyre going to use literally every single day, regardless of what they do in their life, whatever vocation they pursue, whatever career or being a stay-at-home mom or whatever theyre going to be in life, theyre going to still have that same thing in common, which is making personal financial decisions every day.

In conversations with parents, Murset often asks whether they think personal finance should be taught at school. He said everyone always agrees wholeheartedly that it should. But even if every school in Texas started teaching about money, it would still not be a cure-all or panacea, Murset said. He compared it to the two steps necessary to get a drivers license.

The written exam is like teaching kids this stuff in school, OK? So they can learn some of the concepts enough, they can learn enough to pass some written exam and regurgitate the information and do that. But the drivers test, the actual test that shows that if someone is actually decent at driving is like the hands-on, real, practical, experiential learning that they need. And that to me is what happens in your home.

As Americans are using cash less and less, he said when showing children to use invisible money, better prepares them for todays reality where money is little numbers on a screen.

We need to teach them in that context so that they can understand how it all actually works, not just stuffing it in a piggy bank or sticking it in some envelopes, he said.

In February 2018, BusyKid launched. Since then, parents using the app have paid out more than $575,000 in bonuses and $720,000 in allowances to their children. Today, the app has about 25,000 member families.

Its your kids first job with direct deposit, OK? So literally you assign chores to your kids, they do the chores, they mark them off, and then our app sends you a notification on Thursday that says, Hey, tomorrows Friday. Its payday. Your kids earned $20. Do you want to pay them? Yes or no? And all you do as a parent is reply Yes, Murset said.

The funds are pulled from the parents bank account, into the BusyKid system and automatically divided into buckets for saving, sharing and spending. The child can then get their parents approval to put money from the spending bucket onto a Visa debit card ready to be used.

The system also helps children facilitate giving to charities and allows them to use savings to make fractional investments to grow their money, if they choose to.

The debit card can be re-loaded, but once the money is gone, its gone. Murset said that helps to drive home the idea that you shouldnt spend more than you have and also if you are low on funds, maybe you need to get to work and do some more chores to earn some more money.

He said children using the app develop a work ethic and a tendency toward entrepreneurship. For example, if they do a really terrific job on a chore, their might parents pay them a bit extra. Then they might look for other things they can do to earn. Likewise, if they do a poor job, they might get paid less and learn consequences.

BusyKid is geared toward 5- to 17-year-olds, but because everyone learns and matures differently, that range can vary a bit, Murset said. He said however the earlier, the better in order to give them plenty of practice so that by the time they start working in their first real job, they already have a good sense of effectively managing their wages.

Mursets main advice for parents to help their children learn to make good financial decisions is to start early, use a system that works and mirrors reality and be fairly consistent.

BusyKid costs $14.95 a year per family, regardless of the number of children. The debit cards cost $5 per child per year. BusyKid is available both as an Apple and Android app and also at https://busykid.com/.

tracy.maness@hcnonline.com
WASHINGTON - In February, the White House devised a plan to challenge the scientific consensus that the burning of fossil fuels is a main driver of climate change and poses increasingly serious economic and health threats to the United States and the world.

But so far, the rest of the federal government hasn't helped the Trump administration in its quest.

Several agencies have informed the National Security Council, which launched the initiative, that they do not anticipate taking part. Others, including some spearheading the government's climate research, such as NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, say that no one has contacted them about it. And last week, four top U.S. military officials testified before Congress that they continue to see climate change as a significant security threat.

On Tuesday, the House Oversight Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing devoted to the topic, featuring former secretary of state John Kerry and former defense secretary Chuck Hagel.

Jon Powers, an Iraq War veteran who served as federal chief sustainability officer, said the military has become attuned to climate change given its global footprint and massive energy consumption.

"People are acting on climate not for political reasons, but it really affects their mission," said Powers, president and chief executive of the investment firm CleanCapital. "With the military, it's now ingrained in the culture and mission there, which I think is the biggest change over the last 10 years."

That doesn't mean the White House effort is dead: administration officials are considering establishing a federal advisory panel, which would allow them to appoint outsiders to scrutinize government findings.

Myron Ebell, a director at the conservative Competitive Enterprise Institute, said there was no point in enlisting federal scientists to challenge the government's own climate reports. "They will only confirm what they've already done."

For months, White House officials have looked for ways to question the scientific underpinnings of climate change and whether the issue actually presents an imminent national security threat.

The effort has been championed by William Happer, an NSC senior director. An emeritus professor of physics at Princeton University, Happer once headed an advocacy group that touted carbon dioxide as an asset rather than a pollutant.

During the early months of the administration, some Trump officials weighed the idea of conducting a "red team-blue team" exercise on climate change, an idea espoused by Scott Pruitt, then the head of the Environmental Protection Agency. White House aides, including then-Chief of Staff John Kelly, blocked the idea at the time.

But the effort got new life in recent months, after Happer's arrival.

An NSC spokesman, who declined to be named in keeping with the council's press policy, said the idea of an independent federal advisory committee remains on the table.

Speaking before the Senate Armed Forces Committee on Thursday, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein cited the conflict in Syria as an example of how climate impact is already destabilizing some nations. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., asked about recent comments made by Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford Jr.

"Most don't remember what caused the Syria conflict to start," Goldfein said. "It started because of a 10-year drought."

"I think what . . . Chairman Dunford was talking about was that we have to respond militarily very often to the effects of, globally, of climate change."

Goldfein's remarks came two days after the commanders of U.S. European Command and U.S. Transportation Command voiced similar views before the same Senate panel.

After Warren asked Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, who also serves as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, if he agrees with the intelligence community's assessment that climate change presents a security threat, Scaparrotti replied, "I do, and I believe that, as you noted, much of this will be drivers for potential conflict, or at least very difficult situations that nations have to deal with."

John Conger, who directs the Center for Climate and Security and served as acting assistant secretary of defense from 2012 to 2014, said the divergent views underscore the current schism within the federal government. After 13 agencies issued a National Climate Assessment warning that the intensifying effects of climate change pose a threat to the United States, President Donald Trump and multiple Cabinet members questioned its findings.

"It's important not to look at the administration as monolithic," Conger said. "There are people in the administration who don't think climate change is a risk, or is real, and there are people in the administration who do think it's a risk and is real."

Several agencies - including the Defense and State departments, along with the EPA and Office of the Director of National Intelligence - have yet to offer experts for the White House effort, according to three people familiar with the matter who asked for anonymity to discuss private deliberations.

One intelligence official said the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, who serves as the head of the intelligence community, "recommended the [intelligence community] be excluded from the committee's scope of review given [its] role is not to conduct scientific climate change studies but to assess and analyze national security implications of climate change."

Defense Department spokesman Johnny Michael referred questions about Pentagon participation in the panel to the White House.

"What I can tell you is that the effects of a changing climate are a national security issue with potential impacts to [Defense Department] missions, operational plans and installations," he said in an email. The Pentagon "will focus on ensuring it remains ready and able to adapt to a wide variety of threats - regardless of the source - to fulfill our mission to deter war and ensure our nation's security."

An official at NASA said Friday the agency was unaware of any White House panel to reexamine climate change. A spokeswoman for Interior, which also conducts climate research, said the department had not been contacted about it and was not involved in any such effort.

In a recent hearing on Capitol Hill, NOAA's acting administrator, Neil Jacobs, said he had not been asked to participate and defended the National Climate Assessment.

"I don't know that there's any ad hoc working group that's been formed," Jacobs said.
WASHINGTON - Attorney General William Barr testified Tuesday that he thinks he will be able to release Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report "within a week" and that he will color-code redacted information so the public will know why various material is being veiled.

The assertion came during an appearance before members of the House Appropriations Committee, where questions about Barr's handling of the report on whether Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign colluded with Russia dominated what otherwise would have been a routine budget hearing.

Over 2 1/2 hours, Barr addressed a range of Democrats' concerns about Mueller's report, offering new details on how and why he quickly distilled and released its principal conclusions, and what he plans to do next.

Barr notably said that Mueller declined an opportunity to review the four-page letter he sent to Congress revealing the investigation's "bottom line" conclusions, although he conceded that Mueller's team might have preferred for the attorney general to have released more information initially.

He said he did not intend to ask a judge to allow him to release grand-jury material that Mueller generated, although he also said he did not anticipate shielding any elements because of executive privilege.

And - having told lawmakers previously that his department was scrubbing the report with an eye on a mid-April release - Barr confirmed the Justice Department was on course to make the report public.

3 1 of 3 Washington Post photo by Bill O'Leary. Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Washington Post photo by Bill O'Leary Show More Show Less 3 of 3





"This process is going along very well, and my original timetable of being able to release this by mid-April stands, and I think that, from my standpoint, within a week I will be in a position to release the report to the public," Barr said.

Barr's handling of the nearly 400-page report has roiled Washington in recent weeks, with Democrats pressing to learn the full scope of what the special counsel's investigation found. His testimony seemed to do little to allay their fears, as lawmakers suggested afterward they would press ahead with legal action to compel him to turn over more than he now intends.

The House Appropriations Committee is not among those examining President Trump, his finances and his foreign contacts, and only one member of the subcommittee that questioned Barr on Tuesday also sits on any of those panels that are. But Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee had provided members with a list of suggested questions, and as appropriators the lawmakers do have leverage: They could withhold or put conditions on the Justice Department's budget.

"I will consider whatever it takes to get people to see this report," said Rep. Jose Serrano, D-N.Y., chairman of the Appropriations commerce, justice, science and related agencies subcommittee. "This report is too important to all of us."

Barr's four-page synopsis of Mueller's report said that the special counsel did not find that anyone in Trump's campaign conspired with Russia to interfere in the election and that Mueller did not reach a conclusion about whether Trump sought to obstruct justice. Barr wrote that he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein weighed the evidence themselves and determined that they could not make a case that Trump obstructed justice.

Democrats have criticized that bare-bones description, and some on Mueller's team have told associates that they are frustrated with the limited information made available about their work.

Of Mueller's team, Barr conceded Tuesday, "I suspect that they probably wanted more put out." But he said he was "not interested in putting out summaries or trying to summarize because I think any summary, regardless of who prepares it, not only runs the risk of being under-inclusive or over-inclusive but also would trigger a lot of discussion and analysis that really should have weighed everything coming out at once."

Barr said that Mueller's team "did not play a role in drafting" his letter to Congress, but he added: "We offered to have Bob review it before putting it out, and he declined."

Barr, who received the report March 22 at the end of Mueller's 22-month investigation, said he rapidly revealed Mueller's conclusions because the public would not tolerate a weeks-long delay in knowing what the investigation had found.

"From a prosecutor's standpoint," he said, "the bottom line is binary, which is charges or no charges." Barr rejected the assertion that he could have quickly made public the summaries the special counsel's team prepared because all of the material contains grand-jury information, which by law cannot be released.

Barr could mollify some angst when he releases the report, even though some portions will be redacted. He has told lawmakers that he will keep from public view grand-jury material, information that could reveal intelligence sources and methods, information that could affect ongoing investigations and details that would affect the privacy of people "peripheral" to Mueller's investigation. He said Tuesday that he will color-code the redactions and provide "explanatory notes" so people know why various sections of the report are not being disclosed.

Mueller's team, Barr said, was "helping us select the information in the report that falls into those four categories."

He said that Congress will not receive the unredacted report but also that he had promised the Judiciary Committee that he would make himself available for interviews and "see if there's a way we can accommodate" requests for more information.

Democrats have urged Barr to make the case to a judge for an exception to the rules that prevent the Justice Department from releasing grand-jury information to Congress, but Barr said he has no plans to do so.

"The chairman of the Judiciary Committee is free to go to court if he feels one of those exceptions is applicable," Barr said. He added, "My intention is not to ask for it at this stage."

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., told reporters after Barr's testimony that he planned to ask the court to release grand-jury material because it is relevant to any preparation for potential impeachment proceedings.

"It's unfortunate that he won't join us," Nadler said, adding that he would subpoena Mueller's report "very quickly" if Barr continued to hold it back.

Similarly, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said he had made a "formal request" to the Justice Department "for all of the information and findings in the counterintelligence investigation."

House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., challenged the attorney general on how he could have synthesized the nearly 400-page Mueller report into a four-page document so quickly, surmising "your mind must have already been made up."

Barr countered that Rosenstein had long been apprised of the course of Mueller's inquiry, and that he and Rosenstein had met with Mueller and his team March 5 to discuss the wind-down of the investigation.

"We had an inkling of what was coming in our direction," he said.

Barr said that the White House had not reviewed in advance his communications to Congress about the report, but he rebuffed Lowey's attempt to ask whether the White House had seen the report since he sent his summary letter.

"I've said what I'm going to say about the report today," he said.

When Lowey pressed him to say whether Trump had been "factually accurate" about claiming "complete and total exoneration," he similarly declined to engage.

"It's hard to have that discussion without the contents of the report, isn't it? And that's why I suggest we wait until the report is out," Barr told her.

Republicans sought to play down the possibility that the Mueller report might challenge Trump's assertion that he has been exonerated of colluding with Russia, and they asked Barr whether he would now look into whether the conduct of federal law enforcement officials during that investigation had been inappropriate.

Rep. Robert Aderholt of Alabama, the subcommittee's top Republican, said it was unfortunate that "so many of the questions here this morning are going toward a 'grassy knoll' conspiracy theory regarding the Mueller report." He asked whether the Justice Department would look into whether the FBI should have sought a court order to conduct surveillance on former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.

Barr told lawmakers that the Justice Department's inspector general would be completing an investigation of how surveillance applications were used in the Russia investigation by "May or June." A spokesman for the inspector general declined to comment.

"More generally, I am reviewing the conduct of the investigation and trying to get my arms around all the aspects of the counterintelligence investigation that was conducted in the summer of 2016," Barr said, adding that he would look at the related criminal referrals that Rep. Devin Nunes of California, the House Intelligence Committee's top Republican, is planning to send the department and determine whether to investigate.

Lawmakers also pressed Barr on other topics - perhaps most notably, his department's recent decision to back full invalidation of the Affordable Care Act.

In a particularly testy exchange, Rep. Matthew Cartwright, D-Pa., asked Barr if the Justice Department had conducted an analysis to determine the effect its legal position would have on consumers nationwide - suggesting that if the department won, millions of Americans could experience financial and physical harm.

"When we're faced with a legal question, we try to base our answer on the law," Barr replied, adding later: "If you think it's such an outrageous position, you have nothing to worry about. Let the courts do their job."

Later, Barr declined to detail how he advised the White House.

"I'm not going to get into the internal deliberations of the administration on this point," he said. "I believe that the final decision reached is a legally defensible and reasonable legal position."
Washington

President Donald Trump and White House allies pressing for a harder line on immigration sped up their campaign Monday to clean house at the Department of Homeland Security with a mission far wider than just the departure of Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

The dismantling of the government's immigration leadership is being orchestrated by Trump adviser Stephen Miller, the impetus behind some of the administration's most controversial policies, according to three people familiar with the matter. Beyond changing names and faces, Trump is considering separating migrant families at the border again, resuming the practice that drew so much outrage last year, the same people said.

The shakeup is a result of Trump's frustration with the increasing number of migrants at the border and his diminishing options for action. Court challenges, immigration laws and his own advisers have blocked several of his proposals as his re-election campaign looms. The White House has lashed out by demanding new leadership, although a new team is likely to face the same obstacles.

The head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, L. Francis Cissna, and Homeland Security General Counsel John M. Mitnick are expected to be pushed out of their positions, the officials said. Nielsen submitted her resignation Sunday after meeting with Trump at the White House, and three days earlier, the administration withdrew the nomination of Ron Vitiello to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Other longtime civil servants in agency posts are also on the chopping block, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Adding to the turmoil, the director of the Secret Service is being forced out of his job, but that departure is said to be unrelated to the immigration upheaval.

Judge blocks efforts to hold asylum-seekers in Mexico

A California judge on Monday blocked Trump's efforts to force asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases are adjudicated by the immigration courts  a practice that immigration advocates called inhumane and illegal.

Judge Richard Seeborg of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California found that existing law did not give the Trump administration the power to enforce the policy, known as "migrant protection protocols," which were introduced in San Diego and expanded to other parts of California and Texas.

The judge said in his ruling that in addition to violating immigration laws, the protocols did not include "sufficient safeguards" to comply with the Department of Homeland Security's obligation against returning migrants to places where their "life or freedom would be threatened."

The New York Times contributed.
Maryland lawmakers began their 90-day session with questions about Senate President Mike Miller's health and ended it mourning long-serving House Speaker Michael Busch.

In between, they passed hundreds of bills, addressing issues from oyster sanctuaries to tanning beds to medical marijuana edibles. The measures now go to Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, who can veto them, sign them into law or allow them to become law without his signature.

A look at what passed the majority-Democratic General Assembly, and what didn't:

- - -

What passed

- $15 minimum wage

Companies with at least 15 employees have until 2025 to raise wages to at least $15 an hour. Smaller companies have until July 2026. The legislation was already vetoed by Hogan, who said the higher wage would hurt businesses. But the General Assembly overrode the veto.

- Marijuana edibles

Cannabis brownies, chocolates and other edibles could be sold for medical purposes, which advocates say would reduce the risk that comes when people try baking such items on their own.

- Higher smoking age

People under 21 will not be able to buy tobacco in Maryland anymore if the measure is enacted. Members of the military who are 18, 19 or 20 would still be able to buy tobacco products if they show their military IDs.

- Tanning bed ban

People under the age of 18 would not be able to use tanning beds, which are known to substantially increase the risk of skin cancer.

- Oyster protections

Five oyster sanctuaries will be protected from harvesting, a move that environmentalists say is necessary to restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Hogan, who vetoed the bill, said it would hurt watermen. The General Assembly overrode his veto.

- Foam

Maryland would become the first state in the county to ban plastic foam cups and food containers. Products packaged out of state, such as dried ramen soup sold in a foam cup, could still be sold.

- Renewable energy

A bill mandating that Maryland get 50% of its electricity from renewable sources, like wind and solar power, was approved Monday by the legislature. The state would have until 2030 to meet that target and would be required to study ways to reach 100% renewable energy by 2040.

- Same-day voter registration

Approved in a ballot question last year, the measure seeks to allow would-be voters to register on Election Day and immediately cast their ballots.

- Drug affordability board

The first-in-the-country board would cap the costs of certain prescription drugs when purchased by state and local government employers. If successful, it could be expanded to other employers. The board's decisions to set caps would have to be approved by the Legislative Policy Committee, a panel of state lawmakers.

- Insurance enrollment

The General Assembly approved legislation allowing Marylanders to begin the process of enrolling for health insurance by checking a box on their state income tax returns.

- Expanded child care tax credit

The credit can only be claimed by parents making less than $50,000; the legislation would expand it to those who make less than $143,000 - another 110,000 people.

- Lynching study

A commission would hold public hearings in regions where lynchings have been documented and weigh recommendations, including from families of victims, on how to address the legacy of such crimes.

- Johns Hopkins police

Amid a surge in violence in Baltimore, lawmakers approved legislation that would allow Johns Hopkins University to create a private, armed police force.

- UMMS board

Members of the University of Maryland Medical System board, including Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh, face accusations of self-dealing after revelations that nine have lucrative business contracts with the system. The legislation that would bar members from holding single-source contracts with UMMS and require stringent financial disclosures. The current board would be dissolved in stages.

- - -

What failed

- Aid-in-dying measure

A bill that would have made it legal for doctors to prescribe lethal medicine to terminally ill patients who want to end their lives advanced for the first time in four years and was denied with a dramatic tie vote in the state Senate.

- Repairs for racetracks

Lawmakers from Baltimore refused to support the bill, after officials raised concerns that it would lead the Stronach Group to pull the Preakness out of Pimlico, a Baltimore racetrack that has hosted the second leg of the Triple Crown for decades.

- Look-back window for abuse victims

The bill would have created a two-year period in which adults sexually abused as children could file civil lawsuits against institutions that protected their attackers. Opponents said it would violate protections for the Catholic Church and other institutions that were included in a 2017 bill that expanded the window for filing lawsuits.

- Long-gun background checks

Lawmakers failed to reach a compromise on a bill to require background checks for private sales of rifles and shotguns.

- Suing private schools

A bill that would allow private schools to be sued for discrimination was pushed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland, as well as parents who said their child's school discriminated against them because they were gay. Currently, only public schools in Maryland can be sued for alleged discrimination.

- Redistricting

A bill pushed by Hogan to create an independent redistricting commission was one of several bills by the governor that again failed to gain traction.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP)  A Texas woman accused of selling her 7-year-old son and planning to sell her two other children to settle a drug debt has been sentenced to six years in prison.

Esmeralda Garza of Corpus Christi was sentenced Friday after taking a plea deal. She was convicted on three counts of selling or purchasing a child. She also was convicted of money laundering and conspiracy to sell or purchase a child.
AUSTIN - Claudia Golinelli held out hope that the man who employed her and her husband, Alex, would finally pay back the $11,000 owed to them.

The couple had seen the Lone Star State's booming construction industry as a way to provide a modest living for their two young children. Claudia, who is undocumented, came to the United States with their daughter in 2004 and Alex followed a year later after a "mafia" group in El Salvador threatened to kill his mother, the Daily Beast reported. They'd soon find work as electricians.

But things got bad in January 2014, when their employer refused to pay them a dime until their work was finished on a new supermarket. After the family missed three months of mortgage payments and was on the verge of losing their home in the Dallas suburbs, the employer finally said they would be paid on Feb. 28, 2014, if the Golinellis came to the job site to pick up the money.

RELATED: Pew Research Center: 20 U.S. metro areas with the highest number of unauthorized immigrants

Yet when they pulled up to the supermarket in Roanoke, Texas, the couple saw the building's superintendent had called the police and accused the couple of stealing materials and tools.

"I felt very frustrated because he literally set a trap for us, and he wanted us go to jail instead of actually paying us," Alex said in a March interview with The Washington Post. "He didn't think about how my family was going to be unprotected."

More than five years later, little has changed: The Golinellis say they are still owed about $10,000, money they don't expect to ever see. Though police ultimately chose not to charge them (or their employer), the Golinellis' case highlights the exploitative underbelly of the construction industry in Texas, where workers' rights advocates say the state's undocumented workforce remain largely unprotected from wage theft and unsafe, potentially fatal working conditions.

The couple's story is highlighted in "Building the American Dream," a documentary that premiered last month at South by Southwest. In the film, undocumented workers in Texas talk about how their lives have been affected by an under-regulated industry, all while facing an uncertain future amid the Trump administration's ongoing immigration crackdown.

Wearing stickers bearing the film's title while walking around a Hilton in downtown Austin last month, Claudia and Alex told The Post, through an interpreter, that what's unfolding in Texas echoes the crippling fear felt by undocumented workers nationwide.

"The government will always want us to feel suppressed, and the government will always want us to feel that fear because that's a good way to exploit us," Claudia said. "I hope this story makes people feel empowered and it makes those people that are going through the same situation feel like they have the power to speak up."

In Texas alone, there are nearly half a million undocumented construction workers, according to a 2013 study from the Workers Defense Project, an organization that advocates for immigrant workers, and the University of Texas at Austin. For years, the construction lobby and business associations have pushed back against increased regulation and lobbied Texas lawmakers to pass legislation limiting worker protections, says Juliet Barbara, the project's communications director.

Cristina Tzintzun, co-founder of the Workers Defense Project, said in the film that the group found one in five workers in Texas were denied payment, and that half of those cases involved undocumented contractors. There was also a darker side to what was unfolding with undocumented workers.

On July 19, 2015, Roendy Granillo started feeling sick while installing a hardwood floor at a home in Melissa, north of Dallas. When his family came to the United States from Mexico, Granillo, 25, was healthy and had dreams of starting a business with his father. Co-workers say Granillo, who had a dangerously high temperature, told his bosses he wasn't feeling well and asked for a water break around 10 a.m., but the contractor insisted he had to keep working. Later on that 97-degree day, Granillo died of heat stroke.

"I feel an emptiness in my heart that isn't going away," his mother, Graciela, said in the film. "As time goes on, you wish you could see him."

Granillo's death, which highlighted the fact that there's no state or federal law mandating that construction workers get regular rest, served as a catalyst for the city of Dallas passing an ordinance into law in December 2015 that requires 10-minute breaks for every four hours of work. Since then, Austin is the only other city in Texas to implement a rest-break law for the construction industry.

"I think it would have helped my brother if he got to say, 'Hey, I'm tired, I need a rest break,' " Granillo's sister, Jasmine, said in the documentary.

When she was a student at the University of Texas, filmmaker Chelsea Hernandez read about a scaffold collapse in 2009 that killed three workers during the construction of a luxury student condominium on campus. The moment at 21 Rio, where a one-bedroom apartment goes for nearly $2,000, never left Hernandez.

"It struck me that with all these new high-rises that were drastically changing the look of Austin, someone was not getting paid, someone was getting injured, someone was dying while building what we know of as Austin," Hernandez said. "I wanted to showcase the real cost of destruction and the price of progress."

In their own fight for fairness, the Golinellis turned to the Workers Defense Project for help about two months after the encounter with police at the supermarket construction site. Eventually, the Texas Workforce Commission, a government agency for the state's employment matters, opened an investigation into their wage-theft claim.

In 2016, the commission found that the subcontractor was in violation of state labor laws. One day in October that year, the Golinellis received a check for $421. It was a small amount, but a step in the right direction. The tone of the night, however, would soon change.

Driving home, Claudia said, she was pulled over for speeding by police, who turned her over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation proceedings. She said she was later released under supervision, adding that she had to check in with ICE every three months. Claudia told The Post she now has two years before her next check-in. (Alex is not in deportation proceedings.)

She said the risk of being deported since that night, which happened during the Obama administration, has intensified under President Donald Trump. She compared ICE's treatment of undocumented people to "hunting animals."

"It does feel like 'Planet of the Apes,' where there is this kind of species that has to eliminate this other species in order to survive," she told The Post.

Alex says he hopes the film can show undocumented people that they belong in American society.

"I really hope that people become aware that, based on President Trump, who has said that immigrants are criminals who steal, people see the reality of the situation," Alex said. "The reality is that for us, a large part of our life is just working for our families. We are honest people. I hope our story takes away those lies and that people can see the reality for immigrants."

Inside a quiet room at the Hilton, the Golinellis laugh to cover up their anger at the $10,000 they never expect to get back. They say the employer, who isn't named in the film or by the couple, sent them an IRS form in which he falsely stated he had paid them their full wages. Barbara said they sent proof of the incorrect form to the IRS, but that the agency "did not pursue them to ensure that the taxes were paid."

Though Claudia and Alex were able to recover $1,500 from a lien they filed, the employer has refused to pay, despite the Texas Workforce Commission ruling in the couple's favor, Barbara said.

The family continues to do electrical work to support their children, Francesca and Alessandro. Claudia said she knows whatever uneasiness they face from work or the government will be worth it to see her children succeed.

"We come to this country with a dream and we realize that this dream is not our dream. It's a dream for our children: for them to have a better life," she said. "The reason why we continue to tolerate these injustices is because I feel that my children are going to have a great future."
President Donald Trump is downplaying his personnel moves at the Department of Homeland Security, saying he is fighting "bad laws" on immigration and obstruction in Congress.

"We have to close up the borders," Trump told reporters after he was asked about the resignation of DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen during a meeting on Tuesday with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi at the White House. "We're not doing anything very big."

Trump said he did not plan to reinstate a policy that led to the separation of thousands of migrant children from their families after they illegally crossed the border last summer. "We're not looking to do that," he said.

Nielsen resigned Sunday after meeting with Trump at the White House residence to discuss a spike in illegal crossings at the U.S. southern border. Trump is increasingly frustrated by the border crisis, and last month empowered a hard-line aide, Stephen Miller, to have greater authority over immigration policy within the White House.

A senior administration official told reporters in a briefing Tuesday that the Homeland Security department is plagued by a dysfunctional bureaucracy, the result of Trump not having enough political appointees in key positions at the agency. The White House wants a crackdown on migrants seeking asylum at the southern border, the official said, because many of the claims are considered spurious.

More than 66,000 people were apprehended after crossing the border illegally in February, about a 38 percent increase from the month before. Most were families or children traveling alone.

The official said that Homeland Security could discourage migration by refusing to issue work permits to people in the country waiting for their asylum claims to be adjudicated. The claims themselves could be more rigorously vetted, the official said, to determine whether migrants' assertions that they fear persecution in their home countries are credible.

The official also confirmed that the administration is considering a policy known as "binary choice." It resembles family separation. Migrants would be asked to choose whether to be detained together with their children in facilities run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement or to be separated from their kids, who would be placed in the care of relatives, guardians or government-contracted shelters.

The policy isn't fully developed yet, the official said.

Commander Jonathan White of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps warned Congress on Tuesday that resuming family separations would harm children.

White told the Senate Homeland Security Committee that the corps has improved the tracking of people in its care. Still, he said, "We do not have the capacity to receive that number of children, nor do we have the capacity to serve them, nor is it possible to build a system that would prevent the mass traumatization of children."

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., chairman of the Homeland Security panel, said that "I would be completely opposed" to resuming the zero-tolerance border policy that resulted in the family separations. The policy caused outrage among lawmakers and the broader public before Trump halted the separations in June.

Trump named the director of Customs and Border Protection, Kevin McAleenan, to replace Nielsen, though federal law says that the acting secretary should be Claire Grady, the department's undersecretary of management. "Kevin is going to do a fantastic job," Trump said.

The senior administration official wouldn't discuss how the White House would place McAleenan in the job ahead of Grady, but said McAleenan will have complete support from the White House to build a new leadership team at the agency.

Miller is eyeing other people in the government who were hired after recommendations or referrals by Nielsen or former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, two people familiar with the matter said.

Kelly preceded Nielsen at DHS and recommended her as his replacement. He departed the White House late last year after repeated clashes with the president.

Two other top officials at DHS - L. Francis Cissna, the head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and John Mitnick, the agency's general counsel - may also depart. And the leadership of Immigration and Customs Enforcement remains in upheaval after Trump last week pulled the nomination of acting director Ronald Vitiello, saying he wanted to go in "a tougher direction."

The director of the Secret Service, Randolph Alles, whose agency is a unit of DHS, resigned Monday for unspecified reasons. The White House is discussing a different job for him, perhaps within Customs and Border Protection, where he used to work, according to a senior administration official.

Republicans have expressed alarm at Trump's purge of DHS, questioning whether the president has a plan to regain control of migration over the border or if he is simply adding to vacancies in the immigration agencies.

---

Bloomberg's Daniel Flatley and Laura Litvan contributed to this report.
A group of 11 alleged gang members have been charged in connection with 41 armed robberies in Houston, mostly at local meat markets, from July 2018 to February 2019, according to the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

The group, described in a press release as a "loose-knit coalition" of members from multiple Houston-area gangs mostly targeted La Michoacana meat markets that cater to Latinos.

Merrick West, 21, Bryant West, 20, and Eric West, 26, all face federal firearms charges in connection with the robberies. Tom Grant, 18, and Jacquez Keli, 17, both face aggravated robbery charges in Harris and Galveston Counties.

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Anthony Watterson, 20, was charged with aggravated assault in Harris County. Five others were charged with aggravated robbery in Harris County, including Jamaris Hayes, Keondrick Scyrus, Devonte Ransom, Brandon Johnson and Charles Johnson.

"The evidence shows these crews robbed everywhere but their own neighborhoods, as they preyed on businesses and terrified innocent people," District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a prepared statement. "Now they will have to stand in court and face judgement."

The suspects included people who physically carried out the robberies and the "shot callers" who scouted the locations and planned the crimes, the release said.

Most of the robberies lasted about two minutes. The suspects would usually fire guns into the air then snatch cash from the register and check cashing booths, the release said.

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In one instance, a suspect held a customer at gunpoint to force the cashier to unlock the check cashing booth, which was protected by ballistic glass, the release said.

The press release did not specify the suspect's associated gangs. Authorities said most meat markets were located in Harris County, as well as the Galveston and Beaumont areas.

More arrests are possible as the investigation continues in coordination with the ATF's Crime Gun Strike Force, which includes local and federal agencies, the release said.

The agencies who assisted in the case include the Houston Police Department, the Harris County Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas.

The Galveston Police Department, the Beaumont Police Department and the Harris County District Attorney's Office also investigated.

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.
We are a divided society, separated by polarized views on a variety of political hot-button issues. Public figures, politicians and the news media focus on these issues because it serves them well in various ways. But what happens when we encounter an issue that is not controversial, and not politically or morally polarizing, and yet cries out for attention and resolution?

I am referring here to the management and oversight of the Texas teacher 403(b) retirement plan, which is intended to allow public education employees to supplement their Teacher Retirement System pension.

Michael Taylor, an Express-News financial columnist, is the lonely voice in the wilderness trying to call our collective attention to an economic and ethical disservice done to Texas teachers and others.

In recent columns, Taylor has pointed out the manner in which TRS 403(b) retirement plans have been (mis)managed by those whose responsibility it is to see that they are run in the best interest of employees. He indicates that 75 percent of the investment options in the 403(b) plans consist of insurance products, namely annuities of one sort or another.

Under this system, $10 billion is directed away from teachers retirement accounts and into the pockets of insurance companies. This system provides poor investment choices for investors but excellent compensation to the companies that sell these insurance products. He notes that any financially savvy adviser would see this as a multibillion-dollar fiduciary failure on the part of those overseeing the 403(b) retirement program.

Taylor went further in his investigations and contacted people involved in the administration of the program, people who, if they chose, could rectify the problem. None was interested in taking up the challenge.

This raises the question: When injustice is found and demonstrated for all to see, what does public leadership do? To allow this mismanagement of teachers retirement plan to continue means that leadership is either ignorant of the problem, incompetent, uncaring or criminally complicit.

Thanks to Taylor, ignorance is no longer an excuse. It is clear, then, that those who are tasked with overseeing the retirement plan must be either incompetent, uncaring or complicit.

Some other relevant questions: What role does the Texas State Teachers Association, or TSTA, play in protecting the financial interests of its members, and why does this organization allow such economic malfeasance to persist? What of our elected officials who have the benefit of the public forum? Will they take up the cause of our teachers and public education employees, or is insurance company lobby money such a powerful incentive that they are unwilling to do the right thing?

Hats off to you, Michael Taylor. You have done what you can. Now, will those who can effect change actually do something meaningful, or will they simply pay lip service to our teachers and carry on with business as usual?

And what about the rest of us regular people? There are things we can and should do: We can contact our elected representatives and demand that they address the problem. Tell them that if they are unwilling to take up the fight, we will vote for someone who will. We can write letters of protest to school boards and the TSTA. Parents can speak up in PTA meetings and ask PTA representatives to pressure school board members to address this problem.

Lets raise our voices and be heard. For once, let us not be divided; instead, lets work together in support of a worthy cause. It would surely be a welcome change.

Dr. Richard D. Davis, a retired Air Force colonel, is an endodontist in private practice in San Antonio.
One can imagine all being quiet on the ward in Cork University Maternity Hospital where Marie Downey was located in a single room on Monday, March 25 last.

Staff provided her with relief the previous evening by taking her baby son, Darragh, from her for the night, so that shed get some sleep.

According to an Irish Times report, staffing on the overnight shift included three staff - a permanent nurse, an agency nurse (one thats hired in by the HSE), and one newly qualified nurse.

This was the entire staff assigned to Marie Downeys ward. A maternity ward.

The ward contained thirty one (31) patients.

Three nurses, one of whom was newly qualified, to attend to thirty one patients.

You see, the HSE must observe the rules which state that a defined number of staff are on wards at a given time.

Questions are expected to be asked as to why Marie Downey, who had experienced a difficult labour, and also was known to have suffered from epilepsy, was put in a single room.

It is also anticipated that questions will be asked if the cot sides on her bed - fitted to stop the occupant falling out - were raised.

Darragh was returned to her when morning came, and after about two hours someone went to check on her to find that she had died, with her baby critically injured underneath her on the floor.

Darragh, unfortunately, has since died.

We must now await the outcome of an investigation to learn what caused the death of a mother, and her baby.

But questions must be raised about the level of staffing on the ward.

Surely the welfare of the patient was doubly relevant given that anyone who had dealt with Marie Downey knew that she had a difficult labour, compounded by the reality that she suffered from epilepsy as well.

The chicanery of the government to attempt to lure the nurses into discussions that they (the government) knew were designed to make ultimate agreement as difficult as possible, in order for the nurses to be forced to accept their deal.

If the nurses agree to the governments deal they - the nursing profession - will never be forgiven.

Any doubt about that requires but a scan of the details above.Nobody who cares about human life, and the importance of caring for our patients can allow this carry on, to carry on, for much longer.

Personally, I was horrified by this story.
Local and European elections are just around the corner.

General election campaigning is also well underway.

Weve come through a period of significant economic growth. Yet a report this week shows that 12.6% of the Irish population, equal to 611,982 people, were, as of 2017, living in substandard dwellings.

How can this be? It is a question our political leaders need to find answers to, and fast.

The National Social Monitor  European Edition was published on Monday by Social Justice Ireland and its director, Sean Healy, highlights that we need to move away from a policy of prioritising economic growth over all else.

Mr Healy remarked, Economic growth has led to improvement in living standards and investment in public services, but the benefits of this improvement have been distributed in a grossly unequal fashion.

People of Longford, already very familiar with the two-tier recovery, wont be surprised either, to learn that we are struggling to make ends meet.

Indeed, the level of difficulty in trying to keep the wolves from the door is higher than it was before the financial crisis hit in 2007.

Irelands share of the population living in rural areas in 2017 was 31.4%, having reduced from 39.5% in 2013.

Last week, the Rural Opportunity roadshow rolled into Granard, with Ministers Michael Ring and Eoghan Murphy, being joined by Minister of State Sean Kyne. The rural focus is welcome.

However, the risk of poverty and social exclusion in rural areas is very real and it stands at 22% and it is vital that investment in infrastructure is expedited.

The figures contained in the National Social Monitor  European Edition report provides serious food for thought and well leave you with this stat.

Irelands greenhouse gas emissions are nearly 3 million tonnes over the pathway required to meet our 2020 targets and if Government doesnt act, we are facing increasing environmental, social and financial costs. Lots for our politicians to ponder.
A year ago, Paris hosted the CEDRE conference, as part of a cycle of three conferences (in addition to Rome II and Brussels) scheduled during a meeting of the International Support Group for Lebanon in the aftermath of the November 2017 crisis, caused by the shock resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced from Riyadh. "We had no interest in seeing a failed state in the region", explained last Thursday Jacques de Lajugie, Minister Counselor for Economic Affairs at the French embassy

The CEDRE conference sought to help Lebanon raise funds to finance a part of the first phase (lasting 6 years) of its Capital Investment Program (CIP) designed to modernize the country's infrastructure. Although the organizers estimated the conference would raise about $7 billion, the international community eventually pledged over $ 11 billion in loans and grants. "This success, which exceeded all expectations, was due to the strong and persistent efforts and pedagogy to mobilize OECD and Gulf countries," added Jacques de Lajugie.

As a result, "this will secure funding for two of the three phases of the CIP, taking into account the contributions of the private sector, since of the 270 projects included in the CIP, 18 projects worth $ 7 billion must be under public-private partnerships," as Ziad Hayek, former secretary general of the High Council for Privatization and PPPs (HCPP), said last month.





A support conditional upon reforms and increased control

The CEDRE process differs from previous support conferences held for Lebanon (Paris I, II and III) since its funding packages are conditional upon the implementation of budgetary and sectoral reforms that Beirut had committed to last year. "If the reforms are not implemented, the funds will simply be recycled elsewhere" warned Mr. de Lajugie. Moreover, these funds take the form of "project financing, not budgetary aids which are difficult to control". In addition, two follow-up mechanisms are planned for the CEDRE process: a coordination group in Beirut, which is of a highly operational nature, and another that will bring together multilateral donors (the World Bank, the European Union, the United Nations) and the countries that have contributed the most (Germany, France, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait), which will have a more strategic focus. The Lebanese side will be represented by the Presidency of the Council of ministers, the Council for Development and Reconstruction, and the Ministry of Finance, "and we have asked that the Central Inspector be able to participate," said de Lajugie. "If the monitoring committee finds an irregularity in one of the projects funded under the CEDRE program, the bidding process will be suspended, as well as the funding. And the state entity responsible for this irregularity will be blacklisted," he explained.





A contract of breached trust

Describing the CEDRE process as contract of trust between the international community and Lebanon, Jacques de Lajugie noted that the "decision-making process was halted for months because of the delay in the formation of Hariris third government". "Even after the formation of the government, things did not improve. There are serious doubts about the credibility of the commitments made by the government, "he said. This sentiment is shared by World Bank Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa, Ferid Belhaj, who spoke last week of the "disappointment of the international community." On Tuesday, in an interview with Albert Kostanian, presenter of Vision 2030 TV program, French ambassador Bruno Foucher said that Lebanon has "lost a lot of time" and that "the debate was not at the level of the challenge," given the "bad situation" of the country. However, he tried to be reassuring by saying that "this delay did not compromise CEDRE".

On each visit he makes to Lebanon, Pierre Duquesne, a French diplomat assigned by President Emmanuel Macron to monitor the process, reiterates the same demands that he says are "simple" and "achievable" in the short term, which suggests things are not moving forward. The demands include filling current vacancies in the sectoral regulatory authorities in telecommunications, energy, and civil aviation. "It must be done, because without filling these vacancies, these authorities do not function. If these sectors are not regulated there will be no investments in them," warned Duquesne in March. Similarly, to promote the resources of the HCPP "We must give the HCPP the means to regulate public-private partnerships in Lebanon by allowing it to recruit forty additional people and to have an independent budget," he added.

Ziad Hayek, who was head of the HCPP until last month, eventually resigned, before saying that there was "no political will to implement PPPs in Lebanon."

Lajugie and Foucher also reiterated to the government this week that it should "prioritize projects included in the CIP". On the eve of the Paris conference, "the government had hired consultants who did a sloppy job on this evaluation work. These projects were mostly designed decades ago and must probably be completely redesigned or at least updated "said Mona Fawaz, professor of urban planning at AUB.





Decisive coming weeks

Faced with this impasse, Mr. de Lajugie warns: "The next few weeks will be decisive for the success of the CEDRE process: All economic actors in the country and the donors are becoming impatient. Lebanon no longer has the luxury of time. He further urged the government to give serious signs of commitment on two key issues: the 2019 budget and the electricity reform plan.

 Concerning the 2019 budget: Lebanon has pledged in Paris to reduce its public deficit-to-GDP ratio by five percentage points over a period of five consecutive years. The government had at that time presented a budget forecast for 2018, in which public deficit did not exceed 9% of GDP, but the public deficit has now already reached 11% of GDP. "A sincere, credible and convincing plan for the 2019 budget must be submitted fast by the government, with a reduction in the deficit compared to 2018, based on 9% (and not 11%)," warned Mr. de Lajugie.

As for the reform of the electricity sector: "Electricity tariffs must be increased starting 2019," advised de Lajugie. However, the plan presented by the Minister of Energy, Nada Boustani, provides for this increase in early 2020, along with an increase in production by adopting an interim solution. "The cost of production provided by the interim solution will be much higher, considering the techniques used and the amount of additional fuel required. This will lead to a massive increase in the EDL deficit and the government will not be able to achieve savings, "said de Lajugie. He also regretted that Boustanis plan "does not include the appointment of members to EDL's Board of Directors and the creation of a sectoral regulatory body".

He further stressed that "the HCPP should have jurisdiction over all PPP projects, especially electricity", while according to Boustanis plan her ministry retains control over the related tendering procedures for projects in the electricity sector.





(This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour on the 6th of April)




Did you know that Apple is responsible for everything bad in technology? Even the stuff thats actively made worse every day by its competitors? Well, its true.

Writing for The New York Times, Farhad Manjoo decries The Incredible Shrinking Apple. (Tip o the antlers to @jeeeemspriggs and Jason.)

Steve Jobs wanted to put a ding in the universe. Today, Apple wants to ding your pocketbook.

To be fair, Steve Jobs definitely wanted to ding your pocket book, too. The Macalope doesnt know if youve heard, but Apple Products Cost Too Much, and have for years and years.

Lets pause here for a minute because you can sort of see where this is headed. Apple doesnt do any of the important stuff! All it wants to do is sell you more iCloud space! You can imagine how frustrating articles like this must be to the company thats made privacy and health tentpole features. Does Apple want to charge you a stupid amount for iCloud storage space? Yes. Yes, it does. It also somehow seems to have possibly prevented some people from having heart attacks with a device that was declared a flop.

But never mind that. Its Apple is a religion! metaphor time (which is to say any time when the hands on the clock point at anything).

The Steve Jobs Theater on Apples spendy new campus in Cupertino, Calif., is a majestic temple to pomp.

Not to be confused with Temple-to-Pump, The Macalopes new weight lifting app for clergymen looking to get absolutely shredded.

It is an edifice meant to recall those moments when Mr. Jobs, smirking joyfully, would bound up to the stage, teasingly pull a black shroud

Of Turin.

off some new invention and instantly alter your picture of the future.

OK, but how many times did that actually happen since Steve Jobs returned to Apple? Three, right? iPod, iPhone, and iPad. Those are the big three, but everyone seems to think it happened every Tuesday under Jobs.

Ah, yes, I remember it well! Jobs would take the stage every Tuesday and announce such market-altering devices as digital music players, touch-screen smartphones, transparent toasters and the electric foot! Then wed all retire to the shade tree by the old lazy river to discuss the implications of said devices and eat brimbleberries until Ma called us home.

That didnt happen! Theres no such thing as brimbleberries!

Today is going to be a very different kind of event, said Tim Cook, Apples chief executive, taking the stage.

It was not.

It very literally was. It might not have been great, some parts of it were boring, but it was very different from previous Apple events. How many times has Apple brought freaking Muppets to the stage? Not counting Randy Newman.

As the analyst Ben Thompson noted, Apples crush of me-too announcements falls far short of Mr. Jobss goal of putting a ding in the universe.

Thompsons comment is that the event didnt have many dings. And it certainly didnt. But, not to burst your selective memory bubble, but not every keynote under Jobss tenure did, either. Remember the one with a 5-minute video about a battery?

Indirectly, Apples devices are implicated in the rise of misinformation and distraction, the erosion of privacy and the breakdown of democracy.

Indirectly! Ah, yes, much like books were indirectly implicated in the Reign of Terror and papyrus scrolls were indirectly implicated in the burning of the Library of Alexandria!

None of these grand problems is Apples fault But instead of rising to the moment by pushing a fundamentally new and safer vision of the future, Apple is shrinking from it.

Manjoo does not point out that Apple defied the FBI in order to protect the privacy of a terrorist and that the company went to pains to note its assurances of privacy in each service it announced in the very keynote he is complaining about. Instead he says the company is doing about the least it could do. To, you know, fix a problem made by its competitors.

But what if it thought a little bigger? For example, it could directly take on Google and Facebook

Instead of railing against Google and Facebook, lets rail against Apple for failing to more actively rein in Google and Facebook. And, also, lets not mention that Apple did not renew its Maps deal with Google partially over privacy concerns and that the company banned Facebook apps that abused iOS features in order to violate the privacy of users. Why would we mention that! It takes some of the air out of our argument! It would be counter-productive!

You cant just throw up your hands when other companies violate peoples privacy, expect Apple to fix it all and then declare the company a failure when it doesnt. Would it be great if the company went further? Sure. But its ridiculous not to give it any credit for being the best company in the industry on this topic, one that almost no reviewer takes into account when discussing the relative merits of smartphones.
Louis D. Coleman III, the Providence man accused of kidnapping and killing 23-year-old Jassy Correia after she celebrated her birthday at a nightclub in February was arraigned in a Boston federal court on Tuesday.

Correias family held hands as they walked the halls of the Moakley court house in Boston Tuesday. They filled the first two rows of seats, sitting side by side in silence as the man accused of kidnapping and killing Correia was led into the room in an orange jumpsuit.

Judge Page M. Kelley asked Coleman, 32, if he understood the charge against him. He nodded his head and waived a formal reading of his indictment.

Coleman pleaded not guilty to a charge of kidnapping resulting in death, which carries a sentence of death or life in prison, prosecutors said. If convicted, Coleman could face the death penalty.

Police say Correia, who left behind her 2-year-old daughter Gabriella and a large Cape Verdean family in Dorchester, crossed paths with Coleman while celebrating her birthday at the Boston nightclub Venu on Feb. 24.

Authorities say Coleman kidnapped Correia early that morning and took her to his Providence apartment. Footage from outside his residence showed Coleman allegedly carrying Correias limp body - still dressed in the orange romper she wore to the nightclub - inside just before 4:30 a.m.

Correias father reported her missing to the Boston police on Feb. 26, prompting a massive search for the young mother. Authorities focused Coleman, who was seen on surveillance video walking toward his red sedan with Correia before she disappeared.

The same day, Coleman was caught on video entering his apartment building with Walmart shopping bags. Authorities obtained a receipt from a Providence Walmart, which revealed that Coleman bought three protective suits, duct tape, candles, electrical tape, one mask, surgical gloves, two pairs of safety goggles, an odor respirator and CLN release bleach bath, officials said.

A few days later, on Feb. 28, Coleman was pulled over by troopers in Delaware.

Shes in the trunk, he allegedly told state police when they asked if someone else was in the car. Correia was found in Colemans trunk wrapped inside a sofa cushion cover. Coleman was arrested and has remained in federal custody since.

U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said Correia died from strangulation and blunt force trauma.

Coleman is being represented by two court-appointed attorneys, Jane Peachy and David Hoose.

His lawyers are to return to court June 14 for a status conference.
Roughly a week after the Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced the first measles diagnosis in the Greater Boston area, police say a person diagnosed with measles also visited a Dartmouth medical facility in late March.

Dartmouth police confirmed the details of a report shared by New Bedford radio station WBSM, which said a person recently diagnosed with the measles visited the Hawthorn Medical location in Dartmouth on March 26.

We are notifying all patients who were at the 535 Fauce Corner Road location on that day from 11am to 4pm, an April 2 letter from the medical facility reads, as reported by WBSM.

An initial announcement from public health officials on April 1 said a person diagnosed with measles visited locations in Plymouth, Waltham, Framingham Hyannis and Braintree from March 26-28.

Authorities have not said whether that patient is the same person who visited Hawthorn Medical in Dartmouth on March 26.

People with the measles disease -- which causes fever, cough, runny nose and a rash outbreak -- may be contagious up to four days before the rash actually appears, and four days after it does appear.

Those who are unvaccinated should limit their exposure to public places, and should get vaccinated with at least one dose of the Measles, Mumps and Rubella, or MMR, vaccine, health officials say.
Editors Note: Wynn Resorts confirmed in a letter that James Stern resigned after the hearings. An earlier version of this story, citing a brief, said he was fired.

Wynn Resorts head of security is out of a job after detailing how he spied on Elaine Wynn in his testimony last week to Massachusetts regulators, according to a legal brief submitted on Monday.

James Stern, a former FBI agent, resigned on Saturday following his testimony Thursday at the Massachusetts Gaming Commissions suitability hearing for Wynn Resorts, according to the post-hearing brief. CEO Matt Maddox told Stern he would no longer require his services, the brief states.

No surveillance will be conducted of employees or third parties without the permission of the Chief Global Compliance Officer," the brief states.

Stern admitted to using company funds to surveil Elaine Wynn, Steve Wynns ex-wife and the companys largest shareholder.

Stern was one of the last employees to testify during the three-day hearings where commissioners weighed whether the casino giant should keep its license despite hiding the sexual misconduct allegations against founder Steve Wynn. At stake is the sole casino license in eastern Massachusetts thats being used for Encore Boston Harbor, the companys Everett casino thats scheduled to open on June 23.

The commissions investigatory report detailed how multiple Wynn Resorts officials failed to report allegations against Steve Wynn to Massachusetts and Nevada regulators, including the founders alleged attempts to weaken the companys sexual harassment policy.

Wynn Resorts did not contest the facts in the 200-plus-page report, but the attorneys representing the company wrote in the legal brief that the facts suggest the company remains suitable to keep the license.

The commissions investigatory report also detailed how Stern arranged the surveillance of Jorgen Nielsen, a former employee who was a source in the Wall Street Journals reporting about the allegations against Wynn. According to the report, Stern arranged the surveillance because he believed Nielsen may have gotten ahold of personal information about employees and suspected he was working with Elaine Wynn to disparage Steve Wynn and the company.

But Thursday was the first time details surfaced about surveillance of Elaine Wynn, ex-wife of Steve Wynn. He said neither Steve Wynn nor CEO Matt Maddox knew about the surveillance.

Maddox said in testimony that he briefly heard about the surveillance of Nielsen, which involved sending someone undercover to get a haircut at his salon and get information. Maddox said he approved it on the condition that the operation was above board," or conducted honestly.

When grilled by one commissioner about the surveillance, Stern said he only surveilled Elaine Wynn when she was with Kazuo Okada, the Japanese billionaire who was suspected of working with organized crime.

Thats what you thought was a good use of company resources, said commissioner Gayle Cameron, a former undercover operative.

Wynn Resorts sued Okada in 2012, then a board member, claiming he paid bribes to gaming officials in the Philippines and threatened the companys reputation. Peek said said Stern had investigators surveil Okada when he was in the United States for hearings and depositions. Wynn Resorts dropped the litigation in 2018.

A spokeswoman for Elaine Wynn, however, said those meetings never happened.

Steve Peek, an attorney representing Okada, said he doesnt recall the former board members ever meeting either.

Weaver, the company spokesman, said on Tuesday that he had no comment about the responses to Sterns testimony.

According to the brief, Stern told investigators that he surveilled Elaine Wynn years ago in connection with the Okada litigation and was not related to the Journal article or allegations against Steve Wynn. The brief also states, for avoidance of doubt, no surveillance was undertaken on any alleged victims.

Elaine Driscoll, the commission spokeswoman, said the commissioners would not comment on the head of securitys testimony.

Elaine Wynn told commissioners on Thursday that she reported an allegation that Steve Wynn had raped an employee in 2005 when she received an email about it in 2009. She recalled telling then-counsel Arte Nathan and Kim Sinatra but letting it go when she was told the allegation was nothing more than an extortion attempt that was being handled by outside counsel. She claimed she started questioning the general counsels advice over the next few years.

Sinatra told investigators that she heard the allegations later, by 2012 at the latest, but Elaine Wynn insists the conversation occurred in 2009.

Elaine Wynn was ensnared in a tense legal battle with her ex-husband following their divorce in 2010. They initially entered into an agreement where she won half of their shares in stock, but she was not free to executive them in any fashion.

The litigation and corporate battles went on for years, with Elaine Wynn being booted from the board of directors before becoming the largest shareholder after her ex-husband left the company. He sold his $2.1 billion stake in the company and returned voting rights to her.

Elaine Wynn said on Thursday that she didnt know she was being surveilled.
Ben & Jerrys is giving away more than a million scoops of ice cream in honor of the companys Free Cone Day on Tuesday.

Scoop shops around the globe will offer flavors like Americone and Triple Caramel Chunk free of charge during the event, which goes from noon until 8 p.m.. This year, the brands Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavor will be available in its original and new non-dairy form.

Customers facing a cone-undrum over which flavor to choose can get back in line for a second, third or fourth time, as Ben & Jerrys encourages multiple trips.

The company said it expects to hand out more than a million free scoops during the day.

The idea of handing out free ice cream started back in 1979, when co-founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield opened the doors of their renovated gas station and threw a party for the citizens of Burlington, Vermont.

The idea turned into an annual event.

"We're nothing without our fans," Ben & Jerry's CEO Matthew McCarthy said in a statement. "This is one of our favorite days of the year. It's a special tradition and I can't wait to see all the smiles and happiness Free Cone Day brings. It's all about saying thank you to our fans."

There are 10 Ben & Jerrys stores throughout Massachusetts, according to the companys scoop shop locator.
Two Massachusetts business owners have combined their love of vintage, glamorous and hand-crafted goods to open an eclectic boutique in downtown Hudson.

Libbe Siskind and Sarah Nichols met two years ago at an antique co-op in Worcester. Siskind commissioned work from Nichols, who runs a custom-painted furniture shop called The Princess and the Peacock Design & Decor, and loved her work so much that she asked Nichols whether shed be interested in colocating their businesses in a space together.

She did pieces for me and then she found out I wanted to do a store and we just kind of popped it together, Siskind said.

Today, Siskinds gift shop  A Piece of Heaven  and The Princess and the Peacock are located in the same building on Main Street in Hudson. The women said the shared space allows them to create an interesting mix that draws in customers from throughout the area.

It has a little bit for everybody, from gift stuff to glamour to furnishings, Siskidn said. She does outstanding, beautiful work  Sarahs pieces are extraordinary. She puts passion into her furniture.

Between the two businesses, customers can find everything from vintage china to hand-painted bureaus. Nichols also hosts furniture painting workshops in the space and sells Wise Owl paint and products.

"My passion is vintage jewelry, anything that's blingy. I love crystals and rhinestones and the glamor," Siskind said. "The suburban towns don't have stores like that anymore."

Both women said they were drawn to Hudson because of the area's ample parking, retail-centric downtown and the fact that there are no similar stores in the area. Siskind, who owned shops in Brookline and Brighton for years, said many of her former customers will travel to Hudson to continue shopping at her business.

"They've bought beautiful pieces from Sarah for their homes and nobody has this many rhinestones anywhere," she said. "The collections I have, I could fill this whole store with jewelry."

While some of the store's jewelry, pocketbooks and hats are new, many other pieces are vintage. Siskind said she never orders the same item twice, and will often accept trades from customers who bring in old, unique pieces.

Nichols also has a passion for vintage goods. A part-time nurse, she first began refinishing pieces for her own home about eight years ago and turned the hobby into a business.

I kept buying pieces of furniture and they had nowhere to go. Im a furniture hoarder, she said.

Today, Nichols says she keeps a stockpile of furniture in a barn on her home farm  some of which she paints and sells in Hudson  but her favorite projects to work on are custom pieces for clients.

Her business is named for two of her pets  "princess" is for Nichols' chihuahua named Gypsy, while "peacock" is a tribute to the nine peacocks she has on her farm in Grafton.

Siskinds business also has a meaningful name.

After her finance, David, died, Siskind said she walked from his bedside into the hallway and up the stairs where she saw a soft-colored rainbow on the wall.

I took a deep breath and said, A Piece of Heaven ... a peaceful sign, she said.

Siskind has worked in retail since the 1970s and opened her first Piece of Heaven store in Brookline in 1996. The store then moved to Oak Square in Brighton.

Siskind and Nichols Hudson boutiques are located at 312 Main St. and are open Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. But if a customer shows up late, Siskind said shell always reopen the store.

I will say, Absolutely, come on in because I dont want people to waste their time, she said.
WASHINGTON, DC -- As the few healthy Boston Celtics who actually made the trip to Washington, DC hit the practice court at Georgetown University, two of the injured Celtics took to the practice facility floor in Brighton to test their injuries.

Both (Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart) are going to get on the court today, Brad Stevens told reporters. What that means, I dont know. Ill know more tomorrow when we practice and after they go through everything that theyre doing today. They are in kinda the first step of testing themselves.

The good news is that there were no surprises after the Sunday night loss to the Orlando Magic where both Tatum and Smart got hit. Neither had any worsening of symptoms or any deeper injuries.

They both came in yesterday, nothing new, Stevens said. Tatum actually did have an MRI that was completely clear. So were assuming that he should be fine sooner rather than later but, again, we wait to see how he reacts to the court.

Smarts injury was more concerning for the Celtics. Theyre still calling it an oblique contusion and not a strain, which makes for an unclear timeline.

It really depends on how he feels. Ive heard anything from it could be good to go by practice later in the week to, if hes got pain there or whatever the case may be, that it could be a little bit longer, Stevens said. They havent given me an exact timeline and I dont think well know that until he really gets on the court and moves around. But it doesnt sound like its a long-term issue.
The Boston Celtics signed Jonathan Gibson on Tuesday prior to their final game of the regular season, according to the team.

Per the Celtics, Gibson will wear the No. 8.

Gibson will be available for Tuesdays game against the Washington Wizards, which will likely mean real minutes. The Celtics will be without seven of their regular rotation players, and they could be without even more if Jaylen Brown is ruled out with his recent back issues. Even if he isnt, the Celtics have no reason to try to win Tuesdays game and could sit players down the stretch.

Kyrie Irving and Marcus Smart are both out on Tuesday. Terry Rozier is expected to be available.

Gibson played briefly for the Celtics last season as well. In Bostons final game, he poured in 18 points on 8-for-13 shooting against the Brooklyn Nets. He played four games total and averaged 8.5 points per game.

This season, Gibson averaged 33.1 points per game playing in China.

The Celtics are loaded at most positions, but they can bring Gibson on for Tuesdays game and keep him for the postseason. Gibson would be unlikely to play, but he could join practices, and he would be a body at the guard position if things went very wrong in the guard rotation broke down.
SUFFIELD, CONN.--- Almost everyone has felt cancers impact in some fashion. We continue to lose too many friends and family members, said Christos J. Nikolis.

Thats why he and his wife, Denise, coordinate the Suffield Pan-Mass Challenge Kids Ride presented by First Suffield Bank: 100 percent of the funds raised will go to Dana Farber Cancer Institute and The Jimmy Fund to fight cancer.

We started (the kids ride) and will stay with it as long as needed, Nikolis said. We have welcomed over 1,100 riders and raised $251,000 in seven years.

They host a pasta dinner, rock concert, other events and an ongoing can/bottle drive. My mom is a survivor, and I lost my dad in 2015 and his dad when I was 13. Whatever it takes, we are in, Nikolis said. The (Kids Ride) and connected events allow a community to come together and work toward a common good. And we sure have a lot of fun doing so. So many great people are involved, and they keep coming back year after year. The love and generosity shown to us is truly heartwarming and fuel us to keep us going.

He rides the Pan Mass Challenge each August with 6,400 others across Massachusetts. The ride  after which the Kids Ride is modeled  is 39 years old and has raised $654 million for The Jimmy Fund.

This will be the eighth year of the Suffield PMC Kids Ride; it will take place May 11 at 9 a.m. at McAlister School in Suffield.

There is a $15 registration fee and a $30 minimum fundraising commitment per rider. The event includes lunch, gift bags for first 200 riders, a raffle, live music and playground fun.

The ride is for children ages 3 to 16 with two courses  one for older children and one for younger. Both are safe and well staffed.

Last year there were 203 participants, but Nikolis is hoping for closer to 250 this year  plus dozens of volunteers.

For more information, go online to kids.pmc.org.

If you go:

Event: Suffield Pan Mass Challenge Kids Ride

When: May 11; registration at 9 a.m.

Where: McAlister School, Suffield

Cost: $15 registration fee and $30 minimum fundraising commitment per rider
SPRINGFIELD  Two people were taken to Baystate Medical Center Monday afternoon following a two-vehicle crash and rollover on Pine Street.

Ryan Walsh, spokesman for Springfield police, told Western Mass News the crash occurred shortly after 3 p.m. The victims, who did not require extrication, suffered minor injuries.

Springfield firefighters assisted at the scene. The crash remains under investigation.

Western Mass News is television partner to The Republican and MassLive.com.
LONGMEADOW  When Carol Leary arrived in Longmeadow in 1994 to become the fifth president of Bay Path University, it was a college with 450 students and three baccalaureate and 14 associate degrees to choose from.

Now, as she plans her retirement in the summer of 2020, Leary looks back on how far she and the school have come.

We are now a university with 3,400 students, over 30 baccalaureate degrees, 30 masters degrees and three doctoral degrees, said Leary.

In addition to obtaining university status in 2014, Bay Paths accomplishments during her tenure include launching the Womens Leadership Conference; the One Day A Week Saturday Program for adult women; the graduate school; The American Womens College, the first all-women, all-online baccalaureate program in the nation; and the construction of the Philip H. Ryan Health Science Center in East Longmeadow as well as satellite buildings in Springfield, Sturbridge and Concord.

Leary said establishing the womens leadership conference with Caron Hobin, vice president of strategic alliances, is one of her greatest accomplishments.

We put that program together 24 years ago and it is still going strong, she said. Launching our very first masters degree was also a highlight for me.

Leary said the first masters program was in communications and information management.

Our theme at the college was leadership, communication and technology," she said. We said in 1995 that we were going to educate all of our students to be ready for technology to play an important role in every professional field. We didnt even have email in 1995, so when you think we came up with such a theme, we were driven towards preparing students for the future.

Leary said another masters program that has had a major impact is business administration with a concentration in entrepreneurial thinking and innovative practices.

What are the buzzwords 17 years later? Entrepreneurship, she said.

Leary said the Saturday Program was a game changer for nontraditional students.

It used to take a woman studying part time up to 10 years to earn her undergraduate degree, she said. We dropped that time to three years and that broke the mold of how you educate adults, and now everybody is doing accelerated programs for adult learners.

Leary said she considered retiring several years ago, but she still had a dream of putting the accelerated undergraduate program online for women who could not make it to campus.

That dream came true in 2013 and those are the milestones that I look back and think I am so blessed to have worked with this group of people to create all of this together, she said.

Diversity has also been a priority for Leary. The daughter of an immigrant father and of two parents who never finished high school, Leary was a first-generation college student. She decided that Bay Path should be attracting and retaining first-generation college students.

When I came here diversity was not as visible at Bay Path, and we made a commitment early on that we were going to really look at the first-generation college student, and a lot of that came from many of us on the administrative team who were also first-gen, she said.

The university is also close to becoming a Hispanic Serving Institution, which requires at least 25% of total enrollees to be Hispanic.

Leary said she reached out to a Puerto Rican undergraduate student for help.

I remember saying to her, Victoria I need you to find me 100 more of you, and she did it. She worked for me as a presidential ambassador and her mother graduated from the Saturday program, and we saw the population grow, Leary said. We looked at the population of our black students and have seen an increase there. Now our first-year class of traditional students was 53% diverse and 47% white this year and 60-65% first-generation students, and our American Womens College is made up of about 40% (students of color) and about 50% first-generation. I believe we reflect our country today and our future.

Victoria Ann Rodriguez, the student who helped increase Hispanic enrollment at the college, met Leary when she was an 8-year-old Girl Scout. When Rodriguez reached her junior year in high school, she ran into Leary again.

She asked me where I was going to college and I told her I applied to all these different colleges and Bay Path wasnt one of them because it was super expensive, but she encouraged me to apply and I did and I got accepted, she said.

She remembers the conversation she had with Leary about diversifying the campus.

Starting my sophomore year I worked with some amazing people in admissions and we put together the first open house for Hispanic students where my mom represented the parents perspective and several students conducted tours of campus in Spanish and talked with them about financial aid and other important topics, she said.

Rodriguez said Leary and her husband, Noel, are like the mom and dad of the college campus.

You go to different colleges and you only see the president on the first day of classes and when you graduate, but she is always on campus for events and having lunch with students," Rodriguez said.

Patricia Pierce, chairwoman board of trustees, praised Carol and Noel Leary for their "uniquely personal commitment and contributions to the University and greater community. Their devotion to the education and well-being of women is the fabric of their lives.

Bay Path University has named by the Chronicle of Higher Education as one of the 20 fastest growing baccalaureate colleges in America, and one of the fastest-growing private nonprofit masters institutions.

The university has received significant funding during the past decade, including approximately $8 million in federal funding through the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Science Foundation. Additional funding has been awarded by the Massachusetts Life Sciences Foundation and the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, and most recently a $1.6 million Strada Education Network grant.

If you stick to the mission of your institution and you figure out how to make it meet the needs and demands of the workplace and our students of today, if youre nimble enough, flexible enough and creative enough to always have that be your compass, you will create the best university, she said.

I always credit my predecessors for keeping Bay Path strong and focused, and I just came in as the next person and took it to the next level, and thats what the new president will do, she said.

The board of trustees will conduct a national search for the next president as Leary makes retirement plans.

Leary is a nationally recognized leader in higher education. In 2016, Leary published Achieving the Dream: A How-to Guide for Adult Women Seeking a College Degree. She has been the recipient of many industry and community awards, including the 2019 Donna Shavlik Award from the American Council on Education. She also received the Pynchon Award for Distinguished Public Service from the Advertising Club of Western Massachusetts and was included in The Republicans The Power of Women anthology.
CHICOPEE -- Police arrested a serial shoplifter who is accused of stealing items from three different Memorial Drive businesses a total of 11 different times.

Kalum Disley, 43, of 13 Grant St., South Hadley, was arrested on Sunday and charged with 11 counts of shoplifting, subsequent offense, said Michael Wilk, police public information officer.

Police were called to the Home Depot, on Memorial Drive by store security. When Officer Gerald Nelson arrived, he saw a security officer chasing a man. When the suspect saw him, he changed direction and ran into the nearby Subway, Wilk said.

Nelson entered the restaurant, talked to the female clerk and then knocked on the restroom door several times. Each time the person inside said "It's occupied." Eventually Nelson identified himself as a police officer and demanded the man open the door, he said.

Disley exited the restroom and attempted to get away, but Nelson handcuffed him. The officer then located several power tools in his possession, Wilk said.

He was also already under investigation by police detectives for multiple other larcenies from Walmart, Price Rite and Home Depot, Wilk said.

Disley was held on $1,040 bond overnight, he said.

The investigation into the larcenies is continuing, he said.
METHUEN -- The German Shepherd believed to have been intentionally shot to death by an intruder last week was actually killed by another animal.

A necropsy of the 3-year-old named Moose determined the German Shepherd was mauled by one or more dogs, Mayor James Jajuga and Chief Joseph Solomon reported in writing on Monday.

The dog was found dead in the wooded backyard of a home on Lowell Boulevard at about 1 p.m., Thursday. The owner said she found one of her dogs lying on top of another when she came home from running errands and went outside to find out what was happening. She then realized Moose was dead, police said.

The discovery brought outrage from police and the public who were angered that a dog could be shot to death in its own fenced-in backyard.

"A necropsy examination performed by veterinarian Martha Smith-Blackmore of Forensic Veterinary Investigations, LLC, determined that the dog was killed in a mauling attack by one or more other dogs," the statement said.

The veterinarian said it is not unusual for a fatal dog-on-dog mauling to be mistaken for a gunshot, Solomon and Jaguga said.

The family has three other dogs, one of which also received a minor injury. In a press conference on Thursday, police said that dog may have been grazed by a bullet or could have been just hurt in the yard.

Officials did not say if one of the other pets killed Moose. Police did offer resources and advice to the family on the next steps they should take, the statement said.

After the dog was found dead, Methuen Police called the incident horrendous." Local and Massachusetts State Police examined the scene for evidence and a K-9 officer and his dog were called in to search the area for ballistic evidence.

This is a tragic crime and it is being treated as seriously as any other violent crime. Law enforcement must have no tolerance for animal cruelty, Massachusetts State Police said on Twitter at the time.

The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was also called in to investigate.

The case is now closed, Solomon and Jaguga said.
Gov. Charlie Baker  again  vetoed a bill that would lift the cap on welfare benefits for children born once their family is already receiving welfare.

Baker said, as he has in the past, that he wants lawmakers to adopt a broader set of welfare reforms, in addition to the cap lift.

I urge you to enact the broader TAFDC reforms I have proposed in order to create a more equitable and streamlined approach to the calculation of TAFDC benefits, while establishing the right set of incentives, Baker, a Republican, wrote in his veto letter. TAFDC is Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children, the formal name for the cash assistance program.

Rep. Marjorie Decker, D-Cambridge, the sponsor of the bill to lift the family cap, criticized Baker for walking away from children most in need.

Decker wrote on Twitter, This is cruel and sadly reveals how little he understands or cares about the plight of our neighbors struggling in poverty.

Keep in mind this policy was to deter poor women from having children and denies our most vulnerable families living in poverty. This is cruel and sadly reveals how little he understands or cares about the plight of our neighbors struggling in poverty.  Marjorie Decker (@MarjorieDecker) April 8, 2019

The Massachusetts House passed the bill 155-1, and the Massachusetts Senate passed it 37-1. That means lawmakers easily have the two-thirds majority needed to override Bakers veto.

Decker wrote on Twitter that she anticipates lawmakers will override the governors veto. To the moms and dads who every day wake up exhausted from the mental and physical grind of trying to transition out of poverty or simply to feed your hungry children or sooth your crying infant who is suffering from the rash of another soiled diaper because diapers are expensive, she wrote. We in the Massachusetts Legislature #mapoli will continue to support you and will be back this time to Lift the Cap for good with an a final over ride. (sic)

Welfare benefits are based on family size. Many states instituted caps around the time of federal welfare reform in 1996 to discourage women on welfare from having more children. Advocates for repealing the cap say women do not decide whether to have a child based on a $100 monthly addition to their welfare check, and the entire family suffers with less money.

There are an estimated 8,700 children in Massachusetts who were born to families receiving welfare payments, so their families benefits do not reflect their birth.

The Massachusetts Legislature initially voted last year, as part of the fiscal 2019 budget, to lift the family cap. But Baker vetoed the provision, saying he would only sign it if lawmakers agreed to his proposed reform that would change welfare eligibility laws. The Legislature passed the budget late enough that there was no time left in formal legislative sessions to override Bakers veto.

The bill lawmakers sent to Bakers desk this year would lift the cap retroactive to Jan. 1, 2019  the same date it would have gone into effect had Baker signed the provision last year.

This year, Baker is again proposing his eligibility change alongside lifting the cap.

Baker wants to count an adults Supplemental Security Income, a payment given to disabled adults, when determining if a family is eligible for welfare. Baker says this would treat SSI income the same as other benefits, like veterans benefits, and bring the eligibility requirements for welfare in line with the requirements for food stamps.

Advocates for poor children oppose the move, since it would deny benefits to 5,200 children with a severely disabled parent.

Baker is also proposing additional changes that could help poor families, including no longer counting someones car against their welfare benefits and not counting someones homeless shelter benefits when determining their payment.

Baker wrote in his veto letter that he wants to see lawmakers adopt that proposal at the same time as they lift the cap.
LAWRENCE -- Police arrested a 39-year-old man for trafficking in fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is at least 50 times more potent than morphine, and other crimes as a result of a drug dealing investigation.

Hector Rivera was arrested on Monday on the trafficking charge, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and a default warrant from Dorchester District Court, after Massachusetts State Police troopers found him armed with a knife and hiding in a bedroom.

Lawrence police, troopers and federal agents working together as part of the North Shore Regional Gang Task Force learned Rivera was in an apartment on 237 Jackson St. and went there to speak to him about the investigation, police said.

The resident permitted agents to enter the apartment, saying Rivera was not wanted there. Troopers then found Rivera in a bedroom, hiding his right hand behind a door, police said.

"Concerned for their safety, the troopers and agents...took measures to secure the suspect through the threshold of the door and detained him after a brief struggle. Afterward they discovered a large sheathed kitchen knife on the floor behind the door," police said in writing.

Officers searched Rivera and found baggies containing fentanyl and cocaine in pockets of his pants, his sweatshirt and in a sock, police said.

While Rivera was being taken into custody he told another person in the apartment to "take care of my stuff for me in Spanish, which was overheard by a Lawrence officer who is bilingual. Based on that statement and other information, police applied for and received a search warrant for the bedroom, police said.

In total law enforcement agents found about 311 grams of fentanyl during the search of Rivera and the bedroom. They also found at least half a gram of what is believed to be cocaine, a package of an unknown brown substance, $604 in cash, cell phones and a machete, police said.
A socially conservative advocacy group plans to challenge Massachusetts conversion therapy ban in court.

Andrew Beckwith, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute, said his group will pursue legal action on the grounds that the new law infringes on free speech.

Beckwith said the law suppresses the free speech of counselors as well as the minor clients they seek to serve.

MFI will probably file suit in federal court, Beckwith said, but he is still evaluating the legal options.

Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, on Monday signed into law a ban on licensed therapists performing therapy on minors that aims to change the persons sexual orientation or gender identity.

Massachusetts is the 16th state to implement a ban on conversion therapy for minors, which most medical organizations say is not a legitimate medical therapy and can harm vulnerable teenagers struggling with their sexuality.

During debate on the bill, Republican members of the state Senate wanted to delay the vote and ask the Supreme Judicial Court if the proposed ban was unconstitutional. But Democrats went ahead with the vote and said the bill was carefully crafted to avoid constitutional concerns.

Sen. Joan Lovely, D-Salem, chair of the Senate Rules Committee, said the bill relies on the well-established authority of the state to regulate professional conduct.

Beckwith said he would not be opposed to banning what is called aversive therapy, where a therapist causes pain to someone who has a sexual reaction to someone of the same sex. But the bill as written also bans talk therapy. Beckwith said this would apply to cases where, for example, a gay teenager does not want to act on his gay urges and seeks help from a therapist.

What were concerned about is this law bans even discussion or talk therapy to help young people avoid behaviors or deal with feelings that they dont want, Beckwith said.

Legal challenges to similar bans in California and New Jersey failed, and the bans were upheld.

But the legal landscape has changed after the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2018 struck down a California law that forced anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers to provide information about abortion.

Proponents of conversion therapy nationally have said they hope that ruling could provide a precedent to strike down conversion therapy bans, since both laws seek to regulate professional speech.

The Supreme Court is basically inviting a challenge to these laws on the grounds of free speech, Beckwith said.
BOSTON  A confirmed MS-13 gang member accused of setting up a 16-year-old gang member who was ultimately murdered pleaded guilty in federal court to racketeering on Monday.

Nelson Cruz Rodriguez Cartagena, 24, who is a Salvadoran national illegally residing in Everett, faces up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and deportation once released from prison. He is to be sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young on July 9, said Christina DiLorio-Sterling, spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling.

Court documents said Rodriguez Cartagena is a full member, or homeboy in the Everett Locos Salvatrucha clique for MS-13, which is a violent, transnational criminal organization. Investigators said they tracked him through prisons calls with a detained gang leader discussing marijuana trafficking, buying unlawful guns and other crimes, she said.

When the (incarcerated) clique leader began to suspect that a member of the (Everett) clique had cooperated with law enforcement leading to his arrest, he enlisted Rodriguez Cartagenas help to ferret out the informant, she said in writing.

Rodriguez Cartagena then identified two possible members and the leader incorrectly concluded that Jose Aguilar Villanueva, 16, was the informant. He had two young gang members kill Villanueva in a Lawrence park on July 5, 2015, DiLorio-Sterling said.

The case was investigated by a variety of law enforcement agencies including the FBI in Boston, Homeland Security, Massachusetts State Police, Massachusetts Department of Corrections, the Essex and Suffolk Sheriffs Departments, the Suffolk, Middlesex and Essex District Attorneys Offices and the Boston, Everett, Lynn, Revere and Somerville police departments.
SPRINGFIELD  The message was loud and clear Monday night as residents urged the City Council to stop the use of plastic checkout bags at stores, saying they are harming the environment and trashing the city.

Approximately 25 residents attended a public speak-out at the Rebecca Johnson School, taking turns to tell councilors to pass an ordinance as soon as possible to ban stores from giving out single-use plastic bags. The ban would take effect a year to 18 months after passage, depending on the size of the store.

Under the ordinance, checkout bags provided by retail stores must be either a recyclable paper bag, a compostable and marine-degradable plastic bag, or a reusable checkout bag. Customers could also choose to bring their own bags of any type. Some opponents have raised concerns about potential costs and inconvenience from eliminating the single-use bags.

The ban could come up for a final vote at the next regular council meeting, April 22.

On Monday, many residents called the ordinance long overdue, saying any walk or drive around the city will find plastic bags scattered everywhere. No one spoke in opposition.

Deborah Smith, of Dartmouth Street, said walking in her neighborhood for less than 10 minutes she easily spotted 40 to 50 small plastic bags.

It was horrible and shocking, Smith said.

Residents and councilors have said plastic bags are not recyclable, get mixed in with trash at the incinerator and pollute the air, litter the roadsides, and wind up in the rivers and ocean.

Elliott Stratton of Buckingham Street said there is a lot of resistance to change, but he questioned why Springfield is lagging behind approximately 95 communities in Massachusetts that have passed similar bans.

We should be a leader, Stratton said. The band wagon left, and were late.

Sheila McElwaine, a Forest Park resident, said she remembers the switch to paper yard waste bags years ago, and that there were some people who thought the world would come to an end. The switch to other reusable bags will become automatic, good for the environment and good for the city, she said.

The ordinance would not ban the use of plastic bags used to wrap meat, produce, or similar products, bags used to contain loose items within the store, newspaper bags, and pharmacy bags.

Charlie Kocsmiersky, who said she is a sixth grader in Springfield, said the ban will cut down on pollution. A lot of youth care, she said.

If there is a ban, people will notice how easy it is to reduce pollution, Kocsmiersky said.

Betsy Johnson of Mattoon Street said changes have been made in the ordinance to ease the transition, and there is a proposal for a statewide ban. Springfield and other cities can help the statewide effort by taking action locally, she said.

Joelle Million, of Longmeadow, saying she represented the Unitarian Universalist Society of Greater Springfield, showed a webbed reusable bag that she has been using more than 20 years. The change from single-use plastic bags is just a matter of people becoming used to it and providing education, Million said.

Resident Verne McArthur said the waste caused by plastic bags is enormous and pollutes the environment in many, many different ways," including breaking down and being found in fish later to be eaten by people.

Ellen Graves of West Springfield said she took part in a cleanup along the banks of the Connecticut River and found countless plastic bags and large bags filled with bags. Springfield residents spoke of incidents such as a plastic bag tangled high in a tree for more than a year, stuck to car grills, and flying around in the wind.

Nine of the 13 councilors attended the speak-out, which was called by the council at its last meeting in order to give the public another opportunity for input.

At the end of the hearing, several councilors praised the residents for speaking up and leaving no doubt about how they felt about the proposed ban.

We have heard you loud and clear, Councilor Tracye Whitfield said.

The meeting was co-chaired by Councilors Jesse Lederman and Melvin Edwards, and other councilors in attendance were President Justin Hurst and Kateri Walsh, Orlando Ramos, Kenneth Shea, Timothy Allen and Adam Gomez.

Shea, who in March said the ban might be a case of government overreach, said he was swayed by the testimony in favor of the ban. Shea said he also personally learned that, rather than being recycled, the bags just dont go away.
HOLYOKE  City planners have outlined to city councilors a state initiative that would make walking to school safer for Kelly School students.

The $2.2 million Safer Routes to School project would improve pedestrian routes to Kelly School, mostly along Main and Crescent Streets and enhance safety for students who walk there daily.

Planning Departments Director Marcos Marrero and Assistant Director John Dyjach asked the City Councils Development and Government Relations Committee on Monday to grant temporary easements for the project.

Ward 3 Councilor David Bartley praised the efforts of Marrero and his staff and the property owners who have granted the temporary easements.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation encourages municipalities to apply for the Safe Routes to School Program. The City of Holyoke applied for the MassDot program in 2013.

MassDot followed with an assessment of the Kelly School neighborhood, according to Marrero. In 2017, the department assembled an internal design team hired the firm WorldTech Engineering.

A public hearing on the matter was held in January.

Marrero expects MassDot will solicit bids for intersection improvement portion in the coming months. The initial construction would focus on the Main and Appleton Streets intersection and a small section of Crescent Street.

Marrero said all funding matters for the project remain in MassDots purview, which removes the City of Holyoke from financial responsibility.

The citys role in it is advisory because we applied for it and they (MassDot) check with us that the design meets the vision for the area, he said.

While the City of Holyoke owns the right of way along the projects route, the city must secure a few temporary easements to fulfill MassDot regulations, which is standard procedure, Marrero said. The agency requires a five-foot buffer from the end line of construction.

Abutters have granted the easements for the project, which they see as a positive, Marrero said. The temporary easements would last three years.

He added the Safe Routes to School encourages students to walk or bike to school along reconstructed sidewalks and shared pedestrian/bike lanes.

The improvements increase intersection safety by replacing substandard traffic lights and adding a dedicated left turn onto Main Street.

The project also includes a pedestrian crossing phase within traffic signals, curb extensions at crosswalks, reconstructed sidewalks, and wheelchair ramps, and replacement of overhead lighting under the Appleton Street rail bridge.

Marrero said the route currently lacks a signal interphase for pedestrians to cross safely. He noted an unprotected left turn from Main to Appleton Streets, which has an intersection crash rate over two times the state and district average.

Curb extensions reduce the distances pedestrians must cross and increases their visibility to motorist. The new wheelchair ramps will meet the guidelines under the American with Disabilities Act.

Temporary easements include parts of the parking lots at the Cubit and Steam Buildings near Main and Appleton Streets.

Marrero expects MassDot will start soliciting project bids in late-September, followed by construction in 2020. He assured the committee that MassDot was fully funding the project with no cost to the city.
BOSTON  The Supreme Judicial Court on Tuesday dismissed a challenge by four public employees to unions authority to be the exclusive representative of employees in their workplace.

Ben Branch, a finance professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, two other university employees and a Hanover public school teacher had declined to join the National Educators Association and its affiliated unions. The four challenged the NEAs ability to charge fees to nonunion members and also challenged the state law giving the union the exclusive right to represent all employees in negotiations with management.

The U.S. Supreme Court, in the 2018 Janus case, held that public unions can no longer charge compulsory agency fees to nonmembers.

The SJC opinion, written by Justice Scott Kafker on behalf of the court, found the challenge to agency fees moot because the unions involved stopped charging agency fees after the Janus decision.

The SJC rejected the professors argument that the exclusive representation law violated their First Amendment rights by not giving them a voice in contract proposals or bargaining strategy. Kafker wrote that their claim was without merit.

Kafker cited decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court, which have found that exclusive representation is necessary to effectively and efficiently negotiate collective bargaining agreements and thus promote peaceful and productive labor-management relations.

He wrote that the Supreme Court has established that unions have a duty to fairly represent even nonunion members, which comes with the right of unions to be the exclusive representatives of employees.

Kafker noted that there was an election to form a union, and those who did not want a union lost the vote. Those who lose elections often do not have representatives speaking in favor of their personal policy preferences, at least until the next election, Kafker wrote.

Margaret Quackenbush, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Maura Healey, said, The SJCs unanimous decision affirms our states longstanding authority to work with unions to ensure the effective delivery of government services, from teaching to medical care to road repairs. We will continue to defend against efforts to undermine the rights of working people in Massachusetts.

This story was updated with Healeys comment.
BOSTON - The States highest court ruled on Tuesday that a Springfield man who admitted to manslaughter in an 2003 homicide should be allowed a judicial hearing to determine whether forensic evidence from the case should be re-examined.

The Supreme Judicial Court ruled that Stanley C. Williamss motion meets the criteria outlined under a state law enacted in 2012 that allows people convicted of a crime to petition the courts for a forensic or scientific analysis of evidence in the case.

Williams has previously had similar motions under Massachusetts General Laws 287A rejected by lower courts in 2013 and 2016.

The law allows anyone convicted of a crime who maintains factual innocence to request the courts allow a re-examination of evidence in the case.

Factual innocence is defined as someone who has been of a crime that the person did not commit. The entire wording of the MGL. 278A hangs on meeting the the defendant meeting the criteria of factual innocence.

In 2005, Williams, then 20, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the April 22, 2003 homicide of Michael Owens, 27. Owens was shot to death outside 112 Federal Street. With the plea, Williams was sentenced to 18-20 years in state prison.

The shooting was the result of a verbal argument that grew physical. Witnesses testified at the trial that they saw Williams draw a gun and shoot Owens, and that after beginning to walk away, he returned and shot Owens again.

Although Williams agreed to prosecutors description of the shooting in accepting the plea deal, he now disputes it, and is claiming he shot Owens in self-defense. He claims the gun belonged to Owens, that Owens drew it on him, and that the shots were fired while the two struggled over the weapon..

He is requesting that clothing from the victim be tested for gunshot residue, and that shell casings from the scene be tested for fingerprints. The tests will support his claim that the gun was not his and that the shooting was self-defense, he claims.

Prosecutors argued that by accepting a guilty plea in 2005 and admitting to shooting Owens, Williams can no longer claim factual innocence.

The Commonwealth contends that (Williams) claim of self-defense is essentially a claim of legal innocence but not factual innocence, the ruling notes. The defendant argues that because he was convicted based on acts taken in lawful self-defense, he properly may assert his factual innocence of manslaughter...We agree with the defendant.

The ruling does not grant Williams a new trial nor overturn his 2005 conviction.

Chapter 278A outlines two procedural steps: a motion stage and a hearing stage. By granting his motion, the court is allowing it to proceed to a superior court hearing, during which Williams will have to show through a preponderance of the evidence that a forensic review could reveal new evidence that overturn his conviction.

If the judge agrees, the forensic review will be conducted, and the results from that could be used to support a motion for a new trial.
HINSDALE, Mass. (AP)  A Massachusetts family is mourning the death of their small horse that officials suspect was killed by a black bear.

The Berkshire Eagle reports that Kathleen Tench Adams, of Hinsdale, posted on Facebook that the 400-pound horse was killed and pulled from its stall on Friday.

Hinsdale Animal Control Officer Elizabeth Zipp says coyotes were seen feeding on the dead horse, but state Environmental Police investigators do not think coyotes could have pulled the horse up and over the gate of its stall, out of a barn and into the family's yard.

Zipp says wildlife officials suspect a bear was responsible. A bear was seen on the property a day later.

She advised people to bring in bird feeders and other food sources to discourage bear visits.
Springfield Council President Justin Hurst called for state investigators to look into city officials who destroyed phone records linked to officers in an alleged off-duty beating in 2015, following a MassLive story detailing how the records disappeared.

It is my hope that the Department of Justice and the State Attorney General expand their investigation into this most recent scandal to include the City Solicitor and any Attorney in the Labor Relations Department, Hurst wrote in a statement, accusing the officials of covering up records that could have implicated the officers.

The phone records mark yet another piece of evidence that the Massachusetts Attorney Generals Office reviewed in its investigation that were unavailable to local investigators. Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni, who decided not to bring charges in the case in 2017, did not have those phone records. MassLive reported last month that the FBI and AGs Office had reviewed angles of video footage from a bank outside Nathan Bills that were not obtained by local investigators.

The Massachusetts Attorney Generals Office has indicted 14 officers on charges that they beat up four men outside Nathan Bills bar after an argument in April 2015.

8 Springfield police officers indicted in alleged off-duty beating of civilians after barroom argument

The city of Springfield acquired the phone records in 2016 showing that a dozen members of the Springfield Police Department had texted or called each other at the time of the alleged beating of four men outside Nathan Bills Bar in April 2015. Those records, however, were destroyed after a police union complaint because city attorney Attorney Rhett Towles improperly obtained them.

Hurst called on Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno to fire anyone who might have known about the phone records getting improperly detained and then destroyed.

Hurst also said he wants city officials to testify under oath about how the city and police department managed to botch this investigation so badly and if it was done intentionally," and called on the Department of Justice and Attorney Generals Office to do the same.

The district attorneys office was aware of the effort to obtain the phone records but was never provided the documents, a spokesman told MassLive. The DAs Office, which relied on the police departments investigations and did not conduct its own factfinding inquiry when evaluating the case, did not attempt to obtain the records itself.

The city never re-acquired the records. The phone records showed the existence and timing of contacts between the officers but did not include the content of text messages or phone calls, MassLive has learned.

Six off-duty Springfield police officers and a co-owner of Nathan Bills Bar and Restaurant were charged with assaulting four men after an argument at the bar. One of the alleged victims, Paul Cumby, suffered a broken leg and loosened teeth. Other officers who responded to the scene have been charged with perjury and lying to investigators in an alleged effort to cover up the attack.

Pikula said the Springfield City Council has the legal authority to issue summonses for documents, Springfields Community Police Hearing Board does not.

If the only way to obtain these phone records was through the city counsel, as is insinuated by Solicitor (Anthony) Pikula, and he chose not to inform us, then he is part of the cover up and should be fired also, Hurst wrote.
ANDOVER - Massachusetts State Police are asking for help to identify a driver who is believed to have injured a second man in a road rage fight Monday.

The man was driving a blue or black Mazda CX-5. He is white, and was wearing a blue shirt, khaki cargo pants and construction boots, police said.

Two men began a fist fight in the breakdown lane of Route 93 north of Exit 42 in Andover at about 5:20 p.m. Troopers responded to multiple calls only to find the two had left the area.

Tewskbury Police soon after located one of the men in their town. The man, 36, of Billerica had been injured and was treated by Tewskbury EMS and taken to Lowell Memorial Hospital with minor injuries, police said.

Anyone with any information about the road rage fight or can identify the second man is asked to contact the State Police Barracks in Andover at 978-475-3800.
How does a trusted old friend adapt to a new generation?

Thats the challenge facing any number of retail establishments and restaurants, one of which is Friendlys, which has closed 23 restaurants and is moving toward new menu and marketing options.

To many customers, Friendlys will always be associated first and foremost with ice cream. In 2016, Friendlys owner, Sun Capital, sold the Wilbraham ice cream manufacturing operation and supermarket sales business to Dean Foods, which supplies ice cream to the Friendlys chain on a 10-year contract.

Survival in the modern marketplace, however, involves much more than offering a wide choice of flavors or carrying a name that generations have trusted. From the local standpoint, the challenges are especially poignant for Friendlys, a local treasure founded in Springfields Pine Point neighborhood in 1935.

By 1988, there were 850 full-service restaurants in 15 states. Just under 200 remain, down from 254 when the company came out of bankruptcy in 2012.

A trusted name in retail or food service, coupled with maintaining a tradition of high quality, used to be enough. Its not anymore.

To remain viable, Friendlys CEO George Michel outlined a number of plans that include adjustments to the menu, a renewed focus on catering and delivery and other strategies. There is still a desire for the trusted, familiar name; whenever Friendlys closes one location, nearby locations in the chain generally see a rise in business.

Thats the positive side of consolidation, and one often overlooked when chains reduce locations. Any time a food establishment changes menu, of course, they take a calculated gamble as some long-time customers resist change, while others or new customers welcome new items joining the tried-and-true reliables.

Three of the closed stores were from Massachusetts, but none were in the western sector where Friendlys was founded. Fourteen were in upstate New York. Whatever nervousness is being felt by Friendlys patrons is tempered by managements assurance that the restaurant chain will come out of the transition stronger, more varied and better prepared to play a role in the 2020s marketplace.

The streamlining is still a reminder than even the most familiar brand names must seek bold and innovative ways to adjust to changing customer tastes and habits. On this count, Friendlys has been fighting the good fight for years. Patrons of this 84-year-old trusted name in food, dining and a great ice cream sundae are rooting for a successful outcome.
Tennessee Gas is pursuing a so called 261 Upgrade Plan for extending pipelines through Agawam and Longmeadow to Springfield and up the Valley to Holyoke. The glut of fracked gas Tennessee is producing promises huge profits. Therefore, Tennessee will double its capacity to deliver gas to Columbia Gas and Holyoke Power and Electric.

We know natural gas, it leaks, presents dangers, is a greenhouse gas (methane) and produces a greenhouse gas (carbon dioxide). We know it is widely used. We do not know how much more gas is needed. Attorney General Maura Healy produced a study which severely disputes such a need. She asks the gas companies to actually prove the need.

In the meantime, gas is leaking from thousands of unrepaired leaks in Massachusetts based on the companies own high figures which, according to experts, should be 1.5 to 3 times higher. This unburned methane occasionally and disastrously explodes but always goes into the atmosphere where it traps approximately thirty times more heat than the carbon dioxide it also puts in the atmosphere during normal use.

Science and observation are now clear. Human production of greenhouse gasses is causing a warming of the planet with consequent droughts, floods, hurricanes and monster storms. The oceans are rising, growing food is getting harder and harder. We can still arrest warming but not by doing the opposite, producing more gas and releasing it into the atmosphere.

We must drastically reduce emissions now or, at an unknown point within the next ten years, it will become impossible to prevent increasing warming regardless of what we do. Huge areas will become uninhabitable, crop growth will shrink, and there will be massive climate migration.

In the face of such an impending catastrophe the gas companies, Tennessee Natural Gas, Columbia Gas and Holyoke Power and Electric must prove to us the need for more gas and the extent of new emissions. They must present a plan for complete leak abatement and a plan for public safety from air pollution as well as explosion.

James H. Tourtelotte, Longmeadow
Amid months of concern and discussions on campus at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester about alleged sexual misconduct -- including a sit-in from students demanding an external audit of the schools Title IX Office -- campus police are now investigating criminal harassment toward the Sexual Assault on the Hill Instagram account.

Over several months, the Instagram page received 10 messages with threats to a Holy Cross senior, one of which encouraged the student to hang him/herself, according to a search warrant affidavit filed in Worcester District Court.

Police have asked Google to provide IP addresses and other information in connection with the 10 messages, reads the affidavit, recently filed by Travis Hunt of the College of the Holy Cross Department of Public Safety.

Sexual Assault on the Hill launched an Instagram page last fall, offering Holy Cross students a chance to anonymously share stories about rape and sexual assault.

Our community doesnt think sexual assault is real, the Instagram page reads.

An investigation into criminal harassment began in December when an anonymous person, referred to through the affidavit as John Doe, reported to Holy Cross Department of Public Safety Chief Shawn de Jong that the Instagram account was receiving threatening and harassing messages, according to the affidavit.

Some of the messages read, youre why nobody believes rape victims, as well as Burn in hell [targets first name] and Take a long walk off a short pier, according to court documents.

The final message, sent in late January, included a lengthy statement encouraging the person to hang him or herself. Other messages also encourage the targeted student to kill him or herself.

These concerning and anonymous messages come during and at the end of a semester at Holy Cross that has included a larger, difficult, and public conversation on campus about reported sexual assaults and which received media attention, the affidavit reads.

John Doe remains anonymous but reports being the curators and moderators of the Instagram page, according to the affidavit.

Since the page was created, it has received hundreds of submissions. The page has more than 4,600 followers.

The Instagram account links to a Google Forms sheet to allow students a platform to share stories. Students who fill out the sheet can designate whether they want to publicly share their story as well as offer constructive ideas to enact change.

The alleged harassing messages were sent through that Google Form, which does not require any identifying information to submit messages.

John Doe identified the target of the harassment to campus police. The affidavit only identifies the target of the harassment as a Holy Cross senior to protect the students privacy.

With no obligation to do so and in performing due diligence, John Doe notified the target of these messages and sent the messages to the target, the affidavit reads. The unknown suspect who submitted the concerning messages in question directly and repeatedly addresses the target by name in the body of several of the messages.

The target of the messages is not involved with the creation or management of the Sexual Assault on the Hill account, according to the affidavit.

The target reports s/he is merely a supporter of the site like many others are, the affidavit reads. The target was alarmed, disturbed, and significantly distressed about the messages and is concerned for his/her safety since the identity of the suspect is unknown and may be a fellow student.

The affidavit seeks IP information from Google with reason to believe that the comments made were with the intent to harass and cause alarm to the moderator who the suspect(s) incorrectly perceived as the target."

Information from Google will determine if a single person engaged in criminal behavior through comments causing emotional distress, citing charges of criminal harassment and annoying or obscene electronic communication.

The safety of members of our community is always our top priority," Holy Cross said in a statement. "The trained law enforcement officers of the Holy Cross Department of Public Safety are actively investigating the threats described in the affidavit. Because this is an ongoing investigation, we cannot divulge specifics about the case at this time.

In a statement sent Tuesday afternoon, Sexual Assault on the Hill said despite the harassing messages, most of the interaction from the Instagram account has been positive.

We are aware of these messages, and each one was disheartening and upsetting to read, the statement read. That said, the majority of the direct messages sent to the account have been positive. Many have demonstrated survivors using their voice to tell their own truths; others have expressed how important the space has been to them in their own healing process and as a way to break the culture of silence at Holy Cross.

Administration at Holy Cross has been working with students in recent months to address concerns about sexual assault and misconduct on campus.

In February, hundreds of students participated in a sit-in, not organized by a particular group, after philosophy professor Christopher Dustin was placed on administrative leave following allegations of sexual misconduct.

Students made several demands of Holy Cross President Rev. Philip Boroughs.

In late March, a Holy Cross spokesman said the school was continuing to work on many of these issues as a community.

A Campus Climate website has been set up, reporting on an initiative to work on two areas: Diversity and inclusion and sexual respect.
EDITORS NOTE: On May 1, MA Cannabis Insider Live will host an all-day event, featuring industry leaders and key voices shaping the industry in Massachusetts. Tickets are limited. More information.

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The massive lines that snaked around Cultivate Holdings in Leicester, as it was one of the first two recreational marijuana shops to open in Massachusetts, garnered more than $193,000 in tax revenue for the town.

Late last month, Leicester received the first tax payment from Cultivate, totaling $193,328.26, according to Kristen Forsberg, assistant to the town administrator.

Cultivate opened on Nov. 20, just days before Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Along with New England Treatment Access, or NETA, in Northampton, Cultivate was one of the first two pot shops to open on the East Coast.

Northampton saw $737,331.40 in revenue from NETAs first recreational marijuana sales.

Leicester received the quarterly 3 percent sales tax payment, reflecting Cultivates marijuana sales from November through February, on March 28, according to Forsberg.

That money is expected to be spent on capital needs and other one-time expenses, she said.

In addition to the tax payment, Cultivate has paid Leicester $75,000 as part of its host community agreement.

The town does not expect future tax payments to be as large, Forsberg said, because Cultivate was one of the first two stores to open, especially during a busy shopping season.

In the first two months of recreational marijuana sales in Massachusetts, sales totaled nearly $24 million.

When Cultivate and NETA opened on Nov. 20, customers spent $440,011 on marijuana.

The state receives 17 percent of the money spent on recreational marijuana from a state sales tax of 6.25 percent and a 10.75 percent excise tax.

Communities are permitted to add a local tax of up to 3 percent.
Companion Diagnostic Market  Overview

Companion diagnostics is a diagnostic test which is used for determining the effect of drug molecule on specific patients. The test is even used for determining the requisite treatment for potential patients. The diagnostic test is one of the most exciting fields in the medical development landscape. The potential benefit of implementing companion diagnostic treatment upon patients is safer treatment with improved clinical outcomes. This form of diagnosis offers a highly innovative and cost-effective approach to patient treatment. The market is growing at a rapid pace due to the potential significance it could bring to the table.

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The global companion diagnostic market is estimated to grow with a strikingly impressive rate of 15.4% during the assessment period of 2017 to 2023. In its latest published report, Market Research Future (MRFR) minutely analyses and identifies the various factors driving the market growth. The factors identified as the contributory drivers of the market are the growing need for monitoring the safety and efficiency of drugs, increasing costs related to drug discovery and development, ameliorating demand for specific treatment methodologies of rare and chronic disorders, and advancing technologies in companion diagnostic devices. Moreover, the proliferating demand for diagnostic devices which boast the capability of detecting tumors in the initial stage of cancer is also driving the markets growth.

On the flip side, lack of skilled professionals and technicians with such devices and lack of awareness in developing economies can pull down the growth percentage of the globular companion diagnostic market.

Competitive Analysis:

The key players in the companion diagnostic market are F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG. (Germany), ARUP Laboratories (U.S.), Myriad Genetics Inc. (U.S.), Agilent Technologies (U.S.), Abbott (U.S.), QIAGEN N.V. (Germany), and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (U.S.).

December 2018 marked the teaming up of Roche and Merck to develop a pan-cancer companion diagnostic in order to detect patients with solid tumors, who are eligible of undergoing an anti-PD-1 therapy or immunotherapy.

Market Segmentation

The segmentation of the global companion diagnostic market is segmented on the basis of technology, end-user, and application.

By technology, the market comprises of In-situ hybridization, Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and immunohistochemistry.

By end-user, the market includes clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical & biotech companies, CRO, and others.

By application, the market includes CNS diseases, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, infectious diseases, and others.

Regional Analysis

Geographical segmentation of the companion diagnostic market includes the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa.

Americas is the market leader of companion diagnostics in the global geographical segmentation. North America stands as the superior contributor in this region over Latin America owing to a number of impactful reasons. The expensive usage of advanced diagnostic services and an imperative need to come up with a solution for cancer diagnosis and treatment is driving the market growth of companion diagnostic devices.

With the second-largest regional market after Americas, Europe contributes majorly to the global companion diagnostic market growth. Factors such as the rising demand for efficiency in the healthcare sector and a strengthening healthcare system are massively contributing to the regions growth. Germany holds the largest market position in Europe primarily because of the residing market players in the nation.

Continuous developments and increasing healthcare expenditure in developing economies like China and India have placed the Asia-Pacific region as the market with the fastest-growing potential. Wide-spread prevalence of lifestyle-based diseases like obesity, diabetes, and cancer to drive the market growth of this region. The Middle East & Africa region is anticipated to grow in a slow and steady manner due to low healthcare expenditure and demand related to primary healthcare services.

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Market Research Future (MRFR) proclaims that the Global Healthcare Cloud Computing Market is predicted to garner a stellar CAGR during the forecast period (2018-2023).

The surging adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) has catalyzed the growth of the market across the globe. Cloud computing can be referred to as the practice of using a network of remote servers which are hosted on the internet, in order to manage, store, and process data. Cloud computing does not require a local server and reduces the overall cost efficiently by cutting infrastructural expenses. Cloud computing provides several benefits which have impacted the general market for cloud-based technologies.

Cloud computing helps to reduce the overall cost as it is used without the interference of physical infrastructure. The internet stores and manages data which cuts down the maintenance cost, thereby propelling the healthcare cloud computing market across the globe. With the widespread and high demand for cloud computing and revolution in IT, the overall healthcare sector has been affected positively. The amount of data generated in the healthcare sector has triggered the adoption of cloud computing across the globe. Moreover, major market players of the healthcare cloud computing are actively engaged in the development of improved services which has continued to optimize operations in complex and large sectors, for instance, healthcare.

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The advent of blockchain technology in cloud computing is considered one of the key trends which are anticipated to gain prominence in the global market. The healthcare sector is highly deploying cloud computing systems in order to streamline claims, achieve greater data security, ensure drug supply chain, manage billings, and ensure health research integrity. Blockchain also provides integrity and superior data security to the systems in which is further employed owing to its distributed characteristics. Such factors are expected to bolster the market growth worldwide.

Industry Updates

January 02, 2019: 3M has recently announced their plan to acquire the cloud-based clinical documentation unit of M*Modal for USD 1 billion. 3M has planned to add the Pittsburgh-based M*Modal business to 3M Health Information Systems unit which is a supplier of services and software to healthcare payers and providers.

3M has recently announced their plan to acquire the cloud-based clinical documentation unit of M*Modal for USD 1 billion. 3M has planned to add the Pittsburgh-based M*Modal business to 3M Health Information Systems unit which is a supplier of services and software to healthcare payers and providers. In November 2018, ClearDATA, a Texas-based healthcare exclusive cloud provider, has secured USD 26 Mn in its latest funding as an investment for healthcare cloud computing services.

ClearDATA, a Texas-based healthcare exclusive cloud provider, has secured USD 26 Mn in its latest funding as an investment for healthcare cloud computing services. In December 2018, it has been announced that Magellan Health, an American for-profit managed healthcare company, is adopting software-as-a-service (SaaS) for identity management and other functions as a part of digital

Competitive Dashboard

The prominent players operating in the global healthcare cloud computing market comprises Microsoft Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Merge Healthcare Inc., Cerner Corporation, Carestream Corporation, ClearData Networks Inc., International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation, CareCloud Corporation, Agfa-Gevaert N.V., Sectra AB, Siemens Healthineers, GE Healthcare, NextGen Healthcare, Dell Inc., athenahealth Inc., and Nuance Communications.

Segments

The healthcare cloud computing market has been segmented on the basis of application, deployment, end-user, and service.

By mode of applications, the global healthcare cloud computing market has been segmented into clinical information system (CIS) and non-clinical information system (NCIS). Among these, the clinical information system is considered to command the major share owing to the increased prevalence of chronic diseases coupled with the surging geriatric population resulting in an increased patient data volume.

By mode of deployment, the global healthcare cloud computing market has been segmented into public cloud, private cloud, and hybrid cloud. Among these, the private cloud is likely to gain prominence in the coming years owing to its higher adoption rate due to better security.

By mode of end-user, the global healthcare cloud computing market has been segmented into healthcare players and healthcare providers.

By mode of service, the global healthcare cloud computing market has been segmented into software-as-a-service (SaaS), infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), and platform-as-a-service (PaaS). Among these, the software-as-a-service is anticipated to gain prominence during the appraisal period owing to its easy deployment, less lead time, and service providers ownership of support and maintenance tasks.

Regional Analysis

Geographically, healthcare cloud computing market span across regions namely, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, and the Middle East & Africa.

Considering the global scenario, the healthcare cloud computing market is dominated by the North American region owing to the presence of the U.S. with a high concentration of market players. Also, the presence of a significant healthcare sector is estimated to foster growth. The region also exhibits an affinity for the adoption of advanced technologies, which is further estimated to contribute to the market growth.

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The Asia Pacific region is considered to expand at a rapid pace owing to the presence of well-developed healthcare infrastructure. Economies like China and Japan are among the most populous countries, possessing a massive patient population. The need to have proper operations in order to treat such a huge patient population has triggered the adoption of advanced healthcare cloud computing solutions in this region.

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The Global Homeopathy Market is expected to grow at a robust CAGR of 14.6% over the forecast period from 2017 to 2023, according to the latest research report from Market Research Future (MRFR). The global homeopathy market is mainly driven by the growing demand for alternative medicine that is free from the encumbrances of the scientific method and evidence-based progression. The growing number of people willing to believe in lifestyle and medicinal systems that dont fit the conventional model of natural laws is likely to be a major driver for the global homeopathy market over the forecast period.

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The growing prevalence of minor conditions that dont warrant any major medicinal intervention is likely to be the major driver for the global homeopathy market over the forecast period, as homeopathy is shown to have no effect on major ailments. Due to not containing any active ingredients, unlike medicine, homeopathy is inherently safer than the latter. This has driven widespread adoption of homeopathic medicine among adults as well as children. Since homeopathic medicine consists of simple sugar pills and other such simplistic formulations, even infants and geriatric individuals can safely consume homeopathic medicine. The absence of active ingredients in homeopathy also makes it safe from the risk of accidental overconsumption, as not having any active ingredients means that the risk they pose is also removed. This is likely to remain the major driver for the global homeopathy market over the forecast period.

On the other hand, the growing campaign by science-based medicine researchers to limit the claims of homeopathy and introduce it to evidence-based research methodologies is likely to hinder the growth of the global homeopathy market. Several respected scientific institutions have come out in recent years against homeopathy being considered as being equivalent to other, evidence-based medicine, due to the clear lack of evidence demonstrating the efficacy of homeopathic medication. Though this hasnt dented the popular appeal of homeopathy, insurance agencies have on occasion removed homeopathic medicine from their coverage. This could hinder the global homeopathy market over the forecast period.

The Global Homeopathy Market is expected to rise to a valuation of USD 31,459.6 million by 2023.

Competitive Analysis:

Leading players in the global homeopathy market include Boiron Group, Heel, Nelson & Co. Ltd., GMP Laboratories, Homeocan Inc., Hyland, and Weleda.

Industry Updates:

In March 2019, the French Academy of Medicine and Academy of Pharmacy published a report urging the French government to remove the reimbursement coverage for homeopathic medicine, on the basis of the demonstrated fact that homeopathic medicine doesnt work. The French healthcare system is in the red at the present, resulting in efforts being made to clear out the deadwood and make the system profitable again.

Also in March 2019, Canada stopped funding homeopathic therapies in Honduras, citing the need to reduce its expenditure on medicine that hasnt been shown to work.

Segmentation:

The global homeopathy market is segmented on the basis of type, application, source, end user, and region.

On the basis of type, the global homeopathy market is segmented into dilutions, tincture, biochemics, ointments, tablets, and others. Tinctures are the fastest growing segment and are expected to exhibit a CAGR of 14.82% over the forecast period.

On the basis of the application, the homeopathy market is segmented into analgesic and antipyretic, respiratory, neurology, immunology, gastroenterology, dermatology, and others.

On the basis of the source, the market is segmented into plants, animals, and minerals.

On the basis of end user, the homeopathy market is segmented into homeopathic clinics, hospitals, retailers, e-retailers, research laboratories, and others.

Regional Analysis:

Europe is the largest regional market for homeopathic medicine and is likely to reach a valuation of USD 11,347.7 million by 2023. The origin of homeopathy was in Europe, which gives the region the first mover advantage in the homeopathy market.

The Middle East and Africa is the fastest growing regional market for homeopathic medicine and is likely to exhibit a CAGR of 16.09% over the forecast period.

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Stem Cell Therapy Market -Overview

Global Stem Cell Therapy Market is likely to touch at 10.3% CAGR during the forecast period. Stem-cell therapy simply put is the utilization of stem cells for preventing or treating a condition or disease. For over 55 years, stem cells have been used for treating serious diseases including cancer, dementia, type 1 diabetes, arthritis, stroke, heart disease, Alzheimers disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinsons disease, spinal cord injuries, burns and osteoarthritis. The stem cells are generally undifferentiated cells which are differentiated into the specialized cell types. There are a couple of key factors that is responsible for the massive growth of the global stem cell therapy market.

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These include new developments in the banking infrastructure of stem cells, increasing research in new stem cell line identification, rising public-private investment in stem cell research, development of latest genetic analysis techniques, increasing research for application of stem cell therapy and the increasing awareness for stem cells therapeutic application in disease management.

Stem cells are used for treating Alzheimers disease by using stem cells in place of the diseased cells. This method has an excellent potential to halt or prevent different forms of neurodegenerative diseases. More than 5.7 million Americans were diagnosed with Alzheimers disease as reported by the Alzheimers Association in 2018. It is the increasing government funding and rising number of neurological diseases that has boost up the stem cell therapy market. But there are some factors however that may restrict the growth of the market during the forecast period. These include regulatory complications, lack of skilled labor exclusive procedures, cross contaminations and difficulty of collection as well as storage techniques of the somatic stem cells.

Top Players:

The leading players profiled in the report include Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc, AlloSource (US), RTI Surgical Inc (US), NuVasive Inc (US), JCR Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd (Japan), HolostemTerapieAvanzateS.r.l. (Italy), Pharmicell Co., Ltd (South Korea), Anterogen Co., Ltd (South Korea), MEDIPOST Co., Ltd (South Korea), and Orisis Therapeutics, Inc. (US).

Latest research in September, 2018 jointly led by University of Pennsylvania and Fourth Military Medicine University revealed that stem cells from baby teeth can be harvested which will have prospective dental uses to repair and regenerate tissues and regrow the adult teeth without the need for dentures or crowns.

Segments:

In MFRFs report, the global stem cell therapy market is segmented on the basis of type, therapeutic application, cell source and end-user.

On the basis of type, it is segmented into autologous and allogeneic. The latter had the largest market share in 2016 for a couple of reasons such as growing commercialization of allogeneic products, its higher therapeutic applications and rising clinical trials associated to this therapy.

On the basis of therapeutic application, it is segmented into diabetes, immunodeficiency, cancer, metabolic disorders, hematopoietic disorders, treatment of eyes, wound healing, neurodegenerative disorders, bone regeneration, cardiovascular disease and medicine.

On the basis of cell source, it is segmented into iPSCs, cord/embryo blood-derived, neural, bone marrow and adipose tissue.

On the basis of end-user, the stem cell therapy market is segmented into stem cell banks, contract research organizations, research institutes, hospitals and biotechnology companies.

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Stem Cell Therapy Market  Regional Analysis

Based on region, the stem cell therapy market segmented into the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East and Africa. The Americas lead the market on account of factors such as growing healthcare expenditure and existence of heart diseases. After the Americas, Europe (Netherlands, France, Belgium and UK) grabs the second position. This can be attributed to factors such as the rising occurrence of osteoarthritis, cancer and stroke.

It is the Asia-Pacific which is the fastest growing region in this market and is likely to see further growth due to the increasing existence of smoking here. The Middle East & Africa (MEA) region holds a relatively smaller share of market due to lack of well-trained healthcare experts and low per capita income. However, both the increasing technology and oncology in the community and the hospital level are likely to positively influence the stem cell therapy market.

Some Points from TOC of Stem Cell Therapy Market Research Report  Forecast to 2023:

Chapter 1. Report Prologue

Chapter 2. Market Introduction

2.1 Definition

2.2 Scope Of The Study

2.2.1 Research Objective

2.2.2 Assumptions

2.2.3 Limitations

Chapter 3. Research Methodology

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Primary Research

3.3 Secondary Research

3.4 Market Size Estimation

Chapter 4. Market Dynamics

TOC CONTINUED

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VirtaMeds GynoS Simulator has included ultrasound training since the 2015 launch of the Embryo Transfer module with the American Society for Reproduction Medicine (ASRM). Now the technology is extended into two new obstetric ultrasound training modules for transvaginal and transabdominal ultrasound training.

The standardized 20+2 approach guides clinicians through a structured routine for examining the mid-trimester fetus, including 20 planes and 2 overview sweeps relating to specific fetal views. This anatomical review includes assessment of gestational age and has the potential to exclude 50 fetal abnormalities. VirtaMeds GynoS simulator introduces the latest proprietary technology that allows the overview sweeps to be realistically practiced by freely navigating across the entire abdomen with realistic ultrasound images, just as in real life.

The possibility to move the probe in a realistic way and use the whole abdominal surface as a gate to achieve ultrasound images; that is how ultrasound imaging is in real life, explains Professor Dr. med. Josef Wisser of Zurich University Hospital. With the VirtaMed simulator you can train how to achieve the planes as in real life, and that is the main advantage of this simulator compared to others.

VirtaMeds GynoS simulator is the most comprehensive and advanced solution for Obstetrics and Gynecology training, including modules for hysteroscopy, IUD placement and embryo transfer. The new Obstetric Ultrasound modules are available on the same platform, helping teaching institutions to save space and money with the multifunctional simulator. First trimester examinations are available through VirtaMeds Transvaginal Ultrasound module, which gives clinicians the opportunity to practice identifying fetal viability, including extrauterine pregnancies.

Dr. Stefan Tuchschmid, Co-CEO of VirtaMed, said, this is an exciting time to extend our training solutions on the GynoS platform. We started our company with hysteroscopy simulation cases fifteen years ago, and I am proud that our simulators have since supported the training of thousands of physicians.

Find out more about the GynoS Obstetric Ultrasound modules here: virtamed.com/ultrasound
Taking direct aim at Facebook and Twitter, Britain is planning to place aggressive new regulations on the social media industry.

Outlined in a new white paper, the proposal spans legislative and non-legislative measures, and endeavors to make social networks more responsible for the safety of their users.

Ultimately, Britains policymakers hope to put into place a new duty of care between social networks and users, which will be overseen by an independent regulator.

Companies will be held to account for tackling a comprehensive set of online harms, ranging from illegal activity and content to behaviours which are harmful but not necessarily illegal, according to the white paper.

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Around the world, calls for stricter social media regulation have been growing louder and louder.

Adding his voice to the chorus, Mark Zuckerberg recently suggested governments consider stricter regulations.

Lawmakers often tell me we have too much power over speech, and frankly I agree, Zuckerberg said. Ive come to believe we shouldnt make so many important decisions about speech on our own.

By updating the rules for the internet, we can preserve whats best about it -- the freedom for people to express themselves and for entrepreneurs to build new things -- while also protecting society from broader harms, Facebooks cofounder/CEO recently proposed.

On Monday, Rebecca Stimson, Facebooks U.K. public policy chief, reiterated Zuckerbergs sentiment.

New rules for the Internet should protect society from harm while also supporting innovation, the digital economy and freedom of speech, Stimson stated. These are complex issues to get right and we look forward to working with the Government and Parliament to ensure new regulations are effective.

Facebook is now contending with stricter regulations around the world.

The Federal Trade Commission recently launched a new task force to expose anti-competitive conduct among top technology companies.

In addition, U.K. policymakers recently called on the Competitions and Market Authority (CMA) to conduct a comprehensive audit of the social-media ad marketplace -- Facebook in particular.

Earlier in the year, antitrust regulators in Germany characterized Facebook as a monopoly and ordered the company to change the way it tracks users across digital channels.
by Sarah Mahoney @mahoney_sarah, April 8, 2019

Patagonia is amping up its definition of purpose and says it will only take on new B2B clients if they are committed to protecting the planet. And while it will continue to crank out those logod vests for companies it already has relationships with, it hopes the new policies will get more brands on board with environmental activism.

The companys statement comes after a series of reports that it was cutting off corporate work for banks and tech firms, a business it's so good at that many call those logo vests the Midtown uniform.

Insisting that it has no intention of leaving any bros out in the cold with its new group sales policy, Patagonia says in a statement, We continue to sell to, and welcome the business of, the B-to-B companies and nonprofits who have been short- or long-term loyal customers  including those who order co-branded vests or other items that feature the groups logo as well as ours.

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But it says demand is up sharply for such products, so for new co-branded partnerships, we now favor B Corps, members of 1% for the Planet and other, similar values-aligned companies.

Some experts in purpose-driven branding applaud the move. I love that Patagonia has done this, says Phillip Haid, CEO of Public Inc., a Toronto-based consultancy that works with such brands as Tiffany & Co., Johnson & Johnson and NBC Universal. This is a ratcheting up of clarity. There are very few companies that could do this, but it shows such confidence in their own positioning to be able to say, 'We stand for the environment and we dont want to work with companies that dont.

The story generated plenty of buzz, including a wise-guy response from Vanity Fair suggesting that all those finance bros could turn to options like a vest, but made of Allbird sneakers laid flat and sewn together; a button-down shirt but with the sleeves cut off to look like a vest (its disruptive)or arm warmers.

Haid also thinks that, at a time when brands seem to be backing away from the strong statements so prevalent in the months following the presidential election in 2016, its canny for Patagonia to show how it is continuing to pursue its values.

This move may seem different from what its done in the past, he tells Marketing Daily, but I think only by degrees. He sees it as very much in keeping with the companys decision to donate all $10 million it saves in evil income tax cuts to environmental causes, for example, or its suit against President Trump over the reduction in the size of the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah.

A Patagonia spokesperson says the company and other plaintiffs are waiting for Tanya S. Chutkan, U.S. District Judge, to rule on the governments motion to dismiss the case.

Patagonia is the poster child for purpose-driven brands, Haid says. This is the next step in its evolution. Were seeing more companies like Patagonia, Levis and Dicks Sporting Goods taking strong stands, leaning more into purpose. And it doesnt have to be at a cost to their business.
by Gord Hotchkiss , Featured Contributor, April 9, 2019

I love email. I hate 62.4% of the people I email.

Sorry. Thats not quite right. I hate 62.4% of the people I email in the futile expectation of a responsesometimein the next decade or so (I will get back to the specificity of the 62.4% shortly). It's you who suck.

You know who you are. You are the ones who never respond to emails, who force me to send email after email with an escalating tone of prickliness, imploring you to take a few seconds from whatever herculean tasks fill your day to actually acknowledge my existence.

It's you who force me to continually set aside whatever Im working on to prod you into doing your damned job! And -- often -- it is you who causes me to eventually abandon email in exasperation and then sink further into the 7th circle of customer service hell: voicemail.

Why am I (and trust me, Im not alone) so exasperated with you? Allow me to explain.

From our side, when we send an email, we are making a psychological statement about how we expect this communication channel to proceed. We have picked this channel deliberately. It is the right match for the mental prioritization we have given this task.

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In 1891, in a speech on his 70th birthday, German scientist Hermann Von Helmholtz explained how ideas came to him He identified four stages that were later labeled by social psychologist Graham Wallas: Preparation, Incubation, Illumination and Verification. These stages have held up remarkably well against the findings of modern neuroscience. Each of these stages has a distinct cognitive pattern and its own set of communication expectations.

Preparation

Preparation is gathering the information required for our later decision-making. We are actively foraging, looking for gaps in our current understanding of the situation and tracking down sources of that missing information. Our brains are actively involved in the task, but we also have a realistic expectation of the timeline required. This is the perfect match for email as a channel. Well came back to our expectations at this stage in a moment, as it's key to understanding what a reasonable response time is. Incubation

Once we have the information we require, our brain often moves the problem to the back burner. Even though its not top of mind, this doesnt mean the brain isnt still mulling it over. Its the processing that happens while were sleeping or taking a walk. Because the brain isnt actively working on the problem, there is no real communication needed. Illumination

This is the eureka moment. You literally make up your mind: the cognitive stars align and you settle on a decision. You are now ready to take action. Again, at this stage, there is little to no outside communication needed. Verification

Even though weve made up our mind, there is still one more step before action. We need to make sure our decision matches what is feasible in the real world. Does our internal reality match the external one? Again, our brains are actively involved, pushing us forward. Again, there is often some type of communication required here.

What we have here -- in intelligence terms -- is a sensemaking loop. The brain ideally wants this loop to continue smoothly, without interruption. But at two of the stages -- the beginning and end -- our brain needs to idle, waiting for input from the outside world.

Brains that have put tasks on idle do one of two things: They forget, or they get irritated. There are no other options.

The only variance is the degree of irritation. If the task is not that important to us, we get mildly irritated. The more important the task and the longer we are forced to put it on hold, the more frustrated we get.

Next, lets talk about expectations. At the Preparation phase, we realize the entire world does not march to the beat of our internal drummer. Using email is our way to accommodate the collective schedules of the world. We are not demanding an immediate response. If we did, wed use another channel, like a phone or instant messaging. When we use email, we expect those on the receiving end to fit our requirements into their priorities.

A recent survey by Jeff Toister, a customer service consultant, found that 87% of respondents expect a response to their emails within one day. Half of those expect a response in four hours or less. The most demanding are baby boomers -- probably because email is still our preferred communication channel.

What we do not expect is for our emails to be completely ignored. Forever.

Yet, according to a recent benchmark study by SuperOffice, that is exactly what happens. 62.4% of businesses contacted with a customer service question in the study never responded. 90.5% never acknowledged receiving an email. They effectively said to those customers, Either forget us or get pissed off at us. We dont really care.

This lack of response is fine if you really dont care. I toss a number of emails from my inbox daily without responding. They are a waste of my time. But if you have any expectation of having any type of relationship with the sender, take the time to hit the reply button.

There were some red flags that these non-responsive companies had in common. Typically, they could only be contacted through a web form on their site. I know I only fill these out if I have no other choice. If there is a direct email link, I always opt for that. These companies also tended to be smaller and didnt use auto-responders to confirm a message had been received.

If this sounds like a rant, it is. One of my biggest frustrations is lack of email follow-up. I have found that the bar to surprise and delight me via your email response procedure is incredibly low:
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, April 9, 2019

Two Senators are expressing concerns to the Federal Trade Commission about the data practices of Google, Facebook and other tech companies.

The intensive collection and monetization of consumers personal data by digital platforms, as well as reported breaches of consumer data held by these companies, has raised significant questions regarding privacy and data security, Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) say in a letter sent to the agency this week.

The lawmakers add that the large market share commanded by Google, Facebook and Amazon has amplified concerns about how those companies protect consumers online information and about possible anticompetitive conduct that could harm consumers, innovation, and small business growth.

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As Congress considers legislation to enact stronger safeguards for consumers online privacy, we urge the FTC to use its existing authority to protect the privacy and security of consumers online data, they write. Klobuchar and Blackburn call particular attention to concerns that Facebook may share data between WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger -- three services the company intends to integrate.

The lawmakers also want the FTC to reveal whether it is investigating Google or other tech platforms over privacy.

We understand that the FTC does not typically comment on nonpublic investigations, but the public discussion surrounding Google and other companies conduct have made this a uniquely important national issue, they write.

In recent years, advocacy groups have urged the FTC to probe Facebook and Google over a host of practices. For example, last December, advocacy groups alleged in an FTC complaint that Google dupes parents by offering apps that violate children's privacy in the Play Store's Designed for Family section. And last April, the Electronic Privacy Information Center asked the FTC to investigate Facebook's use of facial recognition technology, which enables the company to identify people based on photos uploaded by their friends.

FTC investigations aren't public, but last March the agency took the rare step of confirming that it was probing Facebook's data transfers to political consultancy Cambridge Analytica, which obtained information for up to 87 million users of the social networking service.

Klobuchar and Blackburn are now asking the agency to disclose other non-public investigations that may be of significant public interest.
OMAHA, Neb.

April 9, 2019

Bonnie Croom

Dallas

Reno, Nevada

Mark and Elaine Wimbush

Mike Flair

Karin Hockman

Craig Karrasch

West Region Caregiver of the Year: Selene Montez of Palm Desert, California (franchisees Elaine and Dan Fox )

of (franchisees ) Central Region Caregiver of the Year: Junica "Nissy" Campbell of Omaha, Nebraska (franchisee Kristi Benning )

of (franchisee ) Northeast Region Caregiver of the Year: David Alan of Wakefield - Melrose, Massachusetts (franchisees Rosaleen Doherty and Jay Kenney )

of - (franchisees and ) Southeast Region Caregiver of the Year: Teresa Shelton of Knoxville, Tennessee (franchisee Joy Wilson )

Omaha, Nebraska

http://www.rightathome.net/about-us

http://www.rightathomefranchise.com/blog/

http://www.rightathomefranchise.com/

Lauren Turner

lauren@nolimitagency.com

/PRNewswire/ -- Today, leading in-home care franchise Right at Home is proud to announce thathas been named this year's recipient of its National Caregiver of the Year award. Croom was recognized in front of Right at Home's entire system of franchisees, office staff and corporate employees at its annual conference inCroom has been a member of the Right at Home family for six years, working as a caregiver in, for franchisees. Her passion for her work is evident in her daily interactions with her clients and their families and her colleagues alike, positively impacting all with whom she interacts. Her kind disposition and selflessness truly embody Right at Home's mission "to improve the quality of life for those we serve," making her more than deserving of this esteemed recognition."Bonnie lives out our belief to provide the Right Care for the Right Reasons in the Right Way," said, Vice President of Franchise Business Solutions at Right at Home. "She is the Right Person in her role, and we couldn't be luckier to have her as a valued caregiver."Right at Home caregivers are nominated for the award by Right at Home franchisees. Caregivers are selected by an independent group of professionals in the healthcare industry based on the following criteria: character, client impact, brand ambassadorship, team spirit and professional development. Croom's unwavering commitment to providing compassionate, personalized care is awe-inspiring, and her ability to form meaningful connections has bettered the lives of many clients and their families."I thought my standard of care for my grandmother was extremely high, but then, I met Bonnie," said, granddaughter of one of Croom's clients, Alyce. "Bonnie took things that I had established and made them better, more efficient, more excellent  always going above and beyond the call of duty and raising the level of Alyce's care to a higher standard. She honored my grandmother just like I did. Bonnie loved her with care and sensitivity, patience and kindness. Bonnie brightened up our world immensely with her cheery smile and optimism."Glowing reviews of Croom's caregiving, like that of Hockman's review, are abundant. Another one of Croom's clients, Dr., echoed a similar sentiment when recounting Croom's care for his mother, Nina."Bonnie reduced my stress and prolonged my mother's life with love and care, giving us that much more time with her," Karrasch said. "Bonnie is the 'poster child' for Right at Home, the face of the franchise, and the instrument used whenever I have referred Right at Home to others."In addition to honoring Croom on a national scale, Right at Home recognized four caregivers at the regional level for their outstanding commitment to their clients. This year's Region Caregivers of the Year are:Going the extra mile to provide exceptional care for those in need of at-home assistance often comes down to the everyday little things. Right at Home is proud to recognize the exemplary caregivers within its system whose purpose-driven work betters the lives of those they are entrusted to serve.Founded in 1995, Right at Home offers in-home companionship and personal care and assistance to seniors and adults with a disability who want to continue to live independently. Local Right at Home offices are independently owned and operated and directly employ and supervise all caregiving staff, each of whom is thoroughly screened, trained, and bonded/insured prior to entering a client's home. Right at Home's global office is based in, with more than 500 franchise locations in the U.S. and seven other countries. Right at Home is the highest-ranked senior care franchise opportunity on Entrepreneur magazine's Franchise 500 list, coming in at No. 49 overall. For more information on Right at Home, visit About Right at Home ator read the Right at Home franchising blog at. To learn more about franchising opportunities, please visitNo Limit Agency312-526-3996

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SOURCE Right at Home




The whole world is gearing up to watch superheroes in action on the big screens, but looks like the nation has already found one in real life in an Indian Navy officer, Lt. Rahul Dalal.

People say that an officer is 'never off-duty' and Lt. Rahul Dalal's bravery and courageous act just reiterates the same. Lt. Rahul Dalal was enjoying the evening of April 5 with his wife at Vypin beach, when he noticed a person struggling in water. He was unable to swim and was crying for help.

 Facebook

There was a huge crowd, but sadly no one was able to help him. So, without giving a second thought, Rahul jumped straight into the water and rescued him within half an hour. It wasn't easy at all, as both Rahul's and the drowning man's lives were at risk because of the strong under-current.

"The officer also had to deal with the desperate and panicked victim who was pulling him down, putting both their lives in danger. The officer calmed the victim and made him hold onto his shoulders, after which he started swimming towards the beach. Lt Dalal mustered all his strength and managed to reach the shore with help of some locals," read the Facebook post shared by the official page of Indian Navy.

It was further mentioned, "The victim, however, was not breathing and was unconscious. When his mouth was opened, it was found that some plants were choking his air passage. Lt Dalal cleared the passage and administered Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation, whereupon the victim was revived."

The drowning man, identified as Mr. Dileep Kumar from Aurangabad, was then rushed to a Government hospital where he was discharged after recuperation.

Stories like these and people like Lt. Rahul Dalal are the real superheroes who restore our faith in humanity with their selfless efforts.
Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Sia Anagnostopoulou participated in todays meeting of the EU General Affairs Council in Luxembourg, whose main topic was Brexit.

During her intervention, she noted that the EU has demonstrated a positive stance with regard to Brexit since, during the negotiations, it once again laid on the table a culture of compromise and consensus. In addition, she stressed that a disorderly withdrawal on the part of the United Kingdom would be harmful both for political, as well as economic reasons, while mentioning that the EU ought to be proud of its rejection of the scenario of a disorderly withdrawal.

With regard to the issue of the duration of an extension of article 50, she expressed her support for the adoption of a flexible long-term extension. At the same time, she noted that the United Kingdom ought to provide clear positions with regard to its plans, in order for the Withdrawal Agreement to be ratified, and she expressed the need for continuing the honest cooperation between London and the EU over the course of the extension.

Wrapping up her intervention, she stressed that with our stance and positions, we strengthen the culture of consensus, while unity is safeguarded and strengthened within the EU. In this context, the leaders will decide on the issue of an extension, while the scenario of withdrawal without agreement does not constitute a political position for the EU.
Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Sia Anagnostopoulou will participate, on Tuesday 9 April, in the EU General Affairs Council (GAC) on the recent developments related to BREXIT, which will be held in Luxembourg. More specifically, the Ministers for European Affairs will work together in light of the extraordinary European Council which will be held in Brussels on Wednesday, 10 April.



Subsequently, talks will be held on the multi-annual financial framework (2021-2027), while the conclusions of the European Commissions reflection paper entitled Towards a sustainable Europe by 2030 are expected to be approved. In accordance with Article 7, paragraph 1 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), the Ministers will discuss the state of the rule of law in Poland and respect of EU values in Hungary. During the working luncheon, the Ministers for European Affairs will focus on the upcoming European Parliament elections.

Following the conclusion of the proceedings of the GAC, the Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs will travel to Brussels to attend the extraordinary European Council meeting.
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Giorgos Katrougalos, will travel to Lebanon in order to participate, jointly with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, and of Lebanon, Gebran Bassil, in the proceedings of the Trilateral Ministerial Meeting between Greece, Cyprus and Lebanon, which will be held on Wednesday, 10 April 2019.

The three Ministers of Foreign Affairs and their delegations will discuss recent developments in the wider region of the Eastern Mediterranean, while they will focus on the possibilities for reinforced cooperation in fields related to security and stability, mutually beneficial economic growth, tourism, as well as education.

In the context of the meeting, the Minister of Foreign Affairs will also meet, on a bilateral basis, with his Lebanese counterpart, Gebran Bassil. Issues of regional interest will be discussed, while emphasis will be placed upon strengthening bilateral relations, especially in the fields of culture, education, and tourism.
Hong Kong: Teresa Cheng to visit Europe

Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng will visit France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Austria from April 11 to 18.

Ms Cheng will promote Hong Kongs legal and dispute resolution services during her stay in Paris, Luxembourg, The Hague and Vienna.

She will also call on courts, government departments and international organisations.

This story has been published on: 2019-04-09. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
PORT AUSTIN  A pair of out-of-area kayakers had local authorities scrambling in a potentially dangerous situation Monday night.

According to Huron County Sheriff Kelly J. Hanson, his office was contacted just after 9 p.m. Monday, after a caller contacted the Port Austin Police Department about two kayakers possibly being in trouble out on Lake Huron.

The caller said the two individuals, who were from Sterling Heights, were kayaking in the Port Austin Harbor around 9 a.m. Monday and one fell into the water. A resident helped get them out of the water and let me warm up and dry out at their home.

Later Monday evening, the same kayakers set off at the Liberty Street easement to kayak to Turnip Rock, and were last seen around 8:30 p.m. This time, the resident became concerned and called the Port Austin Police Department.

"Judging from the incident that occurred in the morning, it was believed that they probably weren't all that experienced to begin with, or all that well equipped," said Hanson. "So the concern came about, and justifiably so, that there could be a problem."

After Port Austin police contacted the sheriff's office, a rescue effort was set in motion, including the county airboat being brought to the area from Caseville and the Coast Guard being called.

Around 10 p.m., Hanson was put in contact with the woman by Huron County Central Dispatch, who informed him the two were safe on shore in a tent between Port Austin and Pointe aux Barques. She said they decided to camp on the beach since it was windy and getting dark.

"To still head out there in the evening I don't think was a good idea," Hanson said. "Fortunately, everything turned out alright, because I just wasn't getting a good feeling as that was all coming together."

Hanson then turned things over to the Port Austin Police Department, as the pair were likely camping on private property.

A message left with Port Austin police Tuesday seeking further information was not immediately returned.
UPPER THUMB  Two suspicious fires in the past few weeks have officials investigating a connection between the two fires and the potential culprit or culprits.

According to Caseville Fire Chief Ben Willenberg, firefighters were called out around 3:15 a.m. Saturday, to a property located on Limerick Road, just prior to the Maxwell Road intersection. There, a 40-by-80 foot dilapidated barn was fully engulfed and appeared to have been burning for quite some time.

Willenberg said a Caseville Township Police officer noticed a glow coming down Crescent Beach Road off of Sand Point. He then followed it out to Limerick Road and located the fire before calling it in.

The partially-collapsed barn was empty and no other structures were threatened by the fire, so responders let it burn down for safety reasons, before extinguishing it. Caseville firefighters were assisted by the Oliver Township Fire Department, and were on scene around four and a half hours.

There was no power to the barn, which was on a property with an old burned down home from many years ago.

"We believe it to be intentionally set," said Willenberg.

Just three weeks ago, officials responded to a boat fire just a mile away from Saturday's fire on Maxwell Road. There, an 18-foot fiberglass boat on a trailer was believed to be intentionally torched.

"This is the second illegal fire we've been on out on that corridor," Willenberg said.

Because of the suspicion of both fires, the Caseville Fire Department is working in conjunction with the Huron County Sheriff's Office in finding the perpetrator or perpetrators.

"If somebody's running around and lighting stuff on fire  it is dangerous to have the fire department called out there," Willenberg said. "There's always that danger. It's not taken lightly  these fires are being investigated and if we find out who did it, there will be possible criminal charges."

Firefighters used around 20,000 gallons to put Saturday's fire out. There were no injuries reported.

"There were a lot of resources used to extinguish this fire," Willenberg said. "When it involves the safety of the firemen, it makes it a pretty serious matter."
ANSONIA-The citys Board of Aldermen is expected to pass a resolution against tolls and an ordinance that will add members to the WPCA during their meeting tonight in City Hall.

Additionally, the Aldermen are expected to elect Frank DeLibero, a 20-year-old college student to serve the remaining term left behind by his father, Frank, who died in February.

The Aldermen will also consider request by Robert Evans, the school systems director of facilities, to waive a bid and award a $499,000 contract to Connecticut Boiler Inc., to replace the Middle Schools boilers.

Evans advised the Aldermen in an April 2, 2019 letter that Connecticut Boiler already has equipment on the site and would forego three months of billing for the temporary boilers which will save the city.

The buildings boilers were damaged during a September, 2018 flood.

If you approve this request, Connecticut Boiler has committed to begin the work on April 22 and have the boiler completed no later than July 31, Evans wrote the Aldermen. The abatement process can be scheduled during the April vacation.

The all-Republican Board of Aldermen is expected to pass a resolution against the implementation of tolls as well as any new taxes on gasoline, heating oil and electric bills.

The resolution contends that the implementation of tolls may adversely impact the flow of customers to Ansonias growing commercial and restaurant base, thereby harming Ansonias economy and business community.

It goes on to say that if the system for tolls is not carefully planned and constructed-the implementation of tolls could negatively impact congestion on roads across Connecticut as drivers attempt to avoid gantries...

Already Sheltons all-Republican Board of Aldermen passed a similar resolution.

Also on the agenda is an ordinance that will add two members to the Water Pollution Control Authority. The ordinance requires at least one member to an Alderman and two members to come from Public Works.

During the past two months, Nunzio Parente, the Water Pollution Control Authoritys chairman has been odds with the over who will foot the approximate $850,000 cost to repair the collapsed sewer line on Pershing Drive. The WPCA voted 3-2 in March to pay the full bill.
EAST HAMPTON The Connecticut Draft Horse Rescue and its volunteers were recently honored with a citation from the Connecticut General Assembly for its dedication to saving and improving the lives of draft horses.

State Rep. Irene Haines, R-East Haddam, and state Sen. Norm Needleman, D-Essex, presented the framed document to founder and equine veterinarian Stacey Golub March 20, according to a press release.
The following are recent arresrts by the Middletown Police Department

April 7

An 18-year-old Hartford man was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, possession with intent to sell and possession of a controlled substance. He was held on $10,000 bond and given a court date of April 8.

A 21-year-old High Street man was charged with interfering with police, breach of peace and attempted assault on police. He was held on $10,000 bond and given a court date of April 8.

April 6

A 31-year-old Dove Lane man was charged with disorderly conduct. He was released on a promise to appear and given a court date of April 8.

A 47-year-old Bretton Road woman was charged with disorderly conduct. She was released on a promise to appear and given a court date of April 8.

April 5

A 45-year-old Omo Street man was charged with risk of injury to a child, third-degree assault and disorderly conduct. He was released on $5,000 bond and given a court date of April 8.
EAST WINDSOR  Inside a massive warehouse, where thousands upon thousands of confidential documents are stored, destroyed and recycled, Gov. Ned Lamont presented his plans to reduce bureaucracy in state government by eliminating unnecessary paperwork.

The irony was not lost on Infoshred President and Founder Stacey Lombardo. The bulk of her business is in storing and destroying confidential documents, many of which come from one of her biggest clients: the state of Connecticut.

But as a small business owner, increased efficiency in state government means less paperwork for Lombardo and more energy spent on growing her business, which is moving into e-recycling, or the destruction of confidential electronic information. And thats something she can get behind.

We as a business really appreciate the efficiencies the state of Connecticut purchasing process has afforded us because we can now focus on our business and putting more energy and focus into what we do, Lombardo said.

Lamont, accompanied by Department of Administrative Services Commissioner Josh Geballe, toured Infoshred, the states largest contractor for the destruction of confidential records, to announce the effort to eliminate 90,000 forms processed annually by DAS and ultimately make it easier for small businesses to work with the state, though its unlikely the state itself will see any cost savings from the effort.

The state paid almost $146,000 to Infoshred in 2018 for document storage and records destruction services, roughly 60 percent of the states total budget for that type of service. Many confidential documents such as tax forms have strict retention schedules set by the state, and must be destroyed in a secure facility.

With fresh eyes, an aggressive approach, and collaboration, we can modernize state government the way it should be, Lamont said in a statement. It is too difficult to navigate through our agencies - it slows down our employees and our businesses. Commissioner Geballe has hit the ground running and in just over two months already identified ways to eliminate burdensome red tape.

Among the initiatives to reduce the so-called red tape are efforts to simplify redundant processes, reduce manual processes by moving all transactions online, digitizing records to more efficiently utilize office space, modernizing the states e-sourcing system, reducing duplicative functions across agencies, and centralizing and consolidating the purchase of enterprise systems and software.

Additionally, a bill currently pending in the legislature would eliminate thousands of forms processes annually by DAS. The legislation would reduce the amount of forms businesses must fill out in the procurement process from 7 to 1. Lamont said this will encourage more businesses to apply for state contracts  many are deterred by the cumbersome process, he and Geballe agreed  which could lead to more competitive bids and ultimately save the state money.

Its not always the most sexy topic but its critically important, Geballe said.

Lamont and Geballe are also inviting residents and businesses to submit their ideas for reducing bureaucracy in state government by using the hashtag #cutredtapeCT on social media or emailing cutredtapect@ct.gov. The responses will be monitored by DAS until the end of April, and those who submit the best ones could be invited to discuss their solutions with the governor.

kkrasselt@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2563; @kaitlynkrasselt
The U.S. service members killed in an improvised explosive device attack in Afghanistan on Monday were Marines, the Navy secretary said Tuesday, marking the first combat casualties for the service in more than three years.

The Marines were killed by an IED attack on their vehicle near Bagram Airfield, north of Kabul. A contractor, an Afghan citizen who was initially reported dead, survived the attack, and three other U.S. troops were hurt in the blast.

Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer asked members of Congress to pause in honor of the Marines during a hearing on Capitol Hill.

"It is still a very risk-filled world out there," Spencer told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The Marines' identities have not yet been released by the Defense Department, pending family notification. One of the Marines was identified as Staff Sgt. Christopher Slutman by the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department in Maryland where he served for 19 years, according to a statement from Fire Chief Oleg Pelekhaty.

Through this trying time, we will remember Chris for the father, husband, brother, son, and friend that he was, the moral character he displayed daily, and the courage and conviction to serve his fellow Americans, both at home and abroad, the statement reads.  We ask for your thoughts and prayers for his firehouse brothers, his fellow Marines, his friends -- but most of all, his family.

The deaths mark the first combat casualties for the Marine Corps in more than three years, according to Defense Department casualty reports. In March 2016, Staff Sgt. Louis Cardin was killed in northern Iraq from wounds he suffered when members of the Islamic State group attacked his unit with rocket fire.

The Taliban claimed responsibility on Twitter for Monday's attack. The insurgents were traveling with a vehicle-borne IED that hit the U.S. armored vehicle during a security patrol, Fox News reported.

Officials did not immediately respond to questions about how many Marines are currently operating in or around Bagram Air Base. As of last summer, some members of I Marine Expeditionary Force were operating in and around Bagram, where they were training Georgian soldiers, who provide base security there.

There are about 41,000 Marines forward-deployed in at least 60 countries around the world, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller said Tuesday.

"Some in harm's way, as we found out all too well yesterday," he said.

-- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins.
A U.S. Army air and missile defense unit in South Korea recently devised its first counter-drone defense plan to protect a garrison area as the threat of enemy unmanned aerial systems, or UAS, becomes more likely.

The proliferation of inexpensive drone technology has given birth to a new type of aerial threat on the battlefield. Practically silent, drones can conduct surveillance and carry munitions for a direct-attack role.

As part of a January exercise, E Battery, 6-52 Air and Missile Defense Battalion, in South Korea received orders to provide counter-UAS protection for Camp Carroll, located on the southeast portion of the Korean peninsula in Waegwan. Officials with the unit could not say for sure whether its the first time a deployed Army unit has developed an integrated counter-drone strategy in a training exercise, but it appears to be the first time the service has publicized in detail such an effort.

During the training exercise, E Battery leaders created a base defense design that relied on shoulder-fired FIM-92 Stinger Missile, Man-Portable Air Defense Systems, as well as DroneDefender systems to complement organic capabilities such as the Avenger -- a system equipped with eight Stinger missiles, a .50-caliber machine gun and forward-looking infrared (FLIR). It can work with Sentinel radar, which tells the system where to point.

The DroneDefender is a shoulder-fired system that interrupts the frequencies that enemy UAS operate on to bring them down and neutralize the threat.

"We had to design our defense plan and remain inside of Camp Carroll, which is a pretty small military installation here on the Korean Peninsula," 2nd Lt. Matthew Becker, a platoon leader in E Battery, told Military.com in a recent interview.

Soldiers armed with DroneDefenders can engage drones out to 500 meters. One crew member manned the turret of the Avenger at all times and used the FLIR and air picture from the Sentinel radar to search and scan for incoming aircraft or UAS.

"We integrated our DroneDefenders with our Avengers ... and we used the Avenger capabilities and our organic Sentinel capabilities to increase our overall air picture and situational awareness of the air space around Camp Carroll," Becker said. "That's how we developed a layered defense."

The unit held an after-action review, or AAR, to hear comments from leaders from other units.

"We improved our plan. ... We moved positions, we increased our posture, we added DroneDefenders if needed, and we integrated the Sentinel air picture," Becker said. "We added more positions, which really just gave us overlapping fires; we found some blind spots that we didn't initially take into consideration."

The AAR also included drone pilots looking at the plan to see how they could penetrate it.

Because of training restrictions in place across South Korea, the exercise could be held only at the battery level and did not include any live UAS flyovers to test the effectiveness of the defensive plan, unit officials said.

They were not discouraged by this, however, since E Battery has an enduring counter-UAS mission at a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, missile site in South Korea, Capt. Norris Potter IV, commander of E Battery, told Military.com.

"There is a platoon there 24/7; we just rotate them through," he said. "It's a live, enduring mission. ... The soldiers are able to train and certify and, at the THAAD site, they do fly UAS for validation and certification."

In the end, E Battery leaders were satisfied with the exercise.

"The layered defense is good because it adds more to the mission of what we can bring to the table," Potter said. "It allows us to train and execute our core [mission] with the Avenger and Sentinel systems, while adapting to this environment and integrating the counter-UAS piece."

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.
The White House budget proposal for the Coast Guard would underfund critical missions and is "dead on arrival" in Congress, Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz was told during a House hearing Tuesday.

Under the administration's proposal for the Department of Homeland Security, "Coast Guard operational capabilities will be reduced" and long-term funding for the planned new heavy icebreaker, or Polar Security Cutter, would be jeopardized, Rep. Lou Correa, chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security, said in his opening remarks.

"This budget proposal is dead on arrival since Congress will not entertain these cuts," Correa, D-California, said at the hearing on funding proposals for the Coast Guard and the Transportation Security Administration.

If President Donald Trump's budget proposals are enacted, "the Coast Guard will need to scale back operations," Correa said. He did not give any immediate indications of how much more funding Congress might seek for the Coast Guard above the administration's proposal.

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Correa's charges were seconded by Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Mississippi, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee.

"The administration proposes underfunding the Coast Guard at a time when national disasters, cyber attacks and drug trafficking are making its efforts more difficult every day," Thompson said.

The administration also proposes cutting 815 personnel from the TSA and eliminating 55 canine teams, he added.

Thompson challenged Schultz on the response to a Homeland Inspector General's report last year charging that a female lieutenant commander at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, was retaliated against for filing complaints of bullying and harassment by a superior.

The lawmaker charged that the Coast Guard has "stonewalled efforts of this committee" to obtain documents related to the IG report and called on Schultz to produce the material by the end of business Tuesday.

Schultz pledged to meet the deadline.

"We are going to deliver," he said. "We will meet that submission date today [and] be as responsive as possible."

He added that a superior officer at the Coast Guard Academy singled out in the IG report will retire from the service this fall.

The proposed $11.3 billion Coast Guard budget for fiscal 2020 includes $9.3 billion in discretionary funding, which must be appropriated by Congress. That figure is down from $10.3 billion in discretionary funding appropriated for fiscal 2019.

Schultz defended the budget proposal, saying it would allow the Coast Guard to "maintain momentum" on critical programs. But he acknowledged that the "flatlining" of funding over the last 10 years is having an effect.

"We're at a critical junction," he said, adding that readiness is in danger of eroding. "Our purchasing power has, in fact, declined."

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
In confirmation of a move first announced by President Donald Trump via tweet last December, the Pentagon confirmed Tuesday that Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley has been nominated to succeed Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Dunford will reach the end of his four-year tenure as chairman this fall.

"I am thankful to both of these incredible men for their service to our Country! Date of transition to be determined," Trump tweeted Dec. 8, 2018.

In a news release Tuesday afternoon, the Pentagon also confirmed that Air Force Gen. John Hyten, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, has been nominated as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs. That development was first announced earlier Tuesday afternoon by outgoing Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson.

Milley, who has served as the Army's top officer since August 2015, is a career infantry officer with 39 years of service, having received his commission in 1980.

He previously served as commander of U.S. Army Forces Command and served a tour in Afghanistan as commanding general of International Security Assistance Force Joint Command and deputy commanding general of U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, one of three deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Other operational deployments include a tour in Iraq and service in Egypt, Panama, Haiti, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Somalia and Colombia.

A four-time Bronze Star recipient, Milley also holds the Combat Infantryman Badge with star; Expert Infantryman Badge; Master Parachutist Badge; Scuba Diver Badge; Ranger Tab; and Special Forces Tab, according to his official biography.

As chief of staff, Milley has been a major force for advancing Army technology, spearheading efforts to ramp up readiness and develop six modernization priorities, including long-range precision fires, a next-generation combat vehicle, future vertical lift, air and missile defense, Army network, and soldier lethality.

He oversaw an effort to extend Army entry-level infantry training in order to professionalize young soldiers and improve their skills, and has been at the forefront of a slate of new recruiting initiatives in the wake of a service recruiting shortfall last year.

Milley also charged ahead with the rollout of a long-anticipated new gender- and age-neutral Army fitness test, which will be mandatory for all soldiers by 2020.

"Combat is not for the faint of heart, it's not for the weak-kneed, it's not for those who are not psychologically resilient and tough and hardened to the brutality, to the viciousness of it," he told reporters in October 2018. "We've got to get this Army hard, and we've got to get it hard fast."

Milley appeared on Capitol Hill before the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday with Army Secretary Mark Esper to discuss the service's fiscal 2020 budget requirements.

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.
'Truly Not Alone': Air Force Spouse Trying to Improve Mental Health for Military Families on Okinawa

Mental Health Peer Alliance meets at Kadena twice a week for activities like art therapy, exercise for mothers and small...
Retired Lt. Col. Richard "Dick" Cole, the last veteran of the famous "Doolittle Raid" on Tokyo during World War II, died Tuesday. He was 103.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein announced Tuesday during the Space Symposium in Colorado that Cole had died at Texas' San Antonio Medical Center. Goldfein had visited Cole at the hospital earlier this week, he said.

"There's another hole in our formation," he told the audience Tuesday. "Our last remaining Doolittle Raider has slipped the surly bonds of Earth. He is now reunited with his fellow Raiders. And what a reunion they must be having."

The famed raid was named for then-Lt. Col. James "Jimmy" Doolittle, who led 16 B-25 bombers and 80 crew members from the aircraft carrier Hornet in the western Pacific on a strike targeting factories and military installations in and around Tokyo on April 18, 1942. The mission helped boost morale after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

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Cole, Doolittle's co-pilot on the mission, received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his role in the bombing.

"Those 80 intrepid airmen changed the course of history," Goldfein said. "They executed a one-way mission without hesitation against enormous odds."

Cole spoke to Military.com about the raid in 2016.

"The flight was designed to do two things: One, to let the Japanese people know that they could be struck by air; and the other thing was the morale, and we did that, so we were very proud of that," he told Military.com.

In 2014, then-President Barack Obama signed legislation awarding the Congressional Gold Medal, the nation's highest honor for distinguished achievements, to the Doolittle Raiders.

Cole, who stood beside Obama during the signing, said he wished his fellow pilots could have been there to see the historic day.

"I wish all of the Raiders were here to take part in the bill passing," he said in an interview with Air Force Times at the time. "I couldn't be happier."

A year later, the medal was presented at the U.S. Capitol; it is now at the National Museum of the Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

On the 75th anniversary of the raid in 2017, veterans and leaders from across the U.S. honored the Raiders with a ceremony and a B-25 and B-1B Lancer flyover followed by a toast at the museum.

On Tuesday, Goldfein recalled that ceremony. He said he asked Cole what it felt like to be "'flying blind for so many hours, low on gas, after they hit their targets, trying to make it to the Chinese coastline without a beacon to guide them."

Cole, he said, joked it would have been nice to have had GPS back then.

"We're going to miss Col. Cole, and we offer our eternal thanks and our condolences to his family," Goldfein said. "The legacy of the Doolittle Raiders will forever live in the hearts and minds of airmen long after we've all departed."

The Raiders' achievements have been celebrated many times over the years. In 2017, President Donald Trump spoke with Cole during a phone call in advance of his 102nd birthday.

The Air Force in 2016 named its next-generation B-21 Long Range Strike Bomber the Raider after the Doolittle Raiders, which Cole announced for the service.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.
Army Gen. Richard Clarke, the new head of Special Operations Command, pledged Tuesday to tackle misconduct and ethical failures in the ranks of the special ops community that threaten to erode the nation's trust in its "silent" warriors.

Special operators are held to the "highest professional standards," Clarke said. "We're also aware that members of our units have failed in recent times to always meet these standards."

Congress' support is "contingent on the trust that you place in us to execute our missions" in accordance with the nation's laws and values, Clarke told a hearing of the House Armed Services subcommittee on special operations and low-intensity conflict.

"This misconduct erodes that trust," he said. "You have my commitment that I will hold people accountable and preserve the trust that America has in its special operations forces."

Clarke did not get into specifics, but special operations has been rocked by charges that Chief Special Warfare Operator Edward Gallagher, a member of SEAL Team 7, stabbed to death a wounded ISIS prisoner in Iraq in 2017. Gallagher also allegedly tried to coerce potential witnesses against testifying.

In another case, two Navy SEALs and two Marines have been charged in the June 2017 homicide in of Army Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar in Bamako, Mali.

In his testimony at the hearing, Mark Mitchell, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, also stressed ethical standards in accordance with the laws of armed conflict.

"As we continue to make progress, we share the committee's concerns about the serious ethical failings of some members of our SOF community," said Mitchell, an Army special ops combat veteran who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for actions in Afghanistan in 2001.

"While they don't reflect the true nature of an SOF professional, such incidents erode morale and the confidence of our partners and elected representatives," he said. "I can assure you that these incidents have our full attention."

The hearing was called to review SOCOM's fiscal 2020 budget request of $13.8 billion, an increase of about 2% over the previous year.

According to a Congressional Research Service analysis, the $13.8 billion represents a $381 million increase over the fiscal 2019 SOCOM budget.

The $13.8 billion includes $9.6 billion for the baseline budget and another $4.2 billion from the Defense Department's Overseas Contingency Operations, or OCO, funding, the so-called "war budget" that does not count against spending caps of the Budget Control Act 0f 2011.

Both Clarke and Mitchell said the budget request would aid in SOCOM's ongoing transformation under the National Defense Strategy from counter-terror operations to more focus on deterring near-peer competitors such as China and Russia.

During his confirmation hearing in December, Clarke told the Senate Armed Services Committee that "while violent extremism persists, challenging regional stability and threatening our interest, near-peer competitors grow in both capability and intent to contest our vital national interest."

Clarke succeeded Gen. Raymond A. "Tony" Thomas III, who retired last month after completing a 90-day review of misconduct and ethical challenges facing SOCOM.

Under questioning from Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-New York, Clarke pledged to share with Congress the findings and recommendations of the review.

Clarke, 56, a recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal, came to SOCOM from his previous post as director for strategic plans and policy, Joint Staff, at the Pentagon.

In his career, he has commanded five different divisions, the 173rd Airborne Brigade, and the 75th Ranger Regiment in Europe, Iraq, Afghanistan and stateside, according to his official biography.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to correct Clarke's military awards.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
The head of U.S. Strategic Command, or STRATCOM, has been nominated as the next vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to Air Forces top civilian.

Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson told audiences at the Space Symposium in Colorado on Tuesday that STRATCOM commander Gen. John Hyten has been nominated for the position.

Hyten would take over from Air Force Gen. Paul Selva, who is retiring.

The move to elevate Hyten comes at a time when the Defense Department is focused heavily on expanding its space assets.

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As STRATCOM chief, Hyten has emphasized the need for nuclear modernization and expanded communications, as well as the growing demand for improved defenses in space against near-peer adversaries such as Russia and China.

Since assuming the position in 2016, Hyten has said space is his "third priority," with "nuclear first, nuclear command-and-control second."

He has said he is grateful the Trump administration is creating a Space Force and associated components to deal with emerging threats from adversaries in space.

"The president said we need a structure inside the Pentagon focused on space all the time, and I support that structure," Hyten said during a March 28 House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces hearing. "I think the most important thing we can do in the near term [is] to stand up a new unified command, moving space out from under my command, out from under U.S. Strategic Command, and creating a new U.S. Space Command focused 100 percent of the time on the space problem.

"Space will never be higher than my third priority. I get to spend so little time on space because I have to focus on the nuclear capability," he added.

Prior to his current post, Hyten was vice commander and then commander of Air Force Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, between 2012 and 2016, according to his official biography.

He has fought for other modernization programs, including the UH-1N Huey helicopter replacement program, which has been in the works for more than a decade. Last year, Hyten stressed the move is long overdue for STRATCOM, which uses the aging Huey helicopter for aerial protection of its missile sites.

"We are going to get a new helicopter in the missile fields," he said Aug. 1 during his opening remarks at the 2018 STRATCOM Deterrence Symposium in Omaha, Nebraska. "We are going to get a new helicopter if I have to die trying or if I have to kill somebody to do it. It is taking way too long."

In September, the Air Force chose Boeing Co. to build the Huey replacement at a cost of approximately $2.38 billion.

If confirmed, Hyten will serve with Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley. In December, Trump nominated Milley to succeed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Joseph Dunford.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.
A U.S. contractor working alongside troops in Afghanistan has been found alive after a blast that killed three American service members and wounded three others. Officials initially announced Monday that the contractor, too, had been killed.

Following an assessment on scene, it was determined that the contractor, an Afghan national, had received initial treatment with other injured civilians, according to Operation Resolute Support officials. The contractor was later identified and treated at Bagram Airfield, officials said in a release Tuesday.

"We feel and mourn the loss of these Americans with their families and loved ones," said Gen. Scott Miller, commanding general of Operation Resolute Support and United States Forces-Afghanistan. "They volunteered to protect their country. We will continue our mission."

The wounded American troops were evacuated and are receiving medical care, officials said Monday.

Related: Three US Troops and a Contractor Killed Near Bagram Air Base

The blast from an improvised explosive device occurred near Bagram Air Base, the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan. Defense Department officials told The Wall Street Journal that the explosion was the result of a Taliban attack on a convoy carrying the American service members.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack on Twitter, calling it a suicide bombing on a U.S. armored vehicle.

Officials confirmed to Fox News that the attack was the result of a suicide bombing. The combatants were traveling with a vehicle-borne IED that hit the U.S. armored vehicle during a security patrol, Fox News said.

The names of the casualties are being withheld for at least 24 hours pending next-of-kin notification.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.
There are several education benefits available to dependents of active duty members and veterans as well as surviving family members of deceased veterans. Ranging from scholarships to totally free school, these benefits are often overlooked.

Department of Defense

Post 9/11 GI Bill Transferability

There is a special provision of the program that allows military members to share their remaining GI Bill (education) benefits with immediate family members. The key factor is whether or not the member has used any of their GI Bill in the past; only unused benefits can be transferred. This means that if they used 12 months of their GI Bill, then they can only transfer the remaining 24 months of benefits.

Service members must meet specific criteria to be eligible to transfer their GI Bill benefits. This includes having at least six years of service and an obligation to serve at least four more.

Learn more about the rules for transferring GI Bill benefits.

Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts (MyCAA)

The Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts (MyCAA) program provides up to $4,000 of Financial Assistance for military spouses who are pursuing degree programs, licenses or credentials leading to employment in portable career fields.

Spouses can contact MilitaryOneSource for education counseling and help to find alternative funding sources. Call toll free at: 800.342.9647.

Click here to learn more about the MyCAA Career Advancement Accounts program.

Learn more about Spouse Employment opportunities and programs.

Related: Southern New Hampshire University offers up to 30% off tuition for active duty military and their spouses. Learn more.

Veterans Affairs

Dependents Education Assistance Program

The Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) program provides education and training opportunities to eligible dependents of certain veterans. The program offers up to 36 months of education benefits. These benefits may be used for degree and certificate programs, apprenticeship and on-the-job training. Remedial, deficiency and refresher courses may be approved under certain circumstances.

Learn more about the Dependents Education Assistance Program.

Marine GySgt John D. Fry Scholarship Program

The Fry Scholarship is a program similar to the Post-9/11 GI Bill that makes education benefits available to the surviving spouses and children of service members who die in the line of duty after Sept. 10, 2001. Like Post-9/11 veterans, eligible surviving spouses and children attending school may receive full tuition coverage at state-operated colleges and universities, plus a monthly living stipend and book allowance under this program.

Surviving spouses can use the Fry Scholarship for 15 years from the anniversary of the service member's death or until they remarry. Eligible children can use the Fry Scholarship between the ages of 18 and 33. Children under age 18 cannot use this benefit even if they have completed high school. The child's marital status does not affect eligibility for the Fry Scholarship.

Learn more about the Marine GySgt John D. Fry Scholarship Program.

State Provided Education Benefits

Educational benefits for families, particularly the children of deceased, MIA, POW and disabled veterans, may be available in some states.

Click here to learn more about State Veteran Education Benefits.

Scholarships and Grants

While looking for money for school many spouses and their families overlook the over $300 million of military - and veteran - related scholarships and grants. These scholarships often go unclaimed.

Not applying for scholarships is like turning down free money.

Find scholarships for veterans on Fastweb.com.

Many organizations also offer scholarships for military children and spouses.

Army Resources

Army Emergency Relief (AER)

Army Emergency Relief maintains two scholarship programs  the Spouse Education Assistance Program and the MG James Ursano Scholarship Program for dependent children. Both scholarships provide financial assistance for students who are pursuing their first undergraduate degree.

Visit the Army Emergency Relief site for more details.

Air Force Resources

Air Force Aid Society (AFAS)

The AFAS offers grants, scholarships and loans:

General Henry H. Arnold Education Grant Program - This need-based grant program offers grants of at least $2,000 to selected children and spouses of active duty, retired and deceased active duty and some reserve Air Force members.

This need-based grant program offers grants of at least $2,000 to selected children and spouses of active duty, retired and deceased active duty and some reserve Air Force members. AFAS Merit Scholarship - The Society awards a minimum of ten $5,000 merit-based scholarships to incoming freshmen who have completed both phases of the General Henry H. Arnold Education Grant application, and therefore, have already been reviewed for eligibility and had their GPA verified. Selection is based on cumulative GPA, SAT/ACT scores, transcripts and an essay on a specified topic.

The Society awards a minimum of ten $5,000 merit-based scholarships to incoming freshmen who have completed both phases of the General Henry H. Arnold Education Grant application, and therefore, have already been reviewed for eligibility and had their GPA verified. Selection is based on cumulative GPA, SAT/ACT scores, transcripts and an essay on a specified topic. Supplemental Education Loan Program - This loan is open only to dependents of regular Active Duty, some reservists and retired members who applied for the General Henry H. Arnold Education Grant. The maximum dollar amount is $1,000.

Visit the Air Force Aid Society to learn more.

Navy and Marine Corps Resources

The Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (NMCRS)

The NMCRS Education Assistance Program offers interest-free loans and grants for colleges or voc/tech schools in the US. The program is available for children of active duty, retired or deceased sailors and marines; and for spouses of active duty and retired sailors and marines.

Visit the NMCRS site for more details

Coast Guard resources

The Coast Guard Foundation

The Coast Guard Foundation offers grants for active duty enlisted members and their spouses, it also offers scholarships to children of active duty, retired or deceased enlisted members.

Grants for spouses of active-duty enlisted members - These grants are open to spouses of active-duty enlisted personnel, and spouses of some reservists. Grants are for $500.

These grants are open to spouses of active-duty enlisted personnel, and spouses of some reservists. Grants are for $500. Scholarships for Coast Guard children - These scholarships are open to unmarried dependent children of enlisted active duty members, reservists on extended active duty for 180 days or more, retirees, or deceased members. Applicants must be college-bound high school seniors entering a college or technical school for the fall semester or a full-time undergraduate student already enrolled in an accredited four-year undergraduate program or technical school.

For more information see the Coast Guard Foundation's website.

Coast Guard Mutual Assistance (CGMA)

Supplemental Education Grant - The SEG program reimburses documented educational costs specifically required by a course of study. Multiple grants may be awarded up to the authorized amount throughout the calendar year.

The SEG program reimburses documented educational costs specifically required by a course of study. Multiple grants may be awarded up to the authorized amount throughout the calendar year. CGMA Stafford/PLUS Loan Fee Reimbursement - Assistance for those who finance post-secondary education through the Federal Stafford Loan or Federal Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS). CGMA reimburses clients for the loan fee (not to exceed 4% of the loan amount) typically charged borrowers at the time funds are disbursed.

Assistance for those who finance post-secondary education through the Federal Stafford Loan or Federal Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS). CGMA reimburses clients for the loan fee (not to exceed 4% of the loan amount) typically charged borrowers at the time funds are disbursed. CGMA Education Loan - An interest-free loan (up to $2,000) to help with post-secondary education expenses.

Visit the Coast Guard Mutual Assistance website to learn more.

Find More Military-Friendly Scholarships

Find more cash for school or get the lowdown on scholarships and education help available for your family. FastWeb can help. Visit FastWeb.com to have education tips and benefits updates delivered directly to your inbox.
No matter who you are or how you were injured, the process to heal, retrain and get ready for the next fitness test is a long...
Whether a former ground-pounding grunt or a pilot on an Osprey, veterans possess a high degree of grit and know how to complete a mission with few resources and a lot of sweat.

That's why many tech employers are actively recruiting military veterans. They recognize that vets know how to get the job done with a high degree of precision and professionalism.

Related: Six Must-Have IT Skills for Techies

Even Amazon founder Jeff Bezos knows it. He tweeted about the progress his company has made toward its promise of hiring 25,000 veterans and military spouses.

So which tech companies are looking to hire vets now? Here are just a few of the giants that are actively recruiting military veterans. Some of them even have training programs designed to help vets gain a foothold in the tech industry.

1. Amazon.com

On the Amazon Web Services (AWS) website, the tech giant pledged to hire 25,000 military veterans and spouses by 2021. And for veterans with little to no experience in tech, Amazon has offered to provide training and certification to 10,000 active-duty service members, veterans and spouses through its AWS Educate program. According to its website, AWS Educate provides access to "credits, training, and the option to choose their desired cloud career."

While many veterans do possess a high degree of technical skills, AWS doesn't require you to have any previous knowledge or education in cloud services. It promises to provide a personalized pathway to a rewarding career. AWS Educate is available to veterans, transitioning military personnel, and their spouses residing in the United States.

"At Amazon, we're constantly looking for leaders who can understand that it takes grit and determination to complete a mission," said Sean Kelley, a Navy veteran and talent acquisition director at Amazon.

Watch the video to learn how AWS Educate works.

For more information on its career services, visit Amazon's military recruiting website.

Related: Navy Vet's Mission to Help Military Families Get Jobs at Amazon

2. Google

Google went big with its commitment to helping veterans find careers with its Super Bowl LIII ad, which announced new programs and services that promise to help military veterans and their families find a home at the tech giant.

It kick-started a "Help a Hero Get Hired" program, which, according to its website, is "a nationwide annual event and connects military veterans in transition with Googler mentors in partnership with Student Veterans of America and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America."

Veterans are more than their military occupational specialty, and apparently Google knows it. The program pairs veterans with mentors and workshops both in-person and virtually over Google Hangouts. In addition, the mentor helps guide the veteran through resume creation, how to ace an interview and guidance in finding the right career path.

For more information, visit Google for Veterans.

3. Microsoft

Microsoft was one of the first companies to offer free training services for military veterans and their families.

According to its website, the Microsoft Software & Systems Academy (MSSA) "provides the veteran community with critical career skills required for today's growing technology industry." In addition to MSSA, Microsoft also provides training to military spouses through its Military Spouse Technology Academy.

To find out more, visit Microsoft's Military Affairs website.

Related: Vets in Tech: Chris Cortez & Microsoft's MSSA

4. Cisco

Cisco's military training program launched in 1997 and continues to assist hard-charging military veterans with training and career resources. According to its website, the Cisco Networking Academy has helped more than 87,000 military personnel on 31 installations advance their tech skills and help them find rewarding careers.

Most recently, Cisco created the Cisco Talent Bridge, which connects qualified veterans with Cisco channel partners worldwide.

If you're a veteran with little to no technical training or education, start with Cisco's Networking Academy.

Cisco's Talent Bridge for Veterans is open to transitioning service members (within 180 days of end of active service), post-DD214 veterans, National Guard, reservists or military spouses who meet at least one of the following criteria: Bachelor's Degree (or higher) majoring in a technology field of study (e.g. engineering, computer science), Associate's Degree with at least two years related IT/networking industry experience, or Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification (or higher).

5. GoDaddy

Founded by Marine Corps Vietnam veteran Bob Parsons, GoDaddy is another company with a solid reputation for hiring military veterans and has landed on several notable best places to work lists in recent years.

According to its website, in addition to military veteran hiring preferences and resources, GoDaddy has donated more than $1.4 million to the Semper Fi Fund over the years. That organization helps injured service men and women and their families from all branches of service.

Veterans know that a community of like-minded vets is important. Veterans will also enjoy continued support through GoDaddy's veteran employee organization "GDVets," which offers a variety of support resources, guest speakers and other events.

To find a career at GoDaddy that's right for you, visit GoDaddy's career employment website.

Related: For the latest veteran jobs postings around the country, visit the Military.com Job Search section.

Want to Know More About Veteran Jobs?

Be sure to get the latest news about post-military careers as well as critical info about veteran jobs and all the benefits of service. Subscribe to Military.com and receive customized updates delivered straight to your inbox.
The following guidelines are established for all individuals who require access to classified information.

They apply to persons being considered for initial or continued eligibility, and are used by government departments and agencies in all final clearance determinations.

Related: Search for security clearance jobs.

The determination of whether the granting or continuing of eligibility for a security clearance is based upon careful consideration of the following guidelines A-M:

Guideline A: Allegiance to the U.S.

The Concern:

An individual must be of unquestioned allegiance to the United States.

Conditions that could raise a security concern and may be disqualifying include:

Involvement in any act whose aim is to overthrow the Government of the United States or alter the form of government by unconstitutional means;

Association or sympathy with persons who are attempting to commit, or who are committing, any of the above acts;

Association or sympathy with persons or organizations that advocate the overthrow of the United States Government, or any state or subdivision, by force or violence or by other unconstitutional means;

Involvement in activities which unlawfully advocate or practice the prevention of others from exercising their rights under the Constitution or laws of the United States or of any state.

Conditions that could mitigate security concerns include:

The individual was unaware of the unlawful aims of the individual or organization and severed ties upon learning of these;

The individual's involvement was only with the lawful or humanitarian aspects of such an organization;

Involvement in the above activities occurred for only a short period of time and was attributable to curiosity or academic interest;

The person has had no recent involvement or association with such activities.

Guideline B: Foreign Influence

The Concern:

Having close ties with individuals who are not citizens of the United States could create the potential for foreign influence that could result in the compromise of classified information.

Contacts with citizens of other countries or financial interests in other countries could also create vulnerability to coercion, exploitation, or pressure.

Conditions that could raise a security concern and may be disqualifying include:

An immediate family member, or a person to whom the individual has close ties of affection or obligation, is a citizen of, resident of, or present in, a foreign country;

Sharing living quarters with a person or persons, regardless of their citizenship status, if the potential for adverse foreign influence exists;

Relatives, cohabitants, or associates who are connected with any foreign government;

Failing to report, where required, associations with foreign nationals;

Unauthorized association with a suspected or known collaborator or employee of a foreign intelligence service;

Conduct which may make the individual vulnerable to coercion, exploitation, or pressure by a foreign government;

Indications that representatives or nationals from a foreign country are acting to increase the vulnerability of the individual to possible future exploitation, coercion or pressure;

A substantial financial interest in a country, or in any foreign owned or operated business that could make the individual vulnerable to foreign influence.

Conditions that could mitigate security concerns include:

A determination that the immediate family member(s), cohabitant, or associate(s) in question are not agents of a foreign power or in a position to be exploited by a foreign power;

Contacts with foreign citizens are the result of official U.S. Government business;

Contact and correspondence with foreign citizens are casual and infrequent;

The individual has promptly complied with existing agency requirements regarding the reporting of contacts, requests, or threats from persons or organizations from a foreign country;

Foreign financial interests are minimal and not sufficient to affect the individual's security responsibilities.

Related: Discover your perfect career path with Military.com's Military Skills Translator + Personality Assessment.

Guideline C: Foreign Preference

The Concern:

When an individual acts in such a way as to indicate a preference for a foreign country over the United States.

Conditions that could raise a security concern and may be disqualifying include:

The exercise of dual citizenship;

Possession and/or use of a foreign passport;

Military service or a willingness to bear arms for a foreign country;

Accepting educational, medical, or other benefits, such as retirement and social welfare, from a foreign country;

Residence in a foreign country to meet citizenship requirements;

Using foreign citizenship to protect financial or business interests in another country;

Seeking or holding political office in the foreign country;

Voting in foreign elections; and

Performing or attempting to perform duties, or otherwise acting, so as to serve the interests of another government in preference to the interests of the United States.

Conditions that could mitigate security concerns include:

Dual citizenship is based solely on parents' citizenship or birth in a foreign country;

Indicators of possible foreign preference (e.g., foreign military service) occurred before obtaining United States citizenship;

Activity is sanctioned by the United States;

Individual has expressed a willingness to renounce dual citizenship.

Guideline D: Sexual Behavior

The Concern:

Sexual behavior that involves criminal offense;

Indicates personality or emotional disorders;

Subject the individual to coercion, exploitation, or duress, or reflects lack of judgment or discretion. see footnote)

Conditions that could raise a security concern and may be disqualifying include:

Sexual behavior of a criminal nature, whether or not the individual has been prosecuted;

Compulsive or addictive sexual behavior when the person is unable to stop a pattern of self-destructive or high-risk behavior or which is symptomatic of a personality disorder;

Sexual behavior that causes an individual to be vulnerable to coercion, exploitation or duress;

Sexual behavior of a public nature and/or which reflects lack of discretion or judgment.

Conditions that could mitigate security concerns include:

The behavior occurred during or prior to adolescence and there is no evidence of subsequent conduct of a similar nature;

The behavior was not recent and there is no evidence of subsequent conduct of a similar nature;

There is no other evidence of questionable judgment, irresponsibility, or emotional instability;

The behavior no longer serves as a basis for coercion, exploitation, or duress.

Guideline E: Personal Conduct

The Concern:

The following will normally result in an unfavorable clearance action or administrative termination of further processing for clearance eligibility:

Refusal to undergo or cooperate with required security processing, including medical and psychological testing

Refusal to complete required security forms, releases, or provide full, frank and truthful answers to lawful questions in connection with a personnel security or trustworthiness determination.

Conditions that could raise a security concern and may be disqualifying include:

Reliable, unfavorable information provided by associates, employers, coworkers, neighbors, and other acquaintances;

The deliberate omission, concealment, or falsification of relevant and material facts from investigations to determine security clearance eligibility;

Personal conduct or concealment of information that may increase a persons susceptibility to blackmail;

A pattern of dishonesty or rule violations, including violation of any written or recorded agreement made between the individual and the agency.

Association with persons involved in criminal activity.

Conditions that could mitigate security concerns include:

The information was unsubstantiated or not pertinent to a determination of judgment, trustworthiness, or reliability;

The falsification was an isolated incident, was not recent, and the individual has subsequently provided correct information voluntarily;

The individual made prompt, good-faith efforts to correct the falsification before being confronted with the facts;

Omission of material facts was caused or significantly contributed to by improper or inadequate advice of authorized personnel, and the previously omitted information was promptly and fully provided;

The individual has taken positive steps to significantly reduce or eliminate vulnerability to coercion, exploitation, or duress;

A refusal to cooperate was based on ill advice from legal counsel or other officials and, upon being made aware of the issue, fully and truthfully provided the requested information;

Association with persons involved in criminal activities has ceased.

Related: For the latest veteran jobs postings around the country, visit the Military.com Job Search section.

Guideline F: Financial Considerations

The Concern:

An individual who is financially overextended is at risk of having to engage in illegal acts to generate funds.

Conditions that could raise a security concern and may be disqualifying include:

A history of not meeting financial obligations;

Deceptive or illegal financial practices such as embezzlement, employee theft, check fraud, income tax evasion, expense account fraud, filing deceptive loan statements, and other intentional financial breaches of trust;

Inability or unwillingness to satisfy debts;

Unexplained affluence;

Financial problems that are linked to gambling, drug abuse, alcoholism, or other issues of security concern.

Conditions that could mitigate security concerns include:

The behavior was not recent;

It was an isolated incident;

The conditions that resulted in the behavior were largely beyond the person's control (e.g., loss of employment, a business downturn, unexpected medical emergency, or a death, divorce or separation);

The person has received or is receiving counseling for the problem and there are clear indications that the problem is being resolved or is under control;

The affluence resulted from a legal source; and

The individual initiated a good-faith effort to repay overdue creditors or otherwise resolve debts.

Guideline G: Alcohol Consumption

The Concern:

Excessive alcohol consumption can leads to questionable judgment, which may increase the risk of unauthorized disclosure of classified information.

Conditions that could raise a security concern and may be disqualifying include:

Driving while under the influence, fighting, child or spouse abuse, or other criminal incidents related to alcohol use;

Reporting for work or duty in an intoxicated or impaired condition, or drinking on the job;

Diagnosis by a credentialed medical professional of alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence;

Evaluation of alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence by a licensed clinical social worker;

Habitual or binge consumption of alcohol to the point of impaired judgment;

Consumption of alcohol after completing a rehabilitation program

Conditions that could mitigate security concerns include:

The alcohol related incidents do not indicate a pattern;

The problem occurred a number of years ago and there is no indication of a recent problem;

Positive changes in behavior supportive of sobriety;

Successful completion of a rehabilitation program along with aftercare requirements, as well as abstaining from alcohol consumption for at least 12 months.

Guideline H: Drug Involvement

The Concern:

Drug abuse or dependence may impair social or occupational functioning, increasing the risk of an unauthorized disclosure of classified information.

Conditions that could raise a security concern and may be disqualifying include:

Any drug abuse (illegal use of a drug or use of a legal drug in a manner that deviates from approved medical direction.);

Illegal drug possession, including cultivation, processing, manufacture, purchase, sale, or distribution;

Diagnosis by a credentialed medical professional of drug abuse or drug dependence;

Evaluation of drug abuse or drug dependence by a licensed clinical social worker;

Failure to successfully complete a drug treatment program prescribed by a credentialed medical professional.

Recent drug involvement, especially following the granting of a security clearance.

Conditions that could mitigate security concerns include:

The drug involvement was not recent;

The drug involvement was an isolated or aberrational event;

A demonstrated intent not to abuse any drugs in the future;

Satisfactory completion of a prescribed drug treatment program, including rehabilitation and aftercare requirements, without recurrence of abuse.

Guideline I: Emotional, Mental and Personality Disorders

The Concern:

Emotional, mental, and personality disorders can cause a significant deficit in an individual's psychological, social and occupational functioning.

Conditions that could raise a security concern and may be disqualifying include:

An opinion by a credentialed mental health professional that the individual has a condition or treatment that may indicate a defect in judgment, reliability, or stability;

Failure to take a prescribed medication to counter a condition described above;

A pattern of high-risk, irresponsible, aggressive, anti-social or emotionally unstable behavior;

Information that suggests that the individual's current behavior indicates a defect in his or her judgment or reliability.

Conditions that could mitigate security concerns include:

There is no indication of a current problem;

Recent opinion by a credentialed mental health professional that an individual's previous emotional, mental, or personality disorder is under control and has a low probability of recurrence;

The past emotional instability was a temporary condition (e.g., one caused by a death, illness, or marital breakup), and the individual is no longer emotionally unstable.

Guideline J: Criminal Conduct

The Concern:

A history or pattern of criminal activity creates doubt about a person's judgment, reliability and trustworthiness.

Conditions that could raise a security concern and may be disqualifying include:

Allegations or admissions of criminal conduct, regardless of whether the person was formally charged;

A single serious crime or multiple lesser offenses.

Conditions that could mitigate security concerns include:

The criminal behavior was not recent;

The crime was an isolated incident;

The person was pressured or coerced into committing the act and those pressures are no longer present in that person's life;

The person did not voluntarily commit the act and/or the factors leading to the violation are not likely to recur;

Acquittal

There is clear evidence of successful rehabilitation.

Guideline K: Security Violations

The Concern:

Noncompliance with security regulations raises doubt about an individual's trustworthiness, willingness, and ability to safeguard classified information.

Conditions that could raise a security concern and may be disqualifying include:

Unauthorized disclosure of classified information;

Violations that are deliberate or multiple or due to negligence.

Conditions that could mitigate security concerns include:

Were inadvertent;

Were isolated or infrequent;

Were due to improper or inadequate training;

Demonstrate a positive attitude towards the discharge of security responsibilities.

Guideline L: Outside Activities

The Concern:

Involvement in certain types of outside employment or activities is of security concern if it could create an increased risk of unauthorized disclosure of classified information.

Conditions that could raise a security concern and may be disqualifying include:

Any service, whether compensated, volunteer, or employment with:

A foreign country;

Any foreign national;

A representative of any foreign interest;

Any foreign, domestic, or international organization or person engaged in analysis, discussion, or publication of material on intelligence, defense, foreign affairs, or protected technology.

Conditions that could mitigate security concerns include:

Evaluation of the outside employment or activity indicates that it does not pose a conflict with an individual's security responsibilities;

The individual terminates the employment or discontinues the activity upon being notified that it is in conflict with his or her security responsibilities.

Guideline M: Misuse of Government Systems

The Concern:

Noncompliance with rules, procedures, guidelines or regulations pertaining to information technology systems may raise security concerns about an individual's ability to properly protect classified systems, networks, and information.

Conditions that could raise a security concern and may be disqualifying include:

Illegal or unauthorized entry into any information technology system;

Illegal or unauthorized modification, destruction, manipulation, or denial of access to information residing on an information technology system;

Removal (or use) of hardware, software or media from any information technology system without authorization, when specifically prohibited by rules, procedures, guidelines or regulations;

Introduction of hardware, software or media into any information technology system without authorization, when specifically prohibited by rules, procedures, guidelines or regulations;

Conditions that could mitigate security concerns include:

The misuse was not recent or significant;

The conduct was unintentional or inadvertent;

The introduction or removal of media was authorized;

The misuse was an isolated event;

The misuse was followed immediately by a prompt, good faith effort to correct the situation.

When information of security concern becomes known about a person who is currently seeking security clearance, the investigator will consider several factors in determining if clearance should be granted or denied. These factors include:

The person voluntarily reported the adverse information;

Was truthful and complete in responding to questions;

Sought assistance and followed professional guidance, where appropriate;

Resolved or appears likely to favorably resolve the security concern;

Has demonstrated positive changes in behavior and employment;

Should have his or her access temporarily suspended pending final adjudication of the information.

After evaluating information of security concern, the investigator decides whether security clearance will be granted or denied. It may be appropriate to recommend approval with a warning that future incidents of a similar nature may result in revocation of access.

It should be noted that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence recently enacted a policy under which federal agencies may consider publicly available social media information in connection with an application for a security clearance. The new policy allows investigators to scan an applicant's history on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other similar sites. However, agencies cannot force individuals to hand over their passwords for private accounts, or provide pseudonyms for any profiles. Also, social media information gathered as part of a background check will not be retained unless it is considered "relevant" to the security status of the person in question. Click here to find current guidance on social media usage.

Related Articles:

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High time for the Muslims to present unified counterterrorism narrative: Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri

Talking to media persons in Riyadh, MQI leader Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri has said that he has come to Saudi Arabia to attend the OIC meeting on the invitation of the Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) where he will deliver his speech. He said that terrorism and extremism are sore points for the Muslim world and the fact that the OIC is taking up these issues for collective deliberation augurs well. He said that the OIC Secretary General and other officials deserve to be lauded on arranging a moot on these critical issues.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri said that the terrorists misinterpret the concept of Jihad and thus mislead the youth for their nefarious designs. He said that the time has come for the presentation of a correct and acceptable narrative on Jihad so that no one is able to misinterpret the Islamic concepts and use them for their sinister objectives. He said that terrorism has affected the whole world but it is the Islamic world which has particularly been hit by its ill effects. He said that it is the Muslims who have borne unimaginable sufferings as a result of terrorism and it is they who are getting singled out for it.

Dr Qadri said that it has become most essential that the Islamic countries pool their intellectual resources and find a durable solution to this problem. He said that the world needs to be educated about the reality of Islamic teachings, stating that Islam emphasizes the establishment of peace and protection of the entire humanity. He said that Islamic teachings also spell out a clear-cut roadmap for peace.

The MQI leader said that he would also mention the services and contributions made by Minhaj-ul-Quran International for the promotion of peace and interfaith dialogue in his address at the OIC meeting on the 10th of April.

Meanwhile, Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri attended the inaugural session of the OIC held on April 09. In his opening address, Secretary General OIC Dr Yousaf Ahmad welcomed him. The ambassadors and delegates of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Algeria, Morocco, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and the African countries met with Dr Qadri during the inaugural session and appreciated the worldwide services of the MQI for peace and building of interfaith bridges.

MQI Supreme Council Chairman Dr Hassan Mohi-ud-Din Qadri and Dr Ghazala Hassan Qadri were also present on the occasion. The European and the American diplomats, who are attending the OIC meeting as observers, also held meetings with Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri.
TECUMSEH, MI -- Police and firefighters are investigating a possible burglary and arson after a commercial building fire Monday, April 8.

Police responded about 4:20 a.m. to a structure fire at 116 S. Evans St., which houses a florist and a rare coins business, Tecumseh police spokesman Officer Chad Rogers said in a statement released Tuesday.

The Tecumseh Fire Department arrived within minutes and began fire suppression operations, Rogers said. During the investigation into the cause of the fire later that morning, it was determined that valuables were missing from the businesses.

The affected businesses included Tecumseh Coins and Grey Fox Floral.

A firefighter at the scene said the businesses were pretty much a total loss, the Monroe News reports.

MLive couldnt immediately reach representatives of either business for comment.

State police were assisting with the arson investigation and the suspects remained at large.

Anyone with information is asked to call Tecumseh police at 517-423-7494.
While the state of Michigan and Tesla might still have a weird relationship, CEO Elon Musks words concerning a system that avoids potholes should be music to any Michiganders ears.

When asked about future potential features on Teslas Autopilot system, Musk said definitely to the idea of one that avoids potholes to increase tire life. This question from a Tesla driver came on the heels of Electreks Fred Lambert posing the same one to Musk hours earlier.

While testing out the latest updates to Teslas Autopilot system, Lambert said he was able to keep one hand on the wheel as the vehicle controlled the vehicle from point A to B without any input from me. Lambert wrote that the only periods of driver intervention was to avoid sizable potholes on Quebec roads, which has a situation that sounds similar to ours in Michigan.

When MLive tested out the car makers system on its Model S, Tesla reps explained that its autopilot is nearly flawless on California roads, but it might take some seasoning for the electric cars to learn the bumpy, winding and seemingly always under construction Michigan roads.

Related: Anti-Tesla law: Michigan auto dealers to turn over records, call dispute hyperbole

Tesla's Autopilot is a driver assistance system that uses sensors, radar and cameras to steer, speed up and slow down a vehicle based on traffic and road conditions.

While the vehicle takes over steering, braking and accelerating, the driver must keep two hands placed on the wheel. If the driver takes their hands off the wheel, the Tesla will warn you twice before putting you in autopilot timeout the third time.

Definitely  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 7, 2019

All of this speculation comes on the heels of Tesla announcing some actual updates to its Autopilot system in regards to navigation. The Palo Alto-based electric car maker reports that new features include the ability to use navigate while using autopilot without having to confirm lane changes.

In the Autopilot settings menu, a driver can press the Customize Navigate on Autopilot button which will now display three additional settings  Enable at Start of Every Trip, Require Lane Change Confirmation, and Lane Change Notification, Tesla explains of its updates announced on April 3. "Through the Enable at Start of Every Trip setting, Navigate on Autopilot can be set to automatically turn on each time a driver enters a navigation route. Once enabled, anytime a driver is on a highway and uses Autopilot with a location plugged into the navigation bar, the feature will be on by default.

If a driver selects No to Require Lane Change Confirmation, lane changes will happen automatically, without requiring a driver to confirm them first.

Related: Highlights from a strange month of good, bad headlines for Tesla, Elon Musk

The Tesla Full Self-Driving Computer now in production is at about 5% compute load for these tasks or 10% with full fail-over redundancy https://t.co/fTseO2JyVp  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 8, 2019

Tesla reports in a blog post that its data shows that more than 500,000 miles have already been driven with the lane change confirmation prompt disabled. These updates are available to owners with the Enhanced Autopilot or Full Self-Driving Capability package.

Michigan doesn't allow Tesla sales due to the fact that the company doesn't employ traditional dealerships. The Secretary of State has denied the electric car maker's application for dealership licenses in the past. The Palo-Alto company sued the state, its SOS Ruth Johnson, Attorney General Bill Schuette and Gov. Rick Snyder in September 2016. The company argued the state's ruling was unconstitutional.

Tesla has a showroom in Metro Detroit at the Somerset Mall in Troy. The gallery opened in December 2016, and has specialists available on the malls first floor.

Last month, the car maker announced that it is shifting to online-only sales of its cars. In the next few months, Tesla will close many of its stores, but says some will remain open as galleries, showcases and information centers.

Related: Tesla to shift sales to online only as it finally makes $35K Model 3 available

To achieve these prices while remaining financially sustainable, Tesla is shifting sales worldwide to online only, Tesla writes in a news release. "You can now buy a Tesla in North America via your phone in about 1 minute, and that capability will soon be extended worldwide.

We are also making it much easier to try out and return a Tesla, so that a test drive prior to purchase isnt needed. You can now return a car within 7 days or 1,000 miles for a full refund. Quite literally, you could buy a Tesla, drive several hundred miles for a weekend road trip with friends and then return it for free.
Update: Health officials on Thursday, April 11 said the Washtenaw County case was in fact a false-positive. More here.

LANSING, MI - The number of cases in a measles outbreak centered in Southeast Michigan continues to rise, with state health officials saying today the number of infected patients in Michigan has risen to 41.

There have been two new cases reported since late last week. Among those, Washtenaw County now has its first case of the disease. And a new case in Oakland County brings that areas total to 39. One case was earlier reported in Wayne County.

The patients range in age from an 8-month-old baby to a 63-year-old, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Measles is a highly-contagious disease which is spread through the air and by person-to-person contact.

MDHHS is working closely with the Oakland County Health Division and Washtenaw County Health Department to identify possible exposure locations for these latest cases, state health officials said.

What the state knows about exposure sites in the three counties:

Known exposure sites in Oakland County are listed at Oakgov.com/health.

Exposure locations are not yet available for the Washtenaw County case and will be provided as more information is learned at washtenaw.org/health.

There are no public exposure sites for the Wayne County case.

If you have not been vaccinated for the measles, health authorities are urging you to contact your local health department or your doctors office to ask about getting the vaccine.

The Washtenaw County Health Department is hosting a walk-in vaccination clinic on Tuesday, April 9. It will run from 9 a.m.  7 p.m. Another clinic on Wednesday, April 10, will run from 5 to 7 p.m. at 555 Towner Street in Ypsilanti.

The measles vaccine is highly effective and very safe. A single dose of measles vaccine protects about 95 percent of children, but after two doses, almost 100 percent are immune, MDHHS said. "The first of two routine childhood measles vaccine doses is given at 12-15 months of age. A second vaccine dose is given before the start of kindergarten, between ages 4 and 6 years.

MDHHS follows Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance and does not recommend routine measles vaccinations for children less than 12 months of age unless there is a suspected measles exposure; there is thought to be an imminent measles exposure such as being in areas of known measles; or international travel planned.

State health officials are stressing that people cannot contract measles from the vaccine.

Michigan now has the highest number of measles cases since 1991, when 65 people had the disease.

Across the United States this year, there have been 465 cases of measles reported in 19 states.

Boy with measles. (Photo courtesy of CDC)Centers for Disease Control

What are the symptoms of measles?

Symptoms usually begin a week or two after exposure, but can appear up to 21 days after exposure and may include:

High fever (may spike to over 104F).

Cough.

Runny nose.

Red, watery eyes (conjunctivitis).

Tiny white spots on the inner cheeks, gums, and roof of the mouth (Koplik Spots) 2-3 days after symptoms begin.

A rash that is red, raised, blotchy; usually starts on face, spreads to trunk, arms, and legs 3-5 days after symptoms begin.

If symptoms develop, residents are urged to call their doctor or emergency room before arriving so they can take precautions to prevent exposure to other individuals, state health officials said.

For more information about measles, visit CDC.gov/measles.

For more information about Michigans current measles outbreak, visit Michigan.gov/MeaslesOutbreak.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced mandatory vaccinations for Brooklyns Williamsburg neighborhood after more than 250 people have been infected with measles since September in the section.

The mayor said that the situation in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community is a measles crisis, and the Associated Press reports officials are blaming anti-vaxxers for spreading misinformation.

Related: Measles outbreak rises to 41 cases in Michigan, youngest patient is 8 months old

As part of the declaration, unvaccinated individuals living in those ZIP codes who may have been exposed to measles will be required to receive the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine in order to protect others in the community and help curtail the ongoing outbreak, the city writes in a Tuesday news release. "Under the mandatory vaccinations, members of the Citys Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will check the vaccination records of any individual who may have been in contact with infected patients.

Those who have not received the MMR vaccine or do not have evidence of immunity may be given a violation and could be fined $1,000.

Measles is a highly-contagious disease which is spread through the air and by person-to-person contact. Michigans current measles outbreak dates back to March 13, when the health department reported that the first case came from someone visiting from Israel following a stay in New York.

In a statement, de Blasio added that theres no question that vaccines are safe, effective and life-saving. There have been 285 reported cases of measles since the start of October in New York, with those most commonly affected being children younger than 18.

The city adds in its release that the majority of those infected were unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated. While there have been no deaths, 21 people have been hospitalized and five have gone into ICU.

For those who need help getting the vaccine, the city has said that it will offer assistance. The Associated Press reports that this is the largest measles outbreak in the city since 1991, and that NYC accounts for two-thirds of all cases reported in the U.S. last week.

Related: What you need to know about Michigans measles outbreak

This outbreak is being fueled by a small group of anti-vaxxers in these neighborhoods. They have been spreading dangerous misinformation based on fake science, Dr. Oxiris Barbot, the city health commissioner, said in a statement.

We stand with the majority of people in this community who have worked hard to protect their children and those at risk. Weve seen a large increase in the number of people vaccinated in these neighborhoods, but as Passover approaches, we need to do all we can to ensure more people get the vaccine.

This comes after the city threatened to shut down religious schools and day care services in the community that allowed unvaccinated children in. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises children to get two doses of the 97 percent effective measles vaccine.

Related: Michigan measles outbreak reaches Washtenaw County; free vaccinations offered

When people choose not to get their children vaccinated, they are putting their children and others -- such as pregnant women, people on chemotherapy, and the elderly -- at risk of contracting measles, Herminia Palacio, NYCs deputy mayor for health and human services, said in the release.

The City has worked aggressively to end this outbreak, and todays declaration of a public health emergency and new vaccine mandate, in combination with the blanket Commissioners Orders for yeshivas, ensures we are using every tool to protect New Yorkers.

In Michigan, there are more than 40 cases of measles with most coming in Oakland County. As of Monday, there were single reports of people infected in Wayne and Washtenaw counties. Ages of the infected range from 8 months to 63 years old, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said.

Michigans measles outbreak dates back to March 13, when the health department reported that the first case came from someone visiting from Israel following a stay in New York.

Known exposure sites in Oakland County are listed at Oakgov.com/health.

Exposure locations are not yet available for the Washtenaw County case and will be provided as more information is learned at washtenaw.org/health.
MARYSVILLE, MI  Police in southeast Michigan have released the name of a 79-year-old man who died after accidently driving his car into the St. Clair River.

According to the Associated Press, Jerry Johnson of Marysville was killed when he was attempting to park on April 6. The car reportedly went into reverse and rolled into the river from a restaurant parking lot.

Man, 79, dies after rolling car into river while attempting to park at restaurant

Police divers pulled Johnson from the water about 50 miles northeast of Detroit, but he was pronounced dead at a hospital, according to the Associated Press.

The incident remains under investigation by Marysville Public Safety.
ANN ARBOR, MI - The city of Ann Arbor has dropped its attempt to close a hotel with a history of prostitution.

A nuisance lawsuit against the owners of the Victory Inn and Suites, 3750 Washtenaw Ave., was dismissed Feb. 20, court records show.

It comes as a result of months of cooperation with court orders and efforts to decrease crime on the property, Ann Arbor City Attorney Stephen Postema and senior assistant attorney Arianne Slay said in a joint phone call.

Efforts included increasing daily rates, scraping hourly renting, requiring identification at check-in and adding security measures, such as locks and security personnel, Slay said. The hotel complied, and calls to police dropped.

Overall, there was a decrease in the calls for service and the severity for the calls for service as well, Slay said.

Though the city agreed to drop the lawsuit, Postema noted it was dismissed without prejudice, meaning the issue could be raised again if his office deemed fit.

"If there were an increase of calls or anything that came into the police  wed consider what the next step would be," Slay said.

The owner of the hotel and the listed attorney did not respond to requests for comment.

The lawsuit, filed in May 2018, cited a high number of police dispatches to the hotel - 24 in 2018, as of the filing date - and claimed it would be a public safety threat until it was closed. It claimed the owners failed, neglected or refused to address concerns.

The complaint cited incidents where a woman was found dead of an overdose and a parolee was arrested while waiting on prostitutes to arrive. It also noted the arrest of Keith Perry, later referred to by prosecutors as a sneaky pimp who engaged in prostitution at the hotel.

The lawsuit also detailed other problem hotels operated by the owner and shut down in their respective cities.

A raid in 2017 at the Victory Inn Detroit, located at 9430 Michigan Ave. revealed 12 human trafficking victims and various drugs at the property, records show. A lawsuit shuttered the business two weeks later.
ANN ARBOR, MI - The University of Michigan took a major step toward its commitment to carbon neutrality Tuesday, April 9, announcing an agreement to buy renewable energy through DTE Energy.

UM has committed to purchasing about 200,000 megawatt-hours of renewable energy annually, beginning in 2021. The university estimates its financial contribution to the program will be less than $3 million per year.

Combined with other emission reduction efforts, the university says the DTE Energy agreement will enable it to achieve its 2025 greenhouse gas reduction goal of reducing GHG emissions 25 percent below 2006 levels.

UM President Mark Schlissel recently noted the university has reduced emissions about 7 percent below 2006 levels.

The energy commitment would equate to about half the purchased electricity on the Ann Arbor campus coming from Michigan-sourced renewable resources, the university noted.

The purchase agreement was made through DTEs MIGreenPower, a voluntary renewable energy program that enables customers to attribute up to 100 percent of their energy use to Michigan-made wind and solar projects.

Reducing the greenhouse gas footprint of electricity that U-M purchases was a key recommendation made by members of our campus community, U-M President Mark Schlissel said in a statement. This agreement will help us achieve our existing GHG reduction goal, and is an important step on our universitys road to carbon neutrality.

DTE plans to build or acquire additional renewable energy projects and expand MIGreenPower to meet rising customer demand. It plans to more than double its renewable energy generation by 2024, investing an additional $2 billion. The utility says its also in the process of expanding its MIGreenPower program options, creating more opportunities for customers who want to support different types of renewable energy projects.

UM joins both Ford and General Motors in choosing MIGreenPower to help meet enterprise sustainability targets, DTE Electric President and Chief Operating Officer Trevor F. Lauer said.

Reducing carbon emissions and supporting our states clean energy economy are top priorities for DTE - in fact, we just accelerated our own carbon reduction targets by a decade and will reduce emissions by at least 80 percent by 2040, Lauer said.

UMs renewable energy purchase will remove nearly 141,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually - the greenhouse gas equivalent of taking more than 30,000 cars off the road for a year, the university noted.

This is first time the university has sought to purchase renewable energy to offset its carbon footprint. Others like Ohio State University have looked to power-purchasing agreements in efforts to reduce campus energy loads.

Local climate advocacy groups have pushed the university in recent months to take more significant steps toward achieving carbon neutrality by 2030.

Activists spoke at UMs Board of Regents meeting on March 28, a couple of weeks after students and area residents were detained during a sit-in protest March 15 inside the UM Fleming Administration Building, which followed a Climate Strike protest earlier that afternoon.

UM police issued trespass warnings to a few of the approximately 50 people still at the administration building after 8 p.m. Ultimately, 10 people were arrested, including six who were affiliated with UM as students or staff.

The protesters wanted to set a date for a public Q&A with President Mark Schlissel to talk about what the university is doing to address climate change. Schlissel later announced a public event to answer questions about the universitys efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, set for 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 9, inside Rackham Auditorium.

Currently, the majority of UMs emissions come from natural gas, for which there is no readily available substitute at the scale needed to support the mission of the university, administrators have previously said.

UM has instituted some measures to help it approach its emissions reduction goal, including approving an $80 million expansion of its Central Power Plant in hopes of reducing GHG emissions by 80,000 metric tons per year. That would put it approximately half way to its emissions reduction goal when the project is expected to be completed in 2021.

The university explored biofuel as a fuel source for the power plant, but that option was dropped from consideration early on due to the lack of availability at the required scale and technological limitations, UM Director of the Office of Campus Sustainability Andy Berki said.

While it is not run on green energy technology, Berki said the power plants new turbine will increase the universitys capacity to generate more electricity on campus. In turn, it will allow UM to reduce the amount of utility-generated electricity it purchases, which is primarily coal-based and less efficient to produce, resulting in higher emissions.

The UM Presidents Commission on Carbon Neutrality is working to develop recommendations for all three campuses to achieve carbon neutrality.
FLINT, MI  A 20-year-old man was convicted Monday, April 8 in connection with the July 2017 shooting death of Albert Ballard in his Flint home.

Jordan William Alexander was found guilty by a jury of first-degree murder, first-degree home invasion, conspiracy to commit first degree home invasion, assault with intent to rob while armed, armed robbery, and five counts of felony firearm.

Three additional suspects in the case -- 22-year-old Zicary Lamar Carpenter, 19-year-old Tyler Jamiel Pagel, and 22-year-old Joshua Jeremiah Eubanks -- were found guilty Monday of armed robbery, first-degree home invasion, and conspiracy to commit home invasion.

Carpenter was also found guilty on three counts of felony firearm.

Dre Shavon Jones, 20, pleaded guilty in August 2018 of second-degree murder, three counts of felony firearm, two counts of first-degree home invasion, armed robbery and assault with intent to rob while armed for his role in the incident.

Jones testified in the trial against the other four suspects as part of his plea deal. He will be sentenced to a minimum of 27 years in prison.

Ballard, 63, was shot and killed around 5 a.m. July 11, 2017 during a home invasion in the 100 block of South Cumberland Street in Flint.

He was found with a single gunshot wound to the chest. Ballards wife was also present in the home at the time of the incident.

Testimony revealed Ballard was asleep on a couch on the first floor of the home when the group of five entered the house through an unlocked front door.

Once inside the house, Ballard was held at gunpoint by Carpenter and ordered to give them all his money.

Pagel began to leave the home with Ballard's television set and Alexander, Eubanks, and Jones went to the second floor of the home where Ballard's wife was sleeping. She was struck in the face with a gun and instructed to hand over her money.

Ballard was able to retrieve a gun he kept in a kitchen cupboard and Pagel dropped the television and ran out of the house. Ballard then shot Carpenter in the chest.

Carpenter ran out of the house and fled the scene with Pagel in a vehicle.

Ballard ran upstairs and a struggle ensued with Alexander. Several rounds of gunfire then rang out, with Ballard hit during the exchange. He was later pronounced dead.

Police heading to the scene came upon a two-vehicle car crash at Vernon and Court Streets, less than one mile from the home. Two passengers in one of the vehicles involved were Carpenter and Pagel. Carpenter was transported to Hurley Medical Center.

Eubanks, Pagel, and Alexander were arrested later that morning, with Jones taken into custody around one week later.

Justice has been served in a court of law and these defendants will be sentenced to prison for their acts, said David Leyton, Genesee County Prosecutor.

The prosecutors office had sought murder convictions for all five suspects, but Leyton said Unfortunately, the jury did not see it that way and we must respect their verdict.

Alexander, Eubanks, Pagel, Carpenter, and Jones are scheduled to be sentenced in May by Genesee Circuit Judge Elizabeth A. Kelly.
FLINT, MI -- Theres a new attorney pushing the criminal charges against former Michigan Chief Medical Executive Dr. Eden Wells, but her attorneys say its same flawed case.

In a court filing Monday, April 9, Jerold Lax, an attorney for Wells, asked Genesee Circuit Court Judge Joseph Farah to dismiss charges Wells was bound over on, including involuntary manslaughter, because of clear errors of law by Genesee District Court Judge William Crawford.

Crawford found probable cause that the crimes Wells faces -- involuntary manslaughter, misconduct in office, obstruction of justice and lying to a peace officer -- were committed and that she committed them in a decision issued in December.

Former special prosecutor Todd Flood built the case behind those charges, but Attorney General Dana Nessel replaced him as the chief of Flint water prosecutions in January, putting state Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud in that position instead.

Hammoud filed the states answer to a motion to quash -- or overturn -- Wells bindover last month.

Replying to the solicitor generals filing, Lax wrote that the new prosecutor is as mistaken as he beleives Flood was in pushing the case in the first place.

The new prosecution teams responds to Dr. Wells motion to quash bind over with exaggerated rhetoric replete with mis-statements of the law and factual record in an attempt to breathe life into the same false narrative of its predecessor ..., the filing says.

The prosecution mis-characterizes and ignores the historical situation Dr. Wells (worked in) and thereby seeks to impose obligations on her supported by neither fact nor law ... The prosecution convinced the District Court to suspend disbelief, similarly misapply the law and abuse its discretion as to the facts. This court should reject these make-believe charges and grant Dr. Wells motion to quash.

Farah is expected to schedule a hearing date for oral arguments on whether he should dismiss the charges -- something that happened in February for the same issue in another Flint water case -- this one against former Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyon.

Farah said at the time that he expected to rule on the Lyon case within about 90 days.

Both Lyon and Wells were charged for their role in the states handling of outbreaks of Legionnaires disease in Genesee County at the same time that the city was using the Flint River as its water source.

Eighty-seven cases of Legionnaires -- 10 resulting in death -- were documented in the county in parts of 2014 and 2015.

City, county and state officials were aware of the outbreaks more than a year before Gov. Rick Snyder informed the public of them and the suspicion that surges in the disease were connected to the Flint water.
HOLLAND, MI  The Holland Area Community Swimming Pool Authority is asking voters May 7 to support a $26.3 million construction and renovation bond for the Holland Community Aquatic Center.

The funds would go toward upgrades to the aging facility and expanding programs and services, according to Jack Huisingh, executive director of the aquatic center.

The 1.25-mill proposal is for 20 years. For a home valued at $150,000 with a taxable state equalized value of $75,000, it would cost $93.75 per year.

The facility bond that paid off this facility is finished. We are asking voters to just continue with that same millage theyve been paying for 20 years plus an additional .25 mills," Huisingh said.

We want people to understand that the facilities that we have are 50 and 20 years old and renovation is really needed.

The facility was last renovated in 1998 and the six-lane pool was originally constructed in 1968.

Last May, voters approved a five-year millage renewal at the current rate to support building operations, but the new millage is for renovations and expansion.

Huisingh said the facility, located at 550 Maple Ave., serves approximately 200,000 people a year between its community programs and services and competitive swim events.

One of our biggest pain points through these years is when we cant let the community in every single day throughout the day, he said, due to competitive swim meets and instruction programs limiting access.

We want to be able to have a separate place within the facility that has warmer water thats focused on community wellness and fun, even if we are having instruction programs or a big, competitive meet.

An additional six-lane lap pool, warm-water leisure access, updated wellness spaces, increased spectator seating and mechanical improvements would all be on tap with the expansion and renovation.

The bond would target enhancing and expanding three primary program needs: aquatic safety instruction, recreation and fitness, and training and competitions.

Huisingh said the upgrades will make the facility sustainable and appropriate for the next 20 years.

We are trying to become one of the nations finest aquatic centers for community wellness and fitness, instruction, and competitive partnerships, he said.

Huisingh said the new community area would be twice the size of the current area along with a three-story slide and lazy river. He said a new four-lane pool would occupy the current space.

Aquatic Center leaders have been hosting informational meetings to explain the need for the bond and answer questions. The next couple of session are scheduled for 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., Friday, April 12, and 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, April 13.

The Aquatic Center is a total of 86,745 square feet with competition, leisure, therapy, and instruction pools, as well as a fitness center and multipurpose and meeting rooms.

Once a month, Huisingh said the facility provides free resident appreciation days for non-members.

The standard rate is $8 but Holland Public Schools district residents receive a discount off the rate, so it would be $4.75 for a single visit.

Huisingh said Holland Public Schools and Holland Christian Schools lease space in the facility for their swimming programs.

The facility, which has always been funded by a construction bond millage, has a long history.

The Holland Community Pool opened in 1968 and was originally owned and operated by the Holland Public Schools district. Due to a statutory change that affected funding, it was decided in 1992 that another entity should take over operations.

State lawmakers passed a law allowing Holland to establish a swimming pool authority after the passage of Proposal A in 1995 prevented Holland Public Schools from having a separate millage for pool operations.

The Holland Area Community Swimming Pool Authority purchased ownership and operation of the community pool from the district for a $1.

The authority pursued a bond to finance an expansion and the Aquatic Center opened in 1999. The authoritys board is appointed by the municipalities that reside within the school district: Holland, Holland Township, Laketown Township, and Park Township.

Voters residing in the Holland school district boundaries are eligible to cast a ballot. If the bond is approved, construction is expected to begin in 2020 and conclude in 2021.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 7.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- City Manager Mark Washington said there will be funding for additional staffing for the Grand Rapids Police Department in his Fiscal Year 2020 proposal to the city commission.

What he hasnt determined is what form -- sworn or non-sworn personnel -- that proposed increase will take.

Washington will balance the results of a nearly $100,000 police staffing and deployment study by a consulting firm, Hillard Heintze, with a request from Interim Police Chief David Kiddle for an additional 10 community policing specialists to work night and weekend shifts.

The interim chiefs request follows that of his predecessor, former chief David Rahinsky, who made the same request in each of the last four budget cycles to no avail.

But the chiefs request doesnt exactly align with Hillard Heintzes study, which determined that the police department has sufficient sworn staffing levels, but lacks enough non-sworn civilian personnel, who could alleviate officers of some non-policing responsibilities.

We were expecting recommendations for more sworn officers; thats been the conversation for the past few budgets, Washington said. What is not surprising is that they recognize the increase for staffing. But what was surprising was the type of staffing they recommended, more non-sworn than sworn.

Obviously theres a need for staffing and so there will be, in my budget recommendation, a staffing increase for the police department. Its the type of staffing that well need to be very deliberate about.

During his first read-through, Kiddle said there wasnt anything he necessarily disagreed with in the report. He said department leadership will look at the report with an open mind in the coming weeks.

Well take a deep dive, take a look at their opinions and suggestions and go from there," Kiddle said. "Overall its very thorough and theres a lot of things to look at.

Representatives of Hillard Heintze presented the findings of their 57-page report Tuesday, April 9, during the city commissions committee of the whole meeting. No actions were taken by the commission. Instead, they asked questions about the results and study process.

The report outlined perceived inefficiencies within the department and areas in which resources arent appropriately allocated. One example is the detective unit, where city officials have in the past voiced concerns that investigators are overworked.

In many cases, the study found that sworn officers too often handle administrative responsibilities that could be picked up by civilian staff, thus freeing officers up for more non-enforcement time.

Non-sworn staff make up 9 percent of the police department -- a decline from staffing levels in the early 2000s. The report says the department should have closer to 23 percent non-sworn staff.

Capt. Mike Maycroft, who represents the command staff union, said the department has known for years that it lacks sufficient civilian personnel.

We agree with a lot of whats in this (report), Maycroft said. "This pointed out a lot of inefficiencies which we agree with and a lot of that is due to the fiscal issues that have plagued the city ... Weve known for years weve been lacking civilian support staff.

We also recognize that the city, the civilians and the neighborhood associations want more community policing specialists as well.

In 2018, Grand Rapids police responded to 60,185 calls for service, or about six calls per officer, per shift. Of those calls, 4,050 were alarm calls, 3,657 were parking violations, and 3,215 were property damage traffic crashes.

Alex Weiss, senior adviser of law enforcement for Hillard Heintze, said those numbers could be greatly reduced if the department followed the lead of other cities and shifted those responsibilities to other groups like the alarm service providers and city parking enforcement, respectively. Another suggestion was allowing drivers who are involved in crashes with no injuries and no severe vehicle damage to file police reports online or at the police station rather than waiting for an officer to come out and take a report.

On average, the study found that Grand Rapids police officers have a good response time to priority-one calls (91 seconds), but spend an above average amount of time (50 minutes) on scene of calls for service.

Chief Kiddle said further review of the report is required, as well as broader discussions with the city commission and the community in regards to services provided by the department.

We do pride ourselves on being a full service department and some of the suggestions in the report do suggest we cut some of those services so thats going to need a broader conversation," Kiddle said.

Hillard Heintze also broke down the experience levels of the police departments sworn personnel to show the lack of officers who have served the department five to nine years. The department has 127 officers with 20 or more years with the department, compared to 88 with less than five years and 12 with five to nine years.

With 43 percent of the department having sufficient years of service to retire, the study warns of the need to increase leadership development for the mid-range development group.

You have a big issue here, said Debra Kirby, project director for the consulting firm. Your recruiting here is good practice but you have a chunk in the middle that you really need to work on in regards to leadership development.

Most potential changes that could come as a result of the staffing and deployment study will likely be made under the leadership of the departments next police chief. Washington said he expects to have them in place this summer.

Following Tuesdays morning commission meetings, Mayor Rosalynn Bliss said she was surprised by a number of findings in the report. Overall, she called it very comprehensive and said it highlighted areas where the department can make improvements to be more efficient.

The report was very insightful; it looked at overall organization and deployment, efficiencies and best practices and I think they highlighted some areas that I believe really support our officers and freeing up their time to do what they want to do as police officers, Bliss said.

The city commission will get its first look at the city managers proposed FY 2020 budget on Tuesday, April 23 during the morning city commission meeting.

The full report is available for download on the citys website, with the report appearing on pages 52-110.
WYOMING, MI  John Gordon Sr., who helped transform Gordon Food Service from a small, regional grocery supplier into a multi-billion-dollar food service distributor, died last weekend after battling Alzheimers disease.

He was 90.

Without the decades of powerful, visionary leadership provided in partnership with his brother Paul, the company would not have achieved its remarkable record of growth and industry-changing innovations, Gordon Food Service said in a statement.

Gordon joined the Wyoming-based company in 1953, following college and after serving in the U.S. Army. He familiarized himself in every aspect of the business, including purchasing operations and sales. He went on to become the companys secretary and treasurer in 1965. In 1991, he was named vice chairman of the board of directors.

Gordon was born April 29, 1928. He was the third son of Ben and Ruth Gordon. He had a passion for boating, hunting and fishing.

John Gordons leadership over six decades left his mark on our company, our industry and our community in so many different ways, Dave Gray, a member of the companys board of directors, said in a statement. He taught us all how to be fair but firm and above all, to appreciate the gifts that God has given us. John loved the people of Gordon Food Service and never missed the opportunity to say thank you for their service.

Gordon Food Service bills itself as the largest family business in the food service industry. It has customers across the U.S. and Canada and more than 20,000 employees. The company also has 170 Gordon Food Service Store locations across the country.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  The Grand Rapids Board of Education held a special meeting Monday, April 8, for second-round interviews with two superintendent candidates but couldnt come to a decision.

On Saturday, April 13, the board will continue discussing candidates Devon Horton, chief of Schools for Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Kentucky; and Adrian Talley, director of Community Schools for Prince Georges County Public Schools in Maryland.

After seven years at the helm, Superintendent Teresa Weatherall Neal is retiring at the end of June.

Prior to their evening interviews, the candidates participated in afternoon focus group meetings with parents, students, teachers, community members and administrators. They also toured Burton Elementary/Middle School, Gerald R. Ford Academic Center and Union High School.

After a preliminary review of feedback forms from the focus groups, the board deliberated until close to 10:30 p.m. following the interviews. Members shared positive takeaways about each candidate and some reservations.

I am convinced we will do the right thing as a board, said school board member Tony Baker, about whether they decide to move forward with one or neither.

The interview and focus group process were really good, thorough. We know whats at stake and how costly it would be to make the wrong decision.

Baker said it shouldnt be a reluctant decision, rather someone members think is a perfect fit. However, he said he didnt hear enough about their work in two areas the district is grappling with - English as a Second Language (ESL) and English Language Learners (ELL).

Kristian Grant, school board president, said she doesnt want the board to feel rushed or pressured to choose. She urged them to reflect on the interviews, district needs and review the stack of feedback forms from focus group participants.

She also told representatives from the Michigan Association of School Boards, hired to assist with the search, that shed like some additional information and some fact-checking to be done.

I think our district needs someone that understands the district and can take it places we want to go," said school board member John Matias, about needing more time to come to a decision.

Only school board member Jose Flores was prepared to vote Monday.

Flores said he was ready to advocate for Horton because of his knowledge and experience that was reflected in the depth of his responses to questions. He said the community feedback supports Horton as being the candidate people connected with the most Monday.

However, the rest of the board members said they could not make an informed decision.

I am not 100 percent comfortable, even with the one I have as a preference," said school board member Raynard Ross.

School board member Kimberly Williams, who attended the focus groups, said the district has two qualified candidates to consider. She also said Horton made more of a connection with student and community focus groups who perceived him as authentic and caring."

Jazmyne Fuentes, the parent of a junior at Union High School, said she felt like both candidates were high-quality, caring, engaging and intelligent.

However, she said Horton seemed to have more in common with district families and be a better a fit.

He just felt more like one of us," said Fuentes, who attended the interviews and focus groups. I think he could build on what we are doing well and improve other things."

But Soroya Pierre-VanArtsen, who has a child at City High Middle School, said she thought Talley emerged as the stronger candidate during the parent focus group.

I think he would fit in Grand Rapids really well," she said, basing that on his experience, personality and ability to engage all segments of the community.

Pierre-VanArtsen was among 18 parents who participated in a focus group. A few other parents, who didnt want to be named, said they wouldnt select either candidate because they didnt feel their particular strengths matched what the district needed going forward.

Mary Bouwense, head of the Grand Rapids Education Association, said she still has too many questions about their abilities to lead to favor either candidate.

How would they deal with changing the culture of the district, so that more people say they want to work here, for example," she said.

She said she would not be opposed if the school board decided to restart the search. Thats an option the board considered after interviewing four candidates March 16.

Horton, 41, a native of Chicago, told the board he feels like he is a good fit for the work that needs to be done in the district.

It has been great for me to be able to learn about and study the great work thats happened in Grand Rapids Public Schools," he said, commending the work of the leadership team in moving forward the strategic plan.

If you are looking for a superintendent that is going to continue the trend of positive gains and improving outcomes for students and accelerating that, Im the guy for that. I am a tenacious leader and I believe in leading by doing."

He joined Jefferson County Public Schools, a district of approximately 101,000, in June 2018. Prior to that he was deputy superintendent of East St. Louis School District 189 for four years. He spoke often Monday about leading a turnaround team that improved student outcomes and being a teacher and principal in Chicago.

Talley, 54, also feels he would be a good fit.

This is a school system where I want to be," he told parents, noting he thinks the district is moving in the right direction.

I want to be here because of you," he said. Parent and community involvement are key because you cannot have a great school system without parents who are involved and an engaged and involved community."

Talley, from Virginia, said he also wants to be in Grand Rapids because of how diverse the community is, and he knows first-hand there is great energy that comes out of diversity.

Prior to being director of Community Schools in September, he was the executive director of student services of the district of more than 130,000 students for three years.

During his interview and focus groups, he spoke about overseeing the successful implementation of Naviance, a district-wide college and career readiness platform in 17 schools while in that position.

The interviews that began at 6 p.m. were live streamed and questions ran the gamut, from improving teacher morale, to the candidates experience with special education, to how theyd make neighborhood schools as successful as district theme schools.

Approximately 45 people attended the interviews, primarily district staff, and they had an opportunity to ask questions. Both candidates made 15-minute presentations before their interviews.

The special board meeting Saturday is at 8 a.m. in the administration building, 1331 Franklin St. SE.
EXCELSIOR TOWNSHIP, MI -- Police say they arrested a deranged individual who threw metal objects at officers and then torched the northern Michigan home he lived in.

Brian Muma, 29, was arrested Sunday, April 7, and arraigned the following day on charges of first-degree arson and malicious destruction of police property, according to Kalkaska County Undersheriff David Wagner II.

The incident unfolded around 1:45 p.m. Sunday about 16 miles west of Grayling when a neighbor called police after overhearing Muma threaten to burn down the home he rented, Wagner said in a press release.

"The initial responding deputies were met by a deranged individual who became verbally aggressive towards them and was brandishing a pipe and threatening to pull the firearm he had concealed in his pocket, Wagner wrote.

Muma then allegedly began throwing metal objects at the deputies, who retreated behind their patrol vehicles for safety. One of the objects, a car jack, smashed a patrol car windshield.

Deputies tried to talk to Muma, but he fled into the home and barricaded the door, Wagner stated. More officers soon came and surrounded the home.

At some point, Muma lit the home on fire from inside and smoke and flames became visible from the outside, according to Wagner.

Wagner said Muma then exited the home brandishing a large metal object. Deputies got behind him, shocked him with a Taser and arrested him.

Neither Muma nor any of the deputies were injured in the encounter, Wagner said.

Muma was taken to an area hospital for a mental evaluation before being lodged in Kalkaska County Jail.

First-degree arson is punishable by up to life imprisonment. Mumas bond was set at $50,000.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  Two superintendent candidates for Grand Rapids Public Schools met with about 18 parents on Monday, April 8, to field their questions and share a little about their backgrounds.

The focus group session at GRPS University was one of a handful of meetings the candidates engaged in before their second-round evening interviews with the school board. They also met with teachers, students, community members, and administrators. The candidates are:

Devon Horton, 41, chief of schools for Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Kentucky. The district has about 101,000 students and is the largest school system in Kentucky. Horton has been an educator for 20 years.

Adrian Talley, 54, director of community schools for Prince Georges County Public Schools in Maryland. The district has more than 130,000 students and is the third-largest district in both the Washington Metropolitan Area and Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. Talley has been an educator for 32 years.

The full board has not decided if either is a good fit to replace retiring Superintendent Teresa Weatherall Neal but will meet Saturday, April 13.

In the Monday focus group, the same group of parents met with each candidate for 40 minutes. Opinions varied on who they thought was the stronger candidate and some didnt think either was the right fit for district.

Their questions ran the gamut. Heres one that drew a lengthy response from both Horton and Talley.

Based on your experience and what you know about GRPS, what are some of the things youd think you liked to see change?

Horton, a native of Chicago, was deputy superintendent of East St. Louis School District 189 for four years before joining Jefferson County schools in June 2018.

He told parents he knows from community feedback there is concern that GRPS theme schools are doing well but not all the other schools.

My specialty is the other half guys, he said, noting earlier that he led a team that increased student outcomes in East St. Louis. Its really about identifying how can we redesign options.

Horton said he would look to mirror programs that are working in various theme schools in the neighborhood schools. He said he wants to look at enhancing program options overall.

He said he also wants to look at addressing any racial inequity related to the disproportionality of the suspension of minority students.

I know special education is a concern, he said.

I want to take a look at that whole structure. How are students being placed, what does the IEP (Individualized Education Program) process look like, and who is leading that work.

He told parents that there are five elements every school must have, and they must be done at a high level:

Strong leaders (principals, assistant principals and teacher leadership opportunities).

Strong culture for professional learning. How do you identify professional development that matters?

Strong family community engagement process. He said educators have to look at students as an asset at schools and be flexible with parents regarding scheduled Parent Teacher Conferences such as FaceTime.

Strong learning environment. He spoke about the need to tackle bullying so there is a culture conducive to learning.

Strong structure of support must exist.

Talley, who is from Virginia, was his districts executive director of student services for three years before being promoted to director of community schools in September. He was also asked about changes he would make based on his observations.

He said he had to be careful about how he responded because he didnt want people leaving thinking he would come in and make swift changes.

That doesnt show that I understand the history that is here and respect the work thats happened, Talley told parents.

Understand that I would first need to know what has occurred in the past and where you are going now before I make any such changes.

That said, he told parents he would look at starting a program at the middle and high school level to support secondary students called Naviance.

It is a college and career readiness platform that helps districts and schools align student strengths and interests to post-secondary goals that can impact student outcomes.

Talley said he implemented the platform in Prince Georges County Public Schools and in Montgomery County Public Schools in Rockville, Maryland, where he was an associate superintendent.

It really supports children learning about who they are, their interests so that they can start planning, he said.

Not every child knows where they want to be after high school, so Naviance allows them to start that process of developing and understanding where they are going to be.

Talley said it also helps parents with financial planning by finding scholarship dollars.

He said he also wants to look at improving literacy.

Under Michigan law, the 2019-20 school year will be the first year that third-graders can be held back if more than a grade-level behind in reading.

What does our reading program look like and how do we support students who are not making progress as they should, said Talley, who later told the school board he would focus on proficiency by second grade, not third.

He said he also wants to take a closer look at the districts Summer Literacy Program.

Launched in 2015, the program is aimed at achieving proficiency by targeting those students at each grade level who would benefit most from an intense summer focus on literacy.

I also want to look at special education and whats happening, Talley said. Are students being taught at grade level? If not, why not?

School leaders say those who have questions about the superintendent search should email SuperintendentSearch@grps.org. No district employees applied for the job that drew 30 applicants.

Horton has a bachelor of science degree in elementary education from Jackson State University, a master of arts degree in educational leadership from Chicago State University, and an Ed.D. in educational leadership from Chicago State University.

Talley has a bachelor of science degree in elementary education from University of Virginia, a master of arts degree in higher education administration from Boston College, and an Ed.D. in administration and policy from George Washington University.
MASON, MI  A Mason doctor who had his medical license suspended amid accusations of over prescribing controlled substances is now facing criminal charges filed by the state.

Steven Owens, 65, was arraigned Tuesday, April 9, in the 54B District Court in East Lansing.

He is charged with four felony counts of medicaid fraud, one for filing a false claim and three for medically unnecessary treatment, after needlessly prescribing opioids to an undercover agent, according to a statement from Attorney General Dana Nessel.

There is an opioid epidemic going on in this country and almost every Michigan resident knows someone who is affected by it, Nessel said in a written statement. While the vast majority of physicians are ethical in how they use opioids, our Health Care Fraud Division is working tirelessly to find those prescribers who are contributing to the problem.

Following a tip, the Health Care Fraud Division conducted an undercover investigation where Owens, an osteopathic doctor at Mason Family Medicine, wrote several prescriptions for Norco, a pain killer, to the agent when no pain or injury was indicated, Nessel said.

Prior to charges being issued, the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs served an order, March 4, suspending Owens medical license for over prescribing oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine, Adderall, Xanax, Soma and Ativan, as well as other controlled substances, according to a LARA statement.

Owens is free on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond. He is scheduled for a preliminary examination April 25.

Medicaid fraud is punishable by up to four years in prison and/or a fine of $50,000.
GRASS LAKE, MI -- Opponents of a proposed gravel pit in Grass Lake Township have earned a victory in court.

Jackson County Circuit Judge John McBain issued a written opinion on April 1 overturning a special use permit given by the townships planning commission to L&L Development for the gravel pit planned on 80 acres on Norvell Road.

McBain ruled the planning commission violated township ordinance and state law in granting the permit in October 2017. He cited safety and environmental risks associated with the gravel pit, as well as noise, a decrease in property values and a potential conflict of interest, according to the ruling.

L&L Development can appeal the ruling to the Michigan Court of Appeals, but hasnt made a decision yet on whether it will proceed, its attorney Geoffrey Snyder said.

The gravel pit was proposed to become an 11- to 12-acre pond in a subdivision of roughly 20 houses, starting at $700,000, planned by L&L Development, an entity of Lester Brothers, Inc., a Jackson County residential excavating and gravel delivery business.

It was opposed by Friends of Grass Lake Township, a community group that sued in November 2017 to overturn the planning commissions decision. The group claimed the development violated the townships master plan, which states the proposed land use must not be hazardous or disturbing to the neighborhoods.

Its notable that the court found serious environmental consequences for the gravel pit, which is what we really argued, said attorney Robert OReilly, who represents the Friends group. It was the right decision and were very pleased with the ruling.

Environmental concerns included silica dust that could coat residents lungs, as well as claims that property values would drop by 15 to 30 percent. Noise, filth and additional traffic near homes and Grass Lake High School were also concerns, the ruling said.

Theres nothing for Grass Lake Township to do at this point. Its up to L&L now depending on what they want to do, Township Supervisor Jim Stormont said. As far as the township is concerned, this is over.

The court ruling also supported the Friends groups claims that the planning commission made its decision on the special use permit before the October 2017 public hearing, where 275 residents spoke. At the end of the hearing, the commission read an eight-page, single-spaced final decision that the court believed was written prior to the start of the hearing, which violates the zoning ordinance, the ruling said.

The ruling also addressed concerns about William Lester being both a Grass Lake Township Board trustee and proprietary owner of Lester Brothers Inc., the ruling said.

Clearly Lester had a financial interest in this project and should have had no involvement in the decision making surrounding the special use permit, the ruling said.

The court ordered Lester to be disqualified from any future involvement in the issue and to not have contact with any township officials about it, according to the ruling. However, Lester can address the township as a member of the general public, it said.
BAY CITY, MI  Paroled little more than two years ago, a Bay City man is facing two new felonies after police allege he burglarized the convenience store where he worked.

Shortly before 4 a.m. on Feb. 24, police responded to an alarm at Kings Party Store, 1029 S. Madison Ave. in Bay Citys South End. They arrived to find the rear door open but couldnt tell if anything was missing.

Police later spoke with the manager, who told them a deposit bag containing about $500 was missing. She said the bag had been hidden and speculated only someone who already knew where it was could have taken in, court records show.

The manager told police surveillance camera footage showed a man enter the stores rear door, go directly to where the money bag was and take it and a carton of cigarettes. She said she was pretty sure the culprit was 31-year-old employee Shane R. Enser.

The subject in the video footage had a distinctive bowlegged walk and white paint or drywall spatter on his shoes, both attributes linking him to Enser, the manager said.

Enser was on parole at the time and was wearing a GPS tether. The tethers records indicate he was in the store at the time of the burglary, court records state.

Jailed on an unrelated parole violation, Enser was interviewed by police on Feb. 27. He said he was near Kings when the burglary occurred, but denied being the culprit. He said he had driven a drug-dealing friend to the store and dropped him off, then driven away.

Police executed a search warrant on Ensers home and found shoes bearing white paint or drywall stains.

Investigators also listened to several recorded phone conversations Enser had with a girlfriend from the jail. In them, they discuss the break-in and the trouble hes in, without him denying his guilt, court records show.

Police later spoke with the friend Enser accused, who denied any involvement in the crime.

Enser on April 5 appeared in Bay County District Court for arraignment on single counts of breaking and entering with intent to commit a larceny and larceny in a building. The charges are 10- and four-year felonies, respectively.

Enser is to appear for a preliminary examination at 1:30 p.m. on April 17.

Ensers criminal record includes convictions of larceny in a building, assaulting police, home invasion, and breaking and entering, several which have netted him prison time. The Michigan Department of Corrections paroled him on March 21, 2017.
LANSING, MI -- Proposed cuts to climate change and civil rights issues in Michigan classroom guidelines were rejected in a new draft of changes to social studies curriculum standards presented to the State Board of Education on Tuesday.

Changes proposed in a 2018 draft of K-12 education standards sought to eliminate references to climate change, core democratic values, the Klu Klux Klan, NAACP, LGBT rights and Roe v. Wade, resulting in backlash from teachers and parents across Michigan. Tuesday, the State Board of Education reviewed a new 146-page draft that restored that language and increased references to issues that were previously on the chopping block.

Public outrage after the 2018 draft was published caused the state to convene a broader and more inclusive group of experts, educators and parents. A bias review task force was also created to prevent political bias while the draft was tweaked.

Deputy Superintendent Venessa Keesler said the "standards are not about politics, but acknowledged a recent New York Times report examining political influence on the process.

We should not let the Republicans win and get what they want or the Democrats win and get what they want, then weve failed at the idea of presenting all of the perspectives and the diversity of thought that is important for our country, Keesler said. We want to depoliticize them as much as possible.

Tom McMillin, a Republican member of the board, said bias is always present when deciding what to remove or include in social studies classes.

McMillin criticized the new draft for being extremely far left" and made a motion to send the draft standards back for revisions to address its serious liberal bias, historically inaccurate and sloppy nature." The motion failed in the majority-Democratic board.

If you want to keep getting people to leave the public schools, if you want to shrink any kind of interest in increasing public funding for schools, there will be a lot of taxpayers who say I dont want public funding of this, McMillin said.

Democrats on the board said the standards are not perfect, but come closer to neutrality than previous attempts to update 2007 social studies standards. Democrat Lupe Ramos-Montigny said the new standards are more inclusive, more equitable and more rational.

Keesler said most of the changes between the 2018 and 2019 drafts are a result of public comment during the last year.

Proposals to remove references to climate change and the word democratic from the phrase core democratic values were pushed by then-Sen. Patrick Colbeck, R-Canton Township, and other conservative advocates he invited to review the standards. Colbeck is not listed among people charged with revising the proposed changes in 2018.

Since the 2018 draft was introduced, the State Board of Education changed from a 4-4 partisan split to a 6-2 Democratic majority after 2018 midterm elections.

The state created multiple task forces to redraft the social studies standards based on public feedback. Nine more public work sessions will be held on the new draft before the board votes in June, Keesler said.

If the standards are adopted, the state will begin training teachers on how to use them. However, each school district across the state can use the document as it sees fit to revise its own curriculum.

Standards are not curriculum nor are they a script, Keesler said. We respect the professionalism of educators to know how to implement these standards.

Below are some of the proposed changes.

Climate change

Several new references to climate change were added in a portion of the standards pertaining to sixth-grade geography. Standards proposed in 2018 sought to remove language on climate change.

Updated standards include references to how fossil fuel and plastics use, deforestation, litter and over-fertilization can cause changes in the physical environment, including global climate change.

One section in sixth-grade geography on the impact of technology on the environment has been expanded to include examples of the positive and negative effects of wind and solar power, fracking, deforestation and the use of pesticides and herbicides.

An existing standard dealing with interpreting and comparing climographs across the world now includes additional examples for how climate change impacts ecosystems.

Another new reference to the Paris Climate Accords was added in a section of standards regarding examples of how U.S. foreign policy impacts international institutions. Climate change was also retained in standards detailing examples to use when teaching students about how governments address national and international issues.

Civil rights

Previously proposed changes cut references to civil rights, Roe v. Wade, the Klu Klux Klan and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Updated changes presented Tuesday restored many of these references and added new ones in some places.

A standard dealing with sixth-grade civics includes a new reference to civil rights in discussions on how governments address national and international issues.

One section of the standards detailing civil rights in the post-World War II era was expanded to include references to accomplishments and setbacks made by indigenous peoples, Latinos, new immigrants, people with disabilities, and gays and lesbians.

Several events, laws and U.S. Supreme Court rulings that occurred during various civil rights movements were also added.

A reference to the NAACPs legal strategy of attacking segregation was added in one section covering Americas growth in the 1920s.

Proposed standards remove a reference to the Ku Klux Klan as an example in a section of the standards where teachers are urged to teach students about what can happen in the breakdown of the rule of law.

Other examples that were also included in the deleted section included police corruption, organized crime, interfering with the right to vote, and perjury.

American Civil War

Guidelines for high school social studies were also updated to include discussion on how the Civil War led to the creation of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

New examples of anti-slavery figures were added to a section describing the resistance of enslaved people and the effects of their actions before and during the Civil War.

A section regarding the social, political, economic and cultural reasons for secession was simplified.

One reference to the resistance of Southern whites to African-Americans taking roles in government after the Civil War was cut.

Holocaust and genocide

Standards for high school classes already included analysis of mass murders perpetrated by Nazi Germany and other 20th century genocides. A 2016 law signed by then-Gov. Rick Snyder specifically required public schools to spend time on the Holocaust and 1915 Armenian Genocide.

A new section was added to specifically review case studies both genocides, and at least one other mass murder event.

The section now includes expanded guidelines for discussion on the the ideology and policies that led to genocide, as well as the international communitys response, and investigations into policies to address and prevent genocide in the future.
Still energetic after a long day of traveling across Michigan to sell her proposed gas tax hike, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer embraced an eager crowd gathered in a hip metro Detroit lifestyle store.

She was joining 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., for a March 18 meet and greet with Oakland County voters. Leading off with a pithy riff about her fix the damn roads slogan, a relaxed Whitmer mingled with suburban moms and fired-up democrats about the prospect of defeating President Donald Trump next year.

Because you show up, we win elections, Whitmer said to cheers. Because you showed up last year, we won big last year. We took all the top offices in Michigan. We sent five women to Congress, we took seats in the House and the Senate.

As Governor of this great state, I know that all roads to the White House lead through the state of Michigan, right?

Whitmers authenticity and pragmatism helped her win Michigan decisively in 2018 after it went Republican for Trump just two years earlier. Now, as the Democratic party grapples with whether to embrace big-picture changes or push for incremental improvements, Democrats nationally look to her success as a roadmap to rebuild the blue wall.

As Whitmer worked the room, Oakland County Democratic Party Chair Vaughn Derderian said everyone running for office should look at what Whitmer did in the 2018 election.

From the moment she declared to the day she won, her campaign was relentlessly on message," Derderian said of Whitmer. "She found something that was hyper-local to people and really used that as a pitch for larger themes.

Unapologetically authentic

Whitmer hit the campaign trail early, easily connecting with Michiganders from all walks of life. She got personal, talking about her place in the sandwich generation, as she raised kids and cared for her ailing mother. And she was everywhere, visiting all 83 Michigan counties before the 2018 primary.

In office, she still talks about people she met on the campaign trail.

The groundwork she laid early in the campaign paid off. Whitmers commanding 10-point win over Trump-endorsed Republican gubernatorial rival Bill Schuette re-energized Democrats left shell-shocked after Trumps 2016 triumph. She performed well in counties typically carried by Democrats, but also won or made gains in Republican areas, providing a starting point to rebuild the partys power ahead of the next presidential election.

And she recaptured areas Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton did not perform well in 2016. In Michigan, Clinton ultimately earned 295,730 fewer votes than former President Barack Obama in 2012.

As the 2020 presidential race heats up, candidates are outlining competing visions for how the Democratic Party should approach policy goals, with progressives advocating keystone issues like single-payer health care and free college while others favor a more graduated approach.

Ryan Pougiales, senior political analyst for center-left think tank Third Way, said Whitmers focus on realistic solutions to challenges is a model for 2020 candidates.

What I saw from Whitmer is she did have a vision for where she wanted to take this state, but in addition, she also had a plan on how to get there," Pougiales said.

Two years after progressive U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT, narrowly won the 2016 Michigan primary, Whitmer beat her own Democratic primary rivals who emulated his campaign.

Shannon Garrett, founder and president of SMG Strategies, said Whitmers policy stances didnt waver when pushed to the left by primary opponents.

On the campaign trail, Whitmer rejected a single-payer health care proposal supported by her primary rival Abdul El-Sayed, who boasted endorsements from Sanders and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

Beyond Michigan, Sanders-backed candidates failed to win high-profile races across the country in 2018, flipping no House seats and one Senate seat.

Democratic hopefuls should learn from Whitmers unapologetically authentic" style, Garrett said, if they want to stand a chance against an incumbent president whose campaign confidently claims Michigan as a Trump state."

Garrett said voters appreciated Whitmers experience as a legislator, but also valued insight into how motherhood, surviving sexual assault and other life experiences shaped Whitmers politics. The governor mobilized record turnout in the 2018 mid-term election after many voters in Democratic strongholds stayed home on Election Day in 2016.

You can have the best campaign plan that gets you to every county in in the state but if youre not someone who voters can trust, theyre not going to support you, Garrett said. "Thats the lesson behind Whitmers win. She came out on the campaign trail early, she had a plan and she stuck to who she was no matter what was thrown at her.

What do Democratic voters want?

With the Democratic presidential field shaping up to be one of the largest and most competitive recent history, the big question for analysts like Pougiales remains: What do Democratic primary voters want?

U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, said in an interview that Michigan is the consummate purple state" with a healthy amount of independents. Voters support politicians who demonstrate a clear vision for what the state needs, she said.

A recent survey of Democratic primary voters by Third Way shows the top priority is a candidate who can beat Trump. Democrats also want someone who will unite a broad group to solve urgent issues like reducing the cost of health care, supporting working families and fighting climate change.

Pougiales said there is a chasm between what ideas seem popular on social media and what the majority of primary voters want. Democrats agree that universal healthcare should be something to aspire to, he said, but voters dont appear comfortable with eliminating private health insurance.

And whether or not Democrats nationally are looking at the states leader, all eyes are on Michigan for the 2020 election. The Democratic National Committee announced it will hold a primary debate in Detroit, while candidates schedule early appearances around the state.

Stabenow said Democrats know they "cant take Michigan for granted in 2020.

All of Stabenows six Senate colleagues running for president have reached out to her for advice on what issues resonate with voters. Her advice reflected the core issues of Whitmers campaign -- protect drinking water and the manufacturing industry, improve health care and education and stand up for working men and women.

Gillibrand and former U.S. Rep. Beto ORourke, D-Texas, made stops in metro Detroit last month. U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Kamala Harris, D-Calif., will visit Detroit to speak at events for the Michigan Democratic Party and NAACP.

Stabenow said they would be wise to look at the 2018 mid-term elections as a road map.

Anyone running in Michigan should understand  you have to be present, you have to work hard and you have to demonstrate you are going to fight for people to have a fair shot to succeed, Stabenow said.

Michigan a toss-up

While Democrats work to court Michiganders in the primary, Trump has demonstrated an awareness of the need to address issues affecting the daily lives of constituents.

He tailored his Grand Rapids campaign speech to Michigan voters, pulling back a proposal to cut Great Lakes funding and proclaiming himself a savior of the auto industry as banners behind him read JOBS! JOBS! JOBS!, signaling his continued focus on economics, including repeated promises to protect manufacturing plants and bring back jobs that moved overseas.

The Democrats took the people of Michigan for granted, but with us, you will never, ever be forgotten again," Trump said last week. "I am fighting for you and your jobs and your life and your community with everything I have.

Trump frequently visited Michigan to sell independent voters and blue-collar Reagan Democrats" on promises to improve conditions for working families. Trump boosted the Republican vote by 164,300 and flipped 12 counties that voted for Obama twice.

He won Michigan by a margin of 10,700 votes -- a relatively narrow gap that has Democrats seeing Michigan as a winnable state in 2020. Cook Political Report considers Michigan a toss-up state in the presidential election.

Whitmer is already leveraging her popularity across the state to organize 2020 campaign events. She invited all Democratic candidates seeking the presidency to visit Michigan. The governor hasnt endorsed a candidate yet, but offered some simple advice for Democratic contenders during an interview with MLive.

Just listen, Whitmer said. Engage. Stay focused on making peoples lives better. It sounds really sophomoric, but that is the key, I believe. That is what Michigan voters want; someone who is real and is going to fight for them.
Algerian protesters reject interim president as upper house chairman assumes post

Algerian protesters reject interim president as upper house chairman assumes post

Thousands of protesters rejected the Algerian parliaments choice of an interim president on Tuesday after the resignation of Abdelaziz Bouteflika, demanding radical change. The appointment of upper house chairman Abdelkader Bensalah accords with Algerias constitution. According to it, Bensalah will remain interim president until new elections are held. However, many people oppose him because he is part of a ruling caste that has dominated Algeria since independence from France in 1962, Reuters said. On stepping down, Bouteflika promised that elections would be held after 90 days as part of a transition.Source : RT - Daily news
An unearthed clip of Joe Biden explaining that if there was no Israel, the US would have to invent an Israel to protect our interests has been met with angry reactions on social media.

The video, filmed in Congress in 1986 shows a then-senator Biden explaining how important Israel is to the US in fairly blunt and illuminating terms.

The former vice president to Barack Obama and possible presidential candidate in 2020 starts by saying people should stop apologizing for their support for Israel. There is no apology to be made, none, he shouts. It is the best $3 billion investment we make.

Were there not an Israel, the US would have to invent an Israel to protect our interests in the region, he continues.

The US has long highlighted the importance of its relationship with Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, but Bidens explanation lays out just how strategic that connection is. Essentially, Biden is saying that the US uses Israel as a tool to wield influence in the Middle East.

The US gives Israel $3.1 billion a year in military aid, and it is the biggest recipient of both US aid and military equipment. The US and Israel conduct joint military operations, and the US has stockpiled military equipment in Israel. The US Navys Sixth Fleet uses the Israeli port of Haifa as its main port of call in the eastern Mediterranean. In 2017, it opened its first official permanent military base in the country.

Some Twitter commenters questioned Bidens logic, suggesting that its really Israel that has influence over US government because of the power the Israel lobby holds over US politicians and the way in which the US defends Israel at the UN and sees its enemies, such as Iran, as its own.

Others claimed that the US and the UK technically already had invented Israel, referring to the US support for the 1917 UK Balfour declaration which set out plans for a Jewish home in Palestine, and the fact that the US was the first to recognize the state of Israel in 1848.

Not all reactions were focused on Bidens words, though, as many were distracted by how little hair he had 32 years ago compared to today.

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The country with the worlds biggest cryptocurrency mining farms, China, aims to completely ban their operations, according to a new report issued by its top economic planning body.

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) on Monday released proposed amendments to the list of industries that it wants to support, restrict or eliminate. Bitcoin and other digital currencies mining are listed among a swarm of other activities in the latter section of the updated document, which includes those seen as wasting resources or polluting the environment.

The proposed amendments will be available for public discussion until May 7. The regulator did not elaborate on a specific deadline to get rid of virtual currency mining, which could result in the immediate elimination of the sector, state-affiliated newspaper Global Times reported.

Also on rt.com Major cryptos surge after bitcoin suddenly rises from the dead

The move is seen as a new step in Beijings crackdown on crypto mining, despite the country dominance in the sphere. China is home to the largest cryptocurrency mining farms on the planet thanks to cheap electricity in some of its regions, such as coal-rich Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia as well as Yunnan and Sichuan provinces.

Thus, Chinese miners will have to move their facilities abroad. Some firms had already done so, like Beijing-based cryptocurrency mining hardware giant Bitmain, which relocated some of its facilities to the US.

Apart from shutting down the mining farms, the ban, if implemented, could be a huge blow to Chinese producers of mining rigs and other equipment for the industry.

The news comes as the price for the worlds most popular digital currency, bitcoin, has been steadily rising since the beginning of the month, setting an upward trend for other major digital currencies. On Monday, Bitcoin broke $5,300 mark before sliding to $5,200.

The news of Chinas possible elimination of crypto mining had no immediate effect on the prices of tokens. However, its expected the ban may further have a major impact on the global market, analysts told by Global Times.

The Peoples Bank of China banned initial coin offerings in 2017, and last year the countrys top internet-finance regulator reportedly issued a notice demanding companies quit the cryptocurrency business, saying that it poses a risk of speculation.

There have already been some policies about phasing out bitcoin mining, but they have not been very effective as some local governments, in pursuit of GDP growth, continue to ignore the risks of bitcoin, researcher at the Institute of Finance and Banking at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Zhao Yao, told the Global Times. The move by the NDRC, which determines industrial policies, carries much more weight.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section
Erdogans party to demand rerun of Istanbul election

Erdogans party to demand rerun of Istanbul election

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans ruling AK Party will demand a new vote in Istanbul after local elections held nine days ago. The party says that irregularities in voting directly affected the outcome. We will file our extraordinary appeal today, vice chairman Ali Ihsan Yavuz said in Ankara. We will say that there have been events that directly impacted the outcome of the elections and that we demand the renewal of the elections in Istanbul. Doubt over local election results in Istanbul will remain if Turkeys High Election Board rejects the appeal, according to Yavuz.Source : RT - Daily news
European Court rules Russia violated rights of opposition activist Navalny over house arrest in 2014

European Court rules Russia violated rights of opposition activist Navalny over house arrest in 2014

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on Tuesday that Russia violated the rights of Russian opposition activist Aleksey Navalny by placing him under house arrest in 2014 and imposing other restrictive measures on him. Navalny was placed under house arrest in February 2014 and was held there for months while he was investigated for embezzlement. Navalny said the case was politically motivated. On Tuesday, the court also awarded 20,000 to the applicant in damages. The application was submitted to the ECHR in June 2014. Representatives of the Russian government contested the existence of any political motives behind the procedural decisions in the case.Source : RT - Daily news
The Israel Defense Forces have put Palestinians in the West Bank on lockdown as Israelis head to the polls. Settlers within the Palestinian territory, though, are free to come and go as they please.

The lockdown came into effect at midnight on Monday, April 8 and will end at midnight April 9. Some medical patients may be allowed to cross to enter to Israeli hospitals, but only with approval from the Defense Ministry, army officials told the Times of Israel. Palestinians in the Gaza strip are also stuck within its borders.

Also on rt.com Apartheid Road opens in West Bank, with one side for settlers & the other for Palestinians

Israelis living in settlements across the West Bank are free to move back and forth across the Green Line into Jerusalem and Israel, but Palestinians are banned from doing so. This means that Palestinians who hold work permits that allow them to enter Israel are unable to get to their jobs during the lockdown.

There are 2.9 million Palestinians living in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. While they are not Israeli citizens and arent eligible to vote in Israels elections, their daily lives are affected by Israeli politicians and the laws passed in the Knesset. Meanwhile, the half a million Israeli citizens who live in illegal settlements within the Palestinian West Bank are allowed to vote in Israel's elections, despite not living within Israel.

The 1.9 million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip are also greatly affected by the Israeli armys control over all entry points, imports and fishing territory, and need permits from Israel to leave the strip to travel to other parts of Palestinian territory in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The IDF regularly imposes such closures during holidays and festivals in Israel. It started during the First Intifada and was later said to be a measure to prevent terror attacks.

to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media wont tell you.
An Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander warned the US Navy to keep its warships at a distance from Revolutionary Guards speed boats in Gulf waters, Iranian media reports.

"Mr Trump, tell your warships not to pass near the Revolutionary Guards boats," ISNA news agency reported a tweet from Mohsen Rezaei as saying.

It comes a day after the United States designated the Guards as a terrorist organisation, triggering a mirror response from Tehran.

Also on rt.com Trump pumps new poison into US confrontation with Iran (by George Galloway)

DETAILS TO FOLLOW
The US leads the world in supporting terrorism, including hiding heads of ISIS, Iranian president said in a tit-for-tat response to Trumps decision to designate the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist group.

You want to use terrorist groups as tools against the nations of the region you are the leader of world terrorism, Hassan Rouhani proclaimed on Tuesday in a televised address to the nation. Continuing, the Iranian president accused the US of shielding jihadists in the Middle East.

Who is propagating and encouraging terrorism in todays world? Who wanted to use [Islamic State] as a tool?

Even now America is hiding the heads of ISIS, even now they are not prepared to tell the regional governments where the heads of ISIS are hiding, he was quoted as saying by various news agencies.

US President Donald Trump designated Irans elite Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organization on Monday. His decision marks, by Washingtons own admission, the first time the US has added another nations military force to a terror list.

Who are you to label revolutionary institutions as terrorists? Rouhani asked in the Tuesday broadcast. He said Trumps move was a mistake that will unite the nation and make the Revolutionary Guards more popular among Iranians.

Public condemnation aside, the Iranian government had earlier declared the US a terrorist government while calling the US Central Command a terrorist group as well. CENTCOM, which covers the Middle East, including Egypt, and Central Asia, undermines Irans national security and pursues aggressive policies in Western Asia, it alleged.

The US and its allies have always been advocates of extremist groups and terrorists in the Western Asian region, the government said, adding that Washington has to take responsibility for the dangerous consequences of its adventures.

A host of IRGC-affiliated entities were already targeted by US sanctions for alleged support for terrorism and human rights abuses. Those restrictions came as tensions between Washington and Tehran mounted after Trump withdrew from the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear accord.

to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media wont tell you.
Manila protesters descend on Chinese embassy, warn of invasion of Philippines

Manila protesters descend on Chinese embassy, warn of invasion of Philippines

Protesters descended on the Chinese embassy in Manila on Tuesday to oppose Beijings growing sway in the Philippines as tensions rise over the disputed South China Sea. Demonstrators chanted China out and brandished a banner saying Defend our sovereign rights, referring to Beijings claims to the waterway, AFP reported. President Rodrigo Duterte has largely set aside the once-heated territorial standoff over the sea, but tensions have flared since hundreds of Chinese vessels appeared recently near the Manila-held Pag-asa (Thitu) island. The Philippines called the boats presence illegal and Duterte threatened China with possible military action if it touches the island. The president has repeatedly said, however, that war with China would be futile. Protesters also voiced unease over the terms Chinese loans for infrastructure in the Philippines, including a massive dam-building project.Source : RT - Daily news
New Zealands former top diplomatic official in the US has appeared in court to face charges that he attempted to film his fellow embassy staff doing their bathroom business with a hidden camera secreted in the lavatory wall.

Former Navy commodore Alfred Keating has pleaded not guilty to the charges  attempting to make an intimate visual recording of another person  in Auckland District Court, where the trials opening remarks were presented Monday. Keating was the highest-ranking New Zealand official working at the Washington DC embassy at the time the toilet-cam literally fell out of its hiding place in 2017, but resigned soon after the accusations went public last year.

Also on rt.com Hundreds of women secretly filmed undressing for treatment at San Diego hospital

This was not an act of espionage, New Zealand Crown Prosecutor Henry Steele told the jury, walking them through the events of that fateful day in late July 2017 when a man  arguably Keating  placed the tiny camera in a heating duct. Steele said Keating was attempting to record embassy staff as they used the facilitys unisex bathroom, and was only foiled when the camera and its homemade mount fell out of place  to be discovered by another embassy employee.

A search of the camera by New Zealand police found over 20 files  including 19 of people using the bathroom  and over 700 deleted files. DNA found on the cameras memory card can be said with extremely strong scientific support to be Keatings, according to the prosecutor, and a search of the former diplomats laptop showed he had searched for and accessed the camera manufacturers website, including a page on how to set up the device and which operational modes were available.

The cameras homemade mount was found covered in a layer of dust, suggesting the surreptitious filming had been going on for some time.

This is a circumstantial case and, we say, a weak one, Keatings lawyer, Ron Mansfield, said. The evidence doesnt tell you who did it and it certainly doesnt tell you it was Mr. Keating.

Also on rt.com Ooops! Google admits it forgot to tell users about its hidden spy microphone

Keating initially pleaded not guilty to the charges last March, resigning from the New Zealand Defence Force  where he had served for over four decades  two days after his court appearance, where he unsuccessfully tried to have his name suppressed from public record, claiming revealing his identity would cause his family extreme hardship. Because of diplomatic immunity, he was not prosecuted in Washington DC, even though the alleged offense occurred there.

If convicted, Keating could serve up to a year-and-a-half in prison, though his career as a public official has already swirled down the drain.

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A senior Russian official has suggested Russia will press for an end of the OPEC+ production cuts after the end of June when the original agreement expires.

Kiril Dmitriev, head of the countrys direct investment fund, has been a staunch supporter of the OPEC+ cooperation since the beginning, which makes his latest remarks all the more significant.

It is quite possible that given the improving market situation and falling stocks, (OPEC and its allies) could decide in June this year to abandon supply cuts and subsequently increase output, Reuters quoted Dmitriev as saying.

Also on rt.com Oil prices spike to 5-month high as military conflict in Libya escalates

This decision will not mean the end of the deal but a confirmation that participants continue their coordinating efforts when it is important not only to cut but to increase output depending on market conditions, the official added in keeping with his original stance on the partnership between the cartel and Russia.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabias Energy Minister also had comments to make about the agreement: Khalid al-Falih told media it was too early to say whether the agreement would be extended beyond the end of June, adding that next month would be crucial for where OPEC+ would go in the second half of the year.

JMMC will be a key decision point because we will certainly by then know where the consensus view is and, more importantly, before we ask for consensus, we will know where the fundamentals are pointing, he said.

Also on rt.com Last nail in petrodollar coffin? Gazprom could help Russia shift away from greenback

The joint ministerial monitoring committee of OPEC+ is meeting in May.

Russias oil companies have been reluctant to take part in the production cuts this time around. In fact, there were reports earlier this year that Rosneft and other state entities were pushing for an end of Russias participation in the pact so they could start ramping up production again.

Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, is trying to convince the rest of OPEC and its partners to keep pumping at the reduced rate until Brent goes above US$70 a barrel for a more extended period of time than a day.

This article was originally published on Oilprice.com
Tehran appoints new UN envoy amid tensions with US

Tehran appoints new UN envoy amid tensions with US

Iran has appointed career diplomat and former nuclear negotiator Majid Takht Ravanchi as its envoy to the United Nations, Reuters said, citing state media. Tehran is trying to salvage a nuclear deal with world powers despite Washingtons unilateral withdrawal. Takht Ravanchi, 61, is currently the Iranian deputy foreign minister for European and American affairs. He was one of the negotiators who helped Tehran reach a nuclear agreement in 2015 with the US, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany. On Monday, Washington designated Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps a foreign terrorist organization.Source : RT - Daily news
Turkish President Recep Erdogan has set an ambitious goal for bilateral trade with Russia, saying he wants to boost it to $100 billion, nearly four times more than the current trade volume between the two countries.

Last years $26 billion in trade turnover does not reflect the cooperation potential between Russia and Turkey, Erdogan said during the meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday.

Ankara is making every effort to ease trade ties with Moscow and is therefore going to provide exemptions for Russian entrepreneurs, said the Turkish president.

Also on rt.com Buying S-400 Turkey's 'sovereign right': Putin & Erdogan speak to press in Moscow

We do not view your firms as foreign or Russian, we view them as our own, the Turkish President said as cited by TASS. Russian entrepreneurs willing to invest in Turkey will be provided with various exemptions.

Bilateral trade of the two countries grew by 16 percent in 2018, while the volume of mutual investment is approaching 20 billion, said Putin during the joint news conference with Erdogan.

The two countries are working closely in the energy sector, including such flagship projects as the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Turkey, Akkuyu, as well as the Turkish Stream natural gas pipeline, also known as the TurkStream. In March, land and sea sections of the pipeline were connected and it is set to become operational by the end of this year, according to Putin.

Also on rt.com Land & sea sections of natural gas pipeline from Russia to Turkey connected

Russia and Turkey also announced that they created a 900 million joint investment fund. The fund will be extremely important to revitalize Russian-Turkish investment, the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Kirill Dmitriev, said as he announced the deal on Monday.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section
UK must present credible way out of Brexit crisis before any delay  Frances finance minister

UK must present credible way out of Brexit crisis before any delay  Frances finance minister

Prime Minister Theresa May must present a clear and credible way out of the turmoil surrounding Britains exit from the EU for France to accept a delay, according to French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire. There is need for clarity on why the delay and how it will in the end facilitate an agreement, Le Maire told Franceinfo on Tuesday. Asked whether a no-deal was inevitable if May failed, Le Maire said that May should give us the reasons why she wants the delay and these reasons must be credible. PM May, who has asked for a new delay until June 30, is traveling to Berlin and Paris on Tuesday. At a crunch summit the next day, EU leaders will decide on a further extension.Source : RT - Daily news
Realty firm Arihant Group will invest Rs 250 crore to develop an affordable housing project comprising 944 flats at Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh.

The company has launched sale of flats in the project 'Arihant Adobe' in Greater Noida West (popularly known as Noida Extension) in price range of Rs 30-35 lakh.

The entire investment would be met through internal accruals and customer advances, said Arihant Group MD Kaushal Jain.

"Noida/Greater Noida is primarily an end user driven property market. So, housing demand and sales in Noida and Greater have always been good," he said.

The project, though in affordable category, would be built with best of construction technology, Jain said.

The first phase of the project is expected to be ready and delivered by April 2022 while the entire project may be complete by November 2024.

Jain said eligible home buyers would get interest subsidy of up to Rs 2.67 lakh as this project is being developed as per the area and other norms under affordable housing scheme of the central government. The GST rate will be one per cent.

Arihant Group has delivered seven residential and commercial projects in Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad. It is planning to develop a housing project at Faridabad.
Jet Airways owes banks nearly Rs 8,000 crore.

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The day Cramer Ball was named the new CEO of Jet Airways, in May 2014, the airline also announced its biggest ever quarterly loss of Rs 2,153 crore, for the March quarter of the preceding financial year. This was the airline's fifth straight quarterly loss, and the seventh consecutive year that it was ending in red.

By the time Ball stepped down in December 2015, Jet was showing signs of turning around. In fact, in that December quarter, the airline announced its biggest-ever quarterly profit.

While analysts praised him, they pointed out two things. One, much of the financial turnaround owed to lower fuel prices and that some of Jet's structural challenges remained; and Ball's short stint again underlined the leadership issue in Jet. He was the third CEO to quit in less than three years, reflecting the not-so-easy equation that chief executives have had with then Chairman Naresh Goyal.

That mixed experience has now come to matter, more than ever, as Ball plays a crucial role in Etihad's renewed interest in Jet.

The Abu Dhabi-based airline is widely expected to submit its expression of interest for the distressed Indian airline. The window opened on April 8, and the bidders have to submit their EoIs by April 10. The bidding process is being overseen by Jet's lenders, led by State Bank of India.

Etihad currently owns 24 percent stake in Jet.

The conditions

Given the prior experience, it was not surprising that Etihad insisted on Goyal's exit before investing any more money in Jet Airways.

In an interview to industry association IATA in March, Eithad's CEO Tony Douglas said the airline will no longer continue with its equity alliance strategy. "Being a shareholder, often without full control, but providing financial and human resource assistance in an environment where you cannot derive fair and reasonable benefit, simply does not work," he said.

While the Jet founder has now let go of the reins, Etihad also had some other conditions. That included exemption from giving an open offer, in case its stake in Jet Airways crosses the 25-percent threshold.

And that is where Ball has been leading the negotiations. He and other senior members of Etihad management were in Mumbai last week, meeting top banking officials. Sources added that the now Etihad Senior Adviser was back in India on April 8, to continue with the talks.

"If Cramer Ball is there, then things will move. He means business," says an executive from the industry. Ball had joined Jet, after turning around Air Seychelles, another partner airline of Etihad. And he had went on to join Alitalia, which though later went into bankruptcy.

Even as Jet now stands close to a similar outcome, Ball's role will be crucial in rescuing the Indian airline, and salvaging another investment of Etihad.
As many as 15 senior management personnel, including chief executive, chief operating officer and the chief commercial officer, have left GoAir in a span of nine months beginning last July, due to various reasons.

The Wadia group-promoted budget carrier does not have a CEO since the departure of Cornellis Vriewijk in February, who quit the company citing "family" reasons after being at the helm for less than nine months.

Chairman Nusli Wadia's son and the airline managing director Jehangir (Jeh) Wadia has since been holding the additional charge of the CEO.

"The last three quarters of the previous fiscal saw the departure of some 15 top and senior executives from the airline. These include the CEO, the COO and the CCO, four vice-presidents besides scores of heads/general managers," an industry source told PTI.

Of these, chief operating officer Jyri Strandman and chief commercial officer Manish Ranega parted ways within the span three months and the airline has not announced their replacements yet, and so is the position of the CEO.

Though the airline has offered these positions, especially that of the CCO, nobody has so far accepted them.

While Strandman quit the position after "differences" with the management, Ranega put in the papers within two months of taking charge, as per the source.

While an industry expert attributed these departures to the 'entrepreneur/promoter-led businesses' model of the airline, GoAir termed attrition as an industry-wide phenomenon, and that some of them were found "wanting" on critical performance parameters and were asked quit.

"GoAir maintains and encourages high standards of performance across all levels. As per our internal standards and on their review, some of these executives were found wanting on critical performance parameters and were asked to leave with due process," an airline spokesman told PTI.

"People also leave organisations because of their own personal or professional reasons," the airline added.

Some other executives who left the carrier during this period include vice-president for assets, contracts and procurement Brono Mundaca, who resigned last August; marketing vice-president Saurabh Grover in October, company secretary Nikhil Vohra in November, the source said.

While vice-presidents for sales Manoj Dharmani, and for legal Chandrashekhar Laxman, head of strategy and planning Satyendra Pandey and head of ancillary sales Sushen Kurian left in December, the head of contracts Prasad Jogalekar exited in January, among others, said the source.

In addition, the head of pilots training and two other heads for regional sales also quit during this period, the source said, adding the airline also lost its chief spokesperson Vaibhav Tiwari in February.

"This kind of attrition is more in entrepreneur- promoter-led companies and not something special about GoAir only. This is also about the way a company functions and how you guide work," said an expert.

However, according to Mark Martin, the founder of research and advisory firm Martin Consulting, "GoAir is aligning its international operations with domestic network. In such a scenario, it needs to start giving its people international experience."

An industry source said one of the reasons for such high level of attrition could also be because of the alleged reluctance of the management to re-deploy some of these executives for international operations.
In a bid to boost its lending and insurance businesses, Shriram Capital is working towards the merger of its listed units.

According to a Bloomberg report, Shriram Capital is considering merging with its publicly traded entities Shriram City Union Finance Ltd and Shriram Transport Finance Co. However, no timeline for the deal has been, set as of yet.

"When Ajay (Piramal) came in he asked about merger, now we are nearer to the time. Buy-in is taking place," said R Thyagarajan, founder of Shriram Capital Group in an interview with the news agency.

Piramal and private equity firm TPG, who are investors in Shriram Capital, will be given an opportunity to exit before the merger takes place.

TPG has held a stake in the Chennai-based group since 2006, while Piramal Enterprises Ltd came on board in 2013 after purchasing TGP's stake in Shriram's transport finance unit.

During the interview, Thyagarajan said that association with the Piramal-led company has been "pleasant", crediting the billionaire industrialist for getting McKinsey & Co advisers on board to help the group improve its practices.

Following the merger, there will be one company in the business of lending to truck buyers and consumers, the 81-year-old Thyagarajan said.

However, the insurance businesses of the group will remain as subsidiaries under the lending business, he added.
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With the 48-year-old luggage brand VIP Bags undergoing a revamp, the company is expecting the market share of the flagship brand to go up significantly.

In an interview to Moneycontrol, Sudip Ghose, Managing Director, VIP Industries said, In the branded segment we have about 60 percent market share. In that 60 percent, we want VIP to become at least 40 percent among our other brands by end of this FY20.

Currently, VIP has a market share of 22 percent. The company's other brands across categories include Carlton, Skybags, Caprese, Aristocrat and Alfa.

The luggage industry is divided in two partsbranded and unbranded. The branded luggage industry is about Rs 3,500-4,000 crore a year.

VIP and Samsonite dominate the branded luggage market in India, with Safari being a distant third.

Much of the growth will be furled by the revamp in the VIP Bags brand, which is owned by VIP Industries. Apart from a new logo, the brand has also roped in celebrity couple Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan as brand ambassadors. The integrated summer campaign is called Hello Holidays.

We are a nearly 50 year old brand. It is very important for brands which are in existence for 50 years to keep on reinventing themselves," Ghose said on the rationale behind rebranding. We are more of a family brand. We wanted to keep the legacy of the brand yet keep it relevant especially for the new age consumer.

We wanted to make the brand younger, colourful for the new-age consumer of today, Ghose added.

With this re-launch, Ghose expects younger consumers to come in to the fold.

According to Ghose, the company usually spends 5-5.50 percent of the total companys turnover for promoting the brand, but a larger pie will be used for VIP Bags this time around. For the year ended on March 31, 2018, VIP Industries posted sales of Rs 1,416.34 crore, up 10 percent from a year ago.

The company has already tied up with IPL Franchise, Kings XI Punjab, as a principal sponsor.

E-commerce contributes 10 percent of the total business with a growth of almost 60-65 percent, Ghose added.

PRICING, DISTRIBUTION

VIP Bags is largely targeted at mid premium segment, Ghose said. Accordingly, the company has set the pricing of its products. For instance, VIPs check-in duffle bags range between Rs 3,500 and Rs 6,000. Carlton, on the other hand, is priced between Rs 6,000-18,000, Skybag Rs 2,500-5,000 and Aristocrat Rs 1500-2500.

When asked if the company is planning to hike the prices of VIP bags, Ghose said, We already operate at a mid-premium segment. Price points are not going to change. We will change prices as and when required.

The company that already has a distribution network in Tier I and Tier II is planning to make its Tier 3 and Tier IV network strong.

Generally, the company sells its products through franchise route and through their own stores and showrooms.

VIP has 550 exclusive retail locations and over 9000 touchpoints/doors in trade with a network of 90 distributors. It also has over 150 doors in Modern Format leading chains like Shoppers Stop, Lifestyle, Central, Big Bazaar etc and in leading ecommerce players Flipkart, Amazon and Myntra.
Vineeta Sharma

Indian corporates are expected to report 11.8 percent YoY topline growth in the upcoming quarterly results. For the full year FY19, sales are expected to grow 24 percent, EBITDA 15 percent and net profits 11 percent.

Top 20 banks together reported a net profit of Rs 2,357 crore in Q4FY18 and during the last quarter (Q3FY19), the aggregate profits were Rs 14,166 crore. This quarter, we expect them to report a profit of Rs 25,026 crore, implying 77 percent growth QoQ and 962 percent growth YoY.

While banks contributed only 2.5 percent to aggregate net profits of our 165 coverage companies in Q4FY18, they now will contribute 20 percent to the total profits.

IT sector is expected to report healthy topline growth of 19 percent YoY but margins will see some pressure.

Infrastructure companies are expected to report 16 percent YoY sales growth, though net profits should remain under pressure. The un-executable order book is still higher due to muted land acquisition progress. Revenue of capital goods companies is expected to increase by 13 percent YoY.

Cement companies will see volume growth of 6-7 percent YoY, led by affordable housing and demand from rural housing segment. Volumes of oil marketing companies' are expected to remain subdued due to lower demand in January and February. Margins of OMCs companies are expected to improve sequentially led by the bounce back in the Singapore refining margin (benchmark) and better distillate yields. Volumes of City gas distribution companies will grow by 8-10 percent on YoY with stable margins.

Automobiles and consumers are expected to report muted growth. Automobiles including auto components will report 3 percent YoY sales growth while net profits are expected to fall 11 percent.

Consumer companies will report slightly lower sales and volume growth considering slowing down of consumption in rural, as well as, the urban market. Though, companies that are expanding their distribution reach will see slightly better volume growth.

Our earnings estimates suggest Nifty earnings will grow 10.6 percent for the FY19. EPS growth trajectory would see gradual improvements on the back of strong bottom-line performance of banks. FY20 Nifty EPS is expected to grow at 20 percent implying EPS of Rs 606.

Due to election this quarter, price performance in the near term would be primarily dependent on the election outcome. Importance of Q4FY19 results would be more in terms of which sector will outperform.

The author is Head of Research at Narnolia Financial Advisors Ltd.

: The views and investment tips expressed by investment expert on moneycontrol.com are his own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
Indian refiners are holding back from ordering Iranian oil for loading in May pending clarity on whether Washington will extend a waiver from US sanctions against the OPEC-member, four sources said.

In November, US President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and re-imposed broad economic sanctions.

Washington, however, gave a six-month waiver to eight nations including India, allowing them to import some Iranian oil until early May. India, Iran's top oil client after China, was allowed to buy about 9 million barrels a month.

India hopes to get clarity in seven to 10 days on any extension of the waiver, as well as the amount of oil that could be purchased if an extension is given, the sources said.

"We don't know about U.S. thinking, whether they will allow India to buy oil or not," said one of the sources, all of whom declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.

Under the current waiver, India can buy about 300,000 bpd of Iranian oil - about half the amount before the sanctions were imposed - and New Delhi wants to keep buying Iranian oil at that level, Indian sources said last month.

Since November only state-run Indian Oil Corp, Bharat Petroleum Corp, Hindustan Petroleum and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals have been buying Iranian oil.

State-refiners and India's oil ministry did not respond to Reuters request for comments.

Brian Hook, the special US envoy for Iran, in March said Washington is pursuing its plan to bring Iranian crude exports to zero. Last week Hook said three of eight importers granted waivers by Washington have cut shipments to zero.

"Sanctions against IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) have also added to the uncertainty over supply of Iranian oil ... in the current scenario when enough alternatives are available it is better to wait for a clarity," said another of the sources.

Trump on Monday designated Iran's Guards a foreign terrorist organization. Iran's president Rouhani said Tehran will resist U.S. pressure and hailed IRGC as defenders of Iranians.
India retained its position as the world's top recipient of remittances with its diaspora sending a whopping USD 79 billion back home in 2018, the World Bank said in a report Monday.

India was followed by China (USD 67 billion), Mexico (USD 36 billion), the Philippines (USD 34 billion), and Egypt (USD 29 billion), the global lender said.

With this, India has retained its top spot on remittances, according to the latest edition of the World Bank's Migration and Development Brief.

Over the last three years, India has registered a significant flow of remittances from USD 62.7 billion in 2016 to USD 65.3 billion 2017.

"Remittances grew by more than 14 percent in India, where a flooding disaster in Kerala likely boosted the financial help that migrants sent to families, the Bank said.

In Pakistan, remittance growth was moderate (seven per cent), due to significant declines in inflows from Saudi Arabia, its largest remittance source. In Bangladesh, remittances showed a brisk uptick in 2018 (15 per cent).

According to the report, remittances to low-and middle-income countries reached a record high of USD 529 billion in 2018, an increase of 9.6 per cent over the previous record high of USD 483 billion in 2017.

Global remittances, which include flows to high-income countries, reached USD 689 billion in 2018, up from USD 633 billion in 2017, it said.

The Bank said, remittances to South Asia grew 12 per cent to USD 131 billion in 2018, outpacing the six per cent growth in 2017.

"The upsurge was driven by stronger economic conditions in the United States and a pick-up in oil prices, which had a positive impact on outward remittances from some GCC countries," it said.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a regional inter-governmental political and economic bloc of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

However, the Bank in its report rued that the global average cost of sending USD 200 remained high, at around seven per cent in the first quarter of 2019.

Reducing remittance costs to three per cent by 2030 is a global target under Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 10.7. Remittance costs across many African corridors and small islands in the Pacific remain above 10 per cent.

On ways to lower remittance costs, Dilip Ratha, lead author of the Brief and head of KNOMAD, said, "Remittances are on track to become the largest source of external financing in developing countries. The high costs of money transfers reduce the benefits of migration. Renegotiating exclusive partnerships and letting new players operate through national post offices, banks, and telecommunications companies will increase competition and lower remittance prices.
Neeraj Tandon

A 2018 NASSCOM Report said that Indias IT-BPM industry recently generated revenues of $167 billion and employed more than 4 million people. What this inevitably leads to is more jobs within the Indian IT-BPM industry where there is a continuous need for employing people with greater skills to meet ever-changing industry needs.

Recent NASSCOM estimates have pinned at least 100,000 new jobs that were thus created in 2017-18.

Making matters more complicated, India is also at the forefront of leading global innovations in the digital space due to the countrys digitally literate population and the governments digital initiatives. In 2018, digital revenues in the Indian domestic market thus increased to more than 18 percent from 14 percent in 2016.

By 2025, this revenue is further poised to increase up to 38 percent. To meet this ever increasing demand for digitally-enabled services and solutions, the industry employs around 4,50,000-500,000 employees. This accounts for about 75 percent of the global digital talent pool, according to NASSCOM.

New technologies are shaping the industry and changing expectations

While there is tremendous demand for digital services from global clients, within India there are various government initiatives that are leading the digital push. Some of these are e-government services, mobile banking, smart cities, digital payments, digital governance, citizen services like Aadhaar card. Further, these and the online transfer of benefits for government schemes are resulting in a larger scale of digital disruption.

Technologies and processes such as cloud, recruitment process outsourcing (RPA), artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things, analytics, social media and digital marketing are already considered mainstream areas for technology investments.

Additionally, business leaders globally are investing in areas of customer experience design, social and digital anthropology, web psychology, selling business innovation, product and service enhancement, social analytics, channel development and so on. All of these are more likely to shape future opportunities in the digital space and lead to the creation of more jobs.

The essential need for upskilling and reskilling

Against the backdrop of newer technologies that are shaping the outsourcing services industry, it is natural that new skills and new jobs will become commonplace. Gartner estimates that by 2021, 55 percent of technology talent recruiters will require additional skills in areas of business, digital and analytics to realize business innovation and growth.

While businesses and governments constantly embrace newer technologies, employees on the other hand, are seeing this more as an opportunity to enhance their career prospects. By focusing on leveraging core soft and cognitive skills such as complex problem solving, creative thinking, cognitive flexibility among others, they are reskilling and upskilling to make a mark.

The industry is also responding to this change by enabling newer job profiles like robotics specialists, data scientists, machine learning scientists, neuro-implant technicians, programmers and so forth to meet the new and changing business processes.

However, this is also leading to a fear among employees that such digital disruptors could have a displacement effect on their jobs. Among all industries, the BFSI industry is one where the increased adoption of digital technologies such as RPA and AI is a reality and job displacement fears are real. In order to address these fears, it is imperative for employers to upskill their talent to thus match industry needs.

To further support this, technologies such as RPA and AI are also being utilised by employers to augment human efforts in specific jobs. For instance, some tasks are utilising a combination of human and AI skills to make output more measurable and effective.

With such integrations, customer experience (CX) is expected to rise higher thus resulting in positive outcomes and business growth. Employees who have been largely engaged in routine, back office work, will now have an opportunity to enhance and upgrade their skills to perform more complex tasks. In other words, utilising digital technologies has the potential to drive greater employee productivity and increase employee (and customer) satisfaction by leaps and bounds.

Upskilling the workforce is key to stay ahead

In an increasingly competitive job market, where job cuts are a regular occurrence in the Indian IT sector due to under-preparedness in adapting to newer technologies, upskilling and reskilling holds the key for a brighter future for workers. In the Indian IT-BPM space, bundled digital deals have become the new norm. Nearly every IT-BPM deal today has some elements of digital components such as CRM, RPA, social, digital marketing or analytics.

Digital preparedness is thus a key differentiator in the market. This change is enforcing significant process re-engineering while demanding relative skills. IT-BPM companies are thus focusing on unique talent management and acquisition strategies that address these challenges and help employees gain new skills to stay relevant and competitive in a complex and changing digital world.
The Exim Bank has extended two lines of credit (LoCs) worth USD 180 million to two projects in Ghana.

The bank has given a USD 30-million credit to a rehabilitation and upgrade of potable water system in Yendi, and USD 150 million to strengthen agriculture mechanization service centres across the West African nation, a statement said on Tuesday.

With these agreements, the Exim Bank has so far extended nine LoCs to Ghana worth USD 388.26 million.

The bank has extended lines of credit to Ghana for projects which included rural electrification, agriculture and transportation, construction of a new presidential office, railheads and agro and fish processing plants, waste management support, sugarcane development and irrigation.

The bank has now in place 248 LoCs, covering 63 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Commonwealth of Independent States countries, with credit commitments of around USD 24.46 billion.

The West African nation on the Gulf of Guinea is known for diverse wildlife, old forts and secluded beaches, such as at Busua, colonial buildings and castles-turned-museums that serve as testimonials to the slave trade.
SoftBank's proposal to inject $1.1 billion into Ola has been rejected by the ride-hailing service's co-founder Bhavish Aggarwal, according to a Bloomberg report.

The publication quoted sources saying that SoftBank's initial proposal for funding would have raised its stake in Ola to 40 percent. Aggarwal has been seeking to retain control of the company after SoftBank had acquired a large stake in Uber, and sought for the rivals to merge.

Talks on the deal first began in 2017, where SoftBank proposed an immediate investment of $250 million, followed by the remaining $1.1 of the billion, which would be injected into the company over six months, the people said.

The report quoted sources saying that Aggarwal had called for a clause granting veto rights to founders over the appointment of any new CEO, a clause which SoftBank was unwilling to agree.

This led the talks to stall. SoftBank held talks to invest in Uber in parallel, and becoming its largest stakeholder in January 2018 after investing $9 billion. SoftBank then sought for the two companies to merge, ringing alarm bells for Aggarwal over SoftBank's influence on Ola. Uber and Ola are fighting neck and neck to grab a larger market share of the highly competitive ride-hailing space.

This stalemate led to SoftBank attempting to acquire Tiger Global's stake in Ola. The report quoted sources saying that Ola then changed its corporate bylaws to ensure that any sale that was carried out by investors would need approval of the board, which blocked SoftBanks alternative.

The publication also noted in the report that Aggarwal is not present at events which host SoftBank-backed founders and Masayoshi Son, founder and current CEO of SoftBank . Aggarwal's absence was particularly felt at such an event which even included Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. Saudi Arabia has funded close to half of SoftBank's $100 billion vision fund.

The report quoted an Ola spokesperson, who denied of any tensions with SoftBank.

"Softbank has been a great partner for us as weve grown our business," said the spokesman in a statement. "There are so many emerging synergies with SoftBank that we envisage in the years to come, as we continue to build a global mobility business out of India."

The report also quoted a SoftBank spokesperson saying that it has a cordial relationship with all its portfolio companies, including Ola, and does not comment on specific individuals and internal matters.

To ensure Ola meets its funding requirement, the company has been raising smaller amounts from other sources such as Tencent. The Bangalore-based company has also raised $300 million from Hyundai Motor, and close to $90 million in investments from Sachin Bansal, the co-founder of Flipkart.

The report stated that the merger talks between Ola and Uber are off as it prepares for an IPO, which is expected to fetch $120 billion. SoftBank would be focusing its energies on Uber as it is would be the key reflection on the success of SoftBank's vision fund.
BSNL Office In Mumbai

The crisis at state-run telecom company Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) is deepening and is now spreading to its partner firms. Equipment vendors to the state-run company have delayed salaries to their employees due to a hold-up in a government project to connect rural areas in the northeast, The Economic Times reported.

Vihaan Networks (VNL) and Himachal Futuristic Communications (HFCL) had bagged contracts to supply gear to BSNL for the government's ambitious programme of ensuring telecom connectivity to villages in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. For the same, they had employed 3,000 persons directly and nearly 5,000 persons indirectly.

"For the last several months, our salaries have been delayed by almost two-to-three weeks, with the company sitting idle on one of our important telecom connectivity programme it had won more than a year ago from BSNL," sources from within the company told the newspaper. Mahendra Nahata, founder of HFCL, dismissed the news report as false.

Moneycontrol couldnt independently verify the report.

The rural connectivity project that BSNL was nominated for was led by the Universal Service Obligation Fund for villages along the China border in two states.

The deadline of the Northeast-I connectivity was December last year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had approved this project to deploy 2,817 towers in 4,119 villages in Arunachal Pradesh and two districts of Assam. It was a part of the Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan (CTDP).

These partner firms had taken out loans from the banks, furnished bank guarantees and even moved some of the equipment to the site, but no work was started on the project, hence there have been no payments, the report said. The project's future hangs in the balance, as does the network connectivity in these villages.

BSNL had itself delayed salaries to its employees in February due to increasing financial strain on the company. It has moved the government to help out in the distress, but no action has been taken by the Centre yet.

This initiative aimed to boost BSNL's revenue as the total project cost was close to Rs 2,200 crore. It got tangled in legal formalities and could never take off.
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Akash Jain

In Q3FY19, Hindustan Unilever's domestic consumer growth was at 13 percent with underlying volume growth at 10 percent. HULs prudent management of volatility in costs (crude and currency led) along with improved mix and operating leverage has driven marginal improvement.

The companys focus on strengthening the core and leading market development by tapping into emerging trends has been yielding results across categories.

Fabric wash and household care division reported impressive performance with double digit growth. In addition, beauty and personal care segment had a very good quarter. Personal wash growth continued to be driven by premiumization of the portfolio.

The company witnessed revenue growth of 11.3 percent YoY to Rs 9,558 crore led by 10 percent underlying volume growth. EBITDA also registered a growth of 21.8 percent on YoY basis to Rs 2,046 crore.

The companys acquisition of GSK Consumers India business would augur well for the company in reducing its dependence on the traditional segments like homecare, personal care and will help diversify in Health foods segment.

Iconic brands of GSK combined with HUL capabilities will unlock significant growth opportunities for the company. As part of this merger, health drinks including Boost, Horlicks and Maltova  the mainstays of GSK Consumer will now move to the HUL stable.

For HUL, it is a unique opportunity, to have the number one health food drink portfolio in the largest HFD market globally. The HFD category is over Rs 7,700 crore and is poised to grow well on back of strong structural demand drivers, namely favourable demographics, rising affluence, disposable income and persistent nutritional needs.

We expect the company to deliver PAT CAGR of 20 percent over the period FY19-21.

We recommend a buy with a target price of Rs 1,923 with a horizon of 12 months.

The author is Vice-President - Research at Ajcon Global Services

: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on moneycontrol.com are their own, and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
The Indian benchmark indices have turned negative in this afternoon session with Nifty down 19 points trading at 11,585 while the Sensex shed 50 points and is trading at 38,650.

Nifty PSU Bank is down over half a percent dragged by Bank of Baroda, Punjab National Bank, State Bank of India, Syndicate Bank, IDBI Bank and Indian Bank.

Media stocks are also trading in the red with loses from Jagran Prakashan which slipped 3 percent followed by Sun TV Network, Zee Media, INOX Leisure, Dish TV and PVR.

Selective infra stocks are weak led by Bharti Airtel which is trading lower by over 2 percent followed by IRB Infra, BHEL, NBCC, NCC, Reliance Communications, Reliance Infra and Vodafone Idea.

IT stocks are trading in the green led by HCL Tech which jumped 2 percent followed by Wipro, TCS and Mindtree.

From the FMCG space, the top gainers are Hindustan Unilever, ITC, United Spirits, Godrej Consumer and Colgate Palmolive.

India VIX is up 1.94 percent at 20.54 levels.

The top Nifty gainers include HCL Tech, Wipro, Indian Oil Corporation, Coal India and YES Bank while Indiabulls Housing, Asian Paints, Bharti Airtel, Adani Ports and Bajaj Finance are the top losers.

The most active stocks are Indiabulls Housing, Reliance Industries, YES Bank, State Bank of India and TCS.

Infosys, Merck, ICICI Lombard, Seamec and Spacenet Enterprises hit 52-week high on NSE while Reliance Communications, Sterlite Technologies, KSS, Mercator and Shoppers Stop hit new 52-week low.

The breadth of the market favoured the declines as 560 stocks advanced and 1,116 declined while 405 remained unchanged. On the BSE, 820 stocks advanced, 1,339 declined and 122 remained unchanged.

: Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd.
We expect around 10 percent return from equities. While we expect markets to be driven by the earnings growth of 15-20 percent, high current valuations may mean that the market may not go up in line with earnings, Mihir Vora, director & CIO of Max Life Insurance, said in an interview with Moneycontrols Kshitij Anand.

Edited excerpts:

Q: Should investors be worried about the global slowdown?

A: India remains one of the fastest growing economies globally due to the strength of domestic consumption. This will remain so even in the face of a global slowdown.

This is because of structural factors such as 1) demographics continue to support consumption growth 2) India is among the least dependent on export-led growth.

A global slowdown may bring down oil prices to which India is quite vulnerable. Moreover, we may see a relative increase in fund flows to growth markets like India.

A mild global slowdown would not be an issue for India. However, if there is a sharp change or a global shock (led by unique events like Brexit, trade wars, nuclear threats or a sharp fall in global markets), then there would be a risk-off sentiment and all markets may see outflows or a sell-off, to the safety of developed market government bonds (US, EU, Japan).

If slowdown persists for more than a few quarters, it will impact the Indian economy and markets.

Q: Where do you see benchmark indices at the end of FY20?

A: We expect around 10 percent returns from equities. While we expect markets to be driven by the earnings growth of 15-20 percent, high current valuations may mean that the markets may not go up in line with earnings.

Q: Which theme is looking more promising: largecaps or mid and smallcaps?

A: It is difficult to make a sweeping statement on mid and smallcaps. Given a large number of stocks in this space.

It is always possible to find 5-10 midcap winners in a portfolio of 35-45 stocks. However, given the volatility and slowdown in many indicators in India, overall, we prefer largecaps at this point in time.

Q: What is your view on the currency for the next 6-12 months?

A: We expect the currency to be in a range of 5 percent from current levels, with a bias towards weakeness.

Q: Which sectors are likely to remain in limelight in FY20 in the backdrop of the political events?

A: In the run-up to the elections, we would not place bets on any particular outcome. The history of 2004 (Nifty down 20 percent in two days) and 2009 (Nifty up 18 percent in a day) shows that election outcomes can be unexpected.

However, the priorities for any government will be the same i.e. encourage investment, keep consumption robust and reduce inequalities.

It is also a source of comfort that some of the most important reforms in the Indian economy have happened in the era of coalition governments.

Our portfolio remains biased in favour of consumer staples, private sector banks and exporters like IT and pharma. We have increased exposure to utilities.

We will look to add auto, capital goods and construction depending on data improving in these segments. Metals and energy are sectors where we take calls which are more dependent on global movements.

Q: What are the factors that are likely to impact markets in FY20?

A) Local factors: 1) elections 2) monsoon/El Nino 3) RBI stance on liquidity and monetary policy 4) resolution of NBFC liquidity issues 5) GST collections and implementation of steps to prevent leakage 6) government policy to stimulate private sector investments 7) NPA resolution 8) recovery in real estate segment.

Global factors: 1) Brexit 2) China-US trade war 3) Fed and ECB stance on balance sheet contraction 4) growth, as indicators are pointing to a slowdown.

Q: How is FY20 likely to pan out for investors and markets at large?

A: In India, we are at a critical stage of the economy. While consumption and government-led spending have kept the economy on track for the past few years, there are signs of these slowing down.

There is limited fiscal space available for the government to stimulate spending and growth. Private investment cycle needs to kick-start and the problems of NPAs, sluggishness in real estate, and the NBFC/PSU bank issues still persist.

On the other hand, earnings growth for largecaps is likely to be good in FY20, driven by banking and finance segments. Moreover, global flows have picked up as the US Federal Reserve and European Central Bank have changed the stance to more dovish.

Local mutual funds and insurance companies continue to get good inflows. Thus, for the stock market, there is good liquidity support that has led to markets doing well even in the face of some slowdown. We expect markets to be volatile this year, with a positive bias.

: The views and investment tips expressed by investment expert on Moneycontrol.com are his own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
Here are stocks that are in the news today:

Results on April 9: Bajaj Consumer Care, Simplex Projects

Bharti Airtel: SEBI approves company's Rs 25,000 crore fund raising plan - CNBC-TV18 Sources

Panacea Biotec: India Resurgence Fund, promoted by Piramal Enterprises and Bain Capital Credit, along with its affiliates has announced an investment of up to Rs 992 crore in the company

Usha Martin's CFO Rohit Nanda resigned as the CFO w.e.f. April 9, appointed Anirban Sanyal as the new CFO

Voltas: Company in pact to sell Shima Seiki's products in India.

Fortis Healthcare: Girish Gupta steps down as CFO with immediate effect. Company appoints Vivek Kumar Goyal As Chief Financial Officer.

Fortis Healthcare looking to sale its 27.82 percent stake in Singapore based arm RHT Health Trust

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries' wholly owned subsidiary Sun Pharma Distributors will commence distributing company's formulation products in India, on the same terms as was with AML, in a phased manner upon receipt of requisite regulatory approvals

Quess Corp's staffing business adds 23,000 associates effective April 2019

Prabhat Telecoms (India): Company entered into a distributor agreement with 'Xmi Pte Ltd' (Hong Kong) for distributing telecom accessories and other accessories as manufactured products in Delhi and NCR, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur, Sikkim, Assam, Tripura and West Bengal of the Republic of India to specific retailors on non-exclusive basis.

Karda Constructions: Company commenced construction of Hari Krishna - Phase IV, a residential cum commercial project in Nashik, Maharashtra. Total saleable area will be 60,548.71 square feet and expected sale proceeds should be around Rs 21.19 crore. The said project will be complete by November 2022.

Indo-Rama Synthetics appointed Maganti Narayan Sudhindra Rao as executive director and CEO for 3 years with effect from April 8.

Coffee Day Enterprises: Impact HD Inc (IHD) to invest $15 million for 49 percent stake in company's subsidiary Coffee Day Consultancy Services Private Limited. After this deal, company and its subsidiary Coffee Day Global will hold 51 percent stake in Coffee Day Consultancy Services Private Limited.

Majesco: Company appointed finance & operations expert Wayne Locke as new CFO.

Asian Paints: Company said fire broke out at manufacturing facility in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Fire will not have any impact on the business operations of company.

Indian Overseas Bank decreased its MCLR for 1 year and above tenor by 5 bps with effect from 10.04.2019

DLF: GIC sells 7 crore shares in a block deal at Rs 192 per share - CNBC-TV18 sources. In 2016-17, GIC via property arm had bought 7 crore shares in DLF.

IndusInd Bank has priced the Notes at 3.875 percent, fixed rate on April 8, 2019 under the Medium Term Notes Programme acting through its IBU having an issue size of USD 400 million

Analyst or Board Meet/Briefings

Yes Bank: Bank will consider raising funds via debt, equity, and announce March quarter earnings on April 26.

Rushil Decor: Company's officials will meet investors/analysts on April 9.

Gateway Distriparks: Company's officials will meet Reliance Nippon Life Asset Management on April 9.

Finolex Industries: Company's officials will meet B&K Securities India on April 9.

5paisa Capital: Bank to consider raising funds via NCD and announce March quarter earnings on April 16.

Eris Lifesciences: Company's officials will meet IIFL on April 9.
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The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is likely to give its nod to the merger between the private sector lender  Lakshmi Vilas Bank (LVB) and the non-banking finance company (NBFC) Indiabulls Housing Finance (IBH), despite its earlier aversion to entities with linkages with the real estate sector.

While there are concerns on IBHs previous experience with the regulator, there are chances that the regulator may hold a different opinion this time around.

At that time, the RBI was very conservative in terms of allowing new entrants into the banking system. So, only two entities were found suitable as compared to other applicants for the licence, said R Gandhi, former Deputy Governor, RBI. He added that as per the previous policy, exposure to sensitive sectors would have led to hesitation in granting licences. However, that is not a condition anymore.

The RBI laid out new guidelines for banking licences in April 2016, which are 'on tap', implying that applicants are free to approach the regulator at any point of time.

Gandhi said the RBI will look at the 'fit & proper' criteria of the new management and new shareholders. It will also look at the financials of the merging entities and factor in the feedback from other regulators as well. The decision will not rely only on the basis of their exposure to real estate. The RBI will see its position as of today, he said.

Is IBH rescuing LVB?

The Chennai-based LVB has breached all parameters  capital adequacy, asset quality, return on assets (RoA)  under the RBIs Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework. It is likely to come under RBI directions anytime this fiscal and the first thing the regulator will ask promoters to do is to bring in more capital.

In March, LVB raised additional funds of Rs 459.59 crore via qualified institutional placement (QIP) and still was not able to push its capital adequacy above the required level.

The RBI has lifted directions from Allahabad Bank, Bank of India, Bank of Maharashtra, Corporation Bank and Oriental Bank of Commerce on grounds that they had obtained fresh capital infusion from the government to exit the PCA.

If there are impending problems, the RBI can come to a conclusion that the bank needs help, Gandhi said.

Paving the way for more mergers

In case the RBI approves the merger, it will open the floodgates for other NBFCs to follow a similar route.

We expect larger NBFCs (as and when they fulfil all the criteria related to on tap banking licence) to adopt a similar route for a banking licence. This makes old-generation private sector banks (struggling with low profitability, lack of scale and capital constraints) attractive targets, a Motilal Oswal report stated.

Markets see other private sector lenders like South Indian Bank, Karnataka Bank and Karur Vysya Bank as potential acquisition targets.

What are the risks?

Edelweiss said in a recent report that any slowdown in the real estate sector will adversely hit growth and earnings of the merged entity.

It will also impact the default rates and recoverability in the event of a default. Adverse regulatory changes like increase in risk weights and cap on the interest spread under refinance schemes can impact IBHs growth and profitability, the report said.

For IBH, the challenge will be to clean up LVBs books, thus taking a hit on its profits.

Meanwhile, employees of LVB have also expressed discomfort on the merger talks. In their view, LVB should be merged with a state-run bank rather than an NBFC.
Shares of paint and tyre companies are trading lower on April 9 as crude oil prices have surged to 5-month high.

Oil prices have climbed due to OPEC-led supply cuts, US sanctions against Iran and Venezuela, and escalating violence in Libya, said Reuters.

Oil markets have tightened this year as the United States imposed sanctions on oil exporters Iran and Venezuela while the producer club of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has been withholding supply to prop up prices, it added.

Brent crude oil prices are trading higher by 0.24 percent at $71.27 per barrel, while US WTI crude oil prices trading at $64.63 per barrel.

Kansai Nerolac Paints was quoting at Rs 452.70, down 1.30 percent, Asian Paints was quoting at Rs 1,448.10, down 3.23 percent and Berger Paints India was quoting at Rs 327.55, down 0.41 percent.

JK Tyre was quoting at Rs 91.75, down 1.02 percent and Apollo Tyres was quoting at Rs 215.35, down 2.20 percent on the BSE.
Shares of Panacea Biotec rallied more than 14 percent intraday on April 9 after India Resurgence Fund (IndiaRF) announced an investment of up to Rs 992 crore in the company.

The pharmaceutical company in its BSE release said that that the investment proceeds will be used for a onetime settlement with existing lenders, general working capital and growth requirements of the company.

Following the investment, India Resurgence Fund will own 10.4 percent stake in Panacea Biotec on a fully diluted basis.

At 0924 hrs, Panacea Biotec was quoting Rs 207.55, up 14.57 percent on the BSE.
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Shares of Voltas gained over 1 percent in the early trade on Tuesday after company entered in to distribution agreement with a Japanese textile machines manufacturer.

The air conditioning manufacturer Voltas and Shima Seiki Mfg. Ltd., a leading Japanese textile machines manufacturer, have entered into a distribution agreement for sales and marketing of Shima's products in India, as per Voltas press release.

This co-operation is expected to strengthen both Voltas and Shima's reach across the rapidly expanding Indian textile industry, it added.

C. Kamatchisundaram, Vice President-Textile Machinery Division, Voltas added, "This association would help us to offer truly world class solutions in flat knitting, WHOLEGARMENT making process and Total Fashion Systems to the textile industry."

"Voltas' sales and marketing strengths combined with leading edge products from Shima Seiki Mfg. would make this a preferred choice for customers from the Indian textile industry," he added.

At 09:26 hrs Voltas was quoting at Rs 616.25, up Rs 5.05, or 0.83 percent on the BSE.
WhatsApp is working to comply with Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines on localisation of payment data, according to a report by The Economic Times. This means that data of WhatsApp Pay users will be stored only on servers in India.

We plan to comply with RBI guidelines. Only some engineering work is left, a senior Facebook executive told the newspaper.

Moneycontrol could not independently verify the story.

WhatsApp Pay, launched in February last year, is currently in the beta stage and available to only one million users in India.

The central bank had in 2018 mandated that payment data on Indian users should be stored only on servers located in India. In March, RBI informed the Supreme Court that WhatsApp is non-compliant with data localisation norms.

So far, WhatsApp has only sought approval for data mirroring in India, which is the practice of storing data overseas, but creating copies on other servers.

WhatsApp has realised that there is no way to get away with it, a senior I-T Ministry official told the newspaper.

WhatsApps payment feature, which uses the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), competes with Google Pay, Paytm and PhonePe. In March, 800 million transactions were done via UPI, as per data from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
The connectivity between India and Israel will influence the bilateral relationship and help in increasing the tourist flow on both the sides, India's Ambassador to Israel has said.

Pavan Kapoor's remarks came as Indian national carrier Air India celebrated its one year of operations on the Tel Aviv-Delhi sector.

The sector is considered a major diplomatic breakthrough given that the flights use Saudi and Omani airspace, registering an impressive growth with average seat occupancy around eighty percent making it one of the most lucrative sector.

Air India's staff and the crew celebrated the completion of one year of operations on the route with passengers travelling to Delhi on April 8 night at an event organised here at the airport just before the flight took off at 10:35 PM.

"It was a long journey with lots of ups and downs. Lots of interesting history which shall be written at some point but it was a sort of fascinating effort when we had the first flight arrive here on March 22nd last year," Kapoor said.

"It was really a special event and we were glad to be a part of civil aviation history for Israel, I think the first civilian aircraft to arrive at Tel Aviv airport flying over Saudi airspace", he said at the ceremony.

Israel does not have diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia and Oman. The permission given to Air India by the two Gulf countries to use their airspace to fly into Tel Aviv has often been presented by Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a big success story of his leadership.

"The connectivity between India and Israel will influence the relationship, something that I strongly believe in. We have seen more tourists on both sides, we have seen more business persons and we are pushing for more and more Israelis to travel to India. If Indians come here we are happy about it too. The Israeli tourist's Indian experience starts here when they enter Air India", Kapoor said.

Officials in Israel also reminisced the long and difficult path to this success story which also included objections from Israel's national carrier El Al that filed a petition with Israel's Supreme Court against the permission given to Air India on grounds of "unfair competition". El Al later withdrew the petition.

The access to Saudi and Omani airspace shortens the flight path by almost two hours lowering significantly the fuel cost which can be transferred on to the passengers.

"The launch of Air India flights between Tel Aviv and Delhi was an outcome of mutual efforts. It has contributed in significant increase in tourist inflows from India to Israel. We have seen a 13 percent increase in tourists coming from India during the first quarter of this year and almost 30 percent compared to two years ago", Israeli Tourism Ministry's Director general, Amir Halevi, told PTI.
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The Pakistan Army said India has failed to provide any evidence of downing a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet during the February 27 aerial combat over Nowshera in Jammu and Kashmir, despite claiming that it has proof of the incident.

The statement came hours after the Indian Air Force on Monday released radar images as part of its "irrefutable evidence" to assert that it shot down an F-16 fighter jet of Pakistan during the airstrike.

In a tweet, Pakistani military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said, "Repetitions don't make truth of a lie. Despite claiming possession of evidence on shooting F16, IAF still short of presenting it."

Graphic captures from an airborne warning and control system (AWACS) were shown by the IAF in New Delhi at a media briefing, reiterating that it has credible evidence that Pakistan Air Force (PAF) lost an F-16 fighter jet in the aerial engagement.

The IAF had issued a similar statement on Friday asserting that it shot down an F-16 in Nowshera sector after leading American magazine 'Foreign Policy' reported that a US count of the F-16s with Pakistan has found that none of them are missing.

Air Vice Marshal RGK Kapoor, the Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Operations and Space), said the IAF has more credible information and evidence that is clearly indicative of the fact that PAF has lost one F-16 in the air action on February 27. "However, due to security and confidentiality concerns, we are restricting the information being shared in the public domain."

India has been maintaining that IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman had engaged with one of the Pakistani F-16s and shot it down before his Mig-21 Bison was downed, but Pakistan has denied losing any aircraft in the combat.

Varthaman was captured by Pakistan and was released after spending nearly 60 hours in Pakistani custody.

Ghafoor also reiterated that Pakistan destroyed two Indian jets and claimed the "wreckage seen on ground by all".
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Anand Kochukudy

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath calling the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) a virus in a tweet has sparked off a huge debate. Adityanath, known for his rabble-rousing hate speeches, was apparently referring to Congress President Rahul Gandhis candidature in Wayanad in Kerala and the presence of the IUML in this constituency. In fact, the green flag of the IUML was also being used by the Right-wing ecosystem on social media platforms to insinuate that Pakistan flags were waved at Gandhis roadshow in Wayanad.

While fact-checking platforms did a good job of debunking the manufactured flag controversy, Adityanath's comments have put the focus back on the politics of the IUML. The party came to existence in 1948 in India like the Awami League in Bangladesh (East Pakistan) after the disbanding of the All India Muslim League following Partition. It was primarily limited to Kerala and had a small presence in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. In Kerala, the IUML has been part of various coalition governments and held ministerial berths since 1967.

It took the party more than a decade in Kerala to get accepted as a mainstream outfit as the Congress-Praja Socialist Party (PSP) alliance that came to power in 1960 in Kerala did not give them representation in the Cabinet despite being an ally. In fact, KM Seethi Sahib of the IUML was asked to resign from the primary membership of the party before occupying the position of Speaker of the Kerala assembly. It was EMS Namboothirippad's seven-party coalition government in 1967 that gave the IUML representation in the state Cabinet. In fact, CH Mohammed Koya of the IUML even briefly occupied the Chief Minister's chair in a short-lived coalition experiment in the late seventies.

When the IUML split in 1976, the splinter party joined the alliance led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) only to reunite under the banner of the IUML in 1985 in the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF). It split again in 1994 when its President Ebrahim Sulaiman Sait walked away with his followers in the post-Babri masjid milieu. It is now a constituent of the CPI (M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala even as the IUML has remained an ally of Congress since 1969.

Along with its history, it is important to evaluate the role played by this party in Kerala. Unlike Islamic outfits such as, say the Jamath-e-Islami, the IUML has remained a moderate party practising identity politics. Although it strives to advance the interests of the Muslim community, the IUML has come to acquire a secular tag on account of its moderation. Its utility came to the fore in the post-Babri demolition phase by preventing any untoward incident in its strongholds in Malabar and preserving the social fabric. This, even as many radical outfits and its leaders such as Abdul Nazer Madhani were gaining prominence, with its own existence at stake.

It is a fact that the IUML has long stood as a bulwark against the spread of radical Islam among Muslims in Malabar through its leadership and the advocacy of moderation and arbitration. This has also checked the rise of radical outfits such as the Popular Front (and its political unit Social Democratic Party of India) and forced outfits such as the Jamath-e-Islami to adopt a Left posture for survival.

Although the fifth minister controversy in 2012 during Oommen Chandy's chief ministership caused some aversion against it among the general public in Kerala, it has its acceptability intact by continuing to espouse moderate politics. The IUML continues to champion identity politics just as the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) or the Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh. Probably it is the Muslim in its name that is causing consternation to the saffron-clad monk whos also the Chief Minister of India's largest state and prompting him to use it to polarise voters among religious lines for electoral gains.

Anand Kochukudy is a Delhi-based academic and political commentator. Views are personal.

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In a scathing attack on Congress recently launched 'Ab Hoga Nyay' campaign for Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the party is admitting the injustices it committed for the 60 years that it was in power.

The Congress, on April 7, announced 'Ab Hoga Nyay' as its battle cry for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and launched a campaign centred around the theme of 'justice', while alluding to the party's proposed minimum income scheme NYAY and the 'anyay' (injustice) "prevailing under the BJP rule".

Their main slogan for this election is 'Ab Hoga Nyay'. This means that they agree that in 60 years of their rule they have done anyay (injustice). So knowingly or unknowingly they have admitted that they have done injustice for 60 years in power, said PM Modi in an exclusive interview with News18 Network Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi.

The prime minister further raised the cases in which justice is impending. When they talk about nyay, what about justice for the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots? What about nyay for the victims of triple talaq? What about the farmers of Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh who were promised loan waivers? You promised them justice in just 10 days. It has been 100 days now. When will they get justice? The victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy are asking why Congress allowed the guilty to flee the country. They are seeking justice, asked Modi.

Raking up the ISRO spy case, Modi said, The great scientist Nambi Narayanan was framed in a false case and thrown in jail. It dealt a blow to India's space programme. Nambi Narayanan is asking for justice.

He further slammed the Congress for coining the phrase Hindu terror after the Samjhauta Express blast, saying Hindus of the country are demanding justice. You jailed innocent people in connection with the Samjhauta Express blast. They were in jail for so many years implicated in a false case. They are asking for justice. In the name of the Samjhauta case, you coined the term 'Hindu terror' to link Hindus to terrorists. This nation's Hindus are asking for justice. They want to know why they were branded terrorists.

Accusing the Congress of bringing injustice to leaders like PV Narasimha Rao, BR Ambedkar, Subhash Chandra Bose and Sardar Patel, Modi said the call for nyay is coming from every corner of the country, adding that the Congress is incapable of delivering justice.

(The full interview will be aired today at 7.00 pm and 10.00 pm on CNN-News18, News18 India, CNBC TV18 and other News18 regional channels.)
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eye-on-india Rahul Gandhi wants to wash Bofors stain on father with Rafale allegations: PM Modi The Congress chief has been constantly accusing PM Modi and his government of fraud in the Rafale fighter jet deal with France.
Veteran Pakistani television actress and comedian Bushra Ansari has come up with a new protest rap video depicting two women clad in salwar kameez are discussing their lives.

The two seem to be close confidantes, except a glass-spiked wall separates their world. The women in the video symbolise the two neighbouring countries India and Pakistan, which have both been scarred by warring parties recently.

The escalation of skirmishes between the two countries following the February Pulwama attack is yet to die down. So, in a clarion call for peace, the renowned actress collaborated with her sisters, actor Asma Abbas and Neelum Ahmed Basheer, for the song. Titled Humsaye Maa Jaye, it borrows the tune of Bollywood song Kajra Mohabbat Wala.

In the song, the two women divided by a wall, discuss various troubles brewing in their respective countries such as fears of an impending war, worsening ties, water and food scarcity, and the horrors of nuclear warfare.

The two women also wonder why despite sharing the same earth and sky, the two nations are constantly at war.

Later in the video, they realise through continued conversations that similar stories of hatred and violence are spread in either country by the media, which do not hold true and junk them as just politics playing games.

Speaking to media, Bushra Ansari has explained the video as a music video that goes beyond war and borders to the hearts of people living so close, and yet so far away.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling alliance will win a thin majority in a general election that starts on Thursday, an average of four opinion polls showed, with a focus on national security appearing to trump concerns over jobs and farm prices.

The coalition led by Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to win 273 of the 543 parliament seats at stake, one more than the halfway mark required to rule. In the last election the alliance won more than 330 seats - the biggest mandate in three decades.

Most of the polling agencies that released surveys in the last four days said Modi got a boost from recent tension with arch enemy Pakistan after a militant group based there killed 40 Indian paramilitary troops in Kashmir in February.

"In today's India we have seen perhaps for the first-time security issues competing with, and outdoing, a bread and butter issue like unemployment," CVoter said in a statement.

"Primarily, the BJP has been unable to sufficiently distinguish itself from Congress when it comes to making people feel the difference in terms of their livelihoods and economic interests.

"However, when it comes to controlling and responding on terror the same set of respondents do feel a clear and visible difference."

CVoter's poll is the most conservative, predicting 267 seats for the ruling group, while the Times Now-VMR's poll is the most bullish, with 279 seats.

The main opposition Congress and its allies are expected to more than double their seats to about 141 on average.

Pre-election opinion polls in India, with thousands of respondents, have proved unreliable several times in the past in a vast country of about 1.3 billion people, of whom about 900 million are eligible to vote.

Congress has accused the BJP of using retaliatory air strikes on Pakistan as a political tool and has instead highlighted job creation, tackling farm distress and empowerment of women, among its top priorities.

But the BJP has doubled down on national security issues, promising in its manifesto released on Monday to strip decades-old special rights from the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Modi has said he will retain power with a bigger mandate than before, while Congress says its plan for annual handouts of 72,000 rupees ($1,034) to the poorest families will help fuel its comeback.

The election will be held in seven phases and votes will be counted on May 23, with results likely to be clear the same day.
Representative image

Manas Chakravarty

Economists Ajit Karnik, Mala Lalvani and Manali Phatak have recently published a paper in the Economic and Political Weekly, titled Determinants of Electoral Outcomes. The authors analyse constituency-level data from the last ten parliamentary elections, focusing on constituencies where the incumbent has won the previous election by narrow margins.

What are the findings? The researchers find that, for elections held after 1998, there is a strong disadvantage for incumbents. However, the trend is not uniform across states. In states where the share of the rural population is higher than average, there is strong anti-incumbency sentiment. The same goes for states that are poorer than average.

The authors have divided states into two groups---poor, rural, less-well-educated, where there is a strong incumbency disadvantage and rich-urban-educated, where there is no discernible incumbency effect. In the former grouping are Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, J&K, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Are these the states where incumbent BJP candidates are likely to lose?

Not so fast, the researchers have divided the states into other groups too. For example, they find that in the Hindi-speaking regions of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and National Capital Region of Delhi, chances of winning decline by more than 50 percent for an incumbent. That will be terrible news for the BJP. Whats worse, is that, in the non-Hindi speaking states, there is a weak advantage for the incumbent.

But for the current government, heres the silver lining---the study finds that being a BJP candidate confers a huge advantage in terms of chances of winning elections. Being a Congress incumbent is a disadvantage.

So if the conclusions this paper arrives at are correct, the BJP should do badly in the Hindi belt, which are its strongholds, but this is qualified by the fact that incumbent BJP candidates do well. Thats a bit of a let-down, as it is not much use in forecasting.

The other takeaways from the paper are that incumbent parties in the non-Hindi belt should put up a good show. The Congress will fare poorly.

A similar study in 2016 (Anti-Incumbency, Parties, and Legislatures: Theory and Evidence from India by Alexander Lee of the University of Rochester) had also arrived at the conclusion that incumbents suffer from a disadvantage. The paper found, It appears that this bias is attached to both individuals and parties. When we focus on party vote share, the party of the incumbent. is still less likely to win than they would had they lost the previous election, though the effect is smaller than for individuals. Candidates from incumbent parties where the incumbent does not choose to run have a much smaller, though still perceptible, disadvantage. It might make sense for the ruling party to redistribute tickets.

Like the EPW paper, Alexander Lee too found that incumbent disadvantage does not hold in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and West Bengal, but also said, The rest of India tends to discriminate against incumbents, but does so to varying degrees, with incumbents faring the worst in Maharashtra, Assam and Haryana. Theres no mention of anti-incumbency sentiment being particularly strong in the Hindi speaking belt.

Some of these conclusions are difficult to digest. Kerala, for instance, has a history of changing its government every five years -- is this not anti-incumbency? Could the finding that anti-incumbency doesnt work against the BJP candidates be the result of studying a period when the BJP has improved its tally strongly? And if being a Congress incumbent is a disadvantage, how did it win in 2009? And why should incumbents be weakest in the poorer and less literate states -- surely better educated and richer folk are less likely to be bamboozled by politicians and throw them out at regular intervals? The problem is there are so many moving parts in an election, especially elections in a country as large and as diverse as India, that its difficult to pin down the impact of one factor alone.

On the whole, however, anti-incumbency sentiment is a good thing, keeping politicians and parties in power on their toes and preventing them from getting delusions of grandeur.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday stepped up his attack on the Congress, saying had its leaders acted wisely, Pakistan would not have been created.

Addressing a poll rally here, Modi also appeared to be treading sensitive ground, by asking first-time voters to dedicate their vote to those who carried out the air strike in Balakot.

"Can your first vote be dedicated to those who carried out the air strike," Modi said, appealing to first-time voters.

Pakistan would not have born in 1947 had Congress leaders acted wisely in the pre-Independence era, Modi said.

The Congress party's manifesto speaks the same language as that of Pakistan, he added. Referring to National Conference leader Omar Abdullah's remark, Modi accused the Congress and its ally NCP of standing with those who want a separate prime minister for Jammu and Kashmir.

Hitting out at NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Modi wondered if it behoved the Maratha strongman to join forces with the parties holding such a view.

Under the BJP's watch it is the policy of 'New India' that it will kill terrorists by barging into their dens, he said.

Modi said the opposition parties were questioning the valour of the security forces after the Pulwama terror attack and the air strike in Balakot.

Attacking the Congress, the prime minister alleged that corruption was the only activity which the party does "with honesty" after coming to power. "Aapne dekha hoga kal-parson kaise Congress ke darbariyon ke ghar se bakson main note nikli hain, note se vote kharidne ka ye paap inki rajnaitik sanskriti rahi hai. Ye pichhle chhe mahino se bol rahe hain 'Chowkidaar chor hai' lekin note kahan se nikle? Asli chor kon hai?

(You must have seen how boxes full of currency notes are being recovered from the houses of Congress courtiers. Buying votes shows their political culture. They are saying for the last six months that the watchman is a thief but from where have the notes come out and who is the real thief?), Modi said.

Modi's remarks followed the recent income tax raids at several locations, including in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh, against close aides of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath and others on charges of tax evasion and hawala transactions.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi has been attacking the prime minister using the 'chowkidar chor hai' phrase, alleging corruption in the Rafale deal.

He said the Congress wants to take back the special powers given to armed forces. "Pakistan too wants the same thing so that terrorists have a free run. The Congress has said it wants to do away with the sedition laws. Pakistan too wants this. It wants free hand for those who want to work against India," he added.

"Those who talk such things, can you trust these people? Can these people safeguard the country," Modi said. Modi hailed the BJP manifesto, released in Delhi Monday, and said the party is committed to national security

and farmers' welfare.

"Your trust is my biggest accomplishment in the last five years," Modi told the crowd. He also said his objective is to rid India of naxal and Maoist menace. Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray also attended the rally.

Modi referred to Thackeray as his "younger brother" and eulogised Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray, whom he lauded for not occupying the chief minister's post and not installing Uddhav, his son, either in that chair.

Parties like the Congress who encourage dynastic rule should learn from Balasahab (on this aspect), he said.

Modi also attacked the Congress for "taking away" Bal Thackeray's voting rights. Addressing the rally, Uddhav Thackeray asked Modi to deal Pakistan such a blow that nothing remains of it to mess with India.

Addressing the poll rally with Modi, their first since the Shiv Sena and BJP announced their tie-up for the Lok Sabha polls, Thackeray also welcomed the BJP's manifesto.

Modi reached the rally stage at this town in Latur district of Maharashtra holding hands with Thackeray. Both the leaders were later garlanded together with a large garland.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on April 9 asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deal Pakistan such a blow that nothing remains of it to mess with India.

Addressing a poll rally with Modi, their first since the Shiv Sena and BJP announced their tie-up for the Lok Sabha polls, Thackeray also welcomed the BJP's manifesto.

He said the promises made in the BJP manifesto was the reason the two ruling parties joined forces ahead of the polls.

In the manifesto released on April 8, the BJP has reiterated its commitment towards construction of Ram temple and abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution. It also announced a welfare scheme for farmers if voted to power.

"Our government today doesn't just talk about teaching Pakistan a lesson," Thackeray said.

"Pradhan Mantri ji, our only expectation from you now is that deal Pakistan such a blow that nothing of it remains to mess (with India) again," he said.

Thackeray also attacked the Congress for alleging that the BJP manifesto repeated the NDA major's 2014 poll promises. The Sena chief said it was the Congress manifesto which was filled with lies.

He criticised the Congress's 'NYAY' scheme that aims to help the poor by ensuring minimum income guarantee.

"Rahul (Gandhi) ji, the poverty eradication slogan was given by your grandmother (late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi). Your poverty vanished, but when the poverty of the poor will disappear? We will do it," Thackeray said.

On the Prime Minister's Crop Insurance Scheme, Thackeray said companies were cheating farmers and asked Modi to "straighten them".

"The insurance companies should have offices in each district (for the convenience of farmers)," he said.

In his speech, Modi called Uddhav his 'younger brother' and recalled that the Congress had 'withdrawn' citizenship of late Bal Thackeray.

Union minister Ramdas Athawale and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also addressed the rally.

BJP-Sena alliance candidates from Latur and Osmanabad Lok Sabha seats were also present.
Chirag Paswan at the Jakai rally with CM Nitish Kumar

Bihar, which has 40 Lok Sabha seats, is heading to polls in seven phases starting April 11. Our correspondent on Sunday travelled to Jamui, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader Chirag Paswan's constituency, and spent a day with the young leader.

Paswan is contesting from Jamui for the second time. In 2014, he won the election by a decent margin. However, this time, winning from the seat may not be as easy courtesy the Mahagathbandhan.

For Jamui, Sunday was an important day. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was heading to the constituency, going to polls on April 11, to campaign in favour of Chirag Paswan.

Chirag's "kafila" started from Jamui and headed to Chakai, a distance of 80 km.

Supporters en route greeted Chirag with flowers. Meanwhile, in discussion with Moneycontrol, he talked about development work done in his constituency. He said work on a medical college had begun and they had received approval for a Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV).

Chirag stated that every MP wanted a KV in their constituency, hence this was a big achievement. Jamui became a district around 25 years ago, but it lacked even basic amenities. He said construction of the building for KV had already started, and "investment is around Rs 19 crore".

"Along with this, we might be the only adarsh gram connected via railways," he said.

Jamui is now the fastest-growing district in the state and was named among the top five in the entire country by Niti Aayog, the leader added.

His 'kafila' soon reached Jakai. The stage was set for CM Nitish Kumar. As soon as the veteran leader's helicopter arrived, party workers started chanting 'Nitish Kumar Zindabad'.

Chirag had a one-movie stint in Bollywood and he uses the experience to his advantage. He speaks chaste Hindi and has a strong voice. In his speech, he promised to make Jamui a world-famous constituency.

Nitish Kumar also praised Chirag's oratory.

From this meeting, Chirag left for Tarapur, almost 70 km from Jakai.

On this stretch of the journey, we talked to him about his criticism of demonetization and GST. He had even written a letter to the Finance Ministry. He smiled and said, "I wasn't critical about demonetisation, but as an MP, I needed to know the answers because when I used to come back to my constituency, people asked me questions. I thought as an MP, it is my right to know the effects of certain policies which we have implemented. Demonetisation was definitely one of the biggest policies. I am very happy that the Finance Minister gave a written reply of almost four pages, which I uploaded on my Twitter handle and Facebook. That was pretty much satisfactory. Having said that, I don't think that's an issue during these Lok Sabha elections. Nobody is talking about demonetisation, nobody is talking about GST, except the Opposition. They are trying to make this an issue. But when you go out in villages, this is not their agenda."

We then talked about dynasty politics, something the BJP has been very critical of. Considering Chirag himself belongs to a dynasty, his view would be interesting to hear.

The second-generation leader said this was one issue he wanted to address at length. He said, "I very humbly accept that I am a part of dynasty politics and there are many members of my family who are in this profession and hold major posts in the party. I accept all that criticism because this is something I can't shy away from.

Having said that, I don't think being the son of a big politician can be the only criteria for you to win or be able to sustain. I think eventually everything boils down to your capabilities. It might be a blessing that you come from a big political family, but to prove yourself and to sustain, you ought to have that capability and potential in you. Had that not been the case, I think all the previous PMs and kids of all the previous Presidents would have been holding strong posts in politics. But we don't even know the names of many.

I accept you tend to get an easy entry coming from a big family, but then eventually you are in that public domain. It's the people who are going to decide your faith. They are not going to decide it on which family you come from or what surname you hold. If that were the case, my sister, Misa Bharti, wouldn't have lost elections. It proves that no matter what family you come from, eventually it all boils down to your potential and capabilities."

The LJP leader, during the day, also met people of Sangrampur and Tarapur, where he did a small road show. From there, he headed to Asarganj.

As the day drew to an end, Chirag was asked his opinion of Bihar. He humbly replied, "It is quite an impressive state. I hope you like it here."
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Less than a week ahead of the elections, the two largest political parties in India  ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and main Opposition Congress  released their respective poll campaign songs.

While the BJP's song borrows from their last years poll slogan Ab Ki Baar Modi Sarkar, the Congress song harps on the recent NYAY scheme announced in their manifesto.

The BJP theme song Phir Ek Baar Modi Sarkar, which means Modi government once again, gives special thrust on a decisive and majority government pitched against chaos and mahamilavat (adulterated alliance, a term referring to the Opposition Mahagathbandhan ).

The song is a report card of the last five years of Modis performance, and focuses primarily on national security, uprightness, and the will to take long strides.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who launched the theme song, said that the first half of the theme song talks about a kaam karne waali sarkaar (a government that works), the second half talks about imaandar sarkaar (an honest government), and the third half of the song dwells on a faisle lene waali sarkaar (a government that takes decisive action).

Jaitley added: Our campaign for television and radio will emphasise on national security, government's achievements, women empowerment through Ujwalla scheme, campaign against corruption, PM Kisan Yojana, the welfare of the poor, middle class and newly emerging middle class.

As expected, the video of the song, apart from showing people from across India hailing from varied backgrounds, also has screenshots of media reports on Surgical Strike 2.0 and Indian Air Force attack on Balakot, a narrative that the BJP has been harping on through their poll campaign.

The Congress song Ab Hoga Nyay, which literally translated means justice shall now be done is a spin on the flagship Congress poll promise of the Basic Minimum Income Scheme Nyay. However, going by the lyrics it clearly hints at the fact that for so long, under the BJP rule, the country has been subjected to anyay or injustice.

The song, 'Main Hi Toh Hindustan Hu', which has been written by Javed Akhtar and filmed by Nikkhil Advani centres around who is India and what India wants narrative while showing aggrieved farmers and people hit by demonetisation, in the background.

The Congress party's song targets BJP's landmark policies and highlights the Congresss pro-poor and common man agenda. The song also talks about unemployment, rural distress, and impact of demonetisation, alongside farmers suicide to outline how the ruling party has neglected the poor.

Commenting on the theme song, senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said: People talk on the non-performance, non-deliverance of the BJP government for the last five years. Betrayal, false promises and justice has been denied to the poor.
Israelis began voting on April 9 in a high-stakes election that will decide whether to extend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's long right-wing tenure despite corruption allegations or to replace him with an ex-military chief new to politics.

The vote is expected to be close and likely lead to frantic negotiations to form a coalition government once results are in, with opinion polls having shown Netanyahu best placed to do so.

Polls opened at 0400 GMT and were to close at 1900 GMT in most areas, with final results not expected until early on April 10.

Ex-military chief Benny Gantz has mounted a strong challenge to the veteran prime minister by brandishing his security credentials while pledging to undo damage he says Netanyahu has inflicted on the country with divisive politics.

The election will be in many ways a referendum on the 69-year-old leader who has built a reputation as guarantor of the country's security and economic growth, but whose populism and alleged corruption have left many ready for change.

He has engaged in populist rhetoric throughout the acrimonious campaign that critics say amounts to the demonisation of Arab Israelis and others.

True to form, Netanyahu issued a deeply controversial pledge only three days before the election, saying he planned to annex settlements in the occupied West Bank should he win.

Extending Israeli sovereignty on a large-scale in the West Bank could be the death knell to already fading hopes for a two-state solution with the Palestinians.

It is a move long-sought by Israel's far-right.

Netanyahu has also sought to portray himself as Israel's essential statesman, meeting with his close ally US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in the run up to the vote.

He has highlighted Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and of Israel's claim of sovereignty over the Golan Heights, while also saying the US leader is aware of his annexation plans.

"Who else can do this? Who can do this? Come on. Honestly," Netanyahu said in an interview on April 7 with local news site Arutz Sheva.

"Who can stand in front of the world? Who can stand in front of the American Congress? Who can move public opinion in that direction?" At the same time, he has used Trump-like tactics, calling the corruption investigations a "witch hunt" and denouncing journalists covering them.

On April 8 night, he paid a visit to Jerusalem's Western Wall for a last-minute prayer.

Gantz, a 59-year-old former paratrooper who has formed a centrist alliance to challenge Netanyahu, has invoked the corruption allegations against the premier to make his case that it is time for him to go.

He has called Netanyahu's annexation pledge an "irresponsible" bid for right-wing votes.

As for his position on the issue, Gantz says he favours a "globally backed peace agreement" that sees Israel hold on to the large settlement blocs in the West Bank and maintain security control over the territory.

He opposes any unilateral moves.

"There's a need for change and an opportunity for change," Gantz told Israel's army radio on April 8.

"Israel needs to choose a direction of unification, connection and hope -- or of extremity." Gantz has sought to overcome Netanyahu's experience and achievements by allying with two other former military chiefs of staff and ex-finance minister Yair Lapid to form his Blue and White alliance.

Opinion polls have given Netanyahu's Likud and Blue and White a similar number of seats in the 120-seat parliament.

Under those polls, both would fall far short of an outright majority -- with around 30 seats each -- and would need to pull together a coalition.

If polling trends hold, Netanyahu would be best placed to build a coalition thanks to smaller right-wing parties allied to him.

But there have been repeated warnings about opinion polls' unreliability in the past and the fact that many voters had said they were undecided.

Should Netanyahu win, he will be on track to surpass founding father David Ben-Gurion as Israel's longest-serving prime minister later this year.

He has been premier for a total of more than 13 years, entrenching himself so firmly at the top that some have labelled him "King Bibi," using his nickname since childhood.

But if he does triumph, he faces the prospect of becoming the first sitting prime minister to be indicted.

The attorney general has announced he intends to indict Netanyahu for bribery, fraud and breach of trust pending an upcoming hearing.

He is not required to step down if indicted, only if convicted with all appeals exhausted.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath's former Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Praveen Kakkar has alleged that the Income Tax raids at his premises were politically motivated, and claimed nothing objectionable was found against him in the two-day operation.

The I-T Department on April 8 had said it detected a "widespread and well-organised" racket of collection of unaccounted cash of about Rs 281 crore during raids against close aides of Nath and others.

It said the sleuths recovered Rs 14.6 crore of "unaccounted" cash and seized diaries and computer files of suspect payments made between Madhya Pradesh and Delhi.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said the department also detected a trail of Rs 20 crore suspect cash allegedly being moved to the "headquarters of a major political party in Delhi" from the house of an important person who lives on Tughlaq Road, home to many VIPs.

However, Kakkar refuted the claims, saying he had nothing to do with 'hawala' or funding of any political party.

"I think this was completely a political action. The Income Tax department found no such documents, cash or jewellery, which could be called objectionable, from my or my family's premises," he told reporters outside his home in the Vijay Nagar area on April 8 night.

"During the investigation of my two bank lockers, the I-T officials did not find any objectionable thing. I have nothing to do with the hawala or funding for any political party," he asserted.

Kakkar alleged that the I-T officials broke the door of his house to enter the premises, which was "wrong".

"The I-T officers from Delhi were in my house for 48 hours, they broke the door around 3.30 am on April 7 to enter my house. The way of entry in my house was wrong," he said.

"However, nothing objectionable was found which could be seized or recovered during the intense search operation that lasted two days," he added.

The family of Kakkar, a former Madhya Pradesh Police officer, is associated with various businesses, including hospitality.

He had earlier served as OSD to former Union minister Kantilal Bhuria during the UPA regime.

The I-T department launched pre-dawn searches on April 7 at 50 locations in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh against people linked to Nath on charges of alleged tax evasion.

The searches concluded in Bhopal and Indore on April 8 evening.
June 02, 2019 / 09:01 AM IST

Welcome to the Lok Sabha election 2019 coverage. This blog tracks the latest developments from the general election.

The BJP reacted with jubilation at the exit polls, which forecast a return of the NDA government, saying that they show a huge positive vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but opposition parties rejected the forecast.

Narendra Modi is returning to power with a bang,
File image

Seeking to set the record straight on the prime ministerial "ambitions" attributed to him by certain sections, Union minister and senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari has said the saffron party would secure a majority in the Lok Sabha polls starting April 11 and Narendra Modi would become the prime minister once again.

The Minister for Road, Transport and Highways told PTI in an interview that in a democracy, the prime minister decides on allotment of portfolios.

"It is the right and privilege of the prime minister to give a department to a minister. I am confident that we will get a majority and Modiji will become the prime minister again," Gadkari said, replying to a query on whether he was harbouring prime ministerial ambitions if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was voted to power once again.

Rumours that Gadkari could be the likely PM candidate of the BJP in case of a fractured poll mandate keep circulating in political circles intermittently in the run-up to the Lok Sabha election.

The speculation started last December, after farmer leader and Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swavalamban Mission (VNSSM) chairman Kishore Tiwari demanded that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) replace Modi with Gadkari if the BJP wishes to win the general election.

The perception got strengthened when UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, along with other Congress members in the Lok Sabha, appreciated Gadkari for the "wonderful" work he had been doing in improving the country's infrastructure.

Gadkari, who is believed to enjoy the RSS's support, dismissed that he harboured any such ambitions.

Asked if some motormouth leaders in his party were responsible for diverting people's attention from the welfare schemes of the government, he said the "democratic" BJP had always taken measures to ensure judicious use of language.

"Official spokespersons are responsible (for putting forth the stand of the party). However, at times, some sections of the media are keenly interested in creating more controversies," he added.

Gadkari, the BJP candidate from Nagpur, also suggested that instead of creating controversies, one should speak about subjects of national importance.

"India is the largest democracy in the world. Now, it is time for the political parties and the media to talk about economic policies and development-related issues. We should raise the level of debates. It is the duty of all the stakeholders in democracy," he said.

Gadkari, who had defeated the Congress's Vilas Muttemwar in the 2014 parliamentary election, is facing BJP rebel Nana Patole, who has been fielded by the Congress this time.

Asked about the approximate percentage of voters who got benefitted by the government's schemes and whether they would vote for the BJP, Gadkari said the voters themselves would take a decision on that.

"It is the duty of the government to frame good policies for the welfare of people. After that, it depends on the people. It is their right and freedom who they want to vote for. We should not expect that when we do something for people, we will get votes. It is up to them to decide," he said.
Representative image

The Indian National Lok Dal on April 9 said the party was not in talks with the ruling BJP for an alliance for Lok Sabha polls, seeking to put at rest speculation that arose after party leader Abhay Singh Chautala met Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

Arora insisted no talks on stitching an alliance were going on between the two parties.

"The BJP has already declared its eight candidates and we will announce our candidates soon," Arora told PTI.

Barring Hisar and Rohtak seats, the BJP last week announced its candidates for the remaining eight seats from Haryana, where polling will be held on May 12.

The INLD had earlier said it will announce its candidates by April 16.

Chautala had met Khattar over breakfast in Delhi on April 8 where Arora too was present.

Asked about their meeting with Khattar, Arora said, "There was nothing political about this meet. One can meet for some other things too and there is nothing wrong in that".

In 2014, the INLD had won two Lok Sabha seats of Hisar and Sirsa, BJP seven out of eight it contested while Congress had won the Rohtak seat.

The INLD was erstwhile partner of the BJP and the two parties ran a coalition government led by former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala (1999-2004). However, later the alliance ended due to differences.

Seen as a major challenger to the ruling BJP until six months back, INLD has been going through rough times ever since the party split.

The INLD has been stung by desertions following a vertical split and suffered a bypoll defeat when it failed to hold on to the Jind seat.

Two of party's sitting MLAs Ranbir Gangwa and Kehar Singh joined the BJP recently and Abhay Chautala was removed as Leader of Opposition as the party's strength came down to 15 MLAs in the 90 member House, lesser than Congress' 17 MLAs.

A few of the INLD's former legislators have also switched over to the saffron outfit ahead of Lok Sabha polls.

Four INLD MLAs have already switched sides and announced their support to the fledgling Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), which was formed after the split in the INLD last year.

Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala, elder son of Abhay Chautala's brother Ajay Chautala, launched the JJP last year.

The INLD, founded by late deputy prime minister Devi Lal and headed by former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala, has been out of power in Haryana for over 14 years now.
BJP President Amit Shah on Tuesday made a strong pitch for return of the party-led NDA government at the Centre, saying only Prime Minister Narendra Modi can give a strong government.

Addressing an election rally at Shamshabad near here, he also said the BJP's manifesto released Monday was nothing but a document to make the country great.

Referring to the Pulwama terrorist attack and subsequent air strike by India targetting terror camps in Pakistan, Shah asked whether Congress President Rahul Gandhi could give a fitting reply like Modi.

"The biggest work that the Modi government did was to secure the nation," he said. Shah also sought to know whether the "thukada-thukada gang" and "Rahul baba and company" could give a "capable leadership" to the country.

"Can they give a strong government?. Only and only Modi can give a strong government to the country," he said. After the air strike carried out by the IAF, there were celebrations everywhere in India, while only at two places there was grief -- one in Pakistan and another in Rahul baba and company's camp," he alleged.

Attacking Telangana Chief Minister and TRS President, K Chandrasekhar Rao, and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi for their alliance, Shah asked, "Can KCR (as the Chief Minister is referred to by many) become PM of this country in any circumstance?"

Noting that the BJP respects the mandate of the people in the recent Assembly elections in Telangana in which the TRS returned to power, Shah pointed out that the coming Lok Sabha elections were to "choose the Prime Minister of the country, to choose Modi and BJP."

He said the Modi government gave Telangana central funds of over Rs 2.45 lakh crore in the last five years, while the previous UPA regime gave only Rs 16,500 crore. The BJP leader also accused the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) of being a "dynastic party" just like the Congress.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 8 targeted the Indian National Congress manifesto over its proposal of reviewing Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Jammu and Kashmir, saying that revoking the Act would be equivalent to sending soldiers to the gallows.

In an exclusive interview with News18 Network Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, PM Modi said AFSPA was necessary in J&K to protect the armed forces there and to keep up their morale.

PM Modi said: The government must have the power to protect its armed forces. Only then will they have the morale to fight. Revoking AFSPA would be like sending our soldiers to the gallows. I will never let this happen.

The prime minister said that instead of backing the Centres efforts, the Congress manifesto is soft on terror and their views on the Army are similar to those of Pakistan.

No patriot will tolerate this language, he added.

He said the government must first create an environment where AFSPA is unnecessary before revoking or diluting it. He also cited the example of Arunachal Pradesh, where the government partially revoked the Act earlier this month.

First, we revoked it from a few districts in Arunachal. We then revoked it from a few other states. We were the first government to take such a step since 1980. But we have maintained law and order, Modi said.

The Congress, in its manifesto released on April 2, proposed to review AFSPA in J&K, and revoke and amend several other laws like sedition and defamation. BJP leaders had criticised this. However, the Congress clarified it only intended to modify AFSPA in instances of human rights violations in the state.

(The full interview will be aired today at 7.00 pm and 10.00 pm on CNN-News18, News18 India, CNBC TV18 and other News18 regional channels.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 8 dubbed Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati's appeal to Muslims to vote for her party and partner Samajwadi Party (SP) as a "desperate attempt to save a sinking ship" and called their alliance a fight for survival.

In an exclusive interview with News18 Network Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, PM Modi said Mayawatis desperation was understandable from her outreach to Muslim electorate, but the silence of secular people has exposed their "selective outrage".

PM Modi said: It is unsurprising that Mayawati is making such statements as she is facing defeat. She is appealing to Muslims to specifically vote for her. This is a matter for the Election Commission to look into. I am less worried about Mayawati. She is part of a sinking ship and is looking to Muslims for support.

On April 7, the BSP supremo had appealed to Muslims to vote for the Mahagathbandhan in the Lok Sabha election and not allow the Congress to split their votes. After this, the Election Commission (EC) had sought a report from Saharanpur District Magistrate on the contents of her speech. The following day, the poll authorities in Uttar Pradesh sent a factual report to the EC.

The prime minister raised question about the silence of the secular brigade on Mayawatis comment. I am more worried about the secular brigade. Why are they silent? Had someone made such an appeal to Hindus, they would have expressed outrage. The 'award wapsi' gang would have returned their awards and a signature campaign would have started. Why is this group silent? PM Modi said.

This is a worrying subject for the nation. I request you to expose such elements. Why are they selective? Don't these remarks hurt their secularism? Did this statement boost their secularism? The biggest threat to India are these people who hide behind the mask of secularism, he added.

Talking about the SP-BSP alliance, he said: Those who were enemies and were willing to harm each other. When such parties unite, it means they are fighting for survival. They are looking for a lifeline, but I don't think they will succeed.

(The full interview will be aired today at 7.00 pm and 10.00 pm on CNN-News18, News18 India, CNBC TV18 and other News18 regional channels.)
Seeking to rewind the clock to better times, RLD chief Ajit Singh says bringing back farmers' smiles and industrial prosperity will be his twin focuses if he is voted to the Lok Sabha from this western Uttar Pradesh constituency.

The Rashtriya Lok Dal leader, who has tied up with the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party to form a 'grand alliance' in Uttar Pradesh, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's move to demonetise high value currency destroyed the informal economy of the area.

"Farmers have not got their dues for over a year despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi's promise of clearing them within 14 days of selling sugarcane to the mills," Singh told PTI.

"Modi does not speak the truth," he said two days before Muzaffarnagar goes to the polls on April 11 in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections.

The Muzaffarnagar candidate of the 'mahagathbandhan' lost from Baghpat in 2014 and is confident of winning this election. His son Jayant Chaudhary is being fielded as a candidate of the alliance from Baghpat.

According to Singh, the son of former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, pending dues of farmers is one of the major issues in this sugarcane belt.

"Earlier, only one-third produce of sugarcane was sold to mills. The rest was sent to crushers where farmers were not given any money," he explained.

"Now, 99 per cent sugarcane goes to mills so they get the money. Modiji promised sugarcane farmers that they will get their dues within 14 days and if they don't then they will get 15 per cent interest on the outstanding amount too. However, no amount has been paid to the sugarcane farmers," Singh said.

In Uttar Pradesh alone, the dues of cane growers adds up to Rs 10,000 crore, he said, adding that Modi has made speeches from Red Fort that his government repaid 89 per cent of the amount to cane farmers.

"But the public realises that Modi does not speak the truth. His words and figures cannot be believed," the 80-year-old leader said.

Asked why he chose to contest from Muzaffarnagar, Singh said he wants to bring back industrial prosperity in the district, get debts of farmers written off and make sure their dues are paid.

"Muzaffarnagar was India's richest district. The maximum number of tractors were sold here. There are 87 industrial units here. There were steel industries too, but all that is finished now. My biggest challenge is to bring that prosperity back. Not easy but that should be done.

"All debts of farmers should be written off and it must be ensured that the minimum support price is given to the farmers," he told PTI.

Imposing tax on tractors is an indicator that the government has no idea about the rural economy and what it entails.

"Tractors used to be tax-free but have now been declared commercial vehicles... Now there is GST too if you are buying a tractor or its parts. They are saying, every 10 years you have to buy a new tractor. No farmer can afford it. They run them for 40 years. They (the government) have no idea of the rural economy," the RLD chief said.

The veteran politician dismissed the notion of polarisation in the aftermath of the 2013 Hindu-Muslim riots in the area.

The constitution, with a population of 41.5 lakh, has 41 per cent Muslims and 51 per cent Hindus.

On February 13 last year, a day after his 79th birthday, Singh said he came to Muzaffarnagar with the decision to spend his 80th year getting rid of communal divides and spreading brotherhood.

"For the last one year, I have been to at least a dozen areas and spoken to different groups. I have managed to sort out the differences between them. So that thing is gone now. The communal divide is not there," Singh said.

Singh said he also went to nearby Kairana and resolved the Hindu-Muslim issues there, adding that the BJP government in the Centre did nothing to rehabilitate the riot victims.

"No, they did not rehabilitate riot affected victims. The Modi government is full of lies. They cannot be trusted. In Kairana, I helped them reach a compromise. In Muzaffarnagar, we have not yet succeeded in persuading the displaced people to come back as they have started their new lives outside," Singh said.

He also highlighted the issue of electricity prices and listed the many problems facing people.

"The price of electricity doubled in UP to Rs 800 a month. How can a poor man who earns Rs 4,000 per month pay Rs 800 for electricity?

"Unemployment is a very big issue. Notebandi destroyed the informal economy," he said.

In 2014, BJP's Sanjeev Balyan won the seat by defeating BSP's Kadir Rana. All eight seats in western Uttar Pradesh voting in round one went to the BJP last time. There was a bypoll held in Kairana subsequently that went to the RLD.

Under the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in Uttar Pradesh, the SP will field candidates in 37 seats, the BSP in 38 and the RLD in three.
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Mumbai's diesel engine producer Greaves Cotton is ready to power-up products of Coimbatore-based startup Ampere Vehicles using lithium-ion battery technology.

Greaves will provide the technology for Amperes battery-powered scooters that are ready to hit the market this month. Ampere was using the old generation lead-acid battery technology since its formation 10 years ago.

In August last year, Greaves, who is also a provider of small diesel engines to Mahindra & Mahindra and Piaggio, had bought 67 percent in Ampere for Rs 77 crore, making a foray into the electric vehicle space.

Speaking to Moneycontrol, Nagesh Basavanahalli, Managing Director, Greaves Cotton said, Ampere was initially into slow speed, lead-acid class vehicle but after Greaves came in, we brought in high technology lithium-ion battery technology.

The lead-acid battery type is heavier, has a lesser range of 45-50 km and takes longer time -- eight to 10 hours -- to charge. In comparison, the more expensive lithium-ion batteries take about 5-6 hours for a full charge and run for 60-65 km.

The high-performance lithium-ion vehicles will start coming into dealerships in April. These will be two-wheelers having a typical range of 60-70 km per charge. We are also working on fast chargers, Basavanahalli said.

As per the governments rules, two-wheelers with a maximum speed of 25 km per hour do not require registration. The Greaves-Ampere range of two-wheelers do not need registration and are priced below Rs 50,000.

Greaves Cotton has done a phase-wise investment of Rs 200 crore to make the switch to Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI).

Both M&M and Piaggio renewed their contract with Greaves Cotton to source small diesel engines for their three-wheelers.

We are taking this challenge of BS-VI on multiple fronts. We are well on our way to get the delivery done with our OE customers (vehicle makers) ahead of schedule. The cost of BS-VI is something we wont be able to share because its only up to the OE customer to share it, added Basavanahalli.

Along with the transition to BS-VI, Greaves has also been working on compressed natural gas (CNG) technology which promises to provide superior mileage.

We have been parallelly working on CNG which we are taking to BS-VI also. So this will be for cargo and bigger passenger three-wheelers. We had talked about a new technology for CNG which provides 25 percent higher fuel efficiency while meeting BS-VI regulations, Basavanahalli added.
Aliko Dangote (L) (Image source: Commons Wikimedia)

Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote, who is also known as Africa's richest man, revealed on Saturday that he once withdrew $10 million, Rs 70,00,00,000 approximately, from a bank, with no investment in mind.

While attending a forum in Ivory Coast he recounted how he took out the humongous amount just to look at it and register in his head that the amount is real and does not just exist on paper.

Agencies reported that the Nigerian billionaire said: When you're young, your first million is important, but after, the numbers don't mean much.

Dangote is the doyen of manufacturing in Nigeria and makes a host of products, right from cement to flour.

Speaking on his incredible act, he said: One day, I cashed 10 million, put them in the boot of my car I put it in my room. I looked at them and thought 'now I believe I have money' and took it back to the bank the next day.

Advising young business developers in Africa to not be swayed by the taste of success, he told AFP: Often in Africa, we spend our projected incomes. There are ups and downs.

He added that customs officials and members of the administration act as impediments to business development throughout the African continent. To elucidate, he pointed out how his cement group faces problems in exporting to Benin from Nigerian factories, often resulting in losing out their business to Chinese companies.

Commenting on aspects of development, he said agriculture and invention of new technologies are the two most promising sectors in Africa at the moment.
Britain's economy risks a serious shock if the UK leaves the EU without a deal, the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday, warning of severe trade disruption and slower economic growth. In a report marking the coming spring meeting, published just days before the scheduled Brexit date of Friday, the IMF looked at the impact of possible "no deal" scenarios.

In the worst-case situation, the fund assumes that a disorderly break between Britain and its largest trading partner would bring border disruption, raising import costs for businesses and households in Britain.

It estimates that the trade disruptions in that scenario would cause a decline in Britain's gross domestic product (GDP) of 1.4 percent in the first year, and 0.8 percent in the next.

The European Union would not be immune from the impact, although it would be less severe, with the bloc's GDP falling 0.2 and then 0.1 percent.

The IMF adds that the total impact would be a decline of 3.5 percent of British GDP between now and 2021 and 0.5 percent for the EU.

The fund notes however that it cannot predict all the effects of a "no deal" Brexit, or all the mitigating measures that might be taken.

The "no deal" scenarios assume that, in the absence of a new trade agreement, British exports to the EU revert to being subject to World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules.

This would see tariffs increase, while Britain would also lose access to trade agreements struck between the EU and other countries.

The IMF estimates are also based on published British plans to dramatically slash tariffs on imports from the EU.

Even if there is a Brexit deal, the IMF is more pessimistic about the British economy for the next two years than it was in January.

It estimates an increase in GDP of 1.2 percent this year, rising to 1.4 percent in 2020. Previous projections unveiled at Davos predicted growth of 1.5 and 1.6 percent. The IMF report comes at the start of a decisive week, where EU leaders will decide at a Brussels summit on Wednesday whether to agree to London's request to delay Brexit day.

If they fail, or if Prime Minister Theresa May refuses to accept whatever they offer, Britain is on course to leave on Friday without a deal. (AFP) PMS .
Australia's Oil Search, France's Total SA and Exxon Mobil have signed an agreement with Papua New Guinea for the Papua LNG Project, Oil Search said on Tuesday, enabling initial work to begin on the development.

The deal will allow the parties to start activities related to so-called Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) such as contractor selection for Papua LNG, which is led by Total, with Exxon and Oil Search as minority partners.
The recent college admission scandal in the United States brought to fore the all-pervasive, ever-existent, systematic, illegal and unethical conduct that is common in the education system. The price people are ready to pay to belong to the highly-educated elite class is nothing mediocre. People have been shelling out large sums for years to earn fake degrees, and world leaders are no exception to the rule either.

A research published in The Conversation unravels the mystery behind some such certificates acquired by various leaders across the world.

Lets begin with former German Defence Minister Baron Karl-Theodor Zu Guttenberg. In 2006, he added the title Dr to his name after completing his doctorate from Germanys University of Beyrouth. However, it was later learnt that he had plagiarised huge portions of his PhD dissertation. Although he was forced to resign, he wasnt prosecuted and instead got an honorary position at the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta was also accused of academic plagiarism right after he took office in 2012. He denied all charges and said in his defence that his only mistake was that, at the bottom of each page, he had not listed the names of authors whose works he referred to. Much later, he admitted to the crime and also requested Bucharest University to renounce his degree.

The next person who faced similar charges was none other than Russian President Vladimir Putin. Accusations against him first came up in 2006, stating that 16 pages of his 200-page PhD dissertation were copied from other sources.

More than a decade later, a fresh set of allegations were levelled against the Russian strongman; there were rumours that his dissertation was ghostwritten. Putin denied again.

The possible reason for exhibiting this kind of behaviour could be the fact that we expect our leaders and diplomats to be highly-educated, probably because it is easier to owe our allegiance to someone who is a knowledge bank.

For example, in Ukraine, it is expected that all top politicians would hold doctorates. All the five presidents of Ukraine hold PhD degrees, at least on paper. An iota of doubt remains since there are dozens of private firms in the country that sell ghostwritten dissertations.

Therefore, it is quite common for people to check the validity of the degrees held by the top politicians in their country. President Victor Yanukovychs doctorate was questioned when it was noticed that there were several grammatical errors in it, including basic words like professor being misspelt.

More recently, in 2017, former Ukranian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk was charged for plagiarising his dissertation.
Rs4,51,750 crore worth housing currently stuck in various stages of non-completion across top 7 cities

Mumbai metropolitan region (MMR) and national capital region (NCR) together hold 72% share of delayed projects worth Rs3,49,010, crore; cities in the south collectively hold a mere 10% overall share

Chennai has the least stuck stock with 8,650 units worth Rs5,620 crore

Bengaluru far better off than Pune with less than half of the delayed stock of 86,700 units

If there is one 'inheritance' that the government in power, after the upcoming elections, will not look forward to, it is tackling the issue of the massive burden of stuck housing across the top Indian cities.

Despite the setting up of a regulatory mechanism, countless homebuyers have been left in the lurch by their builders. Sadly, most of these stuck projects do not fall within the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA) ambit as they were launched years before it was implemented.

Also, with many states having diluted the Centre's original RERA rules, homebuyers have only the courts to approacha notoriously tedious task in India.

Mind-numbing Numbers

As per ANAROCK data, the top seven cities currently have a total stock of 560,000 delayed housing units worth a whopping Rs4,51,750 crore. These units were launched either in 2013 or before that. Lakhs of buyers across top citiesparticularly MMR and NCR - have been left in limbo, leading to inconceivable mental stress and financial pain.

Top cities like NCR and MMR collectively account for 72% of the total stuck housing units across the top seven cities worth Rs3,49,010 crorenearly 77% of the total worth of the stuck projects.

In comparison, the main southern cities of Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad together account for a mere 10% of the overall stuck housing units of a total worth of Rs41,770 crore. The southern cities have predominantly been driven by service-class end-users, leaving limited scope for developers to be unprofessional.

Source: ANAROCK Research

Interestingly, among the two major IT destinations, Bengaluru is far better off than Pune in terms of the total number of delayed or stuck projects. The Silicon Valley of India has less than half of the total delayed stock in Pune (of 86,700 units). Chennai has the least project delays during this period, with around 8,650 units worth Rs5,620 crore.

Why Projects Got Stuck?

Besides some developers' lack of real will to complete their projects and preference for funds diversion, the tightening credit crunch has been one major factor contributing to this mounting problem. It has become a 'chicken and egg' situationbuyers have understandably stopped releasing funds to builders, and builders claim they have no funds to complete construction.

Also, every delayed project results in cost overruns which compound the funding crunch even further. Lack of project clearances for whatever reason also contributes to the piling up of housing stock. In the pre-RERA era, many builders launched greenfield projects without the requisite approvals in place, resulting in their projects getting stuck.

As one of the possible solutions out of this mess, the government-owned National Buildings Construction Corp (NBCC) has been roped in to complete some stalled projects in NCR. This is a significant move, which, if applied in larger numbers, can have a real impact.

Moreover, even if NBCC picks up 50% of overall stalled projects, the resultant construction activities would create significant employment for the economically weaker section (EWS) and lower income group (LIG) segments, which are also the key target segment for affordable housing.

Additionally, with the government-owned NBCC undertaking construction, banks' apprehensions about funding construction would ease. Most stalled projects have considerable monetisable assets in the form of land banks and floor spare index (FSI), which the NBCC can use to cover some of the construction costs.

By amending the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) and treating buyers at par with banks and other creditors, the government has further safeguarded the interests of affected buyers. With this provision, even when builders opt for bankruptcy, the state authorities will intervene to safeguard homebuyers' investments.

Besides monitoring cash inflows of the concerned entity, the government will try and ensure that the project is completed either by the developer himself or by outsourcing its completion to a third party. However, buyers are still awaiting their final outcome of these interventions.

To Summarise...

Whichever government is in power after the upcoming general elections, it has a mammoth task to complete. Delayed projects have severely weakened faith in under-construction properties and reviving buyers' trust is a herculean task. If buyers stop purchasing under-construction properties, builders will have a far more challenging time to get funds from external sources for project construction.

(Anuj Puri is chairman of ANAROCK Property Consultants Pvt Ltd)
At time of writing, the share price of Sky and Space Global Ltd [ASX:SAS] is stagnant, as they are under a voluntary suspension.

Prior to the suspension, the Sky and Space share price has been locked in a slide:

Source: tradingview.com

The latest news out of the company is that two board members have resigned and an update has been provided on its debt financing and operating expenditure.

Interested in small-caps? 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.

Two board members out, debt financing progressing and operating expenditure cut

As per the announcement:

Having supported the Company over the past few months as it progressed its operating plan, and with a changed operating strategy and business plan now in place, Michael Malone and Di Fulton have tendered their resignations from the Board.

In another announcement Sky and Space went on to state that delivery of the first batch of eight nanosatellites would be made by the end of 2019.

This has in turn pushed back launch plans to early 2020, with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in place with Arianespace to negotiate the launch of up to 88 nanosatellites using Arianespace Vega launchers operated from the Guiana Space Centre.

As for debt financing and operating expenditure, the company provided the following update:

Negotiations with US debt financing for launch are progressing, with a term sheet being finalised. In addition, the Company has made notable progress to reduce its operating expenditure by more than 12%, as previously planned. This equates to a $1.4 million AUD reduction in annualised operating expenditure.

Long-term shareholders may well be perturbed by the launch date being pushed back and eager to hear the terms of the debt financing, as well as learn the identities of the new board members.

The company will come out of its voluntary suspension on 18 April, when it makes an announcement.

What does the future hold for Sky and Space?

The launch date being pushed back is certainly a setback for the company, and investors will want to see tangible progress being made towards this goal in the coming months.

Securing a MoU for the launch is a necessary first step, but more detail about debt financing will be desired.

As of its half-yearly report, it has slightly over $1.4 million in cash and cash equivalents on hand.

With limited funds, it is possible that the next few months will see the company engage in capital raising.

That being said, the companys project is an exciting one and has the potential to transform telecommunications in remote areas and developing countries.

How it gets there is another question. If you are a long-term shareholder it is possible that further pain is in the offing before you see a return.

Regards,

Lachlann Tierney,

For Money Morning

PS: Tired of waiting around for that speculative small-cap to take off? Check out Sam Volkerings top four small-cap picks in this free report.
Some people love charts. For them, charts are a way to forecast the future. By looking at cycles from the past, it can help them project what might happen into the future.

Yet other people simply loathe them. They see charting as gibberish, representing no more than someones subjective squiggles.

To those against them, if charts show anything at all, it is that hindsight is a wonderful thing. Wouldnt it be great to trade the left-hand side of your screen?

Whether you are a devotee of technical analysis (TA), agnostic about it, or simply refuse to acknowledge any merit in it at all, it can still help with your trading.

Too often the whole TA debate centres on predicting price movements. After all, that is the aim of trading: To sell at a higher price than bought.

If you bog yourself down in this one aspect of TA though, you will get nowhere. Even the staunchest defenders of TA will have plenty of trades that dont work out. And those who are against TA have to accept there are trades where TA has worked.

What is important is the percentages. That is, the times it works in their favourand the average return they make on each trade.

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.

Not one-dimensional

But predicting price movement is just one aspect of TA. There are plenty of signals that can help you. Not only to better understand the market, but how to manage your trades.

Take one of the most basic indicators, the average true range.

No doubt most investors are familiar with a daily price range. That is, the difference between a share prices high and low on any given day.

While it gives a true indication of that day, it might not accurately reflect the real range of a share price. Particularly if the price gaps from one day to the next.

Because of that, TA uses a true range, which includes the previous days closing price.

If yesterdays close is somewhere in between todays high and low, then it is no big deal. Todays daily range is also the true range.

However, if yesterdays close is above or below todays range, then it becomes a factor in the calculation. The true range becomes the difference between yesterdays close, and todays high or low  whichever is greater.

The average true range is just as extension of this. As the name implies, it is an average of this true range  not just an average of daily price ranges  over a period of time, which is usually 14 days.

ATR can be a great way to gauge volatility in a share price and more broadly in the market. If the ATR is increasing it shows that volatility is on the rise.

While there is no hard and fast rule, an increase in volatility can sometimes lead to a change in direction. That is, the last price gyrations as momentum runs out.

Using ATR to gauge volatility can also help with those who use options. Higher volatility means higher option premiums, while lower volatility means lower premiums.

Because of that, those who want to buy options aim to do so in periods of low volatility. Those that write options  that is, whose initial trade is to sell an option  want to capture this higher volatility. For them it means more premium in their trading account.

Entryexit?

However, ATR has wider uses beyond option premiums. You can use ATR as a signal to both enter and exit trades.

If, for example, a share price jumps above the ATR, a short-term trader might decide to hold back on going long. All else being equal, it means they could be paying too much  or beyond the odds, so to speak  to get into the trade.

Conversely, a breakout trader might use this exact same scenario to enter a long trade. That is, they buy when the share price breaks out of its existing range. Whatever their overall strategy, the ATR can play a vital part.

As I mentioned, ATRs can also be useful in working out when to exit a trade. A day trader might aim to enter in the lower part of the ATR, and exit when the share price reaches the upper end of that range.

Similarly, they might short sell in the upper range, aiming to buy it back in the lower end of the ATR.

Where an ATR can be really useful, though, is with an exit stop. If the ATR gives an indication of the likely share price swings, a trader can place their stop-loss based on a multiple of this. For example, a stop-loss, say two or three times the ATR, below their entry price.

This should give the trade enough room to move, but also indicate (if struck) that the initial analysis for the trade was wrong.

The good thing about an ATR stop is that it more accurately reflects the state of the share price (and market), because it accounts for volatility. That is unlike the more widely-used fixed price stops, or percentage-based stop, which do not.

Accounting for this volatility can help place your stop-losses in better positions.

Maybe you already use TAor perhaps you havent had any inclination to use it at all, so far. But by using indicators like the ATR, it might help you improve your trading results.

All the best,

Matt Hibbard,

Editor, Options Trader

PS: Watch These 10 Aussie Mining Stocks Go NUTS in 2019 (No. Eight Is A Ripper!). Click here for more info.
Over the past 10 years, tech has grown at more than 2.5 times the pace of the energy sector and three times the overall economy, Morassutti said in late February. Tech companies anchoring new buildings is something we have virtually never seen before.

However, while our stature as a global financial centre has elevated, sustaining that momentum will require a strong innovation ecosystem to support the competitiveness and growth of the industry in the future, Reynolds wrote in her recent contribution to The Globe and Mail.

Fortunately, Toronto is especially well-placed to maintain and even ratchet up its pace of tech sector growth, considering the depth and breadth of its pool of new graduates and skilled veterans alike.

The region is singularly equipped to drive a fintech innovation ecosystem. Not only does Toronto have a deep pool of financial services talent, it is situated in North Americas third-largest tech cluster. The Toronto-Kitchener-Waterloo corridor has the second-highest density of tech startups globally.

Moreover, expansion is nowhere near stopping, as investment in fintech has grown at a compound annual growth rate of 118% since 2013, one of the highest growth rates for global fintech hubs.
Coupled with a dearth of supply in both the office and the residential segments, development in both cities has entered an accelerated phase, CBREs analysis added. Fully 17 new office structures are currently being built in Toronto, along with as much as two dozen new office buildings in Vancouver.

In late February, Morassutti hailed the tech sector as one of the crucial foundations of Canadian commercial real estate.

Increasingly, the areas of growth in Canada are all about technology and our growing knowledge economy. Technology is the catalyst, change agent and king-maker and its impact is rippling through every sector of our market, he explained at the time.

Over the past 10 years, tech has grown at more than 2.5 times the pace of the energy sector and three times the overall economy, Morassutti added. Tech companies anchoring new buildings is something we have virtually never seen before.

Also boosting the national commercial market is further development and sales activity involving apartments and multi-residential structures, as well as industrial properties like warehouses.
Centennial Park is now under construction.

Officials with the Midland Downtown Park Conservancy, the city of Midland, Downtown Midland Management District and numerous private sector donors turned the dirt Monday at a groundbreaking for the $15 million park that will be located just west of Bush Convention Center, right in the heart of downtown.

Tim Leach, chairman and CEO of Concho Resources, described the park as a catalyst to redevelop and improve the quality of life in downtown Midland. Concho has been a leader in the downtown development efforts with the building of One Concho Tower and adjacent facilities. Construction also is underway for a second Concho tower and parking garage. Concho donated $2 million toward the construction of the park, and Leach is leading a capital campaign to secure additional funding.

I think people will be stunned by how beautiful this place is, Leach said.

The Midland Downtown Park Conservancy will construct, promote, schedule and manage Centennial Park that follows a model used in numerous parks across the country, including Clyde-Warren Park in Dallas and Discovery Green in Houston. Plans for the park include a large green space, performance stage, pavilion with a media screen, a splash pad water feature, childrens play area, dog park, restrooms and tree-lined promenades along Wall Street and Texas Avenue. Expected completion date is April 28, 2020.

RELATED: Downtown Midland transformation details

Ryan Anwar and his sister, Leslie Brunner, represented the Anwar family, one of the projects donors. They represent the younger Midlanders that officials hope will see the park as a draw. Brunner said she thinks younger people will be attracted to this park concept. Anwar said downtown areas in other cities he has lived in  such as like Dallas and Denver  have something nice downtown, while Midlands downtown has been lacking for as long as I can remember.

Commitments for construction also include $8 million from the Scharbauer Foundation and $2 million from the city of Midland. Additional donors include Abell-Hanger Foundation, Beal Family Foundation, Dian Graves Owen Foundation, Community National Bank and Midland County.

This will be the park that you want to come to, Midland City Councilman Spencer Robnett said.

Robnett reminded those on hand that downtown is home to companies representing $45 billion in publicly traded value and an additional $30 billion in privately held assets. He said it is important to support infrastructure improvements for businesses that call downtown home. Robnett and Midland Downtown Park Conservancy President Scott Kidwell said they expect Centennial Park to be one of the premier parks in the state.

This will be the true catalyst to change in downtown Midland, Kidwell said.

Once completed, annual operating expenses of Centennial Park will be underwritten jointly by the city of Midland and Downtown Midland Management District under a long-term funding agreement subject to annual caps.
It was a single-story, three-bedroom ranch house on a quiet residential street in a northern stretch of Jacksonville, Florida. Aaron Fraser had not lived inside since he was 4 years old, and the four walls held plenty of ugly memories and unresolved questions. But in December 2014, after the 24-year-old took possession of the house, he and his brother-in-law rolled up their sleeves for a renovation.

According to the Florida Times-Union, the two men began by smashing apart a swimming pool in the back with a rented excavator. At one point, the machine cracked a large concrete slab near an outdoor shower. Aaron began hacking at the pieces with a sledgehammer. Below in the dirt, he found a plastic bag, and from inside he pulled something out. It was a coconut, he thought.

"Why would someone bury a coconut in a bag?" Aaron asked his brother-in-law, according to News4Jax.

Then, the men noticed the teeth and eye sockets. It was a skull.

The discovery alone was a shock. But for Aaron, the human remains sunk below a layer of concrete in his boyhood home snapped the jumbled pieces of a family mystery into place. In January 1993, his mother, Bonnie Haim, had vanished. Police suspected her husband, Aaron's father, Michael Haim, of murdering his wife. Those suspicions started with what Aaron, who was then 3, had told authorities.

"Daddy hurt her," Aaron had said, the Times-Union reported. But Aaron's own family doubted the little boy's foggy account, and no physical evidence tied Michael to the crime.

But that day in December 2014, standing amid smashed concrete, Aaron was holding the evidence that would eventually lead to his father's arrest.

On Monday, the murder trial will start in Florida against Michael for his wife's 1993 murder. He maintains he was not involved in his wife's death. According to the Times-Union, Aaron is expected to testify, relaying his memories from when he possibly witnessed his mother's death, as well as the gruesome discovery that jump-started the cold case in 2014.

"Next month is going to hurt," Bonnie Haim's family members wrote last month about the upcoming trial on a Facebook page dedicated to her memory. "It is going to rip off bandages and expose us to things we had long ago pushed to the back of our memories. But sometimes we have to rip off bandages to really begin to heal."

Michael and Bonnie Haim worked together at a construction supply company owned by Michael's aunt, Eveann Haim. He was a manager. Bonnie kept the business accounts.

According to "Unsolved Mysteries," by the holiday season of 1992, the relationship was at a breaking point. The couple fought frequently, and their blowups turned violent.

"One day they got into an argument . . . in the parking lot," Eveann told "Unsolved Mysteries." "And she came in crying and he had slammed her hand in the door and her nails were broke and she was very upset at that point."

Bonnie reportedly had decided to leave the marriage, taking her son with her. She secretly opened a bank account to save money for her escape, the Times-Union reported. When Michael discovered the account and forced her to close it, Bonnie began secreting cash to friends for safekeeping - $1,250 by early January 1993.

She reportedly picked a date late in January to leave, when Michael was away on business. In early January, she placed deposits on two apartments where she and her son could start over.

But on Jan. 7, 1993, Bonnie, 23, failed to show up to work. Her husband would later say the two had fought the night before, and that she left the house alone around 11 p.m. He asked his mother, Carol, to come over to watch his son while he went looking for Bonnie.

"According to Carol and Mike, he was gone approximately 45 minutes," Jacksonville Sheriff's Department Detective Robert Hinson told "Unsolved Mysteries." "Then after he allegedly did that, he returned to the house where he waited until the next morning and never called the police, and called in and told his employer that he was going to be sick that day."

The day she went missing, a hotel worker discovered Bonnie's purse chucked into a dumpster behind a Red Roof Inn, not far from Jacksonville International Airport, the Times-Union reported. Police later discovered her Toyota Camry in an airport parking lot. The car, however, further raised investigators' suspicions.

"What was unusual was the positioning of the driver's seat, which appeared to be farther back than would have been comfortable for Bonnie," Hinson told "Unsolved Mysteries." "It was more in relation to someone about Michael Haim's size."

What finally tightened suspicion around Michael, however, was an interview with his 3-year-old son. Aaron told a child protective services worker that his father had hurt his mother.

"From what Aaron told us that day, my only conclusion was that there had been a domestic fight and that Michael Haim had killed his wife and had removed her, and that their three-and-a-half-year-old son Aaron Haim had witnessed this," Hinson said.

But as Aaron would later recount to police as an adult, his family members did not believe his account, feeling he had been "brainwashed" into implicating his father. Even his missing mother's parents doubted the boy's account.

"The credibility of a child is something that you have to judge in perspective," Bonnie's father, Robert Pasciuto, told "Unsolved Mysteries." "He's said a couple of things that we know were not true. 'Mom's car is in the lake.' We know her car wasn't there."

Aaron was eventually adopted by another family, taking their last name. In the early 2000s, he filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against his biological father, even though Bonnie's remains had not been found. In April 2005, he won a $26.3 million settlement against Michael, which included the ownership of the family home, News4Jax reported. It was being used as a rental.

Then, in 2014, Aaron began renovating the property, and made the discovery in the backyard. Within weeks, investigators confirmed the skull and other remains belonged to Bonnie.

In August 2015, Michael was officially charged with his wife's murder. According to the Times-Union, a .22 caliber shell casing was discovered with the remains. Michael allegedly owned a rifle of the same caliber.

Michael's defense attorneys had earlier unsuccessfully petitioned the court to block Aaron's statements from 1993, arguing the boy had been contradictory. Aaron, however, is expected to testify at this week's trial. His credibility is likely to be the key factor in the case.
Midland College's Cogdell Learning Center is getting a facelift from local artist Janet Pontious, who won a $5,000 contest to paint a mural on the building.

"I was trying to reproduce the mural according to the original design, but it definitely has my input on the colors and many of the other things," Pontious said. "There is a lot of history behind this mural, so I tried to keep everything right where it was before the sun faded it. The artwork has been very interesting to re-create."

Pontious has been able to mix regular indoor-outdoor house paint to create all the colors for the mural. She works with the largest brush she can find.

"The brush has to be stiff; it has to have some strength to it," Pontious said. "For details, I use smaller brushes, but with a piece this big I have some leeway. What I have learned from doing a lot of other murals is that people admire murals from a distance rather than up close. Viewers do not usually see the details."

More Information Cogdell Learning Center's 25th anniversary celebration is 11:45 a.m. Friday at 201 W. Florida St.

midland.edu/cogdell. See More Collapse

Pontious started drawing when she was very young, and her preferred canvas was the same as it is now: walls.

"I started drawing on walls when I was 3 years old," Pontious said. "My mother did not appreciate it, but that was where I got my start. I was very industrious; I would confiscate all the scratch paper in the house, and I would cut the side of brown paper grocery bags, take out the bottom and iron it flat to draw on it."

The multicultural Cogdell Learning Center mural showcases flowers, animals and five large faces: Caucasian American, Native American, Asian American, Hispanic American and one African American. Its intricate background includes warm and cool colors along with dwellings, trees and statues.

The project was completed just in time for Cogdell Learning Center's 25th anniversary celebration, which is Friday.

Carol Subia, a trustee of the Bill Pace Cogdell Scholarship, worked with Cogdell until his death in 1997. She said he would have loved the mural.

"The mural is a representation of the many different cultures that have been through the Codgell Learning Center," Subia said. "Mr. Cogdell loved this area, his desire was to one day provide a way for the community of the south side to have an avenue for higher education. He especially felt a close connection with the Hispanic community. The mural depicts a picture of MC bridging the gap for first-generation scholars."

Employees at the Cogdell Learning Center help residents apply for college, financial aid and register. Among the classes taught at the center are English as a second language, U.S. citizenship and GED preparation. Staff of the Midland College Business & Economic Development Center, also housed at Cogdell, help residents improve their credit score, prepare for home ownership and/or start a small business.

"During the first 25 years in operation, the Cogdell Learning Center has opened the doors of opportunity and has made many dreams come true," said Subia. "Mr. Cogdell would be very pleased with the (number) of scholars who have benefited from his scholarship and the diverse programs provided at the Cogdell Learning Center. I can just see him now smiling with great pride and satisfaction."

The Cogdell scholarship pays for in-state tuition, fees and books for MC students. After they obtain their associate degree, they may then continue to receive the scholarship if they work toward a bachelor's degree at MC or transfer to the University of Texas of the Permian Basin.

Subia, who graduated from Midland College in 1988 with a degree in business management, is the first college graduate in her family. The Cogdell Learning Center did not exist then, but Subia said she would have loved to have the help that the center provides.

"Being a first-generation college student, I remember it was a challenge," she said. "First, I was shy, and I did not know who to contact for advice or for help. Secondly, I felt alone and discouraged. Being a trustee for the Bill Pace Cogdell Scholarship has been an honor to be part of bridging the gap for local residents."
The Texas Warrior Mudout fundraiser hosted by Be the Change Permian Basin has more than doubled its participation capacity since its inception in 2017. This year, there will be a larger course with 23 obstacles for competitors to complete.

The first teams will hit their mud pits at 9 a.m. April 27 at Rock the Desert festival grounds; the other teams will be cycled throughout the day as each preceding team nears completion. All proceeds will benefit Be the Change  a nonprofit organization that promotes anti-bullying and recognizes the importance of spreading kindness.

Texas Warrior Mudout is a team challenge designed to build community, according to the event's website. Teams will complete obstacles over roughly a 5k course that will rely on team skills and support. This year, 700 competitors are scheduled to trek down the course, expanding in 200-participant increments each year  so long the number of volunteers permits it, said Sandra Candia, executive director of Be the Change. For the past two years, event registration has met maximum capacity long before the event date, so Candia said she encourages those interested to register soon.

"It seems to be growing every year," Candia said. "We have an amazing team (and) board members that come together and have great ideas. They always make it something fun, new and exciting."

Participants will choose their course  beginner, intermediate or advanced  which has already been completed and timed by Be the Change staff and volunteers, so an estimated average time can be determined beforehand.

Many will have to overcome the newest obstacle brought to the event  the Tyrolean traverse, which is often used in rock climbing and mountain rescue  and travel across a 30-foot-high rope in mid-air.

"We really just want it to be a great way to have people come out and have some fun," Candia said. "It's a team event. Different businesses will put in a team. It's a lot of fun. People get out there and they dress up and come out to run and help each other through the obstacles."

Each team has a minimum of three members. Those who signed up as individuals will be placed on a team of others who registered solo.

For those who do not want to race but still want to be a part of the event, a spectator's pass is offered for family and friends to cheer on the competitors. There will be marked areas where bystanders cannot cross for their own safety.

Want to know more?

--texaswarriormudout.com

--bethechangepermianbasin.org See More Collapse

"You can stand off to the side," Candia said. "And you can take pictures of your friends and encourage them. We love that. We want people to have a good time and encourage each other and just be out there together."

Candia said funds raised at the event, sponsored by Endeavor Energy, will be distributed for Be the Change events at school campuses.

Junior high and high schools can have a three- or four-day challenge day event, which is a high energy program that brings youth together with adult volunteers, she said.

"(The students) are guided through a series of experiential learning processes," Candia said. "But we're wanting to help them increase their personal power and self-esteem, so they can be able to have tools for peaceful conflict resolution and a healthy emotional expression of themselves without leaving anybody out or hurting others.

"Our whole thing is kindness: kindness matters."
The Houston area is still feeling the impact of severe storms on Sunday that brought rain, heavy winds and a tornado.

South Houston High School remained closed Monday after strong winds damaged power lines and knocked out electricity to the area. It's unclear whether the damage was directly related to a confirmed tornado in the adjacent city of Pasadena.

School officials said on Facebook that CenterPoint was working to resolve the issue.

National Weather Service meteorologist Don Oettinger said some damage indicated the tornado was an EF1, but its strength is likely closer to an EF0, he said.

According to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), EF0 tornadoes usually bring wind gusts between 40 and 72 mph. EF1 tornadoes bring winds between 73 and 112 mph.

Elsewhere in the Houston area, the winds affected more than just power lines. Dozens of photos of broken trees crushing homes and fences circulated on social media.

One neighborhood near Lake Houston was littered with tree branches. The storm completely uprooted some larger trees in the area.

BREAKING NEWS UPDATES: Get your Houston breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox

The severe weather also reached parts of Dayton, with residents mostly reporting fallen trees and broken power lines. Dayton resident Sandra Orozco said her in-laws home located off County Road 6023 was nearly destroyed by the high winds and called the damage "a disaster."

"It was just really strong winds....no tornado although it felt like one," Orozco said. "[It was] super windy [and] we did lose power."

Orozco said the storm blew open the front door of her in-laws' home and they were forced to take cover during the remainder of the severe weather.

"They put something heavy in front of the door...and they just prayed for nothing bad to happen to them," Orozco said. "[I] never imagined the outcome would be like this... My husband told me it was supposed to rain Saturday so when it didn't rain Saturday I didn't expect anything for Sunday. But boy was I wrong."

STORM AFTERMATH: South Houston High School closed as power outage persists following tornado

Dayton resident Tamara Lynn Sayeh said an electric pole in her backyard was knocked over and came close to hitting her home. She said around 7 p.m. last night a transformer blew up outside her home and her family was without power for about eight hours.

"The wind was excessive," Sayeh said. "Everyone on our street lost power."

Sayeh said several of her neighbors are still without power as of Monday morning.

"I'm very surprised at the damage around Dayton," Sayeh said. "I've been here for 10 years and [have] never seen Dayton tore up so badly...within minutes the storm was here."

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.
Fiat Owned by Missing Man Shannon Scott View Photos

San Andreas, CA  The remains of a disabled Vietnam veteran from Calaveras County, missing since last summer may have been found, although investigators say it might take weeks or months to confirm it.

According to CHP Amador Unit spokesperson Officer Brian Hageman, a license plate check of an off-road crash vehicle discovered Monday afternoon along Highway 16 in Plymouth is tied to the case of 66-year-old Shannon Scott of Wilseyville.

Officer Hageman reports that around 2:30 p.m., a landowner mowing an overgrown area adjacent to the north roadway edge near Moriah Heights Road  about a mile east of the Sacramento County line  discovered a wrecked, overturned vehicle and promptly called authorities. The plate came back as belonging to a missing person: Scott.

Amador County Chief Deputy Coroner Sgt. P. Weart emphasizes, There is not a lot to go onthe subjects remains could very well be that missing person but that is all I can say  and it will take some time before we can get a positive ID through DNA. We owe it to him and any family members out there to get it right.

Missing Since Last Summer

As reported here, Scott left his home on Aug. 29 last year for an appointment at the Sacramento Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He never arrived and was reported missing two days later by a family member.

On March 5, the Calaveras County Sheriffs Office provided a case update, indicating that Scotts cellphone records showed that the last activity on the device was on Aug. 30 in the Sloughhouse area east of Sacramento near Highway 16/Jackson Road. The locations description roughly matches that of the crash scene now under investigation.

Right now, the case is being handled as a traffic collision. There were obvious signsAmador County Sheriffs Department was notified and detectives did respond to the scene, Hageman explains. He noted impact points to the trees, ground, and vehicle damage. As to whether the unidentified subject might have suffered a medical episode or if another vehicle could have been involved in the crash, Hageman shares, [Theres] no indication of a hit and run at this point.

He adds, We are still waiting on notification from the coroners office as to cause of deathI have no indication at this point that a health issue caused the collision. We have the vehicle in evidence, pending inspection and if anything comes of that inspection, we will address that.
The removal of the broken tower by the Hale County Courthouse will be handled by Shackelford Industrial Plant Services.

The commissioners voted on Monday to let the company remove it.

During a regular meeting, Commissioner Kenny Kernell, precinct 3, said he spoke with the company and they offered to tear down the tower for $3,000.

"I think that's by far the best option," he said.

After analyzing the costs associated with the county removing it and multiple discussions with County Treasurer Ida Tyler and the insurance company, it was determined that letting Shackelford Industrial Plant Services do it would be the most feasible option.

The company had already begun disassembling it by Monday.

The commissioners also voted to table a decision regarding a Hale County janitorial contract that expires at the end of May.

County Judge David Mull said more time will allow the county attorney time to review the current contract and advise the court on any potential changes that should be made.

The court also voted to give County Auditor Melinda Silvas approval to become the authorizing official for the county's Chase Business Credit Card Account.

The account is currently under the authorization of the previous county judge, Bill Coleman, Silvas told the court. It's Hale County's account but Coleman signed off for its creation. That means the county currently can't do much with the account, including change the authorizing party, without Coleman's written authorization, per the credit card company's security guidelines. And it's a hassle, for security reasons, to change it over.

Letting Silvas become the authorizing party will allow the county to retain control in the event of a change in county leadership, she explained. Even though she'll be recognized as the authorizing party through the bank, all transactions with the account will still have to be approved by the commissioners.

The commissioners also approved the following:

Upgrading security camera system DVR and outdoor cameras

Sale of trust properties in Hale Center

Subscription through the District Judges' offices for Westlaw Order, a county-wide online legal research tool

Lease of some copiers from Holland's Office Technologies for the Sheriff's Office

Use of the courthouse square for the Red, White & Moo Festival
MISSION MOON: Nearly 50 years have passed since Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the moon. Our special Apollo 50 anniversary coverage explores how the country came together to fulfill President John F. Kennedys goal of reaching the lunar surface by 1970, NASA's bold missions - and crippling tragedies - since that historic day, and the future of space exploration and Houston as America's "Space City.

***

This list will be continuously updated as more events are added/scheduled are firmed up. Please continue to check back for more information.

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made history when they became the first men to walk on the moon on July 20, 1969. It was the culmination of more than a decade's worth of work by the United States as the nation came together in a battle to defeat its nemesis, the Soviet Union, to the lunar surface.

These two moonwalkers  and the 10 that came after them  all called Houston home, training for their seemingly impossible missions at what is now the Johnson Space Center.

Next week, Houston will begin celebrating the accomplishments of Armstrong, Aldrin and their third crew mate, Michael Collins. Here's how you can participate.

SPACE JUNK: Sign up for Mission Moon updates and out-of-this-world space news.

TUESDAY, JULY 16 (50th Anniversary of Apollo 11 Launch):

Lunch with Apollo Flight Controllers: Attendees will eat lunch with an Apollo-era flight controller, having an opportunity to talk with them about their memories and experience.

Location: Space Center Houston

Price: Members: $40 per adult, $11 per kid; Non-member: $69.95 per adult, $35.95 per kid.

Special screening of Chasing the Moon: Showing and panel discussion of Robert Stone's three-part documentary.

Location: Space Center Houston

Price: Free

First day of Neil Armstrong Collection Auction: Heritage Auctions is hosting the third phase of Armstrong's personal collection. Bidding will occur both online and live in Dallas.

Time: 6 p.m.

Location: Heritage Auctions, 3500 Maple Avenue Dallas, TX 75219; http://bit.ly/2YGLe4t

Tram Tours featuring the Historic Mission Control Room at NASA's Johnson Space Center: This tour will feature the newly restored mission control room that was used for the Apollo 11 mission.

Location: Space Center Houston

Price: Included in general admission ticket to Space Center Houston

Apollo 11 Mission Briefings: Learn more about the important activities of the Apollo 11 flight.

Location: Space Center Houston

Price: Included with your general admission ticket to Space Center Houston

Apollo 11-themed Pop-Up Science Labs: Hands-on workshops that help kids learn more about what it took to send humans to the moon and keep them safe

Location: Space Center Houston

Price: Included with your general admission ticket to Space Center Houston.

LISTEN: Our "Cigarettes & Rocket Fuel" podcast follows NASA's 1969 Apollo missions

WEDNESDAY, JULY 17:

Second day of Neil Armstrong Collection Auction: Heritage Auctions is hosting the third phase of Armstrong's personal collection. Bidding will occur online.

Time: 12 p.m.

Location: http://bit.ly/2YGLe4t

Tram Tours featuring the Historic Mission Control Room at NASA's Johnson Space Center: This tour will feature the newly restored mission control room that was used for the Apollo 11 mission.

Location: Space Center Houston

Price: Included in general admission ticket to Space Center Houston

Apollo 11 Mission Briefings: Learn more about the important activities of the Apollo 11 flight.

Location: Space Center Houston

Price: Included with your general admission ticket to Space Center Houston

Apollo 11-themed Pop-Up Science Labs: Hands-on workshops that help kids learn more about what it took to send humans to the moon and keep them safe.

Location: Space Center Houston

Price: Included with your general admission ticket to Space Center Houston.

THURSDAY, JULY 18:

Lunch with the Children of Apollo: Eat lunch while listening to a panel discussion with children of the Apollo era including: Jeff and Barbara Lovell, Amy Bean, Tracy Cernan Woolie and Gwen Griffin (moderator).

Location: Space Center Houston

Price: Members: $40 per adult, $11 per kid; Non-members: $69.95 per adult, $35.95 per kid.

Apollo 50 Live" Sponsor Activity Tent: A tent full of activities, displays and giveaway for guests to enjoy

Location: Space Center Houston

Price: Included with your general admission ticket to Space Center Houston.

Third day of Neil Armstrong Collection Auction: Heritage Auctions is hosting the third phase of Armstrong's personal collection. Bidding will occur online.

Time: 12 p.m.

Location: http://bit.ly/2YGLe4t

Lunar Landing Opportunities: Ten Apollo-era mission controllers will "land" their own grandchildren on the moon in the Houston Museum of Natural Science's Expedition Center.

Location: Houston Museum of Natural Science, Expedition Center

Time: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Tram Tours featuring the Historic Mission Control Room at NASA's Johnson Space Center: This tour will feature the newly restored mission control room that was used for the Apollo 11 mission.

Location: Space Center Houston

Price: Included in general admission ticket to Space Center Houston

Apollo 11 Mission Briefings: Learn more about the important activities of the Apollo 11 flight.

Location: Space Center Houston

Price: Included with your general admission ticket to Space Center Houston

Apollo 11-themed Pop-Up Science Labs: Hands-on workshops that help kids learn more about what it took to send humans to the moon and keep them safe

Location: Space Center Houston

Price: Included with your general admission ticket to Space Center Houston.

FRIDAY, JULY 19:

An Evening with Apollo Era Flight Director Gene Kranz: Legendary NASA flight director Gene Kranz will talk about his experience in Mission Control during the Apollo 11 landing.

Location: Space Center Houston

Sold out

"Apollo 50 Live" Sponsor Activity Tent: A tent full of activities, displays and giveaway for guests to enjoy

Location: Space Center Houston

Price: Included with your general admission ticket to Space Center Houston.

Tram Tours featuring the Historic Mission Control Room at NASA's Johnson Space Center: This tour will feature the newly restored mission control room that was used for the Apollo 11 mission.

Location: Space Center Houston

Price: Included in general admission ticket to Space Center Houston

Apollo 11 Mission Briefings: Learn more about the important activities of the Apollo 11 flight.

Location: Space Center Houston

Price: Included with your general admission ticket to Space Center Houston

Apollo 11-themed Pop-Up Science Labs: Hands-on workshops that help kids learn more about what it took to send humans to the moon and keep them safe

Location: Space Center Houston

Price: Included with your general admission ticket to Space Center Houston.

Choosing the Future: Moon or Mars? The Museum of Natural Science will host a debate between team moon and team Mars. Each team has six interns ages 15 to 18 who have been researching their topic all summer. More 100 summer campers will vote throughout the debate.

Time: 10:20 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Location: Museum of Natural Science, Burke Baker Planetarium

Moon Family Festival: Learn what it would be like to live on the moon with "NASA Ambassadors."

Time: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Location: Houston useum of Natural Science Sugar Land

SATURDAY, JULY 20 (50th anniversary of the lunar landing): Apollo 50 at House of Blues: Show off your best moonwalk, test your space trivia and meet the cast and band behind the Houston Chronicle's "Cigarettes & Rocket Fuel" podcast July 20 at House of Blues. The show features Mothership: A tribute to Led Zeppelin, Eclipse: A tribute to Journey, All the Kimonos and Ferrill Gibbs, creator of "Crayola Girl" for the podcast. Stay tuned for chances to win tickets. Door time: 7 p.m., Location: House of Blues Houston, 1204 Caroline St. Price: General admission or VIP

"Apollo 50 Live at Space Center Houston" Celebration: All day event. First 15,000 guests get a commemorative LED wristband.
SAN ANTONIO  Every year local law enforcement agencies warn residents of Bexar County not to get behind the wheel while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Still, thousands of people are arrested each year for driving while intoxicated.

The gallery above shows a number of clues San Antonio police officers look for to determine whether a person is driving under the influence.

"If you are ever in that situation where you are behind the wheel of a car and you have had too much to drink and you see the red and blue lights behind you, that's really the best place you could be," said San Antonio Police Department spokesman Sgt. Javier Salazar. "That officer has intervened and prevented you from ending someone's life, possibly your own."

According to the Bexar County District Attorneys Office, there were 7,322 DWI arrests tallied in the countys 2014 year-end count, which measures arrests made in one calendar year beginning Oct. 1.

Of those, 5,434 were for first offenses, 1,021 were for second offenses and 687 were for a third offense or higher. There were 139 arrests made while a child under the age of 15 was in the vehicle. In 2013, that number was even higher.

There were 7,649 DWI arrested through the end of 2013. Of those, 5,637 were first offenses, 1,105 were second offenses and 703 were for a third offense or higher. Additionally, 152 DWI arrests were made while a passenger under the age of 15 was in the vehicle.

Driving while intoxicated can also come with substantial monetary penalties.

Salazar said he has seen DWI costs ranging from $15,000 to $20,000.

When you think about it, that is such an unbelievable waste, he said.

Stiffer consequences, he said, can come in embarrassment, the possibility of offenders losing their jobs, and even their freedom.

mdwilson@express-news.net

Twitter: @MDWilsonSA
San Antonio police are searching for a woman who went missing Tuesday on the North Side.

Sherry Fulghem, 56, was last seen in the 10000 block of Desert Sands. She suffers from a medical condition that requires medication.
And The Golden Lawnmower Award goes to  the Converse Fire Department.

With nice weather returning to the area last week, Converse resident Kevin Roberts felt well enough to go out and mow his yard. Roberts had been convalescing at home after several surgeries to repair a leg injury.

Roberts went to his backyard, fired up his Craftsman mower and took off. But he didnt get far. He reinjured his leg, snapping his femur.

The A-shift answered a 911 call to find a gentleman laying on the ground, in obvious distress, Converse Fire Chief Luis Valdez said. He explained his recent injury, and said that he thought he felt well enough to get out ... and then he felt it snap.

Valdez said the crews primary concern was to splint the leg and not cause any more injury.

Roberts was eventually placed in an ambulance after being stabilized and was whisked away to the hospital. He was just glad to have the help, the chief said.

Converse EMTs make about 4,000 runs a year, many in answer to home accidents. It was pretty routine, to be honest with you, Valdez said.

Roberts had made only a couple of passes with his mower before he went down. After the medical crews left, a member of the engine company, Delmiro Soliz, was still on the scene.

Firefighter Soliz just said, Im going to finish mowing his yard. He just grabbed the mower, started it back up and took off across the yard, Valdez said, as another firefighter whipped out a phone and snapped a couple of photos of Soliz in action.

Soliz recently recounted that days call and response.

It was the whole crews idea, Soliz said, about the good deed. We said to the captain, Hey, itd be a good idea to help the gentleman finish up the yard. 

Valdez said the captain agreed and the firefighters went to work.

They stayed there, straightening the yard up, pulling some weeds, just doing everything that Mr. Roberts probably would have done.

The crew, Valdez said, didnt do the yard work for any recognition of any kind.

They just thought it was the right to do. Its just a measure of the type of guys we have. They made me proud, he added.

Roberts response, Valdez said, was summed up in an email to the chief: They mowed my freakin lawn!

Soliz said the crew always tries to do its best at times when the people they are interacting with are not at their best.

It was something that made us happy knowing that when he came home, he was surprised, Soliz said.

jflinn@express-news.net
Authorities in Bexar County arrested more than 50 people on felony DWI charges in March, court records showed.

The suspects, 53 in total, were arrested on charges that included intoxication assault, intoxication manslaughter, driving while intoxicated with a child and a third DWI offense.

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Among those charged with intoxication manslaughter was Nicole Woodard, 32. On March 14, Woodard struck and killed Andrew McGarity, 37, who was walking on the sidewalk near the 800 block of Enrique M. Barrera Parkway, according to San Antonio police.

Woodard had a 7-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl in the car with her when the crash happened, police said.

RELATED: SAPD: Intoxication manslaughter suspect had 2 children in car during fatal crash

Another suspected drunk driver, Kimberly Shields, allegedly had three children in the car with her when she was pulled over on March 9, records showed. She was charged with three counts of driving while intoxicated with a child.

Here are the number of charges broken down for March. Some people may be facing multiple charges:

Intoxication assault (third-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison): 5

Intoxication manslaughter (second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison): 1

Driving while intoxicated  with child passenger under 15 years old (state jail felony punishable by up to two years in prison): 7

Driving while intoxicated  third or more (third-degree felony): 43

MySA.com has tracked the felony DWI issue in Bexar County since 2015.

A mugshot for Leonard Ibarra, who was charged on March 31 with two counts of intoxication assault, was not available, according to Bexar County Jail officials.

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
A murder suspect who was sought by San Marcos police after a fatal shooting on Friday turned himself into authorities on Tuesday, according to a news release from the city.

An-drew Stephen Jones, 23, surrendered himself at the Hays County Law Enforcement Center. He is charged with murder.

On Friday evening, police responded to the Uptown Square Apartments after a caller reported someone had been shot.

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When police arrived they found Nicholas Devone White, 21, of Manvel, suffering from a gunshot wound and administered first aid, officials said.

White later died at Seton Hays Medical Center, according to the release.

Police say a witness told them he arranged to meet White to purchase drugs but the two were confronted by a man investigators determined was Jones. The witness told police that was when the other man shot White, according to the release.

Police say Jones, wearing a yellow shirt and light-colored shorts, fled in a silver SUV.

RELATED: Body found near Government Canyon not that of missing businesswoman

Surveillance video allowed police to obtain a license plate number on the SUV, which led detectives to Jones' residence at another apartment complex, authorities said. Officers found the SUV there and it was later impounded by police.

About 5:30 a.m. Saturday, San Marcos Hays County SWAT, a combined unit of the Hays County Sheriff's Office and SMPD, raided the apartment using explosives to breach the residence and serve a search and arrest warrant, but Jones was not located at that time.

Jones had not yet been in front of a judge as of Tuesday morning.

Madison Iszler contributed to this report.

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
Officials with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on Tuesday issued an ozone warning to San Antonio residents.

The orange-level warning signifies the air quality could be unhealthy for those with lung issues, young children and people who work outside for long periods of time.
Lets cool it with the criticism of Joe Biden.

But lets turn up the heat on his defenders with their doubletalk and double standards about how men treat women.

The 76-year-old former vice president may simply be a throwback to a bygone era in politics when voter outreach meant literally reaching out to touch voters. The Washington Post has generously described Biden as having an affectionate, physical style.

Often, the touching is meant to comfort. One of Bidens best qualities is something that Donald Trump lacks: empathy. The Democrat knows suffering. He lost his first wife and a young daughter in a tragic car accident and his adult son to brain cancer. Life has tried  more than once  to break this man. Yet hes still standing. That is admirable.

But there is not much to admire with Bidens defenders. The way theyre bending over backward, and frontward, to justify behavior that they, not long ago, told us was unjustifiable has been sloppy and transparent. Why should anyone believe them ever again?

On MSNBCs Morning Joe, columnist Mike Barnicle criticized the media feeding frenzy now that at least a half-dozen women are complaining that Biden acted improperly toward them.

Really? Pull the tape from last falls confirmation hearings for Brett Kavanaugh, and youll see how pundits on that same show fed off the frenzy of accusations of sexual impropriety by the Republican Supreme Court nominee.

Some will point out that Kavanaugh was accused of sexual assault, and that this makes a big difference. But the national conversation sparked by the hearings went in all directions and included behavior that fell short of outright assault but was still inappropriate.

Former Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri  who is now an MSNBC contributor  also gave Biden a pass. She claimed that his actions were not sexual and insisted that he never did this from a bad place, always from a good place. McCaskill even took a swipe at Bidens accusers, implying that they were a tad sensitive about their personal space.

The women of ABCs The View also vouched for Biden. They said the timing was suspicious, his accusers should have spoken up long ago, his behavior doesnt rise to the level of #MeToo allegations and Biden shouldnt stop being himself.

The timing is suspicious. While some Democrats like to think that this smear campaign is being choreographed by Republicans, they should look closer to home. These types of stories resurface whenever Biden is poised to challenge fellow Democrats  like in the summer of 2015, when Hillary Clinton supporters thought he might enter the 2016 presidential race.

Finally, we have actress Alyssa Milano. A vocal critic of Kavanaugh, she tweeted from the Senate committee room during the hearings: I believe Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and later said that she felt the court nominees anger and rage.

Milano is more forgiving of Biden, whom she calls a friend. She recently tweeted: We cannot assume all womens experiences are the same and I believe that Joe Bidens intent has never been to make anyone uncomfortable.

Again, I give Biden the benefit of the doubt. Its his defenders who are a hot mess.

While Biden has sometimes approached young girls and women in a manner that some would probably describe as creepy, he doesnt fit the role of the manipulative predator who abuses his power to degrade women for his own sexual gratification.

Still, that is a low bar. You dont have to be all that to still be disqualified from running for president in the #MeToo era  especially if you want to represent a party that considers itself woke.

Going forward, Biden has promised to be more mindful of peoples personal space.

Swell. Now if only his defenders were more mindful of their own inconsistency.

Because Im confused. When did we start focusing on a mans intent? What I took away from the #MeToo movement was that what a man intends isnt all that relevant and its the woman who decides whether his behavior is, or isnt, appropriate.

I also learned that how a man intended to make a woman feel with a gesture isnt nearly as important as how the woman felt.

As the father of two girls, ages 9 and 14, Im really good with that. These are the lessons that I imparted to my two daughters the last time this topic was in the news.

What am I supposed to tell them now?

ruben@rubennavarrette.com
Scandinavian Home has paid advertising banners and product affiliate links, which means I earn a very small amount of money if you click through and buy an item - these are stated with and asterisk and at the bottom of each post.
Zimbabwean intelligence officers reportedly foiled a meeting by a Botswana politician, Dr Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi and her colleagues  including former President Seretse Khama Ian Khama  which sought to topple Botswana President Mokgwetsi Masisi.

An American diplomat, Andrew Young, is also named by the Sunday Standard as part of the plot.

The plot involved laundering P60 million to Botswana via Zimbabwe and the money, according to reports, had been brought by Ms Bridgette Motsepe, sister of South African billionaire from South Africa who was tracked from Lanseria Airport by Botswana newspaper the Sunday Standard up to Victoria Falls.

It is believed that former president Khama, who is backing Dr Moitoi, was expected to attend the meeting.

According to reports by the Sunday Standard, the money was meant to buy votes for Dr Moitoi who intends to challenge President Mokgweetsi Masisi for BDP presidency.

It is understood that Dr Moitoi and her delegation were detained and subjected to interrogation by Zimbabwean intelligence officers in Victoria Falls after a tip off.

On the day that Ms Motsepe flew to Victoria Falls, Mr Khama also chartered a flight to Victoria Falls in the company of Dr Moitoi, Kabelo Binns, Daphne Kadiwa and Isaac Kgosi.

The Sunday Standard reports that Zimbabwes intelligence got the information that the plane that Ms Motsepe was travelling in was ferrying US$5,5 million that was supposed to be handed to Mr Khama.

Zimbabwean officials, according to the Sunday Standard did not search Motsepes plane but sent it back to South Africa.

It is understood that Dr Moitois delegation and that of Ms Motsepe were expected to meet American politician Mr Andrew Young.

Mr Moitois delegation stayed behind for the meeting in Victoria Falls while Ms Motsepe and her team were deported to South Africa.

Reports say that according to the initial plan, Dr Moitoi and Ms Motsepes teams were to be airlifted by two helicopters to a secret meeting at a farm in Botswana.

The US$5, 5 million purse was to be used to buy votes for Dr Moitoi in her BDP presidential bid against President Masisi.

The Sunday Standard reported that they had some audio tapes were Ms Motsepe was discussing with Binns saying the money was ready.

Binns is heard in the same conversation as saying they were aiming for 850 votes at next weeks congress.

They also discussed that they should hire vehicles in Botswana for the campaign fearing use of South African registered ones would expose them to scrutiny.

The Herald could not independently verify the reports at the time of going to print.

 Herald

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NIGERIAN controversial radio personality Ifedayo Olarinde (popularly known as Daddy Freeze) has reacted to the death of Brighton Elliot Moyo, the Zimbabwean man who South Africa-based Prophet Alph Lukau controversially resurrected from the dead back in February.

Reacting to the second death of Brighton (struck with HIV, kidney failure and tuberculosis) who reportedly died in a village called St Lukes in South Africa, Daddy Freeze said Brightons death proves that God cannot be mocked.

This has been reported by Ripples Nigeria, an online publication from that country.

The radio anchor took to Instagram to react to the development when he wrote; Elliot finally dies. God cannot be mocked, he claimed to be dead now he is really dead!-Sadly our faith has become a movie set, teeming with professional and amateur actors.

In February this year, Pastor Lukau was involved in a controversy when he trended online for bringing a dead man (Brighton) back to life and then later gave him rice, salad and fried bream fish to eat.

However, things went awry for the clergyman when the funeral houses embroiled in the fake miracle opened up and admonished the pastor for deceiving them and using their hearse to fake a miracle in his church.

Daddy Freeze is a Nigerian radio host and presenter. He was born in Romania to a Nigerian father and a Romanian European mother, but was raised and educated in Nigeria.

He made news headlines last year when he attacked Nigerian pastors for stealing peoples hard earned cash. He said he does not care if people call him demon but that when he sees pastors stealing from Nigerians in form of tithes and offering, he will speak up.

Freeze, on his Instagram page, said call me a demon, I dont care but when I see you stealing from poor Nigerians in tithes and offering, Ill speak up and challenge you.

In another post, Freeze said The greatest dingbat is the one shouting in church he fails to realize that we are the church, not a building. Collecting tithes from Christians is stealing in its own right. Christ never collected tithes, neither did his disciples.

He then mocked: All the numerous people who have come to the #FreeNation to beg for money and assistance have been regular tithers, every single one of them.

Yet our church, a church that doesnt tithe, is solving their problems. I get up to 25 requests for assistance daily once again mostly from tithers, powerful tithers who tithe consistently.

I think I can say fairly and logically, that tithing makes your life tight. 90% can never be enough for what 100% could not be enough for. If you dont have enough you are poor and no where in the scriptures, new or old, were the poor required to tithe.

Christ never collected tithes and neither did the disciples, stop leading yourself to an early grave of penury by holding on to a false and useless doctrine!

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By Jeff Bryant, a writing fellow and chief correspondent for Our Schools, a project of the Independent Media Institute. He is a communications consultant, freelance writer, advocacy journalist, and director of the Education Opportunity Network, a strategy and messaging center for progressive education policy. His award-winning commentary and reporting routinely appear in prominent online news outlets, and he speaks frequently at national events about public education policy. Follow him on Twitter @jeffbcdm. Produced by Our Schools, a project of the Independent Media Institute

The enduring RedForEd movement that has spurred teachers to walk out of schools, organize massive labor actions, and stage protests in streets and state capitols has resulted in big victories for teachers in terms of new labor-friendly contracts, increased teacher pay, and improved conditions in schools. But theres a danger these victories could be undone. Thats the warning coming from teachers in Sacramento who are threatening to walk off the job over alleged violations of their collective bargaining agreement with the district.

Much like other teacher actions that have occurred across the nation, Sacramento teachers are demanding changes to their salaries, reduced class sizes, and increases in school support staff including more nurses, psychologists, librarians, and program specialists. But unlike other teacher walkouts, whats happening in Sacramento is a replay of what they thought they had already won.

We thought we had an agreement when we threatened to strike last year, David Fisher tells me in a phone conversation. Fisher is the president of the Sacramento City Teachers Association (SCTA), which threatened a walkout in November 2017 of the previous school year.

We were motivated by what was happening in RedForEd movements elsewhere, he recalls. We had everything lined up [in preparation for the strike] including having parents organized and having meals ready for the kids who were going to miss school lunches.

The strike was averted when the union and district administration came to an agreement and signed a new contract in December 2017. Specifically, the three-year contract included an across-the-board pay increase for teachers. Salaries for the districts teachers are below state averages and rank fourth from the bottom when compared to 14 other comparable districts in the state, according the Sacramento Bee.

Also, teachers won an adjustment to salary schedules that would result in an additional 3.5 percent increase to teachers in the middle stages of their careers. Fisher maintains the pay lag for those teachers had resulted in significant attrition as teachers left the district and went to work in adjacent districts to increase their salaries.

Another significant win for the teachers was to get the districts reassurance it would hire additional teachers to lower class sizes, especially in the later elementary and middle school grades, and add more school support personnel. In order to fund those new positions, the district pledged to work with the teachers union, according to local news reports, to find savings in the employee health care program.

Now the district is refusing to implement the salary rescheduling, Fisher says, and the administration claims the savings from the health care benefits arent there, so theres no money for the class size reduction and additional support staff.

As the district has dug in its heels, teachers went to court to force the district into arbitrationsomething else the contract requiredto implement the salary schedule restructuring. And teachers are demanding the district confirm what kinds of savings it has and hasnt been able to wring from the health care plan in order to pay for class size reductions and increased support staff, according to Fisher.

In its defense, the district points to an estimated budget deficit of nearly $30 million, which could push the district into insolvency sometime this year and risk a takeover by the state.

Teachers point to data showing that when the district signed the contract with the union, the school system was in its best financial condition ever, with a balance of $56 million in its unreserved fund, double-digit revenue increases, and spending falling short of projections. At the end of the 20172018 school year,district income came in over 5 percent above budget.

What happened to the money?

While some local analysts point to the 2017 labor contract as the cause of financial woes, its not hard to find other drains on the districts budget that can be solely attributed to questionable administrative decisions.

First, the district, a regional unified system made up of multiple smaller districts, poured huge amounts of money into salaries and bonuses for all the various superintendents, increasing administrator pay at a clip much faster than the rate of teacher pay boosts. The number of administrators also grew, the union contends, from 251 to 269.8, adding an additional 3.5 million to salaried positions. Fisher told me the average total compensation for district administrators is over $150,000. According to the unions calculations, the district would save $16.6 million by reducing administrative staff levels to those in 20142015 when student enrollment was actually higher.

Also, the district instituted a use it or lose it vacation policy that instantly led to a $6 million payout in stored vacation time to administrative employees. The district maintained there would be financial benefits long term, but teachers argue the district didnt have to release the money all at once.

Teachers also want the state to investigate a recent contract the district signed with the University of California  Merced that drained another at least $1.75 million from the budget. District Superintendent Jorge Aguilar, who helped lead the contract agreement, also happens to retain a paid position at UC  Merced at the same time he serves as superintendent, which seems like a huge conflict of interest. The contract is for establishing a new system to collect and share data on students transitioning from high school to college to reduce barriers to college and reduce placement in college remediation classes. Worthy goals for sure, but its so far not specified what this new system entails and what could be long-term costs to the district.

If you can do the math, spending corrections teachers want to see corrected in the budget may or may not close the deficit gap. But their arguments certainly refute the administrations claim that outlays resulting from the new contract are solely to blame for budget shortfalls. And the districts stonewalling on negotiations further undermines its legitimacy in the negotiation.

Fisher says their action is a measured response to the districts failure to live up to its part of the bargain. Schools will close for one day only and teachers will be mindful of how their actions could be perceived should the district proceed toward insolvency and state takeover.

Nevertheless, he contends the stakes are high if Sacramento teachers dontwalk out. Based on recent conversations he has had with teachers in Los Angeles and Oakland, who both won big concessions from districts after their strikes, he believes that should the district succeed in steamrolling teachers and reneging on its obligations to a signed contract, it will give districts elsewhere a green light to do the same. He is probably right.
By Hans-Georg Betz, a leading expert on populism and the radical right in affluent liberal democracies, and has written several seminal books and articles on radical right-wing populism, nativism, and Islamophobia. His academic profile can be found here. Originally published at openDemocracy

There is a saying in German  Totgesagte leben langer, roughly but not quite accurately translated into English as Presumed dead but still kicking. To put it more precisely  kicking quite strongly. In contemporary western European politics, this is particularly true for the main exponent of the French populist radical right.

For the past twenty years, the Front National (FN, now Rassemblement National, RN) experienced a series of blows and major convulsions that seemed to put nail after nail into the coffin of its political project: the defection of the FNs number two, Bruno Megre, in 1998, which deprived the Front National of a number of its leading cadres who defected with Megre; the severe financial problems during the first decade of the new century, which forced the party to sell off its precious headquarters; Marine Le Pens disastrous performance in the televised debate with Emmanuel Macron ahead of the second and decisive round of the presidential election of 2017, which exposed her to ridicule; scandals involving fictive employees supposedly working for MEPs  a reflection of the partys increasing financial difficulties reminiscent of earlier days; Marine Le Pens less than amicable break with her father followed by the discarding of the partys traditional label, a move that disgusted a significant number of FN supporters; and, last but not least, the defection of Florian Philippot, her closest adviser and influential strategist.

As a result, in early 2018, Marine Le Pens public image was in free fall, as was the proportion of the French public sympathetic to her ideas Hardly surprising, by mid-2018, observers of the French political scene speculated that it was not entirely unlikely that the RN would disappear in the near future as a relevant force in French politics.

Returning with a Vengeance

Mark Twain once sardonically noted that the reports of his death were highly exaggerated. The same holds true for Marine Le Pen. A laughing stock in 2017, outed as unprepared, incompetent and not ready for prime time, she has come back with a vengeance. Recent surveys on a hypothetical presidential contest have credited her with running neck and neck with Macron, the current president of the republic. Surveys conducted in anticipation of the European elections later this year go in the same direction. The centrist joint list of La Republique en Marche(created by Macron for the presidential election of 2017) and Modem (Francois Bayrou) with roughly 25 percent of the vote and Marine Le Pens RN with roughly 20 percent are way ahead of all other lists, including Jean-Luc Melenchons France Insoumise (roughly 8 percent).

The turn in fortunes is also reflected in Marine Le Pens improved public image. Not only has she reappeared on the cover of major French news magazines; pollsters are also again taking her seriously enough as a major political contender to measure her support as well as her appeal, particularly compared to the current president of the republic. The results show that the president of the RN has managed to restore much of her credibility, even if a large majority of the electorate continues to view her negatively. In the most recent survey, a large majority of respondents credited her with being dynamic and courageous, but also arrogant and authoritarian  albeit less so than Emmanuel Macron, who has come to epitomize smugness.

Gilets Jaunes Make all the Difference

Marine Le Pen owes her rebound in the polls to a significant extent to the revolt of the gilets jaunes, the grassroots protest that started in late 2018 against the rise in the tax on gas and diesel, promoted as a step towards advancing the governments green agenda. The tax hike provoked widespread rage in the rural countryside, directed particularly against Paris where it occasioned acts of violent rioting. The eruption of rage particularly benefited Marine Le Pen  and for good reason. An opinion poll on the reasons for the growing tensions in French society from early this year identified the growing social difficulties of parts of the population as well as the sense that the Parisian elites (political, economic, and in the media) are disconnected from the everyday reality experienced by the French as the main drivers of popular disaffection, aggressiveness and rage. The sense of disconnect found its most memorable expression in a slogan, attributed to the gilets jaunes: Ils evoquent la fin du monde, nous on parle de la fin du mois [They evoke the end of the world, we talk about the end of the month].

It is by now well established that the combination of socioeconomic problems, perceptions of social injustice, and political disaffection provides an ideal breeding ground for populist mobilization. Under the circumstances, Marine Le Pens return to the frontlines of French politics is hardly surprising. At the same time, she has also benefited from the particular issue which ignited the revolt. After all, even with Marine Le Pen, the FN/RN has been a major proponent of climat skepticism, raising serious doubts that human activity is the principal origin of climate change.

Last but not least, Marine le Pen has shown remarkable programmatic flexibility on essential issues. For the presidential election of 2017, the FN candidate made the exit from the euro one of the core issues of her presidential campaign. It turned out to be an enormous flop. Following the disaster of 2017, it was quietly dropped, even if Marine Le Pen insisted that regaining monetary sovereignty was still on the agenda  albeit for some time in the future. Undoubtedly, Marine Le Pen took note of the fact that a large majority of French voters are opposed to giving up the euro. Under the circumstances, pragmatism trumps ideology, even on the radical populist right.

It does not matter anyway because there is, as always, the question of (im)migration, the perennial evergreen of the radical populist right. It is and has been at the center of the radical populist rights nativist program, and it still retains its appeal. It is the issue where Marine Le Pen is held to be more competent than the current president of the republic. Not surprisingly, (im)migration figures right on top of the RNs agenda for its campaign for the European election.

Ressentiments

Marine Le Pen set the tone in the fall of 2018 with a programme she held in Frejus, a town in Southern France, boasting a FN/RN mayor. Parting ways with likeminded parties in western Europe, she avoided framing the issue in cultural (i.e., anti-Islamic) terms; instead she adoped a narrative which cropped up in the wake of the refugee crisis of 2015/2016, the election of Donald Trump, and the upsurge in support for the AfD in the German federal election of 2018. In each of these cases, journalists venturing out to talk to ordinary people (in order to understand why they voted the way they did) outside the big metropolitan regions encountered similar ressentiments. The resentment was fed by a profound sense of injustice, stemming from the perception that ordinary citizens are systematically disadvantaged  perhaps even discriminated against  by their government seen as favoring instead migrants, refugees and minorities.

Marine Le Pens Frejus speech is a textbook example of this kind of populist cum nativist rhetoric appealing to these ressentiments. Charging public officials on the cantonal level (i.e., prefects) with prioritizing the integration of migrants, she asserted that these officials spend most of their time regularizing, feeding, housing and medically treating them, finding them a professional training and according them job priority. Against that, French citizens are told that there are no longer any funds available to provide them with affordable housing, no more money to boost the purchasing power of retirees, no more money for the handicapped and for families. But , Marine Le Pen charged, there are ample funds for immigration! And whereas French homeless persons die in the streets from being exposed to the cold there are thousands of lodging houses for migrants. Marine Le Pens conclusion: What we are seeing today is a blatant expression of the contempt (mepris) state authorities have for the people (les gens), contempt for the identity of our countrymen sacrificed on the altars of a crazy ideological vision. What we are seeing today is the state working against the nation rather than the state putting itself in the service of the nation.

 The France of the Forgotten 

This is a potentially powerful and persuasive message. Opinion polls show that on some social issues, such as inequality, those sympathizing with the RN are relatively close to the left. In 2018, for instance, some 60 percent of RN supporters came out in support of protecting wage earners, only a minority in favor of more labor market flexibility. Almost 70 percent agreed with the statement that in order the reestablish social justice it was necessary to take from the rich and give to the poor.

The centrist joint list of La Republique en Marche (created by Macron for the presidential election of 2017) and Modem (Francois Bayrou) with roughly 25 percent of the vote and Marine Le Pens RN with roughly 20 percent are way ahead of all other lists, including Jean-Luc Melenchons France Insoumise (roughly 8 percent).

At the same time, however, the same percentage also agreed that the unemployed could find work if they only wanted  a position shared with the right. In other words, RN supporters are overwhelmingly in favor of some measure of social justice, as long as it tied to a notion of deservedness associated with productive work. Migrants and refugees clearly dont count among the deserving. For too long the both Marine Le Pen and her father have charged that the vast majority of immigrants come to France primarily to take advantage of Frances generous social services; and for too long both have demanded to shut down the pompes aspirantes de lEtat-Providence (suction pumps of the welfare state) and limit benefits to the native born (FNs policy of preference nationale).

Ever since she was elected president of the FN in 2011, Marine Le Pen has promoted herself as the candidate who defends the France of the forgotten (la France des oublies). As such, she has gone out of her way to address the boondocks of France  aka la province  far away from the big cities, where established politicians would not want to be caught dead. Therefore it is perhaps not entirely surprising that Marine le Pen launched her campaign for the European election far away from Paris  in the small town of Thon in Vaucluse, a department in the south of France. In her speech, Marine Le Pen positioned herself and her party once again on one end of a new cleavage that pits, as she put it, les nationaux, represented by her, against les mondialistes, embodied by Macron. An astute politician, Marine Le Pen has been adroit in exploiting growing polarization tendencies in French sociey and politics along a new parochial vs cosmopolitan divide. This divide is nothing new. It first emerged in the final decades of the Belle Epoque (1871-1914), which turned out not to be all that belle for much of Frances working class, providing ample opportunities for populist mobilization. Like today, populist agitation centered upon migration and national identity.

Humiliation

At the time, the divide was limited; today, it has reached alarming proportions, most recently with the eruption of the revolt of the gilets jaunes. As Laurent Joffrin, the editor of the center-left daily Liberation has noted, what is behind this revolt is a diffuse sense of humiliation, which feeds all this rage  a humiliation of all those people who live out of the way (excentre, i.e., out in the boonies). It reflects a new kind of rupture, a new kind of stuggle, one not based on class but on space: urban centers against rurbans (banlieue), the periphery against the bourgeois bohemians (bobos), the countryside against the metropolitan areas, the small against the large communities. Far away from the big cities, the rurbains feel loathed by the urbanites and abandoned by those in power  and often rightfully so.

It is this sense of being the object of contempt and neglect by the political establishment, which, at least in part, has fed the most recent wave of radical right-wing populist mobilization in advanced liberal democracies, both in Europe and overseas. Mantra-like repetitions by the media and the established parties (as if the exponents of the radical populist right were not already part of it, given the fact that many of them have been around for several decades) warning of the fundamental threat these parties pose to democracy have done little to nothing to dissuade disenchanted voters to put their cross next to the them.

The European elections are unlikely to diverge from this pattern. There will be great lamentation in the land, a lot of abuse of ignorant, irresponsible voters and deplorables  just to go back to business as usual, in favor of big transnational corporations, the financial markets and the rich.

Visit the Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right (#CARR)
Yves here. I can come up with some additional reasons why Team Trump hasnt seized on Ukrainian evidence of efforts to interfere in the election on behalf of Democrats. First is that it might be dismissed as a desperate See, everyone does this while RussiaGate still has some life to it. The story will have more punch when the Russian conspiracy theorizing has died down to whatever its diehard base will prove to be. Second, as Neuburger intimates but does not flat out say, Trump may prefer Biden as a Presidential election opponent. Thus better not to use this intel at all or wait until Biden wins the primary.

Note this isnt a new story, but it interestingly hasnt gone away either

By Thomas Neuburger. Originally published at DownWithTyranny!

Joe and Hunter Biden in 2009 (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Wheels within wheels. This is from longtime investigative reporter John Solomon, writing in The Hill (emphasis mine throughout):

Ukrainian to US prosecutors: Why dont you want our evidence on Democrats? Ukrainian law enforcement officials believe they have evidence of wrongdoing by American Democrats and their allies in Kiev, ranging from 2016 election interference to obstructing criminal probes. But, they say, theyve been thwarted in trying to get the Trump Justice Department to act. Kostiantyn Kulyk, deputy head of the Prosecutor Generals International Legal Cooperation Department, told me he and other senior law enforcement officials tried unsuccessfully since last year to get visas from the U.S. embassy in Kiev to deliver their evidence to Washington.

Intrigued? Look at the elements:

Evidence of foreign interference to help Democrats win the 2016 election

Democratic Party politicians being protected from investigation by Ukrainian prosecutors

The Trump administration refusing to act or help

Here is some of what Ukrainian investigators have found. Solomon again:

Ukraine is infamous for corruption and disinformation operations; its police agencies fight over what is considered evidence of wrongdoing. Kulyk and his bosses even have political fights over who should and shouldnt be prosecuted. Consequently, allegations emanating from Kiev usually are taken with a grain a salt. But many of the allegations shared with me by more than a half-dozen senior Ukrainian officials are supported by evidence that emerged in recent U.S. court filings and intelligence reports. The Ukrainians told me their evidence includes: Sworn statements from two Ukrainian officials admitting that their agency tried to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election in favor of Hillary Clinton Paul Manafort

Contacts between Democratic figures in Washington and Ukrainian officials that involved passing along dirt on Donald Trump;

Financial records showing a Ukrainian natural gas company routed more than $3 million to American accounts tied to Hunter Biden, younger son of then-Vice President Joe Biden

Records that Vice President Biden pressured Ukrainian officials in March 2016 to fire the prosecutor who oversaw an investigation of Burisma Holdings and who planned to interview Hunter Biden about the financial transfers;

Correspondence showing members of the State Department and U.S. embassy in Kiev interfered or applied pressure in criminal cases on Ukrainian soil;

Disbursements of as much as $7 billion in Ukrainian funds that prosecutors believe may have been misappropriated or taken out of the country, including to the United States.

What should we make of this?

Democrats Getting Foreign Help in 2016?

The first two points above should frighten the attack on our democracy crew  looking at you, Adam Schiff, and you, Rachel Maddow  but so far, nothing from that quarter. It seems electoral attacks on our democracy and election matter only when Trump, Russians and Republicans are involved.

And yet:

Ukraines evidence, if true, would mark the first documented allegation of Democrats receiving assistance from a foreign power in their efforts to help Clinton win the 2016 election.  There is public-source information, in Ukraine and in the United States, that gives credence to some of what Ukrainian prosecutors allege. A court in Ukraine formally concluded that law enforcement officials there illegally tried to intervene in the 2016 U.S. election by leaking documents of Manaforts business dealings after he was named Trumps campaign chairman. And a Ukrainian parliamentarian released a purported tape recording of a top Ukrainian law enforcement official bragging that he was responsible for the leak and was trying to help Clinton win.

Solomon notes a 2017 Politico report containing much the same information. One wonders why no one cares.

Joe Bidens Ukraine Corruption Problem  Well, son of a bitch, he got fired

The second two bullets above relate to something Ive been privately aware of for a while, that Joe Biden has a Ukraine corruption problem and its serious.

For example, from an April 1, 2019 report by Solomon on Joe Biden, Hunter Biden and Burisma Holdings, the Ukraines leading private natural gas producer, we find this:

U.S. banking records show Hunter Bidens American-based firm, Rosemont Seneca Partners LLC, received regular transfers into one of its accounts  usually more than $166,000 a month  from Burisma from spring 2014 through fall 2015, during a period when Vice President Biden was the main U.S. official dealing with Ukraine and its tense relations with Russia. The general prosecutors official file for the Burisma probe  shared with me by senior Ukrainian officials  shows prosecutors identified Hunter Biden, business partner Devon Archer and their firm, Rosemont Seneca, as potential recipients of money.

Yet in that same report we learn that Joe Biden not only got that prosecutor fired, he bragged about it with the cameras rolling:

In his own words, with video cameras rolling, Biden described how he threatened Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in March 2016 that the Obama administration would pull $1 billion in U.S. loan guarantees, sending the former Soviet republic toward insolvency, if it didnt immediately fire Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin. I said, Youre not getting the billion. Im going to be leaving here in, I think it was about six hours. I looked at them and said: Im leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, youre not getting the money, Biden recalled telling Poroshenko. Well, son of a bitch, he got fired. And they put in place someone who was solid at the time, Biden told the Council on Foreign Relations event, insisting that President Obama was in on the threat.

Which led Solomon to ask these questions:

Nonetheless, some hard questions should be answered by Biden as he prepares, potentially, to run for president in 2020: Was it appropriate for your son and his firm to cash in on Ukraine while you served as point man for Ukraine policy? What work was performed for the money Hunter Bidens firm received? Did you know about the Burisma probe? And when it was publicly announced that your son worked for Burisma, should you have recused yourself from leveraging a U.S. policy to pressure the prosecutor who very publicly pursued Burisma?

Joe Bidens Ukraine corruption problem is not just a recent one. The underlying story of how Hunter Biden and his company, Rosemont Seneca Partners, got involved with Burisma in the first place also raises questions:

Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden may have leveraged the [2014] Maidan coup and war in East Ukraine to strike lucrative oil fracking deals in East Ukraine, along with a John Kerry family friend. Limassol, Cyprus based energy firm Burisma Holdings, collected large energy contracts in the East of Ukraine, with Hunter Biden, Devon Archer and oligarch Ihor Kolomoyskyi, closely tied to the energy production company, which pushed for fracking exploration on land owned by East Ukrainian residents.

Will anyone who matters in the U.S. talk about it?

Why Does Trumps DOJ Not Care?

The last puzzle  after the alleged Ukrainian interference in our democracy on behalf of the Clinton campaign, and the Biden corruption allegations  is the lack of response by the Trump Department of Justice. As Solomons story details, its not like Ukrainian prosecutors havent tried to raise the alarm. Yet so far nothing from the Trump administration. Ukrainian prosecutors are still being denied visas to visit the U.S. so they can present their case to U.S. prosecutors.

Theres not enough evidence to show why theres been no action on these charges, and, of course, action might still be forthcoming. But we can look at what the effect of burying this story and any potential prosecution might be by looking at who benefits.

1. Burying this story and preventing prosecution benefits Joe Biden. A corruption prosecution of his son Hunter in either the U.S. or Ukraine, plus the knowledge that Biden used his position as vice-president to protect his son, might well be the finishing blow to his still-not-announced 2020 candidacy.

2. Burying this story benefits mainstream Democrats generally, not just Joe Biden. Note that Biden said that Obama was in on the plan to blackmail Ukrainian officials to fire the prosecutor. The benefit to Obamas thus-far untarnished reputation would be undeniable.

In addition, if indeed Joe Biden is the shining knight on which the Party, like a lady in distress, have pinned their ribbons and hopes, his fall could mark the end of those hopes. What do mainstream Democrats hope for from Biden? The defeat of Bernie Sanders in the primary, or anyone like him.

3. In an odd way, burying the story benefits Donald Trump as well. If 2020 will truly be another change year for the electorate, whom would Trump rather run against  an old school, been-around-too-long mainstream Party regular (with baggage), or a genuine change candidate like Bernie Sanders, a man whose crowds rival and surpass Trumps own?



Its speculative, of course, to assess motives at this point, but the benefits to those listed are obvious and easy to divine.

However this story develops, stay tuned. Well learn a lot if it breaks into the mainstream. Well also learn a lot if it doesnt.
(Natural News) Bill Gates recently disclosed that his father has Alzheimers disease. Gates also announced that his fathers illness inspired him to donate a staggering $100 million towards Alzheimers disease research. But, as is typical of Bill Gates, his motives are not as altruistic as they may seem. The billionaire businessman admits that his donations are driven by the fear that he too will one day struggle with Alzheimers disease.

Of his massive donation, $50 million will reportedly go to the Dementia Discovery Fund. The other half will go to a national patent registry and an international research database. And as the United Kingdoms Daily Mail reports, both sums will be drawn from Gates personal fortune, and are separate from the infamous Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

In an interview with NBCs Maria Shriver, Gates commented that his 92-year-old fathers diagnosis prompted concerns about his own brain staying intact as long as possible.

Gates has garnered quite the reputation; to some, hes a philanthropist who focuses on the poor and underprivileged in developing nations. To others, Gates is a man who funds experimentation on the poor and underprivileged in developing nations.

The mainstream propagandist media may do their best to paint Bill Gates in a heroic, shining light  but the truth is that where his money goes, darkness often follows. In 2016, it was revealed that over 30,000 Indian children had been used as test subjects under Bill Gates version of philanthropy  wherein the less fortunate people of the world are used as guinea pigs for medical experiments.

As Natural News writer LJ Devon reported, Indian children and their parents were told that they were being given wellness shots, when in fact they were being injected with was Mercks HPV vaccine. Reports indicate that five girls died in the months following their three rounds of shots, and another 16,000 children between the ages of 9 and 15 suffered with deteriorating health. Another 14,000 children in a different province were given GlaxoSmithKlines Cervarix vaccine.

All of these vaccination efforts were pushed onto parents and their children without informed consent; they were simply told these shots were for well-being or healthcare.

While Gates and his cronies may pretend that these shots were doled out to innocent victims out of the goodness of their hearts, the people of India seem to disagree. In fact, in 2017, India pushed out the Gates Foundation for their ties to Big Pharma and vaccine-related fraud.

The Economic Times of India reported on the matter, commenting, The Centre has shut the gate on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on a critical national health mission, and possible conflict of interest issues arising from the foundations ties with pharmaceutical companies is one of the reasons.

Beyond their vaccine scandals, Gates and his foundation have become known for their depopulation agenda, as well. When Bill Gates says hes donating somewhere, its time to keep an eye out for what tricks he may be up to next. While he may be concerned about his own risk of developing Alzheimers disease, that doesnt mean hes concerned about anyone else. Who will end up being hurt on Gates quest to protect his own brain from the deleterious effects of disease?

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) The idea of merit has fallen on evil times, as has its corollary concept, objectivity. These principles have now been breached by a consortium of the ideologically minded, who resemble a gang of robbers tunneling under a bank vault. The masterminds planning and executing this operation are a class of treasonous intellectuals as Julien Benda defined them, primarily academics, along with members of the political left.

(Article by David Solway republished from PJMedia.com)

In the interests of creating a society based on the axioms of social justicewhich is really socialist justicethe principles of professional merit and scientific objectivity are dismissed by our mandarin class as forms of bigotry. As the professions, the educational institution, the political arena, and the scientific establishment engage in a process of diversification, accommodating claimants who trade on race and gender rather than ability and native endowment, merit is in the process of being replaced by outright mediocrity.

In the university, for example, no department is safe from the inclusion and diversity mania that is bringing higher education into the slough of disreputenot law, not medicine, not business, not even the STEM subjects. As is, or should be, common knowledge, literature and the social sciences have long succumbed to the social justice, disparate impact, and feminist miasma that has clouded the atmosphere of thought, paving the way for pervasive academic decadence.

When even classics programs are contaminated by race and gender issues, we know the end is nigh. In the Notes & Comments to the recent issue of The New Criterion, Roger Kimball documents the shameful degradation of this once elite, non-politicized academic study. Classics has fallen under the spell of grievance warriors, he writes, who have injected an obsession with race and sexual exoticism into a discipline that, until recently, was mostly innocent of such politicized deformations. Unlike the plethora of cultural studies programs that now command the academic landscapeWomens Studies, Black Studies, Queer Studies, Chicano Studies, Peace Studies, Fat Studies, etc.in classics, after all, You actually have to know something. The challenging nature of the subject, as well as the fact that most of its representative scholars and students appear to be white males, have rendered it suspect and ripe for demolition.

Kimball cites the fate of the classics journal Eidolon, now a travesty of its original purpose, which was to foreground the relevance of classics. It has fallen to the progressivist tampering of Donna Zuckerberg (the sister of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg) whose mandate, as she declares on her Patreon site, is to make the classics political and personal, feminist and fun. (I always found Latin and Greek, though difficult to master, plenty fun just as they were.) Zuckerberg requires that at least 70 percent of our contributors be women and 20 percent POC. White males beware! I have no interest, she pontificates, in providing bland and false reassurances that we only care about good ideas and good writing and not who our authors are.

For Zuckerberg, as for most of our cultural and political power brokers, appeals to merit are merely white supremacist dog-whistles. Eidolon will enlighten us all, not only shedding new light on the works of Alcaeus, Vergil, Horace, and Cato, the ineffable Zuckerberg assures us in the journal Society for Classical Studies, but also commentary on Sports Illustrated Magazine, the conflict between Israel and Palestine, contemporary poets responses to the sinking of the Titanic, and the hipster obsession with kale. The entire spectrum of a once pure and arduous discipline has been thrown under the progressivist bus and reduced to triviality and partisan hype. What goes for classics goes for the rest of the culturea deracination of the sources of the civilized West.

Who you are, what you feel, your race, your gender, your presumptive marginal statusthese attributes now constitute your primary qualifications for preference and advancement. White heterosexual males, regardless of talent, aptitude and intellectual distinction, are naturally excluded from the new imperium. Thus, in her 2008 edited volume Gendered Innovations in Science and Engineering, Stanford University scholar Londa Schiebinger argued that knowledge and technics had to be opened to new perspectives, new questions, and new missions, thus opposing codes governing language, styles of interactions, modes of dress [and] hierarchies of values and practices inherent in the male-dominated science and engineering faculties. She had nothing to say about levels of motivation and discipline-specificintelligence parameters. No matter. We need to be open to the possibility that human knowledgewhat we know, what we value, what we consider importantmay change dramatically as women become full partners.

That is the mission. It does not acknowledge that the vaunted opening feminists like to speak of has been in place for decades. Women now outnumber men in the university by a factor of 3 to 2 and the ratio is far higher in K-12 pedagogy. Women also predominate in the medical and legal professions, with no end in sight to their burgeoning numbers.

Read more at: PJMedia.com or SocialJustice.news.
(Natural News) Theres a small light at the end of the online censorship tunnel, as a prominent Republican member of Congress has decided to take action in support of internet free speech by pushing for social media giant Twitter, a major free speech offender, to undergo an official third-party audit.

Aiming to stem the tide of conservatives, Christians, white people, and other persecuted groups being de-platformed on social media simply for expressing politically incorrect speech, GOP Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri has officially put Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey on notice that hes not going to stand idly by and watch the First Amendment get trampled by Big Tech.

As we earlier reported, it all started with Alex Jones and his Infowars network, which last summer was removed not only from Twitter, but also from most other major social media platforms. And as we warned, it hasnt stopped there.

Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, basically sent out a red alert to Natural News readers explaining that Jones and Infowars were just the tip of the iceberg, and that Big Tech, if allowed to do so unfettered, would eventually de-platform many other people, media sites, and subject matter that it deemed offensive and worthy of removal.

Our very right to express any dissenting view is now being threatened, was Adams beckoning call for members of the American public still with their heads in the sand to wake up. If the tech giants are not reeled in with aggressive legislative, regulatory or law enforcement action, you will soon be blocked from expressing any online opinion whatsoever.

Twitter de-platformed page of pro-life film Unplanned, only to later restore it with 100,000 fewer followers

And this is exactly whats been happening, as pages dealing with subject matter ranging from natural health to conservative politics to self-reliance to homeschooling and pro-life have been successively and systematically removed from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Apples iTunes Store, and many other prominent platforms.

One of the more recent pages to be targeted was one for the pro-life film Unplanned, which Twitter decided to de-platform right around the time when the film was hitting theaters. The Unplanned Twitter account was eventually restored, but its administrators quickly noticed that some 100,000 followers had vanished in to thin air.

This appears to have been the straw that broke the camels back for Sen. Hawley, who used this incident as one of many examples in which Twitter has targeted pages for no reason at all, while simultaneously claiming to maintain a commitment to free speech.

In light of these events, and in view of Twitters history of de-platforming conservative voices, it is time for Twitter to open itself to a third-party audit of how and when the company enforces its suspension policies, Sen. Hawley wrote in an announcement.

Sen. Hawley has also been actively pushing for a full-scale investigation into tech companies at large, pointing out that pretty much all of them are doing the exact same thing as Twitter, and that its against the law.

Social media platforms as a whole have been given a sweetheart deal, Sen. Hawley maintains, in that theyve enjoyed immunity from liability for illegal content posted by third parties. And instead of providing a forum for a true diversity of political discourse, Twitter and the rest have created far-Left echo chambers where conservatives and others with opposing viewpoints are no longer allowed.

Platform companies like Twitter are supposed to rise above that partisan nonsense, Sen. Hawley is quoted as saying.

You often refuse to allow pro-life organizations to purchase ads because you deem it inflammatory when these groups advocate for the right to life, but you allow those on the other side to advocate for late-term abortion  a practice opposed by more than 80 percent of Americans, he adds.

For more related news, be sure to check out Censorship.news.

Sources for this article include:

PJMedia.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) A shocking investigation has just revealed serious contamination issues for blood pressure medications made in foreign factories. Drugs made at plants located in China and India are tainted with carcinogenic substances, according to a report from the FDA. Estimates suggest that one out of every three American adults takes a blood pressure medication. How many people will be affected by this recall is currently unknown.

Medications from at least 30 different companies were found to contain excessive amounts of carcinogenic material. The federal agency was forced to put out dozens of recalls for an array of blood pressure medications and other drugs in the last several months due to product contamination.

Of course, the agency isnt that concerned. While they may have issued a recall on the tainted drugs, the FDA is still encouraging patients whove received contaminated medication to continue taking their prescription until their pharmacist gives them an untainted dose, or until they get a different prescription from their doctor.

Tainted drugs take over

As Daily Mail reports, the FDA has identified dozens of generic drugs containing valsartan, irbesartan and losartan that are actually contaminated with carcinogenic compounds. Other angiotensin II receptor blockers and ARB medicines may be contaminated as well.

UPI reports that the federal agency has found traces of up to three carcinogenic compounds in these drugs: NDMA, NDEA and NMBA, which are nitrosamines.

After announcing the widespread recall, the FDA is now trying to assure the public that they should keep taking their tainted medication.

The affected drugs are used to treat high blood pressure and other heart conditions. These are the kinds of medications people take every day for years. Does the FDA even know how long this contamination has been going on?

According to reports, the nitrosamine contamination is due to a change in the way Chinese companies are producing the drugs. This change took place in 2011  which means that American consumers have potentially been taking tainted medication for the last eight years.

Federal agencies are incompetent

The reality is that the FDA can only assume that not taking your heart medication is going to be worse for your health than taking it  and its an assumption theyre probably not properly equipped to make.

Earlier this year, the FDA and other federal agencies came under fire for failing to conduct adequate safety testing on other products like pesticides. Scientists said it was impossible for government agencies to predict what effects pesticides will have in the real word  and the same can be said of any other drug or chemical.

Theres no way for the FDA to really know what effects taking these tainted drugs will have on patients until after theyve taken them  yet the FDA is advising people take the medications anyway.

The risk associated with abruptly discontinuing the use of these important medicines far outweighs the low risk that our scientists estimate to be associated with continuing the medicine until the patients doctor or pharmacist provides a safe replacement or a different treatment option, the FDA stated.

At this point, Americans have potentially been getting tainted drugs for nearly a decade  trust in the FDA should be at rock-bottom right now, if it wasnt already there yet. According to USA Today, the FDA knew that many of these overseas factories were in shambles, but did nothing until an independent company did their own analysis and started ruffling feathers.

In addition to cancer, research has linked nitrosamine exposure to Alzheimers disease, diabetes and other deleterious health conditions.

See more coverage of the latest atrocities in medicine at DangerousMedicine.com.

Sources for this article include:

USAToday.com

UPI.com

HealthDay.com
(Natural News) Freedom of speech has taken another major hit Down Under, as government authorities in Australia recently decreed that any medical professional who dares to express skepticism about the safety or effectiveness of vaccines will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, including a potential prison sentence of up to 10 years.

Nurses and midwives who try to explain to pregnant women that some vaccines contain neurotoxic mercury (thimerosal), for instance, or that aborted human fetal tissue is often used to manufacture vaccines, will now face the ire of Australias medical police state, which insists that all vaccines are 100 percent safe and effective.

The Australian government has also set up a snitch program for medical offenders to be reported by their friends, colleagues, or others who suspect that they might be in violation of this new speech code  like some kind of deep state spying and surveillance scheme contrived from the dystopian novel 1984.

With no exceptions we expect all registered nurses, enrolled nurses and midwives to use the best available evidence in making practice decisions, said Dr. Lynette Cusack, Chair of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA), in an official statement about the new rules. This includes providing information to the public about public health issues.

In the event that a nurse or midwife is reported to the NMBA for potential violations, the board says it will respond by conducting an internal investigation into the matter, followed by a recommendation or not for prosecution.

The board will consider whether the nurse or midwife has breached their professional obligations and will treat these matters seriously, Dr. Cusacks statement goes on to explain.

Any published anti-vaccination material and/or advice which is false, misleading or deceptive which is being distributed by a registered nurse, enrolled nurse or midwife (including via social media) may also constitute a summary offence under the National Law and could result in prosecution by AHPRA [Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency].

For more vaccine-related news, be sure to check out Vaccines.news.

Anyone who questions vaccine safety or effectiveness is a brain dead sheep, says Australian Health Minister

Victoria Health Minister Jill Hennessy, a full-fledged vaccine worshiper, of course supports the new rules, which she hopes will deliver harsh punishment to all vaccine skeptics in Australia, which she describes as brain dead sheep.

They are an organized movement, largely stemming from the United States of America, that are hell bent on misleading parents that vaccinations are unsafe, Hennessy is quoted as saying. Thats a dangerous message and one Im going to continue to fight. Vaccinations save lives, she insists.

In addition to health practitioners, the Australian government is also going after parents, who reportedly risk having their childcare benefits terminated if they refuse to vaccinate their children in accordance with government guidelines.

Some parents could also be fined for refusing vaccinations for their children, with a daily fee of $14 Australian deducted from their familys tax benefit payments.

Its the type of tyranny that truth advocates like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are trying to ensure never comes to the United States, as our own government officials incrementally push for more restrictions on not only vaccine choice, but also vaccine speech.

It is a human right to exercise freedom of thought, speech, conscience and religious belief, writes Barbara Loe Fisher from the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC).

But, when it comes to vaccination, those basic human freedoms are being taken away in America, one state at a time  (and) [y]our state could be the next on that list, she warns.

To keep up with the latest news about vaccines and harming and killing children, be sure to visit VaccineInjuryNews.com.

Sources for this article include:

CairnsNews.org

NaturalNews.com

NVIC.org
(Natural News) How on Earth could it be that 30 percent of California parents are going to all the trouble of getting medical exemptions from vaccines for their children, when the states Government has all but enforced vaccines at gunpoint? At a few schools in Sonoma (wine country), over 50 percent of the kindergartners parents got doctors to sign off on opt-out forms.

What do all these folks know that the panicked masses dont? Arent chicken pox and measles like the kiss of death? Arent swine flu and Zika virus still everywhere? How can all of these parents let their children go to elementary school without the HPV jab?

According to the lying mass media, infectious disease rates were ticking up in California just a few years back. Thats conveniently when Senator Richard Mercury Joker Pan laid down the law and banned all personal and religious vaccine exemptions (while behind closed doors pressuring pediatricians to say no to medical exemptions too).

Santa Cruz, Nevada City, Berkeley, Arcata all had 30 percent medical exemption opt-out rates for kindergartners for 2017/2018 school year

All vaccines are harmful to your health, not just the unnecessary ones. Most parents have no clue that vaccinated children are most apt to spread the disease they just got injected with during the first two weeks, or more, after getting the live virus jabs, and that includes measles and the flu (shedding the injected live virus).

Yep. And theyre mixed strains of genetically modified versions of the wild virus, so they are completely unpredictable, even if given alone. Now there are combo jabs being pushed into childrens muscle tissue containing five or even six different infectious diseases at once, along with formaldehyde, mercury, aluminum, abortion cells, trace amounts of latex and peanut oil, eggs, dairy, bovine, eagle, dog, and chicken DNA. Next thing you know theyll be using African Green Monkey kidney cells and incurable wild pig diseases in childhood vaccination concoctions. Oh, wait, they already do.

Vaccine fanatics in California call it the Hail Mary of the vaccine refusers  but theyre the ones praying that the excipients in those 60 vaccines they give their kids before age seven dont turn them into Autism Spectrum Disorder nightmares they might not wake up from.

Now the Supreme Court just halted the ban in New York keeping non-vaccinated kids from going out in public for 30 days, for fear they might spread the measles. The judge called it absurd, basically, and random, and said its quite far from what could be classified as an epidemic.

The spike and fall of vaccination for Californias children

Medical exemptions may be on the rise, but the Mercury Joker Pan succeeded in vaccinating over 12,000 California kids in four years that otherwise would have opted out using either religious exemption or personal exemption, that were legit before 2013 and 2016, respectively. Thanks to California Healthline for publishing the data, that also shows medical vaccine exemptions tripling in the past two years.

Completely ethical doctors are now being labeled as unethical by the sick-care industrial complex thats always backed up by the insidious American Medical Association, another racket that only allows chemical medicine in the USA to be called ethical. Oh the irony.

The problem with some doctors providing these medical exemptions is the burden of proof is on the patient, to prove (more) vaccines could cause (more) health damage. Well, with all the carcinogens and GMOs in food and personal care products, the vaccine toxins could just be the proverbial straw that breaks the camels back, and in many cases, were talking about newborn babies and infants, or living babies still in the womb.

So now the patient must bring medical proof from medical doctors who lose their reputation if they help patients sign forms that keep their children from being injected with known neurotoxins and genetically modified cells from other animals, including humans. That makes no sense at all, but its not just vaccines they push, its philosophy and power.

Still, mainstream media and all the injectors will sell you on some measles outbreak thats about to rip through their schools and decimate the vaccinated children. Wait, what? Do we need to have a discussion on mercury (listed as thimerosal to trick everybody) lowering immunity of children?

Where is the open forum of dozens of pro-vax scientists debating live on the air with Naturopathic Physicians about the pros and cons of whats in todays vaccine vials? How about that broadcast on every major network? That is, if the science is really behind vaccines. The natural health community will also bring statistics from the CDC regarding injuries and settlements as payouts to the tune of $4 billion. Can you say slush fund without gagging? Then well talk about ethics and the moral code of the AMA.

The FACT that vaccines can cause run of the mill allergies and asthma is less of concern than many severe autism cases, paralyzed children, and deaths

Most children with a decent immune system have no problem beating the measles and chickenpox, so really, the vaccine fanatics are picking the wrong disease to argue about in the first place. Why all the media hype and frenzy? Thats because measles is just the litmus test. Once we all accept force vaccination laws, next comes swine, Zika, bird flu, Ebola and anthrax experimental immunizations.

More than 4,000 kindergartners received medical exemptions to vaccines in California for the 2017-2018 school year. Just how many vaccinated children spread measles in California during that year well never know. Still, the blame will be cast on the non-vaccinated, because thats where the money and control lies, with having a good scapegoat. Thats how Hitler used the Jews.

Stop believing in FAKE science and tune in to Vaccines.news for updates on millions more Americans opting out of one of the worst medical disgraces ever perpetuated on the masses.

Sources for this article include:

CaliforniaHealthLine.org

PJMedia.com

NaturalNews.com

Vaccines.news

TruthWiki.org

VaccineSafety.edu

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) A court has sentenced 34-year-old activist and environmental blogger Hoang Duc Binh to 14 years of imprisonment for livestreaming fishermen who are marching to sue Formosa Plastics Group, owner of a $10.6 billion Taiwan-based steel plant for spilling toxins into the ocean.

Binh was found guilty of abusing democratic freedoms to infringe on the interests of the state, organization, and people and opposing officers on duty after a trial on Tuesday, February 6 by the peoples court in Nghe An province, according to attorney Ha Huy Son.

He was given two seven-year prison sentences; one for each conviction. The sentence is one of the toughest in Vietnams history to be given to an activist.

In a livestream that was uploaded in February, Binh told the online world that the fishermen were stopped and assaulted by the authorities. Son said that Binh admitted that he made the comments but that he remained firm in his stance that he did not commit a crime since what he said was all true, he decried.

In addition to these allegations, Binh supposedly encouraged the formation of an independent union in 2015.

However, the court decided that Binh committed slander against the authorities and that his words were all false. Binhs fellow activist, Nguyen Nam Phong, was given a two-year imprisonment sentence for opposing officers on duty.

A steel complex owned by the company allegedly released toxins such as cyanide and phenol during a test run in April 2016. It killed tremendous amounts of fish and other creatures along a 200 kilometers (125 miles) stretch of coastline, affecting fishing communities and tourism in four major provinces. The plant owner has paid $500 million in compensation to the affected parties.

Formosa Plastics Group also owns a power plant and a deep sea port in Ha Tinh province. (Related: Living beyond our means: We are burning through the planets resources, living an unsustainable way of life.)

Even though the country made economic reforms 30 years earlier that made it more involved in foreign investment, trade and social amendments, the Communist Party state still holds control over major institutions such as the media and tolerates no dissent from its citizens.

As a matter of fact, eight people have already been convicted and imprisoned for going against the state over the past month. In 2017, blogger Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, who publicly chastised the Vietnamese government for its human rights violations and corruption, was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment by a Khan Hoa province court after publishing articles that would mar the countrys name.

Due to this, international human rights groups and some Western governments have scolded Vietnam for punishing people who give their opinions. Hanoi, on the other hand, is adamant that only lawbreakers are punished in the state.

The sentences have been more and more severe, perhaps because of weaker interventions from the outsiders and foreigners, and also because the power holders think this sentence could have deterrence effects, Son, who has represented a number of activists in the past, said.

For more stories on government interference and unreasonable state involvement, visit Censorship.news.

Sources include:

TheGuardian.com

NewsInfo.Inquirer.net

SputnikNews.com
(Natural News) Throughout most of the country, its actually a crime to sell farm-fresh food and other homemade edibles to others without the governments permission  which is typically contingent upon paying hefty fees and wading through lots of bureaucratic red tape. But in West Virginia, those fees and red tape are now a thing of the past.

Senate Bill 285, which was passed on March 7, 2019, and is set to take effect 90 days later, amends the Code of West Virginia to allow for the sale of homemade food items that are exempt from large-scale licensure, permitting, inspection, packaging, and labeling laws  just so long as such products bear a simple label explaining that theyre homemade, and that clearly list ingredients, warnings about possible allergens, and contact information for their producers.

Following the lead of Wyoming, South Dakota, and Utah, all of which have passed similar food freedom laws, West Virginia decided that highly-restrictive regulations designed for large-scale food producers unfairly penalize and place at a disadvantage home growers, most of whom have minimal resources to purchase permission from the government to sell their goods.

This new law will now allow them to sell their food either online or in person without licenses or inspections, with no limits on how much food they can legally sell  save for meat-containing items, which are subject to minimal restrictions.

So far, Wyoming, [South] Dakota, and Utah say there hasnt been a single report of foodborne illness from anyone selling food under the new laws, explains Zero Hedge, quelling the fears and concerns of those who might try to say that allowing home sales of food without government intervention represents a threat to public health.

For more great news like this, be sure to check out the latest at FoodFreedom.news.

EVERY state needs to enact legal protections like this

Wyoming, South Dakota, Utah, and now West Virginia have all taken major steps towards once again becoming free states, just like our Founding Fathers intended. If were all truly free Americans protected by the Constitution and Bill of Rights, then the governments that work for us have an obligation to protect our interests  including the right to buy and sell without interference.

When governments insist upon the contrary  to heavily restrict our ability to buy and sell, to the point that were disallowed from engaging in commerce in order to make a living  thats when tyranny rears its ugly head. And unfortunately, this is the oppressive paradigm in which the vast majority of Americans still find themselves.

Its sad that allowing people the freedom to choose what they put in their own bodies is such a novel concept, comments Zero Hedge about the issue. But were happy to see this law passed.

Its also time for all states to de-prohibit other natural substances like raw milk, for instance, or cannabis (marijuana), both of which remain outlawed in some states, while simultaneously being legal in others.

If supposedly free Americans arent allowed to grow things, consume things, and buy and sell these same things without facing potential jail time, then theyre not truly free. This is the crux behind the food and health freedom movements, both of which aim to get the government out of the business of controlling peoples lives, and back into the business of working on behalf of peoples lives.

To learn more about how freedom groups like the Tenth Amendment Center are working to pass legislation like the Intrastate Commerce Act that would stop federal overreach into peoples personal lives, be sure to check out the Tenth Amendment Center website.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

WVLegislature.gov

NaturalNews.com

TenthAmendmentCenter.com
Tuesday is something of a holiday for ice cream loversFree Cone Day at Ben & Jerrys.

Forty years ago, the Vermont-based company gave out free ice cream cones to customers, as a thank you for their support during Ben & Jerrys first year in business in downtown Burlington.

Free Cone Day has grown in popularity ever since, expanding to scoop shops worldwide.

"Well have about a million peoplea million peoplecome in for free cones," Matthew McCarthy, the CEO of Ben & Jerrys said in an interview with necn. "And to me, thats super exciting, and also a little bit humbling: the fact that this is a business that started right here in Burlington and now touches the lives of a million people in just one day."

Most scoop shops will serve up the freebies from noon until 8 p.m. Tuesday, but the company noted it is a good idea to make sure your local shop is participating.

Ben & Jerrys has made that info available here.
A new map released by the California Department of Conservation shows seismic hazard zones for certain areas of San Mateo and Contra Costa counties, specifically liquefaction and landslide zones.

The California Geological Survey map shows earthquake zones for Contra Costa County includes all or parts of Pittsburg, Antioch, Concord, Brentwood, Oakley and Bay Point.

Zones for San Mateo County include Woodside, San Carlos, Belmont, Burlingame, Half Moon Bay, Hillsborough, Millbrae, Redwood City, San Bruno, San Carlos, Portola Valley and Pacifica.

The program initially focused on the greater Los Angeles area and San Francisco and is now working on other highly populated, seismically active areas, Don Drysdale of the California Department of Conservation, which oversees the program, told the San Jose Mercury News.

The maps are not meant to alarm current or future residents of those areas, but to help them prepare and reinforce their homes before the next earthquake hits, according to officials.

CORRECTION (April 9, 2019, 7:45 a.m. PST): The previous version of this story misstated the agency that provided the map.
Health officials have issued a warning about a possible measles exposure in San Francisco.

The warning comes after an adult from Santa Clara County visited several locations in the city while contagious with the virus. San Francisco Department of Public Health officials said there is no measles outbreak and the risk to the general public is low.

Health officials said the person was not hospitalized and is recovering at home.

Below is a timeline of San Francisco locations the person with measles visited during the first week of April. Health officials said the risk of exposure was present only during the times and dates listed.

The San Francisco case is not tied to other possible measles exposures recently reported in the Bay Area.

San Francisco and Santa Clara public health departments are working together to investigate this incident.
Could a tiny fish be the reason your lobster roll costs just a little bit more?

New quotas on herring are forcing Maine lobstermen to look at new types of bait to catch the crustaceans instead of traditional Atlantic herring.

Ian Mayo, operations manager for Maine Fisheries, a company that deals herring, says the cuts are "drastic" and will reduce his herring haul by "75 percent."

The quotas stem from new federal and regional regulations to protect a fish that has a population problem. The changes, crafted by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and New England Fishery Management Council, were implemented after a sharp decline in Atlantic herring was recorded.

Dr. James Sulikowski, a marine scientist the University of New England who advises the NEFMC, says a herring collapse could disrupt an entire New England ocean ecosystem because the fish feeds so many other predators.

"We have to protect the adults that are spawning," he said.

Suliklowski believes the herring will return, but first, scientists need to figure out why they're disappearing, since the cause is not overfishing.

"There's lots of different factors, from environmental change to predation," he explained.

While scientists figure that out, herring costs are going up, leaving lobstermen with a tough choice. They can buy the same fish as they have for years, but at a higher cost, or they can switch their bait.

There is, luckily, another small fish called the menhaden that has been appearing more frequently in Maine waters.

Herring fishermen say they could catch those instead, but they won't fetch as high a price as herring.

"This is our career, and now it's harder to make a livelihood out of it," Mayo said.

Instead, Mayo and others who deal in herring on Portland's waterfront will have to wait.

Sulikowski says experts will reassess the herring fishery in 2020 to see if the current plan still makes sense. He expects that with proper protection from regulators, fishermen will eventually be able to land higher amounts of herring again.

Mayo says that won't solve the problem this summer, and it could linger into the next season, since large amounts of bait are often caught and frozen for the next year.

That means the bait market might be a little tight, and some lobstermen may decide consumers will have to help them pay their bills by raising prices.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker is clearly intent on turning down the heat on a public back-and-forth between his administration and Suffolk County's district attorney. But Rachael Rollins isn't making that easy.

Saturday morning, Baker told reporters he had just called Rollins to apologize for the dust-up Friday when his public safety secretary, Tom Turco, publicly criticized Rollins in a letter responding to her criminal justice reforms.

"I think we are going to try to hit the reset button and start again on Monday," Baker said Saturday.

At a rally Sunday, Rollins seemed to be on the same page, saying Baker "picked up the phone like a leader does, we had a conversation, which is nobody's business but ours, and now we are moving forward."

Rollins said Baker had earned her respect and she had no more to say. But when talking about her male predecessors "moving toward mass incarceration," her tone changed.

"The governor did not give a [expletive] about that," Rollins said. "But miraculously, now that this DA wants to end mass incarceration, you're going to question the discretion that we have? No, you are not."

Monday, asked if that bothered him, Baker said, "No, I'm looking forward to the meeting that will take place this week between Secretary Turco and his folks and her team."

Baker was also asked about Rollins' comment Friday invoking his son, who was accused last summer of groping a woman on a plane.

"I'm not much on personal attacks," he said. "I'd prefer to focus on the issues, and that's what I anticipate based on the conversation she and I had on Saturday."

Asked if Rollins had apologized to him, Baker said, "That was a really productive conversation that we had and it was between her and me."

Five advocacy groups, including the ACLU and the NAACP, signed a public letter to Baker supporting Rollins' reforms. But Baker also has strong support from those who say many of the low-level crimes on Rollins' "no prosecute" list are not victimless.
The state of Illinois is purchasing a building in Chicago's West Loop in an effort to reduce the state's long-term real estate costs that will culminate in the long-awaited sale of the James R. Thompson Center downtown.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Wednesday that the state has acquired 555 West Monroe for $73.25 million. The state will relocated more than 1,000 employees to the building, including some who work in nearby facilities as well as some who work at the Thompson Center, his office said in a statement.

The acquisition of 555 West Monroe is an important step in our effort to optimize the States real estate portfolio, reduce operating expenses, and enhance workforce and workplace performance, Pritzker said in a statement. This building pays for itself because were terminating a patchwork of expensive downtown leases.

The state currently leases office space in seven properties in the Loop for $21.3 million in base rent and operating costs, Pritzker's office said.

The purchase of 555 West Monroe is part of a larger effort to review and restructure the state's real estate portfolio, an initiative in which the Illinois Department of Central Management Services has met with agencies located downtown to understand their physical space requirements before suggesting changes.

Pritzker's office said the CMS found that the real estate footprint could be reduced by roughly 30%, with only 900 state employees requiring a location in the Loop. There are roughly 2,200 employees at the Thompson Center and 1,300 in leased facilities, officials said.

Pritzker signed a law in 2019 authorizing the sale of the Thompson Center, for which sale proposals have been raised for nearly two decades. The 17-story structure that takes up an entire city block opened in 1985 to house state offices but has seen "prolonged deferred maintenance and delayed capital projects," Pritzker's office said.

Pritzker's office said Wednesday that the cost to bring the Thompson Center into "a state of good repair" exceeded $325 million and would increase to more than $525 million by 2026. It also has operating costs of more than $17 million a year.

The final phase of the state's real estate initiative will include the sale of the Thompson Center.

Under the law signed in 2019, potential buyers will have to develop proposals for the property that the state would evaluate before awarding a contract.
A potentially deadly, multidrug-resistant fungus is spreading in Illinois and health experts are warning residents to "take precautions."

The Candida auris fungus affects mostly people with multiple underlying conditions.

Illinois health officials recently reported 154 confirmed cases -- second only to New York, according to the Chicago Tribune. Of those Illinois cases, 95 are in Chicago, 63 in the suburbs and three downstate. As of February, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 144 confirmed cases and four probable cases.

The Illinois Department of Public Health said it has responded to more than 100 healthcare facilities to "actively investigate every clinical case to identify any possible exposures."

"Our top priority at IDPH is keeping Illinoisans healthy and safe and we are working hard to ensure residents have the information and resources they need in response to all emerging health threats," IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said in a statement. "Fungal infections caused by C. auris, and similar infections, have the potential to cause serious illness, are often resistant to standard medications, and continue to spread in health care settings."

The disease came to Illinois in 2016 after it was discovered in Japan in 2009, according to the Chicago Tribune. The CDC notes that more than one in three patients with an invasive infection, such as one that affects the blood, heart or brain, die.

Dr. Max Brito, an associate profesor of infections disease at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, said the fungus is "a concern for people with a chronic disease or a weakened immune system."

Its a combination of factors that makes you more prone to get a bug like this, Brito told the Tribune.

Symptoms for the fungus may not differ from those of other infections and can vary depending on which part of the body becomes infected, IDPH warned. Some can even have the fungus on their body without developing an infection or any symptoms, though it is still possible for those poeople to pass it on to others.

The fungus can be highly resistant to antifungal drugs, meaning that medications used to treat it often do not work, IDPH said, noting that cases in Illinois so far "have been treatable."

Officials warn people who visit health facilities to clean their hands with soap after coming in contact with a patient or any medical devices. They urged anyone receiving medical treatment to take the following precautions:

 When a doctor, nurse, or other health care worker enters the room, observe as they clean their hands.

 Patients and loved ones should make sure their hands are clean as well.

 Patients should feel comfortable inquiring if medical equipment was cleaned after being used on another patient (e.g. stethoscope or blood pressure cuff).

 Check if the room and surfaces have been cleaned with the appropriate disinfectant

 Ask what steps the facility is taking to reduce the transmission of healthcare-associated infections.
Six people were hurt in a crash Monday on the Kennedy Expressway near the West Town community.

At 5:23 p.m., a semitrailer was traveling north on Interstate 90/94 near Madison Street when it drifted from the right lane of traffic to the left lane and crashed into at least one vehicle, according to preliminary information from Illinois State Police.

The semis driver may have experienced a medical emergency, state police said.

As of 6:15 p.m., all northbound lanes of traffic were shut down as troopers investigated the crash, state police said.
Doctors at two north suburban hospitals sent hundreds of letters to parents urging them to get their kids vaccinated against measles after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning of large outbreaks near major U.S. cities.

Doctors at Advocate Children's Hospital in Park Ridge and at NorthShore University HealthSystem said they were "proactively reaching out to parents whose children are not immunized for the measles." They called the initiative to immunize patients, particularly children, critical - as the country has already seen more measles cases in the first few months of 2019 than all of the previous year.

"For the past 20 years, it appeared that the measles had been eliminated," Advocate Children's Hospital said in a statement. "Unfortunately, the highly contagious childhood disease is back."

Between Jan. 1 and April 4, 465 individual cases of measles were confirmed across 19 states, the CDC said Monday, marking the second-greatest number of cases reported in the U.S. since the infection was eliminated in 2000.

The states that have reported cases include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas and Washington, according to the CDC.

The CDC specifically warned of outbreaks in major metropolitan areas, including New York City and Detroit, Michigan, as well as Washington state and two counties in California.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a public health emergency Tuesday amid a measles outbreak  the worst outbreak in the area since 1991. Officials say 285 cases have been confirmed in New York City since the beginning of the outbreak in October.

As of April 8, Michigan has seen 41 total measles cases statewide, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, in patients ranging from 8 months old to 63 years of age.

The outbreaks highlighted by the CDC are linked to travelers who brought measles back from other countries, including Israel, Ukraine, and the Philippines, where large outbreaks of the infection are occurring.

Health officials said the majority of people who got measles were unvaccinated, urging the public to get vaccinations, particularly before traveling internationally.

So far, Illinois has only seen seven confirmed measles cases, but doctors fear the numbers could skyrocket.

"In two weeks, it could be a hundred and that's where the problem is," said Dr. Michael Caplan with Northshore University Healthsystem. "If you have one index case in a couple, few weeks you could turn around and it could be a lot."

In Illinois, just 9 percent of schools have 100 percent of their students vaccinated, according to state data compiled by WBEZ radio. Dozens of schools in and around Chicago have below 90 percent of their student population vaccinated.

That's why doctors are pushing hard to educate about the disease and promote vaccinations.
Doctors at a north suburban hospital were expected to launch a major push Tuesday to get people vaccinated against measles after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning of large outbreaks near major U.S. cities.

Doctors at Advocate Children's Hospital in Park Ridge called the initiative to immunize patients, particularly children, critical - as the country has already seen more measles cases in the first few months of 2019 than all of the previous year.

Between Jan. 1 and April 4, 465 individual cases of measles were confirmed across 19 states, the CDC said Monday, marking the second-greatest number of cases reported in the U.S. since the infection was eliminated in 2000.

The states that have reported cases include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas and Washington, according to the CDC.

The CDC specifically warned of outbreaks in major metropolitan areas, including New York City and Detroit, Michigan, as well as Washington state and two counties in California.

As of April 8, Michigan has seen 41 total measles cases statewide, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, in patients ranging from 8 months old to 63 years of age.

The outbreaks highlighted by the CDC are linked to travelers who brought measles back from other countries, including Israel, Ukraine, and the Philippines, where large outbreaks of the infection are occurring.

Health officials said the majority of people who got measles were unvaccinated, urging the public to get vaccinations, particularly before traveling internationally.

In Illinois, just 9 percent of schools have 100 percent of their students vaccinated, according to state data compiled by WBEZ radio. Dozens of schools in and around Chicago have below 90 percent of their student population vaccinated.

That's why doctors are pushing hard to educate about the disease and promote vaccinations. Advocate Childrens Hospital was expected to hold a press conference about the initiative Tuesday afternoon.
A Silver Alert for a 19-month-old boy missing from Indianapolis was canceled Tuesday, according to Indiana State Police.

Kristian Juarez was located safely early Tuesday after he was last seen at 6 p.m. on March 7 in Indianapolis, police said. Police initially said they believed Juarez may have been in extreme danger and requiring medical assistance.

Police are now attempting to locate Tishawn Blackwell, 48, who they believe the boy was with. She was described as a 5-foot-3, 219-pound black woman with black hair and brown eyes. Blackwell was last seen wearing gray sweatpants, a grey shirt and sandals, police said.

Blackwell is driving a beige or tan 2005 Buick Rendezvous with a hole in the right tail light and tinted windows, police said. Her vehicle may have a sticker on the back that says Courage and an Indiana license plate #284TES.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department at 317-327-6540, 317-327-6541 or 911.
U.S. Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell and Donna Shalala vowed to take legal action against the Trump adminstration after they were denied entry Monday to a detention facility housing migrant children in Homestead, Florida.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told the Democratic lawmakers last week they would not be allowed access to the federal detention center. Despite the rejection, the congresswomen from South Florida on Monday attempted to gain entry  citing the refusal is a violation of a law signed by Trump himself.

We are going to get access to this facility, upon our terms, not ORRs [Office of Refugee Resettlement] terms, Wasserman Schultz said.

Joined by Shalala and Mucarsel-Powell, Wasserman Schultz told reporters outside the facility that the new law affirms members of Congress must be given access to conduct oversight and rejected the ORR's claim that facilities require a two-week notice.

There is no time limit, there is no limitation at all, she added. And if they dont let us in, they are violating the law.

Mucarsel-Powell said she finds the resignation of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen "extremely troubling" as the Trump administration felt Nielsen, "the woman that was overseeing the cruel policy of family separation," was "too friendly to the immigrant population."

Homestead is now one of the facilities with the largest number of migrant children in the U.S. The children in custody are teenagers, ages 13 to 17, who arrived on their own, hoping to join relatives.

The attempt to take the tour comes after HHS announced that they will significantly expand the bed capacity at the shelter despite lingering concerns over inadequate staffing, space and other services, according to the congresswomen.

Denying entry to oversee the conditions and care provided to the unaccompanied children in the Homestead facility would not only be a breach of transparency and confidence in the care provided there, it would violate the law, said Wasserman Schultz, Shalala, and Mucarsel-Powell in a joint statement.

This is the second time the facility expands its bed count. The government had announced in December that the facility in Homestead was increasing the number of beds from 1,200 to 2,350. The expansion will now take the bed count to 3,200.

The expansion is set to take place later in April.

In June 2018, Wasserman Schultz was initially denied entry to the facility along with former U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and others. They were eventually allowed to tour the facility days later.

During our last visit to Homestead, we witnessed children living in cramped, prison-like conditions, the joint statement said. The idea to force even more children into an already full detention facility is not only unsafe but is cruel and violates basic tenets of human decency.

An e-mail from a DHS adviser said the expansion was due to a surge of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Children who arrive without parents or legal guardians are placed in the custody of the agency.

New federal requirements mandating more stringent background checks on their families since last summer have slowed the children's release to family members. The average length of stay at Homestead has gone up from 25 days last June to 67 days as of December.

A legal team visited the shelter in February to verify whether it complies with a 1997 agreement known as the Flores settlement, governing how migrant children are housed in custody. J.J Mulligan Sepulveda, an attorney at the Immigration Law Clinic at University of California, Davis, said they interviewed children and described a few instances in which they broke into tears describing the "military-style" conditions at the facility where they can't hug one another.

Some feared that expressing emotion could get them referred to mental health services.

"A lot of them saw mental health services as a punishment, and thought it would affect their immigration case," Mulligan Sepulveda said. The attorney also said he met a boy who was separated from his brother when the center began its expansion. He said they are only allowed to see each other once a week.

The Florida Department of Children and Families said in an emailed statement in January that because it is a federal facility the state agency "does not have any jurisdiction or involvement with children placed there."

Comprehensive Health Services, which is part of Virginia-based Caliburn, isn't able to use Florida records to screen the staff for child abuse and neglect because Florida law bans any outside employer from reviewing information in its child welfare system. Child abuse and neglect checks were waived because of these limitations, officials say.
More than 100 employers and 30 service providers were looking to hire our heroes in East Hartford Tuesday.

The annual Heroes 4 Hire veterans career fair brought more than 1,000 people into Rentschler Field, according to a spokesperson for the Connecticut Department of Labor, that managed the event.

This is awesome, said Army veteran Kevin Briley. I didnt know all of these jobs were out there like this.

The former Army specialist is in search of a new job.

Working in the military, it advances your level of thinking and everything, Briley said.

Which he, veterans, reservists, even military family members hope gave them a leg up.

Veterans definitely get hired due to this event, said Tim Rockefeller, a local veterans employment representative for the Connecticut Department of Labor.

A veterans team from the state Department of Labor was on hand to help veterans create strong resumes so employers could see the valuable experience and skills they have to offer, according to Rockefeller, who served the Marine Corps from 2002 to 2006.

This is the largest veterans career fair in New England, he said.

Upstairs was Save-A-Suit. The non-profit provided veterans with professional, donated suits and other business attire for free, to help them dress for their interviews and to professionally network.

It makes you feel a little more confident. You got to dress for the role, said Sean Byrne, a Marine Corps veteran who was fitted with a suit before going to the career fair.

Its the first year Save-A-Suit partnered with the state Department of Labor for this event.

Its a little too good to be true. So its pretty amazing, Byrne, a former sergeant, said.

A photographer also took professional photos for attendees LinkedIn profiles.

Those in attendance appreciated the opportunities to meet potential employers face-to-face, especially since the majority of job applications are electronic.

Companies including Walgreens, Mohegan Sun, UPS, Vista Home Improvement, and state and local police were on hand.

All the companies are here. You can choose and meet everybody. Its like a network to be able to get your foot in the door, said Specialist Ely Pena of the Connecticut Army National Guard who was looking for a civilian job.

The Heroes 4 Hire event has been going on for 15 years.
If Connecticut installs highway tolls, then it will not risk losing any of its federal funds meant for infrastructure upgrades, Gov. Ned Lamont said Tuesday.

The federal government has typically provided to states reimbursement for investments in transportation or infrastructure related projects. If the state-funded a project at 20 percent of the overall price, the federal government would provide the remaining 80 percent.

When asked whether Connecticut could install tolls without risk of losing any of that money, Lamont said the answer is yes.

It sounds like something we can do and we can do it on a fairly timely basis, he said.

Lamont met recently with Elaine Chao, secretary of transportation, who he said provided that reassurance that Connecticut could collect revenue, and not jeopardize the ability to rely on the federal government to help the state complete projects like rail improvements, highway widening, and bridge replacement.

Connecticut, according to the Department of Transportation in Washington, currently holds one of the spots available through the agencys Value Pricing Pilot Program. That program would allow Connecticut to install tolls on existing roadways, so long as the prices are based on congestion levels and time of day.

Republicans in the General Assembly are unified against tolls, but they also do not want to see the state lose any federal cash for tolls.

Sen. Len Fasano, (R  North Haven), the Senate minority leader, said hes under the impression that congestion pricing is the only way Connecticut could collect revenue without building a new structure like an extra lane or a bridge.

As long as its congestion pricing tolls, its fine, he said. Well get the federal money. Its you cant put up tolls unless you have this value pricing high end use and lower tolls at low-end use.

Fasano said any toll program cannot be flat rate. He added, I think if we put in tolls as a one rate, unless they get a waiver from the federal government in writing that says its not going to hurt our federal money.

Lamont has changed his position on tolls from the campaign. He had run on the issue, arguing to toll only trucks, not passenger cars. He later changed his tune, calling for tolls on all cars as the best way to raise revenue and improve transportation infrastructure.

Lamont says his conversations with Chao have been productive.

Theyre pretty entrepreneurial down there at transportation. They like public-private partnerships. They said theres going to be a new infrastructure bill soon which could be as much as two trillion dollars, and she said, Connecticut, make sure you have the revenues in place so you can make your 80-20 match, so the state could put up its share of the dough.
A body discovered over the weekend in a wooded area of Fredericksburg, Virginia, is that of a 16-year-old boy  and authorities believe he was murdered in Prince George's County, Maryland.

Police say Jacson Chicas, of Falls Church, was killed inside a home in the 7000 block of Varnum Street in Landover Hills. His killers then dumped his remains in an area between River Road and the Rappahannock River, police said.

A sheriff's deputy discovered his body off River Road near Route 3 on Saturday.

Chicas' mother, who did not want to be identified, told News4 in Spanish that her son was forced to join the MS-13 gang in El Salvador and that's why their family fled the country.

But Chicas was unable to escape the gang's grip in America.

She said Chicas was trying to leave MS-13 and he had started living at a house in Prince George's County to spare his parents and siblings from danger.

Chicas' mother said when gang members accused him of talking to police they threatened to kill his family and he told them to kill himself instead.

His mother said she knew her son was dead when she saw the photo police posted of a bloody forearm tattoo.

The Stafford County Sheriff's office said Thursday it is collaborating with Prince George's County police in the investigation.

In a video posted to Twitter, the Stafford County Sheriff's office also asked anyone to report suspicious activity they may have witnessed, including a car parked overnight along the road.

On Friday, Prince George's County police said four men and a teenager were arrested and charged in connection to Chicas' murder. Police said all five suspects are part of an MS-13 "clique" that operates in Fairfax County, Virginia.

Police asked anyone who may have information related to the case to call 540-658-4450.
U.S.-backed forces declared military victory over the Islamic State group in Syria on Saturday after liberating the last pocket of territory held by the militants, marking the end of a brutal self-styled caliphate the group carved out in large parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014.

The nearly five-year war that has devastated cities and towns across north Syria and Iraq ended in Baghouz, a minor border village where the cornered militants made their last stand, under a grueling siege for weeks.

On Saturday, the Syrian Democratic Forces raised their bright yellow banner from a shell-pocked house where the militants once flew their notorious black flag. Below it stretched a field shattered by the battle, pitted by trenches and bomb craters and littered with scorched tents, twisted wreckage of burned out vehicles, unspent explosives and few remaining corpses.

"Baghouz is free and the military victory against Daesh has been achieved," tweeted Mustafa Bali, a spokesman for the Kurdish-led SDF, referring to ISIS by its Arabic acronym.

The fall of Baghouz brings to a close a nearly 5-year global campaign against the Islamic State group that raged in two countries, spanned two U.S. presidencies and saw a U.S.-led coalition unleash more than 100,000 strikes. The campaign has left a trail of destruction in cities in Iraq and Syria, likely killed tens of thousands and drove hundreds of thousands from their homes.

The campaign put an end to the militants' proto-state, which at its height four years ago was the size of Britain and home to some 8 million people. But the extremist group still maintains a scattered presence and sleeper cells across Syria and Iraq. It's not known whether the group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is still alive or where he might be hiding.

ISIS affiliates in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, Afghanistan and other countries continue to pose a threat, and the group's ideology has inspired so-called lone-wolf attacks that had little if any connection to its leadership.

The "caliphate's" end also marks a new phase in Syria's civil war, now in its ninth year. The country is carved up, with the Iranian- and Russian-backed government of President Bashar Assad controlling the west, center and south, the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces holding the north and east, and Turkish allies controlling a pocket in the north. The fear now is of new conflict among those players.

At a ceremony held later Saturday at the nearby al-Omar oil field base, a senior U.S. diplomat, William Roebuck, said the territorial defeat of the Islamic State group is a "critical milestone" that delivers a crushing and strategic blow to the extremist group. But he stressed it remains a significant threat.

"We still have much work to do to achieve an enduring defeat of ISIS," he said.

The commander in chief of the SDF, Gen. Mazloum Abdi, appealed for continued assistance to his group until the full eradication of the extremist group. He spoke at the ceremony during which fighters marched to a military band.

The victory declaration sets the stage for President Donald Trump to begin withdrawing most of the 2,000 U.S. troops stationed in northern Syria, as he abruptly announced in December that he would do. Trump, however, later agreed to leave a small peacekeeping force of 200 soldiers in Syria to ensure Turkey will not get into a conflict with the SDF. Turkey views Kurdish members of the SDF as terrorists.

The Kurds fear being abandoned by the Americans. They are squeezed between a belligerent Turkey from the north, which regards them as a national threat and Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces from the south.

Saturday's announcement came a day after Trump declared that Islamic State militants no longer control any territory in Syria, a victory he had been teasing for days.

Associated Press journalists in Baghouz on Saturday, however, reported hearing mortars and gunfire directed toward a cliff overlooking the village, where U.S.-led coalition airstrikes were carried out a day earlier. SDF spokesman Kino Gabriel said Friday there were ISIS fighters hiding in caves near Baghouz and that clearing operations were still underway.

The site of ISIS's last stand was centered on a tent encampment in Baghouz where, unknown to the besieging SDF forces, thousands of civilians were holed up. During the weeks-long siege, an estimate 30,000 men, women and children were evacuated from the pocket, most of them ISIS family members, a mix of Syrians, Iraqis and foreigners. They were exhausted, hungry, many of them wounded and traumatized by the loss of relatives, but some remained die-hard supporters of the "caliphate."

On Saturday, journalists were taken to the encampment  a wasteland of wrecked vehicles, torn tents and scorched trees. A few bodies could be seen and a faint smell of rotting corpses hung in the air.

Scattered across the dirt amid empty foxholes and trenches were personal belongings, blankets, generators, oil barrels, water tanks and satellite dishes. Cars and motorcycles were turned to rusted, twisted heaps of metal. There were unused rockets, mortars and grenades, as well as a pile of suicide vests.

Ciya Kobani, an SDF commander, announced the end of the operation from the roof of the building with the SDF flag: "We have been victorious against Daesh," he declared.

At its height, the Islamic State group ruled a third of both Syria and Iraq, holding millions hostage to its harsh and violent interpretation of Islamic law. The group carried out massacres and documented them with slickly produced videos circulated online. It beheaded foreign journalists and aid workers and burned alive a captured Jordanian pilot. During a rampage through Iraq's Sinjar region in 2014, it captured thousands of women and girls from the Yazidi religious minority and forced them into sexual slavery. Many remain missing to this day.

The group also used its caliphate as a launchpad for attacks around the globe, including the assaults in Paris in 2015 that killed more than 130 people.

French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that "a major danger to our country is now eliminated, yet the threat remains and the fight against terrorist groups must continue." France has been a member of the coalition fighting the ISIS since 2014.

While it imposed its unforgiving interpretation of Islamic law through public beheadings and crucifixions, the group also carried out the mundane duties of governance in its territories, including regulating prices at markets and repairing infrastructure.

Cornered in Baghouz, the group fought fiercely and desperately to hang on to the last shred of territory it controlled, using thousands of civilians, including women and children, as human shields. In the final weeks, they streamed out of Baghouz, bedraggled, angry and hungry, overwhelming Kurdish-run camps in northern Syria where they are being held.

Aid organizations say more than 100 people have died in the journey from Baghouz to the al-Hol camp in Hassakeh province, or soon after arriving.

Associated Press writer Zeina Karam contributed to this report.
During an April 2 speech to the National Republican Congressional Committee, President Donald Trump once again attacked wind power, falsely claiming that noise from turbines causes cancer and that turbines sink property values by 75 percent.

The president has repeatedly erred when it comes to wind power. As weve explained before, when the president said living near turbines is noisy enough to make someone go crazy after a couple of years, theres no direct evidence that the sound is harmful to human health.

Here, well explain why theres no turbine-cancer link, and describe some of the economic research about what happens to home prices once wind turbines are constructed.

Bogus Windmill Cancer Claim

Trump, April 2: Hillary wanted to put up wind. Wind. If you have a windmill anywhere near your house, congratulations, your house just went down 75 percent in value. And they say the noise causes cancer, you tell me that one, okay?

There is no evidence that wind turbines cause cancer. The American Cancer Society told us in a statement that it is unaware of any credible evidence linking the noise from windmills to cancer. We also searched the biomedical literature for any studies investigating a link, and couldnt find any.

There is also no particular reason to think that wind turbines would cause cancer. Cancer, or what scientists think of as uncontrolled cell growth, is at heart a genetic disease because it starts when a cell has or acquires a mutation in its DNA that allows it to grow unchecked, as the National Cancer Institute explains.

Usually many of these failures are needed to form a tumor, which can then become malignant and spread throughout the body. The mutations can be inherited, come about naturally as cells replicate, or can come from environmental exposures, such as cigarette smoke, pollution or ultraviolet light. Typically, these environmental exposures are the things that people are concerned with when they talk about cancer causes. Not all of them directly impact DNA; some can lead cells to divide more quickly, increasing the odds of mutation, as the American Cancer Society says.

Sound waves, however, arent thought to mutate DNA or to cause cancer in any other way. In fact, some sound waves help diagnose cancer, and they might even fight off the disease, researchers at the Institute of Cancer Research outside London have found.

The only plausible way wind turbines might contribute to even a small amount of cancer risk is by increasing stress or disrupting sleep. But it hasnt yet been demonstrated that those problems do contribute to cancer risk, or that they are caused by turbine noise. Trumps claim is baseless.

Exaggerated Property Value Decline

As with his cancer claim, Trumps idea that property values decline by 75 percent when wind turbines go up is also unsubstantiated.

Last month, at an event in Ohio, the president made a similar claim when he said, Put the windmills up and watch the value of your house  if youre in sight of a windmill, watch the value of your house go down by 65 percent.

This time, the president increased the number by 10 percentage points. But no studies on the issue suggest that property values decline by that much. Many of the strongest and most relevant studies, in fact, indicate small or no changes to property values.

A July 2014 paper published in the journal Energy Economics by researchers at the University of Rhode Island, for instance, found no statistically significant negative impacts on house prices, in either the post public announcement phase or post construction phase. The study followed more than 48,000 transactions of single-family homes across the state, including more than 3,000 located within a mile of a turbine.

Similarly, a large study of more than 120,000 home sales in Massachusetts also found no significant drop in property values due to wind turbines. The study found no net effects due to the arrival of turbines in the samples communities, the reports conclusion reads. Weak evidence suggests that the announcement of the wind facilities had an adverse impact on home prices, but those effects were no longer apparent after turbine construction and eventual operation commenced. The analysis also showed no unique impact on the rate of home sales near wind turbines. The study was commissioned by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, and performed by researchers at the University of Connecticut and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

One 2012 Clarkson University study of about 11,000 home transactions did identify negative impacts to property values in some parts of upstate New York. Depending on the model the researchers used, their calculations showed property values could fall between 8 and 35 percent if a turbine were installed half a mile from a home. But relatively few homes were that close to turbines. And for one of the three counties studied, the group found that wind turbines generally did not decrease property values.

Research from Europe has tended to find more wind turbine impacts on property values. But those studies still arent reporting drops as high as 75 percent.

A recent working paper produced by the German nonprofit RWI Essen found that house values fell by an average of 7.1 percent if turbines were within 1 kilometer, or 0.6 miles, of a home. The hits were highest for older houses built before 1949, which saw up to a 23 percent decline in property value.

Other studies from Europe suggest similar or less severe drops in property values. One 2015 report from the London School of Economics, for example, found average price reductions of 5 to 6 percent when U.K. homes were within 2 kilometers, or 1.2 miles, of a wind farm. Large wind farms, however, could take off up to 12 percent of home values within the same distance.

In contrast, a 2016 Dutch study identified just a 1.4 percent drop in property values when turbines were located within 2 kilometers.

While individual owners may have unique experiences, there is nothing to corroborate Trumps claim that wind turbines regularly result in property value drops of 75 percent.

Bird Deaths & Lack of Wind

In his remarks, Trump also complained about wind turbines killing birds and falsely said that shooting a bald eagle in California can land someone in jail for five years.

Trump, April 2: And of course its like a graveyard for birds. If you love birds, youd never want to walk under a windmill because its a very sad, sad sight. Its like a cemetery. We put a little statue for the poor birds. Its true. You know in California if you shoot a bald eagle, they put you in jail for five years. And yet the windmills, they wipe them all out. Its true. They wipe them out. Its terrible.

As weve addressed previously, the maximum penalty for shooting a bald eagle is a fine or two years in prison, which only applies for a second or felony-level conviction. Most people do not serve jail time.

Turbines do kill birds. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service estimates that 140,438 to 327,586 birds die every year from collisions with turbines. But turbines do relatively little damage compared with other sources. More than a billion birds are lost to cats every year, and millions more to vehicles, electric lines and buildings.

Trump also repeated a fanciful story of a woman wanting to watch television, but not being able to because the wind wasnt blowing  a tale he also relayed during his Conservative Political Action Conference speech on March 2.

But people do not lose their electricity when the wind doesnt blow. The energy generated by wind turbines feeds into the electrical grid, which, as weve explained before, is almost always able to handle the intermittent nature of wind power or any other power source.
What to Know Larry Duncan entered into a plea deal, admitting to tax evasion.

Duncan could spend up to one year in federal prison.

Duncan will learn his sentence Tuesday morning.

Larry Duncan, the former board president of Dallas County Schools, is sentenced to six months of home confinement and three years of probation after pleading guilty to tax evasion in the Dallas County Schools criminal conspiracy.

U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn announced the sentence Tuesday after about an hour of testimony.

Larry Duncan, the former board president of Dallas County Schools, is sentenced to six months of home confinement and three years of probation after pleading guilty to tax evasion in the Dallas County Schools criminal conspiracy.

Upon reading the sentence, Judge Lynn told Duncan "You were lucky with the result here," saying she couldn't act on suspicion and could only rule on one tax evasion charge brought by federal prosecutors.

Duncan, who led the DCS board for a decade and, before that, served four terms as a Dallas City Council member, had faced the possible max sentence of up to a year in federal prison  a term agreed upon in a plea deal.

Larry Duncan, the former board president of Dallas County Schools, is scheduled to learn his punishment Tuesday morning after pleading guilty to tax evasion in the Dallas County Schools criminal conspiracy.

"I have embarrassed and humiliated my family, my friends and my constituents and for that I am sincerely sorry," Duncan told the judge.

Duncan, who once also ran for county judge and Dallas mayor, is one of several once-powerful men who have been swept up by the corruption investigation, including former Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway, who last week was sentenced to 56 months in federal prison Friday after admitting he took bribes in the DCS scandal.

"It's not the best headline. It's not bribery and kickbacks. It's tax evasion, but that's where we are at," Duncan's lawyer told the courtroom, saying his client is different from other DCS defendants because he is not accused of any charge related to bribery.

"I have never met anyone as dedicated to serving people as Larry Duncan," testified Michael Jung, Duncan's longtime friend and former DCS board attorney. "He listened to the people in Joppa and came to our meetings when others would not," said a second witness for Duncan.

NBC 5 Investigates was the first to report that Duncan received the vast majority of his campaign funds, almost $250,000, from people tied to Force Multiplier Solutions, the company DCS partnered with on a school bus camera deal that went bust and put the agency in dire financial straits.

The deal ultimately cost taxpayers $100 million and resulted in the demise of DCS.

When NBC 5 Investigates first questioned Duncan about the contributions to his campaign, he insisted they were on the up and up.

Every penny is open, honest, legal and ethical, Duncan said at the time, adding that he wouldn't stand for his reputation being questioned and that he'd been in public service for two decades.

But he later admitted to the FBI and federal prosecutors that he used more than $180,000 of the funds for personal expenses and did not pay taxes on that money.

The man who gave Duncan the bulk of those campaign donations, Robert Leonard, the owner of camera provider Force Multiplier Solutions, has also pleaded guilty in the corruption probe.

Leonard has admitted to bribing former DCS Superintendent Rick Sorrells and Caraway in order to secure the lucrative bus camera deals with DCS.

Leonard and Sorrells, who has also admitted to taking bribes, are scheduled to be sentenced at a later date.
What to Know The Doolittle Raid boosted morale on the U.S. homefront after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Members of the squadron left Alameda, California on April 2, 1942, and two days later they were told they would strike Tokyo.

Cole and the other Raiders received the Distinguished Flying Cross, and Doolittle received the Medal of Honor.

Retired Lt. Col. Richard "Dick" Cole, the last of the 80 Doolittle Tokyo Raiders who carried out the daring U.S. attack on Japan during World War II, died Tuesday at a military hospital in Texas. He was 103.

Robert Whetstone, a spokesman for Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, confirmed Cole's death. Whetstone had no immediate additional details.

Cole, who lived in Comfort, Texas, had stayed active even in recent years, attending air shows and participating in commemorative events including April 18, 2017, ceremonies for the raid's 75th anniversary at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force near Dayton, Ohio.

Cole was mission commander Jimmy Doolittle's co-pilot in the attack less than five months after the December 1941 Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Doolittle died in 1993. The Gen. James "Jimmy" H. Doolittle Archives are at the University of Texas at Dallas. Cole's papers are also part of the school's History of Aviation Collection.

Cole was a Dayton-area native who recounted riding his bicycle as a child to watch planes at McCook Field, a military testing air base there. He dreamed of being a pilot and after attending Ohio University, enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1940. Stationed in South Carolina, he signed up as a volunteer for a secret mission he knew would be dangerous, but not much else about. They trained at Eglin Air Force to fly B-25 bombers on short takeoffs, in preparation for flying off an aircraft carrier.

The Raiders launched their assault April 18, 1942, in B-25 bombers from the USS Hornet. Suspecting they had been detected by Japanese patrols, they left farther away from Japan than planned.

The crews of the 16 planes were "very quiet" as they neared Japan, Cole recalled, saying his role next to Doolittle was to "be seen, not heard. ... You didn't speak until spoken to." But the country song "Wabash Cannonball" started running through his head and he unconsciously began tapping his toe, which caught Doolittle's attention. He shot Cole a look, he recalled with a laugh.

Doolittle soon ordered bomb bay doors opened, and the attack was on against what turned out to be limited anti-aircraft fire in the surprise attack.

They then headed to China, running out of fuel. Cole said Doolittle gave the command to prepare to bail out as they neared the coast, adding: "I wish you all good luck."

Cole said it was scary to parachute into a dark "unknown" in rough weather. His parachute caught in a tree, leaving him dangling but safe. Chinese partisans helped lead him and other Raiders to safety.

Three Raiders died trying to reach China, and eight were captured by Japanese soldiers. Three were executed, and a fourth died in captivity.

Cole recalled that Doolittle was distraught at first, upset that he had lost all of his planes and some of his men. Doolittle would later receive the Medal of Honor.

The raid inflicted scattered damage while providing a psychological lift back home. The stunned Japanese military diverted resources after a string of Pacific successes.

"Seven decades later, we are still awed by the sheer audacity of the Doolittle raid and the incredible men whose grit and bravery made it possible," Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi of California said when the Congressional Gold Medal was awarded to the Raiders in a 2015 ceremony. "Though time has thinned their ranks, it will never dim the daring of their deeds."

Cole continued to fly missions in the China-Burma-India theater until 1944, and had peacetime service assignments in several states.

In an AP interview in April, 2017, Cole described as "a somber affair" the toast he planned to carry out to end a long Raider tradition. Using goblets engraved with their names, they each year lifted them and sipped cognac in tribute to those who had gone before. Retired Staff Sgt. David Thatcher died in 2016 at age 94 in Missoula, Montana.

Doolittle organized reunions that became annual affairs, and Cole was a regular. He also took part in other special events, including leading a special public "final toast" ceremony at the museum in 2013, when four Raiders were still alive. He said then: "May they rest in peace."

He said in April 2017 he hadn't expected to be the last survivor, since he was older than most on the mission

Cole attributed his longevity to being an optimist and living a life of "moderation." He said he believed he spoke for all Raiders when he said they didn't want any more recognition than all the others who put their lives on the line in the war effort.

"We don't want to be remembered any more than the rest of the people who took part in beating the Japanese," Cole said. "They started it, and we finished it."
A trio of Frisco Independent School District educators received a first-of-its-kind honor for helping save the life of a teenager in Virginia.



Ashley Elementary Principal Kim Frankson, Assistant Principal Jess Johnson and Counselor Laurie Ortel were given the "Helping Hands Life Saver Award" at the district's meeting on Monday night.



"It's an honor. We feel very humbled to be here," said Frankson.



The award is given out by an app called "Stop It," which allows students to anonymously report bullying.



In December, Frankson, Johnson and Ortel received a message on the app from a teenager who wrote she was considering killing herself and she had taken pills. They realized she was not a student in Frisco ISD and eventually learned she lived in Waynesboro, Virginia. The three women worked with law enforcement in Virginia to find her alive.



"We desperately wanted to help her, so we were just doing anything and everything that we could," explained Johnson.



"Stop It" executives praised the quick response.



"She reached out for help and these three beautiful people from Frisco gave her the help she needed," said "Stop It" founder Todd Schobel.



If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
The first round of STAAR testing begins this week for hundreds of thousands of Texas school children.

The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) exams are annual assessments of students in subjects like reading, writing, mathematics, science, history and more.

The company that contracts with the state to design the STAAR test  Educational Testing Service (ETS)  has a lot of ground to make up this year to overcome the mistakes made last year that resulted in 71,000 online STAAR test results being thrown out.

The discarded tests were in addition to 30,000-plus more test takers  more than 100,000 students in total  who experienced some form of a glitch that either resulted in students being kicked out of the online version of the exam, or were forced to attempt to log-in multiple times due to server issues.

While we plan for our online testing to be 100% error-free, there is always the potential for human and technical issues, noted a spokesperson for the Texas Education Agency. Our vendor ETS is aware of the issues that affected the 2018 assessment and has made adjustments to prevent any such future issues.

ETS blamed the 2018 issues on two factors  human error and computer server failures. The human error involved an employee, who was later fired, who ran a test of the computer system while students were in the system taking their exams. The server errors, according to an ETS spokesperson, were due to a surge of students taking the exam which overwhelmed the system.

ETS is in the final year of a five-year, $276,105,731 contract with the State of Texas. The contract expires on August 31, 2019. Bids for a new contract are currently being accepted, and are due by this Thursday, according to a TEA spokesperson.
A teenager wounded when someone opened fire on his Dallas home last month is getting back on his feet while his mother searches for a new place to call home.

Police investigating the March 18 shooting on Concordia Lane, near the University of North Texas Dallas campus, said they found nearly two dozen shell casings scattered across the road in the neighborhood.

"The first bullet went right by my face," said Melisha Rice, whose family had to quickly take cover when bullets began to fly through their Dallas home.

One of the bullets struck Rice's 13-year-old son in the leg.

"To watch him have to go through such agony and such pain for no apparent reason, from someone who was not a part of our lives before this and will now always be a part of our lives, it just sucks big time," Rice said.

Police have not released information on potential suspects, though Rice suspected the gunman was someone she had met recently and filed a harassment complaint against.

Police are asking anyone with information to come forward.
Mozambican and international health workers raced Monday to contain a cholera outbreak in the cyclone-hit city of Beira and surrounding areas, where the number of cases has jumped to more than 1,000.

One person has died of cholera, while 97 patients remain in treatment centers, with the others released, Mozambique's health director Ussein Isse announced. The new figures are an indication that cholera is spreading but is being brought under control, health workers say.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said there is also a high risk of the spread of infectious diseases including those caused by insects like mosquitoes, with 276 malaria cases also reported in cyclone-affected areas,.

The overall cyclone death toll in Mozambique has risen to 518. With 259 deaths in Zimbabwe and 56 in Malawi, the three-nation death toll from Cyclone Idai now stands at more than 830. Authorities warn the tolls are preliminary as receding flood waters will expose more bodies.

Dujarric said more than 140,000 people in Mozambique are sheltering in 161 sites, including schools and community centers.

He said 11 emergency treatment centers for cholera victims have been established in Beira and other locations and nine are operational.

Mozambican workers have restored clean tap water to parts of Beira, a city of 500,000, although large areas of the urban center still don't have access to sanitary water, David Wightwick, the World Health Organization's team leader in Beira, told The Associated Press while visiting a water treatment center.

"A vaccination campaign against cholera, with 900,000 doses of the vaccine, will start Wednesday," Wightwick said. "That should blunt the edge of this outbreak."

More than two weeks after the cyclone hit Beira and swept across central Mozambique, about 98,000 people are in camps for displaced and "living under canvas," he said.

"Cholera is our most immediate challenge," said Wightwick, who added that getting adequate nutrition to the population and battling other diseases like malaria are also priorities.

In addition to Mozambican medics, health workers from Portugal, Denmark, Italy and China are helping respond to the crisis.

Sanitary water points and latrines are being constructed throughout Beira by the International Federation of the Red Cross, which has also established a field clinic in Macurungo, is constructing a field hospital in Nhamatanda and distributing relief supplies to 800 in Buzi, said the group's spokeswoman, Jana Sweeny.

Cases of cholera, an acute diarrheal disease, have risen dramatically since the first five cases were confirmed last week. Cholera is spread by contaminated water and food. It can kill within hours but is relatively easy to treat.

The U.S. military joined the international humanitarian aid efforts to Mozambique by airlifting food and relief supplies from South Africa.

Round-the-clock flights are delivering supplies from the U.N. World Food Program from King Shaka International Airport in Durban, South Africa, U.S. Embassy spokesman Robert Mearkle said.

He said the commodities airlifted from Durban were from the World Food Program's internal stock including rice, dried peas and vegetable oil.

"This lifesaving emergency food assistance will support approximately 160,000 people for one month," Mearkle said.

As health responders stress the need for better disease surveillance, the United Nations' deputy humanitarian coordinator in Mozambique, Sebastian Rhodes Stampa, has said all cases of diarrhea are being treated as though they are cholera.

Cholera is endemic to the region, and "it breaks out fast and it travels extremely fast," he told reporters.

Doctors Without Borders has said other suspected cholera cases have been reported outside Beira in the badly hit areas of Buzi, Tica and Nhamathanda but the chance of spread in rural areas is smaller because people are more dispersed.

Mozambican officials have said Cyclone Idai destroyed more than 50 health centers in the region, complicating response efforts.

The United Nations has said some 1.8 million people need urgent help across central Mozambique's sodden, largely rural region.

The U.N. Economic and Social Council has scheduled a special meeting in New York on Tuesday on the "Response to Cyclone Idai in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe."

Andrew Meldrum contributed to this story from Johannesburg, and Edith M. Lederer, contributed from the United Nations.
A convicted murderer and member of the notorious Ripper Crew has officially registered a sex offender and has moved into a facility in suburban Aurora, according to officials.

Thomas Kokoraleis, 58, who was released from prison last week, used a Christian mission as his address in Aurora, according to police.

Kokoraleis came into the Aurora Police Department this morning and registered on the Illinois Sex Offender Registry, the department said in a statement. He was required to register by tomorrow morning, so by registering today he was in compliance.

Kokoraleis used Wayside Cross Ministries as his address, according to the department.

The 58-year-old was sentenced to life in prison for the 1982 slaying of 21-year-old Lorraine Ann Borowski. After his initial conviction was wiped out, he pleaded guilty on appeal in exchange for a 70-year prison term, and this week he was released from the Illinois River Correction Center outside of Peoria.

Kokoraleis is affiliated with four other suburban men who identified as members of the "Ripper Crew" that abducted and tortured at least 17 women as part of the satanic cult in the early 1980s. Borowski, of Elmhurst, disappeared in May 1982. Her body was found five months later in a shallow grave.

Prosecutors tried to have Kokoraleis classified as a sexually violent person, which would have prevented him from being released from prison, but were unsuccessful in their efforts.

"Mr. Kokoraleis was evaluated by extremely experienced psychologists and a psychiatrist who found he did not meet the necessary criteria  having a mental disorder that makes him violent and being highly likely to commit future acts of sexual violence  that would enable us to bring a petition to find him sexually violent under state law, DuPage County States Attorney Robert Berlin said.
Prime Minister Theresa May wooed domestic political opponents and European leaders Monday as she sought to break Britain's Brexit impasse and secure a delay to the country's departure from the European Union.

May's Conservative government and the main opposition Labour Party were clinging to hope of finding a compromise Brexit deal, two days before EU leaders decide whether to grant an extension to the U.K.'s departure from the bloc. If they refuse, Britain faces a sudden and chaotic departure on Friday, the Brexit deadline previously set by the EU.

May has asked for a new delay until June 30, to give Britain's divided politicians time to agree, approve and implement a withdrawal agreement. The bloc's leaders are due to meet Wednesday in Brussels to consider the request.

An extension requires unanimous approval from all 27 EU national leaders, some of whom are fed up with Brexit uncertainty and reluctant to prolong it further. French President Emmanuel Macron has been particularly resistant to the idea of further delaying Brexit, saying the EU can't be held "hostage" to Britain's political crisis.

May's office said the prime minister spoke to multiple European leaders by phone Monday and will dash Tuesday to Berlin and Paris for face-to-face talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Macron.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt urged European leaders to be cooperative, saying May "is totally and utterly determined to deliver Brexit."

"They want Brexit to be resolved as quickly as possible," Hunt said of the other 27 EU leaders. "So do we."

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said he was "open to extending the deadline."

"There will be different views, but I am confident that we will reach agreement," he said after meeting chief EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier in Dublin.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, however, said May would have to convince EU leaders that Britain would continue "sincere cooperation" with the bloc if granted a delay. Some pro-Brexit British politicians have suggested the U.K. could try to disrupt EU policymaking if it remains a member much longer.

Almost three years after Britons voted by 52% to 48% to leave the EU, the country remains divided and the political process deadlocked.

May and the EU agreed late last year on divorce terms, but the agreement has been rejected by Parliament three times. In desperation, May last week sought talks with the left-of-center Labour Party.

Labour favors a softer Brexit than the government has proposed and seeks a close economic relationship with the bloc through a customs union  a trading area that sets common tariffs on imports while allowing free trade in goods moving between member states.

So far, the cross-party talks have failed to yield a breakthrough, but Labour politicians and government ministers were due to continue negotiations Tuesday.

"The government doesn't seem to be moving off its original red lines," Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said. "We are looking for movement."

The EU would welcome a move by Britain to keep close post-Brexit economic ties. Barnier said Monday that the bloc was willing to be "much more ambitious in our future relationship" and would agree to a customs union arrangement.

The alternative of a no-deal Brexit threatens huge disruptions to trade and travel, with tariffs and customs checks causing gridlock at British ports and possible shortages of goods in the U.K.

It would also be tough for Ireland, the only EU member state to share a land border with the U.K. Any customs checks or other obstacles along the currently invisible frontier would hammer the Irish economy, and could undermine Northern Ireland's peace process.

Barnier said the EU would remain "fully behind Ireland."

"If the U.K. were to leave the EU without a deal, we would not discuss anything with the U.K. until there is an agreement for Ireland and Northern Ireland," he said.

It was unclear whether the cross-party talks in London would succeed. May's reach for compromise left her caught between angry Conservatives who accused her of throwing away Brexit, and Labour opponents mistrustful of her sudden change of heart.

Suggestions she might back a customs union infuriated pro-Brexit Conservatives, who say Britain must cut ties to the EU in order to forge an independent economic policy.

Former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, a leading Brexiteer, said a customs union would "enslave" the U.K. He tweeted that it "cannot, must not and will not happen."

But others say May has little choice but to change her long-held Brexit positions, after lawmakers rejected her deal and also repeatedly ruled out leaving the bloc without an agreement.

Late Monday, Parliament passed a fast-tracked law that compels the government to seek a delay to Brexit rather than leave without a deal. May has already committed to doing that, but many lawmakers don't trust the government and passed the bill as an insurance policy.

While the government still intends for Britain to leave the EU in the next few months, it is also making plans to participate in European Parliament elections taking place across the bloc May 22-26.

The government announced Monday it had taken the legal step required to start preparations and set a May 23 date for the poll. It said the measure "does not make these elections inevitable as leaving the EU before the date of election automatically removes our obligation to take part."

Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright said both Conservatives and Labour should compromise to make Brexit happen.

"There's some urgency to it, but I do think it's important for everyone to take their responsibilities seriously, whatever party they come from, and try and get to a point where we leave the EU, as people have said they wish to do, and to do it on the best possible terms," he told the BBC. "I think that's achievable."

Associated Press writer Danica Kirka contributed.
Attorney General William Barr told Congress Tuesday he expects to release his redacted version of the special counsel's Trump-Russia investigation report "within a week," while Democrats criticized his handling of the long-awaited document and demanded he turn it over in full.

Barr bluntly defended his dealing with the report and said portions must remain hidden to comply with the law. He said he could be open to eventually releasing some of the redacted material after consulting with congressional leaders, but maintained he had no plans to seek a judge's approval to disclose grand jury material. Democrats, he said, were "free to go to court" on their own to ask for it.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said he could issue subpoenas "very quickly" if Robert Mueller's report is released with redactions after Democrats failed "to reach an accommodation with the attorney general under which we would see the report and the underlying evidence." He said of Barr: "He has been unresponsive to our requests."

The attorney general appeared before a House appropriations subcommittee to discuss his department's budget request  normally a sleepy affair  but Democrats, in particular, were more interested in asking questions about the report. While opening the hearing, subcommittee Chairman Jose Serrano of New York called it "the elephant in the room."

Barr wouldn't discuss the substance of the special counsel's investigation into possible connections between Russia and Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, but he did explain some of what to expect when the report is released: He said the redactions will be color-coded and accompanied by notes explaining any decisions to withhold information.

"This process is going along very well and my original timetable of being able to release this by mid-April stands," Barr said.

Congress, the White House and the American public have been anxiously waiting for Barr to release the report since special counsel Mueller concluded his investigation and sent it to the attorney general more than two weeks ago. Justice Department officials are scouring the nearly 400-page document to remove grand jury information and details relating to pending investigations, among other materials.

Democrats say they will not accept any redactions.

At Tuesday's hearing, Democrats said they were concerned that a four-page summary letter of the report's main conclusions Barr released last month portrayed the findings in an overly favorable way for President Trump. The letter said that Mueller did not find a criminal conspiracy between Russia and Trump associates in the 2016 campaign, and that Barr did not believe the evidence in the report was sufficient to prove the president had obstructed justice.

Barr said "the letter speaks for itself" and revealed that he gave Mueller an opportunity to review the letter but the special counsel declined.

Rep. Nita Lowey, the Democratic chairwoman of the full Appropriations Committee, said she was taken aback that Barr had reduced Mueller's report to a four-page letter in just two days. "Even for someone who has done this job before, I would argue it's more suspicious than impressive," Lowey said.

Barr said, "I felt I should state bottom-line conclusions, and I tried to use special counsel Mueller's own language in doing that."

Asked about reports that members of Mueller's legal team were unhappy with his handling of the report, Barr said he suspected any discontent may have reflected their desire to put out more information.

Republicans defended Barr, with Alabama Rep. Robert Aderholt comparing Democrats' questions to theories surrounding President John F. Kennedy's 1963 assassination. "So many of the questions here today have gone toward a grassy knoll conspiracy theory," Aderholt said.

Across the Capitol, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he had no concerns with the handling of the report: "I think it really comes down to a question of whether you trust Bill Barr or not. And I do."

Barr said in the summary released last month that Mueller did not reach a conclusion on whether the president obstructed justice, instead presenting evidence on both sides of the question. Barr said he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein decided that the evidence was insufficient to establish obstruction.

Facing the intensifying concerns from Democrats that he may have whitewashed Mueller's findings, Barr has moved to defend, or at least explain, his handling of the process since receiving the special counsel's report. He said in a March 29 letter that he did not intend for his brief summary of Mueller's main conclusions to be an "exhaustive recounting" of his work.

He is likely to be asked to further explain himself at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing Wednesday, though it's unclear how much more he will say. At one point in the House hearing, he tried to cut off any more questions on the subject.

"I'm not going to discuss it any further until after the report is out," he said.

Barr said he would elaborate at hearings scheduled by the House and Senate Judiciary committees at the beginning of next month.
In a remote area, deep within the mountains of Otay Mesa, the U.S.-Mexico border fence ends. U.S. Border Patrol agents took NBC 7 on a tour of this hot spot for illegal immigration.

More specifically, Marron Valley -- just nine and a half miles east of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry -- is where Border Patrol said most of the migrants apprehended in San Diego are caught.

People try to cross through here illegally, said Border Patrol agent Fabian Carbajal.

There is a gap in border fencing between Marron Valley and Tecate where Mexico is only a few steps away.

On the Mexican side, we do have a nice, scenic road where Ive personally seen, you know, people get dropped off, Carbajal said. Because it is open border, its easier to get through, and then, you know, they use guides to walk through trails and try to make it to the Highway 94 to get picked up.

Border Patrol agents arrest roughly 170 migrants every day across the county.

Dozens of Border Patrol agents hike and explore the mountains on foot because access by car is limited. In the field, agents use sensors, active cameras, and radars connected to a tactical operation center back in Otay Mesa to track migrants.

And some of these sensors are in remote areas so theyre in high peaks or low canyons, and we have to go and hike to these sensors to see if someone is on there or if its a false activation, Carbajal told NBC 7.

Often times, the sensors capture animal movement or even small earthquakes, something Border Patrol agents said is lost time in the field.

As we all know, technology, it ages, so money would have to be spent to update that technology, said Border Patrol agent Justin Castrajol.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection requested $223 million from its 2019 fiscal budget to update its technological infrastructure, including getting a drone system.

Its just not active yet -- the drone. Theyre still trying to figure out all the details, Castrajol told NBC 7.

With updates in technology could come a smart wall of sorts  an electronic barrier that could detect illegal crossings and wouldnt require a physical fence. Border Patrol said this would not prevent intrusions but simply detect the migrants to then make an arrest.

Una frontera tecnologica, sin la construccion de un muro. Podria ser la solucion a la crisis en la frontera? Hoy a las 11pm @Telemundo20 pic.twitter.com/Cu53iDDuEQ  Melissa Sandoval (@meli_sandovalTV) April 5, 2019

Castrajol said the border should be a combination of everything.

If we had a primary wall -- theyll jump over, they hit a sensor, and agents can get there before they turn back to Mexico, Castrajol said. We do need that primary wall, that physical barrier, to separate the United States from Mexico.

Across San Diegos 60-mile border with Mexico, roughly 77 percent is covered in some type of fencing or barrier.

For the 2019 fiscal year, Border Patrol agents have arrested more than 31,000 people in the San Diego area. This marks a record high since 2006.

Telemundo 20 first reported on this tour with Melissa Sandoval.
A man described by federal officials as a "prolific Bitcoin dealer" was sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to forfeit nearly $1 million in gains from unlicensed money transmitting.

Jacob Burrell Campos, a 22-year-old U.S. citizen who was living in Rosarito, Mexico, was arrested August 13 at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry on the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego.

He pleaded guilty in late October to operating a Bitcoin exchange without registering with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), and to failing to implement required anti-money laundering safeguards, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Burrell was also ordered to forfeit $823,357 in illicit profits.

The plea agreement states Burrell accepted cash either in person or via MoneyGram then deposit the cash into an account in the name of Bitfinex, a crypto-currency exchange in Hong Kong.

Through the exchange, he purchased $3.29 million in bitcoin in hundreds of separate transactions between March 2015 and April 2017.

Before using the Hong Kong exchange, Burrell used a regulated U.S. exchange but had his account closed because of too many suspicious transactions.

In order to operate legally as a Bitcoin exchanger, Burrell should have registered with the Department of Treasury and followed the anti-money laundering protocol, Ciaffa said. This includes reporting any suspicious cash transactions to the government. Bureel admitted that he never investigated the source of his customers' money, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency in which assets exist only in a digital form and are unregulated. Funds are moved between people instead of through financial institutions. An investor may hold bitcoin in a digital wallet which is vulnerable to hackers.

Federal prosecutors allege Burrell brought over $1 million in unregulated cash into the U.S. banking system.

Burrell most recently lived in of Rosarito, Baja California, Mexico but had bank accounts in the United States.

Burrell was not the first Bitcoin dealer to be indicted in San Diego. Last February, Morgan Rockcoons, 30, of Las Vegas was accused of accepting $14,500 from an undercover officer in exchange for $9,200 worth of bitcoin in a bid to conceal profits from the illegal sale of hash oil.
People with rare cancers have been out of luck  not only do most lack good treatments but drug companies also don't pursue them because of small potential sales. Now, a federal study that pools these folks gives them strength in numbers and new options.

The first results from this novel effort were revealed at an American Association for Cancer Research conference in Atlanta on Sunday. They suggest that for people with one of these unusual diseases, there seems to be a way to predict who will benefit from a drug combo that boosts the immune system and who will not.

"For the patients that it works for, it's phenomenal, it's life-changing ... but it's not for everybody," said one study leader, Dr. Sandip Patel of the University of California, San Diego's Moores Cancer Center.

Brigitte Sagasser, 54, of San Marcos, California, is one study participant who seems to be benefiting. Her tumors have been shrinking since starting the treatment a year ago for a rare type of ovarian cancer that defied surgeries, chemotherapy and hormone therapy.

"I've tried all kinds of stuff before and nothing really helped in the long run," she said. "I felt like I was kind of out of choices on what could be done."

Rare cancers individually affect fewer than 6 in 100,000 people a year, but collectively make up 22% of all cancer cases. They include tumors in the brain, blood, glands, bones, and skin, and there's often not even a study that patients can join to test an experimental drug or therapy.

"We're trying to fill that gap" by funding the federal study, said Dr. Elad Sharon of the National Cancer Institute.

It has enrolled more than 550 patients in the U.S. and Canada since it started in 2017. Currently, it's testing a combo of two immunotherapy drugs, Opdivo and Yervoy  in people grouped into "buckets" according to their tumor type. The drugs' maker, Bristol-Myers Squibb, is donating them for the study.

One of these buckets just reached critical mass to yield results  neuroendocrine tumors, which can form many places in the body but often in the lungs or digestive tract. Biopsies when the disease is diagnosed classify the cases as high, low or intermediate grade according to how aggressively the cells seem to be growing.

In the study of 32 patients, the drug combo only worked for high-grade tumors. Eight of the 18 patients saw their tumors significantly shrink. None of the others did.

In the high-grade group, survival at six months without worsening disease was 31%  better than the 10% that doctors historically have seen for such patients, said Patel, who has been a paid adviser to Bristol-Myers and several other companies.

"It gives us a glimpse into what can happen," said another study leader, Dr. Razelle Kurzrock at the San Diego cancer center. "If we get it right, maybe we can get it to work in more patients."

About one-quarter of all patients had symptoms typical of immune system therapies  effects on the liver, fatigue, nausea  and 6% had colitis, gut inflammation. But side effects were manageable and not severe, Patel said.

Identifying which patients are likely to benefit from these drugs spares others these side effects, expense and false hope.

Sagasser developed a problem from Yervoy, but continues to get Opdivo every two weeks. She is looking forward to next year, when it will be 20 years since she was first diagnosed.

"It will be a party next year, believe me," she said. "I expect to be cancer-free by then and for good."
What to Know Tuesday, April 9

20% of your bill will go to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (be sure to show the flyer or mention the fundraiser to your server)

Dine-in, takeout, catering, and "all beverage."

A restaurant and a movie?

It's a must for many people looking for a fun and foodie night out. That's the usual pair-up, at least, that we think of, when we think of a place to sup and the cinema: You'll see a movie, then you'll discuss over your entrees.

Done and done.

But there's another restaurant-movie match-up afoot, or, rather, aBigFoot, on Tuesday, April 9, and it involves a kid-sweet film that is still a few days from its big release.

That movie? It's Laika's "Missing Link," which opens on April 12.

The film has partnered with California Pizza Kitchen ahead of its opening to raise funds and awareness about the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

How? By asking people to dine at a CPK, or take out an order, on April 9. The next step after that? Requesting that those same people request that 20% of their bill goes to the venerable organization.

How to make sure this happens, once you order? You can show this social post to your server or simply say that you'd like to play a part in the fundraiser.

Many, many CPKs are on board, but if you want to make sure your local eatery is in on it, just contact them before heading over.

Another ray of sunshine that's set to last from April 12 through April 28? If you stop by a CPK, show that you have a ticket stub from a "Missing Link" screening, you'll score a free CPKids Meal.

There are a few asterisks, like you'll need to spend $15 on non-alcohol items as well as vittles.

Now that's a memorable way to do a movie and a meal, all while saving some money and helping your tot has a great day out, both in the theater and at a CPK.
What to Know Basab underwent his first surgery in Singapore three years ago, but doctors were not able to take out the entire benign tumor.

The most common symptoms from Cushing disease are stunted growth, weight growth and osteoporosis.

Doctors were able to remove the tumor at Providence Saint John's Health Center.

This 10-year-old Nepalese boy proved to be a real trooper.

Basab Gharti Chhetri is now in remission despite two unsuccessful surgeries from Cushings disease.

He was diagnosed in 2016 and since then, his father Deg Gharti Chhetri consulted surgeons in Nepal, India Thailand, Singapore and United States.

Basab underwent his first surgery in Singapore three years ago, but doctors were not able to take out the entire benign tumor. Basab and his father then went to the United States where a treatment failed as well.

It wasnt until Deg found Dr. Daniel F. Kelly at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica that things changed. The doctor looked at data and images of Basabs ongoing condition.

The third time was a charm, and doctors were able to remove the benign tumor through an endonasal endoscopic sinus procedure.

Dr. Kelly said the most common symptoms from Cushing disease are stunted growth, weight gain and osteoporosis among adults and children.

"Hell have a long road to recovery but this should allow him to grow normally and to develop normally and lead a better life," said Dr. Kelly.
Ugandan police say they have arrested some people over the kidnapping last week of a tourist from Southern California and her guide, who have since been freed.

Police did not specify how many people were arrested but said they are "actively investigating" the kidnapping which took place on April 2 in a national park. The arrests were announced in a joint security team statement released Tuesday.

The statement said the individuals arrested were suspected of "being involved in their kidnap."

The victims -- Kim Endicott of Costa Mesa, California, and local driver Jean-Paul Mirenge -- were freed Sunday.

Police said the hunt for the kidnappers, including "raids and extensive searches," is taking place in southwestern Uganda.

U.S. President Donald Trump has urged Ugandan authorities to find the perpetrators.

The kidnappers had demanded a $500,000 ransom after abducting the two at gunpoint. Ugandan officials say no ransom was paid, but a tourism operator said that money was paid to secure Endicott's release.
Chaos erupted outside Texas' death chamber when the son of the condemned inmate pounded on the chamber windows, shouted obscenities and threw fists after his father spoke his final words.

Billie Wayne Coble, a Vietnam War veteran who killed his estranged wife's parents and brother and threatened to do the same to her in 1989, told five witnesses he selected to attend his Thursday night execution that he loved them. Coble then nodded as they watched from a witness room, saying: "Take care."

When he finished speaking, his son, grandson and daughter-in-law became emotional, and the men swung and kicked at others in the death chamber witness area. Officers stepped in but said the men continued to resist and were eventually moved to a courtyard, where both were handcuffed and arrested.

"Why are you doing this?" the woman asked. "They just killed his daddy."

As the men were being subdued outside, a single dose of pentobarbital was injected into Coble. He gasped several times and began snoring as the lethal dose of drug was being administered inside the death chamber at the state penitentiary in Huntsville.

He was pronounced dead 11 minutes later, at 6:24 p.m. His son and grandson, 45-year-old Gordon Wayne Coble and 21-year-old Dalton Coble, were arrested on charges of resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. They each were released Friday on $1,000 bond.

The 70-year-old Billie Wayne Coble was the oldest inmate executed by Texas since the state resumed carrying out capital punishment in 1982.

He was convicted nearly three decades ago for the August 1989 shooting deaths of Robert and Zelda Vicha, and their son, Bobby Vicha. The victims were killed at separate homes in Axtell, northeast of Waco. A prosecutor once described Coble as having "a heart full of scorpions."

Coble, distraught over his pending divorce, kidnapped his wife, Karen Vicha. He was arrested and later freed on bond. Nine days after the kidnapping, Coble went to her home, where he handcuffed and tied up her three daughters and nephew, J.R. Vicha, according to investigators.

Coble then went to the homes of Robert and Zelda Vicha, 64 and 60 respectively, and Bobby Vicha, 39, who lived nearby, and fatally shot them.

After Karen Vicha returned home, Coble abducted her. He drove away, assaulted her and threatened to rape and kill her. He was arrested after wrecking the vehicle in neighboring Bosque County following a police chase.

Coble was convicted of capital murder in 1990. An appeals court ordered a new trial on punishment in 2007, but a second jury also sentenced him to death. Other appeals were also denied.

J.R. Vicha, Bobby Vicha's son, was 11 when he was tied up and threatened by Coble during the killings. Vicha, who eventually became a prosecutor partly because of his father, said that Coble's execution would be a relief.

"The way they do it is more humane than what he did to my family. It's not what he deserves, but it will be good to know we got as much justice as allowed by the law," he said ahead of the execution.

"This is not a happy night," added McLennan County District Attorney Barry Johnson. "This is the end of a horror story for the Vicha family."

On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court turned down Coble's request to delay his execution. His attorneys had argued that Coble's original trial lawyers were negligent for conceding his guilt by failing to present an insanity defense.

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles also turned down his request for a commutation.

Coble's attorney, A. Richard Ellis, told the courts that Coble suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from his time as a Marine during the Vietnam War. Ellis argued that Coble was convicted in part because of misleading testimony from two prosecution expert witnesses on whether he would be a future danger.

Coble was the third inmate put to death this year in the U.S. and the second in Texas, the nation's busiest capital punishment state.

J.R. Vicha, 40, still lives in the Waco area. His father was a police sergeant in Waco when he was killed, while his grandfather was a retired plumber and his grandmother worked for a foot doctor.

Vicha is working to get a portion of a highway near his home renamed in honor of his father.

"Every time I run into somebody that knew (his father and grandparents), it's a good feeling. And when I hear stories about them, it still makes it feel like they're kinda still here," Vicha said.
New research released Friday captures a fossilized snapshot of the day nearly 66 million years ago when an asteroid smacked Earth, fire rained from the sky and the ground shook far worse than any modern earthquake.

It was the day that nearly all life on Earth went extinct, including the dinosaurs.

The researchers say they found evidence in North Dakota of the asteroid hit in Mexico, including fish with hot glass in their gills from flaming debris that showered back down on Earth. They also reported the discovery of charred trees, evidence of an inland tsunami and melted amber.

Separately, University of Amsterdam's Jan Smit disclosed that he and his colleagues even found dinosaur footsteps from just before their demise.

Smit said the footprints  one from a plant-eating hadrosaur and the other of a meat eater, maybe a small Tyrannosaurus Rex  is "definite proof that the dinosaurs were alive and kicking at the time of impact ... They were running around, chasing each other" when they were swamped.

"This is the death blow preserved at one particular site. This is just spectacular," said Purdue University geophysicist and impact expert Jay Melosh, who wasn't part of the research but edited the paper released Friday by the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .

Melosh called it the field's "discovery of the century." But other experts said that while some of the work is fascinating, they have some serious concerns about the research, including the lack of access to this specific Hell Creek Formation fossil site for outside scientists. Hell Creek  which spans Montana, both Dakotas and Wyoming  is a fossil treasure trove that includes numerous types of dinosaurs, mammals, reptiles and fish trapped in clay and stone from 65 to 70 million years ago.

Kirk Johnson , director of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History who also has studied the Hell Creek area for 38 years, said that the work on the fish, the glass and trees "demonstrates some of the details of what happened on THE DAY. That's all quite interesting and very valid stuff." But Johnson said that because there is restricted access to the site, other scientists can't confirm the research. Smit said the restrictions were to protect the site from poachers.

Johnson also raised concerns about claims made by the main author, Robert DePalma, a University of Kansas doctoral student, that appeared in a New Yorker magazine article published Friday but not in the scientific paper. DePalma did not return an email or phone message seeking comment.

For decades, the massive asteroid crash that caused the Chicxulub crater in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula has been considered the likely cause of the mass extinction often called the "KT boundary" for the division between two geologic time periods. But some scientists have insisted that massive volcanic activity played a role. Johnson and Melosh said this helps prove the asteroid crash case.

There were only a few dinosaur fossils from that time, but the footsteps are most convincing, Smit said.

There was more than dinosaurs, he said. The site includes ant nests, wasp nests, fragile preserved leaves and fish that were caught in the act of dying. He said that soon after fish die they get swollen bellies and these fossils didn't show swelling.

The researchers said the inland tsunami points to a massive earthquake generated by the asteroid crash, somewhere between a magnitude 10 and 11. That's more than 350 times stronger than the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

Purdue's Melosh said as he read the study, he kept saying "wow, wow, what a discovery."

The details coming out of this are "mind-blowing," he said.

Science Writer Christina Larson contributed to this report.
A Florida man with distinctive facial tattoos is facing a murder charge in the 2001 killing of another man, authorities said.

Randy Petersilge, 51, is facing a first-degree homicide charge in the November 2001 murder of 41-year-old Simon Clark, New Port Richey Police said Monday.

Clark died as a result of blunt force trauma, but there were no arrests made in the initial investigation, police said. Petersilge was later developed as a possible suspect, police said.

In 2017, detectives reopened the case, and in January 2018, a grand jury indicted Petersilge. He had been incarcerated in a federal prison at the time, but when he was released from the prison this past Friday, he was placed under arrest for Clark's murder, authorities said.

Petersilge was awaiting transport to the Pasco County Jail to face the murder charge. Attorney information wasn't available.
New Zealand's government on Monday introduced a bill it plans to rush into law that would ban the types of weapons a gunman used to kill 50 people at two mosques.

Police Minister Stuart Nash said that if lawmakers pass the bill as expected, the new law will take effect April 12, less than a month after the March 15 attacks. Plans for law changes were first announced by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in the days after the attacks, when the government imposed an immediate ban on the sales of such weapons.

The bill has bipartisan support and could even pass with a unanimous vote of all 120 lawmakers.

"These are guns that are designed to kill people," Nash said.

He said one of the weapons used by the gunman was an AR-15 style rifle, and that all the weapons the gunman used in the attacks would be banned.

The bill would ban "military-style" semi-automatic guns and high-capacity magazines. It would also ban semi-automatic shotguns that could be fitted with detachable magazines and pump-action shotguns that can hold more than five rounds.

The bill wouldn't ban guns often used by farmers and hunters, including semi-automatic .22-caliber or smaller guns that hold up to 10 rounds, or shotguns that hold up to five rounds.

Nash said the gunman had left a national legacy of harm, pain and grief. He said the gunman was able to buy semi-automatic guns and high-capacity magazines legally, and then put them together to create military-style weapons.

"The loophole that this terrorist used to kill 50 people was totally unacceptable," Nash said. "We're closing that down."

The bill would also impose tougher penalties for people who use the weapons after they are banned. Lawmakers intend to introduce more legislation later in the year, including the creation of a register to track guns.

The government intends to compensate owners of banned guns in a buyback scheme that will cost up to 200 million New Zealand dollars ($137 million). An amnesty will give people until Sept. 30 to hand over banned weapons.

Nash said that so far, about 200 people have handed in their guns but many are waiting for the buyback scheme's details, which haven't yet been announced.

Conservative lawmaker David Seymour alone has expressed reservations about the bill, mainly over the speed at which it's being progressed. A spokesman said Monday that Seymour was not yet familiar enough with the bill to say which way he'd vote.

There will be some exemptions from the ban including police officers, military personnel and some authorized pest controllers.
President Donald Trump and White House allies pressing for a harder line on immigration sped up their campaign Monday to clean house at the Department of Homeland Security with a mission far wider than just the departure of Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

The dismantling of the government's immigration leadership is being orchestrated by Trump adviser Stephen Miller, the impetus behind some of the administration's most controversial policies, according to three people familiar with the matter. Beyond changing names and faces, Trump is considering separating migrant families at the border again, resuming the practice that drew so much outrage last year, the same people said.

The shake-up is a result of Trump's frustration with the increasing number of migrants at the border and his diminishing options for action. Court challenges, immigration laws and his own advisers have blocked several of his proposals as his re-election campaign looms. The White House has lashed out by demanding new leadership, although a new team is likely to face the same obstacles.

The head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, L. Francis Cissna, and Homeland Security General Counsel John M. Mitnick are expected to be pushed out of their positions, the officials said. Nielsen submitted her resignation Sunday after meeting with Trump at the White House, and three days earlier, the administration withdrew the nomination of Ron Vitiello to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Other longtime civil servants in agency posts are also on the chopping block, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Adding to the turmoil, the director of the Secret Service is being forced out of his job, but that departure is said to be unrelated to the immigration upheaval.

Leading senators from both parties were displeased.

"The purge of senior leadership at the Department of Homeland Security is unprecedented and a threat to our national security," declared Democrat Dianne Feinstein of California. "President Trump is trying to remake DHS into his own personal anti-immigration agency."

Republican Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, criticized Congress for a crisis at the border but also said, "I am concerned with a growing leadership void within the department tasked with addressing some of the most significant problems facing the nation."

Nielsen has dutifully carried out the administration's orders but often had to explain to Trump the legal limits of what he wanted to do. And he didn't like it.

She did months of diplomatic work with Central America and Mexico and brokered an arrangement in which asylum seekers were to wait in Mexico for their asylum cases to play out, an effort meant in part to discourage false claims. She moved to abandon long-standing regulations that dictate how long children are allowed to be held in immigration detention and was working to find space to detain all families who cross the border . She limited what public benefits migrants can receive and put regulations in place to circumvent immigration law and deny asylum to anyone caught crossing the border illegally.

And she took ownership over the most divisive of all the decisions, the separation of families at the border.

Nearly everything has been challenged or watered down by the courts. Just Monday, a judge blocked the administration from forcing asylum seekers to wait in Mexico, giving lawyers a few days before putting the block into effect.

"DHS is really between a rock and hard place," said Doris Meissner, the former commissioner of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service and fellow at the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute.

There are some options not yet exhausted by Trump, including giving judges more deference in asylum cases and allocating more resources to diminish backlogs, she said. But the White House has shown little interest in those ideas because they conflict with its assessment that those seeking refuge are trying to cheat the system.

Nielsen finally had enough and resigned Sunday, in part because she hadn't been informed about the sudden decision to withdraw Vitiello's nomination, according to people familiar with her decision.

She was also pushing back at an effort to house an "immigration" or "border czar" within Homeland Security, they said. She wanted the person to be based at the White House and help coordinate immigration policy between the Justice Department, Health and Human Services and DHS, all of which have a piece of the complex puzzle. But the people said Miller was pushing to house the czar at DHS, in part over frustration with the rising number of migrants. There were more than 100,000 expected in March, border officials said, the highest tally in 12 years.

Trump announced Sunday that Kevin McAleenan, commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, would take over for Nielsen at Homeland Security on an acting basis. McAleenan had impressed Trump's inner circle, specifically son-in-law Jared Kushner, with his extensive border knowledge.

Trump spokesman Hogan Gidley expressed hope that McAleenan's experience would lead to "massive changes" at the border.

But McAleenan is not an ideologue or politician. He refers to migrants as "vulnerable families" who need more humanitarian treatment, not as beefy dudes with tattoos trying to game the system, as Trump suggests. He's pushed for asylum changes to make screenings faster and cases decided more rapidly.

Democrats said McAleenan should have told them about the death of a child in U.S. custody in December, but he largely has escaped the ire over family separations even though it was his agency that separated the children.

Gil Kerlikowske, who led Customs and Border Protection from 2014 to 2017, said illegal crossings can go up and down on a number of factors that are difficult to predict. He noted that stepped-up Mexican enforcement helped end a surge of Central American families coming to the U.S. in 2014.

"I don't envy anybody in that position because these are policies that are White House policies, not DHS," said Kerlikowske, who promoted McAleenan to be his top deputy. "I couldn't have been more disappointed" to see Vitiello's nomination pulled, he said, describing Vitiello as "a 30-year Border Patrol, deputy chief and you're saying, 'Well, you're not really tough enough?' I find that kind of amazing."

Trump has seemed to be grasping at anything to stem the tide of migrants. That includes reinstating family separations, a policy that previously prompted international outrage and could mean he would have to violate his own executive order and possibly run afoul of a federal judge overseeing reunifications. The government just said in court filings it would take up to two years to reunify all the children already separated from their families.

"The administration has been well beyond the bounds of the law for some time with respect to asylum and family separation. There's no place for them to go that won't continue to break the law," said Lee Gelernt, the American Civil Liberties Union official whose lawsuit on behalf of a separated mother led to the reunifications.

Nielsen's departure threw into sharp focus just how few full-time leaders are at the sprawling department of more than 240,000 people. There's no confirmed secretary, no deputy secretary, no head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, no formal head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, no head of Customs and Border Protection once McAleenan moves over, and no head of the science and technology branch. In addition, the deputy undersecretary for management at the agency, Claire Grady, will have to be moved aside for Trump to install McAleenan as acting secretary.

Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Zeke Miller, Catherine Lucey and Elliot Spagat contributed to this report.
The Florida Board of Medicine wants to ban a Miami doctor from performing plastic surgery. Board members accused Dr. Arnaldo Valls of misleading patients and sending two women to the hospital during a hearing Friday morning. One of the patients died.

It's a case the NBC 6 Investigators have been covering since Kizzy London died in December 2017.

The board scrutinized the way Dr. Valls performed two Brazilian butt lift procedures over the past three years. London, who traveled to Miami from Louisiana, died after surgery. Another patient from Boston was hospitalized for a month in 2016.

At least three board members said during the hearing in West Palm Beach they're concerned Dr. Valls isn't qualified to be performing plastic surgery.

"We are uncertain as to his ability to practice medicine and plastic surgery safely with a reasonable skill to protect the citizens of Florida," Dr. Jorge Lopez said. "The testimony of Dr. Valls raised a lot of questions. So, I guess more questions than answers were provided."

Board Chairman Dr. Steven Rosenberg addressed concerns about an additional issue.

He claims Dr. Valls used the logo of a board certified organization on documents that both patients signed even though he's not a member of the organization.

"I think he's also intentionally misleading patients by using a form that says American Society of Plastic Surgery on there," Dr. Rosenberg said.

"I never worked with those associates," Dr. Valls responded but didn't give a reason why the logo and name were on the documents.

The Florida Department of Health and the doctor had reached an agreement about discipline to settle the complaints but the Board of Medicine unanimously rejected the agreement. The board voted to recommend stricter penalties including banning Dr. Valls from performing plastic surgery, suspending his license until his work could be evaluated by a physician, paying a $40,000 fine and taking an ethics and medical records course.

After the hearing Dr. Valls' attorney Ralph Patino said he won't accept the discipline proposed by the board and plans to fight it.

When asked about his reaction to the board's recommendations, Dr. Valls declined to comment.

He has seven days to accept or formally reject the board's decision. If the doctor does reject it, the case will be heard by an administrative judge to decide a possible punishment.

Meanwhile, Dr. Valls is allowed to continue practicing medicine but his license is restricted. He's not allowed to perform liposuction or Brazilian butt lift procedures.

The NBC 6 Investigators have uncovered the deaths of at least ten women since 2010 who have died after undergoing a Brazilian butt lift procedure  at different clinics, with different doctors.

Now a proposed bill in the Florida Senate would allow the Department of Health to have more regulation over the industry and take action against doctors and clinics in the case of serious injury or death.

The proposed changes include requiring all surgery centers to be registered to a designated doctor. As it stands now, anyone can own a plastic surgery center in Florida. If passed, the changes would also include allowing the Board of Medicine to revoke a center or doctor's registration in the case of serious injury or death and requiring a clean record for five years before anyone can open a surgery center.

The deaths uncovered by the NBC 6 Investigators led to a worldwide study in 2016 that led doctors to issue new recommendations on how the Brazilian butt lift procedure should be performed. Also, in 2017, the reporting done by the NBC 6 Investigators led a group of surgeons from around the country to travel to Miami to study cadavers to learn additional steps to make the industry safer. Their findings are expected to be released later this year.
What to Know Big real estate firms are pouring resources into calculating climate risk and its likely effect on property portfolios

For any investor, measuring opportunity against risk is critical. And for real estate investors in particular, risk is rising exponentially in the age of climate change.

To that end, big real estate firms are pouring significant resources into calculating climate risk and its likely effect on property portfolios  everything from increasingly extreme weather to a rise in sea levels.

This process will be painful for investors who are caught off guard, but those who are prepared have the potential to outperform, a new report from the Urban Land Institute said.

Damage to U.S. real estate from extreme storms hit a record high in 2017. Natural disasters, including floods, mudslides and wildfires, cost more than $300 billion in damage, the bulk of it to residential and commercial real estate.

In 2018, from May through July, much of the East Coast, down to Florida, saw rainfall up to three times normal levels, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Nine of the top 10 years for one-day extreme precipitation events have occurred since 1990, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), because as the atmosphere warms, clouds hold more water.

All of these statistics are not just alarming, they are sounding the alarm bells for the real estate investment sector, because it is most vulnerable.

Understanding and mitigating climate risk is a complex and evolving challenge for real estate investors, said ULIs CEO, Edward Walter. Risks such as sea level rise and heat stress will increasingly highlight the vulnerability not only of individual assets and locations, but of entire metropolitan areas.

The report highlights how real estate investment companies are now prioritizing the risk of climate change and creating new approaches to better gauge and develop mitigation strategies.

Building for resilience, on a portfolio, property and citywide basis, is paramount to staying competitive. Factoring in climate risk is becoming the new normal for our industry, added Walter.

Some of the strategies, according to the report, include:

Mapping physical risk for current portfolios and potential acquisitions;

Incorporating climate risk into due diligence and other investment decision-making processes;

Incorporating additional physical adaptation and mitigation measures for assets at risk;

Exploring a variety of strategies to mitigate risk, including portfolio diversification and investing directly in the mitigation measures for specific assets; and

Engaging with policymakers on local resilience strategies.

Investors see climate considerations as a necessary layer of fiduciary responsibility to their stakeholders, as well as an opportunity to identify markets and assets that will benefit from a changing climate, according to the report. While early adapters have committed resources to gain knowledge and improve awareness of climate risk, in the coming years, methods are likely to become more sophisticated.

It also highlights the potential return on investment from putting resources into mitigation strategies for real estate assets.

Heitman, a Chicago-based real estate investment firm with nearly $34 billion in assets under management globally, worked with ULI on the report and is putting heavy resources, both financial and personnel, into measuring and balancing climate risk.

The industry didnt seem to be pricing in these kinds of risks, said Mary Ludgin, senior managing director and head of global investment research at Heitman. When we began the project of trying to identify the climate risk inherent in individual properties, we first looked to our insurers. They were less of a help than we were expecting.

That is because insurers reprice annually, and therefore do not look at long-term models. FEMA flood plains are reassessed about every five years, but they still dont account for the increasingly extreme weather and heavier rainfall that parts of the United States are now seeing.

We cant try to determine whats going to happen in 12 months beyond, because insurance is set up for what your risk is today. And it wouldnt meet actuarial science to charge you for a future potential, said David Maurstad, FEMAs deputy associate administrator for federal insurance and mitigation and chief executive of the National Flood Insurance Program.

Changing valuations

Heitman is, therefore, going beyond traditional insurance predictions to factor climate risk into its investments. It hired a Berkeley, California-based firm called 427, one of a new cottage industry of companies that assess climate risk to real estate. Its mission, according to the website, is to catalyze climate adaptation and resilience investments by enabling the integration of climate science into business and policy decisions.

They were able to provide us an assessment of flooding, wildfires, wind-related disasters, and we can then aggregate that up to what is Heitmans total exposure globally or a specific clients exposure on the individual buildings they own. They can assess potential acquisitions and the risk that they represent, said Ludgin.

These risks include not just the destruction from individual natural disasters but business disruptions for property tenants and higher operating and capital costs caused by increased wear and tear on properties from more extreme weather.

As a whole, the industry needs to understand the pricing impacts of physical climate risks, and how climate change is likely to have a bigger impact on valuation in the future as asset and market liquidity are affected, the ULI report says.

And its not just storms and sea level rise, but the potential higher costs associated with protecting cities and municipalities from both. In Miami, for example, the city is investing $200 million into resilience, installing pump stations and upgrading its infrastructure. Miami Beach is on track to spend twice that, raising sidewalks and seawalls. The money is coming from new bonds  voters raising their own property taxes to protect their property.

Are taxes going to rise? asked Ludgin. We are looking at scenarios where taxes quadruple in the period that we hold the property. You can assume that federal, state, and local governments will play a role, and that means a climate in which taxes are likely rising.

All of it is a new and now necessary part of what real estate investors, developers and managers need to do to factor opportunity against risk.

They are trying to think about how their portfolio is balanced and make sure theyre not overexposed in a market that has more risk, said Walter. Not redlining markets, but investors are trying to be thoughtful about the level of exposure to those markets.

That is because higher-risk assets will eventually see downward repricing, as the market redirects capital to locations and individual assets where it is expected to be better insulated from these particular risks, the ULI report said.

This story first appeared on CNBC.com. More from CNBC:
A man who was picking up restaurant tabs at a Florida Waffle House was shot and killed during an altercation at the eatery, authorities said.

Craig Brewer, 41, was killed inside the restaurant on West Newberry Road in Gainesville just after 3 a.m. Sunday, Alachua County Sheriff's Office officials said.

Officials told the Gainesville Sun that Brewer had been paying for other customers' food and handing out money when a female customer became upset that Brewer hadn't picked up her tab.

A short time later, the suspected killer, 25-year-old Ezekiel Hicks, left the restaurant and armed himself with a handgun, officials said. He went back into the restaurant and approached Brewer and shot him in the head, officials said.

The entire incident was captured on the Waffle House's surveillance cameras, officials said.

Hicks was quickly found and arrested near the scene, officials said. A handgun was also recovered at the scene, authorities said.

Hicks now faces charges of first-degree murder and carrying a concealed weapon, and remained behind bars without bond Tuesday, jail records showed. Attorney information wasn't available.
To deal with a surge of migrating Central American families, the Trump administration has reassigned so many inspectors from U.S.-Mexico border crossings that truckers are waiting in line for hours and sometimes days to get shipments to the United States.

Truckers have been sleeping in their vehicles to hold spots in line in Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas. The city brought in portable toilets, and an engine oil company hired models in skin-tight clothing to hand out burritos and bottled water to idled drivers.

My family doesnt recognize me at home anymore, Jaime Monroy, a trucker who lives in Ciudad Juarez, said after sleeping overnight in his cabin with a truck full of wooden furniture. I leave at 3 in the morning and come back at 10 at night.

The waits are a reminder that even though President Donald Trump walked back his threat to close the border, the administration has created significant impediments for truckers, travelers and shoppers with its redeployment of customs agents.

Business leaders are starting to lose patience as they struggle to get products to American grocery stores, manufacturers and construction sites.

This is a systemwide issue, said Paola Avila, chairwoman of the Border Trade Alliance, a group that advocates for cross-border commerce. All along the 2,000-mile border, wait times have increased. Theres no point in redirecting commerce elsewhere. Theres no solution. Everyones feeling this.

The traffic congestion comes as a growing number of families from Central America have been arriving at the border in recent months, overwhelming the federal government.

So far, the administration has reassigned 541 border inspectors to other jobs, including processing migrants, providing transportation and performing hospital watch for migrants who require medical attention. It is unknown when they will return to their regular duties.

Border inspectors, who are trained to screen people and cargo for smuggling, are now serving as aides to Border Patrol agents, learning data entry for asylum-seeker paperwork and shuttling migrants to hospitals, shelters and transportation hubs.

Border Patrol agents, who guard areas between ports, are also doing jobs they were not trained to do, such as medical screenings for children and families in the migrant holding camps.

In El Paso, authorities have closed one bridge to truckers, directing them to two other nearby crossings. At San Diegos only truck crossing, two of 10 lanes are closed.

In Nogales, Arizona, the government on Sundays is closing a commercial facility that is crucial to cross-border trade. Up to 12,000 commercial trucks cross the border in Nogales every day, often bringing watermelons, eggplants, berries and grapes.

Wait times have doubled at the Santa Teresa, New Mexico, port of entry.

What were seeing is a lot of companies making their drivers sleep in their trucks to keep their place in line for the next day, said Jerry Pacheco, president of the Border Industrial Association and executive director of the International Business Accelerator.

In recent years, the rural outpost has become a boomtown of warehouses and industrial parks that funnel raw materials and products back and forth across the border.

Here we are growing companies and growing jobs and everything is great. We added another industrial park with job prospects in tow and then all this happens, Pacheco said of the latest expansion.

The agencys commissioner, Kevin McAleenan, who was named acting Homeland Security secretary on Sunday, warned of traffic delays when he announced last month in El Paso that inspectors from across the border would be reassigned. Authorities raised the possibility that as many as 2,000 inspectors could be pulled from ports of entry.

A Customs and Border Protection mobile app suggested the bottlenecks may have eased by Tuesday. The wait time for truckers was estimated at three hours in San Diego, 2 hours in El Paso and two hours in Laredo. Still, truckers said wait times have lengthened considerably since authorities announced the reassignments.

This all started about two weeks ago with Trump, said driver Arturo Menendez, 44, who first entered the line at 4 a.m. Friday with his tractor-trailer full of cardboard used in boxes for U.S.-made products like Toro lawn mowers.

At 6 p.m. he was told to leave ahead of the unprecedented closure of all lanes at the Bridge of the Americas on Saturday.

He tried again Monday, waiting in a line behind of hundreds of trucks passing through three security checks back at the Bridge of the Americas.

Avila, who is also the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerces vice president for international affairs, said the delays could encourage more companies to move to Asia, hurting both American and Mexican jobs.

Now were discouraging overseas production, she said. Were cutting out the American manufacturer or the Mexican manufacturer that employs U.S. workers.

Associated Press writers Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Astrid Galvan in Phoenix and Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this report.
David Escobar Fuentes fled El Salvador because gangs were extorting his ranching family, while Bryon Melgar Menjivar wanted to escape the pressure to join a gang that started when he was 15. Sandra Monroy headed north for a good job.

They told California Gov. Gavin Newsom their stories Monday, the second day of his visit to El Salvador. He met them at the country's only processing center for migrants who are deported from Mexico or the United States.

It was his first opportunity to interact directly with people who have left the small Central American country because of poverty and violence. Later, he traveled to the small mountain town of Panchimalco to watch song and dance performances rooted in the mountain village's indigenous history. He then attended a stark conversation on human rights abuses against women and LGBT people.

California has more Salvadorans than any other state, and Newsom is in the country to learn more about why thousands are fleeing for the U.S. About 3,000 unaccompanied Salvadoran children and 12,000 family members have entered the United States since October, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.

Fuentes and Monroy, his aunt, left for the U.S. in a caravan last October.

"We were so excited because we were going to go to the United States  the wish all Salvadorans have," Monroy said.

But they never made it. Authorities in Mexico stopped them, held them for three days and then bused them back to El Salvador. They did not share details about why they were stopped.

Menjivar successfully made it to an aunt's home in Houston several years ago but returned home voluntarily when his mother needed help. He had crossed the border illegally with help from a human smuggler and hopes to return because of the violence at home.

Violence by gangs has made El Salvador one of the most dangerous countries in the world, with 50 homicides for every 100,000 people. By contrast, the U.S. rate is about five per 100,000.

"I never leave my house because it's so insecure outside," said Menjivar, who is 18.

The three met with Newsom privately after sharing their stories with reporters. The International Organization for Migration chose them to meet with the governor.

Fuentes, 26, said his family used to own a farm with cattle and goats but was forced to sell many of them off as gangs demanded much of their profits.

"Here, the struggle is day by day, you have to survive one day for the other," he said of El Salvador.

President Donald Trump, who is shaking up his immigration leadership over frustration with a growing number of migrants at the southern border, has accused gang members of posing as migrants to enter the U.S. and bring violence.

Monroy said some people in the caravans may be affiliated with gangs but most are trying to escape violence.

Most Salvadorans at the reintegration center are sent back from Mexico, arriving on buses, said Salvador Gutierrez, deputy chief of mission for the International Organization for Migration. The U.S. also deports about three planes of up to 130 migrants per week, he said.

Newsom was driven out of the city and up winding hills to Panchimalco, passing through rows of colorful but rundown houses, many made partly or entirely of metal.

The village of about 35,000 is known for its robust cultural traditions and is home to one of the country's oldest churches. Gang activity is high on the outskirts of the town, and the village's vibrancy and violence were both on display as children performed in colorful clothes and played in a school yard while police held large guns in the streets.

Newsom, alongside his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom, watched young boys play flutes and couples dance in traditional clothing, including bright pink and red head scarves. The cultural center where the performances took place aims to teach children traditional crafting to help them build job skills, as many women make small amounts of money by sewing.

Katherine Vasquez, a 17-year-old who performed in one of the dance groups, said that while violence surrounds Panchimalco she likes living there because of its cultural traditions.

"I think he can help us to create new programs," Vasquez said of Newsom. "It's good he's visiting our village because he has an idea about the things that we can do."

During the following round table on human rights, Panchimalco Mayor Mario Melendez said women have few opportunities in El Salvador but the U.S. can help by investing in women and helping them become entrepreneurs.

"Men are usually the ones that take the money home, and if they take the money home, they have the power, so women feel threatened in their human rights," he said.

Newsom said the day's conversations will allow him to present a further picture of El Salvador's challenges when he returns home. Earlier Monday, he met privately with President Salvador Sanchez Ceren and U.S. Ambassador Jean Manes. He shared limited details about the conversations, but said he's heard resounding disagreement to Trump's moves to cut foreign aid to El Salvador and other Central American nations.

"Not one person that I've talked to says that it will do anything except make the migrant issues worse for the United States," he said.
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen has resigned amid President Donald Trump's growing frustration and bitterness over the number of Central American families crossing the southern border.

Trump announced on Sunday in a tweet that U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan would be taking over as acting head of the department. McAleenan is a longtime border official who is well-respected by members of Congress and within the administration. The decision to name a top immigration officer to the post reflects Trump's priority for the sprawling department founded to combat terrorism following the Sept. 11 attacks.

"I have determined that it is the right time for me to step aside," Nielsen wrote in her resignation letter. "I hope that the next secretary will have the support of Congress and the courts in fixing the laws which have impeded our ability to fully secure America's borders and which have contributed to discord in our nation's discourse."

Though Trump aides were eyeing a staff shake-up at Homeland Security and had already withdrawn the nomination for another key immigration post, the development Sunday was unexpected.

Nielsen traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday with Trump to participate in a roundtable with border officers and local law enforcement. There she echoed Trump's comments on the situation at the border, though she ducked out of the room without explanation for some time while Trump spoke. As they toured a section of newly rebuilt barriers, Nielsen was at Trump's side, introducing him to local officials. She returned to Washington afterward on a Coast Guard Gulfstream, as Trump continued on a fundraising trip to California and Nevada.

Nielsen had grown increasingly frustrated by what she saw as a lack of support from other departments and increased meddling by Trump aides on difficult immigration issues, according to three people familiar with details of her resignation. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.

She went into the White House on Sunday to meet with Trump not knowing whether she'd be fired or would resign. She ended up resigning, though she was not forced to do so, they said.

Nielsen is the latest person felled in the Trump administration's unprecedented churn of top staff and Cabinet officials, brought about by the president's mercurial management style, insistence on blind loyalty and rash policy announcements.

Nielsen was also the highest profile female Cabinet member, and her exit leaves DHS along with the Pentagon and the White House staff itself without permanent heads. Patrick Shanahan has held the post of acting defense secretary since the former secretary, Jim Mattis, was pushed out in December over criticism of the president's Syria withdrawal plans. Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney has held his post since January, following John Kelly's resignation last year.

Her resignation lett er lacked any sense of controversy  unlike those of others who have left. She thanked Trump and DHS staff for their hard work.

Her replacement, McAleenan, has helped shape many of the administration's policies to date and is considered highly competent by congressional leaders, the White House and Homeland Security officials. But it's unclear if he can have much more of an effect on the issues at the border. The Trump administration has bumped up against legal restrictions and court rulings that have hamstrung many of its major efforts to remake border security.

Tensions between the White House and Nielsen have persisted almost from the moment she became secretary, after her predecessor, Kelly, became the White House chief of staff in 2017. Nielsen was viewed as resistant to some of the harshest immigration measures supported by the president and his aides, particularly senior adviser Stephen Miller, both on matters around the border and others like protected status for some refugees.

Once Kelly left the White House, Nielsen's days appeared to be numbered. She had expected to be pushed out last November, but her exit never materialized. During the government shutdown over Trump's insistence for funding for a border wall, Nielsen's standing inside the White House even appeared to rise.

But in recent weeks, as a new wave of migration has taxed resources along the border and as Trump sought to regain control of the issue for his 2020 re-election campaign, tensions flared anew.

The final straw came when Trump gave Nielsen no heads-up or opportunity to discuss his decision to pull the nomination of acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Ron Vitiello  a move seen as part of a larger effort by Miller, an immigration hardliner, and his allies at the White House to clean house at the department and bring in more people who share their views, the people said.

Nielsen had wanted to discuss the move with Trump during their visit to the border Friday, but when there was no time, she asked for the meeting Sunday. She walked into it prepared to resign, depending on what she heard. The people described mounting frustrations on both sides, with Trump exasperated at the situation at the border and Nielsen frustrated by White House actions she felt were counterproductive.

Arrests along the southern border have skyrocketed recently. Border agents were on track to have made 100,000 arrests and denials of entry at the southern border in March, over half of which are families with children. A press conference to announce the most recent border numbers  scheduled to be held by McAleenan on Monday  was postponed.

Nielsen dutifully pushed Trump's immigration policies, including funding for his border wall, and defended the administration's practice of separating children from parents. She told a Senate committee that removing children from parents facing criminal charges happens "in the United States every day." But she was also instrumental in ending the policy.

Under Nielsen, migrants seeking asylum are waiting in Mexico as their cases progress. She also moved to abandon longstanding regulations that dictate how long children are allowed to be held in immigration detention, and requested bed space from the U.S. military for some 12,000 people in an effort to detain all families who cross the border. Right now there is space for about 3,000 families, and facilities are at capacity.

She also advocated for strong cybersecurity defense and often said she believed the next major terror attack would occur online  not by planes or bombs. She was tasked with helping states secure elections following Russian interference during the 2018 election.

She led the federal agency since December 2017, and was this administration's third Homeland Security secretary. A protege of Kelly's, he brought her to the White House after Trump named him chief of staff. She earned a reputation as an enforcer working to corral the chaotic West Wing.

Nielsen, 45, previously served as a special assistant to President George W. Bush and worked for the Transportation Security Administration.

She rose through the Trump ranks quickly  joining the transition team after the election to help guide Kelly through the confirmation process. She quickly became a trusted aide to Kelly, and the two worked together to impose order on a dysfunctional White House that lacked clear lines of command.

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said her tenure was "a disaster from the start." The policies she helped create "have been an abysmal failure and have helped create the humanitarian crisis at the border."

His Senate counterpart, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said the government needed "steady, informed and effective leadership in the administration and in Congress to have any hope of fixing our out-of-control border security and immigration problems."

Associated Press writers Jill Colvin and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.
The exposed brick walls at St. Anns Warehouse in Brooklyn, New York, were adorned with warm string lights, Imagine the Future" signs and multicolor neon square panels reminiscent of a '70s disco floor. The performing arts venue located below the Brooklyn Bridge was filled with New York University faculty, alumni and student performers who had gathered to honor some of the institutions best and brightest.

Yet even during an event celebrating her work and influence, This Is Us star Susan Kelechi Watson used her spotlight to educate the audience about the importance of acting and to inspire aspiring actors with her wisdom.

As a member of the "This Is Us" ensemble, Watson has shined the last several years as part of the award-winning cast. But Monday night the spotlight was firmly on her alone. Watson, who stars as Beth Pearson on the NBC hit was honored for her work mentoring upcoming actors, directors and producers at New York Universitys Tisch School of the Arts annual gala Monday night.

The event also honored alum Sharon Chang, who has worked on everything from documentary films to investment projects. Filmmaker Martin Scorsese and Alec and Hilaria Baldwin served as co-chairs. Former Columbia Records president Clive Davis, after whom one of NYU Tischs programs is named, was also in attendance.

After completing her undergraduate studies at Howard University, Watson attended NYU Tischs Graduate Acting Program. Along with performing on NBCs Blacklist and HBOs Divorce, she also mentors incarcerated youth through New York Citys Drama Club an acts as a youth mentor for Epic Theatre Ensembles Epic NEXT program.

On the red carpet, Watson said it was really amazing to be honored by her alma mater. She said she first realized the importance of the recognition after returning to the university when two of her friends were honored.

Even in that moment, I knew how special it was to come back to be honored by a school that gave us so much," Watson said. "The skill set I have now as an actress, so much of those tools came from studying here.

During the gala, as actress Phylicia Rashad, who guest-stars on This Is Us as the mother of Watsons character, ascended the stage to introduce Watson. Rashad first met Watson when she began teaching classes at Howard University for a semester. Rashad said that although Watson was initially quiet and shy, she never failed to ask the important questions.

Sam Hollenshead

She is courageous, she is daring, and she has a really strong commitment to humanity, Rashad said. Shes witty. Shes oh-so-funny. And resourceful.

Rashad also noted that playing Watsons mother was very challenging because of the awe with which she sees Watson.

There is nothing more gratifying to a teacher or one who imagines oneself a teacher than to see the student arise and attain levels of mastery one after the other and she is that.

For Watson, the sense of awe was mutual.

If there was no Clair Huxtable, there'd be no Beth Pearson in the same way, that if there was no Claudette Watson, thered be no Susan Watson, Watson said, referring to her mother who was among the attendees. If you knew the depths of who she is as a person, if you knew what she poured into me throughout my life, you would understand why the characters I play are strong women, why the characters I play are women who can face adversity, challenge and triumph.

Sam Hollenshead

Watson credited her NYU professors with teaching her how to use her upbringing as a first-generation Jamaican-American from Brooklyn and Long Island to tell her characters stories through her perspective, even if her characters background differed from hers. She said she also learned that there is an unstoppable nature to our spirit when it is guided by a calling for truth, a passion for illuminating the human experience.

I say this now because I want to pass this on to people who maybe believe there is no room for them, theres no space for them, Watson added. There is space on this plane, this planet, as long as youre living, breathing for you to be you're unique, individual self, to take every part of who you are and put it into a character and perspective to illuminate the human condition.

On the red carpet, Watson noted that she wants her This Is Us character and the relationship her character is part of on the show to be mirrors for people going through similar situations.

Im hoping that I embody the things that NYU stands for, which is a truth and honesty and a fervent belief in your individuality and that your specificity is important to the world, Watson said during her gala speech. "Like the icon that represents NYU, that torch, I now pass it on to the next generation.
What to Know 123 people were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during a month-long sweep across New Jersey that spanned 14 counties

Federal authorities say the sweep targeted people with prior convictions or outstanding driving under the influence charges

According to ICE, 90 percent of the arrested had prior criminal convictions and/or pending criminal charges

More than 100 people were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during a month-long sweep across New Jersey that spanned 14 counties.

Federal authorities say the sweep targeted people with prior arrests, convictions or outstanding driving under the influence charges, although some had other previous arrests or convictions. They say 123 people were taken into custody overall.

According to ICE, 90 percent of the arrested had prior criminal convictions and/or pending criminal charges.

Those arrested range in age from 19 to 56 and include 41 nationals of Mexico, 24 from Guatemala, 16 from Ecuador, 14 from Honduras, six from Peru, three from Brazil, three from Costa Rica, two from Poland, two from Spain, one from Trinidad and one from the Dominican Republic, according to ICE.

Those charged included a 30-year-old Mexican national with convictions for DUI and indecent assault of a minor, as well as a 38-year-old previously deported Guatemalan national who has convictions for aggravated assault and weapons possession.

The arrests took place in Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Cumberland, Essex, Hudson, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset and Union counties. Additionally, one individual was arrested in Pennsylvania, according to ICE.

Customs and Border Protection staffers assisted ICE's Homeland Security Investigations team during the sweep announced Monday.
What to Know Two bodies found after a car crash may be those of the missing New York couple who vanished on vacation in the Caribbean, police say

Orlando Moore and his girlfriend, Portia Ravenelle, were supposed to return home March 27, but officials said they never made their flight

Police say the Mount Vernon couple checked out of their hotel in Samana, but there has been no sign of them or their rental car since

Police in the Dominican Republic say the bodies of two unidentified people who died after a car crash may be those of the missing New York couple who vanished during a romantic vacation in the Caribbean.

Orlando Moore and Portia Ravenelle flew out of Newark Liberty International Airport on March 23 for a getaway in the Dominican Republic. They were supposed to return home to Mount Vernon on March 27.

At a Spanish-language press conference Tuesday, police in the Dominican Republic said a woman was found unconscious on the side of a road that same day. She was placed in intensive care at the hospital and died on April 4, according to police.

A man's body, meanwhile, was found in the ocean on March 31, according to police. A car was found in the water on Tuesday, but authorities haven't been able to retrieve it due to current conditions.

Police believe the bodies are those of Moore and Ravenelle.

The U.S. Department of State on Tuesday said it was working closely with local authorities in the Dominican Republic on investigative efforts.



No new information in their disappearance had been released by early Tuesday, adding fuel to the anxiety and fear overwhelming their close family and friends.

Fourteen days later, their family hasn't heard from them. Their phones are off. And their car is still parked at the airport.



Moore's sister, Lashay Turner, said her first move was to reach out to the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic. Then she filed a police report.

Cops say the pair checked out of their hotel in Samana, but what happened to them next remains a mystery at this point. Officials say they didn't make the flight back to Newark, and there's no record of them getting back to the U.S.



U.S. Customs and Border Protection declined comment, saying privacy concerns preclude them from discussing individual cases of international travelers.



Turner said her brother and Ravenelle had a rental car in the Dominican Republic, but that vehicle is missing. A picture believed to be the latest of them posted to social media before they vanished shows them riding horses together on their trip.

Weve been calling DR and they said they didnt make their flight, Turner said. We also spoke to someone in U.S. Customs and they said my brother did not make his flight back here.

Turner says her brother has a daughter -- and he's not the type to "just run off on a hiatus ... he's gonna let someone know where he is."



"I'm scared. I don't know what's going on," she added. "I'm saddened, my family is saddened by this and we just want me brother to return safe and alive."



Authorities aren't speculating about what may have happened to the couple, but relatives are growing increasingly concerned.

"When these things happen, you always think of the worst, but we are hoping for the best," Edith Walters, Moore's grandmother, said.
What to Know A New Jersey high school principal known for his endlessly positive attitude has died

The principal, Derrick Nelson, passed away on Sunday.

The student newspaper reported he donated bone marrow to a 14-year-old boy in France just months ago

A New Jersey high school principal known for his endlessly positive attitude has died  just months after he reportedly donated bone marrow to save a teenage boys life.

Westfield High School Principal Derrick Nelson passed away on Sunday, Westfield Public Schools Superintendent Margaret Dolan said in a letter sent out to parents on Monday.

The school, citing respect for the familys privacy, did not disclose the principal's cause of death.

It is with profound sadness and great difficulty that I announce Westfield High School principal Dr. Derrick Nelson died last night, Dolan wrote. Dr. Nelson touched us all with his kindness, compassion, integrity, and endlessly positive attitude.

We hold him and his family in our hearts as we grieve this loss together and I know you join me in granting his family the privacy they have requested, she added.

An article published in the schools student newspaper in February said Nelson underwent a procedure to donate bone marrow to a 14-year-old boy in France after a donor program contacted him saying he might be a match.

Current and former students said Nelson was known for his tough love.

[He was] always present, with all the students, and very welcoming with all the parents, parent Allison Earnst said.

When I was walking across the stage graduating and getting my diploma, he just gave me a big hug, a recent graduate recalled. He just really cares about his students and seeing them succeed.

The school will be offering counseling for its students starting Tuesday morning, Dolan said.
What to Know A veteran FDNYer and married father of three was killed in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan while serving as a U.S. Marine, officials say

Two other service members died in the bombing along with Christopher Slutman; the Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack

The mayor ordered flags across the city lowered to half-staff in his honor

A veteran New York City firefighter and married father of three was killed in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan, where he was serving his country as a U.S. Marine, the head of the FDNY and Mayor de Blasio announced Tuesday.

Christopher Slutman, 43, was one of the three Americans killed in Monday's bombing near the main American base north of Kabul, an attack for which the Taliban has claimed responsibility, the Department of Defense said Tuesday evening.

Slutman was a 15-year FDNY veteran who was an "American hero, a New York hero," Mayor Bill de Blasio said. Slutman, who worked with Ladders 27 and 17 in the Bronx, is survived by his wife and three young daughters.

A second New Yorker, 25 year-old Robert Hendriks of Locust Valley also died in the attack. Benjamin Hines, 31, of York, Pennsylvania, was the third victim, the Department of Defense said.

Slutman was honored with the Fire Chiefs Association Memorial Medal after saving a woman from a fire in July 2013. He and a colleague, Lt. Gregory Macagnone, had to crawl on the floor, past the flames, to reach the unconscious woman in a back bedroom. Slutman and Macagnone dragged the woman out of the apartment and into a public hallway, handing her over to EMS on a sixth-floor elevator so that she could be taken to a hospital, her life saved.

De Blasio said he was the one who presented Slutman the medal and, reflecting on that moment Tuesday, called it "an example of the measure of this man."



The mayor ordered flags across the city lowered to half-staff in his honor. Firefighters at his company in the Bronx were earlier seen lowering the flag outside their engine-house Tuesday.



Slutman was appointed to the FDNY on Sept. 14, 2003. A Marine for eight years, he remained a sergeant in the Marine Reserves and also was a member of the Emerald Society. Slutman lived in Yonkers with his wife and daughters at the time of the 2013 blaze; it appears they most recently lived in Wilmington, Delaware, and that Slutman commuted to New York when he had to work.



"Firefighter Slutman bravely wore two uniforms and committed his life to public service both as a New York City Firefighter and as a member of the United States Marine Corps, FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said. "The hearts and prayers of the entire Department are with his loved ones and with the families of his fellow service members who lost their lives in service to our nation."



Slutman becomes the 1,152nd FDNY member to die in the line of duty. He's the fourth FDNY member to die while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan since the start of the military action in those countries in 2003. Currently, 73 FDNY personnel are on extended military orders in the U.S. Armed Forces, serving around the world -- and 1,425 members of the department are reservists or veterans.



Funeral arrangements for him are pending.



Slutman also had a storied volunteer career, serving with The Kentland Volunteer Fire Department in Maryland.

"During his 19-year career he rose through the ranks to become a Wagon Driver, Captain, but most of all  he was a fireman," the Kentland department wrote in a Facebook post. "Through this trying time, we will remember Chris for the father, husband, brother, son, and friend that he was, the moral character he displayed daily, and the courage and conviction to serve his fellow Americans, both at home and abroad."

In their claim of responsibility, the Taliban said they launched the attack and that one of their suicide bombers detonated his explosives-laden vehicle near the NATO base. The conflicting accounts could not be immediately reconciled.

Monday's U.S. fatalities bring to seven the number of U.S. soldiers killed so far this year in Afghanistan, underscoring the difficulties in bringing peace to the war-wrecked country even as Washington has stepped up efforts to find a way to end the 17-year war, America's longest.

There are about 14,000 U.S. forces in Afghanistan, supporting embattled Afghan forces as they struggle on two fronts  facing a resurgent Taliban who now hold sway over almost half the country and also the Islamic State affiliate, which has sought to expand its footprint in Afghanistan even as its self-proclaimed "caliphate" has crumbled in Syria and Iraq.

Last year, 13 U.S. service members were killed in Afghanistan.



We feel and mourn the loss of these Americans with their families and loved ones. They volunteered to protect their country. We will continue our mission, said Gen. Scott Miller, Commanding General of Resolute Support and United States Forces  Afghanistan.
An old Vietnam War era mortar explosive was discovered in a central New Jersey home, according to police.

Freehold Township police say the caller told them that he had inherited the home on Pittenger Pond Road from his father, a Vietnam War veteran, and was in the process of cleaning the home when he made the discovery.

The man, Jerry Wojchiehowski, found the 81 mm mortar and called authorities shortly before noon Tuesday, according to the police chief.

"It looks exactly like it would, like a small torpedo, with about six fins on the back side," Wojchiehowski told News 4.

New Jersey State Police and the Fort Dix Explosive Ordinance Device Unit also responded to the home in order to remove the explosive.

Wojchiehowski's father was given the mortar by a friend, he said. Wojchiehowski forgot his father had told him about it until he made the surprising discovery.

The mortar was taken to Fort Dix for detonation.
What to Know Ralph Freeman and his 8-year-old son James died after a fire started at the building where they lived in Chester.

Freeman's 4-year-old son Jeremiah was rescued but is in critical condition.

Loved ones paid tribute to the father and son Monday.

Loved ones are mourning a father and son who died over the weekend after their Delaware County home caught fire.

The fire started inside a building near the intersection of W. 2nd Street and Concord Avenue in Chester Sunday morning. Ralph Freeman lived on the second floor with his 8-year-old son James and his 4-year-old son Jeremiah.

When firefighters arrived at the building, they saw smoke coming out of the second floor and tried to rush in, but had a tough time entering because there was a lot of debris on the first floor blocking their path, Chester Fire Department Commissioner William Rigby said.

Firefighters eventually got inside and pulled the two boys out. The brothers were taken to the hospital where James died.

Firefighters later found Ralph Freeman's body at the other end of the building, Rigby said.

Freeman was a loving father who even made a makeshift backyard so his sons would have somewhere to play, said Khalif Ahissamaden, who told NBC10 he lived on the other side of the building for a period of time.

"He told me he was moving. I wish he did, just for the sake of the kids. I wish he did," Ahissamaden said.

A family member told NBC10 Freeman bought the building about a year ago. The first floor was vacant commercial space at the time of the fire but Freeman and his family were living upstairs.

One neighbor said he previously warned Freeman about the dangerous living conditions.

"He had the doors barricaded which I knew about that," Richard Pedrick said. "But he just never listened to me or nobody really."

Loved ones gathered at the scene of the fire Monday night to honor the father and son, leaving stuffed animals, photos and sharing a video from last thanksgiving of the family.

As the family continues to mourn, they are praying that Jeremiah makes a full recovery. The boy remains in critical condition at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia after suffering from smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning.

"He is recovering," the boy's grandmother, Michelle Cooper, told NBC10. "But there's a long road to recovery."

Cooper said the prognosis gave her hope.

"He's a special kid," she said. "To know him is to love him. He's just a little bundle of joy."

Family members told NBC10 the boy endured his last hyperbaric chamber treatment Monday and will remain sedated overnight.

"Poor baby, you're going to make it," Jeremiah's aunt, Piseitta Arrington, said. "God got you. He got you. You're going to make it."
What to Know Pa. officials have revoked licenses for Glen Mills Schools, the nation's oldest reform school, amid multiple child abuse probes.

DHS says that all 14 licenses issued to Glen Mills Schools were revoked "following documented instances of abuse against former students..."

Glen Mills last week announced layoffs of about 250 staff members following the state's order that remaining students be removed.

Citing "cruel and unusual punishment," former students at the oldest reform school in the country are suing the school and Pennsylvania officials for at least $10 million.

The suit against Glen Mills Schools alleges that youth housed at its Pennsylvania campus were "subjected to extreme and sustained physical and psychological abuse" and were denied and education. It names Pennsylvania Department of Public Health officials, including Secretary Teresa Miller, and members of the Pennsylvania Department of Education as defendants.

"Children languished in a limited, self-directed, online credit recovery program without the support of teachers or instruction," said Juvenile Law Center Chief Legal Officer Marsha Levick. The Juvenile Law Center. Education Law Center, and Dechert LLP are representing the four plaintifs.

The abuse disproportionately affected black youth and students with special needs, according to the suit.

The lawsuit comes three days after the Department of Human Services announced that all 14 licenses issued to Glen Mills Schools were revoked "following documented instances of abuse against former students of the residential school." The department also cited "gross incompetence, negligence and misconduct in operating the facility."

"Institutions charged with caring for children have a responsibility to keep them safe. The Glen Mills Schools failed in this duty," DHS Secretary Teresa Miller said. "We now know that children living at Glen Mills were subjected to abuse and intimidation."

"My department is taking this action so no more children will be subjected to the culture of abuse, coercion, and silence that ran deep at the school, and so staff responsible may be held accountable," Miller said.

A school spokeswoman said the institution remains open and that it will appeal the state's decision to revoke the licenses.

"No credible evidence supports the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services' actions and their recent inspections confirm this. The issues PA DHS inspectors discovered were trivial and they found no signs of long standing physical abuse, per their own documentation," a written statement read in part.

Glen Mills last week announced layoffs of about 250 staff members following the state's order that remaining students be removed from the Delaware County campus about 25 miles west of Philadelphia.

An investigation by The Philadelphia Inquirer earlier this year detailed decades of alleged abuse and cover-ups.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner asked a judge to recuse himself from criminal cases, citing a discrimination complaint by his domestic partner, a former assistant district attorney who left Krasner's office in February.

In the filing, Krasner contended that "a reasonable person" would question Judge Scott DiClaudio's impartiality in cases involving prosecutors.

Ex-assistant district attorney Catherine Smith was fired Feb. 8 and has filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission alleging that she was discriminated against because she is white.

More than 30 assistant district attorneys were fired when Krasner took office in 2018.

DiClaudio, who canceled his entire 39-case docket Tuesday, said the motion would upend thousands of cases. A courts spokesperson said DiClaudio typically hears between 40 and 80 cases per day.

Speaking in court, DiClaudio said that such complaints are supposed to be private and suggested that making it public showed "vindictiveness."

A prosecutor's office official accused him of "expressing hostility toward the commonwealth."
What to Know Rudy Najera-Arita is accused of two luring attempts of children and related offenses in Upper Darby.

Najera-Arita tried to lure two different girls within a 20-minute span Sunday, police say. He also allegedly exposed himself, police say.

A 25-year-old man who Upper Darby police say exposed himself and tried to lure two teenage girls while inside a car is now charged.

Police charged Upper Darby resident Rudy Najera-Arita with two luring attempts of children and related offenses.

Rudy Najera-Arita, 25, from Upper Darby has been charged with 2 luring attempts of children and related offenses. pic.twitter.com/6k27HKN9Dn  Upper Darby Police (@UDPolice) April 9, 2019

Earlier Tuesday morning, police tweeted that they made an arrest. "We thought everyone would want to know before the school day begins," police said. "This person has been removed from the streets."

Police say Najera-Arita tried to lure two different girls within a 20-minute span Sunday afternoon on Long Lane. During one of the incidents, he also exposed himself, investigators said Sunday. Police are also working to see if he could be connected to similar cases in nearby towns.

Police said the suspect was driving a 2016 Toyota Corolla.

It is unclear if Najera-Arita has an attorney who could comment on his behalf. Family members said they don't believe he is the suspect and said the car doesn't look like his vehicle.

Najera-Arita, who works in construction, is from Hondurus and in the country illegally. He could face possible deportation.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines)  People say, "there's no business like show business." The same could also hold true in Philippine politics.

The country's election season won't be complete without the presence of local celebrities endorsing certain candidates or as candidates themselves running for local or national posts.

Some say celebrities enjoy undue advantage when they join the political fray. This is because of the high recall and awareness they enjoy prior to their candidacy as a result of being seen regularly in noontime programs, teleseryes, movies, commercials or celebrity events.

In the upcoming midterm elections, at least 30 TV personalities are joining the race. They are vying for positions ranging from senator to congressman, mayoral and gubernatorial posts, to party-list representatives.

'Star Power:' Good or bad in PH politics?

The mix of showbiz and politics does not guarantee a sure victory for any candidate. Although familiarity and recall are an advantage, UP Political Analyst Jean Franco believes that other factors come into play before celebrities actually get enough votes to elected.

"There have been celebrity politicians who lost and there have been celebrity politicians who won elections. The problem is these candidates have to be humble enough that they don't know enough. So these celebrity politicians have to get good people because they have to work harder to prove themselves," Franco explained.

Critics doubt celebrities in the political arena bring any significant good to the country. But the political analyst said there have been celebrity politicians instrumental in bringing positive change to their constituents' situations.

Franco added one impression is that celebrities are "wallflower candidates" and are unable to contribute much to public discourse.

"The disadvantage is the stigma that is attached to celebrity politicians is that they don't know enough and that they are going to be members of committees on silence," he said.

Franco also said while celebrities enjoy recall and while public speaking is like second skin to them, there are times when a celebrity candidate's "bloopers" are highlighted, creating a damper to the celebrity's chances of being voted.

"It's quite natural for them because essentially when you're in politics you also perform in front of audience not only during the campaign season but also when they're occupying political positions as they take on issues," Franco explained.

Celebrities in the political limelight

Former Senators Bong Revilla Jr. and Jinggoy Estrada are both seeking a Senate comeback after being detained and involved in the multi-billion pork barrel scam. The two actors-turned-lawmakers repeatedly told the public they are innocent and they did not do anything wrong in the multi-billion scandal. Yet, according to the latest Pulse Asia Survey, Revilla and Estrada would make it to the senators' Magic 12 circle if the midterm elections were held today.

Survey frontrunner and Ang Probinsyano star Lito Lapid is also seeking a Senate seat. Lapid served as a senator in 2004 and was re-elected in 2010. The action star had filed 239 bills in the 15th Congress. His landmark law, the "Lapid Law" or the Legal Assistance Act of 2008, gives free legal assistance to poor Filipinos.

Star for all Seasons Vilma Santos-Recto served as Lipa, Batangas Mayor and later on won as the province's Governor. Yet being the 5th District Representative of Batangas is totally a new role for Ate Vi.

Santos-Recto said education remains to be her priority as lawmaker. She is one of the authors of the Anti-Discrimination Bill or SOGIE Equality Bill, the Expanded Maternity Leave bill and the Expanded Senior Citizen Bill.

The Star for All Seasons also gained attention when she voted "no" against the reimposition of the Death Penalty in 2017. Santos-Recto lost her committee chairmanships after her controversial vote.

"If you believe na talagang ito ang paniniwala mo at sa tingin mo, ito ang dapat mong gawin, paninindigan iyon. But that doesn't mean I'm fighting the government. Hindi ako nandito para kalabanin ang gobyerno," Santos-Recto explained in an interview with CNN Philippines.

[Translation: If you believe in this and you think this is what you're supposed to do, that is principle. But that doesn't I'm fighting the government. I'm not here to fight government.]

From one of the most sought-after actors and leading men during his time, Alfred Vargas turned his back from show business to run as Quezon City Councilor in 2010. He lost on his first try, but he won in 2013 as Congressman. He was unopposed in the 2016 national elections.

Vargas admits that the shift from showbiz to politics was not easy.

"Kasi madali naman buhay ng artista eh -- I mean, compared dito, kasi napakadali. Aralin mo lang script mo, mag-workshop ka, mag-perform ka okay ka na. Pero dito everyday talaga kailangan mo tumulong to solve the problems of the people," he said.

[Translation: Because the life of an actor is easy, I mean compared to this since it's easier. You study your script, you do a workshop, you perform, and you're good. But here, you have to ensure you help solve the problems of the people every day.]

As House Vice Chairman for Appropriations and one of the main authors of landmark laws like the one creating a Cancer Control Program in the country, Vargas says he needs to continually expand his knowledge on important political courses in order to keep up.

"Courses like urban governance, urban resilience, disaster risk reduction tapos equality -- dapat alam mo lahat 'yan [You should know all these things.] I also took classes in finance kasi part ako ng [since I am part of] appropriations committee," Vargas added.

Stars will not always shine bright for our favorite actors or actresses deciding to enter the challenging world of politics, but their performance as elected officials will be determined not through blockbuster success or awards but how they were able to improve the lives of their constituents and the people they choose to serve.
A central Illinois mobile home fire that neighbors called an "inferno" left three young children and two adults dead, authorities said.

The victims of the late Saturday blaze were identified as Ariel Wall, 1; Rose Alwood and Damien Wall, both 2; Jason Wall, 34; and Kathryn Murray, 69, Woodford County Coroner Tim Ruestman said Sunday.



He pronounced them dead at 11:55 p.m. Saturday in a mobile home park in the village of Goodfield, about 20 miles southeast of Peoria. Two other people were treated and released at a Peoria hospital.

Neighbor AnnaMarie Siebert described the fire as an "inferno" and "fireball."

"It was absolutely heart-wrenching, because you could hear the screams, and then, you didn't hear all the screams anymore," she said.

All seven victims were relatives and autopsies done Sunday in Bloomington found the five deaths were fire-related, Ruestman said.

The cause of the fire hasn't been determined. State and local authorities are investigating.

Melted vinyl siding hung from the trailer and insulation and other debris littered the lawn Sunday at Timberline Mobile Home Park. The mobile home had a gaping hole in the roof and its remains were boarded with plywood and covered with blue tarpaulins.

Park manager Shawn Johnson said a tenant alerted him about the fire and he arrived shortly before emergency crews.

"The heat was just overwhelming," he said. "There was nothing you could do at that point."
A federal magistrate has ordered a 23-year-old man charged with lying to federal agents about being a missing child from Illinois continue to be held without bond.

U.S. Magistrate Karen Litkovitz said Tuesday she considers Brian Michael Rini, of Medina, Ohio, a flight risk because of a long criminal history, mental health issues and lack of a permanent address.



She scheduled a preliminary hearing for April 19.

Rini was charged last week after DNA tests ruled him out from being Timmothy Pitzen. The Aurora, Illinois, child disappeared in 2011 at age 6.

Police picked up Rini on Wednesday morning after a report of someone wandering the streets of Newport, Kentucky. They said he told them that he was Timmothy and that he had escaped two kidnappers after years of sexual abuse.

Police took him to Cincinnati Children's Hospital for treatment and testing. Federal authorities have said they were skeptical, especially after he refused to be fingerprinted, but didn't want to miss a chance to possibly solve the Pitzen disappearance.

The FBI said DNA testing ruled him out as Timmothy and established his identity as a convicted felon who twice before claimed to be a juvenile sex trafficking victim.

Timmothy vanished around the time of his mother's suicide. She left a note saying that her son was safe with people who would love and care for him, and added: "You will never find him."
What to Know A couple from New York has been missing for nearly two weeks after they vanished while on a vacation in the Dominican Republic

Orlando Moore and his girlfriend, Portia Ravenelle, were supposed to return home March 27, but officials said they never made their flight

Police say the Mount Vernon couple checked out of their hotel in Samana, but there has been no sign of them or their rental car since

UPDATE: NY Couple Missing in Caribbean Likely Died on Way to Airport



A frantic search is underway for a New York couple who took a vacation to the Caribbean, and suddenly vanished, with no sign of them for nearly two weeks.

Orlando Moore and his girlfriend, Portia Ravenelle, flew out of Newark Liberty International Airport on March 23 for a getaway in the Dominican Republic. They were supposed to return home to Mount Vernon on March 27.



Thirteen days later, their family hasn't heard from them. Their phones are off. And their car is still parked at the airport.



Moore's sister, Lashay Turner, said her first move was to reach out to the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic. Then she filed a police report.

Cops say the pair checked out of their hotel in Samana, but what happened to them next remains a mystery at this point. Officials say they didn't make the flight back to Newark, and there's no record of them getting back to the U.S.



U.S. Customs and Border Protection declined comment, saying privacy concerns preclude them from discussing individual cases of international travelers.



The U.S. Department of State said it was aware of the case and working with local authorities searching for the pair, but could not comment further.



"When a U.S. citizen is missing, we work closely with local authorities as they carry out their search efforts and share information with families however we can," a U.S. Department of State official said in a statement. "The welfare and safety of U.S. citizens abroad is one of the highest priorities of the Department of State. We stand ready to provide appropriate assistance to U.S. citizens in need and to their families."



Turner said her brother and Ravenelle had a rental car in the Dominican Republic, but that vehicle is missing. A picture believed to be the latest of them posted to social media before they vanished shows them riding horses together on their trip.

Weve been calling DR and they said they didnt make their flight, Turner said. We also spoke to someone in U.S. Customs and they said my brother did not make his flight back here.

Turner says her brother has a daughter -- and he's not the type to "just run off on a hiatus ... he's gonna let someone know where he is."



"I'm scared. I don't know what's going on," she added. "I'm saddened, my family is saddened by this and we just want me brother to return safe and alive."



Authorities aren't speculating about what may have happened to the couple, but relatives are growing increasingly concerned.

"When these things happen, you always think of the worst, but we are hoping for the best," Edith Walters, Moore's grandmother, said.
A man described by federal officials as a prolific Bitcoin dealer was sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to forfeit nearly $1 million in gains from unlicensed money transmitting.

Jacob Burrell Campos, a 22-year-old U.S. citizen who was living in Rosarito, Mexico, was arrested August 13 at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry.

He pleaded guilty in late October to operating a Bitcoin exchange without registering with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), and to failing to implement required anti-money laundering safeguards, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Burrell was also ordered to forfeit $823,357 in illicit profits.

The plea agreement states Burrell accepted cash either in person or via MoneyGram then deposit the cash into an account in the name of Bitfinex, a crypto-currency exchange in Hong Kong.

Through the exchange, he purchased $3.29 million in bitcoin in hundreds of separate transactions between March 2015 and April 2017.

Before using the Hong Kong exchange, Burrell used a regulated U.S. exchange but had his account closed because of too many suspicious transactions.

In order to operate legally as a Bitcoin exchanger, Burrell should have registered with the Department of Treasury and followed the anti-money laundering protocol, Ciaffa said. This includes reporting any suspicious cash transactions to the government. Bureel admitted that he never investigated the source of his customers' money, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency in which assets exist only in a digital form and are unregulated. Funds are moved between people instead of through financial institutions. An investor may hold bitcoin in a digital wallet which is vulnerable to hackers.

Federal prosecutors allege Burrell brought over $1 million in unregulated cash into the U.S. banking system.

Burrell most recently lived in of Rosarito, Baja California, Mexico but had bank accounts in the United States.

Burrell was not the first Bitcoin dealer to be indicted in San Diego. Last February, Morgan Rockcoons, 30, of Las Vegas was accused of accepting $14,500 from an undercover officer in exchange for $9,200 worth of bitcoin in a bid to conceal profits from the illegal sale of hash oil.
What to Know Evidence in over 100K sexual assault cases around country has been sent for DNA testing with money from a NY prosecutor and feds

The tested rape kits have spurred over 1,000 arrests and hundreds of convictions in three years, officials say

It's estimated that another 155K or more sex assault evidence kits still await testing

Languishing evidence in over 100,000 sexual assault cases around the country has been sent for DNA testing with money from a New York prosecutor and federal authorities, spurring over 1,000 arrests and hundreds of convictions in three years, officials say.

It's estimated that another 155,000 or more sex assault evidence kits still await testing, and thousands of results have yet to be linked to suspects. Many who have been identified can't be prosecuted because of legal time limits and other factors.

Still, the effort is a start at correcting "an absolute travesty of justice," Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. said Tuesday while releasing results of his $38 million investment in testing  all outside his own turf.

"That backlog not only undermined justice and the perception, and reality, of equality  it also made every woman and every American less safe," he said.

Law enforcement and lawmakers have faced growing calls in recent years to eliminate what's known as the rape kit backlog  swabs and samples collected in sex assault cases but never tested for DNA. Victims' advocates see the untested kits as signs that sexual assaults weren't taken seriously enough.

Vance, who took office after New York City cleared its own testing backlog, and the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance have worked in tandem since 2015 to help other places tackle theirs.

The two agencies have paid to send years-old kits to labs from dozens of states and communities, ranging from Flint, Michigan, to Mobile, Alabama, to Las Vegas.

One of those kits sat untested for 15 years in Tracy Rios' case, though she'd given police the name of the then-friend she accused of luring her into a vacant apartment and sexually assaulting her in 2002 in Tempe, Arizona. Police said they couldn't charge him based on her word, and then she underwent a rape kit exam, but the investigation soon stalled, she said.

"I lost faith in the system. I thought they didn't care," she said Tuesday. A message was left for Tempe police about the case.

Two years ago, she was told her rape kit had finally been tested, with money from the Manhattan DA's office, and police were pursuing her case anew.

"It was amazing to know I was going to get justice," said Rios, whose attacker is now serving a seven-year sentence for sexual assault.

The Associated Press generally does not identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they agree to be identified, as Rios did.

Some cities have mobilized on their own to test years-old rape kits.

But the big grants from Manhattan and Washington "infused this movement with resources," says Ilse Knecht of the Joyful Heart Foundation, a sexual assault victims' advocacy group.

The backlog built up over decades, partly due to the cost of tests that can run $1,000 or more.

But victims' advocates also say many sex assault cases simply got sidelined over the years by police and prosecutors who unduly disbelieved or downplayed victims' allegations.

New York City worked through a 17,000-case backlog between 2000 and 2003. Vance, a Democrat elected in 2009, offered other places money to attack their own backlogs and negotiated discount rates with labs.

His program  financed with $38 million from settlements in banking-related cases  dispatched more than 55,000 rape kits to testing labs. The results have yielded 186 arrests and 64 convictions to date, with more investigations and prosecutions still underway, according to Vance's report.

In Battle Creek, Michigan, arrests included a suspect in the 2013 sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl.

Authorities had his name from the start  he was a family friend  but her rape kit wasn't tested until Vance's grant program helped Michigan wipe out a 3,400-kit backlog.

The woman, now 19, says she was initially angry when authorities told her they were ready to prosecute three years after the assault. She'd gotten on with her life, helped by counseling.

But she ultimately agreed to testify, and her attacker pleaded guilty and was sentenced to up to 30 years in prison.

"I feel proud of myself" for going forward with the case, the woman said Tuesday. And she doesn't feel scared to walk around town anymore.

Another nearly 45,000 rape kits have been sent to labs through the Justice Department program  and it's produced nearly 899 prosecutions and 498 convictions and plea bargains, according to data the agency provided Monday to The Associated Press.

The Justice Department has put $154 million over three years into its sexual assault kit initiative, which includes other things besides testing.

DNA testing isn't a surefire way to close cases. Only some rape kits match any profile in the FBI databank  and sometimes it's just a match to DNA from another crime scene, with no name attached unless the person gets arrested in the future.

Even when DNA matches a known offender, prosecution is sometimes impossible because the legal time clock has run out, the suspect has died or for other reasons.

But authorities and victims' advocates say arrests aren't the only measure of the impact of getting the tests done.

"It means that the criminal justice system cares what happened to you," Knecht said.
Tensions are rising, fingers are pointing and the search for solutions is becoming increasingly fraught.

Overwhelmed by an influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border that is taxing the immigration system, President Donald Trump is grasping for something  anything  to stem the tide.

Trump, who campaigned on a promise to secure the border, has thrown virtually every option his aides have been able to think of at the problem, to little avail. He has sent out the military, signed an emergency declaration to fund a border wall and threatened to completely seal the southern border.

On Thursday he added a new threat, warning of hefty tariffs on cars made in Mexico if the country doesn't abide by his demands.

Now, with the encouragement of an influential aide and with his re-election campaign on the horizon, Trump is looking at personnel changes as he tries to shift blame elsewhere.

The first move was made Thursday, when the White House unexpectedly pulled back the nomination of Ron Vitiello to permanently lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, where he had been acting director. The abrupt reversal was encouraged by top Trump policy adviser Stephen Miller and seen by some as part of a larger effort to bring on aides who share Miller's hard-line immigration views.

"We may go a different way. We may have to go a very tough way," Trump said in an interview with "Fox & Friends Weekend" that aired Saturday.

An empowered Miller is also eyeing the removal of Lee Francis Cissna, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which runs the legal immigration system, according to two people who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss internal staffing matters. The White House did not respond to questions Friday about whether Trump was on board with that plan.

Trump has become increasingly exasperated at his inability to do more to halt the swelling numbers of migrants entering the country. Aides, too, have complained they are stymied by regulatory guardrails, legal limitations and a Congress that has scoffed at the president's requests for legislative changes.

"There is indeed an emergency on our southern border," Trump said Friday during a visit to the southern border in Calexico, California, where his frustration was evident. "It's a colossal surge and it's overwhelming our immigration system, and we can't let that happen. So, as I say, and this is our new statement: The system is full. Can't take you anymore."

He went on to flatly declare: "Our country is full."

Immigration experts say Trump's own immigration policies have caused so much chaos along the border that they may be encouraging illegal crossings. The furor over family separations last summer helped to highlight the fact that families won't be detained for long in the U.S. if they're detained at all. And metering, in which people are asked to return to a busy port of entry on another day to seek asylum, may have encouraged asylum-seekers to cross illegally, said Andrew Selee, president of the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank.

"This policy chaos, coupled with a sense that the U.S. government may at some point really shut down the border, has generated an urgency to migrate now while it is still possible," he said.

Whatever the reasons for the migrant surge, there is a growing consensus that federal border resources are overwhelmed. While illegal border crossings are still down sharply from their peak in 2000, they have nonetheless reached a 12-year high. While most illegal border-crossers used to be single Mexican nationals coming to the U.S. in search of work, more than half are now parents and children who have traveled from Central America to seek refuge in the U.S.

Those families, along with unaccompanied children, are subject to specific laws and court settlements that prevent them from being immediately sent back to their home countries. Immigrant processing and holding centers have been overwhelmed, forcing officials to dramatically expand a practice Trump has long mocked as "catch and release."

Indeed, ICE has set free more than 125,000 people who came into the U.S. as families since late last year and is now busing people hundreds of miles inland, releasing them at Greyhound stations and churches in cities like Albuquerque, San Antonio and Phoenix because towns close to the border already have more than they can handle.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen also has voiced increasing exasperation, equating the situation to the aftermath of a Category 5 hurricane.

"We have tried everything that we can at DHS," she said Thursday on CNN. "We are out of the ability to manage this flow and they need help."

She recently called on Congress to consider changes to the immigration system. But those efforts have so far landed with a thud.

House Democrats would almost certainly reject any plans to simply deport unaccompanied minors or otherwise rewrite the law governing asylum or family detentions that they see as protecting young migrants who are often fleeing difficult conditions. In the Senate, where Republicans have the majority, there's little interest in big legislative proposals this year, especially on a divisive issue like immigration. Trump's ideas could be especially tough for senators facing re-election in 2020 in Colorado, Arizona and North Carolina, swing states with sizable Latino and immigrant populations.

In the meantime, tensions between agencies and at the White House have been bubbling up. At Homeland Security, officials have expressed frustration with colleagues at the Health and Human Services Department and at the Pentagon, accusing them of doing too little to help. And there are complaints about the White House and what some see as an effort by Miller to dismantle the leadership of the department, in part to shift the blame away from the White House.

AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.
U.S. Secret Service Director Randolph "Tex" Alles is leaving the Trump administration, the White House said, amid a shake-up in the upper echelon of the Department of Homeland Security.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump has selected career Secret Service official James Murray to lead the agency, saying he will assume the role next month. She added Alles will be "leaving shortly," though the agency later said he would leave in May.

Alles' departure stems from a personality conflict within the agency, three officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the personnel matter. The officials said it was unrelated to the resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and a recent security breach at the president's private club in Florida.

Still, it comes amid a spate of turnover across DHS that began last week when Trump withdrew his Immigration and Customs Enforcement director's nomination to stay on permanently.

After Nielsen's departure, an empowered Stephen Miller, the immigration hawk White House senior adviser, is also eyeing the removal of Lee Francis Cissna, according to two of the people. Cissna is director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which runs the legal immigration system.

Alles, a former Marine general who had no prior ties to the Secret Service, was recommended to the post by former White House chief of staff John Kelly. He had been the acting deputy commissioner of Customs and Border Protection.

In a message to the agency's workforce, Alles said he was not fired, but that Trump had "directed an orderly transition in leadership for this agency." He expressed "regret" he was not able to address the department before the news broke.

Confirmed in 2017, Alles inherited an agency that had been dealing with a series of security and personnel issues. Weeks before he was nominated, a man jumped the White House fence and spent 15 minutes roaming the grounds.

His appointment was set to fulfill the recommendations of a group of former senior government officials that reviewed the Secret Service in 2014 and found that it was an "insular agency" in need of an outsider to lead it. But Alles' unfamiliarity with the agency led to conflicts, said the officials.

Murray, the assistant director of the office of protective operations, had served as the special agent in charge of the agency's Washington field office.

Sanders said Alles "has done a great job at the agency over the last two years," and that Trump is thankful for his service.
The widow of a man killed in a gruesome hatchet attack in Tennessee has filed a wrongful death suit against the D.C. Department of Corrections and a Southeast Washington halfway house.

The suit alleges negligence in allowing suspected killer Domenic Micheli to escape from the D.C. halfway house days before the June 2018 attack.

Micheli is charged with murdering his former boss, Joel Paavola of suburban Nashville, at a fitness center just weeks after his suspected escape from D.C. The killing triggered national headlines, in part because of the gruesome details of the hatchet attack, which included the use of a meat cleaver and a tomahawk. Micheli has pleaded not guilty.

Paavolas widow, Lana, filed the federal civil suit in U.S. District Court in Tennessee, even as the criminal case against Micheli is pending. Paavola has five children.

Weeks before the homicide, a D.C. federal judge ordered Micheli held at the Hope Village halfway house on Langston Place in Southeast. At the time, Micheli was facing a charge of trespassing on White House grounds in April 2018 and awaiting further court proceedings in D.C.

The suit alleges Micheli escaped Hope Village sometime in mid-to-late May and the halfway house failed to promptly notify authorities about the escape and failed to take any steps to ensure that Mr. Micheli was apprehended before he would harm the public.

In her suit, Paavola alleges in the days between Michelis escape and the murder, Micheli posted a series of bizarre and deeply concerning messages on Facebook that authorities could have used to locate and apprehend him.

In one example, Paavola contends: On May 26, 2018, Mr. Micheli claimed to be the Sun of God and warned that there will not be any mercy doled out after this post.

A D.C. Department of Corrections spokeswoman told the News4 I-Team the District doesnt comment on open litigation. A Hope Village official did not immediately return a request for comment.

Blake Carter, the attorney representing Paavola, told the News4 I-Team the legal team has collected a series of court records about recent escapes from Hope Village halfway house for use in the litigation. The complaint includes one instance in which the center negligently released a man in 2002 who would later commit a series of crimes, including the murder of a 9-year-old girl.

U.S. Bureau of Prisons records obtained by the I-Team under the Freedom of Information Act show nearly 300 cases of escape investigated at the Hope Village halfway house since 2016.

Michelis D.C. case for trespassing on White House grounds is on hold, pending the outcome of the murder trial.
What to Know Christopher Slutman was a married father of three young daughters, veteran firefighter and Marine staff sergeant

Slutman served in both the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department and New York City Fire Department

U.S. military officials have not confirmed Slutman was one of three service members killed in Afghanistan

A Maryland volunteer firefighter was one of three American service members killed in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan on Monday, a fire official said.

Marine Staff Sgt. Christopher Slutman was mortally wounded when the convoy he was riding in hit a roadside bomb near the main U.S. base in Afghanistan, Kentland Volunteer Fire Chief Oleg Pelekhaty said.

Slutman, a married father of three young daughters, was a life member of the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department in Prince George's County and had served with them for 19 years. He was also a 15-year member of the New York City Fire Department, serving in the Bronx.

"Through this trying time, we will remember Chris for the father, husband, brother, son, and friend that he was, the moral character he displayed daily, and the courage and conviction to serve his fellow Americans, both at home and abroad," a news release from Pelekhaty said.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also mourned his death and recounted when he presented Slutman the Fire Chief's Association Memorial Medal for rescuing an unconscious woman from an apartment fire.

"This unquestionably is an example of the measure of this man," de Blasio said. "Christopher Slutman is an American hero, a New York hero, and we mourn his loss today."

As of Tuesday morning, there was no confirmation from U.S. military officials that Slutman was one of the three service members who were killed.

The flag outside the @Kentland33 fire station flying at half staff in honor of Christopher Slutman, a volunteer firefighter and US service member who was killed while serving in Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/LHdKH8ZUuR  Cory Smith (@CoryNBC) April 9, 2019

The @Kentland33 mourning the loss of one of their own. Announcement made and photos shared on their Facebook page this morning. One source called him an unbelievable young man with a beautiful family. https://t.co/WzaSg2gInR pic.twitter.com/rgg9biJ259  Darcy Spencer (@darcyspencer) April 9, 2019

The Taliban claimed responsibility, saying one of its suicide bombers detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near the NATO base. The U.S. and NATO Resolute Support mission said the three American service members, along with a U.S. contractor, were killed near the Bagram Air Base, north of Kabul, while three others were wounded in the explosion. Local officials said at least five Afghan civilians were wounded in the commotion after the attack.

The Kentland Volunteer Fire Department said plans for Slutman's funeral would be announced as details become available. An American flag outside the station flew at half staff on Tuesday in his honor.

"We ask for your thoughts and prayers for his firehouse brothers, his fellow Marines, his friends  but most of all, his family," the news release said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 9)  The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday condemned a reported photo of a dog with a campaign sticker placed on its body.

Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez reposted a photo on his Twitter account showing a campaign sticker of a Metro Manila mayoralty candidate stuck on a dog and slammed it as harassment.

"Seriously. Isn't it enough that politicking has already trashed the country you claim to love, you've got to harass dogs too? Leave. Dogs. Alone," he tweeted.

In a text message to CNN Philippines, Jimenez said they are not planning to take action or issue sanctions against the candidate.

"It seemed to be an isolated case, and not part of a broader campaign strategy," he explained.
Nearly 200 people were stuck on an Amtrak train in rural eastern Oregon for two nights after it hit a tree that fell onto the tracks in a snowed-in city dealing with power outages.

The Amtrak Coast Starlight train was near Eugene, Oregon, on its way to Los Angeles from Seattle Sunday evening when it struck the tree. None of the 183 passengers or crew were hurt, Amtrak said in a statement, but snow and fallen trees in Oakridge made conditions too difficult for the train to be taken out.

It was finally on the move again Tuesday morning after Union Pacific crews were able to reach the train and clear the tracks.

A representative for Amtrak had said that people on board had access to heat and food, though passengers told NBC News and local news outlets that it was difficult for some to cope.

"We've had a couple of panic attacks that we've worked through," Rebekah Dodson said an interview that aired on NBC's TODAY show Tuesday.

But she also said that most people got along  she even tweeted a selfie with a smiling crew member and praised staff for their professionalism.

"There's nothing anybody can do to get us anywhere because of the weather," Dodson said.

The city of Oakridge only has two small hotels and was dealing with power outages, so it wasn't a viable option to let passengers and crew get off the train, according to a statement from Union Pacific.

Union Pacific said that one of its locomotives was pulling the train toward Eugene after its crews cleared the tracks. An Amtrak alert said the train was on its way back to Seattle.

Amtrak Chief Operating Officer Scot Naparstek said in a statement that customers on the train would be offered "refunds and other compensation" after the "unfortunate" events stranded the train.

"With more than a foot of heavy snow and numerous trees blocking the track, we made every decision in the best interest of the safety of our customers during the unfortunate sequence of events," Naparstek said.

Dodson posted a video to Facebook from the moving train as it crawled through snowy forest.

"Everybody's super-excited to be on the train, to be moving," she said, before other passengers chimed in to echo those comments.

One woman said that people had tears in their eyes when the train started moving.
Cho Yang-ho, the chairman and chief executive of Korean Air whose legal troubles  and colorful daughters  kept him and the airline in an unwanted spotlight, died Sunday, the airline said.

NBC News reported that Cho, who was under indictment in South Korea on suspicion of embezzlement and of having steered lucrative contracts to companies run by his family, died in a Los Angeles hospital from an illness that the airline didn't identify.

Cho was ousted from Korean Air's board last month as the scandal mushroomed. He kept his positions as chairman and chief executive of the airline and its parent company, Hanjin Group.
Democrats on the General Assembly's Judiciary Committee have approved a bill that could ultimately legalize the recreational use of marijuana for those 21 years and older.

The committee voted Monday on legislation outlining out how marijuana would be legalized. The bill lays out regulations which include a legal age of 21 for purchase, all transactions requiring a scanned ID, maximum possession of 1.5 ounces, and no home growing.

The bill also allows people who were previously convicted of marijuana possession to petition the courts to have their records erased.

Supporters say it's about time that Connecticut not just decriminalizes, but fully regulate cannabis and its sale in the state.

Nearly every Democrat supports legalization, not just fore the revenue it could bring in, but also as a way for the state to respond to how the war on drugs led to so many African-Americans being put in prison for possessing small amounts of marijuana.

These laws were not appropriate at the time when they were permitted and now were sixty years into this prohibition and communities have been destroyed, neighborhoods have been destroyed for this unnecessary racist law that they put on the books after sixty years," sand Sen. Doug McCroy (D - Hartford).

Every Republican was opposed to the marijuana measure. They fear the unintended consequences, especially the possible impact on children.

I would just ask my colleagues to think about the children because at the end of the day, adults can travel to Massachusetts, they can travel to New York, but lets protect our youth for a little while longer. Lets see what the studies show over time," Rep. Tom O'Dea (R-New Canaan) said.

The Finance Committee is scheduled to vote on the bill later in the session, and it would then require passage by both the House and the Senate.

This is one of several bills moving through the legislative process this year. Advocates expect the pieces will eventually be included in one bill for consideration by lawmakers.

The Judiciary Committee also voted Monday on legislation clarifying employers don't have to allow workers to possess, smoke or consume marijuana products, or perform their duties under the influence of cannabis. Another bill addresses driving under the influence.
Activists are hoping to persuade Republican Gov. Charlie Baker and state lawmakers to allow drug user to shoot up at supervised injection sites in Massachusetts.

Parents who have lost children to the opioid epidemic rallied Monday at the State House.

"There is no way I can express to you, or to Gov. Baker, what it's like to bury a child," said Lynn Wencus.

"We need action right away," activists chanted on the steps of the State House.

A legislative commission in February recommended that lawmakers approve the creation of one or more supervised injection sites where individuals could inject drugs obtained elsewhere. Health care professionals would be on hand to prevent fatal overdoses.

Baker has brushed aside the idea, saying the proposal is illegal under federal law.

Protest organizers say Baker has to abandon what they describe as his "ideological opposition" to the sites and pursue legislation.

The U.S. currently has no publicly sanctioned safe injection facilities. But Boston Mayor Marty Walsh voiced his support for such facilities in Canada after visiting them earlier this year.

"If and when we do get safe injection sites, I think that the cities and states should have more authority in running them, so I think there's a whole bunch of questions still out there," Walsh said.
A man indicted for secretly recording boys in restrooms at Boston Latin School is scheduled to appear in federal court Tuesday afternoon.

Eric Tran Thai, 36, was arrested March 11 after investigators found computer folders that had videos of students using bathrooms and urinals on campus. He was indicted on four counts of sexual exploitation of children by a federal jury on March 28.

Authorities said two Boston College students reported in February 2018 that they were videotaped while using the restroom on campus. Police later spoke with Thai, who was arrested on state charges.

Thai told police he was "taking some pictures" of a man in the stall next to him and said he committed the act several times for about a year, according to Massachusetts U.S. Attorney's Office. Police found several cameras, fake smoke detectors, a water bottle with a small recording device and a pair of sunglasses with a built-in camera in the suspect's backpack.

During a search of Thai's home in March 2018, officials found several computers, 20 thumb drives, 26 hard drives and folders labeled MIT, Harvard, BU and other area schools.

The folder labeled "Boston Latin High School" had 45 surreptitiously-recorded videos of male students using urinals and stalls on the campus, according to officials.

Thai was detained pending the outcome of the trial. He has been in custody since and his attorney has told the Boston Herald he plans to appeal the detention order.
The man charged in connection with the kidnapping and death of a 23-year-old mother from a Boston nightclub pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in federal court on Tuesday morning.

Louis Coleman III, 32, of Providence, Rhode Island was indicted last week on one count of kidnapping resulting in death. The victim, Lynn resident Jassy Correia, was found in the trunk of Colemans car in Delaware on Feb. 28, officials said.

Correia's family and friends were in court for Tuesday's arraignment, but declined comment as they left. Coleman's attorney also refused to comment. The next hearing is scheduled for June 14. Coleman is not required to appear.

Correia was last seen leaving the Venu nightclub in the citys Theater District late February after she and her friends went out to celebrate her birthday. Her body was discovered days after her family filed a missing person report.

Coleman could face life in prison or a sentence of death. U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said that although the suspect was not charged with murder, there is probable cause to believe Coleman killed Correia.

Correia is survived by her family, including her 2-year-old daughter.
Thousands of members of New England law enforcement agencies are grieving the loss of a Maine State trooper who was laid to rest Tuesday.

The mourners made up most of the attendees for funeral ceremonies for Det. Ben Campbell, held at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland.

Campbell was killed on-duty last week in whats been described by Maine State Police as a freak accident.

The detective was helping a motorist who spun out in snowy weather in Hampden, just outside Bangor when two wheels flew off a passing tractor trailer passing the accident scene.

Campbell was struck and fatally injured by one of the wheels.

A day after what would have been Campbells 32nd birthday on April 8, the detectives remains held in an American-flag-draped casket, sat below a stage where his co-workers and family paid final respects to him.

Ben has the heart of a guardian, began Maine State Police Col. John Cote who described Campbell as having all the ingredients for the recipe of a great state trooper.

Cote was one of four state troopers who, through shaky moments and difficult pauses gave remarks during the services, which lasted a total of four hours.

Other speakers included two chaplains from Maine law enforcement agencies and, though not listed on the funeral program, Campbells wife, Hilary.

Hilary Campbell took a moment to address the stranded motorist saying through tears, I pray his smile will be engrained in your mind and heart.

Condolences for Hilary Campbell and her and the detectives six-month-old son, Everett, were woven throughout the speakers words as were messages to troopers still coming to terms with Campbells loss.

Maine State Police Supervisor, Terry James, called on his colleagues to express their profound grief and not be ashamed of it.

Let it out, let it hurt ..its supposed to.. this is awful, said James.

After indoor ceremonies, Campbells casket was brought outside the Cross Insurance Arena to a waiting hearse as New England law enforcement stood outside.

The hearse was then brought away from the venue in a procession which included a Maine State Police motorcycle escort.

Work on the investigation into what caused the fatal tire break is ongoing.

The driver of the truck, Scott Willet of Patten, Maine, has not been charged with a crime though a state police investigation of his truck has been completed. Results of that have not yet been released.
Police in Lynn, Massachusetts, say they'll have extra patrols at an elementary school this week after bullet holes and ammunition were found.

Bullet holes could be seen in the siding, through the trim, and through a window with a metal grate at Hood Elementary School in Lynn.

"It's grated screen, grated window. That's just one in a million chance it went through," said one concerned parent.

A teacher also found spent ammunition on a classroom floor.

Parents at a school meeting Monday night voiced their concerns, after getting a call from the school Monday afternoon notifying them of what happened.

Parent Bryan Basler said it was a "disturbing phone call."

"They found some holes or something like that in the school with some ammunition, so my first concern is my kids' safety," he said.

"I panicked when I got the call. It freaked me out," said another parent, Gabrielle Collins.

Superintendent Patrick Tutwiler says the ammunition was found before kids arrived to school, around 8 a.m., and they were moved out of the area for the day. No kids saw the ammunition, and no one was hurt.

"We had a great day here, a great day tomorrow and if a student is feeling uncomfortable or concerned, we have support resources on site," Tutwiler said.

Police say they're now reviewing surveillance video and are interviewing neighbors. Although some heard the gunfire, none reported it.
Police are investigating after a 2-month-old baby died in Yarmouth, Massachusetts, on Tuesday morning.

Yarmouth police said they received a 911 call just before 7 a.m. reporting that a 2-month-old was not breathing, was unconscious, and that CPR had been started.

When officers arrived at the home on Webbers Path in West Yarmouth, they said they found a woman performing CPR on the infant on the living room floor. Police took over and the infant was eventually transported to the emergency center at Cape Cod Hospital.

Despite their efforts, they said the baby could not be revived and has died.

Video from the scene showed at least one police cruiser outside the single-story home on Tuesday.

Detectives with Yarmouth and state police are conducting a follow-up investigation. The state Department of Children and Families was also notified.

No further information was immediately available.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 9)  Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros wants the Senate to seek the help of the international community in dealing with China's reported incursions.

Hontiveros said a Sense of the Senate resolution asking the international community to assist the Philippines could be the product of the probes she is asking on a Chinese dredging ship in Batangas and the presence of hundreds of Chinese vessels in the first quarter of the year near the Philippine-occupied Pag-asa Island.

READ: Ex-DFA chief: PH-China territorial row a 'small matter,' see 'bigger picture'

"Kung hindi kikilos nang tulad ng dapat ang sariling gobyerno natin [If our government would not act accordingly,] at least we can appeal to the international community, of which, the last time I checked, we are still a part, to say ito 'yung mga karapatan [these are the rights] of the community of nations," she told CNN Philippines' The Source on Tuesday.

Hontiveros said the dredging done by a Chinese vessel in Lobo, Batangas could harm the Verde Island Passage, known as a "center of global shore-fish biodiversity." The vessel has since left the area, after government officials said it did not have the permits to dredge sand and export this to China.

Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson has earlier raised the possibility of the upper chamber adopting a Sense of the Senate resolution against the presence of Chinese vessels near Pag-asa Island.

READ: 'Pasakop na tayo': PH 'too friendly' to China, Lacson says

Such a resolution expresses the chamber's opinion on an issue. It does not have the force of law.

Hontiveros said it is important for the Senate to conduct a probe at the soonest possible time on China, but admitted that her proposed investigation rests in the hands of Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III, Senate Foreign Relations committee chair Loren Legarda and Senate Environment committee chair Cynthia Villar.

Hontiveros said that Sotto, Legarda and Villar would decide if they would conduct the probe even while Congress is on break. Legarda is running for Antique representative, while Villar is mounting her re-election bid. Sotto has also been campaigning for some relatives and senatorial candidates.

Even when Congress was in session and the elections were still far away, numerous resolutions calling for investigations on the various reported incursions of China in Philippine waters were filed, but these were not acted on.

Transparency needed

Hontiveros also renewed her call for the Foreign Affairs department to be transparent in its communications with China, particularly on the diplomatic protests it said it has filed against the East Asian giant.

"Ano na ba talaga ang nagawa ng gobyerno natin to uphold national sovereignty, the national interest in the face of itong mga paulit-ulit, medyo malakas ang dating at talagang nakakainsulto at mapagbanta na mga ginagawa ng bansang Tsina?" she said.

[Translation: What has the government done to uphold national sovereignty, the national interest, in the face of this repeated, strong and very insulting and threatening actions of China?]

Hontiveros had previously asked the Senate Foreign Relations panel to conduct a "foreign policy audit" to look into the claim of then-Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano that he had filed "50 to 100" diplomatic protests against China during his stint.

Cayetano, however, said the government cannot divulge the contents of all diplomatic negotiations to protect national interest.

Similarly, his successor, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro "Teddyboy" Locsin Jr. said that he would not make the "salvo of diplomatic notes" against China public. "No way Jose. So the ignorant will react self-importantly?" Locsin said.
A self-proclaimed "witch" who was denied a public defender will reportedly be representing herself in trial after she was charged with allegedly threatening two judges and an attorney on Facebook.

The Union Leader reports Janet Delfuoco of Northwood, New Hampshire, threatened the lives of the attorney and judges because she was denied her request to remove a home equity loan from her property.

Delfuoco reportedly posted a rant on Facebook that went from angry to threatening. The Union Leader reports she wrote she would "give you the shirt off my back and heal your diseases, but I am also just as capable as killing you off."

Delfuoco said her words were not meant to be perceived as threats and that since she is a witch, she believes in karma as opposed to physical violence, according to the Union Leader.

The suspects trial is expected to last four days.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 9)  The Philippine Senate President echoed the Palace's statement on United States senators' call for Senator Leila de Lima's release: "Mind your own business."

Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III on Tuesday morning tagged Florida Senator Marco Rubio in a tweet which read: "To our US counterparts- "mind your own business, scratch your own galis [scabies]" that's what my kalaro [playmate] says when I was young."

Rubio is one of the five U.S. senators who filed a bipartisan resolution on Friday, condemning alleged human rights abuses in the country and calling on the government to drop the charges against de Lima and Rappler Chief Executive Officer Maria Ressa. Rubio is joined by U.S. Senators Edward Markey (Massachusetts), Richard Durbin (Illinois), Marsha Blackburn (Tennessee) and Chris Coons (Delaware).

In a follow-up to his tweet, Sotto explained: "Ano tayo, commonwealth pa nila? Ni hindi nila alam ang background ng judiciary natin. Eh kung mag-file kami ng (resolution) asking them to release a suspect, payag sila?"

[Translation: What are we, their commonwealth? They don't even know our judiciary's background. And if we file a resolution asking them to release a suspect, will they allow it?]

Earlier, Philippine Senator Panfilo Lacson already said, in a tweet, a Senate resolution is appropriate to call out the five U.S. senators.

"We are not their colony. We have a Constitution that provides for three (3) co-equal branches and a judicial system where due process is followed, regardless of its flaws and weaknesses," he said.

But the detained senator, on the other hand, is grateful for the resolution.

"I express my deepest gratitude to the five honorable members of the U.S. Senate not only for calling out the political persecution I have to endure under the present administration but also the human rights abuses in the country," she said.

De Lima added the resolution pressed the Duterte administration to value press freedom and drop all the charges against Ressa and Rappler.

"Criticisms over the support I'm getting from the international community, much less the U.S. Senate, will never remove the fact that the five senators and other foreign dignitaries before them are speaking in behalf of all the unjustly treated human rights defenders in the Philippines.

"Instead of bewailing their alleged 'meddling', those who negatively reacted to the U.S. Senators' move should recognize that these foreign entities are simply advancing universal causes of justice, human rights and democracy," she said.

De Lima, a staunch critic of President Rodrigo Duterte, faces charges for her alleged links to illegal drug circulation in the New Bilibid Prison, as Justice chief from 2010 to 2015. She was arrested in February 2017 and remains in detention at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City.

Rappler, its CEO Ressa, and its officers and reporters face a total of 11 complaints and cases -- which include libel, cyber libel, and the alleged violation of the Anti-Dummy Law and the Securities Code.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 9)  Another suspect in the murder of 16-year-old Christine Silawan in Cebu was arrested Tuesday afternoon in Lapu-Lapu City.

Col. Limuel Obon, director of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office, confirmed to reporters that the suspect is now under police custody.

The police have yet to disclose more information about the arrest.

Silawan's body was found on March 11 in a vacant lot in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu. Her face was skinned with her skull exposed, prompting outrage among people on social media and a call for the reimposition of death penalty.

Silawan's former boyfriend was identified as the main suspect and arrested for the gruesome killing.

The National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas has filed murder complaint against the teenage suspect, who is currently in custody of a home-care facility of Lapu-Lapu City's social welfare and development office. The suspect has denied the allegation.

Cebu-based journalist Dale Israel contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 9)  Police found the lifeless body of a 14-year-old girl in a septic tank of a school in Danao City, Cebu.

The girl was reported missing by her sister last Saturday and was found by a janitor inside the septic tank of Cogon Cruz Elementary School on the same day, police said. Edito Manipis, a school security guard, reportedly told the victim's sister that he found blood from the school's guard house.

Police found from there a kitchen knife, tube steel and a piece of wood, all of which have blood stains. They also found a uniform of a security guard with the name tag "JM Mediquillo," burned clothing, a mattock, stone and a wooden door stained with blood.

Authorities said they are hunting down Jessie Montes Mediquillo, a 34-year-old security guard from Brgy. Tuburan Sur, Danao City for the death of the girl.

Neighbors of Mediquillo and the victim told police that the two were close and were "perceived to be having a relationship."

"Last March 25, 2019 around 3 p.m. the victim's hair has been allegedly cut short by the suspect after he learned that the victim was loitering together with her friends without the knowledge of the suspect," Danao City police said.

They added that the suspect has been sending the victim to school since she was nine-years-old.
A bi-partisan group of U.S. senators, including Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown, is pushing for legislation that they say will apply pressure to the Chinese government to honor their commitment to making all fentanyl illegal.

The announcement of the bill came shortly after China announced that it would list all fentanyl-related substances as controlled narcotics, which is set to go into effect May 1.

In doing so, Liu Yuejin, a senior public security ministry official and vice commissioner of the China National Narcotics Control Commission downplayed the countrys role in Americas fentanyl problem.

According to Reuters, Liu told reporters amount of fentanyl from China going to the United States was extremely limited and there is a lack of evidence that China is the main source of fentanyl.

We believe that the United States itself is the main factor in the abuse of fentanyl there, Liu said. He added the U.S. has a long history of abusing prescription drugs and the United States enforcement and education domestically is not good enough.

Some people link drug consumption with freedom, individuality, and liberation, Liu said. If the United States truly wants to resolve its fentanyl abuse problem, it needs to strengthen its domestic work.

Fentanyl was first introduced in the U.S. more than 50 years ago and was approved for treating severe pain in the early 1990s, typically for advanced cancer patients. Its since become a more commonly prescribed painkiller. U.S. doctors wrote 6.65 million fentanyl prescriptions in 2014.

Legally, its commonly prescribed in transdermal patches or lozenges, which can be diverted by removing the gel contents from patches and injecting or ingesting the drug, or compressing it into pill form. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, however, has stated that this type of diversion comprises only a small portion of the fentanyl market.

According to the DEA, some fentanyl comes straight to the United States from China, while other shipments come in from China to Mexico and, to a lesser extent, Canada before making its way into the U.S.

Locally, the powerful opioid is a persistent problem. Fentanyl is the most commonly seen drug at the Lake County Crime Lab. The rise of fentanyl has been seen in the past five years. As recently as 2013, the lab did not have a single fentanyl case.

The sponsors of the bill said China must be held accountable for its commitment.

On average, 11 Ohioans will die every day in my state due to an opioid overdose, Brown said in a statement. The addiction epidemic has taken too many lives and caused too much devastation in Ohio. This new bill will add effective new sanctions tools to help combat the flood of illicit fentanyl coming in primarily from China and from Mexico, and help provide intelligence and funding to keep these dangerous drugs out of Ohio communities.

The legislation directs the U.S. president to publicly identify foreign traffickers of opioids on an annual basis and use a number of precision economic and financial sanctions policy tools to cripple their operations. This includes denying access to U.S. markets, freezing their assets and blocking transactions with U.S. financial institutions.

The bill would authorize new funding for U.S. law enforcement and create a Commission on Synthetic Opioid Trafficking to monitor U.S. efforts and report on how more effectively to combat the flow of synthetic opioids from China, Mexico and elsewhere.

The bills other sponsors are New York Democrat Chuck Schumer, Arkansas Republican Tom Cotton, Florida Republican Marco Rubio, New Jersey Democrat Robert Menendez, Pennsylvania Republican Pat Toomey and New Hampshire Democrat Jeanne Shaheen.
A significant percentage of boys are having sex too early finds a new study. Several factors have been cited as possible associated cause of such occurrences. The results of the study titled, Prevalence of Sexual Initiation Before Age 13 Years Among Male Adolescents and Young Adults in the United States, were published in the latest issue of the journal JAMA Pediatrics this week.

The results reveal that around 3.6 to 7.6 percent of boys and young American men are having their first sexual intercourse before they turn 13 years of age. Around half of them had consented for that sexual encounter, the study notes. This calls for public awareness, education and open communication to support healthy sexual development in boys write the researchers. Laura Lindberg, first author of the study and principal research scientist at the Guttmacher Institute said in a statement, Too often, the sexual health needs of young men are overlooked. These findings have major implications for the timing of sex education and sexual and reproductive health care. She said, Parents and educators can't wait until a high school class to cover key topics when many young males start having sex before this.

The United States Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) also says that 17 years is the average age when boys and girls have sex for the first time. However boys are mo0re likely to have sex before they turn 13. This new study comes from the CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System data collected in 2011, 2013 and 2015. In addition data from National Survey of Family Growth from 2006 to 2015 was also analyzed. For the CDC data the students were given questionnaires when they were in grades nine to 12. A total of 19,916 boys were included in the survey. The second data came from face-to-face interviews from 7,739 males aged between 15 and 24 years. The second study also looked at how much the boys wanted the sexual encounter to determine consent.

Results showed that sex before 13 was seen in 7.6 percent of the high school male students in the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System data and 3.6 percent in the National Survey of Family Growth data. The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System also showed that under-13 boys having sex was widely variant in different states with 5 percent in San Francisco and 25 percent in Memphis, Tennessee. Among those having sex before 13, the National Survey of Family Growth data showed that 8.5 percent did not want the sex and 37 percent had mixed feelings about actually wanting the encounter. Around 54.6 percent described the encounter as something they wanted. Most of the first sexual partners for the boys were their friends. Among those having sex after they turned 13, 5.4 percent reported it as unwanted, 31.3 percent had mixed feelings and 63.3 percent had wanted the encounter.

When looking for association, the team found that boys who had a mother with a college education or higher degree were less likely to have sex before they turned 13. Early sex among boys was also more common among those from non-Hispanic black and Hispanic males in metropolitan areas, the team found. The team add that the major limitation of the study was that the sexual encounters were self-reported by young participants. In addition, only male-female sexual encounters were taken into account and other sexual experiences were not recorded.

In an accompanying editorial Dr. David Bell, pediatrician and assistant professor of pediatrics at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and Samantha Garbers, an associate professor at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, write that sex education for boys is of paramount importance to ensure healthy sexual development and activity among boys. They write, Any messaging, whether from clinicians or schools or parents, must recognize pressures that 'manhood is something that boys must make happen, by passing certain social milestones,' such as having sex. It is critical to engage young men in self-reflection about the real pressures US society places on them that affect their overall health and well-being. They add, Any discussions associated with pressures should include topics of 'what it means to be a man' and soliciting and giving consent. With the support of caring adults, led by existing national guidelines that call for developmentally appropriate interventions early in life, boys can achieve healthier milestones without ambivalence or societal risk. Dr. Bell emphasized upon timely administration of HPV vaccine to prevent sexually transmitted infections as well.

The authors of the study conclude, These findings may have major implications for the timing of sex education and sexual and reproductive health care. Helping parents or guardians, schools, and communities support male adolescents healthy sexual development should be a priority. Health care practitioners must recognize and address all of the developmental needs and pathways to healthy trajectories for young males.
A case study recently published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal has highlighted the danger of taking too many vitamin D supplements.

FotoHelin | Shutterstock

Known as the healthy "sunshine" vitamin, vitamin D is synthesized by the skin upon exposure to sunlight. However, in the case of one Canadian man, taking excessive doses vitamin D supplements proved to have disastrous health consequences that medical experts are calling a warning to consumers.

A team of physicians in Toronto reported on the case of a 54-year old man they had assessed after he returned from a trip to Southeast Asia, where he had spent much of his time in the sun. After the man was found to have elevated blood creatinine levels, which is a marker for kidney disease or malfunction, he was referred to a kidney specialist for additional testing.

Dr. Bourne Auguste from Toronto General Hospital and colleagues found that the man had been prescribed high doses of over-the-counter vitamin D supplements by a naturopathic doctor. The patient had no medical history of vitamin D deficiency or bone loss, which the supplement is sometimes prescribed for.

The naturopath had recommended a dose of 8 drops daily and over the course of 30 months, the man took between 8 to 12 drops or 8000 to 12,000 International Units (IUs) per day. This compares with a recommended daily allowance of 400 to 1,000 IUs per day for healthy individuals and a dose of 800 to 2,000 IUs for older individuals or people at increased risk for osteoporosis.

Taking this excessive dose resulted in the man having extremely high levels of calcium in his blood, which had triggered significant kidney damage, reports Auguste and team.

The authors say patients and clinicians should be better informed about the risks associated with unfettered use of vitamin D.

"Although vitamin D toxicity is rare owing to a large therapeutic range, its widespread availability in various over-the-counter formulations may pose a substantial risk to uninformed patients," writes Auguste.

On reading the case report, nephrologist Maria DeVita (Lenox Hill Hospital, New York) warns that, as is the case with many supplements, overuse of vitamin D can result in dire adverse effects:

Vitamin D is necessary for the development and maintenance of strong bones, [but] the take-home message is too much of a good thing is not good.

Source:

Use of vitamin D drops leading to kidney failure in a 54-year-old man. CMAJ. 8 Apr 2019. 191 (14) E390-E394. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.180465.
insights from industry Bats Mutamba & Nans Bodet Field Support Automation Scientists Promega Corporation

An interview with Bats Mutamba and Nans Bodet, conducted by James Ives

Please give an overview of the current gold standard in high throughput nucleic acid purification. What advantages and limitations are these for these methods?

Bats: The historical gold standard for nucleic acid isolation has been technology based off of a column workflow. In the regular workflow there is a lysis step, where the cells are taken and opened to expose the nucleic acid to the external environment, then a binding step onto a membrane on the column, followed by several wash steps to get rid of any cell debris, the proteins and other materials outside of the nucleic acids. In the final elution step, a buffer would be employed to dissociate the nucleic acid from the matrix of the column.

These workflows have since shifted to magnetic bead-based technologies, which essentially possess the same steps: lysis, binding, washing and elution, but this happens on a bead instead of on a column.

Column-based technologies have a few disadvantages: wells are prone to clogging with or without the use of vacuum manifolds. This can occur during the addition of buffers as well as numerous, cumbersome and time-consuming centrifugation steps to spin down the columns. This is not the case with the bead-based technologies, which are seen as much cleaner systems with shorter processing times.

Nans: Labs are demanding purity and flexibility for high throughput nucleic acid purification, while needing to complete difficult downstream analysis, for example with Next Gen Sequencing (NGS).

The magnetic based chemistry is the gold standard because it can provide a lot of purity, as you can select the appropriate type of magnetic resin to fit your application and fine tune for the most appropriate downstream applications. Magnetic beads are flexible in terms of scalability and sample input volume, as well as the numbers of samples that need to be run.

This is in comparison to other well-known techniques such as vacuum based separation, where the full plate needs to be used, diminishing the flexibility of the technique, and affecting sample volume. One advantage of the vacuum method is the speed, it can provide quick answers, but it doesnt handle demanding downstream applications as well as magnetic bead-based chemistry.

How does the Maxwell HT System work to purify DNA or RNA? What instrumentation does the Maxwell HT System work with and at what scales?

Bats: The Maxwell HT chemistry mentioned earlier is predominantly a bead-based technology to isolate nucleic acids, either DNA, RNA or total nucleic acid (TNA), which includes both DNA and RNA. If cells need to be lysed in the initial lysis step, specific buffers will be required, for example when isolating DNA from white blood cells.

Image credit: Shutterstock | UGREEN 3S

Then the nucleic acid is bound onto the magnetic beads (or resin, as we call it), which can have different types of surfaces. We tailor the binding chemistry to provide optimal capture of the molecules of interest. Once the nucleic acid binds to the magnetic beads there are three or four washes, which can be alcohol-based, but for some customers who have sensitive downstream assays, we have alternative buffers available.

The final step is the elution step, involving the detachment of the nucleic acid from the bead with an elution buffer, typically nuclease free water or a tris-EDTA buffer (TE buffer). If our customers downstream assays are sensitive to EDTA, which we know is a chelating agent, then we can use 25 mM Tris buffer.

Image credit: Promega

The systems we have installed typically process from hundreds to thousands of samples. We are platform agnostic, which means that we integrate reagent chemistries onto any automated platform the customer desires. This gives us more flexibility without forcing our customers to decide on systems that may not be ideal for them. We offer recommendations and no hard requirements.

We have some Promega instrumentation which we use for demos or proof of concept studies, and we have worked with instrumentation companies from all the big players including Hamilton, Tecan, Beckman, ThermoFisher, Eppendorf and many others. There is a wide array of platforms that can be used for the chemistries and our team has diverse knowledge scripting or programming these platforms.

Nans: The beauty of the Maxwell HT System is the well-proven chemistry, which can easily be demonstrated in the small Maxwell RSC Instrument. We have plenty of experience with our system and we can scale the same chemistry to any kind of throughput.

Promega offers a customized solution to nucleic acid purification, please describe what you offer to your clients.

Nans: The customer or lab may have a very standard sample and we have the established solutions for it. However, most of the time, the samples being tested will be needed for a specific application, for example bacteria from feces, or the downstream assays might be very particular for this application, or the required volume is very different.

As we have a full grasp of the chemistry required, we can help the lab with a customized solution, by requesting that the lab sends us some of the samples for evaluation. We then work in our application labs in around the globe to test different chemistry solutions on the samples and define all the volumes required for the best performance of the downstream application.

Based on that, we are able to fine tune our final offer, we can provide a standard kit for this application with extra reagents if required or make a fully customized kit, with the same lot number for the whole year for the lab.

Bats: As Nans mentioned there is not any one customer that is going to want the exact same workflow with the exact same throughput, so Promega has two additional groups that are responsible for customization. Our FSS team (Field Support Scientists) works together with the Customs and OEM solution group as well as a Customs Order Department (COD), which handle bulk pricing, ordering and custom kit configurations.

For example, if you are a customer wanting to pursue a specific chemistry, and you do not want to go into your reagent bottles multiple times per run, we can package the reagents in a customized way for your lab. We work with our customers and our customer support teams to work on different kit configurations that are optimal for your workflow. If it is not a standard kit configuration, we have the ability to tailor-make reagents or packaging to help our customers, no matter the throughput level.

How does the Maxwell HT Custom Nucleic Acid Purification Support Team save time and reduce stress?

Bats: The FSS team first works with the customer and local representative to develop an understanding of the requirements for laboratory workflows and automation needs. The team uses our expertise in automated systems and Promega chemistries to offer recommendations for the customer to consider and then will assist the customer in the lab to program the instrument, train the lab on using the instrument and chemistry and offer ongoing support.

Nans: We have a very well-established process, first in terms of the workflow documentation, we collect requirements then we have a statement of work where we define the expectations of the lab as we see and understand them. We share this with the lab before we go for the on-site implementation to double check that both expectations match. With this we save a lot of time.

We also save time thanks to our very large automation knowledge within the team, all the team colleagues have been working for a long time in the automation field, so we are able to support the lab in defining the best automation solution if they plan on purchasing an instrument or if they already have robots in their lab, by giving the best advice on which parameters should be used and which modules.

Thanks to our expertise we are also able to truly help the lab to implement the chemistry because we are not just selling one box of chemistry and sitting behind the customer to have them do their thing. We take control of the computer and define all the protocols manually without further help.

We are here to deliver biological performance, this is usually something that customers and the lab do not expect because of past bad experiences with other companies. However, in our case we are really here to deliver biological performance, and this helps decrease the stress level of the lab.

What kinds of HT purification problems has the team helped customers solve?

Bats: We often receive inquiries from laboratories who are either trying to re-task existing laboratory automation to a new process or are choosing to begin investing into laboratory automation. Those customers may not have automation expertise and they appreciate the ability to consult with automation experts as they are considering various options.

As far as specific extraction problems, we are more than happy to help solve them. In our teams, we can always go on-site and work with a customer on their difficult sample types or the other alternative is the customer has the option to send samples to us where our Scientific Applications team will work on a solution for those particular sample types.

We will then send those samples back to the customer, and they can then test the isolates using their downstream assays. We pride ourselves as automation specialists in having the ability to help a customer on-site with scripting or programming.

Nans: In one case with a biotechnology company in France, they wanted to do plasmid purification, normally easy, but since their downstream process was to work on transfection and antibody proliferation, they needed a lot of plasmidsa really huge yield!

They needed to automate midipreps starting from 20-30 ml of cultures, something we hadnt done before. However, since we have had lots of success in miniprep format in 96 wells, we tried that in our lab first with Promega cultures and samples. With the internally developed samples we tried to manually push the boundaries of our chemistry to see if it could handle the midiprep variation.

Once we had that working, we asked the customer if they could provide us with some of their culture to test differences between internal samples and external ones. We tested whether it worked manually with these samples and then, since we had some confidence in our chemistry and we have automation in our labs, we put the chemistry on the automated instrument in a 24 deep well format to handle the scale of volume similar to the midiprep.

After some weeks of development, we were able to develop a fine-tuned protocol to handle the midipreps and then went to the laboratory site in Marseille to implement and fine tune it further for the labs needs. This has been a very successful installation because the lab is very happy and we were able to write a combined poster together.

How is the team able to assist labs with any instrumentation platform?

Nans: Once you automate a chemistry on one platform its pretty straightforward to move that over to other platforms because the key issues are basically defining the proper liquid handling parameters, for example: Is this sample viscous or not? What should the incubation temperature and shaking speed be?

Once you have that and you have a basic knowledge of automation its easy to translate into any other automation language. Within the our team we all have previous industry experience. I worked for 10 years at Tecan before joining Promega and you will find similar experience in all of my colleagues on the FSS Team. Since the team was created 8 years ago, we have produced so many templates that we can use and then customize to any platform.

Bats: Our team is so diverse in terms of the combined knowledge we have gathered over the years on different platforms. The pipetting software may be very different in terms of programming but, by and large, if you have a good handle on the chemistry and if you can program on one of the bigger liquid handling platforms, then liquid handling as a whole is not as cumbersome as you might think.

As a group having that diverse background and knowledge in raw automation, were not going to dictate what platform a customer chooses for our chemistry. We do have recommendations for which automated platforms work better than others, some have more versatility or flexibility, but the take-home message here is that we are platform agnostic. We do not care which platform the customer uses with our chemistry.

What challenging sample types have the team encountered and been able to support?

Nans: Lately there was a focus on the microbiome. Theres a lot of interest in amplifying nucleic acids from feces, not only human feces but also mice and other species, which is typically difficult to handle because of the dirtiness of the sample, and its usually very difficult to gain a clean eluate.

We also have lots of requests for plant samples. Thanks to one of our specific chemistries, the Maxwell RSC PureFood GMO and Authentication Kit, its easy to purify these difficult samples. We always have to carefully manage the sample storage, input and handling, but then we are quite successful in this field.

Bats: We have also had customers who have wanted to extract DNA from shell fish and various crustaceans, in the marine and biotech sector. We also have had requests to extract nucleic acid from fingernails and toenails! People often forget that there is a lot of DNA and RNA in the nails, as well as hair follicles. We have dealt with all of those types of samples.

The bottom line is even if we do not have experience with a specific sample type, the customers have the option of sending those samples through to us in Madison where we work hand in hand with scientists to get their extract to work.

What assurances are provided to customers about the quality of the Maxwell HT Systems?

Nans: Promega as a company has a great track record in this field, so I would say this is the first level of assurance. Then, of course, we always like to double and triple check everything and we like to try the lab sample with our Maxwell RSC system, which is very easy to handle and demonstrate on-site.

In either our or the clients lab, we can test the sample in one hour allowing our customer to see for themselves if the chemistry is working as expected.

When a lab ships a sample to Madison or Lyon, where we can fine-tune the automation parameters of the experiment, we write a report and send the eluate back to the customers lab so they can also have a clear look at the DNA and RNA and see for themselves that it is working. If the lab is happy, we would then come on-site and repeat this work with their scientists and their platform, which gives a high amount of assurance.

Bats: We are able to demonstrate that our eluates are to the standard that the lab expects by testing the resulting sample. Our guarantee of success for our customers is that the chemistry does not lie.

For instance, with a nucleic acid purification chemistry, there are purity ratios for quality control of the samples. There are two ratios we look at when we isolate DNA and/or RNA, the first one is the A260-280 ratio which basically measures any protein contamination in your nucleic acid sample. When you test your samples, you can expect the ratio to be about 1.8 to 1.9. If there are proteins or other contamination in the sample, the ratio will be significantly lower i.e. 0.7 to 1.3. This tells you what kind of a sample you have and how successful the isolation went.

The second ratio is the A230-260 ratio, which essentially measures wash buffers or waste carried throughout the workflow. From the lysis step, binding step, washing step to the elution step, if any of those undesirable components are carried through the workflow that ratio will show it. We typically look for ratios of 1.7-2.1, and if it drops to 0.7-1.0 you know that there are high levels of buffer or waste materials carried through the workflow.

In addition to that we will then work with the customer on the downstream processes. Typically, if the system does work and the extractions were successful that should be demonstrated on those downstream assays.

What does the future hold for Promega and the Maxwell HT team?

Nans: From a team perspective we have been quite successful, 5 years ago the team was just 2 people in the US and now we are 9 people and currently looking to hire a new person in Europe. We are expanding and we are also trying to educate people about automation throughout our organization to make them aware of the typical challenges of automation in the lab, so we can be even more successful in this field.

Bats: In terms of the future, we are excited about new technologies scientists are working on in academia, hospital and clinical labs, and pharma and biotech. For example, plasmid isolations for CRISPR, synthetic DNA production and blood banking, where huge amounts of blood are isolated to provide nucleic acid products to customers. We have seen lots of demand in these areas.

As Nans mentioned, our team is outstanding. I think as technology is running ahead, we are proactive and see where our chemistries and our automation can best be used.

Where can readers find more information?

https://www.promega.com/products/dna-purification-quantitation/high-throughput-nucleic-acid-purification/maxwell-ht-nucleic-acid-purification/

About Nans Bodet

Nans Bodet, is a Field Support Automation Scientist at Promega Corporation based in France and covering the EMEA for the last five years. He acquired a Master of Cellular Biology, physiology and Immunology at the Marseille Luminy University.

Prior to joining Promega, he worked at Tecan France as an Application Specialist and then joined Tecan Headquarters in Maennedorf (CH) to be Global Frontline Support and Key Account Manager. At Promega, Nans is focusing on combining Promega solutions with all kind of automation to ease laboratories challenges.

About Bats Mutamba

Bats Mutamba, a Field Support Automation Scientist with Promega Corporation for three years, was born and raised in Zimbabwe with a background in microbiology, biochemistry and biotechnology from Rhodes University, South Africa.

He moved to the US where he completed a Masters in Cellular and Molecular Nutrition from UNC Greensboro. At Duke University, he worked as a Research Analyst before being hired by Tecan as Product Specialist for Cell-Based Systems.

A while later, Bats went on to work for a nanotechnology company as a research scientist in product development, utilizing silver nanoparticles for various antimicrobial applications. He later worked for the CRO Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD) in Richmond, VA as a senior scientist responsible for the development and validation of various assays using automated liquid handling.

He then relocated with his family to Phoenix, Arizona where he worked for Caris Life Sciences, a molecular diagnostics company specializing in cancer and personalized medicine. In his role as research scientist he was purposed with developing and automating laboratory developed tests (LDTs) for the early detection and diagnosis of breast and prostate cancer.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is responsible for tracking hate crimes across the country, but the data are notoriously unreliable. Despite the FBI recording an all-time high in hate-motivated incidents in 2017 (the most recent year's statistics available) the number is likely much higher. Low reporting from victims to police and inconsistent reporting from police to federal authorities have created a massive gap in how we understand hate in America.

Researchers from the University of Utah want to fill that gap with an app.

Emily Nicolosi, researcher, and Richard Medina, professor of geography, along with the DIGIT Lab developed an app that allows people to report incidents of hate. The first of its kind, the app accepts reports beyond crimes captured in police records. Users from around the country can document all incident types, from derogatory epithets written in bathrooms to slurs yelled from a car window in addition to violent assaults.

"The major problem we're dealing with is that hate crimes are so underreported, not only to police, but from police to the federal government," said Nicolosi. "There are cases when it can be difficult to report hate to the police, especially for undocumented people. We're hoping that this could be a space where people feel comfortable."

The researchers and the DIGIT lab are housed in the Department of Geography at the U. The app, called the Hate Incident Reporting System, is currently available on Google Play and should be available on Apple's App Store shortly.

"We decided to create this while we were doing research on hate crimes. The overall quality and completeness of available data is terrible," said Medina. The FBI defines a hate crime as "a criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender's bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender or gender identity."

"This is about research. We have no motivation to be biased. We'd like to see it used nationally to get better hate incident statistics, and to understand why, how, and where people are active in hateful incidents, and how that offends or hurts people," said Medina.

How it works

The app's mission statement reads:

"Our interest in hate incidents goes beyond criminal actions and seeks to gain knowledge of all forms of hate, including constitutionally-protected hate speech. By collecting reports of all hateful actions, we hope to generate a better understanding of hate, so that it might be more effectively addressed at local, regional and national levels."

All reporting is confidential--any data used for research purposes is anonymized and the Institutional Review Board has approved their methods. The app askes for a location the incident occurred and includes an option to add a photo or video. Users then classify the incident out of multiple types of bias: religion, disability, gender, identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and other.

Then the user chooses the category from propaganda, property damage, verbal, violent Propaganda could include something like posters on college campuses, and verbal could be someone yelling a homophobic slur.

"These things are more fleeting, and can be easily captured by the quick use of the app," said Nicolosi. "It will hopefully make people feel like they have a voice to report hate somewhere, feel like their being heard. They'll know that we're adding it to our research effort and are looking for solutions."

The app is still in the pilot stage. As more people use it, they'll make modifications and eventually scale it up. The researchers acknowledge that false reporting is possible, however there are safeguards. Photos and videos provide some proof, and a big event can spark multiple reports.

The app also provides definitions and links to resources.

Filling the massive data gap

Two federal agencies track and report on hate crime incidents, victims, offenses and perpetrators; the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program receives data from crimes pursued by local law enforcement agencies, and the Bureau of Justice Statistics National Criminal Victimization Survey (NCVS) collects both reported and unreported to police. However, the two sources have wildly different statistics--the NCVS reported that there are about 250,000 hate crime victims per year, while the UCR data estimated just over 8,800 victims in 2017. The NCVS found that more than half of all hate crimes were not reported to the police.

One issue is that local, state, university and tribal law enforcement agencies are not required to report hate crimes to the FBI database. Additionally, states have varying definitions for which groups can be victims of hate. For example, some states exclude bias against sexual orientation. For years Utah's hate crime law listed no specific groups at all, making it nearly impossible for prosecutors to charge an incident as one motivated by hate. This year, both chambers of Utah's state legislature passed a bill that would define protected groups and allow judges to increase penalties for perpetrators of hate-motivated crimes.

The app will not only benefit hate crime research, but could also catch alarming patterns that signal violence.

"We want to catch trends before anything violent happens, these types of things come in waves. If we see spikes in activity, then we might be able to prepare for any bigger violent issues," said Medina. "We're not profiting off of this. We're doing this for the public. We're going to communicate what's happening in your community."
Project - funded by Innovate UK and Medical Research Council Biomedical Catalyst 2018, Round 1 Competition - will see bioresorbable stents treating severe vascular disease and dissolving within two years after implant

A 1.1 million project to develop biodegradable stents for patients with severe vascular disease, which affects around one million people in the UK, has started thanks to Innovate UK funding. The unique project, a collaboration between the UK-based medical device company Arterius and the Translational Biomedical Research Centre (TBRC) at the University of Bristol, will develop a new type of bioresorbable stent that prevents the complications associated with metal stents.

Severe peripheral vascular disease (PVD) is caused by the formation of blockages in arteries, which reduces blood supply to the brain, heart, kidneys and limbs causing strokes, heart attacks, kidney failure and limb amputations. The disease is a growing international healthcare problem affecting about 20 per cent of the UK population aged 55-80 years and 200 million people worldwide.

Current treatment for the condition relies on permanent metal stents being inserted through a needle over a wire into the blocked artery to open up the blockage. However, these metal stents are associated with early blood clots and long-term chronic inflammation at the stented site. This triggers recurrence of blockages within one to two years (also known as in-stent restenosis) leading to readmissions, repeated revascularisation and huge hospital costs.

The two-year project is the culmination of a research-industry consortium comprising University of Bristol researchers led by Professor Raimondo Ascione at the Bristol Medical School and Dr Kadem Al-Lamee, CEO at Leeds-based medical device company Arterius.

Together, the team will join strengths and expertise to refine existing Arterius's technology to develop smart peripheral bioresorbable stents with novel mechanical and biocompatible properties able to treat the blockages and then dissolve between 18 to 24 months. The new device aims to prevent the life-long presence in the treated arteries of a metal stent and the associated chronic inflammation/restenosis and complications.

Professor Raimondo Ascione, Chair of Cardiac Surgery and TBRC Director at Bristol, said: "There is a huge need for innovation based on rigorous preclinical development and testing in the area of severe peripheral vascular disease. We are delighted to join forces with Arterius to form a unique UK-based biomedical consortium with potential to be a global player in this field."

Dr Kadem Al-Lamee, CEO, Arterius Ltd, added: "Development funding supported by the Innovate UK programme will significantly help us to continue our ongoing collaboration with top UK universities, in order to explore this ground-breaking research in the cardiovascular field. Thanks to this project, Innovate UK, our technology, and the partnership with TBRC-Bristol, we could help millions of patients globally."

They also agreed: "Our primary goal of this consortium is to develop bioresorbable smart stents for pre-clinical assessment in carotid and iliac-femoral arteries as well as a platform technology, which we plan to use to tackle in the future other areas of peripheral vascular disease such as below the knee, given the high level of biomedical innovation."

The team plan to develop and test the prototype smart stent for safety and efficiacy using state-of-the art clinical and imaging technologies at Bristol's TBRC preclinical facility. The ultimate goal is to take this new device to the bedside in a first in man trial in three to four years.

Professor Nishan Canagarajah, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research at the University of Bristol, added: "This innovative project illustrates how universities and industry can work together by applying their expertise to develop safe and effective novel technology for global public health benefit.

"Through this collaboration, the potential gains to the healthcare sector are vast. By improving this procedure hospital readmission rates could be reduced therefore delivering major cost savings to the NHS and beyond."

The Innovate UK-funded project, entitled 'Preclinical Development and Testing of Innovative Bioresorbable Stents to Treat Patients with Severe Peripheral Arterial Disease' started on 1 March 2019.

Source: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/
File photo of Gujarat Congress leader Alpesh Thakor.



Congress president Rahul Gandhi raked up the migrant attacks on Biharis in western India, asking what has PM Modi done for the residents of the state since then. "You go to western parts in search of jobs and get attacked. Many have gone to BJP-ruled states of Maharashtra and Gujarat, yet you have to face this. What has Modi done for your? He even promised special status to Bihar. What happened?" Gandhi asked addressing a rally.



Gandhi was referring to the 2018 incident when over 55 cases of attack on migrants, mainly from UP and Bihar, were registered across Gujarat and 431 arrested after a 14-month-old girl was raped in north Gujarat on September 28.



Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday attacked Opposition parties, including the Indian Union Muslim League, describing the outfit as "a green virus". He was referring to the green-coloured flags waved at a rally attended by Congress chief Rahul Gandhi after he filed his nomination papers from Wayanad in Kerala.



Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being a coward after he invited the latter to an open-book debate on the Rafael deal and other issues. Chowkidar is not only chor, but also a coward, I told him to debate with me as he talks about corruption, but he does not have the guts and fled, Gandhi said at a rally.



Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath today hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for calling him "Bhrasht Nath" after raids by the Income Tax department on his close aides. Modi, in an exclusive interview with News18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, said, Bhrasht Nath could say anything, but it doesnt matter. Action needs to be taken on scams and corruption. Scams were put in cold storage and we thought they should be probed. If the scams are surfacing, the people behind them should also come forward." Reacting to the PM's dig, Nath accused the Prime Minister of overlooking the scams that took place during the then Shivraj Singh Chouhan government.



He added that the I-T raids were futile and it was in reality a BJP man who was caught with money in the I-T raids. Modi is scared and has forgotten the Vyapam Scam, e-tendering scam and several other such scams. Nothing will be found in the raids as it is a political attack," he said.



Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched his election campaign in Maharashtra's Latur today with a stinging attack on the Congress, calling it a party that wants to give open licence to anti-nationals. Addressing a joint rally with Uddhav Thackeray at Ausa in Osmanabad, he said Pakistan would not have born in 1947 had Congress leaders acted wisely in the pre-Independence era. The Congress party's manifesto speaks the same language as that of Pakistan, he added.



He is now addressing a rally in Karnatakas Chitradurga, which is under the Congress. After Chitradurga, it will be Mysuru, which was won by the BJP in the last Lok Sabha election. Later in the evening, Modi will reach Tamil Nadu where he will take the BJP rally forward to Coimbatore.



Today is the last day for political parties to campaign for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections and the final day of filing nomination for the fourth phase.



Rahul Gandhi will reach Assam to kick-off Congress campaign in the northeastern state, two days ahead of the first phase of Lok Sabha elections. The Congress president will address a rally at Panchgram in Hailakandi district. He will then proceed to Bihar where he will campaign at Gandhi Maidan Ground in Gaya, a city that holds supreme importance among Hindu devotees. After Bihar, it will be Odishas Phulbani.



Meanwhile, Congress general secretary and eastern UP in-charge Priyanka Gandhi Vadra reached Saharanpur for a mega road show from Gol Kothi to Qutub Sher. The Congress is trying to dethrone the Bharataiya Janata Party form the Saharanpur seat.



In Telangana, BJP national president will campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Led by Asaduddin Owaisi, Hyderabad is AIMIM party stronghold. The BJP chief will also take out a massive roadshow from Singha Dwara of Shree Jagannath Temple to Badasankha in Puri, Odisha.
All the new Star Wars comics, graphic novels, and collections arriving in 2021 and beyond

Every single new Star Wars comic books arriving in the next few months that you need to get excited about
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(Newser)  An arrest has been made involving a threatening letter sent to Senator Susan Collins last fall. The letter sent to Collins' home in Maine was leaking a fine white powder that was thought at the time to be contaminated with ricin, ABC reports. The powder later was found to be starch. Suzanne Muscara, 37, of Burlington, faces 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted. A fingerprint led the FBI to Muscara, whose prints had been in its database since a 2013 arrest in Pennsylvania, per CNN. (In other Collins news, she's outraised the liberal crowdfunding effort to unseat her.)
(Newser)  Character actors aren't often called larger-than-life, but Seymour Cassel was just that. The live-wire pillar of independent film known for his frequent collaborations with John Cassavetes and Wes Anderson has died at 84, the AP reports. His daughter, Dilyn Cassel Murphy, said Monday that her father passed away Sunday surrounded by family following complications from Alzheimer's disease. Born in Detroit, he traveled frequently with his burlesque dancer mother as a child, and never met his father. He was an angry and rebellious teen, who started drinking at 13. His mother shipped him off to live with his godmother in Detroit, where he stayed until enlisting in the Navy at 17. He eventually made his way to New York in the 1950s to pursue acting, launching a 60-year career with appearances in over 100 films.

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It was there that he met Cassavetes, who he said "saved" his life, and made his film debut in his 1958 feature Shadows. It was the beginning of a lifelong friendship. In 1959 he followed Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands to Los Angeles where he lived in their guest house. He'd go on to work for Cassavetes often, with roles in Faces, which earned him a best supporting actor nomination in 1969, Minnie and Moskowitz, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, Opening Night, and Love Streams. Working with Cassavetes got him on the radar of many and he'd get the chance to work with greats like Sam Peckinpah in Convoy, Elia Kazan in The Last Tycoon, and Nicolas Roeg in Track 29 and Cold Heaven. After a difficult period during which he even spent time in jail, he bounced back and worked frequently in the 1990s, with roles in films like Dick Tracy, White Fang, In the Soup, Indecent Proposal, Honeymoon in Vegas, and It Could Happen to You. And then, in 1998 a new generation would meet him as a result of the beginnings of a fruitful collaboration with Anderson, as Bert Fischer in Rushmore. He'd go on to work his him twice more, playing the ill-fated Esteban in The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou and Dusty the elevator operator in The Royal Tennebaums.

(Read more celebrity death stories.)
(Newser)  A couple says they're lucky to be alive after dozens of power lines fell on the Seattle street they were driving on, with one wooden public utility pole striking their SUV, the AP reports. "If it had hit the glass rather than the roof, it would have just come through," Tom Cook said in an interview with KOMO-TV. "And the firefighters said the same thing, had it hit to the left or the right, it would have come down on one of us." He and wife, Linda Cook, were driving in their Ford Edge on Friday when wooden poles on the west side of the six-lane road started collapsing and one impaled their SUV. The crash was so sudden that they said they didn't realize what had happened and called out to each because the pole that separated them blocked their view of each other.

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"Seeing the photos of the vehicle, if I had seen those photos as a bystander or after the fact and I looked at the photos, I would have said somebody died in the car," Tom Cook said. Live wires were strewn all over the road that abuts Seattle's Museum of Flight and King County's Boeing Field airport. It took about an hour for emergency crews to turn off the power and safely extract the couple from the vehicle. They were taken to Harborview Medical Center and treated and released the same night. Tom Cook left with five stitches, but otherwise they only suffered cuts and bruises. Seattle City Light said it is investigating what happened and said the poles were fully inspected just three years ago. (Police said two men tried to steal a utility pole in Florida.)
(Newser)  Leaving Fido to fend for himself outside during a hurricane could soon be a crime in Florida. Senate Bill 1738, which passed the state Senate Agricultural Committee with no opposition last month, makes it a first-degree misdemeanor to leave a dog restrained outside and unattended during a natural disaster or man-made disaster, the Weather Network reports. Offenders could face a $5,000 fine or up to a year in prison. Animal welfare officials say dozens of dogs were left tethered outside when Hurricane Irma hit the state in 2017. Many of them did not survive the storm. Some counties, including Palm Beach, where at least 49 dogs were rescued after being left outside during Hurricane Irma, already have similar laws, reports NBC.

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Paula Whiteamire, who runs Amazing Grace Bully Rescue, tells ABC 4 that the bill is long overdue. "The amount of people who leave their animals out in storms open on chains during hurricanes, tornadoes, whateverand the destruction that occurs; even if the dog doesn't die, what it has to live with afterwards," she says. "I think the people need to be held accountable for doing that kind of thing." Authorities say leaving dogs outside during natural disasters is not only cruel, it diverts valuable resources away from other rescue missions. If the bill, sponsored by Republican state Sen. Joe Gruters, passes the legislature, it will take effect July 1. (After Hurricane Florence, this dog survived for a week on a floating couch in a flooded house.)
(Newser)  California Rep. Eric Swalwell is officially in the running for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Swalwell made the announcement during a taping Monday of CBS' The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the AP reports. The congressman says, "I see a country in quicksand, unable to solve threats from abroad, unable to make life better for people here at home." He says, "None of that is going to change until we get a leader who is willing to go big on the issues we take on, be bold in the solutions we offer and do good in the way that we govern." He adds: "I'm ready to solve these problems. I'm running for president of the United States."

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The 38-year-old Iowa native was elected in 2012 to represent California's 15th Congressional District. He is the 18th Democratic candidate to join the 2020 White House race, according to NPR. Gun control is high on Swalwell's agenda, and he plans to hold a "Town Hall to End Gun Violence" in Coral Springs, Fla., on Tuesday, ABC reports. It will be attended by survivors of the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in nearby Parkland. The National Rifle Association put Swalwell on the cover of its Jan. 2019 magazine after the congressman called for a ban on assault weapons. (Read more Election 2020 stories.)
(Newser)  Three American service members and a US contractor were killed when their convoy hit a roadside bomb on Monday near the main US base in Afghanistan, the AP reports. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. The US and NATO Resolute Support mission said in a statement that the four Americans were killed near the Bagram Air Base, north of Kabul, while three others were wounded in the explosion. The wounded were evacuated and are receiving medical care, the statement said. It added that in accordance with US Department of Defense policy, the names of service members killed in action are being withheld until after the notification of next of kin.

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In their claim of responsibility, the Taliban said they launched the attack and that one of their suicide bombers detonated his explosives-laden vehicle near the NATO base. The conflicting accounts could not be immediately reconciled. On Tuesday, local officials said at least five Afghan civilians were wounded in the commotion after the attack on the American convoy. Four were passers-by and the fifth was a driver of a car going down the road, said Abdul Raqib Kohistani, the Bagram district police chief. Monday's US fatalities bring to seven the number of US soldiers killed so far this year in Afghanistan. The Taliban have continued to carry out daily attacks on Afghan security forces despite holding several rounds of peace talks with the United States in recent months. (Read more Afghanistan stories.)
(Newser)  A Maryland man inspired by ISIS walked off his job in the middle of the day last month intending to carry out a terrorist attack, federal prosecutors sayand if he had been more organized, the death toll could have been horrific. Rondell Henry, a 28-year-old computer engineer, allegedly planned to run down pedestrians at the National Harbor tourist destination near Washington, DC, the New York Times reports. Prosecutors say Henry said he wanted to cause "panic and chaos" similar to the Bastille Day truck attack that killed 86 people in Nice, France in 2016. "I was just going to keep driving and driving and driving. I wasn't going to stop," he told authorities after his arrest, according to court documents.

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Prosecutors say Henry left his job on March 26 and stole a U-Haul truck at a Virginia mall after determining his BMW "would not cause the catastrophic damage that he desired," the AP reports. Early the next day, he drove to Dulles International Airport but could not find a way past security. He then drove to National Harbor, arriving around 10am, but decided the crowds were too thin at the time, court documents state. He hid in a boat overnight and was arrested the next day by police who had found the stolen U-Haul, prosecutors say. A detention motion filed Monday states that Henry hated "disbelievers" and was inspired by ISIS videos he watched online. He has been charged with interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle and prosecutors are expected to seek additional charges. (Read more terrorism stories.)
(Newser)  Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition, nor an anthrax scarebut it was the latter that brought emergency workers to the Los Angeles residence of a Monty Python alum Monday evening. The LAPD reports the Hollywood Hills home of Eric Idle and his wife, Tania Kosevich, was evacuated after someone inside the home opened a certified piece of mail and powder appeared to spill out, per NBC Los Angeles. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ it was an employee who opened the letter, which the Guardian reports came from Thailand.

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Police and fire officials, including hazmat workers, converged on the scene, but determined "there was no hazard ... [and] no powder to be found," Los Angeles Fire Department Battalion Chief Jim Holland told reporters, per Variety. Holland speculates the reported powdery substance could have been "just a little bit of dust that may have come from off the envelope." He adds that two women were taken to a hospital as a precaution, but they seemed to be fine. NBC News notes it's unclear whether Idle and his wife were home during the incident. (Read more Eric Idle stories.)
(Newser)  "Kai the hitchhiker" will soon learn if his hitchhiking days are over. Opening statements begin Tuesday in the long-awaited trial of the Canadian Internet star turned murder suspect, accused of fatally beating a 73-year-old lawyer who offered up his home in Clark, NJ, reports News 12. Prosecutors say Joseph Galfy was found dead of blunt force trauma after he invited Kaireal name Caleb McGillivrayto stay with him in May 2013. McGillivray, who went viral after intervening in a gas station attack in California in February of that year, instead claims he was the victim, according to a legal support Facebook page.

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It describes McGillivarywhose initial profanity-laced interview received 7 million views on YouTubeawaking in a guest room to find a partially naked Galfy on top of him, per the Bridgewater Courier News. "In a drugged state," McGillivary fought Galfy before regaining consciousness a few miles from the home, unaware Galfy had died of his injuries, according to the post. It also mentions McGillivary's claims that police destroyed evidence that he was drugged and sexually assaulted. The 30-year-old has been in custody since his arrest in Philadelphia days after Galfy's death. He pleaded not guilty to murder in 2014 and faces life in prison if convicted. (Read more murder trial stories.)
The cooperation between the sides will contribute practically to soon realizing the European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), PM Phuc said at a reception for Minister-President of Thuringen Bodo Ramelow in Hanoi on April 8th.

The PM said he is delighted to see positive developments in the relations between Vietnam and Germany.

He spoke highly of the visit by Bodo Ramelow and his accompany of representatives from 70 businesses, expressing his hope that the visit would open a new space for investment and cooperation between the two countries in many fields.

He also spoke highly of the German businesses and investors in Vietnam, saying the Vietnamese Government is willing to provide information and discuss arising problems with German businesses and investors to help them feel secure doing business in the country.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Minister-President of Thuringen Bodo Ramelow (Photo: VNA)

The leader said he knew that Thuringen set up a representative office in Vietnam in 2009 and some 70 businesses from the state are launching business, training and research projects in Vietnam.

He said the two countries cooperation would be developing, backed by the establishment of strategic partnership, the signing of economic agreements, the launch of a direct flight route, and the German-speaking community in Vietnam and the Vietnamese community in Germany.

He asked the German official to help encourage businesses of Thuringen and Germany to pour more investments in Vietnam.

Minister-President of Thuringen Bodo Ramelow said during the visit, he and his entourage had a working session with Hanoi, joined seminars, and worked with the Ministry of Science and Technology on training partnership between universities of the two countries.

He talked about his states socio-economic achievements after 30 years of reforms and possibilities of sharing experience in developing small and medium-sized enterprises and cooperating in vocational training by Thuringen businesses.

The delegation began their eight-day working visit to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city on April 6th, at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.

Thuringen has a population of over 2 million and a GDP of more than EUR60 billion./.
(Newser)  The exodus of US security officials, including Kirstjen Nielsen and the Secret Service chief, has put renewed attention on White House senior aide Stephen Miller. The 33-year-old is widely seen a big reason President Trump is moving to toughen his immigration and border policies, reports the Hill. In fact, the headline of a CNN analysis refers to this as the "Stephen Miller purge." Related coverage:

Lightning rod: Miller is reviled on the left. Witness Rep. Ilhan Omar, no stranger to controversy herself, with this tweet: "Stephen Miller is a white nationalist," she wrote, per Fox News. "The fact that he still has influence on policy and political appointments is an outrage." Critics including Rep. Lee Zeldin (here) and Donald Trump Jr. (here) responded by accusing Omar of anti-Semitism (not for the first time) because Miller is Jewish. They, in turn, were ridiculed for equating her criticism with anti-Semitism.

Miller is reviled on the left. Witness Rep. Ilhan Omar, no stranger to controversy herself, with this tweet: "Stephen Miller is a white nationalist," she wrote, per Fox News. "The fact that he still has influence on policy and political appointments is an outrage." Critics including Rep. Lee Zeldin (here) and Donald Trump Jr. (here) responded by accusing Omar of anti-Semitism (not for the first time) because Miller is Jewish. They, in turn, were ridiculed for equating her criticism with anti-Semitism. Clash ahead? Vanity Fair reports that Miller appears to be on a "collision course" with another young member of the administration, Jared Kushner. Why? The presidential son-in-law is quietly working on a plan to expand legal immigration, one that "could increase the number of low- and high-skilled workers admitted to the country annually," reports Politico.

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The winner: Miller is the "obvious winner" in the power struggle that led to the recent resignations, writes Jonathan Allen at NBC News. It could be a while before Homeland Security and immigration offices have new permanent leaders in place, and Miller seems to be in charge in the interim. "Miller has always had a strong hand in the administration's internal wars over immigration policy, but now there's no one left to fight him."

Miller is the "obvious winner" in the power struggle that led to the recent resignations, writes Jonathan Allen at NBC News. It could be a while before Homeland Security and immigration offices have new permanent leaders in place, and Miller seems to be in charge in the interim. "Miller has always had a strong hand in the administration's internal wars over immigration policy, but now there's no one left to fight him." Potential problem: Miller is a "trusted and loyal soldier to Trump" who is pushing for much tougher limits on immigration, per the Hill. However, he "has never had legislative success as a staffer," says a source described as a Trump loyalist. "We are going to end up with the same result every time."

Miller is a "trusted and loyal soldier to Trump" who is pushing for much tougher limits on immigration, per the Hill. However, he "has never had legislative success as a staffer," says a source described as a Trump loyalist. "We are going to end up with the same result every time." A suggestion: In the Washington Post, Max Boot writes that Trump should "nominate Miller as secretary of homeland security and let the puppetmaster come out from behind the curtain." But don't think Boot is a a fan. He adds, "Or is Trump afraid that even a Republican-controlled Senate wouldnt confirm this nativist fanatic?"

(Read more Stephen Miller stories.)
(Newser)  The attorney general appeared before a House panel Tuesday ostensibly to talk about a mundane issuethe Justice Department's budget. Democrats, however, had a much different topic in mindthe Mueller report. So far, William Barr hasn't divulged much new information, however. He said he's still on track to release a redacted version "within a week," and he will explain the need for any specific redactions at that time, reports the New York Times. (They'll be color-coded, notes Roll Call.) In one early exchange of note, Barr declined to answer a line of questioning about whether the White House had seen the report before he issued his summary.

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"Did the White House see the report before you released your summarizing letter?" asked Rep. Nita Lowey of the Appropriations Subcommittee. She also wanted to know if anyone from the White House had seen the report since the release of his letter or been briefed about its broader contents. Barr's response: "I've said what I'm going to say about the report today." Watch the exchange via this video from PBS NewsHour; it starts at about the 2:40 mark. (The full report came in at more than 300 pages.)
(Newser)  It's beginning to look like the IRS will never provide a free online tax-filing system for Americans, reports ProPublica. The news outlet blames heavy lobbying from the likes of TurboTax and H&R Block. A bill with bipartisan support has cleared the House Ways and Means Committee, and one of its provisions bars the IRS from creating its own electronic tax-filing system. A companion bill is moving through the Senate. That kind of a system could put a serious dent in the profits of companies that charge fees to prepare people's taxes, and Justin Elliott writes that H&R Block and TurboTax parent Intuit spent $6.6 million last year alone lobbying against such a change.

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As a compromise, the IRS currently has a memorandum of understanding with the Free File Alliance, an industry group, stipulating that companies such as TurboTax provide free tax software to taxpayers who make less than $66,000. However, only 3% of people eligible for the program use it, and critics say it's because most of those eligible are unaware it exists, per Fortune. Advocates for an IRS system note that the agency already has on hand much of the information taxpayers need to fill out their forms. (Refunds are coming in smaller than usual this year because of new tax changes.)
(Newser)  A prominent Israeli pollster says that Israel has never seen such a decline in Arab turnout, calling it "the biggest drama" facing the national election. Camil Fuchs told Israel's Chanel 13 TV that exit polls revealed startling low turnout throughout the day, the AP reports. Prominent Arab politicians took to social media to demand their constituents push back against ballot boycott calls that put their parties at risk of dropping below the parliamentary threshold. Veteran lawmaker Ahmad Tibi called the low turnout "a real danger" to his party and the other Arab factions. Arab citizens, representing nearly 20% of Israel's population, could help sway the vote. But many Arab citizens have pledged to boycott the election in protest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's divisive campaign tactics and legislation declaring Israel the nation-state of the Jewish people.

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Per the Jerusalem Post, just 20% of Arab voters had turned in ballots by 3pm. The Post explains that some Arab voters feel that since the Arab political parties won't be invited to join a coalition government, there's no point in voting. Tuesday's election is largely seen as a referendum on Netanyahu, who appealed to nationalist voters by vowing to annex the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The PM, who is seeking a fifth term in office, delivered increasingly impassioned pleas to voters to come out and support him as the day wore on. He took to Facebook in a steady stream of videos to rile his national base by warning if supporters failed to vote, they'd wake up to a "leftist" government led by his chief challenger Benny Gantz. He says such a scenario is backed by a "secret deal" with Arab parties. Official results are expected to come in overnight.

(Read more Israel stories.)
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New Delhi:

UP B.Ed 2019 Entrance exam will be held on April 15. Admit cards for the same are out now. The exam conducting body, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Rohilkhand University, MJPRU has released UP B.Ed. 2019 Admit Card at the official website on April 08. Candidates who will appear for the Uttar Pradesh Bachelor of Education (UP B.Ed) examination can visit the official site of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Rohilkhand University at upbed2019.in and download the admit card.

The examination will be conducted in two shifts- the first shift from 9 am to 12 noon and the second shift from 2 pm to 5 pm

UP B.Ed. 2019 Admit Card: Steps to download

Visit the official site of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Rohilkhand University at mjpru.ac.in.

Click on UP B.Ed JEE 2019 B.Ed Entrance 2019 link available on the home page.

A new page will open where candidates can click on the login link.

On the new page click on download Entrance admit card link on the right corner.

Enter the user name and password and click on submit.

Your admit card will be available on your screen.

Download the admit card and keep a hard copy of the same for further need.

Check if the particulars like name, date of birth, the venue for the exam, subjects mentioned are correct.

Currently, there are two lakh seats for B.Ed in 2200 colleges in the state. The seats of B.Ed will also increase from this academic session.

The state government is also planning to allow B.Ed degree holders to teach in primary schools as well. This will be the first time that B.Ed degree holders will be teaching in primary schools. Earlier, only BTC degree holders could teach primary school children. This time onwards the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) has permitted B.Ed degree holders to go for primary level teaching.

UP B.Ed. 2019 Admit Card: Paper PatternThe first paper will consist of General Knowledge and Language sections, each of 100 marks. the second paper consists of General Aptitude test and subject test, each of 100 marks. The total time allotted is 3 hours for each paper.
New Delhi:

BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday hit out at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for "defaming" Hindus across the world by allegedly linking their religion to "terror". Continuing his attack on the Congress, he said when the whole country was rejoicing over the air strike on a terror camp in Balakot, there was an atmosphere of gloom only in Pakistan and the Rahul Gandhi-led party.

Shah also took a dig at Gandhi's public rallies in Wayanad, the second Lok Sabha seat in Kerala, after Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, from where he is contesting. Shah said Gandhi's rallies in Wayanad appeared as they were being organised in Pakistan.

He was addressing an election rally in support of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, who is the BJP's candidate for the Nagpur Lok Sabha constituency. Shah referred to the acquittal of all the accuse din the 2007 Samjhauta train blast case, including Swami Aseemanand, to slam the main opposition party.

"I want to ask Congress party and its leaders, Sushilkumar Shinde, P Chidambaram (both former Union Home Ministers) and Rahul Gandhi why they defamed the Hindu community in the world by talking about Hindu terror and `bhagwa' (saffron) terror," the BJP chief said.

The court has said there is no thing as "Hindu terror", he said. "Rahul Gandhi has defamed the Hindu community in the world and he should apologise before the entire Hindu community before the elections," said Shah.

He hit out at National Conference leader Omar Abdullah for advocating a separate prime minister for Jammu and Kashmir. "Omar Abdullah wants a separate prime minister for Jammu and Kashmir.Does he think, Kashmir is someone's father's property?

"Listen carefully Omar Abdullah and Rahul Gandhi, whether we are in power or in opposition, no one can take Kashmir away from India till the BJP is there. Hence, our manifesto talks about scrapping Articles 370 and 35A," he said.

The two Articles of the Constitution relate to special status for Jammu and Kashmir and rights and privileges of its residents. Shah targeted Gandhi over his candidature from Wayanad, which has a significant population of minority communities.

"Rahul Gandhi has stood from such a seat in Kerala that during a rally one cannot differentiate whether it is in Pakistan or in India," said Shah. The BJP chief asked the people gathered at the rally whether or not the air strike on a terror camp in Balakot in Pakistan post the Pulwama terror attack was justified. "After the Balakot air strike, the whole country was in joyous mood, but the mood in Pakistan and Congress party was gloomy," he said.

"(Congress leader) Sam Pitroda advocated talks with Pakistan. Tell me whether or not the bombing of terrorists involved in the Pulwama attack was justified?" he asked. "Rahul baba .. you can do ILU ILU with terrorists, but we will give "eent ka jawab patthar se" (a resolute and befitting reply)," Shah said.

He said Gadkari has undertaken a lot of development work in his constituency in the last five years. "The BJP-Sena alliance will win all the seven seats in Vidarbha (voting in the first phase on April 11)," he said. Maharashtra got more grant under the Modi government than the UPA dispensation, the BJP chief said.

"The 13th Finance Commission under the UPA government had given Rs 1.15 lakh crore to Maharashtra. But the 14th Finance Commission under the Narendra Modi government gave Rs 4.38 lakh crore to Maharashtra," he said.

Shah said the Congress did not find a nominee against Gadkari and hence it had to "import" its candidate from outside. Gadkari is pitted against Nana Patole of the Congress. Patole had won the 2014 Lok Sabha election on a BJP ticket from the Bhandara-Gondiya seat in Vidarbha. He quit the the BJP in 2017 and later joined the Congress.

Patole was earlier an MLA of the Congress. During his speech, Shah also listed the promises made in the BJP manifesto for farmers and traders, among other sections of the society. Nagpur is among the seven Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra that will vote on April 11. Tuesday was the last day of campaigning in these parliamentary seats.
New Delhi:

The Income Tax Department (ITD) sleuths on Tuesday continued their raids at the residence of Ashwani Sharma, a close associate of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Naths Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Praveen Kakkar. The ITD officers have recovered Rs 10 crore in cash and wildlife articles from the residence of Sharma in Bhopal. Trophies of several animals, including black buck, tiger, chinkara and other animals were found at Sharmas residence during the raids. The trophies are made by conserving the bodies of animals.

The Income Tax Department on Monday said it has detected a "widespread and well-organised racket" of collection of unaccounted cash of about Rs 281 crore through various persons in different walks of life, including business, politics and public service.

The raids were conducted at the properties linked to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath's Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Pravin Kakkar, former adviser Rajendra Miglani, Ashwani Sharma and executives linked to his brother-in-law's firm Moser Bayer and a company of his nephew Ratul Puri.

Income tax sleuths had reportedly planned the raids three days in advance and went to Bhopal as tourists to ditch the local authorities and state intelligence agencies. The ITD department officers hired a tourist cab and went directly to the pre-decided places without informing local administration.

Even though the Income Tax Department claimed to have recovered huge cash, MP chief ministers former OSD Pravin Kakkar refuted the claims and said the ITD officers didnt find anything objectionable. He termed the entire operation politically motivated.

Despite the 2-day long raid they didn't find any document that they could seize, they didn't recover any cash or jewelry either. They didn't find anything objectionable, it was a political operation, news agency ANI quoted Kakkar as saying.

Reacting to the development, Chief Minister Kamal Nath said that the Narendra Modi government was using constitutional institutions to threaten political opponents.
New Delhi:

The Income Tax Department on Monday said it has detected a "widespread and well-organised racket" of collection of unaccounted cash of about Rs 281 crore through various persons in different walks of life, including business, politics and public service. Income tax sleuths had reportedly planned the raids three days in advance and went to Bhopal as tourists to ditch the local authorities and state intelligence agencies. The IT department officers hired a tourist cab and went directly to the pre-decided places without informing local administration.

Those searched included Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath's Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Pravin Kakkar, former adviser Rajendra Miglani, Ashwani Sharma and executives linked to his brother-in-law's firm Moser Bayer and a company of his nephew Ratul Puri.

Even though the Income Tax Department (ITD) claim to have recovered huge cash, MP chief ministers former OSD Pravin Kakkar refuted the claims and said the ITD officers didnt find anything objectionable. He termed the entire operation politically motivated.

Despite the 2-day long raid they didn't find any document that they could seize, they didn't recover any cash or jewelry either. They didn't find anything objectionable, it was a political operation, news agency ANI quoted Kakkar as saying.

Reacting to the development, Chief Minister Kamal Nath said that the Narendra Modi government was using constitutional institutions to threaten political opponents.

The entire country knows how the constitutional institutions were used and against whom they were used during the past five years. These institutions were used to scare people. When they do not have anything to say on development and their work, they used this kind of tactics against their opponents, Nath said.
Bengaluru:

Hitting out at the Prime Minister, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Tuesday said he has lived in Karnataka, which is in India, and there was no need for him to learn from Narendra Modi about "patriotism."

"I'm in Karnataka, I also know things, it is not only PM Modi who knows...Kumaraswamy has lived and is living in Karnataka, in India, I need not learn from PM Modi on patriotism," Kumaraswamy told reporters.

Responding to Modi's attack on him during his rallies in the State, he said "We have shed tears when a soldier's wife (Kalavathi, wife of CRPF man Guru who died in Pulwama attack) was made to shed tears in Malavalli."

"Only Narendra Modi has to pat himself on his own back.. that is all..," Kumaraswamy said when asked about PM Modi criticising opposition leaders including him for questioning air strikes at Balakot in Pakistan.

PM Modi during an election rally at Chitradurga on Tuesday said the whole world stood with India, but "our Mahamilavati dal here" (Congress-JDS), was condemning Modi instead of Pakistan.

"The Chief Minister here (Karnataka) went a step ahead and said the bravery of Indian soldiers should not be spoken, because it will affect their vote bank... I want to ask the Chief Minister whether his vote bank is in India or in Pakistan. Chief Minister should clarify on this," Modi had said.

The prime minister lashed out at the Congress-JD(S) government in Karnataka where, he said, the two parties had come together for the sake of "power" and to serve self-interests.

PM Modi said the same would be replicated if "Mahamilavat" came to power, deriding the anti-BJP "grand alliance" of opposition parties.

Responding to it, Kumaraswamy said "Has BJP won in Karnataka..if you go by him in Karnataka.. BJP has also not won...There is nothing to react to it (PM speech) as there is no issue there...he has only lied."

The Congress' Karnataka unit too attacked Modi in a tweet.

"Shameless PM @narendramodi, after 5 years of disaster, nothing to offer to the people of Karnataka, continues to politicize our brave armed forces.

The nation is watching how low the PM can stoop for votes by comparing the voters of Karnataka to terror breeding Pakistan," the party tweeted.
Latur (Maharashtra):

Stepping up his attack on the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that had its leaders acted wisely, Pakistan would not have been created. The prime minister was addressing a poll rally at Latur in Maharashtra as the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls begin on Thursday. Trying to catch their emotional chord, PM Modi urged first-time voters to dedicate their vote to those who carried out the air strike in Balakot.

Can your first vote be dedicated to those who carried out the air strike, Modi said, appealing to first-time voters. The Congress partys manifesto speaks the same language as that of Pakistan, he added.

Referring to National Conference leader Omar Abdullahs remark, PM Modi accused the Congress and its ally NCP of standing with those who want a separate prime minister for Jammu and Kashmir.

Hitting out at NCP chief Sharad Pawar, PM Modi wondered if it behoved the Maratha strongman to join forces with the parties holding such a view.

Under the BJPs watch it is the policy of New India that it will kill terrorists by barging into their dens, he said.

Modi said the opposition parties were questioning the valour of the security forces after the Pulwama terror attack and the air strike in Balakot.

Attacking the Congress, the prime minister alleged that corruption was the only activity which the party does with honesty after coming to power.

Aapne dekha hoga kal-parson kaise Congress ke darbariyon ke ghar se bakson main note nikli hain, note se vote kharidne ka ye paap inki rajnaitik sanskriti rahi hai. Ye pichhle chhe mahino se bol rahe hain Chowkidaar chor hai lekin note kahan se nikle? Asli chor kon hai?

(You must have seen how boxes full of currency notes are being recovered from the houses of Congress courtiers. Buying votes shows their political culture. They are saying for the last six months that the watchman is a thief but from where have the notes come out and who is the real thief?), Modi said.

Modis remarks followed the recent income tax raids at several locations, including in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh, against close aides of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath and others on charges of tax evasion and hawala transactions.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi has been attacking the prime minister using the chowkidar chor hai phrase, alleging corruption in the Rafale deal.

He said the Congress wants to take back the special powers given to armed forces. Pakistan too wants the same thing so that terrorists have a free run. The Congress has said it wants to do away with the sedition laws. Pakistan too wants this. It wants free hand for those who want to work against India, he added.

Those who talk such things, can you trust these people? Can these people safeguard the country, Modi said.

Modi hailed the BJP manifesto, released in Delhi Monday, and said the party is committed to national security and farmers welfare.

Your trust is my biggest accomplishment in the last five years, Modi told the crowd.

He also said his objective is to rid India of naxal and Maoist menace.

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray also attended the rally.

Modi referred to Thackeray as his younger brother and eulogised Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray, whom he lauded for not occupying the chief ministers post and not installing Uddhav, his son, either in that chair.

Parties like the Congress who encourage dynastic rule should learn from Balasahab (on this aspect), he said.

Modi also attacked the Congress for taking away Bal Thackerays voting rights.

Addressing the rally, Uddhav Thackeray asked Modi to deal Pakistan such a blow that nothing remains of it to mess with India.

Addressing the poll rally with Modi, their first since the Shiv Sena and BJP announced their tie-up for the Lok Sabha polls, Thackeray also welcomed the BJPs manifesto.

PM Modi reached the rally stage at this town in Latur district of Maharashtra holding hands with Shiv Sena chief Thackeray. Both the leaders were later garlanded together with a large garland.
New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday gave an exclusive interview to the News18 Network, where he discussed a host of issues that will determine the outcome of the polls. PM Modi also expressed confidence that the BJP would return to power with a majority bigger than even 2014. But he also hinted at the saffron partys post-poll plans in case it falls short, and said it would be ready to take along even the staunchest adversaries and parties with a single MP to take the nation forward.

Here are the highlights of the interview:

# I agree with Advani Ji. For us Nation first, self last: PM Modi.

# Those who were enemies they were willing to harm each other. When such parties unite, it means they are fighting for survival: PM Modi.

# Why Rahul Gandhi had to run from Amethi is a matter of discussion, fighting from two seats is his democratic right: PM Modi

# Bharatiya Janata Party is firm on its stand on Ram Mandir issue: PM Modi.

# Our main agenda is to run the country, we will work with every government: PM Modi.

# India's middle class is its biggest strength. The previous governments ignored this section: PM Modi.

# Arch-rivals are coming together just to save their existence: PM Modi.

# The number one issue is development, and it is two-fold. One is related to social infrastructure, the other is physical infrastructure: PM Modi.

# BJP will get more seats than 2014: PM Modi.

# With 'Aab hoga Nyay' slogan, Congress party has accepted that the they have failed to give justice to the people in the last 60 years: PM Modi.

# People of India will reject the lies peddled by the Congress party: PM Modi.

# Rafale issue is baseless, does not have any credibility: PM Modi

# My government is committed for the welfare of the people: PM Modi.

# Opposition in India is speaking the langiage of Pakistan: PM Modi.

# Many elections have taken place as well, no one spoke or used such language: PM Modi slams at Congress party.

# Ever since Congress lost power, they are hungry to regain power and have stooped to a new low: PM Modi.

# Look at 26/11 and the attack on Parliament. Pakistan assumed we would not retaliate and it emboldened them. This time we thought, no more: PM Modi.

# We had conducted surgical strikes after Uri as well, but this time we felt that was not the answer. Air strike was the better option, so we took that option: PM Modi.

# We must acknowledge that terror attacks have considerably decreased, says PM Modi.

# In Arunachal Pradesh, we created an environment where AFSPA is unnecessary: PM Modi.

# The government must have the power to protect its armed forces, says PM Modi

# Removing AFSPA from J&K is the same as sending our soldiers to the gallows, says PM Modi

# The discipline of Indian soldiers and their devotion to duty have always been praised: PM Modi

# We have focused on the needs of the common citizen -- housing, power, water, roads, etc. We have fulfilled basic needs in the last five years: PM Modi.

# For the first time, we've presented a manifesto which lays down a road map for both 2022 and 2024: PM Modi.

# This is a mature manifesto from a responsible political party which will be given the task of continuing to govern the country: PM Modi.

# We have spelt out 75 steps for what we want to achieve by 2022, the year in which India will celebrate 75 years of Independence: PM Modi.

# By the end of the term in 2024, we want to finish laying the foundation for where the country should in its 100th year of Independence in 2047: PM Modi.

# I would like te intellectual class to compare both the manifestos: PM Modi
New Delhi:

Congress Rahul Gandhi has slammed the BJP manifesto and called it 'voice of an isolated man', 'short-sighted, arrogant'. Gandhi took to Twitter on Tuesday and said that, athe Congress manifesto was created through discussion. The voice of over a million Indian people it is wise and powerful.a But, athe BJP manifesto was created in a closed room,a he added. On Monday, the BJP released its manifesto for the Lok Sabha Elections. Calling it a asankalp patraa, BJP pitched nationalism as its inspiration. The manifesto promised NRC in different parts of the country to push out infiltrators and zero tolerance to terror while reiterating its pet causes --construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya and scrapping of Article 370, 35A dealing with special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

A

The Congress manifesto was created through discussion. The voice of over a million Indian people it is wise and powerful.



The BJP Manifesto was created in a closed room. The voice of an isolated man, it is short sighted and arrogant. a Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 9, 2019

Releasing the manifesto, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah along with senior Union ministers also promised slew of welfare schemes for farmers and others, a Rs 100 lakh crore infrastructure investment and easing of the tax burden for the middle class in next five years.

"Nationalism is our inspiration, empowering the poor is our philosophy and good governance is our mantra", Modi said, asserting that a BJP government will lay a strong foundation for a developed India by 2047, when India completes 100 years of independence.

Announcing 75 milestones for India to achieve at its 75 years of freedom in 2022, the manifesto mentions a number of goals under heads of agriculture, youth and education, infrastructure, railways, health, economy, good governance, inclusive development, women empowerment and cultural heritage.

The 75 definitive, time-bound targets will allow people an "interim evaluation" of his government in 2022, Modi said, adding that the manifesto was a "multi-layered and multi-dimensional" document that addressed the expectations and aspirations of different sections of India's diverse society.

But the Congress termed the BJP manifesto as ajhansa patraa. Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel said that instead of manifesto, the BJP should have released a amaafinamaa. Patel also shredded the BJP manifesto, figuratively. He said that people will not believe the aSankalp Patraa. aThe difference between BJP manifesto and Congress manifesto can be seen firstly from the cover page. Our's has a crowd of people, and BJP manifesto has face of just one man,a Patel added.

Surjewala said that what was missing from the BJPas manifesto was any mention of jobs, notebandi (demonetisation), GST and black money. During the media presser, the Congress leaders later released document called '125 broken promises of BJP', listing the status of party's promises made in the 2014 election manifesto. The 'jumla' manifesto remains divisive in its approach through Ram temple and the contentious citizenship amendment bill, the Congress leaders said.
New Delhi:

Union Minister Smriti Irani on Tuesday slammed Congress chief Rahul Gandhi over his attack on BJP's Lok Sabha poll manifesto and reminded him of the status of development in Gandhis parliamentary constituency Amethi. Despite having a vision, there's a question mark on his efficiency as nations knows condition of Amethi. On one hand there's an efficient govt which has taken resolution to build a New India, on the other there's a man who stays restricted to making announcements, Irani was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. In morning, Gandhi had trashed BJPs sankalp patra calling it voice of an isolated man.

With the BJP making nationalism a central theme of its poll campaign, its manifesto released on Monday asserted that the security doctrine will be guided by national interest only, mentioning surgical strike and air strike against terrorists as examples of its stand, and promised NRC exercise in other parts of India. The party said it will firmly continue with its policy of giving a free hand to security forces in combating terrorism.

Talking tough on infiltration, the party has said it will implement National Register of Citizens, which is currently underway in Assam to identify illegal immigrants, in a phased manner in other parts of the country, as they cause "huge change" in the cultural and linguistic identity of the areas they live. "The decisive leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has fundamentally altered the national security paradigm of India in the last five years," the manifesto released by top party leaders, including Modi and its president Amit Shah, said. If vote to power again, the BJP will continue with its zero-tolerance approach to terrorism, it said.

The BJP has made national security a major poll plank following the Balakot air strike targeting a terror camp in Pakistan after the death of at least 40 CRPF personnel in Pulwama terror attack on February 14.

Meanwhile, News Nation had yesterday done a status check on BJPs 2014 poll promises.

Promise: 33 per cent reservation for women through a constitutional amendment.

Status: The promise still remains a distant dream even after the Congress president Rahul Gandhi announced unconditional support in Parliament.

Promise: In 2014, black money was a big issue and Narendra Modi had promised to bring back all the unaccounted money stashed in foreign banks in just 100 days.

Status: The promise remains fulfilled. Although the BJP announced demonetisation in 2016 to end the black money in 50 days, the move did very little to address the issue.

Promise: Employment was also one of the biggest issues of 2014 elections and Narendra Modi had promised to provide 1 crore jobs every year if his party comes to power. People trusted him with massive mandate and below is the status report of his promise on jobs:

Status: One of the biggest failure of the Narendra Modi government. Unemployment rose to the highest since last 45 years, according to a National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) report withheld by the government.

Promise: The BJP had promised to build a number of smart cities across the country. Time to time, we saw the Modi government releasing a list of cities it has selected to implement the project. But has Modi delivered on this promise?

Status: We all know the answer as it is visible to all. Our cities are by and large same as they were in 2014. No one from the BJP is talking about the promise in their 2019 election campaign. Most of the funds announced for the project were not spent.

Promise: Construction of a grand Ram Temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya. This was again one of the biggest election issue in 2014. The saffron party was given an unprecedented mandate by the people of Uttar Pradesh as many Hindus believed that Modi will do what no one else could do. He will construct a Ram Temple  a religious issue close to the hearts of many Hindus in Uttar Pradesh.

Status: Not built, promise still remains unfulfilled.
New Delhi:

BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi and four security personnel were killed when Maoists triggered an IED blast that hit the convoy of the legislator on Tuesday, saidA P Sundar Raj, DIG-anti-Maoist operations.A The incident occurred at Shyamgiri hills when the MLA's convoy was heading towards Kuwakonda from Bacheli area. The Maoists blew up a vehicle in the convoy with an IED and opened fire at the occupant. Security forces have been rushed to the area,A police officials said.A

#SpotVisuals: Convoy of BJP MLA Bheema Mandavi attacked by Naxals in Dantewada. The escort vehicle of Chhattisgarh State Police also came under the blast. 5 personnel of Chhattisgarh State Police are critically injured. pic.twitter.com/ZastP8hrQe a ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

#SpotVisuals: BJP MLA Bheema Mandavi killed in naxal attack in Dantewada. According to CRPF, the escort vehicle of Chhattisgarh State Police also came under the blast. 5 personnel of Chhattisgarh State Police are critically injured. pic.twitter.com/EdJMiQgjep a ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

Dantewada falls in the Bastar Lok Sabha seat which will go to polls in the first phase on April 11. Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has called a high level meeting.

"Strongly condemn the Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh. My tributes to the security personnel who were martyred. The sacrifices of these martyrs will not go in vain," Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted.

"Shri Bhima Mandavi was a dedicated Karyakarta of the BJP. Diligent and courageous, he assiduously served the people of Chhattisgarh. His demise is deeply anguishing. Condolences to his family and supporters. Om Shanti," he added.



"We have information of BJP MLA Bheema Mandavi, his driver and 3 PSOs getting killed in the IED blast in Dantewada today evening. It was a powerful IED blast. Bodies will be evacuated at the earliest for identification," addd the DIG.

Mandavi won the assembly elections, held in November, by more than 2,000 votes against Congress's candidate Devati Karma.

The attack is reminiscent of a similar incident that took place in the Maoist hotbed of Bastar ahead of the assembly elections in May 2013. Twenty-seven people, including senior Congress leader Mahendra Karma and former Union minister V C Shukla, were killed in the ambush.

Before the assembly elections in November last year, a CISF personnel and three civilians were killed in Dantewada when an improvised explosive device planted by Maoists tore through a bus.

(With PTI inputs)

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New Delhi:

RSS leader Chandrakant Sharma, who was attacked by a terrorist in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar on Tuesday morning, succumbed to injuries, BJP spokesperson Sunil Sethi said. Medical assistant Chandrakant Sharma was working at Kishtwar district hospital when he was attacked. His PSO was also shot dead in the attack.

The personal security officer was killed after the terrorist snatched his weapon in the hospital in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar town. Chandrakant had gone to the local hospital for a check-up, the police said. Narrating the sequence of events, officials said the terrorists barged into the hospital and snatched the PSO's weapon. They attempted to fire at the RSS leader. In the ensuing scuffle, the policeman was shot dead while, the RSS leader received minor injuries. Senior police officials had rushed to the scene.

The curfew has been imposed in the communally-sensitive town in the Jammu region. The Army has been out to maintain law and order in Kishtwar and Bhaderwah districts of Jammu and Kashmir. The state administration has imposed the curfew in the town as well as in the neighbouring Bhaderwah, besides snapping the Internet connection, the officials said.

The terrorist was watching his movement. He opened fire on them, resulting in the death of the PSO on the spot and injury to the leader, Kishtwar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shakti Pathak had told news agency PTI. "Curfew has been imposed in the town (as a precautionary measure)," Inspector General (Jammu region) Manish Sinha.

After the firing, the terrorist took away the weapon of the killed PSO identified as Rajinder before fleeing from the spot, he said. Earlier, the police had said that the unidentified gunmen had snatched the rifle of the PSO and shot at the RSS leader. Sharma, along with another civilian, had been airlifted to Jammu for further treatment. Following the attack, protests broke out in Kishtwar town and at a hospital against the government and police.

Apprehending law and order situation, authorities imposed curfew in Kishtwar and Bhaderwah towns of Kishtwar and Doda district, the officials said. This is a second incident of a terrorist attack in Kishtwar town during past six months period. On November 1, state secretary of BJP Anil Parihar and his brother Ajeet, who were returning from their shop in Kishtwar, were gunned down in the firing by terrorists in a lane leading to their house in Kishtwar town.

(With PTI inputs)

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New Delhi:

In a major boost to its fire power, the Indian Army on Monday received the first batch of six 'Dhanush' artillery guns from the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), a defence official said. The guns were handed over by Saurabh Kumar, Director General, Ordnance Factories and the OFB chairman, at a ceremony organised at the Gun Carriage Factory in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. The 155mm x 45 calibre modern artillery gun system was developed by the Ordnance Factories jointly with the Army, the official said.

The OFB had received bulk production clearance in February, and the initial order of 114 guns was placed by the Army. The artillery gun incorporates the latest features such as an inertial navigation system, an on-board ballistic computer, direct day and night firing system, a modern target acquisition system and a communication system, the official said.

A

GoI hands over first batch of six155 mm X 45 Calibre aDhanusha, new generation towed artillery gun with major upgraded features, to Army at Gun Carriage Factory, Jabalpur on 08 Apr 2019. #MakeInIndiaInDefence achieved 81% of indigenization & likely to be 91% by end 2019 pic.twitter.com/DYPy6YueUd a Defence Spokesperson (@SpokespersonMoD) April 8, 2019

Weighing less than 13 tonnes, with a high ground clearance of 400 mm, 'Dhanush' is the "most manoeuvrable artillery system" and can be deployed in any terrain, he said. Significant contributions have also been made by DRDO, public sector units such as SAIL and BEL and several private sector firms in the development of the gun, the official added.

The gun, a towed howitzer, has been developed by Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), Kolkata, after going through the design and documents running into over 12,000 pages which were given to India under the first phase of aTransfer of Technologya (ToT) as part of the Bofors gun deal in the late 1980s. The army had been desperately looking for 155-mm howitzers for more than a decade now. It had roped in an Israeli company, Soltam, to upgrade the imported, Russian-made 130-mm gun to 155-mm at GCF. But the project, after the upgraded gunas trial, ran into hot water, the official claimed.

A

India's #FirstEver indigenously designed & developed Dhanush 155mm/45 Calibre towed Gun System is ready for induction into #IndianArmy & will be handed over by Ordnance Factories Board #OFB on 8 April 19. Dhanush can be employed in all types of terrains. pic.twitter.com/o7ceCmDAeI a ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) April 7, 2019

The Modi government has expedited several key defence projects. Amid tension with Pakistan following the Pulwama terror attack, several experts had pointed out that Indian armed forces have poor inventory. In wake of such scenario, the Narendra Modi government on Wednesday passed a crucial defence project. According to news agency ANI, Nirmala Sitharaman-led defence ministry has cleared a major project for the Indian Army. The project will result in acquisition of 10 lakh 'made in India' multi-mode hand grenades. The new hand grenades will replace the existing inventory. The more than Rs 500 crore proposal is critical as the government has already taken care of the main personal weapon requirements of the Army soldiers by signing two contracts for modern rifles.A A

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New Delhi:

A police team probing the rape charges against Bishop Franco Mulakkal has filed on Monday a chargesheet against him. The Bishop was arrested in September last year, but was later granted bail.

According to reports, investigating officer K. Subash, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Vaikom, submitted the chargesheet before the Judicial First Class Magistrate, Pala. The chargesheet has more than 100 pages.

Mulakkal is accused of repeatedly raping and sexually assaulting a nun between 2014 and 2016 during his visits to a convent in Kottayam. The Kerala High Court had granted bail to the 54-year-old Catholic priest on October 15 on conditions that he does not come to Kerala except for appearing before the probe officer once in two weeks on Saturdays, and should surrender his passport before the court. This condition would be applicable till a charge sheet is filed in the case.

In her complaint to the Kottayam Police in June, the nun had alleged that Bishop Mulakkal raped her at a guest house in Kuravilangad in May 2014 and later sexually exploited her on several occasions.

The nun said she had to approach the police as the church authorities did not act on her repeated complaints against the clergyman. However, the bishop has denied the charges as baseless and concocted, insisting she levelled those as the Catholic order had rejected her demand for favours.

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New Delhi:

Hurriyat Conference (M) chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Tuesday appeared before the National Investigation Agency for the second consecutive day for questioning in connection with a case related to funding of terror groups and separatist organisations in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. The NIA had summoned him for questioning twice in the past but he had not complied with the orders citing security concerns. Mirwaiz, who is one of the religious heads of Muslims in the Kashmir Valley, had written to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), saying he had no knowledge of the case mentioned by the agency in its summon served on him.

The NIA has also summoned Naseem Geelani, son of separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani, on Tuesday but it was not immediately clear whether he was appearing before the agency or not.

Earlier, he had been served a notice for appearing before the agency on March 11 but the lawyer of the Mirwaiz informed the NIA, through a four-page letter, that his client was willing to cooperate as he could not travel in view of the "conditions of hostility".

"Under the prevailing conditions of hostility wherein there is a threat to the personal safety of my client, it becomes unwise for my client to travel to Delhi," counsel for the Mirwaiz, Aijaz Ahmad Dhar, had said.

He had also maintained that his client is not acquainted with the subject matter of the FIR referred to in the NIA's notice.

The NIA is investigating a case related to funding of terror and separatist organisations in Kashmir through hawala channels. The agency last month carried out a series of raids on separatists, including the Mirwaiz.



The NIA had said that letterheads of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jamat-ud-Dawa, Hizbul Mujahideen and other organisations are among various "significant evidences" that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) says are enough to book top separatist leaders, including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

The NIA had also questioned two maternal uncles of the Mirwaiz - Maulvi Manzoor and Maulvi Shafat - and his close aides last year. Both Manzoor and Shafat are retired senior government officers. Earlier, an NIA team, accompanied by police and CRPF personnel, searched residences of some of the separatist leaders, including the Mirwaiz and Ashraf Sehrai, the chairman of the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat. Barring the Mirwaiz and Sehrai, all other leaders have been jailed.

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New Delhi:

Nisar Ahmed Tantray, the top Jaish-e-Mohammed commander deported from the UAE last week, has disclosed key details of the Pulwama terror attack to the Indian officials, latest media report said on Tuesday. According to an HT report, Tantray has said that he had prior information about the February attack. The report also states that this is the first time that Tantrays confession revealed the role of top Jaish leadership in the attack on the CRPF convoy. The Jaish commander told his interrogators that it was Mudassir Kj\han, who was the brain behind the Pulwama attack. Khan had reportedly invited Tantray to take part in a spectacular plan against Indian armed forces.

The National Investigation Agency had arrested Tantray last week. He was absconding since the 2017 Lethpora CRPF terror attack. He had escaped to the UAE on February 1 this year. Nisar is the younger brother of Jaish commander Noor Tantray. The government of India brought him back to the country on March 31, according to news agency ANI.

The terrorist attack on the CRPF group centre in Lethpora was carried out on the intervening night of December 30-31, 2017, by three terrorists of the proscribed terrorist organisation, the NIA said. During its investigation, the terrorists were identified as Fardeen Ahmad Khandey and Manzoor Baba, both from Pulwama, and Abdul Shakoor from Rawalakot area of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. All three were killed in the encounter.

On February 14, at least 42 CRPF personnel were killed in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district when a Jaish suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying over 30 kg of explosives into their bus in Pulwama district that also left many critically wounded.

More than 2,500 Central Reserve Police Force personnel, many of them returning from leave to rejoin duty in the Valley, were travelling in the convoy of 78 vehicles when they were ambushed on the Srinagar-Jammu highway at Latoomode in Awantipora in south Kashmir. India retaliated after the strike by bombing the Jaish groups hideout in Balakot across the Line of Control.

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New Delhi:

The Supreme Court will pronounce its verdict on Wednesday in the Rafale review petitions on preliminary objections raised by the Central government. The judgment will be pronounced by a bench of Chief Justice Rajan Gogoi, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice KM Joseph.

Earlier on Thursday, the Supreme Court said it will first decide on the preliminary objections raised by the Centre that the documents on which it was claiming aprivilegea cannot be relied upon to re-examine the verdict in the Rafale fighter jet deal with France.

A bench of Chief Justice Rajan Gogoi, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice KM Joseph will pronounce the judgement on Rafale review pleas tomorrow. https://t.co/GnJnDByhCA a ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

Claiming privilege over documents pertaining to the Rafale fighter jet deal with France, Attorney General KK Venugopal had said that those documents cannot be considered in evidence as per Section 123 of the Indian Evidence Act.

He contended that no one can produce them in the court without the permission of the department concerned as those documents are also protected under the Official Secrets Act and there disclosure is exempted under the Right to Information Act as per Section 8(1)(a).

The Centre objected to the admissibility of those documents annexed by former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie as also activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan in their review petition against the top court's December 14 judgement dismissing all petitions against the Rafale jet deal.

The top court had further noted that according to the AG's submissions "there are three Rafale documents whose publication comes under Official Secrets Act, 1923. These documents were unauthorisedly published. You claim privilege under section 123 of Evidence Act. You want us to adjudicate and strike down the review on this basis". Bhusahn had submitted a note countering the preliminary objections raised by the centre on maintainability of the review petitions, stating that "preliminary objection are mala fide and totally untenable arguments". He had said government cannot claim privilege over the documents which are already published and is in public domain. Bhushan had said that Section 123 Indian Evidence Act only protected "unpublished documents". While the Centre was making submission that the documents can be withheld from disclosure under the RTI Act in view of the national security, the top court said Section 22 of the RTI Act gave it an overriding effect over the Official Secrets Act. It also said that under Section 24 of the RTI Act even security and intelligence establishments are not exempted from disclosing information in relation to corruption and human rights violations. "The RTI Act brought a revolution. In 2009, your own government said file notings can be made available under the RTI. Let us not go back now," the bench has said. Bhushan further said that provisions of the RTI Act say public interest outweighs other things and no privilege can be claimed except for documents which pertain to intelligence agencies. He also said that there is no government-to-government contract in purchasing Rafale jets as there is no sovereign guarantee extended to India by France in the Rs 58,000 crore deal. He had submitted why the government didn't lodge any FIR when these documents started coming out in November 2018. He had further said that the government has itself filed a detailed CAG report regarding as many as 10 defence purchases and it is untenable on their part to now claim privilege.A

With PTI Inputs

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New Delhi:

Vitamin D is essential for keeping your bones strong, elevating your mood and even facilitating weight loss, but getting too much of it from sunlight and supplements can be toxic to your health.

In a rare case, a 54-year-old man, after returning from a trip to Southeast Asia was diagnosed with kidney damage. On further treatment, doctors found out he spent much of his holiday sunbathing that resulted in taking high doses of Vitamin D for years.

After referral to a kidney specialist and further testing, it was discovered that the man had been prescribed high doses of vitamin D by a naturopath, who recommended a dose of 8 drops every day, according to a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Over two-and-a-half-years, the patient, who did not have a history of bone loss or vitamin D deficiency, took 8-12 drops of vitamin D daily, totalling 8,000-12,000 IU. As a result, he had very high levels of calcium in the blood which left him with significant kidney damage.

A regular person who is not suffering from any bone health issues can take in maximum 400-1000 IU daily, while the ones suffering from osteoporosis or has a high risk of developing so needs maximum 800IU.0 IU .

"Although vitamin D toxicity is rare owing to a large therapeutic range, its widespread availability in various over-the-counter formulations may pose a substantial risk to uninformed patients," said Bourne Auguste from the University of Toronto.

Clinicians must be aware of the risks of vitamin D use to limit complications related to hypercalcemia.

Calcium levels may get worse before getting better in patients even after cessation of supplements, as vitamin D is fat soluble.

"Our experience informs us that patients and clinicians should be better informed about the risks regarding the unfettered use of vitamin D," suggested the researchers.

A hike in blood calcium levekl can cause toxity can cause symptoms that are not only unpleasant, but dangerous that includes digestive distress, fatigue, dizziness, excessive thirs abd urge dor frequent urination.

(With inputs from IANS)
New Delhi:

A British woman is reportedly facing jail time in Dubai for calling her ex-husbands new wife a horse on Facebook. Laleh Shahravesh, 55, was arrested at a Dubai airport after flying in to attend her former husband's Pedro Manuel Correia Dos Santos's funeral over two Facebook comments she posted on pictures of her late husband's who remarried in 2016.

Laleh Shahravesh, who was reportedly furious with the fact that her husband of 18 years had remarried in 2016 wrote in one of his Facebook posts, "I hope you go under the ground, you idiot. Damn you. You left me for this horse."

Although she had made the comment while she was in the UK, under the UAE's cyber-crime laws, a person can be jailed or fined for making defamatory statements on social media. According to the BBC, Ms. Shahravesh, who is detained in Dubai could be sentenced to up to two years in prison or fined 50,000.

Ms Shahraveshs daughter, Paris who was with her mother at the time of her arrest had reportedly written a letter to the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid al-Maktoum, stating that her mother had been forced to sign a statement by police that was "written in Arabic, which she did not understand".

She added, "I cannot emphasise enough how scared I felt, especially after losing my father just a week before, as I was having to worry about losing my mother as well."

"I ask kindly: please, please return my mother's passport, and let her come home she added.

Shahravesh, who awaits court hearing claims that she has not been allowed to leave Dubai adding that she has received little help from British authorities.

Radha Stirling, CEO of the human rights organisation, however, has added "The post would never be prosecuted as a criminal offence in England, and if the UAE intends to detain tourists for posts made from England, it will find itself rendered a no go zone to foreigners,".

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Thiruvananthapuram:

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief Dr K Sivan on Monday said the response to the agencys proposed students outreach initiative, the Young Scientist Programme (Yuvika) was immense and the agency was mulling to organise it every year.

The selection procedure for this years programme, likely to be held in the second week of May, was completed and three students each from 29 states and seven union territories have been shortlisted as participants, he said here.

Sivan was interacting with the media on the sidelinesof the golden jubilee celebrations of the Space Physics Laboratory (SPL), a premier research institution of the Vikram Sabarbhai Space Centre (VSSC) here.

That much enthusiasm was there...It is getting so much demand from pupils...it is going to make a big change. The programme is going to happen every year, Sivan said.

ISRO had launched the Yuvika programme from this year in tune with the Centres vision Jai Vigyan, Jai Anusandhan.

The initiative is primarily aimed at imparting basic knowledge on Space Technology, Space Science and Space Applications to children to kindle their interest in the emerging areas of space activities.

The two week-long programme would include invited talks, experience sharing by eminent scientists, facility andlab visits, exclusive sessions for discussions with experts, practical and feedback sessions, ISRO sources said.

Three students each from each state/union territories are proposed to be included in this programme, they said.

Selected students will be brought to ISRO for two weeks training. The detailed training will have lab and facility visits there, he said.

The training would be in four ISRO centres, including the VSSC here, the U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), Bengaluru and the Space Application Centre in Ahmedabad, he said.

All of them will undertake a one-and-half day tour at Sriharikota to see the satellite launch facilities and other details. They will be taken to all big facilities and later to the original training centres, the ISRO chief said.

During their visit, there would be the launch of a sounding rocket and if the students were lucky, they would witness the actual launch of the satellite.

It depends on their (students) luck of the day, he said, adding that ISRO also had another students programme called Samwad.

Earlier, while delivering the presidential address during the inauguration of the golden jubilee celebration of the SPL, Sivan appreciated the efforts of the institution, which aimed at scientific understanding of energetics, dynamics and chemistry of the terrestrial and planetary environment with implications to society.

The SPL has played a pivotal role in the progress of space research in the area of planetary atmosphere, encompassing the surface of the Earth, Earths atmosphere and ionosphere,space environment and planetary atmosphere, he said.

Former ISRO chief K Kasturirangan and VSSC director S Somanath were among the dignitaries who attended the programme.

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Kuala Lumpur:

Forty-one Rohingya were found in northern Malaysia Monday, police said, the second group of the Muslim minority to arrive in the country within weeks, while about 200 more are feared trapped at sea. Many Rohingya have been seeking in recent weeks to leave by sea from Bangladesh -- where they live in squalid refugee camps after fleeing their mostly Buddhist homeland Myanmar -- before the monsoon season starts in earnest. Security forces have prevented hundreds from departing for Malaysia with people smugglers on fishing boats. But last month 34 Rohingya arrived in the northern Malaysian state of Perlis, the first group believed to have landed in the country in almost year.

On Monday police detained 41 Rohingya men -- aged 14 to 30 -- who arrived by sea in the same area the last boatload landed, and are hunting for another six believed to have come ashore, local police chief Noor Mushar Mohamad told AFP.

About 200 more are thought to be trapped at sea in Thai waters, said the police chief, citing testimony from migrants.

"This is definitely the work of human smuggling syndicates working with local syndicates," he said.

"I fear there could be more Rohingya arrivals unless maritime enforcement agencies step up patrols urgently."

Noor Mushar said initial investigations indicated those who came ashore travelled in a large boat before being transferred to smaller craft by local criminal gangs and ferried ashore.

According to testimony from one migrant, the Rohingya paid 4,000 ringgit (USD 975) each, and were dropped off a short distance from the coast and walked to shore, he said.

The 41 detained have been handed over to immigration authorities, he said. It was not clear whether they had departed from Bangladesh or Myanmar, or when they had arrived.

About 740,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar for Bangladesh following a brutal military clampdown in their home country in August 2017, joining hundreds of thousands already living in crowded camps.

The traditional route to Malaysia is by boat from Myanmar or Bangladesh. Refugees arrive either in Thailand and head overland to Malaysia, or arrive directly in Malaysia.

But arrivals have fallen markedly since 2015 when Thailand launched a crackdown, which disrupted the lucrative trade and led to smugglers abandoning huge numbers of refugees at sea.

Relatively affluent, Muslim-majority Malaysia has long been a favourite destination for Rohingya, where they are a source of labour in low-paying industries such as agriculture and construction.

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New Delhi:

Preparing for a make-or-break Brexit summit British Prime Minister Theresa May has begun her diplomatic visits to Paris and Berlin. May is hoping European leaders will agree on Wednesday to delay Brexit for a second time. May is also visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, in what her spokeswoman said was an attempt to set out the rationale for a further short delay. EU agreed last month to postpone Brexit from March 29 to April 12.



Earlier, the words European Union were removed from the front cover of the passports being issued by Britain. The longstanding decision to start introducing passports without reference to the EU had gone ahead from March 30, the day after the original date for Brexit, the interior ministry said on Saturday. The British government and the main opposition were to hold further crisis talks on earlier on Thursday after MPs voted in favour of a Brexit delay that would avoid Britain crashing out of the EU on April 12.



In anticipation of this, Mays government on Monday reluctantly laid the legal order needed to hold European Parliament elections on May 23.

But she is hoping that EU leaders might agree to a flexible delay proposed by Tusk, whereby Britain could leave earlier if it agrees on a divorce deal, and never hold the elections.

It does not make these elections inevitable as leaving the EU before the date of election automatically removes our obligation to take part, a spokeswoman said.

European leaders have also asked May to come up with a reason for a delay, with France in particular warning that it does not want simply to prolong the uncertainty.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told reporters at a G7 meeting in France on Saturday that it was time for the Brexit crisis to end.

The British authorities and the British parliament need to understand that (the EU) is not going to be able to constantly exhaust itself with the ups and downs of domestic British politics, he said.

However Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar cautioned it was extremely unlikely a member would veto another extension, while revealing he now favoured a lengthy delay.

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United Nations:

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday strongly condemned the military escalation near Tripoli and called for an immediate halt to the fighting in Libya. The appeal followed an air attack by the forces of commander Khalifa Haftar on the Mitiga airport east of the capital. Guterres urges the immediate halt of all military operations in order to de-escalate the situation and prevent an all-out conflict, said a UN statement.

He strongly condemns the military escalation and ongoing fighting in and around Tripoli, including the aerial attack today by a Libyan National Army (LNA) aircraft against Mitiga airport.

The air strike shut down Tripolis only functioning airport as fighting raged around the capital and thousands fled.

Haftars self-styled LNA claimed Mondays air strike against the airport, with a spokesman saying the attack targeted a MiG-23 military plane and a helicopter.

Haftar launched the offensive on Tripoli last week just as Guterres was in Libya to push for a political deal on holding elections.

A UN-backed unity government controls the capital, but its authority is not recognised by a parallel administration in the east of the country.

As fighting escalated over the weekend, the United Nations called for a humanitarian pause to allow civilians trapped in the violence to escape, but the appeal fell on deaf ears.

Libya has been rocked by violent power struggles between an array of armed groups since the NATO-backed overthrow of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

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New Delhi:

The United States on Monday barred entry to 16 Saudi nationals over what it described as their role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The State Department previously revoked the visas of nearly two dozen Saudi officials and froze the assets of 17 others. The announcement by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo comes as the administration of President Donald Trump has faced pressure from Congress over its response to the killing in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October, which sparked unprecedented international scrutiny of the kingdomas human rights record.

Some US lawmakers have publicly stated that they suspect the powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was directly responsible for the killing, based on the CIAas conclusions.



Earlier there were reports that some members of the team that brutally killed Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi received training in the United States. Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi regime, was killed and dismembered on October 2 in the Saudi consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul by a team of 15 agents sent from Riyadh. His body has not been recovered yet.

After having denied the murder, Saudi Arabia said the operation was carried out by agents who were out of control. A trial of 11 suspects opened earlier this year in Saudi Arabia. But much of the case remains shrouded, beginning with the role of countryas powerful crown prince and de facto ruler Salman.

The US Senate, after a closed-door briefing by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), adopted a resolution naming the crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) as aresponsiblea for the murder, while US President Donald Trump has refused to publicly take a stand.

According to David Ignatius - Washington Post columnist, a Saudi who closely read the transcript of a recording from a bug placed in the consulate by Turkish intelligence said it indicates the plan was to kidnap Khashoggi and bring him back to Saudi Arabia for detention and interrogation.

A note in the transcript says an injection was administered to Khashoggi, which the Saudi source said was probably a powerful sedative.

A bag was then placed over his head, and Khashoggi screamed: "I can't breathe, I have asthma. Don't do this." According to the Post, he died soon after.

The transcript describes a buzzing noise, perhaps an electric saw used to dismember the journalist.

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WASHINGTON  Connecticut Attorney General William Tong has joined 20 colleagues from other states demanding the U.S. Department of Education once again provide information the states say they need to weed out bad actors among lenders.

The U.S. Department of Education stopped sharing that information with the state governments last year, saying local policing of student lenders impeded federal oversight.

Nearly half of the states in the nation dont agree.

Connecticut and other state attorneys general have active investigations into bad actors in the student loan industry, Tong said. We rely on information disclosed by the Department of Education in these important investigations.

Last summer, in a notice in the Federal Register, the U.S. Department of Education said state regulations of those loans, usually through state consumer protection laws, impedes uniquely federal interests.

A requirement that federal student loan servicers comply with 50 different state-level regulatory regimes would significantly undermine the purpose of the direct loan program to establish a uniform, streamlined, and simplified lending program managed at the federal level, the notice said.

Tong and the other attorneys general, led by Washington state, New Jersey and Colorado, wrote Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos that student loan information is vital to our efforts to protect consumers from illegal, unfair, abusive, or deceptive practices by actors in the higher education industry, in which the department historically has been an important partner.

But its not likely the attorneys general will receive the response they seek to their letter.

On Monday, U.S. Department of Education spokeswoman Liz Hill said federal loans are federal assets and therefore must be controlled and regulated by the federal government.

Hill also said the department takes very seriously its responsibility to provide high-quality service to federal student loan borrowers.

But the departments inspector general issued a critical report in February that said the agency is incapable of auditing student lenders by itself.

The inspector general said the U.S. Department of Education has failed to keep watch over its loan servicers, allowing them to operate without being held accountable for not complying with their contracts.

Its not clear what other steps the attorneys general will take to obtain the information on dozens of lenders the U.S. Department of Education pays to service $1.4 trillion in student loan debt. That information includes records of repayment plans, internal memos and other information used to aid investigations.

Abruptly shutting off access to this information is an inexplicable gift to the bad actors in this industry, and a blow to students and consumers across the country, Tong said.

Connecticut students leave college with the greatest school loan debt in the nation.

According to The Institute for College Access & Success, or TICAS, a non-profit group seeking to make higher education more affordable, the average student debt in Connecticut for members of the Class of 2017 was $38,510, just ahead of Pennsylvania ($36,854), Rhode Island ($36,250), New Hampshire ($34,415), Delaware ($34,144), New Jersey ($32,247) and Massachusetts ($32.065).

Students with the least debt were in Utah ($18,838), New Mexico ($21,237) and Nevada ($22,064).

Connecticut in 2015 enacted a student loan bill of rights and created a student loan ombudsman, but students in the state have not been able to benefit from that ombudsman because the job has never been filled.

The legislature has not appropriated money for that position, so we have been unable to fund it, said Matt Smith, spokesperson for the Connecticut Department of Banking, the agency that oversees student loan services.

The U.S. Department of Education was also accused on Monday of failing to provide loan relief for students who have been defrauded  mainly by for-profit colleges.

The New York Times reported that the department neither approved nor denied any relief claims filed by students under the so-called borrower defense program from June to December 2018, even after a federal judge ruled that the Trump administrations foot-dragging was illegal. The Times said that, because of the inaction, the number of pending claims has swelled to more than 150,000.
Racial justice played a strong role in pushing legalized marijuana over another big hurdle Monday, even though, on the same day at the state Capitol in Hartford, many in a gathering of black clergy railed against the evils of the psychoactive weed.

The General Assemblys powerful judiciary committee narrowly approved one version of legalization, which would  crucially for urban legislators including co-chairman Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven  wipe out arrest records of people charged with possession of less than 1.5 ounces.

All Republicans opposed the latest legalization bill, joined by Sen. Alex Bergstein, D-Greenwich, and Reps. Daniel Fox and Patricia Billie Miller, both Stamford Democrats, against it. The tally was 21-19.

Miller, more than anyone, was caught in the middle. A licensed minister, she gave the invocation at a morning gathering of the Connecticut Black Clergy Alliance  during which she asked for Gods guidance in the divided marijuana issue  then, as a member of the judiciary committee, cast an anguished vote, telling me on the way in that she remained undecided.

Winfield and many other Democrats, especially members of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus, said legalization and expungement, as wiping out records is known, are, jointly, a way to make up for past injustices as police have targeted the minority community for arrests in far higher numbers.

We got here because of the issue of keeping a job for somebody back in the 1930s, Winfield said, referring to the original U.S. marijuana laws, and then we used racism to get us all the way forward to where we are.

Republicans  and Bergstein, who spoke most strongly among the three Democrats opposed  countered that marijuana is clearly not a healthy product, and more importantly, is associated with addiction and other social ills. So, they asked, why pass the bill?

When you legalize, you normalize, said Bergstein, the mother of three children ages 15 through 21.

The irony, as Rep. Richard Smith, R-Fairfield, saw it, was that this very committee has been on the forefront of a national movement to give lighter sentences to criminals under age 25, precisely because research shows their brains are still developing.

Now, he said, Lets allow them to smoke marijuana?...Were going to allow you to go into a store, pick it up and have a good time, and by the way, dont drive with it, even though we have no test.. I think its a major step backward.

The answer, Democrats said, is that its here and fully available anyway  and we can use the rise of a new industry to have a sense of reparation, in the words of Sen. Dennis Bradley, D-Bridgeport.

Wiping out arrest records is far from easy and clear. The bill the judiciary committee passed on Monday would provide automatic expungement, meaning people with a record wouldnt have to go through a long process to seek permission.

But what about related charges such as disorderly conduct? And what about the commonly applied, sometime specious charges of intent to sell? And what about the fact that many charges are for illegal substances, requiring a more arduous haul to research and wipe out records?

Were going to have to get all the police departments in on the methodology going forward, said Rep. Toni Walker, D-New Haven, a strong proponent. People are still trying to figure it out.

The 1.5 ounce threshold, new as of Monday, is fairly low, but its high enough for Sen. Douglas McCrory, D-Hartford  who voted against a legalization bill in the general law committee because it lacked an expungement provision. We cant erase everybodys criminal record, McCrory said.

He, Winfield, Bradley and other urban legislators said its more important to wipe out old possession records than it is to allow legal, adult-use, taxable sales.

Weve had a war on drugs, specifically on urban communities, for some time, Bradley said to me afterward. Money from taxing retail marijuana sales, he said, can be used for inner-city education programs in much the same way as Reconstruction-era programs were aimed at helping newly freed slaves before the era of Jim Crow laws took over.

While Republicans said the war on drugs needs adjustment, not a white flag, Bradley countered, This was a racist initiative to begin with and it never should have started.

He added, afterward, Its not enough to say, Well now youre a free man.

Thats strong stuff, comparing legalization to emancipation, but the issue is having that effect at the Capitol these days. At Black Clergy Day, earlier, Archbishop LeRoy Bailey Jr., senior pastor and CEO of The First Cathedral in Bloomfield, said Connecticut shouldnt build our coffins just because other states are doing it.

Mondays events at the Capitol made it clear that legalization remains too close to call, especially since a unified, final bill has yet to be written. Separate bills allowing employers to enforce their own anti-marijuana workplace rules, and beefing up measures to help police eradicate driving under the influence of marijuana, passed the committee hurdle easily.

Miller, whos not a member of the Black Clergy Alliance, said she still doesnt know how shell vote if and when the issue comes to a vote on the floor of the House. Details matter, she said, echoing a lot of Democrats.

Its tough, she said.

dhaar@hearstmediact.com
A Danbury man was found with what officials have described as a murder manifesto after being stopped by police for erratic driving in Carmel, N.Y., last month.

Nickolai Plastini, 31, was pulled over March 18 on Route 301 for erratic driving and traffic violations, according to a news release Monday from the Putnam County Sheriffs Department.

A sergeant initiated a traffic stop and smelled a strong odor of alcohol and marijuana coming from Plastinis vehicle.

Plastini was found to be allegedly intoxicated and in possession of marijuana, a .410 gauge shotgun and .410 gauge shotgun shells  as well as a notebook that appeared to express his intent to kill people and the reasons why, police said.

The notebook contained a list of names of people who had apparently wronged Plastini, police said.

The sheriffs department contacted the individuals listed in the notebook and advised them of the manifesto.

Plastini was arrested and charged with criminal possession of a weapon, driving while intoxicated, third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and unlawful possession of marijuana.

He was arraigned at Patterson Town Justice Court in New York and remanded to the Putnam County Correctional Facility in lieu of $10,000 cash/$20,000 bond, according to the sheriffs department.

Plastini posted bail and is scheduled to appear April 23 in Carmel Justice Court.

Plastini previously lived in Carmel but now resides in Danbury with his parents, police said.

The sheriffs department could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

kendra.baker@hearst.com
NEW MILFORD  Hesitation over a property donation turned into a no-brainer when the Town Council unanimously accepted the 35 wooded acres by Squash Hollow Road.

Last month, some Town Council members were hesitant to accept the land next to Torys Cave Preserve because they worried it could be a liability or financial burden. But all in attendance were in favor of it after a presentation by John Cavallaro, the conservation commissions vice chairman, on Monday.

This is something we should absolutely embrace, said Councilman Walter Bayer. How could this town not accept?

The parcel is owned by Eagle Holdings. It connects Torys Cave Preserve, which is protected by Weantinoge Heritage Land Trust, with the 25 acres Eagle Holdings donated to the town in 2012, totaling 170 continuous protected acres.

Hiking trails are already in this area, including the Blue Trail, which is maintained by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association. Cavallaro said the association has sent a letter of support for the donation, especially because it could improve parking and access for the trail, which it said it would continue to maintain.

He said any parking lot would only be gravel and not that large. With the association maintaining the trail, it wont become a burden for the towns Park and Recreation Department.

The Conservation Commission wants to preserve the integrity of the Blue Trail, which Cavallaro said has ancient sections that were Native American walking trails.

Cavallaro said the state hopes to protect 21 percent of its land with conservation easements and this could help meet that goal. About 7,400 acres of land are protected in New Milford, which translates to about 19.5 percent of the towns size. It needs almost 590 acres to reach 21 percent.

As the largest municipality, we have a responsibility, he said.

He said conservation doesnt mean the town cant still make money. He said conservation logging allows for the certain trees to be removed and sold, which generates revenue and protects the forests by fixing the overcrowding problem.

The property is valued at $400,000. This is the first time this piece has been listed by itself. The entire property was listed a while ago, but 25 acres were donated to the town in 2012 and 22 acres were sold to be developed into condos once the property was cleaned up.

The Town Council approved the owners request to waive the $3,400 or so in taxes for the second half of the 2018-19 fiscal year. Members had been hesitant to do so at the March meeting but they have since received reassurances from the person who bought the part of that land that will be developed, which would generate revenue to cover the loss of taxes from the donated land.

It makes good sense to say that if were forgiving some tax, or feel like were losing some tax, were getting some tax, said Councilwoman Katy Francis.

Cavallaro said the council members should think of this as buying the parcel for the $3,400.

It would be a steal, he said.

He added the owners could have abandoned it, forcing the town to take it on or only paying a portion of the taxes owed under Public Act 490 but they had been paying the full price.

Theyve been good stewards and tax responsible, Cavallaro said.

kkoerting@newstimes.com; 203-731-3345
BRIDGEPORT  The FBI and the U.S. Attorneys Office are scrutinizing the process that led to Armando Perez becoming the citys permanent police chief with a five-year contract, several sources have told Hearst Connecticut Media.

One source said some ex-candidates for the job were interviewed in March by federal law enforcement authorities about possible improprieties that occurred during 2018s months-long national search for Bridgeports top cop.

Theyve (federal authorities) at least pulled in the finalists, the source said.

Perez could not immediately be reached for comment Monday.

Rowena White, Mayor Joe Ganims director of communications, said the city does not respond to rumors.

Randi Frank, the professional, Kentucky-based consultant hired to work with Bridgeports Office of Civil Service, in an interview Monday stood by the search.

It was a professional process. Its the only way I do my work, Frank said.

Perezs allies have privately complained that the FBI is conducting a witchhunt prompted by people who hold grudges against the chief and that nothing will, ultimately, come of it.

A list of 17 applicants was whittled down to seven who were interviewed by a panel of out-of-town law enforcement and human resources professionals. A written test and essay were also required.

In October the search panel forwarded three finalists  Perez, who had been acting chief since March, 2016, Bridgeport Police Captain Roderick Porter and New Haven Assistant Chief Luiz Casanova  to Mayor Joe Ganim.

And Ganim in early November chose Perez, a longtime friend and political ally.

While the reason for the FBIs interest in the police chief search is not known, that agency over the winter launched an ongoing criminal probe involving Bridgeports Department of Public Facilities. That probe is focused on illicit scrap metal sales and on no-bid construction and equipment contracts.

Perez is a longtime friend and political ally of Ganims, dating back to the latters first administration in the 1990s when Perez served as the mayors driver.

I know him and love him, Perez said in November before his ceremonial swearing in. Hes my brother.

Ganim was convicted of corruption in 2003. And, though never charged with a crime, Perez stored expensive wine at his home that Ganim received as part of the mayors pay-to-play schemes.

When Ganim four years ago sucessfully ran for his former job, Perez, then a police captain, was often at his side along the campaign trail, supporting Ganims bid for a second chance.

Upon assuming office in December 2015, Ganim returned the favor. He forced out then-Police Chief Joseph Gaudett and promoted Perez to acting chief.

Perez career path

Two years later the administration launched the charter-required search to hire a permanent head of the police department.

Though Perez was one of 17 applicants, there was a sense of inevitability about his getting the contract from Ganim.

For example, a college degree  which Perez lacked  was preferred but not required if candidates had 10 years of policing experience, five of those in a command rank.

Perez joined Bridgeports Finest in 1983 after first considering a career in banking and is well known and well-liked in the city.

His critics have argued he is too politically connected to be chief and to make the policing reforms necessary to bring the police department into the 21st Century.

Perez became embroiled in a 2017 election scandal when, at the request of Democratic Town Chairman Mario Testa, the chief dispatched a police officer to collect absentee or mail-in ballots for Testas candidate in a hotly contested City Council election.

The Ganim administration sought to address concerns that the search was not objective enough. Frank, who lives in Kentucky, flew to Bridgeport a few times to hold meetings with community groups and the public about what they sought in a chief.

And City Hall convened what was considered a more objective search panel of out-of-town professionals with law enforcement, human resource and town management backgrounds, rather than appoint a group from Bridgeport.

They recommended Perez, Porter and Casanova to Ganim. Perez has said he was ranked second and Casanova first.

Perez and Ganim have always insisted that the former earned his five-year contract.

I worked very, very, very hard to get to this point in my life, in my career. Im hoping to continue. My job is not done, Perez said after being named a finalist.

At last Novembers swearing-in of Perez, Ganim told his friend and the audience, This individual, this man as a police officer, came through a very difficult gauntlet to be selected. I may have wanted you to be chief, but I couldnt get you there. You had to step up.

While the FBI is looking at the chief search, another federal agency  the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission  recently dismissed a separate complaint filed by one of the semi-finalists from outside Connecticut.

This individual, 34 and black, alleged that he was equally or more qualified than Perez and lost the position because of a pattern and practice of discrimination within the Bridgeport Police Department. Though Perez is Cuban, the complaint to the EEOC described the chief as white.

Staff Writers Tara ONeill and Bill Cummings contributed to this report
SHERMAN - Too much blood was soaked through the mattress and spattered on the walls and stained into the clothes of James Maharg for police to believe that his husband died from hitting his head on a cabinet.

After homicide investigators arrived, Maharg kept to his story that the gaping gash atop the victims head was accidental, according to an arrest warrant obtained by Hearst Connecticut Media.

Maharg changed his story only after police told him that they had learned all about the married men abandoning their Manhattan business, and losing their 20-acre farmhouse to foreclosure, and being hospitalized multiple times for alcoholic incoherence, the March 20 warrant says.

I killed my husband, Maharg told police, according to the warrant.

The warrant, which makes the case for charging 65-year-old Maharg with evidence tampering and the murder of his husband, Thomas Conley, 63, is also a window into the final winter of the couples marriage, which in the words of a neighbor was spiraling downward with alcohol, debt and spousal abuse.

It was a violent end to the story of two retail fixture designers, who made their name as good neighbors in this genteel town of gentleman farms.

Maharg and his husband had been drinking tequila all day - as the two had done habitually since mid-December, when they stopped tending to their failing Manhattan business, police said.

The victim walked into the kitchen and said something nasty to Maharg, and Maharg pushed the victims chest, causing him to fall backward into the kitchen cabinet shelf, the warrant reads.

Maharg stated he must have struck the victim in the head at some point during this time, however he could not provide us with the object or the exact time frame, the warrant says. [He] stressed he must have struck him in the head with a significant object to create the large gash.

Maharg, who has not yet entered a plea, was arraigned March 22 in Waterbury Hospital, where he was undergoing detoxification treatment and was on suicide watch, according to his arrest file.

He is currently being held at the Bridgeport Correctional Facility.

His attorney, John Walkley, declined to comment on the arrest warrant. Maharg is due April 23 in state Superior Court in Danbury.

State police responded to Maharg s predawn 911 call to find Conleys body already cold.

(State police) observed that (Conley) was lying naked against the wall at the bottom of the staircase and had two wounds to the top of his scalp, the more pronounced of the two being a gaping gash approximately two inches wide and four inches long, reads the arrest warrant.

The official cause of death from the Connecticut Chief Medical Examiners Office was chop wounds.

Alcohol and abuse

The warrant shows that the mens trouble began months before they stopped going to their Manhattan retail fixture business, and started drinking three bottles of tequila between them each day.

That coincides with observations of townspeople who said the couples relationship had grown noticeably tense in recent months.

A neighbor quoted in the warrant who is described by police as extremely close to the couple said the problems started in October when both men were hospitalized for alcohol detoxification.

It would be the first of four times that the pair would be hospitalized because of alcoholic incoherence, another friend told police in the warrant.

The men said they were deep in financial debt and had missed mortgage payments on their hilltop farmhouse at 99 Church Road. They also owed back taxes, according to the warrant.

Conley told a friend quoted in the warrant that Maharg had beaten him.

(Conley) had bruises all over his body but Maharg explained the bruises as being from a fall on the ice outside, the arrest warrant says.

It was against this backdrop that the couple spent their final day together on March 19.

Maharg went to buy tequila at 8 a.m. in Danbury and the men began drinking as soon as he returned, he told police.

When Maharg called 911 to say My husband is dead troopers arrived to find three empty tequila bottles, and a half-drunk fourth bottle.

(State police) concluded that an injury such as the one (Conley) had on his head would have yielded copious amounts of blood that were not present in the area where the body was located, and the circumstances surrounding the incident appeared suspect, the warrant says.

rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342
A Florida man was arrested on a first-degree murder charge while walking out of federal prison.

Officials with the New Port Richey Police Department said Randy Petersilge, 51, killed Simon Clark, 41, in 2001. No arrests were made at the time, but police said they had investigated Petersilge as a suspect in the case.

In an unrelated 2015 case, Petersilge was convicted of possessing a firearm as a felon and sentenced to 42 months in prison.

As Petersilge was serving his sentence, New Port Richey detectives reopened the 2001 case and on Jan. 11, 2018, a grand jury indicted Petersilge on one count of first-degree murder.

Petersilge was incarcerated in federal prison during the time of his indictment and a detainer was placed on him. Upon Petersilge's release from federal prison on Friday, he was placed under arrest for first-degree homicide and is currently awaiting transport to the Pasco County Jail.
Jessica Hill / Associated Press

Gov. Ned Lamont intends to install a slate of new trustees at the University of Connecticut, starting with the replacement of its chairman, Thomas E. Kruger, and one of its long-serving members, Denis J. Nayden, a UConn donor and major financial backer of the governors Republican opponent, Bob Stefanowski.

Administration officials confirmed the imminent departure of Kruger, but declined to name others who will not be reappointed. Multiple sources say one is Nayden, a former GE Capital chief executive officer who has served as a UConn trustee during the administrations of Lamonts three predecessors, two Republicans and a Democrat.
TORONTO, April 9, 2019 /CNW/ - The Passover Food Drive provides people facing food insecurity within our community with kosher for Passover food. This is the 37th year that NCJWC, Toronto is actively running this community wide project. Last year, with the help of generous donors, we were able to ensure 2500 boxes of food were delivered. This is the 37th year that NCJWC, Toronto is actively running this important community wide project.

The cost of Kosher for Passover food is expensive and can be difficult to manage. Together we can ensure that everyone in our community is able to celebrate Passover with dignity and pride. Last year volunteers delivered food to help feed some of the 20,000 Jewish people living in poverty in the GTA, including children and seniors, of which 2000 are Holocaust survivors. Every gift is meaningful and will help support the hungry during the Passover Holiday.

Please join us on delivery day, Sunday April 14th 8:30-11:30 am

Donate and Deliver.

Together we can help these less fortunate to celebrate Passover with dignity and pride

What: National Council of Jewish Women of Canada-Toronto Passover Food Drive

Who: Volunteer Drivers, Community Members

Where: 4700 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON M2R1W8

When: April 14th, 8:30-11:30 am

SOURCE National Council of Jewish Women of Canada, Toronto

For further information: 416-633-5100, [email protected]

Related Links

www.ncjwctoronto.org


International panel of renowned physicians, researchers, veterinarians, engineers and academics

Advisory Board to guide PharmaCielo's research and development of special cannabinoids-based formulations and derived products with therapeutic properties

TORONTO and RIONEGRO, Colombia, April 9, 2019 /CNW/ - David Attard, Chief Executive Officer of PharmaCielo Ltd. ("PharmaCielo" or the "Company") (TSXV:PCLO), the Canadian parent of Colombia's premier cultivator and producer of medicinal-grade cannabis oil, PharmaCielo Colombia Holdings S.A.S., is pleased to announce the appointment of the Company's extended Medical and Scientific Advisory Board (MSAB).

"Global adoption of medical cannabis therapy is nearing a tipping point as acceptance by governments, healthcare practitioners and the public reaches a critical mass," said David Attard, Chief Executive Officer with PharmaCielo. "With the guidance of our new international Medical and Scientific Advisory Board, led by Dr. Delon Human, PharmaCielo is well positioned to become a global leader with medicinal cannabis offerings backed by enhanced medical and scientific research capabilities, advanced cultivation and extraction practices and the development of innovative products."

The mandate of the MSAB is to enhance PharmaCielo's research and product development plan, focused on the therapeutic properties of cannabinoid-based formulations. The MSAB will also provide guidance to PharmaCielo in safe and effective processes to use in the development of medicinal, consumer and pet health products  while adhering to stringent ethical research principles.

Dr. Delon Human, Global Head, Health and Innovation with PharmaCielo and Chair of the MSAB, noted, "The therapeutic potential of cannabinoids in helping to reduce human suffering and illness and to enhance well-being is enormous, and we have only scratched the surface of it. I believe that the members of PharmaCielo's MSAB have the unique opportunity to contribute to the development of the industry as a whole, by adhering to the same high standards of research and product identification used in related areas of medicinal research, as well as by focusing attention on the patient community."

The extended MSAB, consists of world-renowned experts from the medical, veterinarian, product R&D and academic fields, including:

Dr. Delon Human [ Switzerland ] , Global Head of Health and Innovation with PharmaCielo and Chair of the MSAB, is a published author, international lecturer and health care consultant specializing in global health strategy, corporate and product transformation, harm reduction and health communication. As Chair of PharmaCielo's MSAB, Dr. Human will lead the overall health strategy, oversee product-based R&D, engage with key stakeholders such as the United Nations (UN) and World Health Organization (WHO), and ensure necessary regulatory standards for tracking of the Company's products within the global distribution network are maintained.

, Global Head of Health and Innovation with PharmaCielo and Chair of the MSAB, is a published author, international lecturer and health care consultant specializing in global health strategy, corporate and product transformation, harm reduction and health communication. As Chair of PharmaCielo's MSAB, Dr. Human will lead the overall health strategy, oversee product-based R&D, engage with key stakeholders such as the United Nations (UN) and World Health Organization (WHO), and ensure necessary regulatory standards for tracking of the Company's products within the global distribution network are maintained. Dr. Nadia Crosignani [ Uruguay ] is a veterinarian, working as a professor and researcher in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of the Republic of Uruguay (UdelaR). She is also a member of the Nucleus of Cannabis Research in UdelaR. As a PharmaCielo MSAB member, Dr. Crosignani will bring her research experience and expertise in analgesia and veterinary medicine to support the Company in pet health product development.

is a veterinarian, working as a professor and researcher in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of the Republic of (UdelaR). She is also a member of the Nucleus of Cannabis Research in UdelaR. As a PharmaCielo MSAB member, Dr. Crosignani will bring her research experience and expertise in analgesia and veterinary medicine to support the Company in pet health product development. Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos [ Greece ] , a cardiologist and researcher at the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Centre, Department of Pharmacology, University of Patras, is recognized as a global expert in tobacco harm reduction and product development. As a MSAB member, Dr. Farsalinos will bring his vast knowledge and expertise in ingredient and emission chemical analysis, as well as draw from his research on novel forms of medicinal cannabis and its administration using metered dose devices.

, a cardiologist and researcher at the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Centre, Department of Pharmacology, University of Patras, is recognized as a global expert in tobacco harm reduction and product development. As a MSAB member, Dr. Farsalinos will bring his vast knowledge and expertise in ingredient and emission chemical analysis, as well as draw from his research on novel forms of medicinal cannabis and its administration using metered dose devices. Prof. Gerard Madlambayan [ United States ] , a professor of biological sciences at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan , is recognized for his translational research efforts in stem-cell therapies and drug discovery for treating cancer. Professor Madlambayan's background in biomedical engineering will support PharmaCielo in the development of world-class, GMP-certified laboratories and manufacturing facilities as well as provide assistance in all aspects of product-based R&D.

, a professor of biological sciences at in , is recognized for his translational research efforts in stem-cell therapies and drug discovery for treating cancer. Professor Madlambayan's background in biomedical engineering will support PharmaCielo in the development of world-class, GMP-certified laboratories and manufacturing facilities as well as provide assistance in all aspects of product-based R&D. Dr. Anders Milton [ Sweden ], the former CEO and secretary general of the Swedish Medical Association, chairman of the council of the World Medical Association and chairman of the Swedish Red Cross, specializes in ethics of medical practice and safe healthcare, critical elements in any company focused on developing products for medicinal use. As part of the MSAB, Dr. Milton will leverage his experience as a public health leader to bridge the gap between policy, science and business development.

], the former CEO and secretary general of the Swedish Medical Association, chairman of the council of the World Medical Association and chairman of the Swedish Red Cross, specializes in ethics of medical practice and safe healthcare, critical elements in any company focused on developing products for medicinal use. As part of the MSAB, Dr. Milton will leverage his experience as a public health leader to bridge the gap between policy, science and business development. Prof. Riccardo Polosa [ Italy ], professor of internal medicine and head of the Institute of Internal and Emergency Medicine at the University of Catania in Sicily , where he founded and currently supervises the Centre for Tobacco Research. Professor Polosa brings to PharmaCielo's MSAB unparalleled expertise in the development of various forms of inhalable, ingestible and oral drugs, as well as an extensive track record in consumer behaviour, clinical trials and post-market surveillance.

], professor of internal medicine and head of the Institute of Internal and Emergency Medicine at the University of Catania in , where he founded and currently supervises the Centre for Tobacco Research. Professor Polosa brings to PharmaCielo's MSAB unparalleled expertise in the development of various forms of inhalable, ingestible and oral drugs, as well as an extensive track record in consumer behaviour, clinical trials and post-market surveillance. Prof. Solomon Rataemane [ South Africa ] , head of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Limpopo in Pretoria , brings a vast research background in child psychiatry, mood disorders and addiction medicine. He is the former chairperson of the Central Drug Authority of South Africa and serves as the general secretary of the World Association for Psychosocial Rehabilitation. As a MSAB member, Professor Rataemane will provide counsel on youth usage of psychoactive substances and contribute his expertise to product R&D of cannabinoid-based treatments for mental health conditions.

, head of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Limpopo in , brings a vast research background in child psychiatry, mood disorders and addiction medicine. He is the former chairperson of the Central Drug Authority of and serves as the general secretary of the World Association for Psychosocial Rehabilitation. As a MSAB member, Professor Rataemane will provide counsel on youth usage of psychoactive substances and contribute his expertise to product R&D of cannabinoid-based treatments for mental health conditions. Prof. David Richardson [ United Kingdom ] is head of a speciality consulting firm in nutrition and food sciences and holds visiting professorships at the School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy, University of Reading. He is also the former Group Chief Scientist for Nestle UK. As a MSAB member, Professor Richardson will support PharmaCielo in developing a research agenda for cannabinoid-based nutraceuticals, and guide the regulatory path to accreditation, consumer safety, care and support.

About PharmaCielo

PharmaCielo Ltd. (TSXV:PCLO) is a global company, headquartered in Canada, with a focus on ethical and sustainable processing and supplying of all natural, medicinal-grade cannabis oil extracts and related products to large channel distributors. PharmaCielo's principal (and wholly owned) subsidiary is PharmaCielo Colombia Holdings S.A.S., headquartered at its nursery and propagation centre located in Rionegro, Colombia.

The boards of directors and executive teams of both PharmaCielo and PharmaCielo Colombia Holdings are comprised of a diversely talented group of international business executives and specialists with relevant and varied expertise. PharmaCielo recognized the significant role that Colombia's ideal location will play in building a sustainable business in the medical cannabis industry, and the Company, together with its directors and executives, is executing on a business plan focused on supplying the international marketplace.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as, "expects", "is expected", "intends", "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, including with respect to PharmaCielo's planned products, and the ability to execute its business plan that management believes are reasonable in the circumstances, but the actual results, performance or achievements of PharmaCielo's business may be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be affected by known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including, but not limited to, the equity markets generally, risks associated with early stage companies, risks associated with the regulation of cannabis and cannabinoid derivatives, failure to obtain necessary TSXV approval, competition for PharmaCielo's planned products, risks associated with operating in Colombia, and currency exchange risk. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Except as required by law, PharmaCielo undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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 press release.

SOURCE PharmaCielo Ltd.

For further information: www.PharmaCielo.com; Media Relations: International: Gal Wilder, Cohn & Wolfe, +1.647.259.3261, [email protected]; Colombia: Maria Paula Pena Fdz., SPR GROUP S.A., PBX: 57-1 2877234, [email protected]; Investor Inquiries: [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.pharmacielo.com


Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.

Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.

A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.
Billboards seem to have been around forever. Putting

forward their offering for anyone passing to see. When they were invented they

almost reigned supreme. They were big, they were noticeable and they got the

message out there. Now, with smartphones and other technologies capturing

attention, static billboards tend to merge into the background unnoticed. With

a dynamic advertising

led billboard you can make this image a movie to get back the attention

lost to a smartphone. In todays world, you cant really do without it. It is

important to remember that the attention space has to be fought for.

Lets take a look at why dynamic LED billboards such as

those from Visualled are essential to

branding.

The Power of the Moving Image

Static billboards can no longer be relied upon to get

your brand and offering into the minds of your target audience. There are

simply too many distractions essentially making them obsolete. The dynamic LED

billboard, however, shows moving images. This makes a world of difference when

competing for the attention of your target audience. People naturally look at

screens where they see motion. This is why you often see people watching TV

sets through shop windows.

Having a moving image also allows you to promote more than

one offering. With a bit of creativity, this can be followed by a call to

action such as a phone number and or URL. Think about it, people are walking

around with a phone in their hand that can make calls and surf the web. Dynamic

LED billboards are powerful advertizing mediums when you apply a bit of

marketing magic.

Local and International

Branding

The billboard can be used to show ads for a global

audience and a local one. Imagine the power of an ad showing a person enjoying

delicious ice cream and the board is above an ice cream parlour. Arguably, for

many, this could prove irresistible.

On a global level, your offering and by extension your

brand can be broadcast from an LED billboard. This not only puts your brand and

offering in the minds of all those that see it, interested people if they see

your brand again a little later, say an online ad will be more likely to click

to discover more about the offering.

One of the Six Interactions Per Day

We are often told to eat five fruit and vegetables a

day. This is sound advice and scalable to the marketing world. Retailers

believe that they need six interactions to sell online. The billboard is easily

one of those six. In busy places, it can reach thousands of people possibly

more. With strategic planning, you can have a billboard that has plenty of foot

traffic passing by.

Consider, how many passengers major airports handle in one

day. A billboard showing your brand could easily be visible to vehicle drivers

who visit and leave the airport. Imagine the reach.

Ramping up Campaigns

If you have ever been involved in major ad campaigns

you will understand the power of an LED billboard and how it fits into the

holistic puzzle that is a marketing campaign. If youve invested in television

and radio advertizing, online pay per click, social media, and search engine

optimization campaigns, the billboard adds the finishing touch.

The same ad shown on other mediums can now be shown on the

billboard. This creates context between the ads which is vital for any ad

campaign to work.

This is often utilized in election campaigns where mediums

are flooded with different messages from different political entities. If

people are stuck in a traffic jam for example and a political message is shown

featuring moving images, then people are likely to take it in. Over time, you

could persuade a significant percentage of swing voters to vote for your

offering. You could mix and match messages attacking your rivals policies and

promoting your own.

The same is also true in the commercial world. You can put

your brand in the minds of potential customers and clients as part of the six

interactions needed to make a sale or generate a lead.

Selecting the Right Billboard

The billboard you utilize needs to be the right size.

Fortunately, this should not be an issue as a range of sizes is available. You

will have limited space available even if they are fixed on the roof of a

building. As success relies on people seeing your billboard you should if you

have the option position it so as much foot traffic can see it as possible.

Sometimes, the board will be fixed to a wall and this

limits the options. Nonetheless, you can still utilize the board to maximum

effect.

Once installed you need to make a marketing message which

is compelling and memorable. With a little creativity, you can make your

billboard ad part of your six a day, promoting your brand and driving sales and

leads.
ANSONIA  Jen Magri may be taking on her biggest challenge during her eight years of school board work.

Magri, the Seymour Board of Education chairwoman and a 1984 Ansonia High School graduate, has agreed to try to mend fences between Ansonia city officials and its Board of Education.

Ive got a connection, Magri said. My first selectman already is working with Ansonia.

Seymour First Selectman W. Kurt Miller has spent several weeks meeting with Ansonia department heads as the citys consultant on a 2019-20 budget. He is being paid $30,000.

Magri would not be paid for her work intervening between Ansonias school board and Mayor David Cassettis administration.

Magri said she talked to Miller about this and is hopeful to start talks in Ansonia. Her own term on the Seymour school board ends in November, and Magri said she is not seeking re-election.

She said she believes that with her help, and through Millers conversations with school officials, they can cool the animosity that exploded when Ansonias Board of Education sued that city over the removal of $600,000 from the school districts budget. The city recently settled the suit by providing $800,000 this year and upping that figure to $850,000 as the minimum budgetary requirement in 2019-20.

I have no problem with accepting their help and sitting down with the city as long as its at a neutral site, said William Nimons, the Ansonia Board of Education chairman.

Magris proposal was one of three that came out of the second phase of a pilot project involving Equity in Education in Ansonia. The discussions involving students, parents, politicians, teachers and community leaders have been taking place at the Boys and Girls Club. It is part of a pilot project sponsored by the Connecticut Association of Boards of Educations Diversity Committee.

Mary Broderick, a CABE consultant, and John Ramos, a former Bridgeport superintendent of schools, have been leading this discussion since November. Thirty people including State Rep. Kara Rochelle, D-Ansonia, Phil Tripp, a Republican 2nd Ward alderman, John Izzo, a Republican member of the Board of Education, Diane Stromen, a community activist and Lisa Glazer, of Friends of Ansonia Education as well as parents like Luis Rodriguez, attended the session.

Magri said her mother, Laura Lane, a retired Ansonia teacher, convinced Magri and Magris daughter, Melissa Boneski, a Bridgeport kindergarten teacher, to attend a Diversity in Education session.

Boneski offered to conduct a professional development day on the subject next fall for Ansonia school staffers.

We have no more professional development days remaining this year, but its something I would like to see happen next school year, said Carol Merlone, who is retiring June 30 as Ansonias school superintendent. Its a topic we need to do right through the system ... kindergarten through high school with all our staffers.

Magri, who frequently attends Ansonia Board of Education meetings with Lane, took on the difficult task of trying to reopen lines of communication between the school board and city.

Cassetti said he welcomed open communication and believes our city departments have acted independently from one another for far too long.

Magri said her eight years of experience on Seymours Board of Education and working on budgets would be helpful. Unlike Ansonia, where a budget only needs the Board of Aldermens approval, in Seymour residents vote in referendum separately on the municipal and school board budgets.

Hosting a roundtable discussion would be effective in determining what the underlying issues are and why the two sides are so far apart, Magri said.

She added that it also would determine what each side perceives as the values in education.

Very often, we say and do something in a room like this and it stops there, Magri said. Stating intentions publicly provides more accountability in getting things done.

So she suggested making more use of social media, conducting strategic planning sessions and leveraging local business leaders to assist in educating the community about school related topics.

You have such a diverse culture of restaurants in downtown Ansonia, Magri said. We could have restaurant night, celebrating diversity and use those opportunities to spread information and educate.
Shelton High School now has its third principal in the past two weeks.

John Skerritt has joined Beth Smith on paid administrative leave, according to school Superintendent Dr. Chris Clouet, adding that this decision was made after he received word from police that Skerritt was part of the ongoing criminal investigation.

This action is not disciplinary in nature, said Clouet, adding that Skerritt was informed of the decision Monday afternoon and Shelton Intermediate School Principal Ken Saranich will cover both schools until further notice. [Skerritt] will be out until the investigation by Shelton police is concluded.

Skerritt, the high schools assistant principal, was named acting principal March 28, when Smith was placed on administrative leave. Clouet informed high school faculty Skerritt was placed on leave on Monday, April 8, and was planning to inform various high school student groups today, following the SATs, which were held Tuesday morning. No programming will be affected, said Clouet.

This latest move comes as the Shelton Police Department and the states attorney office continue an investigation whether the high school administration properly followed protocols and procedures in accordance with Connecticut state law, in handling a potentially criminal incident involving two students on Tuesday, March 26. Smith was placed on paid administrative leave two days later.

Clouet said he chose to place Skerritt on administrative leave after receiving official word from local law enforcement that the acting principal was also a focus of the investigation.

To my knowledge, these two individuals are the extent of the investigation, said Clouet. Being placed on paid administrative leave is not disciplinary. I made the decisions in case, for the good of the district and for the good of the individuals in question until this situation is resolved.

Shelton Police Chief Shawn Sequeira has said there is no timetable on the investigation but felt a decision could come sometime later in the week.

Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti was first to publicly announce that the investigation involved more than Smith and that law enforcement observed what were believed to be irregularities in the schools handling of the situation involving the two students. Clouet, in response to the criminal investigation, placed Smith on paid administrative leave on March 28 but gave no specific reason for the decision, saying only that this was a personnel matter.

In the days following the start of the criminal investigation, rumors have swirled about the reasons behind the investigation and Smiths present status. It reached a fever pitch after inaccurate reporting that inferred that there had been an arrest and a school employee had been escorted off the campus.

That immediately led Clouet to say he was concerned and extremely disappointed in the false reporting on this matter by various media outlets. He also posted a statement on the school districts website saying Please beware of rumors. [Smith] was not escorted from the building by police. There has been no arrest. Our primary concern is the well-being of our students. In addition, Dr. Smith deserves respect and privacy as this process unfolds.

The situation centered around a complaint concerning two students, said Lauretti, and during that, the states attorney got involved with respect to how these complaints are being handled by school staff members.

But Clouet as well as Board of Education members and even the Shelton teachers union head, Deborah Keller, have refused comment, citing the present law enforcement investigation as well as potential pending investigations by school officials. State Department of Children & Families officials also refused to confirm or deny any report was made concerning Shelton High School.

Lauretti has been critical of Clouets actions in this process.

By putting Beth Smith on administrative leave, [Clouet] may have called attention to a situation when it may have been premature, said Lauretti. What if nothing comes down from this, then what? Why not reassign her until everything is done. All kinds of mistakes have been made here.

I think these kinds of comments are exactly what we do not need right now, responded Clouet. People should be more circumspect. We need to respect each other and respect the process. Once the investigation is completed, and I have all the information in hand, I will make a statement about how we move forward.

brian.gioiele@hearstmediact.com
A couple from Mount Vernon, New York has been missing for almost two weeks after a vacation in the Dominican Republic.

Orlando Moore and Portia Ravenelle of Mount Vernon, Westchester County, traveled to the Caribbean country from Newark Liberty International Airport on March 23. They left their vehicle parked at the airport, according to national media reports. They were supposed to return to the U.S. just four days later, but their families have not heard from them.

CNN tracked down a couple who was staying at the same resort, the Grand Bahia Principe Cayacoa. The couple, from Nova Scotia, said they spent a few days touring with Moore and Ravenelle after meeting them at the resort.

Cheryl Freeman, one half of the Nova Scotian couple, said Moore and Ravenelle had rented a car to get to the airport on time for their 2 a.m. flight on March 27 out of Santo Domingo, a nearly 100-mile drive from their resort.

More News Virgin Atlantic replacing its Boeing 747s with this

Ravenelle reportedly told Freeman that the rental car company had warned her not to stop or open the car windows for anyone on the drive. Locals, they said, know which cars are rentals and try to rob tourists.

The night before the flight, the couples bid farewell in the lobby, inviting each other to come visit. That was the last time Freeman heard from them. An email her partner sent to Moore that night went unanswered, CNN reports.

In a statement to PIX11, the U.S. Embassy of the Dominican Republic said they are "working directly with the Attorney's Office [of the] 'Procuradoria General de la Republica Dominica.'" The office would not comment because the investigation is ongoing.

U.S. officials appear to be involved in the investigation, but the extent of their involvement is unclear as the State Department cannot comment on active investigations.
NEW HAVEN  Much like Creed High School a year prior, the community of Riverside Education Academy  the last remaining alternative high school in the district  came out for a school board meeting to passionately make its case against having the school closed.

When I was in trouble, they were there to accept me into their school, said Denzel Caldwell, one of a number of students at the school who pleaded with the school board to salvage the school after officials said they would not be renewing the lease at the Ella T. Grasso Boulevard building.

Ultimately, Board of Education members assuaged community concerns .

We passed a resolution back in May of last year, and what we said in that resolution was we were going to combine the three (alternative) schools, said board President Darnell Goldson. If we wanted to close Riverside we wouldve closed it, but we knew it was important to have an alternative program in New Haven.

Board members faulted Superintendent of Schools Carol Birks for not creating a plan, after the school board voted that she would create a way to transition students out of the building. Goldson said the likeliest scenario would be that the district move Riverside to the old New Horizons building, which is owned by the district.

Birks was not present at the school board meeting, with Assistant Superintendent Iline Tracey taking her place. Tracey said Birks was at a mandatory meeting for superintendents of Alliance Districts, a state designation for low-performing districts that receive additional state aid. Goldson said he was disappointed that Birks chose to attend that meeting instead of sending a representative in her stead, but Tracey said it was required of Birks to attend.

Birks did not respond to an email Monday evening.

Board members also criticized Birks for what they saw as skirting rules imposed at the previous school board meeting, when a policy was enacted that all general fund spending for the remainder of the fiscal year be approved by the boards three officers. One of two contracts mentioned by the school board was for search firm Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates to market the vacant CFO position to candidates. HYA is the same firm used by the school board in 2017 to narrow down applicants for the superintendency, and named Birks as a finalist.

During a citywide budget forum, Birks said that the district previously offered the CFO position to a woman, but she received a counter-offer from her current job. District Human Resources Director Lisa Mack estimated about 15 candidates had been interviewed for the position.

Board member Ed Joyner called for an impromptu executive session to discuss personnel matters related to the superintendent, but the session did not occur when it came out that Birks was not informed ahead of time, in violation of state Freedom of Information laws.

brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com
NEW HAVEN  John H. Smith had been convicted of two killings before he came to know Sherri Ruffin and he told police he was there when she was killed in May 2017.

These details are contained in an arrest warrant affidavit charging Smith with Ruffins slaying.

Smith and Ruffin had became close, perhaps romantically involved, and in explaining how DNA evidence that linked him to the scene came to be there, Smith accused a relative of committing the deed.

Smith, 58, was arraigned Monday at Superior Court on charges of felony murder and first-degree strangulation, according to court records. His case was transferred to the Part A docket, where more serious cases are heard. The file was made available Tuesday.

According to the warrant affidavit, police responded to the Brookside housing complex on May 4, 2017, finding Ruffin lying on a bed, clothed only in a shirt, with wrists and right leg bound with shoelaces. An autopsy determined that Ruffin had been killed by the compression of her neck and her death was ruled a homicide. Officers seized a series of items from the residence, including articles of clothing.

As they began investigating, detectives spoke to a number of individuals who said Ruffin had known an individual named John whom she may or may not have been in a relationship with before her killing, according to the affidavit.

DNA evidence found on the waistband of Ruffins underwear and hips corresponded to a John H. Smith, police learned, who had been convicted of first-degree manslaughter in 1978, then of felony murder in 1988, but was free on May 4, 2017.

New Haven police arrested Smith on May 28 on a warrant stemming from an unrelated robbery investigation, according to the affidavit.

Smith told police he had known Ruffin, and had seen her downtown on May 3, according to the affidavit. He initially asked what was wrong with Ruffin, then, later in the interview, said a man had told him she had been killed two to three days earlier, police said.

Smith told police it was unlikely that his DNA would have been found in Ruffins apartment or on her underwear, although he had been in the residence in the past.

But Smith provided a DNA sample after being required to do so by a warrant, according to the affidavit.

His profile matched DNA found on some items seized from the residence, including the waistband of the victims underwear, which had been found in the hallway, cleaning supplies, cigarette butts found in the garbage disposal and portions of the shoelaces used to bind Ruffin. Smiths DNA did not correspond to other items seized.

Police met with Smith again on March 7, 2019, according to the affidavit, in the Osborn Correctional Institution.

He then admitted to being present and involved at the time Sherri Ruffin was murdered, according to the affidavit. Detective Christopher Perrone told Ruffin his DNA profile had been found on items seized as evidence.

After first hesitating to discuss his involvement, Smith wrote his name is D , a moniker for his relative, on the back of his inmate pass and slid it across the table to Detectives, according to the affidavit. The Register is not using the full name Smith wrote, as the relative is not charged in this case.

Smith told police he had been involved in a three-way fight with Ruffin and the relative in her apartment a few days before May 4, 2017. He said the three had been smoking K2 together and the relative had asked him to request money from Ruffin, which he declined to do.

During the altercation, he said the relative had ended up on top of Ruffin, choked her, then looked up at him and told him that if he didnt help he would kill his family.

He said the two had carried Ruffins remains to the bed, where he had helped the relative in tying her hands to her ankle. The GoPro device recording the interview shut down while Smith was describing how he tied the laces, according to the affidavit.

Smith was unable to remember details regarding how Ruffins pants and underwear were removed, the attempted clean-up of the crime scene, or how the cigarette butts containing his DNA profile ended up in Ruffins garbage disposal, Detective Manuella Vensel said in the affidavit.

He asked that police leave the relative alone so that the relative, in turn, would leave his family alone.

Before the interview was ended, Smith partially scribbled out (the relatives) name that he had written on the inmate inside pass, Vensel said in the affidavit.

Following the interview, this affiant walked Smith out of the interview room to inform the correctional officers that Smith was ready to be returned to his cell. At this time Smith informed them that his mother had passed away when he was very young, Vensel said in the affidavit. When asked if the prior murders of (two women) had anything to do with his mother passing away when he was young, Smith stated that he was unsure but did state that he was sexually assaulted as a young child, lived a troubled life and spent the majority of his life incarcerated.

The man Smith referred to as the relative spoke with police March 14. He had previously done so in September 2017, saying at the time that Smith had not discussed the alleged slaying with him.

The man stated he did not know where Ruffin lived, had never been to her house, had never smoked K2 with her and was not involved in any way or responsible for her murder, according to the affidavit.

The relative again said that Smith had not discussed the murder with him. He said Smith may have implicated him because he was dating a friends former wife.

New Haven police announced on April 3 that a warrant had been signed for Smiths arrest.

Forensic Detective Omaida Nieves and other members of the Police Departments Bureau of Identification worked to collect and process vital evidence in the case, Capt. Anthony Duff said at the time.

Now retired, New Haven Police Detective Chris Perrone and the NHPD Homicide Unit worked this case continuously over the past two years. Detective Manuella Vensel completed the arrest warrant and submitted it to the court, Duff said.

Smith is next scheduled to appear in court April 23, according to state judicial records. He has not yet entered a plea for either of the charges against him.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.com
NEW HAVEN  A city man will serve just more than a year in prison after being sentenced Tuesday in connection with a scheme to steal bitcoins in an online phishing scheme, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Connecticut.

Michael Richo, 37, of New Haven and formerly of Wallingford, is set to be imprisoned for one year and one day, to be followed by three years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. He also was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and forfeit $352,500 in cash, an assortment of precious coins and metals that he bought with the proceeds of his offense, and electronic devices.
The Iranian top legislator recalled memories of his visit to Vietnam in 2018 and expressed delight at the partnership development between the two countries and parliaments.

NA Chairwoman Ngan congratulated the Iranian government and people for maintaining socio-political stability and achieving economic progress.

Vietnam and Iran celebrated the fruitful outcomes from the ninth meeting of the Joint Committee, while agreeing on various measures to enhance cooperation in different areas such as agriculture, aquaculture, energy, mining, oil and gas, telecommunications, and banking, she noted.

She said she hopes that the two sides will continue coordinating closely to organise the 10th meeting of the committee within the year, and work out solutions to boost bilateral affiliation.

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan meets Speaker of the Iranian Parliament Ali Ardeshir Larijani on the sidelines 140th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (Photo: VNA)

The Vietnamese NA leader also proposed that the two sides work harder together to complete the target of 2 billion USD in trade. She suggested that the two countries prioritise the trade of each others strong products, deal with payment problems to support trading activities, encourage businesses of both sides to study each others market, and promote trade and investment partnership.

Agreeing with his Vietnamese counterpart, Ali Ardeshir Larijani held that banking cooperation is key to a successful partnership. However, Vietnam and Iran have yet to make any negotiations or discussions in the field, he noted, stressing the need for the two sides to develop collaboration.

The Vietnamese NA Chairwoman said that Vietnam hopes Iran will continue its provision of scholarships for Vietnamese students in Persian studies and other sectors; maintain the exchange of lecturers and students among universities; and strengthen ties in culture and tourism by holding painting exhibitions, film screenings, musical performances, and Iranian cultural days in Vietnam and Vietnamese cultural days in Iran.

The Iranian Parliament Speaker said that he will assign his assistants to work on the providing of scholarships to Vietnamese students and send notice to the Vietnamese side in the next few months.

He added that following his return, he will discuss with the Iranian Minister of Culture on the organisation of cultural days in each country, and suggested that Vietnam and Iran increase the import and export of fruits and farm produce to each others market, paying more attention to agricultural cooperation.

Iran hopes for Vietnams technical support in rice cultivation, while fostering partnership in education and customs, he stated./.
Hearst Connecticut Media file photo /

After the Jamal Khashoggi murder, it came out that renowned forensic scientist and University of New Haven professor Henry C. Lee was on the editorial board of the magazine of the Saudi Society for Forensic Medicine with Salah al-Tubaigy, a man the Turkish government claims to have been part of the hit team that killed Khashoggi. Al-Tubaigy was the person who allegedly brought the bone saw to Turkey and dismembered Khashoggi while listening to music on his headphones. The U.S. government apparently believes this claim as it has designated Al-Tubaigy as having a role in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi in line with the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. He is a blocked person and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with blocked persons.

Tubaigy was not only on the magazine board with Lee, but he was on the governing board of the forensic society. Sometime this year Tubaigys name was removed from the editorial board of the journal, but as of March 31 he was still on the societys governing board. Technically hes Lees boss.
A 40-year-old Bergen County man was critically injured Sunday night when his girlfriends ex-boyfriend forced his way into an apartment and stabbed him six times, authorities said.

The girlfriend called 911 shortly before 10 p.m. Sunday to report an assault in an apartment on Donor Avenue in Elmwood Park, according to police Chief Michael Foligno.

Officers arrived to find the man bleeding profusely and unresponsive, Foligno said in an email.

It was later determined that the victim sustained 6 stab wounds to his chest, back and side of his torso, Foligno said.

The 29-year-old woman told officers that her ex-boyfriend, Jason Gardner, 31 of Bronx, New York, showed up at the door to speak with her, demanded entry and forced his way into the apartment brandishing a knife, Foligno said.

He confronted the victim (and) began to repeatedly stab him with the knife multiple times about the torso, Foligno said.

Gardner fled before police arrived, Foligno said. About 10 minutes later, an officer found Gardner about a half mile away from the crime scene, Foligno said. He was arrested and charged with attempted murder, possession of a weapon and armed burglary, the chief said. Gardner was held at the Bergen County jail.

The wounded man was taken to St. Josephs Hospital in Paterson in critical condition, Foligno said.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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No one was hurt when cash and jewelry were stolen during a home invasion robbery Monday morning in Willingboro.

A man entered a home on Garland Lane around 9:35 a.m and demanded items from the resident, Willingboro police said. The robber ran off toward Globe Lane after being given what he wanted, officials said.

Officers and a K-9 unit searched the area but couldnt find the man, according to police.

Police described the robber as 20 to 30 years old, 5-feet 5-inches tall and weighing between 120 and 140 pounds. He wore a black hooded sweatsuit.

Anyone with information is asked to call Willingboro police at 609-877-3001 or the the departments tip hotline at 609-877-6958.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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The biggest divide in New Jersey may not between Taylor Ham and Pork Roll, but between the rich and the poor.

Over the past five years, New Jersey has become a more unequal place to live with the gap between the rich and the poor widening.

However, federal income tax returns from the Internal Revenue Service show that areas of concentrated wealth are often close to areas of concentrated poverty.

The map below shows the percentage of taxpayers in 2016 that live in each New Jersey zip code with the lowest versus the highest adjusted gross income, or the total income before taxes, deductions or exemptions.

There were a total of 43 zip codes where the largest percentage of taxpayers that filed their income taxes reported making $200,000 or more. All of them were either in North or Central Jersey.

In the Short Hills zip code 07078, about 51 percent of taxpayers reported making $200,000 or more making it the zip code with the largest percent. The zip code 07046 in Mountain Lakes has the second largest percent at about 43 percent.

Whats way more common are taxpayers who reported making under $25,000 in 2016. For a total of 444 zip codes, it was the largest percentage of income level reported.

In addition, many of those zip codes with mostly taxpayers making under $25,000 are surrounded by zip codes with mostly taxpayers making over $200,000.

Below, the map shows areas of poverty surrounded by areas of wealth. Zip codes in Newark where more than 50 percent of taxpayers reported under $25,000 are surrounded by zip codes in Glen Ridge, Montclair and Short Hills with higher percentages of taxpayers making more than $200,000.

A similar phenomenon happens in other North Jersey cities like Union City, Paterson and Dover which are surrounded by wealthier suburbs.

In Central Jersey, one of the starkest income divides happen in Trenton and New Brunswick versus the surrounding suburbs of Princeton. At the Shore, Long Branch is close to wealthier, neighboring zip codes in Rumson.

South Jersey has fewer spots of concentrated wealth compared to North Jersey. Even the suburbs of Camden, the percentages of taxpayers making more than $200,000 are nowhere near close as the suburbs of North Jersey cities.

About the data: The numbers comes from the IRS 2016 Statistics of Income (SOI) data. There are about 8,000 returns that did not have a zip code attached to them and are included in the statewide count, but not in the zip code lookup tool below.

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Carla Astudillo may be reached at castudillo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @carla_astudi.
Q. My income is much more than my wife's, mostly due to my higher required minimum distributions (RMDs), so we dont qualify for the pension exclusion. If we filed married filing separately, she could qualify for the exclusion. How can we decide the best way to file? Would we get penalized by higher rates, especially on the federal return?

 Overtaxed

A. Its a great question.

We'd all like to pay less tax, right?

To determine whether a married couple filing separate income tax returns would achieve a lower overall tax, you would calculate the joint tax liability compared with the sum of the separate income tax liabilities, said Neil Becourtney, a certified public accountant and tax partner with CohnReznick in Eatontown.

For the New Jersey pension exclusion, as you suggested, theres a $100,000 gross income limit to qualify for the exclusion, Becourtney said. The $100,000 gross income limit is a cliff. If the taxpayer exceeds it, they become ineligible for any pension exclusion.

If you do qualify for the exclusion, for 2018, you can exclude a maximum of $60,000 for a joint filer versus $30,000 for a married filing separately filer.

Presumably, your wife has retirement distribution income of her own and her total gross income if filing separately would not exceed $100,000, allowing for use of the pension exclusion whereby on a joint basis you are likely ineligible to claim the pension exclusion, Becourtney said. If that is the case, it could very well be that filing separately will achieve a lower overall tax.

To see if this is the best option for you, youre simply going to have to run the numbers and do the math to see how it all adds up under each scenario.

If you decide to file separately for 2018 and made joint estimated tax payments, you will want to allocate them in a fashion that best suits you and minimizes or avoids any penalties from being incurred, he said.

The IRS and state computer systems will record the payments under the Social Security number of the first spouse listed on the payment vouchers, Becourtney said. Be sure to attach a schedule or footnote to the tax returns explaining how the payments were split between the two separate income tax returns if indeed that takes place.

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.coms weekly e-newsletter.
Theres no such thing as a free lunch.

Maybe, but its not true when it comes to your tax return. Rather than pay hundreds of dollars or more to a for-profit tax preparation company, many consumers are eligible to get their taxes done for free.

Winston George of Irvington found out the hard way.

He went to a Jackson Hewitt tax prep firm in his hometown to complete his 2018 tax returns. He paid $211 for the returns, and another $49.95 - a fee he thought was to have his state and federal refunds put on a prepaid refund card, the American Express Serve card.

George said he takes no issue with the tax prep fees, but he said he was misled about the card.

I asked them how will I get the refund and they said I can pick up a check or take the card, he said. They said it would be $49.95 for me to use the card.

Rather than taking time off from work to pick up his refund checks, he opted for the card.

But his decision was based on incorrect information. George wouldnt have had to return to Jackson Hewitt to get his refund checks, but instead, they would have been mailed directly to his home or direct deposited into his bank account.

Plus, he said, his Jackson Hewitt rep said he could only take money off the card without fees at ATMs found at 7-11 locations. That also wasnt accurate. The fee-free transactions can also take place at CVS or Walmart stores. Otherwise, there would be a $3.50 fee per transaction.

But then we learned the card itself was actually free. So what was the $49.95 charge for?

George had no idea about the misinformation until he learned about free tax return services provided by New Jersey Citizen Action (NJCA), a nonprofit that among other things, provides free tax preparation services.

At NJCA, he learned his tax returns could have been completed for free and that he could have had the refund sent to his bank account rather than to the card.

While Jackson Hewitt prepared Georges returns correctly, NJCA took issue with other items.

The only document he was given was a summary form. There was no copy of an actual return, said Naomi Anderson, director of the nonprofits tax efforts. There were no details about his options for the refund.

Whats out there

Jackson Hewitt isnt the only tax prep chain that offers refund cards.

H&R Block offers the option to have your refund put on an Amazon gift card, and it adds a 5 percent bonus to the refund amount. The maximum refund amount you can put on the card is $5,000. These cards, though, have no fees, though you have to pay for certain services to be eligible.

Liberty Tax offers a Netspend prepaid MasterCard. We asked the company about the offer - specifically what kinds of fees consumers can expect - but it didnt respond in time for publication.

The Liberty Tax website simply says: Additional fees may apply.

Why would anyone want a card instead of the cash? They may be attractive to taxpayers who dont have a bank account.

They are marketed as an opportunity to avoid check cashing fees, said Leila Amirhamzeh, NJCAs director of development. What consumers dont know is while they might think theyre avoiding check cashing fees, there may be fees for ATM withdrawal, monthly fees to have the card every month, and then stipulations for how an individual can access that money.

We reached out to Jackson Hewitt about Georges experience, and shortly thereafter, George got a call from a Jackson Hewitt representative.

He said the fee was for processing so I wouldnt have to pay the tax preparation fee upfront but it would be taken from the refund, George said he was told. But nobody told me the fee was for that. They said it was for the card. And they didnt give me the option to pay the $211 right then. My bank is right across the street.

But, the rep apologized, and said the company would return Georges $49.95.

We asked Jackson Hewitt to explain the mishap, but it didnt offer much illumination.

Jackson Hewitt is committed to 100 percent client satisfaction and we work with various financial partners to offer optional products and services," a spokeswoman said. We want to ensure transparency and were pleased that any miscommunication with the client about the optional products and services has been resolved to their satisfaction.

George was happy to get his $49.95 back, but he said he wasnt exactly satisfied. He said hes absolutely positive he was told the fee was to put his refund on the card. That it was not a miscommunication on his part, but instead, he was told wrong information.

They took my money under false pretenses, he said. "They told me the $49.95 was to get the card, not to use my refund to pay the $211. We had already decided that the refund would pay for the tax preparation fees before they ever mentioned the card.

Had you and Citizen Action not stepped up, if you hadnt approached them, they never would have considered giving it back to me, George said.

Getting tax prep for free

New Jersey Citizen Action is one of hundreds of free tax prep services in New Jersey.

NJCA completed nearly 6,000 free tax returns at its location on Halsey Street in Newark last year. It expects to do even more this year, it said.

We want people to avoid scams and frauds, in addition to high fees that happen at for-profit tax centers, said Phyllis Salowe-Kaye, executive director of NJCA.

NJCA, and other groups like it, offer the free services as part of the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. It generally helps taxpayers who earn $55,000 or less, or those with disabilities or limited English language skills, according to the IRS website.

Theres also a service for seniors called the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) program, mostly run through AARP. This service focuses on those who are 60 years of age and older, specializing in questions about pensions and retirement-related issues unique to seniors.

Last year, AARP Foundation Tax-Aide had 152 sites across New Jersey with more than 1,000 volunteers, and it filed more than 80,000 free federal and state returns, the group said.

According to the IRS, there are 272 VITA and TCE sites in New Jersey this year.

To see if you qualify for these free services, check out this IRS publication.

To find a VITA site near you, use the IRS VITA locator tool or call (800) 906-9887.

To find an TCE program run by the AARP Foundations Tax-Aide program, click here or call (888) 227-7669.

And finally, you can learn more about New Jersey Citizen Actions free tax prep services here, or call (973) 273-0315 to make an appointment.

Have you been Bamboozled? Reach Karin Price Mueller at Bamboozled@NJAdvanceMedia.com. Follow her on Twitter@KPMueller. Find Bamboozled on Facebook. Mueller is also the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com.
Whoopi Goldberg is being credited with instituting a successful ceasefire on The View," even as she is only recently recovered from a life-threatening illness.

The stirrings of war were first apparent when Joy Behar was interrupted by Meghan McCain on Mondays episode of the ABC talk show.

Behar, 76, was in the middle of making a point when Meghan McCain, 34, began to interject. Not exactly a rare occurrence, since the two hosts have been at odds before, but tensions suddenly ran pretty high.

When McCain interrupted Behar, she had been referring to Kevin McAleenan, who was named the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security after the resignation of Kirstjen Nielsen on Sunday. Behar was endorsing McAleenans desire to send aid to countries in Central America.

Give a Nicaraguan a house? McCain shot back. Weve had a bunch of liberal guests who dont want to send in aid at all."

Hold on, I listened to you, Behar said. Let me just finish.

Yup, part of your job is to listen to me, a glib McCain replied, eliciting some mumbling from the audience.

Behar froze.

Things could have gone sideways.

Thats when Goldberg stepped in.

OK, so heres the deal, said Goldberg, 63. Heres whats not going to happen today. Were not going to do this. Everybody gets a conversation piece, everybody gets to say their piece and we dont need to comment if we dont like what were hearing. Just let folks talk.

The audience applauded.

So finish what youre saying," Goldberg told Behar.

I forgot what it was now, the deflated host replied.

Goldberg, who lives in the Llewellyn Park section of West Orange, managed to make peace between the co-hosts even as she is recovering from serious illness, what many would consider to be the actual cause for concern. She was recently absent from The View for a month because she had sepsis as well as pneumonia in both of her lungs.

On Mondays episode, Goldberg addressed her health, saying she is much, much better," though she had a 24-hour bug that sent her back to the hospital, which made her miss Thursdays episode.

The Oscar winner is nominated for the 2018 class of the New Jersey Hall of Fame. She hosted the halls most recent induction ceremony, in May 2018.

Goldberg, who owns a company called Whoopi & Maya that manufacturers edibles and skin care made from cannabis, recently called state lawmakers in support of passing a bill that would legalize recreational marijuana.

Have a tip? Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup or on Facebook.

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A man charged with killing a friend in a dispute nearly three years ago walked out of the county courthouse a free man last week after a jury found him not guilty.

Valentino Kirkland, 44, was acquitted last week of four crimes, murder, weapons offenses and tampering with evidence, in the shooting of his friend Gary Brown on April 17, 2016.

Brown was shot on the 100 block of Warwick Street in East Orange.

Kirkland was arrested the next month and held on $1 million bail. He was in jail up until the verdict was read April 2, when Superior Court Judge Verna Leath ordered him released right there, noting there were no other warrants, fines to be paid or other charges holding him.

Kirkland, who had no prior record, couldnt make bail, even though it kept decreasing over the nearly three years, defense attorney Paul Bini said.

The case relied on circumstantial evidence trying to link Kirkland, who scouted and worked on film and TV sets in New York and New Jersey, to Browns death.

But there were no witnesses to the shooting and a weapon was not recovered from the scene. For the evidence tampering charge, prosecutors had alleged Kirkland tampered with a security system that captured the incident. Bini said no one followed up with the company to determine who would have had access.

The states main witness gave different versions of her story to an attorney who formerly represented Kirkland and to investigators, Bini added.

The jury deliberated over two days before reaching not guilty verdicts.

The Essex County Prosecutors Office declined comment on the case.

Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JBrandt_NJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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An elementary school student in Ocean County is being treated for a suspected case of the measles as the latest outbreak in New Jersey continues to widen with 13 total cases in four counties now confirmed.

The student attends Forked River Elementary School in Lacey Township, Superintendent Vanessa Clark wrote in a letter posted on the districts website Monday. The custodial staff is cleaning the school, which remains open Tuesday, to ensure that surfaces such as door handles and desk tops are disinfected. The grade level of the student was not disclosed.

Clark said that if a student is diagnosed with the highly-contagious virus, the district would be reviewing all staff and student vaccination records for the elementary school.

Keeping children in school is a priority, but measles is a serious disease, Clark wrote. An unvaccinated child who is exposed to measles will not be allowed to go to school during the time period when they could become sick, usually for 21 days after exposure. This may be extended if there are more measles cases.

The district is working with the Ocean County Department of Health, Clark said.

People can contract the disease between five and 21 days after they have been exposed to an infected person or location. Symptoms vary, but may include high fever, cough, runny nose, red, watery eyes and a rash.

As of Friday, 13 cases of the measles have been confirmed in New Jersey, with seven of those in Ocean County - the second outbreak in that county in less than six months, according to the state Department of Health.

Eleven of the cases have been directly linked to the outbreak, declared March 15, while two others are unrelated. Four other measles cases are contained to one household in Monmouth County, which has ties to the Orthodox Jewish community in Ocean County, according to the Department of Health.

Measles cases are continuing to climb around the country, with 465 cases nationwide so far this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Around 80 percent of those who have contracted the disease across the country are under the age of 19.

On Tuesday, New York City declared a public health emergency over a measles outbreak and ordered mandatory vaccinations in one neighborhood for people who may have been exposed to the virus.

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the unusual order amid what he said was a measles crisis in Brooklyns Williamsburg section, where more than 250 people, mostly members of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish religious community, have gotten measles since September.

In Ocean County, the following locations and dates have been flagged by officials for possible measles exposure:

Congregation Bais Tefilla, 33 East 8th St., Lakewood:

March 9, 2019 from 8:30 a.m. and 1:45 p.m.

March 10 from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.

March 11 from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.

March 13 from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.

March 14 from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Beth Medrash Govoha, Bais Yitzchok Hall, Lakewood:

March 10 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

March 11 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

March 13 from 12:45 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Beth Medrash Govoha, Yoshon Hall, Lakewood:

March 10 from 4 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

March 11 from 4 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

March 12 from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Beth Hamedrash Zichron Binyomin, 701 Princeton Ave., Lakewood:

March 9 from 3 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

March 10 from 9:30 p.m. to midnight (March 11)

March 11 from 9:30 p.m. to midnight (March 12)

March 13 from 10:45 p.m. to 1:15 a.m. (March 14)

Lake Terrace Hall, 1690 Oak St., Lakewood:

March 11 from 10 p.m. to 12:45 a.m. (March 12)

Kol Shimshon, 323 Squankum Road, Lakewood:

March 12 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.

March 12 from 9 p.m. to 11:15 p.m.

Bais Medrash Tiferes Pinchos, East 5th and Negba Streets, Lakewood:

March 9 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Newark Liberty International Airport, Terminal B:

March 14 from 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. (March 15)

Tottini Kidswear, 204 Clifton Ave., Lakewood:

March 10 from noon to 3:15 p.m.

Clover, 115 Clifton Ave., Lakewood:

March 10 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Kidichic, 251 2nd St., Lakewood:

March 10 from 1:45 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Monmouth Medical Center, Emergency Department, 300 2nd Ave., Long Branch:

March 13 from 7:30 p.m. to 10:15 p.m.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Amanda Hoover and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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JERSEY CITY  A city attorney told City Council members last year that there was an external investigation into a recording that was at the center of contract-steering allegations during the 2017 mayoral race, sources with knowledge of the matter told The Jersey Journal.

Council members were briefed about the investigation during a closed-door meeting in June, the sources said. The council met for the closed caucus on June 11 to discuss the citys contract with law firm Arleo & Donohue, a firm the city hired in 2014 for a Port Authority-related matter.

The sources, who asked not to be identified discussing a matter handled during an executive session of the council, said the city attorney told council members that Arleo had at least recently been handling the citys response to the investigation into the recording, which revealed that two Fulop administration officials pressured some of their colleagues to award a contract to a favored bidder in 2014.

What the council learned during that meeting is at odds with what it heard two months prior, when the citys former corporation counsel, Jeremy Farrell, insisted during a public meeting that Arleo was overseeing complicated public-records requests received by the city.

The sources said they are not sure whether the investigation the council was briefed on in June is still active.

About three months after the June meeting, Corporation Counsel Peter Baker issued a memo to city officials saying he was introducing a protocol for what they should do if they receive a document request or investigative subpoena from an outside government agency. Bakers memo says officials who receive those requests or subpoenas should immediately notify the citys law department.

City spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione said it would be inappropriate for her to comment on a discussion during a closed-door council meeting. She referred to a previous statement about the recording in which the administration clearly stated that we had previously reported the issue to the appropriate authorities, and this is consistent with that statement. The Fulop administration has previously said it alerted authorities to the recordings contents in 2014.

Asked which authorities the administration reported to, Wallace-Scalcione did not respond.

The recording was made during Mayor Steve Fulops first year in office. Two Fulop associates are heard on it discussing the citys effort to hire an energy consultant. One of them, Muhammed Akil, then Fulops chief of staff, can be heard telling the business administrator that one bidder, Good Energy, is very important to us. Another, Shawn Thomas, can be heard saying he signaled to a member of the committee reviewing the consultant bids that Good Energy was the favored bidder. At one point, Akil says, What I dont like about this, see, f***ing straight up, this is the kind of s*** where mother***ers go to jail.

The contract was never awarded and a Good Energy spokeswoman has said the company did nothing to improperly influence the bid process.

Arleos work with the city stopped last year after the council refused to reauthorize its contract, which has been a source of criticism from some of Fulops foes.

When the council in March 2018 voted against renewing the Arleo agreement, Councilman James Solomon said he suspected the firm was not doing what they say theyre doing. At a 2016 council caucus, Bill Matsikoudis, who unsuccessfully challenged Fulop in the 2017 mayors race, quizzed Farrell about whether Arleo was actually hired to handle an investigation by the FBI or the U.S. attorney.

The 13-minute recording was a voicemail intended for a city official that captured the conversation between Akil and Thomas when the phone Akil was using did not hang up entirely.

Attorneys for the city attempted to get a judge to bar release of the recording in the weeks before that years mayors race. When it leaked, Akil explained his comments by saying he believed Good Energy had the best bid.

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
The hottest real estate market in Jersey City isnt Downtown, but it is near the waterfront and it does offer great views of New York City.

A 6-acre industrial property with 135,000 square feet of warehouse space on Caven Point Avenue was sold for $16.75 million last month  two months after it was purchased for $11.5 million, property records show.

Andrew Skydell, founder of Simi Capital in partnership with Shibber Khans Criterion Group, purchased 21 Caven Point Ave. after it executed a lease for the entire property with an industrial tenant out of the New York City market, Simi Capital said in a news release.

We are delighted with the acquisition of this prime industrial property in a strategic New York/New Jersey market location," Skydell said in a statement. "The property is ideally located to serve the growing demand for last mile distribution facilities in the Northeast, and we are confident of the long term desirability for this extremely well positioned industrial space."

Jordan Metz of Bussel Real Estate, who represented the seller, the Avidan and Elberon Group, said the rise of e-commerce has created a huge demand for this type of last mile property, strategically located to get products shipped to the consumer quicker.

Metz said 21 Caven Point Ave., near Liberty State Park and Route 78, was on the market for only a couple weeks, and he isnt surprised it sold so quickly. He noted that the vacancy rate in industrial areas in Hudson, Essex and Union counties is at 1 to 1.5 percent.

Criterion Group is based in Manhattan and was founded in 2002 by Khan. Simi Capital is a Manhattan-based national real estate investment firm.
Im so happy for the Indians. New Jersey finally recognized our American Indian tribes. But getting recognition was a long fight, and Id been on the losing side right up until the day I left the Legislature.

This March, however, Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced a settlement with Ramapoughs and Powhatans, and a few months earlier hed officially recognized Lenni-Lenapes. What the Legislature refused to do over many years, he accomplished with a few meetings and signatures.

I dont recall how I met one of the chiefs, but when we got to talking he told me his mother had written a book about her experiences. He sent a copy and I was enthralled by her life story. My education hadnt included much about Indians. Maybe it was because I went to school during the John Wayne era, when Indians were always portrayed as bad guys.

By the way, they said they prefer to be called Indians, not Native Americans. So at the risk of not seeming politically correct, thats the word Im using.

I researched the awful ways our forefathers treated Indians but I know we cant change the past. However, New Jersey was still hurting Indians, and I vowed to change that. Bonnie Watson-Coleman, then an Assemblywoman now a Congresswoman, joined me in introducing legislation officially recognizing the tribes. In the 1980s the Legislature had wimped out by acknowledging the existence of tribes but stopped short of official recognition.

They couldnt get federal recognition either because of requirements they couldnt meet. But it wasnt their fault.

Federal law requires proof of direct descent with pure bloodlines. However, for decades Indian births here were recorded as colored, with no distinction made between African-Americans and Indians. So they couldnt prove direct descent.

Not being recognized as legitimate members of a tribe hurt more than their pride of heritage though. It hurt Indians economically. They were not able to sell handmade crafts as Indian-made. In fact, several were prosecuted for trying to do just that. They could not take advantage of housing, grants or scholarships exclusively for persons of Indian lineage.

Also they wanted to conduct traditional religious practices and ceremonies and have their burial sites protected and respected.

They did not want to reclaim downtowns as tribal land and they werent trying to open casinos or sell tax-free gasoline. In fact, several tribes have laws specifically forbidding any engagement in vice, and the legislation we drafted specifically said the tribes could not own or operate casinos or sell fuel on tribal land.

But legislators from Atlantic City didnt care about that. Casinos didnt like Indians elsewhere in the country, so Casino lobbyists were not going to like them in New Jersey either. Our bill passed the Assembly 51-17 in February 2011, but the late Senator Jim Whalen (D-Atlantic) would not allow his Committee to consider it. Scores of Indians, led by Chief Mark Quiet Hawk Gould, made several trips to the capitol to make impassioned pleas to legislators, but Whalen wouldnt budge.

Id gotten myself appointed to the New Jersey Commission on Indian Affairs within the Department of State. Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno didnt directly involve herself in Commission meetings, but several staff members made it plain theyd never support recognition of Indians, so no help was to be found there.

I left the Assembly in 2012 and in 2015 the Lenni-Lenapes filed suit alleging New Jerseys refusal to recognize them as a tribe caused economic damages. Settlement of that suit finally resulted in their official recognition, along with the Ramapoughs and the Powhatans.

Thanks, AG Grewal, for righting a long-term wrong.

A former assemblywoman from Jersey City, Joan Quigley is the president and CEO of North Hudson Community Action Corp.

Submit letters to the editor and guest columns at jjletters@jjournal.com
The son of a deceased homeowner discovered an 81 mm mortar round in a canister while cleaning out the basement of his fathers house in Freehold Township on Tuesday morning, authorities said.

The man, who inherited the home on Pittenger Pond Road following his fathers death in March, found the Vietnam Era device in the basement of a house at about 11:55 a.m., Freehold Township police said.

His father served in the Vietnam War, police said.

An explosives unit from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst came to the scene and took possession of the mortar round, according to police.

The State Polices bomb squad also assisted at the scene.

The house sits on a 1.15 acre property close to the Jackson border.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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In the aftermath of the GoFundMe campaign set up by a New Jersey couple for formerly homeless veteran Johnny Bobbitt, which ended up being a $400,000 scam, the companys CEO said it would not likely happen today.

NBC News reporter Stephanie Gosk asked GoFundMe CEO Rob Solomon in a report that aired Monday evening if he thought his company could catch the fraudulent campaign for Bobbitt today: Yeah, I think so," he replied.

So we wouldnt let the money leave the building until we could figure out how to get the flow of funds to the beneficiary, Solomon said.

Solomon said the companys trust and safety team which is comprised of ex-military and law enforcement officers also now aids in finding potential fraudsters.

The couple, Mark DAmico and Kate McClure, who lived in Florence at the time, crafted a story in late 2017 that McClure ran out of gas and became stranded on I-95 in Philadelphia and that Bobbitt spent his last $20 to help her fill her tank.

The couple launched a GoFundMe campaign to repay him and help get the 35-year-old former North Carolina resident back on his feet. It went viral and garnered national attention.

This past November, the Burlington County Prosecutors Office announced charges against all three, alleging they conspired together to craft the story to defraud donors. Theyre facing charges of theft by deception over $75,000 and conspiracy.

Bobbitt entered a guilty plea to a second-degree charge of conspiracy to theft by deception in exchange for a five-year special probation sentence in Burlington County Superior Court in early March.

And Bobbitt had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and McClure pleaded guilty to pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in federal court a few days earlier.

DAmico, has not been charged with any federal crimes and he and McClure also face charges of conspiracy and theft by deception in Burlington County, with the cases still pending presentation to a grand jury.

While campaigns launched like the one launched by the trio do happen, Solomon said in the report that misuse in the platform is very, very rare, and less than 1/10th of 1% result in any misuse," and that the community usually is able to flag bogus campaigns.

I think at its core essence people are good, Solomon told NBC. "Sure there are some bad apples out there, but people wanna help each other out, its biblical in nature and its innate in our souls.

GoFundMe reported last year that it had refunded more than $400,000 to the 14,000 Bobbitt campaign donors

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Federal authorities arrested 123 immigrants in the United States illegally during a month-long sweep across New Jersey that spanned 14 counties.

ICEs Enforcement and Removal Operations targeted immigrants with prior convictions or outstanding driving under the influence charges, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement said Monday in announcing the arrests. ICE officials said 90% of the people arrested either had previous convictions or had pending criminal charge.

Arrests were in the following counties: Bergen (4), Burlington (4), Camden (4), Cumberland (9), Essex (13), Hudson (8), Mercer (10), Middlesex (14), Monmouth (12), Morris (10), Ocean (3), Passaic (2), Somerset (6), and Union (23).

The people arrested range in age from 19 to 56 and are residents of the following countries: Brazil (3), Costa Rica (3), Dominican Republic (1), Ecuador (16), El Salvador (8), Guatemala (24), Honduras (14), Jamaica (1), Mexico (41), Nicaragua (1), Peru (6), Poland (2), Spain (2), and Trinidad (1).

ICE outlined a handful of the arrests:

In Red Bank, a 30-year-old Mexican national, who has convictions for DUI and endangering the welfare of a child/

In Princeton, a 38-year-old previously deported Guatemalan national, who has convictions for aggravated assault and possession of a weapon.

In Morristown, a 50-year-old Honduran national, who has convictions for DUI and burglary.

In Newark, a 41-year-old Peruvian national, who has convictions for DUI, distribution of marijuana, shoplifting, and promoting gambling.

In the Somerset section of Franklin, a 32-year-old Mexican national, who has convictions for DUI and endangering abuse/neglect of a person.

In Plainfield, a 42-year-old previously deported Ecuadorian national, who has a prior conviction for criminal sexual contact and a recent arrest for DUI.

In West New York, a 27-year-old previously deported Honduran national, who has a conviction for criminal restraint/risk serious bodily injury and active warrants for the offenses of DUI, domestic violence and disorderly conduct.

In Neptune, a 39-year-old Mexican national, who has convictions for DUI, endangering-sexual contact with a minor, unlawful taking a means of conveyance and simple assault.

In Hamilton, a 38-year-old previously deported Mexican national, who has convictions for DUI and indecent assault of a minor.

Deportation proceedings will be held before an immigration judge, except for those already under a final order of removal who will soon be deported, according to ICE.

Customs and Border Protection assisted ICEs Homeland Security Investigations team during the sweep.

New Jersey has experienced one of the nations biggest surges in arrests by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as the federal government cracked down on unauthorized immigrants during President Donald Trumps first year in office.

There were 3,189 arrests in fiscal year 2017 in ICE's Newark region, which encompasses all of New Jersey, according to data released by the agency. That is a 42 percent increase compared to the previous year.

New Jersey's increase was among the highest in the nation, according to an analysis by the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan demographic research group.

Nationwide, ICE arrests rose about 30 percent to a total of 143,470 arrests during fiscal year 2017, the report said.

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A man was found beaten to death Friday in the basement of an abandoned New Brunswick home, officials said.

Lucas Reyes-Cardona, 36, of New Brunswick was identified Monday by the Middlesex County Prosecutors Office as the man who was killed.

His body was found in the basement of the Welton Street home at about 10 a.m. Friday, according to a statement from the prosecutors office.

The Middlesex County Medical Examiners Office ruled the death a homicide and determined that it was caused by blunt force trauma to the head, officials said.

No arrests were made and no suspects were identified on Monday night as investigators continued to probe the homicide.

Anyone with information was asked to call New Brunswick Police Detective Erika DiMarcello at 732-745- 5200, or Middlesex County Prosecutors Office Detective Grace Brown at 732-745-3373.

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Seven years after New Jersey adopted a law allowing school district elections in November, voters in two municipalities are going back in time.

School board races and annual budgets will be on the ballot April 16 in Clifton and Ridgewood after local officials in both places agreed in 2018 to return the elections to the spring.

Elections will be held in 12 other districts next week, according to the New Jersey School Boards Association.

The vast majority of New Jerseys 500-plus school districts moved their elections from the third Tuesday in April, to the traditional Election Day in November, after then-Gov. Chris Christie in 2012 signed a major change in how the votes could be conducted.

The new law provided for moving the elections to November, when turnout is higher, at the behest of either the local governing body, school board or via a referendum.

Another key change: School districts moving their elections to November would no longer need voter approval for budgets staying within New Jerseys 2 percent tax levy increase cap.

Voters regaining a direct say on the budget appears to have been a factor in the reversals in Clifton and Ridgewood.

The Clifton school board, in June 2018, voted 7-1 to return the elections to November, according to The Record of Bergen County.

Board president Gary Passenti was among those voting yes.

It allows the community to get more involved and know the candidates. It also allows citizens more say on school budgets," Passenti said after the meeting, according to The Record.

The Ridgewood Council subsequently voted to move the school board election to April, over the objections of the Ridgewood school board.

Jennie Smith Wilson, president of the school board, told NJ Advance Media on Monday that efforts are underway to alert residents to the change.

We were somewhat surprised by the councils actions. Unfortunately one of the unintended consequences was the election taking place during spring break, she said.

Thirteen school districts held votes last April.

Of them, the Neptune school board later agreed to switch to November starting this year, said Frank Belluscio, deputy executive director of the New Jersey School Boards Association.

The 14 school districts holding votes next Tuesday hail from Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex and Passaic counties.

Here is the list:

Bergen County:

Cliffside Park

Fairview

Garfield

Hackensack

Oakland

Ridgewood

Essex County:

Irvington

Newark

Hudson County

North Bergen

Weehawken

Middlesex County

New Brunswick

Passaic County

Clifton

Passaic

Totowa

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New Jerseys system for tracking police force was broken. That was clear.

It was also clear that no one at the state level was going to fix it.

So what did reporters at NJ Advance Media do? They did it themselves, embarking on a 16-month investigation to create what became known as The Force Report  the most comprehensive statewide database of police use of force in the United States.

The teams dogged reporting has captured a top national honor from the Investigative Reporters and Editors, winning its annual FOI Award.

Judges of the award said they saw the interactive database built as part of this entry as the gift that keeps on giving from this newsroom to its community.

The project really furthers the cause of open government and open records and puts New Jersey in a unique position of being able to hold its police agencies truly accountable by allowing the public to better monitor abuses and police discipline, the IRE judges said.

The Force Report has also started the conversation about statewide and local change, prompting public hearings with New Jersey state lawmakers and officials. In response to the investigation, state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal conceded the entire system for tracking police use of force was broken and promised a major overhaul.

The easiest way to measure a great project is impact. With The Force Report, that impact was immediate, and its still being felt across New Jersey five months later," said Kevin Whitmer, the vice president of content for NJ Advance Media. "This is a great win for our team, being recognized among so many other great news organizations. But its also a great win for the people who truly care about transparency and a better New Jersey.

The work began in 2017, and by the end reporters would ultimately file 506 public records requests and review 72,677 use-of-force forms from 2012 through 2016 to produce the report, which covers every municipal police department in New Jersey, as well as the State Police.

While NJ Advance Media reporters had attempted to build a statewide database of police force over the past decade, they kept running into obstruction. Police departments would not release use-of-force reports, or agreed to release them but with officers' names redacted, making it impossible to identify outliers or meaningful trends.

A landmark New Jersey Supreme Court ruling in 2017 would change all that, allowing those reports to be made fully available to the public.

Throughout the investigation, reporters still had to adjust and improvise along the way. For example, reporters initially sought reports dating back 10 years, from 2007 through 2016, but were told by departments that many older forms were inaccessible in storage, had been lost or were otherwise not available. The requests were eventually narrowed to five years, from 2012 through 2016, the most recent full year available at the time.

It was clear the team would not be dissuaded.

The project required that each reporter brings his or her own expertise and shoe-leather reporting skills. In the end, it wasnt just about collecting and analyzing the data, though that would prove to be a massive undertaking. It was also about finding the best way to tell the story and make that data easy for the public to access.

People can now search to see how often their local police officers use any kind of force against someone. They can see how officers compare against other officers in their departments, as well as officers in other departments across the state.

The report found that there are some huge disparities depending on where you live.

The team:
A 24-year-old Hudson County man admitted he bribed postal workers to steal credit, debit and ATM cards, which he used to purchase clothing and high-end electronics.

Moussa Dagno, of Harrison, pleaded guilty Monday to one count each of bribery of U..S. postal workers, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, the U.S. Attorneys Office for New Jersey said in a statement.

Dango faces up to 15 years in federal prison for the bribery charges and 30 years for the bank fraud when he is sentenced July 17. The aggravated identity theft charge carries a two-year sentence.

Dango paid four postal carriers $100 for each card they stole. He then activated them by posing as the cardholder between about June 2017 and February 2018. When authorities searched Dangos home, they found six Mac Book Pro computers, an iPhone and other items worth an estimated at $84,573.40, according to court papers.

Zenobia Gilmer, Ayesha Trotz and Kyanne Costley, who had postal routes in Mount Arlington, East Orange and Elizabeth, respectively, have all admitted stealing cards from the mail. Jennel Williams, a former clerk and the U.S. Postal Service main office in Newark also admitted her role in the scheme.

Costley also had routes in Roselle Park, Roselle and Hillside, according to court papers.

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Federal agents on Tuesday broke up a billion dollar Medicare scam that peddled unneeded orthopedic braces to hundreds of thousands of seniors. Two dozen people - including several in New Jersey - were charged.

The Justice Department said the scheme relied on overseas call centers to pry Medicare numbers from beneficiaries. Authorities also announced charges against owners of call centers, telemedicine firms and medical equipment companies that shipped unneeded back, shoulder, wrist and knee braces.

Profits from the scheme were laundered through offshore shell companies and then used to buy high-end cars, yachts and luxury homes here and abroad, officials said.

Medicare's anti-fraud unit said it's taking action against 130 medical equipment companies implicated. The companies billed the program a total of $1.7 billion, but not all of it was paid out.

The loss to Medicare was estimated at more than $1.2 billion.

The Health and Human Services inspector general's office said the fast-moving scam was fueled by kickbacks among the parties involved. The FBI, the IRS, and 17 U.S. attorney's offices took part in the crackdown.

"The telemedicine we are talking about is basically a tele-scam," said Gary Cantrell, who oversees fraud investigations for the HHS inspector general's office. "We are not talking about the use of advanced technology to provide better access to care."

Officials said the scam was detected last summer as complaints from beneficiaries poured in to the Medicare fraud hotline.

They said telemarketers would reach out to seniors offering "free" orthopedic braces, also touted through television and radio ads. Interested beneficiaries would be patched through to call centers, part of what officials described as an "international telemarketing network" with operations in the Philippines and throughout Latin America.

After verifying Medicare coverage, the seniors would be transferred to telemedicine companies for consultations with doctors, who wrote prescriptions for orthopedic braces, regardless of whether the patients needed them or not. Sometimes the same patient would get several braces.

The call centers would collect prescriptions and sell them to medical equipment companies, which would ship the braces to beneficiaries and bill Medicare. Medical equipment companies would get $500 to $900 per brace from Medicare and would pay kickbacks of nearly $300 per brace.

Officials said it's one of the biggest frauds the inspector general's office has seen. Charges were being brought against defendants in California, Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas. Cantrell said federal agents had gained cooperation from people familiar with the various schemes.

The U.S. Attorneys Office in New Jersey said seven defendants were charged by federal prosecutors in the state.

The indictments we are unsealing today charge the defendants with running a complex, multilayered scheme to defraud our Medicare system and avoid detection by government regulators, said New Jersey U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito. The defendants took advantage of unwitting patients who were simply trying to get relief from their health concerns. Instead, the defendants preyed upon their weakened state and pushed millions of dollars worth of unnecessary medical devices, which Medicare paid for, and then set up an elaborate system for laundering their ill-gotten proceeds. We are proud to join our law enforcement partners in New Jersey and around the country to put a stop to this unscrupulous criminal activity.

Those charged in New Jerseys federal judicial district include Creaghan Harry, 51, of Highland Beach, Florida, Lester Stockett, 51, of Deefield Beach, Florida and Elliot Loewenstern, 56, of Boca Raton, Florida, identified by authorities as the the owner, chief executive officer and vice president of marketing, respectively, of purported call centers and telemedicine companies.

The charges stem from their alleged participation in a $454 million illegal health care kickback and international money laundering scheme related to the solicitation of illegal kickbacks and bribes in exchange for the referral of durable medical equipment (DME) companies orders to DME providers.

In a statement, the U.S. Attorneys Office said Dr. Joseph DeCoroso, 62, of Toms River, was also charged in an alleged $13 million conspiracy to commit health care fraud and separate charges of health care fraud for writing medically unnecessary orders for DME, in many instances without ever speaking to the patients, while working for two telemedicine companies."

Federal charges were also filed in New Jersey against Neal Williamsky 59, of Marlboro, and Nadia Levit, 39, of Englishtown, owners of approximately 25 DME companies for their alleged roles in a $150 million scheme linked to the payment of kickbacks and bribes in exchange for medically unnecessary DME orders, according to federal authorities.

The breadth of this nationwide conspiracy should be frightening to all who rely on some form of health care, IRS criminal investigations chief Don Fort said in a statement. The conspiracy ... details broad corruption, massive amounts of greed and systemic flaws in our health care system that were exploited by the defendants.

Attempts to reach defendants named by the Justice Department were unsuccessful. In several cases telephone numbers associated with the individuals were disconnected. Others did not respond to messages.

The investigation is continuing. Authorities asked doctors who have been involved with telemedicine and medical equipment fraud to voluntarily come forward.

Health care fraud is a pervasive problem that costs taxpayers tens of billions of dollars a year. The true extent of it is unknown, and some cases involve gray areas of complex payment policies.

Experts say part of the problem is that Medicare is required to pay medical bills promptly, which means money often goes out before potential frauds get flagged. Investigators call that "pay and chase."

In recent years, Medicare has tried to adapt techniques used by credit card companies to head off fraud. Law enforcement coordination has grown, with strike forces of federal prosecutors and agents, along with state counterparts, specializing in health care investigations.

Officials said the government has options to recoup at least some of the money lost to Medicare, including seizing fraudsters' assets and accounts, as well as property purchased with the proceeds of the scam.

The Medicare beneficiaries drawn into the orthopedic braces scam didn't have to pay anything up front, but Cantrell said they have been harmed as well: A beneficiary's private information, once in the hands of fraudsters, can be resold for many illegal purposes.

Additionally, if a beneficiary whose information was misused ever does need an orthopedic brace, he or she may encounter waiting periods from Medicare. The program limits how often it pays for certain supplies and equipment.

It can be very attractive to receive equipment, Cantrell said. But after giving out your identifying information, it could be compromised to perpetuate additional fraud. There is no fraud without the ID number of a Medicare beneficiary.

NJ Advance Media contributed to this report
Rutgers Universitys faculty union on Tuesday issued a final warning that it could go on strike at any time, but President Robert Barchi doesnt think it will come to that, he said.

In his first public comments on the threatened strike, Barchi told NJ Advance Media the university is working as hard as it can to resolve its contract talks with the union.

I am fully confident that we will be able to resolve these things and to arrive at a contract and we will not have a work stoppage, Barchi said.

University officials are meeting with union negotiators multiple times a week, Barchi said.

Rutgers professors have been threatening to strike for months, saying the university has slow-walked new contract talks since their deal expired at the end of last school year. They want equal pay for women, a commitment to a more diverse faculty, more full-time professors and higher wages for graduate student workers.

Frustrated by the lack of a new contract, the union authorized its leadership to call for a strike by an 88 percent majority last month, union leaders said.

The union protested at Tuesdays Board of Governors meeting on the Newark campus, and union vice president David Hughes told the board to consider it a final warning before a potential strike, which would shut down classes taught by full-time professors or graduate workers. Adjunct professors are not part of the contract.

However, Hughes stressed that a deal is possible if the university is willing to work with the union on its requests.

I think this can be stopped actually, Hughes said. I think we can end up with a contract that makes everybody happy and everybody in the state of New Jersey proud.

Authorizing a strike is a common negotiating tactic and doesnt always result in work stoppage. But Rutgers faculty have characterized this round of negotiating as unusually unproductive and accused the university of dragging its feet to reach a new deal.

Rutgers contracts with 24 labor unions, including the professors union, expired at the end of last year. The university has struck new deals with just five groups so far, typically including 3% raises in each of the next three years.

The faculty union represents 4,800 full-time professors and graduate workers.

Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @realAdamClark. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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A woman in Jersey City was raped and strangled and dumped in a lake, allegedly by a twice-deported Honduran who is in this country illegally.

Now, instead of revealing how Jorge Alberto Rios-Doblado got back across the border  twice  the feds are using this to baselessly bash New Jersey, even though they cant point to one thing our state did wrong on this case.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has refused to respond to any of our questions. It never once claimed that Rios-Doblado was arrested by New Jersey cops and released before this murder. All we know is that he had no criminal record, according to local authorities. So why is this the fault of New Jersey?

Were not the ones who repeatedly failed to apprehend him at the border. Presumably, this was U.S. Customs and Border Protection. How, then, is that limited cooperation in the state, as ICE said in a terse statement right after this murder?

Again, ICE refuses to answer. Thats curious.

By way of background, a regular point of contention  which appears totally unrelated to this case  is our Attorney Generals new Immigrant Trust directive, meant to ensure that people are willing to report crimes, appear in court or serve as witnesses even if theyre here illegally.

It says that local cops should not be asking people about their legal status. This is the job of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Otherwise, a woman may refuse to report her domestic abuser, or an MS-13 killing she witnessed, for fear the cops will turn her over to ICE. That makes it much harder to solve crimes, urban police chiefs say. Immigrants dont even want to report fire code violations.

But anyone who breaks the law in New Jersey will still be arrested, regardless of their immigration status. And our Attorney General, Gurbir Grewal, explicitly said that New Jersey is on board with helping ICE nab prisoners for deportation, once the feds do their job and get a court order.

Courts have repeatedly ruled it unconstitutional to hold a prisoner beyond his final date of release, so this order is necessary to authorize the added time in detention, if the feds cant immediately pick someone up. Its unfair for counties to assume all the legal risk, putting us on the hook for hefty penalties paid for by our property taxes.

Instead, ICE should just do its job. Yet even when its agents have many weeks notice that a dangerous offender sits behind bars, they fail to get a court order and take him into custody. Then they rant about local jails. Please.

ICE had 51 days to pick up Luis Perez, for example, after being notified by Middlesex County Jail that the Mexican national was being held on domestic violence charges  but never did. Then he got out and killed three people. How is this the fault of the jail?

Now, the Rios-Doblado case is an even more nonsensical example of the feds attacking New Jerseys sensible policies to distract from their own screw-ups.

This is an agency that should be professional, not political. Yet under the Trump administration, it has adopted his trademark, fact-free bluster while in many cases, failing to do the actual work to make our country more secure.

A young woman was raped and murdered, and ICE sees it as an opportunity to slander New Jersey. If the feds have any real evidence on their side, do tell. But dont lob this kind of reckless bomb without backing it up.

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By Stephen R. Shalom

Anti-Semitism is a vile ideology with a long, ugly history. But theres also a history of using the charge of anti-Semitism as a way to deflect criticism from Israel. In a recent interview with The Star-Ledger, Rep. Josh Gottheimer explained why he thinks comments by Rep. Ilhan Omar are anti-Semitic. Gottheimers logic and evidence, however, are unpersuasive.

According to Gottheimer, one example of Omar's anti-Semitism was her 2012 tweet, during a brutal Israeli attack on Gaza, that Israel had "hypnotized" the world not to see its evil ways. But criticizing the propaganda efforts of any state, including Israel, is not anti-Semitic. When her allies pointed out that the trope of Jewish manipulation has been a common feature of anti-Semitic discourse, Omar apologized for any unintended offense. Her comment arguably understates the degree to which Washington's support of Israel is due not to deception, but to Israel's role in furthering U.S. imperial interests in the Middle East. But this imprecision doesn't make Omars comment anti-Semitic.

Gottheimer also condemned as anti-Semitic Omars tweet that Israels support in the U.S. Congress was all about the Benjamins. But Omar never mentioned Jews. She referred to AIPAC, the leading organization of the Israel Lobby, universally acknowledged as one of the countrys most powerful pressure groups. The pro-Israel Lobby is not synonymous with the Jews. Christian evangelists are today a major component of the Israel lobby and the lobby has the allegiance of a diminishing number of Jews. For example, while the lobby (and Gottheimer) strongly favored Trumps moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, a majority of American Jews opposed it.

Now, of course, it would be wrong to conclude that Israel lobby campaign contributions led Gottheimer and others to hold the pro-Israel views they do. But thats not the only way that money influences politics. Politicians who sincerely hold views favorable to those with money tend to get more of it than those with contrary views, and that allows them to win elections, leading to disproportionate representation for those whose positions align with powerful lobbies. Thus, even though a majority of Democrats support economic sanctions or even stronger measures against Israel if it continues building illegal settlements in the Palestinian occupied territories, most elected Democratic Party officials are opposed.

When asked why it was O.K. for Omar to criticize the NRA, but not AIPAC, Gottheimer objected to the comparison, which was intended, he said, to drag down AIPAC in the eyes of Democrats. Would she say that about a group that advocates for other issues, like children with orphan diseases? Really? AIPAC, with its unrelenting defense of the Israeli governments often outrageous behavior, is like advocates for sick children? Have advocates for sick children been condemned by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch for committing war crimes?

Gottheimer is right that the charge of dual loyalty has been a frequent anti-Semitic trope. But those who care about social justice object to my country, right or wrong whether the country is the United States or Israel. When Israel, with U.S. weapons, follows a policy of live fire at unarmed protesters who pose no danger to anyone (quoting the Israeli human rights organization BTselem), social justice demands that both the U.S. and Israel be condemned, not supported as Gottheimer did in a bill he co-sponsored.

Gottheimer says that boycotts are fine, but the BDS Movement is inherently anti-Semitic because it rejects Israels right to exist. But on the website of the BDS movement one finds nothing to support his claim. The movement takes no position on one-state versus two states, and even a one-state with binational structures is entirely compatible with national self-determination.

It is true that many BDS supporters are opposed to a Jewish state, but this no more suggests anti-Semitism than opposition to making the United States a "Christian" nation shows anti-Christian sentiments.

In any event, Gottheimer's claim that he supports the right to boycott is belied by the fact that he has co-sponsored bills that penalize those who in any way boycott Israel, whether connected to the "BDS movement" or not.

So by all means let us firmly condemn anti-Semitism, but let us not confuse it with criticism of Israel.

Stephen R. Shalom teaches political science at William Paterson University and is a member of Jewish Voice for Peace of Northern NJ. The views expressed are his own.

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By Jim Benton

Governor Murphy recently presented a $38.6 billion budget to a joint session of the New Jersey Legislature. He called for a fairer, stronger valuation of New Jerseys fiscal needs and spending that begins with the needs of the middle class of New Jersey.

He said it was a budget designed to avoid excessive tax increases during this election year, and his message well received by most legislators as they began the critical budget review and plan for New Jerseys future.

Central to the future of our state is consideration of our energy future. Every New Jersey ratepayer -- seniors, homeowners, businesses and manufacturers -- has contributed to our energy security as a state and has a stake in our future on this key issue.

In this tightly drawn budget, New Jersey is further being asked to subsidize three nuclear facilities. Except it turns out that statements painting the plants as struggling are overblown.

Presently, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) is considering a request that would establish a $1.2 billion subsidy for the owners of New Jerseys nuclear facilities, PSEG and EXELON, with $300 million payments made annually. By any measurement, this is a most significant request -- one that falls on all consumers of electricity -- seniors, urban populations, and businesses.

If the companies fail to receive every dollar of that subsidy, PSEG has threatened to shut down plants. Ralph Izzo, CEO of PSEG, has repeatedly warned hell shut down the utilitys three New Jersey nuclear power plants at Salem and Hope Creek unless PSEG gets millions in ratepayer subsidies because, Izzo estimates, the plants will no longer be profitable.

Yet, recent evidence submitted by the New Jersey Ratepayer Advocate and the regional PJM Independent Market Monitor (IMM) have shown beyond a reasonable doubt that these three nuclear facilities are profitable.

The New Jersey Rate Counsel Stefanie Brand has submitted in a statement to the BPU that, When their assumptions are examined closely, their claims of financial hardship fall away. BPU commissioners, Brand said, should raise serious questions on the application for a subsidy.

IMM had similar conclusions in their report: "...the Hope Creek 1, Salem 1 and Salem 2 units are expected to more than cover their avoidable costs over the next three years. As a result, none of the units meets the standard for a subsidy under the ZECs program. The nuclear power plants are expected to fully cover their costs and risks.

Also of note is the current cost of electricity in New Jersey. The United States Energy Information Administration (EIA), which keeps data on electrical costs in the PJM regional grid that stretches for Illinois to Tennessee to New Jersey, currently indicates New Jersey has the highest electric rates in the that grid.

Clearly, expectations of a vast majority of New Jerseyans are that the nuclear facilities would continue to operate through their useful life as electric generation demand continues to grow, as most forecasts indicate.

We need clean domestic energy generation to meet Governor Murphys fairer and stronger test. We encourage a careful review of the nuclear operators request to make certain that a just and reasonable rate allows the regulators to place New Jersey ratepayers, and a competitive economy, ahead of utility operators.

The state, led by our governor, should confirm what New Jersey voters know that competitive markets, not government-mandated bailouts are the best way to ensure affordable, reliable power.

Jim Benton is the director of the New Jersey Petroleum Council in Trenton. He has served in this capacity for over 35 years.

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By Harris Pastides

"What's my name?"

These three words have the power to save lives and must become as automatic to every college student getting into a ride-hailing vehicle as putting on a seatbelt. The policy would probably be worthwhile for anyone who uses ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft, but I have a particular, and urgent, reason to try to persuade college students to make "What's my name?" a habit.

Samantha Josephson, a student at the University of South Carolina, where I am president, was buried last week, the victim of a senseless crime that tears at the heart of every parent and has shaken me and our university family. The death of any student is hard to comprehend, but that is especially true of Samantha, a 21-year-old senior who was majoring in political science, eager to commit herself to helping change the world.

According to police here in Columbia, South Carolina, Samantha ordered an Uber to pick her up at 2 a.m. on March 29 in the Five Points district, a nightlife area near campus, and mistakenly got into a black Chevrolet Impala, thinking it was her ride. A heartbreaking surveillance video released by law enforcement officials shows the vehicle pulling up beside her as people walk past; Samantha opens the door, slips into the back seat and closes the door. The same scene, of trusting young people getting into ride-hailing vehicles, no doubt played out countless times near college campuses early that Friday morning all over America.

Later that day, hunters found Samanthas body, about 70 miles away in rural South Carolina. Police said she had been stabbed to death. They soon made an arrest, charging the suspect with murder and kidnapping.

What happened to Samantha was not the first time that someone has mistaken a vehicle for a ride-hailing pickup and then been attacked by a driver who seemed to be prowling for victims. The New York Times on April 4 reported on a rash of kidnappings, sexual assaults and robberies carried out largely against young women by assailants posing as ride-share drivers. Publicly reported cases indicate that there have been at least two dozen such attacks in the past few years, the paper said.

In South Carolina, lawmakers have introduced the Samantha Josephson Ridesharing Safety Act, which would require ride-hailing drivers to display illuminated signs when their vehicles are in service, and to turn off the sign when off-duty. Any steps to improve safety are welcome, but illuminated signs for ride-hailing companies can be easily purchased online.

In recent days, Ive heard from many students, public-safety officials and parents, including Samanthas own family, about the importance of ride-hailing safety. We have discussed many ways to improve the transportation options for students, including traveling in groups on nights out.

For ride-hailing safety, students should first ensure that the license plate, make, model and color of the vehicle match the details provided by the app used to hail the ride. But I think one of the best safety measures of all would be for customers, every time they use a ride-hailing service, to stop before entering the vehicle and ask the driver plainly: What's my name? A legitimate driver will have that information; someone with criminal intent will not.

As a college president for more than a decade, I recognize that the exuberant and trusting nature of our students - characteristics that make them such wonderful people - also make them vulnerable targets for those who seek to do harm. On campuses across the country, administrators have put great effort into safety programs, including education about drugs and alcohol. Ride-hailing safety information is a new frontier, but I urge my fellow administrators to devise a program and put it into practice as soon as possible.

The country has witnessed the power and effectiveness of other public-health and safety campaigns, such as those regarding smoking and the use of seat belts. The campaigns work and have saved countless lives. A new safety campaign - and not just for college students - is needed as ride-hailing gains in popularity. We owe it to Samantha Josephson.

Harris Pastides is president of the University of South Carolina.

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U.S. Sen. Cory Booker is New Jerseys most popular politician, according to a new poll released Tuesday. But thats not saying much.

Theres not a single Garden State politician whom a majority of people in the state view favorably, according to the joint Rutgers Universitys Eagleton Institute of Politics and Fairleigh Dickinson University poll released Tuesday.

Booker, a Democratic presidential hopeful, is viewed favorably by 46 percent of people compared to 32 percent who have an unfavorable opinion of him, according to the poll. Twenty percent of residents have no opinion.

Gov. Phil Murphy, a fellow Democrat, closely trails Booker with 43 percent having a favorable opinion compared to 37 percent unfavorable. Seventeen percent dont have an opinion of him.

Things then go downhill for the states other top elected Democrats, starting with New Jerseys other U.S. senator, Robert Menendez.

Menendez, who fought off an 11-week federal corruption trial in 2017 that ended in a mistrial on the heels of being re-elected to another term, garners only a 21 percent favorable view compared to 47 percent who are unfavorable, according to the poll. Twenty-nine percent have no opinion.

And in the New Jersey Statehouse, nearly half of the states residents  46 percent  have no opinion of State Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, the top lawmaker in Trenton. And 19 percent dont even know who Sweeney is, according to the poll. Among the people who know him and have an opinion, 12 percent view him favorably compared to 21 percent dont.

These are solidly Democratic politicians who represent a solidly Democratic state. And yet, none of them appear to be wowing the crowds, Krista Jenkins, professor of government and director of the FDU poll, said. But theyre doing far better than two marquee Republicans.

The state is still sour on President Donald Trump and former Gov. Chris Christie, with a majority of people holding unfavorable opinions of both Republicans.

Only 30 percent of New Jerseyans have a favorable opinion of Trump compared to 59 percent unfavorable. Christie, meanwhile, is viewed favorable by only 21 percent compared to a solid majority  63 percent  who hold an unfavorable view of him.

Chris Christies recent book tour has done little to help him with New Jerseyans, who still have a bitter taste in in their mouths from Christies last years as governor, Ashley Koning, assistant research professor and director of Eagleton polling, said.

Even President Trump fares better than Christie does in his home state, both overall and among the party base  despite playing a notable part in the Republican governors unpopularity.

The joint poll surveyed 1,203 people March 7-22, with 621 contacted by live callers on both landlines and cell phones and 582 through an online probability-based panel. It has a combined margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook.

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WASHINGTON  A resolution introduced Tuesday by New Jersey Rep. Tom Malinowski rejects the hateful propaganda of white supremacist terrorists and condemns political leaders who legitimize white supremacist ideology."

That includes President Donald Trump, said the first-year Democrat and former assistant U.S. secretary of state.

Weve always had Nazis. We always will, Malinowski, D-7th Dist., said at a Capitol Hill press conference. Weve never had to question whether the president of the United States stands on their way of thinking. Weve never had these people echoing the words of the president of the United States before.

Malinowski noted that the murderers of 11 Jews at a Pittsburgh synagogue and 50 Muslims at a New Zealand mosque both railed against immigrant invaders.

And thats the language Trump used about immigrants right after the New Zealand massacre.

People hate the word invasion, but thats what it is, Trump said. Its an invasion of drugs and criminals and people.

Malinowskis resolution, introduced with more than 80 co-sponsors, came as Trump ratcheted up his rhetoric against immigrants.

These are people coming into our country with criminal records, he said Tuesday at the White House. We have murderers coming in. We have drug lords coming in. We have gangs coming in.

Malinowski has taken exception to Trumps language.

The use of the language of invasion, words that cast immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers as invaders, killers, animals, is not just factually wrong, its not just morally wrong, it is inciting violence in our country, Malinowski said.

It is amplifying and legitimizing the rhetoric and ideology of the people who are responsible for the vast majority of terrorist attacks inside the United States.

No House Republican has yet to sign onto the resolution condemning white supremacism.

Of the 427 people killed by domestic extremists from 2009 to 2018, 73 percent came at the hands of right-wing extremists, including white supremacists, according to the Anti-Defamation League. Islamic extremists were responsible for 23 percent.

Malinowski said he also would urge Congress to spend more money combatting violence by white supremacists.

No one has a greater responsibility to keep us safe than the president by his actions and by his words, Malinowski said. Certainly, I would contend that he is failing in that responsibility.

The resolution quotes from President Ronald Reagan and delivers an ode to Americas history of welcoming immigrants. It expresses a sense of Congress that immigration makes the United States stronger and the country remains open to those lawfully seeking refuge and asylum, while also calling for secure borders.

If there had been an ISIS attack on a place of worship in the United States when President Obama was in office and within hours of that attack, President Obama went out before the press and echoed language from the terrorists manifesto, there would be an outcry in this place such as we have never heard, Malinowski said.

When its coming from the highest office in the land and the shooters are citing it and the president is then echoing it, thats a problem that has to be dealt with if we want to stay safe, Malinowski said.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

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Opening statements in the murder trial of viral sensation Caleb McGillivary, better known as Kai the hatchet-wielding hitchhiker," in the death of a Clark man nearly six years ago will begin Tuesday morning.

Just a few months after becoming an internet celebrity for his claims he used a hatchet to save two people being attacked, McGillivary was accused of killing Joseph Galfy, a 73-year-old land use lawyer, in his Clark home in May 2013, about 24 hours after the two met in Times Square, officials said. He was arrested days later in Philadelphia at a Greyhound bus terminal and was extradited to New Jersey.

The 29-year-old pleaded not guilty and has been in jail since his arrest. He is expected to appear in front of state Superior Court Judge Robert Kirsch in Union County.

A hitchhiker from Canada, McGillivary became an internet celebrity in February 2013 when he gave a local TV station an off-kilter interview about saving two people while hitchhiking in Fresno, California. In the now-viral interview, an animated Kai explained how he smashed the attacker in the back of the head with a hatchet.

The interview was uploaded to YouTube and has been viewed more than 7 million times since 2013. He was hailed as a hero on late night TV, but it would only be a few months before he was in the news as the suspect in a murder.

Authorities allege McGillivary met Glafy by chance in Manhattan on May 11 and went back to the lawyers home in Clark. A sexual encounter turned violent, and on May 13, police found Galfy laying in his bed, beaten to death dressed only in his underwear and socks, officials said.

In a Facebook post that week, McGillivary indicated he was drugged and raped, but didnt reveal anything else about the incident.

What would you do if you woke up with a groggy head, metallic taste in your mouth, in a strangers house ... and started wretching, realizing that someone had drugged (and) raped ... you? what would you do? it reads.

In a recording obtained by NJ Advance Media in 2016, McGillivary claimed he was drugged at Galfys home and passed out, only to wake up with Galfy on top of him and pulling down his pants. He said he hit the lawyer and ran away.

He was on the run for several days, cut his long hair and fled to Philadelphia, prosecutors said at the time. He was apprehended at a bus station by police on May 16, extradited and has been awaiting trial in Union County jail ever since.

In the six years since he was arrested, McGillivary attempted to kill himself, wrote a letter to then-Gov. Chris Christie pleading to be released, claimed authorities destroyed evidence and failed to collect evidence that would prove his case, and recorded songs during phone calls in jail. He also had a large following on social media supporting him, but many of those followers have since vanished.

 Only 3 days left until trial! The judge has banned cameras from the courtroom but... Kai has a very important message for you: Posted by Kai the Hitchhiker Legal Support Page on Saturday, March 30, 2019

In a 2013 interview with the Star-Ledger, his parents said he had long struggled with behavioral problems and spent years in hospitals and treatment homes.

John Cito will be representing McGillivary in court, and Union County Assistant Prosecutors Scott Peterson and Jillian Reyes will argue for the state.

Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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HOUSTON  Yankees manager Aaron Boone provided updates on several injured players before a 4-3 loss to the Astros at Minute Maid Park on Monday.

Buy Yankees tickets: StubHub, SeatGeek, PrimeSport, Ticketmaster

CC Sabathia, LHP

Why hes on the injured list: Recovery from cardiac surgery

When will he be back? This weekend.

Update: Boone said Sabathia threw 62 pitches over 4 1/3 innings for High-A Tampa on Sunday. Boone said it went well. He is now likely to join us, figure out some point this weekend (how to) get him in the rotation to slot in there, Boone said. So, well kind of work through that the next couple of days, but well plan on him making his next start with us.

Troy Tulowitzki, SS

Why hes on the injured list: Left calf strain

When will he be back? Unclear

Update: Tulowitzki walked on a treadmill Monday, Boone said. It can be a little bit of a tricky one, Boone said of the calf injury. Ive gone through it as a player. I went through it late in my career where I thought I was going to be a go and then two weeks later I did a little bit of running and had a setback. Obviously, well be smart about it, conservative about it, make sure he passes all the protocols as they continue to ramp him up.

Dellin Betances, RHP

Why hes on the injured list: Right shoulder impingement

When will he be back: Possibly soon?

Update: Betances might throw in a simulated game Thursday, Boone said. If that goes well, Betances could get into a minor-league game next, which could mean his next move would be back in the majors. Feel like hes making progress, Boone said.

Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.
HOUSTON  Sitting atop the visitors dugout bench at Minute Maid Park, Yankees manager Aaron Boone held up his right arm and made a throwing motion, twisting his face in discomfort afterward.

Its not quite where it needs to be, Boone said before the Yankees were scheduled to face the Astros on Monday.

Boone was referring to the setback he had just revealed his ace, Luis Severino, had earlier that morning.

Severino, nursing right rotator cuff soreness, felt discomfort in his shoulder while playing catch at the teams player development complex in Tampa, Fla.

So, Boone said, Severino was slated to fly to New York City late Monday night and to see team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad for more tests, including an MRI.

As Ive been saying with you guys the last few days and a couple of days ago when he got out to 130 feet, probably the best day hes had, Boone said. (Monday), not as great. We just want to make sure we feel really good about it, he feels really good about it. So were going to get him up to New York and were going to get some answers.

The injury has been stopping Severino from throwing off a mound  a big step in his recovery. Hes only thrown on flat ground.

The Yankees gave Severino a four-year, $40-million contract extension in February.

He didnt pitch a game in spring training, feeling pain in the shoulder while warming up March 5. He was immediately disallowed to throw for two weeks.

Severino had seemingly been progressing until he stalled out at long toss.

Its unclear if Severino has done more damage to his shoulder.

The original testing we did with him lent us to be pretty confident, Boone said. But weve got to make sure hes right. The fact he hasnt been able to graduate from flat-ground throwing yet to the mound, weve got to answer those questions the best we can. Cross every T, dot every I, make sure were getting all the answers.

Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.
Z Gallerie is closing its store at Lakeside Shopping Center in Metairie barely a year after opening. Its final day will be April 20.

The Lakeside store is one of 17 underperforming stores expected to close after Z Gallerie filed for bankruptcy protection in early March, according to a statement on its website. The Los Angeles-based retailer has not provided a full list of closures nationwide.

In its statement, Z Gallerie said the restructuring is necessary to strengthen our balance sheet and enhance our financial flexibility.

Z Gallerie is NOT going out of business, the statement reads.

Z Gallerie opened at Lakeside last June, marking the brands first store in the New Orleans area and its second in Louisiana. The retailer, which sells furniture, art and decorative accessories, also has a store in Perkins Rowe in Baton Rouge.

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All items at the Lakeside location are currently on clearance. The sale will last until April 20, the stores final day. The company will continue to honor gift cards at their full value, according to the statement.

Z Gallerie has 76 stores nationwide.

These major U.S. retailers are the latest to announce dozens of store closures

Jennifer Larino covers residential real estate, retail, tourism and other consumer and business news for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Reach her at jlarino@nola.com or 504-239-1424. Follow her on Twitter @jenlarino.
The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit against the city of New Orleans on behalf of an environmental activist who was arrested during last years French Quarter Fest, court records say.

Luke Fontana, the 78-year-old president of Save Our Wetlands Inc., said he was handcuffed and hauled away by officers in April 2018 for soliciting new Save Our Wetlands members without the proper permit or business license. The lawsuit claims that the arrest was unlawful and officers mistreated Fontana, who was recovering from hernia surgery and had a dislocated shoulder.

The federal lawsuit, filed Monday (April 8), said officers told Fontana to pack up his information booth outside Jax Brewery on the first day of last years festival. According to its website, Fontanas organization seeks to make big oil answer for their destruction of the wetlands, educate the public about wetland importance and form a community of like-minded people in order to make the world a better place for generations to come.

Environmental activist arrested during French Quarter Fest

When Fontana produced court documents asserting his rights from a previous police dispute, officers declined to recognize their validity, the lawsuit said. They then, according to the suit, unlawfully arrested Fontana and placed him in handcuffs in a manner that caused him terrible pain" despite Fontanas moans for help.

The charges against Fontana were ultimately dropped, but the lawsuit claims that he is afraid he will be harassed and arrested if he attempts to exercise his First Amendment rights in one of the citys clean zones in the future. Such zones are enacted by the city during festivals in the French Quarter and temporarily void certain permits and transactions within a specified area.

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Luke Fontanas arrest is a textbook example of why the citys so-called clean zones have become more like speech suppression zones for many members of the public, said Katie Schwartzmann, ACLU of Louisiana legal director.

The citys poorly defined ordinance, combined with NOPDs heavy-handed and arbitrary enforcement, have had a chilling effect on citizens constitutionally-protected right to free speech. Expressing an opinion about a political cause in a public space should never, under any circumstances, land someone in jail. Were suing to restore justice and defend the First Amendment rights of every New Orleanian.

Beyond attacking the citys clean zones, the lawsuit also calls for training for police officers on the First Amendment, as well as compensatory damages for Fontanas arrest, seizure, detention and medical bills.

The city declined to comment on the lawsuit since it is ongoing.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

Update: This story was updated Tuesday morning to reflect a response from Beau Tidwell, a spokesperson for the city.
The U.S. Marshals Service has recaptured an inmate who escaped from a state work release program, leading to the delay of a Marrero murder trial in which hes the key witness.

Jefferson jail guard opened several cells to let inmates fight: JPSO

Xevion Davis, 20, was arrested about 5 a.m. Tuesday (April 9) at a home in Harvey after authorities received Crimestoppers tip and performed some great detective work, said Deputy Marshal Walter Martin, supervisor of the U.S. Marshals Service Task Force New Orleans.

Authorities had been searching for Davis since March 4, when he walked off from transitional work program in Monroe that was contracted to house him as he served a three-year sentence for drug convictions, according to the Louisiana Department of Corrections.

Davis disappearance also postponed the April 2 trial date for Jonathan Manuel, the man accused of gunning down Davis 10-month-old son, XyAhir Nemo Davis, in a 2016 shooting.

Xevion Davis is the primary witness in the case against Manuel, who is charged with second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder and two counts of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

XyAhir was with Davis inside a home in the 2100 block of Caddy Drive in Marrero when a gunman opened fire from the doorway on the afternoon of Dec. 3, 2016. XyAhir died after he was shot multiple times. A 16-year-old boy also was also wounded, but survived.

In February 2017, Jefferson Parish authorities obtained a grand jury material witness warrant to arrest Davis, a reluctant witness in the case against his sons accused killer

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After Manuels indictment, Davis was sentenced to three years in prison in December on various unrelated charges, including drug possession.

Davis qualified to be housed outside of a traditional prison under the state Department of Corrections work release program, which is available to certain inmates with less than four years to serve on their sentences, Spokesman Ken Pastorick has said.

But Davis spent just under six weeks at his assigned facility, City of Faith, in Monroe, before he and fellow inmate, Toby Jackson, 20, fled the facility, authorities said. No word was available Tuesday on whether Jackson also had been recaptured.

Davis faces a simple escape charge in Monroe, according to Detective Reggie Brown, spokesman for the Monroe Police Department.

But hell likely remain in custody in Jefferson Parish for the time being.

The Jefferson Parish district attorneys office also filed a motion Tuesday seeking another material witness warrant for Davis to secure his testimony at Manuels trial, now scheduled for July 22, according to court records.

Davis was being held without bond at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna.
A man was shot dead at a Gainesville, Florida, Waffle House early Sunday (April 7) after paying for other customers meals, The Gainesville Sun reports. According to the newspaper, the gunfire followed an argument with another customer because a woman who the customer was with was angry the mans generous turn in paying for others meals didnt include hers.

The argument led to a physical fight, then the fatal shooting.

The paper identified the victim as 41-year-old Craig Brewer, who some reports are calling a good Samaritan. He also handed out $20 bills to people and took care of some customers checks.

The alleged gunman, Ezekiel Hicks, 25, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.

According to The Sun, the woman Hicks was with initially argued with Brewer, and Hicks joined in, at one point leaving the restaurant to retrieve his gun. Deputies said when Hicks returned he physically fought with Brewer before shooting him more than once, including in the head.

Alachua County Sheriffs Office told The Sun they were working to find out the relationship between Hicks and Brewer, but that deputies have video of the shooting and the evidence appears fairly straightforward.

What were trying to find out in the days ahead is if this was truly a verbal argument that turned into a murder case or if there is something missing there, Lt. Brett Rhodenizer, from the sheriffs office, told the outlet.

Read the Gainesville Suns full story here.
The Louisiana rapper, Boosie Badazz, was arrested on drug and weapon charges in Georgia, according to a report from WVUE FOX 8.

Boosie Badazz, whose real name is Torrence Hatch Jr., was charged with possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, possession of schedule one narcotics, failure to maintain lane and possession of marijuana, Fox 8 reported.

A sheriffs office deputy noticed a white Dodge Charger swerving in and out of its lane, nearly sideswiping another vehicle. When he pulled the car over, a strong smell of marijuana wafted from inside, according to The Newnan Times-Herald.

The 36-year-old Baton Rouge-born rapper, who was previously known as Lil Boosie, first entered the prison system in 2009 when he pleaded guilty to a third-offense marijuana possession charge, earning him a total of four years when the judge determined he had also violated probation.

In 2011, he pleaded guilty to attempting to smuggle drugs into prison, which added eight years to his sentence. In May 2012, he avoided more time when a jury acquitted him in the 2009 murder of Terry Boyd. Michael Marlo Mike Louding was sentenced to life without parole July 9 for the Boyd slaying.

Read the full report from FOX 8.
A man accused of robbing a string of West Bank stores pleaded guilty Tuesday (April 9) in federal court, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office in New Orleans.

Darryl Henry, 27, was arrested Aug. 31, a week after authorities say he stole about $7,000 from a Walmart in Harvey and also tried to rob a Walmart and a Winn-Dixie in Algiers. Now that he has entered a guilty plea, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years for the three robberies and minimum of seven years in prison for brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

Henry first tried to rob a Walmart Supercenter in Algiers Aug. 24 by passing a demand note to and flashing a gun at a teller. The teller was unable to open the safe so Henry left the business empty-handed.

He then attempted to rob a Winn-Dixie in Algiers, but struck out again. He drove next to a Walmart Neighborhood Market in the 3200 block of Manhattan Boulevard in Harvey and successfully fled the store with $6,992, court records show.

Suspect in West Bank store robberies faces federal charges

Within a week, investigators linked Henry to the crimes through fingerprints lifted from the scenes and a gray Nissan minivan with a missing bumper, seen in surveillance footage from the targeted stores, according to court records.

Henrys half-brother, Terry Madison III, is suspected in similar store robberies in southern Louisiana and Mississippi. Madison has been charged in an April robbery at a Walmart in Hammond and is suspected in other Walmart robberies in the Mississippi cities of Waveland and Picayune, records show. The two half-brothers have been arrested together in the past, according to arrest documents for Henry.

Reporter Laura McKnight contributed to this report.
NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson on Monday (April 8) touted a series of arrests in which teens have been booked on charges ranging from auto burglary to attempted murder.

We want to reassure our community that we are vigilant, we are aware and we are staying the course, Ferguson said.

So far this year, overall rates for homicides and armed robberies are down in comparison to the same timeframe in 2018but Ferguson said the city has seen an increase in juvenile crime during at least the past two weeks.

Of particular concern: the crimes involving juveniles have escalated from auto burglaries to auto thefts to now, perhaps, armed robberies, Ferguson said.

In answer to a reporters question, the superintendent said investigators believe the two gunmen who carjacked a city councilwomans father at gunpoint Sunday are both juveniles, adding that its especially concerning that both were armed.

I think juveniles are bold and brazen this day, Ferguson said. Thats why we have to be bold in our actions to let them know this will not be tolerated, this will not be accepted.

The NOPD did not have numbers readily available to compare juvenile crime or juvenile arrests during the first few months of this year versus this time last year.

Ferguson said the department has arrested nearly 240 juveniles thus far in 2019 and cited a slew of recent arrests:

 Two juveniles and an 18-year-old were arrested Friday after NOPD officers in the St. Roch area chased a vehicle reported stolen in an armed carjacking.

 Officers working in the Audubon area Wednesday night captured four juveniles and an adult accused in a string of auto burglariesand an auto theft in which a 13-year-old boy was driving a stolen vehicle.

 Police in New Orleans East in recent weeks have booked two juveniles with attempted murder and others with armed robbery, Ferguson said during a news conference at NOPD headquarters.

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In recent weeks, the NOPD also tried to pull over a stolen car occupied by two underage teens. The driver refused to stop and ultimately crashed into a Broadmoor area salon and beauty supply store. The two teens and a salon customer were killed, and the business was destroyed in the crash and ensuing three-alarm fire, which may have involved a possible violation of NOPD chase policy.

The NOPD on Monday said that over the weekend two boys, ages 14 and 15, were booked with illegal possession of stolen things after police found them with a stolen pickup in New Orleans East.

Ferguson stressed repeatedly that the NOPD is working with other city departments and local agencies to offer alternatives to jail and prison.

What can we do better? he said NOPD leaders are asking. Because we know incarceration is not the answer to everything.

Officers are also talking with the parents of some juvenile offenders, offering access to youth services and other opportunities for self-improvement.

Some juveniles have opted to try such services because they want to go the right direction, Ferguson said.

There are some individuals that should be incarcerated, he said. But then there are those who should not. There are some kids that are actually looking for some sort of opportunity. It is our duty, our job to identify these individuals and get them the help that is needed.

The superintendent also urged parents to keep closer tabs on their children, making sure theyre where theyre supposed to be, making sure theyre accountable for their actions, he said.

In answer to a reporters question, the superintendent also said he does not think there are any specific crews or groups of juveniles organizing to commit crimes. Ferguson said social media, smart devices and things of that nature could be a factor, but he acknowledged that the department is not sure.

(There) could be a number of answers to that question, we really do not know, he said. But it is our duty and our job to identify any of those responsible for committing these crimes.

Laura McKnight covers crime and breaking news for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune.
A recently released Louisiana Tumor Registry report found results are mixed on the rate of cancer in communities in the area dubbed Cancer Alley by some environmentalists and residents for their proximity to chemical plants running along the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge past New Orleans

The new report, published last Monday (April 1), shows combined cancer statistics from 2005 to 2015. Previously, the agency was prohibited by law from releasing cancer data beyond the parish level. But legislation passed in 2017 expanded that to the census tract level and mandated an annual report. Environmentalists pushed for the law to get a more accurate picture of cancer clusters in the state.

In 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency published its fifth National Air Toxics Assessment, which found that the five census tracts with the highest estimated cancer risk nationally were in Louisiana in the area surrounding Denka Performance Elastomer, a neoprene manufacturing facility in St. John the Baptist Parish. Residents in the this area face an elevated risk of cancer because of the plants chloroprene emissions, according to the federal agency. The federal study looked at air emissions in the area and their potential to cause cancer, rather than reports of actual cancer cases.

Environmental group seeks to intervene in lawsuit over Taylor Energy spill

More than 3,500 people have filed suit against Denka in an effort to decrease the plants chloroprene emissions and for compensation for health problems they say are a result of emissions. Those who live in the area can see the elevated rate of cancer for themselves, said Robert Taylor, the founder of Concerned Citizens of St. John and a plaintiff in one of the 10 lawsuits against Denka.

We can see. The people who are in the community, we can see, he said. We know our neighborhood and we know the closer you are to that plant the higher your chances of getting cancer are.

Cornerstone sues Jefferson Parish after its cyanide plant permit is pulled

But the Louisiana Tumor Registry found that the census tract where Denka is located did not have a significantly higher rate of cancer than the state overall for all cancers combined from 2005 to 2015, according to a news release about the new report. A spokesman for Denka Performance Elastomer said that this is not the first report to show that there is no evidence of elevated risk of cancer in the area around the plant.

The Louisiana Tumor Registrys March 2019 report on cancer incidence by census tract confirms what has been reported in historical data," Jim Harris, a spokesman for Denka Performance Elastomer, wrote in an email. There is no widespread increase in cancer in St. John the Baptist Parish, near the Denka Performance Elastomer Neoprene facility or otherwise.

The Denka Performance Elastomer has installed over $35 million worth of equipment designed to reduce its emissions in 2016 and 2017. Since then, the company has seen dramatic reductions in both its emissions and ambient air concentrations of chemicals measured at sites near the facility," Harris wrote.

Environmental news in your inbox Stay up-to-date on the latest on Louisiana's coast and the environment. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Yet, Louisiana Tumor Registrys report published last year found that the census tract where Denka is located did have a significantly higher rate of all cancers combined. Last years report used cancer incidence data from a two-year shorter period, from 2006 to 2014.

LSU Health Sciences Center spokeswoman Leslie Capo said that both reports are accurate. But with two additional diagnosis years, the new report yields a larger amount of data, which increases statistical power.

Scientists release video of deep-sea bugs gorging on gator

An expert who was not involved with the report said the researchers were thorough in their efforts to ensure a complete case population, geocode the residences and calculate cancer incidence rates in small geographic areas. Jaymie Meliker, PhD, has expertise in exposure science, environmental epidemiology and health geography. He is a professor with the Program in Public Health Department of Family, Population and Preventive Medicine at Stony Brook University.

Meliker reviewed the Louisiana Tumor Registry report for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune and said the reason for the different results is that there was a lower average cancer rate in the census tract where Denka is located in 2005 and 2015, the two years added to the new report. At the same time, the overall rate of cancer in the state slightly increased.

The goal of this work is to find strong signals of areas that consistently have elevated rates which are statistically significant, to merit focused scrutiny at uncovering potential causes of the elevated rates, Meliker wrote in an email. Despite a priori focus on the specific census tract of interest in St John the Baptist, rates were only slightly elevated in this census tract, and the elevated rates were actually not as elevated as in many other census tracts in Louisiana.

How a Facebook group stopped a cyanide plant

Still, Meliker pointed out there is potential for errors in the data because the incidents are tracked by where they lived at the time when they were diagnosed. Many types of cancer have long latency, he said. Therefore, it would be better to track locations many years prior to diagnosis. If past residences were taken into consideration then perhaps the patterns they identify could be markedly different. he wrote in an email. But of course those data are difficult to come by."

There are also areas without chemical plants or refineries that have a statistically higher cancer incidence rate, like the Central Business District in New Orleans. The CBD is the census tract with the highest cancer rate in the state, according to the most recent report. From 2005 to 2015, the cancer rate there was 782 per 100,000 residents. Thats compared to the state average of 489.1 cases per 100,000 residents.
Anyone hoping to better understand the ideological differences between Louisianas Democratic administration and its Republican-controlled Legislature didnt have to wait long into Gov. John Bel Edwards address to lawmakers Monday (April 8).

It came in the opening paragraph of the governors official State of the State remarks to open the 2019 regular session.

"This is going to be a very different speech than you are used to me delivering the opening day of session," Edwards said, "because the budget crisis that for years held Louisiana hostage is over. What was once a $2 billion budget deficit is now a surplus that will lay a foundation for us to continue to move the state forward."

It was supposed to be a declaration of great success, the gubernatorial equivalent of the presidents traditional the state of our union is strong, which traditionally prompts members of both parties to stand, clap enthusiastically and even cheer.

Louisiana abortion debate could change in a heartbeat

Edwards proclamation drew only a smattering of applause and with noticeable energy only from Democrats.

The governor returned to the theme a few minutes later.

"Now, I know were not used to hearing the word 'surplus' around here very often, but I have checked with economists and it turns out surpluses are actually better than deficits," Edwards said.

"Unlike in the past, today we have the opportunity to put our names on a budget we can all be proud of. All we have to do is recognize the revenue right in front of us. And then we can get to work on making real progress for our state."

It was another intended applause line that fell into a chilly void within the Republican caucus.

Some want to ascribe the response to petulant partisanship, and there may have been some, but it actually reveals the legitimate differences between Edwards and the GOP and why they will never be getting together for a chorus of Kumbaya.

While some economists might judge that "surpluses are actually better than deficits," conservative thinkers would be skeptical of surpluses built up through the government's power of taxation. The ideal would be that the government takes no more than it needs to operate as authorized by the people and their representatives.

That view also would call the first default position to be that any surpluses be returned to the people rather than to be used to expand or create programs that will become a perpetual part of the budget.

Surpluses certainly make it easier for political leaders to keep their constituents happy, but they are not something to be unequivocally celebrated.

Edwards anecdotal economists made for a good punch line but not necessarily cause to cheer by Republicans and Democrats who are concerned with being responsible and accountable with the peoples money. Was he really expecting a favorable response or just playing to the cameras?

This is not about being knee-jerk anti-tax or partisan, its about governing by foundational principles. Thats a message that often gets overshadowed by claims of partisanship.

For various reasons  some self-inflicted  the GOP often loses the public relations battle in its interactions with the governor, who clearly is skilled in playing political hardball when it suits his purposes.

That came to the fore Monday when the Republican House speaker apparently invited U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham, one of two announced GOP challengers to the governors re-election bid this year, to sit on the dais with statewide elected officials behind Edwards as he delivered his address.

So, even as the governor was urging lawmakers to address issues through partnership rather than partisanship, his campaign was issuing a scathing attack on Abrahams appearance in the House chambers.

"This is a desperate, pathetic stunt from a failing campaign," said Eric Holl, spokesman for John Bel for Louisiana. "Abraham has been unable to get the financial or political support he needs to run a legitimate campaign for Governor ... As a result, he's been forced to pull this awkward, embarrassing stunt to try to get a shred of attention he doesn't deserve."

Politics, of course, isnt beanbag, and the governors campaign has every right to aggressively prosecute its case. But a lot of reasonable people would see the level of vitriol as a notch too high for this perceived offense.

LGBTQ issues challenge church teachings, traditions

Some Republican lawmakers would say that this is the governor they see more often than the peacemaking politician calling for partnership at the lectern.

Tim Morris is a columnist on the Latitude team at NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Latitude is a place to share opinions about the challenges facing Louisiana. Follow @LatitudeNOLA on Facebook and Twitter. Write to Tim at tmorris@nola.com.
After getting dropped by its first consultant, the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board has settled on someone new to redraw the boundaries of its election districts  but not before a rancorous vote and mudslinging by the two consultants still in
John Fitzgerald Kennedy NHS News Release

April 5, 2019

Jim Roberts, 617-566-7937 xt 10

Brookline, Mass.  John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site (NHS) opens for the summer season on Saturday, May 18, 2019. At 2:00 p.m. on Opening Day, award-winning author and Rice University professor of history Dr. Douglas Brinkley will discuss his new book, American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race. Admission is free.

No reservations are needed, but seating is limited.

On May 29, the 102nd birthday of President Kennedy, the site commemorates the 50th Anniversary of its official opening with a special ceremony, featuring the 35th Annual Coolidge Corner School program What JFK Means to Me. The ceremony takes place from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in front of the JFK birthplace at 83 Beals Street, Brookline, MA. Event includes presidential biographers Fredrik Logevall, David Nasaw, and Barbara Perry. The authors will also participate in a panel discussion on JFKs Legacy at 2:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Reservations are not needed, but seating is limited.

For more information please call (617) 566-7937, or visit www.nps.gov/jofi.

Visitor hours in 2019 are from 9:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. Guided tours of JFKs birthplace will be available on the hour and the half-hour from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with the final, ranger-led tour beginning at 3:30 p.m. From 12:00-1:00 p.m. and 4:00 to 5:00 p.m., self-guided options are available. Visitors are welcome to follow Mrs. Kennedy's self-guided tour through the first and second floors of the house. Hand-held audio-players are available so that visitors may follow the tour in English, French, German, Spanish, and Japanese. A ranger-guided virtual tour is also available. Admission is free.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy NHS preserves the birthplace and early boyhood home of the

35th President of the United States. The modest house was the first home shared by the presidents parents, Joseph P. and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. John F. Kennedy, the second

of nine children, spent his formative years in Brookline as his family began its rise to national prominence. The presidents mother Mrs. Rose Kennedy returned to 83 Beals Street in 1967 to commemorate her sons life, recreating his birthplace to her recollection of its 1917 appearance.

Today, National Park Rangers provide tours of the nine-room house where Kennedy family furnishings, photographs, and mementos personally collected and arranged by Mrs. Kennedy are on exhibit. In addition to ranger-guided tours, John Fitzgerald Kennedy NHS invites visitors to step back in time and share Mrs. Kennedys memories of her familys early home via cell phone; normal usage rates apply. One can also take a virtual ranger-led tour of the site and another of the North Brookline neighborhood. To access these tours, dial 617-992-9172. The tours can also be accessed via the web at https://jofi.oncell.com.

During the May to October visitor season, park rangers offer guided tours of the house and JFKs boyhood neighborhood. Children ages 5  12 can participate in the sites Junior Ranger program. Printed materials, including brochures and tour books, are available in Chinese, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Russian, Hungarian, Spanish and Vietnamese.
The two parliamentary leaders expressed their delight at meeting each other again on the sidelines of the 140th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-140) after the Micronesian Speaker paid an official visit to Vietnam in June 2018.

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan addresses a general debate of the 140th IPU Assembly in Doha, Qatar (Photo: VNA)

Simina said his country always wishes to enhance cooperation with Vietnam, adding that it recently adopted a resolution supporting Vietnams candidacy for a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council for 2020-2021.

The two sides noted with satisfaction that the two parliaments have established and developed bilateral relations with good outcomes while promoting exchanges and coordination at multilateral forums like the IPU and the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF).

They affirmed the willingness to strengthen cooperation between the two legislative bodies.

Since the bilateral diplomatic relationship was set up in 1995, Vietnam and Micronesia have enjoyed strides in their ties. The two countries have carried out cooperation activities in multiple spheres, especially maritime environment, climate change, agriculture, seafood farming, and tourism.

During the Micronesian Speakers visit to Vietnam in June 2018, he and Chairwoman Ngan discussed many concrete measures to tap into bilateral cooperation potential, including increasing delegation exchanges at all levels, boosting people-to-people exchange, setting up cooperation and negotiation mechanisms, and foster the trade of agriculture products, consumer goods and agricultural machinery. These measures are being actively implemented by both parliaments./.
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Three teenagers were charged this week in connection with a January fire that destroyed the Shakespeare Theater in Stratford, Conn., a 1,500-seat venue that once featured performances by Oscar-winning actors.

The theater, which opened in 1955 and closed about three decades later, was modeled after the Globe Theater in England, which burned down in the 17th century. The Connecticut theater once featured performances by Katharine Hepburn, Helen Hayes and Christopher Walken.

On Jan. 13 at about 1 a.m., a fire was reported at the Shakespeare Theater, and the building was ultimately reduced to a smoldering mound of mangled steel.

Frank J. Riccio II, the lawyer for one of the teenagers, said in a phone interview on Monday that his 18-year-old client was charged with arson, burglary, reckless endangerment and criminal trespass in connection with the theater fire. Mr. Riccio would not identify his client, who was 17 at the time of the fire.
The exodus appeared to be part of an effort by President Trump to clear out the department and steer it in a tougher direction.

Many immigration policy changes require congressional approval, however.

Visas: The federal government wants to issue more visas for foreign workers to take temporary jobs in housekeeping, landscaping and other fields, even as Mr. Trump threatens to seal the border with Mexico, where most of those workers come from.

In court: A California judge on Monday blocked the presidents efforts to force asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases are adjudicated by the immigration courts.
The C.D.C. declined to comment, but in the past officials have said their approach to confidentiality is necessary to encourage the cooperation of hospitals and nursing homes, which might otherwise seek to conceal infectious outbreaks.

Those pushing for increased transparency say they are up against powerful medical institutions eager to protect their reputations, as well as state health officials who also shield hospitals from public scrutiny.

In California, State Senator Jerry Hill, a Democrat and longtime advocate for tougher restrictions on antibiotic use, found himself stymied in his effort to improve the industrys reporting on drug-resistant infections. A bill he introduced in the State Legislature would have required hospitals to regularly disclose resistant infections and deaths. In 2017 the Senate passed the bill, 40 to 0, but it had powerful opponents, including the California Hospital Association, the Infectious Disease Association of California and the states Department of Health. The bill then moved to the Assembly, where last year it stalled for lack of support.

Federal legislation that seeks to combat antibiotic resistance through stronger surveillance and better data collection has also stalled. The bill, introduced by Senator Sherrod Brown, Democrat of Ohio, has yet to emerge from a Senate health committee. Weve ignored this looming crisis by doing nothing, Senator Brown said.

Hospital administrators and public health officials say the emphasis on greater transparency is misguided. Dr. Tina Tan, the top epidemiologist at the New Jersey Department of Health, said that alerting the public about hospitals where cases of Candida auris have been reported would not be useful because most people were at low risk for exposure and public disclosure could scare people away from seeking medical care.

That could pose greater health risks than that of the organism itself, she said.
[What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.]

The cry for help came from seven stories high. Passers-by could only watch, frozen and powerless, their Monday suddenly fraught with worry.

Im going to fall! a man repeatedly said in Spanish as he clung to the scaffolding that dangled against a building on East 50th Street in Manhattan.

The man had been struck in the head and bloodied by a heavy piece of molding while repairing the buildings masonry. Although authorities rescued him from the scaffold, he would die later at a hospital at 51 years old.

Amid New Yorks towering buildings, where scaffolding is so common it seemingly blends into the design, the mans death offered a reminder of the risks faced by workers in a city under constant construction.
[What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.]

For more than two years, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has railed against President Trump, attacking his policies on everything from immigration and reproductive rights to his handling of the disaster response in Puerto Rico.

Now, Mr. Cuomo, a third-term Democrat, has said he would throw his weight behind an attempt to obtain what may be some of the presidents most sensitive secrets: those that could be buried in Mr. Trumps state tax returns.

Mr. Cuomos office said late Monday that it would back a new bill that would permit the New York Department of Taxation and Finance to release any state tax return  including the presidents  if it were requested by leaders of three congressional committees for any specified and legitimate legislative purpose.

The office had originally suggested on Monday that the intensifying legislative efforts to obtain those documents could politicize the process, even allowing that transparency and disclosure is vital. But hours later, it clarified Mr. Cuomos position.
Should this happen, Congress and some judges will try to intervene. But Trump is growing ever more lawless and autocratic. There is a near-systematic purge happening at the nations second-largest national security agency, a senior administration official told CNN on Monday, speaking of D.H.S. The president is filling positions with acting officials, circumventing Senate confirmation. Some senior members of the administration, like Wilbur Ross, the commerce secretary, are flatly refusing to cooperate with congressional oversight. CNN reported that Trump told border agents to ignore judges when taking steps to keep migrants out. We should not assume that government institutions will restrain the president before he visits anguish and terror on thousands more of the worlds most vulnerable children.

What happens to Nielsen now can serve as an example to other people in the administration as they decide whether to just follow orders. By this, I dont mean that people should scream at Nielsen in restaurants. Rather, those horrified by family separation should do whatever they can to deny Nielsen the sort of cushy corporate landing or prestigious academic appointment once customary for ex-administration officials. The fact that she evidently didnt go as far as an erratic and out-of-control Trump wanted is immaterial; she should be a pariah for going as far as she did.

Coincidentally, the day before Nielsen resigned, a coalition of progressive groups signed on to a petition asking corporate America to blacklist senior people in the Trump administration, including Nielsen, who took part in crafting, enacting or defending family separation. Allowing her to seek refuge in a corporate corner office or a boardroom, university, speaking agency or elsewhere poses a significant reputational risk for those involved, said Karl Frisch, a spokesman for Restore Public Trust, the group organizing the campaign.

How much of a risk will depend on decent Trump-hating Americans. The Resistance has been flagging recently, even if abhorrence of Trumps degenerate administration has not. Many people, having worked frantically to deliver the House to Democrats in the midterms, are exhausted. The crackup of the Womens March, and the resulting tensions between some black and Jewish activists, has been deeply dispiriting. The beginning of the Democratic presidential primary has reanimated old intra-left animosities. And relentless outrage is hard to sustain, no matter how justified.

But with the possible return of family separation, the Resistance needs to regroup, and demanding a boycott of Trump officials tainted by baby-snatching is a good place to begin. Such a boycott would take advantage of one of the central asymmetries in American life. Rural voters, who tend to be conservative, have disproportionate political power; its why Trump, who lost the popular vote, is president in the first place. But cosmopolitan progressives have disproportionate economic and cultural power, which is why we have the faintly absurd phenomenon of woke capitalism. That power should be deployed to force the sort of accountability Nielsen reportedly fears, and to serve as a warning to others that the Trump stink never washes off.
FRONT PAGE

Because of a production error, a map of the United States with an article on Saturday about white extremist attacks showed the incorrect locations of attacks. A map with the correct locations appears online at nytimes.com.



An article on Saturday about the implementation of mindfulness in militaries across the world referred incorrectly to the All Blacks. The phrase describes a prominent rugby team in New Zealand, not the national air force.

INTERNATIONAL

A picture caption with an article on Monday about opposition to gay rights in Polands Law and Justice party misspelled the surname of the mayor of Gdansk, who was stabbed and killed this year. He was Pawel Adamowicz, not Adamkiewicz.

NEW YORK

An article on Monday about an attempt by Democratic lawmakers in Albany to obtain Trumps tax returns referred incorrectly to the committees allowed to seek tax returns under a proposed bill from the New York Legislature. They are the House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee and the Joint Committee on Taxation.
[Whats new onstage and off: Sign up for our Theater Update newsletter]

Wayne (Michael Dalto) works in tool and die. Gloria (Stephanie Wright Thompson) is a single mother who apparently cannot afford the limited edition Mrs. Murray merchandise that June (Carmen M. Herlihy) buys for her son. Ernest (Phillip James Brannon) and Cici (January LaVoy) appreciate the presence of nonwhite characters on the show; they are black. And Roger (Joe Curnutte) becomes strangely defensive when the others agree that Candace, his daughters favorite, is whiny.

How such minutiae mount into a crisis is a mystery built into the companys method. Some of it has to do with the subtle, super-sharp direction by Mad Ones member Lila Neugebauer. After the handsy Roger touches Cici and calls her honey, you notice how Dale, sensing her discomfort, steps silently between them. And as the choice between Candaces Cabinet and Teddys Treehouse accelerates into a referendum on privilege and diversity  Candace being white and Teddy being black  you notice how the comedy has become a lot more cutting.

I say you notice because nothing is handed to you or signposted. The process of exposition is rigorous and ingenious, forcing you to become an active agent in the discovery of the plays themes. Its not even clear that the characters are aware of those themes, any more than people can make out the contours of the history they are part of.

And yet the whole project depends on an understanding of how people expose  cannot help exposing  their truest selves in every gesture and utterance they make. Based on that, the Mad Ones contend that even a focus group about fictional characters can tell us a great deal about real ones, about us.

This puts unusual pressure on the actors, who must be convincing as subjects in a verbatim faux-documentary while also suggesting a bigger picture to which they are mostly blind. First among equals at this are Ms. LaVoy and Mr. Brannon, who seem to carry the incipient knowledge of social change in their exquisitely modulated parries and retreats. And also Mr. Curnutte as a man whose hereditary presumptions of power are being undermined by puppets.

Supporting them beautifully in this Ars Nova production are those time-capsule costumes (by Asta Bennie Hostetter) and the grungy, youve-been-there community room set (by You-Shin Chen and Laura Jellinek). Even the theme songs for the two spinoffs (music by Justin Ellington, words by Mr. Dalto) are perfect; they sound just like real nostalgia.

Thats quite a trick, but pulling it off is central to the Mad Ones aesthetic. Plays like Mrs. Murrays Menagerie dramatize the idea that history isnt just what gets recorded in books. Its whats happening every moment, perhaps especially the trivial ones.
Two people were arrested Monday on charges that they vandalized a memorial dedicated to slaves and African-American workers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the university police said.

The suspects, Nancy Rushton McCorkle, 50, and Ryan Francis Barnett, 31, face misdemeanor charges of vandalism and ethnic intimidation. Mr. Barnett also faces a misdemeanor charge of public urination.

Efforts on Monday evening to reach Ms. McCorkle and Mr. Barnett by phone and through email were unsuccessful. The university police said they identified the suspects through video surveillance footage.

The Unsung Founders Memorial was defaced with racial slurs and urine on March 31, and at least one of the vandals had ties to a group called Heirs to the Confederacy, the university said.
That has given law enforcement officials just over two months to start carrying out a complicated piece of legislation, a senior Justice Department official said in defending their pace.

The legislation swept in the most substantial changes in a generation to sentencing laws that expanded the federal inmate population and created a criminal justice system that many conservatives and liberals viewed as both costly and unfair. The law expands job training and other efforts aimed at reducing recidivism rates, expands early-release programs and modifies sentencing laws.

Understandably, there have been some gray areas that have needed to be interpreted, but over all, the implementation has been slow, said Brett Tolman, a former United States attorney in Utah and an advocate for criminal justice reform. Its surprising because when the law was passed, it was very clear that the proponents of the legislation did not intend it to be delayed.

The criminal justice overhaul was also passed during intense tumult at the top of the Justice Department, which oversees the Bureau of Prisons and would be responsible for carrying out much of the new legislation. In the weeks before the bill was passed, Mr. Trump forced Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign and replaced him on an interim basis with Matthew G. Whitaker, Mr. Sessionss chief of staff.

Democrats criticized the appointment, pointing to Mr. Whitakers lack of experience and questions about possible conflicts of interest, as well as whether Mr. Trump was installing a loyalist to oversee the end of the Russia investigation. By the time Mr. Trump signed the criminal justice legislation in late December, Mr. Trump had nominated Mr. Barr, leaving Mr. Whitaker with little influence to spearhead a new initiative.
Mr. Kelly later suffered his own ignoble end. After he and Mr. Trump ironed out a departure plan at the end of last year, Mr. Kelly planned to make his own announcement at a senior staff dinner at the White House. But the president chose to break the news first, telling reporters that Mr. Kelly would be departing at the end of December.

Although all involved tried to put the best face on the Sunday meeting between Mr. Trump and Ms. Nielsen  someone familiar with it said the president had even asked her if she would want to return in another position  the two competed afterward for how to spin its contents.

Within minutes of the meetings end, Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter that Ms. Nielsen was leaving her position, making it sound as if she was the latest cabinet secretary he had ousted online. Ms. Nielsen then posted her resignation letter on Twitter, notably leaving out any mention or praise for Mr. Trump.

Mr. Trump has yet to criticize her publicly since. But Ms. Nielsen has already absorbed more than her share of criticism for her role in implementing the presidents policies.

Immigration and civil rights groups have been pressuring Fortune 500 companies to blacklist former Trump officials like Ms. Nielsen, who have promoted his immigration policies, writing that they should not be allowed to seek refuge in your boardrooms or corner offices. Many other former administration officials have not experienced the post-White House career bump that has become part of the payoff for putting in grueling hours on government salaries.

With a few exceptions, like the smooth send-off for Nikki R. Haley, the former ambassador to the United Nations, and a glowing farewell to Linda McMahon, the former administrator of the Small Business Administration, Mr. Trumps top aides often find themselves damaged by their former boss in real time, or on delay.
There were 15 of them. Most arrived in the dead of night, laid their trap and waited for the target to arrive. That target was Jamal Khashoggi, a prominent Saudi critic of his countrys government and its young crown prince. Since his killing in Istanbul, Turkish media has released a steady drip feed of evidence implicating Saudi officials. Weeks of investigation by The Times builds on that evidence and reconstructs what unfolded, hour-by-hour. Our timeline shows the ruthless efficiency of a hit team of experts that seemed specially chosen from Saudi government ministries. Some had links to the crown prince himself. After a series of shifting explanations, Saudi Arabia now denies that this brazen hit job was premeditated. But this reconstruction of the killing, and the botched cover-up, calls their story into serious question. Its Friday morning, Sept. 28. Khashoggi and his fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, are at the local marriage office in Istanbul. In order to marry, hes told that he needs Saudi paperwork and goes straight to the consulate to arrange it. They tell him to return in a week. It all seems routine, but its not. Inside theres a Saudi spy, Ahmed al-Muzaini, whos working under diplomatic cover. That very day, he flies off to Riyadh and helps concoct a plan to intercept Khashoggi when he returns to the consulate. Fast-forward to Monday night into Tuesday morning. Saudi agents converge in Istanbul aboard separate flights. Muzaini, the spy, flies back from Riyadh. A commercial flight carries a three-man team that we believe flew from Cairo. Two of the men are security officers and theyve previously traveled with the crown prince. A private jet flying from Riyadh lands around 3:30 a.m. That plane is often used by the Saudi government, and its carrying nine Saudi officials, some who played key roles in Khashoggis death. Well get to Team 3 later on, and for now focus on these men from Team 2. This is Salah al-Tubaigy, a high-ranking forensics and autopsy expert in the Saudi interior ministry. Turkish officials will later say his role was to dismember Khashoggis body. Another is Mustafa al-Madani, a 57-year-old engineer. As well see, its no accident that he looks like Khashoggi. And this is Maher Mutreb, the leader of the operation. Our investigation into his past reveals a direct link between Mutreb and the Saudi crown prince. When bin Salman toured a Houston neighborhood earlier this year, we discovered that Mutreb was with him, a glowering figure in the background. We found him again in Boston, at a U.N. meeting in New York, in Madrid and Paris, too. This global tour was all part of a charm offensive by the prince to paint himself as a moderate reformer. Back then, Mutreb was in the royal guard. Now, he would orchestrate Khashoggis killing. And his close ties to the crown prince beg the question, just how high up the Saudi chain of command did the plot to kill go? Early Tuesday morning, Khashoggi flies back from a weekend trip to London. He and the Saudis nearly cross paths at the airport. The Saudi teams check into two hotels, which give quick access to the consulate. Khashoggi heads home with his fiancee. Hed just bought an apartment for their new life together. By mid-morning, the Saudis are on the move. Mutreb leaves his hotel three hours before Khashoggi is due at the consulate. The rest of the team isnt far behind. The building is only a few minutes away on foot, and soon, theyre spotted at this entrance. Mutreb arrives first. Next, we see al-Tubaigy, the autopsy expert. And now al-Madani, the lookalike. The stage is almost set. A diplomatic car pulls out of the consulate driveway and switches places with a van, which backs in. Turkish officials say this van would eventually carry away Khashoggis remains. From above, we can see the driveway is covered, hiding any activity around the van from public view. Meanwhile, Khashoggi and his fiancee set out for the consulate, walking hand-in-hand. In their final hour together, they chat about dinner plans and new furniture for their home. At 1:13 p.m., they arrive at the consulate. Khashoggi gives her his cellphones before he enters. He walks into the consulate. Its the last time we see him. Inside, Khashoggi is brought to the consul generals office on the second floor. The hit team is waiting in a nearby room. Sources briefed on the evidence, told us Khashoggi quickly comes under attack. Hes dragged to another room and is killed within minutes. Then al-Tubaigy, the autopsy expert, dismembers his body while listening to music. Maher Mutreb makes a phone call to a superior. He says, Tell your boss, and The deed was done. Outside, the van reportedly carrying Khashoggis body pulls out of the side entrance and drives away. At the same time, the Saudis begin trying to cover their tracks. While Khashoggis fiancee waits here where she left him, two figures leave from the opposite side. One of them is wearing his clothes. Later, the Saudis would claim that this was Khashoggi. But its al-Madani, the engineer, now a body double pretending that the missing journalist left the consulate alive. Yet theres one glaring flaw: The clothes are the same, but hes wearing his own sneakers, the ones he walked in with. Meanwhile, the van thats allegedly carrying Khashoggis body makes the two-minute drive from the consulate to the Saudi consuls residence. Theres several minutes of deliberations but the van eventually pulls into the buildings driveway. Again, its hidden from public view. Its now three hours since Khashoggi was last seen. The body double hails this taxi and continues weaving a false trail through the city. He heads to a popular tourist area and then changes back into his own clothes. Later, we see him joking around in surveillance footage. Over at the airport, more Saudi officials arrive on another flight from Riyadh. They spend just five hours in Istanbul, but were not sure where they go. Now we pick up Maher Mutreb again, exiting from the consuls house. Its time for them to go. Mutreb and others check out of their hotel and move through airport security. Al-Muzaini, the spy, heads to the airport too. But as theyre leaving Istanbul, Khashoggis fiancee is still outside the consulate, pacing in circles. Shell soon raise the alarm that Khashoggi is missing and shell wait for him until midnight. The alarm spreads around the world. Nine days later, the Saudis send another team to Istanbul. They say its to investigate what happened. But among them are a toxicologist and a chemist, who also has ties to the hit team. He and Tubaigy attended a forensics graduation days before Khashoggi was killed. Turkish officials later say that this teams mission was not to investigate, but to cover up the killing. Now the Saudi story has changed, and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for several suspects in Khashoggis killing. But that doesnt include Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who many Western government officials are convinced authorized the killing. Khashoggis remains still havent been found.
WASHINGTON  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus vow for Israel to annex parts of the West Bank would flout four decades of American policy, under both Republican and Democratic presidents. But nothing emboldened Mr. Netanyahu to take such a risk more than the support of his ally President Trump.

From recognizing Israels sovereignty over the Golan Heights to moving the United States Embassy to Jerusalem, Mr. Trump has given Mr. Netanyahu the political cover and legal legitimacy to embrace a position that critics say would all but extinguish the dream of a viable Palestinian state.

Mr. Trumps moves are not merely temporary gestures, which a future president or Israeli leader could reverse. They are policy changes that experts say have permanently altered the contested landscape of the Middle East, making his own stated goal of a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians more unattainable than ever.

They talk about a peace plan, but we never see it, said Martin S. Indyk, a former American ambassador to Israel who tried to negotiate a deal between Israel and the Palestinians during the Obama administration. What we see are new facts on the ground that will make a two-state solution impossible.
Facebook said on Monday that it would ban several far-right groups and figures in Canada, including Faith Goldy, who ran for mayor of Toronto last year, as part of the companys widening crackdown on users who espouse white nationalism and other forms of hate.

The company, which owns Instagram, said the ban would also be applied to the Canadian Nationalist Front and its leader, Kevin Goudreau; the Aryan Strikeforce; the Wolves of Odin; and the Soldiers of Odin and one of its offshoots, the Canadian Infidels.

In a statement, Facebook said Ms. Goldy, Mr. Goudreau and the banned groups had violated its community standards, which include a prohibition on organized hate.

The individuals and organizations we have banned today violate this policy, and they will no longer be allowed a presence on our services, the companys statement said. Our work against organized hate is ongoing and we will continue to review individuals, pages, groups and content against our community standards.
Its no coincidence that David Bowie hired both of them, at different stages in his late career, to collaborate: Mr. Torn on his post-9/11 album, Heathen, among others; Mr. Monder on Blackstar, Bowies bleak final masterpiece.

Image Sun of Goldfinger, Mr. Torns latest album, with the alto saxophonist Tim Berne and the drummer Ches Smith.

Young guitarists seeking fresh approaches and a new hybridity between their instruments and gear are increasingly treating jazz, metal and electronic music as interrelated systems. Mr. Monders and Mr. Torns separate careers over the past three decades have set the table for Rafiq Bhatia, Anthony Pirog and Ava Mendoza, to name a few. And their work continues to be at least as creatively vital as their younger counterparts.

Since the early 1990s, Mr. Monder, 56, has established a shadowy but unmistakable sound: He plays chords in a low-lit, humming tone or a blurred, finger-plucking wash; usually he wedges one or two misfit notes in the middle of his harmonies, making them sound conflicted. And he has a decisive, slow-handed way of soloing, though you wouldnt necessarily know it from most of his albums. On records, he usually composes lengthy pieces full of intricate harmonic weaves, with hardly any room for improvisation  a testament to his early infatuations with jazz-rock fusion and classical music.

Day After Day, however, is different. Its Mr. Monders first collection of covers, and Disc 1 is his first extended foray into solo-guitar recording. The second CD finds him in a trio, playing relatively straightforward renditions of popular songs by Bob Dylan, Burt Bacharach and Fleetwood Mac  and, yes, soloing. On his other albums, hes so distinctive that it can be hard to pin down any individual big influences. On this album, the importance of the fusion guitarist Ralph Towner and Jim Hall, the master of harmonically rich, 20th-century jazz guitar, becomes clear.

Mr. Monder played in two of the most important large ensembles of the 1990s  the Maria Schneider Orchestra and Guillermo Klein y Los Guachos  and developed symbiotic partnerships with figures such as Paul Motian, the fabled drummer, and Theo Bleckmann, a virtuoso vocalist. Last year, he served as the linchpin on Dan Weisss well-received project Starebaby, an explicit marriage of jazz and metal.
Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous nights highlights that lets you sleep  and lets us get paid to watch comedy. If youre interested in hearing from The Times regularly about great TV, sign up for our Watching newsletter and get recommendations straight to your inbox.

No Longer in Limbo

The late-night hosts all lined up to bid good riddance to Kirstjen Nielsen, the former secretary of homeland security, who resigned on Sunday under pressure from President Trump.

During her tenure, Nielsen oversaw the White Houses crackdown at the southern border and became the public face of the administrations controversial family-separation policy. The three major late-night hosts each had his own way of sending her off.
Hows this for a state of emergency: An entire region of the country takes up armed resistance against the federal government, brazenly murdering and raping its African-American citizens in a decades-long campaign of terror that subverts and then rewrites the law.

More dire, certainly, than an invasion of criminal migrants at the border. And it actually happened.

The shockingly violent, depressingly predictable backlash in the American South to the end of slavery, and to the attempt to make freed slaves equal members of society, is the central concern of Reconstruction: America After the Civil War, a four-hour PBS series written and narrated by Henry Louis Gates Jr. (It shows in two-hour installments, on Tuesday and on April 16.)

Among the many lacunae in Americans knowledge of their own history, our hazy notions of Reconstruction and its overthrow  essential to an understanding of so much in our own times, from the civil rights movement to todays mirror-like rise of white nationalism  may be the most damaging. Many people, if they have any sense of the era at all, came by it through Gone With the Wind or, even more grievously, The Birth of a Nation.

So Gatess series is a great service, especially in its first two hours, which cover the years from the end of the Civil War, with the initial enthusiasm and promise of Reconstruction, to the contested election of Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876, which essentially ended the federal governments efforts to enforce Reconstruction in the South.
In November 2017, the stand-up comic Nacho Redondo told a joke at a university about the Paralympics that upset some audience members and drew controversy online, which he promptly used to promote his next shows. It may sound like a common, even mundane story.

But in Venezuela, where Redondo, 32, developed a following for his brash, dark humor, the price for a joke that offends can be much higher than online outrage or a boycott. After politicians harshly criticized him on state-run television, Redondo received death threats online, and the government sued him. He fled the country on the day the lawsuit was filed, and hasnt returned. I was terrified and then paranoid and scared for my life, Redondo said by Skype from Mexico City, where he now lives, adding that he didnt want to leave his aging mother and other family members but felt he had no choice. You get jailed there because of tweets.

American comics often complain about the chilling effect of political correctness and social media mobs. Or about the damage done when the Trump administration targets Kathy Griffin or Saturday Night Live. But in an era of rising authoritarianism around the globe, the threat to comedians in countries without a tradition of freedom of speech can be much more severe.

In the fascinating series Larry Charles Dangerous World of Comedy, which debuted in February, Charles, the director of Borat, visited comics in some of the most repressive countries in the world, including Somalia and Iraq. Comedians have been murdered in broad daylight in both countries, Charles said by phone. Then he added, referring to Ahmed Albasheer: The Jon Stewart of Iraq, who I profile in the show, cant do his show anymore because he would be killed. A Saudi Arabian comic has been jailed since he talked to Charles.
THE CODE 9 p.m. on CBS. This new drama series revolves around professionals who often work behind the scenes: prosecutors, defense lawyers and investigators tasked with managing legal challenges for the United States Marine Corps. The show opens with John Abraham (Luke Mitchell) and Maya Dobbins (Anna Wood) handling a case about a commanding officer who was murdered by a soldier in Afghanistan.

RECONSTRUCTION: AMERICA AFTER THE CIVIL WAR 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings). Henry Louis Gates Jr. hosts this four-hour documentary about the aftermath of the Civil War, chronicling the accomplishments of black leaders and activists and the setbacks they faced. The first half airs tonight; the second half airs next Tuesday.

Whats Streaming
LONDON  The Polish author Olga Tokarczuk could win a second consecutive Man Booker International Prize, arguably the worlds most significant award for literature translated into English, after she was shortlisted for the honor on Tuesday. Five of this years six nominated authors are women.

If Ms. Tokarczuk wins for Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, an unconventional detective novel that also discusses topics like animal rights and the influence of the Roman Catholic Church in Poland, it would be an unusual back-to-back victory for a major literary award. She won last years prize for Flights, a series of literary vignettes about modern-day travel.

Flights was translated by Jennifer Croft, but her new novel was translated from the Polish by Antonia Lloyd-Jones.

The Man Booker International Prize is awarded each year to the best book translated into English and published in Britain or Ireland. It is distinct from the more well-known Booker Prize, for fiction originally published in English, but both carry the same prize money of 50,000 pounds, or about $65,000.
SAVE ME THE PLUMS

My Gourmet Memoir

By Ruth Reichl

Spoiled for choice, Ruth Reichl frets over a major career choice. Should she accept her dream job as editor in chief of a magazine she has loved since childhood and risk becoming a corporate creature? Or stay put in her imperial post as restaurant critic for The New York Times?

We know the ending to this foodie fairy tale, but its still fun to read Save Me the Plums, Reichls poignant and hilarious account of what it took to bring the dusty food bible back to life with artistic and literary flair through the glory days of magazine-making  from 1999 to the day in the fall of 2009 when she was informed that Conde Nast had decided to close Gourmets pantry for good.

The first course is served when Reichl is courted at a clandestine meeting with a member of Conde Nasts brass at the Algonquin Hotel, followed soon after by lunch with S.I. Newhouse at Da Silvano, the media moguls favorite downtown watering hole, where she discovers that Newhouse despised garlic (so much that he banned it from Conde Nasts Frank Gehry-designed cafeteria). Undeterred by this and other eccentricities, Reichl peels away the layers of drama that arrive with her new job. (Caution: Former editors might experience indigestion while reveling in Reichls rich servings of publishing world intrigue.)
HONG KONG  China is planning new steps that could put a stop to making Bitcoin there, a move that could cut off one of the worlds largest sources of the popular but unstable cryptocurrency.

The National Development and Reform Commission, Chinas top economic planning body, this week added cryptocurrency mining to a list of about 450 industries that it proposes to eliminate. If the move is approved, local governments in China will be prohibited from supporting makers of Bitcoin and other digital currencies through subsidies or other benefits.

The commission said it would seek public comment until May 7 before making a final decision.

China was once the worlds largest Bitcoin maker, though rising government pressure has forced many of those who make the cryptocurrency, known as miners, to other countries. Still, a number of Bitcoin miners could remain, especially if local governments ignored the instructions and found a way to prop up local producers, people in the business say.

It is categorized as an industry that is not encouraged or allowed to expand, but it is not a ban, said Zhao Qianjie, a former executive at BTCChina, which was Chinas first cryptocurrency exchange.
The British bank Standard Chartered has agreed to pay $1.1 billion to settle allegations by the authorities in the United States and Britain that it violated money-laundering laws and economic sanctions.

The authorities, including the Treasury and Department of Justice as well as New York State regulators and prosecutors, said that Standard Chartered had for years processed hundreds of millions of dollars in transactions from countries barred from participating in the American financial system, including Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria. Standard Chartered, which is based in London, has extensive operations in Africa and Asia, including the Middle East.

The settlement is the latest to produce a large penalty against a European bank caught processing illicit transactions for countries and criminal enterprises.

In 2012, HSBC agreed to pay $1.9 billion and to submit to years of heightened scrutiny after the authorities found that the bank had helped Mexican drug cartels launder money. In 2014, the French bank BNP Paribas paid a record sum of nearly $9 billion and pleaded guilty for violating American sanctions against Sudan and other countries. And two years ago, Deutsche Bank was fined $630 million for helping Russian investors secretly move $10 billion through branches in London, Moscow and New York.
Ms. Kwaks was not the take-it-or-leave-it approach of 32nd Street, and she kept at it. She wrote Dok Suni: Recipes From My Mothers Korean Kitchen, which was one of the few Korean cookbooks in English when it came out, in 1998. At her second restaurant, Do Hwa, she and her mother led customers deeper into unfamiliar ground.

Each of the restaurants stayed open for about two decades, which is a very long time in New York. If you want a metaphor for how effectively Ms. Kwak paved the way for restaurants like Atoboy, Soogil, Danji and others whose chefs weave Korean cuisine into new patterns, consider that one of them, Oiji, moved into its address on First Avenue right after Dok Sunis moved out.

What Ms. Kwak is doing in Park Slope isnt all that different from what she has done all her career, except that by now South Korean comfort food has become comfort food for New York in general.

Haenyeo does pay more attention to seafood than Dok Suni or Do Hwa did, though. Ms. Kwak hasnt gone pescatarian on us. She still serves impressive pork and beef bulgogis with ssamjang and lettuce, and the pan-fried dumplings are filled with high-fat ground beef seasoned with kimchi, garlic and soy. But her menus orientation has shifted slightly toward the ocean. This is good news, because the seafood at Haenyeo has a sparkle and sweetness you dont always find in the smoke-filled rooms of 32nd Street.
Making a city ham is a speedy process. Theres a pig on Monday, and its in the store on Friday, said Sam Edwards III, who is rebuilding his familys Edwards Virginia Smokehouse, which burned to the ground in 2016. Other smokehouses have lent a hand, and his bone-in, spiral-cut hams are selling almost as well as the country hams the family is known for.

Spiral-cut hams comprise about 34 percent of all the ham sold in the United States, said Kevin Waetke, a vice president of the National Pork Board.

Shoppers spent about 2 percent more on spiral hams in 2018 than they did in 2017. But they were actually buying about 2 percent less ham. Prices went up, Mr. Waetke said, because America has been sending a lot of hams to Mexico and Canada, so there are fewer for the domestic market.

Still, as cooks have come to care more about the provenance of their pork, they have been willing to spend more on spiral-cut hams. And some producers of higher-quality, boutique hams realize that there is no shame in sending them out already sliced.

This year for the first time, White Oak Pastures in southern Georgia is selling spiral-cut hams from 450 of its Berkshire hogs. The animals are raised on pasture accredited by the Savory Institute, which is dedicated to regenerating grasslands. The hams are $12.60 per pound. (For comparison, Costcos Kirkland brand hickory-smoked, spiral-cut ham was on sale last week for $1.99 per pound. A whole or half Honey Baked Ham sells for around $7.40 per pound.)
Once upon a time, the Hermes Birkin could arguably have been called the rarest handbag in the world. Urban myths abounded about how to buy and who was allowed to buy; rumors of wait lists were taken as gospel; and the lucky few able to acquire a bag guarded their insider status as if it were a state secret.

Then the fashion resale market took off.

On almost any given day, Prive Porter in Miami has a rotating lineup of nearly 80 of the newest Hermes Birkin bags, in pristine condition and all accessible with the click of a mouse or a tap on a mobile device.

In barely five years, Prive Porter, tucked away in the palm-tree-lined confines of southern Florida, has sold more than $60 million worth of the bags , the company said, to anyone who wants and can afford one, the vast majority of those sales taking place on Instagram.

The digitally native company is part of the booming resale ecosystem , which has seen a growing number of heavily funded and highly trafficked businesses bringing luxury wares to the web, among them the $10,000-plus marquee bags of the 182-year-old Hermes empire. And Prive Porter is not alone.
In 1989, Mr. Pryor, then 21, and Ms. Miller, then 20, were attending the University of Connecticut, and both were working at a bar in Storrs, Conn., then called Margaritaville. Mr. Pryor was a bouncer; Ms. Miller, a server. Wed worked together for the past year and became good friends, Mr. Pryor said. Wed broken up with different people, and she had taken a year off from dating. Id fallen madly in love with her, but respected her decisions.

Mr. Pryor channeled his feelings toward work. In 1990, he got a job working on the films Mystic Pizza and Home Alone, which took him to Los Angeles. During that time, he lived in his car, which he parked on the set. I missed her a lot, he said. Hollywood was a lonely existence. The film wrapped. I knew I was going to drive cross country back East so I called her out of the blue and asked her to have dinner with me.

Going on instinct, he bought Ms. Miller a plane ticket for $400, and told her it was waiting for her at the Providence airport. Ms. Miller didnt disappoint. She quit her job, packed a bag and impulsively flew West. I picked her up at the airport and took her out to dinner as promised, then we drove cross country, he said. That was our first date. It lasted 18 days.

She said she fell in love with him during that trip. It was nonstop conversation, she said.

The trip ended with Mr. Pryor driving her to her parents home in Massachusetts. It had been a fantastic experience, he said, so I said, Why dont you move in with me? She said O.K. In 1991, Mr. Pryor proposed on Masons Island in Stonington, Conn. I got down on one knee on this pond, the ice started to crack before I could give her my grandmothers ring, he said. We both almost went in the water.
There once was a man named Albert Alexander. He was a policeman  [American accent] Hey.  in England. [British accent] Hello. One day on patrol, he cut his cheek  Ouch!  which led to a terrible infection. See, this was back in 1941, before patients had antibiotics. These were the days when a little scratch could kill you. Or you got an ear infection and you died. A cat bite and you died. Or you stepped on a stick and you died. All of a sudden, antibiotics come along and bang. The antibiotic era had begun. Soon a slow and painful death became a seven-day course of antibiotics and a $10 copay. And Albert? Albert was the first patient in the world to receive the antibiotic  penicillin. And it worked. We just came up with a lifesaving, life-extending drug, one of the greatest developments in human history. Except not. Thats Matt Richtel, a science reporter for The New York Times. For the past year, Matts been talking to health experts to find out if we are reaching the end of the antibiotic era. Modern medicine depends on the antibiotic. And having used it so much, were now putting it at risk. Is our fate sealed? First off, I dont think people respect bacteria enough. This is Ellen Silbergeld, one of the leading scientists studying antibiotic resistance. Bacteria rule the world. We are just a platform for bacteria. Within the human body, there are more bacterial cells than there are human cells. So we are, in fact, mostly bacteria. Alexander Fleming  the man who discovered penicillin  in his Nobel speech said, hang on, be aware. When you start killing this stuff off, its going to fight back. Did we pay any attention to that? No. The C.D.C. got our attention today with a warning about what it calls nightmare bacteria. These are bacteria that are resistant to most, if not all, antibiotics. When we take antibiotics to kill infections, some bacteria survive. It used to be theyd replicate, and eventually resistance would grow. But now, theyre way more efficient and share drug-resistant genes among themselves. So every time we take an antibiotic, we risk creating stronger, more resistant bacteria. And stronger, more resistant bacteria means less and less effective antibiotics. And this is a problem because we take lots of antibiotics. Money gets made over the sale of antibiotics. Big money. Globally, the antibiotics market is valued at $40 billion. And in the U.S., the C.D.C. estimates that about 30 percent of all prescribed antibiotics are not needed at all. Thats 47 million excess prescriptions. And in many places outside of the U.S., you dont even need a prescription. You can walk into a pharmacy. A pharmacist will diagnose you and give you antibiotics. I tend to think of it as a story of Darwinian forces multiplied by the pace and scale of global capitalism. In an interconnected world  travel, import, export  were moving the bugs with us. I can go to a meeting in China or Vietnam or some place  This is Lance Price, the director of the Antibiotic Resistance Action Center. I can become colonized by untreatable E. coli. And I might not have any symptoms. But you can get colonized. And you can become this sort of long-term host. So you could be healthy and still spreading bad bacteria without even knowing it. Drug-resistant bacteria have never been able to travel the world as fast as they do today. And thats just part of the problem. You should know that about 80 percent of antibiotic production in this country goes into agriculture. Why on earth did somebody think putting antibiotics in agriculture was a great idea? Weve said, hey, look, cram these animals together. Dont worry too much about hygiene or trying to keep them healthy. Just give them antibiotics. And then in a couple weeks, youre going to have full-grown animals that you can chop up and eat. Right? And you can make money off of that. Nobody was making the connection between feeding animals antibiotics and the fact that the food would be carrying drug-resistant bacteria. So Ellen did a study. She compared different kinds of store-bought chicken. And she found that poultry raised with antibiotics had nine times as much drug-resistant bacteria on it. Now, lets talk about the vegetarians. I just want you to understand, youre not safe. You know all these outbreaks that take place among the lettuce and the things like that. Have you ever wondered how that happened? Its because animal manure is used in raising crops. Organic agriculture lauds the use of animal manure. Unless youre just a complete, Im a vegan, and I only hang out with vegans, and I eat sterilized vegetables, you know, its very likely that youre picking up the same bacteria. Resistant bacteria seep into the groundwater, fly off the back of livestock trucks and hitch a ride home on the hands of farm workers, all of which makes trying to pinpoint exactly where resistant bacteria is originating extremely difficult. And even when it seems like there is a clear source, things still arent so simple. No one wants to be seen as a hub of an epidemic. Say your grandmother makes you a rump roast. And then that rump roast makes you sick. Well, if you live in France, or Ireland, or pretty much anywhere in the E.U., packaged meat has a tracking label. You can figure out exactly what farm that meat came from. But in the U.S., not even the top public health officials can do that. Most countries have animal ID laws. We dont. Pat Basu, former chief veterinarian for the U.S.D.A.s Food Safety and Inspection Service, basically one of the top veterinarians in the country. Let me start at the beginning. We got a case where we had resistant bacteria causing illness in people. There were sick people that C.D.C. identified. More than 50 people in eight counties have gotten an unusual strain of salmonella linked to pork. This is not your grandmothers pathogen anymore. This is a new bug. Health officials traced the outbreak back to the slaughterhouse and identified six potential farms where the outbreak could have come from. But then the investigation shut down. The individual farmers have to agree voluntarily to share the data with these investigators who go out. We couldnt go any further back. It was a dead end. 192 people sick, 30 hospitalizations and zero access for health officials to investigate the farms. The secrecy is maintained because there are big economic forces behind it. Farms are scared of losing their ability to get antibiotics. Hospitals are scared of driving away patients. Well, as a physician, I do get very upset. I get very upset, as a patient, that information is being withheld. This is Kevin Kavanagh, a doctor and a consumer advocate for patients. Drug-resistant bacteria is a huge problem. If it occurs at a restaurant, if it occurs in a cruise ship, you know about this immediately  A salmonella outbreak  within days or hours of an outbreak occurring. This morning, Chipotle is keeping dozens of its restaurants in the Pacific Northwest closed  But yet, in a hospital, it can take you months or even over a year until this data appears on a governmental website or reported by the C.D.C. In the U.S., hospitals are under no obligation to inform the public when a bacterial outbreak occurs. Defend and deny. They are very concerned about the short-term economic benefits, rather than looking at long-term problems. Theres always this response like, well, but theres still a drug, right? Like, this isnt the end. Remember Albert Alexander?  Hello. Ouch!  the first patient to be given penicillin? Well, his story didnt end there. Five days after he started recovering, the hospital ran out of the new drug, and Mr. Alexander died. Today, we dont have to worry about antibiotics running out. We have to worry about using them so much that they stop working altogether.  want to know why a metro health department didnt shut down a restaurant  Its a very resistant bacteria  We really need to change the way we use antibiotics. Because the way we use antibiotics is destroying them. Its putting at risk the entire system of care that we depend on for lengthening our lives and improving the quality of our lives. The British government commissioned a study which predicted a worst case scenario where more people will die by 2050 of these infections than will die of cancer. Thats a generation from now. It takes 10 years to identify, develop, test and bring to market a new antibiotic. And it takes a billion dollars. This is a common issue for humanity. Very similar to global warming. You cant control it as a single company. You cant control this as a single government. And because the bacteria are now working together so efficiently  Unless the world acts consistently together, it doesnt make a difference.
Mr. Slutman was told that his son was one of three Marines killed on Monday in Afghanistan when a roadside bomb exploded near their military convoy. An Afghan contractor and several civilians were injured.

The death of Firefighter Slutman, 43, highlighted a tradition of firefighters serving dual roles in the military. Currently, 73 New York Fire Department personnel are on extended military orders in branches of the United States Armed Forces, serving around the world. The department said 1,425 of its members are military reservists or veterans.

A 15-year veteran in the New York City Fire Department, Firefighter Slutman served at Ladder Company 27 in the South Bronx before his most recent deployment, and had won a Fire Chiefs Association Memorial Medal in 2014 for rescuing a woman from a burning apartment.

On Tuesday, he was remembered by mayor Bill DeBlasio as an American hero, a New York hero.

His friends said they knew other firefighters who, like Mr. Slutman, felt the need to serve more, particularly after Sept. 11.

Our job already is pretty dangerous, so for anybody to take on kind of a second career that would be as dangerous, or even more, is slightly mind-boggling, said Michael Seilhamer, who said he worked with Mr. Slutman as a volunteer firefighter in Maryland and rented a beach house with him in Delaware for years.
Why cant New York release Mr. Trumps state tax returns?

State laws generally prohibit such private tax information from being released. The bill would amend those laws.

Still, there are other issues at play.

Federal laws, for instance, shield federal tax information. If New York were to release federal return information contained within a state return, the I.R.S. wouldnt be happy and could even cease cooperation with the state, said Daniel Hemel, an assistant professor at the University of Chicago Law School.

Remind me again: Why do Democrats want the tax returns?

Mr. Trump has kept many details of his personal and business finances a secret. He has never publicly released his tax returns, breaking decades of tradition among presidential candidates.

Several inquiries in New York and Washington  as well as a lengthy New York Times investigation  have questioned whether Mr. Trump skirted any laws in turning a collection of middle-class apartment buildings he inherited from his father into a global real estate empire.

What could Mr. Trumps New York tax returns show?

Because New York has been Mr. Trumps home state, and where his real estate empire has its headquarters, those returns could reveal much of the same financial information as a federal return.

How else have lawmakers tried to get Mr. Trumps taxes?

The New York Truth Act, a bill introduced in the Legislature in 2017, would have required the Department of Taxation and Finance to release five years worth of income tax returns from eight officials if they earned income in New York: the president, vice president, New Yorks two United States senators and four statewide elected officials, including the governor and the attorney general.

That bill now has enough support to pass the Legislature.

Another bill would require candidates for president and vice president to reveal their past tax returns in order to appear on primary and general election ballots.
Richard E. Cole, who was Jimmy Doolittles co-pilot in the lead plane of a storied mission in the history of American air power, the bombing raid on Japan in retaliation for its attack on Pearl Harbor months earlier, died on Tuesday in San Antonio. He was 103 and the last survivor of the 80 Doolittle raiders, who carried out Americas first strikes against the Japanese homeland in World War II.

His death was announced by Gen. David L. Goldfein, the chief of staff of the Air Force.

The Doolittle raid was a low-level daylight attack in April 1942 that resulted in only light damage to military and industrial targets. But it buoyed an American home front reeling from unbroken reverses in the Pacific, beginning with the Pearl Harbor attack on Dec. 7, 1941, and it shattered the Japanese governments assurances to its people that they were invulnerable to an American air attack.

It also prompted Japan to launch a naval attack on the American base at Midway in the mid-Pacific in June 1942 out of the mistaken belief that the Doolittle bombers had departed from an aircraft carrier based there. The Americans, having broken the Japanese codes, knew the attack was coming and dealt the Japanese Navy a major defeat.

The commander of the American bombing raid, Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle, was awarded the Medal of Honor, becoming one of the nations first heroes of World War II.
At a time when Islams place in the modern world is a matter of global contention, Brunei, a small monarchy in Southeast Asia, has offered its two cents. By April 3, the nation, which is predominantly Muslim, had begun adhering to a new penal code with harsh corporal punishments. Accordingly, gay men or adulterers may be stoned to death, and lesbians may be flogged. Thieves will lose first their right hand, and then their left foot.

Understandably, these bits of news brought outcries from the United Nations, human rights organizations and celebrities like George Clooney. In return, the Brunei government dismissed all criticisms, reminding the world that the country is sovereign and like all other independent countries, enforces its own rule of laws.

As a Muslim, I should first tell my coreligionists in Brunei that their argument is not very good. Of course every country can enforce its own laws, but the content of those laws isnt immune from criticism when it violates human rights. Otherwise, we would have no basis to criticize Chinas totalitarian persecution of Uighur Muslims or the illiberal bans on religious symbols, including the Islamic head scarf, in France and, more recently, Quebec.

However, the real issue isnt Brunei. It is Islamic law, or Shariah, the penal code from which law is applied not just in Brunei but in about a dozen other nations as well, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and Sudan. It includes brutal corporal punishments that shock the rest of the world. It also criminalizes acts that shouldnt be crimes at all  such as consensual sex, loss of faith in Islam (apostasy) and the right to criticize it (blasphemy).
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It was one of the most hopeful outcomes on election night last year. By a margin of nearly two to one  signaling a rare bipartisan consensus  Florida voters approved Amendment 4. It restored voting rights to about 1.5 million people who had previously been convicted of a felony and had completed their sentence.

The result overturned a modern form of mass disenfranchisement. About 10 percent of Floridas voting-age citizens could not vote because of a past conviction. Among black Floridians, the share was almost 20 percent

But now the story in Florida is looking less hopeful because Republican lawmakers are looking for ways to undermine the amendment.
To the Editor:

A few days ago The Times reported on the barbaric conditions in Honduras from which women are fleeing, some of them seeking asylum in the United States (Someone Is Always Trying to Kill You, Sunday Review, April 7 ).

Now we read that President Trump is replacing top Homeland Security officials because they have not done enough to deter asylum seekers and he wants a tougher direction  (In Shake-Up, Trump Seeks Hard Line on Immigration, front page, April 9). Taking small children and babies away from their parents has not been sufficient.

Since, as you reported, Honduran women and children are routinely being raped, mutilated, literally skinned alive, tortured and shot in the vagina in the insane violence that now characterizes Honduras, it would take much to deter them from seeking asylum in our country.

But we can be confident that a man with the moral compass of Donald Trump will do all he can to fend off these desperate women and their children. And he will doubtless find new appointees of comparable character to do his will.
More than 160 Jewish cemeteries with thousands of graves tones have been uncovered, cleaned up and inventoried with funding from the kingdom. In addition to synagogues, former Jewish schools have been renovated with the kings support. The original names of the Jewish neighborhoods where many of these synagogues have stood for centuries have also been reinstated. In 2013, Abdelilah Benkirane, then the prime minister of Moroccos Islamist-led government, read a message by the king at the reopening of the newly restored Slat al Fassiyine synagogue in Fez in which he pledged to protect the Jewish community.

Other houses of worship, like the splendid 19th-century Nahon synagogue in Tangier, are now museums. The Ettedgui synagogue in Casablanca and the adjacent El Mellah Jewish Museum, founded in 1997 by Moroccan Jews who believe in a shared future between Jews and Muslim s, were restored and rededicated by the king in 2016. El Mellah is the only comprehensive Jewish museum in the Arab world. There are plans for three more in Morocco.

T he overtures extend to Moroccos educational system and intellectual community. Last fall, King Mohammed ordered Holocaust studies included in the high school curriculum. Around the same time, Zhor Rehihil, the Muslim director of El Mellah, started a weekly radio show about Jewish culture featuring Jews speaking in the Moroccan Arab vernacular, darija . Ms. Rehihil told us that the goal of the show, in which Moroccan Jews reminisce about their childhoods in villages around the country, is to familiarize them to a Muslim audience that often associates Jews with foreigners.

I n November, the Council of Moroccan Communities Abroad and the Jewish community in the country invited Moroccan Jewish journalists, academics and community leaders residing abroad to Marrakesh for a weeklong conference highlighting the respect of Jews for Islam and the respect of Muslims for Judaism.

Much still remains to be done, but these are promising developments. The question is, why now?

With a mere 2,500 Jews left in the kingdom, compared with some 240,000 in the 1940s, this endeavor may indeed appear purely symbolic , or even designed to bolster Moroccos image in the world . It will not bring Moroccan Jews back in any great numbers. But the kingdoms embrace of Jewish heritage is a strong reminder of the Jews rightful place in Moroccos history, despite some strained chapters.
Across the decade that preceded Donald Trumps election, American politicians of both parties consistently tried to pass big, sweeping immigration bills that would legalize most of the countrys illegal population and increase immigration overall. These bills failed because of populist opposition, at first bipartisan (the resistance of a certain socialist senator from Vermont helped doom the 2007 effort) but increasingly simply conservative, and over time the conservative opposition developed a well-founded suspicion of Republican elites, whose plans on immigration always seemed to require ignoring their own base.

This sense of betrayal was fertile ground for Trump, who used bigotry and bluster to sell himself to immigration hawks as a Republican who wouldnt, indeed couldnt, sell them out. You could trust him more than the Bushes and Rubios because he was willing to be disreputable, willing to give the finger to elite opinion, willing to play not only the tough guy but the bad guy. And you had to trust him, some hawks argued, because the Democrats had been radicalized on the issue and the hour was late; it was either Trump or a Californian future, in which waves of immigration transformed the entire United States into a one-party, Democratic-governed state.

But the irony was that the populist resistance had already itself been reasonably effective in achieving some of the goals that Trump promised to pursue. Over the years when bipartisan elites were seeking the grail of comprehensive reform, they tried to appease skeptics with various forms of border-security spending, and this spending really did gradually harden the United States-Mexico border and make it much more difficult to simply slip across. Combine this with economic and demographic change in Latin America, and by the time Trump took office, border crossings had fallen by two-thirds since the presidency of George W. Bush.

In this sense Trump was a lagging, not a leading, indicator. He represented the political triumph of an attitude that had already changed policy, albeit in piecemeal and only half-intentionally, and partially sealed the porous borders of 15 years before. And his chief proposal, the famous wall, would have been a (literal) extension of the existing border-security project rather than a radical addition.
We are committed to taking all necessary legislative action to ensure this is the case. Turkey is an important partner in the F-35 program, but it is not irreplaceable.

Abandoning the F-35 will have severe consequences for Ankara. Turkey has already invested more than $1.25 billion in the F-35 program, and that will be squandered. It will not receive the more than 100 F-35s it planned to purchase, and it will be forced to settle for a less-capable fighter aircraft that will not arrive for many years.

Turkish companies that produce parts for the F-35 will see their orders dry up completely. The countrys F-35 engine maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade facility will see all its work go to other facilities in Europe. President Erdogans hope to make the Turkish defense industry a pillar of economic growth for the future will be dashed.

We do not seek to harm our Turkish friends. Indeed, we hope it will be possible to enhance American-Turkish cooperation on Syria, the Black Sea, counterterrorism and other issues of mutual concern. We seek only to protect the F-35 program and the capabilities of the NATO alliance, including allies like Turkey.

We understand that Turkey has a relationship of necessity with Russia  on Syria , energy, agriculture, tourism and more. If President Erdogan walks away from the S-400, Mr. Putin may retaliate in one or more of these areas. In that unfortunate event, we commit to do all we can to assist Turkey as it weathers the storm.

Paying tribute to the Kremlin with the purchase of the S-400 is not in Turkeys interests. Mr. Putin is not an ally of Turkey any more than the Soviets or the czars. His aggression in Georgia, Ukraine and Syria has made Turkey less safe. Now Mr. Putin is trying to divide Turkey from the West with the S-400s.

If he succeeds, what little regard he has for Turkeys interests will shrink further. The more isolated Turkey is from its allies, the more power Mr. Putin will have in the relationship: Russia does what it can, Turkey suffers what it must.

Mr. Putin fears and respects a Turkey strategically anchored in the West and committed to NATO. We hope President Erdogan will choose that future for Turkey by rejecting Mr. Putins divisive S-400 ploy, meeting its air defense requirement with the Patriot system and moving forward as a critical partner in the F-35 program.

Jim Inhofe is a Republican Senator from Oklahoma. Jack Reed is a Democratic Senator from Rhode Island. Jim Risch is a Republican Senator from Idaho. Bob Menendez is a Democratic Senator from New Jersey.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. Wed like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com.

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I am a Jew of Arab and European descent who moved to Israel almost seven years ago. Although I do not live in the territories, I work there. Im looking forward to fewer checkpoints, the application of environmental regulations (the burning garbage, pollution and contamination there are horrific) and better relations among different demographic populations.

Alec Siegel, Tel Aviv

Gantz takes a more sober, realistic approach to the conflict with the Palestinians. His background as the Israel Defense Forces chief of staff certainly helps, but he seems to grasp the more diplomatic aspects of being a head of state as well.

He advocates smaller steps that could improve lives on all sides while keeping in mind the ultimate goal of two states, without simply paying lip service to a lofty ideal.

Seraj Assi, Washington

Im boycotting the election.

As a Palestinian citizen of Israel, I have no reason to be optimistic about my future in the country. If by simply exercising my basic democratic right to vote, I am posing a threat to Israels political order, as Netanyahu has constantly hinted, then I can only imagine where my struggle for equal rights stands right now.

Whats more, Arabs will have no say in the new government, regardless of who wins. All major party (Jewish) leaders said they will not invite Arab parties to join a government coalition. That explains why many Arabs are boycotting, with reasons ranging from racism and discrimination to lack of faith in both Arab parties and Israels democracy.

Hanan Cohen, Beit Shemesh

I am Jewish. The Arab citizens in Israel are the weakest in our society. The minimum I can do for them is to give my vote to an Arab party: Hadash.
The birds, whose wingspans can reach 8 feet across, need open, fresh water thats not too deep, so they can feed off the bottom. They usually migrate south in winter to find lakes that arent frozen over. Mating for life, they often nest in the same area where the female, known as a pen, was born.

Coming in for a landing in winter, the birds sound like a group of enthusiastic 4-year-olds with party horns. But once situated, they rarely make much noise, Ms. Smith said.

Trumpeter swans had been so plentiful in Ontario in the early 1700s that Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, who commanded the French settlement that became Detroit, said they might be taken for lilies. But settlers and trappers wiped them out. European settlers in North America killed the swans for food, and turned their down-covered skin into powder puffs for cosmetics and their feathers into quill pens, said Gary Ivey, a past president of the Trumpeter Swan Society. John James Audubon, the famous naturalist, preferred trumpeter swan feather quills to any others, he said.

The last wild trumpeter swan in Ontario was recorded shot in 1886.

Our heritage was missing from Ontario altogether, said Harry Lumsden, who retired from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, in 1988, six years after starting the restoration effort there. At age 95, Mr. Lumsden continues to work for trumpeter swans nearly every day. Ill do anything for swans, he said by phone.

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The Ontario reintroduction effort started with wild collected eggs from Alberta, which were placed under mute swans, a related species, to hatch. Mr. Lumsden found cooperators  like Ms. Kingdon and her parents  who had suitable properties and were willing to host pairs of breeding swans. In the fall, the fledglings would be relocated for the winter and then released in suitable places in the spring. In 1993, swans hatched in the wild in Ontario for the first time in more than a century.

There were so few birds that they were quite inbred, and many of their eggs didnt hatch, Mr. Lumsden said. But when Michigan cut the budget for swan reintroduction in 1992, it gave Ontario the 50 Alaskan eggs from the states program. Three-quarters of the eggs began hatching, instead of only half.
The tiny swimming beetles of the Australian desert live circumscribed lives. Denizens of a series of underground, water-filled chambers, they rarely, if ever, get to the surface. And that raises an important question: How the heck are they breathing?

Other water-dwelling beetles that split their time on the surface capture an air bubble beneath their wings before they dive, which they use like a scuba tank. Or, they have special hairlike structures that let them eke out their own air supply underwater.

Scientists whove taken a close look at these Australian beetles, however, reported Thursday in the Journal of Experimental Biology that the insects use neither of these approaches. Instead, they appear to siphon oxygen directly from the water, breathing, in essence, with their skin.

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The scientists have spied on the beetles by peering down boreholes made by mining companies in the soft red rock around their watery habitats.
Tonne Goodman has a mantra for when things start to get a little messy: This is happening for a reason. She is known for saying it on fashion sets when a model calls in sick or a runway look is stuck in customs.

And also when far more serious situations arise, like when she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 44 . She finds it reassuring because, as she explained, whatever then happens is some kind of fate, and in that lies mystery and curiosity. Often, it leads you on a better path.

Certainly, Ms. Goodman whispered the mantra aloud last summer when it was decided, by the powers that be, that she would surrender her role as fashion director of Vogue, where she had worked for nearly 20 years, and become a contributing editor  a growing trend, these days, in the struggling magazine industry. Without a doubt, she has found herself on a curious new path.

My overriding feeling is this is exciting, she said, seated on a white slipcovered couch in her Greenwich Village apartment , where she has lived for two decades. But her inner feeling, she said, is something like fear.
For years thats how Ive gotten cheap data in dozens of countries all over the world. Id arrive in a city, head to a local cellphone company store (like Vodafone, 3, or Orange), and buy a SIM and a month of service. These would have different names, like pay-as-you-go or prepaid. but in every store Id just say I was traveling and wanted a SIM for a few weeks, and they all knew what I was looking for. Put the new SIM in your phone (make sure you dont lose your old one, youll need it when you go home!) and youre all set. If youre not sure how to do that, the store will probably do it for you. You can be in and out with cheap high-speed data in less than 30 minutes.

How much does a local SIM cost?

The prices vary depending on country and provider, but on average Ive paid around $20 for a months worth of 4G data and calls in that country. You read that right. Most roaming packages charge that for a few days, and are slow and data-limited as well. Most companies want to look at your passport, so make sure you bring it. A handful of countries have other requirements, so a quick Google search before you go is a good idea.

The catch, and you knew thered have to be one, is that your phone has to be unlocked. This means your cellphone company has to enable a setting on your phone that allows you to use it on a different network. The process to do this varies, but in most cases you need to have paid off your phone. The actual unlocking process is free, though. I wrote about how this works over at Wirecutter, the product review site owned by The New York Times Company.

Not every phone will work in every country, but most new phones should be fine. Best to check with your current cellphone company to verify that your phone will work, and if it needs to be unlocked.

A handful of phones have dual-SIMs, which is exactly what it sounds like: two SIM card slots. This lets you keep your home SIM and your away SIM in the same phone. Not necessary for infrequent travelers, but for anyone who regularly goes to another country, quite handy.
And that, in turn, is reflected in the national fiscal outlook. There are now 2.8 workers for every recipient of Social Security benefits, a rate on track to fall to 2.2 by 2035, according to the programs trustees. Many state pension plans face even greater demography-induced strains.

In smaller cities and rural areas, demographic decline is a fundamental fact of life. A recent study by the Economic Innovation Group found that 80 percent of American counties, with a combined population of 149 million, saw a decline in their number of prime working-age adults from 2007 to 2017.

Population growth in the United States has now hit its lowest level since 1937, partly because of a record-low fertility rate  the number of children born per woman. The direction of United States population growth is increasingly similar to that of slow-growing Japan and Western Europe, with immigration partly offsetting that shift.

The Trump administration has portrayed the surge of asylum seekers at the southern border as a crisis, and applied aggressive tactics to deport undocumented immigrants already in the United States. But it has also announced plans to issue up to 30,000 additional H-2B visas for temporary workers.

That immigrants keep showing up here is a testament to our freedom and the economic opportunity here, said Matthew Kahn, an economist at the University of Southern California. If immigrants werent trying to come  if they believed the United States to be full  that would be a problem, Mr. Kahn said.

A particular fear, said John Lettieri, president of the Economic Innovation Group, is that declining population, falling home prices and weak public finances will create a vicious cycle that the places losing population could find hard to escape.

He proposes a program of heartland visas, in which skilled immigrants could obtain work visas to the United States on the condition they live in one of the counties facing demographic decline  with troubled counties themselves deciding whether to participate.
Federal officials said Tuesday that they had dismantled a $1.2 billion Medicare scheme that spanned continents and ensnared hundreds of thousands of unsuspecting elderly and disabled patients.

Under the scheme, which the authorities described as one of the largest health care frauds in United States history, doctors prescribed back, shoulder, wrist and knee braces that were not needed, prosecutors said. Twenty-four people were charged, according to the Justice Department.

These defendants  who range from corporate executives to medical professionals  allegedly participated in an expansive and sophisticated fraud to exploit telemedicine technology meant for patients otherwise unable to access health care, Brian Benczkowski, the assistant attorney general for the departments criminal division, said in a statement.

Some of the accused were owners of durable medical equipment companies that paid kickbacks and bribes to doctors to write prescriptions for braces that were medically unnecessary, according to the authorities.
Over the last couple of years, Mr. Swalwells profile has grown within Congress, as a member of the House Intelligence and Judiciary Committees, and as a frequent critic of President Trump on cable news.

Why is he running for president?

Mr. Swalwell told the Bay Area News Group that he comes from a generation that solves big problems in the private sector but has lost faith that government can do it when it comes to health care, education and reducing gun violence. That generation is the millennial one.

But Mr. Swalwell is far from the only candidate with relative youth on his side. Mayor Pete Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., is 37, for instance, as is Mr. Swalwells friend and House colleague, Tulsi Gabbard.

Mr. Swalwell has tried to differentiate himself with an aggressive stance on gun control (he has called for a national ban on assault weapons) and he has emphasized his experience as a prosecutor.

As The San Francisco Chronicle noted, Mr. Swalwell has also said his relationship with his conservative family would help him attract some of the presidents supporters.

Does he have a chance?

Mr. Swalwells path is pretty slim. Hes entering the race late, and beyond the cable news circuit, hes not particularly well known. But Mr. Swalwell has said he will not run for Congress again while running for president, so he could be setting himself up for another try down the line.
There were more new cases of measles reported last week in the United States than in any other week of 2019, new government data shows, with the outbreak spreading to four states that recorded their first cases of the virus for the year.

In the first week of April, the country added 78 new measles cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts and Nevada confirming their first patients. Two weeks ago, the country added 73 new cases, which was the most for the year until last week.

The dozens of new infections take the count to 465 confirmed cases this year, the second-greatest number of reported cases in a year since 2000, when measles was declared eliminated in the United States.

At the current rate, the country would surpass by midyear the number of measles cases in 2014, when an outbreak among unvaccinated Amish communities in Ohio helped drive the total to 667 reported cases, the high mark for this century.
WASHINGTON  The Trump administration plans to aggressively push for tougher screening of asylum seekers that will make it vastly more difficult for migrants fleeing persecution in their home countries to win protection in the United States, a senior administration official told reporters on Tuesday.

The official said that President Trump ordered a shake-up of his top immigration officials in recent days because they were moving too slowly, or even actively obstructing, the presidents desire to confront the surge of migrants at the southwestern border. The asylum changes are among many policies the president wants to put into effect with a new team in place, the official said.

Mr. Trump denied on Tuesday that one of those changes would be to restart his policy of separating migrant families at the border, though he said that the act of taking children from their parents  which drew global condemnation before he abandoned it last summer  was effective.

Now Ill tell you something, once you dont have it, thats why you see many more people coming, Mr. Trump said. They are coming like its a picnic, because, Lets go to Disneyland.
WASHINGTON  Attorney General William P. Barr vowed on Tuesday to release a redacted version of the Mueller report within a week, defending his handling of the special counsel investigations findings as a bid for transparency as Democrats accused him of politically motivated behavior.

Mr. Barr said he would explain his redactions and was open to negotiating with lawmakers about revealing some of the delicate information that he and law enforcement officials are blacking out from the highly anticipated report before he sends it to Congress and the public.

This process is going along very well, and my original timetable of being able to release this by mid-April stands, Mr. Barr said at a House budget hearing. And so I think that from my standpoint, within a week I will be in a position to release the report to the public.

[Read Mr. Barrs top takeaways from the Mueller report.]

But he was less forthcoming about aspects of his review, declining to say whether President Trump had been briefed on the report after Justice Department and White House officials had said for weeks that the president has not been updated on its contents. And he did not explain why he cleared Mr. Trump of committing an obstruction-of-justice offense when Mr. Muellers team declined to make a decision.
WASHINGTON  Senator Bernie Sanders, whose $18 million fund-raising haul has solidified his status as a front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, said Tuesday that he would release 10 years of tax returns by Tax Day on Monday and acknowledged that he has joined the ranks of the millionaires he has denounced for years.

April 15 is coming, Mr. Sanders, whose refusal to release his full past returns has become an issue in the campaign, said in an interview in his office. We wanted to release 10 years of tax returns. April 15, 2019, will be the 10th year, so I think you will see them.

Told that he was being compared to President Trump, who has refused to release his tax returns, Mr. Sanders got more specific: On the day in the very immediate future, certainly before April 15, we release ours, I hope that Donald Trump will do exactly the same. We are going to release 10 years of our tax returns, and we hope that on that day Donald Trump will do the same.

Mr. Sanderss refusal to release his full tax returns was a relatively minor issue in the 2016 Democratic primaries, when Hillary Clinton goaded him to be more transparent. But Mr. Trumps refusal to release his  and the subsequent effort by House Democrats to force the release  have raised the issues profile. Mr. Sanders has bristled at comparisons between his behavior and the presidents.
WASHINGTON  The United States and the European Union are preparing to impose tit-for-tat tariffs on each others products, the latest escalation in a 14-year fight over government aid given to Boeing and European rival Airbus.

The World Trade Organization finds that the European Union subsidies to Airbus has adversely impacted the United States, which will now put Tariffs on $11 Billion of E.U. products! President Trump said in a tweet on Tuesday morning. The E.U. has taken advantage of the U.S. on trade for many years. It will soon stop!

The office of the United States trade representative said on Monday night that it was preparing a list of European products to tax as retaliation for European subsidies to Airbus, which the World Trade Organization ruled were illegal in May 2018. That prompted the European Union to announce that it was also readying a list of tariffs to counter American subsidies to Boeing.

The moves come amid tense trade relations between the United States and Europe, which are engaged in a battle of tariffs after Mr. Trumps decision last year to tax European steel and aluminum. Mr. Trump has repeatedly threatened to impose tariffs on European cars and car parts if the European Union does not agree to better trade terms for American products, and Europe has said it will retaliate on American goods if Mr. Trump follows through on that threat.
Less than a month after suing Twitter for allowing its users to insult him, Representative Devin Nunes, a Republican from California, said he was suing the McClatchy Company, a newspaper chain, over what he called character assassination.

The defamation lawsuit seeks $150 million and the deletion of an article in The Fresno Bee, a McClatchy newspaper, about Alpha Omega Winery, a company that Mr. Nunes partly owns. The article, published last May, described a lawsuit by a server who was aboard a San Francisco Bay cruise in 2015 that was attended by some of the winerys top investors and that she said had included drugs and prostitution.

The article said it was unclear whether Mr. Nunes was aware of the lawsuit or was affiliated with the fund-raiser at which the cruise was auctioned.

The lawsuit filed by Mr. Nunes, a loyal ally of President Trump and a former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, says that he was not involved in the incident on the yacht and that he considers the article part of a politically motivated scheme to destroy his reputation and derail the committees investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
The court said that an officers actions must be judged from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene, rather than with the 20/20 vision of hindsight. And that evaluation, the court added, must allow for the fact that police officers are often forced to make split-second judgments  in circumstances that are tense, uncertain, and rapidly evolving  about the amount of force that is necessary in a particular situation.

That ruling flowed from another case four years earlier, Tennessee v. Garner, in which the court ruled that officers could use deadly force to prevent an escape only when they had probable cause to think that a suspect posed a significant threat of death or serious injury to them or others.

Taken together, the rulings mean that to get a conviction, prosecutors must prove that an accused officer did not legitimately feel threatened and that other officers would not reasonably have used the same force in the same situation.

In the Minneapolis case, Mr. Noor did not speak to investigators. But his partner has said that he had also unholstered his service weapon and perceived that his life was in danger after hearing a voice and a thump behind him on their squad car, and glimpsing a persons head and shoulders about two feet outside his window. We both got spooked, he said.

Mr. Noors lawyers contended in their opening statements that he had acted reasonably.

Murder prosecutions of officers are rare, and convictions are even rarer.

In part because of those court rulings, the overwhelming majority of police shootings are judged by prosecutors to have been legally justified under the circumstances, even if they seemed egregious to the public. And of the 98 police officers in the United States who have been charged since 2005 with murder or manslaughter for an on-duty shooting, according to Philip Stinson, a professor at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, prosecutors have secured convictions or guilty pleas of only 35, mostly for lesser manslaughter charges. Just three convictions were for intentional murder.
WASHINGTON  Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told lawmakers on Tuesday that White House lawyers had been in touch with his department about a congressional request for President Trumps tax returns but said he had not personally spoken to Mr. Trump or those lawyers about how the matter was being handled.

Mr. Mnuchins disclosure is the first public acknowledgment of communication between the White House and the Treasury Department related to Mr. Trumps tax returns. It comes as the president has made clear he has no intention of handing over his personal financial records without a fight.

Mr. Mnuchin, in testimony on Tuesday before two congressional committees, acknowledged that White House lawyers had been in touch with his department before the formal request was made last week. But he said that he had not been briefed on those discussions and described them as informational.

Our legal department has had conversations prior to receiving the letter with the White House general counsel, Mr. Mnuchin said. I acknowledge there were conversations. I am not briefed on the full extent of those conversations.
What Mr. Trump Said

President Obama had child separation. Take a look. The press knows it. You know it. We all know it. I didnt have  Im the one that stopped it.  But President Obama had the law. We changed the law, and I think the press should accurately report it. But of course they wont.

False.

Mr. Trump has escalated a misleading defense of his administrations practice of breaking up families to outright revisionist history. There is no law that mandates family separation, let alone a law enacted under Mr. Obama. The practice is the result of a policy enacted by the Trump administration, and ended by Mr. Trump last June.

Last year, as the Trump administration faced backlash over its policy, top officials countered that Mr. Trumps predecessors had also separated families at the border. That was misleading. While previous administrations did break up families, it was rare  for example, in cases where there was doubt about the familial relationship between a child and an accompanying adult, according to former officials and immigration experts.

Neither former Presidents George W. Bush nor Barack Obama had a policy that had the effect of widespread family separation, Sarah Pierce of the Migration Policy Institute told The Times last June. Nothing like what the Trump administration is doing has occurred before, she said.

The Bush administration introduced a program in 2005 that also referred for prosecution immigrants illegally crossing the border, but it made an exception for parents with children. The Obama administration in 2014 detained families together, drawing its own criticisms and lawsuits.
A prominent Texas medical school will stop considering race or ethnicity in deciding whether to admit applicants, as part of an agreement with the Education Departments civil rights office.

The president of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center signed the agreement in February, 14 years after the department began investigating a complaint filed by an anti-affirmative action group. The agreement is the first of its kind for the Education Department under Secretary Betsy DeVos, and comes as the Trump administration continues its hard turn against the use of race in admissions.

Roger Clegg, general counsel for the Center for Equal Opportunity, which filed the original complaint, said on Tuesday that the agreement could pave the way for similar actions at other schools.

It shows that the Trump administration is serious about enforcing the civil rights laws in a way that protects the rights of all Americans to be free from discrimination, Mr. Clegg said. The more schools that stop using racial preferences, the harder it will be for other schools to continue using racial preferences.
KAMPALA, Uganda  Rival security forces clashed in Sudan on Tuesday as huge crowds of protesters kept up their vigil outside army headquarters to call for the overthrow of the countrys longtime authoritarian president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

Seven people were killed on Tuesday, said Sara Abdelgalil, a spokeswoman for the Sudanese Professionals Association, which is organizing the protests.

The eruption of violence between different armed government forces is a major development in the four-month long protest movement against the president, said Magdi el-Gizouli, a fellow at the Rift Valley Institute, a think tank based in Kenya.

In a way, it has been turned into an internal dilemma between security forces, said Mr. el-Gizouli, who is Sudanese.
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan  Dozens of Afghan forces and Taliban fighters were killed in overnight fighting across Afghanistan, officials said Tuesday, as violence intensified ahead of another round of peace efforts to end the 18-year-old war.

The worst of the attacks were in Kandahar Province, where the Taliban targeted an Afghan border post late Monday, killing at least four service members, according to local officials. Kasim Azad, the secretary of Kandahars police chief, confirmed the attack and said four members of the border forces were killed.

But other officials put the death toll as high as 18 and said that at least eight other people were unaccounted for, possibly taken by the Taliban. Mr. Azad said 17 Taliban fighters had also been killed. The Taliban claimed to have overrun the border post, but the Afghan defense ministry said all of the attacked border posts remained under government control.

The violence comes a day after three American soldiers were killed near Bagram Air Base outside Kabul. Although Defense Department officials initially said that a contractor had also been killed in the attack, on Tuesday they revised their account to say that the contractor had only been wounded.
The total value of Chinas timber imports  rough logs, timber or wood pulp  has increased more than 10 times since China began restricting logging at home in 1998, reaching $23 billion in 2017, the highest ever, according to IHS Markits Global Trade Atlas.

The government extended a regional ban to the rest of the country at the end of 2016. It now allows commercial logging only in forests that have been replanted, a policy that environmentalists say other countries should emulate.

The problem is that many have not, and Chinese companies have pursued these opportunities.

More than 500 companies operate in Russia now, often with Russian partners, according to a report by Vita Spivak, a scholar on China for the Carnegie Moscow Center. Russia once delivered almost no wood to China; it now accounts for more than 20 percent of Chinas imports by value.

If the Chinese come, nothing will be left, Marina Volobuyeva, a resident of the Zamensky region south of Lake Baikal, told a television channel after a Chinese company secured a 49-year lease to log in the area.

Russia sells such logging concessions at prices that vary by region and type of wood, but on average, they cost roughly $2 a hectare, or 80 cents an acre, per year, according to Mr. Shmatkov of the World Wildlife Fund. That is far below the cost in other countries.

In 2017, China imported nearly 200 million cubic meters of wood from Russia.

Artyom Lukin, a professor of international studies at the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, noted that government corruption, criminality and the lack of economic development in Siberia and the Far East have also made the crisis worse.
NEW DELHI  The Indian authorities on Tuesday charged a bishop with repeatedly raping a nun in the southern state of Kerala, the first case of its kind in the country and a development that comes just weeks after Pope Francis acknowledged a continuing problem with sexual abuse of nuns in the Catholic Church.

Vijay Sakhare, the inspector general of police who oversaw a monthslong investigation, said Bishop Franco Mulakkal had been charged with raping a nun nine times over a two-year period starting in 2014. The bishop, who faces a maximum punishment of life imprisonment, has denied the accusations.

The filing of charges on Tuesday enters the annals of history as a rarest of rare incident, when a bishop is going to face trial in a court based on the complaint of a nun who is a subordinate to him, read a statement from Save Our Sisters, a group of members of Indias Roman Catholic Church.

The charge sheet includes statements from 83 witnesses, including a cardinal, three bishops, 11 priests and 25 nuns, the group said in its statement.
BRUSSELS  The European Union, which does more than 1.5 billion euros a day in two-way trade with China, came late to the industrial, political and security threats China poses. For a long time, Europe saw China as another Japan, only with some human-rights issues.

But with the outspoken ambitions of the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, and continuing battles over technology transfer, closed markets and industrial espionage, that is changing.

On Tuesday, the European Union and China met in Brussels for their 21st annual summit. The challenge for Europe is to forge a united front in the face of a China that only last month it labeled an economic competitor in critical industrial fields and a systemic rival politically.

The mood is certainly tougher now, especially after Italy last month became the first Group of 7 country to join Chinas vast Belt and Road project, which the French analyst Francois Heisbourg described as Chinas own concept on how to organize the global space.
Officials have not identified the husband, but German news media have reported he is an ISIS member, believed to be living in the region where Iraq borders Turkey.

If convicted, Jennifer W. faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The trial is important for all Yazidi survivors, said Nadia Murad, a Yazidi activist who survived being forced into sexual slavery by ISIS and went on to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Every survivor I have met and spoken to is waiting for the same thing  for the perpetrators to be prosecuted for their crimes against Yazidis, including women and children.

The mother of the girl was found with the help of Yazda, an organization that has been documenting crimes committed against the Yazidi minority since 2015.

Germany is struggling with how to handle dozens of women who left the country for Syria and Iraq, many of whom married ISIS fighters, and now have children who are German citizens. While they are legally allowed to return home, many Germans do not want to see them allowed back without being tried for their roles in supporting the terror organization.

But German law requires concrete proof of wrongdoing, so without evidence like photos showing them posing with weapons, or social media accounts where they spread propaganda or sought to recruit others, it can be difficult to bring charges against them.

In the case of Jennifer W., prosecutors were helped by her own eagerness to tell the man who offered to drive her as far as Turkey about her life in ISIS. American intelligence officials had tipped off their colleagues in Germany about the woman, allowing the Germans to set her up with a driver, whose car was bugged, German news media reported.

She told the driver about leaving her home in northwestern Germany in August 2014, and making her way through Turkey and Syria to Iraq. Once she arrived, prosecutors said, she joined the Islamic State and swiftly rose through the ranks, becoming a member of the Hisbah, the morality police, patrolling the parks of the Iraqi cities of Falluja and Mosul.
The scars, though, are still visible  from the tracks gouged into the earth by the heavy machinery used to cut down thousands of ancient trees to the gaping holes in the canopy created by their removal.

The ruling was a major defeat for Polands governing Law and Justice party, which supported the logging. Warsaw initially defied the court order, but relented when faced with a fine of 100,000 euros, about $124,000, for each day it violated the directive.

The battle over Bialowieza is just one of many being waged by the right-wing government against the European Union, which has accused Poland of posing a risk to democratic values and the rule of law by trying to pack its courts and restrict press freedoms.

Now there are fears that the Polish government is once again drawing up plans to increase logging in the area, skirting the ruling by increasing the quota for wood in hundreds of square miles in the forest that lie outside the boundaries of the World Heritage site.
LONDON  With Britains fate in the hands of the European Union it wants to leave, Prime Minister Theresa May shuttled between Berlin and Paris on Tuesday to plead for more time to salvage her faltering withdrawal plans.

European leaders have indicated that they are willing to push back the date for Britains withdrawal from the bloc, most likely until the end of the year. But they are insisting that Mrs. May explain how she would put that time to constructive use.

That may be complicated for the prime minister. Back home, her Parliament is deadlocked over withdrawal, the political parties are split, and talks between the government and the opposition on a compromise plan are making minimal progress.

So ahead of a summit meeting in Brussels on Wednesday at which European Union leaders will decide what to do, Mrs. May embarked on some last-minute diplomacy. Her goal was to reduce the risk of the summit ending in a no deal Brexit on April 12, the current deadline, which could have serious economic consequences.
The Blue and White leaders are drawing on their military backgrounds to counter Mr. Netanyahus contention that only he can protect Israel. Mr. Gantz and his colleagues have also focused on the corruption accusations against Mr. Netanyahu, his biggest vulnerability, to press their case that new leadership is needed.

They have attracted backing from smaller centrist parties. And what remains of the left-leaning opposition has thrown its support behind Mr. Gantz for prime minister. The Labor Party would be likely to recommend Mr. Gantz for the premiership after the election.

What makes this election different?

Mr. Netanyahu could be indicted. Israels attorney general announced last month that he planned to bring charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

A final decision on charges is likely by years end. Under the current law, Mr. Netanyahu, if re-elected, would not have to resign until a final conviction, although new legislation or public pressure could force him to step down. Mr. Netanyahu has described the charges as a baseless partisan witch hunt. But with a first sitting prime minister to be charged, Israel would be entering uncharted legal and political terrain.

The uncertainty has worked against Mr. Netanyahu in the prelude to the vote.

The attorney generals report has done something that has never happened in Israels 70-year history, and that is that a prime minister is under a legal cloud, said David Makovsky, an expert at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

The election also is the first time that three former heads of the army, the Israel Defense Forces, have united to run for office. The Blue and White alliance is led by Mr. Gantz and two other veteran generals, Gabi Ashkenazi and Moshe Yaalon.

They have teamed up with a well-known centrist party, Yesh Atid, led by Yair Lapid, a former journalist, television host and finance minister. Mr. Gantz has agreed to hand off the prime minister position to Mr. Lapid after two and a half years if their parties win.
How is the Guard different from other parts of the military?

While the army defends Iranian territory, the Guard was set up to safeguard against internal uprisings and threats from ideological opponents, within or outside the country. Guard members view themselves as keepers of Irans revolutionary flame.

The Guard is best known for the power it projects outside Iran in making foreign policy through training militias in foreign countries and undertaking operations such as fighting the Islamic State, the Sunni extremist militant group regarded as a terrorist organization by virtually all countries.

The Guard also differs from other branches of the armed forces in the strong influence it wields over who gains political power. The Guard controls directly and indirectly billions of dollars in contracts in construction, electricity and engineering, as well as in other strategic fields such as telecommunications and media. Many large companies are either tied to individuals in the Guard or run by former members.

What is the Guards Al Quds Force?

The most elite members of the Guard are in the Al Quds Force, numbering a few thousand, whose work is focused mostly outside Iran. Its members are believed to carry out clandestine operations including assassinations, and are experts in asymmetric warfare. They have trained nonstate actors in foreign countries including Hamas in the Palestinian territories, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Shiite militias in Syria and Iraq.

The Al Quds Force was designated as a supporter of foreign terrorist organizations, including the Taliban and others, more than 10 years ago by the Treasury Department.

What attacks have been linked to the Al Quds Force?

They include an attempted assassination of the Saudi ambassador to Washington; the attempted assassination of an Israeli diplomat in New Delhi; and the capture and killing of five American military personnel by an Iraqi militia in a 2007 attack in Karbala, Iraq. The Al Quds Force also is thought to have initially supplied and then helped train Iraqis to manufacture roadside bombs that could destroy armored vehicles used by American soldiers in Iraq.
An Iranian diplomat who helped to negotiate the 2015 nuclear agreement will be Irans ambassador to the United Nations, state media said Tuesday, filling a vacancy that had lasted five months.

The appointment of the envoy, Majid Takht Ravanchi, 60, was considered a sign that Iran will try to preserve the agreement, even though the Trump administration has renounced it, reimposing onerous sanctions and taking other steps to isolate the country.

Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, also has increasingly criticized the nuclear agreement for showing what he called the mistake of trusting the United States and other Western powers that were parties to the accord. But Ayatollah Khamenei has not repudiated the accord, which was meant to end Irans economic isolation in return for its verified promises of peaceful nuclear work.

The ambassador job at the United Nations is considered Irans most important foreign diplomatic posting. Mr. Takht Ravanchi will be the highest-ranking Iranian official in the United States, which has no diplomatic relations with Iran.
Weve ended this live briefing for the night. We will have another one on Wednesday. Heres what happened today.

 Exit polls show a dead heat in the race between Benjamin Netanyahu, the polarizing, right-wing prime minister, and his main rival, Benny Gantz, a newcomer to electoral politics who is seen as a centrist. Both men claimed victory.

[Who is Benny Gantz?]

 Official results may not come until early morning Israel time, late tonight in the U.S. It will then be up to President Reuven Rivlin to choose the party leader he believes has the best chance of assembling a parliamentary majority.

 Regardless of who becomes the next prime minister, the election has already proven to be a humbling setback for Mr. Netanyahu, 69, who has built a strong economy, kept the country safe and has been promoted by President Trump. It has also placed Mr. Gantzs new Blue and White party in the position of the main alternative to the right wing, a spot once held by the Labor party.
A battle for control of the Libyan capital remained deadlocked for a fifth day on Tuesday, as the citys last civilian airport resumed flights after an airstrike and the United Nations canceled a long-planned peace conference scheduled for later this month.

The airport reopened Tuesday after closing the day earlier, following an airstrike there by the forces of an aspiring strongman, Gen. Khalifa Hifter. But although it resumed flights, the United Nations mission canceled a conference set to take place in Libya.

The cancellation was almost universally expected since troops under General Hifter on Thursday launched a surprise offensive on the capital, Tripoli.

Ghassan Salame, the United Nations special representative for Libya, said in a statement that the body cannot ask Libyans to attend a conference to the backdrop of artillery shelling and air raids. He said it was a painful disappointment to once again hear the drumbeats of war and to witness the launch of an offensive prompting the recurrence of fighting.
Democrats on social media

Progressive activists Other Democrats

The Democratic electorate off social media

Progressive activists Other Democrats Estimates are based on the Hidden Tribes project. Democrats on social media means respondents identified as Democratic-leaning voters who said they had posted political content on social media in the last year; Democrats off social media means Democratic-leaning voters who said they had not. Democrats who count as progressive activists are those who were identified as such in the Hidden Tribes survey, based on their answers to dozens of survey questions.

Perhaps the most telling poll of the Democratic primary season hasnt been about the Democratic primary at all  but about the fallout from a 35-year-old racist photo on a yearbook page. Gov. Ralph Northam of Virginia was pummeled on social media after the revelation, and virtually every Democratic presidential candidate demanded his resignation.

Yet the majority of ordinary Democrats in Virginia said Mr. Northam should remain in office, according to a Washington Post/Schar School poll a week later. And black Democrats were likelier than white ones to say Mr. Northam should remain.

Todays Democratic Party is increasingly perceived as dominated by its woke left wing. But the views of Democrats on social media often bear little resemblance to those of the wider Democratic electorate.

The outspoken group of Democratic-leaning voters on social media is outnumbered, roughly 2 to 1, by the more moderate, more diverse and less educated group of Democrats who typically dont post political content online, according to data from the Hidden Tribes Project. This latter group has the numbers to decide the Democratic presidential nomination in favor of a relatively moderate establishment favorite, as it has often done in the past.

Democrats who do not post political content to social media sites are more likely to 

Identify themselves as moderates or conservatives of Democrats

on social media of other Democrats

Say political correctness is a problem in the U.S. of Democrats

on social media of other Democrats

Say they dont follow the news much of Democrats

on social media of other Democrats

Be African-American of Democrats

on social media of other Democrats

Even these results might understate the leftward lean of the most politically active, Democratic Twitter users, who often engage with political journalists and can have a powerful effect in shaping the conventional wisdom. In an informal poll of Democrats on one of our Twitter accounts on Monday, about 80 percent said they were liberal, and a similar percentage said they had a college degree. Only 20 percent said political correctness was a problem, and only 2 percent said they were black.

The relative moderation of Democrats who are not sharing their political thoughts on social media, and therefore of Democrats as a whole, makes it less surprising that Virginia Democrats tolerated Mr. Northams yearbook page. It makes it easier to imagine how Joe Biden might not merely survive questions about whether he touched women in ways that made them feel uncomfortable, but might even emerge essentially unscathed.

It also helps explain why recent polls show that a majority of Democrats would rather see the party become more moderate than move leftward, even as progressives clamor for a Green New Deal or Medicare for all.

Democrats who post political content on social media are more likely to ...

Have a college degree of Democrats

on social media of other Democrats

Be white of Democrats

on social media of other Democrats

Say they have become more liberal in their lifetime of Democrats

on social media of other Democrats

Say they have attended a protest in the last year of Democrats

on social media of other Democrats

Say they have donated to a political organization in the last year of Democrats

on social media of other Democrats

The Hidden Tribes Project, conducted by More in Common, is a nonpartisan representative YouGov survey of 8,000 Americans that divided respondents into different groups, or tribes, based on their responses to dozens of questions. The characteristics of these groups help make sense of the different ways Democrats have run and won primary elections.

In reality, the Democratic electorate is both ideologically and demographically diverse. Over all, around half of Democratic-leaning voters consider themselves moderate or conservative, not liberal. Around 40 percent are not white.

Roughly a quarter of Democrats count as ideologically consistent progressives, who toe the party line or something further to the left on just about every issue. Only a portion of them, perhaps 1 in 10 Democrats over all, might identify as Democratic socialists, based on recent polls.

Traditional liberals  another relatively white, well-educated bloc of Democrats  are also overrepresented on social media. Theyre united with the progressive activists on the issues that divide Republicans and Democrats. They split on whether American society is fundamentally and unacceptably unjust, with liberals optimistic about compromise and satisfied with a cautious approach, and progressives demanding bolder action to redress injustice in society.

The Democratic electorate ... On social media In real life Source: Upshot analysis of the Hidden Tribes project. Moderate group includes conservative tribes. Probabilistic likely voter weight based on self-reported turnout in 2016 and local elections, and self-reported intention to vote in the 2018 midterm election.

The candidates of the progressive left, whether Bernie Sanders or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, speak with moral clarity. The strongest traditional liberal candidates, despite their pragmatic streak, speak with hopeful idealism, stemming from their relatively optimistic view of the countrys capacity to compromise, reform and change. Barack Obama took that tack in 2008, and Beto ORourke and Cory Booker might hope to in 2020.

In recent decades, most of the candidates who have found their core strength among the partys ideologically consistent, left-liberal activist base have lost. Gary Hart, Jerry Brown, Jesse Jackson, Howard Dean and Mr. Sanders all fell short against candidates of the partys establishment, like Walter Mondale, Al Gore and Hillary Clinton. The establishment candidates won the nomination by counting on the rest of the partys voters.

The rest of the party is easy to miss. Not only is it less active on social media, but it is also under-represented in the well-educated, urban enclaves where journalists roam. It is under-represented in the Northern blue states and districts where most Democratic politicians win elections.

Many in this group are party stalwarts: people who are Democrats because of identity and self-interest  a union worker, an African-American  more than their policy views. Their votes are concentrated in the South, where Democratic politicians rarely win.

Where the rest of the Democratic Party lives Moderates, passive liberals and disengaged voters as a share of all Democrats Va. Okla. Ky. Nev. Md. Ill. Ohio Mo. Ind. Mich. N.Y. W.Va. N.M. Pa. N.J. Calif. Kan. Iowa Minn. Neb. Ariz. Wyo. Wis. N.D. Hawaii Conn. Mass. Vt. Utah N.H. Colo. Mont. Ore. Alaska Me. Idaho S.D. Wash. Ark. Miss. Tex. Ala. La. N.C. Tenn. Ga. Fla. S.C. Del. 40 45 50 55 60%

Nonwhite voters, particularly black voters, are a major driver of this geographic split. Black voters represent around 20 percent of the Democratic electorate nationwide and a majority of Democrats in the Deep South. Mr. Obamas strength among black voters allowed him to defeat the establishment favorite candidate (Mrs. Clinton) in 2008, in contrast with prior progressive candidates.

The rest of the party poses a challenge for more progressive candidates, and its not just about this groups moderate views.

Less engaged and less ideological voters tend to be cynical about politics. One might think cynicism would translate to support for outsider candidates, and it probably could against an establishment favorite with enough flaws. Instead, it has more often meant skepticism of ambitious and idealistic liberals and progressives who offer big promises with no record. It has meant an appreciation for well-known, battle-tested politicians who have been on their side or even delivered in the past. This election cycle, Mr. Biden might be the beneficiary of such sentiment.

This groups lower levels of news consumption mean fewer opportunities for the activist-backed candidates to make their case. A majority of such voters might not even have an opinion about Ms. Ocasio-Cortez (over all, only around half of Democrats do in recent polls). Their weaker ideological predilections mean these voters are often less likely to buy the message, even if it reaches them.

Of course, the Democratic Party has moved to the left in recent years. It has moved far enough left that theres plenty of room for a progressive candidate to win the nomination. It would be a mistake to dismiss Mr. Sanderss chances of winning the nomination just because white progressives have generally fallen short in the past. The name recognition he earned in 2016 will be an asset that prior outsider candidates havent been able to count on, and so will his impressive small-donor fund-raising.
By local standards, Alaska has been sweltering this spring. Temperature records have been set across the state, including in Kotzebue, where the thermometer reached 42 degrees Fahrenheit on the last day of March  30 degrees above normal.

On Tuesday the unusual statewide warmth was confirmed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which released data showing that, overall, March temperatures were as much as 20 degrees above historical averages.

The heat is an extreme example of the general climate-change trend in the state, which shows that the Arctic is warming roughly twice as fast as other parts of the world. Northern Alaska is no stranger to temperature anomalies: In November 2017, readings in Utqiagvik, on the North Slope, were so high that NOAAs computers rejected them as faulty.

Two factors led to the March extremes, said Rick Thoman, a climate specialist with the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy in Fairbanks. One is the almost complete absence of ice in the Bering Sea, between Alaska and Russia. Open ocean is warmer than ice-covered ocean, and that helps heat the air over neighboring land.

As in the rest of the Arctic, sea ice in the Bering has been declining. But this year, a string of storms beginning in late January helped eliminate what little ice there was.
Addressing a working session with a high-level delegation of Germanys Thuringia State, led by its Minister President Bodo Ramelow, in Hanoi on April 8, Chung suggested that the two sides strengthen the sharing of experience and continue to carry out specific cooperation projects, especially in the areas of Hanois demand, such as labour, vocational training, the provision of highly technical medical equipment, digitalisation of databases, and smart city building.

He informed the guests of Hanois socio-economic development over the past few years and also touched on the major challenges currently faced by the city concerning the training of high-quality human resources, traffic congestion and environmental pollution.

One of Hanois efforts to deal with the aforementioned challenges is to accelerate cooperation with European countries, including Germany, Chung said, stating that modern the technological equipment of Germany and Thuringia State are quite suitable for Hanoi.

For his part, Minister President of Thuringia Bodo Ramelow affirmed that relations between Thuringia and Hanoi have been growing finely over recent times, with Thuringias businesses highly appreciating the learners from Vietnam.

He voiced his wish that Hanoi and Vietnam would continue to be a trusted partner of Thuringia, agreeing with the Hanoi mayor on the enhancement of experience sharing between the two sides and further bilateral cooperation in the handling of environmental pollution issues and vocational training.

The high-ranking delegation of Germanys Thuringia State, led by its Minister President Bodo Ramelow, is paying a working visit to Vietnam (Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City) from April 6 to 13, at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.
A 3km stretch of narrow road in the village of Taojia, Chinas Shaanxi Province, has been dubbed the worlds most well-lit road, with over 1,000 light posts lining it on both sides.

Street lights are usually installed 30 to 50 meters apart from each other, but in Taojia, they can be as close as 3 meters from each other, on both sides of the narrow road. Instead of making life easier for the drivers during the night, the large number of street lights have become a nuisance for them, as they have to be extra careful not to crash into one. And its not like the village road is thick with traffic anyway. In fact, a team of reporters recently visited the village to investigate this famous road and reported that no cars passed through during their hour-long stay. So why the absurd number of street lights? Well, apparently, the answer is money.

According to news reports in Chinese media, street lights started popping up along the 3km road linking the village of Taojia to nearby farms and vineyards in 2016, when it was announced that the land it traverses would be requisitioned by the local government for the expanding Xian International Trade & Logistics Park. In such cases, peoples properties are usually demolished and they receive compensation from the state, so people started raising money for street lights so they could demand a higher compensation.

HSW News reports that according to data provided by the Taojia village committee, in 2018 there were over 1,000 street lights in place on both sides of the now famous 3km road, each priced at around $1,000. However, over half of them dont even work, which is considered further proof that the farmers were only trying to rip off the government.

Unfortunately for the people hoping to cash out on their brilliant investment, government authorities issued a statement to Chinese media outlets informing them that the street lights are not included in the compensation plan. In fact, they add that village officials were repeatedly instructed to inform locals about this, but that didnt stop people from putting up more metal poles.

The people who installed the 1,000+ street lights had until April 5th to dismantle them themselves, or risk seeing them bulldozed without receiving any compensation.



Sources from the local government have acknowledged that better inspection and supervision are required to prevent such problems from arising in the future.


Nathaniel Brown

Nathaniel Brown, who was senior VP-corporate affairs & media relations at 21st Century Fox, has shifted to Discovery Inc. as executive VP-global communications.

Walt Disney Co. completed the acquisition of key 21CF assets on March 20. At 21CF, Brown also served as deputy global communications chief for its cable, broadcast, film and pay assets.

Based in New York, Brown will report to David Leavy, Discovery's chief corporate operations officer.

Prior to 21CF, Brown led corporate communications for MTV, served as senior VP-communications at XM Satellite Radio and worked in Sony BMG's PR unit.

He began his career at Dan Klores Communications.

Discovery earned $594M on $10.5B revenues in 2018.

Key brands are Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Travel Channel, Animal Planet, Science Channel and OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.


Bernie Sanders

Did Bernie Sanders know famed bank robber Willie Sutton, who is supposed to have said that he robs banks because that's where the money is? Brooklyn-born Sutton, who denied saying the above, died in 1980 at the age of 79.

Brooklyn-born Sanders apparently took Sutton's purported aphorism to heart with his decision to hold a town hall sponsored by Fox News on April 15 in Bethlehem, PA.

Much to the chagrin of the Democratic National Committee, The Bern plans to do Fox because that where the voters are, an especially important group in a swing state like Pennsylvania.

DNC chair Tom Perez issued an edict March 6, declaring that Fox News would neither host nor televise the party's presidential primary debates. He made that move in a fit of pique following Jane Mayer's takedown of Fox in her New Yorker article, in which she branded Rupert Murdoch's pride and joy as nothing more than a propaganda arm of president Trump.

To that bombshell revelation, Bernie replies, "Duh." The Vermont Senator distinguishes between propaganda machine Fox and its viewers.

A Morning Consult/Hollywood Reporter poll released today finds that 70 percent of Republicans consider Fox a "credible" news source.

That's far better than the Democratic-leaning New York Times and CNN, both of which have withstood withering almost daily "enemy of the people" rants by Trump.

Republicans swallowed Trump's tirades hook, line and sinker as the credibility ratings of the NYT and CNN plunged 20 points since the 2016 election to 32 percent.

Sanders understands he won't win new voters by preaching to the NYT and CNN choir. He becomes a more credible candidate, in the eyes of the GOP, just by showing some guts and appearing on their most trusted network.

Or as Sanders told the Huffington Post:

"If you check where I go, and where I will go into this campaign, Im not just going to go into blue districts. Youve got to go into areas where people are. Working people need to know the truth, and that is that Donald Trump betrayed them, lied to them. And I intend to do that."

The DNC says it doesn't have a problem with Bernie doing Fox. The Senator, though, probably doesn't give a fig about the DNC. He believes establishment hacks at the DNC did everything they could to rob him of the 2016 nomination and hand it to Hillary Clinton.

In appearing on Fox, The Bern burns the DNC and may pick up some voters as a bonus. That's a win-win.
California Rep. Ted Lieu Makes Candace Owens Visibly Angry After Playing Her Hitler Comments During White Nationalism Hearing Elijah C. Watson Elijah Watson serves as Okayplayer's News & Culture Editor. When

During the hearing Owens also claimed that the GOPs Southern strategy was a myth.

Previous comments Candace Owens said about Adolf Hitler recently resurfaced during a hearing on the rise of white nationalism.

READ: Candace Owens Reacts To Being Called An Influence In New Zealand Mosque Shooters Alleged Manifesto

Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu of California played video of Owens controversial remarks during the hearing, which the black conservative commentator was invited to testify at. She was among eight witnesses on the panel.

Of all the people that Republicans could have selected, they picked Candace Owens, Lieu said before sharing the clip. I dont know Ms. Owens. Im not going to characterize her. Im going to let her own words do the talking.

Lieu then shared a 30 second clip of Owens speaking at a conference in London late last year where she was answering questions about nationalism.

.@TedLieu just played Candace Owens' comments on Hitler and nationalism during the hearing on white nationalism. She looks less than pleased. pic.twitter.com/AwOLiGhQkK  jordan (@JordanUhl) April 9, 2019

I think that the definition gets poisoned by elitists that actually want globalism. Globalism is what I dont want, Owens said then. Whenever we say nationalism, the first thing people think about, at least in America, is Hitler. You know, he was a national socialist, but if Hitler just wanted to make Germany great and have things run well, OK, fine.

The problem is that he wanted  he had dreams outside of Germany, she continued. He wanted to globalize. He wanted everybody to be German, everybody to be speaking German. Everybody to look a different way. Thats not, to me, thats not nationalism. In thinking about how we could go bad down the line, I dont really have an issue with nationalism. I really dont. I think that its OK.

In Congressional hearings, the minority party gets to select its own witnesses. The @GOP picked Candace Owens to testify in @HouseJudiciary hearing later this morning. This is what she has said: "If Hitler just wanted to make Germany great and have things run well, okay fine." https://t.co/CwtLW1NDWg  Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) April 9, 2019

After sharing the clip, Lieu asked Eileen Hershenov if peoples attempts to legitimize Hitler fed into white nationalist ideology.

It does, Mr. Lieu, Hershenov, who serves as the senior vice president for policy at the Anti-Defamation League  an organization that focuses on combating anti-Semitism  responded. I know that Ms. Owens distanced herself from those comments later, but we expressed great concern over the original comments.

Later in the hearing, Owens called out Lieu for playing the video.

I think its pretty apparent that Mr. Lieu believes that black people are stupid and will not pursue the full clip, she said. Im deeply offended by the insinuation of revealing that clip without the question that was asked of me.

She also discussed white nationalism, white supremacy, and racism, saying that words that once held real meaning, have now become nothing more than election strategies.

The hearing today is not about white nationalism or hate crimes  its about fear-mongering, power, and control, Owens said. the goal here is to scare blacks, Hispanics, gays, and Muslims into helping [Democrats] censor dissenting opinions, ultimately into helping them regain control.

Elsewhere in the hearing, Owens also claimed that the GOPs Southern strategy was a myth. She argued that black conservatives are criticized for having the audacity to think for themselves and become educated about our history and the myth of things like the Southern switch, the Southern strategy, which never happened.

Candace Owens declares that the Southern Strategy is a myth, "that never happened" pic.twitter.com/CRCQEeGbk7  Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) April 9, 2019

Following the remarks, people took to Twitter to counter Owens claim, including Ava DuVernay.

The director shared a scene from her 13th documentary, where Ronald Reagans political strategist, Lee Atwater, was caught on tape explaining the Southern strategy.

The Southern Strategy succeeded in many ways, DuVernay wrote with the video. One was on display today in front of the House Judiciary Committee in the form of a black woman spouting revisionist history about pain suffered by black people, suggesting the Strategy never existed. Keep your eyes open, beloveds.
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78 lakh voters set to elect 6 candidates in a tense J&K poll

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Jammu, Apr 09: The fate of several candidates contesting the elections in Jammu and Kashmir would be decided by 78 lakh voters of which 38 lakh are women.

J&K would elect six candidates, who will be facing the polls in five phases starting from Thursday.

There are 4.25 lakh new voters of which 159 are transgenders. Further there are 47,216 people with disabilities, while 1,433 are VIP voters. Among the new voters inducted into the voters list, over 2.60 lakh are in the age group of 18 and 21.

The ten districts of Kashmir have 39,99,959 voters, which includes 19,36,220 women. There are 92 transgenders in the ten districts.

The Jammu region with the same number of districts have 36,71,197 voters. The list comprises 17,53,939 when and 63 transgenders. The Ladakh region comprising Leh and Kargil districts have 1,71,819 voters. This region polls in the last phase and has 85,064 women voters and three transgenders.

J&K voter seeks better employment opportunity, unhappy with handling of terror

The biggest challenge for the Election Commission is Baramulla parliamentary constituency. Polling in this constituency located in North Kashmir will be held in five phases starting April 11. This constituency has the highest number of voters-20,05,730.

There are 9,64,834 women and 20 transgenders.

The highest number of candidates are in the Jammu Lok Sabha seat. This seat covers the districts of Jammu, Samba, Poonch and Rajouri. Jugal Kishore of the BJP is contesting this seat and it may be recalled that he had won the elections here in 2014.

In Jammu, the Congress candidate Raman Bhalla is contesting with the support of the National Conference. The PDP has not fielded any candidate to ensure that the secular votes are not split.
Attack on BJP convoy bears signature of new naxal chief Nambala Keshav Rao

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Apr 09: When Basava Raju alias Nambala Keshav Rao took over as the new naxal chief, it was a signal that the Maoists were making a tactical shift. He took over as the chief from Muppala Lakshman Rao alias Ganapathy, who is 72 years old.

The naxalites were trying to signal that they wanted a younger chief in place, who is known for his aggression. The signal was clear and the naxalites wanted to make their movement extremely aggressive before the elections.

[Naxalites attack BJP convoy: An intelligence alert warned of similar attacks in March]

Sources tell OneIndia, the attack on the BJP convoy, which left five including its MLA dead clearly bears the signature of Rao. In March, the Intelligence Bureau had warned that Rao is mobilising cadres in a big way to target the Indian elections.

Nambala Keshav Rao, who originally hails from Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh. The decision to change the leader was taken as the naxalites wanted a younger man to head the outfit.

Moreover a large number of the cadres felt that in order to get more aggressive, a new and young leader should be appointed. Ganapathy has headed the CPI (Maoist) since it was formed in 2004. The outfit was merged with the Peoples' War Group, CPI (Marxist-Lennist) and the Maoist Communist Centre of India.

With a change in leadership, the naxalites wanted to infuse fresh life into the movement. With the security agencies attaining major success in bringing down the naxal spread, the cadres felt the need for a regime change. Further the number of naxal surrenders have gone up and each one of them has cited disillusionment as the primary reason. It may be recalled that earlier this week a total of 64 naxalites surrendered in Chhattisgarh stating that they were disillusioned with the ideology.

After Rao took over, including the BJP convoy attack, there have been three major incidents and the modus operandi suggests that the new strategy is more aggressive. The first was killing of the two leaders at Araku. They were surrounded by 50 naxals and ten of them opened fire on the two leaders.

The other incident took place in Chhattisgarh when a Doordarshan cameraman and two security personnel were killed. Both according to the security agencies were hits ordered by the new chief.

Who is Nambala Keshav Rao:

Rao took over as the chief of the CPI (Maoist), which was formed in 2004, following the merger with the Peoples' War Group, CPI (Marxist-Lennist) and the Maoist Communist Centre of India.

Rao, an aggressive planner and strategist hails from Andhra Pradesh. His address has been listed as, "VillageJiyannapet, PS & Mandalam-Kotabommali, Dist-Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh." He is the son of late N Vasudeva Rao.

He is an engineering graduate from the Regional Engineering College, Warrangal, which is now called the National Institute of Technology. He has been a second in command to Ganapathy and headed the Central Military Commission of the CPI (Maoists).

Intelligence Bureau officials describe him as an aggressive cadre and a key strategist. He specialises in use of improvised explosive devices. He has been responsible for training several cadres in the use of IEDs.

As the head of the CMC or Central Military Commission, he was responsible for planning and directing guerrilla activity. He was also in charge of chalking out the strategy and source arms and ammunition. He was also the overall in charge of the sub committees such as the Zonal Military Committee and Special Area Military Committee.

He is also well versed with the key areas that the naxals control in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Chattisgarh.

When asked if there were differences between Ganapathy and Rao, officials said that they are most likely to work together. The movement would continue to draw from the ideology of Ganapathy, while Rao would be used for his military skills. He would also be tasked with bringing in new cadres into the movement. For long now, the naxalites have been speaking about the need for a second rung leadership. With Rao at the helm, he would be responsible for building that as well, officials also said.
Bhandara-Gondia constituency: Will the Kunbis stayed united or split the Cong-BJP votes

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Mumbai, Apr 09: In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the Bhandara-Gondia seat in Maharashtra comfortably. However in the by-elections of 2018, it was the Congress-NCP which took this seat away from the BJP.

The 2018 by-election was necessitated after BJP MP, Nana Patole quit the party after complaining about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This time the contest has become interesting yet again and it is difficult to pick a clear winner.

Give us jobs, we will vote for you, say Maharashtra voters

This time there is no Patole as he is contesting against BJP heavyweight Nitin Kumar in Nagpur. The Maharashtra government in a bid to capture the paddy farmers has announced a Rs 500 per quintal bonus.

The battle in Bhandara-Gondia is between Sunil Mendhe of the BJP and Nana Panchbuddhe of the Congress-NCP. Mendhe, who is the chairman of the municipal corporation is fighting his first election against Mendhe who has been a former minister and a veteran of several polls.

If one leaves aside the 2018 verdict, this constituency is a stronghold of the BJP. It holds the five assembly constituencies of Morgan-Arjuni, Tiroda, Bhandara and Sakoli. The Congress which holds the Gondia assembly seat would rely heavily on Praful Patel, who has won three elections from this constituency. He moved to the Rajya Sabha after the losing the 2014 battle to Patole, who was then with the BJP.

The debutant Mendhe, who is open about his in-experience, invokes Narendra Modi heavily during his election rallies.

The constituency has nearly 18 lakh voters and the most dominant caste are the Kunbis, who alone are 4 lakh in number. The Telis are 3.25 lakh in number, followed by 2.25 lakh Powars. The SCs and Muslims are 3.5 lakh and 50,000 in number respectively. The fishermen community or the Dhivars are 1 lakh in number.

Congress fooled people for 50 years, alleges Maharashtra CM

The 2014 win has largely been attributed to the Modi wave. However in the 2018 by-elections Madhukar Kukde of the NCP who hails from the the Kunbi community won largely owing to the caste factor.

The mix is an interesting one this time and the possibility of a split in the Kunbi votes is not ruled out as both the candidates belong to that community. Also adding to the mix is Rajendra Patle from the Powar community, who left the BJP to contest as an independent.

The others in the fray are Vijay Nandurkar of the Bahujan Samajh Party (BSP) and K H Nanne of the Prakash Ambedkar-led Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM). In the 2018 by-elections, Nanne who belongs to the Dhivar community had secured around 40,000 votes.
Chhattisgarh, Punjab govts announce Rs 50 lakh to families of farmers run over in UP

Chhattisgarh's horrific accident: Nobody will be spared, justice will be done: CM Baghel

BJP legislator among five killed in Maoist attack in Dantewada

India

oi-Deepika S

Dantewada, Apr 09: BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi and four security personnel were killed on Tuesday when Naxalites triggered an IED blast that hit their convoy in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada.

The incident occurred at Shyamgiri hills when the MLA's convoy was heading towards Kuwakonda from Bacheli area. Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has called a high level meeting.

The Naxalites blew up a vehicle in the convoy with an IED and opened fire at the occupants.

The group of BJP leaders, including MLA Bheema Mandavi, was travelling for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections when it was targeted by the Naxals.

The IED (improvised explosive device) blast triggered by Naxals hit the two-vehicle convoy as it passed the area near Shyamgiri hills, said officials.

Attack on BJP convoy bears signature of new naxal chief Nambala Keshav Rao

Mandavi, who was in the second car, was en route to Kuankonda from Kirandul after presiding over a meeting of the BJP's Mahila Morcha (women's wing). He was going to check the poll-preparedness of party workers there. The explosion targeted the first car, which had security personnel travelling in it.

The second car, with Mandavi, was showered upon by bullets. Central Reserve Police Force personnel were rushed to the spot. The firing is still under way.

A group of CRPF personnel has been rushed to the spot in Shyamgiri under Kuakonda Police Station in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada.

In a similar incident in 2014 in the area, the Naxals had laid an ambush, killing seven security personnel.

Dantewada, perhaps the most affected region when it comes to Naxal militancy, falls under the Bastar Lok Sabha constituency, which is slated to go to polls on April 11. The campaigning for the polls ended a few minutes ago.
Bypolls in Karnataka, Goa to be held on May 19

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Apr 09: Bypoll to the Panaji assembly seat, which fell vacant following the demise of Manohar Parrikar, will be held on May 19, the Election Commission announced Tuesday. The poll panel also announced bypolls to four assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu and one in Karnataka.

The notification for the six by-elections will be issued on April 22, which will start the nomination process.

The bypolls will be held on May 19, coinciding with the last phase of the Lok Sabha elections. The counting will be held on May 23, along with that of the parliamentary polls.

EC suffering from credibility crisis: 66 former civil servants write to President Kovind

Parrikar was sworn-in as the Goa chief minister in 2017 after he won from Panaji. He had earlier been the defence minister in the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government.

In order to allow him entry into the state assembly, Panaji MLA Siddharth Kuncolienkar had resigned on May 10, 2017, after which the bypoll was held. Parrikar died of a pancreatic ailment on March 17.

The assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu where by-election was announced are Sulur, Arevakurichi, Thiruparankundaram and Ottapidaram.

Kundgol in Karnataka will also go for a bypoll. The bypoll was necessitated after Karnataka Municipal Administration minister and three-time MLA from the constituency C S Shivalli passed away in March due to cardiac arrest.

PTI

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, April 9, 2019, 17:33 [IST]
State vs national issues: Key lessons for the BJP to learn in Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Haryana

Chhattisgarh: BJP faces tough challenge from Congress in Raigarh

India

oi-PTI

Raigarh, Apr 09: Buoyed by its performance in the Chhattisgarh Assembly polls last year, the Congress is making a serious attempt to make a dent into Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s bastion of Raigarh, a Lok Sabha seat which the saffron party has been winning for last two decades.

The seat, reserved for Scheduled Tribe candidates, is considered 'safe' for the BJP as its sitting MP and Union minister Vishnu Deo Sai has been representing it since 1999, winning four times in a row.

However, after facing a drubbing in the Assembly polls in Chhattisgarh, where it ruled for 15 years, the BJP has dropped all its sitting MPs in the state and given tickets to new faces for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Congress factionalism behind raids against Kamal Nath aides?

In Raigarh, the BJP has fielded a woman candidate, Gomtee Sai, against Congress' Laljeet Singh Rathiya, who is the sitting MLA from Dharamjaigarh Assembly seat.

In the last year's state polls, the Congress won all eight Assembly segments - Jashpur, Kunkuri and Patthalgaon (in Jashpur district), Lailunga, Dharamjaigarh, Sarangarh, Kharsiya and Raigarh (Raigarh district) - falling under this Lok Sabha constituency.

"The BJP is likely to struggle this time to match its previous performance in Raigarh. Being a lesser known leader, Gomtee Sai will face a tough challenge in the election," said a political analyst.

Though Rathiya, a two-term MLA, is also a low-profile leader, but his political background could add to his advantage, he said.

His father Chanesh Ram Rathiya was a seven-term MLA from seats in the region and served as a minister in the previous Madhya Pradesh Congress-led governments before Chhattisgarh state was formed.

His maternal grandfather Umed Singh Rathiya was an MP from Raigarh in 1971, he pointed out. Sai, who heads the Jashpur district panchayat, is the first woman candidate fielded by the BJP from the seat.

The Congress earlier fielded women candidates eight times from Raigarh.

According to a political observer, elephant menace, human-trafficking and displacement of tribals due to coal mining are some of the key issues faced by people in the constituency for last several years.

BJP leader and former Raigarh seat MLA Roshanlal Agrawal said voters in the Lok Sabha constituency will acknowledge the work done by his party.

"The development works done during the previous 15- year rule of Raman Singh in the state and by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centre will definitely convince voters to chose the BJP candidate. Sai will continue the party's winning streak in the seat," Agrawal said.

On the other side, the Congress also expressed confidence of winning the seat, saying it has taken farm welfare measures after coming to power in the state.

"We fulfilled our poll promises of farm loan waiver, high minimum support price for paddy procurement, and many more. People will show faith in us in the Lok Sabha polls because we have done what we promised," said state higher education minister Umesh Patel, an MLA from Kharsiya seat.

The state has 11 Lok Sabha seats where elections will be held in three phases on April 11, 18 and 23. Total 14 candidates are in fray from Raigarh seat, which will go to polls in the third phase. There are 17,31,655 voters in Raigarh, including 8,68,308 women, 8,63,319 men and 28 of the third gender.

As per demographics, the Scheduled Tribes constitute around 50 per cent of the total voters in the constituency, followed by the Other Backward Classes - 25 per cent and the Scheduled Castes - 20 per cent.

PTI
Cong manifesto soft on terror, its views on Army similar to those of Pak, says PM Modi

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, Apr 9: Attacking the Congress over its manifesto, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said its election pledges are soft on terror and echo views on the Army that are similar to those of Pakistan.

In an interview to CNN-News 18, he said the Congress manifesto talks about removing the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) which amounts to sending soldiers to the gallows. He also exuded confidence that the BJP will again form the government with a bigger mandate as compared to 2014.

"There is a world of difference on many parameters. We are at the crossroads of eliminating terrorism. Terrorists are demoralised, we are winning a psychological war against them. Instead (of backing such efforts), the Congress manifesto is soft on terror. Their views on the Army are similar to those of Pakistan," Modi said in the interview which was broadcast on Tuesday. "No patriot will tolerate this language", he said.

[Demonetisation biggest scam, agencies don't take action, claims Congress]

"Their manifesto talks about removing AFSPA. This amounts to making a soldier weaponless. Is this right," the Prime Minister asked.

On whether the controversial law will be dealt in a time-bound manner, Modi said it is necessary to first create an environment where AFSPA would be unnecessary. He also cited an example of Arunachal Pradesh where it was revoked from a few districts.

"We then revoked it from some states. We were the first to take such a step since 1980. But we have maintained law and order. The government must have the power to protect its armed forces. Only then will they have the morale to fight. Removing AFSPA from J&K is the same as sending our soldiers to the gallows. I will never let this happen to our soldiers," he said. Modi asserted that Pulwama was an "exception" and terror attacks in the country have considerably come down. It is mostly encounters between security forces and terrorists in Kashmir, he said.

Modi also asserted that the armed forces had already "neutralised" those behind the Pulwama terror attack. He said since India did not retaliate after the 26/11 terror strike and the attack on Parliament, this "emboldened" Pakistan. "This time, we thought no more. We had conducted surgical strikes after Uri as well, but this time we felt that was not the answer. Air strike was the better option, so we took that option, and we were successful. And I believe we did this in consultation, taking everyone into confidence," he said.

Responding to a question on China using its veto power at the United Nations on terrorist Masood Azhar, Modi said as far as Beijing's stand on international issues goes, each country takes its own decisions in its own manner.

"As we do, in some matters, we take Palestine's side, in others we take Israel's side. Sometimes we back Iran, sometimes the Arab nations. All countries have their own strategies in their national interest," Modi said.

There was a time when India had only Russia's support on the international stage and the rest of the world was with Pakistan, while today the entire situation has changed, he said. "Now only China stands with Pakistan and the rest of the world with India. We must understand this change. This is proof of our success," he said.

Praising BJP president Amit Shah, Modi said he is the "most hard-working of all leaders". "I don't think any national party leader works as hard as Amit Shah throughout the year. Not just during elections, Amit Shah meets local party workers and understands issues on the ground. The BJP is benefitting from this level of hard work. I therefore trust his assessment all the more," he said.

PTI
Congress condemns Chhattisgarh Naxal attack, Rahul terms it 'very tragic' incident

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, Apr 9: The Congress on Tuesday condemned the Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district in which a BJP MLA and four security personnel were killed, with party president Rahul Gandhi terming it a "very tragic" incident.

BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi and the four security personnel were killed on Tuesday when their convoy was attacked by Naxalites in Dantewada district, two days before the first-phase elections in the state, police said.

[PM Modi condemns Dantewada attack, says 'Sacrifices won't go in vain']

"The naxal attack in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh is very tragic. I pray to God for the peace to the departed soul and strength to the families of those killed," Gandhi tweeted. The Congress, on its official Twitter handle, wrote, "We strongly condemn the Naxal attack on the BJP convoy in Chattisgarh. Our deepest condolences to the families of the brave security personnel and Shri Bheema Mandavi (sic)."

The incident occurred at Shyamagiri hills when the BJP MLA's convoy was heading towards Kuwakonda from Bacheli area, which is about 450 km from state capital Raipur.

The Naxalites blew up a vehicle in the convoy with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and opened fire at the occupants. The MLA and four security personnel were killed in the attack, police officials said.

PTI
Madhya Pradesh: Ruckus in school over 'religious conversion' of eight students in Vidisha; rioting case filed

Congress factionalism behind raids against Kamal Nath aides?

India

oi-Hardeep Singh Bedi

New Delhi, April 09: The factionalism within the Congress might be the reason behind the Income Tax raids at Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath's close aides, says a well-informed source.

It's notable that the Income Tax (IT) Department on April 07 raided 52 locations, including in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh, belonging to close aides of Kamal Nath and others on charges of tax evasion and hawala transactions.

"The talk in the political circles of Madhya Pradesh is that Kamal Nath's opponents within the Congress party have given tip to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led Central government" says the source, who hails from Madhya Pradesh.

Cash recovered linked to headquarter of major party: CBDT on MP raids

When asked why would they do so, he says, "They don't want to see Kamal Nath repeating success of Assembly elections in the Lok Sabha elections as it would push him more closer to the Gandhi family."

He says that the raid will affect the Congress' campaign in the state.

"Now the Congress would find it very difficult to contest Madhya Pradesh Lok Sabha elections effectively. The seized money was definitely meant to be used in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the state," says the source.

It's notable that news agency PTI has quoted IT Department sources as saying that there is a "strong possibility" of this cash being used as an election inducement to fund political campaigns and bribe voters in the poll-bound state and in Delhi.

The source also says that though Ashwin Sharma, an associate of Praveen Kakkar, Kamal Nath's former private secretary, claimed of being a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) man, but he has been helping the Congress.

The source also adds that that there is no doubt that the raids are politically motivated.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has taken a note of raids against the opposition leaders.

It has written to the government and directed it to act against the use of black money during elections in a neutral manner.

Also Read | All you need to know about Dhanbad constituency

In a letter addressed to the Revenue Secretary, the ECI said, "The Election Commission would like to strongly advise that all enforcement actions during the election period, even when conducted ruthlessly with a view to curb this blatant electoral malpractice, should be absolutely neutral, impartial and non- discriminatory."

In March, the IT Department raided the premises of retired Uttar Pradesh-cadre IAS officer and aide to BSP chief Mayawati Net Ram on charges of alleged tax evasion and recovered cash worth Rs 1.04 crore along with detection of properties worth Rs 225 crore.
CPI(M) knocks EC's door as PM asks first time voters to vote for Balakot strike men

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, Apr 9: The Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPI-M) wrote to the Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday alleging violation of the poll panel's directive after Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a rally in Maharashtra asked first-time voters to dedicate their votes to the brave men who carried out the air strike in Pakistan's Balakot.

In the letter, the party's politburo member Nilotpal Basu urged the poll panel to "strongly initiate" appropriate action to stop the pre-election atmosphere from being vitiated, which is fast degenerating towards polarisation.

"With deep anguish we are drawing your attention to the latest violation of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. He is also violating the specific direction of the EC to refrain from invoking the armed forces for seeking votes," Basu wrote. Addressing an election rally in Maharashtra's Latur, Modi said, "I want to tell the first time voters, can you dedicate your first vote to the the brave men who carried out the airstrike in Pakistan's Balakot? "Can your first vote be dedicated to the brave martyrs of the Pulwama (terror attack)?"

[NE people to be consulted before bringing up citizenship bill: Kiren Rijiju]

The EC had last month asked all political parties to desist from using photographs of defence personnel as part of their election propaganda or campaigning. The CPI(M) has also drawn the poll body's attention to the "brazenly provocative" statement of Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

"In his election campaign he asserted that they did not need votes from those wearing 'dhothis and lungis' alluding to linguistic and religious minorities in the state. The situation in Assam is quite vulnerable. A custodial death took place in the Goalpara detention camp run by the state government. "The detention camps for so called doubtful voters were to be dismantled as per BJP's electoral commitments. However, not only has this assurance not implemented, but new camps have come up notwithstanding the process of Supreme Court monitored up-gradation of National Register of Citizens," Basu wrote.

Accusing the poll body of not dealing with earlier complaints with "firmness", the Left leader said that even the case of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who called the Army "Modiji ki sena", was treated "lightly".

"We urge you to strongly initiate appropriate action to stop the pre-election atmosphere from being vitiated which is fast degenerating towards polarization based on identity and assertion of national symbol for partisan electoral interests," he said.

PTI
Deal Pakistan such a blow that nothing remains of it, Uddhav Thackeray tells Modi

India

oi-PTI

Ausa, Apr 09: Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deal Pakistan such a blow that nothing remains of it to mess with India. Addressing a poll rally here with Modi, their first since the Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced their tie-up for the Lok Sabha polls, Thackeray also welcomed the BJP's manifesto.

He said the promises made in the BJP manifesto were the reason the two ruling parties joined forces ahead of the polls. In the manifesto released on Monday, the BJP has reiterated its commitment towards construction of Ram temple and abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution. It also announced a welfare scheme for farmers if voted to power.

"Our government today doesn't just talk about teaching Pakistan a lesson," Thackeray said. "Pradhan Mantri ji, our only expectation from you now is that deal Pakistan such a blow that nothing of it remains to mess (with India) again," he said.

Modi asks first-time voters to vote for 'those who carried out air strike'" title=" Modi asks first-time voters to vote for 'those who carried out air strike'" /> Modi asks first-time voters to vote for 'those who carried out air strike'

Thackeray also attacked the Congress for alleging that the BJP manifesto repeated the NDA major's 2014 poll promises. The Sena chief said it was the Congress manifesto which was filled with lies.

He criticised the Congress' 'Nyay' scheme that aims to help the poor by ensuring minimum income guarantee. "Rahul (Gandhi) ji, the poverty eradication slogan was given by your grandmother (late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi). Your poverty vanished, but when the poverty of the poor will disappear? We will do it," Thackeray said.

On the Prime Minister's Crop Insurance Scheme, Thackeray said companies were cheating farmers and asked Modi to "straighten them". "The insurance companies should have offices in each district (for the convenience of farmers)," he said.

In his speech, Modi called Uddhav his 'younger brother' and recalled that the Congress had 'withdrawn' citizenship of late Bal Thackeray. Union minister Ramdas Athawale and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also addressed the rally. BJP-Sena alliance candidates from Latur and Osmanabad Lok Sabha seats were also present.

PTI
'Dilution of AFSPA, stand on Article 370'; Congress' promises suit Pakistan, says Modi

India

oi-Vikas SV

Latur, Apr 9: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday tore into Congress over its stand on Article 370 and certain assurances made in its manifesto, and said that the promise to dilute the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) is something that would suit Pakistan.

"Congress wants to give an open license to anti nationals...this is exactly what Pakistan wants...how can you trust such a party?" Modi said in Latur, Maharashtra, where he shared dais with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray after almost 28 months.

Your pick, Modi or chaos says BJP

The Prime Minister said Pakistan would not have existed in first place if it was not for decisions taken by the Congress in 1947. He also attacked the Congress over its stand on Article 370.

"The Congress says Article 370 won't be removed. The language of the Congress' 'Dhakosala Patra' is the same as Pakistan's. They have promised to hold talks with chaotic forces in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan wants the same thing to happen," he said in Latur.

Modi had earlier called Congress' manifesto, which was released on April 2, as 'Dhakosala Patra' (Full of sham).

He said several assurances given by the Congress in its manifesto would suit Pakistan's position on Jammu and Kashmir and terrorism.

"The Congress has announced that those who abuse the nation, work for breaking India into many pieces by doing away with the law of sedition. Pakistan wants the same," PM Modi said adding, "Can you trust such a Congress? Can you trust their allies?"

"They (Congress) are saying that sedition law would be scrapped, Congress should look in the mirror first. Talking about human rights does not suit them. Congress had snatched away Bala Sahab Thackeray's voting rights," PM Modi said.

Modi also hit out at Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar for being part of the same alliance in which there is National Conference (NC). NC vice-president Omar Abdullah had said that his party would not allow any attacks on J&K's special status and would seek restoration of terms of accession of the state, including the provision for 'Sadr-e-Riyasat' (president) and prime minister posts.

We will oust every single infiltrator if voted to power again: Amit Shah

"Congress and NCP are now standing with those who advocate for a separate PM in J&K. Sharad sahab, you are standing with such people! The country has no expectations with Congress party but Sharad Sahab you! Does it suit you?" said Modi.

PM Modi also made an appeal to the first time voters. "The first-time-voters must vote in the name of the nation," he said in Latur.

The election to the 543-member Lok Sabha which will held in seven phases beginning on April 11 and ending on May 19. The counting will take place on May 23.
EC suffering from credibility crisis: 66 former civil servants write to President Kovind

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Apr 09: With elections just days away, as many as 66 former civil servants have written a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind expressing concern over the working of the Election Commission of India (ECI), which they said was "suffering from credibility crisis, thereby "endangering the integrity of the electoral process."

It appealed to the poll body through President Ram Nath Kovind to conduct itself in a manner where its "independence, fairness, impartiality and efficiency are not questioned".

The letter comes at a time when the Opposition parties have been crying foul about decisions of the poll panel being blatantly favouring the BJP and its allies.

Predicting results during polling period violation of law: EC to media

"We are distressed to note the misuse, abuse and blatant disregard of the model code of conduct by the ruling party at the Centre and the EC's pusillanimity in coming down with a heavy hand on these violations," a India Today report quoted from the letter.

"The ECI's independence, fairness, impartiality and efficiency are perceived to be compromised today, thereby endangering the integrity of the electoral process which is the very foundation of Indian democracy. We are distressed to note the misuse, abuse and blatant disregard of the Model Code of Conduct by the ruling party at the Centre."

The letter lists "glaring instances" wherein the EC is believed to have acted in a partisan manner.
K'taka HC grants interim relief to Twitter India MD, asks cops not to take coercive steps against him

Ghaziabad: A battle to watch out for as former army boss takes on SP-BSP

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Anuj Cariappa

New Delhi, Apr 09: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is banking on issues of development and national security as it takes on the infallible Samajwadi Party (SP)-Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)-Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) combine in Ghaziabad, where a resurgent Congress in urban areas has made it a keen contest.

Spread over Loni, Muradnagar, Sahibabad, Ghaziabad and Dhaulana assembly segments, the constituency has 27 lakh voters, up from the 23 lakh in 2014 when the BJP's V K Singh rode high on the "Modi wave" and won with a thumping majority.

VK Singh fumes at his 'traitor' remark being allegedly twisted, uses "Presstitute" again

The former Army chief, who was labelled as an "outsider" because of his Haryana origin and still fighting that tag, had raked in 7.58 lakh votes, 56 per cent of the total votes polled. He alone had pulled nearly two lakh more votes than the 14 other candidates and NOTA combined.

Among the 12 candidates in the fray are the Singh (67), Congress' Dolly Sharma (33), an MBA with political lineage, and the SP's Suresh Bansal (70), a former MLA backed by the BSP, RLD and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanth have been here multiple times in recent months.

"Development, nationalism and national security are our key poll planks this time," Prithvi Singh, a six-time BJP state executive member, told .

The BJP is counting on the extension of metro rail line, the work on NH-24 and opening a domestic terminal at the Hindon airport.

Singh, the minister of state for external affairs, reiterated bringing in projects worth Rs 32,000 crore, including a regional rail transport system (RRTS) that would connect Delhi and Meerut via Ghaziabad.

Ghaziabad also moved from 351st rank in cleanliness index in 2017 to 13th in 2018.

"Some works have been done and some others remain in pipeline. If we do not get another chance, those works may not get completed," he added.

The SP claims that nothing more has come to Ghaziabad since the Akhilesh Yadav government was succeeded by the BJP.

"People are angry over the local issues. In fact, the BJP workers have admitted, but hesitantly, that they cannot get work done. The MP should be local and available to the people. The traders and businessmen are unhappy about GST and demonetisation," said Sanjay Yadav, former Ghaziabad president of the SP.

The Congress claims that the BJP had given nothing to Ghaziabad.

"People are paying tax and they deserve better facilities. Basic infrastructure and traffic problems are an issue. The MP has done nothing on these fronts," Congress spokesperson Rajiv Tyagi said. He points out that his party has a plan for industrial panning and hassle-free traffic in Ghaziabad.

"When the BJP can waive loans of farmers, why cannot they do it for the poor, the farmers? Our state governments have proved this can be done," Tyagi said.

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Lawyer-activist Neeraj Saxena, 56, claimed that the constituency was suffering from rampant illegal construction, encroachment, poor healthcare and transport system.

"We are taxpayers. We deserve basic amenities and it is the responsibility of elected representatives to deliver that," said Saxena, a Ghaziabad resident since birth.

Political observers believe civic issues might influence voting among the mixed, urban crowd of Sahibabad (9.48 lakh) and Ghaziabad (4.48 lakh), while caste factor may play an important role in Loni (4.91 lakh), Muradnagar (4.43 lakh) and Dhaulana (3.94 lakh) segments.

Considered a BJP stronghold with a combined Brahmin-Vaishya voters, a traditional supporter of the party in the region, of around 10 lakh, the constituency is also home to six lakh Scheduled Castes, 5.5 lakh Muslims, 1.5 lakh Jats, around 50,000 Yadavs, among others in the electorate, according to poll observers.

"We are likely to win again but our victory margin may go down. The alliance (SP-BSP-RLD) is going to make some impact. Yadavs and Muslims won't support us. It's the Jat votes that will get divided," a senior local BJP leader told requesting anonymity.

Congress' Tyagi claimed that his party's vote bank is intact and the Congress candidate has appeal in urban areas, even as the BJP's Singh said the "infighting" in the Congress will spell doom for it despite "no question mark on Dolly Sharma as an individual".

The SP's Yadav said even if the alliance candidate Bansal gets the vote share on the same trend as in 2014, the SP-BSP-RLD could breach this BJP seat.

Notably, the SP had initially planned to field Surendra Kumar Munni, its current district-unit president and a Brahmin face, but was replaced by Bansal, a Vaishya, after the Congress nominated Sharma, to ward off split in Brahmin votes.

"Honestly, this time there is not even the so-called Modi wave, so we are hopeful. Once we win, this Brahmin-Bania tag from Ghaziabad will also get removed. It's only because of the BJP," he said.

The AAP, which had last time got around 89,000 votes with Shazia Ilmi (who joined the BJP post 2014 polls) as its face, has stepped up campaign for consolidating anti-BJP votes.

"AAP has some influence in urban areas like Vaishali, Kaushambi and Indirapuram, so it may do something little but even that would matter if the fight gets close," he added.

Of the total voters in Ghaziabad, which goes to polls on Thursday during the first leg of the seven-phase election, 15.17 lakh are male, 12.08 lakh female and 109 third gender.
Has the Congress missed a big opportunity in Maharashtra?

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Mumbai, Apr 09: There are 48 seats up for grabs in Maharashtra that sends the maximum number of lawmakers to Parliament after Uttar Pradesh.

Over the past couple of years the BJP has made massive inroads in the state, which has traditionally been a Congress bastion. Ahead of the elections, the Congress-NCP stitched up an alliance, while the BJP-Shiv Sena buried their difference and decided to fight the elections together.

The Congress would be hoping to better its tally in the state where it won just two seats in 2014.

A host of issues:

The state has over the past five years witnessed a series of issues, which had the potential to put the BJP on the back-foot. The Maratha and farmer agitations were at the fore-front over the past five years and observers say that the Congress failed to take advantage of it. The biggest problem for the Congress is that it has not yet managed to convert that discontentment into votes.

The party also faced further embarrassment when Sujay, the son of opposition leader in the assembly, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil joined the BJP. This incident has put a big question mark in the minds of the cadres, who are now questioning the ability of the leadership of the party in Maharashtra.

Rahul Gandhi challenges PM Modi for 'open book' debate on corruption

Many within the Congress do admit that they had failed to grab the opportunities that came calling.

The state has been plagued by several issues, such as the ones that concern the farmers and Dalits.

Both the farmers and Dalits have always been the core vote bank of the Congress. However over the past five years, this base has reduced greatly and the Congress missed out on every opportunity to take this vote bank back.

https://www.oneindia.com/india/bhandara-gondia-constituency-will-the-kunbis-stayed-united-or-split-the-cong-bjp-votes-2875759.html

Congress plagued by problems:

Observers point out that the Congress has been plagued by problems such as a lack of a strong leader. Adding to the misery of the party is factionalism. This has led to the lack of a proper strategy to make use of the narrative against the BJP in the state.

The lack of strategy has also led to the failure of the Congress to take on the BJP on issues such as corruption as well. Observers say that the Congress ought to have raised more aggressively the corruption charges that were made against minister Subash Deshmukh. Further the Congress also did not raise effectively the issue relating to the transfer of Cidco land to builders.

While the Congress did manage to stitch up an alliance with the NCP, it failed to convince Prakash Ambedkar to join its fold. Ambedkar floated the Vanchit Bajujan Aghadi and tied up with the AIMM.

This combine poses a threat to the Congress as it could lose on out on the minority and Dalit votes.

Modi asks first-time voters to vote for 'those who carried out air strike'

The BSP on the other hand which has some amount of clout over the Dalit votes in pockets of the state has also stayed away from the Congress.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP with its allies ended up with 42 seats. The Congress which has set a target of at least 25-30 seats seems to be struggling. The BJP and Shiv Sena decided to keep aside their differences and fight the elections together. The Congress and NCP have come together, but trust issues between the persist in the state.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, April 9, 2019, 17:54 [IST]
HDK's weird logic: 'Modi uses make up that's why looks good on camera'

India

oi-Vikas SV

Bengaluru, Apr 9: During the Gujarat assembly elections in 2017, Alpesh Thakor had attribute Narendra Modi's "fair" complexion to imported mushrooms, and now Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has come up with an weird reason for the Prime Minister's popularity in the media.

Kumaraswamy has reportedly said that "media shows only Modi" because the Prime Minister purportedly "wakes up every morning, applies makeup and shines his face". He said that it is because of "shine on his face" that "media shows only Modi".

Alpesh Thakor knows secret behind PM Modi's fair complexion

"Modi wakes up every morning, applies makeup or wax to get a shine on his face and sits in front of cameras. But we take bath once in the morning and wash our face only the next day. Our faces do not look good on cameras. That is why even media shows only Modi," ANI quoted Kumaraswamy as saying.

Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy: Modi wakes up every morning, applies makeup or wax to get a shine on his face&sits in front of cameras. But we take bath once in the morning & wash our face only the next day. Our faces dont look good on cameras. Thats why even media shows only Modi pic.twitter.com/0h93gcsM4P  ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2019

In 2017, Congress leader Alpesh Thakore had alleged that Prime Minister Modi disliked Gujarati food and was fond of Taiwanese mushrooms which cost Rs 80,000 per piece.

"He eats imported mushrooms from Taiwan priced at around Rs 80,000 a piece. He has five everyday," Thakore had said. "He was dark like me but he became fair because of imported mushrooms," Thakore had reportedly said.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, April 9, 2019, 17:08 [IST]
Is Sadhvi Pragya, BJPs answer to Digvijaya in Bhopal?

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Anuj Cariappa

New Delhi, Apr 09: Who will fight Digvijaya Singh in Bhopal. Singh was nominated to fight the Bhopal seat in the 8th list of candidates it had announced for the Lok Sabha elections 2019.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the other hand is yet to finalise its candidate for Bhopal, which it considers as a safe seat. The party has won the elections from here since 1989. While at first, it was stated that former Madhya Pradesh chief minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan may contest from Bhopal, now reports have emerged that the BJP is considering Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur.

A report in the Times of India states that Sadhvi Pragya is seen as a deep saffron figure. She was an accused in the Malegaon 2008 blasts case, but was released last year after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said that it had no prosecutable evidence against her.

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If Sadhvi is indeed fielded Bhopal can witness a highly polarised clash. The report while quoting sources said that the party is yet to take a final call on the matter. There are concerns about her Hindutva rhetoric and it could give its opponents the fodder to accuse the party of encouraging Hindu fringe elements, the report also stated.

The BJP has been looking to field a political heavyweight against Singh. The BJP is said to have considered Chouhan to take on Singh, but the former was not keen on the contest. Chouhan has win from Vidisha five times in a row since 1991 to 2004. He told the party that he wanted to remain in the state assembly.

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In the 2014 elections, Alok Sanjar of the BJP had won Bhopal by a margin of 3.70 lakh votes. Prior to that the seat was represented twice by Kailash Joshi of the BJP.

The BJP would chose its candidate wisely as it is also aware that this constituency has 3.5 lakh Muslim voters. Moreover in the recently concluded assembly polls, the Congress won three of the seven seats in Bhopal.
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Jats hold key for victory in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar

India

oi-Deepika S

Lucknow, Apr 09: Muzaffarnagar, one of 80 parliamentary constituencies in the Hindi heartland state has become one of the most talked about seats in the western region of the politically-crucial Uttar Pradesh.

Rashtriya Lok Dal (RJD) leader Ajit Singh will take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s sitting member of Parliament Sanjeev Balyan. Both Baliyan and Singh are jats, a community that has a strong presence not only in Muzaffarnagar but across western UP.

Ajit Singh is trying his luck to enter the LS for the sixth time. This time his political fate depends on its strategy to bring the Jat-Muslim community on its platform in Muzaffarnagar.

Interestingly, Baliyan has pitched himself as a local who is available to people seven days a week and Ajit Singh as an outsider.

Caste equation

Hit by 2013 riots, Jats are divided between Ajit Singh and Baliyan. While the younger generation is likely to vote for Baliyan, the elderly back Ajit Singh.

We can challenge BJP says grand alliance

According to local reports, there are approximately 16.5 lakh voters in Muzaffarnagar constituency. Muslims comprise about 5 lakh voters, Jatavs 2.5 lakh and Jats 1.5 lakh. The remaining 7 lakh voters belong to different Hindu castes including Other Backward Classes and non-Jatav Scheduled Caste groups, and are considered BJP supporters.

Several BJP supporters are also hoping that Jatavs the core voter base of Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) could vote for their candidate as they did in 2014, during the Modi wave. They believe that Modi's popularity has strengthened not only among Jats but also among other castes following the February 26 Indian Air Force strikes in Balakot, Pakistan.

Hit by communal riots in 2013, the division in the Jat-Muslim votes in the seat had benefited the BJP in 2014 Lok Sabha election.

2013 riots

In 2014, the BJP's most spectacular margins of victory in UP were in the west partly because of sharp polarisation in the wake of communal violence in Muzaffarnagar in 2013. Six of the eight seats are in the sugar cane belt with a high proportion of Jats and Muslims. But this time there is no Modi wave, even though one finds the Prime Minister generally gets good approval ratings. But it remains a tough act for the BJP to outnumber the formidable caste arithmetic working against it.

Uttar Pradesh will go to polls in all the seven phases starting April 11. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.
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J&K govt order on movement of convoys will only hamper operations

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Srinagar, Apr 09: The Indian Army operated a convoy notwithstanding an order of the Jammu and Kashmir government that such movement of vehicles should take place only twice a week on Sunday and Wednesday, army officials said.

The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the order will hamper the operations of the army.

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The officials claimed there were no consultations with army officers before the order on convoy movement for security forces was issued.

"During informal talks, it was made clear to the state officials that such an order was not possible to implement," said an officer who is engaged in convoy movement.

State Home Secretary Shaleen Kabra on the directions of Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam issued the order on April 3 restricting civilian traffic on the national highway from Udhampur to Baramulla on Sunday and Wednesday every week till May 31 to facilitate smooth movement of convoys of security forces.

However, there was movement of an army convoy on the national highway on Monday and at some places even paramilitary CRPF vehicles were seen.

There was no formal reply yet a query sent by PTI to the spokesman of the strategically located army's 15 Corps, which is also tasked with counter-insurgency operations.

The J&K Police as well as other state and central security agencies were also apparently caught unawares about the order issued by the state home department.

Former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah posted a video of an army convoy moving on Monday while civilian traffic was plying normally on the other side of the road.

'Mindless': Political parties protest J&K highway ban

"Here's another full strength convoy. I'm simply trying to highlight the point that the architects of the highway closure have made no application of mind. Somehow this convoy on the highway is safe today but it wouldn't have been yesterday (Sunday) and won't be on Wednesday," he tweeted while taking a dig at the state administration.

"If it is safe for SF convoys to move on Monday WITHOUT closing the highway to civilian traffic, why is it not safe on Wednesdays & Sundays? Nothing proves the mindlessness of the order more than army movement on 'unsafe' days. This road is part of the highway by the way," the National Conference leader added.

(With agency inputs)
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Kerala nun-rape case: Charge sheet filed against Bishop Franco Mulakkal

India

oi-Deepika S

Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 09: Kerala police has filed a charge sheet against Franco Mulakkal, a former Bishop of the Jalandhar diocese, who is accused of raping a nun.

The chargesheet, which is 74-pages long, was submitted before the Pala Magistrate Court, Mathrubhumi reported.

There were 84 eyewitnesses, while 11 priests, 24 nuns and three bishops have been quoted in the chargesheet. The charges against the bishop include illegal confinement, rape, unnatural sex, detention of woman, and repeated sexual abuse of the same woman.

Bishop Mulakkal, a senior member of the Roman Catholic clergy in India, was arrested last year following allegations by a nun that he repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted her at the Kuravilangad convent between 2014 and 2016, a charge denied by him.

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The nun has accused the clergyman of repeated sexual assault between 2014 and 2016. The bishop has, however, dismissed the allegations as "baseless and concocted", insisting she levelled charges against the catholic order as it had rejected her demand for favours.
Kerala solar scam-accused Saritha Nair's nominations from Wayanad, Ernakulam rejected

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Kochi, Apr 09: It is the end of electoral dreams for primary accused in the Kerala solar panel scam of 2013, Saritha S Nair, as the Election Commission (EC) rejected her nomination papers to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls as an Independent candidate.

Saritha had filed nomination papers in Wayanad and Ernakulam constituencies. Saritha was aiming to take on Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad and MLA Hibi Eden in Ernakulam.

The Returning Officers (RO) rejected the nomination papers on the grounds that she was convicted in criminal cases.

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Saritha had defended the nomination saying the cases against her have been given a stay order by the court. But the RO said that stay by the court does not imply that the accused was not guilty.

Nair, who had accused several high profile Congress leaders in the state of sexual harassment and rape, has decided to take on the Gandhi scion to as a mark of her protest "for not responding to her letters that sought action against the party leaders facing charges".
Bihar By-polls: Lalu Yadav to campaign for RJD candidates on Wednesday to ensure 'visarjan' of Nitish Kumar

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CBI opposes Lalu Yadavs bail plea, says he is indulging in political activities

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Apr 09: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has opposed the bail plea of former Bihar chief minister and Lalu Prasad saying, the RJD chief is misleading the court by asking for bail on medical grounds whereas the real intension is to carry out political activities for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The CBI, which sought nod from a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi to file its response to the bail plea of Yadav, said the RJD leader is likely to get involved in political activities and misuse the grant of bail ahead of upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

The probe agency said in any case Yadav has been in a hospital ward for over eight months and indulging in political activities.

"Lalu Yadav is not sentenced to 3.5 years but 27.5 years in jail if all punishments are calculated cumulatively," the CBI said in its affidavit to the Supreme Court.

Listing the names of politicians who visited Lalu in his special ward of the Ranchi hospital, the agency told the Supreme Court that Lalu's conduct does not warrant him any relief.

The agency further said Yadav who claimed to be so unwell that he cannot even remain in jail has now suddenly become physically fit and is seeking bail.

"It is submitted that simultaneous raising of pleas for bails on medical grounds and bail to guide the party and to carry out all essential responsibilities as a party president in ensuing Lok Sabha elections are mutually contradictory and manifest that in the garb of bail on medical ground the petitioner in essence wants to pursue his political activities which is impermissible in law," the CBI said.

The RJD chief, currently lodged in the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi, has challenged the January 10 verdict of the Jharkhand High Court dismissing his bail plea.

Lalu Prasad has been convicted are related to the over Rs 900-crore fodder scam, which pertains to fraudulent withdrawal of money from the treasuries in the Animal Husbandry department in the early 1990s, when Jharkhand was part of Bihar.
CTET December 2021 admit cards to be out shortly: How to download

LIC AAO admit card 2019 release date, check details

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

The Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) will release LIC AAO admit card 2019 soon. The candidates can download the admit cards from the official website.

According to reports, Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) will provide the admit card for AAO online pre exam from 22.04.2019 to 30.04.2019.

Meanwhile, the LIC has already released job notification for 590 vacancies of Assistant Administrative Officer (AAO) post. LIC selection process will be made on three successive phases like, preliminary examination, main examination and followed by interview.

As per the schedule released by LIC, the AAO Exam 2019 will be held on May 4 and May 5. The test will be conducted at various test centres across the nation.

LIC AAO Admit Card 2019: Here's how to download

Log on to the official website, www.licindia.in

Click on 'LIC AAO Admit Card 2019' on the homepage

On the new page, enter your roll number, date of birth and other details

On submitting the same, the admit cards will be displayed on the screen

Download it and take print out of the same for future use.

Vacancy details:

Total posts: 590

Name of the post:

AAO Generalist: 350

AAO IT: 150

AAO CA: 50

AAO (Actuarial): 30

AAO (Rajbhasha): 5

Note: The total number of vacancies and the reserved vacancies is provisional and may vary according to the actual requirements.

Selection procedure:

The selection of Assistant Administrative Officers will be done through a three tiered process and subsequent Medical examination.

Important dates:

Download of Call Letter for Online Preliminary Examination: From April 22 to April 30

Dates of Online Examination - Preliminary (tentative): May 4 and May 5

Dates of Online Examination - Main (tentative): June 28
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Lok Sabha Election 2019: Can BJP reverse 2018 election losses in Chhattisgarh

India

oi-Deepika S

Raipur, Apr 03: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which suffered a drubbing at the hands of the Congress in the Chhattisgarh elections last year, is now battling a stiff challenge from the Congress.

While the BJP's tally in the 90-member Assembly plummeted to just 15 seats, it fared well in the Lok Sabha polls (2004, 2009 and 2014) held after the formation of Chhattisgarh, winning 10 out of 11 seats all the three times.

The ruling Congress is looking to take up its tally of 1 seat and is hoping the voter mood in the assembly polls will reflect in Lok Sabha elections too.

In a boost for the Congress, the Janata Congress Chhattisgarh-J (JCCJ) led by Ajit Jogi has stepped out of the contest and the party believes that many of its 7% votes in the Assembly elections will shift to the Congress.

In the 2014 elections, the BJP had a massive 10.6 percentage vote share gain over the Congress, winning 49.7 per cent to the Congress's 39.1 per cent. In eight of the 11 seats that the BJP won, the margins were over 1.2 lakh votes.

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The BJP, however, has seemingly ripped up the old and started afresh, controversially removing all its 10 sitting MPs. The party intends to fight this election on the Prime Minister's popularity, with very little mention of the 15-year rule of Raman Singh.

Caste equation

Thirty percent of the state's population belong to Scheduled Tribes and 12.8 per cent belong to Scheduled Castes. An overwhelming 76.8 per cent live in rural areas. According to the Forest Survey of India (2009), 41.33 per cent of the state's geographical area is covered in forests. The state is also one of the worst-affected by Maoists in the country.

The crushing defeat of the 15-year-old Raman Singh government in the Assembly elections was mainly due to the proper strategy the Congress put in place in five reserved seats. Of these Bastar, Sarguja, Rajgarh and Kanker are earmarked for candidates of the Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Janjgir-Champa is a reserved one or Scheduled Castes (SC).

Chhattisgarh BJP govt let voters down

The previous BJP government in Chhattisgarh, led by Raman Singh, performed "poorly and underwhelmingly" on almost all governance parameters, including employment, public transport, agricultural infrastructure, and law and order, according to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

In rural areas, the concerns were employment, availability of water and electricity for agriculture and the government performed below average on these as well, the report said.

The Maoist-hit state goes to polls in three phases April 11, 18 and 23.

Out of 11 Lok Sabha seats in the state, four are reserved for the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category and one for the Scheduled Caste (SC) category.

High on the recent assembly victory, an exuberant Congress is hopeful of winning all the 11 Lok Sabha seats in the upcoming polls.
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Lok Sabha Elections 2019 updates: Anti-BJP front gains momentum, Naidu meets Sonia Gandhi

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Anuj Cariappa

New Delhi, May 19: Andhra Pradesh Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday met BSP chief Mayawati and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow, continuing his efforts to put together a coalition to form the next government at the Centre. He reached Lucknow after meetings in New Delhi with Congress president Rahul Gandhi, CPI leaders G Sudhakar Reddy and D Raja, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and LJD leader Sharad Yadav. The Telugu Desam Party chief has already held several rounds of discussions with various opposition leaders, including TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his two-day visit to Uttarakhand today with a visit to Kedarnath shrine. The prime minister is also expected to offer prayers at Badrinath tomorrow before returning to Delhi in the afternoon. The prime minister's visit to the holy shrine came a day before the last phase of the marathon Lok Sabha elections.

Fifty nine parliamentary constituencies, including Varanasi, will go to polls in the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha elections and the results will be announced four days later, on May 23.

Stay tuned for the Lok Sabha elections 2019 UPDATES:
Imran Khan's offer of dialogue should be seriously considered by new Modi govt: Mirwaiz

Track II: With funds flowing from Pakistan, can Hurriyat be trusted with talks

Better late than never says Mehbooba on Hurriyats willingness to talk

Mirwaiz to be questioned along with son today in terror funding case

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Apr 09: The NIA questioned Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq for nearly eight hours in connection with a case related to funding of terror groups and separatist organisations in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said here.

He was asked to appear before the agency again on Tuesday, the officials said, adding Naseem Geelani, son of pro-Pakistan separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani, was also summoned on Tuesday.

After avoiding the first two summons, the Mirwaiz finally appeared before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) after he was assured of being provided security upon his arrival in the national capital.

Umer was accompanied by other separatist leaders, including Abdul Gani Bhat, Bilal Lone and Maulana Abbas Ansari.

Willing to be questioned, but in Srinagar says Mirwaiz accused in terror funding case

During the questioning, the Mirwaiz was asked several questions related to the funding of his party Awami Action Committee as well as Hurriyat Conference, the officials said, adding that the replies were not satisfactory.

He had been asked to appear before the NIA on March 11 and March 18 but expressed his inability to join the investigation in the national capital, saying he feared for his security in view of "conditions of hostility".

In its third summons issued last week, the NIA promised him security.

The NIA probe seeks to identify the chain of players behind the financing of terrorist activities, pelting of stones on security forces, burning down of schools and damaging of government establishments.

The case names Hafiz Saeed, the Pakistan-based chief of Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD), the front for the banned Lashker-e-Taiba, as an accused. It also names organisations such as the Hurriyat Conference factions led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani and the Mirwaiz, the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Dukhtaran-e-Millat.

Ahead of his appearance before the NIA, the Hurriyat Conference chairman tweeted, "In Delhi today with my colleagues for the NIA summon, efforts to malign leadership for its political stand wont work. Inspite of harassment Hurriyat will continue to seek peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue. Urge people back home to stay calm and peaceful."

On Sunday night, the Hurriyat held an executive meeting and strongly condemned the move to summon the Mirwaiz. It claimed its chairman was "being deliberately harassed and there was an effort to criminalise leadership for their political stand".

It said the Hurriyat is a coalition of political parties striving for the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue and to associate it with anything to do with terror is ridiculous and a deliberate victimisation for their political ideology.

"It's unfortunate that while they have always maintained that Kashmir is a political issue that needs resolution peacefully and humanely and always worked towards that end... yet rulers of the day are resorting to such tactics to harass and intimidate them under the garb of legality," it said.

The Mirwaiz or any member of Hurriyat Conference has nothing to do with the "so called funding case and it is sheer vindictiveness on the part of authorities", it said.

The NIA had on February 26 carried out searches at premises of several leaders, including the Mirwaiz.

The probe agency questioned two maternal uncles of the Mirwaiz, Maulvi Manzoor and Maulvi Shafat, and his close aides last year. Both Manzoor and Shafat are retired senior government officers.

The Mirwaiz had informed the NIA that he was not acquainted with the subject matter of the FIR referred to in its notice and also added that the notice appears to have been issued on the basis of "fallacious assumptions and misinformation solely aimed at maligning" him.
PMs photo on vaccine certificate: Why are you ashamed asks Kerala HC

PM Modi to address farmers at National Summit on Agro and Food Processing

Dedicate your vote to those who carried out airstrike: Modi to first-timers

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Apr 09: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday appealed to first-time voters to dedicate their votes to those who carried out air strike.

"I want to ask the first-time voter, can your vote be dedicated to those soldiers who conducted air strike on Balakot in Pakistan?" he asked. "Can your first vote be dedicated to those soldiers who were killed in Pulwama attack?"

Modi said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s manifesto did not mention the Balakot air strike, but said the government carried it out when it was warranted, PTI reported.

Rahul Gandhi challenges PM Modi for 'open book' debate on corruption

The Prime Minister mentioned the defence forces in his election speech despite the Election Commission directing parties to keep them out of election campaigns.

At the rally today, PM Modi said people who have just turned 18 must have, at some point in their lives, benefitted from the contributions of the society. "You are 18 now and you must give your vote for the country, for a strong government, to make the country stronger," PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister reiterated his allegation that the opposition parties that they were questioning the valour of the security forces post last month's Pulwama terror attack.

Modi also hailed the manifesto of the BJP, released in Delhi Monday, and said the party was committed to national security and farmers' welfare and other.

Also Read | Can Renuka Chowdhary win the Khammam seat: Check here for previous trends

"Your trust is my biggest accomplishment in last five years," Modi told the crowd.

Forty CRPF soldiers were killed when a Jaish terrorist blew himself up beside a convoy of the paramilitary force in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama on February 14.
Naxalites attack BJP convoy: An intelligence alert warned of similar attacks in March

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Apr 09: In March, a state of high alert was declared and the Intelligence Bureau had warned of major naxal attacks. The intelligence was specific to attacks in the naxal hit Bastar region, which votes on April 11.

Naxalites targeted a convoy of the BJP in Dantewada in which 5 persons including BJP MLA, Bhima Mandavi was killed. The naxalites triggered an improvised explosive device to target the convoy.

It may be recalled that similar alerts had been issued prior to the elections in the five states that were held last year. The security forces managed to thwart all attempts that were made during the assembly elections.

Attack on BJP convoy bears signature of new naxal chief Nambala Keshav Rao

The naxalites had even prepared a hit-list of politicians to target during the elections. Following this a similar alert was issued ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. It was stated that under their new commander Basavaraj, they would look to get more aggressive during the elections.

The alert further read that the naxalites would use Improvised Explosive Devices and even attempt to kidnap of kill political leaders. The report also said that the naxalites were moving more of their cadres into Chhattisgarh ahead of the elections.

Further, it was stated that the naxalites had been trying to re-group and had even called in their cadres from Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.

An Intelligence Bureau official told OneIndia that the alerts were specific and security forces had been told to be on very high alert. The officer also noted that there would be more such attempts during the elections. Security forces are over worked during an election season and naxalites take advantage of the same, the officer also said.
NE people to be consulted before bringing up citizenship bill: Kiren Rijiju

India

pti-PTI

Itanagar, Apr 9: A day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) promised in its election manifesto to enact the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill if voted back to power, Union minister Kiren Rijiju said on Tuesday people of the northeastern states will be consulted before bringing up the bill. Even if the bill is implemented in the rest of the country, there will be special provisions for the region, Rijiju said.

The contentious bill seeks to grant Indian citizenship to people belonging to minority communities  Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians  in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan after six years of residence in India even if they do not possess proper documents.

A largescale protest had broken out in the northeastern states earlier this year as the indigenous people of the region apprehended the enactment of the bill would endanger their livelihood and identity. "If other states of the country want the bill to be enacted, the BJP is committed to bring it. However, for the northeast, the party will consult the people before taking any decision which is clearly mentioned in the manifesto," the minister of state for home told reporters here. "There should be no doubt among the people of the region, the BJP is committed to protect their rights," Rijiju said.

[ If Cong-SP-BSP have faith in Ali, we have in Bajrangbali': UP CM Yogi Adityanath]

The bill, being vehemently opposed in the region even by some allies of BJP, was passed in Lok Sabha on January 8. However, it is set to lapse on June 3, when the term of the present Lok Sabha ends, as it could not be passed in Rajya Sabha.

The Union Minister, who is seeking re-election from Arunachal West parliamentary constituency, said no other dispensation had attached so much importance to the Northeast as the NDA government. Even Indians of other states cannot settle in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram that are 'protected' under special provisions of the Constitution, he said. However, for other 'unprotected' states of the region such as Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura, the government has decided to introduce the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in which only genuine Indian citizens would be included, he said.

With introduction of the NRC, refugees who have already settled in the region due to religious persecution will be examined under special provisions, Rijiju said.

In its manifesto released on Monday in New Delhi, the BJP promised to implement the NRC, currently underway only in Assam, in a phased manner in other parts of the country. "Being a representative of the Northeast, it is my duty to think of the people of the region and I assure them that the BJP will protect their culture, traditions and languages," he added.

On the contentious Permanent Resident Certificate (PRC) issue in Arunachal Pradesh, which left three people dead and private and public properties damaged in February, Rijiju claimed that people have already realised who were responsible for the violence.

"The people have also realised the mission of the BJP. It is committed to peace, progress and development," Rijiju said adding that the party would work for a "clean election" drive in the state after coming to power. "Clean election is the hallmark of clean governance. We will try to make election clean without involvement of cash for a better Arunachal," he added.

Asked about the seizure of Rs 1.8 crore in cash from two vehicles at Pasighat in East Siang district on April 2 on the eve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally there, Rijiju said the truth will come out after investigation by the Election Commission. The vehicles were parked at a guest house along with the vehicles of the Chief Minister and he was not in any way involved in the incident, he said.

PTI
Is Gadkari in PM race? All these are khyali pulao' and nothing else, says Rajnath

India

oi-Vikas SV

New Delhi, Apr 9: Firmly asserting his party's stand on Article 370 and Article 35A, Union Home Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rajnath Singh on Tuesday refused to pay heed to remarks made by regional parties of Jammu and Kashmir - the National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) - on the contentious issue. He said that the BJP has made its stand clear in the manifesto and the party would "go ahead and do what we have to do" when it returns to power.

In the BJP's election manifesto released on Monday, the party reiterated its stand favouring the abrogation of Article 370, which gives autonomous status to J&K and allows grant of certain special provisions. The BJP also said the same about Article 35A that empowers the state's native citizens. According to the BJP, both laws have been an obstacle to development in the state.

'Dilution of AFSPA, stand on Article 370'; Congress' promises suit Pakistan, says Modi

"We made it clear in our manifesto that if we come to power again then Article 35A will be abrogated. No question of two presidents and prime ministers in India," he told news agency ANI.

NC vice-president Omar Abdullah had earlier said that his party would not allow any attacks on J&K's special status and would seek restoration of terms of accession of the state, including the provision for 'Sadr-e-Riyasat' (president) and prime minister posts. Another J&K regional party, the PDP, had said the centre will have to re-negotiate the terms and conditions if it scraps article 370 from the state. PDP chief and former chief minister Mehboob Mufti had said that J&K had joined India on some conditions and if those conditions are removed, then the people of the state will have to think again whether to stay with India or not.

Reacting to Omar's and Mehboba's remarks, Singh said, "This is frustration, nothing else. She can say anything, but we will do what we have decided. Kashmir will never be separated from India; no force can separate Kashmir from India."

While speaking on Kashmiri students studying in different parts of India, and reports on attacks on them in the aftermath of Pulwama terrorist attack, the Home Minister said that safety of Kashmiris living in any part of India is responsibility of all citizens.

'He is obsessed with BJP': Smriti Irani counters Rahul's attack on BJP manifesto

"I want to assure it as the Home Minister, nobody needs to feel unsafe in India. Strict action will be taken against those who indulge in violence, irrespective of religion. Infact I had said yesterday in Jammu, that safety of Kashmiris studying or living in any part of India is responsibility of all citizens. Even an advisory was issued to all states regarding this," he told ANI in an interview.

When asked about media reports doing rounds about Nitin Gadkari being an aspirant for Prime Minister's post, Singh said "PM will be Modi ji, no doubt about that."

"These are all imaginary situations; it is 'khyali pulao' and nothing else. We will get clear majority or even 2/3rd, the PM will be Modi ji, no doubt about that," he said.

Some reports have suggested that if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerge as the single largest party significantly short of a majority, then some NDA allies may not back Modi as the next PM. Reports were doing rounds that in such a case, Nitin Gadkari could emerge as the consensus candidate both due to the strong backing of the RSS and Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut having dropped hints on these lines.
Till when does a father have to take responsibility of his child: SC clarifies

Plea to stop release of Modi biopic rejected by SC

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Apr 09: The Supreme Court has rejected a plea to stall the release of the PM Narendra Modi biopic.

The court said that it is too premature for it to take a decision on this matter. The court also said that the film is not yet certified for it to intervene. Further the Bench said that the Election Commission of India will take care of what to do in case the film is released on April 11.

Our film has nothing to do with Modi, BJP says producers of biopic

The court said that it cannot decide on whether the film would influence voters or not on the basis of a 2 minute trailer.

On Monday, the court had said, "why should we direct that an individual be given a copy of the film."

At the outset, the Chief Justice said the film was not yet certified and referred to an April 4 statement by Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chairperson Prasoon Joshi. Joshi had told PTI that the film was undergoing due process of examination and certification.

Senior advocate A M Singhvi, appearing for the Congress activist, said the producer Sandip Ssingh had come out with a statement that the biopic would be released on April 11.

Taking note of his submission, the bench said the producer may have come out with such a statement anticipating that the film would get the certification from the censor board. The bench said that as of now, there was no cause of action for challenging release of the film.

When Singhvi repeated the plea for a stay on the biopic, the bench said: "How can we stop the release of the film? It is not yet certified. There is only a statement from the producer for its release."

Singhvi submitted that there was no level playing field and allowing the release of the film would be a direct assault on the structure of the Constitution.

However, the bench said it cannot decide on the grievances raised by the petitioner as it did not know what was there in the film.

Singhvi also submitted that the judges themselves can see the film in advance to decide the matter.

He said the lead actor, Vivek Oberoi, has been named as the star campaigner for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. His father, who was also an actor, is a card holder of the BJP.

'PM Narendra Modi' biopic trailer out with Vivek Oberoi dressed as PM Modi

"You have the power to call for the screening of the movie," the senior advocate told the bench. "The film has considerable ramifications as it would be screened for the coming 40 days across the country," he said.

The plea has sought deferment of release of the biopic till the completion of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, alleging that it was designed to "manipulate, influence and impress viewers and voters".
PMs photo on vaccine certificate: Why are you ashamed asks Kerala HC

PM Modi to address farmers at National Summit on Agro and Food Processing

PM Modi condemns Dantewada attack, says Sacrifices wont go in vain

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Apr 09: Moments after the naxal attack in Dantewada, PM Modi on Twitter condemned the incident, saying the "sacrifices of these martyrs will not go in vain."

Taking to Twitter, Modi said,''Strongly condemn the Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh. My tributes to the security personnel who were martyred. The sacrifices of these martyrs will not go in vain.''

''Bhima Mandavi was a dedicated Karyakarta of the BJP. Diligent and courageous, he assiduously served the people of Chhattisgarh. His demise is deeply anguishing. Condolences to his family and supporters. Om Shanti,'' he added.

Attack on BJP convoy bears signature of new naxal chief Nambala Keshav Rao

BJP MLA Bheema Mandavi was among five killed after Naxals attacked a convoy with IED in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada on Tuesday, 9 April.

Mandavi along with four security men were going from Kirandul to Kowakonda in his vehicle. The attack happened around 7 kms away from Kowakonda police station around 4.45 PM.

According to CRPF, the escort vehicle of Chhattisgarh State Police also came under the blast and five personnel of Chhattisgarh State Police are critically injured.

Dantewada falls in the Bastar Lok Sabha seat which will go to polls in the first phase on 11 April.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, April 9, 2019, 19:18 [IST]
Predicting results during polling period violation of law: EC to media

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Apr 09: Predictions about election results by astrologers, tarot card readers and others in media when there is a ban on broadcasting exit polls are a violation of law, the Election Commission (EC) said on Monday.

The poll body's advisory comes days before the first phase of Lok Sabha elections is to be held on April 11.

The silence period, when campaigning in poll-going areas is barred, begins from Tuesday evening.

"The Commission is of the view that prediction of results of elections in any form or manner by way of predictions etc by astrologers, tarot readers, political analysts or by any persons during the prohibited period is violation of the spirit of Section 126A (of the Representation of the People Act) which aims to prevent the electors of constituencies still going to polls from being influenced in their voting by such predictions about the prospects of the various political parties," the advisory read.

Electronic and print media is advised not to publish or publicise any article or programme related to the dissemination of results of exit polls during the prohibited period, it said.

The commission also reiterated its earlier advisory banning exit polls till the evening of May 19.

"Election Commission of India, in exercise of the powers under sub-section(1) of Section 126A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 has notified the period between 7.00 A.M. on 11.04.2019 (Thursday) and 6.30 P.M. on 19.05.2019 (Sunday) as the period during which conducting any exit poll and publishing or publicising the result of exit poll by means of the print or electronic media or in any other manner shall be prohibited," the advisory read.
Farmers should be given rights, compensation, jobs: Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha

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MPs were not suspended by RS chairman or PM, but by power that wants to steal farmers income: Rahul

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Rahul Gandhi gives adjournment notice in LS for discussing SIT report on Lakhimpur Kheri violence

Rahul Gandhi challenges PM Modi for open book debate on corruption

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Apr 09: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday tweeted a "challenge" to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, inviting him to "debate on corruption".

The Congress chief tweeted, "Scared of debating me on corruption? I can make it easier for you. Let's go open book".

Gandhi further asked PM Modi to prepare to debate on the issues pertaining to the Rafale deal and Demonetisation.

Dear PM,



Scared of debating me on corruption? I can make it easier for you.



Lets go open book, so you can prepare:



1. RAFALE+Anil Ambani

2. Nirav Modi

3. Amit Shah+Demonetisation #Scared2Debate  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 9, 2019

BJP's poll manifesto voice of an isolated man: Rahul Gandhi

On April 4, Gandhi had claimed that the Prime Minister was "scared" and did not want to have a "real debate".

"Narendra Modi is trying to hide, he is scared, he doesn't want to have a real debate. I challenge Narendra Modiji that he should debate with me on corruption, on national security, on foreign policy," Gandhi said.

Gandhi has been repeatedly daring the Prime Minister to debate him on national security issues, especially the Rafale fighter jet deal, asserting that when it happens truth will be in front of the people.

He also asked the media persons to question the Prime Minister as to why he is "scared of facing a press conference".
Rahul Gandhi in centre of Cong posters for Jaipur rally; call for him to become party chief again

MPs were not suspended by RS chairman or PM, but by power that wants to steal farmers income: Rahul

Rahul, the old lady and a mysterious hand! Witty comments flood Twitter

India

oi-Vikas SV

New Delhi, Apr 9: Congress president Rahul Gandhi is being trolled on microblogging platform Twitter after an image surfaced in which he can be seen embracing an elderly lady, but what has left the people baffled is a mysterious hand that can also be seen in the photo upon close observation.

The background of the image is blurred. What raises questions on the authenticity of the image is that four fingers of a mysterious hand can be seen on the old woman's saree from behind.

The picture was posted by BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga with a sarcastic jibe which says "Hire Good PR Agency". Bagga also asks Rahul Gandhi, "Whose third hand is that Rahul ji?"

Through Wayanad, Rahul Gandhi looks to impact 87 seats

In the picture, both hands of the Congress president can be seen, his right hand is bent while the left is on old lady's head. The lady has embraced Rahul Gandhi with both her hands, but on old woman's saree, a set of four fingers can be seen which clearly shows that it is a photoshopped image.

The post became an instant hit on the Twitter with the Twitterati posting all kinds of witty comments. Bagga's post has so far been shared over 8,000 times and over 19,000 comments have been posted.

One comment said, "That is DBT hand that is Direct Bichauliya Transfer." Another said that Rahul has become so strong that he has grown a third hand. "Rahul ji hath majboot hote hote 3 ho gaye."

'Call me Rahul', says Rahul Gandhi at Stella Maris college

Some opinined that the extra hand is that of Sonia Gandhi, and some even said it was Nehru's hand. "This hidden hand of congress is the way one which loots the people..." said one comment.

     @RahulGandhi   i told u yesterday na, Hire Good PR Agency pic.twitter.com/0QWpOrTUMj  Chowkidar Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga (@TajinderBagga) April 8, 2019

All in all, Rahul became a butt jokes, and many said that that Congress is trying unscrupulous means to create an image of their president.
What does the meeting between Taliban and Jaish-e-Mohammad mean for India

Same team of JeM planned Lethpora and Pulwama attack, probe suggests

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Apr 09: The interrogation of Nisar Ahmed Tantray, a Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist deported from the UAE suggests that the Lethpora CRPF camp attack case and the Pulwama strike are inter-linked.

In the early part of April, Tantray a top JeM terrorist wanted in the Lethpora case was deported from the UAE to India. Post the attack in 2017, he had fled India for the UAE.

During his interrogation, he has told officials that he was informed about the attack. He told officials of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) that he was asked for help, but also added that he had nothing to do with the attack.

In major diplomatic win for India, deadly JeM terrorist deported from UAE

An NIA official tells OneIndia that Tantray may have helped arrange the logistics for the attack at Pulwama in which 40 CRPF jawans were martyred. The attack took place on February 14 2019 and two weeks prior to that, Tantray had fled.

The NIA officer also said that Tantray is a senior operative and knew the operations of the JeM very well. He was also well versed with the terrain due to his experience and hence we suspect that he had played a much larger role in the Pulwama attack as well.

Further, the NIA also says that he was in constant touch with Mudassir Khan, the main conspirator of the Pulwama attack. The Pulwama strike was not planned on a need to know basis. Many top trusted operatives had known about the attack, the officer further explained.

Meanwhile, the NIA is also questioning Syed Hilal Andrabi, an over ground worker of the JeM. He was arrested on April 7 for his role in the Lethpora case. The attack was carried out on the intervening night of December 31, 2017. During the probe the NIA identified Fardeen Ahmad, Manzoor Baba and Abdul Shakoor as the prime accused in the case. All three had been killed by security forces following the attack.

Arrested accused Syed Hilal Andrabi is an active OGW (Over Ground Worker) of proscribed terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad. He is a key conspirator who provided logistic support in the form of sheltering the terrorists and conducting reconnaissance of the CRPF Group centre, Lethpora before the terrorist attack. With the arrest of Syed Hilal Andrabi, total no of accused arrested in this case has risen to four.

Also Read | Can Renuka Chowdhary win the Khammam seat: Check here for previous trends

Three accused already arrested for being a part of the conspiracy for this attack include Fayaz Ahmad Magrey, Manzoor Ahmed Bhat and Nisar Ahmed Tantray.

Nisar is the brother of Noor Mohammad Tantray, who was one referred to as the 'merchant of death,' by a Delhi court. Noor had been killed in an encounter, just a few days before the Lethpora attack.
Till when does a father have to take responsibility of his child: SC clarifies

Air Pollution: You want to ban industries in Pakistan? Court asks UP govt

SC directs Assam govt to notify ways and means to release foreigners kept in detention

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Apr 09: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Assam government to inform the court about the "ways and means" of releasing foreigners kept in detention centers for prolonged periods of time.

The apex court bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, comprising of Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Sanjiv Khanna, directed the Assam Chief Secretary to conduct a meeting of all stakeholders and come up with an affidavit with details on releasing over 900 illegal foreigners in several detention centers.

Also Read | Plea to stop release of Modi biopic rejected by SC



The bench took note of the state government's plea that its observations can affect the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and deferred the hearing to April 25. Lok Sabha elections in Assam will be held on April 23.

Earlier the court had asked the central government to apprise it on several issues including as to how many functional detention centers are there in the state.
Traders' body slams Rahul Gandhi for "chor" businessmen jibe

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Apr 09: Traders' body the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) on Tuesday slammed Rahul Gandhi for his purported statement that funds for the ambitious 'NYAY' scheme will come from the pockets of "chor" businessmen, and cautioned that the Congress may pay a heavy price for it in the general polls.

"By calling traders thieves, Mr Gandhi has insulted entire trading community of the country which has sent gross resentment and anguish among traders of the country. No politician in the country has ever used such a filthy word for the trading community but the words uttered by Mr Gandhi are shameful and need to be deeply condemned. The Congress party may pay a heavy price for it in the elections," CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said.

Rahul Gandhi challenges PM Modi for 'open book' debate on corruption

Congress President Rahul Gandhi last week said that funds for the ambitious 'NYAY' scheme will come from the pockets of "chor" businessmen favoured by 'Chowkidar' Narendra Modi.

Addressing a rally in the Upper Assam town of Bokakhat, Gandhi said the Congress, if voted to power, guarantees to deposit Rs 72,000 annually to 20 per cent poor Indian families under the NYAY scheme.

"The money (for NYAY scheme) will come from the pockets of 'chor' (thieves) like Anil Ambani, to whom Chowkidar Narendra Modi has given money during the last four years ... We will deposit it in the accounts of the poor, particularly women, irrespective of their caste, class or religion," he said.

The CAIT which claims to represent 7 crore traders in the country, said it will give a clarion call to the trading community on whom to vote for in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in a week's time, after examining the manifestos of various political parties.

However, it observed that in the context of issues of traders, BJP manifesto is "far ahead" than the Congress'.

CAIT said it has been been conducting a campaign to convert traders into a "vote bank and cast their vote collectively to a party and play a decisive role in the forthcoming elections".

Addressing a press conference here, Khandelwal said the body's governing core committee will examine manifestos of various political parties and determine if they are "serious" in implementing the promises made therein with regard to the trading community in a week's time.

Also Rad | Can Renuka Chowdhary win the Khammam seat: Check here for previous trends

Thereafter, he said, CAIT will call upon the trading community to vote unanimously in favour of a particular political party.

"We will mull upon it internally and then make a public announcement on with whom the trader should stand with in the Lok Sabha polls," Khandelwal told reporters here, adding, however, that traders were keeping an open mind as of now.

PTI
Upset over Mayawati's remark, Bhim Army to support Cong's Saharanpur candidate

India

pti-PTI

Saharanpur (UP), Apr 9: In a move which can upset the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)-Samajwadi Party (SP)-Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) alliance in the state, Dalit group Bhim Army, which has a considerable following in western Uttar Pradesh, has appealed to members of the community to vote for Congress' Saharanpur Lok Sabha candidate Imran Masood.

The move comes days after BSP supremo Mayawati described Bhim Army founder Chandrashekhar Azad as a "BJP agent" and accused him of trying to divide Dalit votes. The call to support Masood, who had hogged headlines during the 2014 general elections for his controversial remarks against Narendra Modi, was taken on Monday.

An announcement was to be made during a rally of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary for east Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Saharanpur, but the public meeting was called of due to bad weather, district president of the Bhim Army Rohit Raj Gautam said.

[CPI(M) knocks EC's door as PM asks first time voters to vote for Balakot strike men]

"Masood helped the Bhim Army when no one else came out in its support," he said, referring to police cases against the Dalit group's members following caste clashes in Saharanpur in May 2017. "We want to make it clear that we are not supporting the Congress. We are backing Masood on a personal level because he helped us at a time when no one was ready to listen to us," Gautam said.

The BSP-SP-RLD alliance has fielded Faizul Rehman from the seat. Sitting BJP MP Raghav Lakhanpal is seeking re-election from the constituency. At a joint rally in Deoband in the constituency on Sunday, Mayawati had appealed to Muslim voters to consolidate behind Rehman and ensure that their votes do not get split.

A Bhim Army leader alleged that BSP-SP activists manhandled a number of Dalits carrying pictures of Chandrashekhar at the rally and tore their posters. Congress general secretary for east Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had met Chandrashekhar at a Meerut hospital last month, which was seen as a Dalit outreach move of the party.

Recently, after Chandrashekhar announced to contest against Prime Minister Modi in Varanasi, Mayawati had termed him an "agent of the BJP who wants to split Dalit votes". In response to her remark, Chandrashekhar had said SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and his father Mulayam Singh were "agents of the BJP" as they "allowed atrocities on Dalits".

During the 2018 Kairana Lok Sabha bypoll, the Bhim Army had made an appeal to voters in favour of the opposition candidate, RLD's Tabassum Hassan, who managed to get Dalit support. Earlier, the Bhim Army's national president Vinay Ratan Singh had said the Congress did nothing for Dalits during its 60-year rule and there was no reason for them to support the party in the elections.

In 2014, Lakhanpal polled 4,27,999 votes. Masood came close second garnering 4,07, 909 votes. The constituency has a total of 17,22,580 voters, of which six lakh are Muslims. There are around three lakh SC/ST voters. Saharanpur goes to polls in the first phase on April 11.

PTI
Why ISKP would be ISIs preferred proxy to launch attacks in India

How an Arabic to Malayalam book on Jihad led to Islamic fanaticism in Kerala

Man inspired by Islamic State planned truck attack near Washington DC

International

oi-PTI

Washington, April 09: A Maryland man who prosecutors say was inspired by the Islamic State group plotted to ram a stolen U-Haul truck into as many pedestrians as possible at a popular convention and tourist destination just outside the nation's capital, federal prosecutors said on Monday.

The allegation was made in a court filing Monday as prosecutors in Maryland urged a judge to keep the defendant, 28-year-old Rondell Henry, detained on a charge of driving a stolen vehicle across state lines.

The police arrested him on March 28 after officers saw him leap over a security fence near where he had parked the truck. "I was just going to keep driving and driving and driving. I wasn't going to stop," the document quotes Henry as telling the authorities who questioned him.

Donald Trump to pressure Iran by branding its Guard a terror group

The six-page motion describes Henry as harbouring hatred for "disbelievers" over the last two years and looking to emulate Islamic State militants he saw on beheading videos and fighting overseas.

Henry, a computer engineer by trade, walked off his job in the middle of the day last month and stole a U-Haul van from a storage location in Virginia after determining that his four-door sedan "would not cause the catastrophic damage that he desired."

After considering different locations, including Dulles International Airport, Henry settled on National Harbor a complex of restaurants, retail and hotels, prosecutors say.

The court filing says Henry had no escape plan and instead intended to die while driving into pedestrians at National Harbor, telling authorities that he wanted to create "panic and chaos" similar to a 2016 truck attack in Nice, France that killed dozens.

It wasn't immediately clear if Henry had a lawyer. It also wasn't clear if and when prosecutors might add additional charges that accuse Henry of giving material support to a foreign terror organization.

PTI
Watch: 'If you're on this call...' Indian-origin CEO fires over 900 employees over 3-minute Zoom webinar in US

US using democracy as 'weapon of mass destruction' to stoke confrontation: China slams Summit for Democracy

US bars entry to 16 Saudis over Jamal Khashoggi killing

International

oi-PTI

Washington, April 09: The United States on Monday barred entry to 16 Saudi nationals over what it described as their role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The announcement by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo comes as the administration of President Donald Trump has faced pressure from Congress over its response to the killing in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October, which sparked unprecedented international scrutiny of the kingdom's human rights record.

Man inspired by Islamic State planned truck attack near Washington DC

Some US lawmakers have publicly stated that they suspect the powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was directly responsible for the killing, based on the CIA's conclusions.

The State Department previously revoked the visas of nearly two dozen Saudi officials and froze the assets of 17 others.

PTI

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Story first published: Tuesday, April 9, 2019, 12:18 [IST]
Lok Sabha polls: Rajasthan BJP, Congress spar over manifesto

Jaipur

oi-PTI

Jaipur, Apr 09: The state BJP chief Madan Lal Saini on Monday praised his party's election manifesto, saying it was based on 'nation first' concept, even as the Congress criticised it for only focusing on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The BJP election manifesto has been prepared with the participation of 6 crore people, it is far-sighted and practical, Saini said in a statement.

He said the party has clearly mentioned that it aims to make India one of the top three economies in the world.

The BJP is committed to nationalism and has zero tolerance policy against terrorism, he said, adding the party is committed to scrapping section 35A and eliminating infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir.

NDA expected to win 279 seats, UPA 149: Survey

Reacting to the BJP's manifesto, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said the party has highlighted only Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a vision to prolong his rule.

"Congress focused on people of this country and their issues in its manifesto, where as BJP highlights only PM Modi. Their promise is only Modi ji, their claim is return to power of Modi ji, and their vision is how to prolong the rule of Modi ji. Rest all in the manifesto is fiction," Gehlot tweeted.

In another tweet, he said, "BJP Manifesto is a list of unfulfilled promises and for fulfilling those PM Modi requests innumerable number of years to remain in office. Modi's thirst for power and to make false claims to remain in power- that is what their Sankalp is," Gehlot said in another tweet.

The CM said the prime minster spent five years in power without facing a single press conference. "Such phobia about the media in the country's PM is dangerous for democracy," he added.

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Uttar Pradesh: Boiler blast at a Kanpur factory leaves one dead, 4 injured

Kanpur

oi-Vikas SV

Kanpur, Apr 9: A boiler blast in an ordnance factory in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur city has reportedly left one person dead and at least four injured. The blast is said to have taken place in the Vijay Nagar area of the industrial city.

The details about the condition of the injured is now known yet. They have been rushed to the hospital. The exact cause of the mishap is yet to be ascertained.

On April 3, A 35-year-old woman died in a gas cylinder blast while she was cooking food inside her kitchen in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut. The blast led to a fire which left her burnt to death. Firemen reached the spot and doused the fire but the woman could not be saved, said reports.

Delhi: Fire in plastic godown in Burari, no casualty reported

On March 31, four persons sustained injuries in a cylinder blast in a godown in south Delhi's Fatehpur Beri locality. Three workers received over 60% burn injuries, said reports. Five fire tenders were pressed into service which doused the fire.

On March 29, an eight-year-old girl and a woman died on the spot after a cylinder used during a film shoot exploded in Karnataka's capital Bengaluru. The film 'Ranam' directed by renowned Tollywood director V Samudra was in its second shooting schedule at Shell Company Bunk in the city when the incident took place. "The impact of the blast was so high that the bodies of the women were blown into pieces," reports had quoted a Bengaluru police official as saying.

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Story first published: Tuesday, April 9, 2019, 17:52 [IST]
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to reach Lucknow on July 16; Key meetings scheduled in Delhi before visit

UP Board Class 10th, 12th Result 2021 Declared: How to check

Members of farmers' body detained in Lucknow for trying to burn effigies of PM Modi, Shah

Section 144 CrPC invoked in Lucknow in view of Christmas, New Year

UP: Demonetised currency worth Rs 46 lakh seized from a Dehradun-bound car

Lucknow

pti-PTI

Muzaffarnagar, Apr 9: In a drive ahead of the Lok Sabha election, police have seized Rs 46 lakh in demonetised notes from a Dehradun-bound car here, a senior official said on Tuesday.

SP (City) Satpal Antil told PTI that the car was intercepted during checking after which the police team seized the cash.

[Fake currency seized in Karnataka based on NIA tip off]

Four persons have been taken into police custody for interrogation and the matter is being probed, the SP said.

Special drives are being conducted ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in this constituency on April 11.

PTI
During the visit to Candaransi temple in Ho Chi Minh City, on April 7, Deputy PM said that over the past years, Party and State have always payed special attention to ethnic minorities, includingimplementing supportive policies, improving the socio-economicsituation and life quality of ethnic minority people, and strengthening the bloc of great national unity.

Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh emphasised that, along with people from all over the country, Khmer ethnic people in Ho Chi Minh City have made great efforts to promote national cultural identity and overcome difficulties. They have also made important contributions to the country's development achievements and socio-economic development.

The leader asked the Khmer people and Khmer Theravada Buddhist monks and nuns to further strive for the cause of socio-economic development. He believed that leaders of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) will continue directing the effective fulfillment of key goals set during its new tenure, and called on Buddhist monks, nuns and followers to contribute to national construction and defence.

Most Venerable Danh Lung, member of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) executive board, deputy head of the 2nd Central Office of VBS cum Abbot of Candaransi Temple gave thanks for theattention of the Party and State leaders for Khmer compatriots in the traditional New Year Festival of Khmer people.

The Most Venerable expressed his gratitude and thanks to the leaders and city authorities for creating favorable conditions for religious activities of Khmer compatriots at Candaransi Temple.
Bailey McCann, Opalesque New York:

Michel Brogard has joined $18.4 billion hedge fund CQS as head of the London-based firm's US Business. Brogard will be based in New York.

He will replace Jeffrey Lindenbaum who will head up intermediary distribution, a new role within the firm.

According to Pensions & Investments, Brogard will be ......................

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Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia:

CTAs' winning streak continues (+1.1% last week) in the hedge fund space, according to the Lyxor CTA UCITS peer group.

CTA strategies that exclude commodities from their investment universe outperformed (+5.9% vs. +3.5% YTD for CTAs including commodities).

CTAs' long positions on European fixed income have been rewarded by the poor macro numbers in Germany which dragged bond yields lower.

The strategy is now up +5.4% since the trough at end-January but the road to recovery is still long. The drawdown since the previous peak in March 2015 is in excess of 15%.

Concurrently, L/S Equity strategies lagged behind. Both Directional and Market Neutral L/S Equity strategies delivered meagre returns in March despite elevated stock dispersion on both sides of the Atlantic.

Flows into offshore hedge fund strategies were back in positive territory in February according to eVestment.

However, investors' appetite for L/S Equity remains low. Both directional and Market Neutral L/S Equity strategies experienced substantial outflows in January and February.

"Based on our Peer Group of 243 strategies, the five worst performing ones in March were mostly L/S Equity, both directional and Market Neutral in a range of -3.3% to -4.3%. Our views on the strategy stay relatively defensive, though we recently upgraded long biased L/S Equity from Underweight to Neutral to capture some beta in portfolios," said Lyxor in its Weekly Brie......................

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What are the Growth Drivers of Automotive Powertrain Systems Market? Delphi Automobile, Denso Corporation, GKN PLC, Ford Motor Company, Volkswagen AG, Toyota Motor Corporation, General Motors Company, Aisin SeikiCo

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Market Study Report LLC adds 2018-2026 Global Automotive Powertrain Systems market report that offers an exhaustive coverage of the industry with brief analysis, data charts, figures, statistics that help take business decisions, company profiles and more.The significant increase in demand for passenger and commercial vehicles, and growth in global automotive industry boosts the demand for automotive powertrain system. The demand for automatic transmission has increased significantly, thereby supporting market growth. The growing trend of downsized engines further boosts the adoption. The introduction of stringent government regulations regarding carbon emissions has encouraged market players to launch efficient and eco-friendly automotive powertrain system. New emerging markets, emerging consumer demographics, and technological advancements would provide growth opportunities for Automotive Powertrain system market in the coming years.Request a sample of this premium report at:The global Automotive Powertrain System Market is anticipated to reach around USD 892 billion by 2026 according to a new research. The passenger vehicle segment dominated the global automotive powertrain system market in 2017. In 2017, Asia-Pacific accounted for the majority share in the global Automotive Powertrain System market.In 2017, Asia-Pacific accounted for the highest share in the global Automotive Powertrain System market. The governments in the region have introduced stringent regulations regarding vehicular emissions owing to environmental concerns. The growing demand for automobiles in the region, and technological advancements would accelerate the demand for automotive powertrain system systems during the forecast period. The increasing economic growth, and increasing demand from countries such as China and India further increases the adoption of automotive powertrain systems in the region. The high penetration of electric vehicles in the region further promotes the adoption of automotive powertrain systems.The well-known companies profiled in the Automotive Powertrain Systems market report include Ford Motor Company, Hyundai Motor Company, Volkswagen AG, ZF Friedrichshafen AG, Toyota Motor Corporation, General Motors Company, Aisin SeikiCo., Ltd, Delphi Automobile, Denso Corporation, and GKN PLC. These companies launch new products and collaborate with other market leaders to innovate and launch new products to meet the increasing needs and requirements of consumers.Table of Content:1. Overview and Scope1.1. Research goal & scope1.2. Research assumptions1.3. Research Methodology1.3.1. Primary data sources1.3.2. Secondary data sources1.4. Key take-away1.5. Stakeholders2. Executive Summary2.1. Market Definition2.2. Market Segmentation3. Automotive Powertrain systems Market Insights3.1. Automotive Powertrain Systems Industry snapshot3.2. Automotive Powertrain Systems - Ecosystem analysis3.3. Automotive Powertrain Systems Market Dynamics3.3.1. Automotive Powertrain Systems Market Forces3.3.1.1. Automotive Powertrain Systems Market Driver Analysis3.3.1.2. Automotive Powertrain Systems Market Restraint/Challenges analysis3.3.1.3. Automotive Powertrain Systems Market Opportunity Analysis3.4. Industry analysis - Porter's five force3.4.1. Bargaining power of supplier3.4.2. Bargaining power of buyer3.4.3. Threat of substitute3.4.4. Threat of new entrant3.4.5. Degree of competition3.5. Automotive Powertrain Systems Market PEST Analysis, 20163.6. Automotive Powertrain Systems Market Value Chain Analysis3.7. Automotive Powertrain Systems Industry Trends3.8. Competitive Ranking Analysis4. Automotive Powertrain Systems Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Drive Type4.1. Key Findings4.2. Front-Wheel Drive Powertrain System4.3. Rear-Wheel Drive Powertrain System4.4. All-Wheel Drive Powertrain System5. Automotive Powertrain Systems Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Vehicle Type5.1. Key Findings5.2. Passenger Vehicles5.3. Commercial Vehicles6. Automotive Powertrain Systems Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Fuel Type6.1. Key Findings6.2. Gasoline6.3. DieselRequest a discount on standard prices of this premium report at:Related Report:Asia-Pacific Automotive Powertrain Systems Market Report 2017In this report, the Asia-Pacific Automotive Powertrain Systems market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.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:
Intraoperative Diagnostic Imaging Systems Market is Likely to Witness huge Growth - Major Key Players are Philips Healthcare (The Netherlands), Siemens Healthineers (Germany), Stryker Corporation (U.S.)

Intraoperative Diagnostic Imaging Systems

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Up Market Research added a new Intraoperative Diagnostic Imaging Systems Market research report for the period of 2019  2026. Report focuses on the major drivers and restraints providing analysis of the market share, segmentation, revenue forecasts and geographic regions of the market.Get Sample Copy Of This Report @The report contains 105 pages which highly exhibit on current market analysis scenario, upcoming as well as future opportunities, revenue growth, pricing and profitability.Intraoperative Diagnostic Imaging Systems 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 Intraoperative Diagnostic Imaging Systems Market global status and trend, market size, share, growth, trends analysis, segment and forecasts from 20192026.The scope of the report extends from market scenarios to comparative pricing between major players, cost and profit of the specified market regions. The statistics are represented in graphical format for a clear understanding on facts and figures.For More Information On This Report, Please VisitThe generated report is firmly based on primary research, interviews with top executives, news sources and information insiders. Secondary research techniques are implemented for better understanding and clarity for data analysis.The report for Intraoperative Diagnostic Imaging Systems Market analysis & forecast 2019-2026 is segmented into Product Segment, Application Segment & Major players.Global Intraoperative Diagnostic Imaging Systems Market Segmentation Includes:Region-wise Analysis covers:North AmericaEuropeChinaJapanIndiaSoutheast AsiaOther regions (Central & South America, Middle East & Africa)The Major players include:Philips Healthcare (The Netherlands)Siemens Healthineers (Germany)Stryker Corporation (U.S.)Toshiba Corporation (Japan)GE Healthcare (U.S.)Koninklijke Philips N.V.Toshiba CorporationSteris PLC.Imris, Deerfield ImagingGetinge ABTrumpf Medical (A Subsidiary of Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc.)Alvo MedicalMizuho CorporationEschmann Equipment (A Part of Steris PLC.)NDS Surgical Imaging (A Part of Novanta, Inc.)Skytron LLCProduct Type Analysis:Angiography SystemsMRI SystemsCT ScannersOthersApplication Analysis:CardiovascularThoracicNeurosurgeryOrthopedicOthersGet Sample Copy Of This Report @Intraoperative Diagnostic Imaging Systems Market Analysis and Forecast 2019-2026 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.Key Reasons to Purchase:- To gain insightful analysis of the market and have a comprehensive understanding of the Global Intraoperative Diagnostic Imaging Systems Market 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 Intraoperative Diagnostic Imaging Systems Market analysis and forecast 2019-2026.Avail Discount On This Report @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.About 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 Lab Glassware Market Demand Analysis by Key Players Like Sigma-Aldrich, Fisher Scientific, DWK Life Sciences, Corning, Bellco Glass, BOROSIL, Hilgenberg 2019 - 2025

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The Lab Glassware Market is prepared based on the competent evaluation of the market status and business performance. The report introduces the market definition. Study acts as a valid source, when assessing the main classification and classification share of the market. Furthermore, contextual factors such as capacity production overview, production market share, demand overview, import and export consumption amongst others are thoroughly examined during the study. Besides this, data on specifics including product history development overview as well as market development overview are also featured in the study. On the other hand, the study takes a closer look at the import and export status, region -wise market performance and market development trend assessment.Request for sample@This report focuses on Lab Glassware volume and value at global level, regional level and company level. From a global perspective, this report represents overall Lab Glassware 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: Sigma-Aldrich, Fisher Scientific, DWK Life Sciences, Corning, Quark Enterprises, Bellco Glass, Wilmad-LabGlass SP Industries, Hamilton Laboratory Glass, Kavalierglass, BOROSIL, Hilgenberg, Glacier Glass Works, Eagle Laboratory Glass Company, Jencons Glass Industries, Sibata Scientific Technology, Promax, Glassco Group, Cosmo Laboratory Equipment, Hario, Pioneer Scientific InstrumentSegment by Regions: North America, Europe, China, JapanSegment by Type: Container, Measurer, Filter, OtherSegment by Application: Chemical Laboratory, Bio-pharmaceutical Laboratory, Food Testing Laboratory, OtherBuy Single User Copy of This Report@Table of ContentsExecutive Summary1 Lab Glassware Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Lab Glassware1.2 Lab Glassware Segment by Type1.2.1 Global Lab Glassware Production Growth Rate Comparison by Type (2014-2025)1.2.2 Container1.2.3 Measurer1.2.4 Filter1.2.5 Other1.3 Lab Glassware Segment by Application1.3.1 Lab Glassware Consumption Comparison by Application (2014-2025)1.3.2 Chemical Laboratory1.3.3 Bio-pharmaceutical Laboratory1.3.4 Food Testing Laboratory1.3.5 Other1.3 Global Lab Glassware Market by Region1.3.1 Global Lab Glassware 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 Lab Glassware Market Size1.4.1 Global Lab Glassware Revenue (2014-2025)1.4.2 Global Lab Glassware Production (2014-2025)2 Global Lab Glassware Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Lab Glassware Production Market Share by Manufacturers (2014-2019)2.2 Global Lab Glassware Revenue Share by Manufacturers (2014-2019)2.3 Global Lab Glassware Average Price by Manufacturers (2014-2019)2.4 Manufacturers Lab Glassware Production Sites, Area Served, Product Types2.5 Lab Glassware Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Lab Glassware Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Lab Glassware Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 Global Lab Glassware Production Market Share by Regions3.1 Global Lab Glassware Production Market Share by Regions3.2 Global Lab Glassware Revenue Market Share by Regions (2014-2019)3.3 Global Lab Glassware Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)3.4 North America Lab Glassware Production3.4.1 North America Lab Glassware Production Growth Rate (2014-2019)3.4.2 North America Lab Glassware Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)3.5 Europe Lab Glassware Production3.5.1 Europe Lab Glassware Production Growth Rate (2014-2019)3.5.2 Europe Lab Glassware Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)3.6 China Lab Glassware Production (2014-2019)3.6.1 China Lab Glassware Production Growth Rate (2014-2019)3.6.2 China Lab Glassware Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)3.7 Japan Lab Glassware Production (2014-2019)3.7.1 Japan Lab Glassware Production Growth Rate (2014-2019)3.7.2 Japan Lab Glassware Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)Complete Report With TOC@.....Who we areResearch Trades has a team of experts who is working on a comprehensive analysis of market research. This estimate is based on a comprehensive study of the future and estimates of future estimates, which can be used by various organizations for growth purposes. We distribute customized reports that focus on meeting the customers specific requirement. Our company provides a large collection of high-quality reports obtained by customer-centered approaches, thus providing valuable research insights.Contact Us:Email: sales@researchtrades.comCall us: +1 6269994607 (USA), +91 7507349866 (IND)Web:Skype ID: researchtradescon
Fast Food Market to Show Impressive Growth Rate between 2014 - 2022 | Top Key Players: McDonalds, Hardees, Pizza Hut, Dominos Pizza, Burger King, KFC, Subway, Dunkin Donuts

Fast Food Market

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Fast Food Market Report, published by Allied Market Research, forecasts that the global market is expected to garner $743,859 Million by 2022, registering a CAGR of 4.84% during the forecast period 2016-2022.Download Request Sample @:Fast food is a term used for easily prepared, processed food served in snack bars and restaurants as a quick meal or to be taken away. It is a quick and low-price meal alternative for home-cooked food. The global fast food market is poised to witness significant growth during the forecast period, owing to increase in number of fast food restaurants and working women, rise in tech-savvy ordering options demand for international cuisines, and change in consumer taste and preference. Change in consumer taste and preference is a key impacting factor in the fast food market. However, factors such as high setup cost of restaurants and rise in health concerns among fast food consumers hamper the market growth.Top Key Players Profiled McDonalds Hardees Pizza Hut Dominos Pizza Burger King KFC Subway Dunkin Donuts Firehouse Subs Auntie Annes.Flat 20% Discount on All License Type @:* Offer Valid Till 20th April 2019Based on the type of fast food, the market is segmented into burgers/sandwiches, pizza/pasta, chicken, seafood, Asian/Latin American food, and others. The Asian/Latin American food segment generated highest revenue 2015, however, the burgers/sandwiches segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR of 6.02% to reach during the forecast period.Based on geography, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. The North American region is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.66% during forecast period. However, LAMEA is an emerging market for fast food and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 7.61%.KEY BENEFITS FOR STAKEHOLDERS The Asian/Latin American food segment occupied the highest share in 2015 and is estimated to grow at a high CAGR of 3.77%, in terms of value, during the forecast period. North America led the market for fast food, followed by Asia-Pacific, in 2015. The burgers/sandwiches segment is estimated to grow at the highest CAGR of 6.02%, in terms of value. U.S. is the leading market for fast food in the North American region, which is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.73%, in terms of value.Access full 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:
Latest Study on Medical Robotics Market 2019 and Brief Analysis of Top Companies- Intuitive Surgical, Mazor Robotics, IRobot Corporation, Zimmer Biomet, Hocoma, Titan Medical Inc

Global Medical Robotics Market 2019-2025

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Medical Robotics Market analyses the report based on customer demand, supply and market size, current trends, issues, challenges, Forecasts, competition analysis. The report monitors the key trends and market drivers in the current scenario and offers on-the-ground insights and Futuristic Market Trends.Ask for Sample Copy of This Report @The global Medical Robotics market will reach Volume Million USD in 2018 with CAGR xx% 2018-2025. The main contents of the report including: Global market size and forecast Regional market size, production data and export & importTop Key Vendors:Intuitive SurgicalAccuray IncorporatedMazor RoboticsIRobot CorporationZimmer BiometStryker CorporationStryker CorporationHocomaTitan Medical IncTransenterix, IncEkso Bionics, IncMajor Type as follows:Surgical RobotsRehabilitation RobotsTelepresence RobotsOtherGlobal Medical Robotics Industry is spread across 79 pages, profiling 11 companies and supported with tables and figures.Early buyers will receive reasonable discount on exclusive report @Major applications as follows:HospitalsClinicsAcademic ResearchOtherThe report can answer the following questions:1. What is the global (North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia, China, Japan) production, production value, consumption, consumption value, import and export of Medical Robotics2. Who are the global key manufacturers of Medical Robotics industry? How are their operating situation (capacity, production, price, cost, gross and revenue)?3. What are the types and applications of Medical Robotics? What is the market share of each type and application?Objective of Studies:1. To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast of the various segments and sub-segments of the global Medical Robotics market.2. To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth. To analyze the Medical Robotics market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, Porte five force analysis etc.3. 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, Latin America and Rest of the World.Inquire for further detailed information before the purchase on Global Medical Robotics Market Research Report @Research MethodologyThe market is derived through extensive use of secondary, primary, in-house research followed by expert validation and third party perspective like analyst report of investment banks. The secondary research forms the base of our study where we conducted extensive data mining, referring to verified data sources such as white papers government and regulatory published materials, technical journals, trade magazines, and paid data sources.For forecasting, regional demand & supply factor, investment, market dynamics including technical scenario, consumer behavior, and end use industry trends and dynamics , capacity Route of administration of molecule, spending were taken into consideration.We have assigned weights to these parameters and quantified their market impacts using the weighted average analysis to derive the expected market growth rate.The market estimates and forecasts have been verified through exhaustive primary research with the Key Industry Participants (KIPs) which typically include:* Original Manufacturer,* Supplier,* Distributors,* Government Body & Associations, and* Research InstituteAbout 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 Us:Ruwin MendezVice President  Global Sales & Partner RelationsOrian Research ConsultantsUS +1 (415) 830-3727| UK +44 020 8144-71-27Email: info@orianresearch.comWebsite:Follow Us on LinkedIn:
Vacuum clamping for aluminium plate processing

Mink claw vacuum pump for generating retaining vacuum on one of the three CNC portal milling machines

www.buschvacuum.com

The core expertise of Alimex GmbH, based in Willich, Germany, is manufacturing low-tension aluminium cast plates with a homogeneous structure. These semi-finished products are used wherever very high demands are placed on the material. The plates are processed on CNC portal milling machines to face mill the surfaces. A vacuum generated by Mink claw vacuum pumps from Busch is used to hold them securely on grid tables. In vacuum generation of this type, Alimex has found a highly reliable, clean and energy-efficient solution.Alimex was founded in 1968. Initially, it only worked on sawing sections out of rolled plates.At the start of the 1970s, Alimex specialised in sawing plates out of aluminium rolling ingots.Unlike rolled plates and sheet metal, sawing can be used to produce aluminium plates that have a homogeneous structure and are stress-relieved.These are essential requirements for many customers in the field of aviation technology, the optics industry, and the solar and semi-conductor industry, when processing materials to form high-quality components.Today, Alimex supplies customers worldwide with aluminium case plates in various aluminium alloys with sawn, milled and mirror-finish surface qualities.Standard sizes measure 3 x 1.5 metres, and special formats of up to 5 x 2.9 metres are also available on request.The alloy EN AW-5083 (AlMg4.5Mn0.7) is most widely used, and produces low-tension precision cast plates with very balanced mechanical properties.The fine, low-porous cast plates are also homogenised by extended heat treatment and undergo thermal stress relief.At the customers request, the surfaces of these plates are milled with a surface finish of under 0.4 micrometres (m), mostly on both sides.A special milling technique means that values below 0.2 micrometres (m) are also available.Although the standard plate thicknesses are between 5 and 50 millimetres, much thicker plates are also produced.Alimex uses rolling ingots obtained from different foundries as its raw material, and these are annealed under tension before processingto eliminate the tensions that were created during the casting and cooling process.An initial step sees the ingots sawn to size on a vertical band saw, and the plates are then sawn on a horizontal band saw.Some of the aluminium plates are delivered with a saw cut, though the majority are further processed on one of the three CNC portal mills. The milling heads on two of the mills have a diameter of 1.7 metres, meaning that standard-format plates can be milled on one side using a feed motion.The third mill has a milling head diameter that mills a maximum width of 2.5 metres using a feed motion.All three portal mills were originally equipped with oil-lubricated rotary vane vacuum pumps, which generated the vacuum to hold the aluminium plates on the grid table.However, Production Manager Najib El Byad was not satisfied with this solution. The maintenance effort for these vacuum pumps was considerable, as the filters for exhaust air and oil had to be changed, and the oil had to be topped up, every three months.In addition, the oil had to be completely replaced once a year. Some of the fine oil mist that escaped from the oil-lubricated rotary vane vacuum pump condensed on the mirror-finish surfaces of the aluminium plates  and this contamination could not be tolerated. Moreover, the level of energy consumption was considered too high as each of the three vacuum pumps was equipped with a 7.5 kW motor  this meant that the energy consumption to produce the vacuum 24 hours a day, five days a week came to 121,500 kilowatt hours a year.Busch then suggested to Najib El Byad the use of Mink claw vacuum pumps to hold the aluminium plates when milling. These vacuum pumps generate the retaining vacuum without oil or contact, and as a result the extracted air can be compressed without operating fluids. The contact-free technology in turn prevents wear in the vacuum pump, making the pump almost maintenance-free. Furthermore, contact-free operation enables a high efficiency factor, which again has a positive effect on energy consumption. The benefits could be seen right from the first few months of operation after the new vacuum technology was installed.Oil-free operation means there is no contamination whatsoever from Mink claw vacuum pump exhaust air. Maintenance is limited to the preventive annual gear oil change. A significantly smaller quantity of gear oil (0.85 litres or one litre) is used than with rotary vane vacuum pumps that need replacement, as the latter require an annual oil change with 5 to 6.5 litres of oil in addition to the quarterly top ups.The output of the new Mink claw vacuum pumps is precisely configured to provide the required clamping force, meaning that a smaller size was installed on each of the milling machines for standard plate sizes than on the mill for special formats. Both of the smaller Mink claw vacuum pumps are driven by a 3-kilowatt IE3 motor, and the larger one has a 6-kilowatt IE3 motor. As a result, the annual energy consumption for vacuum generation for all three milling machines is 64,800 kilowatt hours, which almost halves the energy costs compared to the previous solution. After more than two years of operating time, Production Manager Najib El Byad is very happy with the investment in the new Mink vacuum technology, which has met all expectations, as well as proving that vacuum generation works very reliably. There have been no faults or downtime whatsoever.Busch Vacuum Pumps and Systems is one of the worlds largest producers of vacuum pumps, vacuum systems, blowers and compressors.Its extensive product portfolio comprises solutions for vacuum and overpressure applications in all industries, including the chemical, semiconductor, medical technology, plastics, and food sectors. It also covers the design and construction of customized vacuum systems, as well as a global service network.The Busch group is a family-owned company and is still managed by the Busch family. Busch Vacuum Pumps and Systems has 3,000 employees in more than 60 companies in over 40 countries worldwide. Busch is headquartered in Maulburg, in southwest Germany. This is the location of Busch SE headquarters, as well as the German production facility and German sales company. In addition to Maulburg, Busch also has its own production plants in Switzerland, the UK, Czech Republic, Korea and the USA.Busch Vacuum Pumps and Systems was founded by Dr.-Ing. Karl Busch and his wife Ayhan Busch in 1963. Dr.-Ing. Karl Busch developed the Huckepack, which was the first vacuum pump that could be used for vacuum packaging of foodstuffs. The follow-up product, the compact R 5 rotary vane vacuum pump, revolutionized food packaging. A further milestone represented the development of the COBRA screw vacuum pump. In 1971 the international expansion of the Busch group started with the founding of a sales company in the UK. The first production plant outside Germany was established in the USA in 1979.Jasmin MarkanicBusch Dienste GmbHGlobal Marketing / Marketing ServicesCoordinator Global Press & Media RelationsSchauinslandstrae 1DE 79689 MaulburgPhone: +49 7622 681 3376jasmin.markanic@busch.de
Tiller Machine Market Future Opportunities Recorded for the Period until 2026 || Key Player - Deere & Company, MAHINDRA USA INC., Great Northern Equipment, Kuhn Farm Machinery Inc., American Honda Motor Co. Inc.

Tiller Machine Market

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A new report titled Tiller Machine Market Future Opportunities Recorded for the Period until 2026 has been included in the enormous research repository of Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) that compiles various facets of the Tiller Machine 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 Tiller Machine Market across the globe.Request Free Sample Report @Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) studies the global tiller machines market in its latest report, and offers holistic insights on the key factors at play in this landscape. The market has been analyzed for the period 2017-2026, with a detailed historical assessment offered for the period 2012-2016. The market has been analyzed across a range of segments and regions.The report studies the key drivers, restraints, opportunities, and threats in the market in detail, and offers an analysis on their likely impact on the market. The report comprises valuable qualitative information that can help readers in gaining a thorough understanding of the market dynamics. In addition to comprehensive and 360 degree analysis on the key drivers, restraints, opportunities, and threats, the report also studies the supply chain, cost structure, raw material sourcing strategy and analysis, and pricing analysis.The global tiller machine market is impacted by both macroeconomic and industry-specific factors. Economic slowdown, sluggishness in consumer spending, and broader developments in the agriculture and gardening industry have a massive influence on the tiller machines market. In addition to these broader factors, the market is also influenced by product innovation, government regulations, and price volatilities. The report studies all these factors in detail, and offers a holistic analysis on how these are likely to impact the growth of the market during the assessment period.Browse Complete Report with TOC @The report includes a detailed competitive landscape that profiles some of the key players operating in the global tiller machines market. The product and business strategies of the key players have been discussed in detail. The financial performance of the companies, along with key developments in the recent past have also been included in this section. This section of the report can be highly beneficial for players looking to gain insights on the strategies of their competitors. This section can also help readers in gauging the respective positioning of leading players in this market.The report has been compiled after thorough primary and secondary research. Industry databases, investor briefings, company press releases, and interviews with influencers and experts have been used to arrive at conclusions and projections. The quantitative assessment included in the report has been arrived at on the basis of a robust research methodology. Peer-review of the quantitative and qualitative analysis has been carried out to identify anomalies. The report has been organized in a lucid and easy to comprehend manner so that readers can gain a deeper understanding of the market.The report can be highly beneficial for readers across a broad spectrum. Existing players can bring themselves up-to-date with the developments in the market, whereas new players can understanding the prevailing scenario and dynamics. Players contemplating a market foray can gain in-depth insights on the lucrative and sluggish avenues in the market. Overall, the report can serve as a comprehensive and pragmatic source of information and insights that can help stakeholders in formulating their future strategies.Enquire about this Report @About Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE)Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Market Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:
Artificial Intelligence Market to Grow Rapidly in Future | Global Key Players - IBM Corporation, Google, Inc., NVIDIA Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, iCarbonX, Next IT Corp., CloudMex Inc., Atomwise

Artificial Intelligence

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Increasing application of AI technologies, from pharma drug development to patient care is expected to support growth of artificial intelligence in healthcare market. Moreover, increasing number of collaborations among leading AI vendors and life sciences companies may help in rapid introduction of AI in medical devices and drug development. Pharmaceutical organizations can speed up the process of drug development, from drug discovery to commercialization, by using artificial intelligence. It can aid in development of personalized medicine. It is also increasingly being used for applications in advanced disease management such as cancer diagnosis and treatment, as studies have suggested that artificial intelligence may detect breast cancer spread to lymph nodes.Get a Request Sample of Research Report @For instance, Researchers from MITs Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital collaborated to apply AI in detection and diagnosis of breast cancer. The model developed by these scientists correctly diagnosed 97% of the cases. Artificial intelligence holds major potential in medical imaging and diagnosis of the diseases. Therefore, government organizations are increasing research in this field. For instance, In October 2017, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer (NCRCC) in China signed a deal with the Institute of Computing Technology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in order to use artificial intelligence in medical imaging.Increasing research and development by leading players in In AI for healthcare application is expected to support growth of the artificial intelligence in healthcare market. IBM Corporation partnered with University of California, in order to enhance quality of life through artificial intelligence in October 2017. Moreover, IBM Watson and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) collaborated for joint research in artificial intelligence in September 2017. Two Israel based startups  CLEW Medical and Viz.ai  launched predictive analytics platform and direct-to-intervention system to automatically analyze brain CTs respectively, in January 2018.Request for Customization of Research Report @Furthermore, Seegene, Inc. successfully developed molecular diagnostic assays by using artificial intelligence-based assay development system in January 2018. In May 2017, CJ Healthcare Corporation  a South Korea-based company  partnered with Syntekabio, Inc. to co-develop a new anticancer immunotherapy using artificial intelligence model.Key players in the market are focusing on partnership and new product launch strategies, in order to enhance their market share. For instance, in 2017, NVIDIA Corporation partnered with GE Healthcare and Nuance to integrate NVIDIAs deep learning platform with GE Healthcare medical imaging devices. Atomwise, Inc. launched a research program to accelerate drug discovery by using artificial intelligence in April 2017. Partners Connected Health and Hitachi Ltd. developed an artificial intelligence (AI) technology, which can predict hospital readmissions within 30 days for heart failure patients.Manufacturers are focusing on integrating artificial intelligence with healthcare systems through natural language processing, machine learning, and algorithms. For instance, ExcelMedical received approval from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for Wave Clinical Platform in January 2018. This is an algorithm, which can predict sudden heart attacks and respiratory failure based on patients vitals. Deep Genomics, Inc. raised US$ 13 million in September 2017, to develop genetic medicines by using their artificial intelligence technology. Oncora Medical raised US$ 1.2 million to further develop its radiation oncology platform in 2016 using AI.Inquire about Discount on this Report @About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.1001 4th Ave,, #3200, Seattle, WA 98154
Water Softener Market is Thriving Worldwide with Leading Players Like EcoWater Systems LLC, Culligan International, Kinetico Incorporated, Pentair, Morton Salt, Whirlpool Corporation, 3M

Water Softener Market

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https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/water-softener-market

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According to a new research report by Global Market Insights, Inc. Water Softener Market is set to surpass USD 10 billion by 2024. Global water softener market share is competitive and moderately consolidated with key industry precipitants includes, Culligan International Company, General Electric Company, Pentair, Whirlpool, Honeywell International and 3M.Increasing consumption of soft water has encouraged sellers to invest intensely in R&D for the product. Companies are spending more on product design, increasing efficiency and reducing environmental impacts.Request for a Sample copy of this Report @UK salt-based water softener market size in 900,000 grain from hotel/restaurants is likely to surpass USD 3 million due to its usage in removing lime scale on toilets, tile and faucets. It eliminates scale causing minerals in water, subsequently resulting in cleaner fittings and tiles, which may propel product demand.Water Softener Market, By Product Salt Based Salt FreeWater Softener Industry, By Application Residentialo Single Familyo Multi Family Commercialo Office Buildingso Hotel/Restaurantso Laundrieso Hospital & Healthcareo Others Industrialo Food Processing unito Textileo Chemicalo Oil & Gaso Refinerieso OthersMake an inquiry for purchasing this report @Intensifying demand for soft water owing to growing industrialization and urbanization may expand water softener market growth by 2024. Growing penetration of multinational brands along with its features including high effectiveness in decreasing formation of scale in boilers, pipes and tanks are likely to further propel product demand. This equipment improves product lifespan of water using appliances by removing salts and minerals, which can damage product quality. Growing customer spending on water treatment equipment supported by increasing contamination issues will propel product demand.Supporting government regulation in Europe and Asia pacific reinforced by R&D activities on water softener manufacturing will promote product demand. Additionally, rising industrial sector and manufacturing industries may fuel water softener demand owing to application of soft water in steam generation, product manufacturing and cleaning.Global salt free water softener market is anticipated to exceed USD 2 billion in projected timeline owing to its extensive consumption in the U.S. There is no electrical valve required in salt-free softener as system operates as a conditioner and do not captures anything, thus eliminating need to purge minerals. Soft water from this system results in less soap consumption and brighter laundry, which is anticipated to stimulate product demand.Browse Complete Report Summary @China water softener demand in 1200,000 grain from laundries units is projected to witness gains of up to 7%. Fabric quality is adversely affected along with high amount of detergent is required when hard water is used thus, softener is needed for both cleaning and washing applications. Softening equipment is used in this industry to maintain quality, easy cleaning of fabrics and also reduces the amount of detergent required, which may boost market growth.About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Contact Person: Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone:1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:
GPON Equipment Market: Global Product Intelligence, Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast - 2024

GPON Equipment Market

https://www.infiniumglobalresearch.com/reports/sample-request/3283

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https://www.infiniumglobalresearch.com/ict-semiconductor/global-gpon-equipment-market

www.infiniumglobalresearch.com

The latest report has been added to the wide database of GPON Equipment Market by Infinium Global Research. This report studies the GPON Equipment Market by components (optical line, optical network termination, fiber optical splitter, transmitting media, optical cables), application (mobile backhaul, FTTX, FTTH, and others), end user (IT and telecom, hospitals, residentials) market status and outlook of global and major regions, from manufacturers, and end industries. The objective of the study is to identify market sizes of different segments & countries in recent years and to forecast the values for the next six years. GPON Equipment Market provides opportunities in micro markets for stakeholders to invest along with the detailed analysis of competitive landscape, latest trends, and product offerings of the major companies in the GPON Equipment Market. The global GPON equipment market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 28.2% over the forecast period of 2018-2024.For More Details Get FREE Sample Pages of this Premium Global Report@GPON Equipment Market: Industry InsightsGigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) is the leading fiber access technology for delivering gigabit Internet services to residential and commercial subscribers. It offers higher efficiency and better bandwidth. An all-fiber technology, GPON is used to build Fiber to the Home (FTTH) networks that connect subscribers to the local ISP serving office. As more and more telecom operators prefer GPON-based fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network which providing a cost-effective method to deliver streaming video content and online applications with seemingly limitless bandwidth.GPON Equipment Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe GPON equipment the market is driven by rapid growth in penetration of internet across the globe. Moreover, the surge in IP traffic globally and growing FTTH deployments are some major factors ample the growth of GPON market. Additionally, the growing need for higher bandwidth connectivity, the introduction of high-speed services coupled with the demand for better quality fiber in network architecture has bolstered the growth of the GPON equipment market. However, the high cost of deployment is expected to restrain the growth of GPON equipment market. Furthermore, large-scale investments in research and development infrastructure and Continuous development in technology is anticipated to offers significant growth opportunities for the GPON market.Enquire here Get Customization & Check Discount for Report @GPON Equipment Market: SegmentationOn the basis components, the global GPON equipment is bifurcated into optical line termination (OLT), optical network termination (ONT), fiber optical splitter, transmitting media, optical cables, and others. Based on application, the global market is segmented into mobile backhaul, FTTX, FTTH, and others.The FTTH segment in GPON equipment is anticipated to hold maximum share throughout the forecast period. FTTH network delivers higher bandwidth connectivity. The factors such as the need for improved internet infrastructure and growth in industrialization escalate the growth of FTTH market. On the basis of the end user, the global market is divided into IT and telecom, hospitals, residential, and others.GPON Equipment Market: Regional AnalysisGeographically, North America is expected to have substantial growth rate throughout the forecast period. High demand for video conferencing, voice over internet protocol coupled with continuous development in technology is a key factor promoting the growth of GPON equipment market. Additionally, the rapid growth rate of deployment of FTTP service in U.S. region has also contributed to the growth of the market. The Asia Pacific region dominated the global GPON equipment market owing to growth in penetration of internet. Moreover, rapid industrialization coupled with a growing investment in R&D infrastructures and demand for higher bandwidth are some factors beneficial for the growth of the market. In the Asia Pacific region, countries such as China, India, and Japan are contributing to the growth in GPON equipment market.Browse Complete Global Report and Detailed TOC:GPON Equipment Market: Competitive AnalysisThe key players in the global GPON equipment are Verizon Wireless, Broadcom Inc, Calix Inc, ECI TELECOM, Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson, DASAN Networks, Inc., FiberHome Networks, Hitachi, Ltd., ADTRAN, Inc, and Zyxel Communications Corp. New product launch is the key parameter to gain a greater market share.Tejas Networks Launched World's First Ultra-Converged Broadband ProductIn February 2019, Tejas Networks has announced the launch of its innovative, ultra-converged broadband access product the family which delivers wireline as well as wireless broadband services from a single integrated platform. The TJ1400 ultra-converged broadband product family provides unmatched integration of multiple broadband access technologies: gigabit fiber broadband (GPON/NG-PON), fixed wireless broadband (4G/LTE eNodeB upgradable to 5G) and GE/10GE/100GE Business Ethernet services (CE2.0 certified) in highly compact, modular and energy-efficient platforms.Infinium Global Research and Consulting Solutions is started with a single motto of being a business partner of the first choice. We at Infinium work on the strengths of our clients to ensure we help them consolidate their market position. We firmly believe in the fact that if you are able to develop newer opportunities then you find there is no dearth of opportunities for you. With our strategic research approaches and deep dive in the market segments, we try to find out new opportunities that our clients can encash with their existing resources. Our experts with over 100 years of cumulative experience in research offer the best in the industry services to our clients to ensure that they achieve their business goals.Infinium Global ResearchOffice No. 04, 06, Ganadhish Empire,Rahatani Corner, Pune, MH 411027Email: info@infiniumglobalresearch.comWebsite:
Road Safety Market  Notable Developments 2025 | Kapsch AG, Jenoptik, Motorola Solutions, Inc

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Global Road Safety Market: OverviewNumerous systems, devices, and technologies are leveraged to ensure safety on highways, bridges, tunnels, and urban roads. Together they constitute the global road safety market, which at present is characterized by the presence of many players both from the private and public sectors. As a result, the competitive landscape is fragmented.Depending upon the different solutions for road safety available, the global market can be classified into automatic license plate recognition, red light enforcement, incident detection system, speed enforcement, and bus lane compliance, among others. Among them, the red light enforcement segment and the automatic license plate segment shows maximum promise.Get Brochure of the Report @Based on the type of service, the global road safety market can be segmented again into professional services and management services. Professional services is comprised of training, support, and maintenance, consulting and system integration, and risk assessment and analysis. Of these, the consulting and system integration services is forecasted to gain the most in the near future and also account for maximum market share.Global Road Safety Market: Trends and OpportunitiesMajorly boosting growth in the global road safety market is the massive spending on roadways, including highways and bridges, tunnels and urban roads across the globe. Another crucial growth driver is the rising prevalence of road accidents on account of more vehicles plying on the roads. Speeding or rash driving with utter disregard for rules mostly result in accidents. Efforts to stem them has led to the swift uptake of road safety devices and systems such as the automatic license plate recognition solution. Automatic license plate recognition, for example, is easy to install and has functionalities such as video cameras, speed calculation, and alarms to monitor vehicles.Red light enforcement is anticipated to contribute the most to the global market for road safety. This is because red light enforcement is easy to install and comparatively cheaper. Additionally, with the emergence of smart cities and increased safety measures adopted by governments, the red lights will see further demand.The smart city initiatives by various governments has dramatically upped the need for advanced infrastructure development and new technologies such as incident response systems, driver assistance systems, vehicle lane enforcement systems, automatic number plate recognition systems.Global Road Safety Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, the key segments of the global market for road safety are Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and the Rest of the World. North America, among them, holds a leading position due to the early adoption of the latest cutting-edge technologies and the presence of a host of solution providers in the region. In the years ahead, however, Asia Pacific is slated overtake all other regions in terms of growth rate on account of the stellar economic growth and various government initiatives to bolster road safety in the region. Countries of Australia, India, China, and Philippines, for instance, have undertaken major initiatives to better strategic planning, agency capability, and evaluation of road safety projects. Alongside Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa is forecasted to offer good growth opportunities for players too in the near future.Request TOC for Detailed Facts & Numbers @Companies Mentioned in ReportTo present a detailed assessment of the competition prevailing in the global market for road safety, the report profiles companies such as Swarco AG, American Traffic Solutions, Kapsch AG, Jenoptik, Motorola Solutions, Inc., and Redflex.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050
Spinal Bulbar Muscular Atrophy Treatment Market Expected to Deliver Dynamic Progression until 2028(Hospitals Orthopedic Clinics Ambulatory Surgical Centers)

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Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy is also called Kennedy disease. It is a disorder of the nerve cells that control muscle movement. These nerve cells are present in the brainstem. Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy mainly occurs in males, and is characterized by atrophy that usually arises in adulthood. Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy results in cramping and leg muscle weakness. The bulbar muscles are also affected, which causes disruptive problems regarding swallowing and speech. Fasciculations, unusual breast development, and infertility are also observed in this disorder. Spinal bulbar muscular atrophy has been diagnosed in the U.S., Europe, Asia, South America, and Australia. The Japanese population is shown to have a very high occurrence. There is no known cure for spinal bulbar muscular atrophy. Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy are usually used to maintain individual skills. Braces and wheel chairs are used for ambulation. For breast reduction physicians prefer surgery.Spinal Bulbar Muscular Atrophy Treatment Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe growing number of incidences of spinal bulbar muscular atrophy is driving the growth of the market. Rapid turnaround time and lower cost of this procedure over conventional methods are also fueling the growth of the spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment market. A reimbursement process is also available in many regions like the U.S., Europe, and Japan. However, the global market for spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment is expected to be deterred by the limited number of drugs available that inhibits in hormone level on the market. Dutasteride and leuprolide are two drugs which are currently present around the world for spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment.Request Free Sample Report@Spinal Bulbar Muscular Atrophy Treatment Market: SegmentationTentatively, the spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment market has been segmented on the basis of drug class and distribution channel.Based on drug class, the spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment market is segmented as:5-Reductase Inhibitors (5-ARIs)Gonadotropin-releasing Hormone (GnRH) AgonistsBased on distribution channel, the spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment market is segmented as:HospitalsOrthopedic ClinicsAmbulatory Surgical CentersSpinal Bulbar Muscular Atrophy Treatment Market: OverviewThe occurrence rate of spinal bulbar muscular atrophy is around 1 per 100,000 individuals, and high incidences are observed in Finland. From the 20052006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey using a sample of 1480 men with a mean age of 53.2 years (range 3779) with spinal bulbar muscular atrophy disorder were obtained for the hormonal profile, healthy control mean values and standard errors and according to the Oxford University Press, in 2006 a study followed 223 Japanese spinal bulbar muscular atrophy patients for a number of years, and among them, 15 died, with a median age of 65 years. A common cause of death for spinal bulbar muscular atrophy patients was pneumonia and respiratory failure. The increasing number of patient visits for spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment and the growing demand for the same exhibit lucrative growth opportunity for companies investing in the spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment market.Spinal Bulbar Muscular Atrophy Treatment Market: Regional OutlookA geographic condition regarding spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment market, it has been segmented into seven key regions: North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and Asia-Pacific excluding Japan, Japan, and the Middle East & Africa. North America is expected to represent huge contribution under spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment by revenue generation. Quickened development on the improvement of new items and high spending on innovative work in Europe demonstrates the elevation of the spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment market. With ascending in standards of health care services and increase in mindfulness towards the medications in India and China is relied upon to support the market for spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment in general Asia Pacific area.Request/View TOC@Spinal Bulbar Muscular Atrophy Treatment Market: Key PlayersSome of the players identified in the spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment market include GlaxoSmithKline plc., AbbVie Inc., Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Century Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Johnson & Johnson, Astellas Pharma, Pfizer Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, and Sanofi.The spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment market report is a compilation of first-hand information, qualitative and quantitative assessment by industry analysts, and inputs from industry experts and industry participants across the value chain. The report provides an in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macro-economic indicators, and governing factors, along with market attractiveness as per segment. The spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment market report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies.The report covers an exhaustive analysis on:Market SegmentsMarket DynamicsMarket SizeSupply & DemandCurrent Trends/Issues/ChallengesCompetition & Companies InvolvedTechnologyValue ChainRegional analysis of the spinal bulbar muscular atrophy treatment market includes:North America (U.S., Canada) Spinal Bulbar Muscular Atrophy Treatment MarketLatin America ( Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Rest of LATAM) Spinal Bulbar Muscular Atrophy Treatment MarketEurope (Germany, Italy, UK, Spain, France, Russia, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Poland, Ukraine, Czech Rep, Rest of Europe) Spinal Bulbar Muscular Atrophy Treatment MarketAsia Pacific Excluding Japan (India, Australia & New Zealand, Greater China, S. Korea, ASEAN Countries, Rest of APEJ) Spinal Bulbar Muscular Atrophy Treatment MarketJapan Spinal Bulbar Muscular Atrophy Treatment MarketCIS & Russia Spinal Bulbar Muscular Atrophy Treatment MarketMiddle East and Africa (GCC, Turkey, Iran, Israel, South Africa, Rest Of MEA) Spinal Bulbar Muscular Atrophy Treatment MarketSpinal Bulbar Muscular Atrophy Treatment Market: Report Highlights:Detailed overview of parent marketChanging market dynamics in the industryIn-depth market segmentationHistorical, current and projected market size in terms of volume and valueRecent industry trends and developmentsCompetitive landscapeStrategies of key players and products offeredPotential and niche segments, geographical regions exhibiting promising growthA neutral perspective on market performanceMust-have information for market players to sustain and enhance their market footprintReport Analysis@About USFact.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; thats why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports.Contact UsRohit BhiseyFact.MR11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852United StatesEmail: sales@factmr.comWeb:Blog:Read Industry News at -
Animal Parasiticides Market 2018: Report Highlights the Competitive Scenario with Impact of Drivers and Challenges to 2026 Profiling Top Players Boehringer Ingelheim, Bayer Ag, Eli Lilly And Company

Global Animal Parasiticides Market

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Animal parasiticides or antiparasitics are chemical substances used to eradicate parasites that infect livestock, pets, and other animals and subsequently improve animal health. Most parasiticides finished products consist of one or more active ingredients that help carry out a specific action against particular parasites. Parasiticides also comprise inert ingredients (water and alcohol) called as solvents (stabilizers, preservatives, emulgants, etc.). Animal parasiticides market size is expected to grow at a significant rate owing to increased pet adoption worldwide.Get Exclusive Sample Report at:Growing Livestock Population and Increasing Adoption of Pet Animals in the Asia Pacific Region is expected to boost growth of the animal parasiticides market size over the forecast periodGeographically, the global animal parasiticides market outlook can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East. Key factors driving growth in adoption of animal parasiticides in Europe and North America include increasing pet adoption, high number of R&D activities, increasing expenditure on animal health, and rising demand for animal-derived food products. However, Asia Pacific (India, China, Australia, Japan, and Malaysia) is expected to be the most lucrative market for animal parasiticides in future due to a number of driving factors such as increasing number of companion animals, growing livestock population, increasing expenditure on animal health, and rising awareness about animal health.Market ConsolidationThere has been various consolidation activities in the global animal health industry. In just one year, 2016, Boehringer Ingelheim acquired Sanofi's animal health business, Novartis sold its animal health business to Eli Lilly and Merck Animal Health (subsidiary of Merck & Co.) acquired Valleea leading animal health product manufacturer based in Brazil. Some of the major market players operating in the global animal parasiticides market include Boehringer Ingelheim, Bayer Ag, Eli Lilly And Company, Ceva Sante Animale, Novartis Ag, Merck & Co., Inc., Zoetis, Inc., Virbac Sa, and Merial.Global Animal Parasiticides Market TaxonomyThe global animal parasiticides market outlook can be classified on the basis of type of parasiticides, animal type, and end user. There are five types of parasiticides, namely ectoparasiticides, endoparasiticides, endectocides, anthelmintic, and anti-protozoans. Parasiticides used for killing external parasites in animals such as fleas, ticks, lice, fleas, and mites are termed as ectoparasiticides. Most ectoparasiticides are called pesticides, as these chemicals are also used for agriculture and hygiene purpose. Likewise, endoparasiticides are utilized to kill internal parasite such as flukes, roundworms, and tapeworms in animals. Most endoparasiticides are termed as veterinary medicines, as the active ingredients of the products are not used for agriculture and hygiene purpose. Endectocides or macrocyclic lactones are effective in both internal and external parasites. They are either natural products or chemically-modified derivatives that show strong parasiticidal efficacy in animals. On the basis of their chemical structure, endectocides are segmented into avermectins and milbemycins. Parasiticides are available in various formulations namely, liquids, tablets, injectables, sprays, spot-on, and pour-on.On the basis of animal type, the global animal parasiticides market scenario can be segmented into food producing animals (cattle, pigs, poultry, sheep, and goats) and companion animals (dogs, cats and horses). On the basis of end user, the global animal parasiticides market is segmented into farms, R&D facilities, and veterinary clinics. Increasing pet adoption in the Asia Pacific region is a major driving factor fueling demand for animal parasiticides in veterinary clinics.Animal Parasiticides Market TrendsKey driving factors for the growth of the global animal parasiticides market include increasing awareness about animal zoonotic disease, rising number of animal population especially in developing nations of the world, increasing demand for animal-based food and animal proteins, and increasing animal research activities. Furthermore, increasing expenditure on animal health and government initiatives to protect animal health is fueling demand for animal parasiticides. However, high cost of R&D activities, new species of parasites, stringent regulatory policies for approval of animal parasiticides, and high cost of animal parasiticide products is hindering growth of the animal parasiticides market.Request For Customization of Research Report @About Coherent Market InsightsCoherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact UsMr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave, #3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.com
Testosterone Replacement Therapy Market: Growth & Revenue Opportunities by key vendors AbbVie, Inc., Bayer AG, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Kyowa Kirin International plc, Pfizer

Testosterone Replacement Therapy

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Hypogonadism in men is primarily characterized by reduced concentration of serum testosterone, causing decreased libido, erectile dysfunction, loss of body and facial hair, decreased bone density, weakness, decreased lean body mass, increased body fat, fatigue and anemia. Hypogonadism in adult men is often overlooked; even in the presence of associated symptoms, because the hypogonadism men often ignore the symptoms or they attribute them with alternate cause such as ageing.Request Sample Copy of Research @Increasing prevalence of hypogonadism in adult men worldwide is expected to drive growth of the testosterone replacement therapy market. According to the European Association of Urology: 2016 report, in middle-aged men, the incidence of hypogonadism varies from 2.1% to 12.8%. The incidence of low testosterone and symptoms of hypogonadism in men aged 40-79 varies form 2.1% to 5.7%, in Europe. Hypogonadism is more prevalent in older men, in men with obesity, those with co-morbidities, and in men with a poor health status. Furthermore, according to the Therapeutics Advances of Urology Journal: 2016, testosterone has become one of the most widely prescribed medications in the U.S. in 2011.Many experts says people with type II diabetes mellitus tend to associated with low testosterone level in the blood. Visceral obesity is important cause of insulin resistance, and important feature in type II diabetes. An increased deposition of abdominal adipose tissue in the hypogonadal patients, leads to decrease testosterone concentrations. According to the Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2017; a study conducted on 900 men with type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) to evaluate the testosterone deficiency reported that prevalence of hypogonadism in T2DM patients was found to be 20.7%. Moreover, the percentage prevalence of hypogonadism in patients with T2DM was moderate with highest number of patients belonging to age group 5059 year.Request for Customization of Research Report:For instance, according to International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Diabetes Atlas: 2017, number of people with diabetes aged between 20 to 79 years in South East Asia region and Western Pacific region in 2017, was 82 million and 159 million, respectively.Some of the key players operating in the testosterone replacement therapy market include AbbVie, Inc., Bayer AG, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Kyowa Kirin International plc, Pfizer, Inc., Acerus Pharmaceuticals Corporation, and Perrigo Company plc.Key players in these market are engaged in product regulatory approval and new product launch strategies to maintain competitive position in the market. For instance, in March 2017, U.S. FDA approved Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) of Perrigo Company plc, for making the generic version of Eli Lilly and Company's Axiron topical solution, 30 mg/1.5 mL (testosterone topical solution, 30 mg/1.5 mL).Endo International Inc. is being an innovative player in the testosterone replacement therapy market, which engaged in launching novel and innovative product in these market. For instance, in March 2015, Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., a subsidiary of Endo International plc, launched NATESTO (testosterone nasal gel), the first and only nasal gel for testosterone replacement therapy in adult males diagnosed with hypogonadism.About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.1001 4th Ave,, #3200, Seattle, WA 98154
Helical Screw Blowers Market 2019 By Global Manufacturers Atlas Copco, Gardner Denver, Inc. and KAESER KOMPRESSOREN.

Helical Screw Blowers Market

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Global Helical Screw Blowers Market will grow significantly with a CAGR of 6.0% in the next seven years owing to usage of helical screw blowers in cement industry for blending raw meal; combustion of air, kiln and burner; and aeration of raw materials. India infrastructure industry notably use cement instead of bitumen for construction of new road projects as cements are more durable and cheaper to maintain compared to bitumen. Indian domestic cement consumption has increased from 165.6 million tons in 2011 to over 275 million tons in 2017. Such traits exhibit brighter scope for global rotary screw blowers market in cement industry.Helical Screw Blowers Market will surpass USD 1.15 billion by 2024. Food industry significantly requires helical screw blowers for pneumatic conveyance of bulk materials. Increasing demand for high-efficiency blowers from food processing sector will substantially drive the global rotary screw blowers market.Request for a sample copy of this report @Food processing industry optimizes rotary screw blower systems for food plant to manage energy at mill and for reducing wastage. These blowers require only 120 horsepower electricity instead of 320 horsepower to operate, thus resulting in efficient energy saving and reduced maintenance cost for food processing industries. For instance, General Mill, one of the largest food manufacturing company, witnessed over USD 13.5 million in energy saving by 2016 by installing blowers in their food processing plant.Company profiled in this report based on Business overview, Financial data, Product landscape, Strategic outlook & SWOT analysis:1. Gardner Denver, Inc.2. Atlas Copco3. KAESER KOMPRESSOREN4. Performance System III, Inc.5. Universal Blower Pac6. Swam Pneumatics Private Limited7. Zhejiang Kaishan Compressor Co., Ltd.8. Chandler Equipment9. Zhengzhou Qugong Machinery EquipmentMake an Inquiry for purchasing this Report @Screw blowers components & parts manufacturers require specialized designs for their structural intricacy. The manufacturing steps including: designing, testing and quality checking are time consuming that in due course reflect on their product price structure. This complex and capital-intensive manufacturing process is likely to hinder market growth over the projected timeframe.Direct driven blowers are efficient in terms of energy saving and maintenance compared to belt driven, as belt driven blowers require constant belt adjustment. Due to this, the direct driven blowers will be majorly used in several end-user industries such as food & pharmaceutical, chemical & petrochemical, etc. by 2024.Chemical & petrochemical end-user industries will be growing at remarkable pace with a significant CAGR by 2024. Chemicals and petrochemicals industries require rotary screw blowers for conveying raw materials and compressing explosive gases of chemical refineries. These gases include hydrogen, nitrogen, natural, chlorine gas, etc. Power, steel plant and food & pharmaceuticals industries have shown significant growth in terms of both volume and revenue in 2017, which will grow substantially over the projected timeframe.Browse Report Summery @Middle East and Africa (MEA) will hold high potential in coming years as major oil & gas companies are based in UAE and Saudi Arabia. In addition, ongoing large construction projects in the region will stimulate the demand for cement in future. For instance, projects such as AL-Maktoum International Airport Expansion valued over USD 33 billion is one of the biggest project in Dubai authorized by Dubai Airport Authority (DAA). In May 2016, Majid Al Futtaim company had invested USD 8.2 billion to construct 6 hotels, 28 cinemas, 10 cities centers mall and super markets in UAE within next 10 years. Growth trends in the regional construction industry will positively influence MEA rotary screw blowers market over the projected timeframe.About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone:1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:
Dementia Drugs Market Huge Growth Opportunity by 2026: Novartis AG, Sanofi S.A., AstraZeneca GmbH, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Merck & Co., Inc

Dementia Drugs

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Increasing aging population along with its associated complications is the major driving factor for growth of the dementia drugs market. For instance, according to Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2013, five million people were suffering from AD and the number is expected to rise up to 14 million by 2050, in the U.S. Moreover, according to World Health Organization (WHO), 2017, around 47 million people suffer from dementia and around 10 million new cases are reported annually. Increasing incidence of dementia coupled with growing demand for therapy is expected to favor growth of the dementia drugs market in the near future.Request Sample Copy Of This Report:According to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) estimates, the number of people with dementia is expected to reach to around 400,000 by 2020, and around 900,000 by 2050. Moreover, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is working in collaboration with the Australian Research Council (ARC) to prioritize and fund new dementia research projects and translate research to improve prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care for dementia patients.People suffering from early stage of Alzheimers disease with dementia do not have appropriate access to healthcare infrastructure for diagnosis and treatment of the disease. For instance, according to World Alzheimer Report in 2016, only around 50% patients suffering from dementia undergo diagnosis. The rate of underdiagnoses is 10% in low- and middle-income economies. This is expected to propel growth of the dementia drugs market. As of 2011, there were no standard guidelines for diagnosis of disease. Currently, biomarker tests involving amount of beta-amyloid in the brain, which can be visualized in positron emission tomography imaging are under research to diagnosis develop treatment for Alzheimers disease.Download PDF Brochure @The market landscape is set to undergo rapid changes in the following decade, driven by advancing diagnostic capabilities and growing awareness. Disease-modifying mechanisms are expected to enhance the treatment of this neurodegenerative condition. As a global push is made for early diagnosis and treatment, the surge in dementia cases will require effective therapies. Manufacturers are increasingly focusing on receiving FDA approvals for their products, in turn boosting market growth. For instance, in September 2017, Zydus Cadila announced that it received a final nod from the U.S. health regulator to market Donepezil Hydrochloride tablets used for the treatment of dementia of the Alzheimers type in the U.S.Key players are adopting strategic collaborations and acquisitions and product portfolio expansion to accelerate delivery of products and overall revenue. For instance, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. acquired Actavis Generics from Allergan in 2016, for around US$ 40 billion, which also includes the Alzheimers portfolio of Actavis Generics. This acquisition boosted revenue of Teva in its fourth quarter of 2016 and first quarter of 2017. Furthermore, Genentech and AC Immune are also jointly developing anti-amyloid beta antibody crenezumab, which started phase three clinical trial in 2017. They are developing anti-amyloid beta vaccine for Alzheimers disease treatment. Furthermore, AC immune and Janssen Pharmaceutical are also co-developing vaccine for Alzheimers treatment.Ask for customization:Some of the top companies operating in the dementia drugs market are Eisai, Inc., Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Biogen Pharmaceuticals, Forest Laboratories, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Novartis AG, Sanofi S.A., AstraZeneca GmbH, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Merck & Co., Inc.., Valeant Pharmaceutical International, Pfizer Inc., and Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd.About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.1001 4th Ave,, #3200, Seattle, WA 98154
Wireline Services Market In North North America By Top key Players Weatherford International PLC, Superior Energy Services Inc., Schlumberger, Baker Hughes Inc

Wireline Services

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The oil and gas well operators use cabling technology for lowering capacity equipment into the well for pipe recovery activities, intervention process, and reservoir evaluation. These services are utilized for wide range applications in the oil and gas industries. Rising demand and usage of mobile devices may drive the global wireline services market. In addition, growing importance of wireless services and increasing consumer inclination are anticipated to foster the global market growth. Use for wireline services in oil and gas industry is remarkable owing to enhancing increasing production activities in the industry. The growing cabling need for the oil and gas fracking companies may influence the global wireline services market growth in the near future.Get Sample Copy of This Report @The prominent companies operating in the Market: Weatherford International PLC, Superior Energy Services Inc., Schlumberger, Baker Hughes Inc., Halliburton, Expro International Group Holdings Ltd., and Nabors Industries Ltd.They have adopted various strategies, such as new product launches, expansions and partnerships, agreements, collaborations, joint ventures, and others to strengthen their position in the market.Liberalization of the Mexican oil & gas industry and maturing & depleting fields are key factors driving the growth in the North American wireline services market. However, low crude oil prices and increasing focus on renewable energy obstruct growth in the market. New oilfield discoveries and technological advancements create opportunities in the market.Wireline services are electric cables used by gas and oil well operators for well intervention, pipeline recovery, and reservoir evaluation. A multi-strand cable is used to carry equipment into wells for data acquisition programs. It improves the performance of wells by providing accurate, real time, and quantified data. The transmission of data in workover operations is carried out using wireline services. It is also used in determining quantity of organic carbons and hydrocarbons in well.Technological advancement is the major factor responsible for exploration and production processes in the oil and gas companies. Continuous growth in production exploration and completion activities in order to meet rising demand for wireline services are factors contributing to the global market growth. Growth Avenue in the Asia Pacific due to the growing drilling and completion activities to meet rising energy demand of the population is another factor impacting the market in a positive way.The North American wireline services market is segmented based on service type, application, and countries.By The service types covered in the report include logging, well intervention, and completion.By The applications covered in the report include onshore and offshore. The countries, such as Canada, Mexico, and U.S. would experience tremendous growth.The North American Wireline Services Market  By Country Canada Mexico U.S.Do Needful Purchase Inquiry @KEY BENEFITS FOR STAKEHOLDERS: The report offers an extensive analysis of key driving and restraining factors of the North American wireline services market. This report offers an in-depth quantitative analysis of the current market and estimations through 2015 and 2020, which assists in identifying the prevailing market opportunities. The report provides an extensive analysis of current and future market status of the North American wireline services market. An in-depth analysis of key strategies adopted by leading manufacturers helps in understanding competitive scenario. A comprehensive analysis of current research and clinical developments within the North American wireline services market is provided with key market dynamic factors that helps in understanding the behaviour of the market. Competitive intelligence (of leading manufacturers and distributors of plasma fractionation) helps in understanding the competitive scenario across geographies. Geographically, the North American wireline services market is segmented into Canada, Mexico, and U.S.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:Mr. Abhishek Paliwal5933 NE Win Sivers Drive, #205, Portland,OR 97220 United StatesDirect:+1-971-202-1575Toll Free:+1-800-910-6452email help@bigmarketresearch.com
Magnificent Growth of Toe Separators Market Impact of Existing and Emerging Flexible Trends and Top Key Players - Arden Medikal, BORT Medical, Dicarre, Ofa Bamberg, Podotech | Global Forecast till 2023

Toe Separators Market

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The Report Global Toe Separators Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2023 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants.Global Toe Separators Market Synopsis:The Global Toe Separators Market research 2019 highlights the major details and provides in-depth analysis of the market along with the future growth, prospects and Industry demands analysis explores with the help of complete report with 115 Pages, figures, graphs and table of contents to analyze the situations of global Toe Separators Market and Assessment to 2023.Get a Exclusive Sample Report of Global Toe Separators Market @The Global Toe Separators Market is expected to grow at an impressive Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) from 2019 to 2023. According to new research, The study focuses on market trends, leading players, supply chain trends, technological innovations, key developments, and future strategies.The Global Toe Separators Market research report is the study prepared by analysts, which contain a detailed analysis of drivers, restraints, and opportunities along with their impact on the Toe Separators Market growth (2019 - 2023).Toe separators are usually made from silicone, gel, or a comfortable rubber material. They conform to your feet and toes, separating them so that they don't overlap and helping to strengthen them for better foot health.Toe Separators Market Covers Table of Contents With Segments, Key Players And Region. The study includes segmentation based on Product Type, Industry and Region. On the Basis of Type, Toe Separators Market is classified into Gel Toe Separators and Foam Toe Separators. Based on Industry, Market is classified into Adult Toe Separators and Children Toe Separators.The report covers detailed competitive outlook including the market share and company profiles of the key participants operating in the global market. Key players profiled in the report include Arden Medikal, BORT Medical, Dicarre, Ofa Bamberg, Podotech, SAFTE Italia, SANTEMOL Group Medikal, UbioTex.The report on the global Toe Separators market covers 5 major regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), South America, and Other Country (Middle East, Africa, GCC).In Primary research, Market analysts record a number of primary sources from the demand and supply sides of the global Toe Separators market. This helped them to obtain both quantitative and qualitative data and information. On the demand side of the global Toe Separators market are end users, whereas on the supply sides are distributors, vendors, and manufacturers.Request a Discount on standard prices of this premium report @Report contents include1 Analysis of the Toe Separators market including revenues, future growth, market outlook2 Historical data and forecast3 Regional analysis including growth estimates4 Analyzes the end user markets including growth estimates.5 Profiles on Toe Separators including products, sales/revenues, and market position6 Market structure, market drivers and restraints.About 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
Business Intelligence Software Is Expected To Exhibit A CAGR of 10.1% Between 2018-2025

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The business intelligence software market was valued at USD 37.60 Billion in 2018 and is expected to reach at USD 81.19 Billion by 2025 growing at a Compound annual growth rate of 10.1% from 2018 to 2026.Get Sample Of This Report:The business intelligence (BI) software market has been segmented based on types which are further divided into software and services. Services segment is further bifurcated into on-premise and on cloud segment. Based on data type the business intelligence and analytics software market has been segmented as structured, semi-structured and unstructured. Based on the end-use industry, the market has further segmented as BFSI, government, education, healthcare, IT & telecom and others.The global business intelligence software market has been geographically segmented into Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa region. In addition to this, the North America region holds the largest market share.Make an Request For Customization:We identify the major drivers and restraints for every region (North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, & Middle East) of any particular market with a weightage value of how it is impacting the market. For each driver and restraint, we provide weightage in short term, medium term, and long term. Here the driver acts as a pull factor and restraint as a push factor.A comprehensive analysis of the market dynamics that is inclusive of market drivers, restraints, and opportunities is part of the report. Additionally, the report includes potential opportunities in the Business intelligence software market at the global and regional levels. Market dynamics are the factors which impact the market growth, so their analysis helps understand the ongoing trends of the global market. Therefore, the report provides the forecast of the global market for the period from 2017 to 2025, along with offering an inclusive study of the Business intelligence software market.The global business intelligence software market has been segmented into:Global Business Intelligence Software Market: By TypesSoftwareServicesOn PremiseOn CloudGlobal Business Intelligence Software Market: By Data TypeStructuredSemi-StructuredUnstructuredGlobal Business Intelligence Software Market: By End-Use IndustryBFSIGovernmentEducationHealthcareIT & TelecomOthersGlobal Business Intelligence Software Market: By Business TypeSmall-medium EnterprisesLarge EnterprisesGlobal Business intelligence software Market: by GeographyNorth AmericaU.S.CanadaMexicoEuropeU.K.FranceGermanyItalySpainRest of EuropeAsia PacificIndiaChinaJapanRest of Asia PacificMiddle East and AfricaSouth AfricaRest of Middle East and AfricaLatin AmericaBrazilRest of Latin AmericaThe report covers a detailed competitive outlook that includes the market share and company profiles of key players operating in the global market. Key players profiled in the report include BOARD International S.A., IBM, Microsoft, Microsoft Corporation, Oracle, SAP SE, SAS Institute, Inc., Sisense, Tableau Software, Inc. and Yellowfin International.4ARC Research is a pioneering market research and consulting firm based in Pune which is dedicated in providing reports on syndicated market research and customised market research. We leave no stone unturned while following smart study of the public demands, capabilities and the continuous growth of the working industry, interactive environment between the client-server, dynamic reporting, and high data protection services.4ARC is formed by experience, knowledge, motivation and enthusiasm of 4 founders of the organization. We form a circle of supreme level of resilience, practical solutions, innovation, dedicated research and analysis, integrated approaches, latest technology and transparency in business.Contact Us4Arc Insights PVT LtdPune 411047Phone: IND : +917498085685Skype: US : +1-607-821-7755Email: sales@4arcresearch.com
Global Tyrosine Protein Kinase SYK Market Research 2019

Tyrosine Protein Kinase SYK Market

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In this report, we analyze the Tyrosine Protein Kinase SYK Market from two aspects. One part is about its production and the other part is about its consumption. In terms of its production, we analyze the production, revenue, gross margin of its main manufacturers and the unit price that they offer in different regions from 2014 to 2019. In terms of its consumption, we analyze the consumption volume, consumption value, sale price, import and export in different regions from 2014 to 2019. We also make a prediction of its production and consumption in coming 2019-2026.Get Sample Copy of this Report at @Key players in global Tyrosine Protein Kinase SYK Market include:AB Science SAAlmirall SAArcher Pharmaceuticals IncAsana BioSciences LLCBeijing Hanmi Pharmaceutical Co LtdCelgene CorpClevexel Pharma SASFujifilm CorpGenosco IncGilead Sciences IncGlaxoSmithKline PlcHutchison MediPharma LtdJapan Tobacco IncLevolta Pharmaceuticals IncMerck KGaAMillennium Pharmaceuticals IncPortola Pharmaceuticals IncRigel Pharmaceuticals IncTopiVert LtdMarket segmentation, by product types:HMPL-523C-13CVXL-0074ASN-002FF-10102OthersMarket segmentation, by applications:Anaphylactic ShockArthritisFallopian Tube CancerLupus NaphritisOthersMarket segmentation, by regions:North AmericaEuropeAsia PacificMiddle East & AfricaLatin AmericaGet Discount on This Report@The report can answer the following questions:1. What is the global (North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia, China, Japan) production, production value, consumption, consumption value, import and export?2. Who are the global key manufacturers of Tyrosine Protein Kinase SYK Market? How are their operating situation (capacity, production, price, cost, gross and revenue)?3. What are the types and applications? What is the market share of each type and application?4. What are the upstream raw materials and manufacturing equipment? What is the manufacturing process?5. Economic impact on Tyrosine Protein Kinase SYK Market and development trend of Tyrosine Protein Kinase SYK Market.6. What will the Tyrosine Protein Kinase SYK Market size and the growth rate be in 2026?7. What are the key factors driving the global Tyrosine Protein Kinase SYK Market?8. What are the key market trends impacting the growth of the Tyrosine Protein Kinase SYK Market?9. What are the Tyrosine Protein Kinase SYK Market challenges to market growth?10. What are the Tyrosine Protein Kinase SYK Market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the global Tyrosine Protein Kinase SYK Market?Objective of Studies:1. To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast of the various segments and sub-segments of the global Tyrosine Protein Kinase SYK Market.2. To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth. To analyze the Tyrosine Protein Kinase SYK Market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, Porte five force analysis etc.3. 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, Latin America and Rest of the World.4. To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective.5. To provide country level analysis of the market for segment by application, product type and sub-segments.6. To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market.7. 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 Tyrosine Protein Kinase SYK Market.Get in touch with Our Research Analyst for Any Customisation at -About 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.
2019 Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase 14 Market Top Key Players Focused - Array BioPharma, Astellas Pharma, AstraZeneca, Etc.

2019 Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase 14 Market

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Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase 14 Market report explores manufacturers competitive scenario and provides market share for all major players of this market based on production capacity, sales, revenue, geographical presence and other major factors. The report also covers import/export data across all major regions covered in this report.Download Sample PDF copy of this report @The key players covered in this studyArray BioPharma Inc.Astellas Pharma Inc.AstraZeneca PlcChiesi Farmaceutici SpAChroma Therapeutics LimitedEli Lilly and CompanyGlaxoSmithKline PlcSynovo GmbHToray IndustriesZocere, Inc.This report focuses on the Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase 14 Market in global market, especially in United States, China, Europe, Japan, Southeast Asia, India and more.Market Segment by Applications, can be divided intoChronic InflammationUlcerative ColitisEpithelial Ovarian CancerGastric CancerOthersMarket Segment by Type, coversRalimetinib MesylateLosmapimodNeflamapimodCHF-6297OthersKey Questions Answered in this ReportWhat are the challenges to market growth?Who are the key vendors in this market space?What will the market size be in 2026 and what will the growth rate be?What are the key market trends? What is driving this market?What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?Enquire before purchase @The Report covers in-depth analysis as follows:Chapter 1 Overview of Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase 14 MarketChapter 2 Global Market Status and Forecast by RegionsChapter 3 Global Market Status and Forecast by TypesChapter 4 Global Market Status and Forecast by Downstream IndustryChapter 5 Market Driving Factor Analysis of Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase 14 MarketChapter 6 Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase 14 Market Market Competition Status by Major ManufacturersChapter 7 Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase 14 Market Major Manufacturers Introduction and Market DataChapter 8 Upstream and Downstream Market Analysis of Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase 14 MarketChapter 9 Cost and Gross Margin Analysis of Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase 14 MarketChapter 10 Marketing Status Analysis of Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase 14 MarketChapter 11 Report ConclusionChapter 12 Research Methodology and ReferenceAbout 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.
Stick Packaging Market 2019- 2024 By Key Players: Bosch Packaging Technology (U.S.), Ball Corporation (U.S.), Huhtamaki (Finland), Reynolds Group (U.S.), Bemis company (U.S.), Amcor Corporation (U.S.), Mondi Group (Austria), Silgan (U.S.)

Stick Packaging

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Stick Packaging Market report evaluates the growth rate and the market value based on market dynamics, growth inducing factors. The complete knowledge is based on latest industry news, opportunities, and trends. The report contains a comprehensive market analysis and vendor landscape in addition to a statistical analysis of the key vendors.Click here to get sample report copy @Company Coverage (Sales data, Main Products & Services etc.): Bosch Packaging Technology (U.S.) Ball Corporation (U.S.) Huhtamaki (Finland) Reynolds Group (U.S.) Bemis company (U.S.) Amcor Corporation (U.S.) Mondi Group (Austria) Silgan (U.S.) Coveris (U.S.) Smurfit Kappa Group (U.K.) Berry Plastics (U.S.) Exair Corporation (U.S.) and moreMajor Region Market North America Europe Asia-Pacific South America Middle East & AfricaProduct Type Coverage (Market Size & Forecast, Major Company of Product Type etc.): Polyethylene Polyester Polypropylene Aluminum Foil PaperDemand Coverage (Market Size & Forecast, Consumer Distribution): Food & Beverages Pharmaceuticals Cosmetics Consumer Goods OthersTable of Content1 Industry Overview2 Stick Packaging Market by Type3 Global Market Demand4 Major Region Market5 Major Companies List5.1 Bosch Packaging Technology (U.S.) (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)5.2 Ball Corporation (U.S.) (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)5.3 Huhtamaki (Finland) (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)5.4 Reynolds Group (U.S.) (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)5.5 Bemis company (U.S.) (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)5.6 Amcor Corporation (U.S.) (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)5.7 Mondi Group (Austria) (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)5.8 Silgan (U.S.) (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)5.9 Coveris (U.S.) (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)5.10 Smurfit Kappa Group (U.K.) (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.) ContinuedClick here to Purchase the full report @About UsReport Hive Research delivers strategic market research reports, statistical survey, and Industry analysis & forecast data on products & services, markets and companies. Our clientele ranges mix of global Business Leaders, Government Organizations, SMEs, Individual & Start-ups, Management Consulting Firms, and Universities etc. Our library of 600,000+ market reports covers industries like Chemical, Healthcare, IT, Telecom, Semiconductor, etc. in the USA, Europe Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific. We help in business decision-making on aspects such as market entry strategies, market sizing, market share analysis, sales & revenue, technology trends, competitive analysis, product portfolio & application analysis etc.500, North Michigan Avenue,Suite 6014, Chicago, United States, IL - 60611Contact UsMike RossMarketing Managersales@reporthive.comPhone Number: +1-312 604 7084
New Innovations in Programmable Logic Controller Market by Growing Technology Trends 2026|ABB, B&R Industrial Automation GmbH, Emerson Electric, General Electric, Hitachi, Honeywell International

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Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) is a digital computer used in a variety of electromechanical process automation in the industrial sector. This controller is specially designed to survive in harsh conditions and to protect against heat, cold, dust and moisture. The PLC consists of a microprocessor programmed using a computer language.This program is written in a computer and is downloaded via cable to the PLC. These loaded programs are stored in nonvolatile memory of the PLC. While switching the relay control panel to the PLC, the hard wired relay logic has been exchanged with the user supplied program. A visual programming language known as Ladder Logic was created to program the PLC.Ask for sample copy of this report at:Top key player profiled in this report: ABB Ltd. B&R Industrial Automation GmbH Emerson Electric Co. General Electric Co. Hitachi, Ltd. Honeywell International Inc. IDEC Corporation Mitsubishi Electric Corp. Omron Corporation Robert Bosch GmbH Rockwell Automation Inc. Schneider Electric SE Siemens AG Yokogawa Electric CorporationThe key strategies adopted by established companies for better penetration in the global programmable logic controller automation market are also a key part of this study. These strategies can be used by upcoming vendors to better serve the market. The global market for incinerators has also been analyzed in terms of sales. Market dynamics, such as market drivers, challenges, opportunities and trends, have been presented along with their impact analyzes. Impact analysis helps to gather information on future market developments.Market segment by Type: Programmable Logic Controllers PLCs Automation Builder IoT Software Control Panels Legacy ProductsMarket segment by Application: Steel Industry Petrochemical and Natural Gas Industry Power Industry Automobile Industry OthersGet Best Discount on this report:This research report represents a 360-degree overview of the competitive landscape of the Global Programmable Logic Controller Market. Furthermore, it offers massive data relating to the recent trends, technological advancements, tools, and methodologies. The research report analyzes the Global Programmable Logic Controller Market in a detailed and concise manner for better insights into the businesses.Across the globe, different regions such as North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and Africa have been examined on the basis of productivity and manufacturing base. Researchers of this report throw light on different terminologies. The competitive landscape section of the report covers the solution, products, services, and business overview. This Global Programmable Logic Controller Market research report covers several dynamic aspects such as drivers, restraints and challenging factors. Different leading companies have been profiled to get a clear insight into the businesses.For More Information, please Visit @Major factors covered in the report: Global Programmable Logic Controller Market Overview Economic Impact on Industry Market Competition by Manufacturers Production, Revenue (Value) by Region Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type Market Analysis by Application Cost Analysis Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders Market Effect Factors Analysis Global Programmable Logic Controller Market ForecastAbout Company:We at IT Intelligence Markets conduct intensive market research and generate detailed reports about the products and services offered in the IT domain. Our team is devoted to providing custom reports that are taylor-made to suit the customers requirements. We make sure to keep our customers updated with the latest market dynamics as IT industry is undergoing sea change intrinsically & extrinsically by forces such as regulatory fluctuations, rapidly evolving consumer preferences, and newer technologies. Not only do our market research analysts scrutinize market requirements but also track competitors relentlessly for obtaining the most updated scenario of the market.Contact Us:IT Intelligence MarketsErika Thomas(Sales Manager)Contact No: +1 (888) 312-3102sales@itintelligencemarkets.com
HVAC Filters Market Size to Grow Rapidly in Future | Global Key Players - Koch, Tex-Air, Spectrum Filtration, Parker Hannifin Corp, Troy, AAF, Camfil, and Emirates Industrial

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The HVAC Filters market analytical summative by Market Study Report, LLC, is an exhaustive study of the current trends driving this vertical across assorted geographies. Significant details pertaining to the market share, market size, application, statistics, and revenue are summed up in the research study. Also, this study undertakes a thorough competitive analysis of the business outlook, particularly emphasizing growth strategies espoused by market majors.HVAC Filters Market may surpass USD 13 billion by 2024; according to a new research report.Improving standard of living and increasing demand for energy-efficient air purification will contribute to HVAC filters market growth. This can be credited to substantial efforts taken by manufacturers and regulatory authorities. Growing innovation measures have also led to the development of cost-effective systems, which may open avenues for players and escalate product demand.Request a sample of this premium report at:HVAC filters market is moderately fragmented and highly competitive with major industry players including Koch, Tex-Air, Spectrum Filtration, Parker Hannifin Corp, Troy, AAF, Camfil, and Emirates Industrial. Companies are investing heavily in R&D, capacity expansion, and product innovation for growing product demand.Availability of improved product offering which also facilitates cooling, heating and humidity control in infrastructural facility will promote its application in residential and commercial building, thus propelling industry growth. Rising customer awareness and inclination towards high indoor air quality due to their low toxicity, and environment pollution should drive product demand.Germany HVAC filters market is anticipated to exceed USD 715 million by 2024 owing to presence of various pharmaceutical and food & beverage manufacturers. Extension in product portfolio and R&D initiatives by several manufacturers will develop industry growth. Growing per capita income with government support for clean air should further strengthen regional industry growth.Stringent environmental guidelines by agencies including FDA, EPA and EU on restricting use of refrigerant, nitrogen oxide, sulphur oxide, and ammonia would drive HVAC filters demand in the predicted timeframe. The product is combined with air conditioners to eliminate impurities from air including fine particulate matter, dirt dust particles, and pollens.Request a discount on standard prices of this premium report at:High cost required in installation and maintenance of these systems are expected to hamper HVAC filters industry profitability. Maintenance and cleaning of product is laborious due to numerous layers of filter medium that are detached and cleaned separately, hindering the HVAC filters market price trends.Japan HVAC filters market may observe significant gains over 5.5% by 2024. Rising awareness of negative environmental impacts is driving product demand in residential and non-residential sectors including commercial, institutions, office and healthcare sectors. Consumers are changing their preferences for energy efficient products, thus propelling market growth.Carbon HVAC filters market will exceed USD 1.5 billion up to 2024. They are designed to purify gases through activated charcoal bed and are deployed to tackle volatile organic compounds released from residential products. They are also utilized to eradicate odors from air, including smell of tobacco smoke, hence propelling the market growth.HVAC filters market from construction may observe significant gains up to 4% by 2024. There has been an escalating demand for purification solutions in construction industry. These systems collect dust and avoid dust emissions at multiple stages including primary & secondary crushing and material transfer. The construction industry is expected to grow substantially owing to the multiple infrastructural development projects globally, which would positively impact market share.Electrostatic HVAC filters market is anticipated to surpass USD 1.5 billion by 2024. Static electricity entices dirt & dust to vertical and overhead surfaces. Electrostatic filter puts a static electrical charge on all particles present in air that pass-through filter media. This system uses a con guration of woven fabric and anti-microbial foam core which prevents bacteria and mold growth, hence stimulating market growth.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:
Neisseria meningitidis Infections Drug Market Will Hit Big Revenues In Future With Top Key Players: Beijing Minhai Biotechnology Co Ltd, Biological E Ltd, etc.

Neisseria meningitidis Infections Drug Market

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Up Market Research added a new Neisseria meningitidis Infections Drug Market research report for the period of 2019 2026. Report focuses on the major drivers and restraints providing analysis of the market share, segmentation, revenue forecasts and geographic regions of the market.Get Sample Copy Of This Report @The report contains 101 pages which highly exhibit on current market analysis scenario, upcoming as well as future opportunities, revenue growth, pricing and profitability.Neisseria meningitidis Infections Drug 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 Neisseria meningitidis Infections Drug Market global status and trend, market size, share, growth, trends analysis, segment and forecasts from 20192026.The scope of the report extends from market scenarios to comparative pricing between major players, cost and profit of the specified market regions. The statistics are represented in graphical format for a clear understanding on facts and figures.For More Information On This Report, Please VisitThe generated report is firmly based on primary research, interviews with top executives, news sources and information insiders. Secondary research techniques are implemented for better understanding and clarity for data analysis.The report for Neisseria meningitidis Infections Drug Market analysis & forecast 2019-2026 is segmented into Product Segment, Application Segment & Major players.Global Neisseria meningitidis Infections Drug Market Segmentation Includes:Region-wise Analysis covers:North AmericaEuropeChinaJapanIndiaSoutheast AsiaOther regions (Central & South America, Middle East & Africa)The Major players include:Beijing Minhai Biotechnology Co LtdBiological E LtdChina National Pharmaceutical Group CorpGlaxoSmithKline PlcGriffith UniversityImmunoBiology LtdJN-International Medical CorpMGB Biopharma LtdPanacea Biotec LtdPfizer IncSanofi Pasteur SASerum Institute of India LtdWellstat Vaccines LLCProduct Type Analysis:MGBBP-3NCL-195TP-10OthersApplication Analysis:HospitalClinicOthersGet Sample Copy Of This Report @Neisseria meningitidis Infections Drug Market Analysis and Forecast 2019-2026 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.Key Reasons to Purchase:- To gain insightful analysis of the market and have a comprehensive understanding of the Global Neisseria meningitidis Infections Drug Market 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 Neisseria meningitidis Infections Drug Market analysis and forecast 2019-2026.Avail Discount On This Report @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.About 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.
Protein Crystallography Product Market is Likely to Witness huge Growth - Major Key Players are Rigaku Corporation (Japan), Hampton Research (U.S.), Jena Bioscience GmbH (Germany), Etc.

Protein Crystallography Product Market

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Up Market Research added a new Protein Crystallography Product Market research report for the period of 2019  2026. Report focuses on the major drivers and restraints providing analysis of the market share, segmentation, revenue forecasts and geographic regions of the market.Get Sample Copy Of This Report @The report contains 96 pages which highly exhibit on current market analysis scenario, upcoming as well as future opportunities, revenue growth, pricing and profitability.Protein Crystallography Product 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 Protein Crystallography Product Market global status and trend, market size, share, growth, trends analysis, segment and forecasts from 20192026.The scope of the report extends from market scenarios to comparative pricing between major players, cost and profit of the specified market regions. The statistics are represented in graphical format for a clear understanding on facts and figures.For More Information On This Report, Please VisitThe generated report is firmly based on primary research, interviews with top executives, news sources and information insiders. Secondary research techniques are implemented for better understanding and clarity for data analysis.The report for Protein Crystallography Product Market analysis & forecast 2019-2026 is segmented into Product Segment, Application Segment & Major players.Global Protein Crystallography Product Market Segmentation Includes:Region-wise Analysis covers:North AmericaEuropeChinaJapanIndiaSoutheast AsiaOther regions (Central & South America, Middle East & Africa)The Major players include:Rigaku Corporation (Japan)Hampton Research (U.S.)Jena Bioscience GmbH (Germany)Molecular Dimensions Ltd. (U.K.)Formulatrix, Inc. (U.S.)Bruker Corporation (U.S.)MiTeGen LLC (U.S.)Product Type Analysis:InstrumentsReagents/ConsumablesServices and SoftwareApplication Analysis:Pharmaceutical CompaniesBiotechnology CompaniesGovernment InstitutesAcademic InstitutionsGet Sample Copy Of This Report @Protein Crystallography Product Market Analysis and Forecast 2019-2026 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.Key Reasons to Purchase:- To gain insightful analysis of the market and have a comprehensive understanding of the Global Protein Crystallography Product Market 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 Protein Crystallography Product Market analysis and forecast 2019-2026.Avail Discount On This Report @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.About 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.
A man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of murder in the death of another man reported missing in February, deputies say.

The Clark County Sheriffs Office said 47-year-old Randy John Schmidt was arrested in connection with the disappearance of Michael Chad Holmes, whose body was apparently recovered from the Washougal River near Hathaway Park.

Holmes, whos also known by his middle and last names, was last seen getting into a tan GMC Yukon, according to the sheriffs office. The car was found in the Lewis River last month, according to the agency, and trace evidence found inside tied it to him.

A body that appears to be Holmes was recovered Saturday from the Washougal River. The dead man had an apparent traumatic head injury.

Authorities arrested Schmidt on suspicion of second-degree murder Tuesday, and a search warrant was served on his home.

The case remains under investigation.

-- Jim Ryan; jryan@oregonian.com; 503-221-8005; @Jimryan015

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A 79-year-old man who bilked more than 140 investors out of more than $4 million by convincing them to invest in a fraudulent gold mining company was sentenced Tuesday to seven years in federal prison.

Harry Dean Proudfoot III, formerly of Tigard, solicited investors to send money to his company, 3 Eagles Research and Development, to invest in a purported gold mining operation in Ohio. He falsely told investors from across the country that their money would be used to buy mining equipment and conduct mining operations at two gravel pits in Ohio, prosecutors said.

But instead of funding a mining operation, he diverted the money to pay his personal living expenses, including credit card bills, medical expenses, travel and car payments, prosecutors said. The money also went toward his sons personal bankruptcy and tithes to his church. He involved three of his adult children in the scheme, costing investors their retirement savings, according to prosecutors.

As the investigation heated up, Proudfoot instructed his family to buy throw-away phones, use code names, not communicate via computer and lay low until they could work things out or start a new mining operation in southern Oregon, Assistant U.S. Attorney John Brassell wrote in a sentencing memo.

The defendant was motivated by greed and personal enrichment, Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Bradford argued. He dragged his own family into his fraudulent behavior.

Prosecutors sought a sentence of 12 years and seven months.

Defense lawyer Robert Hamilton initially urged the judge to keep Proudfoot out of prison and sentence him to five years of probation, with two years of home confinement and 300 hours of community service.

But when U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon made it clear that he believed prison time was warranted, Hamilton argued for five years. Hamilton urged the judge to consider Proudfoots age and said his client "had an earnest belief that there was gold at the site.

Investors understood they were investing in a start-up gold mining operation and that it was high risk for a potential high reward,'' Hamilton said.

I feel great sorrow we ended up not successful in getting into production and so many people trusted me to do so, Proudfoot told the judge. With all my heart, I am sorry our project was not completed for the benefit of our investors.

A jury in December found Proudfoot guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, four counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and seven counts of money laundering.

Simon sentenced Proudfoot to seven years in prison, followed by three years of post-prison supervision. The judge also ordered Proudfoot to pay $4 million in restitution. Proudfoot, who now lives in Idaho, must surrender to prison on July 9.

The judge said he considered two other white collar-crime cases he handled recently when sentencing Proudfoot.

One was his June sentencing of two top executives of the now-defunct Bank of Oswego, who received 18-month and 24-month prison terms after a jury found they had concealed the true financial condition of the bank to regulators and the board of directors by falsely reporting that the bank had title to a property in a straw buyer transaction, falsely reporting that delinquent loans were paid and falsely reporting the sale of bank owned property.

The other was his 2015 sentencing of the former Sunwest Management chief executive officer John Harder, who received a 15-year prison term for a $120 million-plus investment fraud.

When someone lies to a person who is parting with their money and puts that money in their own pocket, I find that much worse, Simon said.

Proudfoots son and co-defendant, Matthew Proudfoot, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering in November 2017 and will be sentenced on July 8.

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com

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A Nevada judge has dismissed a lawsuit by rancher Cliven Bundy that had sought to declare that all Nevadas public lands belong to the state. The lands included the federal allotment in Bunkerville where Bundy grazes cattle without a permit.

Nevada District Judge Jim Crockett called the Bundy patriarchs contention "simply delusional.''

He dismissed all of Bundys claims in a ruling made public Tuesday. The judge noted that three prior court decisions have rejected Bundys same arguments.

"It is painfully obvious that the claims asserted by Bundy in the instant matter rest upon a fundamentally flawed notion advanced by Bundy since 1998 regarding ownership of federal public lands in Nevada. For two decades, Bundy has made the same claims that federal public lands within Nevada belong not to the United States, but instead to the State of Nevada,'' the judge wrote. "Three federal court decisions -- Bundy I, Bundy II, and Bundy Ill -- have now considered and rejected Bundys repeated arguments.''

Bundy filed the lawsuit in January 2018, shortly after he was freed from jail following a federal judges dismissal of criminal charges against him, two of his sons, Ammon Bundy and Ryan Bundy, and co-defendant Ryan Payne. The case stemmed from their 2014 standoff with federal agents.

On Jan. 8, 2018, U.S. District Judge Gloria M. Navarro threw out the charges citing flagrant misconduct by prosecutors and the FBI in not disclosing evidence before and during trial.

The Center for Biological Diversity had submitted a motion to dismiss Bundys suit, which the court granted.

"Bundys ridiculous legal theories have wasted the courts time and taxpayer money. Hopefully this unequivocal ruling will encourage Bundy to finally pay his grazing fees and bring this nonsense to a close,'' said Kieran Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity, in a statement Tuesday.

The judges ruling is below:

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com

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Correction appended, April 16, 2019

A judge on Tuesday ended federal supervision of Mark Anthony Miles Jr., who served three years in prison for taking a Portland woman to work as a prostitute in Hawaii, where she was killed by another man.

Miles conviction was life altering, his lawyer said.

Miles, an ex-Portland pimp, was working as an associate pastor at the Deliverance Center of Generation X in Portland and attending Multnomah University Bible College, Oregon Federal Public Defender Lisa Hay wrote to the court.

He wants to work as a certified drug and alcohol counselor but cant while on supervision, Hay wrote.

U.S. District Judge Robert E. Jones granted Miles request after verifying hed have a job working for CODA, which provides addiction recovery services and counseling. CODA previously went by the name Comprehensive Options for Drug Abusers.

Miles, now 40, pleaded guilty in March 2015 to taking Ivanice Ivy Harris, 29, of Portland to Hawaii in 2013 for prostitution and was sentenced to three years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

Harris was found dead May 20, 2013, in Waikiki after going out with another man. Former Marine Corps Master Sgt. Nathaniel Cosby was sentenced to life in prison for choking Harris, an escort, and then putting her body in a plaid duffel bag and dumping her about 40 miles away in west Oahu.

Miles was released from prison in September 2016 and has served about half of his supervised release term.

Mr. Miles found religion to help him grieve the loss of the victim (who he had a close relationship with) and reform, Hay wrote in her motion to end Miles supervision.

He has volunteered to help pimps, prostitutes, drug addicts and gang members turn their lives around, she said.

He also founded a group called B.O.S.S. Turf Missionaries, a street ministry that stands for "Busy Out Saving Souls'' and strives to give youths an alternative to gang life through outreach and Christian hip-hop music, according to court records. Miles also goes by the moniker Meezilini Tha Messenger, as an aspiring rapper.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Quinn Harrington urged the judge to maintain Miles supervision, noting he had failed to properly register as a sex offender on time and provided an incorrect address in December 2018.

Continued supervision will ensure that defendant complies with his registration requirement, he said.

After court, Miles posted on his Facebook page: Wow God just blew my mind! The Lord showed up in court today and they terminated my Federal Paper 2-1/2 years early! All Praise and Glory be to God! #WatchWhatGodDo #RILIvy

Miles told The Oregonian/OregonLive that he "gives glory to God,'' because he doesnt think Tuesdays development would have happened otherwise. He said he plans to work in drug treatment centers and eventually hopes to minister inside prisons and jails.

Correction: Mark Anthony Miles Jr. was an associate pastor at the Deliverance Center of Generation X in Portland. The name of the church was incorrect in an earlier version of this story because of an error in court documents.

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com

Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian

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A 53-year-old man from Mexico was sentenced Monday to a year in federal prison for his role in a complex money laundering scheme linked to the fashion district in Los Angeles.

The scheme was uncovered in 2015 following a lengthy investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration into a Portland-based heroin trafficking organization, according to prosecutors.

Esteban Guillen Ramirez was sentenced after pleading guilty in December to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering in U.S. District Court in Portland.

In February 2015, agents arrested more than 20 suspected heroin drug-traffickers after executing search warrants throughout the Portland metropolitan region and Vancouver, Washington. They seized multiple kilograms of heroin and seized over $400,000 in cash.

At one location, investigators found bank deposit slips and deposit instructions, and discovered that heroin traffickers were depositing the drug proceeds into multiple wholesale businesses in the Los Angeles fashion district to avoid detection.

In November 2015, agents executed 14 federal search warrants in the Los Angeles fashion district. At four separate wholesale businesses, agents seized financial records identifying Stefano Fashions as the beneficiary of the cash deposits made by the Portland heroin traffickers.

Stefano Fashions, owned by Guillen Ramirez, was a successful Guadalajara business engaged in the sale of womens accessories and cosmetics. Financial investigators found evidence of a high volume of cash deposits made to the wholesale businesses on behalf of Stefano Fashions - "a telltale sign'' the Los Angeles businesses and Stefano Fashions were participating in a black market peso exchange scheme to launder the illegal proceeds of the Mexican drug-trafficking organization, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

In July 2018, federal agents arrested Guillen Ramirez in Las Vegas. Five Los Angeles wholesale business owners and one former chief executive officer previously pleaded guilty to money laundering and other tax-related crimes. Each of the business owners were sentenced to prison terms.

--The Oregonian /OregonLive
Its common for PBS documentaries to shed light on events and eras of the past. But what makes the two-night, four-hour Reconstruction: America After the Civil War, so powerful is how it both deepens our knowledge of a misunderstood time in the nations history, and illuminates the racist history and white supremacist movements the country is still dealing with.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the Harvard University professor, put it well at a panel discussion of Reconstruction during the winter Television Critics Association press tour.

Understanding Reconstruction and its rollback is pivotal to understanding the history of race relations in our society today, Gates said. Its especially important because Reconstruction, the period that followed the Civil War between 1865 and 1877, is often overlooked.

I hardly learned anything about Reconstruction when I was in school, as Gates said at the January press tour. In my class, they skipped from Lees surrender at Appomattox to Rosa Parks, Dr. King, and the civil rights movement, leaving lots of students, even me, wondering if Lincoln freed the slaves, why did we need the civil rights movement?

The fascinating Reconstruction is, for many reasons, a necessary sequel to Ken Burns famous 1990 documentary history of the Civil War. Rather than cover the 19th-century history in amber, Gates, as executive producer and host, draws some direct lines between what happened during and after Reconstruction and contemporary crimes and controversies.

Reconstruction, which premieres with a two-hour installment April 9, on PBS, begins by citing the horrific 2015 shooting at a historic African American church in Charleston, South Carolina. The hate crime was committed by an avowed white supremacist who murdered nine African Americans.

As Gates says in Reconstruction, the massacre also touched off a debate over the Confederate flag, which the killer had posed with. As it goes on, Reconstruction also incorporates images of the torch-carrying white nationalists who gathered in 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. The protest was sparked by plans to remove a monument to Robert E. Lee, the Confederate general. The so-called Unite the Right rally drew condemnation of the protesters as neo-Nazis and white supremacists, and became deadly when one of the rally attendees drove his car into a group of counter-protesters, killing one.

In Reconstruction, Gates and a variety of historians and scholars give a full history of the postwar Civil War period, and how it planted the seeds for the white supremacist movement.

The documentary explains how, after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, his vice president, Andrew Johnson, tried to undermine what Reconstruction was meant to achieve.

In its early days, Gates and others say, Reconstruction represented the hope of re-making America as a more perfect union. African Americans who had grown up in slavery, seeing their family members sold off as property to Southern plantation owners, were now free.

Constitutional amendments intended to guarantee citizenship to those born in the U.S. and to prohibit discrimination in voting, opened a floodgate for African Americans, who registered to vote, were elected to political office, and aspired to own their own property.

But the freedoms promised to African Americans, many of whom had fought in the Civil War to preserve the union, encountered fierce resistance in the South. Jim Crow laws, as they were known, were passed in Southern states, making racial segregation legal, along with laws intended to disenfranchise African Americans.

The late 19th century also saw the rise of white supremacist violence, with attacks on African Americans from vigilante gangs, who used terror as a way of asserting control, and who proudly posed in photos with the bodies of African Americans who had been lynched by the mobs.

Reconstruction explores the ways African Americans resisted racism, with the creation of universities, schools, churches and businesses, as well as the intellectual leadership of such figures as famed activist Frederick Douglass, historian and writer W.E.B. Du Bois, and pioneering investigative journalist Ida B. Wells.

The film is especially timely in its discussion of the revisionist narrative that many in the South perpetuated, claiming that they fought the Civil War not to preserve slavery, but to protect their way of life from Northern aggression. The so-called Lost Cause portrayal emerged not long after the Civil War, and as Reconstruction explains, became the ideological justification for white supremacy, and a powerful propaganda tool.

An African American family is posed for a portrait in a circa-1899 or 1900 photo, among those compiled by W.E.B. DuBois, included in the PBS documentary, "Reconstruction: America After the Civil War." (Photo: Courtesy of the Library of Congress/PBS)

As historians point out, the Lost Cause narrative gained traction with the 1894 formation of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, a group that became powerful, prominent and committed to controlling how the Civil War would be remembered.

The group worked to influence how the Civil War was taught in schools, and fought to have districts reject textbooks that said the Civil War was fought over slavery, or that portrayed a slave holder as being cruel to his slaves.

This romanticized, inaccurate vision helped inspire popular culture works such as D.W. Griffiths technically impressive, but deeply racist, 1915 film, The Birth of a Nation, as well as Gone With the Wind.

The Lost Cause narrative also led to the late 19th-century construction of Southern monuments dedicated to the Confederacy and its generals.

African Americans have lived with these haunting symbols of their oppression for over a century, Gates says in Reconstruction, adding that its only recently that a national debate has erupted over their existence.

Gates interviews Mitch Landrieu, the former mayor of New Orleans, who discusses his decision to have Confederate monuments removed from public display in the city. The monuments, Landrieu says, were put up as a political message by the Daughters of the Confederacy, who wanted to send the message that the Lost Cause was noble.

Slavery is the worst thing thats happened in this country, Landrieu says. We have to confront the truth about the Civil War, he says, which is that it was about destroying the country over the cause of slavery.

The issues that arose during Reconstruction and the segregation and ideologies that followed it are still present, Gates says, toward the end of Reconstruction.

As he says, We Americans are still grappling with what it means to be a truly multi-racial society, with genuine equality for all.

The first two hours of Reconstruction: America After the Civil War air at 9 p.m. Tuesday, April 9 on PBS; the second two-hour installment airs at 9 p.m. April 16 on PBS.

-- Kristi Turnquist

kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist

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A judge Monday declined to move the upcoming trial of double-murder defendant Jeremy Christian outside of Portland, despite arguments from Christians defense attorneys that prospective Portland area jurors have been tainted by extensive media coverage.

On Friday, defense attorney Greg Scholl argued that Portland area residents have learned details about Christians life and the May 2017 MAX train killings that will be inadmissible during trial. Scholl also contended that residents have been exposed to inaccurate information. Scholl didnt cite any specific examples of inaccuracies in media coverage, but did say a jury could be prejudiced by the use of the word heroes in some TV or video reports describing those who died in the train attack.

In her ruling, Multnomah County Circuit Judge Cheryl Albrecht said she thought it was reasonable to proceed with a prosecution request to begin jury selection -- and if it becomes clear during the process that an impartial jury cant be seated, she can then rule the trial must be moved to a different Oregon county.

Lawyers and the judge are scheduled to begin the process of selecting a jury June 14. The five-week trial is scheduled to start June 24.

Albrecht agreed with defense attorneys that many of the online comments attached to stories about Christians case have been virulent and indicate that their authors have already formed opinions about Christians alleged guilt. If those commenters were chosen to be on the jury, Christian likely would not receive a fair trial, the judge wrote. But Albrecht said she has no way of knowing how many individuals are commenting, because some could be posting more than one comment. She also said she couldnt find that the anonymous commenters represent a reliable cross-section of the population.

Determining whether a jury pool may be irretrievably tainted by pre-trial publicity is no easy task," Albrecht wrote.

Albrecht said it will be imperative to carefully question potential jurors, but also to pay attention to their inflection, sincerity, demeanor, candor, body language, and apprehension of duty.

Defense attorneys wrote in court papers that they plan to thoroughly examine the process in which jurors are called to the courthouse for duty, apparently through voter records and records with the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles. The defense also plans to comb through who decides not to show up, or who is rejected as a potential juror because of felony convictions or for other reasons.

More than 650,000 adults live in Multnomah County. The pool that jurors are drawn from will be smaller: Felons whove been convicted or served time in the previous 15 years are excluded. Adults 70 and older or breastfeeding mothers also can decline to serve. Jurors also must be U.S. citizens.

In other action Monday, the judge also ruled that if Christian is found guilty of aggravated murders in the deaths of Ricky Best and Taliesin Namkai-Meche, prosecutors can seek the death penalty. Prosecutors havent stated their intentions yet; the judge ruled in response to a defense request to remove the death penalty as a possibility in this case.

Christians lawyers have notified the court that they plan to pose mental health defenses -- including that because of mental problems Christian couldnt form the intent to commit aggravated murder.

-- Aimee Green

agreen@oregonian.com

@o_aimee

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A 52-year-old Portland man who admitted to police that he raped his fiancees dog was sentenced Monday to three years of probation and 60 days in jail -- the most Oregon sentencing guidelines allow.

Multnomah County Circuit Judge Angel Lopez, who is not related to the defendant, told Fidel Lopez that he should understand the law prohibits a tougher sentence for sexually attacking the Lhasa Apso mix.

If it could have been more, I gladly would have given you more time, the judge said.

Fidel Lopez pleaded guilty to two felonies: first-degree aggravated animal abuse and sexual assault of an animal. He admitted he victimized the dog to sexually arouse himself.

Fidel Lopez made no statements Monday -- except to say OK in response to the judges statement that he deserved a longer sentence.

Police learned of the case after Fidel Lopezs fiancee reported to police that she found her small dog whining and hiding beneath the couch on Nov. 18, 2018. Upon moving the couch to take a look at the dog, she found blood and injuries to the dogs hind end, according to a probable-cause affidavit.

She took the dog to the DoveLewis emergency hospital, where staff euthanized the dog because of significant internal injuries.

The dog was named Estrella, which means star in Spanish.

Estrellas owner asked that a rape kit be done because Fidel Lopez had expressed an interest in bestiality by exposing his genitals to the dog, bragging about watching another person sexually assault a dog and asking if his fiancee would ever consider getting a dog bigger than a Lhasa Apso mix, according to the affidavit.

DNA evidence linked Fidel Lopez to the crime, investigators say.

According to the affidavit, he told police that he had sex with the dog while in bed with her, after becoming frustrated that the dogs owner -- who was his fiancee of 2  years -- didnt return home the previous night or answer his phone calls. He told police the dog seemed fine. He said he had been drinking.

Court records state that Fidel Lopez had no prior criminal history. His defense attorney, Joe Calhoun, said his client had worked at the same place for 22 years. Court records state that Fidel Lopez worked at a pancake restaurant and had a sixth grade education.

Hes told me that hes owning up to a mistake he made and accepts that responsibility, Calhoun said.

The dogs owner didnt attend the hearing.

Fidel Lopez has been in jail for almost two months since his February arrest, and is expected to be released soon because hes getting credit for time hes already served. In addition to his jail sentence, he will be prevented from owning pets for 15 years, must undergo a mental health evaluation and complete a counseling program designed to instill compassion in people whove abused animals.

He also must pay Estrellas owner $500.

The torture and abuse that Estrella suffered is unimaginable," said Deputy District Attorney Nicole Jergovic, in a news release. Jergovic specializes in prosecuting animal abuse cases for the Multnomah County District Attorneys Office.

"Under Oregons current sentencing guidelines, Fidel Lopez is receiving the maximum sentence based on the amount of time he has already served in custody and his lack of criminal history, Jergovic said.

-- Aimee Green

agreen@oregonian.com

o_aimee

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Shannon Archuleta, left, and her son Jett Archuleta wade through a flooded street in the Riverstone Mobile Home Park in Cottage Grove, Ore. Monday April, 8, 2019 to check on a family member after flood waters rose overnight. [Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard via AP) APAP

Todays stories

RECORD RAIN: Lane County residents continued to evacuate from their homes amid record rainfall, melting snow and water releases at dams along the Willamette River. Read more.

SAUCE INVENTOR DONATION: Philanthropists Junki and Linda Yoshida, of Yoshida cooking sauce fame, have donated their $1.7 million riverfront estate in Troutdale to charity. Read more.

MUTUAL AID ENDS: Washington County Sheriff pulls out of mutual aid pact with Portland police, and other agencies may follow suit. Read more.

DUI BILL DOA: A bill to lower the drunken driving limit from .08 to .05 percent blood alcohol content will not move forward in Oregon this year. Read more.

KRATOM RULES: Oregon looks at regulating kratom, a drug sold at many corner markets. Read more.

ON-RAMP DEATH: A woman was found dead early Monday after being hit by multiple vehicles on a Portland interstate ramp. Read more.

NINKASI SOLD: Oregons Ninkasi Brewing has sold a majority ownership stake to a new craft-beer venture, Legacy Breweries. Read more.

Snap of the day

Funhouse Lounge's production of "Avenue PDX, the Musical" includes (from left) Lauren Allison, Doug Dean, Sopfya Vidal, Greg Shilling and Aden Nepom. (Lucy Hobbs)

PUPPETS ON STAGE: The improvised puppet and human musical, Avenue PDX staged at Southeast Portlands Funhouse Lounge, is based on the Tony Award-winning Avenue Q, written by Coos Bay native Jeff Whitty, which opened Off-Broadway in 2003. Read the review.

More news

Man who raped fiancees dog gets 60 days in jail: Judge wishes he couldve given him more

Man filming Patriot Prayer rally acquitted of disobeying federal officers order

Jeremy Christians trial wont be moved out of Portland, judge rules

Layoffs at highest level in first quarter since 2009 as recession fears grow: economic report

Oregon Ducks coach says Sabrina Ionescu is chomping at the bit to get back to Final Four

Dear Abby: Mom gets daughters boyfriend jailed for abuse. Now daughter is worried about his safety

Ask Amy: Doormat mom resorts to gaslighting, manipulation to get her way

Carolyn Hax: Of all the conflicts with stepkids, this is a classic

Odd in Oregon

FREE CASKET: Are you going to die someday? Planning on getting buried the old fashioned way, in a box in the ground? Do you have a truck that will fit a casket? Youre in luck! Theres a free casket available right now on Craigslist at Mt. Hood Community College! Read more.

Todays comics

Click here to see today's comics

Todays obituaries

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Today in history

On April 9, 1968, funeral services, private and public, were held for Martin Luther King Jr. at the Ebenezer Baptist Church and Morehouse College in Atlanta, five days after the civil rights leader was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.

On this date in 1865, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered his army to Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia.
A Marion County Jail inmate died Sunday after apparently harming himself while in his cell the day before, authorities say.

Thomas M. Denn, 31, was found by jail deputies unresponsive in his cell around 1:10 a.m. on Saturday after apparently trying to kill himself, according to the county sheriffs office. He was taken to Salem Hospital and died the next day, the sheriffs office said.

The agency hasnt released anymore information on how Denn was injured or his death. The Linn County Sheriffs Office is investigating Denns death.

Denn had been held in the jail since early March, Oregon court records show. He was facing charges of driving under the influence of intoxicants, attempting to elude a police officer, failure to perform the duties of a driver, fourth-degree assault, reckless driving and interfering with a peace officer stemming from separate incidents in November 2018 and March 2019.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com | 503-221-8343 |@EvertonBailey

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SALEM  Higher education funding in Oregon is a complex puzzle.

This is where I need a white board, said Portland State University lobbyist Kevin Neely, glancing around the room during an interview.

Each of Oregons seven public universities relies on the state for a different percentage of its annual budget. That means a budget crunch affects those schools in a different way, Neely said.

But one thing is true across the system: Everybody is waiting to see what happens, he said.

That includes high school seniors, who are making decisions about where to attend school next fall. Most of Oregons universities have not set their tuition rates for the 2019-20 school year. They are waiting to see what Oregon lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Kate Brown decide about higher education funding.

Its a discussion that seems far from finished.

Is the legislature moving in the right direction on this? said Brown. Not as far as Im concerned.

Brown was referring to a plan recently unveiled by legislative Democrats to spend as much as $2 billion in new revenue they are plotting to raise from some form of new taxes on business. The source for the revenue has not been identified, but could include a new tax on businesses. Under the current proposal, none of the new revenue would be earmarked for higher education, instead going entirely to early childhood and K-12 programs.

That differs from the broad proposal Brown had laid out to help all levels of education, including community colleges and public universities.

I believe very strongly if the legislature is going to create an investment package, that a portion of those resources need to go to higher education, said Brown. And that is not the case at this point in time.

The governors original budget proposal, unveiled last December, didnt hold much good news for colleges and universities, either. Brown proposed to fund the schools at essentially their current level, meaning the institutions would have to look elsewhere to cover the increase in salaries, pensions and other operating expenses. But the governor held out the possibility that a portion of new revenue from corporate taxes would go towards higher education.

Oregon lawmakers proposed to fund universities at roughly 5 percent above the governors flat-line budget during a broad spending outline released in early March. But universities say that $777 million proposal still wont be enough.

In order for tuition increases to stay below 5 percent, we need an additional $120 million across the university system, said Neely.

Five percent is a significant threshold for schools. Any proposed in-state tuition hikes higher than that trigger an automatic review by the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission.

One university that has set tuition rates for next year is Oregon State. The Board of Trustees at the Corvallis school voted last week to increase tuition by 4.29 percent for full-time Oregon resident undergraduates.

In a press release, OSU President Ed Ray said the tuition hike would be paired with a decrease in spending. Ray also called on state lawmakers to increase funding. Higher education in Oregon cannot be funded on the backs of students and their families, he said.

Other schools havent set next years rates yet, but have warned of either significant increases or significant cuts. That could include double digit tuition increases at Portland State, according to Neely.

Students from several schools have testified at the Capitol for an increase to higher ed funding as a way to keep tuition hikes in check. Justin Bennett, who serves as the Oregon State student body president, told lawmakers on the Joint Ways & Means Committee that he routinely meets students who have to choose between paying for school and paying for basic living expenses. Theyre so passionate about what theyre doing, they want to be in school because they find its important to them, and theyd rather skip a meal than drop out of school, he said.

As for the governors dissatisfaction with the legislative proposal to not spend new revenue on higher education, House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, said that shouldnt come as a surprise. Weve been clear all along about that, she said.

I think Oregonians want us to focus on K-12, Kotek said. Everybody knows that thats the foundation.

But Kotek suggested that lawmakers arent closing the doors entirely on allocating more resources to colleges and universities. We believe that the new revenue supporting pre-K through 12 will reduce the tension on the rest of the general fund budget, which will allow us to do more for higher education, she said.

Kotek said lawmakers will likely wait until after the May revenue forecast to finalize any decision on education funding. That forecast is scheduled to be released May 15.

-- Chris Lehman

clehman@oregonian.com
He made me feel uneasy, gross and confused.

This is not how anyone wants the behavior of their presidential candidate  or their president  to be described. But this is exactly how progressive Nevada politician Lucy Flores said she felt when, at a 2014 campaign event, Joe Biden kissed the back of her head. Other women over the past couple of weeks also have come forward to express similar uncomfortable experiences with the former vice president.

Ever since, political observers have been wondering whether, in the new #MeToo environment, Bidens hands-on, old-school style of connecting with people will derail his expected 2020 presidential run.

Polls at the moment suggest the answer is no. In a newly released Morning Consult survey, the beloved Democratic elder still leads the large presidential field, with 32 percent of those polled backing him.

The 76-year-olds continued success in the polls shouldnt be very surprising. For one thing, while Bidens handsy approach to politicking makes some women feel icky, none of them is saying its sexual assault. For another, Americans high standards of conduct for the highest office in the land appear to be a thing of the past. Were in the midst of what Pete Buttigieg, the South Bend, Ind., mayor and rising presidential candidate, calls the porn star presidency, referring to President Donald Trumps notoriously loutish behavior.

Theres also the fact that polls at this stage of a presidential contest dont really mean much. If opinion surveys were good predictors more than a year before national conventions, Hillary Clinton would have been the 2008 Democratic nominee and Jeb Bush would have headed the Republicans 2016 ticket.

So what, exactly, do Bidens high poll numbers mean?

They suggest that a lot of Democrats are worried that their party is being pulled too far to the left. These Dems see the continued grassroots enthusiasm for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist calling for Medicare for All and free college education, and they panic. Theyre looking around desperately for someone they consider a reasonable alternative  and Biden is the only one they can find.

In 2015, during the first Democratic presidential debate of that fraught campaign cycle, former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb said: Ive got a great deal of admiration and affection for Sen. Sanders. But Bernie, I dont think the revolutions going to come, and I dont think the Congress is going to pay for a lot of this stuff."

Webb was soon gone from the race  while Sanders went on to win 23 states, making former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton work hard for the nomination.

Four years later, middle-of-the-road Democrats still refuse to believe the revolution is nigh. 1992 Democratic presidential candidate Bob Kerrey, a former U.S. senator from Nebraska, wrote last month that progressives are suffering from [the delusion] that Americans long for a president who will ask us to pay more for the pleasure of increasing the role of the federal government in our lives.

The problem for these not-quite-progressive Democrats: Even though more than a dozen men and women are running for their 2020 nomination, few of the candidates want to avoid Sanders political revolution. There appears to be a consensus that the U.S. needs a universal health-care system and higher taxes on wealthy Americans. The contenders increasingly embrace the idea of slave reparations and dramatic proposals to combat climate change.

Biden certainly could be considered the Democrats non-progressive choice. But ultimately, this might not be a good thing for him. The career politician will be attacked for pushing a 1994 crime bill that progressives say led to the era of mass incarceration. He will be attacked for his handling of law professor Anita Hills sexual-harassment testimony during Clarence Thomas 1991 Supreme Court nomination hearings. He will be attacked for once decrying forced busing (yes, hes been around that long).

And then theres the touching scandal, which shows no sign of going away. A young woman who met Biden at a 2014 White House event wrote this week that the vice president took her hand like I was a little girl. (President Trump, despite facing multiple allegations of sexual assault, has wasted no time in mocking Biden.)

Jennifer Palmieri, the 2016 Hillary Clinton campaigns director of communications, warns traditional Democrats about getting their hopes up about a Biden candidacy. She believes the election of Trump has changed American politics (at least for the foreseeable future), making the extremes more attractive.

No one is going to be able to return America to normal, she wrote this week, and no one -- particularly in a field this large and talented -- can enter the race in first place and expect to stay there.

-- Douglas Perry

@douglasmperry

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SALEM  The Oregon Senate voted on Tuesday to join a movement designed to award the presidency to the winner of the popular vote. The 17 to 12 vote on Senate Bill 870 came after an hour-long debate.

If the bill is approved by the Oregon House and signed into law, Oregon would join 14 other states and the District of Columbia in the National Popular Vote compact. The idea behind the compact is that state legislatures would award their states Electoral College votes to the presidential candidate who receives the most votes nationwide.

That could mean that Oregons seven Electoral College votes could, in theory, be awarded to a candidate who did not win the most votes in Oregon.

The compact will only take effect when enough states have joined to collectively award a majority of votes in the Electoral College.

The magic number to reach that majority is 270. According to the National Popular Vote organization, jurisdictions representing 189 Electoral College votes have joined the compact so far. If Oregon joins, the effort would be seven votes closer.

Supporters said the proposal is about giving all voters an equal say in deciding who becomes president.

What it means is that it doesnt matter where I live, said Sen. Michael Dembrow, D-Portland. I have as much of a chance of influencing the election as someone in any state in the country. This is what one person, one vote is all about.

Opponents argued that the current system is working adequately, despite having awarded the presidency to the loser of the national popular vote in two out of the past five presidential elections.

Sen. Alan Olsen, R-Canby, said the bill is a thinly-veiled backlash to the election of Republican Donald Trump. Just because we have a president we dont like doesnt mean that we should change a system that has worked great for 200 years, he said.

Most of the states that have joined the National Popular Vote compact did so before Trump was elected president. But the effort has gained momentum this year, with three states joining as of early April.

The Oregon House has voted four different times over the past decade to join the compact, but each time the legislation died in the Senate. That chambers powerful leader, Sen. Peter Courtney, D-Salem, has blocked the bill from coming to a vote.

This year, with a majority of his caucus in favor of the plan, Courtney relented. He did not speak during the floor debate but was one of three Democrats to vote against the bill. The other two were Portland Sen. Ginny Burdick, who serves as the Senate Democratic leader, and Sen. Betsy Johnson of Scapoose.

Two Republicans voted in favor of the measure: Sen. Brian Boquist of Dallas and Sen. Chuck Thomsen of Hood River.
Police are asking for help finding a U.S. Air Force jacket stolen from the child of a Vietnam veteran who recently died.

Portland police said the coat was stolen April 6 during a car prowl in the 600 block of Northwest 10th Avenue. It belonged to the victims father, a Vietnam veteran who recently died.

A name tag bearing the name Roller in all capital letters is on the right chest of the jacket.

Police ask anyone who has information about the theft or the whereabouts of the jacket to contact them.

-- Jim Ryan; jryan@oregonian.com; 503-221-8005; @Jimryan015

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Paducah, KY (42003)

Today

Mostly cloudy. High 66F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low around 60F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.
An aerial shot of Savannah, Tennessee, shows the beauty of the Tennessee River Valley. The Paducah City Commission and McCracken County Fiscal Court recently signed a joint resolution approving Paducah's application for the Tennessee RiverLine Pilot Community Program; the city will find out this month whether it was accepted.

Contributed by University of Tennessee School of Landscape Architecture
Abuja, Nigeria (PANA)  Nigerias Minister of Defence, Brigadier General Mansur Dan Ali (rtd), on Tuesday said fresh intelligence showed the complicity of some highly-placed traditional rulers in the ongoing killings of Nigerians across the northern parts of the country
Tripoli, Libya (PANA)- The Presidential Council of the Government of National Unity Monday praised the United States administration, United Nations Security Council and foreign ministers of the G7 for rejecting and condemning the military attack on the west of the capital, Tripoli, official sources told PANA
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA) - Burkina Faso on Tuesday officially launched the second phase of the Programme for Building Resilience in the Sahel (RISE), funded by the United States to the tune of more than 190 million dollars over a five-year period
Niamey, Niger (PANA) - A resurgence of violence in Diffa region eastern Niger since the beginning of this year, has provoked new population movements and great psychological distress, said a statement by Doctors Without Borders (Medecins sans frontier (MSF)
Trianon, Mauritius (PANA) - Bemoaning that too many Mauritians suffer from non-communicable diseases, the Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth, said on Monday that he will do everything possible to reduce the rate of these diseases by 25% by 2025
Hong Kong: Voter register loss to be reviewed

The Electoral Affairs Commission will conduct a thorough review into the loss of a Register of Electors for the 2016 Legislative Council General Election.

The Registration & Electoral Office today confirmed that the elector register of the polling station located at SKH Tsing Yi Estate Ho Chak Wan Primary School could not be found after a thorough search.

The office has reported the case to the Police and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data.

Speaking to the media, the offices Chief Electoral Officer Wong See-man said the concerned register contains personal information of about 8,000 electors assigned to that polling station.

Mr Wong added the office will learn from this incident and follow up on it in a serious manner to prevent recurrence.

It will also notify all affected electors, review the voter registration information on the register, and send letters to government departments and organisations which have frequent handling of personal data to alert them of the incident.

Secretary for Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Patrick Nip expressed regret over the incident and apologised to those affected.

I understand that the way the Registration & Electoral Office handles the matter is disappointing.

Public elections in Hong Kong have all along been held in an open, fair and honest way. There is no question of compromising people's confidence because of any wrongdoing.

Mr Nip said he has requested the office to fully co-operate with the Police and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data in their investigations.

He said if the incident involved human errors or a deliberate cover-up, the bureau will handle the matter in accordance with the established disciplinary mechanism.

The commission in a statement today expressed grave concern over the incident.

It tasked the Registration & Electoral Office to fully co-operate in the related investigations and submit a detailed report.

The commission is expected to complete its review on the electoral arrangements as well as the offices overall management in eight weeks.

This story has been published on: 2019-04-09. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Congratulating Qatar on hosting the Assembly, NA Chairwoman Ngan expressed her belief that the Qatari Council will successfully organize the event, contributing to improving the countrys role at the worlds largest multi-lateral parliamentary organisation.

She stressed that the relationship between Vietnam and Qatar is developing well in all fields, pointing out to direct air routes connecting Doha with Hanoi, Da Nang city and Ho Chi Minh City  the three largest cities in the three regions of Vietnam.

Vietnam treasures its ties with Qatar, the Vietnamese NA leader affirmed, suggesting both sides maintain cooperation in various fields and intensify trade in the fields they have strength.

The host congratulated Vietnam on its socio-economic development and international integration achievements.

He affirmed Qatars willingness to support Vietnam if the latter has demand.

At the meeting, the two leaders shared experience in parliamentary activities and law making.

NA Chairwoman Ngan took the occasion to invite the host to pay an official visit to Vietnam.
Back in October, discouraged by Warrens extremely misguided DNA test ploy, I wrote that her candidacy was basically overshe could stretch it out as long as she wanted, but playing into Republican hands the way she did (and infuriating the Cherokee Nation in the process) proved that she had sub-par instincts and would likely continue to make unforced errors. If she somehow made it out of the primary, I wrote, shed be no match for Trump, and shed probably never get that far since this self-own would define her in many voters minds. When she released a very awkward Instagram Live video with her husband on New Years Eve, it just confirmed what I already suspected about her political chops. As one YouTube commenter put it, shes an obvious graduate of the Hillary Clinton School of Relating to Everyday People?.

But almost four months have passed, and in that time, Warren has put the gimmicks aside. To date, she has run the most substantive, policy-oriented campaign of any Democratic primary hopeful, and with each pronouncement, she rivals Bernie Sanders with her commitment to reform. Pastes Jake Weindling wrote what I consider the definitive piece about the difference between liberals and progressives, and hence between Sanders and Warren, and Warrens loyalty to our capitalist system still limits her imagination and makes her my second-favorite candidate, but with each passing day she distances herself from everyone else.

This WaPo story goes into the details of her policy-oriented campaign to date, and a review of her Twitter account gives a clear picture as well, including this stand-up-and-applaud tweet from Monday:

Let me be as clear as I can: When Democrats next have power, we should be bold. Its time to get rid of the filibuster if Senate Republicans abuse it to block the progress and change we need. https://t.co/US96qvBoYs  Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) April 8, 2019

And in general, she's not suppressing her rhetoric, she's not striving for moderation, and she's not doing the dumb Beto thing of stringing together a series of platitudes and pretending it means something. For instance, look what she had to say about Kirstjen Nielsen upon her resignation:

About time. @SecNielsen's legacy of tearing innocent families apart will follow her for the rest of her lifeand she should be ashamed of the role she played. She was completely unqualified to lead @DHSand that's why I voted against confirming her. https://t.co/17iglABdvC  Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) April 7, 2019

Theres a lot to like here.

The problem is, shes not catching on. Not nationally, and not, most worryingly, in her home state. In an Emerson poll of likely Massachusetts Democratic primary voters that came out Sunday, Warren secured just 14 percent support from her own constituents. Thats barely ahead of Pete Buttigieg, a still relatively unknown mayor from Indiana, and far behind Bernie Sanders (26 percent) and Joe Biden (23 percent).

Its the kind of result that wouldnt be too disastrous if it came from any state except MassachusettsWarren has time to increase her profile across the country. But the thing is, it was Massachusetts. Warren is their senator. The people polled are Democrats, which means they should be on her side.

And she still couldnt win. Thats more than a problemthats something close to a nightmare result, and it jives with what we know about her lackluster fundraising to date. To give you a comparison (admittedly not a direct one), Bernie Sanders won the 2016 Democratic primary in Vermont with 85% of the vote against Hillary Clinton. If they polled the state today, Id be shocked if his support was lower than 70%, and thats being generous to the other candidates.

Warren, meanwhile, only has the support of 14%. Thats stunning, and the analysis isnt complicated: If she cant win her home state, she has no chance in the primary. And if she cant even come close to winning her home state, wellall the policies in the world wont save her drowning candidacy.
Katy Huberty, Morgan Stanley's head of North American technology hardware equity research, discusses Apple's potential as a healthcare tech giant with CNBC's "Squawk Alley." One of the first things discussed was Apple making a big impact on being a central repository of medical data. Huberty stated: "Tim Cook has made it almost the company's mission to be a steward of consumer data. So if there's any technology company today that's well positioned to this off; build the trust of health care institutions and consumers, it is Apple."

Below is a 6:42 interview with Katy Huberty pounding the table for Apple health care hardware and services. Further below is an overview of Apple's latest Health Care Records system patent filing that came to light just last week.

The timing of this subject coming to CNBC is interesting as last week the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published a pate application from Apple titled "Techniques for Anonymized Searching of Medical Providers." To anonymize means to carry out or organize in such a way as to preserve anonymity, as in, protect consumer's health information in this case.

What's just as important as the patent are it's inventors. The line-up includes Jorge Pozas, Software Engineering Manager. Apple acquired his company "Gliimpse,Inc." in 2016.

Mark Pennell is another inventor who is a Sr. Software Engineer, Health with 25 years experience in web/cloud and mobile application platforms. Yet another inventor is Sangeeth Sridharan in Apple Health. Sridharan has a decade of experience as a Healthcare Director working in IT Strategy, IT Operations. And lastly, Rob Sami, Apple Cloud Storage Engineer.

Overview of the Invention

Apple notes that users typically visit more than one health institution to obtain medical treatment. For example, a user may periodically visit a neighborhood clinic for annual physical evaluations and for minor medical procedures. An electronic health record (EHR) is a computer-stored and transferrable copy of a user's physical health record. The neighborhood clinic may maintain an instance of the user's electronic health record (e.g., using an EHR system, sometimes referred to as an electronic medical record (EMR) system). When the user visits, a medical professional may update the electronic health record. However, different instances of the user's electronic health record may be maintained by other health institutions that are unaffiliated with the neighborhood clinic.

For example, the user may have visited a surgical center for a surgery, been transported to an emergency room in connection with an accident, or may have visited a different clinic while on vacation in a different city. Each of the surgical center, the emergency room, and the different clinic, may have created an instance of the user's electronic health record, which may be maintained using different EHR systems. The EHR systems may provide patient portals for accessing health records on their systems. Because these portals are built and maintained by different organizations, accessing each by the user may require a unique set of user credentials. And once the user logs in to a particular portal, they are still limited by what portion of their electronic health record will be available for viewing.

Existing computer systems may be able to maintain a single connection to a single EHR system, but challenges may arise when these systems attempt to programmatically maintain multiple connections across multiple EHR systems.

Moreover, because different medical professionals contribute to the instances of the electronic health record, data inconsistencies may exist between electronic health records sourced from different EHR systems. Conventional data rectification techniques may prove insufficient to resolve these types of data inconsistences.

Apple's invention covers, among other things, methods, systems, devices, and computer-readable media for obtaining electronic health records from various disparate sources, processing the electronic health records to enable efficient storage and retrieval, and presenting medical information from the electronic health records in a uniform manner using a health application of a user device. Users to whom the electronic health records belong typically visit different medical providers as part of obtaining treatment.

These medical providers may be part of the same provider organization (e.g., a clinic and a hospital owned by the same entity) or may be part of different organizations (e.g., a dialysis clinic owned by a first entity and an imaging center owned by a second entity). Each of these medical providers may maintain a portion of a particular user's electronic health record using EHR systems.

Apple's patent FIG. 20 below illustrates an example flow chart showing a process for enabling anonymized user searching of medical provider entities

Apple's patent FIGS. 21-323 illustrate a series of processes, decision points, and user interface (UI) views relating to a user operating a health application of a user device to connect to a gateway of an electronic health record system for downloading health record data. Below are just the first three patent figures in that group that covers "Health Records; Sources; and Adding an Account."







Apple patent application 20190102461 is deep and detailed with 77 patent figures that you could review in full here.

About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or negative behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus.
2018 began with the U.S. Government attempting to stop Huawei from entering the U.S. Market via AT&T. AT&T in fact dropped Huawei. Then last August President Trump signed a bill banning government use of Huawei and ZTE technology. With foolish rumors circulating of late that Apple has been unable to secure supplies of 5G modems that would push a 5G iPhone out to 2021, Huawei thought that they'd laugh in Apple's face by offering them exclusive access to their 5G Balong 5000 chip modems. With all the pressure on Huawei from the U.S. Government, they've proven to have a sense of humor, though at Apple's expense.

Earlier today Engadget posted a report titled "Huawei is open to selling its 5G modems, but only to Apple." The report notes that "for years, Huawei has been developing its own high-powered processors and modems, all to power its big portfolio of mobile devices. And so far, the company has refused to sell any of those to its competitors. We've learned, however, that the company might be softening that stance. A source with knowledge of the situation has confirmed to Engadget that Huawei is now "open" to selling its 5G Balong 5000 chipsets, but only to one company: Apple.

Although this scenario will never happen for multiple reasons including Huawei working illegally with Iran, Engadet happily played along to gain favor with Huawei. If this never-to-happen storyline happens to interest you, then be sure to check out the full report here.

In late March Patently Apple posted a report titled "Huawei Launched new Smartphones in Paris Today and Announced Gentle Monster Smartglasses coming this Summer." The report covered Huawei's new P20 and P30 smartphones and smartglasses in the form of presentation slides. If you look at the slides you could easily see how Huawei goes out of their way to always compare their new smartphones with Apple's iPhone in an effort t mock them at every turn.

With that context in mind, today's 5G modem offer exclusively for Apple is simply another opportunity for Huawei to mock Apple.

About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or negative behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus.
Patna: Ahead of the next year's Lok Sabha polls, Central Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader Ram Vilas Paswan, at a press conference in Patna on Sunday, said that the government would start providing food items to the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Backward, Extreme Backward caste students living in hostels at a rate comparable to the Below Poverty Level (BPL) prices.

Paswan, whose politics, like Uttar Pradesh's Mayawati and Bihar's Jitan Ram Manjhi, is largely influenced by caste factors, said that the sooner the state government sends him a list of backward and Dalit students living in hostels across Bihar, the sooner they would start getting 15 kilogram of food items at the BPL rate per month.

Continuing to woo the extreme backward vote bank, Paswan said that the Center had formed a committee to provide reservation to them on the basis of recommendations made in the Mandal Commission.

"This report is expected to come within the next three months after which we will follow up on its implementation," he said.

The LJP leader further said that his party workers would soon go to Uttar Pradesh and 'expose' Mayawati of her 'fake SC/ST' credentials.

Family members including his son and MP Chirag Paswan, brother Pashupati Kuamr Paras, and a number of other LJP leaders were present at the press conference.
Patna: Trouble continued to mount for Rashtriya Janata Dal's first family as the CBI on Monday filed charges against party chief Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi, and son Tejaswi Yadav in connection with a railway hotel maintenance contract case.

Monday charges against the Yadav family came nearly a week after the CBI grilled former Chief Minister Rabri Devi at her home in Patna and recorded her statement.

As reported in the past, the CBI, in a case against Lalu Prasad Yadav and other members of his family in 2017, had accused them of handing over maintenance contract of two railways hotels in Ranchi and Puri to the owners of a Patna-based hotel in exchange for political and other favors involving transfer of three acre of commercial property in Patna in Yadav's name.

The alleged quid-pro-quo deal was made when Yadav was the Railway Minister in the Congress-led UPA government.

Meanwhile, the RJD is facing existential threat from the Election Commission that issued a notice to the party to submit party's accounting figures within the next 20 days or lose the party symbol afterwards.

In a notice issued to the party, the Election Commission has charged the party for failing to submit its accounting books for the fiscal year 2014-15. As per a Supreme Court directive, each political party is required to submit its last year's books by October 31 and failing to do so could result in losing the party election symbol.

In a memo issued on Monday, the Election Commission said that it had sent eight notices to the RJD between November 10, 2015 and March 13, 2018 reminding it to submit the required documents but the party chose to ignore it.

"If the numbers are not received by the first week of next month, RJD will lose its election symbol," the memo read.
Patna: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Bihar on Monday released its poll manifesto for the 2019 Parliamentary elections with promises of reservation in private companies and judiciary and welfare schemes for Dalits and Muslims taking the front seat in the long list of announcements.

If the Grand Alliance came into power, it will take the benefits of development from the clutches of a few rich and privileged ones and gift it to the ordinary people of India, Tejaswi Yadav, RJD de facto president and son of Lalu Prasad Yadav, said.

With the majority of the focus concentrating on issues related to reservation, the manifesto promises to revisit existing policies and fix them so those who have been unfairly denied admission in schools and colleges or employment will also be able to derive its benefits.

Other highlights of the RJD manifesto includes census based on caste breakdown, reservation in private companies and judiciary, formation of a national judiciary commission, a national action plan for employment, and ending of the new pension plan with the old plan that presumably worked better for poor people.

With a virtual race among all parties as to who would give more free money to voters, RJD announced a minimum of Rs. 2000 monthly pension to women with no family, and to members of Dalits, backwards and extreme backward class.

A Helpline for youths looking for jobs, withdrawal of 10% reservation for upper caste, job opportunities in police department even for those who have studied only up 7th or 8th grade; permanent job status for Anganbari and Asha workers, filling of vacant positions in the state government, 0.6 to 0.10 decimal land to landless in rural areas and a new policy for landless in urban areas are some of the other promises that the RJD is making in its manifesto.

Another salient feature of the RJD announcement is the proposed removal of tax on toddy and its byproducts.

Toddy is a source of income and a livelihood for a lot of people in Bihar and we will waste no time in removing this so the families that have been destroyed in the NDA regime will once again have a choice to go back to the business that their fathers, grandfathers have been into from many generations, Tejaswi Yadav said.

Party state president Ramchandra Purvey, national spokesperson Manoj Jha, general secretary Alok Mehta, spokesperson Chittaranjan Gagan, and Lalu Prasad Yadavs brother-in-law Sadhu Yadav were also present on the occasion.
While Qualcomm has integrated several gaming-specific technologies into its Snapdragon mobile processors, on Tuesday the company announced something a little different: a version of its Snapdragon 730 optimized for gaming, dubbed the Snapdragon 730G.

Though mobile gaming may be an idle pastime with American consumers, its a way of life overseas. Over 586 million mobile gamers are in China alonetwice the population of the United States, according to Qualcomms Hiren Bhinde at Qualcomms technology summit last December. It isnt clear which phones and mobile devices Qualcomm has in mind for the Snapdragon 730G, but recent gaming phones from Asus ROG and Razer indicate that Qualcomm was designing for what they hope will be a trend.

Though most premium smartphones use Qualcomms 8-series CPUs like the Snapdragon 855, the new 7-series chips are designed for a slightly cheaper but still premium phone. Both the new Snapdragon 730 and Snapdragon 730G are nearly identical, according to specifications provided to PCWorld. The difference is that the Snapdragon 730G overclocks the integrated Adreno 618 GPU, providing up to 15 percent faster GPU rendering.

Snapdragon 730/730G basic specs:

64-bit Kryo 470 (8 cores) at up to 2.2GHz;

Adreno 618 GPU

Spectra 350 image processor

Hexagon 688 AI Tensor Accelerator DSP with Qualcomms Vector eXtensions

Qualcomm organized its Snapdragon 730 and 730G with two big performance cores and six little energy-saving cores, versus the four-by-four split with the Snapdragon 855. As with other Snapdragon chips, the 730/730G consists of a Kryo CPU and Adreno GPU, a dedicated Spectra image processor for the smartphones camera, plus the Hexagon DSP thats optimized for AI capabilities. Inside theres the Snapdragon X15 LTE modem, with support for Wi-Fi 6.(Again, the 730 and 730G are essentially identical, save for an overclocked GPU on the 730G.)

Qualcomm

Qualcomm claims that the Snapdragon 730G offers 25 percent more graphics performance than the Snapdragon 710, and 35 percent more CPU performance. Its also the first 7-series chip to offer HDR gaming. The problem with this last claim is that the Snapdragon 710 only appeared in a handful of midrange phones from companies like Xiaomia huge brand in China, but one with almost no presence within the United States.

Other gaming-specific features include support for the Vulkan 1.1 gaming library, which Qualcomm says can run off 20 percent less power than OpenGL ES. The chip also includes what Qualcomm calls Jank Reducer, a motion smoothing technology that helps avoid stutter for games running at 30 frames per second. The Snapdragon 730G also include a Wi-Fi latency manager to help smooth choppy wireless connections, too.

Qualcomm also said it worked with some of the worlds top mobile game makers to optimize the chip for those games, and integrated anti-cheating extensions to level the playing field, too.

Qualcomms 730 and 730G platform integrates the Spectra 350 DSP, Qualcomms first computer-vision image-signal processing chip to appear in a 7-series Snapdragon. The ISP supports up to three cameras for ultra-wide, telephoto and normal lenses, as well as the ability to compute bokeh, even within 4K video. Users will also be able to command the phone using Qualcomms 4th-generation AI engine, the Hexagon 688.

Machine learning, in fact, is the focus of Qualcomms launch event Tuesday, where the company will debut an accelerator for bringing cloud-powered AI capabilities closer to the edge, called the Cloud AI 700 accelerator.
A 24-year-old mother has pleaded no contest to charges she suffocated her 17-month-old son when she believed her boyfriend was cheating on her.

As TribLive reports, the mothers plea Monday in Allegheny County Court takes the death penalty off the table. But the young mother Christian Clark, 24, of McKeesport, now faces life in prison for the Nov. 1, 2016, homicide.

Clark killed her son, Andre Price III, by smothering him against the bedding of an air mattress until he stopped breathing, prosecutors say. She also attempted to kill her 2-year-old daughter by holding her face against a pillow during the same incident.

As TribLive reports, Clark pleaded no contest to the charges of homicide and attempted homicide, which means she accepted the prosecutions evidence against her but did not admit guilt.

She pleaded guilty to three additional counts of child endangerment and aggravated assault related to months of abuse against both children prior to Price IIIs death, TribLive reported.

Andre Price Jr., the biological father of both children, never contacted authorities, even after Clark sent him the video of his sons lifeless body as revenge for his possible cheating on her.

He has been charged with endangering the welfare of children. Price Jr. is scheduled to appear in court on April 22, TribLive reports.

In the most chilling courtroom moment, Prosecutors on Monday recited text messages and played videos from Clarks cellphone captured that night that showed an argument with her boyfriend quickly escalating into threats to murder both children, TribLive writes, adding:

Im killing them, Clark wrote in a 10:01 p.m. text message that night.

She included a laughing emoji with tears coming out of its eyes in that text.

About 10 minutes later, Clark sent photos showing both children lying face down.

(Story continues below)

Christian Clark, 24, faces life in prison without the possibility of parole for killing her son, Andre Price III, reports @NewsNatashahttps://t.co/piMFPGvGTA  TribLIVE.com (@TribLIVE) April 8, 2019

The 2-year-old girl survived and is now living with adoptive parents, District Attorneys Office spokesman Mike Manko told TribLive.

Meanwhile, Clark faces sentencing on July 11.
For the fourth time since August, Gannett Fleming, a global engineering company based in East Pennsboro Township has acquired another company.

Recently, the global company acquired Sage Engineers, a 22-year-old firm which is based in California which is home to approximately 50 engineers and geologists based out of offices in Roseville and Oakland. The acquisition took place on April 1.

"Were eager to expand our geoscience, geostructural, power, and dams services in California, but even more excited to welcome Sages thought leaders to our team, Bob Scaer, chairman and CEO of Gannett Fleming said in a press releasee.

Steve Sanders, the former president of Sage is now a vice president at Gannett Fleming.

This is the latest in a number of acquisitions for Gannett Fleming. The previous deal for the global company was the acquisition of Chicago-based transportation firm Bowman, Barrett & Associates Inc. which occurred on Dec. 31.

In October, GeoDecisions, Gannett Flemings geospatial technology division, acquired WorldView Solutions, a geographic information systems consulting firm based in Virginia.

In August, Gannett Fleming acquired the assets of KEH & Associates Inc., a water and wastewater engineering firm based in California that was founded in 2006.

Gannett Fleming is a global infrastructure and engineering firm that works on transportation, earth sciences and natural resources, geospatial, water, power, and facilities projects. The firm was founded in 1915, and around 2,500 employees in more 60 offices around the world.

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Within hours of the bombing at the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, the Japanese attacked the Philippines.

Within a month, the Japanese had captured the capital, Manila, on the island of Luzon.

American and Filipino prisoners of war captured by the Japanese are shown at the start of the Death March after the surrender of Bataan on April 9 near Mariveles in the Philippines in 1942 during World War II. Starting on April 10 from Mariveles, on the southern end of the Bataan Penisula, 70,000 POWs were force-marched to Camp O'Donnell, a new prison camp 65 miles away. (AP Photo)ASSOCIATED PRESS

American and Filipino soldiers were forced to retreat to the Bataan Peninsula and left without food and supplies. They were ill-equipped to fight the attack. They held on for 99 days with support but then surrendered.

On April 9, 1942, according to history.com, U.S. Gen. Edward King surrendered his troops. The 76,000 prisoners of war  66,000 Filipinos and 10,000 Americans  were forced to march north 65 miles from the southern end of the Bataan Peninsula to San Fernando and Camp O'Donnell where they were imprisoned. The soldiers were separated into groups of 100 each. It took each group about five days to make the trek.

American prisoners of war carry their wounded and sick as they begin the Death March on Bataan in April 1942. This photo was stolen from the Japanese during their three year occupation of the Philippines. (AP Photo/U.S. Army)ASSOCIATED PRESS

During the march the prisoners were beaten and shot. Some died of starvation and disease while thousands more died at the prison.

Japanese soldiers stand guard over American war prisoners just before the start of the "March of Death" for the soldiers of Bataan and Corregidor in 1942. This photograph was stolen from the Japanese by the Philippines during Japan's three-year occupation in World War II. (AP Photo/U.S. Marine Corps)ASSOCIATED PRESS

The exact figures are unknown, but it is believed that thousands of troops died because of the brutality of their captors, who started and beat the marchers, and bayoneted those too weak to walk. Survivors were taken by rail from San Fernando to prisoner-of-war camps, where thousands more died from disease, mistreatment and starvation, according to history.com.

At the end of World War II, the Japanese commander responsible for the march and atrocities at Camp O'Donnell, Lt. Gen. Homma Masaharu, was tried and convicted by the U.S. military commission. He was executed by firing squad on April 3, 1946.
Nearly 300 providers and recipients of home-based care converged on the state Capitol on Tuesday to call on legislators to pass laws to make home care more accessible to older Pennsylvanians as well as ones with disabilities.

Holding canes as a symbol of the support caregivers provide to their clients to enable them to age in place, the advocates asked for lawmakers to pass a law to protect older Pennsylvanians from neglect and abuse as they already have done to protect dogs and children.

Whats wrong with that? said Vicki Hoak, CEO of the Pennsylvania Homecare Association at a Capitol Rotunda news conference. No more.

The Older Adult Protective Services Act would put into statute what has been the guidance from the state Department of Human Services for the past four years. It would require homecare agency employees to complete background checks prior to hire as well as help to protect seniors from potential financial abuse.

The representatives from home-based care agencies were among the more than 1,000 people who came to the Capitol on Tuesday to lobby lawmakers to support their cause. Many of them came asking for more money as state budget season gets ready to kick into high gear.

The homecare advocates were among them.

They are asking for the first increase in five years in the Medicaid homecare rate so agencies can give direct caregivers a pay raise.

Homecare agencies are struggling to pay all the costs associated with hiring caregivers, said Mia Haney, the home care association president. As monthly enrollment figures for a long-term services and support nearly double, the need for more direct care workers is at a breaking point.

The Pennsylvania Homecare Association advocates brought canes with them to symbolize the support home-based care providers offer to enable seniors and people with disabilities to stay in their homes and communities.

World War II veteran Russell Myers, 90, of York, is among those who has been dependent on caregivers for more than a decade and expects he will continue to be for the rest of his life.

From a wheelchair, he shared how his caregiver from Visiting Angels helps him to get to doctors appointments, assists in getting him from his walker to his wheelchair to get around his house, and provides other care with a smile on her face all the time, he said.

Its my persistence to stay alive and as young as I can. The Legislature has to take note that the care that people are getting is important to their life, their welfare, Myers said.

Agencies need the resources to attract and retain caregivers who possess a passion to provide care to the clients, said Candace Proctor from Bayada home health care in Lemoyne. She shared a story of a caregiver who took a pay cut to remain at home with her client.

She did that willingly because of that passion and that relationship but never should we ask them to do that, Proctor said. Never at any point in time should that be an ask we have of people to be there for our loved ones, our constituents in our community.

Consumer of homecare services Brenda Dare from Washington County used one of the canes that the advocates brought with them to make a point.

We know that the strong support we receive from home care is vital to our everyday existence but guess what folks, Dare said breaking the cane she was holding in two, the system is broken.

Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy.

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Central Dauphin School District Superintendent Carol Johnson announced her resignation Monday from the position effective June 30 and her intention to retire from public education.

She was appointed to the position in 2012. Prior to becoming the superintendent, she was the district's assistant superintendent and a principal at Linglestown Middle School and Central Dauphin High School.

Despite a long list of accomplishments that Johnson noted in her resignation speech, she said it was time to move on and allow someone else to deal with criticisms and controversies that have cropped up in recent months.

Following her announcement, board member Justin Warren expressed disappointment in the board's lack of civility, dismissive nature and critical tone. He went on to challenge fellow board member Richard Mazzatesta about an email he shared with board members about the district's state assessment data.

Board chairman Ford Thompson expressed regret and sadness about Johnson's resignation.

"It's not OK for the acrimony to occur over the last 17 months," he said.

The meeting ended with Central Dauphin East principal Dr. Jesse Rawls Jr. and other district employees thanking Johnson for her service to the district.

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Bill Bostic publishes Linglestown Gazette, an online news service that focuses on Lower Paxton Township and Central Dauphin School District.
Allegro Winery announced Monday that it has entered into an agreement with Naylor Wine Cellars to acquire the Stewartstown winery and vineyard.

Two of Pennsylvanias oldest wine producers began talking after the death of Dick Naylor on Dec. 10, 2018. The Naylor family approached Carl Helrich, owner and winemaker at Allegro, about acquiring the business and assets.

I was honored when Naylor approached me to talk about the possibility of purchasing the winery and vineyard, Helrich said in the press release. Naylor Wine Cellars has a storied history in our industry and in our community, and we are excited beyond words to be able to write the next chapter.

No specifics were given on the price of the purchase, and the beginning of that next chapter wont take place until all the licensing changes are approved. That could take as little as a couple months or most of 2019, Helrich said Monday night.

Due to the continued growth in sales of his wines throughout Pennsylvania, Helrich said he has been searching for expanded production space.

When I came to Allegro in 2001, I was stepping into the shoes of John Crouch, who at the time had made some of the most remarkable wines on the East coast, he said in the release. Now that Allegro is poised to expand, I am reminded of how we came to this point. Dick Naylor was a legend in our industry, and these are huge shoes to fill. But no one knows this better than I. We are only here because we stand on the shoulders of giants.

Naylor Wine Cellars opened in 1978.

The business from the start has been family owned and operated, involving everyone from son-in-law Ted Potter, who would become the winemaker and help manage the winery, to Dicks daughter, Janey, who helped with the office work and in the winery, to granddaughter Amanda Brimfield, currently the accounting and marketing manager. Another grandchild, Dan Potter, has been involved with the operation as was Dicks late mother, whose duties included everything from working in the vineyards to putting labels on bottles. She did that until she turned 97.

It was part of the original Mason Dixon Wine Trail and has always been one of southcentral Pennsylvanias most recognized wineries, building a large following during its years in business and supplementing that exposure through the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Boards stores. Among its best-known wines and top sellers were First Capital, a semi-dry red blend, York White Rose, a semi-dry white blend, and Chambourcin, a dry red vinifera.

Dick and his wife, Audrey, recently were recognized posthumously at the Eastern Wineries Exposition (EWE) in Syracuse, New York, receiving the conferences lifetime achievement award.

Allegro will operate a winery, vineyard, tasting room and event/wedding venue at the former Naylor location. The tasting room in Stewartstown will feature Allegros complete wine list of more than two dozen wine varieties. The winery plans on holding a variety of events, including music, trivia, sip-n-create events, and more. The Stewartstown site will also become the venue for Allegro Wine Club member mixers and quarterly pick up beginning as soon as August of this year. More information is available at www.allegrowines.com.

We cant wait to build on the strong history that Naylor Wine Cellars has been about for the past forty years, Helrich said in the release. Well be bringing our own community to Stewartstown, but well be carrying on the Naylor family tradition with good wine, vines, music, and hospitality.

One of Naylor Wine Cellars signature events was its Summer Sounds, a series of outdoor summer concerts that featured a variety of musical groups and styles, including big band. Helrich said Monday night that Naylors Summer Sounds will continue this year.

Asked Tuesday about what prompted the decision to sell, Janey said in an email, My Dad had a passion for the wine business that I did not share. I believe Carl shares the same passion for the industry as my Dad.

Wine Packaging by Naylor, the related business that Dick and Audrey started, will continue to operate at its current location, Janey added.

Allegro Winerys original Brogue location will continue to be open for wine tasting and sales. Its a property where the first vines were rooted in 1973 and, in some cases, continue to bear fruit. The winery was opened by brother Tim and John Crouch in 1980, who owned it for more than 20 years. Helrich and wife Kris Miller brought the place in 2001 and have made innumerable improvements since then, both in the vineyards and the far-off-the-beaten-track tasting room.

They were recognized March 28 by the York County Agricultural Business Council as York Countys Outstanding Farm Family.

The Stewartstown location, which includes 10 acres of vines, will be referred to as Allegro Wine Cellars and will have a production facility alongside the tasting room and events calendar. Once the transfer is complete, Naylor wines will continue to be available until the current inventory is sold out at its Queensgate tasting room in York Township and at the Markets at Shrewsbury.

Editors note: This story was updated at 11 a.m. Tuesday with more specific information related to Summer Sounds.

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Other PennLive stories on East Coast wines and wineries

Galen Glen Winery already likes what its seeing in Regent grapes

Winery tour 2018: A visit to 4 south Jersey producers

Old Westminster Winery continues to push its pedal to the metal

Top Maryland producers gather to taste their best in dry wines

Sagrantino is newest Italian varietal to come from North Carolina winery

Showing off the vineyard and wines at New Jerseys Alba Vineyard
WILLIAMSPORT  The owner of a day school whose facilities in two counties had been under state scrutiny until they closed in 2015 has been accused by the U.S. Labor Department with fiduciary misconduct.

N&B Lundy that did business as Pitter Patter Day School and its owner Bobbi Jo Lundy are accused in a suit filed in U.S. Middle District Court with using employees share of health insurance premiums for unrelated expenses.

Failure to forward employee health and welfare plan premiums to First Priority Life Insurance Co. resulted in repeated lapses of coverage and eventual cancelation, the Labor Department claims.

Failure to notify employees the policy had been canceled resulted in $60,546 in unpaid health claims that remain unpaid, it says.

It alleges approximately $1,464 was deducted from plan participants in October 2014 after the coverage had been canceled.

Pitter Patter, which operated two facilities in the Williamsport area and one each in Muncy and Watsontown, ceased operations in 2015.

Records show the state Department of Human Services numerous times cited Pitter Patter for non-compliance with regulations.

It refused in February 2014 to renew the certificate of compliance for a Williamsport facility. Among the violations noted were staff:

Leaving an 18-month-old unsupervised in an outdoor place space.

Falling asleep while holding children.

Using harsh tones while imposing discipline in the toddler room.

Not knowing the names and whereabouts of children assigned to her.

Pitter Patter was cited at Muncy for lack of liability insurance, failure to restrict windows from being opened more than six inches, a broken soap dispenser in a bathroom and screws protruding from a pre-school playground gate and in a fence in the toddler play area.

Violations at Watsontown included lack of running water for 8 to 10 hours and two infants, ages 6 and 4 months, sitting in bouncy seats with bottles propped.

The state requires infants 6 months or younger to held while bottle fed.

The Labor Department suit seeks a court order requiring N&B to make the benefit plan, participants and beneficiaries whole.

It also seeks an injunction that would prevent N&B and Lundy from exercising control or decision making authority with respect to any employee benefit plan subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.
One thing became clear in a Dauphin County courtroom on Tuesday afternoon: A 17-year-old East Shore boy is dead because of a family feud that erupted on Facebook.

The question before the jury is whether 32-year-old Damaris Vidot should be convicted of murder for firing the shot in the yard of her Swatara Township home that killed Julian Mallory on May 30, 2017.

Deputy District Attorney Katie Adam is contending the answer is yes, and that Vidot should spend the rest of her life behind bars. Defense attorney Brian Perry is countering that Vidot fired in self-defense when she was being confronted by an angry mob mostly made up of her own relatives.

Adams lead-off witness was Tasia Toledo, Vidots niece and the person who posted a photo on social media that triggered the fatal familial dispute. Toledo said the photo was of her grandmother and a 5-year-old half-sister she has never met. She said she was angry that family friction has kept her and her sibling apart.

Hours later, Vidot responded to the photo in a Facebook message that Toledo, who was 17 at the time, said she felt was insulting. As the on-line argument progressed, she told her 18-year-old brother, Anthony, and her mother, Toledo testified. Mallory was a friend of her brother, she said.

Eventually, the decision was made to drive to Vidots home on Highland Street to confront her face-to-face, said Toledo, who knows Vidot by the family nickname of Momma. None of her family members intended for the meeting to turn into a physical fight, Toledo said, and none of them had any weapons.

When they arrived at Vidots home, she came out with a gun held behind her back, Toledo said. She started flashing it, Toledo said. She was calling me a whoreIm telling her to put the gun down.

Did she point the gun directly at your face? Adam asked.

Yes, Toledo replied. She was saying, You dont want none of this.

Mallory was also on Vidots lawn, she said, and He just kept saying, Chill.

Toledo said Vidot walked over to Mallory, asked who he was and mugged him by putting her hand on his face and shoving. That, she said, is when she heard the pistol fire.

Vidot wouldnt let anyone go near the fallen Mallory, she said. She was just standing there with the gun in her hand, Toledo said.

That shot hit Mallory in the neck and severed his spinal cord, investigators said.

On cross-examination, Perry zeroed in on the pointlessness of the dispute that led to Mallorys death. He asked Toledo why she felt the need to air her family grievance on social media. Why tell the world youre upset? he asked.

Everybody does, Toledo answered.

This is stupid, isnt it? This is just dumb. Do you agree with me? Perry continued.

Yes, Toledo replied.

You should have just picked the phone up and talked it out? Perry asked.

Yes, Toledo said. She said she and her family didnt just leave Vidots yard because they didnt believe the confrontation would escalate to violence.

Perry said a video shot by a passer-by will contradict Toledos claims regarding what happened, including her insistence that she never moved toward Vidot. The same video shows Mallory with his hands in the pocket of his hoodie, although Toledo said he had his hands in the air, Perry said.

He also asked Toledo if she heard her brother Anthony tell Vidot, We got one of those, too, after seeing Vidot with the pistol.

No, Toledo said.
A resident discovered high levels of PFAS, a toxin linked to cancers and other health effects, in their tap water, setting off a state investigation in Newberry Township.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, were common in clothing, cookware and firefighting foam for decades. Despite mounting research showing significant health risks, the chemicals are not routinely tested by drinking water systems or formally regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

No water system is required to test for it because theres no [statutorily set limit], which we are in the process of developing, said Neil Shader, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Read the TAPPED OUT special investigation of drinking water.

Suez, the water utility for the York County community, has already installed new equipment that should be operating by next Monday in order to reduce PFAS levels. A utility spokesman said it also plans to begin testing other systems for signs of contamination.

This is certainly something were very concerned with, he said. Its a nationwide problem and we want to be right on top of it.

Last year, Gov. Tom Wolf established an action team to develop a plan to sample drinking water systems, limit public exposure and potentially introduce state-level regulation. Shader said the first steps of that plan  assembling a list of at-risk systems that will be tested for contamination  will be unveiled next week.

UPDATE: Pennsylvania plans to begin testing for PFAS in drinking water

The DEP was already monitoring 19 other contaminated sites, including the Harrisburg International Airport. Many of those sites, including HIA, were places where firefighting foam was manufactured or regularly used.

Shader declined to comment on whether the latest contamination site in Newberry Township, which is across the Susquehanna River and downstream from HIA, could be linked to the HIA contamination.

Were just starting to investigate what the possible source would be, he said.

Currently, Shader said the DEP has no guidance for what residents of Newberry Township should one, other than to consult their physicians.

They should not, however, boil their tap water. While boiling water can neutralize biological contaminants like E.coli and giardia, it would actually increase the concentration of PFAS and other chemical contaminants  and thus increase the potential risk from consuming them.

For now, Shader said, the DEP has authorized the local water utility Suez Newberry to install a new granulated activated carbon treatment for the water system. That method has been effective in other places with high levels of PFAS.

After a Newberry Township resident discovered a toxic chemical not currently tested or regulated in their drinking water, Suez installed a new granulated activated carbon treatment system. It will be up and running by Monday, a spokesman said.

The customer, who has not been publicly identified, sent a sample of their water to a lab that returned combined PFAS/PFOA levels of 186 parts per trillion. Thats far beyond the 70 parts per trillion limit established in an EPA health advisory. Recent research, however, indicates that even much smaller concentrations than 70 parts per trillion can be dangerous.

Shader said the DEP has not independently confirmed the residents sample but chose to act out of an abundance of caution.

Suez spokesman Richard Henning said the utility plans to conduct additional testing in Newberry Township, which has some 2,100 customers of the utility. However, it moved to bolster treatment before waiting for that testing to be completed.

Our focus was first to treat it if we thought there was a potential [for contamination] because theres potential across the country, he said. We wanted to be sure we could treat it and remove it first.

Henning said Suez plans to test its other systems for PFAS chemicals. The companys water utilities include Middletown, which is adjacent to HIA.

The new treatment system in Newberry Township should be operating by Monday, Henning said.

Shader said the company will have to notify customers.

As of Tuesday, it wasnt clear what other Pennsylvanians concerned about PFAS contamination in their communities should do.

The states own water testing laboratory will become accredited to test for the contaminant this year, Shader said, and the resident whose discovery led to the investigation actually used an unaccredited lab to test the sample.

In fact, he said, very few labs anywhere are set up to perform such tests. The DEP recently purchased equipment that will allow it to do more PFAS testing over the course of the next year.

First developed by 3M in the 1930s and mass-marketed in the 40s and 50s, these synthetic chemicalsalso known as perflourinated chemicals or PFCsenabled the development of nonstick cookware, water-repellent clothing and firefighting foam. Today, there are thousands of these chemicals known by acronyms like PFOS, PFOA, PFNA and PFHxS.

But the chemical bonds that give PFAS their heat, oil and water-resistant qualities are so resilient they dont break down in the environment  or in the human body. It didnt take long for PFAS to make their way into drinking water and, finally, the human bloodstream. Theyve been linked to various health effects, including pregnancy complications and problems related to the liver, lungs and thyroid.

You can learn more about PFAS in this explainer video:

For more information about water contamination, read PennLives Tapped Out, an investigation of drinking water oversight in Pennsylvania.

This article was updated with comment from a Suez spokesman and a photo of the treatment system.

Wallace McKelvey may be reached at wmckelvey@pennlive.com. Follow him on Twitter @wjmckelvey. Find PennLive on Facebook.
Suspects in an armed bank robbery in Lancaster County were arrested after they crashed their car shortly after the robbery, according to police.

Isaiah Thomas Walker, 30 of Philadelphia, and Richard Garland Jones, 21 of Reading, were both charged in connection with the robbery that occurred at the Univest Bank Monday afternoon.

West Early Township police said officers were dispatched to the bank at 4250 Oregon Pike at 1:15 p.m., for reports of an armed robbery.

Officers learned that while three employees were in the bank, someone came in, brandishing a handgun. Police identified the man as Jones, who they said ordered an employee to lay on the floor while other employees attempted to retrieve money.

Jones was given the money, then fled on foot, police said.

Shortly after, police received a report that the robbery suspects were in a car that was traveling north on Route 222, from the Brownstown area. Officers from the East Cocalico Township Police Department intercepted the car, just before the turnpike interchange, police said.

Though police tried to stop the car, the driver, later identified as Walker, attempted to elude them and crashed instead. The car crashed on the side of the road, and Walker was immediately apprehended, police said.

Jones fled on foot, but East Cocalico Township, Ephrata Police and Pennsylvania State Police assisted in finding him one fourth of a mile away from the crash scene, police said.

The gun and money were found in the vehicle, police said.

Jones was charged with three counts of robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery and one count of escape.

Walker was charged with robbery, criminal conspiracy to commit robbery and one count of fleeing and eluding police.

Both men were taken into custody and transported to Lancaster County Central Booking to await preliminary arraignment.
The gasoline for Americas economic engine and national security is the quality of its workforce. When the vast majority of our workers are the product of K12 public schools, the quality of public education is the linchpin to sustaining our way of life.

Policy development and decision making for K12 public education rests in the hands of 50 state governors and their legislatures. Therefore, it is critical that our elected leaders in Harrisburg provide us with academic standards, direction and resources that get it right!

In Pennsylvania, more than $30 billion is spent on K12 public education annually to create a future ready workforce. Though nearly $17 billion comes from local taxpayers, many decisions on how that $30 billion must be spent is made in Harrisburg through unfunded mandates!

For special interest groups, getting just a small piece of the total state expenditure is a significant windfall. Where money is involved, politics and self-interest interferes with developing the ultimate education model that is both effective and efficient for students and taxpayers. It also compromises the creation of a future ready workforce. This is the case in the funding of cyber charter schools.

Pennsylvania makes up more than 20 percent of the total cyber charter school student population in America. This year, PA school districts will send more than $500 million to 14 cyber charter schools that have no accountability to an elective body or taxpayer oversight.

Funding for the 33,857 students attending a cyber charter school in PA depends on the per-student cost of the sending school district. For example, for a Quakertown student attending a cyber charter, we send $14,745 per regular education student, and $30,424 per special education student.

If a Lower Merion student attended the same cyber charter, their cost would be significantly higher - $20,358 per regular education and $53,756 per student with a disability.

More evidence of a profit motive: 25 percent of former Quakertown regular education students who withdraw from the district to attend a cyber charter become special education students after they transfer.

These are outrageous costs, especially given that it only costs Quakertown $2,000 per student to enroll in our own cyber/online program. That is why cyber charters in PA have exorbitant fund balances. On average their reserves/fund balances are 21 percent of their total operating budgets. PA Cyber Charter has a 37 percent fund balance. What would a cyber school be needing with $48 million from taxpayers sitting in a bank? Where do some of those funds end up? Sustaining their for-profit business model!

Compounding the problem of wasteful expenditures are cyber charter schools poor return on investment. Every cyber charter school in Pennsylvania has been identified as a failing school under the former PA School Performance Profile. Two national studies, one by the Rand Corporation and the other from the Center for Education Outcomes of Stanford University, found troubling results.

The Stanford study said the shortfall for most cyber students was equal to losing 72 days of learning in reading and 180 days in math during the typical 180-day school year. Terribly scary!

Even the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools has distanced itself from cyber charter schools. The NAPCS is telling policy makers in state capitals its the legislatures responsibility to change their states cyber education model.

Fortunately, after years of intentional neglect by the PA Legislature, there is an opportunity now for bipartisanship to correct the wasteful spending on cyber charter schools and return money to taxpayers. State Sen. Judy Schwank, D-Berks County, and State Rep. Curt Sonney, R-Erie, have sponsored twin bills - SB34 and HB 526 - to protect public education cyber students and Pennsylvania taxpayers. If passed, the PA Legislature will empower school districts who have their own cyber/online programs to be fully responsible for cyber education of ALL public school students within their district. This makes perfect dollars and sense.

Dr. Bill Harner is Superintendent of the Quakertown Community School District. He also is former Acting Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and former Superintendent of the Cumberland Valley School District.
McLaren Northern Michigan announces plans to build inpatient behavioral health unit in Cheboygan

McLaren Northern Michigan announced Monday plans to build an inpatient behavioral health unit with partial hospitalization program at its Cheboygan Campus.
Toxic City: Sick Schools, a three-part Inquirer investigative series, has won a top national award from Investigative Reporters and Editors. The $5,000 Gannett Award for Innovation in Watchdog Journalism will be presented to The Inquirer at IREs June conference in Houston.

We selected Toxic City: Sick Schools for its innovative data collection effort, superb storytelling, and extensive impact, judges wrote in their citation of journalists Wendy Ruderman, Barbara Laker, Dylan Purcell, Jessica Griffin, and Garland Potts. Reporters recruited and trained school staffers to test schools for lead in water, lead paint, mold, silica, and asbestos in areas where reporters were not allowed to go. If accredited labs returned truly alarming test results, journalists notified the school district of the hazards, even though publication was months away.

The IRE win is the latest recognition for Toxic City: Sick Schools, which has been the recipient of several national and state awards this year, including:

Frank A. Blethen Award for Local Accountability Reporting, part of the 2019 NLA Awards presented by the American Society of News Editors and Associated Press Managing Editors. The Inquirer used every tool in the toolbox to craft these compelling stories that sparked a public dialogue and led the community to demand safe and healthy schools," judges wrote of Toxic City: Sick Schools. "The reporting was tenacious and creative, and put its focus where it needed to be  on the kids who were forced to go to school in these conditions.

2019 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting (finalist), presented by the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. The Goldsmith awards recognize investigative journalism that promotes more effective and ethical conduct of government or the practice of politics.

2019 Philip Meyer Award (second place), presented by IRE. Judges said: 'Toxic City: Sick Schools demonstrates how scientific testing, when designed properly, can lead to unique and powerful investigations."

2019 Selden Ring Award for Investigative Reporting (finalist), presented by the University of Southern California Annenberg School of Journalism. Judges said: The Philadelphia Inquirer  used innovative reporting techniques, rigorous scientific methods, and compelling personal stories to show in disturbing detail how thousands of students in Philadelphia schools were exposed to environmental hazards such as asbestos and lead. The project forced school officials to institute reforms, direct more money to cleanup efforts and even to raze the worst offender.

2019 Keystone Press Awards, presented by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association: first place in investigative reporting in the Division I category (multiday publications with circulation of more than 75,000).

It is a testament to the reporters range that their work this year was honored by contest judges rewarding the best in journalism for widely different reasons: innovation, data analysis, local accountability, and impact, said James Neff, deputy managing editor for investigations.

Numerous follow-up stories detailed the results of the reporting:

Philadelphia passed a law that for the first time requires public schools to annually certify they are lead safe, and be subject to outside inspections, mandatory cleanup deadlines, and potential fines for persistent violations.

Gov. Tom Wolf directed $15.7 million for emergency cleanup to repair shedding lead paint at 40 schools, a project affecting about 29,000 children.

The School District began cleaning up asbestos fibers in seven of the worst schools.

Also, Wolf recently announced an effort to put $100 million into Philadelphia public schools to clean up lead, asbestos and other hazards  a push he specifically said was the result of the series.

The series was supported by funding from the Lenfest Institute for Journalism, the USC Center for Health Journalism, and the Dennis A. Hunt Fund for Health Journalism.
Citing operating deficits and a lack of financial stability, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania announced Monday that it would lay off 10 staff members, about 30 percent of the total, trim programming and services, and focus on its role as a library and archive.

In a statement, board chairman Bruce K. Fenton said the hope was that by eliminating jobs, the organization would buy time for "a period of financial recovery and careful planning for its future.

The society, at 13th and Locust Streets, has been seeking to partner with an academic institution for about three years. Extensive talks with the University of Pennsylvania did not bear fruit, but over the last year and a half, the society has been discussing affiliation with Drexel University.

Those talks have gone slowly  more slowly than anticipated, at least by society officials  and sources close to the matter said Drexel was proceeding with caution after digging into the societys financial situation.

Charles T. Cullen, the societys interim president and chief executive, said that the effort to partner continues.

Our active interest in forming a close alliance with an academic institution has not ended, but the protracted nature of the exploration was unexpected, and has contributed to a lack of clarity as to our recently adopted mission, Cullen said, referring to the societys partnering efforts, and its expanded programming and services.

The combination of uncertain mission and continuing transition mode has created a challenging fundraising atmosphere, leading to operating deficits and increasing difficulty in achieving financial stability, Cullen said.

The societys operating budget is about $3 million, Cullen said, and the operating deficit is at $400,000 for the fiscal year.

Founded in 1824, the society houses over 600,000 printed items and nearly 20 million manuscripts. It had a staff of about 34 or 35 before the layoffs, Cullen said.

With a leaner team in place, we will be refocusing our efforts on the core of our mission: serving as a research library and archive, Cullen said.

Pennsylvania Legacies, HSPs biannual public history magazine, will cease publication after the spring 2019 edition. But library hours, grant projects, and publication of the scholarly journal the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography will continue.

The cuts come only a little over a month after a public meeting at the National Constitution Center focusing on the fate of the Philadelphia History Museum at the Atwater Kent. The city cut funding for the history museum on South Seventh Street less than a year ago and the museum closed last summer.

In 1999, the historical society agreed to transfer its collection of 10,000 artworks and artifacts to what was then known as the Atwater Kent Museum, in a bid, officials said at the time, to fashion the historical society into an archive and library.

Now, the museum is seeking to transfer its collection to Drexel, with which the society wants to partner. The common thread is not so much Drexel, but the inability of either the society or the museum to build significant independent revenue streams in an era of declining public funding and, perhaps, declining public interest.

Cullen said the societys debt has not been an issue in the talks with Drexel. A spokesperson for Drexel could not be reached for comment Monday evening.

I do know that Drexel is still looking at our financial situation, and Drexel has known our financial situation from the beginning, Cullen said. Drexel is not assuming any debt we have.

Cullen said he came to the society on an interim basis to manage the institution through to some kind of partnership. That hasnt happened. Without a partner, he said, the implementation of expanded programming and services had to be scaled back.

We needed to pull back and focus on our primary function, he said. Being a library.

Were nowhere near where the Philadelphia History Museum was, Cullen said. "We need to put more emphasis on the core mission of this institution rather than trying to find a partner. "
A Harrisburg car dealership must pay a $10,000 fine plus restitution for allegedly selling consumers valueless warranties," the Pennsylvania Attorney Generals Office announced Tuesday.

Paxton Associates, Inc., which does business as Faulkner Honda, sold warranties that had no meaningful value beyond a manufacturers warranty that was already included in the purchase price, the Attorney Generals Office claimed. Consumers typically paid roughly $1,000 for the allegedly bogus warranties, which were often sold to consumers who entered short-term lease agreements for new cars, the Attorney Generals Office said.

Faulkner Honda was accused of violating Pennsylvanias consumer protection law and regulations that govern auto sales. As part of a settlement with the Attorney General, Faulkner Honda agreed to pay a $10,000 fine and restitution to affected customers.

"This dealership took its customers for a ride by encouraging them to purchase an additional warranty that had no value, Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a statement. If you were a customer of the Faulkner Honda dealership and believe you have been a victim of this deceptive sales tactic, you may be eligible for restitution and should contact my office.

Consumers who believe theyre victims of the sales tactic have 90 days to file a complaint with the Bureau of Consumer Protection, which can be reached at 800-441-2555 or scams@attorneygeneral.gov.

Faulkner Honda, which denies any wrongdoing, declined comment.

Faulkner Honda sells new vehicles that come with a standard, 36-month, 36,000 mile manufacturers warranty, according to the settlement. As deals came to a close, the dealership offered and sold an additional warranty that provided the same term of coverage but was less comprehensive, the Attorney Generals Office said. The additional warranty failed to add any value for customers who leased new vehicles for 36 months, the Attorney General claimed.
FILE - In this March 27, 2019 file photo, signs advertising free measles vaccines and information about measles are displayed at the Rockland County Health Department, in Pomona, N.Y. U.S. measles cases are continuing to jump, with most of the reported illnesses continuing to be in children. Health officials on Monday, April 8 said 465 measles cases were reported through last week, the second-highest total in 25 years. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) Read more

(Bloomberg)  New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio mandated measles vaccinations for all people living in the Orthodox Jewish community of Williamsburg after an outbreak of the contagious disease.

Those who have not received the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine in that Brooklyn community could be fined $1,000, according to de Blasio, who declared a public health emergency on Tuesday.

To date, 285 cases have been confirmed since the outbreak began in October. The majority of the cases are children, and most of the patients were not vaccinated or had incomplete vaccinations, according to de Blasios administration.

To contact the reporter on this story: Stacie Sherman in Princeton at sbabula@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Flynn McRoberts at fmcroberts1@bloomberg.net, Michael B. Marois

2019 Bloomberg L.P.
Bicycles are parked outside Tamaqua Area High School in Tamaqua, Pa., Friday, Jan. 4, 2019. Parents are going to court to block the Tamaqua Area School District from allowing teachers to carry guns in school. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Read more

Left in the bathroom, tucked in a bag, forgotten in a school van  guns belonging to teachers or school officers have been left out or accessible to students in America at least 60 times in the last five years, a study has found.

There were no accidental deaths, but some people were injured, according to the report released last week by the gun-control group Giffords. Using news reports, the group tallied the number of times a gun was left out, accidentally shot, or mishandled during a disciplinary episode or stressful situation. Most incidents ended without any shots fired.

The study comes after a year of renewed debate about whether teachers or school employees should be able to carry guns  driven by school-safety debates after the Parkland, Fla., shooting and the Trump administrations consideration of allowing states to use federal funding to arm teachers.

Three of the incidents cataloged were in Pennsylvania. At the Russell Byers Charter School in Center City, a middle-school student bumped into a staffers bag during a class last year and realized it contained a gun. The staffer was suspended. At a Washington County high school, a student found a loaded gun that a security guard had left in the bathroom. In Chambersburg, Franklin County, a group of elementary school students found a teachers loaded gun on top of a toilet.

Giffords and others opposed to arming school workers point to incidents like these in arguing that a teacher or employee carrying a weapon makes everyone more vulnerable to accidents, shots fired, or kids getting hold of guns.

We put this list together to push back on the idea that there are no risks from having these guns in schools, said Adam Skaggs, chief counsel at Giffords Law Center, the organizations policy arm. Theres always the risk of a gun being intentionally fired in an inappropriate circumstance, [and] theres always the risk of a child getting his or her hands on a gun.

He said having guns on school premises can subject students to trauma [and] disrupt their ability to learn in addition to making the environment less safe.

Those who support arming teachers say incidents like these wont happen with proper training. They argue that a quick response is the only thing that can potentially stop an active shooter.

Last year, a Schuylkill County school district passed a policy providing for teachers and employees to carry firearms in the districts four schools, saying it would make the students and staff safer.

The decision by the Tamaqua Area School District caused a tense debate in the small town. In January, the district suspended the implementation of the policy after the teachers union and a group of parents separately sued the district. They are still awaiting decisions in those cases.

In some states, teachers or employees have been armed for years. Many of them are in rural areas, like Tamaqua, where it could take longer for police to respond.

We have to let the bad guy know that they are hardened, President Donald Trump said in arguing for fortifying schools in the wake of the Parkland shooting.

His school safety commission, in a December report, ultimately recommended that states and schools determine whether or not it is appropriate for specialized staff and non-specialized staff to be armed for the sake of effectively and immediately responding to violence.

Other incidents cataloged by Giffords included the time a drunken kindergarten teacher in Georgia brought a loaded pistol to school in her purse; police officers who left a pistol on a Georgia playground after a K-9 demonstration; and multiple instances of people leaving guns in bathrooms.

Some include accidental shots: A substitute teacher in Alabama had a gun in his pocket when it accidentally discharged, leading to one student being struck by a fragment. In Virginia, a parent brought a gun to school that went off and hit a woman in her lower body; she survived. At two schools in Florida, police officers have accidentally fired a weapon when responding to a lockdown.
A group of migrants that were requesting asylum are returned to Mexico at El Chaparral port of entry in Tijuana. The individuals will wait in Mexico until their scheduled court date in the United States. A judge in California on Monday blocked a Trump administration policy requiring some asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for their hearings in the U.S. (Nelvin C. Cepeda/San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS) Read more

President Donald Trump overhauled the Department of Homeland Security this week, ousting - among others - the department's head, Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. The changes Trump is making appear to stem from his ongoing frustration about the number of migrants seeking entry into the United States, a surge in recent months that Nielsen was unable to address.

His frustration, though, isn't just about the number of migrants arriving at the border. It's also that many or most of those migrants are seeking asylum in the United States, a request that carries with it certain legal protections. Often, those protections mean that the migrants then get to stay in the United States for months or years.

With the administration's renewed focus on the issue, it's worth walking through how the process works, where increases in applicants have been seen and what comes next in the eyes of the law - and in the eyes of the president.

The immediate source of Trump's frustration is the increase in migrants arriving at the border with Mexico. When Trump first took office, the number of migrants dropped and so, therefore, did the number of migrants being apprehended at the border, a drop that Trump celebrated as a validation of his policies.

The recent increase has largely been a function of families arriving at the border, migrants categorized by the government as members of family units. Most of the other migrants who arrive are single adults, though there are also minors who arrive at the border by themselves. (In 2014, a surge in these unaccompanied minors from Central American countries spurred another panic over migration.)

This increase was the target of the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy that then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced last year. That policy involved mandating detention for those entering the country illegally which, then, meant separating children from their parents on arrival at the border. This was apparently part of the goal; multiple administration officials said they hoped the policy would deter migrants from coming to the United States.

Why did the children have to be separated? Because of a 1997 settlement in a class-action lawsuit by a group of unaccompanied minors, Flores v. Reno. It established guidelines for how minor migrants would be detained, including limiting the detention period and type of detention facility. Among the changes Trump wants to make to immigration policy, according to Axios, is to loosen those constraints.

The number of migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. has increased in recent years, as data from the Department of Justice show. There are two types of application - one granted by Citizenship and Immigration Services, called "affirmative," and one made by a migrant otherwise facing deportation, "defensive." The spike has largely been in the number of defensive applications.

As The Post reported in 2018, to seek asylum in the United States, a migrant has to actually be on U.S. soil. So migrants enter the country either by crossing the border between established border checkpoints - an illegal crossing - or by showing up at one of those checkpoints, called a port of entry. Then, they announce their intent to seek asylum. The long-standing image of migrants entering illegally to surreptitiously make their way further into the country is somewhat outdated; now, migrants often turn themselves in immediately.

Since asylum is predicated on the idea that a migrant is at risk in his or her home country, the government will conduct a "credible fear" interview after an asylum claim. That interview involves questions meant to determine the likelihood that a migrant actually faces a risk if returned to their home country. It's a screening process, with a relatively low bar to allow the asylum process to move forward, requiring a 10 percent chance that the migrant would face persecution. (In some cases, smugglers give migrants language to use to ensure that the interview is passed.)

In about three-quarters of interviews, a credible fear is established.

This is another point at which the administration reportedly hopes to make a change, according to Axios: to raise that bar and, therefore, to turn more migrants away at the outset. Last year, the administration also scaled back the rationales that can be used.

If the migrant passes the credible fear interview, they are slotted for a hearing to determine whether they should be granted asylum over the long term. The rise in asylum claims has led to a massive backlog in the number of cases waiting to be heard in immigration court. According to TRAC at Syracuse University, that backlog now exceeds 822,000 cases.

Some migrants are detained until those hearings. Under the Flores agreement, though, children can only be held for a few weeks. The average wait for a case to be heard? Nearly two years.

So, with administration no longer separating children from their parents, keeping the parent in custody while shipping the child to a foster home, the government instead releases the entire family into the U.S. until that hearing takes place.

Contrary to Trump's rhetoric, historic data suggest that most of those released before their immigration hearings actually do show up as scheduled.

In recent years, those decisions have gone more heavily against the asylum seekers. Since Trump took office, an average of 64 percent of decisions each month deny asylum for a migrant. In the last two years of former president Barack Obama's second term, about 53 percent were denied.

When Trump has alternately called for more immigration judges or for judges to be removed, he appears to have been focused on this process and the ongoing backlog: to add more judges to the mix to hear cases faster or to, in his ideal world, remove judges from the process entirely by reforming the asylum process.

Hearing cases faster would generally mean removing many migrants from the country faster. Those whose asylum appeals are denied are scheduled for removal from the country. With the surge in denied asylum claims has come a surge in removal orders.

More of those removal orders have been issued in absentia - ordered by the judge without the migrant in attendance at the hearing. Few of those, however, are cases in which the process began with an approved credible-fear claim, according to Justice Department data.

It's worth again addressing Trump's assertions about the effect of migration on the United States. He claimed Friday that the "system is full," apparently referring to the asylum process and the immigration system.

But he went further, claiming that the "country is full" - which is neither literally nor figuratively true. In fact, Census Bureau data released last December showed that, since 2010, net immigration from outside the U.S. increased in every state by 2018.

But more importantly, that increase in migrants from outside the U.S. was the only reason that the population in nine states, mostly in the Northeast, increased at all. In three states, the population declined even with that migration.

Trump's focus on immigration centers on the border and migrants seeking asylum. The national picture on immigration includes much more nuance, including that more new immigrants to the U.S. are Asian than Hispanic.

The presidents rhetoric about the threat at the border, though, helped him win the Republican nomination and the presidency in 2016. Part of his objection to whats happening at the border is clearly rooted in the same prioritization that made him focus on migration from Mexico when he announced his candidacy in 2015.
When a Bucks County man suffered a seizure at his home in Levittown and his family called 911, responding officers from two local police departments struck him repeatedly, using a Taser and metal baton, in a show of force that was unreasonable and unnecessary, he says in a federal lawsuit filed last month.

David Niedrist sued the Bristol Township and Falls Township Police Departments as well as the Levittown-Fairless Hills Rescue Squad. In the suit, Niedrist, 44, says his disorientation from the aftereffects of a tonic-clonic seizure  known to cause loss of consciousness and muscle spasms  prevented him from following the commands of the officers and medics who responded in April 2017.

He was an innocent guy in need of medical care, his family called 911, and he ended up having a Taser used on him several times, was struck with a baton, and kicked in the head after he was handcuffed," Niedrists attorney, Alan L. Yatvin, said Monday. "Not to mention he was charged with crimes that couldve sent him to jail for a significant amount of time.

Officials in the three organizations did not return requests for comment Monday.

Niedrist was charged with felony aggravated assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and related offenses after the chaotic incident in front of his home. The suit characterizes those charges as a retaliatory attempt to cover up wrongdoing by officers at the scene. A jury acquitted him of all charges, court records show.

A cell phone video from the arrest shows at least three officers hitting Niedrist while he lies prone, shouting at him to put his hands behind his back. Niedrist screams in pain as one officer strikes him in the back with a metal baton and another stuns him twice with a Taser.

At one point, an unidentified EMT speaks with Niedrists father, telling him to calm down.

We treat everyone like we treat our own family, a medic says in the video. It looks like were beating the [expletive] out of him, but we have to put our safety first.

Niedrist was hospitalized for four days after his arrest, with injuries to his ribs, kidneys, back, face, and head, according to the lawsuit.

Bristol Township Police Officer Jason Reilly, one of 23 individuals also named as defendants in the suit, wrote in an affidavit of probable cause for Niedrists arrest that Niedrist was sitting unconscious in the drivers seat of a Hyundai sedan parked in his homes driveway when officers arrived.

As Niedrist began to regain consciousness, he became combative with the EMTs, refusing to stay in the vehicle, according to the affidavit. He then pushed the EMTs and kicked the door of the vehicle, swinging his arms in an apparent attempt to strike them.

At that point, Reilly said, he attempted to arrest Niedrist, beginning the seven-minute melee that was captured in the cell phone footage.

In the suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, Yatvin writes that dispatchers and first responders were told Niedrist was suffering from a seizure, but disregarded the evidence of his medical condition. He said the departments failed in training their officers in the proper way to deal with people suffering from seizures.

Since Niedrists acquittal, he has noticed police cars closely tailing him, and frequently spots them driving past his house, according to the suit.

Its something that hes seeing everywhere he turns. Its not just paranoia or coincidence, Yatvin said. What happened to him was wrong, and the jury acquitted him.
In 2012, George Cortez was convicted of murdering Nasif Murray on a street in North Philadelphia and sentenced to life without parole. Then, in 2016, after further investigation pointed to a different shooter, he was exonerated.

Cortez was shot dead at age 36, just two months after being released from prison. Now, Philadelphias justice agencies  including police, court, prosecutors, and public defenders  are hoping to learn from his case.

What went wrong and how to fix it is the subject of a new report by the Philadelphia Event Review Team, a collaboration between those agencies and the University of Pennsylvanias Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice.

The Quattrone Center, part of Penns law school, is seeking to implement such reviews in jurisdictions across the country, and has received a $1.6 million grant, as part of a joint partnership from the National Institute of Justice and Bureau of Justice Assistance, to take the Sentinel Event Review model to between 12 and 20 more cities. Baltimore, Chicago, and Austin, Texas, have already signed on. The idea is to bring to criminal justice the approach long practiced in medicine, where post-mortem reviews examine where errors were introduced and how such failures can be prevented going forward.

With the help of the Quattrone Center, all stakeholders are able to convene in order to provide better outcomes and the common goal of true justice for all persons," Police Comissioner Richard Ross said in a statement.

The initiative launched in 2015 with a pilot review of the 2000 West Philadelphia mass shooting known as the Lex Street Massacre  for which the wrong suspects were held for 18 months before police identified four other men as the perpetrators. In that review, investigators noted that false confessions were a key cause of error, and suggested several changes to interrogation practices.

In the Cortez case, major recommendations include more thorough police record-keeping, greater caution around eyewitness identifications, and court practices that keep pace with evolving technology.

In both cases, investigators urged the adoption of an open-file discovery protocol that would ensure defendants legally protected access to potential exculpatory evidence.

First Assistant District Attorney Carolyn Temin said the office has been working toward that protocol. We have more transparency now with our information than theres ever been, she said, though she added that legal issues prevent the office from sharing some evidence.

Cortez was first identified during the police investigation by a surviving victim of the shooting, who mentioned him by a nickname and confirmed his identity after police showed her his photograph by itself, not as part of a photo array.

It all started with some basic eyewitness issues," said Ross Miller, assistant director of the Quattrone Center. "The eyewitness believed they knew the perpetrator, but there wasnt any opportunity to test the information that was gathered.

A second witness named Cortezs brother, Owen, as the shooter, and a few weeks later called 911 to report that Owen Cortez had been spotted in a neighborhood Chinese takeout.

But police records offer little to document whether police pursued that alternate lead, or what they may have learned. And information about that competing identification was never provided to George Cortezs lawyer.

At trial, George Cortezs wife testified that he was with her the entire night, at a birthday party for her son. She even had a video Cortez had taken with her phone. In the interest of moving the trial along, the judge ordered the defense lawyer to hand the phone over to prosecutors so they could upload the video to be shown on the courts system  but the District Attorneys Office undertook a broader review of the phone and then claimed, wrongly it would turn out, that information on it had been falsified. The defense never sought a delay in order to get its own expert to challenge that assessment.

All parties wanted to avoid unnecessary delays, the report notes. Ironically, their emphasis on efficiency, speed, and finality unintentionally led to discretionary choices that made accurate judgments of guilt or innocence more difficult and resulted in countless additional hours of court time during the appellate phase of the case."

When it came time for post-conviction appeals, the phone the district attorney had called into question was nowhere to be found.

Many of the recommended changes in the report have been made. Philadelphia police have already revised practices around how photos are presented to eyewitnesses, and the courts have new rules on the preservation of evidence.

They are working out the policies in real time over the life of the case, Miller said. The goal is that all of the changes will ultimately be put in place. Every participant does so with the agreement that, when they make a recommendation, theyre speaking for their agency.

After Cortez appealed, his lawyer worked with prosecutors to uncover evidence that pointed away from Cortez and toward his brother, Owen. In 2016, Owen confessed to the crime. Hes serving an 18- to 36-year sentence.

Temin said some of the recommendations suggested by the review of this case, like declining to prosecute if there is only one eyewitness, were not practical. Many rape cases, for instance, hinge on a single witness testimony. But she expects the lessons learned to result in a system thats more fair in the long term.

The important thing," she said, is, a mistake was made, and we hope we wont make it again.
A coalition of partners in the Judge Accountability Table seeking to push judges toward criminal-justice reform hold a "Judge the Judges: Candidates Forum" at the Friends Center on Monday. The judicial candidates hold up signs  "Yes" or "No"  indicating their agreement on various questions pertaining to justice reform. Read more

A few years ago, when Alison Macrina was living in Houston, she noticed that the city was voting ever more Democratic, but there was no organized party machine. So, as local judicial elections approached, she recognized there was an opportunity for anyone with an energetic campaign to jump in and have a real shot.

Macrina helped campaign for Franklin Bynum  a defense lawyer, democratic socialist, and prison abolitionist  and he won. In fact, he was part of a blue wave. Harris County, which marked its highest turnout ever in a midterm election, also elected 17 Democratic African American women judges, all of whom upset Republican incumbents after collectively campaigning on the potency of Black Girl Magic.

Now, Macrina, 34, and other organizers from 14 groups  ranging from the left-wing political group Reclaim Philadelphia to criminal-justice reform advocates including the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund and Youth Art and Self-Empowerment Project  are seeking to replicate that impact here in Philadelphia, where seven seats on the Common Pleas and Municipal Courts are vacant.

Many of those groups worked to elect District Attorney Larry Krasner in 2016, and they see pushing the judiciary to the left as the next step to criminal justice reform.

A lot of times, even in progressive and left-leaning circles, people arent clear who to vote for among judicial candidates, said Rick Krajewski, an organizer with Reclaim. I want us to be able to give voters the chance to make an informed decision.

In the past, judicial elections have been decided in large part by ballot position and to a lesser degree by Democratic Party endorsements, for which candidates must donate $35,000 to the City Committee to fund its get-out-the-vote efforts.

To that end, the groups, in a coalition called the Judge Accountability Table, circulated questionnaires to candidates, and received around 30 responses. Theyve published a platform, including items like eliminating money bail, decriminalizing sex work and drug use, and reducing reliance on probation and parole.

And, on Monday night, they held a candidates forum  albeit one that seemed at times more like a push poll.

Do you think that placing outrageous bails make our communities more safe? Veronica Rex asked the candidates after telling them how she had missed Thanksgiving and Christmas with her grandchildren because of a $50,000 bail. (The consensus was that they do not.)

Do you believe the current system of incarceration serves its purpose when it comes to black and brown people in the city of Philadelphia? asked Bobby Harris, who was sentenced to life without parole as a juvenile and was only released after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that sentence was illegal. (Everyone said no except for Terri Booker, who said the system is designed to oppress and is accomplishing that task effectively.)

Do you believe juveniles under 18 should ever be prosecuted as adults? asked William Bentley of the Youth Art and Self-Empowerment Project. (Only James Beradinelli, a veteran defense attorney and former prosecutor who has worked on both sides of some of the citys most brutal murder cases, said yes.)

All told, 23 candidates participated, many of them chasing one another to the left as they answered the single open-ended question asked at the forum: What can the courts do to heal the harms caused to our communities by the criminal justice system? Not one of them rejected the premise.

The judges that do the most to heal society are the ones that create the least amount of harm ... and give sentences that are restorative and arent punitive, said Gregory Weyer, a criminal defense lawyer also running for Common Pleas Court.

Janine Momasso, a family law attorney and aspiring Common Pleas Court judge, said one important step would be to roll back probation terms that can last years after a person has served jail or prison time, making it more difficult to remain employed. Probation can be, to me, double jeopardy in a way, she said.

Tiffany Palmer, also a family law lawyer running for Common Pleas Court, said healing can only occur when elected officials recognize the forces fueling the criminal justice system. At the base of it all is poverty," she said, and its self-reinforcing. "People lose their jobs when they cant make bail; people lose their children when they cant make bail.

How this initiative will inform voters on Election Day is not clear, though organizers said more events are in the works.

Though some of the Judicial Accountability organizers are nonprofits and therefore unable to support specific political campaigns, other groups, including Reclaim, will be releasing lists of endorsed candidates.

Katia Perez of the Latinx organization Make the Road Pennsylvania said she recognizes this effort may come too late to have a sizable impact on this years elections. But shes thinking long-term.

A lot of people we talked to didnt even know you could vote for judges. So our number-one job is to increase education in our community, and number two is to get people thinking, to realize we can vote for our judges. A lot of people are formerly incarcerated. If anything, its a tool of empowerment for them to know they have a voice in choosing who gets to be in that seat.
A retired Philadelphia police detective was sentenced Tuesday to 40 months in federal prison for bribing a former colleague to gain a competitive advantage in the citys lucrative towing and stolen-car-retrieval industry.

Despite his conviction last year on counts including conspiracy, fraud, and lying to investigators, Victor Gates, 73, maintains that he did nothing wrong  a stance U.S. District Judge Wendy Beetlestone characterized Tuesday as concerning.

Sir, you are a criminal, she told him during a hearing in federal court. You have been determined to be a criminal by a jury of your peers. I am concerned that in your mind that this manner of doing business is normal. . Just how things are done in Philadelphia.

Gates, a decorated 30-year veteran of the police force, chose to not say anything when given the opportunity to address the court.

The case against him arose from a stolen-car-retrieval business he devoted himself to after his 2007 retirement. Among his clients were car rental agencies at the Philadelphia airport who paid him to help find vehicles that had been stolen or not returned.

Witnesses at his trial last spring testified that Gates paid former police Detective Patrick Pelosi, then assigned to Southwest Detectives, to fast-track the release of cars that had been recovered and impounded by the police.

As a result, the cars did not undergo mandatory police inspections required before they can be cleared from a national law enforcement database of stolen vehicles, and the rental companies were able to put them back into service more quickly.

Representatives from at least one of the companies, Avis, were aware of Gates relationship to Pelosi and encouraged him to exploit it to benefit their business, evidence at the trial showed. Avis paid Gates more than $760,000 for his services between 2008 and 2015.

Gates has forever tarnished whatever legacy he may have built, Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric L. Gibson told the judge Tuesday. He disgraced his former employer, embarrassed his former colleagues, and corrupted a former police detective who viewed Gates as a mentor.

In total, investigators said, Gates paid Pelosi more than $25,000 in regular installments between 2008 and 2015. (Pelosi pleaded guilty in 2017 to charges including bribery and lying to investigators, and was sentenced last year to one year and one day in prison.)

But Gates lawyer, Samuel C. Stretton, argued Tuesday that authorities  and the jury  had misunderstood his clients relationship to Pelosi.

What really happened is that Mr. Pelosi was a close friend of Mr. Gates, Stretton argued in court filings. Mr. Pelosi was going through a financially crippling divorce and was in severe financial distress. Mr. Gates felt sorry for him and issued him a $300 check every month to help him.

Stretton vowed that Gates would appeal his conviction and criticized the lawyer who represented him at trial, James J. Binns, for refusing to call witnesses to vouch for the retired detectives character, and dissuading Gates from testifying on his own behalf.

Beetlestone, however, rebuffed Strettons push to keep Gates out of prison, saying it was important to send a message to the community and other officers that these types of crimes are taken seriously.

She ordered him to report to prison July 1. In addition to his prison term, Gates was ordered Tuesday to pay more than $670,000 in court fines, fees, and forfeiture penalties. He will have to complete two years of probation upon his release.
Common Pleas Judge Scott DiClaudio leaves the PA Supreme Court's Philadelphia courtroom in 2018 after being publicly censured for misrepresenting a client before his election to judgeship. Read more

On Tuesday morning, minutes after arriving at Courtroom 905 at the Stout Center for Criminal Justice, defendants, probationers, lawyers, and witnesses all shuffled back out  many of them grumbling loudly.

Hes been in jail a year already, said Valerie Sproul, whose son, Aikeam Gamble, was expecting to enter a plea on a robbery case and perhaps be released from prison.

But Common Pleas Court Judge Scott DiClaudio had canceled his entire docket in response to motions filed late Monday afternoon by the Philadelphia District Attorneys Office in all 39 cases listed Tuesday, demanding that DiClaudio recuse himself.

District Attorney Larry Krasner alleged that the appearance of a conflict was created by a complaint filed by DiClaudios domestic partner  former Assistant District Attorney Catherine Smith, who was fired from the office Feb. 8  with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. Smith, according to the district attorneys motion, alleged that she was discriminated against because she is white.

A reasonable person would question Judge DiClaudios impartiality in any cases in which the Office represents a party, the complaint noted. A spokesperson for the district attorney added in a statement that the motion for recusal is necessary to ensure impartial treatment of victims, survivors, defendants, and the general public. Not filing the motion in these cases has the potential to disrupt the system by causing years of future litigation."

DiClaudio, arguing that the motion would upend tens of thousands of cases making their way through the justice system, said it was a baseless act of revenge.

A spokesperson for the court administration said the leadership could not comment on a pending legal matter.

Is the commonwealth saying that I cannot be fair? asked an irate DiClaudio from the bench Tuesday morning while Paul George, assistant supervisor of the district attorneys law department, quietly asserted that it was the appearance of a conflict, not the judges actual fairness, that was the concern. George said, I cant be inside your head or anyone elses to say this person is or isnt being fair.

DiClaudio also reminded George that complaints with the Human Relations Commission are confidential. Do you have any idea why Mr. Krasner decided to make it public in violation of federal law? Doesnt it show vindictiveness on the part of the District Attorneys Office? DiClaudio asked. (Chad Dion Lassitor, executive director of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, said in a statement that nothing in the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act or administrative rules prohibits parties to a complaint from discussing it.)

To George, the allegations only underscored DiClaudios disqualification. This court is expressing hostility toward the commonwealth, he said.

Finally, DiClaudio suggested that his relationship with Smith was tenuous," and asked if its termination would resolve the matter. George responded that it would not.

While it was not part of the motion to disqualify filed Monday, the assistant district attorney further suggested that DiClaudio may have engaged in improper communications with the district attorneys staff. DiClaudio last fall recommended Smith for a specific position at the office; she did not get the job. On Monday, he sent a text to homicide chief Anthony Voci to verify that Krasner himself was aware of the motions that were filed.

Do you allege thats an ex parte communication? DiClaudio asked George, using the legal term for prohibited private communication between a judge and any one party to a legal action. I do, George said.

DiClaudio suggested that the combined allegations amounted to a threat that if he doesnt recuse himself based on Smiths complaint, he could be exposed to disciplinary action for those other communications.

Theres no intent on my part to say I or anyone in my office intends to threaten this court, George responded.

After the district attorney objected to the judges entering even scheduling orders, DiClaudio canceled his list  over the objection of the public defender. (The Defender Association declined to comment.) Defendants were told to line up and wait to receive subpoenas for the following Monday.

The district attorneys spokesperson said the office had not sought continuances in any of the cases, and laid the blame for the delays on DiClaudio: "Rather than leave the bench for the day at 10 a.m., the court could have granted the recusal and sought another judge to handle the matters.

Still, Brad Shuttleworth, a defense lawyer whod stopped in to watch the arguments, came out of the courtroom shaking his head. Its completely unnecessary, he said. Nobody has a real problem with [DiClaudio]. The defense bar didnt have a problem with him having a girlfriend in the DAs Office when she was still there. Its unnecessary because hes fair. Theres no sense of an appearance of impropriety.

Jeremy Cook of West Philadelphia, who was there for a pretrial conference, had more pressing concerns as he waited for a subpoena for his new court date.

I dont got no car fare for next Monday, he groused.
This mornings big news is about shake ups at local institutions. Our first story focuses on Hahnemann Hospital, which is running out of time to shore up its shaky financial future. If the Center City hospital were to close, the impact would be felt across the city. Glen Mills Schools, on the other hand, is closing. Pennsylvania is shutting down the reform school amid an investigation into allegations of abuse there.

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 Aubrey Nagle (@aubsn, morningnewsletter@philly.com)

Center Citys Hahnemann University Hospital is in financial peril and Joel Freedman, the California investment banker who bought it last year, needs to find a solution, ASAP or else, he said.

Without more money from government and insurers and savings from an academic training program with Drexel University, the hospital faces closure.

And its already faced layoffs, with 175 announced last week and more expected to come. If Hahnemann does close, it would affect some of the citys most vulnerable patients and eliminate more than 2,500 jobs.

Pennsylvania is closing the Glen Mills Schools, the countrys oldest existing reform school. The news comes amid an investigation into child abuse and cover-ups at the Delaware County campus.

The state Department of Human Services is revoking the schools license having found evidence that its employees beat juveniles sent to the all-boys school and attempted to coerce them into silence.

An Inquirer investigation published in February documented decades of abuse at the school. Last month the state ordered an emergency removal of all remaining boys there.

City zoning officials have denied an appeal by the Arizona-based youth-services company VisionQuest, which wants to house 60 undocumented immigrant children in North Philadelphia, throwing the companys plans at the site into question.

The plan has generated controversy and opposition from local immigrant advocates. Nearly two weeks ago a contentious community meeting over the site saw Logan residents criticizing VisionQuest while its employees cheered the plans.

A spokesperson for the for-profit company said it would appeal the ruling in Common Pleas Court.

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Opinions

Lead paint and the resultant dust can cause permanent cognitive damage. Stifling heat, mold, and rodent droppings exacerbate asthma, a cause of suffering and absenteeism among school children in Philadelphia. These conditions would never be allowed to continue in suburban or majority-white school districts.  Philadelphia educators Janene Hasan and Kathleen Melville on how Philadelphia could end the ten-year tax abatement to repair toxic city schools.

The First Step Act and even the Second Step initiative are not enough to reform the U.S. criminal justice system, writes Inmates to Entrepreneurs founder Brian Hamilton.

Its tax season and this year Philadelphians should check if theyre eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit, an effective antipoverty program for working families, writes Pennsylvania treasurer Joe Torsella.

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Youth activists opposed to a policy mandating the use of metal detectors in all Philadelphia public high schools shut down a school board meeting Thursday night. Shown here is Philadelphia Student Union executive director Julien Terrell (in hat), with students, as they prepared for the meeting earlier in the week. (Tim Tai/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS) Read more

Enough with the nicknames. Its time for parents to trust in their teens abilities.

Snowplow parenting. Helicopter dads. Tiger moms. Lawn mower parents. College admissions scandals and a plethora of articles proclaiming the death of self-reliance in adolescents. I cant help wondering if there would be quite so much hand-wringing over our young people if we adults let them forge their own paths more often. If we let them craft their own college essays while remaining available to talk through ideas.

I admit I think the world of teenagers. I am pro-teenager. I am also pro-parent. After 30 years as an adolescent medicine specialist, I know teenagers are super-learners who are more capable than we think. Many are wrestling in real time with their own moral compass and their own sense of right and wrong. They are idealistic and passionate. They are compassionate. Adolescence includes struggling to make sense of the senseless and imagining a saner reality. We rely on them to do so. We must shelve the worn and incorrect view that most adolescents are impulsive, thoughtless, or selfish.

See them as they are instead of seeing your fears about them. Stop undermining them. I recommend a parenting style known as balanced parenting. (if you must have a nickname, I call it Lighthouse Parenting.) Show love and warmth while still establishing boundaries around safety. Make sure teens understand what is and whats not acceptable, and why. Listen to them, allow for two-way dialogue, but also act as a sounding board. Help guide them toward opportunities that allow for healthy risk-taking. And yes, let them fail. When they do, be there for them. Like a lighthouse, be a constant beacon on the shore, helping them avoid the rocks, but letting them navigate their own journey.

Society has a role to play, too. Instead of fixating on the sins of parents who quash the potential of their children by over-parenting, lets open our eyes to the real capabilities of teens.

Some may say teens have bad judgment, and they dont listen to their parents anyway. And actually, there is a developmental reason why teens must push their parents away for a few years. To begin thinking of themselves as individuals, teens must see their parents in a critical light and practice separating. This temporary - and sometimes painful - phase is critical for adolescent development and its natures way of signaling parents should pull back on the helicoptering.

Instead of hovering, parents can role model behavior they want teens to emulate through their own lives and work. Integrity. Perseverance. Honesty. Easier said than done, for sure. But we have much to learn from teenagers growth and learning, even if it feels scary.

I grew up in the shadow of the 1960s and 70s, committed to changing what many viewed as an imperfect system. This is happening again now. It may be tempting to look at todays teenagers  individually immersed in their screens  and write off their shared sense of responsibility and activism. Thats a mistake. Teenagers are changing the world, but theyre doing it differently: using technology, instant access to information, and the powerful tribalism of social media to mobilize against injustice and to protect the planet. Examples abound, from student-led demonstrations towards preventing gun violence following the Parkland, Fla., school shootings, to the Youth Climate Strike, to school children in Philadelphia rallying against mandatory metal detectors in high schools. Young people are harnessing the power of social media to amplify debate on topics, including #MeToo, DACA, Black Lives Matter, and many more.

We must start a pro-teenager movement as we live in a world that too often undermines youth. We mustnt waste this critical window of development. Adolescence is a time of opportunity when young people are seeking answers to the fundamental question, Who am I?

I look forward to a time when teens are no longer met with an eye roll implying the answer is, You are impulsive and perhaps dangerous and I know whats best for you. Instead, theyll know we see them as capable of being their best selves because they are our future leaders. Its our privilege to play a role in shaping them.

And heres a bonus: when you guide and celebrate teens independence instead of trying to control them, they know they can return to you for advice and comfort. And they can write their own college essay.

Dr. Ken Ginsburg is cofounder of the Center for Parent and Teen Communication and an attending physician in the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia.
A Russell Byers Charter School staffer has been suspended after bringing a gun to school, officials said. Read more

A staffer at Russell Byers Charter School has been suspended after bringing a gun to the Center City school.

Principal Kareem Goodwin detailed the Wednesday incident in a letter to parents.

After school staff became aware that the employee, who was not named, brought the gun to school, "we immediately called the Philadelphia police," Goodwin wrote. "The police came to school and peacefully escorted the staff member out of the building for questioning. The staff member was placed on indefinite suspension. We are thankful that at no time was the safety of our students in jeopardy."

Police said no arrests were made, but that the matter is still under investigation.

Some students saw the weapon; they all spoke with the school counselor, said Goodwin, who invited any child who felt unsafe to speak with the counselor.

"As a parent myself, I know this incident can cause alarm, but please rest assure[d] that your child's safety is our first and top priority," Goodwin wrote.

A spokesman for Russell Byers, at 19th and Arch, said he could not answer further questions, including why the staffer brought the gun to school and whether he would return to class.
Congressional lawmakers plan to grill Facebook and Google this week over the ways they police their platforms, including their efforts to stop online hate speech from spurring real-world violence, offering the latest sign that tech giants face a global regulatory reckoning for their business practices.

For years, Silicon Valley has struggled to strike the right balance between allowing users to express themselves and preventing the viral spread of objectionable posts, photos, and videos. But a series of recent high-profile occurrences have prompted renewed debate in Washington over how to hold tech companies accountable for the content they allow or block.

That tension will be on display beginning Tuesday, when House Democratic lawmakers plan to explore the spread of white nationalism on social media. The hearing grows out of concern that Facebook, Google, and other tech giants have become digital incubators for some of the most deadly, racially motivated attacks around the world, including a neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017, the shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh last year, and the attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, last month.

They clearly have been conduits for that kind of hate speech, said Rep. Jerry Nadler (D., N.Y.), the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which is holding Tuesdays hearing.

For decades, federal law has shielded social media sites from being held liable for the content posted by their users, a form of protection that Silicon Valley's chief advocates stress is essential to the industry's runaway economic success. Other countries, however, have responded to the rise of extremism online by unveiling a wave of new proposals and laws targeting harmful content. The United Kingdom introduced a sweeping blueprint for new fines Sunday, and Australia passed a new content-moderation law earlier this month.

That flurry of activity has some U.S. lawmakers beginning to wonder whether they should follow suit.

I think regulation should absolutely be examined, Rep. Karen Bass (D., Calif.), the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said in an interview.

Facebook and Twitter declined to comment for this story. Google declined to discuss the issue but said it would work with lawmakers to address their concerns. Each has invested heavily in more people, and increasingly sophisticated technology, meant to combat a wide array of abusive content  from the spread of false news to the rise of online hate speech. And theyve pointed to recent major strides, taking down harmful posts, tweets, and videos before theyre widely seen by users.

I think theyre doing well, but theres always still work to be done, said Michael Beckerman, the president of the Internet Association, a Washington lobbying group that counts Facebook, Google, and Twitter as members.

But the industrys continued struggles became apparent last month, when videos from the shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, proliferated for days on social media. The attacker live-streamed the massacre on Facebook while users schemed on anonymous, lesser-known forums such as 8chan on ways to upload new copies across the internet while evading tech giants sophisticated sensors.

Even before the New Zealand massacre, though, civil rights organizations long had warned that Facebook and other social media sites had become conduits for hate speech.

The Anti-Defamation League, which is set to testify at the House's hearing on Tuesday, estimated that there were 4.2 million anti-Semitic tweets sent in 2017. Researchers long have faulted YouTube for features that suggest new videos to users based on what they've previously watched. And Facebook faced criticism for inconsistent policies regarding race: It previously prohibited posts about white supremacy but allowed content about white nationalism and separatism. Under siege from civil rights groups, Facebook widened its ban in April. The change came more than a year after self-professed white supremacists used the social networking site to organize rally that turned violent, and deadly, in Charlottesville.

Civil rights advocates pointed to those high-profile failures at major social media sites as evidence that Congress needed to act. Kristen Clarke, the president of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said she planned to tell the committee Tuesday that social networks remain a "key venue that many violent white supremacists turn to, to organize and recruit new members, and to incite violence across the country."

"I think this is a problem that is widespread and systemic, and it's in large part because we largely relied on these companies to self-police," she said.

House Democrats said the Tuesday hearing is their first in a series exploring white nationalism, an issue that Nadler said Republicans repeatedly refused to explore when they ran the House. Instead, GOP leaders on the chambers Judiciary Committee focused much of their attention on allegations that Facebook, Google, and Twitter had been too heavy handed in taking down content online, resulting in conservative users, news, and views being suppressed.

Republicans led by Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas plan to revive those allegations with a hearing of their own Wednesday. While there is no evidence that tech giants systematically target right-leaning users, top GOP officials  including President Donald Trump  have regularly claimed that Silicon Valley has limited their online reach. Democrats, meanwhile, have derided the hearing: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D., R.I.) laughed when asked about it last week. (Just note that I laughed, he said.)

Trump repeatedly has threatened regulation in response, at one point in March accusing Facebook, Google, and Twitter of harboring a hatred they have for a certain group of people that happen to be in power, that happen to have won the election. He said at the time that government had to do something about it, a call to action that has been echoed by congressional Republicans who also want to hold tech companies liable for the decisions they make about what to allow online.

The whole area of social media is pretty much unregulated, said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), the leader of his chambers Judiciary Committee. Appearing at a conference in Washington last week, Graham raised the potential that tech giants make decisions about the content they allow or remove based on liberal bias in California.

In questioning the need for new regulation, lawmakers have cast fresh doubt on Silicon Valleys legal holy grail. A key provision of a 1990s law, known as Section 230, spares websites from being held liable for the content posted by their users. Members of Congress who seek to hold tech companies accountable for hate speech  or penalize them for decisions believed to be motivated by political bias  could strike at the heart of a federal law the industry has lobbied intensely to protect. They last chipped away at Section 230 in 2018 as part of an effort to crack down on sexual exploitation online.

Absent those legal protections, the Internet Association warned that it would result in a web where companies didnt allow most user-generated content or didnt moderate it at all, fearing legal liability. Changing [Section] 230 is not the answer, because that gets you in a worse place, no matter what side youre on, Beckerman said.

Nadler, the leader of the House Judiciary Committee, expressed unease with upending that law. For now, he said the goal is to "see what happens by just pressuring them first." But he didn't rule out regulation if tech giants don't improve their practices.

We have the First Amendment, and were very reluctant to pass speech laws, he said. But theres a problem, and we have to deal with it.
In this Jan. 15, 2019, file photo, Attorney General nominee William Barr testifies during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. Read more

Attorney General William Barr faced tough questions from lawmakers Tuesday morning about special counsel Robert Muellers report on Russias interference in the 2016 election and questions about obstruction of justice by President Donald Trump.

Barr has been criticized by Democrats for releasing a four-page memo that he said summarized Muellers findings, but included very few direct quotes from the special counsels lengthy report. The New York Times reported that Muellers office created summary documents that Barr chose not to release.

Barr has yet to publicly release a more comprehensive version of Muellers report, saying his office was working to redact at least four categories of information before releasing it to Congress and the public. Barr told lawmakers he expected to release a redacted version of Muellers report within a week," but also said he wouldnt provide members of Congress with an unredacted version.

The House Judiciary Committee voted last week to authorize a subpoena for Muellers full, unredacted report and all the evidence gathered by investigators. Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D., N.Y.) called Barr a "a biased defender of the administration Sunday on CBS Face the Nation.

Hes entitled to be a defender of the administration, but hes not entitled to withhold the evidence from Congress, Nadler said.

Here are the highlights of Barrs testimony before the House Appropriations subcommittee Tuesday morning:

Barr refuses to discuss reports he pushed back against backing Obamacare lawsuit

Barr refused to discuss a Politico report that both he and Heath and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar opposed Trumps decision to have the Justice Department back a lawsuit seeking to invalidate the Affordable Care Act in its entirety.

"Im not going to get into internal deliberations of the administration on this point, Barr said to Rep. Matt Cartwright (D., Pa.). I had ample opportunity to present my views. I believe the final decision reached is a legally defensible and reasonable legal position.

Are you citing executive privilege by declining to tell me about the discussions between you, Mr. Azar and Mr. Mulvaney? Cartwright asked.

Call it what you wish, Im not discussing, Barr responded.

Barr makes an interesting comment about Affordable Care Act

Facing another question about the Affordable Care Act from Cartwright, Barr suggested it was unlikely a controversial lawsuit that seeks to overturn the health care legislation in its entirely would succeed.

Do you think its likely were going to prevail? Barr asked Cartwright, who pressed the attorney general on the Trump administrations decision to back the lawsuit, which would overturn the ACA in its entirely and take away health care from millions of Americans, including roughly 750,000 in Pennsylvania.

Im just saying if you think its such an outrageous position you have nothing to worry about. Let the courts do their job, Barr said.

Barr was also pressed on the lawsuit by Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D., Mich.), who said she was concerned over his reasons behind backing the lawsuit.

Barr dodges question about Trumps claim of total exoneration

Barr chose to dodge a question asked by Rep. Nita Lowey (D., N.Y.) the chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, on whether Trumps claims of total exoneration by Muellers investigation were accurate.

Ill be in a position within a week to release the report. People can then read the report, Barr said. Im not going to discuss it any further until the report is out.

In his four-page memo, Barr quoted a portion of Muellers report, which states that while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him when it comes to potential obstruction of justice.

Despite this, Trump has repeatedly called Muellers report a complete and total exoneration of his behavior during and after the 2016 presidential election.

Barr expects to release redacted Mueller report within a week

Barr told lawmakers he expected to release a redacted version of Muellers lengthy report within a week to both Congress and the public, though he did not offer a specific day:

This process is going along very well and my original timetable of being able to release this by mid-April stands. And so I think that from my standpoint, within a week I will be in a position to release the report to the public. And then I will engage with the chairman of both judiciary committees about that report, about any further requests that they have.

Top Democrat calls Barrs handling of Mueller report unacceptable

Lowey, chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, called Barrs handling of Muellers report unacceptable during her opening remarks.

"I want to address a serious oversight matter  your unacceptable handling of special counsel Robert Muellers report, Lowey said. "All we have is your four-page summary letter, which seems to cherry pick from the report to draw the most favorable conclusion possible for the president. In many ways, your letter raises more questions than it answers.
Learn About the PokerNews Cup Venue Finix Casino

April 08, 2019 Jason Glatzer

The thirteenth edition of the PokerNews Cup is just around the corner from May 9-19, to be held at Finix Casino, located on the border of Greece in Kulata, Bulgaria.

The schedule highlights include two tournaments with 100,000 guarantees including the PokerNews Cup 1,100 High Roller on May 12-16 and the PokerNews Cup 550 Main Event on May 15-19.

About Finix Casino

The casino, boasting an ancient Egyptian style, opened its doors in 2000 and has built a solid reputation for world-class service and hospitality. In addition to the action available in the casino's large poker room, Finix Casino also features a wide range of games including roulette, blackjack, stand poker, ultimate poker, and hundreds of slot machines.

Finix Casino

The hotel also screams luxury with floral and retro vibes along with high quality of service, free parking with 500 spaces, and, of course, around-the-clock video surveillance. Players will not need to present a credit card to check into the hotel and can also store their bags as necessary both before check-in and after checkout. Breakfast and dinner are included in all accommodations.

Players attending the PokerNews Cup will also have a chance to enjoy high-quality food and nightlife with the venue also boasting the Finix Restaurant, the Finix Bar, and the Fashion Hall Kulata night club. Of course, there is free wi-fi throughout the entire complex as well.

Throughout the year, the venue also hosts a variety of concerts featuring famous artists from Greece and Bulgaria as just one of the many ways the casino has built its reputation over the past two decades.

Players will be asked to show a valid passport or ID card before being admitted to the casino; players must be at least 18 years of age. The casino requests that players wear a shirt and jacket for classical play and neat casual attire for slots.

Finix Hotel

How to Get to Finix Casino

Finix Casino is located near the airports in Thessaloniki, Greece and Sofia, Bulgaria. The one in Thessaloniki is a bit closer, taking slightly more than 1 1/2 hours by car via the A25. A car journey from Sofia Airport should take under 2 1/2 hours.

Trains, buses and transfers are available from both airports with Finix Casino also offering a shuttle bus service from Thessaloniki Airport every day at 7 p.m. Players can reserve a spot on the shuttle service by calling Finix Casino at +359 885 267 884 or +30 698 288 7443 or by emailing [email protected]

So hurry and get planning your travel to the upcoming PokerNews Cup, with help of the complete schedule of poker events below.

2019 PokerNews Cup Kulata Schedule

Date Time Event Guarantee Buy-in Re-Entry Starting Stack Levels Played until Reg. Closing Level May 9 7 p.m. NL Hold'em - Satellite to PNC High Roller 2 seats 120 unl. 15,000 20 min winner 10 levels 9 p.m. NL Hold'em - Deepstack Turbo 220 1x 20,000 15 min winner 10 levels May 10 5 p.m. NL Holdem - Satellite to PNC High Roller 2 seats 120 unl. 15,000 20 min winner 10 levels 7 p.m. PL Omaha 550 unl. 30,000 20 min winner 10 levels May 11 3 p.m. NL Hold'em 330 1x 20,000 20 min winner 10 levels 7 p.m. NL Hold'em - Satellite to PNC High Roller 2 seats 120 unl. 15,000 20 min winner 10 levels May 12 2 p.m. NL Hold'em - Turbo Satellite to PNC High Roller 2 seats 120 unl. 15,000 15 min winner 10 levels 5 p.m. NL Hold'em - PNC High Roller - Day 1A 100,000 1,100 2x 100,000 45 min 10 levels 12 levels 7 p.m. NL Hold'em 330 1x 20,000 20 min winner 10 levels May 13 2 p.m. NL Holdem - Turbo Satellite to PNC High Roller 2 seats 120 unl. 15,000 15 min winner 10 levels 5 p.m. NL Holdem - PNC High Roller - Day 1B 100,000 1,100 2x 100,000 45 min 10 levels 12 levels 7 p.m. NL Holdem - Turbo Satellite to PNC Main Event 5 seats 60 unl. 15,000 20 min winner 10 levels May 14 2 p.m. NL Holdem - Turbo Satellite to PNC High Roller 2 seats 120 unl. 15,000 15 min winner 10 levels 5 p.m. NL Holdem - PNC High Roller - Day 1C 100,000 1,100 2x 100,000 45 min winner 12 levels 7 p.m. NL Holdem - Turbo Satellite to PNC Main Event 5 seats 60 unl. 15,000 20 min winner 10 levels 9 p.m. NL Holdem - Turbo 330 1x 20,000 15 min winner 10 levels May 15 2 p.m. NL Hold'em - Satellite to PNC Main Event 5 seats 60 unl. 15,000 15 min winner 10 levels 3 p.m. NL Hold'em - PNC High Roller - Day 2 100,000 1,100 2x 100,000 45 min FT - 6 p.m. NL Hold'em - PNC Main Event - Day 1A 100,000 550 1x 50,000 30 min ITM 12 levels 9 p.m. NL Hold'em - Turbo Knockout (150+50) 220 unl. 20,000 15 min winner 10 levels May 16 1 p.m. NL Hold'em - Satellite to PNC Main Event 5 seats 60 unl. 15,000 15 min winner 10 levels 3 p.m. NL Hold'em - PNC High Roller - Final Day 100,000 1,100 2x 100,000 45 min winner - 4 p.m. NL Hold'em - PNC Main Event - Day 1B 100,000 550 1x 50,000 30 min ITM 12 levels 7 p.m. NL Hold'em - MEGA Satellite to PNC Main Event 10 seats 60 unl. 15,000 15 min winner 10 levels May 17 1 p.m. NL Hold'em - PNC Main Event - Day 1C 100,000 550 1x 50,000 30 min ITM 12 levels 4 p.m. NL Hold'em - Super Turbo Knockout (50+150) 220 unl. 20,000 15 min winner 10 levels 7 p.m. NL Hold'em - PNC Main Event - Turbo Day 1D 100,000 550 1x 50,000 15 min ITM 12 levels May 18 1 p.m. NL Hold'em - PNC Main Event - Day 2 100,000 550 - - 40 min FT - 4 p.m. NL Hold'em - Deepstack - Day 1 220 unl. 50,000 30 min ITM 10 levels May 19 2 p.m. NL Hold'em - PNC Main Event - Final Day 100,000 550 - - 40 min winner - 3 p.m. NL Hold'em - Deepstack - Day 2 220 unl. 50,000 30 min winner 10 levels 4 p.m. NL Hold'em - Cool Down 120 unl. 20,000 15 min winner 10 levels

* Schedule subject to change at tournament director's discretion.
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Influential Democrats in early primary states are standing with Joe Biden as they believe the touching scandal has not damaged his campaign.

Politico reported:

Everybody knows Joe Biden. None of this is anything new, Lieberman said, referring to various accounts of unwanted touching. I dont think its sexual harassment. I dont think its anything except for who he is and who hes been for years.

Interviews with more than a dozen operatives, party leaders and county chairs in the four early presidential states found similar sentiments. Among these gatekeepers  many of whom have met Biden during his previous runs for president or in his capacity as Barack Obamas running mate  the prevailing view is that the current controversy isnt enough to seriously damage his candidacy in the event he chooses to run.

The Joe Biden Scandal That Never Got Off The Ground

Progressives and advisers to Bernie Sanders hoped that they could keep Biden out of the race with a scandal that centers around personal space. The scandal though never really dominated the news like they hoped it or accelerated enough to damage the former vice presidents potential candidacy. Biden is still leading in the way too early polling, and he has seen no erosion in his support since the touching scandal started.

The challenge that any Democratic candidate faces is that Joe Biden has deep roots and a huge national organization of party officials. Biden is beloved by the party rank and file, and it is going to take more than what his political adversaries tried to turn into a scandal to stop his candidacy.

After seeing the behavior of porn star paying off, Access Hollywood tape accused sexual assaulter Trump, Joe Bidens behavior doesnt rise to the level of disqualifying in the minds of many Democrats.

Democratic voters may choose a different nominee, but Joe Biden is showing why he is going to be hard to beat in 2020.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

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By Nathan Layne

(Reuters)  A veteran political consultant who pleaded guilty in August in a case spun out of U.S. Special Counsel Robert Muellers Russia probe should get a lenient sentence to account for his substantial assistance in other criminal investigations, U.S. prosecutors said on Monday.

Samuel Patten, 47, is a former business partner of Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian national accused by Mueller of having ties to Russian intelligence. Kilimnik was indicted in June.

Among other offenses, Patten pleaded guilty to communicating with U.S. lawmakers and the media on behalf of the Opposition Bloc, a Russia-aligned political party in Ukraine, without disclosing that work to the Justice Department, in violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

Patten had been cooperating with the special counsels probe. His case has also sparked interest in Washington amid a widening crackdown by the Justice Department on undisclosed lobbying.

Federal prosecutors in Washington, who started investigating Patten after receiving a referral from Mueller, said in a court filing on Monday that Patten met or spoke with government investigators on the phone nine times.

He was also willing to serve as a witness in one of two cases against Paul Manafort, Trumps former campaign chairman, who had also worked for the Opposition Bloc. Manafort ultimately pleaded guilty, obviating the need for a trial.

Patten has served as a valuable resource for the government in a number of other criminal investigations, providing helpful information about additional individuals and entities, prosecutors wrote in the filing.

While the prosecutors did not suggest a specific sentence, they said leniency was warranted given Pattens assistance.

Mueller wrapped up his investigation two weeks ago without establishing a criminal conspiracy between Russia and the Trump campaign. The full Mueller report has not been released to the public yet but is expected in redacted form as early as this week.

While acknowledging he broke the law, Patten argued in his own sentencing memo that his case differed from other FARA violations, which have typically involved a lobbyist attempting to conceal the identity of the client and the source of funds.

Mr. Patten did not create companies or entities to hide who he was working for or to conceal foreign influence, Pattens lawyer wrote in the filing arguing for a sentence of probation.

Patten also admitted to arranging for a U.S. citizen to act as a straw purchaser to pay $50,000 for four tickets to the inauguration of President Donald Trump on behalf of a Ukrainian oligarch, who reimbursed Patten through a Cypriot account.

The move circumvented U.S. law prohibiting foreigners from providing money to an organization running the inauguration.

Patten is due to be sentenced on Friday.

(Reporting by Nathan Layne in New York; Editing by David Gregorio and Tom Brown)
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By Roberta Rampton

WASHINGTON (Reuters)  President Donald Trump is removing the director of the U.S. Secret Service, the agency that provides protection for him and other top U.S. officials, the White House said on Monday, a day after the ouster of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

The dismissal of Secret Service Director Randolph Tex Alles comes amid major leadership changes at the sprawling Department of Homeland Security. The Secret Service director reports to the Homeland Security secretary.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said James Murray, a career Secret Service agent, would take over the Secret Service in May. Alles had run the agency for two years and served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 35 years before retiring as a major general in 2011.

The Secret Service is responsible for protecting senior U.S. officials including the president and vice president, former presidents and visiting heads of state.

The agency came under scrutiny last week after a Chinese woman carrying electronic devices was charged with bluffing her way through security checks at Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, called for Alles to testify before Congress as soon as possible about the potential security vulnerabilities at Mar-a-Lago  and other counterintelligence and national security threats.

The series of sudden changes at DHS also raised eyebrows with some Republican leaders in the Senate.

We are dealing with a humanitarian and security crisis at the border because Congress failed to act, said Ron Johnson, the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

In addition to congressional dysfunction, I am concerned with a growing leadership void within the department tasked with addressing some of the most significant problems facing the nation.

The White House did not respond to requests for comment on the overhaul of the department.

LONG LIST OF DEPARTURES

The removal of Alles marked the latest in a long line of firings and resignations of senior officials in the Trump administration, a list that has included the secretaries of state, defense, homeland security, interior, veterans affairs and health and human services, the attorney general and numerous senior White House aides.

The first sign of Trumps overhaul of Homeland Security came late on Thursday, when he abruptly pulled his nomination of Ron Vitiello as director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, part of DHS.

Trump described that move as part of a policy change going in a tougher direction.

The Republican president, seeking re-election in 2020, has taken a hard line on immigration since taking office in January 2017, and he has said he will make border security a central theme in next years race.

His first Homeland Security secretary was John Kelly, who later became his chief of staff. Kelly and Trump had an often-difficult relationship. Nielsen had been an aide to Kelly.

Nielsen, who oversaw Trumps bitterly contested immigration policies during her tumultuous 16-month tenure, resigned amid a surge in the number of migrants at the border with Mexico.

Her departure had been long rumored particularly after criticism of the administrations 2018 family separation policy at the border with Mexico and as U.S. border officials estimated that 100,000 migrants were apprehended at the southern border in March, the highest level in a decade. Trump was so frustrated about the increase that he announced he would cut off U.S. aid to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

A senior administration official said Trump asked for Nielsens resignation when the two met at the White House on Sunday. Trump also announced that Kevin McAleenan, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection commissioner, would become acting DHS secretary.

CNN reported that Trump in recent weeks empowered his hard-line conservative aide Stephen Miller to lead the administrations border policies, and reported that L. Francis Cissna, director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency, and department General Counsel John Mitnick were also expected to soon leave their positions.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Additional reporting by Makini Brice and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Will Dunham and Peter Cooney)
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If there was any remaining doubt about the presidents childishness, his treatment of outgoing Secret Service head Randolph Alles should clear it up.

According to The New York Times, Donald Trump mocked Alles for the size of his ears, calling the former Marine Major General dumbo before firing him.

The report notes:

Mr. Alles, a retired Marine major general who goes by Tex and was the first person from outside the Secret Service to head the agency in more than a century, received instructions 10 days ago to come up with an exit plan and was expected to leave on his own timeline, according to officials familiar with the discussions. The president had soured on Mr. Alles a while ago, even making fun of his looks, calling him Dumbo because of his ears, two officials said.

As PoliticusUSAs Jason Easley wrote earlier on Monday, the firing of Alles is part of a purge of the Department of Homeland Security as part of [Trumps] plan to implement his court blocked immigration policies.

On Sunday, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen announced her resignation amid pressure from Trump, too, another sign that Trump believes his immigration policies havent been cruel and lawless enough.

The New York Times reports that the firing of Alles is also likely related to the fact that the Secret Service called out the staff at Mar-a-Lago about a recent security breach at the club.

Trump is a childish, wannabe dictator

Indeed, it is disturbing enough that Trump appears to be purging the Department of Homeland Security. As U.S. intelligence veteran Malcolm Nance said on Monday, Trump is now removing anyone loyal to this nations laws.

WARNING: Trump is now removing anyone loyal to this nations laws. We are officially in a Dictatorship. @SpeakerPelosi & Democrats need to start attacking this admin loudly, publicly or we will lose this republic. STAND UP FOR THE CONSTITUTION! DO YOUR DUTY! #NoKings https://t.co/h2jXS0E3Mx  Malcolm Nance (@MalcolmNance) April 8, 2019

Trumps firing of Randolph Alles further clarified not only that he wants to be more like a dictator, but also that he is so often motivated by a petty desire to get back at those who he believes dont worship the ground upon which he walks.

Its hard to think of two more dangerous qualities for the leader of the free world to have.

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Attorney General William Barr refuses to answer whether or not he briefed Trump and the White House on the Mueller report.

Willam Barr wont say if he briefed the White House on the Mueller report

The exchange:

Q: Did the white house see the report before you released your summarizing letter? Has the White House seen it since then? Have they been briefed beyond the contents of your summarizing letter to the judiciary committee?

Barr: I said what I am going to say about the report today. I have issued three letters about it. And I was willing to discuss the historic information of how the report came to me and my decision on Sunday. But, I have already laid out the process that is going forward to release these reports. Hopefully within a week. And Im not going to say anything more about it until the report is out and everyone has a chance to look at it.

Video:

Barr refuses to say if he briefed Trump on the Mueller report. pic.twitter.com/02bvuAHUEz  PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) April 9, 2019

Barr could have easily answered no

If the answer to the question was no, Barr could have easily said that. The fact that he is refusing to discuss his own conduct and handling of the report should tell the American people everything that they need to know. Barrs non-answers are creating the impression that he is an attorney general with something to hide. The Attorney General could answer questions about his handling of the report without creating a prejudicial impression of the report.

The Barr hearing is an example of the Trump strategy in dealing with Congressional oversight. The White House is going to give Congress nothing as far as testimony, documents, and information are concerned. An innocent White House would cooperate. Barr and Trump are acting guilty as sin, and it is being broadcast for the nation to see.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

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The Trump administration has just announced plans to designate Irans Revolutionary Guard (IRG) as a terrorist group.

What the announcement failed to mention was that this newly-designated terrorist group was involved in the financing for a Trump Hotel project in the country of Azerbaijan.

The link between the Trump Tower Baku project and money-laundering activities of Irans Revolutionary Guard was previously reported in The New Yorker.

Ivanka Trump was extremely involved in developing the hotel, working closely with a corrupt operation run by an Azerbaijan crime family known as the Corleones of the Caspian.

The Mammadov family has a reputation for using their government positions to enrich themselves and their partners  which includes construction firms tied to Irans Revolutionary Guard.

That close involvement may open up both Ivanka and the Trump Organization to criminal prosecution under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) which prohibits American companies from rewarding corrupt foreign officials.

The Trump Organizations legal counsel said that the Organization should be exempt from prosecution because Trumps company didnt control the project and didnt pay money to anyone.

However, a legal expert who specializes in the foreign corruption law dismissed those claims.

You cant go into business deals in Azerbaijan assuming that you are immune from the FCPA, nor can you escape liability by looking the other way, said Jessica Tillipman, an assistant dean at George Washington University Law School. The entire Baku deal is a giant red flag  the direct involvement of foreign government officials and their relatives in Azerbaijan with ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Corruption warning signs are rarely more obvious.

The New Yorker reported that Trump complained about the law during a phone-in appearance on CNBC in May 2012, the month before the Baku deal was completed.

Every other country goes into these places and they do what they have to do, Trump said. Its a horrible law and it should be changed.

He complained that American companies that refuse bribe foreign officials would do business nowhere. And The New Yorker article reported that there were duffel bags of cash changing hands during construction of the Trump Tower Baku project.

There is one answer  go to your room, close the door, go to sleep and dont do any deals, because thats the only way, Trump whined to CNBC at the time. The only way youre going to do it is the other way.

Donald and Ivanka Trump Did Business With Mobsters and Terrorists

The point of this story is that Donald and Ivanka Trump were partners with a terrorist group in a corrupt real estate deal that included money-laundering. In fact, there is evidence that the laundered money was used to acquire weapons that were used in terrorism.

In designating his former business partners as terrorists, Trump issued the following statement:

This unprecedented step, led by the Department of State, recognizes the reality that Iran is not only a State Sponsor of Terrorism, but that the Iran Revolutionary Guard actively participates in, finances, and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft.

Donald Trump has admitted that the IRG is involved with such crimes as drug trafficking, sponsoring terrorism abroad and money laundering.

What he has not admitted  and what should be highly publicized  is that Trump himself was a partner with the IRG and therefore was probably an accomplice in helping them commit some of these crimes, including terrorism.
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House Democrats are opening a central office in Texas as their major offensive to turn red seats blue is ramping up ahead of 2020.

The Texas Tribune reported:

When it comes to places where House Democrats can go on offense, it doesnt get any bigger than Texas, said U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., the chairwoman of the DCCC. In 2018, Texas Democrats proved that they can win in competitive districts. Thats why we are continuing our investments in the Lone Star State by opening a new DCCC:Texas Headquarters.

The DCCC previously announced a national offensive effort for the 2020 elections that would install staffers in the Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio suburbs. Mondays announcement takes that initiative a step further, opening a central office in Austin with eight staffers including Texas Democratic operatives Roger Garza and Michael Beckendorf.

Texas could be fertile ground for Democrats in 2020

Democrats flipped two House seats in Texas in 2018, and they are looking for more next year. Trump has never been popular in Texas. A recent poll revealed that Texas voters would vote for someone else over reelecting Trump by a margin of 45%-39%.

Not long ago, it would have been viewed as foolish for Democrats to put resources into Texas, but Trumps lack of popularity combined with recent Democratic success makes the effort little risk and all reward for the Democratic Party. Democrats have nothing to lose and everything to gain by building a strong ground operation in Texas. They arent taking away anything from other states and races, and they are forcing Republicans to spend money in Texas instead of elsewhere.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that she has a strategy for keeping the House in 2020, and while Republicans struggle to find decent candidates and raise money, Democrats are going on the offensive and eyeing more gains in Texas.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

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Women and enlightened men know misogyny is baked into the medias coverage of presidential elections. While Trumps 2016 win was the result of a combination of forces, one of those forces was media bias.

That isnt merely the opinion of this writer; there is data proving Trump got preferential treatment, be it from the volume of newspaper articles and live streaming of his campaign events to giving him free passes when he incited hatred and violence or when he just told ordinary lies.

Norm Ornstein and Chris Cillizza studied media bias in the Trump Clinton race. They were struck by the overwhelming imbalance between the number of headlines for Trump compared to Clinton. In an interview with the Washington Post, they said:

Across the eight outlets, we found Trumps name mentioned in a total of 14,924 article headlines from July 1, 2015, to Aug. 31, 2016. Clinton has been mentioned in less than half that amount.

Television news resembled an all-day advertisement for Trump  while Clinton was all but invisible to the viewing audience. According to Paul Farhi of the Washington Post, between January 1 and Labor Day 2016, Trumps campaign got 822 minutes of screen time on the main networks, while Clinton got less than half: 386 minutes to be exact.

When Donald Trump entered the political arena in 2016, America was introduced to a level of dishonesty https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2016/aug/16/post-truth-election-comparing-2016-past-elections-/ unlike during any previous campaign. Yet, misogyny fed the electorate twice the volume of Donald Trumps lies as it offered of Hillary Clintons truths.

One key sign that misogyny is alive and well in the media lies in the fact that not a single one of the women running for the Democratic nomination was invited to appear on the Sunday morning talk shows this week.

Seriously, it isnt like every women running for the nomination is a replica of the others. Each candidate has her own story, a unique resume and platforms from the progressive wing to the moderate wing of the Democratic Party.

Yet, were seeing a replay of 2016, where the white guys suck up the media attention to the point that that five women who are U.S. senators are seeking the nomination yet remain invisible.

And it isnt much better in the mainstream media. Their coverage of the women running has admittedly advanced from commentary on their hair. However, coverage still equates womens assertiveness with simply being angry or overly emotional, while similar behavior by men is still seen as strong leadership.

Of course, women proved capable of beating the odds and the misogyny in 2018. Maybe some egos are still smarting from the fact that Speaker Nancy Pelosi wields leadership with expertise that her immediate predecessor and for that matter, Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump can only imagine. And she does it in heels.

Maybe its Speaker Pelosis ability to unify a diverse caucus that has the misogynists in media determined to figuratively tell women their place is behind a wall of testosterone.

Whatever it is, the media is letting the electorate down. We deserve to know about all of the candidates, not just the center right white guy from Indiana, or the right wing white guy who used to sell coffee. We deserve more than the free passes for inconsistencies like Tim Ryans claim that he wants to unite people, but most of his history has been about failed insurgencies against Nancy Pelosi.

We deserve more than just a character smear of Joe Biden over behavior from years ago but only became taboo last week and only for him.

As Sarah Jones said, this is really about minimizing the impact of sexual assault. This approach has the added bonus of going after Joe Biden while Bernie Sanders gets a free pass. Sarah observed:

This has led the far left and right into a frenzy of PizzaGate accusations against Joe Biden, because you see, the people who support Bernie Sanders, even after he wrote about typical fantasies abused women and had a campaign full of sexual harassers and at least one assaulter, and people who support the p*ssy grabber in chief and many others are trying to co-opt the MeToo movement to propel their candidates ahead of the guy who is polling ahead of theirs, and he hasnt even announced yet.

In other words, its about providing Donald Trump with the white guy opponent he prefers, which means he is not Joe Biden.

Donnys boy is Bernie Sanders because Bernie is a self-described Democratic Socialist, which is conveniently conflated with communism the same way as invading personal space was conflated with sexual assault and even pedophilia. With fake news coming from both ideological extremes, the interests who are pushing this b.s. hope that people with actual lives will be overwhelmed and just vote maga.

Its important to acknowledge there are some in the media who address the politics of today, as it is, rather than trying to recreate that magical maga era that never really existed. There are some people who know Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren are serious, qualified candidates who have a wealth of experience in governing that some of the male candidates dont have. There are people who know these strong, intelligent women have policy ideas that deserve attention over the excitement of pronouncing Mayor Petes surname.

But, they are also outliers in a sea of misogyny that high fives itself when showing its feminism by calling out Tucker Carlson. Guys, Tucker Carlson is the second easiest target of your faux feminist rage, surpassed only by the p*ssy grabber in chief.

Its 2019 and several women have proved themselves worthy of a seat at the serious candidate table. Media outlets and journalists who wish to be taken seriously by a savvy but frustrated electorate should act accordingly. Lets jump past the commentary on hair, make-up, the etiquette of eating fried chicken and do something radical  like talk about the policies that people care about.
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Donald Trump has spent the last few days engaged in one of his favorite activities: firing people. And the net result is that he has decimated the Department of Homeland Security.

The president seems to be in a controlled rage, having now let go DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) director Lee Cissna, Undersecretary for Management Claire Grady, and General Counsel John Mitnick. And on top of that he also got rid of the highly respected Secret Service director, Randolph Tex Alles.

According to a new report in POLITICO, the people most surprised  and upset  by Trumps DHS purge are top GOP senators.

Its a mess, said Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX), who is up for re-election next year. Honestly, it wasnt Secretary Nielsens fault. It wasnt for lack of effort on her part. I dont know if theres anybody whos going to be able to do more.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) was especially shocked by the firing of Cissna, especially after learning that Trump also plans to fire USCIS strategist Kathy Nuebel Kovarik. I heard that they are on the list to be fired. They are doing in an intellectual-like way what the president wants to accomplish. So no, they should not go, said Grassley.

Trumps congressional allies are now panicking and practically begging him not to fire more top officials at DHS or other agencies. They are telling him that it will be very hard to solve the immigration crisis and the border crisis without good people in charge of the process of making and enforcing immigration policies.

Trump Adviser Stephen Miler Is Behind the Purge

Most people believe that Trumps massive shakeup of personnel has been caused by White House policy adviser Stephen Miller. Miller now seems to actually be making the immigration policy for the Trump administration. And he is a notorious hardliner (some would say white supremacist) who has been increasingly frustrated with what he sees as the lack of progress on sealing the border to migrants and refugees.

But Millers hard-line immigration approach was rejected by voters last November, when Democrats won a massive congressional victory. Whats worrying the GOP senators is that Trump seems to once again be making immigration the key element of his 2020 reelection campaign. They are afraid this will cause them to suffer another humiliating defeat, and possibly lose control of the Senate as well as the presidency.

Cornyn is especially frustrated because he has no idea what Millers agenda is when he makes decisions on immigration policy, and because he has not been confirmed by the Senate. He doesnt talk to any Republicans in Congress, so they are kept completely in the dark.

I thought that Nielsen was doing a fantastic job, lamented Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, the No. 5 Senate GOP leader. I would love to see some continuity. I think thats important.

Trumps Purge Has Created Dysfunction and a Climate of Fear

But continuity is a thing of the past in the Trump administration. The purge has left new people in charge of everything, doing jobs theyve never done before.

The only goal that Trump and Miller seem to have is to create an atmosphere of fear where all employees are intimidated and do what theyre told. They want absolute control, no questions asked.

Donald Trump always wants to be seen as tough, but his latest actions wont accomplish that. They make him seem out of control and weak, because he has no workable plan to solve the nations immigration problems.

It remains to be seen if Trumps latest moves help him politically, and if focusing on immigration will help him in the polls. The only thing we know for sure is that he has succeeded in creating chaos at the border. Maybe that has been his goal all along.
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Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has found himself in the hot seat, and if he doesnt handle things properly he may also find himself in jail.

Last week House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) sent a letter to the IRS requesting six years of Trumps personal and business returns. He asked the IRS to provide the documents by Wednesday. And today, Mnuchin and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig will be on Capitol Hill testifying before Congress.

Although Trump has had his lawyer and chief of staff publicly argue that he has no legal obligation to turn over his tax returns to Congress, a former Treasury Secretary told MSNBCs The Last Word with Lawrence ODonnell that the law is clear and Trump must comply.

In fact, according to former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, a professor at Harvard, Mnuchin will be violating federal law if he interferes in the IRS commissioner giving Trumps tax returns to the House Ways and Means Committee.

Neal made his tax return request under Section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code, which states that Treasury shall furnish tax returns upon request from the chairmen of Congresss tax committees, as long as the committees review the documents in a closed session.

ODonnell said during the show:

It is the law that empowers the chairs of the House and Senate tax-writing committees to demand  not request, demand  from the IRS any tax return that they want to see.

The MSNBC host then quoted a new Washington Post column written by Summers, saying:

The appropriate response of the Treasury Secretary is very clear: Under a long-standing delegation order, the Secretary does not get involved in taxpayer-specific matters and has delegated to the IRS commissioner as follows:

The Commissioner of Internal Revenue shall be responsible for the administration and enforcement of the Internal Revenue laws.

This is not a delegation that is revocable.

Summers then explained what this means:

For Secretary Mnuchin to seek to decide whether to pass on the presidents tax returns to Congress would be inappropriate and illegal.

In other words, If Mnuchin tries to interfere and stop the IRS from giving Neal Trumps tax returns, he could be prosecuted for violating the law.

During the discussion with Summers, ODonnell expressed surprise at what he had just learned, saying:

I did not know that the delegation from the Treasury Secretary to the IRS Commissioner on matters of tax issues like this was actually in writing and that its a formal delegation and theres a formal process for revoking that delegation.

Summers replied saying:

Thats right. You know, its the first one of the first things my general counsel told me when I became Treasury Secretary, was any individual tax matter affecting any individual taxpayer, you are under no circumstances going to be anywhere near.

And that applies to a request of this kind and for good reason.

Trump Cant Stop the IRS From Giving Congress His Tax Returns

No matter what Trumps lawyers say, there is no legal basis for Donald Trump to refuse to comply with the clear language of the tax laws. If IRS Commissioner Rettig fails to comply with the law, he could be prosecuted. If Mnuchin interferes, and tells Rettig not to comply, he could be prosecuted also.

Donald Trumps goal is always to intimidate his underlings so they will do his bidding even when it is against the law or against their own best interests. This is what he did to Michael Cohen, who is now serving a prison sentence for doing what Trump told him to do.

For Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig the day of reckoning has come. They now must decide whether they will serve the interests of the people of the United States, or the interests of a criminal president who is asking them to break the law.

CLICK HERE to watch the Last Word video from MSNBC.
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Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) played the audio of a witness that Republicans invited apologizing and legitimizing Hitler during a hearing on the rise of white nationalism.

Reo. Lieu said, In congressional hearings, the minority party gets to select its own witnesses, and of all the people that Republicans could have selected, they picked Candice Owens I dont know Miss Owens. Im not going to characterize her. Im going to let her own words do the talking. I am going to play for you the first thirty seconds of a statement that she made about Adolf Hitler.

Lieu pulls out his phone, puts up to the microphone, and plays the witness in her own words saying that Hitler would have been fine if he just wanted to make Germany great again, but his problem was that he was a globalist.

Video:

Here's the video of Rep. Ted Lieu playing Candace Owens' remarks on Hitler to her at a hearing on hate crimes and the rise of white nationalism.

Via CSPAN pic.twitter.com/SEXgVuvzkw  Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) April 9, 2019

Only Republicans would invite a Hitler apologist to a hearing on hate crimes and white nationalism

As Rep. Lieu said, Republicans are free to invite anyone that they want to be a witness at the hearing, but inviting a Hitler normalizer and apologist doesnt help the Republicans cause of denying that they are the political party of white supremacy. Owens has since tried to distance herself from the whole guy who killed millions of Jews is the worst holocaust in history isnt so bad comments, but Rep. Lieu was right.

This isnt about judging Owens, but the fact that Republicans didnt see anything wrong with inviting her to a hearing on hate crimes and white supremacy says everything that you need to know about what the GOP stands for under Donald Trump.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters)  U.S. House Judiciary Committee Jerrold Nadler called on Attorney General William Barr on Thursday to release any summaries of Special Counsel Robert Muellers Trump-Russia report that were prepared by Muellers team.

Nadler, a Democrat who is also demanding release of the full Mueller report to Congress, sent a letter to Barr citing media reports that Muellers team prepared their own summaries of the special counsels report.

If these recent reports are accurate  then those summaries should be publicly released as soon as possible, Nadler said.

Nadler also called on Barr to produce all communications about the Mueller report between the special counsels office and the Justice Department, including those on Barrs March 24 letter to Congress summarizing the investigations main conclusions and the disclosure of the report to Congress and the public.

Thursdays letter surfaced hours after the Justice Department defended its handling of Muellers report on the investigation of Russian election meddling and contacts between President Donald Trumps 2016 campaign and Russia. The department maintains that Barr must redact confidential and classified information from the nearly 400-page document.

But news media reports said that members of Muellers team were unhappy with the way Barr had characterized its main conclusions in his four-page summary. The Barr summary said Mueller did not establish that the Trump campaign conspired with Russia but also did not exonerate the president on obstruction of justice. But Barr said he concluded there was not enough evidence to show that Trump committed the crime of obstruction.

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee voted along party lines to authorize Nadler to issue subpoenas for the full report, underlying evidence from the 22-month investigation and documents and testimony from five former Trump aides.

Congress, not Barr, should determine what gets made public, Nadler said. He has yet to issue a subpoena.

We are entitled to that information and we need that information, Nadler told reporters on Thursday.

(Reporting by David Morgan; editing by Grant McCool)
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Jerrel Floyd is an Alabama raised reporter who covers Summerville and Dorchester County for The Post and Courier.
Hominy Grill, which helped put Charleston on a course toward culinary preeminence by dazzling diners with shrimp Creole, tomato pudding and other Southern dishes once dismissed as too modest for restaurant tables, will close April 28.

Owner Robert Stehling says the decision wasnt precipitated by the rising cost of rent or dwindling supply of workers, among other factors commonly cited by local restaurateurs closing still-popular restaurants. Stehling owns the building at the corner of Rutledge and Cannon streets, and has cultivated a loyal crew of employees. But after nearly 24 years in business the James Beard Award-winning chef says hes ready for a break.

Things have a beginning, a middle and an end, he says. I felt like at this point in my life, I would like to be open to new experiences.

Stehling planned to share the news with his employees Monday afternoon, and is bracing for an onslaught of farewell visits from the many biscuit devotees who rank Hominy among their favorite restaurants.

Im trying to make as much sausage gravy as I can, says Stehling, who developed Hominys signature fried chicken breakfast sandwich in homage to a Hardees biscuit favored by his mechanic. As he told a Southern Foodways Alliance oral historian in 2015, (That) kind of exchange with the community was a really important part of Hominys identity.

Yet when Stehling first opened Hominy Grill in 1996, his penchant for celebrating simple foods wasnt roundly appreciated by a city intent on demonstrating its sophistication. In 1997, The Post and Courier mocked the restaurant for classifying mac-and-cheese, candied yams and grits as vegetables.

When youre born and raised somewhere, you want stuff from outside to come in and validate you, Stehling says.

While Stehling had worked in New York City restaurants for a decade before relocating to Charleston so his now-wife Nunally Kersh could run the Spoleto Festival, he wasnt keen to replicate the Italian pastas hed prepared in Greenwich Village. Hed envisioned a place like Hominy Grill since cooking for Bill Neal at Crooks Corner in his native North Carolina. Neal, an early champion of Southern cuisine, helped Stehling see that hoppin John was as noble as risotto.

When I opened Hominy, I really felt that the town needed to focus more on the culture and the history. I found that very exciting, he says. I was raised in the South, and I had this burned inside in me to do this.

His passion resonated with Johnny Apple, The New York Times legendary political correspondent and roving gourmand. Apple in 2000 gave Hominy Grill a rave review, proposing its breakfasts may well be the best breakfasts in the Carolinas, which means some of the best in America. He praised the fried green tomatoes on Hominys BLTs, the lard in its biscuits and the rubbed sage in its gravy.

Two years later, Stehlings bacon-roasted turkey was featured on the front cover of Food & Wine magazine's Thanksgiving issue.

In 2008, Stehling received the James Beard Foundations award for Outstanding Chef Southeast, a testament to Hominy Grills influence on contemporary Southern cooking. Stehling was the first of three Charleston chefs to win the prestigious prize in the span of three years, securing the citys reputation as a culinary destination.

At the time, Stehling says, he was unaware of how dramatically Charlestons food scene was changing. Even the surrounding Cannonborough-Elliotborough neighborhood, which felt light years removed from the East Bay Street dining district when Hominy Grill first opened, was filling up with restaurants.

I was head down in my own thing, he says. I was back there stirring grits and the whole world was happening.

Still, Hominy Grill didnt fade from relevance. In 2015, Eater critic Bill Addison named it to his inaugural list of the nations 38 essential restaurants. Addison wrote, This is a place worth returning to again and again to savor creamy she-crab soup laced with sherry, chicken bog and gossamer coconut layer cake, implicitly recognizing Hominys fingerprints on the many restaurants in or of the South that hed reviewed during his tenure at Atlanta Magazine.

When I first put pimento cheese on, I was an oddity, you know, Stehling recalled during his interview for the Southern Foodways Alliance. And now its every which way, but its also made me feel less individual and unique or cutting edge  (Now) everybody is doing some of these dishes and  its been great, you know, to push me professionally, although sometimes you feel tired.

So tired that Stehling isnt anxious to jump into another project beyond seeing his daughter through her senior year of high school. Hominy Grill on Sunday night Instagrammed a picture of Stehling plating a pre-prom dinner for his daughter and her friends.

I need to really decompress, he says. Ive got a few good years to have fun. I dont want to make up my mind yet.

Because Stehling ultimately decided against selling Hominy Grill (Its complicated to sell something, he says. The process can be long and drawn out, and there are a lot of variables.), he isnt bound by a non-compete agreement that would bar him from reviving his favorite elements of the restaurant in a different setting.

The industry has changed so much in the past 25 years, he says. There are so many opportunities to do pop-ups and put your food in front of people without carrying the stressful burdens of insurance and staff.

One of the rare advantages associated with the tight labor market is Stehling doesnt have to worry about any of his employees being out of work for long. But since he isnt certain how long their job searches will allow them to stay, he hasnt plotted anything extravagant for the restaurants final weeks. Instead, he describes the closing as a strategic retreat.

I wanted (Southern cuisine) to feel respected, Stehling says when asked about Hominys legacy. The food at Hominy made people look at their food, and think, The food I grew up with stands up with French cuisine and Italian cuisine.

Its not in Stehlings nature to declare success on that score, but he allows, it felt special to me. Thousands of patrons would no doubt agree it felt special to Charleston, too.
Paul Bowers is an education reporter and father of three living in North Charleston. He previously worked at the Charleston City Paper, where he was twice named South Carolina Journalist of the Year in the weekly category.
Chloe Johnson covers the coastal environment and climate change for the Post and Courier. She's always looking for a good excuse to hop on a boat.
MONCKS CORNER  Tri-county law enforcement officials have leveled charges against 45 people following a seven-month investigation that targeted drug suppliers.

At a news conference Tuesday at the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office, local and federal authorities announced the arrests tied to the distribution of opioids, methamphetamine and other narcotics.

With 15 people charged with offenses that include trafficking cocaine and possession with intent to distribute heroin, Sheriff Duane Lewis said his agency saw the most arrests in the investigation.

The collaboration involved police departments in Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Moncks Corner, Goose Creek and Summerville, as well as the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office and the Department of Homeland Security.

The initiative was born from tips to law enforcement about suspected drug houses and other issues with narcotics in local communities. The probe led investigators to at least one suspect in Texas and to heroin supplied by Mexican drug cartels, Lewis said.

"Those people that call us, that send us messages ... that call the drug tip line, all of those things are not forgotten," Lewis said. "Those are things that we used to put together this type of large-scale investigation."

Nineteen of the 45 recent arrests include federal indictments related to the distribution of heroin, fentanyl and methamphetamine.

Authorities stressed that their efforts targeted major distributors, not addicts or street-level dealers.

Three cases are tied to fatal overdoses in Charleston County, said Jason Sandoval, resident agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administrations Charleston office.

"Its not that people are out there partying. Its that people are out there dying," said 9th Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson, who oversees prosecutions in Charleston and Berkeley counties. "These drugs are killing people."

Sandoval said Charleston County saw more than 140 deaths associated to opioids, including heroin, last year. In 2017, Charleston County ranked the deadliest in the state for opioid overdoses.

"We are in a massive crisis here," Sandoval said.

Law enforcement also seized illegal firearms and cash in the probe.

Police agencies in Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester have collaborated with federal authorities for similar investigations into weapons and drug trafficking in the past. A nine-month initiative in 2017 nabbed more than 50 people in an effort to curb opioid-related deaths in the region.
With Mayor John Tecklenburg standing by, The Charleston Forum CEO Brian Duffy on Monday turned to greet Rev. Eric Manning of Emanuel AME Church, after announcing the upcoming Charleston Forum discussion between Manning and Rabbi Jeffrey Myers of the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. The Forum will meet for its third event in June. Wade Spees/Staff
Syndicated and guest columns represent the personal views of the writers, not necessarily those of the editorial staff. The editorial department operates entirely independently of the news department and is not involved in newsroom operations.
Assistant Columbia bureau chief

Adcox returned to The Post and Courier in October 2017 after 12 years covering the Statehouse for The Associated Press. She previously covered education for The P&C. She has also worked for The AP in Albany, N.Y., and for The Herald in Rock Hill.
Just in time for Philippine Independence Month, the Guam Reef Hotel has partnered with the Plantation Bay Resort and Spa in Cebu, Philippines, to bring authentic Filipino cuisine to the island.

"We will be doing the Filipino Food Festival, which is scheduled during Philippine Independence Month in June," said Chito D. De Guzman-Aguilo, director of food and beverage at the Guam Reef Hotel. "So we are working with them."

The festival will be held at the hotel from June 10 to 23.

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"We are planning the festival and then this is probably a jump-start to get more tourists from Guam, not only Filipinos, but from the military or Guamanians," added Efren Belarmino, general manager at the Plantation Bay Resort and Spa.

The resort's executive chef, Lee Mathew Ramas, was on Guam to discuss the upcoming experience.

"For those here in the Filipino community, they would really feel like home. These dishes are like creating it in our own home in the Philippines. It will be as much as I can give," Ramas said, adding that diners can expect "very authentic" dishes.

"We are planning to have it daily, but I want to change the menu every day."

He said he also plans to buy most of the menu items locally.

"We just hope that what we plan, starting from the ingredients to the taste of the food, we can get it and deliver it to the Guam people. It's going to be an exciting event for us," Ramas said. "As much as we can, we are going to use local products. Most likely 80 percent of my ingredients is here and we can always substitute. The Filipino dishes are always flexible."

Ramas said he oversees nearly 100 staff in Cebu at multiple dining outlets at the resort. Belarmino said visitors from Japan, the States, China and Korea frequent the resort.

The local partnership also is intended to attract visitors from Guam to experience the resort in Cebu.

For more information on the Plantation Bay Resort and Spa, visit www.plantationbay.com.
SECOND SUMMIT: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump sit down for a dinner during the second U.S.-North Korea summit at the Metropole Hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam, Feb. 27. Kim has discussed the possibility of a third meeting.
If there is $2.8 million in the Recycling Revolving Fund, why are there still aluminum cans on the roadside and in the trash cans? Read more
The Government official made the statement while receiving SCG Vietnam Executive Director Dhep Vongvanich in Hanoi on April 9.

Deputy PM Dung said that the strategic partnership between Vietnam and Thailand has seen strong and comprehensive growth in various areas, particularly economics, trade and investment cooperation.

Thailand ranks ninth among 129 countries and territories investing in Vietnam with 521 projects worth approximately US$10.38 billion.

The Deputy PM appreciated the operations of SCG in Vietnam in the areas of chemicals, construction materials and packaging, thereby making practical contributions to the fine relations between the two countries.

Deputy PM Dung suggested that SCG continues to increase its investment in Vietnam and accelerate the progress of the southern petrochemical complex project in compliance with Vietnamese laws on safety and environmental protection.

He also asked SCG to carry out its social responsibilities through creating jobs, developing infrastructure, and improving the quality of life for local people in the project area.

Executive Director Dhep Vongvanich affirmed that SCG will make every effort to complete the southern petrochemical complex project as scheduled, while ensuring absolute safety in accordance with Vietnamese laws and international standards on safety and environmental protection.

He added that the company will hold training courses for local people to be able to work at SCG construction sites and factories and provide support services when the factory commences operations.
NORRISTOWN  An Abington man who admitted to stabbing and seriously injuring his mother during an attack inside their township residence faces intensive court supervision, including participation in a community-based treatment program.

Ryan Pospisil, 24, of the 2000 block of Maplewood Avenue, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to time served to 23 months in jail and given credit for the 1,100 days hes spent in custody since his March 2016 arrest.

Judge Richard P. Haaz also ordered Pospisil to complete five years probation following parole.

The judge said Pospisil must comply with all recommendations for treatment from a community support team associated with an Assertive Community Treatment program through Horizon House, a social service agency that offers behavioral health services.

They will follow up with Ryan in the community to make sure that all of his particular needs are being met. They will help manage any issues he has while he is home, explained defense lawyer Gregory L. Nester. They will have a treatment plan set up for him.

My hope is that he is going to receive treatment that he needs in the community and that he will thrive in the community and that he will continue on his recovery journey, Nester added.

Earlier this year, Pospisil pleaded guilty to a felony charge of aggravated assault in connection with the March 9, 2016, incident at his Maplewood Avenue home, essentially admitting to attacking his mother and stabbing her multiple times.

Nester previously explained the legal proceedings against Pospisil were delayed while he underwent competency evaluations. When competency was restored Pospisil came to court in February and pleaded guilty to the charge.

Assistant District Attorney Cara McMenamin previously said Pospisils mother has been supportive of her son during the court proceedings.

As a condition of the sentence, the judge said Pospisil can have no offensive contact with his mother.

I think the fact that he entered his guilty plea showed that he was accepting responsibility and being very remorseful, Nester said on Monday.

An investigation began about 10:41 p.m. March 9, 2016, when Abington police and emergency medical personnel responded to the Maplewood Avenue home for a report of a subject on scene that was hemorrhaging and in need of emergency medical assistance, according to the criminal complaint filed by Abington Detective Donald Lindenmuth.

Arriving officers observed drops of blood on the living room floor and on the stairs leading to the second floor. Officers heard a woman calling for help from an upstairs bedroom and found the victim, appearing to be severely beaten, on a bed, according to court papers.

The victim was unable to describe how her injuries occurred and was transported to the hospital, Lindenmuth wrote in the arrest affidavit, adding investigators observed the handle of a kitchen knife on a hallway floor just outside the bedroom. Inside the bedroom the blade of the same knife was laying on the floor.

There was a large pool of blood on the carpet near the bed that appeared to be from where the victim fell and remained on the floor for a period of time, Lindenmuth added. There was varying amounts of blood on other areas of the carpet, the bedspread and pillow, a bedroom wall, the bedroom ceiling, the bedroom door and the door frame.

A check of the home found no signs of forced entry. During a search, police found Pospisil, who had blood on his hands and clothing, hiding under a bed in his room and he was taken into custody.

During a subsequent statement to police, Pospisil said that after an argument with his mother, the victim, he went to the kitchen and retrieved a steak knife, according to Lindenmuth.

Pospisil then returned upstairs and confronted the victim in her bedroom. Pospisil stated he then stabbed the victim in the torso but the knife broke after the first thrust. Pospisil cut his thumb as the knife broke, Lindenmuth alleged in court papers.

Pospisil then struck the victim with his hands until she fell to the ground. Pospisil then kicked and stomped the victim, Lindenmuth added.

Lindenmuth alleged Pospisil did not make any attempts to apply first aid to the victim or call for an ambulance. It was the victim who was able to call 911 and summon help, detectives said.

Pospisil was admitted to a mental health facility for an emergency mental health evaluation immediately after he was taken into custody, detectives said.
POTTSTOWN  If you commute on Route 422, you may have wondered as you sat in traffic; or turned off the ridiculously early alarm necessary to beat that traffic, if there isnt a better way to get to work.

There may be.

And, if youre in the community room of Montgomery County Community Colleges Pottstown campus Thursday evening, you can learn more about it.

From 7 to 8:30 p.m. state Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-146th Dist., will host a discussion with Australian professor Peter Newman who specializes in urban design, sustainable cities and sustainable transportation.

Newman, a professor of sustainability at Australias Curtin University who is in the U.S. for a visit to the University of Pennsylvania, accepted an invitation from Ciresi to speak in Pottstown Thursday, according to Mike Hays, a staffer for Ciresi.

The discussion will focus on a new technology called trackless trams, now being used in Europe and China, that combine the best aspects of light rail with fewer of the obstacles.

Trackless trams are based on technology created in Europe and China by taking innovations from high-speed rail and putting them in a bus, Newman wrote in a 2018 article titled Why trackless are ready to replace light rail for a website called The Conversation.

Light rail had many success stories of competing with cars and attracting denser development, so commentators like me did our best to make them policy-relevant, wrote Newman, who has authored 20 books and more than 340 papers on sustainable cities.

Trackless trams can avoid the worst features of light rail  disruption and cost. It can take years to lay rail tracks, causing major disruption to local economies, as is happening in Sydney, Newman wrote.

While they are usually successful in spurring redevelopment, light rail also often ends up costing much more than originally estimated.

Newman wrote that the cost of Sydneys light rail project has jumped far beyond original expectations, costing more than $120 million per kilometer.

Here in Southeast Pennsylvania the proposed 62-mile Schuylkill Valley Metro light rail project to connect Reading to the SEPTA regional rail system and thus Philadelphia ballooned from $700 million into the billions and ultimately died as federal funding withered.

An ill-fated Route 422-toll proposal to raise funds died under a storm of opposition.

By contrast to Sydneys $129 million-per-kilometer light rail price tag, the trackless tram costs around $6-$8 million per kilometer. And it can be put into a road system over a weekend, Newman wrote.

And because it runs on existing roadways, it does not need the cooperation of the Norfolk-Southern Railroad, which owns the tracks on which any passenger rail would have to run.

The standard trackless tram system, if there can be said to be a standard on something so new, is three carriages that can carry 300 people, but it can take five carriages and 500 people if needed. In three years of trials no impact on road surfaces has been found, Newman wrote.

The big test is whether the trackless tram can attract development around its stations as light rail can, Newman wrote. That is the missing link in our cities.

Hays said the discussion Thursday is just that. Its more of a visioning of what a system like that would look like in this area, and how it might help with Pottstown revitalization efforts, he said.
Im on my way to the courthouse this morning for opening statements in the trial of Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor. In the opening statements the parties are to summarize the evidence they anticipate introducing at trial. They are not to argue their cases.

The beginning of the trial is highly anticipated. It comes nearly two years after Noors killing of Justine Ruszcyk (or Justine Damond, as she called herself). Justines fiancee, Don Damond, will certainly be one of the prosecutions first witnesses.

Trial Judge Kathryn Quaintance has yet to file an order ruling on the motion of the Media Coalition for access to the bodycam video that will be admitted into evidence early in the case. All filings by the court and the parties are accessible on the courts Noor trial page.

On a personal note, I have yet to hear from the court on my request for Power Line to be reassigned the seat now reserved for the New York Times. I submitted my request this past Friday during the lunch break.

If you want to follow the trial as it unfolds during the day, I recommend the tweets posted by reporters at #NoorTrial. For example, the Minnesota press has done a good job of compiling information about the 16 seated jurors. I particularly liked KARE 11 reporter Lou Raguses write-up on the jurors who will decide the case. The Star Tribune has also posted a story on the jurors.

We are hampered by the courts restrictions on the use of devices in the vicinity of the courtroom where the trial is taking place. These restrictions present a marked contrast to the rules we operated under in the terrorism trial of of the three Minnesota men who contested the charges in federal court before Judge Michael Davis. Judge Davis is a ardent believer in the role of the press as the publics eyes and ears in court. My respect for him has only grown in light of my experience seeking to cover the Noor case so far.
Last week, Ralph Northam, Virginias embattled governor, signed legislation that makes animal cruelty a Class 6 felony, punishable by a fine of up to $2,500 and a prison sentence of up to five years. Thats okay, I guess. Animal cruelty should be punished harshly in extreme cases.

But what about extreme cruelty to humans? Northam supports legislation that, as he described it, permits such cruelty in the form of infanticide.

Specifically, Northam backs a bill proposed in the Virginia legislature under which, according to the governor, newborns would be allowed to die if thats what the mother wanted. Northam described what would happen under the legislation this way:

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.

(Emphasis added)

Maybe Im guilty of speciesism (I prefer to think of it as humanism), but I cant fathom how one can be attuned to preventing cruelty to animals yet support letting a human being die without medical treatment. Were talking here about an entity thats no longer in the womb. Were talking about a baby.

Northam isnt alone among Democrats in favoring the denial of medical treatment to such babies if thats what the mother and the family desire. Indeed, Senate Democrats refused to repudiate Northams position. They blocked a resolution condemning the practice Northam describes so blithely.

If were really at the point where our country cant agree that killing babies who have been born is always wrong, then its not easy to see how we remain one society, no matter how strongly we agree that cruelty to animals is wrong.
PR-Inside.com: 2019-04-09 08:32:02

Press release

Biohit Oyj

9th April 2019 at 09.30 local time (EEST)

Biohit GastroPanel innovation is the unique non-invasive diagnostic tool for examination of i) dyspeptic patients for exclusion or diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection and atrophic gastritis (AG), also disclosing the functional status of gastric acid output, as well as

ii) for screening of asymptomatic individuals for the risk of gastric cancer (GC)(1,2, www.gastropanel.com, www.biohithealthcare.com/additional-information). The outstanding performance of GastroPanel test in diagnosing AG has been validated in a large number of clinical studies recently summarised in two meta-analyses (3,4). Population-based studies assessing the value of GastroPanel biomarkers as predictors of GC have been more rare (5,6).

A significant confirmatory evidence to the existing data on GastroPanel biomarkers as predictors of GC was provided by a recently published nationwide multicentre study from China (7), where an extensive study group headed by professor Cuancai Cai from Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University (Shanghai, China) studied a Chinese population at high risk for GC. In this extensive cohort of 14 929 subjects, the authors aimed to develop a prediction algorithm (risk factor combination) to be used as an initial pre-screening tool for identifying individuals at high risk for GC, before subjected to confirmatory gastroscopy (7).

In this nationwide multi-centre cross-sectional study, the authors examined individuals between 4080 years of age who attended the hospitals to participate in gastroscopy screening for GC. Serum pepsinogen PG I, PG II, gastrin-17 (G-17) and anti-Hp pylori IgG antibody levels were measured by the Biohit GastroPanel prior to endoscopy. Eligible participants (n=14 929) were randomly assigned into two cohorts: i) the derivation (=study) cohort and ii) validation cohort, with a ratio of 2:1 (7). Risk factors for GC were identified by univariate and multivariate analyses and an optimal prediction rule (=combination of predictors) was then compiled.

Adjunct professor Minna Maki, PhD, RD and production director, Biohit Oyj: In this study, the GC risk prediction panel comprised seven predictors (age, sex, PG I/II ratio, G-17, Hp Ab titre, pickled food and fried food), with combined scores ranging from 0 to 25 (7). The observed prevalence rates of GC among the low-risk (score 11), medium-risk (score 1216) or high-risk individuals (score 1725) were 1.2 %, 4.4 % and 12.3 %, respectively (p<0.001). When gastroscopy was used for individuals with medium risk and high risk, 70.8 % of the total GC cases and 70.3 % of the early GC cases were detected (7). This combination of predictors was shown to have a good discrimination power, with an area under curve (AUC) of 0.760 (p<0.001)(7).

CEO Semi Korpela, Biohit Oyj: This important study provides additional confirmatory evidence to the two previous studies, where GastroPanel biomarkers were shown to be significant independent predictors of incident GC in population-based longitudinal settings (5,6). Similar as in these two studies (5,6), also in this Chinese study (7), all GastroPanel biomarkers (PGI/PGII ratio, G-17, Hp antibodies) proved to be significant independent predictors of GC in a multivariate model. This new risk predictor combination showed a good performance in identifying individuals at the highest risk for GC among a Chinese high-risk population. Of particular practical value and potential relevance also for example to the Finnish population is the fact that the number of endoscopies could be reduced by 66.7% by using the low-risk score cut-off of this predictor combination (7). Interestingly, this corroborates to the best estimates in Finland, suggesting that up to 80 % of gastroscopies could be avoided and, in addition, a huge amount of costs could be saved by systematic screening by GastroPanel (1,2,8,9).

References

1. Agreus L, Kuipers EJ, Kupcinskas L, Malfertheiner P, Di Mario F, Leja M, Mahachai V, Yaron N, van Oijen M, Perez Perez G, Rugge M, Ronkainen J, Salaspuro M, Sipponen P, Sugano K and Sung J: Rationale in diagnosis and screening of atrophic gastritis with stomach-specific plasma biomarkers. Scand J Gastroenterol 2012;47:136-147.

2.Syrjanen K, Eskelinen M, Peetsalu A, Sillakivi T, Sipponen P, Harkonen M, Paloheimo L, Maki M, Tiusanen T, Suovaniemi O, DiMario F, Fan ZP. GastroPanel Biomarker Panel: The most comprehensive test for Helicobacter pylori infection and its clinical sequelae. A critical review. Anticancer Res 2019;39:1091-1104.

3.Syrjanen K: A Panel of serum biomarkers (GastroPanel) in non-invasive diagnosis of atrophic gastritis. Systematic review and meta-analysis. Anticancer Res 2016;36: 5133-5144.

4.Zagari RM, Rabitti S, Greenwood DC, Eusebi LH, Vestito A and Bazzoli F: Systematic review with meta-analysis: Diagnostic performance of the combination of pepsinogen, gastrin-17 and anti-Helicobacter pylori antibodies serum assays for the diagnosis of atrophic gastritis. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2017;46:1-11.

5.Kurilovich SA, Belkovets AV, Reshetnikov OV, Openko TG, Malyutina SK, Ragino YI, Scherbakova LV, Leja M, Paloheimo L, Syrjanen K, Voevoda MI. Stomach-specific biomarkers (GastroPanel) can predict the development of gastric cancer in Caucasian population: A longitudinal nested case-control study in Siberia. Anticancer Res 2016;36:247-254.

6.Tu H, Sun L, Dong X, Gong Y, Xu Q, Jing J, Bostick RM, Wu X and Yuan Y: A Serological biopsy using five stomach-specific circulating biomarkers for gastric cancer risk assessment: A multi-phase study. Am J Gastroenterol 2017;112:704-715.

7.Cai Q, Zhu C, Yuan Y, Feng Q, Feng Y, Hao Y et al. and Gastrointestinal Early Cancer Prevention & Treatment Alliance of China (GECA). Development and validation of a prediction rule for estimating gastric cancer risk in the Chinese high-risk population: a nationwide multicentre study. Gut 2019;0:112. doi:10.1136/gutjnl-2018-317556

8. www.biohithealthcare.com /Links: State of the art diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori and Sate of the art GastroPanel and Acetium innovations for the unmet need.

9. https://www.gastropanel.com/decision-makers/screening-model

Additional information:

CEO Semi Korpela, Biohit Oyj

tel. +358 9 773 861

investor.relations@biohit.fi

www.biohit.fi

Biohit Oyj is a globally operating Finnish biotechnology company. Biohits mission is "Innovating for Health  we produce innovative products and services to promote research and early diagnosis. Biohit is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, and has subsidiaries in Italy and the United Kingdom. Biohits series B share (BIOBV) is quoted on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki, Small cap/Healthcare. www.biohit.fi




PR-Inside.com: 2019-04-09 16:01:03

AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Constellium N.V. (NYSE: CSTM) will host a conference call and webcast on Wednesday, April 24 at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Daylight Time) to announce its first quarter 2019 results. The press release will be sent before market opening.



The conference call will be hosted by Jean-Marc Germain, Chief Executive Officer, and Peter Matt, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

Details of the conference call, webcast and accompanying presentation will be available on the Constellium Investor Relations page at:

https://www.constellium.com/financial-results-presentations

The webcast can be accessed live at:

https://edge.media-server.com/m6/p/e9qdxntc

To participate by telephone, please dial the following number and enter access code 9078647 to be connected to the Constellium earnings call:

USA: 1 866 394 7514

France: 0 805 081 488

Germany: 0 800 181 5287

Switzerland: 0 800 836 508

United Kingdom: 0 800 028 8438

Other: 1 409 350 3597

An archived recording of the conference call will also be available at www.constellium.com for three weeks.

About Constellium

Constellium (NYSE: CSTM) is a global sector leader that develops innovative, value added aluminium products for a broad scope of markets and applications, including aerospace, automotive and packaging. Constellium generated 5.7 billion of revenue in 2018.

www.constellium.com 

Ryan Wentling  Investor Relations

Phone: +1 (443) 988 0600

Investor-relations@constellium.com

Delphine Dahan-Kocher  Communications

Phone: +1 (443) 420 7860

delphine.dahan-kocher@constellium.com
PR-Inside.com: 2019-04-09 17:01:01

ATLANTA, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CP Kelco, a leading global producer of nature-based ingredient solutions, today announced plans to build a new Innovation Center in Atlanta, Georgia to serve global customers. The new center is slated to open in third quarter 2020.



The decision to establish a world-class, state-of-the-art Innovation Center in Atlanta reinforces our dedication to customer experience and to continually growing our innovation capabilities to meet the needs of the global marketplace, said Didier Viala, President of CP Kelco. This is an exciting step in our ongoing journey to build our business, deliver value to customers and strengthen our culture for employees.

The new Innovation Center will reflect CP Kelcos deep technical expertise and will enhance collaboration and development with customers, partners and industry thought leaders.

About CP Kelco

CP Kelco is a nature-based ingredient solutions company with over 85 years of experience working with food, beverage, consumer and industrial products manufacturers worldwide. We unlock nature-powered success by applying ingredient innovation and problem-solving to develop customized solutions that leverage our regional insights and meet manufacturers goals to address consumer needs and preferences. What sets CP Kelco apart:

Unique Portfolio. Produces extensive range of high-quality, plant-based and fermentation-derived ingredients to formulate tailored solutions.

Produces extensive range of high-quality, plant-based and fermentation-derived ingredients to formulate tailored solutions. Technical Excellence. Offers strong collaboration with a global team of scientists and applications experts, leveraging our regional state-of-the-art R&D facilities.

Offers strong collaboration with a global team of scientists and applications experts, leveraging our regional state-of-the-art R&D facilities. Sustainability . Committed to providing responsibly sourced and produced ingredients.

. Committed to providing responsibly sourced and produced ingredients. Market Insights. Understands market and consumer trends to help customers create relevant and innovative products.

Our key product lines are Gellan Gum, Pectin, Xanthan Gum, Carrageenan, Diutan Gum, Cellulose Gum/CMC, Refined Locust Bean Gum and Microparticulated Whey Protein Concentrate, as well as other unique biopolymers. Learn more at www.cpkelco.com.

CONTACT:

Jessica Knutzon

Global Marketing Communications

jessica.knutzon@cpkelco.com

+1 678 247 7593
PR-Inside.com: 2019-04-09 13:09:05

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ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446

SOUTHERN MALI / ACCESSWIRE / April 9, 2019 / Altus Strategies Plc (AIM: ALS & TSX-V: ALTS), the Africa focused exploration project generator, announces that it has defined a series of drill targets to test the potential of expanding the Company's 100% owned Tabakorole gold project ("Tabakorole" or the "Project") located on the Massagui gold belt in southern Mali, approximately 100km southwest of the multi-million ounce Morila gold mine.Highlights:2.7 km long shear zone hosted orogenic gold project located in southern MaliHistorical drilling includes 16 m at 9.31 g/t Au, 14 m at 9.84 g/t Au and 60 m at 2.91 g/t AuTabakorole hosts a historical near surface resource at the FT prospect comprised of:7,880,000 tonnes at 0.94 g/t Au for 240,000 ounces in the Indicated category10,550,000 tonnes at 1.03 g/t Au for 350,000 ounces in the Inferred categoryBased on a 0.5 g/t cut offHigh grade intercepts including 18 m at 6.05 g/t Au from 12 m and 24 m at 2.53 g/t Au from 48 m were not incorporated in the historical resource estimate. See "Tabakorole Project: Historical resource" and "Cautionary note regarding historical data"Multiple new drill targets defined, with the potential to expand the historical resourceDue diligence progressing under JV Term Sheet signed with Indiana Resources Ltd ("Indiana")As announced by the Company on 7th February 2019, Tabakorole is subject to a non-binding Term Sheet for a Joint Venture with Indiana Resources Ltd, which is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange ("ASX").Steven Poulton, Chief Executive of Altus, commented:"Our detailed review of historical data on the Tabakorole gold project has defined a number of priority drill targets which have the potential to expand the FT prospect, as well as outlining new prospects within the licence.''Historical drilling intersections at the FT prospect, indicate a number of areas where high grade intercepts, including 18 m at 6.05 g/t Au from 12 m (10FLRC-12A) and 24 m at 2.53 g/t Au from 48 m (10FLRC-01A) were discovered but not followed up with infill drilling by previous operators. These drill holes were completed in 2010, while the historical mineral resource estimate was completed in 2007. We believe these targets offer significant upside potential within and proximal to the current historical resource area.''Elsewhere, analysis of historical airborne magnetic data has established the presence of the yet to be tested 'FT South' prospect. FT South is approximately 2.5 km long and runs broadly parallel to the FT prospect located 600 m to the north.''Indiana is currently completing its due diligence on the Tabakorole and Lakanfla projects as part of the Term Sheet announced on 7th February 2019 and subsequently extended until 6th May 2019 on 13th March 2019. We look forward to updating shareholders on this proposed transaction in due course." An updated technical presentation on the Tabakorole project has been prepared and can be downloaded from the following link: http://altusstrategies.com/site/assets/files/4258/altus_tabakorole_project_review_-_q2_2019.pdf Tabakorole Project: LocationThe 100 km2 Tabakorole project is located in southern Mali, approximately 280 km south of the capital city of Bamako. The Project sits on the Massagui Belt which hosts the 7.0 million oz Morila gold mine (operated by Barrick NYSE:GOLD, TSX:ABX), which is approximately 100 km to the north. The Project is 125 km southeast of the 1.8 million oz Yanfolila gold mine (operated by Hummingbird AIM:HUM) and 100 km east of the 2.0 million oz Kalana gold project (operated by Endeavour Mining TSX:EDV).Tabakorole Project: Historical dataThe Company has completed a comprehensive review of the historical exploration data on the Project. A number of priority drill targets have been defined both within the main NW-SE trend of the existing FT prospect and potential extensions to the northeast. Several historical drill holes intersected mineralisation off the main trend of the FT prospect, including 12 m at 3.40 g/t Au (06FLRC-01) and 28 m at 1.01 g/t Au (06FLRC-04) which represent priority areas for follow up.Six hundred metres to the south of and parallel to the FT prospect, a new prospect which is approximately 2.5 km long has been defined from historical airborne magnetic data. Elsewhere on the Tabakorole licence a number of priority targets for follow up trenching and auger drilling have been defined by the historical geophysical and surface geochemical data. The next phase of work at Tabakorole is expected to include pitting and auger drilling across the new targets, as well as further resource definition drilling.TabakoroleProject: Historical resourceThe Tabakorole project hosts a historical mineral resource comprised of 240,000 oz Au (7.88 million tonnes at 0.94 g/t) in the Indicated category and 350,000 oz Au (10.55 million tonnes at 1.03 g/t) in the Inferred category. The key assumptions, parameters and methods used to prepare this historical estimate are:A block model constructed using the Inverse Distance Squared methodBlock sizes of 10m X 25m X 5m in the easting, northing and RL directionsThe block model was estimated in 6 passes at 25m, 50m and 100m rangesPass 1 & 2 represent spacing of 25m X 50m used to determine the Indicated portion of the resourcePass 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 were used to estimate the Inferred portion of the resource3 samples minimum were used to estimate any one single blockSample hierarchy:Bulk screen assays took precedent over regular assaysDiamond drilling assays took precedent over Reverse Circulation drilling assaysAir Core drilling was not used in the resource estimationAssays were top cut to 10 g/t gold (based on 99.5% on the cumulative frequency curve)Resources were reported at a 0.5 g/t gold cut offThe resource was prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 by H. Andrew Daniels, Consulting Geologist, P.Geo in a report entitled "Technical Report on the Mineral Resource Update, June 2007 FT Project Mali, West Africa", dated July 27, 2007 and filed on SEDAR on July 27 2007 by North Atlantic Resources Ltd. A Qualified Person has not done sufficient work to classify this historical estimate as current mineral resources and Altus is not, therefore, treating this historical estimate as a current mineral resource. However, it remains relevant to the Project and Altus believes it is also
The research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data and statistically supported and industry-validated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to market segments such as geographies, application and industry.

PR-Inside.com: 2019-04-09 09:01:40

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Fact.MR

Office: Dublin 2





Suite 9884





27 Upper Pembroke Street,





Dublin 2, Ireland



Sudip Saha

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+353-1-4434-232

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Heavy equipment designed today for industrial applications have a unique design and exceptional quality. However, challenges still arise due to the environment and situation it is being operated in. Most of the heavy equipment are equipped with basic accessories. Hence, there has been a growth in the demand for lighting accessories that can be mounted on the equipment and can run on its own electrical system. The manufacturers of heavy equipment lamps are focusing on providing lighting depending on the use of equipment with the focus on safe operation. One of the challenges in the heavy equipment lams is fragile nature of the standard lighting system. Hence, manufacturers are focusing on introducing the bulbs and lighting system that can operate in wet, dusty and other conditions. Heavy equipment and machinery are using LED lights as it offers several benefits such as brightness, zero maintenance, and durability. Multiple size and mounting options are also offered to ensure that light can be attached to very large or small equipment. Governments around the globe are also passing stringent regulations on the energy efficiency requirements, thereby boosting energy-efficient lighting technologies.Request Sample Report @ https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=365 As per the new report by Fact.MR , the global heavy equipment lamps market is anticipated to witness moderate growth. The market is projected to increase to 4.9% CAGR. The global heavy equipment lamps market is also projected to bring in US$ 9,065.3 million revenue towards the end of 2026. Increase in the number of infrastructure projects globally is one of the factors resulting in the increasing use of heavy equipment lamps to ensure efficiency and safety. Below are some of the insights on how the global heavy equipment lamps market will perform in the future.5 Key Insights on Global Heavy Equipment Lamps MarketAsia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ) is projected to remain the largest region in the global heavy equipment lamps market during the forecast period. Rapid urbanization and development of various infrastructure projects including railroads, highways, etc., are some of the factors contributing to the growth of the market in APEJ. Increasing use of heavy equipment in industrial and residential construction in China and India are also leading towards the growth of the market in the region.Browse Full Report @ https://www.factmr.com/report/365/heavy-equipment-lamps-market North America is also projected to witness growth in the heavy equipment lamps market. Increasing construction of airports, bridges, roads in the U.S. is resulting in the market growth.Signal lamps are expected to witness steady growth during the forecast period. By the end of 2026, signal lamps are projected to bring in more than US$ 2,900 million revenue.HID lamps are expected to account for maximum revenue share. HID lamps are projected to surpass US$ 3,400 million revenue towards the end of 2026.The construction industry is expected to be one of the largest end use industries. By the end of 2026, the construction industry is projected to surpass US$ 3,500 million revenue.You can Buy This Report from Here @ https://www.factmr.com/checkout/365/S The report also offers a detailed profile on some of the prominent companies in the global market for heavy equipment lamps, Companies that will play a major role in the market through 2026 are Catepillar, Inc., General Electric Company, OSRAM GmbH, Stanley Electric, Koito Manufacturing Co Ltd.
The report provides a robust analysis on the industrial motor market for the assessment period 2017-2026. The report sheds light on the segregation of the market to provide an in-depth view of the market.

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PR-Inside.com: 2019-04-09 12:32:28

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With the energy cost galloping solidly, industry is focused on cost-effective and energy efficient industrial motor. As such, manufacturers are concentrating on developing industrial motor with a novel design to make it easy to use across industries. Manufacturers have built an uncanny knack for offering a myriad of utilities on the go. Accordingly, smart sensors have grown in popularity in the wake of propelling the lifespan and lessening the downtime.The rising electricity cost in pumps and fans sector has led to adoption of industrial motor in the sector. The accuracy with which a motor requires to be controlled hinges upon the system requirements. The accuracy requirements are high in applications such as industrial robotics or in bottling. For instance, a welding robot is known to operate with high precision and high speed. Similarly, manufacturers are eying to control the motors in a bottling factory accurately which will facilitate the stoppage of bottles at the right position for capping, filing and labeling. In order to monitor this, the use of analog sensors such as synchros, resolvers, RVDTS or rotary potentiometers.For More Details - A sample of this report is available upon request here -According to the study, pumps and fans are anticipated to be the largest application in the industrial motors market, with an absolute dollar opportunity of over USD 2,300 million between 2017 and 2026. Given motors have significant impact in the pumps and fans with the amount of mechanical power needed by entire system and overall energy consumption, its use in the pumps and fans has surged. Industrial Motor Market: OverviewThe report provides a robust analysis on the industrial motor market for the assessment period 2017-2026. The report sheds light on the segregation of the market to provide an in-depth view of the market. Further, the report delineates the dynamics of the market which have significant impact on the development of the lithography market: drivers, restraints, trends and opportunities.The report includes preface and executive summary to offer an actionable insights on the industrial motor market. Furthermore, the report in the market overview section elucidates market indicators, key players. The overview section subsequently delineates Porters Five Force analysis that succors in showcasing the competitive landscape with respect to industrial motor market. The report also shed light on the market outlook section which elucidates reimbursement scenario with respect to region and peruses on technological development.Browse Full Report with ToC Here:Primary research and secondary research offer a deep dive analysis on industrial motor market. Primary research focuses on veracious review from experts, telephonic interview, unbiased and honest views from surveys and seasoned analyst. On the other hand, the secondary research sheds light on Factiva, trade journals, EC filing, and resourceful database. The report also features absolute dollar opportunity analysis and Y-o-Y projections.Industrial Motor Market: Competitive LandscapeThe report focuses on the coherent assessment of competitive landscape of the industrial motor market propelled by the inclusion of Porters Five Force Analysis. As such, the Porters Five Force Analysis focuses on strategies deployed by pertinent companies in the industrial motor market. Additionally, the report is underpinned by the incorporation of company profile, recent development, SWOT analysis, company profile, annual revenue, key differentiation and strategic overview.
The research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data and statistically supported and industry-validated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to market segments such as geographies, application and industry.

PR-Inside.com: 2019-04-09 09:11:58

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Office: Dublin 2Suite 988427 Upper Pembroke Street,Dublin 2, IrelandHead of Marketing+353-1-4434-232

Increasing demand for alternative energy sources has prompted the use of landfills containing biodegradable materials in production of combustible gases. A mixture of these gases, which is collectively identified as landfill gas, is used as a key source of supplying hydrocarbons in production of heat and other forms of energy. Governments from several parts of the world are adopting measures towards natural anaerobic decomposition of the collected organic waste in landfills. As a result of activities instrumented by microorganisms, a mixture of different gases being drawn from these landfills is finding an ideal replacement to fossil fuel components of natural gas. High in methane, the utilization of landfill gas continues to gain traction in domestic applications such as supplying power to homes in the form of natural gas. Easy procurement of landfill gas and low capital expenditure in production continues to relieve the stress on solar energy as the most exploited renewable energy resource.Request Sample Report @ https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=429 According to Fact.MR , the global landfill gas market is expected to expand at a moderate CAGR with respect to value during the period of forecast, 2017-2026. Increasing demand for methane will continue to drive the production of landfill gas in the foreseeable future. The report estimates that by the end of 2026, landfill gas market would reach an estimate of over US$ 1 Bn. Effectiveness of landfill gas in supplanting natural gas across wide range of applications will further boost the expansion of global landfill gas market through 2026.3 Key Insights from the ReportWith respect to region, the global landfill gas market growth is influenced by the adoption of landfill gas across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ). The North America landfill gas market is expected to reflect high market attractiveness and is the largest with a high market valuation. Moreover, Europe is poised to retain its second place and is the second largest region in the landfill gas market. APEJ landfill gas market is projected to rise at the highest value CAGR throughout the forecast periodBrowse Full Report @ https://www.factmr.com/report/429/landfill-gas-market China is the most lucrative regional market in APEJ that has extensively contributed to the growth of the landfill gas market in APEJ region. This growth can be attributed towards favorable government initiatives for environmental protection of harmful emissions as well as increasing direct use projects in China. In addition, India and Australia are also significant contributors to the growth of the landfill gas market in APEJUpgraded segment by application category is poised to grow at a noteworthy pace in the coming years. The upgraded segment is expected to register a steady CAGR of 5.0% in terms of value throughout the period of forecast, 2017-2026. However, direct use segment is the most attractive and is anticipated to cement its dominance in the global landfill gas market during the forecast periodYou can Buy This Report from Here @ https://www.factmr.com/checkout/429/S The report has identified the leading producers of landfill gas in the global market. These include, Waste Management, Inc., Covanta Holding Corporation, Veolia Environment S.A, Pennon Group Plc., SUEZ SA, Kohler Co., Inc., Aria Energy Corp, Granite Acquisition, Inc., Vectren Corporation, and Shanghai Chengtou Holding Co., Ltd. Majority of the landfill gas produced in the world will be procured from municipal solid waste. However, players in the global landfill gas market will continue to remain in distress for flouting environmental laws that curb the production of greenhouse gases such as methane, which are a key component of landfill gasses.
PR-Inside.com: 2019-04-09 20:55:35

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Research N Reports added a new statistical data titled as Military Helicopters market which gives the detailed statistics about the market industries and their framework. The data which has been studied for preparing the report considers the existing key players as well as upcoming key players of the market. The analysis of the industry factors mainly focuses on the major key points such as production base, manufacturing types, prices, shares.A military helicopter is a helicopter that is either specifically built or converted for use by military forces. A military helicopter's mission is a function of its design or conversion. The most common use of military helicopters is transport of troops, but transport helicopters can be modified or converted to perform other missions such as combat search and rescue, medical evacuation, airborne command post, or even armed with weapons for attacking ground targets. Specialized military helicopters are intended to conduct specific missions.Request for Sample Copy Of this Report @ https://www.researchnreports.com/request_sample.php?id=72362 The major players in global Military Helicopters market include Bell Helicopter Textron Inc, AVIC Helicopter Company, Airbus Military Helicopters, MD Military Helicopters Inc, Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., Enstrom Helicopter Corporation, Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, Russian Military Helicopters JSC, Robinson Helicopter Company.The market strategy is measured on the basis of various geographical locations across the world such as North America, Japan, China, Europe, Asia, and India, which helps to enlarge the businesses in aerospace and defense sectors. The production, consumption, and revenue is calculated in terms of facts and figures, which can help to give proper direction to industries.Depth idea of the competitors is studied by using primary and secondary research techniques which gives a clear idea about the global competition to seek the best solutions.The opportunities in front of the various Military Helicopters Market industries are calculated by considering the different factors like consumer segmentation, purchasing decision, services, industries, and environmental analysis. The notable points such as drivers, risk analysis, and investors are examined in different fields to shed light on the flow of the businesses. This report gives an extensive valuable data that gives a clear idea about the current scenario of the Military Helicopters market during the forecast period 2025.Buyers will get up to 40% discount on this report Click Here:Based On Product Types:Light HelicoptersMedium HelicoptersHeavy HelicoptersBased On Applications:Attack Helicopters,Transport Helicopters,Observation Helicopters,Maritime Helicopters,Multi-mission and Rescue Helicopters,Training HelicoptersThe 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?Table Of Content:Global Military Helicopters Market Research Report 2019-2025:Chapter 1: Military Helicopters Market OverviewChapter 2: Global Economic ImpactChapter 3: Competition by ManufacturerChapter 4: Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2019-2025)Chapter 5: Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2019-2025)Chapter 6: Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter 7: 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: Market Forecast (2019-2025)Chapter 13: AppendixFor more Information and Enquiry Click Here:
PR-Inside.com: 2019-04-09 14:34:36

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VANCOUVER, CANADA / ACCESSWIRE / April 9, 2019 /Sarama Resources Limited ("Sarama" or the "Company") (TSXV: SWA) is pleased to announce that ASX listed mid-tier gold producer, Silver Lake Resources Limited will become a cornerstone investor in Sarama by investing C$2,500,000 as part of a larger non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") to raise gross proceeds of up to C$4,500,000. The Private Placement will involve the issuance of up to 52,941,176 common shares of Sarama (the "Shares") at a price of C$0.085 per Share.Andrew Dinning, Sarama resources CEO commented: "We are pleased that an astute, growth-oriented, gold producer like Silver Lake Resources has decided to invest in Sarama as part of its stated strategy of supporting well credentialed management teams to pursue and advance prospective projects. We welcome them as a new cornerstone investor and look forward to realising the benefits this relationship will bring.We intend to use proceeds from this raise to consolidate and advance our interests in the prolific Hounde Belt in south-west Burkina Faso where we intend to grow our already significant oxide and free-milling mineral resource base and define the development opportunity that is now before us." Figure 1- Sarama Resources' Exploration and Development Projects in South-West Burkina FasoThe proceeds of the Private Placement will be used to fund payments to regain 100% ownership of the South Hounde Project (news release dated 27 November 2018), exploration activities and to meet working capital requirements of the Company. Sarama intends to undertake a resource development program to firm-up and expand existing oxide and free-milling mineral resources on the South Hounde and ThreeBee Projects.The South Hounde Project hosts an inferred mineral resource of 2.1Moz Au(1), including an oxide and transition component of 611koz Au(1). The ThreeBee Project hosts the Bondi Deposit which has a historical mineral resource(1) of 282koz Au measured and indicated; and 150koz Au inferred. Together, these projects form the foundation for possible development in the region.Exploration drilling in 2018 has identified extensions to the Bondi Deposit and new zones of high potential. The ThreeBee Project also hosts the Bamako Property where a +3km-long gold-quartz vein system has been identified that has returned rock-chip assays up to 18.9g/t Au and gold-in-soil values of up to 13.6g/t Au and historical scout drilling results including 16m @ 6.1g/t Au.The Private Placement will be conducted on a non-brokered basis to accredited investors pursuant to prospectus exemptions available under applicable securities laws and is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.A four-month hold period will apply to all the Shares. The Company plans to close the Private Placement on or about April 20, 2019 but reserves the right to extend the closing date and may close the placement in one or more tranches.The Shares 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 an exemption from registration is available. This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the Shares within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. Persons (as defined under Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act), nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.For further information on the Company's activities, please contact:Andrew Dinning or Lui Evangelistae: info@ saramaresources.com t: +61 (0) 8 9363 7600ABOUT SARAMA RESOURCES LTDSarama Resources Ltd (TSX-V: SWA) is a West-African focused gold explorer and developer with substantial landholdings in Burkina Faso. Sarama is focused on consolidating under-explored landholdings in Burkina Faso and advancing its key projects towards development.Sarama's 100%-owned(7) South Hounde and ThreeBee Projects are located within the prolific Hounde Greenstone Belt in south-west Burkina Faso and are the exploration and development focus of the company. Its exploration programs have successfully discovered an inferred mineral resource estimate of 2.1Moz gold(2) at the South Hounde Project which is complemented by the ThreeBee Project's Bondi Deposit (historical estimate of mineral resources of 0.3Moz Au measured and indicated and 0.1Moz Au inferred(2)).Together, the projects form a cluster of advanced gold deposits, within trucking distance of one another, which potentially offers a development option for a multi-source fed central processing facility in the southern Hounde Belt region of Burkina Faso.Sarama has also built a growth pipeline which features a new 600km exploration position in the highly prospective Banfora Belt in south-western Burkina Faso. The Koumandara Project hosts several regional-scale structural features and trends of gold-in-soil anomalism extending for over 40km along strike.Sarama holds a 25% participating interest in the Karankasso Project Joint Venture ("JV") which is situated adjacent to the Company's South Hounde Project in Burkina Faso and is a JV between Sarama and Savary Gold Corp. ("Savary"). Savary is the operator of the JV and in October 2015, declared a maiden inferred mineral resource estimate of 671,000 ounces of contained gold(3) at the Karankasso Project JV.Incorporated in 2010, the Company's Board and management team have a proven track record in Africa and a strong history in the discovery and development of large-scale gold deposits. Sarama is well positioned to build on its current success with a sound exploration strategy across its property portfolio.FOOTNOTESSouth Hounde Project - 43.0Mt @ 1.5g/t Au (reported above cut-off grades ranging 0.3-2.2g/t Au, reflecting the mining methods and processing flowsheets assumed to assess the likelihood of the inferred mineral resources having reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction). This mineral resource contains an oxide and transition component of 16.0Mt @ 1.2g/t Au for 611koz Au (reported at a cut-off grade of 0.3g/t Au for oxide and 0.8g/t Au for transition material). The effective date of the Company's inferred mineral resource estimate is February 4, 2016. For further information regarding the min
PR-Inside.com: 2019-04-09 05:03:03

SUCCESSFUL START TO THE YEAR WITH 7.1% SALES GROWTH IN FIRST QUARTER

Sales growth of 7.1% in local currencies to CHF 1,644.8 million (+5.8% in CHF)

Growth in all regions

New mortar factory established in Senegal

Announced acquisition of three companies: Parex, global, King Packaged Materials, Canada, and Belineco, Belarus

Confirmation of outlook with sales target of at least CHF 8 billion in 2019

Sika has continued its growth trajectory with a successful start to the 2019 business year, reporting a new sales record of CHF 1,644.8 million in the first quarter. This equates to an increase of 7.1% in local currencies. A negative currency effect (-1.3%) led to robust sales growth in Swiss francs of 5.8%.

Paul Schuler, Chief Executive Officer: In a commercially challenging environment we have delivered sales growth of 7.1%, which represents a strong start to the new business year. The acquisition of Parex, which is expected to complete in the second quarter, will provide us with a first-class growth platform. Our organization is set up for the next level of growth, and we anticipate sales to exceed CHF 8 billion for the first time in 2019 as a whole.

GROWTH IN ALL REGIONS

In the first quarter of 2019, sales in the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East, Africa) increased by 8.2% (previous year: 10.2%). Business developed well in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (DACH area). The countries of Eastern Europe and Africa posted double-digit growth rates. In Africa, the new national subsidiaries in particular significantly contributed to the strong growth.

At the start of 2019, Sika announced the acquisition of Belineco, a polyurethane foam systems manufacturer based in Belarus. The takeover will further improve access to the East European market. In addition, Sika has invested in a mortar production facility in Senegal.

The Americas region recorded growth of 4.8% (previous year: 12.2%). Numerous major construction projects have been delayed in the United States due to the ongoing shortage of skilled labor. In Mexico, the change in government has led to noticeable cost-cutting measures in the area of infrastructure. Business development in Brazil and Colombia was higher than average. In Canada, the acquisition of the King Packaged Materials Company in the reporting period brought a leading manufacturer of concrete repair systems into the Group.

Sales in the Asia/Pacific region rose by 2.8% (previous year: 3.9%). Double-digit growth rates were reported in two of the largest economies of Asia, namely China and India. By contrast, growth in the countries of Southeast Asia and the Pacific area was uneven, and in some cases even negative.

The Global Business segment recorded growth of 13.3% (previous year: 20.9%), 11.3% being attributed to acquisitions. In the Automotive area, Sika was further able to increase its market share in the first quarter and grow organically, despite the decline in car production figures worldwide. In particular, Sika is benefiting from the megatrends evident in modern automotive construction, which are dominated by electromobility and lightweight construction. New platforms and multi-material designs are opening up new avenues of growth potential for Sika.

OUTLOOK: SALES TARGET OF CHF 8 BILLION IN 2019

Sika expects sales to increase by 68% in 2019, in accordance with the Groups Strategic Targets 2020, and anticipates an over-proportional rise in profits. With the consolidation of Parex tentatively taking place in the second quarter, sales is set to exceed CHF 8 billion for the first time. The implementation of the Group's growth strategy will continue in 2019 with the opening of between seven and nine new factories, and the establishment of further growth platforms in the form of acquisitions. Details of the new Strategy 2023 will be presented at the Sika Capital Markets Day on October 3, 2019.

NET SALES IN THE FIRST THREE MONTHS OF 2019

In CHF mn 1/1/2018- 3/31/2018 1/1/2019-3/31/2019 Year-on-year change (+/- in %) in CHF



In local currencies1 Currency effect Acquisition

effect By region EMEA 691.5 723.8 4.7 8.2 -3.5 1.2 Americas 389.0 412.5 6.0 4.8 1.2 1.6 Asia/Pacific 257.7 266.2 3.3 2.8 0.5 0.0 Global Business 215.8 242.3 12.3 13.3 -1.0 11.3 Net sales consolidated 1,554.0 1,644.8 5.8 7.1 -1.3 2.5 Products for the construction industry 1,170.2 1,225.8 4.8 5.9 -1.1 1.2 Products for

industrial manufacturing 383.8 419.0 9.2 10.8 -1.6 6.4 1 including acquisitions

FINANCIAL CALENDAR

51st Annual General Meeting Tuesday, April 9, 2019 Half-Year Report 2019 Thursday, July 25, 2019 Results first nine months 2019 Thursday, October 24, 2019 Net sales 2019 Tuesday, January 7, 2020 Media conference/analyst presentation

on 2019 full-year results Friday, February 21, 2020 52nd Annual General Meeting Tuesday, April 21, 2020

CONTACT

Dominik Slappnig

Corporate Communications &

Investor Relations

+41 58 436 68 21

slappnig.dominik@ch.sika.com

SIKA CORPORATE PROFILE

Sika is a specialty chemicals company with a leading position in the development and production of systems and products for bonding, sealing, damping, reinforcing, and protecting in the building sector and motor vehicle industry. Sika has subsidiaries in 101 countries around the world and manufactures in over 200 factories. Its more than 20,000 employees generated annual sales of CHF 7.09 billion in 2018.

The media release can be downloaded from the following link:

Attachments
Nigeria and Japan on Tuesday in Abuja signed a $14.2 million aid project to strengthen the diagnostic capacity of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)

The signing was done by the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udoma for Nigeria and the Ambassador of Japan to Nigeria, Yukata Kikuta for Japan. It was witnessed by the Minister of Health, Isaac Adewale.

The total project cost is put at about JPY 1.58 billion (Japanese Yen), which is an equivalent of $14.2 million.

Mr Udoma said the project was in line with the objectives of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), which has investing in our people as one of the three broad objectives.

Under the ERGP, we are committed to improving the accessibility, affordability and quality of healthcare. We are therefore appreciative of the Japanese Government for supporting this project which is directed at improving healthcare in Nigeria, Mr Udoma quoted as saying.

Nigeria, like many other African countries, he said, has had outbreaks of infectious diseases from time to time.

He said the Nigerian Government was determined to address emerging public health threats whenever they may occur.

Given the limited resources that the country has, he said Nigerians appreciate the support by the Government of Japan to improve and strengthen the work of the NCDC.

He reiterated Nigerias commitment to achieving sustainable economic development as set out in the ERGP and was appreciative of the support the country continues to receive from the Japanese government.

Mr Adewale acknowledged this would not be the first time the Japanese Government would be intervening in critical sectors in Nigeria.

He expressed the hope that the new project will enlarge the capacity of the NCDC to diagnose and treat serious cases.

The health sector is grateful to Japan for this gesture, he added.

The Japanese Ambassador, Mr Kikuta, said Japan has over the years built and maintained a consistent partnership with Nigeria towards strengthening and improving Nigerias health sector.

According to him, it is a common fact that access to health systems is a key to improving the quality of life of people and promoting a countrys development.

The envoy said NCDC, which plays an essential role in controlling infectious diseases, suffers from a shortage of containment facilities and instruments required for the safe, rapid and accurate handling of infectious diseases.

He observed that the health sector in Nigeria is vulnerable, while its ability to deliver services is limited.

In order to take domestic and international countermeasures against infectious diseases specified in the national health policy from now on, it is necessary to expand the building facility and equipment to strengthen the capacity for diagnosis and research of NCDC, he said.

In recent weeks, a Lassa outbreak has rocked many parts of the nation, claiming casualties.
An Indian court has ordered the release of a journalist sentenced to jail for allegedly criticising leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on social media.

Kishorchand Wangkhem, who works in the north-eastern state of Manipur, was sentenced to 12 months prison for sedition under Indias National Security Act in December.

The Manipur High Court on Monday overturned the detention order, according to the judgment on the court website.

The judges set aside the government orders on grounds that local authorities had not provided the journalist copies of posts and videos uploaded by him.

The 39-year-old allegedly criticised N Biren Singh, Chief Minister of Manipur and BJP politician for holding celebrations on the birthday of the Rani  or queen  of Jhansi.

She was a 19th-century freedom fighter and a popular symbol of Indias independence movement under British rule.

Mr Wangkhem allegedly said the Rani had nothing to do with the state of Manipur, which is roughly 2000 kilometres to the east of where she was active.

He was alleged to have called Mr Singh a puppet for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJPs ideological parent, the right-wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh movement.

Mr Wangkhems arrest was criticised by press associations in India and abroad.

According to the press freedom rankings by Reporters Without Borders, India ranks 138, below Algeria and Myanmar.

Although I am extremely happy that my husband will soon be released, I am worried about the future.

The people, who put my husband behind bars, are still in power, Mr Wangkhems wife, Ranjeeta told the Indian Express daily.

(dpa/NAN)
Algerias parliament on Tuesday appointed its Upper House Chairman, Abdelkader Bensalah, as interim president following the resignation of ailing Abdelaziz Bouteflika after weeks of mass demonstrations against his rule.

His appointment is in keeping with Algerias constitution but protesters, who want sweeping democratic reforms, oppose figures like Mr Bensalah, a close associate of Mr Bouteflika and his inner circle who dominated Algeria for decades.

Shortly after the announcement in parliament, hundreds of mostly students protested in central Algiers, some chanting Bensalah go.

The big question is how Algerias powerful military  long seen as a kingmaker in Algerian politics  will react to Mr Bensalahs appointment and any opposition that arises.

Army Chief of Staff, Gaid Salah, a lieutenant general, carefully managed Mr Bouteflikas exit, which came after six weeks of mostly peaceful demonstrations.

Mr Salah has expressed support for protesters, who want democratic reforms after almost 60 years of monolithic rule by veterans of the 1954-62 independence war against France.

Upon stepping down, Mr Bouteflika promised that elections would be held after 90 days as part of a transition he said would usher in a new era.

As per the Algerian constitution, Mr Bensalah will remain interim president until new elections are held.

We must work to allow the Algerian people elect their president as soon as possible, Mr Bensalah told parliament.

Mr Bouteflika stepped down last week after pressure from the powerful military and nationwide protests against his 20-year rule.

His fourth term was due to end on April 28.

The parliament voted to declare the vacancy of the presidents post and appointed Mr Bensalah, 76, to run Algeria for a 90-day transitional period, in line with the constitution.

Naming an interim president allows the country to organise elections.

But Mr Bensalah, who cannot run in the elections, does not have the support of Algerias opposition parties, which boycotted Tuesdays session in parliament.

In March, Bouteflika yielded to the demands of protesters and renounced his bid for a fifth term in office and indefinitely postponed the presidential polls, originally scheduled for April 18.

That failed to appease protesters, who saw the moves as a trick to prolong his term in office.

As protests continued, Algerias military joined the calls for Mr Bouteflikas departure, which ultimately led to his resignation on April 2.

Mr Bouteflika had been in power since 1999.

He suffered a stroke in 2013 and has rarely been seen in public since then.

(Reuters/NAN)
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is to spend about N162 billion for its five-year Strategic Health Development Plan (SHDP), the minister of the territory, Muhammad Bello, has said.

Mr Bello disclosed this at the launch of the FCT SHDP II on Tuesday in Abuja.

The minister, who was represented by the Secretary, Health and Human Services Secretariat, Adamu Bappah, said the FCT SHDP was approved in August 2017.

He added that it was endorsed by the Federal Executive Council in September 2018 and was launched by President Muhammadu Buhari in January.

The FCT has continued to record giant strides in immunisation, especially the yellow fever coverage at 96.6 per cent.

Thirteen primary health care clinics have been constructed and ten solar-powered boreholes provided among others.

Furthermore, healthcare service provision has commended from the Karu and Zuba General Hospitals; 19 primary and secondary health facilities across the six FCT Area Councils have been upgraded and rehabilitated.

Also the FCT came first among the six implementing states for November 2018 mass vaccination campaign, the FCT minister said.

Mr Bello assured that the administration was committed to providing effective health care services.

He called on stakeholders to use the framework to adequately harness the policy gaps and programme interventions required to improve the performance of the health sector towards quality delivery.

In her goodwill message, Furaira Zakari, FCT Representative for the World Health Organisation (WHO), said the SHDP was in line with the UN policy on healthcare in Nigeria.

Zakari said it also aligned with global productivity, and assured that the WHO would gladly support the targeted goals and ensure they are achieved.

Ismail Galadima, the FCT Representative for UNICEF, expressed commitment to work with the FCT to make sure that targets are met for proper delivery.

Adamu Yunusa, Chairman, FCT Council of Traditional Rulers, implored the health sector to implement the newly launched plan for the benefit of residents.

I urge the FCT to implement the SHDP so that my own people in the FCT will benefit from the gesture, Mr Yunusa said.

Stakeholders within the FCT such as Save One Million Lives (SOML), Health Policy Plus and ALGON were also present at the event.

(NAN)
The Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan Ali, on Tuesday said fresh intelligence had exposed the complicity of some highly-placed traditional rulers in the ongoing killings of Nigerians across the northern parts of the country.

Deadly attacks blamed on bandits have increased in north west states of Zamfara, Sokoto, and Katsina, with hundreds killed in recent months.

In the north east, attacks by the insurgent group Boko Haram have continued, affecting mostly Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.

The widespread killings by rampaging armed bandits had prompted a surge in military and police deployment in those states, with President Muhammadu Buhari promising an escalation of security response if required.

The government on Sunday ordered the immediate stoppage of artisanal mining in Zamfara saying it had confirmed the attacks had links to illegal exploration of solid minerals in the area.

Mr Dan Ali in a Tuesday morning statement to PREMIUM TIMES said unnamed but high-profile traditional leaders had been identified as culpable in the violence, and vowed that they would not be sparred.

Mr Dan Ali said locals, especially in Sokoto, Katsina, Zamfara and other parts of northern Nigeria ravaged by faceless gunmen, should rise in unison to support all governments efforts aimed at addressing the crisis, especially because soldiers and other elements in the armed forces cannot combat it alone.

It is instructive to mention here that insurgency and terrorism are global phenomena that cannot be addressed through military actions only, Mr Dan Ali said.

However, in spite of the concerted efforts of the Armed Forces and other security some unpatriotic persons including highly placed traditional rulers in the areas were identified as helping the bandits with intelligence to perpetuate their nefarious actions or to compromise military operations, the minister said.

Mr Dan Ali did mention names of traditional leaders suspected to be fueling the violence, or whether any of them had been arrested.

A spokesperson for the ministry did not immediately answer requests seeking comments.

The minister also said the suspension of mining across Zamfara was amongst the key decisions the administration believed were key to returning normalcy to the region.
The Police Service Commission on Tuesday announced the dismissal of nine senior officers from service over gross misconduct stemming from the 2011 recruitment exercise.

The police regulatory body also said six officers were demoted for official wrongdoings. All the disciplinary measured took immediate effect, according to a statement by PSC spokesperson Ikechukwu Ani.

Those dismissed included: Abdul Yahaya Ahmed, a superintendent of police who will also be prosecuted; Adamu Damji Abare, was demoted from chief police superintendent to police superintendent before being dismissed.

The PSC asked Inspector-General Mohammed Adamu to provide updates on some other officers who were also culpable in Mr Abares offence but who still remained at large.

The officers were recommended for punishment alongside Mr Abare over their alleged misconduct in the 2011 recruitment exercise, the PSC said.

Other dismissed officers included: Osondu Christian, a depute superintendent of police; Samson Ahmidu, also a DSP; Pius Timiala, another DSP was demoted from superintendent of police and recommended for prosecution; Agatha Usman, Esther Yahaya, Idris Shehu and Hassan Dass, all assistant superintendents of police.

Oluwatoyin Adesope and Mansir Bako were reduced in rank from SP to DSP, while Gbenle Mathew; Tijani Saifullahi; Sadiq Idris and Alice Abbah were reduced from the rank of DSP to ASP.

Five officers were recommended for severe reprimand, five others will be reprimanded.

Austin Agbonlahor, a police commissioner, was also investigated, but exonerated by the commission, although the specific allegations against him were not immediately disclosed.

The penalties came at the 5th plenary meeting of the PSC which held in Abuja on March 26 and 27 and presided over by Musiliu Smith, a retired police inspector-general and chairman of the commission.

The decisions have been conveyed to Mr Adamu for implementation in a letter signed by Nnamdi Mbaeri, permanent secretary and secretary to the PSC.

The PSC said the move was part of efforts to sanitise the police of bad elements. Dozens of senior police officers, including those who have attained the rank of commissioner, had been dismissed from service in recent years for offences ranging from dereliction of duty to theft.
The police in Kaduna on Tuesday said armed men riding on motorbikes killed 21 persons at Banono and Angwan AKU communities in Kufana district of Kajuru Local Government Area.

The police said the during the incident which occurred on Monday at about 9:30 am, the attackers invaded the communities shooting sporadically.

The command spokesperson, Yakubu Sabo said the armed men also injured three persons and torched ten houses.

According to him, the attackers also stole 50 cows.

He explained that mobile police officers and vigilantes later mobilised, repelled the attackers and evacuated the injured to the hospital.

We received a distress call that a group of armed men in large number on motorbikes entered Banono and Anguwan Aku; both are remote neighbouring villages in Kufana district of Kajuru LGA.

The attackers started shooting sporadically, attacking the villagers and in the process shot and killed 21, injured three others and torched ten houses.

The bandits also rustled about 50 cows. A combined team of PMF personnel, conventional police, army and the local vigilante were promptly mobilised to the area, (they) repelled the attack and evacuated both the dead and the injured to hospital.

He said efforts are on to apprehend the fleeing suspects while security has been beefed.

Buhari Condemns

President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the killings.

A statement by a spokesperson for the president however quoted 20 deaths.

It said the deaths are the latest incident between the Adara and Fulani peoples in the state, who have a long history of mistrust between themselves.

President Buhari appealed for peace and decried the ongoing culture of an eye for an eye that has fuelled a number of attacks and reprisal attacks, with the two communities at different times, suffering casualties in Kajuru and Kachia local governments in Kaduna States.

He also appealed to indigenes of Kaduna and other Nigerians to refrain from comments in the traditional and social media, especially by people who have little knowledge of the history of the longstanding conflict. Such comments, he said, can fuel further conflict in the area and between the two groups.

President Buhari made a special appeal to traditional and religious leaders to be cautious with their comments on the conflict, insisting that whatever words they share publicly should not be inflammatory but be inspired by an interest in peace.

President Buhari condoled with those who lost loved ones in the attacks: The entire nation grieves with you. The Nigerian army and police are already in the area to ensure that peace and security are restored.
The police have begun an investigation into human parts peddling in Ekiti State after a 23-year-old man was found with human hands in Ijero Ekiti.

According to the police spokesman, Caleb Ikechukwu, the man, simply identified as Nifemi, was arrested by officials of the command. The police said some human hands were found with him in a black polythene bag.

Mr Ikechukwu said the man was nabbed during a stop and search operation on Saturday at Ijero Ekiti.

The suspect was reportedly on his way to Okemesi Ekiti when he was arrested.

There has been an increase in security surveillance in the area since last weekend following fears of a likely attack by bandits.

Ekiti State has also been plagued by series of kidnappings and ritual killing in the recent past.

Despite the efforts of security agencies in combing the forest in the affected areas, the problem has refused to abate.

Mr Nifemi was said to have hidden severed hands in a polythene bag and was on his way to Okemesi to sell the parts to his customers.

He also reportedly confessed to the police that he got the parts from Asa farmstead, near Okemesi.

When quizzed by the police, the young man said he got the two hands at Asa farmstead near Okemesi and had brought them to Ijero, he said.

Mr Ikechukwu, who confirmed the incident on Monday in Ado Ekiti, indicated that the suspect could be an agent of a syndicate specialised in peddling human parts for ungodly purposes.

He said investigations had started and efforts were on to break the syndicate.

Our men arrested him during one of our operations. We are gathering more facts about the case, because we are aware he has been operating with some people and they have to be brought to book, he said.
The senior special assistant to the vice president on media and publicity, Laolu Akande, has said self-regulation by the media in Nigeria will help eliminate government regulation.

He said this while speaking at a workshop on legal and ethical issues in investigative journalism in Abuja on Monday.

The workshop, scheduled for two days, is being organised by Daily Trust newspaper in collaboration with Centre for Media Law and Development.

Mr Akande, who represented the vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, said with self-regulation, adoption of ethical codes and understanding the legal issues guiding the journalism profession in Nigeria, media practitioners can help preserve media credibility, check fake news and also enlarge its investigative journalism space, which is, he said, is becoming a dying art.

He said in this age of social media, fake news spread like wild fire, and facts are distorted by a few individuals leveraging on various media platforms to push outright misrepresentation into the public space.

This is especially critical in this era of fake news and alternative truths, which can spread like wild fire, especially online. The need to be the first to get a scoop and break an exclusive story these days have relegated investigative journalism to the very background.

Recent events, including the past general elections  where fake news and unverified information were shared by many on different media platforms, and on social media especially  have also put a spotlight on the importance of investigative journalism and why our country needs this aspect of the profession more than ever.

Of course, we should always be conscious of over-regulation or infractions of the freedom of the press or freedom of information.

It is important that self-regulation is robust enough to prevent a situation where government or formal establishments pass laws and regulations of the trade. I think once self-regulation is robust enough, it is easier to then make the case that we should not have government regulation, he said.

On the legal standpoint, Mr Akande urged investigative journalists to discharge their duties without infringing on the fundamental rights of an individual or having unauthorised access to information that may put the journalist at the risk of criminal prosecution or going against the laws of the land.

He also admonished journalists to strive to abide by the code of ethics in the practice of their profession, because without adhering to a code of ethics, investigative journalism, or any profession at all, would not thrive as much as it should.

Mr Akande explained that according to OPEC statistics, between 2010 and 2014, Nigeria earned over $383 billion from oil sales, but with little to show for it in terms of infrastructure.

However, between 2015 and 2018, when the federal government (under President Muhammadu Buhari) earned a little over $90 billion, that country was able to achieve much in the area of huge investments in infrastructure and welfare of Nigerians.

Since 2016, in two budget cycles, the Buhari administration has spent N2.7 trillion in capital and mostly on infrastructure and this is the largest capital spend in our nations history, despite the fact that the country has earned 60 per cent less than in the previous last 5 years, he said.

He added that the practice of more investigative journalism would, therefore, help to eliminate grand corruption and waste of national resources; which would ensure an improved culture of fiscal prudence in government and public accountability.

He also pledged that government will continue to play its part in providing conducive environment for the practice of good journalism and ensuring the safety of journalists wherever they find themselves in the line of duty.

A senior Nigerian lawyer, Femi Falana, who delivered the lead paper at the workshop, spoke on legal and regulatory issues in investigative journalism in Nigeria.

Mr Falana, who pointed that investigative journalism is a risky part of the profession, said there is judicial backing for investigative journalism.

He explained that journalists in Nigeria are mandatorily required to operate under legal and ethical regulations and standards.

He further listed some Nigerian laws that investigative journalists should pay attention to when carrying out investigations.

They include the Official Secrets Act, Cybercrimes law, Defamation law, and Penal and Criminal Code.

Others include the Childs Right Act, Freedom of Information Act and media parade of suspects.

Dapo Olorunyomi, a speaker at the workshop, presented a paper on Dynamics of Investigative Journalism: Truth and Conflict of Interest.

Describing investigative journalism as an accountability profession, Mr Olorunyomi, the publisher of PREMIUM TIMES, said conflict of interest seeks to undermine trust in the practice of journalism by violating the integrity of the journalist and the credibility of the organisation.

For truth to prevail as the primary obligation of journalism, the journalist must be free of any form of obligation than to the audience, he said.

He further explained that conflicts arise from accepting pecks and gifts, publicly stating positions on controversial issues and relationship with subject of news coverage.

The workshop, which will continue on Tuesday, is aimed at portraying the legal and ethical issues in investigative journalism.
The failure of the senate committee on appropriations to present its report has stalled the consideration and possible passage of the 2019 budget.

The vice chairman of the committee, Sunny Obuoji, on Tuesday told the senate that the report is not ready because more than half of the sub-committees are yet to submit their reports.

The senate president, Bukola Saraki, had, at the close of plenary, asked Mr Obuoji, to brief the senate on the progress made by the committee, so far.

If you remember last week, we made a commitment that by Thursday, youll be laying the appropriation report.

We want to find out how far and how much progress you have done with your committee and whether everybody has submitted their report and whether you are on course. Please inform us where you are, he said.

In his response, Mr Ogbuoji said failure of the sub-committees to submit their reports have made it impossible for the appropriations committee to prepare its own report.

We are still having some challenges with the sub-committees on appropriations because out of the 61 committees that we have, only about 24 committees have submitted their reports and we are unable to go ahead and write the appropriation report unless we get further directive from here.

My request would have been that we be allowed to prepare this report even on behalf of the committee that have not submitted their report. Thats where we are now, unfortunately, he explained.

Mr Saraki, however, directed the committee to have its report ready by Thursday, with or without the reports from other sub-committees.

It is unfortunate that only 24 committees have submitted their reports. Last week, we all took a decision that we are not going to waver on our position.

Our position was very clear that all committees should submit and for those that dont submit, the appropriation should use executive submission.

So, I think that position is still where we are and I want to appeal to all our committees, we have just tomorrow to make sure that their reports gets to you because Thursday, you must lay this report here.

If you dont get reports from the committees by tomorrow, then you just use executive submission. But come Thursday, you must lay that report. That is the position we have taken, he said.

Mr Sarakis query comes a week after he moved that the senate suspend plenary for a week to enable the committee present and lay the report.

Last Tuesday, Mr Ogbuoji said less than 10 committees that had submitted their reports.

He asked for one more week as he said the report is not ready for the same reason  which Mr Saraki granted.

The senate had on March 20, suspended plenary for two weeks to enable lawmakers to attend to the same budget matters.

Nigerias 2019 budget was on Tuesday passed for second reading at then Senate.

After the passage, the Senate mandated its committee on appropriation to work on the N8.8 trillion budget.
The Senate on Tuesday read for the third time and passed the Police Trust Fund Bill.

The bill, which was presented on the floor of the senate as a bill for concurrence from the House of Representatives, was passed after a clause-by-clause consideration.

The Senate also passed four other bills for concurrence.

They are the National Institute for Security Studies (NISS) Establishment Bill, 2019; the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers in Nigeria Bill, 2019; the Animal Diseases Control Act (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2019 and the Federal University of Education, Nsugbe Establishment Bill, 2019.

The Police Trust Fund Bill was first read in the House of Representatives on March 1, 2017 and scaled second reading on May 25, 2017 and was referred to the house committee on police for consideration.

It was read for the third time and passed in the house on February 13, 2018.

The bill seeks to address the funding challenges of the Nigeria police in totality and on a sustainable basis. It seeks to tax corporate entities to complement the Federal Government in funding the police.

The bill will also enable the police to be on first line charge, and would be funded by agreed percentages to be deducted from local and foreign businesses operating in the country.

The funds would then be directly channelled to the state commands on quarterly basis.

Some purposes of the Trust Fund include purchase of equipment, machneries, including operational vehicles for the Nigerian Police Force (NPF).

It will also be utilised for the construction of police stations, provisions of living facilities, such as quaters or barracks of the NPF.

Part of the provisions of the bill is exemption from tax.

It says the Trust Fund shall be exempted from the payment of income tax on any income accruing from investments made by the Trust Fund or otherwise howsoever.

The provisions of any enactment relating to the taxation of companies or trust funds shall not apply to the Trust Fund.

The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who congratulated his colleagues in both Chambers on the passage of the bill, said by passing the bill, they will be creating big strides towards providing and improving security and the policing in our country.

One of the major concerns has always been the issue of funding. We believe that this bill will provide the funding needed for training and recruitment. I am confident that by the time we lay the report on the Police Reform Bill, we would have gone a long way in moving the police in the right direction, he said.

The passage of the bill comes a week after Mr Saraki met with the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, on the issue.

He had promised that the Senate would fast-track its work on both the Police Trust Fund Bill and the Police Reform Bill.
The Senate on Tuesday, passed the 2019 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP).

The MTEF and FSP are documents that provide the framework of designing a budget as enshrined in section 11 (3)of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007.

President Muhammadu Buhari had on November 6, 2018, sent a letter to the National Assembly detailing the provisions of the two documents.

In it, he made proposals for budget deficit, crude oil benchmark price, exchange rate, among others.

The Chairman Senate committee on Finance, John Enoh who presented said the committee maintained the daily production output of crude oil at 2.3 million barrel per day, USD $60.0/6 as crude oil benchmark price, N305/1US$ as the exchange rate and N500 billion as special intervention fund  as proposed by the president.

On crude oil production, the committee advised that target be achievable due to the continuous effort of all stakeholders in checkmating the issues of oil facilities vandalism and other vices associated with such regard.

The committee, however, reduced the proposal for the budget deficit largely financed by borrowing from N1.86 trillion to N1.64 trillion.

It was recommended that the Central Bank of Nigeria continue to adopt strategies on exchange rate that will aid in the strengthening of the Naira and bridging the gap between the official and parallel market rate of the foreign exchange.

The committee also urged relevant agencies to continue exploring way of generating additional revenues to bring down the fiscal deficit.

Other suggestions from the committees asked that the Federal Government should harness the full optimal potential of the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development in terms of Revenue Generation to minimise the level of borrowing.

The Federal Government should consider reducing the granting waivers and exemptions while ensuring that the Nigerian Customs Service personnel are at all oil terminals for accountability and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) should consider increasing Tax on luxury goods and services.

Twenty per cent operating surplus to be remitted by Government owned Enterprises should be deducted at source.

The Senates approval comes weeks after Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udoma, appeared before the Senate to explain why the federal government made slight adjustments on the 2019 MTEF/FSP approved by the Executive Council of the Federation.

He said the adjustment was to accommodate some unanticipated expenditure items in the 2019 budget proposals and the adjustments only affected the projected expenditure.
Elders under the aegis of North Central Elders Forum have formerly endorsed the Deputy House Leader of the House of Representatives, Idris Wase, for the seat of the speaker in the ninth assembly.

The forum made its stand known on Tuesday at a press conference in Abuja.

Muhammadu Ari-Gwaska, who spoke for the group, said after due consultations, the forum decided to adopt its most senior member for the position.

He said he was optimistic that Umaru Bago, another aspirant from the zone, would step down for his senior brother.

He went further to say the North Central geo-political zone in its diverse nature and peaceful disposition had always been predisposed to being shortchanged in power sharing.

The people of this zone have over the years molded our diversity into a strong quilt that has strengthened us with the capacity to engage and interrogate the exogenous manipulation of power, leadership and patronage among the comity of nations to bring into sharp focus the understanding of our place as a bridge in the Nigerian Project, he said.

He appealed to the All Progressives Congress (APC) hierarchy to as a matter of deliberate policy, give the speakership to the geo-political zone.

This he said was for the purpose of fairness, equity, justice, unity and loyalty as necessary ingredients in forming a government that will effectively drive the agenda of the party.

Mr. Wase, who is yet to formally declare his intention to run for the position, will be facing some of his colleagues in the race.

They include the Majority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, Mukhtar Betara, Abdulrazak Namdas and Umar Bago.

The APC leadership recently declared support for Yobe senator, Ahmed Lawan, for Senate President. The party is also believed to be in support of Mr Gbajabiamila for Speaker.

The adoption of Mr Lawan was condemned by some APC lawmakers, including Borno senator, Ali Ndume, who also seeks to be the Senate president.

Mr Ndume has vowed to continue with his ambition, saying he enjoys the support of many APC senators-elect.

The APC enjoys a clear majority in the incoming House of Representatives, winning over 200 of the 360 seats.

The party is expected to produce the Speaker, but as it happened in 2015, a different candidate other than that endorsed by the party leadership may contest the election.

While both Messrs Lawan and Gbajabiamila were endorsed by the party for the positions in 2015, Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara emerged as the Senate President and Speaker of the House respectively.

The two winners later defected from the APC to the PDP.
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on Tuesday, launched operation Tsaftan Daji (Clean Forest), to flush out bandits in the North-West.

Launching the operation in Katsina, Air Officer Commanding, Special Operations Command, Napoleon Bali, an Air Vice-Marshal, said the operation was drawn from Diran Mikiya operation of the NAF.

Mr Bali said the exercise was also designed to add value to the existing operation Saharan Daji for the ground forces.

You are all aware of what is going on in the North-West; the security forces have been putting in their best.

However, the bandits have been changing their tactics thereby killing and kidnapping innocent civilians.

The Chief of Air Staff decided that there is the need to get more air access in Katsina so that the air planes will be able to reach areas where these bandits are hiding.

We are going to dominate the air and simultaneously pound bandits hideouts to make it easier for our ground forces to go in and flush out bandits and criminals terrorising people.

He pointed out that the emphasis was on the forests surrounding Zamfara and neighbouring states.

The AOC, therefore, urged people to continue to give security agents information that would assist to safeguard their lives and property.

He said that NAF had reserved enough aircrafts and fighting equipment to ensure success of the operation.

We want to ensure that by the end of the operation, we have either eliminated or reduced those unnecessary and deliberate attacks on innocent civilians in those states.

For the time being, we will be here until our aim is achieved, he said.

(NAN)
The Boeing Company said it delivered 149 commercial planes and 60 aircraft in its defence operations in the first quarter of 2019.

A statement by Boeing on Tuesday said that the major programme deliveries during the period included deliveries under operating lease.

It disclosed that the company delivered 89 B737, two B747, 12 B767, 10 B777 and 36 B787 as well as one B777 on lease during the period.

The manufacturer also disclosed that its defence, space and security programme delivered six new AH-64 Apache and 22 remanufactured ones in the quarter.

According to Boeing, we delivered seven new and four remanufactured CH-47 Chinook, four F-15 and F/A-18 models, seven KC-46 Tanker and three P-8 models during the period.

This showed a stumble in Boeings deliveries, especially the commercial planes compared to the 184 commercial delivery in Q1 of 2018, 132 of which were new single-aisle 737s.

In the Q1 report, the company did not disclose how many of the 737s were the Max version that was grounded last month.

Boeing suspended deliveries in mid-March, and last week, announced that it would cut production of the 737 from 52 a month to 42 following the accident involving Ethiopian 737 Max.

(NAN)
The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says there is no clash between its timetable and that of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) as being widely speculated and criticised.

The JAMB Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, said at an interactive session with Editors in Lagos on Tuesday, that there was no basis for such speculation because the organisation was holding annual meetings with the examination bodies to reconcile areas of interest.

We meet annually with WAEC, NECO and others to reconcile because we have the same target of education development, he said.

He said those attacking him and the system out of ignorance would not succeed in distracting him from pursuing the target of ensuring national development through sound education for Nigerians.

He explained that government slashed the registration fees for candidates from N5,000 based on advice from the Board, an action he said would encourage registration of more candidates for higher education and eventual national development.

Mr Oloyede enumerated various measures inimical to education development, including multiple registration, abuse of biometric system and other forms of corruption in the system.

The registrar said JAMB, under his leadership, was determined to clean the system with legitimate approach.

(NAN)
Researchers under the aegis of Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions (ASURI) on Tuesday took to the streets in Abuja to protest the refusal of President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the National Research and Innovation Council (NRIC) bill.

The National Secretary of ASURI, Theophilus Ndubuaku, said at the event that the protest was to encourage the National Assembly to keep pushing for the bill.

Mr Ndubuaku said there are about 150 research Institutions in Nigeria, yet there has been no development in the country.

Premium Times reported that President Buhari rejected the NRIC bill alongside others and gave reasons.

Mr Buhari rejected the bill because he said the requirement for five per cent of the annual allocation of 14 entities listed in section 17 of the bill to be paid into the Research and Innovation Fund is unwieldy and may be practically difficult to implement in some instances.

For example, he said, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund does not receive any federal allocation.

He said the requirement that one per cent of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) be sourced from the federal government and be paid into the Research and Innovation Fund is also practically unworkable as the GDP is an economic measure at the market value of all the final goods and services produced in a period of time. He said the GDP is not cash or revenue accruable to the federal government.

Mr Buhari also noted incorrect references to some of the entities specified in Section 17 of the Bill. For instance, the Information Technology and Development Fund should be the National Information Technology Development Fund.

According to Mr Ndubuaku, President Buhari established the NRIC in 2016, of which he is the chairman based on policy.

He said the council had met three times without any established structure like office, members and staff.

The National Assembly magnanimously passed the bill because the technocrats understand the value of research, he said.

He urged the lawmakers not to relent on the bill as it will create access to development in the country.

Mr Ndubuaku also lamented that Nigerians is not involved in research and innovation which he said is leading it to a failed state.

He said the institutions are already created but the major challenge facing them is the funds for research.

You do not fund research through budget allocation on a yearly basis, there is an institutionalised funding mechanism where funds are available and accessible, such funding institutions are not available in Nigeria, he said.

In the 1960s, Nigeria developed a policy for science and technology which was supposed to take us to the next level as far as technology is concerned. Since then it has been reviewed 13 times, yet no action has been taken, the secretary said.

He said in developed nations, they set up policies and start funding them but reverse is the case in Nigeria where the polices initiated and not funded.

He said the reason why Nigeria is the poverty capital of the world is because there is a gap between research and innovation.

Meanwhile, the Research and Documentation officer, ASURI, Franklin Ekeanyawu, said the lawmakers had made corrections to the defects in the bill cited by the president and sent back to him.

He said the absence of research has done grave harm to the country.

All the insecurity, crime and evil vices are as result of the little or no attention paid to researchers, he said

No nation can develop or excel without innovation  he said.
The Senate spokesperson, Sabi Abudullahi, says technocrats are the major challenges of the Nigerian farming system.

Mr Abdullahi, who represents Niger Niger North Senatorial District, said this on Monday at the 24th Annual Conference of the Agricultural Extension Society of Nigeria (AESON).

He said they shy away from responsibilities, which is not healthy for the system.

The conference, being held under the theme: Enhancing Agricultural Extension Capabilities for improved Agricultural Value Chain, is scheduled to end on Wednesday.

AESON is an association of all the professionals in agricultural extension services. It was established to promote the development of agricultural extension profession, as well as its research and practice in Nigeria.

The national conference brought practitioners together to generate ideas for moving extension practice forward in the country.

According to the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, the output of the professionals in the Nigerian agriculture sector is low.

While we are doing our best, lets accept that our best is not enough, he said.

He said innovation should be adopted by AESON to help Nigerian farmers improve their productivity.

We must go back to the drawing board and accept that the extension system that sustained farmers 30 years ago is not the same that will sustain this generation, Mr Abdullahi said.

Mr Abdullahi said he sponsored the Agricultural Industry and Modernisation Bill in the 8th Assembly but lamented that the bill has not been able to pass the second reading due to the crisis in the National Assembly.

In the 9th Senate, I will push for the bill so that farmers and stakeholders will be impacted by whatever policy we are designing, he said.

The lawmaker said mechanisation and grading of the agricultural value chain are two aspects of agriculture that have been neglected by the professionals.

It is not possible to mechanise without agricultural engineers. It is time to upgrade them so that they can be relevant in the society. Professionals have little or no knowledge about agricultural grading and value chain because they have refused to institutionalise grading as part of our system, he said.

Also speaking at the conference, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh, said Nigeria is gradually moving away from food import dependence to food self-sufficiency and export.

He was represented at the event by the Director Federal Department of Agriculture Extension, Karima Babangida.

The minister said although the National Agricultural Extension Service (NAES) is not at its best, efforts are being made to improve the system.

Farmers knowledge and skills need to be enhanced to facilitate and improve agricultural productivity. Agricultural extension will do this, he said.

The agricultural sector has the potential to transform the economy of Nigeria, Mr Ogbeh said.

On his part, the Director-General, Raw Materials and Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Hussaini Ibrahim, said agriculture can get back if the services of the extension are restored.

He said this through the Head of Department, Agriculture and Agro Allied, Gabriel Awolehin.

He said an effective extension delivery system would help to narrow the communication gap between the network of researchers who develop new technologies, the farmers who are the end users of the discoveries and the government that make the policies.

Acceptance of new technologies by farmers is a necessary pre-condition for agricultural and rural development, he said.

Mr Ibrahim said the knowledge transferred by the agricultural extension workers in the early 1960s tremendously contributed to the increase in agricultural productivity in the pre-and post-independence era.

These led to the development of cocoa dome in South-West, cotton and groundnut pyramids in the North. rubber in South-South and palm produce in the South-East, he said

Agricultural extension plays a critical role in the value chain of the agro-raw materials from production by farmers and processing by industries, down to marketing and beyond, he said.

The association later gave honorary awards to members of the society for their contributions to agricultural development.
The management of the Lagos State University, on Monday, put out a curious defence of its professor of Science Education, Peter Okebukola, who has presented multiple birth certificates during his profession.

The university was reacting to a PREMIUM TIMES investigation which revealed that the professor has three different birth dates  February 17, 1949; February 17, 1948; and February 17, 1951- in the record of the university, which he has used to stay in service beyond his mandatory retirement date.

Documents obtained by this newspaper also implicated the universitys vice chancellor, Olanrewaju Fagbohun, a protege of Mr Okebukola, in the age falsification scandal.

Our investigations revealed that the vice chancellor prevented the universitys Academic Staff Establishment division from taking steps that would have ensured that the former NUC boss was retired in 2016 by withholding the personal file of Mr Okebukola.

Our investigation further showed that the original date of birth presented by Mr Okebukola when he was employed by the university in 1984 was February 17, 1949, which would have made him eligible for compulsory retirement on age grounds in 2014.

But the university, which had refused to comment before the story was published, in the statement signed by its spokesperson, Ademola Adekoya, claimed that it relied on the date of birth forwarded to it by the Mr Okebukolas former employer, Oyo State College of Education, when he was employed by the university.

Professor Peter Okebukola joined the service of Lagos State University transferring his service from the then Oyo State College of Education, Ilesa and the date of birth on his Record of Service forwarded to the University by his former employer is 17th February, 1951. The University is bound to stand by that date because the Record of Service is the officially recognized record of his past service.

The affirmation of the Date of Birth of Professor Okebukola in the Record of Service forwarded to the University by the Oyo State College of Education, Ilesa confirmed the assertion by Professor Okebukola that he was born on 17th February,1951, the management of the university stated.

The management also explained that due to the review of the university retirement law in 2016 by the state government, which extended the retirement age of academics from 65 to 70, Mr Okebukola is now eligible for retirement in 2021.

The management explained that Mr Okebukola was not the only beneficiary of this review.

It is instructive to note that aside Professor Peter Okebukola, five (5) academic and twenty (20) non-teaching members of staff including those on Terminal Leave also benefitted from the provisions of this law, it stated.

Earlier on Monday, the university vice chancellor had posted a statement on one of the universitys WhatsApp group describing the age falsification scandal as a mix up and saying the school was looking into the matter.

Curious defence

The universitys defence of Mr Okebukola that it relied on the date of birth provided to it by the professors former employer appeared curious because there is no indication of that in 1984 when he was being transferred to the university by the Oyo State College of Education.

As an applicant for a position in LASU, it was Mr Okebukolas responsibility to present his credentials to the University, not his former employer. Also, the Nigerian law only recognises birth certificates or a sworn affidavit indicating ones date of birth.

LASU management did not state which document transmitting the date of birth it received from Oyo State College of Education as it claimed.

PREMIUM TIMES has a resume submitted by Mr Okebukola to LASU where he stated he was born on February 17, 1949.

Also, multiple official correspondent seen by PREMIUM TIMES clearly state that the date of birth Mr Okebukola presented when he was employed was February 17, 1949.

In its statement, the management did not also disprove any of the claims, which included the revelation that the vice chancellor prevented the university Academic Staff Establishment division from processing Mr Okebukolas retirement by hiding his personal file, from those memos, as quoted in our original story.

The statement was also curiously silent on the revelation that Mr Okebukola has submitted multiple birth dates throughout his career, an offence that should attract immediate termination of appointment or dismissal, according to the condition of service of senior staff of the university.

Read the Universitys statement in full below:

Attention of the Lagos State University Management has been drawn to a publication released by Premium Times on Saturday 6th April, 2019 with respect to a former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) and an academic member of staff of the University, Distinguished Professor Peter Okebukola. The publication bothers around multiple dates of births and retirement status of the renowned Professor.

The Lagos State University Management is without doubt one that abides strictly with the rule of law, statutes and conditions of service guiding operations of the University. In order to clear the ambiguity in the publication referred to above, the University Management is hereby informing the general public that Distinguished Professor Peter Okebunkola is a bonafide academic member of staff of the University.

Professor Peter Okebukola joined the service of Lagos State University transferring his service from the then Oyo State College of Education, Ilesa and the date of birth on his Record of Service forwarded to the University by his former employer is 17th February, 1951. The University is bound to stand by that date because the Record of Service is the officially recognized record of his past service.

The affirmation of the Date of Birth of Professor Okebukola in the Record of Service forwarded to the University by the Oyo State College of Education, Ilesa confirmed the assertion by Professor Okebukola that he was born on 17th February, 1951.

Based on the foregoing and in compliance with the law and subsisting Conditions of Service guiding senior members of staff of the University as at 2015, Professor Peter Okebukola was due for retirement on the 17th February, 2016, being the date he attained the age of 65years. However, the Lagos State Government on 5th January, 2016 promulgated a new law extending the retirement age of Professors to 70 years while other academic members of staff who are not of Professorial cadre and Non-Teaching members of staff had their retirement age reviewed upwards to 65years. (Section 42:1 a,b&c LASU Amended LAW, 2016).

It is instructive to note that aside Professor Peter Okebukola, five (5) academic and twenty (20) non-teaching members of staff including those on Terminal Leave also benefitted from the provisions of this law.

Also, we state unequivocally that the Vice-Chancellor has no power to confer on any individual the rank of Distinguished Professor. It was the University Senate in the exercise of its powers as provided in Section 9:2(f) LASU LAW 2004 (As Amended) that recommended to the Governing Council, the conferment of the rank unto Professor Peter Okebukola. The Governing Council also duly approved same.

Finally, the University Management is using this medium to reaffirm to the general public that it is resolute in continuing to deliver on its core mandates of teaching, research and community service.

Mr. Ademola ADEKOYA

Coordinator

Centre for Information, Press and Public Relations

Lagos State University
The Nigerian government has defended its decision to ban mining activities in Zamfara and to expel foreigners involved in the activities in the area.

The government on Monday gave the foreigners 48 hours to leave the country.

Speaking on the development on Monday, the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Abubakar Bwari, said although boosting the economy is paramount, protecting human lives is key.

Mr Bwari spoke in Kuchiko, Suleja, in Niger State at the ground-breaking ceremony of a project for the exploration of solid minerals such as gold and platinum.

While we pursue economic activities, we should also consider the human side of it, the loss of lives we are witnessing. The message to our investors and those would-be investors is that this would not take a long time to be resolved.

The government announced the ban on mining activities as part of measures to restore peace in Zamfara State where bandits have killed hundreds of persons and kidnapped several others for ransom in recent months.

The bandits also often destroy houses and properties of villagers.

Mr Bwari said legitimate mining activities have been put on hold in the state for over two years due to banditry activities.

Mining activities have been disrupted even before now, those doing legitimate mining stopped mining in Zamfara two years ago as a result of banditry and criminal activities.

He assured Nigerians that the security agencies were working hard to curtail the menance.

The minister said the ground-breaking ceremony was aimed at addressing one of the key challenges in the solid minerals sector.

No investor would take us serious if we are unable to provide a verifiable data to speak for both quality and quantity of the minerals we have.

The project is part of the National Integrated Mineral Exploration Project(NIMEP), which is costing the government N15 billion, making it the biggest of its kind ever embarked upon by this country.

This again demonstrates the seriousness with which the government of President Muhammadu Buhari is pursuing the agenda of diversifying the economy, using the solid minerals sector.

Mr Bwari said with this project, youth would be engaged in mining activities, giving room for employment.

The project supervisor from Nigeria Geological Survey Agency, Kaka Imam, said NGSA is the liaison between the contractor and the government.

According to him, five companies in states like Niger, Osun, Oyo, Kebbi, Zamfara and the Federal Capital Territory(FCT) are working on this project, having AG VISION as the base.

What we do on the field is to carry out geological mapping, geochemical mapping and sampling, ground geophysical survey, drill for samples, analyse all samples collected, integrate all data, produce maps and the models and do a resource evaluation (mineral reserve).

The NGSA are providers of background information. They also ensure proper management of the project.

Mr Imam said as the supervisor, he would provide periodic reports which could be two to three months and cover all stages of the exploration.

The objectives of the project, according to him, is to produce bankable geosciences information (all set of data).

Doing this, he said, would reduce the risk in the sector and also attract competent investors.

On his part, the AG Vision contractor, Warwick Crowe, said the project is aimed at gathering enough samples of the mineral resources discovered in the various states.

This samples he said would be taken to Canada for a laboratory test to enable them know the quality and quantity of the mineral resources discovered.

This lab test would take like three to four weeks before the results would be ready, he added.

Bala Mohammad, a representative of the village, while addressing the audience said for years Kuchiko has been suffering. No government has ever stood to notice the manual mining we do in this village.

 We are happy that this government is concerned about our wellbeing. We are 100 per cent in support because there is no place that has the resources we have in our place that we do not know.

Our prayer is that the government would not leave the village the way it met it. We are in need of electricity, potable water and a good road. If through this the government provides all this for us, we would be forever grateful.
The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday confirmed a retired army major-general, Paul Tarfa, as chairman of the North-East Development Commission (NEDC).

The Senate also confirmed Mohammed Alkali as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the commission and nine others as members of the board of the commission.

The members are Musa Yashi, ED Humanitarian Affairs; Mohammed Jawa, Executive Director, Admin and Finance; Omar Mohammed, Executive Director, Operations and David Kente, member representing North East zone.

Others are Asmau Mohammed, member representing North West zone; Benjamin Adanyi, Member representing North Central zone; Olawale Oshun, member representing South West zone; T.E.O Ekechi, member representing South-East and Obasuke McDonald, memb

er representing South-South zone.

The Senate, in October 2016, passed the bill for the establishment of the North East Development Commission to coordinate the rebuilding of the insurgency-ravaged North East region of Nigeria.

President Muhammadu Buhari assented to the bill in October, 2017.

The confirmation of the nominees was made after Abdulaziz Nyako, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Special Duties, presented the report of the committee.

He said all the nominees met the requirements for their appointment.

Prior to the confirmation, Binta Garba, frowned at the fact that the headquarters of the commission is located in Borno State and the MD of the commission, Mr Alkali, is also from the state.

The commission is domiciled in Borno State and the CEO is also from Borno State. Is it in consonance with the ideal of the commission within and outside Nigeria?

For example, the President of the United Nations is not from America. We need to get some clarifications. Late Wakili asked that the headquarters should be in Bauchi State but he was shut down, she said.

In his response, Mr Nyako explained that during the debate at the Senate, the position was left open.

He said members of the House of Representatives, however, called for zoning and thus voted in that manner.

In our bill, we left it open. During the public hearings, we agreed if the headquarters is in Borno then someone else should be the MD; but in concurrence with the House of Representatives, more inclined to the MD from Borno.

It was the House bill that went with zoning and their votes were overwhelming than ours, he said.

In his remark, Ibn NaAllah, said the observations are valid because it relates to international organisations.

Certain peculiarities demonstrate certain actions. The entire bill is associated to the beginning of insurgency in Borno State and Adamawa is close to it. In the selection, Tarfa is from Adamawa.

The choice of Alkali is based on the assumption that there is quick establishment and its running. What swayed the Senate and reps to choose Alkali is entirely a legislative action, he said.

The Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan, said the nominees are eminently qualified and prepared to hit the ground running.

He, therefore, urged the committee on special duties to ensure the taking off of the commission as he said the situation in the North East requires it to take off immediately.

The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, simply called for the commencement of an oversight for the commission.

This is not the first time we are showing such concern. NDDC bill was originated by the National Assembly. The bill was vetoed by the executive but it was upturned. It shows the same character of concern.

The NDDC is steeped in a lot of protocol and bureaucracy. So this commission should learn from that. The parliament should start an oversight of this agency.

The Senate thereafter disolved into the committee of the whole to confirm the nominees.
The Nigerian government has arraigned the wife of the Benue State Polytechnic lecturer, Andrew Ogbuja, for her alleged involvement in the death of 13-year-old Ochanya Ogbanje.

Miss Ogbanje lived with the Ogbujas before her death in October, 2018, after being allegedly raped by Mr Ogbuja and his son, Victor, for five years.

Mr Ogbujas wife, Felicia, was arraigned at a Federal High Court in Benue State for her alleged involvement in the events that preceded the death of the teenager.

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) accused Mrs Ogbuja of aiding the rape of Miss Ogbanje during her stay at their residence.

The agency had accused Mrs Ogbuja of allowing the persistent rape of the late victim to continue, through her silence after the crime was brought to her notice.

She was arraigned on a two-count charge for the alleged offence.

Miss Ochanya died of Vesico Virginal Fistula (VVF), an infection which resulted from years of sexual abuses while she lived with the Ogbujas

The late victim had narrated in court that Mrs Ogbuja was aware of the sexual abuse, especially when the younger Ogbuja raped her.

Mrs Ogbujas husband is also facing trial along side his son for the alleged crime.

While Mr Ogbuja is currently being held by security operatives, his son, Victor, escaped arrest and is yet to be apprehended by police officers.

The late Ogbanje who was taken to the Ogbujas in a bid to secure her qualitative education. She was onstead allegedly raped for five years before her death at the age of 13.

According to her mother, the late victim was drugged many times by her abusers: a development which adversely affected her before her death.
The House of Representatives has mandated two of its committees to investigate the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET) and its Managing Director, Marilyn Amobi, over several corruption allegations.

The resolution followed a motion by Mohammed Sabo on Tuesday.

Mr Sabo said the management of NBET was alleged to have violated the public procurement act costing the federal government over N90 billion.

He noted that these losses were incurred as a result of total disregard for the act by the Managing Director and Management of NBET in the execution of Power Purchase Agreements and other dealings with consultants.

Two of many examples is the engagement of Messrs AELEX (Law Firm) and Azinge & Azinge (Law Firm) despite the fact that the lacked basic bidding documents, the least responsive bidder being was not awarded the contract and the required authorisation from the Attorney General of the Federation was not obtained prior to the engagement of these Law Firms.

The House or Reps further notes that most contractors and vendors engaged by NBET are not registered with the Bureau of Public Procurement, neither are they registered on the National Database of Federal Contractors, Consultants and Service Providers which is a gross violation of the provisions of the Act;

The House of Reps observes that the Managing Director and Management of NBET and the Management NBET have been accused of awarding contracts arbitrarily and not to the lowest evaluated responsive bid as required by Section 16(17) of the Public Procurement Act 2007 resulting in losses worth billions of Naira.

Mr Sabo warned that if the allegations were not properly investigated, it would create an institutional system of manipulation of the procurement leading to financial losses to the federal government.

In a unanimous decision, the House referred the issue to its Committees on Public Procurement and Power to jointly investigate and report back in two weeks.

Allegations

Allegations of infractions against Mrs Amobi and the management team of NBET was published by Leaks NG, a coalition of Nigerian newsrooms and civil society groups in February.

First of the allegations was that Mrs Amobi authorised overpayment to two power generating companies  Omotosho Electric Genco and Olorunsogo Electric Company.

This act was a flagrant violation of the details of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) the companies signed with the government in February and August 2016, respectively.

The PPA is an agreement between NBET and power generating plants for the sale and purchase of energy generated by the plants.

According to the PPA, to qualify for full payment, generating plants must provide evidence that they have active GSA and GTA or else the power purchase agreement would be deemed inactive and would only receive payment for the power they supplied.

Seller (Omotosho Genco) hereby agrees that any claim for Available Capacity payment under the PPA are conditional on the seller providing evidence acceptable to the Buyer (NBET) confirming that it has a legally binding and enforceable Gas Supply and Aggregation Agreement and Gas Transportation Agreement, in accordance with clause 3.2.2 and 4.2.1 of the PPA, the agreement obtained by Leaks NG stated.

However, even though Omotosho did not provide evidence of gas supply aggregation and transportation, the company continued to tender request for full payment for 20 months.

According to the documents Leaks NG relied on, the over-invoicing was detected in October 2017 following an NBET internal audit.

Other infractions alleged to have been orchestrated by Mrs Amobi include illegal payment to two law firms; illegal payment to a consultant of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (now unbundled) and illegal transfer of staff without board approval.

NERCs reaction

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) in its reaction defended NBET specifically on the allegation that the company overpaid two power generating companies.

NERC, an independent regulatory body with authority for the regulation of the electric power industry in Nigeria said all payments to Omotosho Electric Genco and Olorunsogo Electric Company were legal and appropriate.

The reaction is contained in a statement published on its website late February after an investigation which involved interviewing parties.

The findings of the Commissions investigation are as follows 

All payments made by NBET to the two power plants were by the terms of the PPAs.

NBET and the two power plants executed appropriate waivers by the terms of the PPAs to address Condition Precedents.

Payments made by NBET to the two power plants were done in compliance with the NERC TEM Order under the provision that sanctity of existing agreements is maintained.

NERC said it conducted its investigation based on petitions by two top management staff of NBET: Waziri Bintube and Abdullahi Sambo, both of who were General Manager/Chief Financial Officer and Head of Internal Audit respectively as at the time of Mrs Amobis employment in 2016.

NERC asked the public to discountenance the allegations.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has fixed November 2 for the conduct of governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa States.

This was made known in a statement issued by the INEC National Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, on Tuesday.

According to him, the Commission at its meeting held on Tuesday approved the timetable and schedule of activities for the governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa States.

He said the official notice for both elections will be issued August 1, while political parties intending to field candidates are to hold their primaries from August 2 to 29.

The parties fielding candidates are required to submit the list of their agents not later than October 2.

Campaigns by political parties shall commence August 2 and end on October 31.

The commission also said it will commence post elections review in May.

This INEC said is to evaluate the Commissions performance during the general elections, with a view to addressing identified challenges and strengthening operational and institutional capacities to conduct free, fair, credible and peaceful elections.

The review will focus on the planning, organisation, conduct and coordination of the general elections.

Two sets of activities are envisaged in the reviews as follows: lnternal reviews involving National Commissioners, Resident Electoral Commissioners, Electoral Officers, Collation and Returning Officers, as well as other key staff of the Commission; Review meetings with key stakeholders such as political parties, civil society organizations, security agencies, the media and development partners.

These reviews and debriefing will take place between May and June 2019, he said.

The Commission also said it has commenced work on a comprehensive report of the 2019 general elections and has mandated its Electoral Institute to undertake detailed researches into various aspects of the elections.

It is the Commissions hope that the outcomes of these reviews and studies will feed into further electoral reforms and its preparations for impending and future elections, Mr Okoye said.
The Nigerian military authorities on Monday ordered the relocation of residents of Jakana village, in Borno State, amidst concerns that Boko Haram insurgents use the community as a hideout.

Jakana, a village 40km west of Maiduguri, is amongst the most attacked communities around the capital city.

Before now, Jakana was acclaimed the most resilient Borno community that had never been displaced by Boko Haram, despite several attacks.

Many have given credit to the people for resisting Boko Haram.

But the most recent attack on the community, after that of December 2018, which occurred in January this year, could not be repelled.

The insurgents came to the community and burnt down the military base as well as a police station there.

According to security officials, the recent resurgence of Boko Haram assaults on the village and its neighbourhood was as a result of alleged collusion of the villagers with the outlawed group. This development has since raised tension.

Forced eviction

On Tuesday, several buses filled with evicted residents of Jakana were seen been driven to Bakasi IDP camp where they are to live until the military concludes an ongoing operation to fish out Boko Haram insurgents hiding in the bushes.

Some of the evictees who spoke with journalists at Bakasi IDP camp said they were not given any chance to pick their valuables before they were ordered to leave.

Most of them denied knowledge of colluding with Boko Haram insurgents.

Only God knows the mind of mankind, but I am not aware of any Boko Haram that is given protection in Jakana, Modu Babagana, a local trader said.

We have always given useful information to the security people. But if things change today, maybe it is the fault of some persons who may have infiltrated us from other displaced communities, he said.

Belligerent army

Spokesman of Operation Lafiya Dole, Colonel Ado Isa, who confirmed the development to journalists said the eviction of Jakana was in line with a directive from the Nigeria Army headquarters in Abuja.

Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratais vision was to clear remnants of Boko Haram terrorists in the Maiduguri-Damaturu axis of Borno and Yobe states, he said.

He said the relocation exercise, a temporary measure, was to reduce or avoid collateral damages.

Mr Isa said the relocation of people to the camp, was to provide them with adequate security, food and shelter.

The North-east office of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) also confirmed the development.

NEMA zonal public relations officer, Abdulkarim Ibrahim explained why the action was inevitable.

The residents of Jakana have been evacuated and relocated to Bakassi camp for their safety, he said. Yesterdays relocation was inevitable for military operations to flush out insurgents in the Borno State axis.

Camp management officials comprising various stakeholders in humanitarian response are mobilising resource(s) for the Jakana residents in camp, he added.

It is not certain how long the military exercise will take.
The United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) says it is re-introducing its partnership with the Kwara State Government in line with its implementation strategy and programme document for 2018 to 2022.

Speaking during the UNICEF and Kwara partnership meeting on Tuesday in Ilorin, Zakari Adam, the Chief of Field Office, UNICEF, Kaduna, said the organisation was in the state to obtain presentations about various problems affecting children in the state after it left in 2013.

According to him, the UNICEF Field Office in Kaduna has the mandate to support programming in Kwara, Kaduna, Nasarawa and Niger states.

UNICEF, he said, was meeting with various stakeholders in Kwara so as to have an overview of the situation of women and children as well as the existing programming priorities by the implementing partners.

He pointed out that the key programming areas of focus would be in health and HIV, water sanitation and hygiene, nutrition, basic education, child protection and social policy.

Mr Adam explained that the role of UNICEF was not to replace state and government responsibilities but to assist and complement them.

He also said in spite of efforts by the humanitarian organisation to help women and children globally, it also has its own challenges such as dearth of resources and long distance operation.

Speaking earlier, Wasiu Odewale, the Commissioner for Planning and Economic Development in Kwara, said the state was ready to partner with UNICEF again in support of various programmes targeted at childrens welfare.

He expressed optimism that the two-day meeting with UNICEF would help in ascertaining the challenges and identifying directions that can bring interventions to areas needed.

The commissioner, however, identified lack of counterpart funding to assist donor agencies as a factor hampering efforts to sustain their efforts in the state.

He observed that Kwara had not done well in that regard, adding that this was an opportunity for the state to access funding in order to assist and complement efforts by UNICEF.

Also speaking, Tayo Oyelowo, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, commended UNICEF for its age-long assistance and intervention programmes in the area of health.

He said the previous exit of UNICEF from Kwara was due to the perception that the state had achieved impressive indices, with such intervention programmes diverted to other states in need of assistance.

Mr Oyelowo, however, disclosed that the situation was not as rosy as it appeared and the state had been battling its challenges.

He said with UNICEFs presence, there was hope of a turn-around in the state as the organisation was renowned for capacity building.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that representatives of the Ministries of Health, Education, Water Resources, Planning and Economic Development, Justice and Women Affairs as well as the National Orientation Agency were at the meeting.

(NAN)
Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State has inaugurated a 25-member Transition Implementation Committee to put in place all necessary machinery to facilitate an easy take-over by the incoming administration of AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq.

Speaking at the inauguration, Mr Ahmed thanked Kwarans for their unprecedented support for his government throughout his two terms.

The governor also solicited support and understanding for the incoming administration toward achieving further sustainable growth and development for the state.

Mr Ahmed urged the committee to ensure full liaison with all officially assigned representatives of the incoming administration for the appropriate briefing to provide a solid footing for the new government.

The governor admonished members of the committee to bring the sterling qualities that recommended their appointment to bear in the discharge of the onerous responsibilities.

According to him, it is in the spirit of strong belief in democratic ethos and practice that the government designed the programme to pave the way for the smooth and successful hand-over to the new government in the state.

Mr Ahmed maintained that his administration was leaving Kwara better than it met it as the government was bequeathing to it a legacy of service, peace and good governance.

The terms of reference of the committee, according to the governor, included putting in place all necessary machinery for the smooth take-off of the in-coming administration.

Responding, the Chairman of Transition Implementation Committee and Secretary to the State Government, Isiaka Gold, thanked the governor for counting them worthy of the assignment.

He promised that the committee would handle the assignment with utmost seriousness with a view to ensuring the smooth take off of the incoming administration.

(NAN)
A student of the Usmanu Dan Fodio University, in Sokoto, Habibu Abubakar, had his two hands cut off by suspected thugs on Sunday, PREMIUM TIMES learnt.

It was gathered that Mr Abubakar, a 200-level student of the Department of Modern European Languages and Linguistics, was attacked and had his hands amputated by his attackers. They ambushed the student at Mana area of the metropolis.

He is presently receiving treatment at the Orthopaedic Hospital in Wammako, Sokoto State.

Traumatised Father

The victims father, Abubakar Attahiru confirmed the incident to Daily Nigerian, an online newspaper on Monday. He also said the perpetrator(s) of the act are yet to be identified.

The assailants ambushed him around Mana area around 2 a.m. on Sunday, snatched his motorcycle, cut off his hands and left him there lying in the pool of his blood.

Habibus uncle was alerted immediately and he was rushed to Orthopaedic Hospital in Wammako for treatment, the victims father was quoted as saying.

Shocked students

Some students of the university who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES Monday expressed shock at the incident.

Habibu is a very gentle guy and jovial. He is my class rep but I dont know the reason for the sad incident. He does not fight on campus. It must have been related to things even himself consider(s) worthless. It is sad to see him without hands again, a classmate of the victim said asking not to be named.

Another student, Haruna, told PREMIUM TIMES that the news broke on campus in the early hours of Monday and left many students depressed.

We are still very surprised with the news. Cutting the two hands is wickedness. The news became viral Monday and it been posted viral on Facebook, he said. The development did not speak good of Nigerias security system. Perhaps, he was wrong to have also walked in the midnight.

School reacts

Meanwhile, the Universitys Dean of Students Affairs, Aminu Mode, a professor said the only link between the incident and UDUS is the student, since the brutalisation did not happen within the institution.

We heard about the incident from some students but all that happened did not happen in the school premises' he said. It just happened that the victim is a student of UDUS but it has no bearing with USUS. It happened elsewhere, it is only linked to UDUS because the boy is a student of the University.

The official also said he is trying to get the full details of the victim to enable him properly inform the university.
The Cross River State Police Command has arrested 11 murder suspects and 20 others for various crimes committed across the state, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

Austin Agbolanhor, the State Commissioner of Police, who paraded the suspects before journalists on Tuesday in Calabar, the state capital said the command was committed to contain all criminal elements in the state.

He explained that the achievements were recorded due to the committed efforts of officers and men of the command in curbing all cases of criminality across the state.

According to him, on February 16, one Ayuk Ogar was shot dead in Etung Local Government Area during an alleged peace meeting between members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressive Congress (APC).

He said the police swung into action and arrested three suspects in connection with the murder, adding that the suspects have been charged to court.

Also, on February 25, one Eworo Collins who is a known cultist and has been disturbing one Grace Gbaka for friendship in Ogoja Local Government Area, decided to convey the said Gbaka and her friend from a burial venue to their houses.

Rather, the corpses of the two girls were seen by the road side along Bansara junction in Ogoja. Collins was later arrested alongside a second suspects, Moses Egbodor and they will be charged to court soon.

In the same vein, on March 7, one Imani Odey in Calabar wrote a petition to the Commissioner of Police that led men from the Anti Cultism/Kidnapping Squad to Jalingo, Taraba State where two suspects were arrested for murder.

Our men swung into action and went to Jalingo to arrest the suspects. We recovered a Lexus 300 jeep with Registration No. ABC 280 LX, the ignition key and two damaged padlocks. The suspects will be charged to court soon.

While on Feb. 2, we also arrested another four murder suspects at Edor village in Ikom Local Government Area for allegedly beating to death one Bright Effiong who was on her way to the farm, Agbolanhor said.

The CP also paraded 10 suspects for armed robbery, two for defilement, two for unlawful possession of firearms, one for child theft and five for promoting communal crisis.

He assured residents in the state that the police have the capacity to deal with any miscreant or group of persons that may want to take laws into their hands or dare to harass, intimidate and instill fears in the minds of the people.

He, however, sue for cooperation, support and understanding from members of the public in the area of useful information sharing to the police to help them respond to crime, crisis and emergency cases promptly.

(NAN)
Armed robbers on Monday raided a commercial bank at Ido-ani, Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State, killing seven persons in the process.

The robbery was said to have occurred at about 2 p.m. at the only commercial bank in the community located at Isewa quarters of the town.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that those affected were five officials of the bank, a vice-principal of a school who was at the bank as a customer, and a policeman.

The robbers reportedly carted away an undisclosed amount during the operation which lasted for about an hour.

Witnesses say the robbers stormed the bank premises shooting sporadically and proceeded to the banking hall after destroying the security doors with dynamite.

Although efforts were made to get the attention of soldiers at Isua Akoko military check point and the police in the town, the robbers had concluded their operations before the soldiers arrived.

Besides the dead, some others received various degrees of injuries from gunshots and are receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo and at Ido-Ani General Hospital.

The Ondo State Police Public Relations Officer, Femi Joseph, a superintendent of police, confirmed the incident.

He said one of the robbers was arrested and a full scale investigation has started.

He, however, would not give further details on the suspect, saying investigation was ongoing.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the Governor-elect of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Tuesday attended the funeral of Pastor Adetokunbo Olorunnimbe, at the City of David Sanctuary, Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Victoria Island, Lagos.

Late Mr Olorunnimbe was the Chief-of-Staff and Chief Private Secretary, to the General Overseer, RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that Mr Olorunnimbe died on March 30, at the age of 60.

In an exhortation, Pastor Ezekiel Odeyemi, Assistant General Overseer in charge of Training and Education, said Mr Olorunnimbe loved humour and left a lot of laughter behind.

Mr Odeyemi said the deceased never allowed his achievements to derail him.

He was simple; full of passion for the Lord, full of compassion for the life of the less privileged.

He never shirked his responsibilities; he knew his labour was not in vain; unsurpassed, he did his best; he was always steadfast, he said.

Oh his part, Mr Sanwo-Olu said the deceased was a great man and lover of his family, who served God for close to 40 years.

He said with his few interactions with Mr Olorunnimbe, he saw a man with a kind heart; a man that radiated peace.

In a tribute, wife of the deceased, Modupe Olorunnimbe, described her late husband as honest, humble, diligent, patient, generous and considerate.

She said her husband ran a good race and was fulfilled and ready to meet his creator.

Also, in a tribute, Wale Babalakin, a businessman and Mr Olorunnimbes contemporary, said he met the deceased many years ago and had a close relationship with him ever since.

Mr Babalakin said he and the deceased met in high school and both also attended the University of Lagos and Cambridge.

He recounted many adventures he and the deceased undertook as youth.

NAN also reports that special prayers were also offered for Mr Olorunnimbes family.

(NAN)
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), Lagos Zonal office, on Tuesday arraigned eight suspected members of a syndicate who deal illegally in gold, before Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos on a three-count charge.

The Head of Media and Publicity of the commission, Tony Orilade, in a statement said six of the suspects are the staff of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN).

They are Babagana Zannah, who claimed to be the owner of the raw gold bars; Ahmed Hamza Mannir; Manasseh Auta; Dahiru Habib Bali; Isa Umaru Ammani; Ajakaye Oladipo; Bamanja Jonah Samuel and Lasisi Aisha.

He said the second suspect, Mr Mannir, who was arrested on board an Emirates flight to Dubai on March 1 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, was allegedly helped by the third to eight defendants, who are employees of FAAN.

The suspects allegedly carried the raw gold bars through various doors, while carefully avoiding going through the scanners provided at the airport and handed them to the second defendant at the point of boarding.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against them. Given their pleas, the prosecuting counsel, Ayanfe Ogunsina asked the court for a trial date and prayed that the defendants be remanded in prison.

Habeeb Oredola, counsel for the first and second defendants and I.I. Chiahulamiro, counsel for the third to eight defendants respectively informed the court of bail applications on behalf of their clients.

The statement added the defence counsels, in an application dated April 8, 2019, also prayed the court to grant their clients bail in the most liberal terms.

The counsel to third to eight defendants respectively said his clients are employees of the Federal Government and would not jump bail if granted.

However, Mr Ogunsina opposed the bail applications filed by the defence counsels.

He said, the punishment of this offence carries life imprisonment. And if the court is to use its discretion to grant bail, it should be in terms that the defendants will be present in court.

Meanwhile, judge, A.O Faji adjourned the case to April 16, 2019, for ruling on the bail applications. He ordered the defendants to be remanded in prison custody.
For the New World Order, a world government is just the beginning. Once in place they can engage their plan to exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the "elites" to live forever with the aid of advanced technology. For the first time, crusading filmmaker ALEX JONES reveals their secret plan for humanity's extermination: Operation ENDGAME.

Jones chronicles the history of the global elite's bloody rise to power and reveals how they have funded dictators and financed the bloodiest warscreating order out of chaos to pave the way for the first true world empire.

Watch as Jones and his team track the elusive Bilderberg Group to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III.





to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. Learn about the formation of the North America transportation control grid, which will end U.S. sovereignty forever.





Discover how the practitioners of the pseudo-science eugenics have taken control of governments worldwide as a means to carry out depopulation.





View the progress of the coming collapse of the United States and the formation of the North American Union.

Never before has a documentary assembled all the pieces of the globalists' dark agenda. Endgame's compelling look at past atrocities committed by those attempting to steer the future delivers information that the controlling media has meticulously censored for over 60 years. It fully reveals the elite's program to dominate the earth and carry out the wicked plan in all of human history.

Endgame is not conspiracy theory, it is documented fact in the elite's own words.




Attracting over 100,000 visitors from across countries, they recreate eight Betawi icons in modern works, such as Ondel-Ondel, Kembang Kelapa, Gigi Balang, Kebaya Kerancang, Sadariah clothes , Batavian batik , and authentic dishes, Kerak Telor and Bir Pletok. In a 175sqm pavilion, each icon is translated into a wide span of creative industries, including Betawi wooden chair, modern kebaya made of lightweight fabric, and the traditional Betawi puppet, or Ondel-Ondel- shaped handicraft accessories.

"We've led a can-do attitude for Indonesian artists, reviving Betawi tradition to meet the changing demand of global visitors. With immersive blend of culture and technology, we also delved into the cultural narratives behind interactive journeys, that brings a novel form of Betawi's culture to shine on international stage," said Dr. Edy Junaedi, Executive Director of Jakarta Tourism and Culture Office (JTCO).

The contemporary artworks are featured in a four-petal designed booth to manifest the form of Jakarta's iconic snack, Kembang Goyang. To enhance visitor's experience, Betawi's traditional dance with interactive video mapping were showcased to give a new twist to cultural and contemporary works. Authentic Betawi cuisines are also served during the expo, including Gado-Gado and Soto Betawi.

Remarking the 70 years bilateral relations between Indonesia and Italy, the expo also invites business professionals from around the globe to hold one-on-one meetings, reclaiming Indonesia's pavilion as the best platform to exchange with European businesses at the world's most-anticipated exhibition.

The showcase of Indonesian products and handicrafts has always been in the center stage of the European market. A report on one of the biggest trade expos in Indonesia stated that a worth of US$41.6 million contracts were signed between Indonesian and Italian businesses, with a majority from the furniture, handicrafts, textiles, and food and beverages industries.

For more information, please click here & download images here.

Media Contact:

Jakarta Tourism and Culture Office (JTCO)

+62-21-520-9689

bidangpemasaran.disparbud@gmail.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/858776/Betawi_dance_Milan_Design_Week_2019.jpg



Related Links

http://http://www.jakarta-tourism.go.id



SOURCE Jakarta Tourism and Culture Office (JTCO)
The French ambassador to Vietnam, Bertrand Lortholary, is expected to attend the breaking ground ceremony. Among the customers interested in the Bac Ninh distribution centre is Brenntag, a global market leader in chemical distribution. "After one year of satisfying cooperation with FM Logistic in Bac Ninh, we have decided to expand this cooperation to temperature-controlled products. The new distribution centre will provide us with more space to absorb our important growth," says Vuong Le Minh, Supply Chain Senior Manager, Brenntag Vietnam.

The demand for logistics is rising in Vietnam, one of the world's fastest growing economies with a GDP growth of 7% in 2018. The increasing domestic manufacturing, the rise in wages and consumption, the young population and booming e-commerce are also driving the Vietnamese logistics market. This presents opportunity for international 3PL companies providing value-added logistics services and last-mile delivery.

"The Bac Ninh warehouse and distribution centre will support the development of food, retail, FMCG, industrial and cosmetics companies on the booming Vietnamese market. It will also increase FM Logistic's warehousing space in Vietnam almost tenfold, at a moment when class A-warehousing is in high demand. This testifies to our commitment to investing in Vietnam," says Hamza Harti, FM Logistic's country managing director for Vietnam.

The facility has been designed by FM Logistic's sister company NG Concept to handle a wide range of items, including temperature-sensitive products, fast-moving consumer goods, electronic appliances, spare parts and hazardous products. Services offered at the warehouse will include storage (whatever the temperature requirement), handling, co-packing (or value added services, as they are called in Vietnam) and distribution. The flow optimization inside and outside the facility make it suitable for high-demanding modern retail operations.

From May 2019, FM Logistic will also start operating a rented 6,500 sqm warehouse in An Phu, Binh Duong, less than 30km north of Ho Chi Minh City.

The company started operations in Vietnam in August 2017. In 2018, it started providing nationwide transportation services, using a network of partners.

About FM Logistic

Founded in France in 1967, FM Logistic is a family-owned independent logistics company with revenues of 1.2 billion in the fiscal year to March 2018, two-thirds of which made outside of France. It is active in 14 countries across Europe, Asia and Latin America and employs more than 26,000 people.

You can follow FM Logistic on Twitter at @FMLogistic

For more information: http://www.fmlogistic.com/eng-gb/

About NG CONCEPT

NG CONCEPT, a subsidiary of FM Group, is a leading logistics real estate company with activities in 14 countries and 160 employees. The company's services cover project conception, land prospection, the receipt of regulatory approvals and the turnkey construction of logistics platforms. With safety and sustainability at its core, NG CONCEPT has built more than 2,500,000 sqm over the last 25 years. The company incorporates technologies such as BIM and augmented reality in building design. All its new buildings are LEED-certified.

About Brenntag

Brenntag is the global market leader in chemical distribution. The German based international company manages complex supply chains for chemical manufacturers and consumers by simplifying market access to thousands of products and services. Brenntag operates a global network with more than 580 locations in 73 countries. With its global workforce of more than 16,600 employees, the company generated sales of EUR 12.6 billion (USD 13.3 billion) in 2018.

For more information: https://www.brenntag.com/corporate/en/index.jsp

Technical specifications

Storage area: 52,000 sqm (560,000-square-foot) upon completion

Storage capacity: up to 70,000 pallets

Ambient and temperature controlled

Suitable for dangerous goods

Registered with the certification goal of LEED Silver

Insured against fire and natural hazards with the FM Global insurance company

Offers high quality insulation and volumes ventilation

ISO 9001 & 14001 certification is underway

Media contacts:

FM Logistic

Cyrille Gibot

External communication manager

cgibot@fmlogistic.com

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/858737/FM_Logistic_Logo.jpg

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/858739/FMLogistic_CEO.jpg

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/858738/FM_Logistic_Warehouse.jpg

Related Links

http://www.fmlogistic.com/eng-gb/



SOURCE FM Logistic
WASHINGTON, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- American Jewish Committee (AJC) is deeply troubled by recent developments in Lithuania which serve to distort the history of the Holocaust in that country. In a recent court filing, the state-supported Center for Research of the Genocide and Resistance of the People of Lithuania offered a defense of the wartime activities of Jonas Noreika, District Chief of Siauliai during the German occupation, that sought to excuse his culpability and disputed well-established facts of the murder of Lithuanian Jews.

"Lithuania had made considerable progress in confronting its Holocaust-era past," said Rabbi Andrew Baker, AJC Director of International Jewish Affairs. "That is why this latest reversal is so troubling. No one today can claim ignorance about the role of Lithuanian collaborators."

AJC praised the Lithuanian International Historical Commission's strong response to the Genocide Center's defense of Noreika.

The Commission accused the Center of "attempts to minimize the nature and extent of the collaboration of [Noreika] in carrying out the genocide of the Jews during the summer and fall of 1941." It cited other "exculpatory arguments and obfuscation which are irrelevant to the history of the Holocaust in Lithuania and, in some cases, even offensive to the memory of the victims." And it charged the Center with promoting the notion that "the establishment of the ghettos created, albeit temporarily, some sort of haven for the Jews," an idea, the Commission pointed out, that was a "recycled Nazi argument."

Commission members, appointed by the Lithuanian government, include notable Holocaust historians from Yad Vashem, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and other American and European experts. AJC's Baker is one of the few non-historians on the Commission.

Since its founding in 1998, the Lithuanian Commission has produced a series of key research volumes on the history of the Holocaust in Lithuania. It also has viewed its responsibility to condemn the public commemoration of persons "who participated in the persecution and/or murder of Jews and other victims during the Nazi occupation of Lithuania regardless of any other activities in which they have been engaged."

AJC played an instrumental role in the establishment of national historical commissions in each of the three Baltic States.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

Related Links

http://www.ajc.org


TRONDHEIM, Norway, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Aker BP will publish its financial report for the first quarter 2019 on Friday 26 April 2019. The company issues this statement to summarise its production and sales volumes and certain accounting-related topics for the quarter.

The company has routinely announced its quarterly production numbers as part of its investor service. This practice is now being expanded to cover additional topics of relevance for the company's financial reporting.

Oil and gas production and sales

With effect from first quarter 2019, Aker BP will change its accounting principle for income recognition. Petroleum revenues will from now on be recognized when the petroleum is sold by the company, rather than when the petroleum is produced.

Aker BP's net production in the first quarter 2019 was 158.7 mboepd and net sold volume was 162.0 mboepd. Production per field is specified below. The volumes are subject to final re-allocation. Numbers may not add due to rounding.

Field Interest Operator Q1-19 Q4-18





Q1-18 Alvheim 65% Aker BP 43.5 43.4 40.5 Byla 65% Aker BP 1.8 2.0 3.2 Gina Krog 3.3% Equinor 2.5 2.3 1.5 Hod 90% Aker BP 0.7 0.8 1.0 Ivar Aasen 34.8% Aker BP 22.5 23.3 24.4 Skarv 23.4% Aker BP 22.6 23.5 27.1 Tambar 55% Aker BP 1.9 2.6 1.6 Ula 80% Aker BP 6.2 5.8 6.5 Valhall 90% Aker BP 45.2 38.8 33.5 Vilje 46.9% Aker BP 3.8 3.3 5.1 Volund 65% Aker BP 7.8 9.7 14.1 Other



0.3 0.3 0.1 Net production



158.7 155.7 158.6 Over/underlift



3.3 -4.2 8.7 Net sold volume



162.0 151.5 167.3 - of which liquids



128.8 119.7 132.3 - of which natural gas



33.2 31.8 35.0

Impairment of technical goodwill

The company expects to make an impairment charge in the first quarter 2019 of approximately USD 70 million related to technical goodwill. As there is no deferred tax associated with technical goodwill, the effective tax rate for the first quarter is expected to be higher than normal due to this impairment.

Implementation of IFRS 16 Leases

The accounting standard IFRS 16 Leases was effective from 1 January 2019. The standard introduces a single on-balance sheet accounting model for all leases, which results in the recognition of a lease liability and a right of use asset ("RoU asset") in the balance sheet.

The lease liability and corresponding RoU asset amount to approximately USD 390 million at initial recognition on 1 January 2019. Existing onerous lease contract values of approximately USD 150 million reduces the value of the corresponding RoU asset. No impact on equity is recognized upon transition.

The IFRS 16 impact on the income statement is expected to be immaterial in first quarter 2019, as the majority of the RoU assets are used in activities not charged to the income statement, such as field development (including production drilling) and plugging and abandonment. The main impact on the statement of cash flows is that lease payments will now generally be presented under financing activities instead of operating or investing activities.

Currency and hedging effects

The company's financial results are normally sensitive to changes in the USD/NOK currency exchange rate. In the first quarter the exchange rate was relatively stable and the company does not expect any significant currency effects for the period.

Due to an increase in oil prices in the first quarter, the company's oil hedging positions incurred a cost of approximately USD 26 million, which will be charged to Other income for the first quarter. Gains and losses on hedging are subject to corporate tax only.

Disclaimer

The information in this statement is based on a preliminary assessment of the company's first quarter 2019 financial results. The company has not completed its financial reporting and related review and control procedures. The estimates provided may therefore be subject to change and the financial statements finally approved and released by the company may deviate materially from the information herein.

Contact:

Kjetil Bakken, VP Investor Relations, tel.: +47-918-89-889

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/aker-bp-asa/r/akerbp--update-on-first-quarter-2019-financial-results,c2782300

The following files are available for download:

SOURCE Aker BP ASA
ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. today announced that it has completed the previously disclosed acquisition of specialist UK insurance broker Stackhouse Poland Group Limited.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG), a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting services firm, is headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. The company has operations in 35 countries and offers client service capabilities in more than 150 countries around the world through a network of correspondent brokers and consultants.

Investors: Ray Iardella Media: Linda J. Collins

VP  Investor Relations VP  Corporate Communications

630-285-3661/ [email protected] 630-285-4009/ [email protected]

SOURCE Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Related Links

http://www.ajg.com


SAN FRANCISCO and SAN JOSE, Calif., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Atos and CloudBees today announced at Google Cloud Next '19 a partnership to offer a joint solution to help customers modernize their application development practices on Google Cloud Platform (GCP). The solution is an integrated service that makes oversight of the software development environment easy and provides a managed platform for the software delivery process. With the adoption of this managed service offering, customers gain greater business agility, scalability and reduction in IT spend to build and automate development pipelines.

Together Atos and CloudBees bring a unique set of capabilities to organizations in their digital transformation journey with Google Cloud Platform:

Application Transformation Services from Atos helps teams modernize applications, as well as the way they are delivered and managed.

A cloud native continuous integration (CI) and continuous delivery (CD) platform from CloudBees, powered by Jenkins and Jenkins X, that fully leverages Google Cloud technologies in the cloud or on-premise.

Google's leading cloud technologies leverage industry standards like Kubernetes and Istio.

"As a global digital transformation leader, we look forward to working closely with CloudBees and Google Cloud, two acknowledged leaders in their respective fields," said Michael Kollar, senior vice president for cloud engineering, Atos. "We ultimately help organizations better harness the power of DevOps and transform application development methods from a traditional approach to a model that enables hybrid / multi-cloud development."

Through this partnership, Atos  one of Google Cloud's largest managed service providers  is building a DevOps platform on Google Cloud Platform, powered by CloudBees Core. The solution will include a new set of application and data services, including several services focusing on the end-to-end lifecycle of applications; full automation and provisioning of the service to include CloudBees Core deployed in a hybrid manner on Google Cloud Platform; and automated upgrades, including CloudBees Core on Kubernetes.

"As forward-looking organizations continue to focus on digital transformation initiatives, they are increasingly seeking assistance from trusted service providers for the management of their DevOps operations," said Francois Dechery, chief strategy officer, CloudBees. "By combining the power of a large managed service provider and a leading global cloud provider with our CI/CD solution, we're helping customers to more effectively and efficiently modernize."

"We're proud to work with both Atos and CloudBees to help enterprises modernize through DevOps," said Kevin Ichhpurani, corporate vice president, global partner ecosystem at Google Cloud. "Our work together makes the best of CloudBees available on GCP, which customers can deploy seamlessly across on-prem and public cloud platforms. This collaboration is a great example of how we're able to create new value for customers through our partner ecosystem."

Additional Resources

About Atos

Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with 120,000 employees in 73 countries and annual revenue of over  12 billion. European number one in Cloud, Cybersecurity and High-Performance Computing, the Group provides end-to-end Orchestrated Hybrid Cloud, Big Data, Business Applications and Digital Workplace solutions through its Digital Transformation Factory, as well as transactional services through Worldline, the European leader in the payment industry. With its cutting-edge technologies and industry knowledge, Atos supports the digital transformation of its clients across all business sectors. The Group is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic & Paralympic Games and operates under the brands Atos, Atos Syntel, Unify and Worldline. Atos is listed on the CAC40 Paris stock index.

About CloudBees

CloudBees is powering the continuous economy by building the world's first end-to-end system for automating software delivery, the CloudBees Suite. The CloudBees Suite builds on emerging DevOps practices and continuous integration (CI) and continuous delivery (CD) automation adding a layer of governance, visibility and insights necessary to achieve optimum efficiency and control new risks. Since every company in the world is now a software company, this new automated software delivery system is becoming the most mission-critical business system in the modern enterprise. As today's clear leader in CI/CD, CloudBees is uniquely positioned to define and lead this new category. CloudBees puts companies on the fastest path to transforming great ideas into great software and returning value to the business more quickly.

Backed by Matrix Partners, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Verizon Ventures, Delta-v Capital, Golub Capital and Unusual Ventures, CloudBees was founded in 2010 by former JBoss CTO Sacha Labourey and an elite team of continuous integration, continuous delivery and DevOps professionals. Follow CloudBees on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Atos

Related Links

https://atos.net


WASHINGTON, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in rankings and consumer advice, today unveiled the 2019 Best Places to Live in the United States. The new list evaluates the country's 125 most populous metropolitan areas based on affordability, job prospects and quality of life. For the third year in a row, Austin, Texas, takes the No. 1 spot, followed by Denver at No. 2 and Colorado Springs, Colorado at No. 3. Fayetteville, Arkansas moves up a spot to No. 4, and Des Moines, Iowa rounds out the top five.

While the majority of the top 25 Best Places to Live are located in the middle of the country, the tech boom has had a regional effect on the Pacific Northwest. San Francisco, Portland, Oregon, and Seattle make the top 10 at Nos. 7, 8 and 9, respectively. Washington, D.C., which dropped from No. 8 to No. 19 this year due to a decrease in housing affordability and net migration, is the only city in the Northeast to crack the top 20. Portland, Maine, No. 23, comes in ahead of Boston, No. 27, while New York City ranks No. 90 on the list.

"Our Northeastern cities, which are epicenters of higher education and economic development, are not growing nearly as much as places in Florida, California and Texas," said Devon Thorsby, Real Estate editor for U.S. News & World Report. "Plus, they are expensive to live in. Top-ranked places have the characteristics people are looking for, including steady job growth, affordability and a high quality of life."

Several metro areas saw significant gains year over year. San Francisco moved up from No. 20 to No. 7 due to desirability, quality of life and job market increases. Despite expensive housing, the city has the highest desirability and job market scores among all cities. Asheville, North Carolina, moved up 8 spots to No. 16 thanks to slight improvements across the board. At No. 18, Sarasota, Florida, debuted in the top 20, with the highest net migration score and increases in desirability, affordability, quality of life and job growth. Tampa, Florida, boasted housing affordability, net migration, quality of life, and job market scores that contributed to its climb from No. 75 to No. 56 this year.

The 2019 Best Places to Live were determined in part using a public survey of thousands of individuals throughout the U.S. to find out what qualities they consider important in a hometown. The methodology also factors in data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as well as the U.S. News rankings of the Best High Schools and Best Hospitals.

Best Places to Live is part of U.S. News' expanding Money channel, which includes Credit Cards, Real Estate, Investing, Retirement, and Careers content, rankings and in-depth analysis to help consumers navigate complex financial decisions. U.S. News helps individuals better understand the housing market, from getting a mortgage and working with an agent to buying and selling a home.

2019 U.S. News Best Places to Live Rankings  Top 10

*See the full rankings here.

1. Austin, TX 6. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN 2. Denver, CO 7. San Francisco, CA 3. Colorado Springs, CO 8. Portland, OR 4. Fayetteville, AR 9. Seattle, WA 5. Des Moines, IA 10. Raleigh & Durham, NC

For more information on Best Places to Live, explore Facebook and Twitter using #BestPlaces.

About U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report is the global leader in quality rankings that empower people to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives. A digital news and information company focused on Education, Health, Money, Travel, Cars and Civic, USNews.com provides consumer advice, rankings and analysis to serve people making complex decisions throughout all stages of life. More than 40 million people visit USNews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

SOURCE U.S. News & World Report

Related Links

http://www.usnews.com


Swiss Begin New Fighter Evaluations



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BUCHAREST, Romania and SANTA CLARA, California, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Bitdefender, a global cybersecurity leader protecting over 500 million systems across 150 countries, today announced it is expanding its strategy and portfolio to include a more services-oriented approach, starting with threat intelligence services.

Managed Security Service Providers, security consulting companies, and large enterprises seeking better visibility into the threat landscape can now integrate Bitdefender Advanced Threat Intelligence, which is delivered by over 800 engineers and researchers within Bitdefender and its Cyberthreat Intelligence Labs. The comprehensive services enable security analysts to access threat data and context on URLs, IPs, domains, files, Command & Control servers, and Advanced Persistent Threats. It also helps users better identify Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) in real-time to shutdown attacks in progress long before they do damage.

In fact, this year IT departments and SOCs worldwide will be looking to established, trusted vendors like Bitdefender to augment their security teams with increased accuracy and detection rates. According to Forrester, 2019 is "the year of security services" as security decision makers consistently list "improving advanced threat intelligence capabilities" within their top three priorities.[i]

"Over the years, our teams and most of the security teams we've talked with have held a fear that the security solutions they've deployed will still miss the one attack that will make all the difference," said Daniel Clayton, former Officer and Branch Chief for the US National Security Agency (NSA) and the UK Government, "they would sleep better if they knew they could preserve their investments and augment them with better and up-to-the-minute intelligence."

Daniel Clayton and his colleague, Jarret Raim, have recently joined the Bitdefender management ranks from Rackspace, where they built and managed the firm's managed security services. At Bitdefender, they are building a new security operations center in the United States that will rely heavily upon the new Advanced Threat Intelligence services.

Bitdefender is known to customers and the vendor community alike for its top detection rates. It was recently named the 2018 AV-Comparatives "Outstanding Product of the Year" and also secured AV-Test leadership in three categories including "Best Protection." Bitdefender researchers and its Global Protective Network identify up to 2,000,000 malware samples and block over 50 million malicious URLs a day. Drawing from over 500 million sensors worldwide, heuristics, honeypots, traps and its work with cyber-security partners, international organizations, and law enforcement agencies, its global approach arms partners and customers with the most comprehensive threat intelligence there is. And it enables them to detect targeted, evasive and zero-days attacks even from outside of the United States.

"Without a question, organizations are increasingly turning to data science and security services to keep ahead of the onslaught of cybercrime and attack," said Harish Agastya, Senior Vice President of Enterprise Solutions at Bitdefender. "Our Advanced Threat Intelligence services lets our customers leverage our extensive, international network of telemetry and a vast organization of the industry's top experts that they wouldn't otherwise have access to."

To hear from Bitdefender experts Daniel Clayton and Jarret Raim on the importance of threat intelligence within the modern SOC, the public can register at http://bit.ly/2TTIRYT to attend their webcast on April 11, 2019.

About Bitdefender

Bitdefender is a global cybersecurity leader protecting over 500 million systems in more than 150 countries. Since 2001, Bitdefender innovation has consistently delivered award-winning security products and threat intelligence for the smart connected home, mobile users, modern businesses and their networks, devices, data centers and Cloud infrastructure. Today, Bitdefender is also the provider vendor of choice, embedded in over 38% of the world's security solutions. Recognized by industry, respected by vendors and evangelized by customers, Bitdefender is the cybersecurity company you can trust and rely on. www.bitdefender.com.

[i] Security Budgets 2019: The Year Of Services Arrives, Forrester Research, Inc., Dec. 17, 2018

SOURCE Bitdefender
As a Select Innovation Partner, SES will continue to work with Carnival Corporation's Global Experience and Innovation team as an integrated design, development and delivery partner for game-changing guest experience innovations including MedallionClass vacations, OceanView  and MedallionNet now exclusively available on Princess Cruises .

To date, Carnival Corporation's Global Experience and Innovation team with SES Networks, the data business unit of SES, has created MedallionNet, the best Wi-Fi at sea, to deliver connectivity to guests that is fast, unlimited, reliable and affordable. The partnership has also produced the first real-time cruise ship/cloud-scale/shoreside intelligence synchronization model that powers the Ocean Guest Experience PlatformTM  an Experience Internet of ThingsTM network on board select ships from Carnival Corporation's Princess Cruises brand.

SES, as a world-leading video content distributor delivering over 8,100 channels to over 355 million homes, is bringing its broadcasting capabilities as an innovation partner GO.TM  a direct-to-digital travel series created by Carnival Corporation. In 2019, 11 new episodes filmed in Cuba, Ireland, Scotland and the Bahamas will be released, celebrating some of the most spectacular travel destinations accessible by cruise ship. The short-form episodes are being created in stunning 4K and will be delivered along with the entire OceanView original content library via SES's geostationary earth orbit (GEO) fleet and medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite constellation.

VIDEO : Carnival Corp Expands Partnership with SES

"SES is an integral innovation partner who not only provides world-leading connectivity technology through its combined GEO and O3b MEO constellation, but most importantly is passionate about creating amazing experiences through the fusion of creativity, story, connectivity, media and technology with O3b mPOWER on a global scale," said John Padgett, chief experience and innovation officer for Carnival Corporation. "Our first joint creation, MedallionNet, has already significantly elevated the cruise experience for our guests and crew and is pushing the entire industry to improve connectivity for their guests and crew, no matter where they might be in the world."

"With MedallionNet, we helped deliver a new and holistic model that sets an entirely new standard for cruise ship connectivity around the world," said Steve Collar, president and CEO of SES. "We are very excited to be a Select Innovation Partner for Carnival Corporation's Global Experience and Innovation team where we can play a more integral role in advancing the Ocean Guest Experience Platform. By leveraging our unique multi-orbit satellite networks, we are empowering Carnival Corporation to deliver game-changing guest experiences to each and every single passenger."

Carnival Corporation's proprietary Ocean Guest Experience Platform, powered by the OceanMedalliondevice, is exclusive to Princess Cruises and given complimentary to all guests on select ships to enhance guest-crew interactions and to deliver a high level of service and personalized attention on a large scale.

The Medallion enables keyless stateroom entry, hassle-free payment, turn-by-turn shipboard wayfinding, shipmate locator and personalized itineraries; speeds up embarkation; facilitates on-demand services like ordering food, drinks and merchandise; powers anywhere wagering; and more. MedallionClass vacations enabled by the innovative Medallion are currently available for all guests sailing on three Princess Cruises Ships  Caribbean Princess, Regal Princess and Royal Princess.

About Carnival Corporation & plc

Carnival Corporation & plc is the world's largest leisure travel company and among the most profitable and financially strong in the cruise and vacation industries, with a portfolio of nine of the world's leading cruise lines. With operations in North America, Australia, Europe and Asia, its portfolio features Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, P&O Cruises (Australia), Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK) and Cunard.

Together, the corporation's cruise lines operate 104 ships with 243,000 lower berths visiting over 700 ports around the world, with 19 new ships scheduled to be delivered through 2025. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour company in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 indices.

With a long history of innovation and providing guests with extraordinary vacation experiences, Carnival Corporation has received thousands of industry awards  including recognition by the Consumer Technology Association as a CES 2019 Innovation Awards Honoree for the OceanMedallion. A revolutionary wearable device that contains a proprietary blend of communication technologies, the OceanMedallion enables the world's first interactive guest experience platform transforming vacation travel on a large scale into a highly personalized level of customized service. The prestigious CES Innovation Awards honor outstanding design and engineering in consumer technology products.

Additional information can be found on www.carnival.com, www.princess.com, www.hollandamerica.com, www.seabourn.com, www.pocruises.com.au, www.costacruise.com, www.aida.de, www.pocruises.com and www.cunard.com.

SES

SES is the world's leading satellite operator with over 70 satellites in two different orbits, Geostationary Orbit (GEO) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO). It provides a diverse range of customers with global video distribution and data connectivity services through two business units: SES Video and SES Networks. SES Video reaches over 355 million TV homes, through Direct-to-Home (DTH) platforms and cable, terrestrial, and IPTV networks globally. The SES Video portfolio includes MX1, a leading media service provider offering a full suite of innovative services for both linear and digital distribution, and the ASTRA satellite system, which has the largest DTH television reach in Europe. SES Networks provides global managed data services, connecting people in a variety of sectors including telecommunications, maritime, aeronautical, and energy, as well as governments and institutions across the world. The SES Networks portfolio includes GovSat, a 50/50 public-private partnership between SES and the Luxembourg government, and O3b, the only non-geostationary system delivering fibre-like broadband services today. Further information is available at: www.ses.com

SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc

Related Links

www.carnival.com


ATLANTA, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- CatchMark Timber Trust, Inc. (NYSE: CTT) will release its first quarter 2019 earnings on Thursday, May 2, 2019, following the market close. The company will host a conference call and live webcast at 10 a.m. ET on Friday, May 3, 2019 to discuss these results.

Investors may listen to the conference call by dialing 1-888-347-1165 for U.S/Canada and 1-412-902-4276 for international callers. Participants should ask to be joined into the CatchMark call. Access to the live webcast will be available at www.catchmark.com. A replay of this webcast will be archived on the company's website shortly after the call.

About CatchMark

CatchMark (NYSE: CTT) seeks to deliver consistent and growing per share cash flow from disciplined acquisitions and superior management of prime timberlands located in high demand U.S. mill markets. Concentrating on maximizing cash flows throughout business cycles, the company strategically harvests its high-quality timberlands to produce durable revenue growth and takes advantage of proximate mill markets, which provide a reliable outlet for merchantable inventory. Headquartered in Atlanta and focused exclusively on timberland ownership and management, CatchMark began operations in 2007 and owns interests in 1.6 million acres* of timberlands located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. For more information, visit www.catchmark.com.

* As of December 31, 2018

SOURCE CatchMark Timber Trust, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.catchmark.com


CHICAGO, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- CNA Financial Corporation (NYSE: CNA) will report first quarter 2019 results before the market opens on Monday, April 29, 2019. The news release, earnings presentation and financial supplement will be available on CNA's website at www.cna.com. A conference call for investors and analysts is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET and will be hosted by Dino E. Robusto, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of CNA Financial Corporation.

A live webcast will be available via the Investor Relations section of www.cna.com. Those interested in participating in the question and answer session should dial (800) 289-0571, or for international callers, +1 (720) 543-0206. An online replay will also be available on CNA's website following the call.

About CNA

CNA is one of the largest U.S. commercial property and casualty insurance companies. CNA provides a broad range of standard and specialized property and casualty insurance products and services for businesses and professionals in the U.S., Canada and Europe, backed by 120 years of experience and more than $45 billion of assets. For more information about CNA, visit our website at www.cna.com.

Follow CNA (NYSE: CNA) on: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube

CONTACT:





MEDIA: ANALYSTS: Brandon Davis 312-822-5885 James Anderson 312-822-7757

SOURCE CNA Financial Corporation

Related Links

http://www.cna.com


The Dodge brand doesn't just break records on the track, it also crossed the Facebook finish line in 2018 as the most "loved" automotive brand on Facebook, according to a study by Crisp. Dodge came out on top in 2018 through posts that celebrate the brand's passion for high-octane muscle and irreverence, coupled with a heavy dose of humor.

"The Dodge//SRT brand's personality and voice across its social channels are representative of our millions of die-hard fans," said Steve Beahm, Head of Passenger Car Brands, Dodge//SRT, Chrysler and FIAT  FCA North America. "Their attitude and passion are exceeded only by their love of Dodge vehicles. To learn that Dodge received the most 'love' reactions on Facebook in 2018 validates our team's dedicated efforts to provide a forum for our fans to not only learn more about our vehicles, but to engage and interact with each other and share their love for the brand."



The top five Dodge brand most "loved" Facebook posts in 2018:

1. "Respect the Beast"

2. "Front End Friday"

3. "Introducing the Triple Threat"

4. "Hellephant" powers the 1968 Dodge "Super Charger" Concept"

5. "Muscle Redefined"

Dodge received 461,187 total "love" reactions on Facebook in 2018, beating its next closest competitor Mercedes, which accrued 382,629, to be the most loved automotive brand on Facebook in 2018. While other brands posted double the total number of posts, Dodge achieved the most "love" through just 408 posts and by bringing muscle cars and nostalgia roaring back to life.



"Dodge demonstrates that they truly understand that the value of social media is engaging with customers and fans in a way that resonates rather than simply marketing at them," said Emma Monks, Vice President of Crisis Intelligence at Crisp. "Dodge produces a small amount of high quality content on Facebook that informs, entertains and invites fans to celebrate and share their passion for these iconic cars. This is the building block of creating great brand trust and reputation online."



Online crisis monitoring firm Crisp compiled reactions on Facebook to develop its Automotive Social Reactions Index to learn how automotive brands are viewed online. Based on the analysis of 19,846 Facebook posts published by the top 50 automotive brands, the report summarizes feedback from January 2018 to January 2019.



About Dodge//SRT

Dodge//SRT offers a complete lineup of performance vehicles that stand out in their own segments. Dodge is America's mainstream performance brand and SRT is positioned as the ultimate performance halo of the Dodge brand, together creating a complete and balanced performance brand with one vision and one voice.



For more than 100 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge, who founded the brand in 1914. Their influence continues today. New for 2019, the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye is possessed by the Demon. Its 797-horsepower supercharged HEMI high-output engine makes it the most powerful, quickest and fastest muscle car reaching 0-60 miles per hour (mph) in 3.4 seconds and the fastest GT production car with a -mile elapsed time (ET) of 10.8 seconds at 131 mph. It also reaches a new top speed of 203 mph. Joining the Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye is the 2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat with its more powerful 717-horsepower engine, the Challenger R/T Scat Pack Widebody, which features fender flares from the SRT Hellcat Widebody and adds 3.5 inches of width to Scat Pack's footprint, as well as and the new Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320. Infused with exclusive drag strip technology from the iconic Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, the Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320 is a drag-oriented, street-legal muscle car and a blank canvas for the serious grassroots drag racer. The 2019 Dodge Durango SRT, America's fastest, most powerful and most capable three-row SUV with a best-in-class tow rating of 8,700 lbs. fills out the brands' performance lineup. These visceral performance models join a 2019 brand lineup that includes the Durango, Grand Caravan, Journey, Charger and Challenger  a showroom that offers performance at every price point.



Follow Dodge, SRT and FCA US news and video on:

Company blog: http://blog.fcanorthamerica.com

Media website: http://media.fcanorthamerica.com

Dodge brand: www.dodge.com

Dodge blog: blog.dodge.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/dodge or https://www.facebook.com/FiatChrysler.NorthAmerica/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/dodgeofficial or www.instagram.com/FiatChrysler_NA

Twitter: www.twitter.com/dodge or www.twitter.com/FiatChrysler_NA

YouTube: www.youtube.com/dodge or www.youtube.com/fcanorthamerica

SOURCE FCA US LLC

Related Links

http://www.fcanorthamerica.com


"We believe Eden Prairie Village Shopping Center is a generational asset in one of the most desirable suburbs of Minneapolis. We are very pleased to have the opportunity to purchase this wonderful center on an off market basis. We look forward to growing our presence in the Twin Cities and managing this special community asset for years to come," stated Alex Nyhan, Co-President and Managing Director of First Washington Realty. Eden Prairie Village Shopping Center is currently 98.4% leased and represents First Washington Realty's third property in the Twin Cities.

First Washington Realty (FWR) is a fully integrated, national real estate investment and management firm that specializes in the ownership of convenience, necessity and experience-oriented retail real estate.



FWR currently owns 97 shopping centers with a value of over $4.9 billion located in 22 states and the District of Columbia. Our centers contain approximately 12.9 million square feet with approximately 2,400 tenants. The Company is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland with offices in Dallas, Kansas City, and San Diego. For more information, visit www.firstwash.com.

Contact:

Alex Nyhan

First Washington Realty

301-907-7800

SOURCE First Washington Realty

Related Links

https://www.firstwash.com


BOSTON, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- HYCU, Inc., a pioneering enterprise software company specializing in data backup, recovery and monitoring for multi-cloud environments, today announced support for Google Cloud services, with Google Cloud SQL being the first service to be supported. This follows the successful introduction of HYCU Backup as a Service for Google Cloud Platform, a fully managed backup as a service for customers running their mission critical applications, databases on virtual machines (VMs) running on Google Cloud. Now, customers running Google Cloud SQL will have 1-click simplicity backup and recovery with HYCU.

"Since developing and launching the first purpose-built backup as a service solution for Google Cloud users, the reception by Google Cloud partners and customers alike has been beyond what we anticipated. For Google Cloud users, we are now focused on delivering the value they would expect from a cloud native, enterprise class, tightly integrated data protection experience," said Simon Taylor, CEO at HYCU. "With our support for Google Cloud as a managed service, users have the choice they need for the same consumer like experience with enterprise class functionality they have come to expect."

Like Google Cloud Platform, HYCU Backup as a Service is a cloud native, elastic service that grows and shrinks with customers' needs. Similar to Google Cloud services, customers can subscribe for HYCU in minutes right from the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Marketplace, login using their native Google Cloud credentials and experience the simplicity of HYCU. With no-agents to install and with zero deployment, there is no overhead on operations. Now with the addition of support for Google Cloud SQL, highlights of the benefits Google customers can experience are:

Automated discovery of all Cloud SQL instances & databases

One click data protection for Cloud SQL instances

Granular recovery of databases

Automation for one-click, development and test copy management

Since HYCU was built with the Google Cloud user in mind and with its intuitive UI, there is no additional training required. As long as you are familiar with Google Cloud, you have access to a fully managed data protection service for Google Compute and Cloud SQL.

"Google Cloud is known as an innovator and that innovation is what makes Google Cloud users push to deliver value as they deploy, purchase and manage leading solutions," said George Crump, Co-Founder and Lead Analyst at Storage Switzerland. "As HYCU adds enhanced data protection support for key Google Cloud services like Cloud SQL, with ease of access directly on the GCP Marketplace, I anticipate customers appreciating having the ability to simplify and improve their data protection of this critical data set. The combination of Cloud SQL and HYCU provides meaningful differentiation for Google Cloud and is something that organizations deciding on cloud investments should consider."

HYCU will be sharing more on core and additional support for Google Cloud Platform at Google Cloud Next '19 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco from April 9-11. You can find HYCU and the team of technology experts at the following events and sessions:

Tuesday, April 9 , Subbiah Sundaram , VP Products, will be hosting a session in Theater 2 from 4:30 pm  4:50 pm on why HYCU is the right backup service choice for your applications and VMs running on Google Cloud.

, , VP Products, will be hosting a session in Theater 2 from  on why HYCU is the right backup service choice for your applications and VMs running on Google Cloud. Tuesday, April 9 , HYCU will be hosting a reception starting at 5:30 pm where attendees will be able to savor the finest pretzels and Denogginizer Double IPA.

, HYCU will be hosting a reception starting at where attendees will be able to savor the finest pretzels and Denogginizer Double IPA. Thursday, April 11 , Subbiah Sundaram and Santiago Jimenez Abad, Chief Technology Officer, Nubosoft will be joining session leader, Bader Hamdan , in STO208 from 9:00 am  9:50 am on what are the right solutions for backup, archive and disaster recovery in the Cloud.

"There is little tolerance for unavailability of priority applications and data. The need for enterprise-class data protection as a cloud-native service has never been more important as mission-critical cloud services like Cloud SQL get deployed more widely. Organizations need to protect, manage and recover their data in the cloud," said Christophe Bertrand, Data Protection Senior Analyst at ESG. "HYCU continues to deliver on its roadmap at a fast pace and adds the workloads, services and features that Google Cloud admins and users alike look for in a managed backup as a service solution. Much as HYCU did with Nutanix in delivering an innovative 'natively-developed' solution, they are doing for Google Cloud."

Pricing and Availability:

HYCU support for Google Cloud SQL will be available in Q2 2019 with subsequent Google Cloud services support to follow. HYCU Backup as a Service is available on the GCP Marketplace and through authorized Google Cloud Service Provider partners. Subscription and billing are handled through the GCP Marketplace. Pricing is determined by the amount data being protected and frequency of backup.

About HYCU

HYCU makes it easy to thrive in a hyper-simple, multi-cloud world. The pioneering enterprise software company specializes in data backup, recovery and monitoring for hyper-converged (HCI), Google Cloud and multi-cloud infrastructures. Headquartered in Boston, Mass., HYCU harnesses 25 years of sophisticated IT experience, insights from over one million users, and work with more than 25,000 customers, more than 10 ISVs and 350 employees to create a deep and unrivaled well of industry expertise. The result is unsurpassed alignment with industry leaders and a formidable competitive advantage in the multi-cloud space. HYCU's flagship products, a purpose-built backup and recovery solution for Nutanix, and a managed backup as a service for Google Cloud Platform, are acclaimed in the industry and features performance and value that are unmatched.

SOURCE HYCU, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.hycu.com


FORT WORTH, Texas, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Kentucky Fresh Harvest, LLC, a hydroponic greenhouse operation based in Stanford, Kentucky, announced it has successfully completed an equity capital raise totaling $520,000 on Harvest Returns' investment platform.

Hydroponic tomatoes grown in greenhouses are produced without soil.

The funding raised will help the Kentucky Fresh Harvest team support its rural community by adding nearly 75 permanent, full-time jobs. Kentucky Fresh Harvest's facility will be able to produce approximately three to four million cherry tomatoes per year by 2020. Their facility also strives to be efficient, saving up to 135,000 gallons of water per day and 40 percent less fertilizer. Kentucky Fresh Harvest will bring millions of dollars a year of added revenue and economic benefit for the local area.

"We are thrilled to announce a successful crowdfunding raise of $520,000 for our hydroponic farm in Stanford, Kentucky," said Curt Meltzer, COO of Kentucky Fresh Harvest. "Our partners at Harvest Returns could not have been more helpful in finding interested investors and shepherding us through the process. We look forward to working with them again in the future."

The rise of indoor farming systems across the country has helped hydroponics see a boost in consumer and business demand.

"We're excited to be working with Kentucky Fresh Harvest," said Chris Rawley, CEO of Harvest Returns. "Controlled environment agriculture is an important and growing part of America's food system. This company is leading the way in producing year-round produce in a sustainable manner."

About Kentucky Fresh Harvest

Kentucky Fresh Harvest is a high-technology greenhouse project based in Stanford, Kentucky. Overseen by Haim Oz, Founder and CEO of OAPI, a world leader in the development of hydroponic greenhouses on five continents, the company has a focus on growing niche vegetables, such as cherry tomatoes and bell peppers, year-round.

About Harvest Returns

Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, Harvest Returns, LLC is a financial technology company created in 2016 by two military veterans to bring agricultural producers together with investors. Through democratizing the agriculture investment process, the online platform provides curated, diversified offerings of farms, ranches, and timberland to qualified investors.

For more information, please visit harvestreturns.com.

For more information about this topic, please contact Allison Spence at 844-673-8876 or email at [email protected].

SOURCE Harvest Returns

Related Links

https://www.harvestreturns.com


IDAHO FALLS, Idaho, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- International Isotopes Inc. (OTCQB: INIS) (the "Company") has announced it has executed a manufacturing and supply agreement with Progenics Pharmaceuticals Inc. ("Progenics"). Under this agreement, the Company will provide contract manufacturing services for AZEDRA (Ultratrace Iobenguane I-131) and other iodine products.

Steve T. Laflin, President and CEO of the Company, said, "We are very pleased to have an opportunity to enter into this manufacturing and supply agreement with Progenics. Contract manufacturing for Progenics builds upon our license qualifications and experience in handling iodine-131 and helps further broaden our customer base and technical experience. Speaking for the entire team at the Company, we certainly welcome this new opportunity and look forward to a long and beneficial relationship with Progenics."

About AZEDRA

Progenics had previously announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") approval of AZEDRA in July 2018. AZEDRA is the first and only approved therapy in the U.S. for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients 12 years and older with iobenguane scan positive, unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma who require systemic anticancer therapy. Progenics also plans to explore potential pathways for additional AZEDRA indications in other multiple MIBG-avid tumor indications, including gastroenteropancreatic and other neuroendocrine tumors.

About International Isotopes Inc.

International Isotopes Inc. manufactures a full range of nuclear medicine calibration and reference standards and provides radiochemicals for clinical research and life sciences. The Company also produces bulk cobalt-60 and manufactures a variety of cobalt-60 products such as teletherapy sources and provides a wide range of radiological field services on a contract basis to clients.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including, but not limited to, the expectations under the new manufacturing and supply agreement with Progenics and the expansion of the Company's manufacturing facilities. Information contained in such forward-looking statements is based on current expectations and is subject to change. These statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Other factors, which could materially affect such forward-looking statements, can be found in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov , including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018. Investors, potential investors and other readers are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements made herein are only made as of the date of this press release and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

David Drewitz

Creative Options Communications

Investor and Public Relations

[email protected]

www.creativeoptionsmarketing.com

Phone: 972-814-5723

For more information, please visit the Company web site: www.internationalisotopes.com

SOURCE International Isotopes Inc.

Related Links

http://www.intisoid.com


CHICAGO, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- KPMG LLP announced today the opening of the KPMG Ignition Center  Chicago, the firm's seventh and largest Center designed to allow the firm's clients to become better, more competitive and transform. The 30,000 square foot Ignition Center, located on the 68th floor of the Aon Center, brings together the firm's collective capabilities across signal sensing, design thinking, data & analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI), strategy, business process and technology.

"With the rate and pace of disruption in the market, KPMG is constantly focused on making strategic, short and long-term investments that address market disruption and support a transformation journey," said Mike Nolan, KPMG Vice Chair, Innovation & Enterprise Solutions (I&ES). "We are excited to open our seventh and largest Ignition Center. These spaces help us to bring together our capabilities across emerging technologies, strategy and business services in a new way that represents how KPMG is transforming our business and how we help our clients transform."

The proliferation of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence/cognitive, blockchain, cloud, augmented/virtual reality and platform business models promise greater efficiency and lower costs, but many organizations find it challenging to capitalize on these new technologies. KPMG is able to help businesses navigate the signals of disruption that are impacting their business, establish strategic approaches to evolving their business models, financial models and operating models, and design technology solutions that can support their organizational needs.

KPMG's 2018 CEO Outlook found that 86 percent of U.S. CEOs consider their companies to be active disruptors. A vast majority see technology as the only significant disruption their business faces. KPMG Ignition Centers enable the firm to anticipate technology advances and monitor the signals of disruption in order to support the modernization of business, including human-centered design thinking and ways of working.

The firm selected Chicago for its newest KPMG Ignition Center in part due to the breadth of industry sectors and businesses located in the Chicagoland area, convenient access to transportation, and access to talent. The firm's second-largest office, Chicago's more than 2,500 partners and professionals serve more than 1,000 publically and privately held companies in the Chicago area across audit, tax and advisory.

"Chicago's ability to attract and retain technology talent is critical to the work we are doing to support enterprise-wide business transformation," said Linda Imonti, Chicago office managing principal. "Our clients represent a cross-sections of the industries and businesses that are being transformed by emerging technologies, regulatory changes and the changing customer. Having a KPMG Ignition Center in Chicago enables us to not only help solve their complex business problems, but also to attract and retain the new types of talent critical to KPMG's continued growth."

"Chicago's tech scene has grown tremendously over the past several years because of our deep talent pool, global connectivity, world-class infrastructure, affordability and amazing quality of life," said Mayor Emanuel. "KPMG's ongoing commitment to invest in Chicago and foster the next generation of technologists in Chicago will advance our technology ecosystem for many years to come."

The 30,000 square foot KPMG Ignition Center in Chicago incorporates:

Innovation Lab: KPMG Innovation Labs detect and interpret signals of change, from an outside-in perspective. Using proprietary research and tools, customer insights, and robust analysis capabilities, KPMG applies design thinking for business model innovation, enabling our clients to synthesize new outlooks and translate complex signals into actions.

KPMG Innovation Labs detect and interpret signals of change, from an outside-in perspective. Using proprietary research and tools, customer insights, and robust analysis capabilities, KPMG applies design thinking for business model innovation, enabling our clients to synthesize new outlooks and translate complex signals into actions. Insights Center: A state-of-the-art facility to showcase the art of the possible using data & analytics and artificial intelligence (AI). Companies can engage in real-time data exploration and scenario testing, and prototype development for big data systems, data visualization, machine learning, predictive analytics, and optimization. In addition to Chicago , KPMG Insights Centers are located in New York , Frankfurt , Hong Kong , London , Paris and Sydney .

A state-of-the-art facility to showcase the art of the possible using data & analytics and artificial intelligence (AI). Companies can engage in real-time data exploration and scenario testing, and prototype development for big data systems, data visualization, machine learning, predictive analytics, and optimization. In addition to , KPMG Insights Centers are located in , , , , and . Technology Solutions collaborates with leading technology firms to drive transformational outcomes through innovation. The integrated teams of data scientists, developers, engineers, technologists and business specialists support a vast array of enabling solutions including cyber security, Tax transformation and technology, robotics and process automation, data and analytics, HR and business transformation, and cloud-based human capital management and financials.

collaborates with leading technology firms to drive transformational outcomes through innovation. The integrated teams of data scientists, developers, engineers, technologists and business specialists support a vast array of enabling solutions including cyber security, Tax transformation and technology, robotics and process automation, data and analytics, HR and business transformation, and cloud-based human capital management and financials. Green Room: A prototyping "Garage" space. It currently houses a "retail branch of the future," an immersive demonstration of how Cloud, AI, and Machine Learning are helping retail banks and mortgage lenders to enhance customer service and simplify complex interactions.

A prototyping "Garage" space. It currently houses a "retail branch of the future," an immersive demonstration of how Cloud, AI, and Machine Learning are helping retail banks and mortgage lenders to enhance customer service and simplify complex interactions. A Briefing Center with a 13-person "Harkness-style" table for strategy and planning.

with a 13-person "Harkness-style" table for strategy and planning. The Living Room: A mindful space with natural finishes, a living wall and executive dining area for person-to-person interaction and executive dining.

KPMG Ignition Centers are located in Atlanta, Denver, Grand Rapids, New York City  midtown and downtown, and San Francisco. KPMG will open its next Ignition Center at the KPMG Lakehouse in Lake Nona, FL in 2020.

About KPMG

KPMG LLP is the independent U.S. member firm of KPMG International Cooperative ("KPMG International"). KPMG International's independent member firms have 207,000 professionals in 153 countries and territories. Learn more at www.kpmg.com/us.

Select services and insights:

For inquiries: Read.kpmg.us/ignitionchicago.

Contact: Libby Langsdorf

KPMG LLP

[email protected]

(917) 825-2211

SOURCE KPMG LLP

Related Links

http://www.kpmg.com/us


The activity was within the framework of the Vietnamese  European Knowledge and Technology Transfer Education Consortium (VETEC) project under the Eramus + Key Action 2 programme costing over VND17.5 billion (US$752,500) funded by the European Union.

The project aimed to create a network of technological  knowledge transfer development between Europe and Vietnam, involving HUST, Hue University, Can Tho University, Belgiums Free University of Brussels, Germanys Dresden University of Technology, Portugals University of Aveiro and other seven supportive members, including the Belgian embassy in Vietnam.

Speaking at the event, HUST Rector Hoang Minh Son said transfer of technology and expertise is an inevitable trend, adding that suggestions at the event will help Vietnamese universities update helpful insight in the current context.

The HUST speaks highly of the efficiency of the project with partners, especially efforts by the Free University of Brussels, European schools in general and the support of the European Union as part of the Eramus + Key Action 2 programme, said Son.

Based on the survey result of technology  knowledge transfer for nearly 30 officers from the HUST, Hue University and Can Tho University, several effective models were introduced at the event after over two years of implementation with the assistance of European experts.

Representatives from European universities and businesses shared their real-life experience in the field, countries policies, and mentioned challenges in technology transfer model.

The VETEC project is underway from September 2016  2019. Its results will be widely spread to develop training courses in the field in Vietnamese universities.
Saab to Supply Combat System of Finnish Pohjanmaa-Class



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CINCINNATI, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) today announced several executive promotions to support Restock Kroger and the company's long-term growth.

"We are making progress on redefining the customer experience, and our high-performing leaders are determined to maintain that momentum in year two of Restock Kroger and beyond," said Mike Donnelly, Kroger's executive vice president and chief operating officer. "Each of these promotions is consistent with Kroger's track record of strong succession planning and will help ensure we continue driving toward our growth objectives."

"We have a leadership team that combines deep experience with creative new talent," said Tim Massa, Kroger's senior vice president of human resources and chief people officer. "In our dynamic retail environment, we continue to look to experienced and capable leaders to take on key senior officer roles while also developing high performing leaders and teams, including bringing in outside talent, as part of Restock Kroger."

Mary Ellen Adcock Promoted to Senior Vice President, Retail Operations

Mary Ellen Adcock, currently group vice president of retail operations, has been promoted to senior vice president, retail operations, effective May 1.

"Mary Ellen quickly established herself as a key contributor to both the sales and operations organization as well as to the senior executive team. She led Kroger's efforts to deliver an unprecedented $1 billion in operational savings in 2018 and will no doubt successfully extend her proven track record while overseeing several of Kroger's retail supermarket divisions," said Donnelly.

Adcock joined Kroger in 1999 at Country Oven Bakery, a manufacturing facility in Bowling Green, Ky. She held several manufacturing leadership positions, including human resources manager, general manager and regional operations manager. She was promoted to vice president of deli/bakery manufacturing in 2009. In 2012, Adcock was promoted to vice president of natural foods merchandising, where she led the launch of Simple Truth.

Adcock was promoted in 2014 to vice president of merchandising for the Columbus division and became vice president of operations for the same division in 2015. While in the Columbus division, she led her team to achieve a double-digit increase in sales and market share growth. She was promoted to her current role in 2016.

Adcock graduated magna cum laude from Vanderbilt University and earned a bachelor's degree in Human and Organizational Development. She earned her MBA from the University of Colorado.

Joe Grieshaber Promoted to Senior Vice President, Merchandising

Joe Grieshaber, currently president of the Fred Meyer division, has been promoted to senior vice president, merchandising, effective May 1.

"Joe brings to the senior merchandising role experience in a variety of leadership roles throughout the company, including most recently leading our successful Fred Meyer division with its broader mix-oriented retail format," said Donnelly.

Grieshaber began his career with Kroger in 1983 as a store management trainee in Nashville, Tenn. He has served in a variety of leadership roles with Kroger, including meat merchandiser and district manager for the Michigan division. In 2000, Grieshaber was promoted to vice president of merchandising for the Columbus division before taking on his role as group vice president of perishables merchandising and procurement at general office in Cincinnati in 2003. He was then named president of the Dillons division in 2010. Grieshaber served as president of the Columbus division before moving to his current role in 2017.

Grieshaber holds a bachelor's degree in Marketing from Western Kentucky University.

Robert Clark Named Senior Vice President, Supply Chain, Manufacturing and Sourcing

Robert Clark, currently senior vice president of merchandising, has been named senior vice president, supply chain, manufacturing and sourcing, effective May 1.

"Robert will continue to focus on building capacity in Kroger's outstanding manufacturing and distribution networks to support our anything, anytime, anywhere customer ecosystem," said Donnelly.

Clark began his career with the company in 1985 as a courtesy clerk at Fry's Food Stores in Arizona. Since then, he has held various leadership positions, including store and district management as well as in grocery merchandising. In 2002, he was named vice president of Merchandising for Fry's. In 2010, he was promoted to vice president of operations for the Columbus division before taking on the role of vice president of merchandising for the Fred Meyer division in 2011. Clark was promoted to group vice president of non-perishables in 2013, and to his current role in March 2016.

Kroger Promotes Several Division Presidents, Announces One Retirement

Dennis Gibson, currently president of the King Soopers division, has been promoted to president of the Fred Meyer division, effective May 1. He succeeds Joe Grieshaber.

Gibson returns to Fred Meyer, where he began his Kroger career in 1984. He spent eight years in a variety of apparel merchandising roles in Oregon, Utah and Idaho. Between 1992 and 1999, Gibson held store and district management positions for the Fred Meyer division. He was promoted to vice president and regional director for the division in 1999, prior to serving as group vice president of store operations. In 2011, Gibson moved to the Columbus division as vice president of operations, before being named vice president of merchandising. He was promoted to president of the QFC division in 2014 and named to his current role in 2016. Gibson began his career in the retail industry in 1976 as a management trainee for Grand Central discount department stores in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Dan De La Rosa, currently president of the Columbus division, has been promoted to president of the King Soopers division, effective May 1. He succeeds Dennis Gibson.

De La Rosa joined the company in 1980 as a clerk assistant in the Ralphs division. He has a diverse background in operations and merchandising, serving as store director, director of corporate brands for Ralphs and Food 4 Less and district manager. From 2007  2013, he held several fresh merchandising roles with increasing responsibility, including vice president of meat and seafood merchandising for the enterprise. He was named vice president of merchandising at the Fred Meyer division in 2015 and was promoted to his current role in 2017.

De La Rosa holds a bachelor's degree from California State University and is a graduate of the University of Southern California Food Industry Management Program. He also served on the board of the Western Association of Food Chains.

Marlene Stewart, currently president of the Houston division, has announced her plans to retire from the company after 41 years of service, effective July 20.

Stewart started her career with Kroger in 1977 as a bagger in the Cincinnati/Dayton division. She continued to work full-time while attending the University of Cincinnati, from where she graduated cum laude with a bachelor's degree in Business. Stewart went on to serve in many leadership roles in the division, including in store and district management, merchandising, operations and training. In 2005, Stewart moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, to serve as director of operations, before being named vice president of operations for the Mid-Atlantic division in 2007. She moved to Seattle and joined the QFC division in 2011 as vice president of merchandising. Stewart was promoted to president of the Dillons division in 2015 and named to her current role in 2016.

Joe Kelley, currently vice president on special assignment, has been promoted to president of the Houston division, effective May 1. He succeeds Marlene Stewart.

Kelley joined Kroger earlier this year on special assignment, focusing on the company's continued work to improve the customer experience. Kelley is a seasoned retail executive with regional, national and international experience in leading sales, marketing, merchandising, category management, supply chain and operations. He has also held executive leadership roles with Ahold USA, Stop and Shop, Marsh Supermarkets and Price Chopper Supermarkets. Kelley most recently served as principal of Kelley Business Advisors, LLC, where he served as a business consultant for grocery retailers.

At The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), we are dedicated to our Purpose: to Feed the Human SpiritTM. We are nearly half a million associates who serve over nine million customers daily through a seamless digital shopping experience and 2,764 retail food stores under a variety of banner names, serving America through food inspiration and uplift, and creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To learn more about us, visit our newsroom and investor relations site.

SOURCE The Kroger Co.

Related Links

http://www.kroger.com


SAN FRANCISCO, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Make School today announced $15 million in Series B funding led by venture capital pioneer Venrock, an early-stage investor in Apple and Intel. The college's unique bachelor's degree program, which is approved by the same accreditors as Stanford and Berkeley, was developed in partnership with Silicon Valley employers , including Lyft and LinkedIn.

"Make School graduates bring a powerful combination of not just tech skills, but soft skills like collaboration, critical thinking, and problem-solving that are typical in top graduates of traditional colleges and universities," said Hannah Wolf of Spotify. "By eliminating the false choice between in-demand skills and the lifetime value of a degree, Make School's model has big potential to address diversity gaps in tech by making higher education work for students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds."

Although just 15 percent of computer science graduates nationwide are black or Latino, nearly half of Make School's student population are underrepresented minority students. Over the last five years, Make School graduates have gone on to work with top tech employers including Google and Apple.

"Make School is tackling the three big issues in higher education: cost, relevance, and equity," said Tom Willerer, Partner at Venrock, who previously served as Chief Product Officer at Coursera and VP of Product at Netflix. "It's obliterating the historic distinction between in-demand technical skills and the value of a degree. By de-risking a student's investment in a rigorous, computer science education, they're also expanding access in ways that have profound potential to close equity gaps for tech employers."

Founded in 2014, Make School's unique pay-for-performance model only requires students to make tuition payments if their income exceeds $60,000 after graduation. Because it can be completed in as little as two years, the degree program is designed to create a more direct connection between education and employment for high school graduates.

With the new investment, which brings its total funding to $30 million, Make School plans to scale to serve thousands of students in San Francisco and prepare for the launch of a New York City campus. The college also plans to add new degree programs in computing-influenced STEM fields that are in increasing demand from high-growth employers, such as computational biology.

"We're rethinking what it means to be an elite institution -- rooted in the progressive value system that inspires the diverse community of learners and makers we serve," said Ashu Desai, co-founder of Make School. "To realize that vision, we've designed an inclusive admissions process eschewing SAT scores and traditional metrics, we've ensured every student can afford to attend, and we've built an education that has enabled our students to outcompete their peers at schools like Stanford and Berkeley for careers at top tech companies."

ABOUT MAKE SCHOOL

Make School is redesigning college for the 21st century. Each year, our graduates launch careers in tech at leading employers including Google, Apple, and Tesla. Together, we're making higher education work for today's students by building faster, more affordable pathways to a degree for students of all backgrounds. Make School is in an incubation partnership with the Dominican University of California for WASC accreditation. Make School was founded in 2012 and is funded by Learn Capital, Y Combinator, Kapor Capital, Fresco Capital, Tim Draper, and Alexis Ohanian. For more, visit makeschool.com .

SOURCE Make School

Related Links

https://www.makeschool.com/press


DENVER, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Medicine Man Technologies, Inc. (OTCQX: MDCL) ("Medicine Man Technologies" or "Company"), a rapidly growing, vertically integrated cannabis operator, today announced that it will be presenting at the 3rd Annual Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference, to be held April 17-18, 2019 at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto, Canada.

Andy Williams, Co-Founder and CEO of Medicine Man Technologies, will deliver a corporate presentation and discuss recent highlights of the Company on Thursday, April 18 at 11:20 a.m. ET in the British Columbia Room.

"This is one of the premiere conferences within the emerging cannabis space for small-cap companies," said Mr. Williams. "We are excited to be participating and presenting the latest highlights from our Company, which include our year-over-year profitable growth and pending acquisitions of MedPharm Holdings, LLC and Medicine Man Denver."

Medicine Man Technologies is a profitable first mover in the cannabis industry, with a revenue run rate expected to exceed $40m upon completion of its pending acquisitions. The Medicine Man Technologies brand has earned a best-in-class reputation for its cultivation and extraction expertise, working with over 100 clients in 18 states and seven countries.

For more information about Medicine Man Technologies, please visit https://www.medicinemantechnologies.com/.

About the Third Annual Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference

The 3rd Annual Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference is scheduled to be held April 17-18, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The conference is the premier gathering of cannabis entrepreneurs and investors in North America and offers high-level access and seamless interaction between the two. The two days feature discussions of post-legalization Canada, market volatility and emerging markets, as well as networking with fundamental players and workshops with influencers, policymakers and trailblazers.

About Medicine Man Technologies

Medicine Man Technologies is a fully integrated operator in the cannabis industry, offering consulting, cultivation supplies and equipment, retail pharma-grade products, and turnkey solutions for cannabis producers, processors, and retailers for nearly a decade. Medicine Man Technologies is leveraging its expertise and intellectual property to vertically integrate retail, cultivation, formulation and distribution operations. The Company's client portfolio includes active and past clients in 18 states and seven countries.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements." Such statements may be preceded by the words "intends," "may," "will," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "projects," "predicts," "estimates," "aims," "believes," "hopes," "potential," or similar words. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, are based on certain assumptions, and are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control, and cannot be predicted or quantified. Consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with (i) our inability to manufacture our products and product candidates on a commercial scale on our own, or in collaboration with third parties; (ii) difficulties in obtaining financing on commercially reasonable terms; (iii) changes in the size and nature of our competition; (iv) loss of one or more key executives or scientists; and (v) difficulties in securing regulatory approval to market our products and product candidates. More detailed information about the Company and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Investors and security holders are urged to read these documents free of charge on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Investor Relations Contact:

[email protected]

1-866-348-1997

SOURCE Medicine Man Technologies, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.medicinemantechnologies.com


ALBANY, New York, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The global mobile robotics market has a very intense competition and robust landscape says Transparency Market Research. This is majorly due to the predominance of new players that are actively operating in the market. In April 2018, Teradyne, Inc. along with the stockholders of Mobile Industrial Robots declared the takeover of MiR of Denmark, for  121 mn also has spent  101 mn for any particular performance objectives are met in the forthcoming years. There are a few prime enterprises in the mobile robotics markets such as Seegrid Corp., John Deere, Savioke, FANUC Corp., and Boeing Co.

In January 2018, the SoftBank Robotics America, Inc. an American company which declared an improved set of characteristics for Pepper, the humanoid robot, incorporating front office proficiencies. Based on types, the mobile robotics market is segmented into unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned ground vehicles, autonomous underwater vehicles, and unmanned surface vehicles. Among these, unmanned ground vehicles category is in the lead and is expected to witness persistent rise in demand for the mobile robotics market in the upcoming years. This is due to a growth in applications of mobile bots in the defense industry to carry out dangerous and difficult missions.

Get PDF Brochure for Research Insights at: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=23912

As stated by TMR analysts, the global mobile robotics market was valued at US$8.58 bn in 2016. The global market is projected to grow at a stellar 15.60% CAGR in the forecast period of 2017-2025 and reach US$30.96 bn by the end of 2025. Geographically, North America to lead with maximum revenue shares in the mobile robotics market. The growing demand for thermal balloon mobile robotics devices in hospitals is a prime aspect fuelling growth of the mobile robotics market too.

Request a Sample of Report: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=23912

Robots Automatically Re-Plan Developments it's a Boon for Mobile Robotics Market

There is a growing demand for mobile robotics for manufacturing purposes, due to a need for enhancing workspace expertise. This growing demand is encouraging the mobile robotics market to note down a significant development in its size and valuation. These mobile robots are designed to operate inside processing plants without changing the way the plants work on a specific format. Along with these, these robots can automatically re-plan their developments to keep away from interferences. Also, by enabling the process it makes them very feasible in the setup of industrial unit. These factors are greatly boosting demand for the mobile robotics market.

Have Any Query? Ask Our Industry Expert: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=ASK&rep_id=23912

A priori from these alterations, companies are encouraged to supply mobile robots in their factory, as this might help them to think and make significant offers for mobile robotics. This factor is fuelling the demand for the mobile robotics market. A mobile robot is a machine that works to some extent in an unpredictable and unknown setting. In contrast to using robots in production plants where the situation is highly controlled, always coding the program for mobile robots and execute its predefined actions is not always possible. The requirement for these robots is increasing day by day, due to their various working patterns and behavior. A growing demand for robots is driving the mobile robotics market in the forthcoming years.

Request For Discount On This Report: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=D&rep_id=23912

Rise in Elderly Workforce to Drive the Mobile Robotics Market

Initially, the investment and capital required is on a higher side for the including the robots and this can be a restraining factor for the growth of mobile robotics market. In the forthcoming years, the significant rise in elderly staffs or workforce, rising labor costs, and the surge in demand regarding profitability are projected to drive the growth of the mobile robotics market. Also, high investments may hamper the growth of the mobile robotics market, which might influence the whole market in the upcoming years. However, growing requirement for mobile robots in prime sectors, like oil & gas, medical science and healthcare and automotive is projected to boost the mobile robotics market.

The study presented here is based on a Transparency Market Research report titled "Mobile Robotics Market (Type - Unmanned Ground Vehicles, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Unmanned Surface Vehicles, and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles; Application - Industrial and Service) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025."

Browse Press Release: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/mobile-robotics-market-2017-2025.htm

The global mobile robotics market is segmented based on:

Types

Unmanned Ground Vehicles

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Unmanned Surface Vehicles

Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

Application

Industrial

Service

Geography

North America

U.S.



Canada

Europe

U.K.



Germany



France



Spain



Italy



Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

China



Japan



India



Australia



South Korea



Rest of Asia Pacific

Latin America

Brazil



Mexico



Rest of Latin America

Rest of the World (ROW)

Middle East



South Africa



Russia



Rest of ROW

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https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/hpc-hpda-market.html Digital Pump Controller Market - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/digital-pump-controllers-market.html

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Transparency Market Research is a next-generation market intelligence provider, offering fact-based solutions to business leaders, consultants, and strategy professionals.

Our reports are single-point solutions for businesses to grow, evolve, and mature. Our real-time data collection methods along with ability to track more than one million high growth niche products are aligned with your aims. The detailed and proprietary statistical models used by our analysts offer insights for making right decision in the shortest span of time. For organizations that require specific but comprehensive information we offer customized solutions through adhoc reports. These requests are delivered with the perfect combination of right sense of fact-oriented problem solving methodologies and leveraging existing data repositories.

TMR believes that unison of solutions for clients-specific problems with right methodology of research is the key to help enterprises reach right decision.

Contact

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Transparency Market Research

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United States

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SOURCE Transparency Market Research
Zibby Owens, a writer and mom of four in Manhattan, started her podcast one year ago. Airing twice weekly episodes, she has interviewed 100+ authors about their books so that busy people  like moms!  can get their literary fix. Guests have included New York Times bestsellers Delia Owens, Gretchen Rubin, Dani Shapiro, John Kenney, Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen, Min Jin Lee, Kwame Alexander and Charles Duhigg, and notables such as Andre Agassi, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Jill Kargman, Dylan Lauren and Florence Fabricant. She also hosts frequent author events to give writers an in-person platform for sharing their work. She will be part of the Barnes & Noble Upper East Side book launch for author, Jamie Brenner, on May 7 th , 2019 at 7:00 pm.

"Nominees like Zibby Owens are setting the standard for innovation and creativity on the Internet," said Claire Graves, Executive Director of The Webby Awards. "It is an incredible achievement to be selected among the best from the 13,000 entries we received this year."

Zibby Owens is thrilled to have received this industry recognition. She said, "After only doing my podcast for a year, being included in the top five podcasts in the Arts & Culture category is just unbelievably exciting and a true honor."

As a nominee, "Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books" is also eligible to win a Webby People's Voice Award, which is voted online by fans across the globe. From now until April 18th, "Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books" fans can cast their votes at vote.webbyawards.com.

Winners will be announced on Tuesday, April 23, 2019 (online voting ends April 18, 2019 at 11:59 pm), and honored at a star-studded ceremony on Monday, May 13, 2019, at Cipriani on Wall Street in New York City. There they will have an opportunity to deliver one of The Webby Awards' famous 5-Word Speeches. Past 5-Word Speeches include: Steve Wilhite's "It's Pronounced "Jif" not 'Gif'; Stephen Colbert's "Me. Me. Me. Me. Me."; and Bjork 's "A E I O U."

About Zibby Owens:

Podcast host, Zibby Owens, is a Yale University and Harvard Business School grad who has written for Marie Claire, Seventeen, Redbook, Parents.com, the New York Times' "Motherlode" blog, HuffPost, and ScaryMommy. She is a Contributor at the TODAY Parenting Team, a Fellow at Kveller.com, and a Top Parenting Writer on Medium.com. She co-wrote a book, YOUR PERFECT FIT, in 2007. She currently lives on the Upper East Side of New York with her four children under age 12 and her husband, Kyle Owens, founder of Morning Moon Productions.

Find Zibby Online:

Website: www.zibbyowens.com

Instagram: @zibbyowens; @momsdonthavetimetoreadbooks

Facebook: @zibbyowens; @momsdonthavetimetoreadbooks; @byzibbyowens

YouTube: @momsdonthavetimetoreadbooks

Find The Webby Awards Online:

Website: webbyawards.com

Facebook: Facebook.com/TheWebbyAwards

Twitter: @TheWebbyAwards

Instagram: @TheWebbyAwards

Snapchat: TheWebbyAwards

YouTube: youtube.com/webby

About The Webby Awards:

Hailed as the "Internet's highest honor" by The New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international awards organization honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, Video, Advertising, Media & PR, Apps, Mobile, and Voice, Social, Podcasts, and Games.

SOURCE Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books

Related Links

http://www.zibbyowens.com


WASHINGTON, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Organizers expect 500 physicians and dentists and health experts to attend the National Hispanic Medical Association and the Hispanic Dental Association's four day conference April 11-14 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Crystal City, VA. The NHMA 23rd conference is the largest of its kind.

ADM Brett P. Giroir, MD, Assistant Secretary of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human will serve as keynote speaker at the plenary on April 12 at 9:00 am to discuss the plans to eliminate HIV.

For 23 years, NHMA has drawn attendees from medical practices, clinics and hospitals who share strategies to care for Latino families and from public service and private sector who develop prevention, environmental, and medical policies and programs that improve health of our communities. The event features an Exhibit Hall to advance careers of Latino health professionals as well as public health education programs from healthcare related nonprofits interested in outreach to Latinos. Participants come to learn how to sustain programs for private practice, inpatient and clinic teaching, Latino health research and policy-making and how to advance their impact through networking.

The Conference Gala on April 13th at 7:30 pm NHMA will host Kris Brown, President, Brady, as keynote speaker and present awards to Dr. Luis Padilla, HRSA Associate Director coordinating major medical and dental diversity programs and the National Health Service Corps; Dr. Juan Robles, Montefiore Medical Center; Dr. Anne Munne, past president HDA; the deans of 4 medical schools in Puerto Rico; and leaders of NHMA network  medical societies, health professions associations, advocacy CBOs, young doctors & residents.

The Conference major sponsors are CDC, NIH, HHS Office of Minority Health, Centene, Abbott, Lilly, Care First, Abbvie, Merck, Gilead, Pfizer, PhRMA, Sunstar, Gum, Butler, and Guidor.

NHMA and HDA are the premier organizations that advocate for health equity in the U.S. by working with public and private partners and educate professionals with prevention campaigns and mentor the next generation to improve health of Latinos. #NHMA2019 #HDA2019

For more information on the NHMA Conference go to www.NHMAmd.org

SOURCE National Hispanic Medical Association

Related Links

http://www.NHMAmd.org


DULUTH, Ga., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Georgia Department of Economic Development announced today that OS National LLC (OSN), a nationally recognized title and escrow provider, will create more than 1,000 jobs and invest more than $15 million in their headquarters in Gwinnett County.

"It's a great day in Georgia when an existing industry announces an expansion," said Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson. "Not only does this announcement put a spotlight on the state's thriving pro-business environment which is supportive of new and existing businesses, but also on the economic development resources available to companies in Gwinnett County."

OSN is a nationally recognized provider of residential and commercial title and escrow services. Headquartered in Duluth, Georgia  the company celebrated their six-year anniversary in March 2019.

"In selecting Gwinnett county for our national headquarters we believe we can support OS National's explosive growth and strategic expansion efforts across the U.S.," said Jamie Wunder, Managing Partner of OS National. "We recognize the county's efforts providing businesses excellent options for growth and helping to grow a rich and diverse talent pool for the future."

OSN employs over 500 associates in four states and helps provide title insurance and escrow services to institutional clients and national lending and banking institutions on both residential and commercial transactions.

"This announcement is further proof that Gwinnett provides the ideal location, talented workforce and pro-business environment necessary for industry leaders like OS National to thrive," said Gwinnett County Commission Chair Charlotte Nash. "We look forward to continuing our strong partnership with the company and ensuring its future success in our community."

Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) Director of Existing Industry & Regional Recruitment Lindsay Martin represented the Global Commerce Division in partnership with Partnership Gwinnett and Gwinnett County Office of Economic Development. For more information, visit http://www.georgia.org.

About OS National

OS National LLC is redefining title solutions as a nationally recognized provider of residential and commercial title and settlement services. OSN provides services to national lenders and banking institutions, REITs, private equity firms, mortgage servicers and institutional investors to facilitate real estate transactions and title insurance-related services.

OS National provides services in certain jurisdictions in partnership with its wholly owned subsidiaries and/or its related entities, OSN Texas LLC (known together as "OSN"). OSN has received the American Land Title Association (ALTA) Title Insurance and Settlement Company Best Practices third party certification by Frazier & Deeter CPAs & Advisors, and is a licensed agent for most of the country's major national title underwriters, with work ranging from single property transactions to multi-million dollar, multi-site transactions. For more information, visit http://www.osnational.com.

From:

OS National LLC

3097 Satellite Blvd., Suite 400

Duluth, GA 30096

(770) 497-9100

http://www.osnational.com

Contact:

John Provost,

[email protected]

SOURCE OS National

Related Links

http://www.osnational.com


"We are honored to be recognized as a consumer product that can change the world," said Relay CEO Chris Chuang. "Our mission to help families stay safely connected in today's digital environment has always been at the core of our work at Relay as we aim to positively impact the well-being of a generation at risk of screen addiction and its negative effects."

The Fast Company award comes on the heels of Relay's recent launch in Target stores nationwide. Already available online at Target.com, Relay is now also available in Target stores providing easier access to the screen-free communication tool for even more parents across the country.

Additionally, Relay will roll out several new notable features this spring designed to make communication between parents and kids even more worry-free using Relay:

SOS emergency alerts - Allows your child to send an emergency notification from their Relay to your smartphone. Along with the notification, you'll also get a live update of their location so you can make sure they're safe.

Listen to message history - Never miss a message. With this highly requested feature, parent and child will be able to listen to messages right as they arrive or hear them later with the press of a button.

One-on-one chats made easy - The Relay app is getting a makeover! In the new app, direct chats will be set up automatically so you can easily reach everyone on your account without manually setting up channels or talking to the whole group.

Relay's powerful yet simple design lets it support many features, use cases, and endless innovation. The company plans to continue to roll out additional Relay capabilities over time. For a complete list of upcoming features, visit http://www.RelayGo.com and http://www.RepublicWireless.com for more information. Relay Media resource center here.

About Relay

Relay is the smarter phone for kids, delivering the functionality and safety of a smartphone - without the dangers of a screen - to help families stay safely connected in today's digital environment. Appropriate for kids of all ages, Relay features a powerfully simple, single-button design and leverages nationwide cell networks and WiFi to ensure reliable connections. Relay is pioneering a post-smartphone era where tech is safe for young kids and serves families as a tool rather than a nuisance or threat.

About Republic Wireless

Headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, Republic Wireless is a team of innovators who live to provide families with remarkably simple, affordable, and safe ways to stay in touch. Most well-known for pioneering WiFi calling for smartphones and saving customers over $500 million off their cell phone bills, Republic recently announced Relay, a nationwide cell phone alternative that kids love and parents can trust. The company has been recognized as a top carrier choice by Consumer Reports; best basic plan by Money magazine and for excellence in customer service by PC Magazine.

About the World Changing Ideas Awards: World Changing Ideas is one of Fast Company's major annual awards programs and is focused on social good, seeking to elevate finished products and brave concepts that make the world better. A panel of judges from across sectors choose winners, finalists, and honorable mentions based on feasibility and the potential for impact. With a goal of awarding ingenuity and fostering innovation, Fast Company draws attention to ideas with great potential and helps them expand their reach to inspire more people to start working on solving the problems that affect us all.

SOURCE Republic Wireless

Related Links

http://republicwireless.com


OMAHA, Neb., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, leading in-home care franchise Right at Home is proud to announce that Bonnie Croom has been named this year's recipient of its National Caregiver of the Year award. Croom was recognized in front of Right at Home's entire system of franchisees, office staff and corporate employees at its annual conference in Dallas.

Croom has been a member of the Right at Home family for six years, working as a caregiver in Reno, Nevada, for franchisees Mark and Elaine Wimbush. Her passion for her work is evident in her daily interactions with her clients and their families and her colleagues alike, positively impacting all with whom she interacts. Her kind disposition and selflessness truly embody Right at Home's mission "to improve the quality of life for those we serve," making her more than deserving of this esteemed recognition.

"Bonnie lives out our belief to provide the Right Care for the Right Reasons in the Right Way," said Mike Flair, Vice President of Franchise Business Solutions at Right at Home. "She is the Right Person in her role, and we couldn't be luckier to have her as a valued caregiver."

Right at Home caregivers are nominated for the award by Right at Home franchisees. Caregivers are selected by an independent group of professionals in the healthcare industry based on the following criteria: character, client impact, brand ambassadorship, team spirit and professional development. Croom's unwavering commitment to providing compassionate, personalized care is awe-inspiring, and her ability to form meaningful connections has bettered the lives of many clients and their families.

"I thought my standard of care for my grandmother was extremely high, but then, I met Bonnie," said Karin Hockman, granddaughter of one of Croom's clients, Alyce. "Bonnie took things that I had established and made them better, more efficient, more excellent  always going above and beyond the call of duty and raising the level of Alyce's care to a higher standard. She honored my grandmother just like I did. Bonnie loved her with care and sensitivity, patience and kindness. Bonnie brightened up our world immensely with her cheery smile and optimism."

Glowing reviews of Croom's caregiving, like that of Hockman's review, are abundant. Another one of Croom's clients, Dr. Craig Karrasch, echoed a similar sentiment when recounting Croom's care for his mother, Nina.

"Bonnie reduced my stress and prolonged my mother's life with love and care, giving us that much more time with her," Karrasch said. "Bonnie is the 'poster child' for Right at Home, the face of the franchise, and the instrument used whenever I have referred Right at Home to others."

In addition to honoring Croom on a national scale, Right at Home recognized four caregivers at the regional level for their outstanding commitment to their clients. This year's Region Caregivers of the Year are:

West Region Caregiver of the Year: Selene Montez of Palm Desert, California (franchisees Elaine and Dan Fox )



of (franchisees ) Central Region Caregiver of the Year: Junica "Nissy" Campbell of Omaha, Nebraska (franchisee Kristi Benning )



of (franchisee ) Northeast Region Caregiver of the Year: David Alan of Wakefield - Melrose, Massachusetts (franchisees Rosaleen Doherty and Jay Kenney )



of - (franchisees and ) Southeast Region Caregiver of the Year: Teresa Shelton of Knoxville, Tennessee (franchisee Joy Wilson )

Going the extra mile to provide exceptional care for those in need of at-home assistance often comes down to the everyday little things. Right at Home is proud to recognize the exemplary caregivers within its system whose purpose-driven work betters the lives of those they are entrusted to serve.

ABOUT RIGHT AT HOME

Founded in 1995, Right at Home offers in-home companionship and personal care and assistance to seniors and adults with a disability who want to continue to live independently. Local Right at Home offices are independently owned and operated and directly employ and supervise all caregiving staff, each of whom is thoroughly screened, trained, and bonded/insured prior to entering a client's home. Right at Home's global office is based in Omaha, Nebraska, with more than 500 franchise locations in the U.S. and seven other countries. Right at Home is the highest-ranked senior care franchise opportunity on Entrepreneur magazine's Franchise 500 list, coming in at No. 49 overall. For more information on Right at Home, visit About Right at Home at http://www.rightathome.net/about-us or read the Right at Home franchising blog at http://www.rightathomefranchise.com/blog/ . To learn more about franchising opportunities, please visit http://www.rightathomefranchise.com/ .

MEDIA CONTACT:

Lauren Turner

No Limit Agency

312-526-3996

[email protected]

SOURCE Right at Home

Related Links

http://www.rightathome.net


LOS ANGELES, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Surgical Theater is proud to announce the first international debut of the Precision VR Enterprise Solution at DMEA in Berlin, Germany. DMEA is Europe's largest event in the healthcare IT industry and provides Surgical Theater with a great opportunity to feature the proven economic value of Precision VR and its scalability utilized as an Enterprise Solution.

Surgical Theater's Enterprise Solution enables hospitals to achieve deployment on a system-wide scale, including satellite locations. Precision VR may now be connected to the hospital's network while complying with its security policies. All 360 VR cases are stored in the hospital's data center and are accessible by any Precision VR Application on the network. Precision VR offers an intuitive and immersive approach to patient engagement, surgical planning, resident education and multidisciplinary collaboration for Neuro, Spine, ENT, Thoracic, Cardiac, and various Digestive Health applications (i.e.: Pancreatic Cancer).

"The scalability of the Enterprise Solution integrates seamlessly into a hospital's existing workflow, enabling VR to be accessible anywhere, anytime," said Chris Gough, General Manager, Health & Life Sciences at Intel Corporation. "Intel and Surgical Theater have a strong partnership for bringing virtual and augmented reality solutions to healthcare, and we are delighted that the Enterprise Solution is now available for the European market."

Precision VR is a 360-degree virtual reality technology that allows surgeons to walk inside their patients' anatomy. Precision VR models are constructed and rendered based upon the patient's CT and MRI scans culminating in a patient-specific 360 virtual tour, which can be a shared VR experience for senior surgeons and residents in training to create the surgical plan.

"Surgical Theater is proud to enter the European Market," says Moty Avisar, CEO and Co-Founder of Surgical Theater. "Our Precision VR Enterprise Solution is providing 360-degree images that allow patients and surgeons to walk inside the CT and MRI which has been proven to provide better communication of medical information between surgeons and patients and surgeons and their peers. This "walk-in" experience is now available on a system-wide-scale, enhancing efficiency in the consultation and surgical planning workflow for multiple specialties."

To experience Precision VR, stop by booth A-106 at Hall 3.2 and learn how top medical institutions across the globe are utilizing it for patient engagement, surgical planning, resident education/collaboration and intraoperative navigation.

About Surgical Theater

Surgical Theater, the market leader in virtual and augmented reality healthcare services, is the first to combine cutting-edge fighter jet flight simulation technology with a patient's own anatomy scans. Rendered from comprehensive combined modalities of CT, MRI as well as advanced post processing images such as DTI and BOLD, the 360 virtual reality fly-through is designed to allow surgeons to walk and fly-through a reconstruction of the patient's own anatomy and pathology. Surgeons literally walk in the space between the white matter tracks and the tumor, being fully immersed, gaining unprecedented situational awareness and clarity of assessment. By simply turning their head, the surgeon can further explore the anatomy and plan the craniotomy, surgical path, trajectory, corridor, and the entire surgical strategy. This "walk-in" inside the pathology is proven to increase patient satisfaction improve patient engagement increase financial performance. Find out more at www.surgicaltheater.net and on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SurgicalTheater

@SurgicalTheater

Instagram @surgicaltheater

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/surgical-theater/

SOURCE Surgical Theater

Related Links

https://www.surgicaltheater.net


The award was granted in a recognition ceremony on Saturday, April 6 during the Westminster Chamber of Commerce's annual Awards Gala. Consideration criteria for the award requires prospective businesses hold an active Chamber membership in good standing, employ over 50 persons, and shape the local economic atmosphere in positive ways prospective new residents and businesses value. Nominees for the award must also demonstrate a commitment to exemplary customer service, value innovation, invest in growth or actively support the needs of fellow Coloradans through volunteer efforts.

President of Swisslog Healthcare, North America, Cory Kwarta was onsite at the gala to receive the award for the company. "Swisslog Healthcare relocated to Westminster a little over a year ago. In that time, we've hired thirty-six new employees in our Westminster headquarters from the rich local talent pool," remarked Kwarta. "A recruiting event held late last year far exceeded our expectations in terms of number and caliber of interested candidates. We're excited to be part of the Westminster community, and look forward to continuing our prosperity along with fellow businesses and residents."

"We're so glad to have Swisslog Healthcare in the community. Their presence will continue to boost The City of Westminster and our local economy," said Mayor Herb Atchinson. Westminster Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Juliet Abdel added, "We are so proud of Swisslog Healthcare. Not only are they an employer invested in growth and innovation, but they invest in building a better business community. Their commitment to employees, key local partners and customers is a testament to why they've been honored as the Outstanding Large Business of The Year."

To ensure job seekers and organizations understand Swisslog Healthcare's business focus and guiding values, the company places importance on communicating brand stories and product information through a variety of content types, using targeted social media channels to reach relevant audiences. Interested persons can learn more about Swisslog Healthcare and its products and solutions by visiting the website, https://www.swisslog.com/en-us/healthcare, LinkedIn company page, https://www.linkedin.com/company/swissloghealthcare, Instagram account, https://www.instagram.com/swissloghealthcare/, or YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/user/SwisslogHCS/videos.

About Swisslog Healthcare

Swisslog Healthcare is a leading supplier of solutions and services for material transport, medication management and supply chain management. Swisslog Healthcare has installed facility-wide transport and pharmacy automation systems in more than 3,000 hospitals worldwide. The company offers integrated solutions from a single source  from consulting to design, implementation to lifetime customer service. For more information, visit www.swisslog.com/healthcare.

Swisslog Healthcare is a member of the KUKA Group, a leading global supplier of intelligent automation solutions. For more information, visit www.kuka.com.

SOURCE Swisslog Healthcare

Related Links

http://www.swisslog.com


The first-place team from Wharton included Oluwayimika (Yinka) Taiwo-Peters, team captain and a first-year MBA student; Angie Gonzalez, a first-year MBA student; Mallory Smith, a first-year MBA student; and, Kaila Squires, a first-year MBA student at Wharton. They received a cash award of $35,000. A $20,000 check went to the second-place team from Duke Fuqua School of Business and the third-place team from Miami Business School won $15,000. David Rowe, a second-year MBA student of the Miami Business School at the University of Miami was recognized as "Best Presenter."

The annual competition, sponsored and hosted by Exxon Mobil Corporation for the tenth consecutive year, invites students from the nation's top business schools to form teams, led by Black team leaders, to analyze a timely business issue that demonstrates the students' critical thinking, analytical and communications skills.

"The petroleum industry offers a rich variety of career and leadership options that touch on nearly every aspect of business, from accounting to exploration to marketing and technology," said Skip Spriggs, president and CEO of The Executive Leadership Council, the preeminent membership organization for the development of global Black leaders. "These teams have helped identify effective ways to encourage the next generation to participate in an industry that is on the leading edge of climate-science research and seeking solutions for developing low-emissions technologies while serving the energy needs of society. Congratulations to the Wharton team on their winning case."

The teams were challenged to research and identify factors, roadblocks, and other impediments to industry image, brand, recruitment and retention. The teams developed and presented viable solutions for attracting and retaining millennial/Generation Z employees.

In addition to the cash award, the first-place team from Wharton will be introduced at The Executive Leadership Council's Annual Recognition Gala on October 10, 2019, at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, DC, attended by more than 2,200 leaders in business, public affairs, education and the arts.

"ExxonMobil is committed to attracting, developing and retaining a premier workforce of talented men and women around the globe, particularly from among the millennial and Generation Z populations," said JoAnn Lee, Associate General Counsel for ExxonMobil. "We're proud to partner with The Executive Leadership Council in recognizing these future business leaders for their academic excellence, dedication and creativity."

For the last ten years, ExxonMobil has sponsored the National Business Case Competition on topics such as innovative science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education initiatives, and devising energy plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. ExxonMobil and The Executive Leadership Council jointly developed this year's case.

SOURCE Executive Leadership Council

Related Links

http://www.elcinfo.com


Ramada Hotel & Suites by Wyndham Yerevan will boast 202 spacious rooms, four well-equipped and cleverly designed meeting rooms, a fitness centre, sauna and Hammam, as well as two modern restaurants serving a range of local and international delicacies. Situated just 13km from Zvartnots International Airport, the hotel will be set in an ideal location for travellers who want to sample the best that the city has to offer, including the National Gallery, the History Museum and the Opera and Ballet Theatre of Armenia.

Ramada by Wyndham is part of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the hospitality powerhouse with 20 brands and approximately 9,200 hotels in over 80 countries. Ramada Hotel & Suites by Wyndham Yerevan will be Wyndham Hotels & Resorts' first hotel in Armenia.

Edwin Broers, Regional Vice President for Central and Eastern Europe, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, said: "Our strategy is bold but simple  we want to ensure that wherever in the world travellers visit, that they are able to find our hotel brands nearby. With a thriving cultural scene and a rich history, Yerevan was a natural choice to enter this attractive country and continue to grow in the region."

The hotel will be managed by hospitality management expert, City Central LLC under a franchised agreement. Chilingaryan Karen, General Director City Central LLC, added: "We are pleased to be partnering with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts to bring an internationally recognised brand like Ramada to the capital of Armenia. Yerevan is increasingly attracting business and leisure travellers to our country, and Ramada Hotel & Suites by Wyndham Yerevan will be the perfect spot to experience the city."

Ramada by Wyndham hotels around the world participate in Wyndham Rewards, the company's award-winning loyalty programme offering more than 70 million enrolled members the opportunity to redeem points at thousands of hotels, club resorts and vacation rental properties globally.

About Ramada by Wyndham

With approximately 870 hotels in more than 60 countries, global travelers are bound to find Ramada by Wyndham, one of the world's most recognised hotel brands, wherever their travels take them. Guests choose Ramada to not only sample the world around them but for the brand's passionate team members and full-service hospitality as well as functional meeting space, comfortable guest rooms, free Wi-Fi, and casual dining options. For more information visit www.ramada.com. Like and follow Ramada on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

About Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: WH) is the world's largest hotel franchising company, with approximately 9,200 hotels across more than 80 countries on six continents. Through its network of approximately 810,000 rooms appealing to the everyday traveller, Wyndham commands a leading presence in both the economy and midscale segments of the lodging industry. The Company operates a portfolio of 20 hotel brands, including Super 8, Days Inn, Ramada by Wyndham, Ramada Encore, TRYP by Wyndham, Hawthorn Suites, The Trademark Collection, and Wyndham. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is also a leading provider of hotel management services, with more than 400 properties under management. The Company's award-winning Wyndham Rewards loyalty programme offers more than 70 million enrolled members the opportunity to redeem points at tens of thousands of hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rentals globally. For more information, visit www.wyndhamhotels.com or https://whrdevelopmentemea.com/.

SOURCE Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Related Links

http://www.wyndhamhotels.com


TORONTO, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- BICSI, the association advancing the information and communications technology (ICT) community, officially opened its inaugural ICT CanadaPresented by BICSI conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, at the Toronto Congress Centre. After a welcome from BICSI Canadian Region Director Fernando Neto, RCDD, BICSI President Jeff Beavers, RCDD, OSP, CFHP, called the conference to order with opening remarks and highlighted conference events, presentations, exhibitors and sponsors.

Conference attendees gathered for the morning's general session, which started with a Keynote presentation from Wes Johnston, Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) CEO. A global technology, media and telecommunications leader, Johnston shared his insight on the future of ICT and how business, government and associations should work together to drive industry innovation.

Following his address, the Exhibit Hall opened with nearly 45 exhibiting companies available to network with conference attendees and visitors, showcasing their latest technical products and solutions geared toward the ICT industry. The first-ever Tech Innovation Stage, located inside the Exhibit Hall, was a crowd favorite. The Exhibit Hall will be open through Wednesday, closing at 7:30 p.m.

Technical presentations were held and will continue to take place on the General Session Stage and the Tech Innovation Stage, located in the Exhibit Hall, touching on topics such as wireless LAN design, IoT, AV design, smart city automation and infrastructure, and cabling standards, among others.

The conference continues Wednesday with Closing Keynote Speaker Phill Nosworthy, founder of Switch L+D, a digital-first learning and development practice. In his keynote address Nosworthy will demonstrate how to create impactful experiences that transform teams, imparting techniques that attendees can put to use in their own companies.

The conference will close with the Ross G.H. Cotton Canadian Region Award presentation and the BICSI Cares donation presentation to this year's charity, Camp Jumoke. A complete 2019 ICT CanadaPresented by BICSI schedule of events and conference presentations is available at bicsi.org/ictcanada.

About BICSI

BICSI is a professional association supporting advancing the information and communications technology (ICT) community. ICT covers the spectrum of voice, data, electronic safety & security, project management and audio & video technologies.

Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, USA, BICSI membership spans nearly 100 countries.

SOURCE BICSI

Related Links

http://www.bicsi.org


CHEVY CHASE, Md., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- This spring and summer, youth from Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri and Nebraska will participate in the Native Bee Challenge, a hands-on activity to learn about native bees and the important role they play as pollinators. The challenge is part of the 2019 4-H Ag Innovators Experience (4-H AIE) activity, which has reached more than 48,000 youth since beginning in 2014 and is a collaboration between National 4-H Council and Bayer.

This year's experience, the Native Bee Challenge, developed by Iowa State University, engages youth to learn about native bees, pollination and its connection to our food supply. Through collaborative, hands-on activities, youth participants will learn about importance of native bees as pollinators for food crops, explore challenges facing today's native bee population and discover ways to enhance their habitat, which in turn promotes biodiversity.

Working in teams, youth will create a model of pollination that includes five types of native bees and five types of flowers to explore the process of pollination and the connections it has to the global food supply. Youth will explore a variety of scenarios that the bees may encounter and seek ways to increase pollinator habitat to grow the overall bee population and increase biodiversity.

"The 4-H Ag Innovators Experience provides young people with an opportunity to use their critical thinking and STEM skills to solve a real issue facing the agriculture industry today," said National 4-H Council President and CEO Jennifer Sirangelo. "In 4-H, we believe in providing a platform where youth can learn-by-doing and are empowered to grow unique skills that help them to become true leaders in their lives, careers and communities."

Since 2014, more than 45,000 youth from across the U.S. have participated in more than 1000 domestic and global 4-H AIE events, led by 1057 trained teen leaders. The Native Bee Challenge will take place March through July 2019 at various sites, including 4-H clubs, 4-H camps, school enrichment and 4-H afterschool settings.

"Bayer is proud to continue to partner with 4-H on this year's Ag Innovators Experience. This year's Native Bee Challenge will help students learn about the importance of native bees to food security, the diversity of species, and how all sectors can work to increase their habitat," said Aimee Hood, Science and Policy Information Management and Communications Lead, Bayer.

To learn more about the 4-H Ag Innovators Experience, visit https://4-h.org/get-involved/supporters/bayer-ag-innovators/

About 4-H

4-H, the nation's largest youth development organization, grows confident young people who are empowered for life today and prepared for career tomorrow. 4-H programs empower nearly six million young people across the U.S. through experiences that develop critical life skills. 4-H is the youth development program of our nation's Cooperative Extension System and USDA, and serves every county and parish in the U.S. through a network of 110 public universities and more than 3000 local Extension offices. Globally, 4-H collaborates with independent programs to empower one million youth in 50 countries. The research-backed 4-H experience grows young people who are four times more likely to contribute to their communities; two times more likely to make healthier choices; two times more likely to be civically active; and two times more likely to participate in STEM programs.

Learn more about 4-H at www.4-H.org, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/4-H and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/4H.

About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care and agriculture. Its products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life. At the same time, the Group aims to create value through innovation, growth and high earning power. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development and to its social and ethical responsibilities as a corporate citizen. In fiscal 2017, the Group employed around 99,800 people and had sales of EUR 35.0 billion. Capital expenditures amounted to EUR 2.4 billion, R&D expenses to EUR 4.5 billion. For more information, go to www.bayer.com .

SOURCE National 4-H Council

Related Links

https://www.bayer.com/


SILVER SPRING, Md., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- As student health and wellness expands beyond traditional disease prevention to encompass more holistic and cooperative solutions, the American College Health Foundation (ACHF) announces its collaborative relationship with Aetna Student Health to explore how well-being is applied within college campus settings. The collaboration will culminate with the publication of a whitepaper, Framing Well-Being in a College Campus Setting, which will assist colleges and universities in creating and enhancing their well-being services for both students and employees by highlighting innovative strategies and models.

The goal of this collaboration is to evaluate the range of well-being programs and initiatives currently offered at a varied sample of colleges and universities to discover best practices and creative models that produce the greatest results for increasing the happiness and well-being of the nation's 20 million college students. Additionally, the whitepaper will thoroughly explore the concept of well-beingwhich comprises physical, emotional, economic, social, and psychological well-being, as well as life satisfactionand emphasize its critical role in overall student success.

"Student success isn't simply a reflection of academic progress or being free from disease or injury. Well-beingmental health, social and environmental factors, personal safety, and quality of lifeis equally important. This collaboration signifies the growing importance our institutions are placing on these factors and their students' well-being," says Devin Jopp, EdD, Chief Executive Officer of ACHF. "By gaining a better understanding of how well-being innovations are being applied and measured, ACHF is providing a much-needed resource for schools seeking to help develop our students holistically."

"Aetna Student Health has collaborated with colleges and universities for over 30 years to provide health care benefit plans that meet the needs of students," says Jin Oak Ha, President of Aetna Student Health. "We are excited about our collaboration with the ACHF and will be able to share various innovations around well-being with our schools."

"As we work with our members every day through our clinical programs, we have definitely seen the needs this population has for a holistic approach to well-being," says Dr. Wendy Shanahan-Richards, Chief Medical Officer of Aetna Student Health. "We are looking forward to utilizing the learnings from the Framing Well-Being in a College Campus Setting to support our members as they strive to reach their well-being goals."

About ACHF

The mission of the American College Health Foundation (ACHF) is to promote, improve, and advance the health, well-being, and overall success of college students. ACHF accomplishes this mission by funding sustainable college health initiatives and programs, including education, research, advocacy and professional development in partnership with the American College Health Association (ACHA), the nation's principal leadership organization for advancing the health of college students and campus communities. To learn more about the foundation, visit www.acha.org/ACHF.

About Aetna Student Health

Since 1980, Aetna Student Health has been working with colleges and universities to offer student health care benefit plans that are convenient, accessible and affordable. Aetna Student Health's primary goal is to help students navigate the health care system and deliver access and quality care when and where they need it. To learn more about Aetna Student Health, please visit www.aetnastudenthealth.com/.

Media Contact: Rachel Mack

American College Health Association

[email protected], (443) 270-4560

SOURCE American College Health Association

Related Links

http://www.acha.org/ACHF


"The Kenyan government has been rolling out universal healthcare as one of its four major pillars of growth and is investing in infrastructure to improve connectivity, which, in turn, is boosting the potential of mHealth solutions. AfriDOKTA is driving Kenya's leadership in the telemedicine and mobile app space to propel its country-agnostic platform to the rest of Africa," said Nicholas Burger, Ph.D., Consultant at Frost & Sullivan. "The AfriDOKTA platform is a 10-key app that can replicate in any country across the globe. Its user-friendly interface and simple set-up make it ideal for use among patient populations with a smart phone."

Unlike most mHealth platforms in Africa, AfriDOKTA complies with international data security standards and adheres to the US-based Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The company also applies Health Level 7 (HL7), SNOMED, and DICOM standards, which are a set of international principles used for the transfer of clinical data between various software and electronic applications. AfriDOKTA's use of international standards for storing, accessing, and processing medical images and related information is a strong competitive differentiator in the market.

AfriDOKTA works with community health workers (CHWs), particularly in both urban,and remote areas, to train people to use smartphones to access healthcare services and explain the importance of taking control of their health information. Additionally, the app gives users referrals to vetted pharmacies and labs with certified medical professionals. CHWs encourage users to complete their personal profiles in a mobile electronic health record as it streamlines the consultation process and helps physicians make accurate and informed decisions. Finally, the platform uses algorithm-based clinical decision support to diagnose patients accurately based on their medical history and symptoms.

"AfriDOKTA works closely with leading pharmacies, hospitals, and allied healthcare services in several African countries. AfriDOKTA also welcomes partnerships with mobile phone service providers and smartphone manufacturers to develop healthcare app-integrated mobile phones for use among low-income population groups across Africa," noted Dr. Burger. "These strategic collaborations, product benefits, and focus on security will ensure that the company continues to deliver top value to end users."

AfriDOKTA welcomes Investors and venture capitalists interested in driving a strategic, first-mover advantage on the African continent.

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that demonstrates excellence in implementing strategies that proactively create value for its customers with a focus on improving the return on the investment that customers make in its services or products. The award recognises the company's unique focus on augmenting the value that its customers receive, beyond simply good customer service, leading to improved customer retention and customer base expansion.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognise companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.

About AfriDOKTA

Led by Dr John Gachago, Kigen Kandie, Michael Ranneberger, Ken Saul,and Dr. Lawrence Adu and Maragaret Bekker, AfriDOKTA is a team of professionals passionate about transforming the delivery of healthcare in Africa through people, processes and technology. The organization's mission is three fold; transforming access to healthcare on the African continent; helping African nations meet SDG3 goals; and facilitating the attainment of affordable Universal Healthcare. AfriDOKTA maintains offices in both the US and Kenya. In the US HQ known as eHealth Solutions LLC and in Kenya as E-Health Solutions Ltd, AfriDOKTA seeks to partner with African and other LMIC Ministries of Health as well as health system strengthening partners like USAID, DANIDA, DFID and various foundations like BMGF, Rockefeller and Ford Foundations to augment their efforts in healthcare in a data driven yet contextual fashion. We understand that many organizations seek to strengthen healthcare in Africa but the data needed is absent. AfriDOKTA fills that gap with its unique platform designed based on a combination of experience in the US health information technology market and consulting with multiple Ministries of Health in Africa on national eHealth strategy. By downloading the app from the Google play store or visiting https://AfriDOKTA.com anyone with a smart phone or internet access in Africa would have immediate access to first class and world class quality outpatient care.

Contact:

The AfriDOKTA Team

P: USA +1 617 752 1833 or KENYA + 254 719 229 524

E: [email protected] OR [email protected]

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion .

Contact:

Bianca Torres

P: 1.210.477.8418

E: [email protected]

SOURCE Frost & Sullivan

Related Links

http://www.frost.com


WASHINGTON, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Charity Navigator has awarded Air Force Aid Society (AFAS) our fourth consecutive 4-star rating as a result of our strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency. Charity Navigator is America's largest independent charity evaluator.

"Our 4-star rating demonstrates to our supporters our good governance and financial accountability," said retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. John D. Hopper, AFAS CEO. "The recognition we receive each year from Charity Navigator shows that we are excellent stewards of the money generous donors give to us to support our mission of helping airmen."

Since 2002, using an objective analysis, Charity Navigator has awarded only the most fiscally responsible organizations a 4-star rating. In 2011, Charity Navigator added 17 metrics focused on governance and ethical practices, as well as measures of openness, to its ratings methodology.

These Accountability and Transparency metrics, which account for 50 percent of a charity's overall rating, reveal which charities operate in accordance with industry best practices and whether they are open with their donors and stakeholders. On June 1, 2016, Charity Navigator upgraded its methodology for rating each charity's financial health with CN 2.1. These enhancements further substantiate the financial health of 4-star charities.

"Air Force Aid Society's exceptional 4-star rating sets it apart from its peers and demonstrates its trustworthiness to the public," according to Michael Thatcher, President and CEO of Charity Navigator. "Only a quarter of charities rated by Charity Navigator receive the distinction of our 4-star rating."

Thatcher further emphasizes that achieving this type of distinction demonstrates that donors can feel confident knowing that their donations are going to be used by financially responsible and ethical charities.

About Air Force Aid Society

Air Force Aid Society is a 4-star Charity Navigator-rated, nonprofit organization. Founded in 1942, the Air Force Aid Society's mission is to help relieve the financial distress of Air Force members and their families and assist them in achieving their educational goals and in improving their quality of life by providing proactive programs. In 2018 alone, the Air Force Aid Society provided over $21.4 million to airmen and their families through emergency assistance and educational and community programs. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, the Air Force Aid Society administers assistance through Airman and Family Readiness Centers around the world and maintains cross-servicing agreements with the Army Emergency Relief, the Navy-Marine Corps Relief, the Coast Guard Mutual Assistance and the American Red Cross to offer emergency assistance 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. To learn more about the Air Force Aid Society, please visit www.afas.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Air Force Aid Society can be reached by telephone 703-972-2650 or by mail 1550 Crystal Drive Suite 809, Arlington, VA 22202.

About Charity Navigator

Charity Navigator, www.charitynavigator.org, is the largest charity evaluator in America and its website attracts more visitors than all other charity rating groups combined. The organization helps guide intelligent giving by evaluating the financial health and accountability and transparency of more than 8,000 charities. Charity Navigator accepts no advertising or donations from the organizations it evaluates, ensuring unbiased evaluations, nor does it charge the public for this trusted data. As a result, Charity Navigator, a 501(c)(3) public charity itself, depends on support from individuals, corporations and foundations that believe it provides a much-needed service to America's charitable givers. Charity Navigator can be reached directly by telephone at 201-818-1288, or by mail at 139 Harristown Road, Suite 101, Glen Rock, N.J., 07452.

Media Contact: Latoya Crowe, [email protected]

Related Images

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Related Links

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http://www.charitynavigator.org

SOURCE Air Force Aid Society

Related Links

http://www.afas.org


WASHINGTON, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- American Jewish Committee (AJC) and the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC) welcomed today's introduction of the "Eastern Mediterranean Security and Partnership Act" by Senators Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey) and Marco Rubio (R-Florida).

"The United States has significant national security interests in the Eastern Mediterranean, bolstered by strong and expanding relationships with Greece, Israel, and Cyprus. The cooperation in energy security among these countries in recent years has paved the way for cooperation on a broad, regional security, economic, and energy agenda," said Senator Menendez. "The time has come for the U.S. to deepen this cooperation and build on the constructive progress made by our allies to help ensure a secure Eastern Mediterranean. This legislation seeks to strengthen our bonds of friendship through joint efforts to promote peace, prosperity, and security for our nations."

"America's active presence and engagement in the Eastern Mediterranean region is critical to advancing our national security interests," Senator Rubio said. "This important bill will build upon efforts to enhance U.S. security and energy cooperation with our allies and partners such as Greece and Cyprus."

AJC CEO David Harris said: "At a time when the Eastern Mediterranean is emerging as a distinct and vital geopolitical region, efforts of Congress to secure U.S. leadership and bolster existing partnerships should be applauded."

The Act provides tools for a comprehensive U.S. strategy in the region, covering energy cooperation, security matters, and countering malign influences in the area. The Act's provisions will:

Lift the arms embargo on Cyprus.

Make the United States a more active participant in energy diplomacy in the region.

a more active participant in energy diplomacy in the region. Increase IMET (International Military Educational Training) program funding and reintroduce Foreign Military Assistance for Greece.

Echo recently introduced restrictions on F35 transfers to Turkey , and monitor Turkey's use of American weapons against U.S. allies and strategic partners.

, and monitor use of American weapons against U.S. allies and strategic partners. Monitor Russia activity in the area.

"Today's Mediterranean is reclaiming much of its historic importance," said Endy Zemenides, Executive Director of HALC. "Developments in the greater Eastern Mediterranean region will effect U.S. interests in Europe, the Middle East, and beyond. We applaud the leadership of Senators Menendez and Rubio. This Act will make a difference."

For the past six years, AJC and HALC have advocated for a more comprehensive U.S. strategy in the Eastern Mediterranean. The two groups collaborated on the creation of the Congressional Hellenic Israel Alliance caucus and on multiple policy initiatives in the region. Both AJC and HALC enthusiastically support the Eastern Mediterranean Security and Partnership Act and will work to achieve its adoption by Congress.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

Related Links

http://www.ajc.org


FELTON, California, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The global alarm monitoring system market is estimated to develop at a sizeable CAGR for the period of the prediction. The system of alarm monitoring is utilized for communication amongst the security service provider and the home security system. Alarm monitoring systems notifies service providers regarding the medical emergency in home, burglar and fire. The strength of risks can be reduced and defensive actions can be engaged by means of the assistance of alarm monitoring systems.

The alarm monitoring system market on the source of Type of Application could span Environment monitoring, Vehicle alarm monitoring, Building alarm monitoring [Residential, Commercial], Equipment monitoring. The sub division of Residential Buildings are likely to grasp a superior stake of the market of alarm monitoring system for the division of building alarm monitoring, during the course of the prediction period as the demand for home-based safety systems is growing owing to the growth in criminality proportions.

Get Sample PDF and read more details about the "Alarm Monitoring System Market "Report 2023.

Checking the residential buildings is increasing by a great proportion due to the increasing infiltration of safety systems in the subdivision of housing. Growing earnings, increasing demand for safety, and concessions on insurance policies of home are roughly the most important features, increasing the implementation of alarm monitoring systems in the subdivision of residential buildings.

The alarm monitoring system market on the source of Type of Communication Technology could span IP network, Cellular wireless network, Wireless radio network, wired telecommunication network. The subdivision of wired telecommunication network or PSTN is the frequently utilized technology of communication in the present alarm monitoring systems. Its dependability is the most important cause of its leading existence. PSTN, being an inheritance arrangement, is extensively utilized in most important areas. Maximum of the old alarm monitoring systems make usage of PSTN, and are doubtful to change to newfangled equipment owing to the greater price and involved complication.

The alarm monitoring system industry on the source of Type of Input Signals could span Protocol, Discrete, and Analog. The market on the source of Type of Offering could span Software, Services, and Solutions, Systems, and Hardware.

The alarm monitoring system market on the source of Area with respect to Trades in terms of intake, Profits, Market stake and Development percentage for the duration of the prediction could span North America [U.S.A, Canada and Mexico], Europe [France, Germany, U.K., Rest of Europe], Asia Pacific [India, Japan, China, South Korea, Rest of Asia Pacific], South America [Brazil and others], Middle East & Africa.

By the source of geography, North America is on the front position in the development and improvement of alarm monitoring system equipment such as this area is home to more or less of the biggest transnational companies in the world. Maximum prominent companies functioning in the international market of alarm monitoring system are centered in this area.

Improved R&D in the arena of distant monitoring, home-based mechanization arrangements, and Internet of Things by means of innovative and better expertise are the most important factors boosting the development of the market in North America. The Asia Pacific's market is likely to develop by the uppermost proportion in the period of prediction. During the last few years, Asia Pacific has experienced communal alterations, marvelous financial development and governmental revolutions.

The statement revises Trades in terms of intake of alarm monitoring system in the market; particularly in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America, and Middle East & Africa. It concentrates on the topmost companies operating in these regions. Some of the important companies operating in the field include Bosch, Vivint, Schneider, Securitas, Moni, Vector Security, Johnson Controls, UTC, Honeywell, and ADT.

Browse research report with TOC on "Global Alarm Monitoring System Market" at: https://www.millioninsights.com/industry-reports/alarm-monitoring-system-market

Market Segment:

Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Alarm Monitoring System in these regions, from 2012 to 2023 (forecast), covering

o North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)

o Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)

o Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)

o South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia)

o Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)

Global Alarm Monitoring System market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players including

o ABB Ltd.

o Diebold Inc.

o ADT Corporation

o Honeywell International

o Schneider Electric SE

o Tyco International

o UTC

o Siemens AG

o Rockwell Automation Inc.

o United Technologies Corporation

On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into

By Input Signal

o Discrete Signal

o Protocol Signal

o Analog Signal

By Communication Technology

o Wired Telecommunication Network

o IP Network

o Others

On the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate of Alarm Monitoring System for each application, including

o Vehicle Alarm Monitoring System

o Building Alarm Monitoring System

o Others

Browse reports of similar category available with Million Insights:

About Million Insights:

Million Insights, is a distributor of market research reports, published by premium publishers only. We have a comprehensive market place that will enable you to compare data points, before you make a purchase. Enabling informed buying is our motto and we strive hard to ensure that our clients get to browse through multiple samples, prior to an investment. Service flexibility & the fastest response time are two pillars, on which our business model is founded. Our market research report store, includes in-depth reports, from across various industry verticals, such as healthcare, technology, chemicals, food & beverages, consumer goods, material science & automotive.

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Research Support Specialist, USA

Million Insights

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Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.millioninsights.com/

Blog: http://www.millioninsights.blogspot.com/

SOURCE Million Insights
WASHINGTON, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday, Alice Lin appeared on Washington Watch with Tony Perkins, a national radio show which airs on more than 240 stations across the country. On the show, Lin spoke out publicly for the first time about her father, Pastor David Lin, who was imprisoned in China for his faith more than a decade ago. FRC is asking believers to sign a prayer pledge in support of Pastor Lin.

Lin explained, "My father, Pastor David Lin, is a U.S. citizen. He's been imprisoned for his faith." She continued, "He was in China because he had a huge burden for the unchurched in China. He had a vision to build a church and a Christian training center. In 2006, he applied for a license for his ministry with the Chinese government, and it was a few months after that he was placed under house arrest and eventually falsely charged and convicted.

"While my father has seen the prison as his mission field these last ten years, something has changed." Lin added, "In the last few months, he has been reaching out to us with increasing frequency, which is very unusual, and he's had this anxiousness, this urgency in his voice. It's the first time he's ever asked us to reach out for help.

"Things are changing now; it's time to bring him back home," concluded Lin.

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, and host of Washington Watch, remarked, "Pastor Lin actually was embracing this call to prison, to ministry. He had the ability to minister to people from over thirty nations within the prisons. But something changed."

"Things have really gotten bad. We're seeing it outside the prison; I can only imagine what's going on inside the prison system in China," Perkins added.

To listen to the full interview, click this link: https://soundcloud.com/family-research-council/alice-lin

To commit to pray for Pastor Lin, visit: https://frc.quorum.us/campaign/19546/

SOURCE Family Research Council
DUBLIN, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN) today announced it will release first quarter 2019 financial results on Tuesday, May 7, 2019, prior to the open of U.S. Financial Markets.

Allergan will host a conference call and webcast at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, May 7, 2019 to discuss its financial results. The dial-in number to access the call is U.S./Canada (877) 251-7980, International (706) 643-1573, and the conference ID is 7466378.

A replay of the conference call will also be available beginning approximately two hours after the call's conclusion and will remain available through 11:30 p.m. Eastern Time on June 7, 2019. The replay may be accessed by dialing (855) 859-2056 or (404) 537-3406 and entering the conference ID 7466378.

To access the webcast, please visit Allergan's Investor Relations website at https://www.allergan.com/investors/events-presentations. A replay of the webcast will also be available on Allergan's Investor Relations website.

About Allergan plc

Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is a bold, global pharmaceutical leader. Allergan is focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing branded pharmaceutical, device, biologic, surgical and regenerative medicine products for patients around the world.

Allergan markets a portfolio of leading brands and best-in-class products primarily focused on four key therapeutic areas including medical aesthetics, eye care, central nervous system and gastroenterology.

Allergan is an industry leader in Open Science, a model of research and development, which defines our approach to identifying and developing game-changing ideas and innovation for better patient care. With this approach, Allergan has built one of the broadest development pipelines in the pharmaceutical industry.

Allergan's success is powered by our global colleagues' commitment to being Bold for Life. Together, we build bridges, power ideas, act fast and drive results for our customers and patients around the world by always doing what is right.

With commercial operations in approximately 100 countries, Allergan is committed to working with physicians, healthcare providers and patients to deliver innovative and meaningful treatments that help people around the world live longer, healthier lives every day.

For more information, visit Allergan's website at www.Allergan.com.

CONTACTS: Allergan:

Investors:

Manisha Narasimhan, PhD

(862) 261-7162





Christine Chiou

(862) 261-7396





Media:

Amy Rose

(862) 289-3072





Lisa Brown

(862) 261-7320

SOURCE Allergan plc

Related Links

https://www.allergan.com


SAN FRANCISCO, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The global ambulatory services market size is expected to reach USD 4.3 trillion by 2026 registering a CAGR of 6.1%, based on a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Easy availability of advanced products along with technological developments in surgeries to reduce cost and treatment time is expected to be one of the key factors boosting the global market growth. Other prominent factors driving the industry include rising incidences of chronic diseases and growing geriatric population.

Key suggestions from the report:

High government expenditure for the development of ambulatory facilities to increase accessibility and reduce treatment costs is expected to propel the market growth

Primary care offices accounted for the largest share of the market in 2018 due to cost-effective treatment and easy accessibility for diagnosis and treatment

Surgical specialty is anticipated to be the fastest-growing segment in the forecast period due to a rise in demand for minimally invasive procedures

In addition, preference for nonsurgical and minimally invasive procedures has led to the growth of plastic surgery centers

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, in 2016, 7.6 million cosmetic procedures were performed on people aged between 40 and 54 years

North America held the largest market share and is expected to retain its dominance during the forecast period due to the availability of advanced diagnostics

APAC is likely to witness significant growth due to rising cases of angle closure glaucoma and myopia and development of emergency care outside traditional hospital settings

Some of the key companies in the market are Surgery Partners; Envision Healthcare; IntegraMed America, Inc.; Symbion, Inc.; Terveystalo; NueHealth; Aspen Healthcare; and Medical Facilities Corporation

Read 100 page research report with TOC on "Ambulatory Services Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Type (Emergency Departments, Surgical Specialty, Primary Care Offices, Medical Specialty), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2019 - 2026" at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/ambulatory-care-services-market

Ambulatory services are likely to witness high growth in the coming years due to increasing number of surgeries and availability of same-day surgeries at low cost with better medical services. In addition, availability of private and public funding across various regions will drive the market further. According to the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), in 2014, 17.2 million surgeries were performed in Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASCs) and 22 million surgeries in hospital outpatient settings. In addition, various M&A activities by key participants are anticipated to propel the market.

For instance, in December 2015, Premier Emergency Medical Specialists was acquired by AmSurg. This acquisition helped AmSurg enter the emergency medicine specialty. Technological advancements pertaining to diagnosis and minimally invasive surgeries are likely to reduce complications and help shorten hospital stays, thereby boosting market growth. For instance, in January 2017, Arterys, Inc. received FDA approval to commercialize Arterys Cardio DL, the first technology that uses a cloud-based deep learning algorithm for cardiac imaging.

Grand View Research has segmented the global ambulatory services market on the basis of type and region:

Ambulatory Services Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015 - 2026)

Primary Care Offices

Emergency Departments

Surgical Specialty

Ophthalmology



Orthopedics



Gastroenterology



Pain Management/Spinal Injections



Plastic Surgery



Others

Medical Specialty

Ambulatory Services Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015 - 2026)

North America

U.S.



Canada

Europe

Germany



U.K.



Spain



France



Italy



Switzerland



Netherlands



Belgium

Asia Pacific

Japan



China



India



South Korea



Australia



Thailand

Latin America

Brazil



Mexico



Colombia

MEA

South Africa



Saudi Arabia



United Arab Emirates

Find more research reports on Medical Devices Industry, by Grand View Research:

Glucose Monitoring Device Market  Increasing diabetic patient population coupled with rising awareness is expected to accelerate the progress of the self-care medical devices industry shortly.

Increasing diabetic patient population coupled with rising awareness is expected to accelerate the progress of the self-care medical devices industry shortly. Beaker Market  Beaker market is expected to witness substantial growth owing to its increasing application scope in laboratory and medical research applications.

Beaker market is expected to witness substantial growth owing to its increasing application scope in laboratory and medical research applications. Hematology Analyzers Market  factors such as the rise in public awareness and the consolidation of diagnostic laboratory chains have been driving the growth of the global hematology market, and the trend is expected to continue over the forecast period.

Gain access to Grand View Compass, our BI enabled intuitive market research database of 10,000+ reports

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: [email protected]

Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com

Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter

SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc.
WILSONVILLE, Ore., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- APCON, a leading provider of intelligent network visibility and security solutions, today announced it has joined the Symantec Technology Integration Partner Program (TIPP), a global ecosystem composed of more than 100 participating technology companies, in a collaborative effort to combat cyber-crime and secure the cloud generation.

As part of Symantec TIPP, APCON can leverage an open ecosystem which includes a complete API framework, as well as integration with the Symantec Integrated Cyber Defense Platform. APCON and Symantec will explore and strive to offer API- based integrated solutions that best service customers and help protect them from security threats.

"In the cloud generation, it's important for companies to work with an open ecosystem to leverage best of breed technologies to reduce risk and insights to vulnerabilities and real-time threats," said Peter Doggart, vice president of Business Development at Symantec. "By integrating APCON's network visibility solution, customers can protect and scale their investment to protect their network and data."

"APCON's partnership with Symantec brings together best of breed technologies to enable a scalable network visibility fabric with industry best SSL decryption capabilities for our customers," said Richard Rauch, president and CEO of APCON. "It is crucial for companies to scale network visibility fabrics to access all necessary physical, virtual and cloud data. Leveraging APCON and Symantec joint solutions enable full network visibility to all necessary network nodes and into traffic level inspection of encrypted traffic."

For more than 25 years, APCON has been dedicated to delivering innovative, purpose-built network security and visibility solutions to global enterprise customers. As part of Symantec TIPP, APCON will now have access to Symantec technology, tools, and support, to enable delivery of these API-integrated solutions to market faster and more efficiently.

Learn more about APCON and Symantec's integrated visibility solutions.

About APCON

For more than 25 years, APCON has consistently delivered smart, stable and scalable technology solutions that provide an unparalleled level of confidence to organizations seeking total visibility and security of physical, private and public cloud networks. With customers around the world, APCON provides adaptable and flexible solutions to organizations ranging from midsize companies to Fortune 100 enterprises. APCON assures superior network monitoring while supporting traffic analysis and streamlined network management and security. For more information, visit us at www.apcon.com.

SOURCE APCON

Related Links

http://www.apcon.com


DUBLIN, April 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Aptiv PLC (NYSE: APTV), a global technology company enabling the future of mobility, announced today it was recognized by Automotive News as a 2019 PACE Award winner for its Automated Driving Satellite Compute Platform, marking the 21st time Aptiv has earned this honor. For more than 25 years, the PACE Awards have recognized suppliers for their game-changing product and process innovations. Aptiv leads the industry as having received more PACE Awards than any other company.

Aptiv is democratizing active safety through the efficient and scalable Automated Driving Satellite Compute Platform. Most systems have the computing power integrated into the sensors, processing the information at the source, which makes each sensor expensive to build and to replace when damaged. Aptiv's Automated Driving Satellite Compute Platform takes processing and electronics out of individual sensors, instead sending the information to the central platform, allowing the sensors to be smaller, more cost efficient, lighter and easier to package in a vehicle. The reduced mass and volume also eliminates sensor heat dissipation concerns. In one application Aptiv's innovative technology reduced the camera footprint from the size of a deck of playing cards to the size of a pack of chewing gum.

"As a global technology company with a rich history of developing safer, greener and more connected solutions, we are honored to be recognized for our Automated Driving Satellite Compute Platform," said David Paja, Aptiv's senior vice president and president of Advanced Safety & User Experience. "This industry-first platform, developed by our talented team, enables our customers to apply a simplified sensor footprint to scale features for advanced levels of safety automation. It truly is a game changer in the industry."

From basic ADAS to Level 4 autonomous vehicles, this compute platform is scalable for increasing automated driving levels and complexity demands. The concept has had a revolutionary impact on Aptiv's customer's vehicle architecture.

About Aptiv

Aptiv is a global technology company that develops safer, greener and more connected solutions enabling the future of mobility. Visit aptiv.com.

SOURCE Aptiv PLC

Related Links

https://www.aptiv.com


TURKU, Finland, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, ArcDia International Oy Ltd, manufacturer of the successful mariPOC infectious diseases testing platform, has entered into an exclusive license agreement with Xinhua Healthcare Industry Co Ltd, a subsidiary of one of the largest medical device conglomerates in China.

The parties aim to localize ArcDia's mariPOC testing platform in China, and to build-up production capacity to respond the increasing demand for decentralized infection diagnostic services in China. Under the terms of the license agreement, ArcDia will supply Xinhua Healthcare with critical biochemical assay components and to provide Xinhua Healthcare with R&D services. The license is limited to the P.R. China.

"We are very excited about this deal and partnership with Xinhua Healthcare. ArcDia and Xinhua Healthcare are a perfect match and the agreement presents ArcDia with an opportunity to better serve the growing Chinese market", says Dr Aleksi Soini, CEO of ArcDia International Ltd. "The Chinese government is investing heavily in health care, and I believe that China could become the leading country in infection management within a few years. Moreover, this deal gives ArcDia a significant scale advantage, which also improves the competitiveness of the mariPOC platform in western markets", continues Dr Soini.

"This agreement allows Xinhua Healthcare to expand its IVD business in point-of-care testing (POCT) for infections - the market that is growing at the highest pace in China", says Mr Li Chuancun, Chairman of Xinhua Healthcare Ltd. "We have found that there is a large market demand for ArcDia's products and technology in China. The mariPOC platform allows the implementation of cost-efficient decentralized diagnostics services, which is an element of the strategic focus of our Government's health care policy", Mr Li continues.



About ArcDia International Ltd

ArcDia International Oy Ltd is a private company focused on the development of innovative products for the decentralized testing of infectious diseases. The company based in Turku, Finland, was founded in 2008 and employs now 28 skilled professionals. ArcDia is the developer and manufacturer of the mariPOC IVD platform - an automated system designed for the rapid multianalyte identification of pathogens, and the detection of inflammation markers and antimicrobial resistance. The current mariPOC application portfolio covers respiratory tract infections, tonsillitis and gastroenteritis. More information about ArcDia, including mariAST developed for rapid phenotypic antibiotic resistance testing, and mariCloud for real-time influenza surveillance, is available at www.arcdia.com.

About Xinhua healthcare Ltd

Xinhua Healthcare Co Ltd, founded in 2014, is a private holding company located in Zibo City, Shandong Province, China. Xinhua Healthcare Co Ltd is a subsidiary of one of the largest publicly owned medical device conglomerates in China. The main business interests of its affiliated portfolio companies are in orthopaedic equipment and in IVD. Xinhua Healthcare is actively restructuring its medical device business portfolio and, very recently, through its private equity fund, it sold its stake in Suzhou Hybiome Biomedical Engineering Co. Ltd; a company specialized in automated immunoassays on a CLIA platform, to bioMerieux Ltd. http://en.hybiome.com/news/html/?38.html

Further information, ArcDia:

Dr Aleksi Soini, CEO

ArcDia International Oy Ltd

e-mail: [email protected]

Cell/mobile: +358 40 6787414

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/arcdia-international-oy-ltd/r/arcdia-has-entered-into-an-exclusive-license-agreement-with-xinhua-healthcare-for-the-commercialisat,c2783608

SOURCE ArcDia International Oy Ltd
LAS VEGAS, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- On Tuesday, April 9, a two-day hearing will begin to determine whether to allow a student to attend school wearing an "AngelSense" device in a case involving a severely autistic boy who was physically abused by a special education teacher who later pled guilty to a crime for the abuse.

Joshua and Britten Wahrer have a son who is severely autistic and non-verbal and was attending special education classes as a result of his condition. In 2018, the 5-year-old boy was physically abused by his special education teacher who was only caught because an aide reported the incident. As a result of his abuse, the boy often attempts to leave school grounds over fear of suffering further harm.

In order to protect their son, Joshua and Britten requested that Clark County School District allow the boy to attend class with a monitor which permits parents to listen (without video) and track his location via GPS (called an AngelSense monitor). Although his parents are willing to pay all costs associated with the AngelSense monitor, the District denied their request for audio monitoring, and a hearing officer appointed by the State of Nevada will now determine whether the District met its obligations to the student and whether his parents can send him to school wearing the monitor.

"Joshua and Britten are wonderful, loving and protective parents who want to ensure their son is properly taken care of at school," said attorney Gregg A. Hubley of Arias Sanguinetti Wang & Torrijos, LLP. "Like all parents, they want to ensure their child is educated in a safe environment, and after such a horrific experience with the school we believe this is an extremely reasonable request."

Marianne Lanuti, who also represents Joshua and Britten, said, "What happened to this innocent boy is heart-breaking and tragic, but the Wahrers' devotion to their son, and their resolve to do what it takes to get him an appropriate education, is remarkable and reaffirming."

The hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, April 9, 2019, through Wednesday, April 10, 2019.

Background

This case garnered local media attention in 2018 when a teacher's aide witnessed a special education teacher striking the boy repeatedly with a pointer stick, with enough force to break the stick over his legs. Apparently, the student did not put his shoes on quickly enough, so the teacher, Melody Carter, started hitting his legs and ankles with a pointer stick. The aide reported the incident to the police, who arrested Ms. Carter and charged her with felony child abuse. She did not deny striking the student and subsequently pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor offense associated with the abuse. The child's parents have reported that since the abuse by Ms. Carter was discovered, the child regularly attempts to escape school premises ("elope"). This was not an issue before. The parents did move their child to another school after the abuse by Ms. Carter was discovered, but the elopement issues continue at the new school.

This is not the parents' first run-in with the district in regard to their son's education. During the 2016-2017 school year (when their child was 4 years of age), the parents complained repeatedly, through both calls and in writing, that their child was not being fed or provided with drinking water while at school, and that the school failed to check or change his diapers. The parents brought these issues all the way to the school superintendent. The parents reported that the superintendent, after hearing their issues, laughed at and berated them, even suggesting that they were imagining these issues. Attorneys for the student have also asked the hearing officer to determine whether this conduct and approach complied with the educational plan for the student developed by the District.

About Arias Sanguinetti Wang & Torrijos, LLP

With offices in Oakland, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Montreal, Arias Sanguinetti Wang & Torrijos represents clients in complex litigation in state and federal courts throughout the United States. Some of our practice areas include: Class Actions, Mass Torts, Major Personal Injury, Employment Law, and Intellectual Property Rights. To learn more about us, go to: https://aswtlawyers.com/.

About the Law Offices of Marianne C. Lanuti

Marianne Lanuti has dedicated her practice exclusively to representing children with disabilities in actions against the Clark County School District since 2001. It is her passion. Each day, her clients struggle with everyday tasks and are required to be well-versed as a legal advocate, social worker, physical therapist, speech therapist, educator, and neuropsychologist. Marianne draws her strength from her clients, and considers it a gift and a privilege to represent them and do what she can to improve their educational foundation.

Contact: Joe Marchelewski, [email protected]

SOURCE Arias Sanguinetti Wang & Torrijos, LLP

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PARIS, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, today announced at Google Cloud Next '19 that it has received the 2018 Google Cloud Global Breakthrough Partner of the Year Award. This year's award was presented at the Partner Summit at Next '19 in San Francisco, which showcases Google Cloud technologies and solutions for cloud, collaboration and artificial intelligence.

Atos was recognized for its outstanding growth in its customer base over the last year to extend the reach of the Google Cloud ecosystem. Through Atos's expertise in cloud orchestration, migration and management, joint customers have been able to use the cloud to power transformation and innovation and respond faster to customer needs.

Since the start of its official global partnership with Google Cloud in April last year, Atos has signed many major clients to Google Cloud including global companies in the industrial, pharmaceutical, telecommunications and broadcast sectors.

"This award is an exciting recognition of our growing partnership with Google Cloud," said Eric Grall, Senior Executive Vice President and Head of Global Operations and Infrastructure & Data Management at Atos. "We're proud of the achievements we've made in the last year including becoming 'Google Cloud-first' in just 6 months and enabling many businesses worldwide to realize the true value that the cloud can bring."

"We're thrilled to recognize Atos as the 2018 Google Cloud Global Breakthrough Partner of the Year," said Carolee Gearhart, Vice President, Worldwide Channel Sales at Google Cloud. "Atos has proven their expertise in Google Cloud and has demonstrated their commitment to customer success over the past year. We're excited to keep building on our partnership with Atos as more and more customers look to our ecosystem to help them succeed in the cloud."

About Atos

Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with 120,000 employees in 73 countries and annual revenue of over  12 billion. European number one in Cloud, Cybersecurity and High-Performance Computing, the Group provides end-to-end Orchestrated Hybrid Cloud, Big Data, Business Applications and Digital Workplace solutions through its Digital Transformation Factory, as well as transactional services through Worldline, the European leader in the payment industry. With its cutting-edge technologies and industry knowledge, Atos supports the digital transformation of its clients across all business sectors. The Group is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic & Paralympic Games and operates under the brands Atos, Atos Syntel, Unify and Worldline. Atos is listed on the CAC40 Paris stock index.

SOURCE Atos

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SINGAPORE, April 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- AUM Biosciences has been honored with the 2019 Asia-Pacific Biotech Entrepreneurial Company of the Year Award from Frost & Sullivan.

Vandana Iyer, Senior Research Analyst, Health & Wellness, TechVision, Frost & Sullivan noted that AUM Biosciences' unique 'Asia to Global' strategy, combined with biomarker-driven precision medicine plans and digitization trials, is ideally poised to address growing industry needs for designing faster and more affordable treatment strategies distinctly for the Asian landscape.

These include the company's integration of 3 key elements in its quest of targeted cancer therapeutics: developing affordable small molecule therapies, adopting "No Biomarker-No Drug" mandate and leveraging digitization for smart data access that improves the patient management journey in a personalized manner.

Frost & Sullivan firmly believes that AUM's drug development strategies have the power to lead a long-overdue paradigm shift in the Asian biotech landscape by facilitating the development of affordable treatment options and enabling improved quality of life for cancer patients.

"Amidst this backdrop, the company's lead MNK inhibitor candidate, AUM001, demonstrates an impressive safety profile and can potentially optimize the current treatment strategies for chronic myeloid leukemia and multiple solid tumors with significant unmet medical needs. AUM's unparalleled, Asia-focused drug development plans are set to enable disruptive biotech transformations in the global small molecule industry," she added.

AUM Biosciences also uniquely addresses the main concerns of the Asian biotech landscape related to treatment availability and affordability by facilitating the development of Asia-focused, affordable treatment strategies that are likely to transform the future of biomarker-based, digital precision medicine approaches.

Frost & Sullivan recognizes that AUM's comprehensive biomarker-based and trial digitization plans are likely to enable significant disruptions within the existing pharma and biotech landscape by enabling the development of precision therapies for the Asia-Pacific region. The company's affordable small molecule therapies of Asian origin will also facilitate improved disease management across the world.

"We are proud to receive this award. AUM is committed towards implementing a Holistic Approach of developing affordable cancer drugs from Asia to Global. This recognition makes our commitment even stronger," said AUM Biosciences CEO, Mr. Vishal Doshi

The recipients of the annual Frost & Sullivan Asia-Pacific Best Practice Awards were identified based on in-depth research conducted by Frost & Sullivan's analysts. The award categories offered each year are carefully reviewed and evaluated to reflect the current market landscape and include new emerging trends. The short-listed companies were evaluated on a variety of actual market performance indicators which include revenue growth; market share and growth in market share; leadership in product innovation; marketing strategy and business development strategy.

About AUM Biosciences

AUM Biosciences (AUM) is an oncology-focused, Singapore HQ biotechnology company committed to developing affordable cancer therapies. Dedicated to unlocking the value in innovation, we aim to create value for patients, physicians and our partners by harnessing the power of precision medicine, and digital health. AUM Biosciences focuses on early-stage development of innovative medicines for the treatment of cancers prevalent in Asians but has the potential to address global market.

AUM develops potent and highly selective therapeutics in oncology, with an aim to change the drug development paradigm by implementing a holistic approach to developing drugs. AUM Biosciences is led by a highly-experienced management team with over 75 years of high-quality oncology drug development experience combined.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants.



For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Is your organization prepared for the next profound wave of industry convergence, disruptive technologies, increasing competitive intensity, Mega Trends, breakthrough best practices, changing customer dynamics and emerging economies.

Contact:





Melissa Tan Haslinda Sarabaini Corporate Communications  Asia Pacific AUM Biosciences P: +65 6890 0926 P: +6568086034 F: +65 6890 0999 E: [email protected] E: [email protected]





http://ww2.frost.com www.aumbiosciences.com

SOURCE Frost & Sullivan

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WELLESLEY, Mass., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Babson Collaborative has honored FLAME University and Universite Laval for efforts to support entrepreneurship education.

The Babson Collaborative for Entrepreneurship Education is an institutional membership organization for colleges and universities seeking to increase capabilities and capacities for developing entrepreneurship education. Members of The Collaborative share the belief that institutions acting together achieve more than each working alone toward its entrepreneurial mission and goals.

"We are impressed by FLAME University and Universite Laval's exemplary efforts to advance entrepreneurship education at their institutions and thrilled to formally recognize and celebrate them with these awards," said Amir Reza, Dean of the Babson Academy & Global Education.

Collaborative Spotlight Award

Universite Laval (Quebec City, Canada) received the Collaborative Spotlight Award, accepted by Maripier Tremblay, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Business Administration and Scientific Director of Universite Laval.

The Spotlight Award is presented annually to a Collaborative member institution that demonstrates excellence and innovation in entrepreneurship education. The award highlights a member institution's commitment to enhancing entrepreneurship education and a willingness to share and promulgate best practice and new possibilities. The award is not for an entire program related to entrepreneurship, but rather for a particular innovation in entrepreneurship education that is making a significant impact.

Universite Laval received the award in recognition of the successful launch two years ago and subsequent impact of its Entrepreneurship Academy. This Academy assists students and alumni to launch and grow high potential businesses with the support of the highly regarded Universite Laval staff and has resulted in the creation of twenty-six businesses to date.

The Scientific Director, Maripier Tremblay, was honoured to receive this award which recognizes the excellence of the Academie de la releve entrepreneuriale-CDPQ program. "Universite Laval has long been invested in entrepreneurship, but more than ever committed to supporting pedagogical innovation in order to develop entrepreneurs and agents of change wishing to contribute to the well-being of society on all plans. This honour is shared with all the colleagues and the partners who made it possible," she said.

Universite Laval (English: Laval University) is a French-language, public research university in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.

Collaborative Member of the Year Award

FLAME University (Pune, India) received the Collaborative Member of the Year Award, accepted by Darshan Doshi 'M13, Director of the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

The Member of the Year Award is presented annually to the Collaborative member institution most active in the following categories: faculty development; student engagement; affiliation and networking; strengthening intellectual vitality; and entrepreneurial commitment.

"Babson Collaborative is a great initiative to bring together thought leaders, executives and educators from entrepreneurship discipline around the world. We, FLAME University, are proud to associate with Babson College through the Babson Collaborative to enable and support us to create a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem at FLAME University. Last year has been a new beginning as we launched the FLAME Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (FCEI) and with it a series of new entrepreneurship initiatives that support our students as well as the wider startup ecosystem in India. 2019 Member of the Year Award reflects our efforts and inspires us to achieve our goal of creating an entrepreneurial ecosystem that supports and nurtures all types of entrepreneurs," said Doshi.

FLAME University is a private and fully residential liberal education university located in Pune, India. Through its four schools--FLAME School of Liberal Education, FLAME School of Business, FLAME School of Communication and FLAME School of Fine & Performing Arts--the institution is committed to develop individuals who value creativity, innovation, determination and enterprise.

Babson Collaborative Summit

The fourth annual Babson Collaborative Summit took place in March in Cairo and hosted 29 participants from 16 universities around the world.

Discussion topics included: family business and entrepreneurship; educating entrepreneurial leaders with a global mindset; a panel discussion concerning incubators, accelerators, and entrepreneurship centers; and a panel discussion regarding curriculum integration of entrepreneurship education.

The summit began with an introduction of the recently launched Babson Academy for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurial Learning , and concluded with an action plan for Collaborative members to advance collectively several specifics goals to advance entrepreneurship education in the months to come.

"The Babson Collaborative Summit was designed to build community and reenergize around new projects and partnerships. Babson College, as the convener, was thrilled to support and grow this global network of institutions advancing entrepreneurship education. It's essential and impactful work," said Babson College Entrepreneurship Professor and Academic Director of the Babson Academy, Heidi Neck.

About Babson College

Babson College is the educator, convener, and thought leader of Entrepreneurship of All Kinds. The top-ranked college for entrepreneurship education, Babson is a dynamic living and learning laboratory where students, faculty, and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society. We prepare the entrepreneurial leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge and the skills and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams in a common purpose to make a difference in the world, and have an impact on organizations of all sizes and types. As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advance Entrepreneurial Thought & Action as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value.

Media Contacts: Michael Chmura

Public Relations Director

[email protected]

Phone: 781-239-4549

Provided by Newswise, online resource for knowledge-based news at www.newswise.com

SOURCE Babson College

Related Links

http://www.babson.edu


WILKES-BARRE, Pa., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies' employees were recently honored by the McGlynn Learning Center at its annual recognition reception.

The McGlynn Learning Center, provides year-round educational, recreational, and social outreach services to children and teens living in Boulevard Townhomes and Mineral Springs Village, in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

Left, Suzanne Gatusky-George accepts the award on behalf of Berkshire Hathaway GUARD employees. Right, Award is a Tree of Thumbprints each representing a life that was changed.

According to Elizabeth Hartman, spokesperson for Berkshire Hathaway GUARD, "We are truly honored to be recognized by the McGlynn Center and to see the impact our activities have had to help the Center provide a safe environment to children in which they can thrive. The center does outstanding work dedicating their time and effort to make a difference in the lives of our youth in Wilkes-Barre."

GUARD's relationship with the McGlynn Learning Center spans nearly three decades via the company's annual Giving Tree event during the holidays. Each year, employees select from a list of names and purchase gifts to be distributed by Santa Claus during the McGlynn Center's holiday party. This year, gifts were provided for all 112 children who use the Center.

Employees from GUARD also helped create a welcoming environment at the McGlynn center last spring by planting flowers, spreading mulch and painting rooms during the local United Way's "Day of Caring". In addition, GUARD's Special Projects Committee (a group of employees dedicated to looking for opportunities to give back to the community) made a donation to the McGlynn Center's Life Skills Program, which teaches children about the dangers of drugs.

As explained by Carl Witkowski, the Chief Operation Officer and "curator" of the company's "human capital" and culture, "At GUARD, we care deeply about our community and have always prided ourselves on building a company culture that inspires employees to give back."

Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies offer a national footprint with a growing list of Commercial and Personal insurance products, including: Workers' Compensation, property/liability via a Businessowner's Policy, Commercial Auto, Umbrella, Professional Liability, Disability, Homeowners, and recently launched Commercial Package Policy. Each of the organization's insurance companies is rated A+ ("Superior") by A.M. Best  a leading source of independent rating information on the insurance industry.

Learn more about Berkshire Hathaway GUARD at www.guard.com

Contact: Elizabeth Hartman, AVP Marketing

570-825-9900, extension 8904 or e-mail [email protected]

SOURCE Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies
HOUSTON, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Ranking and resource site, MBA Central (https://www.mbacentral.org/) has published three new ranking lists: The Best Online Strategic Management MBA Programs (https://www.mbacentral.org/top/online-strategic-management-mba/), The Best Online Change Management MBA Programs (https://www.mbacentral.org/top/online-change-management-mba/), and The Best Online Organizational Behavior MBA Programs (https://www.mbacentral.org/top/online-organizational-behavior-mba/).

With the number of online and hybrid MBA programs reaching the 550 mark, MBA Central has evaluated and ranked degree programs in the categories of Strategic Management, Organizational Behavior, and Change Management, to assist professionals looking for programs in these exciting business fields. Data was gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics, leading online ranking systems, and accreditation sites and every program ranked was ranked upon their quality, affordability, and online support services.

In the field of Strategic Management, the University of Texas at Dallas's Naveen Jindal School of Management in Richardson, Texas sits in first place. The University of North Texas's College of Business in Denton, Texas takes the number two spot, followed by the University of Delaware's Alfred Lerner College of Business & Economics in Newark, Delaware.

Topping the Online Organizational Behavior MBA Ranking is the University of North Texas's College of Business in Denton, Texas. Following UNT is Johnson & Wales University's College of Business in Providence, Rhode Island and the University of Pittsburgh's Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in second and third place, respectively.

In the area of Change Management, City University of Seattle's School of Management in Seattle, Washington takes the first spot, followed by Wright State University's Raj Soin College of Business in Dayton, Ohio in second place. In third place sits Concordia University Chicago's College of Business in River Forest, Illinois.

Other schools listed in these rankings are (alphabetically ordered):

Amberton University -- Garland, Texas

Baker University -- Baldwin City, Kansas

Brenau University -- Gainesville, Georgia

Chatham University -- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Concordia University, Nebraska -- Seward, Nebraska

Davenport University -- Grand Rapids, Michigan

Friends University -- Wichita, Kansas

Hofstra University -- Hempstead, New York

John F. Kennedy University -- Pleasant Hill, California

Lenoir-Rhyne University -- Hickory, North Carolina

Messiah College -- Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

New England College -- Henniker, New Hampshire

Niagara University -- Niagara University, New York

Northcentral University -- San Diego, California

Ottawa University -- Ottawa, Kansas

Pepperdine University -- Malibu, California

Queens University of Charlotte -- Charlotte, North Carolina

The Sage Colleges -- Troy, New York

Tiffin University -- Tiffin, Ohio

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill -- Chapel Hill, North Carolina

University of the Southwest -- Hobbs, New Mexico

Villanova University -- Villanova, Pennsylvania

Winthrop University -- Rock Hill, South Carolina

Whether directly out of an undergraduate degree, or a seasoned professional with years of experience under their belt, more and more people are looking to graduate school for an advanced degree in business. "With the increase of distance programs offered by the top business schools in the country, prospective students do not have to sacrifice quality for flexibility," explains Tammie Cagle, Editor of MBA Central. "Distance programs, like an online MBA, allow professionals to choose their school based on merit and fit and not just by proximity," continues Cagle.

But with this influx of online MBA graduates, one way for students to differentiate themselves from the pack is to pursue a specialization. Three great choices available today are strategic management, organizational behavior, and change management. Professionals diving into these programs are not just managers of people, but leaders of organizations. Leaders with an understanding of how teams work toward organizational goals are indispensable to today's global businesses.

MBA Central is an editorially unique b-school ranking and resource site. As higher education researchers and businessmen and women ourselves, we have striven to provide rankings and insights into selecting a business school and pursuing your career.

Contact:

Tammie Cagle - Editor

MBA Central

[email protected]

425-440-0619

SOURCE MBA Central

Related Links

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CHICAGO, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Brilliant , an award-winning direct-hire, contract and consulting firm specializing in accounting, finance and information technology, recently expanded its Brilliant Financial Staffing and Financial Search practices into the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

This marks the fifth location and third market for Brilliant which already has its headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, two offices in the surrounding Chicago suburbs, and another office in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The firm's new Dallas-Fort Worth location housed just outside the city-limits at 15455 Dallas Parkway, Suite 600, Addison, TX 75001, offers recruiting and staffing services in both a contract and direct-hire capacity for area businesses in need of hiring accounting and finance professionals for their teams.

Brilliant President Kathy Spearing explains, "We knew it was necessary to expand our footprint South into a thriving market like Dallas-Fort Worth." Spearing continues, "As our expert recruiters and business development professionals begin to build relationships with the businesses and accounting and finance professionals there, I have no doubt that our mission to make people's lives better will continue to do just that. We want our brand's authenticity and spirit to shine through so that we are the number one choice when it comes to hiring. Brilliant Dallas will focus on recruitment for accounting and finance resources in the contract, project-based and direct-hire arenas."

If you are a hiring manager in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and need help hiring for your accounting and finance functions or are an accounting or finance professional looking for a new position, contact the Brilliant Dallas team at 469.421.6915.

To learn more about Brilliant, go to www.brilliantfs.com.

About Brilliant | Connecting People and Opportunities

Brilliant is an award-winning direct-hire, contract and consulting practice specializing in accounting, finance and information technology for the Greater Chicago, South Florida and Dallas-Fort Worth labor markets. The firm represents high-quality accounting, finance and information technology talent and matches them with hiring companies throughout various industries including manufacturing, distribution, health care, professional services, retail, legal, technology, real estate, nonprofit organizations, software and hospitality, among others. Many of Brilliant's team members include former hiring managers, and accounting and finance professionals from the Big 4 accounting firms, as well as other leading professionals in the industry. Since its inception in 2009, Brilliant has ranked on various award lists including Forbes America's Best Professional Recruiting Firms two years in a row including No. 2 in 2018, Forbes America's Best Executive Recruiting Firms in 2017, Crain's Chicago Business Fast 50 for four straight years including No. 1 in 2015, Staffing Industry Analysts Fastest-Growing U.S. Staffing Firms for four straight years including No. 2 in 2015, Inavero's Best of Staffing Talent for North America four years in a row, Inc. 5000 for three straight years, Best Places to Work South Florida in 2016 and 2018, 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For five straight years, and others. To learn more about Brilliant, visit www.brilliantfs.com, call 312.582.1800 or follow @BrilliantFS on social media.

Media Contact:

Laurie Vicente, CSMP

Senior Director of Marketing

Brilliant

[email protected]

312.582.1812

SOURCE Brilliant

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WASHINGTON, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned an anti-Muslim tirade by a GOP witness at today's House Judiciary Committee hearing on "Hate Crimes and the Rise of White Nationalism."

At that hearing, Zionist Organization of America President Morton Klein falsely identified the New Zealand mosque attacker as "left wing," downplayed the threat of white supremacists and smeared American Muslims and Islam as the main source of anti-Semitism. He also attacked Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and the BDS movement. Klein falsely claimed that "one third" of American Muslims are anti-Semitic. His bigoted remarks drew jeers from hearing attendees.

[NOTE: BDS refers to Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions in support of Palestinian human rights.]

Video: Anti-Muslim Rant by GOP Witness Morton Klein at Congressional Hearing on Hate Crimes and White Nationalism

https://youtu.be/hXGqJ3OR9hc

"Instead of speaking against bigotry and white supremacy, Mr. Klein instead chose to go on an Islamophobic rant that demonstrated the unfortunate mainstreaming of anti-Muslim hate we have seen in our nation since the rise of Donald Trump," said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad. "It is shameful that the GOP chose to invite a witness with a long history of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bigotry."

Awad noted that Klein is notorious for his use of the term "filthy Arab," his support for the Trump administration's Muslim Ban and his advocacy of the religious profiling of Muslims.

SEE: ZOA's Mort Klein Tweets 'Filthy Arab' Slur  And Doubles Down

https://forward.com/news/410836/zoas-mort-klein-tweets-filthy-arab-slur-and-doubles-down/

ZOA's Morton Klein Backs Trump's Call for Profiling Muslims

https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/zoa-s-morton-klein-backs-trump-s-call-for-profiling-muslims-1.5399216

CAIR submitted a written statement for the hearing's record that stated in part:

"CAIR urges the House Judiciary Committee and all the U.S. government to confront and admit the reality that we as a nation are in the middle of an epidemic of white nationalist and Islamophobic attacks targeting minority religious communities."

SEE: CAIR Statement for the Record on the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary Hearing on 'Hate Crimes and the Rise of White Nationalism'

http://tinyurl.com/StatementonWhiteNationalism

The hearing to examine "hate crimes, the impact white nationalist groups have on American communities and the spread of white identity ideology" included testimony by Dr. Mohammad Abu-Salha, the father Yusor and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha who were killed in a 2015 shooting that many believe was motivated by anti-Muslim bias.

Video: Muslim Hate Crimes Victims' Father Describes Daughters' Execution-Style Killing

https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4791031/hate-crimes-victims-father-describes-daughters-execution-style-killing

Candace Owens, another GOP witness who testified at today's hearing "has said that Hitler would have been 'fine' if he stayed in Germany, and suggested that because Hitler wanted Germany to have control of the whole world, that made him a globalist, and not a nationalist. Owens later walked back her comments somewhat in an interview on Fox Business." (The Forward)

SEE: Candace Owen Will Testify Before Congress on Hate Crimes, White Nationalism

https://forward.com/fast-forward/422220/candace-owen-hearings-white-nationalism/

At White Nationalism Hearing, Candace Owens Says It Should Focus on Antifa Instead https://forward.com/fast-forward/422283/white-nationalism-antifa-candace-owens-congress/

CAIR has witnessed an unprecedented spike in bigotry targeting American Muslims, immigrants and members of other minority groups since the election of Donald Trump as president. CAIR has repeatedly expressed concern about Islamophobic, white supremacist and racist Trump administration policies and appointments.

Recent hate incidents include bomb and death threats targeting Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), a threat targeting a Maryland mosque, an arson attack on a California mosque, recent arrests in an alleged bomb plot targeting Muslims in New York, guilty pleas in the bombing of a Minnesota mosque, and sentencing of men in a plot to bomb Muslims in Kansas.

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

La mision de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprension del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.

CONTACT: CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]

SOURCE Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
PAINESVILLE, Ohio, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- CENTURY 21 Asa Cox Homes today announced they have been named the #1 team in the CENTURY 21 System based on units sold in 2018. Under the leadership of broker/owner Asa Cox, the team was honored at the CENTURY 21 One21 Experience held in Las Vegas, NV last month.

"This is a huge accomplishment for our company, and I'd like to thank my team for all of their hard work and dedication," said Cox. "This award would not have been possible without our relentless agents and we look forward to continuing this success in 2019."

Cox has been in the real estate industry for more than 25 years and was affiliated with Coldwell Banker Real Estate and RE/MAX before she opened her own company, Asa Cox Homes, in 1990. She purchased her CENTURY 21 franchise in 2016, and along with her agent team, they have worked hard to become the number one team in the world for units sold, now for the second year in a row.

Through the success of her company, she was able to start Asa's Angels, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to helping families in the community that find themselves in need. Her passion for charity work was a driving factor for starting her career in the real estate industry and was a reason why she became involved in USDA's Rural Housing Service, which provides financing to low-income rural residents to ensure they are able to make rent. CENTURY 21 Asa Cox Homes is currently the only company in Northeastern Ohio involved with the program.

"This is a very exciting moment in time for CENTURY 21 Asa Cox Homes," said Mike Miedler, president and CEO of Century 21 Real Estate LLC. "The team's dedication to helping their community and those in need exemplifies what it means to defy mediocrity and deliver extraordinary experiences."

About CENTURY 21 Asa Cox Homes

CENTURY 21 Asa Cox Homes is a full-service real estate company, serving the buyers and sellers in the community of Lake, Geauga, Ashtabula and Cuyahoga Counties. The CENTURY 21 Asa Cox Homes Primary office is located at 2709 N. Ridge Road, Painesville, OH 44077.

CENTURY 21 Asa Cox Homes is an independently owned and operated franchise affiliate of Century 21 Real Estate, franchisor of the iconic CENTURY 21 brand, comprised of approximately 9,400 independently owned and operated franchised broker offices in 80 countries and territories worldwide with more than 127,000 independent sales professionals.

Legal Disclaimer

 2019 Century 21 Real Estate LLC. All Rights Reserved. CENTURY 21 , the CENTURY 21 Logo and One21 are registered service marks owned by Century 21 Real Estate LLC. Century 21 Real Estate LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each office is independently owned and operated.

Media Contact:

Dana Hershman

MullenLowe for CENTURY 21 Asa Cox Homes

617.226.9345

[email protected]

SOURCE CENTURY 21 Asa Cox Homes
"The key to accelerating discoveries in science or the next tech breakthrough will be dependent on our ability to bring fresh perspectives to STEM fields," said Priscilla Chan, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of CZI. "California's openness to new ways of thinking is what has made this state an innovation engine for the world, and the University of California has played a crucial role in that as one of the largest and most diverse public research universities in the country. With these new grants, we hope to help bring even more diversity of perspective and experience to our state  and to Silicon Valley."

The Meyerhoff program is recognized as one of the most effective models in the country to help inspire, recruit, and retain underrepresented students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees in STEM fields. Program participants have earned 300 Ph.D. degrees, 130 M.D. degrees, 54 M.D./Ph.D. degrees, and 253 master's degrees, not counting current enrollment numbers. UMBC is a diverse public research university whose largest demographic groups identify as white and Asian, but which also graduates more African-American students who go on to earn dual M.D.-Ph.D. degrees than any other college in the U.S.  a credit to the Meyerhoff program model.

The University of California system, the world's largest public research university, is also one of the largest undergraduate and graduate educator of underrepresented and low-income students in the country among peer institutions in the Association of American Universities (AAU). More than 50 percent of UC's undergraduates from the poorest families in the state surpass their parents' income within the first five years of graduating.

The CZI grants allow UC San Diego and UC Berkeley to apply many of the models successfully used at UMBC, including outreach to high achieving underrepresented high school students, research experiences, team learning, peer counseling, advising, preparation in the summer before matriculation, and engagement with students' families.

"Over three decades, UMBC has developed highly effective strategies to support student success and increase diversity in STEM fields," said Michael Summers, Robert E. Meyerhoff Chair for Excellence in Research and Mentoring and Distinguished University Professor at UMBC. "It is truly thrilling to think about the national and global impact the Meyerhoff Scholars Program will have through partnerships like this. UC Berkeley and UC San Diego are among the top U.S. producers of undergraduates who go on to earn STEM graduate degrees, and by working together we can help shape the future of our national Ph.D. pipeline, with inclusive excellence as a core shared value of our work."

STEM employment has grown significantly in the U.S.  from 9.7 million to 17.3 million, or by 79 percent , in less than 30 years  but African-American and Latinx workers continue to be underrepresented. According to the Pew Research Center, the majority of STEM workers in the U.S. are white (69 percent), followed by Asian (13 percent), African-American (9 percent), and Latinx (7 percent). While the typical STEM worker earns more than non-STEM workers on average, the median earnings of African-American and Latinx workers in STEM occupations are less than those of white and Asian workers.

UC Berkeley and UC San Diego are major sources of top talent for Silicon Valley. Companies in Silicon Valley hire more alumni from UC Berkeley than any other school in the country, for example, and more of UC Berkeley's undergraduates go on to obtain Ph.D. degrees in STEM fields than any other U.S. university. The new initiative at UC Berkeley  to be known as the STEM Scholars Program  is projected to serve in the range of 100 to 120 students in the next five years, with the goal of cultivating a cohort of extremely talented students who are passionate about science and pursuing a STEM career.

"The STEM Scholars Program at Berkeley goes hand in hand with our commitment to a more diverse and inclusive culture across our campus, and thanks to the support of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, we are charting a clear path forward in the STEM fields," said UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ. "This program will enable Berkeley's continued success as an engine of social mobility and a source for the next generation of top talent to such industries as Silicon Valley."

"UC San Diego's new partnership with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is a welcomed addition to our existing efforts to increase the recruitment and retention of underrepresented students in science, technology, engineering and math," said UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. "This new collaboration will enhance our PATHS STEM scholarship program launched in 2017 by Professor Gentry Patrick, which created a new model of success for our students who come from underserved communities."

Under Patrick's vision, based on his upbringing in South Central Los Angeles where access to quality education was challenging, UC San Diego launched the PATHways to STEM through Enhanced Access and Mentorship Program (PATHS). The program provides critical mentorship and financial support for undergraduate UC San Diego STEM students from under-resourced communities in San Diego.

Throughout the grants' five-year duration, UC San Diego and UC Berkeley will provide rigorous quantitative and qualitative data to measure success, including specific metrics of retention, graduation, and professional outcomes, and also by continuing dialogue with students. By creating a more welcoming environment for underrepresented groups, this program aims to improve education in STEM fields for all. A long-term goal of these grants is to foster lasting improvement on the two UC campuses in ways that can be shared with other UC and interested colleges.

About the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative

Founded by Dr. Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg in 2015, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) is a new kind of philanthropy that's leveraging technology to help solve some of the world's toughest challenges  from eradicating disease, to improving education, to reforming the criminal justice system. Across three core Initiative focus areas of Science, Education, and Justice & Opportunity, we're pairing engineering with grant-making, impact investing, and policy and advocacy work to help build an inclusive, just and healthy future for everyone. For more information, please visit www.chanzuckerberg.com .

About UMBC

UMBC is a dynamic public research university that redefines excellence in higher education through an inclusive culture that connects innovative teaching and learning, research across disciplines, and civic engagement. U.S. News & World Report recognizes UMBC as one of the top 10 universities in the nation for both innovation and undergraduate teaching. At the graduate level, UMBC emphasizes science, engineering, information technology, human services, and public policy. UMBC is a major center for research in the BaltimoreWashington corridorone of the nation's top universities in NASA funding, and in geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences.

About UMBC's Meyerhoff Scholars Program

The Meyerhoff Scholars Program at UMBC is at the forefront of efforts to increase diversity among future leaders in science, technology, engineering and related fields. The UMBC Meyerhoff family is now more than 1300 strong, with over 1100 alumni across the nation and 260 students enrolled at UMBC. Over 300 graduates are currently pursuing graduate and professional degrees in STEM fields.

About UC San Diego

UC San Diego is a renowned research university and medical school. It is especially strong in engineering and biomedicine, and has innovative outreach efforts to underserved communities, resulting in a high proportion of low-income students in its student body. Research published by The New York Times indicates that among highly selective public universities, UC San Diego has the highest population of low-income students, and with a degree from the campus, these students have a high probability of thriving in the middle class and beyond. This past fall, the campus admitted its most socioeconomic diverse class to date with 37 new incoming students being the first in their family to attend a four-year college and 40 percent coming from a low-income household.

About UC Berkeley

UC Berkeley is internationally renowned for excellence and pioneering achievements across all disciplines and well known for its tradition of public service, which plays a key role in the university's teaching and research. Berkeley's research strength includes expertise in addressing pressing global challenges in the areas of health, energy, and the environment. From cyclotrons to CRISPR, Berkeley has a storied history of accomplishments across the STEM disciplines. The campus is the No. 1 public university in global rankings and has the most graduate schools and specialties ranked in the top 10 nationally by U.S. News & World Report. UC Berkeley serves a greater share of Pell grant recipients than the Ivy League combined, and 23 percent of first-year students are from families in which neither parent has a four-year college degree.

SOURCE Chan Zuckerberg Initiative

Related Links

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NEW YORK, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- CIT Group Inc. (NYSE: CIT) today announced it will issue its first quarter 2019 financial results on Tuesday, April 23, 2019. The press release will be issued at 6:30 a.m. ET via PR Newswire and on the CIT News website. The presentation and financial supplement will be posted in the Presentations & Events section of CIT's Investor Relations website shortly thereafter.

CIT will host a conference call and audio webcast at 8 a.m. ET to discuss the company's performance, followed by a question and answer session.

Call-in Numbers

U.S. Toll Free: 888-317-6003 International: 412-317-6061 Canada Toll Free: 866-284-3684 Elite Entry Code: 3677252 Webcast: cit.com/investor

Please dial-in to the call or connect to the webcast at least 15 minutes prior to register and/or download any necessary software.

Conference Replay

US Toll Free: 1-877-344-7529 International Toll: 1-412-317-0088 Canada Toll Free: 1-855-669-9658 Replay Access Code: 10130539 Webcast: cit.com/investor

Information in CIT's earnings release and comments made by management during the conference call described in this release speak only as of the date and time of such call. CIT expressly disclaims and undertakes no responsibility to update or alter such information based on new information, future events or otherwise.

About CIT:

CIT is a leading national bank focused on empowering businesses and personal savers with the financial agility to navigate their goals. CIT Group Inc. (NYSE: CIT) is a financial holding company with over a century of experience, approximately $50 billion in assets as of Dec. 31, 2018, and operates a principal bank subsidiary, CIT Bank, N.A. (Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender). The company's commercial banking segment includes commercial financing, real estate financing, equipment financing, factoring and railcar financing. CIT's consumer banking segment includes its national online bank, CIT Bank, and a Southern California branch bank, OneWest Bank. Discover more at cit.com/about.

Contacts

SOURCE CIT Group Inc.
BOSTON, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Announced at the 2019 ASAP Global Alliance Summit in Miami, FL, Ken Coppins, CEO of collabtogrow, a technology-enabled managed services and advisory firm, presented a case study regarding a biopharmaceutical client's success with the collabtogrow Activate Framework. Beginning in 2017, the client utilized The Framework in managing its alliance with a global technology partner. The collabtogrow Activate Framework, which leverages ISO 44001 best practices, is combined with well-known, proven strategic planning tools and program governance. Combining these elements into a streamlined and straight forward methodology, the client was able to follow collabtogrow's proven roadmap to success and the alliance has far exceeded expectations. Read the full white paper here.

The collabtogrow Activate Framework leverages ISO 44001, an international standard that defines the best practices to manage Collaborative Business Relationships, and tailors it to the organization's specific requirements.

"Alliances and Collaborative Business Relationships are experiencing an upturn in today's dynamic business environment. These relationships must be evaluated, structured and managed differently than in the past if the success rates are to be dramatically improved," said Coppins. "Collaborative Business Relationships must be held to an elevated standard as a strategic component within an enterprise's core DNA."

In Q2 2019, collabtogrow will launch collabtogrow Succeed, a SaaS platform that will enable its clients to maximize the business returns from their partner ecosystems. The solution will be designed for the needs of business development executives who require repeatable frameworks, workflows and tools, and will greatly increase the chances of alliance success.

collabtogrow Succeed will be added to the company's growing portfolio of offerings, which includes its managed service offering, collabtogrow Orchestrate, providing comprehensive solutions for clients and their partners.

About collabtogrow

collabtogrow is a Boston-based technology-enabled managed services and advisory firm that specializes in improving the performance of strategic alliances. Our mission is to help our clients succeed by leveraging our proven framework of global best practices, standards, and tools. collabtogrow was founded by senior consulting executives with diverse industry backgrounds. Whether you're a business that's new to strategic alliances, or you're looking to revitalize your existing strategic alliance programs, our services are designed for you to expand market share, increase revenue, and establish meaningful relationships with your strategic partners. For more information, visit http://www.collabtogrow.com or follow us at @collabtogrow.

CONTACT: Melissa Turek, [email protected]

SOURCE collabtogrow

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MAUMEE, Ohio, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Dana Incorporated (NYSE: DAN) was awarded a 2019 Automotive News PACE Award last night for its Spicer AdvanTEK Ultra axle system, which exceeds the efficiency performance of all other axles on the market by approximately 30 percent. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the annual Automotive News PACE Awards, which honor automotive suppliers for superior innovation, technological advancement, and business performance.

To support its customers' search for efficiency improvements in vehicles powered by internal-combustion engines, including hybrid powertrains, Dana leveraged its driveline expertise to design and manufacture a more efficient axle. The axle system sets the new standard for axle efficiency, achieved through extensive analysis and creative problem solving, and verified through comprehensive benchmarking.

"Our engineers challenged conventional wisdom by flipping the traditional axle-engineering process on its head, redesigning the axle from the inside out  and it paid off for our customers and vehicle owners," said Bob Pyle, president of Dana Light Vehicle Driveline Technologies. "We are truly honored to have the PACE Award judges recognize the hurdles our team overcame and the outstanding gains in efficiency we have achieved with the creation of our AdvanTEK Ultra axle system."

Dana's reliable design addresses energy losses related to oil churning and gear and bearing friction, while maintaining product durability and improving noise, vibration, and harshness performance.

"Since the introduction of the encased universal joint, Dana has continuously pushed the limits of what is possible with its driveline technology," said Christophe Dominiak, chief technology officer for Dana. "Our AdvanTEK Ultra axle system is yet another example of how we continue to cultivate the innovative mindset that has been the foundation of Dana's business for more than 100 years."

This marks the sixth time Dana has earned a PACE Award. Dana received its award on April 8 at the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center in Detroit.

About Dana Incorporated

Dana is a world leader in highly engineered solutions for improving the efficiency, performance, and sustainability of powered vehicles and machinery. Dana supports the passenger vehicle, commercial truck, and off-highway markets, as well as industrial and stationary equipment applications. Founded in 1904, Dana employs more than 36,000 people in 33 countries on six continents who are committed to delivering long-term value to customers. The company reported sales of $8.1 billion in 2018. Based in Maumee, Ohio, USA, it is a people-centric organization and has been named a top employer of choice around the world, including significant honors in Asia, India, Italy, Mexico, and the United States. For more information, please visit www.dana.com.

About the Automotive News PACE Awards

The Automotive News Premier Automotive Suppliers' Contribution to Excellence (PACE) Awards is recognized around the world as the industry benchmark for automotive innovation. The award recognizes international automotive organizations that bring game changing innovations to their OEM customers and the automotive industry. The PACE Awards program welcomes entries from all suppliers to automotive OEMs. Applicants and winners have come from six continents including large and small companies supplying production parts, materials, capital equipment, and services. The award is presented by Automotive News and the Automotive Parts Manufacturing Association.

SOURCE Dana Incorporated

Related Links

http://www.dana.com


MUNICH, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Dana Incorporated (NYSE: DAN) today debuted the company's comprehensive selection of drive and motion technologies that support electrification through the demonstration of two construction machines.

A mid-sized aerial work platform (AWP) with an 18-meter (60-foot) platform height and a 1.5 ton (3,300-lb.) mini excavator illustrate how Dana offers an industry-leading portfolio of market-ready innovations to enhance the productivity, mobility, and efficiency of electric-powered vehicles.

Dana will present live demonstrations of the vehicles at outdoor stand 45A.9 between halls A4 and A5 at Bauma, the world's best-attended construction and mining exhibition.

"The construction market is moving quickly toward electrification," said Aziz Aghili, president of Dana Off-Highway Drive and Motion Technologies. "Dana is in the unique position to help manufacturers bring electric-driven vehicles to market through our collaborative, systems-oriented approach; decades of construction expertise; and broad selection of proven drive and motion capabilities for electrified vehicles."

Dana's High-Efficiency Electrified Aerial Work Platform

Featuring more than 30 of Dana's drive and motion products, this AWP demonstrator has a non-traditional four-wheel-drive design to demonstrate the range and effectiveness of Dana's e-Mobility capabilities.

A Spicer Electrified e-Axle powered by an integrated SME motor and inverter supports the steering function at the front of the AWP, while the rear is equipped with two Spicer Electrified e-Hub drives.

The Spicer Electrified e-Axle configures Spicer axle components and drive and motion intelligence, SME motor and control technologies, and advanced gearing in a modular package that can be fine-tuned for vehicle size and performance. The optimized combination of electrified drive components reduces power losses by up to 20 percent when compared with traditional diesel-powered drivetrains.

The AWP demonstrator uses advanced mechatronics technologies to govern traction, stability, and safety in work environments. It has an electronic differential and torque vectoring control that manage power distribution to the wheel ends to provide necessary tractive force in a regulated, safe manner. The AWP also employs a stability control system that monitors the distribution of weight across the machine and automatically takes action to prevent tip-over incidents.

The AWP also features advanced Spicer control software for vehicle management as well as numerous Brevini motion products in the work circuits, including customized hydraulic blocks, hydraulic valves, gear pumps, electronic controller units, and operator-information displays.

Compact, Quiet Technologies for Electric-Drive Mini Excavator

Dana's electric-driven mini excavator uses SME electric motors and inverters to power drive and motion functions across the machine, including four Spicer Electrified e-Hub drives that provide a top travel speed of 4 kph (2.5 mph).

Meanwhile, a new Brevini hydraulic smart block manages the vehicle's work functions more efficiently and precisely than a comparable diesel-driven machine. The mini excavator is also equipped with a Brevini slew drive, human-machine interfaces, electronic controller units, and operator-information displays.

Dana at Bauma

In addition to the demonstrator exhibition, Dana will present its wide selection of conventional and electrified drive and motion technologies for the construction and mining industries at Bauma in hall A3 at stands 326 and 139. For more information, visit www.dana.com/offhighway.

About Dana Incorporated

Dana is a world leader in highly engineered solutions for improving the efficiency, performance, and sustainability of powered vehicles and machinery. Dana supports the passenger vehicle, commercial truck, and off-highway markets, as well as industrial and stationary equipment applications. Founded in 1904, Dana employs more than 36,000 people in 33 countries on six continents who are committed to delivering long-term value to customers. The company reported sales of $8.1 billion in 2018. Based in Maumee, Ohio, USA, it is a people-centric organization and has been named a top employer of choice around the world, including significant honors in Asia, India, Italy, Mexico, and the United States. For more information, please visit www.dana.com.

SOURCE Dana Incorporated

Related Links

http://www.dana.com








China's soybean meal demand could fall for first time in more than 10 years

For the first time in more than 10 years, demand for soybean meal is expected to decline in China as the African swine fever disease continues to ravage parts of the country, Bloomberg reported.

The recent swine fever outbreaks could further push down Chinese soymeal futures, which have already dropped 25% from an October high. This development, along with shrinking hog herds and significant economic losses could inflict long-term damages on Chinese pork businesses.

Meanwhile, hog futures in Chicago, US, rose due to the increased possibility of import demand from China.

In the short term, supply and demand for hogs is balanced, but may not be so for the long run. The Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Bureau of China's Shandong province expected supply to tighten, a trend that would last for a long time.

The organisation also noted that farmers are selling pigs at a faster pace and not replenishing stocks. Darin Friedrichs, a risk management consultant in INTL FCStone's Asia commodities division, said that pig farmers in China are wary of restocking due to the fear of "getting hit again."

China's soymeal demand may drop more than 5% to 66 million tonnes in 2018-19, the first contraction after 11 years of growth, according to the China National Grain and Oils Information Center.

Consumption could potentially slow the drop as soy use in other types of livestock farming have increased, especially in the northern province of Hebei, said Li Xinxin, a soymeal trader at a Chinese crushing plant.

Internationally, the swine fever crisis threatens to worsen, with the disease already hitting Vietnam, which shares its northern border with China.

The livestock feed sector of Vietnam gets its supply of soymeal mostly through imports. The country had bought 4.8 million tonnes of the grain from overseas in 2018, according to Nguyen Quoc Dat, vice head of the Vietnam Animal Husbandry Association.

This year's purchases may be affected slightly if Vietnam is able to keep the spread of swine fever under control.

- Bloomberg
STAINES-UPON-THAMES, United Kingdom, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Mallinckrodt plc (NYSE: MNK), a leading global specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced data from a retrospective chart review that analyzed physician assessments of 91 U.S. patients diagnosed with uveitis who had been treated with Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection) in the previous 12 months. All patients had completed or were still receiving treatment at the time of the review. In response to a survey question, physicians reported that 84 percent of patients who completed or were still in treatment with Acthar Gel had improvement in disease status overall, and 86 percent had improvements in vision. Uveitis is a leading cause of preventable blindness in adults. Results of the study were recently published online ahead of print in the Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Please see Important Safety Information for Acthar Gel below.

Acthar Gel is U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved for the treatment of severe acute and chronic allergic and inflammatory processes involving the eye and its adnexa such as: keratitis, iritis, iridocyclitis, diffuse posterior uveitis and choroiditis, optic neuritis, chorioretinitis and anterior segment inflammation.

"This is one of the first and largest studies of its kind to look at real-world medication patterns in the treatment of uveitis  for which data are greatly limited  and demonstrates our commitment to support informed and appropriate decision-making for patients," said Tunde Otulana, M.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Mallinckrodt. "We are committed to examining treatments and clinical practices for patients with uveitis that can lead to improvements in their disease management. Real-world data can provide additional evidence of the potential utility of available therapeutic options for patients."

Study Details 1

The study was a retrospective medical record review of physicians' assessments of 91 patients diagnosed with uveitis, most of whom had moderate to severe visual impairment, who were treated with Acthar Gel. Average time since diagnosis was four years.

Patients were selected from among a nationally representative sample of 21 ophthalmologists who were randomly selected for recruitment from a database of Acthar Gel prescribers and from the American Medical Association Physician Masterfile (a national database of physicians). Data were abstracted from patient medical records using an electronic data collection instrument and were collected between September and October 2017 .

. Signs and symptoms noted at baseline included blurred vision, light sensitivity, floaters, loss of visual acuity, eye pain, and eye redness. Disease severity was most often moderate.

All patients were taking other medications for uveitis before initiation of Acthar Gel. These included steroid eye drops, oral steroids, intraocular steroid injections, nonsteroidal eye drops and biologics.

All patients had received treatment with Acthar Gel in the past 12 months and had either completed a course of Acthar Gel or were receiving Acthar Gel treatment at the time of data collection.

There were 17 different initial dosing regimens documented in the study; however, most patients (n=70, 77 percent) were prescribed an initial regimen of 4080 units, administered subcutaneously once or twice weekly. According to the Acthar Gel prescribing information, usual dosing of Acthar Gel is 4080 units via subcutaneous or intramuscular injection every 1-3 days.2

Highlights of the Assessments

Based on notes in medical records, physicians reported that overall disease status had improved in 84 percent (n=76) of patients after therapy with Acthar Gel. They also reported:

86 percent (n=78) had improvements in vision.



27 percent (n=25) had improvements in eye pain.



26 percent (n=24) had improvements in vitreous haze.



24 percent (n=22) had reduction of background medication use.



23 percent (n=21) had improvements in vitreous flare.



18 percent (n=16) had improvements in macular edema.

Additional Observations

Of the patients treated with Acthar Gel, the number who were taking concomitant uveitis medications was reduced over time.

At the start of treatment with Acthar Gel, 100 percent (n=91) of patients were on concomitant uveitis medication.



During treatment with Acthar Gel, the number of patients on concomitant uveitis treatment decreased to 57 percent (n=52).



Three months after initiation of Acthar Gel therapy, 22 percent (n=20) of patients remained on concomitant uveitis therapy. Among these patients, many were able to reduce their dose of concomitant uveitis medications.

Study Limitations

The study was a retrospective collection of data from medical records, which may be incomplete.

Outcomes may be influenced by therapies not documented in the patient medical records.

The study's scope did not include quantification of patients' outcomes, such as diagnostic measurements or safety endpoints.

Physician assessments of patient outcomes may be subjective.

Most patients were on multiple therapies so clinical outcomes may not be solely attributable to Acthar Gel.

The study was conducted by Mallinckrodt.

"These data add to the body of knowledge on uveitis, a leading cause of preventable blindness in adults in the U.S., and enhance understanding of treatment options for uveitis," said Robert C. Wang, M.D., Partner, Texas Retina Associates, Dallas Texas, Clinical Associate Professor, UTSW Dallas Texas. "Studies designed to assess medication utilization and practice patterns are greatly needed to guide appropriate treatment decisions for uveitis patients."

About Uveitis

Uveitis is a complex mix of acute or chronic inflammatory eye disorders that affects the uveal tract (a layer of tissue just behind the outer layer of the eye) and adjacent structures, including the sclera, cornea, vitreous humor, retina, and optic nerve head.3,4,5,6 Symptoms vary based on the site of inflammation, but can include decreased vision, eye pain, tearing, redness, light sensitivity, and floaters.3,4 Uveitis has numerous etiologies, associated conditions, and underlying immune responses that complicate its diagnosis and treatment.4,7 Uveitis accounts for five percent to 20 percent of cases of legal blindness in the United States. In the United States, the annual incidence (occurrence of new cases) of uveitis ranges between 24.9 and 52.4 per 100,000 persons.8,9,10 It mostly affects individuals of working age.4

Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection) Indications

Acthar Gel is an injectable drug approved by the FDA for the treatment of 19 indications. Of these, today the majority of Acthar use is in these indications:

Adjunctive therapy for short-term administration (to tide the patient over an acute episode or exacerbation) in rheumatoid arthritis, including juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (selected cases may require low-dose maintenance therapy)

Monotherapy for the treatment of infantile spasms in infants and children under 2 years of age

Treatment during an exacerbation or as maintenance therapy in selected cases of systemic lupus erythematosus

The treatment of acute exacerbations of multiple sclerosis in adults. Controlled clinical trials have shown Acthar Gel to be effective in speeding the resolution of acute exacerbations of multiple sclerosis. However, there is no evidence that it affects the ultimate outcome or natural history of the disease

Inducing a diuresis or a remission of proteinuria in nephrotic syndrome without uremia of the idiopathic type or that due to lupus erythematosus

Treatment during an exacerbation or as maintenance therapy in selected cases of systemic dermatomyositis (polymyositis)

The treatment of symptomatic sarcoidosis

Treatment of severe acute and chronic allergic and inflammatory processes involving the eye and its adnexa such as: keratitis, iritis, iridocyclitis, diffuse posterior uveitis and choroiditis, optic neuritis, chorioretinitis, anterior segment inflammation

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Contraindications

Acthar should never be administered intravenously

Administration of live or live attenuated vaccines is contraindicated in patients receiving immunosuppressive doses of Acthar

Acthar is contraindicated where congenital infections are suspected in infants

Acthar is contraindicated in patients with scleroderma, osteoporosis, systemic fungal infections, ocular herpes simplex, recent surgery, history of or the presence of a peptic ulcer, congestive heart failure, uncontrolled hypertension, primary adrenocortical insufficiency, adrenocortical hyperfunction or sensitivity to proteins of porcine origins

Warnings and Precautions

The adverse effects of Acthar are related primarily to its steroidogenic effects

Acthar may increase susceptibility to new infection or reactivation of latent infections

Suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-axis (HPA) may occur following prolonged therapy with the potential for adrenal insufficiency after withdrawal of the medication. Adrenal insufficiency may be minimized by tapering of the dose when discontinuing treatment. During recovery of the adrenal gland patients should be protected from the stress (e.g. trauma or surgery) by the use of corticosteroids. Monitor patients for effects of HPA suppression after stopping treatment

Cushing's syndrome may occur during therapy but generally resolves after therapy is stopped. Monitor patients for signs and symptoms

syndrome may occur during therapy but generally resolves after therapy is stopped. Monitor patients for signs and symptoms Acthar can cause elevation of blood pressure, salt and water retention, and hypokalemia. Blood pressure, sodium and potassium levels may need to be monitored

Acthar often acts by masking symptoms of other diseases/disorders. Monitor patients carefully during and for a period following discontinuation of therapy

Acthar can cause GI bleeding and gastric ulcer. There is also an increased risk for perforation in patients with certain gastrointestinal disorders. Monitor for signs of bleeding

Acthar may be associated with central nervous system effects ranging from euphoria, insomnia, irritability, mood swings, personality changes, and severe depression, and psychosis. Existing conditions may be aggravated

Patients with comorbid disease may have that disease worsened. Caution should be used when prescribing Acthar in patients with diabetes and myasthenia gravis

Prolonged use of Acthar may produce cataracts, glaucoma and secondary ocular infections. Monitor for signs and symptoms

Acthar is immunogenic and prolonged administration of Acthar may increase the risk of hypersensitivity reactions. Neutralizing antibodies with chronic administration may lead to loss of endogenous ACTH activity

There is an enhanced effect in patients with hypothyroidism and in those with cirrhosis of the liver

Long-term use may have negative effects on growth and physical development in children. Monitor pediatric patients

Decrease in bone density may occur. Bone density should be monitored for patients on long-term therapy

Pregnancy Class C: Acthar has been shown to have an embryocidal effect and should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus

Adverse Reactions

Common adverse reactions for Acthar are similar to those of corticosteroids and include fluid retention, alteration in glucose tolerance, elevation in blood pressure, behavioral and mood changes, increased appetite and weight gain

Specific adverse reactions reported in IS clinical trials in infants and children under 2 years of age included: infection, hypertension, irritability, Cushingoid symptoms, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, pyrexia, weight gain, increased appetite, decreased appetite, nasal congestion, acne, rash, and cardiac hypertrophy. Convulsions were also reported, but these may actually be occurring because some IS patients progress to other forms of seizures and IS sometimes mask other seizures, which become visible once the clinical spasms from IS resolve

Other adverse events reported are included in the full Prescribing Information.

Please see full Prescribing Information.

ABOUT MALLINCKRODT

Mallinckrodt is a global business consisting of multiple wholly owned subsidiaries that develop, manufacture, market and distribute specialty pharmaceutical products and therapies. The company's Specialty Brands reporting segment's areas of focus include autoimmune and rare diseases in specialty areas like neurology, rheumatology, nephrology, pulmonology and ophthalmology; immunotherapy and neonatal respiratory critical care therapies; and analgesics. Its Specialty Generics and Amitiza reporting segment includes specialty generic drugs, active pharmaceutical ingredients and AMITIZA (lubiprostone). To learn more about Mallinckrodt, visit www.mallinckrodt.com.

Mallinckrodt uses its website as a channel of distribution of important company information, such as press releases, investor presentations and other financial information. It also uses its website to expedite public access to time-critical information regarding the company in advance of or in lieu of distributing a press release or a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosing the same information. Therefore, investors should look to the Investor Relations page of the website for important and time-critical information. Visitors to the website can also register to receive automatic e-mail and other notifications alerting them when new information is made available on the Investor Relations page of the website.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS RELATED TO FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This release includes forward-looking statements concerning Acthar Gel including expectations regarding its potential impact on patients and anticipated benefits associated with its use. The statements are based on assumptions about many important factors, including the following, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements: satisfaction of regulatory and other requirements; actions of regulatory bodies and other governmental authorities; changes in laws and regulations; issues with product quality, manufacturing or supply, or patient safety issues; and other risks identified and described in more detail in the "Risk Factors" section of Mallinckrodt's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the SEC, all of which are available on its website. The forward-looking statements made herein speak only as of the date hereof and Mallinckrodt does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events and developments or otherwise, except as required by law.

CONTACTS

For Trade Media Inquiries

Caren Begun

Green Room Communications

201-396-8551

[email protected]

For Financial/Dailies Media Inquiries

Daniel Yunger

Kekst CNC

212-521-4879

[email protected]

Investor Relations

Daniel J. Speciale, CPA

Vice President, Investor Relations and IRO

314-654-3638

[email protected]

References

1 Nelson WW, Lima AF, Kranyak J, et al. Retrospective medical record review to describe use of repository corticotropin injection among patients with uveitis in the United States [published online ahead of print January 24, 2019]. J Ocul Pharmacol Ther. doi: 10.1089/ jop.2018.0090.

2 Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection) (prescribing information). Mallinckrodt ARD, Inc.

3 Barisani-Asenbauer T, Maca SM, Mejdoubi L, Emminger W, Machold K, Auer H. Uveitisa rare disease often associated with systemic diseases and infectionsa systematic review of 2619 patients. Orphanet J Rare Dis. 2012;7:57.

4 Mustafa M, Muthusamy P, Hussain SS, Shimmi SC, Sein MM. Uveitis: pathogenesis, clinical presentations and treatment. IOSR J Pharm. 2014;4:42-47.

5 Guly CM, Forrester JV. Investigation and management of uveitis. BMJ. 2010;341:c4976.

6 Chan CC, Li Q. Immunopathology of uveitis. Br J Ophthalmol. 1998;82:91-99.

7 Lee RWJ, Dick AD. Current concepts and future directions in the pathogenesis and treatment of non-infectious intraocular inflammation. Eye. 2012;26(1):17-28. doi:10.1038/eye.2011.255.

8 Acharya, NR, Tham VM, Esterberg E, et al. Incidence and prevalence of uveitis: results from the Pacific Ocular Inflammation Study. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2013;131:1405-1412.

9 Gritz DC, Wong IG. Incidence and prevalence of uveitis in Northern California; the Northern California Epidemiology of Uveitis Study. Ophthalmology. 2004;111:491-500; discussion 500.

10 Suhler EB, Lloyd MJ, Choi D, Rosenbaum JT, Austin DF Incidence and prevalence of uveitis in Veterans Affairs Medical Centers of the Pacific Northwest. Am. J. Ophthalmol. 2008;146:890.e8896.e8.

Mallinckrodt, the "M" brand mark and the Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals logo are trademarks of a Mallinckrodt company. Other brands are trademarks of a Mallinckrodt company or their respective owners.  2019 Mallinckrodt. US-1900407 4/19

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Datix is an Epicor Gold Partner renowned for its wide array of forward-thinking services and solutions. One of those solutions is Unity , an integration application which uses sophisticated API technology to connect Epicor ERP, Prophet 21 and Epicor BisTrack to a variety of CRM and Marketing Automation systems, including Microsoft Dynamics 365 , HubSpot , Sugar and Pardot. The seamless integration creates a central hub for data, empowering enterprise-wide transparency, collaboration and productivity. Manufacturers and distributors can use Unity to gain a 360-degree view of customers and operations. The flexible, scalable solution can fit a variety of business needs and be installed quickly and easily.

"Unity was built to meet our clients' challenges," explains Schuval. "As certified partners of Epicor and leading CRM solutions, including Microsoft Dynamics 365, we noticed that many of our clients were implementing their ERP and CRM systems separately. This resulted in dual data entries, limited visibility and other inefficiencies. With expertise in our clients' industries as well as CRM and ERP, we figured we could create the ideal integration solution for manufacturing and distribution."

According to Evertowski, "Every solution is created with best practices and our clients' needs in mind. Unity for HubSpot, for example, combines the power of ERP and Marketing Automation to boost sales. Our solutions are allowing manufacturers and distributors to increase profits and optimize their performance."

In addition to Unity, Datix will be speaking with Epicor customers about its ERP services as well as its CRM and eCommerce solutions. Datix has a reputation for serving as a one-stop shop for ERP, CRM and eCommerce. Their consultants provide implementations, integrations and consulting services for a wide variety of software vendors.

Datix recently added EverSafe! Backup and Disaster Recovery to its line of offerings. EverSafe! serves as a comprehensive solution that provides backup, disaster recovery, intelligent ransomware protection, instant on-site and off-site virtualization and more from a single platform. For both cloud and on-premises software, EverSafe! minimizes downtime and protects businesses from a variety of IT disasters.

Falteich explains why he is excited to go to the conference and present their solutions: "Epicor users should always be exploring ways to get even more from their ERP instances. This is an exciting opportunity to show the user community how they can generate more ROI, become global powerhouses and improve customer experiences with our services and solutions."

Epicor Insights will convene at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, NV from April 15-18. Datix's participation at the conference further solidifies its position as a leader in the Epicor community.

About Datix

Datix is a premier software services company based in St. Louis. For over 20 years, we have worked with clients in a wide range of discrete manufacturing and product distribution industries. Besides being an Epicor Gold Partner, we are also a certified partner with Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Salesforce CRM. Datix specializes in business process management and enterprise application solutions, including customizable integration options. Unity is Datix's pre-built integration solution for ERP, CRM, eCommerce and Marketing Automation software, available to connect your solution seamlessly without any of the normal errors or bugs that can come with integration.

Datix is a one-stop shop for ERP, CRM and eCommerce. We provide an array of solutions, including Microsoft Azure hosting, Jet Analytics and EverSafe! Backup and Disaster Recovery. Contact Datix today to learn more about our enterprise software solutions.

Epicor, Vantage, and the Epicor logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Epicor Software Corporation, registered in the United States and other countries. Other trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners.

Datix Media Contact: Candice Evertowski

Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer

800.259.6675 x 1004

[email protected]

http://www.datixinc.com

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DEWITT, Mich., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today DENTCO President Scott Milnes announced an increase of over 20% in sales through new business over 2018 and into 2019. The increased business is credited to new national landscape and snow management customers.

With 42 years of industry expertise and over 10,000 managed site locations nationwide, DENTCO remains one of the best known brands in the Exterior Services Management industry. DENTCO employees' performance of hands-on ESM philosophies, supported by their robust EQM application, allow facility managers to oversee thousands of sites nationally via the Internet.

DENTCO has seen considerable growth and has maintained a 99% customer retention rate over the last 7 years. DENTCO's business model focuses on People, Process and Technology. From this year's growth, the company has continued to reinvest in these three cornerstones, maximizing both efficiency and the delivery of information.

"It was an incredibly busy winter. We are proud of all the hard work our team members continue to produce," said President Scott Milnes. "Last year we continued to improve the DENTCO Verified app and the My DENTCO customer portal, which has aided in faster communications and has allowed us to service sites more efficiently."

Since its inception, DENTCO has gradually expanded its services across the country. DENTCO's nationwide presence has distinguished itself as an industry leader against competitors. Specializing in both simplifying and optimizing multi-site exterior management responsibilities, DENTCO helps clients consolidate, reduce costs and recognize the importance of quality-assured service.

National Sales Director Teresa Phelps commented saying, "Our longest standing customer has been with us for 18 years. As we continue to expand our customer base, DENTCO remains committed to establishing and maintaining long-term relationships."

DENTCO is a full-service Exterior Services Management Company that provides a centralized approach to managing snow, landscaping, parking lot maintenance and various other exterior property management services for some of the largest commercial multi-site companies in the country. The corporate office is in DeWitt, Michigan, just north of Lansing.

DENTCO will be exhibiting at the PRSM 2019 National Conference in Denver, Colo. from April 29 to May 1. Attendees are welcome to stop by and visit booth #815 to discuss how their multi-site facilities can benefit from exterior services management (ESM).

To learn more information about DENTCO, please visit dentco.com or call 800-993-3689.

About DENTCO

Headquartered in Dewitt, Michigan, DENTCO was the first to brand a fragmented industry, creating an Exterior Services Management (ESM) philosophy. With 42 years of industry experience, they provide services throughout the U.S. through their network of Contractor Partners. DENTCO provides landscape management, snow & ice management, dark property management, parking lot maintenance/management and exterior asset inventory to their clients. Over the years, DENTCO has seen substantial growth while maintaining a 99% customer retention rate. Their business model promotes the importance of People, Process, and Technology. In addition to helping clients recognize the significance of quality-assured services, DENTCO is guaranteed to deliver a difference that allow clients to consolidate, centralize and reduce costs.

SOURCE DENTCO

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WASHINGTON, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Hundreds of American Optometric Association (AOA) doctors of optometry, America's primary eye health care providers, and students from across the U.S. are in the nation's capital to meet with lawmakers to discuss the expanding the role of doctors of optometry in health care and the importance of eye health care for all Americans.

"The tremendous growth of AOA on Capitol Hill-- from fewer than 200 doctors attending a decade ago to more than 600 doctors and students this yearshows our commitment to advancing optometry's pro-access, pro-patient priorities," said AOA President, Dr. Samuel D. Pierce. "Through direct, face-to-face advocacy, we are mapping the course for the future of eye health care delivery and helping put the trusted doctor-patient relationship at the center of important health care decision-making."

The contingent is emphasizing the important role of key issues including in-person eye health and vision care provided by AOA doctors of optometry and the urgent need for policies that put patients first. The AOA is particularly focused on fighting back against costly health and vision plan abuses, keeping the FTC from finalizing its proposed contact lens paperwork mandate, making contact lens prescription verification safer and simpler, and ensuring that America's veterans receive the high-quality eye and vision care that they need and deserve.

AOA's federal priority issues that are being addressed during several meetings with lawmakers and staff in the House and Senate include:

Fight back against costly health and vision plan abuses. The AOA and the American Dental Association (ADA) are backing the bipartisan DOC Access Act, sponsored by Reps. Dave Loebsack (D-IA) and Buddy Carter (R-GA), to help address abusive vision and dental plan practices and to help put patients and their doctors back in control of important health care decisions. AOA doctors and students will be looking to build even more momentum as this key legislation received a record 105 co-sponsors in the 115 th Congress. The AOA and the ADA are also backing the Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act (H.R. 1418 and S. 350) to increase competition in the health insurance market by eliminating the special antitrust exemption that the health insurance industry currently has under the McCarran-Ferguson Act of 1945.

The AOA and the American Dental Association (ADA) are backing the bipartisan DOC Access Act, sponsored by Reps. (D-IA) and (R-GA), to help address abusive vision and dental plan practices and to help put patients and their doctors back in control of important health care decisions. AOA doctors and students will be looking to build even more momentum as this key legislation received a record 105 co-sponsors in the 115 Congress. The AOA and the ADA are also backing the Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act (H.R. 1418 and S. 350) to increase competition in the health insurance market by eliminating the special antitrust exemption that the health insurance industry currently has under the McCarran-Ferguson Act of 1945. Stop the FTC from finalizing its proposed contact lens paperwork mandate . AOA doctors and students are continuing to push back against the FTC's unnecessary and overly burdensome proposal to require eye doctors to obtain a signed form from each contact lens patient and be able to produce these documents in the event of a federal investigation. Following more than 100 lawmakers who have already weighed-in with the FTC in opposition to the proposal, AOA doctors and students are enlisting Senate signors to a letter from Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) urging the FTC to withdraw the proposal.

. AOA doctors and students are continuing to push back against the FTC's unnecessary and overly burdensome proposal to require eye doctors to obtain a signed form from each contact lens patient and be able to produce these documents in the event of a federal investigation. Following more than 100 lawmakers who have already weighed-in with the FTC in opposition to the proposal, AOA doctors and students are enlisting Senate signors to a letter from Sen. (R-OK) urging the FTC to withdraw the proposal. Make the contact lens prescription verification process simpler and safer for patients. AOA and the Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety are backing new legislation which aims to address the favorite verification loophole of unscrupulous online contact lens sellers  the automated robocall. Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) is the leading champion for priority legislation that would disallow the use of robocalls for contact lens prescription verifications and would also ensure that consumers have an ability to directly upload a picture of their contact lens prescription with the seller of their choice.

AOA and the Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety are backing new legislation which aims to address the favorite verification loophole of unscrupulous online contact lens sellers  the automated robocall. Rep. (D-IL) is the leading champion for priority legislation that would disallow the use of robocalls for contact lens prescription verifications and would also ensure that consumers have an ability to directly upload a picture of their contact lens prescription with the seller of their choice. Support essential eye care for America's veterans. The AOA, Armed Forces Optometric Society (AFOS) and state optometric organizations continue to fight for better care for America's veterans. Among these issues are the VA's continued rollout of an experimental eye exam replacement program, known as Technology-based Eye Care Services (TECS), which aims to replace doctor-provided, in-person care with an unproven hybrid of vision and eye disease screenings. With nearly all veterans having access to a local doctor of optometry, the AOA and its Veteran Service Organization partners are pushing back against TECS and its subversion of the standard of care for some veterans.

The AOA, Armed Forces Optometric Society (AFOS) and state optometric organizations continue to fight for better care for America's veterans. Among these issues are the VA's continued rollout of an experimental eye exam replacement program, known as Technology-based Eye Care Services (TECS), which aims to replace doctor-provided, in-person care with an unproven hybrid of vision and eye disease screenings. With nearly all veterans having access to a local doctor of optometry, the AOA and its Veteran Service Organization partners are pushing back against TECS and its subversion of the standard of care for some veterans. The appropriate use of telehealth. Preserving the doctor-patient relationship is important for meaningful patient care, which is why the AOA continues working to support and advance the appropriate use of telehealth services as a supplement to high-value, high-quality in-person eye and vision care. However, AOA and its Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety partners continue fighting against inappropriate uses of telehealth, including those that aims to break or undermine the doctor-patient relationship.

Doctors of optometry, through innovative yet personalized care, are helping to advance the health and well-being of patients in more than 10,000 communities across the U.S. As America heads into the year 2020, the AOA and its member doctors are committed to effectively removing barriers to care, making health care more efficient and accessible for patients and ensuring every American gets their in-person comprehensive eye exam.

The American Optometric Association, founded in 1898, is the leading authority on quality care and an advocate for our nation's health, representing more than 44,000 doctors of optometry (O.D.), optometric professionals and optometry students. Doctors of optometry take a leading role in patient care with respect to eye and vision care, as well as general health and well-being. As primary health care providers, doctors of optometry have extensive, ongoing training to examine, diagnose, treat and manage ocular disorders, diseases and injuries and systemic diseases that manifest in the eye. Doctors of optometry provide more than two-thirds of primary eye care in the U.S. For more information on eye health and vision topics, and to find a doctor of optometry near you, visit aoa.org.

SOURCE American Optometric Association

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DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Dover (NYSE: DOV) announced today that it will release first quarter 2019 earnings at 6:00 a.m. Central time (7:00 a.m. Eastern time) on Thursday, April 18, 2019. Later that morning, Dover will host a conference call at 9:00 a.m. Central time (10:00 a.m. Eastern time) to discuss these results.

To participate on the conference call, please dial 1 (866) 882-5865 (domestic) or 1 (678) 894-3017 (international), reservation number 5806368. Due to the expected number of callers, please dial in at least 15 minutes before the conference is to begin and ask to be connected to the Dover teleconference.

A link to the live audio webcast will also be available on the company website at dovercorporation.com. An audio replay of the conference call will be available from 1:30 p.m. Central time, April 18, until 11:30 p.m. Central time, May 9, by dialing 1 (800) 585-8367 (domestic) or 1 (404) 537-3406 (international). The access code is 5806368. Additionally, a replay link of the webcast will be archived on Dover's website for 90 days.

About Dover:

Dover is a diversified global manufacturer with annual revenues of approximately $7 billion. We deliver innovative equipment and components, specialty systems, consumable supplies, software and digital solutions, and support services through three operating segments: Engineered Systems, Fluids, and Refrigeration & Food Equipment. Dover combines global scale with operational agility to lead the markets we serve. Recognized for our entrepreneurial approach for over 60 years, our team of approximately 24,000 employees takes an ownership mindset, collaborating with customers to redefine what's possible. Headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois, Dover trades on the New York Stock Exchange under "DOV." Additional information is available at dovercorporation.com.

SOURCE Dover

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Head is Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer of the Lone Star College System (LSC). He will serve with eight additional WGU Texas board members consisting of educators, industry leaders and representatives from corporations and foundations who provide counsel on the most effective ways the university can meet its core mission of economic development in the state.

Appointed in 2014 as Chancellor, Head previously served as President of Lone Star College-North Harris, Executive Vice Chancellor, acting Chief Executive Officer, interim President at Montgomery College, and President of Kingwood College.

In his role with the Lonestar College System, Head oversees the policies and procedures of the Board of Trustees and serves as one of the state's senior advocates for higher education, interacting with elected officials, business, educational, philanthropic, and professional communities, and the general public.

"It's a privilege to be able to share my perspectives and real-world education experience in improving student outcomes," said Head. "I'm fortunate to serve with a diverse group of distinguished board members from across the state as we help the university continue to prepare students for successful careers once they graduate."

Head has served on the board of five area chambers of commerce and three economic development districts or councils. He currently serves on the Executive Committee for the Texas Association of Community Colleges and formerly served on the Executive Committee for the American Association of Community Colleges. In 2016, he was appointed by Governor Abbott to serve on the Texas Economic Development Corporation and a special Governor's Committee for Safety and Security.

"As WGU Texas continues to grow and develop, we appreciate the expertise and guidance provided by our advisory board," said WGU Texas Chancellor Steven Johnson. "We're excited to have Dr. Head's viewpoint on the board with his broad experience as a dynamic leader in education and economic development."

Head received his Ph.D. in History from Texas Tech University. He earned a Master of Arts degree in History and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Lamar University in Beaumont Texas. He taught history undergraduate and graduate classes for LSCS and university partners, and graduate classes in community college leadership and higher education finance.

About WGU Texas

WGU Texas is an online, nonprofit, competency-based university established to expand Texans' access to higher education throughout the state. Formed through a partnership between the state of Texas and nationally-recognized Western Governors University, WGU Texas is open to all qualified Texas residents. The university offers more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the high-demand career fields of business, K-12 teacher education, information technology, and health professions, including nursing.

Degrees are granted under the accreditation of Western Governors University, which is accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). Teachers College programs are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), and nursing programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).*

Learn more at texas.wgu.edu or call 1-877-214-7011.

*Western Governors University offers nursing programs that are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 5380, Washington, DC 20036, 202-877-6791).

WGU Texas News

Contact for media inquiries: Contact for enrollment information: Kathy Koza, PR Manager 877.214.7011 512.225.6644 or 214.674.8057 (c) texas.wgu.edu [email protected]



Follow WGU Texas:

https://www.facebook.com/WGUTexas

http://www.linkedin.com/companies/western-governors-university

http://twitter.com/wgutexas

SOURCE WGU Texas

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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Dussur, a strategic joint venture of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Aramco and SABIC, announced today the appointment of Dr. Raed AlRayes as its new Chief Executive Officer with effect from April 1st, 2019.

Dr. AlRayes has a proven track record of accomplishments in different professional capacities spanning nearly 20 years - with successful contributions across several fields including investment banking and direct investment. He has played a key role in many financial institutions where he held leadership positions, and he has made significant contributions through board positions in numerous companies. Additionally, he has served as a member in several executive and advisory committees for leading public and private institutions that operates in several sectors, including energy, industry and services sector.

"We are confident of the ability of Dr. Raed to be instrumental in implementing the company's strategy to open up new industrial sectors that will be of great importance to realizing the goals of Vision 2030, most notably those of job creation and economic diversification," said Mr. Mohammed Abunayyan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dussur. "This appointment comes after the successful completion of the company establishment phase led by Engineer Rasheed Al-Shubaili." continued Abunayyan.

On his appointment, Dr. AlRayes said, "I am grateful for the confidence bestowed upon me by Board and being selected to lead Dussur. I will be working along with my colleagues to continue the journey that was started by Engineer Rasheed Al-Shubaili; together we will build up upon successes that were achieved in order to reach the aspirations of the company's shareholders and Board of Directors, and cement the company's position as a catalyst of achieving the Kingdom's Vison 2030 through the establishment of valuable partnerships with leading global players."

Dr Raed has held several leading positions in major companies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including the Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Head of Investment Banking at Al Rajhi Capital. He then served as CEO and General Manager of Arab Petroleum Investments Company (APICORP) in early 2014. Following that, he was appointed as an advisor to the Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources from May 2017, until he joined Dussur.

Dussur promotes economic diversification and localization of industry supply chains and manufacturing capabilities in the Kingdom. It has previously signed various MoUs and a joint venture with leading global industry giants including GE and Hyundai.

Contact:

Bandar S. Alghamdi

Director of Corporate Communications & Branding

M +966-565-8-5656, T +966-11-826-5041

[email protected]

SOURCE Dussur
CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Elior North America, one of the top culinary management companies in the U.S., is working jointly with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) to help improve the lives of those living with diabetes or at risk of developing the disease.

As part of its efforts, Elior North America will help promote healthier eating plans by supporting ADA's Diabetes Food Hub, an online menu-planning tool that helps people living with diabetes feel confident about making healthy food choices without sacrificing taste. In exchange, Diabetes Food Hub will provide an exciting new opportunity for Elior North America to increase consumer awareness of its Right Course line of diabetes-friendly frozen meals.

"Elior North America is proud to partner with the American Diabetes Association to address the growing prevalence of diabetes, which affects more than 30 million Americans," said Chris Ciatto, Chief Growth Officer for Elior North America. "As a company we are committed to improving the health and well-being of the people in the communities that we serve, and this partnership is especially significant because it expands on our ongoing effort to provide delicious, nutritious meals to consumers already coping with or at risk for diabetes."

The culinary management leader introduced the Right Course line in 2018, with award-winning packaging that features easy-to-read nutrition information to help consumers understand what they are eating. Elior North America launched Right Course in 275 HEB grocery chain locations across Texas, where diabetes is the largest health issue facing its customers today.

"Eating is personal, so ADA aims to meet people where they are by providing the information necessary to make the best choices that meet their personal health conditions, preferences and lifestyle," said Sacha Uelmen, ADA's Managing Director of Diabetes Education & Nutrition.

ADA's Diabetes Food Hub features hundreds of recipes that meet its nutrition guidelines, an interactive meal planner and advanced ingredient search capabilities. The Diabetes Food Hub is primarily geared toward helping consumers find recipes they can prepare themselves but also features diabetes-friendly ingredients and ready-to-eat meals like Elior North America's Right Course offerings.

About Elior North America

Elior North America enhances people's lives through culinary innovation and a commitment to providing exemplary service. The family of companies, with more than 20,000 team members, provides foodservice solutions and catering to more than 1,500 client accounts in five industry segments across the continental United States. Elior North America is among the top five contract foodservice companies in the United States. The company is part of the European contract catering firm Elior Group.

Learn more at www.elior-na.com.

SOURCE Elior North America

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MIAMI, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- eMerge Americas, the premier technology event connecting the Americas, unveiled this week new partnerships and programming highlights in advance of the annual conference that will occur on April 29-30, 2019 in Miami Beach, FL.

"eMerge Americas is a platform dedicated to building out South Florida's entrepreneurial ecosystem and transforming Miami into the tech hub of the Americas," said Felice Gorordo, CEO of eMerge Americas. "We're convening world-class innovators and value-creators and inviting them to invest their time, talent and treasure into making the Miami tech ecosystem their own."

Over the course of the past year, eMerge Americas has actively sought strategic partnerships to reinforce the tech ecosystem with programs that both fill an identified gap and further incentivizes entrepreneurs to consider Miami as a city to successfully launch and scale their businesses.

"We're proud to unveil our robust content for this year's eMerge Americas event that will showcase our partners  both local and international," said Melissa Medina, President of eMerge Americas. "Over 200 companies will be featured on our dynamic expo floor to highlight innovative solutions for startups, business enterprises, government officials, and investors."

Notable program highlights announced for the upcoming event on April 29th-30th include:

eMerge Americas Government (eGOV) Summit presented by SAP

The eMerge Americas Government (eGOV) Summit convenes high-level government and business leaders from across the globe that are leveraging disruptive technologies to transform their communities. The Association of Entrepreneurs of Latin America (ASELA), a professional network of over 90,000 entrepreneurs in Latin America, will convene at eMerge Americas to formally sign a memorandum of understanding that will induct Miami Dade County into the ASELA network.

The signing of this historical agreement will be marked by a special address via video from the President of Chile Sebastian Pinera, marking the first time a sitting head of state will deliver remarks at an eMerge Americas conference. The Minister of Economy, Development and Tourism of Chile Jose Ramon Valente will be present at the signing ceremony and provide keynote remarks at the eGOV Summit Luncheon on Monday, April 29th.

The ASELA network, comprised of entrepreneurs from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, and Paraguay, will now expand to include Miami Dade County and spurs an exchange of dedicated resources throughout the Americas.

Women, Innovation, Technology (WIT) Summit powered by Babson's Center for Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership

The Women, Innovation, Technology (WIT) Summit has formally partnered with the Babson Center for Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership to develop a one-day summit on April 30th , within the eMerge Americas conference, that convenes influencers, innovators, and consumers to bridge the gender gap for women in tech.

Babson College, located in Wellesley, Massachusetts, is centrally focused on entrepreneurship education, and often ranked the most prestigious entrepreneurship college in the United States. Through both research and action-driven workshops, the WIT Summit will address two key issues facing women in tech: a lack of growth funding and the need for stronger social networks. Jean Case, Chairwoman of the National Geographic Society and CEO of the Case Foundation, will be delivering the featured keynote address.

The outcome of this dynamic summit will include an event report that discusses the state of gender in technology and solutions to strengthen funding and networking opportunities for women.

eMerge Americas Hackathon powered by Wyncode Academy, Ford, GE Digital and Ultimate Software

For the third year in a row, the eMerge Americas Hackathon will be held in partnership with Wyncode Academy, the premier accelerated learning destination in South Florida. The contest theme, #ConnectingMiami to the World, will focus on building technology that connects and transcends borders.

Teams will have 12 hours to build their project and present their demos to a panel of judges to compete for thousands in prizes. This year's hackathon is sponsored by Ford, GE Digital and Ultimate Software, a cloud-based human resources applications developer recently bought by an investor group led by private equity firm Hellman & Friedman for approximately $11 billion. Participation in the Hackathon is free, but you must apply before April 18th. See all details here: http://bit.ly/emerge2019hack

To register to attend eMerge Americas conference visit: www.emergeamericas.com/register

About eMerge Americas

eMerge Americas is the premier technology event connecting the Americas held annually at the Miami Beach Convention Center. By connecting global industry leaders and investors with America's top business executives, technology decision-makers, and entrepreneurs, eMerge Americas is transforming Miami into the tech hub of the Americas. In 2018, eMerge Americas attracted more than 15,000 attendees and 400 participating companies from over 40 countries. eMerge Americas serves as a catalyst in order to foster innovation and investment in South Florida and Latin America. The eMerge Americas founding partners include: Medina Capital, A Rod Corporation, Greenberg Traurig, Knight Foundation, Miami-Dade County, and the Miami Herald. For more information about eMerge Americas, please visit: emergeamericas.com.

SOURCE eMerge Americas

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Moba now part of consortium to improve poultry production in Indonesia



Moba has announced that it has joined forces with a consortium of Dutch leading companies to improve the poultry chain in Indonesia.



The consortium, called the FoodTechIndonesia partnership, was recently launched in the VIV Asia show in Thailand.



According to Moba, the companies that are involved in FoodTechIndonesia have innovative and integrated solutions that will strengthen Indonesia's poultry sector. In face of rising demand, the industry requires a vast capacity expansion in all segments of the value chain.



"Indonesia is the largest country and economy in Southeast Asia, with a fast-growing and increasingly urban population of over 266 million," the company said. "Per capita annual consumption of poultry meat is expected to increase from 10.9kg (2017) to approximately 15kg (2023) and egg consumption from 5.6kg or 89 eggs (2017) to approximately 7.1 or 113 eggs (2023). The increase is achieved by the purchasing power of the growing middle-class. They are more and more conscious about food quality and safety and are changing their preference towards protein-rich and value-added products."



The consortium is comprised of leading, non-competitive parties from various segments in the Dutch poultry value chain. By joining FoodTechIndonesia, Moba is able to provide Indonesian companies with integrated solutions that will enhance their business.



Moba, together with the other companies, will also share best practices, provide knowledge and training, demonstrating that investments in Dutch products and solutions are commercially attractive and applicable to the Indonesian needs, the company added.



"Indonesia's egg industry has undergone an important change and the industry keeps growing. The need for innovative and integrated solutions is increasing in the different regions in Indonesia. Moba is able to meet these needs," said Teddy Wong, Moba's area sales manager who is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. "Through our automation systems, Indonesian poultry companies will reduce labour costs significantly, and this will further maximise their profits."



Dimitri Goossens, general manager Moba Asia, said: "Moba is convinced that exchanging knowledge and best practices, will benefit both the Indonesian poultry industry and the FoodTechIndonesia consortium. It is our focus to provide egg producers with the latest innovative equipment that will be beneficial to their business and help them grow."



The FoodTechIndonesia initiative has been developed, and is coordinated by Larive International together with its Indonesia-based affiliate Clarity Research.



The consortium receives funding from the Netherlands' Ministry of Foreign Affairs within the framework of the Partners for International Business and Impact Clusters programmes.



- Moba
OXFORD, England, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Enesi Pharma ("Enesi"), an innovative pharmaceutical company developing unique injectable solid dose drug-device vaccine products and scientists at the world-renowned Oxford Vaccine Group ("OVG") at the University of Oxford, announce they have entered into a collaborative agreement to create and test a solid dose vaccine against plague. The collaboration will leverage Enesi's ImplaVax needle-free technology and a proprietary vaccine against the bacteria causing plague (Yersinia pestis) developed by OVG, based on a ChAdOx adenovirus vector.

Plague is a serious infectious disease with a high mortality rate unless treated early with antibiotics. There is no approved vaccine available.

According to the World Health Organization, most cases of plague since 1990 have occurred in Africa (particularly in Madagascar), however, outbreaks have been reported worldwide including in the United States. Plague is recognised by public health authorities globally as a potential agent of bioterrorism with Y. pestis classed as a Category A priority pathogen by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) and considered a priority pathogen by the UK Vaccine Network based on the high risk that plague poses to national security and public health.

The collaboration between Enesi and OVG aims to create a stable and easy-to-use solid dose plague vaccine for use in areas around the world where outbreaks occur as well as for building strategic stockpiles as part of government preparedness for rapid deployment in the event of a bioterrorism incident.

David Hipkiss, Enesi CEO, commented:

"We are thrilled to enter this new collaboration with Professor Christine Rollier and the University of Oxford. This is our first collaboration to develop vaccines for infectious diseases based on adenovirus vectors and represents important progress with our broad strategy to assess the potential of our ImplaVax technology with the major immunogenic platforms on which global vaccines are based. Plague is a clear priority for governments and public health organisations around the world and there is a real need for a vaccine where none currently exists. We look forward to advancing this exciting project with OVG and benefiting from their insight to the requirements for successful vaccine development."

Professor Christine Rollier at the Oxford Vaccine Group, University of Oxford, added:

"Vaccination represents a foundation of healthcare globally and our goal at OVG is to apply innovation to ensure people are protected from serious but preventable diseases wherever they live. We are pleased therefore that the collaboration with Enesi, through ImplaVax and solid dose vaccines, potentially offers an approach that could help address this challenge."

ImplaVax is a novel formulation and needle-free device technology that enables solid dose vaccine implants to be delivered quickly under the skin. The aim of the technology is for healthcare providers or individuals themselves to administer the vaccine using this simple, convenient and reusable needle-free device. ImplaVax also has the potential to generate improved immune responses, and implants benefit from extended thermal stability, which can make a significant contribution to reducing the end-to-end cold chain logistical challenges and distribution costs.

Abbreviation: ChAdOx - chimpanzee adenovirus Oxford

NOTES TO EDITORS

About the Oxford Vaccine Group, University of Oxford

The Oxford Vaccine Group (OVG) conducts studies of new and improved vaccines for adults and children against diseases including meningococcus, pneumococcus, RSV, influenza, typhoid and paratyphoid. The group is based in the Department of Paediatrics in the University of Oxford at the Oxford Vaccine Centre, Churchill Hospital.

The Oxford Vaccine Group has enrolled over 100,000 children and young people into clinical trials over the past two decades to study immunisation. The laboratory research programme has used the clinical material provided by the clinical trials group to drive a series of projects evaluating the developing immune system in the infant.

About Enesi Pharma

Enesi Pharma is an innovative pharmaceutical company developing new products with potential to transform performance and delivery of vaccines and make a material impact on global healthcare.

The company's primary focus is the development of novel solid dose vaccines against a range of infectious and other select diseases, working in partnership with global companies, government agencies and non-governmental organisations.

Enesi's ImplaVax formulation and device technologies offer significant potential benefits for patients, care givers, healthcare professionals and payers through enhanced effectiveness, safety, ease of use, reliability and stability, and are supported by a strong patient preference over a standard needle and syringe.

The Company has established multiple collaborations to evaluate opportunities for ImplaVax-enabled vaccines for a range of infectious diseases and allergies, including with the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Public Health England, Sementis and GeoVax.

Enesi's experienced leadership team has a proven track record in the successful development and commercialisation of innovative products delivering high value outcomes for all stakeholders. For more information visit www.enesipharma.com or follow Enesi on Twitter at www.twitter.com/enesi_pharma.

CONTACTS

Enesi Pharma

David Hipkiss, CEO

Tel: +44 (0) 7968 707072

Email: [email protected]

Citigate Dewe Rogerson

Mark Swallow, Pip Batty, Nathaniel Dahan

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7638 9571

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Enesi Pharma

Related Links

https://www.enesipharma.com/


ST. LOUIS, April 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Enterprise Holdings, the world's largest car rental operator, has announced a new partnership with Nippon Rent-A-Car International to expand car rental services in Japan. The two companies have entered into a franchise agreement that provides access to Enterprise's brands for visitors to Japan, as well as for Japanese residents traveling overseas.

Nippon Rent-A-Car (PRNewsfoto/Enterprise Holdings)

The agreement underscores Enterprise's commitment to continue its international expansion and offer customers access to Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands anywhere in the world.

The new partnership will enable tourists and business travelers to rent cars while visiting Japan. In addition, travelers from Japan heading overseas will be able to rent cars at more than 10,000 locations in 90 countries through Enterprise Holdings' global network.

Expanded Mobility Options

"As one of the top destinations in Asia, Japan is a vital market for our customers," said Peter Smith, Vice President of Global Franchising at Enterprise Holdings. "We're thrilled to partner with such a distinguished brand as Nippon Rent-A-Car to strengthen our global network and offer business and leisure travelers alike expanded mobility options in one of the world's most important economies."

The partnership will be launched in April 2019 at approximately 80 Nippon Rent-A-Car offices located at Japan's airports. These rental offices will feature the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands, as well as the Nippon Rent-A-Car brand, and will offer discounted rental rates.

As the partnership progresses over the next few years, both companies will work together to develop additional customer offerings and services.

As an established and well-respected car rental company in Japan, Nippon Rent-A-Car has 850 locations that give customers access to at least 42,000 vehicles throughout the country. Nippon has an existing partnership with National Car Rental that allows Japanese customers to reserve cars in the United States and Canada and enables North American travelers to book cars in Japan. This new partnership greatly expands the brands and locations that customers in both markets can choose to meet their mobility needs.

About Enterprise Holdings

Enterprise Holdings, Inc., manages the largest and most diverse privately-owned fleet in the world through an integrated network of more than 10,000 fully staffed neighborhood and airport rental locations. This global network of independent regional subsidiaries and franchises also operates the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands in more than 90 countries. Combined, Enterprise Holdings and its affiliate Enterprise Fleet Management currently manage more than 2 million vehicles, employ 100,000 worldwide and accounted for $24.1 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2018. In total, the annual revenues of Enterprise Holdings and Enterprise Fleet Management rank near the top of the global travel industry, ahead of many airlines and most cruise lines, hotels, tour operators and online travel agencies. Since 2008, Enterprise Holdings and its affiliates have spent almost $2.4 billion making acquisitions and corporate-venture capital investments or commitments in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., France, Ireland, Spain, Brazil and China. Enterprise Holdings currently is ranked as one of America's Largest Private Companies and if it were publicly traded, would rank on Fortune's list of the 500 largest American public companies.

SOURCE Enterprise Holdings

Related Links

https://www.enterpriseholdings.com


DENVER, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Motto Franchising, LLC brand continues to innovate the mortgage industry and garner attention for its growth. Today, Entrepreneur magazine named Motto Mortgage as one of the top new franchise brands in 2019.

The ranking of 100 franchises placed Motto Franchising, LLC near the top half of the list, with an overall ranking of 56. This marks the first year the franchisor has been included in the annual list of top companies that have been franchising for five years or less.

With over 100 franchises sold and nearly 90 offices open in 30 states, Motto Franchising, LLC's unique national franchise mortgage brokerage model is the first of its kind in the United States. Motto Mortgage was established in October 2016 and sold 50 franchises in its inaugural year in business, and sold the 100th Motto Mortgage franchise, just 23 months after its launch. The growing network of Motto Mortgage brokerages is built on exceptional service, a better customer experience and, in many cases, the convenience of having loan originators in close proximity to real estate offices.

"We are pleased to be named as an Entrepreneur magazine 2019 top new franchise," said Ward Morrison, president, Motto Franchising, LLC. "I believe the Motto Mortgage model fosters an environment where innovation is encouraged and naturally lends itself to evolution and growth. Being included on this list with other ground-breaking franchises speaks volumes about the value proposition of our brand."

Entrepreneur will publish its latest "Top New" list in its April 2019 issue. The rankings were based on Entrepreneur magazine's analysis of franchise disclosure and related documents dated August 2017 to July 2018 of 274 participating franchise systems open for five years or less as of July 31, 2018.They examined 150 data points, including costs, fees, size, growth, franchise support, brand strength and financial strength and stability.

Motto Franchising was also recently named as a 2019 Fastest-Growing-Franchise by Entrepreneur Magazine, ranking in the top half of the list at #72. * The brand received additional accolades last year when Franchise Grade named Motto Mortgage among the top 1 percent fastest-growing emerging franchises in 2018, according to an analysis of over 2,500 franchise systems. **

Motto Mortgage, a "mortgage brokerage in a box," continues to create a breakthrough in the mortgage industry by providing more options, transparency and convenience for consumers. This model not only creates an ancillary business for current real estate brokerage firms, but also offers opportunities for mortgage professionals seeking to open their own businesses and independent investors interested in financial services.

About Motto Mortgage

The Motto Mortgage network is breaking the mold by giving the power of choice back to consumers with less jargon, more transparency, and even more options to choose from as they shop for the right home loan. With over 100 franchises sold and nearly 90 offices open in 30 states, Motto Franchising, LLC's unique national franchise mortgage brokerage model is the first of its kind in the United States. Created to disrupt the mortgage industry, the Motto Mortgage network connects loan originators and real estate agents to provide a seamless, personalized experience and one-stop shop for consumers. Motto Mortgage is the second member of the RE/MAX Holdings, Inc. family of brands. Each Motto Mortgage office is independently owned, operated and licensed. To learn more about Motto Mortgage, or for license information for a Motto Mortgage office, email [email protected], or visit www.mottomortgage.com/offices.

*Motto Mortgage was named an Entrepreneur Magazine 2019 Fastest- Growing Franchise based on the net number of franchise units added in the U.S. and Canada between July 2017 to July 2018 according to Entrepreneur magazine's review of unit lists and Franchise Disclosure Documents of 1,094 participating franchises across all industries.

**Motto Mortgage is among the top 1 percent fastest-growing emerging franchises in 2018 according to an analysis of over 2,500 franchise systems by Franchise Grade in its review of franchise sales information contained in Franchise Disclosure Documents issued during the 12 months ended August 30, 2018.

This information is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, a Motto Mortgage franchise. It is for informational purposes only. We will not offer you a franchise in states or other jurisdictions where registration is required unless and until we have complied with applicable pre-sale registration requirements in your state (or have been exempted therefrom) and a Franchise Disclosure Document has been delivered to you before the sale in compliance with applicable law. New York residents: This advertisement is not an offering. An offering can be made by prospectus only. Minnesota Reg. No. F-8089; Motto Franchising, LLC, 5075 South Syracuse St #1200, Denver, CO 80237, 1.866.668.8649.

SOURCE Motto Mortgage

Related Links

http://www.mottomortgage.com


WASHINGTON, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Electronic Transactions Association (ETA) today announced that O.B. Rawls, President of Payment Processing North America at payments provider Paysafe Group (Paysafe), will be named Distinguished Payments Professional on Tuesday, April 30, at the Visa President's Dinner and Star Awards Gala at TRANSACT, the premier payments technology event. The Distinguished Payments Professional is the industry's top honor and part of the ETA Star Awards which recognize the individuals and companies making a significant difference in the payments technology industry through innovation, business practices, or contributions to the association. In addition to the Distinguished Payments Professional announcement, ETA also named the companies and individuals who are finalists for additional ETA Star Award categories.

"We are pleased to announce the companies who will be honored at the Visa President's Dinner at TRANSACT," said Amy Zirkle, Interim CEO of ETA. "The Star Awards are the payments industry's highest honor and give us a chance to recognize the innovative companies and leaders from all aspects of this vibrant industry.

"It's an honor to recognize O.B. Rawls of Paysafe as this year's Distinguished Payments Professional. O.B. has played an instrumental role in developing and adopting new technologies, expanding the value proposition for companies and merchant customers, and truly serving as an agent of change over the past thirty years serving in the payments technology industry. He's a wonderful partner to ETA and we are thrilled to salute him at TRANSACT."

All nominations were judged by the ETA awards and recognition committee, comprised of a panel of industry executives of ETA member companies. Finalists were named in the following categories and the winners will be announced at the Visa President's Dinner: ISO of the Year, FinTech Innovation in Payments, Technology Innovation, Business Partner of the Year, and Committee Volunteer of the Year.

Individual Awards:

Distinguished Payments Professional Recipient

An individual who has demonstrated significant leadership within the industry and is an acknowledged trend-setter, role model, and positive contributor to its efficacy and image.

O.B. Rawls

Pay It Forward Recipient

Recognizes an unsung payments industry hero who has exhibited selfless acts of kindness to improve their community and make the world a better place through community service.

Pamela Joseph

Committee Volunteer of the Year Finalists: An ETA committee volunteer who has dedicated extraordinary time and effort to his or her committee, ensuring its overall success.

Russell Palay , Nuvei

Jared Poulson , Payroc

Craig Ross , Apple

Company Awards:

ISO of the Year Finalists: An ETA member who is currently registered with Visa and Mastercard whose actions move the payments industry forward, exhibits high ethical standards, and has successfully met industry challenges with demonstrated results. ISOs of all sizes are eligible.

C&H Financial Services, Inc.

Payroc

Pineapple Payments

FinTech Innovation in Payments Finalists: A company whose innovative practices and leadership have raised the bar for the payments industry and changed the business model of the industry.

Adyen

BillingTree

Pushpay

Square

Business Partner of the Year Finalists: A current ETA member company who has demonstrated an exceptional level of support for the association to further the association's goals and objectives.

ControlScan

talech

Worldpay

Product/Solution Awards:

Technology Innovation Finalists: Recognition of a TRANSACT exhibitor who uses technology to provide a creative solution that does one of the following: promotes customer usability, increases profitability, reduces friction, or otherwise enables significant advances for the payments ecosystem.

BlueSnap, All-in-One Payment Platform

Amaryllis Intelligent Payment Facilitation Platform

PayVus by Aliaswire, Inc.

Pineapple Payments Platform

Womply

TRANSACT, happening April 30-May 2 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, provides 4,000 attendees with a robust exhibit hall with more than 200 exhibitors, extensive networking events, and forward-looking educational sessions on the groundbreaking technologies, trends and policies shaping the payments industry. Click here to register for TRANSACT, the world's largest payments technology event.

About ETA

The Electronic Transactions Association (ETA) is the global trade association representing more than 500 payments and technology companies. ETA members make commerce possible by processing more than $21 trillion in purchases worldwide and deploying payments innovation to merchants and consumers.

Media Contact: Laura Hubbard, 202-677-740, [email protected]

SOURCE ETA

Related Links

http://www.electran.org


CONVERSE, Ind., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- First Farmers Financial Corp. (OTCQX:FFMR), announced that at its April 9, 2019 board meeting, the Board of Directors approved a plan to repurchase up to $2 million in the Corporation's outstanding common stock on the open market during the second quarter.

The timing, price, and quantity of purchases under the stock repurchase plan will be at the discretion of management and may be discontinued, suspended or restarted at any time. The program will be funded from current available working capital. The board feels the stock repurchase plan will provide capital management opportunities and add value for the Company's shareholders depending upon market and business conditions.

First Farmers Financial Corp is a $1.8 billion financial holding company headquartered in Converse, Indiana. First Farmers Bank & Trust has 30 offices throughout Carroll, Cass, Clay, Grant, Hamilton, Howard, Huntington, Madison, Marshall, Miami, Starke, Sullivan, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Vigo and Wabash counties in Indiana and 6 offices in Coles, Edgar and Vermilion counties in Illinois. As of April 9, 2019, the Corporation had 7,157,718 common shares outstanding.

SOURCE First Farmers Financial Corp.
OJAI, Calif., April 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Flying Embers, an Organic Hard Kombucha brewed with botanicals and live probiotics, is expanding beyond its Reyes Southern California footprint into the San Francisco Bay Area, Oregon and Washington; southwestern states Arizona and Texas; and jumping to the east coast via New York, Philadelphia and into the New England area. Flying Embers is in partnership with distributors including Crescent Crown Distributing, Columbia Distributing, Sheehan Family, Ben E Keith, Mancini Beverage, Matagrano, Penn Beer and more to be announced soon.

Flying Embers Hard Kombucha

Flying Embers Organic Hard Kombucha currently comes in three flavors: Ginger & Oak, Lemon Orchard, and Ancient Berry. Each refreshing, smooth flavor is fermented with black tea, botanical adaptogens, and a kombucha culture with live probiotics. All Flying Embers Hard Kombuchas have a unique botanical adaptogenic base of roots including ginger, turmeric, ashwagandha, and astragalus. Flying Embers is USDA-certified organic, gluten-free, vegan and has zero grams of sugar at a sessionable 4.5 percent abv.

The brand was founded by Bill Moses who was CEO and Co-Founder of KeVita Sparkling Probiotic Drink, which was acquired by PepsiCo in 2017. Yet again, he's created another innovative drink for millennial consumers. Distributed since December 2018, Flying Embers has been featured by Brit + Co, Bustle, Sunset Magazine, E News!, Beverage Daily, Men's Journal, BevNET, Mel Magazine, Brewbound, and Craft Business Daily. They've also participated in 100+ events and tasting partnerships with brands like Los Angeles Magazine, Hulu, Bulletproof Conference, Lucidity and Joshua Tree Music Festivals.

Moses says, "We're really pleased to be in business with the best distributor partners across the country. It's a reflection of our commitment to the best-tasting Hard Kombucha, and the veracity of our label claim as an authentic kombucha that has live probiotics, zero sugar, only 100 calories and a botanical adaptogen root base."

Nearly destroyed at its nascent stages by a wildfire in Ojai, California in 2017, the team of passionate brewers credit mother nature and local firefighters for its survival. In gratitude, Flying Embers gives 1 percent of its revenues to firefighter charities across the United States.

Readers who are interested in learning more about Flying Embers and the locations where its Organic Hard Kombucha is sold should visit FlyingEmbers.com or find them on Instagram or Facebook @flyingembersbrew.

About Flying Embers

Flying Embers is Organic Hard Kombucha, with live probiotics, adaptogenic ingredients at 4.5 percent alcohol by volume. The Organic Hard Kombucha is made from a sparkling fermented tea kombucha culture with adaptogenic botanicals. Flying Embers was founded in 2017 by Bill Moses, proven beverage entrepreneur, co-founder and former CEO of Kevita sparkling probiotics, which sold to PepsiCo in December of 2016. The Organic Hard Kombucha line features innovative live brews: Ancient Berry, Lemon Orchard, and Ginger & Oak. Flying Embers is a presentation of Fermented Sciences Brewing. Learn more at FlyingEmbers.com or socially at @FlyingEmbersBrew.

Media Contact: [email protected]

Related Images

image1.jpg

Related Links

https://flyingembers.com

https://www.brit.co/hard-kombucha-brands/?slide=2

SOURCE Flying Embers Hard Kombucha

Related Links

https://flyingembers.com


TURLOCK, Calif., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- This week Gemperle Farms topped the 8 million mark for eggs donated to local charities since the year 2000. Each week thousands of Gemperle eggs go to lunch programs, local nonprofits, food banks, and food pantries.

Gemperle Family Farms donates between 350,000 and 500,000 eggs each year. More than 75% of those eggs go to United Samaritans Foundation and its affiliates, Hilmar Helping Hands, Turlock Together, and Salvation Army.

"We receive 450 dozen eggs a week from Gemperle Farms. We use them to make egg salad sandwiches every Tuesday. We have many stories to tell that are heartwarming about our egg salad sandwiches. Everyone remembers them," said Bev Hatcher, Executive Director, United Samaritans Foundation.

Eggs are one of the best sources of affordable, high quality protein. More than half the protein is found in the egg white. One large egg has 13 essential vitamins and minerals and is a rich source of vitamins D, B6, B12, Zinc, Iron, Choline and Selenium.

These are rich nutrients that can help both children and adults stay healthy with less sickness and days lost at work and school. In parts of the world where chronic hunger is a frequent factor, people often eat an egg a day to maintain good nutrition.

The United Samaritans Foundation was co-founded in 1994 by Ernie Gemperle with the mission to deliver food to people in need in Stanislaus County. The foundation also facilitates services to assist people in transitioning to a better quality of life.

United Samaritans operates a lunch truck program, food pantry, senior lunch program, homeless services and a clothes closet.

"The problem with poverty and food insecurity is great in our Central Valley. One in five children live in poverty. Here we are the Bread Basket of the World and there are people who just get by every day," Hatcher said.

United Samaritans' Daily Bread Ministry lunch trucks serve a little under 400,000 meals every year. Their emergency Food Boxes serve over 33,000 meals including eggs every year. The foundation believes they could not achieve this without the support of Gemperle Farms' aggressive egg donation program. Gemperle has been their largest donator of food for more than two decades.

"Many of our families and individuals live in areas considered food deserts where there are no full-service supermarkets within a mile of their homes. With the help of Gemperle Farms we have made a difference in our community. Everyone who comes to receive food from us is always appreciative," Hatcher said.

Selfless giving was ingrained into every member of the Gemperle family from the time they were children. Gemperle Family Farms was first established in the 1950's in the Central Valley of California by Swiss immigrants Annemarie and Ernie Gemperle. Their children now operate the farm and continue the legacy of community involvement and philanthropy.

"The Central Valley is our home and our community. It is important for us to practice sustainable stewardship of the land and to give back to the community," explains Mike Gemperle, VP of Gemperle Farms.

Family members donate and are involved in many California based charitable boards and committees including: United Samaritans Foundation, Carnegie Art Center, CSUS Foundation, CSUS One Purpose Scholarship Program, Turlock Community Theatre, Greater Yosemite Council Boy Scouts of America, Stanislaus Community Foundation, Center for Community Solutions and Community College District Advisory Board.

About Gemperle Family Farms: Gemperle Family Farms has been producing eggs in the Central Valley of California for over 7 decades with a commitment to sustainable and humane farming practices. They practice sustainable and organic farming practices in their integrated orchard crops. They produce all varieties of eggs such as whites, browns, organic, cage free and omega 3. All the eggs are produced without hormones and antibiotics  the natural way that eggs should be produced. They believe in supplying eggs for a variety of consumer needs and budgets. For more information visit the Gemperle Farms Website.

Contact:

Susan Gemperle Abdo

[email protected]

208-484-7375

SOURCE Gemperle Farms

Related Links

http://www.gemperle.com


CHICAGO, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Osteopathic physicians who specialize in addiction medicine find adults in their mid-30s to 40s are drinking too much, too often. A new online poll conducted on behalf of the American Osteopathic Association by The Harris Poll adds to other data that shows a rise in daily drinking and binge-drinking among adults who have graduated into a stage of their life not typically associated with alcohol excess.

Thirty-three percent of 35- to 44-year-old U.S. adults who have at least one drink in a typical week confirmed one or more statementsbased on the CAGE questionnaire for alcohol misusethat would cause an addiction specialist to consider intervention, according to the new AOA poll.

"We tend to believe a person is managing alcohol well if they're not an alcoholic," says Malissa Barbosa, DO, a board-certified family physician and fellowship-trained addiction medicine specialist based in Orlando, Florida. "But what many fail to recognize is the gradual impact the chemical has on the body, as well as the associated disease states."

Alcohol harms vital organs, including the liver, heart and brain. It increases the risk of several cancers, including liver, mouth, throat, voice box, esophagus, colon and rectum. And even a few drinks a week can increase the risk of breast cancer in women.i

Depression, bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders and issues with anxiety are also associated with drinking.ii It can lead to development of neurological issues, including nerve pain and movement disorders as well as cognitive issues, such as impairments of memory, attention, problem-solving and more.iii

Physicians are worried about social drinkers

Nine in 10 adults who drink too much alcohol are not alcoholics or alcohol dependent, according to a previous study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in collaboration with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Nearly 1 in 3 adults is an excessive drinker, and most of them binge drink, usually on multiple occasions.

"Our culture celebrates excess," says Dr. Barbosa. "It's convinced many adults that alcohol is a necessary part of their lifestyle, and that several drinks a night is normal behavior."

The AOA poll found 9% of adults aged 35-44 continue to drink even though it has already negatively affected their career, education and/or relationships.

Binge-drinking, which consists of four or more drinks in a two-hour period for women and five or more for men, is typical behavior for 7% of adults aged 35-44 and 10% of adults aged 45-54, the AOA findings show.

"We worry about kids on campus who put themselves in danger, but it's become pervasive among adults, too. It's time for serious conversations about the impact of excessive drinking on all demographics in our society," says Dr. Barbosa.

If you have concerns about yourself or someone close to you, consult a physician about counseling or addiction services. In many cases, the alcohol use is masking an underlying issue that can be resolved through therapy or appropriate medication, experts advise.

About the AOA

The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) represents more than 145,000 osteopathic physicians (DOs) and osteopathic medical students; promotes public health; encourages scientific research; serves as the primary certifying body for DOs; and is the accrediting agency for osteopathic medical schools.

To learn more about DOs and the osteopathic philosophy of medicine, visit www.DoctorsThatDO.org.

Survey Method

This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of AOA from March 25 - 27, 2019 among 1,969 U.S. adults aged 21+, of whom 1,183 drink 1+ alcohol beverage in a typical week. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact Jessica Bardoulas.

i https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/alcohols-effects-body

ii https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm

iii https://americanaddictioncenters.org/alcoholism-treatment/binge-drinking-problem

SOURCE American Osteopathic Association

Related Links

https://doctorsthatdo.org


DENVER, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- On 420, millions of citizens will show their support for the legalization of cannabis, taking to state capitals in states where the struggle continues and taking to dispensaries where progress has taken place. At the Diego Pellicer Worldwide, Inc. (OTCQB: DPWW) branded location in Denver, it will be an all-out celebration.

"April 20th isn't just a date on the calendar. It marks a moment in history when this nation began to realize the benefits of cannabis. We support those who continue the fight in states considering legalization and celebrate with those who had achieved success," said Ron Throgmartin, chief executive officer, Diego Pellicer Worldwide, Inc.

#GetPounded in April

Diego Pellicer  Colorado is raffling an entire pound of an exotic flower strain of cannabis to one lucky winner. Each purchase between April 1 and April 30 enters customers into a raffle for a chance to win. The grand prize "pound" winner will receive a total of 16 ounces of marijuana, to be purchased in 16 separate ounce increments for $1 each ($3,840 retail value). The winning name will be drawn on April 30 at 4:20 p.m.

On April 20, the first 250 customers through the door will receive a limited edition gift bag filled with gear from the top names in Colorado cannabis including Nomad, GreenDot, Olio, Loves Oven, Northern Standard, Sweet Grass, Viloa, Cannapunch, Craft and more. The line starts at 7 a.m. on April 20 and the store opens at 8 a.m. The store is located at 2949 West Alameda Ave. in Denver.

Colorado customers can also look for additional deals, coupons and discounts in "Westword" through the store's "takeover" of the 420 edition of the independent print and digital news source in Denver.

"Colorado has been progressive in understanding of the importance of cannabis," said Nicholas Jack, chief retail officer, Diego Pellicer  Colorado. "We are proud to be here and celebrate this day."

Pre-order via the Diego Pellicer  Colorado App

To better serve increasing demand, Diego Pellicer  Colorado has introduced an app for Android. Customers can order from current, in-store inventory, browse the product photo gallery, take a virtual tour of the store, get instant notifications of product specials and stay connected via Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. The app can be downloaded directly at https://co.diego-pellicer.com/android/

About Diego Pellicer Worldwide, Inc. (OTCQB: DPWW)

Diego Pellicer Worldwide, Inc. is the premium marijuana brand and management company. In addition to its branded locations in Colorado and Washington, the company actively seeks to develop and manage high-end, turnkey cannabis retail stores. When federally legal, DPWW is positioned to become a national, vertically integrated marijuana company. To learn more about how to become a branded Diego Pellicer retailer, cultivator or investor visit www.Diego-Pellicer.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain statements contained in this press release may be construed as "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the "Act"). The words "estimate," "project," "intends," "expects," "anticipates," "believes" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management pursuant to the "safe-harbor" provisions of the Act. These statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected on the basis of these statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The Company also undertakes no obligation to disclose any revision to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

SOURCE Diego Pellicer Worldwide, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.diego-pellicer.com


Powerful integrations provide more opportunities for consumers and Automotive Dealerships to connect, communicate, and drive lead conversion

ORLANDO, Fla., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Gubagoo, a leading provider of conversational commerce solutions for Automotive Dealerships and OEMs, today announced that their flagship ChatSmart advanced live chat solution now features integrations with three leading technologies: Google Messaging, Car Wars' call tracking tool and HubSpot's marketing automation application. These integrations build upon ChatSmart's existing portfolio of more than 80 integrations.

Google Messaging is a new method for consumers to send messages to businesses from Google search results, Google ads and Google Maps. Consumers who search for a dealership on Google or in Google Maps can initiate a conversation with the dealership with click-to-message on Google organic search results, Google ads, and within Google Maps. Gubagoo's team of trained chat specialists will handle chat responses on behalf of the dealership, with the dealership staff having the ability to jump into the conversation using the Gubagoo Live web and mobile app.

Gubagoo's integration with Hubspot's marketing automation application allows for Gubagoo leads to automatically populate into HubSpot, where dealers can then create and execute marketing campaigns targeted to these leads. Details added to HubSpot include contact information as well as make, model and year of vehicle of interest and lead type (sales or service).

"Setting up the integration between Gubagoo and HubSpot was easy and painless. We were literally set up in a few days which illustrates the high standard of service that Gubagoo provides," said Josh Pogue, Digital Marketing Manager for Weins Canada. "The integration allows us to leverage HubSpot's marketing automation capability to run custom campaigns and provide source attribution on Gubagoo leads as soon as they come in. I am confident we'll be able to convert even more Gubagoo leads into sales and with a lot less effort."

Dealerships that use Car Wars for SMS and call tracking can now text enable all existing dealership phone numbers, making it easier for consumers to text with the dealership through Gubagoo's communication platform. Additionally, with enhanced visibility into Gubagoo SMS conversations, Car Wars can provide analytics and tracking on SMS in addition to phone calls. All text exchanges will be available in the Gubagoo Live platform and in the dealership's CRM.

"Both phone calls and text messages play a vital role in the customer experience and how they interact with dealerships, and we're seeing a huge rise in the number of texts that come through the local and toll-free lines Car Wars tracks for dealers," said Justin Sarnowski, VP, Product, Car Wars. "Many of our dealers were raving about Gubagoo and wanted all texts to live in the platform they were already using, so we got together with Gubagoo to build an integration that tracks texts through Car Wars tracking lines but drives communication through Gubagoo's conversational commerce platform."

"These powerful new integrations open up more opportunities for consumers and dealers to connect and establish a relationship," said Brad Title, CEO of Gubagoo. "As a company focused on innovation we are constantly looking for leading technology and tools we can integrate with that will provide immense value and convenience to dealers."

Gubagoo's live chat, text, and digital retailing solutions currently feature more than 80 powerful integrations which include Facebook Marketplace, Facebook Messenger, Apple Business Chat, Google, and more.

The Google Messaging, Car Wars and HubSpot integrations are accessible today for all Gubagoo ChatSmart users.

Gubagoo will giving live product demonstrations of its conversational commerce solutions at the Digital Dealer Conference & Expo, held at the Orange County Convention Center on April 9-11 in Orlando Florida. To sign up for a demo, visit https://get.gubagoo.com/dd26/ or email [email protected].

About Gubagoo

Gubagoo is the leading provider of conversational commerce solutions for Automotive Dealerships and OEMs. In 2018, Gubagoo was recognized by Deloitte as one of the fastest growing technology companies in North America. Dealerships use our powerful messaging and digital retailing solutions to activate the online car buying and servicing experience from their website, SMS, Facebook and Google Messaging. Our fully managed omni-channel live messaging service instantly connects consumers to Dealerships anytime and anywhere through live chat, text, video, Facebook Messenger, and other digital messaging channels, converting high quality leads and appointments for Dealerships 24/7/365.

At the core of our solution is Gubagoo's patented behavioral and scoring algorithm which makes each human interaction more intelligent and highly personalized, and contributes to superior lead conversion.

More than 4,500 Dealerships, including some of the world's largest dealer groups and OEMs, rely on Gubagoo to sell more cars and create more satisfied customers. For more information, visit www.Gubagoo.com, e-mail [email protected] or call 855-359-2573.

SOURCE Gubagoo

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"We're thrilled to celebrate the anniversary of 'Nashville Skyline' with our own addition to Music City's skyline," said Marc Bushala, CEO of Heaven's Door Spirits. "Nashville is the natural home for the Heaven's Door distillery and the Elm Street Church is a fitting home for Dylan's visual artwork. We spent years looking for a property that truly captures the essence of the Heaven's Door brand, and when we finally found the deconsecrated church in SoBro, we immediately knew that it would be the perfect physical and spiritual center for the brand, and Bob's art."

Widely regarded as one of Dylan's greatest reinventions, "Nashville Skyline," his ninth album, brought country rock music to the masses and is credited with changing the Nashville music scene forever. Described by Rolling Stone as having achieved "the artistically impossible," the album showed a new, more relaxed side of Dylan, which inspired an era of music revolving around storytelling, and changed the way people thought about country rock music.

Heaven's Door is an ever-evolving portfolio of handcrafted whiskeys which are the perfect melding of art and craft, as each expression features Dylan's unique ironwork sculptures. Heaven's Door's inaugural trilogy of craft whiskeys include a Tennessee Straight Bourbon (90 proof, $49.99 SRP), a Double Barrel Whiskey (100 proof, $49.99 SRP), and a Straight Rye Whiskey finished in French cigar barrels from Vosges, France (100 proof, $79.99 SRP). In 2018, Heaven's Door also introduced a limited-release 10-Year Tennessee Straight Bourbon (100 proof, $129.99 SRP).

Each of the brand's three inaugural expressions has a direct tie to Tennessee - either through distillation, aging, barrel finishing or bottling. Tennessee boasts a long tradition of making great American whiskeys and its sweltering summers provides perfect conditions for barrel aging.

The Heaven's Door portfolio of whiskeys is available nationwide and online via ReserveBar.com . For more information about the brand and the brand's future home in Music City, visit www.heavensdoor.com or engage with the brand on Instagram , Facebook or Twitter.

About Heaven's Door Spirits, LLC:

Heaven's Door Spirits is a collaboration between legendary artist Bob Dylan and Spirits Investment Partnership ("SIP"). The group brings together a leading roster of beverage, music and distiller professionals who are passionate to find new whiskey expressions and innovations to encapsulate the art of an irrepressible American artist. Heaven's Door Spirits is Bob Dylan's first and only consumer brand partnership in his 50 years as a worldwide cultural icon, which makes this collaboration unique and important  a true interplay of art, craft and commerce. Website: www.heavensdoor.com .

About Bob Dylan:

Bob Dylan is generally regarded as one of the world's most influential and groundbreaking artists. In the decades since he first burst into the public's consciousness via New York City's Greenwich Village folk music scene in the early 1960s, Bob Dylan has sold more than 125 million records and amassed a singular body of work that includes some of the greatest and most popular songs the world has ever known. He continues to traverse the globe each year, performing more than 100 concerts annually in front of audiences who embrace his new material with the same passion as his classic output. In recent years, his work as an author and visual artist has further burnished his popularity and acclaim; a worldwide best-selling memoir, Chronicles Vol. 1, spent 19 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List, in 2004, and several major exhibitions of his paintings and iron gates have been shown in recent years at some of the world's most prestigious museums and galleries.



Bob Dylan's contributions to our culture have been recognized with numerous honors and accolades. In December 2016, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature by the Swedish Academy "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition." In 2012, he was awarded America's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, by President Barack Obama. In addition to winning 11 Grammy Awards, Dylan has achieved six entries in the Grammy Hall of Fame, which honors recordings of "qualitative or historical significance" at least 25 years old. Bob Dylan recently released his 38th studio album, a triple-album set aptly titled, Triplicate.

About Spirits Investment Partners:

Spirits Investment Partners (SIP) is a boutique spirits innovation and brand development company comprised by a team of highly-seasoned distilled beverages professionals with expertise with branding to production, sales and marketing, and finance.

2019 Heaven's Door Spirits. Please Drink Heaven's Door Responsibly

SOURCE Heaven's Door Spirits, LLC

Related Links

https://www.heavensdoor.com


NEW YORK, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The New York Chapter of the Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA), an organization serving the Hispanic communications and public relations community in New York, is proud to announce its Board of Directors and chapter initiatives for 2019.

HPRA-NY is developing programs throughout the year including networking events and industry insights for Hispanic PR professionals. As the only non-profit association dedicated to Hispanic marketing & communications professionals and those seeking insights into the Hispanic market, HPRA provides tools and resources on the latest trends, issues and best practices in the field. Programming for this year includes networking events, industry panels and greater partnerships with other communications organizations in NYC.

"As a long-time member and supporter of HPRA, I am honored to lead and continue to grow the New York chapter," said Erika Sanchez, HPRA-NY president. "We have an amazing team this year, committed to presenting a wide range of programs that will deliver value to the Hispanic PR community. In addition, we are committed to HPRA's overall commitment to address diversity and inclusion via strategic partnerships with industry partners."

With several returning members and a few new faces, the HPRA-NY board will be dedicating their time in 2019 to help make an impact on the world of Hispanic marketing. This year's board includes:

President: Erika Sanchez , Braid Communications

, Braid Communications Vice President: Loren Antonio Duran , Finn Partners

, Finn Partners Treasurer: Chantal Gomez , Finn Partners

, Finn Partners Secretary: Nicholas Aguilar Mendoza , NYC Administration for Children's Services

, NYC Administration for Children's Services PR/Marketing Co-Chair: Berenice Gonzales , Havas Formula

, Havas Formula PR/Marketing Co-Chair: Paola Cuevas , Carolyn Izzo Integrated Communications

HPRA-NY will be bringing members and PR professionals plenty of amazing events to attend kicking off with a Podcast and PR panel in May 2019. In addition, HPRA-NY is developing a summer networking event, a panel discussion with the PR Museum, Meet the Media event, and event partnerships with PRSA-NY and other communications organizations in NYC.

The 2019 board is working diligently to resurrect the HPRA-NY scholarship program for 2020, restructuring the program and connecting with companies dedicated to our mission of assisting students of Hispanic descent and aid in the advancement of their careers in communications.

Join the virtual conversation with the New York Chapter on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Be on the lookout for upcoming Twitter Chats, Behind the Scenes, Thought Leadership pieces and Professional Profiles on our social pages. For more information on HPRA, please visit www.hpra-usa.org .

About the Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA)

Founded in 1984, the Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA) is the foremost organization of Hispanic public relations practitioners in the U.S. HPRA is a resource for communications professionals and for individuals seeking Hispanic market expertise. It is dedicated to the recognition and advancement of Hispanics in public relations through year-round programs, professional development seminars and networking. HPRA hosts one of the most anticipated annual events and industry awards: the HPRA Bravo Awards, recognizing the most outstanding campaigns in the marketplace. The national organization aims to meet the professional needs of the growing number of Hispanic PR practitioners, independents and agencies throughout the U.S. HPRA National, its Chapters and those Chapters in formation are paving the way for the next phase of growth and evolution in the PR industry, especially in the Hispanic market space. For more information please visit www.hpra-usa.org .

SOURCE Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA)

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SPRINGFIELD, Ill., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The City of Springfield, Illinois commissioned Sensible Innovations to deploy Aware, its audible wayfinding solution, on downtown streets so that visitors, including those that are blind or visually impaired, can receive turn-by-turn walking directions and audible descriptions of destinations in real time.

Sensible Innovations worked with certified Orientation and Mobility Specialists and successfully implemented Aware (Utility Patent No. 9,726,746) by placing 244 Bluetooth Low Energy devices (iBeacons) downtown. The project was successfully launched in October 2018.

Sensible Innovations' founder and CEO, Rasha Said, explained that Aware negates the need to memorize routes and landmarks encouraging users to explore their surroundings with more confidence and independence.

"The app is free and can be used by anyone that has a smartphone, Android or iPhone, with large font for easy reading and VoiceOver for people that are visually impaired," she said. "The signal is carried from the iBeacons, which each have a five-year battery, to the phone."

Rasha's goal is to create a world without limits for America's 21 million people that are visually impaired, which includes her teenage son and the inspiration behind Aware.

"Typically, navigational apps are image-based, which are not accessible to the visually impaired. Aware is audible and allows custom information based on user preference to be integrated," said Rasha. "For example, Aware will not only tell the user that they are approaching the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, but it will also provide opening and closing times, current exhibits, and cost of a ticket, besides layout description for a visually impaired user."

Speaking at the Downtown Springfield Inc. annual dinner, City of Springfield Mayor, Jim Langfelder encouraged dwellers to download the app.

"I am proud to say that the City of Springfield is the first city in the world to offer this navigation for both visually impaired and those in need of directional assistance. The technology is now offered throughout downtown, connecting visitors to historic sites and participating merchants," he said.

Named as one of CES2018's Innovation Award Honorees in the Smart Cities category, the next phase in development for Aware is the translation of information into different languages so that visitors to the City of Springfield can fully experience President Abraham Lincoln's hometown.

For more information about Aware email [email protected] or visit sensible-innovations.com.

SOURCE Sensible Innovations

Related Links

https://www.sensible-innovations.com/


NEW YORK, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- PA Consulting (PA), the global innovation and transformation consultancy, is bringing ingenuity to life for clients and building a better, safer and more sustainable world for the future. PA's distinctive approach  helping clients to innovate and seize new opportunities  is reflected in its record financial performance in 2018.

2018 in numbers:

fee income up 14 percent to 455.8 million ( $595.8 million ). 2017: 400.1 million ( $522.9 million )

). 2017: 400.1 million ( ) consulting team growth of 10 percent

exceptional client value with 98 percent of clients recommending PA.

Taking clients further, faster

PA delivered outstanding client work in 2018. Its distinctive approach to inspiring change, innovative thinking and breakthrough technologies has enabled clients to seize the best opportunities.

In the UK, PA supported Skipping Rocks Lab, a start-up, to create an edible alternative to single-use plastic drink packaging. In Norway, PA improved how local authorities deliver their citizen-facing digital services. In the United States and India, PA partnered with Virgin Hyperloop One to build the first new mode of transport in a century, one that will revolutionize travel.

PA also worked with the United Nations to identify the technologies most likely to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, setting the blueprint to a better and more sustainable future for all.

Expanding capabilities through acquisitions

In response to growing demand for its strategy, digital, and innovation skills, PA strengthened its team in 2018 with three acquisitions and a new digital hub.

PA welcomed Boston-based Essential Design, an innovation strategy and product design business. Essential Design are experts in user-centered design, customer experience and getting innovation to market. This acquisition is helping will help PA clients transform how they bring new products and experiences to market.

We Are Friday, a London-based specialist digital service design and engineering agency also joined PA. We Are Friday helps clients such as HSBC, Talk Talk and British Red Cross reimagine and design their customer experience, improve the technology that powers their organization and develop the capability to better manage their technology themselves.

Sparkler  a leading London-based digital insight and strategy consultancy helping some of the world's leading blue-chip companies such as Microsoft, eBay, Diageo, Sky, and Uber to innovate their services and position their brands for success  joined PA to add to its expertise in customer insight, brand strategy and service design.

PA also opened a new digital hub in Belfast and commenced recruitment of 400 new digital specialists to expand its digital expertise. This team works with clients globally, using digital technologies to adapt and transform their businesses.

Bringing ingenuity to life in our communities

PA is passionate about giving people the chance to ignite a passion for ingenuity. In 2018, this included interns on the threshold of careers, enjoying real technology challenges at PA's Global Innovation and Technology Center, and eleventh grade students learning important leadership skills as part of PA's Springboard initiative. Schoolchildren also discovered the thrill of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in PA's ever-popular national Raspberry Pi competition.

Alan Middleton, PA Consulting CEO, says: "We're not a traditional consulting firm and we think this is key to our ongoing success and why 98 percent of our clients recommend us. We believe in the power of ingenuity to build a positive human future in a technology-driven world. Our strategy work helps clients deliver innovation into the real world. It's innovation that moves an organization forward, yet is commercially profitable, technically feasible and delights customers."

Middleton adds: "Our people are strategists, technologists, digital experts, consultants, designers, scientists and engineers  all of whom bring real-world experience, and apply it at pace. We offer the innovation, design, digital and transformation skills that our clients need to change, fast. There's a sense of optimism behind our purpose. And it's a feeling that inspires our people as well as our clients."

Ken Toombs, Head of Americas at PA Consulting, says: "PA Consulting is on track to sustain its growth in the coming years. Our strong financial performance in 2018 and our stellar client recommendation rates point to a winning strategy. In the US we continue to develop capabilities and offerings to meet the demands of current and future clients. PA is uniquely placed to offer clients ingenious solutions to the challenges of global technology disruption, building on our reputation of converting brilliant ideas into enduring business results."

About PA Consulting

An innovation and transformation consultancy, we believe in the power of ingenuity to build a positive human future in a technology-driven world.

As strategies, technologies and innovation collide, we create opportunity from complexity.

Our diverse teams of experts combine innovative thinking and breakthrough technologies to progress further, faster. Our clients adapt and transform, and together we achieve enduring results.

We are over 2,800 specialists in consumer, defense and security, energy and utilities, financial services, government, healthcare, life sciences, manufacturing, and transport, travel and logistics. And we operate globally from offices across the Americas, Europe, the Nordics and the Gulf.

PA. Bringing Ingenuity to Life. www.paconsulting.com

SOURCE PA Consulting

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PLEASANTON, Calif., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Avatier, the leader in innovative Identity Management containerized cloud solutions, is thrilled to unveil "Avatier Apollo". The world's first artificial intelligence virtual customer assistant (VCA) for Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) and Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) platforms. Apollo securely automates any IT task for your customers and workforce.

Beyond identity management, Apollo augments business operations, working across virtually all messaging interfaces and platforms and enables an unprecedented natural language, self-service experience. The result is a significant increase in customer and workforce acceptance, reduction in operational and labor costs, and a native, comfortable and consistent experience.

Until now Virtual Customer Assistants were programs built to look up knowledge and provide people answers to questions by automatically engaging using native natural languages. They are programmed to respond in a natural and comfortable way and even to use artificial intelligence (AI) to recognize positive and negative intent and adapt their responses to fit. Today marks the first time natural language understanding and AI are applied to the automation power of an enterprise CIAM and IGA solution. This renders existing cloud and legacy Identity Management solutions obsolete because it fundamentally changes how identity solutions are used within organizations and making people more comfortable interacting with all of your self-service solutions.

For example, instead of a user calling or submitting a ticket for software access, they can just ask Apollo using Slack, Skype, Microsoft Teams, Facebook Messenger, text, or even the web with a REST API to provide access. Built-in intelligence learns how to better improve the user experience the more it is used, meaning it not only assists users with requests but offers suggestions as well.

"Artificial Intelligence with natural language understanding is replacing many if not all manual IT tasks and legacy solutions on the market today," stated Nelson Cicchitto, CEO of Avatier. "Businesses not adopting an AI identity management solution before 2020 will find their tech stack left behind and leave users with what feels like a 90's user experience."

Securing messaging is no easy task. Avatier is the first commercial chatbot technology that securely validates user identity Biometric MFA one-time passcode over SMS/Email as well as leading MFA providers like DUO, RSA, Ping, Symantec VIP, Google Auth, Okta, and even FIDO2.

Nelson Cicchitto, Avatier CEO and Chairman explains "Hyperconvergence is here and Avatier plans to lead the way through a reliable, secure omnichannel interface that fundamentally changes the way IT support is delivered today and in the future. Every frustrated customer impacts the company's brand. Every employee not working due to an IT issue costs the company money. We see our new AI virtual customer assistant automating both customer-facing requests as well as internal IT requests."

Armed with strong chatbot authentication, Avatier Apollo automates mundane, repetitive IT staff tasks like:

Locate and "shop" for applications access and company assets

Schedule a leave of absence

Reset forgotten passwords, unlock accounts, synchronize passwords between cloud, legacy, and custom in-house apps

Request and approve new account creation, termination, and transfers

Confirm, remediate, allow exceptions, remove, or approve existing employee access and assets

Update user data such as address, title, department, mobile number, and profiles

Enroll in popular 3rd party MFA providers

Interface with any website or internal chatbot technology to expand integrated functionality

Cicchitto adds, "Up until now, companies have relied on 40-year old telephony menu systems, 20-year old web interfaces, and antiquated native mobile apps. Apollo is totally different. This is a true two-way omnichannel solution using leading instant messaging channels that come with every mobile phone, text and web. No learning curve involved. Customers simply chat their request to Apollo and Apollo accomplishes the task, no matter how complex."

Organizations using Avatier Apollo expect the following:

80% better adoption and use of your self-service solutions

A significant decrease in IT requests to allow better allocation of corporate resources

A dramatic increase in speed of resolution

A consistent customer experience

24/7 support securely available on any communications channel

A lower cost "staffing" option that is predictable, reliable, never tired, and doesn't call in sick

Broader integration of secure chat within your environment with REST API integration

The Apollo AI Virtual Customer Assistant as service is available now. Avatier offers a free 14-day test run so you can see how it can benefit your customers and the organization's brand. To see a short video demonstration of how Apollo works, click here.

About Avatier

Avatier is the Identity Management company of the future with innovative solutions for today. Avatier develops an industry-leading identity management platform with AI built-in, enabling organizations to scale faster, innovate quicker, conquer and embrace change, to dominate competition worldwide. Identity solutions are delivered using the latest Docker container technology providing maximum flexibility, scale, and security to customers. Avatier's identity management and access governance solutions make the world's largest organizations more secure and productive in the shortest time at the lowest costs. Avatier brings all your back-office business applications and employee assets together and manages them as one. Avatier Corporation is located in Pleasanton, California (San Francisco), with offices in New York, Washington, D.C., Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, Dublin, Sydney, and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.avatier.com.

This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com.

SOURCE Avatier

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BOULDER, Colo., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Although the Holocaust happened some 75 years ago, religion-based hate crimes and the audacious rise of white nationalists continue to roil the U.S. and the world, from the Tree of Life massacre of Jews in Pittsburgh to the senseless loss of Muslim lives in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Ellen Mains Buried Rivers Cover

As Israel and the world prepare to celebrate Yom HaShoah or Holocaust Remembrance Day marked by the period from April 28 through May 2, and the number of living Holocaust survivors continues to fall, second-generation Holocaust survivor Ellen Korman Mains maintains that this topic could not be more current.

Mains says, "It's important to commemorate these events, not only to remember the dead and overcome ignorance of the past, but to take stock of our personal and societal patterns in the present and how we can shift these so that genocides and mass violence don't continue into the future."

Mains adds, "Since the Holocaust could not have happened without the silent participation of bystanders  ordinary people not so different from ourselves  we need to look at the deeper roots of genocide and how we can prevent them from spreading."

In her No. 1 Amazon bestseller, Buried Rivers: A Spiritual Journey into the Holocaust (West Lake Books), Mains, whose mother survived Auschwitz, explores the question "How can you still believe in basic goodness?" while journeying through Poland and Germany, where she felt troubled spirits seeking answers to this question.

In an interview, Mains, who will be giving a Yom HaShoah talk based on her book at the Boulder JCC at noon on May 1, can answer such questions as:

What do the roots of nationalism and of genocide have in common?

The Politics of Us and Them: Can religious or spiritual practice help us come together or do these only serve to divide and polarize us more?

The Cycle of Victim/Perpetrator: How do we shift from blaming others to creating positive action in the world?

Why is it easier to believe in lies than to deal with the complexity of truth?

Praise for Buried Rivers

"A powerful testament to human resilience and courage, this book reflects the power of inquiry in a world riven with suffering, and the capacity to transform that suffering into wisdom."  Rev. Joan Jiko Halifax, Abbot, Upaya Zen Center and author of Standing at the Edge

"A beautiful and important memoir that uplifts as much as it compels."  Rabbi Tirzah Firestone, Ph.D., author of Wounds into Wisdom: Healing Intergenerational Jewish Trauma

"A compelling personal spiritual journey that crosses religious boundaries in order to tackle some of the deepest mysteries of life and death."  Zvi Ish-Shalom, Ph.D., author of The Kedumah Experience: The Primordial Torah

"By shedding light on something so dark, she demonstrates that healing, opportunity, and magic can emerge from the densest suffering."  Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel, author of The Power of an Open Question and The Logic of Faith

About the author

The daughter of Polish-born Jews who survived the Holocaust, Ellen Korman Mains has led meditation retreats internationally, and speaks about the cross-section of spirituality and social change. Trained in several body-mind disciplines, she also helps individuals deepen compassionate self-awareness. A citizen of Canada, the USA, and Poland, she lives in Boulder, Colo., but spends extended periods of time in Poland teaching, promoting dialog, and connecting with her heritage.

Contact: Ellen Korman Mains, (720) 292-4520; [email protected]; www.EllenKormanMains.com

SOURCE Ellen Mains

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CHICAGO, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- JBT Corporation (NYSE: JBT) will report first quarter 2019 financial results after the market closes on Monday, April 29, 2019. A conference call is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, April 30, 2019.

Participants may access the conference call using the following numbers:

U.S. and Canada: (833) 238-7952 International: +1 (647) 689-4200 Conference ID #: 9073729

The call will be simultaneously webcast on JBT Corporation's Investor Relations website, which can be accessed at www.jbtc.com/investors. To participate on the webcast, please log on to the website at least ten minutes before the call to register.

An online audio replay of the conference call will be available on JBT Corporation's Investor Relations website at approximately 1:30 p.m. ET on April 30, 2019.

JBT Corporation (NYSE: JBT) is a leading global technology solutions provider to high-value segments of the food & beverage industry with focus on proteins, liquid foods and automated system solutions. JBT designs, produces and services sophisticated products and systems for multi-national and regional customers through its FoodTech segment. JBT also sells critical equipment and services to domestic and international air transportation customers through its AeroTech segment. JBT Corporation employs approximately 5,900 people worldwide and operates sales, service, manufacturing and sourcing operations in more than 25 countries. For more information, please visit www.jbtc.com.

Investors & Media: Megan Rattigan +1.312.861.6048

SOURCE JBT Corporation

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COSTA MESA, Calif., and CHICAGO, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- J.D. Power, the leading global provider of customer satisfaction research, has signed an agreement with Uptake Technologies, an industrial AI and IoT software leader, to develop new analytics products for the automotive industry, as well as for the utilities and telecommunications sector.

The alliance between J.D. Power and Uptake will allow original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and operators in these three industries to gain actionable intelligence from millions of newly connected devices, including manufacturing plants, vehicles, smart meters and network devices. Leveraging J.D. Power's research and industry expertise along with Uptake's industry-specific insights and industrial IoT platform, J.D. Power and Uptake will provide independent industry benchmark studies, innovative data and analytics products, and customized advisory services.

"This breakthrough collaboration with Uptake gives J.D. Power instant access to Uptake's advanced IoT analytics software platform, and a portfolio of applications that we will jointly harness to provide insight into the behaviors and failure modes of millions of connected devices in the industries we serve," said Dave Habiger, President and CEO of J.D. Power. "By adding these capabilities to our analytics, we will provide our customers with real-time insights that open new horizons of opportunity in the design, manufacture, service and insurance of vehicles."

The collaboration will also include smart home and connected real estate insight for utilities and power generation firms, as well as connected device efficacy insight and optimization benchmark surveys for mobile network operators.

"Utilities are continuously challenged to differentiate their energy offerings with elevated service and efficiency strategies which optimize the value provided to their customers," said Bernardo Rodriguez, Chief Digital Officer at J.D. Power. "Adding to our AI capabilities, we will leverage Uptake's IoT AI and machine learning platform to access previously untapped data with advanced technology that will provide automotive, telecom and utility companies with new insights around customer-centric opportunities."

Included in the alliance is the use of Uptake's Industrial AI and Machine Learning Platform, which leverages data science to turn large amounts of untapped IoT data across enterprises into actionable insight. For vehicle OEMs and drivers, this creates even higher levels of manufacturing quality, vehicle efficiency, dealer service and customer experience. Using AI and machine learning, Uptake's technology enriches raw data to generate actionable recommendations, enabling users to quickly make intelligent business decisions that are linked to financial outcomes.

"This alliance augments the rich heritage of J.D Power's independent industry benchmark studies and leading data analytics solutions by adding the power of Uptake's advanced AI and machine learning software, said Brad Keywell, Founder and CEO of Uptake. "The result is new data-informed AI-based insights and benchmarks made possible in this age of pervasive sensors and hyperconnected industry. Together with J.D. Power, we are creating a new category of industry-specific insights and benchmarks, which we believe will make visible the path towards ever higher levels of quality, productivity, and customer satisfaction."

J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer intelligence, advisory services and data and analytics. These capabilities enable J.D. Power to help its clients drive customer satisfaction, growth and profitability. Established in 1968, J.D. Power has offices serving North America, South America, Asia Pacific and Europe.

Uptake is a leading provider of artificial intelligence and IoT software for industrial companies. We combine data analytics and machine learning with deep industry knowledge to create valuable outcomes like increased reliability, productivity, and safety. Headquartered in Chicago with locations in Silicon Valley, Washington D.C., Toronto and Dubai, Uptake is used by global industrial customers of all sizes to leverage data, creating newfound efficiencies and competitive advantages. Learn more at www.uptake.com.

See the online press release at http://www.jdpower.com/pr-id/2019126.

Media Relations Contacts

Geno Effler, J.D. Power; Costa Mesa, Calif.; 714-621-6224; [email protected]

John Roderick; St. James, N.Y.; 631-584-2200; [email protected]

John Gallagher, Uptake; Chicago, Ill.; 415-935-4457; [email protected]

About J.D. Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info

SOURCE J.D. Power

Related Links

http://www.jdpower.com


MUNICH, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Dana Incorporated (NYSE: DAN) today announced its collaboration with JLG to develop an advanced Spicer Electrified e-Axle as part of JLG's electrification initiative.

The Spicer Electrified e-Axle features an optimized combination of electrified drive components packaged in a unique configuration that reduces power losses by up to 20 percent when compared with traditional diesel-powered drivetrains.

Unveiled at the Bauma construction trade show in Munich, the Spicer Electrified e-Axle illustrates how Dana's investments in research and development, engineering capabilities, and recent acquisitions of adjacent technologies have strengthened the company's electrification offering.

"As the market continues to shift towards a mix of electrified equipment, JLG is advancing concepts that deliver the same lift performance, maneuverability, workhours, and ease of maintenance offered by diesel power," said Guru Bandekar, global vice president, product management and development, JLG Industries. "Dana offers a comprehensive suite of advanced drive and motion systems for electrification. This axle concept signifies one joint exploration that will help JLG retain its market leadership."

For more than 20 years, Dana has supplied numerous drive and motion technologies for select JLG aerial work platforms and telehandler models, including axles, hydrostatic and hydrodynamic transmissions, hub drives, slew drives, and driveshafts.

"Dana has made numerous strategic moves that have grown our electrification portfolio exponentially," said Aziz Aghili, president of Dana Off-Highway Drive and Motion Technologies. "JLG and Dana share a passion for innovation and a drive toward excellence through electrification."

Spicer Electrified e-Axle Supports Rethinking of Electrified Vehicle Designs

Dana offers vehicle manufacturers a two-pronged approach to hybridization and electrification through electrified drive systems that fit within current vehicle architectures, as well as concepts that support the complete redesign of vehicles from the ground up to maximize performance.

The Spicer Electrified e-Axle concept combines a number of Dana products, including Spicer axle components and drive and motion intelligence, SME motor and control technologies, and gearing in a modular package that can be fine-tuned for vehicle size and performance.

The optimized design of the Spicer Electrified e-Axle concept improves the mechanical efficiency of the drive system, which enables the use of downsized battery systems while improving noise, vibration, and harshness performance and extending working hours and operating range.

Also, the Spicer Electrified e-Axle concept utilizes Dana's Spicer Smart Suite Intelligent Load Monitoring System (ILMS) and a Spicer intelligent steer system.

Spicer Smart Suite ILMS uses patented and proprietary data-collecting technologies across the vehicle to prevent tip-over incidents, supply intelligent calibration management, and estimate axle attitude. It is designed to alert the operator of potential tipping situations, reduce the risk of vehicle breakdowns, improve productivity, and enhance the long-term serviceability of drive systems.

The Spicer intelligent steer system continuously analyzes real-time vehicle operation to adjust steering angles  improving productivity, maneuverability, and safety.

Comprehensive Commitment to Electrification and Hybridization

Over the past two years, Dana has completed a series of strategic transactions to support electrification and hybridization in the off-highway market, including:

the acquisition of the power-transmission and fluid power businesses of Brevini;

the acquisition of a majority stake in TM4, a manufacturer of high-voltage electric motors, power inverters, and control systems;

the purchase of the SME Group, a designer and manufacturer of low-voltage motors, inverters, and control systems, and;

the acquisition of the Drive Systems segment of the Oerlikon Group, including a majority stake in Ashwoods Electric Motors, a designer and manufacturer of interior permanent magnet motors.

Combined with the company's core expertise in driveline technologies, sealing systems, and thermal management, these initiatives position Dana as the leading supplier of electrification solutions for the off-highway segment.

Dana also offers a wide selection of Brevini motion products optimized for the unique power distribution requirements of hybrid and electric off-highway vehicles.

JLG and Dana at Bauma

At Bauma, JLG will present its leading lineup of AWPs and telehandlers in the south outdoor exhibition area at stand FS.904/5. Dana will present its wide selection of electric propulsion solutions for the construction and mining industries at Bauma in hall A3 at stands 326 and 139. The company will also present live demonstrations of an aerial work platform and mini excavator with Spicer Electrified drive technologies and high-efficiency Brevini motion products at outdoor stand 45A.9, between halls A4 and A5. For more information, visit www.dana.com/offhighway.

About JLG

JLG Industries, Inc. has been earning customer confidence and trust through innovation since 1969. Our customers are our greatest priority, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to understanding their challenges.

As the world's leading designer and manufacturer of access equipment, JLG products and personnel can be found all over the world, going above and beyond to support customers. We deliver the powerful, versatile equipment that they need, along with unsurpassed training and service, because we have a responsibility to be more than a manufacturing company. We are a partner in our customers' success, reaching out worldwide to enable performance, boost productivity, ensure uptime and support forward progress.

JLG is an Oshkosh Corporation Company [NYSE: OSK].

About Dana Incorporated

Dana is a world leader in highly engineered solutions for improving the efficiency, performance, and sustainability of powered vehicles and machinery. Dana supports the passenger vehicle, commercial truck, and off-highway markets, as well as industrial and stationary equipment applications. Founded in 1904, Dana employs more than 36,000 people in 33 countries on six continents who are committed to delivering long-term value to customers. The company reported sales of $8.1 billion in 2018. Based in Maumee, Ohio, USA, it is a people-centric organization and has been named a top employer of choice around the world, including significant honors in Asia, India, Italy, Mexico, and the United States. For more information, please visit www.dana.com.

SOURCE Dana Incorporated

Related Links

http://www.dana.com


BALTIMORE, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake, Inc. will hold their second B-More with Goodwill event on Saturday, April 13th from 9 am to 1 pm at Zion Baptist Church. As part of its mission of providing job training and placement services, Goodwill is holding the event for local residents to interview for jobs at Goodwill, learn about jobs with Goodwill partners, and learn about training and assistance programs to enter the workforce. Over 250 individuals are expected to attend.

The day will include the following FREE opportunities:

On-site interviews for Retail positions  32 retail locations have openings including store managers, assistant manager, cashiers, sales associates and processors.

Meet The Emerge Initiative staff which links participants with skills training opportunities in the building trades, IT and other growth industries.

staff which links participants with skills training opportunities in the building trades, IT and other growth industries. Meet with representatives from CVS Health, Turnaround Tuesday and The Building Trades to explore career opportunities.

Apply for temporary and temporary to permanent positions with Goodwill Staffing Services.

Register with Goodwill training programs to prepare for jobs with Goodwill partners.

Participants are encouraged to bring a resume and dress appropriately. For more information and to reserve an interview time ( Walk-in interviews are available ) visit

http://www.goodwillches.org/bmore/.

WHAT: B-More with Goodwill

WHERE: Zion Baptist Church (1700 North Caroline Street, Baltimore, MD 21213)

WHEN: Saturday, April 13, 2019

TIME: 9 am to 1 pm

About Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake:

For 100 years, Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake, Inc. has been serving Central Maryland and the Eastern Shore as a non-profit 501(c)(3) that provides job training, job placement and other human services for people who are unemployed or face other challenges to employment, including people with significant disabilities. Last year, Goodwill placed individuals into 2,084 jobs. Revenue generated from the sale of donated goods helps fund these programs. For more information on Goodwill, please visit www.goodwillches.org.

Media Contact:

Jonathan Balog

Vice President, Marketing & Communications

Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake, Inc.

410-837-1800 ext. 175

[email protected]

SOURCE Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.goodwillches.org


CHICAGO, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to maximize the value of its assets for the benefit of all of its creditors, and after many unsuccessful attempts to restructure, obtain alternative financing, or sell the company as a going concern, Johnson Publishing Company, LLC has today filed a voluntary case under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code.

This decision was not easy, nor should it have been. Johnson Publishing Company is an iconic part of American and African American history since our founding in 1942, and the company's impact on society cannot be overstated.

A confluence of adverse events and factors outside of the company's control led to this decision, including: (i) the failure of the purchaser of the company's media division to make required payments; (ii) the bankruptcy of one of the company's largest retailers; (iii) increasing competition from e-commerce in the cosmetic business; and (iv) a costly recall resulting from receiving products with quality issues from one of its manufacturers. In short, Johnson Publishing Company was caught in a tidal wave of marketplace changes and business issues which, despite exhaustive efforts, could not be overcome.

The Chapter 7 case will provide a court-supervised process. It is the company's hope that the Chapter 7 Trustee will embark upon this process with a view toward maximizing the value of the assets of Johnson Publishing Company through a sale of such assets for the benefit of the company's creditors.

A group with a proven track record of advancing cultural preservation, supporting community-based businesses and building and operating legacy brands has offered to purchase certain assets, and the offer will be presented to the Trustee for evaluation.

While the process is now in the hands of a Chapter 7 Trustee, Johnson Publishing Company is grateful for its 77 years of existence, and the unwavering loyalty, dedication and commitment of its employees, vendors and customers. The incredible legacy and impact of Johnson Publishing Company will always be honored and hold a proud place in the African American experience.

The filing was made today in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

SOURCE Johnson Publishing Company, LLC
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The American engine of progress and prosperity is in serious trouble. Job-creating innovation has stalled, resulting in a slow hollowing out of the middle class. Meanwhile, wealth and economic opportunity are increasingly concentrated in a few coastal megacities. How did we get here? And, perhaps more importantly, how do we turn this tide?

A new book by two MIT economists, Jonathan Gruber and Simon Johnson, provides answers. The book, Jump-Starting America: How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth and the American Dream, (Public Affairs) presents an ambitious plan to boost public funding in scientific research and development in dozens of communities around the country.

"There's a great deal of frustration in America todaypeople are worried about the future for their kids and they feel that the number of good jobs that are available to them are dwindling," says Prof. Johnson. "It doesn't have to be this way. We think that embarking on a plan that will create the industries of the futureand the good jobs that go with themis the best way to do that."

The authors call for an additional investment of $100 billion per yearan amount they say will generate four million new jobs. The authors also propose the creation of a national endowment fund, similar to the Alaska Permanent Fund, which distributes revenues from the state's oil and gas, so that the public can share in the returns of its investment.

"People rarely talk about the economic benefits of science," says Prof. Gruber. "Science is a pro-jobs policy. And it's a big reason why the U.S. was so successful after the Second World War."

Government support for R&D rose steadily from 1940 until the mid-1960s. At its peak, this funding amounted to roughly 2% of the nation's annual total gross domestic product, or about $400 billion a year in today's money. The investment not only allowed for many important breakthroughs in science and technologyincluding advancements such as radar, digital computers, jet engines, and eventually the internetit also helped expand the middle class. Median family income doubled from 1947 to 1970. And GDP grew nearly 4% per year through the early 1970s.

Today, however, federal spending on R&D stands at 0.7% of GDP, or the equivalent of about $240 billion per year less than its peak. Since the 1970s, median family income has increased only 20%, and the bulk of that growth has been concentrated in large cities on the East and West Coasts.

The authors advocate for locating new research and technology hubs in places with the potential to promote growth. "There are dozens of cities in the U.S. that have the preconditions for success: a large pool of educated workers, high-quality universities, and a low cost of living," says Prof. Johnson "But they are losing out today because they lack the scientific infrastructure to become new centers of innovation, and because the private sector is ignoring them. What these places need is a jump start."

In that spirit, the authors have developed their own rankings of 102 potential new technology hubs based on statistical data about American cities. The Appendix to Jump-Starting America provides more detail on their ranking system and data sources. Rochester, N.Y. ranks first; Pittsburgh, P.A. is second, and Syracuse/Utica-Rome, N.Y. is third. In addition, they have created an interactive map that allows users to explore cities in greater detail, combine cities to define their own custom region, or give different priority to different statistics.

The authors recommend that the government select the best places through an Amazon HQ2-style competition. "This competition should serve the interest of the nation," says Prof. Gruber. "Places would compete not on the basis of tax breaks but on the basis of their qualifications. They would have to show that they've made strides in science education with the goal of producing many more highly skilled university graduates. They'd have to show they have sustainable development plans. And they'd need to demonstrate their abilities embark on fruitful private/public partnerships."

The authors point to a number of examples that demonstrate how a bigger public-sector role in the research and development process leads to higher productivity. The government's $3 billion investment in the Human Genome Project in the 1990s is a prime illustration. "The Human Genome Project has changed the face of biomedicine. It has led to the creation of an industry that generates nearly $6 billion in federal, state, and local taxes per year and helped create hundreds of thousands of good jobs," says Prof. Gruber.

"This is the kind of success story we can have in America if we take a leadership role."

Prof. Gruber is the Ford Professor of Economics at MIT. He is also director of the Health Care Program at the National Bureau of Economic Research and president of the American Society of Health Economists. In 2009-2010 he served as a technical consultant to the Obama Administration and worked with both the Administration and Congress to help craft the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Prof. Johnson is the Ronald A. Kurtz (1954) Professor of Entrepreneurship at the MIT Sloan School of Management. He is also the Former Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund. His book, 13 Bankers: the Wall Street Takeover and the Next Financial Meltdown, (with James Kwak), was an immediate bestseller and has become one of the most highly regarded books on the financial crisis.

SOURCE MIT Sloan School of Management

Related Links

https://mitsloan.mit.edu/


To showcase Karma's customization direction along with the growing capabilities and skillsets of the KICC workforce, the automaker also unveiled a pre-sold, one-off limited edition Revero as an example of the kind of collectible customized vehicles it's preparing to offer discerning luxury auto enthusiasts.

KICC is expected to play a key role in advancing the company's previously announced Value Forward business strategy centered on nurturing and growing a presence in the luxury electric vehicle niche. Technological innovation and personalized customization are among the key elements of Karma's business and product plan that spans the next decade.

Karma Innovation and Customization Center

Karma's Moreno Valley base first came to life in 2015 and comprises a Body Shop, General Assembly, Paint Shop, Final Process Alignment and Dynamic Test Stations over a sprawling 556,000 square feet. The facility, representing a total investment of more than $100 million, contains the very latest in automotive technology and tooling all under one roof in Moreno Valley, Calif.

"The facility has been renamed Karma Innovation and Customization Center to better reflect our future focus and growing a skillset centered on innovation, customization and technology integration," said Karma CEO Dr. Lance Zhou. "KICC's skilled artisans take great pride in delivering distinctive luxury electric vehicle experiences through world-class design, technology and personalization."

KICC's entire workforce undergoes personalized, small-session craftsmanship training to ensure they have the skills and mindset to produce world-class excellence and craftsmanship. As a result, the KICC workforce is sensitive to what Karma's discerning luxury customers expect from the automaker and better prepared to deliver on the company's vision and business strategy.

Karma chose to headquarter and build a European-style, craft production facility in Southern California just 60 miles from its global headquarters in Irvine, Calif., to meticulously build one-of-a-kind cars. Alongside Karma's Irvine headquarters, KICC joins other Karma locations including its Detroit Technology Center, in Troy, Mich., and its Design & Engineering Center in Hangzhou, China.

"With a $100 million dollar investment and over 200 new jobs created in the Karma Innovation and Customization Center, Karma has transformed the landscape of our hearts and minds with the reintroduction of carmaking in our great city," said Moreno Valley Mayor Dr. Yxstian A. Gutierrez. "With every Revero masterfully crafted in Moreno Valley, we create new jobs, build community, and inspire future generations to dream on an ever grander scale."

KICC currently produces the company's 2019 Revero and is transitioning to produce its next-generation 2020 Revero scheduled for dealer showrooms during the second half of this year. Karma's new Revero, along the first results of a partnership with Pininfarina and a Karma-designed Vision concept car will debut next week at Auto Shanghai 2019 as part of the automaker's "New Dawn" product showcase.

Karma's investment in Southern California underscores its commitment to remain and do business in a state it draws so much inspiration from.

"California is home to innovators, entrepreneurs and big thinkers; a land where anything is possible," Zhou said, adding that Karma chose to start selling cars in the U.S. first, with a special focus on California, because this is the most competitive and demanding luxury market in the world.

"If we can succeed here, we can succeed anywhere," Zhou told Karma employees, suppliers, business partners, government officials, and media attending a special KICC dedication ceremony at the facility. "With the support of everyone here today, I know we can make Karma California's shining star."

Karma Black Ocean

Karma also released today its pre-sold, one-off Black Ocean Limited Edition. Based on a 2018 Revero luxury-electric vehicle, Black Ocean represents the automaker's dedication to offering luxury enthusiasts an opportunity to own a customized, collectible vehicle.

Using one of the very last original Karma Reveros as a canvas, Karma's design & customization and added more than 80 unique treatments including a unique handcrafted finish paint, exterior and interior treatments and signatures to create a very bold and head-turning statement for its owner.

Meet Karma Automotive and Karma Revero

Karma Automotive designs, engineers, and markets luxury electric vehicles, all from its Southern California base of operations. Founded in 2014 and employing nearly 1,000 people worldwide, Karma Automotive is committed to elevating and growing the luxury mobility experience for its customers and draws on global relationships and technology partners to achieve this. The Revero is a luxury electric vehicle powered by dual electric motors that embodies Karma's goals of offering leading automotive design, technology, customization and an outstanding customer experience. Every Revero is created with great individual care and world-class craftsmanship at the Karma Innovation and Customization Center in Moreno Valley, Calif.

Learn more about Karma Automotive and Revero at www.karmaautomotive.com or visit the password-free Karma Newsroom at www.karmanewsroom.com for the latest press releases, videos and images.

SOURCE Karma Automotive

Related Links

http://www.karmaautomotive.com


HOUSTON, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- KBR, Inc. (NYSE: KBR) KBR announced today that BP has awarded KBR's UK operating subsidiary the Pre-FEED Services contract for Phases 2 and 3 of BP's Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project, for the further development of Tortue field beyond Phase 1, located at the maritime border of Senegal and Mauritania.

These next phases of the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project will significantly expand capacity to deliver additional gas from an ultra deep-water subsea system, tied back to mid-water gas processing platforms. The gas will then be transferred to pre-treatment and offshore LNG facilities located at the established Phase 1 hub.

"We are proud to be part of this groundbreaking project which will deliver LNG revenues and gas to Africa for decades to come," said Jay Ibrahim, KBR President, Energy Solutions - Services. "This win demonstrates KBR's strategic commitment to our partner BP to deliver an innovative and cost effective deepwater gas value chain together."

About KBR, Inc.

KBR is a global provider of differentiated professional services and technologies across the asset and program lifecycle within the Government Services and Hydrocarbons sectors. KBR employs approximately 36,000 people worldwide (including our joint ventures), with customers in more than 75 countries, and operations in 40 countries, across three synergistic global businesses:

Government Services, serving government customers globally, including capabilities that cover the full lifecycle of defense, space, aviation and other government programs and missions from research and development, through systems engineering, test and evaluation, program management, to operations, maintenance, and field logistics

Technology, including proprietary technology focused on the monetization of hydrocarbons (especially natural gas and natural gas liquids) in ethylene and petrochemicals; ammonia, nitric acid and fertilizers; oil refining and gasification

Hydrocarbons Services, including onshore oil and gas; LNG (liquefaction and regasification)/GTL; oil refining; petrochemicals; chemicals; fertilizers; differentiated EPC; maintenance services (Brown & Root Industrial Services); offshore oil and gas (shallow-water, deep-water, subsea); floating solutions (FPU, FPSO, FLNG & FSRU); program management and consulting services

KBR is proud to work with its customers across the globe to provide technology, value-added services, integrated EPC delivery and long term operations and maintenance services to ensure consistent delivery with predictable results. At KBR, We Deliver

Visit www.kbr.com

Forward Looking Statement

The statements in this press release that are not historical statements, including statements regarding future financial performance, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's control that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the outcome of and the publicity surrounding audits and investigations by domestic and foreign government agencies and legislative bodies; potential adverse proceedings by such agencies and potential adverse results and consequences from such proceedings; the scope and enforceability of the company's indemnities from its former parent; changes in capital spending by the company's customers; the company's ability to obtain contracts from existing and new customers and perform under those contracts; structural changes in the industries in which the company operates; escalating costs associated with and the performance of fixed-fee projects and the company's ability to control its cost under its contracts; claims negotiations and contract disputes with the company's customers; changes in the demand for or price of oil and/or natural gas; protection of intellectual property rights; compliance with environmental laws; changes in government regulations and regulatory requirements; compliance with laws related to income taxes; unsettled political conditions, war and the effects of terrorism; foreign operations and foreign exchange rates and controls; the development and installation of financial systems; increased competition for employees; the ability to successfully complete and integrate acquisitions; and operations of joint ventures, including joint ventures that are not controlled by the company.

KBR's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, any subsequent Form 10-Qs and 8-Ks, and other Securities and Exchange Commission filings discuss some of the important risk factors that KBR has identified that may affect the business, results of operations and financial condition. Except as required by law, KBR undertakes no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason.

SOURCE KBR, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.kbr.com


NEW YORK and DENVER, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Kimmeridge Energy Management Company, LLC ("Kimmeridge" or the "Firm"), beneficial owners of 5.1% of the shares of common stock of PDC Energy, Inc. ("PDC" or the "Company") (NYSE: PDCE), announced that it has filed preliminary proxy materials with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") regarding the election of directors to PDC's Board of Directors in connection with the Company's 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. A copy of the preliminary proxy statement can be accessed here.

As detailed in the preliminary proxy statement, Kimmeridge is seeking to elect a slate of director candidates for the purpose of changing a minority of the Board to include a set of experienced industry professionals who think and act like shareholders. The Firm believes this result would create a catalyst for change, by messaging to management that shareholders can no longer sit back and accept sub-par performance when underlying assets have significant potential to create sustainable value and attractive returns.

Ben Dell, Founder and Managing Partner of Kimmeridge, said: "Over the coming weeks, we will directly engage in substantive and fact-based discussions with PDC's shareholders, who will have before them an exceptional opportunity to strengthen the performance and governance of their Company.

"Despite holding enviable assets in the Niobrara and Permian, PDC has, in our view and we suspect like-minded shareholders and observers, consistently delivered poor financial and operational performance across a host of critical metrics  with the CEO missing four out of five performance targets in 2018. At the same time, the Board not only failed to hold management accountable for this underperformance, but instead chose to reward the CEO with a shocking $6.97 million in compensation. As a result, PDC's shares have underperformed and are trading at a steep discount to their intrinsic value. Yet the Company's Board and management appear unwilling to meaningfully address the business' underlying problems, namely excessive SG&A, poor capital allocation, exorbitant compensation and failing execution  preventable and eroding issues.

"Electing experienced industry professionals, with a fresh perspective, will send a strong signal from the investment community that they want the Company to seriously consider taking required steps towards improving performance, maximizing shareholder value and, in turn, becoming an attractive investment opportunity."

Kimmeridge's Director Nominees:

Ben Dell is the founder of Kimmeridge where he leads the Firm's investment activities, including overseeing the screening and diligence of new geological opportunities as well as the negotiation and execution of investment strategies. Prior to founding Kimmeridge, Mr. Dell served as Co-Head of Energy Investments at AllianceBernstein and prior to that he was a Senior Equity Research Analyst for Oil and Gas E&P at Sanford Bernstein. Mr. Dell was also a member of British Petroleum's M&A and finance group. He received an undergraduate degree in Earth Sciences from St. Peter's College , Oxford.



is the founder of Kimmeridge where he leads the Firm's investment activities, including overseeing the screening and diligence of new geological opportunities as well as the negotiation and execution of investment strategies. Prior to founding Kimmeridge, Mr. Dell served as Co-Head of Energy Investments at AllianceBernstein and prior to that he was a Senior Equity Research Analyst for Oil and Gas E&P at Sanford Bernstein. Mr. Dell was also a member of British Petroleum's M&A and finance group. He received an undergraduate degree in Earth Sciences from , Oxford. Alice Gould is a member of the Board of Directors of CorePoint Lodging, Inc. (NYSE: CPLG), serving on its Compensation and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees. Alice previously led the Private Investments team at DUMAC, Inc., an investment office that manages over $18 billion for Duke University's endowment and other assets. Her responsibilities included the evaluation, selection, and monitoring of venture capital, leveraged buyout, credit, real estate, energy, and natural resources investments. She has also served on the advisory boards of over 20 private equity and real assets partnerships in the U.S. and abroad. Prior to joining DUMAC, Alice was a management consultant and worked for ten years at IBM in various management roles. Alice received a B.S. in Engineering from Duke University (magna cum laude) and an MBA from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University (Fuqua Scholar).



is a member of the Board of Directors of CorePoint Lodging, Inc. (NYSE: CPLG), serving on its Compensation and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees. Alice previously led the Private Investments team at DUMAC, Inc., an investment office that manages over for endowment and other assets. Her responsibilities included the evaluation, selection, and monitoring of venture capital, leveraged buyout, credit, real estate, energy, and natural resources investments. She has also served on the advisory boards of over 20 private equity and real assets partnerships in the U.S. and abroad. Prior to joining DUMAC, Alice was a management consultant and worked for ten years at IBM in various management roles. Alice received a B.S. in Engineering from (magna cum laude) and an MBA from The Fuqua School of Business at (Fuqua Scholar). James Adelson serves as the President and CEO of Nadel and Gussman, LLC, a fourth-generation family oil and gas business. He also serves as manager or managing partner of Nadel and Gussman's various energy affiliates, as well as Ellbar Partners, LLC, the family office entity that focuses on non-energy related opportunities. Jim is an experienced industry executive with over 30 years in oil and gas, including management, operational strategy, exploration and development, together with significant financial expertise in corporate finance, strategic planning and risk management. Jim received his B.A. in Economics from Cornell University .

About Kimmeridge Energy

Founded in 2012 by Ben Dell, Dr. Neil McMahon and Henry Makansi, Kimmeridge is an energy private equity firm focused on making direct investments in unconventional oil and gas assets in the U.S. Rather than partner with separate management teams, Kimmeridge identifies, owns and operates each of its assets directly, maintaining an in-house geology and operating team with experience across all major E&P functions.

Kimmeridge Contact:

Noam Lockshin

646.517.7251

[email protected]

Investor Contact:

Scott Winter / Jonathan Salzberger

Innisfree M&A Incorporated

212.750.5833

Media Contact:

Daniel Yunger / Cathryn Vaulman

Kekst CNC

212.521.4800

[email protected]

[email protected]

Legend

Kimmeridge and Benjamin Dell, Alice E. Gould, and James F. Adelson (collectively, the "Nominees," together with Kimmeridge, Kimmeridge Active Investments, LLC, Kimmeridge Chelsea, LLC, Alexander Inkster, Noam Lockshin, Henry Makansi and Neil McMahon, the "Participants") have filed a preliminary proxy statement with SEC on April 8, 2019 (the "Preliminary Proxy Statement"). The Participants further intend to file with the SEC a definitive proxy statement and accompanying form of proxy to be used in connection with the solicitation of proxies from the stockholders of PDC. All stockholders of PDC are advised to read the definitive proxy statement and other documents related to the solicitation of proxies by the Participants when they become available, as they will contain important information, including additional information related to the Participants. The definitive proxy statement and an accompanying proxy card will be furnished to some or all of the Company's stockholders and will be, along with other relevant documents, available at no charge on the SEC website at http://www.sec.gov/ .



Information about the Participants and a description of its direct or indirect interests by security holdings is contained in the Preliminary Proxy Statement. This document is available free of charge from the sources indicated above.

SOURCE Kimmeridge Energy Management Company, LLC
NEW YORK, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- National real estate investor and developer Lightstone announced the launch of a new platform to purchase telecommunications and technology real estate assets. With an initial allocation of $300 million, the platform focuses on acquiring existing but underutilized data centers and telecom infrastructure, existing technology-related real estate, and new development opportunities.

"As the use of cloud-based data skyrockets and growth of cloud platforms like Amazon and Google continues, there is overwhelming need for large-scale data center facilities that can support these providers and services," said David Lichtenstein, CEO of Lightstone. "We've launched the platform to capitalize on the opportunity to meet this demand."

Lightstone's platform will focus on both primary and secondary markets, including potential expansion into European markets. The company's investments will encompass underutilized data center facilities with anchor tenant sales and leasebacks from large enterprise companies, existing technology-related real estate that can support additional leases, and new development opportunities presented by the growth of tech giants and cloud providers.

In January 2019, the platform closed on its first development site, acquiring 2175 Martin Avenue in Santa Clara, California. The site will be a three-story, 88,000 square foot data center and is expected to be delivered as soon as early 2021. Santa Clara's advantageous utility power rates make it a highly sought after submarket by Silicon Valley data center end users. As a result, Santa Clara is one of the tightest data center markets in the country with extremely high barriers to entry.

Christopher Flynn has been named President of Lightstone Data Fund with responsibility for managing the fund and its technology-based assets. Mr. Flynn brings over 20 years of experience in the data real estate sector and a proven record of building data centers for EdgeConnex in 35 global locations within four years.

About Lightstone:

Lightstone, founded by David Lichtenstein, is one of the largest and most diversified privately held real estate companies in the United States. Lightstone is active in 28 states across the country, developing, managing and investing in all sectors of the real estate market, including residential, hospitality, commercial, and retail. With over 178 existing properties, Lightstone's over $6 billion portfolio currently includes over 4.5 million square feet of office, retail and industrial commercial properties, over 15,000 residential units, and 4,300 hotel keys. Lightstone also owns over 12,000 land lots across the country.

Headquartered in New York City, Lightstone continues to grow its development portfolio with over $3.5 billion currently under development in the residential and hospitality sectors spread across New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami.

Contact:

Teddy Wilson

212-704-4564

[email protected]

SOURCE Lightstone

Related Links

http://www.lightstonegroup.com


SALT LAKE CITY and SHANGHAI, April 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- LSK BioPharma (or "LSKB"), a US-based biopharmaceutical firm and Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine, Co., Ltd. (SHA:600276, or "Hengrui"), one of the largest and most innovative fully-integrated biopharmaceutical companies based in China, today announced that the Companies have received FDA clearance to initiate a clinical trial in the United States in first-line patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), evaluating the safety and efficacy of LSKB's rivoceranib, a selective VEGFR-2 inhibitor commonly known as apatinib, in combination with Hengrui's camrelizumab (SHR-1210), a humanized anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody currently under NDA review in China for classic Hodgkin's Lymphoma (cHL).

"We are happy with this important regulatory milestone in our global clinical collaboration," said Dr. Sung Chul Kim, LSKB's President. "We are enthusiastic to work with Hengrui to hopefully help more HCC patients through development of this combination therapy."

"As one of the leading biopharmaceutical companies in China, Hengrui is committed to developing breakthrough medicines for patients worldwide. This milestone is another step towards our mission. We look forward to working with LSKB to jointly make a difference for HCC patients around the world," said Dr. Piaoyang Sun, Chairman of Hengrui.

Currently, Hengrui is conducting an open-label, single arm multicenter phase 2 study (NCT03463876) to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the combination of camrelizumab and apatinib in patients with advanced HCC in China, where Hengrui has received approval of apatinib monotherapy for advanced gastric cancer. At ASCO 2018, it was reported that the objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were 50.0% and 85.7%, respectively, among 14 evaluated advanced HCC patients treated by camrelizumab in combination with apatinib in an open-label, phase 1 study in China (Xu et al., NCT02942329). In addition, camrelizumab and apatinib combination therapy is also being evaluated by Hengrui for multiple indications including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), small cell lung cancer (SCLC), and gastric cancer (GC) in China.

Based upon earlier studies, it is hypothesized that the combination of rivoceranib and camrelizumab may enhance the immune system, aiding the fight against cancer. In addition to the known anti-angiogenic effects of rivoceranib, it may also enhance camrelizumab's anti-tumor activity by normalizing tumor vasculature and reversing the tumor suppressive immune microenvironment.

About Rivoceranib (Apatinib)

Rivoceranib, also known as apatinib or Aitan (brand name) in China, is the first successful small-molecule angiogenesis inhibitor in gastric cancer. Rivoceranib is investigational outside of China including in the United States; and safety and efficacy have not been established. It acts by inhibiting angiogenesis, a critical process in cancer growth and proliferation. Specifically, rivoceranib selectively inhibits VEGFR-2 which mediates the primary pathway for tumor-mediated angiogenesis.

Hengrui, who owns the China rights to rivoceranib, received the approval from China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA, formerly known as CFDA) in 2014 to market the drug under the brand name Aitan in China for advanced gastric cancer. LSKB, which holds the global rights (ex-China), has completed enrollment of a global (12 countries including US, Japan, Korea, Italy, Germany, and Russia) phase 3 clinical trial of rivoceranib in advanced or metastatic gastric cancer patients. Rivoceranib (apatinib) is currently listed in 220 clinical studies on www.clinicaltrials.gov with over 20,000 patients enrolled or planned to be enrolled in trials targeting numerous cancers including GC, colorectal cancer (CRC), HCC, NSCLC, esophageal cancer, thyroid cancer, mesothelioma, and neuroendocrine tumors. It has also shown potential to improve outcomes in combination with chemotherapeutics and immunotherapy, as well as for maintenance therapy. LSKB has received notification designating rivoceranib as an orphan medicinal product for the treatment of gastric cancer from the European Commission in the European Union, the US FDA, as well as the MFDS in South Korea.

Rivoceranib was developed by Advenchen Laboratories in Southern California under the designation YN968D1. The compound was exclusively licensed to Hengrui in China (2005) and LSKB (2007) for rest of the world.

About Camrelizumab (SHR-1210)

Camrelizumab (SHR-1210) is an investigational humanized monoclonal antibody recognizing the programmed death-1 (PD-1) receptor. Camrelizumab functions as an immune checkpoint inhibitor by specifically blocking the interaction between PD-1 and PD-L1 and reversing the immunosuppressive signal of PD-1 on the T cell. Approximately 20 clinical trials on camrelizumab in multiple indications including lung cancer, liver cancer, gastric cancer, esophageal cancer, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, lymphoma, melanoma and other advanced solid tumors are being conducted in China and Australia as monotherapy or in combination with other therapeutic agents. A marketing application for camrelizumab for relapsed/refractory classic Hodgkin's Lymphoma was submitted by Hengrui to China NMPA, which was accepted in April 2018, and is currently under review.

About LSK BioPharma

LSKB is a privately-held biopharmaceutical company with offices in Utah, California, and South Korea. LSKB specializes in the clinical development of promising targeted therapies for unmet medical needs in cancer. LSKB's lead proprietary drug candidates is rivoceranib, a selective VEGFR-2 inhibitor which has demonstrated clinical efficacy in a variety of solid tumors. LSKB can be found on the web at www.lskbiopharma.com.

About Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine Co., Ltd.

Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine Co., Ltd., established in 1970, is a leading biopharmaceutical company based in China with annual net sales of over $2.2 billion in 2017. Hengrui is devoted to empowering healthier lives through research, with a team of over 20,000 employees in China, the United States, Australia, Japan and Germany. Hengrui currently has 4 China NMPA approved new molecular entities, 2 programs under China NDA as well as over 35 new molecular entities in clinical development in China, the United States, and Australia, across oncology, anesthesiology and pain management, immunology & inflammation, and cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. For additional information, please visit http://www.hrs.com.cn and https://www.hengruitx.com.

For LSKB:

Jenna Choi

Associate Manger, Corporate Strategy

[email protected]

For Hengrui:

Zhenyan Yan, Ph.D.

Global Business Development

+1.609.423.2155

[email protected]

SOURCE LSK BioPharma

Related Links

www.lskbiopharma.com


WOODLAND HILLS, Calif., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Luxury Experience & Co will present an interactive gifting lounge celebrating all things festival vibe on April 12th at the elite and sought-after 2009 West Elm House, just featured in Modernism Week. Luxury Experience & Co Music and Arts Festival Gifting Lounge is where celebrities and influencers will experience an unparalleled level of pampering while gearing up for the desert's top festival weekend.

LUXURY EXPERIENCE & CO ANNOUNCES THEIR MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL CELEBRITY & INFLUENCER GIFTING LOUNGE 2019 West Elm House Sets The Stage To Create the Top Desert Celebrity & Infuencer Experience

The Influencers lucky enough to be invited to the LE&Co event will be pampered by Bloomingdale's, gifted a five-star vacation to Turks and Caicos from Sail Rock Resorts, drink Bubbly with Tap Trailer, keep hydrated with Voss Water, and be gifted by over twenty five brands including ECO Daisy, High Beauty, Kind Body, Le Pain Quotidien, Sad Water, Luxendary, Martinelli's, Morning Recovery, My Saint My Hero Jewelry, Native, OLO, Rose Rockers Headphones, Salt and Soul Apparel, Sanuk Shoes, Som Sleep, Swimline, Yogaland, Trestique, W Hotel Scottsdale, Waffleye, YaYa & Co., YogaWorks, Coopers Hawk Winery & Restaurants, PLUS Products, Universal Yacht Services, and more.

LE & Co will set the tone of this exclusive experience at The West Elm House. The West Elm House 2019: The Seven-Eighty. Absolutely stunning concept home featured as part of Palm Springs Modernism Week 2019. The West Elm House 2019: The Seven-Eighty - is the third in a series of branded concept homes created to inspire and guide architecture and design enthusiasts when it comes to the art of modernizing an iconic Palm Springs home for the way we live today.

With the desert being a destination for music fans from across the globe, the lounge will offer an elevated destination for top talent coming out for the festivities, and guests will be walking away with gift bags totaling more than $30k.

About Luxury Experience & Co

Today's best brands align themselves with LE & Co Luxury Gift Lounges to get their products into the hands of the hottest names in film, television and sports. With years of experience in Public Relations, Events & Business Development they lead and develop effective key brand relationships. Recognizing the importance of brand awareness to their clients, LE & Co has now created a complete package of services to maximize their client's return on investment.

Contact:

Melissa McAvoy

3107798501

[email protected]

SOURCE Luxury Experience & Co
"BKM Sowan Horan welcomes Marci to our managerial team knowing our clients will benefit from the professionalism and experience that she brings with her," stated Timothy Horan, Senior Partner.

Marci received her Master's in Professional Accounting and BBA from Oklahoma State University. She is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Texas. Her professional credentials include affiliations with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants. Marci gives back to her local community by volunteering in the Plano public schools and is active in her local church.

BKM Sowan Horan is a full-service CPA firm with deep expertise in audit, tax and consulting. The elite group of professionals provides the best in class service and personal commitment to clients. Our partners bring together decades of public accounting experience and proven expertise in a diverse range of industries including natural resources, real estate, hospitality, healthcare, professional services, and investment management. In addition to its Dallas headquarters, BKMSH has offices in Austin and Puerto Rico. For more, visit https://www.bkmsh.com.

For additional information, please contact:

Daniele Cunningham

Practice Growth Officer

BKM Sown Horan, LLP

214-533-5932

[email protected]

SOURCE BKM Sowan Horan

Related Links

https://bkmsh.com


Findings of the Global Knowledge Index 2018 were announced at the event, where prominent Jordanian universities and 750 college students attended, exploring ways to improve Jordan's scores along the Index's seven sectors: pre-university education; higher education; vocational training; research, development, and innovation; information and communication technology; economics; and enabling environments.

Several workshops were announced as part of MBRF's "Know Talks" programme, launched by MBRF during the Knowledge Summit 2018. Meanwhile, Knowledge Week Jordan kicked off with a series of workshops at the Hashemite University and the University of Jordan, followed by a Knowledge Retreat for youth in all 12 provinces of the kingdom. An official spokesperson for the Jordanian Government asserted its intentions to benefit from the Retreat and the Knowledge Report to avoid falling behind on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, as did the Ministry of Culture.

Organised by the Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth and under the patronage of Jordanian Prime Minister H.E. Dr Omar Al Razzaz, the three-day Retreat urged participants to outline plans that address obstacles to establishing a knowledge-based society in Jordan, calling for a collaborative relationship between scientific research centres and knowledge institutions.

The workshop also shed light on the accomplishments of the UNDP-MBRF partnership, particularly, the Future of Knowledge Report, which provides a new data-powered knowledge-measuring tool, and a pilot survey covering 20 countries and exploring sectors that will shape the knowledge societies of the future.

The workshop concluded with a dialogue on "Media as a Source of Knowledge", and a discussion around Jordan's results in the Global Knowledge Index. MBRF and UNDP also announced that two of the teams participating in the workshop had won an opportunity to attend the Knowledge Summit 2019 in Dubai and participate in setting its topics of discussion.

The Knowledge Week initiative is a continuation of the Knowledge Summit and by taking the event around the world, MBRF and UNDP hope to spread the findings and recommendations of the Global Knowledge Index, and foster a meaningful exchange of knowledge, expertise, and best practices.

SOURCE Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation
YORBA LINDA, Calif., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Breaking from the traditional format of Liveyon's live 'Pure-Cast,' Liveyon founder and CEO sat down with his mother, Lois Christianson, in a heartfelt conversation on how stem cell treatment saved her life after a horrifying injury.

While already suffering from severe arthritis, Lois tore her ACL/MCL meniscusleaving her not only with excruciating pain but the thought of being wheelchair-bound for the rest of her life.

Liveyon Pure Cast - A Rare Success Story, Mother of Stem Cell CEO Interview. (E12) We broke the show format for a good reason today! In a rare and heartfelt interview, the mother of John Kosolcharoen, founder and CEO of the acclaimed stem cell manufacturing company Liveyon, reveals a vulnerable side to stem cell therapy.

For Lois, the next few years looked worrisome. She grappled with the idea of how major surgery and years of physical therapy could still leave her reliant on canes and walkers. But Kosolcharoen, who launched Liveyon in 2016, told his mom to fly out to California for stem cell treatment instead. A doctor injected stem cells below her kneecapand within 15 minutes, the severe pain was gone.

"Within a month or six weeks, I was walking pain-free two to three miles a day, and it just increased from there," Lois said. "You know stem cells are real. I think they're the way of the future, and I think regenerative medicine has a huge place in our aging population. It's remarkable."

But Lois' connection to Liveyon doesn't end with her remarkable recovery, as she continues to be an integral support system for John as a CEO and for the company.

She also played a major part in the rollout of Liveyon's Peer Series.

While the two sat in John's office one afternoon, the good news arrived: After two years of hard work, compliance for Liveyon's Peer Series was complete and it was ready to launch.

"As the CEO and founder of Liveyon and Liveyon labs, I said 'of course I want to be the first person that tries the new product, I'll take the first flagship injection,'" Kosolcharoen said at the time.

But, just as John was there for his mother when she suffered her knee injury, she was there for him, too.

"I said 'I have the least amount to lose, I'm the oldest and I believe this product is 100 percent pure,'" Lois recalled on the podcast. But if something is wrong, we can't afford to lose our CEO, so I'll be first."

While regenerative medicine is still an experimental field, Liveyon has been a pioneer in the stem cell industry and manufacturer of the highly acclaimed Liveyon Pure regenerative therapy umbilical cord stem cell product line.

The exclusive video series streams live every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning and features John Kosolcharoen, founder and chief executive officer of Liveyon and Dr. Alan Gaveck, director of education, Liveyon. Dr. Gaveck brings 13 years of experience in both clinical and surgical medical treatments and the two hosts' intellectual chemistry enhances the show's format, as they tackle groundbreaking topics and introduce experts in the field of regenerative medicine, including leading researchers and physicians.

Founded in 2016, Liveyon is pushing the boundaries of regenerative medicine with its innovative take on product research and development, manufacturing and distribution, and commitment to safety and transparency. Liveyon and Liveyon Labs Inc. are committed to achieving unparalleled stem cell potency through high live nucleated cell counts, while following validation protocols that produce an extremely consistent product for the most efficacious outcomes. The company's dynamic ability to adapt to changing market trends and execute on opportunities has fortified its exponential growth and the company is poised to continue making a huge impact in the industry 2019.

To stay up-to-date on the regenerative medicine industry and receive notices of free upcoming live streaming video events, please subscribe to 'Liveyon Pure-Cast.'

Media Contact:

James Buzzacco

844-548-3966

[email protected]

SOURCE Liveyon Labs
HUNTSVILLE, Ala., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- History-making rockets have been developed for nearly six decades at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and on April 6, 45 student teams from 20 states created their own history at the 2018-2019 Student Launch competition.

Completing its 19th year, Student Launch engages middle school, high school and college teams around the country through a comprehensive program that challenges the students to design, build and test a rocket and payload while meeting multiple documentation and review milestones with NASA rocketry experts. After eight months of designing, building, testing, launching and documenting, the preliminary winners of the annual challenge were announced at an awards ceremony April 6 at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville.

2019 Student Launch Preliminary Award Winners

Best Vehicle Design Award , presented to the team with the most creative, innovative and safety-conscious overall rocket design:

, presented to the team with the most creative, innovative and safety-conscious overall rocket design: 1st Place: Oregon State University , Corvallis, Oregon

,

2nd Place: Vanderbilt University , Nashville, Tennessee

,

3rd Place: University of Akron , Ohio

Safety Award , presented to the team that most successfully maximized safety and science value in its design:

, presented to the team that most successfully maximized safety and science value in its design: 1st Place: University of North Carolina  Charlotte, North Carolina



2nd Place: Vanderbilt University



3rd Place: University of Alabama in Huntsville , Alabama

Project Review Award , presented to the team with the best combination of written reviews and formal presentations:

, presented to the team with the best combination of written reviews and formal presentations: 1st Place: Vanderbilt University



2nd Place: University of North Carolina - Charlotte



3rd Place: Oregon State University

STEM Engagement Award (College Division) , presented to the team that best informed others about rocketry and other space-related topics:

, presented to the team that best informed others about rocketry and other space-related topics: 1st Place: Citrus College , Glendora, California

,

2nd Place: University of Akron



3rd Place: University of North Carolina  Charlotte

STEM Engagement Award (Middle/High School Division) , presented to the team that best informed others about rocketry and other space-related topics:

, presented to the team that best informed others about rocketry and other space-related topics: 1st Place: St. Vincent  St. Mary's High School, Akron, Ohio

St. Vincent  St. Mary's High School,

2nd Place: Madison West High School , Madison, Wisconsin

,

3rd Place: Plantation High School, Plantation, Florida

Altitude Award (College Division) , presented to the college or university team that comes closest to its declared target altitude on Launch Day:

, presented to the college or university team that comes closest to its declared target altitude on Launch Day: 1st Place: North Carolina State University , Raleigh, North Carolina  12 feet from predicted altitude

,  12 feet from predicted altitude

2nd Place: United States Naval Academy , Annapolis, Maryland  35 feet from predicted altitude

,  35 feet from predicted altitude

3rd Place: Oregon State University , 48 feet from predicted altitude

Altitude Award (Middle/High School Division) , presented to the middle or high school team that comes closest to its declared target altitude on Launch Day:

, presented to the middle or high school team that comes closest to its declared target altitude on Launch Day: 1st Place: Boy Scout Troop 17, Charlottesville, Virginia  187 feet from predicted altitude

Boy Scout Troop 17,  187 feet from predicted altitude

2nd Place: St. Vincent  St. Mary's High School  383 feet from predicted altitude

St. Vincent  St. Mary's High School  383 feet from predicted altitude

3rd Place: Madison West High School  468 feet from predicted altitude

Payload Design Award , presented to the team with the most creative and innovative payload design while maximizing safety and science value:

, presented to the team with the most creative and innovative payload design while maximizing safety and science value: 1st Place: University of North Carolina - Charlotte



2nd Place: Vanderbilt University



3rd Place: California State University  Long Beach, California

Social Media Award (College Division) , presented to the college or university team that has the most active and creative social media presence throughout the project year:

, presented to the college or university team that has the most active and creative social media presence throughout the project year: 1st Place: Auburn University , Auburn, Alabama

,

2nd Place: University of Massachusetts  Amherst, Massachusetts



3rd Place: Citrus College

Social Media Award (Middle/High School Division) , presented to the middle or high school team that has the most active and creative social media presence throughout the project year:

, presented to the middle or high school team that has the most active and creative social media presence throughout the project year: 1st Place: Boy Scout Troop 17

Boy Scout Troop 17

2nd Place: Madison West High School



3rd Place: Plantation High School

Rocket Fair Display Award (College Division) , presented to the college or university team that is judged by its peers to have had the best display at the Student Launch Rocket Fair:

, presented to the college or university team that is judged by its peers to have had the best display at the Student Launch Rocket Fair: 1st Place: Piedmont Virginia Community College , Charlottesville, Virginia

,

2nd Place: University of South Florida , Tampa

,

3rd Place: Oregon State University

Rocket Fair Display Award (Middle/High School Division) , presented to the middle or high school team that is judged by its peers to have had the best display at the Student Launch Rocket Fair:

, presented to the middle or high school team that is judged by its peers to have had the best display at the Student Launch Rocket Fair: 1st Place: Cedar Falls High School, Iowa

Cedar Falls High School,

2nd Place: St. Vincent  St. Mary's High School

St. Vincent  St. Mary's High School

3rd Place: Plantation High School

Best-Looking Rocket Award (College Division) , presented to the college or university team that is judged by their peers to have had the best-looking rocket:

, presented to the college or university team that is judged by their peers to have had the best-looking rocket: 1st Place: University of South Florida



2nd Place: Piedmont Virginia Community College



3rd Place: (Tie) University of North Carolina  Charlotte

(Tie) 

University of Akron

Best-Looking Rocket Award (Middle/High School Division) , presented to the middle or high school team that is judged by its peers to have had the best-looking rocket:

, presented to the middle or high school team that is judged by its peers to have had the best-looking rocket: 1st Place: Boy Scout Troop 17

Boy Scout Troop 17

2nd Place: Cedar Falls High School

Cedar Falls High School

3rd Place: (Tie) St. Vincent  St. Mary's High School

(Tie) St. Vincent  St. Mary's High School

Plantation High School

Team Spirit Award (College Division) , presented to the college or university team that is judged by its peers to have had the best team spirit on launch day:

, presented to the college or university team that is judged by its peers to have had the best team spirit on launch day: 1st Place: Piedmont Virginia Community College



2nd Place: Lipscomb University , Nashville, Tennessee

,

3rd Place: Auburn University

Team Spirit (Middle/High School Division) , presented to the middle or high school team that is judged by its peers to have had the best team spirit on launch day:

, presented to the middle or high school team that is judged by its peers to have had the best team spirit on launch day: 1st Place: Boy Scout Troop 17

Boy Scout Troop 17

2nd Place: Cedar Falls High School

Cedar Falls High School

3rd Place: St. Vincent  St. Mary's High School

Judges' Choice Award , presented to the middle or high school team that is selected by a secret panel of judges to have had the most creative payload, best design and workmanship of its rocket and best engagement with the rocket fair crowd. This includes a $2,000 prize from the National Space Club:

, presented to the middle or high school team that is selected by a secret panel of judges to have had the most creative payload, best design and workmanship of its rocket and best engagement with the rocket fair crowd. This includes a prize from the National Space Club: 1st Place: Cedar Falls High School

Cedar Falls High School

2nd Place: St. Vincent  St. Mary's High School

St. Vincent  St. Mary's High School

3rd Place: North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics , Durham, North Carolina

The overall winners of Student Launch will be announced in early May, as the final calculations are still under review for accuracy. This will include the first- through third-place teams, as well as the rookie award winner, with the first-place winner receiving a $5,000 prize from sponsor Northrop Grumman and the second-place winner receiving a $2,500 prize from the National Space Club.

About the Competition

Completing its 19th year, Student Launch engages middle school, high school and college teams around the country through an eight-month program that challenges the students to design, build and test a rocket and payload while meeting multiple documentation and review milestones with NASA rocketry experts. The process is designed to resemble the real-world process NASA and industry engineers use when developing new rockets, payloads and hardware.

For the 2018-2019 competition, teams were no longer challenged to reach one mile in altitude. Instead, they had to predict the altitude their rocket would fly to months ahead of the competition launch day. The team in each division that came closest won the altitude award.

The custom-built rockets also carried payloads. College and university teams had to select one of two payload options to develop and fly: a rover that deployed from the rocket after landing, drove 10 feet and collected a soil sample or a drone that deployed from the rocket, flew and deployed a navigational beacon. Middle school and high school teams could select one of the college division payloads or they could choose to investigate a scientific or engineering question of curiosity to them.

The young rocketeers carry on the legacy, dream and ambition that fifty years ago put the first humans on the Moon during the Apollo program.

For more information about NASA's Student Launch, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/education/studentlaunch

Archived launch-day footage is available on NASA's Student Launch Facebook account:

https://www.facebook.com/NASAStudentLaunch/

SOURCE NASA

Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov


Award-winning social content marketing company to accelerate product innovation, drive international expansion, and develop an interactive Cool Japan Ecosystem that brings Japanese culture to a new generation of consumers.

SINGAPORE, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Clozette, a transformative new media company that inspires and engages contemporary women with award-winning content centered on beauty, fashion, travel and wellness, announced today an investment of US$10 million in Series C funding from Cool Japan Fund, a public-private fund under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan (METI) that provides risk capital for businesses with the aim of commercialising the "Cool Japan" concept.

Founded in 2010, Clozette pioneered a new category of storytelling that marries the best of editorial authority with the authenticity of curated user-generated content. With a rapidly-growing team of over 90 employees operating in South East Asia and Japan, Clozette delivers game-changing brand content that incorporates original work created by an expansive network of more than 3,500 creators and talents boasting a collective social reach that exceeds 600 million. The company has worked with more than 300 brands and media agencies that include Estee Lauder, Shiseido, Amore Pacific, Zalora, Charles & Keith, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, Beiersdorf, GroupM, IPG Mediabrands, and Omnicom Media Group.

As marketers evolve from an ad-centric approach towards one that is more story-driven in nature, this new round of investment will fuel and cement Clozette's momentum and leadership in the social content marketing space. The new funding will be used to scale the company's proprietary data-driven content and analytics platform, expand its presence in new markets beginning with Thailand, and develop an interactive Cool Japan Ecosystem.

"This investment from Cool Japan Fund solidly validates Clozette's vision of authentic content marketing taking center stage. Content is king  consumers today are blocking ads but consuming content at unprecedented rates on their platform of choice. In the same breath, they demand more authenticity, interactivity and mobility in their experience. Marketers must embrace this pivotal shift in media consumption behaviours in order to keep up with generational shifts in perception," said Roger Yuen, CEO of Clozette.

This Series C round of funding follows a period of rapid growth and profitability for Clozette, with revenue in 2018 growing more than 140 percent over the past year, driven by the 200 percent growth of its subsidiary in Indonesia  the 4th largest country in the world with a population of over 260 million, the majority of which is under the age of 35.

"We are impressed by Clozette's management team of digital veterans and entrepreneurs, and excited to work with them as the company accelerates the transformation of digital and traditional marketing in Asia and beyond," said Yuji Kato, COO and CIO of Cool Japan Fund.

"The DNA of the Clozette dovetails with Cool Japan Fund's mission to promote Japanese fashion, beauty, food, travel and lifestyle to consumers around the globe. Part of the investment will go towards the creation of a multi-lingual Cool Japan Ecosystem that enables the discovery of actionable and shoppable 'cool' content about Japan, leveraging the company's unique storytelling capabilities and network of talents to attract a new generation of fans of Japanese culture in the region and beyond," he added.

The interactive Cool Japan Ecosystem by Clozette is scheduled to launch in June 2019.

Existing investors in the company include Phillip Private Equity and Walden International.

About Clozette

Clozette is a transformative new media company enabling brands to inspire and engage with contemporary women through a full suite of transformative digital marketing solutions and omni-channel experiences centered on the creation, distribution and amplification of award-wining content that fuses its editorial authority with the original works of an expansive network of creators and talents that spans over 600 million social reach. The company is venture-backed by Walden International, Phillip Private Equity and Cool Japan Fund.

About Cool Japan Fund

Cool Japan Fund was founded in November 2013 as a public-private fund with the aim of supporting and promoting the development of overseas demand for excellent Japanese products and services. Cool Japan Fund aims to commercialize the "Cool Japan" and increase overseas demand by providing risk capital for businesses across a variety of areas, including media & content, food & services, and fashion & lifestyle.

SOURCE Clozette
NAPLES, Fla., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- New government research grant funds targeted at infectious agents will accelerate investigations into the possible roles of germs in triggering or promoting Alzheimer's disease," says Leslie Norins, MD, PhD, CEO of Alzheimer's Germ Quest, Inc.

The new monies were made known to scientists through a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-AG-19-012.html ) from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the NIH.

The NIA has "open-mindedly added microbes to the probes it is funding to investigate the causes of Alzheimer's disease, and we congratulate them," says Dr. Norins. He believes this is the first time infectious agents have been spotlighted as worthy of study in Alzheimer's via the FOA mechanism.

Dr. Norins says this new NIA funding is especially noteworthy, as the NIH is by far the largest funder in the world of Alzheimer's research. "Therefore, it would be peculiar if Alzheimer's advocacy groups did not consider this new NIA recognition in their own decisions about priorities for research funding."

"This is something of a renaissance for viruses, bacteria, and other microorganisms," says Dr. Norins, as "even way back in Dr. Alois Alzheimer's day, 1907, his contemporary, Dr. Oskar Fischer, attributed the disease to a germ."

However, these early findings were minimized or forgotten, as scientists focused on the so-called "amyloid hypothesis," because of the obvious amyloid plaques prominent in the brains of Alzheimer's patients examined post-mortem.

Dr. Norins credits a "hardy band of dedicated researchers" for continuing investigations of germs despite minimal grant funding, and "keeping the flame alive" until the current reawakening of interest. He says, "They can all take a well-deserved bow."

He says that if one or more microbes is proven causative for Alzheimer's, that will open the way to a simpler blood test, a drug treatment with some kind of antibiotic, or even a vaccine.

Alzheimer's Germ Quest, Inc. is an independent public benefit corporation headquartered in Naples, Florida. It sponsors the $1 Million challenge award for the scientist who provides persuasive evidence that a microbe causes Alzheimer's disease. It is self-funded, and neither solicits nor accepts outside donations or grants.

SOURCE Alzheimer's Germ Quest, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.alzgerm.org


NEW YORK, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The City of New York, Manhattan District Attorney, Seven New York State Court Justices and other officials were sued for deprivation of rights under the color of law a civil violation under the law (42 U.S. Code  1983) and a criminal violation under the law (18 U.S. Code  242). The Civil Rights Complaints, Penn v. City of New York, et. al., 19-cv-02106 (under 42 U.S. Code  1983) and Penn v. Amelia Cottrell, et. al., 19-cv-02741 (under Bivens1) alleges that an indictment dated February 10, 2014 (New York Supreme Court Indictment #073/2014) and conviction of Lawrence E. Penn III, the Founder of Private Equity firm, The Camelot Group was unlawful from the very beginning. Civil Rights and Bivens actions allege that members of the Securities and Exchange Commission submitted a Complaint to the Manhattan District Attorney with false statements on January 30, 2014 resulting in an unlawful larceny-based indictment under the color of law in order to gain a civil case benefit by use of an unlawful conviction. The false statements included:

"representing that Penn received a master's degree from UMUC Europe when he did not." Penn clearly did receive the 3 master's degrees including the 2 in question as evidenced by the record. "CASO Management had precluded investors in the fund from redeeming their interests." According to the Partnership Agreement in which Penn operated as the General Partner (Document #122, Exhibit 3), there is no "redemption clause" and Mr. Penn actually approved a transfer on May 4, 2011 .

COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK CLARIFIED LARCENY STATUE BY DECLARATORY DECREE TO JUDGES AND PROSECUTORS: JOINT OR COMMON OWNERS CANNOT BE CHARGED OR FOUND GUILTY OF LARCENY

The lawsuits allege that the top count of larceny and the associated counts which rely on larceny are in direct violation of statutory and common law as decided by the Court of Appeals of the State of New York (the highest court in New York State) which ruled by declaratory decree over 25 years ago in long-established law in People v. Zinke, 556 N.Y.S.2d 11, 76 N.W.2d 8 (1990), that a "general partner in limited partnership cannot be found guilty of larceny for misappropriating partnership funds" because they are joint or common owners. Specifically, it is unlawful to charge a joint or common owner with interests in rights to distributions in limited partnership with larceny.

Judge Judith Kaye, the first woman to serve as chief judge of the Court of Appeals of the State of New York, made several points clarifying the larceny statute in People v. Zinke, 76 N.Y.2d 8 (1990), (1) "general partner in a limited partnership cannot be found guilty of larceny for misappropriating partnership funds," (2) the Court specifically ruled "the subject of partnership defalcations to be addressed by any other penal provisions..or by civil litigation," (3) the Court specifically ruled that the standard is "joint or common" owners.."could not be prosecuted for larceny even if he had misappropriated partnership property." (4) the Court specifically stated that "Commission that drafted article 155--the purpose of this provision was to continue in force what "has long been the law of New York" that "a partner who appropriates partnership property is not guilty of larceny from his co-partners," (5) the Court specifically stated that "Regularly a man cannot commit felony of goods, wherein he hath a property," (6) the Court specifically ruled in Zinke that "Thus, it is clear that, in New York, partners (because they are joint or common beneficial owners) cannot be charged with larceny for misappropriating firm assets," and (7) The Court specifically ruled in Zinke that "The important point is that limited partnerships are partnerships in the eyes of the law of this State, and as such they come within the rule that partners (joint or common beneficial owners) cannot be guilty of larceny when they steal from them."

MR. PENN WAS A JOINT AND COMMON BENEFICIAL OWNER OF RIGHTS TO DISTRIBUTIONS FROM THE LIMITED PARTNERSHIP AND ACTING GENERAL PARTNER BY VIRTUE OF HIS INVESTED CAPITAL AND MANAGEMENT RIGHTS SIMILARLY SITUATED TO OTHERS

Mr. Penn, a joint and common beneficial owner with interests in rights to distributions in the limited partnership and the sole acting General Partner in the Limited Partnership called Camelot Acquisitions Secondary Opportunities, LP. Like other General Partners around the country, Mr. Penn established the Partnership, raised all the money, invested the capital, and met the contractual essence of the Partnership Agreement. The Complaints allege that the larceny-based indictment has no basis in law, was used to justify an arrest warrant and a bail of $2.5 million at arraignment as evidenced by Hearing Minutes.

The Securities and Exchange Commission acknowledges in a February 22, 2019 letter that, "From 2007 through 2014, he [Mr. Penn] was the general partner of Camelot Acquisitions Secondary Opportunities, LP (the Fund)." As part of Mr. Penn's plea, he was required to forfeit his beneficial ownership in the partnership based on the money he put in the partnership . Obviously, you can't forfeit something you do not own. Complaints alleges that the courts knew Mr. Penn was an owner and that his money was in the partnership.

MR. PENN WAS KNOWN AS A COMMUNITY LEADER WITH A SPOTLESS RECORD, MODEL CITIZEN WHO SUPPORTED VETERANS, WOMEN AND MINORITY CAUSES

The lawsuits allege Mr. Penn was detained in Manhattan Detention Center (MDC) for 14 months under the color of state law from February 10, 2014 to at least March 16, 2015, where a plea under the color of state law was entered. Mr. Penn states, "his plea and conviction are unconstitutionally void and invalid" because he was not informed of the law after direct inquiries to his defense attorney Benjamin Brafman. Prior to his incarceration, Mr. Penn had never been arrested, let alone detained or incarcerated. On the contrary, Mr. Penn is a former military officer who served honorably in the U.S. Army after graduation from the United States Military Academy at West Point with 3 masters' degrees to include a Columbia MBA, executive education from Harvard, Peking, Oxford and Dartmouth, as well as 20 years of professional management, executive experience in private equity, mergers and acquisitions, and community leadership. He was one of the pioneer private equity secondary market.

NEW YORK STATE JUSTICES RELIED ON COERCED PLEA FROM ALLEGEDLY TORTURED VETERAN

Complaint alleges that a co-defendant was essentially tortured in Riker's Island based on statements in a related Civil Rights Complaint in the United States District Court in the Southern District of New York Case Number 1:17-cv-01116 (NRB) Document #1 (the "Related Civil Rights Complaint") and prior to these events, had never been arrested, let alone detained or incarcerated in any jail or correctional facility and was also a veteran who served honorably in the U.S. Army. Mr. Ewers, represented by Carmen Jack Giordano, Esq. was detained at Rikers Island, and transferred by Department of Corrections employees, officers, and administrators to George Motchen Detention Center which was described as a "gang house" with various gangs including "La Patria."

Mr. Ewers, as alleged in the Related Civil Rights Complaint, was targeted by "threats of physical violence" with a "shank" which resulted in an "attack" resulting in "severe" fractures and other injuries," and other traumatic injuries to include "blindness" nerve damage "behind his right eye" multiple "seizures" loss of balance and "control of his bowel and bladder functions." Related Complaint also alleges his "pleas" for medication were refused, and "employees and agents" at the facility pushed their hands inside of his rectum and "forced a catheter" into Mr. Ewers "urethra, causing excruciating pain." Complaints allege that Judge Laura Ward established an excessive bail to non-violent African-American veterans and successful businessmen, who honorably served in the U.S. Army, with no prior history in the criminal justice system.

As stated in the Civil Rights Complaint, Mr. Ewers "vehemently protested his innocence and plead guilty on or about December 18, 2014 due to "the inhumane lack of medical treatment" and his physical and medical injuries which are described as "catastrophic." Mr. Ewers as evidenced by Mr. Penn's Complaint (Exhibit E), entered a motion to withdraw his plea through his counsel David B. Krauss, Esq. on or about January 23, 2015 to Judge Ward. The reasons for withdrawing his plea to include, 1) that he did not enter into the plea "voluntarily," 2) On November 23, 2014 he was unjustifiably severely beaten, viciously attacked and 3) did not receive adequate medical attention or protection from corrections officials. In light of these circumstances Judge Ward denied the motion to withdraw his plea on February 17, 2015.

LAWSUITS ALLEGE RECORD, FACTS AND LAW ARE CLEAR: NEW YORK OFFICE OF PERKINS COIE, LLP REPRESENTED MR. PENN PRO BONO FOR 2 YEARS REFUTING THE VALIDITY OF THE CONVICTION

Lawsuits allege that Appellate Division First Department's ruling defies the record, facts, law and logic. as implied by. Mr. Penn was represented by Keith Miller, Esq. and Jalina Hudson, Esq. of the New York office of Perkins Coie, LLP who represented him in the appellate courts. On October 24, 2017, in a letter from Perkins Coie, LLP, his counsel specifically states, "Here, it is undisputed that Mr. Penn was the sole owner a single member LLC (SMLLC) that was named as the "general partner" of the limited partnershipthe founding documents establish that 100% of the beneficial ownership partnership interest which was imputed to Mr. Penn. Thus, Mr. Penn owned everything that the LLC owned, including the ownership interest in the limited partnership. Indeed, as a result of his conviction Mr. Penn was required to forfeit his ownership interest in the limited partnership . As such, Mr. Penn's conviction of larceny should be vacated, just as the defendant in Zinke 's conviction of larceny was vacated by this Court."

Mr. Penn states that, "he is thankful for the support by Keith Miller, Esq. and Jalina Hudson, Esq. of the New York office of Perkins Coie, LLP who represented him in the appellate courts as well as West Point graduates and friends." Mr. Penn also states that "the facts and the law on the face of the court records are clear and require that the appellate courts, particularly, the Court of Appeals of the State of New York hear the case on the merits." The lawsuits allege that given the long-standing larceny exemption as clearly interpreted by the Court of Appeals of the State of New York, his answers in the plea could not constitute and were not sufficient to maintain a larceny-based conviction beyond a reasonable doubt. Mr. Penn was housed in MDC for 14 months even though he had never been in contact with the criminal justice system in his entire life and served 2 years. In an email, Judge Ward acknowledged to officers of the Court that Mr. Penn "clearly has touched a number of lives" but that "I do not think that Mr. Penn should be permitted to retain any interest in the Fund" and signed the email with her initials "LAW." The Complaint alleges that Judge Laura A. Ward actions were in direct conflict with the LAW.

JOINT AND COMMON OWNERS IN THE PARTNERSHIP REFUTE VALIDITY OF CONVICTION

Complaints allege that the conviction also defies what the investors (the head of the limited partner advisory board) wrote the Court in regarding the Limited Partnership Agreement, in a sworn affidavit March 28, 2018 states, "The $9.2 million in question is part of the $123 million of committed capital in the Partnership and my understanding of the LPA was that it should be interpreted taking the entire agreementthe $9.2 million were not ill-gotten gains and was to be used by Mr. Penn at his discretion."

LAWSUIT ALLEGES THAT MR. PENN'S PLEA DID NOT FORFEIT HIS RIGHT BY FEDERAL LAW TO APPEAL AND TO BE HEARD ON THE MERITS BY AN IMPARTIAL TRIBUNAL, BECAUSE CLAIMS IMPLICATE THE POWER OF THE STATE TO CONVICT

Mr. Penn's Civil Rights Complaint alleges that on March 16, 2015, Plaintiff was coerced to answer "yes" to plea questions at the threat of physical harm similar to his co-defendant Mr. Ewers. On April 20, 2015, the Complaint alleges Mr. Penn signed an insufficient forfeiture statement that required him to give up his interest in the Partnership based on a top charge of larceny in violation of a longstanding rule or custom under statutory and common law.

Judge Karla Moskowitz of the Appellate Division First Department which covers Manhattan certified that there were "questions of law or fact involved which ought to be reviewed" and her own colleagues (those getting sued) defied her and the U.S. Supreme Court by ruling that "By pleading guilty, [Mr. Penn] automatically forfeited appellate review of his claim that he was an owner of the stolen property and thus could not be guilty of larceny" quoting People v. Levin 57 NY2d 1008 (1982) which is impaired by U.S. Supreme Court rulings in Class v. United States, 583 U.S. ____ (2018) (quoting United States v. Broce, 488 U. S. 563 (1989), which states that the U.S. Supreme "Court repeated that a guilty plea does not bar a claim on appeal "where on the face of the record the court had no power to enter the conviction or impose the sentence" 488 U. S., at 569). U.S. Supreme Court stated that,

"When reversing the intermediary appellate court's decision in Class, the Supreme Court explicitly refers to, and re-affirms, its rulings in Blackledge v. Perry, 417 U.S. 21 (1974) and Menna v. New York, 423 U.S. 61 (1975), which both held that a defendant who pleads guilty can still raise on appeal any constitutional claim that does not depend on challenging his "factual guilt." Simply put, where the appellate claim implicates "the very power of the State" to prosecute the defendant, a guilty plea cannot by itself bar it. Blackledge, 417 U. S. at 30. Here, Mr. Penn argued precisely that on appeal-that the State did not have the authority to charge him with larceny in light of his joint or common ownership in the limited partnership at issue."

COMPLAINTS ALLEGE NON-JUDICIAL ACTIONS BY STATE JUDGES AND PROSECUTORS SHOWING THAT QUALIFIED AND ABSOLUTE IMMUNITY MUST FALL

The Complaints allege that both state and federal judges must uphold New York State law and declaratory decrees and that Federal Judges reliance on an unlawful conviction "on its face" is unconstitutional. Judge Valerie E. Caproni was assigned to both civil rights cases to include the Bivens action where she is a defendant in clearly conflict with law. Mr. Penn entered a motion for disqualification of Judge Caproni, a motion to e-File, and memorandum of law in response to Judge Caproni's order to show cause. Without answering either the motion for disqualification or motion to e-File, the case was transferred from Judge Caproni to Judge Jesse E. Furman the same day. In a rare move and within just hours, Judge Furman moved to dismiss the action by responding to Judge Caproni's order to show cause. Mr. Penn states that, "although I have been able to e-File in the past in SDNY based on completing requisite requirements, it appears the court is making it difficult for me by preventing equal access to electronic filing in this case." Mr. Penn states that unlike SDNY, "both New York State Courts and the United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit Court allow equal access to e-filing in a non-discriminatory manner

Mr. Penn states that, "I will submit the requisite motions to disqualify and appeal under Rule 60(b) and hope that this case receives the fair and appropriate attention from key leaders to include the general partners in limited partnership community, Governor Cuomo, state legislators, federal officials, Chief Judge Colleen McMahon of SDNY, Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and President Trump. The civil rights actions implicate clear violations of law under 42 U.S. Code  19832 and 18 U.S. Code  2423 by prosecutorial and judicial actors. Letters referring the cases to several federal and state officials were sent out to New York State legislators, Chief Judge Colleen McMahon of SDNY, U.S. Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of the Judiciary Committee, Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and President Trump.

The lawsuits bring to light unequal treatment of African-American litigants, wrongful convictions of U.S. veterans who honorably serve, the shortcomings of state level plea deals, unfair treatment of those who defend themselves, deprivations of immunities and privileges under long-established law as well as questions as to when immunity falls for state and federal prosecutorial and judicial officials.

Press inquiries can be sent to Goldman McCormick Public Relations at https://goldmanmccormick.com/ [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected].

1 Bivens v. Six Unknown Agents of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, 403 U.S. 338 (1971)

2 42 U.S. Code  1983. CIVIL ACTION FOR DEPRIVATION OF RIGHTS. Section 1983 of Title 42 states that "Every person who, under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage, of any State or Territory or the District of Columbia, subjects, or causes to be subjected, any citizen of the United States or other person within the jurisdiction thereof to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws, shall be liable to the party injured in an action at law, suit in equity, or other proper proceeding for redress, except that in any action brought against a judicial officer for an act or omission taken in such officer's judicial capacity, injunctive relief shall not be granted unless a declaratory decree was violated ." See also, Section 309 of the Federal Courts Improvement Act of 1996.

3 18 U.S. Code  242: DEPRIVATION OF RIGHTS UNDER THE COLOR OF LAW. Section 242 of Title 18 makes it a crime for a person acting under color of any law to willfully deprive a person of a right or privilege protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States. For the purpose of Section 242, acts under "color of law" include acts not only done by federal, state, or local officials within their lawful authority, but also acts done beyond the bounds of that official's lawful authority, if the acts are done while the official is purporting to or pretending to act in the performance of his/her official duties. Persons acting under color of law within the meaning of this statute include police officers, prisons guards and other law enforcement officials, as well as judges , care providers in public health facilities, and others who are acting as public officials. It is not necessary that the crime be motivated by animus toward the race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin of the victim. The offense is punishable by a range of imprisonment up to a life term, or the death penalty, depending upon the circumstances of the crime, and the resulting injury.

42 U.S. Code  1983

Defendants Bivens

Defendants CITY OF NEW YORK

MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY

CYRUS VANCE

LAURA A. WARD

JOHN W. SWEENY, JR

DIANNE T. RENWICK

BARBARA R. KAPNICK

CYNTHIA S. KERN

PETER H. MOULTON

ROWAN WILSON AMELIA COTTRELL

MICHAEL J. OSNATO

THOMAS P. SMITH

HOWARD FISCHER

KAREN E. WILLENKEN

KAREN S. BROMBERG

CAROL FOX FOELAK, ALJ

JAMES E. GRIMES, ALJ

VALERIE E. CAPRONI, USDJ

SOURCE The Camelot Group

Related Links

http://www.thecamelotgroup.com


JUNO BEACH, Fla., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) today announced that it plans to report first-quarter 2019 financial results before the opening of the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday, April 23, 2019, in a news release to be posted on the company's website at www.NextEraEnergy.com/FinancialResults. The company will issue an advisory news release over PR Newswire the morning of April 23, with a link to the financial results news release on the company's website. As previously communicated, the company will make available its financial results only on its website.

Jim Robo, chairman and chief executive officer of NextEra Energy, Rebecca Kujawa, executive vice president, finance and chief financial officer of NextEra Energy, and other members of the company's senior management team will discuss the company's first-quarter 2019 financial results during an investor presentation to be webcast live, beginning at 9 a.m. ET on April 23. Results for NextEra Energy Partners, LP (NYSE: NEP) also will be discussed during the same investor presentation.

The listen-only webcast will be available on NextEra Energy's website by accessing the following link: www.NextEraEnergy.com/FinancialResults. The financial results news release and the slides accompanying the presentation may be downloaded at www.NextEraEnergy.com/FinancialResults, beginning at 7:30 a.m. ET on the day of the webcast. A replay will be available for 90 days by accessing the same link as listed above.

NextEra Energy, Inc.

NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) is a leading clean energy company headquartered in Juno Beach, Florida. NextEra Energy owns two electric companies in Florida: Florida Power & Light Company, which serves more than 5 million customer accounts in Florida and is the largest rate-regulated electric utility in the United States as measured by retail electricity produced and sold; and Gulf Power Company, which serves more than 460,000 customers in eight counties throughout northwest Florida. NextEra Energy also owns a competitive energy business, NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, which, together with its affiliated entities, is the world's largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun and a world leader in battery storage. Through its subsidiaries, NextEra Energy generates clean, emissions-free electricity from eight commercial nuclear power units in Florida, New Hampshire, Iowa and Wisconsin. A Fortune 200 company and included in the S&P 100 index, NextEra Energy has been recognized often by third parties for its efforts in sustainability, corporate responsibility, ethics and compliance, and diversity. NextEra Energy is ranked No. 1 in the electric and gas utilities industry on Fortune's 2019 list of "World's Most Admired Companies" and ranked among the top 25 on Fortune's 2018 list of companies that "Change the World." For more information about NextEra Energy companies, visit these websites: www.NextEraEnergy.com, www.FPL.com, www.GulfPower.com, www.NextEraEnergyResources.com.

SOURCE NextEra Energy, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.nexteraenergy.com


JUNO BEACH, Fla., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- NextEra Energy Partners, LP (NYSE: NEP) today announced that it plans to report first-quarter 2019 financial results before the opening of the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday, April 23, 2019, in a news release to be posted on its website at www.NextEraEnergyPartners.com/FinancialResults. An advisory news release will be issued over PR Newswire the morning of April 23, with a link to the financial results news release on NextEra Energy Partners' website. As previously announced, NextEra Energy Partners will make available its financial results only on its website.

Jim Robo, chairman and chief executive officer of NextEra Energy Partners, Rebecca Kujawa, chief financial officer of NextEra Energy Partners, and other members of the senior management team will discuss the first-quarter 2019 financial results during an investor presentation to be webcast live, beginning at 9 a.m. ET on April 23. Results for NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) also will be discussed during the same investor presentation.

The listen-only webcast will be available on NextEra Energy Partners' website by accessing the following link: www.NextEraEnergyPartners.com/FinancialResults. The financial results news release and the slides accompanying the presentation may be downloaded at www.NextEraEnergyPartners.com/FinancialResults, beginning at 7:30 a.m. ET on the day of the webcast. A replay will be available for 90 days by accessing the same link as listed above.

NextEra Energy Partners, LP

NextEra Energy Partners, LP (NYSE: NEP) is a growth-oriented limited partnership formed by NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). NextEra Energy Partners acquires, manages and owns contracted clean energy projects with stable, long-term cash flows. Headquartered in Juno Beach, Florida, NextEra Energy Partners owns interests in wind and solar projects in the U.S., as well as natural gas infrastructure assets in Texas. The renewable energy projects are contracted, use industry-leading technology and are located in regions that are favorable for generating energy from the wind and sun. The seven natural gas pipelines in the portfolio are all strategically located, serving power producers and municipalities in South Texas, processing plants and producers in the Eagle Ford Shale, and commercial and industrial customers in the Houston area. The NET Mexico Pipeline, the largest pipeline in the portfolio, provides a critical source of natural gas transportation for low-cost, U.S.-sourced shale gas to Mexico. For more information about NextEra Energy Partners, please visit: www.NextEraEnergyPartners.com.

SOURCE NextEra Energy Partners, LP

Related Links

http://www.nexteraenergypartners.com


SAN FRANCISCO, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Panoply , the smart cloud data warehouse built for SMBs and startups, is happy to announce the release an update to the company's lightning fast data ingestion engine.

With the added performance, Panoply's customers now enjoy the quickest time to insights afforded to data consumers everywhere. After two years of successful results , garnering praise from customers and industry analysts alike , Panoply is launching a brand new version to the company's Data Ingestion Engine.

Panoply's Data Ingestion Engine is part of the company's patent-pending data management AI, which runs our built-in data ingestion process (see: ETL vs ELT ) for data sources connected to Panoply.

With Panoply's AI focused and machine learning (ML) powered optimizations, we've made data ingestion up to 3x faster.

"The Data Ingestion Engine is a cornerstone of Panoply's built-in ETL. We're constantly working on upgrades to ensure our clients continue to receive a smooth data ingestion experience as we continue to enhance reliability and performance."

- Roi Avinoam, Panoply Co-Founder and CTO

What does the Data Ingestion Engine mean for your business? A smarter, more responsive data platform

Using the updated Data Ingestion Engine means even more successful - and quicker, data source ingestions, resulting in overall quicker time to actionable insights. In short, your data pipeline will run even faster, getting you to business insights with lightning speed. This means all the teams and various lines of business at your company that rely on fresh and accurate data will continue to get the latest, most accurate data they need for their business decisions, but faster.



About Panoply

Panoply's mission is to make every business data-driven. That's why the company created the only data warehouse built for small businesses that automates all three key aspects of the data stack: ingestion, management, and query optimization. With Panoply, anyone can set up a data warehouse to collect and combine all their data in minutes, on their own, without help from IT or engineering. Panoply is based in San Francisco and Tel Aviv, is privately held and funded by investors such as Intel Capital, 500 Startups, Blumberg Capital and C5 Capital.

SOURCE Panoply

Related Links

https://www.panoply.io


HOUSTON, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Ontellus, the industry leading, nationwide full-service procurer of medical, billing, employment records and other claims related data services, announces today that it has acquired ChartSwap, a business to business (B2B) Health Information Exchange connecting a network of records providers with requestors.

ChartSwap is a HIPAA-Compliant, cloud-based, medical record exchange platform that allows for the transfer of medical records between registered users. Darren Klauser, Ontellus CEO

Chartswap provides hospitals and other medical care facilities with the ability to securely delivery patient records. From a single cloud-based platform, requestors can safely order, track and pay for records from any participating provider within the ChartSwap network.

"Retrieving and handling medical records can present many complex challenges," says Darren Klauser, CEO of Ontellus, "Having a digital platform that medical providers use to securely distribute records electronically will enable Ontellus to expedite the retrieval services that we provide our clients with today. This acquisition is consistent with our strategy to continue to expand our ecosystem supporting the entire supply chain of records procurement through data analysis."

ChartSwap CEO, Randy Haynes, founded the company in 2012 and was instrumental in laying the initial groundwork to establish ChartSwap's HIPAA compliance and technical safeguards for securely exchanging sensitive patient information. ChartSwap's extensive and growing provider network includes billing groups for hospital-based specialties, EMS groups, radiology, imaging, labs, physical therapists and a host of many other medical groups.

"Our goal at ChartSwap has always been to reduce the cost and time associated with requesting records and to become the universal platform for all third-party requests," says Haynes, "By combining the power of Ontellus with the ChartSwap network of over 17,000+ providers, requestors will experience record setting industry standards for available turnaround times."

Newton Ross will lead the ChartSwap Division for Ontellus and newly appointed Dawn Toups will lead the National Provider expansion of the ChartSwap network as Business Development.

About Ontellus

Ontellus empowers insurance carriers, self-insured corporations and law firms to reduce costs, make informed decisions and accelerate claims resolution. As the nation's largest, privately-held data retrieval and claims intelligence provider, Ontellus leverages decades of experience and cutting-edge technology to deliver impactful solutions within industry-leading turnaround times and the highest levels of security.

For Inquires:

Prairie Elliott, Director of MarketingOntellus

[email protected]om

713-858-3334

www.ontellus.com

www.chartswap.com





SOURCE Ontellus

Related Links

http://www.ontellus.com


LONDON, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Optima Partners, a leading global regulatory compliance firm, today announced that Director Sani Jackson has been promoted to Partner.

Ms. Jackson has led an impressive career in providing regulatory advisory services to hedge funds, private equity firms, investment banks, broker-dealers and other financial services firms across the globe.

Optima Partners Promotes Sani Jackson to Partner

Since she joined Optima, Ms. Jackson has played a vital role in delivering high quality compliance projects to clients, helping drive tremendous growth for the firm's UK office, and leading a team of talented and highly respected professionals.

Prior to joining Optima, Ms. Jackson held senior-level positions at Deloitte LLP, Deutsche Bank and Brevan Howard Asset Management LLP.

Optima Partners CEO Jonathan Saxton commented on Ms. Jackson's promotion: "As our organization continues to build a strong presence globally, it's imperative that we have the right people to take us to the next level of growth whilst ensuring that we continue to deliver for our clients. We have elevated Sani's role and responsibilities, as her valuable contributions to the firm have clearly demonstrated that she possesses the skills, leadership and vision required to help the firm continue to expand its market share in the years ahead."

Greg Worsfold, Founding Partner at Optima, commented: "We are extremely pleased to welcome Sani in her new role as a Partner with the firm. Sani's promotion is the direct result of her deep expertise and hard work in providing the best possible solutions to our European clients' compliance needs and her proven leadership skills. We are highly confident that Sani will prove to be successful in continuing to create value for our clients and helping lead the firm to greater global growth."

Shannon Horton, Director and Head of Optima's West Coast Office, added: "Sani's promotion to Partner further establishes an ongoing commitment to a diversified and inclusive culture within the organization. Leveraging the firm's deep bench of female leadership regionally and globally is highly critical to our continued success."

About Optima Partners

Optima Partners is a leading global regulatory compliance and risk management advisory firm providing streamlined and cost-effective services tailored to clients' individual needs. The firm provides a truly global service locally, achieved by ensuring that its industry recognized experts work closely with a diverse group of clients, ranging from hedge funds, private equity firms and investment banks. Optima Partners' unrivalled expertise in the global regulatory landscape, strong relationships with regulators, and a deep commitment to provide clear and practical counsel gives clients the services they need to meet the demands of a complex and dynamic financial regulatory environment. The firm currently advises more than 500 clients across its global offices in New York, San Francisco, London and Hong Kong. For more information on Optima Partners, go to the firm's website at www.optima-partners.com

Media Contact

Marc Weinstein

Ascent Communications

Email: [email protected]

Mobile: (908) 967-9958

SOURCE Optima Partners

Related Links

http://www.optima-partners.com


ORANGE, Calif., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Patrick A. McCall is recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Top Attorney in the field of Law at Law Office of Patrick A. McCall.

Representing the Orange County area of California, the Law Office of Patrick A. McCall is a family law firm representing cases involving divorce, child custody and visitation, child support, and domestic violence.

With over 40 years of experience in the legal field, Mr. McCall has taught college-level courses on family law and over 60 continuing education courses in family law for lawyers, judges, and accountants. Serving as a Professor at Saddleback Community College since 1983, Mr. McCall has also been consulted by the media on family law issues.

Maintaining a presence on the west coast, Mr. McCall is admitted to practice law in California (1983), U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit (1983), U.S. District Court Central District of California (1983), and U.S. District Court Eastern District of California (1984). As a Certified Family Law Specialist by the State Bar of California - Board of Specialization, Mr. McCall holds a rare distinction enjoyed by a very small fraction of lawyers in California.

Throughout his education and training, Mr. McCall received his Bachelor of Science degree from California State University and his Doctor of Jurisprudence from Western State University College of Law, Fullerton, California in 1982.

To further his professional development, Mr. McCall is affiliated with the California Bar Association and Orange County Bar Association. To give back, Mr. McCall's Pro Bono Activities include being a Human Options (Battered Women's Shelter) Lecturer from 1985 to Present and a Panelist at Youth At Risk, a televised program on battered Women in 1991.

Linguistically proficient, Mr. McCall speaks fluent English and Japanese.

For more information, please visit www.patrickmccall.com.

Contact: Katherine Green , 516-825-5634, [email protected]





SOURCE Continental Who's Who

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WASHINGTON, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Statement from Ted Okon, Executive Director, Community Oncology Alliance (COA):

Today's Senate Finance Committee hearing was a reminder that pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) refuse to acknowledge their responsibility for causing completely unnecessary pain and suffering to patients with cancer, while also fueling higher drug prices through manufacturer rebates and by extorting fees from pharmacy providers.

PBMs claim to be part of the solution to what ails our health care system, but over the last several years it has become increasingly clear that they are actually a big part of the problem of high drug prices while also hurting patients.

PBMs have a financial vested interest in the highest drug list prices possible in order to maximize the rebates they demand from drug manufacturers, through spread pricing, and via so-called "DIR Fees" they extort from pharmacy providers. PBMs sit in the shadows of our health care system and do nothing for patient care while siphoning off billions of dollars in fees and dictating patient access to care.

Perhaps most shockingly to health care providers, the PBM representatives testifying today failed to acknowledge the bureaucratic and nightmarish system they have inflicted upon patients with cancer and other serious diseases. Community oncology practices have reported hundreds of horror stories about the rogue behavior of PBMs and the torture they put patients with cancer through.

The horror stories that oncologists and pharmacists report are NOT one-off or rare. PBMs frequently delay filling prescriptions for life-saving medicines, deny medicine to cancer patients that their oncologists prescribe, and have even gotten so bold as to demand treatments not backed up by medical science.

The Community Oncology Alliance (COA) applauds the Senate Finance Committee for holding today's hearing but strongly recommends additional work be done to shine a strong light on PBM abuses in delaying and denying cancer patients critical medical care. We hope the House Energy & Commerce Committee will do the same by holding hearings focused entirely on PBMs.

After hearing the testimony of the PBM middlemen, we should all ask ourselves these four questions:

Why in the world would any corporation in the health care industry cruelly delay filling a prescription that could extend the life of a stage 4 metastatic breast cancer patient? Why in the world would a middleman health care corporation deny medicine that would help a hemophilia patient avoid bleeding out from a simple bruise? Why would a PBM recommend  and demand!  surgery for a patient that their oncologist and surgeon say is unnecessary and better treated with an oral drug? And Why in the world would a PBM allow a pediatrician to review treatment plans for cancer patients, second guessing the patient's oncologist?

The reason for PBMs' egregious behavior is simple: billions of dollars of profits are at stake. PBMs make enormous profits off of increasingly expensive cancer and other specialty drugs, even though they never take title to any drugs or assume any liability.

Make no mistake about it, the PBM industry is scared senseless that their house of cards will collapse as Congress, the White House, and federal agencies shine a light on their operations and business practices.

Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) had a great observation that PBM spread pricing is "as clear a middleman rip-off as you are going to find." PBM spread pricing is ripping off employers, state governments, and taxpayers who pay higher prices for prescriptions while PBMs pad their bottom lines. We agree that the HHS Inspector General should look into spread pricing practices and shed light on the secretive contracts and rebates that enable them.

Senator Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA) hits the nail on the head today describing the PBM system as "a reverse Robin Hood" with sick patients paying higher drug list prices to subsidize insurance premiums and PBM profit margins. This is the exact opposite of a normal, healthy insurance market. Sick cancer patients should not be paying more for their drugs to keep prices lower for healthy patients.

COA and the community oncologists it represents strongly supports the administration's proposal to effectively eliminate PBM rebates in Medicare and legislation to reign in PBM abuses. This includes recent legislation proposed by Senator Mike Braun (R-IN), that would bring needed price transparency to the prescription drug market and pass any discounts along directly to consumers.

Members of Congress, policymakers, and the American public at large should ask themselves: If you or your loved ones were facing cancer, would you want a PBM to be in charge of deciding your care? The answer is likely no. After all, who should benefit from lower prices and discounts on cancer drugs? A middleman corporation or a breast cancer patient fighting for her life?

About the Community Oncology Alliance: The Community Oncology Alliance (COA) is a non-profit organization dedicated solely to preserving and protecting access to community cancer care, where the majority of Americans with cancer are treated. COA leads community cancer clinics in navigating an increasingly challenging environment to provide efficiencies, patient advocacy, and proactive solutions to Congress and policymakers. To learn more about COA visit www.CommunityOncology.org. Follow COA on Twitter at www.twitter.com/oncologyCOA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CommunityOncologyAlliance .

SOURCE Community Oncology Alliance

Related Links

http://www.CommunityOncology.org


CALGARY, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Pembina Pipeline Corporation ("Pembina" or the "Company") (TSX: PPL;NYSE: PBA) announced today that its Board of Directors declared a common share cash dividend for April 2019 of $0.19 per share to be paid, subject to applicable law, on May 15, 2019 to shareholders of record on April 25, 2019. These dividends are designated "eligible dividends" for Canadian income tax purposes. For non-resident shareholders, Pembina's common share dividends should be considered "qualified dividends" and may be subject to Canadian withholding tax.

For shareholders receiving their common share dividends in U.S. funds, the April 2019 cash dividend is expected to be approximately U.S. $0.1426 per share (before deduction of any applicable Canadian withholding tax) based on a currency exchange rate of 0.7505. The actual U.S. dollar dividend will depend on the Canadian/U.S. dollar exchange rate on the payment date and will be subject to applicable withholding taxes.

Confirmation of Record and Payment Date Policy

Pembina pays cash dividends on its common shares in Canadian dollars on a monthly basis to shareholders of record on the 25th calendar day of each month (except for the December record date, which is December 31st), if, as and when determined by the Board of Directors. Should the record date fall on a weekend or a statutory holiday, the effective record date will be the previous business day. The dividend payment date is the 15th of the month following the record date. Should the payment date fall on a weekend or on a holiday the business day prior to the weekend or holiday becomes the payment date.

Pembina's Board of Directors also declared quarterly dividends for the Company's preferred shares, Series 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19 and 21. Series 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 21 preferred share dividends are payable on June 3, 2019 to shareholders of record on May 1, 2019. Series 15, 17 and 19 preferred share dividends are payable on July 2, 2019 to shareholders of record on June 17, 2019.

Series Dividend Amount Preferred Shares, Series 1 (PPL.PR.A) $0.306625 Preferred Shares, Series 3 (PPL.PR.C) $0.279875 Preferred Shares, Series 5 (PPL.PR.E) $0.312500 Preferred Shares, Series 7 (PPL.PR.G) $0.281250 Preferred Shares, Series 9 (PPL.PR.I) $0.296875 Preferred Shares, Series 11 (PPL.PR.K) $0.359375 Preferred Shares, Series 13 (PPL.PR.M) $0.359375 Preferred Shares, Series 15 (PPL.PR.O) $0.279000 Preferred Shares, Series 17 (PPL.PR.Q) $0.301313 Preferred Shares, Series 19 (PPL.PR.S) $0.312500 Preferred Shares, Series 21 (PPL.PF.A) $0.306250

Dividends on the preferred shares Series 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 21 are payable on the first day of March, June, September and December in each year, if, as and when declared by the Board of Directors to shareholders of record on the first day of the preceding month, or, if such payment or record date is not a business day, the next succeeding business day after the weekend or holiday. Dividends on the preferred shares Series 15, 17 and 19 are payable on the last day of March, June, September and December in each year, if, as and when declared by the Board of Directors to shareholders of record on the fifteenth day of the same month, or, if such payment or record date is not a business day, the next succeeding business day after the weekend or holiday.

Conference Call and Webcast Details for First Quarter 2019 Results

Pembina will release its first quarter 2019 results on Thursday, May 2, 2019 after markets close. A conference call and webcast have been scheduled for Friday, May 3, 2019, at 8:00 a.m. MT (10:00 a.m. ET) for interested investors, analysts, brokers and media representatives.

The conference call dial-in numbers for Canada and the U.S. are 647-427-7450 or 888-231-8191. A recording of the conference call will be available for replay until May 10, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. ET. To access the replay, please dial either 416-849-0833 or 855-859-2056 and enter the password 4976398.

A live webcast of the conference call can be accessed on Pembina's website at www.pembina.com under Investor Centre, Presentation & Events, or by entering:

https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/1880618/81FD9B5DBEEB0D2BF7D38CA19EDC43B7 in your web browser. Shortly after the call, an audio archive will be posted on the website for a minimum of 90 days.

Annual and Special Meeting of Common Shareholders and Special Meeting of Preferred Shareholders

The Company will hold its Annual and Special Meeting of common shareholders ("AGM") on Friday, May 3, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. MT (4:00 p.m. ET) in the Ballroom at the Metropolitan Conference Centre, 333  4th Avenue S.W., Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Company will hold its Special Meeting of Class A preferred shareholders on Friday, May 3, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. MT (3:00 p.m. ET) in the Grand Lecture Theatre at the Metropolitan Conference Centre, 333  4th Avenue S.W., Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

A live webcast of Pembina's AGM presentation can be accessed on Pembina's website at www.pembina.com under Investor Centre, Presentation & Events, or by entering:

https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/1937359/0069DA07C36B92C7D7AC740E7FE09605 in your web browser. Participants are recommended to register for the webcast at least 10 minutes before the presentation start time.

About Pembina

Calgary-based Pembina Pipeline Corporation is a leading transportation and midstream service provider that has been serving North America's energy industry for over 60 years. Pembina owns an integrated system of pipelines that transport various hydrocarbon liquids and natural gas products produced primarily in western Canada. The Company also owns gas gathering and processing facilities and an oil and natural gas liquids infrastructure and logistics business. Pembina's integrated assets and commercial operations along the majority of the hydrocarbon value chain allow it to offer a full spectrum of midstream and marketing services to the energy sector. Pembina is committed to identifying additional opportunities to connect hydrocarbon production to new demand locations through the development of infrastructure that would extend Pembina's service offering even further along the hydrocarbon value chain. These new developments will contribute to ensuring that hydrocarbons produced in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin and the other basins where Pembina operates can reach the highest value markets throughout the world.

Purpose of Pembina:

To be the leader in delivering integrated infrastructure solutions connecting global markets;

Customers choose us first for reliable and value-added services;





choose us first for reliable and value-added services; Investors receive sustainable industry-leading total returns;





receive sustainable industry-leading total returns; Employees say we are the 'employer of choice' and value our safe, respectful, collaborative and fair work culture; and





say we are the 'employer of choice' and value our safe, respectful, collaborative and fair work culture; and Communities welcome us and recognize the net positive impact of our social and environmental commitment.

Pembina's strategy is to:



Preserve Value by providing safe, environmentally conscious, cost-effective and reliable services;





by providing safe, environmentally conscious, cost-effective and reliable services; Diversify by providing integrated solutions which enhance profitability and customer service;





by providing integrated solutions which enhance profitability and customer service; Implement Growth by pursuing projects or assets that are expected to generate cash flow per share accretion and capture long-life, economic hydrocarbon reserves; and





by pursuing projects or assets that are expected to generate cash flow per share accretion and capture long-life, economic hydrocarbon reserves; and Secure Global Markets by understanding what the world needs, where they need it, and delivering it.

Pembina is structured into three Divisions: Pipelines Division, Facilities Division and Marketing & New Ventures Division.

Pembina's common shares trade on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges under PPL and PBA, respectively. For more information, visit www.pembina.com.

Forward-Looking Information and Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking information and statements (collectively, "forward-looking statements") that are based on Pembina's current expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends. In this news release, such forward-looking information and statements can be identified by terminology such as "should", "may", "will", "continue", "if", "to be", "expects", and similar expressions.

In particular, this news release contains forward-looking statements, relating to future dividends which may be declared on Pembina's common shares and preferred shares; the dividend payments and the tax treatment thereof; the timing for release of the first quarter 2019 results; and the timing of Pembina's annual and special meeting of common shareholders and special meeting of preferred shareholders. These forward-looking statements are being made by Pembina based on certain assumptions that Pembina has made in respect thereof as at the date of this news release, regarding, among other things: the ability of Pembina and any required third parties to effectively engage with stakeholders; oil and gas industry exploration and development activity levels; the success of Pembina's operations and growth projects; prevailing commodity prices, margins, volumes and exchange rates; that Pembina's future results of operations will be consistent with past performance and management expectations in relation thereto; the continued availability of capital at attractive prices to fund future capital requirements relating to existing assets and projects, including but not limited to future capital expenditures relating to expansion, upgrades and maintenance shutdowns; that any third party projects relating to Pembina's growth projects will be sanctioned and completed as expected; that any required commercial agreements can be reached; that all required regulatory and environmental approvals can be obtained on the necessary terms in a timely manner; that counterparties to material agreements will continue to perform in a timely manner; that there are no unforeseen events preventing the performance of contracts; that there are no unforeseen material construction, integrity or other costs related to current growth projects or current operations; and prevailing interest and tax rates.

Although Pembina believes the expectations and material factors and assumptions reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable as of the date hereof, there can be no assurance that these expectations, factors and assumptions will prove to be correct. Readers are cautioned that events or circumstances could cause results to differ materially from those predicted, forecasted or projected. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not occur, which may cause actual performance and financial results in future periods to differ materially from any projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and information. These known and unknown risks and uncertainties, include, but are not limited to: the regulatory environment and decisions; the ability of Pembina to raise sufficient capital (or to raise sufficient capital on favourable terms) to fund future expansions and growth projects and satisfy future commitments; failure to negotiate and conclude any required commercial agreements or failure to obtain project sanctioning; increased construction costs, or construction delays, on Pembina's expansion and growth projects; labour and material shortages; non-performance of agreements in accordance with their terms; the impact of competitive entities and pricing; reliance on key industry partners, alliances and agreements; the strength and operations of the oil and natural gas production industry and related commodity prices; the continuation or completion of third-party projects; actions by governmental or regulatory authorities including changes in tax laws and treatment, changes in royalty rates or increased environmental regulation; adverse general economic and market conditions in Canada, North America and elsewhere; construction delays; labour and material shortages; and certain other risks detailed from time to time in Pembina's public disclosure documents including, among other things, those detailed under the heading "Risk Factors" in Pembina's management's discussion and analysis and annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2018, which can be found at www.sedar.com.

The forward-looking statements are expressly qualified by the above statements and speak only as of the date of this document. Pembina does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or information contained herein, except as required by applicable laws.

SOURCE Pembina Pipeline Corporation

Related Links

http://www.pembina.com


BOCA RATON, Fla., April 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Pinnacle Investments, LLC ("Pinnacle"), a New York-based investment advisor/broker-dealer, is pleased to announce the opening of their new office in Boca Raton, Florida.

"While we already have a presence in Florida, the opening of our new Boca Raton office reflects the importance of the Florida market to our national expansion plan," said CEO, Ryan York. "Our track record of providing superior service to our clients, along with our ability to seamlessly support Financial Advisors regardless of their geographic location, has allowed us to attract top talent," added York.

Pinnacle offers higher payouts, the possibility of equity participation, along with responsive compliance, operations and marketing departments that are readily available to the needs of our Advisors. Pinnacle's philosophy is that Financial Advisors, across the country, have the tools, systems and support they need to grow their businesses.

About Pinnacle Investments, LLC

Pinnacle Investments, LLC is an investment-adviser/broker-dealer registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and a member of both the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA") and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation ("SIPC"). Founded in 1995, Pinnacle Investments manages investment and brokerage accounts for individuals and institutions. Pinnacle Investments is a proud member of the Pinnacle Family of Companies, a diversified group of firms including those specializing in asset management, personal and commercial insurance, payroll, human resources and benefits.

Media Contact:

Liz Bartlett

Pinnacle Holding Company, LLC

[email protected]

(315) 295-3826

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Pinnacle Investments, LLC

Related Links

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Pinnacle Holding Co.,LLC

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SOURCE Pinnacle Investments, LLC
"We demystify fields like engineering, architecture and various sciences so students can dream about what's possible," said Jeff Harry, VP of marketing and fun at Play-Well. "Kids are natural engineers and learn best when they have fun, so we provide real-world challenges and immerse them in creative, S.T.E.M. worlds. They explore and problem-solve through the power of play and 20,000 LEGO pieces, all to give them a leg up for building a solid S.T.E.M. foundation."

For more than twenty years, Play-Well has taught S.T.E.M. concepts to more than 100,000 students annually through its programming, including summer camps, after-school enrichment, team building (for kids and adults alike), special events and classes for girls (Girl Power). Each class is equipped with skilled instructors and the appropriate LEGO pieces. Programs are delivered in various locations including local recreational centers, school campuses and central meeting locations.

The company hopes to fill even more summer camp spots in 2019 to provide further education across the country. According to the United States Department of Education, both funding for and demand of S.T.E.M. education and jobs, respectively, are on the rise.

Play-Well TEKnologies programs are found in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Find your nearest Play-Well TEKnologies summer camp by visiting www.play-well.org .

About Play-Well TEKnologies, Inc.

Play-Well TEKnologies was founded in 1997 by Tim Bowen and has since grown to provide offerings in 27 states across the country. Play-Well TEKnologies is founded on the belief that play powers learning and empowers its instructors to incorporate fun elements unique to the region or popular culture to deliver complex S.T.E.M. concepts for improved adoption. Children can participate in after-school enrichment programs, summer camps, classes and even girl-specific learning opportunities: Girl Power. Students walk away understanding fundamental principles of engineering and physics while boosting their confidence, creativity and their ability to collaborate.

LEGO is a trademark of the LEGO Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this release.

SOURCE Play-Well TEKnologies, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.play-well.org/


RENTON, Wash., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- With more than half of U.S. physicians reporting symptoms of burnout in today's demanding medical environment, Providence St. Joseph Health, one of the nation's largest health systems, today announced it is expanding its Own It program to re-engage providers and employees to address burnout throughout its seven-state system.

Initially developed by and for St. Joseph Heritage Healthcare caregivers in Southern California, Own It is a cultural transformation program that reminds employees and providers why they were called to health care and emphasizes their responsibility for maintaining a culture of care and compassion. Program training includes scene-setting for improving patient and peer-to-peer interactions, communication strategies, and mindset enhancement.

"Time constraints, administrative duties, complex technology, increased regulations and a sense of disengagement with patients contribute to physician and employee dissatisfaction nationwide," said Mike Butler, president of operations and strategy at Providence St. Joseph Health. "We want a solution that can help our caregivers address these concerns using their own sense of personal purpose paired with our culture of compassion and empathy. We've seen a measurable difference with this program and are pleased to bring it to providers across the entire Providence St. Joseph Health organization."

More than 6,200 Providence St. Joseph Health staff and 1,300 providers have attended an Own It session to date. For physicians who have participated in Own It, engagement in 2017 was in the 71st percentile nationwide, up from 58th in 2016. Patient surveys show significant improvements in satisfaction with staff courtesy and communication with physicians who have participated in Own It.

The prevalence of physician burnout, fueled by a national shortage of physicians, has reached critical levels. The 2018 Survey of America's Physicians Practice Patterns and Perspectives found that 78 percent of physicians experienced professional burnout, up four percent from 2016. Studies have also found that caregiver burnout leads to lower patient satisfaction scores and a higher rate of medical errors.

The Own It program is based on five declarations and actions  greet, respect, engage, assist, and transition  aimed at transforming the provider, employee and patient experience.

Participants regularly discuss "Own It Moments," showcasing exemplary patient and collegial interactions, and are encouraged to share what they've learned.

"The Own It program asks our providers and caregivers to take personal responsibility for each interaction with patients, colleagues, health care partners and community members," said Kevin Manemann, executive vice president and Chief Executive for Providence St. Joseph Health's physician enterprise. "It has significantly contributed to our high physician engagement, and has given our physicians and employees a platform to have a voice in how they do their work. Ensuring we are compassionate, empathetic, and authentic with one another, and implementing programs for sustaining this mindset, has been rewarding for both our caregivers and those receiving care."

To learn more about Own It, click here.

About Providence St. Joseph Health

Providence St. Joseph Health is a national, not-for-profit Catholic health system comprising a diverse family of organizations and driven by a belief that health is a human right. With 51 hospitals, 829 physician clinics, senior services, supportive housing and many other health and educational services, the health system and its partners employ more than 119,000 caregivers serving communities across seven states  Alaska, California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas and Washington. With system offices based in Renton, Wash., and Irvine, Calif.

SOURCE Providence St. Joseph Health
TORONTO, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Purepoint Uranium Group Inc. (the "Company" or "Purepoint") (TSX: PTU.V) announced today that it has completed its initial 2019 fieldwork at the Hook Lake JV, a project owned jointly by Cameco Corp. (39.5%), Orano Canada Inc. (39.5%) and Purepoint Uranium Group Inc. (21%). The project lies on the southwestern edge of Saskatchewan's Athabasca Basin and is adjacent to and on trend with recent high-grade uranium discoveries including Fission Uranium's Triple R deposit and NexGen's Arrow deposit.

"This winter drill program was crafted with four objectives in mind; to test the Spitfire deposit at depth, confirm the continuation of the Dragon zone to the north, identify geophysical targets between the Spitfire deposit and the Dragon zone and to initiate first pass drilling along the Derkson corridor" stated Chris Frostad, Purepoint's President & CEO. "As a result of 3D modeling interpretations of the Spitfire deposit, and an initial assessment of drill hole HK19-101 completed early in the program, the joint venture partners have requested a new comprehensive plan to test for deeply rooted mineralized lenses beneath Spitfire similar to the neighbouring Arrow deposit".

"We were also pleased with our work at the Dragon zone this winter, where (pending confirmation from assays) hole HK19-105 appears to have delivered one of the best uranium intercepts north of the Spitfire deposit (see cross section below)" said Scott Frostad, Vice President Exploration. "Unfortunately, warm weather has forced an early demobilization, delaying follow up drilling to the north".

Highlights:

Drill hole HK19-101 targeted the Spitfire shear zone below HK15-27 (2.2% U3O8 over 2.8 metres that included 12.9% U3O8 over 0.4 metres) in order to test for uranium mineralization at depth. Based on the Spitfire 3D model, the targeted down dip extension of a high-grade mineralization lens warrants additional follow-up as HK19-101 was off the ideal target;

Six widely spaced holes totaling 4,240 metres were completed north of the previous Dragon zone drilling. HK19-105 was the highlight of these drill holes displaying strong alteration, numerous structures and intervals of anomalous radioactivity (Table 1). All the Dragon area holes confirmed the continuation of significant structures and alteration along the Patterson corridor;

A ground electromagnetic (EM) survey was completed with the objective of defining new drill targets between the Dragon and Spitfire areas. Cameco's geophysical team is currently reviewing the EM survey results and interpretations are pending;

Six diamond drill holes totaling 1,750 metres were completed along the Derkson Corridor. Although testing did identify the source of the EM conductors, no prospective structures, alteration or radioactivity were encountered;

Assays are pending on all drill results;

Once an interpretation of the results is complete, the program findings will be assembled and presented at the joint venture technical committee meeting during the first week of May 2019 ;

; Updated maps are now available on the Company's website at https://purepoint.ca/projects/hook-lake/.

North Dragon Area

Six drill holes tested two separate EM conductors within the North Dragon area during the 2019 exploration program. The EM conductor tested during the previous drill seasons has been named the "Dragon shear zone" and it is approximately 200 metres wide, is composed of three to four separate graphitic shears dipping southeast and has now been tested over a strike length of 2 kilometres. The second EM conductor has been historically named the "W" conductor and it runs approximately 800 metres west of and parallel to the Dragon shear zone. Three drill holes continued to test the Dragon shear zone to the northeast (HK19-102, 103 and 106) and 3 drill holes completed initial testing of the "W" conductor (HK19-104, 105 and 107).

Dragon shear zone

Hole HK19-102 was a 300-metre step out northeast along strike of last year's Dragon hole HK18-93 and returned relatively similar results. Both these holes intersected weak radioactivity proximal to the footwall contact of an intensely silicified, clay altered granodiorite gneiss unit near the unconformity.

Drill Hole HK19-103 was a 600-metre step-out along strike NE of HK19-102. Intensely silicified dioritic gneiss was then encountered from the unconformity at 378 metres to 478 metres then a 3-metre wide graphitic structure displaying brittle faulting and illite alteration with local fault gouge intervals and weak radioactivity (230 cps over 4.0 metres from the downhole gamma probe).

Drill hole HK19-106 was collared 80 metres in front of hole HK19-103. A strong overprinting of honey-yellow Illite, typically only seen in the Spitfire deposit, was observed just below 400 metres followed by an interval of weak radioactivity (296 cps over 3.2 metres from the downhole gamma probe). Stacked graphitic shears, typically found in the Dragon Zone, were encountered between 449 and 490 metres. The three distinct shear zones are hosted in a chloritized mafic rock.

"W" conductor

The initial "W" conductor hole HK19-104 encountered strong hydrothermal alteration and weak mineralization (300 cps over 3.3 metres from the downhole gamma probe) associated with a graphitic shear. Hole HK19-104 marked the first time strong alteration had been seen associated with the "W" conductor basement rocks and opened up new high priority targets for drill testing to the northeast.

The second "W" conductor hole, HK19-105, was collared 800 metres northeast of HK19-104 and intersected numerous high-strain-zones, a post-Athabasca fault combined with strong hydrothermal alteration and elevated radioactivity (up to 1635 cps from the downhole gamma probe) in both the sandstone and basement rocks. The results of HK19-105 are considered to make the area surrounding HK19-105 highly prospective for both unconformity-type and basement-hosted uranium mineralization.

Hole HK19-107 was collared 300 metres southwest of HK19-105 and intersected multiple radioactive spikes with the greatest radioactivity (732 cps over 0.7 metres from the downhole gamma probe) being returned from a strong shear zone associated with a redox front. Intense silicification (quartz dome) was encountered at the upper contact of the graphitic shears, however, the core lacked illite and intense clay alteration at depth.

Hole HK19-108 was collared 100 metres northeast of the favourable HK19-105 but was lost shortly after the unconformity within strongly clay and hematite altered diorite gneiss at a depth of 438.0 metres.

Spitfire/Dragon Geophysical Survey

Discovery International Geophysics of Saskatoon, SK completed 74 kilometres of stepwise moving loop transient EM surveying between the Spitfire and Dragon areas this winter. An interpretation of the EM results is ongoing and it is anticipated that new drill targets will be provided for the next drill program.

Derkson Corridor

The 2019 Derkson area drilling showed that the strong clay alteration evidenced in historic holes was related to paleoweathering. Once the 2019 drill holes passed through the alteration zone related to paleoweathering, the basement rocks typically showed no further alteration. The electromagnetic conductors outlined by a 2004 ground survey and 2005 VTEM airborne survey were explained by rock units that hosted wide intervals of disseminated graphite and pyrite rather than prospective graphitic structures. The elongate magnetic highs seen within the airborne results were explained as magnetic syenites, an intrusive igneous rock that hosted finely disseminated pyrrhotite. The six Derkson corridor drill holes did not encounter notable alteration or structures within the basement rocks however unconformity-related mineralization, as evidenced with historic hole DER-04 (0.24% U3O8 over 2.5 metres at the unconformity), remains a potential target as does the 2018 gravity low located 1 kilometre west of DER-04.

TABLE 1. 2019 Downhole Gamma Results > 500 CPS

Area Hole From

(m) To (m) Width

(m) Downhole

CPS Spitfire HK19-101 274.8 275.1 0.3 583



445.2 445.8 0.6 571



447.0 447.3 0.3 525



467.0 467.3 0.3 501



477.3 478.5 1.2 723 Dragon HK19-105 438.5 439.7 1.2 524



497.2 497.6 0.4 991



526.2 526.7 0.4 1000



587.7 588.0 0.3 563



592.8 593.4 0.6 648 Dragon HK19-107 426.8 427.5 0.7 732

Note: A Mount Sopris 2PGA-1000 downhole total gamma probe was utilized for measuring these low-grade (<0.05% eU3O8) mineralized intercepts.

Hook Lake JV Project

The Hook Lake JV project is owned jointly by Cameco Corp. (39.5%), Orano Canada Inc. (39.5%) and Purepoint Uranium Group Inc. (21%) as operator and consists of nine claims totaling 28,598 hectares situated in the southwestern Athabasca Basin. The Hook Lake JV is considered one of the highest quality uranium exploration projects in the Athabasca Basin due to its location along the prospective Patterson Lake trend and the relatively shallow depth to the unconformity.

Current exploration is targeting the Patterson Lake Corridor that hosts Fission's Triple R Deposit (indicated mineral resource 87,760,000 lbs U 3 O 8 at an average grade of 1.82% U 3 O 8 ), NexGen Energy's Arrow Deposit (indicated mineral resource 256,600,000 lbs U 3 O 8 at an average grade of 4.03%) and the Spitfire Discovery by the Hook Lake JV.

About Purepoint

Purepoint Uranium Group Inc. is focused on the precision exploration of its ten projects in the Canadian Athabasca Basin, the world's richest uranium region. Established in the Athabasca Basin well before the initial resurgence in uranium earlier last decade, Purepoint's flagship project is the Hook Lake Project, a joint venture with two of the largest uranium producers in the world, Cameco Corporation and Orano Canada Inc. The Hook Lake JV is on trend with recent high-grade uranium discoveries including Fission Uranium's Triple R Deposit, NexGen's Arrow Deposit and Purepoint's Spitfire discovery.

Scott Frostad BSc, MASc, PGeo, Purepoint's Vice President, Exploration, is the Qualified Person responsible for technical content of this release.

THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

Disclosure regarding forward-looking statements

This press release contains projections and forward-looking information that involve various risks and uncertainties regarding future events. Such forward-looking information can include without limitation statements based on current expectations involving a number of risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance of the Company. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results and the Company's plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. These and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking information are based on estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made and expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice.

SOURCE Purepoint Uranium Group Inc.

Related Links

http://www.purepoint.ca


WASHINGTON, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Equitable Food Initiative is proud to welcome new hire Rebecca Chavez, MPH, to serve as business development manager. Chavez will be responsible for developing relationships with major produce buyers, distributors, food service companies, trade associations and grower-shippers to encourage the adoption of the EFI workforce training, certification and verification model. This new position comes at a critical time as EFI-certified farm locations continue to expand and demand in Mexico increases.

Rebecca Chavez Joins Equitable Food Initiative

An urbanite who has spent her career working in the rural sector on food security, nutrition, economic livelihoods, gender equity and youth leadership, Chavez has a penchant for bridging and interpreting world viewsreflective of her bicultural Mexican-Jewish background. Her passion for social justice in food systems comes from her work with small farming families in southern Mexico as healthy families program director at Puente a la Salud Comunitaria. There she learned the value of buying at open-air markets from vendors who sell their goods spread out on the ground.

"EFI gives Rebecca the opportunity to exercise her values by contributing to the equitable growth of an entire industry," stated Kevin Boyle, director of business and new product development for EFI. "Her unique skill set is well-positioned to help educate Mexican growers about our workforce development program and assist them as they work toward implementing the Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices."

Chavez holds a master's degree in public health from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Arts in Latin American studies from Wesleyan University. She is grateful to have called several cities "home" over the years (Maputo, Mozambique; Middletown, Connecticut; Oaxaca de Juarez, Mexico; and Carrboro, North Carolina) and has now happily returned to her home neighborhood of Mount Pleasant in Washington, D.C.

About EFI

Equitable Food Initiative is a nonprofit certification and skill-building organization that seeks to increase transparency in the food supply chain and improve the lives of farmworkers through a team-based approach to training and continuous improvement practices. EFI brings together growers, farmworkers, retailers and consumers to solve the most pressing issues facing the fresh produce industry. Its unparalleled approach sets standards for labor practices, food safety and pest management while engaging workers at all levels on the farm to produce Responsibly Grown, Farmworker Assured fruits and vegetables. For more information about Equitable Food Initiative, visit www.equitablefood.org.

View a list of EFI-certified farms at https://equitablefood.org/efi-certified-farms.

Media Contact: LeAnne R. Ruzzamenti, (202) 524-0540, [email protected]

SOURCE Equitable Food Initiative

Related Links

http://www.equitablefood.org


ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Research Innovations, Inc. is excited to announce that Contracts and Supply Chain VP, Michelle Adams, has been elected to serve on a national committee in the National Contract Management Association (NCMA), the world's leading professional resource for contracts managers.

Earlier this month, Michelle Adams was elected by the membership of NCMA to serve on its board committees in the furtherance of excellence in the contracting profession. Founded in 1959, NCMA is the premier association in the world that provides training, development, and certifications to enable contracts professionals to master today's challenges and create tomorrow's opportunities. Through its national committees, NCMA addresses such topics as professional education, standards and ethics, and governance in support of the contracts profession.

"Michelle is a proven leader and veteran in the contract management field and will bring a unique perspective to NCMA, balancing full regulatory compliance, corporate business acumen, and a true desire for exceptional mission support through the development of the contract management profession. I am excited to see Michelle step into this role," said Jack Harrington, RII CEO.

With over 27 years of experience in the defense industry and intelligence community, Ms. Adams is currently the Vice President of Contracts and Supply Chain for RII, a cutting-edge software development company, where she is responsible for all contracting, subcontracting, and export-import operations support. Prior to her time at RII, Ms. Adams led a team of contracts professionals in support of a $1B portfolio in Raytheon's Intelligence, Information and Services business, where she was instrumental in growing Raytheon's cybersecurity footprint. Prior to Raytheon, Ms. Adams was a Contracting Officer in the Central Intelligence Agency, following almost a decade in Naval Sea Systems Command's Contracts Directorate where she executed all levels of acquisition planning and implementation in support of the Aegis Weapon System and Foreign Military Sales for the Japanese and Spanish fleets.

RII and its founders have long served as trusted advisors to the US Department of Defense and coalition partners. Through its work with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Department of Defense and the Department of the Army, RII rapidly delivers transformative technology to the warfighter. Visit www.researchinnovations.com for more information.

SOURCE Research Innovations, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.researchinnovations.com


Worshipping rituals were carried out to demonstrate the nations solidarity and tradition of paying tribute to ancestors.

Legend has it that the Hung Kings ruled Vietnam from 2879 BC until 258 BC and are considered the founders of the nation. To honour the Kings, the tenth day of the third lunar month serves as the national commemorative anniversary for them.

The worshipping rituals of the Hung Kings wererecognised as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012.

Also on April 7, an incense-offering ceremony to commemorate King Ly Thai To, the founder of Thang Long capital, was held at Kinh Thien Palace in the UNESCO-recognised Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, in Hanoi.

Over the past days, people from across the country andoverseas Vietnamese have offered flowers, gifts and incense as expressions of their sincere gratitude to the ancestors who founded the country and as prayers for peace for the country and prosperity for all its people.
RESTON, Va., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- RICS and the American Society of Appraisers (ASA) have agreed to work together to ease fragmentation in the valuation industry. This partnership solidifies our commitment to provide clarity around valuation for the public, and enhanced resources for valuation practitioners.

"RICS and ASA are united in our efforts to enhance trust and provide consistency in the valuation profession," explains Neil Shah, Managing Director of RICS in the Americas. "We're formalizing our relationship to reduce confusion in the marketplace for the public."

American Society of Appraisers

The two professional bodies have signed a Letter of Intent to develop collaborative work streams on a variety of priorities. This includes building a partnership to support all asset classes in valuation, from real estate and personal property, to machinery, business valuation, and gems and jewelry. RICS and the ASA will work to offer dual qualifications, deliver online training and hold valuation events to bring awareness of issues of importance to the profession.

"ASA and RICS are dedicated to elevating the quality of valuation services worldwide. This is an important step for the valuation profession as we continue to work more closely, even though we are competitors, to ensure that the needs of all who rely on valuation services, and those who perform them, are met with best-of-class solutions," said Robert Morrison, ASA International President. "Together, ASA and RICS firmly believe we can work collaboratively to improve not only how valuation is seen globally, but the way valuation professionals see themselves. I am excited to see this effort grow and wish to thank our partners at RICS for helping to craft a vision of the future of valuation that focuses on the end benefits to the public."

RICS and the ASA are participants in the International Valuation Standards Council and the Appraisal Foundation, and are committed to protecting the public interest through ethical practices and the confluence of standards.

American Society of Appraisers

The American Society of Appraisers is a world renowned and respected international organization devoted to the appraisal profession. ASA is devoted to providing the highest possible standards in all areas of ethics, professionalism, education and designation criteria. For more information about the American Society of Appraisers, the ASA designation program for appraisers or the Society's free "Find an Appraiser" Referral System, visit www.appraisers.org or call (800) 272-8258.

RICS

RICS promotes and enforces the highest professional qualifications and standards in the valuation, development and management of land, real estate, construction and infrastructure. Our name promises the consistent delivery of standards - bringing confidence to markets and effecting positive change in the built and natural environments.

Media Contacts:

John Russell at (703) 733-2103 or Amie Silverwood at [email protected] or 437-990-4695

SOURCE American Society of Appraisers

Related Links

http://www.appraisers.org


"Ruby Red Kolsch created a beer fan craze we didn't expect when we first released it," said Janine Schoos, brand director, Genesee. "All year we've gotten requests to bring it back from thousands of comments on social media to dozens of calls to the brewery and even DIY beer trackers. Now, we've worked with our wholesalers to deliver."

According to Wright Beverage, the brewery is better prepared to meet growing consumer demand. "Genesee continues to increase in popularity with both its flagship beers and innovations like Ruby Red Kolsch. Following last year's success, we've geared up for another big launch," said Neil Burley, brand manager for Wright Beverage. "Our role is to work with our customers, retailers, bars and restaurants to understand the demand and anticipate need. We're ready to get Ruby Red Kolsch into even more hands."

Genesee has expanded this highly anticipated beer release from four batches in 2018 to nine this summer. In addition to New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania, Ruby Red Kolsch will be available across Ohio, Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey and additional markets as demand continues to grow.

About Ruby Red Kolsch

Ruby Red Kolsch is a refreshing, bright-golden ale boasting tart grapefruit flavors. With a bready malt body and mild hop bitterness, this mouthwatering ale is crisp and delicious. Genesee Brew House Brewmaster Dean Jones created this summer brew for its German heritage and fun taste profile.

Ruby Red Kolsch will begin shipping April 15. For more information visit: https://www.geneseebeer.com/beer/genesee-kolsch/

Check here for a fun announcement video from the brewery.

About Genesee Brewing Company

Established in 1878, the Genesee BreweryNew York state's oldest brewerymakes the classic Genesee line of beers, Cream Ale and the Original Honey Brown Lager, as well as Seagram's Escapes. For more information, visit www.geneseebeer.com

Always drink responsibly.

Media Contact:

Mary Beth Popp

[email protected]

(716) 864-5315

SOURCE Genesee Brewery

Related Links

http://www.geneseebeer.com


AUSTIN, Texas, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- SeniorAdvice.com one of the nation's top senior housing referral services, released their annual list of America's top cities for gay-friendly retirement in 2019. This is the third annual list of best cities for LGBTQ seniors by SeniorAdvice.com and compared to the previous lists, there were many additions as well as several repeats that were identified.

For the 2019 list, SeniorAdvice.com considered multiple factors, including the following: percentage of LGBTQ population in the area, available social activities, festivals, weather, LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce presence, presence of gay-friendly senior communities, quality of healthcare, number of hospitals and pharmacies, local and state legislation protecting the LGBTQ community, cost of living, the city's score according to the Human Rights Campaign Municipal Equality Index, and the city's SeniorScore. SeniorScore is the first comprehensive un-biased scoring system specifically designed to identify and measure the livability for seniors, and was created by SeniorAdvice.com. The SeniorScore ranking is calculated by compiling and factoring over 100 variables, including access to health care and number of senior residents, to help determine how well a specific location accommodates the comfort and needs of senior citizens.

Multiple cities in Florida made the list, including West Palm Beach, for its numerous LGBTQ groups and services, Ft. Lauderdale, mainly for its high senior population, and Tampa, for its affordable living and beautiful beaches. Arizona and Ohio also had several cities make the list. Tucson has year-round warm weather and many retirement communities, and Tempe established protections for LGBTQ individuals from discrimination at home, work and in public spaces in 2014. Toledo boasts continued efforts to foster and embrace diversity and has low housing prices, and Dayton has a number of community programs and services in the city specifically benefitting its LGBTQ citizens.

Previously, the list of top cities for LGBTQ seniors predominately focused on larger U.S. cities. However, this year there was no limit on the size range of cities included. The 2019 list highlights small, medium, and large-sized cities in the United States. SeniorAdvice.com defined small cities as those having 10,000-50,000 residents, medium-sized cities as those ranging in population size of 50,000-500,000 residents, and large cities as having over 500,000 residents. A total of 6 cities were repeats from last year's list and 14 cities were new additions.

The following U.S. cities have been named by SeniorAdvice.com as the most accommodating for LGBTQ seniors in 2019:



New Orleans, LA West Palm Beach, FL Tucson, AZ Toledo, OH Alexandria , VA Tempe, AZ Ft. Lauderdale, FL Austin, TX Dayton, OH Tampa, FL Pittsburgh, PA Boulder, CO Albuquerque, NM Asheville, NC Eugene, OR Salt Lake City, UT Boise, ID Buffalo, NY Bridgeport, CT Santa Ana, CA

According to recent estimates tracked by Gallup Surveys, the national population identifying as LGBTQ is increasing  among the top 50 metropolitan areas, the LGBTQ population averages 4.5 percent. By 2050, the senior population is expected to double to an astonishing 88 million people aged 65 and older. With these numbers increasing each year, the need to discover locations that are welcoming to LGBTQ seniors also increases. SeniorAdvice.com recognizes that the LGBTQ older adult community is currently a very important part of the American population to consider, and has dedicated much time and energy to supporting this group.

"SeniorAdvice.com has been an invaluable resource for seniors, their family members, and caregivers. We're also very dedicated to diversity and inclusion, and we wanted to make sure we could assist members of the gay and lesbian community in finding the best locations for retirement and senior housing," said SeniorAdvice.com CEO and Founder, Ryan Patterson. SeniorAdvice.com has previously released several rankings highlighting top places for LGBTQ seniors: "Top 20 Cities for LGBT-Friendly Retirement in 2018," "America's Best Cities for Gay-Friendly Retirement", and "The Top Fifteen LGBT-Friendly Senior Living Communities in the U.S." The company has also released several other articles specifically related to LGBTQ seniors: "LGBT Assisted Living Communities  Finding a Gay-Friendly Facility" and "Transitioning After Retirement: The Struggles and Triumphs of Transgender Seniors."

To view details regarding the top gay-friendly cities in America for seniors in 2019, visit https://www.senioradvice.com/articles/top-20-cities-lgbtq-retirement-2019. For more information on SeniorScore, one of the factors used in determining the ranking, visit http://www.senioradvice.com/seniorscore .

ABOUT SeniorAdvice.com

Launched in 2016, SeniorAdvice.com connects older people and their support systems to more than 50,000 housing options. The free senior living search engine contains comprehensive information on providers nationwide, including assisted living, nursing homes, memory care, home healthcare, independent living, adult day services, retirement homes, respite care, and hospice.

Media contact:

Lori Thomas

[email protected]

512-960-7526

SOURCE SeniorAdvice.com

Related Links

http://SeniorAdvice.com


NEW YORK, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- WeissLaw LLP is investigating possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law by the Board of Directors of WABCO Holdings, Inc. ("WBC" or the "Company") (NYSE: WBC) in connection with the proposed acquisition of the Company by ZF Friedrichshafen AG ("ZFF"). Under the terms of the all-cash transaction, each WBC share will be exchanged for $136.50.

If you own WBC shares and wish to discuss this investigation or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights or interests, please contact:

Joshua Rubin, Esq.

WeissLaw LLP

1500 Broadway, 16th Floor

New York, NY 10036

(212) 682-3025

(888) 593-4771

[email protected]

Visit our website

http://www.weisslawllp.com/wabco-holdings-inc/

Or follow us on Twitter @MarketsAlert

WeissLaw is investigating whether WBC's Board acted to maximize shareholder value prior to entering into the agreement. Notably, at least one analyst set a target price of $173.00 per WBC share, or $36.50 above the per-share offer price.

In addition, the Company recently announced record sales and operating income for fiscal year 2018. It reported sales of $3.83 billion and operating income of $545.7 million, representing annual growth of 15.9% and 14.7 % respectively.

Given these facts, WeissLaw is concentrating its investigation on whether WBC's Board conducted a fair process in agreeing to the proposed acquisition, whether the proposed acquisition undervalues the Company, and whether all material information related to the proposed acquisition is fully and fairly disclosed.

WeissLaw LLP has litigated hundreds of stockholder class and derivative actions for violations of corporate and fiduciary duties. We have recovered over a billion dollars for defrauded clients and obtained important corporate governance relief in many of these cases. If you have information or would like legal advice concerning possible corporate wrongdoing (including insider trading, waste of corporate assets, accounting fraud, or materially misleading information), consumer fraud (including false advertising, defective products, or other deceptive business practices), or anti-trust violations, please email us at [email protected]

SOURCE WeissLaw LLP

Related Links

http://weisslawllp.com


OTTAWA, Ontario, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- ShipTrack, announced today that Nuage Technologies, a leading technology solutions provider based in Montreal, Quebec has signed a partnership agreement to resell ShipTrack.

Stephane Parent, VP Business Development at Nuage Technologies stated, "ShipTrack closely aligns with Nuage Technologies' mission to help businesses to adopt technology innovations that help to increase productivity, automate process and more effectively collect and analyze data. We look forward to sharing the ShipTrack story with existing and new clients."

Nuage Technologies

Launched in 2013, initially in response to exploding ecommerce markets and the resulting demand for a better way to manage last mile deliveries, ShipTrack has grown to become one of the world's leading logistics management platforms  used today, by thousands of delivery drivers to manage tens of millions of deliveries.

"We are extremely proud to announce this new partnership with Nuage Technologies," said Shawn Winter, CEO at ShipTrack. "Our partners are always looking for ways to better serve their customers and innovative solutions, like ShipTrack, that solve business challenges, helps them do that. We will continue our focus on bringing growth opportunities to our partners and look forward to working closely with Stephane's team at Nuage."

Resellers interested in expanding their business by offering ShipTrack to their customers can learn more by emailing [email protected] or by contacting Terry Miller, Director Channel Program Sales at 1-888-860-1665.

Media Contact: Shawn Winter 1 (613) 670-1133

About Nuage Technologies

NUAGE Technologies' mission is to help businesses adopt new and innovative ways of interacting with technology so they can increase productivity, automate processes, and effectively collect and analyze data. NUAGE consultants have varied backgrounds with experience in enterprise software, aerospace engineering, electronics, automotive manufacturing, supply chain and logistics, warehouse management, software sales and development, IT management, and process engineering. Visit: http://www.nuagetechnologies.ca/

About ShipTrack

ShipTrack is a leading delivery management and logistics tracking platform that combines technologies such as cloud, wireless, GPS, mobile, dispatching, route optimization, barcode scanning, signature capture and process automation algorithms to respond to user requirements in a range of industries for a growing list of applications. Today ShipTrack is helping logistics, courier, retail and manufacturing firms as well as users in government and professional services. ShipTrack's partner program delivers recurring as well as additional pull-through revenue opportunities for hardware, software and services. Visit: http://www.shiptrackapp.com

SOURCE ShipTrack

Related Links

http://www.shiptrackapp.com


SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- On April 11th, Robert C. Jacobson, a leading authority in NewSpace, the commercial space industry, will host a live webinar bringing a range of space experts and commentators who will share their thoughts and insights on the significance of the first private moon landing.

Robert C. Jacobson advised private investors in the potential of the space program for the benefit of humanity for over ten years. He was part of three successful space missions: the flying payload in Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster, the delivery of first English copy of Wikipedia to space, and the upcoming landing of the first library on the Moon  Lunar Library by Arch Mission Foundation. The Library is currently orbiting the moon and is set to land on April 11th, 2019.

The installment of the Lunar Library by the Arch Mission Foundation seeks to secure human history indefinitely by storing records on the lunar surface. The lander, Beresheet, will be carrying 30 million page archive, including the Israeli Declaration of Independence, the complete Bible, and the entirety of Wikipedia in English. "Beresheet," the first word of Genesis in the Torah, means "in the beginning," and marks the beginning of humanity spreading earthly knowledge to the stars.

All are welcome to attend.

The following experts will participate in the webcast:

Dr. Andrew Barton , Aerospace technology consultant and former Director of Technical Operations for Google Lunar XPRIZE

, Aerospace technology consultant and former Director of Technical Operations for Google Lunar XPRIZE Howard Bloom , Author of The Lucifer Principle

, Author of The Lucifer Principle Robert Boehme , CEO of Part Time Scientists**

, CEO of Part Time Scientists** Don Brancato , Chief Strategy Architect at Boeing

, Chief Strategy Architect at Boeing Sarah Cruddas , Author & Spokesperson for Space for Humanity

, Author & Spokesperson for Space for Humanity Richard Godwin , Venture Partner at Starbridge Venture Capital

, Venture Partner at Starbridge Venture Capital Michelle Hanlon , Co-Founder of For All Moonkind

, Co-Founder of For All Moonkind Keegan Kirkpatrick , CEO of Redworks Construction Technologies

, CEO of Redworks Construction Technologies Keri Kukral , Founder of Raw Science TV

, Founder of Raw Science TV Martin Kunze , Founder of Memory of Mankind

, Founder of Memory of Mankind Doron Landau , Strategic Advisor to SpaceIL**

, Strategic Advisor to SpaceIL** Dr. Charles Lurio , Founder of The Lurio Report

, Founder of The Lurio Report Bruce Pittman , Chief Systems Engineer at NASA Portal

, Chief Systems Engineer at NASA Portal Rex Ridenoure , Co-founder and Director of Ecliptic Enterprises Corporation

, Co-founder and Director of Ecliptic Enterprises Corporation Guillermo Sohnlein, Co-founder of Blue Marble Exploration & Chairman of Waypaver Foundation

Nova Spivack , Co-founder of Arch Mission Foundation**

, Co-founder of Arch Mission Foundation** John Spencer , Space Architect & Founder of Space Tourism Society

, Space Architect & Founder of Space Tourism Society Christopher Stott , Chairman & CEO of ManSat

, Chairman & CEO of ManSat Rick Tumlinson , Co-Founder of Space Frontier Foundation, Earthlight Institute and Space Fund

, Co-Founder of Space Frontier Foundation, Earthlight Institute and Space Fund Dennis Wingo , Author of Moonrush: Improving Life on Earth with the Moon's Resources and CEO of Skycorp

, Author of Moonrush: Improving Life on Earth with the Moon's Resources and CEO of Skycorp Shaun Whitehead , Founder of Creationeer and Treasure Hunter

, Founder of Creationeer and Simon Peter "Pete" Worden, (Brig. Gen., USAF, Ret., Ph.D.), Chairman and Executive Director of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation

**Tentative

Webinar details:

Date: April 11th, 2019

Start time: 3:30 pm EDT

Duration: Approximately two hours

Attendees do not need to pre-register

URL: https://zoom.us/j/964473231

Or iPhone one-tap :

US: +16699006833,,964473231# or +19292056099,,964473231#

Or Telephone:

Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):

US: +1 669 900 6833 or +1 929 205 6099

Webinar ID: 964-473-231

Contact:

Robert C. Jacobson

[email protected]

Tel: (424) 259-1569

SOURCE Robert C. Jacobson
PHILADELPHIA, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital commerce consulting firm SUMO Heavy Industries today announced a strategic partnership with leading enterprise e-commerce platform Workarea. Under the newly inked deal, SUMO Heavy will add Workarea's platform to its growing repertoire of digital commerce solutions to better cater to the evolving needs of modern retailers.

Built for a new era of digitally native consumers who expect a seamless journey across all of their devices and platforms, Workarea will enable SUMO Heavy's clients to create rich cross-platform shopping experiences faster with its flexible commerce platform. Workarea brings together commerce, content, search, and merchant insights into a single unified platform to help retailers eliminate existing silos and operate more efficiently, an approach that aligns with SUMO Heavy's core philosophy of helping clients drive "efficiency through process" to increase profitability.

"Every retailer has its own unique set of challenges and business goals, so we custom tailor our digital commerce strategy based on its specific needs, which often means partnering with the best solutions providers across all verticals," said Bart Mroz, co-founder and CEO of SUMO Heavy. "Workarea has demonstrated its commitment to rapidly-growing retail enterprises, so we're thrilled to offer our clients another resource to thrive in an increasingly competitive retail space."

Founded in 2010 by local entrepreneurs Bart Mroz and Robert Brodie, SUMO Heavy has worked with a variety of clients, including both global brands and high-growth retailers like Pitney Bowes, Rogue, Pet360, Stadium Goods, and more. From agile planning and project management to platform migration and organizational digital transformation, SUMO Heavy offers a range of services to help its clients navigate the ever-changing retail space.

"We're very happy to add SUMO Heavy to our list of solution partners," said Darren Hill, CEO and Co-Founder of Workarea. "They've been market leaders for years, have worked on very impressive projects, and have a rich history of innovation. We know that SUMO Heavy will create great commerce experiences for their clients on the Workarea platform."

The partnership with Workarea comes on the heels of its return to Philadelphia and is one of several projects SUMO Heavy has in store for 2019. In addition to rapidly expanding its client base, the company recently announced the opening of a new office in the Old City section of Philadelphia, as well as the relaunch of The Register, a full-length retail podcast that builds on the success of its bite-size retail podcast series The eCommerce Minute.

About SUMO Heavy

SUMO Heavy Industries is a Philadelphia-based digital commerce consulting firm founded in 2010 by Bart Mroz and Robert Brodie. The SUMO team is comprised of experienced strategists, consultants, designers, and developers who work together to help build successful brands and create online retail solutions with proven results.

For more information, please visit: www.sumoheavy.com

About Workarea

Workarea is the commerce platform of choice for digital commerce innovators. The platform combines enterprise B2C and B2B commerce functionality with robust content management, site search and merchant insights, giving the business unprecedented control and creativity. Companies such as Reformation, Lonely Planet, The Bouqs, Sanrio, Costume SuperCenter, Lime Crime and many others are creating rich commerce experiences faster with the most flexible enterprise commerce platform. To learn more, visit www.workarea.com .

SOURCE SUMO Heavy Industries

Related Links

https://www.sumoheavy.com


SAN ANTONIO, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Hosted by the Defense Leadership Forum, Congressman Chip Roy will be delivering the keynote address on the Economic Impact of the 2019 Defense Budget on April 16, 2019 at the annual Southwest Defense Contracting Summit. The Defense Leadership Forum is expecting up to 300 defense contractors and businesses to attend this year's Summit.

Howard Snow, the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy and Summit Moderator for the Defense Leadership Forum said, "We are honored to have Congressman Chip Roy delivering the keynote address at the Summit. As a Member of the House Budget Committee, his insights into the 2019 and 2020 defense budgets are invaluable to the defense contracting community so they can continue to stimulate the local economy and create more local jobs through their military contracts."

Celebrating its 6th year, the Summit is being held at The Westin Riverwalk San Antonio and takes pride in being able to host this event near Joint Base San Antonio, the largest U.S. defense installation in the world and home to more than 200 mission partners. The Summit's goals include educating businesses nationwide about the mission and contracting priorities of the U.S. military, identifying the best innovative defense solutions in the industry, explaining contracting procedures for small businesses, connecting businesses with federal contracting resources, and helping prime contractors identify new subcontractors.

About the Defense Leadership Forum

The Defense Leadership Forum is a public service organization that brings together Congressional leaders, Pentagon officials, military base commanders, and business representatives to identify the best solutions to defend the United States. The organization works closely with Congress, the Pentagon, local military bases throughout the U.S., federal, state, and local government officials, industry, nonprofit organizations, and professional associations.

SOURCE Defense Leadership Forum

Related Links

https://www.usdlf.org


Pfau has been with The American College since 2013 and is a Professor of Retirement Income in the Financial and Retirement Planning program and has been a core contributor to The College's RICP designation program curriculum. In his new roles, Pfau will be responsible for leading and advancing the Retirement Income Center and its RICP courses and curriculum, while closely tracking market changes and industry trends to keep the designation program relevant for all types of financial professionals.

The American College is strengthening its RICP designation program to reflect the changing needs of the retirement advisory marketplace and the evolving dynamics that can impact retirement income plans. This move is part of The American College's continued effort and mission to serve the financial services community across the board, and to elevate the retirement income planning knowledge of financial service professionals to improve retirement security for all Americans.

"Knowing how to create and manage thoughtful, well-designed retirement income plans is becoming essential for advisors as more Americans move into retirement and live longer than ever once retired," said George Nichols III, president and CEO of The American College of Financial Services. "Our focus is on continuing to enhance The College's role as an unmatched provider of retirement income knowledge and education. To that end, Wade is a world-renowned retirement income expert who has done groundbreaking work on the topic, and he has been a powerful driver of our RICP curriculum since inception. He is incredibly well-placed to further evolve and improve the indispensable retirement income education that The American College provides for advisors throughout the financial services space."

Pfau's entire career has been focused on developing unique new research dedicated to understanding and overcoming the retirement income challenge. From 2003 to 2013, he lived in Japan, where he worked with the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies and published a landmark paper challenging the 4 percent rule. His research on the 4 percent rule has had a lasting effect on the industry and he was awarded the Journal of Financial Planning's inaugural Montgomery-Warschauer Award for his paper on the topic. Pfau holds a doctorate in economics and a master's degree from Princeton University, and Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees from the University of Iowa. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

The American College also named Colin Slabach as Assistant Director of the New York Life Center for Retirement Income and an Assistant Professor of Retirement. In these roles, Slabach will continue to develop The American College's retirement programs, teach courses, and ensure delivery of the highest quality professional and advanced education programs and services to The American College's students. He will also support Pfau and Parrish in leading the Retirement Income Center. Slabach will assume this role over the summer.

Slabach joins The American College from the faculty of Texas Tech University. He holds a master's in Personal Financial Planning from Texas Tech and bachelor's in Business Finance from Eastern Illinois University, and is currently a doctoral candidate at Texas Tech.

"Colin is a dynamic young talent and a bright light in the retirement income space," said Nichols. "He will bring even more energy and insight to the retirement income program as it continues to serve a growing number of financial advisors who are focused on helping people tackle these thorny retirement challenges."

Following a long career of teaching and leadership at The American College, David Littell, JD, ChFC, a creator of the RICP designation, will move to working with The American College in a part-time capacity as senior contributor to the RICP program and a mentor to College faculty and students.

"Dave has been a mentor to many during his two and half decades here, and his influence has made an indelible impact on our students, staff and organization overall," Nichols added. "I want to thank Dave for all he's done for the development and progress of RICP program at The American College, and we are thrilled that he will continue to be a key contributor to our industry-leading work in the retirement income space."

These appointments come on the heels of two major recent staff announcements at The College made by Nichols who became president just five months ago. Chad Patrizi, PhD, has been named executive vice present and provost at The American College beginning May 1, 2019. This newly created position will be the second-ranking administrative officer at The American College. He joins from American Public University System, where he is currently vice president and dean of the School of Business.

In addition, Stephen J. Grourke, CAP, CFRE, was recently named as senior vice present for advancement and alumni relations beginning April 1, 2019. Grourke comes to The American College from Villanova University where he served as executive director for the Office of Estate and Gift Planning. He brings two decades of experience working in advancement, most recently as part of the senior team that led Villanova to secure $760 million during its most recent and largest comprehensive campaign, while growing the alumni giving rate to 30 percent.

"Across the history of an institution that has been providing high-quality education for financial professionals since 1927, this is a notably outstanding new group of faculty, staff and leaders that brings a tremendous infusion of energy, talent, experience and vision," said Nichols. "We welcome them all and can't wait to see what the future holds now that they're on board."

ABOUT THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF FINANCIAL SERVICES

The American College of Financial Services was founded in 1927 and is the nation's largest nonprofit educational institution devoted to financial services. Holding the highest level of academic accreditation, The College has educated one in five financial advisors across the United States and offers two master's degrees in management and financial services and prestigious financial planning designations such as the Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), Wealth Management Certified Professional (WMCP) and education leading to the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) certification. The College's faculty represents some of the foremost thought leaders of the financial services profession. For more information, visit TheAmericanCollege.edu.

SOURCE The American College of Financial Services

Related Links

http://www.theamericancollege.edu


NEW YORK, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 9, 2019, The Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED), the leading international non-profit supporting girls' education, empowerment and entrepreneurship in Africa, will celebrate the organization's 25th Anniversary and the 2.6 million girls it has educated and launched into careers and activism at its first ever gala.

Seth Zachary, Chairman of Paul Hastings LLP Carlos Brito, CEO of Anheuser-Busch InBev

Today, Seth Zachary, Chairman of Paul Hastings LLP and Carlos Brito, CEO of Anheuser-Busch InBev announced they will partner to support CAMFED and serve as corporate chairs of the organization's New York Gala. Paul Hastings LLP has also signed on as a corporate sponsor of the event.

"The Campaign for Female Education's model and data consistently prove that investing in women has the power to transform society," said Zachary. "We're proud to be involved with CAMFED and to partner with Carlos Brito on this event to encourage more people to help the organization realize its mission of eradicating poverty in Africa through the education of females and the empowerment of young women," he added.

"I've seen firsthand what can happen when someone invests in not only you, but your education, and your future," Brito said. "Educating girls is the world's best investment, with direct impacts on health, economic development and climate issues. We are excited to partner with CAMFED and the girls across Africa  tomorrow's businesswomen, educators and leaders  whom they support."

The "Education Changes Everything" Gala will take place at 583 Park Avenue. The event will bring together celebrities, business leaders and philanthropists as they celebrate a movement of young women transforming the continent of Africa and beyond.

Zachary has a long history of public service. He has served as a trustee of MedShare whose mission is to improve the quality of life of people, communities, and the planet by sourcing and directly delivering surplus medical supplies and equipment to communities in need around the world. He is also a member of the independent foreign policy think tank the Council on Foreign Relations, and a former chair of the Lawyers Alliance for New York, which provides business and transactional legal services for nonprofit organizations and social enterprises that are improving the quality of life in New York City neighborhoods.

Paul Hastings LLP, leading global law firm, is a champion of equality, diversity and inclusion. The firm supports purposeful programs that have a meaningful impact on their communities around the world. Paul Hastings is consistently recognized for its commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility, including being named a "Best Firm for Diversity" by The American Lawyer, "Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality" by The Human Rights Campaign.

Brito has been a champion of education for years. In 1987, the then 27-year-old Brazilian dreamed of studying abroad in the United States. But after being accepted to Stanford University's MBA program, Brito quickly realized he could not afford the tuition. It was then that he sought a scholarship - the only condition for the assistance was that Brito would do the same for other students in the future. It's this kind of pay-it-forward mentality that Brito is happy to live by all these years later, and which he sees mirrored in CAMFED's alumnae, who on average support three more girls through school after they graduate. Carlos's wife Belinda Badcock is also a longtime supporter of girls' education, and has recently joined the CAMFED USA Board of Directors.

Since its launch 25 years ago, The Campaign for Female Education has supported the education of 2.6 million children across Africa. Currently, more than 120,000 CAMFED graduates make up CAMFED's rapidly growing Alumnae Association, CAMA. These inspiring women are mentoring, supporting and educating the next generation of girls through school and into careers as a means of improving the health and wealth of their communities and the world.

For more information about sponsorships, purchasing tables or tickets, please visit camfed.org/nycgala/ .

About the Campaign for Female Education

The Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED) is an international non-profit organization tackling poverty and inequality by supporting girls to go to school and succeed, and empowering young women to step up as leaders of change. CAMFED invests in girls and women in the poorest rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa, where girls face acute disadvantage, and where their education has transformative potential. The organization not only supports girls and young women through school, but also on to new lives as entrepreneurs and community leaders. To complete the "virtuous cycle," and create sustainable change, graduating students become CAMFED Alumnae (CAMA), many of whom return to school to train and mentor new generations of students. Since 1993, the organization's innovative community-led education programs have supported more than 2.6 million children to go to school in Ghana, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe at more than 5,745 partner schools. For more information, please visit www.camfed.org .

About Paul Hastings, LLP

At Paul Hastings, our purpose is clear  to help our clients and people navigate new paths to growth. With a strong presence throughout Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the U.S., Paul Hastings is recognized as one of the world's most innovative global law firms.

Media Contact: Lacie Peterson, 206.280.4498, [email protected]

SOURCE Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED)

Related Links

http://www.camfed.org


SAN FRANCISCO, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Tigera, an enterprise software company providing security and compliance solutions for Kubernetes platforms, today announced it has extended its strategic partnership with Google Cloud and has embedded Tigera Calico as a foundational component of GKE On-Prem, a reliable, efficient and secure way to run Kubernetes clusters, anywhere.

The worldwide public cloud services market is projected to grow 17.3 percent in 2019 to total $206.2 billion, up from $175.8 billion in 2018, according to Gartner, Inc.* According to a recent RightScale survey, 84 percent of enterprises have a multi-cloud strategy, 87 percent are using or planning to use Kubernetes and 44 percent are using or planning to use GKE.

Tigera will discuss and demonstrate the new offering during Google Cloud Next '19, which opens at the Moscone Center in San Francisco today and runs through April 11th. The event attracts thousands of IT professionals and executives across industries and allows them to meet 1:1 with Google Cloud and industry experts in AI and ML, security, infrastructure and more. Tigera, a foundation sponsor of Next '19, will exhibit at booth S1825.

"Google Cloud chose Tigera based on the successful relationship we've built over the years, and because Tigera Calico is a leader for scalable networking and network policy in hybrid cloud container environments," said Ines Envid, Group Product Manager for Google Cloud Networking. "GKE is a leader in the managed Kubernetes market today with rapidly growing adoption from advanced users. With this partnership, we're empowering our customers with advanced security controls and compliance reporting for critical workloads on-premise and in public clouds."

Free and open source, Tigera Calico is designed to simplify, scale and secure cloud networks. With Tigera Calico, customers can achieve consistent, fast convergence times (typically a few milliseconds, even at scale) with high levels of fault tolerance and network security.

"Last year, we saw significant growth and adoption of hybrid cloud environments and GKE from our global enterprise customers," said Ratan Tipirneni, president and CEO of Tigera. "Tigera Calico is one of the only enterprise security and compliance solutions to span GKE in the cloud and on-prem. Our extended partnership with Google Cloud will help our mutual customers accelerate Kubernetes cloud and on-prem adoption while improving their network security and simplifying their compliance reporting."

Building on Calico, Tigera offers Tigera Secure, which enables enterprises to add network security support in hybrid cloud environments with:

Network flow logs that record accepted and denied traffic, which policies denied the traffic, and workload context such as Kubernetes namespaces, labels, and metadata. Tigera Secure also provides dynamic graphical visualization of network flows.

Federation that enables security policies to span multiple clusters including on-prem and public cloud, and even multi-cloud environments.

Tiered policy controls with role-based access controls, to enable multiple teams to independently manage their respective security policies within the governance of the security team.

Anomaly detection capabilities that provide insight into unusual behaviors and sophisticated attacks that compromise the security and performance of Kubernetes environments.

To see a demo, visit the Tigera booth (S1825) during Next '19 or contact us to arrange one outside of the event. To learn more, please sign up for a Tigera webinar via this link.

*Garter Press Release, Gartner Forecasts Worldwide Public Cloud Revenue to Grow 17.3 Percent in 2019, September 12, 2018

About Tigera:

Tigera provides Zero Trust network security and continuous compliance for Kubernetes platforms. Tigera Secure extends enterprise security and compliance controls to Kubernetes environments with support for on-premises, multi-cloud, and legacy environments. Tigera powers all of the major managed Kubernetes providers and is integrated with the majority of Kubernetes distributions. Visit us at www.tigera.io or follow us on Twitter @tigeraio

Contacts:

Andy Wright

[email protected]

(415) 361-3594

Scott Samson

[email protected]

(415) 781-9005

SOURCE Tigera

Related Links

http://www.tigera.io


With more than 313,000 cybersecurity job openings in the U.S. between September 2017 and August 2018, the talent deficit is significant and the need for a skilled workforce is steadily expanding. The Cybersecurity Talent Initiative is a new program to help reduce the critical talent gap and support the next generation of motivated, mission-driven cybersecurity leaders.

A selective cross-sector opportunity for highly qualified, recent graduates in cybersecurity-related fields, the Cybersecurity Talent Initiative helps to jumpstart careers and provide the training and experience needed to lead the nation's cyber defense across the public and private sectors. Participants selected for the program will be guaranteed a two-year placement at a federal agency with cybersecurity opportunities. Before the conclusion of their federal service, participants will then be eligible for full-time positions with the program's private sector partners, and once hired, will receive up to $75,000 in student loan assistance.

The Cybersecurity Talent Initiative includes an unparalleled group of private sector companies and government agencies that play a vital role in protecting the nation and digital economy.

Founding partners in the program's inaugural year include:

Mastercard

Microsoft

Workday

Participating federal agencies include:

Central Intelligence Agency

Department of Defense

Department of Energy

Department of Health and Human Services

Department of Veterans Affairs

Environmental Protection Agency

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Election Commission

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Naval Intelligence

Small Business Administration

"Cybersecurity is a critical issue facing our world today. It will take a true collaboration between the public and private sectors to get the right resources in place to address the threat," said Ron Green, chief security officer, Mastercard. "We invite more corporations and government agencies to join us in this critical endeavor and give the best and brightest talent an opportunity to get a step up, enhance their skills and pave their own career paths."

Throughout the program, participants will engage with subject matter experts from the public and private sectors, build an interagency network of cybersecurity colleagues across government and attend leadership development sessions. By working for government organizations and innovative private sector companies, participants will gain an understanding of the complexity of cybersecurity challenges and develop the necessary skills needed to overcome threats to the nation's digital infrastructure.

"The Army is pleased to join the Cybersecurity Talent Initiative and partner with top companies and universities across the country to develop cybersecurity talent and provide them with opportunities that help support our nation's defense," said Brig. Gen. Jennifer Buckner, director of headquarters Department of the Army's Cyber, Electronic Warfare and Information Operations. "This program reflects not only our emphasis on, but also the immense value we see in public-private partnerships to collaboratively address the country's cyberspace talent deficit."

The federal government's ability to deliver important services to the American people, protect privacy and safeguard classified information requires an effective and secure digital infrastructure overseen by highly skilled cybersecurity professionals. As of June 2018, only four percent of federal cybersecurity employees are under the age of 30, compared to nearly 14 percent of federal cybersecurity employees over the age of 60, according to federal workforce data.

"It is critical for our government to attract and hire highly skilled workers capable of securing federal computer networks and building defenses against the thousands of cyberattacks that occur every year," said Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, the organization operating the new initiative. "The federal government has fallen more and more behind in the race for cyber talent, and this program will help get it back on track."

"The Cybersecurity Talent Initiative is an important way for the George Washington University and other top universities to help build a first-class cybersecurity workforce," said Thomas LeBlanc, president of The George Washington University. "This program offers a unique opportunity for our students to gain invaluable leadership skills and hands-on experience in the public and private sectors, while alleviating the burden of student loan debt."

Candidates can apply now on the website through October 18. Agencies will make offers by spring 2020 and participants will start in the summer or fall of 2020.

Visit CyberTalentInitiative.org to become a corporate sponsor.

About Mastercard

Mastercard (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com, is a technology company in the global payments industry. Our global payments processing network connects consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. Mastercard products and solutions make everyday commerce activities  such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances  easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter @MastercardNews, join the discussion on the Beyond the Transaction Blog and subscribe for the latest news on the Engagement Bureau.

About the Partnership for Public Service

During the past 17 years, the nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service has been dedicated to making the federal government more effective for the American people. We work across administrations to help transform the way government operates by increasing collaboration, accountability, efficiency and innovation. As the operating partner of the Cybersecurity Talent Initiative, the Partnership works in coordination with agency and corporate partners to help recruit top cybersecurity talent; manage and oversee the application process; and provide comprehensive professional and leadership development opportunities for the participants. Visit ourpublicservice.org to learn more. Follow us on social @RPublicService and subscribe today to get the latest federal news, information on upcoming Partnership programs and events, and more.

CONTACTS:

Partnership for Public Service

Oname Thompson

202-775-6898

Mastercard

Jenn DeBerge

636-722-7506

SOURCE Partnership for Public Service

Related Links

http://ourpublicservice.org


VANCOUVER, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Trilogy Metals Inc. (TSX / NYSE American: TMQ) ("Trilogy Metals" or "the Company") announces its financial results for the first quarter ended February 28, 2019. Details of the Company's financial results are contained in the interim unaudited consolidated financial statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis which will be available on the Company's website at www.trilogymetals.com, on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov. All amounts are in United States dollars unless otherwise stated.

Highlights

Strong working capital position of $29.8 million and cash on hand of $30.0 million .

and cash on hand of . South32 Limited ("South32") has funded $31.0 million over the three year option period and has until January 2020 to exercise the option to form the joint venture.

over the three year option period and has until to exercise the option to form the joint venture. 2019 budgets totalling $18.2 million for the Arctic Project, the Bornite Project and Regional or District Exploration.

Outlook

As previously announced, the approved budgets for the fiscal year ending November 30, 2019 total $18.2 million for the Company's project activities at the Upper Kobuk Mineral Projects ("UKMP") and for exploration. At the Bornite Project, we anticipate drilling approximately 7,900 meters in approximately 12 drill holes with the objective to infill and extend the underground resource. At the Arctic Project, we anticipate the need for further drilling inside the open pit to support feasibility level geotechnical and hydrology analysis required for the mine plan. Work will be focused on completing a feasibility study at Arctic with results anticipated to be released in the first half of 2020. The Company also plans to execute a regional or district exploration program during this field season. Plan are in progress to complete an aerial EM geophysics survey this spring over the Company's 100 Km long Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide ("VMS") belt and, with that information, prepare for exploration drilling of certain targets this summer. The Company has started obtaining proposals for necessary contracts, engaging with local communities for the hiring of seasonal staff and working on maintenance activities at its remote camp to ready the site for this year's busy field season.

Project Activities

Arctic Project

In a press release dated January 31, 2019, the Company announced that our Board of Directors approved a $7.0 million budget for the 2019 Arctic program, focusing on feasibility level engineering and environmental work with a view to completing a feasibility study in the first half of 2020, and to prepare the project for permitting. During the first quarter, the Company commenced preparations for the summer field season at the Arctic Project in addition to ongoing metallurgical studies. The Company will continue to advance engineering and environmental work in 2019 in support of completing a feasibility study. We plan to undertake additional hydrological and geotechnical work at the site this summer along with water management, tailings facility and waste rock containment analysis and design during the second half of the year. Additional metallurgical test work to verify ore hardness and grinding characteristics is currently on-going.

Bornite Project

In a press release dated December 13, 2018, the Company announced the final set of drill results at the Bornite Project from the 2018 exploration drill program. Assay results from these 5 remaining drill holes comprising approximately 3,024 meters from the 10,123-meter 2018 program show significant copper mineralization.

In a press release dated January 31, 2019, the Company announced that the Board of Directors approved a $9.2 million budget for the 2019 Bornite program, focusing on additional exploration drilling consisting of a combination of infill and expansion drilling of the known deposit. South32 Limited committed to fund the entire $9.2 million budget and funds were received during the first quarter maintaining the Option Agreement as defined below in good standing.

In a press release dated March 5, 2019, the Company announced additional copper-cobalt metallurgical results for the Bornite Project. Nine individual metallurgical samples have been evaluated for the recovery of copper and cobalt and the production of saleable copper concentrates. Results are consistent with previous test results and significantly expand the metallurgical database for the project. Hardness testing of the nine samples shows the materials are of soft to moderate hardness with copper recoveries ranging from 80.2% to 94.5% and averaged 89.7% for eight of the nine composites. Copper concentrate grades range from 24.5% to 34.5% Cu and averaged 27.6% Cu. Copper concentrate quality is shown to be very good with low levels of penalty elements. Cobalt has been shown to be readily recoverable to a pyrite concentrate with grades of this concentrate in the range of 700 to 4500 g/t cobalt. Plans are being made for the next stage of work to determine the optimal method to recover cobalt from the pyrite concentrate.

Regional Exploration Project

In a press release dated February 6, 2019, the Company announced an approved new Regional Exploration budget of $2.0 million, in addition to the $16.2 million already approved for the 2019 Bornite and Arctic Projects. The Company and South32 have agreed to equally fund the Regional Exploration budget. Funds were received during the first quarter from South32 for their $1.0 million contribution, which is in excess of the $30 million in option payments. The Regional Exploration program will be focused on identifying and testing new drill targets within the Ambler VMS Belt.



Selected Results

The following selected financial information is prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

in thousands of dollars, except for per share amounts Three months ended Selected expenses February 28,

2019

$ February 28,

2018

$ General and administrative 492 345 Mineral properties expense 1,535 1,131 Professional fees 91 159 Salaries 281 229 Salaries  stock-based compensation 1,939 922 Total expenses 4,458 2,828 Loss on held for trading investments - 135 Loss and comprehensive loss for the period 4,336 2,946 Basic and diluted loss per common share $0.03 $0.03

For the three months ended February 28, 2019, Trilogy reported a net loss of $4.3 million (or $0.03 basic and diluted loss per common share) which was higher than the net loss of $2.9 million for the corresponding period in 2018 (or $0.03 basic and diluted loss per common share). The first quarter 2019 differences, when compared to the first quarter 2018 are mostly due to factors discussed below.

During the three months ended February 28, 2018, the Company sold 1,360,000 (2017  410,000) common shares of Goldmining Inc. ("GMI") for proceeds of $1.4 million and recorded a loss on held for trading investments of $0.14 million. There are no comparable figures for the period ended February 28, 2019 as the remaining investment in GMI was fully disposed of during fiscal 2018.

Other differences noted for the comparable period were i) an increase in general and administrative expenses of $0.15 million consisting mostly of $0.04 million in travel costs related to conference attendance and $0.11 million in stock exchange and regulatory fees; ii) an increase of $0.4 million in mineral properties expense mostly consisting of geochemistry work during the first quarter 2019 related to the Arctic Corescan project, waste water system design costs and set up costs incurred for the new warehouse in Fairbanks; iii) a decrease in professional fees as the comparative period included legal and accounting fees for the base shelf prospectus for which there are no comparable figures for the first quarter 2019; iv) an increase in salaries due to new hires during the second half of fiscal 2018; v) an increase in stock-based compensation due to a higher share price contributing to an overall greater fair value for options granted during the first quarter 2019; and vi) a quarter of the December 5, 2018 stock option grant fully vested at the grant date, which further contributed to the increase in stock-based compensation when compared to the first quarter 2018.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

At February 28, 2019, we had $30.0 million in cash and cash equivalents and working capital of $29.8 million. The increase in cash and working capital was a result of fully receiving the $9.2 million Year 3 funding from South32 as well as an additional $1.0 million for the regional exploration program discussed above.

We expended $3.2 million on operating activities during the three months ended February 28, 2019 compared with $4.3 million for operating activities for the same period in 2018. Most cash spent on operating activities during all periods was expended on mineral property expenses, general and administrative, salaries and professional fees.

The Company continues to fund its cash expenditures through its working capital and funding from South32. The Company will need to raise additional funds to support its operations and administration expenses in the future. Future sources of liquidity may include debt financing, equity financing, convertible debt, exercise of options, or other means. The continued operations of the Company are dependent on its ability to obtain additional financing or to generate future cash flows.

Qualified Persons

Andrew W. West, Certified Professional Geologist, Exploration Manager for Trilogy Metals Inc., is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. West has reviewed the technical information in this news release and approves the disclosure contained herein.

About Trilogy Metals

Trilogy Metals Inc. is a metals exploration company focused on exploring and developing the Ambler mining district located in northwestern Alaska. It is one of the richest and most-prospective known copper-dominant districts located in one of the safest geopolitical jurisdictions in the world. It hosts world-class polymetallic VMS deposits that contain copper, zinc, lead, gold and silver, and carbonate replacement deposits which have been found to host high grade copper mineralization. Exploration efforts have been focused on two deposits in the Ambler mining district - the Arctic VMS deposit and the Bornite carbonate replacement deposit. Both deposits are located within the Company's land package that spans approximately 143,000 hectares. The Company has an agreement with NANA Regional Corporation, Inc., a Regional Alaska Native Corporation, that provides a framework for the exploration and potential development of the Ambler mining district in cooperation with local communities. Our vision is to develop the Ambler mining district into a premier North American copper producer.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States 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 outlook for 2019, anticipated timing and results of a feasibility study on the Arctic Project, the future operating or financial performance of the Company, planned expenditures and the anticipated activity at the UKMP Projects, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible", and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", or "should" occur or be achieved. These forward-looking statements may include statements regarding perceived merit of properties; exploration plans and budgets; mineral reserves and resource estimates; timing of the feasibility study; funding by South32; work programs; capital expenditures; timelines; strategic plans; market prices for precious and base metals; or other statements that are not statements of fact. Forward-looking statements 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 expectations include the uncertainties involving the interpretation of drill results, the need for additional financing to explore and develop properties and availability of financing in the debt and capital markets; uncertainties involved in the interpretation of drilling results and geological tests and the estimation of reserves and resources; the need for cooperation of government agencies and native groups in the development and operation of properties as well as the construction of the access road; the need to obtain permits and governmental approvals; risks of construction and mining projects such as accidents, equipment breakdowns, bad weather, non-compliance with environmental and permit requirements, unanticipated variation in geological structures, metal grades or recovery rates; unexpected cost increases, which could include significant increases in estimated capital and operating costs; fluctuations in metal prices and currency exchange rates; and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended November 30, 2018 filed with Canadian securities regulatory authorities and with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and in other Company reports and documents filed with applicable securities regulatory authorities from time to time. The Company's forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made. The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements or beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law.

Cautionary Note to United States Investors

The Arctic Technical Report and the Bornite Technical Report have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the securities laws in effect in Canada, which differ from the requirements of U.S. securities laws. Unless otherwise indicated, all resource and reserve estimates included in this press release have been prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators which establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. Canadian standards, including NI 43-101, differ significantly from the requirements of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), and resource and reserve information contained therein may not be comparable to similar information disclosed by U.S. companies. In particular, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the term "resource" does not equate to the term "reserves". Under U.S. standards, mineralization may not be classified as a "reserve" unless the determination has been made that the mineralization could be economically and legally produced or extracted at the time the reserve determination is made. The SEC's disclosure standards normally do not permit the inclusion of information concerning "measured mineral resources", "indicated mineral resources" or "inferred mineral resources" or other descriptions of the amount of mineralization in mineral deposits that do not constitute "reserves" by U.S. standards in documents filed with the SEC. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into reserves. U.S. investors should also understand that "inferred mineral resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. Under Canadian rules, estimated "inferred mineral resources" may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies except in rare cases. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an "inferred mineral resource" exists or is economically or legally mineable. Disclosure of "contained ounces" in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations; however, the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute "reserves" by SEC standards as in-place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures. The requirements of NI 43-101 for identification of "reserves" are also not the same as those of the SEC, and reserves reported by the Company in compliance with NI 43-101 may not qualify as "reserves" under SEC standards. Accordingly, information concerning mineral deposits set forth in this press release or the Bornite Technical Report may not be comparable with information made public by companies that report in accordance with U.S. standards.

SOURCE Trilogy Metals Inc.

Related Links

www.trilogymetals.com


HONG KONG, April 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A fully integrated biopharmaceutical company  Uni-Bio Science Group Limited (the "Company", together with its subsidiaries, the "Group"; Stock code: 0690.HK), is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Zhao Zhi Gang as the CEO, Mr. Ma Qing Shan as independent non-executive director and Mr. Tony Yau as non-executive director of the Group, effective on 8 April 2019.

The appointment of Mr. Zhao, Mr. Ma and Mr. Yau are of profound significance for the Group. Mr. Zhao attained his bachelor's degree in Economics from Peking University in 1983, and furthered his study for a master's degree in Professional Accounting from the University of Hartford, Connecticut, United States. Mr. Zhao is a U.S. certified public accountant and a fellow of the American Institute of Certified Public Accounts. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Zhao has garnered profound expertise in finance and management for over 20 years in various publicly listed companies and PricewaterhouseCoopers in the U.S. and in PRC., and offered advice to numerous listed companies on M&A and business spinoff projects, and showcasing his outstanding managerial capabilities from then. He has provided services for the pharmaceutical industry for many years, including Kingmed Center for Clinical Laboratories in Guangzhou and the U.S.-listed Simcere Pharmaceutical Group, where he gathered deep industry insight. The Group believes that the joining of Mr. Zhao will help optimize the cost-control structure and enhance operating efficiency for the Group.

Mr. Ma attained two bachelor's degrees from Peking University, majoring in Finance at Guanghua School of Management and Electronic Commerce at School of Electronics Engineering and Computer Science. He is holding the qualification of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). He also participated in the Insead EMBA project held by Tsinghua University. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Ma has provided services at various consulting firms and practiced management for over 16 years, including provision of management consulting services for 15 Fortune 500 companies and a number of listed public companies and fast-growing enterprises, and also once serving as consulting director of KPMG Advisory (China) Limited and Accenture (China) Co., Ltd.. Leveraging on his years of practical experience in data management, corporate KPI management, business optimization and digitization for companies, the Group believes that Mr. Ma's joining will help better integrate the Group's current business with information technologies, and improve resources allocation for the Group.

Mr. Yau attained his bachelor's degree with first class honours in Accountancy from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He is a certified public accountant (CPA) of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified public Accountants. Mr. Yau has deep insight in corporate management and accumulated over 20 years of experience from the capital market and investment banks. He offered consultancy services to many large-scale and recognizable IPO and M&A projects. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer and a director of Futec International Holdings Limited and HeungKong Financial Group Limited. Prior to that, he was a Managing Director of Global Investment Banking of Deutsche Bank and had spent over 11 years leading the consumer sector business origination and execution in Asia. From August 2000 to May 2006, Mr. Yau was the vice president of the investment banking department of BNP Paribas Capital (Asia Pacific) Limited. The Group believes that Mr. Yau's remarkable experience and executive capability will lead the Group to higher achievements.

Commenting on their appointment, Mr. Kingsley Leung, Chairman of and Executive Director of Uni-Bio Science Group Limited said, "In the past 5 years, Mr. Zhao has been our independent non-executive director, and obtained deep understanding of our business, values and prospect, he decided to join our senior management team because he strongly believes in the Uni-Bio story. I am also equally excited to have Mr. Ma and Mr. Yau join our team, their expertise and past experience are all top tier, the profile of our board is extremely unique and exceptionally capable for a small cap company in Hong Kong."

Mr. Leung continued: "Given the fast changing biopharmaceutical market in China, the Group has always welcomed changes to better adapt to the competitive landscape. For that reason, the Group has recently completed a restructuring to move from the past divisional organizational structure to functional organizational structure. The new structure enables better control, less bureaucracy, and higher efficiency for the organization. Currently we have formed 8 BUs to cover key activities across the value chain. We also proposed better accountability for each BU head in order to drive results more clearly. Amid the fast developing stage where numerous innovative biologic drugs will soon be launched, we aim to reduce another 20% of cost for the Group in the coming year. In addition, we aim to increase the efficacy of capital expenditure to underpin operating capabilities. In 2018, we carried out the above transformations and have reduced our general administrative expenses by 16.6%. We believe we can continue to leverage on this experience in 2019 and further reduce cost to an optimal level without impacting our operations."

- END -

About Uni-Bio Science Group Limited

Uni-Bio Science Group Limited is principally engaged in the research and development, manufacture and distribution of pharmaceutical products. The research and development center is fully equipped with a complete system for the development of genetically-engineered products with a pilot plant test base which is in line with NMPA requirements. The Group also has two GMP manufacturing bases in Beijing and Shenzhen. The Group is focused on the development of novel treatments and innovative drugs addressing the therapeutic areas of diabetes, ophthalmology and dermatology.

Uni-Bio Science Group Limited was listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on November 12, 2001. Stock code: 0690.

For further information, please contact:

Jacob Zhang Phone: +86 10 5914 0747 Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Uni-Bio Science Group Limited
SOUTH BEND, Ind., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Army Contracting Command has placed an order from global vehicle solutions provider, AM General, for 648 M997A3 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) Ambulances, valued at $185 million.

"Our commitment to the warfighter's safety and success in the battlefield drives the continuous improvement in our vehicle systems," said Chris Vanslager, AM General Executive Vice President, US Defense. "We are excited to field additional orders and build upon our already strong partnership with the Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center at Rock Island Arsenal to provide modernized, rugged and capable HMMWV ambulances."

As part of its Public-Private Partnership with the Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center (JMTC) at Rock Island Arsenal (RIA), AM General will begin providing the first chassis systems to JMTC this spring, where the ambulance shelter fabrication and final assembly will take place. The first M997A3 ambulance deliveries are scheduled for Q2 2019. As a leader in automotive military systems, AM General will apply the same quality control processes throughout the entire program build to achieve the high standards it has been known to produce for over 100 years.

About AM General

AM General designs, engineers, manufactures, supplies and supports specialized vehicles for military and commercial customers worldwide. Through its military business, the company is widely recognized as the world leader in design, engineering, manufacturing and logistics support of Tactical Vehicles, having produced and sustained over 300,000 vehicles in over 70 countries. Through its heritage companies, AM General has over 100 years of experience meeting the changing needs of the defense and automotive industries, supported by its employees at major facilities in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio, and a strong supplier base that stretches across 43 states. Please see more information about AM General at www.amgeneral.com.

Media Contact: Deborah Reyes

Global Marketing and Communications Director / AM General

Phone: 248-309-5897

E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE AM General

Related Links

http://www.amgeneral.com


ISNES, Belgium, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- VolitionRx Limited (NYSE AMERICAN: VNRX) ("Volition") hosted a Capital Markets Day at the New York Stock Exchange today to update interested parties on its recent progress. Volition has also issued a Company Update Report; a downloadable version of which is available here

"It has been a busy quarter with the public announcement of a number of initiatives and we were delighted to have the opportunity to discuss our plans at the Capital Markets Day event today," commented Chief Executive Officer, Cameron Reynolds. "We would like to thank all those who attended, especially our speakers Professor Axel Imhof of Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich and Associate Professor Heather Wilson-Robles of Texas A&M University."

To view the opening video shown at today's event please click here

A highlights video from the day will be released on Wednesday, April 10.

Following recently announced preliminary results from two proof of concept studies in lung cancer, Volition has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the prestigious National Taiwan University through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Belgian Volition SPRL ("Belgian Volition"), to conduct a large-scale lung cancer study. Principal Investigator Professor Chen Jin-Shing commented: "The early data of the Nu.QTM technology platform is promising but clearly larger scale studies are required. Lung cancer remains the deadliest of all the cancers and there is a high unmet clinical need for either a non-invasive early stage lung cancer detection test or for a triage test which can improve the specificity of the Low-Dose CT scan currently used." Volition expects to release preliminary data relating to the first 600 patient samples in first quarter of 2020.

Volition has also executed a nonbinding Memorandum of Understanding with Shanghai Fosun Long March Medical Science Co., Ltd. with an expectation of negotiating and entering into a binding agreement to help facilitate the entrance of the Nu.QTM platform into China. Dr. Jasmine Kway, Chief Executive Officer of Singapore Volition, commented: "We are happy to be able to announce this Memorandum of Understanding with Fosun Long March because, in addition to our plans to undertake clinical studies in colorectal cancer, lung cancer and ovarian cancer, we are also planning to jointly explore the development of Nu.QTM assays utilizing Fosun's LUMIART-II Automated Chemiluminescence Immunoassay System, which could provide us with an additional platform for the Chinese market."

In an announcement earlier today, Volition revealed that it has also entered into a nonbinding Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") through Belgian Volition with Texas A&M University, a member of The Texas A&M University System. Pursuant to the terms of the MOU, the parties will explore the feasibility of a collaborative research relationship. Any such relationship is subject to the negotiation of terms and conditions and the entry into a final binding agreement. The MOU contemplates that Belgian Volition would form a new subsidiary in the United States to focus on the veterinary diagnostic market utilizing its NucleosomicsTM technology ("Vetco") and Texas A&M University would collaborate on the research and development of veterinary diagnostic products and is interested in negotiating a shareholding in Vetco.

Dr. Jason Terrell, Chief Executive Officer of Volition America Inc., stated: "From a commercial point of view, we are extremely excited about the possibility of offering Nu.QTM Vet tests to animal owners and veterinarians. There are currently no accurate, simple, affordable cancer screening or diagnostic tests available in veterinary medicine and yet 25% of dogs will develop cancer at some stage of their life. With pricing currently expected to be between $100-$200 per test, we believe that this is a multi-billion-dollar opportunity. We aim to have the first Nu.QTM Vet product on the market in the U.S. in 2020."

About Volition

Volition is a multi-national life sciences company developing simple, easy to use, cost effective blood tests to help diagnose a range of cancers and other diseases. Early diagnosis has the potential to not only prolong the life of patients, but also to improve their quality of life. The tests are based on the science of NucleosomicsTM, which is the practice of identifying and measuring nucleosomes in the bloodstream or other bodily fluid - an indication that disease is present.

Volition's research and development activities are currently centered in Belgium, with additional offices in London, Texas and Singapore, as the company focuses on bringing its diagnostic products to market.

For more information about Volition, visit Volition's website (http://www.volitionrx.com) or connect with us via:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/volitionrx

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/volitionrx

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VolitionRx/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/VolitionRx

The contents found at Volition's website address, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube are not incorporated by reference into this document and should not be considered part of this document. The addresses for Volition's website, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube are included in this document as inactive textual references only.

Media / Investor Contacts

Safe Harbor Statement

Statements in this press release may be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that concern matters that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated or projected in the forward-looking statements. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "aims," "targets," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "optimizing," "potential," "goal," "suggests," "could," "would," "should," "may," "will" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements relate to the establishment of a collaborative research relationship and the negotiation and execution of a binding agreement with Texas A&M University, the negotiation and execution of binding agreements with each of the National Taiwan University and Shanghai Fosun Long March Medical Science Co., Ltd., the effectiveness of Volition's blood-based diagnostic tests as well as Volition's ability to develop and successfully commercialize such test platforms for early detection of cancer and other diseases. Volition's actual results may differ materially from those indicated in these forward-looking statements due to numerous risks and uncertainties. For instance, if Volition fails to develop and commercialize diagnostic products, it may be unable to execute its plan of operations. Other risks and uncertainties include Volition's failure to obtain necessary regulatory clearances or approvals to distribute and market future products in the clinical IVD or the veterinary markets; a failure by the marketplace to accept the products in Volition's development pipeline or any other diagnostic products Volition might develop; Volition will face fierce competition and Volition's intended products may become obsolete due to the highly competitive nature of the diagnostics market and its rapid technological change; and other risks identified in Volition's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, as well as other documents that Volition files with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about Volition's business based, in part, on assumptions made by management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this release, and, except as required by law, Volition does not undertake an obligation to update its forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

NucleosomicsTM, and Nu.QTM and their respective logos are trademarks and/or service marks of VolitionRx Limited and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, service marks and trade names referred to in this press release are the property of their respective owners. Additionally, unless otherwise specified, all references to "$" refer to the legal currency of the United States of America.

SOURCE VolitionRx Ltd
ROCKVILLE, Maryland, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --According to a recent report of Fact.MR, the temperature control unit market is envisaged to witness a healthy growth, with sales estimated to surpass 510000 units in 2019. The temperature control unit market is poised to register a Y-o-Y growth at over 5% in 2019 over 2018. The steady growth of the temperature control unit industry can be attributed to a set of multipronged factors such as increasing plastic production, burgeoning demand for energy, and the stringent guidelines imposed on industries to maintain product quality vis-a-vis environmental footprint.

Water type temperature control units are finding widespread adoption in an assortment of industries owing to their affordable pricing and wider operating temperature range. Additionally, the development of portable and compact water type temperature control units are aiding in bolstering sales of the devices. In addition, demand for water-based temperature control units in environmental control has gained widespread palpability in an array of industries such as defense, life sciences, and temperature controlled logistics. Fact.MR opines the factors will continue to drive sales of water type temperature control units, to exceed 450000 units in 2019.

Request For Sample Report- https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=3424

Burgeoning Craft Beer Production to Uphold Temperature Control Unit Market Growth

A substantial increase in the disposable income of global population coupled with consumer preference for different tasting beers is driving demand for craft beer market. In addition, craft beer producing companies are drawing in significant profits with trends suggesting consumer readiness for better quality and price.

With larger profit margins on offer, mainstream beer production companies are investing heavily in the area. Intensification in competition is prompting breweries to focus on enhancing the quality of their products with temperature control playing a vital role in the process.

Maintaining the strike temperature and knockout temperature during brewing is essential for the production of quality tasting beers. A substantial increase in the number of microbreweries is prompting companies to offer an array of different flavors while working on the production of novel ones to maintain a competitive edge in the market. This has further resulted in increased production capacity of the temperature control unit industry players to cater requirements in the production of craft beer, with sales estimated to surpass 150,000 units in 2019.

Browse Full Report on Temperature Control Unit Market with In-depth TOC- https://www.factmr.com/report/3424/temperature-control-unit-market

Accelerating Oil and Gas Exploration Activities to Create Lucrative Opportunities in the Market

Temperature control is vital to maintain the viscosity and flow property of petrochemical fluids and to ensure safe transportation and distribution of these products. Deepening energy crisis coupled with advancements in fracking procedures is expected to propel production of petrochemical products in the foreseeable future.

Under or overheating crude oil and gas can adversely impact its quality and result in loss of valuable components. With the development of portable and compact temperature control units, oil and gas companies can potentially manage the temperature of transporting pipes and vehicles effectively to ensure the quality of crude oil remains intact. Intensification in on-shore and off-shore oil and gas exploration activities are expected to produce lucrative opportunities for manufacturers in the temperature control unit market.

Request Methodology of this Report- https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=RM&rep_id=3424

Data Center Temperature Management to Emerge as a Vital Revenue Pocket

With a vast amount of equipment operating in enclosed spaces, temperature control is crucial to efficient and profitable functioning of data centers. Easy access to affordable internet services, intensifying digitization of data, and demand for cloud-based platforms and services on the rise, information technology companies are accelerating the construction of data centers to effectively manage data and serve consumers.

The stringent government regulations have been prompting companies to substantially reducing energy consumption and emissions. Temperature control units are increasingly enabling companies to maintain an environment optimal for equipment functioning which is a vital factor fueling demand for the devices.

The Fact.MR report tracks the temperature control unit market for the period 2018-2028. The temperature control unit market is projected to grow at 4.8% CAGR through 2028.

To Buy Temperature Control Unit Market Report, Check- https://www.factmr.com/checkout/3424/S

Popular Industrial Goods Market Reports from Fact.MR

Zonal Isolation Packers Market- North America will prevail as the largest market for zonal isolation packers, with demand underpinned by resurgence in drilling & well-intervention applications.

HVAC Relay Market- With competition in the HVAC relay market intensifying, manufacturers are working towards integrating value added-features into HVAC relays to gain a competitive edge. High momentary current bearing capacity, reliable circuit breaking, and smart capabilities are some of the key features gaining priority in the HVAC relay 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

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Fact.MR

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SOURCE Fact.MR
SACRAMENTO, Calif., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- It happens every tax season. Fly-by-night tax preparers who set up tables in shopping centers or rent offices spaces between February and April. They crank out countless tax returns, often touting "big and fast" tax refunds.

"We call them ghost tax preparers because they vanish after tax season. They never stay in one place or sign tax returns making them difficult to track down," said Susie DiMaggio, chair of the California Tax Education Council (CTEC) , a state-mandated nonprofit organization that manages the registration of more than 40,000 unlicensed tax preparers.

Paid tax preparers are required by law to sign (typed or handwritten) federal and state tax returns they prepare as proof they were retained for work - a detail ghost tax preparers bank on taxpayers overlooking.

"It seems small, yet it is one of the most important details," said Esperanza Escobedo, CRTP and CTEC board member. "The validity of your tax return is really wrapped around their signature."

Here's how ghost tax preparers work. They print out tax returns for clients, tell them to sign and mail it out. What many taxpayers fail to notice is that instead of a name, the tax return is listed as "self prepared." For electronically filed tax returns, their name is also left out.

Other typical scams include

Stick a business label on the tax return instead of signing it by name. Clients get the "label" copy so it looks as though they "signed" it; however, a blank copy without a business label is often filed.

Claim they "forgot" to sign the tax return and promise to sign it after payment is received.

California taxpayers should always verify the tax preparer is legally qualified. State law requires anyone who prepares tax returns for a fee to be either an attorney , certified public accountant (CPA) , CTEC-registered tax preparer (CRTP) or enrolled agent (EA) .

Taxpayers can report ghost tax preparers at ctec.or g. CTEC is a nonprofit organization established in 1997 by the California State Legislature to protect taxpayers against fraud and incompetent tax preparers.

SOURCE California Tax Education Council

Related Links

http://www.ctec.org


EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J. and BANGALORE, India, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO), a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, today announced that it has received a score of 95 out of 100 on the 2019 Corporate Equality Index (CEI). It is the premier benchmarking survey and report on US corporate policies and practices relating to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) workplace equality, administered by the Human Rights Campaign. Wipro's score reflects its commitment to LGBT workplace equality, with regard to tangible policies, benefits, and practices.

This past year Wipro has undertaken many initiatives to make the company more inclusive for LGBT employees and the community. These include:

Revising its Code of Business Conduct, Supplier Code of Conduct and Equal Opportunity Policy to include protection against discrimination based on gender identity and gender expression.

Modifying its resume application system to include gender neutral language.

Launching Wipro Pride  an employee resource group for LGBT and ally employees.

Creating gender-neutral restrooms in Wipro offices.

An online quiz series aimed at raising awareness on the inclusion of the LGBTQ community and eliminate employees' unconscious biases.

Enabling employees to self-identify as LGBT in internal HR systems.

Marched in Pride parades around the world, including London Pride.

Supported Business Roundtable's endorsement of the US Equality Act, a federal standard that provides non-discrimination protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity for employment, public spaces, education, services, federal programs, and housing.

"The top-scoring companies on this year's CEI are not only establishing policies that affirm and include employees here in the United States, they are applying these policies to their global operations and impacting millions of people beyond our shores," said Chad Griffin, President, Human Rights Campaign.

"Inclusion and diversity are deeply ingrained in our culture. Our LGBT employees are a vital part of the teams who work with clients around the world. Our organization is much stronger and partnerships more robust, thanks to our diverse workforce," said Sunita Cherian, Global Head of Inclusion and Diversity & Senior Vice President, Human Resources Wipro Limited. "We celebrate and learn from pluralistic ideas, multi-cultural backgrounds, varied perspectives, and different experiences. We encourage everyone to participate and be their authentic selves. We are incredibly honored to be a top employer for the LGBT community." she added.

About the Corporate Equality Index and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation

The 2019 CEI evaluates LGBTQ-related policies and practices including non-discrimination workplace protections, domestic partner benefits, transgender-inclusive health care benefits, competency programs, and public engagement with the LGBTQ community. For more information on the 2019 Corporate Equality Index, or to download a free copy of the report, visit www.hrc.org/cei.

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.

About Wipro Limited

Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO) is a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company. We harness the power of cognitive computing, hyper-automation, robotics, cloud, analytics and emerging technologies to help our clients adapt to the digital world and make them successful. A company recognized globally for its comprehensive portfolio of services, strong commitment to sustainability and good corporate citizenship, we have over 170,000 dedicated employees serving clients across six continents. Together, we discover ideas and connect the dots to build a better and a bold new future.

Wipro Media Contact:

Purnima Burman

Wipro Limited

[email protected]

Forward-looking and Cautionary Statements

Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects are forward-looking statements, which involve a number of risks, and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in our earnings, revenue and profits, our ability to generate and manage growth, intense competition in IT services, our ability to maintain our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which we make strategic investments, withdrawal of fiscal governmental incentives, political instability, war, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property, and general economic conditions affecting our business and industry. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. We may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by us or on our behalf.

SOURCE Wipro Limited
WASHINGTON, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Lumber Coalition applauds today's decision by a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement panel affirming the United States' anti-dumping measures that apply the Differential Pricing Methodology to softwood lumber products from Canada. In its decision the WTO panel rejected a prior WTO appellate body's finding on this issue, which imposed obligations on the United States that had never been agreed to by the United States in the negotiations establishing the WTO. Today's decision by the WTO panel is not only vitally important to the domestic lumber industry, it is an essential affirmation of U.S. sovereignty and its rights to fully and properly enforce trade laws as enacted by Congress.

"The U.S. industry strongly supports the Administration's full enforcement of the U.S. trade laws against subsidized and dumped Canadian imports. We thank the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the Department of Commerce for their strong and successful defense of the trade laws before the WTO," said Jason Brochu, U.S. Lumber Coalition Co-Chair and Co-President of Pleasant River Lumber Company in Maine. "The fair chance to compete on a level playing field is of utmost importance to domestic lumber manufacturers, their workers, as well as tree farmers and landowners, and the economies of the rural communities they support across the United States," concluded Brochu.

Canada had challenged the methodology used by the U.S. Department of Commerce that determined Canadian exporters sold softwood lumber to the United States at less than fair value, distorting the U.S. softwood lumber market to the detriment of U.S. sawmills, their employees and communities. The WTO panel decision validates the Department of Commerce's methodology that is designed to offset injurious unfair dumping into the U.S. market by foreign producers.

The trade measures  imposed after a thorough year-long investigation by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission  are designed merely to offset the harm done to domestic producers from imports that are sold in the United States at less than fair value.

About the U.S. Lumber Coalition

The U.S. Lumber Coalition is an alliance of large and small softwood lumber producers from around the country, joined by their employees, and woodland owners, working to address Canada's unfair lumber trade practices. Our goal is to serve as the voice of the American lumber community, and effectively address Canada's unfair softwood lumber trade practices, including its gross underpricing of timber. For more information, please visit the Coalition's website at www.uslumbercoalition.org.

CONTACT: Zoltan van Heyningen

[email protected] | 202-805-9133

SOURCE U.S. Lumber Coalition

Related Links

http://www.uslumbercoalition.org


LAS VEGAS, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Wynn Las Vegas announced today an exclusive partnership with Los Angeles-based hospitality company, The h.wood Group to introduce famed restaurant and supper-club concept, Delilah, to the resort. Slated to open in the spring of 2020, the Hollywood hotspot will take over the luxury resort's Chairman's Salon. The joint venture, led by nightlife luminaries John Terzian and Brian Toll of The h.wood Group together with Alex Cordova of Wynn Nightlife, will further heighten the nightlife and social dining experience in Las Vegas.

"We have always been attracted to the magical vibe of Las Vegas, expanding our brand to the Wynn is a perfect fit. They have been consistent leaders and innovators of the Vegas experience and The h.wood Group is proud to be part of their legacy," says John Terzian and Brian Toll, Founders of The h.wood Group.

"Wynn strives to bring its guests unique and notable experiences. This partnership with The h.wood Group represents our commitment to that core idea. We are at the forefront of luxury and innovation, and this relationship will only further cement that standard," says Alex Cordova, Wynn Nightlife Managing Partner.

@WynnNightlife @hwoodgroup

ABOUT WYNN NIGHTLIFE

Wynn Nightlife consists of the award-winning dayclub and nightclubs at Wynn Las Vegas, the recipient of more Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Awards than any other independent hotel company in the world. The resort is home to Las Vegas Strip's most luxurious nightlife venues, XS and Encore Beach Club at Night, as well as the acclaimed dayclub, Encore Beach Club. Together, the venues feature a roster of today's most in-demand electronic dance music DJs.



XS Nightclub, one of the most renowned nightlife venues in the world, has continuously been named the top grossing nightclub in the U.S. by Nightclub & Bar's Top 100 list, and was the first venue to ever achieve the honor five times. The 40,000 square foot mega-club features state-of-the-art technology and more than 10,000 individual light sources which illuminate the venue  complementing the intricate decor, large circular dance floor and 170 luxe VIP tables and outdoor cabanas.



At Encore Beach Club, guests can enjoy 55,000 square feet of tropical oasis, including three tiered pools, 40-foot palm trees, 32 private bungalows and cabanas, plush daybeds, a showcase DJ booth and top-of-the-line audio system. Once the sun goes down, XS NightSwim and Encore Beach Club at Night are home to popular seasonal pool parties.

ABOUT THE H.WOOD GROUP

The h.wood Group is a global hospitality firm based in Los Angeles, California. Independently owned and operated, The h.wood Group's restaurant, nightlife, and events divisions manage restaurants, nightlife and hotel venues across the world. The brand includes restaurant concepts The NICE GUY, Delilah, SLAB, Mason and Petite Taqueria, hospitality venues Blind Dragon, Bootsy Bellows, Poppy, The Peppermint Club, SHOREbar, 40 LOVE and FOUND Hotels. The h.wood Group's Events Division has been responsible for premier events globally, from Los Angeles to New York, London to Monte Carlo, and has received multiple awards and international recognition for its design and execution.

SOURCE Wynn Las Vegas
LOS ANGELES, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Zynx Health, market leader in providing evidence- and experience-based clinical improvement solutions since 1996, today announced it is joining with Health Quest to present the webinar "Utilizing Evidence to Reduce Unwarranted Care Variation" on Thursday, April 18, 2019 at 1:00 pm ET. The webinar will feature Health Quest's Interim CMIO and Physician Informatics Specialist, Dr. Kelly Philiba, who will share how her organization is using Zynx Health's new Lumynz analytics platform to quantify the return on investment (ROI) of evidence-based practices, reduce unwarranted care variation, and identify charge capture opportunities.

To register for this webinar, please click here.

Health Quest is a family of nonprofit hospitals and healthcare providers in the Mid-Hudson Valley and Northwestern Connecticut. Its four award-winning hospitals  Northern Dutchess Hospital, Putnam Hospital Center, Sharon Hospital, and Vassar Brothers Medical Center  have nearly 700 beds combined, as well as deep roots in their respective communities and work collaboratively to deliver high-quality patient care.

In 2018 Health Quest identified a need to quantify its ROI in evidence-based interventions within clinical and financial contexts. Internal research showed that physician adoption of the enhanced content it was delivering through its electronic health record (EHR) system was lower than had been originally anticipated. The webinar will detail how Health Quest partnered with Zynx to identify issues and develop strategies to improve utilization rates.

The first part of the webinar will establish context by offering an overview of Lumynz, a novel platform which generates interactive, retrospective analysis of provider orders utilization against evidence-based interventions that are proven to enhance outcomes. Dr. Kelly Philiba will then describe how Health Quest is using Lumynz to ascertain accurate, quantified trending which reflects the impact of IT interventions on clinical and financial outcomes. She will also explain how Lumynz is able to perform these analytics in near-real-time via collaboration with Health Quest's EHR and data warehousing resource.

Through these analytics, Health Quest is quantifying and improving its optimization efforts by enabling executives to dynamically track and filter the results to pinpoint opportunities for improvement from more global and granular perspectives. Additionally, Lumynz is helping the organization understand why certain interventions were being employed, and highlighting areas of opportunity that empower Health Quest's drive toward innovation and excellence.

"One of the important keys to improving outcomes as the industry transitions to value-based care is eliminating unnecessary care variations," said Joy Schroeder, Vice President of Commercial Operations at Zynx Health. "Healthcare organizations have invested heavily in CPOE and clinical decision support systems to improve their standardization of care but have struggled to quantify the return on those costly investments. This webinar will demonstrate a real-life use case and show how Lumynz is delivering the missing insights that not only show Health Quest the value they have gained so far but also where they need to concentrate their efforts to gain even more in the future."

In addition to Dr. Philiba, webinar presenters will include Staci Porter, MSN, RN, Zynx Health's Senior Clinical Strategist.

For more information or to register for this free webinar, please visit https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/3827957826166857996

About Health Quest

Health Quest is a family of integrated nonprofit hospitals and healthcare professionals in the Hudson Valley and northwest Connecticut. Health Quest combines talented physicians, state-of-the-art technology and compassionate caregivers dedicated to providing quality care across a variety of service lines, including Neurosciences, Oncology, Cardiovascular, Women/Children's and Orthopedics. Health Quest has a network of convenient locations throughout Columbia, Dutchess, Ulster, Orange, Putnam and northern Westchester counties in New York as well as western Connecticut, including four award-winning hospitals Northern Dutchess Hospital in Rhinebeck, Putnam Hospital Center in Carmel, Sharon Hospital in Sharon, Conn. and Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie  plus multiple Health Quest Medical Practice primary care and specialty locations, two Urgent Care locations and affiliates including the Thompson House, a 100-bed skilled nursing facility on the Northern Dutchess Hospital campus, Health Quest Home Care and The Heart Center, a leading provider of cardiology services in the region.

About Zynx Health

Zynx Health, part of the Hearst Health network, provides healthcare professionals with vital information and processes that guide care decisions and reduce complexity across the entire patient journey in a way that leads to healthier lives for all. Zynx is a pioneer and market leader in evidence- and experience-based clinical solutions that help health systems improve patient outcomes, financial outcomes, clinical engagement, and technology performance. With Zynx Health, healthcare organizations exceed industry demands for delivering high-quality care at lower costs under value-based reimbursement models. To learn more, visit zynxhealth.com or call 888.996.9435.

About Hearst Health

The mission of Hearst Health is to help guide the most important care moments by delivering vital information into the hands of everyone who touches a person's health journey. Each year in the U.S., care guidance from Hearst Health reaches 85 percent of discharged patients, 205 million insured individuals, 77 million home health visits and 3.2 billion dispensed prescriptions. The Hearst Health network includes FDB (First Databank), Zynx Health, MCG, Homecare Homebase, MHK (formerly MedHOKMedical House of Knowledge) and Hearst Health Ventures (www.hearsthealth.com). Hearst also holds a minority interest in the precision medicine and oncology analytics company M2Gen. Follow Hearst Health on Twitter @HearstHealth or LinkedIn @Hearst-Health.

Media Contact: Zynx Health Contact: Michelle Ronan Noteboom Michelle McCabe Amendola Communications Senior Director, Commercial Operations & Marketing 512.426.2870 407.902.7712 [email protected] [email protected]

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New Delhi , April 9 : Courts have finally come to the rescue of lakhs of investors who face the prospect of losing their entire retirement savings parked in the toxic IL&FS bonds by their respective pension and provident fund (PF) trusts.

The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) hearing petitions with respect to IL&FS resolution on Monday directed the new management of debt-ridden firm to submit details of investment made by pension and provident funds in its four group firms along with details of and financial liabilities of those entities.

These four 'amber' companies are -- Hazribagh Ranchi Expressway, Jharkhand Road Project Implementation Company, Moradabad Bareily Expressway and West Gujarat Expressway.

The appellate bankruptcy court observed that the money invested by pension fund, and PFs does not belong to IL&FS companies and is related to the employees. Therefore it should be released first when loan repayments begin.

IANS was first to report on April 1 about NCLAT's plan to come to the rescue of funds that invested pension money of employees in IL&FS bonds.

During the proceedings of the appellate tribunal on Monday, a two-member bench headed by Justice S.J. Mukhopadhaya also made clear that it has not stopped IL&FS and its group entities from going for resolution process.

The court has asked the new management of the insolvent company to provide it details of PF and pension funds investment in individual "amber" entities. There are 13 such entities and court has first taken out four for preparing the chart on investment and held that the remaining nine should also give details of PFs investment by courts during next hearing on April 16.

The move, legal experts said, should be seen as the court's efforts to ensure that investments by pension and PF trusts is not lost in any resolution plan for IL&FS and that these get priority even when repayment start for "amber" grouped entities where firms are expected to meet only operational payment obligations.

Thousands of crores of money of more than 15 lakh employees of both public and private sector companies have exposure to IL&FS bonds. As these investments were classified as unsecured debt, funds feared that all money would be lost if all market-related risks fell on them.

Under the resolution plan, the government has categorised IL&FS group companies into green, amber and red categories based on their financial position.

Firms classified as "green" would continue to meet their payment obligations, while "amber" category firms can meet only operational payment obligations to senior secured financial creditors.

Those under the "red" category are the entities which cannot meet their payment obligations at all.

At the previous hearing on March 19, IL&FS had informed NCLAT that out of its 169 domestic companies, 50 entities (earlier 21) have been classified as green, while 13 (earlier 10) have been classified as amber and 80 as red. The total outstanding debt of the 13 amber companies is Rs 16,373 crore.

As green group companies are meeting all their payment obligations, the fear of loss of investment in these entities is negligible. But PF and Pension funds feared that all their money would be lost in "amber" entities.

The NCLAT has sought details of all financial creditors who have raised money from PF and Pension funds and have exposure in amber entities. This will ensure that once asset-liability profiling of these group of companies is complete and the government and the new IL&FS management comes up with a repayment or resolution plan, dues to retirement funds is settled in full.

More than 50 retirement funds covering over 15 lakh employees have exposure to IL&FS. PF trusts of state electricity boards, public sector undertakings (PSUs) and banks are among them. The provident and pension fund trusts have also filed intervening applications in NCLAT stating that they stand to lose all the money since the bonds are under unsecured debt.

IL&FS is currently under resolution process at the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). The process will decide under Section 53 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) the order of priority for distribution of proceeds of the process.
Hong Kong, April 9 : Nine pro-democracy leaders responsible for the largest civil disobedience movement in Hong Kong's history were on Tuesday found guilty over their roles in the 2014 protests which called for greater autonomy from China.

The convicted include three founders of the Occupy Movement - Benny Tai Yiu-ting, Chan Kin-man, and the Reverend Chu Yiu-ming. They were found guilty of one count of conspiracy to cause public nuisance, reports the South China Morning Post.

Tai and Chan were also convicted of one count of inciting others to commit public nuisance.

Prosecutors at the West Kowloon Court said that the nine accused caused obstructions by mobilising protesters to block major thoroughfares in the heart of the city almost five years ago in a bid to force authorities to respond to their political demands.

Legislators Tanya Chan and Shiu Ka-chun along with former student leaders Tommy Cheung Sau-yin, and Eason Chung Yiu-wa and League of Social Democrats vice-chairman Raphael Wong Ho-ming were found guilty of one count each of inciting others to incite and one count each of inciting.

Former Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Wing-tat was found guilty of one incitement charge.

All of them face jail sentences of up to seven years for each charge.

The nine defendants were the final group to be tried over the 79-day protests, also known as the "Umbrella Movement", which they thought could drive political change in Hong Kong.

The 18-day trial, which began last November, featured hours of protest footage and days of police testimony.

The movement that started on September 28, 2014, was sparked by frustration with a restrictive proposal Beijing issued for the election of Hong Kong's leader. Pro-democracy protesters were upset because the proposal lacked an option that would allow them to nominate candidates.

The unprecedented civil disobedience exercise turned into an occupation that spread from Admiralty to Wan Chai and Central, the city's prime commercial districts.
New Delhi, April 9 : Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday termed the Bharatiya Janata Party manifesto as short sighted, terming it arrogant and reflecting voice of an isolated man.

"The BJP manifesto was created in a closed room. The voice of an isolated man, it is short sighted and arrogant," Gandhi tweeted.

Whereas, he said: "The Congress manifesto was created through discussion. The voice of over a million Indian people it is wise and powerful."

The Congress manifesto was released on April 2 highlighting the party's minimum income support programme "Nyay", separate budget for farmers, promises to fill 22 lakh vacancies by March 2020, 6 per cent budget allocation for education and no requirement for permission to start new businesses.

The BJP brought out its vision document ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls on Monday and stressed on strengthening the armed forces, fast tracking defence purchases, zero tolerance towards terrorism, implementing National Register of Citizens (NRC) in a phased manner in other parts of the country, using technology to prevent infiltration in the Northeast.

It reiterated position to scrap Article 370 (special status to Jammu and Kashmir); committed to annulling Article 35A or the law which says that no outsider can own property in Jammu and Kashmir. Besides promising interest-free kisan credit card loans, short term agricultural loans up to Rs 1 lakh to be given at zero per cent interest, for one to five years, on the condition of prompt repayment of principal amount.
New Delhi, April 9 : Bharatiya Janata Party's promises on the economic front mentioned in its manifesto including the investment of Rs 100 lakh crore in infrastructure over the next five years and pension to marginal farmers seem over-ambitious, experts said.

The promises if implemented would have a huge impact on the country's exchequer, they said. The slow down in several economic indicators adds the scepticism towards the actual implementation of the decisions.

The manifesto said that by 2024, the party, would make capital investment of Rs 100 lakh crore in the infrastructure sector, which has raised eyebrows in many quarters.

Expressing astonishment over the promised investment amount N.R. Bhanumurthy, Professor at National Institute of Public Finance and Policy said that it is unrealistic as Rs 100 lakh crore is over 50 per cent of country's GDP.

"It is very important to know how the proposed number has been generated," Bhanumurthy told IANS.

Former Chief Statistician Pronab Sen said that the political parties do not actually tend to spend the amount of money they promise in manifestos and while presenting a budget they would come out with more pragmatic proposals.

The BJP on Monday reiterated its promise to double farm income by 2022, extend PM-KISAN scheme to all farmers, and give pension for small and marginal farmers.

At times when the country also has to maintain fiscal deficit, these schemes would have The 'Sankalpit Bharat Sashakt Bharat', released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah, also pledged an investment of Rs 25 lakh crore to improve productivity in the farm sector.
Washington, April 9 : The US State Department has barred 16 people from entering the country over their roles in the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi last October.

The public designations mean that the individuals and their families cannot enter the US under Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act of 2019, a statement issued by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday.

The section "provides that, in cases where the Secretary of State has credible information that officials of foreign governments have been involved in significant corruption or gross violations of human rights, those individuals and their immediate family members are ineligible for entry into the US", the statement read.

"The law requires the Secretary of State to publicly or privately designate such officials and their immediate family members," it said.

The list includes Saud al-Qahtani, one of the closest advisers to the Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, and Maher Mutreb, an aide to al-Qahtani who was a member of Salman's security entourage on foreign trips.

Last November, the US treasury department imposed economic sanctions on 17 Saudi officials over the killing, including those individuals on the State Department list released Monday.

The sanctions froze US property and interests in property of those on the list and were implemented under an act that targets perpetrators of serious human rights abuse and corruption.

On October 2, 2018, Saudi regime critic Khashoggi entered the country's consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents that would allow him to marry his Turkish fiancee, but he never walked out.

After his disappearance, Saudi Arabia said he had left the embassy, but over the course of weeks and under international pressure, the Kingdom admitted that Khashoggi had died on the presence but gave conflicting accounts of what had happened.

Eleven people have been charged over the killing.

Turkish officials, who said they are in possession of audio evidence, said the murder was planned, with 15 Saudi nationals flying into the city beforehand.

Khashoggi's remains have not been recovered.

Much of the case remains shrouded in secrecy, particularly the role of the Saudi Crown Prince.
New York, April 9 : US President Donald Trump's administration is ratcheting up its hardline policies in two areas where India's interests run counter to Washington's - the latest is in Iran, where America has declared the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation.

Three weeks before the waiver given to India to buy Iranian oil expires, Trump made the terrorist designation on Monday, imposing tough sanctions on anyone dealing with the IRGC, a powerful government organisation with tentacles across the Iranian economy.

This puts the IRGC on par with the Al Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Islamic State, which are on the US foreign terrorist list.

The other problem area is India's planned purchase of the Russian S-400 Triumf missile defence system, which would come under sanctions imposed by the US on Russian military equipment makers.

Taking a hardline last week, Washington stopped supply of equipment for the US-made F-35 stealth fighter jets to Turkey because it is buying the S-400 and Vice President told Ankara that it must choose between being a member of the western NATO alliance and the Russian anti-missile system.

The challenge for India will be to navigate these challenges in dealing with the Trump Administration.

India is reported to be asking the US to permit it to continue buying Iranian oil at its current level of about 1.25 million tonnes each month when the six-month exemption from sanctions expires early next month.

Asked about the oil waivers given to eight countries, including India, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said at his news conference on the IRGC declaration on Monday: "We'll make that decision in due course as we move towards May 2, but it - this absolutely extends the - and creates clarity around those transactions that create risk for companies not just in Europe, but frankly all over the world."

"It is a criminal offense for any person to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organisation," said Nathan Sales, the State Department's counter-terrorism coordinator, adding leaving room for flexibility: "How that applies in particular cases we're simply not going to speculate about right now."

Trump imposed sanctions on most commerce with Iran last year after withdrawing from the deal made by former President Barack Obama, the other permanent members of the UN Security Council, Germany and the European Union with Tehran to stop its development of nuclear weapons.

European countries have not gone along with Trump in backing out of the Iran nuclear deal and the declaration of the IRGC as a terrorist organisation is aimed mainly at them.

"We're adding a layer of additional sanctions on the IRGC to make radioactive those sectors of Iran's economy that are influenced or controlled by the IRGC," Brian Hook, the US Special Representative for Iran, told the media.

Pompeo said: "Businesses and banks around the world now have a clear duty to ensure that companies with which they conduct financial transactions are not connected to the IRGC in any material way."

He said that the lawyers of European companies doing business with Iran face more risk because "other governments and the private sector will now see more clearly how deeply the IRGC has enmeshed itself in the Iranian economy".

While pressure will mount on India to break the deal with Moscow, New Delhi is on a different plane.

In the case of the S-400, there is a key difference between Turkey and India: The US has said prime reason for its opposition is that the security of the F-35 will be compromised if it works with the Russian system, while India does not have such US aircraft.

Moreover, Ankara and Washington have mounting differences on a number of political, diplomatic and strategic issues ranging from prosecution of US consular employees to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's governance, and from involvement in Syria to interaction with Israel.

But there are no such problems between the US and India and Washington is actively courting it as part of its Indo-Pacific strategy.

Assistant Defence Secretary Randall Schriver told a House of Representative panel last month that while there was a punitive US legislation "hanging over" India's S-400 deal with Russia, "we want to work through it because India is an emerging partnership for us".

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter @arulouis)
San Francisco, April 9 : Chinese smartphone-maker Huawei could be considering selling its high powered 5G-enabled modems and chipsets to Apple, according to media reports.

"A source with knowledge of the situation has confirmed that Huawei is now 'open' to selling its '5G Balong 5000' chipsets, but only to Apple," Engadget reported on Monday.

So far, the company has refrained from selling the advanced processors and modems it uses on its mobile portfolio to other competitors.

Launched in January, Huawei's modem "5G Balong 5000" was introduced as the world's most powerful 5G modem and the first that fully supports both, Non-Standalone (NSA) and Standalone (SA) 5G network architectures.

"Huawei's surprising change of heart only really matters because Apple appears to be in a tough spot with its sole modem supplier, Intel. The chipmaker currently provides the wireless modems that go into all current iPhones and iPads and it said late last year that its 5G-ready 'XMM 8160' modems would be available for its customers in the second half of 2019," the report said.

However, citing an an anonymous source, recent media reports claimed that Apple has "lost confidence" in Intel after the chipmaker failed to meet certain development deadlines.

Besides, Apple's ongoing legal battles with US-based chip-maker Qualcomm also gives Huawei the edge to sell its technologies to the iPhone-maker without having to face tough competition.

However, it is also worth noting that the US considers Huawei a security threat because of its close link with the Chinese government.

Not only has the US government banned their federal agencies from using Huawei products, but it has also been encouraging other countries to refrain from using Huawei's technology with their 5G networks.

But the "Balong 5000" seems like the kind of chip Apple would need. It supports both sub-6 and mmWave 5G networks, and is backward compatible with 2G, 3G and 4G LTE networks.

This would give Apple the ability to build an iPhone that would support 5G networks built off of existing 4G infrastructure, as well as the "standalone" 5G networks that will follow, the report added.

As explained by the company earlier, the Balong chipset, which is currently for Huawei's internal use only, is mainly intended to support Huawei's smart products, such as Internet of Things (IoT) products and phones including Huawei's "Mate 20X" and foldable "Mate X" smartphones.
New Delhi, April 9 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday questioned Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq for the second consecutive day in connection with terror funding case, an official said.

As the investigators were not satisfied with the answers given by Mirwaiz during his questioning on Monday, he was again called on Tuesday to clarify on matters related to funding to his party Awami Action Committee as well as Hurriyat Conference, the official said.

He was also asked about his connections with hawala operators and his contacts in foreign countries.
ROSH HAAYIN, April 9, 2019 (Xinhua) -- Ex-army chief Benny Gantz (R), one of the leaders of the Blue and White party, and his wife Revital Gantz cast their votes in Rosh Haayin, near Tel Aviv, Israel, on April 9, 2019. Israel on Tuesday morning start Image Source: IANS News

JERUSALEM, April 9, 2019 (Xinhua) -- A man votes at a polling station in Jerusalem, April 9, 2019. Israel on Tuesday morning started day-long general elections to choose its next parliament and decide the premiership. (Xinhua/Guo Yu/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

Jerusalem, April 9 : Israelis on Tuesday cast their ballots in the high stakes general elections in which the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking a record fifth term in office.

The polling stations opened at 7 a.m., and are scheduled to close at 10 p.m., reports Efe news.

There are 6.3 million eligible voters out of nearly 9 million Israelis. The number of eligible voters has risen by 8.1 per cent.

There are 120 parliamentary seats up for grabs.

The election to form the country's 21st Knesset (Parliament) and the 35th government is a multi-cornered contest with representatives of some 40 parties in the fray.

However, the battle is widely seen as a race between the main contestants - Netanyahu, who heads the right-wing Likud party, and Benny Gantz of the Kahol Lavan.

Gantz also leads a coalition of centrists, the Blue and White movement, which, according to a recent survey, is tipped to secure the most votes. The former general, whose centrist coalition poses a stiff challenge to Netanyahu, was one of the first ones to vote in the central city of Rosh Haayin.

Israeli authorities have ordered a general closure of the Gaza border crossings and the occupied territory of the West Bank until Tuesday midnight.

The closure of the Judea and Samaria (West Bank) and the crossings into Gaza, which has been under Israeli blockade since 2007, began Monday midnight, according to Israel's public broadcaster Kan.

The election day in Israel is a national holiday.

Israel's police is believed to have deployed 17,000 agents, border police and volunteers to maintain public order.

Israeli diplomats and embassy employees across Israeli missions were the first ones to vote along with soldiers for whom the voting took place on Sunday. Special polling centres were set up across several military bases of the country.
New Delhi, April 9 : The Assam Chief Secretary on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that the government is planning to have 1,000 tribunals to deal with pleas of those who have been left out of the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

According to the Supreme Court, the government will publish the NRC on July 31.

Those among the 40 lakh excluded from NRC will move Foreigners Tribunals.

The Chief Secretary told the court that Rs 900 crore needed to be sanctioned for the tribunals and nearly 1,000 judges were required.

The officer said the need for the tribunals had been communicated to the Union Home Ministry.

Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi sought to know how the judges would be recruited, on a temporary basis, for these tribunals.

The Chief Secretary said he had scheduled a meeting with the Registrar of the Gauhati High Court and a roadmap will be drawn in consultation with the High Court.

The Chief Justice asked if the Chief Secretary was confident that "good people" will participate in conducting hearings in the tribunal. The official said the Assam government would approach retired judges.
Mumbai, April 9 : Just days after reports emerged that a fanatic fan of Varun Dhawan threatened his ladylove Natasha Dalal, the actor said his near and dear ones should not be paying a price due to his celebrity status.

There has been a buzz that a female fan waited for hours to meet Varun outside his residence. Since the actor was busy, he did not step out, and that made the fan so angry that she started misbehaving and uttered: "I will kill Natasha". According to reports, when the girl refused to leave, security officials informed the local police station.

Asked about the incident, Varun told IANS here: "The police has got involved in the matter, so I will refrain from speaking on the incident. Keeping that aside, I am generally saying that it is a wrong thing. My loved ones should not have to pay any price because of my celebrity status.

"It is wrong. I am a very approachable guy when it comes to fans. I always take out time for them. I love my fans as much as they love me. But any bitter incident is not expected."

The actor will soon be seen in the much-awaited multi-starrer "Kalank", which also features Alia Bhatt, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditya Roy Kapur, Kunal Kemmu, Madhuri Dixit Nene and Sanjay Dutt. It is releasing on April 17.
Washington, April 9 : California Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell has announced that he is running for President in 2020, saying that he believes that the US was in a "quicksand" where Americans feel they were "running in place and it is not adding up to anything".

"None of that is going to change until we get a leader who is willing to go big on the issues we take on, be bold in the solutions we offer and do good in the ways that we govern. I am ready to solve these problems. I am running for President of the United States," he said on Monday night in the "Late Show" hosted by Stephen Colbert.

Swalwell, 38, has been contemplating a run for months, CNN reported.

The California Democrat has made several trips to early nominating states like Iowa and New Hampshire, telling the media that he sees a space for a candidate like himself in the race and hinted earlier this month that he was "close to making a decision".

Swalwell also filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission earlier on Monday.

He enters the race in a crowded field of 17 other Democrats, including Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris, Hindu Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and former presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders.

The field is also slated to get larger in the coming weeks: former Vice President Joe Biden's announcement is looming this month, along with possible entrances by Representative Seth Moulton, former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams.

Swalwell will follow up his announcement with a frenetic week of campaigning.

The first event will be a Tuesday town hall focused on gun control in Sunrise, Florida. He has made combating gun violence a focus for months.
Jammu, April 9 : BJP leaders in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday accused leaders in the Kashmir Valley of playing with people's emotions over Articles 370 and 35A of the Constitution.

State BJP President Ravinder Raina told IANS: "The two articles have been used by politicians like Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, Ghulam Nabi Azad and half a dozen other leaders to further their personal agenda.

"In the name of protecting these articles, what these leaders have achieved is to continue their rule in the state to the detriment of the common people.

"It is basically to end this monopoly of a few families and their stooges that the BJP wants to abrogate these articles," Raina said.

Former Deputy Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kavinder Gupta said that "some families" used these provisions to continue their "self and pelf".

Gupta told IANS: "It is ironic that while the common man is harmed by the continuation of such discriminatory provisions, a few families want the provisions to continue.

"We have West Pakistan refugees who are denied citizenship rights because of these provisions. The state has been deeply and emotionally divided by selfish politicians... Such leaders continue to play with emotions on such issues," he added.

Former Assembly Speaker Nirmal Singh said the BJP believed that Article 370 had damaged the interests of the common man in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Whatever we speak about these articles is within the framework of the Indian Constitution while those opposing their abrogation are speaking the language of Pakistan."

The BJP Lok Sabha election manifesto released on Monday said the party would abrogate 370 and 35A if voted to power.
Jammu, April 9 : A suspected militant on Tuesday shot and wounded a RSS leader, Chandrakant Singh, in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar town, killing his guard, police said.

Singh was shot outside a hospital where he was employed by the Health Department.

His security guard was killed on the spot. The militant fled with the service rifle of the guard.
Washington, April 9 : US federal prosecutors said they have filed a criminal charge against a man who they say planned to run down pedestrians on the National Harbour waterfront, a popular tourist site near Washington, the media reported.

According to the US attorney's office in Maryland on Monday, Rondell Henry, 28, was inspired by the Islamic State (IS) terror group when he stole a U-Haul van from a parking garage on March 26, The New York Times reported.

He has been charged with interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle.

The prosecutors said that Henry, a computer engineer, drove the van on March 27 to Dulles International Airport, where he got out and tried, unsuccessfully, for more than two hours to find a way through security.

Henry then got back in the U-Haul and drove to the National Harbour in Maryland.

According to prosecutors, Henry then walked around looking for an ideal spot to mimic a 2016 Bastille Day attack in Nice, France, in which a truck rammed into a crowd of spectators, killing 87 people, including the perpetrator.

Because the crowds at the National Harbour waterfront were less, he delayed his plans, the prosecutors said, adding that he broke into a boat and hid there overnight.

He was arrested the next day.
Washington, April 9 : US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced that 16 Saudis, including one of the closest aides to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, were barred from entry to Washington over their role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The public designations mean that the individuals and their families cannot enter the US under Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act of 2019, a statement issued by Pompeo said on Monday.

The section "provides that, in cases where the Secretary of State has credible information that officials of foreign governments have been involved in significant corruption or gross violations of human rights, those individuals and their immediate family members are ineligible for entry into the US", the statement read.

"The law requires the Secretary of State to publicly or privately designate such officials and their immediate family members," it said.

The list includes the Crown Prince's close aide, Saud al-Qahtani, who officially served as the royal court's media czar, but appeared to have overseen the operation to seize Khashoggi, a Washington Post journalist who lived in Virginia, The New York Times reported.

It was one of a dozen or so operations by what American intelligence officials called the Saudi Rapid Intervention Group, set up by al-Qahtani to silence or eliminate dissent about Prince Mohammed's rapid rise to become the de facto Saudi leader.

Monday evening's list also included several members of the team sent to Istanbul, where Khashoggi was killed on October 2, 2018, at the Saudi Consulate in an encounter that the Saudis insist was intended to forcibly bring him back to Riyadh.

Featuring on it is the leader of that team, Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, an intelligence officer who knew Khashoggi from their days working together at the Saudi Embassy in London.

Also listed was Salah Tubaigy, whom The Washington Post recently identified as a "medical specialist" for the Saudi Interior Ministry who is said to have administered a powerful sedative to Khashoggi during a struggle inside the consulate.

He died shortly thereafter and the body, which was cut up, has never been recovered.

Much of the evidence against the men named in the State Department's list came from Turkey, which had surveillance videos outside the consulate and had apparently bugged the consulate itself, resulting in an audio recording of the killing.

The list comes as Congress has already moved to stop all American support for Saudi military action in Yemen in response to the journalist's killing.
Hyderabad, April 9 : AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday said mob lynchings were a legacy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He said Modi would be remembered in Indian history for mob lynching as the highest number of incidents occurred during his tenure.

"These incidents will haunt Modi forever because as the Prime Minister he could not stop them," the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief told the media.

Owaisi, who is seeking re-election from the Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency for a fourth consecutive term, condemned the Assam incident in which a Muslim man was allegedly assaulted and forced to eat pork.

"What could be worse than this? In a state where there is no ban on cow slaughter and people eat beef, 68-year-old Shoukat Ali was badly beaten and forced to eat pork," he said.

Owaisi said he was appealing to people to see the helplessness of the man in the video. He said those assaulting him knew they will be protected as their own party was in power. "Such elements were emboldened after Modi became the Prime Minister," he said.

Owaisi urged people to vote for those who speak for the weak, marginalized and deprived.

"Modi does not speak for all. He is the chowkidar of those who believe in RSS ideology. Give vote to those who don't feel they are bigger than India."
Srinagar, April 9 : Sikh religious leaders of Kashmir on Tuesday condemned the reported sacrilege at a Gurdwara, a Sikh religious place, in Leh district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Chairman of the All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee (APSCC) Jagmohan Singh Raina told IANS that on Monday night some "anti-social elements tried to deface and de-shape" Gurdwara Pather Sahab, situated 5 km from Leh town.

"They have put up signs and symbols of other religions to deface the Gurdwara. The Army has now removed those.

"It was a heinous attempt to stoke communal passion in the state which is known for tolerance and brotherhood among followers of different faiths".

Raina said the upkeep of the Gurdwara was done by the Army and the incident took place under the nose of the Army unit posted there.

The Sikh leader on Monday appealed to Governor Satya Pal Malik and Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat to resolve the matter.
Panaji, April 9 : Members of the Goa Mining People's Front, a collective of workers, truck and barge operators dependent on the now-banned iron ore mining industry, started their three-day protest in the national capital on Tuesday, demanding efforts from the state and Central government towards a quick resumption of mining in the state.

Speaking to IANS from the national capital, the head of the Front, Puti Gaonkar, demanded that the state government file an affidavit in the Supreme Court in support of a petition already filed by the Front, seeking an amendment to a central law, as assured to them last month by Chief Secretary Parimal Rai.

This, Gaonkar said, would hasten the restart of the mining industry, banned by the apex court last year.

"The state government should file an affidavit in the apex court seeking amendment to the Goa, Daman and Diu Mining Leases (Abolition of Mining Concessions and Declaration as Mining Leases) Act 1987, to make it apply prospectively, which automatically extends the lease period of Goa's iron ore leases -- that have lapsed since 2007 -- till 2037 and restart mining," he said.

The protest is expected to continue at Delhi's Jantar Mantar for three-days starting Tuesday.

The mining issue has been hanging fire in Goa, ever since the apex court banned extraction and transportation of iron ore from 88 mining leases from March 2018, while also directing the state government to re-issue mining leases.

The is the second time in less than a decade that all mining in the state has come to a standstill.

A 2012 ban was earlier lifted by the apex court in 2014, but it imposed fresh restrictions once again in 2018, after it found that the BJP-led coalition government had not followed due procedure in the lease renewal process, while also ruling that the mining leases had lapsed in 2007.

Before Goa was liberated by the Indian armed forces in 1961, mining leases in Goa were permanent concessions granted by the Portuguese colonists for exploration and exploitation.

Once India took over control of the coastal state, the Goa Daman and Diu (Abolition of Concession and Declaration as Mining Leases) Act, 1987, converted the same concessions into mining leases under the Mines and Minerals Development Act, 1954, making them valid for a fixed tenure of 20 years, which lapsed in 2007.

Though passed by the Indian Parliament in 1987, in the case of Goa, the law was retrospectively brought into effect from 1961, the year Goa was liberated from Portuguese yoke.

The resumption of mining is a key political issue in the upcoming round of Lok Sabha elections and bypolls to three assembly constituencies.
Mumbai, April 9 : On her birthday on Tuesday, actress Swara Bhasker flew to Patna to lend support to CPI candidate Kanhaiya Kumar by campaigning for him in Begusarai.

Swara wanted to be by Kanhaiya's side when he files his nomination papers for the Begusarai Lok Sabha seat.

"It is a rather unusual way of spending one's birthday. But Kanhaiya is a friend and I think he is fighting an important battle on behalf of us all. If he wins, it will be a victory for Indian democracy," Swara said in a statement.

"I've never been part of a political campaign before so I literally have no idea what to expect," added the actress, who has been vocal about her socio-political stance.

Swara said she feels "aligned to Kanhaiya's views as a rational and patriotic citizen of the country".

"Kanhaiya raises issues that concern all Indians -- issues like the threat to the Constitutional values and to the Constitution of India, unemployment, the rise of mob violence, the need for social justice and the need to focus on issues that will better the lives of all Indians. I think as responsible and patriotic Indians we should all feel aligned to this ideology/or thought process."

Talking about her birthday memories, she said: "My most memorable birthday was in 2012 on the sets of 'Machhli Jal Ki Rani Hai'. The producers made sure that I had a very special day.. I think I cut some eight cakes that day and we had a rocking party that night."

On the professional front, the actress says she is busy with projects for her production venture Kahaaniwaaley.

"I'm also finishing writing a script which I hope will go on the floors this year. So that's a target of acting in two films this year," she added.
Lucknow, April 9 : The Uttar Pradesh Congress will soon bring out a state manifesto to address issues that are peculiar to India's most populous province.

This is being done at the behest of Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi.

The state manifesto will include issues related to 'Shiksha Mitras' (contractual teachers), revival of the old pension scheme, relief to ad hoc employees, ASHA workers, cooks, police recruitment, modernization of madarasas and farmers.

Congress Legislature Party leader Ajay Kumar Lallu had taken representatives of these groups for a meeting with Priyanka Gandhi and she had assured them that the Congress would address their problems.

"There are some issues that are specific to Uttar Pradesh and could not have been included in the national manifesto. We are bringing out a supplementary manifesto for this," said Rashid Alvi, in charge of the manifesto committee.
Washington, April 9 : The US is considering to impose tariffs on about $11 billion of goods from the European Union in response to the bloc's subsidies for European aircraft manufacturer Airbus.

The US has been in litigation at the World Trade Organization (WTO) over Airbus subsidies since 2004 and said it was releasing a list of items proposed for tariffs in anticipation of a ruling soon from the WTO, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Aircraft and cheese are among the products that could be hit by tariffs, US Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer said on Monday. The move would mark an escalation in trade tensions between the US and the EU.

The WTO found that the subsidies have an "adverse impact" on the US, reports said.

"This case has been in litigation for 14 years and the time has come for action. The administration is preparing to respond immediately when the WTO issues its finding on the value of US countermeasures," Lighthizer said in a statement.

"Our ultimate goal is to reach an agreement with the EU to end all WTO-inconsistent subsidies to large civil aircraft. When the EU ends these harmful subsidies, the additional US duties imposed in response can be lifted."

The USTR said the value of goods that would be targeted with tariffs was subject to arbitration at the WTO, the result of which is expected in a few months.

A preliminary list of goods, covering a wide range of items, has been issued for public consultation. The goods that are being considered for additional tariffs if they come from any of the 28 EU states are: Salmon fillets, lemons, olive oil, Marsala wine, ceramic household steins with pewter lids, motorcycles with an engine size of between 500cc and 700cc, among other items.

In addition, additional import duties are being considered on some goods if they are produced in France, Germany, Spain or the UK. These products include helicopters, undercarriages for use in new civil aircraft and fuselages for use in new civil airplanes, the BBC reported.

The proposed US tariffs would be imposed in addition to existing levies on European products.

In 2018, the US started charging levies on the imports of steel and aluminium from key allies including the EU.

The EU imposed retaliatory tariffs on 2.4 billion pounds worth of US goods in June on products like bourbon whiskey, motorcycles and orange juice.

US President Donald Trump in March threatened to impose tariffs on cars imported from the EU, if both sides couldn't reach a trade deal.

Washington is currently negotiating a trade deal with China, but tit-for-tat tariffs imposed by both countries have already weighed on the global economy.
New Delhi, April 9 : The government is planning a major overhaul of the definition of state-run companies where an entity will continue to qualify as public sector enterprise (PSE) even if the government holding falls below 51 per cent.

Sources in the Department of Public Enterprises said the change in definition is being discussed with the Finance Ministry, and an announcement could be made by the new government.

"There is a thinking that PSU definition should be maintained with government holding of, say, 40 per cent or 26 per cent in case of certain non-strategic entities. This will not only give flexibility to PSU boards in decision-making but also allow more room for the Centre to raise additional revenue from disinvestment," said a top PSE official aware of the proposed changes.

Under the present definition, CPSEs are companies in which the direct holding of the central government or other CPSEs is 51 per cent or more.

It can be brought down to, say, 40 per cent. It will still allow the Centre to be the largest shareholder especially in companies like NTPC, Powergrid, BHEL, where public shareholding is already very high. The changes will also facilitate consolidation among PSUs in different sectors.

For example, the Power Finance Corporation (PFC) that has bought entire government equity in REC, now wants to merge the entity with itself. But this will bring down government shareholding in the merged entity to just about 42-43 per cent, taking the company outside the PSU-fold. If the threshold of the government holding is lowered, such consolidation will be promoted without companies fearing to lose their PSU character.

"This would be wonderful change that will allow PSU boards to be widely represented. The fear of a possible hostile takeover of companies with reduced government equity is also unfounded as the government with 40 per cent will still have substantial stake that can also rise if state/owned institutions, like LIC, also hold a sizeable share," said an industry expert.

The government is already taking steps to reduce its stake in various PSUs. In the case of banks, the aim is to first reduce government shareholding to about 52 per cent, and then further down. In others, this exercise can be pursued rapidly. Market regulator SEBI also wants PSUs to increase public float to at least 25 per cent.

The government has surpassed the FY19 disinvestment target of Rs 80,000 crore by Rs 5,000 crore. It has set a conservative target of Rs 90,000 from disinvestment in FY20.

If the PSU definition is changed, it would be easier for the government to mobilise funds even in a choppy market as PSUs could be asked to buy back government shares. If markets are good, higher number of government shares in PSUs can be offered at a premium.

(Subhash Narayan can be contacted at subhash.n@ians.in)
New Delhi, April 9 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the Assam Chief Secretary to file an affidavit before April 25 recommending better measures for the release of detenues in the state detention centres.

The Bench, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, observed that the centres were in a dilapidated condition.

The court directed the government to come up with possible methodology to release the alleged illegal foreigners, especially those who have been held up for long.

The Bench took into consideration the government plea that observations made during the hearing of the case could impact the parliamentary elections in the state, and therefore, the plea should be heard after April 23, when Assam goes to the polls.

The petition will be heard on April 25.

The court discarded the government's claims that the detention centres were "not in extremely bad shape" and said it was not a place where anybody would like to be.

The court was informed that 915 people were in the detention centres.

The CJI directed the Chief Secretary to conduct a meeting with all stakeholders in the case and file an affidavit on or before April 23, with all the details of releasing the detenues.

During the hearing, advocate Prashant Bhushan suggested the detenues could be released on the assurance or surety of being Indian citizens, and in case of criminals, technology could used to keep a track of them.

Bhushan mentioned radio tagging the people with criminal background.
Dhaka, April 9 : Bangladesh has sought help from the US in pressurising Myanmar to offer safeguards for the return of thousands of Rohingya refugees who have fled the country since August 2017.

Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen sought the US assistance during a meeting on Monday with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington, the government of Bangladesh said in a statement on Tuesday.

During the meeting, Momen discussed the importance of "repatriation of Rohingyas and creation of credible international pressure on Myanmar in that respect", the statement said.

According to the statement, Pompeo reiterated that the US "would stand beside Bangladesh (both politically and financially) in finding a permanent solution to the Rohingya crisis", Efe news reported "It is the responsibility of the Myanmar government and military to create a conducive environment for Rohingyas to feel safe to return home," he said.

Momen told Pompeo about Dhaka's plans to transfer a group of Rohingya to the uninhabited Bhashanchar island in the Bay of Bengal. The island has been prepared to host 100,000 refugees from the overcrowded camps in the Cox's Bazar district.

Over 738,000 Rohingyas have arrived in the camps since the beginning of the crisis on August 25, 2017, following a wave of violence and persecution, which has been described by the United Nations an attempted ethnic cleansing.

Most refugees of the majority-Muslim community live in harsh conditions in the Kutupalong camp -- located near the border between Bangladesh and Myanmar. It has become the biggest refugee camp in the world.

Although Bangladesh and Myanmar signed an agreement on November 23, 2017, the repatriation attempts have failed due to absence of conditions necessary for safe and voluntary return of the refugees.
Riyadh, April 9 : Saudi Arabia welcomed on Tuesday the US decision to blacklist the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a "terrorist group", state media reported.

An official from the Saudi Foreign Ministry said that the decision was "a serious counter-terrorism step" and reiterated the renewed demands of the kingdom to the international community to fight Iran-backed terrorism, Saudi Press Agency reported.

The official called upon countries to take a "substantial role" to tackle the operations of the IRGC in disturbing international security and peace, the report said.

Designating the IRGC a "foreign terrorist organisation" on Monday, US President Donald Trump said: "This unprecedented step, led by the Department of State, recognizes the reality that Iran is not only a state sponsor of terrorism, but that the IRGC actively participates in, finances and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft."
New Delhi, April 9 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s Rath Yatra was stopped and its leader Lal Krishna Advani arrested in Bihar in October 1990 though then Union Home Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had advised against it, said Lalu Prasad, who was the Chief Minister of the state then.

In his autobiography titled "Gopalganj to Raisina: My Political Journey", which was made available from Sunday, he has said Hindu religious figures impressed upon him that the yatra should not be blocked.

"To be honest, nobody had asked me to stop the procession or arrest Advani. The Prime Minister had said nothing. Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who was then the Union Minister for Home Affairs, called me to Delhi and enquired if I planned to detain Advani," he has written.

"Sayeed told me 'why are you taking upon yourself (to block the procession)? Let the yatra go on," he added.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief, who was then in the Janata Dal, however, said he retorted by saying: "Aap sab ko satta ka nasha chad gaya hai" (all of you are intoxicated by power)."

Then Prime Minister V.P. Singh had called for a meeting of various Hindu religious figures, and these people impressed upon him that the yatra should not be blocked, Lalu Prasad said, adding that no solution could be arrived at even after several discussions.

He said it was clear in his mind that Advani's yatra was a direct threat to the minority community and communal harmony, and the secular character of the nation had to be protected at all costs.

Lalu Prasad said the initial plan was to arrest Advani in Sasaram on September 9, 1990 but it was leaked to him and he altered his route. He was then arrested from Samstipur the next day.

As consequences of his "bold decision", the two-time Chief Minister of Bihar said, some communal elements, who had been opposing the implementation of the Mandal Commission report, found in Advani's arrest a pretext to vent their anger.

While he dealt with them with an iron hand, Sayeed pleaded with him to allow Advani's release in the interest of the continuation of the National Front government, he said.

"I told him he was drunk on power, and banged the receiver down," he added.

The RJD supremo claimed that he had put meticulous planning to get Advani arrested because of his hunch that the BJP leader was leading a frenzied mob of volunteers to demolish Babri mosque in Uttar Pradesh.

"I felt that by arresting him I had haled the demolition of the Babri mosque, which could well have happened in 1990 itself. I was at peace with myself over the realisation that I had done the right thing," Lalu Prasad said.
Chandigarh, April 9 : Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday handed over the murder probe of drugs authority officer Neha Shourie to the Director, Bureau of Investigation.

An official spokesperson said on Tuesday that the probe has been handed over to the BoI director, Prabodh Kumar, following request from the family members of the slain officer.

Shourie was shot dead in her office at the zonal drugs and food chemical laboratory in Kharar, 15 km from here, on March 29 by a chemist Balwinder Singh whose drugs licence had been cancelled by her in 2009 following a raid on his chemist shop in which illegally kept intoxicants were found.

The victim's family met the Chief Minister at his official residence here on Tuesday to request for shifting the investigation case out of Mohali district.

Acceding to the request, the Chief Minister entrusted the probe to senior IPS officer Prabodh Kumar, who has over 14 years of experience in working with the CBI on murder cases, the spokesperson said.

The Chief Minister has also asked the Chief Secretary to enquire into the lapses in the issuance of the revolver licence to the accused by the Ropar district police and the district magistrate.

"The chief secretary will also enquire into the subsequent sale of weapon to the accused by a Ropar-based arms dealer," the spokesperson said.

The Chief Minister made it clear that nobody would be allowed to interfere or intimidate any public servant in the discharge of their duties, and assured Neha's family that justice would be done.
Kolkata, April 9 : The West Bengal BJP leadership on Tuesday accused state security advisor Surajit Kar Purkayastha of barring state police officers from "working freely" and urged the Election Commission (EC) to remove him immediately.

Accusing the Mamata Banerjee government of "arbitrarily creating" the designation of security advisor to use it for political benefits, the saffron party also demanded that the post be immediately dissolved by the EC.

"The state security advisor in West Bengal is the reason of all problems. It is because of him that the district police superintendents and senior officers, OCs and ICs are not able to work freely," BJP National Secretary Rahul Sinha told reporters here.

"The state government created this unreasonable post in order to use it for the political benefit of the ruling party. We appeal to the Election Commission to immediately remove Purkayastha and dissolve the post," he said.

The BJP's demand was made soon after the EC removed Cooch Behar district Superintendent of Police Abhishek Gupta two days ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in the area and replaced him with Amit Kumar Singh.

The West Bengal government had in March last year, created the post of state security advisor on the lines of the national security adviser (NSA) and named the then outgoing director general of police, Surajit Kar Purkayastha, to fill the post.

Purkayastha, who retired on March 31, 2018, assumed the charge of security advisor in June last year.
Kolkata, April 9 : The campaign for the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal ended on Tuesday in two parliamentary constituencies which go to the hustings on April 11.

With big rallies, road shows, street corner meetings and last minute door-to-door contact with voters, canvassing reached a peak over the past couple of days, before coming to an end at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

A total of 34,54,274 voters of Cooch Behar (SC) and Alipurduar (ST) will decide the fate of 18 candidates in the first phase.

As per the electoral roll, there are 17,73,196 men, 16,81,051 women and 29 registered in the 'other' category.

Of a total of 3,844 polling stations, Cooch Behar has 2,010 and Alipurduar 1,834.

The star campaigners for the first phase were Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party President Amit Shah for the BJP. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held meetings tagging celebrity candidate Nusrat Jahan along.

The fight is between Trinamool candidate Paresh Chandra Adhikary, Bharatiya Janata Party's Nishith Pramanik, Piya Roy Chowdhury of Indian National Congress and Gobinda Chandra Roy of All India Forward Bloc in Cooch Behar.

There are four candidates from other registered parties and three are independent nominees.

In Alipurduar, sitting MP Dasrath Tirkey is again contesting as a Trinamool candidate, RSP has nominated Mili Orao, and John Barla is the BJP nominee. The Congress has fielded Mohanlal Basumata.

There is one candidate from another registered party, and two independents.

According to an analysis done by the West Bengal Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms, of 18 candidates analysed, six have declared serious criminal cases against themselves.

Among major parties, the average assets per candidate for the two Trinamool Congress candidates is Rs 2.54 crore, while the same figure for the two BJP candidates is Rs 55.24 lakh. The two Congress candidates have average assets of Rs 6.45 lakh.

Earlier, Additional Chief Electoral Officer Sanjay Basu told reporters that seven companies of the Border Security Force (BSF) of the ten companies that reached the state on March 15 have been moved to Cooch Behar and Alipurduar.
Port Louis, April 9 : Mauritius remains compliant to international norms and best practices as it continues to drive quality investments into India, the Indian Ocean island country's Economic Development Board (EDB) said on Tuesday.

"Mauritius is compliant with all OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) norms, including the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes, the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting project, and the Common Reporting Standard," it said in a statement.

"Mauritius is also not on the blacklist of the European Union," the EDB added while clarifying some of the misconceptions reported in media on the recent amendments in India's Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with Mauritius.

The EDB Mauritius, in its advisory, said the signing of DTAAs forms an integral part of any government's action in implementing the most enabling framework supportive for foreign direct investment (FDI).

"FDI is one of the most stable forms of foreign capital, without risks linked to national debt. And a DTAA removes the risk of double taxation which can occur when investors engage in cross-border investments," it explained.

Further, a DTAA lays down the taxing rights of the two countries and the model DTAA of Mauritius is based on the OECD model, it added.

Highlighting the role of Mauritius in "driving quality investments" in India, it said investments through Mauritius into India over the years "have gone in productive and sustainable sectors", including healthcare, housing, infrastructure, telecommunications and education.

Even Indian companies have availed of the provisions of the DTAA to invest in Mauritius and through Mauritius into other emerging markets, the Board said.

Mauritius is a privileged trade partner of India, it said. Total imports from India to Mauritius amounts to nearly Mauritian Rupee (MUR) 30 billion, while exports from Mauritius to India is around MUR 512 million.

The Board emphasised that the companies operating in Mauritius are subject to stringent substance requirements including minimum of number of resident directors, full time employees, expenditure and principal bank accounts in Mauritius.

"Mauritius is committed to fully collaborate with international norm-setting organisations at all levels," it added.
Dharamsala, April 9 : Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, was admitted to a private hospital in New Delhi on Tuesday with a chest infection, his aided said.

"His Holiness was feeling some discomfort this morning in Dharamsala. As a precaution, we came down to Delhi," Tenzin Taklha, his private secretary, told IANS.

He said the spiritual leader has been diagnosed with a chest infection.

"He will be spending the next two to three days in the hospital under medical treatment," he added.

The Dalai Lama had returned to Dharamsala on Monday only after meeting youth global leaders in New Delhi on April 7.

The Dalai Lama has lived in India since fleeing his homeland in 1959 after a Chinese Army crackdown. The Tibetan government-in-exile, based here, is not recognised by any country.
Geneva, April 9 : The UN Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Tuesday warned that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Libya could amount to war crimes.

In a statement issued in here, Bachelet said all parties to the conflict must make every effort to protect civilians. She urged protagonists to the conflict in Libya to take measures to ensure civilians do not - once again - bear the brunt of the fighting.

The BBC, citing the World Health Organization, reported that 47 people, including civilians have been killed over the past three days as rebel forces seek to seize the Libyan capital Tripoli. At least 181 people were said to have been injured in recent clashes.

Gen. Khalifa Haftar, who leads the Libyan National Army from a stronghold in the east, declared an offensive to take control of Tripoli from Libya's UN-backed government last week.

Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj, the head of the Government of National Accord, has accused him of attempting to carry out a coup.

According to the UN, at least 2,800 people have so far fled fighting around Tripoli.

"The people of Libya have long been caught between numerous warring parties, with some of the most vulnerable suffering some of the gravest violations of their human rights," UN Rights Commissioner Bachelet said.

"The attack near the Mitiga Airport (on Monday) that left many civilians in Tripoli stranded brought into stark focus the imperative for all parties to respect international humanitarian law, and to take all possible measures to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals and prisons."

Much of the international community, including the US, has called for a ceasefire. The US military was among those to withdraw their supporting forces based in the country, blaming the "complex and unpredictable" situation and "increased unrest" on the ground.

The UN was also due to pull out non-essential staff.

UN-backed talks between the rival governments had been scheduled for April 14-16 to discuss a roadmap for new elections, but it is now unclear if these will still take place.
Berlin, April 9 : UK Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday visited German Chancellor Angela Merkel in another last-minute Brexit trip, with Britain due to leave the EU in three days.

May met Merkel in Berlin and will meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris later to urge them to back her request to again delay Brexit till June 30, the BBC reported.

She was also trying to lay the groundwork ahead of an extraordinary European Council meeting on Wednesday that will focus on the UK's rupture from the group. The PM and Merkel agreed "on the importance of ensuring Britain's orderly withdrawal", said a statement.

However, the meeting had a slightly delayed start as Merkel was not expecting May to arrive at the hour she did, and the British PM had to walk up the red carpet by herself, Efe news reported.

Merkel appeared at the entrance shortly after and apologized for the delay.

"Ahead of EU Council tomorrow, the leaders discussed the UK's request for an extension of Article 50 to June 30 with the option to bring this forward if a deal is ratified earlier," a Downing Street spokesperson said, in reference to the Article of the Lisbon Treaty that had set in motion a two-year period of negotiations.

"The leaders agreed on the importance of ensuring Britain's orderly withdrawal from the European Union," the spokesperson added.

Steffen Seibert, German government spokesman, shared an image of the two leaders in conversation at the meeting and, at the beginning of the encounter, said: "There are good reasons to talk."

Merkel is one of the European Union leaders who has been seemingly most receptive to an extension to the Brexit period.

The UK was initially meant to leave the EU on March 29, but it was extended to either May 22 or April 12, depending on whether or not May, whose government is disadvantaged by a parliamentary minority, was able to get approval for her withdrawal bill.

It has been voted down three times by the House of Commons.

As agreed with the EU, May must offer new strategy or the UK risked crashing out without a deal on April 12.

To that end, the UK leader has decided to collaborate with the opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, given the lack of support in her own Tory ranks and in the Northern Irish DUP.

The delay will have to be backed by all 27 remaining EU countries.

However, Michel Barnier, EU Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator, said any extension to the negotiation process would depend on what aims the UK was suggesting, apparently leaving the door open to a longer delay.

"Any extension should serve a purpose. 'No-deal' will never be the EU's decision. In order to avoid 'no-deal', the UK needs to agree to a deal," he said.
New Delhi, April 9 : The CPI-M on Tuesday filed a complaint with the Election Commission against Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleging he violated the Model Code of Conduct at a rally in Maharashtra when he asked first-time voters to dedicate their votes to the men who carried out the air strike in Pakistan's Balakot.

In a letter to the poll panel, senior Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Nilotpal Basu said such statements vitiated the pre-election atmosphere "which is fast degenerating towards polarisation" and thus the Election Commission must "strongly initiate" appropriate action.

"With deep anguish we are drawing your attention to the latest violation of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is also violating the specific direction of the Election Commission to refrain from invoking the armed forces for seeking votes," he wrote in the letter.

Modi, during a rally in Maharashtra's Latur, appealed to first-time voters to dedicate their first vote to the "brave men who carried out the airstrike in Pakistan's Balakot".

The Election Commission had last month asked all political parties not to use defence forces or their achievements as part of their election campaigning.
Cachar : , April 9 (IANS) Accusing the BJP of lying to the people, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that his party, if voted to power, will revive the two closed paper mills in the state.

Gandhi said this while addressing a rally near Panchgram in Cachar district of Assam's Barak Valley on Tuesday. The Congress President campaigned for the sitting Lok Sabha MP from Silchar, Sushmita Dev, who is contesting the forthcoming polls.

Saying that the country needs young leaders from Assam and the northeast at the Centre, the Congress President said that Sushmita Dev will be made a Minister if the Congress government comes to power.

"The government of Narendra Modi helped only the richest people of the country in last five years. They had given the keys of Indian banks to the rich people only. Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi, the list goes on," said Gandhi.

"The BJP has done only 'anyay' (injustice) to the poor people," he said, adding that the Congress will bring the historical NYAY scheme for the poor people of the country.

"We are going to give Rs 72,000 per annum to each of the 20 per cent poorest people of the country. Five crore families of the country with approximate 25 crore people will be benefitted from the NYAY scheme," he said.

"The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government failed at fronts including the promise of depositing Rs 15 lakh to everyone's bank account, proper price to farmers for their produce and employment to 2 crore youths every year," Gandhi said.

Terming the NYAY scheme conceived by the Congress as a surgical strike on poverty, Gandhi said that it does not matter whether a poor belongs to which religion or community and where he lives.

"A list will be made of these 5 crore poorest families and the Rs 72,000 will transferred to their accounts directly," he said adding that the money will, however, be transferred to the account of women heads of the families only.

"The unemployment rate in the country at present is highest in last 45 years," Gandhi said.

Targeting the 'chowkidar' slogan of the BJP, Gandhi said that it is the rich people who need a 'chowkidar' (guard).

"The poor people of the country do not need a 'chowkidar'. Narendra Modi is a 'chowkidar' of the rich people like Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi etc.," said Gandhi.

He also assured to make Barak Valley a trade and commerce hub of the region and said that Delhi and Asia will be connected to the Barak Valley to ensure development.
Jerusalem, April 9 : The Likud Party of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hired hundreds of activists to use hidden cameras to film Arab voters in polling stations during the general elections on Tuesday, officials said.

A police spokesman told Xinhua news agency "dozens" of cameras were seized police in Arab-majority towns throughout Israel. The Hebrew-language Walla news site reported that some 1,200 hidden cameras were installed in polling sites.

Video footages emerged on social networks showed polling representatives of the Likud with cameras hidden in their shirts or bags. The footages were taken by activists with the Arab-Jewish Hadash-Ta'al list, who first exposed the hidden cameras.

An official with Likud Party confirmed that the party was behind the move. Kobi Matza, the Likud's representative in the Central Elections Committee, told Kan Bet Radio cameras were tracking possible voter fraud. "They aimed to preserve the purity of the election," said Matza.

Netanyahu himself defended the hidden cameras, telling reporters they were used to "ensure a fair vote".

Supreme Court Justice Hanan Melcer, also Chairman of the Central Elections Committee, banned the cameras. In a statement released on Tuesday, Melcer said it was forbidden for polling station committee members to film voters or the voting process.

He said filming was permitted only "in extraordinary circumstances" like violence or alleged fraud.

Ahmad Tibi, a lawmaker and co-leader of the Hadash-Taal Arab-Jewish list, said the Likud wanted to intimidate Arab voters by using cameras.

Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported the Likud spent "hundreds of thousands of shekels" on the move. A senior Likud official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the newspaper the move was aimed at ensuring that Balad-Taal list, a coalition of two nationalist Palestinian parties, didn't pass the electoral threshold by forging votes.

Netanyahu is facing a tough contest from Israel's former Chief of General Staff Benny Gantz who leads the centrist party of Blue and White.

The voting began at 7 a.m. (local time) at over 10,000 polling stations and was due to end at 10 p.m. local time.
Mumbai, April 9 : Bollywood biopic "PM Narendra Modi" on Tuesday was granted a 'unrestricted' (U) certificate for release by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), the film's director Omung Kumar B said.

"We knew it will happen. Finally, it's out," Omung told IANS.

In a statement, Omung said: "The team and I were convinced of what we have made. It's a piece of cinema and not propaganda and now the Censor Board has validated what we have been saying all along.

"Very thankful and excited for the April 11. I hope the audiences enjoy this film, which for me, has been my toughest film till date."

The film, which narrates the story of Modi from his humble beginnings to becoming the Prime Minister of India, will release on April 11, when the Lok Sabha elections begin.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted that the film, which features actor Vivek Anand Oberoi, has a run time of 130 minutes, 53 seconds.

The CBFC certificate for "PM Narendra Modi" came on the same day as the Supreme Court's dismissal of a plea seeking a stay on the film's release.

The court said the Election Commission is the appropriate authority to address the petitioner's concerns on whether the film should be released in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as it may tilt the balance or benefit a particular political party.

Latest updates on Howdy Modi Houston
New Delhi, April 9 : The Supreme Court is likely to pronounce on Wednesday its verdict on the government's plea claiming privilege over the documents filed by petitioners seeking review of its December 14 Rafale judgment.

Petitioners in the case are former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha, journalist-turned-politician Arun Shourie and activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan.

Two judgments are likely on Wednesday -- one by the Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and the other by Justice K.M. Joseph.

The top court bench comprising CJI Gogoi, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Joseph had on March 14 reserved the order on the "preliminary issue and the claim of privilege by the government".

The government, aborting earlier deal to acquire 126 fighter jets, opted for 36 Rafale jets in ready-to-fly condition. Of the 126 jets in the earlier deal, most were to be manufactured at the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).

The government seeking privilege over the documents annexed by Sinha, Shourie and Bhushan had sought removal of three "privileged" documents from the case records which has put in public domain the information relating to the deal and the fighter jet.

The government had initially claimed that the documents were stolen but later backtracked and changed its stance saying that they were "unauthorisedly photocopied".

The Centre had contended that the disclosure of these documents, on which it had claimed privilege, have a bearing on the national security and the combat capacity of the fighter jets.

Seeking removal of the documents which were "unauthorisedly photocopied", Attorney General K.K. Venugopal had told the court that "the security of the state supersedes everything else".

Sinha, Shourie and Bhushan had annexed three documents with their two pleas -- seeking the review of the court's December 14, 2018 judgment giving a clean chit to the government in the decision-making process, and an application alleging perjury against the government officials for misleading the court and suppressing material information relating to the Rafale deal.

Bhushan had termed the Centre's objections as "mala fide", saying that it was "not to prevent any harm to the security or defence of the country but to prevent the court from taking these documents into consideration while deciding the issue before it".
Thiruvananthapuram, April 9 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) said it had on Tuesday arrested Islamic State sympathizer Shaibu Nihar from Kerala, upon his arrival here from Qatar, for facilitating travel of some of his associates to Syria to join the terror outfit.

The 39-year-old, a resident of Vattakandathil House in Kozhikode, was arrested from Calicut International Airport. He was produced before a special NIA court in Ernakulam and was sent to judicial custody up to April 22.

The NIA said that the case was originally registered at Wandoor police station under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act on November 6, 2017 on the basis of disclosures made by accused arrested earlier in connection with the case.

"Disclosure made by Hamsa U.K. contains allegations against Shaibu Nihar and other accused persons that while they were working in Bahrain and attending classes at Al Ansar Salafi Centre, there they had shared jihadi ideology and decided to join the ISIS in Syria. Most of his associates had left Bahrain and joined ISIS in Syria," an NIA statement said.

During 2016-2017, Nihar had facilitated travel of some of his associates to Syria with the intention of joining Islamic State and waging war on its behalf against the Syrian government, the agency said.

Nihar, the NIA said, had also himself planned to travel to Syria to join the proscribed outfit in December 2016 from Bahrain while running an advertising company there.

Following the arrest of some of his associates in October 2017, Nihar had shifted to Qatar, where he continued his advertising company, the NIA added.
Hyderabad, April 9 : The stage is set for polling in all 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in Telangana on Thursday even as campaigning came to an end Tuesday evening.

While canvassing in 13 Assembly segments in Maoist-affected areas ended at 4 p.m, in Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituency the parties were allowed to campaign till 6 p.m. In rest of the state, the campaign ended at 5 p.m.

In their last-ditch effort to woo the voters, the leaders of various parties and candidates addressed meetings, conducted road-shows or undertook door-to-door canvassing.

Bharatiya Janata Party national president Amit Shah addressed a rally in Hyderabad while Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) working president K. T. Rama Rao held road-shows in Nalgonda constituency.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi, who is seeking re-election for a fourth consecutive term from Hyderabad, addressed the last election meeting near Ahistoric Charminar.

Nearly 2.97 crore voters will decide the fortunes of 443 candidates in the single-phase polling on Thursday.

Chief Electoral Officer Rajat Kumar said polling in 16 constituencies will be held from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. However, in 13 Maoist-affected Assembly segments bordering Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, polling will end at 4 p.m.

In Nizamabad constituency, where a record number 185 candidates including 178 farmers are in fray, polling will begin at 8 a.m. and will end at 6 p.m. As the Election Commission is using 12 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in each polling booth, the officials will conduct mock-polling for two hours from 6 a.m. before opening the booths for voters.

The state has 34,603 polling stations including 5,749 sensitive stations.

AJitender, Additional Director General of Police, said the entire force of Telangana police were deployed while sufficient forces were also mobilized from neighbouring states for free, fair and peaceful polling.A

Besides 55,946 personnel of Telangana state police, 9,700 personnel from other states, 145 companies of central armed forces and 25 companies of Telangana State Special Police were being Adeployed.

The police have made special arrangements in Maoist affected areas. The official said poll boycott call by Maoists for last several decades got no support from citizens. "We believe this time too people will vote in large numbers," he said.

The ADG said air ambulance and helicopters were being arranged at the strategic locations in consultation with CEO for any contingency.
New Delhi, April 9 : Former Prime Minister and Congress leader Manmohan Singh paid tribute to veteran politician and Kerala Congress-Mani Chairman K.M. Mani, who passed away in Kochi on Tuesday.

"In his death, our country has lost a veteran political leader who served out country especially the state of Kerala for his entire life with dedication," Singh said in the letter to Mani's son Jose Mani.

He said Mani was very knowledgeable in financial matters and public affairs.

"I convey to you and other members of your family my heartfelt condolences on this bereavement. We prey to the Almighty to give all of you the strength to bear this great loss with courage and fortitude," Singh said.

Mani was suffering from a lung ailment and was in the hospital for the past one week. He had been unwell since January.

Mani joined the undivided Kerala Congress in 1965 and went on to become its undisputed leader. Over the years, his party underwent several splits.

Mani's record of being the longest-serving legislator in the Kerala Assembly began in 1967 when he represented his home constituency Pala in Kottayam district -- from where he won a record 13 elections.

First became a Minister in 1975, he served as Minister in six other governments, and holds the state record of having presented 13 budgets.
New Delhi, April 9 : Calling Rafale fighter jet deal the biggest defence "corruption" since Independence, Congress President Rahul Gandhi has challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an open debate on the issue.

"Dear PM, scared of debating me on corruption? I can make it easier for you. Let's go open book, so you can prepare," Gandhi tweeted.

His remarks came following Modi's recently interview to a television in which he spoke on the Rafale deal.

A Congress statement also followed Gandhi's tweet, saying that Modi should accept the party President's challenge.

"Modiji who screams and scrams on the issue of corruption must open his mouth on the 'Loot and Scoot' of 28 economic offenders like Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Vijay Mallya, Jatin Mehta among others who looted Rs 1 lakh crore from our banks. Modiji must tell who in his PMO was 'managing the money collections' during demonetisation as shown in the video sting today," the statement said.

In election season, Modi can brazenly use government agencies as "political allies" to target opponents but cannot run away from his role in the Rafale scam, the Congress said. "Brand new evidences of "subverting procedures", "naked crony capitalism", "compromising national interests", "gross impropriety" and "colossal corruption" have once again been exposed in the Rafale scam."

The Congress further said on April 10, 2015, a joint statement was signed by Modi and French President Hollande in France which reduced the original 126 aircrafts deal to just 36 aircraft deal.

On August 5, 2015, the party said, Modi government "mischievously" amended the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2013 (formulated by Congress-UPA), to give huge leeway to Dassault Aviation and its French associate MBDA.

Congress said that the first Rafale aircraft purchased by Modi government doesn't get delivered till September 2019 and all the 36 aircrafts would be delivered to India only by the year 2022, 8.5 years after the placement of order "The bulk of the offset obligations such as 57 per cent would only be met after 15.5 years (8.5 years for the aircraft to arrive and 7 more years for offset obligations)."
New Delhi, April 9 : A group of former bureaucrats and diplomats, including Najeeb Jung and Shiv Shankar Menon, has written a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind complaining that the Election Commission of India (ECI) was suffering from "a crisis of credibility" and alleged that the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has been violated several times, but the poll body has failed to take action.

"We write to express our deep anguish that the ECI is suffering from a crisis of credibility today. The ECI's independence, fairness, impartiality and efficiency are perceived to be compromised today, thereby endangering the integrity of the electoral process which is the very foundation of Indian democracy," they said in the letter written on Monday.

The civil servants said they were distressed to note the "misuse, abuse and blatant disregard" of the MCC by the ruling party at the Centre and the ECI's "pusillanimity" in coming down with a heavy hand on these violations.

Referring to the ECI's clean cheat to Prime Minister's public announcement on March 27 about the successful launch of India's first anti-satellite weapon (ASAT), they said that parading the achievements of a government after the announcement of elections was tantamount to a "serious breach of propriety".

"The ECI's decision does not stand up to the standards of impartiality expected of it," they said.

Over the controversy surrounding release of a biopic on the Prime Minister, the group opined that it represents a backdoor effort to garner free publicity for a political person (and his party).

"If this biopic is released even while the election process is ongoing, we contend that the entire expenses on the production, distribution and publicity of the biopic should be debited to the election expenses of Narendra Modi," the group said.

The group also accused the ECI of acting with "lethargy" in respect of the NaMo TV channel and transfer of three top police officers and the Chief Secretary in Andhra Pradesh and four top police officers in West Bengal.

"No such steps have been taken in Tamil Nadu, where the present Director General of Police (DGP) is reportedly under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the Gutkha scam case and there have been repeated appeals by the Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu seeking his removal from that post," they said.

Raising concerns over the Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh's statement supporting Modi, the group demanded his removal from the post.

They also demanded strong action against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi for their "Modi Ki Sena" remarks and accused the ECI of contenting itself in the cases with a mild reprimand.

"We certainly hope and pray that such mild responses do not embolden others to violate the MCC and weaken the institutions that support our democracy," they said in the letter.

The group also alleged that Modi made "divisive speeches" during his election rallies in Maharashtra and urged the poll body to take appropriate strict action to discourage all "incendiary" speeches.

Expressing their "deep concern" about the "weak-kneed" conduct of the poll body, the group said any erosion in the people's confidence in the fairness of the ECI has very grave consequences for the future of our democracy.

They appealed the President that the ECI to conduct itself in a manner where its independence, fairness, impartiality and efficiency was not questioned and to firmly exercise the extensive mandate given to it under Article 324 of the Constitution to ensure that the Indian voter is able to exercise her/his franchise without fear or favour.
New Delhi/Mumbai, April 9 : More trouble seems to be brewing for debt-ridden Jet Airways as a section of pilots has sent the company a legal notice demanding payment of salaries, due from January 1, by April 14.

"We have sent a legal notice to the company. Our demand is clear -- the payment of January 1 to March 31 salaries," a senior pilot told IANS.

The notice has been sent by the National Aviators Guild (NAG), a union of pilots, to the Jet CEO Vinay Dube. The NAG has over 1,000 members. The pilots, along with engineers and other critical segments of employees, have not been paid salaries since January 1.

The notice has been served on a day when the airline was to inform the employees about the latest situation on salary payments.

"In the light of the current situation, please note that salaries for March will be deferred. We will provide you an update on the status of the payout by Tuesday, April 9, 2019," Rahul Taneja, Chief People Officer, Jet Airways, had said in a communication to employees on April 3.

Last month, the pilots' union had decided to go on mass leave to protest non-payment of salaries, but postponed it till April 15.

"The pilots have decided that time should be given to the new interim management till April 14 to clear salary dues in conjunction with interim funding, and charter a clear road map for the future of the company. The collective call of the pilots is hence deferred to April 15," the NAG said in a communication after the open-house meeting on March 31.

On Monday, lenders of the debt-ridden airline invited expression of interest (EoI) for stake sale in the company to recover dues worth Rs 8,000 crore.
Mysuru : , April 9 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday backed multi-lingual south Indian actress Sumalatha Ambareesh, an Independent in the high-profile Mandya Lok Sabha constituency whom the BJP is supporting to wrest the seat from the JD-S.

"Sumalatha supported her husband and Kannada film star M.H. Ambareesh in promoting the native language and its culture for years. I express gratitude to Ambareesh and Sumalatha for their contribution to Kannada," said Modi in his 35-minute speech in Hindi at a massive Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) public rally in Maharaja College grounds here, about 150km southwest of Bengaluru.

Campaigning for the party's candidates in the old Mysore region, which goes to polls in the second phase on April 18, Modi fondly recalled the rebel star (Ambareesh), who died in Bengaluru on November 24, 2018 at the age of 66.

Though Ambareesh won from the Mandya three times, twice as Congress member and once as Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) member, and was a Cabinet Minister in the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government (2013-16), the ruling ally could not give Sumalatha its ticket to contest, as it has been a JD-S bastion since 2009 general elections.

The JD-S has fielded Nikhil K. -- son of state Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and grandson of party supremo H.D. Deve Gowda -- this time.

To support 55-year-old Sumalatha, the BJP has not fielded its candidate against her and decided to campaign for her in the high-voltage battle against 29-year-old Nikhil, an upcoming Kannada film star from Bengaluru.

A section of the Kannada film industry, known as sandalwood world, is also supporting Sumalatha, and its superstars Darshan and Yash are actively campaigning for her as a gratitude to their hero and guru Ambareesh.

Though the ruling Congress-JD-S alliance partners entered into a pre-poll seat-sharing tie-up to contest in all the 28 Lok Sabha seats across the southern state in the ratio of 21-7, its district leaders and cadres have refused to campaign for JD-S candidates in Mandya, as most of them are also ardent fans of Ambareesh, a native of Mandya and their demigod.
Kolkata, April 9 : The CPI-M on Tuesday alleged its two Lok Sabha candidates -- Gouranga Chatterjee of Asansol and Fuad Halim of Diamond Harbour -- were attacked by the Trinamool Congress-backed miscreants during campaigning.

In a complaint lodged with Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) state Secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra said the Asansol candidate was attacked by Trinamool "hoodlums" at Madanpur village under the Barabani police station.

Mishra alleged no action had been taken despite complaints filed with Barabani police station, the district administration and the Asansol Police Commissioner.

He said Halim was attacked and severely wounded by Trinamool hoodlums at Falta in Diamond Harbour of the South 24 Parganas district. "His mobile phone and personal belongings were snatched away. He is being treated in a hospital," the CPI-M leader said.

Similarly, according to Mishra, on Monday Pallab Sengupta, CPI candidate for the Basirhat constituency in the North 24 Parganas district, was attacked by Trinamool "goons".

"He was threatened of dire consequences if he dared to visit the area again," he said.

If such attacks continued, the Lok Sabha polls would be nothing but a "farce" and the EC's promises of a free & fair election would "e undermined," Mishra said. He also demanded action against the police officers responsible for the lapses.

Mishra said six people, including Chatterjee, were wounded in the Madanpur incident and seven CPI-M workers, including Halim, sustained injuries at Falta.

He said Left Front constituents on Wednesday would stage protests across the state against the atrocities on Left Front candidates.
New Delhi/Mumbai, April 9 : Even as debt-ridden Jet Airways was served a legal notice from a section of its pilots, airline's CEO Vinay Dube on Tuesday said the company continues to work with lenders on the balance sheet restructuring plan and will inform the employees about the progress of the process by early next week.

According to Dube, the company is trying to secure interim funding to sustain, and eventually increase its current level of operations.

"Once we restore the much-needed network stability of the airline, our highest priority is to get more planes flying and to pay your salary arrears," Dube said in a communication to employees.

"Support the bank-led balance sheet restructuring efforts to bring in fresh equity into the airline. This process has entered a new phase, with the lenders inviting Expressions of Interest (EOIs) this week. Shortly thereafter we should have a good idea of how the EOI has progressed.

"Both processes outlined above are complex and are taking longer than what everyone expected. However, please be assured that we continue to work closely with the lenders in a constructive manner for a resolution of our situation."

The development assumes significance as a section of its pilots has sent the company a legal notice demanding payment of salaries, due from January 1, by April 14.

"We have sent a legal notice to the company. Our demand is clear -- the payment of January 1 to March 31 salaries," a senior pilot told IANS.

The notice has been sent by the National Aviators Guild (NAG), a union of pilots, to the Jet CEO. The NAG has over 1,000 members. The pilots, along with engineers and other critical segments of employees, have not been paid salaries since January 1.

The notice was served on a day when the airline was supposed to inform the employees about the latest situation on salary payments.

"In the light of the current situation, please note that salaries for March will be deferred. We will provide you an update on the status of the payout by Tuesday, April 9, 2019," Rahul Taneja, Chief People Officer, Jet Airways, had said in a communication to employees on April 3.

Last month, the pilots' union had decided to go on a mass leave to protest non-payment of salaries, but postponed it till April 15.

"The pilots have decided that time should be given to the new interim management till April 14 to clear salary dues in conjunction with interim funding, and charter a clear road map for the future of the company. The collective call of the pilots is hence deferred to April 15," the NAG said in a communication after the open-house meeting on March 31.

On Monday, lenders of the debt-ridden airline invited EoI for stake sale in the company to recover dues worth Rs 8,000 crore.
New Delhi, April 9 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has summoned Jammu and Kashmir legislator Aijaz Ahmad Mir in connection with the robbery of eight weapons from his residence in Srinagar by his special police officer (SPO) last year, sources said on Tuesday.

The Peoples Democratic Party MLA has been asked to appear before the investigators at the NIA headquarters here on Friday, said an official.

SPO Adil Bashir, a resident of Zainapora village of Shopian, had fled with seven AK assault rifles of Mir's personal security officers and the licensed pistol of the legislator from his Jawahar Nagar residence in September last year.

As the case came to notice, the Jammu and Kashmir Police registered a case and announced a cash reward of Rs 2 lakh for any information leading to the arrest of the SPO, who have been found involved in terror activities as his pictures have emerged on social media along with Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist and the looted weapons.

The officials said the appointment of the SPO is also under a cloud as state police investigations so far show that proper procedure was not followed in the case.

The family members of the SPO including his father, who is the district chief of Jamaat-e-Islami, have been questioned by Jammu and Kashmir Police as part of the investigation.

Mir has been in controversy in 2017 when his police driver Touseef Ahmad was arrested for his alleged role in July 10, 2017 terror attack on Amarnath yatra pilgrims. The attack left seven pilgrims dead and 19 others injured on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway near Khanabal in Anantnag district.
Kolkata, April 9 : Describing the Election Commission order transferring Cooch Behar police superintendent Abhishek Gupta as "arbitrary, motivated and biased", the Trinamool Congress on Tuesday lodged a protest with the EC and urged it to review the decision "to uphold the sanctity of the Constitution".

In a three-page letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, Trinamool Congress leader in the Rajya Sabha Derek O'Brien alleged the order was passed at the "behest of the ruling party at the Centre (BJP), its national leaders, as well as its local representatives in West Bengal".

A Trinamool Congress delegation is also slated to meet CEC Sunil Arora on Wednesday on the issue. "We would like to raise strong protest against the order, the decision by the Election Commission, just two days before the date of vote, is arbitrary, motivated and biased," said O'Brien.

Refering to BJP leaders' statements, particularly Mukul Roy, at a recent election meeting in Cooch Behar threatening Gupta with dire consequences, the letter said a complaint was submitted by the Trinamool, but the EC had not taken any action.

"Your action clearly indicates that such decision has been taken as per his (Roy's) instruction and compel us to question the bona fide of the decision. It is amply clear that the EC has been complying with the direction of the BJP leaders," said O'Brien.

Stating that the EC does not have "unfettered powers to interfere with the course of administration that is unconnected to polling", he said the poll panel could not engage in "unchecked, arbitrary and uncanalised" exercise of power.

Accusing the BJP and its leaders of "blatantly violating the Representation of People Act and the model code of conduct", O'Brien said "no concrete action has been taken against them".

He pointed out that Gupta's replacement, Amit Kumar Singh, has been deputed by the state government as a police observer in Bihar. "Bringing him to the post of SP, just 48 hours before elections, shows the EC does not expect to conduct the election in a proper manner.

"The new incumbent does not have adequate experience to perform duties as SP in Cooch Behar district due to his lack of knowledge of the area and its people. Putting him in charge of the district just 48 hours before the election date can significantly jeopardise effective management of these areas," the letter said.

"You'r are called upon to uphold the sanctity of the Constitution and I urge you to review your decision. We sincerely hope at the crucial juncture of election, you shall take appropriate action in conducting free and fair poll without being influenced by any political party," the letter added.
New Delhi, April 9 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has summoned former Jammu and Kashmir legislator Aijaz Ahmad Mir in connection with the robbery of eight weapons from his residence in Srinagar by his special police officer (SPO) last year, sources said on Tuesday.

The Peoples Democratic Party leader has been asked to appear before the investigators at the NIA headquarters here on Friday, said an official.

SPO Adil Bashir, a resident of Zainapora village of Shopian, had fled with seven AK assault rifles of Mir's personal security officers and the licensed pistol of the legislator from his Jawahar Nagar residence in September last year.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police registered a case and announced a cash reward of Rs 2 lakh for any information leading to the arrest of the SPO, who have been found involved in terror activities as his pictures have emerged on social media along with Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist and the looted weapons.

The officials said the appointment of the SPO is also under a cloud as state police investigations so far show that proper procedure was not followed in the case.

The family members of the SPO including his father, who is the district chief of Jamaat-e-Islami, have been questioned by Jammu and Kashmir Police as part of the investigation.

Mir has been in controversy in 2017 when his police driver Touseef Ahmad was arrested for his alleged role in July 10, 2017 terror attack on Amarnath yatra pilgrims. The attack left seven pilgrims dead and 19 others injured on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway near Khanabal in Anantnag district.
Chennai, April 9 : All-round Chennai Super Kings made short work of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), thrashing them by seven wickets in a lopsided Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter here on Tuesday.

The victory saw the defending champions replace KKR at the top of the eight-team points table with 10 points from six matches.

KKR, meanwhile, dropped down to second spot, having eight points from six outings.

After being asked to bat first by home team skipper M.S. Dhoni, the visitors managed just 108/9, riding Andre Russell's unbeaten yet uncharacteristic 44-ball 50.

Deepak Chahar (3/20) scalped three wickets and was well supported by veteran spinners Harbhajan Singh (2/15) and Imran Tahir (2/21).

Chasing a paltry 109 for victory, Chennai were never in trouble as South Africa captain Faf du Plessis carried his bat with an unbeaten 43 off 45 balls, his innings studded with three fours.

After the hosts lost Shane Watson (17) and Suresh Raina (14) inside the powerplay with Sunil Narine (2/24) taking both the wickets, du Plessis and Ambati Rayudu (21) stitched together a 46-run third wicket partnership, mostly scoring off singles.

Once Rayudu was out, caught by Nitish Rana at short extra cover off Piyush Chawla, Kedar Jadhav (8 not out) joined hands with du Plessis to take the team over the line with 16 balls to spare.

Earlier, Chahar shaved off the KKR top order early as Chennai never allowed the visitors to get an upper hand.

Chennai even kept Russell quiet as the big-hitting West Indian hit five fours and three sixes but never got into the groove.

KKR never really got going and it looked like they would not cross the 100-run mark before Russell -- struggling with niggles -- hit Scott Kuggeleijn for one six and two fours as the purple brigade managed to get 15 runs off the last over.

Russell was dropped when he was batting on 8 by Harbhajan which was a difficult chance.

KKR were reduced to 24/4 inside the first five overs, largely due to Chahar who bowled a superb first spell of 3-0-14-3.

He first trapped Chris Lynn (0) in front to then account for the wicket of Rana (0) who hit a rising delivery straight to Ambati Rayudu at midwicket.

In between those two wickets, Harbhajan continued his rich vein of form with the ball by removing Narine (6) with a tossed up delivery that the West Indian top-edged to Chahar who ran backwards from point to complete an excellent catch.

The Rajasthan pacer then got the back of Robin Uthappa (11) who was guilty of trying to play one shot too many, and holing out to Jadhav at deep square leg.

Dinesh Karthik (19) and Shubman Gill (9) then tried to stem the rot but just when the pair looked to have settled in, Karthik hit straight to midwicket where Harbhajan took a sharp catch off Tahir.

Tahir removed Gill too with a googly that slipped through between inside edge and leg for Dhoni to take the bails off behind the stumps.

Russell and Chawla (8) joined hands for a 29-run stand for the seventh wicket but once Harbhajan sent the latter back with a delivery that spun sharply away from the batsman for Dhoni to effect an easy stumping, it was all downhill for the visitors.

Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna did not trouble the scorers with Harry Gurney 1 not out) staying till the end with Russell.

Brief scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 108/9 (Andre Russell 50; Deepak Chahar 3/20, Harbhajan Singh 2/15, Imran Tahir 2/21; Chennai Super Kings 111/3 in 17.2 overs (Faf du Plessis 43 not out; Sunil Narine 2/24)
New Delhi, April 10 : Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that party's Nyuntam Aay Yojana (Nyay) was a powerful idea which has an "absolutely amazing resonance" in the field and claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot stop talking about it.

"NYAY is such a powerful idea. Absolutely amazing resonance in the field. Even PM (Past Master) can't stop talking about it," he said in a tweet.

Nyay promises to provide Rs 72,000 per year to the poorest 20 per cent families.

Gandhi also said that a Congress government will create a National Data Science Institute to create world-class data scientists.

In a Facebook post he said that Congress will create a national mission which will focus on future technologies such as big data, machine learning, internet of things, 3-D printing and knowledge networks.

He said in another post that a Congress government will spend two per cent of GDP on science and technology in association with the industry.

Gandhi said all vacant posts of scientists and researchers will be filled in 12 months.

"We feel that investment in science and technology is an investment in the country's future," he said.
London, April 10 : UK Prime Minister Theresa May is holding last-minute Brexit talks with the French President Emmanuel Macron, with the UK due to leave the EU in three days' time.

May will urge Macron to back her request to delay Brexit again until 30 June, having earlier met German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.

After the talks, Merkel said a delay that runs to the end of the year or the start of 2020 was a possibility, the BBC reported.

There is a summit on Wednesday when all EU states will vote on an extension.

Cross-party talks in Westminster aimed at breaking the impasse in Parliament finished, with both sides expressing hope there would be progress.

A draft EU document circulated to diplomats ahead of the emergency meeting of EU leaders proposes an extension but leaves the date blank.

European Council president Donald Tusk said there was "little reason to believe" that the ratification process of the withdrawal agreement could be completed by the end of June.

In a letter to EU leaders, he said at Wednesday's summit members should discuss "an alternative, longer extension" that will be flexible and "would last only as long as necessary and no longer than one year".
Melbourne City Mission, Melbourne Melbournes oldest charity organisation, has continued to expand, leasing a whole floor in the Victory Tower.

Fitzroys agents Stephen Land and Sam Friend negotiated the five-year lease with a three year option over 393 sqm on Level 10 of Victory Tower, at $175,000 per annum plus GST on behalf of a private Melbourne-based landlord.

Melbourne City Mission said they intend to sub-lease part of the floor to Youth Law, another not-for-profit group they are co-locating with.

The lease comes just weeks before Melbourne City Mission opens its new $8 million crisis accommodation and homeless support centre on King Street in the CBD, which will be Victorias largest.

Stephen land said, The premises contained existing workstations and chairs, and a recent upgrade that included new carpet, paint and kitchenette made the office desirable to prospective tenants that were looking to occupy an office with minimal work involved."

Landlords are benefiting from the race to secure sub-500 sqm tenancies across the Melbourne CBD, as operators across a range of industries increasingly look to secure a city address.

These major developments have prompted a broadening range of tenant enquiry in this part of the city. Operators want to be among the enhanced lifestyle, food and beverage offerings in the area that have been spurred by the booming worker population, Land concluded.
The Gold Coast tourism market continues to drive economic growth and support demand for retail activity, according to a new market report.

Approximately 25% of investment sales in Queensland in 2018 were Gold Coast retail assets, said the Colliers International release.

And $465 million in sales were recorded in the Gold Coast retail market in 2018, with yield spreads up to 100bp compared to Sydney and Melbourne.

Steven King, Director-in-Charge of Colliers International Gold Coast said international tourism and education sector may receive a boost at the back of the lower Australian dollar, which will ultimately support demand for retail property and increase demand for hotel accommodation.

We have seen $500 million worth of investment in new retail developments in 2018, such as the $470 million Westfield Coomera, which is a testament to owners optimistic outlook for the retail sector in the Gold Coast over the short to medium term, said King.

Low regional unemployment, population growth and consistent net interstate migration is supporting the retail activity and demand for future retail centres. Residential hot spots like Ormeau, Oxford and Nerang are desired locations for future retail development.

Consistent growth in airport operations is on the back of increasing tourism activity which is boosting the retail sector. Per the Gold Coast Airport Master Plan 2017, the Gold Coast Airport will service 16.6 million passengers by 2037, an average growth rate of five% per annum.

The author of the report, Research Manager at Colliers International Karina Salas, said residential sector is set to benefit from strong forecast population growth and solid infrastructure investment pipeline.

Click here to enlarge:

Median house price on the Gold Coast is $100,000 more affordable than Noosa, and $50,000 more affordable than Brisbane, said Salas.

The affordability factor along with the unique lifestyle makes Gold Coast an attractive location for owner-occupiers and investors.

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Looking at other markets, value proposition of investment in the Gold Coast office market is solid, considering the current prime-yield spread of 200bp compared to the Brisbane market, said Salas.

The performance of the leasing market is also gradually strengthening, as demand for office accommodation continues to gradually increase and support a consistent tightening of vacancy rates.

When it comes to the industrial sector, Yatala precinct will remain a popular location for industrial operators looking for large space requirements of 2,000 square metres and above. This is because Yatala offers affordable leasing and investment opportunities compared to other industrial precincts in Brisbane.

The net face rents in Yatala are usually 15 to 20% cheaper than Brisbane industrial precincts, while land values could be up to 35% more affordable compared to other industrial precincts in Brisbane.

Demand in this precinct is coming from the growing transport and logistics sectors, considering the excellent accessibility which is further supported by $2.5 billion M1 upgrade masterplan within the Logan corridor and Yatala.

Click here to enlarge
A three bedroom house in Southeastern Queensland has been listed for mortgagee sale with a price guide of $309,000.

It has been offered by Marre Richardson and Rob Richardson from Beaudesert Properties.

Situated at 32 Tina Street, Beaudesert, the dual level house comprises a huge rumpus room, open plan lounge/dining/kitchen area, three bedrooms, and covered patio area.

Other features include open fronted storage shed, three vehicle covered carport area, and security screens.

It's located close to the State School, hospital, medical centre and shops.

The median price for a house in Beaudesert is $332,000 according to CoreLogic, which calculate its annual change in median price over the past 10 years as 0.3%.
A home within The Rivergums Estate, Baldivis has been listed by the mortgagee for $365,000.

Lorraine Dove of RE/MAX Horizons has the listing.

Located at 11 Lomandra View, the property is a four bedroom two bathroom house.

It's close to a number of amenities.

Set on 602 sqm, the one story house was built in 2005.

It was listed as a rental in January 2017 with an asking price of $450/pw.

Last sold in 2014, the home traded for $475,000.

The median price for a house in Baldvis is $382,000 according to CoreLogic, which calculate its annual change in median price over the past 10 years as 0.5%.
EXPERT OBSERVER

The prices of Australia's most expensive capital city homes have plummeted, according to CoreLogic, by 12.3% over the past year. That could all start to change in 2019.

Thats because nearly 1,000 very wealthy individuals who have immigrated to Australia under the Significant Investor Visa are about to have $4.4 billion in cash freed up. Many will undoubtedly choose to use it to buy a family home in their new country of residence.

The Significant Investor Visa is Australia's so-called "golden visa." It's how Australia offers citizenship to individuals who make big investments in the country. Nearly nine out of 10 Significant Investor Visa recipients is Chinese.

A total of 879 individuals and their families got their Significant Investor Visas in 2013, 2014, and 2015. Now, after four years of having their money locked up in strictly limited investment categories, they can become permanent residents. When that happens, they get their $5 million back to spend or invest however they wish. That might include in an expensive family home in Toorak or Mosman if they so desire.

They can certainly afford a high-end Australian home. Each Significant Investor Visa holder being worth an average of $50 million. Since 2,000 individuals have obtained the visa since 2013, their total net worth is about $100 billion. Adding that kind of money to Australia is like doubling the Australian Financial Review's Rich List says David Chin of Basispoint.

Juwai.com data shows that the top destinations for Chinese buyers are Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane. Chinese account for one-quarter of all foreign real estate investment in the country. That's more than any other nationality.

Just like well-off Australians buy homes in Bali, the UK, or New Zealand, wealthy Chinese families also buy homes in Australia. Since the GFC in 2008, this international market has boomed.

Even so, international activity alone wasnt enough to keep prices from falling in 2018. The Significant Investor Visa program could be a boon to Australia's sagging luxury property markets.

Georg Chmiel is the chairman of Juwai, the number one Chinese website for buyers of overseas property
GUEST OBSERVATION

Chinese investment in Australia fell 36% in 2018, to A$8.2 billion (US$6.2 billion) from A$13 billion (US$10 billion) in 2017, according to research by KPMG and the University of Sydney Business School.

This is despite Chinese investors still generally regarding Australia as safer and more attractive than most other countries. So 2018 need not be a turning point. But it is cause for reflection.

Discussion about Chinese investment in recent years has been dominated by political and security concerns. These concerns need to be balanced by the national interest in economic prosperity. Chinese investment creates jobs, increases export opportunities and deepens relations with our most significant trade partner.

Arguably the pendulum has to swing back to thinking about the economic benefits. We need a more balanced national conversation.

Many losers, one winner

Our data covers direct investments through mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and new projects. We do not include portfolio investments, such as buying stocks and bonds, which do not result in foreign management, ownership or legal control. Nor do we include residential property sales.

In the mining, agribusiness and services sectors investment fell by more than 90%. In renewable energy it fell by 48%, and in commercial real estate by 31%.

The only sector where investment did not fall was health care, where investment more than doubled to A$3.4 billion. This made health care the biggest investment sector, attracting 41.7% of all Chinese money, relegating commercial real estate (36.7%) to second place.

The declines were driven by state-owned enterprises pulling back on foreign investment. In 2018 13% of Chinese money came from state-owned enterprises, with 87% from private companies.

This reflects the Chinese governments greater control of capital outflows and pressure to reduce debt levels, as well as the Australian governments security concerns about Chinese influence.

It also reflects global dynamics. Chinese investment in Australia is no longer isolated from scrutiny of Chinese investment in North America and Europe. Excluding Chinese technology from telecommunications infrastructure is a notable example.

In the United States, Chinese investment fell 83% to US$4.8 billion from US$29 billion in 2017. In Canada, it fell 47% to US$3.4 billion from US$6.2 billion in 2017.

Balancing competing concerns

Australian governments, corporations and professional advisers need to consider what types of Chinese investments and investors are desired and actively welcome in Australia.

Our report points to areas where Chinese investment is in Australias national interest and benefits the global integration and competitiveness of Australian industries.

Health care is a key example.

Chinese investment in health care companies has both provided capital for innovation and facilitated entry into the Chinese market.

Take the Chinese private equity firm CDH buying Sirtex Medical Ltd for A$1.9 billion. Sirtex is an Australian medical device company with a treatment for liver cancer. Its acquisition enables expansion into China, which accounts for more half of the global incidence of liver cancer.

In mining, lithium provides an example of Chinese investment adding value. Tianqi Lithium has invested A$700 million in a processing plant in Perth. The plant will provide about 200 jobs and produce 48,000 tonnes of battery-grade lithium hydroxide for export.

Even in food and agriculture, which has generated much controversy over land acquisitions, we see room for advantageous investment processing and value-adding facilities, such as regional abattoirs.

Signalling Australias economic interests in Chinese and foreign investment is crucial to Australias prosperity.

At a time of global uncertainty, Australian politicians, bureaucrats, business leaders, educational organisations and others must work quietly and respectfully with their Chinese counterparts to allay community concerns and consolidate Australias reputation as a welcoming and proactive partner.

Hans Hendrischke, Professor of Chinese Business and Management, University of Sydney

The authors contributed to the Demystifying Chinese Investment in Australia Report.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
House values are to continue to lead the property market downturn in 2019, according to Moody's Analytics.

Across the eight capital cities, house values are set to decline 7.7% in 2019, a sharper correction than apartments which are forecast to see a 4.3% hit.

Click here to enlarge.

House prices have declined over 9% since their peak in late 2017, while apartment values are down around 6% from the peak, according to CoreLogic.

House values in Sydney declined 5.5% in 2018 and are forecast to fall a further 9.3% in 2019. Apartment values are set to decline 5.9% in 2019.

Melbourne's house price decline has been more accelerated than Sydney's, and its sharp downturn is reflected in the forecast for its house values in 2019.

Click here to enlarge.

Moody's suggest values will decline 11.4% across Great Melbourne, with apartments to fall 5%.

The worst is over for Brisbane, according to Moody's, with house values to see a correction in 2019.

There will be strength in East Brisbane, offset by declines elsewhere.

Click here to enlarge.

There's also good news for the Brisbane apartment market, Moody's forecast. Values are tipped to recover 0.9% in 2019.

It's not such good news for Perth, where house values are like to decline 7.6% in 2019.

Adelaides housing market will continue its stable run, with house values forecast to rise 1% in 2019 after a 1.9% gain in 2018.
Jason Chuck, the chief executive officer of Avnu, LJ Hookers online real estate startup platform for the past 17 months has quit - and become Domains chief customer officer.

Chucks role is a new one for Domain.

It will incorporate the responsibilities of former chief marketing officer, Melina Cruickshank, who joined REA Group last December.

As Domains chief customer officer, Chuck will also be responsible for all of the Nine-majority owned real estate platforms consumer facing functions including revenue generating activities such the companys Loan Finder, relocation assistance and online price research services as well as editorial and marketing.

Chuck arrived in Australia from Canada via Hong Kong in 2009 where he first worked with Domain boss Jason Pellegrino in marketing for Google.

After leaving Google in 2010, Chuck joined eHarmony as managing director, then roles with Etsy and Houzz.

He became the founding CEO of LJ Hookers Avnu in December, 2017.

Avnu, the much hyped new avenue in real estate, allows agents and customers to manage their sales and properties in real time through digital online software.

I am delighted that Jason will be joining Domain," Pellegrino said.

In a message to staff, Domain CEO Jason Pellegrino labelled Chuck an "impressive talent" who would bring his experience in marketing, content and scaling new business to the company.

"Chuck is a passionate advocate for technologys role in transforming how consumers and businesses interact. He has a track record in building technology and digital businesses, leading with real energy and passion.

"Chuck is an incredible leader and business builder and I am confident his diverse skills, passion and industry experience will support Domains transition to our next phase of growth."

It was an extremely difficult decision to move on from LJ Hooker Avnu," Chuck said.

Domain shares slid more than 7 percent on the ASX yesterday, and almost 2 percent in trade this morning.

(This article's opening sentenced has been amended on the timing of Jason Chuck's exit from AVNU.)
Vice President Joe Biden will be honored at the National Minority Quality Forums 16th Annual Summit on Health Disparities with the Lifetime Achievement Award. The awards gala will be held Tuesday, April 9th 2019 at 7:00 PM in Washington, DC to acknowledge those who have taken a lead role in changing the landscape as it pertains to ending health care disparities across the country. The Annual National Summit on Health Disparities is designed to educate and assist attendees in delivering quality care to diverse populations across the nation.

Vice President Biden has been a great advocate for our countrys most vulnerable. His dedication to research and improvements in the health care field through the Biden Cancer Initiative is unmatched.

During the conference, attendees, including health care providers, professionals, administrators, researchers, policy makers, community and faith-based organizations, will participate in panel discussions and learn from experts in health and health care disparities.

We could think of no other person to award this prestigious honor. His leadership and dedication to end health disparities from leading on the passage and support of the Affordable Care Act, to the Cancer Moonshot, to the Biden Cancer Initiative is truly unprecedented. And, are just a few of the reasons the National Minority Quality Forum is privileged to honor him with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Gary A Puckrein, PhD, Founder, President & CEO, National Minority Quality Forum.

Vice President Biden: We cannot accept disparities in cancer outcomes by race, by gender, or by zip code. The National Minority Quality Forum is leading the way in helping eliminate these disparities. The Cancer Index that they released last fall at the Biden Cancer summit is just one example of the resources being brought to bear to help underserved communities that need it. Im honored to receive this award from them.

Media Details:

Date: Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Location: Ritz Carlton West End

1150 22nd St NW

Washington, DC 20037

Press Entrance: Ballroom Entrance (proceed down staircase to Press check-in table)

Press Arrival: Begins 5:30pm

Event Begins: 7:00pm

Throw: 50 feet

RSVP: This event is OPEN PRESS. Media must RSVP with the NAME, POSITION

(Reporter, TV Camera, Photog, etc.) MEDIA OUTLET, PHONE AND EMAIL for

each person planning to cover the event to 2019SummitRegistrar(at)Nmqf.org by Tuesday, April 9

at 12:00 PM EDT. At the event, you will be required to wear your outlets media

credential at all times, either around the neck or pinned to clothing.

*Internet available

For more information about National Minority Quality Forum, visit http://www.nmqf.org.
Iflexion, a global provider of software development services, has announced today the release of an industry research report 8 Emerging Applications of AI. This report summarizes recent developments in artificial intelligence for Banking, Healthcare, and Insurance, as well as provides a review of several industry-agnostic AI trends.

For the past decade, the banking industry has been experiencing monumental changes due to the shifting regulatory environment as well as increased competition from fintechs. The report highlights the disruptive effect of AI on the banking sector and provides an overview of anti-money laundering (AML) and risk management applications of artificial intelligence.

This document also accents the transformative effect of artificial intelligence on healthcare that is one of the most conservative domains.

The report highlights some of the changes that the industry undergoes because of AI: it puts a special accent on medical imaging and shows practical applications of disease analytics in the healthcare sector.

The insurance industry is one of the biggest contenders for AI disruption due to its historical relationship with data analytics. The abundance of data makes insurance the perfect test bed for AI projects. The trends emerging in this report reflect the growing need to cut operational costs and streamline policy management, while simultaneously improving risk management. The report showcases the applications of AI in the claims management and underwriting domains.

Iflexion singles out two main cross-industry trends that will keep influencing AI adoption. The report explores the phenomenon of augmented analytics and reveals the synergy between AI and robotic process automation (RPA).

About Iflexion

Iflexion is a custom software development company based in Denver, CO. With 850+ specialists on board, Iflexion delivers software solutions that address various business needs and foster enterprise processes. With a strong focus on web and mobile development, the company has accomplished more than 1,500 projects in 30+ countries.

Iflexion keeps in step with ever-changing tech trends and extends their offering with top-demanded services and technologies. AR/VR app development, AI consulting and development, image analysis, blockchain development make part of Iflexions competencies.
ACI Specialty Benefits, a top-ranked global benefits provider, is excited to announce that Senior Vice President of Marketing/IT, Tim Mutrie, will be heading to Las Vegas to present "Brace for Impact: Action Planning for When Disaster Strikes," at the 2019 SHRM Annual Conference & Exposition on Monday, June 24 at 4:15 pm.

"It's time to talk about the elephant in the room," says Mutrie. "Crisis is an uncomfortable reality, but somebody has to start the discussion and that's exactly what I plan to do at this year's SHRM annual conference."

With an average of 130 people dying every day from an opioid overdose, more than 330 mass shootings in the U.S. in 2018 alone, over 400 natural disasters per year and growing threats of cyber attacks costing businesses millions, every HR leader must take action to protect their workforce. In this dynamic session, Mutrie will reveal the major organizational threats impacting businesses today and walk through a real-life case study of what happens when the workplace becomes a crime scene. Attendees will also walk away with a five-step action plan to build crisis readiness and resilience at the workplace in the event of critical incidents, natural disasters and workplace violence.

SHRM's 2019 Annual Conference & Exposition (#SHRM19) is taking place on June 23-26 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The conference features over 200 concurrent sessions on topics related to benefits, workplace/HR practices, employment law, recruiting, workplace trends, and more. More than 15,000 HR professionals, recruiters and business leaders are expected to attend the four-day event.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is the world's largest HR professional society, representing 285,000 members in more than 165 countries. For nearly seven decades, the Society has been the leading provider of resources serving the needs of HR professionals and advancing the practice of human resource management.

ABOUT TIM MUTRIE

As SVP of Marketing/IT for ACI, Tim Mutrie leads ACI's award-winning IT and marketing teams in delivering next-generation engagement and benefits technology for customers worldwide. Mutrie, a 20-year industry veteran, brings powerhouse engagement and digital strategies to the benefits world. Mutrie is highly experienced in creating benefit solutions built for the new workforce.

ABOUT ACI SPECIALTY BENEFITS

ACI Specialty Benefits offers best-in-class benefit solutions to engage the new workforce and drive business performance. A top-ranked global benefits provider of Employee Assistance Programs, Work-Life Benefits, Corporate Concierge, Crisis Services and Student Assistance Program s, ACI consistently helps customers achieve Healthiest Workplace awards, Best Place to Work rankings, and improve engagement, retention, productivity and performance. Founded in 1983 and headquartered in San Diego, ACI has grown to international prominence with a 95% customer retention rate and 12 million lives covered. For more information about innovative employee benefit solutions, visit http://www.acispecialtybenefits.com.
"With the release of AnyDesk Version 5.0, we further strengthen our positioning in the market as the lightest, fastest, and most affordable remote desktop solution available," said Philipp Weiser, Chief Executive Officer of AnyDesk Software GmbH

AnyDesk Software GmbH, technology leader in remote access software, released the new version of the fastest and most affordable solution on the market: AnyDesk 5.0. The new version includes a number of new features and upgrades, including a new user interface.

AnyDesk also listened to feedback from users, providing an auto-add function for the address book that makes expanding your contact list so much simpler. Remote printing has been added along with auto-discovery functionality, allowing users to automatically detect other AnyDesk clients in their local network. The new on-screen whiteboard enables users to communicate with their counterparts via graphic elements, complementing the already-existing real-time chat.

Version 5.0 also brings an update to AnyDesks licensing policy so every business can find a model that suits them in one of the three different levels: Lite, Professional, and Power. Lite is ideal for a small business or a freelancer with its unlimited endpoints from a single device and the new features of Version 5.0 along with all of AnyDesks previous benefits. If customers need to use multiple devices to connect to endpoints, then the Professional plan is right for them, also bringing custom aliases, session logging, and special admin features. Finally, the Power plan allows for three active devices and unlimited concurrent sessions, perfect for when you need to access a large pool of devices simultaneously.

"With the release of AnyDesk Version 5.0, we further strengthen our positioning in the market as the lightest, fastest, and most affordable remote desktop solution available, offering our customers an even smoother and more effective user experience. The new version and our tiered licensing model will enable our customers to always find the best fit for their needs, said Philipp Weiser, Chief Executive Officer of AnyDesk Software GmbH.

About AnyDesk:

AnyDesk was founded in Germany in 2014. Its unique remote access software has been downloaded by more than 100 million users worldwide, adding another 5 million each month. The software is based on the companys unique proprietary codec, DeskRT, that allows for virtually latency-free collaboration whether youre down the hall or on the other side of the world. AnyDesk is one of the 50 fastest-growing businesses in Germany and its technology is trusted by millions of people and more than 15,000 companies in 165 countries, including world-renowned Fortune 500 brands. To learn more, visit https://anydesk.com/en/

For more information, please contact:

AnyDesk Press Office

Email: press(at)anydesk.com
Davidson, Flotte, McIntyre, Wilson, and Gregory will assume their roles following the 22nd Annual Meeting, held April 29-May 2 at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C.

The American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) is excited to welcome five incoming members of the Society's leadership team, including a new addition to the presidential line of succession, at the 22nd Annual Meeting. Members of ASGCT elected five of their peers to join the Society's leadership team for a three-year term (2019-2021).

All five incoming members of the ASGCT Board of Directors will assume their roles following the 22nd Annual Meeting, held April 29-May 2 at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C.

Vice President: Beverly Davidson, Ph.D., Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Beverly Davidson, Ph.D. comes to ASGCT by way of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and has been an active member in ASGCT since the Society's founding. She joins the ASGCT line of presidential succession following an engaged history as a committee member and Society leader.

Davidson's work is focused on inherited genetic diseases that cause central nervous system dysfunction, with a particular eye on recessive, childhood onset neurodegenerative disease; dominant genetic diseases; and understanding how noncoding RNAs participate in neural development and neurodegenerative diseases process.

Davidson will join the ASGCT Board of Directors as Vice President in 2019 and ascend through the presidential line, ultimately leading ASGCT as president in 2021-22.

Secretary, Terence R. Flotte: M.D., University of Massachusetts Medical School

Terence R. Flotte, M.D. is the provost and executive deputy chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Medical School and has been an ASGCT member since the Society's founding and committee participant on the Respiratory Disease Committee and as chair of previous iterations of both the Clinical and Regulatory Affairs Committee, and the Advisory Council. He will assume the role of secretary with ASGCT, and will be instrumental in developing the program for upcoming ASGCT Annual Meetings.

Flotte's research investigates delivery of therapeutic genes and miRNA with recombinant AAV vectors for monogenic diseases, such as alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency and cystic fibrosis (CF). In 1995, his lab was the first to use recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) in humans when they conducted CF clinical trials.

At-Large Director and Membership Council Chair: Maritza McIntyre, Ph.D., Advanced Therapy Partners, LLC

Maritza McIntyre, Ph.D. is the owner and operator of Advanced Therapies Partners. She has 20 years of experience in the development of cell and gene therapies, including as an FDA reviewer and in several gene therapy start-ups including RegenxBio and Bamboo Therapeutics. She currently serves as the outgoing chair of the Clinical Trials and Regulatory Affairs Committee, which has led ASGCT commentary on numerous FDA guidance documents, co-developed the first FDA liaison meeting with the Government Affairs committee, assisted in the development of various webinars and online educational materials, and represented the society in standards-setting efforts in the field.

At-Large Director: Matthew Wilson, M.D., Ph.D., Vanderbilt University

Matthew Wilson, M.D., Ph.D. is an associate professor of medicine at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and has been an active member of ASGCT since 2004. He originally joined the Society as a postdoctoral fellow and now serves on the Physical Delivery Therapeutics and Vector Development and Genome Editing committees, chairing the former in 2018-2019. His laboratory is currently focused on developing approaches and technologies for cell and gene therapy of kidney diseases.

At-Large Director: Philip Gregory, D.Phil., bluebird bio

Philip Gregory, D.Phil. is the chief scientific officer of bluebird bio and has been an ASGCT member since 2004 and has served as a member of both the Program Committee and Advisory Council. Through more than 15 years in the filed, Gregory has developed the basic science, discovery and translation of genome editing technologies for clinical applications. His experience in biotech and as a translational specialist will be invaluable to the Society as it balances an ever-growing list of stakeholders.

ASGCT Members and Transitional Members who are current with their membership dues are eligible to vote in ASGCT elections.

About ASGCT

The American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy is the primary professional membership organization for scientists, physicians, patient advocates, and other professionals with interest in gene and cell therapy. Our members work in a wide range of settings including universities, hospitals, government agencies, foundations, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. ASGCT advances knowledge, awareness, and education leading to the discovery and clinical application of gene and cell therapies to alleviate human disease to benefit patients and society.
One of our primary goals as a treatment provider is to improve accessibility and affordability of effective options for individuals struggling with the disease of opioid addiction."

BAART Programs and MedMark Treatment Centers, two BayMark Health Services brands in California, have announced that they are now in network with Anthem Blue Cross of California. BAART Programs and MedMark Treatment Centers provide safe, effective medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with methadone and buprenorphine supported by counseling for those struggling with opioid use disorder.

Californians have been significantly impacted by the opioid crisis, experiencing over 2,000 opioid overdose deaths in 2017. shared David K. White, Ph.D., CEO of BayMark Health Services. One of our primary goals as a treatment provider is to improve accessibility and affordability of effective options for individuals struggling with the disease of opioid addiction. By working with insurers, we have the opportunity to further that goal, and open up our comprehensive services to hundreds of thousands of Anthem Blue Cross subscribers across the state.

BAART and MedMark Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs) are known across California as providers of quality, evidence-based medication-assisted treatment services. In addition to medication, wrap-around services which include counseling, addiction education, relapse prevention, lab testing, coordinated care for pregnancy and linkages to community resources are available to assist patients on their path to recovery.

The mission is to provide comprehensive medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder and other health care services to foster wellness, longevity and socially responsible behavior for the patients we serve.

To find an Opioid Treatment Program near you visit: https://baymark.com/treatment-locations/

About BayMark Health Services:

BayMark Health Services provides medication-assisted treatment to more than 49,000 patients in recovery from substance use disorder across the United States and Ontario, Canada. Our outpatient programs deliver medically supervised treatment, in a variety of modalities and settings, to meet the diverse needs of our patients who struggle with the use of opioids, alcohol and other prescription and illicit substances. The BayMark continuum of patient-focused services includes: highly structured opioid treatment programs utilizing methadone or buprenorphine and outpatient buprenorphine treatment programs, both of which incorporate counseling as part of an individualized treatment plan for opioid use disorder. Additionally, ambulatory withdrawal management services with naltrexone therapy, and inpatient detoxification services are offered for a variety of substance use disorders.
"Our priority is to provide high quality, individualized treatment to anyone struggling with the misuse of opioids."

BAART Programs Brighton, a BayMark Health Services Company, announced recently they now accept Health First Colorado for medication-assisted treatment (MAT) services helping those struggling with opioid addiction. As Colorados State Medicaid program, Health First provides health care coverage for residents who qualify. BAART is pleased to expand accessibility to life-saving MAT treatment and counseling to Coloradans utilizing the Health First plan.

Open since January of this year, BAART Brighton provides MAT with methadone and buprenorphine, medications that are proven to help patients recover from opioid addiction when combined with individual and group counseling. The Brighton treatment program also provides addiction education, relapse prevention, lab testing, coordinated care for pregnant patients and linkages to community resources to assist patients on their path to recovery.

Our priority is to provide high quality, individualized treatment to anyone struggling with the misuse of opioids. Being a Health First Colorado Medicaid provider increases accessibility to more people in need of addiction treatment services, which is key in combating the growing opioid epidemic in Colorado shared Brooke Lee, Treatment Center Director at BAART Brighton.

The opioid epidemic has impacted Colorado with 558 opioid-related deaths being reported in 2017. Adams County was ranked 7th across the state in opioid deaths from 2013-2015, and as of the same year, only 2,190 Coloradans were receiving medication-assisted treatment, which has been coined the gold standard of care for opioid addiction for almost 50 years. BAART Programs is committed to being a part of the growing resources in Colorado for those seeking help and ready to reclaim their life.

Located at 5 South 1st Avenue, Brighton, CO 80601, BAART Programs Brighton is open Monday  Friday 5:30am to 12:00pm and Saturday 6:00 to 9:00am.

For more information or to schedule an appointment call 720.909.6008, or visit: http://www.BAARTPrograms.com.

About BayMark Health Services:

BayMark Health Services provides medication-assisted treatment to more than 50,000 patients in recovery from substance use disorder across the United States and Ontario, Canada. Our outpatient programs deliver medically supervised treatment, in a variety of modalities and settings, to meet the diverse needs of our patients who struggle with the use of opioids, alcohol and other prescription and illicit substances. The BayMark continuum of patient-focused services includes: highly structured opioid treatment programs utilizing methadone or buprenorphine and outpatient buprenorphine treatment programs, both of which incorporate counseling as part of an individualized treatment plan for opioid use disorder. Additionally, ambulatory withdrawal management services with naltrexone therapy, and inpatient detoxification services are offered for a variety of substance use disorders.
Boom Supersonic's XB-1 Aircraft. The XB-1 Uses VEP 490 Series Pressure Switches For Hydraulic Systems Safety Monitoring. (Images Courtesy of Boom Supersonic) At Boom, weve been fortunate to collaborate with some of the best suppliers in the industry to assist in fulfilling our mission of bringing the world closer together through supersonic travel.

Value Engineered Products (VEP), a leading designer, engineer and manufacturer of rugged, precision pressure, vacuum and differential switches for the aerospace industry, today announced a partnership with Boom Supersonic, the Colorado company building historys fastest supersonic airliner.

VEP, part of the World Magnetics family, is supplying hydraulic systems safety monitoring switches (the VEP 490 Series) to Boom for use on XB-1, Booms Mach-2.2 supersonic demonstrator aircraft. VEP switches have previously been used in a vast array of applications including hydraulic and fuel systems monitoring and safety; airspeed, airflow and pressure detection; rudder control assist; and landing gear safety systems.

At Boom, weve been fortunate to collaborate with some of the best suppliers in the industry to assist in fulfilling our mission of bringing the world closer together through supersonic travel, said Julie Valk, Booms head of supply chain business development. Were excited to partner with VEP to benefit from their vast aerospace experience and use their high-quality pressure switches on XB-1.

XB-1 will prove the key technologies in flight for safe, efficient travel at Mach 2.2. The data collected from XB-1 test flights will help refine the design and engineering of Overture (Booms Mach-2.2 commercial airliner), test key supersonic technologies, and ensure efficiency, safety, and reliability. XB-1 is the first independently developed supersonic jet and will be historys fastest civil aircraft.

The VEP 490 Series Pressure Switch offers a lightweight, aluminum body with a dual-spring design for accuracy and stability. Designed to meet FAAs 15-minute flame test requirement, the VEP 490 Series is field adjustable, suitable for altitude ranges between -1,00050,000 feet, and the piston is designed to allow high proof pressure. More information on the VEP 490 Series can be found on World Magnetics website.

ABOUT VEP AEROSPACE SWITCHES

Since 1969, VEP (Value Engineered Products) has designed, engineered and built precision, high-quality pressure, vacuum, differential and dual differential pressure switches for the aerospace industry. Offering high-pressure and low-pressure switches, with the ability to withstand high proof pressure, has allowed the VEP switches to be used in a vast array of applications including hydraulic and fuel systems monitoring and safety; airspeed, airflow and pressure detection; rudder control assist; and landing gear safety systems. VEP Aerospace Switches, is a World Magnetics Company. For more information, please visit https://worldmagnetics.com.

ABOUT BOOM SUPERSONIC

Boom Supersonic is the Denver-based company building supersonic airliners. Founded in 2014, its vision is to remove the barriers to experiencing the planet: time, money, and hassle. Boom is backed by world-class investors including Emerson Collective, Y Combinator, Caffeinated Capital, SV Angel, and individuals including Sam Altman, Paul Graham, Ron Conway, Michael Marks, and Greg McAdoo. The company has announced pre-orders of its Overture airliner from airlines including Japan Airlines and Virgin Group. For more information, please visit https://boomsupersonic.com.

MEDIA CONTACT FOR WORLD MAGNETICS

Martin Paul

mpaul(at)worldmagnetics(dot)com Email

(231) 922-7612 Direct

(231) 946-3800 Main

(800) 643-3884 Toll-Free

https://worldmagnetics.com

World Magnetics Company

Value Engineered Products (VEP)

810 Hastings Street

Traverse City, Michigan 49686

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California's McCaffrey Homes wins national award for highest referral rate for the sixth time. It is easy for me to say that McCaffrey Homes has earned the strongest reputation of any home builder we have worked with in 35 years," said Bob Mirman, CEO of Eliant.

McCaffrey Homes, a leading local family homebuilder in Californias Central Valley, recently won the national first place award for having the highest percent of sales from referrals in the large-volume segment in the Eliant 2019 Homebuyers Choice Award. This is the sixth time McCaffrey Homes has received the national highest referral rate award.

The Homebuyers Choice Awards are presented annually by Eliant (http://www.eliant.com), a customer experience management company that has been surveying buyers of new homes for more than 35 years. For 2019, the winning builders were determined by analyzing the results of 125,000 surveys administered to homebuyers from more than 160 major homebuilders across the U.S.

Year after year, of the 160 major home builders we evaluate across the country, McCaffrey Homes repeatedly has the highest rate of sales from customers referrals, said Bob Mirman, CEO of Eliant. It is easy for me to say that McCaffrey Homes has earned the strongest reputation of any home builder we have worked with in 35 years.

In 2018, 48 percent of McCaffreys homebuyers reported that they purchased on the basis of a friends recommendation which is twice the national average, according to Mirman.

The only way to generate such a high level of referral-based sales is to consistently deliver extraordinary quality and service, Mirman said.

McCaffrey Homes also won recognition as a top ten winner in the First Year Customer Experience and Design Experience categories, as well as an honorable mention in the First Year Quality category.

This national recognition of the highest referral rate is a testament to our commitment to outstanding customer service and quality homebuilding, said Brent McCaffrey, president of McCaffrey Homes. There really is no other indicator of success than having our homeowners refer their family and friends to McCaffrey Homes.

For nearly 35 years, the Eliant Homebuyers Choice Awards has been the arbiter of superior customer experience in the homebuilding industry. Powered by Eliants best in-class technology, reliable data, and actionable insights, the awards consist of 12 categories, each reflective of the values, opinions and experiences of more than 125,000 recent homebuyers from 160 major new homebuilders across the U.S.

To view the 2019 Eliant Homebuyers Choice Award winners, visit:

http://www.Eliant.com/choice-awards/

About McCaffrey Homes

McCaffrey Homes is dedicated to building homes that last a lifetime while meeting the needs of homebuyers at every stage of life. With three generations of experience, the McCaffrey team has built more than 10,000 homes and been honored nationally and locally for the quality of its construction and service.

Currently, McCaffrey Homes is building new neighborhoods in Clovis with the Santerra neighborhood and in Madera County Ivy neighborhoods at Riverstone, a master-planned community; as well as the Altura and Oaks neighborhoods at Tesoro Viejo, the newest master-planned community in Madera County. For more information visit: http://www.mccaffreyhomes.com and http://www.tesoroviejo.com.
Most companies today take a multi-channel approach to marketing but little is understood about the impact and optimal spend of individual channels within that mix for the best return on investment, especially with regard to traditional channels, said John Loury, president of CESM.

CAUSE + EFFECT Strategy and Marketing (CESM), a marketing intelligence firm, is collaborating with Dr. John Handley and Dr. Andrew Boslett of the Rochester Data Science Consortium (RDSC) at the University of Rochester to develop a spatiotemporal marketing mix model, with funding from the New York State Center of Excellence in Data Science. Additionally, CESM was recently awarded the Partner Appreciation Award at the 2019 University of Rochester Technology Showcase for its dedication to advancing data science for the betterment of its industry, clients, and the region. The event was sponsored by the Center of Excellence in Data Science and the Center for Emerging and Innovative Sciences (CEIS)a New York State Center for Advanced Technology.

To support the University of Rochesters Principal Investigators in making an ongoing economic impact with industry partners, the Center of Excellence provides funding and support for projects looking to solve a data science problem. Dr. John Handley and Dr. Andrew Boslett, having established a relationship with CESM through their prior work at the RDSC, approached the company with a funding opportunity that could enable the group to develop a spatiotemporal marketing mixed model. Together the scientists and CESM believe that this model has the potential to be an industry game-changing tool and approach for media buying and enhanced marketing return on investment (MROI) that will positively impact growth and retention for companies.

Most companies today take a multi-channel approach to marketing but little is understood about the impact and optimal spend of individual channels within that mix for the best return on investment, especially with regard to traditional channels, said John Loury, president of CESM. As a marketing intelligence firm its our goal to empower clients with data-driven insight and strategies to enable growth and retention. To consistently achieve that goal, research and development of new and innovative methods, tools and techniques are essential.

According to Dr. Handley, Dr. Boslett and Mr. Loury, media buying over multiple marketing channels is more effective when ROI is measured against business metrics like sales or revenue versus branding and awareness. In addition to ROI other variables that should be included in a model measuring the effectiveness of a channel (TV, radio, direct mail, digital, social, etc.) include timing, frequency, duration and environment. Understanding this impact from a data-driven perspective allows marketers to predict potential outcomes and optimize future spends by channel. This innovative model will also assist in the development of more data-driven marketing strategies, ultimately benefiting an organizations bottom line.

Mr. Loury was also presented with the Partner Appreciation Award at the 2019 University of Rochester Technology Showcase, an event that brings together students, researchers, and industry leaders in the Finger Lakes Region to network, share research, and forge lasting connections. The award was presented at the Showcase on April 4th by Dr. Walter Johnson, the executive director of the CoE and RDSC.

John has been an active member of the RDSC since its inception and has brought forward several opportunities for collaboration, said Dr. Johnson. I am delighted that CESM has also engaged with the CoE. CESMs investment in data science exemplifies a local company that is thinking globally and that is helping to attract the high-level talent needed to drive Rochester and the region ahead as a technological hub for innovation.

About CAUSE + EFFECT Strategy and Marketing

Headquartered in Rochester, N.Y., CAUSE + EFFECT Strategy and Marketing is a marketing intelligence firm that leverages data insight to develop analytics and marketing strategies that accomplish client goals for retention and growth. Their clients cover ad agency, B2B, financial services, fundraising, higher education, politics, and retail industries. For more information, visit http://www.causeandeffectstrategy.com.

About the Center for Emerging & Innovative Sciences

The mission for the Center for Emerging & Innovative Sciences is to promote economic development in New York State by bringing together companies and university researchers who have areas of common interest and encouraging collaboration through funding and outreach. By bringing together multiple universities, companies, government agencies, and economic development organizations in a collaborative environment, we provide leadership in the identification and realization of technology-driven economic development in the Finger Lakes region. To learn more, visit http://www.ceis.rochester.edu.

About the New York State Center of Excellence in Data Science

The University of Rochesters Goergen Institute of Data Science is home to the New York State Center of Excellence in Data Science. Funded by the Empire State Development Division of Science, Technology & Innovation, the Center of Excellence helps to drive regional economic development through supporting basic research, training, and technology development. The Center is committed to applying data science methods and tools to solve some of the worlds greatest challenges in various sectors. Partnerships between the University, industry, academia, and government entities leverage the strengths of each organization while serving common goals of discovery and innovation that foster economic development. To learn more, please visit http://www.sas.rochester.edu/dsc/coe/index.html.

About the Rochester Data Science Consortium

The Rochester Data Science Consortium was founded in 2017 by the University of Rochester and Harris Corporation, with funding from New York State and Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. Its membership now includes the some of the largest employers in the Finger Lakes region, such as Wegmans and RIT, in addition to new and growing startup companies. Located at NextCorps in the heart of the Rochester Downtown Innovation Zone, the Rochester Data Science Consortium gives businesses and organizations a competitive edge with access to the data science expertise, partners and technologies needed for rapid development and deployment of data-driven solutions. To learn more, please visit http://www.rocdatascience.com.
Grow with Clarity Going to therapy indicates a desire for self-improvement and that is something to brag about.

Clarity Health Solutions, is a fast-growing mental health practice which celebrated its one-year anniversary on February 16th in Jupiter, Florida in the Jupiter Medical Centers Outpatient Surgery Center. Business owner and lead therapist, Jennifer Hoskins-Tomko, LCSW, has over fourteen years of experience working in the field. She is trained in EMDR, trauma work, CBT and interweaves several modalities.

Hoskins-Tomko is working to create a culture of people bragging about utilizing psychotherapy, her perspective is, Our clients are dedicated to growth and putting energy into being their best selves. They are making a sound investment for their future. Clients choosing therapy are amazing people. I am proud to work with them."

Clarity has a different approach starting with the office itself, they welcome their clients with a warm waiting room which is inviting and creative, a peaceful environment for anyone undergoing stress. With fresh coffee and flowers - you might as well be at home. The office feels more like a home away from home. A television streams inspirational quotes and videos, and theres even a box where people can take and leave their own quotes to share with others.

Hoskins-Tomko says, We want to spread positivity in any way we can."

Therapy is now more than just treatment for mental illnesses, it is a way of life. Hoskins-Tomko explains the main reason she decided to call the practice Clarity.

She believes, "There are so many things that stand in our way of our goals. Those things are polluting our paths to a better self. Examples of pollutants may be, other people's negativity, our own self-doubt, not getting support, over thinking and residual hurt from our youth. Clarity is about ridding ourselves of those pollutants by gaining a deeper self-discovery and shedding things that distract us from our goals."

Clarity works to help a variety of different people.

Hoskins-Tomko believes, "If we have to go through painful experiences, we may as well utilize it as opportunity for growth. We are here to assist with that process."

At some point in life, we all may need some support to find clarity, whether it be about a break-up, a big move, a scary test, or a new job. Clarity's favorite part of working with clients is watching them navigate obstacles with integrity, so they grow during the pain.

Clarity offers a variety of services to help all types of needs. They offer individual, couple's and group therapies. They have several therapists who each have their own unique tools and specialization to meet the needs of the community. Also part of the team is Dr. Karen Severson, MD, author of "Look, I Shrunk Grandma: A Psychiatrist's Guide to Nursing Homes, Dementia, and the End of LIfe", who is an adult psychiatrist with a specialization in addiction medicine and geriatrics.

They are always seeking clients for these support groups. Some of the many groups include: Youre Not Alone(womens group), Retirement isnt as easy as it Looks" (retiree group), and What do I do Now that I am Sober (recovery group). The groups are welcoming, productive and anonymous. Group therapy fills a therapeutic need that people underestimate.

Hoskins-Tomko says, "It's an extremely powerful experience. I add a combination of education and support to my groups."

Clarity's perspective on therapy and mental illness, makes people proud to go get support.

Hoskins-Tomko says, "Going to therapy indicates a desire for self-improvement and that is something to brag about."

For more information on any of Clarity Health Solution' services, go to Clarityhealthfl.com, call 561-781-3333 or email at Jtomko@clarityhealtfl.com.
Sowmya Viswanathan, Ph.D. and Jaskarndip Chahal, M.D.

Stem cells collected from the patients own bone marrow holds great interest as a potential therapy for osteoarthritis of the knee (KOA) because of their ability to regenerate the damaged cartilage. The results were released today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine (SCTM).

KOA is a common, debilitating disease of the aging population in which the cartilage wears away, resulting in bone wearing upon bone and subsequently causing great pain. In its end stages, joint replacement is currently the recommended treatment. In the first clinical trial of its kind to take place in Canada, researchers used mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), collected from the patients own bone marrow under local anesthesia, to treat KOA.

The study was conducted by a research team from the Arthritis Program at the Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, led by Sowmya Viswanathan, Ph.D., and Jaskarndip Chahal, M.D. Our goal was to test for safety as well as to gain a better understanding of MSC dosing, mechanisms of action and donor selection, Dr. Viswanathan said.

It involved 12 patients, aged 45 to 65, with moderate to severe KOA. They were divided into three groups, with each group receiving a different dose of MSCs. (Each patient was injected with his or her own cells.) The researchers then followed the patients for the next 12 months, using analytical methods that included imaging, biomarkers, molecular fingerprinting and the patients own assessment of how he or she felt.

At the end of the 12-month period, the team noted significant improvements in the patients pain levels and quality of life. The study also showed that the MSCs were safe at all the doses tested and that the higher the dose, the more effective the outcome.

Dr. Viswanathan said, We also obtained novel insights into a potential anti-inflammatory mechanism of action of these cells in osteoarthritic knee joints. We noted that donor heterogeneity is an important factor, and our assembled panel of genes helps us identify cells which are potent in osteoarthritis. These are important findings which we hope to translate into a larger, powered clinical trial as part of our next steps.

Furthermore, added Dr. Chahal, we have been able to show that through an anti-inflammatory mechanism of action, such patients have an improvement in pain, function and quality of life. This sets the stage for the future of cell-based therapy and trials in Canada.

This clinical pilot study advances the field of stem cell research for patients with arthritis, showing safety, and giving insights into potential therapy efficacy guidelines, said Anthony Atala, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine and director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. We look forward to larger scale trial results.

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The full article, Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in Patients with Osteoarthritis Results in Overall Improvement in Pain and Symptoms and Reduces Synovial Inflammation, can be accessed at https://stemcellsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/sctm.18-0183.

About STEM CELLS Translational Medicine: STEM CELLS Translational Medicine (SCTM), co-published by AlphaMed Press and Wiley, is a monthly peer-reviewed publication dedicated to significantly advancing the clinical utilization of stem cell molecular and cellular biology. By bridging stem cell research and clinical trials, SCTM will help move applications of these critical investigations closer to accepted best practices. SCTM is the official journal partner of Regenerative Medicine Foundation.

About AlphaMed Press: Established in 1983, AlphaMed Press with offices in Durham, NC, San Francisco, CA, and Belfast, Northern Ireland, publishes two other internationally renowned peer-reviewed journals: STEM CELLS (http://www.StemCells.com), celebrating its 37th year, is the world's first journal devoted to this fast paced field of research. The Oncologist (http://www.TheOncologist.com), also a monthly peer-reviewed publication, entering its 24th year, is devoted to community and hospital-based oncologists and physicians entrusted with cancer patient care. All three journals are premier periodicals with globally recognized editorial boards dedicated to advancing knowledge and education in their focused disciplines.

About Wiley: Wiley, a global company, helps people and organizations develop the skills and knowledge they need to succeed. Our online scientific, technical, medical and scholarly journals, combined with our digital learning, assessment and certification solutions, help universities, learned societies, businesses, governments and individuals increase the academic and professional impact of their work. For more than 200 years, we have delivered consistent performance to our stakeholders. The company's website can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com.

About Regenerative Medicine Foundation (RMF): The non-profit Regenerative Medicine Foundation fosters strategic collaborations to accelerate the development of regenerative medicine to improve health and deliver cures. RMF pursues its mission by producing its flagship World Stem Cell Summit, honouring leaders through the Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Action Awards, and promoting educational initiatives.


NexusLink by Comtrend NexusLink will build on the foundation of Comtrends experience providing robust and reliable networking solutions and direct it toward the residential and business users.

Comtrend, a leader in networking technologies for over 25 years, has announced the launch of a new company, NexusLink, and its intention to separate its Service Provider and Residential/Business markets for more dedicated focus. NexusLink will build on the foundation of Comtrends experience providing robust and reliable networking solutions and direct it toward the residential and business users.

NexusLinks mission is to offer best-in-class, high-performance networking alternatives that complement existing infrastructures. When it comes to networking homes and business, the ideal connection medium is Ethernet cable (Cat5e/6). However, its often the case that Ethernet cable is not present, and installing Ethernet is both time-consuming and expensive. NexusLink is purpose-driven to remedy these types of networking scenarios. NexusLink designs, manufactures, and supports innovative home and business networking solutions with the most advanced technologies such as G.hn Powerline and G.hn Coax.

The General Manager of Comtrend North America, John Castreje, states, Our decision to launch NexusLink as a distinctly separate company from Comtrend allows us to maximize customer-focused efforts in our independent industries, optimize our value creation, and drive growth. As standalone companies, Comtrend and NexusLink will be better positioned to solve their customers unique challenges.

NexusLink currently has product available in Etail channels and will make its first appearance exhibiting at the upcoming ISC West show April 9-12 in Las Vegas at booth #41026. For more information on Comtrend and NexusLink please visit their websites us.comtrend.com and nexuslinkusa.com respectively.

About Comtrend

We know Service Providers. Comtrend has been in the business of supporting Service Providers for over 25 years, and we are proud of our history and the partnerships that we have grown. Our mission is to design and manufacture purpose-built solutions for Service Providers, allowing them to easily provide reliable, best-in-class home connectivity to their subscribers. Comtrend remains committed to offering the latest industry technologies, including Fiber and DSL broadband gateways, wireless and Powerline home networking, and leading-edge Service Provider ACS analytics and management.

http://us.comtrend.com

About NexusLink

NexusLink was born out of a rising need for simpler, more innovative connectivity alternatives. NexusLink specializes in networking scenarios where Ethernet Cable is not easily accessible. We design, manufacture, and support unique home and business networking solutions with the most advanced technologies such as G.hn Powerline and Coax. It is our mission to offer best-in-class, high-performance networking alternatives that complement existing infrastructures.
The Connecticut Green Bank is pleased to announce the sale of $38.6 million investment-grade rated ABS notes. This innovative first-of-its-kind issuance monetizes the solar home renewable energy credits (SHRECs) generated through the Residential Solar Investment Program (RSIP). The sale was comprised of two tranches of SHRECs produced by more than 105 megawatts of 14,000 residential solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. The SHRECs were aggregated by the Green Bank and sold in annual tranches to Connecticuts two investor-owned utilities, Eversource Energy and United Illuminating Company, at a fixed, predetermined price over 15 years. The funds raised through this sale will recover the costs of administering and managing the RSIP, including the incentives offered to residential participants in the program.

The Green Bank worked with Kestrel Verifiers to certify that this issuance conforms with the Climate Bonds Standard. Further, it partnered with the Climate Action Reserve (CAR) to independently assess the impact of the systems in tranches one and two of the SHRECs. CAR estimates that these systems will produce 238,000 MWh of electricity each year, avoiding the emission of approximately 749,494 tonnes carbon dioxide equivalents (tCO2e) of greenhouse gases (GHGs). CAR leveraged the Environmental Protection Agencys (EPA) Avoided Emissions Generation Tool (AVERT) and Co-Benefits Risk Assessment (CoBRA) in their assessment of air quality and public health impacts respectively.

The proceeds from this green bond support the many families reducing the burden of energy costs by putting solar PV systems on the rooftops of their homes, states Bryan Garcia, President and CEO of the Connecticut Green Bank. By attracting more private investment into Connecticuts growing green energy economy, we are creating jobs in our communities while at the same time confronting global climate change.

This groundbreaking transaction, the first rated issuance for the Green Bank and the first ever solar ABS transaction by a green bank, demonstrates how governments can leverage public funds to harness the tremendous depth of the capital markets to accelerate investment in clean renewable energy. The innovative structure of the SHREC program enables the Green Bank to reach a new class of investors seeking to achieve steady long-term returns while at the same time supporting the states energy, environment and economic development policies, states Bert Hunter, Executive Vice President of the Connecticut Green Bank. Working with the RBC Capital Markets as our underwriter, we were able to sell our green bonds and continue to support Connecticuts growing green economy.

RBC Capital Markets was the sole book runner in this transaction.

RBC is thrilled to partner with Connecticut Green Bank on this first securitization exclusively backed by renewable energy credits, said Nick Rogers, Director, Securitization Finance at RBC Capital Markets. Achieving a higher advance rate and lower cost-of-funds than other recent solar production ABS speaks to the strength of the SHREC program and its resonance in the market.
US President Donald Trump meets with Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, the United States, April 4, 2019. [Photo/Agencies]

Beijing, Washington endninth round of trade talks, shore up confidence

China and the United States decided to continue their consultations regarding outstanding issues after they wrapped up their ninth round of high-level trade talks in Washington.

Experts and business leaders said China and the US are natural economic partners, and they hoped the two countries can come to a positive resolution.

The latest economic and trade talks ran from Wednesday to Friday.

The two sides discussed technology transfers, protection of intellectual property rights, non-tariff measures, the service sector, agriculture, trade imbalances and enforcement mechanisms, and they made progress in new areas, Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday.

Vice-Premier Liu He, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chief in the Chinese delegation within the China-US Comprehensive Economic Dialogue, met with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin during the talks.

China and the US have been expediting their economic and trade consultations with the goal of implementing consensuses reached by the countries' leaders in December.

Wei Jianguo, vice-president of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, said it is urgent for China and the US to maintain closer contact to resolve their trade disputes.

He underscored the need for the two countries to align their interests, saying that would "benefit the consumers and companies of both sides and ensure world economic stability".

He added that China and the US complement each other economically and have potential to cooperate in many sectors.

Craig Allen, president of the US-China Business Council, said China and the US are "very compatible economies" and need each other's innovation.

"The potential is vast if we are able to work out an appropriate framework," Allen said.

"That is exactly what our negotiators are talking about, and we are hopeful that they can reach a firm and long-term, stable conclusion," Allen added.

A recent report from global law firm Linklaters showed that inbound mergers and acquisitions in China hit a record high in 2018 of $56 billion (23 percent higher than 2017), with more than half of this related to the financial and real estate sectors.

US investors were, despite the continuing US-China trade tensions, estimated to be responsible for 34 percent of this investment, the report said.

Trade tensions are considered a key factor in determining the nature of inbound investment. Charles Jacobs, Linklaters' global senior partner and chairman, said he hopes that the world's two largest economies can break their deadlock, which will be in both countries' interests.

Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO of Micron Technology Inc, the US semiconductor giant, said he is hopeful that China and the US will resolve tensions and come to a resolution allowing the two countries and the global economy to move forward in a prosperous way for all.

"Our production in China continues to be very strong because it is used mainly to supply local clients, as well as clients around the world," Mehrotra said.

James Collins, CEO of Corteva Agriscience, the agriculture division of US-based DowDuPont, said the company was "not so much affected" in the short term by China-US trade tensions.

Collins hopes the two countries can come to a positive resolution, which can benefit farmers in both countries and the rest of the world.

He said the company will add employees, research and field development resources to consolidate its position in the China market over the coming years.
As we celebrate our fourth anniversary, we reflect on our growth and the successes we have experienced since our founding days, and remain committed to continue our mission, to better the lives of our customers and their employees.

Automated benefits administration technology provider EverythingBenefits is marking its fourth anniversary with a celebration of accomplishments to date and a look forward at goals for the future.

Operating with the guiding philosophy that technology should make life simpler, more rewarding, and more enjoyable, EverythingBenefits has been a pioneer in the benefits space since 2015, driving the much-needed technological overhaul of what was previously a highly fragmented sector plagued with manual, paper-based processes.

The companys accomplishments include:



Increased customer and user base: In the past year, EverythingBenefits doubled its customer base to over 3,000 clients while crossing the one million user mark.

New Solutions: Since inception, EverythingBenefits has continued building out its products to provide customers with the most complete solution set. Most recently, the company expanded its suite of benefits administration solutions with the Consolidated Billing + Payments product, which gives employers the ability to generate, manage, and process consolidated carrier invoices.

Expanded Partnerships: EverythingBenefits has realized year-over-year growth of over 37 percent within its distribution and technology partner base. Recent additions include Transamerica, Benetech and Ban-Koe Companies.

More Platform Integrations: A partner of choice for some of the industrys largest platforms, EverythingBenefits most recently added integrations with ADP and PrismHR to help expand the breadth of solution offering and close experience and feature gaps for the joint customers.

In tandem with this business growth, EverythingBenefits has grown its headquarters, recently opening a 17,000 sq-ft headquarters in New Providence, New Jersey. Furthermore, the company has taken a thought leadership position in the industry, releasing its latest eBook, Get Your Escalating Benefits Costs Under Control, to help business better understand, measure and manage their benefits and associated costs.

Four years ago, Dan, Dmitry, Bill and I were united by our passion to build great benefits tech that would help people lead more meaningful lives, said Rachel Lyubovitzky, Chief Executive Officer at EverythingBenefits. As we celebrate our fourth anniversary, we reflect on our growth and the successes we have experienced since our founding days, and remain committed to continue our mission, to better the lives of our customers and their employees.

With the goal of expanding its world-class technology, EverythingBenefits now partners with hundreds of payroll/HCM platforms and resellers; its reach spans over 600 insurance carriers, third-party administrators, and brokerage agencies. As EverythingBenefits enters its fifth year, the company remains committed to automating and streamlining the benefits industry with its nimble technology and unparalleled customer support.

About EverythingBenefits

EverythingBenefits is a leading provider of next-generation, end-to-end benefit technology solutions and services that help businesses of all sizes and their employees experience benefits in more meaningful ways. By leveraging an open business model, EverythingBenefits partners with benefit brokers, independent agents, insurers, payroll or human capital management companies, and other providers. The companys philosophy is that technology should make life simpler, more rewarding, and more enjoyable. For more information, please visit our web site at http://www.everythingbenefits.com or connect with us via LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.
Ike Kavas, Founder & CEO at Ephesoft To be selected among the semifinalists for Orange Countys top entrepreneur of 2019 is a true honor and validation of Ephesofts mission to transform the content capture space.-- Ike Kavas, founder & CEO

EY today announced that Ike Kavas, founder and CEO of Irvine, Calif.-based Ephesoft, an industry leader in enterprise content capture and data discovery solutions, is a semifinalist for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2019 Award in Orange County. The awards program recognizes entrepreneurs who are excelling in areas such as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Kavas was selected as a semifinalist by a panel of independent judges. Award winners will be announced at a special award gala on Tuesday, June 18, 2019, at the Monarch Beach Resort.

To be selected among the semifinalists for Orange Countys top entrepreneur of 2019 is a true honor and validation of Ephesofts mission to transform the content capture space, said Kavas. I founded Ephesoft when I recognized an opportunity to help organizations convert their boundless volumes of unstructured content into actionable business intelligence. I share this honor with the many talented individuals employed by Ephesoft in Orange County and worldwide who are helping bring that vision to fruition.

Kavas founded Ephesoft in 2010 to innovate the capture market. With Kavas guidance and vision, Ephesoft has become an industry leader in initiating the digital transformation process by infusing supervised machine learning into enterprise content capture and data discovery. The platform makes meaning out of unstructured data for decision-makers worldwide. With on-premises, hybrid and cloud-enabled capture solutions, Ephesoft is a scalable partner for organizations looking to accelerate document processes, control large volumes of high-value data and meet digital transformation goals.

Now in its 33rd year, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Award program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 145 cities and more than 60 countries throughout the world.

Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National competition. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced at the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards gala in Palm Springs, California, on November 16, 2019. The awards are the culminating event of the Strategic Growth Forum, the nations most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored by SAP America and the Kauffman Foundation.

In Orange County, local sponsors include Platinum sponsors: Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth, P.C., Hollencrest Capital Management, Lockton Insurance Brokers, LLC and Gold sponsor: Tangram.

About Ephesoft

Ephesoft, Inc. develops technology that makes meaning out of unstructured data for decision-makers worldwide. Using supervised machine learning and a focus on efficiency and reliability, Ephesoft has crafted the next generation of enterprise content capture and data discovery solutions. Organizations use this power to automate any document-based business processes, improving accuracy, increasing productivity and reducing costs. Ephesoft is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., with regional offices throughout the US, EMEA and Asia Pacific. The company is undergoing rapid growth and has customers in over 50 countries. To learn more, visit ephesoft.com.

About Entrepreneur Of The Year

Entrepreneur Of The Year is the worlds most prestigious business awards program for entrepreneurs. The program makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global awards program of its kind, Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries. Please visit ey.com/eoy.

About EY

EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.
First Equity Funding recently partnered with Auction.com for a Pre-Auction Review in Absecon, NJ. Christian Pepe and Anthony Palmiotto of First Equity Funding were part of the panel of experts. We are very excited to team up with Auction.com to host pre-auction reviews throughout New Jersey, said Christian Pepe, Managing Partner for First Equity Funding.

First Equity Funding, a real estate fund that focuses on fix and flip loans, recently partnered with Auction.com, the nations leading online real estate marketplace, for a Pre-Auction Review in Absecon, NJ. The event featured a panel of real estate experts that included Christian Pepe, Managing Partner of First Equity Funding, and Anthony Palmiotto, Vice President of Lending of First Equity Funding, and highlighted featured properties that will be available at an upcoming Sheriff Foreclosure Sale.

Christian, Anthony and Cory of First Equity Funding make a wonderful addition to our Auction 101 seminars and educational events, said Jeffrey Minetti of Auction.com. Im looking forward to working with them again. We appreciate their partnership.

First Equity Fundings mission is to be the lender of choice for real estate investors. We are very excited to team up with Auction.com to host pre-auction reviews throughout New Jersey, said Christian Pepe, Managing Partner for First Equity Funding. We also understand how investors need to act fast in order to get loans closed quickly, and we are here to do whatever it takes to make that transaction seamless.

Known for being transparent and open with all borrowers, investors and third-party service providers, First Equity Funding offers competitive pricing, exceptional service and unparalleled value to its borrowers and business partners. We are different from other lenders because we have walked in the shoes of our investors, said Pepe. We have completed over 50 renovations or new constructions over the past 10 years. We find that most other lenders have more of a financial background like a bank or private equity fund. They typically dont truly understand the challenges and needs of the average real estate investor.

With experience in all aspects of real estate lending and investing, First Equity Funding can provide a 360-degree view of the real estate lending landscape. We have been lenders for 15 years and have invested in NPLs and have experience dealing with foreclosures, BKs, modifications, workouts and managing REO properties, Pepe added. We have also done extensive fix/flipping ourselves and we own a construction company that has built over a dozen new construction homes.

In terms of financing, First Equity Funding offers flexible options. We offer longer term financing for investors who are looking to build out their portfolio, said Pepe. We are more focused on the project and building cash flow than your individual tax returns, which is important to self-employed borrowers.

To learn more about First Equity Funding, visit https://www.firstequityfundingllc.com or call 732-359-7800.

About First Equity Funding

FIrst Equity Funding is a real estate fund that focuses on fix and flip loans for properties in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Florida and is expanding throughout 40 states in the United States. Since its incorporation in 2009, First Equity Funding has partnered with hundreds of real estate investors looking to buy, fix-up and sell residential and commercial properties. To learn more, visit https://www.firstequityfundingllc.com.

First Equity Funding partners with Auction.com
Helping small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) has been a driving force for Steven Uster for some time. As CEO of FundThrough, North Americas leading online invoice financing company, Uster has helped provide millions of much needed dollars to small businesses across the continent to help them cover cash flow gaps. Together, with fellow co-founders Deepak Ramachandran and Graham McBride, Uster has spent the last five years growing FundThrough into a major player in the financial technology (fintech) sphere, funding thousands of small and medium-sized businesses across North America.

Now, Uster will be providing his expertise to SMBs in a new way as a contributor to the Forbes Finance Council.

I am honored and thrilled to join this elite council of like-minded finance executives, says Uster. To be named a Forbes contributor among so many esteemed and respected leaders in our field is an absolute privilege.

Weve worked hard at FundThrough to become a leader in online invoice factoring. Im looking forward to sharing my experience and financial knowledge through the Forbes Finance Council. Its an exciting time to be in the finance world, and FundThrough is on the cutting edge of online invoice factoring for small, new and growing businesses. This is an incredible opportunity, and Im so pleased to contribute.

The Forbes Finance Council is an invitation-only organization developed for senior-level executives in the financial services industry to share their wisdom with a wider audience. Through this exclusive platform, members publish articles and advice pertaining to their specific fields on Forbes.com. Contributors to the council include the foremost leaders in the finance world, with articles detailing everything from the latest happenings in fintech to helpful advice from those that know best.

Usters first article, Why Factoring is No Longer an F Word, was recently published to the site. The article aims to familiarize more businesses with the concept of online factoring. The piece explains the importance of maintaining a positive cash flow for SMBs and how the practice of online invoice financing was born from the need to provide small businesses with the capital they need to operate.

Through his contributions, Uster said he hopes to bring more awareness to the practice of online invoice financing so small and medium-sized businesses throughout the world can more easily solve debilitating cash flow issues.

Its unfair how small businesses are pushed around by net terms on invoices, says Uster. At FundThrough, we want to put SMBs on a level playing field by supplying them with the capital they need. By getting invoices financed on a timetable that works for small businesses, were allowing them to focus on fulfilling orders and growing their companies instead of wondering how theyre going to pay the bills. My first article is about dispelling any previously held notions about modern factoring and helping people understand the necessity of online invoice financing in todays economy.

To view Usters Why Factoring is No Longer and F Word article, please visit https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesfinancecouncil/2019/03/27/the-evolution-of-factoring-why-its-no-longer-an-f-word/#53c1fafc67ed.

To view Usters Forbes profile and tracking his monthly contributions as theyre published, please visit https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesfinancecouncil/people/stevenuster/#5631c46a5b95.

For more information about FundThrough, please visit http://www.fundthrough.com.

About FundThrough

FundThrough offers businesses flexible, on-demand working capital using their outstanding invoices to overcome cash flow gaps and accelerate their growth. Founded in 2014, the companys headquarters is based in Toronto. The invoice financing platform empowers small, new and growing businesses in the U.S. and Canada to have their invoices paid when they want in as little as 24 hours. For more information, visit http://www.fundthrough.com.
Join us April 27th at Los Angeles Center of Photography for a community event celebrating the photography of young adults living with cancer. We urge the Los Angeles community to come out to meet these young local artists and support their work. I am continuously blown away by how thoughtful, fun-loving, and inspiring each of our Shutterbugs are, and I know you will be too.

Young photographers are sharing the stories of what it means to be teens and young adults with cancer in a powerful new gallery show in Hollywood.

Picture a Cure, an exhibition curated by youth living with cancer opens on April 27th at The Los Angeles Center of Photography. The show features the photos captured by 16 artists ranging in age from 14 to 26 years old, who are reflecting on the ways that their cancer diagnosis has impacted their lives. The show is the culmination of a 10-week advanced course offered by The Pablove Foundation, a national pediatric cancer nonprofit that teaches the art of photography to children and teens living with cancer in nine cities across the United States. Pablove Shutterbugs, the foundations signature arts program, helps kids with cancer develop their creative voice and find an expressive outlet through curriculum-based weekly classes taught by professional photographers.

But there's more behind this exhibit than just their raw experiences, these photographers are using their art for a cause -- to give back to other kids like them, who are battling cancer. The class is selling their prints to raise funds for pediatric cancer research. The money they raise as a class will be contributed to a Powered by Pablove childhood cancer research grant.

It is an honor and a privilege to watch our Advanced Class students use their photography skills as a means to tell their personal stories while leveraging their photos to raise awareness and advocate for childhood cancer research. Their collections offer a perspective into not only life with cancer, but the essence of life in general. We urge the Los Angeles community to come out to meet these young local artists and support their work! I am continuously blown away by how thoughtful, fun-loving, and inspiring each of our Shutterbugs are, and I know you will be too. I have learned so much from our students and find it so rewarding to see them find hope, a sense of power and self-confidence through their camera, says Anna Lisa Caraveo-Flores, Pablove Shutterbugs Program Director.

The artists have arranged their photos alongside accompanying written statements, to shape a powerful narrative that touches upon the themes of love, family, faith and resilience.

The goal is to share the experience, sensations and emotions that come with cancer and through their art increase awareness and funding for childhood cancer, which is the leading cause of death by disease for people under the age of 18 yet received less than four cents of every federal cancer research dollar.

As someone with first-hand experience, I can give people a view through the lenses of pediatric cancer. Through my photos I can show the good and also the bad that comes with cancer--- such as a photo of my aunts cooking that makes you feel related and comfort, or a photo of my formula pump, which shows the result of my bone marrow transplant. Photography has impacted my life because it has given me something to look forward to everyday. Through Pabloves class, I have gained a new passion for something. I enjoy photography because it represents the many ways you can express yourself and be creative, says Pablove Shutterbug Edwin, age 17, from Los Angeles.

All prints are available for purchase at the show and online, with 100% of proceeds directly funding Pabloves childhood cancer research program. Through their art, the Pablove Shutterbugs students are giving the brightest minds in pediatric cancer new opportunities to test their innovative approaches to safer treatments and cures. The Pablove Shutterbugs Grant recipient will be announced in September, during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

There is no cost to attend this all-ages community celebration, which is open to the public. The show will also include music, refreshments and a speaking panel.

Those who are not in the Los Angeles area to attend the Picture a Cure gallery show can still join the Pablove Shutterbugs movement and fuel their quest for a cure. All fine art prints are available for purchase at The Pablove Foundations online print shop, pabloveprints.org. Supporters can also make a donation at pablove.org. All gifts are tax-deductible and can be securely processed online at pablove.org/donate.

The Pablove Foundation is proudly partnered with Sony, The National Endowment for the Arts, The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, The Huntington Library and Los Angeles Center of Photography.

More more information about the Picture a Cure Pablove Shutterbugs gallery show and to RSVP please visit: pablove.org/pictureacure
Its exciting to collaborate with Rev1 because they have a proven program for building and scaling startups.

Today, Grange Insurance and its affiliate partner Integrity Insurance along with leading investor startup studio Rev1 Ventures are announcing a partnership to connect promising new companies and entrepreneurs with insurance industry experts. The collaboration, known as G-Force Innovations, will identify, develop, and adopt emerging technologies that drive new insurance products and capabilities for Granges customers and agents. This partnership is accelerating Granges commitment to advancing innovation in the insurance industry and helping insurtech startups to advance and succeed.

G-Force Innovations will link potential partners with resources, markets, technologists, and insurance industry experts to help rapidly validate, develop and deploy market advancements. Our focus is to rapidly deliver bold solutions in the following areas:



Visionary insurance solutions for a connected world, including usage-based insurance and proactive claims mitigation capabilities;

Superior customer experience with best-in-class omni-channel experience and ease of doing business from quote to claim;

Analytics and automation to make decisions that are fast, reliable, and right for our customers; and

Empowerment of our independent agency partners.

We know our industry is constantly changing and we are committed to being on the forefront of that change, said Tim Cunningham, Granges Chief Information Officer. Its exciting to collaborate with Rev1 because they have a proven program for building and scaling startups. We look forward to accelerating innovation within our own business, our industry and, ultimately, benefiting customers and agents by making interactions with us simple, quick and personalized.

Founded in 1935 and based in Columbus, Ohio, Grange Insurance has been providing peace of mind and protection to its customers for more than 80 years. The company offers business, auto, home and life insurance exclusively through its independent agents in 13 states.

Central Ohio is host to several premier insurance leaders, and as such, has become home base for insurtech entrepreneurs looking to build and scale, said Tom Walker, CEO of Rev1 Ventures. Grange has a proven passion for innovation, and this partnership reinforces both of our commitments to engaging startups in new and impactful ways so we can deliver insurance innovations both locally and globally.

For more information please visit http://www.gforceinnovations.com.

About Grange Insurance

Grange Insurance Company, with nearly $3 billion in assets and in excess of $1 billion in annual revenue, is an insurance provider based in Columbus, Ohio. Through its network of independent agents, Grange offers auto, home and business insurance protection. Life insurance offered by Grange Life Insurance and Kansas City Life Insurance. Established in 1935, the Grange Insurance Company and its affiliate Integrity Insurance Company serve policyholders in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin. For more information, visit https://www.grangeinsurance.com.

About G-Force Innovations

G-Force Innovations is the innovation arm of the Grange enterprise focused on helping rapidly deliver solutions for the evolving needs of its customers, independent agents and associates. By partnering with Rev1 Ventures, G-Force Innovations is harnessing the collective power of insurance insiders, startup supporters and entrepreneurs to rapidly accelerate the development and deployment of bold new insurance solutions. To learn more, visit http://www.gforceinnovations.com.

About Rev1 Ventures

Rev1 Ventures is the investor startup studio that combines capital and strategic services to help startups scale and corporates innovate. Based in the Midwest, and in the number one city for scaling startups, Rev1 aligns innovators and founders with corporate and research partners to access customers and markets, helping entrepreneurs build great companies. With a proven track record of identifying, guiding and investing in high potential startups, Rev1 helps companies solve real problems for markets in need of real solutions. Rev1 has $90MM in capital under management, providing a capital continuum from corporate and community partners, as well as the Ohio Third Frontier. Rev1 is the 4th most active seed investor in the U.S., according to Pitchbook. For more information, visit http://www.rev1ventures.com.
Lawyers from the Greenberg Traurig Warsaw office advised VD Invest, a subsidiary of Vantage Development, on finalizing the sales agreement regarding the Delta 44 office-retail building located in Wroclaw to M7, a pan-European investor and asset manager.

The Greenberg Traurig transaction team was led by Local Partner Justyna Szwech who was supported by Senior Associate Zuzanna Bafia and Associate Wiktor Wacawski. Partner Agata Jurek-Zbrojska provided strategic supervision over the project. The team also supported the Client when it concluded the preliminary sales agreement for this property in October 2018.

Vantage Development is a Polish development company, operating mainly in Wroclaw and Warsaw. Vantage Development is a member of the Polish Association of Development Companies (Polski Zwiazek Firm Deweloperskich).

Delta 44 is an office-retail building located in the heart of Wroclaw, offering 3,700 sq. m of modern office, retail and service premises. In 2013, the Delta 44 complex was recognized by the jury of the "Beautiful Wroclaw" competition as the best architectural project and was awarded a distinction in the public building category.

About Greenberg Traurig's Real Estate Practice

Greenberg Traurig's Global Real Estate Practice is a cornerstone of the firm and recognized leader in the industry. The firms real estate attorneys deliver diversified and comprehensive legal solutions for property acquisition and investment, development, management and leasing, financing, restructuring, and disposition of all asset classes of real estate. The team draws upon the knowledge and experience of 400 real estate lawyers from around the world, serving clients from key markets in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America. The groups clientele includes a broad range of property developers, lenders, investment managers, private equity funds, REITs, and private owners. The firms real estate team advises clients on a variety of matters across a broad spectrum of commercial, recreational, and residential real estate, including structured equity and debt and the hybrids.

Greenberg Traurig's real estate team in Warsaw consists of more than 40 top-rated specialists who cover a broad spectrum of core real estate and additional practices. The team offers clients an unparalleled level of legal experience and service in Poland and within Central Europe.

Greenberg Traurig LLP

Greenberg Traurig, LLP is an international, multi-practice law firm with approximately 2000 attorneys serving clients from 39 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Greenberg Traurig Grzesiak sp.k. was named the 2019 Most Innovative Law Firm of the Year for Poland by International Financial Law Review (IFLR) and the 2017 Law Firm of the Year in Poland by Chambers and Partners. Greenberg Traurig was ranked as number one in the Mergermarket Global & Regional M&A Report 2018 with respect to the value of M&A transactions handled in Poland in 2018. The total value of the transactions on which Greenberg Traurig advised its clients amounted to USD 2.807 billion.

Greenberg Traurig in Poland provides legal services to the largest Polish and international companies and institutions in Central Europe and beyond. The Warsaw office has over 100 lawyers considered to be the leading lawyers in Poland. Team members are regularly recognized as leaders in numerous practice areas. Chambers Global, Chambers Europe, IFLR1000 and EMEA Legal 500 consistently rank them among the top tiers in the areas of Corporate/M&A, Capital Markets, Private Equity, project financing, competition law, court and arbitration proceedings, tax as well as such fields as: Real Estate, Energy, Banking and Finance, Insurance and TMT.

For additional information on Greenberg Traurig please visit http://www.gtlaw.com
We are creating a series of ecosystem partnerships and open source collaborations to solve todays video streaming challenges, Marc Cymontkowski, vice president of engineering at Haivision.

Haivision, a leader in video streaming solutions, today announced SRT Peer-to-Peer (SRT P2P)  a new open source contribution to the SRT framework for low latency video delivery to broad scale audiences. The innovative new technology is being demonstrated at The NAB Show in Las Vegas at the Haivision booth SU6714 from April 8-11.

With universal HTML5 browser support, SRT P2P is a lightweight, plugin-free decentralized peer-to-peer streaming technology that replicates low latency video streams securely between clients, enabling broad scale video delivery. Unlike higher-latency, segmented video delivery, SRT P2P is built on multicast concepts and real-time video streaming. Haivision is introducing the technology to enable video stream delivery for private broadcasting or within corporations, reducing egress bandwidth for scalable public internet delivery, or as an alternative to IP multicast over LAN/WAN.

Prior to releasing SRT P2P to the open source community, Haivision is seeking partners to collaborate and stress test the technology at scale. Interested developers or service providers should send an email to partners@haivision.com.

SRT P2P is the latest development for the SRT (Secure Reliable Transport) initiative that Haivision started in 2017 when the company open sourced the SRT protocol and technology stack. SRT has been endorsed as a low latency contribution and distribution streaming protocol by over 200 companies across the broadcast and streaming industries. With a focus on video delivery, SRT P2P extends the SRT initiative to create a comprehensive framework for high performance streaming from contribution through distribution and into delivery.

We are creating a series of ecosystem partnerships and open source collaborations to solve todays video streaming challenges, said Marc Cymontkowski, vice president of engineering at Haivision. The open source community is critical to the success, adoption and continued development of the SRT protocol and were looking forward to helping drive this initiative forward into the future.

About Haivision

Haivision is the leader in live video streaming technologies, providing more than 25,000 organizations globally with video solutions that help them stream broadcast-quality, low-latency video from anywhere. Founded in 2004, Haivision is a profitable, privately held company with headquarters in Montreal and Chicago, and regional offices located throughout the Americas, Europe, Middle-East and APAC. To help solve the worlds most difficult video streaming challenges, Haivision open sourced its award winning SRT low latency video streaming protocol in 2017 and founded the SRT Alliance, which now has over 200 industry leading companies supporting this new standard. Awarded an Emmy for Technology and Engineering from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Haivision is also recognized as one of the most influential companies in video by Streaming Media and one of the fastest growing companies by Deloittes Technology Fast 500. Learn more at haivision.com.


We couldnt have hit the quarter century mark without our incredible staff and traders, several of whom have been with me for 20 years or longer.

Incorporated on April 8th, 1994, by CEO Gregory Hold and later joined by his brother Steven, the Hold Brothers companies (Hold Brothers) were born in Rego Park NYC and Hoboken, New Jersey, as a small trading group. Within a year, CEO, Gregory Hold, had led the firm to become a broker dealer, with the worlds first day trading news caller department founded under his direction. By 1999, Hold Brothers had developed and was offering to traders its very own proprietary trading and risk management suite of software, called Graybox, which optimizes trades to fit any given traders needs and which still services traders today. Graybox is used worldwide today and celebrates its 20th anniversary.

In 2000 and 2001, the firm was awarded #152 and #150, respectively, on The Inc. 500s list of Fastest Growing Private Companies. During the next decade, the market for American day trading began to move overseas, and as a response, CEO, Gregory Hold turned his focus on expanding the business internationally, opening offices in India and China, growing, at one point, to have more than 2000 traders worldwide.

Hold Brothers has been a self-clearing DTCC member since 2002 and is able to self-clear customer business- a high and rare status; its being awarded the keys to the kingdom - a position of responsibility and trust in the financial world.

Currently, Hold Brothers is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan. Lately, trading volume of all Hold Brothers entities and affiliates often exceeds one billion shares monthly, a number which represents roughly around 0.8% of the entire US equities market. These figures are no small feat in a financial world with increasingly competitive markets, in which standards for cutting edge optimization only continue to get higher and higher. Hold Brothers knows this and expects to maintain and improve upon the momentum of 25 years-worth of success and hard work.

So, what does the future hold for Hold Brothers, you ask? With traders around the world and staff in New York and India, Hold Brothers is poised for growth. The firm plans to devote focused attention to hiring for a multitude of positions across all levels. CEO Gregory Hold says We couldnt have hit the quarter century mark without our incredible staff and traders, several of whom have been with me for 20 years or longer. When the world has unleashed its worst on my business, from the 9/11 bombing of our new World Trade Center headquarters, to competitive attacks, securities industry regulators, who, at times, have been unjust to us and small business, and market collapses, my team always answered the call and hit hard.

*Hold Brothers is the marketing name for Hold Brothers Capital, LLC, (a registered broker-dealer) and its affiliates. Its securities activities and transactions are handled through Hold Brothers Capital LLC. http://hold.com/
iboss interface "The combination of iboss cloud application security and Microsoft CAS provide the necessary security and visibility organizations need to operate in a cloud-first world, said Paul Martini, CEO,

iboss today announced native integration of iboss cloud with Microsoft Cloud App Security to deliver expanded control and visibility for cloud applications approved by the organization as well as restrict access to unsanctioned applications such as a personal Dropbox account. In addition, advanced controls extend protection for data residing within Microsoft Office 365 and Azure to protect corporate data as well as to meet regulatory compliances. The integration allows all Microsoft CAS capabilities to be leveraged in seconds eliminating the need to deploy log collectors, streamlining the deployment and reducing overhead cost. The iboss cloud includes comprehensive cloud application security controls for data as it moves between users and the cloud. Complimenting this security with Microsoft CAS allows organizations to easily protect data as it rests within Microsoft and other popular cloud applications. As the capabilities are delivered in the cloud, this allows organizations to protect users regardless of device or location ensuring protection is in place at all times.

According to IDC, almost half of IT spending will be cloud-based in 2018, "reaching 60% of all IT infrastructure and 60-70% of all software, services and technology spending by 2020. Securing access to cloud applications is one of the top concerns of IT professionals.

Traditional cloud application security solutions offer a watch and alert but do not prevent users from accessing unauthorized cloud applications. Through the partnership, iboss cloud and Microsoft Cloud App Security allow organizations to proactively identify, control and prevent users from accessing unapproved applications on or off the network in real time.

"The combination of iboss cloud application security and Microsoft CAS provide the necessary security and visibility organizations need to operate in a cloud-first world, said Paul Martini, CEO, and co-founder of iboss. At iboss, we are focused on ensuring organizations can secure Internet access for users, regardless of the location which is required in a world where perimeters no longer exist.

About iboss

iboss is a cloud security company that provides organizations and their employees secure access to the Internet on any device, from any location, in the cloud. This eliminates the need for traditional security appliances, which are ineffective at protecting a cloud-first and mobile world. Leveraging a purpose-built cloud architecture backed by over 100 patents and over 100 points of presence globally, iboss protects more than 4,000 organizations worldwide. To learn more, visit http://www.iboss.com.

Media Contacts

Chris Liva

chris.liva(at)iboss.com
With our relocation to Terminal 1, passengers traveling between the U.S. and Mexico and Europe and Mexico transiting JFK will have best-in-class customer service

Interjet Airlines announced effective immediately, its JFK operations and ticket counter have relocated to Terminal 1 from Terminal 7.

We remain committed to improving our customer experience, said Julio Gamero, Interjets Chief Commercial Officer. With our relocation to Terminal 1, passengers traveling between the U.S. and Mexico and Europe and Mexico transiting JFK will have best-in-class customer service, he added.

Interjet operates daily non-stop flights between New York City and Mexico City and Cancun. For more information regarding Interjets JFK terminal relocation or to make a reservation, visit http://www.interjet.com or call 866-285-9525.

About Interjet

Interjet is an international airline based in Mexico City carrying more than 13 million passengers annually within Mexico and between Mexico, the United States, Canada, Central, and South America. In all, it provides air service to 53 destinations in nine countries offering its passengers greater connections and travel options through agreements with major airlines such as Alitalia, All Nippon Airways (ANA), American Airlines, British Airways, LATAM Group, EVA Air, Iberia, Lufthansa, Hainan Airlines and Japan Airlines.

Interjet was recently honored with Skytraxs World Airline Award as the Best Low-Cost Airline in Mexico and Best Cabin Crew in Mexico. In 2017, Interjet was awarded the Travelers' Choice Trip Advisor Award as the best Mexico airline.

Media Contact

Julieta Pena Flores

Tel. +52 (55) 9178 5500 x5833

Email: julieta(dot)pena(at)interjet(dot)com(dot)mx
Isagenix customers and independent distributors in Canada hold up their phones after using them to pledge donations to the Isagenix Legacy Foundation. Our Isagenix family shares the companys passion for giving back, so I was not surprised to see our customers and independent distributors in Canada embrace the foundation. Were grateful for their generous and enthusiastic support.  Travis Ogden

Thanks to the generosity of Isagenix International independent distributors and customers in Canada, the Isagenix Legacy Foundation met its goal of raising CA$200,000 in 48 hours. The pledges followed a call for donations onstage April 5 at the Isagenix Canada Celebration 2019 event in Ottawa, Ontario. One hundred percent of the donations will fund grants to Canada-based nonprofit organizations that further the foundations mission to provide healthy nutrition and support for underserved children, wellness education for all, and aid for those affected by natural disasters.

Our Isagenix family shares the companys passion for giving back, so I was not surprised to see our customers and independent distributors in Canada embrace the foundation, said Isagenix Chief Executive Officer Travis Ogden. Were grateful for their generous and enthusiastic support, which will help us partner with nonprofits to make a tremendous difference in communities across Canada and around the world.

The Isagenix Legacy Foundation expects to begin accepting grant applications from Canada-based nonprofits later this year. The first grants will be awarded in 2020. To ensure the grants  and all donations  have maximum impact, Isagenix is covering 100% of the foundations administrative costs.

Established in 2019 in Canada, the Isagenix Legacy Foundation is the latest example of how Isagenix embodies its core value of contribution. The companys commitment to contribution in Canada includes:



In 2018, the retail value of product donations to Canada food banks totaled CA$1.4 million.

Isagenix supported victims of the Fort McMurray wildfire in Alberta in 2016 and the British Columbia wildfires in 2017 with monetary and product donations as well as product coupons.

In addition, since 2012, Isagenix and its customers, independent distributors, and associates have raised over US$10 million in 12 countries for Make-A-Wish, helping the nonprofit grant over 1,000 wishes.

To learn more about the Isagenix Legacy Foundation, visit IsagenixLegacyFoundation.ca, or follow the foundation on Instagram.

About the Isagenix Legacy Foundation

Established in 2019 in Canada, the Isagenix Legacy Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to create sustainable impact globally through charitable contributions focused on healthy nutrition and support for underserved children, wellness education for all, and aid for those affected by natural disasters. Isagenix International covers all administrative costs of the foundation so 100% of donations can benefit those in need. For more information, visit IsagenixLegacyFoundation.ca.

About Isagenix International

Established in 2002, Isagenix provides systems for weight loss, performance, vitality and well-being, personal care and beauty, and financial wellness. With nearly 600,000 customers worldwide and more than 100 life-changing products, packs, and systems globally, the company is committed to producing Solutions to Transform Lives. Isagenix shares its products and solutions through a network of independent distributors in 18 markets: the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Mexico, Singapore, Malaysia, Colombia, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, and South Korea. Isagenix is a privately owned company with headquarters in Gilbert, Arizona. For more information, visit Isagenix.com.


Earth Day 2019 Apparel Design SSA continues to be environmentally focused with our products and partnering with Kastlfel and Earth Day Network illustrates these efforts for our millions of guests.

Kastlfel and Service Systems Associates (SSA) this week announced a limited edition charity apparel partnership for the 49th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, 2019. Kastlfel, known for its sustainable Trash. Shred. Spin. Wear and How Things are Made Matters campaigns, makes unique tee shirts and other apparel from recycled plastic bottles and cotton that tell a story. The exclusive Kastlfel collection benefiting Earth Day Network for women, men, and children is available on http://www.kastlfel.com starting April 1, and at select zoo, museum and aquarium gift shops operated by Service Systems Associates (SSA).

Earth Day Network, whose mission is to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide, has designated 2019 as a crucial year to protect species from extinction. Todays world is facing the greatest rate of extinction since we lost the dinosaurs more than 60 million years ago. But unlike the fate of dinosaurs, todays rapid rate of extinction is the result of human activity. The good news is that extinctions can still be slowed, and many of our declining, threatened, and endangered species can still recover if we work together now to build a united global movement of consumers, voters, educators, leaders and scientists to demand immediate action, says Kathleen Rogers, President of Earth Day Network. The campaign is particularly focused on bees, giraffes, elephants, insects, coral reefs and whales. http://www.earthday.org

Kastlfel shirts have a unique story to tell and connecting this story with cause driven groups and companies like Earth Day Network and SSA is a great opportunity to make an impact. We feel its important for consumers to know how their product is made, right down to being printed in Colorado with water-based inks, because their choices do make a difference, stated Jerry Wheeler, CEO.

Adding to the Earth Day Network campaign with Kastlfel is Service System Associates Inc. (SSA), the nations largest operator of zoo, museum, cultural attractions and aquarium gift shops, offering this collection of garments for sale in select locations across the U.S. to coordinate with their national conservation and sustainability efforts. http://www.kmssa.com

SSA continues to be environmentally focused with our products and partnering with Kastlfel and Earth Day Network illustrates these efforts for our millions of guests, stated Andrew Fischer, SSA Director of Sustainability / Conservation.

About Kastlfel:

Kastlfel challenges the status quo to find new ways to make things better by making better things. The company crafts sustainable apparel that embraces and celebrates creativity, innovation, and responsibility. Kastlfel turns recycled materials into super-soft apparel printed with water-based inks. The company focuses on quality and environmentally friendly production through all aspects of our company. For more information http://www.kastlfel.com.

About Earth Day Network:

Earth Day Network is the worlds largest recruiter to the environmental movement, working with more than 75,000 partners in nearly 192 countries to build environmental democracy. More than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world. Earth Day Network works through a combination of education, public policy, and consumer campaigns. For more information http://www.earthday.org .

About Service Systems Associates:

SSA is a family owned and operated company focusing on retail and culinary services for attractions across the United States. As an industry leader delivering innovative retail and culinary services with exceptional results, SSA partners with approximately 60 cultural attractions and serves well over 32 million visitors annually. Founded almost 50 years ago, SSA is based in Denver, Colorado. For more information http://www.kmssa.com.
Kubos Corporation (Kubos) announced today that it has received a Phase I Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) award from the U.S. Air Force to validate a Kubos solution to securely host third-par In todays environment, rapidly evolving threats require the US to more swiftly develop and evolve space technologies. This low-risk solution is designed to help the Air Force, government agencies, and commercial satellite operators accomplish that." - Marshall Culpepper, CEO, Kubos.

Kubos Corporation (Kubos) announced today that it has received a Phase I Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) award from the U.S. Air Force to validate a Kubos solution to securely host third-party applications on spacecraft already in orbit. This capability will reduce the time it takes to develop advanced software technologies for space applications from years to just months. It also increases the utility of spacecraft in orbit and improves space system resiliency.

In todays environment, rapidly evolving threats require the US to more swiftly develop and evolve space technologies, said Marshall Culpepper, chief executive officer of Kubos. This low-risk solution is designed to help the Air Force, government agencies, and commercial satellite operators accomplish that.

Kubos has developed a spacecraft software framework and development infrastructure using a tailored version of Kubos commercial products. This framework enables spacecraft already in orbit to be used as an operational platform to prove and deploy software capabilities. The capability to run hosted software applications in parallel with the spacecraft primary mission software allows new technologies to be advanced more rapidly without impacting or adding risk to the primary mission. Kubos is also offering this solution to commercial customers to help them create innovative business models and new revenue streams.

This is an exciting opportunity for Kubos to work directly with the Air Force, stated Dean Hawes, VP of Programs at Kubos. Were looking forward to demonstrating a capability that will enable rapid technology refresh, greatly enhancing mission flexibility and spacecraft utility for both our government and commercial customers.

About AFWERX

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the SBIR Small Business Innovation Research process in an attempt to speed up the experience, broaden the pool of potential applicants, and decrease bureaucratic overhead. Beginning in SBIR 18.2, the Air Force has begun offering special SBIR topics that are faster, leaner, and open to a broader range of solutions.

About Kubos

Kubos is bringing the software revolution to space, one small satellite at a time. Kubos has two core products on the market: KubOS, an open-source, integrated flight software framework and Major Tom, a mission control tool suite. Both of these products are swiftly gaining acceptance in the commercial space sector and have proven to reduce spacecraft development schedules and simplify operations. http://www.kubos.com
Franchising Today We want to be known as the brand you can trust

MaidPro is pleased to announce that our company is featured on the cover of the latest edition of Franchising Today magazine, a leading trade publication for franchise professionals.

In the cover story, which can also be read on the Franchising Today website, MaidPros president Richard Sparacio shares the interesting story of how he co-founded the company right out of college with fellow entrepreneur Mark Kushinsky. And how the company grew from a small 200-square-foot office with second-hand furniture into a franchise brand with 275 franchise locations across the U.S. and Canada.

In his interview with Franchising Today, Sparacio also explained why MaidPros early investment in technology has been instrumental to this day in helping the brand stand out from the competition. And why the company believes in treating people with respect, both customers and its people.

MaidPro is currently working to expand its services to become an even more recognized household brand. We want to be known as the brand you can trust, Sparacio told Franchising Today. This year MaidPro expects to open 20 to 25 new franchises.

Sparacio also said, The demand for owning a house cleaning business continues to increase. He told the magazine that there is a demand for house cleaning service because many people want to spend their time doing things other than cleaning. And many franchise owners also realize that they dont have to necessarily clean houses to own a house cleaning business.

To read more, check out the article at http://www.franchising-today.com/sections/profiles/405-maidpro-2.

ABOUT MAIDPRO

MaidPro is a Boston-based franchisor of house cleaning services with over 275 locations in 38 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada. The company, which began franchising in 1997, takes pride in its strong owner community, cutting-edge technology, and creative marketing. It has been honored with the Franchise Business Reviews Four-Star Rating and Franchise 50 awards every year from 2006 to 2019 for owner satisfaction. Forbes has named MaidPro a Top Franchise to Own in 2015, 2016, and 2018. MaidPro was named one of the Top 50 Franchises for Minorities by USA Todays Franchising Today. MaidPro is also a proud member of the International Franchise Association, Canadian Franchise Association, and the New England Franchise Association. The company can be found online at http://www.maidprofranchise.com.
Like other Mindray systems, the TE7 system recently underwent a substantial upgrade, which enhanced image quality and functionality

Mindray, a developer of next generation medical technology, announced it has installed its 1000th TE7 portable ultrasound in North America at the annual American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) conference being held in Orlando, April 6  10, 2019. The company is also featuring its latest Gem Series of upgrades to four of its ultrasound systems.

We are pleased to announce we have reached a significant milestone in our popular TE7 platform with the sale of the 1000th system, said Maher Elhihi, director of ultrasound marketing, Mindray. Like other Mindray systems, the TE7 system recently underwent a substantial upgrade, which enhanced image quality and functionality. This allows our customers to stay at the cutting-edge in imaging technology and recognize excellent value for their investment.

Based on Mindrays Living Technology, the Resona 7 (Sapphire), ZS3 (Diamond), M9 (Ruby) and TE7 (Crystal) ultrasound upgrades offer significant enhancements in support of the companys commitment to providing state-of-the-art ultrasound imaging. The Resona 7 Sapphire edition, powered by ZST+, elevates the systems performance with advanced capabilities including Sound Touch Elastography and Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS).

In addition, the Resona 7 system offers HD Scope, which is an advanced image processing technology made possible by unique and proprietary ZONE Sonography Technology Plus (ZST+). HD Scope breaks through the constraints of traditional B-mode ultrasound imaging by permitting delineation of subtle or small soft tissue lesions based on the distinct acoustic characteristics of differing tissue types. The Resona 7 also provides STE (Sound touch Elastography) for liver stiffness evaluation with multiple quantitative measures to ensure reproducibility.

From the Resona 7 to the TE7 platforms, Mindray provides contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) imaging, which uses harmonic and fundamental signals to boost contrast and temporal resolution. The ZST based platforms (Resona 7, ZS3 and Z.One PRO) allow for a lower dose of contrast agent and longer duration of the bubbles. In addition, all Mindray systems offer Z-Tracking, the ability to track specific transducers used with each patient for infection control efforts, and M-Secure, a robust suite of cybersecurity features.

The power of our Living Technology is to enable feature and functionality migration throughout our platform base, said Elhihi. From our premium cart-based to our point-of-care systems, we are cross-leveraging advances through significant R&D efforts to keep our clinical partners at state-of-the-art ultrasound imaging capabilities.

About Mindray

Mindray is a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical devices worldwide. Mindray maintains its global headquarters in Shenzhen, China; North American headquarters in Mahwah, New Jersey; and multiple development facilities and offices in major international markets including an Ultrasound Innovation Center in Silicon Valley. Mindray supplies a broad range of products across three primary business segments, patient monitoring and life support, in-vitro diagnostics, and medical imaging systems. For more information, please visit http://www.mindray.com.

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We are extremely flattered to be recognized as Best Law Firms for the 4th year in a row. It is a testament to the integrity, collaboration and work ethic of everyone in our practice.

Pearson Koutcher Law , a privately held and independently owned legal practice focused on Workers Compensation Law, is pleased to announce its selection for inclusion in U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers Ninth Edition of Best Law Firms for representing injured workers in Workers Compensation Law.

Best Law Firms is a national organization and the listing is compiled based on a combination of client feedback, information provided on the Law Firm Survey, the Law Firm Leaders Survey, and Best Lawyers peer review. In order to be considered, firms must have a minimum of one attorney recognized by the Best Lawyers listing, which comprises the top 5% of private practicing attorneys in the United States.

We are extremely flattered to be recognized as Best Law Firms for the 4th year in a row. It is a testament to the integrity, collaboration and work ethic of everyone in our practice, said founding partner Eric Pearson, We are deeply committed to our staff and clients and will continue to invest in the people and resources needed to represent individuals who experience work injuries.

Contact us today to learn more about how Pearson Koutcher Laws Workers Compensation Lawyers can help you with your Work Injury Case.

About Pearson Koutcher Law

Pearson Koutcher Law workplace injury attorneys are seasoned trial lawyers as well as skillful negotiators. They never back away from challenges that arise in any of their clients workmens compensation case. Instead, they face every issue head-on in a meticulous, professional manner.

Pearson Koutcher Laws Workers Compensation Attorneys understand that your life has been severely disrupted by your workplace injury. They will handle your legal issues so that you can concentrate on your physical and emotional recovery.

Jonathan Koutcher and Eric Pearson established Pearson Koutcher Law to help one type of client: people who have been injured on the job. They handle only Workers Compensation Cases and have over forty years of combined experience investigating, negotiating, litigating, and getting results for their workmen compensation clients.
RCare and upBed Interoperability has always been a cornerstone for RCares wireless nurse call and monitoring offerings, says RCare CEO, Myron Kowal. It made perfect sense to integrate upBed into the RCare ecosystem. It truly solves the critical and recurring problem of falls for our senior housing customers.

RCare, Inc., maker of wireless nurse call and monitoring solutions, has announced a strategic partnership with upBed, maker of a wearable bed exit solution for fall prevention. Based in Portland, Maine, upBed's solution is worn by the resident. It detects and predicts when a resident is about to get out of bed. RCares nurse call system listens to upBed and sends a discreet alert to caregivers, who can assist in safely getting the resident out of bed.

By providing advance notice that the resident is waking up, and instantly and silently notifying staff through RCare, upBed helps reduce falls among even the highest fall risk residents, says upBed founder Aron Semle.

The upBed device is a comfortable, satin band that is worn on the residents ankle while they sleep. It is lightweight and discreet. The upBed device detects when the resident is about to wake up, and sends a notification through the nurse call system, summoning help to the residents bedside. The silent alert does not disturb the resident, and meets all CMS guidelines.

Interoperability has always been a cornerstone for RCares wireless nurse call and monitoring offerings, says RCare CEO, Myron Kowal. It made perfect sense to integrate upBed into the RCare ecosystem. It truly solves the critical and recurring problem of falls for our senior housing customers.

Lakewood of Northern Light Health, a 105-bed continuing care center in Waterville, Maine, is an early adopter of the integrated RCare upBed solution as part of its fall prevention initiative. The community has been using the two systems in tandem for the past four months. When the upBed device detects a bed exit, it alerts designated staff through the RCare system. This alertwhich is silent to the residentis sent to caregiver pagers, the nurses station, and activates the dome light above the room door, ensuring that help will arrive when needed.

Chris Miller, Staff Development Coordinator at Lakewood is happy with the integration, which he describes as very effective. The speed of transmissions between the upBed system and the pager system is really quick, so it enables us to get to our residents fast enough to prevent the falls. Its impossible to say exactly how many falls its prevented, but I will say that its been very, very good.

The RCare and upBed integration will help senior care communities respond faster and help reduce falls, a high priority for Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement programs. RCare plans to release the upBed integration solution by the end of this summer. For more information, visit rcareinc.com and upbed.co

About RCare

RCare is a global provider of wireless nurse call and personal emergency response systems for the entire spectrum of eldercare and senior living. Our components integrate into a variety of healthcare communication systems to create efficient and verifiable responses to medical emergencies. RCare works together with distribution partners to build individualized, flexible and seamless systems to enhance both caregiving and resident quality of life. Contact info(at)rcareinc(dot)com or call 585-671-4144.

About upBed

upBed is the maker of wearable bed exit solution for fall prevention. upBed detects and predicts when a resident is about to get out of bed, alerting staff so they can assist the resident to get out of bed safely. upBed helps reduce falls among even the highest fall risk residents. Contact info(at)upbed(dot)com or call 617-682-9512
Right at Home Canada recently expanded their home care services to the Durham Region with a new office on 92 Church St. South in Ajax. With a launch event on March 26, 2019 attended by the Ajax community including the Honorable Mark Holland, MP and Mayor Shawn Collier, who inaugurated the event and cut the ribbon, the Right at Home Canada team celebrated the success of their business, and the growth of home care services in Durham Region. Their newest office in Durham Region will serve Ajax, Pickering, Oshawa, Whitby and surrounding communities.

Right at Home is the only home care organization in Canada that requires all of its caregivers to be a member of a professional association (CANSWA). This ensures that every client has access to the best caregivers who are committed to the highest level of professionalism and client service. Right at Home Caregivers are insured and bonded, with background checks always current and done on a yearly basis, both locally and federally. In-depth on-boarding and continual education through Right at Home helps homecare providers forward in their careers.

Right at Home Canada's specialty is home care services, offering a full range of home care and nursing care services for those with physical, medical, or memory impairment. Its medical, non-medical and care management services are designed to help families' current care needs and can evolve to continue to help as care needs change over time.

More About Right at Home Canada:

Founded more than 25 years ago, Right at Home Canada is the leading provider of support and care services for those with physical, medical, or memory impairment, providing highly individualized, unique care based on needs. Services are provided by experienced and professional caregivers in the clients home, whether that is a hospital, retirement community or family home.

Right at Home Canada offers a wide range of services to meet changing needs, from making a pot of soup and doing laundry, to 24-hour nursing care, the Right at Home Canada caregivers help when needed, and are dedicated to their craft and clients wellbeing.


Its a tremendous honor that I am very grateful to receive... But Id like to think that I am receiving this recognition on behalf of my entire hardworking team and our clients as well.

San Diego County residents continue to find an excellent legal ally in Robert Hamparyan, a personal injury attorney who has recently been selected as a San Diego Top 10 Super Lawyer. This is the seventh year in a row that Hamparyan has received the much sought-after accolade.

Super Lawyers is an established rating service in the legal field. Every year, it publishes a list of the most outstanding attorneys in localities across the United States, selected from more than 70 areas of the law. The Super Lawyers selection process is rigorous, involving twelve criteria of professional achievement and peer recognition. This means that the chosen lawyers are first-rate in their work with clients and respected by other legal professionals.

Being named to this list for several years in a row is a feat that few attorneys have achieved. But Robert Hamparyan of Hamparyan Personal Injury Lawyers San Diego, APC remains humble about this new accomplishment.

Its a tremendous honor that I am very grateful to receive, he says. But Id like to think that I am receiving this recognition on behalf of my entire hardworking team and our clients as well.

Hamparyan Personal Injury Lawyers San Diego, APC is one of Southern Californias most successful personal injury law firms. They have repeatedly obtained multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements for injury victims throughout Southern California. Among these are a $17.5-million settlement in a car crash case, a $4.75-million verdict in a bicycle accident case, and a $4.6-million settlement in a defective product wrongful death case.

Robert Hamparyan himself is a multi-award winning attorney with more than 20 years of experience. He has been included in the Top 10 Super Lawyers list every year since 2013, and prior to that, he was in the Top 50 list in 2012.

Aside from his many Super Lawyers honors, he has also been repeatedly named a San Diego County Top Attorney since 2009, and awarded as the 2008 Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego.

He and his firm consider their accolades as motivation to live up to their clients expectations. The most important thing for us is to never let our clients down, Hamparyan says. Its saddening to see individuals and families suffering from the negligence of others, so my team and I work hard to help them find legal relief. Thats more valuable to us than awards.

About Hamparyan Injury Lawyers San Diego, APC

Hamparyan Injury Lawyers San Diego, APC is a highly trusted law firm that helps those who have suffered from accident and abuse injuries. The law firm handles cases such as car crashes, bicycle or motorcycle accidents, pedestrian injuries, truck wrecks, boating accidents, elder abuse, and wrongful death. The firm can be contacted by calling (619) 550-1355 or visiting https://www.hamparyan.com for more information.


Sarah Beth Gray created the Patients Awake While Scanned (PAWS) program. Using the PAWS program, Gray has made a dramatic difference in the lives of young patients.

Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN Hospitals) is pleased to announce that Sarah Beth Gray, CCLS, II, is the recipient of the inaugural Child Life Specialist of the Year award.

Presented by Delta Air Lines, Gray was chosen from a group of of more than 40 child life specialists nominated by Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals member hospitals from across the United States in recognition for her outstanding service and commitment to patients.

As a Child Life Specialist in the Radiology department at Monroe Carell Jr. Childrens Hospital at Vanderbilt, Gray has spent the past 13 years empowering children and families as they navigate complicated and emotional journeys with illness and disability.

In 2012, the radiology department leadership asked Gray to help improve the experience of children receiving MRI scans. The goal was to increase the number of children able to complete the scans without sedation.

Gray created the Patients Awake While Scanned (PAWS) program. The program focuses on communication between a Child Life Specialist and each childs caregiver. The Child Life Specialist offers advice and tips to help prepare the child for the scan and creates customized support on the day of the procedure. Using the PAWS program, Gray has made a dramatic difference in the lives of young patients.

As the winner of the Child Life Specialist of the Year award, Sarah Beth Gray received two round-trip Delta tickets. The airline also made a $15,000 donation to Monroe Carell Jr. Childrens Hospital at Vanderbilt in honor of Gray. The donation will be used by the hospital to purchase an additional pair of MRI goggles for young patients to wear as the participate in the PAWS program.

Delta Air Lines, in partnership with CMN Hospitals, created the Child Life Specialist of the Year award to honor and recognize the hard work and compassion of Child Life Specialists and the critical services they provide for hospitalized children and their families, along with bringing awareness to the need for child life funding at childrens hospitals.

Child Life Specialists help normalize the hospital experience and bring joy and comfort to pediatric patients and their families. Many of the funds raised by CMN Hospitals are used to fund Child Life programs and help make up the gap between what government and insurance pay for and the actual cost of caring for kids in our member hospitals.

About Delta

Delta Air Lines is working to connect the world and that starts by making a difference in the communities where Delta people live, work and serve. When customers choose Delta, they make a difference in communities around the world. In 2018, Delta and The Delta Air Lines Foundation contributed over $50 million through the airline's commitment to give one percent of its annual income to key charitable organizations. Delta employees actively volunteer their time and talents in addition to an annual paid day of service, which puts over 600,000 additional volunteer hours into communities across the globe. The airline focuses on key areas such as health and wellness, education, military and veterans, sustainability, and diversity and inclusion.

About Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals

Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals raises funds and awareness for 170 member hospitals that provide 32 million treatments each year to kids across the U.S. and Canada. Donations stay local to fund critical treatments and healthcare services, pediatric medical equipment and charitable care. Since 1983, Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals has raised more than $5 billion, most of it $1 at a time through the charity's Miracle Balloon icon. Its various fundraising partners and programs support the nonprofit's mission to save and improve the lives of as many children as possible. Find out why children's hospitals need community support, and learn about your member hospital, at CMNHospitals.org and facebook.com/CMNHospitals.
SEM's entire line of high security paper shredders comply with the new CUI paper destruction requirement As a solutions provider to the Federal Government, we are fully committed to assisting NARA and ISOO in educating Executive Branch agencies on the new CUI directive and how best to achieve compliance.

Security Engineered Machinery Co., Inc. (SEM), global leader in high security information end-of-life solutions, is pleased to offer a complete line of high security paper shredders that meet requirement of the new Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) Program instituted by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO). The Program, which affects all Executive Branch agencies within the Federal Government as well as their affiliates that may handle CUI, mandates that paper containing CUI be destroyed to a 1mmx5mm particle, which is the same particle size as required by the National Security Agency (NSA) for classified and top secret information.

We have been in frequent contact with NARA and ISOO, including presenting at their first CUI Industry Day held at the National Archives in Washington DC, stated Todd Busic, Vice President of Security and Intelligence Operations at SEM. As a result of our communication with these organizations and our commitment to the new directive, SEM has pledged to educate government agencies on the paper destruction requirement of the new CUI Program, which is quite different than what was once accepted as standard.

SEM has long been an industry leader in providing solutions on the cutting edge of new technology and on educating entities on new and updated data security regulations, added Andrew Kelleher, President of SEM. As a solutions provider to the Federal Government, we are fully committed to assisting NARA and ISOO in educating Executive Branch agencies on the new CUI directive and how best to achieve compliance.

All unclassified information throughout the Executive Branch that requires any safeguarding or dissemination control is characterized as CUI and includes nearly all government agencies. Further, unclassified data such as For Official Use Only (FOUO), Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU), Personally Identifiable Information (PII), as well as information relating to critical infrastructure, defense, export control, financial, immigration, intelligence, international agreements, law enforcement, legal, natural and cultural resources, NATO, nuclear, patent, privacy, procurement and acquisition, proprietary business information, provisional, statistical, tax, and transportation all fall under this requirement.

Executive Order 13556 Controlled Unclassified Information created a program for standardizing the management of CUI across the Executive branch and designated the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) as Executive Agent. As such, NARA is responsible for the implementation of the CUI program as well as agency oversight to ensure compliance. The Archivist of the United States in turn delegated these responsibilities to the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO), which issued 32 CFR Part 2002 Controlled Unclassified Information to establish a comprehensive policy for managing all aspects of CUI, including disposal and other program-specific requirements.

The rule affects not only all federal Executive Branch agencies that handle CUI but also all other organizations that in any way interact with CUI or have access to federal information on behalf of an agency. Therefore, these agencies must implement safeguarding or dissemination controls that are consistent with the CUI Program for any and all unclassified information. Prior to the CUI Program, agencies typically utilized agency-specific policies and procedures, of which there were many, resulting in inconsistently managed CUI.

The ISOO CUI directive has very clear requirements for information end-of-life, mandating that all CUI information be destroyed to NIST 800-88 specifications. For paper, the NIST 800-88 destruction specification is the same as NSA requirements for classified information: a 1mmx5mm final particle size. Therefore, all CUI paper must be destroyed using a high security shredder that produces a final particle size of 1mmx5mm or less, such as those listed on the NSA/CSS 02-01 EPL for classified paper destruction.

All of SEMs high security shredders meet the new CUI mandate. In an effort to provide clear communication and simplified purchasing for Federal Government agencies, all of SEMs compliant paper shredders are now marked as being appropriate for CUI destruction. For more information, visit http://www.semshred.com/cui.

About SEM

Security Engineered Machinery Co., Inc. (SEM) provides comprehensive end-of-life solutions for the protection of sensitive information in government and commercial markets. SEMs reputation as the authority in high security information sanitization was earned through over 50 years of technical innovation, intellectual curiosity, and unrelenting integrity. By fostering a supportive, team-centric environment focused on talent retention and client satisfaction, SEM is recognized as the undisputed leader in depth of expertise, industry excellence, and reliability. SEM data destruction devices are the premier high security choice available on the market today. For more information, please visit http://www.semshred.com


SIA is thrilled to welcome its newest members to the Board of Directors and Executive Committee and leverage the insights of this esteemed group of industry leaders."  Scott Schafer, Chairman, SIA Board of Directors

The Security Industry Association (SIA) announced its 2019 executive committee and welcomed five new members to the SIA Board of Directors at The Advance, SIAs annual membership meeting, during ISC West 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

At The Advance  held Tuesday, April 9, at the Sands Expo Center  the SIA Board of Directors ratified the selection of five new voting members of the Board of Directors to serve two-year terms from 2019 to 2021:

Greg Hill, director, intrusion architecture, Johnson Controls

Kim Loy, chief marketing officer, ACRE

Jody Ross, vice president, sales, AMAG Technology

James Rothstein, senior vice president, global security solutions, Anixter

Brian Wiser, regional president, North America, Bosch Security Systems

Following the ratification, the SIA Executive Committee for 2019 includes:

Chairman: Scott Schafer, SMS Advisors

Chairman Elect: Pierre Trapanese, CEO, Northland Control Systems

Vice Chairman: Scott Dunn, director, business development, Axis Communications

Secretary: Lynn de Seve, president, GSA Schedules. Inc.

Treasurer: Richard Brent, CEO, Louroe Electronics

Immediate Past Chairman: Denis Hebert, president, Feenics Inc.

SIA is thrilled to welcome its newest members to the Board of Directors and Executive Committee and leverage the insights of this esteemed group of industry leaders, said Scott Schafer. I look forward to the work we will do together to advance the global security industry and provide top-quality service to our members.

The SIA Board of Directors is comprised of industry professionals representing a broad spectrum of interests in the security industry. The full list of current board members can be found here.

At The Advance 2019, in addition to announcing the new board members and executive committee, SIA presented its annual membership awards  the Milestone Awards, the Chairmans Award, the Sandy Jones Volunteer of the Year Award, the Committee Chair of the Year Award and the inaugural Member of the Year Award. Attendees also enjoyed networking, lunch and a high-impact presentation from Sal Mani, security systems manager at Google, on the workforce imperative of developing cross-functional skill sets to stay competitive in the security industry.

About SIA

SIA is the leading trade association for global security solution providers, with nearly 1,000 innovative member companies representing thousands of security leaders and experts who shape the future of the security industry. SIA protects and advances its members interests by advocating pro-industry policies and legislation at the federal and state levels, creating open industry standards that enable integration, advancing industry professionalism through education and training, opening global market opportunities and collaborating with other like-minded organizations. As the premier sponsor of ISC Events expos and conferences, SIA ensures its members have access to top-level buyers and influencers, as well as unparalleled learning and network opportunities. SIA also enhances the position of its members in the security marketplace through SIA GovSummit, which brings together private industry with government decision makers, and Securing New Ground, the security industrys top executive conference for peer-to-peer networking.
Ive always had a vision of providing a Public Safety Suite that allows agencies to move people and resources around and efficiently as Amazon moves packages. Now we are running on the same AWS infrastructure to accomplish this.

SOMA Global, a leading provider of Public Safety as a Service (PSAAS), has deployed the industrys first fully-integrated cloud Computer-Aided Dispatch and Public Safety Solution for Lancaster County Sheriffs Office, Virginia. Lancaster County is the first to utilize the Public Safety Platform, fully running on Amazon Web Services (AWS) GovCloud (US-West) Region, including cloud-based dispatch, mobile dispatch, records management (incidents, criminal, civil) and jail records management.

SOMA is committed to providing law enforcement officers and first responders with the most modern technology to help them be more effective at their jobs and ultimately save more lives, said Peter Quintas, Founder and CEO of SOMA Global.

The SOMA Platform allows for deployment in the cloud, on-premises or in a hybrid scenario. Lancaster County, Virginia was deployed in mid-2018 and is the first to fully run on the cloud for emergency dispatch and response, including innovative features such as:



Dispatch and access from anywhere, in any browser;

Fully integrated web maps to geographically visualize incidents;

Live caller, unit and call location video streaming and sharing, including live drone video; and

Real-time alerts and mobile access from any device, anywhere.

SOMA Global is an innovative technology partner that is committed to the safety of our deputies and protecting the lives of our community, said Lancaster County Sheriff Patrick McCranie

Ive always had a vision of providing a Public Safety Suite that allows agencies to move people and resources around and efficiently as Amazon moves packages. Now we are running on the same AWS infrastructure to accomplish this, said Nick Stohlman, SOMA Co-Founder.

Lancaster County, Virginia joins a growing list of SOMA Global partner agencies. SOMA is on track to add over 30 more agencies to its PSAAS offering by the end of 2019 - most of them on AWS GovCloud.

By leveraging AWS GovCloud (US-West) Region, SOMA Global is providing law enforcement customers with timely access to crime data in a highly secure deployment that meets the requirements of the CJIS Security Policy, said Kim Majerus, Leader, State and Local Government, Amazon Web Services, Inc. SOMA Global is showing the power of cloud to enable secure, scalable, and agile solutions to law enforcement customers.

About SOMA Global

SOMA Global was founded in 2017 to redefine and deliver modern, best-of-breed public safety solutions with a primary focus on saving lives and protecting first responders. SOMA Global is a team of public safety and technology veterans that understands and respects the value of a partnership with an agency. Their Public Safety as a Service (PSAASTM) Platform offers the best Computer-Aided Dispatch, Mobile Dispatch. Records Management and Jail solutions on the market. Find more information about SOMA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or at http://www.somaglobal.com.
Marketing teams need more support from adtech vendors to optimize campaigns, and as the adtech landscape grows, vendors will need to differentiate themselves through their superior technology and top-notch consulting.



More than half of marketers are currently using advertising technology, according to a new study from Walker Sands Communications, an integrated PR and digital marketing agency for B2B technology and professional services companies.

In State of Marketing Technology 2019: Exploring the Trends That Make Martech Tick, Walker Sands surveyed 316 marketing, sales and advertising professionals and found that 42% of respondents value adtech in their day-to-day operations. Furthermore, 29% of respondents want their company to invest more in adtech.

As marketers are tasked more with proving ROI, theyre looking for better adtech that can track, measure and analyze their ad campaigns, said Jennifer Mulligan, marketing technology account director at Walker Sands. Marketing teams need more support from adtech vendors to optimize campaigns, and as the adtech landscape grows, vendors will need to differentiate themselves through their superior technology and top-notch consulting.

The study revealed that 75% of respondents agree that their company is investing in the right amount of martech, creating additional opportunities for adtech investments as organizations find their footing with their martech stacks. Almost 8 out of 10 (77%) of all respondents report using programmatic advertising to gain objective value from their ad placements. And over half (58%) who use programmatic advertising saw ROI from it.

Over the last four years, weve seen marketers struggle to identify and implement the right technology and tie their tech investments to their business goals, said Mulligan. As technology evolves, the potential for advertising does too. If they havent already, marketers should make investing in advertising technology a priority or they risk falling behind.

To download the full State of Marketing Technology 2019: Exploring the Trends That Make Martech Tick report, click here.

About Walker Sands

Walker Sands is a public relations and digital marketing agency for business-to-business technology companies. With an integrated approach to creative services, Walker Sands helps clients build brand awareness, enhance credibility and drive new business. Walker Sands is a six-time Inc. 5000 honoree and regular recipient of some of the industrys most prestigious awards from organizations including Entrepreneur, Holmes Report and Hermes Creative. Walker Sands was founded in 2001 and has offices in Chicago, San Francisco and Seattle. To learn more, visit http://www.walkersands.com or http://www.walkersandsdigital.com.


Sunflower Lab, a Columbus, OH digital product and innovation agency successfully developed and deployed a custom Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution for Accurate Neuromonitoring to help them service their healthcare customers.

The ERP brings order to Accurate Neuromonitorings scheduling and invoicing, which is incredibly complex given the nature of their IONM business and the variants involved with healthcare billing. The solution that Sunflower Lab created has made Accurate Neuromonitorings business much more efficient; enabling them to focus on superior quality patient care, geographical expansion, and revenue growth.

Imagine a healthcare business that requires two people for every job, one onsite at a hospital and the other remote. The onsite location changes on a daily basis and cannot be accurately predicted further than a week out. The time it takes to provide your service could be one hour or it could take ten hours, depending on how the surgery goes. Each client/hospital has different billing rules with respect to the moment your billing starts (e.g. when you arrive or when the patient arrives), whether you should bill the hospital directly or bill the patients insurance, and the time increments you can bill in, among other complexities. This is the chaotic atmosphere that Accurate Neuromonitoring must manage, said Yash Patel, Sunflower Labs CTO and co-founder, when explaining the project.

Sunflower Lab was tasked with creating a system for Accurate Neuromonitoring that would facilitate their rapid growth and consolidate the systems of companies they had acquired into one.

The Sunflower Lab team conducted dozens of interviews to understand Accurate Neuromonitorings business and mapped out all the potential workflows. In order to meet Accurate Neuromonitorings needs, custom business rules needed to be created for each of their clients, given the variation in billing practices.

Accurate Neuromonitoring has an excellent reputation for being able to meet its clients scheduling requirements on a short timeline. The new solution had to meet and exceed Accurate Neuromonitorings scheduling standards as the company grew from serving two states to eleven states. The additional moving parts, including clients and personnel would stress many scheduling systems, but Sunflower Lab was able to handle the challenge.

Beyond the complexity of the work location changing on a daily basis, the ERP also needs to account for which technicians are full-time versus part-time and who is on PTO. Sunflower Lab developed a system of business rules and a workflow that factors in each of the aforementioned considerations and allows Accurate Neuromonitoring to effectively and efficiently schedule its personnel.

Our rapid growth has meant adopting the systems of the companies weve acquired. This meant we were using three different systems to manage the same business. We needed to be scalable and be in sync across the organization. Thats why we approached Sunflower Lab. Its amazing how they were able to break down our business, determine a technical strategy to consolidate the existing systems, and then execute. Quite frankly, they made me and all my colleagues lives easier, said Gene Boucher, COO of Accurate Neuromonitoring.

Lastly, Ronak Patel, Sunflower Labs CEO and founder explained, The Accurate Neuromonitoring project was challenging, intimidating, and exciting all at the same time, which is something we thrive on. We are passionate about using technology to solve business problems and are convinced we can develop effective solutions to the toughest issues. Accurate Neuromonitoring certainly put us to the test, but our team stepped up to the plate and created an ERP that provides the client substantial relief. I am incredibly proud of the work we did.

About Sunflower Lab

Headquartered in Columbus, OH, Sunflower Lab is an award-winning digital product and innovation agency with offices across North America and India. They help growing startups and global brands build innovative, beautiful custom technology solutions. They believe in building products that make an impact. Sunflower Lab makes better technology today for an organization's tomorrow.

About Accurate Neuromonitoring

Based in Fairfield, NJ, Accurate Neuromonitoring, LLC is a dedicated IONM practice that covers over 12,000 surgical cases annually, and provides service to over 400 surgeons and 100 hospitals and ambulatory centers in eleven states. Accurate Neuromonitoring knows that when it comes to patient care, there is simply no compromising safety and well-being. That is why they insist on a level of excellence that exceeds the standards of the profession. Their highly professional team has years of clinical and operating room experience, monitoring many complex and high-risk procedures.
During the past few years, weve gained a number of clients simply by reviewing their billing and discovering that they were being underpaid or werent being paid at all, particularly when their denials werent resubmitted."

More doctors are reporting in from the AAOS (American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons) annual conference, recently held in Las Vegas, and, according to some, the news is both worrisome and optimistic.

The biggest concern is what Dr. Dimitri Christoforou characterized as a fear of the future. He said, Many of the doctors I spoke with are concerned with the speed of change, that things are happening faster than they anticipated and happening on many fronts at the same time. Two of the biggest issues appear to be reimbursement and negotiations with payers.

The result of these changes is that physicians are reacting to the change by reshaping the way they practice. Dr. Christoforou added, We saw more discussion on the merits of mergers and the evolution of supergroups  really big practices with dozens of surgeons, designed to stand up to insurance companies, to negotiate better payment terms, decrease overhead and to take advantage of the power of being on the same team. With all this uncertainty, its not surprising to hear that 70% of residents are entering employment models with systems or hospitals instead of private practice, which has the potential to change the face of medicine across the country.

When asked about medical billing, a flashpoint for some doctors experiencing payment problems, Dr. Christoforou said, No one is really thrilled with their billing. At the same time, many providers have just become complacent with what they earn, without digging in. During a discussion with a group of surgeons, I suggested that they dig more deeply, because when I looked into the medical billing industry, I learned that if you dig in, you are likely to find that many billers were under-collecting, particularly when it comes to denials. Theres not a lot of quality control in that area.

According to Michael N. Brown, CEO of Fellow Health Partners, Inc, a New York based medical billing company, the surgeons at the AAOS arent alone. He said, During the past few years, weve gained a number of clients simply by reviewing their billing and discovering that they were being underpaid or werent being paid at all, particularly when their denials werent resubmitted. A shocking statistic in the medical billing space is that 60% of denied claims are never resubmitted, meaning that the doctors dont get paid for all the work they did. Part of the reason they arent resubmitted is that billers are overwhelmed with work, particularly in hospitals and, more egregiously, a few bad apples in medical billing try to keep their profit margins up by letting denials slide, hoping the doctors wont notice.

He added, Selfishly, this is very encouraging for all of us at Fellow Health Partners, because our focus on advanced technology along with continuous training in both technical and people skills, allows us to scale rapidly to serve supergroups and hospitals while maintaining extremely high quality. Our goal is to surf this medical wave of change, helping as many professionals as we can.

ABOUT FELLOW HEALTH PARTNERS

Fellow Health Partners Inc. is a medical business solutions company that helps healthcare professionals and institutions to improve their bottom line by applying innovative methods of streamlining the medical billing process. Supported by an active advisory board of leading doctors, Fellow Health Partners acts as an extension to any medical practice or facility by providing billing expertise, office and workflow solutions, customer service assistance, and administrative support.
Telescope, a leader in audience engagement, is launching Campaign Manager a new self-service platform focused on the increasing need for digital marketing teams to easily create, scale and manage cost-effective mechanics to enable consumer interaction and build a direct relationship with target audiences.

Direct consumer engagement is becoming more and more of a focus for media organizations and brands alike, along with real-time metrics to measure and quantify value. Campaign Manager is geared towards this ecosystem - helping marketers deliver integrated services that can be managed across different teams, produced faster, delivered more efficiently and at a premium level of quality.

Campaign Manager Apps are custom-built to premium requirements with brand specific features but once set up, clients can scale up an infinite amount of campaigns across their organization, with multiple users in different teams. With its highly customizable framework, the platform offers a better way to manage digital campaigns with an initial focus on voting and polling, sweepstakes, UGC content and trivia experiences.

Telescope has identified that many clients want solutions that can be tailored to their specific needs  such as integration of other applications like Single Sign On registration and reporting tools, the ability to embed in any digital application and custom domain integration. For media clients increasingly focused on supporting D2C subscription businesses and new ways to attract and keep advertisers, this is key.

Getting real-time feedback from consumers now plays a significant part in the marketing mix. Jason George, CEO of Telescope, commented: We are constantly searching for ways to help our clients to develop that direct dialogue with their audience and give them insights that help them meet their commercial goals. Campaign Manager empowers clients to more easily manage engagement campaigns, scale up their output at a fraction of the cost, and centralize their data across their organization.

Campaign Manager is fully compliant with GDPR, offering the highest standards of data protection, multi-language and localization support. It is a robust solution for global organizations like the BBC where it is already deployed to power voting and polling across all digital platforms and drive registration to BBC ID.

CAMPAIGN MANAGER FEATURES:

FLEXIBLE FRAMEWORK



Self-service platform  simple to set up, run and manage multiple campaigns

Highly configurable framework to customize your branded campaigns

Flexible CMS to change content and design on the fly

SIMPLE UI



Intuitive and user-friendly workflow with minimal training required

Multi-user support with controllable permissions structure

Easily deployable amongst multiple teams

ENHANCED ENGAGEMENT



Includes integrated Social Sharing and cross platform publishing

Display/On Air integration available for publishing results and data to viewers

ANALYTICS & PRIVACY



Real-time metrics

Analytics tailored to client requirements with option for multi-language and localization support

GDPR compliant for enhanced privacy protection

ABOUT TELESCOPE

Right content. Right platform. Right solution.

Its never one size fits all.

We work at the intersection between content and audiences, delivering everything from creative strategy to multi-platform video production, social distribution to live publishing.

From real-time solutions to high impact voting and live events, our industry leading technology powers immersive, demanding and high-profile participation initiatives with record-breaking results. Its what sets us apart and we have the success stories (and scars) to prove it.

Based in Los Angeles, with offices in New York, Chicago, Barcelona and London, we are entrusted by the worlds largest media brands and social platforms. Additional information is available at https://telescope.tv.
Were thrilled to introduce CSI Healthcare ITs refreshed and modernized look, says Kate Mays, CSI Healthcare IT President. Our new branding authenticates our commitment to innovating the specialty services we provide to our clients.

The CSI Companies today introduced an updated branding of its healthcare IT staffing division, CSI Healthcare IT, with a new uniform logo and a bold blue brand color.

Established in 2009, CSI Healthcare IT specializes in providing information technology talent to health systems nationwide in specialties such as EMR/EHR application, training, go-live, information management, and vendor support. CSI Healthcare ITs new icon follows the characteristic circular theme of The CSI Companies corporate logo. Mimicking the shape of a medical cross, the new icon represents the divisions healthcare information technology focus. The new uniform two-tone brand color replaces its gradient predecessor, making way for a significantly bolder look.

CSI Healthcare IT is led by Kate Mays, the youngest president in The CSI Companies more than 20-year history. She joined The CSI Companies in 2006. Prior to being promoted as president of the Healthcare IT division in 2017, Kate served as a sales director for the companys healthcare staffing clients and established relationships with national health systems during her tenure.

Were thrilled to introduce CSI Healthcare ITs refreshed and modernized look, says Kate Mays, CSI Healthcare IT President. Our new branding authenticates our commitment to innovating the specialty services we provide to our clients.

In 2018 and 2019, KLAS Research ranked CSI Healthcare IT as the Category Leader in Go-Live Support Services. KLAS is a leading healthcare information technology and data insights firm that gathers feedback from healthcare professionals and delivers reports on customer loyalty, product quality, and value of services provided.

To learn more about CSI Healthcare IT and its specialty recruiting services, visit TheCSICompanies.com/Healthcare-IT.

About CSI Healthcare IT

CSI Healthcare IT is a specialty division of The CSI Companies, and a part of Recruit Global Staffing, active in Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania. Recruit Global Staffing is a leading global HR service provider, part of Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., The CSI Companies provides national staffing solutions by placing top talent in the technology, financial, accounting, healthcare, and other professional industries across the country. To learn more about The CSI Companies, visit TheCSICompanies.com.
Sherman, Andy, Trey and Nate Taylor The internet is flooded with people trying to push surrogacy information, but it's hard to know what is credible, or where to start,

Men Having Babies (MHB) is a non-profit organization, led by parents and surrogates, that has helped thousands of gay men worldwide become biological parents since 2012.

The Chicago conference is one of eight annual conferences held by MHB worldwide, with other conferences taking place in New York, San Francisco, Brussels, Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Taipei, Toronto and Tel Aviv.

Responding to popular demand, for the first time the 2019 conference will offer prospective single fathers a unique opportunity to hear from gay fathers whove gone through the surrogacy journey without a partner, and meet like-minded prospective fathers.

Even more than previous years, this event draws people from far beyond the Chicago area, said Ron Poole-Dayan, Executive Director of Men Having Babies. Almost half of those who have already registered are gay men from all parts of the Midwest, and even attendees from the East Coast and the South who prefer not to wait for our Florida and NY conferences.

The internet is flooded with people trying to push surrogacy information, but it's hard to know what is credible, or where to start, said Poole-Dayan. The two-day events, which are held across the United States, Europe, Canada and Israel, offer an immersive experience, a combination of a boot camp and a community event which cannot be done online, he said.

The conference includes a panel discussion comprised of gay surrogacy dads and the surrogates who helped them in their journeys. Two workshops will be offered on planning the surrogacy journey, based upon the accumulated knowledge of hundreds of gay men who have already gone through the process. Other sessions will cover the latest studies about gestational surrogacy, and insurance, budgeting, legal, medical and psychological aspects of surrogacy.

Our conferences are not meant to persuade to become parents ... they are meant for people who already want to become parents (and) to make the process more accessible and easier, Sherman Taylor, Board Chair of Men Having Babies.

Proceeds from sponsorship and exhibiting fees will benefit MHBs Gay Parenting Assistance Program (GPAP), which annually provides dozens of prospective parents with over a million dollars worth of cash grants, discounts and free services from more than fifty leading service providers. The majority of the exhibitors at the Chicago conference are supporters of GPAP, including Platinum sponsor Family Source Consultants, and Gold sponsors: Anova Fertility, Worldwide Surrogacy Specialists, San Diego Fertility Center, Fertility Center of Illinois, Creative Family Connection, Fertility Specialists of Texas, CReATe Fertility, Vios Fertility Center, ARR and InVia Fertility.

The event will take place on April 13th , 8:30 a.m.  7 p.m., and April 14th , 8:30 a.m.  12:45 p.m. at the Wyndham Grand Chicago Riverfront hotel. In addition, MHB is offering a post-conference happy hour party at hotels Penthouse Ballroom on Saturday, April 13, at 7:00pm. The event is offered in cooperating with local and national LGBT organizations, and is open to the Chicago LGBT community at large.

Go to menhavingbabies.org/chicago for registration and additional information.

Note: while the event is organized by a gay parenting organization, non-gay prospective parents are also welcome and will no doubt highly benefit from the information provided.

***

Press inquiries: Contact Shelly Marsh, marketing director of Men Having Babies shelly(at)menhavingbabies.org / 714-515-9602. Interviews with parents, prospective parents, surrogates and experts can be arranged by request.
Recoleta Cemetery

Americans can be startlingly ignorant about the world beyond their borders, and I am no exception. Before preparing to visit South America, I had exactly one association with Argentina: Nazis. It was in Buenos Aires that the Israelis nabbed Adolf Eichmann in 1960 and spirited him to Jerusalem for trial.

Not exactly a roadmap for vacation fun

Since I had a few days there before heading south to Patagonia, I decided it would be wise to figure out something to do in the city. Every website and guide book I consulted listed the Recoleta Cemetery as the No. 1, essential thing to do in Buenos Aires and, as fate would have it, my hotel, the elegant and refined Loi Suites Recoleta, was practically next door.

Lonely Planet calls the cemetery "perhaps BA's top attraction" and every other source I consulted agreed in a chorus of unanimity.

So I hatched a plan: go to the cemetery.

At the same time worrying, slightly: what does it say about a city if its most alluring attraction is a graveyard? Only one way to find out.

After a bracing coffee at an outdoor cafe, La Biela, we strolled to Recoleta Cemetery. Here I first saw the value of traveling with another person. I was ready to plunge into the cemetery, blind, using a long-established investigative process I call wandering-around-looking-at-stuff.

But my former boss and current frienda rare if not unheard of combinationMichael Cooke, immediately entered negotiations with one of the guides hanging around the entrance to the cemetery. A price was established$20 US for the two of us for an hour.

I was glad we did. Our guide spent well over an hour conducting us through this 14 acres labyrinth city of the dead, laid out like city blocks, marble and granite, black and white, some massive, others narrow, some tombs meticulously kept up by their families, others crumbling into ruin, while overhead crosses, domes, urns, plinths, and a platoon of angels, seraphs, Virgins Mary, mournful women and mustachioed men kept blind vigil.

Our guide took enormous care explaining the lineage of the more noteworthy tombs.

"This is the main avenue," said our guide, pausing before a tomb whose doorway was surrounded by nearly two dozen bronze plaques and wreaths. "And then there is the General Pacheco, he of our independent wars. This is the big plaque that included his portrait and all the battles where he participated as an officer, including the Cross of the Andes Mountains and the 10 most important battles in the war for the independence of Chile. The family of diplomatics and militaries: Pacheco was the other great grandfather of the President Aylwin. The father of his father was he of our independence, the General Loi. The father of his mother was General Pacheco. He of our independence, the father of his mother."

That might seem like heavy lifting, and I didn't follow it closely for 90 minutes, but gazed around, floating through Recoleta on a gentle sea of highly-accented verbiage. Yet somehow that felt perfect, and what sense I gleaned showed the importance of family ties in Argentinian society, so different from the U.S., where many people have trouble grasping the relationship between John Adams and John Quincy Adams.

We went to the tomb of Luis Firpowho knocked Jack Dempsey out of the ring in 1923, a moment captured by painter George Bellows.

"The wild bull of the Pampas," I said, admiringly, showing off my knowledge of the first Spanish-speaking heavyweight contender. (Dempsey got back in the ring and won).

The Duarte family tomb where Eva Peron's body, after years of odd international post-mortem wanderings finally found its rest, is tucked down a nondescript avenue. I was never particularly enamored with Evita, so stood politely by while her entire history was narrated, taking a few dutiful photographs. Though we soon realized how lucky we had been, that no one was there when we approached. Passing it by later, the entire row was jammed with a tourist group.

A number of tombs belonged to newspaper publishers, including a complicated statuary group that shows the inky benefactor slipping his coffin and ascending to heaven, a physical and moral impossibility. There were a surprising number of Irish namesabout 4 percent of Argentinians have Irish roots; but I think I'll save that story for St. Patrick's Day.

Our guide explained that Catholics can be cremated since 1969 (close: since 1963. One should always take the i

nformation provided by tour guides with a grain of salt, as we should see tomorrow). In fact-checking Catholic burial rituals, I noticed the church "earnestly recommends that the pious custom of burial be retained; but it does not forbid cremation" although it demands that the faithful inter ashes in a "sacred place" and not keep them in an urn at home or scatter them across a ballpark

.

"So much death amidst life," Michael said, of the cemetery in the heart of one of Buenos Aires' most fashionable neighborhoods.

"So much life amidst death," I countered, gesturing to the people wandering all around.
Uberall, Inc., the location management solution for businesses competing to attract and win local brick-and-mortar customers, today released its Uberall Voice Search Readiness Report 2019 analyzing 73,000 online business location listings across SMB, mid-market and enterprise. The report is the first-of-its-kind and the most comprehensive analysis ever on Voice Search Readiness (VSR).

Voice search is one of the most hyped, yet perhaps least understood topics confronting businesses today, said Norman Rohr, SVP of Marketing at Uberall. Very few understand what it is to become voice search ready and whether there is actually an ROI justification to begin with. With this report, we are rationalizing the discussion and helping brands and the agencies that support them identify how you can diagnose your own voice search readiness and improve it.

Today, when a consumer issues a command like, OK Google/Siri/Alexa, find the best mechanic in my area, the query will return only one result at a time. This means that, unlike with desktop and mobile search results, only one business can win. Further, when a user searches for business information in their area verbally, the accuracy of business information, across certain key directories, will determine whether a business is recommended in search results.

Enter Voice Search Readiness (VSR). While several attempts have been made to provide comprehensive voice search ranking factors, there are no clear and quantitative standards or definitions that are widely accepted for VSR. Uberalls latest report solves for that.

We set out to define VSR within a percentage-based grading system that analyzed a businesss optimized online presence, added Rohr. This way, a business can see if they are optimized for local voice search queries and understand the exact problems they need to address.

Google, Yelp & Bing Top Facebook

For the analysis, Uberall identified 37 directories feeding voice search platforms that are the most important in terms of VSR. The top-3 platforms for VSR are, in order:

1. Google + Google Maps

2. Yelp

3. Bing

According to our experts, said Rohr, Google, Yelp and Bing comprise approximately 90% of our voice search readiness score. Unfortunately, only 3.82% of business locations analyzed had correct information even on these three major directories. And, while Bing is in the top-three, it remains the most neglected listing platform.

Additional Key Findings



Dentists Top Politicians -- The average VSR score was 44.12%, according to the analysis. Dentists had the highest average VSR score at 96.82%, followed by health food businesses (96.60%). In contrast, consumer protection organizations (0.20%) and congressional representatives (0.24%) had the lowest scores.

Sorry, Apple Maps -- Although Apple Maps is certainly an important directory, according to Uberalls study, in terms of listing your business details, it will not help you optimize for voice search queries.

Whats Missing? Uberall identified the categories of business information that were missing most frequently opening hours the most glaring listing error/missing data. Uberall found 978,305 opening hour errors across listings, accounting for nearly half of all locations analyzed.

This is one of the most glaring mistakes businesses continue to make, added Rohr. When a consumer conducts an online search for a business, whether through voice search or not, they expect and trust that the information provided will be accurate. If the customer then turns up and finds that the business is closed, the immediate result is a loss of trust that will likely discourage them from ever returning to a business location.

For Uberalls Voice Search Readiness Report 2019, visit: https://m.uberall.com/uberall-report-voice-search-readiness-us-2019.

About Uberall, Inc.

Uberall is a global leader in location management technology. Its flagship Location Marketing Cloud platform solution empowers the world's biggest brands to connect with their customers and turn online interactions into offline sales. Uberall gives businesses central control of their digital presence and online reputation, enabling them to easily manage brand interactions in real-time on all digital platformsmobile, voice and desktopacross websites, mobile apps, store locators, search engines, maps, social platforms, and advertising networks. The Location Marketing Cloud provides a consistent, accurate digital brand footprint that helps businesses capture new customers and maximize revenue for every location.

Uberall is headquartered in Berlin, with additional offices in San Francisco, London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Cape Town. Its clients include Fortune 500 companies and industry leaders from all over the world.

Learn more at https://www.uberall.com.
New England-based artist Lois Goglia brings X-Ray Visions - a collection of work created from medical imaging materials - to the University City Science Centers Esther Klein Gallery (EKG) for its latest exhibit. An opening reception for X-Ray Visions will be held on April 12, 2019 at EKG, 3600 Market Street, from 5  7:30 p.m. X-Ray Visions runs through May 25, 2019, and features x-ray films, DNA sequencing gels, and ultrasound radiographs to paint a picture of the human life cycle, our identity and our genetics.

Lois Goglias journey into her own intersection of art and science began during a hospital visit, where she noticed a mounted and illuminated animal x-ray and found it beautiful despite its obviously negative prognosis. Its value contrasts, textures, and anatomical shapes provided the frame for the thematic concept that she is still investigating today in her work.

Among the work featured in X-Ray Visions is a series of eighteen collages created from X-ray films, mounted and illuminated on light boxes, that narrate the life cycle starting with the growth of individual cells in petri dishes to the development of a full-term fetus. DNA sequencing gels, animal and human X-rays, mammograms, and fetal ultrasound radiographs are incorporated into this work.

X-Ray Visions will also feature INSIGHT, winner of a 2006 juried competition at the New York Hall of Science, sponsored by Arts Science Collaboration, Inc. The digitally photographed and computer modified prints of X-ray collages that make up INSIGHT went on to be exhibited in 2007, after winning another national competition in conjunction with the New York Academy of Science's symposium on Science and the Arts.

Goglia has had solo and group exhibitions at the Paul Mellon Art Center, Choate Rosemary Hall; The Zilkha Gallery, Wesleyan University; The University of Massachusetts Medical School Gallery; The Yale Medical School Gallery; The University of New Haven Gallery; The New Britain Museum; The Mattatuck Museum; The Silvermine Gallery; and The Alexey Von Schippe Museum. Her work has also been displayed at The Butler Museum, Warren, OH and at The University of Pennsylvania Gallery.

About the Science Center

Located in the heart of uCity Square, the Science Center is a mission-driven nonprofit organization that catalyzes and connects innovation to entrepreneurship and technology commercialization. For 50+ years, the Science Center has supported startups, research, and economic development in the life sciences, healthcare, physical sciences, and emerging technology sectors. As a result, graduate firms and current residents of the Science Centers incubator support one out of every 100 jobs in the Greater Philadelphia region and drive $13 billion in economic activity in the region annually. By providing resources and programming for any stage of a businesss lifecycle, the Science Center helps scientists, entrepreneurs and innovators take their concepts from idea to IPO  and beyond.

For more information about the Science Center, go to http://www.sciencecenter.org

About the Esther Klein Gallery

The Esther Klein Gallery (EKG), which opened in 1977, uses the creative arts as a platform to explore relationships between art, science and technology. EKG seeks to positively impact the cultural life of both its immediate neighborhood of West Philadelphia and the broader Philadelphia community. EKG programming is designed to explore the range of art, science and technology exhibitions, and includes gallery talks, panel discussions, and education programs. For more information, visit http://www.sciencecenter.org/discover/ekg


YOTELs new mobile brand app and mobile key capability, powered by INTELITY, will give guests the convenience of skipping the front desk through mobile check-in.

INTELITY, the provider of the broadest enterprise guest engagement and staff management platform for hospitality, announced today that YOTEL has selected its platform as a brand standard. The trend-setting, tech-forward hotel brand plans to implement the INTELITY platform across all of its properties in order to provide travelers with a superior guest experience and streamline daily operations.

YOTELs new mobile brand app and mobile key capability, powered by INTELITY, will give guests the convenience of skipping the front desk through mobile check-in. They will also be able to request hotel services, communicate with staff, and access information, including curated city guides. YOTEL staff will use INTELITYs full-service back-office solution, INTELITY Staff, to organize and fulfill guest requests, process and track work orders, and view real-time data analytics. The INTELITY platform also integrates with YOTELs property management systems (PMS), room controls, and robot butlers.

At YOTEL it is important to us to make the customer journey as seamless as possible, saving our guests and staff valuable time so that they can get on with what is important to them. It is for that reason that we will be introducing INTELITY as a brand standard across all YOTEL properties, said YOTEL CEO Hubert Viriot. Being able to offer a single app that features all of our properties across three brands, YOTEL, YOTELAIR, and YOTELPAD gives guests the ability to not only skip the front desk but have ready access to hotel services, facilities and information as and when they need it.

The company, which has hotels in major city centers and airports terminals around the world, will implement INTELITY at their new properties first, followed by a rollout at pre-existing locations. YOTEL plans to kick off the first phase of the new platform with the soft opening of its YOTEL Istanbul property this year.

Were thrilled to partner with such an innovative hotel group. YOTEL is known for creating smart multi-functional spaces, inspired by technology, that truly map to the needs of modern travelers, and we look forward to rolling out the INTELITY platform across the entire brand, said INTELITY CEO Robert Stevenson. Our goal is to make the guest experience better in every way, and give guests access to the seamless experience they already have from airlines, mobile dining, and rideshare apps.

INTELITY will be at HITEC Europe in Booth #147. Visit the INTELITY website to schedule a time to meet with a member of the INTELITY team.

About INTELITY

INTELITY is the global provider of the most advanced hospitality technology platform for the hotel, casino, cruise, and luxury residential markets. INTELITY offers its customers comprehensive end-to-end solutions to manage guest experience and staff operations, in a single platform. In 2018, INTELITY merged with KEYPR yielding a combined 15 years of hospitality experience, rapid growth, and the most complete hospitality technology platform on the market. For more information, please visit http://www.intelity.com.

About YOTEL

Inspired by the luxury of first-class travel and uncompromisingly designed around guests, YOTEL takes the essential elements of luxury hotels into smaller, smart spaces and deliver extraordinary value and a sense of community with areas for co-working, social gatherings and exercise in sought after locations. Premium Cabins include YOTELs signature adjustable SmartBed with rejuvenating rain showers and SMART TVs, multi power and USB points and easy connectivity.

YOTEL currently operates four airport hotels in London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Amsterdam Schiphol and Paris, Charles de Gaulle and five city centre hotels in New York, Boston, San Francisco, Washington D.C. and Singapore. YOTEL is expanding rapidly with new projects under development globally, including Istanbul Airport, Singapore Changi Airport, London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Geneva, Amsterdam, Miami, Dubai, Mammoth, Park City, Porto, and New York Long Island City.

YOTELs major shareholders include a controlled affiliate of Starwood Capital Group, the Talal Jassim Al-Bahar Group, United Investment Portugal and Kuwait Real Estate Company (AQARAT).

YOTEL was created by YO! founder Simon Woodroffe OBE, who inspired by first class travel, translated the language of luxury airline travel into a small but luxurious cabin (http://www.yo.co.uk).

Visit http://www.yotel.com for more information.
Five childrens books and authors were honored during the Childrens Book Committee Awards ceremony held at Bank Street College of Education on April 4. Three awards are given annually by the CBC and the Bank Street Center for Childrens Literature to exceptional childrens books published during the previous year. The books are selected from among 6,000 titles submitted by publishers each year. In addition to choosing the award winnersand with the help of student readers who take part in the CBCs Young Reviewers Programthe CBC publishes a list of 600 Best Childrens Books of the Year, for ages from birth to 14 and up. This year, the CBC also unveiled its golden medallion seal, to be placed on the covers of the award-winning books. The artwork for the medallion was created by graphic designer Joan Auclair, while Laurent Linn, CBC member-at-large and artistic director at Simon & Schuster, used Auclairs image to fashion the medal.

The Flora Stieglitz Straus Award

The Flora Stieglitz Award is presented to an inspiring work of childrens nonfiction and is named for the former head of the Childrens Book Committee. This year, the CBC presented the award to two books: for younger readers, Yuyi Moraless picture book, Dreamers (Holiday House/Porter), and for older readers, Bryan Stevensons Just Mercy: A True Story of the Fight for Justice (Delacorte).

Speaking remotely from her home in Xalapa, Mexico, Morales expressed her gratitude for being recognized, saying, Its a great honor to have a light shined on my book. She spoke about the value of books that reach and nurture the growth of children in a world that is not exactly welcoming to all children, and concluded by saying, Thank you for looking at Dreamers, so children can have the chance to recognize themselves.

Also speaking remotely, Stevenson accepted his award for Just Mercy, which explores the deeply flawed American justice system and is adapted for teens from his adult book of the same name. Stevenson communicated his belief that young readers deserve to learn critical truths about difficult topics, saying that young people are aware of mass incarceration. His aim in adapting the book for younger readers was to place in better context the system perpetuated by poverty, racial bias, exclusion, and judgement. Stevenson sees hope arising through children who are empowered by knowledge and awareness, saying that young people in this country can change the world.

The Claudia Lewis Award

Created in 1998, the Claudia Lewis Award is given to an exceptional book of childrens poetry. Claudia Lewis was a childrens book expert and longtime member of the CBC, who also served on the faculty at Bank Street College.

David Bowles accepted the award for his book of narrative poems, They Call Me Guero: A Border Kids Poems (Cinco Puntos). Bowles spoke about his own experience growing up in a Mexican-American household and developing an early love for creepy folktales told to him by his grandmother. After he had heard all of those stories, he discovered reading. I found a different destiny for myself through books, he said.

As a former middle school teacher, Bowles looked for stories that celebrate a shared Mexican-American culture. Following the 2016 election, when Bowles encountered young people who were deeply affected by the rise of prejudicial rhetoric, he set out to craft a voice that breaks all stereotypes about the border, that would also serve as a universally human voice, he said.

The Josette Frank Award

The Josette Frank award is given to a work of fiction that centers on young characters grappling with and growing from their real-world challenges. Presented annually since 1943, the award is named for childrens book editor Frank, who served as the executive director of the Child Study Association of America. This years honoree was Deb Caletti, for her Printz Honor book, A Heart in a Body in the World (Simon & Schuster), about a character named Annabelle, who, in the aftermath of traumatic violence, embarks on a 2,700-mile run across the country. While Caletti admits that the longest she has ever run was a 5K race that maybe wasnt really 5K, she deeply relates to her character through her struggles with the confusion of living in the world as a woman.

As Caletti was growing up and experiencing a sometimes scary childhood, with a sometimes scary parent, she said she found refuge through books and harbored a quiet, private desire to write. As an adult, books helped her to leave an abusive marriage. In A Heart in a Body of the World, Caletti addresses the complex emotional turmoil that female victims often carry with them. While her novel has been called timely, she said, It has been timely for a long, long time. Caletti finished by underscoring the critical importance of books for children. Thank you for this full circle moment.
The MoCCA Arts Festival, an annual indie and self-published comics and graphic novels show organized by the Society of Illustrators, attracted another big crowd to the Metropolitan West Event space in Manhattan April 6-7.

The show attracted just under 7,000 fans over the weekend and featured a record day on Saturday when more than 4,000 fans attended, according to Annelle Miller, executive director of the Society of Illustrators. Miller said there was standing room only at our professional development panels, which were held at Ink48, a hotel close to the event space. Miller said the show added new sponsors (Adobe and Blick Art Materials) and cited the increased participation of schools, including a long line of Illustration/cartooning schools exhibiting along the long wall on the second floor of the event space. More photos from MoCCA can be seen here.

This years show featured about 170 exhibitors and the programming featured a tribute to veteran cartoonists such as guests of honor Bill Sienkiewicz (featured in an onstage interview with artist Klaus Janson) and Keith Knight (who presented his new comics anti-racism slideshow Red, White, Black and Blue: Why America Keeps Punching Itself In the Face When it Comes to Race,). Also honored was New Yorker cartoonist Mort Gerberg, who was showing off Mort Gerberg: On the Scene, a new book chronicling his career from Fantagraphics that was published in conjunction with an exhibition of Gerbergs cartoons currently on display at the New York Historical Society.

Most publishers contacted by PW said the crowds on the floor were steady throughout the weekend and sales were good. NoBrow associate marketing manager Geoffrey Lapid was showing off copies of Jon McNaughts Kingdom, a detailed family story told in an avalanche of tiny beautifully illustrated panels, and Lorena Alvarezs kids graphic novel Hicotea. Lapid told PW the indie house had sold out of several titles.

Uncivilized publisher Tom Kacsynski hosted signings by Gabrielle Bell (Everything is Flammable) and Kelsey Wrotens Cannonball, a new and engagingly eccentric new graphic novel just published this month. Abrams ComicArts hosted signings by editor, designer, and comics expert Chip Kidd (Shazam!) and Zippy the Pinhead creator Bill Griffith, who was signing copies of Nobodys Fool, a graphic biography of the so-called carnival freak that Zippy the Pinhead is based on. At the table of children's graphic novel publisher Papercutz, writer David Gallagher was signing copies of his graphic novel series Only Living Boy (with artist Steve Ellis) and his new series Only Living Girl.

Among the artists PW discovered on the floor were cartoonist Rumi Hara, who was selling a series of mini-comics about a little girl named Nori that she said will be collected into a book collection by D&Q; and the creative team of writer Matt Durand and artist Earl Womack, who were selling copies of Tunnel Rat, a fictional comics series set during the Vietnam war that follows the experiences of a soldier that volunteers to go down into and patrol the booby-trapped tunnels used by the Viet Cong.

Although the show has effectively maxed out the room available at the Metropolitan West space, Miller said the MoCCA Art Fest will remain in the venue for the foreseeable future. She cited its convenience, pricing and layout, which includes a gallery exhibition space, elevator and rest area. Theres a waiting list for exhibitors and its always a challenge when we have to say no to someone, but the space works for us, Miller said.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Membrane proteins play an important role in many biological processes. Studies suggest theyre targeted by more than 50% of all modern medicinal drugs. Unfortunately for researchers, determining their structures has been a longstanding challenge because its difficult to track the protein without damaging the cellular membrane using current techniques. Not anymore.

Researchers at Purdue University have created an electron microscopy technique termed cryoAPEX that accurately tracks membrane proteins in a well-preserved cell. The new method is a hybrid of two commonly used methods in cell biology: high-pressure freezing and chemical fixation.

We took the best features from each technique and played around with conditions until we found a happy medium where you could stain for your protein while maintaining membrane preservation, said Seema Mattoo, an assistant professor of biological sciences at Purdue. We were also able to use this information to develop a 3D image of the protein in the context of the cell.

Chemical fixation uses antibodies to detect proteins, but to do that, the cells need to be fixed with alcohol. Alcohol breaks down the membrane, essentially creating holes in it and allowing the signal researchers are looking for to leak out. This produces faulty results.

High-pressure freezing, on the other hand, preserves the entire cell perfectly. But this method isnt compatible with staining techniques, so theres no way to pinpoint the protein of interest.

Membrane proteins play an important role in several biological processes, including relaying signals between a cells internal and external environments, transporting molecules and ions across the membrane, and allowing cells to identify and interact with each other. Being able to follow these proteins as they perform their duties in the cell will allow researchers to understand cell signaling mechanisms that regulate protein function.

Virologists, for instance, will find this technique really useful because now theyll be able to follow their viruses in the context of a particular viral protein within a cell, said Mattoo, who is also a member of Purdues Center for Cancer Research and Institute of Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Disease.

Mattoos research focuses on a class of enzymes called Fic proteins. The version present in humans, HYPE, is a critical regulator of whether cells under stress live or die. Her goal for developing this technique was to be able to see where HYPE goes once it enters the endoplasmic reticulum, she said.

The findings, which were published in the Journal of Cell Science, show that HYPE is strongly drawn to the lumen. This means that HYPE is tightly regulated, and if it ever does leave the endoplasmic reticulum, it would likely be under disease-specific conditions.

As were trying to figure out how to manipulate HYPE to determine whether it can be used as a therapeutic, were going to focus a lot of our energy on the endoplasmic reticulum, Mattoo said. But the wider implications of these findings are predominantly in the technique. We developed it so that it can be applied to tissue culture cells and can be used by a wide range of researchers.

This work aligns with Purdue's Giant Leaps celebration, acknowledging the universitys global advancements made in health, longevity and quality of life as part of Purdues 150th anniversary. This is one of the four themes of the yearlong celebrations Ideas Festival, designed to showcase Purdue as an intellectual center solving real-world issues.

The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, and the Purdue Institute for Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Disease.

Writer: Kayla Zacharias, 765-494-9318, kzachar@purdue.edu

Source: Seema Mattoo, 765-496-7293, smattoo@purdue.edu

Note to Journalists : For a copy of the paper, please contact Kayla Zacharias, Purdue News Service, kzachar@purdue.edu

ABSTRACT

CryoAPEX  an electron tomography tool for subcellular localization of membrane proteins

Ranjan Sengupta, Michael J. Poderycki, Seema Mattoo

We describe a method, termed cryoAPEX, which couples chemical fixation and high-pressure freezing of cells with peroxidase tagging (APEX) to allow precise localization of membrane proteins in the context of a well-preserved subcellular membrane architecture. Further, cryoAPEX is compatible with electron tomography. As an example, we apply cryoAPEX to obtain a high-resolution three- dimensional contextual map of the human FIC (filamentation induced by cAMP) protein, HYPE (also known as FICD). HYPE is a single- pass membrane protein that localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) lumen and regulates the unfolded protein response. Alternate cellular locations for HYPE have been suggested. CryoAPEX analysis shows that, under normal and/or resting conditions, HYPE localizes robustly within the subdomains of the ER and is not detected in the secretory pathway or other organelles. CryoAPEX is broadly applicable for assessing both lumenal and cytosol-facing membrane proteins.
GHANA: A US$22bn build-operate-transfer concession agreement for the 340 km Accra  Achimota  Koforidua  Bososo  Boankra  Kumasi railway project was signed by the Ministry of Railway Development and Ghana European Railway Consortium on April 4. The agreement must now be approved by the cabinet and parliament.
SRI LANKA: The 268 km Matara  Beliatta first phase of the Southern Railway project was officially opened by Minister of Transport & Civil Aviation Arjuna Ranatunga on April 8.
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USA: Virgin Trains USA was granted approval by the Florida Development Finance Corp on April 5 to raise a further $950m in Private Activity Bond sales to fund the second phase of the inter-city passenger project formerly branded as Brightline.
Rantoul, IL (61866)

Today

Cloudy and windy. High 62F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph..

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Cloudy and windy with periods of rain after midnight. Low 47F. Winds SSW at 25 to 35 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. Winds could occasionally gust over 50 mph.
It will become the first local adaptation of Love Productions cookery format in East Africa, and the 32nd country that the show has aired in.Although a broadcaster is yet to be announced, the ten-episode series will be sponsored in Kenya by the Unga Group, whose assets include wheat and maize milling, and baking and animal nutrition businesses. The Great Bake Off sees amateur bakers face off through a signature, technical and showstopper round, baking everything from local fare to world-renowned delicacies, for a shot to be crowned champion.The Great Bake Off has proved an international hit and continues to win new fans in every corner of the globe, said Andre Renaud, VP of global format sales at BBC Studios Were delighted with the news that Kenya will be getting their very own local version of the baking competition following the popularity of the international UK and Australian editions of the show, which currently broadcast on DStvs BBC Lifestyle. The deal helps to broaden the international reach of the show, and we all look forward to growing The Great Bake Off fan base even further.Showstopper, which is co-owned by Daniel Prior and Kiran Jethwa, has already produced a local adaptation of Dragons Den, which airs in Kenya as Lions Den. It hopes to bring its adaptation of The Great Bake Off to air by the end of the year.
The United States of America has proposed to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) adoption of the ATSC 3.0 digital broadcast standard for use by all countries in the world.





The proposal is the first major step in the evaluation process for worldwide acceptance of the standard. The US delegation has proposed ATSC 3.0  the worlds first Internet-Protocol-based television broadcast standard  to a Working Party of Study Group 6 of ITUs Radio communications Sector, which develops and maintains worldwide recommendations, reports and handbooks on the broadcasting service. The US effort was actively supported by the South Korean government delegation, with significant assistance from the Korean Electronics and Telecommunication Research Institute.Developed by the Advanced Television Systems Committee , the ATSC 3.0 standard has been adopted in both the United States and the Republic of Korea. The suite of voluntary technical standards and recommended practices will provide an alternative to other digital terrestrial television standards including the European DVB-T, Japanese/Brazilian ISDB-T and Chinese DTMB platforms.Were delighted to begin this process and look forward to an expedited consideration so that other nations can confidently implement this remarkable new standard , said US delegation spokesman Larry Olson, assistant chief of the Global Strategy and Negotiation Division in the International Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission.
STUTTGART, Germany  The U.S. military has withdrawn its troops from Libya as a local military commander's forces advanced on the capital for a showdown with militias holding the city.

Due to increased unrest in Libya, a contingent of U.S. forces supporting U.S. Africa Command temporarily relocated in response to security conditions on the ground, AFRICOM said in a statement.
Barring a radical destabilization of Xinjiang or fundamental shifts in Central Asian countries and their relations with major power centers abroad, Beijing will very likely establish a network of its own military bases in the region over the next five years, according to Dmitry Zhelobov, a China specialist at Russias Urals Federal University. He recently argued, in a widely reposted interview with the Moscow-based Regnum news agency, that Chinese steps toward acquiring those bases are driven by a desire to expand its regional influence as well as to ensure that neither Russia nor the United States are able to limit Chinas cross-continental trade with Europe (Regnum, March 28).

At one level, of course, this assertion simply echoes similar warnings that have lately appeared in Western media. But more importantly, Zhelobovs specific statements to Regnum reflect Russian thinking about Chinese intentions and about the relationship between soft and hard or military power. His remarks appear intended both as a warning to the former Soviet republics of the dangers ahead and a wake-up call to Moscow about trends that are undermining Russian influence in central Eurasia. As a result, his argument merits closer analysis.

For the last two decades, the Russian government has defined the challenge it faces as preventing any expansion of U.S. influence in the five countries of Central Asia. To that end, Moscow has largely viewed Beijing as a regional ally, supporting the creation of the essentially Chinese-dominated Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which originally brought together their two governments as well as four of the five Central Asian republics (since expanded to also include India and Pakistan). Indeed, China does not want the U.S. to be able to approach its borders from the west. Moreover, Russia appreciates the fact that, heretofore, Chinas expansion in the Central Asian region has been limited to the economic and cultural spheresones that Moscow believes, either because of geography or history, it is in a position to counter. Moscow has given remarkably little consideration to the possibility that China will build on its soft power in Central Asia to establish security relationships or even bases and thus accelerate the decline of Russian influence there.

On the one hand, Zhelobov posited, Moscows understanding is reasonable. Beijing views the countries of Central Asia above all as transit territories rather than as ends in themselves, and its use of soft power there has sometimes backfired. Yet, on the other hand, the Russian expert continued, China is assuming an ever more dominating position in the post-Soviet space due to the fact that soft power alone has proven inadequate to protect these transit routes. Establishing a military presence in the region in the form of bases, he suggested, is thus a logical and indeed an almost inevitable development (Regnum, March 28).

That said, the shortcomings and frequently counter-productive failures of Chinese soft power in Central Asia have often been obscured by its more widely publicized successesa misinterpretation caused by the general lack of attention to what Beijing is doing in Central Asia. But a new article by Kyrgyz commentator Taalaybek Asanov (Kyrgyztoday.org, April 2) provides a useful corrective and offers compelling reasons why Beijing may soon decide it has no choice but to move from soft to hard power in the regionas Zhelobov suggests it already has.

Asanov writes that Chinas success in using soft power has been most obvious in its ability to influence the countries of Central Asia to back away from their earlier criticism of Beijings repressive handling of the Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, many of whom are co-ethnics of Central Asian nations. But that success has not blocked the rise of anti-Chinese attitudes in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, where heavy-handed actions by Chinese government and business groupsincluding the open corruption of elites and discrimination by Chinese firms against local peoplehave offended many and led to both protests and even local pogroms.

Part of Chinas problem, the Kyrgyz analyst says, is that it lacks expertise on Central Asian countries and thus has adopted a one-size-fits-all approach, which does not work and, indeed, backfires. That has been true both in Beijings economic and political work with the regions governments and with its soft power initiatives.

In some sense, those initiatives look impressive: there are now five Confucian Institutes in Kazakhstan, four in Kyrgyzstan, and two each in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan; and Chinese universities have attracted 13,200 students from Kazakhstan, 5,000 from Uzbekistan, 11,000 from Kyrgyzstan, and several hundred from Tajikistan. And yet, Asanov argues, in the broadest terms the initiatives often fail. Not only do the Chinese often offend Central Asians who visit the Confucian Institutes, but students who go to China discover that the Chinese generally know little or nothing about their countries and cultures and look down on them. Thus, Central Asians do not become the Chinese loyalists that Beijing hopes for, and consequently, Chinas government has resorted to ever more heavy-handed tactics to press its interests (Kyrgyztoday.org, April 2).

Zhelobov explicitly and Asanov implicitly clearly hope that Moscow will wake up to what is happening and exploit Central Asian unhappiness with Beijing lest China succeed in securing military bases in the region. Both analysts obviously believe such an outcome would not be in the interest of Russia or of the five Central Asian republics. The time to act is now, Zhelobov underscored (Regnum, March 28). After all, five years is not a particularly long time, and China may move even sooner.

Paul Goble is a longtime specialist on ethnic and religious questions in Eurasia. Most recently, he was director of research and publications at the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy. Earlier, he served as vice dean for the social sciences and humanities at Audentes University in Tallinn and a senior research associate at the EuroCollege of the University of Tartu in Estonia. While there, he launched the Window on Eurasia series. Prior to joining the faculty there in 2004, he served in various capacities in the U.S. State Department, the Central Intelligence Agency and the International Broadcasting Bureau as well as at the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

This article appeared originally at The Jamestown Foundation's Eurasia Daily Monitor.
Political extremism has a new target: American companies. Protesting has a storied place in America, but some protesters are crossing the line. They are threatening, intimidating, and coercing companies to succumb to a political viewpoint. Giving in to their political demands may be the path of least resistance, but it wont lead to the right answer for the impacted businesses or the American people. Companies looking to push back against these protests can turn to tort law for answers.

This week, my colleagues and I released a report for the Grow Americas Infrastructure Now (GAIN) Coalition on a new wave of protests against the pipeline industry. Activists bent on stopping the use of fossil fuels have been trying to cease pipeline construction at all costs. Their latest tactic is to target banks to pull out of their existing contracts to fund pipeline construction. The organizers publicize which banks have pipeline funding commitments and provide roadmaps on how to attack the banks.

For example, in an effort to punish Wells Fargo for not retracting its funding commitment for the Dakota Access Pipeline, activists threatened investors, took over bank lobbies and engaged in other efforts aimed at tarnishing the banks business dealings and reputations. In 2017, they convinced the City of Seattle to withdraw $3 billion from Wells Fargo. In 2016, they took over a Wells Fargo branch office in Baltimore demanding the bank break its pipeline commitments. Similar defund protests are aimed at all major U.S. pipelines and their lenders.

In Europe, some financial institutions have surrendered to this pressure. In 2017, the Norwegian Bank DNB, one of the original funders of the Dakota Access Pipeline, reportedly canceled its $2.5 billion credit line to pipeline developers after protesters faced off with bank executives. Other targeted European banks have done the same, resulting in millions of dollars in severed financing commitments.

Our analysis suggests that banks in the United States should stand strong. Pipelines are an essential part of our economy. The federal government studies them carefully, subjecting pipelines to rigorous legal and regulatory requirements. The environmental permitting process involves coordination of multiple federal agencies, as well as solicitation for public comments, scoping meetings, and hearings. The public, including the protesters, have extensive opportunities to participate throughout this process.

The activists failure to get their way under our regulatory system does not give them the right to impose their agenda onto the American public by force. Intimidating banks into voiding their existing contractual obligations is not protected speech. People who intentionally interfere in such ways with the lawful business endeavors of others can be liable for the damages they cause through tort law. Tortious interference with contractual relations has a long history of protecting the sanctity of contracts, which are essential to our legal, social and financial systems.

Courts should willingly apply this tort to the defund protesters when their efforts cross the line into unlawful conduct. As our report Vigilante Regulation: When Anti-Pipeline Activism Become Tortious Interference explains, it is unlawful to pressure companies to breach a contract, whether for competition, shakedowns, or political agendas. Here, the elements of the tort  existence of a valid contact, intent to induce a breach, and damages  could hardly be disputed. The defund protests own public relations efforts admit that their goal is to coerce banks into tearing up their existing pipeline financing obligations.

Banks are not in the business of public policymaking, nor should they be. They cannot weigh national energy policy, determine which sources of energy are best for which purposes, or balance the competing interests of energy independence, affordability and environmentalism. Rather, they are engines of commerce, designed to fund legitimate business enterprises. The truth is that pipelines are lawful, profitable and legitimate endeavors. They deliver the energy we all need to fuel our economy and our way of life. Political battles over where and how to build pipelines or over fossil fuels generally must remain with the government bodies responsible for deciding these issues.

If American businesses do not fight back against the defund protesters, then companies will increasingly become the new targets for a slew of other political issues. Businesses and courts should understand that these protests are different and decide that there is no room for vigilante regulation.

Phil Goldberg is the Office Managing Partner for Washington, D.C. office of Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP. He co-chairs the firms Public Policy Group and is the Director of the Progressive Policy Institutes Center for Civil Justice. The report on Vigilante Regulation that he and his Shook colleagues Jamie Thompson and Dalton Mott prepared for GAIN can be found here.
Finally a U.S. president is willing to ratchet up the pressure on Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Porterville, CA (93257)

Today

Partly cloudy skies. High 49F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to occasional showers later during the night. Low 39F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
As many seniors count down their final days to graduation, North Campus is flooded with caps and gowns with cameras flashing. As University of
In the light of the efforts being made to forge electoral unity between the scheduled castes and Muslims, Mohammad Sajjad examines what the architect of our Constitution, B R Ambedkar, had to say about the Muslim community.

IMAGE: Prakash Ambedkar and Asaduddin Owaisi have joined hands to form the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi and fight the Lok Sabha election together. Photograph: Kind courtesy, Asaduddin Owaisi/Twitter

Mayawati, at the moment seems to have become more strident against the Congress than against the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Meanwhile, Rajratan, a great grandson of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, has appealed for Muslim support, recalling that the latter could reach the Constituent Assembly only because of the support of Bengal's Muslims, and urged Muslims to once again extend their support to him (Rajratan) to save the Constitution which might be replaced by the incumbent regime if re-elected to power.

The Pasmanda movement has also been invoking Ambedkar.

This raises few questions in our minds.

I have been wondering if Abdul Qaiyum Ansari (1905-1974), the tallest of the leaders of the subjugated communities of Muslims, ever engaged with Dr Ambedkar and with Dr Ram Manohar Lohia (1910-1967) while talking about the oppressed biradaris of Muslims.

I am reminded of Ansari's six-point demands of the Momin Conference, which he articulated in his letter dated December 8, 1939, to Jawaharlal Nehru. These were:

One minister, at least, of the central (or federal) governments be taken from the Momin community.

50 percent of the seats in the central (or federal) legislatures, and in each of the provincial legislatures, be reserved for the Muslims, and some be allotted to the members of the Momin community.

Seats in local self-governing and civic bodies be reserved for the members of the Momin community, proportionate to their population in the area served by such a body.

Appointments in government and semi-government services be reserved for the Momins in proportion to their population.

Special facilities be provided by the government for imparting general as well as technical education to Momin boys and girls.

State protection and State aid be provided for the handloom textile industry owned and carried on by the Momins.

In these, let it be noted, demands being made exclusively for the Momins (Ansaris), and not for other biradaris, now being clubbed together as Pasmanda. Also, he did not have any such negotiations or correspondence with Lohia and Ambedkar.

Abdul Qaiyum Ansari was a Congress nominee from Bihar to the Constituent Assembly and served on its advisory committee on fundamental rights and minorities and tribals (Ali Ashraf, The Muslim Elite, 1982).

I have not been able to verify if Ansari was really into the Constituent Assembly. However, regardless of this fact, I am curious to know if Ansari really made any intervention for the inclusion of Arzal communities of Muslims into the category of scheduled castes.

The Pasmanda movement accuses Maulana Azad of having been silent on the issue in the Constituent Assembly.

It would be interesting to know that when in 1950, with a Presidential ordinance, such communities from Buddhists were being included into the SC category, did Ansari really speak out for the Arzal communities?

Ansari was also a member of the Backward Class Commission appointed by the Government of India in 1953-1955.

It would therefore be quite instructive to look into two texts of Ambedkar, Annihilation of Castes (1936) and Pakistan or Partition of India (1945).

Chapter X, Social Stagnation of his book Pakistan or Partition of India, raises the question of social evils among Hindus found also among Muslims. Child marriage, legal rights to women, he asserts that regardless of the scriptural provisions, 'the Muslim woman is the most helpless person in the world' (page 216).

He then goes on to the caste system among India's Muslims. Referring to the census report 1901, Bengal, he identifies the three categories of communities among Muslims, namely, Ashraf, Ajlaf, and Arzal.

Interestingly, Ambedkar puts cultivating sheikhs in the category of Ajlaf, page 219. It is said that Dr Ejaz Ali of the Backward Muslim Morcha had wished that the cultivating sheikhs should be included as Ajalf; Ali Anwar Ansari is said to have fallen out with Ejaz on the issue and formed the Pasmanda Mahaz.

Yet, Dr Ambedkar overall refused to engage even with the Arzal category of Muslims (Bhanar, Halalkhor, Hijra, Kasbi, Lalbegi Maugta, Mehtar, etc).

To the best of my limited knowledge, Ambedkar did not talk of including these categories into the category of scheduled castes.

Dr Ambedkar then goes on to treat Muslims as a monolithic community (p. 222), and says:

'There is thus a stagnation not only in the social life but also in the political life of the Muslim community (please note, he is not saying Muslim communities) of India. The Muslims have no interest in politics as such. Their predominant interest is religion.'

'This can be easily seen by the terms and conditions that a Muslim constituency makes for its support to a candidate fighting for a seat. The Muslim constituency does not care to examine the programme of the candidate. All that the constituency wants from the candidate is that he should agree to replace the old lamps of the masjid by supplying new ones at his cost, to provide a new carpet for the masjid because the old one is torn....'

'In some places a Muslim constituency is quite satisfied if the candidate agrees to give a sumptuous feast...With Muslims, election is a mere matter of money and is very seldom a matter of social programme of general improvement.'

'Muslim politics takes no note of purely secular categories of life, namely, the differences between rich and poor, capital and labour, lord and tenant, priest and layman, reason and superstition...' (pages 222-223).

On this count, one may possibly find some essential truths in Dr Ambedkar's observations about misplaced Muslim political priorities.

Now, coming to Dr Ambedkar's text, Annihilation of Caste:

In its section XI, he treats Muslims again as a monolithic community. His text reads as if Muslims and Sikhs have no caste.

He poses a question, 'Why Hindus are cowards and from where does the Sikh or the Mohammedan derives his strength which makes him brave and fearless?' He then himself offers answers, 'I am sure it is not due to the strength arising out of the feeling that all Sikhs will come to the rescue of a Sikh when he is in danger and that all Mohammedans will rush to save a Muslim if he is attacked -- the Hindu can derive no such strength.'

'He cannot feel assured that his fellows will come to his help. Being one and fated to be alone he remains powerless, develops timidity and cowardice and in a fight surrenders or runs away.'

'The Sikh as well as the Muslim stand fearless and gives battle because he knows that though one he will not be alone....A Hindu will quite meekly tolerate an insult as well as a wrong.'

These kinds of stereotypes against Muslims are often found among the Hindutva propagandists also.

We find similar stereotyping in Chapter XI, 'Communal Aggression' of Pakistan or Partition of India.

Ambedkar writes, 'The Hindu's spirit of aggression is a new phase which he has just begun to cultivate. The Muslim's spirit of aggression is his native endowment and is very much ancient as compared with that of the Hindu'.

Ambedkar says it after providing empirical details of communal violence during 1920-1940. These details largely put Hindus as hapless victims: 'Massacres, forcible conversions, desecration of temples, foul outrages upon women such as ripping open pregnant women, pillage, arson and destruction -- in short, all the accompaniments of brutal and unrestrained barbarism, were perpetrated freely by the Moplahs upon the Hindus until such time as troops could be hurried to the task of restoring order through a difficult and extensive tracts of the country. This was not a Hindu Muslim riot. This was just a Bartholomew'. (pages 153-154)

Please mark Ambedkar's two words: native endowment, and ancient. My query is, if he refers all Muslims to be of foreign origin?

Whereas he also refers to 'Ajlaf or lower class Mohamedans', as the 'cultivating sheikhs, and others who were originally Hindus but who do not belong to any functional group and have not gained admittance to the Ashraf community, eg, Pirali and Thakrai'. (page 219)

Dr Ambedkar then prognosticates, 'It is not that the Hindu, if given time, will not pick up and overtake the Muslim. But as matters stand today, the Muslim in this exhibition of the spirit of aggression leaves the Hindu far behind' (page 239).

His stereotyping continues, 'Without social union political unity is difficult to be achieved. If achieved, it would be as precarious as a summer sapling, liable to be uprooted by the gust of a hostile wind.'

'With mere political unity India may be a State. But to be a State is not to be a nation and a State, which is not a nation has small prospect of survival in the struggle for existence'. (page 185).

This is especially true in the case of nationalism, he says. He makes strong arguments to let India get rid of Muslims by conceding them their Pakistan. He does not spare even those Muslims who were consistently opposed to Partition till the very end.

Referring to the Azad Muslim Conference of the anti-League Muslims (Delhi, April 1940), Ambedkar warns, 'There is, therefore, no ground to trust that they [Muslims] will be more merciful to the Hindus than the [Muslim] League has been or will be.'

'He asserts, 'There is a difference between safeguard to allay apprehension of the weak and contrivances to satisfy the ambition for power of the strong: that there is a difference between providing safeguards and handing over the country'.

He concludes the chapter with these words: 'These are important considerations and, if the Hindus overlooked them, they will do so at their peril. For the Muslim alternative [to Partition] is really a frightful and dangerous alternative'. (page 195).

Thus, Dr Ambedkar expressed his deep mistrust even against those Muslims who were opposed to the Muslim League politics of communal-territorial separatism. He looks at the Muslim resistance to India's Partition and to the proposals of the Azad Muslim Conference as a deceptive power-play; a strategy to gain power by manufacturing grievances either as Gravamin Politic or as power politics (Macht Politic).

Let us also recall that in the narratives of the current phase of Pasmanda politics, it is said that quite a large number of the people attending the Azad Muslim Conference were from the communities of the leaders such as Abdul Qaiyum Ansari and Asim Bihari (1890-1953).

Concluding Section XXVI of Annihilation of Caste, Dr Ambedkar prescribes, 'In my opinion, only when Hindu society becomes a casteless society that it can hope to have strength enough to defend itself. Without such internal strength, Swaraj for Hindus may turn out to be only a step towards slavery. Goodbye and good wishes for your success'.

Interestingly, we find no such good wishes of Ambedkar for a casteless society in the case of India's Muslims. Or, do we?

Since the current phase of the Pasmanda movement derives so much from Dr Ambedkar, may we know if they are aware of these positions of Babasaheb?

Another concern for the current proponents of the Pasmanda movement is about something Lohia had cautioned way back in his June 1963 speech at Gorakhpur:

'Some among the low castes such as Ahirs, Julahas and Chamars are numerically large. Other low castes, such as Mali, Teli, Kahaar etc, are small when taken separately but taken together their number is much greater.'

'As a result when low castes rise and caste system is attacked, the major beneficiaries are the numerically big castes. To some extent this is inevitable, but one has to be alert so that the other low castes also may be invigorated and leaders drawn from their ranks.'

Further, we also need to know if the current Dalit intellectual activists and legislators are really sincere about pressing for the inclusion of the Arzal communities of Muslims into the list of Scheduled Castes.

I think these questions are worth considering because, as Anand Kochukudy put it in The Wire, November 7, 2017: '... hierarchies exist among Dalit communities also. The way forward is to bring them together into accepting a common identity.'

'Thus, identity politics should have a broader approach rather than narrowing down to specific castes. Annihilation of caste within the Dalit communities and backward classes should be the way forward to achieve the long-term goal of equality'.

I am not sure if B R Ambedkar really advocated it in his 1947 book, State and Minorities: What Are their Rights and How to Secure them in the Constitution of Free India.

Even Anand Teltumbde's book, Ambedkar on Muslims (2003), does not help us in this regard. It only says, 'Although Islam is the one religion which can transcend race and colour and unite diverse people into a compact brotherhood, yet, Islam in India has not succeeded in uprooting caste from among the Indian Musalmans.'

Although Teltumbde finds caste feeling among the Musalmans not as virulent as it is among the Hindus, he is rightly pained to find it all the same.

It is intriguing why Ambedkar, while endorsing separate electorate as an arrangement to checkmate social (not religious) discrimination, did not argue for splitting up of and earmarking the seats for the Ajlaf and Arzal communities, rather than slipping into treating the Muslims as a monolith? I am also unaware if Lohia really spoke out on the Presidential Ordinance of 1950 which refused to include Arzal in the category of scheduled castes.

Joginder Nath Mandal (1904-1968) was able to forge an alliance between 'Depressed Classes' of Bengali speaking Hindus and Muslims in the run-up to India's Independence.

Historians have to ask why the alliance was possible in Bengal, but not elsewhere. Was it because of J N Mandal or were there substantive Bengal specific factors?

The Pasmanda movement must strengthen and broad-base its resistance and solidarity against the Ashraf. Simultaneously, it should perhaps also look into these issues of history, while forging a much needed Dalit-Muslim Unity.

Mohammad Sajjad is a professor of history at Aligarh Muslim University.
Both India and Pakistan need to exercise restraint, but we also need to lay down a threshold which says -- this far and no more, says Colonel (retired) Jaibans Singh

T he nation is just about coming to grips with the brutal gang rape in New Delhi and now its collective sensibility has been assaulted by the equally brutal killing of two of its brave soldiers, Lance Naik Hemraj and Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh, while they were patrolling the Line of Control at Mendhar, Jammu and Kashmir, well within their own territory and jurisdiction.

While there exists no doubt about this sordid incident being the handiwork of the beasts who pass off as soldiers in the Pakistan Army, the government of Pakistan would like us to believe that somebody from Mars or something came down to commit this crime against humanity.

The entire government, from Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar to Pakistan's High Commissioner in India Salman Bashir, have brazenly denied the involvement of their soldiers in the whole dastardly affair.

As the nation grieves over this mindless death of its soldiers, there is a need to reflect on the situation.

India has undoubtedly sent a strong protest, but would that be sufficient? Should we express our horror for a few days and get back to business as usual mode or, should we get to grips with this clear indicator of a confrontational mindset that continues to prevail in the neighbouring nation?

Brutality of this nature is not new to Pakistan, especially the Pakistan Army. The world is well aware of the manner in which Captain Saurabh Kalia and five brave Indian soldiers were taken captive by the Pakistan Army during the Kargil war in 1999 and subjected to the most horrendous form of torture over 22 days from May 15 to June 7, 1999.

Their mutilated bodies were handed over to India with a single bullet in the temple indicating a cold bloodied murder. What is more horrifying is that Pakistani leaders still go about making crude, insensitive remarks on this issue.

There are other instances of such sadistic behaviour by the Pakistani soldiers and jihadi terrorists, who have a free run of the country. Atrocities are routinely reported from across the nation, especially in areas of Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. It seems that, in its cult of violence, Pakistan has reserved a special place for India and Indians.

Having established Pakistan's proclivity to resort to barbarism at the drop of a hat, we need to look at the options available to India. To name and shame Pakistan as suggested by some eminent leaders is a good idea. However, not much would come of it because Pakistan is already named and shamed in the international community as the global epicentre of terrorism and violence.

The country does not seem to be unduly worried by the ignominy, as it feels secure due to the fact that it holds strategic relevance to the two biggest world powers -- the United States and China -- and as such it can get away with murder.

One would not be quite off the mark by suggesting that had a similar incident taken place against the United States or China, by now, at least the local area from where this brutality had emanated would have been destroyed with air and artillery fire.

India is also a big regional power and an emerging global power, if it resorts to a localised military response, the world would not be in a situation to complain given the magnitude of inhumanity in what Pakistan has done.

Public outcry has emerged as a potent force in recent times. For India, the loss of its two brave soldiers in this manner, is an issue as grave as the gang rape that led to massive nationwide protests.

The brutality and inhumanity in both incidents is of a comparable level. The public, therefore, needs to express its anger against Pakistan on the streets. People to people contact and initiatives like the ongoing South Asia Free Media Association meetings and other 'Aman Ki Asha' type of programmes need to be given a serious re-look in the light of these developments.

India needs to reject the double standards that are prevalent in Pakistan's attitude.

There is also a need to put a lid on all talk of lowering the security threshold in Jammu and Kashmir. It is not the sole responsibility of the Indian Army to cry hoarse about the enhanced threat levels that are prevalent in the state. It is there for all to see.

It should never be forgotten that those who are guarding our frontiers are good human beings and honourable soldiers, if they are denigrated while performing their duty they do feel bad and to suggest that their morale and efficiency is not adversely affected by negative talk would be a fallacy.

The bottom line, therefore, is that the time for India to flex its muscles in tune with its global and regional status has arrived.

Agreed both India and Pakistan need to exercise restraint, but we also need to lay down a threshold which says -- this far and no more. If the whole matter culminates with some meetings and a few well guarded words, mostly spoken by our ministry of external affairs, then no message would have been sent to the Pakistani Army and such intransigence will keep happening.

This is the time for the ministry of defence to be heard more than the MEA.

It is for the government to decide what is to be done, but firm decisive action is definitely called for.
Cassandras and Congressis may sneer at the findings, but the Times Now poll indicated that the Modi government was very much on its way to a second term with 279 seats, even if it is a tad lower than what it bagged in 2014, says Saisuresh Sivaswamy.

IMAGE: Tamil Nadu, it seems, overwhelmingly prefers Rahul Gandhi to Narendra Modi. Photograph: ANI

The last of the opinion polls

With just one day to go before India kicks off the first phase of polling to elect the 17th Lok Sabha, there is a spate of last-minute opinion polls on our TV screens as channels rush to beat the EC-mandated deadline.

Actually two opinion polls, with Times Now and NewsX telecasting their findings along with a studio debate on the trends and indicators.

Cassandras and Congressis may sneer at the findings, but the Times Now poll indicated that the Modi government was very much on its way to a second term with 279 seats, even if it is a tad lower than what it bagged in 2014.

The UPA was given a respectable 149 seats, and the Third Front/ Mahagathbandhan/ Call-It-What-You-Will scoring 115 seats.

The interesting part, of course, is that the difference between the governments numbers and the combined Oppositions (264 seats) is just 15 seats.

Talk of interesting possibilities, indeed!

Tamil Nadu has decided

The rest of India may burst an aorta over who will be the next prime minister but where Tamil Nadu is concerned, it is a no-contest.

And no, it is not who you think.

Puthiya Thalaimurai TV telecast its opinion poll findings and, among the questions posed to the respondents was, who did they want as prime minister, Narendra Modi or Rahul Gandhi?

The scale of response was something that even Gujarat would not have trotted out for its favourite son.

Tamil Nadu, it seemed, overwhelmingly preferred Rahul Gandhi to Narendra Modi. Some 53.20 per cent of those polled wanted Rahul, while only 22.43 per cent opted for Modi.

While on the subject, our long-time columnist N Sathiya Moorthy explains here why Tamil Nadu has always been cool towards Hindutva, and that the trend may not change any time soon.

TN enamoured of Nehru-Gandhi family

So are the Puthiya Thalaimurai findings surprising? Not really, for Tamil Nadu has always had a soft spot for the Gandhi-Nehru family.

Which is why the state turned its back with such finality on the Tamil Tigers after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi on its soil, that even their decimation by the Sri Lankan army didnt evoke a whimper in the state.

This was why it came as such a surprise that Rahul Gandhi chose Kerala over Tamil Nadu for crossing the Vindhyas. Wayanad may be a Congress citadel, but the whole of Tamil Nadu is in thrall to the familys charm offensive.

Another interesting finding from the Puthiya Thalaimurai poll is that M K Stalin towers over other leaders in the state, which augurs well for the DMKs chances in the assembly elections, whenever they are held, either on time in 2021 or any time before that.

This overwhelming preference for Stalin is also reflected in the DMKs performance in the 40 Lok Sabha seats (including Puducherry). While the Stalin-led front is shown to bag 31-33 seats, the AIADMK-led front is expected to win only 6-8 seats, a far cry from five years ago when Jayalalithaa with her Lady vs Modi war cry swept the state.

Fadeout, TTV?

Not to be outdone, Thanthi TV focussed on the 18 assembly bypolls on which Tamil Nadus attention is focused more than on the parliamentary elections, as it could make or break the government of Edappadi K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam.

Conventional wisdom has it that the AIADMK rebel T T V Dinakaran, leading his party Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam with the election symbol of gift box (seriously, no jokes), will reprise his performance in the RK Nagar bypoll of a year ago when he trounced the AIADMK. But from what I could make out from the Thanthi TV poll, his influence is going to be marginal in these 18 seats where it is a direct fight between the two Dravidian majors.

Jaya Plus, which seems to remain under the control of the AIADMK rebels now grouped under the AMMK, showed TTV on the campaign trail, and what I saw of him didnt evoke much confidence in his abilities to capture the peoples imagination.

Tamil Nadus polity has always been dominated by those with the gift of oratory, and while the younger generation that has been thrust into the forefront may not match their elders, they are definitely on a learning curve. M K Stalin, for instance, is a far better speaker now than he was two years ago. But Dinakaran

And strangely, he was attacking not the state government, with who he has a running feud, but the central government. Did Prime Minister Modi and Amit Shah express condolences to the families of those who were killed in police firing at Sterlite? So how can they come to ask for your votes, he wanted to know.

A few more such meetings and the Thanthi TV polls findings could well come true!

Fallen off the map?

Sikkim is among the states where the electoral process will be completed in the first phase, April 11, itself, with its lone Lok Sabha seat and 32 assembly seats going to the polls.

Of the latter, the 32-Sangha assembly seat can be likened to Schrodingers cat; it exists and it doesnt.

It exists, in the sense elections are held to the seat, but it also doesnt exist in that it cannot be seen on the map of Sikkim, it doesnt have any geographical boundaries.

Puzzled?

The 32-Sangha assembly constituency is a notional one, and is reserved for the Sangha, or the monastic community. Its constituents are the monks registered with the 51 monasteries in the state who alone can contest from and cast votes in the constituency, reports The Hindu (external link).

Bi-polar defect?

From a non-existent constituency to a constituency where some voters cast their votes in two states.

Some 2,960 voters of Mukadamguda and 13 other villages in Jiwati taluka, in Maharashtras Chandrapur which goes to polls on April 11, will also cast their vote in Kumaram Bheem Asifabad district in Telangana.

Thats because these 14 villages are part of disputed territory thats included in the official map of Telangana.

But this time the KCR government is determined to end the double voting and voters have been told they are free to cast their votes in either of the states, not in both, reports the Indian Express (external link).

Who put the NYAY campaign together?

If you think the Congresss Ab Hoga Nyay campaign is catchy and has gained traction, credit for it should go to Nikhil Alva, the 48-year-old son of Congress leader Margaret Alva, who reportedly put together the campaign (external link) in 10 days flat.

This was not the Congresss original campaign, and the party had got one ready to roll out, but the Pulwama terror attack on the CRPF convoy, and the nationalistic fervour it aroused, forced the Congress deepfreeze its plans and work on an alternative that resonated better with the new mood of the nation.

After lying low for some time, on March 28, Congress president Rahul Gandhi formed a 3-member subcommittee of Priyanka Gandhi, Alva and Sam Pitroda, tasking them with delivering a publicity campaign around NYAY, Rahuls minimum income guarantee scheme the poor, in 10 days.

Alva, who runs the TV software firm Miditech, then roped in film director Nikhil Advani, lyricist Javed Akhtar and Anuja Chauhan (Alvas sister-in-law, incidentally; she was the executive creative director at JWT before she quit to turn full-time author) for the creatives.

The rest, as they say, is his story.
'In a democracy, how can you be scared of Amit Shah?'

IMAGE: Bharatiya Janata Party national President Amit Anilchandra Shah filed his nomination papers for the Gandhinagar parliamentary constituency, a seat currently represented by BJP veteran and former deputy prime minister Lal Kishenchand Advani who had won five consecutive terms from 1998 to 2014. Photograph: PTI Photo

There aren't many people who would want to go up against Bharatiya Janata Party national president Amit Anilchandra Shah and moreover think they can win.

However, the Congress's Dr Chatursinh Javanji Chavda, who currently represents the Gandhinagar assembly constituency, doesn't seem perturbed by what the media is terming as a Goliath versus David battle.

After being announced as the Congress candidate up against Shah, he said there is a wave of parivartan (change) and that the Congress will win more seats in Gujarat than the BJP.

"If you see the assembly election in Gujarat in 2017, then you will find that the Congress bagged only 0.1 per cent votes less than the BJP," Dr Chavda, a two-term MLA, tells Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com.

In 2002, at a time when the BJP did very well across Gujarat, you won the Gandhinanagar assembly seat. This time you are going up against Amit Shah. Are you confident that you can defeat him?

In 2002, when I contested elections I won the seat against then chief minister Narendra Modi's cabinet minister (Vadibhai Bhaichanddas Patel) and I was called a giant killer by the press.

Today, in Gujarat, there is a parivartan wave. People want change. And this wave is all over the country.

Till date, whoever contested from this constituency was assuming that he won't win, but I am different as I have worked from booth to booth.

Our Congress workers have visited every home and therefore, I am sure I am going to win against Amit Shah this time.

You are saying you will defeat Shah. However, the media is analysing just how big will Shah's winning margin be?

I am sure of my victory.

In 2014, when L K Advani won this seat he won by 422,000 votes. In the 2017 assembly elections, the victory margin was reduced to 242,000.

Now we just have to work hard on these voters who should give up the BJP and vote for the Congress.

I am confident to win these voters because Amit Shah has a negative image in Gujarat. And specifically, he has a negative image among the Patel community of Gujarat. They will come and support the Congress.

I am surprised you are saying Amit Shah has a negative image in Gujarat.

Yes. Fourteen members of the Patel community died during the reservation agitation, a fact which has angered the community.

And Hardik Patel, the man spearheading these protests, was charged under the sedition law; he was merely demanding reservations for his community and this is no way to treat him.

Moreover in Gujarat, there have agitations by farmers and even government servants. So, the entire state has turned against Shah.

But opinion polls state that the BJP will win all 26 parliamentary seats in Gujarat in 2019 too.

These opinion polls said the same thing for the BJP during the 2018 assembly elections of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, but the BJP lost.

During the Gujarat elections, Amit Shah used to say the BJP will win 150 plus seats, but they got only 99 seats.

I feel out of 26 seats in Gujarat, the Congress will win more seats than the BJP.

What according to you has led people to drift away from the BJP?

Modi gave so many false promises before the elections. He said he will generate 2 crore jobs and also waive off farmer loans -- he did not do so.

On the Ram Mandir front, he failed.

He did not do anything against Article 370 and also did not help Kashmiri Pandits resettle back in Kashmir.

He had said he would change the name of Ahmedabad to Karnavati, which didn't happen either.

He said the Western Railway headquarters will be moved from Mumbai to Ahmedabad, but that too did not happen.

So there are many promises which Modi made, but he never fulfilled in the last five years. Therefore, disillusionment has set in.

He also said Rs 15 lakh will be deposited into the bank accounts of poor people. These things did not happen and on top of all that, he introduced demonetisation and GST, which destroyed farmers and businessmen.

But what you are saying is not visible on the ground as Modi is still very popular in Gujarat and all over India. This election is more about giving Modi another chance and voters seem to be in the mood to give him a second chance.

Modi is from Gujarat and there is no doubt the people of Gujarat love him, but this time his image has taken a dent.

If you see the assembly election in Gujarat in 2017, then you will find that the Congress bagged only 0.1 per cent votes less than the BJP.

Sadly, some Independent candidates got 1,500 votes and more which ensured the defeat of Congress candidates in 15 seats. Therefore, we could not form a government in Gujarat. We could not form the government because of Independents.

Since L K Advani won the Gandhinagar seat in 1991, the Congress has never won the seat in 28 years. And you are still confident of your victory.

See the history of the Gandhinagar municipality corporation and you will see that the Congress has been winning two consecutive terms.

Even at the zilla parishad level and taluka level in Gandhinagar, the Congress has been winning.

The place where Modi sat and ruled Gujarat, we have won. We were losing Gandhinagar only in the three urban seats of the Gandhinagar parliamentary constituency.

And we will work hard there and win voters from there too. We are going to every booth and speaking to voters.

We have decided this time we have to defeat Amit Shah.

Are you going to make how L K Advani was treated by the BJP an issue to present before the voters?

Amit Shah always cuts a person down to size and that is his habit.

Anandiben Patel was the first woman chief minister of Gujarat and she was sacked for no reason by Amit Shah. He did the same thing with L K Advani too.

Don't you feel scared?

In a democracy, how can you be scared of Amit Shah?

In a democracy people have contested against opponents and that is the norm. People contested against Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, so who is Amit Shah?

He has become big only after becoming BJP president. Before that, he was a nobody in Gujarat.

It is the people of India who decide who will become a big man.

And you see this time I will create a world record by defeating Amit Shah in this election.

The BJP has the backing of a huge machinery, money and muscle power. What are the means you have to fight against him?

I have the support of people.

The farmers of Gujarat are with us as they are sick of the BJP government.

Government employees did not get their increments and getting a fixed salary.

When the Gujarat government lost the case in the high court they went to the Supreme Court against their employees.

In my constituency there are many government employees who are unhappy with the BJP government for this move.

I have always spoken on these issues openly and people believe in me.

Why did Amit Shah choose Gandhinagar if, according to you, this is not a safe seat for him?

The BJP has become an arrogant party. Amit Shah went to the Rajya Sabha one year ago and he would have been a member of Parliament for another five years.

You only tell me why he came here to contest the Lok Sabha election when the BJP is confident of winning 26 out of 26 seats in Gujarat. He could have contested from any other state as he is the BJP president, but he did not do so.

He is contesting from Gandhinagar in Gujarat as he knows the voters of Gujarat have turned against the BJP.

When we had the Jan Sankalp rally with Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi five lakh people turned up in the heat. They came to support the Congress, therefore I am confident that the Congress will win.

Don't you feel that elections in Gujarat have taken a communal turn with the Congress suffering as it is considered a pro-Muslim party?

The BJP has played the communal card many times. They gave false promise on the Ram Mandir too, therefore they have no other new card for them to play.

So people know their games and want to oust the BJP.

The slogan here is 'Modi humko tumse bair nahi, Amit Shah tumhari khair nahi (We have no animosity against Modi, but Amit Shah we won't spare you).
'The EC has set a limit of Rs 70 lakhs for each candidate's expenditure, so the official figures the candidates report with the EC is going to be Rs 70 lakhs at the max, but there is a major loophole in the system.'

'There is no such cap on the spending by the party on elections, on campaigns, so even though the candidate might spend Rs 70 lakhs officially, the amount spent by the party towards the candidate is also huge.'

15 candidates, including Kanhaiya Kumar, the Aam Aatish Party's Atishi, a widow of a farmer who committed suicide and a transgender activist, are raising campaign funds through the crowdsourcing platform, Our Democracy.

Helmed by Anand Mangnale and Bilal Zaidi, Our Democracy aims at bringing clean money into the murky world of campaign funding.

Mangnale has worked on the campaign of Jignesh Mevani, volunteered for Irom Sharmila when she contested the Manipur state election in 2017 and consulted on campaigns of couple of candidates in rural Maharashtra.

Co-founder Bilal Zaidi is a former journalist who has also worked with the Global Campaign Organisation Avaaz and worked on United States Senator Bernie Sanders's campaign.

"If we look at our own country's history, Gandhiji took Rs 1 donations from people for the Congress during the freedom struggle," Anand Mangnale, below, left, tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih in an e-mail interview.

What are your concerns about electoral funding and its impact on Indian democracy?

Electoral funding is totally opaque right now, more so with the electoral bonds introduced by the current regime.

Arun Jaitley said it will bring transparency, but it is totally opposite to it.

The process is not just opaque, but also the government in power knows who is donating how much money to whom, which in a way is an intimidating tactic, that's why we see 95% of the donations through electoral bonds have gone to the ruling BJP.

The huge donations corporates give to political parties in a way dictate policies, which in turn are decided to help them, and not the people.

When corporates have a stake in the government through contributions to political parties, the democracy which is supposed to work for the common man doesn't work.

We need radical transparency and accountability.

The citizens need to know how policy decisions are taken place, and for whose benefits, which is currently hampered by the electoral funding process, because the size of donations of corporates is clearly dictating the policies, and more so, as we have seen in the last 5 years.

How many candidates are using your platform to raise money? Who are they and what parties?

We have around 15 ongoing campaigns for politicians from different political parties.

We have Kanhaiya Kumar from the CPI, Farmers leader Nana Patole, Haryana Congress president Ashok Tanwar from the Congress, Atishi, Dilip Pandey, Raghav Chaddha from Delhi, Dharamvir Gandhi from Patiala, Elvis Gomes from Goa for AAP, S H Bukhari from the BSP, Raju Yadav from the CPI-ML, and Independent candidates such as Vijay Kumar, a friend of Rohith Vemula who is contesting from Hyderabad, Sneha Kale, a transgender activist from Mumbai, Vaishali Yede, a widow of a farmer who committed suicide from Yavatmal who is supported by Independent MLA Bacchu Kadu, and a few others.

We are also in talks for a campaign of Mohammad Salim of the CPI-M from Bengal and others.

Did they approach you? What parties have you reached out to?

When the election season was heating up, we started approaching all the political parties.

Our aim is to bring transparency and accountability in politics, and we feel one of the ways to do it is through increasing the white money in politics.

We have reached out to all the major political parties and leaders we could get hold of.

As the question of electoral funding includes all parties and our aim is to solve the crisis of black, unaccounted money, we had a clear agenda to reach out to everyone.

When people got to know about our initiative, we are also approached by Independent candidates and parties now.

How open are parties to raising funds through crowdsourcing?

Parties are still fiddling with the idea of crowdfunding. I guess most parties other than the Left, traditionally rely on corporate and businessmen funding them.

It's actually strange, because if we look at our own country's history Gandhiji took Rs 1 donations from people for the Congress during the freedom struggle, so it shouldn't come as a surprise.

Newer parties and the Left seem to be more comfortable with the idea of crowdfunding.

It is also to be taken under consideration that it hasn't really been taken up on a large scale level in India.

This is one of the first attempts to reach out to political parties and try and get them on board for crowdfunding.

This way leaders become more accountable to people and have more say in the democratic process, beyond just voting.

How much funds have individual candidates like Atishi and Kanhaiya raised?

Atishi's campaign has raised Rs 46,67,122 and Kanhaiya Rs 64,54,902 as of 12.1 on 4th April.

How does the platform work? What commission do you get?

We have created a system where anyone can create an account with their e-mail id and phone number and create their campaign.

We look into it, verify it and then approve the campaign. We also help people who have issues or problems setting up a campaign.

We help them with creating the pitch, we guide them with things to do, best practices, to spread the campaign.

We take a commission of 5%, which goes into paying the freelancers we hire for helping us with creating creatives, graphics, videos etc.

What is the least amount someone has contributed towards a candidate's campaign?

The least amount starts from Rs 100.

As all the campaigns are ongoing, the contributions keep on varying based on the spread of the campaign, media coverage of the campaign, influencers sharing the campaign and other factors.

How long does it take for a candidate to put his appeal for funds online?

It is a very quick process. If the candidate has a pitch ready, we approve the campaign in a couple of hours tops.

If the candidate needs help in writing the pitch and creating a graphic and all, it would take a couple of more hours.

We have a team of freelancers who help us with preparing the pitch, graphics, so the turn around time is really quick.

Though the EC poll spending limit is Rs 60 lakh, how much money is expected to be spent by candidates in this election?

The EC has set a limit of Rs 70 lakhs for each candidate's expenditure, so the official figures the candidates report with the EC is going to be Rs 70 lakhs at the max, but there is a major loophole in the system.

There is no such cap on the spending by the party on elections, on campaigns, so even though the candidate might spend Rs 70 lakhs officially, the amount spent by the party towards the candidate is also huge.

I guess the amount varies based on how much money the party has and how strong and winnable the candidate is.

We estimate around Rs 80,000 to Rs 90,000 crores will be spent on the 2019 general election in India overall.

How does your platform propose to introduce clean money into the murky funding mechanism of Indian elections?

As mentioned earlier, we are not only approaching political parties and candidates, but also putting out an appeal to the citizens of India asking them to push their leaders to accept what we call the #WhiteMoneyChallenge.

We were ready to stand in long lines fo ATMs after demonetisation to destroy black money, so we as citizens deserve a better political scenario in the country where only white money is used in politics and not black money.

Right now, we are in the midst of one of the largest elections in the world history, so we are focusing on reaching out to and on-boarding as many political leaders, candidates possible.

Post the elections we are going to focus on 'Active Advocacy and Campaigning' for policy, legislative level changes.

We believe in intervention campaigns and advocacy and that will be our platform's focus post the elections, to make sure the next election in India happens on a much fairer and just ground.

Voters themselves are quite happy to get money in lieu of votes, so how can this be tackled?

If you look at it with the voter's perspective, it is the only time when they feel important, they are valued and they take this opportunity to get something, because for the rest of the 5 years, politicians, parties conveniently forget them, because they are busy serving the corporations who have contributed for their political campaign.

So it is a vicious cycle really, where this thing about voters taking money is created by the inaction of the successive governments.

When policy decisions, its implementation, work is done for people, why would they need this money.

So this is a crisis created by our own political system, which can be tackled when the government is held accountable for its actions, and one of the ways to do it is further democratising the process in which transparent electoral funding, crowdfunding plays an important role.

It is a vicious circle because parties give tickets to candidates who have the money and muscle to fund their campaigns.

How can electoral politics find a way out of this?

Yes, over time, we are stuck in this cycle. That's why interventions such as ours are important.

It is really tough and painful at times to convince people, leaders, parties why this is important and that it really can work.

I guess we really made an impact with the campaign of Dalit activist Jignesh Mevani when we did his electoral crowdfunding campaign for the Gujarat assembly election.

His campaign 'Janta Ki Ladhai, Janta Ke Paiso Se', created waves. People from all across the country contributed to his campaign and we were able to prove that it can be done.

I think people need examples, benchmarks in front of them to believe that something like this can happen.

With the increase of activists entering political space and still keeping their integrity and principles intact, we are able to see that change.

This is a slow process and our's is a small yet hopefully a powerful intervention. Also, the work has to be done at different levels.

Crowdfunding for elections, educating people that democracy is not just voting every 5 years, but constantly holding the ones in power accountable, regular public, policy consultations, proactive advocacy campaigns and other things.

A wholesome approach including all these things is a pretty good start towards tackling the problem and finding a way for our democracy to flourish.

What have been your personal learnings in this journey, especially while working with Prashant Kishor?

I joined IPAC (Indian Political Action Committee) to understand how electoral campaigns are managed and done at a larger level.

My interest was to use a similar model it for social change campaigns.

I had done consulting on media and strategy for political campaigns earlier, so my interest was to try and do a social campaign around drugs in Punjab, which was plaguing Punjab.

Prashant Kishor's IPAC's PR is that they invoke transparency and accountability and it is a cross party advocacy company, but they don't do anything of that sorts.

If anything, they have massively increased the costs of elections in India with the kind of work they do.

I was disheartened and also unable to push for an anti-drugs campaign along with the political campaigns IPAC was doing.

I left and self published a book about the drug issue in Punjab and a campaign which I had designed to start tackling the drug issue named 'The Drugged State of Punjab'.

So for me frankly, IPAC is a glorified event management company, which does things at a huge scale, that's about it.
The veteran Kerala Congress leader had been a dominant player in Kerala's coalition politics, serving under six chief ministers.

Kerala Congress veteran and former state finance minister K M Mani died at a private hospital on Tuesday, hospital sources said.

He was 86.

He is survived by his wife, Annamma Mani and six children, one son and five daughters.

Mani, who had been undergoing treatment at the VPS Lakeshore hospital for pulmonary disease, breathed his last at 4.57 PM, they said.

Mani had been suffering from COPD (Chronic Obstructive pulmonary disease) for several years and had frequently been hospitalised for chest infection.

He had been an MLA of Pala assembly constituency for nearly five decades.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the death of Mani and said his rich contributions to the state would be remembered.

In a tweet, Modi said "Shri KM Mani was a stalwart of Kerala politics. His impeccable electoral record indicated his deep connect with the citizens of the State. His rich contribution to the state will be remembered. Pained by his demise. Condolences to his family and supporters. RIP."

Kerala Congress-Mani is a key ally of the Congress-led United Democratic Front in the state.

Mani fell ill days after declaring his close confidante and Kerala Congress-M leader Thomas Chazhikadan as the UDF candidate in Kottayam Lok Sabha seat.

His son and KC-M leader Jose K Mani is a member of the Rajya Sabha.

The veteran Kerala Congress leader had been a dominant player in Kerala's coalition politics, serving under six chief ministers.

Mani, a successful practitioner of pragmatic politics, had handled key portfolios like finance for most Congress-led UDF governments, which came to power alternatively since the late 1970s.

He also had brief stint as a minister in the Communist Party of India-Marxist-led Left Democratic Front ministry in early 1980s.

A man of wit and humour, Mani, who was elected to the Kerala legislative assembly for the first time in 1965 from Pala constituency of Kottayam district, never lost an election and continued to represent the constituency till his death.

He held several key portfolios, including home affairs, finance and law, irrigation and law, revenue and law in various ministries headed by stalwarts in Kerala politics including C Achutha Menon, P K Vasudevan Nair, K Karunakaran, E K Nayanar, A K Antony and Oommen Chandy.

Mani had been a minister for 24 years in various ministries and as the finance minister, presented 13 budgets in the state assembly.

His foes in the Kerala Congress politics have always accused him of engineering splits in the regional party for his political benefits.

About the phenomenon of frequent splits in the Kerala Congress and emergence of Kerala Congress with varying suffixes, Mani oncefamously said: "We are a party that splits as we grow and grows as we split".

A lawyer by profession, Mani wielded considerable clout among people of the Syrian Catholic community in Kottayam and Idukki districts, ever since he emerged as a powerful leader in the 1970s in the Kerala Congress, which has its roots among the farmers in the erstwhile Travancore region.

Mani-led Kerala Congress-M is the largest among nearly nine political outfits having the name of Kerala Congress with varying suffixes and is the third largest constituent in the Congress-led UDF in the state.

He was forced to quit as finance minister from the Chandy-led government in November 2015 following the Kerala high courts observations against him in the bar bribery case, casting a shadow over his career.

Born as the son of a farmer at Marangattupalli village near Pala, Mani completed his Bachelors Degree in Law and started practicing as an advocate at Kozhikode as a junior of P Govinda Menon, who later became Judge of Kerala high court.

Beginning his political career as a Congress worker, Mani had served as the general secretary of Kottayam District Congress Committee before becoming part of the Kerala Congress movement, headed by stalwarts like K M George.

He authored several books, including Fiscal Problems of Kerala-Causes and Remedial Measures, The People's Socialism, The Eighth Five year Plan-an Alternative Approach, Doctrine of Toiling Class, The Economic Development of Kerala, Toiling Class Theory and Political and Economic Studies.
Even as Priyanka is gaining traction among the electorate and the media, her counterpart for the western UP region, Jyotiraditya Scindia, has been low key and perceptibly missing from the 'heat and dust' of elections in UP, reports Virendra Singh Rawat.

Photograph: Kind courtesy JM_Scindia/Twitter

Over the past two months, the scene at the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters in the posh mall avenue locality of Lucknow has metamorphosed from near desolate to buzzing, after Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was anointed the party's general secretary in charge of Eastern UP.

The peripheral area routinely plunges into chaos due to haphazardly parked SUVs of ticket seekers, party leaders, office bearers and supporters thronging the UPCC office, owing to the new-found optimism of the revival of the comatose Congress, which has been lying in the political wilderness in UP for nearly three decades.

The Lucknow roadshow of Priyanka alongside Rahul Gandhi, the Congress president and her elder brother, in February, which she followed up with the boat ride on the Ganga from Prayagraj to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency of Varanasi in March and a three-day visit to Amethi, Rae Bareli and Ayodhya last week to galvanise Congress supporters, has earned high optics for the party and pepped up the cadres for the gruelling election season.

Even as Priyanka is gaining traction among the electorate and the media, her counterpart for the western UP region, Jyotiraditya Scindia, has been low key and perceptibly missing from the 'heat and dust' of elections in UP.

The Congress, which once commanded a considerable hold in Western UP owing to its large Muslim and Dalit population, eventually lost out to the regional outfits in the late 1980s, especially after the emergence of the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party on the political landscape.

Western UP districts have a sizeable population of minorities. While almost two dozen constituencies comprise a considerable Muslim population, the community virtually holds the key to victory in about a dozen constituencies, including Saharanpur, Meerut, Baghpat, Bijnore, Muzaffarnagar and Shamli, owing to their tactical voting to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party at bay.

Political commentator Hemant Tiwari observed that Scindia would need to work harder to improve the Congress' performance in Western UP, since its core voters of yesteryear had already drifted to either the SP or the BSP.

"The Congress's organisational machinery is still weak and Scindia has not shown much alacrity in his new role in UP and continues to largely operate from Delhi or his hometown of Gwalior.

"This does not augur well for the party's prospects in the high stakes battle," he said, adding since the Congress leader had to divide time between UP and his home state of Madhya Pradesh, it was clearly taking a toll on his UP mandate.

Under the devolution formula, Priyanka and Scindia were, respectively, allocated 41 and 39 out of the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in UP, which is readying up for a triangular contest between the Congress, the BJP and the SP-BSP combine.

The fact that the seven phases polling in the state would commence on April 11 from constituencies in Western UP and then progress towards East, makes it even more imperative for the Congress and Scindia to actively marshal the available resources for making a positive impact at the hustings.

UPCC spokesperson Zeeshan Haider claimed Scindia had visited several Western UP constituencies and was actively keeping in touch with key party figures and candidates in the region. "He holds regular election-related meetings and deliberations with them."

In 2009, the Congress had won 21 Lok Sabha seats in UP. Of those more than half were accounted for by the Western and the Central regions, including Moradabad, Firozabad, Bareilly and Kanpur.

However, its tally slumped to just two in 2014 under the sweeping 'Modi wave', with the party winning only the traditional Gandhi pocket boroughs of Amethi and Rae Bareli.

Similarly, in 2012, the party logged wins in 28 assembly constituencies in the state, including key Western UP pockets of Shamli, Suar (Rampur), Hapur, Syana (Bulandshahr), Khurja, and Mathura.

However, it managed to wrest merely seven seats in the 2017 UP assembly polls, although it had forged a pre-poll alliance with then ruling SP.

Social historian Badri Narayan of the G B Pant Social Science Institute, Allahabad, observed the Congress could count on quite a few contenders in Western UP, who were expected to put up a spirited fight.

"The Congress could draw strength on a number of Western UP constituencies due to some leaders holding clout in their respective constituencies, such as Imran Masood and Raj Babbar," he added.

Conceding that Scindia was not reckoned to be putting much effort in Western UP even as Priyanka was being acknowledged as leading from the front, Narayan said the Guna MP could stand to benefit from the good performance of such leaders.
'Tej Pratap doesnt have votes on his own. But should he want, he can always rock the RJDs boat because of his antics.'

Satyavrat Mishra reports from Patna.

Say whatever you want, it doesnt affect me. You are doing this to boost your TRP, a visibly upset Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav told mediapersons in Patna on the questions over the reported rift between him and his elder brother, Tej Pratap Yadav.

Tej Pratap, former health minister of Bihar, had resigned as patron of Chhatra RJD (the students wing of the RJD) on March 28 after the party refused tickets to candidates of his choice.

Naadan hain woh joh mujhe naadan samajhte hain (those who think I am naive are the naive ones), he tweeted.

The situation worsened after Tejashwis press conference to announce the names of Mahagathbandhan candidates in Bihar for the Lok Sabha election.

The announcement of former minister Chandrika Rais candidature from Saran reportedly infuriated Tej Pratap.

Rai is the estranged father-in-law of Tej Pratap, who has filed a plea for divorce from his wife, Aishwarya Rai.

As soon Rais candidature was announced, rumours were rife that Tej Pratap has threatened to contest from Saran as an Independent.

RJD leaders were aghast.

Tej Pratap, however, denied these rumours.

I am not bothered about who is contesting from where, he told reporters.

Its the latest of the skirmishes between the two sons of the jailed RJD chief Lalu Prasad.

Things have not been exactly normal between the brothers in the last few months. Tejashwi emerged as the natural successor to Prasad in the party, whereas his elder brother feels that he is being ignored by the RJDs rank and file, told a party insider.

Prasad launched both of them in politics in 2013 with the Parivartan Rally.

The father, however, always sided with Tejashwi, while former chief minister and their mother Rabri Devi backed Tej Pratap.

Both of them contested the high-pitched 2015 Bihar assembly election and emerged victorious.

However, their paths diverged soon after as Prasad chose Tejashwi as his heir apparent and installed him as deputy chief minister under Nitish Kumar.

Tej Pratap was given charge of the health department.

Party leaders say Tej Pratap feels rejected by his own.

He feels that despite being the first son of Lalu-Rabri, he was forced to play second fiddle. He has complained, more than once, that party leaders look past him or dont ask for his opinion on crucial matters, said a party MP.

To assert himself in the party, Tej Pratap adopted Prasads language and pithy one-liners.

However, this made Tejashwi even more popular within the party rank.

The Yadavs and other backward castes have become refined over the years. They want someone urbane and politically refined to put forward their points. Tej Prataps rustic behaviour didnt go well with the youth, said a party MLA.

The first family of the RJD reportedly wanted to smoothen the rough edges of Tej Pratap by marrying him with Aishwarya, a well-educated woman.

It was a mismatch from the beginning. On one hand, Tej Pratap was a college dropout -- he flunked his BA first years exam -- and had a rustic style. Meanwhile, Aishwarya -- an MBA from a private university in Noida -- came from an educated, respected and wealthy family. Her grandfather, the late Daroga Rai, was a prominent Congress leader and former chief minister, said a close aide of Prasad.

In less than six months, the marriage crumbled as Tej Pratap filed for divorce, citing irrevocable differences.

The relationship between Tej Pratap and his family turned sour after that as he moved out of Rabri Devis government bungalow.

He started public courts in the party office.

He even condemned the Bihar unit chief of the RJD, Ram Chandra Purbey, for creating a rift between him and his family.

Senior party leaders say that Tej Prataps defiance may cost the party in the coming days.

Its a difficult situation for the family and the party. His divorce was going to cost us big if Tejashwi and Rabri had not intervened in time. They ensured that the family appeared on Aishwaryas side. Chandrika Rai was given the ticket from Saran -- the RJDs pocket borough -- just to douse the fire started by Tej Pratap, said a former aide of Prasad.

Tej Pratap doesnt have votes on his own. But should he want, he can always rock the RJDs boat because of his antics.
In an interview to ANI, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke on various issues, including the Balakot air strikes to the status of Kashmir to the party's manifesto.

IMAGE: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Kashmir said that it will never be separated from India. Photograph: Nand Kumar/PTI Photo

-- On black money

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that the BJP never made promises of transferring Rs 15 lakh into people's bank accounts during the campaign for Lok Sabha election in 2014.

"Never said that Rs 15 lakh will come (to accounts of people). This was never said. (Bilkul nahi kaha tha ki Rs 15 lakh aenge. Ye kabhi nahi kaha tha). We had said that we will take action (karyawahi) against black money. Action is being taken against black money. It was our government which formed a Special Investigation Team on the topic of black money," said the Union home minister.

-- On Kashmir's status

Rajnath said, "Kashmir will never be separated from India. Kashmir was, is and always will be an integral part of India. There cannot be two prime ministers in the country. It is absolutely clear in our election manifesto that if we form government Article 370, Article 35A will be removed."

When questioned about Mehbooba Mufti and Farooq Abdullah's statements that tampering with Article 370 and 35A will not bode well for India, Rajnath said, "This is their frustration, let them speak what they want, we will go ahead and do what we have to do."

"Maybe they are giving such statements with elections in mind, as for BJP we have written everything in the manifesto after having discussed it with the Indian people, and we will carry it out when we come back to power," he added.

BJP in their election manifesto has promised to abrogate Article 370 and do away with Article 35A of the Constitution. The manifesto says that the NDA government is committed to overcoming all obstacles that come in the way of development in J-K.

IMAGE: On the Balakot air strike, Rajnath said that it is fair to raise questions in a democracy and there is no harm in asking for details or proof from a government with regard to actions taken by it, but it is unfair to ask security forces to give proof.. Photograph: PTI Photo

-- On Balakot air strike

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that it is fair to raise questions in a democracy and there is no harm in asking for details or proof from a government with regard to actions taken by it, but it is unfair to ask security forces to give proof.

While responding to a question of why people are branded as "anti-national" and "Tukde Tukde" gang, if they ask for proof of Balakot air strike and surgical strikes, he said: "No one is termed anti-national for asking questions; we always give answers to relevant questions...Why should one ask for proof from Indian Air Force, who only bombed the terrorist centre. Should they count the bodies and give proof?"

On the question of the Opposition's allegation of politicisation of armed forces, the home minister said: "There should not be any politicisation of any system of the government and we never think of doing such a thing... Our army and other government systems belong to the country, not to any political party."

He added that the air strike by the IAF in Pakistan's Balakot took place on the basis of credible intelligence input. "During Balakot air strike, the IAF targeted terrorist training centres in Pakistan and ensured that no harm is done to civilians there. We took precautions while taking revenge for the Pulwama terror attack; we made sure that Pakistan's sovereignty and integrity is not compromised and only terrorists are targeted. We did not attack Pakistan's army or harm innocent civilians, we only targeted terrorists," he said.

"As the home minister of the country I am saying that the operation in Balakot took place on the basis of credible intelligence input," he added.

-- On I-T raids being carried out on aides of MP CM Kamal Nath

Refuting allegations of political vendetta behind Income Tax Department and Enforcement Directorate raids on opposition leaders and their aides, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that the agencies are autonomous bodies and they are acting on their inputs.

Singh said, "The agencies which are conducting raids are autonomous bodies. Model Code of Conduct does not apply to them. They are acting on their inputs. How can we stop them?"

"It is unfair to hold the government responsible for the raids. This is an ongoing process. Agencies act on their own intelligence inputs," the minister said.

Singh maintained that autonomous central agencies will take necessary steps to stop the use of unaccounted money in the elections. When asked how is election a festival as is being touted by BJP leaders if such blatant use of cash is being used, the Home Minister said, "The elections should be fought in a free and fair manner. No unethical means should be used to win the elections. If anyone has collected unaccounted money and wants to use them in elections, these autonomous bodies will act," he said.

A political slugfest has ensued between the BJP and Congress after the Income Tax department carried out searches at places linked to leaders of some opposition parties and their aides in West Bengal, Karnataka, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala on Monday alleged that the Narendra Modi government was blinded by hatred and revenge in the manner that its probe agencies were acting against BJP's political opponents.

IMAGE: Rajnath scoffed at Rahul's criticism of the BJP manifesto being short-sighted and the voice of an arrogant man. Photograph: Atul Yadav/PTI Photo

-- On Mayawati's call to Muslims to vote in a particular manner

Days after Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati appealed to Muslim community to vote for the BSP-Samajwadi Party alliance and not for the Congress, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that politics should not be done on the basis of "caste, creed and religion".

"It is very unfortunate (what Mayawati said). Politics should not be done on the basis of Hindu-Muslim. Politics should not be done on the basis of caste, creed and religion. Our (BJP) politics is not on the basis of caste, creed and religion. It is on the basis of justice and humanity. We never say only Hindu should vote for us and not Muslims or vice versa. In a healthy democracy, you can't even imagine this," Rajnath said.

Addressing a public rally at Deoband on Sunday, Mayawati had said: "I appeal to Muslims that the Congress is not capable of defeating the BJP. Only the alliance parties are capable of doing it. Congress does not want the alliance to win. I appeal to Muslims that vote for alliance only. Do not vote for the Congress."

The home minister categorically said that he does not "discriminate on the basis of Hindu-Muslim".

"My conscience does not allow me to do this. Being the Union home minister I want to assure this that nobody needs to feel insecure. Irrespective of the religion, strong actions will be taken against anybody who does something wrong," Rajnath emphasised.

"No discrimination will be done in India on the basis of Hindu-Muslim. Whatever I am saying is our commitment. I cannot discriminate on the basis of Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian. Justice to all, appeasement of none -- our party believes in this," he added.

-- On Rahul's criticism of the BJP manifesto

Rajnath scoffed at Congress president Rahul Gandhi for calling BJP's manifesto the 'voice of an isolated man' and said a large number of people were involved in the framing the party document.

Singh, who headed BJP's manifesto committee, said: "I believe that when it comes to the creation of Sankalp Patra, India in its history has never seen such participation of people. Whatever he (Rahul) is saying is baseless and he keeps saying such things. Do not take it seriously."
Almost a quarter of a century ago, Urmila Matondkar dazzled cine-goers with her oomph in the Ram Gopal Varma movie Rangeela.

Cut to the present, the actress-turned-politician is still bringing the same oomph and star power as she campaigns for the Congress ahead of the upcoming elections -- where she will be contesting for the Mumbai North constituency.

Here's a glimpse!

-- Urmila, Priya Dutt file nominations in Mumbai

Urmila seems to have swapped her air-conditioned vanity van for Mumbai's most used mode of transport -- the auto rickshaw... We have gotta to say, she seems to be having fun!

Campaigning is tough in this sweltering heat.. So what better way to take a break but to grab a vada pav.

On the occasion of Gudi Padwa, the Maharashtrian New Year, Urmila spent time with the women riders in Mumbai.

Urmila takes to playing lezim with her supporters as she celebrates Gudi Padwa.

WATCH: Spreading laughter on her campaign

Urmila joins people at a laughter club in Borivali.

Matondkar has been upbeat and energetic during her campaign. She started using #AapliMarathiMulagi with all her social media posts in an attempt to connect with Mumbaikars and then switched to #AapliMumbaichiMulagi, in an attempt to reach a much wider audience in the constituency she is contesting from.

During her campaigning, she seems confident and warm with the electorate. She says she's unaffected by the fact that she is going up against the Bharatiya Janata Party's Gopal Shetty, who defeated former Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam in the 2014 polls.

Urmila has been using every opportunity she has to campaign. Her morning walk doubles up as an attempt to reach out to the voters.

all photographs: @OfficialUrmila/Twitter
Friendlys is closing restaurants in Danbury, Southbury and Waterbury among 23 closures throughout the Northeast, with the company not stating how many jobs it is cutting.

The ice cream parlor company is based in Wilbraham, Mass. and has 17 locations in Connecticut. Friendlys told franchisees on Monday it is closing locations where it leases coming up for renewal.
A trooper was recognized Tuesday for the part he played in the capture of a New York City homicide suspect last summer.

In a ceremony Tuesday morning, Trooper First Class Jason Cassavechia was named the 2018 Office of the Year recipient by SecureWatch24. According to Connecticut State Police, the award was in connection with the apprehension of a homicide suspect on Interstate 84 in July 2018.

Cassvechia was aided that day by his K9 partner Favor and his vehicles license plate recognition system, according to state police.

The LPR system is a series of high-speed cameras attached to the outside of the cruiser. The system rapidly runs registration plates against data from the National Crime Information Center and the Department of Motor Vehicle. The database has information on expired plates, fugitives, stolen vehicles, missing people or suicidal people. Cassvechias vehicle is one of 42 state police cruisers with the technology.

The LPR serves as an additional tool to assist law enforcement in protecting citizens, enforcing laws and solving crime, state police said.

The LPR will detect a plate of interest and let out an audible alarm on the troopers laptop. The trooper can view the information and verify the system read the plate correctly.

During the ceremony, Cassvechia was commended for his attention to detail, work ethic and dedication to the citizens of Connecticut.

The suspect caught by Cassvechia on the highway that day was one of many suspects accused of being involved in the homicide of 15-year-old Lesandro Junior Guzman-Feliz, according to state police.

According to the New York Daily News, Guzman-Feliz was killed by members of the Dominican gang Trinitarios on June 20, 2018, in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx. It was a case of mistaken identity, the Daily News report said.
BRIDGEPORT  Minutes after midnight on Jan. 13, Vincent Keller allegedly sent a text message to his girlfriend: Goodnight we are going to burn down Shakespeare.

Third arrest made in Shakespeare theater fire, other blazes

More for you

About half an hour later, Keller and two friends  Logan Caraballo and Christopher Sakowicz  did just that, according to arrest warrants made public after the three were arraigned in connection with the fire that destroyed the Shakespeare theater in Stratford.

The suspects were arraigned behind closed doors in Bridgeport Superior Court on Tuesday before Judge Frank Iannotti, where their cases were formally transferred to adult court and their identities were made public.

The judge set bond at $100,000 for Keller, 18, of Stratford; $175,000 for Sakowicz, 18, of Stratford; and $100,000 for Caraballo, 17, of Shelton. All three are scheduled to return to court on April 23 to face a judge again, when the cases will be called in open court.

All three have been charged with first-degree arson, first-degree burglary, first-degree reckless endangerment and second-degree criminal trespass in connection with the Shakespeare theater fire.

According to arrest warrants, the case broke late last month, when Caraballos mother called a state police arson tip line reporting that her son had received a SnapChat message that two of his friends, Keller and Sakowicz, had set the fire.

The warrants say all three are students at Bunnell High School in Stratford, though court documents list Caraballos current address as in Shelton.

In interviews with police, Sakowicz and Keller initially denied being involved, and offered their cell phones to police as proof that they didnt set the fire.

However, the warrants say police found substantial criminal evidence on Kellers phone, including incriminating text messages he sent to friends.

DO NOT TELL A SOUL

According to the warrant, after Keller messaged his girlfriend saying, we are going to burn down Shakespeare, she replied oh fun dont die. Later, Keller replied, DO NOT TELL A SOUL ABOUT TONIGHT, police said.

In subsequent interviews, police said, Sakowicz and Keller admitted to setting the fire.

The warrants say Caraballo picked up Sakowicz and Keller and drove to the theater property, parking in the lot.

Sakowicz and Keller told police they entered the theater through an unlocked rear door. In the basement of the building, Sakowicz allegedly lit a rag on fire and threw it against a wall, after which the fire began to spread.

Police said the three teens then left the building as the flames continued to spread and went to a Wendys for food and stopped for gas in Milford, after which they could see the conflagration from Interstate 95.

According to the warrants Sakowicz kept an alarm panel from the theater as a souvenir, which he later turned over to police.

Suspects mother: Im devastated

Outside the courtroom, a woman who identified herself as Sakowiczs mother, but declined to give her full name, apologized on behalf of her son.

Im devastated. Im heartbroken, she said. I cant believe it, Im sorry.

She said her son was an honor student who planned to pursue a career in aviation after high school.

They ruined everything, she said.

Isaias Luis Pedraza, a public defender who represented Sakowicz at Tuesdays hearing, declined to comment.

Caraballo was released to his mothers custody after posting bond Tuesday afternoon, while Keller and Sakowicz were still behind bars as of about 4 p.m.

The judge ordered them to be under house arrest except for attending school, with their movements to be monitored electronically by court officials.

More charges expected

Frank Riccio II, Kellers lawyer, said his client and Sakowicz would likely be charged in a number of other recent fires. He said Keller was scheduled to appear at Waterbury Superior Court Wednesday in connection with a Jan. 15 blaze in a vacant building at the Southbury Training School.

Kellers parents attended his arraignment, but Riccio said he told them not to post bond yet.

Ive advised that my client not post yet because theres other warrants, the lawyer said.

Other fires that police sources said are attributed to the teens:

Feb. 8: Vacant house on Richards Place in West Haven destroyed by fire.

Feb. 17: Former Bilco Co. in West Haven damaged by fire.

March 9: Truck set afire at Good Earth Tree Care on Longbrook Avenue in Stratford.

March 24:A fire that damaged construction trailers at Silver Sands State Park in Milford.

Staff writer Daniel Tepfer contributed to this story.
A couple from Mount Vernon, New York has been missing for almost two weeks after a vacation in the Dominican Republic.

Orlando Moore and Portia Ravenelle of Mount Vernon, Westchester County, traveled to the Caribbean country from Newark Liberty International Airport on March 23. They left their vehicle parked at the airport, according to national media reports. They were supposed to return to the U.S. just four days later, but their families have not heard from them.

CNN tracked down a couple who was staying at the same resort, the Grand Bahia Principe Cayacoa. The couple, from Nova Scotia, said they spent a few days touring with Moore and Ravenelle after meeting them at the resort.

Cheryl Freeman, one half of the Nova Scotian couple, said Moore and Ravenelle had rented a car to get to the airport on time for their 2 a.m. flight on March 27 out of Santo Domingo, a nearly 100-mile drive from their resort.

More for you Virgin Atlantic replacing its Boeing 747s with this

Ravenelle reportedly told Freeman that the rental car company had warned her not to stop or open the car windows for anyone on the drive. Locals, they said, know which cars are rentals and try to rob tourists.

The night before the flight, the couples bid farewell in the lobby, inviting each other to come visit. That was the last time Freeman heard from them. An email her partner sent to Moore that night went unanswered, CNN reports.

In a statement to PIX11, the U.S. Embassy of the Dominican Republic said they are "working directly with the Attorney's Office [of the] 'Procuradoria General de la Republica Dominica.'" The office would not comment because the investigation is ongoing.

U.S. officials appear to be involved in the investigation, but the extent of their involvement is unclear as the State Department cannot comment on active investigations.
LITCHFIELD  A complaint about a flyer that was distributed to more than 4,000 households in Litchfield on the day of a 2018 referendum has been dismissed by the states Elections Enforcement Commission.

The referendum on Dec. 19, 2018 asked Litchfield voters to decide on the future of two buildings: Accept the old Litchfield County Courthouse from the Greater Litchfield Preservation Trust and renovate it as a new town hall; and allow the sale of the old Bantam courthouse and its property to the Litchfield Housing Trust, to be used for affordable housing. Both votes failed by a margin of about 2 to 1.

The complaint alleged that the flyer, which was anonymously distributed on the day of the vote, had no identifying disclosure statement, including the name or names of the people who distributed it, an address and contact information. The flyer encouraged voters to Vote No on Dec. 19!

The flyers author, John Langer of Bantam, voiced opposition to the sale of the old Bantam courthouse, warning residents of the negative implications of selling it off and saying that because it was town property, letting it go would be wasteful and that affordable housing was not a proper use for it.

According to election enforcement laws, election flyers such as these, if they are being distributed by a group, are required to have a statement on them saying Paid for by ... and the cost of the distribution must be filed with the enforcement commission if it costs more than $1,000. No such identifying information was anywhere on the flyer.

The way the flyer was distributed, and the fact that it had no identification on it, prompted two residents to question its legitimacy.

Residents John Torrant and Paul Rosenberg filed a complaint with the Elections Enforcement Commission in February. The commission sent its response this week.

In its findings, the commission noted that when Langer learned of the complaint about the flyer, he contacted the commissions Compliance Unit and described his conduct as it related to the (flyer) and asked for advice, according to the commissions response.

Langer said he spent $945.34 of his own money to print the flyers, and distributed them himself to 4,320 households in Litchfield and Bantam.

Langer said he was pleased with the commissions work and its findings. I was just informing the public with the facts (about the referendum), he said. It was totally legal. If I had known about the rules, I would have put my name on (the flyer). But I didnt know.

I proved that it was just me, he said. I had all my receipts , I was able to prove it, they made their decision and the case was dismissed.

But Rosenberg didnt think the enforcement commission did a full investigation.

The very nice people at the State Elections Enforcement Commission conducted  or should I say committed  what appears to be a slipshod, superficial, purely perfunctory investigation of the complaint, he said From the file I obtained through an FOI request, it appears the so-called investigation consisted of telephone interviews with the respondent, town clerk Lisa Losee, and (attorney and preservation trust president) Perley Grimes, who had nothing at all to do with the questionable mailing.

In its findings, the commission pointed to CT General Statute 9-621(c), which states that no business entity, organization, association, committee or group of two or more ... who have joined solely to promote the success or defeat of a referendum question shall make or incur any expenditure for any written, typed or other printed communication ... unless the communication bears upon its face, as a disclaimer, the words paid for by and the name of the entity, organization or association and the name of its (associates) ...

Because Langer acted alone, the commission ruled that ... individuals, acting alone, are not required to include attributions on advocacy communications concerning referenda .. any individual may make unlimited contributions or expenditures to aid or promote the success or defeat of any referendum question.

The commission further wrote that because Langer spent less than $1,000, he was not required to file with the commission. Had he spent more, he would have been required to file a statement under law as the treasurer of a political committee, under General Statute 9-608.

Rosenberg also believes that Langer did not act alone, and that he spent more money. John Langer evidently provided some receipts for printing and mailing the (flyers) as well as a letter in which he claims to be just a concerned citizen and pleads ignorance of the law ... If the SEEC operatives had bothered to investigate just a little bit more, they would have discovered that Brother Langer had spent well over a thousand dollars to have Staples print the (flyers) and $768.97 on postage alone.

Langer wasnt sure if his flyer influenced the vote in December. It may have helped, but I think a lot of people made their decision prior to the vote, he said. The vote was overwhelmingly against it.
Last months $231 million FCPA resolution by German dialysis giant Fresenius Medical Care included disgorgement to the SEC of $147 million. By our count, thats the tenth biggest disgorgement ever ordered in an FCPA enforcement action.

* * *

Disgorgement, according to Contributing Editor Marc Alain Bohn, is a remedy authorized by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 thats used to deprive wrong-doers of their ill-gotten gains and deter violations of federal securities law.

Disgorgement first appeared in an FCPA enforcement action in 2004 when ABB Ltd disgorged $5.9 million to resolve books and records and internal controls offenses.

Since then the SEC has used disgorgement in most of its FCPA-related enforcement actions.

Disgorgement doesnt appear in all big FCPA cases. When Russian telecom MTS paid $850 million in March to resolve FCPA violations in Uzbekistan, it paid the SEC a civil penalty of $100 million but no disgorgement. The DOJ imposed a separate fine and $40 million in criminal forfeiture but also no disgorgement.

* * *

Here are the current top ten FCPA-related corporate disgorgements. Amounts also include pre-judgment interest:

1. Petrobras $933.5 million in 2018*

2. Telia $457 million in 2017

3. VimpelCom $375 million in 2016

4. Siemens $350 million in 2008

5. Teva $236 million in 2016

6. Och-Ziff $199 million in 2016

7. KBR $177 million in 2009

8. Alcoa $161 million in 2014

9. Total S.A. $153 million in 2013

10. Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA $147 million in 2019

Close behind Fresenius is Panasonic Corporation and its aviation unit. They disgorged $143 million to the SEC in 2018. In 2017, JPMorgan Chase disgorged $130.5 million to resolve FCPA offenses, and in 2010 Snamprogetti disgorged $125 million.**

* The SEC allowed Petrobras to credit against the disgorgement the money it had already paid into a settlement fund for U.S. shareholder litigation. If for some reason Petrobras hadnt disgorged that amount within a year through payments to the U.S. class action fund or otherwise, then it was obligated to pay the money directly to the SEC.

** An individual, Jeffrey Tesler of the UK, agreed to an FCPA-related forfeiture of $149 million in 2011 in connection with the TSKJ Nigeria enforcement actions. Forfeiture resembles disgorgement but is a different remedy, so we dont include Tesler on our disgorgement top ten list.

* * *

For comparison, heres our current list of the top ten FCPA enforcement actions.

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Richard L. Cassin is editor at large of the FCPA Blog.
China on Monday voiced its support for multilateralism after France and Germany jointly proposed an "Alliance for Multilateralism" during a recent session at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and his German counterpart Heiko Maas intended to officially launch the Alliance during the 74th session of the UN General Assembly scheduled for September.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang.[Photo: fmprc.gov.cn]

"China has always staunchly upheld, supported and practiced multilateralism," spokesperson Lu Kang said at a press briefing while commenting on the proposed Alliance, adding that China supports the efforts of the international community including France and Germany in maintaining multilateralism.

Lu said China stands ready to work with all parties in preserving the international order and regime with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter at its core, and the rule-based multilateral trade regime with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core, with a commitment to multilateralism.

Against the backdrop of a surging trend toward economic globalization and multi-polarization as well as a constant increase in global challenges, the world needs multilateralism more than ever before, the spokesperson said.

Speaking of Chinese President Xi Jinping's remarks at a forum on global governance attended by French, German and EU leaders during Xi's recently-concluded European visit, Lu mentioned Xi's advocacy for safeguarding multilateralism, enhancing international dialogue and cooperation, and jointly addressing the deficits in governance, trust, peace and development, so as to improve global governance.

"China is ready to work with all parties in facilitating a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness, justice and win-win cooperation, to jointly build a community of shared future for mankind," Lu added.
Standard Chartered Bank agreed Tuesday to pay $657 million to the U.S. Department of the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to resolve sanctions violations primarily related to Iran, with other violations involving current or former sanctions on Cuba, Sudan, Burma, Syria, and Zimbabwe.

StanChart paid $639 million for the Iran sanction violations, together with violations involving Cuba, Sudan, Burma, and Syria. OFAC called that the global settlement.



London-based StanChart settled the Zimbabwe sanction offenses separately, paying OFAC about $18 million.



In the global settlement, OFAC said from June 2009 until June 2014, StanChart processed 9,335 transactions totaling $437.5 million to or through the United States. All of the transactions involved persons or countries subject to comprehensive sanctions programs administered by OFAC, the Treasury Department said.

The majority of the transactions were for Iran-related accounts maintained by StanCharts Dubai branches, including accounts in Dubai held for a number of general trading companies and a petrochemical company.

StanChart Dubai processed U.S. currency transactions to or through the banks branch office in New York and other U.S. financial institutions on behalf of customers physically located or based in Iran.

For violations covered by the global settlement, the bank didnt voluntarily self-disclose the egregious case, OFAC said.

According to OFAC, the bank agreed as part of the global settlement to resolve apparent violations of the now-repealed Burmese Sanctions Regulations, the Cuban Assets Control Regulations, the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations, the now-repealed Sudanese Sanctions Regulations, and the Syrian Sanctions Regulations.

Separately, StanChart agreed to settle violations of the Zimbabwe Sanctions Regulations for $18 million.



All of the Zimbabwe transactions involved individuals identified on OFACs SDN list or parties that were owned 50 percent or more, directly or indirectly, by persons on the SDN List at the time the transactions occurred. StanChart processed 1,795 transactions totaling $76.8 million for the sanctioned entities.

StanChart voluntarily self-disclosed the Zimbabwe-related violations, OFAC said.

The DOJ said today StanChart agreed to forfeit $240 million and pay a fine of $480 million for violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. OFAC said in the global settlement it will credit StanChart for the amount of the criminal penalties paid.

In the UK Tuesday, the Financial Conduct Authority fined StanChart 102 million ($133 million) for anti-money laundering breaches related to its branches in the UAE. Among other things, the FCA said StanChart opened an account with $653,000 in cash from a suitcase with little evidence that the origin of the funds had been investigated.

In 2016, Singapore seized $177 million from StanChart and other banks for AML lapses related to 1MDB.

The April 9, 2019 Standard Chartered Bank  OFAC settlement agreement can be viewed here.

_____

Harry Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog.
Cambodias government on Tuesday defended its decision to hire a U.S. state lawmaker to lobby on behalf of its interests in Congress, amid a low point in relations between Washington and Phnom Penh prompted by democratic rollbacks in the Southeast Asian nation.



PacRim Bridges LLC, a company owned by Washington state Senator Doug Ericksen and Jay Rodnea former Washington state representative who left office earlier this yearwill be paid U.S. $500,000 annually by Cambodias government to promote improved relations between the USA and the Kingdom of Cambodia, Politico reported last week, citing a U.S. Justice Department filing.



State lawmakers are rarely involved in foreign affairs, and the awarding of the contract came after Ericksen traveled twice to Cambodia last year, including during July to observe elections widely considered unfree and unfair amid a crackdown by the government on the countrys political opposition, NGOs and independent media.



Cambodian authorities had arrested opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) President Kem Sokha in September 2017 on charges of treason and the Supreme Court dissolved the CNRP two months later, paving the way for Prime Minister Hun Sens ruling Cambodia Peoples Party (CPP) to win all 125 seats in parliament in the countrys July 2018 general election.



Ericksen at the time praised the transparency of the ballot and said it was incredibly well conducted, but the U.S. government has since leveled travel bans on Cambodian officials deemed responsible for curbing democracy, while lawmakers have proposed legislation that would require the Trump Administration to review the preferential trade terms under which Cambodia exports U.S. $180 million of goods to the United States each year.



On Tuesday, CPP spokesman Sok Ey San dismissed criticism over the arrangement, saying it would help to foster a better relationship between Cambodia and the U.S.



I think it is a good idea to ask help from foreigners to defend Cambodia and its peoples interests, he said.



It is better than asking foreigners to destroy us, he added, referring to allegations against Kem Sokha that he conspired with the U.S. to topple Cambodias governmentcharges that both the opposition leader and U.S. officials have denied. No evidence has been offered for the accusation.



Ericksen also defended the contract in an interview with the Seattle Times last week, calling it 100 percent legal and noting that state legislators serve part time and are expected to hold outside jobs.



He has said that the deal is not a lobbying contract, and that he will be acting as a consultant in the arrangement.



Analyst Kim Sok told RFAs Khmer Service on Tuesday that Hun Sens government hired PacRim Bridges to divert public attention over the European Unions threat to end tax-free entry for Cambodian exports into the European market under the Everything But Arms (EBA) schemealso prompted by concerns over restrictions on democracy in the Southeast Asian nation.



This is a not a solution, its an exaggerated situation meant to cheat the people, he said.



This is Hun Sen political warfareusing money to hire Ericksen.



CNRP Deputy President Mu Sochua, who is living in self-imposed exile, dismissed Sok Ey Sans suggestion that the opposition had ever hired foreign firms to destroy Cambodia.



We are a party and we are not the government, she said.



Hun Sens government is using the national budget to hire an American politician for help.



Counter-terrorism conference



Sok Ey Sans comments came as Hun Sens son, Hun Manet, who is deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) and the commander of the armys infantry, attends a Pacific Area Special Operations Conference on counter-terrorism in Honolulu, Hawaii, at the invitation of the U.S. government.



Sok Ey San said that the April 8-12 visit signaled improved relations with Washington, adding that Cambodias government is working on [improving] diplomacy and economybasically all aspects, as long as it will strengthen cooperation between the two countries.



The trip to the U.S. is the second for Hun Manet since an incident in April 2016, when his bodyguards allegedly assaulted a court clerk who tried to serve him with a summons for a lawsuit for wrongful imprisonment brought by a U.S. citizen of Cambodian descent who had been jailed for incitement after taking part in anti-government protests in Phnom Penh two years earlier.



In a statement, the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia confirmed Hun Manets trip to Hawaii, saying he had been invited in his capacity as the head of the National Counter Terrorism Special Forces (NCTSF), as one of approximately 36 commanders of counter terrorism units from countries in the Indo-Pacific region.



The United States has worked with the Cambodian military for years on a wide variety of trans-national issues, including counter-terrorism, maritime safety, training troops for peacekeeping operations, combatting threats to international maritime security, and responding to natural disasters and humanitarian crises, the statement said.



We have been clear with the Cambodian government that it must strengthen democratic institutions and better protect human rights before our mil-mil cooperation can reach its full potential.



Cambodias Defense Ministry abruptly suspended annual Angkor Sentinel joint exercises with the U.S. military and abandoned counter-terrorism training exercises with the Australian military in 2017.



The government had claimed it was too busy preparing security for commune elections in June that year to take part in the exercises, but they have yet to be reestablished.



Observers said at the time that the moves indicated Cambodia was pivoting away from Western influence in favor of better relations with other countries on the rise in Asia, such as China.



Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
A court in Hong Kong has found nine pro-democracy activists accused of "inciting" the 2014 Occupy Central movement guilty of public order charges.



The District Court found all nine defendants, who include movement initiators Benny Tai, Chan Kin-man, and the Rev. Chu Yiu-ming, guilty of causing a "public nuisance" by encouraging the protests.



The nine defendants, who also include barrister and lawmaker Tanya Chan, former lawmaker Lee Wing-tat, and democracy activists Eason Chung, Raphael Wong, and Tommy Cheung, had all pleaded "not guilty" of the charges, which carry a maximum penalty of seven years' imprisonment.



Tai, retired sociology professor Chan Kin-man and Rev. Chu Yiu-ming were all found guilty of "conspiracy to cause a public nuisance," while Tai and Chan were also found guilty of "inciting others to cause a public nuisance" alongside Civic Party lawmaker Tanya Chan, social welfare lawmaker Shiu Ka-chun, former lawmaker Lee Wing-tat, and activists Tommy Cheung, Raphael Wong, and Eason Chung.



Wong, Tanya Chan, and Shiu were also found guilty of "inciting people to incite others to cause a public nuisance."



In a 267-page judgment, District Court judge Johnny Chan dismissed the defendants' use of civil disobedience as a defense against criminal charges.



"The obstruction caused to the roads as a result of the launch of the Occupy Central movement on 28th September 2014 [is] unreasonable and hence unwarranted by the law," Chan found.



Chan also ruled that the public nuisance charges do not give rise to any chilling effect on the exercise of the fundamental rights to freedom of speech and freedom of peaceful assembly," and denied that the verdict would effectively suppress Hong Kong people's human rights.



He said that Tai, Chan Kin-man, and Chu knew that the Occupy movement would cause "excessive inconvenience" to the general public, which disproportionately affected the rights of others.



'No anger, no regrets'



Rev. Chu made a statement from the dock after the verdict, including a declaration from himself, Tai, and Chan Kin-man.



"We do not repent," Chu said. "We hold no grudges, no anger, and no regrets."



He added: "We have never given up."



Chan Kin-man said serving jail time was the least of the three men's worries.



"The thing we care about the most is how this movement is regarded by the whole of society," Chan told reporters. "I feel calm, because I still believe in the power of peace and love."



The nascent political party Demosisto, founded by student leaders of Occupy Central movement, said it was "appalled" by the verdict.



"We believe in the right to peaceful assembly, and to aspirations for a better, more democratic society," the party said in a statement posted to Joshua Wong's Facebook page.



"The verdict today creates a chilling effect in Hong Kong society. It will be increasingly difficult for anyone to express their opinions and to disagree with the government," it said.



"Five years ago, the Umbrella Movement was a light that brought together parts of the fragmented society, it is a shame that todays verdict and political prosecution seeks to go the opposite direction and tear apart Hong Kong society, suppressing any and all opposing voices," it said.



The group said Hong Kong's colonial-era Public Order Ordinance is an illiberal law that can interfere with people's civil and political rights under international treaties, citing concerns raised about the law by the United Nations as early as 2013.



Vengeful pursuit



Meanwhile, former colonial governor Chris Patten, now Lord Patten of Barnes, said the decision was "appallingly divisive."



"At a time when most people would have thought that the aim of the Hong Kong Government should be to bring the whole community together it seems appallingly divisive to use anachronistic common law charges in a vengeful pursuit of political events which took place in 2014," Patten wrote on the website of the rights group Hong Kong Watch.



His comments were echoed by Gyde Jensen, chair of the German Bundestag Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid.



"It is alarming that human rights activists and pro-democracy leaders are increasingly at risk in Hong Kong," Jensen said in a statement. "We cannot accept that protestors are intimidated when they exercise their right to freedom of expression and to peaceful demonstration."



In Washington, the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) also hit out at the verdict, linking it to growing interference in the political life of Hong Kong by the ruling Chinese Communist Party in Beijing, and the erosion of its promised autonomy during the past year.



"Since the 2014 Umbrella Movement, the Communist Chinese Government has increased its interference in Hong Kongs affairs and the Hong Kong government has been complicit in actively suppressing political participation and speech," the CECC said in a statement on its website.



"The charges and sentences against the Umbrella Nine effectively punish peaceful political dissent and narrow the space for free expression and peaceful assembly," the statement said.



"We urge the Hong Kong government to vigorously defend the rule of law and the freedoms on which Hong Kongs many economic successes have been built."



Thousands protested



Protests calling for universal suffrage grew out of a week-long student strike following an Aug. 31, 2014 ruling from China's National People's Congress (NPC) standing committee insisting on the vetting of electoral candidates if universal suffrage was to go ahead.



The ruling was also rejected by pan-democratic lawmakers as "fake universal suffrage."



In June 2014, an unofficial referendum saw 400,000 people vote in favor of universal suffrage and unrestricted nominations, in spite of a central government white paper spelling out that the city's autonomy was still subject to the will of Beijing, and didn't constitute full autonomy or decentralized power.



Protesters broke through into the shuttered-off Civic Square outside government headquarters on Sept. 27, bringing thousands of protesters onto the streets of nearby Admiralty.



Public anger soared when police used tear gas, batons, and pepper spray against unarmed protesters on Sept. 28, bringing hundreds of thousands of people onto the city's streets at its height, many of them calling for fully democratic elections.



U.S. and UK officials have warned repeatedly that growing political interference from Beijing is eroding the city's promised autonomy, known as the "one country, two systems" framework, under which Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997.



The cross-border detentions of five Hong Kong booksellers, and the barring of six directly elected pro-democracy lawmakers after Beijing intervened to rule their oaths of allegiance invalid, have also thrown up doubts about the city's judicial independence.



Reported by Wen Yuqing for RFA's Cantonese Service, and Lu Xi for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
More and more villagers are fleeing their homes in western Myanmars war-torn Rakhine state, even though they live in areas with no active fighting between government troops and the rebel Arakan Army, amid growing fear that Myanmar soldiers will shoot them indiscriminately during clearance operations, they told RFAs Myanmar Service.

The villagers  who are leaving communities in Mrauk-U, Kyauktaw, Minbya, Rathedaung, and Buthidaung townships that have not seen any hostilities  have pushed up the number of displaced residents by several thousands, according to a Rakhine state disaster management official.

It is a life-threatening situation, Pauk Sa, who fled with his family from Aukthakan village in Mrauk-U township, told RFA earlier this month. They shoot anyone they can find. They also have arrested and taken away anyone they think is suspicious.

Village elder Hla Tun Phyi from the same community said, What we are afraid of is getting shot and killed. Thats why we are running for our lives to safety.

Colonel Win Zaw Oo, spokesman for the Myanmar militarys Western Command responsible for Rakhine state, told RFA in late March that soldiers had apprehended individuals from villages near conflict areas, whom they deemed suspicious and detained for questioning because of an increased number of ambush attacks on its troops.

But many villagers said they are now running away or hiding whenever they see military troops.

Tun Tha Sein, a Rakhine state parliament lawmaker who represents Mrauk-U township, said that villagers who flee when they see Myanmar soldiers make themselves look suspicious.

The fear among local residents increased after they heard the news about random shootings that left several civilians dead and wounded in Aukthakan village on March 29 and in the town of Mrauk-U on March 15 and March 18.

One man and one women died and seven people were injured during the Aukthakan shooting, including Pauk Sa whose head and limb injuries were so serious that she was later rushed to a hospital in the commercial hub Yangon for treatment.

We are frightened because they cause trouble for civilians, said Soe Wai, a resident of Aukthakan village, speaking about Myanmar soldiers.

We are both frightened and distrustful of them, he said. If they hadnt done those things to our villages, we wouldnt view them this way, [and] we might still trust them. Now we dont trust them anymore because they bring all kinds of trouble to the villages.

Really scared of them

Consequently, residents of Mrauk-U townships Bu Ywat Mahnyo, Lakka, and Tain Nyo villages, where there is no armed conflict, are now also leaving their homes and taking refuge in nearby communities with available shelter.

We local civilians are really scared of them, said Hla Win Kyi who fled from Bu Ywat Mahnyo village and sought shelter in Tin Htein Kan village.

They come, and they shoot randomly, she said. We are very scared and are running away from our homes. We can barely live a day at home. We cannot live in peace. Whenever they come, we run away.

Many who have fled their homes said they later returned but left again because they were too scared to remain in their villages after Myanmar troops fired shots from heavy artillery.

The military fired many gunshots at night, said Thein Htun, who fled from Tain Nyo village and sought shelter in Tin Htein Kan village. We were afraid that they might be coming into the village. We fled here because we fear them.

The Myanmar militarys information committee and Colonel Win Zaw Oo of the Western Command said their troops were shooting back at the AA following ambush attacks.

But AA officials have denied having any military confrontations in the villages where civilians have been shot.

The additional numbers of civilians fleeing their homes has increased the number of displaced villagers to more than 31,000, said Ye Min Oo from Rakhine states Disaster Management Department.

Only 4,000 have returned home, leaving more than 27,000 still displaced as of April 6 and living in temporary shelters in Ponnagyun, Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Minbya, Rathedaung, and Buthidaung townships, he said.

The Rakhine state government estimated in an earlier report that more than 26,000 civilians had been displaced, while a Rakhine ethnic NGO put the number at nearly 28,700 as of April 2.

The government so far has provided about 400 million kyats worth (U.S. $263,900) of rice and clothing for the displaced villagers and will continue to do so, Ye Min Oo said.

Try to win peoples friendship

Htun Hlaing, a Mrauk-U resident and former Rakhine state parliament lawmaker who is now helping displaced civilians, said the Myanmar Army should try to win the trust and friendship of local civilians.

It is very sad to hear that civilians from villages without conflicts are also having trouble, he said. There shouldnt have been any losses in villages where there were no conflicts.

The military shouldnt make people despise it, he added. It should only try to win peoples friendship.

Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun of the Myanmar militarys information committee told RFA on March 29 that troops had conducted clearance operations in villages because AA soldiers were using them as cover.

In response, AA spokesman Khine Thukha said the Arakan force has never carried out attacks on the enemy in villages where civilians might be injured or killed.

When asked if the military would investigate claims that shootings by its troops had killed and injured civilians, Zaw Min Tun told RFA that the army will follow established procedures.

We have procedures for every situation, he said. We will follow our procedures on investigations whether it is for this case in losses among the civilian population or for any other scenario.

Zaw Htay, director general of President Win Myints office, said in an earlier report that 103 clashes between the AA and Myanmar forces resulted in a dozen civilian deaths and 20 civilians injured between Jan. 4 and March 28.

He also said that six of the civilians were killed by the AA, but did not specify who killed the others.

Delegates from Border Guards Bangladesh discuss border-related issues with officials from the Myanmar Police Force during a meeting in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw, April 8, 2019. Credit: RFA Bangladesh wants end to random shootings

In a related development, the head of Bangladeshs border guard service on Monday requested that the Myanmar government control random shooting along the border between the two countries to prevent civilians from being killed.

Major General Md Shafeenul Islam, director general of Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB), is leading an 11-member team in a five-day border conference in Myanmars capital Naypyidaw in meetings with a 17-member delegation led by Myanmar Police Brigadier General Myo Than, chief of the general staff of the countrys police force. The conference began on April 6.

BGB officials told their counterparts that some civilians had been killed by indiscriminate shooting from the Myanmar side of border areas, and that they wanted Myanmar officials to control it.

I request that you stop this firing near the border, Md Shafeenul Islam said. Sometimes it leads to unexpected deaths of innocent civilians.

Bangladesh currently houses more than 1.2 million Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar, including about 740,000 who fled across the border during a military-led crackdown in northern Rakhine state that began in August 2017.

About 1,300 Rohingya are stuck in a no-mans land along the border at Bangladeshs Tambru border crossing.

In June 2018, Myanmar border guards shot and injured a 10-year-old Rohingya boy playing in the buffer zone near barbed-wire fencing erected by Myanmar. In November, they fired shots into Bangladesh territory at Ukhia sub-district in Coxs Bazar, injuring two people, including a Rohingya youth.

Brigadier General Myo Than said that problems affecting bilateral ties, understanding, and trust had cropped up after deadly attacks by the Muslim militant group the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army in Rakhine state in August 2017, which triggered the brutal crackdown.

When we try to resolve and work on the problems between the two countries, it is important for both countries to have mutual understanding and respect, and to follow the agreements between the two countries, he said.

We want Bangladesh to work together with us to create an atmosphere with sustainable development, stability, peace, and equality for the Rakhine people and Rakhine state, he said.

BGB officials also said that the meeting would include discussions about the inflow of illegal narcotics, terrorism along the border, a cease-fire on the frontier, intrusions across the border, and joint patrols, according to a report by the online journal The Irrawaddy.

A press conference on the meeting is scheduled for Tuesday.

On Sunday, the Bangladeshi government sent more than 100 BGB personnel with heavy weapons to St. Martins Island off Coxs Bazar district in the Bay of Bengal, to reinforce border protection and reduce drug trafficking, Agence France-Presse reported.

The deployment came in response to Myanmars building of a steel structure along the Naf River on its side of the border without informing Bangladesh authorities, The Irrawaddy said, citing diplomatic sources.

It also came amid Bangladeshs fears of a further escalation of armed conflict in Rakhine state following a helicopter attack in Buthidaung township on April 3 that left a number of Rohingya dead and injured, the report said.

Reported by Min Thein Aung and Kyaw Lwin Oo for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung and Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
The Arakan Army said Tuesday that its forces killed a Myanmar Army officer and about 20 government soldiers late last week in ongoing clashes between the two militaries in western Myanmar's embattled Rakhine state, a casualty count for which the secretive government military offered a rare confirmation.

The announcement by the AA initially said that a dozen government soldiers, including a captain, died on the morning of April 5 during a clash between the AA and the governments 150-strong Light Infantry Battalion No. 373 near War Nat Yone village in Buthidaung township.

But AA spokesman Khine Thukha later told RFA's Myanmar Service that as many as 20 Myanmar troops had been killed.

It was Light Infantry Division No. 373 based in Ann township, he said. It clashed with AA troops, which resulted in heavy losses that day. Information that came later put the death toll at as many as 20, so I would say there were nearly 20 deaths, including a military officer.

The AAs announcement also said that its soldiers seized assorted weapons, including a pistol and other military equipment, from the government troops.

In a rare disclosure of Myanmar Army casualties, Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun of the militarys information team told RFA that one officer and some soldiers were killed in the April 5 battle.

A military officer was killed, he said. It was posted on his personal [Facebook] account. He was not of a major rank. There were also some deaths and injuries in the other ranks as well, but this is not an official account of the death toll from the military.

Social media and obituary pages in state-owned newspapers said the deceased officer was Captain Chit Ko Ko from Light Infantry Division No. 373, who graduated in the 49th class from Myanmars Military Academy.

Neither the Myanmar military nor state-owned media have made any official announcements about the clash during which the officer and other soldiers died. The AAs reported numbers would make that day the most deadly one for the army since the conflict heated up early this year.

Zaw Min Tun also said that so far this week the Myanmar Army had fought heavy battles with AA troops in Mrauk-U township and had captured two hilltops where enemy troops were based.

There were clashes in Mrauk-U region yesterday and two days ago, he said. In Mrauk-U, we captured two of AAs temporary bases.

But AA spokesman Khine Thukha denied the report.

There were no such clashes, he told RFA. We dont have any bases as they mentioned. I dont know which bases they have captured. We dont have any bases in that area.

More than 100 civilians, AA soldiers, Myanmar Army troops, and policemen have died during fighting since early January, when the hostilities escalated after Arakan fighters carried out deadly attacks on police outposts in northern Rakhine.

Rakhine states Disaster Management Department has estimated than more than 31,000 villagers have been displaced by the clashes.

Still in detention

Meanwhile, the AA told RFA that eight construction workers it apprehended on March 30 on suspicion of being spies for the Myanmar Army are still in detention and have not been killed according to rumors circulating in Myanmar and neighboring Bangladesh.

The AA accused the workers from the Hsu Htoo San Company, which is building the Paletwa-Mizoram highway to connect Myanmar and India, of being former military intelligence agents who were gathering information about the Arakan force for the Myanmar Army, though the government military denied it.

AA spokesman Khine Thukha said that the rumors that all eight men have been murdered are not true.

This is totally wrong, he said. We never commit arbitrary killings. These are just rumors.

The men are being detained in dignity and in good conditions, he added. We are only conducting necessary questioning for security. We havent committed any lawless killings.

But Khine Thukha refused to reveal evidence to back up his claim that the detainees are military intelligence agents, citing security reasons.

Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun said that the Myanmar military investigated the men and determined that they are not former military intelligence personnel.

We have investigated these people as much as we needed to, he said. They are ordinary civilians and private company employees. They are not even government staff. 

The Myanmar military has seen the same rumors that the men are dead spreading in Bangladesh, he added.

We are still trying to confirm it because the news sources are not reliable, he said. They are written in Bengali script, so they appear to be released from the Bangladeshi side, but I cant say this for sure.

Myanmar residents carry the body of an ethnic Rakhine woman for burial in Rathedaung township after fresh fighting between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army in western Myanmar's Rakhine state, Feb. 21, 2019. Credit: AFP Rakhine committee begins work

In a related development, the Rakhine State Peace and Stability Supporting Committee held its first meeting in Myanmars capital Naypyidaw on Monday nearly a month after its formation, members of the panel said.

The committee was formed by President Win Myint on March 14 to prevent provocations that could cause further instability in the violence-ridden state. The panel is required to report its findings to the president's office each month.

Led by chairman Aye Thar Aung, deputy speaker of Myanmars upper house of parliament, the committee has begun conducting field studies on peace and stability in Rakhine, consulting with stakeholders, and offering suggestions on short-term and long-term projects to forge stability.

Myanmar Information Minister Pe Myint and Rakhine state Chief Minister Nyi Pu serve as its two vice chairmen.

In his opening address at the first meeting, Aye Thar Aung said the committee will hold talks with local authorities and work towards reducing conflicts in Rakhine state, the official Global New Light of Myanmar said.

On Tuesday, the panel members met with Yangon-based Rakhine political parties and civil society organizations (CSOs) at the Yangon regional government office.

Yangon regions Rakhine Affairs Minister Zaw Aye Maung said the Rakhine Thahara Association, Rakhine Literature and Culture Organization, Rakhine Women's Organization, Arakan National Party (ANP), and Arakan Liberation Party attended the session and provided suggestions for peace and stability

We are going to help the IDPs [internally displaced persons], he said. As the rainy season is coming soon, IDPs need to have proper shelter. Although the government is trying to help them, it cannot reach every IDP.

Two committee members  Rakhine lawmaker Oo Hla Saw, who represents Mrauk-U in Myanmars lower house of parliament and is an ANP leader, and Htu May, a prominent female Rakhine politician and upper house lawmaker from Rakhine state constituency No. 11 refused to attend, saying that they were assigned to the meetings without their prior consent.

It is not the job of a member of parliament to explain government policies to people, Htu May said. An MPs job is to serve as a check on the government. It is also not an MPs mission. I am not going to do something that wont deliver any benefits to the Rakhine people.

Tun Aung Kyaw, chairman of the ANP, the most influential party in Rakhine state, said he is interested in seeing how Aye Thar Aung and Pe Myint  two ethnic Rakhines  will use their positions on the committee to stop the fighting in the state.

We are interested in how they will control this committee to bring a stop to more fighting and suffering for people in Rakhine state, he said. What is the countrys policy [on Rakhines problems]? If this committee cannot stop the fighting in Rakhine, there is no significance in forming this committee.

Political analyst Maung Maung Soe wrote in the Mrauk-U Review that it is difficult to estimate how much authority the committee has to resolve Rakhines problems.

If the committee members dont discuss details about what they will discuss when they meet with Rakhine leaders, it wont be successful, he wrote. There are about 14 committees and commissions, and only forming a committee or commission cannot resolve the problem.

On Wednesday, the committee will meet with political parties and CSOs in Rakhines capital Sittwe, Zaw Aye Maung said.



Zero tolerance border policy

Delegations of officials from Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) and the Myanmar Police Force who are meeting in Naypyidaw to discuss border-related issues have agreed on 11 points, including fighting terrorism, preventing illegal border crossings, and reducing illegal drug trafficking into Bangladesh, according to an announcement they issued Tuesday.

Both countries pledged to comply with a zero tolerance policy on terrorism and reaffirmed that the Bangladeshi government will not allow any terrorist organizations to use its territory, the announcement said.

Major General Md Shafeenul Islam, director general of BGB, said the two countries agreed to jointly prevent terrorist attacks from occurring along their common border area and discussed the repatriation of those who cross the border illegally.

Soe Aung, head administrator of northern Rakhines Maungdaw district, said the agreements will be beneficial for border security.

This meeting is mainly about security, he said. It is very helpful for security because both sides agreed to eliminate terrorist groups like the AA and ARSA [Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army].

The Rohingya militant group ARSA carried out deadly attacks on Myanmar border guard posts in August 2017 that sparked a brutal military-led crackdown targeting the countrys Rohingya Muslims, which left thousands dead and drove 740,000 others across the border to Bangladesh.

On Monday, Md Shafeenul Islam appealed to his Myanmar counterparts to stop random shootings along the border to prevent civilians from being killed.

Other agreements reached during the meeting included the sharing of real-time information about cross-border crimes, including the activities of terrorist groups.

The next meeting between senior-level Bangladeshi and Myanmar border officials will take place in Bangladeshs capital Dhaka in October.

Reported by Kyaw Lwin Oo, Kyaw Thu, and Win Ko Ko Latt for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung and Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Tibetan monks belonging to Lhasas Sera monastery are being ordered to strictly follow Chinese laws and stand against separatism in a new campaign aimed at strengthening the restive regions ties to Beijing, according to Chinese media reports.



Speaking on March 13 at a news conference in the Tibetan capital Lhasa, Monastery Management Committee director Lhakpa Tsering, a Tibetan official working for Chinas government in Tibet, told participants that monks should now practice their faith by standing against separatism.



Monks must feel grateful to the Chinese government and show their loyalty to the nation by obeying the countrys laws, Tsering said, addressing an audience of 320 including monks, management staff, police officers, and security team members.



Also speaking at the conference, Tsetan Dorje, a Tibetan official managing Sera monastery, ordered conference attendees to also carefully watch their behavior online.



Citing a set of rules called 20 Prohibitions introduced in February, Dorje urged the audience to abide by the listed restrictions in their postings on popular media platforms WeChat and Weibo, taking care not to spread information or other material deemed politically sensitive.



Jampa Kelsang, Sera monastery Media and Education Committee Director, meanwhile cautioned those gathered at the meeting to always re-pay Chinas generosity in Tibet with loyalty to Beijing and love for the top leadership of Chinas ruling Communist Party.



In a move aimed at suppressing Tibetan protests and other challenges to rule from Beijing, Chinese authorities in Tibet began in early 2012 to set up management committees in most Buddhist monasteries, placing them under the direct control of government officials.



Under a previous policy, Tibetan monasteries had been administered by so-called democratic management committees, whose members were monks nominated by government and local Communist Party officials and then elected by their own communities.



As Tibetans both inside Tibet and outside the region marked the 60th anniversary this year of a failed 1959 national uprising against Chinese rule, Chinas Global Times newspaper reported that over 30,000 monks and nuns in Chinas Tibet Autonomous Region have now been tested on Chinese laws and regulations in a bid to strengthen social stability.



Speaking to RFAs Tibetan Service, Sonam Dakpo-spokesperson for the Dharamsala, India-based Central Tibetan Administration, Tibets government in exilesaid however that China uses law in Tibet only to restrict and suppress Tibetan national identity, language, culture, and religious freedom.



China is responsible for the thousands of Tibetans who have lost their lives under the Chinese regime, Dakpo said, adding, Chinas claim that it has democratized Tibet is a complete lie.



Reported and translated by Tenzin Dickyi for RFAs Tibetan Service. Written in English by Richard Finney.
A screenshot of the viral video that depicts retired prosecutor Nguyen Huu Linh allegedly molesting a five-year-old girl in the elevator of a Ho Chi Minh City apartment building.

A Vietnamese former prosecutor has ignited public outrage after security camera footage of him allegedly sexually assaulting a minor in an elevator went viral.

The video, dated April 1, shows footage inside an elevator at an apartment building in Ho Chi Minh City. Nguyen Huu Linh, a 61-year-old retired deputy chief prosecutor for the city of Da Nang, follows a young girl into the elevator, then a security guard boards to help the girl select her floor.

After the security guard leaves, the door closes and Nguyen allegedly lunges for the girl, appearing to kiss and touch her. She then pushes him away, and he grabs ahold of her again. He then releases her, the doors open and she runs out of the elevator, stumbling after she exits.

Several Vietnamese media outlets reported the girl was five years old.

The Asia Times reported that after Nguyen was questioned by police on April 3, he stated that he only petted the girl because he thought she was cute.

Police explained that Nguyen was visiting his family members in the building and that witnesses said he was intoxicated on the night of the assault.

Once the footage of the attack went viral, a public outcry for justice in this case erupted.

A Ho Chi Minh City-based lawyer told VNExpress that the act could be considered molestation of a person under 16, which carries a sentence of six months to three years in prison according to Vietnams penal code.

On Thursday, Ho Chi Minh citys Association for the Protection of Child Rights urged government agencies to prosecute the case.

A Vietnamese law newspaper reported Friday that the Supreme Peoples Procuracy Office issued an order to the procuracy office in Ho Chi Minh city to cooperate with other agencies to investigate the case, stressing no leniency should be given for current or former officials.

Since several other high-profile cases of child molestation have sparked similar outrage over the past few years.

In November 2017, 77-year old Nguyen Khac Thuy was handed a three year sentence for molesting two girls aged six and 11. His sentence was reduced to 18 months probation in May 2018, during an appeal hearing, with the judge citing his membership in the party as his reasoning for leniency.

According to Tuoi Tre News, the decision enraged the public, as legal experts stated that party membership doesnt absolve people of their crimes.

A petition on change.org, calling for a review of the case for a more appropriate sentence, gathered 55,274 signatures as of this writing. The petition asked that an example be made of Nguyen to prevent others from committing sexual violence against children.

VNExpress also reported that last month a man was caught kissing a 20-year old woman inside an elevator in a Hanoi apartment building.

After failing to make a public apology, he was fined 200,000 dong (about $9) for using offensive words and actions toward another person. The lenient penalty angered many, who expressed their ire on social media.

While Vietnam does not publish official statistics on sexual harassment, the NGO ActionAid published a 2014 study of 2000 Vietnamese women and found that 87 percent had experienced sexual harassment, in public places.

Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Viet Ha. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
Bosnian officials' failure to agree on the setup of certain public institutions since October elections has cost the country its place in the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), highlighting how the lack of a fully functional government is damaging its drive toward the European Union.

The Council of Europe said on April 8 that it had suspended Bosnia-Herzegovina from the assembly at least until the end of the year because the country was still unable to appoint new representatives within six months of the voting.

The move came three days after the council warned Bosnian officials of the deadline, saying that "the absence of a Bosnian parliamentary delegation to the assembly is a very bad signal on the ability of your country to honor its commitments in the fields of democracy, the rule of law, and human rights."

It was the second such failure this month after it couldn't name a point of contact for Europol, the European policing agency, and may hinder Bosnia's deeper integration into European institutions.

"This is the second time in the past seven days that the government has failed to reach an agreement on very simple, I would say, technical issues, which...are extremely important for Bosnia and all its citizens," said Predrag Kojovic, head of the pro-EU Our Party and a delegate in the House of Peoples of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"This is unacceptable and inexplicable," he added.

'We Will All Feel The Consequences'

More than two decades after a devastating war pulled the fledgling country apart along ethnic lines, the landlocked country of under 4 million people is still trying to shake off the effects.

Bosnia is run by a government that includes a three-member presidency drawn along ethnic lines and two autonomous political entities.

Parliamentary elections in October underlined the same divisive rhetoric that sparked fighting almost three decades ago and highlighted Bosnia's crossroads -- either it continues to try to deepen Euro-Atlantic ties or its ethnic rivalries further derail progress toward the EU and NATO and hamper economic and political efforts.

Senad Sepic, chairman of the last Bosnian delegation to the PACE, warned that politicians may be saying the right things in Brussels' eyes but their actions are actually geared toward "endless procrastination," given rampant corruption in public institutions.

"We may have different opinions on some political issues,... but there is no argument or justification for not being able to call a delegation to the Council of Europe's parliament," Sepic told RFE/RL's Balkan Service. "This is a big slap in the face to Bosnia, and we will all feel the consequences."

Bosnia is looking toward the bloc to help pull itself out of an economic malaise that has left it among the poorest countries in Europe, with its per capita economic output at about one-third of the EU average.

But it has struggled to meet deadlines and do substantial work on the reforms needed to begin meeting EU regulations.

Because of this, says Tonino Picula, head of the Delegation for Relations of the European Parliament with Bosnia and Kosovo, the country is languishing at a time when it can't afford to.

"Unlike many countries that are in the process of integration and who have some external problems, the problems in Bosnia are internal -- and some of them, obviously, are not being put aside for the sake of progress," Picula told RFE/RL.
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In Turkmenistan, a witness filmed city workers throwing dogs into a garbage truck. In Kyrgyzstan, gunmen were seen shooting strays in broad daylight near a children's playground. Across Central Asia, animal rights activists are pushing for laws banning cruelty toward stray animals -- and they've begun to make progress.
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The Taliban claimed responsibility for an attack near Bagram Air Base on April 8 that killed three U.S. service members and an American contractor.
KHUJAND, Tajikistan -- A court in Tajikistan has sentenced a former member of the banned Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) to 15 years in prison after a controversial extremism trial.

The April 9 ruling at a hearing in the northern city of Khujand followed Naimjon Samiev's return late last year from Russia to Tajikistan under murky circumstances, with rights activists saying he was forcibly sent back by Russian authorities

Samiev was convicted of illegal weapons possession, organization of an extremist group, and participation in the activities of a criminal group.

The charges stem from his former membership in the IRPT, a once-prominent political party whose designation by Tajik authorities as a terrorist group and prohibition has been sharply criticized by human rights groups.

Samiev disappeared in December in Grozny, the capital of Russia's North Caucasus region of Chechnya, and relatives learned days later that he was in a detention center in Tajikistan.

In February, Samiev was shown on state-run television saying that he returned to Tajikistan of his own will and surrendered to the Tajik police. Government critics say people in custody are sometimes forced to make such appearances.

Human Rights Watch researcher Steve Swerdlow said on April 9 that Russia forcibly returned him to Tajikistan and called the sentence "extremely bad news."

Samiev, 56, was the leader of the IRPT branch in the northern city of Isfara in 2012-14.

The IRPT, long an influential party with representatives in the government and parliament, was labeled an extremist and terrorist group and banned in 2015 -- moves the party and human rights organizations say were unjustified and politically motivated.

Dozens of IRPT officials and supporters have been prosecuted and many of them imprisoned, drawing further criticism of President Emomali Rahmon's government from rights groups.

IRPT leader Muhiddin Kabiri has been living abroad since 2015.

Rights groups say Rahmon, who has ruled Tajikistan since 1992, has used the security forces and other levers of power to sideline opponents and suppress dissent.
Amnesty International says former Uzbek Prosecutor-General Rashidjon Qodirov who is on trial on corruption charges is at risk of being subjected to torture.

On April 8, Amnesty distributed a letter addressed to Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev urging him to "ensure [Rashidjon Qodirov] and his 12 co-defendants are protected from torture and other ill-treatment and that they have prompt access to necessary and adequate medical care."

The letter quoted "credible reports," saying that his detention on February 21, Qodirov "has been subjected to physical abuse, mock executions, sleep deprivation and other ill-treatment."

Amnesty called on those concerned by the defendants' situation to either write personal appeals to Mirziyoev or use its letter as a model to "urge [him] to launch an impartial investigation into the allegations of torture and ill-treatment against" Qodirov and his co-defendants.

Qodirov's trial behind closed doors started in Tashkent in early January. He was arrested in February 2018 and charged with extortion, bribery, and abuse of office.

Qodirov's arrest came about three years after he was fired amid a purge of officials connected to the investigation of Gulnara Karimova, the eldest daughter of late President Islam Karimov.

Qodirov, who served as the country's top law enforcement official for 15 years, was the prosecutor-general in 2014 when Karimova was detained and charged with corruption.

Her arrest came after reports emerged first in Swedish media in 2013 that Karimova used her position to serve as a gatekeeper for international telecom companies looking to invest in Uzbekistan.

Uzbek officials said later that Karimova was sentenced in December 2017 to a 10-year prison term. But the following July, the sentence was reclassified to house arrest and shortened to five years.

Uzbekistan became isolated and economically stagnant under Karimov, who tightly ruled the country after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Since Karimov's death in 2016, his successor Mirziyoev has publicly criticized government agencies and has taken steps to dismiss or remove many officials in power during Karimov's rule.

Weeks before Qodirov's arrest, Mirziyoev removed the long-serving head of the country's powerful SNB security service, Rustam Inoyatov.
Iranian leaders have condemned the decision by the United States to put Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) on its foreign terrorist organization (FTO) list.



In a televised speech on April 9, President Hassan Rohani said Washington's move was a "mistake" and asserted that the United States is the real "leader of global terrorism."



"Who are you to label revolutionary institutions as terrorists?" Rohani said. He claimed that the United States wants "to use terrorist groups as tools against the nations of the region."



His remarks came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced the decision to place the IRGC on the State Department list of foreign terrorist organizations, the first time the United States has designated a state entity of another government as a terrorist organization.

The designation enters into force next week.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on April 9 that the United States had made "a vicious move," adding that the IRGC was at the "front line of confronting [the] enemies" of the Islamic republic.



"In spite of all the pressure in the past 40 years, Americans have failed to do a damn thing and their vicious move will bear no fruit," state-run TT quoted Khamenei as saying.



The estimated 100,000-strong IRGC is a branch of the military that also plays a major role in Irans economy.

The IRGC has been involved in enforcing Islamic codes and crushing dissent at home, experts say, while taking part in covert operations, arms smuggling, and other efforts aimed at expanding Iran's influence abroad. It answers directly to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.



The United States has already blacklisted dozens of entities and people for affiliations with the IRGC, but not the organization as a whole.



In his statement on April 8, Trump said that Washington will continue to increase financial pressure and raise the costs on Iran "for its support of terrorist activity."



Tehran responded by announcing hours later that its top security council has designated the United States a "state sponsor of terrorism" and U.S. forces in the region "terrorist groups."



Iranian lawmakers chanted "Death to America" as parliament convened an open session on April 9.

Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani condemned the U.S. decision as the "climax of stupidity and ignorance."

The Supreme National Security Council's spokesman, Keivan Khosravi, said that going forward "any unusual move by American forces in the region will be perceived as the behavior [of] a terrorist group." He did not elaborate.



The IRGC-affiliated Javan daily said that Iran will have the right to respond to any attack on the organizations bases.



The hard-line Kayhan daily asserted that the U.S. decision means that Iranians now have "permission" to kill American military personnel.

With reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters


The U.S. designation of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) marks the first time Washington has officially used that label on a foreign state institution.

"It underscores the fact that Iran's actions are fundamentally different from those of other governments," U.S. President Donald Trump said in an April 8 statement.

His secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, said the move was aimed at increasing pressure on Iran and diverting some of the financial resources it allegedly uses to fund terrorism and militant activities.

The designation, effective on April 15, is a significant symbolic departure and will result in economic and travel sanctions for the IRGC -- a branch of the Iranian armed forces -- and for individuals and entities associated with the so-called Guards.

Experts say it could also increase the risk of a hostile encounter between Iranian and U.S. military forces.

But let's start with the basics.

Why The IRGC?

The IRGC was created after Iran's 1979 revolution to protect the new Islamic establishment against internal and external threats and to preserve revolutionary ideals.

Under the rule of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to whom the IRGC has answered directly since he ascended to Iran's highest post in 1989, its influence has arguably increased.

Domestically, the Guards' forces have been involved in enforcing Islamic codes and crushing dissent. Even very recently, its intelligence branch has been reported to be behind the arrests of several Iranian-Americans and environmentalists.

By targeting the IRGC, one of Iran's most powerful state institutions, Trump intends to raise the heat on Iran.

The move is part of his administration's comparatively hard line on the Islamic republic, beginning with Washington's withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers and the subsequent reimposition of tough economic sanctions that appear to have hurt Iran's currency and its economy.

In announcing the designation, Trump said this "action will significantly expand the scope and scale of our maximum pressure on the Iranian regime."

U.S. officials have said that their "maximum pressure" approach is aimed at persuading Iran to return to the negotiating table, although some have interpreted it as a campaign for regime change.

Analysts, including Rand Corporation's Ariane Tabatabai, predict that the IRGC designation will make it more difficult for Iran to return to the negotiations. "The administration is looking to build a comprehensive pressure campaign, which seems to aim to either force Tehran to fundamentally change its behavior or to pave the way for an internal collapse of the regime," she says.

The IRGC plays an important role in Iran's economy. It is also in charge of Iran's controversial missile program, which just last month a U.S. official said threatened to spark a "regional arms race."

The IRGC's involvement in Syria in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad through its Quds Force, as well as alleged operations in or involving Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, and Yemen, have also threatened perceived U.S. interests.

The group is estimated to have between 100,000 and 150,000 members, and has reportedly recruited thousands of Afghans and Pakistanis to fight in Syria, where Tehran has been allied with Assad and Russia to oppose antiregime forces that it regards as terrorists.

"The IRGC is not a conventional military force; they are a largely asymmetric force created to balance the conventional Iranian military. As a result, the tactics they employ, and their toolkit, make them a different kind of challenge to the United States," Tabatabai says.

How Could The Designation Help The U.S.?

The IRGC and its parts -- including, the elite Quds Force -- are already facing U.S. sanctions over alleged support for terrorism, human rights abuses, censorship, malign cyberactivities, and Iran's ballistic-missile program. The U.S. Treasury Department labeled the IRGC as a terrorist group in 2017.

The FTO designation raises further obstacles to doing business with Iran. But since punitive measures already in place by the United States include sweeping financial sanctions, analysts say its impact could fall short of administration hopes.

"The designation is more political and symbolic than it is impactful economically or operationally. The U.S. objective is to make it harder for the IRGC to operate beyond its borders and to delegitimize it internally, and the designation is a tool to achieve these objectives," Tabatabai says.

What Are The Risks?

Some critics of the designation, including some U.S. military and intelligence officials, have said that the "terrorist" designation could endanger U.S. troops and intelligence officers by putting them at greater risk of attacks.

In a tit-for-tat response, Iran's Supreme National Security Council announced that the United States would itself be designated a "state sponsor of terrorism," and Centcom, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East, would be designated a "terrorist group."

It is unclear how such designations will be enforced in the Persian Gulf and in countries such as Iraq.

Analyst Tabatabai says the risk of the new designation is related to uncertainty. "We've never done this before, and there's an inherent risk associated with doing something you've never done before," she says.

She adds that Iran's decision to reciprocate "will provide more of a free hand to their own forces and the operatives and terrorist groups they support to target U.S. military personnel, contractors, and others," and could make it "more difficult to deescalate situations in the Persian Gulf."

The United States has in the past accused Iranian naval forces of provocations in the Persian Gulf, including failing to observe internationally recognized maritime customs by getting too close to U.S. vessels. The incidents have involved the IRGC, which in 2016 captured and detained 10 U.S. sailors who entered Iran's territorial waters.

"The designation could make U.S.-Iranian interactions more dangerous, particularly in Iraq and the Persian Gulf," Afshon Ostovar, an assistant professor of national security affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California and author of a book on the rise of the IRGC, says.

Ostovar adds that the risks will depend on how Iran decides to respond. "If it takes any direct action or action by proxy, then it could more quickly lead to escalation. I don't believe this will happen, but it's a possibility U.S. forces in the Middle East will have to prepare for," he says.

Ali Vaez, the Iran project director at the International Crisis Group, says he believes the designation raises the risk of a direct military confrontation between the two countries. "Some in the Trump administration appear determined to provoke the IRGC into committing a mistake that would then justify taking military action against Iran," Vaez says.

Are There Domestic Consequences For Iran?

The blacklisting of the IRGC has resulted in a show of support and unity inside Iran, where lawmakers attended an April 9 parliament session wearing the uniform of the Guards.

Leading reformist lawmaker Mahmud Sadeqi, an outspoken critic of hard-liners, was among those expressing support for the IRGC.

"I am also a guard," the reformist daily Etemad said on a front page that features a picture of IRGC members.

The designation could make any criticism of the IRGC even more difficult, as critics are likely to be accused of siding with the U.S and supporting Washington's tough line on Iran.

It could also complicate purported efforts by Iranian President Hassan Rohani to restrict the group's role in the economy.

The impact of the U.S. designation on the many tens of thousands of Iranians who have served their mandatory military service in the IRGC is not immediately clear. They include intellectuals and members of the opposition.

Award-winning exiled Iranian journalist Akbar Ganji served in the IRGC during the 1980-88 war with Iraq. Ganji, who was jailed in Iran for six-years, now lives in the United States.

"Those who have served in the IRGC could be considered as having been in a terrorist organization, at least by the United States," says analyst and author Ostovar, who adds that the designation will make it difficult for former members of the IRGC to obtain U.S. visas.

Iranians are already among the citizens of seven countries who face a U.S. travel ban enacted in 2017.
Avectas, a Dublin, Ireland- and Cambridge, MA-based cell engineering technology company, completed a US$10m equity financing.

The round was led by Seamus Mulligan.

The company intends to use the funds to accelerate the development, scale-up and commercialisation of Solupore.

Founded in 2012 as a spin-out from Maynooth University in Ireland by Dr. Michael Maguire and Dr. Shirley ODea, and also led by Chief Scientific Officer and business development Director Dr Gillian Hendy, Avectas is developing a patented, non-viral, cell engineering technology which efficiently engineers therapeutic cells, at scale, while maintaining optimal cell functionality.

The company collaborates with cell and gene therapy businesses and academic institutions to address their cell engineering challenges using its patented Solupore technology.

Avectas has 24 employees including 13 with doctorate degrees.

FinSMEs

09/04/2019
A Pakistani anti-graft tribunal has indicted opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif on charges he misused his power to benefit a factory owned by his family while he was the head of a provincial government.



Sharif and his son Hamza Shahbaz were both indicted during a brief court hearing in Lahore, the capital of Punjab Province, on April 9.



The father and son, who will now face trial, denied any wrongdoing and said the charges were politically motivated.



In February, Sharif was charged with abusing his office as the chief minister of Punjab from 2013 to 2018.



In that ongoing case, he was accused of influencing authorities to award contracts for a government-run housing program for low-income citizens to a company with which he had political affiliations.



Sharif is the younger brother of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was removed from office by the Supreme Court in 2017 over corruption allegations.



A court in July sentenced the former leader and his daughter to 10-year and seven-year terms in prison, respectively, over the purchase of luxury apartments in London in the 1990s.



They have denied wrongdoing, with Sharif suggesting collusion between the countrys powerful military and courts to throw him out of power.

Based on reporting by AP and Dawn
President Vladimir Putin says Russia will dramatically increase its presence in the Arctic region by building new ports and other facilities and expanding its fleet of icebreaker vessels, as the competition for the area's natural resources intensifies.

Putin told the leaders of Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden at the International Arctic Forum in St. Petersburg on April 9 that Russia's efforts will help quadruple the level of cargo shipments across the Arctic sea route.

"This is a realistic, well-calculated, and concrete task. We need to make the Northern sea route safe and commercially feasible," he said.

The shrinking polar ice in the Arctic region is expected to offer new opportunities for resource exploration and the development of new shipping lanes, leading Russia, the United States, Canada, Denmark, and Norway into a competition for jurisdiction in the region.

Putin set a goal for the amount of cargo carried across the shipping lane to rise to 80 million metric tons by 2025 from the 20 million tons transported in 2018, the majority under Russian-flagged vessels.

Russia, the only country with a fleet of nuclear icebreakers, is moving to expand its current inventory of four nuclear-powered vessels to a total of nine by 2035, he said. It also has four nonnuclear icebreakers in its fleet.

Putin said he was inviting foreign companies to invest in the plans to expand infrastructure along the Arctic shipping route from Murmansk to the Kamchatka Peninsula.

"We contemplate creating...preferential conditions for companies working in the challenging Arctic environment," he said.

The forum comes as other countries have expressed concerns about the Russian military's program to upgrade and modernize a series of Soviet-era military bases across the region and to establish a new Arctic command.

Norway's prime minister, Erna Solberg, urged countries to respect international law in their endeavors in the region to help maintain peaceful conditions.

"Respect for international law and regional cooperation are keys to ensuring peace and stability across borders," she told the forum.

In 2017, Jim Mattis, the U.S. defense secretary at the time, noted the Russian buildup and said that "America has got to up its game in the Arctic."

"The Arctic is key strategic terrain. Russia is taking aggressive steps to increase its presence there. I will prioritize the development of an integrated strategy for the Arctic," said Mattis, who left his position at the end of 2018.

At the Arctic forum, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov defended the military buildup, saying, "We dont threaten anyone."

"We ensure sufficient defense capabilities given the political and military situation around our borders," He added.

The two-day forum ends on April 10.

With reporting by AP, TASS, Foreign Policy, The Hill, and Interfax
Russian prosecutors have demanded a 14-year prison sentence for a Norwegian citizen accused by Moscow of spying on its nuclear submarines.

Prosecutor Milana Digayeva on April 9 demanded that Frode Berg serve the sentence in a penal colony, according to Russia's Interfax news agency.

Digayeva said the verdict in the espionage case was expected on April 16.

The case is being heard behind closed doors at the Moscow City Court for secrecy reasons.

Berg, 63, has pleaded not guilty.

Russian authorities have said Berg was arrested in December 2017.

Digayeva said that the accused was caught red-handed with the documents he had received from an employee of a military facility, Aleksei Zhitnyuk, who was shadowed by Russian intelligence.

Zhitnyuk was found guilty of high treason in December and sentenced to 13 years in prison.

Norwegian media reports say that Berg is a former border inspector, and that the Norwegian Foreign Ministry was working to provide him with assistance.

Berg's lawyers have said that he admitted being a courier for Norway's military intelligence, but that he had little knowledge of the operation he took part in.

Based on reporting by AFP and Interfax
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that Russian authorities violated the rights of opposition politician Aleksei Navalny by holding him under house arrest in 2014.



Navalny was placed under house arrest in February 2014 and confined to his home for several months while he was being investigated on suspicion of embezzlement in the so-called Yves Rocher case, which he and supporters say was politically motivated.



"The restrictions on him, including tight limits on his communicating, [were] out of proportion to the criminal charges he had faced," the ECHR said in a statement after its ruling on April 9.



The ECHR ruled that Russia had violated the European Convention on Human Rights and said it was "apparent that he had been treated in that way in order to curtail his public activities."

The Strasbourg-based court ordered Russia to pay Navalny 20,000 euros ($22,480) in damages and 2,665 euros ($3,000) in remuneration for costs and expenses related to the case.



Navalny called the ECHR's ruling a "victory," while President Vladimir Putin's spokesman criticized it.



"I congratulate our team of lawyers and all the honest people who have supported us," Navalny wrote on Instagram. "I am sure that this ruling will have important consequences for those in Russia who have constantly been facing similar lawlessness."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the ruling was "quite unexpected" and that Putin's administration could "hardly agree" with it.

Russia has lost a number of high-profile cases in Strasbourg and been ordered to pay out hefty compensation in scores of politically embarrassing cases.

In December 2014, Navalny and his brother Oleg were convicted by a Russian court on charges of embezzling 30 million rubles -- then worth about $442,000 -- from the Russian branch of Yves Rocher and another firm.



But the ECHR ruled in October 2017 that the Russian courts violated their right to a fair trial in the case.



That ECHR ruling initially held that their convictions in the Yves Rocher case fell outside the definition of fraud.



When Russia appealed that decision, the ECHR reconsidered the case and in November 2018 expanded its ruling against Russian authorities.



It found that Russia violated Navalnys rights over numerous arrests and detentions from 2012 to 2014, calling them "unlawful and arbitrary" and "politically motivated."

Navalny, one of Putins main political opponents, has led dozens of street protests and published reports alleging corruption among members of the ruling elite.



He has spent a total of more than 200 days in jail since 2011, mostly serving short terms for alleged infractions of laws governing public demonstrations.



Along with the so-called Kirovles case, the Yves Rocher case is one of two in which Navalny has been convicted of financial crimes following trials that supporters contend were Kremlin-orchestrated efforts to punish and sideline him.



His prison sentences in both cases have been suspended, prompting speculation that Putin fears that sending him to prison for years could galvanize Kremlin opponents.



Navalny sought to challenge Putin for the presidency in March 2018 but electoral authorities barred him from the ballot, citing the two convictions.

With reporting by AFP, Reuters, and Interfax
Taliban fighters attacked Afghan Army checkpoints near the Pakistani border overnight, killing 20 troops, an Afghan official has said.

Eight more troops were wounded in the attack in Shorabak district, Mohammad Yousof Younosi, a council member in Kandahar Province, said on April 9.

An official from the provincial governor's office, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, confirmed the attack and said there were casualties among the Afghan forces, but did not give precise figures.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yusouf Ahmadi claimed responsibility for the attack and said the group's fighters also seized weapons and ammunition.

Also on April 9, U.S. forces in Afghanistan revised the death toll from a Taliban car-bomb attack a day earlier near the main U.S. base in the country, saying two U.S. soldiers and a Marine were killed but not a contractor who was initially reported among the fatalities.

Based on reporting by AP and Tolo News
Ukrainian activist Volodymyr Balukh, who is serving a five-year prison term in Russia on charges he and his supporters say are politically motivated, has been placed in solitary confinement.

The Crimean Rights Defense Group nongovernmental organization quoted Balukh's sister, Nadia, as saying that officials at the Correctional Colony No. 4 in the western Russian town of Torzhok had informed her on April 9 that her brother had been placed in solitary confinement for 15 days on April 4.

She said the colony guards refused to pass food and clothing parcels to Balukh, and told her that inmates placed in solitary confinement could not receive items from their relatives.

It is not clear why Balukh was placed in solitary confinement.

The 48-year-old activist was initially arrested in December 2016 in Russia-annexed Crimea. He was convicted on a weapons-and-explosives possession charge in August 2017.

His conviction and nearly four-year prison sentence were reversed on appeal and returned to a lower court, which issued the same verdict and sentence in January 2018.

A new case against Balukh was opened in March 2018, after the warden of the penal facility in Crimea where he was held sued him, claiming that Balukh attacked him.

In July, a court found Balukh guilty of the second charge and ruled that he will serve a total of five years in prison for both convictions.

In October, the top regional court reduced Balukh's five-year prison term by one month.

Russia seized Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in March 2014, sending in troops and staging a referendum denounced as illegitimate by at least 100 countries, after Moscow-friendly Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was pushed from power by protests.

Rights groups say that since then, Russia has moved aggressively to prosecute Ukrainian activists and anyone who questions the annexation.
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Buckzy Payments Inc., a Toronto, CA-based fintech company, closed a $1.75m seed funding round.

The round was led by Mistral Venture Partners joined by New York based Revel Partners.

The company intends to use the funds to scale its real-time global payments network.

Led by Abdul Naushad, CEO & Founder, Buckzy facilitates international B2B/B2C/P2P payments, with funds reaching the recipient in under five minutes. Available 247, 365 days a year, with zero transaction fees, the network technology platform enables cross border money movement between banks and 3rd party wallets to enable global remittance, bill payments and B2B Commerce payments.

FinSMEs

09/04/2019
Clozette, a Singapore-based new media company that inspires and engages contemporary women with content centered on beauty, fashion, travel and wellness, raised US$10m in Series C funding.

The round was led by Cool Japan Fund, a public-private fund under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan (METI) that provides risk capital for businesses with the aim of commercialising the Cool Japan concept.

The company intends to use the funds to accelerate product innovation, drive international expansion beginning with Thailand, and develop an interactive Cool Japan Ecosystem that brings Japanese culture to a new generation of consumers.

Founded in 2010 and led by Roger Yuen, CEO, Cheryl Tan, Co-founder, Sales & Business Development Director, and Kersie Koh, Co-founder, Content & Product Director

Clozette pioneered a new category of storytelling that combines editorial authority and the authenticity of curated user-generated content. With a team of over 90 employees operating in South East Asia and Japan, the company delivers brand content that incorporates original work created by an expansive network of more than 3,500 creators boasting a collective social reach that exceeds 600 million.

Clozette has worked with more than 300 brands and media agencies that include Estee Lauder, Shiseido, Amore Pacific, Zalora, Charles & Keith, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, Beiersdorf, GroupM, IPG Mediabrands, and Omnicom Media Group.

The interactive Cool Japan Ecosystem by Clozette is scheduled to launch in June 2019.

Existing investors in the company include Phillip Private Equity and Walden International.

FinSMEs

09/04/2019
Congress approves proposal port for Bacalar Lagoon

Chetumal, Q,R.  To guarantee the safety of navigation in the Bacalar Lagoon as well as regulate passenger transport services and nautical tourism permits, state congress has approved a port for the lagoon.

The Congress of Quintana Roo has approved an agreement to exhort the Ministry of the Navy, so that through the Port Captaincies and Maritime Affairs Unit, an internal port captaincy with territorial jurisdiction can be established in the Lagunar System of Bacalar.

The agreement, promoted by deputy Ramon Javier Padilla Balam and deputy Adriana Chan Canul, was endorsed by the Plenary of the XV Legislature of the State presided by deputy Leslie Hendricks Rubio.

Padilla Balam explained that it is necessary for the authorities to conduct a study and assessment of the feasibility to establish in the municipality of Bacalar, an inland port captaincy that has territorial jurisdiction in the lagoon as well as reinforce the surveillance and supervision of nautical activities in the lagoon.

Having a port captaincy in Bacalar will ensure security, carry out rescue activities, administration and operation of maritime signaling, maritime traffic control, among others, he explained.

The legislator noted that in recent years, there has been a large increase in the use of boats in the Laguna de Bacalar with some offering irregular tourism services. He added that there are also boats longer than 26 feet in length which, due to their size, are not suitable for sailing in the lagoon without causing damage.

There are also cases of unqualified people running boats who do not know the lagoon or navigate recklessly, which can result in accidents by navigating in dangerous areas or by not having the necessary expertise to be captain of a boat, he added.
Klook, a Hong Kong-based travel activities and services booking platform, raised US$225M in Series D+ funding.

This increases the companys total Series D funding round to US$425M.

The SoftBank Vision Fund led the round with participation from existing investors, including Sequoia China, Matrix Partners, TCV, and OurCrowd.

The company intends to use the funds to scale operations into new geographies and continue to expand in its existing Asian markets, mainly in Japan.

Founded in 2014 by Ethan Lin, CEO, and Eric Gnock Fah, COO, Klook is a travel activities and services booking platform that gives travelers a way to discover and book attractions, tours, local transportation, best foods, and unique experiences around the world on its website and app. With its innovative technologies, travelers can book on-the-go and redeem the services by using QR codes or e-voucher.

In the last year, the company expanded its global presence into Australia, Europe and the United States, entered into major global partnerships with Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Asia Pacifics leading luxury hotel group; and Rail Europe, a distributor of European rail products that represents more than 50 railroads throughout Europe.

Klook has a team of more than 1,000 across over 20 offices worldwide, with services available in nine languages, supporting 41 currencies.

The company has raised over US$520m investment from investors including Sequoia Capital, Softbank Vision Fund, Matrix Partners, Goldman Sachs, and TCV.

FinSMEs

09/04/2019
PLANS to cut the number of firefighters per engine from five to four have been condemned as unthinkable by union leaders.

South Yorkshire Fire Service is proposing to cut the size of fire crews in what it admitted was a cost-cutting measure, saying it had to find up to 4 million in annual savings.

Fire chief James Courtney said fire services in 17 other areas used four-person crews as standard and SYFR regularly resorted to them during periods where staff numbers were stretched.

But these areas include only one  Tyne and Wear  of similar profile to South Yorkshire.

The fire services Draft Integrated Risk Management plan will go out to consultation next month after being discussed at a meeting of South Yorkshire Fire Authority yesterday.

Councillors said they hoped the consultation would throw up alternative cost-saving ideas, with Wath councillor Alan Atkin saying none of the options on the table was palatable.

Cllr Tony Damms said: I hope what we can get from the consultation process is reassurance and perhaps some new ideas.

The FBU said it considered five to be the minimum number of firefighters needed to safely tackle a blaze and to rescue a member of the public trapped inside a burning building.

SYFR said the only alternative to making the change to four-person crews  which had already been adopted by many UK fire services nationwide  was to reduce the speed of its 999 response from up to half of its fire stations, by replacing fully-staffed stations with night-time retained crews.

Mr Courtney told the meeting it was hoped advances in technology could help smaller fire crews, but he acknowledged that riding four instead of five would mean each crew member would ultimately have to do more.

The fire service was given a financial headache after being barred from using a controversial shift arrangement known as Close Proximity Crewing  which saves SYFR 1.4 million a year  and by the potential need to meet a national shortfall in pension contributions.

Neil Carbutt, FBU South Yorkshire brigade secretary, has described the plan to cut crew numbers as unthinkable and said it would leave fire engines short-staffed, damaging the ability of firefighters to keep the public safe.

He added: Central government has consistently underfunded our fire and rescue service but the price for that cannot be the safety of our community.

The fire authority opted to note the plan rather than approve it until the consultations are complete.

Police and crime commissioner Dr Alan Billings said the document put out to consultation should be amended to include details of the other cost-saving options that had been considered before the proposal for smaller crews was put forward.

Councillors also pledged to urge MPs to lobby the Government for more funding for fire services.

Mr Carbutt said: Its vital that the fire authority exhaust all options of funding to keep our community safe.

Its crucial that members and the wider public continue to fight these cuts as the proposals enter their consultation phase.

The consultation will be launched on May 3 and will include social media channels, the fire services website and internal communication channels.

It will involve staff, the public, council leaders and MPs.

Mr Courtney said: We would like the views of as many people as possible in terms of this proposal and any viable options people can come up with.
Kim Endicott, 56, was released on Sunday with her driver, Jean Paul Mirenge Remezo, 48. The Ugandan Minister of Tourism, Kiwanda Godfrey Ssuubi, confirmed on Monday that his government previously paid $30.000 for her to be freed. The kidnappers had demanded a $500,000 ransom which both the US and the Ugandan government refused to pay. Our first priority, number one, was to make sure they were safe. I dont think it should be turned into a very big situation, he said. Endicott and her driver were dropped off at the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday after days of negotiations.

It remains unclear how many people have been arrested and their identities have not been released. In its tweet, the Ugandan Police Force said: The intelligence led operation which was calculated and tactical, in the early stages is now progressing unhindered, with raids and extensive searches in Kanungu district, where the suspects were arrested and the neighboring areas. On Monday, President Trump tweeted: Uganda must find the kidnappers of the American Tourist and guide before people will feel safe in going there. Bring them to justice openly and quickly!
Leadfeeder, a Helsinki, Finland-based company that provides tools for B2B companies to generate new leads from website analytics, closed a 3.1m series A funding.

The round was led by Endeit Capital, with particiation from Superhero Capital and Vendep Capital.

The company will use the capital to further develop its AI-powered B2B lead automation tool, with the hiring of new talent and accelerated international expansion as top priorities.

Led by CEO Pekka Koskinen, Leadfeeder uses Google Analytics data to reveal the names and behavior of the companies visiting a website. This data integrates with CRM and email marketing tools, pointing a sales department in the direction of companies interested in its services.

The tool does not capture personal information about website visitors and is GDPR compliant.

FinSMEs

09/04/2019
Nick Lonski, who has been an Edward Jones financial advisor in Sidney since 2001, was recently invited to attend the Edward Jones Managing Partners Conference April 23-26 in Scottsdale, Ariz. The prestigious annual event honors the top 400 of the firms more than 17,000 financial advisors.

The meeting pools Edward Jones most successful financial advisors for a discussion with Penny Pennington, Edward Jones managing partner, on issues facing the firm and the financial services industry as a whole.

Its rewarding and extremely beneficial to spend time with our firms visionaries and colleagues who are so accomplished, says Lonski. I know Ill return energized and with lots of fresh ideas to share with my clients.

This is the 6th time Lonski has been invited to this event.

Lonski and Branch Office Administrators Susan Duffey, Ashley Anvik and Ashley Volkman can be reached at 406-433-3600. You may also visit Lonskis website at http://www.edwardjones.com/nick-lonski.

Edward Jones, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in St. Louis, provides financial services in the U.S. and, through its affiliate, in Canada. Every aspect of the firms business, from the investments its financial advisors offer to the location of its branch offices, caters to individual investors. The firms 17,000-plus financial advisors serve more than 7 million clinets and care for $1 trillion in assets under management. Visit our website at edwardjones.com and recruiting website at careers.edwardjones.com. Member SIPC.
The Watford City High School Art Department and the Long X Arts Foundation will be home to mural artist, award-winning arts programmer and teaching artist Markus Tracy from April 1-12.

Tracy's two week residency at WCHS is focused on working with the junior high, high school and after school art students to design, implement and create a comprehensive mural on the wall in the fine arts wing of the high school. This will be the first piece of public art in the school.

Tracy is known for his successful partnerships with schools, museums, civic institutions, nonprofit organizations, and correctional facilities throughout the United States. Along with exhibiting his work nationally, Tracy has been awarded numerous public art commissions, grants, and artist in residencies throughout the United States.

"The students are in good hands with Markus," said Jessie Scofield, director of the Long X Arts Foundation. "This year is our first year working with the art department on an after school art club for teenagers, and this mural project was something they really wanted to see through. We wanted to help make it the best possible experience for them so we sought partnerships from some great organizations who believe in the power of art experiences."

Tracy's visit is made possible through a grant from the North Dakota Council on the Arts and a generous sponsorship from Oneok, Inc. Meyer's Department Store is providing Tracy's lodging during his stay.

Tracy believes that the function of murals should go beyond an aesthetic appeal but bridge a common ground based on social and cultural understanding.

Tracy will be in the classroom working with students during his entire residency. The process includes helping them conceptualize the design, present it to the school for approval and then assisting them in organizing a plan to involve other students and volunteers to complete the piece. The idea is to put the process in the students' hands. By the time Tracy leaves on April 12, Watford City High School will be home to a complete piece of art that is unique to the students who designed it.

"This project is something the kids have been excited about since fall," said Jane Hadley, WCHS art instructor. "It gives the kids a sense of ownership in the building and pride in being creative. We are very thankful for the support we received to get him here to share his expertise."

"This is truly a unique experience for these students and we hope that it opens the door to many more opportunities for the community to be involved and invest in public art," added Scofield. "Watch for your chance to help make this mural come to life in the coming week!"

To follow along with the process and learn about how to get involved, follow the Long X Arts Foundation on Facebook, Instagram or visit http://www.longxarts.com.

A Community Work night has been scheduled for Thursday, April 11 from 3:30 until 9 p.m. People can come for a few minutes or stay all night. Open to all ages and skill levels. Come in the L6 North Door. Snacks will be available.
I will never forget the day I learned the cost of my husbands new medication: $9,000 per month, totaling $108,000 per year. Panic set in as we wondered how we would pay. We researched alternatives. There werent any, even though the drug has been on the market for over 20 years.

To our great relief, our health insurance covered - and continues to cover - this expensive medication, which we could otherwise not afford. With this drug my husband stays out of the hospital, can go to work, pay taxes and remain a productive member of society. My family is lucky that our drug costs are covered. I know many Montanans are struggling and cannot afford their prescription drugs, especially when the prices keep going up without warning.

Even though insurance is paying for my husbands medicine, the expense does not simply disappear. Big Pharma still gets paid and Montanans foot the bill through monthly health insurance premiums, at the pharmacy till, and through our taxes to support Medicare and Medicaid. For every $1of our monthly health insurance premium, 24 are spent on prescription drug costs alone. The amount spent on pharmaceuticals has now overtaken the money spent on doctor visits, hospital stays and medical services.

Rising drug costs are one of the biggest contributors to the increasing price of our health care. If we want to address these costs, we must rein in Big Pharmas price-gouging practices which hurt Montanans health and finances.

This is why I brought the bipartisan Prescription Drug Price Transparency Act (HB 710) with co-sponsor Representative Joel Krautter (R-Sidney). This bill requires drug manufacturers to justify price hikes and become accountable players in our healthcare system. This bill will identify the key drivers of price hikes so Montana can make informed decisions to tackle the rising costs of our medicine and put greater public pressure on drug companies to deter excessive price hikes.

Drug price hikes are common stories in our National news. We all remember the outrage when we learned that the price of EpiPens  which reverse life-threatening allergic reactions - had increased from $100 to $608 per pack. Another example is the skyrocketing price of insulin to treat diabetes. Insulin has been available since 1923, and a vial that used to cost $25 now costs $400-$500 even though the drug itself hasnt really changed. Yet another example is the drug Narcan that reverses opioid overdoses. It was invented in 1961 and has been saving lives the past 50 years. One manufacturer recently increased the drug price by 600% (from $575 per dose to $4,100 per dose) during the height of our countrys opioid crisis. There are many more stories like this.

Congress and journalists have asked the Pharma CEOs for justification. One CEO who raised the cost of antibiotic Nitrofurantoin by 400% (from $500 to $2,000), replied I think its a moral requirement to make money when you can  to sell the product for the highest price. And Martin Shkreli, the Pharma CEO called his companys 4,000% price increase of a 62-year old anti-parasite drug altruistic for patients.

This bill is a needed step in the right direction. Once we know the key drivers of drug costs we can make smart decisions as policymakers and consumers, and our health care payers can take appropriate steps to contain costs.

This important solution is now headed to the Senate after passing the House with overwhelming bipartisan support, 76-24 including the support of Republican Speaker of the House Greg Hertz.

We must require transparency from drug manufacturers because they set the price for drugs sold in America. Until we do, our health care costs will keep going up and Montanans will continue pay.
Jacklyn Damm, Tobacco Prevention Specialist at the Richland County Health Department will be presenting Kick Butts Day hosted by Savage Junior High and High School on April 11.

As an annual celebration of youth leadership and activism in the fight against tobacco use, Kick Butts Day rotates around Richland County schools each year. This year Savage will feature five activities to demonstrate important consequences of tobacco use.

Posters around the school will inform students that across the nation 1200 people die every day from a tobacco related disease. 100 rubber rats will be hidden around the school for students to find and exchange for prizes. The rats represent arsenic, or rat poison, which is found in tobacco products like cigarettes, spit tobacco, and vapes. A display board showing damage caused by vape devices exploding will demonstrate that electronic cigarettes can damage lungs and may explode in addition to containing a highly concentrated amount of nicotine. A candy store comparing candy flavored tobacco and actual candy will illustrate how Big Tobacco markets towards minors. Mr. Gross Mouth, a display of oral diseases will show students how using spit or smokeless tobacco increases risk for cancer of the mouth, gums, and throat. It also increases risk for gum disease, stained teeth and tooth lossMontanans that use tobacco on average have six fewer teeth than Montanans who have never used tobacco products. Spit tobacco also absorbs into the body faster which also increases risk for nicotine addiction.

For more information please contact Jacklyn at the Richland County Health Department at 406-433-2207. The MT Quitline is also available for all tobacco users including vaping. Call 1-800-Quit-Now or go online to QuitNowMontana.com. The Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program plays an important role in Partnership for Promise, a subcommittee of Communities in Action that strives to work together to with the youth of Richland County to create an ongoing, healthy, and supportive environment.
The Richland County Sheriff's Office serves an area of 2103 square miles, including the unincorporated towns of Crane, Savage and Lambert. They also work closely with the Police Departments in Fairview and Sidney, Montana Highway Patrol, and neighboring Roosevelt and Dawson counties in Montana and McKenzie County, ND.

Law enforcement, dispatch and jail services are provided by a staff of 35 people, led by Sheriff John Dynneson, and Undersheriff Bob Burnison.

Besides solving crimes, the Sheriff's Office is responsible for serving any civil or court papers throughout the entire county. Those include protective orders, subpoenas, divorce papers, writs of execution, and more. They also conduct Sheriff's sales.

When asked about the greatest challenges currently facing the office, Dynneson said he is concerned about slight downturn in the growth of the local economy which results in less revenue dollars to fund services. Those services still must be provided, but Dynneson said he must be conscientious of the cost and work to be as efficient as possible, saving dollars for the county. Budget cuts are being made but requirements like new technology and advanced equipment are critical to maintaining an effective infrastructure. He also must budget what is needed to run a compliant jail. Inmate count is down but that means the cost per inmate, per day, goes up since the same staffing is required.

Burnison noted that the size of the county and the effort required to cover it all effectively is a challenge. Depending on where an officer is needed, and his location at the time, it can sometimes take up to an hour to respond on site to a call.

The Richland County Sheriff's Office works well with adjoining counties and other county entities. "We have a good relationship with the County Attorney's office and other law enforcement," Burnison said. "We're all small so we need each other."

Undersheriff Bob Burnison

On a positive note, Dynneson is seeing less crime, particularly the theft of metals as these are less readily available. Staff is stabilized which is a big relief from the chaotic days during the most recent boom. "They (Deputies) support what we're trying to do," he said. "We're reaching the goals I set in the last election and are finally starting to obtain the technology, equipment and training we need. Keeping up with technology is a big stumbling block for rural areas but we have to get there. The deputies are embracing the tools they're given."

Every day is a different day Dynneson said about his position as sheriff. "New experiences and new challenges were what I was looking for when I asked to be Sheriff," he stated. "It hasn't let me down yet." He plans to run for the office again in 2020 if his health is good. He notes he has spent his adult life in Law Enforcement and feels his experience is valuable to the citizens of Richland County.

We wish to express our deep appreciation for Law Enforcement and say thank you for making Richland County a safe place to live.
Lebanons energy minister has announced a second round of bidding for licenses to search offshore for oil a day after the cabinet approved it.

Energy Minister Nada Boustani said the deadline for companies to submit their offers for five of the countrys 10 offshore blocks is Jan. 31, 2020.

The first round of Lebanons licensing process saw two blocks in the Mediterranean Sea awarded to French Total, Italian Eni and Russian Novatek. One of them is disputed in part by Israel.

We are heading toward an oil-productive Lebanon, Boustani said at a news conference in Beirut on Friday.

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She said the purpose is to increase exploration in Lebanese waters and strengthen competition among bidding companies.

Lebanese governments have long sought energy development but political bickering and a dispute with Israel over the maritime border has caused delays.

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A public memorial service for slain rapper Nipsey Hussle is set for 10 a.m. Thursday at Los Angeles Staples Center.

Tickets for the service will become available at 10 a.m. Tuesday via axs.com to California residents only. Residents must enter their ZIP code in the promo code box. There is a four-ticket limit per household.

Tickets are complimentary and will be available only electronically through the AXS mobile app, which is free to download.

Doors open at 8 a.m. More information is available at staplescenter.com/NipseyHussle.

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A celebrated rapper and activist, Hussle was gunned down outside his clothing store on Slauson Avenue on March 31. The 33-year-old musician and Grammy-nominated artist was a pillar in his South L.A. neighborhood and praised for helping others in the community.

Hussles death came a day before a scheduled meeting with LAPD Chief Michel Moore and Police Commissioner Steve Soboroff to talk about ways he could help stop gang violence.

Hussle had two children: a son with his girlfriend, Lauren London, and a daughter from a previous relationship.

Eric Holder, 29, is accused of shooting Hussle and has been charged with one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. Police allege Holder had gotten into a dispute with Hussle earlier in the day and returned with a gun and started shooting.
San Diego Countys plan that would allow developers to pay their way around restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions appears to be in legal peril. However, several projects already approved by the Board of Supervisors still could move forward.

The Sierra Club and the county went head to head on Friday in front of Superior Court Judge Timothy B. Taylor, who said he would issue a final ruling in the case before Christmas. The ruling, while potentially influential, is expected to be appealed.

The decision of this court will no doubt receive a great deal of attention, and local governments throughout the state and state agencies will look to see whether the courts will countenance using what essentially amounts to unenforceable carbon offsets to allow unrestricted development, Josh Chatten-Brown, a lawyer for the Sierra Club, said at the hearing.

Lawyers for the county have repeatedly argued that the use of offsets anywhere in the world should be allowed because greenhouse gases dont stay local.

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The issue of climate change is a global one  Thats simply acknowledging the science and California Supreme Court case law, said Joshua Heinlein, deputy county counsel arguing the case.

While Taylor seemed sympathetic to the environmental groups arguments, several question remained  including the fate of thousands of planned housing units that rely on carbon offsets to cancel out vehicle emissions.

Taylor reaffirmed at the hearing a previously issued tentative ruling that found the offset program lacked oversight and most significantly violated the countys 2011 general plan update, which called for drafting a Climate Action Plan to reduce climate pollution within the countys local jurisdiction.

Carbon offsets, bought through online storefronts known as registries, can fund everything from land conservation to sustainable agricultural and logging practices.

While California allows regulated industries to purchase carbon offsets to comply with the cap-and-trade program, those credits are not counted as part of the states overall efforts to reduce greenhouse gases 40 percent by 2030.

Lawyers for the county repeatedly argued on Friday that the program shouldnt be restricted by the general plan. They said the offset strategy was technically not part of the countys 2018 climate blueprint, but rather written into a supplemental environmental impact report.

Taylor didnt seem convinced by this argument.

This was the way it was written, the judge told county counsel. I know its uncomfortable for you now, but  how can you possibly parse this and come up with a conclusion other than the one that your adversaries have put forward. Its just a common-sense reading.

County attorneys then argued that if the offset program were invalidated, the 2018 Climate Action Plan could still be preserved at the judges discretion.

That can be severed from the rest of the cap, such that the rest of the CAP reduction measure can move forward, Heinlein said.

The judge said he would look into whether such a move would be allowed or advisable.

Roughly 10,000 new housing units in seven developments located throughout the county have been designed using carbon offsets. Those credits would account for nearly 80 percent of project emissions, almost exclusively from car and truck pollution.

The Board of Supervisors has already approved four of those projects despite the lawsuit, including Newland Sierra, Valiano, Harmony Grove Village South and Otay 250 Sunroad.

The Sierra Club has filed separate lawsuits challenging those projects, which the group hopes will be bolstered by Taylors final ruling.

Developers for the 2,135-home Newland Sierra have said the court case wouldnt impact the project because their plan to use carbon offsets was separate from the countys program.

Lawyers for the environmental group urged the judge on Friday to block the use of carbon offsets in the approved developments.

However, Taylor said that those projects should have their day in court.

In November, the board put the remaining projects on ice, which included Lilac Hills Ranch, Otay Ranch 14, Warner Ranch and dozens of smaller parcel changes.

The county has had two previous incarnations of its climate plan rejected by the courts in legal battles with the Sierra Club dating back to 2012. The county has been forced to pay roughly $1 million in legal fees so far.

Twitter: @jemersmith

Phone: (619) 293-2234

Email: joshua.smith@sduniontribune.com
A rhinoceros poacher in a South Africa wildlife preserve was stomped to death by an elephant and eaten by lions, authorities said. Rangers at Kruger National Park found his skull and trousers.

The man and two others were hunting for rhinos illegally last week when the elephant surprised them and trampled him, park spokesman Isaac Phaahla said. The two companions dragged his body to a spot near a road and told the mans family what had happened.

Poaching is a serious, ongoing problem in the park, Phaahla said of Kruger, which covers 7,500 square miles in southeastern South Africa, making it about the size of New Jersey.

The worlds rhinos are in danger of being hunted to extinction. They are prized for their horns, which are ground up and used in traditional Chinese medicine as a supposed cure for a variety of ailments.

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South Africa, which has about 80% of the worlds remaining rhinos, has seen aggressive poaching of the animals in recent years. Last year, 769 rhinos were killed illegally, down from more than 1,000 annually since 2013, according to Save the Rhino.

After the death of the poacher, whose name and nationality were not released, relatives asked park officials to help recover the body. Rangers searched on the ground and by air but did not find the remains before it got dark, Phaahla said.

The two surviving hunters gave officials a more precise description of where they left the dead man. Police arrested them on suspicion of poaching.

The next day, our field rangers searched in the bush and made the gruesome discovery, Phaahla said. There was a pride of lions nearby which apparently had devoured his body.

Police said they seized guns and ammunition from the surviving men. They appeared in court and were charged with illegal possession of firearms, trespassing in the park and conspiracy to poach.

On most days, we have close to 15 poaching groups of three individuals each who are hunting illegally for rhinos, Phaahla said. Our rangers are well-trained and making progress in controlling the poaching.
French President Emmanuel Macron has ordered a government study into the countrys role in Rwanda before and during its 1994 genocide.

Macron met Friday with victims of the genocide, and a Rwandan group working to teach future generations about it.

Rwanda is this weekend marking the 25th anniversary of the start of the ethnic slaughter of some 800,000 people, mainly ethnic Tutsis.

Macron ordered a commission of researchers and historians to scour archives to analyze the role and involvement of France in Rwanda from 1990-1994. It is to produce conclusions within two years.

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Critics say France was too supportive of Rwandas Hutu-led government whose supporters carried out the genocide, and that France turned a blind eye for too long.

France denies complicity, but has launched several investigations in recent years.

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Hungarys prime minister on Friday launched his partys campaign for the European Parliamentary elections in May by presenting a seven-point plan against immigration.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban called for migration to be controlled by national governments, not European Union bureaucrats and repeated his view that no country should be forced to accept immigrants against its will.

Orban also urged the EU to stop funding civic groups that support asylum-seekers and said no one in Europe should suffer discrimination because they are Christians.

At stake is whether the EU will have pro-immigration or anti-immigration leaders, Orban told a gathering of Fidesz members and supporters. We will decide whether to defend our Christian European culture or yield the terrain to multiculturalism.

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Last month, the membership of Orbans Fidesz party in the largest bloc in the European Parliament, the center-right European Peoples Party, was suspended while Orbans policies are scrutinized by an EPP delegation. Some members of the alliance believe Orban has strayed too far from its Christian Democratic values.

In Orbans assessment, the Peoples Party is turning left, in a liberal direction and ... toward a Europe of immigrants.

If that is the turn the EPP makes, you can be sure we wont follow, Orban said.

Despite calls by EPP faction leader Manfred Weber for Orban to cease his attacks on the EU, the Hungarian leader lashed out again at EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who is also part of the EPP, saying he was firmly responsible for Britains Brexit morass and the migrant invasion.

There is a bubble in Brussels, the virtual world of the privileged European elite, which has become detached from reality, Orban said, often interrupted by applause from the audience. Hungarians ... want the European Union, but have had enough of how things are going in Brussels and they want change.

Orban built fences to stop the flow of migrants in late 2015 and his extreme anti-immigrant policies have won him admiration on Europes far-right and last year helped him win his third straight four-year term in Hungary.

All EU nations will hold national votes for lawmakers for the European Parliament from May 23-26. Hungarys vote is May 26.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday mocked U.S. special counsel Robert Muellers investigation of Kremlin interference in the 2016 presidential election, saying a mountain gave birth to a mouse.

In his first comments since Mueller finished his probe, Putin sought to cast the 22-month investigation as a failure and disregarded the special counsels exposure of a Russian operation to put Donald Trump in the White House.

It was clear for us from the start that it would end like this, the Russian leader said as the Trump administration and Congress sparred over making Muellers still-confidential investigation report public.

Attorney General William Barr wrote in a summary of Muellers report that the special counsel found no evidence the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government to influence the election.

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However, Mueller uncovered evidence of a Kremlin operation to interfere with the 2016 vote. He charged 12 Russian military intelligence officers with breaking into Democratic Party computers and the email accounts of officials with Hillary Clintons campaign.

Another indictment detailed Russias use of phony social media accounts to spread divisive rhetoric and to undermine the U.S. political system.

Putin on Tuesday nevertheless repeated Moscows across-the-board disavowals of election meddling, with or without participation from the Trump campaign. He also reiterated that the Russian government had no contact with Trump when he visited Moscow as a businessman.

We have been saying from the start that this notorious commission led by Mr. Mueller wont find anything, because no one knows better than us: Russia has not meddled in any U.S. election, Putin said while attending an Arctic forum in St. Petersburg.

The Russian leader described allegations of collusion between Trumps camp and Russia as sheer nonsense aimed at a domestic audience and used for domestic political infighting in the United States.

Mueller found numerous people associated with Trump were receptive to Russias help, but Barrs summary said the special counsel didnt find evidence of a criminal conspiracy in meetings and other contact between Russian and Trump campaign officials.

Putin alleged Trumps political foes now were searching for new pretexts to undermine him.

Those groups which are attacking the legitimately elected president, what are they doing? Putin said. They disagree with the choice of the American people and seek to reduce the results to zero.

Putins rhetoric resembled Trumps statements disparaging Democrats. Asked if he agreed with Trumps description of the probe as a witch hunt, Putin said President Trump knows better.

At the same time, he insisted he wasnt vouching for the U.S. president with his comments on Muellers investigation.

Im not defending President Trump. We have plenty of disagreements, Putin said. His administration has introduced numerous sanctions against Russia, something we disagree with and will never accept.

The Russian leader added that despite differences, Moscow and Washington have found some common ground on the conflict in Syria. Putin said he hoped the United States and Russia could focus on more areas of mutual interest, such as nuclear arms control, fighting terrorism and climate change.

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Isachenkov reported from Moscow.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
A Serbian court on Friday sentenced four former state security members to up to 30 years in prison for the killing two decades ago of a prominent journalist, who was a critic of then-leader Slobodan Milosevic.

Slavko Curuvija, the owner and editor of two independent newspapers at the time, was gunned down outside his home on April 11, 1999, just days after the start of NATOs air campaign launched to stop Serbias crackdown in Kosovo.

The trial over Curuvijas murder was seen as important in how Serbia deals with Milosevic-era crimes. Serbia is seeking European Union entry after years of Balkan wars in the 1990s.

The court sentenced the ex-head of state security Rade Markovic and another man to 30 years in prison, and the two others to 20 years in jail each. Markovic is already serving a 40-year sentence in connection with another Milosevic-era political attack.

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The court did not specify who ordered the attack on Curuvija.

The ruling sends a clear message that crimes against opponents cannot remain unpunished and that perpetrators of attacks on journalists for publicly spoken words are not untouchable, the Slavko Curuvija Foundation said in a statement.

Days before he was gunned down, Curuvija was singled out by Milosevics powerful wife at the time, Mirjana Markovic, as a supporter of the NATO bombing.

Markovic fled to Russia in 2003, while Milosevic died in 2006 during a genocide trial at a UN war crimes court.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
A report on the development of Chinas multi-channel network (MCN) industry indicates that the number of MCNs in China reached 2,300 in 2017, with an expected rise to 4,500 in 2018, wccdaily.com.cn reported on April 8.

Onion Video is a creative media company based in the city of Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan province. The company could make a person, a team or a short video an internet sensation in just one month.

Nie Yangde, a co-founder of the company, disclosed that only the top 20 percent of the companys internet celebrities generate profits, as current competition is fierce.

Jing Hanqing, a millennial who runs a creative media startup, started his business in 2016 by filming a short video every day and uploading it onto short video platforms, where this particular form of media has become popular.

Jing said it is the creative content that matters in the production of short video content, though the forms may become diversified as technology advances, and peoples way of thinking may evolve alongside it.
Irans Revolutionary Guard, designated a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration on Monday, evolved from a paramilitary, domestic security force with origins in the 1979 Islamic Revolution to a transnational force that has come to the aid of Tehrans allies in the Mideast, from Syria and Lebanon to Iraq.

The force answers only to Irans supreme leader, operates independently of the regular military and has vast economic interests across the country.

Here are key things to know about the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC:

ORIGINS:

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The Revolutionary Guard was created in parallel to the countrys existing armed forces to consolidate power under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The following year, it was called upon to defend Iran and its clerical leadership in a ruinous war with Iraq that would last eight years and strengthen the guards ideological, economic and security footprint at home.

The group is estimated to have between 125,000 and 150,000 members today, but its unclear how many of those include the Quds Force, an elite wing of the IRGC that oversees foreign operations. The group, enshrined in the constitution, answers only to Irans supreme leader.

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DOMESTIC GRIP:

The IRGC oversees the countrys ballistic missile program and has conducted several tests since the landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers. While the accord does not specifically ban those tests, U.S. officials have said they violate the spirit of the deal. President Donald Trump last year pulled America out of the deal and re-imposed tough economic sanctions on Iran.

Additionally, the guard runs a massive construction company called Khatam al-Anbia, with 135,000 employees handling civil development, the oil industry and defense issues. Firms operated by the IRGC also build roads, man ports, run telecommunication networks and even offer laser eye surgery. The IRGC has deployed in rescue efforts during Irans recent devastating floods, which killed at least 70 people across the country.

Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last year ordered the guard to loosen its hold on the economy and privatize some of its vast economic holdings. Irans President Hassan Rouhani has tried unsuccessfully to further restrict the groups expansive powers at home.

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FOREIGN REACH:

The Revolutionary Guard recruits and trains thousands of fighters abroad through its Quds Force, headed by Gen. Qassem Soleimani, a shadowy but prominent figure whose fighters have fought alongside Syrian President Bashar Assads forces and against Islamic State militants who view Shiites as heretics.

U.S. officials say the IRGC under Soleimani taught Iraqi militants how to manufacture and use deadly roadside bombs against American troops after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, a charge Iran denies.

The group also oversees the Basij, a volunteer force of several million that draws its members from among the poor, uneducated young men from rural areas and city outskirts. The Basij model has been exported abroad, with tens of thousands of Shiites recruited from countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon and Iraq to fight in Tehrans proxy wars in Syria and elsewhere.

One of those young Shiite men, who joined a wave of Afghans recruited and trained to fight in support of Assads government in Syria, recently spoke with The Associated Press about the experience, saying he was driven by poverty and not by ideology or loyalty to Iran.

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MIDEAST MILITIAS:

The IRGC backs a number of Shiite militias across the Middle East, as well as the Fatimiyoun Brigade in Afghanistan. Chief among them is Hezbollah, the IRGCs oldest and most experienced force in the region, established following Israels invasion of Lebanon in 1982. The militia, led by Hassan Nasrallah, publicly joined Syrias civil war in mid-2013, securing a string of hard-won victories in defense of Syrias Iranian-backed government.

IRGC-backed Iraqi militias also fought in Syria in support of Assads forces and against the Islamic State group in northern and central Iraq. Some of the armed groups in Iraq backed by Iran include the powerful Kataeb Hezbollah, Haraket Hezbollah al-Nujaba and Asaib Ahl al-Haq.

In Pakistan, the Zeinabiyoun Brigade is mostly comprised of Shiite fighters who have also fought in Syria. Many of the groups fighters are trained and funded by IRGC.

Yemens Houthi rebels are also allied with Iran. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and other countries have accused the guard of supplying the Houthis with long-range missiles, a charge it denies. A Saudi-led coalition, backed by the U.S. and Britain, has been at war with the Houthis since March 2015.

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Mroue reported from Beirut.

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Iranian lawmakers dressed in paramilitary uniforms chanted Death to America as they convened Tuesday for an open session of parliament after the White House designated Irans Revolutionary Guard a foreign terrorist organization.

President Hassan Rouhani declared that the forces popularity would only surge in the wake of the designation, saying guard members would be dearer than any other time in the hearts of Iranian nation.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised the guard and said Americas evil designs would not harm the force.

The move by Washington on Monday was an unprecedented declaration against a foreign government entity  one that could prompt retaliation and make it harder for Americans to work with allies in the region who have contact with members and affiliates of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC.

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It marks the first time the United States has designated an entire entity of another government as a terrorist organization, placing a powerful and expansive armed force with vast economic resources that answers only to Irans supreme leader in the same category as al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.

Irans rival, Saudi Arabia, welcomed the U.S. decision, describing it as a serious and practical step to combat terrorism. A Foreign Ministry official said the designation translates Saudi Arabias repeated demands for the international community to confront terrorism supported by Iran.

Within hours of the Trump administrations declaration, Irans Supreme National Security Council responded by designating the U.S. Central Command, also known as CENTCOM, and all its forces as terrorist, and labeling the U.S. a supporter of terrorism.

In Tehran on Tuesday, many of the lawmakers wore the uniform of the guard in a show of support as they convened for a parliament session marking the National Day of the Revolutionary Guard, which follows the lunar calendar. This year it coincides with the April 9 holiday known as Nuclear Day.

Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani denounced the U.S. decision as the climax of stupidity and ignorance. The Supreme National Security Councils spokesman, Keivan Khosravi, said that going forward, any unusual move by American forces in the region will be perceived as the behavior by a terrorist group. He did not elaborate.

Iranian newspapers carried reports of the U.S. move along with bellicose commentary on their front pages.

The Guard-affiliated Javan daily said any attack on Revolutionary Guard bases and facilities will be recognized as a right for Iran to respond. The hard-line Kayhan newspaper said it gave Iranians permission to kill American military personnel.

State-owned IRAN daily went a step further, saying the U.S. move was a designation of the entire Iranian nation as terrorist.

The pro-reform Shargh daily described it as the last card of President Donald Trump against Iran. Trump last year pulled America out of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and re-imposed sanctions on the country, mainly targeting Irans vital oil sector.

Marking Nuclear Day, Rouhani unveiled dozens of achievements in nuclear technology, something he does every year. This time he touted the beginning of an installation of a chain of advanced centrifuges at the uranium enrichment facility in the central town of Natanz as well as an addition at the Fordo underground facility.

He called the Revolutionary Guard a devoted force that fought militant groups in Iran as well as in Iraq and Syria. The guard has fought Islamic State groups militants, who view Shiites as heretics, in Syria and has assisted Syrian President Bashar Assads government forces.

The U.S., Rouhani said, is the head of global terrorism and Trumps sanctions have only inspired Iran to make more strides in new missiles and weapons technology. America will not be able to block Irans progress, he said.

Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, met with the Guard on Tuesday, telling them that Americans imagine they are designing and making trouble against the guard, in fact against the revolution and Iran, but their evil designs will not harm the force.

China urged countries outside of the Mideast to promote peace and stability ... and avoid actions that may lead to further escalation of the situation. Beijing is a close economic partner of Tehran and has sided with Russia and its regional ally Iran in the conflict in Syria.

We oppose power politics and bullying by any countries, Chinas Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said when asked about the U.S. designation.

On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the designation of the Revolutionary Guard is intended to increase pressure on Iran, isolating it further and diverting some of the financial resources it uses to fund terrorism and militant activity in the Middle East and beyond.

But, in addition to the potential for Iranian retaliation, it complicates a delicate balance for U.S. personnel in at least two key countries- Iraq and Lebanon. Iraq has prominent Iranian-affiliated Shiite militias and its government has strong ties to Iran. In Lebanon, the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group is in parliament and the government.

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Associated Press writers Aya Batrawy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Christopher Bodeen in Beijing contributed to this report.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The state Senate is set to vote on legislation imposing a new tax on drug manufacturers who sell opioid painkillers in Delaware.

The bill to be voted on Tuesday is similar to a measure that was introduced last year but failed to get a floor vote.

The legislation imposes a per-pill tax on prescription opioids ranging from a few cents to a dollar or more, based on their strength and whether they are brand-name or generic.

The tax would be used to create a fund for drug treatment programs and research.

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Officials estimate that the tax would raise about $8 million over three years. Critics say the cost will be passed on by the manufacturers to insurers, pharmacies and ultimately patients, who will end up paying more for their medicine.

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Former Rep. Anthony Weiner was ordered Friday to register as a sex offender as he nears the end of a 21-month prison sentence for having illicit online contact with a 15-year-old girl.

A New York City judge designated Weiner a Level 1 offender under the states version of whats known as Megans Law, meaning that he is thought to have a low risk of reoffending.

Weiner, a once-rising star in the Democratic Party who served nearly 12 years in Congress, has been living in a halfway house since February after serving most of his sentence at a prison in Massachusetts.

Hes due to be released May 14 but still faces three years of court supervision.

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Weiner, 54, must register for a minimum of 20 years. He is required to verify his address every year, notify the state within 10 days of moving and visit a police station every three years to have a new picture taken.

Because of his low-level designation, Weiners information wont show up in the states online sex offender registry but will be available via a toll-free telephone number.

Weiner didnt attend Fridays court hearing. Messages seeking comment were emailed to his lawyers.

Weiner pleaded guilty in May 2017 to transferring obscene material to a minor.

Prosecutors said he had a series of sexually explicit Skype and Snapchat exchanges with a North Carolina high school student and encouraged the teen to strip naked and touch herself sexually.

At his sentencing, Weiner said hed been a very sick man for a very long time and said he had a sex addiction.

Weiners lawyer said the former lawmaker likely exchanged thousands of messages with hundreds of women over the years and was communicating with up to 19 women when he encountered the teenager.

It wasnt the first time Weiner had been caught acting inappropriately.

After sending a lewd picture of himself to a college student in 2011, Weiner claimed his account had been hacked, then admitted online interactions with at least six other women while married to top Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin.

Weiner resigned from Congress, only to try for a political comeback with a run for New York City mayor in 2013. Then came the revelation that Weiner had used the alias Carlos Danger to send explicit photos to at least one woman after resigning from Congress.

Weiner received less than 5% of the Democratic primary vote.

Abedin filed for divorce from Weiner in 2017. But the two, who have a young son together, later agreed to discontinue the case in order to negotiate their separation privately.

The investigation into Weiners contact with the 15-year-old roiled the 2016 presidential campaign because emails Clinton had sent to Abedin were found on a laptop computer FBI agents seized from him.

That led then-FBI Director James Comey to announce just days before the election that that agency was reopening its investigation into Clintons use of a private email server while secretary of state.

Days later, Comey said nothing in the new emails changed his view that Clinton could not be charged with a crime.

Nevertheless, Clinton felt damage was done and said Comey shared blame for her loss to Republican Donald Trump.

Comey has said he made the announcement because he feared the news would leak, and he didnt want it to appear that the FBI was covering anything up.

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Follow Sisak at twitter.com/mikesisak

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North Carolinas former top insurance regulator said Friday he never performed favors for a big-money donor and he relied on staff experts when his agency approved changes benefiting the businessman now charged with trying to bribe the states current insurance commissioner.

Wayne Goodwin, now the state Democratic Party chairman, said in his first interview since federal indictments were unsealed this week that he always trusted financial experts on his staff and acted within the law. The states GOP chairman is among those facing charges, and other Republicans and Democrats are facing questions about donations from mega-donor Greg Lindberg.

Goodwin hasnt been accused of wrongdoing. But his Republican successor said in an interview this week that under the Democrat, Lindberg insurance companies were allowed to move far more money out of claim-paying reserves than was the previous norm. Goodwin argues his potential political rival is simply attempting to tie him to the scandal.

During Goodwins eight-year tenure ending in early 2017, the state Insurance Department sharply raised the amount of money Lindbergs insurers could move out of claim-paying reserves into other companies under his corporate umbrella. Some of the life-insurance assets were invested in higher-paying, higher-risk loans to non-insurance companies in which Lindberg holds a stake, a spokesman said in a statement last month.

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Anything that would have been done would have either been done by a subject-matter expert or would have been raised briefly to my attention and I said, What do you think? Is this appropriate? Is this your recommendation? I really dont recall any of the details, Goodwin said.

North Carolina, unlike some states, lacks hard limits on insurers investing assets with related companies. One guideline that state insurance regulators often apply is limiting invested assets in affiliated companies to 10%.

Mike Causey, the Republican who defeated Goodwin in 2016, said his predecessor let the investment cap for Lindbergs companies rise to 40%.

There were some exceptions made here and it was different than what they had done with other companies, he said.

Lindberg has shifted at least $2 billion accumulated from insurance-policy premiums into other businesses in the network of companies he controls, the Wall Street Journal reported in February.

Lindbergs net worth was about $1.7 billion at the end of 2017, a spokesman said in a statement last month.

I would like to have known that, Goodwin said. That certainly would have been a major red flag to me and it appears from what Im reading that there are things that have happened or are happening that not even the subject-matter experts expected.

Goodwin said he has been given no indication that he is a target of federal investigators.

Lindbergs Global Bankers Insurance Group sought and received the explicit approval of his affiliate investment strategy from Goodwins agency when he moved his insurance operations to North Carolina about five years ago, company spokesman Scott Lindlaw said in an email.

Significant discussions took place between Mr. Lindberg, his then-management team and NCDOI staff prior to their agreement to permit Mr. Lindberg to pursue this investment strategy. Mr. Lindbergs investment strategy was approved in advance by the NCDOI, Lindlaw wrote in an email.

After Causey took over in 2017, the agency expressed concern about the size of the related-company investments and Lindbergs North Carolina-based insurance companies have downsized them with the goal of cutting to 10% of assets, Lindlaw said.

Lindberg, his associates John D. Gray and John V. Palermo Jr., and state Republican Party Chairman Robin Hayes were accused in federal indictments unsealed this week of trying to bribe Causey to give Lindbergs insurers easier oversight. Lindbergs demands allegedly included replacing a deputy responsible for examining Global Bankers accounts. In return, Causey could get up to $2 million in reelection campaign help, the indictment said.

Lindberg has contributed more than $7 million since 2016 to state and federal candidates and committees, significantly favoring Republican causes.

At their first meeting in November 2017, Lindberg asked Causey to call insurance commissioners in other states to vouch for Lindberg in his effort to close deals in their states. Causey refused to say in the interview whether he made those calls to help Lindberg. Causey hasnt been accused of wrongdoing.

Goodwin, who didnt rule out challenging Causey, said the Republicans criticisms of him are an attempt to tie him to the scandal.

I did not take any action in my official capacity in exchange for any campaign contributions or anything like that. I am outraged and shocked to learn what the Republicans have done, Goodwin said.

Lindberg and his wife contributed almost $20,000 to Goodwins unsuccessful 2016 campaign. Lindberg also contributed $450,000 to an independent group that bought campaign ads supporting Goodwin, including $100,000 nearly a year after Goodwins loss, according to state campaign finance records. The committees treasurer was alleged bribery co-conspirator Palermo. The committee shut down in May.

Goodwin has also been paid for consulting work on behalf of Global Bankers and Eli Global, Lindbergs broader conglomerate of insurance and other companies.

Meanwhile, U.S. Reps. Richard Hudson, Patrick McHenry and Ted Budd, who received Lindberg contributions, said theyre giving the money to charities, their spokesmen said Friday. Rep. Mark Walkers spokesman did not respond to how the congressman is treating Lindbergs donations.

___

Follow Emery P. Dalesio on Twitter at https://twitter.com/emerydalesio . His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/emery%20dalesio .

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The Wisconsin National Guards top commander says he wont ignore sexual assault within his ranks.

The U.S. Air Force is investigating allegations of sexual assault and harassment within a Wisconsin Air National Guard security unit dating back to 2002. Gov. Tony Evers and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin last month demanded federal officials review the Wisconsin National Guards protocols for reporting and investigating sexual assault.

The Guards commander, Maj. Gen. Donald Dunbar, issued a news release Friday noting April is National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.

He said he wont look the other way on sexual assault because it violates every value his airmen and soldiers hold dear. He told his troops to demand that everyone within their units live up to the values of loyalty, duty and respect.

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Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
In a scheme to get doctors to write prescriptions in exchange for cash, a wealthy drug company founder put patients at risk to guarantee his business success, a federal prosecutor told jurors Thursday in his closing arguments in the closely-watched trial.

Meanwhile, an attorney for Insys Therapeutics Founder John Kapoor sought to poke holes in the governments case, calling its two star witnesses liars with conflicting stories and accusing prosecutors of targeting Kapoor so just so they can tout a high-profile conviction.

The story cannot be true and they dont care because they have had their eye on this man, and these people for years, Attorney Beth Wilkinson said. They want to show that they can take the guy at the top ... and they dont care if the other guys make up their story, she said.

Kapoor and four other former executives of the Chandler, Arizona-based company are charged with conspiring to pay doctors millions of dollars in the form of fees for sham speaking events about the drug  a highly addictive fentanyl spray meant for patients with severe cancer pain.

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Prosecutors said Insys staffers also misled insurers about patients medical conditions and posed as doctors office employees in order to get payment approved for the costly opioid.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathaniel Yeager told jurors that Kapoor and the others targeted reckless prescribers and tracked how much money the company got in return for the bribes because they were consumed by their own financial gain.

First, do no harm became: First do what youre told. First, do what you agreed to do. First, before the patient, take care of us, Yeager said.

One of the governments star witnesses was the companys former vice president of sales whos cooperating for the chance at a lighter sentence. Alec Burlakoff, who pleaded guilty, told jurors last month that Insys sought out as business partners doctors who were known to write lots of prescriptions for people who didnt need it.

Pill mills for us meant dollar signs, Burlakoff said. It was not run the other way. It was run to the pill mill.

Wilkinson said Burlakoff was the one plotting the scheme with doctors and that he and former CEO Michael Babich are lying in order to protect themselves.

She also blasted prosecutors for trying to paint the drug as dangerous, arguing that it legitimately helped people suffering from serious pain. Kapoor invested heavily in the company because he truly believed in the power of the drug, she said.

He had every reason to believe that this was good for patients. And he put his money where his mouth is, she said.

Closing arguments are expected to continue Friday in the case, which began in January.

____

Follow Alanna Durkin Richer at https://www.twitter.com/aedurkinricher

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Virginia has installed its first historical marker to commemorate the lynching of a black man.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that the marker was installed on Sunday in Charles City, outside of Richmond. It marks the death of 43-year-old Isaac Brandon in 1892.

The father of eight was seized by a mob from the Charles City County courthouse jail and hanged from a nearby tree. Brandon was accused of attacking a white woman but was never charged and never had a trial.

Organizers in Charles City tracked down descendants including Brandons great-great-granddaughter. Tish McDonald learned of Brandons fate only after she was contacted.

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The Equal Justice Initiative has said that about 4,000 lynchings of African Americans were documented between 1877 and 1950. There were about 100 documented lynchings in Virginia.

___

Information from: Richmond Times-Dispatch, https://www.richmond.com

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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A watershed gift

Bequest enhances law school scholarship

In 2015 Justin A. Thornton (law, 77) of McLean, Virginia, established an endowed scholarship fund in the School of Law, and its now grown dramatically larger. Thornton recently enhanced the scholarship with a planned gift, which will make the fund one of the schools largest law scholarships, according to Travis D. Tester, director of development at the School of Law.

A few years after he received his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Thornton, a native of Asheville, North Carolina, decided to pursue a law degree at the University of South Carolina School of Law. He remembers the exceptional opportunities the school offered for a young law student.

I was active in student government and chaired the law schools Legal Forum, which gave me the opportunity to meet a variety of outstanding and inspirational members of the legal profession who spoke at our law school and often encouraged us to set our sights high, he says. I especially enjoyed the clinic program that allowed me to gain real courtroom experience as a prosecutor in the family court system under the supervision and instruction of a solicitor.

Thornton put those experiences to work and has enjoyed an exceptional professional career. A former federal prosecutor with the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, Thornton is now a white-collar criminal defense attorney based in Washington, DC.

In addition to establishing the scholarship fund, Thornton has chosen to stay involved with the university for the benefit of future generations. A member of the Law Alumni Council and the South Carolina Bar, he has donated two granite benches for the law schools courtyard and last year hosted a law school alumni reception in Washington, DC.

Scholarships from the fund are awarded by the School of Law Scholarship Committee to deserving law students. The first two recipients (pictured above) are Bradley Tidwell in 2017 and Madison Chapel in 2018.

I am a big believer in the rule of law, the legal profession and the importance of education, scholarships and giving back, Thornton says.

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Could working out five minutes a day, without lifting a single weight or jogging a single step, reduce your heart attack risk, help you think more clearly and boost your sports performance?

Preliminary results from a clinical trial of Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training (IMST), presented this week at the Experimental Biology conference in Orlando, suggest "yes."

"IMST is basically strength-training for the muscles you breathe in with," said Daniel Craighead, a postdoctoral researcher in the the University of Colorado Boulder Integrative Physiology department who is leading the study. "It's something you can do quickly in your home or office, without having to change your clothes, and so far it looks like it is very beneficial to lower blood pressure and possibly boost cognitive and physical performance."

Developed in the 1980s as a means to wean critically ill people off ventilators, IMST involves breathing in vigorously through a hand-held device -- an inspiratory muscle trainer -- which provides resistance. Imagine sucking hard through a straw which sucks back.

During early use in patients with lung diseases, patients performed a 30-minute, low-resistance regimen daily to boost their lung capacity.

But in 2016, University of Arizona researchers published results from a trial to see if just 30 inhalations per day with greater resistance might help sufferers of obstructive sleep apnea, who tend to have weak breathing muscles.

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In addition to more restful sleep, subjects showed an unexpected side effect after six weeks: Their systolic blood pressure plummeted by 12 millimeters of mercury. That's about twice as much of a decrease as aerobic exercise can yield and more than many medications deliver.

"That's when we got interested," said principal investigator Professor Doug Seals, director of CU Boulder's Integrative Physiology of Aging Laboratory.

Systolic blood pressure, which signifies the pressure in your vessels when your heart beats, naturally creeps up as arteries stiffen with age, leading to damage of blood-starved tissues and higher risk of heart attack, cognitive decline and kidney damage.

While 30 minutes per day of aerobic exercise has clearly been shown to lower blood pressure, only about 5 percent of adults meet that minimum. Meanwhile, 65 percent of mid-life adults have high systolic blood pressure.

"Our goal is to develop time-efficient, evidence-based interventions that those busy mid-life adults will actually perform," said Seals, who was recently awarded a $450,000 National Institute of Aging grant to fund the clinical trial of IMST involving about 50 subjects.

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Craighead presented preliminary results Sunday and Monday at Experimental Biology 2019 showing that:

With about half the tests done, the researchers have found significant drops in blood pressure and improvements in large-artery function among those who performed IMST with no changes in those who used a sham breathing device that delivered low-resistance.

The IMST group is also performing better on certain cognitive and memory tests.

When asked to exercise to exhaustion, they were also able to stay on the treadmill longer and keep their heart rate and oxygen consumption lower during exercise.

Some cyclists and runners have already begun to use commercially-available inspiratory muscle trainers to gain a competitive edge.

But Seals and Craighead stress that their findings are preliminary and curious individuals should ask their doctor before considering IMST.

That said, with a high compliance rate (fewer than 10 percent of study participants drop out) and no real side-effects, they're optimistic.

"High blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, which is the number one cause of death in America," said Craighead. "Having another option in the toolbox to help prevent it would be a real victory."
Fewer than a quarter of breast cancer patients and a third of ovarian cancer patients diagnosed between 2013 and 2014 in two states underwent genetic testing for cancer-associated mutations, according to a study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and several other organizations.

The findings indicate that substantial gaps exist between national guidelines for testing and actual testing practices. In particular, the findings show that too few women with ovarian cancer are tested for the presence of mutations that could be used to guide health care decisions.

The study looked at about 83,000 women diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer in California and Georgia in 2013 and 2014.

"We initiated this study -- the largest population-based study of multigene testing in breast and ovarian cancer patients -- because we wanted to see what cancer genetic testing and results looked like in the real world," said Allison Kurian, MD, MSc, associate professor of medicine and of health research and policy at Stanford. "Now we can see that women with ovarian cancer are dramatically undertested. We also learned that between 8 and 15 percent of women with breast or ovarian cancer carry cancer-associated mutations that could be used to drive care decisions and influence family members' health care and screening choices."

Kurian shares lead authorship of the study, which will be published online April 9 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, with Kevin Ward, PhD, MPH, assistant professor in epidemiology at Emory University. Lynne Penberthy, MD, MPH, associate director for the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance Research Program, and Steven Katz, MD, MPH, professor of medicine and of health management and policy at the University of Michigan, are co-senior authors.

Changing guidelines

Researchers have known for decades that inherited mutations or variations in certain genes, notably BRCA1 and BRCA2, increase the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers. Genetic tests for mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 have been available for several years. But since 2013, genetic tests have incorporated many more potential cancer-susceptibility genes, and results have become much more complicated.

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"Integrating genetic counseling and testing into the management of cancer after diagnosis has become much more challenging for patients and their clinicians," Katz said.

National guidelines recommend that all women with the most common type of ovarian cancer be tested for the presence of cancer-associated mutations; guidelines for testing breast cancer patients have been less expansive. Although the guidelines for genetic testing have expanded to include more patients diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer and the more extensive multigene panel tests, it's not been clear to what degree these guidelines are followed in real-world clinical settings. Furthermore, the prevalence of known cancer-associated mutations in breast and ovarian cancer patients who are racial or ethnic minorities, as well as in the overall population, is unknown.

For the study, the researchers tapped the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program, which tracks cancer diagnoses and outcomes in large populations across the United States. They linked data on cancer cases in California and Georgia with data from four laboratories conducting the majority of cancer genetic testing from 2013 to 2014. They found that only 24.1 percent of 77,085 women diagnosed with breast cancer and 30.9 percent of 6,001 diagnosed with ovarian cancer underwent any genetic testing.

Disparities in genetic testing

The researchers also observed disparities in testing, particularly among ovarian cancer patients. Although nearly 34 percent of non-Hispanic white women were tested, only about 22 percent of black women and 24 percent of Hispanic women were tested. Income and insurance status played a role in the prevalence of testing among women with ovarian cancer from all racial and ethnic groups, the researchers found. About 20 percent of patients with Medicare were tested compared with about 34 percent of patients with other forms of health insurance. Testing prevalence decreased to about 20 percent in areas where residential poverty equaled or surpassed 20 percent, and it was about 38 percent in regions where the poverty level was less than 10 percent.

The researchers found that among women with breast cancer in the study who underwent testing for a panel of guideline-designated genes, the prevalence of mutation variants of unknown significance was much higher in minority patients: 28.5 percent, 26.6 percent and 19.3 percent in African-American, Asian and Hispanic patients, respectively, versus 14.5 percent in non-Hispanic whites. The prevalence of pathogenic variants also varied along racial and ethnic lines.

"These differences underscore the need to improve the clarity of genetic test results, especially for racial or ethnic minority patients," Kurian said.
This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices.
The Securities and Exchange Commission charged fifteen individuals with acting as unregistered brokers or aiding-and-abetting such activity in connection with Intertech Solutions, Inc.'s fraudulent and unregistered securities offerings.

The SEC's complaints allege that Alexander Bevil, Richard Bohnsack, Daniel Broyles, Charles Davis, Michael Duke, Joel Duncan, Martin Lewis, Mark Parman, William Roth, Paula Saccomanno, Kenneth Shelton, Billy Ray Statham, Jr., Glenn Story, Dennis Swerdlen, and Harold Wasserman were hired by Intertech Solutions to engage in or facilitate cold-call solicitations of hundreds of prospective investors throughout the United States and Canada from at least February 2014 through December 2016. The complaints allege that, as a result of the defendants' conduct, Intertech Solutions raised over $7 million from retail investors. According to the complaints, Intertech Solutions paid the defendants exorbitant commissions ranging from 35% to 50% of the funds provided by each investor. The complaints allege that the defendants did not disclose their commission rates to investors and instead distributed private placement memoranda that indicated that only 10% of investor proceeds would be used as commissions. The SEC previously charged Intertech Solutions and its control persons with orchestrating the fraudulent and unregistered offerings.

The SEC's complaints, filed in federal district courts in Nevada, Texas, and Florida, charge the defendants with either direct or indirect violations of the broker-dealer registration provisions of Section 15(a)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Twelve of the defendants are also charged with the securities registration and antifraud provisions of Sections 5(a), 5(c), and 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, and one defendant is also charged with violating the securities registration provision of Section 5(a) and (c) of the Securities Act. Without admitting or denying the SEC's allegations, eleven of the defendants have agreed to the entry of final judgments that enjoin them from violating these provisions, enjoin them from future solicitation of the purchase or sale of securities, impose penny stock bars, and order them to pay disgorgement of ill-gotten gains and civil monetary penalties. These settlements are subject to court approval.

The SEC appreciates the assistance of FINRA and various state, federal, and foreign authorities, including the British Columbia Securities Commission and the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority.

The SEC's investigation was conducted by Laurie Abbott, James Thibodeau, and Kenji Kawa, was assisted by Trial Counsel Amy Oliver, and was supervised by Regional Director Daniel Wadley of the Salt Lake Regional Office. Ms. Oliver will lead the litigation against the non-settling defendants, Richard Bohnsack, Daniel Broyles, Glenn Story, and Harold Wasserman.

The SEC's Office of Investor Education and Advocacy has issued an Investor Alert to encourage investors to check the background of anyone selling or offering them an investment using the free and simple search tool on Investor.gov.
Retro game streaming platform Antstream has already secured the rights to over 2,000 games from publishers like Codemasters, SNK, Data East, and Arc System Works.

Although the service, which is basically being pitched as the Netflix of retro games, is currently seeking funding through Kickstarter, it's already nabbed the rights to some popular franchises like Double Dragon, Fatal Fury: King of Fighters, Gridrunner, and Metal Slug.

It's notable to see another streaming service gain traction (with publishers, at least), and suggests the idea of a streaming-only game platform has been bolstered by the emergence of services and tech like Google Stadia and PolyStream.

For those curious about Antstream, the nascent platform will support multiple versions of the same game (C64, Arcade, Spectrum e.t.c.) and won't require any extra downloads after users have installed the Antstream app.

According to the company's Kickstarter page, Antstream will be supported on PC, Mac, Xbox One, and Android (with iOS to follow soon), and will give users the power to vote on which games are added via a community vote as new licensing rights are secured. The full list of confirmed games is available here.

Right now, it's unclear how much an annual Antstream subscription will cost after the platform leaves early access, as the company is offering annual subscriptions at fixed prices of $60 and $70 for early Kickstarter backers across different tiers.

Those interested can find out more by checking out the Antstream website and Kickstarter campaign.
A San Francisco judge has ruled that the Bay Area bridge toll increases implemented earlier this year were fairly and legally passed by voters, clearing a path to putting the additional money raised toward more than 30 regional transportation projects.

The Superior Court judge last Wednesday dismissed outright a lawsuit brought by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association that argued the toll increases were essentially a tax, requiring two-thirds voter approval. Regional Measure 3 had passed last June with 54% of the vote.

The measure was expected to add $4.5 billion to Bay Area transportation coffers to fund projects designed to ease congestion and building up alternative transit systems such as ferry and bus services. Tolls went up by $1 on seven Bay Area bridges on Jan. 1 this year, but with the lawsuit pending, the money collected had not yet gone toward any new projects. The seven are the Bay Bridge, San Mateo-Hayward Bridge, Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, Dumbarton Bridge, Carquinez Bridge, Benicia-Martinez Bridge and Antioch Bridge.

Its great that from the judges perspective this is a clear-cut case, where the right process was put forward and the voters voted, Bay Area Council President Jim Wunderman said Monday. The Bay Area Council was a key player in supporting the bridge toll measure. I think everybody in the Bay Area understands the need to improve our transportation systems.

Howard Jarvis, a taxpayers rights group based in Sacramento, filed its lawsuit soon after Regional Measure 3 passed. The organization insisted that because the money raised from the toll increases would be going to non-bridge- related transportation projects it was essentially a tax.

But Judge Ethan Schulman agreed with the Bay Area Toll Authority that the toll increases fell under the umbrella of usage fees  money charged to use parks, buildings, bridges or other structures or properties run by the state.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

We are not pleased with the ruling, said Tim Bittle, director of legal affairs for Howard Jarvis. But he said on Monday that the group most likely will not appeal the decision.

Theres a lot of potential fallout from this, which is the reason why were struggling to decide whether we want to appeal this decision or not, Bittle said. Were leaning against appealing just because we fear the wider repercussions of an appellate court affirming this decision.

Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @erinallday
An effort to shut down San Franciscos juvenile hall ran into unexpected opposition as it was introduced Tuesday, with the head of the local NAACP lambasting the plan as pure politics.

Eight San Francisco supervisors  a veto-proof majority  introduced the legislation that would close the mostly empty facility within three years and create community-based alternatives, including lockdown environments for youths who require a secure placement.

But the Rev. Amos Brown, president of the San Francisco chapter of the NAACP, called the idea a knee-jerk political move, and decried the fact that the supervisors didnt engage more community members when crafting the measure.

That doesnt bode well for creating community, he said. Its rugged individualism.

At a boisterous noon rally, dozens of public officials, community activists and formerly incarcerated youths spoke out in support of the closure, including a majority of the 11 members of the Board of Supervisors, District Attorney George Gascon and school board President Stevon Cook.

As the speakers passionately called on the city to shut down juvenile hall, the audience chanted, applauded and whistled in support. Some held up signs that said Shut it down! and No child belongs in jail! and Education instead of incarceration!

This jail for kids is morally repugnant, said Supervisor Matt Haney, a sponsor of the proposal. Its outdated, its ineffective, and anyone who says that we shouldnt set a date to shut it down is on the wrong side of history.

The supervisors drafted the legislation in response to a recent Chronicle report that documented a dramatic drop in serious youth crime that has left the states juvenile halls nearly empty and costs per inmate skyrocketing.

Supervisors Shamann Walton, Hillary Ronen, Gordon Mar, Aaron Peskin, Sandra Lee Fewer, Vallie Brown and Ahsha Safai are the other co-sponsors of the legislation. With eight of the 11 members signed on, the board has a veto-proof majority. Public Defender Mano Raju has also endorsed the measure, as have Leif Dautch and Chesa Boudin, two of the three candidates running for district attorney.

Speakers at the rally called on city officials to create more programs to support incarcerated youths, rather than locking them behind bars.

Juvenile hall did not support me. I knew what I needed, and no one ever listened, said Tenaya Jones, 18, who said she was put in juvenile hall when she was 14 years old. We need more programs  where young women and men can come and grow and plan for their futures.

Brown and other critics said they feared that without juvenile hall, the county would have to send youth offenders to other counties or states, which the legislations authors said was not the case.

Dan Daniels, coastal area director of the NAACP  one of the few public commenters opposed to the measure at Tuesdays Board of Supervisors meeting  said closing down juvenile hall is not the solution. He said youth offenders would just get pushed to facilities outside the county. Excess money being spent on juvenile hall, he said, should instead be spent on youth job programs and mental health services.

When a kid goes into juvenile hall, sometimes that is the only time they have access to medical treatment, he said. Closing the hall is not the answer.

The measure would establish a working group to implement the closure, and create non-institutional alternatives for youths who dont need to be in a lockdown facility, as well as a secure rehabilitative facility in San Francisco for the relatively small number who do.

A final vote on the measure could come as early as June. Mayor London Breed, who recently created a community task force on juvenile justice reform, has not taken a position on the measure.

In its investigation, The Chronicle found that San Franciscos juvenile hall is two-thirds empty on a typical day and the average annual cost to incarcerate a child has reached $280,000, up from $135,000 in 2011.

Counties across California are reporting similar trends, with nearly every juvenile hall in the state less than half full and costs creeping up as high as $500,000 per child each year.

Browns NAACP counterpart in Alameda County, George Holland Sr., said he supports the idea of shutting down juvenile halls, although he fears that poor policymaking could make things worse than they already are.

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Im all for closing down juvenile halls, said Holland, a former juvenile probation officer. But I need to know what the alternative is.

Brown acknowledged that there were concerns surrounding the conditions at juvenile hall, but its not a major issue.

He said San Franciscos juvenile hall isnt the harsh institution it once was, offering more support and educational services, including interaction with the faith community inside the facility.

Brown also criticized the supervisors for failing to consult with the faith community and civil rights leaders before drafting the legislation.

Walton, lead author of the measure, said he spent time in the juvenile hall as a youth and visited the same site three weeks ago. It hasnt changed, Walton said.

Youth still walk in a line. Youth still sleep on a mat with a concrete slab, he said. Bottom line: Incarceration doesnt work. It didnt work for me. Mentoring programs led me to success, not being behind bars.

The supervisors have been working with policymakers and community organizations while drafting the legislation, Walton said.

I dont need permission from Amos Brown to do my job, he said. My community is definitely behind this.

Jill Tucker and Trisha Thadani are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com, tthadani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker, @trishathadani
Her first book, A Kindness I Will Never Forget, is a memoir chronicling her journey from when she became a widow at 33 years old.
San Franciscos juvenile hall would close within three years under a proposal heading to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday with a majority of elected officials on board, backed by prominent supporters.

Six of the 11 supervisors, the district attorney, public defender and other local officials have thrown their support behind the measure requiring the youth detention facility to close by the end of 2021. It would also create a working group to oversee the process and come up with rehabilitative and noninstitutional settings for youths who still require a secure placement.

The supervisors drafted the measure in response to a recent Chronicle report that documented a dramatic drop in serious youth crime that has left the states juvenile halls nearly empty and per-inmate costs skyrocketing.

The six supervisors, Shamann Walton, Hillary Ronen, Matt Haney, Gordon Mar, Aaron Peskin and Sandra Lee Fewer, are expected to roll out the measure at a rally on the steps of City Hall, backed by District Attorney George Gascon and school board President Stevon Cook as well as formerly incarcerated youths and other juvenile justice reform activists.

Public Defender Mano Raju has also endorsed the measure, as have Leif Dautch and Chesa Boudin, candidates running for the district attorneys seat.

Amy Osborne / Special to The Chronicle

Mayor London Breed has proposed a more moderate approach to reforming San Franciscos juvenile justice system. The bill to close juvenile hall would need the support of eight supervisors to override a mayoral veto.

Ronen, one of the proposals initial proponents, said jailing youths doesnt work to reduce crime, and the rising cost of juvenile incarceration is unacceptable.

The results are clear, we are doing more harm than good when we send young people to prison when theyve committed a crime, she said. We just have to act, and we have to have the courage to act.

The Chronicles Vanishing Violence stories found that the San Francisco Probation Department directed $11.9 million to juvenile hall last year, an amount that has remained relatively flat since 2011, even though the average daily population has been cut in half. As a result, the annual cost of locking up a youth has nearly doubled since 2011, reaching roughly $270,000 last year.

Similar trends have occurred across California, where almost every juvenile hall is operating at or below 50% capacity and the cost to incarcerate a youth has reached more than $500,000 annually in some places.

San Franciscos juvenile hall is an outdated facility, based on an outdated model, that needs to be replaced by small, therapeutic settings serving 10 to 15 youths, Gascon said.

Its not just simply shutting down the facility, but creating the infrastructure to do the work effectively, he said. The key is we want to be thoughtful and effective and to remain nimble. That is good for public safety.

Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle

If the legislation passes, San Francisco would become the only urban area in California without a juvenile hall  a historic and courageous move, said Patti Lee, who oversees juvenile cases in the San Francisco public defenders office.

Once again, I think San Francisco is going to be a leader, said Lee. All our juvenile attorneys are ecstatic  they never believed they would see this.

The legislation would require the working group to review data on the needs of children placed in juvenile hall and determine alternative, community-based programs to serve them. In addition, the measure would create a Youth Justice Reinvestment Fund, and money saved by closing juvenile hall would be directed to treatment programs and alternatives to detention.

Meredith Desautels, a staff attorney at Youth Law Center who has been working closely with the supervisors to develop the legislation, said that about one-third of the young people detained in San Franciscos juvenile hall last December had only misdemeanor charges, and half were awaiting release to court-ordered placements.

While a majority of supervisors had signed onto the measure even before it was introduced, its unclear whether Breed will back it.

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In response to The Chronicles series, she proposed creating a blue-ribbon panel to reform the countys juvenile justice system, addressing ways to reduce incarceration and racial inequities as well as how to best use the facilities, including juvenile hall, which is two-thirds empty.

On Monday, Breed announced the members of the panel, which will be co-chaired by San Francisco Human Rights Commission Executive Director Sheryl Davis and Corey Monroe, a 20-year veteran of the Omega Boys Club of San Francisco.

The group is tentatively scheduled to meet for the first time in mid-April and produce a report within six months.

I am proud that we are able to bring together such a diverse group of leaders to provide their expertise, insight, and experiences on how to best reform our juvenile justice system, Breed said in a statement. While we have had success in greatly reducing the number of incarcerated youth in San Francisco, we need to take the next step and reimagine what our system will be in the future.

As Breeds panel initiates its analysis, the supervisors measure will move through the legislative process with a final vote likely to come in June. Its unclear how much opposition the measure will face.

Chief Probation Officers of California President Stephanie James cautioned that counties like San Francisco need to be thoughtful when closing juvenile detention centers, which provide a broad range of research-based services.

Otherwise, she said, we are just gambling with the lives of children.

Ronen said she expects pushback from Juvenile Probation chief Allen Nance as well as the union workforce. Nance has already said he cant imagine how the community or youths in detention would be safe without a juvenile hall.

It seems like people feel that this is the right approach, and were going to have a lot of people and organizations who are standing with us on this, said Supervisor Haney, adding there are concerns about what to do with youths who need a secure setting. There are a lot of questions. But I havent heard a lot of outright opposition.

Jill Tucker and Joaquin Palomino are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com, jpalomino@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker @joaquinpalomino
San Franciscans love to gripe about all the ways City Hall fails us  and, yes, there are plenty  but every once in a while, its important to praise a department thats actually working.

Perhaps my favorite city department is the San Francisco Public Library, and apparently a lot of our residents agree. In city surveys, it scores better than any other department  a B-plus compared with, for example, a B for 311 and a B-minus for Muni.

The Main Library and 27 branches have expanded their hours and are now open seven days a week. They have Drag Queen Story Hour. Theyre poised to wipe out $1.57 million in overdue fines in the hope of bringing people back to the libraries whove been avoiding them because they cant pay their debts.

Last year, Library Journal named it the best library in the nation. Author Dave Eggers said of the library, Contrary to some large institutions ... which have the alacrity of a cruise ship, the SFPL is nimble, creative and always inclined to find a way to make things happen.

Those words have never in the history of San Francisco been used for any other government agency, I assure you.

So when Mayor London Breed last month named Michael Lambert the new city librarian to replace Luis Herrera, who retired, I was curious to meet the person charged with leading this nimble, creative department.

He certainly defies the stereotype of a librarian. Hes a 44-year-old Palo Alto resident who lives with his 15-year-old son. He runs 5 miles every day and lifts weights every other day. He was a competitive skateboarder who during the summer after eighth grade visited San Francisco and skateboarded down the curvy part of Lombard Street. (And if my boys ever do that, I will kill them.)

I would love to do that again someday, Lambert said with a grin.

Lambert is the first Asian American leader of the citys public library system. He was born in Seoul to a Korean woman and an American soldier. His father died on active duty, and his mother took him to Columbia, S.C., to live with his paternal grandparents when he was 8 months old. She stayed only a few months before returning to Korea.

I think it was hard for her in 1975 as a 19-year-old, full Korean woman to be in the South at that time, Lambert said. She knew I would have a better life here.

He and his mother wrote letters until he was in third grade. Thats when she stopped writing with no explanation. They eventually reconnected when he was 27.

Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

Lambert, who has worked in San Franciscos libraries for five years, visited The Chronicle to discuss his plans for the department. Answers have been edited for clarity and length. To hear our whole conversation, listen to the latest episode of the San Francisco City Insider podcast at sfchronicle.com/insider.

Q: I read about an impactful meeting the library staff had the day after Donald Trump was elected president. Can you tell me what came out of it?

A: We have a group called the Future of the Library Forum, and it just so happened that we had our regularly scheduled meeting that Wednesday morning. It was evident the staff was really hurting.

We threw out the agenda we had that day, and we had a profound conversation about how could we as an organization be more inclusive. That meeting gave birth to our All Are Welcome initiative. Weve been offering pro bono, one-on-one legal assistance for immigrants on a wide range of topics, Know Your Rights workshops, How to Secure Citizenship workshops. If you go to any of our library locations, you will see a sign prominently displayed, All Are Welcome.

Q: The Library Commission has voted to become fine-free this fall and to forgive those existing fines as well. Can you explain how thats going to work and why its important?

A: Everyone incurs overdue fines. But when we looked more closely at the data, what we found is the impact of overdue fines disproportionately impacts communities of color and communities that are on the lower end of the socioeconomic scale. Just to put that in perspective, 11 percent of our patrons in the Bayview, for example, currently have their cards blocked, and we want to change that. Its antithetical to our mission.

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Q: Will people still be told, You have three weeks to return this book, but nothing happens if they dont?

A: We still want our books back. Were going to increase the noticing, and were going to set up an automated renewal system so if you check out a book and nobodys waiting for it, it will automatically renew itself. Were also going to look at increasing the amount of time people can have a book and the number of renewals you can have. But at the end of the day, if you dont bring the book back, youre still going to be charged to replace it.

Q: The San Francisco library was the first in the country to hire a social worker, but there are still issues related to homelessness and drug use inside the Main Library and just outside it. How do you balance the needs of homeless people and drug users to use the libraries  especially the bathrooms  while also keeping the libraries clean and safe for everybody else?

A: Our staff are mission-driven, and they welcome everybody. That being said, we recognize there are challenges in the community. We have a team of health and safety associates who are themselves individuals who were formerly experiencing homelessness, and that team allows us to engage with individuals experiencing homelessness who are using the library in a very discreet, compassionate manner.

Lava Mae is one of our greatest partners. They park every Tuesday on the Fulton Street side of the library and offer free showers. We have another partnership with Hunters Point Family, and were piloting having restroom attendants at the Main Library. We have seen the number of security incidents at the Main Library decline, so we are doing much better than we have in the past.

Q: Should the city expect any changes under your leadership?

A: The San Francisco Public Library is thriving. My purpose is to make sure it stays that way. Were renovating the Mission branch; were looking at providing better service for the Ocean View neighborhood, whether its a renovation or possibly a new library. Were also going to be renovating the Chinatown library. Were very excited about the future.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Heather Knight appears Sundays and Tuesdays. Email: hknight@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hknightsf
San Francisco startup HomeShare let go of most of its employees and said it wont handle rent payments between its customers and the apartment buildings it places them in, leaving some customers scrambling to make their rent after already paying it to HomeShare.

The company, which matched applicants with roommates and placed them in luxury apartment buildings with partitioned rooms, had about 1,000 active residents as of last month, according to a statement posted on the company website by CEO Jeff Pang.

Customers expressed frustration in posts on Twitter and Reddit over the situation, with some saying they had paid their April rent to Home-Share earlier in March only to be told they needed to pay rent directly to their landlord on April 1. HomeShare had previously collected payments from individual tenants in shared apartments and offered a payment protection program to cover the rent when a co-tenant didnt pay.

Based on feedback from customers and partners, acting as a middleman for payments was adding complexity and confusion to the billing process. As a result, we decided to remove ourselves from the payment flow so that residents could pay leasing offices directly, Pang wrote. Due to unforeseen financial constraints, we were forced to make these changes much sooner than expected.

State law regulates most companies receiving and holding funds for customers as money transmitters. HomeShare has not obtained a money transmission license, according to the California Department of Business Oversights website.

HomeShare has returned more than $1 million in funds to customers, Pang wrote. The company, founded in 2016, raised $5.7 million from investors in January 2018.

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The company marketed itself as offering a novel solution to the housing crisis in places like the Bay Area, creating micro-bedrooms in luxury apartments with partitions. Rooms were at one point available in the Bay Area, New York, Los Angeles and Seattle. The website now only lists rooms in San Francisco, where converted rooms start at $1,000 a month, and Silicon Valley, where they go for as little as $850 a month.

Pang referred The Chronicle to the companys statement after an inquiry.

The company still occupies its office in downtown San Francisco on Battery Street, according to its landlord, Dateline Properties. It is not clear how many employees were let go. On LinkedIn, 43 people list themselves as working at the company.

Sophia Kunthara is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sophia.kunthara@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SophiaKunthara
Pascal Lamy, former Director-General of the WTO (People's Daily Online/Wang Yuran)

Chinas Foreign Investment Law is in the right direction. Investing in China should be less cumbersome than in the past. So it should be facilitated, during the China Development Forum 2019, Pascal Lamy, former Director-General of the WTO told Peoples Daily Online in an exclusive interview after his meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

China's national legislature passed the foreign investment law at the closing meeting of its annual session on March 15. With unified provisions for the entry, promotion, protection, and management of foreign investment, it is a new and fundamental law for foreign investment in China.

We have to wait and see how the implementation goes, but I think it brings the playing field more leveled and for this reason, I think its a good step forward, Lamy noted.

For Lamy, what impressed him most about the Reform and Opening-up Policy would be the long-term growth of Chinese economic development. Chinas economy has been growing roughly 10 percent per year, without any major crisis, like in the US, or Latin America or some say in EU. The growth performance is absolutely stunning, and by the way, it is probably not replicable as well. It worked because China opened and reformed, and this I think it remains true for the future. If we want this exceptional performance of China to be maintained, China needs to keep opening and reforming, he said.

I think China is an exceptional case. I dont think there is a Chinese model that others can replicate. A large part of the success sterns from the size of this country, and the economy of the scale, which the size of the consumer market allows are not available anywhere else. Even India, which is roughly as populated as China, has not succeeded in growing its economy as fast as China did. So, there is something specific, he added.

Lamy believes Chinas deepening reform and opening-up is a win-win game over the world and the interaction with the Chinese economy which is now extremely big makes the world economy becomes more cooperative.

Lamy took the changes in the relationship between TWO and China as an example to demonstrate an open trade system will propel the world economy development going in the right direction.

When it joined [WTO] 20 years ago, China was a relatively mid-sized economy. Twenty years later, it has totally changed. China has become a major elephant like the US, like the EU in world trade. So China cannot just be a follower of the others. China has to step up its game in the WTO. Be prepared to adjust a number of rules and take the sort of leadership role which is commensurate with the size and responsibility it has within the organization, he said.

China needs open trade to grow its economy, and it has been advocated by the Chinese leadership for a long time, he noted.
Dispute over hall for election event : AfD complains about unequal treatment in Bonn

BONN The district association of Alternative fur Deutschland is preparing for the European elections and wanted to rent a hall in Bonn for an election event. The party says this proved difficult. Lord Mayor Ashok Sridharan disagrees.

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District association spokesperson Sascha Ulbrich said it was only with the help of a law firm that the city of Bonn sent his party a list of possible municipal meeting places. Ulbrich published his criticism of this behaviour in an open letter to Lord Mayor Ashok Sridharan. The city of Bonn told the GA it disagreed with this account.

Ulbrich reports the AfD had asked several venues, including the Bruckenforum and Haus der Bildung, for available dates in the weeks before the European elections. In each case, their inquiries were in vain. While Ulbrich acknowledges that private operators or tenants of municipal halls such as the Bruckenforum are generally free to decide to whom they rent their halls, he sees things differently in the case of the Haus der Bildung. That is a public building and must also be accessible to us as a democratically legitimised party.

After an employee there turned down his requested dates he asked about free dates. I was told they could not tell me. Thats why we appointed a lawyer. In the open letter to Sridharan, he is now complaining that his party: was denied access to public premises for politically motivated reasons.

Lord Mayor Ashok Sridharan indicated to the GA that the city had not failed to book premises for the AfD. He had first learned about a request for an appointment from the AfDs lawyer. The law firm gave the city a deadline. He was very surprised at this approach. The city of Bonn has sent the AfDs law firm occupancy lists for various venues, including the adult education centre in the Haus der Bildung, as well as a list with meeting venues that can be booked by the city. Sridharan: The city of Bonn of course treats the AfD like all other registered parties.

In the case of premises leased to third parties, such as Bad Godesberg City Hall or the Bruckenforum Beuel, for example, the city can only influence the occupancy of the premises to the extent permitted by private law contracts. In both cases, the city of Bonn cannot exert any influence on the occupancy.

Jurgen Harder, tenant of the Bruckenforum in Beuel, is known for not mincing his words: I dont want the AfD in my building. I have had it legally checked whether I can decide for myself to whom I rent. And I can do that.
School leaving exams in Bonn : How police have prepared for "Theme Week" in Bonn

BONN/REGION During their last regular week of lessons before their school leaving exams, pupils come to school dressed up and celebrate the so-called Theme Week with harmless tricks. However, the last days of school are not always so peaceful.

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From today, school leavers are celebrating the so-called Theme Week: their last regular week of lessons before the school leaving exams. They come to school each day dressed up according to various themes, such as first school day or bad taste, celebrate with each other and also allow themselves the occasional jokes.

In addition to these harmless practical jokes, pupils in recent years have also attracted attention for less amusing activities resulting in negative headlines. There was frequent vandalism and alcohol and drug abuse at celebrations. In 2016 in Cologne there were nightly fights in which around 200 pupils from rival schools were involved. Several young people were injured, two of them seriously. Incidents such as these have prompted police in Cologne to patrol more high schools this week.

Police spokesperson Simon Rott told the General-Anzeiger that by contrast there had been no violence during Theme Week in Bonn in recent years. However, officers would stand at schools in the mornings giving instructions for the later journey to the Rigalsche Wiese, where Bonns pupils traditionally celebrate their last day of school together.

I think such riots are pointless

Despite isolated incidents in the past, most pupils celebrate peacefully. The school leaver Kylie Dreschke (17) from the Konrad-Adenauer-Gymnasium thinks this is important. She and her friends have already made plans. We will darken the cafeteria and build a labyrinth with black light, she says. We also want to reorganise the tables and chairs and stick cling film on the blackboards. The pranks, however, were agreed in advance with the school management.

Kylie also reports that alcohol consumption is severely punished in her school. Those who are tipsy on the last day of school will not be admitted to the end of year exams until later.

Minister of Education, Yvonne Gebauer, is calling for a harmonious Theme Week during the final days of school in North Rhine-Westphalia: The prerequisite for a happy and exuberant atmosphere is of course always a considerate and peaceful coexistence. Kylie thinks the same. I think such riots are pointless. After all, its about having fun together.
One of Sacramentos most important  and controversial  bills of the year faces its first committee hearing on Tuesday.

AB392, authored by Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego, would narrow the scope of legal circumstances for justifying the use of deadly force by law enforcement officers.

While the bill comes at a delicate time  following years of protest against police for shootings of unarmed African Americans, including last years Stephon Clark case in Sacramento  its precepts are long overdue.

Under existing law, homicides committed by police officers are justified when committed in arresting a person whos committed a felony and the person is fleeing or resisting arrest.

AB392 would narrow that justification  homicide would be justifiable for self-defense, the defense of another person, or when preventing a fleeing felons escape for the purpose of preventing death or serious injury.

The bill would also bar officers from using a justifiable-homicide defense if their own actions for causing the death were found to be criminally negligent.

Law enforcement groups managed to kill a similar version of AB392 last year. They claim it would harm both officers and the public.

But theres every reason to believe it would have the opposite effect.

In San Francisco, for example, use-of-force incidents are down 30% since SFPD began implementing more than 100 recommendations from a total of 272 made by the U.S. Department of Justice.

In Stockton, where new limits on use-of-force and other strategic changes led to a decrease of more than 30% in both murder rates and nonfatal shootings, the city also saw an increase in anonymous tips, allowing it to improve its open homicide-case clearance rate. Thats proof that narrowing the use-of-force standard can improve community relations, too.

Law enforcement groups are supporting their own use-of-force reform bill, SB230. But the wording of that bill is vague on specific requirements. Barring major amendments, it wouldnt achieve real reform.

The Assemblys Public Safety Committee needs to pass AB392.

This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.
Its been a deadly spring for Yellowstone National Park bison. More than 300 have been killed for instinctually heading north out of the park to their traditional calving grounds. As they did so, hunters and wranglers greeted them. Their combined task has been to reduce Yellowstones estimated 4,500 bison population by 600 to 900 animals. Some of the meat went home with hunters, some was sent to Native American tribes.

Its a Machiavellian approach to wildlife management, particularly because the bison largely are being targeted for a disease they dont spread in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Brucellosis can cause miscarriages in bison, elk and other livestock.

Bill Fink / Special to The Chronicle

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine has found clear evidence that elk, not bison, spread the disease through the ecosystem. Yet, Montana officials maintain their disdain for free-ranging bison while elk roam freely.

American Bison, commonly known as buffalo, once were the apex animal on the Great Plains. They improve the health of tallgrass and shortgrass prairie, dont overrun riparian areas, create mosaic vegetative patterns with their grazing that can actually slow wildfires, and encourage biodiversity. While North America holds about 500,000 bison, most are in commercial herds. Only about 20,000 are in conservation herds, which are prized and managed for their largely unsullied genes. Yellowstones bison are considered to harbor the purest genetic material.

The National Park Service, the U.S. Agriculture Department and the tribes on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation for years have been working to perfect a protocol for sending disease-free Yellowstone bison to Fort Peck. From there, bison would be shipped to other native cultures and organizations that desire genes descended from the only remaining wild bison herd known to have descended directly from those that once roamed the Great Plains in millions.

On the Wind River Indian Reservation in central Wyoming, Jason Baldes hopes to obtain Yellowstone bison. A member of the Eastern Shoshone tribe that shares the reservation with the Northern Arapaho, Baldes has shepherded the reservations bison restoration program. In 2017 that effort saw the first bison calf born on the Wind River Reservation in 130 years. Today Baldes sees bison as a cultural salve for many of the social problems that plague the reservation.

We have a lot of social problems that affect us. Buffalo is always seen as a way to help us heal from some of these atrocities of the past, he told me. Were doing everything we can to create opportunities for our young people, who will become our leaders. And so whether its language, whether its substance abuse, health, were doing everything we can socially to improve the lives of people on the reservation. Buffalo are integral to that, because its not just an animal to us. Its kin.

Photo 5Q2H95IV forum0409_repanshek_PH2

There is room for bison to roam. Beyond tribal lands, which offer millions of acres of prairie, national grasslands hold another 4 million acres of public land that in theory could be roamed again by bison. Interior Department staff also has identified areas in their federal portfolio  places such as Great Sand Dunes National Park and Valles Caldera National Preserve  where bison could be returned.

A public lands experiment involving bison is playing out in Montana, where the nonprofit American Prairie Reserve hopes to preserve a 3.5-millon acre swath of highly endangered temperate grasslands, the least protected biome on Earth, in an ambitious example of biodiversity conservation. While some state politicians oppose American Prairie, already upward of 850 bison have access to nearly 400,000 acres of deeded and leased lands. If the vision to knit together private, tribal and public lands comes to fruition, then 10,000 bison one day could call it home.

We have a collective decision to be make regarding the future of bison. Can we spare this unique, ancient species a few million acres or so? Give it space to behave as bison do, to reinvigorate the Great Plains and assist in protecting the other species that once were intertwined with it?

We can.

Kurt Repanshek is editor in chief of nationalparkstraveler.org. His latest book, Rebisoning the West: Restoring an American Icon to the Landscape, is forthcoming from Torrey House Press.
I am a candidate for president of the United States.

Im running to bring the promise of America to all Americans. That promise is simple: If you work hard, it should lead to doing better for yourself and dreaming bigger for your kids.

That promise was fulfilled for me, the son of a police officer and a senior administrative assistant who toiled so I could be the first in the family to go to college. Then I went to law school, worked as a deputy district attorney, served as a Dublin city councilman and, for the past six years, represented Californias 15th Congressional District. But the privilege of doing better than my parents came with a responsibility: to see, hear, and fight for those who have not seen the promise of America fulfilled for them and their families.

As an experienced legislator but of a younger Democratic generation, I see enormous opportunity for our party and our country in 2020. So I will challenge our country to go big on the issues we take on, be bold in the solutions we offer, and do good again in the way that we govern.

First, we must address the single greatest threat to young Americans lives: gun violence. It is astonishing and unacceptable that we have let school massacres become part of daily life. As a former prosecutor and the father of two young children, I will end this failure of leadership. I will work to enact universal background checks for all gun and ammunition purchases, take guns away from domestic abusers, invest in gang-prevention programs, push states to adopt gun violence restraining order laws, and remove weapons of war from our communities completely.

Im the only candidate calling for a mandatory national ban and buyback of military-style semiautomatic assault weapons. Its bold and will cost money, but it is constitutional and it rightly treats gun violence as a life-or-death matter. Our children deserve better than an attempt to reduce or contain gun violence. Our goal must be to end it.

Second, I will focus on our health care crisis. Far too many Americans pick between paying for a doctors visit or paying the rent, or between buying medicine or buying food. We need a health-care-for-all guarantee: If you get sick you get seen, and if you get seen you dont go broke because of it. And we must make a huge public investment and focus our technological innovation to find the unfindable, solve the unsolvable and cure the incurable: Achieving cures in our lifetimes for the diseases that ail us.

Third, too many Americans  mostly young, but also many in middle age  are mired in student loan debt, unable to launch businesses, buy homes, or start families. Im still paying off my own student debt. The memories and lessons of college should last a lifetime; the interest payments should not. We must have zero-interest federal student loans, tax-free employer contributions to student loan payments, and debt-free college for public university students who do work-study and commit to community volunteerism after graduation.

These are practical, achievable solutions, and Ill work with anyone to deliver them. I was born in Iowa, raised in California, schooled in North Carolina and Maryland, and Im married to an Indiana Hoosier. My family and my wifes family are Republicans, but I visited 26 states last year to help get 28 young Democrats into Congress. And as the founder of Future Forum, I met with thousands of Millennials  Americas largest, most diverse and best-educated generation  in almost 50 U.S. cities to hear their concerns and dreams. Those travels showed me this country hungers for new energy, new ideas, and a new confidence.

We need that in our foreign policy, too. In Congress, Ive jumped into the ring when democracy was on the ropes. As an Intelligence Committee member, Ive visited troops in war zones and taken innumerable classified briefings on threats against our nation; Ive been a part of ensuring those threats arent made reality.

Ill tell the world we understand the mortal threat of climate change, and will lead in combatting it. Ill tell our NATO friends we have their backs, and start reducing the national defense costs of our frayed alliances.

America needs a president who knows how we live and work, who delivers on promises to those who need help, who wont use fear and hate as a political cudgel, and who works to solve our biggest problems instead of nibbling around the edges  a president who will go big, be bold, and do good, and stirs all Americans to do likewise.

Were building something new, something better. I hope youll come with me on this journey. If we do it right, we will bring Americas promise to all Americans.

Eric Swallwell represents portions of Alameda and Contra Costa counties in the U.S. House of Representatives. Follow him on Twitter at @EricSwalwell.
Mentally ill prisoner : Police check tip-offs from Bonn about Otto Kruger

COLOGNE Police are investigating several leads to the mentally ill prisoner Otto Kruger, who did not return from temporary release on Sunday. The 67-year-old, who was convicted of manslaughter, could be in the Bonn, Bornheim or Troisdorf area.

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The mentally ill prisoner Otto Kruger did not return on Sunday afternoon after getting permission to go out in Cologne. Police have therefore asked for information and warned that the 67-year-old Otto Kruger could be very aggressive under the influence of alcohol.

A spokesperson from Bonn told the GA on Tuesday morning that police have so far received several reports from Bonn and the region. Every single report will be checked immediately. However, it is also not unusual for the number of reports to increase as soon as there is a search through the media. So far, none of the reports has led to the arrest of the prisoner. This was confirmed by the Cologne police responsible for the case to the GA on Tuesday.

Otto Kruger has been missing since Sunday at 1.45pm. He did not return from temporary release. He has cash with him, is dependent on medication and has used public transport in the past. He mostly stayed in the Bonn, Bornheim or Troisdorf area.

The man being sought is described as follows:

1.73 metres tall

strong-stocky build

balding with short grey hair

brown eyes

green anorak

blue jeans

blue and white shirt

black and white trainers

Police are urgently warning against trying to talk to or detain the 67-year-old. The 67-year-old also failed to return from temporary release in 2014. Police caught him at the start of January 2015 in Quantiusstrae in Bonn.

Otto Kruger comes from Bonn. In 1998, he kicked his 78-year-old neighbour to death while under the influence of alcohol in Bad Godesberg. As early as 2014, the question was raised by the Bonn judiciary why the man, who was considered mentally ill and aggressive, had been granted temporary release at all.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts should contact Cologne police on 0221/229-0 or by email at poststelle.koeln@polizei.nrw.de
Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez is OK with independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders appearing next Monday at a town hall forum on Fox News to push his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination.

But Perez is sticking to his decision not to air any of the partys presidential primary debates on Fox. He cited a scathing article in the New Yorker magazine that argued the network was a propaganda organ for President Trump.

I go on Fox News with regularity. So do other Democrats. So do other people at the Democratic National Committee, Perez said Monday on The Chronicles Its All Political podcast. We dont discourage anyone from doing the same. Thats a far cry from hosting debates.

Perez called the debates, which start in June, a unique opportunity for Democrats to get together and talk about our values. And what has become clear ... not just (from) the New Yorker piece ... but many things before and after the New Yorker piece, is that (Fox is) not playing it straight.

He added, I have respect for (Fox anchors) Chris Wallace and Bret Baier, but people above their pay grade are doing a disservice to our democracy and a disservice to objective journalism by putting their thumb on the scale.

They have proven that they are essentially the Tass News Agency, Perez said, name-checking the state-owned Russian news service. As DNC chair, I think I have a responsibility to make sure that I have 100% confidence that debates are going to be on the up-and-up.

Fox News senior vice president and Washington managing editor Bill Sammon said, Were pleased that the DNC agrees with Fox News that successful Democratic presidential candidates must engage directly with (Foxs) large and diverse audience through televised town halls and multiple guest appearances on our air. That logic extends to primary debates, so we continue to hope the DNC will reconsider its decision to bar top-notch journalists Bret Baier, Martha MacCallum and Chris Wallace from the debate stage.

Sanders told the Huffington Post that he viewed Fox as a propaganda arm of the Trump White House. Nevertheless, he said, when I go on Fox, what I will say is, 'Look, many of you voted for Donald Trump, but he lied to you. ... He told you he was going to provide health care for everybody, yet his policies are to throw 30 million people off of the health insurance they have.

Fox viewers are not all conservatives. A 2014 Pew Research study found that 18 percent of the networks viewers held liberal views and 37 percent held a mix of conservative and liberal perspectives.

To simply say that were not going to talk to millions of people who watch that network, I dont think is smart, Sanders said.

Sanders isnt alone in that thinking. New York Sen. Kirsten Gillbrand told the Its All Political podcast that she would appear on a Fox News debate. I would debate anywhere with any moderator, Gillibrand said.

Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli
One of Napas original cult wineries has changed hands. Founders Dick and Ann Grace have sold their Grace Family Vineyards to Kathryn Green, a former San Francisco management consultant, for an undisclosed price. The Graces will continue to live on the property, and all of their staff  including winemaker Helen Keplinger and vineyard manager Kendall Smith  will stay on board.

Its a mixture of relief and nostalgia, said Dick Grace, who bought the St. Helena property in 1976. Ann and I are both 81. At this age, you have to make decisions while you still can, as opposed to when youre forced to.

Green and her family, who have split their time between Napa Valley and San Francisco for 10 years, already own a vineyard in St. Helena, a site originally planted by Round Hill Winery founders Ernie and Virginia Van Asperen. Two years ago, Green enlisted the help of Smith and Keplinger to help replant her property, and through them met the Graces.

Since the Graces children were not planning to take over the winery, the couple had been thinking about a contingency plan already. Over the last few years theyd undertaken a replanting of the vineyard, an enhancement of the propertys organic farming practices and a winery renovation.

The thing that we really looked for beyond the financial reward was to find stewards of the property, Grace said. As he got to know Green, he became convinced that she would be an excellent steward.

They have decades of history, Green said of Grace Family. We wanted to make sure that it was preserved. We didnt want to just be some new people coming into the valley.

The success of Grace Family is emblematic of Napa Valley in a certain era. It is considered one of the seven cult Cabernet producers, along with Dalla Valle, Bryant, Araujo, Screaming Eagle, Harlan and Colgin  a group that came of age in the 1980s and early 1990s and became famous for producing tiny amounts of wine at astronomical prices. The wineries were exclusive, not open to the public, with years-long waiting lists to buy the wine.

In fact, Grace Family was the first of the cults to rise to fame.

The Graces bought their Victorian home, just off Highway 29 in St. Helena, on a whim in 1976. We bought the house in one day, never planning to move to Napa Valley, recalled Grace, a former Marine who was working as a stockbroker in San Francisco. They planted a 1-acre vineyard, initially just a hobby, and sold the grapes to Caymus, who produced a vineyard-designate wine from them for a few years. (The relationship with Caymus ended acrimoniously when Grace Family began making its own wine.)

It was the Napa Valley Wine Auction (now called Auction Napa Valley) that catapulted Grace Family to wine-industry celebrity, when a five-bottle lot of the winerys 1981 Cabernet Sauvignon sold for $10,000 at the 1985 event. For years, Grace Family wines commanded top price at the annual auction.

Today, the Grace Family property consists of about 3 planted acres. In addition to the flagship estate Cabernet, they also produce a second label, called Blank. Total production is between 500 to 800 cases per year. The current-release Cabernet, 2014, is $425. We make the amount of wine that other wineries evaporate, Grace told The Chronicle in 2004.

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Thats what makes Grace so special, said Green, who does not plan to change the business model. Her other vineyard, which is still in the replanting stage, will not be used for Grace Family wines. Were going to be rabidly focused on quality, like they always have been.

Grace Family has always seemed to be a kind of outlier in Napa Valley. A recovering alcoholic, Grace has been sober for 31 years. He and Ann spend much of the year in Nepal doing humanitarian work, and have long donated about one quarter of the winerys proceeds to charitable causes. They practice Buddhism. They start all of their vineyard workers at $30 an hour, well above minimum wage, Grace said. Despite the success that the Napa Valley Wine Auction afforded him, Grace is no longer a member of the Napa Valley Vintners, the trade association that organizes it.

Asked why he never expanded beyond the minuscule 3-acre planting  which essentially comprises the homes front yard  Grace said, I think almost invariably, any expansion Ive ever known has diluted the original equity of what made that property unique.

I was happy with what we did, he continued, and I never at any time was tempted to do more.

Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicles wine critic. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley Instagram: @esthermob
Jesse Arreguin via Twitter

A fire in North Berkeley sent black smoke into the air Tuesday afternoon, as firefighters worked to contain a blaze in a residential neighborhood.

The 1800 block of Delaware near downtown Berkeley was closed to traffic just after noon, Berkeley police announced via an alert.
A day before he was to appear at a congressional hearing focused on the biggest banks in the United States, Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan said Tuesday that the bank plans to raise its minimum wage to $20 an hour from $15 over the next two years.

It was another example of how big banks are trying to deal with shifting political winds in Washington, where they face new scrutiny under the Democrats, who now control the House of Representatives.

Appearing on MSNBC show Morning Joe, Moynihan said that starting next month, Bank of Americas lowest-paid employees would earn $17 an hour. The hourly rate would increase incrementally over the next two years until it reached $20, the highest minimum wage paid by any of the countrys largest banks.

JPMorgan Chase said last year that it was using some of the savings it realized as a result of the Trump administrations corporate tax cuts to raise its minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Moynihan is set to appear before the House Financial Services Committee, where he and leaders of Bank of New York Mellon, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley and State Street Corp. are expected to be questioned on issues like executive pay, diversity, fair lending and the financial services industrys ties to gun makers.

For years under Republican control of the committee, members focused on the effects of Dodd-Frank financial regulations. Now, instead of lamenting the constraints of stricter regulations, banks are being forced to respond to lawmakers inquiries about whether they are too big and crowding out smaller lenders.

The change is reflected in the topics that banks and trade groups choose to address at industry events. Discussions of income inequality are popping up in places like the Bank Policy Institutes annual New York conference and the World Economic Forums retreat in Davos, Switzerland.

Meet the new hyper-attuned bank CEOs, said Mike Mayo, an analyst for Wells Fargo who covers Bank of America and other big banks. If the top levels of the financial industry were tone-deaf around the financial crisis, this is the opposite.

Big banks face growing pressure to show they are treating their less-powerful customers and employees well. On Tuesday at Bank of New York Mellons annual shareholder meeting, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the civil rights leader, was in the audience. During a question-and-answer session, he first praised the banks CEO, Charles Scharf, on your efforts to achieve diversity across the United States in a fundamental way.

But, he added, the bank still has work to do. Theres too much disparity, too little transparency, he said. Are you preparing to raise the wages of workers, for example?

Across the country, workers in low-wage jobs often find they need government assistance even though they have full-time employment, or even several jobs. A 2015 report from the Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education found that bank tellers were among those who struggled to earn enough.

A spokeswoman for Bank of America said the new wage will affect tellers as well as workers in consumer banking, technology and operations and staff support, among other areas. The bank has more than 200,000 employees.

At San Franciscos Wells Fargo, which has been working to repair its culture and its standing with regulators after a series of scandals, some employees have had their pay stagnate or shrink as the bank reshaped its incentive plans so that they no longer encouraged cheating. Some rank-and-file employees have reported difficulties making ends meet. In 2017, Wells Fargo set its minimum wage at $15 an hour, from $13.50.

Scharf said at Tuesdays meeting that Bank of New York Mellon had recently raised its minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Another source of pressure is an effort by wealth management company Arjuna Capital to get several big banks, including Bank of America and Bank of New York Mellon, to disclose comparisons of the pay for men and women, and for white employees and minorities.

The most striking feature of these banks is that theyre run by white men, and that there isnt a balance of gender and racial equity in the top jobs, Arjunas managing partner, Natasha Lamb, said Tuesday. Really, the goal of our proposal is to create a more diverse, balanced leadership.

Bank of America and Bank of New York Mellon both advised shareholders to vote against Arjunas proposal this year, as did Wells Fargo and JPMorgan. Citigroup last year revealed that the median pay gap between its male and female employees was 29 percent  women earned that much less  while the gap between white and minority workers was 7 percent.

Mayo said that the wage increase announced by Bank of America also reflect a trend among large banks toward employing fewer low-wage employees like bank tellers in favor of more highly skilled workers like financial advisers and technologists who help operate digital banking services. Moynihan was paid more than $26 million in 2018.

The Committee for Better Banks, an activist group that promotes employee unions, reported Tuesday that in 2018, the six largest banks  JPMorgan, Citibank, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Goldman and Morgan Stanley  laid off more than 3,000 employees in total, an increase from the previous year, when 349 people were laid off. Last year also had record annual profits for the banks.

Emily Flitter is a New York Times writer.
A congressional hearing on online hate turned into a vivid demonstration of the problem Tuesday when a YouTube live stream of the proceedings was bombarded with racist and anti-Semitic comments from internet users.

YouTube disabled the live chat section of the streaming video about 30 minutes into the hearing because of what it called hateful comments.

The incident came as executives from Google and Facebook appeared before the House Judiciary Committee to answer questions about the companies role in the spread of hate crimes and the rise of white nationalism in the U.S. They were joined by leaders of such human rights organizations as the Anti-Defamation League and the Equal Justice Society, along with conservative commentator Candace Owens.

Neil Potts, Facebook director of public policy, and Alexandria Walden, counsel for free expression and human rights at Google, defended policies at the two companies that prohibit material that incites violence or hate. Google owns YouTube.

There is no place for terrorism or hate on Facebook, Potts testified. We remove any content that incites violence.

The hearing broke down into partisan disagreement among the lawmakers and among some of the witnesses, with Republican members of Congress denouncing as hate speech Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omars criticism of American supporters of Israel.

As the bickering went on, committee chairman Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., was handed a news report that included the hateful comments about the hearing on YouTube. He read them aloud, along with the users screen names, as the room quieted.

This just illustrates part of the problem were dealing with, Nadler said.

The hearing comes as the U.S. is experiencing an increase in hate crimes and hate groups.

There were 1,020 known hate groups in the country in 2018, the fourth straight year of growth, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors extremism. Hate crimes, meanwhile, rose 30 percent in the three-year period ending in 2017, the organization said, citing FBI figures.

Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., grilled the Facebook and Google executives about their companies responsibility for the spread of white supremacist views, pushing them to acknowledge they have played a role, even if it was unintentional. Potts and Walden conceded the companies have a duty to try to curb hate.

But the challenges became clear as Cicilline pushed Potts to answer why Facebook did not immediately remove far-right commentator Faith Goldy last week, after announcing a ban on white nationalism on the social network.

Goldy, who has asked her viewers to help stop the white race from vanishing, was not removed until Monday.

What specific proactive steps is Facebook taking to identify other leaders like Faith Goldy and preemptively remove them from the platform? Cicilline asked.

Potts reiterated that the company works to identify people with links to hate and violence and banishes them from Facebook.

The hearing was prompted by the mosque shootings last month in Christchurch, New Zealand, that left 50 people dead. The gunman live-streamed the attacks on Facebook and published a long post online that espoused white supremacist views.

But controversy over white nationalism and hate speech has dogged online platforms such as Facebook and Googles YouTube for years.

In 2017, following the deadly violence in Charlottesville, Va., tech giants began banishing extremist groups and individuals espousing white supremacist views and support for violence. Facebook extended the ban to white nationalists.

Despite the ban, accounts such as one with the name Aryan Pride were still visible as of late Monday. The account read: IF YOUR NOT WHITE friend ur own kind cause Im not ur friend.

On Wednesday, a Senate subcommittee will hold a hearing on allegations that companies such as Facebook, Google and Twitter are biased against conservatives, an allegation leveled by political figures from President Donald Trump on down.

The companies have denied any such bias.

Barbara Ortutay, Marcy Gordon and Rachel Lerman are Associated Press writers.
A Crater of Diamonds State Park visitor found a 1.52-carat diamond on April 2, 2019. It's believed to be the largest find so far in 2019. Photo courtesy of Arkansas State Parks









A visitor made a lucky find after pulling a shiny brown diamond out of the ground this week at a state park in southwest Arkansas.The visitor found the precious gemstone near the surface at Crater of Diamonds State Park on Tuesday, according to state park officials. A photo logging the find shows the jewel being a dark brown hue and measuring 1.52 carats.Its very eye-appealing, said Glenn Worthington, an author who runs a website called Diamonds in Arkansas and has been an avid diamond scavenger for the past four decades.He said the brown diamond is the largest score so far this year.The park, located in Pike County, is one of the only diamonds mines where people can keep what they find after digging.The state park is known for its diamond finds and encourages tourists to hunt for the stones. More than 33,000 diamonds have been found at Crater of Diamonds since it opened as a state park in 1972.Stones found at the park include white, brown and yellow diamonds, but visitors might also find amethysts, garnet, jasper, agate, quartz and other rocks and minerals, park officials said.
It's been nearly a year since Infusion Lounge announced its clubbing days were over, and now, its former host Hotel Fusion is revealing what will take over the vacated Union Square space: a swanky "multi-million dollar" steakhouse from Michelin-starred chef Akira Back.

The hotel will renovate the space to become a "130-seat luxury restaurant," according to Eater SF, set to serve Back's "bold interpretations of Asian fare with American influence," per a press release.

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Chef Back has already made a name for himself worldwide, but his influence is particularly felt around Las Vegas, where he's opened two businesses on the tourist-heavy Las Vegas Strip: one called Yellowtail, at the Bellagio, and another called Kumi at Mandalay Bay. He also has additional planned or already operating businesses across the world in New Delhi, Bali, Jakarta, Hanoi, Toronto, and elsewhere.

"I've always wanted to bring my cuisine to San Francisco, one of the world's culinary capitals, but have been waiting for the right location and partnership," Back said in a press release. "Two blocks from Union Square, Hotel Fusion is in the heart of world-class dining and shopping, the ideal site for my latest venture."

RELATED: 24-hour Starbucks in Union Square mysteriously closes: 'I was shocked. It was always busy'

Akira Back Steak will replace what was once the busy downtown Infusion Lounge. In 2008, the nightclub was renovated in what was then called "the most lavish nightclub buildout in city history." Nonetheless, it closed in 2018 to make way for Back's restaurant concept.

At the time, Infusion Lounge founder Chris Rosas promised "something groundbreaking, spectacular, and exciting" would be opening in the downtown space.

Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira.
In the early 2000s, Taco Day at Novato schools looked something like this: a pre-made tortilla shell stuffed with processed meat. The dish, and many others regularly served in Novato schools, required heat  and not much else  before serving.

Today, the taco in cafeterias around the Novato Unified School District is another story: the shells are lined with beans stewed in salsa, filled with grass-fed beef (cooked from raw to golden-brown on-site), and topped with onion, cilantro and salsa. Sides are selected from a permanent salad bar that's decorated with seasonal vegetables and fruit, much of which is grown locally.

But it's the beef that's most noteworthy. For more than a decade, cafeterias within NUSD didn't serve it  or any red meat, for that matter.

Miguel Villarreal took over as the Director of Food and Nutritional Services for the district in 2002. Coming from Texas, where food sensibilities differ from those in California, Villarreal says he was nothing short of "appalled" by what he found on Novato schools' menus.

"It was a lot of highly toxic food being served to the students, and no local produce or dairy," he said. "I was new to California  I had just moved from Texas. I didn't expect to find such processed foods here, especially in Marin County. But that's exactly what I found."

At the same time, Villarreal had begun delving into the food system. Much of the meat being served in Novato cafeterias, he concluded, originated from questionable sources, including government-subsidized distributors whose products sometimes contained antibiotics and hormones.

"I want to serve students at school the same types of foods I'd serve my own children at home," he said.

In 2008, following a massive beef recall in California, a gradual "phasing-out" of the processed red meat led to wiping it off the menu entirely. Enough was enough for Villarreal. With a limited budget, Villarreal couldn't afford to serve a red meat product that met his standards, so the protein was removed from the menu altogether.

Under Villarreal's guidance, NUSD began transforming its students' plates in other ways, too. Meals became more balanced, plant-forward, and many items were sourced from local growers and producers. Dark greens appeared on the salad bar; the kids even got used to kale.

But it wasn't until recently that beef became a part of the conversation again. Loren and Lisa Poncia have two children in the Novato district. They also happen to be the fourth-generation owners of Stemple Creek Ranch near Tomales, California. Their beef is free-range, grass-fed, and free of artificial hormones and antibiotics. The cattle grazes on hundreds of acres of Marin County land protected by the Marin Agricultural Land Trust.

After a few years of back and forth, Villarreal and the Poncias struck a deal. The ranchers would provide "good" grass-fed beef  that was up to the nutritional expert's standards (and the district's tight budget)  and Villarreal would make sure it landed on students' plates.

"Miguel has done a really great job at bringing quality food into the school, even on a tight budget," said Lisa Poncia. "We wanted to help amplify that."

Though Villarreal could not provide an exact cost, he said the district spends between $0.35 to $0.70 for each entree. The Stemple Creek beef dish lands "on the lower end" of that scale.

It's currently being served every other week at eight elementary schools and one high school on Tuesdays, in place of turkey tacos. Soon, the dish will be piloted at two middle schools and an additional high school, eventually spreading to the entire district.

Kids don't seem to miss the turkey. The swap "went over extremely well" with students, Villarreal said.

Manifesting change in a school district can be a difficult process. Many districts lack the funding to quickly enact paradigm shifts  even in the cafeteria. Villarreal seems to exhibit a zen-like patience for bringing his vision to fruition: serving only the freshest, most nutritious food in NUSD cafeterias.

Refreshing a school's menu isn't just a matter of plopping food on children's plates and sending them to the lunch table. Palettes must be trained gradually, attitudes developed over time.

"Ten years ago, I wouldn't have been able to do what I've done," Villarreal said.

Part of his success in revamping the district menus is related to a new course offering. The district has placed an increased emphasis on "project-based learning"  a pedagogic style that teaches students through exploration of real-world challenges  including a culinary nutrition class that was implemented over the last three years.

The program, which educates more than 3,500 students a semester, teaches kids how to make nutritious foods  kale salads, hummus, balsamic vinaigrette  that are incorporated into the cafeteria salad bar. The class includes math, science, history, even English, to connect students to food.

"We started at one school, and it's slowly mushroomed out," Villarreal said.

He hopes a similar phenomenon happens with the beef, and district's food philosophy in general. Villarreal believes only one other Bay Area school district serves local grass-fed beef, in Santa Clara, but that might change soon.

"There's interest from other school districts now," he said. "I think it will take off."

"Somebody has to get the ball rolling."

Read Michelle Robertson's latest stories and send her news tips at michelle.robertson@sfgate.com.

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A Tesla owner who was the victim of a car break-in last week is now thanking his own car for helping San Francisco Police identify and catch the accused vandal.

Last Wednesday afternoon, model Jed Franklin parked his car on the Embarcadero near Battery Street in San Francisco, according to police. Franklin told KGO he was in the area from Folsom to visit Levi's for a fitting. While at the denim company, he received an alert from his car's security system, called Sentry Mode, that something was amiss.
WASHINGTON  Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday that he expects to release a redacted version of the special counsels Trump-Russia investigation report within a week as he defended his handling of the document.

Barr told members of Congress at his first public appearance since receiving special counsel Robert Muellers report that his earlier projection of releasing a version by mid-April still stood. The nearly 400-page report is being scoured now to remove grand jury information and details relating to pending investigations.

The redactions will be color-coded and accompanied by notes explaining the decision to withhold information, he said.

Democrats scolded Barr over his handling of the report, telling him they were concerned that a summary of its main conclusions he released last month portrayed the investigations findings in an overly favorable way for President Trump.

Rep. Nita Lowey, the Democratic chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, said she was taken aback that Barr had reduced Muellers report to a four-page letter in just two days. That letter said that Mueller did not find a criminal conspiracy between Russia and Trump associates, and that Barr did not believe the evidence in the report was sufficient to prove the president had obstructed justice.

Even for someone who has done this job before, I would argue its more suspicious than impressive, Lowey said.

Explaining the rapid turnaround for his letter, Barr said, The thinking of the special counsel was not a mystery to the Department of Justice prior to the submission of the report.

Barr was summoned to Congress to talk about his departments budget request, but lawmakers still asked about the Mueller report as they waited to see it. Barrs opening remarks focused on funding requests for immigration enforcement and the fights against violent crime and opioid addiction, not mentioning the special counsels report at all.

Barr would not discuss the substance of Muellers findings but did explain his process for receiving and reviewing the report. He said he had offered Mueller the chance to review his four-page letter, but that Mueller declined. Asked about reports that members of Muellers team were unhappy with his handling of the report, Barr said he suspected any discontent may have reflected their desire to put out more information.

I felt I should state bottom-line conclusions, and I tried to use special counsel Muellers own language in doing that, he said.

Barr also said that he could be open to releasing some redacted details after consulting with congressional leaders, though he said he did not have plans to ask a court for permission to disclose secret grand jury testimony.

The Democrats are demanding that they see the full report and all its underlying evidence, though Trump and his Republican allies are pushing back.

Eric Tucker and Mary Clare Jalonick are Associated Press writers.
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump moved to clear out the senior ranks of the Department of Homeland Security on Monday, a day after forcing the resignation of its secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen, as he accelerated a purge of the nations immigration and security leadership.

The White House announced the departure of Randolph D. Alles, director of the Secret Service, who had fallen out of favor with the president even before a security breach at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida that the agency effectively blamed on Trumps employees.

Government officials, who asked not to be identified discussing personnel changes before they were announced, said at least two to four more high-ranking figures affiliated with Nielsen were expected to leave soon, too, hollowing out the top echelon of the department managing border security, presidential safety, counterterrorism, natural disasters, customs and other matters.

The wave of departures of officials originally appointed by Trump underscored his growing frustration with his own administrations handling of immigration and other security issues. In recent days, Trump has threatened to close the southwestern border altogether only to back off and give Mexico a one-year notice in the face of warnings about deep economic damage from such a move.

The shake-up, coming more than two years into Trumps term, indicated that he is still searching for a team that will fulfill his desire for an even tougher approach to immigration. It also signaled the enduring influence of Stephen Miller, the presidents hard-line senior adviser who has complained about recalcitrant homeland security officials.

Some of the presidents allies complained that he was going too far, taking out subordinates who actually share his goals on immigration at the prodding of White House aides hunting for scapegoats for the failure to control the border as he has promised to do.

Without names, theres people in the White House that speak about immigration, Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, said in an interview. They havent accomplished a whole lot, so they need to find some other way to make themselves look important.

The latest shuffle came just a day after Trump pushed out Nielsen for not doing enough in his view to secure the border and three days after Ronald D. Vitiello, acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was told to step aside so the administration could go in a tougher direction, as Trump put it.

Officials said they expect to see the departures of L. Francis Cissna, head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; Kathy Nuebel Kovarik, one of his top deputies; and John Mitnick, the departments general counsel and a senior member of Nielsens leadership team. All of them were said to be viewed by Miller as obstacles to implementing the presidents policies.

The White House is also pressing for the resignation of Claire Grady, the acting deputy secretary, who under law would normally fill in for Nielsen. Trump has already announced that he will install Kevin K. McAleenan, the Customs and Border Protection commissioner, as Nielsens acting replacement, which he cannot do if Grady remains in place.

The latest moves appeared to be a housecleaning of officials associated with John Kelly, the presidents former chief of staff and his first homeland security secretary, who was pushed out at the end of last year after months of tension with Trump.

Alles, a retired Marine major general who served with Kelly in the military and goes by Tex, was the first person from outside the Secret Service to head the agency in more than a century, and some administration officials said he had a hard time fitting in.

At Trumps instruction, Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, told Alles at least 10 days ago to expect a transition after two years in office and to develop an exit plan, according to officials familiar with the discussions.

Trump, who talks with members of his own Secret Service detail, had soured on Alles a while ago, convinced that as an outsider he was not popular among the agents, officials said. The president even made fun of the directors looks, calling him Dumbo because of his ears. But a Secret Service ally of Alles disputed the notion that he did not fit in, saying that the director was well-liked among the workforce.

Alles was told to develop an exit plan before the arrest of a Chinese woman carrying a malware-laced device at Mar-a-Lago, exposing holes in the security of the private club. The Secret Service was so disturbed that it issued a statement faulting the clubs staff for not tracking its guests closely enough.

Some Secret Service officials said Monday that they suspected that Alles departure was accelerated in part because of the episode.

The White House made no mention of that in its statement announcing Alles departure issued shortly after it was reported by CNN.

Alles has done a great job at the agency over the last two years, and the president is thankful for his over 40 years of service to the country, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, said in the statement.

She said he would be replaced in May by James M. Murray, a career Secret Service official who oversees protective operations.

Alles was the focus of an early fight between Trump and Kelly in the first months of the administration. Kelly threatened to resign as homeland security secretary if Alles was not made Secret Service director, according to former administration officials.

In an email message to his workforce, Alles confirmed that his departure was ordered by the president last month.

No doubt you have seen media reports regarding my firing, he wrote. I assure you that this is not the case, and in fact was told weeks ago by the administration that transitions in leadership should be expected across the Department of Homeland Security.

The president has directed an orderly transition in leadership for this agency and I intend to abide by that direction, he added. It is my sincere regret that I was not able to address the workforce prior to this announcement.

Regardless of when the decision was made, Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the Senate Democratic leader, said Alles should testify before Congress about the Mar-a-Lago breach.

The public and Congress need to know the extent to which adversarial governments  like China  and their agents are attempting to gain access to, or conduct electronic surveillance on, conversations or other information regarding national security at President Trumps properties, he said.

Not all of Trumps allies were happy with the moves. Several champions of more restrictions on immigration called the White House to complain about Cissnas pending departure, arguing that he is on their side on the issues that matter to the president.

Theres no doubt that Cissna has proved his competence, in a lot of things hes doing  things that the president is for, Grassley said. Referring to Cissna and Kovarik, both of whom once worked on his staff, Grassley said, If he gets rid of these two, its self-defeating because I dont know anyone else in the department or at least in immigration who could do better.

One administration official said Cissna angered Miller by refusing to make changes to asylum policy without congressional approval. Under current law, immigrants in the country illegally and facing removal may seek asylum before an immigration judge if found to have a credible fear of persecution or torture.

As for Nielsen, she expressed no unhappiness about her departure Monday and thanked Trump for the tremendous opportunity to serve her country and the employees of her department for their efforts to secure the nation.

The latest departures, along with previous vacancies, will leave the Department of Homeland without a permanent secretary, deputy secretary, two undersecretaries, Secret Service director, Federal Emergency Management Agency director, ICE director, general counsel, citizenship and immigration services director, inspector general, chief financial officer, chief privacy officer and, once McAleenan moves, Customs and Border Protection commissioner.

The purge of senior leadership at the Department of Homeland Security is unprecedented and a threat to our national security, said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, complained about congressional dysfunction in addressing border security, but added, I am concerned with a growing leadership void within the department tasked with addressing some of the most significant problems facing the nation.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
NEW YORK  New York City on Tuesday declared a public health emergency following a measles outbreak in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said that the city would require unvaccinated individuals living in select ZIP codes in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to receive the measles vaccine as the city escalated its efforts to stem one of the largest measles outbreaks in decades.

The mayor said that the city would issue violations and possibly fines for those who did not comply. Officials blamed the outbreak on anti-vaxxers spreading false information.

This is the epicenter of a measles outbreak that is very, very troubling and must be dealt with immediately, de Blasio said at a news conference in Williamsburg, adding, The measles vaccine works. It is safe, it is effective, it is time-tested.

The measure follows a spike in measles cases in New York City, where there have been 285 confirmed cases since the outbreak began in the fall; 21 of those cases led to hospitalizations, including five admissions to the intensive care unit. The majority of the cases have been concentrated in Hasidic communities in Williamsburg and Borough Park, Brooklyn.

Across the country, there have been 465 measles cases since the start of 2019, with 78 new cases in the last week alone, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday.

In 2018, New York and New Jersey accounted for more than half the measles cases in the country, and the continuing outbreak has led to unusual measures.

In Rockland County, N.Y., a northern suburb of New York City, county health officials last month barred unvaccinated children from public places for 30 days.

However, last week a judge ruled against the order, temporarily halting it.

And in New York City, an emergency health order issued in December called on students who were not vaccinated against measles to be prohibited from attending classes in ultra-Orthodox schools in selected ZIP codes.

City officials conceded that the earlier order was not effective; de Blasio said Tuesday that the city would fine or even temporarily shut down yeshivas that did not abide by the measure.

Tyler Pager is a New York Times writer.
LOS ANGELES, April 08, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP (GPM) announces an investigation on behalf of Mueller Water Products, Inc. (Mueller Water Products or the Company) (NYSE: MWA ) investors concerning the Company and its officers possible violations of federal securities laws.



If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate.

On April 27, 2017, Mueller Water Products issued a press release entitled Mueller Water Products Reports 2017 Second Quarter Results. Therein, the Company disclosed that certain of Mueller Technologies products had been failing prematurely, resulting in a $9.8 million warranty charge. On this news, the Companys share price fell $1.43 per share, more than 11%, to close at $11.25 per share on April 28, 2017, on unusually heavy trading volume.

Follow us for updates on Twitter: twitter.com/GPM_LLP .

If you purchased Mueller Water Products securities, have information or would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Lesley Portnoy, Esquire, of GPM, 1925 Century Park East, Suite 2100, Los Angeles, California 90067 at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, by email to shareholders@glancylaw.com , or visit our website at www.glancylaw.com . If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number and number of shares purchased.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.
A fire was burning Monday evening at a single-family home in Antioch, according to the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.



As of 6:06 p.m., the fire was burning in the 700 block of West 14th Street. Two vehicles in the home's garage are on fire, fire officials said.





Copyright  2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



A third woman arrested in connection with a blessing scam that targeted Chinese-speaking San Franciscans acted as a lookout while the other suspects stole victims' cash and valuables, prosecutors said Monday in court.



Juan Li, 62, of Rosemead was arrested last month in connection with the scam, which, according to police, is an ongoing issue in the city's Chinese community.



During Li's arraignment on Monday, she pleaded not guilty to the charges against her, which include, among others, several counts of grand theft as well as extortion.



In court, prosecutor Phoebe Maffei said Li worked with at least three other women suspects, acting as the lookout while the others performed the scam.



Two of those suspects, Mudi Wu and Fuxi Dai, both of China and both listed as 51 years old in jail records, were arrested at the Los Angeles International Airport on Christmas Eve as they were allegedly attempting to flee to Hong Kong, according to police.





Both remain in custody in San Francisco and have pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including grand theft, extortion and elder abuse.



A fourth suspect, who according to prosecutors is Li's sister, reportedly fled to China the day before Wu and Dai were arrested, Maffei said.



Investigators used surveillance images to connect Li to the scam, Maffei said.



Li's attorney, Lisa Dewberry, pointed out that Li, who has lived in the U.S. for five years, has no prior convictions.



Judge Rita Lin, however, set bail at $250,000, reasoning that Li is a flight risk, considering that one suspect has already fled the country and two others attempted to.



According to police, the suspects swindled nearly $200,000 from at least five victims in San Francisco late last year.



The scams involved as many as four people who work together to target elderly non-English speaking women of Chinese descent by convincing the victims that a loved one, usually a son, is in danger. The scammers then allegedly offer to perform a blessing ceremony, which involves the offering of cash and other valuables.



During the ceremony, the offering is placed in a bag, and when the so-called blessing occurs, the victim's money and valuables are secretly taken. The victim is then instructed to leave without looking inside the bag, effectively defrauding the person.



Following the arrest of Wu and Dai, prosecutors said that blessing scams in the city appeared to be declining, with only two reported in 2014, but they now appear to be on the rise.



Anyone who may have been a victim of a blessing scam is encouraged to report it to police or the district attorney's fraud hotline at (415) 551-9595.




CONCORD (BCN)



The Concord City Council on Tuesday could vote to approve a development agreement for a 310-unit apartment/mixed-use development in the city's downtown area at Galindo Street and Concord Boulevard.



San Francisco-based AvalonBay Communities wants to build the apartment project, which would include up to 6,500 square feet of commercial space. The parcel on which it would be built is between two other apartment buildings in the downtown area not far from the Concord BART station.



The project would comply with Concord's existing development plans and zoning for that property, according to a report by city staff.



The land is owned by the city of Concord, and that staff report says AvalonBay has already agreed to pay $4 million -- the fair-market appraisal price -- for the 3-acre parcel. That parcel is considered to be a "catalyst downtown site" that, if properly developed, could attract people to live and work downtown.



One potential tenant of the project's commercial space, according to the city staff report, is a Market Tavern that combines a destination restaurant with a retail market offering fresh produce, meats and specialty items.



Market Tavern currently operates in Dublin and Stockton. AvalonBay and Market Tavern continue to be in talks to bring such an outlet to this project, should it be approved.



AvalonBay is also building a 200-unit apartment complex near the Pleasant Hill-Contra Costa Centre BART station; the Parada Peruvian restaurant and the Hops and Scotch Taproom and Whiskey Bar are both part of that project.



The Concord City Council meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in council chambers at City Hall, 1950 Parkside Drive.





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JINAN, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Tibet Airlines on Monday launched its first intercontinental air route linking Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong Province, and Finnish capital Helsinki.

The first flight on the route took off from Jinan Yaoqiang International Airport on Monday afternoon, which also marked the opening of the city's first direct passenger flight to Northern Europe.

Bai Weisan, general manager of Tibet Airlines, said the flight will operate once a week but they look forward to increasing the frequency to twice per week.

The return flight departs from Jinan at 3:30 p.m. every Monday (local time) and returns from Helsinki at 10:30 p.m. on the same day (local time).
LOS ANGELES, April 08, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP (GPM) announces an investigation on behalf of Eventbrite, Inc. (Eventbrite or the Company) (NYSE: EB) investors concerning the Company and its officers possible violations of federal securities laws.



If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate.

If you wish to learn more about this action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Lesley Portnoy, Esquire, at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, or by email to shareholders@glancylaw.com , or visit our website at www.glancylaw.com .

On September 19, 2018, Eventbrite sold shares in its initial public offering (IPO) at $23 per share. In the IPO registration statement, Eventbrite stated that its acquisition of Ticketfly had a positive impact on our net revenue growth in the third quarter of 2017. On March 7, 2019, Eventbrite reported its annual financial results, and in a related conference call, Eventbrites Chief Executive Officer and co-founder, Julia Hartz, stated that the strategy to integrate Ticketfly will impact revenues in the short-term. On this news, shares of Eventbrite fell 7.96, or over 24%, to close at $24.46 on March 8, 2019, thereby injuring investors.

If you purchased Eventbrite securities, have information, or would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Lesley Portnoy, of GPM, 1925 Century Park East, Suite 2100, Los Angeles, CA 90067 at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9244, or visit our website at www.glancylaw.com . If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.
An emotional debate over Santa Clara County's immigration policy unfolded Tuesday as the board considered amending its sanctuary laws to allow law enforcement to notify federal authorities about undocumented inmates with a history of violent crime.



The potential policy change would not affect the county's refusal to cooperate with detainer requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and hold inmates in jail longer, which is unconstitutional in California.



Instead, it would allow police and county sheriff's deputies to contact federal authorities with inmates' release date, time and location if they are violent criminals under a detainer request. ICE would then be responsible for taking the inmate into custody prior to their release.



About 200 speakers during public comment overwhelmingly opposed changes to the county's sanctuary policy, which in 2011 paved the way for dozens of other counties in the state. They said an amendment would create a double standard for criminals in the county, entrap innocent victims of the criminal justice system and politicize a tragedy to scapegoat undocumented immigrants.



Supervisors Dave Cortese and Mike Wasserman introduced the board referrals after the murder of South San Jose woman Bambi Larson on Feb. 28, and the arrest of 24-year-old Carlos Eduardo Arevalo Carranza in connection with her death.



The undocumented Arevalo Carranza was under the influence of methamphetamine, had a long criminal history throughout California, had been arrested and released at least six times and was under a detainer request from ICE. He also suffered from mental illness, according to police.



Amid swirling accusations of blame in Larson's death, the San Jose police chief, mayor, police officers' association, county district attorney and sheriff together demanded the county change its policy against communicating with ICE, a position that many of them advocated for during a similar discussion in 2015.



Heads of each organization emphasized that they do not want to alienate law-abiding undocumented residents, but other speakers at Tuesday's meeting said that any collaboration with federal authorities would erode quality of life for all immigrants.



"There is no need and no moral imperative to do ICE's work for it," county Public Defender Molly O'Neal said. "Their currency is fear and intimidation. This is the same ICE that has felt zero compunction about separating small children from their parents at the border ... and is part and parcel of a federal administration determined to promote hatred and racism. We urge you to keep ICE out of our jails."



Francisco Ugarte, a deputy public defender in San Francisco, also cited a New York University and University of Chicago study of the federal "Secure Communities" policy in 2014, which found no meaningful relationship between increased deportations and crime rates.



Those in the minority who spoke in favor of changing the policy said they were scared to sleep in their own beds at night. Rick Lock, Bambi Larson's cousin, said he was grappling with outrage and shock after his family member was violently taken away.



"It occurred to me that this is a game of Russian roulette," he said. "We don't know, when we release one of these people, what's going to happen."



"The people of Santa Clara County are decent, honest, welcoming and generous, but our generosity does not extend to the criminal element who would murder us in our own beds," another county resident said.



Any amendments to the county's policy would fall under California's Senate Bill 54, which outlines a list of qualifying misdemeanors and felonies. It would push for a warrant-based custody transfer system, and urge federal authorities to consistently file warrants in all transfers.



"The individuals that prey on our community, not only impact our city as a whole but oftentimes their crimes are the very reason why some of our immigrants fled from native lands," San Jose police Chief Eddie Garcia said. "Let's stand together and collectively say that we've done everything we could to keep our residents and our police officers safe."



District Attorney Jeffrey Rosen called violent felons the "enemy of us all," and said between November 2014 and March 2019, about 600 undocumented criminals in the county who were released went on to commit additional violent offenses. He said a change in the notification policy would impact about 100 inmates a year.



"My office will find justice for Bambi Larson, but this new policy is not for Bambi Larson," he said in a statement. [Immigrants] -- and all their fellow county residents -- deserve our assurance that we in these chambers are less concerned about political stances than their safety."



As public comment pushed past four hours at Tuesday's meeting, speakers argued the changes would have a chilling effect on immigrant communities by making them even more reluctant to seek help from law enforcement, and said the amendment would tear families apart by deporting individuals instead of allowing them to serve their time and return home.



"If we wanted to keep the community safe, would we keep incarcerated everyone who has committed a violent crime?" asked the Rev. Anna Lange-Soto. "If a brown guy commits a violent felony, then a white gal, they should have the same penalty -- not one deported and one let go."



Groups on both sides of the debate argued their position would protect undocumented immigrants targeted by people in their own community, but all immigrants who spoke at the podium opposed changes to the sanctuary policy.



"We're a national model for preventing racial profiling and upholding equality under the law. If we give ICE an inch, they'll take a mile," said Maricela Gutierrez, executive director of Services, Immigrant Rights & Education Network.



"President Trump loves to single out one part of somebody's identity as the reason for their actions. Please do not give into this racist logic. We need healing, not scape-goating," Gutierrez said.





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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



The attorney for a man accused of slashing the hand of another man with a sword after the victim pulled off his "Make American Great Again" hat in San Francisco said Tuesday that his client was unfairly targeted for wearing the hat.



During his arraignment Tuesday morning, Leor Bergland, 30, pleaded not guilty to attempted murder, mayhem and assault for the March 29 stabbing.

The attack occurred in the city's Fillmore District, near Fillmore and Oak streets, after a 27-year-old Berkeley man spotted Bergland wearing the red hat, made famous by Donald Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign. The man then swatted Bergland's hat off his head, according to police.



Bergland then allegedly pulled out a sword, stabbing the man's hand, partially severing it, police said. The victim suffered life-threatening injuries.



Although the victim and a witness tried to chase Bergland, he was able to get away until police arrested him five days later in the Tenderloin.



Outside of court Tuesday, Bergland's attorney, Deputy Public Defender Steve Olmo, said his client had been "minding his own business" before the incident took place.



"I'm tired of this so-called liberal, political area having acts of violence against people who have different views. I don't agree with what Trump does, but look at what's happened over at Cal with conservative speakers speaking," Olmo said, refereeing to violent confrontations that have taken place at the University of California at Berkeley over the last couple of years between alt-right supporters and far-left supporters.
SAN JOSE (BCN)



A man suffered life-threatening injuries in a shooting in San Jose's Willow Glen neighborhood early Monday morning.



Officers responded at 12:15 a.m. to the 1100 block of Pine Avenue following reports of a suspicious circumstance. Officers found the man with at least one gunshot wound. He was taken to a hospital.



No suspects have been identified and police are investigating the motive and circumstances surrounding the shooting.



On Sunday, police responded at 2:05 p.m. to a shooting in South San Jose near the intersection of Blossom Hill Road and Russo Drive. The male victim was shot at least once and is expected to survive.



Officers have not released any information suggesting the two shootings may be related. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at (408) 277-8900.





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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



The San Francisco Department of Public Health issued an alert Tuesday warning residents of a possible measles exposure after a contagious person visited the city last week.



There is no outbreak, and the risk to the general public is low. The contagious person visited several places in San Francisco, including public transit.

Most San Francisco residents have received the measles vaccine ("MMR") as children and are immune. Still, public health officials warn that unvaccinated children, adults born in 1957 or later, and those with severely weakened immune systems are especially vulnerable.



Symptoms can develop between seven and 21 days after the date of exposure and can include fever, cough, runny nose, and red eyes, followed by a red rash starting at the head or face.



If any of those symptoms develop, residents are advised to call their doctor right away.
A competitive effort to help end hunger in Alameda County wraps up Tuesday in Oakland, county officials said.



The Stone Soup Food Drive and Design Competition will wrap up at 11 a.m. on the fifth floor of 1221 Oak St. in Oakland, where county supervisors will judge the entrants.



The entrants consisted of teams from 16 county departments who constructed creative displays with cans, boxes and sacks of non-perishable food.



The displays were focused on hunger and helping others. The food collected goes to the Alameda County Community Food Bank.



County employees this year donated more than eight tons of food.







Two men and a boy were in stable condition Monday evening following a shooting earlier in the day in East Oakland, police said.



Several people called at 3:40 p.m. to report the shooting at a business at 98th Avenue and E Street.



Police said the shooting victims were 15, 42 and 51 years old.



Police said their preliminary investigation shows that two suspects went on the business's property and started shooting at one of the men, who was a customer.



According to police, the boy and other man were also customers and were hit by the gunfire. The suspects fled.







A federal judge in San Francisco on Monday temporarily blocked a policy by the administration of President Donald Trump that forced asylum seekers at the southern border to return to Mexico while they pursue their asylum claims.



U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg said the policy, begun in January, was not authorized by the federal Immigration and Nationalization Act.



He issued a nationwide preliminary injunction in a lawsuit filed in February by 11 asylum seekers from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras and six immigration advocacy and legal services groups.



Seeborg said the injunction will go into effect at 5 p.m. on Friday, to give the government time for a possible appeal. Justice Department and Homeland Security Department spokespersons had no immediate comment.



The policy, known as the Migrant Protection Protocols, was announced by outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen on Dec. 20 and began to be implemented on Jan. 28.







A man drowned in a Los Gatos lake Monday afternoon, Santa Clara County fire officials confirmed.



Los Gatos police and county fire officials responded to Vasona Lake shortly after 12:30 p.m. when a bystander reported seeing someone who entered the water but didn't resurface.



Fire officials couldn't locate the victim, according to fire Capt. Bill Murphy, and a sheriff's dive team was sent out. A man was pulled from the water at about 1:45 p.m.



Vasona Lake County Park is a popular public space for walking and jogging. Murphy could only confirm that one person saw the man enter the water.



Police are investigating the circumstances of the drowning. The Santa Clara County medical examiner's office will identify the man once his family is contacted.







Former Alameda County prosecutor Eric Swalwell announced on Monday that he will join the crowded field of candidates seeking the 2020 Democratic nomination for president.



Announcing his candidacy on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," Swalwell, 38, said he's running for president because, "I see a country in quicksand" and "nothing gets done."



Swalwell, D-Dublin, who has represented California's 15th congressional district since he defeated longtime incumbent Pete Stark in 2012, said he's also running because, "Washington does nothing about gun violence."



Swalwell told Colbert, "I want to go big, go bold and do good."



He said, "I'm ready to solve these problems. I'm running for president of the United States."







A third woman arrested in connection with a blessing scam that targeted Chinese-speaking San Franciscans acted as a lookout while the other suspects stole victims' cash and valuables, prosecutors said Monday in court.



Juan Li, 62, of Rosemead was arrested last month in connection with the scam, which, according to police, is an ongoing issue in the city's Chinese community.



During Li's arraignment on Monday, she pleaded not guilty to the charges against her, which include, among others, several counts of grand theft as well as extortion.



In court, prosecutor Phoebe Maffei said Li worked with at least three other women suspects, acting as the lookout while the others performed the scam.



Two of those suspects, Mudi Wu and Fuxi Dai, both of China and both listed as 51 years old in jail records, were arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Christmas Eve as they were allegedly attempting to flee to Hong Kong, according to police.







Tuesday will be filled with sun and light breezes, with highs in the upper 50s to mid 60s.



Tuesday night will be clear and breezy, with lows near 50. Northwest winds will reach 20 to 30 mph, decreasing to 10 to 20 mph after midnight.



Wednesday will be breezier, with highs in the 60s. Northwest winds will be 10 to 20 mph, and will increase to 20 to 30 mph in the afternoon.





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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



A federal judge in San Francisco on Monday temporarily blocked a policy by the administration of President Donald Trump that forced asylum seekers at the southern border to return to Mexico while they pursue their asylum claims.



U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg said the policy, begun in January, was not authorized by the federal Immigration and Nationalization Act.



He issued a nationwide preliminary injunction in a lawsuit filed in February by 11 asylum seekers from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras and six immigration advocacy and legal services groups.



Seeborg said the injunction will go into effect at 5 p.m. on Friday, to give the government time for a possible appeal. Justice Department and Homeland Security Department spokespersons had no immediate comment.



The policy, known as the Migrant Protection Protocols, was announced by outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen on Dec. 20 and began to be implemented on Jan. 28.



American Civil Liberties Union attorney Judy Rabinovitz said in a statement, "The court strongly rejected the Trump administration's unprecedented and illegal policy of forcing asylum seekers to return to Mexico without hearing their claims.



"Try as it may, the Trump administration cannot simply ignore our laws in order to accomplish its goal of preventing people from seeking asylum in the United States," she said.



Rabinovitz argued on behalf of the plaintiffs at a hearing before Seeborg last month.



In announcing the policy, the Homeland Security Department said it was relying on a section of the immigration law that allows it to return an undocumented immigrant to a "foreign territory contiguous to the United States" while awaiting a deportation proceeding.



But Seeborg said that provision doesn't apply to asylum seekers, who are covered under a different section of the law.



"Plaintiffs have made a strong showing that they are likely to succeed on the merits with respect to their claim that the MPP lacks a legal basis for applying the contiguous territory return provision in this context," Seeborg wrote.



Seeborg said the policy also appeared to violate the nation's legal obligation to make sure the asylum applicants would not be in danger while waiting in Mexico.



"The individual plaintiffs present uncontested evidence that they fled their homes in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to escape extreme violence, including rape and death threats," Seeborg wrote.



"Plaintiffs contend they have continued to experience physical and verbal assaults, and live in fear of future violence, in Mexico," the judge said.



Unless it is successfully appealed, the preliminary injunction will remain in effect until there is a full trial on whether a permanent injunction should be granted.





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NEW ORLEANS, April 08, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC (KSF) and KSF partner, the former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors with large financial interests that they have only until April 9, 2019 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Wirecard AG (OTC: WCAGY, WRCDF). Investor losses must relate to purchases of the Companys securities between April 7, 2016 and February 1, 2019. This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

What You May Do

If you purchased securities of Wirecard and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email (lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/otc-wcagy/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action by overseeing lead counsel with the goal of obtaining a fair and just resolution, you must request this position by application to the Court by April 9, 2019 .

About the Lawsuit

On February 1, 2019, media sources reported that an external investigation by the Company into activities in its Singapore office had uncovered evidence of serious offences of forgery and/or of falsification of accounts[that] may have been carried out to conceal other misdeeds, such as cheating, criminal breach of trust, corruption and/or money laundering.

On this news, the price of Wirecards shares plummeted.

The case is Dalpoggetto v. Wirecard AG, 19-cv-986

About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is a law firm focused on securities, antitrust and consumer class actions, along with merger & acquisition and breach of fiduciary litigation against publicly traded companies on behalf of shareholders. The firm has offices in New York, California and Louisiana.

To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com .



Contact:
English Finnish

ELISA CORPORATION INVESTOR NEWS 9 APRIL 2019 AT 9:00 AM

Elisa will publish its Interim Report Q1 2019 from JanuaryMarch on Wednesday 17 April 2019 at approximately 8:30 am EET (6:30 UK time).

International conference call for analysts and investors will be held on the same day at 12:00 pm EET at Elisa headquarters, Ratavartijankatu 5, Helsinki.

Dial-in numbers for the conference call :

FI: +358 981 710 310 PIN: 75887146#

SE: +46 856 642 651 PIN: 75887146#

UK: +44 333 300 08 04 PIN: 75887146#

US: +1 631 913 14 22 PIN: 75887146#

Live audiocast: https://elisa.videosync.fi/2019-q1-audiocast



The presentations will be available on www.elisa.com/investors at the same day as well as recording of the audiocast.



ELISA CORPORATION

Vesa Sahivirta

IR Director

tel. +358 50 520 5555

Distribution:

Principal media

www.elisa.com
Invitation to Annual Shareholders' Meeting

Biocartis Group NV (the 'Company' or 'Biocartis'), an innovative molecular diagnostics company (Euronext Brussels: BCART), has the honor to invite its shareholders, warrant holders, directors and statutory auditor to its annual shareholders' meeting that will be held on Friday 10 May 2019 at 2:00 p.m. CEST ('AGM') at the offices of the Company at Generaal de Wittelaan 11B, 2800 Mechelen, Belgium.

In order to be admitted to the AGM, the holders of securities issued by the Company must comply with Article 536 of the Belgian Companies Code and the articles of association of the Company, and fulfill the formalities described in the convening notice. The convening notice and other documents relating to the AGM can be consulted on the website of the Company.

--- END ---

More information:

Renate Degrave

Manager Corporate Communications & Investor Relations

e-mail rdegrave@biocartis.com

tel +32 15 631 729

gsm +32 471 53 60 64

@Biocartis_

www.linkedin.com/Biocartis

About Biocartis

Biocartis (Euronext Brussels: BCART) is an innovative molecular diagnostics (MDx) company providing next generation diagnostic solutions aimed at improving clinical practice for the benefit of patients, clinicians, payers and industry. Biocartis' proprietary MDx Idylla(TM) platform is a fully automated sample-to-result, real-time PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) system that offers accurate, highly reliable molecular information from virtually any biological sample in virtually any setting. Biocartis is developing and marketing a rapidly expanding test menu addressing key unmet clinical needs in oncology. This area represents the fastest growing segment of the MDx market worldwide. Today, Biocartis offers tests supporting melanoma, colorectal and lung cancer. More information: www.biocartis.com . Press Photo Library available here . Follow us on Twitter : @Biocartis_.

Biocartis and Idylla(TM) are registered trademarks in Europe, the United States and other countries. The Biocartis and Idylla(TM) trademark and logo are used trademarks owned by Biocartis. This press release is not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in any jurisdiction where to do so would be unlawful. Any persons reading this press release should inform themselves of and observe any such restrictions. Biocartis takes no responsibility for any violation of any such restrictions by any person. Please refer to the product labeling for applicable intended uses for each individual Biocartis product. This press release does not constitute an offer or invitation for the sale or purchase of securities in any jurisdiction. No securities of Biocartis may be offered or sold in the United States of America absent registration with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or an exemption from registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

Forward-looking statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Biocartis expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements in this press release, except if specifically required to do so by law or regulation. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.




Dublin, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Hungary Animation, VFX & Games Industry: Strategies, Trends & Opportunities" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



Istvn Kat Kiszly created the first animated cutout cartoon in 1914, named Zsirb dn. The next film Kat Kiszly directed was Rme s Jlia in 1921. Key animation schools such as Jaschik School played a key role in animation training in fine and applied arts. In Hungary, the animation studio Pannnia Film Studios was known internationally as one of the five major cartoon studios world-wide at the end of 1970s.



The greatest changes to the industry came in 1990 with the withdrawal of state support for the country's largest studio, the Pannnia Film Stdi. This, along with the newfound access to a free market, provided the impetus for many Hungarian animators who had worked with the company to branch off and form studios of their own. In 1992, Magyar Rajzfilm was formed, establishing connections between the European Union's media program and Hungarian animation studios.



The Hungarian games market is growing at a fast pace and revenues touched US$ 115 million in 2018. The total value of Hungarian games industry was US$ 115 million in 2018 and is projected to reach US$ 139 million by 2020.

Key Topics Covered:



European Animation Industry

DEMAND FOR TV CONTENT

Feature Film Industry in Europe

MARKETING AND MERCHANDISING

Trends in Europe

COLLABORATION AMONG EUROPEAN STUDIOS

DRIVERS FOR SUCCESS

ANIMATION COST STRUCTURES IN EUROPE

Animation Movie Budgets in Europe

Strategies and Models for Animation financing in Europe

ANIMATION FUNDING AGENCIES

CENTRALISED ANIMATION FUNDING AGENCIES IN EUROPE

Television Series Development in Europe

PITCHING TELEVISION SERIES TO BROADCASTERS

Copyright Chain in Europe

Co-Production Strategies in Europe

CONTRACTUAL ISSUES

KEY RIGHTS IN CO-PRODUCTION AGREEMENTS

CO-PRODUCTIONS AND OUTSOURCING

Distribution Strategies in Europe

PRODUCER-DISTRIBUTOR CO-FINANCING PATTERNS

3D Market in Europe

ADVANTAGES OF 3D

DISADVANTAGES OF 3D

Industry Constraints and Challenges

Market size of European Animation, VFX & Games industry

Animation Content demand by TV Channels in Europe

European Animation & VFX industry Market Size

European Games industry Market Size

Animation, VFX & Games industry in Hungary

Value of Animation Industry in Hungary

Size of Animation Industry in Hungary

Government Support

Industry in Transition

CO-PRODUCTIONS

FULL LENGTH FILMS

NATIONAL FILM FUND

Video Games Industry in Hungary

KEY TRENDS IN THE HUNGARIAN VIDEO GAMES INDUSTRY

HUNGARIAN VIDEO GAMES INDUSTRY STRUCTURE

VIDEO GAME BUSINESS MODELS IN HUNGARY

ONLINE VIDEO GAMING BUSINESS MODELS IN HUNGARY

HUNGARIAN VIDEO GAMES INDUSTRY VALUE CHAIN

MOBILE GAMES INDUSTRY VALUE CHAIN IN HUNGARY

Key Opportunities & Strategies for Hungarian Video Games Industry

Video Games Market Segments in Hungary

MOBILE VIDEO GAMES SEGMENTS & GENRES IN HUNGARY

Hungarian Video Games Market Size & Opportunity



Companies Mentioned



Magyar Rajzfilm

Pannnia Film Studios

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/3377i1

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.
Dublin, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Turkey Animation, VFX & Games Industry: Strategies, Trends & Opportunities" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



Turkish film industry's current growth phase started in the mid-1990s and the industry has grown at a fast phase since then. The years 2015 was the most successful for the Turkish film industry in terms of the number of locally produced releases and audience admissions. There has been an increase in the number of Turkish and foreign movie releases as well as the admissions for the films. The average cost of producing a movie in Turkey varies between $800,000 and $1.5 million.



Between 2005 and 2015, over 50,000 hours of Turkish TV programs were sold to broadcasters in over 80 countries around the world. Programs were broadcast in the Middle East, as well as Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, New Caledonia, Niger, Senegal, Singapore, Somalia, Vietnam, Israel and Greece. This demonstrates the widespread popularity of Turkish productions across the world.

The total value of Turkish games industry was US$ 886 million in 2018 and is projected to reach US$ 1 billion by 2020. Mobile & hand held games are the fastest growing segment, followed by Console and PC games.

Key Topics Covered:



European Animation Industry

DEMAND FOR TV CONTENT

Feature Film Industry in Europe

MARKETING AND MERCHANDISING

Trends in Europe

COLLABORATION AMONG EUROPEAN STUDIOS

DRIVERS FOR SUCCESS

ANIMATION COST STRUCTURES IN EUROPE

Animation Movie Budgets in Europe

Strategies and Models for Animation financing in Europe

ANIMATION FUNDING AGENCIES

CENTRALISED ANIMATION FUNDING AGENCIES IN EUROPE

Television Series Development in Europe

PITCHING TELEVISION SERIES TO BROADCASTERS

Copyright Chain in Europe

Co-Production Strategies in Europe

CONTRACTUAL ISSUES

KEY RIGHTS IN CO-PRODUCTION AGREEMENTS

CO-PRODUCTIONS AND OUTSOURCING

Distribution Strategies in Europe

PRODUCER-DISTRIBUTOR CO-FINANCING PATTERNS

3D Market in Europe

ADVANTAGES OF 3D

DISADVANTAGES OF 3D

Industry Constraints and Challenges

Market size of European Animation, VFX & Games industry

Animation Content demand by TV Channels in Europe

European Animation & VFX industry Market Size

European Games industry Market Size

Animation, VFX & Games industry in Turkey

Recent Movie Trends in Turkey

Animation Studios in Turkey

Animation Schools in Turkey

Government Support

Industry Challenges, Opportunities & Drivers

Strategies for Animation Studios in Turkey

Key Statistics about Animation Industry in Turkey

Games Industry in Turkey

KEY TRENDS IN THE TURKISH VIDEO GAMES INDUSTRY

VIDEO GAME BUSINESS MODELS IN TURKEY

ONLINE VIDEO GAMING BUSINESS MODELS IN TURKEY

Key Opportunities & Strategies for Turkish Video Games Industry

Video Games Market Segments

MOBILE VIDEO GAMES SEGMENTS & GENRES

Turkish Video Games Market Size & Opportunity



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/7v8d6m

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.
Dublin, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Norway Animation, VFX & Games Industry: Strategies, Trends & Opportunities" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



Animation in Norway goes back to 1913, with Norwegian director Sverre Halvorsen's one-minute short animation, Roald Amundsen on the South Pole. Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) has been introducing animated films and animated TV series for children from the UK, Eastern Europe, Canada, Sweden and Denmark.



Since 1990, the Norwegian animation industry has undergone rapid growth. It is now producing quality animation across techniques and formats including children's films to experimental animation. There are several professional studios that produce high-quality animation output.



The total value of Norwegian games industry was US$ 328 million in 2018 and is projected to reach US$ 397 million by 2020. Mobile & hand held games is the fastest growing segment, followed by Console games.

Key Topics Covered:



European Animation Industry

DEMAND FOR TV CONTENT

Feature Film Industry in Europe

MARKETING AND MERCHANDISING

Trends in Europe

COLLABORATION AMONG EUROPEAN STUDIOS

DRIVERS FOR SUCCESS

ANIMATION COST STRUCTURES IN EUROPE

Animation Movie Budgets in Europe

Strategies and Models for Animation financing in Europe

ANIMATION FUNDING AGENCIES

CENTRALISED ANIMATION FUNDING AGENCIES IN EUROPE

Television Series Development in Europe

PITCHING TELEVISION SERIES TO BROADCASTERS

Copyright Chain in Europe

Co-Production Strategies in Europe

CONTRACTUAL ISSUES

KEY RIGHTS IN CO-PRODUCTION AGREEMENTS

CO-PRODUCTIONS AND OUTSOURCING

Distribution Strategies in Europe

PRODUCER-DISTRIBUTOR CO-FINANCING PATTERNS

3D Market in Europe

ADVANTAGES OF 3D

DISADVANTAGES OF 3D

Industry Constraints and Challenges

Market size of European Animation, VFX & Games industry

Animation Content demand by TV Channels in Europe

European Animation & VFX industry Market Size

European Games industry Market Size

Animation, VFX & Games industry in Norway

Recent Movie Trends in Norway

Industry evolution and key Animation Productions

KEY ANIMATION PRODUCTION COMPANIES IN NORWAY

NORWAY'S FIRST 3D ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Animation Film market in Norway

Industry Drivers, Challenges & Opportunities

Animation Funding in Norway

Value of Animation Industry in Norway

Size of Animation Industry in Norway

Key statistics about Animation industry in Norway

Games Industry in Norway

KEY TRENDS IN THE NORWEGIAN VIDEO GAMES INDUSTRY

VIDEO GAME BUSINESS MODELS IN NORWAY

ONLINE VIDEO GAMING BUSINESS MODELS IN NORWAY

Key Opportunities & Strategies for Norwegian Video Games Industry

Video Games Market Segments

MOBILE VIDEO GAMES SEGMENTS & GENRES

Norwegian Video Games Market Size & Opportunity



Companies Mentioned



Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK)

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/9gkr2t

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.
RIO DE JANEIRO  President Jair Bolsonaros first 100 days in office have been marked by infighting in his administration, insults to adversaries and allies, praise for Brazils 1964-1985 dictatorship and a scarcity of bills passed by Congress  pretty much the same as his record as a congressman and as a candidate.

So far, the anti-corruption and pro-gun outsider who is frequently compared to President Trump has scored only a few major victories.

Bolsonaros electoral triumph in October sent Brazils left to its biggest defeat in almost two decades. But for many, so far Bolsonaros administration is heavy on discourse and light on concrete accomplishments.

Bolsonaro has achieved some of his campaign promises: He signed a decree easing restrictions on gun ownership as an anti-crime move, privatized some state-run companies, installed a Cabinet with eight members of the military  more than at any time since the restoration of democracy  and has built strong ties with Trump and Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu while distancing Brazil from Venezuelas socialist leader, Nicolas Maduro.

He has also begun moves to weaken environmental restrictions on development, as promised.

Still, as he marks off his 100th day in the presidency Wednesday, he has also given critics a lot of material to work with, and corruption suspicions against the presidents family have emerged.

The former army captain has been widely criticized for celebrating the March 31, 1964, coup that launched Brazils military regime and for labeling Nazism as a leftist ideology while in Jerusalem. He managed to offend even allies with a pornographic tweet of a Carnival party in response to revelers who had mocked him.

Bolsonaros Cabinet appears to be divided into four, sometimes fractious factions: the military, with eight out of 22 ministers; evangelical conservatives who control the governments human rights agenda; a moderate wing overseeing economic and justice ministries, and a cluster of anti-globalists.

The man once hailed as an anti-corruption hero by supporters is facing suspicions of familial wrongdoing.

Regulatory authorities said his son Flavio, who is also a senator, received 48 suspicious payments totaling about $25,000 in a single month from his former driver Fabricio Queiroz, who also made a payment to first lady Michelle Bolsonaro of about $5,500.

Marcelo Silva de Sousa and Mauricio Savarese are Associated Press writers.
Dublin, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Netherlands Animation, VFX & Games Industry: Strategies, Trends & Opportunities" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The current animation industry in The Netherlands is vibrant with several active smaller production companies and independent filmmakers. Dutch animation industry has adopted new digital animation technologies and the industry's output is diverse with productions targeted at television, cinema, games, mobile phones, and the internet.



Dutch animation has many talented young artists with several animation students graduating from the art academies every year and key international professionals take part in the artist in residence programme at the Netherlands Institute for Animation Film.

There are numerous active smaller production companies and independent filmmakers, who combine producing independent films and commissioned work. Several animators are actively working on collaborations with international co-productions. The total value of the Dutch games industry was US$ 655 million in 2018 and is projected to reach US$ 793 million by 2020.

Key Topics Covered:



European Animation Industry

DEMAND FOR TV CONTENT

Feature Film Industry in Europe

MARKETING AND MERCHANDISING

Trends in Europe

COLLABORATION AMONG EUROPEAN STUDIOS

DRIVERS FOR SUCCESS

ANIMATION COST STRUCTURES IN EUROPE

Animation Movie Budgets in Europe

Strategies and Models for Animation financing in Europe

ANIMATION FUNDING AGENCIES

CENTRALISED ANIMATION FUNDING AGENCIES IN EUROPE

Television Series Development in Europe

PITCHING TELEVISION SERIES TO BROADCASTERS

Copyright Chain in Europe

Co-Production Strategies in Europe

CONTRACTUAL ISSUES

KEY RIGHTS IN CO-PRODUCTION AGREEMENTS

CO-PRODUCTIONS AND OUTSOURCING

Distribution Strategies in Europe

PRODUCER-DISTRIBUTOR CO-FINANCING PATTERNS

3D Market in Europe

ADVANTAGES OF 3D

DISADVANTAGES OF 3D

Industry Constraints and Challenges

Market size of European Animation, VFX & Games industry

Animation Content demand by TV Channels in Europe

European Animation & VFX industry Market Size

European Games industry Market Size

Animation, VFX & Games industry in Netherlands

Recent Movie Trends in Netherlands

Successful Dutch Animations

Key Animation Production Companies in Netherlands

Animation Funding in Netherands

Industry Drivers, Challenges and Opportunities

Strategies for Animation Studios in Netherlands

Value of Animation Industry in the Netherlands

Size of Animation Industry in Netherlands

Key statistics about Animation industry in Netherlands

Games Industry in the Netherlands

KEY TRENDS IN THE DUTCH VIDEO GAMES INDUSTRY

VIDEO GAME BUSINESS MODELS IN NETHERLANDS

ONLINE VIDEO GAMING BUSINESS MODELS IN NETHERLANDS

Key Opportunities & Strategies for Dutch Video Games Industry

Video Games Market Segments

MOBILE VIDEO GAMES SEGMENTS & GENRES

Dutch Video Games Market Size & Opportunity



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/b1x4z0

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.
Creative cooperation and collaboration is one of the tenets of Burning Man's 10 Principals, but the nearly 200 Burners who packed a Bureau of Land Management public hearing at a Nevada casino Monday night seemed in no mood for either.

According to the Reno Gazette Journal, Burning Man supporters at the Nugget Casino in Sparks shouted down, taunted and even called BLM officials "idiots" as the feds answered questions about the agency's proposed changes to the annual counter-culture festival's operations.

"Frankly, the BLM gave the Burning Man organization an unprecedented level of involvement in this meeting," Patrick Donnelly, state director for the Center for Biological Diversity, told the Gazette Journal. "[BLM officials] were shouted down by people several times, and they just sat there and took it. I've been on the other side where I was in antagonistic relationship with BLM, and we received no such deference."

In March, BLM released a draft version of an Environmental Statement that would place new restrictions on Burning Man, which anticipates growing its current attendance of 80,000 people. Some of the more contentious proposals include:

 Placing dumpsters in and around the event.

 Conducting drug and weapon searches (called "screenings" by BLM) upon entry. (If the event expands capacity to 100,000 participants.)

 Constructing nine miles of concrete barriers placed around the event. (Again, if the event expands to 100,000 participants.)

 Paying for the maintenance of County Road 34, which takes participants to the entrance.

Burners complained that the proposed security searches would drastically extend entry wait times that already can stretch to several hours long. They criticized the concrete barrier proposal, suggesting that it would create sand dunes while the current plastic mesh fence catches blowing trash, yet allows sand to pass through.

"Some of BLM's proposals are in direct conflict with our community's core principles and would forever negatively change the fabric of the Burning Man event, if not outright kill it," festival organizers wrote last month.

Burners maintain that one of those principals, Leave No Trace  that is, pack out all your trash  would be severely undermined by the presence of dumpsters.

On the other hand, Reno residents have said much of the packed-out trash currently ends up dumped illegally in the city or other local communities.

PREVIOUSLY: Burning Man begs festival-goers to help stop BLM

The festival's associate director of government affairs, Marnee Benson, reminded attendees at the hearing that Burning Man reimburses BLM for all its event-related costs, the Gazette Journal reported.

"We pay for every minute of their time, every penny that they spend, every mile that they drive," festival organizer Benson said at the meeting.

Burning Man also reportedly pays a 3 percent of gross revenue user fee to the agency.

Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve voiced support for the event, the Associated Press reported. Airport spokesman Brian Kulpin said every seat on every Reno flight is full three days before and after the weeklong event that culminates Labor Day weekend with the burning of a towering wooden effigy.

---

Read Mike Moffitt's latest stories and send him news tips at moffitt@sfgate.com.

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Washington County Sheriff's Office

The 911 call comes in at 1:48 p.m. Someone is in a woman's bathroom. The bathroom door is locked, but she can see shadows moving beneath the door.

Several deputies of the Washington County (Ore.) Sheriff's Office arrive at the scene within a minute and surround the house. They request that a police canine be brought to assist them.
TEHRAN  Iranian lawmakers dressed in paramilitary uniforms chanted Death to America as they convened Tuesday for an open session of parliament after the White House designated Irans Revolutionary Guard a foreign terrorist organization.

President Hassan Rouhani declared that the forces popularity would only surge in the wake of the designation, saying guard members would be dearer than any other time in the hearts of Iranian nation.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised the guard and said Americas evil designs would not harm the force.

The move by Washington on Monday was an unprecedented declaration against a foreign government entity  one that could prompt retaliation and make it harder for Americans to work with allies in the region who have contact with members and affiliates of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

It marks the first time the United States has designated an entire entity of another government as a terrorist organization, placing a powerful and expansive armed force with vast economic resources that answers only to Irans supreme leader in the same category as al Qaeda and the Islamic State.

Irans rival, Saudi Arabia, welcomed the U.S. decision, describing it as a serious and practical step to combat terrorism. A Foreign Ministry official said the designation translates Saudi Arabias repeated demands for the international community to confront terrorism supported by Iran.

Within hours of the Trump administrations declaration, Irans Supreme National Security Council responded by designating the U.S. Central Command, also known as CENTCOM, and all its forces as terrorist, and labeling the U.S. a supporter of terrorism.

In Tehran on Tuesday, many of the lawmakers wore the uniform of the guard in a show of support as they convened for a parliament session marking the National Day of the Revolutionary Guard, which follows the lunar calendar. This year it coincides with the April 9 holiday known as Nuclear Day.

Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani denounced the U.S. decision as the climax of stupidity and ignorance. The Supreme National Security Councils spokesman, Keivan Khosravi, said that going forward, any unusual move by American forces in the region will be perceived as the behavior by a terrorist group. He did not elaborate.

The state-owned Iran daily went a step further, saying the U.S. move was a designation of the entire Iranian nation as terrorist.

Nasser Karimi is an Associated Press writer.
MAGARU, Mozambique  He was haunted by the thought of a small childs skull, unburied and lost in the debris of a cyclone that had claimed hundreds of lives.

Stephen Fonseca stood in a field of ruined maize where a tiny spine had been found, and he wanted to find the rest of the body. But in every direction were scattered kernels and stalks bleached by the sun. At a glance, much of the landscape looked like bones.

The stark scene brought home the overwhelming challenge faced by Fonseca, the only body recovery specialist to search the rural Mozambique region struck by Cyclone Idai, since he waded into the devastation nearly a month ago.

If a final death toll ever emerges  it is now more than 600 in Mozambique alone  it will be strongly informed by Fonsecas work in the field, and the quest to name the missing and the dead.

The storm tore apart frightened families and swept whole villages away, with floodwaters as high as treetops rushing toward the sea. Parents lost their grip on children. Exhausted people clinging to branches for days fell into the waters and drowned.

For days on end, Fonseca followed the accounts of villagers who spoke of seeing the dead floating by.

As the waters began to recede, he walked for miles through mud so thick it sucked boots off feet. Crocodiles, hippos and snakes posed threats but hungry dogs and pigs were a bigger concern. Fonseca needed to find the bodies before they did, and bury them well.

His search was guided by smell, animal tracks and flies. It was uncomfortable but necessary work, as bare bones are far more difficult to find, and time was running out.

This is our one good opportunity to get as much as possible, said Fonseca, the South Africa-based forensic coordinator for Africa with the International Committee of the Red Cross.

As he pushed through the rural farmland he met local people who were just as concerned about the dignity of the dead. Desperate for news of their missing family members, some communities sent out search teams.

Bodies that were found were given a quick but respectful burial, even when they were strangers. Some of the dead wore the uniforms of neighboring Zimbabwes security forces, having been swept down mountainsides some 60 miles away by the raging waters.

Burials were difficult work. Shovels, like homes, had been lost. Some people dug with their bare hands, then watched the holes fill with water from the still-sodden ground.

With forensic methods such as DNA tests, fingerprinting and dental records almost impossible in rural Mozambique, Fonseca respects what he called cultural identification. Clothing, location and other signs were considered in the interest of grieving relatives peace of mind.

Cara Anna is an Associated Press writer.
This hidden neighbourhood carries a fascinating secret - it has been mass producing Buddhist merchandise for Thailand for more than 300 years.



The Baan Bat village emerged in the early 1700s in Bangkok when the first Chinese settlers developed the capital city.



The strip of homes began making bowls for monks to receive donations in. Since then, the rows of shop factories have continued producing Buddhist shrines for the countrys temples.



Hundreds of shining gold-coloured statues are now mass produced even week in the small community near the China Town area of the Thai capital.



It has even become known as Buddha Road, with most of the shrines and religious paraphernalia originating from the area for hundreds of years.



Many are decorated with colourful jewels and packaged in plastic before beings shipped to differed temples where theyll be worshipped by religious devotees.



Footage taken today as the country prepares for the Songkran New Years festivities shows the manufacturers at work as they produce all shapes and sizes of Buddha figures - displaying them outside their workshop for buyers.



The footage was captured today (April 9).
This is the chilling moment a Thai man followed a young backpacker up a mountainside - moments before beating her to death with a rock.



While high on meth, Ronnakorn Romruen, 24, stopped Miriam Beelte, 26, and asked her for sex while she was riding a rented motorcycle on Koh Si Chang, Thailand, on Sunday (April 7).



But when she refused he followed her to a secluded ancient stone palace where she parked the bike, unaware the killer was stalking her.



CCTV footage shows Miriam in a blue dress and black flip-flops as she walks up the long stone path to the top of the hill.



Romruen, wearing a black top and army camouflage trousers, follows behind moments later with a ring of marigolds in his hand.



He then pounced on Beelte and raped her on the steps leading up to the Phra Chulachomkla stone palace monument.



Having attacked the young woman from Hildesheim, Germany, he then battered her to death with a rock to prevent her from contacting police.



CCTV of the haunting last moments emerged today as Romruen was taken back to the area for a crime re-enactment flanked by police.



Pictured with a blue bag over his head, Romruen was in handcuffs as he again showed police how he murdered the woman.
This is the amusing moment a man in eastern Thailand successfully managed to get six Siamese cats to pose for a picture.



Khun Atiput, the photographer, began by waving a small tree branch with leaves on the end as if conducting an orchestra. The six identical kittens all followed the green leaves while Atiput held a phone in his free hand to photograph them at his home in Nakhon Phanom Province, on March 31.



Atiput said: ''It's hard taking a picture of six cats all sitting together so I had to distract them, particularly because they're young. I think this is a good way to do it.''
Page Content

It may be spring break for many college students, but Alexis Martin already is settling in at her new job in the claims department of The Hartford, where she earns a starting salary of about $44,000 and has no student debt.



She graduated March 28 from the insurer's two-year Claims Apprentice Program and was one of eight students in the company's inaugural initiative. She now handles auto insurance-related damage claims in the Windsor, Conn., office.



"It was the best career move I ever made," she said of her apprenticeship. "They pay you while you're working and also offer good benefitsand tuition reimbursement if I wanted to go back to school" for an advanced degree. "It was like I hit the lottery."



Martin and her fellow graduates are among an increasing number of students who have entered white-collar apprenticeships.





Apprenticeships typically are considered the training ground for blue-collar industries such as manufacturing and construction, but in recent years the U.S. has been looking to European models that "provide fast-tracked, on-the-job training in white-collar professions," according to The Hechinger Report, a project of the Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City.



A Way to Recruit Women and Minorities



The Hartford participates in the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL's) registered apprenticeship program. Capital Community College in Hartford, Conn., where Martin majored in management, is among the schools around the U.S. the company partners with to offer an insurance-specific curriculum.



Students in the programs at colleges The Hartford partners with graduate with no college debt.



In Connecticut, apprentices can receive $3,500 in tuition assistance over two years from the DOL for insurance coursework. And in Florida and Arizona, apprenticeship programs pay the entire cost of tuition and books for qualifying students. Additionally, The Hartford pays up to $5,000 annually for tuition and offers tuition reimbursement to apprentices who do not qualify for other grants.



The apprenticeship program is a way for The Hartford to recruit women and people of color for customer-facing positions, said John Kinney, J.D., chief claims officer at the company's Hartford, Conn., office. Community colleges, he said, are nontraditional pipelines for talent "that nobody is tapping right now, especially in the insurance-industry role."



Mentoring is an important aspect of the apprenticeship, Kinney said. It's important, too, for companies to be thoughtful about how they scale their apprenticeship programs, as it takes time to create a program that's the right size for the organization. The Hartford's initiative began with an 18-month before rolling it out to the class that just graduated. The company's claims team worked with its community college partners in Connecticut, Florida and Arizona to build apprenticeship curricula and its HR generalists work with community colleges in those states to recruit students to the program.



Students entering the program in May will already have accumulated 30 credit hours toward their associate degree. They will apprentice full time during the summer while earning $15 per hour and receiving full benefits. They will continue their coursework while apprenticing 20 to 25 hours a week during the fall 2019 and spring 2020 semesters while continuing to be paid and receiving full benefits. Another summer of full-time apprenticeship follows, during which participants will earn $15.50 per hour and receive benefits.

They will complete any coursework during the 2020-21 school year while working full time in the company's claims department. Graduates who successfully complete the apprenticeship and attain a 3.0 grade point average will receive certification and a job at the office where they apprenticed.



Apprenticeships, Kinney noted, open students' eyes to career options, and "from an HR perspective, it helps having a centralized learning and training program."



Other White-Collar Apprenticeships



Aona professional services company headquartered in London with offices in Chicago and Lincolnshire, Ill.offers apprenticeships in human resources, technology and insurance. Students partner with a mentor, receive a salary and full benefits during training, and get free tuition at Aon-partner schools.



Working through the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council and partnering with Illinois Central College, employers in Peoria, Ill., developed the Central Illinois Center of Excellence for Secure Software. It is said to be the first secure software apprenticeship program in the nation. Apprentices are employed part time; at the end of 32 months, they test for IT certifications.



[SHRM members-only toolkit: Using Government and Other Resources for Employment and Training Programs]



And CVS Healthwhich joined the U.S. Registered Apprenticeship system in 2005 with a program in Detroitexpanded its program to other states. In 2017 it set a goal of hiring 5,000 new apprentices by 2022, and in 2018 it became the first U.S. company to sponsor a program in Maryland for pharmacy technician and pharmacy manager roles.



"As the skills gap in the U.S. widens, CVS Health recognizes the important role apprenticeshipswhich offer on-the-job training with classroom instructionplay in building a pipeline of future skilled talent," said David Casey, CVS Health vice president of workforce strategies and chief diversity officer, in a news release.



Not all apprenticeships are affiliated with colleges and universities. New York City-based public relations firm Prosek Partners takes a different approach. It offers a four-month program for people who have a college degree and a strong interest in financial services, professional services, technology and business-to-business communications.



"Many employees join us with nontraditional PR backgrounds, including those who worked in or studied journalism, political science, English, psychology, economics," said Karen Niovitch Davis, partner and chief human resource officer. Many of Prosek Partners' apprentices have minimal or no experience in financial services, she added.



"We have found that our apprentice program allows us to educate on both PR and financial services in a curriculum setting, thus allowing them to apply these lessons in real time to the account work they are doing."



Each apprentice is paired with a manager, who identifies the person's strengths and areas for development; a mentor; and a "buddy" to help them develop media-relations skills.



Apprentices in the firm's New York City, Boston and Fairfield, Conn., offices work a 40-hour week, receive an hourly wage, are assigned to three to five client teams and attend weekly boot camps taught by employees who focus on public relations and financial services topics.



"Our apprentices do much of the work that our assistant account executives do, but with training wheels on," Davis said. They undergo a formal review at two months with their managers and a member of HR, to receive feedback and discuss areas for development before the apprenticeship concludes.



"Our program has been incredibly successful," and since launching in 2015 "has allowed us to hire more than 91 percent of our apprentices in a full-time position," she said. Prosek Partners has about 175 employees, approximately 40 percent of whom are former interns or apprentices.


Page Content

According to Pharmajet Blog, a surprising number of pharmacists suffer from trypanophobiathe fear of giving injections, which most in their profession have to do these days during flu season. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) generally does not help the needle-phobic pharmacist because companies have a right to define the essential functions of a job.

Consistent with this observation, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in 2017 overturned a multimillion-dollar jury verdict in favor of a trypanophobic pharmacist. The man was terminated by Rite Aid after he said he was unable to give injections to customers due to that phobia. A jury concluded that the ADA required Rite Aid to accommodate his phobia by relieving him of the duty. The Second Circuit disagreed. The Second Circuit found that although the pharmacist had worked for over 30 years without having to perform this duty, Rite Aid had the right to add new essential job functions, which it did in a revised job description. As we all know, an employer is never required to relieve an employee of performing essential job functions. The man's doctor said no accommodation could enable him to administer vaccinations, so he was fired. Legally, per the Second Circuit. An ADA claim was vanquished.

But wait, there's more. On March 11, this very same Second Circuit ruled in favor of a trypanophobic pharmacist. The court reversed the dismissal of the pharmacist's claims under the Vermont Fair Employment Practices Act. What was the difference? Well, this time there was conflicting evidence.

Here, after the requirement to administer vaccines was announced but before it became effective, the pharmacist's employer, Wal-Mart, told him he would be exempted from the duty as an accommodation for his phobia. He even was given a letter that said he was qualified to perform the essential job functions. The letter specified that the exemption was subject to the employer's right to change the job description in the future. A few months later, when the pharmacist was told he had to become certified to give vaccines and he refused, he was "constructively discharged" (which means he was forced to quit). This happened before the job description actually was changed. The Second Circuit said at the motion-to-dismiss stage, where the plaintiff should be given the benefit of all reasonable inferences in his favor, the lower court was hasty in dismissing his case.

Employer Takeaways

First, written job descriptions are strong evidence of what constitute essential job functions. Employers are afforded deference here. Taking the time to have accurate job descriptions that specify what functions are essential can literally carry the day for employers in court.

Second, exempting employees from performing essential functions due to disabilities will undermine the employer's position that a function is essential. In this case, Wal-Mart made the exemption to an impending change in duties, and even specified that it was conditioned on Wal-Mart's right to update the job description. However, timing is, as they say, everything. Wal-Mart's demand that the employee become certified happened before the job description was changed, so at least at the motion-to-dismiss stage, the question of whether giving vaccines was an essential job function at the time was "up for grabs."

Finally, employers, think before you write and consider how it will be interpreted by a third party (i.e., prospective counsel to your aggrieved employee, judge, or jury). When you are dealing with an employee who is seeking an accommodation, the written record must be precise and should hew to what the law requires. What you write may become evidence in an ADA or state law case.

Elizabeth Torphy-Donzella is an attorney with Shawe Rosenthal in Baltimore. Reposted with permission. 2019 Shawe Rosenthal. All rights reserved.


TORONTO, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aleafia Health Inc. (TSX: ALEF, OTC: ALEAF, FRA: ARAH) (Aleafia Health or the Company) will announce its 2018 Financial Results on April 29, 2019 at 7:00 a.m. EDT. The Company will also host its Year-End Results Call the same day at 8:30 a.m. EDT. The call will be hosted by CEO Geoffrey Benic and CFO Benjamin Ferdinand.

Canadian and international call-in numbers for the Results Call will be made available on the Companys website by April 26, 2019.

For Investor & Media Relations, please contact:

Nicholas Bergamini, VP, Public Affairs

416-860-5665

IR@AleafiaHealth.com

About Aleafia Health:

Aleafia Health is a leading, vertically integrated cannabis health and wellness company with four primary business units: Cannabis Cultivation & Products, Health & Wellness Clinics, Cannabis Education, and Consumer Experience with ecommerce, retail distribution and provincial supply agreements.

Aleafia Health owns three major cannabis product & cultivation, two of which are licensed and operational. The Company produces a diverse portfolio of commercially proven, high-margin derivative products including oils, capsules and sprays. Aleafia Health operates the largest national network of medical cannabis clinics and education centres staffed by MDs, nurse practitioners and educators.

Aleafia Health maintains a medical cannabis dataset with over 10 million data points to inform proprietary illness specific product development and treatment best practices. The Company is committed to creating sustainable shareholder value and has been named the 2019 top performing company of the year by the TSX Venture Exchange.

LEARN MORE: www.AleafiaHealth.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ad4d2599-1821-4b8a-9b70-70c78eb8e121

The photo is also available at Newscom, www.newscom.com, and via AP PhotoExpress.
Page Content

When the California Supreme Court issued its 2018 ruling in Dynamex Operations v. Superior Court, the decision jolted the business world by making it more difficult to designate workers as independent contractors.

The decision was welcomed by labor, but it sparked great worry among employers. For one thing, the ruling opened the door to misclassification lawsuits against ride-hailing companies that rely on independent contractors for their business models to work. Now, both sides are closely watching a California bill, AB 5, that would codify the court decision and clarify how it would be applied to jobs in the state.

Although the bill would exempt certain occupationssuch as doctors, investment advisors and some direct sellersgig-economy workers aren't included in the exemptions. The business community is trying to change that, but the bill's sponsor, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, doesn't want to exclude such workers from the bill's coverage.

"Individuals are not able to make it on three side hustles," she said. "That shouldn't be the norm. That shouldn't be accepted." Workers who are properly classified as independent contractors are not entitled to certain employment benefits such as minimum wage and overtime pay.

Stringent Contractor Test

In the Dynamex decision, the court adopted a new test for determining whether a worker should be designated as an employee or independent contractor under the California wage orders.

Under the "ABC" test, a worker is presumed to be an employee unless the employer can show all of the following:

The worker is free from the control and direction of the hiring entity in connection with the performance of the work, both under the contract for the performance of the work and in fact.

The worker performs tasks that are outside of the usual course of the hiring entity's business.

The worker is customarily engaged in an independently established trade, occupation or business of the same nature as the work performed for the hiring entity.

The second factor is a difficult standard to meet, said Robert Cooper, an attorney with Buchalter in Los Angeles. Employers will have to show that the work performed is outside of the usual course of the business. So it would be difficult for a software development company to show that a programmer was properly classified as an independent contractor, but it may be able to show that a plumber is a contractor.

"I see this as a huge change that's going to cause employers to have to reclassify lots of people," said Craig Schloss, an attorney with Cozen O'Connor in San Diego.

Codifying the Standard

The Dynamex decision only applies to wage orders. If passed, the bill would extend the ABC test to all provisions of the California Labor Code unless another definition of "employee" is provided. So, for example, the ABC test would apply to a labor-code claim for wrongful termination in violation of public policy.



For the exempt occupations under AB 5, the California Supreme Court's test in S.G. Borello & Sons, Inc. v. Department of Industrial Relations would apply. Under Borello, the primary factor for determining contractor status is whether "the person to whom service is rendered has the right to control the manner and means of accomplishing the result desired."

As AB 5 moves through the state Legislature, the list of exempted occupations could expand.

The California Chamber of Commerce and other business groups recently sent a letter to the state Legislature stating that they would support the bill if it's amended to exempt more professions, including gig-economy drivers, truck drivers and other professionals "who all control when they work and for whom they work."

According to California Labor Federation spokesman Steve Smith, the bill is needed not only for clarity, but also to provide a stronger foundation for workers to seek justice. He wants to dispel the notion that employees can't have as much flexibility over their schedules and work as contractors. "The employer has the total ability to make that sort of flexibility a reality," he said. "It really doesn't have anything to do with whether you're an independent contractor or employee."

According to Cooper, the current version of AB 5, if passed, would be a major blow to companies like Uber and Lyft because they have numerous workers who are classified as independent contractors.

As currently written, the measure would apply the ABC test from Dynamex retroactively. According to Smith, discussions regarding the issue of retroactivity are ongoing.

"If it's deemed retroactive, and if there aren't more exemptions, it's going to be a huge burden on the on-demand economy  [for] truck drivers and transportation workers of all kinds," Cooper predicted.

Smith, however, said he believes these companies can still be financially successful, even if they have to transition many workers from independent-contractor to employee status.



Employers should take the issue of independent-contractor misclassification very seriously, noted Karen Tynan, an attorney with Ogletree Deakins in Sacramento. "It's an area where there can be incredibly stiff penalties and liabilities."



Toni Vranjes is a freelance business writer in San Pedro, Calif.
Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, Tesla and Neuralink, is in negotiations with Israels government to build tunnels in the country, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.



"I met a man that they call Elon Musk-have you heard of him? A real genius," the New York-based The Algemeiner journal quoted Netanyahu as saying at a campaign event last week when asked about Israel's transportation infrastructure.



"Right now, we're in conversation with him to see if we can tunnel the State of Israel."



Netanyahu said he and Musk ate breakfast at the Prime Minister's residence, where the billionaire entrepreneur mentioned tunneling, The Algemeiner reported on Sunday.



According to the state comptroller, ineffective public transportation could cost the Israeli economy $6.9 billion annually by 2030, if dire changes are not implemented.



The billionaire entrepreneur visited Israel in March 2018 and has been in negotiations with Israel's government to build tunnels.



If the plans work out as intended, Musk's tunneling firm -- Boring Co. -- could help in the development of Israel's tangled transportation network, the report said.



Read More News :



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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- As prostitution arrests have declined in recent years across the city and officials in every borough have adopted a soft policy in prosecuting sex workers, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez is toying with the idea of taking things one step further.

I believe in decriminalization, Gonzalez told an April 4 forum hosted by Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn.

Gonzalez said the new policy, hypothetically speaking, wouldnt apply to pimps or sex traffickers.

District attorneys in every borough say alleged sex workers are at worst sentenced to community service and counseling, with the ability to clear their record, according to a New York Post report.

Gonzalez said he also would consider supporting a law to legalize prostitution, as long as it doesnt weaken the effort to prosecute sex traffickers. He added that some womens groups oppose legalization, due to concerns it would hinder the prosecution of sex traffickers.

According to the office of Bronx D.A. Darcel Clark, only state legislators have the power to decriminalize, the Post reported.

In September, Gonzalez announced a new plan to erase tens of thousands of low-level marijuana cases, followed by thousands of cases dismissed in Manhattan.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- While Mayor Bill de Blasio stumped for president in Pahrump, Nev., on Sunday, Staten Island restaurant owners gathered for a purposeful talk about food in the Big Apple. And based on the conversation at the Advance-sponsored Food Summit, held at the College of Staten Island, Willowbrook, proprietors are frustrated by the increasing cost of doing business in our hometown.

Judge Phil Straniere moderated a roundtable-style discussion that included: Jean Daggan of Jeans Fine Wines; Massimo Felici (VINUM, The Richmond, Casa Belvedere); Lou Marfoglio of Daddinos Catering Hall; accountant Fern L. Barris; Joe OToole of Joyces Tavern; Lisa and Peter DiMaggio of Brioso; manager Gretchen Vergara of Phil-Am Kusina, and North Shore restaurant and building developer George Christo. I was also in attendance -- along with Brian J. Laline, the Advances executive editor -- with the aim of listening to proprietors.

EFFECTS OF MINIMUM WAGE

How have you adjusted to the minimum wage hike? Straniere asked the group. What are some effects it has had on your business?

In sum for members of this group, minimum wage hikes have rippled through their establishments.

For some owners, it has meant cutting staff hours, something that is painful for Peter DiMaggio to think about. He said he understands how his workers have been loyal to the business, have families to support and mortgages to pay. He also said he finds it unfathomable to be facing such decisions in an environment created by legislators who might not have thought through the implications of such a law.

Marfoglio said if you do the math with workers at minimum of $15 an hour and a chef at $18 to $22 an hour your average food establishment cannot support that kind of salary. And he surmises, Having a standard hourly and tip split may be an answer one day."

Daggan illustrated how the hike affected her shop in a world with $19 tolls ($12.24 with the E-Zpass tag) and other cost increases for suppliers. She, by the way, pays above minimum wage. But the hike has been reflected with purveyors -- some of whom have tacked on fuel and delivery charges. And shipments now come to Staten Island on fewer days.

As the industry scrambles to make adjustments and essentially reset economies, owners are restraining themselves from raising prices, according to members of the roundtable.

PRESERVING THE BOTTOM LINE

They are looking for other ways to help preserve their bottom line and cushion themselves against fluctuating food costs, Workers Comp, random fines, the vacuum caused by new restaurants opening up, plus inevitable wild cards thrown into the New York City mix -- summonses from the Department of Health, hiccups in utility services and the occasional lawsuit.

With those matters touched upon, the conversation then turned to credit card surcharges, an increasingly common practice around Staten Island.

On the matter of those surcharges: The law says that proprietors must post the exact amount of the food, not in percentages, so the patron doesnt have to do any math. One customer told Peter DiMaggio flat out that he would never come back to the restaurant if such a pricing scheme were put into place.

Barris added: The bottom line is that you have to make money.... No matter what business it is, you have rules from New York State that make it expensive to do business. If you include the credit card surcharge in the prices, people wont be offended."

With the conversation on red tape Christo interjected, What it sounds like is that [the restaurant owner] has a lot of bureaucracy to go through in addition to running a restaurant. They need expeditors. You need a restaurant association to run interference."

A member of the group suggested pooling resources to hire a lobbyist representing Staten Island restaurants.

For now, the DiMaggios said they consider it all to be a discouraging mesh of percolating costs. It was an enjoyable business until a few years ago, Lisa explained.

Peter added, Whats the sense of me to be in business?

A STARTING POINT

Our roundtable did not resolve these local business owners issues -- but it is a starting point.

As Christo said during some heated conversation: The local paper is behind you to make all these points. That is the key. Youre not alone.

Reach out to me at silvestri@siadvance.com to help continue the dialogue.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The former lawyer of the slain Staten Island teacher said her husbands eviction and relocation led to a disagreement over the custody of their two children.

Eric Gansberg, Jeanine Cammaratas divorce lawyer, said no one had legal custody of the couples children, ages 3 and 7, before the first-grade teachers death.

Initially, Gansberg said the children were staying with Michael Cammarata on Staten Island after Jeanine Cammarata left the couples rented premises because of domestic violence.

When she left, Gansberg explained, Jeanine Cammarata did not have a permanent living residence and did not want to remove her children because of those circumstances.

Jeanine Cammarata did not want to disrupt them any further, Gansberg said.

As a result, Gansberg said, Jeanine Cammarata consented that the children would remain in that residence that was occupied by the father.

During that time, Jeanine Cammarata was in close proximity to the children and had pretty free access to them, Gansberg explained.

However, Gansberg said that Michael Cammarata was eventually evicted from the Staten Island residence and moved to Queens, taking the children with him.

The move prevented Jeanine Cammarata from having meaningful contact with the children, Gansberg said, prompting her to pursue legal action.

Michael Cammarata continued to bring the child to school on Staten Island after the move to Queens, Gansberg said, and was picking up the child when Jeanine Cammarata served him divorce papers on March 28.

Cammaratas disappearance came less than two days later, Gansberg previously told the Advance. All I could think about was the kids, and my heart broke, he said.

The couples children are currently in the custody of ACS Child Protective Services, but are staying with a family member, Gansberg said.

THE CASE

Jeanine Cammaratas boyfriend called police and reported her missing on Tuesday.

She hadnt shown up for work at PS 29 and missed a court date the day before. Gansberg had expected to see her at court on Monday.

Michael and Jeanine Cammaratas relationship was tumultuous, and at times frightening, said fellow teacher Jose Perez, who recalls the drama interfering with her work as a teacher at PS 18 in West Brighton, where she worked prior to her employment at PS 29.

I know that at school, he would show up and he would be childish, standing in front of the door and harassing her, and she would be crying,'' Perez recalled. I said to him, Dude, you cant do that. The woman is teaching.'"

On Thursday, April 4, police found charred human remains in a storage facility in Arden Heights. The New York City Medical Examiner later identified her remains as Jeanine Cammarata, using dental records.

After a week of mystery and speculation, the estranged husband of the slain teacher and his pregnant girlfriend were arrested and arraigned Friday on charges of murder and concealing her corpse.

TOUCHING TRIBUTES

A vigil was held outside of Cammaratas New Brighton home on Sunday, where family and friends gathered to speak about the 37-year-olds life.

Tearfully, Christine Ross, Jeanine Cammaratas sister, said: Im not going to say Jeanine was my sister; Jeanine is my sister. Shell always be my sister, for the rest of my life until I meet her again one day."

I keep pinching myself...I still feel like this isnt real, said Ross.

10 Family, friends of S.I. teacher gather amid horrific tragedy

Students, teachers and parents arriving at PS 29 on Monday were greeted by bouquets of flowers placed near the main entrance of the school as well as purple ribbons symbolizing domestic violence awareness.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- FDNY Firefighter Christopher A. Slutman, 43, died on Monday of injuries sustained while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps in Afghanistan, according to a joint statement from Mayor Bill de Blasio and Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro.

Today, we mourn the death of Firefighter Christopher Slutman who was killed while on active duty in Afghanistan, de Blasio said. The decorated 15-year veteran of the department is truly one of New York Citys Bravest  running into danger to protect and defend others, both in New York City and in combat overseas."

The smoke eater spent his entire FDNY career serving the people of the Bronx and was stationed since 2015 at Ladder Co. 27 in Claremont. He was commended for his bravery about five years ago while assigned to Ladder Co. 17.

I was honored to present him with the Fire Chiefs Association Memorial Medal in 2014, for his heroic rescue of an unconscious woman at a fire in the South Bronx, the mayor said.

Slutman, appointed a firefighter in September of 2003, is the 1,152nd member of the FDNY to make the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty, according to the FDNY.

Firefighter Slutman bravely wore two uniforms and committed his life to public service both as a New York City firefighter and as a member of the United States Marine Corps, Nigro said. The hearts and prayers of the entire department are with his loved ones and with the families of his fellow service members who lost their lives in service to our nation.

Slutman is the fourth FDNY member to die while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan since U.S. military action commenced in 2003, according to the FDNY.

Funeral arrangements are pending for Slutman, who is survived by his wife, Shannon, and their three young daughters, according to the FDNY.

Currently, 73 FDNY personnel are serving around the world on extended military orders in branches of the United States Armed Forces and there are more than 1,425 FDNY members who are military reservists or veterans.

Prior to Slutman, the last member of the FDNY to die in the line of duty was Firefighter Steven H. Pollard of Ladder Co. 170 in Brooklyn on January 6. Pollard, 30, succumbed to injuries sustained in a fall while responding to a crash.
Pune, India, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The transition in the perception of buildings as merely brick-and-mortar structures to those that are intuitive is inspiring the smart building concept implementation globally. The Smart Building market is likely to gross an income worth USD 33.70 billion while progressing with a CAGR of 29.69% in the forecast period spanning a period from 2018 to 2023. At present, the latest building designs being executed around the world are incorporating both wired and wireless IoT infrastructure, which is expected to initiate significant transformation in the market for smart buildings.

The escalated development rate detected in the real estate market in the commercial, residential and government sector is expected to generate incremental demand for the smart building market. The rise in the demand for energy efficient structures due to the inclination towards alternative, cleaner power generation methods is projected to guide the growth of the market in the coming years. Furthermore, the integration of connected devices deployed as an element of IoT-based automation in smart commercial buildings is expected to impel encouraging growth trends in the market for smart buildings. Also, the popularity of the concept of smart cities is central to the progress being perceived in the construction of smart buildings globally. As per this development, governments around the world are formulating policies that are conducive to the smart cities being planned around the world.

Get Free Sample @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1860

The global population trends indicate that an increased number of people are leaving rural areas for urban regions, which is expected to further motivate the smart building market. The need to improve energy management in buildings that can save money and conserve energy are expected to incentivize the growth of the smart building market in the forecast period.

Market Segmentation

The global smart building market is segmented on the basis of application, automation, and region. On the basis of automation, the smart building market is segmented into infrastructure management system, building energy management system, intelligent security system, and network management system. The building energy management system is responsible for the prime segment in the market with an estimated CAGR of 26.61% through the forecast period. On the basis of applications, the smart buildings market is segmented into commercial buildings, government & public infrastructure buildings, industrial buildings, and residential buildings. The regions included in the smart building market are North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa and Latin America.

Smart Building Market to Surge Ahead Due to Smart Building Initiatives

The North American region is heading the Smart Building Market with the largest share. The government in the region is very supportive with regards to the expansion of smart buildings. The U.S is the foremost country-level market in the North American region. Besides, other countries in the region such as Mexico and Canada are also observing favorable expansion due to the prevalence of building automation and implementation of smart building technologies. The European region trails the North American region closely, with country-level markets such as the U.K, Germany, and France guiding growth in the market. The government support and increasing integration of energy management solutions are likely to prepare the region for the implementation of the concept of smart buildings.

The Asia Pacific region is projected to observe the most noteworthy expansion at the highest CAGR of 33.03% during the forecast period. As the region has a huge population base and unbridled pollution problems, the concept of smart buildings is also gaining momentum in this region. In China, chief market players are investing in smart building solutions for deployment in the region. Additionally, the amplified growth and approval of cloud-based solutions is expected to influence the smart building market in the region positively in the forecast period.

Key Players

The smart building market globally has been shaped by the presence of players such as Legrand SA, ABB Group, Honeywell International Inc, Schneider Electric, Johnson Controls International PLC, Emerson Electric Co., Control4 Corporation, IBM Corporation, Cisco Systems Inc, United Technologies Corporation, and Siemens AG

Browse Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/smart-building-market-1860

Key Updates

Mar 2019 BuildingIQ has joined the exclusive Intel Internet of Things Solutions Alliance that aims to drive the revenue expansion and market stake for over 500 members in the IoT space. The Alliance plans to make a well-built and sustainable market lead through a solution-centered ecosystem plan founded on Intel architecture. BuildingIQ has achieved a prominent position in the smart buildings market with its technology-enabled services that optimize energy savings, operations, and tenant comfort.

March 2019 E.ON Connecting Energies GmbH has signed an agreement with UK-based smart building solutions provider enModus. The agreement with E.ON will enable enModus to deliver energy savings to businesses in Europe.

Related Reports

Construction Software Market Research Report information: By Product (Cloud), by Application (General Contractors)  Global Forecast Till 2023. The global construction software market is anticipated to reach USD 2715.6 million by 2023, as per a new detailed report by Market Research Future (MRFR). It is expected to exhibit an 8.8% CAGR during the assessment period (2017-2023).

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/construction-software-market-6189

Construction Robot Market, By Design Type (Traditional Robot, Robotic Arm), Automation (Fully Autonomous and Semi-Autonomous), Function (Demolition, Bricklaying), Vertical (Public Infrastructure, Commercial and Residential Buildings), Industry - Forecast till 2023. The global market for construction robots is estimated to reach a market value of USD 165 million by 2023 growing at a 17% CAGR during the forecast period 20182023.

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/construction-robot-market-6305

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.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  He wasnt free for long.

A Mariners Harbor ex-convict nabbed with loaded handgun last summer in Port Richmond just over two months after being sprung from prison will return upstate under a plea agreement reached Tuesday.

Rahmeak Graham, 24, was busted on Aug. 28 around 7:42 p.m. in the vicinity of Vreeland Street and Park Avenue, according to an NYPD spokesman.

Also arrested then was Vonta Santiago, 28, a fellow Mariners Harbor resident, said police.

Each man was accused of possessing an illegal gun.

The NYPD, on social media, touted the seizure of the two weapons then.

A photo of the guns and bullets was posted on the Twitter feed for the 121st Precinct, which serves the Islands North and West shores.

Great job by Anti-Crime and NCOs for getting these illegal guns off our streets #NYPDProtecting pic.twitter.com/zgU8zTEect  NYPD 121st Precinct (@NYPD121Pct) August 29, 2018

Anti-crime and neighborhood coordination officers were praised for getting these illegal guns off our streets in the post.

Graham pleaded guilty in state Supreme Court, St. George, to attempted second-degree criminal weapon possession to resolve the case.

In exchange, hell be sentenced on June 10 to five years behind bars and five years post-release supervision.

Philip Ohene is Grahams lawyer.

Online state court records show Santiago pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree criminal weapon possession on March 25 and will be sentenced Monday.

Assistant District Attorney Michael Vitaliano is prosecuting the cases.

Graham has previously spent time upstate.

In August 2016, he was sentenced to three years behind bars for his role in a wild Nov. 2, 2015 melee in Port Richmond in which victims were shot with a stun gun and attacked with a hatchet, the Advance reported.

Graham was conditionally released on parole in June 2018, just over two months before his latest arrest, according to online records of the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
CITY HALL -- Rep. Max Rose (D-Staten Island), alongside the rest of New York City congressional delegation, is pushing to fully fund Homeland Security programs that support New York City after the White House proposed cuts to counterterrorism programs.

We write to urge the committee to support full funding for programs critical to protecting Americas cities in the FY2020 Homeland Security appropriations bill, the delegation wrote in a letter to the Subcommittee on Homeland Security. New York City continues to be the nations top target for terrorists seeking to inflict damage on the American people, as well as its economy and infrastructure. Ensuring the safety of those who call our city home, and visitors from every district in the nation, is our top priority.

The delegation is calling for:

$662 million for the Urban Area Security Initiative, compared to current funding level of $640 million, and $426 million requested in the Administrations budget proposal;

$250 million for the Port Security and $250 million for Transit Security Programs, compared to current funding level of $100 million for each program, and $36 million requested in the Administrations budget proposal for each program;

$562.9 million for the State Homeland Security Grant, compared to current funding level of $525 million, and $331 million requested in the Administrations budget proposal;

$35 million for the Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant, compared to current funding level of $10 million, and zero funding in the Administrations budget proposal;

$50 million for the Presidential Residence Protection Grant, compared to current funding level of $41 million, and zero funding in the Administrations budget proposal; and

$50 million for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which is part of the Urban Area Security Initiative listed above.

The delegation noted the 2016 Chelsea bombing and the 2017 attacks on the West Side Highway and the Port Authority Bus Terminal as prime examples for why counterterrorism funding is needed for New York City.

They also pointed out that the city has had to allocate resources for the presidents and first familys part-time residence in Manhattan.

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With Gov. Andrew Cuomo on board, the Democratic-controlled state legislature last week passed a package of criminal-justice reforms so sweeping that it was featured by the American Bar Association in its daily news report.

Lori Cohen, president of the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, hailed the historic measure, asserting that it will ensure that all New Yorkers will have a fair, balanced criminal justice system. Senate Minority Leader John Flanagan, R-Suffolk, saw it very differently, however, accusing Democrats of focusing all their energy on delivering for criminals and illegal immigrants, and appeasing the radical, socialist fringe that now controls their party.

In reality, the legislation is a mixed bag, with some of its provisions not only commendable but overdue, and others ranging from ill-advised to disgraceful.

While wrongful convictions are inevitable in a system populated by human beings, each and every one of them is a tragedy regardless of the severity of the crime. Where they happen in capital cases, however, the consequences to the defendant can be deadly. And yet, according to statistics compiled by the Death Penalty Information Center, 165 individuals who were sentenced to death have been subsequently exonerated based on evidence of their actual innocence. These documented instances of gross injustice make it virtually certain that some innocent people have, in fact, been executed. While New York no longer has a death penalty, the need for governments at both the state and federal level to develop more effective safeguards against wrongful convictions generally is thus both obvious and urgent.

Expanded disclosure

The new legislation takes a major step in that direction by requiring prosecutors to automatically turn over to the defense, within 15 days of arraignment, wide-ranging discovery data including the names and statements of witnesses, grand jury testimony and police reports. The new rules also impose certain reciprocal disclosure responsibilities on the defense.Defendants will also have the right to examine the information provided by prosecutors before deciding whether to accept a plea offer. The importance of the latter is illustrated by a 2015 report by Brandon L. Garrett, a professor of law at the University of Virginia, which found that half of the death-row inmates exonerated by DNA evidence had falsely confessed to the crime in question.

Just last month, in Houston, Texas, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced the actual innocence of Alfred Dewayne Brown, who had spent 10 years on death row in connection with the 2003 murder of a police officer and cashier. Prosecutors had phone records corroborating Browns alibi but never turned them over to the defense.

New Yorks new discovery rules are fair, reasonable and necessary. By facilitating enhanced credibility in the fact-finding process and more informed plea-bargaining decisions, they promote the true administration of justice to which the system aspires.

The same cannot be said for two other provisions in the states new legislation. The first, eliminating cash bail for most misdemeanor and nonviolent felony cases, is a huge mistake. To be sure, there are inequities in the cash bail system. For instance, while posting $500 bail may be duck soup for some defendants, posting a mere $50 may be difficult to impossible for others. Similarly, the risk of losing $500 may provide less incentive for some to make future court appearances  the sole purpose of bail  than losing $50 would provide for others.

Reasons for bail

While this may a reason for judges to set bail more judiciously, its not a reason to eliminate cash bail where there are solid reasons to require it. These include a defendants lack of roots in the community, a significant criminal record, and a prior history of nonappearances and resultant warrants.

Two years ago, it was revealed that there were a staggering 700,000 warrants outstanding for people who had failed to appear in court.

The oft-heard argument that cash bail causes a disproportionate number of black and Hispanic defendants to be detained is a red herring. Absent evidence that these groups are being intentionally targeted for disparate treatment  and there is none  the argument is an appeal to a political base, not to reason.

A third provision in the legislation reduces the maximum jail time for a misdemeanor from one year to 364 days. The one-day reduction is explicitly intended to shield unauthorized immigrants from the possibility of deportation that would otherwise arise under federal law. This is the latest and, by far, the most disgraceful governmental action to aid and abet those whose very presence in the United States is itself criminal.

For the state will now shield them from the consequences of additional crimes committed by them against the communities they criminally invaded.

While the legislature did a good job in addressing issues relating to a defendants guilt or innocence, it did a lousy job in adding other provisions that reek of partisan politics.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Parents of students at the Holy Rosary School in South Beach say they are frustrated by the schools lack of transparency after a threat made to the institution was not made known until days after the police became aware of the situation.

According to a parent of an eighth-grade student, a seventh-grade student made a threat against the school late last week, but parents were not notified about it until after students were dismissed on Monday afternoon.

I could curse up a storm,'' the mother said. "As a parent, you start to worry about the things that couldve happened. So many things couldve gone wrong.

The mother said a vague, automated voice message regarding the threat was sent out by the principal of the school, Elizabeth Campbell, via email at 3:05 p.m. Monday afternoon.

The message said that a threat was made against Holy Rosary School, that the NYPD was notified of the threat and that the situation was under control, the mother explained.

An NYPD spokeswoman said a report was made on April 6 regarding a threat against Holy Rosary School, which stated that a 12-year-old student threatened to shoot various people at the location.

While no violent action was taken against the school or any of the students, the parent said she and other parents, shouldve been notified before Monday afternoon.

The concerned mother said she would not have sent her son to school on Monday if she had known about the threat.

T.J. McCormack, director of communications for Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of New York, said: A verbal threat was made by a student against the school on Friday. We take every threat seriously and the issue was referred to the NYPD for investigation. The police are continuing to handle the matter, and the student will not be allowed back in the school. Holy Rosary School continues to be a safe and inviting community where students safety and well-being are our paramount concern.
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(Photo/Xinhua)

More Chinese people have been seen wearing Hanfu, the traditional costume of Han Chinese people, to take photos among the cherry blossoms on spring outings, which has boosted online and offline Hanfu sales, Beijing Daily reported on April 8.

Hanfu is especially popular with students and white-collar workers, who enjoy the Hanfu's graceful and elegant quality. Hanfu enthusiasts usually rent or buy the costume online, while some pay photography studios to take photos of them in Hanfu.

I don't know much about Hanfu. I just think its beautiful, said a girl wearing Hanfu while posing for photos, revealing that she bought the costume on Chinas major online shopping platform, Taobao.

I'm not sure about what hairstyle should go with the costume, so I found a photography studio that has Hanfu and ordered its flower season service, noted a female citizen surnamed He.

Zijin, a Hanfu club in the Communication University of China, has more than 150 members and ranks among the largest clubs on campus. The club often holds activities such as Han-style music and dance performances, Han-style make-up and ornament classes, and organizes events relating to traditional festivals.

Membership is growing every year, according to Mi Fei (pseudonym), the president of the Hanfu club, disclosing that their activities attract dozens of people each time and are beneficial for popularizing Hanfu and traditional culture.

In the past, when Hanfu was not as popular, we chose the fabric ourselves and asked professional tailors to make the costumes for us. Since making Hanfu requires expertise, many shops cant handle the tailoring, which made it costly to own Hanfu, said Mi Fei, who explained that now there are many wallet-friendly Hanfu stores on Taobao, so most enthusiasts can easily buy their costumes online.

Mi Fei explains that the increasing demand for Hanfu is down to the growing popularity of traditional culture within Chinese society.

The popularity of Hanfu in the country has also generated great business for offline Hanfu stores. As Hanfu are usually expensive, many people choose to rent from a specialty store, which costs around 300 yuan (about $44.66) per day.

Some customers are Hanfu enthusiasts, while some are tempted to rent Hanfu after seeing online posts, and some people have even visited Beijing just to rent a Hanfu costume, said Bai Qiu, owner of Su Sheng Ji, a Hanfu store in Dongcheng District of Beijing.

More and more people are now interested in Hanfu. They not only wear the costume to take photos in scenic spots, but also to performances and events, and even graduation ceremonies, added Bai, whose store is gaining popularity by the day.
SAN DIEGO, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ProGreen US, Inc. (ProGreen) (OTC:PGUS), is pleased to announce that the land use application for our Cielo Mar project in Baja California has now been approved by the Mexican government. Our subsidiary in Ensenada, Procon Baja JV, received the official notification yesterday, April 8, 2019.

Click to Tweet: https://ctt.ac/Ma5UT



Situated in the Bahia del Rosario (Bay of El Rosario) with 4.5 miles of ocean frontage on the Pacific coast of Baja California, Cielo Mar is being planned as a totally green, resort-style vacation and retirement community. With a year-round climate very similar to San Diego, this planned development gets its name from "cielo," meaning "heaven," and "mar," which means "sea" - making Cielo Mar "Heaven By The Sea."



To learn more about Cielo Mar, visit: https://www.cielomarbaja.com/



"I cannot say how pleased I am with Cielo Mar achieving this major milestone," stated Jan Telander, Chairman of ProGreen. "This is a turning point for the project, and we are very fortunate to have the best people working on the project plans, including the environmental study and land use application, as well as the ongoing development of architectural designs.

"As we turn toward the first steps in plan execution, we now expect to close on the first tranche of a bridge financing as the first stage in our project funding plan, as early as a week from today."

For related notes regarding this announcement, visit the ProGreen US company blog at https://www.progreenus.com/blog.

About ProGreen US, Inc.

ProGreen US, Inc. (ISIN: US74327M1027), headquartered in San Diego, California, is engaged primarily with real estate and agriculture land development projects in Baja California, Mexico, both through its joint venture partnership with Inmobiliaria Contel S.R.L.C.V., as well as through its majority-owned Mexican subsidiary Procon Baja JV. For additional information about ProGreen, visit our website at www.progreenus.com. Follow us on Twitter: @ProGreenUS.

This press release might contain information, which may constitute 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. 'Forward-looking statements' are based upon expectations, estimates and projections at the time the statements are made that involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated.

Media Contact:

John Rupert

Media & Communications Coordinator

john@progreenus.com

619-884-8430

Attachment
Tesla has said there is no mystery to the car-filled lots  they are distribution points for final delivery to customers. As to the empty trailers, a Tesla spokeswoman said "not all our carriers would be in use at all times. Some might be in maintenance." The sidewalk spy Machine Planet belongs to a large and growing network of Tesla skeptics who connect on Twitter through $TslaQ  Tesla's stock symbol, followed by Q, a stock exchange notation for a company in bankruptcy. Which Tesla, to be clear, is not. What Tesla is, relatively speaking, is heavily shorted: Of its 173 million shares, about 17 per cent are held by short sellers. Pronounced Tesla-Q, the channel has emerged as a crowd-sourced stock research platform. Contributors divide up research duties according to personal interest and ability, with no one in charge. Some use commercial databases to track Tesla-loaded ships from San Francisco to Europe and China. Some are experts at automotive leasing or convertible bonds. Some repost customer complaints about Tesla quality and service. One contributor, whose Twitter handle is TeslaCharts, assembles collected data to offer graphical representations of Tesla's own reports and $TslaQ's findings.

And some do reconnaissance, posting photos and videos of Tesla storage lots, distribution centres, even the company's Fremont assembly plant as seen from above. A major aim is to change the mind of Tesla stock bulls and the media. The research helps individual short sellers decide when to move in and out of the stock. But it's clear from the posts that $TslaQ can be just as vitriolic as Tesla fans are adoring. "I go out of my way to listen to them because I want to hear the worst things people can come up with about stocks I have a position in," said Ross Gerber, head of Santa Monica portfolio management firm Gerber Kawasaki, who is impressed by much of $TslaQ's research. But he's been subject to personal attacks from some $TslaQ members, and said too much emotion from the short sellers can degrade some of the solid research they offer up. "A lot of their premise is emotional," he said. "They hate Musk. They think he's a fraud; they think he's a liar."

While activist investors have been around for years, the networked nature of this research and publicity campaign is new, said Byoung-Hyoun Hwang, a Cornell University finance professor who's studied social media's effect on financial markets. "The diversity of perspectives, not just a diversity of opinions, could be very valuable," he said. Most $TslaQ posters try to remain nameless, citing the repercussions faced by some Tesla critics, including death threats to some $TslaQ members and harassment by Musk himself. On a Hawthorne sidewalk not far from another Musk company, SpaceX, a man raises his iPhone to get a good camera angle. It's after dark. Model 3s by the hundreds are parked inside a lit-up three-level parking garage. The cars are covered in dust. According to the man, some have been in there for months. "I wanted Tesla to make it," he says as he taps the big red button. "I'm a car guy, man. The Model S was a great car, especially when they came out with the dual motor."

The man said he works for a short seller who goes by the Twitter handle Latrilife. In return for scouting out and monitoring Tesla delivery centres and storage sites around LA, he gets $US20 an hour. Such storage practices are "extremely unusual" in the auto industry, said Bill Hampton, a Detroit veteran who runs AutoBeat Daily, an online industry newsletter. Tesla doesn't have traditional dealers, whose lots are filled with Fords, Chevys and Hondas awaiting buyers. That could account for some of Tesla's scattered inventory, he said. "But cars shouldn't be sitting in staging lots for that long under any circumstances, unless you have too many cars," he said. Tesla declined to discuss the cars in the Hawthorne lot.

Montana Skeptic gets outed $TslaQ has no leader, but it does have a hero. His name is Lawrence Fossi, a lawyer and New York money manager who contributed to the Twitter hashtag as well as investor site Seeking Alpha under the moniker Montana Skeptic  until he was exposed by Musk. According to Fossi, after he was outed on Twitter last July, Musk personally called the small investment office he works for. Musk told his boss he wasn't happy about the online activity, and threatened to sue Fossi for defamation. (Tesla doesn't dispute that Musk contacted the company.) Meanwhile, Tesla's public relations department sent emails to the media naming Fossi and encouraging reporters to call his boss  phone number included. The communications executive involved declined to discuss that matter. "I had never before heard from Tesla or Elon Musk to correct anything I wrote," Fossi said. "I would have been happy to correct anything that was wrong."

Fossi said he didn't take the lawsuit threat seriously, "but I couldn't afford to drag my boss into this." So he quit writing for Seeking Alpha and deactivated his Twitter account. Musk "won the first round," Fossi said. But $TslaQ gained more visibility and followers in the months that followed. The Tesla short thesis, Fossi said, "is getting a lot more coverage than it would have gotten if Musk had kept his big mouth shut, which is apparently beyond his capacity." Musk declined to be interviewed for this story. But the $TslaQ phenomenon clearly vexes him. He calls Twitter a "war zone" and regularly attacks short sellers. His taunts sometimes produce a stock price boost. Starting last May, Musk amped up his battle with the shorts, promising "the short burn of the century" on Twitter. On July 23, four days after Machine Planet posted photos of hundreds of cars parked at a facility outside Stockton, Musk phoned Montana Skeptic's boss. And on August 7, Musk issued his infamous "420" tweet, in which he claimed he had "funding secured" to take Tesla private at a premium price  $US420 a share. Some short sellers got burned as the stock price immediately rose by nearly 13 per cent. But so did bull investors who thought the deal was real. It wasn't, and by August 20, as reality sank in, Tesla shares were down almost $US100 a share, or 25 per cent from pre-tweet levels. The episode landed Musk in deep trouble with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Musk settled fraud charges in September, but the SEC has since asked a federal judge to hold him in contempt of court, saying he violated terms of the agreement with subsequent tweets. Last Thursday, the judge told the SEC and Musk to work out a remedy. The short thesis gained traction last week when Tesla announced a dramatic drop in deliveries in the year's first quarter  Model 3 deliveries fell 19 per cent from the previous quarter, and older Models S and X models tumbled 56 per cent. "The fundamental narrative around Tesla appears more clouded than we have seen in several years," Morgan Stanley stock analyst and Tesla bull Adam Jonas wrote well before the numbers were released, in a March 20 investment note. Tesla bull Gerber said the numbers were "a bit light" but sees great things ahead for the company. Tesla insists that US orders for the Model 3 are strong, and that the company simply couldn't deliver all ordered vehicles in the first quarter. And it says, even with the sharply lower deliveries, the Model 3 was the top-selling midsize luxury sedan.

Tesla's stock closed at $US274.96 on Friday, down from an all-time high of $US385 in September 2017. Wall Street sentiment on the company has chilled. Several Wall Street analysts have lowered their stock price targets in recent weeks. A threatening fax Citing the case of Fossi, several $TslaQ contributors agreed to talk only if they could remain anonymous. Contributors to $TslaQ contacted said they fear retribution from Musk's most extreme supporters. Some say they have received death threats over Twitter. Paul Huettner, an investment banker in New York City who dares use his real name, said he received a message threatening his family on an old-fashioned fax machine. In the header, it said, "From: Elon Musk." Huettner doesn't believe Musk was involved, but he found the message frightening and reported it to the FBI.

Machine Planet is 60 years old, tall and trim. The semi-retired marketing executive worked at several well-known Silicon Valley companies. Now he's a contract consultant, an avid pilot and an investor with an eye for overvalued stocks. He scored well, he said, with big short bets against Bear Stearns and Lehman Bros in the early days of the Great Recession. Tesla first attracted Machine Planet's attention about three years ago, he said, because it seemed as much a cult as a company. "If you went by media reports, you got the impression that Elon Musk was the only guy who worked there," he said. "I always see that as a bad sign. I mean, Steve Jobs, all his lieutenants became pretty well known. I put Tesla on my background list." In April 2018, laid up after surgery, he listened to a lively conversation about the short case on the irreverent financial markets podcast Quoth the Raven. "I found there was this whole community of people studying this company. I got sucked in completely over the next two months."

He started shorting. He had nothing against Musk at the time. "It was purely financial. My opinion of Musk was very neutral," he said. "The double landing of SpaceX rockets? I was impressed as anybody else." But he noticed car-buyer demand was a big topic on $TslaQ. Contributors posted Google satellite shots of lots in remote locations, far from the company's Fremont factory, where cars were being stored. One spot was in Lathrop, not far from Stockton, in an unirrigated section of the Central Valley known as the "dust bowl." A couple of $TslaQ contributors had spotted an ad for Tesla jobs there. They found what seemed like hundreds or thousands of Model 3s being trucked into a lot through a gate and behind fences. But they couldn't get a good look inside. "So I flew to Lathrop," Machine Planet said. "There was this amazing moment when I realized the entire facility was packed with cars." More than 3000, he said.

"That was entirely the moment where we went from kind of believing Elon about demand and not being able to build enough cars to (finding evidence that) the cars are either not sold or not salable." The Shorty Air Force is born Headed back to the airport, he tweeted his findings: "The SAF can confirm thousands of cars at Lathrop. Photos tonight. 7/19/2018 4:31 p.m." He got a tweet back. "SAF?" "Shorty Air Force," he said. He'd made the name up on the spot.

By the time he'd landed, $TslaQ contributor Zach Hanover had designed a Shorty Air Force shoulder patch logo based on a World War II design. The flyover nudged others into action. Latrilife, who said he's got "six figures" invested in short bets that Tesla's stock price will plummet, hired a helicopter to photograph the Hawthorne garage's top level, the view of which was inaccessible from the public sidewalk. "We don't trespass," Latrilife noted. One man started sending a drone over automobile auction houses, posting videos of Teslas stored there. A loosely formed Shorty Ground Force began posting pictures of Teslas stored for weeks on lots across the country. Crow Point Partners, an investment firm with a short position in Tesla, periodically posted pictures of Model 3s parked in Norwood, Massachusetts, covered in deep snow. The snow recently melted, but most of the cars are still there, the firm contends.

Just last Tuesday, a $TslaQ contributor posted a video that appears to show dozens of Teslas parked on the fifth floor of a shopping mall parking garage in Buena Park. Follow the solar panels In an age of social media Photoshop fakes, it pays to be leery about anything that appears on Twitter or elsewhere online. So we flew with Machine Planet and spent a day in Los Angeles with Latrilife and the man he hired to take photos. A reporter roamed a public parking lot outside the Crunch Gym in Burbank, where more than 100 Teslas sat. The vehicle identification numbers showed that many were manufactured in 2018. Machine Planet has created a website called Crowdsourced Tesla Research, in part to escape the snark and hot takes that infect Twitter. He said readers can draw their own conclusions, but "We think there are at least 10,000 unsold Model 3s out there," he said.

He backs up his assertion with data from IHS Markit, a market research firm, as reported recently in the New York Times: Tesla said it delivered 245,000 cars in 2018. Most were in the United States. But IHS said only 164,000 were registered nationwide. An IHS spokeswoman said the timing of reported sales can account for some of the difference, but for the full story, "your questions are best to be addressed to Tesla." The shorts say distorted sales claims fit with a long list of hyperbolic and misleading Musk statements: His 2017 assurance to Wall Street analysts that they should have "zero doubt" Tesla would hit a production level of 10,000 cars a week by the end of 2018. The company has yet to achieve a steady rate of half that number. Or his 2016 solar tile demonstration, a product that was supposed to revolutionise the residential solar market by embedding solar panels into the roof itself. But the tile he held in his hands turned out to be a nonfunctional mock-up, and more than two years later, the technology isn't ready for commercial distribution, though Tesla continues to take deposits from customers.
Look no further, we have a winner for the competition for this years least sexy exhibition title. The Historical Expression of Chinese Art: Calligraphy and Painting from the National Museum of China, at the National Museum of Australia, will take a lot of beating.

Perhaps it sounds better in Mandarin, but this is only too typical of the kinds of titles favoured by Chinese officialdom.

Im sure the NMA would have had a few alternative suggestions but in the interests of Sino-Australian relations, the original title has survived.

It demonstrates a significant difference between museums in the two countries. Whereas Australian museums are hungry for publicity, which holds the promise of greater attendances, more sponsorship and government funding, Chinese museums would sooner not be noticed just in case someone pointed out an error or a problem that incurred official displeasure.

Hence the kind of title that might appeal only to a student of oriental history.
Six months after Vicki Laveau-Harvie's memoir was released her small publisher shut its doors. The book was nearly out of print. That was that, or so a disappointed Laveau-Harvie thought.

The debut author, in her 70s, could not have predicated what came next. Her book, The Erratics, became the first memoir to win the $50,000 Stella Prize on Tuesday night.

In a reflection of the continuing power of literary awards, The Erratics was reprinted by Fourth Estate, an imprint of publishing giant HarperCollins, after it was longlisted for the Stella Prize.

"It is beyond anything I could have imagined. It's a fairytale," Laveau-Harvie, who lives in Sydney, said.
With the Prime Minister, Mr. Hawke, in the chair, Cabinet this week approved a non-sexist version of the words of Advance Australia Fair, which until now has had the status of national tune.

Canberra  Federal Cabinet has made Advance Australia Fair the official national anthem, relegating God Save The Queen to occasions when members of the Royal Family are present.

In the new version, Australias sons no longer rejoice. The line is now: Australians all, let us rejoice.

The Government, if re-elected later this year or early next, is likely to press for a public inquiry into Australias other national symbols, including the flag and coat of arms.

Bob Hawke and actress Kate Fitzpatrick, at the NIDA ceremony where the new national anthem was announced. Credit:Julian Kevin Zakaras

God Save The Queen is no longer to be played when the Governor-General, Sir Ninian Stephen, is present, or at official defence force functions. Nor will community groups wishing to play a national anthem in the absence of royalty or vice-royalty have a choice. God Save The Queen is off the menu said a spokesman for the Special Minister of State, Mr. Young.

The Federal Government intends talking to the State Government about which them should be used at functions attended by State Governors.
An allegedly intoxicated man stole a truck from a construction site and drove it through a cafe in Sydney's CBD in the early hours of Wednesday, police say.

Police were called to George Street just after 2am to reports that light rail construction workers had detained a man who stole a truck from their worksite.

The truck crashed into Regiment CBD cafe in the city, before construction workers dragged the driver from the vehicle. Credit:Steven Siewert

The construction workers told police an unknown man hopped into a three-tonne truck that was parked at the light rail construction works near Martin Place.

The man allegedly drove the truck through the work site on George Street, before it crashed into the front windows of the Regiment CBD cafe.
A US national has been arrested in California in connection with the death of a man whose battered body was found bound and gagged by the side of the road in Sydneys Olympic Park.

NSW Police have travelled to San Diego to extradite Alex Dion over the killing of Wachira "Mario" Phetmang, 33.

Wachira "Mario" Phetmang was found dead near Sydney's Olympic Park. Credit:NSW Police

Mr Phetmangs body was found wrapped in plastic and covered in a mattress protector just metres from a major on-ramp along Homebush Bay Drive on June 6 last year.

His last known whereabouts were at a service station at South Hurstville two weeks before that.
Brisbane's new lord mayor Adrian Schrinner, at the receiving end of a fresh push against the Mt Coot-tha zipline, says he would happily pay $100 to ride it.

After Cr Schrinner confirmed he would take a "close look" at the controversial project as a priority, Maiwar Greens MP Michael Berkman urged community members who were against the zipline to contact Cr Schrinner on his first day in office.

An artists' impression of the proposed Mt Coot-tha zipline. Credit:Brisbane City Council

"This is a crucial moment for anyone concerned about the future of the mountain to call or email the Lord Mayor and ask him to scrap the zipline," Mr Berkman said on Monday.

Mr Berkman's office was copied into about 40 messages sent to Cr Schrinner's office by midday Tuesday, with many more community members commenting on social media that they had also contacted the lord mayor's office.
The West Australian government's tourism body has forked out a purported $1.2 million to bring Channel Tens reality TV hit MasterChef back to the state for a week in Season 11.

Documents obtained under Freedom of Information laws revealed 'Project Shine' involved Tourism WA paying for a 'recce' trip as well as 85 people (crew, contestants and judges) flying to WA for 14 days, with personnel costs including locally contracted technical crew, payroll tax, holiday pay, superannuation, work cover, and accommodation at three separate locations.

MasterChef is coming to WA. Credit:AFR

While total cost was redacted from the documents, an entertainment industry insider said the cost was about $1.2 million and that the decision was controversial within Tourism WA.

It appears the reconnaissance trip was completed, as a schedule was being prepared on February 5, and later that month a staffer from production company Endomolshine Australia emailed, Thank you so much for showing us WA last week. We had a fantastic time and we are so excited, to which a Tourism WA staffer wrote, It was great to have the time to show you a small snapshot of WA.
The teenager dubbed "Egg Boy" after he smashed a raw egg on the head of far-right Senator Fraser Anning has been handed an official caution from police and says he has learnt a valuable lesson.

After reviewing footage of the incident, police have chosen not to lay charges against the controversial Queensland politician, who they say was acting in "self defence" when he lashed out at Melbourne teenager Will Connolly.

Will Connolly, 17, has received an outpouring of support after he smashed an egg on to the head of controversial politician Fraser Anning.

But police have charged a 20-year-old man from the Melbourne suburb of West Footscray with assault after he allegedly kicked Will while he was pinned to the ground during a scuffle with Mr Anning's supporters.

The teenager egged Mr Anning at a far-right rally in Moorabbin in Melbourne's south-east on March 16, the day after the Christchurch terror attack.
TORONTO, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Restaurants Canada, a national association representing more than 30,000 foodservice and hospitality businesses across Canada, is thrilled to welcome the Saskatchewan Hotel & Hospitality Association (SHHA), who for over 80 years has been representing the hospitality industry to government, suppliers and the public provincially, into its growing network of association partners.



Through this partnership agreement, SHHAs foodservice operators will be recognized as Association Members of Restaurants Canada, gaining access to benefits, including national affinity partner programs, digital communication, education and research assets, as well as access to Restaurants Canada industry events.



The hospitality industry wins when we work together, said Jim Bence, President and CEO of the SHHA. Partnering with Restaurants Canada gives us a stronger voice that can advocate more effectively on behalf of the foodservice and hospitality industry in Saskatchewan. There is strength in numbers.



Its an honour to be partnering with the SHHA, an association with such a rich history in the province, said Christopher Barry, Director of Membership at Restaurants Canada. We look forward to growing our collective voice and extending our programs and resources to support the growth and success of the foodservice and hospitality industry in the province.



With commercial foodservice sales projected to grow an average of 3.5 per cent in Saskatchewan over the next five years, SHHA and Restaurants Canada working closely together will allow both organizations to better represent the needs of the foodservice and hospitality sector both within the province and nationally, and will allow for best possible outcomes for their members.



About Restaurants Canada

Restaurants Canada (formerly CRFA) is a growing community of more than 30,000 foodservice businesses, including restaurants, bars, caterers, institutions and suppliers. We connect our members from coast to coast, through services, research and advocacy for a strong and vibrant restaurant community. Canadas restaurant industry is an $89 billion industry, directly employs 1.2 million Canadians, is the number one source of first jobs and serves 22 million customers every day.



About Saskatchewan Hospitality & Hotel Association

For over 80 years the Saskatchewan Hotel & Hospitality Association (SHHA) has been representing the hospitality industry to government, suppliers and the public. The SHHA is overseen by a board of elected members representing designated zones throughout the province.


Last week's decision by Heritage Victoria to reject plans for the demolition of the Yarra building at Federation Square will be remembered as one of the great victories for heritage conservation in Victoria.

The Yarra building at Federation Square will not be demolished to make way for an Apple store. Credit:Chris Hopkins

When the National Trust nominated Federation Square to the Victorian Heritage Register, many questioned how a place that was only completed 16 years ago could be considered heritage. While it is unusual for a place so young to be considered for its heritage values, it is not unprecedented. After the completion of the National Gallery of Victoria in 1968, another monumental government project, it took only 14 years for it to be included in the Government Buildings Register in 1982.

Federation Square is culturally and socially significant as Victorias premier civic and cultural space, representing the culmination of Melbournes century-long search for a public square. It is our greatest monument to Federation. It is also aesthetically and architecturally significant, with a high degree of technical achievement demonstrated in its construction.

Heritage Victorias decision has highlighted the importance of our heritage legislation in providing a process for places of significance to be assessed. However, this legislation is only effective when governments allow due process to take its course.
Rottnest will get $33.4 million in federal and state funding for infrastructure upgrades to deal with booming tourist numbers.

The federal government will give the Rottnest Island Authority $17.2 million as part of its $50 million tourism icons package announced in the federal budget.

Rotto will get a $33 million cash injection. Credit:Tourism WA

Federal tourism minister Simon Birmingham said the money would be spent on infrastructure upgrades enhancing visitor experience and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the island.

Whilst its increasing popularity is great news for Western Australian tourism, the island needs to be able to cope with large increases in visitor numbers in a way that preserves the natural environment and showcases the islands rich Indigenous heritage and history," he said.
A violent rapist who chose to remain mute for a period while he was in prison has lost his ninth review after he committed another assault while behind bars.

Eric John Manning was jailed for seven years in 2001 after he attacked a stranger walking to her car.

It was found Manning would also require ongoing counselling, assistance in establishing a social network and a framework for ensuring abstinence from alcohol. Credit:Louie Douvis

He repeatedly raped her, and was later charged with deprivation of liberty, attempted sexual assault and sexual assault.

He also had an extensive criminal record relating to sex crimes dating back to the mid 1990s.
The government is on track to spend more than $174 million this financial year on advertising - the most in a decade - as it crams in 15 simultaneous campaigns across TV, radio and print before the federal election.

The Coalition has back-loaded its advertising spend, pumping $136 million in taxpayer funded advertising contracts into the second half of the financial year, an increase of 200 per cent on the first six months of 2018-19, when it spent $38 million.

The Coalition has pumped $136 million in taxpayer funded advertising contracts into the second half of the financial year. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

Independents in both the Senate and the House of Representatives have labelled the spending a farce and called for an investigation.

South Australian independent Tim Storer said spending spikes in election years revealed the ads were "more about winning votes than informing the public" and called for the establishment of a Parliamentary Integrity Commissioner to investigate "misuse of public funds".
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been hit by a damaging public split with Malcolm Turnbull after the former prime minister demanded his successor take action against Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton following allegations about Chinese influence.

In a sensational intervention on Tuesday, Mr Turnbull said Mr Dutton had "a lot to explain" about his relationship with Communist Party-linked billionaire Huang Xiangmo and Liberal lobbyist Santo Santoro, and argued the buck stopped with Mr Morrison to "deal with" it.

But Mr Morrison said he was untroubled by the allegations and a senior government source said Mr Turnbull's spray had to be seen in the context of his hatred of Mr Dutton after last year's leadership coup.

The furore followed an investigation by the ABC's Four Corners, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that revealed Mr Huang paid Mr Santoro tens of thousands of dollars to secure a one-on-one lunch with Mr Dutton amid a back-room campaign for Australian citizenship.
Assistant Treasurer Robin Scott was mistakenly paid an allowance of more than $60,000 for a second residence in regional Victoria that he did not have.

Mr Scott, the MP for Preston in Melbournes northern suburbs and a senior member of cabinet in the Andrews government, has since repaid the money, although the bungle was kept out of the public eye for more than two years.

Assistant Treasurer Robin Scott Credit:Joe Armao

The allowance, a total of $63,161, was included in his salary between November 2014, when he was elevated to the new Labor ministry, and September 2016 when the error was identified.

Mr Scott was minister for finance and multicultural affairs at the time.
The internal woes engulfing the Victorian Greens have intensified, with a second former MP quitting the party in disgust.

Nina Springle, who lost her upper house seat at the November election, has launched a public attack on the partys leadership for failing to tackle deep-seated cultural issues.

Nina Springle has quit the Greens in disgust. Credit:Wayne Hawkins

In a Facebook post on Monday, Ms Springle said she relinquished her party membership three weeks ago in response to frustration over the Greens direction.

Reforms that have been talked about tinker around the edges and go nowhere near the root causes of these problems, she wrote.
London: With just days to the Brexit deadline Prime Minister Theresa May is likely to be forced to accept a delay of up to a year to the UKs departure from the European Union: a delay that would infuriate many in her party and could cost her job.

Potential challengers to May have spent the week in high-profile public appearances, positioning as alternate prime ministers, in anticipation that she could not survive the political backlash from a long Brexit delay.

Seeing eye to eye? British Prime Minister Theresa May dashes to Paris to assuage French President Emmanuel Macron's Brexit doubts. Credit:AP

And senior Brexiters have urged the UK government to use a long delay to be as difficult as possible, obstructing EU processes and plans.

Anticipating this, as a condition of granting the delay, the EU could insist on regular compliance checks, to ensure that the UK  possibly under a new prime minister  could not disrupt EU decision making on key issues such as budgets.
New York, NY, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BankMobile, a division of Customers Bank and Americas largest and fastest-growing mobile-first bank, today announced it has partnered with 15 new colleges and universities across the United States. More than 117,000 additional students now have access to BankMobile Disbursements and the optional BankMobile Vibe checking account.



We are continuously partnering with new colleges and universities, providing them with our full-service, seamless solutions for refunds and student checking, stated Luvleen Sidhu, Co-Founder, President and Chief Strategy Officer at BankMobile. Our approach to banking is customer-centric, and we focus on creating innovative and simple products. We are excited to help financially empower so many new students across the U.S.



The new partnerships are with Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College System, Alcorn State University, Arizona Western College, Clark Atlanta University, Coastal Bend College, Florida Polytechnic University, Herzing University, Highline College, Sinclair Community College, Suffolk County Community College, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Texas Southmost College, University of North Georgia, Wilson Community College and Winston-Salem State University.



The implementation of the disbursement program, as well as the training with our BankMobile representatives, is off to a great start, stated Constance Mallette, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration at Winston-Salem State University. Our staff is thrilled to offer our students a great refund management service and access to the BankMobile Vibe checking account.



Through the partnership, schools can offer digital options to students for depositing funds into existing checking accounts or BankMobile Vibe accounts. The use of the disbursements platform will save the schools hundreds of thousands of dollars.



The BankMobile Vibe checking account offers students access to more than 55,000 fee-free Allpoint ATMs, a one-of-a-kind recognition program and convenient budgeting tools.



BankMobile now serves one out of every three college students in the U.S. and more than 89 percent of these students choose to receive their refunds electronically. With more than two million current account holders, BankMobile is the largest and fastest mobile-first bank in the country. It is also in the top 15 banks in the U.S.in terms of number of consumer checking accounts serviced.



Visit www.bankmobiledisbursements.com to learn more about BankMobiles disbursement program. For more information about BankMobile, visit www.bankmobile.com.

# # #

About BankMobile

Established in 2015, BankMobile is a division of Customers Bank and Americas largest and fastest growing mobile-first bank offering checking and savings accounts and personal loans. BankMobile provides an alternative banking experience to the traditional model and is focused on technology, innovation, easy-to-use products and education with the mission of being customer-obsessed and creating customers for life. The disruptive, multi-partner distribution model, known as Bank-as-a-Service, created by the executive team enables BankMobile to acquire customers at higher volumes and substantially lower expense than traditional banks. Its low-cost operating model enables it to provide low-cost banking services to low/middle-income Americans who have been left behind by the high-fee model of traditional banks. Today, BankMobile provides its Bank-as-a-Service platform to colleges and universities and currently serves nearly two million account-holders at nearly 800 campuses (covering one out of every three students in the U.S.). BankMobile is operating as the digital banking division of Customers Bank, which is a Federal Reserve regulated and FDIC-insured commercial bank. For more information, please visit: www.bankmobile.com.

About Customers Bank

Customers Bank is a super-community bank with $9.8 billion in assets as of December 31, 2018, offering commercial and consumer banking services along the I-95 corridor from Washington, DC to Boston; and in Chicago. Commercial products include cash management; commercial and industrial loans; small business loans; SBA government-guaranteed loans; commercial and multi-family real estate loans; and financing for leasing businesses and residential developers.



Customers Bank provides consumer banking services including savings, checking, and money market accounts; certificates of deposit; residential mortgages; and consumer loans. Additional consumer products are marketed by BankMobile, BankMobile Vibe, and Ascent.



Customers Bank is a member of the Federal Reserve System with deposits insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Customers Bank is an equal opportunity lender. Customers Bank takes pride in delivering extremely high levels of customer service while charging comparatively very low fees; service that makes our clients say, "Wow."



Commercial clients enjoy Single Point of Contact service with one team to handle all banking needs. Some retail bank clients are afforded Concierge Banking Services that brings banking to them, when and where they need it. Customers Bank is a subsidiary of Customers Bancorp, Inc., a bank holding company with its headquarters located in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. The voting common shares of Customers Bancorp, Inc. are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CUBI.
The leader the president asks to form a government has 28 days to do this, with a possible 14-day extension. If he or she fails then the president tasks a different candidate with the job. If Netanyahu wins, he will likely seek a coalition, similar to his current government, with ultranationalist and Jewish Orthodox parties. Gantz would likely win the support of centre-left and left-wing parties, but polls predict he will fall short of a governing majority in parliament. In Israeli politics, a "unity government" can never be ruled out if the path to a right- or centre-left-led coalition proves difficult  even though Gantz has pledged not to serve with Netanyahu, citing corruption allegations against the Likud party leader, which Netanyahu denies. What parties are in the running to win seats? A campaign billboard showing Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv. Credit:AP

Likud headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu The biggest right-wing party in Israel is predicted to win about 29 seats. Likud (which translates as "consolidation" because it was originally formed from several parties) champions tough security policies when it comes to Iran, Syria and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Many of its members oppose the creation of a Palestinian state. Netanyahu's government recently adopted a law that defined Israel as the Jewish homeland while contentiously omitting mention of equality for Arab citizens, who comprise a fifth of the population and whose rights are enshrined in other legislation. Netanyahu, in a last-minute election promise, said he would annex Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank if he wins another term. In the run-up to the vote, Likud has rallied around Netanyahu, 69, who is facing possible indictment in three corruption cases in which he has denied any wrongdoing. Netanyahu says he's innocent and will stand down only if convicted. If he does manage to secure a fifth term, he's poised to become Israel's longest-serving leader in July, surpassing founding father David Ben-Gurion. Meanwhile, he has enjoyed warm relations with President Donald Trump, who's delivered him jackpots such as withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital and recognising Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. A Blue and White billboard showing, from left, Moshe Yaalon, Benny Gantz, Yair Lapid and Gabi Ashkenazi. Credit:AP

Blue and White (Kachol Lavan) headed by former military chief Benny Gantz Gantz, a 38-year military veteran and a political newcomer, has emerged as a serious rival to Netanyahu. His list - combining three parties, including his own Hosen L'Yisrael ("Israel Resilience") - is forecast to win 31 seats. He joined forces with the right-wing Moshe Yaalon, a former defence minister, and centre-left former finance minister Yair Lapid to form the new centrist Blue and White list. Gantz has called for pursuing peace with the Palestinians while maintaining Israeli security interests. He has signalled he would make territorial concessions toward the Palestinians but has sidestepped the question of Palestinian statehood. Gantz has vowed clean government, while at the same time giving mixed signals over whether he would join a Netanyahu-led coalition. Avi Gabbay. Credit:Alamy Labour headed by Avi Gabbay Opinion polls have shown left-wing Labour, which governed Israel for decades, plummeting to 10 seats in the election from its current 18. Its campaign has stressed social and economic reform, as well as pursuing peace and a two-state solution with the Palestinians.

Naftali Bennett in 2015. Credit:AP The New Right headed by Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked Bennett, Israel's education minister, and Justice Minister Shaked split from Israel's national-religious faction to form a new far-right party that would appeal to more secular constituents. Polls presently show them winning six seats. Bennett calls for annexing most of the West Bank, offering autonomy to Palestinians. Shaked has vowed to "rein in" Israel's Supreme Court, which she has branded as too liberal and interventionist. The Right Wing Union headed by Rabbi Rafi Peretz Predicted to win seven seats, Israel's national-religious party is the most prominent political representative of Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. It repudiates the idea of a Palestinian state and stresses Israel's biblical and religious connections to land Palestinians seek for a state. The union includes Jewish Power, an ultra-nationalist religious party that includes disciples of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, who advocated the "transfer" of Palestinians to neighbouring Arab countries and a ban on intermarriage between Jews and Arabs.

Moshe Feiglin. Credit:Alamy Zehut, headed by Moshe Feiglin An ultra-nationalist religious party that has surged in the polls and is forecast to take around six seats, partly over its support for legalising marijuana use. Zehut, which roughly translates as "identity", calls for the voluntary transfer of Palestinians to neighbouring Arab states and bills itself as a libertarian force, pushing for a free market economy. Its leader, Moshe Feiglin, was banned from entering Britain in 2008 and stirred controversy during a 2015 visit to Australia. But he has been drawing unexpectedly strong popular support, and could be a kingmaker. Moshe Kahlon in 2015. Credit:AP Kulanu (All of Us) headed by Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon

A former Likud member, Kahlon has partly come through on his pledge to halt soaring housing prices but has fallen short on dramatically reducing overall living costs. His party casts itself as moderate right-wing and has focused its campaign on socio-economic issues. Kulanu is expected to win only half of its current 10 seats. Israel Beitenu (Israel Is Our Home) headed by Avigdor Lieberman Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. Credit:Reuters The far-right party, which has counted on the support of immigrants from the former Soviet Union, has been teetering on the electoral threshold in recent polls. Moldovan-born Lieberman is a former defence minister whose policies include trading Arab towns in Israel to any future Palestinian state for territory in the West Bank where Jewish settlements have been built. He also wants to make loyalty to the state a condition for citizenship. United Torah Judaism (UTJ) headed by Deputy Health Minister Yaacov Litzman

Rabbi Yaacov Litzman in 2016. Credit:AP UTJ represents ultra-Orthodox Jews, or Haredim, of European origin and typically wins about six or seven seats in the Knesset. Successive coalition governments have had to rely on support from ultra-Orthodox parties, which traditionally put their sectoral demands above larger issues like security and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. UTJ is primarily concerned with safeguarding state benefits for Haredi men who devote themselves to full-time religious study and do not serve in the conscript military or work. The UTJ list's leader, Rabbi Yaacov Litzman, has recently become embroiled in the controversy surrounding attempts to extradite Malka Leifer, the former principal of the Adass Israel School in Melbourne, to Australia on child sex abuse charges. Shas, headed by Interior Minister Aryeh Deri Allied with UTJ, SHAS (an acronym for Union of Sephardic Torah Observers) has, like UTJ, been an almost permanent fixture in successive governments and represents Haredi Jews of Middle Eastern origin. According to opinion polls, it will win fix or six seats in parliament.

Meretz, headed by Tamar Zandberg Predicted to win five or six seats in the Knesset, this socialist party  with a name that translates as "vigour"  has not been part of a coalition government in the past two decades. The party advocates a two-state solution to the Palestinians-Israeli conflict but like Labour, its popularity among liberal middle-class Israelis has steadily waned in recent decades. Four political parties that represent the Arab part of Israel's electorate  roughly 20 per cent of voters  were forced to compete as a single list known as the Joint Arab List after the Knesset raised its threshold for entry to 3.25 per cent of the national vote in 2014, an effort to eliminate Arab-backed parties from the chamber. Since then, the four parties have realigned into two pairs for this election: Hadash-Taal, headed by Ayman Odeh and Ahmed Tibi Predicted to take seven or eight seats in the Knesset, the socialist Jewish-Arab party draws most of its voters from Israel's 20 per cent minority of Palestinian Arabs. It advocates an Arab-Jewish alliance to fight discrimination, racism and social inequality in Israel. Arab parties have never been approached to join governing coalitions in Israel.
If Israel were to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised in his re-election campaign, it would be a potentially fatal blow to the already tattered prospects for a peace agreement with side-by-side states, and could unleash a new round of violence, Palestinians have warned.

But among Palestinians and in the wider Arab world, the reaction to Netanyahu's campaign promise was largely muted, coloured by a deeply sceptical view of Israeli vows and intentions.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel visits the markets in Jerusalem as part of his election campaign. Credit:The New York Times

The prime minister's remarks changed little, many Palestinians said, because in their view the two-state peace process was dead already and Israel was headed in the direction of annexation all along. Some Palestinians said they suspect Netanyahu is playing short-term politics more than making a serious long-term political statement.

"The truth is that annexation has been happening for the last 50 years; it just hasn't been directly called annexation," Fadi Quran, 31, an activist in the West Bank city of Ramallah, said.
Washington: A man from the state of Maryland inspired by the Islamic State group plotted to ram a stolen U-Haul truck into as many pedestrians as possible at a popular convention and tourist destination just outside the nation's capital, federal prosecutors said on Monday.

Rondell Henry. Credit:Montgomery County Police

The allegation was made in a court filing as prosecutors in Maryland urged a judge to keep the defendant, 28-year-old Rondell Henry, detained on a charge of driving a stolen vehicle across state lines. The police arrested him on March 28 after officers who discovered the stolen truck saw him leap over a security fence.

Henry then made incriminating statements that show steps he took to maximise damage, prosecutors say.

"I was just going to keep driving and driving and driving. I wasn't going to stop," the document quotes Henry as telling law enforcement authorities who questioned him. He said he wanted to create "panic and chaos" similar to a deadly truck attack that killed scores of people in Nice, France in 2016, prosecutors say.
Washington: Two US senators introduced a bill on Tuesday to ban online social media companies like Facebook and Twitter from tricking consumers into giving up their personal data.

US Senator Mark Warner Credit:Andrew Harrer

The bill from Mark Warner, a Democrat, and Deb Fischer, a Republican, would also ban online platforms with more than 100 million monthly active users from designing addicting games or other websites for children under age 13.

The bill takes aim at practices that online platforms use to mislead people into giving personal data to companies or otherwise trick them. The so-called "dark patterns" were developed using behavioral psychology.

"Misleading prompts to just click the OK button can often transfer your contacts, messages, browsing activity, photos, or location information without you even realising it," Fischer said in a statement issued by both senators.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The General Audit Chamber submitted its report entitled Compliance audit: 2017 Financial Statements of the General Pension Fund Sint Maarten (Algemeen Pensioenfonds Sint Maarten - APS) to Parliament on April 8, 2019. The report addresses findings and conclusions resulting from the review of the pension fund's financial statement of 2017.

Although APS coverage ratio is 103.1% at the end of 2017 (2016: 99.6%), the funds financial health is not optimal. Its financial capital is still insufficient to cover general and investment risks. The report explains that the increase of the coverage ratio from 99.6% in 2016 to 103.1% at the end of 2017, is partially based on a 2% investment result.

In previous reports, the General Audit Chamber expressed concerns about APS suboptimal coverage ratio, and repeatedly recommended preparation and implementation of a recovery plan. In 2017, APS actuary recommended that the Fund draft a recovery plan as well. APS reports that a recovery plan has since been drafted. Though the General Audit Chamber was not able to familiarize itself with the recovery plan during the audit, they are hopeful that it will lead to the achievement of the 105% coverage ratio. However, measures to achieve a 105% coverage ratio, should not primarily fall to government, participants or the general population.

It is the General Audit Chambers opinion that APS 2017 Financial Statements provide a true and fair representation of the Funds financial position as of December 31, 2017, as well as its 2017 financial result, with the exception of qualifications related to outstanding claims.

The General Audit Chamber established that APS, with the exception of a single provision, is legally compliant. The one item concerns establishment by the board of the investment policy, which did not happen during fiscal year 2017. APS indicates that this was an omission.

APS Board reacted to the draft report on March 27th, 2019. In the reaction, the Board indicates placing great importance for completing and/or implementing the various recommendations previously issued by the General Audit Chamber. As part of the reaction, APS Board, provided an addendum, listing the status of these recommendations.

The General Audit Chamber considers the fact that APS takes their recommendation to heart as a positive development and indicates they will continue to review APS progress during the audit of the 2018 Financial Statements.

The report is published in both English and Dutch and is available on the website of the General Audit Chamber (www.arsxm.org).
Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands:--- April 8, 2019. CCRIF SPC is pleased to announce that for a fifth year in a row it will provide funding of over US$220,000 to Caribbean nationals in support of scholarships and internships. This initiative is aimed at building a cadre of persons who can effectively provide support for comprehensive disaster risk management (DRM) and climate change adaptation in the region.

The initiative is part of CCRIFs Technical Assistance (TA) Programme which was launched in 2010. This programme has three main components  scholarships and professional development; support for local disaster risk management initiatives undertaken by non-governmental organizations; and regional knowledge building, which involves the development of MOUs with regional organizations towards implementation of strategic regional projects in support of DRM and climate change adaptation. Since the inception of the programme in 2010, CCRIF has invested over US$3 million. CCRIF operates as a not-for-profit organization and the resources made available for the TA Programme are derived from earned investment income.

With respect to scholarships, over the period 2010-2018, CCRIF has awarded 24 postgraduate and 29 undergraduate scholarships totalling US$445,250 to students from 8 countries for study at The University of the West Indies and US$545,561 to 16 students from 8 countries in the region for study in the USA and UK.

In 2019, through the CCRIF-UWI Scholarship Programme, CCRIF will provide scholarships to postgraduate and undergraduate students who are pursuing study at The University in areas related to disaster management at all three of its residential campuses (Mona, Jamaica; Cave Hill, Barbados and St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago). Eligible programmes of study include Geography/Geology, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Meteorology, Insurance and Risk Management, Natural Resource Management, Land Management and Building and Construction Management. The undergraduate scholarships are awarded to students enrolled in a qualifying BSc or BA programme to cover their second and third (final) years of study. The value of each postgraduate scholarship is US$11,000 and each undergraduate scholarship US$8,000 (US$4,000 per year for the two years). The deadline for 2019 applications is June 2 2019. For further details:

http://www.ccrif.org/content/programmes/ccrif-uwi-scholarship

CCRIF also will provide up to four scholarships this year for study in masters programmes in areas related to disaster risk management at universities in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada as well as at local universities (other than UWI) in Caribbean countries. Eligible areas of study under the CCRIF Scholarship Programme include: Catastrophe/Disaster Risk Management; Property/Casualty Insurance; Meteorology; other hazard/disaster-related disciplines and MBAs with a major in Risk Management and/or Insurance or a related field. Scholarships are valued up to a maximum of US$40,000 (for extra-regional universities) or US$20,000 (for Caribbean institutions) and are awarded to applicants who demonstrate academic excellence, are involved in, or work in the field of risk/disaster management or sustainable development in the Caribbean and have a record of broader community involvement. The deadline for 2019 applications is June 2 2019. For further details:

http://www.ccrif.org/content/scholarship

CCRIFs flagship professional development programme is its Regional Internship Programme, which was launched in 2015. It is designed to provide opportunities for students who have specialized in the areas of disaster risk management, environmental management, actuarial science, geography, climate studies and other similar areas to be assigned to national and regional organizations where their educational experience can be enhanced through practical work assignments. In this initiative, CCRIF is partnering with a range of organizations who act as host organizations. These include national disaster management and meteorology agencies as well as: the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA); Caribbean Development Bank (CDB); Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS); Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC); CARICOM Secretariat; Caribbean Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) and various departments of the campuses of the University of the West Indies (UWI), among others. Since 2015, CCRIF has placed 85 interns in 27 host organizations with an investment of almost US$270,000.

The programme is open to citizens of CARICOM and/or CCRIF Caribbean member countries who are graduates of a recognized university. The interns should have completed a course of study in any one of the following key areas: disaster risk management, environmental management, meteorology, climate studies, civil engineering, management studies with a focus on risk management, environmental economics, geography, geology, civil engineering, risk management and actuarial science. The deadline for 2019 applications is June 2 2019. For further details:

http://www.ccrif.org/content/regional-internship-programme

CCRIF is the worlds first multi-country risk pool in the world, providing parametric insurance for tropical cyclones, earthquakes and excess rainfall to 19 Caribbean governments and 2 Central American governments. To date, CCRIF has made payouts totalling US$139 million to 13 member governments  all made within 14 days of the event. Data from member countries show that over 2.5 million persons in the Caribbean have benefitted from these payouts.

Through its insurance products and Technical Assistance Programme, CCRIF is committed to supporting Caribbean countries towards reducing vulnerabilities and building resilience within the context of advancing sustainable prosperity of the small island and coastal states of the region.
ARUBA/ PHILIPSBURG:---The KPSM management team would like to congratulate major John Boyrard and his patrol dog Oscar for completing the K9-training seminar from April 1st- 4th 2019.

The "high-risk deployment" K9-training seminar was held on Aruba. Major Boyrard trained together with fellow K9-officers from Aruba, The Netherlands and even a K-9 Unit all the way from Australia.

Boyrard and Oscar dealt with very difficult and risky scenarios, like climbing a building, search for a sea ship, area- and building-searches and high-risk car-stops. Besides that, they supported the Aruba "bijzonder ondersteuningsteam" (BOT) during scenarios with dangerous prison inmates and followed a lecture by Aruba's veterinarian Drs. Natalie Booi. The lecture was in regards to preventing heat strokes and other climate-related dangers when it comes to taking care of the K9 dogs.

Boyrard and Oscar performed on an extremely high level of control, courage, and obedience during all scenarios and represented KPSM very well. The management team here at KPSM would like to comprehend him and Oscar on a job well done, representing the Sint Maarten Police as well as thank Dick Van Lenen for the warm hospitality while officer Boyrard and Oscar completed seminar the in Aruba.

KPSM Press Release.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Plans for a general and unlimited strike action on French St. Maarten beginning on Thursday, April 11 has caught the attention of Dutch St. Maarten's Minister of Tourism the honourable Stuart Johnson who has issued some words of caution to visitors and residents to "avoid engaging in or being in the proximity of any protest actions."



Johnson who is abroad leading a delegation at the Seatrade Cruise Global Conference in Miami has reached out to President of the Collectivite on French St. Martin Daniel Gibbes and his [Johnsons], Counterpart Vice President of the Collectivite Valarie Damasseur to discuss the situation and informed them of his stance. "I do hope a peaceful demonstration takes place," Johnson said.

Minister Johnson says his primary concern, especially during the planned protest, is the safety of visitors and residents alike. "In a democratic society, the people have a right and at times even an obligation, to demonstrate or protest peacefully as an expression of their dissatisfaction if the situation requires such. However, this must always be done taking the safety of all people and security of property against damage, into consideration," said Johnson on Tuesday.

The Minister who is also responsible for Economic Affairs said taking into account our present economically challenging climate; we must ensure that our actions are carried out responsibly. "No one should be refused their right to express themselves and voice their concerns peacefully in a free and democratic society."

Johnson said he fully understands the need to be heard but warns that while the people have a right to protest, there must be real consideration by all concerned parties about any negative impact this could have on the island's recovery efforts. He expressed sincere hopes that all parties involved are able to sit together and work out their differences amicably without much delay.

Regarding visitor arrivals to the island and travel to French St. Maarten whether independently or via guided tours during the general strike, Johnson said, "This is something that has my Ministry's full attention." He said, "I encourage the service providers in the industry to use their best judgements while executing their various services. Visitors should exercise the necessary caution to avoid crowds and areas where there are protests." Johnson encourages all to ensure that the collective actions of the involved parties are carried out to serve a greater good for all.
PHILIPSBURG:---Kidz at Sea Foundation once again welcomed our sponsor, the Essilor Vision Foundation USA, who have been providing free eye exams on St. Maarten for the last three consecutive years.

During the last week of March, the Essilor Vision Foundation came with multiple doctors and all the necessary equipment for vision testing. They worked diligently in conjunction with the SVOBE schools and management to ensure that as many school students could be examined during their three-and-a-half-day visit. 768 individuals were tested on St. Maarten and 238 on Anguilla for a total of 1006 patients examined. St. Maarten School age participants were organized via SVOBE management and the local school boards; the White & Yellow Cross, Sister Basilia Center on St. Maarten and the Blossom Centre in Anguilla also participated.

The contribution to the future success our student body is amazing as nearly all students examined required some sort of corrective eye wear. Participants ranged in age from 3 to 80; with all ranges of site. It just goes to show, how neglected eye care is in our society; with the damaging effects of the sun, diabetes and hypertension all taking their toll.

Kidz at Sea is always thankful to have the support of Essilor and we are also extremely lucky to have the support of SVOBE team members under the direction of Wim de Visser both at MPC and Sundial who welcomed us onto their campuses with open arms to help the entire student body of St. Maarten. By working together our collective vision is always much brighter. said Kidz at Sea President Lorraine Talmi.

In the hopes of spreading Eye Care awareness here are some key issues about eye health every resident of St. Maarten should know.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Dr. Pouneh Alcott, the founder and Executive Director of Learning Unlimited Preparatory School (LUPS), was recently honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the International School Awards (ISA) in Dubai (UAE). ISAs main goal is to build a strong international educational community and recognize and celebrate excellence in education through innovation and leadership.

This award was bestowed to mark Dr. Pouneh Alcotts ongoing contribution to education. Starting her career in 1963 as an Ohio Branch Librarian, to being the founder and director of Learning Unlimited Preparatory Schools (Ohio, Florida, and St. Maarten), Dr. Alcott has never stopped contributing her talents and skills to the Education Community. She is 78 years old now, but still has the energy of a teenager. Dr. Alcotts vision has a clear sense of moral purpose while possessing a great determination, patience, and will-power to see things through.

Dr. Alcott believes that it is very important that we start talking about learning, not education, as learning is not limited by time or space; it is happening at anytime, anywhere and at every age. Coupled with academics, it is important that kids learn empathy, decency, creativity, and resilience. Through the ISA awards, she shares her ongoing belief that a change in education is needed as the gap between education and the world we live in is widening with every day that passes.



Without a doubt, Dr. Pouneh Alcott deserved the Life Time Achievement Award, for her exceptional work in the field of education! Mrs. Maya Hotwani, Early Childhood Coordinator and Grade 4 teacher at LU nominated Dr. Alcott for the award she was ultimately presented with a few days ago.
Glendora, CA, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

CalPortland is proud to announce that it has been awarded the 2019 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence Award for continued leadership and superior contributions to ENERGY STAR. CalPortlands accomplishments will be recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on April 11, 2019.

CalPortland is honored to receive the 2019 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence Award, said CalPortland President/CEO Allen Hamblen. We take great pride in our partnership with ENERGY STAR and are grateful to be recognized for the fifteenth consecutive year. This is a genuine tribute to the ongoing commitment of our employees and our companys comprehensive energy management culture. We are always focused on optimizing energy efficiency, reducing emissions and actively protecting our environment.

I applaud the 2019 ENERGY STAR Award Winners, said EPA Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation Bill Wehrum. Their innovation and leadership enhance Americas economic competitiveness. Reducing costly energy waste improves air quality and public health while protecting the environment.

The highest honor among ENERGY STAR Awards is the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence Award. EPA presents the Sustained Excellence Award to partners that have already received ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year recognition for a minimum of two consecutive years and have gone above and beyond the criteria needed to qualify for recognition.

CalPortland has been an ENERGY STAR PARTNER since 1996 and remains dedicated to demonstrating and promoting energy efficiency within the company and to other companies in the construction materials industry. The 2019 national award is the fifteenth consecutive ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award for CalPortland. A feat that has never been matched by any other industrial company.

In the past year, the company invested over $100 million to increase its operational efficiency producing an overall energy intensity improvement of over two percent. Key 2018 accomplishments include:



Improving energy intensity by 17.5-percent and saving $123 million since 2003.

Construction of a new finish mill at the Oro Grande cement plant to increase utilization and efficiency. Most areas of the plant have been upgraded and optimized, including crushing, raw milling, kiln, finish grinding, transport and cement loadout.

Construction of two compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling stations to support CalPortlands new fleet of 118 CNG Near Zero Emission engine ready mix trucks.

Leveraged the position of CalPortlands CEO as Chair of the Portland Cement Association to promote and support ENERGY STAR throughout the construction material industry and mentoring more than 11 ENERGY STAR industrial partners.

Earning ENERGY STAR certification for the seventh consecutive time for the Rillito Cement Plant and for the second time at the Oro Grande Cement Plant while concurrently accepting the ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry at six new plants and achieving the Challenge at three plants.

Promoting ENERGY STAR through advertising, social media, community outreach, school events and magazine articles to directly reach over 113,000 people while generating approximately 59 million impressions.

About CalPortland

CalPortland Company is a major producer of cement, ready mixed concrete, aggregates, concrete products and asphalt in the western United States and Canada. Founded in 1891, CalPortland remains a leader in the industry through its commitment to quality, safety, customer service, technical excellence and environmental leadership. The company maintains its headquarters in Glendora, California. For more information about CalPortland Company, visit www.calportland.com .

About ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR is the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, providing simple, credible, and unbiased information that consumers and businesses rely on to make well-informed decisions.

Thousands of industrial, commercial, utility, state, and local organizations - including more than 40 percent of the Fortune 500 - rely on their partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to deliver cost-saving energy efficiency solutions. Since 1992, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped save American families and businesses nearly 4 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity with associated reductions of over 3 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases. In 2017 alone, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped Americans save $30 billion in energy costs. More background information about ENERGY STAR can be found at: www.energystar.gov/about .

CONTACT: William Larson CalPortland Company 6268526200 info@calportland.com
Ximen Mining Focuses on Acquisition of the Kenville Gold Mine Nelson BC

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Ximen Mining Corp. (TSX-V: XIM, ?Ximen? or the ?Company?) announces that it has entered into an option agreement with Don Althen, an individual who is arm?s length to the Company, dated April 5, 2019 (the ?Option Agreement?) under which the Company has acquired an option, exercisable in the Company?s sole discretion, to purchase all of Mr. Althen?s interest in:

a promissory note issued by 0995238 B.C. Ltd. (?0995238?) to Mr. Althen dated August 10, 2017 in the amount of $780,000 plus interest (the ?First Promissory Note?);

a promissory note issued by 0995238 to Mr. Althen dated May 29, 2018 in the amount of $1,000,000 plus interest convertible into common shares in the capital of 0995237 at a deemed price of $0.02 per common share (the ?Second Promissory Note?);

certain mining equipment located in Del Bonita, Alberta (the ?Mining Equipment?); and

5,333,334 common shares in the capital of 0995237 (the ?Shares? and collectively with the First Promissory Note, the Second Promissory Note and the Mining Equipment, the ?Optioned Assets?).

The principal asset of 0995237 is its option to acquire the Kenville Gold Mine located west of Nelson, British Columbia.

The Kenville Gold Mine has played a major role in the rich history of BC Gold mining. It was the first underground lode gold mines in British Columbia and was once the largest producer in the Nelson Mining Camp. There have been multiple new targets and veins discovered in the last several years and Ximen is looking forward to the potential opportunity that exists ahead.

Says Anderson CEO Ximen Mining Corp

About the Kenville Gold Mine

The Kenville Gold mine was discovered and staked in 1888 and was the first hard rock gold mine in British Columbia.? It was mined intermittently until 1954, with recorded production of 2,029 kilograms of gold, 861 kilograms of silver, 23.5 tonnes of? lead, 15 tonnes of zinc, 1.6 tonnes of copper and 37 kilograms of cadmium from 181,395? tonnes processed.? The property is located 8 km west of Nelson, BC, is accessible by paved road and is connected to the power grid.? Existing infrastructure includes mining equipment, offices, mechanic shop, core storage and accommodation.

The mine deposit consists of multiple, gold-silver quartz veins hosted by diorite.? Between? 2007 and 2008, 13,000 meters of diamond drilling was conducted that targeted previously un-tested areas southwest of the historic mine, and detailed sampling was conducted within the mine on the 257 Level.? There are six other historical levels within the mine footprint; only this level was rehabilitated and remains open and accessible.? Based on the mine sampling and drill hole information available at the time, new zones of gold mineralization were identified, and mineral resources were estimated (see table below).

Reference: ?Technical (Geological) Report on the 257 Level of the Kenville Mine, Nelson, British Columbia?, July 22, 2009, by R. Munroe, P.Geo.

A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify the historic estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves.? As such the issuer, Ximen Mining Corp., is not treating this historical estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves.

Ximen considers this historic mineral resource estimate to be relevant and reliable in that it was based upon the results of underground sampling and diamond drill information available at the time.? The historic mineral resource estimate uses the categories of Measured, Indicated and Inferred mineral resources as defined by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum.? Estimations were done using a polygonal method.? Measured and Indicated Resources are based on projections of mineralized veins exposed on the 257 Level.? Inferred Resources in the historical estimate are based on assumed continuity beyond measured and (or) indicated resources.? The inferred mineral resources are based on historical drill and channel assay information verified by underground channel samples collected in 2007/8.? The resource tonnages were estimated using an assumed specific gravity.? A cut-off grade of 1.1 grams per tonne was used.? No allowance for dilution was included based on an anticipated ?resue? mining method, which would separate mineralized material from waste rock.

Significant diamond drilling was conducted after the above mineral resource estimate was made between 2009 and 2012.? At least 4 new veins were identified with potential strike lengths of over 700 metres.? The results of this drilling have not yet been reviewed by the Company?s Qualified Person.? A complete review of the technical information is required with the aim of completing a new resource estimate that includes the more recent diamond drill results.

In addition to the historic gold mine, elsewhere on the property historic soil geochemical surveys and results of scout drilling indicate potential for porphyry-type copper-molybdenum-silver-gold mineralization.

Dr. Mathew Ball, P.Geo., VP Exploration for Ximen Mining Corp. and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, approved the technical information contained in this News Release.

Pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Option Agreement and subject to the Company?s exercise of the option to acquire the Optioned Assets, the Company will pay the following consideration to Mr. Althen:

a total of 1,408,333 shares in the capital of the Company (the ?Consideration Shares? and each a ?Consideration Share?) at a deemed price of $0.80 per Consideration Share;

cash payments totaling $1,380,000, payable in installments; and

settling of debt owed by Mr. Althen to arm?s length third-parties in the aggregate amount of $270,000.

The exercise of the Company?s option to acquire the Optioned Assets is subject to the Company being satisfied with its further due diligence investigations of the Optioned Assets prior to May 30, 2019 and acceptance of the Option Agreement by the TSX Venture Exchange.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

?Christopher R. Anderson?

Christopher R. Anderson,

President, CEO and Director

Investor Relations:?????? Mr. William Sattlegger, 604-488-3900??????????? ir@XimenMiningCorp.com

About Ximen Mining Corp.

Ximen Mining Corp. owns 100 percent interest in all three of its precious metal projects. Ximen`s two gold projects, The Gold Drop Project and Brett Gold Project are located in southern British Columbia. Ximen also owns the Treasure Mountain Silver project adjacent to the past producing Huldra Silver Mine.? Ximen is a publicly listed company trading on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol XIM, in the USA under the symbol XXMMF, and in? Frankfurt, Munich, and Berlin Stock Exchanges in Germany under the symbol 1XM and WKN with the number as A1W2EG.

This press release contains certain \forward-looking statements\ within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, including statements regarding the completion of a proposed Offering and the use of the Offering proceeds to further explore of the Company?s Cerro Caliche project. 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 statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words \expects,\ \plans,\ \anticipates,\ \believes,\ \intends,\ \estimates,\ \projects,\ \aims,\ \potential,\ \goal,\ \objective,\ \prospective,\ and similar expressions, or that events or conditions \will,\ \would,\ \may,\ \can,\ \could\ or \should\ occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company\-\-s management on the date the statements are made and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management\-\-s beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include the possibility that the Company is not satisfied with its further due diligence investigations and possibility that the TSX Venture Exchange may not accept the proposed transaction. The reader is urged to refer to the Company\-\-s reports, publicly available through the Canadian Securities Administrators\-\- System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) at www.sedar.com for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any state in the United States in which 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.

Ximen Mining Corp

888 Dunsmuir Street  Suite 888, Vancouver, B.C., V6C 3K4??? Tel:? 604-488-3900
Why cellular connectivity is the smart choice for CCTV deployments

Businesses large and small rely on their CCTV systems to deter intruders and provide recorded evidence of security incidents. Overtime, CCTV has evolved to offer real-time intrusion detection and monitoring, and businesses now expect easy, secure and anytime access to cameras, and data. For that, they need connected CCTV systems. These modern installations can benefit from cellular connectivity, helping businesses protect their sites, while also supporting enhanced capabilities for CCTV to deliver more. Widespread use of CCTV systems So widespread is the use of CCTV cameras now that London, United Kingdom has over 600,000 cameras, according to Surfshark, while IHS Markit expects over a billion to be operating around the world, by the end of 2021. CCTV often sits at the heart of a business on-site security arrangements CCTV often sits at the heart of a business on-site security arrangements. Yet, despite this, traditional set-ups fail, to take advantage of the full capability, such physical security can provide. Real-time feeds with anytime access Nominated personnel must physically go to premises to access CCTV video, when it is recorded and kept only on-site. This causes loss of valuable time, when a potential crime must be reported and investigated. Whats more, it can put those who arrive first at the site at risk, if intruders are still present. Nowadays, CCTV installations can take full advantage of connected capabilities. They can provide real-time feeds, which authorised users can access securely from anywhere. That expands the security credentials of CCTV systems, beyond just recording. Detected intrusions can trigger alerts and provide a real-time visual of whats happening, so that required action can be taken. Of course, to realise these CCTV capabilities, systems must be connected and use the right type of connectivity at that. Connectivity must be resilient, so that it provides a continuous feed, even if a primary connection is lost, secure for authorised users, scalable and cost-effective. Traditionally, connectivity has come from wired connections and WiFi, but now cellular connectivity provides an attractive alternative. The benefits of cellular connectivity There are a number of reasons for this. To start with, fixed line connectivity isnt always available in all locations. If the infrastructure isnt there, particularly at remote sites, cables have to be laid. Thats expensive and takes time. CCTV towers in the construction and building industry, for example, require CCTV that can be rapidly deployed in areas that most likely dont have fixed line connectivity. A cellular connection can be quickly arranged to get a CCTV system up and running in the shortest possible time. Relying on third-party infrastructure, such as fixed line networks, can also be an issue for CCTV solution providers, because any policy changes can make integration difficult. Issues that may require changes from the third-party network administrator can take longer to resolve and if the fixed line network goes down, there is usually no backup. Cellular connectivity offers end-to-end control Cellular connectivity, delivered by a solution provider, gives end-to-end control of the connectivity Cellular connectivity, delivered by a solution provider, gives end-to-end control of the connectivity. In the rare event that something goes wrong, the solution provider can manage a resolution quickly. Where a number of sites are involved, cellular connectivity can provide a single solution, simplifying overall management of the complete installed CCTV system and reducing total cost of ownership for connectivity. Single connectivity management platform Through a single connectivity management platform, businesses can oversee an entire security installation, viewing and managing data usage, and using the information to assist decision making, as security needs evolve. This brings us to the fourth benefit - The ability to easily scale up. This might be because additional cameras are needed at a site or additional sites need to be catered for. It could even be because the CCTV installation is being enhanced to support additional capabilities. Simple plug-and-play to get cameras online securely Whatever the reason, being able to roll out connections rapidly, to a range of locations will be critical to existing and new installations. Ideally, connectivity should be possible within a matter of days and end users should be able to simply plug-and-play to get their cameras online securely. Resilience is the next factor to consider. Pre-configured routers, or embedded SIM cards in cameras, can reconnect to the most readily available alternative cellular network in the event of a network outage. In this way, cellular connectivity can form part of business continuity options. In some cases, it can work together with fixed line connections, as part of robust installations, which have mitigation built-in, should primary connections fail. Expanding CCTV capabilities 4G and now 5G too, allows for easy access and remote monitoring for CCTV applications 4G and now 5G too, allows for easy access and remote monitoring for CCTV applications. It can be deployed rapidly, supports an always on approach and can stream high volumes of data and imagery. Live video feeds can be viewed by authorised users on any device and they can receive alerts, and notifications direct to their mobiles too. The high speed, high bandwidth and lower latency of 5G connectivity also provides the opportunity for enhanced CCTV system capabilities, such as live feed analytics. This is ideal because it helps businesses build on the primary function of security with, for example, occupancy monitoring. This has very much come to the fore, over the past 18 months+, as businesses have had to concern themselves more than ever with occupancy levels in their buildings. ANPR in crime detection and traffic enforcement Retailers, meanwhile, have built on the real-time nature of CCTV technology, to monitor customer numbers in their stores, in line with social distancing guidelines. Another CCTV application can be found with automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) in crime detection and traffic enforcement. Combined with software, the feed from CCTV cameras is used to help find and track vehicles for law enforcement or traffic monitoring. For most CCTV applications, the speed and functionality that comes from 4G is more than sufficient. However, it is likely 5G will drive new applications and ways to expand CCTV capabilities to the benefit of businesses. CCTV systems offer remote monitoring and high quality visuals Once a single application installation, CCTV use to provide only on-site recording capabilities. Now, CCTV systems can support remote monitoring and higher quality visuals. They can deliver alerts, and back them up with access to real-time video feeds, so that authorised users can assess a situation and take action rapidly. These additional capabilities support enhanced use cases for CCTV. The data that CCTV systems generate is valuable to businesses. Businesses that capture and analyse the data can fully capitalise on its potential. Cellular connectivity provides a resilient and scalable way of connecting single or multiple sites. Through a connectivity management platform, businesses can consolidate CCTV connectivity, managing connections across networks and deployments.
Dallas, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Advancial Federal Credit Union ranked 21st in the Medium-Sized Companies category for the 2019 Best Companies to Work for in Texas. The awards program was created in 2006 and is a project of Texas Monthly, the Texas Association of Business (TAB), Texas SHRM and Best Companies Group.

Were proud to be recognized as a Best Company to Work for in Texas for the ninth consecutive year, said Brent Sheffield, Advancials President and CEO. Its a testament to our outstanding employees and the positive culture we build together every day.

Advancial first landed on the Best Companies to Work for in Texas list in 2011 and has made it every year thereafter. In order to maintain its place as one of the best places to work in the state, Advancial offers uncommonly rich benefits to retain its employees and to attract new talent: a vacation home in Florida that employees can use for free with a second vacation home in the works, an 8% 401K contribution with no matching required, a robust health, dental, and vision plan, and much more. They even offer and subsidize pet insurance for their employees furry family members.

Advancials final 2019 ranking was announced at the Texas Association of Business (TAB) Best Companies to Work for in Texas Awards Dinner and Celebration on March 28 at the Hilton, Downtown Austin.

This really is a unique place to work, said Olivia Thurmond, VP of Human Resources, who joined the Advancial team in November of 2018. Advancials history on the Best Companies to Work for in Texas list was definitely a factor in my decision to join the company she said. While many companies look for ways to cut benefits to save money, Advancial is always looking for new ways to make our benefits even better. Im confident well be on this list for many years to come. Thurmond joined Advancial with 27 years of experience in Human Resources after relocating to Texas from Seattle.

Companies from across the state entered the two-part survey process to determine the Best Companies to Work for in Texas. The first part, worth approximately 25% of the evaluation, consisted of evaluating each nominated company's workplace policies, systems, philosophies, practices, and demographics. The remaining 75% of the evaluation consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final rankings.

With a history dating back to 1937, Advancial provides a diversified line of advanced financial solutions to its members. Today, Advancial is a full-service financial institution that serves more than 80,000 members worldwide and has assets of approximately $1.6 billion. For more information, please visit the Advancial website at www.advancial.org.

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Two spacewalking astronauts completed their work on time today (April 8), despite a stubborn panel on the International Space Station that added several minutes of troubleshooting to their tasks.

NASA astronaut Anne McClain and Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques spent six hours and 29 minutes completing several repairs and upgrade tasks on the space station . Internet cable work at the U.S. laboratory caused some problems for the duo.

The astronauts had to remove a micrometeroid orbital debris shield to access some cabling to upgrade connectivity for experiments on the space station. One of the fasteners on the shield, however, refused to loosen. Eventually, astronaut Jeanette Epps  who was walking the astronauts through the spacewalk step by step from NASA's mission control in Houston  suggested Saint-Jacques grab a pry bar. He carefully inserted it under the panel, verifying first that he was in the right position before pushing.

Related: How NASA Spacesuits Work: EMUs Explained (Infographic)

"I feel some movement," said Saint-Jacques, who was the first Canadian Space Agency astronaut to venture outside the ISS in 12 years. The two astronauts carefully jimmied the pry bar back and forth underneath the shield, eventually pulling the panel loose. "Got it!" Saint-Jacques exclaimed. He and McClain exchanged a quick high-five before finishing the installation.

Epps reported that the first connectivity tests worked perfectly. "That's great news," said McClain , who was on her second spacewalk. The panel, unfortunately, then refused to go back in, forcing the astronauts to remove and reinstall a nearby handlebar to squeeze the panel into position. With that task finished, McClain secured the panel with long-duration tie-down tethers before the astronauts moved on to their next task.

Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques gathers equipment to install experiment-support plugs on the outside of the International Space Station on April 8, 2019. This was the Canadian Space Agency's first spacewalk since 2007 and the 216th spacewalk overall in support of ISS maintenance and operations. (Image credit: NASA TV)

Batteries, robot cables and experiment support

This spacewalk, the 216th performed by astronauts on the space station, began half an hour early, at 7:31 a.m. EDT (1131 GMT), when McClain and Saint-Jacques switched their suits to internal power. Their duties included a pickup task from a March 22 spacewalk that McClain and Expedition 59 crewmate, NASA's Nick Hague, did to install new lithium-ion batteries. One of the batteries and its charge-discharge plate was not charging properly, so McClain and Saint-Jacques moved a new adapter panel into place for future robotics work to finish the installation.

After dealing with the cable and stubborn debris shield, the astronauts worked in support of the Canadian robotic arm, Canadarm2 , which routinely lifts equipment and assists with repairs on the space station. The arm is working well, but the astronauts proactively installed jumper cables to add a backup power supply for the 18-year-old robotic helper.

Related: Spacesuit Sizing Stymied a Historic NASA Moment, and It May Always Be Tricky

The astronauts next split up to finish up the last set of tasks on the docket for this spacewalk. Saint-Jacques was assigned to install special support plugs (more technically known as trunnion slip-off protectors) at the European Columbus module, but did not recognize the configuration of the parts in front of him on the site. Mission control staff decided to hold off on the installation for today and instead asked Saint-Jacques to take some pictures for future investigations.

When these plugs are eventually installed, they will hold future experiments mounted on an upcoming external payload facility, Bartolomeo, which will arrive at the space station in 2020. Bartolomeo is named after the younger brother of Christopher Columbus, the famous European explorer for whom the Columbus module is named.

'It looks like you know where you're going'

McClain, meanwhile, continued the Canadarm2 cabling work. She moved around different worksites on the space station S0 Truss, trying to squeeze her bulky spacesuit in between the metal struts without disturbing any connectors.

"Anne, it looks like you know where you're going," Epps joked, before suggesting McClain try going into her next site head-first.

"I tried that a few times," McClain responded, saying a couple of brackets were in the way. Epps said mission control was ready with some alternate routes, if needed. "I'll try this again," McClain said, before carefully moving inside the truss to do more cabling work on Canadarm2.

McClain next did some quick work-ahead tasks on the Canadarm2 cabling, while Saint-Jacques (having finished cleanup at his last worksite) relaxed for a few minutes by the Quest airlock. After McClain joined him, the duo entered the airlock and the spacewalk officially finished at 2 p.m. EDT (1600 GMT).

The next spacewalk is scheduled for May 29, by Russian cosmonauts by Oleg Kononenko and Alexey Ovchinin.

American astronaut Anne McClain (red stripes) and Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques work together on April 8, 2019, to remove and reinstall balky meteoroid/orbital debris shielding on the International Space Station, in order to install new Internet cabling for experiments. (Image credit: NASA TV)

Advice from an older astronaut

Before Saint-Jacques' walk today, the previous Canadian Space Agency spacewalk was performed 12 years ago, in 2007, by Dave Williams. (The last Canadian citizen to do a spacewalk was NASA's Drew Feustel , who has nine lifetime spacewalks  including a trio performed in 2018.)

Williams spoke with Saint-Jacques on Saturday and provided him with some last-minute tips, such as how to move along the space station truss using his fingertips, Williams told Space.com in a phone interview from the CSA headquarters near Montreal.

"Talking to David, one of the big differences in the shuttle program was we would keep training up until the time we were going into quarantine," Williams said. On space station missions, the crews are generically crewed in spacewalk skills and given their specific tasks later.

American astronaut Anne McClain moves between worksite locations on the S0 Truss of the International Space Station as she installs cabling for a backup power supply for robotic arm Canadarm2. (Image credit: NASA TV)

Williams added that his first two spacewalks were task-specific, while the last one was more space-station style after former NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio got a hole in his spacesuit glove on a previous spacewalk; mission control modified the tasks on Williams' last spacewalk to adapt to the situation.

Williams pointed out that, coincidentally, when the airlock was depressurized and repressurized, the Canadian flag on Saint-Jacques' suit was visible in the window facing the interior of the space station. He said it gave "an amazing sense of pride," and made him think about the future of the Canadian space program . Canada recently was the first international partner to sign on to NASA's lunar Gateway program, a space station that is supposed to be operating in orbit around the moon in the 2020s. Canada plans to build a robotic arm called Canadarm3 to support that project, inspired by the nation's success at the International Space Station.

Today's spacewalk "makes you wonder about the future," he said, adding it makes him think about where the next generation of Canadian astronauts are right now and how far along they are in their schooling.
Make-your-own pizza is a dinner classic for a reason  and the meal's appeal holds in space , too.

The four astronauts living on the U.S. side of the International Space Station made themselves pizza on Friday night (April 5) and shared photos of their customized dinners.

"A long week of hard work and spacewalk prep calls for a pizza party," NASA astronaut Nick Hague wrote on Twitter . "Making pizza in space is similar to making pizza on Earth, the only difference is our ovens look a little different and our pizza can float!"

Related: Spacesuit Sizing Stymied a Historic NASA Moment, and It May Always Be Tricky

A long week of hard work and spacewalk prep calls for a pizza party. Making pizza in space is similar to making pizza on Earth, the only difference is our ovens look a little different and our pizza can float! Anyone on Earth having pizza tonight? pic.twitter.com/s8459LcnlqApril 5, 2019 See more

The team has been focused on preparing for yesterday's spacewalk (April 8), conducted by NASA astronaut Anne McClain and Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques, who is the first Canadian to do a spacewalk in 12 years.

The pair went to work upgrading the station's robotic arm, Canadarm2, in order to to access a backup power supply, turning their suits to battery power at 7:31 a.m. EDT (1131 GMT).

NASA astronaut Christina Koch displays the pizza cooking in an oven onboard the International Space Station. (Image credit: NASA)

Yesterday's excursion is the last in a series of three spacewalks NASA had scheduled for this spring. Next, the crew onboard the orbiting laboratory will focus on unpacking the Progress 72 cargo capsule that arrived last week. Two more cargo ships launched by Northrop Grumman and SpaceX are scheduled to reach the space station later this month.

For their pizza dinner, the astronauts were stocked with a range of topping options. Because the crewmembers are operating in microgravity, their pizzas technically baked sideways  but the meal still seems to have turned out to be tasty.
Auroras are spectacular light shows, but a recent display in the skies over northern Norway was out of this world  sort of.

On Friday (April 5), clusters of purple, blue and yellow lights appeared in the country's night sky; as the ghostly shapes hovered, their eerie glow and unusual formation invited speculation about visiting alien spacecraft.

But extraterrestrials weren't behind the demonstration. It was NASA, launching a new rocket system from Norway to study the flow of winds in Earth's upper atmosphere, representatives of the agency's Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops, Virginia, tweeted that day. [Aurora Photos: Northern Lights Dazzle in Night-Sky Images]

Following the appearance of an aurora that night, NASA created another spectacular light show with chemical compounds, expelled by the Auroral Zone Upwelling Rocket Experiment (AZURE). This is the first of eight rocket missions to launch from Norwegian bases in Andya and Svalbard. The missions will analyze the interactions of Earth's magnetic field lines and particles from space that bombard our planet, according to a NASA statement.

AZURE targeted the ionosphere, the electrically charged atmosphere layer that lies 46 to 621 miles (75 to 1,000 kilometers) above Earth.

During the launch, the rockets deployed chemical tracers  trimethylaluminum (TMA) and a barium-strontium mixture  that ionize in sunlight, enabling researchers to track the flow of neutral and charged particles. These tracers will help NASA measure the churning vertical winds that mix electrically charged particles and energy through the atmosphere, recording the winds' density and temperature, NASA said.

The tracers were released at altitudes of about 71 to 155 miles (114 to 249 km) above Earth's surface, and they posed no hazard to residents in the region, NASA wrote in an earlier statement.

As the two AZURE rockets launched  leaving at nearly the same time from Norway's Andya Space Center  photographer Michael Theusner already had his camera trained on the sky, from a location about 112 miles (180 km) to the south of the launch. Theusner, writing in a description of the time-lapse on YouTube, said he "coincidentally" captured images of the rockets and of their subsequent light show.

When Theusner saw NASA's colorful lights, he didn't know what they were at first; he jokingly referred to them as "an alien attack," but an internet search soon revealed what had caused them, Theusner wrote on YouTube.

Using instruments on the rockets and on the ground, experts will track the movements of the colorful "alien" clouds in three dimensions. This analysis will provide important data on how particles travel through the ionosphere, so scientists can better understand the intricate ballet of energy that generates northern lights displays, NASA said.

Originally published on Live Science.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.  NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine is confident that the agency will be able to land astronauts on the moon in 2024 , but the U.S. won't undertake the mission alone, he said during a speech here at the 35th Space Symposium on Tuesday (April 9).

"Putting humans on the moon in 2024 is not an America-alone effort," Bridenstine told a jampacked room of space industry officials. "We need all of our international partners. In fact, none of us can do what we want to achieve alone."

Last month, Vice President Mike Pence announced that President Donald Trump's administration is directing NASA to speed up the timeline for its already-planned moon landing in 2028 to 2024 so that the United States can maintain its position as the leading space superpower of the world  a title that could be threatened by a blooming space race with China and Russia , Pence said at a meeting of the National Space Council on March 26.

Related: Can NASA Really Put Astronauts on the Moon in 2024?

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine outlines the need for an international effort to return astronauts to the moon by 2024 during a speech at the 35th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado on April 9, 2019. (Image credit: Aubrey Gemignani/NASA)

Although NASA faces some international competition in lunar exploration, the agency has seen strong support and interest from international partners . Other countries will likely contribute technology and hardware for NASA's Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway , a small habitat or space station that would orbit the moon  similar to the way that 15 nations have worked together on the International Space Station for the last 20 years. International partners like the European Space Agency and Japan's space agency, JAXA, have also expressed interest in contributing lunar landers and life-support systems.

The biggest challenge NASA will face in putting astronauts on the moon in 2024 will be funding, Bridenstine told Space.com. "We've got to make sure that we get the budgets necessary to accomplish the objective, which means we need strong bipartisan support  which we're working on really hard right now," Bridenstine said. "Technically, I think it's achievable."

Bridenstine explained that already having some infrastructure in place for the original 2028 target will help make the 2024 landing doable, but the mission will still depend on cooperation with both international and commercial partners .

"The plans that we laid out for 2028 are the same plans that we're going to use to get to the moon in 2024. We're just going to have to move forward some of our investments, but it's all achievable," Bridenstine said, adding that a sufficient budget is still "key."

NASA is currently working on an amendment to its fiscal year 2020 budget request , because that budget was issued before Pence announced NASA's accelerated timeline for a moon landing in 2024. Bridenstine did not share any details about what will be in that budget amendment, but he said it will be submitted to the White House Office of Management and Budget next week.

While international partnerships can help alleviate some of the financial burden NASA would face if it had to do everything on its own, those other countries can also benefit from the new lunar infrastructure. Once the lunar gateway is ready, Bridenstine said, NASA and its partners will have "more access to more parts of the moon than ever before." NASA could launch foreign astronauts to the moon, but the agency is committed to making sure that the next man and the first woman on the moon are American, the agency head said.

So, NASA may be leading an effort to build a sustainable human presence on the moon, but the agency couldn't do it without teamwork. "This is all about leadership, and when I say 'leadership,' I'm not talking about the United States of America. I'm talking about leadership with all of our international partners," Bridenstine said in his speech. "We can do this."
The Broadmoor Hotel is hosting the 35th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, April 8-11, 2019.

COLORADO SPRINGS  U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, the big draw at the 34th Space Symposium, won't be delivering a keynote address at this year's conference. However, the speech Pence gave two weeks ago at a meeting of the National Space Council is sure to reverberate across the four days of briefings and panel discussions on tap for the 35th Space Symposium here April 8-11.

Pence, speaking March 26 in Huntsville, Alabama, called for NASA to return humans to the moon by 2024, dramatically accelerating a time table laid out by the U.S. space agency 15 days earlier in its $21 billion budget request to Congress.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, who has made repeated trips to Capitol Hill since Pence's speech to field questions about how NASA intends to implement the vice president's directive, is scheduled to speak here Tuesday morning. Among the questions NASA still needs to clearly address: What, exactly, is the plan? How much will it cost to achieve a landing by 2024? What are the new opportunities for companies, or for international partners?

Related: Can NASA Really Put Astronauts on the Moon in 2024?

U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Robert Skinner, right, speaks with attendees of last year's Space Symposium. (Image credit: Tom Kimmell)

On Tuesday afternoon, European Space Agency Director General Jan Woerner leads a panel discussion with space agency chiefs from around the world, including Canada, the first nation to formally sign on as a partner in lunar Gateway, the space station NASA intends to build in cislunar orbit  or at least that was the plan before "reach[ing] the moon in the next five years" became the order of the day.

Another speaker well positioned to shed light on Trump administration space policy is Scott Pace, the executive secretary of the National Space Council over which Pence presides. Pace is the featured speaker at Tuesday's Government Affairs breakfast, the same early-bird forum U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) used in 2017 to call for a Space Corps.

In the two years since Rogers put forward the Space Corps proposal, the White House has taken up the mantle by calling on Congress to establish a separate Space Force within the Air Force while reestablishing U.S. Space Command as a unified combatant command. U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee to lead Space Command, Air Force Gen. John "Jay" Raymond, is speaking Tuesday, as is acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, who is expected to press the case for Space Force. Shanahan then heads back to Washington shortly to prepare for a Space Force hearing the Senate Armed Services Committee is holding Thursday.

In her final Space Symposium appearance as Air Force secretary, Heather Wilson is expected to highlight the Air Force's efforts to make the U.S. "the best in the world at space." Wilson, who's stepping down in May to become president of the University of Texas at El Paso, is departing Wednesday to testify at the Space Force hearing.

Other heavy hitters speaking this week include U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, European Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency President Hiroshi Yamakawa, plus dozens of industry space industry executives.

35th Space Symposium Schedule at a Glance

All conference sessions are held in the International Center unless otherwise noted. Information subject to change. Check Space Symposium schedule for latest.

Monday

12:15 to 1:30 p.m. | DLR Chair Pascale Ehrenfreund speaks at the Tech Track Luncheon (Broadmoor West: Rocky Mountain Ballroom)

12:30 to 1:45 p.m. | United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno speaks at the New Generation Space Leaders Luncheon (Colorado Hall)

6:30 to 7:30 p.m. | Opening Ceremony featuring a special performance by dance crew iLuminate of "America's Got Talent" fame

7:30 to 9 p.m. | Grand Opening of the Lockheed Martin Exhibit Center. Visit SpaceNews at Booth 730 to get a print and digital subscription to SpaceNews for just $89. That's 75 percent off the regular price.

9:00 to 9:15 p.m. | Fireworks display

9:15 to 10:30 p.m. | Light-night reception hosted by Virgin Galactic and The SpaceShip Company (Lake Terrace Dining Room)

Tuesday

7:15 AM to 8:30 AM | Government Affairs Breakfast: Scott Pace, executive secretary of the U.S. National Space Council, is the featured speaker. (Colorado Hall)

8:45 to 9:05 a.m. | Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan

9:05 to 9:20 a.m. | U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross

9:20 to 9:45 a.m. | U.S. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson

9:45 to 10:15 a.m. | NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine

10:30 to 11 a.m. | Gen. David Goldfein, U.S. Air Force chief of staff

11:00 to 11:30 a.m. | Gen. John "Jay" Raymond, commander, U.S. Air Force Space Command

11:30 to 12:00 p.m. | Northrop Grumman CEO and President Kathy Warden

2:00 to 2:30 p.m. | Fred Kennedy, Director, Space Development Agency

2:30 to 3:30 p.m. | Air Chiefs panel featuring Gens. Goldfein and Raymond and Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier of the Royal Air Force

3:50 to 5 p.m. | The Next 50 Years: Agency Leadership Perspectives. ESA Director General Jan Woerner moderates a panel discussion with space agency chiefs from Mexico, U.K., Poland, France, South Korea, UAE, Netherlands, Italy and Canada.

Wednesday

8:45 to 9:05 a.m. | Elzbieta Bienkowska, Commissioner, European Commission

9:25 to 9:55 a.m. | Exploration panel featuring human spaceflight chiefs from NASA, ESA and JAXA

10:00 to 10:40 a.m. | Emerging Space Agencies panel discussion featuring senior leadership from the Australian Space Agency and Luxembourg Space Agency.

10:00 to 10:45 a.m. | James Webb Space Telescope Town Hall with NASA JSWT Program Manger Bill Ochs, Northrop Grumman's JWST Program Manager Scott Willoughby and head of the JWST mission office, Massimo Stiavelli (Broadmoor Theater)

10:40 to 11:05 a.m. | JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa

11:05 to 11:45 a.m. | Fireside chat with NOAA leadership. Steve Volz, NOAA assistant administrator for satellite and information and NOAA Deputy Administrator Neil Jacobs

11:45 to 12 p.m. | Shuzo Takada, director general of Japan's National Space Policy Secretariat

2:00 to 2:50 p.m. | Government Missions and the Private Sector: A Legal Roundtable featuring the top lawyers from NASA, ESA, Lockheed Martin and SES

3:00 to 3:50 p.m. | The Africa Space Sector: An Emerging Market. Panel discussion featuring the Ethiopian Space Society, South Africa's NewSpace Systems, NanoRacks and MIT

4:00 to 4:50 p.m. | In Space Manufacturing panel featuring Made in Space, Maxar, Lunar Resources, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin.

4:00 to 4:45 p.m. | Space in Indonesia panel featuring the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space's prime secretary and other Indonesian officials (Broadmoor Theater)

Thursday

8:45 to 9:45 a.m. | Global Industry Perspectives panel featuring top executives from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Boeing, Thales Alenia Space, Lockheed Martin, Planet and Iridium Communications

10:05 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. | Army Space panel featuring seven U.S. Army space officials.

11:15 to 12:10 p.m. | NASA iTech the Latest Wave of Entrepreneurs featuring the deputy administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate and the founders of Analytical Space, Lazurus 3D and Milo, Inc.

2:00 to 3 p.m. | Navy Space panel featuring the commander of Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command and other U.S. Navy officials

3:00 to 4 p.m. | Enterprise Disruption panel featuring NGA's Chirag Parikh, SMC's Col. Russell Teehan and the NRO's Stewart Cameron
MEMPHIS, Tenn., April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Tennessee Bank, member of the First Horizon National Corporation (NYSE:FHN) family of companies, which includes Capital Bank, announced it has earned top honors from treasury management customers in the Phoenix-Hecht 2019 Middle Market Quality Index. First Tennessee Bank was the only bank to achieve an A+ rating in all categories in which it was measured in the Middle Market Banking segment. Additionally, 100 percent of survey respondents indicated that they would recommend First Tennessee Bank to a colleague, compared to a study-wide average of 85 percent for all banks.



Our treasury managers are committed helping clients operate their businesses more efficiently and effectively in regards to cash flow, accounting and finance operations, said David Popwell, president of banking for First Tennessee Bank. As the only bank to receive an A+ rating in each measured category in the Phoenix-Hecht 2019 Quality Index, it is a direct result of our treasury managers dedication to our customers. We are grateful for their hard work to provide every customer with exceptional service.

The Phoenix-Hecht 2019 Quality Index is based on individual bank quality evaluations gathered in the 2019 Treasury Management Monitor survey. This survey of treasury managers from corporations with annual revenues of $20 million or more was conducted from August to November 2018. The Middle Market Banking segment comprised companies with annual revenues between $20 million and $499 million. First Tennessee Bank was measured in the following 18 categories and received an A+ rating in each:

Product Satisfaction:

Web information reporting and transaction initiation

ACH services

Wire transfer

Controlled disbursement/positive pay

Credit card (used for invoice payments)

Remote deposit

Product Operations:

Timeliness for web-based information reporting

Speed of ACH error correction

Timeliness of incoming wire notification

Accuracy of payee recognition

Customer Service:

Processing account maintenance requests

Overall customer service

Technical Support:

Web reporting and transactions

ACH services

Credit card (used for invoice payments)

TM Relationship Manager

Anticipates needs for new/modified services

Prompt call follow-up

Overall effectiveness

Earlier this year, First Tennessee Bank was honored for exceptional customer service by Greenwich Associates, a global leader in market intelligence. The bank won 21 Greenwich Excellence Awards and four Greenwich Best Brand Awards in Small Business and Middle Market Banking.

First Tennessee Bank treasury management services assess, monitor, plan and manage efficient utilization of organizations finances. All treasury management processes are developed in alignment with the strategic objectives of each unique business. To learn more about First Tennessee Bank and its products and services, please visit FirstTennessee.com and like/follow First Tennessee Bank on Facebook , Instagram , Twitter and LinkedIn .

About First Tennessee Bank

First Tennessee Bank National Association, operating as First Tennessee Bank and Capital Bank, has the largest deposit market share in Tennessee and operates more than 250 branches across the Southeast. Capital Bank, First Tennessee Bank, FTB Advisors, and FTN Financial are part of First Horizon National Corp. (NYSE:FHN). The companys banking subsidiary was founded in 1864 and has the 14th oldest national bank charter in the country. FTB Advisors wealth management group has more than 300 financial professionals and about $4.8 billion in assets under management. FTN Financial is a capital markets industry leader in fixed income sales, trading and strategies for institutional customers in the U.S. and abroad. The company has been ranked by American Banker magazine among the Top 10 Most Reputable U.S. banks and as one of the nations best employers by the National Association for Female Executives and Fortune magazine. More information is available at www.FirstTennessee.com.

FHN-G
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SAN FRANCISCO, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Google Cloud Next 19 -- Robin.io, provider of an industry-leading Hyper-converged Kubernetes platform , today announced it has partnered with Google Cloud to bring storage and advanced data management capabilities to Google Clouds Anthos. As part of the partnership:



Robin.io engineers are collaborating with Google Cloud to design standardized APIs for data management capabilities needed for running data-centric workloads in Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE).

ROBIN Storage is a key storage solution that has been tested and validated to support enterprise workloads in Google Clouds Anthos .

Robin.io has collaborated closely with Google in developing the Google Clouds Anthos Storage API. As part of this close collaboration with Google Clouds Anthos, Robin.io provided deep feedback on the design of application-level snapshotting, backup and cloud portability. These sophisticated data management services represent an evolution of the current state of the art for running stateful workloads in GKE. They elevate the experience from performing data management at the storage volume level into true application-centric data management for Helm charts and Operators.

ROBIN Storage delivers bare-metal performance and enables powerful data management capabilities such as snapshots, backup and migration to support even some of the most demanding data-intensive workloads. Enabled by ROBIN Storage, Google Clouds Anthos includes GKE and Istio, offers support for running enterprise workloads without having to re-architect them as cloud-native applications.

Kubernetes is gaining rapid adoption and enterprise customers are demanding the ability to run broader sets of workloads including stateful applications on Kubernetes. A persistent storage platform with advanced data management capabilities helps to address the needs of these stateful applications in an enterprise production environment. Choose storage solutions aligned with microservices architecture principles and adhere to the requirements of container-native data services, such as being hardware-agnostic, API-driven, based on distributed architecture, and capable of supporting edge, core or public cloud deployments, advises Arun Chandrasekaran, Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner .

ROBIN Storage is a CSI-compliant block storage solution with bare-metal performance and powerful data management capabilities which are exposed through standard APIs that easily integrates with Kubernetes-native administrative tooling such as Kubectl, Helm Charts and Operator framework. ROBIN Storage is architected to address the needs of customers looking to implement a hybrid strategy or migrate from on-premises data centers to the cloud. ROBIN Storage enables powerful hybrid cloud use cases such as cloning a snapshot and rehydrating in multiple Google Clouds Anthos availability zones. ROBIN Storage also offers flexibility in being able to leverage existing investments in storage infrastructures like DAS/NAS/SAN from leading vendors and offers a single plane for advance data management capabilities across hybrid cloud implementations.

Were excited about the partnership with Robin.io to bring advanced data management capabilities to Google Clouds Anthos to enable our customers to modernize their existing enterprise applications with cloud native infrastructure, said Nikhil Kasinadhuni , Director of Engineering at Google Cloud.

Were thrilled to partner with Google Cloud in bringing advanced data management capabilities to GKE via ROBIN Storage to power enterprise workloads. ROBIN Storage offers bare metal performance, powerful data management capabilities and Kubernetes-native management to support running enterprise applications on Google Clouds Anthos across on-premises data centers and the cloud, said Premal Buch , CEO of Robin.io.

Availability: ROBIN Storage is available on the Google Cloud Platform Marketplace , and both companies will be showcasing the solution in the session titled, " Anthos Storage : Seamless Data Management for Kubernetes ," at Google Next 2019. For more info https://robin.io/solutions/google-storage/ .

About Robin.io

Robin.io brings advanced storage and data management that extend the Agility, Efficiency and Portability of Kubernetes to All Stateful Applications, even complex Big Data, Databases, AI/ML and Custom Apps, on Any Infrastructure, On-Premise, Hybrid Cloud or Multi-Cloud. ROBIN Platform is the industrys first hyper-converged solution that enables big data, databases and AI/ML as a Service on Kubernetes. ROBIN Storage delivers bare-metal performance and enables powerful data management capabilities such as snapshots, backup and migration to support even the most demanding data-intensive workloads. With a team that includes industry veterans from leading enterprise technology companies such as IBM, Microsoft, NetApp, Oracle, Red Hat and Veritas, Robin.io seeks to reinvent IT Infrastructure and put the focus back on what matters most  The Applications. The San Jose California-based company is backed by leading investors such as Clear Ventures , DN Capital , USAA and Hasso Plattner Ventures .

Website: www.robin.io

Twitter: twitter.com/Robin4K8S

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/robin4k8s

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Robin4K8S

Robin.io, the Robin.io logo and ROBIN Hyper-Converged Kubernetes Platform for Enterprise Applications and Application-to-Spindle Quality of Service Guarantee are trademarks or registered trademarks of Robin Systems, Inc., and are protected by trademark laws of the United States and other jurisdictions. All other product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
German Economics Minister Peter Altmaier: "Back when I was in school, in our free time we sawed up border posts and campaigned for a Europe without internal borders, with a common currency and a European environmental policy."

Foto: Gene Glover / DER SPIEGEL
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3 1 of 3 Michael Cummo / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Matthew Brown / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 3 of 3





STAMFORD  A convicted felon prohibited from possessing ammunition was charged with having two illegal high-capacity magazines, one of which was loaded with 13 bullets, police said.

Tariq Andino, 23, of Ansonia, was charged with violation of probation, criminal possession of ammunition, possession of large-capacity magazines, possession of more than four ounces of marijuana, sale of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
STAMFORD  A 72-year-old Stamford lobsterman has been arrested on hundreds of charges of illegally fishing from 94 lobster traps in the waters of Stamford and Greenwich at the end of last year.

Eugene Karbowski, of Cedar Heights Drive, has been charged by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection with 94 counts of fishing untagged lobster parts, 84 counts of fishing lobster pots with a recreational license, 33 counts of setting lobster pots not identified with the owners license number, 29 counts of setting and actively fishing lobster pots containing escape vents secured by nonbiodegradable material, and single counts second-degree forgery and sixth-degree larceny.

He was held on $25,000 court appearance bond.

After his arraignment Tuesday before Judge Bruce Hudock at the Stamford courthouse, Karbowskis defense attorney Bruce Koffsky said his client has been a lobsterman for decades, back when someone could make a living doing it.

Gene is one of the last surviving of the breed who plies his trade on the open waters of Long Island Sound, and he wants to get back to earning a legitimate living by doing a legitimate job, Koffsky said.

The great lobster die-off in the west end of Long Island Sound in 1997 has thrown the industry into a tailspin and reduced the number of lobstermen in the area from 311 in 1998 to 76 in 2016.

According to his six-page arrest affidavit written by DEEP officer Jesse Nivolo, a call from Greenwich Marine Police officer Frank DiPietro on Dec. 14 led to Karbowskis arrest.

Karbowski had been given a temporary license to tend the posts of another lobsterman  Jeff Bella of Greenwich, the affidavit said. That license expired at the end of October, but Karbowski admitted to fishing the lobster pots into December, the affidavit said.

Karbowski also admitted to not having trap tags in any of the pots, but he said he was trying to rectify the problem by ordering the proper 2018-19 tags, the affidavit said.

According to Nivolvo, DiPietro told Karbowski to stop fishing until he got up-to-date tags. But the next day, DiPietro called Nivolo, saying that a local fisherman reported that Karbowski was fishing his pots.

DiPietro and Nivolo went out on the water but could not find Karbowski.

A short time later, Karbowski turned up at his dock next to Ponus Yacht Club in Stamfords South End and told Nivolo he was fishing because he had to make a living, the affidavit said.

Nivolo had checked state records and discovered that Karbowski had only a recreational license that allowed him to fish 10 pots at a time. Karbowski admitted to selling his lobsters to the public, even though the license he holds does not allow that, the affidavit said.

On Dec. 19, Dec. 27 and Jan. 2, officers pulled up 95 pots that Karbowski had been fishing. In 29 of those pots, they found that escape vents had been closed off by illegal means. Another 33 pots did not have the proper identification tags. One of the pots turned out to be stolen. The affidavit also said that Karbowski changed the date his license expired, which lea to the forgery charge.

jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com
San Diego, CA, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- Nascent Biotech, Inc. (OTCQB: NBIO) has moved their corporate offices to San Diego, CA.



Nascent CEO Sean Carrick stated, This is a strategic as well as a fiscal management move that puts our corporate offices close to our R&D Laboratory, as well where we will be performing our Phase I Human Clinical trial for brain cancer. The move will also place our Headquarters in a major biotech center in the United States, placing the company in a more beneficial position to capitalize on expertise and resources of the location in the further development and clinical trials of our antibody.

About Nascent Biotech, Inc.:

Nascent Biotech, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotech company engaged in the development of monoclonal antibodies to be used in the treatment of various cancers with an Investigational New Drug (IND) application cleared by the FDA for Phase 1 clinical trials in brain cancer. Its products are not commercially available. For further information please visit our website www.nascentbiotech.com.

Safe Harbor:

Statements in this press release about our future expectations constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and as that term is defined in the Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time, and our actual results could differ materially from expected results. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, Nascent Biotech Inc's ability to target the medical professionals; Nascent Biotech Inc's ability to raise capital; as well as other risks. Additional information about these and other factors may be described in the Nascent Biotech Inc's Form 10, filed on October 28, 2014, and subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this statement or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law.

Contact Information:

Nascent Biotech, Inc.

Sean Carrick

President |CEO

772.713.0541

sean.carrick@nascentbiotech.com

www.nascentbiotech.com
Stefan Vleming-Critz

When four Hollywood actors set out to build a successful company -- one that would help fight childhood malnutrition around the world -- they didn't quite know where to start. But a sense of determination and a willingness to learn from industry experts as well as each other helped them create and grow This Saves Lives, a snack-bar company with fast-growing sales and global impact. (The company's buy-one-give-one model has helped distribute more than 11 million packets of lifesaving food to kids around the globe.)

In the above video, This Saves Lives co-founders Kristen Bell, Ryan Devlin, Todd Grinnell and Ravi Patel share their thoughts on social entrepreneurship, but to read more from the team, check out our April/May issue cover story, Kristen Bell and Her Cofounders Built A Company to Save Lives. But Growing It Wasn't So Simple.
Jury selection began Monday for the trial of a Florida man who prosecutors say killed his wife in 1993 because she had plans to leave him with their son.

Michael Haims trial in Jacksonville was starting this week more than a quarter century after his wife, Bonnie, disappeared from their home. Haim has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder.

A key witness will be Haims biological son, Aaron Fraser.

As a 3-year-old boy at the time of his mothers disappearance, Fraser told a child welfare worker, Daddy hurt her, or something similar, according to detectives.

Aaron also stated that Daddy shot Mommy, Daddy placed Mommy in timeout, and My daddy could not wake her up, an arrest affidavit said.

While Haim remained a suspect, detectives had trouble building a case without a body.

In 2014, having won his childhood home as part of a wrongful death lawsuit against his father, Fraser and his brother-in-law set out to renovate the property.

According to the Florida Times-Union, as the men were demolishing a swimming pool in the back, the excavator hit a large concrete slab. Aaron Fraser hacked away with a sledgehammer, until he found a plastic bag containing what he suspected was a coconut.

Why would someone bury a coconut in a bag? Aaron asked his brother-in-law, according to News4Jax.

The men soon realized it was a skull. Fraser had discovered the evidence that would lead to his father's arrest.

DNA tests confirmed the remains were those of Bonnie Haim and a medical examiner concluded she died from a homicide by unspecified means, according to the affidavit.

A spent shell casing found where Bonnie Haim was buried was the same type of caliber as a rifle that Haim owned, the affidavit said.

According to the affidavit, Haim was abusive to his wife and she had made plans to move into an apartment with their son while he was away on a trip. She had secretly opened a bank account, and when Haim found out about it and made her close it, she started giving money to a trusted friend to hold for her.

Haim, 52, who had moved to North Carolina by the time of his arrest in 2015, claimed his wife left their home without their son late one night in January 1993 after they had an argument about their marital problems. Haim also said he went searching for his wife, although he didnt notify law enforcement about her disappearance. Law enforcement wasnt told about the disappearance until a maintenance worker found her purse in a hotel dumpster and called police.

Michael Haim was the last known individual to have contact with victim, the arrest affidavit said. The suspect admits that he and the victim were fighting over marital issues and that she was planning to leave and take their child.

Jacksonville Sheriffs Department Detective Robert Hinson told Unsolved Mysteries" that then-3-year-old Aaron's interview focused suspicion around Michael Haim.

From what Aaron told us that day, my only conclusion was that there had been a domestic fight and that Michael Haim had killed his wife and had removed her, and that their three-and-a-half-year-old son Aaron Haim had witnessed this, Hinson said.

However, family members did not believe Aaron's account and believed he had been "brainwashed." The young boy also reportedly said things that were inconsistent with evidence, such as suggesting his mother's car was in a lake.

At the time of Bonnie Haim's disappearance, Haim told the Florida Times-Union that she had been sad lately.

I would love her to come back home and work everything out, Haim said. Everyone has a few problems, but she never did this before.

A memorial Facebook page dedicated to Bonnie Haim described her as "a loving mother, daughter, sister and friend."

"Next month is going to hurt," a post referencing the upcoming trial reads. "It is going to rip off bandages and expose us to things we had long ago pushed to the back of our memories. But sometimes we have to rip off bandages to really begin to heal."
WASHINGTON - The Trump administration is considering a revised version of its family separation tactic to cope with an influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border that would force parents to choose whether to remain detained as a family or agree to a separation to keep their children out of custody, according to Trump officials.

The administration weighed the new policy as President Donald Trump insisted that he has no plans to separate families, falsely claimed that President Barack Obama carried out the same plan and maintained that his decision to halt the practice last year was the reason so many Central Americans have been coming to the United States.

"We're not looking to do that now," the president told reporters in the Oval Office, when asked to respond to reports that the White House is planning to separate families again. "But it brings a lot more people to the border when you don't do it."

Administration officials said Tuesday that while a return to the previous family separation tactic, known as "zero tolerance," is not in the works, the White House is considering a "binary choice" policy, which would give parents the option of remaining in detention with their children or allowing their children to be separated and placed with another caregiver.

Trump's comments came amid growing concerns among Senate Republicans about the shake-up at the Department of Homeland Security, with the ouster of Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, the rescission of Ronald Vitiello's nomination to be director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the departure of U.S. Secret Service Director Randolph "Tex" Alles. Alles and Vitiello reported to Nielsen.

Claire Grady, the DHS acting deputy secretary, was forced out Tuesday as well - her removal a necessary administrative step for U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan to take charge as acting secretary Wednesday.

The administration is struggling to deal with increasing numbers at the Mexican border. According to statistics released by Customs and Border Protection on Tuesday, more than 103,000 migrants were taken into custody along the border in March, the highest one-month total in more than a decade. They included nearly 9,000 unaccompanied minors and 58,000 migrants who arrived as part of family groups.

However, the president's longtime allies on Capitol Hill expressed opposition to any return to a family separation policy, even "binary choice." Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said he was working on bipartisan legislation addressing the border crisis and would be open to prohibiting the practice as part of that bill.

"If anybody in the administration is thinking about that, I'm opposed to it, and most members of Congress would be opposed to it . . . it's simply not acceptable," said Johnson, who said he shared his reservations about the "growing leadership void" at DHS with acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney in a Monday night phone call.

Questioned specifically about "binary choice," Johnson said, "That is not going to work."

During Trump's "zero tolerance" prosecution initiative last spring, border agents separated more than 2,700 children from their parents before the president was forced to reverse course in the face of public outrage.

But the number of migrant families at the border has reached record highs since Trump's executive order last June halted the practice.

"I'm the one who stopped it," Trump said, before repeating his discredited claim that family separations were an Obama-era practice. "President Obama had child separation."

The department has no statistics on the number of children separated from parents under Obama, but current and former DHS officials acknowledge that it was rarely done, and typically only in cases when the child's safety was considered at risk.

It was not until the Trump White House launched "zero tolerance" that U.S. agents began splitting parents and children in a systematic way, implementing a tactic that DHS officials under Obama considered too extreme.

Trump officials assert that "binary choice" would be legal because criminal defendants in the United States are often separated from their children when jailed. "That's why we know it's legal," said one administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the plan.

"If you cannot separate children from their parents for purposes of imposing criminal sanctions on an adult, then you wouldn't be able to prosecute anybody who has children, and we'd have to redo the entire criminal justice system," the official said.

The overarching goal would be the same: keep adults in detention until their immigration claims are adjudicated by courts, to end the "catch and release" model Trump bemoans.

The implication is that adults who chose to keep their children with them in detention would waive protections granted under a decades-old court order that limits the number of days children can be detained.

Three administration officials said Tuesday that "binary choice" remained an option under discussion and that DHS had not begun making operations-level preparations to implement it.

Officials also said there were significant doubts within DHS over the feasibility of "binary choice" because Immigration and Customs Enforcement lacks the detention capacity to hold large numbers of families if parents opt to stay with their children.

McAleenan, whom Trump put in charge of DHS after removing Nielsen on Sunday, has not advocated a resumption of separations but has said authorities need the ability to hold families in custody while their asylum claims are processed.

He has proposed the expansion of family detention facilities that would offer a more kid-friendly setting than immigration jails, with recreational and educational programming, and better food and medical care.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she was alarmed by suggestions that the administration might institute "binary choice."

"There's no doubt that this flood of families over our borders is a legitimate concern and problem, but separating children from their parents, unless the parent is abusive or there is some other valid reason, is never a good idea," Collins said.

In his comments to reporters Tuesday, Trump criticized the use of Border Patrol holding pens with chain-link partitions that have been widely derided as "cages." Images of migrant children wrapped in plastic sheeting behind chain link exacerbated the backlash against Trump's separations when they appeared last spring.

"Those cages that were shown - I think they were very inappropriate - were by President Obama's administration, not by Trump," the president said.

On that point, the president was correct: The facility with the chain-link pens is inside the Border Patrol's Central Processing Center in McAllen, Texas, built in 2014.

The facility was established in a converted warehouse that the Obama administration opened to cope with record numbers of Central American minors arriving at the border, leaving Border Patrol stations dangerously overcrowded.

The open-floor facility uses the fencing to keep boys and girls apart, and to keep mothers with children in a separate area whose see-through barriers allow a small number of agents to supervise large numbers of minors. Migrants have nicknamed it "la perrera" - the dog kennel.

The Trump administration argues that Central Americans have been gaming the U.S. asylum system, taking advantage of laws that allow people to seek protection from persecution. Trump alleges that people are submitting false claims and that the U.S. immigration system is not tough enough on them. Those seeking asylum can be released into the United States while they await court hearings, which can be delayed months or years because of a massive backlog. U.S. courts have limited the government's ability to hold families with children in detention.

"Now I'll tell you something, once you don't have it, that's why you see many more people coming," Trump said, referring to family separations. "They are coming like it's a picnic, because, 'Let's go to Disneyland.' "

Trump also challenged claims that the spate of recent dismissals of top DHS leaders amounted to an attempt to clean house. He has expressed frustrations with the agency and its inability to reduce the number of migrants entering the country via the southern border.

"I never said I'm cleaning house," Trump said. "I don't know who came up with that expression. We have a lot of great people over there. We have bad laws."

DHS officials say the White House's moves have left the department "decapitated" and in administrative disarray, which has frustrated congressional Republicans. DHS general counsel John Mitnick is expected to be removed in the coming days. And a prominent GOP senator, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, has expressed alarm to the White House about rumors that Lee Francis Cissna, the director of Citizenship and Immigration Services, will be forced out.

Trump was flooded last week with senators calling to urge him not to close the border, and this week senators have begun calling asking him to pick officials for top DHS jobs whom they can actually confirm, according to two senior administration officials.

"We can't have this degree of vacancies and this degree of chaos. It's a critical agency," said Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah.

- - -

The Washington Post's John Wagner contributed to this report.
ATLANTA, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BlueLinx Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BXC), a leading distributor of building and industrial products in the United States, announced today that it is now distributing products from James Hardie in the Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas markets.



We are very pleased to announce that we have finalized an agreement with James Hardie to distribute their products from our distribution centers in St. Louis, Kansas City and Springfield, Missouri, Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Little Rock, Arkansas, stated Ron Herrin, Vice President of Procurement.

Partnering with James Hardie allows us to drive their sales performance in these markets while continuing to offer our customers excellent products and the best service in the industry, continued Mr. Herrin. We are excited to be in an even stronger position for growth in these territories through this new partnership.

BlueLinx customers will be able to choose from a variety of James Hardie products including HardiePlank lap siding, HardiePanel vertical siding, and HardieShingle siding. James Hardie siding products are available with ColorPlus Technology, which combines durability and beauty to create a lasting exterior product.

We are excited about our newly established partnership with BlueLinx, said John Madson, Director of Strategic Accounts at James Hardie. Their management, sales teams, and distribution centers align well with our growth strategy to provide a superior product through excellent service in these areas.

About BlueLinx Holdings Inc.

BlueLinx (NYSE:BXC) is a leading wholesale distributor of building and industrial products in the United States with over 50,000 branded and private-label SKUs, and a broad distribution footprint servicing 40 states. BlueLinx has a differentiated distribution platform, value-driven business model and extensive cache of products across the building products industry. Headquartered in Marietta, Georgia, BlueLinx has over 2,400 associates and distributes its comprehensive range of structural and specialty products to approximately 15,000 national, regional, and local dealers, as well as specialty distributors, national home centers, industrial, and manufactured housing customers. BlueLinx encourages investors to visit its website, www.BlueLinxCo.com , which is updated regularly with financial and other important information about BlueLinx.

About James Hardie Building Products Inc.

James Hardie is the global leader in fiber cement technology and has been furthering founder James Hardie's innovative, entrepreneurial legacy around the world for more than 125 years. It invented fiber cement siding products in the early 1980s as a durable, lower-maintenance alternative to wood and vinyl siding. Its products combine innovation and versatility to offer a variety of design possibilities, matched with specific performance attributes relative to the climate where the product is being used. Currently installed on more than eight million homes in North America, James Hardie has earned a favorable reputation within the industry and has been specified in some of the country's most prestigious projects. For more information about James Hardie visit www.jameshardie.com .

Contacts:

Investors

Mary Moll, Investor Relations

BlueLinx Holdings Inc.

(866) 671-5138

investor@bluelinxco.com

Customers / Vendors

Ron Herrin, VP of Purchasing

BlueLinx Holdings Inc.

770-953-7000
Centuries ago, Connecticut patriots bravely fought for Americas independence under the banner of no taxation without representation. But in modern times, Connecticut ended up with just that. Taxpayers today bear the brunt of an exorbitant fiscal burden foisted upon them outside of the normal democratic process, submitting peacefully to what they would not have accepted without a fight 240 years ago.

The state has spent billions of taxpayer dollars, and committed billions more, via at least 169 government union contracts since 1991 that supersede state law and were approved without a single vote cast in the Assembly for them, according to the Office of Legislative Research . Lawmakers abdicated their responsibility for stewarding the publics resources over decades and passed the buck to unelected and unaccountable actors, including bureaucrats, arbitrators, and unions. Worse yet, Assembly Democrats are trying to move Connecticut toward even less democracy at this moment.

Two major bills recently passed committee that would further the nefarious cause of taxation without representation. The first is a paid family and medical leave entitlement program funded by a new 0.5 percent payroll tax on workers wages. It promises payments up to $1,000 per week for up to 12 weeks every year to people who take a leave of absence from their job for medical reasons or to care for a relative or close association. The bureaucracy is tasked with verifying the veracity and appropriateness of the leave claims.

A prior analysis from the Office of Fiscal Analysis indicates a similar bill would cost more than the stipulated tax would raise from the start , as tens of thousands of people decide to utilize the lavish taxpayer benefits. But instead of confronting the burdens they are placing on taxpayers in the Assembly, lawmakers are dodging it by writing into the bill powers for bureaucrats to raise the tax themselves. The bill permits the Department of Labor to increase withholdings if a deficit arises and the Assembly does not vote to the contrary with a three-fifths majority within 30 days. In that case, higher taxes on workers are deemed approved without a vote affirming them by the peoples elected representatives. Deemed approved and the voters be damned.

The second bill regards highway tolling, which is the feature issue in Connecticut politics today. Behind Democrats promise of significant benefits for insignificant costs lies a sleight of hand. One of their three tolling bills passed through the Transportation Committee enables the Department of Transportation to make a proposal for tolling the state highwaysincluding the number of gantries, placement of gantries, and cost of tolls  that will also be deemed approved by the Assembly if not explicitly voted down within just 15 days.

This legislative dodge enables Democrats to avoid accountability on an issue where 59 percent of voters oppose their position and the cost to workers is acute. The more lawmakers can distance themselves from unpopular consequences of policies they favor, the better their electoral standing. They can have their cake and eat it, too. Voters, meanwhile, get short shrift.

Even if the above bills luckily failed to pass the Assembly, Connecticut would still face an egregious democracy deficit. The status quo was improved slightly in 2017 but remains unacceptable. That year, Assembly Republicans forced reforms that removed the ability of unions and the executive branch to effectuate billions of dollars worth of collective bargaining agreements for government workers without a vote in the Assembly. However, three major provisions remain that co-opt the rights of the people of Connecticut to self-determination in favor of rule by government employee unions.

The first major offense is binding arbitration for government employee union contracts. Going forward, collective bargaining agreements must be voted on by the Assembly. If most lawmakers reject a contract now, it goes to arbitration. The result of the first arbitration returns to the Assembly for a vote. If most lawmakers vote the new contract down, it returns to arbitration for a second time. However, the second result of arbitration is deemed approved regardless of the Assemblys position. So, despite the ceremony, the unions, executive bureaucracy, and arbitrator still hold the power.

Directly related to that is the second offense: collective bargaining agreements supersede state law. If the Assembly passes a bill that contradicts a collective bargaining agreement, the relevant provisions of the former are void. Government unions take precedence over voters.

The third major offense against democracy in Connecticut is collective bargaining, particularly for government employee health and pension benefits. Currently the state is one of only four that determine retirement benefits for such workers by collective bargaining. The rest of the nation refuses it because it is expensive, opaque, and an offense against representative government per se. Collective bargaining means the appropriation and disbursement of the peoples money is determined by negotiations between unions representing private interests and the executive branch, without legislative input and electoral recourse.

The burdens fall broadly on the people of Connecticut, while the power and benefits go to a narrow group. Under this perverse regime, it is little wonder Connecticut has suffered the lowest income growth in the nation, while amassing the second-highest unfunded liability in the nation. Until and unless the integrity of the democratic system is repaired, turning the states economy and fiscal crisis around will be impossible.

An otherwise failed historian once quipped that history repeats itself, first as tragedy, then as farce. Whats gone on over and over and over again in Connecticut state government is a farce. Voters should no longer permit Democrat politicians and government unions to make a mockery of Connecticut. No taxation without representation should be the clarion call for voters every year until representative democracy is fully restored in the Constitution State.

Ryan Fazio grew up in Greenwich and graduated from Greenwich High School in 2008. He lives and works in Stamford, writing and volunteering at schools in his spare time.
D id you know that 90 per cent of the British population lives within 10 minutes of a Boots store?

With over 2,500 stores all over the UK, the pharmacy-led health and beauty retailer has been a stalwart of the British high street for almost 170 years.

And now, in the face of challenging high street conditions, Boots future is under threat.

However the high street beauty giant, which is nowadays owned by US brand Walgreens, does not plan on taking the challenge lying down, and is instead gearing up for a complete transformation of its stores.

In fact, theyre tearing up the rule book on the multi-band beauty hall experience we are used to, and making significant changes to reinvent and refresh the Boots customer experience.

So what can we expect from the new look Boots stores?

The Beauty Halls are undergoing a major redesign

From next month, Boots will refit 24 of its beauty halls (in stores all over the country) to remove all the traditional beauty counters and replace them with Instagrammable furniture, trend zones, discovery areas and live demonstration zones.

These open plan beauty playgrounds (as Boots refers to them) will be interactive and educational, designed to inspire customers with brand and trend stories, and new product innovations. "From products which specialise in sleeping, to vegan and sustainability, we will have all of most talked about beauty topics covered," says Boots Beauty Director, Joanna Rogers. "There will be several experimental zones within the store including a central Pic n Mix area where customers will be able to choose from over 70 miniatures priced from 7-22."

The windows will also feature interactive event spaces to showcase beauty techniques and new product launches. "We want to make our windows lively, interactive and accessible by working with our brands and creating live experiences," says Rogers. "There will always be a test and play area for our customers to get involved in and to give them a taster of what our latest brands have to offer."

Less compartmentalisation by brand, easy to navigate themes and trends, Boots new look beauty halls sounds like a much more civilised place in which to pick out a new moisturiser or test your favourite perfume.

Theyre introducing Beauty Specialists to help you shop

Boots have long had experts on hand to help in their beauty hall, however these staff have always been attached to a specific brand. Now however, Boots are introducing Beauty Specialists, with an in-depth knowledge across categories and not just within one brand, who will work alongside the brand experts. Akin to an in-store beauty editor or beauty blogger, theyll offer master classes and unbiased advice across all brands from premium to mass cosmetics - a first for the UK high street.

We really wanted to create a community of like-minded individuals who will LOVE their jobs and give our customers a wonderful experience, explains Joanna Rogers, Commercial Director and VP of Beauty and Gifting at Boots UK.

Realising how personal beauty is to each one of its customers, all of the Beauty Specialists will undertake an immersive training programme including a unique empathy training module where beauty specialists will learn how to connect with the customer beyond the product and looking for the reason behind why they are shopping.

There will be Beauty Studios, where you can touch up your makeup

If, like me, you are someone who's been known to furtively touch up their makeup from a Tester product while browsing, you'll be pleased to know that the new look Boots stores will take the awkwardness out of this process, with Beauty Studio areas where you can take a seat and apply to your hearts content. "The beauty studio is an area where customers can take a seat, test and play," explains Rogers. "They can create looks with all of the latest cool brands available at Boots before adding them to their make-up collection."

Theyre adding a whole host of cool new brands

In addition to its long standing and most loved brands, Boots is launching over 20 new beauty brands in the next six months.

Following on from its recent relaunch of Danish skincare brand Ole Henriksen, Boots will also soon be adding cult brand Too Faced Cosmetics and its bestselling Better Than Sex mascara to the shelves, alongside editor favourites Skyn Iceland and Nude by Nature. It's also launching some of the hottest brands trending in Korea. Quirkily cute South Korean skincare cosmetics brand Too Cool for School and playful packaging experts Tony Moly are both set to hit the shelves  and Insta feeds  imminently.

In fact, a total of 805 products alone will be launched throughout April and May with even more exciting products and brands throughout the year
C arlos Ghosns testimony on Tuesday will divide the business world.

Some will see him as an entitled corporate demagogue caught with his hand in the cookie jar and seeking someone else to blame. Others will say that hes correctly identifying a conspiracy against him by executives opposed to his strategy.

The latter seems the more likely. After 20 mostly spectacular years at the Japanese flagship car brand, Ghosn was dethroned just as he was on the brink of driving through a closer integration with Nissans French partner, Renault.

Such a move would, as he pointed out today, have made Nissan less autonomous and put some poor-performing Nissan bosses jobs at threat. So, he says, the plotters and backstabbers struck with a cooked-up list of charges.

Why give his version of events credence? Because we know unrest had been rising both inside Nissan and in the wider Japanese business community. It seems far too convenient for a sudden rash of misconduct to appear just at the critical moment for the Ghosn plan.

Whether you believe hes guilty or not, theres a bigger point nobody can deny.

The abuse of his human rights by one of the richest, most developed countries in the world has been a disgrace that should worry all businesses working in Japan.

For 108 days he was imprisoned while the prosecution scrambled to find evidence against him. He was then re-arrested last week on further spurious grounds. His wife had her passport seized, their apartment was ransacked and she fled the country in fear.

The only reason we got to hear from him on Tuesday was because he recorded his message before the raid.

Who knows how long he will be back on prison rations while the prosecution scrambles to get a case together?

Ghosn said on Tuesday his greatest wish was for a fair trial. In Japans legal system? Some chance.

Wish good fortune to brave backers

It takes courage for a blue-chip fund manager to oppose the City consensus and back a founders vision over corporate blandness.

So Investec deserves applause for not just backing Superdry founder Julian Dunkertons coup, but putting its money where its vote was, buying 3 million extra shares to take its stake up to 10%.

Id expected other institutions to sell, particularly as the share price tumbled, but so far, that doesnt seem to have happened. Bloomberg data today shows Invesco has also been buying since the vote, nearly doubling its stake to 2.6 million shares, or 3%.

Of the major shareholders, the only seller has been BlackRock, which trimmed a million from its 3 million shareholding.

If the collapse of Debenhams teaches us anything, it is that owning shares in any UK retailer is a terrifying prospect.
G ilbert and Sullivan would have had fun with the European Parliament.

For here in Britain, an MEPs lot is not a happy one. Though many have toiled away on important committees and secured changes to European law that affect us all, their achievements go unrecognised at home.

In a metaphor for Britains whole unhappy relationship with the EU, we have underestimated the influence of our MEPs just as we have consistently underestimated the importance of the Parliament in which they sit.

Treated as second-class citizens by the political fraternity in Westminster, a member of the Cabinet or shadow cabinet would struggle to name more than 10 of the 73-strong delegation we send to Strasbourg.

When, five years ago, the European Parliament took upon itself the role of electing the powerful President of the European Commission, Britain ignored it.

The top jobs in Brussels were chosen by prime ministers and presidents, not by lowly MEPs, we thought  until David Camerons attempt to prove the precedent by vetoing Jean-Claude Juncker, the centre-Rights Spitzenkandidaten (lead candidate) ended in embarrassing defeat.

In fact, about the only thing most people here know about the European Parliament is that it periodically moves in a great train of lorries from Strasbourg to Brussels  an admittedly ridiculous and costly compromise that the EU occasionally requires and Brexiteers rail against, but which will now be dwarfed by the far more costly and ludicrous Brexit deal they wish to foist upon us.

Well now shadow the laws made in Strasbourg rather than make them, and well be lucky if our lorries make it out of the giant car park that Kent will become.

So who would want to be a British MEP now?

We wont have long to find out. Last night Tory HQ sent an urgent email to prospective candidates asking them whether they want to stand in the European elections next month. They have just 24 hours to think about it.

On the surface, it seems a pretty unattractive offer. For the official line from Downing Street is that they will fight the election but never take their seats because well be out of the EU by the time the European Parliament meets in July.

Just imagine, too, the task facing the poor functionary in Downing Street who has to draft the Tory European manifesto.

Manifestos have never been Theresa Mays strong point but this one could make the last general elections look like a masterpiece.

Does it include Mrs Mays red lines? Or will they be publicly ditched? What does it say about no deal, now that the Prime Minister has done a U-turn and said its not an option? Is membership of the customs union ruled out, as half the Cabinet want, or kept open, as the other half demand?

Labour is in no better shape. Its activists want a Peoples Vote but the leadership is contemplating supporting a Tory Brexit.

If they are well-organised, the new parties representing Brexit and Remain should have the opportunity to eviscerate both the Tories and Labour, and divide the spoils between them.

Two things are for sure: our new MEPs will have an important job to do; and these will be the most interesting European elections weve ever held in Britain  until the next ones in 2024.

Ending the blame game

Some ministers are still trying to get on with their real jobs, despite Brexit.

One of them is David Gauke. Today the Justice Secretary has set out sensible plans to allow no-fault divorce  to replace the often cruel and painful need for couples to determine blame if an unhappy marriage is not to linger in law for years before it can end.

The new rules would replace the requirement to show evidence of adultery, desertion or unreasonable behaviour, with a six-month minimum period in which couples can reflect before legally divorcing.

They reflect the publics views, after a consultation. They have the broad support of the Labour Party, too.

So why isnt the law being changed immediately? Because the Government must wait until parliamentary time allows.
A fter five days of intense fighting, including knocking out the only viable airport in Tripoli, the forces of General Khalifa Haftars Libyan National Army seem poised to take the Libyan capital. This opens up another long, messy phase of civil war across the country and its neighbours.

Khalifa, 75, is one of oldest and wiliest warlords in the Maghreb. He eased his superior officer, Muammar Gaddafi, into power in 1969. He fell out with the colonel after leading a doomed campaign in Chad in 1986. He ended up in the US and he now has dual US-Libyan nationality.

There is something desperate about his latest move, for all the bravado. There is also something desperate about the state of Libya  but we should still be concerned. Haftars sponsors, Russia and France, have called for restraint as, inevitably, has the UN.

Worryingly, the UN Secretary General himself, Antonio Guterres, quickly got out of Tripoli  where he had been trying to broker peace for upcoming elections  just as Haftars army truck approached. At the same time the US Africa Command said it was pulling back its monitoring force.

While Haftar is likely to be able to take parts of even the centre of Tripoli for hours or days at most, he is unlikely to be able to hold the place and run it, let alone the huge territory of Libya itself. He has made his move to pre-empt talks to be held between the 14th and 16th of this month to hold elections. These would depend on a deal between him and his militias in the east of the country based in Benghazi and the UN-recognised Government of National Accord under Fayez al-Sarraj. Haftar seems to fear time is running out. If he doesnt make it now to become the strongman, he never will.

In the chaos following the overthrow of Gaddafis dictatorship in 2011 Haftar managed to claw his way back by eventually taking over Libyas second city, Benghazi, in 2014.

He did so by subduing renegade Islamic State extremists  though a lack of troops brought about an alliance with some Salafist groups. He also managed to draw revenue from oil installations in the east and south of the country.

In recent years the ageing warlord has enjoyed tacit or overt support from Russia, Egypt and France. But he cannot defeat Libyas human geography.

Its tribally divided population of six-and-a-half million live in one of the largest countries in Africa. It has some of the richest oil reserves in the continent. This is why Haftars latest move got a sharp rebuke from the White House, so as not to rock the oil markets.

More significant is the huge trade most of the Tripoli militias conduct in migrant trafficking, including slave trading. That is why the UN, Nato and the EU are rightly calling for more efforts to stop Libyas plunge to a dystopian future.
SALT LAKE CITY, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Quest Solution, Inc. (OTCQB: QUES) ("Quest" or the "Company"), a provider of Supply Chain and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based Machine Vision solutions, announced the closing of its previously announced private placement resulting in gross proceeds to Quest of approximately $5 million, before deducting placement agent fees and estimated offering expenses.



ThinkEquity, a division of Fordham Financial Management, Inc. acted as sole placement agent for the offering.

The net proceeds of the offering are expected to be used for the development of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning solutions for school security, smart city and supply chain as well as for increasing sales and marketing efforts and for general working capital.

The securities issued upon closing of the offering consist of 16,666,667 unregistered shares of common stock at a purchase price of $0.30 per share. Investors also received warrants to purchase 16,666,667 shares of common stock at an exercise price equal to $0.35 per share, which warrants are exercisable for a period of five and one-half years from the issuance date.

The securities offered and sold by Quest in the private placement are not being registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) and Regulation D promulgated thereunder, or state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. Quest has agreed to file a registration statement with the SEC covering the resale of the shares of common stock, including shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the warrants issued in the private placement. Any resale of Quest securities under such resale registration statement will be made only by means of a prospectus.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction.

About Quest Solution, Inc.

Quest Solution is a Specialty Systems Integrator focused on Field and Supply Chain Mobility as well as a provider of Artificial Intelligence (AI) monitoring and surveillance solutions. Additionally the Company is a manufacturer and distributor of consumables (labels, tags, and ribbons), RFID and IoT solutions, and barcoding printers. Founded in 1994, Quest is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah with sales offices located across the United States as well as Israel.

Rated in the Top 1% of global solution providers, Quest specializes in the design, deployment and management of enterprise mobility solutions including Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC), Mobile Cloud Analytics, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), and proprietary Mobility software. Our mobility products and services offering is designed to identify, track, trace, share and connect data to enterprise systems such as CRM or ERP solutions. Our customers are leading Fortune 500 companies from several sectors including manufacturing, retail, distribution, food / beverage, transportation and logistics, health care and chemicals / gas / oil.

Information about Forward-Looking Statements

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements in this press release relating to our competitive position in this growing market and our ability to optimize our opportunities for growth and other statements that are not descriptions of historical facts may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. This release contains forward-looking statements that include information relating to future events including expectations regarding billing of products, our ability to add new customer relationships and strengthen our existing partnerships. The words may, would, will, expect, estimate, can, believe, potential and similar expressions and variations thereof are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which that performance or those results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time they are made and/or managements good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause these differences include, but are not limited to: fluctuations in demand for Quest Solution, Inc.s products, the introduction of new products, the Companys ability to maintain customer and strategic business relationships, the impact of competitive products and pricing, growth in targeted markets, the adequacy of the Companys liquidity and financial strength to support its growth and other information that may be detailed from time-to-time in Quest Solution Inc.s filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Examples of such forward looking statements in this release include, among others, statements regarding the intended use of proceeds from the offering and statements regarding Quests position in this growing market and our ability to optimize our opportunities for growth, including any sales of the Companys products in schools and parking lots Further, there cannot be any assurance that the Companys securities will be listed on any national exchange or market. For a more detailed description of the risk factors and uncertainties affecting Quest Solution, Inc. please refer to the Companys recent Securities and Exchange Commission filings, which are available at http://www.sec.gov. Quest Solution, Inc. undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless otherwise required by law.

Investor Contact:

John Nesbett/Jen Belodeau

IMS Investor Relations

203.972.9200

jnesbett@institutionalms.com
Whether you're the a wedding guest, a bridesmaid or the woman of hour, finding the perfect dress for a wedding celebration can be difficult.

Read on for the nuptial style pros to know...

& Other Stories

From Thursday to Sunday, florists Botany and Botanique Workshop will be customising jewellery using dried flowers at & Other Stories Spitalfields and Regent Street boutiques.

109 Commercial Street, E1; 256-258 Regent Street; stories.com

Les Heroines

Launched in 2017 as an antidote to frothy bridesmaids confections, Vanessa Cocchiaros Parisian label brings its modern aisle-side occasionwear to its first month-long pop-up in Marylebone. The suits are particularly sharp. Until April 30.

58 Blanford Street, W1; les heroines.com

Self-Portrait

Wedding tomorrow and nothing to wear? Best dressed guest go-to Self-Portrait has last-minute panic solved  the team at its flagship store can help choose your dress, alter it to fit perfectly and have it delivered to you on the same day.

320, 49 Albermarle Street, W1; self-portrait-studio.com

White Dossier
M usic fans all over the capital will be out in force this weekend, with a host of parties and live events taking place for Record Store Day on Saturday April 13.

The celebrations recognise local record shops for what they are  cultural and community hubs, bringing people people together and representing far more than just places to buy music. Two of those its already brought together are comedy duo Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt, with the duo set to reunite after being named UK ambassadors for this years event.

As well as limited Record Store Day releases, therell be live music and DJ sets across the city, with some of Londons most iconic shops getting in on the act.

While many of Londons record shops will have exclusive offers as part of the celebrations, these are the best free events and parties to head to on the day. For a full list of events, head to the official Record Store Day site.

Lion Coffee & Records

Claptons finest, Lion Coffee & Records is throwing an all-day party to celebrate this Saturday, with live music and DJ sets taking place from noon. Honey Lung, Dan Lyons and Meggie Brown all perform, while James Ford from Simian Mobile Disco and Mark Moore will take pride of place behind the decks. Guests are recommended to book free tickets and get down early, as this one could get very busy. Try one of the excellent Allpress espressos while youre there  theyre some of the best in the city.

118 Lower Clapton Road, E5 0QR, dice.fm/event

Flashback Records

Flashback Records has long been a haven for vinyl collectors and crate diggers, and it is planning something special this year. Japanese electronic artist Anchorsong is due to perform one of his conceptual live shows from 7pm at the shops Islington branch, creating new music on the fly. Elsewhere, Flashbacks Shoreditch site will welcome BBC Introducing-tipped band Handstand Parade, who are performing, alongside former Mariners Children and Peggy Sue member Benedict Benjamin.

Rough Trade East

Paul Hudson/Flickr

One of the highest-profile celebrations this year comes from Rough Trade East  the famous record shop found in Shoreditchs Old Truman Brewery. Its one of the best places to catch live in-store performances throughout the year, and this weekend is no different. As well as DJ sets from esteemed acts like Nadine Shah, Nabihah Iqbal and the Horrors Rhys Webb, fans can expect poetry from Salena Godden and live performances from the likes of Ady Suleiman and Gang of Four.

Old Truman Brewery 91, Brick Ln, E1 6QL, roughtrade.com

Rye Wax

The Bussey Building is one of the premier party spaces in south east London, and Rye Wax  found down in the basement  is one of the very best record shops. While not boasting the most extensive collection of vinyl, its a fantastic place for people with eclectic tastes. It knows how to throw a party, too  the venue is putting on DJ sets from midnight to midday, welcoming the likes of Sybil, A Boy From Outer Space, Gigi FM and Ok Williams.

133 Rye Lane, SE15 4ST, ryewax.com

Rough Trade West

Getty Images

Two of the biggest live acts this Record Store Day can be found at Rough Trade West in Notting Hill, with Pete Doherty and KT Tunstall, pictured above, due to perform stripped-back sets during the afternoon. Performances kick off at noon, with Doherty and Tunstall due to take to the stage at 1.50pm and 2.30pm respectively. Its a chance to catch the acts in an intimate setting, and explore the venues exemplary collection of records as you go.

130 Talbot Rd, Notting Hill, W11 1JA, roughtrade.com

Container Records

Container Records is taking over Pop Brixton on Saturday, hosting a label market with 23 hours of great DJ sets celebrating all things grime, garage, jungle and hardcore. Oneman, Slimzee, TSVI, Wallwork, Altar & Portara, Pete Cannon, Kouslin and We Buy Gold will be behind the decks throughout the day, with a second-hand crate diggers event and a charity raffle also taking place. The event has been one of the most successful Record Store Day events of recent years and 2019 promises to be no different.
W eve all found ourselves pining for a pad thai or gagging for a green curry now and then, but there's much more to Londons Thai food than the tried-and-tested favourites.

From the grilled meat dishes of the north to the curries of the south and the late-night bar food of Bangkok, there more than a few tastes of Thailand available in the capital.

These are the Thai restaurants we know and love, but if you have any authentic favourites you think we need to know about, get in touch on Twitter at @esgolondon or via email at ailis.brennan@standard.co.uk.

For now, if you're keen to broaden your horizons to include fermented fish, green mangoes and a duck tongue or two, these are the Thai restaurants you should tuck into in London.

Kiln

Hot turmoil: Laos-style pollock / Daniel Hambury/Stella Pictures

Thai food is hot property in London, and diners at Kiln can quite literally feel the heat. This Soho restaurant scooped the top gong at the National Restaurant Awards somewhat unexpectedly in 2018, but anyone who has propped up the counter here will know why. Seats at the back of the restaurant let diners get their nose close to the fiery action, where chefs work off a flaming grill to fuse prime British meat and seafood with complex Northern Thai flavours  special attention is given to the borders with Burma, Laos and the Chinese province of Yunnan. The menu changes regularly but must-try staples include a palate-pushing sour turmeric curry with turbot, and a clay pot of silky glass noodles with slithers of Tamworth pork belly and unctuous crab meat.

58 Brewer Street, W1F 9TL, kilnsoho.com

The Begging Bowl

With The Begging Bowl in town, Peckham certainly isnt wanting for good Thai food. Food here comes from Jane Alty, an alumnus of the now-sadly-closed London outpost of legendary Thai restaurant Nahm  her role there was so inspirational for her, she even inherited the restaurants coconut press. The Begging Bowl is named after the vessels used by monks to collect food from locals in the province of Chiang Mai, but the menu embraces regional cuisines from across Thailand. Small plates range from a lon pla ra dish of fermented fish with coconut cream relish, cucumber, chicory and fennel, to a braised pig cheek curry with turmeric and black pepper.

168 Bellenden Road, SE15 4BW, thebeggingbowl.co.uk

The Heron

Instinct tells us that quintessentially British pubs and Thai food probably shouldnt mix  but they do, and sometimes superbly. The Heron is such an example of a pub that has embraced Thai food and has been serving up some of the best in the capital for more than 10 years. Co-owner Chef Joe began cooking up authentic and varied Thai food when such a thing was hard to find in the city. He's still attracting fans to this day, showcasing regional cuisines and an uncompromising approach to both spice and offal (prepare yourself for the occasional duck tongue). Intriguing highlights include a gang som goong kai cha om dish of sour orange prawn curry with Thai herb omelette, and Thai-style sausages from the east and north east of the country.

Norfolk Crescent, W2 2DN, theheronpaddington.com

Farang

(Tom Regester, Cook Thai, Kyle Books 2016 ) / Tom Regester, Cook Thai, Kyle Books 2016

In Thai, farang means a person of European ancestry  by his own admission, chef-owner Sebby Holmes is part of the white boy cooks Thai food breed. He does, however, do it so very well. Begin a visit with a dish of miang pon-la-mai: salted prawns with pomegranate and cashew wrapped in betel leaves and hiding an impressive chilli punch. Holmes exceptional curries are a non-negotiable order at Farang, among them a richly flavoured gaeng gari made with 42-day aged beef shin, pickled ginger and cucumber. Vegans get more than a look-in with a whole feasting menu dedicated to their needs, including a spiced yellow curry of shitake mushrooms, crispy tofu, red turmeric, baby corn and sweet basil.

72 Highbury Park, N5 2XE, faranglondon.co.uk

Smoking Goat

Before there was Kiln, co-founder Ben Chapman had already been wowing Londoners with his superlative grill skills at Smoking Goat. Once a two-location outfit, Smoking Goat sadly got sidled out of Soho and is now a Shoreditch-only spot, but is still turning out mouthwatering morsels until the wee hours. The inspiration here is from the south of the country and the late-night food culture of bustling capital Bangkok, and stays open until 1am on weekends. Standout dishes include 1.60 skewers of indulgently fatty Tamworth pork, and the northern Thai-style duck laab, a salad made with chopped duck and the punch-packing inclusion of prik kee noo suan  an ingredient which translates literally as mouse s**t chilli.

64 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JJ, smokinggoatbar.com

The Churchill Arms

Pubs dont get much more eccentrically British than Notting Hills Churchill Arms  its interior is a borderline shrine to the war time and its facade is covered head to toe in floral decorations all year round. The Thai restaurant inside, however, continues to hold its own against the quirky decor as one of the pubs most alluring attractions, serving up incongruously Asian food for more than 30 years. If youve come for a pint, we implore you to stay for the stellar Thai offering: stir-fried dishes include a prad nam prik pao with your choice of meat, veg or prawns, sweet chilli paste, long beans and peppers, alongside a hot jungle curry flavoured with Thai herbs. Much better than it's often given credit for.

119 Kensington Church Street, W8 7LN, churchillarmskensington.co.uk

Esarn Kheaw

This Shepherds Bush restaurant claims to be Londons first north eastern-style Thai restaurant  and given it opened back in 1992, wed say that was fairly likely. Esarn Kheaw is named after the Esarn (or Isaan) region of Thailand from where the Puntar family founders hail. While youll find crowd-pleasing pad thais and green curries here, head to the specialities to try out the chopped salads favoured in their home region. The decor isnt anything to shout about  its pretty much stayed in 1992  but the restaurants uncompromising approach to spice will have you hollering. A fish sauce and citrus-dressed salad of minced pork, juicy pork skin slithers, spring onion, ginger and peanuts is peppered with small but gobsmacking slices of chilli  there's no pandering to English tastebuds in these dishes.

314 Uxbridge Road, W12 7LJ, esarnkheaw.com

Som Saa

Som Saa has been tantalising Thai-craving tastebuds with sensational food since 2014, settling down  after its pop-up stints  at this Commercial Street spot a couple of years later. The menu has expanded in recent years, now including a faintly irresistible seven-course tem toh sharing menu for 35-a-head. Among the selection is a yum bpu, a salad made with Dorset crab and green mango, and gaeng mussaman pbet, a curry of Cornish duck leg with quince. Alternatively, a la carte feasters can opt for the nam dtok pla thort, a theatrical dish of deep-fried seabass served with roasted rice and prawns from the Isaan region. Som Saas tenure in the top echelons of London Thai food has, however, not been without controversy  one of its chefs was let go last year following accusations of racism, with owner Andy Oliver apologising regarding the situation, too.

43A Commercial Street, E1 6BD, somsaa.com
L ondon restaurant Boisdale of Mayfair will be celebrating Easter with a menu featuring the largest selection of edible bird eggs ever served in London  ranging from gulls eggs to ostrich eggs.

The Eggscentric menu  their pun, not ours  will launch on April 12 with eight different types of eggs, which will be served four different ways and with an extensive menu of luxurious accompaniments.

The avian eggs on offer include those from quails, pheasants, Burford Brown hens, ducks, geese, gulls, ostrich eggs and the eggs of the rhea, a large South African flightless bird.

For those who think ordering a tiny quails eggs will leave them short-changed, dont fret  a quail order will feature five eggs, and a pheasant order will include 12 eggs.

Eggs-traordinary: Gulls eggs, which Boisdale will be serving with sourdough toast this Spring

Alternatively, an ostrich egg is the equivalent to 24 hens eggs, so the dish will cost 50 and is recommended for sharing. A order of a single rhea egg is equivalent to 10 hens eggs, and will cost 40.

Diners sampling the all-day menu can choose to have their eggs served fried, poached, scrambled or as an omelette. All are served with sourdough toast and accompaniments ranging from sauteed wild garlic and maple cured Ayrshire bacon, to half a poached lobster or 30 grams of Russian Oscietra caviar.

The eggs are all free range and seasonal, so subject to availability, but the menu will be on offer for the duration of the egg harvesting season this spring. The menu will be served on Easter Saturday, but the restaurant will be closed on Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday.

The Eggscentric menu launches on April 12 at Boisdale of Mayfair, 12 North Row, W1K 7DF. For more information, visit boisdale.co.uk
D ementia Action Week will see restaurants across London and the UK welcome people with dementia as volunteer staff next month, in an effort to raise awareness of the illness.

From May 18-19, Dining4Dementia will see people living with dementia buddy up with staff at restaurants across the country, helping to serve customers and demonstrating how employers can be more inclusive of the condition in the workplace.

London restaurants taking part in the initiative include the Islington outpost of wine bar Humble Grape, the Comptoir Libanais restaurants in Poland Street and Duke of York Square, and the Watford branch of TGI Fridays.

The project has been inspired by an upcoming Channel 4 television series, The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes, which is due to air later this year. The programme, which has been supported by the Alzheimers Society, will see 14 people living with dementia run a Bristol restaurant, lead by chef Josh Eggleton.

All six of Eggletons restaurants, including his Michelin-starred pub Pony and Trap in Bristol, will also be taking part in Dining4Dementia next month, alongside national branches of Boston Tea Party and Pieminister.

The Alzheimers Society estimates that 28 per cent of people living with dementia do not feel that they can leave their homes. The project aims to end the stigma around dementia and encourages businesses to make small adjustments to allow people suffering from the condition to continue to be active in their local communities.

Dementia Action Week runs from May 20-26, with Dining4Dementia taking place from May 18-19. For more information of Dementia Action Week and how you can get involved, visit alzheimers.org.uk
From drug stores to coffee shops, CBD seems to be everywhere. Hailed as the miracle substance to help treat everything from anxiety to poor sleep, CBD has become big business in the US, with nearly 7 per cent of Americans using it.

It's even expected that the CBD industry could be worth a staggering $16 billion by 2025.

CBD  or cannabidiol as its more formally known  is a type of cannabis oil derived from the cannabis plant. Unlike its close cousin marijuana, which is commonly used recreationally, CBD is generally lacking in THC, the chemical substance responsible for getting you high.

In a landmark report published in 2018, the World Health Organisation (WHO) resolved that CBD had been demonstrated as an effective treatment for epilepsy in adults, children and even animals.

The report also highlighted preliminary evidence that CBD could be useful in treating Alzheimers disease, cancer, psychosis, Parkinsons disease and other serious conditions.

With new evidence about the health-boosting potentials of CBD coming to light, people are now giving CBD products to their dogs in the hopes it will treat problems that traditional medications could not.

Only one CBD product has been approved by the FDA to treat epilepsy in humans but so far, there are no restrictions for its use on animals. The lack of regulation means that vets are often deterred from discussing CBD as medication with their clients for legal reasons.

In states where marijuana is legal, CBD products made specifically for animals are widely available from various retailers although vets are still not permitted to dispense or prescribe them.

The interest in CBD for medical usage in animals has risen exponentially, says Dr Jerry Klein, Chief Veterinary Officer at the American Kennel Club.

Owners are seeking alternative modes of treatment which challenge the traditional, a trend which is set to grow with the ever-changing laws legalising hemp and marijuana in some states.

As more and more pet owners experiment with CBD, we spoke to some experts to find out what CBD could mean for dogs' health:

What is CBD?

CBD oil: explained

CBD is a chemical compound derived from the cannabis plant and is known for its ability to provide pain relief and ease anxiety.

It contains trace amounts of THC, the psychoactive substance found in marijuana, so wont get you high.

What are the health benefits of CBD for dogs?

Getty Images

Because there is little research conducted into this area, any health benefits that CBD may have for dogs is merely anecdotal, although vets have some idea about what effect it might have.

Dr Tim Shu, founder and CEO of VETCBD, said CBD has proved beneficial for a number of ailments in animals, including arthritis and epilepsy. He said: its helpful for pain, especially chronic pain like we see in arthritis.

It has anti-anxiety properties which are beneficial for animals suffering from separation or noise anxiety.

There are well-known anti-nausea and appetite stimulating properties which benefit animals suffering from diseases which cause nausea or appetite loss such as kidney disease, chronic gastrointestinal conditions and cancer.

Its also been successful for dogs with epilepsy in decreasing seizure frequency.

Despite the potential benefits of CBD oil for dogs, experts are still keen to emphasise that CBD usage in dogs is a relatively new area.

David Harris, Veterinary Content Editor at VetHelpDirect.com who has written about CBD for dogs, said: The bottom line is that we just dont have enough data yet.

"While it seems highly likely that cannabidiol has some useful clinical effects, we cannot yet say exactly what those effects will be in dogs, or how powerful they will be.

Can human CBD products be used to treat animals?

While there are animal-specific CBD products available to buy, they are not licensed and therefore cannot be prescribed by a vet. This means that some dog owners have been turning to human CBD products to treat their pets, but this alone comes with its own risks.

Mr Harris said: Adding cannabidiol to a regime of prescribed medicines, especially for life-threatening conditions such as epilepsy, could have unforeseen and potentially dangerous effects, so I think its very wise to keep its use under veterinary supervision until we understand it a little better.

Dr Shu agrees that pet owners should be wary about giving their pets CBD intended for humans and advises to use animal-specific products where possible.

Its important to use products that are specifically formulated for animals, as there are some key ingredients which can be toxic to animals, he said.

Additionally, dosing guidelines for humans can be very different from animals.

What are the risks?

As with any kind of medication, there are potential risks involved in taking it.

So far, however, CBD has shown itself to be "remarkably safe," according to Dr Shu.

He added: "some animals, however, may show mild side effects including sedation or gastrointestinal upset.

"There is a theoretical concern that a patient receiving CBD may not metabolize some drugs as efficiently while the liver is busy metabolising CBD.

"This is why it's important for pet owners to discuss CBD use with their veterinarians prior to starting treatment, especially if their pet is already on other medications."

Like humans, CBD is given to dogs orally.

Typical administration route is by mouth, either directly or given with food, says Dr Shu.

What's the future of CBD for animals?

Shutterstock

Despite current restrictions, people are hopeful that in the near future, CBD will have a firm place in veterinary medicine,

Veterinarians are seeing the positive benefits of CBD and cannabis in their patients, says Dr Shu.

As we learn more about cannabinoid therapeutics, patients will benefit even more. The underlying mechanism is the endocannabinoid system, which was only discovered in the early 90s.

Its a system thats always been there and wont be going away. This area of medicine is just getting started.

For those passionate about the topic, CBD seems like a healthier alternative to traditional drugs.

Brian Jones is the co-founder of Simply CBD, a charity which sells oils extracted from Organic Dutch high-grade cannabis and profits help fund an animal shelter for ill dogs.

He believes CBD could be a life-changing means of medication for dogs and other animals.

I started Simply CBD to ensure that pet owners got access to good affordable CBD so they can get the same health and wellbeing benefits that humans get, he said.

I firmly believe that animals deserve this God-given plant and the amazing benefits it provides them and to be honest if I could give it away free to every pet owner in the country I would.
A gang of thugs choked a man unconscious and beat his head against the pavement in a vile homophobic attack before stealing his car, police have said.

A 36-year-old man was set upon by up to six people in Blackheath Common on Sunday, Scotland Yard said.

He was repeatedly punched in the face and held around his neck, causing him to lose consciousness.

The gang, said to consist of about five males and possibly one female, then dragged him across the ground by his hood and hit his face against the pavement.

An aerial view of Blackheath Common, where the victim was attacked / Dominic Lipinski/PA

Throughout the attack, the gang used homophobic words, Met Police said.

They then stole the victims car keys and drove off his white Peugeot 208 Access, which contained his mobile phone and wallet.

Officers were called just before 10.30pm and found the victim bleeding, with bruising to the face.

He was treated at the scene by paramedics and taken to hospital. He has since been discharged but is suffering from his injuries and is still in shock.

One of the males was described as white, with a thin face, thin lips and speaking with a London accent. He was wearing a grey hooded jumper.

Investigating officer Det Con Adam Pearce said: "This was a completely unprovoked and targeted assault and we believe there may be further victims not yet in contact with police.

"Both the attack and the homophobic motivation of this assault are abhorrent and I appeal to anyone with any information that could assist the investigation to come forward.
A bus driver crashed his out of control Routemaster through a line of traffic in a 40-second wrecking spree when he pressed the accelerator instead of the brake, the Old Bailey heard.

Muhammed Khalique, 63, shunted into the back of six cars  including one carrying a three-year-old  as he panicked at the wheel of the number 254 bus and failed to apply the brakes.

Khaliques accelerating vehicle, filled with passengers, rammed a 4x4 vehicle and spun it around before driving through a pedestrian crossing and eventually coming to a stop.

Yesterday Khalique was spared jail over the November 2017 crash, which was the second time in four years that he had lost control of his bus.

Khalique outside court / Lucy Young

In 2013 he had to be cut free from his Routemaster after smashing into cars and other buses in Sloane Square, leaving 15 people injured, including one with a broken back.

He stood trial over the incident for driving without due care and attention, but was cleared when a judge found he could not be sure whether a computer glitch or driver error was to blame. Prosecutors claimed Khalique had pressed the accelerator pedal by mistake, but the drivers defence case cast doubt on the reliability of the Routemasters electronic systems.

The cracked windscreen (CPS)

At the Old Bailey yesterday Khalique pleaded guilty to dangerous driving for the 2017 crash, and was handed a 27-week prison sentence, suspended for the next year, along with 180 hours of community service.

He accelerated, panicked, and wasnt able to bring the bus to a stop until he applied the handbrake, said Judge Alexia Durran. The delay in doing so was a period of 40 seconds, when vehicles were being shunted by Mr Khaliques bus, which was effectively out of control.

John Carmichael, prosecuting, said the crash was caused by pedal confusion as Khalique drove along Lower Clapton Road in Hackney towards Aldgate at around 4.30pm. He puts his foot on the accelerator when it should have been on the brake, he said.

The bus surges forward, out of control, when he should simply brake.

Driver Muhammed Khalique panicked

Mr Carmichael said the three-year-old child in one of the cars hit was left very frightened but not injured, while other motorists and the bus passengers were also not hurt in the incident.

Video from inside the bus shows Khalique panicking as his vehicle lurched forward, and he is seen reaching for an isolator switch in the mistaken belief it would stop the bus.

He ended his 15-year bus driving career after the crash, and has said he will not drive again.
C helsea midfielder Danny Drinkwater has been charged with drink driving, police have said.

Drinkwater, 29, will appear in court next month accused of drink driving after allegedly crashing his Range Rover in Cheshire early on Monday.

Cheshire Police said in a statement: "A 29-year-old from Nether Alderley has been charged with drink driving following an incident in Cheshire.

"Danny Drinkwater was arrested shortly after 12.30am on Monday, April 8 following a one-vehicle collision on Ashley Road in Mere.

"He has been released on unconditional bail and is set to appear at Stockport Magistrates Court on Monday, May 13."

The Sun reported he was with 33-year-old lawyer Beth Mantel at the time of the collision.

Drinkwater has only played once for Chelsea this season, a glorified friendly against Manchester City in Augusts Community Shield.

The midfielder was one of Leicester Citys star players during the clubs astonishing Premier League-winning campaign in the 2015/16 season.
A German convert to Islam and alleged member of Islamic State in Iraq let a five-year-old Yazidi girl she and her husband kept as a slave die of thirst, a court heard.

The 27-year-old, identified only as Jennifer W, has been charged with murder, a war crime and membership of a terrorist organisation.

If convicted in Munich state court, she could face life in prison.

Pleas are not entered in the German court system and as her trial opened on Tuesday her lawyer Seda Basay-Yildiz said the defendant had no statement to make.

Defendant Jennifer W sits next to her lawyer Ali Aydin / AFP/Getty Images

The girl's mother, whose lawyers include Amal Clooney, is to be called as a witness and is also a co-plaintiff in the case as allowed under German law.

Neither were in court for the opening hearing before the trial was adjourned for three weeks, but human rights lawyer Ms Clooney said in a statement it was hoped the case would encourage more prosecutions of returning IS members for international crimes.

The United Nations has called the IS assault on the Yazidis' ancestral homeland in northern Iraq in 2014 a genocide, saying the Yazidis' "400,000-strong community had all been displaced, captured or killed".

Of the thousands captured by IS, boys were forced to fight for the extremists, men were executed if they did not convert to Islam - and often executed in any case - and women and girls were sold into slavery.

"Yazidi victims of genocide have waited far too long for their day in court," Ms Clooney said.

"I hope that this will be the first of many trials that will finally bring Isis (IS) to justice in line with international law."

Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney / REUTERS

The defendant in the Munich case grew up in Lower Saxony as a protestant but converted to Islam in 2013, according to a lengthy profile in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.

Prosecutors allege she then made her way to Iraq through Turkey and Syria in 2014 to join IS.

In 2015, as a member of the extremist group's "morality police", she patrolled parks in Fallujah and Mosul, armed with an assault rifle and a pistol as well as an explosive vest, looking for women who did not conform with its strict codes of behaviour and dress, prosecutors said.

It was in the summer of that year that she and her husband, an IS fighter, purchased the young Yazidi girl as a slave.

One day when the girl wet her bed, prosecutors allege her husband chained the girl outside in the heat of the day and Jennifer W did nothing to prevent her dying of thirst.

The victim's mother was held with her in slavery by the couple, and plans to give evidence about how they were both treated, another of her lawyers, Natalie von Wistinghausen, said.

"She wants justice," Ms von Wistinghausen said.

"She wants to have the opportunity to explain the fate that befell her and her daughter."

Defendant Jennifer W hides her face behind a folder / AFP/Getty Images

The defendant was taken into custody when trying to renew her identity papers at the German embassy in Ankara in 2016, and deported back to Germany.

It was not clear whether she was investigated at the time, but prosecutors said she was arrested again in 2018 while trying to make her way back to Syria, and has been in custody since then.

She has her own young daughter, but her lawyer would not give any details about her, other than to say she is living with her grandmother in Germany and is "doing well".
South Africa: Government welcomes Rio Tinto investment

Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe has welcomed the announcement by global mining company, Rio Tinto, of the US$463 million investment in the expansion of its Richards Bay Minerals operation in South Africa.

As we intensify efforts to grow South Africa, we welcome investment injections such as this one, which bear testament to our efforts at turning this sector and economy around, for the benefit of our people, said Mantashe on Tuesday.

Mantashe said the investment in KwaZulu-Natal is an affirmation of South Africas attractiveness as an investment destination, while also confirming South Africas stable and predictable policy and regulatory environment.

Rio Tinto on Monday announced its approval of $463 million for investment in the further development of its Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) operation in South Africa through the construction of the Zulti South project.

The company said the investment will sustain RBMs current capacity and extend its mine life.

RBM currently operates four mines in the Zulti North lease area, a mineral separation plant and smelting facility. The Zulti North orebody grade is declining, hence the Zulti South mine is required to maintain the output of high-margin zircon and rutile, and provide sufficient ore to support titanium dioxide (TiO2) sales.

The Zulti South mine (Phase 1) will prop-up RBMs supply of zircon and ilmenite over the life of the mine. Construction is scheduled to start in mid-2019, subject to the granting of all necessary permits, with first commercial production expected in late 2021.

Rio Tinto chief executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques said the company has a long history in South Africa.

The investment underscores our commitment for the coming decades and beyond. Zulti South is one of the best undeveloped minerals sand deposits in the industry, and will significantly extend RBMs position as a world-class, first-quartile asset, he said. -SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2019-04-09. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
A train stops at the Matara Railway Station preparing to depart for Beliatta in Sri Lanka, April 8, 2019. The Sri Lankan government declared on Monday to open a railway line constructed between Matara and Beliatta in the southern part of the island country which will hopefully boost passenger traffic into the deep south. The railway extension was financed by the Export-Import Bank of China (China Exim Bank) and the contract was awarded to China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation. A major portion of the construction was carried out by China Railway Group 5 (CR5) and Sri Lanka's Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau (CECB). (Xinhua/Guo Lei)

COLOMBO, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan government declared on Monday to open a railway line constructed between Matara and Beliatta in the southern part of the island country which will hopefully boost passenger traffic into the deep south.

In the Matara railway station, a special train set off on its maiden journey on the newly-built railway around 9:00 a.m. local time, and arrived at the final Beliatta station an hour later.

The 26.75-km long Matara-Beliatta railway extension was declared open for the public by Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Arjuna Ranatunga in the presence of Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera and other parliamentarians.

The railway extension was financed by the Export-Import Bank of China (China Exim Bank) and the contract was awarded to China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation.

A major portion of the construction was carried out by China Railway Group 5 (CR5) and Sri Lankas Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau (CECB).

Ranatunga, speaking at the launching ceremony, said that the railway extension project was a victory for the country as it would immensely benefit the people, especially those living in Matara and Hambantota areas.

The minister expressed gratitude to the Chinese government for their assistance in the project.

"I am also glad to be able to open this railway line before the Sinhala and Tamil New Year so that it would benefit the people travelling from Colombo to Hambantota for the New Year," Ranatunga said.

The official said the remaining work of expanding the railway line from Beliatta to Hambantota and then to Kataragama, in the Uva province will also commence soon.

The Matara-Beliatta railway line is the first to be constructed in Sri Lanka since 1948 and it includes the longest and second longest railway bridges of 1.5 km and 1.04 km, respectively.

The railway line also includes one of the tallest railway bridges, the longest railway tunnel and the most modern railway station buildings in the country.
HOUSTON, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tokio Marine HCC today announced it is exiting the bail business through the sale of its bail operations to an undisclosed buyer with an A.M. Best financial strength rating of A (Excellent) and a prominent player in the industry. The transaction includes Bail USA, Inc. and all bail bond business written by American Contractors Indemnity Company, U.S. Specialty Insurance Company and United States Surety Company.



HCC Surety Group is pleased to have reached an agreement under which we can smoothly transfer our entire bail portfolio to a new owner without disrupting operations, employees or agents. The buyer is an established and meaningful participant in the U.S. bail industry, and we believe our employees and bail bond agents will benefit from this transaction, said Adam S. Pessin, HCC Surety Groups Chief Executive Officer.

Tokio Marine HCC is the marketing name used to describe the affiliated companies under the common ownership of HCC Insurance Holdings, Inc., a Delaware-incorporated insurance holding company. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Tokio Marine HCC is a leading specialty insurance group with offices in the United States, the United Kingdom and Continental Europe. Tokio Marine HCCs major domestic insurance companies have financial strength ratings of AA- (Very Strong) from S&P Global Ratings, A++ (Superior) from A.M. Best, and AA- (Very Strong) from Fitch Ratings; its major international insurance companies have financial strength ratings of AA- (Very Strong) from S&P Global Ratings. Tokio Marine HCC is a member of the Tokio Marine Group, a premier global company founded in 1879 with a market capitalization of $34 billion as of December 31, 2018. For more information about Tokio Marine HCC, please visit www.tokiomarinehcc.com.

HCC Surety Group is the marketing name used to describe the surety-related insurance operations of Tokio Marine HCC. HCC Surety Group, with offices throughout the United States, is the seventh largest writer of surety business in the United States. Its members, American Contractors Indemnity Company, U.S. Specialty Insurance Company and United States Surety Company, have financial strength ratings of AA- (Very Strong) from S&P Global Ratings, A++ (Superior) from A.M. Best, and AA- (Very Strong) from Fitch Ratings.
A computer science student turned hacker has been jailed after taking part in the UK's most serious case of cyber crime.

Zain Qaiser, 24, was sentenced to six years and five months behind bars after targeting millions of computers with malicious browser-locking software.

With this programme he demanded payment of up to $1,000 (767) to unfreeze the screens, Kingston Crown Court heard.

Qaiser worked with an international Russian crime group and received more than 500,000 through the multimillion-pound global scheme.

The crooks ill-gotten gains were splashed on luxury hotel stays, gambling and a Rolex watch.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) considers it the most serious case of cyber crime they have investigated, the court heard.

He was sentenced at Kingston Crown Court / PA Archive/PA Images

Passing sentence on Tuesday, Judge Timothy Lamb QC said: "The harm caused by your offending was extensive - so extensive that there does not appear to be a reported case involving anything comparable.

"Whatever your motivation for mounting these attacks on the internet you took the opportunity to spend large sums of ill-gotten money in casinos, on an expensive watch and luxury hotel services.

"All the constituent offences were part and parcel of your role as the self-styled 'K!NG' of the internet.

"It has been asserted on your behalf you are remorseful. I have seen no outward expression of that."

Qaiser, who committed most of his crimes between the age of 18 and 19, remained expressionless as the sentence was passed.

Qaiser, of Barking, east London, gave himself the online name K!NG and bought masses of advertising on porn sites using fake identities, prosecutor Joel Smith said.

However, when users clicked the corrupted links their computers were exposed to highly sophisticated "Angler" software.

Infected computers showed a message impersonating law enforcement in the user's country saying an offence had been committed before demanding the payment.

The crime group collected massive multimillion-pound profits from victims in more than 20 countries.

The total number of people who paid the fee is unknown, the NCA said.

Some advertisers were "happy to turn a blind eye" to Qaiser's actions, while those who tried to stop him "became the subject of the defendant's anger", Mr Smith told the court.

Qaiser blackmailed them and tried to flood their servers with DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks.

This would put the sites out of action, costing several businesses hundreds of thousands of pounds, he added.

The hacker even threatened to spam their sites with child pornography, the court heard.

Qaiser, who initially denied the crimes and claimed he had been hacked himself, has entered guilty pleas to an 11-count indictment.
T wo men have been stabbed in the back and stomach in early morning attacks on a busy road in north London.

Scotland Yard is investigating whether the attacks, which happened in Kilburn High Road in early hours of Tuesday, are linked.

The force said officers are carrying out extra patrols in the area and no arrests have been made.

Police and paramedics were called at 1.19am and found a 63-year-old man who had been stabbed in the back. He was rushed to a central London hospital.

A short time later, emergency services were called to reports of a second stabbing at a different location.

They found a 39-year-old man suffering a stab wound to the abdomen. He was also taken to hospital.

The injuries suffered by both victims were not life threatening, police said.

It comes after five people were stabbed in a series of attacks in Edmonton, north London, at the end of last month. A man appeared in court in connection with those attacks last week.

Detective Sergeant Mark Johnson, of the Met Police, said: "At this early stage in the investigation, we are keeping an open mind as to whether the two incidents are linked and there is a team of officers working around the clock who are carrying out patrols, CCTV footage enquiries and speaking to witnesses.

"I would appeal to any witnesses or any motorists who may have dash cam footage of the incidents who have not yet come forward to contact police urgently. Any information, no matter how small, will greatly assist us in this investigation."

Anyone who has information is asked to call North West area CID on 101 quoting CAD 386/09APR or Tweet @MetCC.
F ive people in the UK are being investigated over allegations relating to the Rwanda genocide 25 years ago, Scotland Yard has confirmed.

The force's war crimes unit, part of the counter-terrorism command, received a referral from Rwandan authorities in January last year.

A Met Police spokeswoman said it related to five individuals in the UK and allegations of genocide offences in Rwanda dating from around 1994.

"Relevant documentation to this was assessed by the war crimes unit and officers were also deployed to Rwanda as part of our initial work to scope the allegations," the spokeswoman added.

Scotland Yard is investigating the situation after receiving information from Rwanda / Getty Images

"As a result, we have subsequently commenced an investigation which will initially involve a review of all the documentation transferred from Rwanda.

"Given the complexities involved, this is expected to be a protracted and lengthy process. Enquiries continue."

The Daily Mirror reported the suspects are Celestin Mutabaruka, 63, from Kent; Vincent Brown, also known as Vincent Bajinya, 59, from Islington, north London; Celestin Ugirashebuja, 66, from Essex; Charles Munyaneza, 61, from Bedford; and Emmanuel Nteziryayo, from Manchester.

All five deny the allegations against them and involvement in the genocide.

In July 2017 five men with the same names, who were all of Hutu ethnicity, had an extradition bid to have them returned to Rwanda blocked by the UK High Court.

At the time judges agreed there was a real risk they would be denied a fair trial if they were returned.
A 25-year-old man has died shortly after he was found with head injuries in a south London street.

Officers said the young man was found at about 2am on Tuesday morning in Dunelm Grove, West Norwood.

His death at the moment is being treated as unexplained, Scotland Yard said, but enquiries are underway to find out how he received the head injury.

The man was rushed to hospital after being found, but died later that morning.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: He was taken to hospital but sadly died later on Tuesday morning.

His next of kin are aware.

A post-mortem and formal identification will be arranged in due course.

At this stage his death is being treated as unexplained and enquiries are underway to establish the circumstances.

Officers from the Mets Central South CID are investigating.

Victim: Ramane Wiggan was shot dead in south London earlier this year

The man was found with the serious injury just streets away from where another 25-year-old man, Ramane Wiggan, was shot in the head.

Just over two weeks ago, on March 27, Mr Wiggan, from Tulse Hill, was shot in the chest on a third-floor walkway on a housing estate.

Medics and bystanders battled to save him but he died at the scene 30 minutes later.
T heresa Mays invitation to speak to the members of the 1922 Committee at 5pm today has been the centre of fevered speculation. What everyone knows  it has been repeated ad nauseam in recent weeks  is that a vote of no-confidence in the Prime Minister is triggered when 15 per cent of Tory MPs write a letter to the 1922 Committee chairman Sir Graham Brady. Currently it would take 48 letters to be submitted. Brady alone knows how many letters are received  despite endless press reports of it being close.

Previously The Standard had been told that the letters were kept in a safe in his office. But today sources suggested they have been moved. When asked where the letters are kept one source said: I dont know. Another added that no one but the chairman now knows. A member of Bradys office tells us: Im not privy to the location. Hes immensely secretive. But what if  God forbid  Brady is knocked down by a bus? I have two vice-chairmen, one of whom would act up if I were incapacitated, Brady tells us.

They are Cheryl Gillan and Charles Walker. So do they know where the letters are, and are they on the parliamentary estate? Those are details best kept out of the press, says Brady.

What he will say is that the relevant rules for leadership matters are set out in the Conservative Party constitution, which, he says, are relatively recent, dating from 1998/9. However, he continues: Other rules of the 22 are governed by the executive relying on custom and practice. On these he does not elaborate. One question commonly asked in Westminster is: how long exactly does Brady wait once he has received the 48 letters? Its up to him, says a Tory MP. Guidelines are vague: As soon as reasonably practicable.

Asked if the system should be reformed, one MP replied: What do you suggest?

Young Theresa all chaff and no wheat

Dr Detlev Piltz, a Mannheim professor and writer on the English class system, recalls his experience as a German exchange student. My host family comprised a vicar and his wife, with their young daughter who was coming up for five years old. The child, he writes in The Oldie, was Theresa May. On Sundays, the family and I attended the village church together. We all went to watch the motor racing at Silverstone, picnicked in the country, and the vicar showed me Oxford University and explained about its colleges. No mention of wheat fields.

--

Are there efforts to turn Theresa May into Margaret Thatcher? The register of Prime Ministers gifts lists three handbags given between April and June. The Iron Lady understood the symbolism of her black patent snap-clasp: it helped her handbag political rivals.

--

Parliament hosted a performance of Looking For Mummy: Nazanins Story last night, a new play about Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian charity worker currently jailed in Iran. It was attended by her husband, Richard Ratcliffe. My boss said, The guy that plays you must have really been watching you, because hes got all your really weird mannerisms.

Oh go on, Wilnelia, give us a twirl

Lady Wilnelia Forsyth, widow of the late host of Strictly Come Dancing, Sir Bruce, hasnt been keeping up with the BBC shows cheating scandal.

I havent been watching it much, so its very difficult to have an opinion on that, but I wish them all the very best of luck, she told us diplomatically, at the Float Like A Butterfly Ball.

Could the former Miss World be persuaded to don her sequins for the next series?

Not exactly. Id probably be the oldest one there.

Wilnelia is 61, three years younger than Ann Widdecombe was when she slipped on her dancing shoes.

Working 9 to 5s still a way to make a living, Jane tells trio

9 to 5: Louise Redknapp, Natalie McQueen, Jane Fonda and Amber Davies (Photo: Dave Benett/Getty Images) / Dave Benett/Getty Images

Jane Fonda wielded a martini last night as she introduced the re-release of 9 to 5, her 1980 film, which is being screened at the BFI.

Speaking on stage with Front Rows Samira Ahmed, the legendary actress reminisced about early career successes, conquering fear, and being that terrible thing... a successful woman with political opinions.

Fonda, who starred in the film with Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton, also met the trio who will play them on the West End stage in 9 to 5: The Musical  Louise Redknapp, Natalie McQueen and Amber Davies.

It made a big difference to women office workers, Fonda said. And the song became an anthem.

Fonda has been widely praised for her interviews on this mornings Today programme and BBC Breakfast, where she discussed the #MeToo movement, cautioning that were not making progress if were all roiling in a cauldron of hate.

She added: Bad behaviour is the action of the traumatised, it hurts us when we hate.

SW1A

Chuka Umunna made a tub-thumping speech to the Peoples Vote march on Saturday but, interestingly, two years ago he was urging Remainers to abandon calls for a second referendum or risk being seen as an elite who think they know best. The Labour MP told this newspaper in 2016: I think it comes across as disrespectful to those who voted Leave.

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Is Michael Fabricant MP guilty of contravening the terms of use for Santander Cycles by using one while naked this week? According to the terms and conditions, riders must not use the cycle in a manner that causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to others. The Londoner is deeply distressed and alarmed by the images it has seen.

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Labours Wes Streeting was stirring in the Members Tea Room yesterday. Johnson, Mordaunt and Javid touring, he reported. Sure this is nothing to do with the mounting speculation about the PMs future.

Quote of the Day
Y vette Cooper's backbench Bill aimed at forcing Theresa May to request a Brexit extension rather than leave the EU with no deal has been signed into law.

The cross-party European Union (Withdrawal) (No 5) Bill received royal assent after it was backed by MPs and peers on Monday night.

It places a legal requirement on the Prime Minister to seek an extension to Article 50 in a bid to prevent a no-deal exit from the EU.

The Commons backed a series of Lords amendments to the bill after it was rushed through both Houses of Parliament.

Yvette Cooper's legislation to extend the Brexit process in a bid to avoid a no-deal scenario has received royal assent / PA

Brought forward by Ms Cooper and others, it calls on Mrs May to lay a Commons motion on the extension of Article 50 which could then be amended by MPs.

The Bill was amended by peers to state that nothing in it prevented the Prime Minister from "seeking or agreeing" an extension, provided it was not earlier than May 22.

Brexit deadlock: Theresa May / REUTERS

Mrs May was already seeking a further Brexit delay to June 30 and EU leaders will discuss this at an emergency summit on Wednesday.

The Commons move came as Brexit talks between the Government and Labour resumed on Monday. But there appeared little prospect of a compromise agreement being in place in time for Wednesday's EU meeting, and no chance of it being approved by MPs before the EU27 meet.

Jeremy Corbyn happy with Theresa May's Brexit delay

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the talks were serious, but the Government was sticking to its red lines. He said: "The exchanges with the Government have been serious, but our shadow cabinet expressed frustration that the Prime Minister has not yet moved off her red lines so we can reach a compromise.

"The key issues that we must see real movement on to secure an agreement are a customs union with the EU, alignment with the single market and full dynamic alignment of workers' rights, environmental protections and consumer standards.

"We are prepared to talk and put forward our view, but talks have to mean a movement and so far there has been no change in those red lines."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn leaves his home on Monday morning / REUTERS

The talks step-up a gear on Tuesday with Mrs May's defacto deputy, Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington, and Labour's shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer taking part.

The discussions are taking place as the Tories launch a selection process for candidates to stand in European Parliament elections next month.

The Government tabled an order enabling the elections to be held in Britain if the country has not left the EU by the time they are due to take place on May 23.

The Cabinet Office said the elections would automatically be cancelled if the UK left before then.

Mrs May is to make a whistle-stop trip to Berlin and Paris for last-minute talks with Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron on the eve of the emergency summit.

And she spoke by phone with European Council president Donald Tusk, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, Dutch PM Mark Rutte, Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Malta's Joseph Muscat to set out the case for extending the Brexit process to June 30.

The unanimous agreement of all 27 is needed to avoid the UK leaving without a deal on Friday.

Mr Tusk has recommended a one-year extension to the Brexit process, with a break clause allowing an earlier departure if a withdrawal deal is ratified in Westminster.

Delays: British Prime Minister Theresa May and European Union Council President Donald Tusk / EPA

Speaking during a visit to Dublin, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said the UK could not escape demands for a 39 billion payment and a "backstop" for the Irish border by quitting without a deal.

The Prime Minister has angered Tories by holding talks with Labour, with Brexiteers including Boris Johnson concerned that she will accept a customs union as the price for a deal with Mr Corbyn.

In a bid to end the deadlock with Labour, the Prime Minister is considering offering MPs a vote on whether to hold a referendum on any deal agreed between on Brexit, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Theresa May is asking for an extension to Brexit / AFP/Getty Images

In a video message recorded in her Chequers country retreat at the weekend, Mrs May said both sides in the cross-party talks will have to compromise.

The Prime Minister acknowledged she could not see the Commons accepting her deal in its current form and MPs would not agree to a no-deal exit.

Prominent Brexiteer, Mark Francois, called for an "indicative vote" among Tory MPs on the PM's future on Wednesday to send a signal to the Brussels summit that Mrs May has lost the confidence of her own side and cannot deliver a Brexit deal.
A n aide to French president Emmanuel Macron has insisted that a one year delay to Brexit would be too long despite European Council president Donald Tusk suggesting a "flexible extension" of a year.

Ahead of a meeting between Mr Macron and Theresa May in Paris this evening, the official added that the UK should not be able to negotiate its future relationship with the EU while inside the bloc.

"In the event of a long extension, one year would seem too long for us," the official said.

In recent days Mr Macron has taken a tough stance on giving Britain more time to secure a Brexit deal, warning that an extension to the Article 50 withdrawal process is not guaranteed.

The UK could still crash out of the EU without a deal on Friday if no agreement is reached at an emergency summit in Brussels.

The unanimous agreement of all 27 remaining members is needed for any delay.

Mr Tusk today penned an invitation letter to members ahead of Wednesday's meeting where Mrs May will seek a Brexit extension until June 30.

He wrote: "In reality, granting such an extension would increase the risk of a rolling series of short extensions and emergency summits, creating new cliff-edge dates.

"This, in turn, would almost certainly overshadow the business of the EU27 in the months ahead.

"The continued uncertainty would also be bad for our businesses and citizens. Finally, if we failed to agree on any next extension, there would be a risk of an accidental no-deal Brexit.

"This is why I believe we should also discuss an alternative, longer extension. One possibility would be a flexible extension, which would last only as long as necessary and no longer than one year, as beyond that date we will need to decide unanimously on some key European projects."

Mrs May is meeting Mr Macron ahead of an emergency EU summit on Wednesday / PA

It came as MPs this afternoon approved a Government motion to seek an extension to Article 50 delaying the date of Brexit to June 30 by 420-110.

Mrs May has been holding last-minute talks with France and Germany in an attempt to win backing from European leaders for a further delay.

The PM met with German chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin for about an hour and a half before heading to Paris.

Downing Street said the pair agreed on "the importance of ensuring Britain's orderly withdrawal from the European Union".

Angela Merkel and Theresa May embrace as May departs following talks / Getty Images

Meanwhile half a dozen of EU nations are seeking to meet ahead of Wednesday's summit to coordinate their approach to the UK's request for an extension.

An official said leaders of France, Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Sweden and Denmark would discuss options.

EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, earlier said Brussels could amend the political declaration on future relations with the UK "within a few hours or days" to incorporate a customs union arrangement being discussed in talks between the Government and the Labour Party.

But there were signs of resistance in Mrs May's cabinet to compromise with Labour, with International Trade Secretary Liam Fox penning a letter which warned that a customs union would leave the UK "stuck in the worst of both worlds".

Theresa May arrives for Brexit talks with Angela Merkel

European Council president Donald Tusk is recommending a year-long flexible delay, while French Europe minister Amelie de Montchalin suggested Paris may insist on conditions limiting British influence on EU decision-making during the extension period.

Ms de Montchalin warned that "the position of France has not changed" and that the EU27's approval of Mrs May's request is "neither settled nor automatic".

"We want to understand what the UK needs this extension for," she said. "Then comes the question of the conditions - what role the UK wants to play during this extension, on what type of decisions it wants to play a role."

TODO: define component type apester

Leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom urged Mrs May to ask Ms Merkel to reopen the withdrawal agreement forged with the EU last November - something the EU has repeatedly said it will not do.

But Mrs May's official spokesman dismissed the idea, telling reporters: "Any plan going forward would be based on the current withdrawal agreement."

And Mr Barnier told a press conference in Luxembourg: "The withdrawal agreement is not going to be reopened, is not up for negotiation again. That continues to be the case.

"The political declaration, which will set the framework for future relations, can be improved.

Mr Barnier said he hoped that Mrs May's decision to speak to Labour would allow "a new process to emerge in the House of Commons and ultimately for a new majority to emerge with regard to the withdrawal agreement and political declaration".

He added: "This is what would provide meaning to the request which the UK prime minister has submitted for an extension."

But Germany's deputy foreign minister, Michael Roth, said that, despite the opening of cross-party talks, "so far absolutely nothing has changed" and "we are in a very, very frustrating situation here".

Mr Roth warned: "Within the European Union, there isn't an endless readiness to keep talking about delays so long as there is no substantial progress on the British side".
M Ps will get a vote on giving the public a say on any Brexit deal struck between the Government and Labour, a cabinet minister signalled today.

Justice Secretary David Gauke said it was inevitable that an MP would table an amendment to the Withdrawal Agreement Bill so that another vote could be held on whether to have a second referendum.

His view was echoed by shadow cabinet member Tony Lloyd who believes such a move in the Commons is bound to be the case.

However, Mr Lloyd also played down the prospect of a breakthrough in the cross-party talks today ahead of a crucial EU summit in Brussels tomorrow.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell was today joining the Labour delegation involved in the talks, which would also involve Chancellor Philip Hammond.

Secretary of State for Justice David Gauke hinted MPs will get a say on a second Brexit referendum / EPA

What we are trying to do is make sure that we arrive at a deal which first of all protects jobs and the economy. We dont think Theresa Mays deal does that, said Mr McDonnell.

We are also discussing the issue  it seems, apparently she has raised in Cabinet as well  the issue about going back to the people.

TODO: define component type apester

Mr Gauke said that Mrs May had repeatedly said that she did not want a confirmatory referendum. He said she had not discussed with him a free vote on the issue in the Commons.

However, he added: There is point here to distinguish between the talks with the Labour Party  and what will inevitably happen as and when we bring a Withdrawal Agreement Bill through the Commons, is that somebody will bring forward an amendment on whether there should be a confirmatory referendum.

London People's Vote march: In Pictures 1 /50 London People's Vote march: In Pictures EPA An EU supporter with her face painted REUTERS PA AFP/Getty Images REUTERS EPA A demonstrator carries a dog on his shoulders AP An EU supporter carries a child on his shoulders, calling on the government to give Britons a vote on the final Brexit deal REUTERS PA REUTERS EU supporters dressed in costumes REUTERS EPA Sir Vince Cable in attendance PA A demonstrator holds a holds a poster AP EPA An EU supporter with the EU flag painted on her face, REUTERS Getty Images A demonstrator leads a dog wearing a suit in the EU colors during a Peoples Vote AP An EU supporter takes a selfie with a sticker on his nose REUTERS Demonstrators pull a cart with a doll AP Katie Walton Placards stand against a wall Getty Images Anti-Brexit campaigners before they take part in the People's Vote March PA Katie Walton Getty Images Getty Images A demonstrator and her dog wait for the start of a Peoples Vote anti-Brexit march in London AP REUTERS Demonstrators on their way from London Victoria Jacob Jarvis Independent Group MPs Chuka Umunna and Anna Soubry have a selfie taken with Tracey Ullman PA REUTERS The march took place in central London REUTERS An anti-Brexit banner is unfurled from Westminster PA A demonstrator holds a dog on a leash as people start gathering for a Peoples Vote anti-Brexit march in London AP Anti-Brexit campaigners in Park Lane PA Demonstrators carry posters during a Peoples Vote AP nti-Brexit badges are seen Getty Images Getty Images

To strike a deal with Labour would require flexibility on all sides, he said, adding that discussions needed to be held at pace, and that there was some common ground, with the Prime Ministers deal already containing elements of a customs union which Labour supports.

The Prime Ministers deal already means that we dont have tariffs, we dont have quotas, we dont have rules of origin requirements in terms of our final relationship with the EU, he said.

But Mr Lloyd told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: We are still looking for the Government to show that it is prepared to rip up its red lines.

He cast doubt on any breakthrough today, saying: I very much doubt its going to be the decisive day. It would be great if it were, but lets not hold our breath on that one.

He believes there is common ground on avoiding a no-deal, but the Government is still a distance away from Labours position on a customs agreement, regulatory standards equivalent to the single market and progressive acceptance of standards on the environment and employment rights.

What is clear is that any deal that we as a party agree with the PM would have to go back to Parliament  almost certainly there would be amendments moved to establish a confirmatory vote, thats bound to be the case, he added.
T heresa May is today heading for top level Brexit talks in Berlin and Paris as Parliament again moved to take more control of the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

The Prime Minister cancelled her weekly Cabinet so she can appeal in person to German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Emmanuel Macron.

Her diplomatic flurry comes ahead of a crunch EU summit on Wednesday. All 27 remaining EU heads of government must agree an extension if the UK is to avoid the default position of a no-deal Brexit on April 12.

It comes after MPs and peers backed a new law to extend the Brexit process and seek to avoid a no-deal exit from the EU. The move places a legal requirement on the Prime Minister to seek an extension to Article 50.

The Brexit delay bill was given royal assent last night / EPA

Mrs May had already outlined plans to ask the EU for an extension to June 30, but MPs could now seek to amend the date when the Commons debates the issue on Tuesday.

The Commons backed a series of Lords amendments to the European Union (Withdrawal) (No 5) Act after it was rushed through both Houses of Parliament.

The cross-party move brought forward by Yvette Cooper and others led to Mrs May tabling a Commons motion for debate on Tuesday setting June 30 as the extension date.

Meeting today: Theresa May and Angela Merkel (AFP/Getty Images file photo) / AFP/Getty Images

The Act was amended by peers to state that nothing in it prevented the Prime Minister from "seeking or agreeing" an extension, provided it was not earlier than May 22.

The move came as the Government and Labour were holding talks on trying to break the Brexit deadlock.

TODO: define component type brightcove

After officials from the two sides met on Monday, the fresh round of talks will include Mrs May's defacto deputy, Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington, and Labour's shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has called on the Government to be more flexible regarding red line issues in the talks.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn leaves his home on Monday morning / REUTERS

In a bid to end the deadlock with Labour, the Prime Minister is considering offering MPs a vote on whether to hold a referendum on any deal agreed on Brexit, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Senior backbench Tories visited Mrs May in Downing Street on Monday and it is understood concern was expressed about the possibility of agreeing a customs union as a price for a deal with Labour.

The cross-party discussions are taking place as the Tories launch a selection process for candidates to stand in European Parliament elections next month.

Theresa May pictured leaving church on Sunday / Simon Dawson/Reuters

The Government tabled an order enabling the elections to be held in Britain if the country has not left the EU by the time they are due to take place on May 23.

The Cabinet Office said the elections would be cancelled automatically if the UK left before then.

European Council president Donald Tusk has recommended a one-year extension to the Brexit process, with a break clause allowing an earlier departure if a withdrawal deal is ratified in Westminster.
How EU leaders have reacted to the extension

EU leaders have also had their say on the Brexit extension.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he had pushed against a long extension "for the collective good".

"It is true that the majority was more in favour of a very long extension," he said. "But it was not logical in my view, and above all, it was neither good for us, nor for the British people."

(AFP)

He added: "I think we delivered the best possible compromise. First because it was the one to preserve the unity of the 27.

"Second because we addressed the request from the UK to get more time to deliver a deal on the basis of the withdrawal agreement negotiated a few months ago.

"And third because thanks to this agreement we preserve the well-functioning of the European Union."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who backed a longer extension, said she supported the effort to secure an orderly Brexit.

(REUTERS)

She said: "In the face of the many problems the world is facing today, it means a lot to us.

"And we talked about this tonight that we, as Europeans, send out a signal that even if such a difficult discussion comes up, we are nevertheless capable of ensuring that this withdrawal is an orderly one."

She added: "In my eyes it's important now that the European Union does not exert pressure here on Great Britain. We have very clear demands and expectations.

"We have to have ways and means to ensure that the withdrawal agreement is adhered to. It's not important whether it's that date or another one."

(AP)

Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the European Union "is not a prison (and) nobody has to stay, but it's also a home and we're not going to kick anybody out either".

Asked if he thought the extension was long enough, he said: "I really hope so. The European Union is imperfect, we took several hours here to make a decision, there were different views, we had to bounce things around for five or six hours this evening but we did make a decision.

"It's three years since the referendum now and we really think it's time for the United Kingdom to make a decision, so we're giving them a very long period of time now to make a decision."

Mr Varadkar said there was "genuine concern" about the UK remaining in the EU for an extended period of time while it intends to leave in case it disrupts EU business.

"Quite frankly that is already the case, with Ukip and (Nigel) Farage," he added.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned that a no-deal Brexit was not off the table.

He tweeted: "EUCO does not want a disorderly exit, but it is true that it is not ruled out.

"The ball is now in the court of the British Parliament."

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said the delay gave time to overcome the "crisis" in the Commons.

"We moved away the risk of no-deal Brexit for a several months," he tweeted.

"It gives a chance to overcome the ratification crisis in UK. It is now up to UK to take this opportunity."

Lars Lokke Rasmussen, prime minister of Denmark, said it was down to the UK to find solutions to the Brexit impasse.

He tweeted: "One more chance for the UK. Managed to avoid a NoDealBrexit tonight. New deadline 31.10. Up to the UK to find solutions."

Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila tweeted: "This mess has been going on for three years. Lets hope prime minister May and the opposition will find consensus."

Malta's prime minister Joseph Muscat said the 31 October deadline was "sensible".
WILMINGTON, Del., April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rigrodsky & Long, P.A.:



Do you, or did you, own shares of CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL )?



Did you purchase your shares between May 10, 2018 and March 4, 2019, inclusive?



Did you lose money in your investment?

Rigrodsky & Long, P.A. reminds shareholders of CenturyLink, Inc. (CenturyLink or the Company) (NYSE: CTL) of an upcoming deadline involving a securities fraud class action lawsuit commenced against the Company.

A complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California on behalf of all persons or entities that purchased the common stock of CenturyLink between May 10, 2018 and March 4, 2019, inclusive (the Class Period), alleging violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 against the Company and certain of its officers (the Complaint). If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than May 6, 2019.

If you purchased shares of CenturyLink during the Class Period, or purchased shares prior to the Class Period and still hold CenturyLink, and wish to discuss this action or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights or interests, please contact Seth D. Rigrodsky or Timothy J. MacFall at Rigrodsky & Long, P.A., 300 Delaware Avenue, Suite 1220, Wilmington, DE 19801, by telephone at (888) 969-4242, by e-mail at info@rl-legal.com, or at http://rigrodskylong.com/contact-us/.



The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, defendants made materially false and misleading statements, and omitted materially adverse facts, about the Companys business, operations and prospects. Specifically, the Complaint alleges that the defendants concealed from the investing public that: (1) CenturyLink had undisclosed material weaknesses in its internal controls over revenue recording processes and the procedures for measuring fair value of assets and liabilities assumed in connection with its Level 3 Communications, Inc. acquisition; (2) consequently, CenturyLink would delay the filing of its Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 despite initially reporting those financial results in a press release dated February 13, 2019; and (3) as a result, the Companys public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. As a result of defendants alleged false and misleading statements, the Companys stock traded at artificially inflated prices during the Class Period.

A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. Any member of the proposed class may move the court to serve as lead plaintiff through counsel of their choice, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member.

Rigrodsky & Long, P.A., with offices in Delaware, New York, and California, has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of investors and achieved substantial corporate governance reforms in numerous cases nationwide, including federal securities fraud actions, shareholder class actions, and shareholder derivative actions.

Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Rigrodsky & Long, P.A.

Seth D. Rigrodsky

Timothy J. MacFall

(888) 969-4242

(516) 683-3516

Fax: (302) 654-7530

info@rl-legal.com

http://www.rigrodskylong.com
E uropean Council president Donald Tusk has written to EU leaders urging them to adopt his so-called "flextension" to Brexit of one year.

The letter from Mr Tusk came as France performed a u-turn after an aide to President Emmanuel Macron said that a year would be too long.

France now appears to be on track to accept a further delay to Britain's departure from the EU.

The UK could still crash out of the EU without a deal on Friday if no agreement is reached at an emergency summit in Brussels.

Mrs May is meeting Mr Macron ahead of an emergency EU summit on Wednesday (PA) The unanimous agreement of all 27 remaining members is needed for any delay to be approved.

Theresa May spent the day day holding talks with Mr Macron in Paris and German chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin. She has been making the case for a delay to Brexit until June 30.

Emmanuel Macron greets Theresa May before a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris / AP

Following the talks in Paris, a Downing Street spokesman said: "The Prime Minister met with president Macron in Paris this afternoon ahead of the EU Council meeting tomorrow.

"Following the Prime Minister's letter to Donald Tusk last week, the leaders discussed the UK's request for an extension of Article 50 to June 30th, with the option to bring this forward if a deal is ratified earlier.

"The Prime Minister updated President Macron on the ongoing talks with the Opposition to agree a way forward that respects the result of the 2016 referendum.

Theresa May and Angela Merkel discuss Brexit during their meeting today / AFP/Getty Images

"They also discussed upcoming European Parliamentary elections with the PM saying that the Government was working very hard to avoid the need for the UK to take part."

MPs voted 420 to 110 to endorse her proposed delay.

Mr Tusk, in a letter to the heads of the 27 remaining member states ahead of a crunch summit on Wednesday, said there was "little reason to believe" that the ratification of Mrs May's beleaguered Brexit deal could be completed by the end of June.

TODO: define component type apester

He called for the European Council to discuss an alternative, longer extension, such as a "flexible extension" lasting "as long as necessary and no longer than one year".

Mr Tusk wrote: "The flexibility would allow to terminate the extension automatically, as soon as both sides have ratified the Withdrawal Agreement.

"The UK would be free to leave whenever it is ready. And the EU27 would avoid repeated Brexit summits.

"Importantly, a long extension would provide more certainty and predictability by removing the threat of constantly shifting cliff-edge dates.

"Furthermore, in the event of a continued stalemate, such a longer extension would allow the UK to rethink its Brexit strategy."

Michel Barnier, said Brussels could amend the Political Declaration on future relations with the UK "within a few hours or days" / EPA

He suggested that the EU would grant an extension rather than allowing Britain to leave without a deal on Friday, saying that, given the "risks posed" for those on both sides of the English Channel, "I trust that we will continue to do our utmost to avoid this scenario".

Mr Tusk's letter came after the PM arrived in Paris for talks with Mr Macron, who in recent days has warned that an extension to the Article 50 withdrawal process is not guaranteed.

Earlier over a "working lunch", Mrs May and Ms Merkel had agreed on the importance of an "orderly withdrawal" from the EU, Downing Street said.

The unanimous agreement of all 27 remaining EU states is needed to avoid a no-deal Brexit on the scheduled date of April 12.

The visits came as the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, said Brussels could amend the Political Declaration on future relations with the UK "within a few hours or days" to incorporate the customs union arrangement being discussed in cross-party talks between the Government and Labour.

But there were signs of resistance in Mrs May's Cabinet to compromise with Labour, with International Trade Secretary Liam Fox warning that a customs union would leave the UK "stuck in the worst of both worlds".

Mrs May has asked for the date of Brexit to be delayed until June 30 at Wednesday's summit, with the possibility of an earlier departure if the UK's withdrawal deal is ratified.

MPs backed her call in a Commons vote on Tuesday afternoon as they approved a Government motion for Mrs May to seek an extension to June 30 by 420 votes to 110, majority 310.

However 97 Conservatives rebelled by opposing the plan - including former Brexit secretaries David Davis and Dominic Raab.

Meanwhile the cross-party talks seeking to break the Brexit impasse will resume on Thursday, with Labour saying the Government had not yet made a "clear shift" in its position.

A party spokeswoman said: "We had further detailed and wide-ranging talks with Cabinet ministers and officials today.

"We have yet to see the clear shift in the Government's position that is needed to secure a compromise agreement.

"We have agreed to hold further talks on Thursday in an effort to break the Brexit deadlock, and find a compromise that can win support in Parliament and bring the country together."

A Downing Street spokesman said the talks were "productive" and "wide-ranging", adding: "We remain completely committed to delivering on Brexit, with both sides working hard to agreeing a way forward, appreciating the urgency in order to avoid European elections."
 Outdated divorce laws are set to be overhauled to prevent separating couples from playing the blame game with each other when wanting to split.

The fifty-year-old laws are going to be changed under new Government plans to try and remove the existing fault-based system.

Parting couples will no longer have to say who is to blame for the marriage failing, under the new law.

Justice Secretary David Gauke confirmed new legislation would be introduced after a consultation revealed support for reforms of the existing fault-based system.

The legislation will be introduced as soon as parliamentary time becomes available.

Currently in England and Wales, unless someone can prove there was adultery, unreasonable behaviour or desertion, the only way to obtain a divorce without their spouse's agreement is to live apart for five years.

The proposed new arrangements will keep "irretrievable breakdown" of a marriage as the sole grounds for divorce.

But, rather than having to provide evidence relating to behaviour or separation, divorcing spouses will be required to make a statement that the marriage has broken down.

The ability of a husband or wife to contest a divorce - used in under 2% of cases - will be scrapped under the shake-up.

The existing two-stage process, in which a decree nisi is followed by a decree absolute, will be retained under the proposed new system.

It will introduce a six-month minimum period that must elapse between the lodging of a petition to the divorce being made final.

The Government is also planning to make it possible for couples to make joint divorce applications, alongside the current option for one party to initiate the process.

Mr Gauke said: "While we will always uphold the institution of marriage, it cannot be right that our outdated law creates or increases conflict between divorcing couples.

"So I have listened to calls for reform and firmly believe now is the right time to end this unnecessary blame game for good."

Aidan Jones, chief executive of charity Relate, welcomed the "much-needed" changes.

He said: "The outdated fault-based divorce system led parting couples to apportion blame, often resulting in increased animosity and making it harder for ex-partners to develop positive relationships as co-parents.

"While divorce isn't a decision that people tend to take lightly, we do support the extension of the minimum timeframe which will allow more time to reflect, give things another go if appropriate, and access support such as relationship counselling or mediation."

Christina Blacklaws, president of the Law Society of England and Wales, said the current system "exacerbates tensions" between couples.

She added: "The government's decision to introduce a 'no fault' divorce will help to cut some of the conflict from what can be a highly stressful experience.

"For separating parents, it can be much more difficult to focus on the needs of their children when they have to prove a fault-based fact against their former partner. Introducing a 'no fault' divorce will change the way couples obtain a divorce - for the better."

Details of the proposals were first unveiled last year, and ministers have decided to press ahead following a 12-week consultation.

Calls for reform intensified after a woman lost a legal battle to divorce her husband of 40 years.

Tini Owens argued she was unhappy in her marriage, which she claimed had broken down irretrievably.

But Mrs Owens's husband Hugh Owens did not agree to divorce, and the Supreme Court ruled against her, meaning she must remain married until 2020.

Last year, 118,000 people petitioned for divorce in England and Wales.

Parallel changes will be made to the law governing the dissolution of a civil partnership.
T he family of a London youth worker who died on holiday in Ibiza last summer are still waiting to bury him because his body was returned to the UK without his heart.

Anwaar Lahrichi-Greenwood, 24, was found floating in San Antonio port wearing only his socks after vanishing on a night out with friends last August.

A preliminary post-mortem examination in Spain gave the likely cause of death as drowning, although witnesses claim Mr Lahrichi-Greenwood was attacked by three men before his disappearance. The case is still being investigated by a Spanish court.

His family have used donations, credit cards and life savings to pay more than 10,000 in legal fees over the case, as well as 8,000 to repatriate his body.

But they were horrified to discover that Mr Lahrichi-Greenwood, from Edmonton, had been flown back missing his heart and part of his lung, which had been removed for forensic tests without their knowledge.

San Antonio port, Ibiza, where Anwaar Lahrichi-Greenwood's body was found / Alamy Stock Photo

Nearly eight months later, they are still waiting for the organs to be returned so that a second examination can be carried out ahead of a UK inquest and he can then be buried.

His aunt Rashida Lahrichi said: My family dont understand why his heart hasnt been returned. We have done all the things anyone could do but we still havent got Anwaar to rest. Were all suffering.

His mother Amina said: It is unimaginably difficult to lose a child, to be unable to bury him and to be in a state of limbo with so much unknown, is just impossible.

Mr Lahrichi-Greenwood, who worked as a mentor and carer for vulnerable children, had gone with friends to the Soul City club near the harbour before he vanished at 3am on Saturday, August 4.

His body was found some 30 hours later  one of at least four young Britons to die on the Mediterranean party island last summer.

It took months to establish that Mr Lahrichi-Greenwoods missing organs were at a laboratory in Barcelona, while a fire at a courthouse in Ibiza has further delayed the case.

His family are fundraising to pay for their mounting legal fees in Spain and the UK, where they do no expect to receive legal aid for the inquest. The return of the missing organs is expected to cost approximately 1,500.

Their lawyer in Spain, Cristina Samaan Joaniquet, said she was hopeful the case would be resolved soon and that the court dealing with it had told her this week the Institute of Forensic Medicine could now send the heart to an undertaker so they could arrange its repatriation.

A source close to the judicial inquiry said: The general feeling is that the police investigation has been very thorough and the judge is happy that everything that could have been done up until now has been.
J ames Cracknell has admitted his successful bid to become the oldest person to win the Boat Race was a very selfish pursuit.

The 46-year-old double Olympic gold medallist, who was part of the winning team in Sundays race, said he now realises there is more to life than mucking around in a boat.

The couple announced their separation last month after 17 years of marriage.

Now the race is over, I realise there is much more to life than mucking about in a rowing boat, Cracknell told the Daily Telegraph.

The last few months have put that into perspective. Rowing and sport arent the most important things in life. But to [achieve in sport] you have to be a single-minded person.

Split: James Cracknell with Beverley Turner / Getty Images

Turner, a TV and radio presenter who has three children with Cracknell, described his move to Cambridge as an absolute dereliction of parenting and marital duty.

Writing in the Times, she also said changes in Cracknells personality following a brain injury in 2010 had contributed to their break-up.

The Boat Race 2019 - In pictures 1 /13 The Boat Race 2019 - In pictures The Cambridge University Boat Club Blue Boat Crew and The Cambridge University Women's Boat Club Blue Boat Crew celebrates after winning the Women's and Men's Boat Race during The Boat Race 2019 Getty Images Cambridge celebrate winning the Women's Boat Race PA Members of the Cambridge University women's crew celebrate EPA Members of the Cambridge University women's crew celebrate EPA Cambridge celebrate winning the women's boat race on the podium with the trophy REUTERS Cambridge cox Matthew Holland is thrown in the water PA Cambridge approach Hammersmith bridge during the Men's Boat Race PA Cambridge's Abigail Parker and Dara Alizadeh celebrate after winning the women's and men's boat races REUTERS British rower James Cracknell (C) smiles as he poses with his medal AFP/Getty Images Cambridge's James Cracknell in action during the men's boat race REUTERS
T his Morning has been criticised for a segment on sex tourism in Gambia after two women appeared on air to discuss the African countrys status as a romance hotspot for British grans.

Jackie Simpson, 63, and her sister Julie Ramsey, 61, revealed they have visited the West African state 15 times in eight years to meet with younger men.

The pair, from Cleethorpes, claimed to have originally visited because they love reggae and Bob Marley.

But the segment was labelled offensive and ignorant on social media, with some claiming it was cringeworthy.

Ms Simpson said: "I've had a relationship with two of them. It's noticeable, as soon as you get to the airport, the young Gambians are there. I went to have a dress made and the tailor proposed to me.

"I had a good time with the boyfriend I had. British men are vulgar, Gambian men are gentlemanly, maybe because they're laid back on the weed."

Ms Ramsey added: "You get all kind of propositions, but you have to be sensible and realise young men don't want old women. They're poor, they get a nice meal and a few drinks."

One Twitter user highlighted that the show had previously featured women who had been ripped off by scammers posing as their boyfriends to acquire visas.

Another said Older ladies going to Gambia to find love is same as older men going to Thailand.
A teenage boy who went viral for egging an Australian senator will not be charged, police have said.

Will Connolly, 17, has instead been issued an official caution by Victoria state police.

Officials also concluded that Senator Fraser Anning had acted in self-defence when he twice struck the teenager afterwards.

Mr Connolly breaks an egg on the head of Senator Fraser Anning while he holds a press conference / AP

The incident came after the senator controversially blamed the New Zealand mosque massacre on Muslim immigration.

Mr Anning's colleagues in Australia's Parliament passed a censure motion against him last week, saying his statements blaming the victims were ugly and dangerous.

Melbourne teenager Will Connolly, known as EggBoy speaks out

"This egg has united people and money has been raised, tens of thousands of dollars has been raised for those victims," Mr Connolly said.

"It's going to help people affected by the tragedy in Christchurch, every cent."

He maintained the stunt was intended to be a few laughs with mates and did not expect the Senator to react to the egging.
A holidaymaker from Kent could face trial and a fine in Italy after she allegedly chiselled off pieces of a 2,000-year-old mosaic.

The 21-year-old woman from Tunbridge Wells was sightseeing with her parents and sister in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, when she was caught by guards, apparently breaking off around 20 pieces of precious artwork.

The woman and her family had been visiting the Casa dellancora, which is a villa that gets its name from a mosaic of an anchor on the wall, when guards said she climbed over a rope barrier and chipped at the tiles.

A police official said: The guard stopped her and asked for her details to make a report, but she declined and walked away, leaving the mosaic pieces on the ground.

Amazing Pompeii fresco discovered - In pictures 1 /10 Amazing Pompeii fresco discovered - In pictures The fresco recently discovered in the Regio V archeological area in Pompeii EPA The fresco recently discovered in the Regio V archeological area in Pompeii EPA The fresco recently discovered in the Regio V archeological area in Pompeii EPA The fresco recently discovered in the Regio V archeological area in Pompeii EPA The fresco recently discovered in the Regio V archeological area in Pompeii EPA The fresco recently discovered in the Regio V archeological area in Pompeii EPA The fresco recently discovered in the Regio V archeological area in Pompeii AP The fresco recently discovered in the Regio V archeological area in Pompeii AP

The guard called us, we stopped the family and brought them to our office to identify them.

The woman showed little remorse, despite the fact she may stand trial and get a suspended sentence of up to eight months, while repairs will cost 2,600.

Pompeii, located near the modern city of Naples, was buried under metres of volcanic ash and pumice after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Largely preserved under the layers, the excavated city is favoured by tourists for its frozen-in-time insight into Roman life, and coveted by thieves for its well-conserved artefacts.

Catastrophe: More than 16,000 people are thought to have died in the eruption in 79 AD / AFP/Getty Images

A special unit of the national police force is dedicated to tracking down professional thieves in the city and the international dealers they sell to.

Last year, tunnels more than 200 yards long used by thieves were found in Pompeii, and three years ago, an extensive investigation ago saw fragments of fresco that had been stolen in 1957 finally returned from the US to their rightful home.
N ine leaders of the pro-democracy Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong were today facing years in jail after being convicted of public nuisance and other charges.

Retired professor Chan Kin-man, 59, law professor Benny Tai, 54, and Baptist minister Chu Yiu-ming, 74  the so-called Occupy trio  led marches in 2014 demanding the right to elect their own leader in the former British colony.

Two current and one former politician, two student leaders and an activist were also convicted of similar charges. They are all facing jail time of up to seven years.

No matter what happens today ... we will persist on and do not give up, Mr Tai told reporters before the verdicts.

Hong Kong judges have been facing mounting pressure from Beijing to hand down heavier sentences to deter future protests.

High-profile student leader Joshua Wong, 22, was handed community service in 2016 for unlawful assembly, which was later upgraded to three months in jail. Hong Kongs biggest popular protest in years saw tens of thousands lay siege to government headquarters and paralyse the financial district for 79 days.

It became known as the Umbrella Movement after protesters used umbrellas as shields when police fired tear gas to disperse them. Several hundred were arrested.

The movement fizzled without winning concessions from the Hong Kong government for free elections.

Today more than 100 supporters, some raising yellow umbrellas, gathered at the courthouse in the West Kowloon district to hear the verdicts.

Man-kei Tam, director of Amnesty International Hong Kong, called the courts decision a crushing blow for freedom of expression and peaceful protest in Hong Kong.

Maya Wang, senior China researcher at Human Rights Watch, said the courts could embolden the government to prosecute more peaceful activists.

Lord Patten, who was British governor of Hong Kong when the territory was handed over to Chinese rule in 1997, said it was appallingly divisive to use anachronistic common law charges in a vengeful pursuit of a five-year-old political protest.
S mallville star Allison Mack pleaded guilty to playing a part in an alleged scheme to turn women into sex slaves for a cult-like upstate New York group.

Mack, 36, conceded to two racketeering counts and faces up to twenty years in prison for each when she is sentenced on September 11.

Through tears she apologised to the women that prosecutors say were exploited by Keith Raniere and the purported self-help group called NXIVM.

"I believed Keith Raniere's intentions were to help people, and I was wrong," Mack told a Brooklyn judge, on the same day jury selection began for a federal trial in the case.

Mack, who is best known for her role as a young Superman's close friend on the series Smallville between 2001 and 2011, said: "I know I can and will be a better person."

Allison Mack was in Smallville from 2001 to 2011 / Getty Images

The plea means Mack will avoid going to trial with Raniere, wealthy heiress Clare Bronfman and another member of Raniere's inner circle, Kathy Russell.

They have all pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.

About two hours after Mack's guilty plea, potential jurors got their first glimpse of the jailed Raniere.

Opening statements are scheduled for April 29 for a trial that is expected to last up to six weeks.

Court papers allege NXIVM formed a secret society of women who were branded with Raniere's initials then forced to have sex with him.

Attorneys for the defence insist any relationship between Raniere and the alleged victims, including an unidentified actress and other women expected to testify against him at trial, was consensual.

On Monday Mack said she obtained compromising information and images of two unidentified women at Ranieres instruction.
P M prepares for Brexit talks in Paris and Berlin

Theresa May will today enter Brexit talks with German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Emmanuel Macron.

The Prime Minister will appeal for an extension to the UKs withdrawal from the EU as she travels to Berlin and Paris.

It comes after MPs and peers last night backed a new law to delay the Brexit process and seek to avoid a no-deal exit.

Mrs Mays diplomatic flurry comes ahead of a crunch EU summit tomorrow.

All 27 remaining EU heads of government must agree an extension if the UK is to avoid a no-deal Brexit on April 12.

Man killed as he is shot and stabbed in east London

A man has died after being stabbed and shot in east London, police believe.

Emergency services rushed to the scene in Manor Park shortly before 9.30pm yesterday.

The victim, aged in his twenties, was found suffering what were believed to be knife and gunshot wounds.

Despite the efforts of paramedics, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

It came just hours after three teenagers were stabbed within minutes of each other in nearby streets in north-east London.

UN condemns air strike on Libya airport

The UN has condemned an air strike which forced the only functioning airport in Tripoli, Libya's capital, to close.

Flights at Mitiga International Airport were suspended and passengers were evacuated following the strike yesterday.

No casualties have been reported.

Clashes between rival Libyan forces for control of Tripoli escalated as the death toll from days of fighting increased.

At least 51 people were confirmed dead.

The UN said the latest fighting has displaced 3,400 people and blocked emergency services from reaching casualties.

Trump removes Secret Service boss

Donald Trump is removing the US Secret Service director Randolph Tex Alles, the White House has confirmed.

His dismissal comes amid major leadership changes at the sprawling Department of Homeland Security.

Alles will remain in his position for now.

But White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said James Murray, a career Secret Service agent, will take over in May.

Alles said he was not fired and described the shift as part of an "orderly transition in leadership" across the department.

London youth jail inmates attack prison officers

Thirteen prison officers were rushed to hospital after they were attacked by inmates inside a youth jail in London.

Some 20 staff at Feltham Young Offenders Institution were injured in separate incidents at the weekend, the Prison Service said.

The perpetrators face adjudication hearings over the next few days and could face prosecution by police.

Fans of Game of Thrones will need therapy after finale

Game of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie has said fans will need to seek therapy after viewing the show's dramatic ending.

The epic fantasy drama returns to screens next week for its eighth and final season.

Christie and her co-star Emilia Clarke have promised that viewers will enjoy the "bigger" than ever before episodes.

Speaking of the show's ending, Christie, who plays Brienne of Tarth, said: "You're going to need therapy."

On this day

1483: The young Edward V acceded to the throne on the death of Edward IV. He was never crowned and disappeared, believed murdered, 75 days later.

1626: Francis Bacon, philosopher and statesman, died - apparently killed by a chicken. He was trying to stuff it with snow as a method of preservation, caught a chill and died.

1838: The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, London, was opened.

1865: Confederate General Robert E Lee surrendered to General Grant in Virginia, bringing the American Civil War to an end.

1940: Germany invaded Norway and Denmark.

1945: The USS Liberty exploded in Bari harbour, Italy, killing 360 people.

1969: The first British-built Concorde 002 made its maiden flight from Filton to RAF Fairford.

1981: The US Navy nuclear submarine USS George Washington accidentally collided with the Nissho Maru, a Japanese cargo ship, sinking it.

1983: Jenny Pitman became the first woman to train an English Grand National winner with Corbiere.

1991: Georgia declared independence from the Soviet Union.

2003: Baghdad fell to American forces, Iraqis pulled down a statue of former leader Saddam Hussein.
WILMINGTON, Del., April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rigrodsky & Long, P.A.:

Do you, or did you, own shares of Bridgepoint Education, Inc. (NYSE: BPI )?



Did you purchase your shares between March 8, 2016 and March 7, 2019, inclusive?



Did you lose money in your investment?

Rigrodsky & Long, P.A. reminds shareholders of Bridgepoint Education, Inc. (Bridgepoint or the Company) (NYSE: BPI) of an upcoming deadline involving a securities fraud class action lawsuit commenced against the Company.

A complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California on behalf of all persons or entities that purchased the common stock of Bridgepoint between March 8, 2016 and March 7, 2019, inclusive (the Class Period), alleging violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 against the Company and certain of its officers (the Complaint). If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than May 10, 2019.

If you purchased shares of Bridgepoint during the Class Period, or purchased shares prior to the Class Period and still hold Bridgepoint, and wish to discuss this action or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights or interests, please contact Seth D. Rigrodsky or Timothy J. MacFall at Rigrodsky & Long, P.A., 300 Delaware Avenue, Suite 1220, Wilmington, DE 19801, by telephone at (888) 969-4242, by e-mail at info@rl-legal.com, or at http://rigrodskylong.com/contact-us/.



The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, defendants made materially false and misleading statements, and omitted materially adverse facts, about the Companys business, operations and prospects. Specifically, the Complaint alleges that the defendants concealed from the investing public that: (i) Bridgepoints processes for recording revenue for its FTG program were inaccurate; (ii) Bridgepoint maintained deficient internal controls; (iii) due to the foregoing deficiencies, Bridgepoint was prone to and did commit material accounting errors related to revenue, provision for bad debts, accounts receivable and deferred revenue, which resulted in the overstatement of revenue and expenses; and (iv) as a result, Bridgepoints public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. As a result of defendants alleged false and misleading statements, the Companys stock traded at artificially inflated prices during the Class Period.

A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. Any member of the proposed class may move the court to serve as lead plaintiff through counsel of their choice, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member.

Rigrodsky & Long, P.A., with offices in Delaware, New York, and California, has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of investors and achieved substantial corporate governance reforms in numerous cases nationwide, including federal securities fraud actions, shareholder class actions, and shareholder derivative actions.

Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Rigrodsky & Long, P.A.

Seth D. Rigrodsky

Timothy J. MacFall

(888) 969-4242

(516) 683-3516

Fax: (302) 654-7530

info@rl-legal.com

http://www.rigrodskylong.com
M alin Andersson doesnt follow any mothers on Instagram. She unfollowed them all on Mothers Day last month  the same day her daughter, Consy, would have turned 14 weeks old. I didnt want any triggers, its too raw, says the former Love Island star, showing me a video clip of her little girl lying in an incubator with a nametag round her wrist. Born on December 23 almost two months premature, Consy  who weighed just 4lb 8oz  was too small to be operated on. She died four weeks later.

For Andersson, 26, it was the final, unforgiving blow in a series of losses. Her father, Rune, died of cancer before she was one, and in 2017  a year after she left the Love Island villa  her mother, also called Consy, passed away after battling cancer for a third time. Andersson became pregnant three months later. Now shes launched a mental health app in her childs memory.

Andersson spent 23 hours a day by Consys side, and after her death, she didnt get out of bed for three weeks. I lost track of myself a bit, she says, three months on. Anger took over. I was like: How is this happening to me? Why me? I didnt think it would happen to me again. This isnt how life is meant to be.

ITV bosses sent her flowers, which was a lovely gesture but I shouldve had a phone call like, Hey, are you OK? says Andersson, firmly. Fair enough its not their responsibility that my mum or my daughter died, but it happened in the public eye  and that is a result of [being on Love Island].

Then, last month, fellow Love Islander Mike Thalassitis was found dead. They rang me after that, she says pointedly. The producers also paid for a therapist  though that was two months too late. Thalassitis, nicknamed Muggy Mike during the 2017 series, was the second former contestant to apparently take their own life in as many years, after 2016 star Sophie Gradon died last June.

Andersson was good friends with Gradon and thinks both deaths should be seen as a warning that contestants need more support. She believes that should begin before the show starts. They need to really do clear psych tests, thorough psych tests  not just Hey, are going to kill yourself? Have you ever had suicidal thoughts?  because were not going to say yes, are we? She is in talks with producers about helping future contestants  they are getting back to her about it.

The mental health history of contestants is important, says Andersson, as is stricter monitoring while they are in the villa and once they leave. The minute you come out, youre on your own, she says. Youre in Palma airport and youre like, Why is everyone staring at me? What do I do with my life now? Suddenly youre judged; theres trolling going on; youve got 300,000 followers and its overwhelming. You think, OK everyones looking at me, I need to look good. I need lip filler, I need Botox, I need surgery. Ive been there and done all that crap, and it just baffles me how I managed to get myself into that vicious cycle.

Rise to fame: Malin Andersson on Love Island / ITV/Rex

She understands the reasons behind Thalassitiss and Gradons deaths were complex, but insists the reality TV culture of fast fame is partly to blame. Gradon had asked for help from producers but never got much back in return and Thalassitis  who she remembers as a sweet, gentle soul  was trolled after the show.

He was a completely different to his persona on TV. They can make you look like a really bad person. These trolls feed off something [the producers] have created. The notion of fast fame. After Love Island, she admits she lost herself and then, when her mum died, fell into a pitfall of drinking, partying and hanging out with the wrong crowd.

Pregnancy gave her some clarity. Being sober for just under a year, not getting Botox or filler, being really kind to your body, nourishing it and being healthy... youre in your clearest mindset, says Andersson. When [Consy] was born, I looked at how innocent her little body was and how untouched she was in her face and just thought, The world is shoving all these things at us and telling us we have to be a certain way when actually we dont.

Consys death, although devastating, marked a turning point. I was like, Do I try and promote these s*** products I dont believe in? Or do I do something real? says Andersson.

In memory of her daughter she has designed an app. Launching in a few months, Consy UK is designed to be a support network for anyone struggling with their mental health, whether its loss and bereavement or eating disorders  which Andersson experienced growing up.

She used to weigh herself after a glass of water while competing in pageants, and before Love Island she starved herself and tracked all her calories because all I wanted to do was be skinny.

Therapy has been her saviour and she wants her app to make this more accessible. Its like Uber, Andersson explains: log on to see therapists in your area and book one through the app.

Therell also be sections on body and soul, whether its finding personal trainers or yoga studios or self-help books. Michelle Obamas new autobiography Becoming and Fearne Cottons book Quiet are among Anderssons favourites, and shell be including a list of her top audio tracks for getting to sleep.

Beauty treatments feature, too, because its about things that make you feel good, she says.

Looking after yourself looks after your mind. You know when you clean your bedroom it makes you feel better? Its like that  when you get your nails done, you feel better, too  though she wont be including surgical treatments like fillers.

What does she say to young girls who ask her how to get into reality TV? That being Instagram-famous is not what they think it is, says Andersson, whos planning to launch a junior version of the Consy app in schools for children as young as six. Actually, its really sad: Youre posting images of your half-naked self and trying to advertise brands and be something, but youre not being yourself. You lose yourself in it. Is she glad she did Love Island? Yes, she says, because its given her an amazing platform to speak on, but shes relieved she had her wake-up call at 26, not 40, when if shed carried on with Botox and other treatments I would have looked like a f****** freak.

Crucially, shes pleased that her mother, daughter and co-stars tragic deaths can be turned into something positive. Everyone knows who Consy is now  its such a meaningful name, says Andersson.

She and baby Consys father Tom Kemp have gone their separate ways since her death but remain friends. He deals with the grief side of things very differently, says Andersson. Hes very closed, he doesnt like to talk, he holds it all in  whereas I like to speak about it.

The pair are still in contact and shes close with Kemps family. This year she spent Mothers Day with his aunt whos been like a mum to her, and Kemp bought her flowers and a card on Consys behalf.

Andersson says shes learned that anger will get her nowhere. You can be envious or think: It wasnt my time: let me focus on myself now, and when the right time comes I will be pregnant and Ill have that family that I want. If I think like that it will happen.
R achel Riley has revealed how her 2013 appearance on Strictly Come Dancing helped her break away from ex-husband Jamie Gilbert.

The Countdown mathematician, 33, explained that the dance competition allowed her to refocus her energy after marriage came to an end.

Opening up on how the show helped her, Riley told British GQ: What Strictly did was gave me distance  because I was away from home in Birmingham, Salford, Borehamwood  and it was the emotional distance that I needed to break away.

She has since found love with her Strictly dance partner Pasha Kovalev, who she has been with since 2014.

2013: Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev were dance partners on the show years ago / BBC

Quizzed as to whether the so-called 'Strictly curse' had contributed to her parting ways with Gilbert, she said: No. Im still friends with my ex-husband. Hes great, hes a brilliant guy.

We were together since I was 19 and it wasnt right.

Riley added that her relationship with Kovalev didnt start for a long time until after her divorce.

She previously gushed over the romance in an interview with the Express but admitted she is in no rush to tie the knot just yet.

New romance: Riley told how she is now 'settled' / Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

She said: I dont worry about getting married or whether he is taking a long time in the morning or whether he has done the dishes. That does not really bother me in the long term. I feel settled.

Reports claimed his exit had come because Riley was concerned he would fall victim to the infamous Strictly curse.

According to The Sun, Riley was uncomfortable with her other half being paired with a string of attractive female celebrities including Ashley Roberts.
T wo years after the partnership was initially announced, IKEA and Sonos have finally unveiled their smart speaker range.

The new SYMFONISK range, unveiled as part of the annual Milan Design Week, features an unusual take on the standard smart speaker in that these two devices do more than just play music. Thats because one of the devices is a table lamp, fitted with a Sonos speaker, and the other is first and foremost a bookshelf, yet is also fitted with the brands speaker tech

The lamp-speaker was created with the idea of de-cluttering the home with less devices and cords. The bookshelf-speaker, on the other hand, is designed to blend into the background so you barely know it is there. Both products are compatible with the rest of the Sonos range and can be managed through the Sonos app.

Its a unique approach to how smart objects can serve two functions. Were increasingly living in smaller homes, new homes being built in the UK today are on average 32 per cent smaller than they were 40 years ago, so why shouldnt the smart objects we buy work twice as hard?

Its also a way to make smart speakers more affordable. The Sonos One costs around 199, but prices for the bookshelf-speaker will be 99, and 150 for the lamp-speaker. That being said, the speakers dont feature voice control so theres no controlling the devices through Google Assistant or Alexa.

Pricing aside, at the core of the partnership is a focus on bringing light and sound into the home, according to Tad Toulis, VP of design at Sonos.

Speaking about the collaboration, he said: IKEA and Sonos recognise the importance of great sound and its potential to positively affect life at home for the many people. We set out to create products neither of us would or could develop independently. To this end, since music and light are both instrumental in creating a sense of place, we developed a product that can deliver both  the SYMFONISK lamp speaker."

One of the lamp-speakers designers at IKEA, Iina Vuorivirta, added: We knew from the start that we wanted to challenge the traditional high-tech aesthetics. The lamp-speaker partly springs from the idea of the fireplace  one single piece that spreads warm light as well as sound.

Light and sound makes sense as a starting point for a product, but what is less clear is the reasoning behind the bookshelf-speaker. Either way, the product was awarded a RED DOT award for product design, the prestigious international design award at Milan Design Week.

The collaboration is also part of IKEAs big push into the smart home, alongside smart lighting and its smart blinds project, which should be coming later this year.
Acumen Research and Consulting, a global provider of market research studies, in a recently published report titled Salicylic Acid Market (By Application: Pharmaceuticals [Wart Remover, Disinfectant, Antifungal, Dentifrices, Antiseptic, Anti-irritant, Scale lifter, Ointment]; Skin Care [Moisturizer, Sunscreen, Acne Solution], Hair Care [Conditioner, Shampoo], Food Preservatives) - Global Industry Analysis, Market Size, Opportunities and Forecast, 2018 - 2026

LOS ANGELES, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The salicylic acid market to grow at a noteworthy CAGR of around 8% during the period from 2016 to 2026. Some of the major factors behind these projections include the augmented demand for salicylic acid as preservatives in food & beverages industry, and increased usage of salicylic acid for skin and hair care treatment.



Free Download Sample Report Pages for Better understanding@ https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/request-sample/1273

Research study estimates, the global salicylic acid market to grow at a significant rate and reach the market size of over $620 million by 2026. Salicylic acid is major drug used for the treatment of skin and hair related problems such acne, dandruff, and corn removal. These are derived for natural sources such as salix and white willow and can be artificially produced through sodium phenolate and carbon dioxide.

The market growth for salicylic acid is likely to get hampered due to its reported side effects on human body such as skin rashes, itching, severe headache, and dizziness. The regulations regarding the use of preservatives in food & beverages by the European government is also likely to restrict the market growth for salicylic acid during the forecast period. However, the manufacturers of salicylic acid have huge growth opportunities during the forecast period owing to the boom in the personal care industry in emerging economies such as Asia Pacific and Latin America. Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, and Chile are anticipated to be one of the most profitable beauty industry globally in coming 5 years. The growing awareness regarding medicated cosmetics in developing countries such as India, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore are also likely to create growth opportunities for manufacturers of salicylic acid during the forecast period.

View Detail Information with Complete TOC@ https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/salicylic-acid-market

Asia Pacific to be the most attractive market for salicylic acid supported by booming cosmetics industry

The report focuses on the regional markets including North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World. Among these markets, North America was the largest market for salicylic acid in 2013 mainly due to the growth in the snacking trend coupled with innovation in food packaging industry and busy life culture in the region.

Asia Pacific is anticipated to be the most attractive market for salicylic acid market during the forecast period owing to the booming personal care and cosmetic industry. According to industry experts, China is projected to become the largest personal care and cosmetics products market in next five years surpassing the U.S. The cosmetic industry in India is estimated to be the fastest growing in the region, with current market size of approximately $4.5-5 billion. The market for salicylic acid is also supported by the growing awareness regarding the concept of processed food in the region.

Latin America is also projected to register significant growth rate during the forecast period owing to the increased adoption of medicated cosmetics products and growing preference for processed food in countries such as Brazil, Argentina, and Peru.

Browse All official Market Research Reports Press Releases@ https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/press-releases

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Skin Care to register highest growth rate during the forecast period

On the basis of application, the global salicylic acid market is segmented into pharmaceuticals, skincare, haircare, and food preservatives. Pharmaceuticals segment has been further sub-segmented as wart remover, disinfectant, antifungal, dentifrices, antiseptic, anti-irritant, scale lifter, ointment. Moisturizer, sunscreen, and acne solution are the sub-segment of skincare segment, whereas conditioners and shampoos are the sub-segments for haircare segment. Skin care is anticipated to be most attractive market for global salicylic acid during the forecast period owing to the increased usage of salicylic acid in medicated cosmetics for the treatment of acne. Salicylic acid helps in clearing away the dead skin and also restricts the entry of impurities in the skin. These features of salicylic acid have resulted in its increased usage in acne treatment globally.

Some of the key players profiled in the report include Zhenjiang Gaopeng Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Shandong Xinhua Longxin Chemical Co. Ltd., Hebei Jingye Group, Simco QC, Novacap, J.M. Loveridge Ltd., Siddharth Carbochem Products Ltd., Alta Laboratories Ltd., and Alfa Aesar.

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eco Oro Minerals Corp. (CSE:EOM) (the Company or Eco Oro) is pleased to announce that it has completed the initial stage (the Initial Subscription) of the US$28 million first tranche (the First Tranche) of its previously announced private placement (the Private Placement). On completion of the Initial Subscription, the Company issued an aggregate of approximately US$10.5 million of contingent value rights certificates and approximately US$12.1 million of unsecured 0.025% interest-bearing promissory notes due June 30, 2028, for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately US$22.6 million. It is currently anticipated that the balance of the First Tranche will be completed on or about April 30, 2019. The proceeds of the Initial Subscription will be used for working capital needs and to repay outstanding obligations.



Company Profile

Eco Oro Minerals Corp. is a publicly-traded company and its arbitration against the Republic of Colombia is its core focus.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, including statements with respect to the completion of the Private Placement. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking statements that involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon the current belief, opinions and expectations of management that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and other contingencies. Many factors could cause the Companys actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

SOURCE Eco Oro Minerals Corp.

For further information: Paul Robertson, Chief Executive Officer (Interim)

Tel: +1 604 682 8212, TF: +1 855 682 8212.

CO: Eco Oro Minerals Corp.
District Attorney Scott Colom spoke at the press conference regarding the details of Barker's sentence.
Countries & Areas

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On Tuesday, in the morning, at Government House, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC and Mrs Kaye de Jersey hosted an Investiture Ceremony for recipients of Australian honours and awards announced in the 2019 Australia Day Honours List and Australian Bravery Decorations announced in March 2018 and August 2018, and the Governor addressed guests.

In the afternoon, at Government House, His Excellency and Mrs de Jersey hosted a second Investiture Ceremony for recipients of Australian honours and awards announced in The Queens Birthday 2018 Honours List and the Australia Day 2019 Honours List, and the Governor addressed guests.

Following, at Government House, His Excellency presided at a special meeting of the Executive Council.
National Liberal Party (PNL) Chairman Ludovic Orban said on Monday that the latest polls place the party he leads to 27-30 percent of the voters' options, almost double the percentages recorded after the loss of the 2016 parliamentary elections.

Read also: Minister Ciamba to preside meetings of General Affairs Council and General Affairs Council

"PNL, after the elections in December [2016 - ed.n.], parliamentary elections, when we lost the elections, stood at 16-17 percent, based on sociological research, in the polls in January-February-March. Today, PNL is shoulder to shoulder, even having a lead over PSD in sociological research, with significant scores between 27 and 30 percent (...), and the trend of PNL is still a growing trend whereas PSD's trend is going down," Ludovic Orban told a public television show.

The Liberal leader, however, stressed that the percentages of the polls are relative and may change.

"The numbers that are presented in the polls are some figures that are relative, they express what the option is at a certain moment. (...) Nearly half of the party's voters are what we call volatile voters, namely people who are not determined a hundred percent to vote for the party, people who can change their option and who even change their choice depending on the developments in a week or two that one party has," Ludovic Orban stated.

He also said that the current poll positioning is due to the fact that PNL made a firm and competent opposition.

"Think that we have 35 referrals to the Constitutional Court that have been successful and have succeeded in stopping the entry into force of legal provisions that would have very bad effects and consequences on the daily life of Romanians," Orban mentioned.

The PNL leader added that, according to the same sociological research, the Romanians are primarily concerned with where the economy is going, the second being with health and the third with education.

AGERPRES .
President Klaus Iohannis is participating on Wednesday, in Brussels, in the European Council meeting (article 50), on the United Kingdom's withdrawal process from the European Union, the Presidential Administration informs.

Read also: Trade deficit, up 751mln euro in first two months, with imports - 10.1pct, exports - 4.8pct

According to the cited source, the heads of state and government will discuss in EU27 format the latest developments in this file, as well as the request sent by British Prime Minister Theresa May, in the letter of 5 April, regarding the delay of the UK's exit from the Union.

AGERPRES .
Description

GIS - 09 April, 2019: The Metro Express Project is right on track and will be operational by September 2019. The construction works of Phase I of the project which is the route from Rose Hill to Port Louis has been accomplished up to 70 %. The next priority is to extend the light rail system from Rose Hill to Quatre Bornes by end of 2020.

The Minister of Public Infrastructure and Land Transport, Mr Nandcoomar Bodha, gave this assurance yesterday, at the Hennessy Park Hotel in Ebene. He was speaking at a press conference to elaborate on the status of work of the Metro Express project. Representatives of the Metro Express Ltd, Larsen & Toubro, and Singapore Co-operation Enterprise were present.

Minister Bodha reiterated Governments commitment to modernise and transform the public transport system so as to enable the country to move towards an era of sophistication and technology. He highlighted that the first LRV is expected to be in Mauritius in July 2019 adding that by October 2019 there will be a total of six LRVs.

Speaking about LRVs, the Minister pointed out that the Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) of Spain will supply a fleet of 18 Urbos light rail vehicles to operate the Metro Express light rail line. The LRVs will be of a width of 2.65 km, length of 50 m and 3.2 m in height and comprising of 5 wagons and 7 compartments, operating at a speed of 20-25km/h up to a peak of 50 km/h, he added.

He further emphasised that the objective for 2020 is to link Quatre Bornes to Port Louis through the LRVs. There will be four stations within the area of Quatre Bornes and the duration of the travel from Port Louis to Quatre Bornes will be around 28 minutes, he added. The Minister highlighted that the citizens of Quatre Bornes will be updated of the ongoing construction works in the region. For that purpose an information desk will be set up at the level of the Municipal Council of Quatre Bornes.
Description

GIS - 09 April, 2019: The President of the Republic of Kenya, Mr Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, accompanied by a ten-member delegation arrived in Mauritius, this afternoon, in the context of a State Visit from 09 to 12 April 2019. The visit will be an opportunity for both Commonwealth countries to further consolidate economic and bilateral relations as well as discuss new avenues of cooperation.

The President will, among others, pay a courtesy call on the Acting President of the Republic of Mauritius, Mr Paramasivum Pillay Vyapoory, have a working session with the Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs, External Communications and National Development Unit, and Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, and attend a Business Forum organised by the Economic Development Board.

President Kenyatta will also effect visits at the Omnicane Factory Area at LEscalier; the Aapravasi Ghat World Heritage Site in Port Louis; the Le Morne Cultural Heritage Site and RT Knits Ltd at La Tour Koenig.

President of the Republic of Kenya

Mr Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta is the 4th President of the Republic of Kenya since 2013. He served the five-year term April 2013 to November 2017 prior to winning Presidential Elections for a second term as President. Born 26 October 1961, President Kenyatta is the son of first president of Kenya, Mr Jomo Kenyatta. His political career begun in 1996 and since, he has actively engaged and served in the mainstream Kenya politics and governance.

Mauritius- Kenya Relations

A number of Bilateral Agreements have been signed between Mauritius and Kenya as a means to reflect issues of mutual interest to both parties. They are:

 A Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of a Political Consultation Mechanism (signed on 29 January 2017 in Addis Ababa);

 An Agreement for the setting up of a Joint Commission for Cooperation (signed in January 2017), the purpose of which is to review all bilateral issues on a regular basis;

 A Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement and Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (signed on 07 May 2012);

 A Bilateral Trade Agreement (signed in 2003); and

 A Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) (signed on March 1979 and subsequently amended in July 1989).

Mauritius and Kenya are working collaboratively in several regional and international arenas, including at the African Union with a shared membership in the same sub-regional Group for Eastern Africa.

Discussions on bilateral and multilateral issues in diverse fields ranging from economic matters, Security and legal matters to Education, Health and Tourism have also been ongoing between Mauritius and Kenya.

As regards the Blue Economy, Mauritius will work together with Kenya at bilateral level for more symbiotic actions, particularly, on the preparatory work leading to the next UN Conference on Oceans which will take place in 2020 and which will be co-hosted by Kenya and Portugal. It will also support Kenya and the rest of the African Union for the implementation of Agenda 2063 and the overall development of African Continent.
Dutch GP spokesman Jan Lammers has dismissed as "premature" reports that Zandvoort will definitely be on the 2020 calendar.

On the day before a Liberty Media-dictated March 31 deadline, we reported that the race had finally received the green light.

The same news is now being reported by authoritative Dutch publications and sources, including De Limburger newspaper.

Citing a source, the report said Formula One Management has assured Zandvoort officials that a five-year deal will begin in 2020.

"I hope it is a very reliable source," said former F1 driver Lammers, who is acting as an official spokesman for Zandvoort's bid.

"It is also very nice to hear these rumours. But I think they are a bit premature. It is not up to us to make this known anyway.

"Formula one is not just about Zandvoort. There are 21 or 22 other races.

"When everything is complete, we will probably come out with the news. But we are not there yet. We are optimistic," Lammers added.

(GMM)
Plans for a grand prix in Miami remain dead in the water.

Liberty Media had wanted to put a second US grand prix on the calendar for 2019, but despite delays F1 CEO Chase Carey insisted negotiations were still "going on" regarding 2020.

However, F1 business journalist Christian Sylt reports that local lawmakers have effectively now cancelled moves for a 2020 Miami GP by delaying a vote of the Miami City Commission.

The Independent revealed the minutes of a meeting that show the vote "was deferred to the May 23, 2019 planning and zoning commission meeting".

Not just that, we have learned that an email emerged in which F1 commercial boss Sean Bratches offers to "host" Miami-Dade County mayor Carlos A Gimenez and "a couple friends".

"Sean Bratches appears to be making an unlawful gift offer in order to influence the Mayor of Miami-Dade County," said a whistleblower.

The email appeared in an advertisement within the pages of the Miami Herald. The editor of the newspaper was contacted for confirmation but did not reply.

(GMM)
As NATO Hawks Call for Anti-Russian Mobilization, Trump Responds With Call for Russia-China Friendship

Contrary to the incompetent analysis that Russias motive to send military planes and personnel to Venezuela is purely based on an anti-American power play or motivated by its twenty billion dollars of investment in Venezuela, the truth goes much deeper.

The rift between the neo con war hawks and genuine defenders of national sovereignty became ever clearer this week in the wake of Russias decision to put their body in front of the firing squad aiming at Venezuela two weeks ago. Contrary to the incompetent analysis that Russias motive to send military planes and personnel to Venezuela is purely based on an anti-American power play or motivated by its twenty billion dollars of investment in Venezuela, the truth goes much deeper.

With Putins intervention into Syria in 2015, Russia clearly expressed an understanding that the era of regime change wars had to end if a world worth living in would be created. In this light, Russias strategic partnership with China and the Belt and Road Initiative cannot be understood from the perspective of a Hobbesian geopolitician who can only see the world through a distorted lens of materialism. This alliance is rather the foundation for a new international operating system founded on long term development, and mutual collaboration of all players. Its another paradigm completely.

American Hawks Scream for War

Donald Trump, now largely liberated by the crippling weight of the now-defunct Mueller investigation, has resisted war hawks both within America as well as internationally for over two years who are now calling for the overthrow of Maduro- even at risk of waging World War III.

Exemplifying this absurd view was CNNs imperial mouthpiece Fareed Zakaria- who launched into a scathing attack on March 31st saying The real puzzle remains: Why has Trump been unwilling to confront Putin in any way on any issue? And will Venezuela be the moment when Trump finally ends his appeasement? (Apparently the new qualification for proving oneself to not be a puppet of Russia is to be willing to launch World War III.)

This psychotic line from the nominal American left has converged on neocon voices on the right reflected by American Security Advisor John Boltons threat to Russias military presence in Venezuela as he remarked last week that we will consider such provocative actions as a direct threat to international peace and security in the region. Bolton was joined by Mike Pence who stated on April 3 that America would support Venezuela until it is free from the Maduro regime.

NATO Jumps In

In spite of the fact that Russias intervention into Venezuela has both stopped a violent regime change and saved countless lives, on April 4th NATO President Jens Stoltenberg was brought into the US Congress to give a desperate speech calling for a renewed commitment to resist the threat of Russia and renew the collapsing NATO-US alliance. After alluding to Russias annexation of Crimea as akin to Hitlers takeover of Poland, Stoltenberg stated:

We see a pattern of Russian behavior- Including a massive military build-up from the Arctic to the Mediterranean and from the Black Sea to the Baltic- the use of a military-grade nerve agent in the United Kingdom- Support for Assads murderous regime in Syria- Consistent cyber-attacks on NATO Allies and partners, targeting everything from Parliaments to power grids- Sophisticated disinformation campaigns- And attempts to interfere in democracy itself.

It is no secret that after having met Trump the day before, Stoltenberg was expressing a widespread fear that NATOs very existence is actually under threat.

Trumps Call for Peace with Russia and China

Already having spoken on record that he sees NATOs existence as obsolete, Trump intervened on NATOs anti-Russian (and anti-Chinese) policy the day prior by stating: I hope that its not going to be a security threat. I hope we have a good relationship with Russia, and with, by the way, China and everybody else. The fact that we have NATO, and NATO is a lot stronger since Ive been President But I think that we will get along with Russia. I do believe that. On April 4th Trump stated his belief that an epic trade deal with China was imminent.

Trumps reference to China was especially important for two reasons:

1) This month will see the second Belt and Road Conference in Beijing with a large representation from the USA which will hopefully make strides towards ending the trade war. Trump has already spoken in favor of Chinas economic development capacities on several occasions since his 12 day State-Plus visit to China in 2017.

2) Representing the war faction, Secretary of State Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton have both recently threatened China in the last few days with Pompeo dubbing the Belt and Road Initiative a strategic threat on March 29 and Bolton inflaming China-Taiwan tension on March 31 saying: Chinese military provocation wont win any hearts or minds in Taiwan. But they will strengthen the resolve of people everywhere who value democracy. The Taiwan Relations Act and our commitment are clear.

The point to be emphasized is that the tension arising over Venezuela, Syria, Ukraine, Taiwan and elsewhere are merely predicates in a much larger great game. This game is being defined by two opposing paradigms of global relations- but only one of those paradigms is compatible with the survival of the human race. Thus far Trump has played an intelligent game paying lip service to fanatic hawks on all sides while keeping America out of new wars, but no one should forget that wild animals are their most dangerous when afraid and injured. The international oligarchy controlling the Deep State is both very wounded and very afraid that their days are numbered, so while hope in a new paradigm of cooperation should be kept high- complacency could yet prove fatal.
Putin Derangement Syndrome After Mueller

Derangement was strong before the interference/collusion lie and it will exist as long as Putin does: the war party is too invested in personalities ever to realise that its Russia, not its president, thats the obstacle.

The West  its governments and its governments scribes  are obsessed with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Obsessed is probably too weak a word to describe the years of impassioned coverage, airy speculation and downright nonsense. He is the worlds leading cover boy: military hats, Lenin poses, imperial crowns, scary red eyes, strait-jackets, clown hats; anything and everything. Hes the avatar of Stalin, hes the avatar of the Tsars, hes the Joker, hes Cthulhu, hes Voldemort, hes Satan. Hes the palimpsest for the New World Orders nightmares. Putin is always messing with our minds. He weaponises information, misinformation and sexual assault accusations. Childrens cartoons, fishsticks, Pokemon and Yellow Vests, Putins warships are lurking when they arent stalking; Putins warplanes penetrate European airspace; Putins tanks, massing in 2016, massing in 2018, still massing. His empire of rogue states grows. All Putin, all the time.

In an especially imbecile display in 2015, Western reporters (unable to find his website) thinking he hadnt been seen for several days started a contest of speculation about coups, death, wars, plastic surgery, secret births and other nonsense; when he re-appeared, the story went down the Memory Hole.

For some reason, Americans personalise everything. In meetings with US intelligence agencies I was always fascinated how they would reduce every complicated reality to a single individual. But it isnt Saddam, or Assad, or Qaddafi, or Osama, or Aidid, or Milosevic, or Maduro, or Castro or any of the other villains-of-the-day, its a whole country: these people got to the top for good reasons. Removing the boss makes some difference but never all the difference. They go but they never leave a Washington-friendly country behind and Washington does it all over again somewhere else. This peculiar blindness drives Putin Derangement Syndrome and has infected everybody else.

But Putin is much worse than the others. The other enemies had relatively weak countries but Russia could obliterate the USA. But worse, Putins team has steadily become more powerful and more influential. And worst of all, hes still there: huffing and puffing has not blown him down, sanctions strengthen the economy and there is nothing to suggest he wont be succeeded by someone who carries on the same policies. Its a whole country, not just one man.

Vladimir Putin is the biggest man on earth.

Except that hes short and cant hide it. Hes a megalomaniac because hes short; hes trying to prove his bigness; napoleon complex says some shrink. Just another in a long list of crackpot expert opinions. From a list I complied in 2015: Aspergers Syndrome, cancer of the spinal cord, personality disorders, gayness, Parkinsons Disease, psychopath, people dont like him so animals have to, sinister, lonely life, fears his own people, envious of Obama. Remember the gunslinger walk  ? Oh, in case you hadnt heard, he was in the KGB and that explains everything: Once a KGB man, always a KGB man. Nothing is too absurd.

But laughing has passed  Putin Derangement Syndrome has become dangerous.

In 2016 Hillary Clinton lost a sure-fire election to Donald Trump and, looking for an excuse, jumped on the Russia claim. Putin Derangement Syndrome was ramped up to a much more dangerous level. War-level dangerous.

Former Attorney General Eric Holder said President Donald Trumps administration is doing nothing to stop Russians from interfering in the 2018 election cycle, comparing the lack of action on the part of the president to the 9/11 and Pearl Harbor attacks that killed thousands of Americans.

A popular actor made a video to tell us we were at war. Warfare says Haley, act of war said John McCain, could be says Cheney, 911 says Clinton, disappointed CIA guy agrees, Pearl Harbor says Nadler. Diplomatic expulsions and sanctions and more sanctions. These are much more serious than gassy op-eds about Putins gait or fish weights, these are actions: actions have consequences. Moscow doesnt find war talk very funny.

Clintons victory was 99% certain until it wasnt and excuses were needed. Clinton went through a lot of them but Russian interference was always the big one.

That strategy had been set within twenty-four hours of her concession speech. [9 November 2016] Mook and Podesta assembled her communications team at the Brooklyn headquarters to engineer the case that the election wasnt entirely on the up-and-up. For a couple of hours, with Shake Shack containers littering the room, they went over the script they would pitch to the press and the public. Already, Russian hacking was the centerpiece of the argument. (From Shattered, quoted here.)

In What Happened, Clinton also says Russian President Vladimir Putins support for Trump was driven by his own anti-women sentiment, stacking the deck against her: What Putin wanted to do wasinfluence our election, and hes not exactly fond of strong women, so you add that together and thats pretty much what it means. At press events for her memoir, Clinton continues to warn Americans against Russias power over Trump and the country. The Russians arent done. This is an ongoing threat, and that is one of the reasons why I wrote the book and one of the reasons Im talking about it, she said on Sunday at Southbank Centres London Literature Festival. (Newsweek)

Her claim is, to put it mildly, unproven; the so-called all 17 agencies report notwithstanding. (The first premise that it was hacked is here disproved: downloaded by someone in the building). Her accusation moved Putin Derangement Syndrome away from the realm of mere craziness into war talk. Taking the hint, Western politicians, under attack for their lacklustre performances, were happy to push the blame onto Putin. Hes attacking democracy! Western media weighed in until it became completely accepted by some people that anything that spoiled the happy complacency of the Western world must be a result of Putins interference: gilets jaunes, assistance provided to far-right and anti-establishment parties  , hes the poster boy of the dreaded populism, his populist tentacles reach Hungary and Italy. And the next thing we knew, Putin was mucking around in everybodys votes: Brexit; Catalonia; Netherlands; Germany; Sweden; Italy; EU in particular and Europe in general; Mexico; Canada. Newsweek gives a helpful list. Sometimes he loses elections: Germany, Ukraine but he goes on, unstopping. But his greatest triumph was said to have been in the US election: he won  because Donald Trump was his willing puppet.

(None of these experts ever seem to wonder why Putins influence, so decisive far away, is so ineffective in Ukraine or Georgia. But then, its not actually a rational, fact-based belief, is it?)

The entire ramshackle construction is collapsing: if Mueller says there was no collusion then even the last ditch believers will have to accept it: Robert Mueller Prayer Candles are out of stock, time to toss the other tchotchkes, it wasnt a Mueller Christmas after all. Clintons fabrication had two parts to it: 1) Putin interfered/determined the election 2) in collusion with Trump. When the second part is blown up, so must the first be. And then what will happen to all the loyal little allies crying ours were interfered with too!? The two halves of the story had the same authors and the same purpose: if one dies, so must the other. Now that Trump is secured from the obstruction charges that hung there as long as Mueller was in session, he is free to declassify the background documents that will show the origin, mechanics, authors and extent of the conspiracy. And he has said he will. In the process, both halves of the story will be destroyed: theyre both lies.

(For those who now realise there is something they have to catch up on: Conrad Black has a good exposition of the overall conspiracy and here is a quick round-up of the mechanics of the conspiracy. This may show its very beginning, three years ago).

Will the exposure of the plot and the plotters end the war-talk stage of Putin Derangement Syndrome? In a rational world, it would (but can its believers be embarrassed by the exposure of their credulity? Can they be made to think it all over again from the beginning?). It is true that Russia stands in the way of the neocons and liberal interventionists who have been guiding Washington this century, but that hardly means that Putin is the enemy of the American people. Because, properly considered, its the neocons/liberal interventionists and their endless wars burning up lives, money and good will that are the enemies of Americans; in that respect Putin (unintentionally) stands with the true best interests of the American people. But the propaganda is so strong and the hysteria so unrestrained, that anyone who suggests that blocking the war party is in the best interests of Americans would be run out of town on a rail. (As the attacks on Tulsi Gabbard show.) The USA is far down the rabbit hole. (Although I should say US elites: a Rasmussen poll shows that slightly more Americans think Clinton colluded with a foreign power than think Trump did. Considering the news coverage of the last two and a half years, thats a very interesting finding.)

So, the sad conclusion is that Putin Derangement Syndrome will probably endure and the best we can hope for is that it is dialled down a bit and the act of war nonsense is quietly forgotten. Derangement was strong before the interference/collusion lie and it will exist as long as Putin does: the war party is too invested in personalities ever to realise that its Russia, not its president, thats the obstacle. Let alone ever understand that much of what Moscow does is a pushback against Washingtons aggression.

Let The Onion have the last laugh at this dismal matter:

What the hell? I worked so hard on thisif I wasnt colluding with the Trump campaign, who the hell was I colluding with? said the dumbfounded Russian president, growing increasingly angry as he scrolled through his email inbox and recounted his numerous efforts at covert communication with individuals who he had thought were high-ranking Trump officials, but now he suspected were bots or anonymous internet trolls.
HOHENFELS, BY, GERMANY 04.04.2019 - German soldiers conduct convoy operations during exercise Allied Spirit X in Hohenfels, Germany, April 4, 2019. Exercise Allied Spirit X includes approximately 5,600 participants from 15 nations, March 30-April 17, 2019, at the 7th Army Training Command's Hohenfels Training Area in Southeastern Germany. Allied Spirit is a U.S. Army Europe-directed, 7th Army Training Command-conducted multinational exercise series designed to develop and enhance NATO and key partner interoperability and readiness across specified warfighting functions. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Enrique Moya)

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TICKERS: FCC; FTSSF, LAC

Source: Jason Hamlin for Streetwise Reports (4/8/19)

Jason Hamlin of Gold Stock Bull explains why he believes lithium and cobalt companies are overlooked and discusses two companies on his list.



Lithium and cobalt companies are a hidden gem in the mining sector. Lithium and cobalt, along with nickel, are the primary metals used in most modern batteries.

42% of the world's cobalt production goes toward the creation of lithium-ion cell batteries.

According to the Cobalt Institute, lithium-ion batteries have higher energy density than other battery types and are used in laptops, smartphones, medical devices and electric vehicles, in addition to having a number of other industrial applications. Needless to say, the need for lithium and cobalt won't be diminishing anytime soon.

While an initial spike in prices led to investor euphoria in 2017, that euphoria quickly faded as prices corrected sharply in 2018 and into 2019. But there is evidence to suggest that a huge boom in the battery metals may still be just around the corner. If so, this could be an excellent opportunity for contrarian investors to start accumulating shares on the cheap.

Before getting into two of the best lithium and cobalt stocks in 2019, let's briefly examine the case for an imminent increase in demand for lithium and cobalt.

Lithium and Cobalt Demand Set to Surge

With the proliferation of smartphones and electric vehicles, demand for lithium and cobalt has become entrenched in the global economy. And over the next five years, it seems almost certain that increasing amounts of lithium and cobalt will be needed for producing batteries.

Benchmark Mineral Intelligence Managing Director Simon Moores told the U.S. Senate in February 2019 that he sees global cobalt demand rising fourfold by 2023 and higher still by 2028. This estimate factors in the potential decrease in demand resulting from companies like Tesla seeking to reduce reliance on cobalt in their batteries in order to reduce supply-side risks.

Moores' report puts into perspective the dramatic increase in production of lithium-ion batteries:

"The advent of electric vehicles (EVs) and the emergence of battery energy storage has sparked a wave of lithium ion battery mega factories being built. Benchmark Mineral Intelligence is now tracking 70 lithium ion battery mega factories under construction across four continents in October 2017, the global total was at 17."

That one little factoid is all anyone really needs to know in order to get the picture of increasing demand for lithium and cobalt. The question for investors then becomes: what small cap lithium and cobalt companies are in a position to capitalize on and profit from this trend?

Two Lithium and Cobalt Companies with Promising Futures

Lithium Americas Corp. (LAC:TSX; LAC:NYSE) has a lithium project in Argentina and another in Nevada. It has seen increased investor interest lately and the share price has started to move higher. Someone has been buying shares of LAC as if they know something the rest of the world doesn't.

First Cobalt Corp. (FCC:TSX.V; FTSSF:OTCQX; FCC:ASX) is among the few leaders in the cobalt sector seeking to establish a North American cobalt supply chain. The company recently closed a $1.6 million private placement and the share price is showing signs of bottoming.

While there are plenty of lithium and cobalt companies to choose from, we believe these two provide excellent chances for profit as the sector expands.

Lithium Americas

Lithium Americas has two big projects under its belt: the Cauchari-Olaroz project in Argentina and the Thacker Pass project in Nevada.

Cauchari-Olaroz Project

The Cauchari-Olaroz project is one of the largest known brine lithium resources in the world. The company recently increased the resource by 53% to 17.9m measured and indicated tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE). It is a high-grade resource, with few impurities and low costs.

Lithium Americas owns 50% of the project with Gangfeng Lithium owning the other half. Gangfeng recently made a new investment of $160 million into the project to increase its stake to 50%. It is targeting initial production in the back half of 2020, as shown in the timeline below.

Some of the key points in Cauchari-Olaroz part of the press release include:

Production wells: Currently there are seven wells in production and three more are under construction. By the end of April, the project is scheduled to have seven drilling rigs mobilized at site for drilling of additional production wells.

Civil: Work associated with roads and platforms continues as planned. Contracts have been awarded for earthworks (plant and operations camp), concrete supply and other key items.

Procurement: Minera Exar is in the process of reviewing proposals for long lead items and expects to finalize such awards in due course.

Cauchari-Olaroz will have 40,000 tpa lithium carbonate capacity. I also like the fact that management's interests are highly aligned with shareholders. Management and directors own 12.1% of the company.

The Stage 1 Feasibility study returned results that include: 25,000 tpa battery grade lithium, a 40 year project life, operating costs of $2,495/t, an after-tax NPV of $803 million at a 10% discount rate, a 28.4% after-tax IRR and 3.4 year payback.

Thacker Pass Project

The Thacker Pass project is a Nevada-based lithium mining operation taking place in the largest known lithium deposit in America. The project is 100% owned by Lithium Americas and is not part of any joint venture. This puts LAC in a unique position to profit from the rising demand for lithium.

The Thacker Pass project is economic, scalable, and the company intends to use a cutting-edge method of extracting lithium directly from claystone deposits. It is making steady progress with commissioning of the pilot plant well underway. Environmental baseline data has been collected, permit applications are advancing, and a Preliminary Feasibility Study was released back in August of 2018.

The PFS called for 60,000 tpa battery-grade lithium, a mine life of 46 years, operating costs of $2,570/t, an after-ax NPV of $2.6 billion and IRR of 29.3%.

The technical chart shows that the recent spike took out key resistance at the red downtrend line and did it on exceptionally high volume. This also pushed the price through both the 100-day and 200-day moving averages. Adding to the bullish move, the recent advance pushed the price for LAC above resistance at $4.50, which held twice over the past six months.

Lithium

Lithium Americas (LAC) Chart

Higher highs and higher lows since bottoming late last year is another bullish technical sign for LAC. The relative strength index (RSI) was overbought in early March, dipped to 40 during the pullback and is currently at 60 with room to run higher. There is plenty of upside potential for LAC, as it would need to more than double just to return to 2018 highs.

First Cobalt

First Cobalt is a Canada-based pure-play cobalt company and owner of the only permitted primary cobalt refinery in North America. The company is exploring a restart of the First Cobalt refinery in Ontario, Canada, which could produce 2,000 tonnes of cobalt sulfate or metallic cobalt per year.

First Cobalt's flagship asset is the Iron Creek Cobalt Project in Idaho, U.S., which has Inferred mineral resources of 26.9 million tonnes grading 0.11% cobalt equivalent. The company's other assets include 50 past-producing mines in the Canadian Cobalt Camp and the only permitted cobalt refinery in North America capable of producing battery materials.

An updated mineral resource estimate is expected in the near term and the resource contains no arsenic, which means simpler processing & permitting.

FCC is among a small handful companies around taking advantage of what's known as the Idaho Cobalt Belt. This area in Lemhi County, Idaho, is thought to be one of the most cobalt-rich regions in America. The Iron Creek Cobalt Project consists of 1,700 acres worth of exploration claims and mining patents in the Idaho Cobalt Belt.

The company just announced it has successfully produced a battery grade cobalt sulfate using the First Cobalt refinery flowsheet. This significant milestone brings the company closer to recommissioning the only permitted primary cobalt refinery in North America. It also owns 45% of the cobalt camp surrounding the mine, including 50 past producing mines.

On March 29, 2019, FCC announced a non-brokered private placement that raised $1.6 million by issuing 8.9 million shares of the company at $0.18. The proceeds are being used for ongoing work at the First Cobalt refinery and other general purposes.

The technical chart shows the price putting in a double bottom this year and breaking out above the long-term downtrend lines. We also see a series of higher highs on the chart, coupled with increasing volume. This all suggests a bottoming in the share price for First Cobalt.



First Cobalt (FTSSF) Chart

The RSI is at 55, with plenty of room to continue higher without hitting overbought levels. As with Lithium Americas, the upside potential with First Cobalt is massive. The share price would need to go up roughly nine times in order to return to 2018 highs. The first half of 2019 appears to be an excellent time to start edging into a position in First Cobalt Corp.

Best Lithium and Cobalt Stocks: Lithium Americas and First Cobalt

It's not hard to make the case for Lithium Americas and First Cobalt being two of the top battery metals companies to invest in during 2019.

Lithium Americas is preparing to mine the largest deposit of lithium in America and just secured $160 million in funding from their JV partner Gangfeng Lithium.

First Cobalt owns the only permitted cobalt refinery on the continent, a highly prospective cobalt project in Idaho and a camp with multiple projects near their refinery in Ontario.

Both companies have seen significant insider buying in recent months and both companies are starting to show bottoming patterns in their technical charts. This makes the current entry points attractive for long-term investors wanting to bet on increased prices for battery metals.

The absolute bottom may have yet to be hit for either stock, but this could be a good time to start accumulating shares via buying in tranches.

Both the fundamentals and technicals suggest that higher prices are in store for the lithium and cobalt sectors. This may not be the most popular time to buy, but contrarian investors know that the precise time to buy is when others are selling and there is blood in the streets. Prices for lithium, cobalt and the companies that mine these metals look very oversold and undervalued in our view.

If you are interested in getting free updates with our investment research and trading ideas, click here.

Jason Hamlin

Founder - Gold Stock Bull

Jason Hamlin is the founder of goldstockbull.com and publishes a highly rated investment newsletter focused on precious metals and cryptocurrencies. Hamlin has a background analyzing charts and trends for the world's largest market research company, is versed in fundamental and technical analysis and has consulted to Fortune 500 companies around the globe. Hamlin is a cycles investor, student of Austrian economics and speaks regularly at investment conferences. The Gold Stock Bull newsletter is focused on finding junior mining companies that are undervalued relative to their peers and early-stage cryptocurrencies and ICOs that can provide investors with high levels of returns.

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Disclosure:

1) Jason Hamlin: I, or members of my immediate household or family, own shares of the following companies mentioned in this article: Lithium Americas Corp. I personally am, or members of my immediate household or family are, paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None. My company has a financial relationship with the following companies mentioned in this article: None. Gold Stock Bull disclosures below. I determined which companies would be included in this article based on my research and understanding of the sector.

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3) Statements and opinions expressed are the opinions of the author and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The author is wholly responsible for the validity of the statements. The author was not paid by Streetwise Reports for this article. Streetwise Reports was not paid by the author to publish or syndicate this article. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports requires contributing authors to disclose any shareholdings in, or economic relationships with, companies that they write about. Streetwise Reports relies upon the authors to accurately provide this information and Streetwise Reports has no means of verifying its accuracy.

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SAN FRANCISCO CITY, the Philippines, April 8 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese government-financed drug treatment and rehabilitation center in southern Philippines' Agusan del Sur province was turned over to the local government on Monday.

The 6,750-square-meter facility on a three-hectare lot is the second Chinese government-aided drug rehabilitation center in the Philippines to support the Philippine government's anti-drug campaign.

"It is a strong demonstration that the Chinese government will accomplish every commitment to help the Philippines, our friendly neighbor," said Jin Yuan, Chinese embassy's Economic and Commercial Counsellor, adding that China firmly supports the Philippine government's effort in improving its people's health.

The newly-inaugurated drug rehabilitation center is a 150-bed capacity facility with an administration and clinic building. There is also a multi-purpose covered court, dormitory buildings, and visitors' house in the center. The whole project was undertaken by the China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC).

The drug rehabilitation center project, which broke ground in February 2018, was initially expected to be completed within 21 months. "Thanks to the cooperation between the two countries and the hard-working of Chinese, local workers, the term shortened to nearly 13 months," said Liu Wei, General Manager of CSCEC Philippine branch.

"Our construction company also hired more than 400 local workers and administrative staff to ensure that residents around the province benefit from the construction of the project, while the number of Chinese employees is only 35," Liu added.

Roger Tong-An, the undersecretary of the Philippine Department of Health, attended the inauguration and turn-over ceremony to unveil the facility along with Chinese officials.

"This is the first drug rehab center in Agusan del Sur province. Thank for the support from the Chinese government and we are really happy about this project," Tong-An said.

Edward Plaza, the governor of Agusan del Sur province, said this drug rehab center gives the local government a chance to solve the drug problem and to provide better help to the drug dependents in this province and provinces nearby. "We would like to cooperate with our counterparts in DOH to address this issue," he added.
Pierre Gasly could lose his seat at Red Bull within the 2019 season.

That is the warning of outspoken 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, following a difficult start to Frenchman Gasly's first year with the senior team.

Gasly impressed during his first full F1 season with Toro Rosso last year, and received the call-up to replace Renault-bound Daniel Ricciardo for 2019.

But the 23-year-old is struggling so far.

"I do not feel comfortable in the car," Gasly said.

"I'll have to adapt to it compared to last year's Toro Rosso, which was better suited to my driving. At the moment I feel a bit like a passenger."

For the moment he is being backed by team boss Christian Horner, but Red Bull's notoriously tough Dr Helmut Marko accused Gasly of compromising the team's winter season with damaging crashes.

"I'm sure he will eventually get on top of it," said Horner.

But if he continues to struggle, Villeneuve expects Marko's regularly-swinging axe to come down on Gasly.

"If Gasly continues like this, returning to Toro Rosso would not be a surprise," the French Canadian told Sky Italia.

"In the past, many of these boys struggled to move from a small team to a better team. People underestimate it," Villeneuve said.

"You can compare it to a driver going from Formula 2 to F1. Some can adapt more easily than others.

"Gasly will not have much luck with Marko this year," Villeneuve predicted. "We know that he is able to change his mind every five minutes."

(GMM)
Funds are needed to purchase a new van for the Merivale Community Centre, and local rangatahi are stepping up to make it happen.

The van will be a significant boost to the centres youth development programme, allowing more opportunities to be offered to local youth leaders.

Senior Youth Worker, Alex Fraser is supporting the group of rangatahi to fundraise for the new Community Centre van.

A calendar of fundraising events has been created, including sausage sizzles and car washes to get the community involved in supporting the programme.

"We're really excited to have a new van so we can get around the Bay on our holiday programmes and youth nights, like when we go to Rotorua or the Mount," says youth leader Ripeka Rolleston.

All funds raised will go towards the purchase of a new van for the Community Centre in partnership with other grant providers.

It will add so much to our programmes and work with young people in Merivale and the wider Tauranga area, said Alex Fraser.

The first car wash and sausage sizzle will be from 10am to 3pm on Saturday 13 April at the Community Centre  10 Kesteven Ave by the Merivale shops.
At Greenpoints Citroen, ornate signage pays homage to French bistros of the early 20th century. Photo: Scott Heins

Even if you do not know Will Van Zees name, you have seen his work. As the owner of Van Zee Sign Co., he is responsible for some of the citys most striking (and functional) art. Van Zees ever-growing body of work includes, for example, the ornate lettering that adorns the exteriors of various locations of OddFellows ice-cream shops; the hand-painted logo of the Hungry Ghost cafe at the corner of Church and Reade Streets in Tribeca; the energetic, curlicue lettering at Madcap Cafe; and the bold, all-caps CALYER cafe logo in Clinton Hill. Our signage needs to communicate that what were doing is continuing a long-standing tradition, says Robert Paredez, a co-owner of Petees Pie Company and a client of Van Zees. What Will does fits that bill perfectly. Van Zees work is reminiscent of that of the socially engaged muralist Stephen Powers, who owns ESPOs Art World.

Paredez isnt alone: As nondescript glass skyscrapers sprout across the five boroughs, small-business owners in New York (and especially in  you guessed it  Brooklyn) know that designing their restaurants, bars, and cafes with an eye to the citys history is perhaps more important than ever. And for Van Zee and a small army of similarly specialized designers, that means business is booming.

There came a moment, living in New York, where, as far as I could tell, mom-and-pop businesses were choosing to look like chains, says Dane Risch, whose Crown Heights bar, King Tai, is named for the Chinese restaurant that once stood in the same space. And by that I mean this constructed minimalism with small elements of color. For his own restaurant, Risch says he drew on inspirations from mid-century Miami to create a vintage, pastel look.

At Hunky Dory, the Crown Heights cafe that has received plenty of acclaim since it opened in January, owner Claire Sprouse worked with Charles & Thorn to design signage that reflects the happy-go-lucky, communal feeling of the space as well as her zero-waste approach to the menu. The outcome was inspired by 1930s printers who, when strapped for cash, reimagined tools they already had to design lettering. (The design was executed by Jon Bocksel, whose clients also include Russ & Daughters and Mekelburgs.)

There are a lot of people who look at what we do as gentrification, Van Zee concedes, but shit, call me a socialist  I essentially subsidize the work we do for our small businesses. (The Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership has also been offering grants to incentivize signage and storefront improvements since 1999; through such grants, Petees Cafe and Calyer were able to afford Van Zees services.) Van Zee says that he can charge big-name clients (Chelsea Market and Google, for example) more in order to help small businesses afford his services. If you dont think about how your business practices can change the city, youre not doing your city justice.

When coming up with his designs, Van Zee, who grew up in Seattle and once worked as a house painter, looks to vintage typographies, architecture, and what  or who  has occupied the spaces where he works previously. He says he often says no to potential clients that he feels dont really care about the neighborhood and just have a lot of money to play with. His latest project is for Red Hook Tavern, Billy Durneys homage to the American taverns of yore. Though the restaurant is slated to open this spring, the corner space looks like its been in the neighborhood for decades. For the signage, Van Zee took a cue from the original Minetta Tavern, as well as the liquor store that once stood in Durneys new space. The traditional gold leaf he used to hand-paint the window signage, he says, does a really good job of keeping historic buildings actually historic.

In areas where gentrification is inevitable  which is to say, all of New York City  making what is at least a small effort to fit in with the neighborhood is a way to ensure that the city wont lose all of its charm or history, even as storefronts continue to turn over.

Chad Purkey, the deputy director of planning and BID services for the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership, works with grant applicants like Calyer to look at historic photos of their storefronts as inspiration for their designs. The goal, he says, is to help the entire commercial district along Myrtle Avenue appear cared-for, invested-in, and inviting to customers.

Photo: Scott Heins

At Claire Sprouses new Crown Heights restaurant, the warm, 70s vibe extends to exterior signs designed by Charles & Thorn.

Photo: Scott Heins

At their Clinton Hill pie shop, opened last year, Petees serves things like lemon-curd chess pies and banana-cream icebox pies. Pie has been an important element of New York for decades, and we are now a part of that, says Paredez.

Photo: Scott Heins

Located in rapidly gentrifying Bed-Stuy, Zenat Begum opened a coffee shop with a political mission at the site of her fathers former hardware store. Playground Coffees sign was designed by her boyfriend and inspired by street culture and the zines sold in the back of Playground.

Photo: Scott Heins

6At Sounds, a new home-goods store and cafe in Park Slope, guests are greeted out front by joyful, Comic Sansesque lettering in Mets colors that is as lighthearted as the ceramics, rugs, and plants sold within. The design is in what Van Zee says the industry refers to as Plug style, which originated in the 70s on delivery trucks that legally had to list their addresses. This inspired quick, hand-painted designs that were legible and easy to replicate.

Photo: Scott Heins
Several cases of parvovirus has occurred in puppies in the Western Bay in recent days and the councils animal services officers are urging people to ensure their dogs are vaccinated against the disease.

Four puppies with parvovirus found this week by Western Bay of Plenty District Council officers were so ill they have had to be euthanised and checks are being done on the adult dogs.

Canine parvovirus, known as parvo, is a highly contagious viral disease that has most impact on puppies but is also seen in adult dogs, especially elderly or unwell dogs.

The virus attacks the blood cells, affecting puppies growth and the intestines, preventing the absorption of nutrients. A dog infected with the virus may not present symptoms for up to seven days, says a statement released by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council.

Infected dogs shed the virus in their faeces and body fluids and the virus is very stable and can survive for months in the environment. It is highly contagious between dogs.

The virus can also be carried on contaminated clothing and footwear, so can be transmitted by humans as well as through direct contact with infected dogs.

The best way to protect against this infection is through vaccination. Puppies need a complete course of vaccinations to ensure they are protected. Adult dogs may require regular boosters to maintain adequate immunity.

Puppy vaccinations start from six weeks of age, and consist of three or more vaccinations. The puppy will not be protected until 7-10 days after the final injection.

Until this time the puppy should be kept on your property. Please check with your vet to find out more about vaccinating against this disease.
Jobless, retirees and backpackers are being encouraged to sign up to pick and pack the apple and kiwi harvests for the six to eight week season peak.

Within this role, you could be earning $23.50 an hour.

This comes as the Ministry of Social Development declares a shortage of workers for the Bay of Plenty kiwifruit harvest, which is starting its main season.

The Bay of Plenty shortage was for six weeks between April 15 and May 27, while in Hawkes Bay an existing labour shortage for its apple harvest was being extended an additional six weeks until May 20.

Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated chief executive Nikki Johnson says opportunities existed for a long-term employment in the kiwifruit industry.

But there will always be a requirement for short-term roles at peak harvest.

The industry sought to employ New Zealanders as a first priority, especially those who lived in regions with orchards and packhouses.

Pay rates for kiwifruit picking had increased to an average $23.50 an hour this season. Most low-skilled packhouse roles were paid minimum wage, which rose to $17.70 an hour on April 1.

A shortfall of 1400 vacancies in the Bay of Plentys kiwifruit industry was expected to increase to 3800 at harvests peak around mid-April.

This compares with 1200 unfilled vacancies at the peak of last years harvest.

Between January and April, MSD placed nearly 500 jobseekers into the kiwifruit industry, but more workers were still needed.

About 90 per cent of this seasons total kiwifruit crop was yet to be harvested, with a similar amount of fruit expected, compared with last year. This included a 12 per cent increase of SunGold kiwifruit which required packing in a shorter timeframe than green.

Ministry of Social Development Bay of Plenty regional commissioner Mike Bryant says seasonal work was a great way to gain new skills, earn money and for people looking for flexible hours or to get back into the workforce.

Seasonal workers also experience a variety of jobs in a range of locations and are able to stay employed year round using their diverse skills.

Seasonal work was a step towards connecting people to sustainable employment and permanent work.

While some people feared they would lose access to the unemployment benefit by taking on short-term work, no standdown was imposed when people had been in part-time or full-time employment for fewer than 26 weeks.

The rules are designed to make it as easy as possible for those on a benefit to take advantage of seasonal work of this nature without too much red tape, says Mike.

Declaring a labour shortage also allowed visitor visa-holders to apply to work.

-Additional reporting by Stuff.co.nz/Heather Chalmers.
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Syracuse, N.Y. -- The abrupt closings of 23 Friendlys restaurants, including four in Central New York, over the weekend are part of an effort by the company to reinvigorate the iconic brand in the face of increased competition, rising costs, and shifting demographics and consumer preferences, its CEO says.

Amidst these industry-wide dynamics, our charge is to ensure our beloved brand not only remains relevant with existing audiences but continues to resonate with new generations of patrons and that our operations are structured to support long-term sustainability, CEO George Michel said in a letter to franchisees on Monday.

Michel said the company, which is headquarted in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, initiated a strategic review of its corporate-owned restaurants earlier this year with an eye toward ongoing viability and maximizing resource investment."

In todays environment, it is incumbent upon all restaurant operators to engage in such a process, but particularly so for Friendlys, which, as an established brand, has locations in geographic areas that have changed dramatically in some cases since those restaurants first opened, he said.

The move caught many of the restaurants customers and employees by surprise.

I dont know much, said Mark Internicola, manager of the Friendlys at the Great Northern Mall in Clay, one of the restaurants that closed. I know it was a business decision.

Michel called the closings of the 23 corporate-owned restaurants a tough decision, but one that will best position the brand for a bright future.

Especially difficult is the impact these closures will have on the locations wonderful employees, who we are working to support with opportunities in other locations or severance payments and other assistance, he said.

The closures included 14 restaurants in Upstate New York, three in Massachusetts, three in Connecticut, two in New Hampshire and one in Maine. In the Syracuse area, Friendlys in DeWitt, Syracuse, Oswego and the Great Northern Mall in Clay closed.

After the closings, Friendlys now has 77 corporate-owned restaurants and 97 franchisee-owned restaurants.

Friendlys got its start when brothers Curtis Blake, then just 18 years old, and Prestley Blake, who was 20, opened a neighborhood ice cream shop in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1935, the middle of the Great Depression.

They sold double-dipped cones for 5 cents and named the shop Friendly, promising to make it a friendly place for families to enjoy handcrafted ice cream made fresh daily. They opened a second shop in Springfield in 1940 and began adding food items, starting with hamburgers, to the menu. By 1974, the chain was operating 500 restaurants.

The brothers -- who are still alive (Curtis is 101 and Prestley is 104) -- sold the company to Hershey Foods in 1979 for $164 million. At the time, it had 600 restaurants.

Hershey sold the chain for $375 million to Donald Smith, of the Tennessee Restaurant Corp., in 1988. Smith added the 's to the name a year later, making official the name most people already called it, and began selling its ice cream to grocery stores nationwide.

Sun Capital Partners, a private equity firm, bought the company for $337 million in 2008, but the chain soon began to struggle and started closing restaurants. It filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2011, closing dozens more restaurants.

Though it survived its one-year stint in bankruptcy, Friendlys, now owned by an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners, has continued closing restaurants as it faces growing competition from fast-casual chains such as Chipotle Mexican Grill and Panera Bread. From a high of approximately 800 restaurants, it is now has 174.

The only Friendlys remaining in Central New York are on Route 31 in Clay and on Clinton Avenue in Cortland.

Rick Moriarty covers business news and consumer issues. Contact him anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148
One of the marquee acts on the Woodstock 50 lineup has dropped out of the upcoming concert festival in Watkins Glen, N.Y.

Due to a scheduling conflict, The Black Keys will unfortunately need to cancel their set at Woodstock, the rock duo said in a statement. The band wants to let fans know as soon as possible and before tickets go on sale.

The Black Keys were scheduled to perform on Saturday, Aug. 17, as part of the Woodstock 50th anniversary celebration scheduled for Aug. 16-18 at Watkins Glen International. The band was expected to close out the night on The Love Stage, one of four stages; no replacement acts have been named.

No explanation was given for the scheduling conflict. After the Woodstock lineup was announced, The Black Keys unveiled 2019 tour dates that begin a month later on Sept. 21; no other Upstate New York concerts are scheduled.

The Black Keys, consisting of guitarist-vocalist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney, have won five Grammys, including best rock album for El Camino in 2013. The duo recently released Lo/Hi, their first new song in five years.

The rest of the 2019 Woodstock lineup includes Jay-Z, Santana, Miley Cyrus, The Killers, Chance the Rapper, John Fogerty (of Creedence Clearwater Revival), Dead and Company (featuring members of The Grateful Dead), Halsey, Robert Plant, Common, Janelle Monae, Sturgill Simpson, Brandi Carlile, Country Joe McDonald, and Jack Whites The Raconteurs. An updated poster on Woodstock.com shows Simpsons name moved up into the slot were The Black Keys were listed.

Tickets for Woodstock 50 will go on sale April 22 at woodstock.com.

An estimated 400,000 people attended the first Woodstock Music and Arts Festival, held Aug. 15-18, 1969, at Max Yasgurs dairy farm near White Lake in the Catskill Mountains. Performers included Richie Havens, Jefferson Airplane, The Who, Joan Baez, Jimi Hendrix, Arlo Guthrie, Santana, Joe Cocker, the Grateful Dead and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

The iconic concert was revisited in 1994 with a modern lineup of artists like Nine Inch Nails, Sheryl Crow, Metallica, Cypress Hill and Red Hot Chili Peppers in Saugerties, but Woodstock 99 -- held at Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, N.Y. -- ended the fun with riots, fires and allegations of sexual assault.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A former accountant of Syracuse Signal Systems has been accused of stealing more than $73,000 from the company, according to the Onondaga County District Attorneys Office.

Deborah Sabotka, 60, was charged last month with second-degree grand larceny, a felony, Onondaga County First Chief Assistant District Attorney Rick Trunfio said this week.

Sabotka, of Syracuse, is accused of stealing $73,432.73 between Aug. 22, 2017 and Oct. 26, 2018 from the traffic signal company, which serves all of New York. She worked as an accountant for the company for three years, according to a felony complaint filed in Onondaga County court.

Sabotka took company funds and deposited them into her personal Discover account on several different dates, times and amounts, according to the felony complaint. This information was discovered by the current controller of Syracuse Signal Systems as well as an outside accounting company that conducted a forensic accountant report.

Sabotka was arraigned on March 26 in Syracuse City Court and released on her own recognizance.
MEXICO, N.Y. -- A 29-year-old Mexico man has been charged after a car he was driving hit a school bus while he was impaired by drugs, according to New York State Police.

Zechariah Karboski, 29, of Mexico, was charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, state police said in a news release Tuesday.

At 2:20 p.m. Monday, troopers responded to 3338 Main St. in Mexico for a car crash involving a school bus, police said.

Karboski was driving a 2012 Ford west on Main Street when he hit a Mexico School District bus that was stopped in traffic, police said.

Karboski, the school bus driver and the six students on the bus were not injured, police said.

Karboski was evaluated and state police found that he was impaired by a drug other than alcohol, state police said.

He was released on an appearance ticket and is set to appear in Mexico Town Court on April 16 at 7 p.m.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Some Central New York sheriffs and others across the state say they will continue releasing mug shots despite a new state law that will effectively ban police from routinely releasing booking photos of criminal suspects.

At least 10 police agencies, mostly sheriffs offices, across the state have decided to continue releasing mug shots, according to media reports and sheriffs contacted by Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard.

Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck said his office will continue to release booking photos.

I believe in transparency, he said. Its important that the public knows who we are arresting.

The ban of routinely releasing mug shots was part of the 2020 executive budget, approved by both the Senate and Assembly late last month. The bill is awaiting Gov. Andrew Cuomos signature, according to the Senate website. Once signed, the law goes into effect immediately for all police agencies in the state.

Onondaga County Sheriffs Office will stop routinely releasing mug shots, a spokesman said.

The New York State Police and the Syracuse Police Department announced last week that they will stop sending out mug shots immediately. Troopers said they would no longer include mug shots in news releases and will no longer be able to provide mug shots to media when requested.

This is due to the new state law that effectively bans the release of booking photos, the state police said last week. We will be able to release mug shots for specific law enforcement purposes only. One example would be if we were searching for a wanted or missing person.

Some sheriffs say the law seems to be up for interpretation.

...The federal government has already limited access to booking photographs through privacy formulations in its Freedom of Information Act, and the legislature hereby declares that New York will follow the same principle to protect its residents from this unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, absent a specific law enforcement purpose, such as disclosure of a photograph to alert victims or witnesses to come forward to aid in a criminal investigation," the law states.

Cayuga Countys Schenck said he thinks the law leaves it to the discretion of the police agencies.

Specifically, the law says "absent a specific law enforcement purpose, but doesnt offer any guidance on what specific law enforcement purpose means.

Sgt. Jon Seeber, a spokesman for the Onondaga County Sheriffs Office, said the office will stop releasing mug shots until the vague law is better explained. Sheriff Eugene Conway referred questions to his offices spokesman.

The New York State Sheriffs Association advised sheriffs in a memo that the law simultaneously allows them to distribute mug shots as a matter of course and to deny a request for one under the Freedom of Information Law, according to the Democrat and Chronicle.

You should either release, or provide access to all booking photographs, or to none, the associations lawyer, Alex Wilson, wrote, according to the newspaper. Wilson was not able to be reached for comment.

Sheriffs across the state have banned together in the past to oppose Gov. Andrew Cuomo and some of his policies. Cuomo proposed that the state law to ban releasing arrest photos.

Most recently, sheriffs spoke out against legalizing recreational marijuana and most visibly, sheriffs banned together to opposed the NY Safe Act laws.

Sheriffs in Cayuga County, Oneida County and Wayne County confirmed that they will continue to release mug shots despite the new law.

Wayne County Sheriff Barry C. Virts said they will not change their procedure and Oneida County Sheriff Rob Maciol has been vocal about his opposition to a ban.

''After consulting with our colleagues and consulting with our [New York State Sheriffs] association officials we feel confidently that we are not doing anything wrong by releasing mug shots, pursuant to our policy,'' Maciol said to WIBX 950.

Maciol, also president of the New York State Sheriffs Association, told the radio show that he believes policies of public safety and public transparency of his own office are justification for continuing the policy.

''So if someone is in a neighborhood thats been arrested for, ya know harming a child or abusing a child, whatever the case may be - I mean we want people to be aware who is in their neighborhood,'' Maciol told the radio station.

It is unclear if Oswego County and Madison County sheriffs offices will release mug shots. Oswego County Sheriff Don Hilton and Madison County Sheriff Todd Hood did not respond to inquiries.
Syracuse, NY -- A Florida womans mysterious drowning in 2016 made headlines when her mother claimed that she had been murdered by her husband.

Now, Florida prosecutors have opened a homicide investigation against William Gamba, 39, who is suspected of holding his wifes head underwater. The motive? A $1 million life insurance policy and the couples $1.5 million waterfront home, according to Florida media accounts.

And that intrigue has led prosecutors to Syracuse.

State prosecutors contacted the Onondaga County District Attorneys Office seeking a judicial order for records from a downtown Syracuse medical malpractice insurance company, according to court records.

The theory is that Gamba is a career fraudster who has staged accidents to get insurance payouts. Killing is wife was simply his latest stunt, according to the lawsuit.

His wife, Blaise Gamba, 37, died in 2016 after drowning while on a boating trip with her husband. William Gamba is accused in the lawsuit of staging her death as an accident, while in fact holding her under the water.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, the lawsuit accuses Gamba of staging two prior car accidents, as well as setting fire to another car and a boat, all for insurance payouts.

Its unclear what records the Clinton Square-based MLMIC (Medical Liability Mutual Insurance Company) has in its possession.

But Gamba is also accused in the lawsuit of intentionally throwing himself off a hospital gurney in a New York hospital, to get another insurance payout, according to the Times.

In order to get the Syracuse records, Chief Onondaga County Assistant District Attorney Joseph Coolican filed a petition in local court seeking to compel MLMIC to appear for a sworn interview at the DAs office.

The goal is a court order to have the records sent to Florida prosecutors as part of their investigation into Gamba. It does not appear Gamba has been criminally charged in his wifes death. For now, hes only facing the lawsuit by his wifes mother, accusing him of murder.

Gamba was a former administrator at a California hospital. He is no longer employed there, according to media accounts.
New York hunters killed an estimated 12 percent more deer during the 2018-19 hunting season than the previous year.

In addition, more hunters chose to voluntarily pass on shooting young bucks and a record number of older bucks were taken, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservations 2018-19 White-Deer Harvest Summary announced this week.

Finally, for the second year in a row, there was an increase this past season of hunters reporting their successful hunts to the DEC.

Hunting benefits all New Yorkers by reducing negative impacts of deer on forests, agricultural crops and communities, while contributing an estimated $690 million to the states economy through hunting-related expenses and license purchases, which helps support conservation and resource management efforts at DEC, said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos.

The total estimated deer take this past season included 114,402 antlerless deer and 113,385 antlered bucks. Regionally, hunters killed 28,642 deer in the Northern Zone and 199,145 deer in the Southern Zone.

With nearly 60 percent of the bucks taken being 2.5 years or older, hunters killed an estimated 66,697 older bucks, setting another record in the percentage and total number of older bucks in the harvest, DEC said.

Whether through organized deer hunting cooperatives or due to personal decisions, its exciting to see how the voluntary choice of hunters to (follow the DECs campaign) to Let Young Bucks Go and Watch them Grow is shifting our buck harvest, Seggos said. Many hunters desire to see older, large bucks on the landscape. As hunters choose to pass on shots at young bucks, that change is happening.

Although hunters are required by law to report their kills, the reporting rate has averaged around 45 percent for the past decade, DEC said. Thats changing.

Hunters increased their reporting rate to an estimated 50 percent during the 2017-18 season and to 51 percent this past season.

DEC credits the fact that it has made reporting kills easier by providing phone, internet and mobile app options. Harvest reports are important for accurate monitoring of deer harvests.

DEC gets its data for this annual report from two main sources: harvest reports from hunters and DECs examination of more than 15,000 harvested deer at deer check stations and meat processes across the state. Harvest summaries are made by cross-referencing these two data sources and calculating the total harvest from the reporting rate for each zone and tag type, DEC said.

Some other noteworthy numbers from the 2018-19 season:

* 18,131 deer were taken with a muzzleloader  an 18 percent increase from last year.

*43,832 deer were taken with a bow  a 0.3 percent increase

*10,829 deer were taken with a crossbow  a 7.9 percent decrease

*1,025 deer were taken during the Columbus Day Weekend Youth Firearms Hunt  a 9.6 percent increase.

The DEC noted that it tested 2,483 deer from across the state this season and found no evidence of Chronic Wasting Disease.

For more, see the DEC website for the 2018-19 White-Tailed Deer Harvest Summary.
Editors note: Assembly Democrats responded to this story after publication.

New York lawmakers on Tuesday refused to advance a bill that would have provided free college tuition to the families of all military personnel from the state who were killed in the line of duty.

The Assemblys Higher Education Committee voted 15 to 11 to hold the bipartisan bill, effectively ending its chances of making it to a floor vote this session.

The move comes a week after lawmakers passed a $175 billion state budget that included $27 million to provide college tuition aid for undocumented immigrants.

Some Central New York lawmakers said it was outrageous to block a bill that would likely cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars to help children of military members who died for their county.

Its disgraceful, said Assemblyman Gary Finch, R-Springport. Soldiers who lay down their lives and make the ultimate sacrifice represent the best of us. The children they love so dearly deserve access to the opportunity and promise that is the hallmark of this country. I cant imagine whats in your heart when you vote no on a bill like this.

Four Democrats, including Assemblyman Al Stirpe, D-Cicero, split with their party and voted against holding the bill in committee.

Assemblyman Will Barclay, R-Pulaski, one of the bills co-sponsors, said in an interview after the vote that he sensed Democrats simply didnt want to pass the bill because it was authored by a Republican, Steve Hawley, R-Batavia.

We get so caught up in majority and minority issues here, we cant see the forest through the trees, Barclay said. I dont know how they dont justify this.

Barclay said that an estimated 500 or fewer New York college students would be eligible for the tuition aid. The state would pay for children, spouses and financial dependents of New York military members killed in action to attend SUNY and CUNY schools.

The recipients would receive free tuition, room and board through a MERIT scholarship provided by the state.

Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, D-Manhattan, the chair of the Higher Education Committee, had no immediate comment on the reasons why the bill was held in committee.

Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751
WASHINGTON (AP)  Facing bipartisan pushback, President Donald Trump said Tuesday hes not looking to revive the much-criticized practice of separating migrant children from their families at the southern border. At the same time, he suggested the policy had worked to deter migrants from coming into the U.S.

Last summer the administration had separated more than 2,500 children from their families before international outrage forced Trump to halt the practice and a judge ordered them reunited.

"We're not looking to do that," Trump told reporters before meeting with Egypt's president at the White House. But he also noted: "Once you don't have it, that's why you see many more people coming. They're coming like it's a picnic, because let's go to Disneyland."

Immigration experts say Trump's policies and practices were causing chaos on the border and contributing to the surge of migrant families from Central America.

Trump declared that he was "the one that stopped it" and said his predecessor, President Barack Obama, was the one who had separated children from their families.

At hearings across Capitol Hill, lawmakers grilled administration officials on whether the practice would resurface despite last year's outrage and evidence that separations were likely to cause lasting psychological effects on the children. People familiar with immigration discussion said it was just a suggestion, one of many that Trump and his aides were eyeing to tackle the problem of an ever-growing number of Central American families crossing into the U.S. The people were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The administration is allowed to separate children under certain circumstances including the health and welfare of the child and a parent's criminal history; this is why children were separated under Obama.

The possible reinstatement of large scale family separations was just one aspect of the upheaval evident at the Department of Homeland Security this week following the resignation of Kirstjen Nielsen. More leaders were likely to depart the agency in a shakeup orchestrated by the White House to address Trump's inability to stem border crossings.

Trump, for his part, insisted he was not "cleaning house" at the agency despite a number of staff changes. He said his choice to be the department's new acting director, Kevin McAleenan, would do a "fantastic job," adding: "We're not doing anything very big as far as what we need: homeland security, that's exactly what we want."

Top Republicans in Congress expressed concern over vacancies at Homeland Security and cautioned Trump about more churn after the resignation of Nielsen.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said Tuesday that having participated in creating the department more than a decade ago, she knows "these are vital positions."

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, made both a public and private plea to the White House not to dismiss career homeland security officials. He said he spoke to acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney but would only know if Trump heard the message "if they don't get fired."

At a Senate Homeland Security Committee meeting on border issues, child welfare and border officials warned there wasn't room or capability to start separating children on a large scale again.

Children who cross the border alone are cared for by the Department of Health and Human Services, and most of the children are teenagers. But last summer, HHS started receiving babies and toddlers, and there was not enough space to house them, said Jonathan White, the career civil servant tasked by Health and Human Services with helping to reunify children.

"It also bears repeating, separating children from their parents entails significant risk of psychological harm. That is an undisputed scientific fact," White told senators. "We have made improvements to our tracking, but we do not have the capacity to receive that number of children, nor do we have any system that can manage the mass trauma."

Both Republican and Democratic leaders deplored the idea of separating families and were concerned about the shakeup at the department.

"I hope members of the administration are actually listening," said Sen. Ron Johnson, R- Wis., the committee chairman.

While Trump disputed any upheaval at Homeland Security, his outside allies launched a public campaign urging him to nominate former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach to replace Nielsen. Kobach would almost certainly face an uphill battle to be confirmed by the Senate.

In an appearance on Fox News Channel on Monday night that felt like an audition, Kobach called DHS the "biggest impediment" to the president's policies. He said that since Trump took office, leadership at the agency "has been unwilling to execute many of the president's plans."

"There has been deliberate foot-dragging, and I think that's why you're seeing the White House take the necessary steps to clean house at DHS and put people in, hopefully, who will quickly execute what the president orders," he said.

NumbersUSA, a group that seeks to reduce immigration rates, released a statement Tuesday saying there is "no one more qualified" for the job and claiming Kobach had the support of Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

A second conservative group pushed former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli for the job.

Both men's names also have been tossed about for a possible immigration czar who would coordinate immigration policy across various federal agencies.

Concerned legislators were also rallying Tuesday to defend Lee Francis Cissna, the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, whose job was said to be in danger.
WASHINGTON  The federal government plans to designate the southeast shore of Lake Ontario in Upstate New York as a national marine sanctuary, protecting historic shipwrecks and artifacts in an underwater park.

The designation by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration would protect Lake Ontario along the shore of Oswego, Cayuga, Wayne and Jefferson counties.

NOAA has established only 14 marine sanctuaries and underwater monuments nationwide, almost all covering ocean areas. The new designation would be the first on Lake Ontario, and potentially the third on the Great Lakes.

The marine sanctuary proposed by the four Upstate New York counties was selected out of hundreds nominated nationwide, according to U.S. Rep. John Katko, who represents three of the counties.

Katko, R-Camillus, said NOAA informed him that it will formally announce its decision in a notice in the Federal Register later this month.

The notice will set in motion plans for public meetings over 90 days in all four counties, and a series of impact studies, before the designation can take effect.

NOAA officials said they could not confirm the decision to move forward with a Lake Ontario marine sanctuary.

Ellen Brody, Great Lakes regional coordinator for NOAAs Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, said only that action on the Lake Ontario nomination is expected soon.

NOAA has traditionally selected nominations that it knows have public support and will move forward to full designation under the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, Katko said.

The federal law allows NOAA to identify, designate and protect areas in the oceans and Great Lakes with special national significance due to their conservation, recreational, ecological, historical, scientific, cultural, archeological, educational, or aesthetic qualities.

When officials from the Upstate counties nominated Lake Ontario in 2015, the application said it was important to protect the lakes historic and cultural resources that include shipwrecks, a sunken U.S. Air Force C-45, and marine resources important to Native American communities. Some of the known shipwrecks date to the early 1800s.

A video image shows the "Three Brothers," a rare dagger-board schooner discovered in Lake Ontario off Oswego by a team of shipwreck enthusiasts, Jim Kennard, Roger Pawlowski, and Roland Stevens. The ship is almost 200 years old. (Video image by Roger Pawlowski)Video image by Roger Pawlowski

The officials said the federal designation would boost tourism along Lake Ontario and provide educational and economic benefits to the region, including new jobs in the tourism industry.

The federal designation would not interfere with existing commercial and recreational activities on the lake, nor impose limits on those who own homes or camps along the shoreline. But the sanctuary would make it a federal crime to disturb submerged artifacts.

The existing national marine sanctuaries includes the site of a single Civil War shipwreck, where the USS Monitor was found at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean off North Carolina, and the breeding grounds for humpback whales in the shallow waters around the Hawaiian Islands. The sanctuaries protect 35 endangered species.

The only existing Great Lakes sanctuary is the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Lake Huron, off the coast of Alpena, Mich.

NOAA is in the process of designating a second Great Lakes site in Lake Michigan along the shore of Wisconsin.

Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Chad Ryan will leave the Syracuse Common Council at the end of this year.

Ryan, who represents the councils 2nd district, declined the Democratic line on Novembers ballot at the last minute Monday, meaning he wont seek re-election this fall.

He had solicited enough petition signatures to earn a spot on the November ballot for re-election. Late Monday, the Onondaga County Board of Elections received a declination letter from Ryan, meaning he wont accept that spot. Monday was the deadline for declining a nomination.

It will be up to the Onondaga County Democratic Committees vacancy committee to pick someone to run in Ryans place. That person will not have to collect ballot signatures.

The vacancy committee consists of three people: Democratic Chair Pamela Hunter, secretary Jimmy Monto and treasurer Mike LaPoint. They have until Friday to choose a fill-in candidate.

Reached Tuesday morning, Hunter said she informed ward chairs Monday evening of the vacancy and asked for interested candidates to submit letters of intent and resumes. As of Tuesday morning, she had received two resumes.

Theres one other person running for the seat: Green Party candidate Bill Bass. Bass ran unsuccessfully for Congress last year as a Democrat.

The Republican Party did not nominate someone to run.

Ryan, 33, has represented the councils 2nd district since 2013. He comes from a politically active family in Syracuse. He works as a funeral director at the family-owned Edward J. Ryan and Son Funeral Home.

The 2nd district covers the west side of Syracuse, including Tipperary Hill and the Near Westside.

Its unclear why Ryan decided not to run after circulating petitions for weeks. He did not respond to a message Tuesday. Hes missed the last two council meetings.

Ryan took a four-month leave from the council last summer to get treatment for an addiction problem. He returned to the council in September.
Canadian rock band Theory of a Deadman is heading back to the New York State Fair for the third time since 2012.

They will perform at Chevy Court at 8 p.m. on Saturday, August 31. That day will also be Orange Day which offers admission for $1 when wearing Syracuse University attire.

Theory has had three No. 1 hits including Bad Girlfriend, Lowlife and Rx (Medicate). They are the ninth band to be announced to perform at Chevy Court.

The 2019 Chevy Court lineup at the New York State Fair:

At the 2019 New York Experience Stage:

The 2019 New York State Fair runs from Aug. 21 to Sept. 2.
Posted on Tuesday, April 09, 2019

KINGSVILLE (April 9, 2019)  Dr. Michael Tewes has spent the last 35 years of his life studying the endangered ocelot. Over those years, he has had triumphs and setbacks, but he still works to save his beloved wild cat. During the 37th Annual Faculty Lecture, Tewes addressed some of these attempts to help the elusive ocelot.

Tewes began trying to capture ocelots in November 1981 for his doctoral research. He was not successful in trapping one until the morning of March 2, 1982. Over the two-year period of his research, he studied 12 ocelots.

I was so used to not catching any ocelot every morning, that I had to drive back to town to retrieve my equipment, he said.

Tewes said there are fewer than 80 ocelots in the United States. They occur in two different environmentsbetween seven and 14 adult ocelots on the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge and more than 35 on privately-owned ranches, both located in the Rio Grande Valley.

He said those ocelots living in the wildlife refuge are isolated and surrounded by a lethal landscape. On the other hand, the population living on the ranch have a more friendly landscape of cover and prey. A much larger population than the two in the United States lives in northeastern Mexico.

Tewes said one of his goals in presenting the Faculty Lecture is to outline a new path that is strategic, rational and define the actions we should be implementing to benefit the ocelots.

Several ideas to save and grow the ocelot population on the north side of the border have been tried, unsuccessfully, over the past 35 years, Tewes said. The four major conservation strategies purported to help ocelots including landscape corridors, habitat restoration, road crossings and translocation, have failed to provide meaningful benefit for conservation of the felines in the United States.

More than $20 million have been spent in the past 15 years, and I believe we have less habitat and fewer ocelots than when I began working on ocelots, Tewes said. Perhaps even more concerning, we squandered 25 precious years in the ongoing countdown to ocelot extirpation within the U.S.

Unfortunately, public attention and agency efforts over the past decade have focused on the few ill-fated refuge ocelots. In contrast, less recovery effort has been spent on the ranch ocelots which represent a much greater recovery opportunity, he said.

There is good news. The future is brighter for the ranch ocelot population where 80 percent of the ocelots in the U.S. reside. This group is not afflicted by many of the same factors threatening refuge ocelots, Tewes said. Habitat patches used by the ranch ocelots are embedded with more sympathetic rangeland often with abundant prey and extensive woody cover to support ocelot dispersal between groups, an important contrast with the refuge population surrounded by a lethal landscape.

Tewes added, Concerns of landowners regarding federal regulations, liability and government overreach as related to the presence of an endangered ocelot need to be alleviated with official agreements that are binding.

To effect change, I urge the adoption of programs, policies and actions that will make a difference for ocelot recovery. These new actions should target the resident female ocelots, particularly within the ranch population, Tewes said, It is urgent that we translocate ocelots from northeastern Mexico into the existing ranch population.

Ranchers must be a major element of the new paradigm for ocelot conservation. Ultimately, if ocelot recovery is to have any possibility of success in the U.S., ranchers must be the key players to support this effort, Tewes said.

About Dr. Michael Tewes

Dr. Michael Tewes grew up in Odem, 35 miles north of Kingsville. He earned his bachelors and masters degrees in wildlife science from Texas A&M University and his doctorate in wildlife resources from University of Idaho. He began working with ocelots during the first year of the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute in 1981.

In 2007, he was named a Regents Professor, the highest honor for a professor in the Texas A&M University System. The next year, Tewes became the first holder of the Frank D. Yturria Endowed Chair in Wild Cat Studies.

During his time studying wild cats, Tewes has worked with ocelots, bobcats and mountain lions in Texas; ocelots, jaguarundi in Mexico; clouded leopards, golden cats, marbled cats and leopard cats in Thailand; leopard in Africa; and viverrids in Taiwan.

-TAMUK-
In context: In 1948, Isaac Asimov coined the "Three Laws of Robotics" in his short story Runaround. The core of the rules were that robots should never harm humans whether by autonomous action (or inaction) or by following commands by another human (murder by proxy). As we advance into the twenty-first century, AI is getting to the point where it could cause problems left unchecked or used unethically.

On Monday, the European Commission published guidelines for the ethical development and application of artificial intelligence.

With AI and machine learning growing at a rapid rate, researchers and lawmakers alike are concerned about potential pitfalls that could come with the creation and deployment of powerful AI algorithms.

Deep fakes, news generators, and medical imaging malware have been flagged for potential misuse. Privacy and data use has also been at the forefront as of late. It was only a matter of time before regulators became interested in tempering the technology with rules or laws.

The European Commission stopped short of enacting or proposing legislation regarding artificial intelligence, but did come up with a set of guidelines for creating trustworthy AI.

Isaac Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics" A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

The general rules look to ensure that AI employed in various applications maintains transparency (think Google Duplex identifying itself) as well as a fair amount of human oversight. The commission wants to be sure that systems are secure and can handle errors or tampering well enough that they cannot cause harm.

The EU also wants to be sure that citizens have control over any data that an AI may collect and that it complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which took effect last year.

Machine learning and AI systems should never discriminate based on unchangeable traits (race, disabilities, etc.) and should ensure accessibility. The commission believes systems should be used for the betterment of society, but perhaps more important than anything else; AI should have mechanisms in place to ensure accountability should something go wrong.

The commission is launching a pilot program this summer to involve stakeholders in evaluating the guidelines and coming up with recommendations on how to implement the rules. In early 2020 they hope to begin incorporating feedback from the pilot into a cohesive set of regulations.

A full description of guidelines can be found on the EC's website.
Why it matters: Intel might deny its true, but Apple has reportedly lost faith in Chipzillas ability to deliver its 5G modems for the 2020 iPhones on time. Cupertino, however, could have an unlikely new source for its chip needs: Huawei.

A recent report claimed that Apple has lost confidence in Intel, which was the sole supplier of modem chips for last years iPhones. Most Android manufacturers are using Qualcomms hardware in their 5G phones, but Apples legal battles with the firm mean thats not an option. With Samsungs 5G solution being impractical and MediaTeks chips less technically ready, it looks as if Apple might turn to an in-house alternative, though that could also mean delays.

According to Engadget, one answer may come in the form of Huawei. The Chinese giants is said to be open to the idea of selling its Balong 5000 modems, which will be part of the foldable Mate X, exclusively to Apple.

Such a deal would be beneficial for both firms: Huawei gets a lucrative new income source and a high-profile customer while Apple gets its 5G chips sooner. Additionally, such a partnership would likely improve Apples business in China, where iPhone sales have been falling in recent times.

The big obstacle, of course, is Huaweis seemingly never-ending battles with the US government, which has long accused the firm of spying at the behest of China. Assuming there isnt an outright ban, the animosity alone might not dissuade Apple from using its rivals chips, but the potential PR nightmare would likely outweigh the pros of such a deal.

Neither firm has officially commented on the report, but you can file this one under 'unlikely.' Whether recently arrested Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou's apparent fondness for Apple products has any influence on the situation is unknown.
In brief: Its popularity might have taken a massive tumble in recent times, but cryptocurrency mining certainly hasnt disappeared. The practice may shrink even further in China, however, where authorities want to ban the sector.

The National Development Reform Commission wants to restrict or eliminate a number of industries as they seriously wasted resources, are safety risks, can have legal implications, or damage the environment. Among those activities on a draft version of the revised list is cryptocurrency mining.

The public has until May 7 to comment on the draft. Any ban would come into effect as soon as the final version is published.

Bloomberg notes that China was once home to about 70 percent of Bitcoin mining and 90 percent of trades, but authorities have been trying to shrink the industry due to concerns over bubbles, fraud, and the waste it produces. Initial coin offerings (IPOs) and were banned and local exchanges told to stop cryptocurrency trading in 2017.

Last year saw the Peoples Bank of China (PBOC) ask local authorities to regulate bitcoin miners power usage to reduce the scale of their production slowly.

According to a report in Nature Sustainability (via Gizmodo), crypto mining emits anywhere between 3 million and 15 million tons of carbon dioxide globally.

The news comes a week after Bitcoin and other cryptos saw an unexpected surge. After hitting a low of around $3,200 in December and staying below $4,000 for most of this year, Bitcoin jumped suddenly above $5,000 for the first time since last November and is currently at around $5,260it appears Chinas plans havent negatively affected the price.
What just happened? More details surrounding the Chinese woman who was arrested at Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort have arrived. Its been reported that the malware-loaded USB drive she was carrying contained self-executing code, and she also had a device used to detect hidden cameras.

32-year-old Yujing Zhang gained access to a restricted area of Mar-a-Lago on March 30 by lying to a federal agent. She initially claimed she was there to use the poolstaff allowed her in as they thought she was related to a guest with the same family namebut once inside, Zhang said she was there for a non-existent event.

Secret Service agents escorted her off the property and questioned Zhang at their local office. She was interviewed for over four hours, but agents accidentally recorded video-only footagetheres no audio.

In addition to the malware-loaded USB drive and two passports, Zhang was also carrying four mobile phones, a laptop, and an external hard drive, but no swimming gear. The Miami Herald reports that an agent inserted the USB stick into a computer and it started to install files. The agent had to stop the analysis immediately to halt any further corruption. The incident has drawn mockery from the security community, though the agency has tried to defend itself by saying the computer in question was controlled, off-network device.

.@sifutweety pointed out that the fact that this is getting so many retweets is a credit to infosec education -- everyone knows this is a stupid idea.  Chris Wysopal (@WeldPond) April 8, 2019

Its been reported that Zhang had a fifth phone, nine USB drives, five SIM cards, and a device used to detect hidden cameras all stored in her hotel room. Investigators also found several credit and debit cards and $8,000 in cash, including $700 in Chinese currency, according to the New York Times.

Zhang said someone called Charles, whom she only knew through a Chinese social media app, told her to travel from Shanghai to the fake event. Charles had also asked Zhang to speak to a member of Trump's family about Chinese-American economic relations.

Zhangs public defender argued that the US government has no reason to believe she is a spy. She did not have the type of devices that can be associated with espionage activities, he said. Still, not many tourists carry that amount of electrical equipment and a malware-packed USB drive.

Zhang has not yet entered a plea to the criminal charges she faces. Prosecutors plan to indict her formally in the coming week, writes CNN.
What just happened? Intel isn't done absorbing talent for its graphics push, set to culminate in 2020 with Intel's Xe launch. As 2020 nears, marketing campaigns and community engagement will be increasingly more important. With the addition of Heather Lennon, Intel seems to be putting together a dream team of marketing experts to help drive its new graphics products.

Intel has brought yet another AMD stalwart under its banner, this time Heather Lennon. Lennon served as manager for AMD Radeon Technologies Group (RTG) marketing and communications. Lennon had been with AMD for 10 years and was responsible for the Radeon social media, website, rebranding, community engagement, and more.

Lennon will now join Intel as its manager for Digital Marketing and Graphics. She will reportedly be working closely with Mark Taylor, who is a former Nvidia employee now heading up technical marketing for Intel's graphics division. Lennon had a prestigious tenure at AMD, winning a PR Week award for Campaign of the Year 2014, in addition to 40 digital marketing awards for her work with AMD's marketing and strategy.

Lennon is far from the only one to receive an offer they couldn't refuse from team blue. She's joined by other former AMD/Nvidia veterans Raja Koduri, Chris Hook, Damien Triolet, and most recently, Tom Peterson.

I'm excited to share that I started a new career @intel today as Manager, Digital Marketing for @IntelGraphics #odyssey pic.twitter.com/xGO07bNRxv  Heather J Lennon (@HeatherJLennon) April 8, 2019

Intel's investment in marketing and communications gurus like Lennon and Petersen come as Intel's Xe Graphics 2020 launch is looming, and Intel will undoubtedly want it to go off without a hitch. Intel also recently rolled out Odyssey, a community driven program Intel claims is a "passionate community, focused on improving graphics and visual computing for everyone, from gamers to content creators." It's hard to imagine Lennon's new role at Intel won't have something to do with Odyssey's outreach and engagement.

Intel's Xe Graphics will be far reaching, encompassing everything from integrated solutions, all the way up to discrete data center and gaming cards. At the forefront of Intel's renewed graphics focus is the new Gen 11 graphics engine. The new graphics architecture will make its debut with the 10nm Ice Lake chips and will significantly increase on-silicon graphics power.

Image credit: Intel concept graphics card by Cristiano Siqueira
Bottom line: The proposed settlement of $117.5 million includes a minimum of $55 million for victims out-of-pocket expenses, $24 million to pay for two years of crediting monitoring service, as much as $30 million for legal expenses and an additional $8.5 million for unspecified expenses.

Yahoo has reached a revised settlement agreement with millions of people who had their personal information stolen in high-profile data breaches in 2013 and 2014.

The settlement must be approved by US District Judge Lucy Koh who struck down an earlier proposal in January. Koh said the first settlement was not fair, adequate and reasonable because it didnt have an overall dollar value and didnt indicate how much victims might expect to recover. Legal fees were also too high, the judge said.

John Yanchunis, one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs, said in a court filing that the settlement was the biggest common fund ever obtained in a data breach case. Verizon in a statement said it demonstrates their strong commitment to security.

Verizon, who agreed to acquire Yahoo in July 2016, separately committed more than $300 million to information security between 2019 and 2022. Thats more than five times the amount Yahoo spent in that area between 2013 and 2016, Reuters notes.
For the first time in years, the idea of humans traveling and living beyond Earth is starting to look like a real possibility. This is due in no small part to the efforts of space companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and NASA itself.

Speaking of NASA, the agency announced today that it will be awarding $15 million each ($30 million in total, disbursed over 5 years) to two different Space Technology Research Institutes (STRIs). The Institutes' primary goal will be to create AI-powered, fully-automated space habitats, or "SmartHabs."

The Institutes' primary goal will be to create AI-powered, fully-automated space habitats, or "SmartHabs."

In terms of details regarding how these habitats will function, we have very little to go on, mostly due to how vague NASA's announcement is. That's no surprise though, given that research hasn't even properly begun yet.

What we do know is that the two STRIs will be dubbed the "Habitats Optimized for Missions of Exploration" (HOME) and the Resilient Extraterrestrial Habitats institute (RETHi), respectively. These Institutes will be composed of researchers from universities throughout the US, including the likes of Carnegie Mellon, the University of California, and many others.

The former STRI will focus on creating "deep space habitats" that will combine "proven engineering" with emergent tech to enable "resilient, autonomous, and self-maintained habitats" for human explorers. The latter's goal will be to design habitats that can adapt to expected and unexpected "disruptions."
LIVINGSTON  A state district judge set the path Monday for two men convicted in the slaying of an Albany High student to seek new trials over questions about evidence that the nation's highest court has already found prosecutors withheld improperly.

James Skinner and Darrell Hampton have maintained their innocence in the slaying of 16-year-old Eric Walber more than 20 years ago and have been seeking a new trial since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the conviction Michael Wearry, the accused the ringleader in the brutal beating. Wearry had been facing a death sentence.

An honor student, Walber had been working part time delivering pizza in eastern Livingston Parish. He was robbed and his body was found beaten and run over by a car on a rural road in Tangipahoa Parish in April 1998.

In March 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court found Livingston prosecutors violated Wearry's due process rights at his first-degree murder trial when they withheld evidence that undercut the credibility of the state's two chief witnesses.

The high court had ruled that the "state's trial evidence resembles a house of cards."

Since that ruling, post-conviction defense attorneys for Skinner and Hampton have been arguing that their clients' second-degree murder convictions relied on largely the same witnesses and were brought by the same prosecutors who withheld the same information.

They have argued that unlike a capital defendant, their clients were not afforded legal representation once their convictions were final and could not have dug up what Wearry's team of lawyers did, much less afforded the cost, with jailhouse efforts. Wearry's attorneys filed 100 public records requests and reviewed tens of thousands of pages, court papers say.

But 21st Judicial District Judge Brenda Bedsole Ricks rejected those post-conviction appeals last year as too late. Defendants have two years to file post-conviction appeals after their judgments are final, and the men's convictions date from the mid-2000s.

The state 1st Circuit Court of Appeal overturned Ricks and then the Louisiana Supreme Court, on Feb. 18, upheld the appellate court ruling, which brought the defense attorneys and prosecutors back before Ricks on Monday.

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After a lengthy closed-door session in a neighboring courtroom, Ricks and the attorneys re-emerged in her courtroom while a group of the defendants' family members looked on.

Ricks gave Assistant District Attorney Patricia Amos until May 8 to reply to the post-conviction appeals of Hampton and Skinner and then their attorneys will have until May 17 to respond to prosecutors.

Ricks has set another hearing on May 20 to determine how to proceed and whether the two sides will have a open court hearing to argue their cases or simply rely on the court papers submitted.

+2 DOC: Man who pleaded guilty in murder of pizza boy must serve full term unless paroled The former death row inmate who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the killing of an Albany pizza boy two decades ago must serve at least 1 mo

After the hearing, Jee Park, who represents Skinner and is director of the Innocence Project in New Orleans, and Marquest Meeks, who is representing Hampton pro bono, emphasized the significance of being able to argue on the merits of their clients' post-conviction appeals at last.

Park noted that Wearry will be getting out of prison by 2024. In December, he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and received a 25-year prison sentence, yet Skinner, without the same legal fire power behind him initially after his conviction, has a life sentence.

"That's not an equitable system," Park said.

Hampton also has a life sentence.

Livingston Parish District Attorney Scott Perrilloux has maintained his confidence in the convictions and denied any wrongdoing by his prosecutors. Amos, the assistant district attorney, said prosecutors plan to contest the defendants' appeals.
Baton Rouge rapper "Boosie BadAzz" was arrested Monday on gun and drug counts after deputies in Georgia pulled him over and searched his car, finding over $20,000 in cash along with marijuana and a firearm.

Boosie  whose real name is Torrence Hatch Jr.  was on parole in East Baton Rouge until last year after serving time in prison for his 2009 conviction on additional gun and drug charges. He was accused of hiring a hitman and orchestrating a murder that also occurred in 2009, but was later acquitted at trial in 2012.

+21 After murder case against Baton Rouge rapper Boosie falls apart, DA turns to man with keys In early June 2010, Baton Rouge, state and federal law enforcement leaders crowded behind a podium to tout a stunning series of indictments, c

Hatch and a man identified as his bodyguard were booked into jail Monday in Coweta County, Georgia, and released on bail the following day, according to the Coweta County Sheriff's Office.

The incident report released Tuesday from the sheriff's office includes the following description of the arrests.

A sheriff's deputy initiated the traffic stop after he saw a white Dodge Charger swerve out of its lane, almost sideswiping another vehicle. The Charger didn't pull over immediately and the two people inside "seemed to be moving a lot."

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Once the car did come to a stop, the officer noticed a "very strong" odor of marijuana coming from inside. Hatch, who was driving, said he didn't have his driver's license on him but provided his name, birth date and social security number. The passenger handed over his license, which identified him as Antonio Allen Jr.

Officers could see what appeared to be marijuana inside the car and later found a gun under the passenger seat. Hatch told officers Allen "was his bodyguard and that's why he had a gun."

Officers also checked inside a bag that Hatch had been holding during the traffic stop and found bundles of cash totaling $20,160. They found a vape in the center console containing suspected THC oil, which is the psychoactive drug found in marijuana.

Hatch, 36, and Allen, 30, were handcuffed and transported to jail. Both were booked on possession of marijuana, possession of a Schedule 1 drug and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. Hatch was also booked on failure to maintain lane.

A nationally acclaimed music artist, Hatch has seen widespread success both before and after his prison sentence, which was extended after he was caught conspiring to smuggle drugs behind bars.

He was paroled from the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola in 2014 and ordered to perform community service that would include speaking to New Orleans youth about the importance of staying in school and avoiding drugs  one of the conditions of his release.
Gov. John Bel Edwards is again voicing support for a minimum wage hike in Louisiana -- a key issue he campaigned on four years ago.

But after three years of rejection at the State Capitol, Edwards is setting his sights a little higher -- 50 cents to be exact, from his original $8.50 an hour push to now advocating a $9 an hour minimum wage -- and making an appeal to let voters have the final decide.

For three years now, I have asked you to support an increase in the minimum wage in this state, and yet, many workers in Louisiana are still no closer to a wage that can support a family or bring them out of poverty, Edwards said during his annual State of the State address on Monday. Even if you have in the past not supported a minimum wage for our workers, give the people of this state a right to decide.

Gov. Edwards opens 2019 legislative session with remarks about 'disturbing' recent church fires Before diving into his annual State of the State address on Monday, Gov. John Bel Edwards condemned the recent spate of disturbing fires tha

Edwards noted that Arkansas recently approved an $11-an-hour minimum wage with a ballot initiative supported by 68 percent of voters.

We are falling further and further behind, he said. I challenge everyone in this room to look at your familys finances and try to imagine making it on $7.25 an hour. For thousands of Louisianans, that is their reality.

I believe its time to look outside the walls of this building and let the people of Louisiana decide if raising the minimum wage is the right thing to do, he added.

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Edwards said he supports legislation that would establish a $9 per hour minimum wage effective July 2020, if Louisiana voters agree with the increase. The minimum wage bill that Edwards is backing, Senate Bill 60, is sponsored by Sen. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans.

Minimum-wage workers in Louisiana make $7.25 an hour because it remains one of just five states that never adopted a state-level minimum wage rate and, therefore, defaults to the federal rate that hasn't changed in a decade. Several other states have set minimum wage levels at the federal rate, as well. The minimum wage went up in 18 other states at the start of 2018, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The previous year, 19 states saw minimum wage hikes.

Edwards previously called for a minimum wage hike of $1.25 over two years to $8.50 an hour.

Edwards, a Democrat who took office in 2016 and is seeking re-election this fall, has faced pushback on his minimum wage proposal in the GOP-controlled Legislature after intense lobbying from business groups, who argue that business owners should have flexibility.

During Edwards' speech, the National Federation of Independent Businesses' Louisiana chapter tweeted a photo of electronic kiosks that have replaced cashiers in some McDonalds locations.

"This is what government mandated higher labor costs look like," NFIB tweeted.

Two Republicans have announced plans to challenge Edwards as he seeks a second term  Baton Rouge businessman Eddie Rispone and U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham, of Alto.

The election is Oct. 12. A runoff will take place on Nov. 16 between the top two vote-getters, if no one gets more than 50 percent in the primary.
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I read in this paper that Louisiana's U.S. Sen. Foghorn Leghorn, aka John Kennedy, is appalled, offended and very angry.

Senator, join the club, because I am sick and tired of hearing you talk like a juvenile delinquent.

The next time youre inclined to use "whiz," or "suck," or "screw" in a sentence and youre not in a pool hall, put a sock in it.

If you cant say something intelligent, then at least omit the vulgarities. Voters may deserve the government they get, but the citizens of Louisiana deserve better than that.

Dave Meeks

retired

New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  One tenant catches rats in spring-loaded traps. Another tries to open her oven door  and it comes off in her hands.

So goes another day at Peace Lake Towers.

The complex in New Orleans East is one of 19 Louisiana sites that failed health and safety inspections in 2018 alone, according to an Associated Press review of federal housing data nationwide. Since 1999, 12% of Louisiana inspections ended in failing scores  the worst rate in the country, a January data release shows.

Conditions at Peace Lake Towers are similar to those at many private, taxpayer-supported apartments for low-income tenants around the country.

Michael Allen says he's caught five rats in the traps in his apartment in less than a week.

Neighbor Angela LaSalle complained to a reporter that her kitchen range wasn't working right. When she tried to demonstrate the balky door, it fell off.

Tenants also complain of unreliable air conditioners in the state's hothouse climate and limited hot water for bathing and washing clothes. They say strangers make their way into the building at night, sometimes sleeping in hallways or going to the bathroom in halls or elevators.

Housing experts say apartment building owners in Southern communities with low rents can have trouble raising enough cash for repairs. Peace Lake Towers scored 24 out of a possible 100 in an inspection in January 2018 for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which subsidizes rents there.

That's part of a national decline in inspection scores since 2007, AP found. Yet operators keep collecting payments and face few serious consequences, according to contract data released by HUD.

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The AP analyzed HUD's inspection data for privately owned apartments where needy tenants are assigned under the federal Section 8 program. The government typically pays two-thirds of a tenant's rent directly to the landlord under multiyear contracts.

Peace Lake Towers  a six-story building with units for low-income people who are disabled or over age 55  scored an 86 in a HUD inspection as late as 2015. Yet Allen, 61, who has had two strokes, moved in that year and said he had problems right away.

He was told soon after moving in that he would have to leave for several hours because of a bedbug infestation. He said a storm several years ago sent water in through an air conditioning unit and flooded much of his apartment.

Tenants say management isn't always responsive to complaints. However, LaSalle said she sees "some progress" with new managers.

Millennia Housing Management Ltd. took over in November 2017. It hopes to gain ownership by year's end, said spokeswoman Valerie Jerome.

She said Cleveland-based Millennia plans a complete rehabilitation to fix the problems once the sale is complete. Meanwhile, she added, "We are managing the property and making repairs as we go." New hot water tanks were expected to improve reliability. And, she said, the company has stepped up security at the complex.

The current owner is Global Ministries Foundation, which has come under criticism in other places for the condition of affordable housing it owns. Last July, Florida's two U.S. senators wrote HUD Secretary Ben Carson about unsafe conditions at two of the foundation's apartment complexes, including ceiling leaks, mold and mildew.

Global Ministries Foundation did not respond to email or phone messages seeking comment.
Beginning in September, passengers at New Orleans' Armstrong International Airport will have another new non-stop flight.

Sun Country announced Monday afternoon that the airline will start flying non-stop service from New Orleans to Providence, Rhode Island, in the fall.

The airline said in a news release that service will begin Sept. 6, with round-trip service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

The new route gives New Orleans non-stop service to 54 cities.

In its last full year operating out of its existing terminal, the airport once again posted record-breaking passenger numbers in 2018, with more than 13.1 million travelers passing through the facility.

The banner year marks the eighth straight year of growth, and the fourth year in a row in which the airport  which will be moving to a new terminal in May  has broken its previous passenger record, according to airport officials.

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All told, the airport saw a 9.3 percent increase in passengers in 2018 over the roughly 12 million who used the facility in 2017.

The high growth rate at the airport came as airlines added or expanded coverage on nine routes. Seven more new routes are expected to start this year.

The airport is scheduled to open its new terminal May 15.
A 64-year-old man from Washington state has come forward with previously undisclosed claims that he was molested by a priest decades ago while studying at Jesuit High School in New Orleans.

The new allegations are contained in a lawsuit filed Friday in Orleans Parish Civil District Court. In the 11-page suit, the unnamed plaintiff alleges that Edward DeRussy, a priest who died in 2001, molested him and a fellow student while they were being tutored in Latin.

He is seeking compensation from the Archdiocese of New Orleans and the Jesuit order that is in charge of the all-boys high school in Mid-City.

The lawsuit is the latest in a string of mostly unresolved civil cases that have been filed in the wake of Archbishop Gregory Aymond's public release in November of a list of clerics who had been credibly accused of sexually abusing minors.

Jesuit officials in charge of the region including New Orleans made a similar disclosure the following month, as bishops and religious orders sought to win back the trust of parishioners appalled by the latest reverberations of its decades-old clergy abuse scandal.

The list published by the regional Jesuits on Dec. 7 revealed for the first time that DeRussy had been the subject of multiple credible claims of sexual abuse dating to his time teaching Latin and English at Jesuit High between 1969 and 1978.

+4 More Jesuit educators from New Orleans named in latest church sex abuser list In a move aimed at restoring trust with parishioners amid the clergy abuse scandal that has engulfed the Catholic Church, the Jesuit order on 

The new suit says DeRussys appearance on that list is one reason the plaintiff decided to go public with the alleged abuse, which he said occurred around 1969, when he was in eighth grade.

The plaintiff first started remembering the molestation in April 2009, when he came across the obituary of another Jesuit priest and began wondering what had happened to DeRussy, according to the lawsuit.

DeRussy shoved his hands into the plaintiffs pants during a tutoring session, and fondled the genitals and bare buttocks of both the plaintiff and another student while he knelt between the boys, the suit says.

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DeRussy frequently reeked with the stench of alcohol during the molestation, which played out over several occasions during a three-month period, the suit says.

The abuse later drove the plaintiff to drink excessively, struggle with depression and suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the lawsuit.

A statute of limitations can bar many Louisiana plaintiffs from recovering damages for long-ago abuse. But the new lawsuit cites a court ruling which held that repressed memory may operate to suspend the (statute of limitations) applicable to child sexual abuse  and that the issue must be decided after a full trial on the merits.

Though the 172-year-old Jesuit High School is part of the Archdiocese of New Orleans school system, the Jesuit order owns and operates it.

Both the order and the archdiocese declined comment on the new suit, citing a policy against discussing pending legal cases.

The archdiocese offered prayers of healing to all abuse victims, while the Jesuits invited anyone who has been abused by a member of the order to contact it.

Other former Jesuit High employees have been named in sex abuse lawsuits that the order has previously settled. They include priest Neil Carr, religious brother Claude Ory and Donald Dickerson, a teacher who was studying to be a priest.

Since those cases became public, Jesuit High leaders have highlighted security measures that were put in place after those men worked at Jesuit. Among them are background checks and laws requiring faculty and staff to alert authorities when they have information suggesting a student is being abused.
A former Louisiana State Penitentiary inmate who had his murder conviction overturned has filed a suit in federal court, claiming he was wrongfully convicted after New Orleans cops beat him into confessing and prosecutors failed to seek out evidence that would have proved his innocence.

John Floyd, who spent 36 years at Angola before his conviction was overturned in 2018, alleges that he was railroaded by local law enforcement after the 1980 stabbing death of Times-Picayune proofreader William Hines in Hines' French Quarter apartment.

Floyd is seeking unspecified financial damages in the lawsuit, which was filed Thursday. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo.

The civil rights lawsuit marks Floyds second trip through the federal court system. Last year, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court's decision finding that Floyd was denied a fair trial and there was extensive evidence of his innocence.

The allegations in Floyds lawsuit track closely with the ones his lawyers at the Innocence Project New Orleans made for more than a decade while trying to win his release.

He claims the homicide detectives on the case, John Dillmann and Michael Rice, beat him until he falsely confessed to the killing of Hines and another man, Rodney Robinson, within days of each other around Thanksgiving in 1980.

A Criminal District Court judge acquitted Floyd in Robinson's killing but convicted him of Hines' killing.

The lawsuit says the cops knew from a witness who saw a man fleeing the scene of Robinsons killing, as well as hair and blood evidence, that the most likely suspect in both murders was a black man with Type A blood, but instead they decided to pin the killings on Floyd, who is white with Type B blood.

Floyd was an easy target: an indigent drifter with comprehension skills comparable to an 8-year-old, he was known around the French Quarter as an alcoholic and drug user who often frequented gay bars, the lawsuit states.

Floyd now lives on a farm in Carencro and volunteers at an animal shelter.

Dillmann gave a brief statement Tuesday about the lawsuit. I believe that his conviction being overturned was a travesty of justice, and I also believe that truth and goodness will always trump lies and evil, Dillmann said.

Floyds lawsuit also alleges that the New Orleans Police Department compounded the injustice against him by failing to create a report on fingerprint evidence from a half-empty whiskey bottle in Hines kitchen, which was left by someone other than Hines or Floyd. Failing to create that report was standard NOPD practice, the suit claims.

While the bulk of the lawsuit focuses on alleged misconduct by the Police Department, Floyd also claims that prosecutors under former District Attorney Harry Connick Sr. had a type of dont ask, dont tell policy of failing to seek out any exculpatory information that was not affirmatively provided to them by the NOPD.

John Floyd, once a lifer at Angola, to have murder case dropped, Orleans DA says New Orleans prosecutors said Tuesday they are dropping their case against John Floyd, the onetime Angola lifer who had his murder conviction t

Connick had hostility toward his constitutional obligation to turn over favorable evidence to defense lawyers, the suit alleges.

That was why prosecutors never followed up on the fingerprint evidence that could have been turned over to Floyds defense attorney, it says.

The lawsuit is at least the third instance in two years in which a former Angola lifer has targeted the New Orleans District Attorney's Office. Freed prisoners Jerome Morgan and Robert Jones also have lawsuits pending in federal court.

An office spokesman declined to comment on the latest lawsuit because it has not yet been served. Throughout years of appeals, the office always maintained that Floyd was the true killer.

The NOPD did not respond to a request for comment. Rice, as well as former Lt. Stephen London, an NOPD supervisor over both of the detectives named in the suit, could not be reached for comment.

Floyds attorneys are local lawyer John Adcock as well as the Neufeld Scheck & Brustin firm of New York City and the Lathrop Gage firm of Kansas City.
The New Orleans Police Department is warning of a wave of crimes by brazen juveniles across the city in the wake of several high-profile crimes, including the carjacking of City Councilwoman Cyndi Nguyens father over the weekend.

While noting that violent crimes are down so far in 2019, NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson said Monday that officers have seen a large number of crimes typically attributable to young offenders, including vehicle burglaries and thefts.

Weve identified a recent rash of juvenile offenses that have been occurring over the last week or two and probably even further, Ferguson said. But we want to reassure our community that we are vigilant, we are aware and we are staying the course.

But despite a spate of well-publicized incidents, its not clear that there was a significant increase in crimes by juveniles in the first quarter of 2019. NOPD statistics suggest that such crimes may actually have fallen, compared with recent years.

Since the beginning of the year, police have arrested 238 juveniles for crimes ranging from car burglaries to murder, Ferguson said. But if the department were to keep up that pace through the end of the year, it would mean the fewest juvenile arrests the city has seen since 2016.

Fergusons press conference Monday came after a series of headline-grabbing incidents involving juveniles.

On Sunday, Nguyen hosted a Facebook Live discussion with her constituents in which she said her father was carjacked by a bunch of kids a few blocks from the Mary Queen of Vietnam Church on Dwyer Boulevard.

A video of the incident shows two people jogging toward an SUV and approaching the drivers-side door. When the door opens, the driver is pulled out and thrown to the ground, after which one of the men drives off in the vehicle.

Nguyen said her father was not seriously injured and the car was recovered later in the day.

Ferguson said he was particularly concerned that the carjackers were armed, possibly with weapons taken from previous vehicle burglaries.

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I think theyre very bold and very brazen, which is why we have to be bold in our actions to let them know this will not be tolerated and not be accepted, he said.

Last week, officers arrested an adult and several juveniles in a vehicle that had been carjacked. And officers in the 7th District, which covers New Orleans East, arrested 10 juveniles on counts from armed robbery to attempted murder.

In the 2nd District, which includes much of Uptown and Broadmoor, an adult and several juveniles were arrested for auto burglary and auto theft in a case that involved a 13-year-old driving a stolen car.

Ferguson said it was not clear what would be causing a spike in juvenile crime.

I do not know. Ive always attributed a lot of this to social media, smart devices, video games and things of that nature, he said. There could be a number of answers to that question, but it is our duty and our job to identify any of those that are responsible for committing those crimes."

But it remains unclear whether there is, in fact, an increase in crimes by juveniles in the city.

According to NOPD reports, fewer crimes have been attributed to juveniles this year than at the same point last year. There are 534 offenses committed by those believed to be younger than 18 in the departments electronic police reports for this year, only about 56 percent of the number at this point in 2018.

It is not clear whether that ratio will change as more arrests are made or more offenders are identified.

When it comes to arrests, the department also appears to be booking juveniles at a lower rate than in previous years.

If the pace of juvenile arrests this year keeps up through December, about 896 youths will be arrested in 2019. Whether that rate will hold up is unknown, and the NOPD was not able to provide statistics for the first quarter of previous years to provide a more direct comparison on Monday.

But if the rate remains the same the rest of the year, it would actually put juvenile arrests at their lowest level in three years, according to statistics the NOPD provided to WWL-TV last year. There were 1,232 juvenile arrests in 2018, 965 in 2017 and 786 in 2016, according to those statistics.
The New Orleans City Council has relied almost exclusively on outside consultants to regulate Entergy New Orleans for over 30 years. And it is those consultants that have largely decided what direction the city takes on a wide number of energy-related issues: How much can Entergy charge customers? How should the city generate or source electricity? How should the city prepare for hurricanes and deal with Entergys frequent outages?

But Councilwoman Helena Moreno  who chairs the utility committee, which regulates Entergy  said she wants to break that structure. Specifically, she wants to expand the councils in-house staff and expertise to become less reliant on contractors.

Some of the council's utility contractors have held onto their lucrative contracts for more three decades. And in interviews earlier this year, former council members Shelley Midura, Stacy Head and Oliver Thomas said that political patronage has played a role.

There have always been these recommendations about building up the [Council Utilities Regulatory Office] and starting to reduce our consultants, because the amount of money were spending just stopped making sense, said Moreno. But for some reason, there was never any action taken on that.

Moreno is taking a first step by directing the Council Utilities Regulatory Office to produce a document that will outline how it can grow to take on a more prominent role. It will lay out goals for the next year, the next three years, and the next five years. Its expected to be finalized and made public in June. Moreno said that shes trying to answer one main question.

How do we eventually come out with a utilities committee that is much less reliant on consultants to where we only really need them for some of the federal regulatory matters, but all of the local stuff we can do on our own? she said.

It remains unclear what the document will recommend, how fast Moreno will be able to move, or whether she will remain at the helm of the utility committee long enough to see the changes through.

No ones ever done this, said Morenos Chief of Staff Andrew Tuozzolo. New Orleans has never had this, really.

Previous attempts

There have been other council members who have have tried to remake Entergy regulation, however, including Midura, Head, and Susan Guidry. Like Moreno, all of them wanted to boost in-house staff and reevaluate the advisers multimillion-dollar contracts. Moreno shares many of the same critiques with those previous utility committee members. So did the New Orleans Office of Inspector General, in a 2015 report on the citys utility regulation system.

That report found that 96 percent of the citys 2013 utility regulatory budget was spent on consultant fees. Those costs added up to $7.5 million that year, paid by Entergy New Orleans, but passed on to ratepayers in their monthly bills. By comparison, the Public Service Commission of Washington D.C spent less than $1 million on consultants in 2013.

When it comes to in-house staff, New Orleans is an outlier. The Council Utilities Regulatory Office has consistently had only a handful of staffers, often no more than two. Recently, the office has grown to five employees. But it remains a stark juxtaposition to regulatory bodies across the country, which routinely employ dozens, if not hundreds, of full-time staff.

Theyre mostly just trying to shuttle information between the advisers and the council, Tuozzolo said about the current role of the council's regulatory office.

That means everything else falls to the consultants, including relatively mundane tasks such as writing resolutions and memos, Tuozzolo said.

Im not aware of any place that has any resemblance to that paucity of internal expertise and the near total dependence on outside expertise, attorney Scott Hempling said last month. No place.

Hempling has represented 19 U.S. utility regulatory bodies and wrote a textbook on utility regulatory law.

We support the expansion of (the regulatory office), said lawyer Clinton Vince, the councils lead legal adviser on utilities, in an email. This kind of policy issue would be determined exclusively by the City Council.

Tuozzolo said that at the very least, the council should be able to call the council's regulatory office for quick information and advice.

I think (the office) should be able to present a independent policy agenda that represents the leading edge of what is being done around the country, he said. The advisers are really doing that now. But every time you ask them something, its $600, and I dont think ratepayers should have to pay for that.

Tuozzolo was referring to the $600 an hour fee collected by partners at the councils legal advisory firm, Dentons US, where Vince works.

Overall, the IG report found that regulatory costs for Entergy New Orleans customers were six times higher than for customers of Entergy subsidiaries regulated by the Louisiana Public Service Commission.

At the core of this, there is a huge efficiency advantage to bringing some of this in-house, Tuozzolo continued. We could pay people $200,000 a year and wed still save money.

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Moreno said that besides expanding the regulatory office, another key to limiting consultant expenditures is changing how their contracts are structured. It is routine for utility regulators to employ outside consultants on specialized issues such as litigation at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. In those cases, regulators will hire firms for that specific project.

New Orleans consultant contracts are different, she said. Instead of issuing specific contracts for each matter, the city uses catch-all contracts that allow firms to bill up to a certain amount each year, without specifying exactly what they will be consulting on. The IG report suggests that the unusually broad nature of these contracts could be dissuading firms from competing when the council periodically rebids the work.

Moreno said she envisions a regulatory structure in which all work would be directly assigned to the council's regulatory office, with an exception for certain specialized work at the federal level. When outside help is needed, consultants would be hired to deal with specific issues.

Whos steering the ship?

For Moreno, its not just an issue of money. Its a matter of control.

You can either have the advisers do the leading or you can lead yourself, she said. And I wanted to do the leading.  At the end of the day, its the council thats the regulator, not the advisers. So thats the position Ive been pushing, and I hope that continues long after Im gone.

But historically, thats not always how it worked. The IG report, for example, said the consultants roles can create an echo chamber in which their findings and recommendations go unchecked.

Two council members echoed those criticisms during last years vote on Entergys $210 million gas plant in eastern New Orleans.

In February 2018, the utility committee voted to approve the plant. Then-Councilwoman Stacy Head voted yes, but before casting that vote she said that it was the only option available based on the information laid out by the consultants and that she believed the alternatives were treated as afterthoughts.

We rely on a system where we rely on our advisers to provide us with advice on how we move forward, she said at the meeting. I have been a critic of our system for quite a while. We have paid, however, our advisers, who are smart, who are well informed, and who have done incredible amounts of research on these matters to give us advice. And their advice today, I cannot ignore. We have paid them handsomely to give us advice, that again, I dont see how we ignore.

Should our advisers have pushed more on Entergy? she continued. Probably. However, right now we have a reliability problem that must be addressed.  And our experts tell us that the only current solution is the 128 megawatt RICE plant.

Then-Councilwoman Susan Guidry was the only member to vote against the plant, and she leveled similar criticisms in a recent interview.

Whats changed is that I feel as though the advisers have taken to advocating for a position rather than remaining in the consulting mode they should be in, she said. When I couldnt get them to do what I wanted them to do, it became a matter of me relying on myself and doing my own research. I was fighting a losing battle.

Long road ahead

Moreno isnt the first utility chair to try to overhaul the structure of New Orleans utility regulation. But in the past, a number of roadblocks got in the way.

One of the long-time impediments to change, several former council members said, was that political contributions and connections helped the consultants sustain and increase their contracts.

According to those members, that political favoritism has faded in recent years. But other obstacles remain.

The first is that the consultants are already in engaged on a number of important, long-term utility issues. Transitioning those matters to in-house staff would be difficult, Tuozzolo said.

And thats not even possible until the council can hire more employees. It will take time to both find qualified candidates and convince the civil service commission  which handles personnel matters for the city  to approve the new positions.

I can talk all this game, but its not just as easy as us waving a magic wand and hiring people, Tuozzolo said. We need to create positions, build capacity, we need to hire people who are going to stay. It takes time.

All of that means that a total transition will take years, perhaps longer than Moreno remains at the head of the utility committee. But Moreno said her tactic is to create enough momentum in the right direction that change will be hard to reverse.

My hope is by the time I leave the council, I will have created (an office) that is functioning so well... it would be too hard to disband, she said.
Big W's new wage deal will be challenged in the workplace tribunal over the removal of a provision that stopped the department store from forcibly making staff redundant.

Workers overwhelmingly approved the new enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) in a vote that ended on March 18 - two weeks before Big W's owner Woolworths said it would close 30 of its stores out of its network of 180 across the country.

Big W's new wage deal could be held up in the workplace tribunal. Credit:Glenn Hunt

The Retail and Fast Food Workers Union says it will challenge the new agreement over the removal of a long-standing security of employment provision, which stopped Big W from forcibly making workers redundant.

A no-forced-redundancy provision means that a worker can demand huge amounts of money to be made voluntarily redundant," said RAFFWU secretary John Cullinan said.
ODYSSEY IMPACT is launching a national faith-based social impact campaign for the award-winning documentary THE RAPE OF RECY TAYLOR. This initiative aligns with Black History Month (February), Women's History Month (March), and Sexual Assault Awareness Month (April).

Committed to sharing compelling true stories that expose social justice issues in our society, Odyssey Impact is steadfast in creating materials and facilitating film screenings that will empower the faith community to open dialogue and build a culture of positive change that will impact generations to follow.THE RAPE OF RECY TAYLOR received critical acclaim during a run at film festivals around the world, including a nomination for Best Documentary at the 2018 NAACP Image Awards and the Special Prize for Human Rights at the 2017 Venice Film Festival. The story of Recy Taylor also earned unexpected media interest after being included in Oprah Winfrey's historic speech at the 2018 Golden Globes Awards.

We are honored to catch up with Nick Stuart, President and CEO of Odyssey Impact and Transform Films, for this exclusive interview.

Q: Nick, thanks for doing this interview with us. Why don't you start off my telling us very briefly what "The Rape of Recy Taylor" about?

A. "The Rape of Recy Taylor" lifts up the message of the right of women to walk through the world unmolested, by telling the story of a young African American mother who was brave enough to speak her truth, decades before the "#MeToo Movement" and demand justice after being gang raped by 6 white teenagers after leaving church one evening in Abbeville, Alabama in 1944. It's a story that inspired the civil rights movement but few people know about it, or the fact that a young Rosa Parks, a civil rights icon who inspired a generation when she refused to give her seat to a white man on a segregated bus in Montgomery Alabama in 1955, went to support Ms. Recy Taylor 11 years earlier and take her case for justice, national. The film features Mrs. Taylor's brother and sister who give the most amazingly powerful and moving testimony of the events of that night back in 1944 and the years of struggle for justice. It took 67 years before Ms. Taylor received a State apology and she suffered great loss, but as she herself says in the film , "God was with me that night.. I cannot but tell the truth."

Q: What is your role in relation to this movie? What is Odyssey Impact all about?

A. I was an Executive Producer of the film who got involved when the director, Nancy Buirski from Augusta Films, brought me the story early on and I was so moved by Ms. Taylor's story and the power of her faith in the fight for justice, that I had to involve Odyssey Impact and its sister company Transform Films. Transform became a co producer of the film and Odyssey Impact took on the task of building an impact campaign around the film to help inspire people of faith and goodwill to hear Ms. Taylor's story and work for justice for women in today's world. Odyssey Impact is a faith-based 501 (C) 3 that works with people of faith and goodwill to use powerful storytelling to inspire people to support those who suffer injustice and to work to change those laws and practices that feed hate and division and deny people justice and respect.

Q: Is there a scene in the movie that really moves you?

A. Where to begin! There are so many! I defy anyone not to be moved by the bravery of this woman and by the cruelty she suffered as a mother, as an African American and as a woman. I have watched the film in theaters many times and each time gasps ripple around the audiences throughout the movie. Each time I find something different that moves me that I hadn't quite noticed before, but two moments always stand out and I can feel the hairs on the back on my neck standing up just as I think about them. A historian from Yale is giving us the background to the Jim Crow South but is so overcome by the inhumanity of 6 teenagers and what they did to this young African American mother, that she breaks down, pleading with us, saying couldn't they just see this frightened young woman in front of them, couldn't they just treat her as a woman? And then there's the face of Ms. Recy Taylor, in her 90's. We know she suffered so badly that awful night in 1944. We know it all but destroyed her life, and yet, she looks back down the years and her faith shines through as she says "God was with me that night". She survived and her life became a testimony to the power of her faith and the power of the call to justice.

Q: Why should we watch this movie? How does this movie speak to us today?

Every week, even today, 74 years on, there is, tragically, a "Recy" every week, somewhere in America. A woman whose body is not seen as her own but as something to be taken, abused. We have to change that. We have to....- and the moment is now. The film went into production before the MeToo Movement hit the headlines and before the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke but could there have been a film more right for the time. Ms. Taylor, powerless, yet oh so powerful in the way she spoke her truth. Victim but ultimately victor. No wonder Oprah Winfrey lifted up her name when receiving Cecil B Demille Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2018 Golden Globes. Ms. Recy Taylor's story reaches across the decades and inspires us in such a time as this.

Q: What's the role of faith and social justice? Why should Christians be advocates of social justice?

As Christians we are called to be salt and light. We are called to build The Kingdom and that is a Kingdom of justice, peace and compassion. The Sermon on the Mount is as clear as it gets. No messing. No excuses. We are there for the poor, the downtrodden, the abused. In the film there is a clip from Martin Luther King talking about how Rosa Parks was brave enough to keep her seat on the bus in the face of oppression for as a woman of faith "she could do no other". As Christians , when faced with oppression and injustice to our sister, our brother , we are called to heal and support and mend. As followers of Christ, we can do no other.

Q: Practically, how can we be advocates of equality? How can Odyssey open up conversations about social justice?

Check out our website where we have support materials for scholars and experts including biblical scholars, that offer guides to key issues that the film raises. Why don't you watch the film in a church group or with friends and use these guides to inspire you to reach out to support women who have been victims of assault. Pastoral outreach is so important. There may well be women in your congregation who have suffered but just haven't been able to speak about it, haven't been able to heal but have carried the pain their entire lives. Arrange screenings wherever you can to bring the truth of respect for women to as many people as possible.

Q: How has this movie affected your life and your faith?

It has opened my eyes so I look at the world around me very differently. As a father of three girls and a grandfather to two granddaughters I always wanted to look out for them. As a white man, White Privilege made that a lot easier. In the film we hear how black fathers and husbands often don't have the power to protect their women in the way I might have to. I never thought of that. I guess I just didn't think about White Privilege. And perhaps I didn't even know how widespread this abuse of women is. Sure I read about it , but I looked around my church, my office, my friends and didn't see it. And then a woman stood up at a brains-trust or focus group, of 12 African American women discussing the film and said "everyone round this table has a "Recy" in their family - we just don't know how to talk about it." As a Christian I have to help these families I whatever way I can - creating moments where people can speak their truth and heal. As a Christian I can do no other.

If you want to join us in telling Ms. Recy Taylor's story and helping "women walk through the world unmolested"

Contact us at [email protected]

Website - therapeofrecytaylor.com

Tags : THE RAPE OF RECY TAYLOR THE RAPE OF RECY TAYLOR movie THE RAPE OF RECY TAYLOR film nick stuart interview nick stuart President and CEO of Odyssey Impact and Transform Films
Billionaire James Packer's long-held dream of unveiling Crown Resorts' luxury new casino and hotel complex in Sydney is still alive but his ownership stake may be diminished as it emerged that his casino giant is weighing a $10 billion takeover offer.

Crown, Australia's biggest casino operator, revealed on Tuesday it was in confidential discussions with Las Vegas-based Wynn Resorts about a takeover. Crown said the cash-and-share offer had an implied value of $14.85 a share, valuing the company at around $10 billion.

ASX-listed Crown Resorts is Australia's largest casino company. Credit:Bloomberg

If the deal goes ahead, Mr Packer, who holds 46.1 per cent of Crown shares, would end up with a stake in Wynn Resorts of about 10 per cent, worth nearly $2 billion.

Mr Packer has had ambitions to make his mark on Sydney, the city where his father built up the family's business empire, with the triumphant completion of Crown's new development in 2021.
Flexitarians  those who sporadically eat vegan  lie at the heart of an ongoing increase in both the sales and quality of vegan food products.

An IBISWorld study released this week found sales of vegan food products have soared over the past five years in Australia, with food manufacturers and takeaway chains taking advantage of greater health and environmental consciousness to introduce new, better-tasting vegan products.

The research says Australians are increasingly aware of the impact of animal-based agriculture, which is responsible for an estimated 18 per cent of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions, leading to the likes of Hungry Jacks releasing vegan cheeseburgers and Magnum selling a dairy-free ice-cream.

A pulled jackfruit vegan burger is one of many vegan meat variations driving soaring sales. Credit:Shutterstock

The Fry Family Food Co, which operates out of Queensland, has been supplying meat alternatives such as soy and flaxseed schnitzels to Woolworths and Coles for 18 years.
An inmate has been charged with murdering his cellmate, who was found dead at the Silverwater correctional facility on Monday night.

The 39-year-old man was allegedly physically assaulted by his 35-year-old cellmate before he was found unresponsive in his cell in the corrections centre's Darcy wing.

Despite the efforts of nurses and corrective officers, the man could not be revived.

Officers from the Auburn Police Area Command were called to the corrections centre about 7.45pm, and a crime scene was examined by specialist officers.

Following inquiries, police arrested the 35-year-old man and charged him with murder.
Gold Coast parents have spent 4 hours searching for their missing daughter after their house and cabin were engulfed by fire on Tuesday.

Fire crews raced to the Tomewin Mountain Road residence in Currumbin Valley just after 4am, with seven units responding to the large fire.

The smouldering remnants of the Currumbin Valley house and cabin. Credit:Nine News

The house and attached cabin were "well-involved" upon arrival, according to a fire service spokeswoman. By 5.45am, the flames had been extinguished.

The couple who lived at the residence were accounted for immediately but their 29-year-old daughter, who has a disability, was missing.
The body of the pilot killed when his light plane crashed in a far north Queensland national park has been recovered after bad weather and challenging terrain hindered the retrieval effort.

Emergency services with the help of a state government rescue helicopter and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services recovered the body from the crash site on Wednesday morning.

A Townville man, aged in his 70s, died when the light plane crashed into dense bushland in far north Queensland. Credit:Nine News

The wreckage was found by a state government rescue helicopter in the Herberton Range's dense bushland, close to 110 kilometres south-west of Cairns, about 4pm on Monday.

The single-engine Cessna had taken off from Mt Garnet, 163 kilometres south-west of Cairns, and was on its way to Atherton, 80 kilometres south-west of Cairns.
Firefighters on the scene in Campbellfield. Credit:Paul Jeffers

Arson squad investigators are set to examine the circumstances surrounding an industrial blaze at a factory in Melbourne's north, after firefighters were finally able to completely extinguish the fire.

The Metropolitan Fire Brigade on Tuesday afternoon announced the fire had been fully extinguished four days after it took hold early on Friday morning.

The site, a Campbellfield factory which had been storing dangerous chemicals, has now been handed over to WorkSafe, police and fire investigators from the MFB.
A 15-year-old boy with alleged Rebels bikie links has been charged with crimes including extortion, carjacking and making death threats after pre-dawn police raids in Melbourne's north-west.

Officers from Taskforce Echo and the National Anti-Gangs Squad executed eight warrants early on Tuesday at residential properties in Brookfield, Kurunjang, Aintree, Hoppers Crossing, Tarneit, Essendon and Sunshine.

Three motorbikes were seized during police raids on Tuesday. Credit:Victoria Police

Detective Superintendent Peter Brigham said a number of items were seized including a shotgun, ammunition, three motorcycles believed stolen, prohibited weapons and cannabis.

"This is a group we know have traditionally been involved in violent crimes such as shootings, as well as serious assaults, arson, drug trafficking and extortion," Superintendent Brigham said.
One of Tony Mokbels henchmen has failed in his first attempt to have convictions overturned because of the involvement of barrister-turned-informer Nicola Gobbo in his drug trafficking trial.

But Zlate Cvetanovski, who is serving an 11-year jail term for drug trafficking and other charges, has been told by Victorias Court of Appeal that he cannot jump ahead of other criminals fighting their convictions based on the Informer 3838 scandal by challenging his in a bail application.

Zlate Cvetanovski was jailed for 11 years after a drugs lab was discovered in Strathmore in 2006. Credit:John Woudstra

Justice Chris Maxwell, the president of the Court of Appeal, on Tuesday said a bail application was not the appropriate forum for Cvetanovski to challenge his conviction and that instead his case should be investigated in an appeal hearing at a later date.

It is unclear how long Cvetanovski will have to wait for his appeal hearing, as his lawyers are waiting on police to produce documents about his case and what involvement there was by Ms Gobbo, the former criminal barrister who was this year revealed to have been a registered police informer between 1995 and 2009.
Four years ago, a small Catholic primary school in Melbournes west bid farewell to a scene thats common in many schools: rows of desks with a teacher standing in front of a whiteboard.

Students at St Johns School in Footscray now spend the majority of their time working on projects of their choice, which might include creating an egg business from the schools resident chickens or researching the area's first Vietnamese mayor.

The school still runs daily literacy and numeracy lessons, but class sizes have been slashed from around 25 students to just eight.

St John's School in Footscray has been singled out as a "high gains" school for its solid improvements in numeracy and reading. Credit:Jason South

The schools new approach is paying off: this year, it was singled out for making substantially above average improvements in numeracy and reading in the latest NAPLAN tests.
Planning Minister Richard Wynne has warned he has concerns about an inner city council push to have the option of scrapping car parks in new developments.

His warning will be a blow for Moreland City Council given Mr Wynne has the final say over the council's controversial proposed new transport strategy which is aimed at reducing car use in the congested inner north.

The council wants to abolish minimum parking requirements for new developments in the Brunswick, Coburg and Glenroy activity centres and introduce maximum car park rates instead of minimum car parking requirements.

Richard Wynne says he has concerns about removing minimum parking requirements. Credit:Joe Armao

I dont think they have looked carefully enough at the practical implications of this, Mr Wynne said in an interview with The Age.
Mr Loughnane stressed his intervention was prompted by a request from Labor senator Sam Dastyari. On Monday, The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald and Four Corners revealed how Mr Santoro was paid by Mr Huang to facilitate access to Mr Dutton, then the immigration minister, in 2016, at the same time the Chinese property developer had launched a backroom campaign to gain citizenship. Huang Xiangmo at his palatial Mosman home before he was refused Australian citizenship. Credit:James Brickwood Mr Huang's citizenship application was stalled, and later rejected, after advice from ASIO that he posed a risk of engaging in foreign interference on behalf of Beijing. Mr Dutton gave special treatment on citizenship to Mr Huangs wife and two children in 2015 by empowering Labor senator Sam Dastyari to conduct an expedited and private citizenship ceremony for them.

Illustration: Matt Golding Credit: Normally, citizenship ceremonies are held in public with private special purpose conferrals usually only granted for applicants who are ill, have urgent needs or are unable to attend a typical town hall ceremony. The special conferral was granted by Mr Dutton after he was told the family wanted to travel overseas. They now run Mr Huang's business interests in Australia. Mr Loughnane confirmed he had passed on Mr Dastyari's request for the expedited ceremony to Mr Dutton in early 2015. Confidential emails obtained by The Age and Sydney Morning Herald reveal that Mr Loughnane contacted Mr Dutton's office after he was emailed by Mr Dastyari on December 31, 2014. Brian Loughnane, former federal director of the Liberal Party. Credit:Louise Kennerley

Mr Dastyari wrote that the Huang family's request should have bipartisan support. Mr Dastyari, who resigned in 2017 over his own dealings with Mr Huang, also emailed Mr Dutton directly asking him to grant the Huang family an expedited citizenship conferral ceremony. Prior to Mr Huang seeking the expedited ceremony, he had donated generously to the Labor and Liberals, bringing him into contact with both Mr Dastyari and Mr Loughnane. Mr Loughnane said he passed on Mr Huang's request because he was asked to do so by Mr Dastyari and that it had "absolutely nothing" to do with Mr Huang's donations. I didn't see myself as involved in the process Former federal Liberal director Brian Loughnane

"I receive submissions from members of the public and parliament and I passed them on to the relevant minister," he said. Mr Loughnane said he felt like "I couldn't ignore a Labor senator". "I didn't see myself as involved in the process." Mr Dutton declined to answer a question sent by the Age, Herald and Four Corners about whether Mr Loughnane had contacted him about the citizenship conferral, but said in a statement that Mr Huang has never made a donation to my campaign. Then Immigration Minister Peter Dutton in 2015. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Mr Dutton declined to answer specific questions about his dealings with Mr Santoro, but said he had been introduced to Mr Huang as a leader in the Sydney Chinese community and had lunch with him on that basis". Loading On Tuesday afternoon, former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull seized on the revelations that Mr Huang had paid Mr Santoro to arrange a private lunch with Mr Dutton in the suite of a Sydney Chinatown restaurant, saying the matter "has to be addressed with the highest level of security priority and urgency" by Scott Morrison. "The buck stops with him. I know what it's like to be Prime Minister. Ultimately, you're responsible. So Scott Morrison has to deal with this Peter Dutton issue." Asked about his work with Mr Huang, Mr Santoro said, "I am not going to give you a precise description of every introduction that I've made for any of my clients, including Mr Huang.

"All that I can say is that everything that I've done, I've done according to law, according to regulations and I have not done anything other than provide, in this case, introductory services and advice about the Australian political system." Secret recordings of Mr Santoro also revealed that he had boasted in a meeting of his special access to Mr Dutton, including to help with efforts to expedite migration matters. I can go to somebody in the Ministers [Duttons] office and say can you have a close look at this. If I am going to be doing the work and going to Canberra with a copy of the visa application and hand it over to somebody and say, Can you help?, no, no, I want to get paid, and get paid up front.
Gaming laptops such as those put out by Razer are getting lighter, slimmer and less conspicuous, but Alienware's Area 51m bucks the trend by packing cutting edge desktop parts into a big hulking laptop form factor. The kicker? It's the first mainstream notebook to be truly upgradeable from the graphics to the CPU, making it quite possibly the only laptop you'll ever need to buy. The Alienware 51m is like a desktop computer in a laptop case. Weighing in at almost 4kg, the Area 51m is a desktop replacement in every sense of the word. It's designed to live on the desk the majority of the time, and while taking it with you whilst travelling is definitely doable you'll need to lug two beefy power bricks if you plan on gaming. You can get away with just the one power brick if you plan on using it for less intensive tasks such as email, Microsoft Office or streaming Netflix. Just keep in mind that power outlets on a commercial airline seat top out at 70 watts, so you'll be stuck with a short 2-3 hour battery life for long haul flights. The unit we tested was the maxed out $7999 model with the fastest consumer desktop processor money can buy in the Intel Core i9-9900K, and the second fastest graphics card inNvidia's GeForce RTX 2080. There's 64GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD rounding out the package. The thing to remember here is that these are desktop parts and not mobile components normally found in gaming notebooks. In real world performance, the full powered RTX 2080 on the Area 51m, for instance, is around 40 per cent faster than the mobile equivalent, resulting in smoother performance in games and quicker edit times for creative work.

The entry model is priced at $3999 and it's not a bad option given that you can upgrade the laptop yourself with off-the-shelf parts. One exception is the GPU. It uses a proprietary module and has to be purchased directly from Alienware's parent company Dell. The company says that it plans to release GPU upgrade modules in the near future so that customers who buy the entry model can upgrade to an RTX 2080 if they wish. Upgrading the RAM and storage should be easy enough for most people as it's immediately accessible from the moment you remove the back panel. However, getting access to the CPU and GPU is a much more involved process, requiring the removal of 36 screws in addition to heatpipes, fans and other peripherals that need to be moved out of the way. Even with the detailed manual and videos that Dell provide, swapping out the CPU and GPU on the Area 51m is likely to prove too intimidating for most people. But for the market that Dell is targeting here, which are predominantly gamers who have at least some experience in building a PC, this is likely to be a non-issue. There's a lot of room to customise thanks to the built-in software, from overclockable CPU and GPU to programmable RGB lights. One thing to keep in mind is that there are no guarantees as to what Nvidia and Intel will do in the future. Intel, for example, changes its CPU socket design from time to time and when that happens you won't be able to upgrade the Area 51m with the latest and greatest processor. Similarly, Nvidia's next generation of graphics cards might require more space or run hotter than what the Area 51m can accommodate. At that point, you still have the option of upgrading the graphical capabilities of the machine using an external graphics card (eGPU) plugged into either the onboard Thunderbolt 3 port or Alienware's proprietary graphics amplifier port.
Athens: A Bulgarian man charged with the murder of Sydney gangster John Macris in Athens last October has told a magistrate he was on holiday and had nothing to do with the killing.

And he claimed that, when he was seen in a cafe apparently tailing his target before the hit, he was merely enjoying an ice-cream.

CCTV footage obtained by Greek media shows a gunman approaching the car of Sydney gangster John Macris.

The 31-year-old has been remanded in custody after a short interrogation by an investigating judge.

He will now go to prison as the judge gathers evidence in the case, in preparation for a possible trial.
European Union (EU) chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier (L) and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar pose for a photo before their meeting at Government Buildings in Dublin, Ireland, April 8, 2019. The European Union (EU) hopes that the ongoing cross-party discussions in Britain will produce a positive outcome, EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said here on Monday. (Xinhua)

DUBLIN, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) hopes that the ongoing cross-party discussions in Britain will produce a positive outcome, EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said here on Monday.

Barnier made his remark at a press briefing following his meeting with the Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.

"As you all know, there are intensive cross-party discussions ongoing in London....We all hope these talks will produce a positive outcome," said Barnier.

He said that "the Political Declaration provides for a range of outcomes including a customs union. We are ready to make this clearer if it helps and its work can be done extremely quickly".

The Political Declaration is a legally none-binding document on the future relationship between the EU and Britain after Britain exits from the EU.

Barnier said that the most important aim of his trip to Ireland, the fifth of its kind for him as a chief Brexit negotiator of the EU, is to take stock of the latest developments in London and to discuss the summit meeting of the European Council convened by its president Donald Tusk in Brussels on Wednesday.

The upcoming EU leaders' meeting will decide whether the latest request by the British Prime Minister Theresa May to seek a further extension to the Brexit date to June 30 should be granted or not.

Barnier said that during his meetings with the Irish PM and other senior Irish officials they also discussed what would happen in Ireland in a possible no-deal scenario.

He said "our goal is to protect the Good Friday Agreement, peace on this island and integrity of the single market".

He admitted that to achieve such a goal is not an easy task, but he said that "We are confident that we will find operational solutions."

"One thing is certain whatever happens the EU will stand fully behind Ireland. You will have our full support," he said, adding that "the backstop is currently the only solution we've found to maintain the status quo on the island of Ireland."

The backstop refers to a temporary arrangement to ensure that no hard border will occur between Ireland and Britain's Northern Ireland after Brexit until and unless a better alterative is found.

"If the UK will have to leave the EU without a deal, let me (be) very clear, we will not discuss anything with the UK until there is an agreement for Ireland and Northern Ireland as well as for citizens' rights and the financial settlement," he warned, adding that the EU 27 member states will remain fully united as they have been from the very beginning of the Brexit negotiations.

Irish Prime Minister Varadkar, in his speech at the press briefing, expressed his thanks for the solidarity that Barnier and the EU have showed for Ireland over the Brexit issue.

He reiterated his government's stand that Ireland is open to extending the Brexit deadline to allow talks in the UK to reach their conclusions so long as Theresa May's government has a clear plan that is focused on a future relationship with the EU rather than trying to reopen the Withdrawal Agreement negotiations.

"What we want to avoid is an extension that just allows for more indecision and more uncertainty," he told the local media prior to his Monday's meeting with Barnier.
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President Donald Trump makes an announcement in the White House Rose Garden in Washington on Jan. 25, 2019. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Rasmussen Poll: Trump Approval at 53 Percent

President Donald Trumps approval rating reached 53 percent, according to a polling firm on April 9.

Rasmussen Reports, which Trump often cites, showed that 53 percent approve of the job hes doing and 45 percent disapprove.

The latest figures include 37% who strongly approve of the job Trump is doing and 36% who strongly disapprove, according to the pollster.

On April 8, Trumps rating was around 51 percent, Rasmussen said.

Former President Barack Obama had a 47 percent approval rating around the same time during his first term, according to data published by Rasmussen.

It comes just two days after Trump announced that Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen will be leaving her position, saying he would like to thank her for her service.

Trump on Twitter announced that Kevin McAleenan, the current U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner, will become the acting DHS secretary. I have confidence that Kevin will do a great job, he tweeted.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen will be leaving her position, and I would like to thank her for her service.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 7, 2019

.I am pleased to announce that Kevin McAleenan, the current U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner, will become Acting Secretary for @DHSgov. I have confidence that Kevin will do a great job!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 7, 2019

The next day, on April 8, the White House confirmed that Secret Service chief Randolph Tex Alles would be leaving.

United States Secret Service director Randolph Tex Alles has done a great job at the agency over the last two years, and the president is thankful for his over 40 years of service to the country, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said. Mr. Alles will be leaving shortly and President Trump has selected James M. Murray, a career member of the USSS, to take over as director beginning in May.

Alless wife, Sarah Alles, told reporters yesterday: Were very proud of the Secret Service. The agents are very professional, so pleased he was able to serve. They serve the nation well, according to CBS News.

Meanwhile, on April 9, the president announced hes nominating the Air Force general in charge of U.S. Strategic Command to be vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reported The Associated Press.

Gen. John Hyten now serves as commander of the U.S. nuclear forces and has the lead military role for space operations. His nomination was announced Tuesday by Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson.

If confirmed by the Senate, Hyten would succeed the retiring Air Force Gen. Paul Selva.

The vice chairman is the second-ranking military officer behind the chairman but does not command troops.

Rasmussen says that its daily tracking results are collected through phone surveys of 500 likely voters each night before they are reported on a three-day rolling average basis.

To reach those who have abandoned traditional landline telephones, Rasmussen Reports uses an online survey tool to interview randomly selected participants from a demographically diverse panel, it says.

The pollsters margin of error for its full sample of 1,500 likely voters is plus-or-minus 2.5 percentage points with a 95 percent level of confidence.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
3-Year-Old Locks Dads iPad for 25 Million Minutes, or 48.5 Years

A father in Washington was locked out of his iPad for near half a century after his toddler tried accessing his device with the wrong passcode.

Uh, this looks fake but, alas, its our iPad today after 3-year-old tried (repeatedly) to unlock, New Yorker magazine writer Evan Osnos wrote on April 6.

Uh, this looks fake but, alas, its our iPad today after 3-year-old tried (repeatedly) to unlock. Ideas? pic.twitter.com/5i7ZBxx9rW  Evan Osnos (@eosnos) April 6, 2019

His post was accompanied by a plea for help, Ideas? and a screenshot that showed the device being disabled for 25,536,442 minutes, or 48.58 years, before Osnos could make an attempt to key in his passcode. This means he will have to wait until late 2067 to use his device.

Apple devices like iPhones and iPads have a security feature that disables the device for an amount of time, which increases every time a user inputs the wrong password. The period of time the device is locked begins short but becomes longer with more failed attempts, eventually reaching lifetime proportions.

Many social media users sent the baffled dad funny replies, while others tried to be helpful by sending him solutions.

Time travel seems to be your best bet.  GeorgeFWatson (@Geopilot) April 7, 2019

Time travel seems to be your best bet, one user wrote.

Put it in a museum. 47 years from now someone can unlock it to see what computing used to be like.  newtwit (@newtwit) April 8, 2019

Put it in a museum. 47 years from now someone can unlock it to see what computing used to be like, another said.

Do you still have the receipt for your 3 year old?  Cornish pasty (@iamcornishpasty) April 9, 2019

Do you still have the receipt for your 3-year-old? another user wrote in jest.

On April 8, Osnos told New York Daily News that he was still locked out. He said, Its down a few hundred minutes from yesterday, but it looks like weve still got 25 million minutes to go.

Similar Cases

This is not the first time a toddler had locked their parents out of their devices.

Last year, a 2-year-old boy got his hands on his mothers iPhone after she stepped out to run an errand and left the phone at home.

When she returned, her phone was locked for 25,113,676 minutesabout 47 years and nine months.

His mother returned home to find her phone had been disabled for 25 million minutes. (This was one of our most read articles of 2018) Posted by South China Morning Post on Thursday, December 27, 2018

I couldnt really wait for 47 years and tell my grandchild it was your fathers mistake, the mother, who was identified as Miss Lu from Shanghai, China, according to the South China Morning Post.

Lu took the phone to an Apple store, but the clerk told her the phone would need a factory reset, which would wipe all data on it. The mother was hesitant as she had important information on the phone, like photos, correspondence, and contacts.

According to Apple, users who are unable to wait out the lock times will need to remove their passcodewhich would erase data from the deviceand perform a restore using iTunes or other suggested methods.

The Epoch Times Reporter Petr Svab contributed to this report.
A farmer seeds winter wheats with a walking tractor in a field Oct. 5, 2006 in the outskirts of Yanshi of Henan Province, China. (China Photos/Getty Images)

500 Acres of Farmland Poisoned by Chemical Plant Leak, Locals Say

Nearly 500 acres of wheat crop in three neighbouring villages in central Chinas Henan Province withered and died last month. And locals believe a nearby chemical plant to be the culprit, a Chinese media outlet reported.

The wheat seedlings in three villages in Xuchang Citys Jianan District turned greyish brown and died over the months of February and March, according to a March report by China Business Herald.

Locals told the outlet that a chemical plant located less than half a mile away from the villages had a chemical leak in late January. They believe that this caused their crops to die.

The factory is run by Henan HDF Chemical Company. According to its website, the company was founded in 2003 and its main products include pesticides, herbicides, and organic reagents.

Wheat fields within around a half mile radius of the chemical plant died, the outlet reported, while beyond this radius, wheat seedlings have started to brown. In total, just under 500 acres of wheat fields were destroyed.

The China Business Herald reporter noted a pungent smell in the air in the village, which became stronger as he approached the chemical factory. He said it made him making him feel dizzy and nauseous. The villagers told the outlet that the air in the area smelled like this every day, and they had already become accustomed to it.

According to the outlet, an increasing number of locals in the three villages have contracted cancer in recent years. In the village closest to the plant, which has a population of about 2,000, five locals died within a week, three of them from lung cancer. While nine villagers are currently critically-ill in hospital.

In another nearby village, about 20 people died from lung or liver cancer in the past four years, the paper reported. The youngest person to pass away was in his thirties.

Industrial Contamination

Chinese media have reported a number of similar cases of industrial contamination in the past.

Last march, state-run television China Central Television (CCTV) reported that a fabric dye factory in Xingtai city in northern Chinas Hebei Province polluted a local agricultural water supply, turning it a brownish-red color.

Local farmers told the outlet that the polluted water was used to irrigate around 10 acres of wheat crop. The crop from those fields produced an estimated 50,000 pounds of wheat. Locals, however, did not dare to consume the tainted wheat, so it was sold to a flour factory.

In July 2013, rice grown in Mianzhu County in southwest Chinas Sichuan Province was found to have metal contamination, CCTV reported. Around 86 percent of the crop contained levels of cadmium far exceeding safe amounts.

The report said the suspected source of the contamination was a phosphate rock quarry, which was located alongside a river and operated by chemical company, Sichuan Daying Yingfeng Chemical Co. Ltd.

Phosphate rocks naturally contain trace amounts of arsenic, cadmium, and mercury. According to the report, the river was carrying away large amounts of the phosphate rock during times of high water levels. The river water then ended up being used for irrigation in the rice farms.

In 2003, Guangzhou media outlet Ocean Net reported that after a chemical plant opened in Lechang county in 2002, all of the fish raised in the local fish farms died, while more than 80 acres of rice field did not yield any harvest that year.

A 2005 investigation by local authorities into the factory, named Silver Star Chemical Plant, revealed that the water discharged from the plant was highly acidic, with a pH level of 1.51. The effluent was also contaminated with a range of trace metals at levels exceeding industry standards. Some heavy metals exceeded safety standards by ten times.
6-Year-Old Girl Survives Terrifying Fall From 26-Story Building

A 6-year-old-girl in China fell from a 26-story building, only to be able to stand up and walk away moments later, according to a local media report.

The girl fell from a building in southwest Chinas Chonqing City on April 2, and crashed through an awning before hitting the ground, the Chongqing Daily reported.

Not long after she hits the ground, the girl gets up and walks away.

Surveillance cameras caught the girl falling from the building and landing in the parking lot below.

The girl was later taken to the hospital and found to only have suffered a broken right hand, the Chongqing Daily reported.

Her name was not given in the report.

Girl Survives Fall

At 1:10 p.m., a young girl wearing a red coat fell out of the window from the 26th floor of her condo residence. Footage shows the girl falling straight down, with her back facing the ground and hands above her.

The next moment, she smashes through a light green awning in the neighborhood parking lot. Her body catches on a metal crossbar that supported the awning, and she rolls over as the bar appears to break her fall.

She then hits the ground. Her fall creates a large hole in the plastic awning.

She nearly rolls into the parked motorcycles, and just moments after the impact, she begins to stand up.

Within moments, she is on her feet, and walks away from the scene.

The property owner told the outlet that the girls family would often go out and leave the girl home alone with the doors locked while she napped. It is unclear if the girl was home alone at the time of the fall.
(HedgeCo.Net) The Securities and Exchange Commission has obtained a final judgment against Scott Newsholme, a New Jersey-based tax preparer, who was charged with defrauding his clients after convincing them to give him their money to invest.

According to the SECs complaint, filed September 6, 2017, Newsholme fabricated account statements, doctored stock certificates, and forged promissory notes as part of a scheme in which he convinced clients seeking his financial planning advice that he would invest on their behalf. The SEC alleged that instead of investing clients money, Newsholme cashed their investment checks at a check-cashing store and pocketed the funds while assuring his clients that their assets were safe and flourishing. The SEC further alleged that Newsholme made Ponzi-like payments to certain investors, and misappropriated more than $1 million from his investment clients to support his lifestyle and gambling habit.

In a parallel criminal case, Newsholme pled guilty to wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C.  1343, aggravated identity theft in violation of 18 U.S.C.  1028A, and aiding and abetting the preparation of false tax returns in violation of 18 U.S.C.  7206(2). Newsholme was sentenced to 102 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $2,043,291 in restitution. Following Newsholmes criminal conviction, the SEC barred Newsholme from the securities industry.

On March, 22, 2019, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, entered a final judgment against Newsholme. The final judgment enjoins Newsholme from violating the antifraud provisions of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, and Sections 206(1) and 206(2) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The final judgment also ordered Newsholme to pay disgorgement and prejudgment interest in the amount of $1,567,384, which was deemed satisfied by the entry of the restitution order in the parallel criminal case.
70-Year-Old Detroit Man Shot and Killed After Granddaughter Sneaks Teen Boyfriend Into Home

A 70-year-old grandfather was shot and killed by a teen after the mans granddaughter had snuck into the house, according to reports.

Jamie Mintz, a Vietnam War veteran, was killed inside his Detroit home on Monday, April 9, by a 16-year-old boy the mans granddaughter had invited over to the house, family members said, according to WXYZ.

Mintz got into an argument with the teenage boy, Fox2 reported and asked him to leave.

A scuffle over a firearm ensued, WXYZ reported, during which the gun discharged, striking the elderly man in the chest.

The teenage boy has not been identified by name, but the news outlet reports he was the granddaughters boyfriend.

The suspect fled from the scene with the gun and remains at large.

Unfolding on #Detroits west sidepolice searching for a 16 year old boy who allegedly shot and killed a 70-year-old army veteran. His granddaughter apparently managed to sneak the boy into the house. Im live on @WWJ950 at 8:10. Listen live https://t.co/rjkMApPyfq pic.twitter.com/l8E1osbCbW  Vickie Thomas (@VickiethomasWWJ) April 8, 2019

Didnt Want to Leave

Family members told Fox2 the granddaughter lives with Mintz.

Mintzs niece Unite Clemons told WDIV that Mintz asked the young guy to leave.

He didnt want to leave and unfortunately he shot him, she said, according to the report.

He got shot three times, she said.

Its family. You dont even have no words, she added. Theres no words.

Family: 70-year-old man fatally shot after granddaughter snuck boy into the house. https://t.co/lbB0usgCQf  FOX 11 Los Angeles (@FOXLA) April 8, 2019

Child Shoots Mom With Shotgun

The incident recalls the recent case of a young California boy who accidentally shot his mother in the torso with a shotgun.

Los Angeles County authorities made an arrest after a boy less than 5 years old shot and wounded his mother with a shotgun that had been left in a car.

#GUN #SAFETY TIPS

Always store unloaded

Use trigger or cable lock

Store in locked container (safe, cabinet, vault, etc.)

Store ammo separately Talk to your #children about guns and gun safety. If you have unwanted firearms, turn them in (unloaded) to us for destruction.#LASD pic.twitter.com/AjwSCibv5Y  LASD Norwalk Station (@NorwalkLASD) January 24, 2019

The sheriffs department said 24-year-old Brandon Ambriz of Norwalk was in custody on Jan. 24, 2019, on charges of a parole violation, illegally possessing a firearm, and child endangerment, according to The Associated Press.

UPDATE  WOMAN SHOT BY CHILD

The woman remains hospitalized, listed in stable condition. Four children placed in care of #DCFS. Male suspect arrested yesterday for various felonies, incl. a warrant, #criminal storage of a #firearm and #ChildEndangerment. #LASD #Norwalk pic.twitter.com/K52tTzM6b6  LASD Norwalk Station (@NorwalkLASD) January 24, 2019

Authorities said the mother, another woman, and four children were in a car on the afternoon of Jan. 23, in a preschool parking lot in Norwalk when the boy discharged the firearm from the backseat.

The blast went through the drivers seat and hit his mother in the torso.

Police arrested Ambriz on the same day as the shooting.

The four children were placed in the custody of county child welfare workers.

Accidental Shootings

Far fewer Americans fall victim to firearm accidents than some two decades ago, even though people own more guns, according to new data.

Accidental firearm discharges killed 486 people in 2017, down more than 50 percent since 1997, according to mortality data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Meanwhile, gun sales increased more than 80 percent between 1999 and 2017, according to The DataFace, a San Francisco data analysis company, which based its estimates on FBI background check data.

Gun Locks

There has also been a prominent push for the safe storage of guns.

Gun makers have partnered with law enforcement for a nationwide education drive called Project ChildSafe that has distributed over 37 million gun locks. But that project only started in 1999, while the decline in accidental death rates started decades before, dropping about fourfold between 1974 and 1999, according to the CDC and the National Safety Council nonprofit (pdf).

Epoch Times reporter Peter Svab contributed to this report.
ABC News Producer Alexa Valiente Dies at 27: Reports

An ABC News producer who won an Emmy Award for her coverage of the Las Vegas mass shooting in 2017 died suddenly at age 27, according to reports.

Alexa Valiente died on April 5 after experiencing health problems for the past few months, ABC News reported on April 8 in announcing her death.

Always a friendly face in the halls, she had an upbeat spirit, a curious and brilliant mind and a real passion to see the world, ABC News chief James Goldston said in the report. She will be deeply missed.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Alexa Valiente (@twentysomethingchic) on Aug 15, 2018 at 8:28pm PDT

Valiente worked on Popcorn with Peter Travers, Nightline, and 20/20. For a 20/20 story, she won an Emmy for Las Vegas: Heartbreak and Heroes, which was done in the wake of the most deadly mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Stephen Paddock opened fire in October 2017, killing 57 people, but no motive has been established in the case.

Fierce, funny and adventurous, that girl was a force who could light up a room, said Katie Nelson, who is the executive producer for ABC Newss content, according to the report.

Every Friday afternoon, with just enough people still in the office to enjoy it, Alexa would treat the staff to Flashback Fridaya weekly jam session at her desk where shed play classics from Backstreet Boys, Usher and Britney Spears to sing and dance along to, said Allie Yang, another staffer.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Alexa Valiente (@twentysomethingchic) on Oct 10, 2018 at 11:27am PDT

Travers, the host of the ABC celebrity news program, also said that all of us at Popcorn and @ABC News are shattered by the death of our darling Alexa Valiente, who brought her talent, smarts and sense of fun to everything she touched, according to a Facebook post.

He described her as someone who came at life with a humanity that made room for all of us who were lucky enough to fly in her orbit.

Valiente was a member of the Asian-American Journalists Association, which also issued a statement after her passing.

AAJA is deeply saddened by Alexa Valientes passing, the organization stated. The AAJA family would like to offer our sincerest condolences to Alexas loved ones and to ABC News. She will be missed.

I met Alexa when I was an intern for @ABC in NYC, wrote ABC7 reporter Gabriela Milian on Twitter. We would grab coffee, and talk about the next state she was visiting because she had a goal of going to a new state in the U.S. every month! Cant believe shes gone.

Valientes cause of death has not been revealed.

She is survived by her parents, Mante and Connie, and her siblings, Justin and Jessica.

All of us at Popcorn and @ABC News are shattered by the death of our darling Alexa Valiente, who brought her talent, Posted by Peter Travers on Saturday, April 6, 2019

Other details about her death are not clear.
President Donald Trump, flanked by acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, second from left, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford, right, speaks during a meeting with military leaders in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, D.C. on April 3, 2019. At left is Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein. (Susan Walsh/AP)

Acting Pentagon Chief Defends Space Force to Counter China, Russia

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado Sharpening his argument for a Space Force, the acting Pentagon chief on April 9 called it a low cost, low bureaucracy way to stay ahead of China, Russia and other nations seeking to erase American military advantages in space.

The Pentagon and Congress have discussed for years the possibility of establishing a military service for space, but some key lawmakers remain skeptical of the need and wary of the cost. The debate enters a new phase this week with the Senate Armed Services Committee holding its first hearing on Thursday on the administrations proposal to phase in a Space Force over five years and establish a space warfighting command this year.

Patrick Shanahan, whose own future as the acting secretary of defense may be tied to the success of his push for a Space Force, is trying to persuade lawmakers that it is urgently needed to preserve U.S. dominance in space. The proposal also is a favorite of President Donald Trump, who often touts the idea at political rallies and whose first defense secretary, Jim Mattis, was initially skeptical of the need for a separate military service for space.

Shanahan, a former Boeing executive who had been Mattis top deputy and took over for him on Jan. 1, has yet to be nominated as his replacement.

In a speech at a space symposium crowded with industry officials hungry for Pentagon business, Shanahan cast China and Russia as threats, suggesting the United States has little choice but to match their efforts to weaponized space.

He repeated an assertion made in January by the Defense Intelligence Agency that by next year the Chinese military is likely to field a ground-based laser system aimed at low-orbit sensors in space. He said the Chinese also are prepared to use cyberattacks against U.S. space systems, and he said Russia is doing the same.

Because of their actions, space is no longer a sanctuary, Shanahan said. It is now a warfighting domain. This is not a future or theoretical threat. This is todays threat.

His speech kicked off what his staff has dubbed space weeka series of space-related events, including Shanahans Senate testimony on Thursday with Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Shanahan also taped an interview on Monday with Fox News from the Colorado Springs luxury resort that is hosting a week-long space symposium. While in Colorado Springs, Shanahan also met with Air Force Gen. John Hyten, the U.S. Strategic Command leader whose responsibilities include overseeing military space operations.

In addition to establishing a Space Force, initially setting up just a headquarters in 2020 at a cost of $72 million, the administration is proposing to re-establish U.S. Space Command, which would manage all military space forces, much like Hytens Strategic Command manages all nuclear forces. The military had a Space Command for many years, but it was eliminated in 2002 when U.S. Northern Command was set up as a response to the 9/11 attacks.

Although many in Congress favor the administrations proposal, doubts persist, particularly about the Space Force, which requires congressional approval and would be the first new military service since the Air Force was established in 1947.

Todd Harrison, a defense specialist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the skepticism is to be expected.

I think Congress will want to fill in the details and better articulate what the Space Force will include and will not include before it authorizes a change of this magnitude, Harrison said, adding that he believes the odds are fairly decent that Congress will approve a version of the proposal, simply because the stakes are too high to do nothing.

By Robert Burns
As China Talks Peace in Space, Researcher Shows Secret Chinese Anti-Satellite, EMP Bases

News Analysis

Satellite imagery has revealed a secret anti-satellite weapons base in China, as well as electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapons testing facilities. This news is making the rounds online even as the Chinese regime is criticizing India for its space weapons programs, and is calling for peace in space.

The discovery was made by retired Indian Army Col. Vinayak Bhat, who specializes in satellite image analysis focused on China. He noted in Indias The Print news website that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) now has several of these facilities, including in Tibet and Xinjiang.

Bhat wrote that the facilities have tracking equipment, and it is believed the anti-satellite laser weapons stationed in buildings with sliding roofs can be used for varying purposes that include blinding or destroying satellites.

The EMP weapons facilities, meanwhile, appear to be for testing. They include some simulated electrical infrastructure and nearby facilities housing the weapons. Included in one image is what appears to be a mobile EMP generator.

These images are being circulated just after India tested an anti-satellite missile and destroyed a satellite March 27. The test sent debris hurtling through orbit.

After the recent test, the CCP came out playing the peacekeeper. According to The Times of India, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a press conference, Outer space is shared by the entire mankind. Every country has the right to make peaceful exploration and use of outer space.

In reality, the CCP has been highly aggressive with its military space programs. It tested its first anti-satellite weapon in May 2005, and shocked the space community in 2007 when it used a missile to destroy its Feng Yun 1-C weather satellite, and sent over 3,000 pieces of debris into low-earth orbit.

The CCP has continued testing its anti-satellite weapons since then, and the secret laser weapons facilities revealed by satellite imagery are just small pieces of the bigger picture.

In its 2015 Annual Report to the Congress, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission warned that Chinas recent space activities indicate that it is developing co-orbital anti-satellite systems to target U.S. space assets.

Militarily, space is regarded as the ultimate high ground. Weapons placed in orbit could allegedly target missiles on earth as they launch, nuclear weapons could be detonated in orbit for destructive EMP without the need for launch, and satellites crucial for military communications and targeting can be destroyed.

Under the CCPs unconventional warfare programs designed to destroy the weakest links of the U.S. military, weapons of these types are regarded as highly valuable. CCP military doctrine such as its Assassins Mace or Trump Card program describe such weapons directly.

In 2014, Chinese Ret. Lt. Gen. Wang Hongguang threatened the United States with these weapons systems in the CCPs state-run Global Times news outlet. Wang said that the CCP would use these weapons suddenly, and warned Americans in their pride and arrogance to not get trampled beneath us.

Public information on the CCPs Assassins Mace weapons are thin, but a 2011 report from the National Ground Intelligence Center said, These modern Trump Card and Assassins Mace weapons will permit Chinas low-technology forces to prevail over U.S. high-technology forces in a localized conflict.

According to a recent Government Accountability Office report, on April 3, little has changed. It says, China and Russia in particular are developing a variety of means to exploit perceived U.S. reliance on space-based systems and challenge the U.S. position in space.

Its in this context that President Donald Trump signed an executive order on March 26 to harden U.S. critical infrastructure to protect against EMP attacks. Its also in this context that Trump is pushing for a Space Force military branch that would consolidate U.S. military space programs.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Members of Misrata forces, under the protection of Tripoli's forces, prepare themselves to go to the front line in Tripoli, Libya April 8, 2019. REUTERS/Hani Amara

Battle Rages for Libyas Capital, Airport Bombed

TRIPOLI/BENGHAZI, LibyaA warplane attacked Tripolis only functioning airport on April 8 as eastern forces advancing on the Libyan capital disregarded international appeals for a truce in the latest of a cycle of warfare since Muammar Gaddafis fall in 2011.

Casualties were mounting in fighting that also threatens to disrupt oil supplies, fuel migration to Europe and wreck U.N. plans for an election to end rivalries between parallel administrations in the countrys east and west.

The eastern Libyan National Army (LNA) forces of Khalifa Haftara former general in Gaddafis armysaid 19 of its soldiers died in recent days as they closed in on the internationally recognized government in Tripoli.

A spokesman for the Tripoli-based Health Ministry said fighting in the south of the capital had killed at least 25 people, including fighters and civilians, and wounded 80.

Mitiga airport, in an eastern suburb, was bombed and closed, authorities said. The U.N. envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salame, condemned the air strike as a serious violation of humanitarian law.

A spokesman for the LNA confirmed the strike, saying his force had not targeted civilian planes, only a MiG parked at Mitiga.

The closure left Misrata airport, 200 km (125 miles) to the east down the coast, as the closest option for Tripoli residents.

Haftars LNA, which backs the eastern administration in Benghazi, took the oil-rich south of Libya earlier this year before advancing fast through largely unpopulated desert regions toward Tripoli.

Seizing the capital, however, is a much bigger challenge. The LNA has conducted air strikes on the south of the city as it seeks to advance along a road from a disused former international airport.

Witnesses said on April 8 the LNA had lost control of the old airport and withdrawn from positions on the airport road. Forces allied to the Tripoli administration were seen inside the airport, while clashes with the eastern forces were raging south of the airport, a Reuters reporter at the scene and residents said.

Late on April 7, LNA forces had moved up from the airport, coming as close as 11 km (7 miles) from the city center before retreating, residents said.

Machine Guns on Pickups

The government of Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj, 59, is seeking to block the LNA with the help of allied armed groups who have rushed to Tripoli from Misrata in pickup trucks fitted with machine guns.

A Reuters correspondent in the city center could hear gunfire in the distance southwards.

Serraj has run Tripoli since 2016 as part of a U.N.-brokered deal boycotted by Haftar.

U.N. envoy Salame met Serraj in Tripoli on April 8 to discuss ways the U.N. can assist with this critical and difficult juncture, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York.

Dujarric said 3,400 people had been displaced by violence in and around Tripoli, emergency services had been blocked from reaching casualties and civilians, and electricity lines had been damaged.

Were calling for a temporary humanitarian truce to allow for the provision of emergency services and a voluntary passage of civilians, including those wounded, from the areas of conflict, Dujarric said.

The violence has jeopardized a U.N. plan for an April 14-16 conference to plan elections and end anarchy that has prevailed since the Western-backed toppling of Gaddafi.

As well as the United Nations, the European Union, United States and G7 bloc have all urged a ceasefire, a halt to Haftars advance and return to negotiations.

Haftar casts himself as a foe of extremism but is viewed by opponents as a new dictator in the mold of Gaddafi, whose four-decade rule was marked by torture, disappearances and assassinations.

Migrants

Since NATO-backed rebels ousted Gaddafi, Libya has been a transit point for hundreds of thousands of migrants trekking across the Sahara in hope of reaching Europe across the sea.

Migrants and refugees held in detention are especially vulnerable in the current fighting, said aid agencies MSF (Doctors without Borders) and the International Rescue Committee.

The LNA says it has 85,000 men, but this includes soldiers paid by the central government that it hopes to inherit. Its elite Saiqa (Lightning) force, numbers some 3,500, while Haftars sons also have well-equipped troops, LNA sources say.

Analysts say Haftar has swelled his ranks with Salafist fighters and tribesmen as well as Chadians and Sudanese from over the southern borders, claims dismissed by the LNA.

France, which has close links to Haftar, said it had no prior warning of his push for Tripoli, a diplomatic source said.

France established close relations with Haftar under the Socialist government of former President Francois Hollande and his defense minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian.

When President Emmanuel Macron named Le Drian his foreign minister, Paris increased support for Haftar, in close alignment with Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, which see him as a bulwark against Islamists and have supported him militarily, according to U.N. reports.

Frances stance has created tensions with Italy, which has sought a leading role to end the turmoil in its former colony.

Serraj received a phone call from Macron on April 8, the Tripoli-based government said, adding they discussed security developments.

By Ahmed Elumami & Ayman al-Warfalli
A Border Patrol agent apprehends illegal aliens who have just crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico into Penitas, Texas, on March 21, 2019. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Border Patrol Apprehends 92,000 Illegal Immigrants in March

WASHINGTONRecord-setting numbers of illegal immigrants during March saw Border Patrol facilities reach such overcapacity that agents were forced to release some migrants within hours of apprehending themoften dropping them at local bus stations.

Border Patrol apprehended 92,000 illegal aliens along the southwest border in Marchconsisting of 53,000 family units, 30,000 single adults, and 8,900 unaccompanied children.

A further 11,000 presented at ports of entry without documentation and were deemed inadmissible, bringing the March total to 103,000.

I have never witnessed the conditions we are facing on the southwest border. This is not a manufactured crisis, said Rodolfo Karisch, chief Border Patrol agent for the Rio Grande Valley sector, at a Senate hearing on April 9.

On average, we apprehend 1,000 illegal border crossers per dayroughly the capacity of 17 commercial buses.

The Rio Grande Valley Sector is the busiest in the country and shares 320 miles of the 2,000-mile international border with Mexico.

Karisch said word has spread that if an adult brings a child, they will be released into the United States. Last week, we stopped a Honduran with a 1-year-old child. After questioning, we found out that the child wasnt his, he said.

Family unit apprehensions have increased by about 375 percent compared to the same time frame last fiscal year, according to Customs and Border Protection numbers. Three-quarters of those are from the Central American countries of Honduras, Guatemala, or El Salvador.

Generally, we want to see our custody numbers around 4,500 across the southwest border, said Brian Hastings, chief law enforcement operations directorate of Border Patrol. However, two weeks ago, we saw our in-custody numbers up to critical levels of 13,500 in custody.

Hastings said that since March 19, Border Patrol has released more than 11,000 non-criminal family members. He said biometrics are taken on the adults, a criminal background check is performed, and, if clean, they are provided with a travel document and served with a notice to appear in immigration court.

Border Patrol is taking an average of 63 illegal immigrants to hospitals per day for emergency medical treatment. Hastings said Border Patrol will pay out an estimated $12 million in salaries to agents who are watching over migrants in hospitals this fiscal year.

In fiscal year 2019 to date, weve expended over $90 million on humanitarian support costs, he said.

Typically, illegal immigration flows trend upward over the summer months.

This poses significant increase to the risk of national security. Were committed to addressing this humanitarian need, but the current situation is unsustainable for Border Patrol operations, Hastings said. We need an immigration system that allows the government to maintain custody of a family unit through an expeditious immigration proceeding.
A bridge over the Moju River is seen after collapsing and potentially affecting shipments of grains, such as soybeans and corn through northern ports at Alca Viaria complex in the Highway PA-483 in Acara, Para state, Brazil April 6, 2019. (Fernando Araujo/Agencia Brasil/Handout via Reuters)

Brazil Bridge Collapse Could Affect Grain Shipments in North

SAO PAULOPart of a bridge over the Moju River in Brazils Para state collapsed early on April 6, potentially affecting shipment of grains such as soybeans and corn through northern ports, local authorities and an agribusiness consultant said.

The bridge fell after it was hit by a boat, Governor Helder Barbalho said on Twitter, where he also posted videos of a large section of the bridge in the water. He said this was not the first time such an accident had occurred.

According to the official Agencia Brasil news agency, two vehicles were crossing the bridge at the time of the collision.

At the moment, our priority is searching for victims and giving complete support to their families, Barbalho was quoted as saying in a statement from Paras state news agency.

According to rescue workers, no crew or documents from the boat that collided against the bridge were found on the scene. The number of casualties was unclear.

Kory Melby, an agribusiness consultant based in the city of Goiania, said the bridge was on the main route connecting Brazils farm country to its northern ports.

It will probably take years for that bridge to be rebuilt, he said by telephone.

The consultant noted the bridge was located some 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Belem, capital of Para state, where three major grain loaders operate, including Archer Daniels Midland Co., Bunge Ltd., and Hidrovias do Brasil SA.

The companies did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

Melby said barge traffic would not be affected on the Tocantins and Amazon rivers, which use river ports including Vila do Conde and Barcarena. Some 10 to 20 percent of the soy grown in Brazils center-west is delivered by road at those ports, he said.

Willians Ribeiro, a supervisor at Vila do Conde, told Reuters road traffic to that port would be affected but there were alternative routes.

Shipping statistics show some 5.7 million tonnes of soybeans and 3 million tonnes of corn were unloaded in 2018 in the region, a volume likely to increase due to port expansions, according to the consultant.

By Alberto Alerigi
Brazil's Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo speaks during a discussion on U.S.-Brazil relations at the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington on March 18. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)

Brazils Foreign Minister on Renewing Ties With US, Spiritual Dimension, and Political Labels

When people use labels, they want to stop the debate.  Ernesto Araujo Brazil s minister of foreign affairs

Exclusive

In this installment of American Thought Leaders, Epoch Times senior editor Jan Jekielek recently sat down with Ernesto Araujo, Brazils minister of foreign affairs, to discuss the situation in Brazil, on the occasion of President Jair Bolsonaros state visit to the White House on March 19.



Jan Jekielek: One of the things that Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro and U.S. President Donald Trump talked about in their joint press conference was a new chapter in U.S.Brazil cooperation. Tell us what this means.

Ernesto Araujo: Were very enthusiastic about the opportunity to be here and to come back to where we should have been for a long time, which is a very strong partnership with the United States. Thats the natural thing for Brazil to do.

This natural connectivity was denied by Brazilian governments for a long time for ideological reasons. Things were not judged by the quality, but by the fact that the United States was either in or out of it. So now, were coming back.

Since the partnership with the United States was neglected, as a coincidence or not, Brazil started to stagnate and the economy started to not deliver jobs, not deliver growth, and also Brazilian society started to lose faith in its institutions. So now, were trying to reconnect. It is a partnership that really can deliver results.

Mr. Jekielek: President Bolsonaro has said that to a large extent, we owe our democracy in the Southern Hemisphere to the United States. Can you expand on that?

Mr. Araujo: We were talking about this in the car today, coming back from the Arlington Cemeterythe president [Bolsonaro] said: Imagine what the world would be without the United States because of all the participation and all the world wars, the reconstruction of the world after World War II.

More than the purely military or economic dimension, there is the spiritual dimension. I think since the beginning of the republic, the United States has been an inspiration for self-reliance, for a nation that is built on values and, at the same time, on a strong national identity but with freedom, with the famous pursuit of happiness, which is an amazing concept thats so often forgotten.

Mainstream international relations newspapers and journals basically analyze the world through security and economy. I think they have failed to analyze that sort of spiritual, untouchable dimension, and maybe its even more important because human beings naturally desire freedom. When you look at the world and whos the champion of freedom, its been the United States. We cannot deny that.

You cannot put the United States together with other countries that didnt have the same role just to say, Well, we have to treat everyone the same. The reality is that the United States is essential for freedom. And why can you say that? The president says things that are real. Thats why people voted for him.

Mr. Jekielek: You were actually in the Brazilian government previously, in governments that were socialist. Were you just kind of hiding as a conservative all along, or did you have an epiphany? How did things change for you?

Mr. Araujo: Im a career diplomat, so I had to work with social democratic governments, socialist governments along the years. And for a long time, I found my place in trade negotiations because I thought it was an area where you could do something for the country, for growth independently from, lets say, the current ideology because trade tends to have a rationality of its own.

And for some time, I confess that I believed in the sort of economic nationalism that was rather protectionist because I think I was misled by the things that I read; no one is perfect. But what happened in Brazil is that that policy space was used for corruption.

And then, I and other people started to realize, we are negotiating to keep this market closed but its closed not for the government to implement sound policies, but to ensure there is no external interference in a corrupt system that was basically channeling money from the productive economy into political parties and their members. So that is part of how I started to open my eyes, like many people in Brazilian society.

Also, more and more, I had the feeling that this whole spiritual dimension was sorely lacking in foreign policy. Im someone who thinks that the spiritual dimension should not be only in the church. Its not only Sunday morning that people are spiritual beingstheyre spiritual beings 24 hours a day and in whatever they do.

In the Brazilian press, when you say things like that, they will call you a fanatic. Its a crazy world when you talk about God, youre labeled as a fanatic. So I started to feel the desire for some sort of political movement that would encompass those different dimensionsthe dimension of economic rationality that I saw was lacking, and this spiritual dimension to our work. And, suddenly, Bolsonaro was there, and there was this ship where you could jump tobecause Brazilians who had this more conservative leaning didnt have any political option in Brazil for a long time.

Mr. Jekielek: When describing the Bolsonaro administration, the term far right is used regularly. How do you respond to this?

Mr. Araujo: Its the phenomenon of labeling. This approach that basically the left and cultural Marxists have developed is very efficient for their ends, which is to create concepts that are detached from reality.

When people use labels, they want to stop the debate. When someone has certain ideas, they start calling you fascist or a racist or whatever, like they did with Trump.

And I think the courageous, brave approach of President Trump is starting to break that. Before him, someone may bring certain ideas about how society should work, then someone calls him a racist, and then the person says No, Im not a racist, and then the debate would be about that, and you forget the real issue.

But Trump doesnt accept that, he keeps trying to discuss. And thats what were trying to learn.

The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

American Thought Leaders is a new Epoch Times show available on Facebook and YouTube.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Building Worker Falls After Vengeful Neighbor Cuts Rope

A high-rise window cleaner in China survived a fall after his rope was cut by a resident who thought the rope belonged to a neighbor he had a feud with, according to local media reports.

The cleaner, surnamed Li, was suspended by a rope as he was waterproofing the exterior of a residential building in eastern Chinas Jiangsu Province on April 2, several mainland Chinese news outlets reported.

The fifth floor resident, surnamed Tian, cut Lis rope with a cleaver, the reports said, because Tian thought that the rope belonged to his neighbor whom he has a bad relationship with.

Li fell from the third floor of the 11-story building, but several metal installations outside the second floor window broke his fall. He only suffered minor injuries.

Tian is currently being investigated by the police, according to reports.

The Incident

Li, who was tasked with coating the building with waterproofing material, was working downwards from the 11th floor.

When Tian saw a rope outside of his window, reports said, he assumed it was being used by his neighbor on the sixth floor above him.

In many older buildings in China, building materials are often brought up by rope because of the narrow stairwells and lack of elevators.

Tian told Jiangsu-based media outlet Zero-Distance Videos that the neighbor was in the process of decorating their condominium.

Stuff is always falling from their window, Tian said.

I have a really bad relationship with the person above me, he added. Its a mess between us.

As a way to take revenge on the neighbor, Tian grabbed a cleaver and sliced through the thick rope.

I didnt see anyone on the rope, so I cut it, he said.

Li then fell from the third floor, as the rope was his only support. As he fell, he crashed into a welded metal frame outside the third-floor window. These frames are often used for hanging clothes or growing plants.

Li, along with the frame, then crashed into another metal frame directly below it. This frame, which was welded to a second-floor window, is used to prevent intruders from breaking into a home.

From the second-floor frame, Li fell down to the ground.

Li said he was knocked unconscious from the fall. He only suffered minor injuries.

The report said the police are now investigating the incident.
Can Music Shape Your Soul?

Music expresses the quintessence of life and its events. It is precisely this universality that gives music the high worth that it has as a panacea for our woes.

Recently, while in New York, I hailed a cab. The entire vehicle was pulsating with a Jay-Z track. The thumping was so loud that my heart started to feel like a beatbox. When the fillings in my teeth felt as though they were becoming dislodged, I begged to be let out.

Sound is a form of energy. Energy can build or destroy. More than 20 years ago, Dr. Masaru Emoto, a Japanese scientist, began researching the effect that sound has on water. After playing various kinds of music over water, he flash-froze the water molecules in petri dishes. When they were placed under a microscope, one could see the difference between the crystals that had been formed in the droplets of liquid when Bach, Mozart, and heavy rock had been played. Each piece of music had caused crystals to form in completely different constellations. The first two created geometrically intricate and marvelously symmetrical shapes. The water responded to heavy rock by showing no organization, merely chaos.

Given that most living matter consists of fluidour bodies are 60 percent waterwe, too, are affected by the sounds we hear.

What the Ancients Thought About Music

In his Republic, Plato tells another ancient philosopher, Glaucon, that musical training is a more potent instrument than any other because rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul, on which they mightily fasten, imparting grace, and making the soul of him who is rightly educated graceful, or of him who is ill-educated, ungraceful.

Plato averred that this training was the true education of the inner being. For this reason, one so trained would most shrewdly perceive omissions or faults in art and nature, and with a true taste, would praise and rejoice over and receive into his soul the good.

In short, he would become noble and good. Plato also observed the effect that music had on society in his day.

Music, he said, is a moral law. He observed that it gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, gaiety and life to everything; it is the essence of order and lends to all that is good, just and beautiful.

The wrong music is full of danger to the whole state.

Aristotle said that since music communicates emotion, immoral music can shape our character for the worse. One becomes imbued with the same passion as the music to which one listens. If over a long time he habitually listens to music that rouses ignoble passions, his whole character will be shaped to an ignoble form.

According to researchers at the University of Missouri, hip-hop, rap, and pop music promotes problematic behaviors. They analyzed the lyrics of more than 400 Billboard hits released between 2006 and 2016 for themes of violence, profanity, misogyny, and gender-role references.

Professor Cynthia Frisby suggests that parents have discussions with their teens about what they are listening to and how it is impacting their identity. A respondent to the story cautioned: Besides violence and aggression, overtones of control and possessiveness (e.g. Youre mine, Never gonna let you go) and emotional blackmail (Cant live without you) are all too common and seem to go unquestioned. Yet it is often those very attitudes that lead to violence and abuse.

Music is like religion. It is never neutral in its spiritual direction.

It is said that ultimately, all uses of tone and musical lyrics can be classified according to their spiritual direction: upward or downward.

Think of the Gregorian chants and how perfectly they reflect the architecture of the cathedrals in which they were sung.

Consider the majesty of Handels Messiah; its noble purpose was the glorification of the Highest God. Spiritually, it elevates the listener.

As long as sublime and beautiful music prevails, so will civilization flourish, both spiritually and in material aspects.

Jani Allan is a South African journalist, columnist, writer, and broadcaster.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Alma Media on Monday reported that popular support for the opposition party has fallen by 1.7 percentage points to 19.6 per cent since February.

THE POPULARITY of the Social Democrats has slipped noticeably on the eve of the parliamentary elections held in Finland on Sunday, 14 April, indicates the latest opinion poll commissioned by Alma Media.

The Social Democratic Party, however, remains clearly the most supported political party in the country, following a drop of 1.1 percentage points  to 17.0 per cent  also in support for the National Coalition.

If the poll results were replicated next Sunday, the parliamentary elections would be the first in history where no party won more than 20 per cent of votes.

The third major change at the top of the poll was the increase of 2.2 percentage points in popular support recorded by the Finns Party (13.4%), which came in fourth narrowly ahead of the Green League (13.3%). The right-wing opposition party has now improved its performance in the poll for several months, having polled only slightly above the eight per cent-mark last November.

The Finns Party appears to be receiving a late surge in support especially from blue-collar voters who have previously voted for the Social Democrats, analysed Jussi Westinen, a social scientist at E2 Research.

The Finns Partys message has hit home with certain groups of voters teetering between the Social Democrats and Finns Party, he commented on Monday.

The Centre Party, meanwhile, recorded an up-tick of 0.6 percentage points in popular support and is currently projected to win 14.7 per cent of the vote.

The Green League and Left Alliance both saw their popularity increase by 0.1 percentage points, to 13.4 and 9.1 per cent respectively, whereas the Swedish Peoples Party and Blue Reform fell by 0.2 and 0.3 percentage points to 3.9 and 2.0 per cent, respectively. The Christian Democrats stood pat at 4.1 per cent, according to Alma Media.

A total of 1,201 people responded to the poll conducted between 25 March and 3 April by Tietoykkonen.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Source: Uusi Suomi
A Confucius Institute at the University of North Florida in this file photo. The institute has since been closed by the university. (Huang Yuntian/The Epoch Times)

Canadian Parents Pull Daughter From Confucius Institute Program Over Propaganda

TORONTOA Canadian couple who pulled their daughter from Chinas controversial Confucius Institute program at her school in Fredericton, New Brunswick, say they were alarmed that their child was enrolled in the program without their knowledge.

Bronwen Bonney and Parker Coates said the program is inherently propaganda and aims to influence peoples views on China, according to CBC.

Chinese citizens who are Muslim or Falun Gong are being incarcerated, and were welcoming this in to teach our children about Chinese culture. That just seems totally out of whack, Coates said.

Branded as Chinese language and culture programs, Confucius Institutes (CI) have been cited by Western intelligence agencies as part of Beijings efforts to exert its soft power abroad. A number of universities and educational institutions in Canada, the United States, and other parts of the world have closed their CIs, due to the controversial nature of the programs that are run and funded by the Chinese communist regime.

The CI in New Brunswick was established in 2007 and operates in 28 schools in the province, with 5,441 students enrolled in the program as of 2016.

In February, the provinces new minister of education, Dominic Cardy, criticized the program for offering a one-dimensional view of China and said he plans to close the provinces CIs by June.

Their job is to create a friendly, cheerful face for a government that is responsible for more deaths than nearly any other in the history of our species, Cardy told CBC.

Contracts between hosting educational institutions and Hanbanthe Chinese state-run agency that operates CIstypically contain clauses that either party can cancel the contract by giving six-months notice. Bonney and Coates, who have seen a copy of the new contract between the New Brunswick Department of Education and Hanban after the expiry of the original agreement, told CBC that this clause has been removed.

New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has said the province would respect the terms of the agreement, which runs until 2022. However, Cardy told CBC that his views remain exactly as they were, and I look forward to them no longer being in our schools come June.

More CI Closures

In the United States, more than 10 academic institutions have closed their CIs in the past year as the program comes under more government scrutiny.

Indiana University closed its CI in April, becoming the latest university to do so. This follows a trend of other universities in North America and other parts of the world ending their partnerships with the Beijing-run program.

In Canada, the Toronto School Board, McMaster University, and the University of Sherbrooke have ended their partnerships with CIs in recent years.

A report by the U.S. Senates Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations released this year stated that CI funding comes with strings that compromise academic freedom.

The National Association of Scholars in the United States recommended in 2018 that all universities close their CIs, expressing concerns about intellectual freedom and transparency, as well as the institutes being used to advance Chinas soft power.

In Australia, all CIs have been directly notified by the government about the countrys new anti-foreign influence laws. The legislation requires individuals or organizations working for foreign governments to register as foreign agents.
A customer withdraws money from an ATM machine using a facial recognition feature at the Agricultural Bank of China. (The Epoch Times)

Chinese Thieves Exploit Facial Recognition Mobile Payment System to Steal

A Chinese man recently had his money stolen from his bank account after his roommates scanned his face while he was asleep to make online payments with the facial recognition function. The incident once again raised security concerns regarding biometrics-based technologies.

According to an April 8 report by Chinese media Chengdu Economic Daily, a busboy surnamed Yuan lived with two roommates in Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province. Recently, when he checked the balance in his bank account, he was shocked to discover that there was only 0.59 yuan (about $0.09) when he allegedly had about 12,000 yuan ($1,787) in the account. He reported the theft to local police immediately.

After an initial investigation, police suspected that Yuans two roommates, surnamed Liu and Yang, may have stolen the money. When police interrogated both Liu and Yang, they admitted to using Yuans smartphone to make payments while Yuan was sleeping. They knew that Yuan regularly used the face recognition feature to make online payments, so they scanned Yuans face to use his money.

Police also found that normally, facial recognition would not work when a persons eyes are closed. However, the facial recognition function on Yuans smartphone was substandard, making it easy for his roommates to scan his face while Yuan was asleep.

In recent years, Chinese tech companies have vigorously developed and popularized facial recognition technology.

In 2018, during the Chinese New Year holidaysa time when many people travel to their hometowns to celebrate festivities with familyChinas railway stations began to roll out a facial recognition payment system on a large scale, replacing the traditional ticket and ID checking system.

In addition, Alipay, the mobile payment service created by tech giant Alibaba, rolled out its first facial payment station at a physical store in Shanghai in December 2018. A customer scans the commodities first, then positions his or her face in front of the camera to make the payment. UnionPay and WeChat Pay both followed suit shortly after with their own payment stations at physical stores. These three companies, Chinas most popular e-wallet providers, have popularized the use of facial recognition for payments.

However, with regard to privacy issues associated with biometrics-based technologies, industry experts have long expressed concerns.

Tan Jianfeng, chairman of Chinese cybersecurity firm, Shanghai People Network Security Technology Co., told the state-run Peoples Daily during an interview in March 2017 that, if your password is stolen, you can reset it, but biometric information cannot be reset. Once your facial features are stolen, you cannot change to another face.

Tan also reminded the public not to casually use the facial recognition function for online operations. In the era of big data, once biometric authentication is used, there must be a database for the storage of biometric features. All data will be converted to machine code as soon as it is stored. Any machine code can be intercepted, he said.

Tan himself chooses not to use fingerprint or facial recognition for his electronic device activations or as a payment option.

However, many Chinese prefer the convenience of using such technology.

Facial recognition is also broadly employed by Chinese authorities via security cameras, which have prompted security and human rights experts to raise concerns about authoritarian mass surveillance that infringes on citizens privacy.
Yujing Zhang (L), charged with bluffing her way into President Donald Trump's Florida resort, appears at her hearing at the U.S. federal court in this courtroom sketch, in West Palm Beach, Florida, on April 8, 2019. (Reuters/Daniel Pontet)

Chinese Woman Arrested at Mar-a-Lago Had Device to Detect Hidden Cameras

A Chinese woman charged last week for bluffing her way into President Donald Trumps Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, had a device used to detect hidden cameras and thousands of dollars in cash in her hotel room, prosecutors said April 8.

Yujing Zhang appeared at a Florida court for a bail hearing on April 8, where prosecutors said a search of her Florida hotel room turned up a signal detectora device used to detect hidden camerasnine USB drives, five SIM cards, and over $8,000 in cash, the Washington Post reported.

Zhang, 32, managed to pass a security checkpoint at Trumps resort on March 30. She had told Secret Service staff at the initial checkpoint that she was at the resort to use the pool, but this story changed when she made it to resorts reception, according to court documents. Zhang told reception that she was at the resort to attend a United Nations Chinese American Association event, but no such event was scheduled that night.

Zhang was charged with lying to federal agents and illegally entering a restricted area.

Prosecutors told U.S. Magistrate Judge William Matthewman that Zhang could not be trusted, accusing her of lying to investigators about why she was at the property.

She lies to everyone she encounters, Assistant U.S. Attorney Rolando Garcia said during a hearing in the U.S. District Court in West Palm Beach, Florida. She has no ties to the United States.

At the time Zhang was arrested, she was carrying four cellphones, a laptop computer, an external hard drive and a thumb drive containing computer malware, court documents said.

Defense attorney Robert Adler described the incident as a misunderstanding.

The only thing Ms. Zhang did was give a common name and she was allowed onto the property, Adler said. I dont understand how this could be a trespass charge.

Three law enforcement and national security sources told Reuters on April 8 that multiple U.S. agencies are evaluating whether the incident has any ties to Chinese state intelligence and whether it exposed counter-intelligence risks. They described Zhangs attempted entry of the club as amateurish, but said they are evaluating whether it was intended as a test of the presidential propertys security.

Zhang faces a maximum of five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine for the charge of making false statements to federal agents, and a maximum of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine for the charge of illegally entering a restricted area.

There is also no evidence that Zhang has links with Li Yang, a Chinese native and former Florida massage parlor owner. Yang made headlines recently after it was revealed that she ran a consulting firm promising Chinese business leaders access to Trump via events at Mar-a-Lago.

According to a Mother Jones report on April 5, an event promoted by Yang had been scheduled at Mar-a-Lago for the night of the incident. But the event was canceled after media scrutiny of Yangs activities, the report said.

The Epoch Times previously reported that Yang has ties to the Chinese regime. In 2016, she became deputy president of the Florida branch of the Council for the Promotion of the Peaceful Reunification of China (CPPRC)a group that operates under the Chinese Communist Partys United Front Work Department, a body charged with spreading Beijings agenda overseas.

Reuters contributed to this article.
A warning was issued by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) about the Fisher-Price Rock N Play sleeper after reports of infant deaths. (CPSC)

Consumer Reports: 32 Babies Die in Fisher-Price Rock N Play, Should Be Recalled

Fisher-Price says Rock 'n Play Sleeper 'meets all applicable safety standards'

The magazine Consumer Reports is calling on Fisher-Price to recall its Rock n Play Sleeper after a U.S. agency said that 10 infants have died since 2015.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) released a statement last week saying that it is aware of 10 deaths since 2015 after the infants rolled from their back to their stomach or side, while unrestrained. All 10 infants were 3 months or older.

Consumer Reports, however, performed an investigation and found that at least 32 babies have died.

The magazines researchers also found deaths of babies even younger than the 3-month threshold cited in the April 5 warning, and go beyond the risk of rollover.

Based on the deaths and injuries associated with the Fisher-Price Rock n Play, the product clearly puts infants safety at risk and should be recalled immediately, said William Wallace, who is a senior policy analyst for Consumer Reports, in a separate press release on April 8. All other inclined sleepers should be investigated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Wallace said the CPSCs alert is needed but is overdue.

To truly protect the public, the CPSC should set strong rules for all infant sleep products, including mandating what medical experts already recommend: a firm, flat surface in a bare crib, bassinet, or play yard, he said.

Meanwhile, if products dont meet the rules, the agency should quickly get them off the market and out of peoples homes, even if they conform to voluntary industry standards, Wallace added. Its totally inappropriate for companies or the CPSC to put the bulk of the responsibility for safety on parents and caregiversespecially when a product indicates its safe for routine sleep but really isntor to imply that theyre to blame for tragedies.

Fisher-Price told USA Today that the safety of children is our highest priority. The loss of a child is tragic and heart-breaking after Consumer Reports published its statement.

The firm added that the Rock n Play Sleeper meets all applicable safety standards.

Urgent @uscpsc warning for parents: Stop using the @FisherPrice Rock N Play by the time your baby is 3 months old or starts showing signs of rolling over. @AmerAcadPeds never recommends the Rock N Play for routine infant sleep. (1/2) https://t.co/VyQsDeejLx pic.twitter.com/ip8JmydB6l  HealthyChildren (@healthychildren) April 5, 2019

We continue to work closely with the Consumer Product Safety Commission regarding the safe use of our products, including the Rock n Play Sleeper, a spokesman said. We will continue to do all we can to ensure that parents and caregivers have the information necessary to create a safe sleep environment for infants.

In the statement, Fisher-Price said that it is essential that product warnings and instructions are always followed.

ATTENTION PARENTS: Fisher-Price has issued a warning after reports of death when infants roll over while using their Rock 'N Play. There have been 10 infant deaths already involved. Posted by 10TV  WBNS on Friday, April 5, 2019

CPSC Warning

The CPSC last week advised consumers to stop using the product by three months of age or as soon as the infant is able to roll over.

Fisher-Price warns consumers to stop using the product when infants can roll over, but the reported deaths show that some consumers are still using the product when infants are capable of rolling and without using the three-point harness restraint, according to the agency.

The 10 children who died were over the age of three months, it said.

A different Rock n Play model was recalled in 2013 due to the risk of mold developing between the seat cushion and the hard plastic frame. Fisher-Price received 600 reports of mold on the product, with some customers reporting their infants was treated for respiratory issues, coughs and hives after sleeping in the product, according to the CPSC.
In this file image an agar plate of the superbug Staphylcocus epidermidis is examined in Melbourne on Sept. 4, 2018. (William West/AFP/Getty Images)

Drug-resistant Deadly Super Fungus Continues To Spread Through Hospitals

A deadly drug-resistant super fungus has continued to spread across the globe and the United States since it first mysteriously appeared 10 years ago.

The fungal strain Candida auris was first found in Japan in 2009, and has since surfaced in over a dozen countries in hospitals where it has kills four out of 10 patients, preying on their compromised immune systems.

Experts warn that fungal diseases are developing increasing resistance to drugs in the same way that superbug strains emerged that were immune to antibiotics.

Candida auris has now been found in 12 states, with a total of nearly 600 cases, according to the latest data from the CDC, which warns that it is a serious global health threat.

According to the CDC, some strains of Candida auris, which is a kind of yeast, are resistant to all three types of anti-fungal medicines.

The fungus is also very hard to identify without highly specialized technology and is extremely tenacious, able to survive on surfaces for several weeks.

Over half of the 587 identified cases of infections in the United States occurred in New York state.

Most C. auris cases in the United States have been detected in the New York City area, New Jersey, and the Chicago area, according to the CDC.

The fungus was first seen in the United States in 2013.

It has been found in over a dozen countries around the world, including South Korea, India, South Africa, Kuwait, Colombia, Venezuela, Pakistan, and the United Kingdom.

To the surprise of scientists there are four distinct strains of the fungus in the world which appear to have evolved independently.

Symptoms are hard to detect because patients are often already sick. The fungus can cause different types of infection, including wound infection, bloodstream infection, and ear infection. The disease was named auris, a Latin reference to the ear, after the first identified case, which was an ear infection.

According to the CDC, the greatest risk is to those who have recently had surgery, live in nursing homes, or who have breathing tubes, feeding tubes, or central venous catheters.

In May last year, researchers from Imperial College London warned of a potential global collapse in ability to control and fight fungal infections as drug-resistant strains grow and spread.

Researchers said drugs used to treat fungal infections in plants and animals are in danger of becoming ineffective and fear the same could happen to those treatments used for human infections.

Fungi are a growing threat to human and crop health as new species and variants spread around the world, so it is essential that we have means to combat them, said lead author Matthew Fisher in a statement. However, the very limited number of antifungal drugs means that the emergence of resistance is leading to many common fungal infections becoming incurable.

Professor Sarah Gurr from the University of Exeter said, Emerging resistance to antifungal drugs has largely gone under the radar, but without intervention, fungal conditions affecting humans, animals, and plants will become increasingly difficult to counteract.

The fungus can remain on hospital furniture and equipment as well as on human skin for months.

Last year, after an elderly man died of an auris infection at a Brooklyn hospital, the ceiling and floor tiles had to be ripped out, and specialist equipment brought in to eradicate the fungus.

Everything was positivethe walls, the bed, the doors, the curtains, the phones, the sink, the whiteboard, the poles, the pump, Dr. Scott Lorin, the hospitals president, told the New York Times. The mattress, the bed rails, the canister holes, the window shades, the ceiling, everything in the room was positive.
The logo for Facebook appears on screens at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York's Times Square on March 29, 2018. (Richard Drew/AP Photo, File)

EU: Facebook Changes Terms to Show It Makes Money From Data

LONDONFacebook has changed the fine print in its terms of service to clearly explain to users that it makes money by using their data, the European Commission said on April 9.

The social media giant modified its terms and conditions to better inform users what they are signing up for, the commission said. The new wording will clearly explain how Facebook uses the data it collects on users to develop profiling activities and target advertising to finance the company, it said.

The company made the changes after discussions with the commission and European consumer protection authorities. EU regulators stepped up scrutiny of Facebooks terms after the Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal, in which data on 87 million Facebook users was allegedly improperly harvested. They also want tech companies to bring their terms in line with European consumer law.

If Facebook wants to restore consumer trust after the scandal, it should not hide behind complicated, legalistic jargon on how it is making billions on peoples data, European Union Consumer Commissioner Vera Jourova said in a statement.

Now, users will clearly understand that their data is used by the social network to sell targeted ads, she said.

The changes are part of broader global efforts to rein in social media companies amid concerns about privacy breaches, harmful content, and other online abuses.

Facebook said its not changing the substance of its terms, just improving how it describes things.

The changes will take effect worldwide, in another sign of how stricter EU rules on tech companies are being felt globally.

Weve been doing a lot of work this year to better explain how Facebook works, what data we collect, and how we use it. As part of these ongoing efforts, well be updating our Terms of Service to be more clear about how Facebook makes money, the company said in a statement.

The new terms explain that Facebook is free for users in return for sharing their data and exposing them to ads.

Other changes include outlining services Facebook sells to third parties based on user data and letting users know how they can close their accounts and under what reasons their accounts can be disabled.

Facebook is expected to make all the changes by the end of June. If it doesnt, the commission said it can use enforcement measures, including unspecified sanctions.

Report: Apps Give Facebook Sensitive Health and Other Data

NEW YORKSeveral phone apps are sending sensitive user data, including health information, to Facebook without users consent, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

An analytics tool called App Events allows app developers to record user activity and report it back to Facebook, even if the user isnt on Facebook, according to the report.

One example detailed by the Journal shows how a woman would track her period and ovulation using an app from Flo Health. After she enters when she last had her period, Facebook software in the app would send along data, such as whether the user may be ovulating. The Journals testing found that the data was sent with an advertising ID that can be matched to a device or profile.

Although Facebooks terms instruct app developers not to send such sensitive information, Facebook appeared to be accepting such data without telling the developers to stop. Developers are able to use such data to target their own users while on Facebook.

Facebook said in a statement that it requires apps to tell users what information is shared with Facebook and it prohibits app developers from sending us sensitive data. The company said it works to remove information that developers should not have sent to Facebook.

The development comes as Facebook is dealing with increased scrutiny over how it handles user data. Last week, British lawmakers issued a scathing report calling for tougher privacy rules for Facebook and other tech firms.

Criticisms over privacy intensified nearly a year ago following revelations that the now-defunct Cambridge Analytica data-mining firm accessed data on some 87 million Facebook users without their consent. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has been investigating that as well and is reportedly in negotiations with Facebook over a multibillion-dollar fine.

The data-sharing is related to a data analytics tool that Facebook offers developers. The tool lets developers see statistics about their users and target them with Facebook ads.

Besides Flo Health, the Journal found that Instant Heart Rate: HR Monitor and real-estate app Realtor.com were also sending app data to Facebook. The Journal found that the apps did not provide users any way to stop the data-sharing.

Flo Health said in an emailed statement that using analytical systems is a common practice for all app developers and that it uses Facebook analytics for internal analytics purposes only. But the company plans to audit its analytics tools to be as proactive as possible on privacy concerns.

Hours after the Journal story was published, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo directed the states Department of State and Department of Financial Services to immediately investigate what he calls a clear invasion of consumer privacy. The Democrat also urged federal regulators to step in to end the practice.

Securosis CEO Rich Mogull said that while it is not good for Facebook to have yet another data privacy flap in the headlines, In this case it looks like the main violators were the companies that wrote those applications, he said. Facebook, in this case, is more the enabler than the bad actor.

By Mae Anderson
Fiat Chrysler to Pay Tesla Hundreds of Millions of Euros to Pool Fleet

Italian-U.S. carmaker Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (FCA) has agreed to pay electric carmaker Tesla Inc. hundreds of millions of euros to allow Tesla vehicles to be counted in its fleet to avoid fines for violating new European Union emission rules.

The step will let the Italian carmaker offset carbon dioxide emissions from its cars against Teslas, bringing down its average emissions of the greenhouse gas to a permissible level, according to the Financial Times, which was first to report the agreement.

The report did not mention exactly how much Fiat Chrysler has agreed to pay Tesla.

Tesla did not respond to requests for comment on April 6.

Tesla has made over $1 billion in the last three years by selling emissions credits in the United States, according to its annual report to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Regulations allow a manufacturer of zero-emission vehicles to earn credits and sell excess credits to other manufacturers.

The credits in the past have buoyed the Palo Alto, California companys earnings, allowing it to post quarterly profits when otherwise it would have posted a loss.

Tesla recently began delivering its new Model 3 to international markets in China and Europe. However, the companys deliveries fell in the first quarter as it struggled with these shipments due to longer transit times.

FCA formed an open pool with Tesla on Feb. 25, the FT said, citing a declaration with the European Commission.

In a statement, Fiat Chrysler did not directly address the amount that it would pay but added it would optimize the options for compliance that the regulations offer.

FCA is committed to reducing the emissions of all our productsThe purchase pool provides flexibility to deliver products our customers are willing to buy while managing compliance with the lowest cost approach, FCA added in its statement.

By Stephanie Kelly, Kanishka Singh & Mekhla Raina
China supporters rallying outside Australia's Parliament House during the Beijing 2008 Olympic torch relay in Canberra on April 24, 2008. (Torsten Blackwood/AFP/Getty Images)

Foreign Interference in Australia Still at Unprecedented Level

Australias spy chief says the threat posed by foreign interference remains at an unprecedented level.

The comments came ahead of an episode of ABCs Four Corners highlighting the extent of Chinese-backed political activity in Australia.

Duncan Lewis, the director general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, expressed the sentiment when asked about such interference at a budget estimates hearing in Canberra.

I have made very plain to this committee on previous occasions that the threat from foreign interference and foreign espionage in Australia was running at, what I described then and I describe again, as an unprecedented level, he said on April 8.

Lewis said he does not respond to media shows or reports and does not single out countries that may pose foreign interference risks.

We have a challenge here with foreign interference in Australia, he told senators.

It comes, as I have said on a number of occasions, from a wide range of sources. I have not been country-specific and I will not be country-specific.

But Four Corners has laid bare examples of the Chinese government and its connections attempting to influence Australian political activities.

They include Chinese government officials questioning two Australian citizens about their connections to former China advisor to Malcolm Turnbull, John Garnaut, who worked with ASIO in 2016 on a confidential investigation into Beijings influence campaign in Australia.

One of the people questioned was now-detained writer Yang Hengjun, who Garnaut says was intercepted by Chinese officials in Sydney in 2018.

He was later detained in January by Chinese officials on suspicion of endangering Chinas national security after flying from the United States to Guangzhou. His family has not been able to see him since.

The Four Corners report says the Chinese consulate also pressed Sydneys Georges River Council not to allow an independent Chinese newspaper, the Vision Times, to support a Chinese New Year event.

Related Coverage Newspaper Critical of Chinese Regime Faces Discrimination in Australia After Pressure From Chinese Officials

And it has pointed to figures allegedly linked to the Chinese government who have been prominent political donors and fundraisers, such as Melbourne millionaire Tommy Jiang and billionaire property developed Huang Xiangmo.

In January 2015, the ABC says Huangs family was allowed to have a private citizenship ceremony inside former Labor Senator Sam Dastyaris office after then-Immigration Minister Peter Duttons approved a request from Dastyari.

Huang also had lunch with Dutton in 2016 after a meeting set up by former Howard government minister, turned lobbyist, Santo Santoro.

Dutton has confirmed the lunch but denied providing any assistance to Huang, who Duttons department last year banned from re-entering Australia on ASIO advice he posed a threat of foreign interference.

Related Coverage Foreign Political Donations Will Be Illegal in Australia From 2019

Legislation banning foreign donations cleared federal parliament in November.
Former Democrat Says Run, Dont Just #WalkAway, From Democratic Party

SACRAMENTO, Calif.While many self-proclaimed left-wing, socialist candidates have joined the race to be the Democratic Partys nominee in the 2020 presidential election, a former party member who walked away from the Democrats in 2015 says this year, hes running away from the party.

Will Johnson, an African-American radio host, shared his #WalkAway story and the reasons behind it in an interview with The Epoch Times.

Last year, Johnson attended the 2018 #WalkAway march in Washington, where he gave a speech about his reasons for leaving the Democratic Party.

During the Oct. 27, 2018, march, Johnson said to the crowd: I went to the White House yesterday with President Trump. What a wonderful thing! There [were] between 300 and 400 black conservatives there, and Ive never seen so many Trump hatsMAGA hatsin one place before. It was so awesome, and the media doesnt want to tell anybody, because they dont want you to know what is happening across this nation.

He said that people on the left continue to attack those who dont think or believe the same leftist ideologies, and the media believes that Americans will believe any story told in the news.

But the American people are waking up, said Johnson.

Before moving to California, Johnson lived in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Germany. Although he said he has always believed in God, he used to consider himself a Democrat, despite not supporting every Democratic policy or ideology.

In Arkansas, I would consider myself a Democrat, so I was like, I support the Democrats, but I dont support this about them and that about them. And I was trying to make up reasons why I shouldnt support the Republicans. I would make up reasons. They were really stupid reasons, now that I think about it, said Johnson.

He said that one belief he used to have was that Republicans are against abortion for the sake of having more children be born, to then be sent off to war.

Looking back on his past beliefs, Johnson said, I was trying to justify reasons not to like the Republican Party, which was completely crazy.

Different Perspective

Having been exposed to different cultures and lived in three different states as well as overseas, Johnson said: I think that might play a part into the way I see the world and the way I see things. I think that has a big part, because the rest of the world is not like [what] a lot of people here in America think.

After he got married, he and his wife moved from Arkansas to California, where he started to realize he no longer wanted to be a Democrat.

Johnson was still a Democrat when President Barack Obama took office, and he voted for Obama twice, he said.

I think the thing that really turned me around was [when Obama] came out and [started] celebrating the whole homosexual community thing. People were getting married in the courthouse, and he was getting their phone numbers and calling them before they can even step foot off the steps of the courthouse, congratulating them, he said.

Then he painted [with colored lights] the White House with the rainbow colors in celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. And me being a Christian, it really tugged on me, he said.

While Johnson says that he has never been vocally or physically negative against people of the LGBTQ+ community, he says he felt that covering the White House, a federal building, in those colored lights was directly disrespectful to God.

I just believe that I dont have to agree with it, like they dont have to agree with my lifestyle, he said.

Over time, he began to understand the Democrats view on God and religion, and how that agenda goes against the values of God.

And then I started doing research on how the Democratic Party is the Party of the KKK. And, at first, I was torn with it, because here I am; all my life I was told to support the Democrats because the Democrats are black people, minorities, brown people, Johnson said. But its not true. [Democrats] have this perception that they want people to believe that they are [for the people], but theyre not.

Johnson said he continued to research the Jim Crow laws, U.S. history, policies, and more, and realized that the Jim Crow laws and the KKK were originally formed by the Democratic Party of the time.

Its just unbelievable; all this information is here, and the Democrats have changed what history is. Then, it dawned on methats part of the reason why theyre trying to take down these statues. Because these statues represent that time of slavery and the Civil War, the majority of these statues, if not all of them, [are] Democrat statues, he said.

Statues depicting pieces of U.S. history, such as the Early Days statue that used to stand in the United Nations plaza across the street from San Francisco City Hall, have been slowly removed from public spaces across the nation.

Me personally, as a black person, I say we should leave them there to remind us of the history, so that way, we dont repeat it. And I truly believe the Democrats have an agenda to change what history really was so that we will just repeat it again, said Johnson.

He believes the agenda is now to attack white people, attempting to portray white people as rich elites, to encourage society to attack and go against them.

Other things Johnson couldnt support about the Democratic Party included their prison system policies and their attempted vote to remove mentions of God in oaths.

About President Donald Trump, Johnson says that Trump talks like us.

He makes a mistake, and hes like, Okay, I made a mistake, move on, Johnson said.

After Trump took office, Johnson started the Vote Dem Out campaign, encouraging conservatives to unite and vote.
Size comparison of an AquAdvantage salmon (background) vs. a non-transgenic Atlantic salmon sibling of the same age (12 months). Canada was the only country where GM salmon could be sold until last month, when the U.S. government reversed an import ban.(AquaBounty Technologies)

Genetically Modified Fish to Hit Store Shelves in US End of Next Year

VANCOUVER, CanadaAs the United States joins Canada to become the only two countries in the world to sell genetically modified salmon, GM opponents warn that not only does the fish pose environmental risks, but it wont be labeled, so consumers wont even know if they are buying it.

In March, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration lifted an alert that prevented AquaBounty Technologies from importing GM salmon eggs from a test site in Canada to its facility in Albany, Indiana, where the fish will be modified to grow around twice as fast as regular Atlantic salmon.

In Canada, a pilot sale of nearly five metric tons of the AquAdvantage salmon began in 2017, and in early April, a new facility in Prince Edward Island was approved by Environment Canada to expand production. The first commercial harvest from each countrys land-based facility is expected by the end of next year, with the P.E.I. facility harvesting an estimated 250 metric tons (550,000 pounds) annually, according to the company.

But even though AquaBounty has surmounted more than two decades of safety tests and regulatory hurdles to get approval in both countries, opposition remains strong from GM opponents on both sides of the border. The Massachusetts-based company is currently facing a lawsuit launched by a coalition of U.S.-based environmental and fishing groups challenging the FDAs approval.

This is the worlds first genetically modified animal approved for human consumptionits a big deal, said Megan Westgate, executive director at Non-GMO Project in Bellingham, Washington. In addition to a lot of public outcry to this, there is literally zero benefit for a shopper to choose this product.

Westgate said nearly 2 million Americans left comments on the FDA website saying they dont approve of the GM salmon, citing transparency issues such as the lack of clear labeling as a key issue.

AquAdvantage salmon contain genetic material from Chinook salmon and ocean pout that make it grow to adult size in 16 months, compared to 30 months for regular Atlantic salmon. AquaBounty says the salmon will help meet demand for protein while easing the burden on overfished wild stocks, and will also reduce costs because they grow faster and require less food.

AquAdvantage was first approved in 2015 by the FDA but was blocked from entering the United States later that year by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) until federal labeling rules were put in place. After Congress passed a bill in December 2018 to include disclosure standards for biotechnology companies, the import ban was removed.

But Westgate said those rules wont take effect until 2022, meaning Americans wont know if they are buying the first harvests of GM salmon, and once the disclosure rules are in place, the new regulation doesnt require clear labeling; companies like AquaBounty can use codes that have to be scanned or a 1-800 number.

If the only way to sell this product to the public is to hide from them the fact that its been genetically engineered, then I think it demonstrates that there is a significant portion of the public that wishes to avoid consuming it, she said.

However, AquaBounty CEO Sylvia Wulf said the U.S. disclosure law will require a small symbol on any food with a GM ingredient on its package, including the companys salmon. She said consumers should know the salmon has undergone 20 years of testing to establish it is safe for human consumption, the welfare of the fish, and the environment.

I dont know if consumers understand that weve been eating GMOs for 80 years and that they are perfectly safe for humans, as is our fish, she told Brownfield Ag News.

Surveys Show Demand for Labeling

Since 2014, activists north of the border have demanded that the salmon be labeled, but that hasnt happened, as labeling of genetically engineered products isnt mandatory in Canada.

It is the worlds first genetically modified food animal, said Lucy Sharratt, coordinator at the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network. Canadians are eating it, but many of them may not know that its happening at all and no one has a choice or information to act on in the grocery store.

Sharratt said surveys have consistently shown a demand for labeling, including a 2018 Dalhousie University poll that found 88.6 percent of respondents said genetically engineered food and ingredients should be labeled.

She noted that almost all the major grocery retailers in Canada have rejected the sale of the salmon, while in the United States, 80 major grocery stores also refuse to sell it.

Another key issue for opposition groups is the risk that the genetically engineered salmon could escape and negatively impact wild stocks, and how there has been almost no safety assessment done by either country in the event of an escape.

But AquaBounty spokesman David Conley said given the extensive safeguards in place, thats unlikely to happen.

We take containment and bio-security very seriously, he wrote in an email. Given the multiple and redundant physical barriers to escape incorporated into the facility design, both Environment Canada and FDA have indicated a low risk of escape.

Conley added that the company is currently developing new gene-editing technology in order to ensure 100 percent that the female species are sterile.

Another concern for GM opponents is that approval for sale of the salmon in the United States and Canada means a precedent is set for the expansion of genetically engineered animals for food, and there is no guarantee that other locations will maintain the same standards.

Sharratt said AquaBounty has plans to not only expand its AquAdvantage harvesting facilities in the United States, but is also eyeing international locations such as China and Brazil.

Despite assurances that genetically engineered foods are safe for human consumption, consumers remain cautious. As for AquaBountys GM fish in particular, the FDA said by email that a rigorous evaluation shows the salmon is safe to consume.

The FDA determined after a thorough review of the data that food from AquAdvantage salmon is as safe to eat and as nutritious as food from non-GE Atlantic salmon, a spokesperson said.

Sharratt and Westgate note, however, that the studies used in both countries to evaluate the safety of the salmon were carried out by the industry and are therefore inadequate.

Correction: The article has been updated to indicate that AquaBounty is currently developing gene-editing technology in order to ensure that the female species of its genetically modified salmon are sterile. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
Helsingin Sanomat unveiled the results of its latest poll this morning, revealing that fewer than 20 per cent of voters are planning on casting their vote for the poll-topping Social Democrats.

FINLAND IS HEADED towards parliamentary elections that could be historic in that not a single party could emerge from them with an over 20 per cent-share of the vote, indicate new opinion polls by Alma Media and Helsingin Sanomat.

The poll showed that popular support for the opposition party has dropped by 1.5 percentage points to 19.5 per cent. The Social Democrats has an advantage of 2.0 percentage points over the National Coalition, which saw its popularity drop by 0.6 percentage points to 17.5 per cent between March and April.

The biggest gains in both of the polls were made by the Finns Party. Helsingin Sanomat on Tuesday reported that popular support for the right-wing opposition party has surged by 3.9 percentage points to 15.0 per cent, allowing the party to overtake both the Centre Party (14.4%) and the Green League (12%).

Conducted over a five-day period in early April by Kantar TNS, the poll is believed to reflect well the current mood of voters in Finland.

Sakari Nurmela, a research director at Kantar TNS, reminded Helsingin Sanomat that a number of variables, such as the ability of parties to convert their popularity into votes, could yet have an impact on the election results. He estimated that roughly a third of voters could still shift their support from one party to another despite the proximity of the elections.

He also pointed out that people who abstained from voting in the previous municipal elections made up roughly a fifth of the respondents who voiced their support for the Finns Party.

Today is the last day of advance voting ahead of the parliamentary elections held in Finland on Sunday, 14 April. Over a quarter (28.3%) of voters had cast their vote in advance by yesterday evening. The share stood at 24.8 per cent after the second to last day of advance voting ahead of the parliamentary elections in 2015, according to YLE.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Source: Uusi Suomi
A firefighter in the East Village in New York City, on March 26, 2015. (Samira Bouaou/Epoch Times)

Growing Public Pension Crisis an Existential Financial Threat

WASHINGTONUnfunded liabilities of nearly $6 trillion in state pension plans pose a significant risk to public workers, retirees, and taxpayers across the United States, according to a new study.

Almost every state struggles with massive unfunded pension obligations due to the risky and uncaring attitudes of lawmakers, according to a report released March 20 by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a conservative public-policy organization.

State pensions in the United States are funded at an average of 35 percent of what they should be, according to the report. And that means an average of $18,300 in unfunded pension obligations for every resident in the country.

Pension liabilities are really the existential financial threat facing state and local governments today, said Jonathan Williams, ALEC chief economist and vice president.

This is a huge crowding-out area for states, in that pension obligations will threaten future core government areas of spending such as healthcare, transportation, and education. And they also threaten future tax increases.

The report examined nearly 300 state-administrated pensions plans, detailing assets and liabilities during a five-year period. It found that between 2007 and 2017, the average investment rate of return of state pension plans was 6.9 percent, whereas the average discount rate for the same period was 7.7 percent. The one percentage point difference produces a massive increase in projected liabilities, according to the report, and overestimating investment returns is the main source of chronic pension underfunding.

According to Williams, states are way out of line because they are estimating high rates of return annually over the next 1020 years, which are unsustainable. Whereas, defined benefit plans in the private sector are assuming 4.5 percent.

When states use high expected rates of return, they can lower their unfunded liabilities on paper. This helps them reduce the amount of current budget appropriations that they need to put toward the pension payments, Williams explained.

The report found that when a proper, risk-free discount rate is used, unfunded liabilities amount to more than $5.96 trillion.

Alaska, Connecticut, and California have the worst-funded pension systems in the country, stated the report, with liabilities per capita of $46,774, $32,805, and $29,137, respectively. And the best-funded states are Tennessee, Indiana, and Nebraska, with per capita liabilities of $8,466, $8,690, and $9,043, respectively.

In recent years, states like Michigan, Oklahoma, and Utah have implemented comprehensive pension reforms to tackle the problem of unfunded pension liabilities.

Utah, for example, moved toward a defined contribution private sector model several years ago and has seen massive savings for the taxpayers, according to Williams.

Potential Future Tax Burdens

The states have chronically underfunded pension plans, which have caused a liability crisis. State workers and retirees are not the only people exposed to this problem. Taxpayers ultimately provide the wages for public sector employees and the financial resources to cover promised benefits of the pension plans.

Hence, the shortage in funding will ultimately lead to massive tax increases in many states. Some states have already started seeing higher taxes.

Illinois, for example, passed massive tax increases several years ago alleging that they were going to pay down state debt, Williams said, but theyve failed to tap any of their pension issues. They are still stuck with the higher taxes and the state pension liabilities are still massive, he noted.

Newly elected Gov. J.B. Pritzker is now proposing to enact a millionaires tax to make up the difference. Taxpayers earning more than $1 million in the state would face a 7.95 percent tax rate, according to the proposed plan.

And the worst-funded states, such as New Jersey and California, have been probably the most aggressive at raising taxes in the last decade, said Williams.

According to the report, states must find a way to set their priorities and commit to fixing this mounting problem. One easy way is to empower new employees and move toward the fully funded 401k model applied for the vast majority of private sector workers.

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett has repeatedly warned about the danger of the state pension systems, calling them a gigantic financial tapeworm.

During the next decade, you will read a lot of newsbad newsabout public pension plans, he wrote in 2013 in his letter to shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

In a recent interview with CNBC, Buffett voiced his concern again, saying that states would eventually go after corporations and individuals to raise money.

If I were relocating into some state that had a huge unfunded pension plan, Im walking into liabilities. I mean, who knows whether theyre going to get it from the corporate income tax or my employeesyou know, with personal income taxes, he said.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at Barnard College, in New York City on January 7, 2019. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Clinton Contractor Described Cover-up Operation Work Ticket in Newly Uncovered Email

A newly obtained internal message from the Denver-based Platte River Networks firm that serviced the personal email system used by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for official diplomatic business referenced a Hillary cover-up operation work ticket archive cleanup, the nonprofit government watchdog Judicial Watch said on April 8.

The email with the cover-up reference is contained in FBI notes on a February 2016 interview of an unidentified Platte River Networks official.

Judicial Watch obtained the notes as part of more than 400 previously unreleased FBI documents a federal district court order turned over to the nonprofit as a result of its Freedom of Information Act suit.

In the Dec. 11, 2014, email, an unidentified Platte River Network official told another that Im kind of freaking about Gresham. Thoughts on what to do with [name redacted].

The official responded: Its all part of the Hillary coverup operation. Ill have to tell you about it at the party. A smiling emoji was inserted by the responder between the two sentences.

The Gresham reference appears to be to the Chicago-based Gresham Partners LLC. Its not clear what, if any, connection there is between that firm, which describes itself as an independent investment and wealth management firm that has been serving select families, family offices and endowments since 1997, and the Hillary cover-up operation.

In another of the newly released documents, an unidentified individual working with an inspector from the Office of the Intelligence Community Inspector General told a Department of State official in a June 27, 2015, email that I have personally reviewed hundreds of documents in the HRC collection. I can now say, without reservation, that there are literally hundreds of classified emails in this collection; maybe more.

It is not known from the documents how many emails were contained in the reviewed collection in which the classified emails were found by the unidentified individual.

Clinton has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing with the private email system, which included a server located in a bathroom in the New York mansion she shares with former President Bill Clinton.

A year after leaving office, she turned over to the State Department an estimated 30,000 emails that her attorney David Kendall and members of her State Department staff claimed dealt with official business.

She claimed another 32,000 emails were personal and were destroyed using a product known as BleachBit, with no prior independent government review.

Former FBI Director James Comey, in a controversial, nationally televised statement, recommended against prosecuting Clinton in July 2016, but that didnt prevent crowds of supporters of then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump from chanting, Lock her up, lock her up, during rallies before and after his election victory.

The Epoch Times reported Feb. 25, 2019, that the Justice Department told Comey that Clinton must have intended to compromise classified documents. The law requires only a showing of gross negligence.

Judicial Watch said in an April 8 news release that the new documents it obtained include several that show Platte River Networks use of BleachBit on the Clinton server. The BleachBit program was downloaded from a vendor called SourceForge at 11:42 a.m. on March 31, 2015, according to a computer event log, and over the next half hour, was used to delete the files on Hillarys server.

If any of the destroyed emails concerned official U.S. diplomatic business or any other aspect of Clintons actions as secretary of state, each of them would represent a potential violation of federal laws and regulations concerning the preservation of official documents.

Bryan Pagliano, a Clinton political appointee, had responsibility for maintaining the private Clinton email system and was paid more than $40,000 by the private Clinton Executive Service Corporation, according to the documents obtained by Judicial Watch.

Pagliano was also found in the newly released documents telling a senior Clinton aide on multiple occasions that he had to deal with a host of problems with the email system, including virus investigation and cleanup; clean up virus from bb [BlackBerry] profile; and multiple brute force attacks against Hillary Clintons server, requiring him to reset password.

Critics have long claimed that Clintons private email system was vulnerable to being compromised by foreign governments, especially those of Russia and China, which operate extremely large and sophisticated digital hacking operations that target the U.S. government agencies and officials, prominent individuals in the political campaign world, and big corporations.

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton told The Epoch Times on April 8 that he wonders how many smoking guns is it going to take before a credible and comprehensive investigation is completed.

When is the Justice Department going to get its act together and seriously evaluate the evidence against Hillary Clinton? Fitton asked. The evidence is sitting there, the question is whether the Justice Department is ever going to act.
Pro-democracy supporters hold yellow umbrella to support leaders of Occupy Central activists, outside the court, in Hong Kong, China on April 9, 2019. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Occupy Activists Defiant After Guilty Verdicts

HONG KONGA Hong Kong court on April 9 found nine leaders of the 2014 pro-democracy Occupy movement guilty of public nuisance during the mass protests, in a landmark verdict as freedoms in the city ruled by mainland China come under strain.

Scores of supporters applauded the defendants, who included a law professor, two legislators and former student activists, after a trial that critics said highlighted the decline of political freedoms in the former British colony.

Law professor Benny Tai, 54, retired sociologist Chan Kin-man, 60, and retired pastor Chu Yiu-ming, 75, were found guilty of conspiracy to commit public nuisance over their leading role in planning and mobilizing supporters during the 79-day protest.

The trio had pleaded not guilty to all charges, which carry a maximum jail term of seven years each. The judge did not immediately hand down sentences, and the defendants have not said if they planned to appeal.

I am determined to fight for Hong Kong with one last effort, and to walk with Hong Kong people one step further, Chu said in a passionate final speech in court, despite being in poor health.

We have no regrets  we have not given up, he said, moving some witnesses to tears, and spurring sustained applause from supporters.

Outside the court, some punched their fists in the air and shouted, We want universal suffrage. Others sobbed as supporters called them fearless and invincible.

The concept of civil disobedience is recognized in Hong Kong, Justice Johnny Chan said in a summary of his judgment, but it was not a defense against a criminal charge.

The offense of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance does not have the undesirable effect of curtailing or suppressing civil disobedience at its formation stage or suppressing human rights as the defendants contended, it read.

Since the city returned to Chinese rule in 1997, critics say Beijing has reneged on its commitment to maintain Hong Kongs high degree of autonomy and freedoms under a co-called one country, two systems arrangement.

Divisive

Chris Patten, Hong Kongs last colonial governor, called the verdict appallingly divisive, and a vengeful pursuit of past political events.

In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular news briefing that the central government supported the move to punish, according to law, the main  plotters of the illegal Occupy (movement).

In the nearly five years since the Occupy protests, democracy activists, diplomats, and business leaders have expressed grave concern over what they call Beijings tightening grip on the citys freedoms.

Pro-democracy lawmakers have been kicked out of the legislature, a pro-independence party banned, and democracy advocates jailed and barred from contesting local elections.

The six other defendants were pro-democracy legislators Tanya Chan and Shiu Ka-chun, two former student leaders Eason Chung and Tommy Cheung, activist Raphael Wong, and veteran democrat Lee Wing-tat.

They were each found guilty of at least one public nuisance charge.

All nine were accused of inciting and mobilizing protesters during the demonstrations that sought to pressure Beijing to allow full democracy.

Hundreds of thousands of people blocked major roads in several parts of the global financial hub for 79 straight days in late 2014, in one of the boldest populist challenges against Beijing in decades.

The demonstrators were finally cleared away by police, having won no concessions.

Tai, Chan and Chu were the main conspirators who planned the protests a year in advance, said David Leung, the director of public prosecutions, adding that they caused unreasonable public disruptions.

About 87 percent of roughly 1,200 protesters polled during the demonstrations said they had participated to protect Hong Kongs liberty, a public opinion poll by the Chinese University of Hong Kong cited in court showed.

But in his 268-page judgment, Chan said, It is naive to suggest that a concession to introduce the form of universal suffrage  could be made by the government overnight with a click of the fingers.

By James Pomfret and Jessie Pang
Hunter Who Killed 5,000 Elephants Totally Unrepentant

An African hunter who killed over 5,000 elephants says he is totally unrepentant after being singled out in report by an anti-trophy hunting group.

Ron Thomson worked in Africas national parks for six decades, and says that despite declining elephant numbers as a whole, managing populations within the limited space of parks is sometimes necessary.

Thomson was named in a report by the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting, which notes that elephant population has declined from 1.3 million to around 400,000 in the last four decades.

Thomson, who says on his website that he has shot 800 buffaloes, 60 lions, and about 50 hippos, told the Independent that he no longer hunts.

Ive done enough in my lifetime to satisfy any bloodlust people may think I have. It wasnt bloodlustit was my job, he said.

Im totally unrepentant, a hundredten thousandtimes over for any of the hunting Ive done because thats not the problem. The problem is weve got a bunch of so-called experts from the West telling us what to do. Im a trained university ecologistI must surely know something about this.

Some animal rights campaigners say that the management culling espoused by people like Thomson is a cover for trophy hunting.

Ive done enough in my lifetime to satisfy any bloodlust people may think I have. It wasnt bloodlust  it was my job Posted by The Independent on Monday, April 8, 2019

Eduardo Goncalves, founder of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting, said, The trophy hunting industry is slaughtering elephants left, right and center. Killing elephants for fun is unacceptable, even more so because of the serious threat to its survival.

Trophy hunting is a cruel and abhorrent hangover from colonial times. The recent surge in elephant hunting shows the industry is out of control. It threatens to push endangered species to the point of no return.

The Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting is currently petitioning the UK government to close loopholes that exempt trophy hunters from laws to protect endangered animals.

The Trump administration prohibits imports of trophies from endangered animals such as cheetahs. Our government allows in body parts of cheetahs as well as those of lions, leopards, hippos, bears, and zebras, Goncalves said.

According to Discover Wildlife, the United States legally imports 126,000 animal trophies every year, and the EU some 11,000-12,000.

Thomson set up a conservation group in 2016, The Green Alliance, that rejects the animal rights doctrine. He says the doctrine runs counter to any sustainable wildlife management and conservation approach, and has to integrate the needs of the people and the wildlife.

Countries take different approaches to legal trophy hunting. In Kenya, all trophy hunting has been banned since 1977, whereas South Africa allows trophy hunting of the Big Five species: the lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo.

Thomson says that debates over management of animal populations are muddied by emotion, lack of expertise, and large amounts of money from the lobbying groups.

When the government of Botswanahome to some 130,000 elephants, proposed lifting the ban on elephant hunting in February, many conservation groups were highly critical.

But according to Thomson, the elephant population has been destroying its own environment and that of other animals.

For example, he says, in allowing the elephants to wreck their habitat, much of the elephants feeding grounds have been destroyed. That means daily long walks between the the waterhole and the feeding grounds. Once that distance goes beyond 15 miles, the mothers can no longer lactate, resulting in growing numbers of baby elephants seen abandoned and dying.

As the elephants push back the feeding areas further from the watering hole, many other species can no longer sustain their existence. In 2013, the Botswana government admitted that all other game species that shared the demolished habitats with the elephants were in free-fall decline by, on average, 60 percent, wrote Thomson in a blog.
Pablo Serrano-Vitorino, a Mexican national accused of killing four people in Kansas and one in Missouri in 2016 is dead after being found unresponsive in his St. Louis jail cell. (Montgomery County Jail via AP, File)

Illegal Alien Accused of Killing 5 Found Dead in Jail Cell: Sheriff

An illegal alien who had led police on a manhunt after allegedly killing five people was found dead in his jail cell in St. Louis, Missouri, police said.

Pablo Serrano-Vitorino, 43, was found in his cell, alone, and non-responsive at around 2 a.m. on April 9, officials at the St. Louis Justice Center said.

He was subsequently taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead at around 3 a.m., authorities said in a statement. Officials did not provide details on how the 43-year-old died.

Serrano-Vitorino, who was in the United States illegally, was charged with five counts of first-degree murder when he allegedly went on a shooting spree in March 2016.

It began in Kansas City, Kansas, where he gunned down his neighbor Mike Capps, 41, and three other menbrothers Austin Harter, 29, and Clint Harter, 27, as well as Jake Waters 36at Capps home.

Serrano-Vitorino then fled the scene before police arrived in his pickup truck and drove to Missouri, where he allegedly killed Randy Nordman, 49. He was eventually captured after police found him hiding face-down in a ditch a few miles away from Nordmans home. He was armed with a rifle at the time.

The 43-year-old was being held in St. Louis awaiting for trial in Nordmans killing at the time of his death, which was scheduled for October. Missouri prosecutors said they were seeking the death penalty.

Serrano-Vitorino attempted to kill himself after he was placed in among the general prison population at the Montgomery County Jail, reported Fox 4.

Lawsuit

The killings prompted a lawsuit launched by relatives of two of his Kansas victims. It claimed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials had negligently allowed Serrano-Vitorino, a Mexican national, to remain in the country illegally on two occasions, reported The Kansas City Star.

According to the suit, Serrano-Vitorino re-entered the country illegally before fatally shooting four men. Posted by The Kansas City Star on Monday, July 10, 2017

He was deported back to Mexico after he was convicted of a felony in 2003 but he illegally re-entered the United States, where he was arrested in 2014 and 2015 for other offenses.

In 2014, Serrano-Vitorino was arrested for battery but was released after ICE did not send an agent to the jail despite being informed.

Then in 2015, Serrano-Vitorino was fingerprinted in Kansas for traffic offenses. ICE agents had asked the jail to hold him in custody but the paperwork was sent to a different Kansas jail, according to the lawsuit. He was subsequently released from custody.

Clint and Randys deaths are the direct and proximate result of the failure of ICE officials, officers and/or agents to carry out their required duties, which failure provided the means for a convicted felon who was illegally in the country, but in custody, to be released and kill Clint and Randy and three other victims, the lawsuit said, reported the newspaper in 2018.

An ICE spokesman said at the time that the agency doesnt comment on pending cases, and noted that lack of comment should not be construed as agreement with or stipulation to any of the allegations, reported Fox News.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Police move in on animal rights protesters who had blocked the intersections of Flinders and Swanston Street, in Melbourne, Australia, on April 8, 2019. (Ellen Smith /AAP Image/Reuters)

Lettuce Has a Heartbeat: Farmers Rant Over Vegan Protest Steals Viral Limelight

Vegan protesters are facing up to five years jail time and a public backlash, after they brought rush-hour traffic to a standstill and chained themselves to abattoirs across Australia in carefully orchestrated protests that caught plenty of media attention.

But it was an off-the-cuff Facebook rant by a grazier that caught the viral limelight, as he slammed the protesters as bananas and described a telephone conversation with a protester who told him lettuce has a heartbeat.

Within a day Brendan Farrells two-minute video (below) had been viewed over 500,000 timesin a country with a population of only 25 millionwith the comments overwhelmingly in support.

Vegans are going bananas, said Farrell. Blockades left, right, and center. Flinders Street Station is in chaos. Abattoirs chained up, people locking themselves up here, there, and everywhere.

I am just gobsmacked with some of the [expletive] thats coming out these peoples mouths on what they are trying to achieve.

In addition to his livelihood in grazing, Farrell runs a charity that trucks out hay to drought-stricken farmers.

He described how he had picked up the phone to a protester. I answer every call because thats what I do 

[She said] she didnt like the last post I done on Facebook.  because lettuces have got a heartbeat , he says in the video. He pauses for several seconds. Lettuce. Has. A. Heartbeat.

Interesting update  Posted by Burrumbuttock Hay Runners on Sunday, April 7, 2019

I dont know what else I can say about that. Some people have just got no bloody idea. None.

Farrell then talks about how there is one steer on his farm thats going to be delicious at Christmas time.

His viral video came the day after over 100 activists had blocked a major intersection in Melbourne outside Flinders Street Station, on April 8, before they were forcibly removed.

Thirty-eight were arrested. The protesters had demanded the community stop eating meat and animal-derived products, chanting for animal liberation.

Other protests, including people chaining themselves to machinery in abattoirs, took place in Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland.

The State Government has announced on-the-spot fines and stricter punishments for animal rights activists who trespass on farms. Report on 7NEWS at 6pm. #qldpol #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/kAYKlDUEqB  7NEWS Toowoomba (@7NewsToowoomba) April 7, 2019

We want people to go veganwe want people to stop supporting animal abuse, one campaigner, Kristin Leigh, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Animals are suffering in ways that most of us could never imagine. It is not about bigger cagesit is about animal liberation.

The protests also marked the first anniversary of the released about a film about factory farming, which the protesters said that media had ignored.

Animal rights activists have brought Melbournes CBD to a standstill  shutting down a city intersection for hours during the morning peak. @_stephanderson #9News pic.twitter.com/nHJo6R0E7U  Nine News Queensland (@9NewsQueensland) April 8, 2019

The documentary used drones and undercover footage to show how some animals are treated in the production of meat, dairy, eggs, and leather.

The industry is telling people these animals are being killed ethically, that they are being killed humanely, the director Chris Delforce told Australian Associated Press, according to Reuters. Its the furthest thing from humane.

In response to the unrest, Victoria police superintendent David Clayton said, We respect the right for people to protest peacefully, but we will not tolerate anti-social behavior that disrupts the broader community.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called the activists shameful and un-Australian, and called on state authorities to bring the full force of the law  against these green-collared criminals.

This is just another form of activism that I think runs against the national interest, and the national interest is [farmers] being able to farm their own land, he told radio station 2GB.

Australias livestock industry makes up more than 40 percent of its agricultural output.

In a previous Facebook post Farrell said that the activists were going about it all wrong by potentially wrecking the livelihoods of the struggling farmers, who he said already care for their animals welfare.

Farmers are very, very smart when it comes to animals health, he said.

These activists  they need to go a different way about it. All [the protesters] see is just death, death, and more death.

How about you go to an outback station and help people feed their cattle? I know cattle-men who go out and pet and talk to them  sometimes for hours.
Lori Loughlin arrives at the 5th annual People Magazine "Ones To Watch" party in Los Angeles, on Oct. 4, 2017. (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

Lori Loughlin, Husband Could Face 40 Years in Prison After New Charges

Having been charged with additional crimes on April 9, Full House actress Lori Loughlin could face as many as 40 years in prison.

Loughin, fashion designer husband Mossimo Giannulli, and 14 other parents now face as many as 20 years for each new charge. Namely, they were charged with conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering, said the U.S. Attorneys Office in Massachusetts.

The charge of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and honest services mail and wire fraud provides for a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater, said the office in a news release on April 9.

For conspiracy to commit money laundering, offenders face a maximum sentence of 20 years, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $500,000, according to the news release.

Loughlin and Giannulli are accused of paying $500,000 to secure the admission of their two daughters, Olivia Jade and Isabella, into the University of Southern California by saying that they were members of the rowing team when they werent.

The other celebrity charged in the scandal, Desperate Housewives actress Felicity Huffman, will enter a guilty plea. She released an apology statement on April 8.

I am pleading guilty to the charge brought against me by the United States Attorneys Office. I am in full acceptance of my guilt, and with deep regret and shame over what I have done, I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions, Huffman said, reported CNN.

Huffman is accused of paying $15,000 to correct her daughters SAT scores so she could get into college.

I am ashamed of the pain I have caused my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues and the educational community. I want to apologize to them and, especially, I want to apologize to the students who work hard every day to get into college, and to their parents who make tremendous sacrifices to support their children and do so honestly, she continued.

The Los Angeles Times, citing a defense attorney and former federal prosecutor, reported that Huffman could get between 4 and 10 months in prison for her plea. She doesnt have a criminal history, and the amount she paid was relatively small, the lawyer noted.

Another former prosecutor told the newspaper that parents have few options because they were recorded discussing payments and cheating.

These cases arent about defense, they are about mitigation, said Neama Rahmani, who is a former assistant U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, reported the LA Times.

If a defendant stays in, they are getting bad advice from their lawyers. These are bulletproof cases. As an attorney, it is about finding the best way to reach a plea with the government with a reduced sentence, he added.
Motel 6 to Pay $12 Million for Sharing Guest Info With ICE

The Motel 6 hotel chain agreed to pay a $12 million settlement on April 4 for routinely cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

Washington state sued the hotel chain for complying with requests from ICE to share guest lists, according to Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson.

The $12 million will go to some 80,000 people who stayed at seven Motel 6 locations in Washington from 2015 to 2017. In a statement, Ferguson encouraged those who stayed at the hotels to reach out to his office for compensation. The attorney general promised not to share the information about those who reach out to the federal government.

Ferguson said guests rights were violated because the hotel gave their personal information to ICE without their knowledge. The information led to the successful detention and deportation of several illegal aliens.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee declared the entire state a sanctuary for illegal aliens in February 2018. Inslee prohibited any state officials from detaining illegal aliens at the request of federal immigration enforcement authorities. Inslees order didnt extend to private companies.

A provision in the Motel 6 settlement will have a national impact. The chain agreed to not share guest information with ICE nationwide unless served with a warrant or other legal order, Ferguson said.

Motel 6 also agreed to provide training to all of its employees about disclosing information to federal authorities. The states attorney general will monitor the company for three years to ensure compliance.

Motel 6 said in a statement it was pleased to settle, and the safety and security of our guests, which includes protecting guest information, is our top priority.

We are pleased to be able to reach a resolution in this matter, a company representative told ABC News. As part of the agreement, Motel 6 will continue to enforce its guest privacy policy, which prohibits the sharing of guest information, except in cases where a judicially enforceable warrant or subpoena is present, or local law requires this information.

Ferguson filed a lawsuit in January 2018 accusing Motel 6 of violating the Consumer Protection Act and the Washington Law Against Discrimination.

The settlement came five months after Motel 6 agreed to a $7.6 million settlement of similar claims in a proposed class-action lawsuit in Arizona. That accord has yet to receive court approval, court records show.

Motel 6 has 1,400 locations in the United States.

President Donald Trump has made immigration a central focus of his presidency, but his efforts have met immense resistance from Democrats on the federal, state, and local levels. Both Ferguson and Inslee are Democrats.

While much of the focus has been on the southwest border with Mexico, ICE works in the interior of the United States to detain and deport illegal aliens.

Approximately 20 million illegal aliens currently reside in the United States, though some estimates set the number far higher. One million illegal aliens have final deportation orders, but are still in the country.

Trump started reshuffling the leadership of his immigration enforcement agencies, replacing his nominee for the head of ICE, Ron Vitiello, and announcing that Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen is stepping down.

Rons a good man. But were going in a tougher direction. We want to go in a tougher direction, Trump said April 5.

Nielsen is leaving amid what she recently called a near complete system meltdown in the border security system.

At the current pace, we are on track to encounter close to 1 million illegal aliens at our southern border this year, Nielsen told the House Homeland Security Committee on March 6.

Charlotte Cuthbertson contributed to this report.
Mousketeer actors body found at his Oregon home

The human remains of one of the original Mouseketeers, Dennis Day were found. He had been missing since July 2018, said the Oregon State Police.

The yet to be identified remains were found on April 4 in Days home in Phoenix, Oregon, according to Medford Mail Tribune. The police havent explained how the remains were found.

#INVESTIGATION: Crime scene tape surrounds the home of 76yo Dennis Day, the former Mouseketeer who went missing from his Phoenix home in July of 2018. Neighbors tell me forensic and other emergency cars were in and out of the house all day. @KTVL pic.twitter.com/YVOhLCWrLo  Genevieve Grippo (@genevieve_ktvl) April 6, 2019

Day, who was 76, appeared in the original show The Mickey Mouse Club of the 1950she was a Mouseketeer. He was reported missing on July 15 reported Oregon Live.

Human Remains Found At Home Of Dennis Day, Long-Missing Original Mouseketeer https://t.co/eenJhfD9Iz pic.twitter.com/qraJYtzRjR  Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) April 6, 2019

According to KOBI-TV, it was reported that he told neighbors he would head out for a few days, and uncharacteristically left his dog with a friend the day he disappeared according to WSBTV.

The incident was largely unknown until December when Days family was told about the case.

One of the original Mouseketeers, DENNIS DAY, has been missing from Phoenix, #OREGON since July of 2018! | https://t.co/3mhJCRbizy https://t.co/wIjQmbRWxZ  CRIMEWATCHERS (@Kimster_CW) April 6, 2019

In February, his family, which included his sister and original performing partner Nelda Adkins talked to Dateline, they complained that the investigation was poorly handled.

We are devastated, Days niece Denise told the NBC. We had no idea anything was happening, and six months into it, we figured it out. We should have been notified.

Days friends and relatives set up the Help Us Find Dennis Day Facebook page.

Missing 15-Year-Old California Girl Found Dead, Homicide Officials Investigating

After missing California teen Samantha Bustos was found dead in Los Angeles County, sheriffs officials have launched a homicide investigation.

They said she was found dead on March 25 near Dominguez Hills industrial park in Compton, California, about three days after she was last seen, reported KTLA.

The station, citing investigators, reported that the 15-year-old girl was found face down and hidden in the bushes.

BREAKING NEWS: A body found in an industrial area of Compton has been identified as a 15-year-old girl, investigators said. Posted by ABC7 on Monday, March 25, 2019

Bustos also suffered a traumatic injury to her upper body before her death, said officials, without elaborating on the injury. Her cause of death also wasnt released, pending an ongoing investigation.

Sheriffs department officials are now trying to obtain surveillance video footage from a business near where her body was discovered.

Susan Lainez, her cousin, said she was with friends on the afternoon of March 22 in Compton, but she never made it back home.

Just In: A 15-year-old girl who had been missing since Friday has been found dead in Compton. Posted by NBC LA on Monday, March 25, 2019

They believe it happened sometime Saturday evening, said Andy Miller, executive vice president at the National Retail System, a business located near where she was found, according to KTLA.

I got a call early this morning that they had found a body on the perimeter of the property, Miller also said. Were cooperating with the police in every way possible. They asked for [security] camera footage over a period of time.

By midnight on March 23, her cellphone had been shut off after repeated calls were not answered. She was officially reported missing by her family on March 24, officials said.

Day and night, we drove around everywhere looking for her and nothing, said Bustoss uncle, Junior De Jesus, in the KTLA report.

Its very devastating to be dealing with this, De Jesus added to ABC7. My heart breaks right now. Its heartbreaking. Its bad.

Homicide Investigation Continues After Discovery of 15-Year-Olds Body in Compton https://t.co/AofmBL1Suw pic.twitter.com/HUQAVqXYbY  KTLA 5 Morning News (@KTLAMorningNews) March 26, 2019

They found her and I dont know what to say. I dont have words, Blanca Bautista, the girls mother, told NBC Los Angeles.

Her mother said she was last seen in a white Jeep with two young men.

They just hurt her, thats what he said. They hurt her bad, Bautista said, without elaborating.

I had contact with her best friend, she was asking me if she came home, Victor Lopez, Bustoss cousin, elaborated to ABC7. We couldnt find her and we started looking for her Saturday morning.

She was only 15!

A vigil for Samantha Bustos, she went out on Friday, her body was found with traumatic injuries face down by some bushes of an industrial complex in Compton. know something? Please say something @Univision34LA @LASDJUANITA @LASDHQ #SoloALasOnce pic.twitter.com/PVVa4eB4vi  Oswaldo Borraez (@oborraez) March 26, 2019

Bustoss grandmother said she was a good student and had a lot of friends while warning other young people to be careful, according to the ABC affiliate.

No suspects have been identified in the case.

Anyone with information about her case can call the sheriffs department at (323) 890-5500.

Her family set up a GoFundMe page to pay for funeral expenses, saying, We ask for your support to raise funds for her funeral expenses. We appreciate any donation. No donation is too small. Thank you.

Friends & family of Samantha Bustos are holding a vigil in #Compton where her body was found early this AM. The 15-year-old went missing Friday afternoon. Investigators have not released a cause of death but say Samantha suffered a traumatic injury to her upper torso. @KTLA #RIP pic.twitter.com/kLxvIIkHMY  Carlos Saucedo (@Carlos_Saucedo) March 26, 2019

Epoch Times reporter Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
Matteo Salvini, Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the far-right League Party, poses with Olli Kotro from the Finnish ECR party, Joerg Meuthen from the the German EFDD party and Anders Vistisen from the Danish ECR party, as he launches the start of his campaign for the European elections, in Milan, Italy April 8, 2019. REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo

Nationalist EU Parties Plan to Join Forces After May Elections

MILANNationalist parties plan to join forces following next months European Union parliamentary election, looking to create a new bloc to shake up the EU, officials from four groups said on April 8.

The move shows growing confidence amongst right-wing and sovereignist parties that for the first time since the EU was formed 60 years ago they can win enough seats in parliament to have a major say in how the continent is run.

We want to reform the European Union and the European Parliament, without destroying them. We want to bring radical change, said Joerg Meuthen, the chairman of the eurosceptic Alternative for Germany party (AfD).

Meuthen told reporters the EU parliamentary bloc would be called the European Alliance for People and Nations. It will initially involve at least 10 parties drawn from the three groups that currently house various nationalist forces.

The April 8 event was organized by Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who heads the right-wing League and has been the driving force in persuading like-minded politicians to ditch their previous divisions before the May 26 EU election.

We can propose a new Europe because we have never governed (in Brussels), Salvini said. Our goal is to be decisive, to nominate new commissioners in the new commission, he added, referring to the powerful body that oversees EU policy-making.

However, it was not immediately clear if two of Europes biggest national conservative forcesPolands governing Law and Justice party (PiS) and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbans Fidesz partywould be willing to join the group.

Europes myriad sovereignist parties share the broad goals of returning power to EU member states and further curbing immigration, but they often have very different economic and social policies, making it hard to create a coherent group within the EU parliament.

Divisions

Besides the AfD, the conservative Finns Party and the rightist Danish Peoples Party have also pledged to support the initiative. Salvini said his current EU allies, including Marine Le Pens National Rally in France, would take part, too.

If we succeed with the initiative we launched today, it will be a historic achievement, said Anders Vistisen, a European parliamentarian with the Danish Peoples Party.

The only powers who have been winning by us being divided into three different groups have been the europhiles of Brussels, the old establishment parties who worked toward a United States of Europe, he told reporters.

Salvini said he planned to hold a rally in Milan on May 18 to bring together his new alliance.

Although all the speakers on April 8 confirmed they were united in supporting tougher border controls to prevent illegal immigration, there appeared to be little common cause on other issues, such as economic policy.

The AfD has previously denounced the big-spending budget plans of Salvini and the Italian government. Other northern European nationalist groups have been highly critical of what they see as southern European fiscal profligacy.

It is clear that (our) parties have different approaches, but that doesnt matter right now. What is important is we need to protect Europe, said Finns Party official Olli Kotro.

By Emilio Parodi
"It is OK for a 10-year-old to walk down the street and go to the neighborhood park ... or ride a bicycle to school," said South Carolina state Senator Wes Climer. (Robert Collins/Unsplash)

New South Carolina Bill Rewards Parents Who Want to Raise Independent Kids

Commentary

South Carolina lawmakers are looking to pass a free-range parenting bill that will be a boon for parents who want to help their kids foster independence within safe guidelines.

The State reported that a state Senate panel recently endorsed a bill that would amend the states child abuse and neglect laws to state that children who are old enough and mature enough dont always have to have adult supervision. Its now been moved to the Senate Judiciary Committee for consideration. Legislation like this is good news for parents and children alike. The experiences of some families who have faced charges, litigation, or ridicule for exercising their parental rights in a safe way shows why more states should adopt similar measures.

Why We Need Legislation Like This

If youve ever left your children in your car to dash into a gas station, post office, or convenient store, only to stand in the checkout line full of fearnot that your children will be abducted or misbehavebut that someone might accuse you of parental negligence, you might find comfort knowing this is a real phenomenon.

Multitasking like this used to be a normal occurrence for most busy parents of multiple children, but now some families are scorned and have even faced legal chargessparking fear in the hearts of other parentsfor simply trying to juggle parenting, work, and the rest of life, while raising children to the best of their abilities.

Toward the end of 2018, a New York Times opinion piece, appropriately named Motherhood in the Age of Fear, described what it was like for mothers to face legal consequences for decisions theyve made that are as common sense-based as they are efficient.

The author, Kim Brooks, began with an anecdote about what happened after she left her young boy in the car to quickly run into a store. He was happily playing a game, she knew he was safe, and she would return within minutes. He was fine when she got back, but a stranger had spied on her and reported her negligence to local law enforcement. Eventually a police officer called her to tell her there was an outstanding warrant for her arrest, something about which she had been completely unaware.

I spent the next months determining the best legal course of action, and also the best course of action for living with the humiliation of being accused of criminally negligent parenting, she wrote.

Brooks entire column is chock-full of stories like this. The only reprieve is when one of those arrogant cops with a badge tried to intimidate a mother of three who was also a public defender. Brooks wrote:

One day in 2016, Ms. Koehler let her three daughters wait in her minivan, watching Dora the Explorer, while she grabbed a coffee [] The officer asked where she had been, and when she lifted her cup, he said, So you abandoned your children?

Thats when Ms. Koehler laughed. Its not against the law in Illinois to leave your children unattended. You have to prove that Im willfully endangering their life by going into Starbucks and getting a cup of coffee where I can see them the whole time. Good luck getting that case approved by a states attorney.

Koehlers legal background provided much-needed knowledge and chutzpah to ward off a bullying, nosy cop. Many other mothers are not as fortunate. Danielle Meitiv, from Silver Spring, Maryland, made national headlines three years ago after she and her husband were charged with child neglect for letting their two children, ages 6 and 10, walk home from a park by themselves.

A few years ago, two Florida parents were charged with neglect after neighbors reported the couple had let their 11 year-old son shoot hoops on the driveway until the couple got home from work.

Lenore Skenazy, founder of the Free Range parenting movement was called Americas worst mom after announcing to America a decade ago she let her 9-year-old son ride the New York City subway by himself.

Incidents Like These Arent Isolated

Brooks and the women she interviewed arent alone. Tales like this abound both in the piece and among my own circle of mom-friends.

A friend of mine who is a fantastic parent with multiple children said she has had the cops called on her three times for leaving her children in the car to quickly run mundane errands like dropping mail at the post office. Once she left her sleeping baby in the car for about seven minuteslocked and running so her baby wouldnt get too hot. Even though she was doing what was best for her entire familyan errand with an infant can often take an additional 2545 minutes due to feedings and diaper changesshe felt terrified that someone would call law enforcement on her.

I, too, have experienced the same almost irrational fear, both when leaving my older children alone at home, legally, to run a quick errandeven when they had phones and the neighbors were fully aware and keeping an ear out for issuesand when leaving my kids in the car while I ran into the gas station to get a coffee. Simple errands with multiple children can take precious time away from work or even their own schooling or sports. Consolidating what a parent can do in the safest way possible isnt just smart, its good parenting.

Brooks expressed the anxiety many busy parents feel: Once I realized what had happened, I felt like a terrible mother. I felt as though Id been caught doing something very bad, even if I didnt understand what the bad thing was, exactly, or what the rationale was for its badness. I felt, I think, what just about every woman feels when someone attacks her mothering: ashamed.

When neighbors and law enforcement care more about enforcing an invisible social norm, piggybacking on the wave of helicopter parenting that has enmeshed the United States the last two decades, the result can be fear, shame, and over-parenting.

Big Government and Nosy Neighbors Create Fear, Not a Helpful Village

Remember when Hillary Clinton said it took a village to raise a child? Conservatives scoffed and liberals then scorned the right for failing to empathize with her socialist ideas. Fast forward years later and a village indeed has formed to help families raise their childrenunfortunately it has often caused more harm than good. Instead of minding their own children, the village, comprised of nosy neighbors and bloated local law enforcement, began belittling, bullying, and even charging other parents with crimes if they failed to keep an eye on their child every waking moment.

Local government and law enforcement, with the help of certain kinds of arrogant, annoying, prickly personalities with no passion or purpose in life, institute absurd laws. Cops often approach parents about this even without laws on the books. These instances noticeably punish lower-class parents who are tirelessly trying to parent, work, or go to schooland it even affects the middle class.

Thankfully, some efforts have emerged to protect parents who try to foster growth and responsibility in their children, or even who are just trying to be efficient while juggling.

Legislation Like South Carolinas Bill Is Necessary in the Face of Big Government

Im typically not a proponent of lawmakers legislating everything under the sun, particularly parenting-related issues, but South Carolina is on the right track with their bill. Particularly when law enforcement and big government often collude to play gotcha with parents simply doing the best they can to multitask and juggle busy lives. Utah passed a very similar free-range parenting bill in the spring of 2018. It was the first of its kind. Both pieces of legislation will help safeguard against the types of incidents Ive relayed.

Sen. Wes Climer (R-York) is a sponsor of the bill. Being a kid, as we all understand it, is in many cases, unfortunately, criminalized through overzealous prosecution of the law. This is an attempt to push back on that a little bit, to say, It is OK for a 10-year-old to walk down the street and go to the neighborhood park  or ride a bicycle to school, Climer said, according to The State newspaper.

Additionally, Climer said he wants to create a little bit more space in the life of single mothers already struggling with so much, so they dont feel persecuted by the state and inadvertently run afoul of the law when theyre trying to do the best they can for their families.

Legislation like this safeguards children and parents from being called out by the state for something they havent done. Its time law enforcement and the government recognized that in the majority of cases, parents should be able to make decisions about their children and their burgeoning independence.

Nicole Russell is a freelance writer and mother of four. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, Politico, The Daily Beast, and the Federalist. Follow her on Twitter @russell_nm
New York Q&A: How Important Is Freedom of Speech on College Campuses?

Freedom of speech, something that has been heralded for generations as the foundation of our institutions and constitution, appears to have been under tightening regulation on college campuses in recent years as violence and intimidation on campuses has simultaneously risen.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on March 21 to protect freedom of speech on college campuses in a bid to defend American students and American values.

The Epoch Times went out to ask New Yorkers: Is freedom of speech on college campuses important to you?

Robert Puci, 52, fashion designer

Im a Jordan Peterson advocate.

I think things like Canadian legislation for transgender pronouns for compelled speech is very dangerous. I went to a liberal arts college in Massachusetts, which seems to be undergoing a transformational shift in this regard right now, and as a liberal arts institution, they seem to be having issues with free speech. So do I believe [in freedom of speech]? Yes.

I think its super important, to tell you the truthas long as they dont incite violence.

Even Jordan Peterson, at Cambridge University, recently, they rescinded his speech.

Vasha Ahmed, 20, student

Its important to have a voice on my campus, so I would like it to be known that Im being heard, or whatever I care about is being represented.

I dont think they should have censorship on college campuses, we go there to grow and speak our minds.

Ty Jones, 49, actor

I think free speech overall is important, not just in college campuses but everywhere, even overseas.

Let me ask youwhy not?

For me, speech is important. Words are important. If you look at things like Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Fannie Lou Hamer, they didnt use guns or bombs to get laws changedthey spoke words. They were very knowledgable, extremely smart, they mastered the language, but in doing so, they were able to challenge unjust laws.

Thats the fantastic substance of powerful speech.

So yes, we should have free speech all over, and unfortunately, those who are in the ruling classes probably dont want that. Thats why I like classic plays.

I think classic plays were a way  you had to be blessed by those who were in power to be to write. There werent that many literate people back in those days, so the ones who were actually literate and wrote plays, if you actually look deep into them, I actually think they were commenting on the ruling class, even though it was a ruling-class person that allowed them to write.

If you look at Shakespeare, Sheridan, and Moliere, if you look deep enough, theyre actually playing chess to everybodys checkers, and the language they were using wasnt about creating some sort of superlative holy writ, but rather, they are living arguments.

And if we continue to learn from the past, we might not make the same mistakes in the future.

Absolutely free speech, there should be no limitations to itas long as you are not doing that which will harm somebody else.

Jeanette Leinonen, 48, automation engineer, from Sweden

Freedom of speech is fundamental to a Democratic society.

But, for instance, in Sweden, youre not allowed to discriminate, so sometimes there has to be a balance between discriminating against someone and using your free speech.

Someone may make racist comments to another and theyll say, I have a right to say this because of free speech.

Some people say things that are harmful, and they know this, but they use freedom of speech as an excusebut they should know better.

Its important to cherish the right to free speech because it creates changefor instance, it is needed in some parts of Asia.

Sanje Bent, 37, commercial insurance account executive

Freedom of speech should apply wherever you are. Its important.

You need the indispensable opposition sometimes, so you need the fun ideas, you need that to flow.

But if you start to restrict that, then those ideas are no longer free, right? Young people need to express themselvesafter all, they are going to be inheriting the world.

I think when you try to shut them off, sometimes, and dont let them express themselves, in what theyre concerned about, then you lose something.

Karen, retired

Its very complicated, I think, depending on whos asking for it.

It could be something I hate to hear being said, but should they be able to say it?

I would have to think about it.
Chinese man reads the Vision China Times, one of the only remaining independent Chinese-language newspapers that doesn't bow to the demands of the Chinese Communist Party. (Matthew Robertson)

Newspaper Critical of Chinese Regime Faces Discrimination in Australia After Pressure From Chinese Officials

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has pressured a Sydney council to ban an Australian-owned independent Chinese-language media company from sponsoring an event because it is critical of the Chinese regime, a joint investigation by Four Corners, The Age, and The Sydney Morning Herald has found.

Documents obtained by the publications revealed that Sydneys Georges River Council received at least eight warnings over the past 14 months from Chinese officials after they learned of its sponsorship deals with Vision China Times.

The media organization has been subject to waves of harassment for publishing content in the Chinese language that is critical of the CCP.

China-based advertisers were forced to pull their adverts from Vision China Times after receiving threats from Chinese officials and intelligence agents, the investigation found.

No embarrassing situations: How China pressured a local Sydney council https://t.co/o6uALifb4e  ABC News (@abcnews) April 6, 2019

Maree Ma, manager of Vision China Times, said the newspaper was attacked because its content does not conform to the communist policies of the CCP.

The Chinese consulate dont [sic] like any media outlets that they cannot have some sort of control over, she said.

The newspaper was banned from sponsoring an event hosted by the Georges River Council to celebrate Chinese New Year in 2018, after a consul official wrote to the council on Jan. 17 last year describing it as a politically anti-China media.

We have attached great importance to our cooperation with the Georges River City Council and hope there will be no change to the policy of the Georges River Council on supporting the development of Australia-China relationship, the consul official said, according to records obtained under freedom of information (FOI) legislation.

The publications support of the event was banned by the council the following day.

Vision China Times sponsors a wide number of local events in the southern areas of Sydney and prides itself in minimizing the cultural/communication gap between the Chinese and Australian community, the publication details on its website.

Vision China Times is proud of our 8th yr of sponsorship for the 150th year for Granny Smith Festival. Grt to see the coming together of diverse fabric of local communities. & it was good to catch up with @CityofRyde Mayor @jeromelaxale & we happened to be in matching shirts!  pic.twitter.com/cgFsJu4nAY  Maree Ma (@maree_jun) October 20, 2018

Georges River City Council is home to one of the largest populations of Chinese-Australians in the country.

Council respects and values the relationship with the Consul General and also the development of the Australia-China relationship, a Georges River Council administrative officer said in an email to the Chinese consulate to confirm the ban.

In the months leading up to the 2019 Chinese New Year, the consulate issued fresh warnings once again, according to the FOI files.

This morning, I had a call from [a Chinese consulate employee] to remind us that he would like to keep a friendly relationship between China and New South Wales, a memo from the Georges River Council on Dec. 4 read. He wanted to make sure that there were no embarrassing situations this year and re-iterate their position involving anti-China groups.

Just over a month later on Jan. 7, another memo said that the consulate had called again. The Chinese consulate phoned  to remind Council of the delicate issues around this anti-China group, the FOI documents revealed.

Ma had approached the council in November to voice her concerns following the sponsoring ban incident, demanding to know if the council had succumbed to pressure from the CCP and if so, for what reason.

We are clear about the pressures we face as an independent Chinese media. We are also clear of the possible pressures this council can come under from foreign agents, Ma said to council members at the public meeting.

However, council events are to serve the local community. These are not international exchanges. We believe the council should be making decisions in the interests of the local community, not foreign governments, she added.

After Georges River Council gave Vision China Times the go-ahead to sponsor the Chinese New Year celebrations this year, they received yet another warning from the Chinese consulate, records revealed.

I received a call from  the Office of the Chinese Consul General. The Chinese Consul General was disappointed that Georges River Council would include anti-Chinese political groups in the Lunar New Year event.  As a consequence, the CCG [Chinese Consul General] will not attend the Lunar New Year event.

[The Chinese consulate employee] expressed his desire to meet with Council  to discuss, a council officer wrote on Feb. 1.

Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, Dr. Geremie Barme, an Australian sinologist, warned that the CCP is increasingly seeking to exert its political influence over those Chinese both at home and overseas.

China expert Geremie Barme suggests that the CCP aims to silence dissent in pursuit of stability. #4Corners #auspol pic.twitter.com/VVzUMtCAxI  4corners (@4corners) April 8, 2019

Imminent Fears, Immediate Hopes  Geremie Barmes translation of law professor Xu Zhangruns  outspoken essay against Chinas slid further towards illiberalism is a must read for anyone interested in contemporary Chinese politics and society. https://t.co/7P1mZmB5UP  Adam Ni  (@adam_ni) August 8, 2018

The Chinese Communist Party  believes that the only way to maintain stability  is not only through police and political action, but also by having people, if they dont agree with you, at least be silent, Barme said.
File photo showing Lance Cpl. Timur Oljuskin rinsing his face under a water spout after completing a pepper spray course at the Camp Horno softball field, Camp Pendleton, California, on May 3, 2011. (Flickr/Gunnery Sgt. Scott Dunn)

Over a Dozen People Treated for Chemical Exposure After Pepper Spray Attack at Conservative Event in Utah

Over a dozen students and staff members received medical attentionand one was even reportedly hospitalizedafter someone diffused pepper spray at an event hosted by a conservative group.

Nearly 20 students and staff members were treated for pepper spray exposure after a student protester diffused the chemical at a Turning Point USA event at Park City High School in Park City, Utah, on April 1, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

One student was reportedly hospitalized after coming into contact with the chemical.

Several victims were suffering from abdominal cramping, others complained of having difficulty breathing.

The attacker reportedly released a sufficiently large quantity of the chemical into the room that students in an adjacent classroom also felt ill.

Fire officials cited by the Tribune said a student admitted to releasing the pepper spray inside the school.

Police are investigating the incident.

Respiratory Issues

Tricia Hazelrigg, a spokeswoman for the Park City Fire District, was cited by the Tribune as saying that a gas leak was reported on Monday about 10 minutes after classes were dismissed at the school.

Hazelrigg told the publication that emergency crews responding to the incident tested for carbon monoxide and explosives. No traces of either were found, she said.

The pepper spray was sprayed in the lecture hall 15 minutes after school was dismissed, Park City School District communications director Melinda Colton told Breitbart News.

Colton said that traces of the pepper spray were found several hours after the incident by a crew testing for hazardous chemicals.

Park City Police captain Phil Kirk told the Tribune medical crews treated several people for respiratory issues.

Kirk said one victim was taken to an area hospital, but provided no further information about the persons condition.

Classes at the school resumed the following day.

Bridge the Divide

The pepper spray was released in a lecture hall where the schools Turning Point USA (TPUSA) student group had planned to host an event.

The event was a talk titled How to Bridge the Divide with Will Witt from PragerU.

Witt, a self-described conservative, creates online content for PragerU and helps inspire young people worldwide to fight for the values they believe in, according to his PragerU bio.

Before working for PragerU, he worked with other nonprofits to help spread the values of freedom and conservatism across America.

The TPUSA event with Witt was able to proceed at an alternate venue.

Park City High Schools TPUSA chapter president Max Mobley told Breitbart News that he believes this was a politically-motivated attack.

We know that if we [conservatives] were suspected of doing something like this, we would especially be under fire for our actions, Mobley said.

The suspect has not been identified, but several students were cited by Breitbart as saying that the alleged perpetrator was a known socialist on campus.

Were still investigating the incident, so no motive yet, Kirk told Breitbart.

Its unbelievable that students, even in high school, have been brainwashed by the left to the point they would do such a thing, putting peoples lives in danger, Witt told Breitbart News. It also goes to show how far the left will go to shut down opinions they dont agree with.

Conservative Activist Assaulted

Conservative activist Hayden Williams was punched in the face and shoved by a suspect on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley on Feb. 19, according to video footage filmed at the scene.

Williams was attacked while recruiting for Turning Point USA, according to group President Charlie Kirk.

While recruiting for our group at UC Berkeley a leftist thug comes & assaults our activists punching him in the face & hitting him repeatedly. Imagine if the attacker was wearing MAGA hat, would be national news! Kirk wrote on Twitter. This is the violent left!

Another conservative student was assaulted on @UCBerkeleys campus. I just spoke to the survivor of the attack who is a dear friend of mine. He is in good spirits and plans on continuing to fight for conservative values on campus once his black eye is gone! What a bad a**! pic.twitter.com/g67Y9pAszD  Brad Devlin (@bradleydevlin) February 21, 2019

In the video footage, a young man dressed in black pants and T-shirt is seen shoving, dragging, and punching Williams. He then calls him a racist in an expletive-laden rant before throwing a vicious punch in the victims face.

The video had been viewed more than a million times since it was posted on Feb. 21.

Suspect Arrested

Campus police on March 1 arrested a man suspected of attacking Williams, according to reports.

Zachary Greenberg, 28, was booked into jail and was being held on a $30,000 bail, according to local media.

Following Greenbergs arrest, TPUSA founder and president Charlie Kirk issued a statement.

Today, we have finally learned the identity of the attacker and that the violent man has been arrested, Kirks statement read. While every American should be afforded their due process, we believe that the video evidence, in this case, is incontrovertible.

We hope 28-year-old Zachary Greenberg is prosecuted to the full extent of the law for assault with a deadly weapon, which should be considered an act of hate, Kirk continued. Hopefully, this dark chapter will act as a wake up call to those concerned about actual politically motivated hate crimes in America. Berkeley and all college campuses across American should be safe havens for free thought and opinionsespecially for a targeted conservative minority.

Epoch Times reporters Tiffany Meier and Ivan Pentchoukov contributed to this report.
Rep. Ilhan Omar Receives Backlash for Calling Stephen Miller a White Nationalist

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) has come under fire again, this time for calling White House adviser Stephen Miller, who is Jewish, a white nationalist.

In a post on Twitter, Omar wrote: Stephen Miller is a white nationalist. The fact that he still has influence on policy and political appointments is an outrage.

Stephen Miller is a white nationalist. The fact that he still has influence on policy and political appointments is an outrage. https://t.co/7NyMDgojd7  Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) April 8, 2019

Miller, who is a senior policy adviser, has recently been in the news for his reported involvement in the latest personnel reshuffling in the Trump administration, including the resignation of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

Omars comments on the Jewish advisor drew strong criticism from political figures, members of the press, and even President Donald Trump, who tweeted a quote from B2 Strategic CEO Jeff Ballabon.

Whats completely unacceptable is for Congesswoman Omar to target Jews, in this case Stephen Miller. Jeff Ballabon, B2 Strategic, CEO, Trump wrote on April 9.

Whats completely unacceptable is for Congesswoman Omar to target Jews, in this case Stephen Miller. Jeff Ballabon, B2 Strategic, CEO. @Varneyco  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 9, 2019

She (Congresswoman Omar) keeps on assaulting Jews

Jeff Ballabon, B2 Strategic, CEO pic.twitter.com/WMKN9RQm2n  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 9, 2019

Trumps son, Donald Trump Jr., also weighed in on Omars tweet.

I see that the head of the Farrakhan Fan Club, @ IlhanMN, took a short break from spewing her usual anti-semitic bigotry today to accuse a Jewish man of being a white nationalist because she apparently has no shame, he wrote.

I see that the head of the Farrakhan Fan Club, @IlhanMN, took a short break from spewing her usual anti-semitic bigotry today to accuse a Jewish man of being a white nationalist because she apparently has no shame. https://t.co/y96IG8E7Y6  Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) April 8, 2019

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) also took to social media to criticize his fellow Congress member.

He wrote: During my time in Congress before @ IlhanOmar got here, I didnt once witness another Member target Jewish people like this with the name calling & other personal attacks. In 2019 though, for @ IlhanOmar, this is just called Monday.

During my time in Congress before @IlhanOmar got here, I didnt once witness another Member target Jewish people like this with the name calling & other personal attacks. In 2019 though, for @IlhanOmar, this is just called Monday. https://t.co/sgvsEvsj56  Lee Zeldin (@RepLeeZeldin) April 9, 2019

Journalist and writer Adelle Malka Nazarian, who stated that she knew Miller personally, stood up for the White House advisor.

She wrote: I have known Stephen Miller thru work for many years. Hes in no way, shape, or form a white nationalist. The fact is, Ilhan is a liar & this anti-Semites attempt to label a Jew, whose relatives fled an actual white supremacist (Hitler), in this way is a form of delegitimization.

I have known Stephen Miller thru work for many years. Hes in no way, shape, or form a white nationalist. The fact is, Ilhan is a liar & this anti-Semites attempt to label a Jew, whose relatives fled an actual white supremacist (Hitler), in this way is a form of delegitimization https://t.co/WvURxtMeiP  Adelle Malka Nazarian (@AdelleNaz) April 8, 2019

Omar, a freshman Democrat, previously drew widespread condemnation for anti-semitic tropes on social media, where she implied a prominent pro-Israel lobby group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), paid off lawmakers for their support of Israel.

Her comments received bipartisan condemnation and the congresswoman subsequently apologized for her comments. The House passed a watered-down resolution in March that was meant to censure Omars comments. The resolution (pdf), approved by a vote of 40723, was expanded to include other forms of bias but does not include Omars name.

Along with her comments in February, Omar also received criticism for a 2012 post where she wrote: Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel.

Omar sparked a fresh uproar in late February when she accused some politicians in Washington who supported Israel as having dual loyalty. These comments even earned praise from former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.
Rep. Nunes Sues News Publisher McClatchy for $150 Million, Alleges Smear Campaign

Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) filed a lawsuit against newspaper publisher The McClatchy Co. and political operative Liz Mair, claiming $150 million in damages for defamation.

The suit alleges that McClatchy conspired with Mair and her opposition research outlet, Mair Strategies, to spread false statements about Nunes, the former chairman and the current ranking member of the House intelligence committee.

McClatchy, Mair and Mair Strategies engaged in a joint scheme the unlawful purpose of which was to destroy Nunes personal and professional reputations, advance the goals of the dark money behind the paid-for smear campaign, interfere with Nunes duties as a United States Congressman, and influence the outcome of a federal election, says the suit, which was filed April 8 in a Virginia court.

Mair was hired to sully Nunes by unknown parties, whom Nunes hopes to identify through the suit, the complaint states.

Yacht Story

Much of the suit focuses on an article published on May 23, 2018, by The Fresno Bee, a local daily in Nunes district thats owned by McClatchy. A yacht, cocaine, prostitutes: Winery partly owned by Nunes sued after fundraiser event, the headline reads.

The article goes into salacious details about what allegedly took place in 2015 aboard a yacht owned by a winery thats co-owned by Nunes. It waits until after its 10th paragraph to explain that Nunes is only a limited partner who invested $50,000-$100,000 in the winery in 2006 and has had no say in how its run and, according to the winerys spokeswoman, no involvement in the incident.

WineBusiness.com reported in 2016 what allegedly took place. The Alpha Omega Winery has a philanthropic arm that holds charity fundraisers each year where it auctions off a cruise on the companys yacht, the USS Alpha Omega. On Aug. 12, 2015, a group of 25 men who won the cruise came onboard with a group of prostitutes and allegedly drank profusely and did drugs during the trip, scaring two female employees who were onboard to serve wine. One sued, and the company settled out of court.

The suit claimed the men were important investors in Alpha, according to The Fresno Bee, but the WineBusiness article included a statement from the winery saying that the people were not affiliated with Alpha Omega in any way.

No one in the group had any personal or business connection to the winery or its owners, and no Alpha Omega staff knew anyone in the group, it said.

The winery also said it has changed its policies for charitable donations after the incident and before the lawsuit was filed.

Intentional

Nuness suit alleges that The Fresno Bee structured and worded the article in a way that would lead readers to believe that Nunes was involved in the incident.

The McClatchy headline intentionally omitted the word charity and labeled the event a fundraiser, in a clear effort to imply it was a political fundraising event that a politician like Congressman Nunes would naturally attend, the complaint says. Furthermore, the online versions of the story are punctuated by a prominent picture of Nunes and multiple film clips of him.

The suit also takes issue with the articles saying that it was unclear  if he [Nunes] was  affiliated with the fundraiser.

In truth, prior to McClatchys publication of the article, McClatchy had been expressly informed by the Alpha Omega Winery that Nunes had no affiliation whatsoever with the event, the suit says. There was nothing unclear about it.

Near the end, the article originally stated that the winery sold wine to Russian clients while the congressman was at the helm of a federal investigation of Russian meddling into the presidential election.

Within three days of its publication, that part was changed to say that the winery sold wine to Russian clients in 2013years before the Russia probe started.

In fact, the winery stated it only sold wine to one Russian client once.

The only time Alpha Omega did business in Russia was in 2013 when a broker handled a one-time transaction for 22 cases of wine.  Alpha Omega Winery (@AOwinery) March 23, 2017

The paper hasnt put a correction notice to the article or added any notification that the story has been changed.

This conduct is a gross departure from accepted journalistic standards and evidences spite, ill-will and criminal intent, the suit says.

The papers editor, Joe Kieta, declined to comment. McClatchy issued a statement saying the lawsuit represents a baseless attack on local journalism and a free press as well as an unproductive distraction and a misuse of the judicial system. It also noted that Nunes didnt ask The Fresno Bee to correct the story and instead produced and distributed materials criticizing the paper for the article.

Second Suit

Nunes filed a lawsuit on March 19 against Twitter and several Twitter users, including Mair. He alleged that the users conspired with unknown donors and members of the Democratic Party to run a smear campaign against him throughout 2018.

The suit cited from Mairs LinkedIn account that her self-described job is to anonymously smear [her clients] opposition on the Internet.

Mair previously worked for Republican campaigns, but came out against Donald Trumps presidential bid in 2015, and founded a political action committee to oppose the future president. Nunes has been an ally to Trump.

Mair went on to start a non-profit that spent $36,000 targeting Nunes during the 2018 election cycle.

Mair declined to comment, but referred to her April 5 USA Today op-ed, in which she accused Nunes of trying to stifle [her] free speech.
Sudanese military soldiers look on as demonstrators attend a protest demanding Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir to step down outside the defence ministry in Khartoum, Sudan April 8, 2019. REUTERS/Stringer

Sudanese Army Blocks Attempt to Disperse Protesters: Witnesses

KHARTOUMSudanese soldiers intervened to protect several thousand demonstrators calling for an end to President Omar al-Bashirs rule on April 8 after security forces tried to break up the sit-in, witnesses and activists said.

For the first time in some three months of unrest, a group of prominent opposition leaders joined protesters outside the defense ministry in Khartoum. They addressed demonstrators who have been massed for two days outside the ministry compound and repeated their demand for Bashir and his government to step down immediately, witnesses said.

The compound also includes Bashirs residence and the secret service headquarters.

The interior minister told parliament that six people had been killed on April 6 and 7 in disturbances in the capital, and one in the western region of Darfur.

Frequent protests have been staged in Sudan since December, when the government tried to raise bread prices, building into the most sustained challenge yet to Bashir, a former army general who came to power in a military coup in 1989.

On April 6, protesters marched toward the defense ministry hoping to deliver a memorandum urging the army to side with them. They reached the ministry compound despite attempts by security forces to stop them and set up a camp.

Numbers outside the compound continued to grow on April 8 despite the closure of all roads leading there, witnesses said.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged all parties to exercise utmost restraint and avoid violence, and called for the release of detained protesters, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Warning Shots

Early on April 8, witnesses and activists said riot police and secret service personnel charged the demonstrators with pickup trucks while firing tear gas, trying to disperse a crowd estimated at 3,000 men and women.

But witnesses and activists said soldiers guarding the compound had come out to protect the demonstrators, firing warning shots in the air.

The security forces retreated without firing back and soldiers deployed around the area, while demonstrators chanted The army is protecting us and One people, one army, witnesses said. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Information Minister Hassan Ismail, who is also the government spokesman, contradicted the reports.

The crowd in front of the (military) general command has been cleared completely, in a way that resulted in no casualties among all parties.

Previous attempts by security forces have failed to disperse the protesters, who have vowed to stay until Bashir steps down.

Addressing a meeting of military commanders, Bashirs defense minister and vice president said security forces would not permit attempts to divide them, state news agency SUNA reported.

Economic Crisis

Bashir is wanted by international prosecutors for alleged war crimes in the western Darfur region, and demonstrators accuse him of presiding over years of repression and promoting policies that devastated the economy.

The government denies any connection with atrocities in Darfur and blames U.S. sanctions for the economic hardships.

Bashir has acknowledged that the protesters have legitimate demands but says they must be addressed peacefully, and through the ballot box.

Security forces have used tear gas, stun grenades, and mass arrests, and have sometimes fired live ammunition.

Authorities have also blocked social media. Facebook and WhatsApp, the most popular platforms in Sudan, have been inaccessible without a virtual private network since April 7, residents said.

In his address to parliament, Interior Minister Bishara Jumaa said 39 people had died since the onset of the protests, including three members of the security forces.

He said 10,000 protesters had gathered outside the defense ministry compound on April 6, the first time authorities had provided such a crowd estimate.

Activists put the death toll at more than 60 since the protests began. They chose April 6 for their march to coincide with the April 6 anniversary of a 1985 military coup that forced long-time autocrat Jaafar Nimeiri to step down after protests.

By Khalid Abdelaziz
This 2018 booking file photo provided by the Collin County District Attorney's office in Texas shows Matin Azizi-Yarand, a teenager from Plano, Texas, who has been charged with criminal solicitation of capital murder and making a terroristic threat. (Collin County District Attorney's office via AP, File)

Teen Pleads Guilty to Plotting Terror Attack at Texas Mall

DALLASA suburban Dallas teenager has pleaded guilty to plotting an ISIS terrorist group-inspired mass shooting at a North Texas mall.

A state judge sentenced Matin Azizi-Yarand to 20 years in prison on April 8 for solicitation of capital murder and making a terroristic threat, state and federal prosecutors announced. The 18-year-old is eligible for parole after serving 10 years.

Azizi-Yarand was arrested last May for plotting to shoot civilians and police at a Frisco mall in a rampage, authorities said he was timing it to coincide with Ramadan. IS has called on its supporters to carry out attacks during the Muslim holy month.

The then-high school student had been recruiting others to participate in the shooting and planned to explain it with the release of a Message to America, according to prosecutors. He spent more than $1,400 buying weapons and tactical gear and had been conducting surveillance of the mall.

Azizi-Yarand believes his plea agreement is a fair deal and is ready to begin his prison term, his lawyer, Mitch Nolte, told The Associated Press.

Azizi-Yarand was indicted in July, but his age presented a challenge for prosecutors.

Updated mug shot of Matin Azizi-Yarand who pleaded guilty today to solicitation of capital murder. The former Plano Sr High School student plotted a mass shooting at Stonebriar Mall in Frisco that was thwarted by an undercover FBI agent pic.twitter.com/vcQm9v1vjt  J.D. Miles (@jdmiles11) April 8, 2019

Terrorism cases are typically brought in federal court. But because Azizi-Yarand was 17 at the time of the crime and a minor under federal law, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Texas was limited in the charges they could bring against him.

Its extremely rare for someone to be prosecuted for terrorism charges state court, U.S. Attorney Joseph Brown said Monday at a press conference.

Man Inspired by ISIS Planned Truck Attack Near Washington

WASHINGTONA Maryland man inspired by the ISIS terrorist group plotted to ram a stolen U-Haul truck into as many pedestrians as possible at a popular convention and tourist destination just outside the nations capital, federal prosecutors said on April 8.

The allegation was made in a court filing as prosecutors in Maryland urged a judge to keep the defendant, 28-year-old Rondell Henry, detained on a charge of driving a stolen vehicle across state lines. The police arrested him on March 28 after officers who discovered the stolen truck saw him leap over a security fence.

Henry then made incriminating statements that show steps he took to maximize damage, prosecutors say.

I was just going to keep driving and driving and driving. I wasnt going to stop, the document quotes Henry as telling law enforcement authorities who questioned him. He said he wanted to create panic and chaos similar to a deadly truck attack that killed scores of people in Nice, France, in 2016, prosecutors say.

After his arrest by local law enforcement, Henry was taken for a psychiatric evaluation and was then taken into FBI custody once that was done, said a law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss the investigation by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.

A detention hearing was scheduled for Tuesday in Greenbelt, Maryland. It was not clear if prosecutors would file additional charges accusing him of planning an attack. The charge of interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle, which carries up to 10 years in prison, is likely a placeholder count, with prosecutors expected to present evidence before a grand jury and secure an indictment that could have new charges.

A defense lawyer for Henry declined to comment.

BREAKING: Rondell Henry of Germantown, Maryland, charged with plotting to drive a stolen U-Haul truck into pedestrians at National Harbor in Maryland. Henry, 28, was inspired by ISIS & planned to mow down disbelievers https://t.co/KJtfKgOBiX  Raphael Gluck (@einfal) April 8, 2019

The governments six-page detention motion describes Henry as harboring hatred for disbelievers and looking to emulate ISIS militants he saw on beheading videos and fighting overseas. On his phone, which prosecutors say he discarded on a highway in an apparent attempt to conceal evidence, authorities found images of the ISIS flag, armed ISIS fighters and the man who carried out the massacre in an Orlando, Florida, nightclub three years ago.

The document alleges that Henry, a computer engineer, walked off his job in the middle of the day on March 26 and stole a U-Haul van from the parking garage of a mall in Virginia after determining that his four-door sedan would not cause the catastrophic damage that he desired.

He first considered an attack at Dulles International Airport, trying unsuccessfully over two hours to breach the security perimeter by slipping in through a checkpoint or accessing a restricted area, prosecutors said.

From there, he headed to National Harbora waterfront complex of restaurants, retail, and hotels in Maryland.

But so early in the morning on a weekday, prosecutors wrote, the defendant did not find the sizable crowd upon which he desired to inflict his radical conduct.

Henry broke into a boat, hiding there overnight, and was arrested on the morning of March 28 when he leaped over the security fence from the boat deck, according to the detention motion.

Acquaintances of Henry expressed surprise at the allegations.

Osman Alaalla, 61, came to pray Monday evening at a 5 p.m. service at the Islamic Society of Germantown. He said Henry typically led that service. Alaalla described Henry as a quiet, nice man but said he didnt know anything about his personal life. He said he would come to pray and leave.

Hes very peaceful, he said.
Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers and police keep watch outside the Bagram Airfield entrance gate north of Kabul, Afghanistan on Nov. 12, 2016. (Omar Sobhani/Reuters)

Three US Service Members, One Contractor Killed in Afghanistan

WASHINGTONThree U.S. service members and an American contractor were killed in Afghanistan by an improvised explosive device on April 8, the NATO-led Resolute Support mission said in a statement.

Three U.S. service members were also wounded in the incident near Bagram air base close to Kabul, the statement said.

Violence has been relentless in Afghanistan even though Taliban terrorists have held several rounds of talks with U.S. officials about a peace settlement. The talks began late last year, raising hopes for an end to the conflict.

Colonel David Butler, a spokesman for U.S. ForcesAfghanistan, said a car bomb had detonated near the security convoy, which lead to deaths and injuries.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

The latest deaths bring the number of U.S. service member deaths in Afghanistan to seven in 2019, and a total of 68 U.S. military deaths since January 2015, according to U.S. government and NATO reports.

The death toll is one of the deadliest recent attacks against U.S. personnel. In November, a roadside bomb blast killed three U.S. service members near the central Afghan city of Ghazni.

Last month two U.S. service members were killed in Afghanistan while conducting an operation.

The war has taken a much larger toll on Afghan security forces and civilians.

President Ashraf Ghani, speaking at the World Economic Forum in January, said that about 45,000 Afghan security forces have been killed since he took office in September 2014, which works out to an average of 849 per month.

The Resolute Support Mission consists of 17,000 troops, about half of them from the United States. A smaller number of U.S. troops operate in Afghanistan under a counter-terrorism mission.

By Idrees Ali
Trudeau Broke Law by Kicking Former Ministers out of Caucus, Philpott Says

OTTAWAFormer cabinet minister Jane Philpott is asking the Speaker of the House of Commons to examine whether Prime Minister Justin Trudeau violated the law when he expelled her and Jody Wilson-Raybould from the Liberal caucus.

Despite new rules laid out in the Parliament of Canada Act, MPs cant be kicked out of caucus without a vote, and yet Trudeau made a unilateral decision last week to eject her and Wilson-Raybould, Philpott declared Tuesday as she asked Speaker Geoff Regan to declare that their privileges were violated.

A set of amendments to the act, spearheaded by Conservative MP Michael Chong, was passed in 2015 in an effort to make it more difficult for MPs to be removed from caucuspart of an effort to decentralize political power on Parliament Hill and put it back in the hands of rank-and-file legislators.

If Trudeau had followed the rules, it would have taken 90 Liberal MPs to vote to kick her and Wilson-Raybould out, said Philpottand yet no such recorded vote was held before the prime minister expelled the pair on the grounds that they had lost the trust of caucus.

We were expelled prior to the commencement of the Liberal caucus meeting, Philpott told the Commons from her new perch among Independent MPs.

The prime ministers words that night to the Liberal caucus are important to underscore, because expulsion should not be his decision to take unilaterally. However, the decision had been already made.

Members of Parliament are not accountable to the leader but rather the leader is accountable to members of Parliament, she said. This is a constitutional convention.

Wilson-Raybould believes she was moved out of the prestigious justice portfolio to Veterans Affairs in a mid-January cabinet shuffle as punishment for refusing to intervene to stop the criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin on bribery charges related to contracts in Libya.

She has testified that she faced relentless pressure last fall from Trudeau, his office, the top public servant, and others to override the director of public prosecutions, who had decided not to invite the Montreal engineering giant to negotiate a remediation agreement, a kind of plea bargain.

Wilson-Raybould quit the cabinet in mid-February and Philpott followed a few weeks later, saying she had lost confidence in the government over its handling of the SNC-Lavalin file. But both MPs remained members of the Liberal caucus until last week.

The revelation that Wilson-Raybould had surreptitiously recorded a phone conversation with Michael Wernick, the clerk of the Privy Council, to bolster her contention of undue pressure was the last straw for Liberal MPs, who openly called on Trudeau to expel the former ministers. On April 2, Trudeau called the secret recording unconscionable, proof that the ex-minister could no longer be trusted.

Regan told Philpott he would consider her argument and report back to the House at a later date.
Jackie Gordon Wilson is seen in a booking photo released on April 8, 2019. (San Mateo Police Department)

Uber Driver Arrested for Burglary After Airport Drop-off

A ride-share driver has been arrested on suspicion of burglarizing a house in Sacramento shortly after dropping a customer off at the airport.

Jackie Gordon Wilson, 38, was working as an Uber driver when he dropped customers off at the airport on April 4, according to police.

Wilson was recorded by surveillance cameras returning to the customers home about an hour later in an apparent attempt to burglarize the residence.

Police said an alarm scared Wilson off and so instead he broke into a nearby house.

Wilson was later arrested and faces multiple charges.

Burglary Follows Airport Drop-off

San Mateo Police Department officials said Wilson returned to a residence on Rand Street in San Mateo after driving the unidentified homeowner to catch a flight.

The Rand Street Ring security camera showed Wilson attempting to burglarize the very home of his riders an hour after dropping them off at the airport, police said in a statement.

Footage from the security camera shows a man alleged to be Wilson lurking at the front door of the home, seeming to put gloves on.

The video shows him moments later walking away from the home with a brisk step.

His attempt to burglarize the Rand Street home was thwarted after an alarm sounded, police said.

Officials said Wilson then went to another home only a few blocks apart and broke in.

Deputies responding to a residential burglary call at a home in the 1700 block of Nash Drive in San Mateo found that the house had been completely ransacked, and multiple items were found to be stolen.

The Nash Drive home also had a Ring security camera system installed, police said, and the owners shared footage of the break-in on the platform.

The homeowner then quickly learned from platform users that the suspect was an Uber driver and just dropped off residents at the airport from the 600 block of Rand Street.

Investigators eventually identified the suspect and linked him to a home in Rancho Cordova.

Wilson was arrested at his home without incident.

When San Mateo Police Department officers, assisted by Sacramento County Sheriffs Office deputies, took Wilson into custody, he was wearing the same clothing he had on while lurking around our quiet San Mateo neighborhood the day before.

Police recovered some stolen items and said they were investigating possible links between Wilson and other crimes.

This case proves the benefit of a home security system particularly with video, San Mateo Police Department officials said. Law enforcement is solving more crimes thanks to surveillance cameras and license plate reader systems.

Wilson was booked into the San Mateo County Jail for burglary and attempted burglary.

We removed the drivers access to the app as soon as we were made aware of the allegations and stand ready to assist police in their investigation, Uber said in a statement, according to KCRA.

Ride-share Precautions

San Mateo Police Department officials have urged people to take special care when using ride-share apps.

Be mindful where you are picked up and dropped off, police warned. For example, if you use ride-share to the airport, the driver will know you wont be home for several days.

Police also urged riders to double-check your ride-share app to ensure the license plate, make, model, and color of the car is the actual car assigned to you by the app.

Riders should also take a picture of the license plate and vehicle, police advised.

Do not get into a car or give your name to the driver until you ask, who are you here for? If the driver cant identify your name, do not get in, police said.

In a recent incident, University of South Carolina student Samantha Josephson got into a car she thought was her Uber ride and ended up murdered.

Student killed after getting into car she thought was her Uber. https://t.co/a6za3AbfR9 pic.twitter.com/9z79abpTaD  LADbible (@ladbible) March 31, 2019

Police also said, Trust your instincts! If you are uncomfortable with the drivers behavior or comments or you sense something is not right, dont get in the car. If you are already in the car, ask to be dropped off and call 911.
Uganda Says Arrests Made for Kidnapping of American Tourist

KAMPALA, UgandaUgandan police say they have arrested some people over the kidnapping last week of an American tourist who has since been freed.

Police did not specify how many people were arrested but said they are actively investigating the kidnapping which took place on April 2 in a national park.

The victimsKim Endicott of Costa Mesa, California, and local driver Jean-Paul Mirengewere freed Sunday.

Police said the hunt for the kidnappers, including raids and extensive searches, is taking place in southwestern Uganda.

President Donald Trump has urged Ugandan authorities to find the perpetrators.

Uganda must find the kidnappers of the American Tourist and guide before people will feel safe in going there. Bring them to justice openly and quickly! he tweeted.

Uganda must find the kidnappers of the American Tourist and guide before people will feel safe in going there. Bring them to justice openly and quickly!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 8, 2019

Over the weekend, Trump tweeted that he was pleased the tourist and guide had been released.

Pleased to report that the American tourist and tour guide that were abducted in Uganda have been released. God bless them and their families!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 7, 2019

Ugandan police spokesman Fred Enanga said he did not believe a ransom had been paid.

I have indicated to you that we dont do ransom, he said Monday at a news conference in the Ugandan capital of Kampala.

A Uganda-based tour official said, however, that a ransom was paid to secure Endicotts freedom. The tourist was released, not rescued, after money was paid otherwise she wouldnt be back, said the tourism professional with knowledge of Endicotts trip.

He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

Many officials, including from the U.S. Embassy, were involved in efforts to secure the release of the kidnapping victims, he said. He couldnt say how much was paid or who paid.

Ugandan officials have said the kidnapping victims were rescued from armed kidnappers who are still at large.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said on Twitter that the security forces shall deal with these isolated pockets of criminals.

We shall deal with these isolated pockets of criminals. However, I want to reassure the country and our tourists that Uganda is safe and we shall continue to improve the security in our parks. Come and enjoy the Pearl of Africa.  Yoweri K Museveni (@KagutaMuseveni) April 8, 2019

The kidnappers had demanded a $500,000 ransom after grabbing Endicott and her driver from a group of tourists on an evening game drive on April 2, police said.

Last evening, security officials briefed me about the rescue of American tourist Kimberly Sue and her Ugandan guide, Jean Paul Mirenge, who had been kidnapped by criminals in Queen Elizabeth National Park.  Yoweri K Museveni (@KagutaMuseveni) April 8, 2019

Its completely shocking, Sandy Benton, a friend of Endicotts in Southern California, said Monday. I never thought anything like this would happen to her.

Benton called Endicott an adventure seeker and world traveler, saying it wasnt surprising that she would travel to Uganda on her own.

I just prayed for her and hoped for safe return, Benton said. Im glad to hear shell be on her way home soon. I cant imagine how traumatic that was for her. She had to be terrified.

Megan Barth, a longtime client and friend of Endicotts who lives in Las Vegas, said Endicott is an animal lover who long dreamed of traveling to Africa to see gorillas in the wild.

It was definitely on the bucket list for her, Barth said. Shes a wanderlust, and shes always been a wanderlust. She always was wanting to travel and experience different cultures.

Barth said shes been overcome with worry since Endicott was kidnapped.

Over the past week, Ive just been prayingpraying in the shower, praying while Im driving, praying while having my cup of coffee, she said. My whole entire day was consumed by her because I knew she was in such an awful, traumatic place.

Benton and Barth said they hope Endicott isnt too scarred by the experience and is touched by those worldwide who have reached out to her family while she was held.

Hopefully she just feels a lot of love, Benton said.

Barth said if anyone can make it through such an experience, its Endicott.

Shes such a lovely, warm-hearted, beautiful spirit, she said. She will somehow turn this traumatic experience into something that is not only a healing experience for her but an experience she can use to help others.

Endicott, who has a small skin care shop in Costa Mesa, is in her 50s and has a daughter and granddaughter, according to Phoenix resident Rich Endicott, who told The Associated Press that he hadnt spoken with his cousin since a family reunion several years ago.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said last week at an event for families of U.S. citizens held captive overseas that he understands some people want to do anything to get their loved ones back but paying ransom would just lead to more kidnappings.

Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is near the porous border with Congo, is Ugandas most popular safari destination. Its attractions include groups of tree-climbing lions.
Former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Construction and Maintenance conference on April 05, 2019 in Washington. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Ukrainian Prosecutor Reopens Corruption Case Involving Biden

Commentary

The chief prosecutor in Ukraine recently revealed that hes reopening a corruption probe into Ukraines largest private gas company that could have profound implications for the presidential aspirations of former Vice President Joe Biden.

The company, Burisma Holdings, appointed Bidens son, Hunter, to its board of directors in 2014, and reportedly paid him more than $3 million during a 14-month period to head its legal team.

Burisma was then facing a state investigation over allegations that company Chairman Nikolai Zlochevskiy had used his official position as Minister of Environment in the pro-Russian government of Viktor Yanukovych to award the company lucrative oil and gas permits.

While the probe was underway, then-Vice President Biden made more than a dozen trips to Ukraine, ostensibly to support the new government of Petro Poroshenko. But during one of those trips in 2016, the vice president threatened to withdraw U.S. aid if Poroshenko didnt fire the prosecutor general in charge of the Burisma probe.

Biden boasted of his success in getting Poroshenko to fire the prosecutor in a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations in January 2018, a year after leaving office.

And I went over, I guess, the 12th, 13th time to Kiev. And I was supposed to announce that there was another billion-dollar loan guarantee, Biden said. When Poroshenko refused to fire the prosecutor, Biden said he had authority from President Barack Obama to pull the loan guarantee.

I looked at them and said, Im leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, youre not getting the money.  He got fired.

Current Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko told The Hills John Solomon that he was reopening the investigation his office had closed after Biden succeeded in convincing the Ukrainian president to remove his predecessor, Viktor Shokin.

Shokin himself confirmed in written answers to questions from Solomon that before he was fired, he was planning to conduct interrogations and other crime-investigation procedures into all members of the [Burisma] executive board, including Hunter Biden.

Bidens staff and, indeed, the Democratic National Committee leadership should have seen this coming. Its not as if Hunter Bidens appointment to the Burisma board was a secret, nor the fact that he got paid large sums of money for his services, at the same time that his powerful father was intervening in the companys favor with the president of Ukraine.

This is no skeleton in Uncle Joes closet. Its a raw cadaver, and it stinks to high heaven, despite the mounds of dirt piled on top of it by the national media.

The Wall Street Journal first announced Hunter Bidens appointment to the Burisma board in May 2014 in a Page 4 item; one columnist in The Washington Post called Hunter Bidens behavior nefarious.

But when asked by a reporter around the time of the appointment to comment, then-White House press secretary Jay Carney said the White House saw no problem with the younger Bidens business dealings in Ukraine.

Hunter Biden and other members of the Biden family are obviously private citizens, and where they work does not reflect an endorsement by the administration or by the vice president or president, Carney said.

Following that White House comment, the media obediently buried Joe Bidens gross conflict of interest until 2018, when Peter Schweizer, president of the Government Accountability Institute, detailed the allegations in a book titled Secret Empires: How the American Political Class Hides Corruption and Enriches Family and Friends.

The bottom line is, Joe Biden was the Obama administrations point-person on policy towards Ukraine, Schweizer said on April 2. He steered $1.8 billion in aid to that government, and while he was doing so, his son got a sweetheart deal with this energy companythat weve been able to trace over just a 14-month periodpaid $3.1 million into an account where Hunter Biden was getting paid.

Schweizer supported his allegation that the payments amounted to a sweetheart deal by noting that Hunter Biden had no background in Ukraine and no background in energy policy.

Theres really no legitimate explanation as to why he got this deal with the energy company, other than the fact his father was responsible for doling out money in Ukraine itself, Schweizer said.

The Ukrainian prosecutor general promises to turn over investigative files to the U.S. Department of Justice, so Joe Bidens Ukraine scandal could just be getting started.

A source close to the prosecutor said last week that he was also investigating a corrupt intervention by Ukrainian authorities in the 2016 election in favor of Hillary Clinton, when they leaked the so-called black ledger of the pro-Russian Party of Regions to U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yavonovitch, an Obama appointee who remains on the job today.

They also leaked the ledger to The New York Times, which ran a front-page story alleging that the ledger included $12.7 million in payments to then-Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, leading candidate Trump to fire Manafort from the campaign.

We know the black ledger is real, but knowing the Party of Regions, we cant say if money allegedly paid to Paul Manafort was actually given to Manafort, Ukrainian Member of Parliament Volodymyr Ariev told me.

Joe Biden might soon be looking back on the inappropriate touching allegations with regret. Not regret for his actions, but regret that public attention so quickly drifted off to other, more damaging scandals.

Kenneth R. Timmerman is the best-selling author of ISIS Begins and was a member of the national security and foreign policy advisory board of Trump for President. He was co-nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 with Ambassador John Bolton for his work on Iran.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A delivery worker holding a bouquet of flowers and wearing wings poses during a Valentine's day event by Chinese e-commerce company JD.com in Chengdu, China's Sichuan province on February 12, 2019. (FRED DUFOUR/AFP/Getty Images)

Viral Social Media Post Sheds Light on Company Culture at Top Chinese E-Retailer

An internal email from the founder of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com was recently leaked online, drawing public shock at what it revealed about the ruthless, competitive company culture.

Three Types of Employees

Since April 8, one of the most popular trending topics on Weibo, a social media platform similar to Twitter is, JD.com responding to its plan to eliminate three types of employees.

The social media post that started the uproar was an email message posted on Maimai.cn, a Chinese social media platform similar to LinkedIn where career professionals share news and experiences. A user who is also a verified JD.com employee (Maimai requests users to verify ones identity with workplace information) shared a company email sent several days ago, where it explains that JD.com will get rid of three types of employees soon. Although the post was soon deleted, netizens who saved screenshots of the email spread it to other social media.

From the screenshot, it defined the three types as: 1. Those who cant work as hard as a fighter. No matter if ones performance is good or bad, no matter the position, no matter how long he/she has worked at JD.com, and no matter if there are personal health or family reasons [for not working as hard], those employees must be eliminated or fired;

2. Those who are not capable and whose performance is bad;

3. Those with low price-performance ratio, including: employees who were promoted continually with an increasing salary, or those who were transferred to a new position, losing their cost-effectiveness. These employees must give up their positions to younger and lower cost employees. Or they should [voluntarily] lower their positions and salaries.

According to its 2018 annual report, JD.com has more than 178,000 full-time employees as of Dec. 31, 2018. More than half of them work at JD Logistics, the parcel delivery department of JD.com. In other words, most JD.com employees are couriers.

On April 3, several verified JD.com employees shared via Maimai that JD.com had terminated couriers basic salaries, so their monthly income would only come from commissions made on their deliveries. JD.com determines how many deliveries a staffer would receive in a day. This new policy has prompted those who do not have enough delivery assignments to resign.

JD.com Response

On April 8, JD.com responded to the viral post via its official account on Maimai, saying that the post was a one-sided interpretation that distorted the meaning of the whole email.

The company also sought to explain the rationale behind eliminating salaries for couriers: Now that JD logistics is a separate entity, and serves not only JD.com orders, but also a large amount of orders from external companies, big clients, and the personal parcel delivery service, the old salary structure is no longer suitable for the current situation.

This response angered some JD.com employees, who posted on Maimai again and revealed that the company email was actually sent by JD.com founder Richard Liu.

Many were shocked at how JD.com evaluated its employees by their price-performance ratio.

The state-run Beijing Evening News noted in an April 8 report: Price-performance ratio is used on products. It is a big innovation to use it on people. But this innovation is against humanity because it turns human beings into objects and tools.

State-run financial newspaper China Fund quoted netizens on April 8: Eliminating employees who cant spend all their energy on working because of a family or physical health situation [JD.coms] image will be completely destroyed.

Since Liu was arrested in the United States on rape charges in September 2018, JD.coms reputation has taken a dive, despite Liu being released and prosecutors deciding not to press charges.

Earlier in February, state-run magazine China Entrepreneur reported that JD.com had confirmed it would lay off 10 percent of its vice president or higher level managers, a pool of 80 to 100 staffers.

Since then, Zhang Chen, JD.coms Chief Technology Officer, Rain Long, Chief Legal Officer, and Lan Ye, Chief Public Affairs Officer, have resigned. They all cited personal or family reasons for leaving the company.
Ezekiel Hicks, 25, was arrested on murder charges in the death of 41-year-old Craig Brewer in Gainesville, Florida, on April 7, 2019. (Alachua County Sheriffs Office)

Waffle House Good Samaritan Shot to Death Handing Out $20 Bills

A good Samaritan was shot and killed in Florida while handing out $20 bills and paying for meals at a Waffle House restaurant.

The Alachua County Sheriffs Office said in a statement that 41-year-old Craig Brewer was fatally shot on April 7 at the Gainesville eatery, located about 4 miles from the University of Florida campus.

Ezekiel Hicks, 25, is in custody facing murder charges.

Deputies arrested 25 year old Ezekiel Hicks following the shooting death of Craig Brewer, 41, at the Waffle House on West Newberry Road just after 3:00am this morning.https://t.co/UM8jFVPJCm pic.twitter.com/XDsZjrCSWu  Alachua Co. Sheriff (@AlachuaSheriff) April 7, 2019

Argument Turns Deadly

Officials with the Alachua County Sheriffs Office said in a statement that prior to the shooting, Hicks and the victim were involved in an altercation.

Witnesses cited by ABC News said the victim was arguing with a female acquaintance of the suspect. The woman was allegedly upset because she didnt benefit from Brewers big-hearted splurge.

Hicks became involved in the dispute, police said, and then left the restaurant to get a 9mm handgun.

Police said at least one bystander tried to persuade Hicks not to go back into the Waffle House.

Despite the efforts of at least one bystander, the suspect went back inside and immediately approached the victim, said Lt. Brett Rhodenizer, an Alachua County Sheriffs Office spokesman, adding, a physical fight ensued near the entrance.

Police said that during the scuffle, the gunman shot the victim in the head.

As the fight continued, the suspect took the handgun from his pants and shot Brewer in the head, Rhodenizer noted.

A dude in a big shirt, a really big dude in a green shirt came in, shot some dude in the head and ran away, a caller told a 911 dispatcher, according to WCJB.

Hicks was arrested in the parking lot. He faces charges of first-degree murder and carrying an unlicensed firearm.

Police recovered the weapon at the scene.

Shooting Caught on Camera

Sheriffs officials said the entire incident was caught on the restaurants surveillance cameras.

Out of all the investigations that Ive seen, very seldom do you have an incident from start to finish on video that ends in a murder, Rhodenizer said, according to ABC.

This incident went from a verbal altercation to a homicide in minutes, if not seconds, Rhodenizer told the news outlet.

Waffle House Shooting

In related news, at least four people died when a nearly nude gunman opened fire at a Waffle House restaurant near Nashville, Tennessee, on April 22, 2018.

Literally in my backyard. Keeping an eye out from upstairs window. Scary pic.twitter.com/DJHrqvRN9t  Jeremy Searcy (@jear_me) April 22, 2018

The death toll could have been higher if not for fast action by a 29-year-old hero who snatched away the shooters rifle, likely saving many more lives, said Don Aaron, spokesman for the Metropolitan Nashville Police, Reuters reported.

Travis Reinking, 29, was later arrested in connection with the incident. He escaped immediately following the shooting, but was discovered the next day after a manhunt, NBC News reported.

Reinking was later deemed unfit to stand trial.

He was evaluated by Dr. Rena Isen, a forensic psychologist with the Middle Tennessee Mental Health Institute. She announced her findings in court on Aug. 22, 2018. She said he is schizophrenic, has hallucinations, and doesnt understand the court system, WSMV reported.

General Sessions Judge Mark Fishburn said Reinking needs to stay at a secure mental facility, otherwise he could cause more harm to the public or hurt himself.

He is ill and he needs help. Im not angry. Im not upset at all. He needs help, said DiAngelo Groves, brother of DeEbony Groves, one of the victims, via WSMV.

Fishburn said the court will check back every six months while Reinking undergoes treatment for mental illness.
Watchdog Probe Into Surveillance of Trump Campaign to Wrap Up by May or June

The Department of Justice inspector general will complete his investigation into potential surveillance abuses against the Trump campaign by May or June, according to Attorney General William Barr.

Barr revealed the expected release of the watchdog report in testimony to lawmakers during a House budget hearing on April 9, after Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) asked the attorney general how it came to be that a salacious and unverified dossier was used to spy on an American citizen.

Aderholt was referring to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant the FBI used to surveil former Trump campaign associate Carter Page over the course of a year. The bureau used the then-unverified and now-debunked Steele dossier, funded by the Clinton campaign as the rationale for the warrant.

The office of the inspector general has a pending investigation of the FISA process in the Russian investigation and I expect that to be completed probably in May or June, I am told, Barr responded. So, hopefully, well have some answers from Inspector General Horowitz on the issue of the FISA warrants.

DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz has been investigating the use of the FISA warrants in the Russia investigation since March last year. In addition to using shoddy and politicized evidence, the bureaus process for obtaining the warrants was riddled with abnormalities.

Barr also revealed that he himself is looking into the conduct of officials who worked the Russia investigation, most of whom have either been fired or left the bureau.

More generally, I am reviewing the conduct of the investigation and trying to get my arms around all the aspects of the counterintelligence investigation that was conducted during the summer of 2016, Barr said.

The attorney general said he hasnt received the criminal investigation referrals from Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) that the lawmaker mentioned earlier in the week. Nunes said he plans to refer eight people for criminal investigation for conspiring to lie to the FISA court and Congress.

I havent seen the referrals yet from congressman Nunes, but obviously if there is a predicate for an investigation, it will be conducted, Barr said.

Democrats on the committee pressed Barr for more information on the final report by special counsel Robert Mueller. The special counsel took over the Russia investigation from the FBI in May 2017.

Barr said the mid-April deadline for releasing the report still stands. The attorney general said redactions in the report will be color-coded to indicate which rationale was used to withhold the information.

Barr also dismissed accusations that he was hasty to release the March 24 letter outlining the conclusions of the report. He told lawmakers he met with Mueller on March 4 for a preliminary discussion of the report and that Muellers thinking wasnt a mystery to people he interfaced with at DOJ, including Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

The DOJ offered to have Mueller review the March 24 letter, but the special counsel declined, according to Barr.

Mueller concluded that neither Trump nor anyone in his campaign colluded with Russia. Mueller also summarized the reasoning for and against bringing an obstruction charge against Trump; Barr concluded there wasnt enough evidence to take the case to court.

Former FBI Deputy Assistant Director Peter Strzok launched the counterintelligence investigation of the Trump campaign in late July 2016. Strzok and his mistress, FBI attorney Lisa Page, exchanged text messages that exposed their bias against Trump, their intent to stop him from becoming president, plans for an insurance policy in the unlikely event Trump won the election, and the prospect of impeachment once Trump became the president-elect. Mueller removed Strzok from the special counsel probe upon learning about the text messages.

The FBI obtained the first warrant to surveil Carter Page in October 2016. The application for the warrant alleged that he was an agent of Russia; Page was never charged with any crime and vehemently denies the allegation.

The core of the warrant application consists of evidence from the so-called Steele dossier. Former British spy Christopher Steele compiled the dossier by paying second- and third-hand sources with ties to the Kremlin for the information. The Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee ultimately funded the dossier.

The officials who compiled the application failed to disclose that the dossier was funded by Trumps political opponent in the 2016 election. The bureau was also aware that Steele was biased against Trump but failed to include the information in the warrant application.

Former FBI Director James Comey and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe both signed off on the applications. Both have since been fired by the Trump administration.

In addition to the inspector general and attorney general inquiries, the potential abuses of the FISA system are the subject of an investigation by the Senate Judiciary Committee; Chairman Lindsey Graham announced the investigation last month. He also called for the appointment of a second special counsel to probe the conduct of officials who ran the Russia investigation.
The annual Kite Flying Festival returns to Greenwich Point Park Beach Saturday, April 27, with a raindate of Sunday, April 28.

Participants are encouraged to bring kites of all shapes and sizes, made of plastic, paper or fabric, and may join in a free raffle for gift certificates to Smart Kids Toys. Special award ribbons are given to all high fliers.

The festival is sponsored by the Greenwich Arts Council, the Town Department of Parks and Recreation, India Cultural Center of Greenwich (ICC) and Smart Kids.

Greenwich Point Park, 7 Tods Driftway, Old Greenwich. Saturday, April 27, 11:30 a.m., with a raindate of Sunday, April 28, noon. 203-862-6750, info@greenwicharts.org
The social worker is visiting the mother on another issue, but skillfully turns the conversation to sleep safety for the infant in the mothers arms.

So, would I be able to see where the baby sleeps? the social workers asks.

The conversation was part of a simulated training exercise that Vannessa Dorantes, the new commissioner of the Department of Children and Families, used Monday to get the word out about safe sleeping for infants.

According to the Center for Disease Control, approximately 3,500 infants die each year in the United States in unsafe sleep environments, Dorantes said at a news conference on the grounds of the Department of Veterans Affairs. For several years now we explicitly require that our social workers talk to caretakers of infants and very young children about how they practice safe sleep every time they go to the home.

Faith Vos Winkel, the states Assistant Child Advocate, said Connecticut loses on average a classroom size of children just to safe sleep issues every year. She said that from 2013 to 2018, the state lost 123 infants to sleep-related deaths, noting that number does not include children who die of other causes.

DCF is attempting to combat this problem, but Dorantes said the agency sometimes struggles to get the message across even when it has followed up with families.

Its not as easy as just talking to a family about safe sleep and then the problem is solved, Dorantes said. We have seen unsafe sleep tragedies when the documentation is very clear that we spoke with the family multiple times.

The quality of the discussion and engagement with the family is critical, Dorantes said, which is why the departments simulation laboratory work is valuable.

A non-profit Wethersfield-based group called FAVOR, Inc., which works to empower families as advocates for children, partners with DCF to do the training, providing staff members who play the role of family members so DCF social workers can practice their interactions with clients on myriad topics.

On Monday, Maquena Deslandes played the role of the mother, while Brenda Whittingham, who is a DCF social worker trainee, was the worker visiting Deslandes.

In Mondays enactment, the mom, Delsandes, agrees to show Whittingham the bedroom where her baby sleeps and the social worker talks gently with her about safe sleeping rules, which the mom seems to know: a firm mattress, nothing in the crib but the baby, the baby on her back.

But then Whittingham spots folded clothes in the crib. The mom says she only put them there for a short time, but with the moms permission, Whittingham takes the clothes out of the crib and puts them elsewhere.

This is perfect, the Whittingham tells the mom. This is how the baby should be be sleeping. I want to reiterate because we dont want anything to happen to the baby.

Whittingham gets a strong review from the supervisors who analyze the simulation with her, noting that it was good that she actually removed the clothes from the crib.

Dorantes said the Annie E. Casey Foundation recently found that Connecticut had the second lowest child death rate in the country.

But still, she said, in 40 percent of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome cases, unsafe sleeping habits were a factor. The CDC found in a recent national survey that despite widespread warnings against it, about a fifth of survey respondents said they place their baby on the babys side or stomach. Further, 61 percent reported sharing a bed with their infant, and nearly two in five reported using soft bedding  most commonly bumper pads and thick blankets.

All of these practices are dangerous and can be deadly, Dorantes said.

Citing recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dorantes said the rules for creating a safe sleep environment for infants are:

Place the infants on their back to sleep.

Use a firm sleep surface, such as a mattress.

Share a room, but not a bed.

Avoid soft bedding such as blankets, pillows and bumper pads.
NORWALK  A New York man has been arrested on allegations he sexually assaulted another man and tried to forcibly prostitute him to others.

Juan Reyes, 32, of the Bronx, N.Y., was arrested on additional charges of first-degree sexual assault, trafficking in persons, second-degree threatening and first-degree promoting prostitution on Monday, about two weeks after an incident at a Westport Avenue motel first landed him in custody.

Reyes was first arrested March 27 after an incident in which police said he had assaulted a man with whom hed spent the night at the Red Carpet Inn, 469 Westport Ave.

The other man told police that this hadnt been the first meeting between the two, but this rendezvous took a turn when hed awoken to Reyes hands around his neck. Reyes then picked the man up from the bed by his neck, threw him onto a nearby chair and slapped him in the face, police said.

Police said Reyes made the man pose in the chair for photos that he said would be posted for services on a website, police spokesperson Sgt. Sofia Gulino said. The man further claimed that Reyes went on to sexually assault him, police said.

Reyes was located that day at a nearby KFC and arrested. Police said they didnt find any gun or other weapons in his possession, but they did find more than 3.5 grams of marijuana on him.

Reyes was charged that day with third-degree strangulation, second-degree threatening, possession of less than a half-ounce of marijuana and disorderly conduct.

After his most recent arrest, Reyes is being held on $250,000 bond. He was scheduled to appear Tuesday at Stamford Superior Court.
NORWALK  A New York man is facing charges after a drug bender ended with him harming himself and causing damage at a friends home, according to court records.

Police first responded to reports of two motor vehicle burglaries on Clinton Avenue the morning of April 4. At the scene, police observed large amounts of blood on the inside and outside of the cars.

While investigating, detectives received word from an Uber driver who reported having picked up a man bleeding heavily from a nearby gas station on the street. The man, identified as Daniel Lutkevich, 36, of West Haverstraw, N.Y., was ultimately brought to the hospital for injuries to his face.

Detectives eventually learned that a friend had ordered Lutkevich the Uber after he had broken into her home while she was inside earlier that morning, according to a signed affidavit.

Lutkevich, the friend explained in the affidavit, had recently relapsed on drugs and had been in touch with her via phone calls and texts the night before. The affidavit said Lutkevich showed up at her home around 2 a.m., uninvited, and kicked her door in, entering the residence along with a friend, whom she didnt recognize.

Lutkevich was angry and rambling on while his just stood in the corner muttering, the affidavit said. The two proceeded to pour crushed-up pills on to her tabletop and snorted the substance, according to the affidavit.

Lutkevich and his friend got into a fight and caused more damage to the bathroom, records state. Lutkevich went on batter himself in the head with a large glass bowl and a candle holder, the homeowner claimed.

When the woman tried to leave, Lutkevich grabbed her arms, shoved her back and began to drag her by her hair, the documents state. When Lutkevich finally calmed down, the affidavit said, the woman convinced him to take an Uber home.

Detectives later determined that Lutkevich had caused over $1,500 in damages to the home.

Lutkevich was charged with first-degree criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. He was held on $250,000 bond and given a court date of April 5.

Police are still investigating the incident.
(Photo/cjn.cn)

How will spend your retirement? Some might idle around all day, but Chinas greying generation proves that it is never too old to realize your dreams.

Sixty-eight-year-old Lyu Tiema, the eldest legal exam candidate in Beijing, passed the National Uniform Legal Professional Qualification Exam last year, and in April this year he officially enrolled as a trainee lawyer at a law firm in Beijing.

After his retirement in 2012, Lyu begun to read law books whiling taking care of his father. As his understanding of the abstract subject grew, Lyu grew more interested in law, which drove him to participate in the national qualification exam. During the past six years, Lyu has participated in six consecutive exams, and his hard work has finally paid off.

The essence of my success is persistence. I believed I could achieve my goal as long as I stuck to it, Lyu said.

Meanwhile, a group of senior models from central Chinas Hubei province have also seen their age old dreams come true.

With an average age of 68, the male model team caught audiences eyes and won the first prize during their exchange trip to South Korea last November.

Initially, I joined the model team just for fun after retirement, but now I regard it as a career, said 73-year-old Shui Yunsheng, the eldest member of this team.

In addition to receiving an international prize, an old man from China won applause and respect from around the world. Xia Boyu, a 70-year-old double-amputee climber, scaled the worlds highest peak, Qomolangma, last May, becoming the first Chinese double-amputee climber to reach the summit of Qomolangma, touching the hearts of many.

Xia had lost both his legs in 1975 due to frostbite during his first attempt to reach the peak. He challenged the peak again in 2014, 2015, and 2016, but his dreams were shattered owing to an avalanche, earthquake, and bad weather, respectively.

Reaching the summit of Qomolangma was always a dream and goal for me. I fought for it over the past decades. Despite several bad knocks, I never gave up. Perseverance has made my life colorful and meaningful, Xia told Chinese media.

The most important thing in the life is to live truly, regardless of pressure and prejudice from peers, and to pursue your dreams with courage, said Xue Minxiu, an 81-year-old undergraduate at her commencement ceremony at Tianjin University.
GOODFIELD  Five people, including three children, are dead after a weekend fire at a Goodfield mobile home.

Woodford County Coroner Tim Ruestman said Sunday that first responders were notified at 11:19 p.m. Saturday of the fire at 14 Cypress Court in Timberline Trailer Court just north of Goodfield.

Pronounced dead at the scene at 11:55 p.m. were Kathryn Murray, 69, Jason Wall, 34, Rose Alwood, 2, Damien Wall, 2, and Ariel Wall, 1.

Two other residents, Katrina Alwood and her son, Kyle, 9, were treated at a Peoria hospital and released. Katrina Alwood is Jason Walls fiance. Ariel Wall and Damien Wall were Katrina Alwood and Jason Walls children, according to Ruestman.

The cause of the fire was not determined Sunday.

We were asleep and my son heard the explosions and came and woke us up as he was calling 911, said a neighbor, Anna Marie Siebert. My husband and son shot over to see if they could get anyone out. I came over to try and help keep the family back up and away and thats hard to do because they dont want to leave.

Siebert described the scene as surreal, and said her son first believed that he heard gunshots, and then realized it was the sound of explosions coming from inside the trailer.

He looked outside and saw the flames coming out. His first response was to call 911 and get us up, she said. It was just a fireball when we got over here. Flames were shooting out from the center of the home and from this end and there was quite a bit of screaming and crying.

Park Manager Shawn Johnson also was one of the first to arrive on the scene.

I got a call about the fire and that I needed to get over here, he said. I didnt realize the extent until I came around the corner and saw the flames coming out. The living room area was fully engulfed. When I ran around to the back side, it was even worse. At least three-quarters of the trailer was on fire and I could feel the heat.

He said a family member of the trailers residents lives nearby and was trying to get inside to save them, but was unable to because of the intense heat.

He was extremely upset and his face was really smokey, Johnson said.

The fire remains under investigation by the Woodford County Sheriffs Department, the Eureka Goodfield Fire Department, the Woodford County Coroners office, Illinois State Police and the Illinois Fire Marshall.

Results from autopsies scheduled for Sunday were not available late Sunday afternoon. Fire departments from Eureka, Congerville and Delavan also assisted.

The family had lived in the trailer for about a year, Johnson said.

Anytime you lose a life, its a big deal, but to the people in this park, its heartfelt and hits real close to home, he said. I know the folks that were in there. Jason is a combat veteran and we would talk. I was never in combat, but I know just recently he was going to get help from the Veterans Administration. He was a quiet guy and never bothered anyone. He had a job at the local gas station for a while.

Siebert said she also saw the family on several occasions.

They were a nice family and would always say hello, Siebert said. It was always fun to see the kids playing outside.

Siebert said she didnt sleep well early Sunday.

I kept hearing it over in my head all night long, just children crying and moms crying for their babies. Its horrible. I have spent years in EMS and like Shawn in the service, we have been seasoned. It never leaves. You just want to go in and hug all of your children and grandchildren and neighbors.

Residents of Timberline Trailer Court gathered outside their homes Sunday morning to console each other.

My granddaughter came and woke me up and told me there was a fire and we might have to leave, said Marie Chockley, who lives a few blocks from the destroyed mobile home. I looked out and the flames were really high in the air. What a terrible tragedy, such a terrible loss. Bless their hearts.

Goodfield is about 110 miles northeast of Jacksonville.
As George Santayana famously said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." I wish both major political parties would remember those words. Unfortunately, they seem incapable of doing so.

During the course of his presidency, Donald Trump has shown a shocking ignorance of history. He has also undermined firmly established principles by attacking Congress, the courts, the press and our allies. Still, roughly 90 percent of Republicans have, like super glue, stuck to him.

Had a Democrat done any of these things, that Democrat would have been impeached. For example, had Hillary Clinton met with Vladimir Putin without anyone present other than a note taker (and had then confiscated those notes), impeachment would have been a foregone conclusion. Yet that is what Trump did with Putin.

Then there is Trump's undermining of NATO. Or his "waffles" on Afghanistan and Syria. Or, besides Putin, his embrace of dictators like the Philippines' Rodrigo Duterte, Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and North Korea's Kim Jong Un.

It is as if the president has forgotten (if he ever knew it) the history of the past 75 years. While the Mueller report may reveal Trump's motives, one thing is already clear: It is always helpful to reverse roles. If Republicans would scream were a Democrat to do something, why are they mute when a Republican does the same thing?

Republicans seem to have wiped out 75 years of history. What about Democrats, though? Apparently, they, too, have developed historical amnesia.

Less than 50 years ago, the Democrats nominated George McGovern for president. That race didn't end well. McGovern won only Massachusetts and the District of Columbia and lost the electoral college 520 to 17.

What was 1972 like? We were bogged down in the wildly unpopular Vietnam War; we were also a more liberal country than we are today. Still, McGovern was (politically) slaughtered.

More Information Roger H. Hull is a former Union College president and president of the Schenectady-based Help Yourself Foundation. See More Collapse

And since then? The political pendulum has, inexorably, swung to the right.

Democrats seem oblivious to our nation's history. They better learn it quickly.

Take Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. As good a communicator as there is on the political stage, AOC may also be, paradoxically, as dangerous to Democratic prospects as one could envision.

AOC wants more of those who share her vision elected to office. Fine.

Less fine? Threatening to run primary challenges against fellow Democrats who are less liberal. So much for big-tent Democratic unity.

Suddenly, mainstream Democrats are faced with the prospect of a left-wing revolt. In the process, they may be giving a historically unpopular president a good chance at re-election.

There is more, though. With moderates being forced out of the presidential ring because they see no path to victory in Democratic primaries presumed to be dominated by those on the left, the majority of Democrats running are further to the left than are electable.

The Democrats should have two simple objectives  defeating Trump and winning control of the Senate.

With a favorable electoral map in 2020, Democrats should have a very good chance of regaining control of the Senate. Will they? Rather than fielding the best senatorial candidates, Democrats are faced with the prospect of their strongest candidates in states like Colorado, Georgia and Montana choosing to run for president. Hardly a winning formula, especially since those states are politically competitive.

Republicans have shamefully turned their backs on their own history; Democrats have seemingly wiped 1972 from their collective memories. In the process, Democrats, incredibly, may snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Santayana, they both remind us, was right.
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Linkedin Rizki Nauli Siregar (The Jakarta Post) Davis, California  Tue, April 9, 2019 09:03 981 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8731e2d45 3 Opinion tobacco,Industry-4-0,Indonesia Free

Facing the phenomenon of the fourth industrial revolution or more popularly known as Industry 4.0, Indonesia has come up with a roadmap to stay competitive globally. The roadmap Making Indonesia 4.0, launched last year, proposes 10 national strategies in revitalizing the manufacturing sector and five priority industries which are perceived to have the capacity and significant impact in the adoption of the fourth industrial revolution. These five industries are food and beverage industry, textile and apparel industry, automotive industry, electronics industry and chemical industry.

In this regard, the current roadmap seems to focus more on adopting frontier skills and technologies, yet less on how to mitigate adverse impact on industries and workers whose skills may become obsolete due to the technological changes that the Industry 4.0 entails. However, a countrys readiness in winning the race in the industrial revolution does not rely only on the former but also the latter.

In this article, I propose to add tobacco industry as a strategic industry to be the champion in starting Making Indonesia 4.0. As both producer and consumer of tobacco products, Indonesia has a unique position to pilot the adoption of the Industry 4.0 on the tobacco industry. I offer four reasons on why this industry is critical in providing learning ground to achieve both aspects of Indonesias readiness in embracing the technological transformation of the fourth industrial revolution, ie.the adoption of frontier skills and technology as well as assisting workers who will be adversely impacted by the revolution.

First, tobacco industry has become a sunset industry. As the demand for products of tobacco industry from developed economies slows down, the industry has been targeting more into the market of developing economies including Indonesia. Indonesia itself has been a country of smokers. Expenditure on cigarettes come up as the top expenditure, just below rice, for poor households.

There are various studies showing the cost of smoking exposure including the opportunity costs from loss in productivity due to all smoking-related diseases as well as the intergenerational cost of having higher probability of stunting children for households with smokers as studied by Dartanto et al. (2018). Despite unfortunately the current business as usual standpoint, sooner or later the society will find justification to regulate smoking more stringently. Hence, downsizing of the industry is an imminent reality. In this regard, providing assistance to the workers who will be adversely affected necessary. Rather than waiting for the downsizing to take effect unanticipatedly, the government can start assistance in skills transformation from these workers.

Second, tobacco industry in Indonesia has a unique characteristic which makes it suitable to be a pilot in implementing Making Indonesia 4.0: the industry is highly spatially concentrated. A study by the World Bank (2017) shows that 94 percent of workers in tobacco industry live in Central Java, East Java and West Nusa Tenggara. Employment by the tobacco industry in some districts in these province even accounts for almost one third of total workforce.

The high spatial concentration allows targeting of assistance easier as identification of beneficiaries can be clearly located, reached out, and monitored. It will be politically more feasible as well, as the benefits from the program is more localized so that local governments would be able to benefit from the program directly.

The new accumulated skills as well as crop diversification for tobacco farmers in these regions emerge as new local source of growth. In addition, employment will be less dependent on the tobacco industry. This is important because productivity in the tobacco industry is relatively low. It is just one third of the productivity in the textile industry in 2014 (World Bank, 2017).

Thus, transforming workforce to higher productivity sectors will accelerate poverty alleviation and boost local economic growth. This in turn will ensure the sustainability of local government revenue as well as improve investment attractiveness.

Third, the tobacco industry faces high automation risk as the type of work that the current workers deliver is both manual and routine tasks. Worldwide, tasks with the two features are the one that are being automated first. Most workers in the industry are women and unskilled as well. This group of workforce is exactly the ones that is very vulnerable to adverse impact of automation and digital-technology intensification as shown by the seminal paper of Autor, Levy and Murnane (2003). This reason makes it even more justified to prioritize the tobacco industry as receiver of skill transformation program and assistance, a program that is suggested also by the roadmap Making Indonesia 4.0.

Once the industry adopts more automation, it will reduce its labor intensity. Such risk is imminent and prevalent as the cost to adopt automation technology keeps decreasing globally. Meanwhile, locally, Indonesia can no longer rely on the advantages of having cheap labor in the long run. According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), tobacco industry only employ two percent of employment in manufacturing nationally. This relatively low share of workforce makes tobacco industry the perfect ground and a low hanging fruit to commence the program. The experience from implementation of the program by the tobacco industry can better guide the government and related stakeholders in scaling up Making Indonesia 4.0 to other manufacturing industries.

Fourth, tobacco industry in Indonesia has deep domestic value chain. Most of the value chain is also located in Java and Sumatera, where infrastructure, both in terms of physical infrastructure and access to capital and market, is relatively well developed. This condition allows facilitation and assistance to beneficiaries especially in regards to skill or crop diversification to be easier. Access to capital as well as technical assistance can be delivered more easily and less costly. Lessons learned from facilitation and assistance provision along all the value chain is an important lesson to guide and shape the proliferation of the Industry 4.0 in Indonesia, on whichever industry and sector.

Sooner or later, this industry needs serious and holistic attention. As the industry becomes more pivoted towards developing countries market, the industry will become more and more domestic-oriented. Is this what we as a society want? On the other hand, risk mitigation is far from impossible and is definitely doable, if there is political will and commitment.

***

The writer is PhD candidate in Economics at University of California Davis, with specialization in international trade and labor economics.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
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Linkedin Hugo Seymour (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, April 9, 2019 12:04 981 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873232518 3 Opinion ASEAN,Indo-Pacific,geopolitics,international-relations,multilateralism,multilateral-relations Free

For more than 50 years, ASEAN has underpinned peaceful cooperation between its Southeast Asian member states. The ASEAN Charters principles of amity, dialogue and consensus have encouraged regional stability, economic integration and development. As such, ASEAN nations such as Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam have been able to prosper and add economic weight to an already dynamic region.

Further, ASEAN has distinctively sat at the center of the wider regions architecture, convening diplomatic arrangements and the meetings of strategic forums. ASEANs habits of dialogue have ensured that every year, the leaders and senior ministers of regional powers both large and small gather for a frank discussion on current issues.

As the East Asia Summit, ASEAN Regional Forum and ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus have grown in stature, so has the significance of ASEANs convenorship in facilitating the common understanding required to address regional challenges.

However, as analysis of what constitutes the region has transformed over recent years, so have questions arisen about the certainty of ASEAN centrality and the efficacy of ASEAN processes. Since 2013 a number of countries, including Australia and Japan, have formally adopted the vision of an Indo-Pacific regional construct.

In part, the Indo-Pacific construct is an elegant extension of the Asia-Pacific construct. As India and Indonesia rise, the Indo-Pacific more appropriately recognizes their growing significance in a broader regional framework, along with China, Japan, the United States, Australia and other powers in Asia. For some, the Indo-Pacific encapsulates the east coast of emerging Africa.

However, in a changing world increasingly characterized by contestation and competition, even revised regional constructs can cause uncertainty. This is evident within ASEAN, who as a consensus-driven body is yet to form a common position on the Indo-Pacific. It has perhaps been unhelpful towards this cause that the Indo-Pacific construct has been conflated by some across the region with determinedly narrower entities, such as the purely dialogue-focused arrangement of the Quad. This has led to some consternation as to what the Indo-Pacific is, what it represents, and what it means for ASEAN.

For Australia, the Indo-Pacific is simply a concept to best understand and frame the geoeconomic and geopolitical forces shaping the region; it is not a strategy or institution in itself. Significantly, the view from Australia is one looking north to an Indo-Pacific that has ASEAN unambiguously at its center.

As economic currents flow east and west across the Indian and Pacific Oceans, increasingly it is the rising countries of Indonesia and Vietnam that are driving this ASEAN-centered confluence. As strategic currents in the Indo-Pacific shift south and west from North Asia to India and Indonesia, the regions strategic center of gravity is drawn to ASEAN.

In a recent piece in The Jakarta Post, Indonesian scholar Dino Patti Djalal called for ASEAN to take the lead on the Indo-Pacific, and work to ensure ASEAN retains its central role amid the growing complexity of regional relationships. Djalal, a former ambassador to the US, argued that an ASEAN-adopted and ASEAN-led Indo-Pacific understanding will facilitate more inclusive regional processes, and more effective regional diplomacy.

This is sound advocacy  only an ASEAN-adopted and ASEAN-centered Indo-Pacific construct will enable nations to develop a common understanding of new regional challenges, and provide the necessary diplomatic mechanisms to discuss and deal with these challenges.

Many countries recognize this and are actively advancing an Indo-Pacific construct that is underpinned by ASEAN centrality. Delivering his first public address in late March as Japans new Ambassador to Australia Reiichiro Takahashi told a Perth Conference on Australia-Japan-ASEAN relations that Japans Indo-Pacific vision is founded on the centrality and unity of ASEAN. Ambassador Takahashi declared, ASEAN, sitting between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, takes center stage in any initiative to bolster regional security and stability.

Also addressing the conference was Philip Green, Australias first assistant secretary for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trades new US and Indo-Pacific Strategy Division. Green advocated for an Indo-Pacific, where ASEAN and the ASEAN-centered regional architecture maintains its central role and helps set the rules and norms for behavior in the region.

Most importantly, for an ASEAN-centered Indo-Pacific construct to prevail it must be recognized and embraced by ASEAN itself. Recent diplomatic initiatives are showing positive signs. The March High Level Dialogue on Indo-Pacific Cooperation, convened by Indonesia in Jakarta, focused on enhancing regional cooperation initiatives across the breadth of a shared Indo-Pacific. At the Perth forum later that week, Indonesias role in advancing an ASEAN-led Indo-Pacific vision was praised by many, including Ambassador Takahashi.

Whilst accepting each nation has its own geostrategic outlook, a shared understanding of the Indo-Pacific will be essential in managing the challenges arising in the most dynamic and congested part of the world. To advance this shared understanding, ASEAN leadership and region-wide recognition of ASEAN-led processes is pivotal. With ASEAN firming at the geographic, diplomatic and strategic center of the Indo-Pacific, the prospects of upholding the principles that have enabled decades of peaceful regional development are bright.

***

The writer is a research officer at the Perth USAsia Center, based at the University of Western Australia.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
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Linkedin Retno LP Marsudi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, April 9, 2019 14:06 981 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8731fd6e1 3 Opinion peacekeepers,women-empowerment,peace-mission,United-Nations Free

The issue of women in peace processes is very dear to me. Not only because I am a female diplomat, but most importantly because of the many inspiring concrete examples of women as agents of peace, agents of tolerance and agents of prosperity.

Research has shown that womens participation in peace negotiations can increase the likelihood of sustained peace by 20 percent. Unfortunately for us, womens participation in peace processes is still an exception rather than the norm.

Indonesia has put a lot of effort into enhancing the role of women in political and decision-making processes. In the House of Representatives, more and more women are becoming legislators, and a quarter of our Cabinet are women ministers, who hold strategic portfolios

As a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, Indonesia has always emphasized womens participation in peace processes. One concrete effort to address this challenge is Indonesias initiative in the convening of the Regional Training on Women Peace and Security for young female diplomats of the region this week. This training is aimed at empowering the capacity of female diplomats as peace negotiators and mediators.

Most importantly, the training is expected to generate and nurture a pool of capable female peace negotiators and mediators in the region toward the creation of Southeast Asian women mediators and peacekeepers. This regional network can work hand-in-hand with similar networks from other regions to establish a global coalition of women for peace and security.

On my part, I am striving to push for Indonesias active role in numerous security issues.

In support of the Palestinian cause, I have recently inaugurated training for women entrepreneurs in refugee camps to empower women to achieve sustainable development goals.

In Afghanistan, Indonesia continues to meaningfully promote peace and wellbeing by among other things organizing numerous capacity building efforts for Afghan women.

On the issue of Rakhine state in Myanmar, Indonesia has been working with ASEAN to support a sustainable and comprehensive solution, including the involvement of the ASEAN Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Center) in the conduct of needs assessment to assist the repatriation process of the displaced persons in a voluntary, safe, secure and dignified manner.

Globally, volumes of cases have proven that the role of women in peace processes and conflict resolution is undeniable and crucial.

While there have been notable successes, reports from UN Women show that during peace processes recorded between 1990 to 2017, women made up only 2 percent, 5 percent and 8 percent of mediators, witnesses and negotiators, respectively. Moreover, UN data shows that only 5.5 percent of UN peacekeepers are female.

This situation is unacceptable and should be rectified immediately.

How can this be achieved? I propose a two-level approach.

At the regional level, there is a need to further promote the agenda of women, peace and security.

In Southeast Asia, ASEAN leaders adopted a joint statement in 2017 on promoting women, peace and security in ASEAN that encourages the integration of gender perspectives in all conflict-prevention initiatives and building the capacity of women as peacebuilders.

Furthermore, we should continue to strengthen the relevant ASEAN bodies, in particular, the ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation (AIPR), which seeks to promote gender mainstreaming in peace-building, peace-processes and conflict resolution, consonant with the aims of AIPRs aims and purposes to create a pool of experts.

At the global level, women as agents of peace are most visible in their role in peacekeeping operations.

Female peacekeepers possess better situational awareness, can provide comfortable protection of civilians from sexual and gender-based violence, and are more easily acceptable in winning the hearts and minds of the local community.

As such, Indonesia continues to encourage and prepare more of its able female peacekeepers by including the issue of gender in UN peacekeeping as part of the regular curriculum at the Indonesian Peacekeeping Training Center.

But we also need to redouble our efforts on several fronts.

First, there must be a concerted effort to raise awareness of the vital role of female peacekeepers. Second, we need to increase cooperation and collaboration among troop-contributing countries that send female peacekeepers. Third, we may consider the establishment of a global coalition of women for peace and tolerance that consists of female peacekeepers, women negotiators and mediators.

Investing in women equals investing in peace. I now call on everyone to work together on our common goal of securing peace and stability.

***

The writer is Indonesian foreign minister. The article is based on her speech at the opening of the Regional Training on Women Peace and Security in Jakarta on April 8.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
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Linkedin Editorial Board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, April 9, 2019 09:08 981 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8731e462a 1 Editorial #Editorial,politics,#2019GeneralElections,#2019PresidentialElection,Jokowi,Prabowo-Subianto,2019-presidential-election,political-campaign Free

Desperate times call for desperate measures. As the presidential election campaign enters its final stage this week, both candidates have redoubled their efforts to move the needle in their favor.

Incumbent President Joko Jokowi Widodo, eager to pull ahead in the public opinion polls, which he expects to translate into a wide margin of victory on April 17, has stepped up his campaign based on the achievements of his first term in office. In recent months, Jokowi has also made fresh pledges, including a pre-employment scheme that would provide benefits for job seekers and access to cheap basic commodities for the poor in the country. If implemented, those subsidies would surely add a new burden to the state budget.

The Gerindra Partys presidential candidate, Prabowo Subianto, desperate to play catch-up in the polls (he is now trailing Jokowi by 18 percent according to some pollsters), has in recent weeks ramped up his attacks on the incumbent. There have been efforts to attack Jokowis performance on the economic front, but most of the time Prabowo and his team have focused on playing the identity and religion cards.

Nothing illustrates better how Prabowo plays the Islamic card than Sundays open-air campaign at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. The event was thick with religious fervor right from the start when tens of thousands performed mass dawn prayers in the early hours, zikir and Quranic recitals. Other highlights from the event included the moment when Islam Defenders Front (FPI) leader Rizieq Shihab beamed his video message from Saudi Arabia calling for Muslims not to vote for any candidate who was a supporter of the now-defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and liberalism, a veiled attack against Jokowi.

In his speech, Prabowo did reiterate his commitment to Pancasila as the state ideology but the tone and theatrics from the campaign have alarmed many. Former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono would be the last person we would expect to deliver a criticism of the way Prabowo has played the religion card during this election, given the fact his Democratic Party is part of the opposition coalition and also because many have accused him of doing very little to deal with religious extremism while he was in power.

But on Sunday Yudhoyono took the moral high ground and delivered a stinging rebuke to Prabowo. In a written statement he delivered from Singapore, where he is tending to his cancer-stricken wife, Yudhoyono called on Prabowo to stand for unity in diversity and said the campaign rally on Sunday did not reflect an inclusive national campaign.

In spite of (or perhaps because of) his stake in Prabowos coalition, Yudhoyonos willingness to call a spade a spade is worthy of our praise. As national politics becomes more polarized and key political figures are forced to take sides, we need politicians who have the courage to stand up for the countrys founding principles.

You may not like Yudhoyonos politics, but he did the right thing on Sunday. Any political candidates exploiting religion for a short-term gain should heed his call and start putting national unity above politics.
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Linkedin Faiza Mardzoeki (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta  Tue, April 9, 2019 13:37 981 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8731fbd91 3 Opinion history,feminism,women-empowerment,gender-equality,feminist,#Feminism Free

As of 2019, there are 131 women members of the United States congress, the largest number ever. More significant perhaps is the fact that it is from among these women that the sharpest and most critical voices on issues of social justice and democracy have emerged. Two currently popular names are Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (AOC) and Ilhan Omar. Their voices and actions have sparked a new hope among those wishing for social progress and change.

These two women also represent a sector of society that has long been under-represented in the mainstream institutions of the American political system. At 29, AOC is the youngest ever member of the US Congress. She is of Hispanic background; while she has served on various Democratic Party campaigns, her last paid job has been as a waiter and barista. She is not only a member of the Democratic Party but also of the more activist Democratic Socialists.

Meanwhile Omar came to the US as a child. Her family was refugees from Somalia. She became a US citizen at age 17, studied political science at university and threw herself into politics. Her activism was not through the electoral party. She was also, for example, Director of Policy Initiatives of the Women Organizing Women Network. She was the first Muslim woman of African descent to be elected to the US congress and with a vote of 78 percent in her electorate in Minnesota, defying Islamophobic attacks against her. She is the first woman in the US congress to wear a hijab but has not been known as a politician using or profiling religion.

These two women are not products of the Democratic Party machine. In fact, they have both had to fight and defeat the partys established leaderships in order to be elected. Still, even after election, they are in constant conflict with that establishment. If they are not products of the party machine, where have they come from? Over the last several years, a series of quite militant social movements have been emerging. These include the Black Lives Matter movement protesting the killings of black people by police. There has also been the Me Too movement protesting sexual harassment of women by men in positions of power. Since the presidential election of Donald Trump there have been big womens marches against misogyny. There are movements in solidarity with migrants and refugees. It is out of an atmosphere created by this mounting activism that we see figures emerge such as AOC and Omar.

The election of 131 women is also a product of this atmosphere, even if not all these women are progressive, and some even reactionary. The election of Omar, who has spoken out with great courage against the US intervention in Venezuela and against US support for Israels repressive policies against Palestine, as well as support for refugee rights, free education and increase in wages in the US, marks her out as not simply as representative of women but of new more radical voices. AOCs campaign for a green New Deal to fight global warming, and also for a free education and better wages puts her in the same category.

Here in Indonesia, the womens movement has a long history, dating back to the turn of the century. In 1928, the first Indonesian Womens Congress was organized. There were many active womens political organizations of different ideologies. The biggest was easily the Gerakan Wanita Indonesia (Gerwani) that was active up until 1965, when it was suppressed with the rest of the Left. Between the 1970s and 2000s, activity in support of womens rights continued, both under and after the New Order regime. In more recent times, there have been gains in legislation requiring affirmative action in favor of women. Most recently, General Elections Law No. 7/2017 requires 30 percent of a partys candidates to be women, and that there must be at least one woman in every three candidates listed. This has resulted in some increase in the number of women in legislative bodies, and there are also now well-known women cabinet ministers. Vocal lawmakers have included Rieke Diah Pitaloka, Rahayu Saraswati Djojohadikusumo and Eva Sundari.

However, over time their energies have been drained by the low cultural level of elite politics, with its endemic corruption, policy free competition for spoils and a heavy machine bureaucracy. The AOC and Ilhan Omar phenomenon has not arrived in Indonesia yet. There are even still massive problems in getting the bill for the elimination of sexual violence passed.

The affirmative action policy is there to ensure womens participation. Quotas, however, cannot guarantee commitment to progressive policies. In these last weeks of the election campaign, street posters calling for support for women election candidates can be seen everywhere as are various social media postings. However, the rhetoric of these candidates can hardly be distinguished from that of the men and, more importantly, there are no signs of critical voices challenging the Establishment on issues such as wages policy, LGBT rights, environmental issues, human rights violations immunity or even campaigning for the passing of the above bill. The Establishment bears down on them so hard even to the extent of them ending up changing their dress: women who never usually wore the hijab are suddenly wearing them.

One lesson we can perhaps learn from the US experience, which is probably not unique, is that the answer is not some kind of technocratic reform of the political parties. The answer is for more of us, and especially the youth, to be building active social and political movements in the streets and workplaces. A start has, of course, already been made. The brave and consistent militancy of the Kamisan (Thursday) rallies over many years in many towns demanding actions on various human rights violations including the disappeared activists from 1998 is one great example. There have been also womens marches in many towns. Labor unions, including those whose members are mostly women, have been more active. Solidarity with LGBT rights has been more visible.

These movements, however, have not reached the necessary scale required to truly change the political atmosphere, to impact on our deadened political culture. Whether the aim is simply to increase womens involvement in real politics to reflect the fact that Indonesias 266 million people are divided almost 50-50 between men and women -- let alone to strengthen a culture of anti-sexism and social justice generally, the solution will not be found with tinkering further with election laws or regulation or NGOs trying to re-educate party politicians.

The energy of Kamisan, of the Womens Marches, needs to explode onto the national stage. Laws defending freedom of expression and organization protect our rights, but only our collective energy will make them real.

***

The writer is an activist, playwright, theatre producer and director.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
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Linkedin Kornelius Purba (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, April 9, 2019 10:06 981 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8731eb9c4 1 Opinion #commentary,democracy,politics,presidential-election,#2019GeneralElections,#2019PresidentialElection,Jokowi,Prabowo-Subianto Free

Dear readers, please read again The Jakarta Posts editorial of July 4, 2014. Entitled Endorsing Jokowi, the editorial clearly elaborated this newspapers reasons for voting against former Army general Prabowo Subianto. The editorial reminded the nation of the Posts commitment to democracy since the fall of Soeharto in 1998. The context of five years ago is not very different from that which Indonesia is currently facing.

We made a historic breakthrough in terms of democracy in 1999. In 2004, we held our first direct presidential election. It was won by former general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who was reelected in 2009. The 2014 election divided the nation, up until now.

Next weeks election is likely to be peaceful, but Indonesia faces a threat of recurring antidemocratic practices. Although the vast majority of Muslims are tolerant and democratic, the intolerant Islamic movement is feared to be more systemic.

It was a very historic moment for this newspaper five years ago because the implications could have been very serious for this newspaper if Prabowo had won. Will this newspaper make such an endorsement again? Just continue subscribing if you want to know the answer!

Our editorial just five days before the July 9, 2014 presidential election shocked the public. This newspaper became the first Indonesian media outlet to openly support a presidential candidate in its editorial in a free general election. (Dont count the elections during Soehartos 32-year rule, when the winners were decided long before the elections took place!)

The Posts main reasons for supporting the then-Jakarta governor were his opponents track record on human rights, including the alleged kidnapping of prodemocracy activists and his close relationship with hard-line Islamic groups.

We are encouraged that one candidate [Jokowi] has displayed a factual record of rejecting faith-based politics. At the same time we are horrified that the other [Prabowo] affiliates himself with hard-line Islamic groups who would tear the secular nature of the country apart. Religious thugs who forward an intolerant agenda, running a campaign highlighting polarizing issues for short-term gain, the editorial said.

Our democracy will not consolidate if peoples mindsets remain wedged in a security approach, in which militarism is an ideal. A sense that one candidate tends to regard civilian supremacy as subordinate to military efficacy, it continued.

Therefore, the Post feels obliged to openly declare its endorsement of the candidacy of Joko Jokowi Widodo and Jusuf Kalla as president and vice president in the July 9 election. It is an endorsement we do not take lightly. But it is an endorsement we believe to be morally right, the editorial concluded.

Next weeks election will be marked by many more hoaxes on social media, deeper distrust and even hatred between the respective presidential candidates supporters. We are now strongly divided between pro-Jokowi groups, who tout his achievements while in office, and pro-Prabowo groups who raise new and old allegations against Jokowi and his administration.

Prabowo has also tried to discredit the General Elections Commission (KPU), even though despite its shortcomings the KPU has been very credible since 1999. If Prabowo loses against Jokowi again next week, it will be futile for his supporters to blame others for his failure. They did this in 2014, to no avail.

In countering his opponents, Jokowi, however, has accommodated various peoples interests and aspirations, including in picking his running mate Maruf Amin, who is actually closer to the Muslim supporters of Prabowo.

So will it be an attractive rematch? Could Prabowo win this time? Most pollsters predict Jokowi will defeat Prabowo again. But never rule out the possibility that Prabowo will emerge the winner, no matter how small the chance.

But lets first look back at Indonesias historic and incredible achievements in rebuilding democracy since June 7, 1999. We held our first democratic elections just one year after we forced an end to Soehartos authoritarian rule. Historians note our first true elections were held in 1955, which few recall.

The election of June 7, 1999, was a completely peaceful, merry and fair festival of democracy. At that time, there was global concern that Indonesia would become the next Yugoslavia or Soviet Union because most Indonesians had low education, hence democracy appeared to be too sophisticated for voters. But the world was totally wrong about us!

Will the 2019 election be our last democratic one?

I believe next weeks election will be fair, democratic and peaceful, whoever the winner is. This will be our fifth general election in the last 20 years.

By April 18 we will know the winner of the rematch, at least from quick counts.

What if Jokowi wins? Those who cannot accept such a fact may still try to destabilize the government. They are not likely to wait until 2024 when Jokowis term ends. This means democracy is in a danger and the whole nation may regret it one day.

What if Prabowo wins? Im afraid this nation could return to the old practices of antidemocracy and intolerance. Hopefully I will be wrong.

I also hope neither candidate will repeat Prabowos odd claim of five years ago when he declared himself the winner. Just a few minutes after his victory declaration, his supporters whispered to Prabowo, The exit poll results we received were wrong, boss.
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Linkedin (Kyodo News) London  Tue, April 9, 2019 09:03 981 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8731e3621 2 Books Thomas-Lockley,Samurai,Japan,Book,#book,Literature Free

The epic tale of Japan's first foreign-born samurai is soon to hit bookshelves, giving readers a comprehensive picture of a man who witnessed great moments of history but whose story has largely been overlooked in official accounts.

He was an African bodyguard who came to Japan with the Jesuits in 1579 and later became a confidant to chief warlord Oda Nobunaga who was trying to pacify various fighting clans and unify the nation.

Academic Thomas Lockley, an associate professor at Nihon University College of Law in Tokyo and recently a visiting scholar at SOAS University of London, spent nine years trawling through documents and books and visiting battlefields to build up a never-before-told biography of the man, who was called Yasuke in Japan.

Warrior. Samurai. Legend. AFRICAN SAMURAI by Thomas Lockley & @Geoffrey_Girard is the remarkable life of historys first foreign-born samurai, and his astonishing journey from Northeast Africa to the heights of Japanese society. Buy it April 30th here>>> https://t.co/OM0sttGgib pic.twitter.com/EotHCfuOpe  Harlequin Books (@HarlequinBooks) April 7, 2019

Over the years, the African samurai's story has been portrayed in movies, books, anime and manga in Japan. But a lot of the accounts are purely fictional and Lockley thinks now is the time to give a more accurate portrayal.

In an interview with Kyodo News, he said, "I like to find characters who slip through the cracks of history. Japan is now claiming Yasuke to be one of its own as there is a growing appreciation of Japan's multicultural heritage."

While the book is based on primary sources, Lockley has had to add quite a lot of "research-based assumptions" in order to complete the narrative.

Yasuke was born in the 1550s in what is now South Sudan and was part of the Dinka tribe. He was sold as a child slave and trafficked to India where he was employed as a bodyguard to Italian Jesuit Alessandro Valignano, who was charged with developing Catholic missions in the Far East.

They arrived on Japan's southwestern island, Kyushu, in 1579. A few years later, the duo traveled to Kyoto to meet Nobunaga. Hundreds of people in the city turned out to see Yasuke as most people had never seen a black person before.

Nobunaga did not think black people really existed and rubbed Yasuke's skin and tried to "clean it off."

Yasuke could speak Japanese and the two men got on well. Yasuke entertained the warlord with tales from Africa and India. He thrilled Nobunaga with his feats of strength. And it is possible the two may have had a sexual relationship.

As Valignano left Japan he "offered" Yasuke to Nobunaga. Yasuke was subsequently made a samurai -- and is generally accepted in Japan as the first documented foreign-born retainer to a Japanese lord.

Initially, Yasuke was essentially a bodyguard and page and was there to entertain, impress and intimidate visitors to Nobunaga's court.

Lockley said, "Yasuke had a familiarity and ease with Nobunaga that normal Japanese probably couldn't provide."

Read also: This $3,000 G-Shock os inspired by samurai armor

Yasuke was rewarded with a regular income, servants and an ornate Japanese sword -- "all extremely high honors accorded to only the most privileged retainers," said Lockley.

As part of his inner circle, the African samurai fought alongside Nobunaga against other clans.

However, in 1582, Nobunaga was forced to commit ritual suicide during an attempted coup.

Before he died, Nobunaga asked Yasuke to give his head and sword to his son and heir Nobutada. Yasuke did this and then witnessed the son also perform ritual suicide.

But after this point, Yasuke's fate is unclear and Lockley has had to undertake historical detective work.

Yasuke was captured and probably sent back to Nagasaki to work with the Jesuit community.

Evidence points to Yasuke working as a trade advisor to Japanese lords in southwestern Japan and possibly traveling to the Philippines and the Korean peninsula.

Alternatively, he could have been employed as a pirate, given his experience on the high seas and alleged physical strength.

The book also raises the strong possibility that he had descendants living in Japan. It is plausible he had several wives and the book contains an intriguing photo taken in 1864 of a samurai assistant to a Japanese lord who is of mixed race appearance.

Explaining Yasuke's enduring appeal through the generations, Lockley said, "I think it is the romance and tragedy of someone who rises from nothing to become a hero in a far-off country and then perhaps loses it all again.

"Or, then again, maybe he doesn't and he carries on his success in service to another lord? We just don't know. And that is another attraction. Where does fact end and myth begin?

"People instinctively connect with him and find meaning in their own lives from the facts of his."

"African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan," by Thomas Lockley and Geoffrey Girard will be published April 30 by Hanover Square Press.
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse)  Tue, April 9, 2019 07:09 981 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8731df530 2 People George-R-R-Martin,Game-of-Thrones,author,writer Free

George R.R. Martin, the 70-year-old writer behind HBOs blood-spattered epic Game of Thrones, has created a multitude of fantasy worlds spanning medieval pasts to distant sci-fi futures.

Portly, with a white beard, glasses and usually wearing a cap, Martin has been described as Americas Tolkien and says he was inspired by the British fantasy masters The Lord of the Rings as a teenager.

He grew up poor but his rich imagination and prolific output  including the five novels in the A Song of Ice and Fire series that became televisions Game of Thrones  saw him listed by Forbes magazine as the 12th highest-paid author in 2016.

Heavy on violence and sex, the books about noble families vying for the Iron Throne were released between 1996 and 2011 and already bestsellers before they were adapted for television.

His skill as a crafter of narrative exceeds that of almost any literary novelist writing today, Time magazine wrote in 2011.

Imagination unbound

Martin started on the first in the series in 1991 aiming to write something just as big as my imagination, he told Time in 2017.

From the mid-1980s he had worked as a Hollywood television screenwriter, including on The Twilight Zone and Beauty and the Beast.

The reaction to his first drafts would be, George, we love it, but its five times our budget  the big battle you have where theres 10,000 people on a side, make that a duel between the hero and the villain, he told Time.

He could abandon such limitations when he dedicated himself to prose from the mid-1990s.

Read also: Winter is over: HBO brings down curtain on TV phenom 'Game of Thrones'

Im going to have all the characters I want, and gigantic castles, and dragons, and dire wolves, and hundreds of years of history, and a really complex plot, and its fine because its a book, he recalled thinking.

The first in the famous series, A Game of Thrones, was published in 1996.

He thought it was essentially unfilmable until he was approached by directors and writers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss in 2006. Game of Thrones launched on HBO five years later.

Genius of George

The show could not be without the mad genius of George, Benioff said in 2018, when accepting one of its 47 Emmys.

Translated into 47 languages, the books have sold more than 85 million copies and fans have been impatient for the sixth and seventh novels promised since 2011.

Their huge popularity means that Im very conscious I have to do something great, and trying to do something great is a considerable weight to bear, he told The Guardian newspaper in 2018.

Anyone could die

George Raymond Richard Martin was born on September 20, 1948, in Bayonne, New Jersey, his father working as a docker.

We were poor, he told PBS television in 2018. We never went anywhere in the summer, we just stayed in the same old place. But books took me everywhere.

At 13 he became hooked on by J.R.R. Tolkiens The Lord of the Rings, learning from the killing of the wizard Gandalf that the sudden death of key characters is a twist that can work.

The minute you kill Gandalf, the suspense of everything that follows is a thousand times greater because now anybody could die, he told PBS.

As a child he wrote monster stories, selling them to friends for a nickel, then superhero tales for school fanzines.

Martin graduated in journalism from Northwestern University in Illinois in 1971, becoming a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War.

Sci-fi fascination

Passionate about medieval history and mythology, he started publishing in the 1970s, winning prizes for his science fiction short stories.

Other top titles have included the science fiction novella A Song for Lya (1976), fantasy mystery Armageddon Rag (1983), horror Nightflyers (1985) and an extensive superhero series Wild Cards from 1987.

He has lived in Santa Fe in New Mexico for four decades and he married Parris McBride, his second wife, in 2011.
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Linkedin Maher al-Mounes (Agence France-Presse) Aleppo, Syria  Tue, April 9, 2019 10:09 981 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8731ec7bd 2 Art & Culture Hotel,aleppo,Syria,Baron-Hotel Free

For generations, her husbands family managed the iconic Baron Hotel in northern Syria, but after years of war the inn is empty and Rubina Mazloumian says she is too tired to carry on.

The Baron Hotel was once the fanciest in Aleppo, Syrias second city, visited by a long list of celebrated names.

But after four years of civil war in the former rebel stronghold, its suites and ballroom are empty, walls peeling  and its long, red carpet is gone.

The bar stools are vacant and its piano sits unplayed, collecting dust.

All 48 rooms are closed, barring one.

I dont know what were going to do with this place, said Mazloumian, the 65-year-old widow of the hotels heir, and its current manager.

It can no longer receive guests or friends, said the hotels only resident.

The only people that remain in the hotel are two employees, me and this dog, she added, gesturing to a small pet with a curly brown coat playing nearby.

The hotel was founded in 1911 by the grandfather of Mazloumians husband, Armen Mazloumian, who died in 2016.

Carrying a set of keys, Mazloumian strolled through the entrance of the hotel and pointed towards a sweeping staircase.

We used to roll a red carpet on these stairs when we received prominent leaders like King Faisal I (of Iraq and Syria) and Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser, she said.

Read also: Five things to know about the historical Hotel Indonesia

Raucous laughter

She trudged up the stairs and stood in front of a closed wooden door.

Room 203 is where famous novelist Agatha Christie stayed, she said. Inside the hotel, she wrote parts of Murder on the Orient Express.

Mazloumian said the Baron Hotel is a testament to decades of Syrian history.

It is from here that King Faisal delivered a speech proclaiming Syrian independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1918.

The street housing it, formerly named after French general Henri Gouraud, was retitled Baron Street after French forces withdrew from the country in 1946.

Nasser delivered a speech from one of its balconies in 1958, the year Egypt and Syria formed the ill-fated United Arab Republic.

Other famous people also graced its rooms  US billionaire David Rockefeller, Frances wartime leader and later president Charles de Gaulle and American aviator Charles Lindbergh.

On her tour of the building, Mazloumian paused beside a disused wooden piano.

It used to be a place full of raucous laughter, clinking glasses, and music  classical and from all over, she said.

Historical events were written here.

But today, this place is slowly becoming a piece of history itself.

The contemporary history of the Baron Hotel is less glamorous and tells of the fate of Aleppo, which lies largely in ruins almost two years after battles ended.

Read also: Reliving the past at Hotel Tugu Malang

Wartime shelter

The establishment was forced to close down in 2012 when the city became a main front in the war between the Syrian government and rebels battling President Bashar al-Assads regime.

The hotel was just a few meters from the front line.

Like much of the surrounding city, its walls are scarred with bullet holes and the power rarely comes on.

In 2014, when pitched battles in Aleppo sparked a wave of displacement, the hotel was taken over as a makeshift shelter.

It was the second time it was a refuge for the displaced, after hosting hundreds of Armenians who fled their homes during the mass murder perpetrated by the Ottomans in 1915.

The regime retook control of the city in late 2016, after a deadly offensive and a deal that saw tens of thousands forced to leave its once opposition-held east.

But this time around, recovery is unlikely, said Mazloumian, lamenting the hotels lost splendor.

Only three wine glasses and six coffee cups remain in the hotel today, she said, standing beside a polished bar, a few plates scattered on its countertop.

A lot of things have been stolen, she added.

When asked whether she would sell the hotel, Mazloumian hesitated, then replied cautiously.

Im an old woman, said the manager, who co-owns the hotel with other relatives abroad.

I dont have it in me to continue running this hotel, she added.

I think its only natural for it to come under new hands.
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse)  Tue, April 9, 2019 06:05 981 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8731de6a3 2 Art & Culture Jimmie-Durham,venice-biennale,art,artist,Italy Free

The Venice Biennale announced Thursday that Jimmie Durham will be the recipient of this years Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement.

The American artist was nominated by Ralph Rugoff, the curator of the 58th International Art Exhibition, May You Live in Interesting Times. His recommendation was approved by the biennales board of directors, chaired by Paolo Baratta.

In a statement, Rugoff praised Durham for his remarkable accomplishments as an artist over the past six decades, and in particular for making art that is at once critical, humorous and profoundly humanistic.

Given that Durham participated in five previous editions of the Biennale, we should probably be giving him two lifetime awards by this point in time, the curator added.

Read also: Permanent Giudecca art district to be inaugurated during the Venice Biennale

In addition to the award, Durhams work will be included in the biennale. Best known for his sculptural constructions, the 78-year-old artist also works in drawing, collage, photography and video. His artworks are often accompanied by texts that confront Eurocentric views and racial prejudice.

As a member of the American Indian Movement, Durham has focused on colonialism and Native American identity in his work. He identifies as a Cherokeealthough his claims of Native heritage were disputed by ten Cherokee artists and curators in 2017.

This years Golden Lion will be presented in Venice on May 11. Previous winners include Carolee Schneemann in 2017 and El Anatsui in 2015.
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Johannesburg, South Africa  Tue, April 9, 2019 11:00 981 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8731ee7bc 2 Environment rhino,elephant,poacher,South-Africa,hunting,wildlife Free

A suspected rhino poacher was trampled to death by an elephant and his body devoured by lions in South Africa's Kruger National Park, officials said Monday.

South African rangers have recovered the skull of the man in the vast Kruger sanctuary, which has born the brunt of much of the country's poaching crisis.

According to a park spokesman, rangers were alerted after the victim's alleged accomplices told his family that he had been crushed to death by an elephant.

The man's remains were discovered on Thursday after a two day search involving aircraft and rangers on foot, with the help of the victim's accomplices.

"Our field rangers looked around the area and made the unfortunate discovery of a skull. That was the only remaining part of the deceased," Kruger national park spokesman Isaac Phaahla told AFP.

He said a pride of lions was thought to have been in the area and were believed to have devoured the man's remains.

Read also: Poachers kill elephant in Cambodia wildlife sanctuary

"But the family were grateful that at least they have the bone to go and bury and they know what happened," Phaahla said.

Four of the man's accomplices have since been arrested and are expected to appear in court this week.

The demand for rhino horn has placed Africa at the epicentre of a global poaching and trafficking crisis.

South Africa, which is home to about 80 percent of the world rhino population, has been hit hardest, with much of the poaching concentrated on the Kruger park.

In 2018, 769 rhinos were poached in South Africa alone, according to the country's environment ministry. More than 7,100 animals have been killed over the past decade.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, April 9, 2019 17:31 980 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa87320d4d1 1 Entertainment We-The-Fest,Ismaya-Live,festival,music,music-festival,Submit-Your-Music Free

The 2019 edition of We The Fest has launched Submit Your Music, an event that gives local musicians the chance to perform at the upcoming annual music festival.

Open until June 1 at 11:59 p.m., Indonesian musicians who have five original songs are encouraged to register online for an opportunity to showcase their talents at the festival, which will take place from July 19 to 21 at JIExpo Kemayoran in Central Jakarta.

Always wanted to play at We The Fest? We're glad to announce that the annual We The Fest: Submit Your Music is back!



We are on the hunt for the most exciting of Indonesia's aspiring musicians to perform at #WTF19, and also win other exciting prizes! 



(to be continued...) pic.twitter.com/8N8K1Jk7We  We The Fest (@WeTheFest) April 8, 2019

Indonesia has many talented musicians from various genres who have not had the chance to be heard. Submit Your Music can be a platform for them to show their best work, the brand manager of We The Fest organizer Ismaya Live, Sarah Deshita, said in a statement.

Read also: Phase one lineup announced for We The Fest 2019

Besides performing at We The Fest, the winners will also receive other prizes, including the opportunity to record at art school SAE Institute Jakarta.

Previous winners of Submit Your Music since its first installment in 2016 are Onar, The Panturas, Garhana, Texpack and West Jamnation.

We The Fest 2019 is set to feature Rae Sremmurd as the headliner. Foreign and local musicians of various genres will also perform at the event, such as Daniel Caesar, Alvvays, Sabrina Claudio, DEAN, Rad Museum, San Holo, 6LACK, Cigarettes After Sex, Tulus, RAN, DEWA19 feat. Ari Lasso & Dul Jaelani, and Kunto Aji. (gis/kes)
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Linkedin Ni Komang Erviani (The Jakarta Post) Denpasar, Bali  Tue, April 9, 2019 12:12 981 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8731f8194 1 National #Bali,#drugs,Australian,trial,drug-abuse,DenpasarDistrictCourt Free

An Australian man might face a maximum 12 years imprisonment after he was indicted for reportedly being in possession of 0.33 grams of methamphetamine.

Prosecutors accused Gregor Egli, 41, who has been living on the resort island of Bali for the last few years, of violating Article 112 of the Narcotics Law on drug possession, and Article 127 of the law on abusing drugs, which carry a maximum penalty of 12 years in prison.

"The defendant, without the right, was in possession of drugs," prosecutor Assri Susantina said at the Denpasar District Court on Monday afternoon.

Egli, who hails from Melbourne and works in Bali as a wedding organizer, was arrested on Jan. 28 in his rented house in Denpasar, where the drugs were reportedly found in a cupboard.

"When police interrogated him, the defendant admitted the drugs were his and that he had purchased them for Rp 2.3 million. The defendant said he had been taking the drugs since February 2018," Asri read from the indictment. .

She said the defendant had inhaled the drugs with a bong and injected the substance after mixing it with sodium chloride.

She added that laboratory results showed traces of the drug in Egli's blood and urine.
Lions Club member Art McConnell helps Betty Barron and Russell Blake with a magnifier. Residents council member Judy Codogni is at right. PreviousNext

Adams Lions Donate Magnifiers to Williamstown, North Adams Commons

The magnifying light is portable.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  The Adams Lions Club has shined some light at Williamstown Commons  along with some magnification to make residents' game play easier.

The facility's resident council last week was presented with three floor-style magnifying lamps from club member and District 33Y Governor-elect Art McConnell.

"We use them for our jigsaw puzzles," said activities director Janice Paquette. "We keep them close to our puzzle tables so you can see the little pieces and where they need to go ... but we've also had some folks who have macular degeneration who have also asked if they could have something this in the facility."

Council member Betty Barron tried out the magnifier, deeming it useful as colleagues Russell Blake and Judy Codogni watched.

"As long as everybody knows where they are," responded Blake.

Paquette said each of the three units in the facility would have one light and that they were easily portable so could be moved around when needed. The club also donated two more magnifying lights to North Adams Commons.

"We have a lot of people who love to do puzzles as well and the lighting isn't always the best in different areas," said Tammy Larabee, who accepted the lights on behalf of the North Adams facility. "And there are some who love to do their word searches."

McConnell said the Lions Club is all about service and had been looking to do a little more outreach within the community.

"Unfortunately, a lot of our patrons here are from Adams so we wanted to reach out and help," he said.

It was discussions with Sarah Kline, also a Lion and a director of admissions and marketing at Williamstown Commons, that prompted the idea of donating the lights. Kline had suggested replacing a specialty bulb on one of the older magnifiers that had burnt out and was difficult to replace.

"Putting together one of our [Lions Club] primary focuses is sight, Artie and I talked about that," she said, and had come back to the facility asking what it needed. "One thing we talked about was readers, having folks come to the facility and read, but he wanted to know what can we do now ... Perhaps they'd like to donate a bulb. Then it was a light, and then why not three and it went from one lamp to five lamps."

McConnell chuckled at the idea the club would donate just a light bulb.

"All of Massachusetts Lions donate to Mass Lions Eye Research to fund research at $1 million a year," he said. "Since 1968, Lions International has donated over a billion dollars for relief aid in most disasters."

The local Lions are most known for their focus on vision  funding eye research, running a mobile eyesight van that has so far served 12,000 people and providing eyeglasses and hearing aids through another foundation. It also sponsors the Hoosac Valley High School Leo Club and awards scholarships.

"We've increased to go to diabetes awareness, childhood cancers, and emergency sight and hearing that we also deal with," McConnell said. "We're the largest service organization with 1.5 million members in over 200 countries."

The district is looking strengthen the smaller North Adams club and do more service projects in the immediate community, like donating to nursing homes and first-responders.

"North Adams has been noted to give money to all of these organizations," he said. "They give scholarships each year ... they were the first ones to buy the Jaws of Life for the North Adams Fire Department."

McConnell has been recruiting for North Adams over the past couple weeks and a luncheon is planned for potential members on Thursday, April 11, at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in the city. Those interested in learning about the Lions or attending the lunch can contact McConnell at 413-822-7309 or ajmwalt@aol.com

Anyone interested in reading to residents at Williamstown Commons can contact the activities director at 413-458-2111.
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Linkedin Arya Dipa (The Jakarta Post) Bandung  Tue, April 9, 2019 16:17 981 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8732063ea 1 National 2019GeneralElections,2019-elections,KPU,bandung,West-Java Free

The Bandung chapter of the General Elections Commission (KPU Bandung) has approved at least 15,731 A5 forms, which allow voters to cast their ballots outside their registered area, making it the city in the province with the highest number of additional voters.

The number of transfer voters adds to the previous count of 1,739,297 registered voters. The figure is also expected to continue increasing as the registration period was extended until Wednesday.

KPU Bandung chairman Suharti said most of the applicants were university students hailing from other cities. The commission revealed that 80 percent of the 15,731 additional voters in Bandung were university students. In addition, 6,500 Bandung-based voters are expected to cast votes outside Bandung.

KPU Bandung has coordinated with the student executive councils of all universities in Bandung to evenly distribute the ballots so as to prevent polling stations from being overcrowded with too many students.

West Java has received a total of 106,082 A5 forms so far. Bandung received the highest number of additional voters, followed by Bogor regency (15,373), Depok City (11,919) and Sumedang regency (8,322).

Read also: What you need to know to vote on April 17
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Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Beijing, China  Tue, April 9, 2019 18:36 980 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873211c4e 2 World #China,#Boeing737Max8,FAA,review,Boeing-737-Max8,Ethiopian-Airlines,Crash Free

China has decided to accept an invitation to join the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) review panel on theBoeing 737 MAX, an official at the Chinese aviation regulator said on Tuesday.

The FAA said last week it was forming an international team to review the safety of the aircraft, grounded worldwide following two deadly crashes - in Indonesia in October and in Ethiopia last month - that killed nearly 350 people.

China was the first to ground the newest version of Boeing's workhorse 737 model last month following the Ethiopian Airlines crash, prompting a series of regulatory actions by other governments worldwide.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has decided to send experts to be part of the FAA panel, the official, in the regulator's media relations department, told Reuters.

The CAAC said last week that it has been invited to join the panel.

Chinese airlines operated 97 of the 371 737 MAX jets in service before the grounding, the most of any country, according to Flightglobal data.

Canada, the United Arab Emirates, and Singapore have already confirmed that they will join the panel. The European Aviation Safety Agency did not respond immediately to a request for comment on whether it would join the panel.
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Linkedin Rachmadea Aisyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, April 9, 2019 16:25 981 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873206dfc 1 Business CPOPC,EU,biodiesel,Indonesia,Malaysia Free

The Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC) has accused the European Union of political and economic protectionism and using environmental issues for its own interests in the Delegated Regulation Supplementing Directive 2018/2001, also known as the Delegated Act.

The Delegated Act is a derivative of the EUs Renewable Energy Directive II (RED II) concerning biofuel, including palm oil.

The joint statement was issued on Monday evening following a CPOPC meeting in Brussels co-led by Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution and Malaysian Ministry of Primary Industry secretary-general Tan Yew Chong.

CPOPC member countries view the Delegated Act as a form of political compromise within the EU aimed at isolating and excluding palm oil from its [...] renewable energy sector for the benefit of EU rapeseed oil and other less competitive imported vegetable oils, said the statement.

This calls into question the whole Delegated Act and the probability that political and economic protectionism rather than science-based decisions were the true drivers of this Delegated Act [...] as a calculated and adverse economic and political strategy to remove palm oil from the EU marketplace.

The CPOPC claimed the directive's stance on palm oil was based on unsubstantiated criteria that deliberately focused on palm oil and deforestation with no attempt to include broader environmental concerns associated with the cultivation of other vegetable oils, such as rapeseed.

The EU's indirect land use change (ILUC) approach to assess the eligibility of biofuels was a scientifically flawed concept that classified, for instance, soybeans, as low-risk in terms of its ILUC despite the EUs own in-house research concluding that soybean was responsible for far more "imported deforestation", it said.

The CPOPC is of the opinion that the EU is using this Delegated Act to phase out and impose a ban on palm oil imports [...] in order to promote the EUs own home-grown vegetable oils." (bbn)

Topics : CPOPC EU biodiesel Indonesia Malaysia
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Linkedin Nurul Fitri Ramadhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, April 9, 2019

Just over a week before the presidential election on April 17, tensions within candidate Prabowo Subiantos camp have emerged following a rally that was marked by Islamic religious fervor.

The Democratic Party, one of the political parties supporting Prabowos bid, expressed objections to the run up to and the taglines of Prabowos campaign event on Sunday in Senayan, Jakarta.

The partys patron, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said in a written statement to three senior party officials that the rally was too exclusive because it was dominated by Islamic symbolism and activities.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, April 9, 2019 14:04 981 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8731fceeb 1 Business Tjilik-Riwut-Airport,Jokowi,kick-off,Central-Kalimantan Free

President Joko Jokowi Widodo launched on Monday the newly renovated Tjilik Riwut Airport in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan.

The President said renovations for the airport needed 4.5 years and an investment of Rp 700 billion (US$49.44 million) from the state budget.

Tjilik Riwut Airport could become the engine of the economy, Jokowi said in a statement issued by the Presidential Office, adding that the new airport terminal was five times bigger than the old one.

During the event, the President was accompanied by Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi and state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II (AP II) president director Muhammad Awaluddin, among others.

AP II took over the operations of the airport from the Transportation Ministrys Air Transportation Directorate General on Dec. 19, 2018. Awaluddin expressed optimism over the airport introducing more flights as a result of the changes.

Awaluddin said AP II prepared Rp 480 billion to expand the terminal and extend the runway to help the airport accommodate 8 million passengers annually, an increase from the 1 million passengers in 2018.

He said the company would also expand in areas surrounding the airport. In this area, there are 388 hectares of land that could be developed for the maintenance, repair, overhaul and cargo business, he added.

The airport's terminal now covers 29,124 square meters and can accommodate 4.4 million passengers annually. Previously, the terminal covered 5,700 square meters, accommodating only 700,000 passengers annually.

The airport's current 2,500 by 45-meter runway will be expanded to 3,000 by 45 meters. (bbn)
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Linkedin Markus Makur (The Jakarta Post) Flores  Tue, April 9 2019

A recent police investigation into Komodo dragons seized from smugglers in East Java has revealed rampant smuggling of the giant lizards from ports on Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

The Environment and Forestry Ministrys director general of Natural Resource and Ecosystem Conservation (KSDAE), Wiratno, said that a syndicate had been involved in the crime for three years, and had sold at least 41 Komodo dragons to an overseas buyer for around Rp 500 million (US$35,217) per animal.

The KSDAE is improving efforts to prevent such cases by increasing cooperation with military and civilian authorities in the area.

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Linkedin Riza Roidila Mufti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, April 9, 2019 11:24 981 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8731f6502 1 Business Lombok,halal-destination,IndonesiaMuslimTravelIndex,2019 Free

Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara has been named the Best Halal Tourist Destination on the 2019 Indonesia Muslim Travel Index (IMTI), followed by destinations in Aceh, Riau, Riau Islands and Jakarta.

On the latest index released Monday, Lombok received a score of 70, the highest among the assessed top 10 halal tourist destinations in Indonesia, conducted by the Tourism Ministry in cooperation with Mastercard-CrescenRating, which also issued the Global Muslim Tourism Index (GMTI).

The ministry used GMTI global standard criteria for the IMTI assessment, namely access, communication, environment and services.

CrescentRating and HalalTrip CEO Fazal Bahardeen said each criteria consisted of three aspects. He gave an example that to assess the access criteria, the examiners would consider visa requirements, air connectivity and transportation infrastructure.

The communication criteria consists of outreach, ease of communication and digital presence," Bahardeen said, adding that the environment criteria referred to safety and culture, ease of visitor arrivals and climate.

Bahardeen said there had been core improvement in all 10 halal tourist destinations in Indonesia but Lombok had improved the most.

I think because of its strong commitment to this market. They have done a lot of work and learned about this market. They have also promoted Lombok as a Muslim tourist destination. And also of course, they have halal food and enough mosques," said Bahardeen.

Mastercard-CrescentRating projects 230 million Muslim travelers in 2026 with potential spending of up to US$300 billion. "That is a huge number and huge opportunity for countries like Indonesia, he added.

The ministrys industry and institutional development undersecretary, Ni Wayan Giri Adnyani , said Indonesia aimed to welcome 5 million foreign Muslim tourists this year. Last year, Indonesia welcomed 2.6 million Muslim tourists. (bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, April 9, 2019 11:32 981 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8731f77bd 1 Politics 2019GeneralElections,2019-elections,KPU,hoax Free

Two people have been arrested for allegedly spreading a video claiming that the General Election Commission's (KPU) computer servers were being manipulated to ensure the victory of the Joko "Jokowi" Widodo-Ma'ruf Amin presidential ticket.

One of the suspects, a woman identified as RD, was a medical school graduate arrested in Lampung.

The other, a man identified as EW, was arrested in Ciracas, East Jakarta.

National Police spokesperson Brig. Gen. Dedi Prasetyo said EW had spread the video through Twitter, while RD shared it on Twitter and Facebook.

Both suspects also added "provocative" captions to the videos.

Dedi said RD was still being interrogated by the Lampung Police. Despite being a medical school graduate, RD is not a practicing doctor but a homemaker.

"She said that she didn't think [the video] would go viral," Dedi said on Monday as quoted by tempo.co.

The KPU has hit back against the claims in the video, pointing out that vote counting and recapitulation was done manually and that online vote tallies were only used to inform the public about the official manual vote count.

The video is among a number of accusations that have cast doubt on the KPU's independence. Earlier this year, rumors claiming that millions of pre-marked ballots had arrived at the Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta also went viral on social media. (kmt)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, April 9, 2019 15:05 981 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa87320119e 4 Business Kertajati-Airport,West-Java,comments,Budi-Karya-Sumadi Free

Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi has blamed the West Java administration for the lack of activity at Kertajadi International Airport in Majalengka, saying that the idea to construct the airport came from the local administration.

The airport, which was inaugurated by President Joko Jokowi Widodo last year, only serves one route from the initially 11 planned routes. The occupancy rate on each flight is reportedly below 30 percent.

Budi said construction of the airport was demanded by the local administration. He said that he had advised state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura IIs (AP II) president director, M. Awaluddin, to develop an airport that would only accommodate ATR planes, with an initial investment of Rp 600 billion (US$42.39 million).

The West Java administration asked us to construct the airport in Kertajati and we complied, Budi said in Palangkaraya, Central Java while accompanying Jokowi on a visit to the province.

However, he added that the West Java administration demanded the construction of a large airport with total investment of Rp 2.6 trillion. AP II agreed to the idea through an agreement with West Javas PT Bandara International West Java.

Awaluddin said construction of the airport aimed to reduce the burden on Husein Sastaranegara International Airport in Bandung.

When asked about the airports lack of activity, Awaluddin said it was because the Cileunyi-Sumedang-Dawuan (Cisumdawu) toll road had yet to completed. The toll road will connect the airport with Bandung.

This year we were only able to construct two out of six sections of the Cisumdawu toll road, Awaluddin said as quoted by kompas.com.

The airport, the construction of which kicked off in December 2015, was designed to become the second-largest airport in the country after Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. It will be expanded to accommodate 18 million passengers annually. (bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, April 9, 2019 10:15 981 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8731ece74 4 Business Boeing-737-Max8,grounding,FAA,recommendations,Budi-Karya-Sumadi Free

Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi has said the government will wait for clarification from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) before making any further decisions on the grounded Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, following an Ethiopian Airlines crash in early March.

Indonesia prohibited local airlines from operating the Boeing 737 Max 8 following the crash, the second accident involving the same type of aircraft used by Lion Air JT610, which crashed into the Java Sea in October 2018.

The most important thing is the recommendation from the FAA, as we will use it as a reference of our evaluation, Budi said in Jakarta on Monday as quoted by kompas.com.

Lion Air Group said it had grounded all 10 of its Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, while national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia had grounded its only Max 8.

Previously, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg had linked the two accidents to the erroneous activation of the maneuvering characteristics augmentation system (MCAS).

Meanwhile, according to an initial report by Ethiopian investigators, the MAX 8 had experienced issues just two minutes after takeoff. The report showed that pilots had initially followed the safety procedures recommended by Boeing, performing actions on the emergency checklist, including cutting off electricity to an automatic system that was pushing the nose down, but they were still unable to prevent the jet from crashing. (bbn)
The Board of Selectmen receive an update on the short and long-term plans for the police station on Monday.

Lanesborough Waiting on New Inspection of Police Station

LANESBOROUGH, Mass.  A third-party inspector is expected to file a report on the condition of the current police station as town officials prepare to release a request for a feasibility study on the department's needs.

Town Manager Kelli Robbins said on Monday that a state building inspector was in town reviewing the renovation plans for the current station and is scheduling an inspection soon. The Board of Selectmen had asked the state to provide an independent assessment of the 151-year-old building following a report from the town's insurance company calling on the building to be vacated.

Selectman Robert Ericson, who had headed the renovation project to the current station, objected to a number of the issues cited in the Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association report. The Board of Selectmen previously considered finding a temporary location for officers but also isn't convinced the current station needed to be evacuated immediately.

Robbins is asking for the state building inspector to provide his own opinion on the matter to help guide the town's short-term decisions.

"I would rather see the building inspector go up there, do his thing, and then ask questions later so nobody can say he was influenced by A or B," Robbins said.

Meanwhile, Robbins said she completed writing a request for qualifications to determine a long-term solution. The town has halted the renovation project as it reassesses what to do.

The request will ask for a contractor to determine what the department will need in a station now and into the future as well as examine the possibilities of saving the current building, building a new structure, or renovating one of the buildings at the former Vacation Village property.

The request does include all three options, which should serve as some relief to the Police Department that posted on Facebook on Friday asking for people to support having all three options reviewed.

"Rumor has it that some 'powers that be' want to only request an RFQ on the current Police Department, if that's done the community limits their options as well as takes the chance that the current PD won't be feasible and the town has wasted its money on the RFQ without having any other options," the department wrote on Facebook. "Unfortunately you need to reach out to the Selectboard before their next meeting."

The post was well shared throughout town and led to a petition being crafted calling on the town to do just that. Despite the rabble-rousing on Facebook over the weekend, Monday's meeting was calm and had not drawn any public comments or statements from the department or the union.

The Vacation Village plan, however, would be a larger project than just replacing the police station. The goal there would be to purchase all five buildings, use one for the station, one for a senior center, and rent the others. The Board of Selectmen is willing to sell a piece of property the town owns on Prospect Street to help offset the cost.

But, in the request for proposal, only one building would be looked at. Selectman Henry "Hank" Sayers wants the other buildings to be assessed as well, saying he believes three of the buildings may not be usable at all. Sayers is concerned that the condition of those buildings could significantly increase the cost.

Robbins said that assessment should be done by a contractor later if the study determines the building there is viable for the Police Department. She said the assessment would determine which of the three options are the best and if that building proves to be so, then the development of the rest of the project would come later.

"Before it goes to the residents, the whole cost will be there ... when they choose, they will have all of the numbers," Robbins said.

The town manager said she has $25,000 for the assessment and expanding the scope, like Sayers suggested, would cost more. Robbins said there isn't a place left to pull additional funds from.

Ericson, however, remains steadfast that his plan for the current station will work and save a lot of money. He questioned why the town wouldn't just use that $25,000 to continue with the renovations, saying a study is a waste of money.

"We could just put more money into the police station and get it finished," Ericson said.

Building Inspector Rick Reid has a different opinion. Reid said the structure will never be suitable for a police station.

"We were putting good money into a bad building that point," Reid said. "The building doesn't justify putting thousands of dollars into it."

Chairman John Goerlach agreed with Ericson about spending money on a study. But, he also said that is required to get the funding, either loans or grants, for any project in the future.

"A feasibility study is money that is basically thrown away but unfortunately it is part of the process," Goerlach said.

Meanwhile, Ericson hasn't stopped with his plan, despite the board calling for the work to halt. Robbins said the town recently received a bill for re-engineering, which Ericson said was from the architect to address concerns regarding the bathroom and a changing area for women officers. But Ericson didn't have that authorization and the board isn't willing to pay the bill.

"You can't spend money you don't have. There was no authorization," Goerlach said.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, April 9, 2019 19:28 980 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8732149dd 1 City police,jakarta,murder,murder-case,crime,dead-body,dead-victim,killing Free

Police are trying to trace the identity of a pregnant woman found dead near an entrance to the Jagorawi toll road in the Makasar subdistrict of East Jakarta on Sunday morning.

The body was found by a man, Irfan Jaya, who smelled a pungent odor coming from a spot about 10 meters from the road and about 100 m from the nearest residences. The woman was buried 30 centimeters deep and was covered with banana leaves. She had apparently been there for two days.

Irfan immediately sought help from locals and police who were on duty nearby.

Makasar Police chief Comr. Lindang Lumban Toruan said the woman, estimated to be about 25 years old, was not registered as an ID card holder as the police failed to find anything about her when they tried to match her fingerprints with those in their database.

We couldnt find any information in our database, he said on Tuesday, as quoted by wartakota.com, adding that they found no identification whatsoever on the body.

Lindang said the police were still conducting a forensic examination on the woman who was eight or nine months pregnant. The results of a preliminary examination indicated that the woman had been physically abused.

[The woman] apparently died after being hit in the forehead and in the back, he said, adding that they also found no CCTV footage of the incident as the area was in a blank spot.

The police have distributed notices describing the physical characteristics of the woman, whose body is being kept at the Kramat Jati Police Hospital in East Jakarta. She was approximately 150 centimeters tall and had shoulder-length hair.

The woman had been wearing a green shirt bearing the picture of a balloon and black-and-red-striped leggings. She had a mole under her right ear.

Hopefully, her family, relatives and friends would notice as soon as possible, Lindang said. (das)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, April 9, 2019 19:53 980 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8732157bf 4 National human-trafficking,domestic-worker,migrant-workers,Syria,Saudi-Arabia,Turkey,morocco,Bareskrim,National-Police Free

The National Polices criminal investigation body has announced that it has uncovered four human trafficking networks that sent an estimated 1,200 Indonesians to work in Syria, Turkey, Morocco and Saudi Arabia.

Criminal investigation director Brig. Gen. Herry Rudolf Nahak said on Tuesday at the police headquarters in Jakarta that two suspects, Mutiara and Farhan, had been arrested for reportedly trafficking people from West Nusa Tenggara and Jakarta to Morocco. The two reportedly sent their victims from Sumbawa in West Nusa Tenggara to Jakarta, before sending them to Malaysia via Batam, Riau Islands. From Malaysia the victims were sent to Morocco.

These migrant Indonesian workers realized that they had been duped after they were forced to suffer many abuses including violence, rape and unpaid salaries. They ran away and reported their cases to the embassies or consulate general offices, said Herry as quoted by Antara news agency.

Separately, the police also arrested two people who had reportedly trafficked victims to Turkey. The suspects, Erna Rachmawati and Saleha, also recruited hopeful migrant workers from West Nusa Tenggara and Jakarta.

Another suspect working for a Syria-based human trafficking network, Muhammad Abdul Halim, alias Erlangga, was arrested in Tangerang, Banten. He recruited workers from Tangerang and had worked for the network since 2014.

Herry said three suspects who had allegedly sent domestic workers to Saudi Arabia had also been arrested. They were identified as Ethiopian nationals Faisal Hussein Saeed and Abdalla Ibrahim and Indonesian Neneng Susilawati.

Faisal and Abdalla are refugees, Herry said. They kept victims in an apartment before sending them abroad. They also had employees, the officer added.

All four networks promised the victims jobs as domestic workers with high salaries. In total, Herry said the networks had trafficked about 1,200 people since 2014, kompas.com reported.

The police will charge the eight suspects under articles 4 and 10 of the Human Trafficking Law, which carry a maximum punishment of 15 years in prison.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, April 9, 2019 16:09 981 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa87320631a 1 Politics Prabowo-presidential-bid-2019,Prabowo-Subianto-Sandiaga-Uno,Prabowo-Subianto,campaign,2019-presidential-election,2019GeneralElections,election,presidential-bid,presidential-candidate Free

Gerindra Party chairman and presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto showed a glimpse of his notorious temper at a campaign event in Yogyakarta on Monday.

As seen in a video on the official Gerindra YouTube channel, Prabowo delivers a speech to a crowd of supporters at the Kridosono stadium. He becomes emotional and calls on the security forces present to be loyal to the people.

My juniors, you who are still actively serving in the military and the police, remember you are the peoples soldiers, Prabowo exclaims.

You are the police of the people, all the people of Indonesia. You cannot serve only a few people, especially not foreign lackeys, he continues, while slamming his hand on the podium several times, to the chants of Prabowo! Prabowo! from the crowd.

Prabowos outburst is cut off when senior National Mandate Party (PAN) politician and Prabowo-Sandiaga Uno campaign adviser Amien Rais, who had been sitting behind the podium, stands up and approaches the former general.

Amien is then joined by Yogyakarta United Development Party (PPP) politician Syukri Fadholi, who was also sitting behind the podium.

Syukri puts an arm around Prabowo while Amien appears to whisper something.

They are worried about me, so they whispered Be patient, be patient, Prabowo said, to the laughter of the crowd. Shall I continue?

During the 2014 presidential race, Prabowo gained a reputation for hotheadedness, lashing out at journalists for what he perceived as unfavorable coverage and even reportedly throwing a cellphone at a fellow politician.

At the beginning of the current campaign period, his camp attempted to counter this image, with running mate Sandiaga saying that the "new Prabowo" was more relaxed and laid-back.

Prabowos temper has been a subject of discussion in recent weeks, particularly after he scolded the audience at the last presidential debate on March 30 for laughing.

So youre laughing? I say that Indonesias defense is weak and youre laughing? Go ahead and laugh, he said. (kmt)
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Linkedin Bambang Nurbianto (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, April 9, 2019 17:26 981 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa87320c5e0 4 Business bappenas,exports,bambang-brodjonegoro,ASEAN,Malaysia,Thailand,Vietnam Free

The head of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), National Development Planning Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro, has said Indonesia is still lagging behind three other ASEAN members -- Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia -- when it comes to exports.

He added that the three countries exports were more stable because they have managed to develop their industries, while Indonesia was still relying heavily on its natural resources.

Exports should be supported by industrialization, Bambang said in Jakarta on Monday as quoted by tempo.co.

He explained that Indonesias exports of basic commodities depended on both global demand and commodity prices, while exports from Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia were more stable because they have been able to develop their manufacturing industries.

Bambang said manufacturing products have a more stable market and prices.

He stressed that the effort to strengthen exports was not only about increasing the volume of commodities, it should also be about manufacturing commodities into more valuable products.

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) announced on Monday that Indonesia booked a US$1.09 billion trade surplus in March after posting a trade deficit for three consecutive months from December 2017 to February.

The BPS recorded a trade deficit of $8.57 billion last year. The decline in global prices for palm oil and coal also contributed to the weakening of Indonesias exports. (bbn)
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Linkedin Victor Mambor (The Jakarta Post) Jayapura, Papua  Tue, April 9, 2019 18:07 980 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa87320fe2f 1 National Papua,animal-welfare,agriculture,cattle-breeders,cattle,Keerom Free

More than 100 head of cattle have died in Keerom regency, Papua, since January this year suffering from severe diarrhea caused by a viral infection that also attacks sheep, goats and pigs.

The Papuan cattle had likely been infected by pestivirus, aka bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), which in addition to severe diarrhea leads to respiratory ailments, causes pregnant females to abort and prevents young animals from growing strong.

The infected cattle in Papua were between six and 24 months old and the pestivirus killed up to 30 percent of a herd, according to Ronal Kapisa, an official in the husbandry division of the Keenom Agriculture Agency.

According to the data we collected, more than 100 cattle have died in the last three months, he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

He said his office had sent organ samples from the dead cattle to the Animal Health Centers laboratory in Maros, South Sulawesi, for examination. The results confirmed the symptoms, Ronal said.

However, he said his office was still waiting for the hard evidence of the examination results to confirm the disease attacking the cattle and to decide on further action.

The visible clinical symptoms are indeed cattle suffering from diarrhea, refusing to eat and experiencing dehydration, Ronal said, adding that for the time being antibiotics, anti-diarrhea medicine and guava leaves were being used by local farmers to deal with the outbreak.

Some local farmers blamed the condition on the extreme weather, which involved many days of heavy rain since January, he added.

A veterinarian at a local health center in Arso district in Keerom, Siti Astuti, confirmed that the deaths had been caused by diarrhea, but said there had only been 55 fatalities, instead of more than 100.

To deal with the condition, she said, she had told breeders to give the cattle guava leaves, coconut sugar and oral rehydration therapy.

A local cattle farmer in Arso, Ira Wene, said she did not realize her cattle were suffering from severe diarrhea until she noticed they were refusing to eat and when they defecated their dung was liquid.

It went on for three days before they died, Ira said.

A total of 50 head of cattle belonging to 44 breeders died from the same cause in Arso, Ira said. They were aged between three months and three years. The animals were worth from Rp 9 million (US$637) for a four-month-old to Rp 20 million for a three-year-old.

The cases had so far not affected meat supplies in Jayapura city and regency as meat is also supplied from Merauke regency.

Meat prices are still normal. The supply is enough. Maybe the impact [of the cattle deaths] would be felt in Idul Fitri, said trader Mian Sangaji, who sells meat at the Pagi Market in Jayapura.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, April 9, 2019 08:16 981 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8731e1cd5 4 Business holding-company,aviation,Garuda-Indonesia,AP-II,AP-I Free

State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno has said the ministry is considering integrating flag carrier Garuda Indonesia and two airport operators  PT Angkasa Pura I (AP I) and PT Angkasa Pura II (AP II)  into an aviation holding company.

We are studying the possibility of establishing a holding company, said Rini recently as quoted by tribunnews.com, adding that the holding company would be similar to state-owned mining holding company PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (Inalum).

The government has already formed three holding companies, the other two being state-owned energy holding company Pertamina and state-owned plantation company PT Perkebunan Nusantara III (PTPN III).

Rini, however, did not go into detail on the plan, saying a study of the matter was still underway. Rinis predecessor, Dahlan Iskan, had also raised the idea of establishing such a holding company.

Rini also did not say which company would lead the holding company. However, she said she believed the establishment of such a holding company would help improve efficiency in the government-run sector of the aviation industry.

The ministrys business restructuring and development undersecretary Aloysius Kiik Ro said the plan was still in its initial phase, but added that he believed such a move would reduce operational costs significantly.

PT AP II vice president of corporate communication Yado Yarismano said the government had held a number of meetings to discuss the plan. A similar statement was made by AP I corporate secretary Handy Heryudhitiawan. We are following the process, Handy added. (bbn)
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Linkedin Stefanno Reinard Sulaiman (The Jakarta Post) JAKARTA  Tue, April 9, 2019

The government has yet to issue a new contract to transfer the operation of the Rokan block from Chevron Pacific Indonesia (Chevron Indonesia) to state-owned energy holding company Pertamina, which it had promised to issue in January.

The government appointed Pertamina last year to take over the Rokan block's operation when Chevron Indonesia's contract terminates in 2021, but the delay in the new contract has caused uncertainty as to which company is responsible for providing investment during the transitional period.

Chevron Indonesia, a subsidiary of the American energy company Chevron Corporation and the block's current operator, is unlikely to inject large funds in the block two years before its operating contract terminates. Chevron has been operating the Rokan block for more than 50 years.

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 10 2019

The National Polices criminal investigation body has announced that it has uncovered four human trafficking networks that sent an estimated 1,200 Indonesians to work in Syria, Turkey, Morocco and Saudi Arabia.

Criminal investigation director Brig. Gen. Herry Rudolf Nahak said on Tuesday at the police headquarters in Jakarta that two suspects, Mutiara and Farhan, had been arrested for reportedly trafficking people from West Nusa Tenggara and Jakarta to Morocco. The two reportedly sent their victims from Sumbawa in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) to Jakarta, before sending them to Malaysia via Batam, Riau Islands. From Malaysia the victims were sent to Morocco.

These migrant Indonesian workers realized that they had been duped after they were forced to suffer many abuses including violence, rape and unpaid salaries. They ran away and reported their cases to the embassies or consulate general offices, said Herry as quoted by Antara news agency.

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Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Ghina Ghaliya, Karina M. Tehusijarana (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta/Surakarta  Wed, April 10 2019

On the trail: Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto addresses his supporters during a campaign rally for the upcoming elections at Benteng Kuto Besak in Palembang, South Sumatra, on Tuesday. President Joko Jokowi Widodo (right photo) addresses supporters at Sriwedari Stadium in Surakarta, Central Java.(Antara/Feny Selly, JP/Ganug Nugroho Adi)

With less than a week to the end of the campaign period, rival presidential camps have escalated their rhetoric, with both candidates shedding their previous nonconfrontational stances and going on the offensive in an attempt to shore up votes.

I think electoral considerations have caused the candidates to change the way they campaign, Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) researcher Arya Fernandes told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Manila, Philippines  Tue, April 9, 2019 15:03 981 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8732005d1 2 SE Asia #Philippines,#China,protester,rally,China,invasion Free

Protesters descended on the Chinese embassy in Manila on Tuesday to oppose the Asian superpower's growing sway in the Philippines and as tensions rise over Beijing's presence in the disputed South China Sea.

Filipino flag-waving marchers chanted "China out" and brandished a banner saying "Defend our sovereign rights", referring to Beijing's expansive claims to the resource-rich waterway.

"The government headed by President (Rodrigo) Duterte is not responding. What China is doing is almost an invasion," marcher Alex Legaspi, a 53-year-old teacher, told AFP.

While Duterte has largely set aside the once-heated territorial standoff over the sea, tensions have flared since hundreds of Chinese vessels appeared recently near the Manila-held Pag-asa (Thitu) island.

The Philippines called the boats' presence "illegal" and Duterte threatened China with possible military action if it touches the island.

However, the president has repeatedly said war with China would be futile and he has no intention of getting into a conflict with the rising power he has courted for trade and investment.

Duterte has been criticised at home as being too eager to grow ties with Beijing, and giving up too much leverage on the South China Sea issue.

Meanwhile, the United States has moved to boost its relationship with long-time ally and former colony the Philippines.

A small group of policemen monitored the protesters, who numbered around 1,000 according to journalists on the scene. The marchers dispersed peacefully after the demonstration.

Protesters also voiced simmering unease over the terms Chinese loans for infrastructure in the Philippines, including a massive dam-building project.

China is poised to loan some $210 million toward the construction of the Kaliwa Dam, a project that has been delayed for years and would fill gaps in the Philippines' chronic need for infrastructure.

"We cannot allow... China to control Filipinos and the Philippines' sovereignty," Wilma Quierrez, 53, member of indigenous rights group told AFP.

"The loan agreement signed by (Chinese President) Xi Jinping and President Duterte will send us into debt trap," she added.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Bangkok, Thailand  Tue, April 9, 2019 12:34 981 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8731f907f 2 SE Asia #Thailand,#MurderCase,German,rape,murder,Tourist Free

Thai police have arrested and charged a garbage collector over the rape and murder of a German tourist on holiday, authorities said Tuesday.

The bloodied body of a 27-year-old German woman was found on Sunday buried under dried leaves and rocks on the picturesque island of Koh Sichang in the Gulf of Thailand.

She was "badly beaten" on her face and skull, police spokesman Krissana Pattanacharoen said in a statement.

The suspect was identified as 23-year-old Ronnakorn Romruen.

Police say he encountered the German tourist, who entered the country on March 23, near the crime scene and raped her.

"The suspect feared that she would notify the police so he used a rock to hit her on the temple and face," Krissana said.

He was arrested a few hours later in his home, wearing a blood-stained shirt and pants, police say.

Authorities charged him with premeditated murder, rape and concealment of a body, said Sichang police superintendent Atthakoon Salakoon.

"He confessed to all the charges and admitted he took drugs before committing the crime," Atthakoon told AFP.

Thailand is expected to receive upwards of 40 million tourists this year.

While the Southeast Asian country is generally considered safe among travellers, several high-profile incidents have tarnished its reputation in recent years.

In 2014, the battered bodies of two British backpackers were found on a beach in Koh Tao.

Two Myanmar migrant workers were sentenced to death for the murders after a controversial investigation and trial that were criticised by observers.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, April 9, 2019 17:29 980 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa87320cedc 4 News Tourist,travel,Airlines,flight,ticket Free

Many Indonesian vacationers are opting to fly overseas as a result of increasing airplane ticket prices for domestic flights, according to the Indonesian Travel Agents Association (ASITA).

ASITA chairwoman Nunung Rusmiati said there had been a significant increase in international departures since domestic ticket prices soared late last year. Domestic tickets had become so expensive that international flights were more affordable in comparison, she said.

Customers have complained that tickets for Jakarta-Bali flights are more expensive than those for Jakarta-Kuala Lumpur, Nunung said on Monday, as quoted by tempo.co.

According to Nunung, tickets for international flights are now much cheaper than those for domestic routes.

Read also: New regulations set price floors, ceilings for airline tickets

She cited full-service airlines now charging Rp 2.5 million (US$176.76) for Jakarta-Kuala Lumpur round-trip tickets; whereas Jakarta-Bali round-trip tickets start from Rp 4.5 million.

ASITA deputy chairman Budijanto Ardiansyah said there had been a 30 percent decrease in local tourists flying to domestic destinations. Of the 30 percent, 20 percent had chosen to fly overseas, he added.

Budijanto called on airlines to consider adjusting ticket prices for domestic flights to help boost local tourism.

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said the country would see a steady decline in domestic tourist numbers unless airlines reduced airfares. (rfa/kes)

Topics : Tourist travel Airlines flight ticket
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Linkedin Sophia Huber (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, April 9, 2019 09:23 981 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa8731e8fa6 3 Tips jakarta,foreigners,Tourist,tips,sambal,food,etiquette,selfie Free

You just have been to Bali and fallen in love with its friendly people, colorful rice fields, beaches and one-of-a-kind sunsets and now you are considering a trip to Jakarta, the city of millions of people that never sleeps?

Do it. Jakarta is a colorful city, full of smiling people, smells and stray cats. But be aware that Indonesia consists of more than 17,000 islands and each of them is different. Bali is not Java and Java is not Jakarta. Jakarta is a world of its own.

I moved from Vienna, a city with the highest quality of living for the 10th year in a row, to Jakarta, number 142 in the ranking of the Mercer index of most livable cities. Living in Jakarta is an everyday adventure and a great experience to broaden your horizons, but there are a few things nobody tells you when you are coming to Indonesia's capital. It might, especially when you do not speak the Indonesian language, feel like you have to learn all the fundamental basics again like a toddler: how to speak, eat, walk.

Eating might be challenging

You like spicy food? Forget it. Indonesian chili is different than Europe's. Explore the various red and green spices carefully. Otherwise you might start crying while eating and your hands will burn like fire for hours. Still, there is nothing better than a fresh, homemade delicious sambal (chili paste).

Why the hands? Usually you eat with your bare hands or, to be precise, with the right hand. Since the left one is considered to be unclean you should use your right hand for all daily tasks  paying, accepting or offering things and eating. I will never forget the shocked look on a girls face when I offered her an orange with my left hand.

By the way, eating with hands is not as easy as it looks. Dipping your fried chicken or tempeh into sambal is no big challenge, but have you ever tried eating noodles or rice or fish without any cutlery? Fortunately, rice in Indonesia has a quite sticky texture that makes it easier to form into small bites. Even though I am still struggling with fish and its bones, you will likely progress quickly and finish your food up to the last rice grain.

Do not forget to wash your hands before and after eating. Usually you will get a small bowl of water and sometimes there is even a piece of lemon inside it to make your hands smell super fresh afterward.

In case you fall sick with food poisoning or salmonella, your doctor might advise you to avoid spicy and greasy food. What sounds easy can be really challenging since it feels like all meals in Jakarta are served fried and with sambal  or at least cooked with too much oil as compared to Western food.

The Indonesian cuisine in general is very tasty, although not really versatile  soup, noodles, rice, chicken, fish and martabak (sweet or savory pancake). Nasi campur (rice with various side dishes) is a welcome and delicious change. Like a buffet, every restaurant serves different dishes to choose from, along with rice, sambal and tea. You can pick various kinds of fish and meat, tempeh, soups, vegetables and tofu. What is also really fascinating is Indonesias gusto for instant noodles. Existing in all kind of colors, flavors, and sizes, they are inexpensive and tasty. You can try them all.

Unfortunately, I could not find any good cheese during the 16 weeks I have so far spent in Indonesia. In general, there are very few dairy products compared to in Austria or Germany. Instead you will find countless coconuts and, honestly, is there anything better than enjoying a beautiful sunset with a fresh coconut after a long day?

Being bule  Selfie?

You walk along the street, motorbikes drive past, cats sleep in the shadows, kids play ball and colorful dresses dry in the sun. A man turns around, looks at you from head to toe. He whispers something in his friends ear, who jogs another guy's elbow. He is shouting something, but all you can understand is the word bule and suddenly all eyes are focused on you. Hey babe, says an old man without teeth, laughing in a friendly manner.

When in Jakarta, try to avoid the fancy malls and huge streets. Rather, escape the big city life for a few hours and stroll around the small alleys. This way you will get to know the other side of Jakarta. It takes no time until someone calls you bule, which is commonly used to describe white foreigners, and suddenly it feels like you hear it constantly everywhere.

Even though calling someone by his or her skin color would be perceived as disrespectful in Europe, it seems like people mean well. Having dark hair and fair skin, you become a "Katy Perry celebrity" easily. It might seem like you neither have a name nor nationality -- all you are is bule. Most people are deeply interested in white people and try to start a conversation by using body language. They will ask you for a selfie and try to take hundreds of pictures with you. It can be exhausting but also a lot of fun and a good way of meeting new people. Also, back home you can tell stories like: My picture is on the wall of this Indonesian guy's living room, right next to his wedding photo.

When one bule in Jakarta faces another bule, it gets interesting. Always being quite excited, I feel less alone and lost in this big city for a moment and wonder: Who are you? Where are you from? Do you speak my language? Some act uninterested and go on their way. Others smile conspiratorially and wave their hand before disappearing into the crowd.

Do not drop a clanger  eight things to consider

Compared to touristic Bali, drinking alcohol in public places in Jakarta is prohibited. Also, a quite harsh drug law exists: On the flight to Jakarta, attendants would warn you that it's a serious crime and it has a death penalty. In Indonesia, people drive on the left. It can be difficult for European people to cross the streets of Jakarta that are always chock-full of motorbikes. Even though it seems like there are no traffic regulations and you feel like you are risking your life, do not run but put out your hand to show the drivers you want to cross. Kissing and hugging others in public is inappropriate. Also, in some Indonesian cities it can be difficult to book a room as an unmarried couple. Respect the culture and dress modestly, which means covering both shoulders and knees. Bring your mosquito repellent. Some hotels or public restrooms may not provide toilet paper. Instead they have some kind of water spray. What might be surprising and unusual initially turns out to be quite hygienic. When you are eating some street food, there might be people spitting on the ground. Thats normal. However, blowing your nose loudly is not appropriate, especially during eating. Indonesian people are very polite when greeting each other. With wide smiles, they tend to shake hands, give a slight bow and call each other brother or sister, depending on their gender and age. (wng)

***

Sophia Huber is a media management student and traveler. She likes telling stories through photography and writing.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.

Topics : jakarta foreigners Tourist tips sambal food etiquette selfie
Three arrested for drugs in Phuket Town

PHUKET: Three people were arrested in three drug busts carried out in just over an hour in Phuket Town over the weekend, leading to the seizure of 3,799 methamphetamine pills (ya bah) and 22.84 grams of crystal meth (ya ice) as well as a handgun and bullets.

drugscrimepolice

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Tuesday 9 April 2019, 11:27AM

All three suspects were arrested in just over an hour on Saturday (Apr 6). Photo: Phuket Centre for Drug Prevention and Suppression

All three suspects were arrested in just over an hour on Saturday (Apr 6). Photo: Phuket Centre for Drug Prevention and Suppression

All three suspects were arrested in just over an hour on Saturday (Apr 6). Photo: Phuket Centre for Drug Prevention and Suppression

The raids netted 3,799 meth pills (ya bah) and 22.84 grams of crystal meth (ya ice), as well as a handgun and bullets. Photo: Phuket Centre for Drug Prevention and Suppression

The arrests were all made on Saturday (Apr 6) in raids carried out by officers from the Phuket Centre for Drug Prevention and Suppression.

Leading the team was Phuket City Municipality Chief Administrator (Palad) Danai Jaikeng, accompanied by Civil Defense Volunteers (OrSor) and other law-enforcement officers.

Acting on information from undercover sources, the team first arrested Pakorn Thongrod, 29, at a location in Soi Dechanarong, off Yaowarat Rd, at 5pm.

At the scene officers seized with 3,700 meth pills, 22.06g of crystal meth and a handgun with 38 bullets. Officers also seized a digital weighing machine and two items of drug-using paraphernalia.

Officers reported that Pakorn was a staffer at a hospital in Phuket and that he sold drugs that were delivered by post. The officers declined to reveal at which hospital Pakorn worked.

The other two arrests came at a location on Soi Rungrawee, also off Yaowarat Rd, where at 5:40pm officers took into custody Madiha Longsatien, 33, who was found with 99 meth pills.

At 6:10pm, at the same location, offices arrested Samat Gosoompan, 44, who was found with 780mg of crystal meth.

All three suspects are being held at Phuket City Police Station pending further investigation, the Phuket Centre for Drug Prevention and Suppression reported.

All three have been charged with possession of a Category 1 drug with intent to sell, and all three have confessed to the charge against them, the centre also reported.
Vachira Phuket Hospital to start charging after-hours service fee

PHUKET: Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town, which serves as the main government hospital on the island, will start charging non-emergency patients B100 each for after-hours treatment starting May 1.

health

By Waranya Prompinpiras

Tuesday 9 April 2019, 05:43PM

Vachira Phuket Hospital will start charging non-emergency patients B100 each for after-hours treatment from May 1. Photo: The Phuket News / file

Vachira Jampatong, a public relations officer at the hospital, told The Phuket News today (Apr 9) that the new fee is being introduced in accordance with a change in policy issued by the Ministry of Health in Bangkok.

It is an order from the Ministry of Public Health, which has ordered all hospitals in the country to charge fees for non-emergency patients who come for treatment after normal clinic operating hours, she said.

The order says the fee is to be not more than B110, and so Vachira Phuket Hospital will charge only B100, she said.

The B100 is a medical service fee, Ms Vachira explained

The normal clinic operating hours at the hospital are regular government office working hours: 8:30am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday.

However, the hospital also provides outpatient services for a period outside these regular office hours, which hospital administrators call after hours service: from 4:30pm-10pm, Monday-Friday, and 8:30am-10pm, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays.

We will charge for treatment of ailments such as headaches, fever and diarrhea from all non-emergency patients who come to receive medical services during these after hours periods, Ms Vachira said.

All outpatients who receive treatment during these hours will be charged the B100 fee. This includes foreigners and even if the patient has social security coverage or is registered under the B30 gold card scheme, she added.

Also, this fee does not include the cost of all medicines provided. Patients must pay for medicines that are not already covered by government policy, Ms Vachira explained.

Vachira Phuket Hospital will start charging the B100 fee on May 1, 2019, and we will continue to do so until the Ministry of Public Health issues a new order, she said.

Ms Vachira noted that people who present themselves for treatment outside the regular office hours and out side the after hours period must wait to be treated by the Accident & Emergency Department.

Depending on the treatment provided, non-emergency patients may also be charged fees and for medicines provided by the A&E Department, she said.
System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian is currently making a documentary about his music career and activism, he revealed on his Instagram profile.

Posting a shot of himself from his first foray as a musician, Tankian said the unseen image was uncovered while he and his team were collecting material for the upcoming film. The image is a throwback to Tankian's first band called Forever Young.

Tankian's grabbed national headlines after the Christchurch terror attack when he told the Turkish leader to 'shove it' for threatening Kiwis after the attack.


Pilots start some new Boeing planes by turning a knob and flipping two switches.

The Boeing 737 Max, the newest passenger jet on the market, works differently. Pilots follow roughly the same seven steps used on the first 737 nearly 52 years ago: Shut off the cabins air conditioning, redirect the air flow, switch on the engine, start the flow of fuel, revert the air flow, turn back on the air conditioning, and turn on a generator.

The 737 Max is a legacy of its past, built on decades-old systems, many that date back to the original version. The strategy, to keep updating the plane rather than starting from scratch, offered competitive advantages. Pilots were comfortable flying it, while airlines did not have to invest in costly new training for their pilots and mechanics. For Boeing, it was also faster and cheaper to redesign and recertify than starting anew.

But the strategy has now left the company in crisis, after two deadly crashes in less than five months. The Max stretched the 737 design, creating a patchwork plane that left pilots without some safety features that could be important in a crisis  ones that have been offered for years on other planes. It is the only modern Boeing jet without an electronic alert system that explains what is malfunctioning and how to resolve it. Instead pilots have to check a manual.

The Max also required makeshift solutions to keep the plane flying like its ancestors, workarounds that may have compromised safety. While the findings are not final, investigators suspect that one workaround, an anti-stall system designed to compensate for the larger engines, was central to the crash last month in Ethiopia and an earlier one in Indonesia.

The Max aint your fathers Buick, said Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for the American Airlines pilots union who has flown the 737 for a decade. He added that its not lost on us that the foundation of this aircraft is from the 60s.

The Max, Boeings bestselling model, with more than 5,000 orders, is suddenly a reputational hazard. It could be weeks or months before regulators around the world lift their ban on the plane, after Boeings expected software fix was delayed. Southwest Airlines and American Airlines have cancelled some flights through May because of the Max grounding.

The company has slowed production of the plane, putting pressure on its profits, and some buyers are reconsidering their orders. Shares of the company fell over 4 per cent Monday, and are down 11 per cent since the Ethiopia crash.

It was state of the art at the time, but that was 50 years ago, said Rick Ludtke, a former Boeing engineer who helped design the Maxs cockpit. Its not a good airplane for the current environment.

The 737 has long been a reliable aircraft, flying for decades with relatively few issues. Gordon Johndroe, a Boeing spokesman, defended the development of the Max, saying that airlines wanted an updated 737 over a new single-aisle plane and that pilots were involved in its design.

Listening to pilots is an important aspect of our work. Their experienced input is front and centre in our mind when we develop airplanes, he said in a statement. We share a common priority  safety  and we listen carefully to their feedback.

Boeings chief executive, Dennis Muilenburg, said in a statement Friday that the crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia appeared to have been caused by the Maxs new anti-stall system. We have the responsibility to eliminate this risk, and we know how to do it, he said.

At a factory near Seattle on Jan. 17, 1967, flight attendants christened the first Boeing 737, smashing sparkling wine bottles over its wing. Boeing pitched the plane as a smaller alternative to its larger jets, earning it the nickname the Baby Boeing.

Early on, sales lagged Boeings biggest competitor, McDonnell Douglas. In 1972, Boeing had delivered just 14 of the jets, and it considered selling the program to a Japanese manufacturer, said Peter Morton, the 737 marketing manager in the early 1970s. We had to decide if we were going to end it or invest in it, Morton said.

Ultimately, Boeing invested. The 737 eventually began to sell, bolstered by airline deregulation in 1978. Six years later, Boeing updated the 737 with its classic series, followed by the next generation in 1997, and the Max in 2017. Now nearly 1 in every 3 domestic flights in the United States is on a 737, more than any other line of aircraft.

Each of the three redesigns came with a new engine, updates to the cabin and other changes. But Boeing avoided overhauling the jet in order to appease airlines, according to current and former Boeing executives, pilots and engineers, some of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the open investigations. Airlines wanted new 737s to match their predecessors so pilots could skip expensive training in flight simulators and easily transition to new jets.

Boeings strategy worked. The Federal Aviation Administration never required simulator training for pilots switching from one 737 to the next.

Airlines dont want Boeing to give them a fancy new product if it requires them to retrain their pilots, said Matthew Menza, a former 737 Max test pilot for Boeing. So you iterate off a design thats 50 years old. The old adage is: If its not broke, dont fix it.

It did require engineering ingenuity, to ensure a decades-old jet handled mostly the same. In doing so, some of the jets one-time selling points became challenges.

For instance, in the early years of the 737, jet travel was rapidly expanding across the world. The planes low-slung frame was a benefit for airlines and airports in developing countries. Workers there could load bags by hand without a conveyor belt and maintain the engines without a lift, Morton said. In the decades that followed, the low frame repeatedly complicated efforts to fit bigger engines under the wing.

By 2011, Boeing executives were starting to question whether the 737 design had run its course. The company wanted to create an entirely new single-aisle jet. Then Boeings rival Airbus added a new fuel-efficient engine to its line of single-aisle planes, the A320, and Boeing quickly decided to update the jet again.

We all rolled our eyes. The idea that, Here we go. The 737 again, said Ludtke, the former 737 Max cockpit designer who spent 19 years at Boeing.

Nobody was quite perhaps willing to say it was unsafe, but we really felt like the limits were being bumped up against, he added.

Some engineers were frustrated they would have to again spend years updating the same jet, taking care to limit any changes, instead of starting fresh and incorporating significant technological advances, the current and former engineers and pilots said. The Max still has roughly the original layout of the cockpit and the hydraulic system of cables and pulleys to control the plane, which are not used in modern designs. The onboard computers have the processing power of 1990s home computers. A Boeing spokesman said the aircraft was designed with an appropriate level of technology to ensure safety.

When engineers did make changes, it sometimes created knock-on effects for how the plane handled, forcing Boeing to get creative. The company added a new system that moves plates on the wing in part to reduce stress on the plane from its added weight. Boeing re-created the decades-old physical gauges on digital screens.

As Boeing pushed its engineers to figure out how to accommodate bigger, more fuel-efficient engines, height was again an issue. Simply lengthening the landing gear to make the plane taller could have violated rules for exiting the plane in an emergency.

Instead, engineers were able to add just a few inches to the front landing gear and shift the engines farther forward on the wing. The engines fit, but the Max sat at a slightly uneven angle when parked.

While that design solved one problem, it created another. The larger size and new location of the engines gave the Max the tendency to tilt up during certain flight maneuvers, potentially to a dangerous angle.

To compensate, Boeing engineers created the automated anti-stall system, called MCAS, that pushed the jets nose down if it was lifting too high. The software was intended to operate in the background so that the Max flew just like its predecessor. Boeing did not mention the system in its training materials for the Max.

Boeing also designed the system to rely on a single sensor  a rarity in aviation, where redundancy is common. Several former Boeing engineers who were not directly involved in the systems design said their colleagues most likely opted for such an approach since relying on two sensors could still create issues. If one of two sensors malfunctioned, the system could struggle to know which was right.

Airbus addressed this potential problem on some of its planes by installing three or more such sensors. Former Max engineers, including one who worked on the sensors, said adding a third sensor to the Max was a nonstarter. Previous 737s, they said, had used two, and managers wanted to limit changes.

They wanted to A, save money and B, to minimize the certification and flight-test costs, said Mike Renzelmann, an engineer who worked on the Maxs flight controls. Any changes are going to require recertification. Renzelmann was not involved in discussions about the sensors.

The Max also lacked more modern safety features.

Most new Boeing jets have electronic systems that take pilots through their preflight checklists, ensuring they do not skip a step and potentially miss a malfunctioning part. On the Max, pilots still complete those checklists manually in a book.

A second electronic system found on other Boeing jets also alerts pilots to unusual or hazardous situations during flight and lays out recommended steps to resolve them.

On 737s, a light typically indicates the problem and pilots have to flip through their paper manuals to find next steps. In the doomed Indonesia flight, as the Lion Air pilots struggled with MCAS for control, the pilots consulted the manual moments before the jet plummeted into the Java Sea, killing all 189 people aboard.

Meanwhile, Im flying the jet, said Tajer, the American Airlines 737 captain. Versus, pop, its on your screen. It tells you: This is the problem, and heres the checklist thats recommended.

Boeing decided against adding it to the Max because it could have prompted regulators to require new pilot training, according to two former Boeing employees involved in the decision.

The Max also runs on a complex web of cables and pulleys that, when pilots pull back on the controls, transfer that movement to the tail. By comparison, Airbus jets and Boeings more modern aircraft, such as the 777 and 787, are fly-by-wire, meaning pilots movement of the flight controls is fed to a computer that directs the plane. The design allows for far more automation, including systems that prevent the jet from entering dangerous situations, such as flying too fast or too low. Some 737 pilots said they preferred the cable-and-pulley system to fly-by-wire because they believed it gave them more control.

In the recent crashes, investigators believe the MCAS malfunctioned and moved a tail flap called the stabilizer, tilting the plane toward the ground. On the doomed Ethiopian Airlines flight, the pilots tried to combat the system by cutting power to the stabilizers motor, according to the preliminary crash report.

Once the power was cut, the pilots tried to regain control manually by turning a wheel next to their seat. The 737 is the last modern Boeing jet that uses a manual wheel as its backup system. But Boeing has long known that turning the wheel is difficult at high speeds, and may have required two pilots to work together.

In the final moments of the Ethiopia Airlines flight, the first officer said the method was not working, according to the preliminary crash report. About 1 minute and 49 seconds later, the plane crashed, killing 157 people.

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Chinese investment in Vancouver commercial property from companies such as Anbang Insurance Group Co. has slumped amid a flood of regulations, with investors looking to Toronto instead.

Asian investments in Vancouver fell to almost $350 million (Canadian) in 2018, a drop from the $1 billion-plus that hit the market in each of the two prior years, according to data from CBRE Ltd. In contrast, Toronto took in $526 million of Asian investment last year, up slightly from 2017, including a $256 million purchase of an office building by Chinese private investor Tigra Vista Inc.

Chinese investors are retreating globally following government restrictions on capital outflows in 2016. In Vancouver, Asian investment dropped off even more last year due in part to a series of new taxes instituted by the government, including a speculation and wealth tax on homes. The province has also proposed a bill to expose hidden land owners  both residential and commercial  and failure to disclose may result in a fine of $100,000 or 15 per cent of the propertys assessed value, whichever is greater, is driving away some investors.

You have policy changes on a snap, on a whim, David Ho, executive vice president at CBRE Ltd., said in an interview at Bloombergs Vancouver office. Investors typically look at stability in a market and this is not stability.

The numbers provided by CBRE are only based on known buyers though many go to great lengths to protect their identities and remain confidential, the brokerage firm said.

Ho focuses on bringing in new Asian capital to North American cities and while 90 per cent of his business was in Vancouver last year, he predicts the city may account for only a fraction of the foreign capital this year with more deals done in Toronto. In total, Asian capital flows are projected to take up less than 20 per cent of Vancouvers commercial market, said Vancouver-based CBRE broker Tony Quattrin, compared to over 25 per cent in the past three years.

Last month, Blackstone Group LP and Hudson Pacific Properties Inc. teamed up to buy Anbang-owned Bentall Centre in Vancouver. The Chinese insurance firm has been ramping up efforts to off-load assets after being temporarily seized by the nations regulator.

Leaping Eastward

In Vancouver, Chinese investment had always been predicated on land, placing bets on land, whether its old shopping centres or office buildings even  they see underlying development and land value, Bal Atwal, a principal at brokerage firm Avison Young, said. Theyre looking at Toronto now because theyre seeing a better arbitrage on that than they are here.

Asian investors, who previously had marginal interest in looking east of Vancouver given the flood of opportunities, are now being forced to diversify their holdings. To cater to growing demand, CBRE is planning to shift more of its focus to bringing Asian investors to Toronto, which has a booming tech and financial services market, fuelled by a flood of immigrants and millennials.

That spells money because young people have to consume, theyre growing families, Ho said. Thats a huge advantage against the Vancouver market, which is more of a retirement market.

Old Money

While money has been migrating away from Vancouver during the past few months, the shift may not be a permanent exit, said Robert Veerman, a CBRE sales associate. People are still trying to understand what the long-term effects will be of the British Columbia governments policies.

Itll be very volatile for awhile but right now theres no panic in the market, just some jitters, Ho said. How the government works out the policies moving forward a year, two years from now if they havent stabilized the psyche of the market, then would panic set in? I dont know.

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Steve Beauchesne is delighted at the prospect of getting his brewerys flagship Lugtread Lagered Ale onto the shelves of 8,000 more stores.

But that delight isnt completely unreserved.

As Ontario looks to open up beer and wine sales to corner stores, the president of Beaus All-Natural Brewing  and others in the wine and beer industry  say the devil is very much in the details. Some of those details could be coming in this weeks provincial budget.

Expensive shelving fees, tiny fridge space and the costs of a more complex distribution system are just some of the concerns for brewery and winery owners.

Opening up more access is really exciting. Without any sense of the details, its hard to be completely confident, said Beauchesne, whos also the vice-chairman of the Ontario Craft Brewers, a trade association representing most of the provinces independent breweries.

Were excited and scared at the same time, said Paul Speck, president of Henry of Pelham winery.

Last month, Ontario finance minister Vic Fedeli announced the provincial government would be expanding alcohol sales dramatically. Currently about 3,000 stores sell alcohol in Ontario, including more than 660 LCBO outlets and 450 Beer Store locations. There are more than 8,000 convenience stores across the province.

Our government is actively working to expand the sale of beer and wine to corner stores, box stores and even more grocery stores, Fedeli told an audience of business leaders March 28. Former Alberta cabinet minister Ken Hughes has been appointed to advise Premier Doug Ford on bringing alcohol into corner stores. Ripping up the provinces existing 10-year agreement with The Beer Store  reached in 2015 when the Kathleen Wynne administration expanded beer and wine sales to grocery stores  could cost the government up to $100 million in penalties.

Have your say

One of the biggest concerns Beauchesne has is the possibility of a ban on shelving fees at corner stores. Shelving fees have become a lucrative part of the business model in the grocery industry, with suppliers paying for the opportunity of having their products stocked.

When beer and wine sales were extended to grocery stores under the previous provincial government, shelving fees were banned for alcohol sales.

If that gets opened up, it would be a big problem. Because who has deeper pockets to pay those shelving fees? It isnt craft breweries, said Beauchesne.

Nor, said Speck, are shelving fees something Ontarios wineries could afford.

Wineries are farmers and small businesses. We dont have the money to pay shelving fees, said Speck, president of Henry of Pelham winery.

Richard Linley, president of Ontario Craft Wineries, the Ontario wine industrys main trade association, is cautiously optimistic about adding convenience stores to the retail mix, saying it could be very positive.

Linley is more focused on cutting the LCBOs markup, which is currently 71 per cent, but with other fees can effectively come out to 100 per cent.

Our priority is on changing the tax structure. And then well see what the distribution looks like, said Linley. Theres no point in giving greater retail access if the margins are still so low.

In many U.S. jurisdictions that are fully privatized  and also allow shelving fees  it isnt the wine and beer lovers nirvana many Ontarians seem to assume, Speck says.

You go into a lot of those stores and see its big brands and low prices, said Speck.

In fully privatized jurisdictions, there might be more choice in some prime urban locations, but its hardly widespread, says Beauchesne, whose brewery sells some of its wares in Quebec and Northeastern U.S.

In some of those privatized jurisdictions, there are a handful of really great stores, and then everywhere else, it can be hard to find something worth drinking, said Beauchesne.

Given that most convenience stores are relatively tiny compared to LCBO stores or grocery shops, space will be at a premium on refrigerator shelves. Ontario brewers and winemakers hope some of it will be set aside for them, as it is at the 350 or so grocery stores that currently sell beer and wine.

The grocery stores have to provide a minimum of 20 per cent shelf space to craft brewers. In most grocery stores, its closer to 50 per cent craft beer because thats what people are interested in buying, Beauchesne said.

The head of the Ontario Convenience Stores Association says his members will give 30 per cent of the shelf space in their beer and wine fridges to Ontario products and are against shelving fees. Small producers shouldnt be worried, said Dave Bryans. OCSA represents roughly 8,000 stores, including independent retailers and regional chains. There are another 1,750 convenience stores in the province attached to gas stations or affiliated with national chains such as Circle-K.

Were 100 per cent committed to craft brewers and to Ontario wines, said Bryans, who argued convenience stores would be a far better partner to small brewers than The Beer Store and LCBO have been. The Beer Store, which started in the post-Prohibition era as a brewers co-operative warehouse is now majority owned by Molson-Coors, AB-InBev (through its Canadian subsidiary Labatt), and Sapporo (through its Ontario subsidiary Sleeman).

If you go into a grocery store, craft beer is 20 per cent of the shelf space. At The Beer Store its about 2 per cent. At the LCBO, youve got to grovel to get a spot on the shelf, said Bryans.

Another big question mark is the logistical complexity  and cost  of delivering to 8,000 small stores scattered across the province. It will be a challenge no matter who does it, whether its the LCBO, The Beer Store, convenience stores existing distributors or some other new companies which spring up to fill the gap.

All of a sudden, youre distributing to 8,000 stores. The cost of distribution goes up. You could get another tier of distribution like you have in many U.S. states, said Beauchesne.

Still, said Beauchesne, having a new way to get your product into the hands of customers is on balance a good thing.

Change is always scary, said Beauchesne.
Shorting Canadian banks has long made for a poor bet by U.S. hedge funds, and this time will be no different, according to Bank of Nova Scotia CEO Brian Porter.

U.S. hedge funds, from time to time, have appeared in this country over the last 10 years with the same hypothesis of shorting Canadian banks, and it hasnt worked well for them, he said Tuesday at the companys annual meeting in Toronto in response to an investors question.

While Porter said theres clearly a concern out there about the state of the Canadian housing market, no hedge funds have talked to Scotiabank about the companys assets or balance sheet. The bank said its Canadian residential mortgage portfolio is about $216 billion, with 42 per cent of those home loans insured, and an average loan-to-value ratio of 55 per cent for its uninsured mortgages.

So we believe theres a lot of buffer in there for any significant downturn, he said. The bank stress-tests its loans daily against very harsh metrics  including a 600-basis point increase in interest rates and huge jump in unemployment  to make sure it would remain profitable and be able to pay a dividend, Porter added. There are always going to be those that take an opposing view. Well prove them wrong in the long term.

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TransAlta Corp. won support for its board nominees from a prominent shareholder advisory firm that noted two activist investors threatening a proxy fight havent filed the paperwork with regulators for their own candidates.

Meanwhile, Mangrove Partners and an entity controlled by C. John Wilders Bluescape Energy Partners, the two activist investors, filed an application with regulators in Ontario and Alberta on Tuesday seeking to force a second shareholder vote on the companys proposed $750 million (Canadian) ($563 million U.S.) investment from Brookfield Asset Management Inc., separating that tally from the companys ballot on its directors.

They also want to push back the companys annual general meeting, now set for April 26, and are seeking more information about how the deal came about, according to the filings.

Like any TransAlta shareholder, we cannot yet know whether the Companys proposed investment from Brookfield is in the best interest of all shareholders, given signs of a rushed negotiation and the companys limited disclosures, said Nathaniel August, Mangroves president, in a statement. However, we do know that the transaction resulted in a sale of a material interest in TransAltas crown jewel hydro assets and a significant restriction on the companys ability to deal with those assets in the future.

When it announced the deal, TransAlta said it didnt require a shareholder vote.

Mangroves application is inappropriate, unwarranted and without merit, TransAlta Chairman Gordon Giffin said in an emailed statement. It is an attempt to circumvent the rights of our other shareholders through a misuse of the Canadian regulatory process. We are moving forward with our strategic partnership with Brookfield and the business of creating value for the companys shareholders.

The two investors are seeking information on how the Brookfield transaction came about and how it was determined to be the best way forward. That includes undisclosed communications between Brookfield and TransAlta in the prior 12 months, and any negotiations in the lead-up to the deal with RBC Global Asset Management. RBC owns a 12.4 per cent stake in the company and committed to support the companys slate when the Brookfield deal was announced, according to the filing.

Abusive transaction

The activists argue that the transaction is abusive to shareholders and undervalues the firms hydro assets.

Approvals of the requests will ensure that shareholders are given a fair opportunity to vote for directors without the vote constituting a referendum on the Brookfield transaction, and to vote for or against the Brookfield transaction, based on full and fair disclosure of the events leading up to it, they said.

Glass Lewis & Co. said earlier in the day that it saw no substantive reason shareholders shouldnt support the companys slate of 12 directors. The advisory firm said it didnt consider whether shareholders should support the activist slate because, as of Monday, they hadnt filed a definitive proxy for their five candidates.

Saying they were concerned about the Brookfield deal, the two activists had argued that, if at least two directors not on the companys slate were elected, TransAlta would be free to vacate the transaction and pursue other options under the terms of the agreement.
CALGARY - U.S. activist investors trying to force operational and board of directors changes at TransAlta Corp. are asking regulators to call a hearing into its upcoming annual general meeting.

In response, TransAlta chairman Gordon Giffin says in a news release the applications are inappropriate, unwarranted and without merit.

American firms Mangrove Partners and Bluescape Energy Partners, who together hold about 10 per cent of TransAltas shares, say in a news release they are asking the Alberta and Ontario securities commissions to force a delay in the upcoming April 26 meeting until at least June 1.

The Calgary-based power utility announced two weeks ago that Brookfield Renewable Partners and its institutional partners had signed a $750-million deal to invest in the companys hydro assets, adding Brookfield would also purchase shares to increase its stake to nine per cent.

The arrangement is conditional on shareholders voting for two director nominees from Brookfield at the annual meeting. The U.S. firms charge shareholders face coercion because the transaction is linked with the election.

Mangrove and Bluescape say they want the regulators to make acceptance of the deal conditional on results of a vote of shareholders not having an interest in the Brookfield transaction, thus excluding Brookfield.

The U.S. investors say the Brookfield deal was rushed and prevents TransAlta from looking at potential better options.

Companies in this story: (TSX:TA, TSX:BEP.UN)
A short but important chapter of Toronto history has hit the property market: a Bathurst St. apartment once occupied by American literary icon Ernest Hemingway officially goes up for sale on Tuesday.

It is an interesting little piece of the past that many Torontonians dont know about, says listing agent Andrew Harrild of Condos.ca.

The 1,100-square-foot, two-bedroom-plus-den apartment is on the top floor of a four-storey building known now as The Hemingway. A historical plaque beside the main entrance honours the writer, who signed a yearlong lease for $85 a month on Oct. 1, 1923, and then left Toronto in January 1924 with his young family to return to Paris.

A 2012 Star story quotes a letter from Hemingway to poet Ezra Pound itemizing the Toronto rent at $125 a month. But the lease discovered about five years ago shows a price of $1,020 a year. It was found in the Hemingway Collection at the Kennedy Library in Boston.

Unit 19 of 1599 Bathurst St. is now selling for $730,000, a price that takes into account its size, the east and west exposures, and the easy access to shopping and the St. Clair West subway stop, as well as nearby ravine trails  all enjoyed by owner Laura Dimitry, who bought the place in September 2017 for $511,000.

She calls the apartments literary provenance super cool. She loves the idea of sharing the same views as the Hemingways and telling people that not only did the Nobel Prize-winning novelist live in her building, he occupied her unit.

The writers tenure in the brick and stucco building  which is now actually two buildings 1599 and 1597  was brief but significant. He had returned to Toronto so that his first wife, Hadley Richardson, who didnt want to give birth in Paris, could deliver her baby here. His son John (known as Bumby) was born at Wellesley Hospital on Oct. 10, 1923.

The writer, who was filing lively, international reports for the Toronto Star at the time, was on the return train from New York where he had been covering the arrival of British Prime Minister David Lloyd George when the baby arrived, wrote the Stars Bill Schiller in 2012.

During his stay, Hemingway became a friend of Canadian novelist Morley Callaghan and broadcaster Gorden Sinclair, says the plaque that was posted in 1985 on the building once known as the Cedarvale Mansions.

Read more:

Center in Havana opens to preserve Hemingways legacy

The Old Man and the Play: Friend keeps word to Hemingway

The sum also rises: How Ernest Hemingway's story as a Star reporter helped boost the Santa Claus Fund so no child was left out at Christmas

Dimitry says the size of the apartment means it lives like a house. She has repurposed the rooms so that the den is a second bedroom and one of the bedrooms acts as a dining room.

Youre still in the city but youre far removed from downtown. You look outside and theres greenery, she said of the east view over the ravine that Hemingway also mentioned in letters he wrote from Toronto.

It is so nice in the fall and the summer, said Dimitry, who admits she has only read one selection from Hemingways oeuvre, The Old Man and the Sea.

Have your say

She is still thrilled to be associated by place.

I hope the year he was here was enjoyable because of where he lived, she said.

It is the third time Harrild has been involved in the sale of the apartment. It was Harrilds familiarity with the buildings story that prompted Dimitry to look him up when she was ready to sell.

He calls the apartment a bargain on a per square foot basis. It comes with parking and a locker and condo fees of $900 a month.

The den at the back of the condo would have been Hemingways writing room, although theres no evidence he wrote any fiction there.

You just get that feeling when you walk into the space to know that someone like that lived and ate and slept and wrote ... There is something very cool and unique about that, Harrild said.

It just doesnt happen very often where you get on something thats just got a little bit of a unique piece of history, a story behind it, he said.

Before its sold I will be having a whiskey in his writing room just to connect with him somehow.
Perhaps it was a bad call to think that I could interview people about Ukrainian Easter foods on bingo night. In the packed auditorium of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of St. Demetrius on Lake Shore Blvd. W. in Etobicoke on a mild Friday night, hundreds of attendees sitting at folding tables scanned their bingo cards in silence as each number was called out.

Any distraction, namely my voice, could have resulted in an incomplete line, X, box, or the most nerve-wracking winning pattern: the full card, and I couldnt face the embarrassment of accidentally making someone lose, especially when the prizes that night were the coveted pysanky, intricately dyed Ukrainian Easter eggs.

It became increasingly clear that I had chosen unlucky bingo cards. Three hours and 24 games later, I left without any pysanky to take home. Since I didnt get to hold a pysanka (pysanky is the plural term), Darcia Moskaluk Rutkay, whose numerous titles within Torontos Ukrainian community includes being vice president of St. Demetrius as well as president of the Ukrainian Canadian Womens Council, invited me to her apartment to see up close how they are made and get a better understanding of how theyre more than a pretty bingo prize.

The Easter Egg was written long before Christianity, and the decorated egg was used as a talisman for protection over evil, ill health, fire, and now theres been a resurgence of it, she says. Theyre even on tassels to hang in your car. I think theres so much evil out there right now, people need something and the belief in goodwill.

Her Etobicoke home is filled with hundreds of intricately decorated pysanky in bowls, vases, cabinets and frames. There are emu pysanky with a dark green base, little quail ones in a glass cabinet, wooden pysanky that have been etched and dyed, goose eggs and ostrich eggs. Most of the pysanky she made, but there are others that have been gifts from other pysanka-makers she met at workshops, as well as a carton of old pysanky that shes restoring for a client by delicately sanding off the yellowed varnish and replacing it with a clear resin to bring out the original colours. In her office is an entire closet with shelves containing dyes specifically made for pysanky and blank eggs of all kinds.

Moskaluk Rutkay, 62, prefers calling the process of creating pysanky writing rather than decorating, as the word pysanka is derived from the Ukrainian verb for writing. Shes been writing eggs since she was five years old when her mother took her to a pysanka class at St. Volodymyrs Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral on Bathurst St.

Read more:

We challenged a pysanka-maker to create a Toronto-themed Easter egg

Her mother came to Canada as an eight-year-old in 1933 and her family first settled in Prince Albert, Sask. to become farmers, she then moved to Toronto to pursue nursing and subsequently met and married Moskaluk Rutkays father. It was all about clearing the land and building a house, she says. When youre plowing the field, theres no time for pysanky. But she knew it was important to carry on the tradition so she wanted me to learn it.

Now Moskaluk Rutkay teaches pysanka-writing classes around the GTA and her pysanky can be purchased at St. Demetrius in the days leading up to Easter. They can also be found at Ukrainian gift shop Koota Ooma on The Queensway and Future Bakerys Etobicoke location on North Queen St. Her next workshop is on the morning of April 19 (Good Friday) at St. Demetrius where shell show attendees the basic techniques.

To create the pysankas patterns, intricate lines and shapes are written on the egg with wax via a stylus-like tool called a kistka. The egg is then submerged in dye, with the wax preventing the dye from covering the written images. This process is repeated with more layers of wax and increasingly dark colours. When all the coloured layers are completed, the egg is then held to a flame to melt off the wax, leaving a colourful egg.

Every mark on a pysanka bears meaning. Moskaluk Rutkay has a collection of books filled with traditional Ukrainian folk art and patterns to incorporate into her eggs. A sun with rays beaming from it represents good fortune and happiness. A rake means prosperity while a basket weave pattern symbolizes knowledge. Dots represent Marys tears over Christs death and triangles symbolize the holy trinity of air, fire and water.

The traditional way of pysanka writing uses a raw egg rather than emptying its contents (the heavier egg also makes it easier to submerge in dye). This leaves it to chance on whether the eggs contents will petrify and turn into a solid mass that can be kept for decades, or simply turn mouldy and rot. Moskaluk Rutkay works with both intact and emptied eggs, though the ones she gives as gifts or sells to people are emptied out to prevent any risk of smelly surprises.

The Easter treat of choice for Ukrainians is paska: A rich egg bread that Moskaluk Rutkay flavours with a hint of allspice and orange peel. Like the pysanka, each paska loaf is also decorated with Ukrainian folk symbols. But unlike the Easter egg, the paska is wholly edible. Moskaluk Rutkay, who makes them for the church to sell, gave me a loaf as a consolation prize on bingo night and said that it makes excellent French toast, but I kept it simple with butter and a sprinkling of salt to let the spices shine through.

Ukrainian cuisine has been a part of Canadian cooking since the late 1800s, when the first major wave of Ukrainian immigrants settled mainly in the prairies to become farmers. According to the latest 2016 census, 1.34 million Canadians identify as having Ukrainian roots with half of them living in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta.

The town of Vegreville, east of Edmonton, erected a 31-foot tall pysanka in 1975 to honour its Ukrainian community. Northeast of Vegreville in the town of Glendon stands the Worlds Largest Perogy, another giant roadside attraction honouring Ukrainian contributions to Canadian cuisine.

But Ukrainians werent always welcome. During the First World War, Ukrainians living in Canada were labelled enemy aliens by the government under the War Measures Act. Thousands of Ukrainian-Canadians were sent to internment camps while tens of thousands more had to carry identification papers and report to the police regularly, according to the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

The art of pysanka writing suffered a massive blow in Ukraine before the Second World War when it was under Communist rule, where religious-based holidays were discouraged, according to historians, driving the art of pysanky underground or nearly forgotten altogether in the span of generations. It wasnt until 1991 when Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union that people picked it up again.

The art of pysanka lives on, especially in Toronto, home to Canadas second largest Ukrainian community with just over 144,000 people (about 15,000 fewer than Edmonton but more than the entire population of Ukrainians in Saskatchewan). The annual Toronto Ukrainian Festival in High Park which started hosting a perogy-eating contest last year. Social media has also helped the art form thrive again as Ukrainian diasporas, as well as non-Ukrainians learning to write pysanky, share images of their eggs (one of Moskaluk Rutkays favourite pysanka artists is the self-taught, Nova Scotia-based So Jeo whose eggs can command thousands of dollars). With the rise of pysanka on the internet, Moskaluk Rutkay has noticed regional variations of pysanky emerging, noting that Canadians veer towards more brightly coloured designs that are heavy with starbursts and geometric patterns.

In addition to Moskaluk Rutkay teaching Torontonians from all backgrounds how to write pysanky, other Ukrainian churches and cultural centres around the city are doing similar workshops.

Folk Camp, a Canadian non-profit that aims to promote Eastern European cultural traditions, is holding pysanka-making workshops throughout Ontario leading up to Easter. One of the workshops is being held at the St. Vladimir Institute Ukrainian community centre in The Annex, which is also the location of Ukrainian Museum of Canadas Ontario Branch. In June, a pysanka exhibition will be held there in addition to a four-day pysanka intensive. Also, I just might pop by St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral on Apr. 21 to try my luck again at pysanka bingo.

I encourage people outside the Ukrainian community to teach their children, even if its with crayons and food colouring, she says. As long as the egg is being written, it symbolizes good over evil. Thats whats drives me. I always believe good triumphs over evil.

We challenged pysanka-maker Darcia Moskaluk Rutkay to create a Toronto-themed Easter egg using Ukrainian folk design. While doing her research, she came across the citys official Coat of Arms, created after amalgamation in 1998. Here are the symbols found on the shield that Moskaluk Rutkay incorporated on to a single goose egg. It took her a week to write.

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MONTREALQuebecs health-care network will change its policies after a pregnant woman was forced to transfer hospitals last week and delivered her baby in a car, Health Minister Danielle McCann said Monday.

Angelique Lauzier and her partner went to their local hospital in La Malbaie, in Quebecs Charlevoix region, when she began experiencing irregular contractions. But the couple was told to drive almost two hours south to Quebec City because the obstetrics unit had been temporarily closed due to a staff shortage.

Lauzier gave birth about 15 minutes from their destination, her partner told a local radio station.

In response, McCann told reporters from now on, an ambulance will be used to transfer pregnant women who are near giving birth.

Lauziers partner, Jean-Francois Dandurand, told radio station 98.5 FM his spouses contractions intensified soon after they left La Malbaie, and her water broke midway through the late-night journey.

I had no choice but to (keep going), he told the station. I tried to help my partner as much as I could, and on the other hand I tried to concentrate on the road.

He said the mother and baby are doing well, but he feels the hospital should have offered the family more support. She was at 40 weeks and two days (pregnant), so the birth was imminent, he said. It seems to me that an ambulance should have simply been a priority.

McCann told a news conference in Montreal that when women are close to giving birth and need to change hospitals, its very important that theres an ambulance to accompany them.

The temporary closure of La Malbaies birthing services reflects a province-wide problem of labour shortages. Hospitals across Quebec are struggling to recruit personnel.

On Monday, thousands of Quebec nurses refused to work mandatory overtime during a one-day job action to highlight working conditions they say have led to burnout and compromised patient care.

Annie Ouellet, a spokeswoman for the regional health centre that includes the La Malbaie hospital, said labour shortages are especially acute in the regions.

She said the hospital had no choice but to close its birthing ward for five days due to a lack of specialized nurses. The centre is scheduled to reopen Monday at midnight.

Currently, we are looking for five obstetrician nurses at La Malbaie hospital as well as nearly 40 nurses to work in Charlevoix (region), she said in a phone interview.

Ouellet said the health system is doing everything it can to meet the shortage, including recruiting abroad, calling back nurses from retirement and offering to retrain any nurses who are interested in obstetrics.

She confirmed that any pregnant women who need to be transferred to Quebec City in the future will be taken by ambulance.

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PRINCE GEORGE, B.C.An orange tabby cat is likely to have used up more than a few of its nine lives during an unauthorized trip from China to British Columbia.

The North Cariboo District Branch of the B.C. SPCA says the emaciated, six-year-old female was found inside a shipping container originally loaded nearly a month ago in Shenzhen.

The container arrived by freighter in the Port of Vancouver and was shipped to Prince George, where the unnamed cat was found amongst the pallets, shredded cardboard and foam pellets inside the container.

No food or water was available but its believed the cat survived by licking condensation that had formed on the walls of the shipping container.

Animal control officers say the feline weighed just 1 1/2 kilograms when it was found by staff at a Prince George auto glass distribution company as they unpacked the crates.

The cat is quarantined while being nursed back to health and the SPCA estimates the cost to save it will reach almost $2,800.

Alex Schare with North Cariboo District SPCA says he knew right away that the cat would have an amazing story, but would also require life-saving care following weeks of starvation.

We rushed her to the vet because she was in such poor condition that we knew she would require intensive veterinary care for an extended period of time to regain her strength, Schare says in a news release.

The cat is on fluids and is receiving small amounts of food to ensure its body adjusts properly to renewed nutrition.

The strict quarantine is to ensure no diseases are passed to people or animals in this country.

She has also undergone blood work and will receive a rabies vaccine and dental work when she is strong enough, the release says.

Quarantine wont end until two weeks after the rabies shot, so the cat will be under care for some time. The SPCA is appealing for donations to help defray the costs.

Correction - April 9, 2019: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly referred to Alex Schare as a female.

Read more:

Delivered via Purr-olator: Halifax cat safe after being accidentally shipped to Montreal

New Brunswick dog finds lost cat in storm drain, is hailed a hero

Meagan Duhamel at Montreal shelter to welcome dogs rescued from dog-meat farm in South Korea

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QUEBECThere are growing calls for a suburban Montreal mayor to apologize for comments last week equating the provinces proposed secularism legislation to ethnic cleansing.

Premier Francois Legault and several other provincial and municipal politicians called on William Steinberg, the mayor of Hampstead, to apologize.

Speaking last Friday about Quebecs Bill 21 prohibiting religious symbols for teachers and some other public servants, Steinberg accused the government of discriminating against religions whose adherents wear visible symbols.

He said the end result would be certain minority groups would be compelled to leave Quebec and he labelled Bill 21 a form of ethnic cleansing.

Legault was among those seeking an apology today, while appealing for calm as the province debates a bill that would prohibit public servants in positions of authority  including teachers, police officers, Crown prosecutors and prison guards  from wearing religious symbols on the job.

Even Liberal David Birnbaum, who opposes the Coalition Avenir Quebec bill and sent a representative to the news conference at which Steinberg made the remarks, called for an apology.

Read more:

Thousands march in Montreal to denounce Quebec governments secularism bill

Quebec teachers, religious groups denounce governments secularism bill

Quebec Premier Francois Legault defends secularism bill in video message

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Safia Ibrahim walked with difficulty to the speakers chair in a committee room at city hall on Monday to explain why she supports vaccination programs.

As a 1-year-old child, taking her first steps in Somalia, she contracted polio, which left her unable to walk. It wasnt until she came to Canada when she was 8 that she was fitted with braces that increased her mobility. But the damage didnt stop there. As an adult, polio returned with a vengeance and she had to undergo hip replacement surgery. She has arthritis in her elbows from prolonged use of crutches. She falls often, which is humiliating to her.

I believe that we have forgotten the ramifications and effects of these diseases, said Ibrahim, who has ensured her own children received their vaccinations.

She said that before vaccination eradicated polio in Canada, it was not unusual to meet people who had been crippled by the disease. Thats not the case today.

If you dont see it, then its out-of-sight, out-of-mind, said Ibrahim.

Ibrahim was speaking at a meeting of the citys board of health on Monday. Members voted unanimously to take steps to push back against a phenomenon that has been dubbed vaccine hesitancy  a reluctance or refusal to vaccinate.

About 20 per cent of Canadian parents are vaccine hesitant, according to Toronto Public Health.

In 2019 we should not have to reprove science, said board chair Councillor Joe Cressy (Ward 10 Spadina Fort-York).

The board was unmoved by several presenters Monday who spoke out against vaccines.

Vaccine hesitancy has been identified as a top-10 threat to global health by the World Health Organization (WHO). A recent investigation by the Toronto Star found that nearly 30 per cent of all schoolchildren in Greater Toronto at age 7 are not fully immunized.

Vaccination rates lower than 95 per cent create the potential for an outbreak among those who arent vaccinated, including infants.

Councillor Gord Perks (Ward 4 Parkdale High-Park), said that one of his most vivid memories as a child was his infant sister suffering from pertussis, also known as whooping cough, and listening to her cough and struggle to breathe, not knowing if she would survive. He pointed out that graveyards are filled with the headstones of children who died before immunization was widely practised.

I dont want to live in that world again, said Perks.

Associate medical officer of health Vinita Dubey told the board that 70 per cent of parents have concerns about the side effects of vaccines and 38 per cent believe vaccines cause disease. Other reasons parents dont vaccinate their children include lack of convenience in accessing vaccines and complacency and also, the perceived risks of disease are regarded as low.

Dubey said that Toronto Public Health already does work to address vaccine hesitancy, by providing vaccines in schools and in community settings, including to those who do not have health coverage.

She said Toronto Public Health plans to work further on a province-wide, real-time electronic vaccine registry that contains reports of vaccines administered by doctors at the time of vaccination  current provincial legislation mandating health care providers to report vaccinations directly to public health is on pause.

A registry will allow for assessment of vaccination rates and make it possible to find hot spots and develop targeted interventions, Dubey said.

As of September, 2017, parents seeking a philosophical or religious exemption from vaccinating their children are required to attend in-person immunization education sessions.

Dubey reported that from January to June 2018, out of 360 participants, 110 completed a survey following the education session. Opposition to immunization declined only eight per cent. Of that number, 79 per cent still intended to seek an exemption for their child.

We have to keep reminding people that vaccines are necessary, said Dubey.

The measures approved Monday include requesting Health Canada explore avenues to reduce the spread of misinformation and false claims about vaccines and requesting that WHO consider global recommendations, similar to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, regulating direct and indirect advertising, promotion, and sponsorship by anti-vaccine groups and anti-vaccine messages in print, audio, video and online advertisements.

Torontos medical officer of health was asked to report back in September with a strategy to address vaccine hesitancy which includes investigating the potential to restrict misleading advertising regarding vaccinations on city-owned land and infrastructure.
A 62-year-old man from Quebec has been charged nearly 17 years after alleged sexual assaults of two boys at Canadas Wonderland.

York Region police say the alleged incidents happened in August 2002 in Vaughan.

They say an 8-year-old boy went to use a washroom at Canadas Wonderland near the water park and once inside, a man allegedly sexually assaulted him.

They say later that same day, a 7-year-old boy was also allegedly sexually assaulted by a man inside a washroom near the exit of the park.

In September 2018, police say investigators with the forces cold case unit revisited the case and identified a possible suspect.

Last month, Quebec provincial police arrested the suspect in his home and transferred him to York Region.

Roger Boisse, of Saint-Pierre, Que., faces two counts of sexual assault, two counts of sexual interference and one count of invitation of sexual touching.

Boisse has been released on bail and is to appear in court on May 16.
Premier Doug Ford is rolling out a $28.5-billion public transit expansion plan for the Greater Toronto Area that seems long on ambition, but is so far short on specifics.

Speaking in Burlington Tuesday, the premier announced the price tag but didnt immediately say which projects the investment would pay for, or how much municipalities such as Toronto would be asked to kick in as part of the spending plan. Instead, he promised to reveal more details on Wednesday, a day before the Conservative government will table its provincial budget.

At least one change the province is planning has been revealed: provincial government sources confirmed to the Star the Conservatives plan to give the proposed relief line subway a new name: the Ontario Line.

Were announcing a phenomenal, just outstanding transit plan on Wednesday. Its going to be the largest infrastructure project in transit in North America. Its going to be $28.5 billion that were looking to invest into Ontario to get people moving from Point A to Point B, Ford said Tuesday in Burlington.

Thats just the transit side. We have some fabulous ideas for the QEW and the Gardiner, as well as the 401 because not every single person hops on the subways. But were going to have an incredible transit system and a transportation system to get people moving and get people from Point A to Point B, but get goods from Point A to Point B, the premier said.

While it remains unclear what the City of Torontos contribution to the $28.5 billion would be, insiders said the province could demand as much as $7 billion.

The city and province are in the midst of talks over the Ford governments contentious proposal to have Queens Park take ownership of Torontos subway network. The outcome of those discussions was expected to play a major role in determining the future of the citys transit, but the premier appears set to unilaterally announce his own plans Wednesday.

Speaking at city hall ahead of a meeting of his executive committee Tuesday morning, Mayor John Tory said the province hadnt shared details of its proposal with city officials.

He confirmed he had declined an invitation to attend the provincial announcement because the province hasnt briefed him on its details.

The mayor and other senior city officials remain in the dark on key issues that include proposed cost-sharing agreements between the city and province for new transit, and what type of alternate technology Fords government plans to use to build the relief line subway.

I just dont think its prudent for me as the head of the council and the mayor of Toronto to go to announcements where Im not fully informed, he said.

The province was expected to give Torys office a briefing later Tuesday.

The mayor stressed that he was determined to wait until Ford outlines the provinces plan before passing judgment.

He said he wasnt concerned the announcement would preclude the city and province reaching an acceptable deal through the upload talks. Tory said he was confident the Conservative government would include its plans as part of those negotiations.

However, Tory acknowledged he was concerned about the city being asked to contribute money for transit assets that it wouldnt own should Ford carry out his plan to take over Torontos subway system.

He also reiterated that he would oppose anything that would prevent the city from moving ahead with transit lines its already approved.

I believe that we have made remarkable progress on developing and approving a plan, he said. Now is not the time to delay, now is the time to build.

Councillor Gord Perks (Ward 4, Parkdale-High Park) criticized the mayors wait-and-see approach, and said the city should pull out of the upload talks because the premier had breached the agreement that called for transparency and consultation as part of the discussions.

Were already over the line. Ive told the mayor publicly and privately that I think its time for him to stand up and lead (and walk away from upload talks), Perks said.

Read more:

Toronto mayor warns Ford government against transit delays as report finds SmartTrack, Scarborough link in jeopardy

Toronto has spent $200 million on the four transit projects the Ford government wants to revamp

How Fords transit plans could impact Toronto

On Tuesday afternoon, Torys executive voted to advance work on several key transit projects, including the relief line and Scarborough subway extension. Those decisions are scheduled to go to council later this month for final approval.

But although the city has spent years and millions of dollars advancing design work on those projects to the point theyre approaching the procurement and construction phase, at least some of the current plans could be derailed if the upload takes place. Fords government has announced its intention to make significant changes to the citys plans if it takes ownership of the network.

The province would relaunch the Scarborough subway extension as a three-stop project instead of the single stop the city has envisioned, and use an unspecified alternate technology to deliver the relief line, which would connect the eastern end of Line 2 with Line 1 downtown and is seen as urgently required to relieve pressure on the busiest part of the TTC network.

The Conservative government would also put a significant portion of the planned Eglinton West LRT underground  an expensive option that city planners have recommended against  and accelerate work on a Line 1 extension to Richmond Hill.

In Question Period Tuesday, Ontario NDP transit critic Jessica Bell accused the Conservatives of plotting a misguided hostile takeover of Torontos transit system.

The city has spent years in partnership with the province developing plans for the relief line, the Eglinton West LRT, and the Yonge subway extension, she said, noting the city has already spent more than $200 million on those projects.

But now the premier wants to rip up these schemes and replace them with his own plan, setting us back years and costing us unknown millions of dollars, she said.

Transportation Minister Jeff Yurek defended his governments plans, arguing the province could use its greater financial powers to build new lines faster and at less expense.

The relief line should have been built a decade ago. Were actually going to make it happen and were going to partner with the City of Toronto to make it happen, he said.

Were not going to be forcing the hand of the City of Toronto in any way because were having constructive discussions that have been positive and moving in the right direction.

The provinces move to rename the long-planned relief line subway as the Ontario Line follows a flurry of rebranding efforts in recent weeks. Fords government has also announced plans to change the motto on the provinces licence plates, and overhaul the official Ontario trillium logo.

With files from Jennifer Pagliaro, David Rider, and Rob Ferguson.

Ben Spurr is a Toronto-based reporter covering transportation. Reach him by email at bspurr@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @BenSpurr

Robert Benzie is the Stars Queens Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie

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Council chambers were packed at the Mississauga Civic Centre on Monday night, as residents lined up to offer input on councils recent push to separate from the Region of Peel.

Several residents and community groups spoke at the meeting, mostly in support of councils March 20 motion in principle requesting the provincial government pass legislation allowing Canadas sixth largest city its long-sought independence.

The province is currently reviewing regional and county governance affecting 82 upper- and lower-tier municipalities across the province and will decide whether Peel Region amalgamates, dissolves or remains as is.

After careful review and consideration, should the Ontario government decide to change regional governance in Peel Region, the Mississauga Board of Trade would support a stand-alone, single-tier government as detailed in the March 20 staff report as the best model moving forward, said Brad Butt, vice-president of the Mississauga Board of Trade.

After reading those reports, it convinces your head. It tells you everything that we already knew in our hearts about Mississauga being a separate city. We know in (our) hearts we should be a separate city and now our calculators agree, added resident Joe Horneck in his statement to council.

Another resident decided to use his time to speak to lead the crowd in chants, calling for Mississaugas split from the region.

Read more:

Mississauga asks province for independence from Region of Peel

Mississaugas leaders long to break free of Peel Region. Experts warn they might not get what they want

Opinion | Royson James: Mississauga wants out, but saving Peel is the most appealing option

Resident and stakeholder comments followed a roughly 30-minute presentation by chief administrative officer Janice Baker laying out councils case for independence. Council and staff also fielded questions via social media throughout the meeting.

According to Baker and Mississaugas staff report on independence, the city sent $85 million more to the region than its regional counterparts in Brampton and Caledon, money Mississauga believes should stay in Mississauga.

Another report commissioned by the Region of Peel by Deloitte Canada, which will be discussed again at the next Peel council meeting Thursday, contradicts Mississaugas calculations in many regards, but does state Mississauga would benefit most from the region dissolving.

While there was no shortage of support among delegates, some residents did raise concerns.

I think its a complex subject, weve only been regionalized for about 40-something years and the intent to regionalize in the first place was to save money. So why are we suddenly deciding that we need to go backwards and save money, or is it for political reasons? resident Len Howell told the Mississauga News.

What do you think?

Other concerns raised by delegates included the citys ability to absorb the costs of currently shared utilities and resources, such as policing on its own, as well as whether the provincial government would be prepared for the transition should the region break up.

Another resident asked council to push harder for separation out of fear of amalgamation, while yet another raised concerns about how separation would affect local school boards.

Despite those concerns, the overwhelming majority of those who spoke to council were in favour of Mississauga being independent, something city officials have been pushing for since as early as 2003 under former mayor Hazel McCallion.

Residents who werent able to attend Mondays meeting can still provide input on the citys website at www.mississauga.ca.

Graeme Frisque is a reporter with the Mississauga News and Brampton Guardian. Email: gfrisque@metroland.com

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China is witnessing a rise in marrow and organ donors amid the publics rising awareness.

In 2018, a record high of 913 donations of 130,000 hematopoietic stem cell samples were registered in the China Marrow Donor Program, bringing the total storage capacity to 2.65 million, according to data from the Red Cross Society of China.

Xiao Ning (pseudonym) was one of the hematopoietic stem cell donors. Registered in the program in 2008, she was notified of a match in 2016 and her donation was completed last May to save a leukemia patient.

After receiving the notification, I started praying for my patient and training hard to keep fit so that my follow-up physical checkup would pass, she said.

Others, such Li Hong (pseudonym), did not prepare to donate their organs. Li, who passed away last August while working in Shannan City, southwest Chinas Tibet Autonomous Region, got his organs donated by his wife and daughter, who said they were hoping to let him live on in another way.

The donation marked the first-ever case in the region. Through coordination with organ procurement organizations in other regions, the family signed the registration form to all his healthy organs. Through the distribution of China Organ Transplant Response System (COTRS), Lis liver and one kidney were transported to Yunnan Province in southwest China and another kidney along with a pair of cornea and retina were sent to Anhui Province in eastern China, helping with the treatments of five patients.

As of March this year, over 1.16 million volunteers have been registered as organ donors in China, and more than 22,000 donations have been successfully made, treating over 65,000 patients with organ failures.

The annual donation rate per million people in China has reached 4.53 from the current 0.03 in 2010, and the annual donation ranks second in the world.
Toronto police are appealing to the public for any information or dash-cam footage on a weekend multi-vehicle collision that left one woman dead and one man with serious injuries.

Police said they responded to a call at around 10:45 a.m. Saturday for a collision at Victoria Park Ave. and Finch Ave. E.

A 59-year-old was driving a Volvo north on the southbound lanes of Victoria Park, police said. They havent determined why he did this.

A 44-year-old woman in a Honda Civic was southbound on Victoria Park Ave. in the passing lane. A 66-year-old man driving an Audi was also going south on Victoria Park in the inside lane.

The Volvo driver passed through the intersection where he crashed into the Honda head on, before hitting the Audi, police said.

The woman in the Honda sustained life-threatening injuries. She was taken to a hospital where she later died, police said.

The Volvo driver was left with serious injuries and also taken to hospital. The Audi driver was taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Police said before the fatal collision happened, the Volvo driver also fled a minor collision at Victoria Park and Sloane Ave., south of Lawrence Ave. E., which left some minor property damage.

This is the 17th fatal collision of the year on city streets, according to Toronto police.

Police are asking anyone in the area, including local residents, businesses, drivers or anyone with footage of the incident to contact them at 416-808-1900 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers.
KAMPALA, Uganda - A quarter-century after Rwandas brutal genocide, President Paul Kagame remains a constant figure atop the countrys politics, feted by those who say it needs his visionary leadership and loathed by others who see a firm authoritarian with a malicious streak.

Kagame is so little-questioned that he speaks openly about the apparent assassinations of opponents. That fear factor keeps him in power, critics say, even as he embraces a global reputation as the man who helped bring an end to the mass killings of some 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus, and who has brought stability to the East African nation.

In a speech last month, Kagame spoke dismissively of the crime that launched his reputation as a hard-liner: The 1998 killing of exiled opposition leader Seth Sendashonga, a fierce Kagame critic, who was gunned down in the streets of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

Referring to the assassination, widely believed by Kagames opponents and rights activists to have been carried out by a Rwandan hit squad, Kagame said he had little to say. But I am also not apologetic about it, he added.

It was vintage Kagame, who has been Rwandas de facto leader since his rebel group seized power by force, ending the 100-day genocide that began on April 7, 1994. He has been president since 2000, and could rule until 2034 following changes to the constitution.

Now 61, Kagame shows no signs of giving up power.

A darling of the development community, Kagame is lauded by some as a driver of economic growth that has lifted many Rwandans from poverty, bringing improved health care and education. He has also pushed for more women in political office, and 64% of the lawmakers in Rwandas parliament are women, the highest percentage of any country in the world.

But for many others he is the architect of an authoritarian regime that has stamped out virtually all opposition in Rwanda as opponents are jailed, flee, disappear, or are killed under mysterious circumstances.

There is absolutely no room for dissent within Rwanda, said British writer Michela Wrong, who is researching a book on the country. You agree, you accept Kagames supreme power, or you leave.

Rights groups decry what they describe as rampant violations that include the arbitrary detentions of street children and other poor people as part of an unofficial government program to hide undesirable citizens from view, according to Human Rights Watch. Street vendors, many of them women, have been among the main targets, it said.

Civic groups, journalists, rights watchdogs and political opponents cannot operate independently or criticize government policy, Human Rights Watch said in its most recent assessment of conditions in Rwanda.

Amnesty International cited a climate of fear before Kagame was re-elected to a third term in 2017, a vote that the president described as a formality after the most serious challenger was prevented from running and later jailed.

Even government programs ostensibly aimed at forging national unity are criticized by opponents as tools to more tightly control society.

The U.S. State Department, which describes Rwanda as a constitutional republic dominated by a strong presidency, also cites the problem of impunity among civilian authorities and the security forces.

Still, Rwandas government remains a major recipient of U.S. and other foreign aid despite persistent allegations of abuses  a fact that has been sharply criticized by Kagames opponents. Some analysts have long noted that Western remorse over failure to stop the genocide allows Rwanda a measure of goodwill from benefactors who would act tougher with a similarly repressive regime.

Olivier Nduhungirehe, Rwandas deputy minister of foreign affairs, told The Associated Press that those complaining about human rights should keep quiet, as Rwanda marks 25 years since the genocide.

We cant say that everything is perfect, of course, he said, of concerns voiced by some exiles, who say they are afraid to return home. But reconciliation is a reality for the past 25 years.

Some critics who have fallen out with the president, including senior ruling party members once seen as Kagame allies, have fled into exile, where safety isnt always guaranteed.

British police have warned two prominent Rwandan dissidents of the threats to their lives posed by Rwandas government. Similar warnings have been issued to dissidents elsewhere in Europe.

In South Africa, an inquest continues into the death of former Rwandan spy chief and Kagame critic Patrick Karegeya, who was found strangled in a Johannesburg hotel in 2014. Kagame has denied his government had anything to do with the killing but warned that those who betray their country will pay the price.

Jean-Marie Micombero, a former army major who broke with the Kagame government and who has lived in exile in Belgium since 2011, said that 25 years after Rwandas genocide, the country has yet to truly heal from its violent past.

Under Kagames leadership Hutus and Tutsis are forced to live together, said Micombero, a Tutsi. He called for new leadership that would work in the areas of truth and justice in the context of a broken society. ... There cannot be reconciliation without truth and justice.

One group in exile that is leading the opposition against Kagame includes former members of Rwandas ruling party.

Outlawed in Rwanda as a terrorist group and accused of running rebel cells in eastern Congo, the Rwanda National Congress denies the allegations and says it is working toward a united, democratic, and prosperous nation inhabited by free citizens.

The groups Johannesburg-based leader, former Rwandan army chief Gen. Kayumba Nyamwasa, has been the target of multiple assassination attempts that he blames on Kagame.

Rwandas government dismisses charges it runs hit squads abroad. Nduhungirehe, the deputy foreign affairs minister, accused the Rwanda National Congress of walking hand in hand with those who committed genocide, something the group strongly denies.

But, says Wrong, the British author and journalist: The level of invective Kagame dedicates to the Rwanda National Congress, the amount of energy he has expended trying to get Uganda and South Africa to expel or extradite or close down these players, suggests he sees them as a real threat.

These individuals were once incredibly close to Kagame, they know exactly what makes him tick, Wrong said. I think its a case of fearing no one quite so much as a former brother-in-arms.

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Follow Africa news at https://twitter.com/AP_Africa
BANGUI, Central African Republic - Doctors Without Borders says one of its health workers has been killed by an armed group in Central African Republic.

The organization says assistant nurse Gaulbert Mokafe was killed on Thursday between Batangafo and Bouca while travelling by motorcycle to visit family.

The medical charity demands that armed groups control their members and ensure the protection of civilians and health workers. Doctors Without Borders says it has more than 200 international staff and more than 2,000 local staff working in the country.

The government and 14 rebel groups signed a fragile peace agreement in February that many hoped would be a turning point in the nation that has seen deadly communal violence since 2013.
KAMPALA, Uganda - Ugandan police say they have arrested some people over the kidnapping last week of an American tourist who has since been freed.

Police did not specify how many people were arrested but said they are actively investigating the kidnapping which took place on April 2 in a national park.

The victims  Kim Endicott of Costa Mesa, California, and local driver Jean-Paul Mirenge  were freed Sunday.

Police said the hunt for the kidnappers, including raids and extensive searches, is taking place in southwestern Uganda.

U.S. President Donald Trump has urged Ugandan authorities to find the perpetrators.

The kidnappers had demanded a $500,000 ransom after abducting the two at gunpoint.

Ugandan officials say no ransom was paid, but a tourism operator said that money was paid to secure Endicotts release.
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador - The Latest on California Gov. Gavin Newsoms trip to El Salvador (all times local):

5 p.m.

California Gov. Gavin Newsoms second day in El Salvador has included hearing from three people who fled and tried to reach the United States.

One was successful, and two were sent back. They told Newsom on Monday that violence in their country and the chance for a better life spurred them to leave.

David Escobar Fuentes says he left in a caravan last year after gangs began extorting his family, which owned a farm. Sandra Monroy says she was searching for better economic opportunities.

Both were stopped in Mexico and sent back.

California has more Salvadorans than any other state, and Newsom is in the country to learn more about why thousands are fleeing for the U.S.

He met privately with Salvadoran President Salvador Sanchez Ceren and U.S. Ambassador Jean Manes earlier Monday.

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12 a.m.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he hopes to show the people of El Salvador a different side of the United States during his visit to the Central American nation.

The Democratic governor says he wants Salvadorans to know that President Donald Trumps views do not reflect the entire country. Trump has moved to rescind aid from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras and has mocked people seeking asylum.

Newsom is in El Salvador for his first international trip to learn about the violence and poverty that is prompting people to flee. California is home to the nations largest population of Salvadorans and its busiest border crossing.

Newsoms visit kicked off Sunday with a visit to the tomb of Saint Oscar Romero. His trip will continue with meetings with the president and president-elect of El Salvador as well as the U.S. ambassador.
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico - To deal with a surge of migrating Central American families, the Trump administration has reassigned so many inspectors from U.S.-Mexico border crossings that truckers are waiting in line for hours and sometimes days to get shipments to the United States.

Truckers have been sleeping in their vehicles to hold spots in line in Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas. The city brought in portable toilets, and an engine oil company hired models in skin-tight clothing to hand out burritos and bottled water to idled drivers.

My family doesnt recognize me at home anymore, Jaime Monroy, a trucker who lives in Ciudad Juarez, said after sleeping overnight in his truck hauling a load of wooden furniture. I leave at 3 in the morning and come back at 10 at night.

The waits are a reminder that even though President Donald Trump walked back his threat to close the border, the administration has created significant impediments for truckers and travellers with its redeployment of customs agents.

Business leaders are starting to lose patience as they struggle to get products to American grocery stores, manufacturers and construction sites.

This is a systemwide issue, said Paola Avila, chairwoman of the Border Trade Alliance, a group that advocates for cross-border commerce. Everyones feeling this.

The traffic congestion comes as a growing number of families from Central America have been arriving at the border in recent months, overwhelming the federal government.

The Border Patrol said Tuesday that it set a new monthly record for apprehensions of families in March. More than 53,000 family members were stopped at the border in March, an average of more than 1,700 per day. That breaks a record set in February, when 36,000 parents and children were apprehended.

Trump responded by shaking up the top ranks of the Department of Homeland Security, culminating with the resignation of Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

The migrant families have forced many line agents into humanitarian roles and have strained detention facilities built when the Border Patrol primarily apprehended single adult men.

The administration has in turn reassigned 541 border inspectors to other jobs, including processing migrants, providing transportation and performing hospital watch for migrants who require medical attention. It is unknown when they will return to their regular job of screening people and cargo for smuggling.

Border Patrol agents, who guard areas between ports, are also doing jobs they were not trained to do, such as medical screenings for children and families in the migrant holding camps.

In El Paso, authorities have closed one bridge to truckers, directing them to two other nearby crossings. At San Diegos only truck crossing, two of 10 lanes are closed.

In Nogales, Arizona, the government on Sundays is closing a commercial facility that is crucial to cross-border trade. Up to 12,000 commercial trucks cross the border in Nogales every day, often bringing watermelons, eggplants, berries and grapes.

Wait times have doubled at the Santa Teresa, New Mexico, port of entry.

What were seeing is a lot of companies making their drivers sleep in their trucks to keep their place in line for the next day, said Jerry Pacheco, president of the Border Industrial Association and executive director of the International Business Accelerator.

In recent years, the rural outpost has become a boomtown of warehouses and industrial parks that funnel raw materials and products back and forth across the border.

Here we are growing companies and growing jobs and everything is great. We added another industrial park with job prospects in tow and then all this happens, Pacheco said of the latest expansion.

The agencys commissioner, Kevin McAleenan, who was named acting Homeland Security secretary on Sunday, warned of traffic delays when he announced last month in El Paso that inspectors from across the border would be reassigned. Authorities raised the possibility that as many as 2,000 inspectors could be pulled from ports of entry.

A Customs and Border Protection mobile app suggested the bottlenecks may have eased by Tuesday. The wait time for truckers was estimated at three hours in San Diego, 2 1/2 hours in El Paso and two hours in Laredo. Still, truckers said wait times have lengthened considerably since authorities announced the reassignments.

This all started about two weeks ago with Trump, said driver Arturo Menendez, 44, who first entered the line at 4 a.m. Friday with his tractor-trailer full of cardboard used in boxes for U.S.-made products like Toro lawn mowers.

At 6 p.m. he was told to leave ahead of the unprecedented closure of all lanes at the Bridge of the Americas on Saturday.

He tried again Monday, waiting in a line behind of hundreds of trucks passing through three security checks back at the Bridge of the Americas.

Avila, who is also the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerces vice-president for international affairs, said the delays could encourage more companies to move to Asia, hurting jobs in the U.S. and Mexico.

Now were discouraging overseas production, she said. Were cutting out the American manufacturer or the Mexican manufacturer that employs U.S. workers.

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Associated Press writers Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Astrid Galvan in Phoenix and Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this report.
RIO DE JANEIRO - President Jair Bolsonaros first 100 days in office have been marked by infighting in his administration, insults to adversaries and allies, praise for Brazils 1964-1985 dictatorship and a scarcity of bills passed by Congress  pretty much the same as his record as a congressman and as a candidate.

So far, the anti-corruption and pro-gun outsider who is frequently compared to U.S. President Donald Trump has scored only a few major victories to keep his far-right base excited.

Bolsonaros electoral triumph in October sent Brazils left to its biggest defeat in almost two decades. But for many, so far Bolsonaros administration is heavy on discourse and light on concrete accomplishments.

Bolsonaro has achieved some of his campaign promises: He signed a decree easing restrictions on gun ownership as an anti-crime move, privatized some state-run companies, installed a Cabinet with eight members of the military  more than at any time since the restoration of democracy  and has built strong ties with Trump and Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu while distancing Brazil from Venezuelas socialist leader, Nicolas Maduro.

He has also begun moves to weaken environmental restrictions on development, as promised.

Still, as he marks off his 100th day in the presidency Wednesday, he has also given critics a lot of material to work with, and corruption suspicions against the presidents family have emerged.

The former army captain has been widely criticized for celebrating the March 31, 1964, coup that launched Brazils military regime and for labeling Nazism as a leftist ideology while in Jerusalem. He managed to offend even allies with a pornographic tweet of a Carnival party in response to revelers who had mocked him.

What is widely seen as his most crucial challenge fixing the countrys costly pension system  remains trapped in Congress with other proposals, including a highly touted revamp of the anti-crime and anti-corruption systems.

During 27 years in Congress, Bolsonaro was noted for inflammatory speeches but presented only two bills that became law.

This administration is characterized by strong rhetoric that is not necessarily supported by actions in the same direction, said Renato Flores, an analyst with the Rio-based Fundacao Getulio Vargas think-tank.

Some once-staunch supporters of the president now worry about the role he gives to his sons Carlos, Eduardo and Flavio. Criticism by Carlos helped prompt the resignation of Bolsonaros aide and attorney Gustavo Bebianno. Eduardo alarmed some by tweeting that the president would need only one soldier and one corporal to deal with the Supreme Court.

Bolsonaros Cabinet appears to be divided into four, sometimes fractious factions: the military, with eight out of 22 ministers; evangelical conservatives who control the governments human rights agenda; a moderate wing overseeing economic and justice ministries, and a cluster of anti-globalist fans of Olavo de Carvalho, a far-right Brazilian writer who lives in the United States, now dominate foreign relations and education.

Carlos Melo, a political science professor at Insper University in Sao Paulo, said the divisions put Bolsonaros administration in paralysis from the start.

There are too many conflicts. We cant see a proper plan to grow the economy and Bolsonaro is losing the momentum presidents have in the first six months. Even his pension reform, which led many moderates to believe him, seems at risk of failing or being massively dehydrated by the very Congress he doesnt talk to, Melo said. It can all change; he has time. But the signs are not here yet.

Even lower house Speaker Rodrigo Maia, who initially had good relations with Bolsonaro, has complained that the far-right leader is playing at being Brazils president.

Now it is time for us to stop joking around and it is time that he sits on his chair that Congress sits here and we solve Brazils problems together, Maia said last month.

The public also seems restless. The Datafolha polling institute reported Sunday that Bolsonaros approval rating has slipped to 32%, the lowest for any elected first-term Brazilian president, though still far above the single-digit approval rating his predecessor, Michel Temer, had at the end.

Datafolha interviewed 2,086 people April 2-3 and reported a two- percentage point margin of error.

Business leaders and stockbrokers initially welcomed Bolsonaros victory, but so far there has been little sign of economic improvement. Unemployment officially is still at 12%, a record 4.9 million Brazilians stopped searching for jobs in March and an initial stock market rally was erased following some of the presidents Twitter-made rifts with allies. The government research institute recently reduced its 2019 economic growth expectations from 2.7% to 2%.

Bolsonaro, who likes to say he is pushing ideology out of Brazils foreign affairs, has shifted the countrys alliances toward other leaders who share his conservative tendencies, joining in regional efforts to isolate Venezuelas Maduro.

He has been hosted in Trumps White House and in Netanyahus Jerusalem, but China, Brazils biggest trading partner, has been shunned. Agribusiness leaders fear that approach could harm Brazilian exports to Asia.

Vice-President Hamilton Mourao has tried to soften that stance, calling China a partner and meeting with Chinese diplomats.

The man once hailed as an anti-corruption hero by supporters is facing suspicions of familial wrongdoing.

Regulatory authorities said his son Flavio, who is also a senator, received 48 suspicious payments totalling about $25,000 in a single month from his former driver Fabricio Queiroz, who also made a payment to first lady Michelle Bolsonaro of about $5,500. All involved deny any wrongdoing. An investigation is ongoing.

None of those difficulties have alienated Bolsonaros hardcore supporters, like 60-year-old hairdresser Roberta Duarte.

Bolsonaro is doing what he promised. No other president did this in more than 50 years. He is putting the house in order, fighting crime and violence, said Duarte, who lives in a violent region in the south of Sao Paulo. Violence was so strong that no one could leave at night to watch a movie or eat a pizza. Slowly things are improving.

Others, like 18-year-old journalism student Lucas Batista, are worried by Bolsonaros frequent nods to Brazils military dictatorship when his administration comes under criticism.

He is an authoritarian leader who believes he is the only one capable of solving the countrys problems, Batista said. I fear Bolsonaro and his followers want to reintroduce a military regime.

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Associated Press writer Marcelo Silva de Sousa reported this story in Rio de Janeiro and AP writer Mauricio Savarese reported from Madrid. AP writer Stan Lehman in Sao Paulo contributed to this report.
PANCHIMALCO, El Salvador - David Escobar Fuentes fled El Salvador because gangs were extorting his ranching family, while Bryon Melgar Menjivar wanted to escape the pressure to join a gang that started when he was 15. Sandra Monroy headed north for a good job.

They told California Gov. Gavin Newsom their stories Monday, the second day of his visit to El Salvador. He met them at the countrys only processing centre for migrants who are deported from Mexico or the United States.

It was his first opportunity to interact directly with people who have left the small Central American country because of poverty and violence. Later, he travelled to the small mountain town of Panchimalco to watch song and dance performances rooted in the mountain villages indigenous history. He then attended a stark conversation on human rights abuses against women and LGBT people.

California has more Salvadorans than any other state, and Newsom is in the country to learn more about why thousands are fleeing for the U.S. About 3,000 unaccompanied Salvadoran children and 12,000 family members have entered the United States since October, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.

Fuentes and Monroy, his aunt, left for the U.S. in a caravan last October.

We were so excited because we were going to go to the United States  the wish all Salvadorans have, Monroy said.

But they never made it. Authorities in Mexico stopped them, held them for three days and then bused them back to El Salvador. They did not share details about why they were stopped.

Menjivar successfully made it to an aunts home in Houston several years ago but returned home voluntarily when his mother needed help. He had crossed the border illegally with help from a human smuggler and hopes to return because of the violence at home.

Violence by gangs has made El Salvador one of the most dangerous countries in the world, with 50 homicides for every 100,000 people. By contrast, the U.S. rate is about five per 100,000.

I never leave my house because its so insecure outside, said Menjivar, who is 18.

The three met with Newsom privately after sharing their stories with reporters. The International Organization for Migration chose them to meet with the governor.

Fuentes, 26, said his family used to own a farm with cattle and goats but was forced to sell many of them off as gangs demanded much of their profits.

Here, the struggle is day by day, you have to survive one day for the other, he said of El Salvador.

President Donald Trump, who is shaking up his immigration leadership over frustration with a growing number of migrants at the southern border, has accused gang members of posing as migrants to enter the U.S. and bring violence.

Monroy said some people in the caravans may be affiliated with gangs but most are trying to escape violence.

Most Salvadorans at the reintegration centre are sent back from Mexico, arriving on buses, said Salvador Gutierrez, deputy chief of mission for the International Organization for Migration. The U.S. also deports about three planes of up to 130 migrants per week, he said.

Newsom was driven out of the city and up winding hills to Panchimalco, passing through rows of colorful but rundown houses, many made partly or entirely of metal.

The village of about 35,000 is known for its robust cultural traditions and is home to one of the countrys oldest churches. Gang activity is high on the outskirts of the town, and the villages vibrancy and violence were both on display as children performed in colorful clothes and played in a school yard while police held large guns in the streets.

Newsom, alongside his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom, watched young boys play flutes and couples dance in traditional clothing, including bright pink and red head scarves. The cultural centre where the performances took place aims to teach children traditional crafting to help them build job skills, as many women make small amounts of money by sewing.

Katherine Vasquez, a 17-year-old who performed in one of the dance groups, said that while violence surrounds Panchimalco she likes living there because of its cultural traditions.

I think he can help us to create new programs, Vasquez said of Newsom. Its good hes visiting our village because he has an idea about the things that we can do.

During the following round table on human rights, Panchimalco Mayor Mario Melendez said women have few opportunities in El Salvador but the U.S. can help by investing in women and helping them become entrepreneurs.

Men are usually the ones that take the money home, and if they take the money home, they have the power, so women feel threatened in their human rights, he said.

Newsom said the days conversations will allow him to present a further picture of El Salvadors challenges when he returns home. Earlier Monday, he met privately with President Salvador Sanchez Ceren and U.S. Ambassador Jean Manes. He shared limited details about the conversations, but said hes heard resounding disagreement to Trumps moves to cut foreign aid to El Salvador and other Central American nations.

Not one person that Ive talked to says that it will do anything except make the migrant issues worse for the United States, he said.
KABUL - Taliban fighters stormed army checkpoints in southern Afghanistan near the Pakistani border overnight, killing 20 troops, an official said Tuesday.

Eight other security forces were also wounded in Monday nights attack in Shorabak district, Mohammad Yousof Younosi, a provincial council member in Kandahar, said.

An official from the provincial governors office, who was not authorized to speak with the media, confirmed the attack and said there were casualties among the Afghan forces, but couldnt provide exact figures.

Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility for the attack and said the groups fighters also seized weapons and ammunition.

Also on Tuesday, U.S. forces in Afghanistan revised the death toll from a Taliban attack a day earlier near the main American base in the country, saying three Marines were killed but not a contractor who was initially reported among the fatalities.

In northern Sari Pul province, at least five members of the countrys security forces were killed when the Taliban attacked a joint army and police base, said Zabihullah Amani, the provincial governors spokesman.

He said that seven other forces were wounded in Monday nights attack in Sangcharak district.

There was no immediate comment from the Taliban. Amani said four insurgents were also killed in the ensuing clashes.

In northern Samangan province, an Afghan army officer shot and killed two of his fellow soldiers and later fled to join the Taliban, said Sayed Hashim Bayan, the provincial police chiefs spokesman.

He said the shooter seized a Humvee and some ammunition before making his getaway around noon on Monday.

The Taliban praised the soldiers actions and confirmed he joined their ranks in Dari Suf district.

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Associated Press writer Lolita Baldor in Washington contributed.
From the Altai Mountains to the Pacific Coast, logging is ravaging Russias vast forests, leaving behind swathes of scarred earth studded with dying stumps.

The culprit, to many Russians, is clear: China.

Since China began restricting commercial logging in its own natural forests two decades ago, it has increasingly turned to Russia, importing huge amounts of wood in 2017 to satisfy the voracious appetite of its construction companies and furniture manufacturers.

In Siberia, people understand they need the forests to survive, said Eugene Simonov, an environmentalist who has studied the impact of commercial logging in Russias Far East. And they know their forests are now being stolen.

Russia has been a witting collaborator, too, selling Chinese companies logging rights at low cost and, critics say, turning a blind eye to logging beyond what is legally allowed.

Chinese demand is also stripping forests elsewhere  from Peru to Papua New Guinea, Mozambique to Myanmar.

In the Solomon Islands, the current pace of logging by Chinese companies could exhaust the countrys once pristine rain forests by 2036, according to Global Witness, an environmental group. In Indonesia, activists warn that illegal logging linked to a company with Chinese partners threatens one of the last strongholds for orangutans on the island of Borneo.

Environmentalists say China has simply shifted the harm of unbridled logging from home to abroad, even as it reaps the economic benefits. Some warn that the scale of logging today could deplete what unspoiled forests remain, contributing to global warming.

At the same time, China is protecting its own woodlands.

Two decades ago, concerns about denuded mountains, polluted rivers and devastating floods along the Yangtze River made worse by damaged watersheds prompted the Communist government to begin restricting commercial logging in the nations forests.

The countrys demand for wood did not diminish, however. Nor did the worlds demand for plywood and furniture, the main wood products that China makes and exports.

It is one thing for Chinese demand to overwhelm small, poor nations desperate for cash, but it is another for it to drain the resources of a far larger country, one that regards itself as a superpower and a strategic partner to China.

The trade has instead underscored Russias over-reliance on natural resources and provoked a popular backlash that strains the otherwise warm relations between the countries two leaders, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping.

Protests have erupted in many cities. Members in Russias upper house of parliament have assailed officials for turning a blind eye to the environmental damage in Siberia and the Far East. Residents and environmentalists complain that logging is spoiling Russian watersheds and destroying the habitats of the endangered Siberian tiger and Amur leopard.

What we are doing now in Siberia and the Far East is destroying what is left of the original intact forest landscapes, said Nikolay M. Shmatkov, director of the forestry program for the World Wildlife Fund in Russia. The group has documented the destruction using satellite images over a period that coincides with the Chinese logging boom in the country.

Its not sustainable, he said.

Nothing will be left

Chinas stunning economic transformation over the last four decades has driven its demand. It is now the worlds largest importer of wood. (The United States is second.) It is also the largest exporter  turning much of the wood it imports into products headed to Home Depots and Ikeas around the world.

The total value of Chinas timber imports  rough logs, timber or wood pulp  has increased more than 10 times since China began restricting logging at home in 1998, reaching $23 billion (U.S.) in 2017, the highest ever, according to IHS Markits Global Trade Atlas.

The government extended a regional ban to the rest of the country at the end of 2016. It now allows commercial logging only in forests that have been replanted, a policy that environmentalists say other countries should emulate.

The problem is that many have not, and Chinese companies have pursued these opportunities.

More than 500 companies operate in Russia now, often with Russian partners, according to a report by Vita Spivak, a scholar on China for the Carnegie Moscow Center. Russia once delivered almost no wood to China; it now accounts for more than 20 per cent of Chinas imports by value.

If the Chinese come, nothing will be left, Marina Volobuyeva, a resident of the Zamensky region south of Lake Baikal, told a television channel after a Chinese company secured a 49-year lease to log in the area.

Russia sells such logging concessions at prices that vary by region and type of wood, but on average, they cost roughly $2 a hectare, or 80 cents an acre, per year, according to Shmatkov of the World Wildlife Fund. That is far below the cost in other countries.

In 2017, China imported nearly 200 million cubic meters of wood from Russia.

Artyom Lukin, a professor of international studies at the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, noted that government corruption, criminality and the lack of economic development in Siberia and the Far East have also made the crisis worse.

In many rural areas of the Russian Far East and Siberia, there are few other ways to make money, or to make a living, than stripping natural resources of the vast surrounding forests, he said.

Timber transforms a Chinese town

For China, though, the trade has been a boon.

Much of the wood from Russia crosses the border in Manzhouli, a former nomadic settlement that became a junction in the Trans-Siberian Railway at the turn of the 20th century. The trade has transformed what was once a sleepy border town into one of Chinas main hubs for wood processing and production.

In the last two decades, more than 120 mills and factories have sprung up. They process raw or rough-cut lumber into plywood, and manufacture veneer panels, laminated wood, doors, window frames and furniture.

The factories cover dozens of acres on the citys edge and have created more than 10,000 jobs in a city of 250,000 people, according to a municipal official.

New construction has made the city an architectural homage to Russian culture. Many buildings have features like faux onion domes. There is even a replica of St. Basils Cathedral that is a childrens science museum, and a hotel in the shape of what officials claim is the worlds largest matryoshka, or nesting doll.

Zhu Xiuhuas career has traced the arc of the Russian trade.

Now 50, Zhu moved to Manzhouli when China began restricting logging. She began brokering imports from Russia, then in 2002 began to seek the rights to log Russian forests directly. Four years later, she founded the company she owns today, the Inner Mongolia Kaisheng Group, one of the citys biggest.

Zhu now oversees three factories in Manzhouli, as well as concessions to log 1.8 million acres of Russian forests near Bratsk, a city next to Lake Baikal, and to transport them to China. We are growing every year, she said.

When pressed, she declined to discuss her concessions in detail, but according to the companys website, she had invested $20 million in Russia by 2015. Chinas official Xinhua News Agency estimated the conglomerates assets at $150 million in 2017.

In Zhus view, the trade is a classic case of supply meeting demand. She described it, perhaps over-confidently, as enduring.

The next step will be to seek more concessions westward. Krasnoyarsk, she said, using first the Mandarin version of the name before pronouncing it in Russian. You could not log all of it in 100 years, she said.

Laundering logs

There are international protocols that seek to control where and what kinds of trees are logged, and the United States extended the Lacey Act in 2008 to ban the import of wood obtained illegally anywhere, but such regulations are difficult to enforce.

In some countries, like the United States and Canada, logging is strictly policed, but Chinese companies often exploit lax oversight elsewhere and log in protected forests, according to officials and environmentalists.

In Russia, logging commonly encroaches on areas outside the allotted boundaries and companies that export wood to China are known to falsify records.

Logging without contracts is also common, while arsonists are suspected of having set fires to forests, because scorched trees can be legally culled and sold.

Accusations of corruption have stoked public anger in Russia. A question on the extent of illegal logging prompted an acerbic response from Putin in his annual news conference in December. He called Russias forestry industry a very corrupt sector.

In 2016, the Department of Justice accused Lumber Liquidators of illegally importing hardwood flooring that was mostly made in China using timber illegally harvested in Russias Far East.

Barbaric deforestation

Protests against logging  and Chinese logging in particular  have erupted across Siberia and the Russian Far East. They have stoked ethnic tensions along a border that extends more than 2,600 miles between Russians and Chinese who had long had mutual suspicions shaped by political and cultural differences.

One protest last May in Ulan Ude, a regional capital near Lake Baikal, resulted in scuffles with the police and eight arrests. Stop the barbaric deforestation, a sign declared.

The issue has become so politically volatile that in January the head of Russias forestry service, Ivan Valentik, faced pointed questioning in the upper house of parliament, which does not usually challenge Putins government directly.

He defended the concessions, but also sought to shift blame to the Chinese companies for not fulfilling their contracts  by, for example, replanting forests. He suggested that Russia could be forced to end direct sales of timber to China.

In China, the State Forestry and Grassland Administration did not respond to written questions. Officials have previously pledged that Chinese companies would adhere to local laws and be mindful of the environmental impact.

Zhu initially said she did not worry about the protests inside Russia since everything her company did was done according to Russian laws. After the latest round of public hearings in Moscow, however, she sounded less sanguine.

Russia is changing now, she said by telephone, and then declined to answer any more questions.

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DANTEWADA, India - Maoist rebels staged a deadly attack Tuesday on a convoy of Indias ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, killing a state party lawmaker and four other people in his vehicle with an improvised explosive device in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, police said.

The rebels detonated the device in the Dantewada district  an insurgent stronghold  just two days before a multi-phase general election begins in India, police officer P. Sunder Raj said.

State lawmaker Bhima Mandavi, his driver and three security personnel were killed in the attack, Raj said.

Five soldiers were critically wounded when their escort vehicle was hit by the explosion, Indias paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force said. Reinforcements of paramilitary soldiers were rushed to the area.

Indias autonomous Election Commission said voting in the area will be held as scheduled on Thursday, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

The rebels, inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, have been fighting the government for more than four decades, demanding land and jobs for tenant farmers, the poor and indigenous communities.

They claim to have thousands of fighters and control vast swaths of territory in several Indian states.
BANGKOK - Thai police said a local man has been arrested on suspicion of raping and killing a German tourist on the island of Koh Si Chang in the Gulf of Thailand.

Police said the victim was approached and attacked by Ronnakorn Romruen, a native of the small island, while she was travelling on her rental motorbike. Ronnakorn, 23, was tracked down and arrested Monday.

An investigator at Chonburi police station, Somkid Kaensa, said police have charged Ronnakorn with murder, rape and concealing a body.

Police said the suspect, who operates a trash collecting boat, admitted to the crimes and said he used drugs before the incident.

The body of the 27-year-old tourist with injuries on head and legs was found Sunday hidden under rocks and a pile of leaves.

Koh Si Chang is a popular weekend tourist destination for both locals and foreigners with a population of only 5,000 people. The island is in Chonburi province, about 40 miles (64 kilometres) south of Bangkok.

Somkid said a Thai tourist called police after they saw Ronnakorns clothes covered in blood and police then searched the area and discovered the tourists body.

Somkid said a flower vendor who knew Ronnakorn also saw that his clothes were covered in blood and asked him what he was doing. Somkid said the vendor identified Ronnakorn for police, who went to his home where they found him and the shirt that was covered in blood.

The maximum punsihment for premeditated murder is the death penalty.
KABUL - The Latest on the situation in Afghanistan (all times local):

6:20 p.m.

Afghan officials say the Taliban have stormed army checkpoints in southern Kandahar province near the Pakistani border overnight, killing 20 troops.

Mohammad Yousof Younosi, a provincial council member in Kandahar, said Tuesday that eight other security forces were wounded in Monday nights attack in Shorabak district.

An official from the provincial governors office, who was not authorized to speak with the media, also confirmed the attack and said there were casualties among the Afghan forces, but couldnt provide exact figures.

Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility for the attack and said their fighters also seized weapons and ammunition.

Rahim Faiez in Kabul, Afghanistan;

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12:10 p.m.

An Afghan official says at least five members of the countrys security forces were killed when the Taliban attacked a joint army and police base in northern Sari Pul province.

Zabihullah Amani, the provincial governors spokesman, says the Monday night attack in Sangcharak district also wounded seven other troops.

There was no immediate comment from the Taliban. Amani says four insurgents were also killed in the ensuing clashes.

Earlier, around noon on Monday, an Afghan army officer shot and killed two of his fellow soldiers and later fled to join the Taliban.

Sayed Hashim Bayan, the provincial police chiefs spokesman, says the shooter seized a Humvee along with some ammunition before making his getaway.

The Taliban praised the soldiers actions and confirmed he joined their ranks in Dari Suf district.
CANBERRA, Australia - A security adviser to an Australian prime minister said he warned a Chinese-Australian writer not to travel to China before the blogger and critic of Chinas Communist Party was detained on arrival at a Chinese airport in January.

John Garnaut was commissioned in 2016 by then-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to write a classified report on Chinese influence on Australian politics, leading to sweeping laws in 2018 banning covert foreign political interference and a diplomatic rift between Australia and China, its biggest trading partner.

Garnaut told Australian Broadcasting Corp. in an interview broadcast on Monday that he advised spy novelist and friend Yang Hengjun not to travel to China after Yang revealed he had been questioned by a Chinese government official in Sydney in 2018 about Garnauts investigation.

He was asked about me, what was the nature of our relationship, what was I doing. What was I working on, Garnaut said.

Yang, a 53-year-old visiting scholar at Columbia University in New York and a former Chinese diplomat, did not take Garnauts advice and flew to China with his wife, Xiaoliang Yuan, and his 14-year-old stepdaughter.

Yuan said she had not seen her husband since they were separated by Chinese officials when they landed at Guangzhou Airport on Jan. 19.

John Garnaut was commissioned in 2016 by then-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (pictured) to write a classified report on Chinese influence on Australian politics, leading to sweeping laws in 2018 banning covert foreign political interference and a diplomatic rift between Australia and China, its biggest trading partner.





Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in January that Yang was suspected of engaging in criminal activities endangering Chinas national security. He is being held in Beijing, where the Australian Embassy has been allowed consular access to him. ABC reported that Yang had yet to be formally charged.

The Australian government has urged China to treat Yang transparently and fairly.

Yuan is living in Shanghai. She said she is not allowed to leave China and her husband has not seen a lawyer.

I have absolutely no idea whether he is well or even if he is alive or not, she said through an interpreter.

It gets harder as time passes, mainly because I cant see him. I would have felt better if the lawyers could see him and verify that he is all right, she added.

A friend of Yang, University of Technology Sydney academic Feng Chongyi, was detained for two weeks in 2017 while visiting China to research human rights lawyers.

Feng told ABC that he had been questioned for an entire day in detention about Garnauts investigation. Feng said his interrogators had known Garnaut was working for the prime minister.

They knew a lot about him. During the interrogation, they did not hide that they were angry with him, Feng said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said he had not seen the ABC report. But Lu said the Chinese government had always opposed any interference in the internal affairs of other countries.

As for activities carried out by Chinese embassies and consulates in other countries, these activities aim at promoting mutual understanding between China and the regions or countries where the diplomatic mission are based, and enhancing mutual understanding and friendship among the people, including serving as the bridge of co-operation between the business community of each other, Lu said.

I did not see any difference between the activities carried out by Chinese embassies and consulates in other countries and those conducted by foreign diplomatic missions in China, he added.

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Associated Press writer Christopher Bodeen in Beijing contributed to this report.
MINSK, Belarus - Investigators in Belarus have searched the office of a leading independent satellite channel as part of a criminal probe.

Tuesdays search of the Belsat office in Minsk was the latest episode in an official crackdown on independent media in the ex-Soviet nation.

Belarus state investigative agency said the search was part of a slander probe looking into a Belsat report about the arrest of corruption suspects that proved erroneous.

Belsat, which broadcasts from Poland, said its computers were confiscated during the search. It said Belarusian authorities are trying to muzzle independent voices ahead of next years presidential election.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has ruled the ex-Soviet nation of 10 million for a quarter-century, cracking down on dissent and free media and maintaining Soviet-style control over its economy.
EPISKOPI, Cyprus - Police at a British military base in Cyprus said Tuesday they have successfully wrapped up a four-year campaign against illegal gambling by shutting down nine casinos that operated within their jurisdiction.

Superintendent Dinos Petrou said the casinos generated hundreds of thousands of euros annually in illegal proceeds. Ten people received prison sentences, while 30 others were fined heavily.

Petrou said many of the casinos were built in areas adjacent or partly falling within Cyprus jurisdiction and that complicated matters. To circumvent that, base police carried out raids together with Cypriot law enforcement.

Petrou said police will remain vigilant against any resurgence of illegal gambling and that there would be no-let up in prosecuting law-breakers even after Britains departure from the European Union.

He also said 30 of the 1,500 personal computers seized during the police operations have been donated to local schools.

Meanwhile, construction has begun on Cyprus first integrated casino resort that is being billed as the largest of its kind in Europe. The casino, near the southern coastal city of Limassol, is slated to open in 2021.

The U.K. retained two military bases on Cyprus after the east Mediterranean island gained independence from British colonial rule in 1960.
NICOSIA, Cyprus - Cypriot government officials say there are very serious difficulties in rekindling formal talks to reunify the ethnically split island nation.

But they insisted Tuesday there will be no easing up in United Nations-assisted efforts to get Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots back to the negotiating table.

Andreas Mavroyiannis, the chief negotiator for the majority Greek Cypriots, said theres no other option but to resume talks, although expectations for an immediate restart are low.

U.N. official Jane Holl Lute has been shuttling between the two sides to help revive the process.

Breakaway Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci again accused Greek Cypriots of wavering on giving Turkish Cypriots a say in all decision-making in an envisioned federation.

Anastasiades replied that Akincis demands aim to put Cyprus under Turkeys complete control.
BERLINDevoted followers of Daesh, a man and woman bought a 5-year-old Yazidi girl in Iraq to use as a slave, then let her die of thirst in the scorching heat, the German authorities contend in the trial of the woman that began Tuesday  one of the highest-profile cases against a female member of the terrorist group.

The prosecution stems largely from the words of the defendant, who was desperate to return last year to Daesh, also known as the Islamic State or ISIS, and found someone willing to drive her to the Middle East. Unknown to her, the driver was working with the German security services, and he recorded their conversations as she told him all about her life under the organization.

The 27-year-old German woman, identified only as Jennifer W. in keeping with German privacy law, showed no emotion during the 15 minutes it took a judge in Munich to read out the charges against her, which include murder, war crimes, membership in a foreign terror organization and weapons violations.

No pleas are entered in German courts, and the defendant, wearing a white blouse, black slacks and a black cardigan, declined to make a statement. Her lawyer did not say whether she would say anything during the proceedings, which are scheduled to continue until September.

But the Yazidi girls mother, whose identity has not been released, is expected to testify, providing both key evidence and the emotional heart of the case. The mother, who says she was also held as a slave by the German woman and her husband, is serving as a co-plaintiff in the trial but was not in court for the opening proceedings.

Our client would like to see justice served, as well as the opportunity to finally give a full account of her suffering and that of her daughter, one of the womans lawyers, Natalie von Wistinghausen, said in a statement.

The girls mother is also represented by Amal Clooney, an international human rights lawyer.

When Daesh overran northern Iraq in 2014, thousands of Yazidi women and girls were abducted and sold to Daesh members as slaves. They also became victims of brutal sexual assault.

According to the indictment, Jennifer W. and her husband bought a 5-year-old girl in summer 2015 from a group of prisoners of war and kept her in their home as a slave.

After the girl fell ill and wet her mattress, the defendants husband punished the girl by chaining her up outside in the searing heat and leaving her in great agony to die of thirst, prosecutors said. The defendant let her husband do as he liked, and took no action to save the girl.

Officials have not identified the husband, but German news media have reported he is a Daesh member, believed to be living in the region where Iraq borders Turkey.

If convicted, Jennifer W. faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The trial is important for all Yazidi survivors, said Nadia Murad, a Yazidi activist who survived being forced into sexual slavery by ISIS and went on to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Every survivor I have met and spoken to is waiting for the same thing  for the perpetrators to be prosecuted for their crimes against Yazidis, including women and children.

The mother of the girl was found with the help of Yazda, an organization that has been documenting crimes committed against the Yazidi minority since 2015.

Germany is struggling with how to handle dozens of women who left the country for Syria and Iraq, many of whom married Daesh fighters, and now have children who are German citizens. While they are legally allowed to return home, many Germans do not want to see them allowed back without being tried for their roles in supporting the terror organization.

But German law requires concrete proof of wrongdoing, so without evidence like photos showing them posing with weapons, or social media accounts where they spread propaganda or sought to recruit others, it can be difficult to bring charges against them.

In the case of Jennifer W., prosecutors were helped by her own eagerness to tell the man who offered to drive her as far as Turkey about her life in Daesh. U.S. intelligence officials had tipped off their colleagues in Germany about the woman, allowing the Germans to set her up with a driver, whose car was bugged, German news media reported.

She told the driver about leaving her home in northwestern Germany in August 2014 and making her way through Turkey and Syria to Iraq. Once she arrived, prosecutors said, she joined Daesh and swiftly rose through the ranks, becoming a member of the Hisbah, the morality police, patrolling the parks of Fallujah and Mosul, Iraq.

Her job was to make sure that women were upholding the terror organizations dress and behaviour codes, they said. To intimidate them, she carried an AK-47 machine gun, a pistol and an explosive vest.

In January, 2016, she visited the German Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, and then the Turkish authorities arrested her. They deported her to Germany, where she was allowed to go free.

According to prosecutors, she spent the next two years working to return to Daesh-controlled territory and found someone to take her most of the way there. She and the driver set out, and she was arrested last June, after telling her story but before they had left Germany.

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BUDAPEST, Hungary - The Hungarian State Opera has asked the Hungarian cast members in its production of Porgy and Bess to self-identify as African American.

The operas decision to put on George and Ira Gershwins seminal work set in the American south and intended for a black cast has caused a conflict with the creators estate.

The State Opera says on its website that the rights holders of Porgy and Bess noted the production is not permitted in its current form.

Asking cast members to identify as African American appears to be the operas way around the dispute.

Broadcaster ATV reported Tuesday that 15 of 28 performers answered affirmatively

Opera director Szilvester Okovacs told ATV that since Hungary doesnt record the race of individuals, he preferred to ask the cast.
TIRANA, Albania - Albanian police report that a man has been shot dead after a group of unidentified individuals robbed money at the countrys international airport.

In a statement, police said the robbery by masked and armed people took place on the tarmac at the Mother Teresa Rinasi International Airport, slightly north of the capital Tirana, on Tuesday afternoon.

Details of the amount or who the money belonged to were not immediately available.

One of the robbers was shot dead in an exchange of fire with police about one kilometre from the airport.

Special police forces and a helicopter still are combing the area.

Only one flight, to Vienna, was cancelled.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Irans Revolutionary Guard, designated a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration on Monday, evolved from a paramilitary, domestic security force with origins in the 1979 Islamic Revolution to a transnational force that has come to the aid of Tehrans allies in the Mideast, from Syria and Lebanon to Iraq.

The force answers only to Irans supreme leader, operates independently of the regular military and has vast economic interests across the country.

Here are key things to know about the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC:

ORIGINS:

The Revolutionary Guard was created in parallel to the countrys existing armed forces to consolidate power under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The following year, it was called upon to defend Iran and its clerical leadership in a ruinous war with Iraq that would last eight years and strengthen the guards ideological, economic and security footprint at home.

The group is estimated to have between 125,000 and 150,000 members today, but its unclear how many of those include the Quds Force, an elite wing of the IRGC that oversees foreign operations. The group, enshrined in the constitution, answers only to Irans supreme leader.

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DOMESTIC GRIP:

The IRGC oversees the countrys ballistic missile program and has conducted several tests since the landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers. While the accord does not specifically ban those tests, U.S. officials have said they violate the spirit of the deal. President Donald Trump last year pulled America out of the deal and re-imposed tough economic sanctions on Iran.

Additionally, the guard runs a massive construction company called Khatam al-Anbia, with 135,000 employees handling civil development, the oil industry and defence issues. Firms operated by the IRGC also build roads, man ports, run telecommunication networks and even offer laser eye surgery. The IRGC has deployed in rescue efforts during Irans recent devastating floods, which killed at least 70 people across the country.

Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last year ordered the guard to loosen its hold on the economy and privatize some of its vast economic holdings. Irans President Hassan Rouhani has tried unsuccessfully to further restrict the groups expansive powers at home.

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FOREIGN REACH:

The Revolutionary Guard recruits and trains thousands of fighters abroad through its Quds Force, headed by Gen. Qassem Soleimani, a shadowy but prominent figure whose fighters have fought alongside Syrian President Bashar Assads forces and against Islamic State militants who view Shiites as heretics.

U.S. officials say the IRGC under Soleimani taught Iraqi militants how to manufacture and use deadly roadside bombs against American troops after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, a charge Iran denies.

The group also oversees the Basij, a volunteer force of several million that draws its members from among the poor, uneducated young men from rural areas and city outskirts. The Basij model has been exported abroad, with tens of thousands of Shiites recruited from countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon and Iraq to fight in Tehrans proxy wars in Syria and elsewhere.

One of those young Shiite men, who joined a wave of Afghans recruited and trained to fight in support of Assads government in Syria, recently spoke with The Associated Press about the experience, saying he was driven by poverty and not by ideology or loyalty to Iran.

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MIDEAST MILITIAS:

The IRGC backs a number of Shiite militias across the Middle East, as well as the Fatimiyoun Brigade in Afghanistan. Chief among them is Hezbollah, the IRGCs oldest and most experienced force in the region, established following Israels invasion of Lebanon in 1982. The militia, led by Hassan Nasrallah, publicly joined Syrias civil war in mid-2013, securing a string of hard-won victories in defence of Syrias Iranian-backed government.

IRGC-backed Iraqi militias also fought in Syria in support of Assads forces and against the Islamic State group in northern and central Iraq. Some of the armed groups in Iraq backed by Iran include the powerful Kataeb Hezbollah, Haraket Hezbollah al-Nujaba and Asaib Ahl al-Haq.

In Pakistan, the Zeinabiyoun Brigade is mostly comprised of Shiite fighters who have also fought in Syria. Many of the groups fighters are trained and funded by IRGC.

Yemens Houthi rebels are also allied with Iran. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and other countries have accused the guard of supplying the Houthis with long-range missiles, a charge it denies. A Saudi-led coalition, backed by the U.S. and Britain, has been at war with the Houthis since March 2015.

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Mroue reported from Beirut.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia says two wanted men were killed in a predominantly Shiite region in the kingdoms east.

The region is a place where numerous wanted Saudi men are designated as terrorists for their involvement in violent protests and suspected attacks.

The kingdoms security body says its forces spotted four wanted people on Sunday in Qatif as they were heading to carry out a terrorist act. It says the group refused to surrender, shot at security forces and threw a hand grenade into a gas station, causing a fire.

Tuesdays statement says two were killed and two others were detained.

The security body says a Bahraini woman who happened to be at the gas station with her family, a Pakistani truck driver, and two security men were also wounded.
CAIRO - Sudanese security forces tried again to break up an anti-government sit-in outside military headquarters in the capital, Khartoum, killing at least 14 people Tuesday, activists behind the demonstration said.

The deaths brought the total number of fatalities in the sit-in since the weekend to 22, including five soldiers, according to the activists.

The demonstration is the latest in nearly four months of anti-government protests that have plunged Sudan into its worst crisis in years. What initially erupted late last year as rallies against a spiraling economy quickly escalated into calls for an end to President Omar al-Bashirs 30-year rule.

On Monday, for the first time, leaders of the protests called on the militarys leadership to abandon al-Bashir and join their call for change. And on Tuesday, they invited military leaders to meet with their representatives to discuss arrangements for a transition in Sudan.

Maj. Gen. Ahmed Khalifa al-Shami, a spokesman for the military, said the military has nothing to do with political matters and authorities ordered the protest to be broken up.

This sit-in ... could drag the country into chaos. ... All demonstrators were pushed out of the area surrounding the armed forces headquarters and this was done smoothly without significant causalities, he said in comments broadcast on TV.

In a joint statement on Tuesday, Norway, the U.K. and the U.S. backed the protesters demands, urging Sudanese authorities to deliver a credible plan for political transition.

Failing to do so risks causing greater instability. The Sudanese leadership has a grave responsibility to avoid such an outcome, they said.

Sarah Abdel-Jaleel, spokeswoman for the Sudanese Professionals Association, said the new clashes erupted early on Tuesday between security forces and protesters who have been camping out in front of the military complex in Khartoum for the past four days.

The police used tear gas, rubber bullets and live fire to try to disperse the protesters, according to Abdel-Jaleels union, which is spearheading the demonstrations. It was the second time security forced failed to break up the sit-in protests, which has grown into one of the biggest rallies in the current wave of unrest.

But a crack seemed to be emerging among the Sudanese authorities and the military as to how to handle the protests.

Online video footage circulating Tuesday showed some Sudanese troops seeking to protect the protesters and guarding the entrance to the sit-in area. Heavy gunfire can be heard as protesters seek cover from the descending security forces. Other video clips show burned police vehicles used as trash dumps.

The Sudan Doctors Committee, an affiliate of the union, said at least 153 people were wounded since Saturday. It said the five soldiers, including a captain, were killed while defending the protesters in the past two days.

The medical group said troops guarding the militarys complex, which also houses the Defence Ministry and a presidential residence, chased the security forces away, firing into the air for the second night.

It said that apart from the officer, six protesters were also killed. Abdel-Jaleel, the spokeswoman, said at least 30 protesters were wounded in the violence.

Amnesty International said authorities in Khartoum cut off the water supply to the area of the sit-in, and cars were being searched and seized by security forces for ferrying food and water to protesters.

The move by the authorities to try to starve protesters and deny them access to communication is a clear attempt to silence and deny protesters their human rights, said the groups director for the region, Joan Nyanyuki.

A government spokesman didnt respond to calls seeking comment. The countys interior minister, Bishara Gomaa, told the parliament on Monday that at least seven people were killed in the protests since Saturday  six in Khartoum and the seventh in the Darfur region. There was no word from the army on the latest military death.

A split between Sudans militantly and its security agencies could mark a significant turning point for the protesters.

Gen. Awad Mohammed Ibn Auf, the countrys defence minister and vice-president, denied any divisions and said the military and the security apparatus were co-ordinating on how to deal with the protesters.

There are parties trying to exploit the current situation to create strife between the components of the security system in the country, he told a meeting with senior officers on Monday.

Despite the deaths, the mood among protesters at the sit-in on Tuesday was upbeat, with online videos showing the demonstrators singing traditional songs and shouting, Revolution!

They also chanted, The people want the fall of the regime, one of the main slogans from the Arab Spring uprisings that swept the Middle East and North Africa in 2011.
JERUSALEM - The latest on Israels election (all times local):

5:20 a.m.

With over 90% of the votes tallied in Israels election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus Likud party is in a dead heat with rival Benny Gantzs Blue and White party.

Each of the two parties holds just over 26% of the vote, with slightly more than 1 million ballots apiece in Tuesdays parliamentary elections.

Nonetheless, Netanyahu is expected to be able to form a stable governing coalition as his party and its nationalist and ultra-Orthodox allies appear likely to win 65 of the Israeli parliaments 120 seats.

One key Netanyahu ally, the New Right party headed by the current Education and Justice ministers, is on the cusp of falling below Israels electoral threshold for getting seats in parliament.

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3:05 a.m.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared victory in national elections as exit polls show his Likud party gaining ground on its main rival.

Addressing a jubilant gathering of supporters early Wednesday, Netanyahu praised them for an almost inconceivable achievement.

Exit polls put Likud and the rival Blue and White parties in a tight race. But recent projections appear to be giving Likud a slight lead and in a stronger position to form a majority coalition in the 120-seat parliament.

In a speech repeatedly interrupted by cheering supporters, Netanyahu said that I was very moved that the nation of Israel once again entrusted me for the fifth time, and with even greater trust.

He vowed to establish a right-wing nationalist government.

Official results are expected later Wednesday.

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1:05 p.m.

Two Israeli TV stations have changed their forecasts for final election results and are now projecting a narrow victory by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus Likud party.

Channels 12 and 13 are projecting Likud will capture 35 seats in the 120-seat parliament, compared to 34 for Benny Gantzs centrist Blue and White party. Earlier, Channel 13 had projected the parties deadlocked at 36 seats apiece, while Channel 12 gave Gantz a solid 37-33 lead.

Both stations early Wednesday also showed Likud and its religious-nationalist bloc of allies controlling a majority in the 120-seat parliament.

Their updated projects mirrored partial results, which gave Likud a slight lead with about a quarter of votes counted.

Official results are expected later Wednesday.

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12:30 a.m.

The leader of Israels Blue and White party has declared victory in parliamentary elections, despite mixed results in exit polls.

Addressing a raucous crowd of supporters. Benny Gantz said Tuesdays vote was a historic vote for Israel and urged his rival, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to step aside.

Opinion polls show Gantzs party tied or with a slight lead over Netanyahus Likud, though the polls appear to give Netanyahu a better chance of cobbling together a parliamentary majority with his hard-line ideological allies.

Gantz says that as leader of the largest party, he should be chosen by Israels president to form the next government.

Elections have losers and elections have winners. And we are the winners, he said.

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11:25 p.m.

A senior Palestinian official says that Israelis have voted to maintain the status quo, as exit polls revealed no clear winner in the general election.

Both Prime Minister Netanyahus right-wing Likud party and the rival centrist Blue and White party claimed victory Tuesday.

Saeb Erekat, chief Palestinian negotiator and champion of Palestinian statehood, called Tuesdays results a clear-cut vote to maintain the years-long impasse in the peace process, adding, they want us to live under a deeper apartheid system than that existed in the darkest hours of South African apartheid.

Exit polls show that of the 120 seats in Israels parliament, only 18 members support the two-state solution, the international communitys preferred option for the past decades

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10:40 p.m.

Both Prime Minister Netanyahu and the leaders of the rival Blue and White party, former military chief Benny Gantz and centrist politician Yair Lapid, have declared victory in Israels elections as murky exit-poll predictions rolled in.

Netanyahu announced Tuesday: A right-wing bloc led by the Likud party won a clear victory. I thank the citizens of Israel for the trust.

Gantz and Lapid also declared: We won! The Israeli public has had their say!

They added that These elections have a clear winner and a clear loser, saying, the president can see the picture and should call on the winner to form the next government. There is no other option!

Both camps vowed they would call on allies to help them form a governing coalition.

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10:15 p.m.

Israeli exit polls indicate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus Likud and the rival Blue and White party are locked in a race that is too close to call.

Channels 12 and Kan TV gave the Blue and White party, headed by former military chief Benny Gantz, a narrow lead over the Likud, while Channel 10 TV showed them in a tie in Tuesdays vote.

The channels also gave different breakdowns for possible coalitions, with two stations giving Netanyahus right-wing bloc a slight parliamentary majority while Channel 12 had them tied at 60 seats apiece.

With neither side having a clear advantage, they will have to wait for official results to come in overnight.

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10 p.m.

Arab leaders are making a last-minute push to implore their followers to vote in Israeli elections.

Ayman Odeh, a leading Arab lawmaker, has been broadcasting on Facebook live, while religious leaders have been broadcasting calls on mosque loudspeakers.

Many voters, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of anti-Arab incitement, have decided to boycott this years vote.

The decision could have negative repercussions. Arab parties could struggle to receive enough votes to enter parliament, potentially bolstering Netanyahus Likud party and its hardline allies.

Arab political activists say the campaign has boosted turnout to 46% with under an hour to go. Israels central elections commission says overall turnout is over 61%.

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8:45 p.m.

Israeli politicians are making the most of social media to campaign online until polls close at 10 p.m., with the main contenders taking to social media to appeal to citizens to vote as turnout flags.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu filmed himself at the beach in Netanya on Tuesday and urged people to go vote or wake up tomorrow to a leftist government. Benny Gantz, a former army chief of staff who seeks to unseat Netanyahu, shared a video in which he appears to assist a motorcyclist who was involved in a traffic accident.

Other politicians have urged Israelis to go vote, as voter turnout was lower than previous elections.

The current election regulations in Israel bar television and radio campaigning on election day, but not social media.

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7:15 p.m.

A prominent Israeli pollster says that Israel has never seen such a decline in Arab turnout, calling it the biggest drama facing the national election.

Camil Fuchs told Israels Chanel 13 TV that exit polls revealed startling low turnout throughout the day.

Prominent Arab politicians took to social media to demand their constituents push back against ballot boycott calls that put their parties at risk of dropping below the parliamentary threshold.

Veteran lawmaker Ahmad Tibi called the low turnout a real danger to his party and the other Arab factions.

Arab citizens, representing nearly 20% of Israels population, could help sway the vote. But many Arab citizens have pledged to boycott the election in protest of Netanyahus divisive campaign tactics and legislation declaring Israel the nation-state of the Jewish people.

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5:55 p.m.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says our hands remain extended in peace on Israels Election Day.

The election is largely seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who pandered to nationalist voters by vowing to annex the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Speaking in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Tuesday, Abbas said the Palestinian leadership hoped the outcome would help Israel come to the negotiating table and embark on the right track to reach peace.

But Abbas stressed that Palestinians would reject peace brokered by U.S. President Trumps administration.

Trumps contentious policy changes, such as recognizing Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, have sidelined Palestinians, who seek Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem as their capital.

Netanyahus challenger, Benny Gantz, has indicated he would not foreclose future peace negotiations.

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4:10 p.m.

Israels elections committee has banned hidden cameras at polling stations following an Arab partys complaints that it observed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus Likud party deploying staffers who attempted to secretly surveil predominantly-Arab polling stations.

Israeli media reported Tuesday that Likud dispatched 1,200 observers in Arab polls. The Israeli daily Haaretz published videos showing activists caught with cameras by police, with one confessing Likud had sent him.

Police said they were working to maintain public order after a number of suspected irregularities in northern polls.

Arab parties lambasted the cameras as a ploy to depress their constituents turnout.

The Likud party declined to comment, but when a reporter asked Netanyahu about the claims as he cast his ballot, he responded, There should be cameras everywhere. Not hidden. Its important to ensure a legitimate vote.

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2:35 p.m.

Israels election committee says midday voter turnout stands at 24.8%  or down 2 percentage points from the 2015 elections.

But the statistic may not be a prediction of the overall turnout as polling stations close at 10 p.m. on Tuesday and many anticipate a last-minute surge of voters heading to the polling stations.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has delivered increasingly impassioned pleas to voters to come out and support him as the day wore on. He took to Facebook in a steady stream of videos to rile his national base by warning if supporters failed to vote, theyd wake up to a leftist government led by his chief challenger Benny Gantz.

He says such a scenario is backed by a secret deal with Arab parties, which he often brands as his political foe.

Netanyahu has become known for divisive campaign tactics, which critics call racial incitement.

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1 p.m.

Popular centrist politician Yair Lapid has cast his ballot in Israels elections for his Blue and White party, appealing on Israeli citizens to vote. Lapid had joined forces with former army chief Benny Gantz to challenge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus long rule.

Lapid voted near Tel Aviv on Tuesday surrounded by activists and supporters, claiming his party is just a step away from victory.

He says: We need two more seats to win these historic elections in Israel. A vote for any party except Blue and White is a vote for Netanyahu.

Lapid and Gantz, together with a slate of other ex-generals, formed the centrist Blue and White party in hopes of mobilizing opposition to Netanyahu, who faces serious corruption charges.

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12:10 p.m.

Israels president and several other politicians have cast their ballots in the general election, offering messages to voters and urging for a good turnout.

President Reuven Rivlin will have the task to choose  after the election  a party leader most likely to forge a governing coalition.

He urged citizens to vote as he cast his ballot, saying the only people who decide who will be the next government and prime minister are you.

New Right party leader, Naftali Bennett, asked voters not to be swayed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus campaign to pull votes from smaller rightist factions. Bennet says he wants everyone to vote for the New Right so that Israel returns to winning.

Avi Gabbay, leader of the Labor party that was once Israels left-wing flagship, told reporters he hopes Election Day ends with the replacement of the government.

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11:40 a.m.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cast his ballot in Israels general elections.

Netanyahu voted on Tuesday in Jerusalem alongside his wife, Sara. He called on all Israelis to vote, calling it a sacred act.

Netanyahu is seeking a fifth term in office despite a cloud of looming corruption indictments against him. Another term would make him Israels longest-ever serving leader, surpassing founding father David Ben-Gurion.

He faces a stiff challenge from retired military chief Benny Gantz, whose Blue and White party has inched ahead of Netanyahus Likud in polls. Netanyahu still appears to have the best chance of forming a coalition, though, with a smattering of small nationalist parties backing him.

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9:40 a.m.

Benny Gantz, the main challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israels general elections, has cast his ballot, calling for a new dawn for the country.

Gantz voted early on Tuesday in his hometown of Rosh Haayin in central Israel alongside his wife, Revital. He called on all Israelis to get out and vote, saying they should take responsibility for their democracy.

He says that voting will let us all wake up for a new dawn, a new history.

Gantzs Blue and White party has inched ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus Likud in polls. Netanyahu still appears to have the best chance of forming a coalition, though, with a smattering of small nationalist parties backing him.

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07:00 a.m.

Voting has begun in the Israeli elections as the country decides whether longtime Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains in power.

Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. Tuesday with exit polls expected at the end of the voting day at 10 p.m. Official results are expected to come in overnight.

Clouded by a series of looming corruption indictments, Netanyahu is seeking a fifth term in office. It would make him Israels longest-ever serving leader, surpassing founding father David Ben-Gurion.

He faces a stiff challenge from retired military chief Benny Gantz, whose Blue and White party has inched ahead of Netanyahus Likud in polls. Netanyahu still appears to have the best chance of forming a coalition, though, with a smattering of small nationalist parties backing him.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - A proposal to prohibit Arkansas cities from refusing to co-operate with federal immigration authorities failed before a House committee on Monday after the states Republican governor said he wanted the legislation changed to ensure it wouldnt open the door to racial profiling.

The Senate-backed bill to prohibit sanctuary cities and cut off their funding failed before the House City, County and Local Affairs Committee on a 9-5 vote, one vote shy of the 10 needed to advance to the full House for a vote. With lawmakers hoping to wrap up this years session by Wednesday, the sponsor of the measure said its dead.

The Arkansas Municipal League, which opposed the measure, has said it doesnt know of any sanctuary cities in the state or any cities moving toward adopting such policies. The Republican proponents of the bill said the measure was needed to ensure cities comply with federal law.

This is not a solution looking for a problem, Republican Sen. Gary Stubblefield, the bills sponsor, told the panel before the vote. This is to ward off what is happening all over our country.

Republicans in several states have enacted bans on sanctuary cities, which have been targeted by President Donald Trump. Virginias Democratic governor last month vetoed a similar bill, and another bill is pending before Florida lawmakers.

Under Arkansas bill, a city would have been ineligible for discretionary funds administered by the state if the attorney general found it was a sanctuary city. The bill also would have prohibited cities from preventing local law enforcement from asking people about their citizenship or immigration status.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson said earlier Monday he was generally supportive of the measure and opposed sanctuary cities. But Hutchinson said hed asked the bills sponsor to amend the measure to require probable cause before law enforcement asked about citizenship or immigration status.

Without this amendment, there is too much opportunity for racial profiling, Hutchinson said in a statement released by his office. Stubblefield, however, didnt change the measure and said he believed it had sufficient protections against profiling.

Advocates in Arkansas said the defeated bill would have created mistrust between the immigrant community and law enforcement.

Laws like this, because they are broad, they are vague and they are not clear, only exposes us to lawsuits, only exposes us to continued stereotypes of Arkansas being racist and only is going to hurt what really could be an opportunity for Arkansas to achieve a greater potential, Mireya Reith, founding executive director of Arkansas United, an immigrant advocacy group, told the panel before the vote.

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This story has been corrected to show that the vote was 9-5, not 9-4, and that the bill needed 10 votes to advance, not 11.

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Follow Andrew DeMillo on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ademillo
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - A panel of Missouri lawmakers on Monday considered enacting a ban on discrimination against unvaccinated children, an effort that comes as other states look to increase immunization amid disease outbreaks.

Parents testified to lawmakers that their unimmunized children were turned away from daycares and doctors. Republican Rep. Lynn Morris, a pharmacist from southwest Missouri, said parents are being pressured to vaccinate their children.

Parents are getting bullied, Morris said. Theyre getting bullied by county health departments. Theyre getting bullied by schools. Theyre getting bullied by their doctors. Theyre being intimidated, and I just dont think thats right.

The Republicans bill would ban discrimination against unimmunized children in doctors offices, daycares, public schools and colleges if families have legal exemptions. Missouri grants exemptions for religious and medical reasons.

The hearing came just days after a judge temporarily blocked a suburban New York countys emergency order banning children from public places unless theyve been vaccinated against measles.

Lawmakers from other states also are looking to ramp up vaccinations in response to outbreaks of diseases such as measles and whooping cough .

Washington lawmakers in March passed a measure to strip exemptions for measles vaccinations after an outbreak sickened dozens. Theres a push to end non-medical exemptions for vaccines in Maine, where there were 95 cases of whooping cough through February.

While overall vaccination rates remain high in the U.S. according to the Centers for Disease Control, the number of kids under two who havent received any vaccines is growing. The CDC attributes much of this to lack of health insurance  uninsured kids are much more likely to be unvaccinated than children who have health insurance.

Janessa Baake, from the city of Peculiar in southwestern Missouri, cited concern over potential medical risks and told lawmakers Monday that her 3-year-old daughter is unvaccinated. She said after being denied by a Missouri doctor, she now takes her daughter to a Kansas pediatrician.

Another man said his two children developed autism after being vaccinated as toddlers.

All of the stories and the anecdotes that we heard are very important, but I dont think that they can be used to refute science, Ferguson Democrat Rep. Cora Faith Walker said during a break in the hearing.

Multiple studies have debunked claims that measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations increase the risk for autism, and the National Institutes of Health says reports of serious reactions are rare: about one every 100,000 vaccinations. In the U.S., more than 90 per cent of the population nationally is properly vaccinated.

What we know and what we have in study after study of scientific fact is that vaccines are safe, and theyre effective, said Jefferson City pediatrician Katie Blount, a member of the Missouri chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Ultimately what it boils down to is its one of the best ways that I know how to take care of a kiddo.

A similar bill didnt make it to the floor last year.

The House Health and Mental Health Policy Committee also is considering legislation to require physicians to provide information on the benefits and risks of vaccines, information from CDC and other information before giving vaccines.
WASHINGTON - The Latest on the departure of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen (all times local):

8:30 p.m.

The White House push for a harder line on immigration, including the shake-up at the Department of Homeland Security, is being orchestrated by Trump adviser Stephen Miller, the impetus behind some of the administrations most controversial policies.

Thats according to three officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. They say President Donald Trump is also considering separating migrant families at the border again, resuming the practice that drew so much outrage last year.

The officials say the head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, L. Francis Cissna, and Homeland Security General Counsel John M. Mitnick are expected to be pushed out of their positions.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen submitted her resignation Sunday.

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12:45 p.m.

Kirstjen (KEER-sten) Nielsen says she continues to support President Donald Trumps goal of securing the U.S.-Mexico border in her first public remarks since her surprise resignation as Homeland Security secretary.

Nielsen told reporters gathered outside her Alexandria, Virginia, home on Monday that she will keep supporting all efforts to address the humanitarian and security crisis on the border.

Nielsen thanks the Republican president for the tremendous opportunity to serve this country. She says shes spent the last 24 hours talking to administration officials and members of Congress to ensure a smooth transition and intends to continue to support the department from the outside.

Nielsen resigned Sunday amid Trumps growing frustration and bitterness over a spike in Central American migrants crossing the border.

Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan has taken over as department head.

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12:55 a.m.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen has resigned amid President Donald Trumps growing frustration and bitterness over the number of Central American families crossing the southern border.

Trump announced on Sunday in a tweet that U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan would be taking over as acting head of the department. McAleenan is a longtime border official who is well-respected by members of Congress and within the administration. The decision to name a top immigration officer to the post reflects Trumps priority for the sprawling department founded to combat terrorism following the Sept. 11 attacks.

Though Trump aides were eyeing a staff shake-up at Homeland Security and had already withdrawn the nomination for another key immigration post, the development Sunday was unexpected.
HOUSTON - The Latest on a school shooting suspect in Texas facing federal charges (all times local):

8:30 p.m.

An attorney for an 18-year-old accused of fatally shooting 10 people at a Texas high school says federal prosecutors have filed 11 charges against the former student after previously indicating they would not.

Attorney Nick Poehl says he doesnt know what charges Dimitrios Pagourtzis is facing because the federal case is sealed as a result of Pagourtzis being a minor when the shooting occurred last year.

Pagourtzis appeared in federal court in Galveston on Monday afternoon.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. attorneys office in Houston declined to comment.

Family members of those killed in the shooting and many of the injured say theyre grateful federal charges were filed.

Pagourtzis has been charged with capital murder in state court for the May 18, 2018, shooting at Santa Fe High School in Galveston County.

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1:20 p.m.

An attorney for an 18-year-old accused of fatally shooting 10 people at a Texas high school says federal prosecutors plan to file charges against the former student after they had previously indicated they would not.

Attorney Nick Poehl says Dimitrios Pagourtzis was taken into federal custody Monday and was set to appear in federal court in Galveston at 1 p.m.

Poehl says he doesnt know what federal charges were filed.

Pagourtzis has been charged with capital murder in state court for the May 18, 2018 shooting at Santa Fe High School in Galveston County.

Last month, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Texas said no federal charges would likely be filed.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorneys Office didnt immediately return an email seeking comment.
NEW YORK - The New York City Health Department ordered all ultra-Orthodox Jewish schools in a neighbourhood of Brooklyn on Monday to exclude unvaccinated students from classes during the current measles outbreak.

In issuing the order, the health department said that any yeshiva in Williamsburg that does not comply will face fines and possible closure.

City health officials said the measles outbreak among Orthodox Jewish communities continues to increase at an alarming rate.

Officials say 285 cases have been confirmed in New York City since the beginning of the outbreak in October. Most cases have been reported from Williamsburg and Borough Park  two Brooklyn neighbourhoods with large Orthodox Jewish populations, in which vaccination rates tend to be lower.

New York City accounted for about two-thirds of all U.S. measles cases reported last week. But areas outside the city are also seeing a surge in cases.

Last week, a state judge issued a preliminary injunction against a Rockland County emergency order banning children from public places unless theyve been vaccinated against measles. Civil rights lawyer Michael Sussman called the order arbitrary and capricious.

The county had enacted the 30-day emergency order to fight a measles outbreak that has infected at least 166 people since October. Rocklands outbreak has most heavily affected Orthodox Jewish communities.

Health officials say the best way to stop the diseases spread is a vaccination rate in the community of 92 to 95 per cent.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all children get two doses of measles vaccine. It says the vaccine is 97% effective.
DALLAS - Boeing failed to win any orders for its 737 Max airliner in March as scrutiny of the plane increased following a second deadly crash in less than five months.

Deliveries of finished Max jets also tumbled, to 11 from 26 in February. That was not surprising  Boeing suspended deliveries in mid-March after regulators around the world ordered the plane grounded.

Boeings report Tuesday on orders and deliveries came just three days after the company announced that it will cut production of 737s from 52 a month to 42. Meanwhile, airlines that own the nearly 400 grounded Max jets are cancelling flights.

The damage to Boeing could be temporary, however, if the company can complete a fix to key software on the Max and reassure regulators and passengers that it is a safe plane.

Many analysts believe the deliveries will only be delayed, not lost forever, unless airlines cancel orders for the plane.

The figures on March orders and deliveries are secondary to getting the Max fix approved and its grounding lifted, Cowen aircraft analyst Cai von Rumohr said.

The plane was grounded when an Ethiopian Airlines Max crashed March 10, less than five months after a Lion Air Max plunged into the sea off the coast of Indonesia. In all, 346 people died.

Boeing has acknowledged that in each crash, a faulty sensor triggered an anti-stall system when it wasnt needed, pushing the planes nose down. Pilots on each flight fought unsuccessfully to regain control, according to flight data retrieved from the planes.

The company is still working on the software update, which was delayed recently by several weeks because of the discovery of a second software problem. Boeing hasnt described the second issue but says it is not related to the anti-stall system.

So far, most of Wall Street and Boeings airline customers have publicly stood behind the company during its crisis. Boeing hasnt disclosed any lost orders, although Garuda Indonesia has said it will cancel an order for 49 Max jets. Boeing has a backlog of about 4,600 orders for the plane.

Delta Air Lines neither owns nor has any orders for the Max  most of its pending orders are with Boeings rival, Airbus. But Delta CEO Ed Bastian said he remains confident in Boeings technological prowess and is interested if Boeing decides to build a new plane bigger than the 737.

I am confident that Boeing will solve this issue with the Max, he said. I expect that to be a hiccup.

Airlines that own the Max, however, are paying a price. On Tuesday, American Airlines cut a key revenue estimate after cancelling 1,200 flights in the first quarter due to the grounding of its 24 Max jets.

American, the worlds biggest airline, said that it cant predict the future financial fallout until it knows how long the jets will be parked and the circumstances under which they will be allowed to fly again.

Over the weekend, American removed the plane from its schedule for an additional six weeks, through June 5.

Shares of Chicago-based Boeing fell $5.48, or 1.5%, to close at $369.04. They have lost 13% since the Ethiopian crash.
MOUNT BALDY VILLAGE, Calif. - Crews were searching a mountainous area in Southern California on Tuesday for two hikers whove been missing for three days in snowy and rugged terrain.

Two dozen search and rescue members were looking for 33-year-old Eric Desplinter of Chino Hills and 31-year-old Gabrielle Wallace of Rancho Cucamonga. They were believed headed toward the 8,860-foot (2,700-meter) Cucamonga Peak just northeast of Los Angeles and were expected to return by Saturday night.

Searchers include a vertical-ice team from the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, and the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department said it was using a helicopter to assist.

Video taken by a Los Angeles County team on the second day of the search showed just how vast and rugged the search area is.

San Bernardino County sheriffs officials said 16 of the searchers were airlifted to the top of Cucamonga Peak on Tuesday to avoid covering ground thats already been searched.

Crews have found a beanie, instructions on how to use crampons for ice-hiking, and a trekking pole, though its unclear if they belong to Desplinter or Wallace, the sheriffs department said.

Wallaces mother, Brenda Wallace, was waiting at the foot of the mountain for her daughters safe return and told KTTV-TV that she was hoping for the best.

I thought maybe she tripped and broke or ankle or something, (and) maybe it slowed them down to a crawl and hes trying to help get her down, she said. I know he wouldnt leave her, and I know she wouldnt leave him.

She said Desplinter was an experienced hiker and that her daughter had just bought new gear for a group hike with him and friends. But Gabrielle Wallace and Desplinter, who is her boss, got separated from the group and havent been seen since.

Cucamonga Peak is part of the San Gabriel Mountains and near the ranges tallest peak, Mount Baldy, where a number of hikers have fallen to their deaths in icy conditions in recent years. Nearby on Mount Wilson, part of the same range, a trail-runner fell to his death after slipping on a patch of ice in February.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - A former North Carolina congressman says he had begun selling shares in a Russian bank before it lost its license.

Last week, Russias central bank accused Commercial Bank of Ivanovo of breaching anti-money laundering rules by providing incomplete or unreliable transaction information. Central bank records on Friday showed Rep. Charles Taylor owned more than 80 per cent of the bank, which the Republican bought with a former KGB agent as his business partner.

Taylor issued a statement to WLOS-TV and The Citizen-Times saying he bought the stock years ago but wasnt a bank officer and knew of no wrongdoing. His statement said he signed a contract to sell his shares; it didnt say whether the transaction was complete.

A man who answered a phone listing for Taylor Tuesday declined to talk.
WASHINGTON - Federal agents on Tuesday broke up a billion dollar Medicare scam that peddled unneeded orthopedic braces to hundreds of thousands of seniors. Two dozen people were charged, including doctors accused of writing bogus prescriptions.

The Justice Department said the scheme relied on overseas call centres to pry Medicare numbers from beneficiaries. Authorities also announced charges against owners of call centres, telemedicine firms and medical equipment companies that shipped unneeded back, shoulder, wrist and knee braces.

Profits from the scheme were laundered through offshore shell companies and then used to buy high-end cars, yachts and luxury homes here and abroad, officials said.

Medicares anti-fraud unit said its taking action against 130 medical equipment companies implicated. The companies billed the program a total of $1.7 billion, but not all of it was paid out.

The loss to Medicare was estimated at more than $1.2 billion.

The Health and Human Services inspector generals office said the fast-moving scam was fueled by kickbacks among the parties involved. The FBI, the IRS, and 17 U.S. attorneys offices took part in the crackdown.

The telemedicine we are talking about is basically a tele-scam, said Gary Cantrell, who oversees fraud investigations for the HHS inspector generals office. We are not talking about the use of advanced technology to provide better access to care.

Officials said the scam was detected last summer as complaints from beneficiaries poured in to the Medicare fraud hotline.

They said telemarketers would reach out to seniors offering free orthopedic braces, also touted through television and radio ads. Interested beneficiaries would be patched through to call centres, part of what officials described as an international telemarketing network with operations in the Philippines and throughout Latin America.

After verifying Medicare coverage, the seniors would be transferred to telemedicine companies for consultations with doctors, who wrote prescriptions for orthopedic braces, regardless of whether the patients needed them or not. Sometimes the same patient would get several braces.

The call centres would collect prescriptions and sell them to medical equipment companies, which would ship the braces to beneficiaries and bill Medicare. Medical equipment companies would get $500 to $900 per brace from Medicare and would pay kickbacks of nearly $300 per brace.

Officials said its one of the biggest frauds the inspector generals office has seen. Charges were being brought against defendants in California, Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas. Cantrell said federal agents had gained co-operation from people familiar with the various schemes.

The breadth of this nationwide conspiracy should be frightening to all who rely on some form of health care, IRS criminal investigations chief Don Fort said in a statement. The conspiracy ... details broad corruption, massive amounts of greed and systemic flaws in our health care system that were exploited by the defendants.

Attempts to reach defendants named by the Justice Department were unsuccessful. In several cases telephone numbers associated with the individuals were disconnected. Others did not respond to messages.

The investigation is continuing. Authorities asked doctors who have been involved with telemedicine and medical equipment fraud to voluntarily come forward.

Health care fraud is a pervasive problem that costs taxpayers tens of billions of dollars a year. The true extent of it is unknown, and some cases involve grey areas of complex payment policies.

Experts say part of the problem is that Medicare is required to pay medical bills promptly, which means money often goes out before potential frauds get flagged. Investigators call that pay and chase.

In recent years, Medicare has tried to adapt techniques used by credit card companies to head off fraud. Law enforcement co-ordination has grown, with strike forces of federal prosecutors and agents, along with state counterparts, specializing in health care investigations.

Officials said the government has options to recoup at least some of the money lost to Medicare, including seizing fraudsters assets and accounts, as well as property purchased with the proceeds of the scam.

The Medicare beneficiaries drawn into the orthopedic braces scam didnt have to pay anything up front, but Cantrell said they have been harmed as well: A beneficiarys private information, once in the hands of fraudsters, can be resold for many illegal purposes.

Additionally, if a beneficiary whose information was misused ever does need an orthopedic brace, he or she may encounter waiting periods from Medicare. The program limits how often it pays for certain supplies and equipment.

It can be very attractive to receive equipment, Cantrell said. But after giving out your identifying information, it could be compromised to perpetuate additional fraud. There is no fraud without the ID number of a Medicare beneficiary.
DURHAM, N.C. - The fired FBI acting director promoting a new book highly critical of President Donald Trump will discuss the threats facing the United States during an appearance in North Carolina.

Andrew McCabe will speak Tuesday at Duke University on topics from his newly released book about how the FBI protects America now.

McCabe is a 1990 Duke graduate who led investigations of the Boston Marathon bombing and a plot to bomb New York Citys subways.

He was the acting FBI director for four months after Trump fired his boss, James Comey.

McCabe was fired days before his scheduled retirement in March 2018 because administration officials said he lied about media leaks in an investigation into the Clinton Foundation. McCabe says he didnt lie and his firing was politically motivated.
NATCHEZ, Miss. - In this city known for pre-Civil War mansions, a young mother shared a government-funded apartment with her three small children and a legion of cockroaches.

They lurked in the medicine cabinet, under the refrigerator, behind a picture on the wall. The mother nudged a bedroom dresser and more roaches skittered away as her 2-year-old son stomped on them.

It was home, sweet home for Destiny Johnson and her kids  until she got fed up and moved out last month.

Inspectors had cited the apartment complex with urgent health and safety violations for the past three years. Yet the federal government continued to pay Johnsons rent at a property where a three-bedroom unit like hers can run $900 a month.

Im not asking for the best, she told a reporter weeks before leaving, but something better than this, especially for these kids.

Health and safety inspection scores at taxpayer-funded apartments assigned to low-income tenants have been declining for years, typically with no serious consequences for landlords, an Associated Press analysis of federal housing data shows.

Johnsons former apartment is one of nearly 160,000 at private properties with federal contracts that have failed at least one inspection since 1999. Nationwide data show the vast majority of failing inspections involved urgent violations. They can range from electrical hazards to rampant vermin to piles of garbage.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development subsidizes rents for tenants assigned to both privately owned apartments and public housing run by state or local authorities. Many in these 2.1 million households are disabled, elderly or single parents. As the nations biggest affordable housing provider, the federal government will spend about $18 billion this year for these two programs.

Yet tenants curse heaters that dont heat, emergency exits that dont open, windows that dont close. They complain of rats, rust, holes and mould.

In 2015 alone, families living in subsidized housing reported at least 155,000 more cases of childhood asthma than expected if the rate were the same as for renters in other households, according to APs analysis of a national tenant survey. Medical studies tie asthma to mould.

Federal authorities acknowledge the long slide in inspection scores, which started a decade ago in the privately owned housing. They say in recent years they have been protecting tenants by reinspecting sites with surprisingly high scores and closely monitoring repairs.

These older properties, Housing and Urban Development spokesman Brian Sullivan said, the private owners may not have the means to do needed repairs.

Conditions have deteriorated so badly in many subsidized buildings that by the governments own estimate it would take tens of billions of dollars to rehabilitate them.

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Destiny Johnson lived with her children ages 1, 2, and 5, at Cedarhurst Homes on a dead-end street in Natchez, where Mississippi River trading and wealth built on slave plantations have yielded to inveterate poverty among a largely black population.

The heater in Johnsons apartment didnt work, so she was using the oven to keep warm until a stovetop fire last year. Johnson, 21, said she tried to use her fire extinguisher, but that didnt work either, so she rushed to borrow one from a neighbour.

The oven still hadnt been replaced several months later. Its door was tied closed with a bright pink cord.

In late March, she said, management finally provided a letter that let her move to a nearby subsidized complex with a better inspection record.

I couldnt take it anymore, Johnson said.

A former neighbour who still lives at the 30-unit Cedarhurst Homes, Whitley Williams, wanted to show a reporter and photographer her leaking water heater. The door to its closet was damp and swollen. She tried to heave it open, but the bottom scraped the floor and broke apart.

Her three children prefer to stay elsewhere, with her father.

Federal records list the site owner as The Columbia Property Group, which has managed or owned at least 66 federally contracted properties in Georgia, Florida and its home state of Mississippi.

Company President Melanie Moe referred questions to Bryan King, an officer at Mississippi-based Triangle Development, LLC. In an emailed statement, King said his development company was acquiring Cedarhurst Homes and planned to pursue federal tax credits for a large renovation.

The property earned inspection scores of 46, 53, and 54 out of a possible 100 from 2016 through 2018, federal data show. Any score up to 60 is now considered failing. At least three other Columbia Property Group sites have failed inspections since 2011, federal records show.

Federally subsidized private apartments, where tenants typically pay about a third of their income, fare worst in the South. Louisiana had the nations highest inspection failure rate at 12%, with Mississippi second at 10%.

Housing experts say landlords in poor, rural communities with low rents can have trouble amassing cash for repairs, despite federal payments.

Nationally, inspection scores at privately owned complexes like Cedarhurst Homes reached a peak of 90 in 2007 during the George W. Bush administration. Scores averaged 86 during Barack Obamas two terms and 81 under President Trump as of June. APs analysis of historical trends uses data released in January. Since then, HUD has been revising its databases and released one that isnt directly comparable and drops pertinent inspections.

Federal housing officials partly attribute the recent drop in scores to their crackdown on substandard repairs and inflated inspection scores . Under Trump, 92% of inspections found a violation, up from 85% under Obama and 77% under Bush.

Federal housing officials also say their new approach has driven up some scores as managers understand they must take repairs seriously.

In a March report , however, the Government Accountability Office told Congress that HUDs inspection processes are outdated and need a thorough overhaul to ensure stronger oversight of building conditions.

And tenants in some buildings still complain that management hides problems from inspectors, covering cracks with duct tape, mould with a quick coat of paint, or even old junk with temporary partitions.

Michael Kane, executive director of the National Alliance of HUD Tenants, acknowledged the department has gotten tougher on inspections but said the decline in scores reflects continued deterioration of living conditions.

As the buildings age, they develop certain kinds of problems. They didnt have water leaks and mould at the beginning, but they sure ... did 40 years later, he said.

Federal officials acknowledge they must think hard before taking enforcement action that might shutter a property. The federal government ended most of its efforts to build new affordable housing in the 1980s, and private-sector financing for new construction has long been scarce.

HUDs main programs now rely on the existing, gradually aging housing stock. We lose the affordable housing forever. You never get it back, HUD spokesman Sullivan said.

Since the start of 2016, he said, the agency has terminated 36 housing contracts. There are now about 24,000.

Most failing sites get what amounts to a warning and multiple chances to correct violations.

Yet whats going to save these programs is aggressive enforcement, says Linda Couch, a housing policy official at the elderly advocacy group LeadingAge.

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Job cuts over decades have hobbled HUDs enforcement efforts from within.

You could walk around all the offices and see all the empty desks where people used to work, said Merryl Gibbs, a lawyer who enforced anti-discrimination housing law before retiring from the department in 2016.

The Trump administration proposed deep cuts in department funding as recently as March, but Congress has resisted.

Spending for HUDs main housing programs is expected to increase about 2% to nearly $40 billion this year, by APs calculation. The total includes a third program that gives vouchers to another 2.2 million households, letting tenants pick a unit on the private market.

Many housing advocates want more vouchers and incentives for private landlords to accept them. Others suggest increasing tax credits for construction and repairs, more federal staff and resources for better oversight, and more tenant participation in site improvements.

HUD Secretary Ben Carson has acknowledged a drastic shortage of low-cost housing and stressed the federal role. A physician by training, Carson has also pointed to the connection between residential mould and asthma.

That tie is supported in federal data. The share of U.S. households reporting mould was higher in subsidized rentals than other rentals, according to the latest data available from the American Housing Survey. Meanwhile, 13% of subsidized rental households reported at least one child with asthma, compared with 7% for other rentals. The differences hold even accounting for family size and poverty.

Housing advocates say funding remains the bottom line.

We try and come up with solutions that dont cost anything, said Priya Jayachandran, a former senior administrator at HUD and now president of the National Housing Trust. The answer is money.

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On a recent visit to Baltimores Rosemont Tower for elderly or disabled tenants, stairwells were littered with plastic caps for needles used to inject heroin.

Tenants in this federally funded public housing complained of bedbugs and mice. Signs saying mandatory fire watch alerted residents that the sprinkler system was broken, requiring a firefighter to stand watch around the clock.

A recurrent leak has sopped a prized Oriental rug and spread mould into the living room of Della Thomas.

Every time theres a real heavy rain, the ceiling gets a big bubble, and it starts to leak. They just kind of patch it up until the next time, said Thomas, 64. She pointed to a plastic trash can, saying management provided it to catch drips.

Ingrid Antonio, a spokeswoman for the Housing Authority of Baltimore City, said security guards make regular rounds and pest extermination happens at least every three months. She said stairwells are cleaned daily.

To increase funds for repairs, however, the building will be converted to private ownership in coming months but remain subsidized housing, she said.

Inspectors gave the 200-unit high-rise a failing score of 25 in 2017. That jumped to 71 last year, according to the housing authority, though urgent violations and smoke detector problems persisted. A reinspection was planned for later this year.

Of 37 Baltimore public housing sites, 22 failed their last inspection, according to data from HUD and the housing authority.

Steadily declining federal investment in public housing for more than a decade has taken a tremendous toll, the citys housing authority said in a statement.

Largely due to Baltimores blighted complexes, since 2013 Maryland had the countrys highest inspection failure rate for public housing at 32%. The District of Columbia was second at 29%. The national average was 10%.

Around the country, inspection scores at public housing have fallen under both Democratic and Republican administrations. Scores averaged 89 during Obamas second term, dropping to 79 under Trump through March 2018.

HUDs most recent estimate, from 2010, concluded that public housing needed about $25.6 billion in large-scale repairs and at least $3.4 billion more each year. That would have added up to well over $50 billion by now. Instead, Congress has restricted repair spending to $23.5 billion.

The federal government also has tried to avoid expensive takeovers.

HUD knew for years of broken appliances, pests, racial discrimination and other deplorable conditions at buildings run by the Alexander County Housing Authority in southern Illinois, according to the agencys inspector general. It wasnt until 2016 that department officials finally took control.

By then, they needed to close four complexes and relocate hundreds of residents.

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Donn reported from Plymouth, Massachusetts. David McFadden in Baltimore contributed.

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Reach Jeff Donn on Twitter at https://twitter.com/jadonn7
NEW YORK - The interrogation of a Libyan militant accused of playing an instrumental role in the 2012 Benghazi attacks was conducted lawfully and may be admitted at his trial next month, a federal judge has ruled.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper on Monday rejected defence attorneys claims that the militant, Mustafa al-Imam, had been suffering from mental trauma and seasickness when he agreed to speak with American officials aboard a U.S. Navy vessel days after his 2017 abduction in Libya.

In a separate ruling, Cooper recently refused to dismiss murder and terrorism charges against al-Imam, clearing the way for him to stand trial May 6 in Washington.

The fiery assaults on the U.S. compounds in Benghazi killed four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador, and prompted a multiyear political fracas in which Republicans accused the Obama administration of a bungled response.

Al-Imam is the second militant to stand trial. Ahmed Abu Khattala, the head of an Islamist extremist militia who directed the attacks, was convicted in 2017 of terrorism-related counts but acquitted of murder. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison

While Khattalas case initially unfolded as a major courthouse spectacle but ended in a mixed verdict for the government, Al-Imams trial is proceeding with minimal attention.

Al-Imam originally faced a single count of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists resulting in death. But the Justice Department last year quietly brought a 17-count superseding indictment charging him with murder in the deaths of Ambassador Chris Stevens, communications specialist Sean Smith and security officers Tyrone Snowden Woods and Glen Anthony Doherty.

The new charges virtually mirror those brought against Khattala, who was accused of driving to the diplomatic mission on Sept. 11, 2012, and breaching the main gate with militants who attacked with assault rifles, grenades and other weapons. The initial attack killed Stevens and Smith and set the mission ablaze. Woods and Doherty were later killed at a CIA annex.

Prosecutors acknowledged they lacked evidence of Khattala actually firing any weapons, but said the violence was aimed at killing American personnel at the compound and looting the buildings of documents, maps and computers.

Khattalas capture by U.S. special forces in 2014, and subsequent transport aboard a Navy ship revived the legal and political debate about how the United States government should treat foreign militants overseas. The decision to prosecute Khattala in federal court in Washington was an affirmation by the Obama administration in its faith that civilian courts could guarantee swifter and surer justice than military tribunals in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Al-Imam is being tried in a civilian court despite the Trump administrations earlier contention that such suspects are better sent to Guantanamo Bay.

Al-Imams arrest, five years after the attack, marked the first publicly known operation since President Donald Trump took office targeting those accused of involvement in Benghazi

The government has revealed few details about Al-Imams alleged role in the attacks. Prosecutors described him in court filings as a close associate of Khattala who helped orchestrate and participated in the attacks.

Al-Imam is accused of entering the U.S. mission compound in Benghazi at the direction of Abu Khattala and taking sensitive material that identified the location of the CIA annex about a mile away from the mission as the evacuation point for Department of State personnel, according to the indictment.

Following the initial assault on the mission, the indictment says, al-Imam returned to a camp with Khattala and other attackers, where a large group of armed extremists began assembling for the attack on the annex.

The annex was twice targeted by mortar fire hours after the attack on the mission, killing Woods and Doherty, the two CIA security contractors defending the annex from the rooftop.

Al-Imams defence attorneys declined to comment on the charges. They said in a recent court filing that the Justice Department has the unusual advantage of having essentially tried this case once already, referring to the proceedings against Khattala.

The trial, which is expected to last about a month, will focus in part on al-Imams demonstrated biases before the attack, as well as admissions he made to law enforcement aboard a U.S. naval vessel following his capture in Misrata, Libya, prosecutors said in court filings.

Al-Imam gave three interviews to U.S. officials before requesting an attorney, according to court filings, acknowledging that he accompanied Khattala to the U.S. mission on the day of the attack.

FBI records show al-Imam admitted stealing a phone and map from the mission but did not want to be known as a thief.
NORFOLK, Va. - An 80-year-old New York man has been arrested on charges that he killed two young women in a beach cottage nearly half a century ago in Virginia, police said Tuesday.

Ernest Broadnax was arrested in New York City on Monday and faces two counts of second-degree murder and one count of rape in Virginia Beach. The slayings occurred in the summer of 1973.

Virginia Beach police did not say how they linked Broadnax to the killings. They said their cold-case unit began to pursue a strong lead last year and sought out advanced forensic technology.

Broadnax, who lives in New York Citys Queens borough, is waiting to go through extradition in New York, police said. Its unclear if he has an attorney.

For decades, the case haunted the coastal city in Virginia and the officers who launched the investigation.

Friends Janice Pietropola and Lynn Seethaler were from the Pittsburgh area and had rented a cottage about a block from the Atlantic Ocean.

Concerned when the two 19-year-olds missed their checkout time, an employee opened the door of their rented cottage, peered inside and discovered their bodies.

Pietropola was shot three times in the right side of the head with a .22-calibre gun. She also was raped and strangled.

Seethaler was shot twice in the right side of the head and face. Her neck was slashed with a wine bottle, and she also was strangled.

Every available detective was put on the case. There were hundreds of interviews and thousands of communiques with police elsewhere.

We did everything we could, then-police Capt. William Haden told The Associated Press in 1998. We flew in the helicopter, we searched rooftops, we climbed into manholes.

During their week in Virginia, Seethaler and Pietropola met several men on the beach and had gone on dates. On two occasions, they invited some of their new acquaintances back to the cottage for beers.

The contents of the womens purses had been dumped on the cottage floor, but robbery never was considered a motive.

Police didnt know if the killer knew the women, or if the victims were picked at random.

For Haden, the case became personal. The crime happened on his 31st birthday, and he said he felt as if the young womens parents had entrusted their daughters to his care.

More than a decade after the killings, Haden flew to Los Angeles to investigate two suspects arrested on an unrelated crime whose names had surfaced in the Virginia Beach investigation. But he couldnt connect them to the slayings.

I have always referred to them as my girls, he said in 1998. I still dont know why this case was so personal. There is no way I can describe that to you.

Virginia Beach police said in their statement Tuesday that they never gave up. The cold case unit began aggressively researching a strong lead that came in last fall.

They enlisted help from various law enforcement agencies, ranging from the FBI and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service to units within the New York Police Department.

Their dedication and tenacity paid off, Virginia Beach police said.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - An attorney says an Egyptian man who authorities say was falsely accused of trying to kidnap a young girl at a West Virginia shopping mall has returned home.

Public defender Michelle Protzman told The Herald-Dispatch Mohamed Fathy Hussein Zayan returned to his home in Alexandria, Egypt, on Sunday. The 54-year-old engineer had been in West Virginia for work.

Protzman says Barboursville police drove Zayan to the Charleston airport Saturday as a courtesy.

On Friday, Santana Renee Adams was charged with falsely reporting an emergency incident.

Adams initially told police a man grabbed her 5-year-old daughter by the hair inside a clothing store April 1 and tried to pull her away but stopped when Adams produced a gun. Adams later changed her account. Police said Zayan may have simply been patting the girl on the head.

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Information from: The Herald-Dispatch, http://www.herald-dispatch.com
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Anchorage police say a man was shot and killed on the citys east side.

Dispatchers shortly after 10:30 p.m. Monday took a call of shots fired on Taku Drive just south of the Glenn Highway.

Responding officers found a man near the road who had been shot in the upper body. He was pronounced dead.

The mans name and age were not immediately released.

Homicide detectives are seeking witnesses in the shooting.
ST. LOUIS - A Mexican citizen accused of killing four people in Kansas and one in Missouri in 2016 hanged himself from a light fixture in his St. Louis jail cell.

Pablo Serrano-Vitorino was found alone in his cell at 2:02 a.m. Tuesday He was pronounced dead at a hospital about an hour later, said Quran Addo, spokesman for St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson.

Addo declined further comment but St. Louis Public Safety Director Jimmie Edwards told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Serrano-Vitorino hanged himself and left a note written in Spanish. Edwards was out of town and didnt know if Serrano-Vitorino was on suicide watch or when jailers had last checked on him.

Serrano-Vitorino, 43, who was in the U.S. illegally, was accused of fatally shooting four men at a home in Kansas City, Kansas, on the night of March 7, 2016. He was arrested a day later and 170 miles away in Montgomery County, Missouri, where he was accused of killing Randy Nordman of New Florence. He was charged with first-degree murder in all five deaths.

He was being held in St. Louis awaiting an October trial in Nordmans death on a change of venue. Missouri prosecutors were seeking the death penalty.

He had tried to take his own life before, with a safety razor, shortly after his arrest while jailed in Montgomery County. After a hospitalization he was returned to the jail.

Authorities say the shooting spree began when Serrano-Vitorino gunned down his Kansas City, Kansas, neighbour, 41-year-old Michael Capps, and three other men at Capps home  brothers Austin Harter, 29, and Clint Harter, 27, and 36-year-old Jeremy Waters. Before dying, one of the victims managed to call police.

Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive.

Serrano-Vitorino then allegedly fled in his pickup truck into Missouri. Authorities say he killed Nordman, 49, at Nordmans rural home near Interstate 70 about 70 miles (113 kilometres) east of St. Louis. He was captured hiding face-down in a ditch a few miles from Nordmans home, and had a rifle with him, the Missouri State Highway patrol said at the time.

A lawsuit filed in Kansas City, Kansas , by the father of one of the victims accused U.S. immigration officials of missing two chances to detain and deport Serrano-Vitorino.

Serrano-Vitorino was deported to Mexico after he was convicted of a felony in 2003 but illegally re-entered the U.S. He was arrested in 2014 and 2015.

After his 2014 arrest in Kansas for battery, Wyandotte County jail officials notified ICE he was in custody. But Serrano-Vitorino was released after the federal agency didnt send an agent to the jail, according to the lawsuit.

Serrano-Vitorino was fingerprinted in Overland Park, Kansas, Municipal Court in September 2015 after he was cited for traffic infractions. ICE officials asked that he be held in custody but sent the paperwork to a different jail in Johnson County, Kansas, the lawsuit contends. He was once again released from custody.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Members of New Mexicos congressional delegation are renewing a call for the creation of a formal buffer around a national park held sacred by Native Americans.

A measure reintroduced Tuesday would prevent future leasing or development of minerals on federally-owned land within a 10-mile (16-kilometre) radius of Chaco Culture National Historical Park.

A world heritage site, supporters say they want to protect the sense of remoteness that comes with making the journey to the park. Theyre also concerned about the preservation of ancient stone structures and other features outside the parks boundaries.

The lawmakers and tribal officials are worried about the potential of expanded drilling despite repeated decisions over the years by federal land managers to defer oil and gas interest in parcels that fall within the buffer.
CINCINNATI - A U.S. magistrate ordered an Ohio man to remain jailed without bond Tuesday on a charge that he lied to federal agents about being a missing child from Illinois.

Authorities charged Brian Michael Rini, 23, of Medina, Ohio, on Friday, a day after DNA testing proved he wasnt Timmothy Pitzen, who disappeared in 2011 at age 6.

I believe Mr. Rini poses a risk of flight, Magistrate Karen Litkovitz said during a brief hearing in which Rini stood before her in a uniform from the jail with his wrists and ankles shackled.

She cited his lack of a permanent address, past mental health issues and a lengthy criminal history that goes back to age 13. She also noted that he had just been released on probation last month from state prison, after serving more than a year on burglary and vandalism charges.

Federal authorities said he also has twice before portrayed himself to be a juvenile sex trafficking victim, as he did in this case.

She scheduled an April 19 preliminary hearing for Rini, who was represented by a federal public defender. He could face up to eight years in prison if convicted of making false statements to federal agents.

The Butler County Jail where hes being held lists him as 5 feet, 9 inches (175 centimetres) tall and 145 pounds (66 kilograms).

Police picked up Rini the morning of April 3 after a report that someone was wandering the streets of Newport, Kentucky. They said he told them he was Timmothy and that he had escaped two kidnappers after years of sexual abuse.

Police took him to Cincinnati Childrens Hospital for treatment and testing. Federal authorities have said they were skeptical, especially after he refused to be fingerprinted but didnt want to miss a chance to possibly solve the Pitzen disappearance.

The FBI said DNA testing established his identity as a convicted felon.

In 2017, Rini was treated at an Ohio centre for people with mental health or substance abuse problems, according to court papers.

Timmothy, of Aurora, Illinois, vanished after his mother, Amy Fry-Pitzen, pulled him out of kindergarten, took him on a two-day road trip to the zoo and a water park, and then killed herself at a hotel. She left a note saying that her son was safe with people who would love and care for him, and added: You will never find him.

After Rinis account was pronounced a hoax last week, Timmothys grandmother Alana Anderson said: Its been awful. Weve been on tenterhooks, hopeful and frightened. Its just been exhausting.

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Associated Press writer Don Babwin contributed in Chicago.

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Follow Dan Sewell at https://www.twitter.com/dansewell
WASHINGTON - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on President Donald Trump Tuesday to sign into law a resolution ending American involvement in the war in Yemen.

The situation in Yemen ... has left an indelible scar and stain on the conscience of the world, Pelosi told reporters. She said the resolution passed by Congress last week sets a standard for what kinds of military engagements we take part in.

Trump has already pledged to veto the measure.

Under the War Powers Resolution enacted in 1973, the president is required to consult with Congress before introducing United States Armed Forces into hostilities.

The White House statement threatening a veto argued U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen does not constitute engaging in hostilities, meaning the War Powers Act doesnt apply. It also said the bill raises serious constitutional concerns.

The conflict in Yemen has ground on for more than four years, killing thousands and leaving millions on the brink of famine.

Opposition to U.S. involvement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen grew in the aftermath of the killing of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi Arabian agents last year. Lawmakers from both parties are frustrated Trump hasnt done more to condemn the kingdoms leaders after the incident.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was questioned Tuesday by lawmakers about the Trump administrations response to the Khashoggi killing. Pompeo told a Senate subcommittee the administration was continuing to pursue facts and when we find the facts we will apply the law appropriately.

The State Department announced Monday it would deny entry to 16 Saudis over their roles in Khashoggis killing. The action was taken under the 2019 State Department appropriations bill, which requires Pompeo to deny entry to individuals involved in significant corruption or gross violations of human rights.

Saudi Arabia has been a key U.S. security and economic partner for decades. The U.S. has supported the kingdoms involvement in Yemen since 2015 with intelligence sharing, logistical support and inflight refuelling .

Trump administration officials argue withdrawing American involvement could diminish chances for a negotiated peace and lead to even higher numbers of civilian casualties.
KEY WEST, Fla. - A man who had just bought an $8 million island off of Key West was arrested Saturday for participating in what police described as a scheme to steal $300 in household items from Kmart.

Officials at Kmart called Key West police April 5 after they say Andrew Francis Lippi, 59, had purchased several items, including a Keurig coffeemaker and light bulbs, and returned the original boxes for a refund. But police say the boxes were stuffed with other items. For example, store officials said a basketball was inside the Keurig box.

The stores loss prevention officer provided detectives with video of Lippi buying and returning all of the items between March 30 and April 5, according to an arrest report.

The Miami Herald reports Lippi bought Thompson Island, which had been the home to the family of philanthropist Edward B. Knight. Lippi also owns the Real World house in Key West, where MTV shot its 17th season in 2006.

Lippi told detectives he did not change out any of the items before returning them. According to the arrest report, Lippi also told detectives the clerk should have known there was no coffee maker inside the box because of its weight. He also told officers he returned the light bulbs because they cost too much and he did not realize theyd been switched.

Lippi was charged with grand theft and booked into jail. He was also issued a trespass warning to stay away from Kmart. Jail records show he was released Sunday.

Lippi told the Herald the theft allegation is complicated and hed rather not talk about it.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Police in Northern California say an Uber driver has been arrested for trying to break into the home of a passenger he had dropped off at the San Francisco airport, then burglarizing a neighbours home.

The San Mateo Police Department said Monday that officers arrested 38-year-old Jackie Gordon Wilson Friday at his home in Rancho Cordova.

Officials say surveillance video shows Wilson trying to break into his passengers San Mateo home but giving up after an alarm sounds. Police say Wilson then went to another home a few blocks away and was caught on video breaking in there.

The department says Wilson was arrested at his home, where detectives found some of the stuff stolen from the San Mateo home.

Wilson faces burglary and attempted burglary charges.
SAN ANTONIO - The disruptive behaviour and mental instability of an Air Force trainee and Army veteran was apparent long before he killed his commander and himself in Texas in April 2016, according to an Air Force investigative report.

Tech. Sgt. Steven Bellino was armed with two hand guns, a knife and 61 rounds of ammunition when he shot and killed 39-year-old Lt. Col. William Schroeder at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, then turned the gun on himself.

Bellino, who grew up in Parma, Ohio, entered the Army at 18.

In 1997, a handful of years into his Army career, Bellino admitted he had destroyed property, started fires, got involved in fights and broken rules that he found disagreeable, according to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations report obtained by the San Antonio Express-News under the Freedom of Information Act. He was arrested once, for removing air from tires in a parking lot, while based at Fort Bragg.

Nonetheless, Bellino fought with distinction in Afghanistan, learned Arabic and Spanish, and graduated cum laude with a bachelors degree in psychology. He served as an Army Ranger, Green Beret and a military contractor in Iraq, Kosovo and Bosnia.

But he struggled to settle on a career and suffered increasingly bad symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, according to audio recordings, military records and an Air Force psychiatric evaluation.

He had a short stint as a special agent for the FBI then joined the Air Force in 2015. But he grew irritated with the highly competitive training at Lackland and returned to his parents home in Ohio for 10 days.

When he returned to Lackland, Bellino was charged with being absent without leave.

On April 5, 2016, he accepted an Article 15 other-than-honourable discharge  something he had resisted because he feared it would hurt his odds of entering another branch of the military or landing a civilian security job. Three days later, he burst into Schroeders office, accused the squadron commander from Iowa of ruining lives, then shot and killed him.

Bellinos issues with Schroeder and other Air Force instructors followed a trend.

According to the report, a fellow soldier in his Ohio National Guard unit said Bellino could function in society and in his unit but that he had an irrational hatred for certain people in positions of authority. Two soldiers in the unit agreed Bellino needed mental health treatment but there were no means at the time to refer soldiers for psychological tests without the commission of an explicit act. The rule has since changed.

Bellino had to have somebody, an authority figure, to pit himself against, one soldier said, according to the OSI report.

Responding to the report, Bellinos twin brother, Mike Bellino Jr., called him the ultimate soldier, warrior and hero.

An autopsy found that Bellino died by suicide aged 41. The Air Force investigative report indicates Bellino didnt leave a suicide note, but that he wrote a farewell note in the August before his death.

I do not like this world, he wrote, and I do not want to be a part of it any longer.

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Information from: San Antonio Express-News, http://www.mysanantonio.com
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. - A South Carolina university student who died while attending a fraternity event was drinking alcohol when she told her boyfriend she didnt feel well, collapsed and died.

A Beaufort County Sheriffs Office report says Caroline Smith, a 20-year-old Furman University sophomore from Atlanta, was found by emergency workers early Saturday laying on the ground at a warehouse that hosts events. Deputies were told by her boyfriend that he was talking to her in the back room of the warehouse when she said she didnt feel well, according to an incident report. She then fell to the ground and was unresponsive.

Her boyfriend performed CPR until medical workers arrived. They continued CPR for several minutes until Smith was pronounced dead.

Her brother, Furman junior Ryan Smith, was present and told deputies his sister didnt have any medical issues that he was aware of, the report said. Both Smith and her boyfriend said the group was drinking alcohol but not using drugs or narcotics.

An autopsy was performed by the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston Monday but the cause of death and manner of death is pending per further analysis, Beaufort County deputy coroner David Ott told the Island Packet. Results could take weeks.

Furman spokesman Vince Moore says the formal event, which had been scheduled for Saturday night by the Kappa Alpha fraternity, had been approved by the university. Once Smith died, the formal was cancelled and students returned to the Greenville campus.

She was well known on campus and liked, Moore said. The campus is affected by the loss. It is grieving and we are trying to begin the healing process.

The Friday night event was not an official part of the formal, Moore said.

No charges have been filed.

The sheriffs office is investigating circumstances surrounding her death and whether alcohol was obtained by underage persons, Maj. Bob Bromage said Monday.

The national organization is co-ordinating and co-operating with the university and authorities, said Jesse Lyons, director for advancement of the national office of Kappa Alpha. He said the fraternity also is co-ordinating with the university to provide counselling resources for members and to support memorials for Smith.

A memorial service is being planned in Atlanta. The details have not been released.
WASHINGTON - The Latest on President Donald Trump and immigration (all times local):

7:45 p.m.

The acting deputy secretary of Homeland Security has been forced to resign amid a staff shakeup spurred by President Donald Trumps growing frustration over the number of Central American migrants crossing the southern border.

Claire Grady resigned Tuesday. She was technically the next in line to replace Kirstjen Nielsen, who resigned Sunday. But Trump chose Kevin McAleenan, the head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as acting secretary. That meant Grady had to resign or be fired.

Two officials with direct knowledge of the decision say Grady was forced to resign. The officials were not authorized speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Grady is a longtime civil servant with more than 28 years of experience at the departments of Defence and Homeland Security.

 Colleen Long

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5:55 p.m.

The acting Pentagon chief says he expects the military to be asked by the Department of Homeland Security to do more this year to help with security at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Patrick Shanahan told two reporters travelling with him Tuesday that he anticipates being called on to provide more assistance to DHS as conditions on the border deteriorate.

He says he does not yet know what that additional Pentagon work will be. One possibility, he says, is providing shelter for apprehended migrants.

The military already has several thousand troops at the border erecting wire barriers and performing other missions in support of Customs and Border Protection personnel.

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4 p.m.

A powerful House chairman says he may want outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen to testify before his panel about President Donald Trumps shakeup of the agency.

Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings says he hasnt decided, but his panel is going to take a look at it.

The Maryland Democrat adds, I dont know why the president has done what he has done, and I certainly would be interested in talking to officials at the agency.

Asked Tuesday if he will call Nielsen in to talk to the panel, he answered: We may. But I havent decided.

Nielsen resigned Sunday after a difficult tenure in which she clashed often with Trump, who wanted a harder-line immigration policy. More leaders are expected to leave the agency.

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3 p.m.

The U.S. Border Patrol says it has set a new monthly record for apprehensions of families at the southern border, driven primarily by a surge of parents and children leaving Central America.

The agency said Tuesday that it apprehended 92,607 people at the U.S.-Mexico border in March.

Just over 53,000 of the people apprehended were parents and children travelling together, which the Border Patrol refers to as family units. That breaks a record set in February, when the agency apprehended 36,000 parents and children. Another 8,975 were children travelling alone.

The large numbers of families have forced many line agents into humanitarian roles and have strained detention facilities built when the Border Patrol primarily apprehended single adult men.

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1:45 p.m.

Top Republicans are expressing concern over vacancies at the Department of Homeland Security and cautioned President Donald Trump off more shake-ups after the resignation of Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said Tuesday having participated in creating the department more than a decade ago she knows these are vital positions.

Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley made both a public and private plea to the White House not to dismiss career homeland security officials. He said he spoke to Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney but would only know if Trump heard the message if they dont get fired.

As Trump considers replacements at DHS, Republican John Cornyn of Texas, said he hoped the administration would work in collaboration, consultation with the Senate before sending nominees for confirmation.

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12:41 p.m.

President Donald Trump says hes not looking to reinstate the much-criticized practice of separating migrant families at the border with Mexico. But he says many more migrants are streaming toward the U.S. through Mexico because the practice is no longer in place.

Says Trump: Im the one that stopped it. He claims his predecessor, President Barack Obama, is the one who separated children from their families.

Trump ended the practice under pressure last year after footage of scores of migrant children housed in fenced-off cages at border facilities was broadcast widely. Trumps allies are pressing for a harder line on immigration after he cleaned house at the Homeland Security Department.

Trump says once you dont have it, meaning the family separation policy, thats why you see many more people coming.
WASHINGTON - The Latest on Attorney General William Barrs testimony to Congress (all times local):

11 a.m.

Attorney General William Barr is defending his decision to send a letter to Congress detailing special counsel Robert Muellers principal conclusions because the public would not have tolerated waiting weeks for information.

Barr is testifying before a House appropriations subcommittee.

Mueller concluded his nearly two-year Russia investigation in late March. The special counsel submitted a nearly 400-page confidential report to Barr. The attorney general sent his four-page letter to Congress two days later.

Democrats have raised questions about how Barr was so quickly able to boil down Muellers report into four pages.

Barr says a redacted version of Muellers report will be made public within a week.

He says Mueller wasnt involved in preparing the letter to Congress because it was my letter.

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10:20 a.m.

Attorney General William Barr says he had a general sense of the Russia investigations findings weeks before it concluded.

Barr says he had an inkling of the findings after meeting with special counsel Robert Mueller about three weeks before Mueller turned in his final report. Barr says Muellers thinking was not a mystery to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and other senior Justice Department leaders who had been supervising the probe for nearly two years.

Barr is responding to questions from House Democrats about how he reviewed Muellers nearly 400-page report and released a letter laying out its principal findings within two days. Barr says he worked closely with Rosenstein in authoring the letter. He says he expects to release a redacted version of the report within a week.

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10:00 a.m.

Attorney General William Barr says he will release a redacted version of special counsel Robert Muellers report on the Russia investigation within a week.

Barr is testifying before a House appropriations subcommittee Tuesday.

He says Muellers report will have portions redacted but they would be colour-coded to indicate why the information could not be made public.

Mueller concluded his investigation in late March and submitted a nearly 400-page confidential report. Barr sent a letter to Congress with Muellers principal conclusions. Barr said Mueller was given the opportunity to review that letter but declined to do so.

Barr says grand jury information, details that could reveal confidential intelligence sources and information that would interfere with ongoing cases will be redacted.

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9:50 a.m.

The chairman of a House appropriations subcommittee says it would be a serious blow to democracy if special counsel Robert Muellers full report on the Russia investigation is not fully made public.

Attorney General William Barr is testifying before the subcommittee on Tuesday.

Rep. Jose Serrano, D-N.Y., said he has concerns about the process Barr used to draft a four-page letter of Muellers principal conclusions last month.

Mueller concluded his investigation in late March and turned over a nearly 400-page report to Barr. Two days later, the attorney general then sent the four-page document to Congress.

The Justice Department has said a redacted version of Muellers report will be made public in mid-April.

Serrano said Americans have been left with many unanswered questions about Muellers investigation.

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12:40 a.m.

Attorney General William Barr is facing congressional lawmakers for the first time since receiving the special counsels report on the Russia investigation.

Barr appears Tuesday before a House appropriations subcommittee, where hes expected to face questions about the forthcoming release of special counsel Robert Muellers report.

The Justice Department is preparing to release within days a redacted version of Muellers report into potential ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Barr said in a four-page summary of Muellers main conclusions that Mueller didnt find a criminal conspiracy between the campaign and the Kremlin.

The attorney general has also said that Mueller did not reach a conclusion on whether the president obstructed justice. Barr said he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein decided the evidence was insufficient to establish obstruction.
ST. LOUIS - The Latest on the death of a Mexican national suspected of killing four people in Kansas and one in Missouri (all times local):

1:30 p.m.

A Mexican national accused of killing four people in Kansas and one in Missouri in 2016 is dead after being found hanging from a light fixture in his St. Louis jail cell.

Pablo Serrano-Vitorino was alone in his cell when he was found at 2:02 a.m. Tuesday. St. Louis Public Safety Director Jimmie Edwards told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Serrano-Vitorino had hanged himself and left a note written in Spanish. A spokesman for the city confirmed the death but declined further comment.

Serrano-Vitorino used a safety razor to try and kill himself in his Montgomery County, Missouri, jail cell soon after his arrest in March 2016.

Serrano-Vitorino was accused of fatally shooting four men at a home in Kansas City, Kansas, on the night of March 7, 2016. He was arrested a day later in Montgomery County, Missouri, where he was accused of killing Randy Nordman of New Florence.

Serrano-Vitorino was in the U.S. illegally.

He was being held in St. Louis awaiting trial in the Missouri case on a change of venue.

___

11:25 a.m.

A Mexican national accused of killing four people in Kansas and one in Missouri in 2016 is dead after being found unresponsive in his St. Louis jail cell.

A spokesman for the St. Louis mayors office says Pablo Serrano-Vitorino was found unresponsive and alone in his cell at 2:02 a.m. Tuesday. He was pronounced dead at a hospital about an hour later. No further details were released. He was 43.

Serrano-Vitorino was accused of fatally shooting four men at a home in Kansas City, Kansas, on the night of March 7. He was arrested a day later in Montgomery County, Missouri, where he was accused of killing Randy Nordman of New Florence.

Serrano-Vitorino was in the U.S. illegally.

He was being held in St. Louis awaiting trial in the Missouri case on a change of venue.
Washington, Apr 9 (Sputnik/UNI) The failure of the Trump administration to renew the 2010 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) may trigger a new arms race for the United States with both Russia and China, analysts told Sputnik.

Monday marked the ninth anniversary of the signing of New START by Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and US President Barack Obama. The 2010 New START Treaty is scheduled to expire on February 5, 2021 with an option to renew it until 2026.



NO NUCLEAR RESTRICTIONS



There are no indications, according to experts, that Trump or his National Security Adviser John Bolton wants to renew the treaty when it runs out in 2021.



Tokyo Institute of Technology Visiting Professor Subrata Ghoshroy told Sputnik that based on budget projections, the future looks grim.



"Given the large budget projections for the US nuclear weapons program in the next 30 years, we could see the reappearance of a dangerous arms race with Russia and China," Ghoshroy said on Monday.



If START is not renewed, for the first time in more than 50 years the world will be without any restrictions whatsoever on thousands of nuclear weapons that exist today, Ghoshroy, Research Affiliate in Science and Technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology stressed.



"The consequences of not extending the START treaty would mean we would be entering a period of grave uncertainty in nuclear stability," Ghoshroy cautioned.

Trump still had the opportunity to seek to save START and being cleared on the charge of colluding with Russia in the 2016 presidential election campaign gave him renewed freedom to do so, Ghoshroy noted.



"I think that the START renewal decision is a tossup. If Bolton has his way, it is quite possible that the treaty will not be renewed. However, with his apparent victory in the Russiagate investigation, [Trump] might once again feel that he has some space to mend relations with Russia," he said.



Nevertheless, even if the treaty was to be renewed, it remained "highly unlikely that the newly developed systems would be included," Ghoshroy advised.



Trumps decision to pull out of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty had further generated a political and diplomatic climate hostile to renewing START, Ghoshroy remarked.



"Trump is commanding the Titanic as far as arms control is concerned," he said.



The collapse of the INF Treaty "has clearly contributed to a deficiency in trust between the two nations, which is essential to arms control," he said.



DIM PROSPECTS



Russia and the United States have long accused each other of violating the INF treaty, and both sides have denied the accusations. On February 1, the United States announced it was suspending its obligations under the 1987 INF Treaty and launched the withdrawal process. Washington said the withdrawal process will be completed within six months unless Russia remedies its alleged treaty violations. Russia responded in kind by withdrawing from its obligations.



US political commentator and historian Dan Lazare agreed that prospects for START renewal looked dim especially in light of his role undermining the INF treaty.

"Things do not look good for an extension of New START," Lazare told Sputnik.



Boltons continued role as Trumps third National Security Adviser tilted the odds heavily against START renewal, Lazare explained.



"John Bolton, the man who helped derail the ABM [Anti-Ballistic Missile] Treaty back in 2002 and personally demolished the INF Treaty earlier this year, is a hawk's hawk who has never seen an arms-control treaty he likes. So if he's still in power a year from now, the chances of an extension seem slim," he said.

But even before Bolton took over as National Security Adviser last year and well before Trump won the presidency in November 2016, US-Russian relations had been on a prolonged downward spiral, Lazare recalled.



"This will be extremely dangerous. But what's important to keep in mind that non-extension would be as much a consequence as a cause. US-Russian relations have been deteriorating for years, particularly since Euromaidan in early 2014," he said.



After being elected president, Trump had been caught in the hostile atmosphere and negative dynamics of superpower relations, Lazare noted.

"Although Trump campaigned on the need for a rapprochement with Moscow, Russiagate has forced him to reverse course and adopt positions that were even more bellicose than those of Obama," he said.



The rise of China and new weapon technologies such as hypersonic missiles and long-range nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed torpedoes had added new difficulties to the challenge of saving and expanding START to meet the security and technological challenges of a new era, Lazare emphasized.

"All are outside New START's purview and hence serve to undermine its effectiveness. As a result, the treaty may very well totter on its own in the face of an increasingly hostile international climate," he said.



However, failure to renew the strategic treaty would ramp up hostilities even more, Lazare predicted.



Such a failure would open the door to a new multi-dimensional nuclear arms race involving not only Russia and the United States, but China, North Korea, and Iran, Lazare said.



Under such circumstances, international military stability would decline at a time when political stability was on the downswing as well, Lazare stressed.

"It would not be a good combination. But it seems to be where the international system is heading even without people like Bolton to hurry the process along," he concluded.
CINCINNATI - The Latest on an Ohio man accused of impersonating a missing child (all times local):

2:05 p.m.

A federal magistrate has ordered that a 23-year-old man charged with lying to federal agents about being a missing child from Illinois continue to be held without bond.

U.S. Magistrate Karen Litkovitz said Tuesday she considers Brian Michael Rini (REE-nee), of Medina (meh-DY-nuh), Ohio, a flight risk because of a long criminal history, mental health issues and lack of a permanent address. She scheduled a preliminary hearing for April 19.

Rini was charged last week after DNA tests ruled him out from being Timmothy Pitzen. The Aurora, Illinois, child disappeared in 2011 at age 6.

Police picked up Rini on Wednesday morning after a report of someone wandering the streets of Newport, Kentucky. They said he told them that he was Timmothy and that he had escaped two kidnappers after years of sexual abuse.

___

1:11 a.m.

A 23-year-old man will go before a U.S. magistrate on a charge that he lied to federal agents about being a missing child from Illinois.

Authorities on Friday charged Brian Michael Rini (REE-nee) of Medina, Ohio, a day after DNA testing ruled him out as being Timmothy Pitzen, who disappeared in 2011 at age 6. Magistrate Karen Litkovitz had him held without bond pending a hearing Tuesday afternoon.

A jail lists him as 5 feet, 9 inches (175 centimetres), tall and 145 pounds (65.7 kilograms).

Police picked up Rini the morning of April 3 after a report of someone wandering the streets of Newport, Kentucky. They said he told them he was Timmothy and that he had escaped two kidnappers.

Timmothy Pitzen disappeared around the time his mother killed herself.
WASHINGTON - The Latest on President Donald Trumps tax returns (all times local):

4:30 p.m.

IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig says its his decision  though under the supervision of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin  whether to comply with a request by Democrats to turn over President Donald Trumps tax returns.

Rettig told a House panel Tuesday that the IRS is working on a response to last weeks letter from House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal that asked for Trumps tax returns.

Neal asked for the returns by Wednesday.

Neither Rettig nor Mnuchin  who testified before two House panels Tuesday  would state flatly which of them would make the decision on whether to release Trumps tax filings.

__

10:45 a.m.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says his department intends to follow the law and is reviewing a request by a top House Democrat to provide President Donald Trumps tax returns to lawmakers.

Mnuchin told a House panel that he has not had any communications with the president or his top staff about the departments decision whether or not to provide Trumps tax returns under a nearly century-old statute that says the Treasury Department shall furnish them when requested.

Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said in a Sunday show appearance that lawmakers will never see Trumps returns.

Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal requested the returns last week in a letter to Mnuchin that set a deadline of Wednesday to provide them. Mnuchin says he looks forward to responding.

___

12:25 a.m.

IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig is facing off with lawmakers on Capitol Hill for the first time since House Democrats last week asked him for President Donald Trumps tax returns.

Rettig is sure to face questions from a House Appropriations Committee panel on the topic Tuesday afternoon. The White House has signalled itll fight the request.

Last week, the chairman of a different House panel asked for Trumps personal and business returns by Wednesday in a letter to Rettig, relying on a 1924 statute that says the Treasury Department shall furnish them when requested. The IRS is part of Treasury.

Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said on Fox News Sunday that lawmakers will never see Trumps returns.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin squares off with lawmakers in the morning.
NEW ORLEANS - Scientists are using fake eggs to spy on whooping cranes in hopes of learning why some chicks die in the egg, while others hatch.

Data gathered by the spy eggs could help biologists in Louisiana and Canada preserve the endangered long-legged birds, which have made a tenuous rebound after dwindling almost to extinction in the 1940s.

Its a fascinating way of spying on endangered species reproduction in a way that allows us to assist in the recovery, said Dr. Axel Moehrenschlager, the Calgary Zoos director of conservation and science.

The Calgary Zoo lent eight of the spy eggs, more properly known as data loggers, to Louisiana researchers.

The Louisiana wildlife biologists swap the egg-shaped data loggers, which Moehrenschlager said are encased in a plastic polymer, for one of the two eggs that many cranes lay. The real eggs come to Audubon Nature Institute s Species Survival Center in New Orleans, where theyre incubated until theyre nearly ready to hatch ... or not.

Then the biologists in Louisiana swap the real eggs back into the nests .

The electronic data loggers use infrared connections to transfer information to nearby computers. Its sent for analysis to scientists in Calgary, where the only remaining wild natural flock of whooping cranes is based.

Whoopers are the tallest birds and rarest cranes in North America. They stand about 5 feet (1.5 metres) tall, with black-tipped wings that span nearly 7 feet (2.1 metres).

Overhunting and habitat loss cut their numbers to 21 in the 1940s, but with some help from humans the number had risen to about 850 at the end of 2018.

Louisiana is home to 74 whooping cranes in the wild.

Scientists in Louisiana are using fake eggs to spy on whooping cranes in hopes of learning why some chicks die in the egg, while others hatch. (The Associated Press)

Weve got some pairs that havent been successful, and we want to see if we could see what might be going on with them, said Sara Zimorski, a biologist with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries .

In the bigger picture, we dont know a lot about wild nest incubation, she said. The new information may help improve provisions for captive pairs and settings for incubators.

Richard Dunn, curator at the Species Survival Center, says he hopes to learn if he needs to tweak incubator settings to more closely mimic Louisianas climate, which is hotter and damper than the northern settings where previous studies were done.

A crane expert whos not affiliated with the Louisiana effort said those are entirely reasonable aims. Scott A. Shaffer, a San Jose State University professor, has been working with data logger eggs since 2010 to study a variety of birds in a number of places. He said the tiny, low-power sensors that reorient tablet and smartphone displays as the devices are moved have helped drive technology that checks for egg turning, allowing second-by-second studies of eggs.

The whooping crane data logger eggs record temperature, humidity and position once a minute. They can also detect when eggs are turned  an important part of keeping developing birds healthy. They were developed by a team of Canadian and U.S. scientists who compared nests of captive whooping cranes and sandhill cranes at the Calgary Zoos Devonian Wildlife Conservation Centre to incubators, hoping to improve the hatching rate of incubated eggs.

Their study, published in 2012, helped people raising the cranes in Canada and the U.S. to adjust incubator temperature and humidity settings, Moehrenschlager said.

The Species Survival Center on New Orleans west bank houses 36 of the 163 whooping cranes currently living in captivity, including 10 destined for a new facility under construction by the Dallas Zoo . None of the birds at Audubon has yet begun nesting, Dunn said.

Zimorski and fellow Louisiana wildlife biologist Phillip Vasseur put a few data loggers out last year to be sure the birds would tolerate the intrusion of eggs being swapped in and out.

Zimorski said the birds decide much of the wild deployment, since many this year are nesting in inaccessible swamps where biologists keep tabs on them through airplane flyovers.

Both Zimorski and Dunn said theres nowhere near enough data yet for any conclusions.

We need a couple more years so we can get additional pairs and some years of repeat data, Zimorski said.
WASHINGTON - Facing bipartisan pushback to his immigration shake-up, President Donald Trump said hes not looking to revive the much-criticized practice of separating migrant children from their families at the southern border. At the same time, he suggested the policy had worked to deter migrants from coming into the U.S., although he offered no evidence to support his position.

Last summer the administration separated more than 2,500 children from their families before international outrage forced Trump to halt the practice and a judge ordered them reunited.

Were not looking to do that, Trump told reporters on Tuesday before meeting with Egypts president at the White House. But he also noted: Once you dont have it, thats why you see many more people coming. Theyre coming like its a picnic, because lets go to Disneyland.

The potential reinstatement of one of the most divisive practices of Trumps tenure was just one aspect of the upheaval at the Department of Homeland Security this week that culminated with the resignation of Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. Acting Deputy Secretary Claire Grady, a 28-year civil servant, technically next in line for secretary, was forced to resign Tuesday to make room for Trumps pick to replace Nielsen, according to two people familiar with the decision.

With talk that more top officials were likely to be ousted, Republicans expressed public and private concerns about the shake-up orchestrated by the White House and cautioned that leadership changes wouldnt necessarily solve the problem.

As for the separation of children, Trump declared that he was the one that stopped it and said his predecessor, President Barack Obama, was the one who had divided family members. Administrations are allowed to separate children under certain circumstances including for the health and welfare of the child and due to a parents criminal history. This is why children were separated under the Obama administration.

President Donald Trump says he's not looking to reinstate the much-criticized practice of separating migrant families at the border with Mexico. (The Associated Press)

At hearings across Capitol Hill, lawmakers grilled administration officials on whether the practice would resurface despite last years outrage and evidence that separations were likely to cause lasting psychological effects on the children. House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings, D-Md., also said his committee would look at the staff shake-up at Homeland Security, although he said he had not decided on calling in Nielsen.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said there was a serious problem going on between the White House and Homeland Security.

If everybodys sitting around waiting for a shiny new wonder pony to ride in and solve it, were going to be waiting a long time, he said.

People familiar with the immigration discussions within the administration said family separation was one of several ideas Trump had revived in recent weeks as he and his aides try to tackle the problem of an ever-growing number of Central American families crossing into the U.S. The people were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

A senior administration official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity Tuesday said the president had made a series of leadership changes at DHS because of frustrations that department officials werent fast enough at implementing changes, such as a new regulation that would challenge a longstanding agreement limiting how long children can be detained, that could spark a legal fight that would land in the Supreme Court.

The White House also was weighing a tougher standard to evaluate initial asylum claims, proposing a binary choice that would force migrant families to choose between remaining with their children in detention until their immigration cases were decided or sending their children to government shelters while the parents remained in detention.

The administration also is considering clamping down on remittance payments that Mexican nationals send to their families, the official said.

Amid the pushback, Trump told reporters he was not cleaning house at the agency despite the numerous staff changes. He said his choice to be the departments new acting director, Kevin McAleenan, would do a fantastic job.

But as Trump was speaking, the senior administration official was making a case to reporters about why the president felt changes were necessary. He described the agency as a large and unwieldly civilian bureaucracy in need of leadership that can deal with career officials resistant to the presidents agenda, including many responsible for implementing some of the very policies Trump seeks to roll back.

Top Republicans in Congress also expressed concern over vacancies at Homeland Security and cautioned Trump to heed off more churn after Nielsens resignation.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, made both a public and private plea to the White House not to dismiss career homeland security officials, including the director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Lee Francis Cissna, whose future remained uncertain Tuesday.

He said he had spoken to acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney but never heard anything final about Cissna.

At a Senate Homeland Security Committee meeting on border issues, child welfare and border officials warned there wasnt room or capability to start separating children on a large scale again.

Children who cross the border alone are cared for by the Department of Health and Human Services, and most of the children are teenagers. But last summer, HHS started receiving babies and toddlers, and there was not enough space to house them, said Jonathan White, the career civil servant tasked by Health and Human Services with helping to reunify children.

It also bears repeating, separating children from their parents entails significant risk of psychological harm. That is an undisputed scientific fact, White told senators. We have made improvements to our tracking, but we do not have the capacity to receive that number of children, nor do we have any system that can manage the mass trauma.

Both Republican and Democratic leaders deplored the idea of separating families.

I hope members of the administration are actually listening, said Sen. Ron Johnson, R- Wis., the committee chairman. He added that he had spoken with Mulvaney about moving a permanent Homeland Security nominee through quickly.

Some of Trumps outside allies are urging him to nominate former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach to lead the department, while others are pushing former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli for the job.

Both mens names also have been tossed about for a possible immigration czar who would co-ordinate immigration policy across federal agencies.

___

Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Lisa Mascaro, Laurie Kellman, Alan Fram and Darlene Superville in Washington and Nomaan Merchant in Houston contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump said trade and military issues would top the agenda as he welcomed Egyptian President Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi to the White House on Tuesday for a second official visit.

Trump, speaking to reporters at the top of the meeting, did not mention human rights as a topic for discussion despite concerns from some advocacy groups that Egypt is stifling dissent before a planned constitutional referendum that would potentially allow el-Sissi to remain in power until 2034.

Trump instead praised Egypts efforts to confront terrorism, saying a lot of progress had been made in a lot of different ways in terms of terrorism.

Both leaders also said the relationship between the U.S. and Egypt had never been better.

El-Sissi led the 2013 military overthrow of elected but divisive Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. He has presided over an unprecedented crackdown on dissent, and was re-elected last year after all potentially serious challengers were jailed or pressured to exit the race.

Trump was asked about the referendum effort in Egypt and El-Sissis bid to stay in power.

I dont know about the effort, Trump said. I can just tell you hes doing a great job.

Human Rights Watch said the coming election referendum would constitutionally undermine an already weak judicial independence and increase military control of the public and political spheres.

Given President Trumps silence on abuses, Congress should step up and condemn this initiative, said Michael Page, deputy Middle East and Northern Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

The group also said Egypts efforts to stem dissent had led to unfair mass trials, whether before military or civilian judges, for thousands of dissidents. Although many of those verdicts have been overturned, Egyptian authorities have executed at least 180 people since 2013, Human Rights Watch said.
WASHINGTONU.S. President Donald Trump continued to dismantle the nations top domestic security agency Monday as the White House announced the imminent removal of U.S. Secret Service Director Randolph Tex Alles, the latest in a series of departures from the Department of Homeland Security.

A day after Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was forced to step aside following a White House meeting with Trump, senior DHS officials remained in a fog about the fate of their agencys leaders, expecting more firings as part of a widening purge.

They are decapitating the entire department, said one DHS official, noting that the White House had given no cause for Alles removal.

The instability extends to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), whose director, William Brock Long, left the DHS in February after supervising emergency and recovery efforts for several major natural disasters. Francis Cissna, the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and DHS General Counsel John Mitnick could be the next to go, DHS officials said Monday, speaking on the condition of anonymity to talk candidly of their frustrations with the White House.

Successive presidents have viewed stability at the DHS  created in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks  as a top priority for national security, counterterrorism efforts and, more broadly, the countrys collective peace of mind.

With nearly two dozen agencies and subagencies, the DHS is responsible for safeguarding the countrys immigration system, cybernetworks, land borders and coasts while responding to disasters and protecting the countrys public officials.

Trump is furious about the departments inability to reduce unauthorized migration to the United States, with one of his signature campaign issues devolving in public. But several administration officials said Monday that Trump appears to be taking out his frustrations on the entire DHS leadership, convinced he needs a full sweep.

Further exacerbating Trumps struggles with immigration policy on Monday was a California federal judges ruling to block the experimental Remain in Mexico program that has sent hundreds of Central American asylum seekers back across the border to wait outside U.S. territory while their asylum claims are processed.

DHS officials viewed the policy as one of Nielsens most significant initiatives  they were hoping to expand its use broadly across the southern border  and its halt leaves the department without one of the tools it was counting on to deter more Central American migrants from making the journey.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said the border crisis created by the largest migration surge in a decade was being compounded by the removal of so many Homeland Security leaders in rapid succession.

In addition to congressional dysfunction, I am concerned with growing leadership void within the department tasked with addressing some of the most significant problems facing the nation, Johnson tweeted Monday.

No president before Trump has pushed the countrys security agencies into such a state of churning confusion, current and former DHS officials said Monday.

Last week, Trump abruptly rescinded his nomination of Ronald Vitiello to be director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, saying he wanted to go in a tougher direction. Alles and Vitiello report to Nielsen.

Nielsen is scheduled to end her tenure Wednesday, when Kevin McAleenan, the current commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, takes over as acting DHS chief. His move leaves a vacancy at the top of the CBP, the countrys largest law enforcement agency.

Trump senior adviser Stephen Miller has been among the leading voices urging the president to clean house at the DHS, encouraging Trump to take wider aim at the entire department, not just the agencies responsible for immigration policy and border enforcement, White House aides said Monday.

Immigration was the presidents signature issue, and for a variety of reasons things are spinning out of control, said Mark Krikorian, director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a group with proposals to reduce immigration that have been influential in the Trump White House.

Krikorian said the 2020 election isnt that far away, and he needs to be able to show some progress in managing the border crisis. By threatening to cut off aid to Central America and close the border with Mexico, Trump is throwing anything against the wall to see what sticks.

Trump named Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly to the DHS secretary role after his 2016 win, in part to reassure the country that a former reality television star would surround himself with military leaders and security experts.

Two years later, the president increasingly believes the whole leadership structure that Kelly installed is ineffective, current and former administration officials said.

One former DHS official said that when former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson left the State Department, many of the political appointees departed. But when Kelly left the DHS, most of the political appointees stayed. They needed a big shake-up, the former official said.

After Trump found out last week that more than 103,000 migrants arrived at the Mexico border in March  the highest total in more than a decade  he was livid, according to a White House official. The president was additionally frustrated that Nielsen and others would not close the border and change the rules to immediately stop migrants from coming to the United States to request asylum.

DHS officials are now looking for a way to satisfy the presidents demand for tough measures, including a plan called binary choice that would give migrant parents the option of remaining detained as a family or agreeing to a separation so that the child would not remain in immigration custody.

The goal of the plan would be to end the catch and release model that has allowed most migrant families to go free within the United States while they wait to appear before an immigration judge.

Implementing binary choice without lawmakers approval risks another court injunction.

The president doesnt like the news hes getting on immigration, and has blamed leadership at DHS, but this is not something leadership at the department can fix, said Stewart Baker, a top DHS adviser to President George W. Bush. This needs to be fixed in Congress, and there doesnt seem to be any appetite for that.

Trump has suggested to aides in recent weeks that the administrations previous policy of separating families at the border could be used to deter crossings and that a version of the policy could be reinstated, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions. Some aides have resisted the idea of family separations, citing the public backlash last summer and noting that Trump himself reversed it.

The president had been annoyed with Nielsen for months, even though he would occasionally give her reprieves if things went well, officials said.

Trump wanted the border closed two weeks ago but was dissuaded by Nielsen and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, among others. Nielsen has told confidantes that she felt uncomfortable with some of the presidents requests, particularly closing the border, and that the president did not understand many of the laws governing immigration.

He just wants drastic, drastic action, said another White House official, adding that it is others who say: We cant do that.

Trump has come to associate Alles with Kelly, whom he has frequently criticized since the chief left  particularly after Kelly made public comments Trump saw as critical of his administration. Trump also mocked Nielsen for being close to Kelly, current and former aides said.

Trump selected Alles, a retired Marine Corps general and former acting deputy commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, in 2017. He was the first Secret Service director in at least 100 years not from the agencys ranks.

Rich Staropoli, a former Secret Service agent and former senior DHS official under Trump, said the president appears to be booting several key people who got their jobs on Kellys recommendation.

He was pushed by John Kelly, Staropoli said. The president likes generals. But now it looks like hes cleaning house.

Staropoli said the number of changes in directors at the service is dizzying.

The Secret Service is a culture that doesnt handle change too well, he said. To keep changing directors  this guys only been there two years  isnt a good way for the Secret Service to operate.

This feels like getting rid of all of the Friends of Kelly, said Jonathan Wackrow, a former member of President Barack Obamas detail.

Wackrow said Alles was heralded as the first outsider who would have a shot at fixing major security and misconduct problems that had plagued the service during the Obama administration and the early part of Trumps tenure. But he hasnt been able to fix some of the services long-standing problems, Wackrow said, including difficulty in hiring and retaining officers who help patrol the White House.

White House officials said last weeks security breach at the presidents Mar-a-Lago estate had nothing to do with Alles removal. In a memo to the Secret Service workforce Monday, Alles told staff reports that hed been fired were incorrect.

No doubt you have seen media reports regarding my firing. I assure you that this is not the case, and in fact was told weeks ago by the Administration that transitions in leadership should be expected across the Department of Homeland Security, Alles wrote.

James Murray, a career member of the Secret Service, will take over as director beginning in May, White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders said in a statement.

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The University of Alaskas governing board has voted not to seek reaccreditation for some licensure programs at its Anchorage education school.

Nearly 70% of the schools students  335 out of 489  will be impacted by the vote on Monday by the universitys Board of Regents dropping efforts to reaccredit the colleges School of Education initial teacher licensure programs, KTUU reported Monday.

Discontinuation of advanced teacher licensing is scheduled to be considered at a Board of Regents meeting in May, according to Steve Atwater, executive dean of the Alaska College of Education.

I think people are waiting to see what happens today, and then go forward from there, Atwater said.

More than 100 students have already transferred to University of Alaska Fairbanks and University of Alaska Southeast programs being offered in Anchorage, officials said.

Weve been working really hard to make sure students understand they can stay at UAA to pursue education degrees under the direction of UAS and UAF faculties, said university spokeswoman Robbie Graham.

Initial licensing programs are scheduled to be discontinued effective Sept. 1, according to a proposal announced last week by university President Jim Johnsen that would close the Anchorage education school by July 2020.

The university was informed in January that the Anchorage education department lost national accreditation for its seven initial licensing programs from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation for failing four of five assessment categories, according to officials.

They said the accreditation loss was due to a lack of data on student progress.

___

Information from: KTUU-TV, http://www.ktuu.com
BOSTON - Wynn Resorts removed its security chief after he acknowledged spying on a former employee following allegations of sexual misconduct against company founder Steve Wynn came to light.

CEO Matthew Maddox said James Stern, the executive vice-president of corporate security, was informed Saturday the company would no longer require his services, according to a lengthy legal brief to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission released Tuesday.

Stern told the commission last week hed surveilled company co-founder Elaine Wynn and three employees, including one named in The Wall Street Journals 2018 report about the misconduct allegations. Steve Wynn has denied the sexual misconduct allegations.

The gaming commission, following last weeks hearings, is deliberating privately on whether Wynn Resorts is still suitable to hold a state casino license as it plans to open the $2.6 billion Encore Boston Harbor in June. A written decision is expected later.

Stern, a former FBI agent, testified hed sent undercover operatives to monitor current and former employees, including former Wynn casino stylist Jorgen Nielsen, who was a named source in the Journals January 2018 story. Its not clear who the other two persons surveilled were, but, in its Tuesday memo, the company stressed that neither Nielsen nor the others were victims of Steve Wynns alleged misconduct.

The company also said Sterns surveillance of Elaine Wynn, the ex-wife of Steve Wynn, happened around 2012 and stemmed from an unrelated lawsuit brought by Kazuo Okada, a Japanese billionaire and fellow Wynn Resorts co-founder.

Elaine Wynn told regulators last week she disclosed to company officials in 2009 a $7.5 million payout Steve Wynn made to a female employee whod claimed hed raped and impregnated her.

Commission members last week criticized Maddox and other company officials for spending time and resources to surveil employees but not to investigate sexual misconduct claims.

But the spying revelations shouldnt reflect negatively on Maddox, the company argued in its 49-page memo, which also covers other issues and concerns gaming commission members raised about what Maddox may have known or done about the misconduct allegations.

Maddox, who took over as CEO last February but had been a close confidante of Steve Wynn for years, had only minimal and partial knowledge of the spying, the company maintained. And, going forward, it said surveillance work will be approved by the companys chief global compliance officer and its general counsel.
Ontarians, have no fear! You will not be getting colonoscopies without sedation.

An outcry over this possibility was sparked by recent news reports alleging this is on the table as the provincial government looks to find $400 million dollars worth of savings from OHIP.

The genesis of these reports is a two-month-old arbitration decision that resolved a contract dispute between the province and the Ontario Medical Association (OMA). In its decision, the arbitration panel called for the formation of an appropriateness working group, (AWG) tasked with reviewing OHIP expenditures and reducing about $400 million from the $12-billion-plus health budget over two years.

While the recent media reports sounded ominous, this is actually a very good thing for both patients and taxpayers. I know this because I served on the governments negotiating team until June last year.

Ill explain more about this, but first let me put to rest fears over the possibility sedation-free colonoscopies. This is absolutely not under consideration.

What the appropriateness working group  made up of physicians and government officials  is looking at, however, is using only the most appropriate form of sedation as determined by the best medical evidence.

Without monitoring OHIP appropriateness, the OHIP budget has sometimes increased at more than eight per cent annually. Since OHIP represents more than 10 per cent of the provincial budget, this kind of increase has an intolerable impact on the provincial deficit.

Apart from concern about our provincial finances, monitoring of OHIP appropriateness is needed to ensure that we are getting value for our tax dollars. In order to understand how important review of appropriateness is, lets evaluate the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans in diagnosing bone and joint complaints.

I am aware of the enormous value to patient care than can be provided by MRI scanning. As a bone cancer surgeon, I would never take a patient to the operating room without an MRI to show the extent of the cancer being removed. The MRI was essential to providing the correct surgery.

However, most MRIs done for bone and joint complaints in Ontario today are actually inappropriate because the test contributes little or nothing to the patients treatment.

More than 50 per cent of all Ontario MRIs are performed for back, neck, shoulder, hip or knee pain. Two thirds of these test are ordered by family doctors, rather than surgeons, who would use the test in planning surgery.

Quite often a family doctor will order an MRI in order to refer a patient to a consultant surgeon. But changes in referral pathways in Ontario now allow the family doctor to refer the patient to an ISAEC program for spine pain or a rapid access clinic for hip, knee or (soon to be) shoulder pain without needing an MRI.

The fact that we are overusing MRI for diagnosis of bone and joint pain is not just my opinion. The physician led group Choosing Wisely (supported by both the ministry and the OMA) suggests that up to 30 per cent of Canadian medical interventions are inappropriate.

Choosing Wisely has worked with physician groups to make recommendations for reducing inappropriate care. Orthopedic surgeons advise against MRI scans for arthritis of the knee or hip. Primary care doctors and radiologists recommend not using imaging for back or neck pain unless uncommon red flags are present.

Without access to ministry data, it is difficult to estimate the savings from implementing Choosing Wisely recommendations at the AWG. However, about two-thirds of bone and joint and spine MRIs are ordered by family doctors. These doctors can now (or soon) refer their patients to rapid access clinics where MRI would be ordered only if appropriate.

If one-third of Ontario joint and spine MRIs were eliminated, this would mean savings of many tens of millions of dollars.

Ontario is facing important challenges to invest in long-term care and home-care to eliminate hallway medicine, and to invest in chronically underfunded mental illness treatment. It is therefore essential that all health expenditures are reviewed for appropriateness.

The AWG is a necessary, ongoing requirement for a sustainable health system. Reducing unnecessary MRI scans is a good example of what it can accomplish.
Emphatically no! Great cities need great public parks and public spaces. Imagine New York without Central Park, London without Hyde Park, Paris without the Bois de Boulogne. Toronto does not have such a singular great legacy central park but what it does have is a remarkable-work-in-progress band of parks and public space stretching across the waterfront. It has the capacity to be magnificent and Ontario Place is a key and indispensable component.

Ontario Place is a legacy project of Progressive Conservative premiers John Robarts and Bill Davis, who reached out to brilliant designers, architect Eberhard Zeidler and landscape architect Michael Hough, to interpret the eras burgeoning sense of possibility.

It was fresh and inspiring, technologically precocious, and at the same time cheerful and family friendly. In introducing it to the public on Nov. 23, 1970, premier Robarts described it this way: There was a need for a place where we could examine our history, look at our cultural and economic growth and contemplate the challenges of the future. In short, we wanted a place to reaffirm our identity as Ontarians and Canadians.

Now after decades of neglect what Ontario Place needs is enlightened stewardship and infusions of new life, not erasure and wanton destruction. In his 2012 report to the province, our mayor John Tory, reasserted that Ontario Place must remain a state of the art park on the edge of Ontarios great lake. The idea that we would now self-off this irreplaceable public space as a deficit-reducing measure would be a classic example of burning the furniture to heat the house. Would we even think of selling Algonquin Park or High Park?

The New York firm of HR&A Advisors, specialists in the economics of public space, has looked at this phenomenon globally and produced hard data that demonstrates significant and measurable long term financial benefits in city after city  setting the stage for high quality park-oriented development, attracting tourism, worker attraction and retention, not to mention environmental benefits and an important role in promoting social equity and accessibility. Even in purely economic terms, the greatest return on our historic investment for Ontario Place is clearly not a one-time self-off for short term gain, but long term retention.

Since its creation, the city has come to out to meet and surround Ontario Place with an insatiable need for shared public space, to serve an exploding park-hungry population. Surrounding obsolescent industrial lands have become vibrant new neighbourhoods bringing tens of thousands of new residents to within easy walking distance, overcoming its initial isolation. The Martin Goodman Trail brings additional thousands to its doorstep and new transit is being planned to make the site more accessible.

Opposing view: Should Ontario Place be sold? Yes

The Big Debate

Lets immediately dispel a myth. Contrary to what people have been told, Ontario Place is already going through a renaissance. In fact, 1.4 million people visited Ontario Place last year, attracted by the magnificent new Trillium Park and William G. Davis Trail, a reopened Cinesphere, which was part of TIFF in 2018, and four individually themed festivals. The increase in attendance does not include Live Nation attendance for Budweiser Stage and Echo Beach.

One of the single most important things that can be done at this point is to reconceptualize the 350 acres of Ontario Place and Exhibition Place as one great integrated waterfront park, not a conventional grass and trees park to be sure, but a new kind of fluid and mixed 21st century urban park.

This consolidated hybrid Lakefront Park could offer a vastly expanded array of experiences and a grand new waterfront gathering place with its iconic heritage structures, protected waterways and naturalized landscapes, special venues for sports and entertainment, institutional and civic uses, recreation with swimming beaches and fishing, major annual events, theatres, marinas, art galleries and restaurants that would act as a major international tourism draw extending the emerald arm across the waterfront.

This is our generations one chance to creatively add new life and meaning to an already special place, not surrender it to some instant commercial makeover. A true call for ideas, which taps the knowledge, inspiration and passion of Ontarians, will open up vast new possibilities to build on a rich legacy.

The recently formed citizen group, Ontario Place For All, has suggested that before proceeding the province and the city need to adopt a set of clear principles, including asserting the essential publicness of the combined irreplaceable assets of Ontario Place and Exhibition Place.
Image: Mike Pompeo Twitter page

Washington, Apr 9 (Sputnik/UNI) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.K. Adbud Momen discussed the the increasing cooperation between both nations across a number of areas, State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a readout of a meeting between the two diplomats in Washington on Monday.

"Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo met today in Washington with Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen. They discussed our increasing economic, security, and counterterrorism cooperation," Ortagus said.



Pompeo also stressed the importance of good governance, transparency and democratic values in Bangladesh as country continues to emerge as a key partner for the US in the Indo-Pacific region, the readout continued.



Furthermore, the secretary applauded Bangladesh for its generosity in continuing to host 1 million Rohingya refugees from neighboring Myanmar. He added that the US would work with the international community to increase support for the refugees, while also addressing the root causes and conditions in Myanmar.



Rohingyas, a Muslim minority in Myanmar, have been fleeing their homes to avoid waves of violence following the government's deployment of police and military units in response to an attack by Rohingya insurgents on security posts in Rakhine state on August 25, 2017.



According to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), more than 745,000 Rohingya refugees have fled from Rakhine state to Bangladesh since August 2017, escaping violence in Myanmar and joining roughly 200,000 others already displaced there.
The fact that Doug Fords anti-carbon tax stickers are misleading is quite possibly the least ridiculous thing about them.

The premier of Ontario, who has the needs of more than 14 million people to concern himself with, plans to introduce legislation for gasoline pump stickers to show motorists the cost of the federal governments carbon-pricing measures. Really?

And Ford, who claims he wants government to get out of the way of business, is going to force gas stations  private businesses the last time we checked  to put up these sticky partisan government ads.

This is red tape in the making. And what on earth does Ford imagine happening to those that defy the great sticker edict?

To have a sticker that says Ottawa is adding 4.4 cents per litre to the price of gas and providing an annual rebate of $300 to offset those higher costs (and then some for the average family) would still be unnecessary. But at least it would be accurate.

But in this campaign, as in all his others against a necessary plan to fight climate change, Ford cant bring himself to tell the whole truth.

These stickers are nothing but partisan advertising. And not just for Fords PCs, who are keen to spend $30 million in taxpayer money to fight the Liberal government in court. But also for federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, who goes to the polls in October opposing Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus carbon tax.

Its really too bad that Ford seems to have backed off his election promise to restore the auditor generals power to veto government advertising.

That could save Ford from himself. For those stickers, should they come to pass, will stand as yet another reminder of his complete inability to grasp economics, science and our very future.

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Politicians are obsessed with the wrong crisis, Walkom, April 3

Thomas Walkom is right. The climate break down is too serious and too real to allow any other issue to overshadow it. Since 2015, when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he would introduce a carbon-pricing plan, things have changed dramatically. A glance at any recent issues of scientific journals forecasting a grim future proves the point. From drowning coastal cities at sea level, to high and irreversible atmospheric CO2 levels to the melting of permafrost in Canada and damage to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, all point to an apocalypse in the making. Canada lags behind two dozen other nations in combating climate change. Europe, China and the UN (even in the U.S. the politics of climate is changing positively) are ahead of us on climate commitment. No more balancing carbon-tax plans with building pipelines will address the fast-approaching climate apocalypse. Only a massive and focused effort may contain the damage being done to the climate. So the question shouldnt be whether a carbon tax plan is a good policy tool to combat climate change. It is rather whether we should act in a more serious way in order to deal with the climate catastrophe. This question should be the central question in the upcoming elections, as the complexity of the problem requires a strong mandate from Canadians to carry out a deep and multi-faceted policy on combating the climate break down.

Ali Orang, Richmond Hill

This whole non-affair about SNC Lavalin was created by and for the media and it is the media which keeps it going, much to the satisfaction of the Conservative party. In order to do business in many less-developed countries, you have to play by the rules, their rules. SNC Lavalin did nothing more than what every other worldwide business does, make payoffs to the local people who have the power and influence to award major contracts. Canada can take the high moral ground if it wants to, but well soon find ourselves left out of these kinds of contracts.

John Blake, Picton, Ont.

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Theres a conspiracy theory floating around the sad corners of the internet which holds that the very pregnant Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, is not pregnant at all, but is faking her pregnancy with the help of a prosthetic belly that she wears underneath her dress.

Those who believe this have begun using the hashtag #moonbump, an allusion, according to the Daily Mail, to another theory of the same genre: that the moon landing was a hoax.

(As it happens, Moonbump is also the name of a company that sells astonishingly life-like fake pregnant bellies made from silicone.)

The Duchess of Sussex is often said to break with protocol.

If she is indeed hiding a giant wad of silicone underneath her designer clothes, this would be the understatement of the century.

But of course she isnt. People of the internet are, as usual, bonkers.

Read more:

Harry and Meghan launch their own Instagram account

Royal baby name predictions are in  here are the top picks

Meghan Markle and the royal babys hair

Markle will give birth  to a human being  any day now.

I do, however, wonder if a wad of silicone would have a better chance at happiness.

Honestly, is there a fate worse than being born into the British Royal Family?

This question might strike some as a perverse joke. Who wouldnt want to be rich and famous and never have to work a desk job?

Of course never wanting for food, shelter and limo rides is preferable to a life of poverty.

But wanting for privacy  and getting none  seems a lousy tradeoff for money.

And Harry and Meghans baby will, I suspect, desire privacy more than his or her cousins and be denied it most frequently.

This is because Baby Sussex, as the incoming infant is presently known, wont only be a royal baby  but a royal baby who straddles two worlds: Hollywood and Kensington Palace.

Being born to an American mother, both the American and the British public  and tabloid press  will feel entitled to the intimate details of his or her life.

Of course the American press has always been interested in the royals. But its never had its own baby among the ranks before. Soon it will.

Cosmopolitan magazine is already ecstatic about the news that, according to the Daily Mail, Markle will allegedly forgo the services of the Queens medical team (men in suits) in favour of her own specially selected female doctor.

FAIR ENOUGH, writer Mehera Bonner declared in Cosmo this week.

It seems American publications love when Markle appears to break protocol.

My guess is theyll love it if and when her offspring breaks protocol too.

Theyll be watching for it  and any streak of individuality the kid reveals in the coming years will be attributed to their American heritage.

Meanwhile, the tabloid press on both continents continues to print headlines about Markles preferred medical team and her alleged passing over of the Queens.

This is how deep obsession with British nobility runs in our society. We care not only about what Meghan Markle is wearing, but like an overbearing mother, about who and how qualified her gynecologist is.

If the press is this fixated on the details of the babys birth  gynecological politics and all  they will be doubly fixated on the babys life.

Earlier, I listened to a podcast dedicated to dissecting every move the Royal Family makes, on which three adult commentators could not contain their giddiness guessing at what Baby Sussexs extracurricular activities will be.

Will BS play computer games or will Harry and Meghan suggest a healthier activity for Baby, like yoga?

Im not above tabloid gossip, but its unnerving listening to a group of adults dish about an unborn baby like its one of the Kardashian sisters. Its still in the womb. It doesnt have hobbies.

Neither it seems do some of the worlds more obsessive royal baby watchers. Perhaps its time they broke with their own protocol and got a life.

Then again, I was listening. And I kind of liked it. I guess the same goes for me.

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Have you ever looked at a parking lot near Scotiabank Arena  a.k.a. a soulless wind vortex  and thought to yourself, What a great spot to kick back and open a cold one?

Me neither.

But thanks to the provincial Conservatives, Ontarians may soon be thinking and doing just that.

This week we learned that the provincial government is planning to legalize tailgate parties in Ontario  the traditionally American pastime of parking your car around a sports arena, drinking beer and grilling meat.

It may not be a tradition that springs to mind when you think Canada, ours being a country where, most of the year, the air hurts your face.

But we are a strong people. We will adapt. Plus, its what adults do.

Read more:

Doug Fords anti-carbon tax stickers hit a new low

Premier Doug Ford to make $28.5-billion transit announcement Wednesday

Ontario to scrap seniority-based hiring for teachers, education minister says

Just ask Government House Leader Todd Smith. In his own words, this week: We think that people in Ontario should be given the opportunity to be treated like adults and I think it (tailgating) would be kind of fun. Weve been talking about it for years and years and years, and no government has ever given us the opportunity to engage in a good old-fashioned tailgate.

Count me in. Opposed as I am to almost everything the Ford government does, I cant find it in my heart to oppose a good old-fashioned tailgate.

I share the frustrations of fans sick and tired of breaking the bank on gazillion-dollar, watery beer inside a stadium. And Im always down for a burger, anytime, anywhere.

But is tailgating what Ontario needs? Is it even what we want  for example, what we had in mind (liberals and conservatives alike) when we entered the voting booth last year? No.

What it is, rather, is the gimmick of a premier who fancies himself student council president at an all-American high school.

When in doubt, get some beer and throw a homecoming bash.

Party on Doug.

Ive come to realize these last few months that while Doug Ford makes a lousy premier  i.e. the kind of leader who appears to make decisions based on shoddy research or no research at all  he might make a shrewd student council president.

I should know. I was once student council president myself and I recognize some of his tactics from my own adolescent campaigns.

Ford is trying to rebrand Ontario just as my running mate and I once tried to rebrand the cafeteria food at Langstaff Secondary School with stickers bearing our campaign slogan (Its no dilemma: vote Jake and Emma).

In its attempt to combat the federal carbon tax, the Ford government recently announced plans to introduce legislation mandating special transparency stickers be affixed to gas pumps in the province warning people about increased gas prices.

Our licence plates are getting a makeover too. Government sources told media this week that Yours to Discover  the decades-old slogan that appears on Ontario plates  will be retired in favour of the phrase A Place to Grow (apparently, a reference to an Ontario tourism song from the 60s).

The updated slogan is as vague as the phrase it will replace, which is kind of disappointing actually. Youd think, at the very least, a Ford-devised slogan would be interesting.

And yet, interesting or not, it will be synonymous with Ford Nation. So will the stickers that may soon decorate our gas pumps. So will the Welcome to Ontario signs near the border that read Open for Business. And so eventually will tailgate parties.

Ford is rebranding Ontario in his own image, perhaps the perfect role for a guy whose family business is labels and tags.

Yes, this is populism. But theres something extra gimmicky about Fords tactics that render his style of politics not merely populist in the general sense, but adolescent-populist.

Everything seems to consistently involve beer, greasy food, cars and stickers.

If Ford was student council president none of this would bother me. Id be right there with him, grilling up a steak behind his SUV.

Unfortunately though, hes the premier of Ontario, which means that while hes distracting us with gimmicky things that dont matter he is laying waste to so many things that do.

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OTTAWAThe Canadian government is actively considering regulating social media giants and believes that self-regulation of the platforms has failed.

Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould told the Star and BuzzFeed News that all options are on the table when it comes to applying domestic rules to international social media and tech giants like Facebook, Google, Amazon and Twitter.

We recognize that self-regulation is not yielding the results that societies are expecting these companies to deliver, Gould said in an interview Monday.

We are actively talking to partners around the world, were actively talking to experts here in Canada as well in terms of what can be done. And I remain open to many different options as to how we can ensure better behaviour.

The Star and BuzzFeed News are investigating how political parties, pressure groups, and foreign actors are influencing Canadas political debate in the lead up to the next federal election, including the role social media companies play in disseminating information and misinformation.

Goulds comments come as like-minded countries pledged to crack down on social media companies.

Read more:

Facebook, Google face widening crackdown over online content

Facebook changes political ad rules to meet federal election guidelines

Canada must move fast to regulate social media giants such as Facebook and Google, MPs say

Australia passed a stringent law that demands social media companies quickly remove violent content from their platforms in light on the Christchurch massacre in New Zealand. Under the new law, social media executives could receive a prison sentence or their companies face hefty fines if the content is not taken down expeditiously.

In the U.K., a Parliamentary committee suggested that social media companies should be subjected to independent oversight and fined over online harms. The U.K. is looking to appoint an independent regulator to oversee social media companies protection of its users and dole out penalties like fines and blocked website access where appropriate.

The much-anticipated white paper follows a U.K. Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee report that was widely seen as a condemnation of Facebook and called the company digital gangsters.

The paper specifically cited incitements of violence, disinformation, and children accessing inappropriate material as examples of harmful content companies would have to tackle. The proposal is not final. The U.K. government will undergo a 12-week consultation process before enacting any measures.

But as countries begin to regulate social media giants, not all of them have citizen protection in mind. In Russia, a fake news law makes it illegal to criticize the president and Singapores anti-disinformation bill has critics worried that too much rests on the governments definition of what is false information.

We better get the democratic governance right if we have any hope of pushing back against the autocratic model, said Taylor Owen, an associate professor at the Max Bell School of Public Policy at McGill University in Montreal.

Owen says countries dont have to legislate all aspects of social media at once. Instead, they can go for low-hanging fruit like ad regulation before moving into tricky areas like regulating content, which gets into issues of free speech and whos liable for whats posted on the platform.

The challenge of (content moderation) is that its the most difficult piece of this puzzle, Owen said.

Few concrete suggestions have been made by Canadas Liberal government, who have been threatening to bring in rules for hate speech, misinformation campaigns and electoral meddling on social media platforms for years.

Gould has broached the issue of regulation with the social media giants. She said they dont believe they should be brought under Canadian laws, and that its not fair for the companies to expect special treatment.

They see themselves as actors operating on a different level than other companies operating in our society. And I think that is not fair to citizens and to Canadians, Gould said.

And I think that one thing that we need to do as, partly government but its partly civil society, is to have a much more robust conversation about how these companies operate, what they do with our data, and what the consequences are of that for us as individuals but also collectively.

Sources told the Star and BuzzFeed news the Liberals have been seized with the issue of social media regulation for some time, but offered no details on what the government intends to do. A PMO official said they had little to add Monday afternoon.

What is clear, however, is theres little time before the next federal election to introduce sweeping new rules for social media companies. Gould said one possibility is to make public government research on the issue that could provide a starting point for whoever forms the next government.

Whatever new legislation there is would come on the heels of Canadas election advertising transparency laws. After they were enacted, Google said it will not accept any election advertising at all rather than keep a registry of all ads and comply with the law. For Owen, this shows that Canada is not a big enough market to force large scale change by itself. He said there should be international collaboration between governments.

Leaving all markets is not an option, he said.

In a statement, Google Canadas Colin McKay said the web giant has met with Goulds office several times and is committed to fighting misinformation.

Just as Google is committed to providing Canadians with information and services to help them participate in the federal election, were equally committed to combating misinformation and working with the Canadian government to fight cyber threats, McKay, the head of Google Canadas government policy branch, said in a statement.

We have every intention of continuing our close work with government to protect Canadas democratic institutions and election activities.

Clarification - April 9, 2019: This article was edited from a previous version to make clear the Canadian government is considering regulating social media and tech giants.

Craig Silverman is the media editor of Buzzfeed News. Jane Lytvynenko is a reporter for BuzzFeed News.

Marco Chown Oved is a Toronto-based investigative reporter. Follow him on Twitter: @marcooved

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It has become painfully predictable.

The federal government is now considering a financial rescue package for western grain farmers in what has become the norm as Canadians and their open economy are battered and bashed by global trade disruption.

China has essentially blocked Canadas canola seed, even though Canada is its biggest supplier. For sure, diplomats and technocrats are working on a solution, and producers are looking for new markets. But the short-term cost to Canadian farmers of losing their biggest customer hurts.

And so a compensation package is in the works to tide them over. The federal government and Canadians alike have now come to expect to pay  the grim reality of being used as fodder in a fight between giants.

Ostensibly, the reason China has blocked the canola seed is contamination in Canadas product. Realistically, its an offshoot of the trade war between the United States and China, with China retaliating against Canada for detaining a Huawei executive at the behest of the United States.

Since Donald Trump came to power at the beginning of 2017, Ottawa has committed to shelling out repeatedly as the U.S. president lashed out in all directions.

Lumber: The federal government has put together $1.2-billion in support for the Canadian softwood lumber industry after the U.S. imposed duties in 2017. The dispute started under the Obama administration and further deteriorated under Trump.

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Dairy: In negotiations with the U.S. and Mexico to revamp NAFTA, Canada conceded some access to its supply-managed dairy and poultry markets. Ottawa has promised compensation to farmers. The amount is still up for discussion.

Steel and aluminum: the federal government has provided a $2.1-billion package to help Canadian steel and aluminum producers deal with tariffs imposed by the United States as part of a bid to deter cheap products from around the world.But thats just a small taste of the economic impact.

Direct trade action is only the most obvious disruption unleashed by Trumps insistence that the global order, as we have known it for decades, no longer serves the U.S.s purpose. The multilateralist network of rules and international organizations that nurtured Canadas economy has frayed to the point of unravelling.

Trump has resurrected unilateralism, and I regret now that it has become more and more common, frets Lawrence Herman, a long-time Toronto-based trade lawyer. We are exposed.

Because its not just Trump.

Its also China, Trumps nemesis and Canadas second-largest trading partner, that does not hesitate to take on unilateral trade action to punish other countries for their perceived sins  with the canola seed ban being Exhibit No. 1 for Canada.

And news broke last week that Saudi Arabia, in the spirit of the times, was up to the same kind of thing. Last summer, when Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland provoked Saudi anger by tweeting about the countrys lack of respect for human rights, it wasnt just a diplomatic protest, a cancellation of funding for Saudi students in Canada and a divestment of Canadian holdings that ensued. Documents obtained by The Canadian Press showed that Saudi Arabia also halted all grain shipments, delayed payments and blocked trade shipments from Canada.

Probably the biggest cost to Canadians, however, is something the government cant easily fix with a compensation package: the uncertainty that surrounds NAFTA and its potential successor. When Trump threatened to tear of up NAFTA and then strung Mexico and Canada along for two years, any business contemplating expansion or a new investment thought twice about Canada  hampering our ability to invigorate foreign investment.

Meanwhile, Canadas attempts to mitigate the damage from the steel tariffs appear to be foundering. Canada slapped a surtax on a range of global steel imports last fall, in part to show the U.S. it wasnt going to let cheap steel seep through Canada and into the United States. But last week, a trade tribunal told Ottawa it had no justification for most of that surtax, and it would have to be removed.

So is this the way its going to be for Canada, as global powers flex their muscles unilaterally and we pay the price?

The decline of global institutions and global dialogue represents a huge risk to the management of Canadas economy and the economic interests of Canadian citizens, warn two former mandarins  Sean Speer, a Conservative, and Robert Asselin, a Liberal  in a new analysis.

They assume that dynamic is here to stay, and they call for nothing less than a thorough rethink of how to guide Canadas economy  a necessity that rescue packages only paper over.

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New teachers will be able to apply for full-time positions without having to first put in years of supply teaching, under a proposal Education Minister Lisa Thompson said her government is working on.

Calling the current rules outdated, Thompson said consultations are ongoing and changes are coming to Regulation 274, which requires principals to hire from among the most senior supply teachers for long-term and permanent jobs.

The previous government, sadly, instituted outdated hiring practices that rewarded teachers based on seniority and did not recognize teachers who were excelling at their jobs, Thompson said Tuesday in the legislature.

That needs to change, and were going to get that job done ... We need to ensure that we have the right teacher in the right classroom. Our proposal to allow new teachers direct access to apply to permanent positions in any school board is a step towards accomplishing just that.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Premier Doug Ford said his government will be budgeting more for education for the 2019-20 school year compared to whats currently being spent.

Were going to drive efficiencies, he said at an event in Burlington. Ill tell you this  were putting more money into education than the previous government.

Read more:

Does Ontarios Regulation 274 help or harm students?

From curriculum to class-size  the nuts and bolts of Ontarios education makeover

School hiring freeze leads to worries about class size

Not by a little, by a lot. Were putting a tremendous amount more into health care which is so important.

Later asked by reporters for details, Thompson said were investing in teachers who want to increase and improve their qualifications when it comes to math. So any teacher who wants to take the additional qualification course in math, certainly were going to invest in them because we know that our students need the best teachers and we want to ensure that our teachers who want to take a step forward are supported by our ministry and thats a good example.

The Ontario government currently spends about $29 billion annually on education.

As for Regulation 274  which was brought in by the previous Liberal government in 2012 after complaints, mainly from smaller, Catholic boards about nepotism in hiring  Thompson said a revamp isnt about an outdated regulation; this is about doing the right thing for our students, and the right move for our teachers.

She later said were working through a consultation right now through to May 31 and we certainly want to be hearing from our education partners because Regulation 274 did a disservice to Ontario teachers across this province and we need to get it right.

While the teacher unions have come to support Regulation 274, some teachers have complained about losing seniority when they switch boards.

Liz Stuart, president of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association, said her unions central collective agreement includes the hiring rules and we consider all of this to be bargaining  and we dont bargain through consultations and we dont bargain through media and we wish that the minister would confine herself to making comments and having those conversations at the bargaining table.

On Tuesday, the Ford government continued to face questions from the opposition about its education plans, including an increase to class sizes starting in Grade 4 that will lead to the loss of almost 3,500 teaching positions over the next four years.

Thompson has said the jobs will be trimmed through attrition, not layoffs, and that boards will be provided with transitional funding to ensure that happens, as well as extra monies to retain teachers in science and math.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said British Columbias government is now holding a job fair in Ontario hoping to poach our front-line educators.

She also noted the thousands of parents, teachers and students who held rallies last week and on the weekend to protest the Ford government changes.

But the plan to boost secondary school classes from an average of 22 to 28 students  though the actual size of many classes will be much larger  will impact northern and rural schools the most, warned New Democrat MPP John Vanthof, his partys deputy leader.

It could lead to something in rural schools, northern schools and small schools called class stacking,  said Vanthof.

So, you dont have enough students in Grade 9 apply, so you throw in academic, and then maybe you throw in Grade 10, said Vanthof (Timiskaming-Cochrane.) Whats ultimately going to happen is, parents and kids are going to notice that the teacher cant keep up, and theyre going to look for another school  a bigger school.

As for hiring rules, Horwath said when you are getting rid of 10,000 teachers out of schools, or adults out of schools, then they can fiddle with the regulations all they want, but the bottom line is, there is still going to be fewer adults in schools and programs being cut and classrooms blowing up in terms of sizes.

None of these things is good for kids, Horwath said.

Under Regulation 274, teachers hired into long-term and permanent positions are to be chosen from among the five applicants from the supply teacher pool who have the most seniority within the specific board.

Meanwhile, the Halton and Durham public boards are the latest to write letters of concern to Thompson about the Ford governments reforms, asking them to pause changes.

In order to maintain the 28-student class average, specialized courses with lower enrolment or smaller classes with students who have high needs that have a 10-to-20 student class size will mean that other courses have very high class sizes of 36-to-46 students, the Halton board wrote.
VANCOUVERBritish Columbias attorney general is troubled by a report that finds there are no federal Mounties dedicated to money-laundering investigations in the province.

David Eby says that despite two years of headlines declaring that organized crime groups are laundering billions in B.C., the only dedicated RCMP presence is a provincially funded team fighting the crime in casinos.

I think that any British Columbian who has been paying attention  and frankly any Canadian who has been paying attention to the problem we face in this province  will be incredibly surprised to hear this news, Eby told reporters during a press conference Monday.

The information comes in the release of one chapter of a money-laundering report conducted by Peter German. The former RCMP deputy commissioner was appointed by Eby last fall to review the use of illicit money in B.C. real estate, horse racing and luxury vehicle sales.

German says his review found 26 federally funded positions on the RCMPs money-laundering team in B.C., but when he asked for more detail from the RCMP on those positions, he was told only 11 were actually staffed.

The number fell further, to just five, when the number of officers away due to training, illness or other reasons were accounted for. When German asked what those five officers are working on, he was told they refer cases to B.C.s civil forfeiture office, a legal process that requires a much lower standard of proof and is focused on recovering property connected to unlawful activity.

Read more:

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In other words, other than the provincial casino unit, B.C. does not have one police officer dedicated to criminal money-laundering investigations that would lead to a prosecution.

Experts in money laundering say they knew the area was under-resourced but find the most recent revelation stunning.

Its something that never should have happened, but I knew it had, said Garry Clement, a former RCMP officer who served on the force for 30 years and retired as the national director of the forces proceeds-of-crime unit. He still works in the field as a private investigator.

What weve allowed is a lot of organized crime groups to entrench themselves deeper into Canada.

Christine Duhaime, a lawyer who specializes in financial crime and is an anti-money-laundering specialist, said the enormous gap revealed by Germans report may necessitate going back over old cases to see what was missed.

The activity didnt stop, so now I think we have a situation where we have to take an accounting of how many referrals were there to the RCMP, what are these investigations looking like, what do we do with them, which ones are we going to investigate, Duhaime said.

And then there are the ones that are newly coming in that we have to address.

Given the backlog, Duhaime suggested B.C. doesnt need 26 federal RCMP officers devoted to financial crime  it potentially needs twice that number to keep up with the past and present caseload.

Clement said a previous model that worked well, and resulted in successful prosecutions, involved integrated units made up of federal RCMP officers, provincial and municipal police officers, federal prosecutors and customs officers all working together. The model went by the wayside after 2003, Clement said.

In his report, German pinpointed 2012 as another pivotal year when funding and focus on money-laundering investigations decreased.

The increased resources focused on organized crime and terrorism after 2012 led to a dramatic decrease in commercial crime and proceeds-of-crime enforcement within B.C., German wrote.

Many financial-crime specialists became generalists on the organized-crime teams, and many others retired or moved on to other roles within the RCMP.

Duhaime said the federal prosecution service has often faced questions from parliamentary committees about why Canada has fewer money-laundering prosecutions than other countries.

They often say prosecuting money laundering is complex, its really complicated law, Duhaime said.

Its not really  but no matter whether its complicated or not, we now know were lacking resources.

Eby is calling on the federal government to devote more officers and resources to fighting the problem. The 2019 federal budget earmarked more cash to investigate and enforce money-laundering cases, and Eby has argued that the majority of that funding should be directed toward B.C.

Bill Blair, the federal minister in charge of organized crime reduction, said in an emailed statement that his government has committed more funding to the problem and plans to create a multi-agency task force and a centre of excellence to combat financial crime.

This includes enhanced outreach and examinations in the real-estate and casino sectors with a particular focus of British Columbia. I continue to collaborate with both David Eby and Dr. Peter German about how to reduce instances of money laundering across British Columbia and Canada, Blair said.

With files from Canadian Press

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Donald Trump Facebook page

Washington, Apr 9 (Sputnik/UNI) The United States wants to expand its counterterrorism partnership with Egypt given that terrorism remains a significant threat to that country's stability, a senior administration official said in press briefing.

Terrorism is a very significant threat to Egypt's stability, from Libya, Sinai and the South, so they are kind of uniquely positioned to be responding to a whole range of threats in that theater. For us, it's a very, very important partnership that we want to expand, the official said on Monday.



The official noted that Egypt plays an important diplomatic role in negotiating with Hamas, and is working to persuade the Palestinian movement to comply with the conditions that would move them out of being considered a terrorist organization.



In 2017, Fatah and Hamas signed an Egypt-brokered agreement to put Gaza back under the Palestinian National Authority's control, but the deal has not been implemented so far.



Russia is one of mediators in both, the Israeli-conflict and the intra-Palestinian talks. The Trump's administration, meanwhile, has also been working on its peace plan for the Israeli-Palestinian settlement for months.



However, Palestinians have rejected Washingtons involvement in the conflict settlement after Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moved the US embassy there in May 2018 despite UN recommendations to refrain from establishing diplomatic missions until the citys legal status is settled.
India's farmers and the poor stand to gain irrespective of whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi wins a second term or his main opponent Rahul Gandhi wrests power in elections starting this week. The biggest losers will be loan defaulters-on-the-run.

Poll promises of both Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party and Gandhi's Indian National Congress include spending billions of dollars to provide income support to the poor and farmers. A closer review of their manifestos shows many others who are poised to win and some who may end up losers. Here's a quick snapshot:

1. Winners

Infrastructure builders: Both the parties pledged to boost spending to build highways and airports, and to modernize railways and cities. The BJP's pledge to spend $1.44 trillion on infrastructure will benefit builders including Larsen and Toubro Ltd., India's biggest engineering company, which saw a 12 percent drop in new orders in the December-quarter as economic growth during the period cooled to the lowest in six quarters.

Manufacturers: The Congress vowed to take the share of manufacturing in the nation's gross domestic product to 25 percent from the current 16 percent, while the BJP plans a new industrial policy to raise the competitiveness of local manufacturers and services companies.

That's good news for the likes of ITC Ltd., a hotels-to-tobacco conglomerate, Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd., a homegrown power equipment maker, and Tata Steel Ltd., which saw demand from the automobile sector ease in the December-quarter amid tight money conditions in the economy and elevated fuel prices.

"There has to be a fine balance between the capital and labor intensive investment," Shubhada Rao, chief economist with Yes Bank Ltd., said. "Investment in manufacturing will give a definite push to job creation."

Start-ups: With jobs being a key election issue in a nation where 12 million youth enter the workforce every year, both parties have committed to fostering entrepreneurship. The BJP promised collateral-free loans and regulatory easing for start-ups, while the Congress plans to create an Enterprise Support Agency and remove the angel tax - a levy on fundraising by start-ups.

Exporters: India's exports, which have seen a sequential easing in growth rates in the four months through February, are set to get a leg up with both the Congress and the BJP promising measures to promote trade. The Congress said it will reward export-oriented industries and invite domestic and foreign investment in 'exclusive export-only zones.'

Farmers: One of the biggest winners in the pack are, not surprisingly, farmers. At 263 million, they form a key voting bloc in the world's largest democracy. The BJP has promised 6,000 rupees-a-year in income support to some farmers, besides pension and interest-free loans. The Congress's plan involves waiving off farm loans, besides giving 72,000 rupees-a-year to 50 million of the nation's poorest.

2. Losers

Fugitive loan-defaulters: Billionaire Nirav Modi, who allegedly defrauded an Indian bank of $2 billion, and Vijay Mallya, the ex-billionaire known as the "king of good times" in India, may be the biggest losers of this election. Both are currently based in the U.K. after fleeing their home country. The BJP's Modi and Congress's Gandhi have assured voters that loan defaulters and fraudsters will be dealt with swiftly by Indian courts.

Unemployed: The BJP's manifesto, surprisingly, doesn't lay out a specific road-map for creating jobs, other than a plan to boost entrepreneurship. The Congress's plans to fill 400,000 vacant federal government posts and create 10 million low-skilled jobs fall short of addressing India's unemployment, which according to a leaked report is at a 45-year high.

"That's unfortunate," N. R. Bhanumurthy, an economist at New Delhi-based National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, said, referring to the absence of more details on job creation. A lack of jobs is holding back India's growth, he added.

Land reforms: There is no mention of land and labor reforms in the BJP's manifesto. These are major issues for investors, who find it difficult to acquire land from people and also hire and fire employees. Modi tried this early in his stint but had to give up after being called "anti-poor" by his opponents.

Others: The Congress plans to divest stake in state-run companies considered not essential, and merge weak state lenders. It also plans tough regulations for shadow lenders after a series of defaults by beleaguered shadow financier Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Ltd. The BJP's pledge to draw a list of essential devices and prepare a separate pricing policy for medical devices may be a setback for the sector.
"Fosse/Verdon" director Thomas Kail is quick to rattle off the ways he differs from Bob Fosse, the Broadway legend who shares half the spotlight in FX's new limited series.

"He would do substances to try to stimulate his creativity; he would create acrimony so he could use that as a spark to create; he was constantly feeling like he was a failure," Kail says of Fosse, a nine-time Tony-winning choreographer and director. "A lot of those things that fueled him are different than the things that drive me."

"What I did understand," Kail adds, "was his seeking of the new challenge."

"Fosse/Verdon," which premieres at 10 p.m. Tuesday, taps, shuffles and sways its way through the decades-long professional and romantic relationship between Fosse (Sam Rockwell) and Broadway star Gwen Verdon (Michelle Williams). The first episode follows Fosse as the stage staple oversees production of his second film, "Cabaret," for which he would ultimately win the best director Oscar in 1973.

As the director of the musical theater juggernaut "Hamilton," Kail, 41, already has a legacy-defining success to his name. When "Hamilton" writer and star Lin-Manuel Miranda approached Kail in June 2016 to gauge his interest in collaborating on an FX adaptation of Sam Wasson's 2013 book "Fosse," the Northern Virginia native seized the opportunity to establish himself anew and make an ambitious foray from stage to screen - not unlike Fosse decades prior.

Although Kail isn't a stranger to TV - he snagged an Emmy in 2016 for helming "Grease: Live" - he had never before worked on a project of "Fosse/Verdon's" scale. In addition to directing five of the series' eight episodes, Kail serves as an executive producer (alongside Miranda, among others) and shares a story credit on the premiere.

"I wanted to work on different-sized canvases," Kail says. "I believe in momentum. I believe in continuing to evolve and trying new things. ... I felt like if I found the right people to collaborate with, then maybe we could make something that could stretch the things that I do and allow me to grow as a craftsman."

It was in the early days of shaping the story that Kail and showrunner Steven Levenson ("Dear Evan Hansen") carved out their take on the material. While the book was titled "Fosse," they soon came to better appreciate Verdon, an actor and dancer who won four Tonys herself. In the series, she is depicted not as a muse, but as a collaborator with a knack for executing and articulating Fosse's scattershot thoughts.

"We asked the very simple question from the beginning: Why does the world remember him but it doesn't remember her?" Kail says. "It felt like an opportunity to examine the mythology of the 'lone male genius,' which is false. This story is an opportunity to look at a creative partnership that was incredibly equal."

Told via a fragmented, non-linear story structure, "Fosse/Verdon" also gave Kail the opportunity to slickly re-create iconic musical moments - such as Liza Minnelli belting "Mein Herr" in "Cabaret," or Verdon mamboing to "Who's Got the Pain?" in "Damn Yankees." But it was the intimacy of Fosse and Verdon's relationship that most drew Kail toward this story.

"It has to be grounded in emotional truth for the (musical) numbers to make sense," Kail says. "I love putting together musical sequences, but I also love doing that as it relates to the everydayness of what it was like to live in their apartment, to stay up late with them, to get to know them beyond the work. That informs our interpretation of their work."
ALTON  Artist Monica Mason has been diligently working to complete a body of work for her Community Portrait Project, opening April 12 at the Post Commons.

The community project is a series of painted portraits of various members of the community, who are doing great things, large or small, Mason said.

It evolved as a sort of sequel to a commissioned set of historic portraits for Hugh Halter, owner of the Post Commons.

The first meeting I had with Hugh was a meeting of the minds. We shared an interest in some of Altons past citizens who had done amazing things, but had been mostly forgotten with the passage of time, she said. Weve all heard of Robert Wadlow, Elijah Lovejoy and Miles Davis, but what about people like Joseph Raglin, the man who was such a skilled artisanal brick layer that he landed a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records in the 1920s as the worlds fastest bricklayer?

The idea to honor Raglin seemed long overdue to Mason, and she began his eight-foot commemorative portrait, along with a portrait of William Sachtleben, the first man to peddle a bicycle around the world. A third historic portrait of Josephine Beckwith, a local civil rights leader, is currently in the works.

As I painted the historic portraits of these unsung heroes of Altons past, I realized I wanted to paint some of the contemporary unsung heroes living in Alton today. So I launched the non-commissioned Community Portrait Project, which is separate from the commissioned historical portraiture Im doing for Mr. Halter, Mason explained.

She has had a long-term interest in the itinerant portrait painters of the 18th and 19th century, who traveled from village to village painting townspeople in the days before the advent of photography.

The simple, sort of low-tech, bare-bones practice intrigued me, and I wanted to do a 21st-century version of this, she said.

Initially unsure of how people would respond to posing for a painted portrait, she wondered if the process might seem arcane or mysterious to some.

I decided to reach out to a variety of people, from friends to casual acquaintances to complete strangers, and I was overwhelmed that for the most part, people were incredibly positive and supportive, Mason said. My choices of models were based on two criteria. One was people that I felt were doing things to make our community a better place. Some of these people were largely unknown for their efforts. I also chose some people simply because they had faces which interested me as an artist.

Why are the portraits blue?

As a traditional painter, I employ the age-old technique of underpainting, she said. Often, a deep blue layer of paint forms the underpainting or foundation color on which many additional transparent flesh tones are added.

As she began working on the large historical pieces in a temporary studio at the Post, Halter would often stop by and see how it was going. When he saw the blue underlayer, he mentioned how much he liked the color and the moody mystery it invoked. Mason decided to keep them that way. She began to like it so much, she decided to use it for her Community Portrait Project, too.

Blue is a color that is a common component in mixing flesh tones, regardless of race, and therefore, blue can be perceived as a color which unifies us all. To present some of the diversity of our community it seemed blue might be a color of unity among our citizens, she said.

Her goal as a painter was to try to capture some of the inner life within her models, as opposed to opting for a photo-realist likeness.

These are paintings, not photography. Inviting each of the models to my studio, I took a series of mug shots from every possible angle to inform my awareness of each individuals facial structure. I did not copy a single photo in paint, but used all of the photos to fully understand each unique facial structure, Mason explained. And as they sat and talked with me, I drew from their personalties, their mannerisms, and how they presented themselves. It was an emotional, but also intellectual process.

She said the resulting pieces are almost a kind of drawing, but accomplished in paint.

A life-long artist, Mason graduated with art degrees from Florissant Valley Community College and Washington University, and earned an MFA at Norwich University in Vermont. She taught at several community colleges and universities for more than 20 years, with a primary focus on figure drawing and anatomy. This spring, she will be teaching adult drawing classes at Jacoby Arts Center.

My professors at Flo Valley changed my life, Mason said. Ive taught many different kinds of art classes through the years, and I was always creating my own art at the same time in video, photography and sculpture, but and painting and drawing have always been my heart.

A couple of years ago, she was commissioned to do several eight-foot pieces for the Healthworks Museum in St. Louis, which included figures of children in health-related costumes. She posted them on Facebook. She ran into Halter out and about in the community, and having seen the posts, he asked her if she would be interested in doing the large pieces for the Post.

In addition to the two large historic pieces that are completed, the opening will include about 20 community portraits. And as she said, Mason chose her subjects for different reasons. Some are musicians and artists; one man she chose because of an impassioned speech she heard him make several years ago; a woman because she shows kindness to the public at her place of employment; another lady because she arranged an event that clearly unified the community.

And unifying the community and recognizing the people who make that possible through acts big and small is after all, what she said the project is really all about.

Her hope is that people will come to this exhibit, and see a familiar face or two in the paintings, connect a name to the face, and be inspired by what their fellow citizens are doing to improve the quality of life in our community.

There are no political goals in this project. The goal is to honor some of our citizens who make Alton a better place, and secondly, for me as an artist to depict some of the interesting people who live and or work here, she said. Some are not obvious choices, while others are.

All pieces are the same size, in the same medium, indicating that no matter what the community contribution, it is as important as the next.

I want the project to celebrate the people portrayed, and I hope it inspires those who come and read about the subjects to get out and participate in the community, Mason said. And maybe it will inspire conversation among community members, who might not otherwise have the opportunity to talk to each other.

As the deadline for this exhibit draws to a close, Mason is still discovering many more community members whose portrait she would like to paint, so she is looking into a Chapter 2 to the Community Portrait Project, and exploring ways and possibly various venues that she can make that happen.

The Community Portrait Project opening reception will run from 7 to 10 p.m., Friday, April 12, at the Post Commons at 300 Alby St. in Alton.
A sea of red and white fills the JHS Bowl about this time each year, tassels dangling in the breeze as hundreds count down the minutes to graduation.

For most students and parents, the neatly pressed gowns and sharp corners of the mortarboards are a source of pride.

For others, they are a reminder of economic hardship.

Forty dollars might not seem like much, but thats a lot of money for some families, said Amy Albers, executive director of the Jacksonville Public Schools Foundation.

The foundation is an independent non-profit group of community and business leaders that provides support for the students and educators of District 117 schools.

Albers has been aware of the need for student assistance  55% of students are from low-income families, according to the Illinois State School Report Card  and the foundation has programs to provide such things as winter coats.

It wasnt until a student approached Jacksonville High School arts teacher Dale Homolka that the need for graduation essentials became clear.

There was a student who came to (him), crying, because the cost of a cap and gown was going to keep the student from attending commencement, Albers said.

He and Albers began to wonder how many students are too embarrassed to say anything and instead simply skip the rite of passage.

These kids have worked really hard for so many years and this might hold them back, Albers said.

The came the light bulb moment: to create the Crimson Cap and Gown lending program.

Through it, people can either pass along their old, one-time-used cap and grown or donate $40 to cover the cost for one student.

Cap sizes vary, but the red gowns for men and white gowns for women have been a staple of JHS graduations for years. The foundation will collect the caps and gowns after commencement  allowing the student to have the keepsake tassel  and store them for future use.

With April ticking away and commencement scheduled for 7 p.m. May 31, organizers hope to receive the first round of donations by April 30.

That doesnt mean the effort will stop then, however. The April deadline is just for this coming commencement, so organizers know what still needs to be purchased.

We will take donations at any time throughout the year, Albers said. If parents dont know what to do with the caps and gowns after graduation this year, we will be collecting them at that time as well.

Homolka will be responsible for arranging distribution of the caps and gowns. Donations can be made to the Jacksonville Public Schools Foundation, 211 W. State St., Jacksonville, IL 62650 and caps and gowns can be taken to the foundation during its regular office hours.

David C.L. Bauer can be reached at 217-408-2048 or on Twitter @EditorDCLBauer.
GRAFTON  Grafton normally would have been rumbling this past weekend with two-wheeled visitors coming for the semi-annual Motorcycle Swap Meet.

Instead, the primary engines that were running were for pressure washers, forklifts and pumps as Grafton businesses cleaned up from the slowly receding Mississippi River floodwaters.

First we had to get all of the flood mud off the floor, we hosed it off and then cleaned it up with bleach water. We also made sure no critters got in here while we were closed, said Uncle Andys Country Market owner Margaret Dublo. Weve got it down to a science. It only took us a couple of days to get the displays out and about an hour to get all of the floors cleaned off.

It was hard, dirty work, but Dublo didnt mind, because she enjoys being a part of Grafton.

When were not flooded its really pleasant, all of our neighbors are really nice, and we like being here, Dublo said.

Dan Bechtold was busy on Sunday moving forklifts full of wood back into his Knotty by Nature hardwood store.

Its not my first rodeo. Ive been in town for 21 years and this is my fifth flood at least, Bechtold said. We mostly just hose everything out. We had taken all of the wood out and put it in a semi-trailer or stacked wood up along the street. Ive also got wood at other businesses.

Weve now got everything up about 35 inches in the store and when the next one hits I dont think it will get any higher than that inside, but well just wait and see, Bechtold said.

Bechtold and other business owners were grateful for the volunteer help they have received from the Grafton community during the flood.

I had a lot of help emptying the store out, more than 20 people came, it was fantastic, Bechtold said. I love this little town and its just a part of being in Grafton. I always say when business is good here its really good, and when its bad, its really bad.

Grafton Police Officer Jim Scroggins said hes seen the community come together before during floods and this time is no exception.

Everybody does great, the community pulls together to pack up the businesses and get them out of the flood water, Scroggins said. Theres a great volunteer base to come back in and load the businesses back up.

Scroggins said there havent been major traffic problems during the flood because people seem to be paying attention to the road closed and detour signs.

For the most part the traffic has slowed down when the flood route is in place. A lot of outside people arent driving around just looking at the flood, they are letting the waters recede before they start coming back to town, Scroggins said. Its starting to pick back up now, the water is going down, the flood route is fully back open so you can get from one end of town to the other.

Mary Rapien of Highland said she visits Grafton four or five times each year and decided to come on Sunday to see the flooding for herself.

Its kind of awesome having the town to ourselves, but its also scary, Rapien said. We had heard that it was flooded so we were hoping we could make it down to see how bad it was. Its kind of a shame to see the lighthouse under water.

It was Sunday fun day adventure day for motorcyclist Mike Mrkacek of Belleville. The scheduled Motorcycle Swap Meet was moved to Collinsville because of the flooding in Grafton, but Mrkacek was interested in another local attraction.

They said the 3rd Chute Bar & Grill was open and we like going there, so we are going up there to see all the sights, Mrkacek said. Its a mess due to the water, but people are still hanging out, and I love this town anyway. It was definitely worth the trip.
On Wednesday morning, residents of Norman, Oklahoma, woke up to discover that their city had been littered with racist and anti-Semitic graffiti.

In front of a local arts center, a prominently placed sculpture of a young girl had been spray-painted to make it look as if blood was pouring from the child's head, the Oklahoman reported. The word "JEWESS" was scrawled across her forehead, and swastikas covered both her eyes. Two blocks away at an elementary school, someone had written that black boys "rape white girls," using a racial slur. Meanwhile, at the headquarters of the Cleveland County Democratic Party, messages like "Gas the Jews" and "Hang n----- kids" were painted on windows and doors, next to swastikas and the words "Trump 2020." A note tied to the door handle said: "White men have built this civilization. White men have been and still are the backbone."

The collective damage horrified the community and brought one city councilwoman to tears. It also seemed to closely resemble a scene that had unfolded just the week before in Oklahoma City, about 20 miles to the north. On March 28, Oklahoma Democratic Party and Chickasaw Nation employees showed up for work and discovered that the entrances to their respective offices were covered with Nazi symbols, homophobic slurs and messages like "White planet only," The Washington Post reported.

Police now say that the vandalism spree in both cities was the work of one woman: Allison Christine Johnson, 45, who, during an interview with detectives, went on a lengthy rant about her racist beliefs and her efforts to "wake people up," according to a police affidavit released Monday.

On Thursday, the day after the vandalism in Norman was discovered, Johnson showed up at the police department there and asked to turn herself in, according to court records obtained by KOKH. During an interview with investigators, she "described in detail committing all of the acts that had occurred in Norman and Oklahoma City," police wrote. Detectives determined that her car, clothing and overall physical appearance all matched with the suspect whom they had identified in surveillance footage.

Johnson "said that her intention was to scare Jewish people" and anyone who wasn't white, the affidavit says.

In the newly released records, authorities in Norman also revealed for the first time that they had been fielding reports of "racial, religious, and ethnic threats" for four weeks. Written and spray-painted messages had been found at two churches, two public schools and two private homes, in addition to the arts center and the Democratic Party office, they wrote. Prosecutors have also said that the Junior League of Norman, a branch of the nonprofit service organization for women, was targeted.

"Every race but white will die . . . This WILL happen," said one of the messages that police discovered, according to the affidavit.

Johnson was arrested Thursday and booked into jail on $25,000 bond. On Monday, she was charged with felony and misdemeanor counts of malicious injury to property and misdemeanor malicious intimidation or harassment, court records show. Cleveland County District Attorney Greg Mashburn told local media outlets that prosecutors had weighed charging Johnson with making terroristic threats but ultimately decided not to because the law wouldn't apply in her case.

"We started there when looking at the charges. We went to the statute, but the statute says 'committing acts of violence to intimidate a civilian population,' and she did not really commit an act of violence to intimidate the population," Mashburn told the Norman Transcript. "Absolutely hate speech, absolutely a crime, but not necessarily a terroristic threat."

Mashburn also said that Johnson most likely will need to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. She is expected to face additional charges in Oklahoma County, where Oklahoma City is located, for the alleged vandalism. She has not acquired an attorney or entered a plea, according to the paper.

Local media outlets reported that Johnson seemed confused during a court hearing on Monday and had to be warned not to incriminate herself. After asking the judge to explain all the charges against her, she was told that she was being charged with one count of malicious intimidation after allegedly defacing the driveway of a home that belonged to two Native American men and targeting them based on their heritage. "That's just crazy," Johnson replied, according to the Oklahoman. "I just put a ... swastika ... "

Very little is known about Johnson, who attended the University of Central Oklahoma on and off for more than a decade before graduating with an English degree in the summer of 2006, according to the Transcript. Online court records indicate she has no prior criminal convictions in Oklahoma. Those records also show that a woman named Allison Johnson who lives in Cleveland County has faced legal action over unpaid rent, credit card bills and debts owed to an Oklahoma City-based credit union, with the first instance dating back to 2006.

A neighbor who asked to remain anonymous told the Oklahoman on Saturday that Johnson "has had a tough last few years," and expressed shock and disbelief about the alleged vandalism.

According to the Transcript, Johnson switched her political affiliation to the Republican Party in July 2018, after initially registering to vote as a Democrat.

The graffiti was widely condemned by politicians from both parties, and in Norman it disappeared within hours after volunteers showed up with bleach, scrubbing brushes and Pine-Sol. Richard McKown, a Norman-based artist who created the sculpture that was vandalized with swastikas, told the Oklahoman on Saturday that his priority had been making sure that the culprit didn't use his art "to spread these hateful ideas."

"In a certain sense you have to look at this and say, 'OK, there's an opportunity for some dialogue here,'" he said. "We're in this horrible time when everybody feels empowered to say the most horrible things and it's really destructive and it really doesn't matter if you're liberal or conservative. I see people misbehaving in ways that are heartbreaking."
Chelsea Manning's attempt to fight a grand-jury subpoena is frivolous, prosecutors argued Tuesday, and her claims that she has been illegally surveilled by the government are unsubstantiated.

The former Army intelligence analyst is in jail for refusing to testify about her decision in 2010 to share classified information with the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks and is appealing both the subpoena and her incarceration. Officials have confirmed that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been charged under seal in the Eastern District of Virginia.

"Manning has all but conceded that her refusal to answer questions before the grand jury has no legal footing," prosecutors wrote in a filing to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. "Manning has no non-frivolous basis for refusing to testify."

Manning has contended that she told the government all she could about her crime during her 2013 court-martial, but prosecutors disagree.

The government did not explicitly deny any surveillance but said there are other reasons to believe Manning has more to offer about her interactions with Assange.

"There are innumerable ways in which investigators can obtain prior statements without using electronic surveillance, notably in this case including from Internet chats that Manning participated in and that were introduced as evidence in her court-martial," they wrote. "Given Manning's high-profile conviction for leaking information, the Government had ample independent reasons - reasons having nothing to do with surveillance - to subpoena her for testimony."

Manning said during her court-martial that she alone made the decision to hand war logs and State Department cables to Assange. Her attorneys say that there is no reason to question her further, and so the subpoena is an abuse of the grand jury process.

If prosecutors think she has been inconsistent, it is because "the government has intercepted, misunderstood, and misattributed electronic communications," her lawyers wrote in a recent filing.

Prosecutors pushed back Tuesday, saying Manning's answers to questions before the military court were "limited." She offered details about her conduct while pleading guilty to some charges, but she did not take the stand in her own defense at trial. Military prosecutors disputed Manning's account of how extensively she had worked with Assange.

"To suggest that she has been questioned exhaustively is simply not true," prosecutors wrote Tuesday. But they did not elaborate on what they think Manning may have omitted.

Manning has been granted immunity from further prosecution based on her testimony by both the Department of Justice and the Army, and so cannot claim a constitutional right to avoid self-incrimination, prosecutors said in their Tuesday filings.

Assange is staying at Ecuador's Embassy in London under asylum; the charges against him remain sealed.
A pediatric medical research facility funded by a financial gift from the United Arab Emirates will open next year at the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center site in the District, officials announced Wednesday.

The facility, which will be affiliated with Children's National Medical Center, will open in 2020 on about 12 acres in Washington, D.C. The new Children's National Research and Innovation Campus will research rare childhood illnesses and host an outpatient clinic.

The campus will be supported by $30 million from the UAE - a gift that comes 10 years after the Arab nation gave $150 million to build the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, named for the nation's founding father, a few miles away at Children's National.

Kurt Newman, president and chief executive of Children's National, said the campus will be built in a region he called the "sweet spot of innovation," noting the proximity of the National Institutes of Health, the University of Maryland and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, among other institutions in the Washington area.

"This moves us down the line in a big way," he said. "It's an investment with a trusted partner."

The UAE funding comes almost a decade after the Walter Reed Army Medical Center closed its Washington, D.C., location and moved to Bethesda, Maryland, making way for massive redevelopment of the 66-acre site. The closure came after a 2007 Washington Post investigation found substandard living conditions for wounded troops in outpatient care.

Newman said Children's National secured 12 acres from the Army and will host researchers and companies focused on pediatric health.

"It really does feel like hallowed ground," he said. "I can't wait to get started."

The UAE gift was announced a day after Children's National said it would partner with Johnson & Johnson to build a 32,000-square-foot facility on the new campus called JLabs @ Washington, DC. In a collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services, JLabs will focus on medical responses to chemical, biological and nuclear threats, as well as infectious diseases.

The $30 million UAE donation comes at a time when representatives of foreign governments bearing gifts are sometimes greeted with suspicion.

Six months ago, as the nation grappled with Russian meddling in the 2016 election, the slaying of Washington Post contributing columnist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate brought scrutiny to the Saudi $27 million influence machine - the amount it spent on U.S. lobbying in 2017, according to Justice Department filings. The UAE spent more than $21 million on lobbying that year.

UAE Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba said in an interview that the donation shouldn't be viewed as a lobbying effort.

"If you just look at it as, 'Oh, you're doing it for a tactical political reason,' you would miss the point of what we're doing," he said. "You'd miss the point of who we are."

Otaiba called the donation part of the evolution of a decade-long relationship between his nation and Children's National, saying that up to 150 Emirati children are treated at the hospital each year.

He also pointed to the UAE's philanthropy elsewhere in the United States, including a $50 million gift to Johns Hopkins last year for a stroke research institute.

"The relationship exists," he said. "These guys have been looking after us - after our kids - forever."

Jon Alterman, senior vice president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, said the gift "fits into" Otaiba's attempts to raise the UAE's profile since his arrival in Washington a decade ago. (The UAE is also a CSIS donor.)

"They're certainly interested in being visible in Washington philanthropy," he said. "But I'm not sure how unique that is."

David Callahan, founder and editor of the website Inside Philanthropy, which seeks to make charitable giving more transparent, said an increase in the number of billionaires around the world has led to more foreign philanthropy in the United States in recent years.
Morgan County

Sheriff

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 James L. Hoots, 23, of 905 Crabtree Lane in Winchester was booked into the Morgan County jail at 3:50 a.m. Sunday on charges of driving under the influence, improper lane use and driving an uninsured vehicle.

Jacksonville Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Morris E. Chrisman, 43, of 435 S. East St. was booked into the Morgan County jail at 11:52 a.m. Sunday on a charge of retail theft.

OTHER REPORTS

 A vehicle window was damaged between 8:30 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 a.m. Monday in the 800 block of Nottingham Lane, according to a report filed at 7:53 a.m. Monday.

 A vehicle was damaged overnight in the 200 block of West Douglas Avenue, according to a report filed at 11:03 a.m. Monday.



Pike County

Sheriff

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Stephanie M. Lestage, 33, of Pittsfield was arrested at 5:42 p.m. Sunday on charges of residential burglary and criminal damage to property.

 Colton T. Ruble, 24, of Pittsfield was arrested at 7:57 p.m. Sunday on a charge of criminal damage to property.

 Amber D. Yaste, 40, of Pittsfield was arrested at 5:42 p.m. Sunday on a charge of resisting, obstructing or disarming a peace officer.

 Marsha K. Allensworth, 40, of New Canton was arrested at 10:45 p.m. Saturday on a domestic battery charge.

 Crystal S. George, 38, of Hull was arrested at 3:11 p.m. Saturday on charges of theft and burglary.

 Dustin M. Christison, 34, of Barry was arrested at 3:25 p.m. Saturday on a methamphetamine possession charge.

 Roger E. Pace, 57, of Grafton was arrested at 10:38 p.m. Friday on charges of possession of methamphetamine with the intent to deliver and delivery of cannabis.

 Justice M. Gibson, 18, of New Canton was arrested at 7:01 p.m. April 2 on charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia and on a Pike County warrant to revoke or modify bail.

 Marc P. James, 31, of Pittsfield was arrested at 8:27 p.m. April 2 on a charge of driving under the influence.

 Sierra D. Sydney, 24, of Pearl was arrested at 7:01 p.m. April 2 on charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

 Joel A. Carlton, 35, of Pearl was arrested at 5:13 p.m. April 2 on a driving under the influence charge.

Compiled by David C.L. Bauer and Rosalind Essig
Common Ground: Talking About Belief, a panel on freedom of religion and beliefs, featured panelists representing different religions. The panelists consisted of a Hindu, a Christian, a Zen Buddhist, an Atheist and a Jew. Panelists answered questions about their own religions and beliefs at this panel Monday in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union. This event was a part of First Amendment Days 2019, which is a week-long celebration of the First Amendment put on by the Iowa State Daily and the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication.
Japan News-Yomiuri

Stand-alone photo: Mandala painting "Kasuga Deities on Deer," which has been recommended for designation as an important cultural property, will be shown at an exhibition held at Tokyo National Museum in Taito Ward, Tokyo. The event, titled "2019 Newly Designated National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties," is a part of the Tsumugu Project: Promoting, Restoring and Preserving the Beauty of Japan's Art, which is jointly organized by the Cultural Affairs Agency, the Imperial Household Agency and The Yomiuri Shimbun. About 40 works will be showcased.
You know it's springtime in West Virginia when the robins start singing and the tourists start screaming - happily, while riding giant rubber rafts down the New and Gauley rivers.

"These are two of the most intense whitewater runs in the country," says Skip Heater, owner of New & Gauley River Adventures.

While both rivers offer world-class whitewater, they have different personalities, says Jo-Beth Stamm, a river guide with Adventures on the Gorge. The Gauley, she says, is your leather-clad bad boy - wild and a little bit dangerous. The New River is the nice young man you'd bring home to Mama - reliable, wholesome fun.

"Which one you go on will depend on the conditions and what kind of challenge you're up for," Stamm says, adding that the Gauley is better for experienced paddlers, while the New River can be appropriate for first-timers. But for either river, you'll need to be in relatively good shape and not afraid of taking a dip in cold water.

"We try to keep you in the raft, but you will definitely get wet," Stamm says.

- - -

Gauley River

Steep, twisty and narrow, the Gauley River is one of the most intense stretches of whitewater in the world, packed with Class V (extremely difficult) rapids that have been given evocative names like Heaven Help You and Pure Screaming Hell.

Probably the most intense section of the river is the deceptively named Pillow Rock - a section that begins with a 30-foot drop, after which you'll paddle directly toward a house-size boulder, says PJ Stevenson, the marketing director of Adventures on the Gorge. Then you launch into another stomach-churning drop.

"It's 10 seconds of pure whitewater chaos," she says.

That is, assuming the Gauley is gushing when you're in town. In the springtime, the flow of the river varies from a trickle to a torrent, depending on how much water the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is releasing from the Summersville reservoir. The engineers announce their plans for the day every morning, and rafting companies can make predictions based on rainfall, Stevenson says.

"With the Gauley, you never really know what you're going to get," she says.

- - -

New River

You can always count on the New River for a heart-pumping ride in the spring, says Haynes Mansfield, marketing director of ACE Adventure Resort. That's because the New River is a broad, free-flowing river that reliably swells when the snow melts, turning it into "a giant roller coaster," he says.

"You get these massive standing waves that have the same curling structure as an ocean wave," Mansfield says. His favorite section of the river is a three-wave series known as Whale Rock. "You travel up the face of the wave, break through the foam pile and come through the other side right into another wave," Mansfield says.

Unlike the Gauley, the New River does offer calm, flat sections where you can take in the beauty and the history of the area, he says. In the spring, before the trees have fully unfurled their leaves, you can make out the foundations of old mining towns and soak in the delicate beauty of wildflower-dappled fields.

Both the New and the Gauley are great spring flings, Stamm says, but if she had to pick one, she'd go with the New River because it's fun, reliable and handsome.

"The New River Gorge is so lush and green and just unbelievably gorgeous," she says. "There's no better place to experience the spring."

- - -

Planning on making a splash?

Several companies offer spring whitewater rafting trips and lodging in West Virginia. Here are a few options:

- ACE Adventure Resort, 1 Concho Road, Oak Hill, W.Va. Whitewater trips from $79.

- Adventures on the Gorge, 219 Chestnutburg Road, Lansing, W.Va. Whitewater trips from $99.

- New & Gauley River Adventures, 185 Lansing-Edmond Road, Lansing, W.Va. Whitewater trips from $69.
GODFREY  A full budget was approved for Godfrey Township at last Wednesdays board meeting, with only one more meeting before its dissolution.

While the township approved its budget, the village is delaying action at least until early next month.

Instead, the Village Board, which also serves as the Township Board, approved a continuing resolution to allow the village to pay its bills until the new budget is approved.

Both village and township fiscal years run from April 1 to March 31.

After the approval of a referendum to abolish the township, it will officially dissolve in mid-May, with the village taking over its general assistance function. The county, which already handles much of the property tax-related duties, will assume all of that.

Township Supervisor Terry Seymour said he has been told that his last day will be Friday, May 17, and the village will take over the following Monday, May 20.

Two township employees have already been hired by the village  one in the Parks and Recreation Department, another in the Village Clerks Office.

However, the board approved a full budget of $269,694 for the township.

Last years village budget was $21.4 million, up from the previous year because of possible repairs to or the sale of the villages wastewater system. That sale has been approved but is still awaiting state approval.

McCormick said this years budget will be similar.

McCormick said the pending sale of the plant is probably not going to have much of an impact on this years budget.

Even though were going to get a windfall of money from the sale of the sewer, its going to take a super majority of the board of trustees, he said. Personally there are a few things I would like to see us use it on, one of those is doing some roadwork around town.

One concern is that legislation introduced in the Illinois General Assembly would require a referendum vote to sell a wastewater system.

However, McCormick said he hopes the sale is completed by the time the legislation is considered.

I heard its not going to the floor this Spring, but would come back in the fall, he said. By that time the deal should be through.

In November Godfrey voters approved dissolving the township 4,947 to 2,946. The dissolution of Godfrey Township had been touted by supporters as a way to save money and eliminate an unnecessary level of government.

Townships have long been criticized as being unneeded, especially in urban areas. In the case of Godfrey, the township is coterminous, or has the same boundary, as the village.

Generally, the primary functions townships serve are road maintenance, assess property and provide public assistance programs, which can be taken over by other governmental agencies. In the case of Godfrey, the villages Street Department takes care of roads and the county deals with assessments.

The board had considered abolishing the township almost two decades ago.

Its been a really good experience for me to be part of Godfrey Township, Seymour said. Ive lived here since 1964 and I think its a great place to live.

Reach reporter Scott Cousins at 618-208-6447.
(Photo/Chinanews.com)

On April 8 local time, Sri Lanka opened the first phase of a southern railway line, which will significantly boost the traffic and economy in the island's south.

The 26.75-km railway extension connecting Matara and Beliatta was constructed by The China Railway Group 5 (CR5).

It boasts the highest designated speed in the country at 120 km per hour.

It is the first Sri Lankan railway project sponsored by a Chinese company, and also the first new railway in Sri Lanka in the past nine decades.

Wang Xu, the design team leader from CR5, said that with the railway completed, people from the southern part of the country can now take the train to Colombo, the capital city which lies on the west coast, as well as the inland Uva Province, the tea growing region.

The railway is expected to extend to the Hambantota district, forming a network of rail, air and sea transport, said Wang.
Christians the world over observe, rather than celebrate, Good Friday. One can celebrate joyful holy days such as Christmas and Easter, but the scourging, crowning with thorns and agonizingly slow death by crucifixion endured by Jesus on Good Friday are hardly a cause for celebration.

As a child, I asked my Catholic school teachers what was good about Good Friday, since Jesus was killed on that day. I was told that I asked too many questions, which probably meant that the nuns didnt know, either. Research I conducted as an adult introduced me to a variety of theories, such as Good Friday being an abbreviation of Gods Friday. Others believe that, in this context, good should be regarded as a synonym for holy.

I recall the Good Fridays of my childhood growing up in Alton as solemn and joyless. Making any kind of loud noise was forbidden. One was even expected to speak in a hushed tone. Any kind of levity, even among boisterous children, brought a swift reprimand. Jesus had died for our sins on Good Friday, we were told, and the least we could do was show our appreciation by behaving like proper little penitents.

My exit from Catholicism as a teenager meant that Good Friday lost much of its meaning for me. My two decades as a Unitarian Universalist didnt restore its significance. Jesus dying for our sins is absent from the theology of that denomination.

Some years ago, however, I discovered a poem by Thomas Hardy titled Unkept Good Fridays, which placed Good Friday in an entirely new light for me. The poem in no way denigrates this holy days significance. Indeed, it serves to enhance it.

The New Testament bears grim witness to the ordeal endured by Jesus on Good Friday. The poem notes, however:

There are many more Good Fridays

Than this, if we but knew

The names, and could relate them.

Hardy challenges us to think about all who have run afoul of the powers-that-be over the centuries and suffered persecution  even death. Harding calls them nameless Christs, but not to suggest they possessed divinity. Rather, like Jesus, their virtues wrought their end. They were put to death not for crimes they had committed but for virtues they possessed.

Jesus made enemies when he denounced the Pharisees and Sadducees for their hypocrisy. Matthew 23:27 records Jesus characterizing members of those two religious factions as whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead mens bones and of all uncleanness. Jesus words surely enraged the Pharisees and Sadducees. Numbers 19:16 states that anyone who touches a dead body, or the bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean for seven days. Jesus accused them of being like tombs full of bones. Speaking truth to power is always fraught with danger.

Perhaps the nameless Christs to whom Hardy alluded also challenged abuses by the religious establishments of their nations. Nameless Christs through the ages have denounced oppression perpetrated by the regimes that governed their nations as well. And they undoubtedly suffered for their candor. In Unkept Good Fridays, Hardy wrote that these nameless Christs bore days of bonds and burning/ With no man to their friend.

Hardy observed that the suffering of these men whom rulers slew are unpenned and, therefore, lost to history. No evangelist recorded their anguish. No historian recounted their courage. But their cries for justice werent in vain. An act of courage is never futile. A demonstration of defiance is never pointless.

No day of remembrance commemorates the deaths of the nameless Christs. Why not honor them on Good Friday? The God who hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree (Luke 1:52) would surely be pleased.

John J. Dunphys latest book, Unsung Heroes of the Dachau Trials, includes interviews with men who served in the U.S. Army 7708 War Crimes Group.
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Columns are hyper-specific to opinion and are written by only columnists employed by the Iowa State Daily. Columnists are unique because they have a specific writing day and only publish on those writing days. Each column undergoes a thorough editing process ensuring the integrity of the writer, and their claim is maintained while remaining research-based and respectful. Columns may be submitted from community members. These are labelled as Guest Columns. These contain similar research-based content and need to be at least 400 words in length. The following requirements should be met: first and last name, email and relation or position to Iowa State. Emails must be tied to the submitted guest column or it will not be accepted or published. Pseudonyms are prohibited and the writer will be banned from submissions.

Read our full Opinion Policies here. Updated on 10/7/2020
London to New York in less than an hour? Yes it is possible thanks to the work of scientists at Reaction Engines who have brought hypersonic trans-Atlantic jet travel a step closer.

The Oxfordshire-based company built a testing facility on the ground in Colorado and used a General Electric J79 turbojet engine to replicate the conditions that the vehicle will experience at hypersonic speeds. Their researchers have successfully worked out how to stop the engine melting at 2,500mph.

The next challenge is to make the technology tested at Mach 5.5 (4,200mph/6,800kph). If successful it will change the face of long-haul travel.

The firm hopes to make a reusable vehicle that would combine the fuel efficiency of a jet engine with the power and speed of a rocket. Reaction envisages an aircraft that could travel the distance between New York and London in less than an hour  or, at even faster speeds, take people or payloads into space and back to Earth.

The new experimental engine would be called SABRE  Synergetic Air Breathing Rocket Engine  and would work like an air breathing rocket engine.

From take-off to Mach 5.5 (4,219.98 miles per hour which is 5.5 times faster than the speed of sound), the SABRE would draw oxygen from the atmosphere where it would be ignited in a rocket combustion chamber alongside stored liquid hydrogen.

It would then switch to burning liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen from on-board fuel tanks, allowing it to reach 25 times the speed of sound to enter space.

It can currently cool air from 420 degrees Celsius to room temperature in one-20th of a second.

This is a hugely significant milestone which has seen Reaction Engines proprietary pre-cooler technology achieve unparalleled heat transfer performance, said chief executive Mark Thomas.

Mark Thomas, the Reaction Engines chief executive, told The Times: If you can pull it off, its a game changer. It kicks conventional rocket engines into touch.

Further testing of the companys Sabre engine is due to take place in Buckinghamshire later this year.
Namakera MiningCompany Limited is a mining company located in Eastern Uganda near the towns ofMbale and Tororo, approx. 190 km from the Uganda capital, Kampala and close tothe border with Kenya. The Namekara Vermiculite deposit is hosted in the BukusuComplex, one of a number of Carbonatites in the Uganda/Kenya border area andthe only one known to host commercially viable vermiculite. Namekara is theregistered holder of Mining License ML 4651, upon which it operates theNamakera Vermiculite Mine and conducts exploration activities on the BusumbuPhosphate Project. Namekara is also the registered holder of ExplorationLicense EL 1534 that covers the majority of the Bukusu Complex and which isalso considered prospective for vermiculite, phosphate, copper, iron, zirconand rare earths mineralisation.
Liaise with the Livelihood and BusinessTraining Team Leader for all decisions related to Business Skill learninggroups, entrepreneurship activities, VSLAs and livelihoods, and carry outother duties as may be assigned.
Cesvi is an ItalianInternational Non-governmental Organisation (INGO) which currently operates inLango and Agogo districts. In Lango area, Cesvi is working on the reconstructionand rehabilitation of infrastructures, such as roads, wells and lactrines withthe direct involvement of local communities. Other activities in this area arerelated to the increase of productivity, production and commercialization ofagricultural products, by improving agricultural techniques and distributingseeds and farm tools. In Agago district, Cesvi is involved in the promotion ofsocial stability through the improvement of land security for the mostvulnerable members of the local communities.
Westerly, RI (02891)

Today

Partly cloudy this morning, then becoming cloudy during the afternoon. High 49F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Overcast with rain showers at times. Low 47F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
More than two-thirds of people would have second thoughts about dating someone in debt, new research claims.

Nearly three quarters of women said they'd think twice about someone if they debts, compared to 69 per cent of men.

Overall, 65 per cent of those surveyed said they'd reconsider a romantic partner if they were in debt, according to a survey by finance comparison website Finder.

Thumbs down: Could your debt be making you one of "The Undateables"? The Channel 4 series follows people with challenging conditions who are looking for love

Briton's reliance on debt is well-publicised. In January, a landmark report by the Trades Union Congress found that households were each more than 15,000 in debt, excluding their mortgage.

Meanwhile, last week, data from the Office for National Statistics showed the percentage households saved in the last three months of 2018 was the ninth-lowest since records began in 1963.

According to the survey of 2,000 people, the least accepted type of debt in a potential partner is a payday loan.

Four in five respondents said they'd have second thoughts about dating someone who owed money to a payday lender.

Respondents also had less tolerance for the amount of debt owed to a payday lender than was the case with any other type of debt.

The average amount people would be comfortable for a partner to owe was 1,868, but 24 per cent wouldn't accept a single penny being owed.

Surprisingly, credit card debt was named as the second most undesirable form of arrears, as 78 per cent considered owing money on plastic a potential red flag.

More than half of respondents said any kind of debt would give them second-thoughts about dating someone, but student loan debt was seen as the most tolerable

Statistics from trade body UK Finance found UK card holders owed 67.3billion in January this year.

With over 60million credit cards in issue, the average card holder had 1,120 outstanding.

Among survey respondents, the average amount of credit card debt deemed unacceptable was nearly three times that - 3,242.

Current account overdrafts were considered slightly more acceptable, with 74 per cent saying that would be a barrier to dating someone.

Three quarters of female survey respondents considered debt a red flag in a potential date, higher than the percentage of male respondents

At the other end of the scale, 45 per cent of respondents said they didn't consider student loan debt to be an issue.

However, 43 per cent of those surveyed who were born after 1996 said they still considered student loan debt a red flag.

This is despite the fact that this generation are both more likely to have gone to university, and also to have done so after the tripling of tuition fees and the scrapping of maintenance grants.

A further 57 per cent of respondents in this age group also said mortgage debt would be a turn-off, one per cent more than millennial respondents.

On the whole though those in Generation Z were the most understanding generation.

Two in five didn't consider dating someone in debt to be an issue, compared to 74 per cent of those born before 1945 saying it would be.

The survey found that 82 per cent of the so-called Silent Generation even considered debts to family and friends to be an issue.

Those born before 1945 were the least tolerant of any debt, yet there were also some surprises. More respondents from Generation Z considered mortgage debt unacceptable than millennials, and 43% also said they'd have second thoughts about those with student loans

The same study was also carried out in the US, and found that while Americans were slightly less willing than British people to ignore a partner's debt  72 per cent versus 65 per cent  they would accept significantly higher amounts.

For example, US residents would tolerate an average of 9,640 in credit card debt, three times higher than the UK average.

Similarly, the accepted average for car loan debt of 5,646 in the UK, is eclipsed by the US average of 19,462.
It was another busy weekend on the streets of Europe. In Berlin, thousands demonstrated on Saturday against rising property rents which have doubled over the past 20 years.

The protesters want the government to take over the properties of Germany's biggest private landlords.

Berlin's marchers were joined by protesters in Frankfurt, Cologne and Munich, where rents are also rising faster than wages are growing. Some activists are so angry they are calling the sky-high rents the 'new class struggle' and are demanding a referendum on the housing issue.

On the march: The 'gilets jaunes' protesters were also out on parade again in Paris and in cities across the country at the weekend

In Turin, protesters were also out en masse, marching in favour of the controversial high-speed transalpine rail link between France and northern Italy.

The new link has been a bone of contention for years but is now causing big splits in the coalition government.

One member of the coalition, the League (LN) is for the project but the Five-Star Movement is implacably against, arguing that Italy should be spending the money on repairing its broken roads instead.

If Italy doesn't get going with the next stage by the end of the year, it could lose around 800 euro of EU funding. If the Italians pull out completely, they have been warned that France and the EU will press for damages, which the country can ill-afford.

In France, the 'gilets jaunes' protesters were also out on parade again in Paris and in cities across the country. It's the 21st week in a row that the yellow vests have been on the streets. Starting as a protest against rising fuel prices, the yellow vests groups now want 'social, fiscal and ecological justice' and for President Macron to promise economic reforms.

It's against this simmering backdrop that we should see the latest figures from Germany, showing exports falling to their lowest in a year, and that the country is close to tipping into recession.

This follows on from last week's drop in German industrial orders  down 8.4 per cent, the biggest fall for a decade. The slump in exports for February was far worse than forecast while imports saw the sharpest contraction in six months.

Europe's biggest powerhouse is running out of steam fast.

There are many factors to blame: the global slowdown in the car industry and the move to electric cars, Germany's car makers' own problems with diesel engines, the downturn in China's economy and trade wars between the US and China. Around one million jobs in Germany depend on exports to China.

There's also Brexit uncertainty to throw into the mix. Which is why the intervention yesterday by Germany's former European commissioner, Gunter Verheugen, calling on Brussels to rethink its hard line on the UK over Brexit is so fascinating.

He said: 'The problem is not on the British side. The problem is on the EU side.'

Verheugen makes the point that Brussels should offer the British some sort of 'co-decision' on trade policy. He appears to suggest the UK could be offered a new type of customs arrangement, one in which we could still be a rule-maker but also be outside the European Court of Justice.

It's a highly optimistic and ambitious option but could yet break the current deadlock. What's so important about the timing of his comments is that they may help Angela Merkel put pressure on Brussels, and Macron, to give more ground to the UK for a better deal over the backstop. With Germany teetering on the edge of recession, Merkel knows that a harsh break with the UK will have lasting damage on German industry and send shivers around an already shivering eurozone.

Theresa May would do well to watch Verheugen's TV interview ahead of her meetings with Macron in Paris and Merkel in Berlin later today to give her some confidence as she goes into battle.

She might also ask them how the protests are going.

What price Pinterest

Welcome to the brave new world. Pinterest, the US social media platform where users can share and discover photos of anything from flowers to fashion, is heading for the New York Stock Exchange later this spring with the ticker symbol of Pins.

It will have a price tag of around 8.7 billion, which although lower than previously hoped, is another mind-boggling valuation for a visual discovery engine which is still losing money.

But users love it: there are 265m active monthly users. So do advertisers: Pinterest saw a 60 per cent increase in ad revenue last year to $756m and rising. Anybody who has the nerve to take on Facebook has to be a good thing. Follow those Pins.
The jury in the fraud trial against four Barclays executives has been discharged.

John Varley, the bank's chief executive from 2004 to 2011, and three of his senior staff have been on trial since January over claims they illegally sweetened the deal for Qatari investors.

It was alleged that they funnelled 322m in secret payments to Qatar at the height of the financial crisis in June 2008.

Allegations: From left, Richard Boath, Roger Jenkins, Tom Kalaris and John Varley

The Middle Eastern investors were part of two rounds of fundraising, which brought in 11.8 billion of cash to shore up the bank and avoid a government bailout.

Varley, 63, dealmaker Roger Jenkins, 63, and fellow executives Richard Boath, 60, and Tom Kalaris, 63, deny fraud by false representation. Reporting restrictions are in place.

It is the first time a major bank's chief executive has been tried over actions taken during the financial crisis. The Serious Fraud Office, which prosecuted the case, alleges that the 322m in fees were side deals designed to induce the Qataris to invest, and that they were not fully disclosed to the market or other investors.

The trial had been taking place at Southwark Crown Court in London, before the judge discharged the jury yesterday.
A director at the training firm that employs high-flying Tory MP Johnny Mercer has been caught up in the scandal at collapsed savings company London Capital & Finance.

Stephen Jones sits on the board of The Crucial Group with Mercer, who is paid 85,000 a year for 20 hours work a month as a non-executive director.

Crucial is owned by Paul Careless, whose other firms earned fees of 58m selling LCF bonds to savers.

Black-tie event: Conservative MP Johnny Mercer, left, and Paul Careless, far right

And as well as sitting on the board of Crucial, Jones also runs a company which promoted these LCF investments. LCF went bust this year owing 237m to 11,500 people, and the Serious Fraud Office is investigating. Mercer, a former army officer, has insisted there is no connection between LCF and Crucial, which trains military veterans in cyber-security.

But the Mail can reveal Crucial director Jones worked with LCF.

The 48-year-old is a long-standing associate of Careless and has served on at least 16 boards with him, according to records filed at Companies House.

Jones is the sole director of a company owned by Careless called RP Digital Services that promoted the LCF bonds. RP runs Isa comparison websites that were used to promote the risky LCF products.

These sites touted LCF bonds offering returns as high as 8 per cent.

Until late last year, Jones was also on the board of a property firm linked to the scandal.

This company, View Property SPV5, was owned by Careless and his business associate Elten Barker. View Property SPV5 was set up to sell a property in the Isle of Wight owned by View Property Group, another firm owned by Careless where Jones is a director. View Property Group has been contacted about this proposed property deal  which never went ahead  by the SFO as it probes the collapse of LCF.

As well as co-owning View Property SPV5, Barker separately owned several companies that were handed LCF savers' money, including 12.1m that went to two firms developing resorts in Cape Verde.

These two firms were owned by Barker and Simon Hume-Kendall, who set up LCF.

Administrators have described these transactions as 'highly suspicious'.

Jones is also a director of Surge Air, which belongs to Careless and owned a 1.5m helicopter until last month.

Mercer and Jones declined to comment. A spokesman for Careless's companies said his firms did not handle client money and was not involved in decision about where to make investments. The businesses followed all regulations and fees they earned were in line with the industry standard, he said.

There is no suggestion Mercer knew anything about LCF or has done anything wrong.
A review into whether Huawei should be allowed to supply equipment for the UK's 5G mobile network faces more delays.

Ministers will have the final say on whether the Chinese telecom company's kit can be used amid fears of 'shoddy' security and potential spying by China.

A decision was originally expected in March or April this year, however, industry figures were later told to expect one in May. But now it is thought ministers may wait until the summer, with Whitehall security officials still divided and the Brexit crisis taking up government time. One source said: 'Politicians are going to be left to make the call, but there's only one thing they are concerned about at the moment and that is Brexit.'

Probe: Ministers will have the final say on whether Huawei's kit can be used amid fears of 'shoddy' security and potential spying by China

Last night a government spokesman insisted it was still expected to be completed by the end of next month.

The review of the telecoms supply chain was launched in November and is being led by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, with input from other branches of government such as the National Cyber Security Centre. The Government insists the review does not focus on any individual company.

Critics, however, claim Huawei's close relationship with the Chinese state could lead to its equipment being used for spying. It has also come under fire from security chiefs, who said its kit risked leaving serious vulnerabilities in Britain's phone and internet networks.

Huawei's UK boss Jerry Wang yesterday claimed his firm was the victim of a 'sustained campaign of ill-informed accusations'.
The corporate raider targeting Barclays has claimed the bank's new chairman lacks experience and will need his help to run the business.

Activist investor Edward Bramson said Nigel Higgins, a former top investment banker at Rothschild, has not spent enough time running big companies.

In comments likely to raise eyebrows at Barclays, 68-year-old Bramson said his expertise turning around other companies could help Higgins, 58, get to grips with his new job.

Talking tough: Activist investor Edward Bramson (pictured) said Nigel Higgins has not spent enough time running big companies

Bramson warned that the lender could be forced to raise billions of pounds more from investors  and even compared Barclays to struggling Deutsche Bank.

The raider  who has never been in charge of a bank before  is campaigning for investors to vote him onto Barclays' board as a non-executive director at the annual meeting next month.

In a letter to shareholders, his fund Sherborne Investors said Higgins 'appears to be limited to advisory or mergers and acquisitions work in a firm that is family-controlled'. The letter stated that Bramson 'would be able to offer support and advice in dealing with the capital, organisational, and other issues' Higgins will face.

Bramson also said that without radical cuts at its investment bank Barclays could be forced to raise billions more from its shareholders. He controls a 5.51 per cent stake in the bank through Sherborne Investors, and claims his expertise can transform its fortunes. But critics argue he has failed to set out a clear plan of action, and he is not expected to win enough support to get a seat.

Bramson is thought to favour deep cut at the investment bank and the closure of parts of its business. He claimed that Barclays is in a similar plight to Deutsche, which has seen its share price plummet and is struggling to turn a profit due to the weak eurozone economy.

'It should be a cautionary sign to the board that Barclays and Deutsche Bank have similar strategic weaknesses and have pursued similar product and customer strategies, resulting in revenue yields that are identical,' Bramson said.

The plans are strongly opposed by chief executive Jes Staley, who is determined to compete with Wall Street in the US and European investment banking.

But Bramson warned that the lender could see its credit rating downgraded unless it improves, making the cost of any fundraising more expensive. And he said poor performance in the division was behind a 24 per cent fall in Barclays' share price over the past year.

Sources close to Barclays said there was nothing new in Bramson's letter and that other shareholders' reaction to it had been muted. But the bank declined to comment.
James Bond can escape the stickiest of situations.

But Aston Martin, the British car maker which found fame through the 007 films, has been unable to pull itself out of a downward spiral since floating on the stock market last year.

The group's shares hit an all-time low yesterday, as brokers at Deutsche Bank said they expected Brexit-related uncertainty and volatility in the global car market to depress demand for its high-end vehicles.

Since Aston Martin debuted on the stock market last October, with an eye-watering price tag of more than 4 billion, its shares have skidded 48.3 per cent.

Yesterday alone they dipped 7.8 per cent, or 79.4p, to 936p, leaving the company worth just 2.3 billion.

Brokers also bruised over-50s specialist Saga. The holiday, insurance and investment services firm fell to a record low following a profit warning last week.

It cautioned investors that Brexit was pushing older Britons to scale back their travel plans, which was hurting the company's growth. The shares fell another 9.8 per cent, or 6.5p, to 60p yesterday as analysts at UBS pointed out the firm had cut profit expectations twice since it floated on the stock market in 2014, and has removed its medium-term guidance for earnings growth.

UBS also had a jibe at Saga's management, saying their track record of executing improvements is 'limited'. The broker slashed its target price for the stock from 150p to 65p.

But there were some bright spots on the FTSE 250.

Indivior, which makes drugs to treat heroin addiction, climbed after revealing data from two studies. The first showed that patients taking a higher dose of Indivior's once-monthly injection Sublocade had a better chance of abstaining from opioid use than those on a lower dose.

The second indicated Sublocade may reduce breathing problems caused by use of fentanyl, a highly potent drug sometimes added to heroin. Indivior's shares went up by 5.6 per cent, or 5.6p, to 104.75p.

The FTSE 100 index ended the day almost flat, just 0.1 per cent, or 5.02 points higher, at 7451.89 points.

Miner Anglo American led the way, as its copper chief Hennie Faul said new technologies being rolled out could boost productivity by up to 30 per cent. Shares crept up 1 per cent, or 22p, to 2206.5p.

Housebuilders Taylor Wimpey and Barratt Developments were also on the up as investors have cautiously begun to return to the Brexit-battered firms. On Friday, fund manager Neil Woodford said in a letter to investors that his portfolios  which include Barratt and Taylor Wimpey  were full of 'profoundly undervalued' companies. He argued that many UK stocks have been 'left behind' since the Brexit referendum, as investors steer clear of domestically-focused businesses.

Barratt climbed 0.6 per cent, or 3.8p, to 619.8p, while Taylor Wimpey was up 0.3 per cent, or 0.5p, to 184.5p.

Engineering stocks, however, took a hit after the world's largest plane maker Boeing announced production cuts following two deadly crashes.

CMC Markets analyst David Madden said this would lead to reduced demand for products manufactured by British firms such as Meggitt and Melrose.

Meggitt edged up 0.2 per cent, or 0.8p, to 527.6p. But Melrose slid by 2 per cent, or 3.8p, to 189p, and equipment rental firm Ashtead dipped by 0.9 per cent, or 19p, to 2014p.

Gold miner Centamin, which was given a bloody nose by investors over pay last year, clearly hadn't learned its lesson as 33.7 per cent of voting shareholders again revolted over directors' remuneration. Shares were up a marginal 0.2 per cent, or 0.18p, at 89.98p.
Tax flaw: Poorly paid workers lose Government payments into their pension pots due to the type of scheme their employer has chosen

Several million low paid workers are being deprived of pension cash paid to better off workers because solving it is not 'cost-effective', a minister has admitted.

Critics are demanding action over a tax flaw - dubbed a 'scandal' and a 'lottery' - which means some poorly paid staff lose government payments into their pension pots, depending on the type of scheme operated by their employer.

They missed out on an average 35 in the last tax year, but the Government expects this to rise to 65 in the current year.

That is 'a challenge' that no one has proposed an efficient way to sort out, according to City Minister John Glen.

'I would love to be able to do something about it.

'I don't know how to do it in a way that is cost effective,' he told MPs last week.

Glen said he didn't have the number of low paid workers who are affected at hand, but he has promised to supply the figure to the Work and Pensions Committee. See his full comments below.

Ex-Pensions Minister Steve Webb estimates the number losing out will rise from 1.22million in the last tax year to 1.75million - around three quarters of them women - based on HMRC figures provided under a Freedom of Information request.

Webb also estimates around 100,000 workers who were previously getting the Government pension cash will now lose it, due to a tax change that started on April 6.

What did City Minister John Glen tell MPs? 'The dilemma we've got is that if you look at the total amount of money we are talking here, which is about 100million, it costs about 10million - it would cost about 10million - to administer that,' he told MPs on the Work and Pensions Committee. 'And I am told that the average cost that is being missed out by those individuals, who I recognise are the poorest workers, is about 35 in this current year. 'So there is a challenge there in terms of how to spend money to deliver something that is less than 3 a month for those individuals in this year - it will rise next year. 'And I haven't yet seen a proposal from anyone who is raising this issue of how to do this in a way that would be efficient in terms of the cost of delivering it, and that is the rub of it. 'I would love to be able to do something about it. I don't know how to do it in a way that is cost effective.' John Glen's answer was the final one in a committee session which can be watched here. The Government's responses on this can be found below.

He believes most people won't notice the disappearance of Government money previously going into their pension pots - alongside their own and employer cash that will continue being paid.

It is not typically separated out or highlighted on payslips.

Workers who are taking a hit could lose a total 100million of pension tax relief in the 2019/2020 tax year, according to a Government estimate cited by Glen (see the box on the right).

The 10million figure relates to the cost of initial, one-off IT changes that would be needed to top up the pensions of those affected.

Webb says one way of fixing the tax flaw is for HMRC to adjust their tax codes to make up for their lost pension tax relief.

Another is to get employers to use the 'relief at source' system that means all workers would get tax relief, but would be less convenient for higher rate and additional rate taxpayers who would have to fill in annual tax returns to get Government pension top-ups.

However, they would still get their pension cash, unlike low earners who currently lose it for good.

'It is a scandal that so many low-paid and part-time workers are missing out on tax relief on their pension contributions, says Webb, who is now policy director at Royal London.

'This is the group that most needs a boost to their pension savings.

'These new figures suggest that the scale of the problem is much bigger than previously thought.

'It is simply not good enough for ministers to say that it is not cost-effective to deal with this problem.'

Paul Nowak, deputy general secretary of the TUC, who has called on the Government to fix the injustice, says: 'These figures show that even more low-paid workers than we thought are victims of this pensions tax lottery.'

'These workers  most of them women  are missing out on the government top up that was promised to all pension savers.

'It sends a terrible signal to those working hard and scrimping to put money aside for their old age.'

'We want the government to act urgently to ensure that all low earners receive tax relief regardless of which type of scheme they are in and without having to ask taxman for it for it.'

Why are some low earners losing pension top-ups? Low paid workers can miss out on up to 720 of government pension cash a year due to an obscure quirk of the tax system. This is because the Government has frozen the earnings threshold at which people are automatically enrolled into pensions at 10,000. Meanwhile, the personal allowance, the level at which people start to pay tax, has just risen from 11,850 to 12,500. Some people who earn between those two sums lose pension tax top-ups - but whether or not you miss out depends on the tax mechanism used by your work pension scheme. Most master trusts, which manage centralised funds for lots of employers at once, use a system called 'net pay' that is convenient for top-paid staff but penalises lower earners. Read more here.

Former Pensions Minister Ros Altmann, who has spearheaded the campaign to give all low earners the free pension cash received by other workers, says it is building into a big scandal.

'The evidence given on this issue is deeply disappointing. To suggest that the Government or the industry do not believe it is "cost effective" to help the lowest earners build better pensions is disgraceful.

'But it is symptomatic of all the replies I received all the way through my attempts to get people to take this issue seriously.

'Officials and fellow Ministers say its not a lot of money for each person, so they were not worried. But to each low earner, forcing them to pay an extra 25 per cent for their pensions is outrageous.

'I am disappointed that this seems to be about cost, rather than social justice. Either something is wrong, or it isnt and in this case it clearly is wrong.'

Lady Altmann added that it is not just a social justice issue but also one of gender discrimination, as most of those affected are women.

Why does an extra 65 pension cash a year matter?

The Government says the average sum being lost was 35 in the 2018/2019 tax year, but this is set to rise to 65 in the current year.

However, the maximum could be 720 a year for workers whose pay nudges 12,500, the new personal allowance which is the threshold below which you aren't liable for income tax.

Campaigners say it raises an issue of principle, because low paid workers are effectively paying 25 per cent more than better paid ones into pension pots.

Low-paid people are also urged to remain auto-enrolled into pensions because they will benefit from the free employer and Government cash being paid into their pots.

Give dukes and dustmen the same pension boost Ex-shadow minister Gregg McClymont warns the Government to play fair on top-ups here. 'Low-paid workers are being failed by a pensions lottery,' TUC boss Paul Nowak told This is Money here.

Yet most will be unaware they are being deprived of the latter due to a little-known quirk of the tax system and the type of pension scheme their employer has chosen on their behalf.

A probe by pension consultant Hymans Robertson last year found 14 out of the 17 top master trusts use the payment system which prevents low earners from getting government top-ups, while the rest pay them to all workers.

However, one of the 14 firms, NOW:Pensions, reimburses low-paid members their lost top-ups,

Meanwhile, an extra 65 a year could eventually build into a valuable pot for a low earner due to the compound effect of investing over long periods.

The low-paid pension savers who are affected do not pay income tax. However non-income tax payers - including children - are allowed to benefit from pension tax relief under the current system.

Proponents of this say it is an important incentive to get everyone, including the least well off, to save for their old age.

What does the Government say?

'We want people to be able to keep more of their hard-earned cash, and thats why weve increased the personal allowance, benefiting millions of people.

'From this month, everyone contributing to a pension at the minimum automatic enrolment rates should see an increase in their overall pay plus pension savings.'

'The Government continues to look at the current differences arising from the two processes for paying pensions tax relief and how it can best balance simplicity, fairness and practicality in the way pensions operate.'

The Government has also previously said on the issue: 'We are committed to helping people save for retirement and building on the success of automatic enrolment with 9.5million people now newly saving or saving more as a result.

'Both net pay and relief at source arrangements have advantages, with relief at source arrangements being particularly appropriate for lower earners  but ultimately is up to employers to decide what is most appropriate for their staff.

'NEST [the state-backed auto enrolment scheme], which now has over 6million members, operates a relief at source arrangement as do several other large schemes used for automatic enrolment.'

Low paid workers: Three quarters of those losing pension cash are women, according to official figures




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.

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On one of my many trips to the mid-century American oasis amid the typical British High Streets, that special place called John Simons, I found a really neat navy blazer that had all the right details: 3/2 button stance, undarted sack fit, patch pockets, two-button cuff, stitched edges, hook vent, and of course, natural shoulders. That was when I discovered Boston Tailor.

I loved the blazer not only for its incredible details, marveling that the item was not vintage but recently produced, but also for its solid construction. This was made to last. I was also struck by the name of the company, Tailor by Boston, because Im from Boston. I asked Paul Simons about the company, and he said he knew nothing about them, just that one day the owner walked into the shop with a sample of his work and told him he wanted to sell it there.

If I was not already intrigued because of the clothing, now I was on a mystery-story-style hunt to get to the bottom of where this jacket came from. I looked online and finally found an outdated webpage, mostly in Japanese, with a caricature of a man dressed in a sack suit proclaiming it was the home of Boston Clothier. Not Tailor by Boston, per se, but close enough. I emailed the address I found and a week later, heard back from owner Ken Yamamoto.

Mr. Yamamoto is the owner and master tailor behind both Boston Clothier and Tailor by Boston. He inherited the company from his father, also a Japanese master tailor, who started making suits for American GIs after the war. The following is our interview, which will be presented in two parts today and tomorrow.  TREVOR JONES

* * *

IS: When did you start your company?

KY: My fifth great-grandfather was the eldest son of Yoshidaya in the Kabuki performance, whose name was Kimura, and he appeared in the Yoshidaya Kabuki story in the 1600s in a Yukaku of Osaka. My grandfather grew up in Osaka and married the granddaughter of the founder of the Citizen Watch Company, and my father was born in Tokyo. When my father got older, he was in the business of selling watches, jewelry and glass to Americans after World War ll. After that, he was hired by a Chinese Shanghai tailor, Smiley Chang, at the officers club in the US Air Force base. After a while my father began Boston Tailor in 1952 for American customers. In 1970, we branched out into Aoyama, Tokyo. At that time, Boston Tailor had made many American contemporary suits for Soul and R&B dances in the Tokyo nightclub scene. We are still located at the Shibuya store, where weve been since 1979.

IS: Has it always been the Ivy League Look or have you done any other styles?

KY: My job is a tailor which is to make almost any kind of orders required by the customer. Most of the Japanese mods were also my customers as well. I studied sewing and the style of British tailoring by myself. The 1930s drape suit had a revival in Tokyo in the 1990s. Now that boom has left, which was the English straighter cut (including specially made front darts) of the drape suit could only be reproduced at Boston Tailor. After my generation, Japanese clothiers and customers began to have a keener eye for real clothes. Also, in the 1990s Japan was the world capital of real clothes and jeans. I think the construction of our coat is closer to more traditional UK tailoring, but the details are completely midcentury Ivy style, the same as from my fathers era. So our coats might look more authentic than other sack coats. Of course, all of our ready-made suits and coats are in the Ivy style of model number one sack coat.

IS: Why Ivy?

KY: My father took about 100,000 orders from Americans and made almost all kinds of styles, not just Ivy, from 1952 to 1986. Our best seller suit was the Ivy style, American Traditional model and the American Contemporary model at that period. Today, we continue to carry on that legacy.

IS: What do you like most about that specific style?

KY: The original model number one sack coat was the first coat created by mankind. As tailors, we have been challenged to create a better look than number one sack coat, but we couldnt. I think the number one sack coat model is already the perfectly completed coat style as a gentlemens garment.

IS: What is the difference between Boston Clothier and Tailor by Boston?

KY: Boston Tailor (Tailor by Boston) is a custom tailor who sticks to old-fashioned styles and ideas in Shibuya, Tokyo. At Boston Clothier, located at the front of Yokota US Air Force base in Tokyo, we offer ready-made sack coats, suits, and top coats, which is made by same tailoring process as Boston Tailor.

IS: You mentioned you started tailoring at 16, which is quite young. How did you get into the business?

KY: When I was a little boy, almost all the old tailors around me said they started tailoring at 13, since before World War ll. They often told me that if you want to be a good tailor, the younger you start the better you will be. I did as they told me and succeeded my family business. When I started tailoring, almost every day for the first few years, I just did alterations for the suits. Also during that same period I went to local night high school in Aoyama. Of course, I had man-to-man tailor patterning lessons from my father at the shop during the day. As I recall, I started cutting customers trousers from 17 and was taking shirt orders from 15. There are so many things to learn and practice to become a top tailor. For example, people often say if you want to be a world famous guitarist, you should start playing the guitar between 8 to 13 at the latest. Tailoring is almost the same.

IS: What wisdom or knowledge did your father impart to you?

KY: I was born and brought up as a tailor. Ever since I can remember, I was watching large-sized, American, Ivy style model number one sack coat being made and ordered at our shop during the 1960s. It was a memorable part of my childhood. It may be an old saying, but I watched and learned from my father, from his sincere work with customers.

IS: Besides your profession, how important are clothes to you?

KY: If I have to choose between clothes or food, I would choose clothes! It is the most important thing of human happiness, isnt it? There is proverb called (e-shoku-reisetu) from ancient China that says If you had plenty of good clothes and good food, it will help in developing ones good moral fibers. If I made it an English saying, it would be Well fed and good clothes equals well bred. And I want to add one thing about Japanese Kanji, or characters that come to us from Chinese. In Kanji,  means wealthy, but there is also an additional meaning of , which is having a plenty of clothes. Good clothes are associated with wealth and a good life. I understand these words deeply after watching many customers as a tailor for over 40 years.

Part Two

IS: Japanese consumers have a very keen eye when it comes to detail. Does that make your job harder?

KY: All clothing enthusiasts always want things made to exact specifications, I think Americans do as well. They want real clothes, like the way vintage clothes look, such as in old photos or old movies. Some people look for the wrong thing in clothing. For example, they just have keen eye for clothes without a single wrinkle, new and off the rack, which is just like industrial fast fashion. Besides that, as a tailor, I will try to follow and satisfy whatever my customer requests, even if it may be difficult. That is our work.

IS: What is the current state of Ivy in Japan?

KY: There are so many Ivy enthusiasts for several decades now, but I have never seen Ivy style in the street, so I do not feel I understand why it has come back and became popular now. But I would like to know more about the word Ivy in the US. Our American customers used to say, American Traditional Model for the Ivy League tailoring style  they did not even say word Ivy. I checked with our old retired employee, and even our former American employee, and they told me they did not use the word Ivy during the 1960s. They commonly used terms such as American Traditional, American Natural, or University Model, which also can be seen in 50s-70s American tailoring style books. It was difficult for our American customers to understand the meaning of Ivy at that time. I did not use Ivy either, I used American Traditional until the 1980s. Japanese often used to just say Ivy for any American Traditional clothes in the 1960s, but there was almost no real Ivy League Look in Japan. Actually, some Japanese might feel embarrassed now to say that they were Ivy in the 60s because it was the typical mistranslated Japanese Ivy look. It was not real and cool, as it was in those photos from GQ or other American fashion magazines. Its easy to imagine why Ivy died out shortly afterwards in Japan. Even though those Japanese Ivy wearers thought they were cool, in reality they werent. Today, even though customers order an Ivy style coat, as a tailor, Id still rather call it a sack coat because, in the textbook of 1920s American Tailoring, the coats are referred to as sack coats.

IS: Many Ivy enthusiasts feel territorial about the look. What do you have to say as someone who helps keep the look alive in another country?

KY: I just want to say that whole world loves good looking, old American styles  everything looks great! I guess to feel territorial about the look comes from the pride of ones own countrys history. To put it another way, even if a fully trained American plays Kabuki perfectly, we Japanese will have territorial or unsatisfactory feelings. However, I think many American Ivy enthusiasts would like our clothes. Our sack coat is made by following the inch scale from the old US and UK style of doing things, so American Ivy enthusiasts should not have bad feelings towards the details our coats. It was illegal to use the inch scale in Japan after World War ll, but because we took orders only for American customers, we did not follow that law. So, miraculously, we kept inch-scale tailoring in Japan. And as good as the details are, its more important to enjoy wearing them. Japanese tailors learned tailoring in the 1800s from English tailors. I assume English tailoring spread worldwide at that time as well, so tailoring in Japan should share some of the same roots as American tailoring. And the reason why it was possible to keep the look alive in another country was that we took orders of Ivy suits from Japanese Ivy enthusiasts up through the 90s, when the look was not popular anywhere and people had to order to Ivy clothes from us.

IS: I found out about you by seeing one of your sportcoats at John Simons in London. Do you sell anywhere else outside of your own shop? And what about the US?

KY: Ill think about it for the future, but Im not sure about the US market. I think that the US is too large to sell clothes from Japan. Since the world is becoming smaller, it might be a better idea for American customers to buy from John Simons in London, because they have accurate information about our garments in English.

IS: A big reason you have remained so under-the-radar is because you have shied away from media attention. Why is that?

KY: Its amazing; you read my mind! Certainly I would like to have a bigger profile, but on the other hand, I want to be independent. And I think the overload of information from the media has good and bad points. The good thing about remaining under-the-radar is it requires an effort from the person to find good clothes that you could never get by the power of money  you have to do some work. You see how the result of your effort in searching for good clothes lead you to our coats; you could not find us through any media. I used to often appear in the rugged Ivy issues of Free & Easy magazine, which I had sponsored and even wrote over seven pages in the tailoring issue. And I used to sponsor a culture magazine called Tokion from the first issue onwards for a couple of years. It was the first magazine in the world to be half in English and half in Japanese. Those magazines were often read in the US, and I am very glad to be known in the home country of American Ivy enthusiasts.

IS: What is the future of Ivy in Japan?

KY: It is going to become more popular in Japan. The sack coat looks very good on our Asian faces. Its like the Japanese Kimono, without front darts, easy waist shape and the natural-shoulder look. It looks just as good on us.

IS: And what does the future for your company look like?

KY: Companies like mine, still actively keeping alive old-fashioned tailoring, are becoming rarer worldwide. There are only few left doing the same thing. We are seeking chances to increase overseas customers, since the population is decreasing in Japan.

IS: Where can readers buy your items?

KY: J. Simons in London and Boston Tailor in Shibuya, Tokyo, as well as Boston Clothier in front of the Tokyo Yokota US Air Force Base. Boston Tailor is in the ShibuyaAoyama area, which is one of the most popular Tokyo sightseeing areas.
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With an eye on improving the environment for future generations, the Plymouth Township Council on Monday unanimously approved a Ready for 100 Renewable Energy resolution pledging to reduce energy usage and incorporate more renewable energy in coming years.

Ready for 100 is a national initiative of the Sierra Club aimed at encouraging local communities to commit to using 100 percent clean energy. Locally, Ready for 100 was championed by Bill Sabey, who serves as chairman of the Plymouth Township Environmental Advisory Board. Sabey has coordinated with local governing bodies in several other Montgomery County municipalities, including Whitemarsh Township, to see that similar resolutions were adopted.

You have a tremendous and exciting opportunity with this ordinance to make a difference, Sabey told the Council. You are not alone in making this commitment.

Plymouth Township is one of 116 communities to adopt the resolution and one of 15 in southeastern Pennsylvania, Sabey said.

The township is the sixth municipality in Montgomery County to adopt the resolution, he said, adding and were just getting started.

The three-page resolution outlines the townships commitment to using clean energy in its facilities and includes a pledge of 100 percent clean renewable electricity by 2035; 100 percent clean renewable energy when replacing heating system and transportation equipment by 2050; and a promise to incorporate the townships vehicle fleet to 100 percent renewable energy sources by 2030 where feasible.

Township Council Vice Chairman Christopher Manero said hes never seen anyone as passionate about an issue as Sabey is about making positive impacts on the environment.

This represents a vision for the township, Manero said. We at the local level can do our part.

Plymouth Township resident Brenda Murphy, who attended Mondays meeting with her two sons as part of a Boy Scout merit badge, applauded the township for its effort and said the timing of the resolution adoption coincided with the scouts sustainability lesson.

To help propel the effort forward, the Plymouth Township Environmental Advisory Board will provide guidance for commissioning a committee, task force, and/or consultant to draft an energy transition plan for achieving the goals outlined in the resolution by Earth Day in 2020 or sooner.

The Ready 100 resolution also outlines the need for collaboration with other Montgomery County energy leaders and participation in acquiring aggregated procurement contracts for regional wind and solar energy. It also calls for Plymouth Township to continually work toward implementing energy efficient improvements and call on the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to set a goal of 100 percent renewable energy no later than 2050.
NORRISTOWN  A Worcester man showed no emotion as a judge sent him to prison for at least a decade for sexually assaulting an underage girl on multiple occasions while she was in his company.

Abram Cornell Johnson, 35, of the 1400 block of North Wales Road, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court on Tuesday to 10-to-20-years in a state correctional facility in connection with multiple sexual assaults that occurred while the girl was in his company at various locations in Philadelphia and Montgomery County, including Plymouth, Elkins Park, and Whitemarsh.

The sentence was imposed by Judge Leonard N. Zito, a senior judge from Northampton County. An out-of-county judge was assigned to preside over the case because Johnson is known by a member of the Montgomery County bench.

In August 2018, Johnson pleaded guilty to charges of rape of a child, statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of a child and sexual assault in connection with incidents that occurred between 1998 and 2016 when the victim was between the ages of 4 and 22.

Johnson knew the girls family, according to testimony.

Beginning at a shockingly young age, shockingly, the defendant sexually assaulted a young childIts unimaginable. Its unfathomable. This was not an isolated occurrence, county Assistant District Attorney Brianna Ringwood said as she argued for a lengthy prison term for Johnson. There is not a part of her body that this man has not touched.

Defense lawyer Thomas C. Egan III, who represented Johnson at the sentencing hearing, asked the judge not to impose more than the 10-year mandatory term allowed under state law for the charge of rape of a child. Egan argued Johnson accepted culpability and is a loving father to his children.

Johnson, who previously lost a bid to withdraw his guilty plea, testified he is the married father of two young children and he told the judge a lengthy prison term would negatively affect his family.

Im an everyday father. Im in their life every day, Johnson told the judge.

Johnsons wife was not in the courtroom on Tuesday but he was supported in court by his father and a sister who described him as a caring and upstanding individual.

The victim, now 24, confronted Johnson in court and explained to the judge that the sexual assaults led her to be suicidal at a young age and to not trust adults.

I felt that was the only way of escaping the abuse, the victim testified as she described her suicide attempt. I was always scared. I truly believed everyone I encountered had negative intentions toward me.

During a powerful speech, the victims mother testified she felt sickened and repulsed by Johnsons conduct and said he slowly killed the spirit of my child.

You deserve no mitigation, none, zero, the victims mother dramatically addressed Johnson in court.

An investigation began in December 2016, when a woman reported to the Plymouth Township Police Department that she had been sexually assaulted by Johnson over the course of several years at various times while she was in his company.

The woman told detectives that at the age of 4 she resided in Philadelphia and that Johnson, who knew her family, sexually assaulted her and raped her on at least one occasion while he was at her home, according to the criminal complaint filed by Plymouth Detective Joseph LaPenta III.

The victim reported that between the ages of 6 and 14 she resided at another Philadelphia residence and that Johnson sexually assaulted her over a hundred times when he visited that residence during those years, court papers indicate.

The victim told detectives that when she was between the ages of 14 and 16 her family lived in Elkins Park and she said Johnson would figure out when no one would be home and visit her. The victim claimed Johnson also occasionally took her to his Blue Bell residence at that time and sexually assaulted her there, according to the arrest affidavit.

Other sexual assaults occurred while the victim was living at a Plymouth residence when she was between 16- and 18-years of age and later at her Whitemarsh residence, detectives alleged.

During the December 2016 investigation, the victim consented to an intercepted phone call with Johnson and prosecutors approved the wiretap after determining the victims consent was given freely and voluntarily, according to court documents. That recorded call between the victim and Johnson occurred on Dec. 15, 2016, court documents indicate.

During the conversation, Johnson admits to having sexual relations with (the victim) while she was a teenager, but later said the sexual assaults began when she was seven years of age, LaPenta alleged.

Johnson repeatedly apologizes for his actions during the entire conversation. Johnson goes on to state his past actions have done damage and admits to starting something and not stopping it, LaPenta alleged in the arrest affidavit.
Washington

Momentum is gaining in Washington for a privacy law that could sharply rein in the ability of the largest technology companies to collect and distribute people's personal data.

A national law, the first of its kind in the U.S., could allow people to see or prohibit the use of their data. Companies would need permission to release such information. If it takes effect, a law would also likely shrink Big Tech's profits from its lucrative business of making personal data available to advertisers so they can pinpoint specific consumers to target.

Behind the drive for a law is rising concern over private data being compromised or distributed by Facebook, Google and other tech giants that have earned riches from collecting and distributing consumer information. The industry traditionally has been lightly regulated and has resisted closer oversight as a threat to its culture of free-wheeling innovation.

Support for a privacy law is part of a broader effort by regulators and lawmakers to lessen the domination of companies like Facebook, Google and Amazon. Some, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democratic presidential candidate, called for the tech giants to be split up.

The Trump White House has said in the past that it could endorse a broad data privacy law.

The big tech companies have been nervously eyeing a tough privacy law taking effect next year in California. That measure will allow Californians to see the personal data being collected on them and where it's being distributed and to forbid the sale of it. With some exceptions, consumers could also request that their personal information be deleted entirely.

Whatever federal privacy law eventually emerges is expected to be less stringent than the California measure and to supersede it. As a result, the tech industry is trying to help shape any national restrictions.

"This is the first time ever that the industry wants legislation," said Jeffrey Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, a privacy advocacy group. "The industry is terrified."

On Tuesday, a House committee will press Google and Facebook executives about another urgent concern involving Big Tech: Whether they're doing enough to curb the spread of hate crimes and white nationalism through online platforms. The Judiciary Committee hearing follows a series of violent incidents fueled in part by online communication.

Facebook, used by 2-billion-plus people including more than 200 million in the U.S., has been a particular lightning rod for industry critics. Having had its reputation tarnished over data privacy lapses, a tide of hate speech and a spread of disinformation that allowed Russian agents to target propaganda campaigns, Facebook appears ready to embrace a national privacy law. Facebook's founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, published a column last month in the Washington Post calling for tighter regulations to protect consumer data, control harmful content and ensure election integrity and data portability.

"The internet," Zuckerberg wrote, "needs new rules."

Amazon says it has built its business on protecting people's information, "and we have been working with policymakers on how best to do that."

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"There is real momentum to develop baseline rules of the road for data protection," Google's chief privacy officer, Keith Enright, has said in a policy paper. "Google welcomes this and supports comprehensive, baseline privacy regulation."

A sweeping "privacy shield" law in the European Union, covering how tech companies handle personal data in the 28-country bloc, should be a model, Zuckerberg wrote. EU regulators recently fined Google $1.7 billion for freezing out rivals in the online ad business  their third penalty against the search giant in two years. The EU watchdogs also ordered Apple and Amazon to pay back taxes and fined Facebook for providing misleading information in its acquisition of WhatsApp.

On Monday, Britain unveiled plans to vastly increase government oversight of social media companies, with a watchdog that could fine executives or even ban companies that fail to block such content as terrorist propaganda and images of child abuse.

The entire debate cuts to the heart of Big Tech's hugely profitable commerce in online users' personal data. The companies gather vast data on what users read and like and leverage it to help advertisers target their messages to the individuals they want to reach. Facebook drew 99 percent of its revenue from advertising last year. For Google's parent Alphabet, it was 85 percent, according to Scott Kessler of the research firm CFRA.

Amazon, too, doesn't just sell products online; it provides ad space, too. The company doesn't say how much but has said that the "other" revenue in its financial reports is mainly from ads. Its "other" revenue topped $10 billion last year, more than double what it was in 2017.

The tech giants' problematic relationship with advertisers was spotlighted by action regulators took last month. The Department of Housing and Urban Development filed civil charges against Facebook, accusing it of allowing landlords and real estate brokers to exclude certain racial or ethnic groups from seeing ads for houses and apartments. Facebook could face penalties.

The company has separately agreed to overhaul its ad targeting system and end some of the practices noted by HUD to prevent discrimination in housing listings as well as credit and employment ads. That move was part of a settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union and other activists.
Altamont

Stewart's Shops may have decided to abandon plans to build a new store in Voorheesville, but plans to build a new store in Altamont are coming closer to fruition.

The Saratoga County convenience store chain is seeking a set of zoning variances to build a larger store at the intersection of Main Street and Altamont Boulevard, the site of its current 1980s-era store.

The plans are expected to be reviewed at 7 p.m. Tuesday by the village Zoning Board of Appeals.

In 2016, Stewart's acquired a property on Helderberg Avenue that is located adjacent to its existing location. The company plans to used the lot for a new store that will be 3,340 square feet, about 750 square feet larger than the current store.

The village board approved the rezoning of the adjacent parcel - known as 107-109 Helderberg Ave. - in December from residential to commercial, making way for the plan. The house located on Helderberg Avenue property will be torn down as part of the proposal.

Now Stewart's must get zoning law variances approved by the zoning board because it doesn't conform to village zoning regulations.

It also must get approval from the village planning board, which it first presented to back in January.

"We still need site plan approval," Stewart's spokeswoman Erica Komoroske said Tuesday. "It's the start of the approval process."

The effort by Stewart's to build a larger store in Altamont is part of a major push by the retailer to sell more "food-on-the-go" items, most of which the company makes itself at its manufacturing and distribution center in Greenfield outside of Saratoga Springs.

Stewart's uses the facility to stock its 335 stores in upstate New York and Vermont with everything from milk and eggs to ice cream, pre-made dinners, sandwiches and baked goods.

In January, Stewart's closed a store at 42 S. Main St. in Voorheesville after it couldn't get village approval of a larger location at the former Smith's Tavern location on Maple Street. Stewart's said it wouldn't keep the Main Street location open because it wasn't profitable enough and couldn't accommodate plans to sell more prepared food items like the Maple Street store would have.

"We wanted to offer a brand-new shop with more food-to-go options and gasoline to the Voorheesville community, but we simply couldn't get the approvals necessary to move forward," Stewart's President Gary Dake said in January. "This is not the outcome we wanted."

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Stewart's instead has directed Voorheesville residents to shop at the Altamont location, which is a 12-minute drive away.

Stewart's says it is spending $50 million in 2019 to build 18 new store buildings and expand others. Komoroske said the company tries to design its stores to fit in as much as possible with existing architecture and designs of the neighborhoods where it builds.

The rezoning of the Helderberg Avenue property was a political issue in the village trustee elections last month, according to the Altamont Enterprise.

The race involved two village board incumbents that had approved the zoning law change for Stewart's back in December.

Their challengers, Simon Litton and James Sullivan of the Altamont Community Party, campaigned on the idea that the rezoning was a mistake, according to the Enterprise.

The incumbents, Nicholas Fahrenkopf and Michelle Ganance, were re-elected.
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New York

Just last year, a kid in the market for an Uncle Milton ant farm could choose from a half dozen versions, including glow-in-the dark or an ant village. Now there are only three. Last year, there were 60 kinds of K'Nex construction sets on the market. This year there are 20.

A year after Toys R Us imploded, toy makers are still readjusting to the big loss of shelf space. That means slashing the number of styles they carry, re-evaluating how they sell large toys like playhouses and cars, and changing their packaging to squeeze into smaller retail spaces.

It's a jolt for toy companies. They had already been trying to reinvent themselves amid an onslaught of changes, including kids' evolving tastes toward gadgets, as well as the rise of Amazon and online shopping. They never expected the iconic chain to liquidate its 800 U.S. stores six months after it filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in 2017. Some companies depended on the chain for as much as 40 percent of overall sales.

A slew of retailers like Walmart, Target and Party City rushed to expand their toy aisles to capitalize on Toys R Us' demise, but toy companies say they aren't able to fill the void. The stores devoted big sections to toys year round and served as incubators of new trends. They also say that Toys R Us' massive orders of tens of thousands of units offset the cost of production.

All this has led to fewer options for kids.

"Maybe the world only needs one kind of ant farm, but in the day, you had a choice," said Jay Foreman, president and CEO of Basic Fun. The Boca Raton, Fla.-based company purchased the assets of Uncle Milton, which makes ant farms, along with K'Nex and Playhut, over the past year. He is now evaluating his overall lineup.

Many parents have taken note of the more limited options.

Stephen Desch of Keyport, N.J., said when his 3-year-old daughter wanted a crab-shaped sandbox, he found it at Toys R Us. But he can't find certain items now, like a plush toy inspired by the Jay character from the Netflix show "Beat Bugs."

"It's definitely annoying," Desch said.

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Vanessa Myers of Bristol, Va., cites too many choices in some categories, like light-up toys for the tub. But she does worry about the dwindling selection of dolls and bikes.

"I really want dolls that are diverse," in hair color and ethnicity, she said.

Toys R Us collapsed after racking up nearly $3 billion in revenue last year, or 12 percent of the U.S. toy market, according to market research group NPD Group Inc. Jim Silver, editor-in-chief of TTPM, an online toy review site, estimates that 40 percent of Toys R Us business wasn't scooped up. Even as the former investors of Toys R Us try to resurrect the business in the U.S. in time for the holidays, many expect it to be a shell of what it was.

The effort follows a 2 percent drop to $21.6 billion in toy sales for last year, with demand weakening during the second half of the year with the loss of Toys R Us. That reversed four straight years of sales growth, NPD says.

Mattel's annual sales last year fell 8 percent, reflecting a negative 6 percent impact from the toy retailer's liquidation. At Hasbro, annual sales dropped 12 percent, dragged down by the loss of Toys R Us. Mattel had been struggling for several years, but it had been starting to see a turnaround.
There's nothing wrong with "The Aftermath," but for one strange and nagging thing: To watch it is to want to be far away from its world and everyone in it. The movie draws a circle around itself that holds no attraction or appeal, though it's in every other way competent, well acted and reasonably intelligent.

Everyone in "The Aftermath" is depressed, and everyone has great reasons for it. It's not just the main characters that are depressed, but the bit players as well. And the extras, to the extent that they're playing characters  well, they're depressed, too. It's Hamburg, a few months after World War II, and people are living amid the ruins, hovering over trash can fires in the freezing cold.

Keira Knightley is a British colonel's wife, who arrives in Hamburg to be with him as he tries to tries to help the Germans survive the winter and rebuild. She's depressed because her 11-year-old son was killed during the Blitz, and three years later her marriage is a dead shell of politeness and unhealed wounds. The colonel (Jason Clarke) is depressed, too, for some of the same reasons, plus the fact that every day he has to deal with Nazi dead-enders doing terrorist strikes.

Actually, the Brits have it good compared to Stephen (Alexander Skarsgard), a wealthy architect. Not only was his wife killed by an Allied bomb, but he has to give his house to the British couple and live upstairs in the dark, dank rafters. He lives with his teenage daughter, and she's so unhappy that she's rebelling. How? By hanging out with the former Hitler Youth, who were angry before, and now they're worse.

So everything is lousy for everyone, and  this is the dramatically crucial part  no one can do much about it. This means there's not really anything for them to do, and not much for us to watch. We sympathize. We wish them well, but we would really prefer to slip into the theater next door to see what's playing on the next screen.

Knightley is at the center of the movie, but this is not the paragraph where we blame the whole thing on her. She remains, throughout, emotionally truthful and a worthy locus for audience sympathy. But there is an element missing in the character she plays  perhaps in its conception (Rhidian Brook wrote the novel) or in the screenplay or in director James Kent's choices: That missing element could be called vitality or life force or the possibility of joy.

Understandably, Kent or the screenwriters or Knightley herself might say to this, "Joy, huh? Well, that's idiotic. The woman's child is dead, and her marriage is as bad off as Hamburg's 1945 skyline. She has absolutely nothing to do all day. What does she have to be happy about? What opportunities are there to show that joy is even possible?"

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Fine. But to make us care that something is regained, we have to see the glimmers and flashes of what was lost. Otherwise, we're just faced with a protagonist that's either angry, lost or sad. We never know who she is or what she can be.

Of course, if "The Aftermath" were a movie about history, rather than an emotional drama set against a historical background, there might be something interesting here about post-war Germany, its atmosphere, its struggles, its slow way back.

But no, "The Aftermath" is not about that. The city's desolation is rather like a metaphor for the inner desolation of the characters. The movie is about the problems of three little people, whose lives don't amount to a hill of beans in a crazy world. But it's their lives all the same, and they have to live them.
ALBANY  A video clip from an Albany police officers body worn camera shows another cop miming oral sex as a Castleton woman is being detained by police, footage shared with the Times Union shows.

Brittany Kilcher, who has made a slew of allegations against multiple police agencies, said she was unjustly taken into custody on a mental health call in June last year after a confrontation between her and instructors of Albanys Citizens Police Academy.

In the video, an officer behind glass  who city police declined to identify  makes the lewd motion to another officer who was wearing a body camera as Kilcher sits handcuffed on a nearby bench. Kilcher can be heard saying, See? Clearly trying to antagonize me.

At the time, Kilcher said she thought officers were making fun of her for being crazy, but reviewing the body camera footage later, she was even more stunned.

The 25-year-old recently received a copy of the video following subpoenas ordering Albany police to release records as part of an October criminal matter. She provided the video to the Times Union.

That was really bothersome. Its almost scarier that he did that in a discreet manner, she said, noting that when the officer goes behind the desk the same cop who mimed oral sex asks his colleague if he got Kilchers phone number.

Albany police spokesperson Steve Smith said department officials are looking into the video, which they were alerted to following a Times Union inquiry into the matter.

Were just learning about it, and its currently under review, Smith said. The person who we believe is on the video is an officer who is currently out on medical leave.

Skip Dickstein

Footage of Kilcher being held in protective custody comes amid an alleged police brutality incident Albany officers were involved in on March 16 that was caught on officer-worn body cameras.

Officer Luke Deer has been charged with felony assault and misdemeanor criminal misconduct, while two other officers are suspended, including Officer Matthew Seeber. Police have refused to release the name of the third officer suspended.

Kilcher in December submitted a notice of claim, the precursor to a lawsuit, against Albany alleging she was a victim of false imprisonment, false arrest, false mental health arrest, malicious prosecution, and fraudulent charges, among other accusations.

In the notice, acquired by the Times Union through a Freedom of Information Law request, Kilcher alleges she was sexually harassed by an Albany officer as well as slandered and perjured by city police.

In the document, she claimed her irrational behavior that led to a criminal arrest by Albany police on Oct. 14 was triggered be her being drugged and brutally sexually assaulted. She was charged in that incident with two counts of felony assault for jumping on a patrol car and kicking an officer, according to the notice.

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Those charges were dropped to two counts of misdemeanor assault in November.

Kilcher previously filed a lawsuit against State Police saying she suffered assault, battery and false imprisonment in a July encounter with a trooper. She alleges her First Amendment rights were violated when the trooper allegedly used excessive force, including asking assisting officers to put her in handcuffs, to stop her from recording a traffic stop after a concert at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

She now tells the Times Union she isnt sure whether shell follow through with either lawsuit.

The naysayers think Im looking for a payday, Kilcher said. I just want to raise awareness and I want justice.

Since filing the notice of claim against the State Police, Kilcher said shes become a target for other law enforcement agencies, like Albany police. Two weeks after news broke that Kilcher planned to sue the state, she was arrested by city police.

Kilcher said shes considering a plea deal that would drop the charges against her if she successfully completes a year of probation and counseling, and abides by an order of protection for an Albany cop that she claims was harassing her.

She is due in city court Friday.

Once the year is up, Im moving very far out of this area, Kilcher said.
State forest rangers and local firefighters battled 22 wildfires across the state this past week, including three that burned nearly 30 acres in the Capital Region and another that killed a man in the Mohawk Valley, the state Department of Environmental Conservation said Tuesday.

High temperatures, low humidity and strong winds in the state's southern and eastern regions made for favorable wildfire conditions, the DEC said. A total of 72.6 acres were burned.

Nine of the fires were sparked by strong winds downing power lines, which ignited dry grass. Two wildfires were started when house fires spread to nearby woods. And eight others were the result of residents burning debris, in violation of the statewide burn ban, the DEC said. The agency did not give a cause for the remaining three fires.

The state's burn ban remains in effect until May 14. The agency said the open burning of debris is historically the largest single cause of spring wildfires in New York.

Saratoga, Washington county wildfires burns 12 acres

Saratoga County dispatchers asked for forest rangers help at 2:50 p.m. Wednesday, April 3, with a wildfire on Route 4 in Schuylerville.

The fire was burning a six-acre grass field near Lock 5 on the Hudson River and threatening one building, the DEC said. Lt. John Solan and Ranger Michael Bodnar arrived and worked with local volunteer firefighters to put out the fire.

The blaze was contained by 6 p.m. and the forest rangers rushed to another fast-moving wildfire on East Lake Road in Cossayuna, Washington County.

Solan and Bodnar, as well as rangers Logan Quinn and Nancy Ganswindt, worked with local volunteer firefighters to contain the six-acre Cossayuna blaze.

There was a high concentration of dry debris, and a home was nearby, DEC said. Rangers Joseph Hess and Anthony Goetke monitored the fire overnight, and it was extinguished entirely in the morning.

Schoharie County wildfire burns nearly 18 acres

Schoharie County 911 dispatchers called the DEC at 4:20 p.m. Wednesday, April 3, and asked if forest rangers could help with a wildfire in Blenheim.

The fire had started in an abandoned building on Cole Hollow Road, spread to a second building and then moved into the adjoining woods, the DEC said.

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Seven local fire departments  Blenheim, West Fulton, Jefferson, Middleburgh, Conesville, Cobleskill, and Grand Gorge  fought the blaze with four forest rangers. State Fire, the Schoharie County search-and-rescue team, Middleburgh EMS, State Police and the Schoharie County Sheriff's Office were also on scene.

The fire got within 10 feet of a third building but crews were able to save the structure. Local firefighters secured a perimeter around the 17.5-acre fire, while forest rangers put out hot spots until 10 p.m. The fire was declared extinguished the next day, the DEC said.

94-year-old man dies in Mohawk Valley fire

A forest ranger out on patrol at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 3, spotted smoke in Trenton, Oneida County. Flames had engulfed a building and spread to adjacent fields south of Route 365.

The ranger and three volunteer fire departments battled the six-acre wildfire, with other fire crews worked to extinguish the flames inside the building amid strong winds.

The blaze destroyed a house, barn and several outbuildings. The 94-year-old homeowner was rescued from the home but died, the DEC said. The agency said investigators believe the fire was sparked by an outdoor wood boiler.
Washington

Earth's glaciers are melting much faster than scientists thought. A new study shows they are losing 369 billion tons of snow and ice each year, more than half of that in North America.

The most comprehensive measurement of glaciers worldwide found that thousands of inland masses of snow compressed into ice are shrinking 18 percent faster than an international panel of scientists calculated in 2013.

The world's glaciers are shrinking five times faster now than they were in the 1960s. Their melt is accelerating due to climate change, and it's adding more water to already-rising seas, the study found.

"Over 30 years suddenly almost all regions started losing mass at the same time," said lead author Michael Zemp, director of the World Glacier Monitoring Service at the University of Zurich. "That's clearly climate change if you look at the global picture."

The glaciers shrinking fastest are in central Europe, the Caucasus region, western Canada, the U.S. lower 48 states, New Zealand and near the tropics. Glaciers in these places on average are losing more than 1 percent of their mass each year, according to a study published Monday in the journal Nature.

"In these regions, at the current glacier loss rate, the glaciers will not survive the century," Zemp said.

Zemp's team used ground and satellite measurements to look at 19,000 glaciers, far more than previous studies.

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Since 1961, the world has lost 10.6 trillion tons of ice and snow, the study found. That's enough to cover the lower 48 U.S. states in about 4 feet of ice.

Scientists have known for a long time that global warming caused by human activities like burning coal, gasoline and diesel for electricity and transportation is making Earth lose its ice. They have been especially concerned with the large ice sheets covering Greenland and Antarctica.

This study "is telling us there's much more to the story," said Mark Serreze, director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colo., who wasn't part of the study. "The influence of glaciers on sea level is bigger than we thought."

The new figures show glacier melt is a bigger contributor to rising sea levels than previously thought, responsible for about 25 percent to 30 percent of the yearly rise in oceans, Zemp said.

Rising seas threaten coastal cities around the world and put more people at risk of flooding during storms.
HALFMOON  The body of a 29-year-old Ballston Spa man and the pickup truck he was driving were recovered Tuesday afternoon from the Mohawk River off Terminal Road, Saratoga County Undersheriff Richard Castle said.

Castle identified the man as Daniel Desnoyers.

More Information Warning signs of suicide: Talking about wanting to die

Looking for a way to kill oneself

Talking about feeling hopeless or having no purpose

Talking about feeling trapped or in unbearable pain

Talking about being a burden to others

Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs

Acting anxious, agitated, or recklessly

Sleeping too little or too much

Withdrawing or feeling isolated

Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge

Displaying extreme mood swings

Giving away meaningful possessions

Making final arrangements What to do: Listen and acknowledge the person's emotions

Ask about suicidal thoughts: "Some people in your situation have thought about suicide. Have you? Are you now?"

Do not leave the person alone

Remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs, or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt

Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Take the person to an emergency room, or seek help from a medical or mental health professional Access free resources: National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) or chat online

Crisis Chat, a national suicide prevention organization that offers online support and crisis intervention: crisischat.org

Albany County Department of Mental Health: 518-447-4555

Albany County Department for Children, Youth and Families, which offers crisis assessment, triage, ongoing counseling and emergency on-call access: 518-477-4550

Capital District Psychiatric Center, which offers 24-hour emergency mental health assessment: 518-549-6500

Child and Adolescent Mobile Crisis Team, which responds to calls in Albany, Rensselaer and Schenectady counties: 518-447-4550 or 518-549-6500

Community Hospice / Wave Riders, which offers support groups, camps and activities for kids and teens dealing with all types of grief and loss: 518-724-0200

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, which offers survivor-to-survivor peer mentorship, post-suicide family support in-home and support groups throughout the Capital Region: 518-791-1544, afsp.org/capitalregionny See More Collapse

The man drove his pickup truck into the river on Tuesday around 11:30 a.m., police said. Investigators believe he died after the vehicle sank. The truck and body were pulled from the water at about 3:10 p.m.

Castle said they believe Desnoyers did this intentionally and that it "was not accidental."

People who knew the man were at the scene, which remained closed off for several hours as law enforcement agencies and fire departments worked.

Castle said divers knew where the car was but rain and wind made it difficult to recover.

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"There is zero visibility on the bottom of the river this time of year," the undersheriff said. "And there is a strong current as well."

Terminal Road, which drops off into the river, is a public area people often use for fishing, Castle said.

The area, which is near the northern end of the Crescent Bridge, has had similar incidents before, most recently in October 2017 when another body and submerged car was recovered.

"It's a public access waterfront and we want to keep it open to the public," Castle said. "However we have had discussions with the state in the past, and we will continue to have discussions with them, about putting up some type of barrier from preventing this from happening, whether it is intentional or accidental, in the future."
TROY  Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is facing a pair of protests this month, from current students who belong to fraternities and sororities, and from alumni who want changes in how leaders of a key association are elected.

The March Against Deferred Recruitment, is set for 4 p.m. Friday on sidewalks adjacent to the RPI campus. Marchers are protesting the schools plans to make freshmen wait until the second semester rather than first semester to join Greek organizations.

Members of fraternities and sororities say this makes it more difficult to recruit members and could cost them more than $1 million a year.

The recruitment period was pushed back as part of a crackdown on Greek houses last year which President Shirley Jackson said was prompted by several instances of alcohol abuse and sexual assaults in Greek houses. Members of the fraternities and sororities, though, have said those problems were the exception not the rule.

Organizers of the march, who have remained anonymous under the heading SaveGreekLife.XYS, say they represent 14 Greek organizations as well as alumni. They plan to stay on the sidewalk outside the student union  which is a reference to a 2018 protest in which campus police halted students from giving out fliers on a sidewalk outside the schools Houston Field House. Campus police at the time said they had authority over those sidewalks.

As well as seeking to reverse the recruitment delays and what they say are overly punitive sanctions for violations of rules, they also want students in the Summer Arch program to be allowed to live in Greek housing.

The Summer Arch program requires that students stay on campus the summer after sophomore year and take courses. Then, as juniors, they spend a semester pursuing work-related projects such as internships.

The Greek houses, though, maintain, that by keeping students out of fraternities and sororities during Summer Arch, theyre being deprived of revenue. They also say Greek housing is less costly for students.

Living on-campus is more expensive than living within Greek houses and the program will reduce Greek housing and dues revenue by as much as 30 percent, according to SaveGreekLife.xyz.

As Greek organizations prepare to protest, a new interim slate of the approximately 100,000-member Rensselaer Alumni Association has taken control of the group and is calling for changes in their bylaws.

The interim leadership slate, affiliated with the Renew Rensselaer group, was elected in March when a number of alumni showed up to vote during a special meeting which was scheduled after a petition.

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The bylaws were not being followed, said one of Renew Rensselaers members, Peter Vanderzee. One of the main changes they are seeking is to run future elections for the entire membership. The Renew group contends that earlier leadership elections were improper.

One example, he said, was a change made on the spot in December when the number of signatures required for a special meeting was increased from 100 to 10,000.

RPI officials did not respond to an email on Tuesday.

Instead of having board members select their successors, Vanderzee says their group wants to conduct mass votes among the membership, which could be carried out by mail or email.

rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU
TROY  Though the Rensselaer County Sheriffs Office has turned over two inmates to federal officials since joining the controversial program last year to check jail inmates immigration status, Sheriff Patrick Russo said he'll be renewing the agreement.

The jail has two guards trained and assigned to check that status. But they only check from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday when theyre working their shifts. Since September, theyve found two inmates with immigration holds, according to jail records.

Russo shrugs off the low number as easily as he does the complaints that erupted last year when he jumped into the 287(g) program and signed up with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to train two corrections officers and obtain computer access to check for immigration holds.

We havent had a lot of business. I see it as two criminals who arent out on the street. Its about public safety, said Russo, a Republican who is running unopposed for re-election to a second term in November.

Russo said he intends to sign a new contract with ICE when the current agreement expires in June. Undersheriff Ed Bly said the sheriffs office is waiting to hear from ICE about renewing the contract.

The 287(g) program doesnt bring in any added revenue to the county, whose 473-bed jail is nearly 40 percent empty on any given day, Russo said. Opponents of the program said that was one of the sheriffs main selling points.

All the county gets is the $91 for each of the 109 to 130 federal inmates it houses daily, according to jail occupancy reports filed with the state Division of Criminal Justice Services.

Rensselaer County is the only county in New York that participates in the 287(g) program. And its just one of 68 counties out of 3,142 nationwide that signed up.

The county officers check to see if ICE has an immigration hold on an inmate. If there is a hold, then ICE is notified about the inmates release date to take the prisoner into custody. The sheriffs office policy is not to hold an inmate past his release date.

A year ago when Russos intentions to join the program became known it drew opposition from the Democratic members of the county Legislature and some outrage that the county was making immigrants feel uneasy. Concerns were expressed that instead of being inclusive the county was driving a wedge into the community.

The jail has been a steady source of revenue for the county, but as other counties expanded their facilities those inmates were no longer sent to Rensselaer County to be locked up. Now, federal prisoners account for about one-third of the jails daily population, the same as they did before the county signed up for 287(g).

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Its not a revenue generator. We dont have problems with law enforcement with regard to immigrant in this county. We dont have a need in Rensselaer County, said Deputy Minority Leader Cindy Doran, D-Troy.

Russos involvement in the program, which helped pave the way to a White House meeting with President Donald Trump and a photo op with Vice President Mike Pence, is criticized by civil libertarians.

Its a real departure from his job. Thats taking care of the inmates and making sure the jails run responsibly, said Melanie Trimble, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union Capital Region in Albany.

What is the intent of this program if its not for a revenue stream? said Trimble.

Trimble said Russo hasnt been transparent about the nature of the program and its impact. She said the sheriff has failed to form a community advisory group to discuss 287(g) as he is required to under the terms of the contract with ICE.

Russo said his office has a year from when the checking began to seek community advice. The sheriff said the criticisms have come from a small group of people and from organizations headquartered outside the county.

I dont think I got 20 people that bashed it. People like it in Rensselaer County, the sheriff said.
CATSKILL - A state prisoner who strangled his cellmate inside their locked cell at the Greene Correctional Facility was arraigned on a murder charge Tuesday morning, Greene County District Attorney Joseph Stanzione said.

Anthony Paradise, 40, is accused of killing Delmus Tanner, 38, during a Nov. 9 attack inside the cell they shared at the prison in Coxsackie.

Stanzione said other prisoners on the tier alerted correction officers about the commotion but Tanner was already unconscious when staff arrived.

He was taken to Albany Medical Center where he died Nov. 13.

Paradise and Tanner arrived at the prison in October after both were brought in from a facility in Washington County, the district attorney said.

Stanzione said investigators are still trying to determine what triggered the attack. "We don't have a reason at this point," he said.

Paradise was sent back to state prison after his appearance in county court Tuesday morning. According to the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, Paradise is being held at Upstate Correctional Facility in Malone.

When the killing occurred, Paradise was about two years away from his first parole hearing in connection with the robbery conviction that initially put him in prison.

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Paradise, of Orlean County, was arrested in Saratoga Springs just hours after he robbed a bank in late 2017 on Broadway.

Sentenced to a term of 1 1/3 to 4 years in prison, Paradise arrived in state prison in 2018. He was eligible for parole in 2020, state records show.

Tanner was serving a 5-year sentence for attempted drug sale.
ALBANY  An $840 million deal renewing New York's controversial film and television tax credit for two years was quietly tucked into the state budget last week.

Launched in 2004 as a 10 percent refundable credit on "below the line" production costs with a modest price tag of $25 million, the program has evolved to a $420 million recurring budget commitment for a credit that has tripled in size. It is far and away the state's most expensive tax credit targeted to a specific industry.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, Democratic lawmakers and the film industry claim the credit is worthwhile because of the economic activity it generates. Fiscal experts across the ideological spectrum counter that New York isn't getting a good return on its investment and is subsidizing some productions that would film here without an incentive.

The program wasn't set to expire until 2022, and was essentially left out of the conversation surrounding this year's budget  until a two-year extension was quietly added to the final agreement.

"In the last hours of the budget debate, when the revenue bill came out ... there it was in there," said Sen. Liz Krueger, a Manhattan Democrat and chair of the chamber's Finance Committee.

"I have to assume the only one who would have put it in was the governor at that late date," Krueger said. "It was not either (legislative) house that felt the need to put this in at the last minute."

The governor's office would not respond to a question about how the credit ended up in the budget.

The extension of the credit wasn't part of Cuomo's initial budget proposal, and the only overt push came from a coalition of industry professionals and labor unions. It was Krueger's understanding that studios with television shows in New York were "anxious about the continuation" and were looking for assurances that the credit would remain available.

Support from labor unions likely played a key role in driving the late addition, according to Sen. Robert Ortt, a Buffalo-area Republican.

He said Democratic lawmakers, particular in New York City, don't want to become political targets for unions such as the Teamsters that represents workers in the production trades. "I have no doubt that plays a large role in why the credit stuck around," Ortt said.

The Teamsters did not respond to a request for comment.

The extension was also likely driven by the drawn-out process in which the credit is collected, as productions typically don't reap the benefit of the program until years after filming wraps. David Friedf of the progressive Citizens Budget Commission said the process is tantamount to the state "kicking the can down the road."

"They want to be able to give away more than $420 million a year, so they pull down from future years," Friedfel said.

With less than two weeks before the budget was due, Cuomo actually hinted at his willingness to eliminate the credit if it was pitted against education funding  but the remark was largely seen as a jab at Senate Democrats who had resisted the governor's rich incentive package to lure Amazon to build its new headquarters in Queens.

Krueger said the comment was an attempt to "dare" Senate Democrats to publicly oppose the credit, as many had voiced their opposition to the Amazon deal, which fell apart in February in the face of resistance from local politicians.

Krueger said research shows the credit produces new jobs on an ongoing basis.

Ultimately, Democrats in both legislative houses signed off on the renewal, despite facing tough questioning from their colleagues across the aisle.

Assemblyman Kieran Michael Lalor, a Dutchess County Republican, pointed out that the credit ends up completing eliminating the tax liability for some projects.

"We end up cutting them a check," Lalor said. "We cut Hollywood filmmakers a check out of the pocket of the taxpayers."

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And despite claims about job creation from proponents, Lalor and fiscal watchdogs say the benefits aren't truly understood because of limited reporting requirements. For instance, the program is credited with creating a job even if it's just for one day on a production.

"It's a big nut, $420 million  we should know what we're getting for it," Lalor said during the debate.

He also questioned whether it made sense to subsidize productions that existed in New York before the credit was created.

"We give (NBC's 'Saturday Night Live') $15 million to $17 million to film in New York," Lalor said. "It was never going to be 'Live from Vancouver.'"

Friedfel said there might have been a time when the credit made sense, such as when New York was attempting to build up its film and TV production businesses. He noted that existing studios in New York City were able to expand because of the credit.

"Once they're operational and they're making money, that's when I think the calculus needs to change," Friedfel said. "Are we just going to forever be subsidizing the film and television industry?"

While the vast majority of the credit is utilized for productions in and around New York City, upstate communities have embraced the incentive and reveled in their handful of productions  from the Angelina Jolie spy thriller "Salt" to last summer's visit by the Netflix production "The Punisher."

It has not, however, produced a sustainable film industry in upstate.

"(The benefit is) more from a publicity standpoint than an economic development standpoint," Friedfel said.

A review of the past 18 months of available state data shows that only eight projects in the Capital Region, all in Albany County, were issued production or post-production credits, which totaled $2.27 million. During the same period, the state issued more than $1 billion of credits.

Ortt said many of the upstate legislators supporting the extension "have become content with crumbs from this project."

David.Lombardo@timesunion.com - 518.454.5427 - @poozer87
Pakistan Army NLI Regiment Jobs 2019 in Gilgit Baltistan

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Apply as per details in job advertisement. In some cases, you may apply online at vacancies after registering at https://www.jobz.pk online.

Note: Beware of Fraudulent Recruiting Activities. If an employer asks to pay money for any purpose, do not pay at all and report us at contact us form. Apply as per instuctions & dates mentioned in official job ad. Govt jobs may not be applied online here. Human typing error is possible. Error & omissions excepted.
[April 09, 2019] 2Checkout Releases 2019 Global Digital Commerce Benchmark Study; Highlights Continued Global Adoption of Subscription-Based Revenue Model

Key Findings:

Subscription-based products and services continue to rise to 77% of total sales volumes

Top 10 countries account for 78% of overall sales

Average Order Value grows from $50 to $56

Visa/MasterCard preferred payment method at 70% while local payment options remain a strong preference in countries such as China, Brazil and the Netherlands ATLANTA, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 2Checkout, the leading all-in-one monetization platform for global businesses, today released its Q1 2019 Benchmark Report on Digital Commerce Trends in Software and Online Service Sales. The Digital Commerce Benchmark is based on millions of worldwide transactions moving through 2Checkouts platform between March 2018 and February 2019. 2Checkout continuously tracks trends and statistics, empowering digital commerce merchants to make better business decisions. Key trends from the report include:

Subscription Services on the Rise - The growth in subscriptions continues steadily, with 77 percent of total online sales in the last 12 months coming for subscription-based products and services, compared to 76 percent in 2018 and 75 percent in the previous year. Within the 2Checkout merchant base, 81 percent of companies sell at least one product with a subscription attached to it, a level very much in line with Gartners prediction that by 2020, more than 80 percent of software vendors will offer subscription-based business models.





- The growth in subscriptions continues steadily, with 77 percent of total online sales in the last 12 months coming for subscription-based products and services, compared to 76 percent in 2018 and 75 percent in the previous year. Within the 2Checkout merchant base, 81 percent of companies sell at least one product with a subscription attached to it, a level very much in line with that by 2020, more than 80 percent of software vendors will offer subscription-based business models. Average Order Value Grows  The average amount customers spent within the last 12 months for software, SaaS and online services increased by $6 to $56 from the previous year, which had the Average Order Value (AOV) of $50. This is even more meaningful in comparison to data from two years ago where he AOV was $48. A widespread usage of commerce tools such as cross-selling in cart and on the Thank You page, up-selling, cart abandonment prevention, in-app tools and so on are contributing to the increase in AOV.









 The average amount customers spent within the last 12 months for software, SaaS and online services increased by $6 to $56 from the previous year, which had the Average Order Value (AOV) of $50. This is even more meaningful in comparison to data from two years ago where he AOV was $48. A widespread usage of commerce tools such as cross-selling in cart and on the Thank You page, up-selling, cart abandonment prevention, in-app tools and so on are contributing to the increase in AOV. Variations in Payment Methods  Credit cards such as Visa and MasterCard continue to be the most popular payment methods globally, with a slight gain from last year, now accounting for 70 percent of global online sales (compared to 68 percent in 2018), followed by PayPal at 20 percent (up one percentage point) and American Express with a slight decrease from last years 7 to 6 percent. Local and regional payment methods are not to be ignored and continue to hold a solid percentage of sales in several countries such as iDEAL in the Netherlands (44% percent), Alipay in China (43% percent), Boleto in Brazil (14% percent).





 Credit cards such as Visa and MasterCard continue to be the most popular payment methods globally, with a slight gain from last year, now accounting for 70 percent of global online sales (compared to 68 percent in 2018), followed by PayPal at 20 percent (up one percentage point) and American Express with a slight decrease from last years 7 to 6 percent. Local and regional payment methods are not to be ignored and continue to hold a solid percentage of sales in several countries such as iDEAL in the Netherlands (44% percent), Alipay in China (43% percent), Boleto in Brazil (14% percent). Movements Amongst the Top 10 Countries - The United States continues to lead in global sales of software, SaaS and online services, accounting for 49 percent of sales worldwide, followed distantly by the UK holding 6 percent and France holding 5 percent. Germany and Canada share the fourth spot this year after Canadas sales increased slightly over last year. The top non-English-speaking countries account for 20 percent of global software sales, a slight decrease from 22 percent last year.







- The United States continues to lead in global sales of software, SaaS and online services, accounting for 49 percent of sales worldwide, followed distantly by the UK holding 6 percent and France holding 5 percent. Germany and Canada share the fourth spot this year after Canadas sales increased slightly over last year. The top non-English-speaking countries account for 20 percent of global software sales, a slight decrease from 22 percent last year. Additional Revenue Sources  There are several additional revenue sources that have proven consistent value. Affiliate-generated sales continue to show strength as an additional marketing channel for the software industry. Returns increased slightly this year to 24 percent for companies connected to 2Checkout's award-winning Avangate Affiliate Network. Additional revenue was generated from promotions influencing 33 percent of revenues and cross-selling and upselling accounting for 15 percent of all sales, on average. According to Erich Litch, President and Chief Operating Officer at 2Checkout, We continue to see the subscription-based revenue model gain steam within the software industry as companies shift from one-time purchases to a recurring approach, reflected in the findings of this years benchmark report. This trend is coupled with the diversity of local markets and buyer preferences; therefore we will maintain our focus on delivering a monetization platform capable of supporting global commerce with a local approach as well as a variety of business, payments and subscription models. For more insight into 2Checkout's Benchmark, please view the Q1 2019 Digital Commerce Benchmark infographic . About 2Checkout

2Checkout is the leading all-in-one monetization platform for global businesses. It was built to help clients drive sales growth across channels and increase market share by simplifying the complexities of modern commerce like global payments, subscription billing, merchandising, taxes, compliance and risk, so they stay focused on innovating their products and delivering exceptional customer experiences.

Get more information at www.2checkout.com Press contact: Delia Ene, 2Checkout Email: [email protected] Tel: +31 20 890 8080 ext.: 4654

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[April 09, 2019] Artemis Consulting Provides Mobile Software Development Support to Library of Congress for Sixth Consecutive Year

WASHINGTON, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Artemis Consulting Inc. has been providing the Library of Congress with mobile software development maintenance and support since 2012. As part of its efforts to expand its digital footprint, the Library of Congress currently offers three mobile appsThe Congressional Record, Constitution Annotated and Aesop's Fableswhich are available for the iOS and Android mobile platforms. The apps are provided for free through the Apple App and Google Play stores. In our role, Artemis Consulting supports the maintenance of existing mobile apps to ensure that they continue to perform well on their newly released OS versions, as well as help repair and resolve any issues that arise with these apps. Additionally, our team continues to assist with the development of any new mobile products and apps that support the iOS and Android platforms. In particular, we aid with continually developing prototypes that offer the ability to browse and search the Library's collections; display images, audio and video content; receive notifications; display information on Library exhibitions, events, programs and facilities; exhibit virtual reality and augmented reality features; and plan your visit with the available content. Artemis President and CTO, Rohit Gupta, remarks, "We were able to help create the Library of Congress main app this past year, which received great reviews from multiple internal stakeholders. We are helping the Librar get these apps launched and are very excited to aid the Library in meeting its Mobile mission and encouraging lifelong learning."



The Artemis team collaborates with the Library of Congress team that is responsible for product direction, UX development, testing and project management in providing the mobile app development. Amee Shah, Artemis CEO, describes the years of support that Artemis has been providing as, "a great benefit to the public who can use mobile platforms to access the Library of Congress' and Congress' vast treasure trove of digital content in multiple ways." To learn more about Artemis Consulting Inc., please visit artemisconsultinginc.com. You can also follow them on Twitter at @ConsultArtemis.

About Artemis Artemis Consulting, an Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Company and one of Virginia's Fantastic 50 Fastest Growing Companies, is a Washington D.C. metro area IT Services and Management Consulting firm. Since 1999, Artemis Consulting has been designing and developing software and integrating systems that transform their clients' organizations. They enable the digital transformation of their clients' organizations by building web applications, defining user experience (UX), and designing and building iOS/Android mobile apps that are scalable. With the growing trend toward Agile methodology and DevOps, Artemis' microservices design and architecture allows for continuous delivery and deployment of complex applications with relative ease. Artemis is also skilled at moving open source and COTS applications to the cloud, saving on physical hardware and infrastructure resources. In the public sector, Artemis Consulting has a variety of Government-wide and IDIQ contracts. The company prides itself on a team-oriented talent base which works collaboratively with clients and believes in being socially responsible in its local communities by donating time, expertise and financial support. Contact:

Priya Dewsbury

7032867997

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/artemis-consulting-provides-mobile-software-development-support-to-library-of-congress-for-sixth-consecutive-year-300826335.html SOURCE Artemis Consulting Inc.

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[April 09, 2019] Astea International and Baxter Planning Partner to Deliver a Fully Integrated Field Service Management and Service Parts Planning Solution

HORSHAM, Pa., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Astea International Inc., a leading global provider of field service management and mobility solutions , announced today a partnership to integrate Baxter Planning's service parts planning software into the Astea Alliance Enterprise field service management and mobility platform. The integrated solution will offer large, complex service organizations managing parts in multi-echelon logistics networks a cohesive approach to field service management (FSM), service parts planning and inventory replenishment, enabling them to reduce total inventory carrying costs and maintain higher and more consistent service levels. The announcement comes two weeks before the Field Service Palm Springs 2019 conference where Astea will be showcasing its FSM platform at Booth #201 and Kiosk #W3 and Baxter Planning will be showcasing its service parts planning software at Kiosk #W4. "Service organizations are constantly asking themselves two questions: what is our optimal inventory stock level and where should we store the spare parts in order to meet our service level agreements?" said Emily Hackman, Director of Global Marketing, Astea International. "There is a balancing act between keeping their inventory carrying cost low and having enough stock in the right location to fulfill their SLA obligations. This challenge is compounded by recent efficiencies that enable manufacturers to produce new models faster. With new products being introduced to the market at an increasing rate, service providers now have multiple models of installed products that hey are responsible for, and the spare parts might not be compatible across all the different models. Baxter's software helps service companies overcome these challenges by utilizing an algorithm that determines the optimal quantity of spare parts they should keep on hand and the optimal location."



Integrating Baxter's service parts planning software with Astea's Alliance Enterprise will enable service companies to manage contracts and warranties, customer sites and assets, technicians, inventory and spare parts all from one comprehensive platform. Alliance Enterprise will provide master and transactional data using a standard integration model, which will minimize deployment time and investment from customer IT teams. Baxter's solution will provide optimal inventory target stock levels and drive continuous improvement with planning analytics that automatically diagnose root causes for incomplete service calls due to lack of part availability. This cohesive solution will help customers optimize their service supply chain and improve first time fix rates. "Technician inventory can't be optimized using traditional methods applied to central warehouses and forward stocking locations. Unless the supply chain plan considers technician training and team assignment details found in field service management solutions, the supply chain and field service teams will not be aligned. Baxter's integration with Astea's FSM platform enables inventory optimization built upon technician attributes not considered by other supply chain planning systems," said Phillip Kennedy, CMO & EVP, Sales, Baxter Planning.

To learn more about the integrated solution, see the Astea International and Baxter Planning teams at Field Service Palm Springs 2019 or visit: Astea.com/resources/blog/2019/03/5-reasons-to-integrate-field-service-management-and-service-parts-planning-software/. About Astea International

Astea International is a global leader in field service and mobile workforce management, including all the cornerstones of full service lifecycle management: customer management, service management, asset management, forward and reverse logistics management and mobile workforce management and optimization. Astea technology helps the world's best service-driven companies generate higher profit while properly balancing customer satisfaction and service levels through proactive communication that creates a seamless, consistent and highly personalized experience at every customer relationship touch point. Astea's solutions unify processes, people, parts, and information to focus the entire organization on the creation of sustainable value in highly competitive, global markets. www.astea.com. Service Smart. Enterprise Proven.  2019 Astea International Inc. Astea, Astea Alliance and Astea Alliance Enterprise are trademarks of Astea International Inc. All other company and product names contained herein are trademarks of the respective holders. About Baxter Planning

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with employees around the globe, Baxter Planning was founded in 1993 by Greg Baxter, who saw the need for a solution to address the lack of planning technologies in the market. Now a worldwide leader in aftermarket supply chain software, Baxter helps customers plan billions in service parts inventory every day. The list of Fortune 500 enterprises and growing startups deploying solutions from Baxter include Verizon, RICOH, Stanley Black and Decker, NetApp, SONY, Johnson & Johnson, and many others. Baxter's differentiated combination of a SaaS platform featuring Planning as a Service (PaaS) enables supply chain organizations to deliver dramatic improvements in post-sales service levels while increasing profitability and cash flow. Baxter has been on SupplyChainBrain's "List of 100 Great Supply Chain Partners" for 15 consecutive years and recognized multiple times as a "Best Places to Work in Austin." For more information, visit www.baxterplanning.com or email us at [email protected]. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/astea-international-and-baxter-planning-partner-to-deliver-a-fully-integrated-field-service-management-and-service-parts-planning-solution-300827871.html SOURCE Astea International Inc.

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[April 09, 2019] Banc of California Announces Schedule of First Quarter 2019 Earnings Release and Conference Call

Banc of California, Inc. (NYSE: BANC) today announced it will release 2019 first quarter financial results on Tuesday, April 23, 2019, before the market opens. The Company will host a conference call to discuss its first quarter earnings at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time (PT) on the same day. Interested parties are welcome to attend the conference call by dialing 888-317-6003, and referencing event code 4703060. A live audio webcast will also be available and the webcast link will be posted on the Company's investor relations website at https://www.bancofcal.com/investor. The slide presentation for the call will also be available on the Company's website prior to the call. An audio archive of the conference call will be available on the Company's investor relations website within 24 hours after the end of the call. About Banc of California, Inc. Banc of California (NYSE: BANC) is a mid-sied financial institution with $10 billion in assets and focused on serving the diverse banking needs of California. We provide innovative banking and lending products to businesses, entrepreneurs and communities throughout California. We help our clients grow their businesses, purchase a home, create jobs, transform neighborhoods, enrich communities and empower their dreams. By supporting community organizations that provide financial literacy and job training, small business support and affordable housing, we help to grow our state's economy and build a more positive and inclusive future for Californians. Serving and empowering California, our 750+ professionals service deposit and lending accounts from banking locations throughout Southern California. With a commitment to service and building enduring relationships, we cultivate a community and a culture of entrepreneurialism through a higher standard of banking.



For additional information, visit www.bancofcal.com. Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "Safe-Harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are necessarily subject to risk and uncertainty and actual results could differ materially from those anticipated due to various factors, including those set forth from time to time in the documents filed or furnished by Banc of California, Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and Banc of California, Inc. undertakes no obligation to update any such statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date on which the forward-looking statement is made. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005362/en/

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[April 09, 2019] California Medical Evaluators CEO Gabor Vari, M.D., Appointed to Cancer Support Community Los Angeles Board of Directors

Cancer Support Community Los Angeles (CSCLA), the founding location of the world's largest professionally led nonprofit network of cancer support, today announced that Gabor Vari, M.D., Co-Founder & CEO of California Medical Evaluators, has been appointed to its Board of Directors, effective as of April 1, 2019. "Gabor is an exceptional entrepreneur who has disrupted the status quo in the medical-legal environment," said Julia Forth, CEO of Cancer Support Community Los Angeles. "He will be an outstanding addition to our board." "I am honored to serve on the Cancer Support Community Los Angeles Board of Directors," said Gabor Vari. "CSCLA is a cornerstone of the cancer community here in Los Angeles and touches countless lives profoundly each year. I look forward to working with Ms. Forth, her team and my fellow Directors." "Gabor's track record of innovation and leadership, as well as his passion to support the mission of CSCLA, will make him an invaluable asset to the organization as it seeks to become recognized as the premier provider of hope, psychoocial support and education for everyone affected by cancer in the Los Angeles area," said Forth.



About Gabor Vari, M.D. Gabor Vari is currently CEO of California Medical Evaluators, a leading provider of Med-Legal Practice Management services to physicians who perform Qualified Medical Evaluations (QMEs), Independent Medical Examinations (IMEs) and medical expert witness engagements.

Since co-founding California Medical Evaluators, Dr. Vari has been instrumental in transforming the medical-legal marketplace in California by focusing on quality, education and advocacy for QMEs. As a result of these efforts, California Medical Evaluators has become one of the top QME Practice Management vendors in California. Dr. Vari graduated from Brown University with an undergraduate degree in Biology. He holds a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine where he earned the Strecker award as the most outstanding medical student entering the field of psychiatry. About the Cancer Support Community Los Angeles As the founding location of the world's largest professionally led nonprofit network of cancer support, Cancer Support Community Los Angeles (CSCLA) has transformed the way our culture faces cancer. For over 30 years, we have cared for cancer patients and families with a unique model of psychosocial support that has become the gold standard worldwide. Our comprehensive programs were developed to create a sanctuary to nurture mind, body and spirit by helping people affected by cancer learn vital skills that enable them to regain control, reduce feelings of isolation and restore hope, regardless of the stage of their disease. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005297/en/

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[April 09, 2019] Dougherty County, Georgia, Selects Tyler Technologies' Munis Enterprise Resource Planning Solution

Tyler Technologies Inc. (NYSE: TYL) announced today that it has signed an agreement with Dougherty County, Georgia, for Tyler's Munis enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution, including financial management, human capital management, and content management suites. Dougherty County's current ERP solution wasn't meeting its growing needs, so the county began assessing other vendors with more comprehensive solutions. The county ultimately selected Tyler's Munis solution because it best met the functional needs of the county and provided a software-as-a-service (SaaS (News - Alert)) deployment option. "We were impressed with the capabilities of Tyler's Munis solution, and we are eager to implement it for our county," said Martha Hendley, finance director for Dougherty County. "We expect that the solution will streamline our daily business operations and create efficiencies within our departments, ultimately allowing us to better serve our community." Tyler's solutions aim to make Dougherty County more accessible and responsive to the needs of both its constituets and internal staff. The county anticipates the following benefits from using Munis:



Improved reporting capabilities

More streamlined access to data

Increased transparency for constituents

Embedded content management for document retention "We're pleased to provide Munis to Dougherty County, helping them to experience the improved efficiencies so many other Georgia counties are experiencing," said Chris Hepburn, president of Tyler's ERP & Schools Division. "Munis will provide far-reaching benefits for the county, from more in-depth reporting to better access to data, and we look forward to helping them realize those benefits." With this agreement, Dougherty County becomes the 18th county in Georgia to select Tyler's Munis solution. Tyler also provides its Versatrans school transportation solution to the Dougherty County School System.

About Tyler Technologies (News - Alert), Inc. Tyler Technologies (NYSE: TYL) is the largest and most established provider of integrated software and technology services focused on the public sector. Tyler's end-to-end solutions empower local, state, and federal government entities to operate more efficiently and connect more transparently with their constituents and with each other. By connecting data and processes across disparate systems, Tyler's solutions are transforming how clients gain actionable insights that solve problems in their communities. Tyler has more than 21,000 successful installations across 10,000 sites, with clients in all 50 states, Canada, the Caribbean, Australia, and other international locations. A financially strong company, Tyler has achieved double-digit revenue growth every quarter since 2012. It was also named to Forbes' "Best Midsize Employers" list in 2018 and recognized twice on its "Most Innovative Growth Companies" list. More information about Tyler Technologies, headquartered in Plano, Texas, can be found at tylertech.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005058/en/

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Pakistan Mobile Clinic PMC Project KPK Jobs 2019

Latest Pakistan Mobile Clinic PMC Management Posts Lakki Marwat 2021 Medical, health, mbbs, doctors and experienced candidates for the positions Project Site Incharge, Surgeon, Anesthetist, Gynecologist, Pediatrician, Medical Officer, Staff Nurse, Lab Technician, Radiology Technician, OT Technician, Health Education Specialist, Nutritionist, Pharmacist, Finance Officer, OPD Receptionist, Driver, Sweeper & Security Guard required for Pakistan Mobile Clinic PMC in Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Dera Ismail DI Khan & Shangla.

How to Apply on Pakistan Mobile Clinic PMC Job Advertisement

Apply as per details in job advertisement. In some cases, you may apply online at vacancies after registering at https://www.jobz.pk online.

Note: Beware of Fraudulent Recruiting Activities. If an employer asks to pay money for any purpose, do not pay at all and report us at contact us form. Apply as per instuctions & dates mentioned in official job ad. Govt jobs may not be applied online here. Human typing error is possible. Error & omissions excepted.
[April 09, 2019] Fast-Growing Startup, LocatorX, Bolsters Leadership Team with Two New Additions

ATLANTA, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- LocatorX, a technology company developing accurate, inexpensive and flexible tracking technology, today announces the addition of Bruce Candebat, CFO, and Mark Malis, Vice President of People & Culture, to its leadership team. LocatorX's breakthrough solutions work together to improve product and tracking information, streamline supply chain management and increase opportunities for secure brand interaction. Candebat and Malis will play a pivotal role in helping the growing startup expand market reach and innovate in the location tracking space. "We're pleased to welcome Bruce and Mark into the LocatorX family as we continue to grow our team of industry experts," said Scott Fletcher, CEO and President of LocatorX. "Their collective expertise will help us bring our new products to market while developing LocatorX into a household name." Bruce Candebat, CFO

Bruce Candebat brings more than 30 years of experience in finance, accounting, and auditing to the team, having worked with the likes of Georgia Pacific, TRX, BellSouth and more. Candebat has supported the growth of both private and public companies -- including private tech and services entities -- while assisting with major acquisitions. Before joining the LocatorX team, Candebat's prior roles included Vice President of Finance at Stratix and the Head of Finance at global technology company LifeWorks, which was successfully sold to Morneau Shepell in July 2018 with Candebat's support. Candebat will leverage his knack for building strong financial organizations as LocatorX's new CFO while helping the startup bring its disruptive, asset-tracking products to unexplored sectors.



Mark Malis, Vice President, People & Culture

Mark Malis is a human resources executive with more than 30 years of domestic and international generalist leadership experience. Malis has invested the majority of his career in the high-tech sector, leading global growth initiatives that include key business transformation.

Prior to joining LocatorX, Malis served as the Head of Global Employee Experiences at LifeWorks. Malis's role in launching the Employee Experiences function furthered the organization's people initiatives while promoting an execution-driven and engagement culture that helped fuel LifeWorks' strong growth acceleration. Malis will bring best-in-class employee engagement strategies to LocatorX and build the foundation for a positive and rewarding company environment as Vice President of People & Culture. "LocatorX's technology gives this startup the opportunity to grow quickly," Malis said. "I'm eager to lend my skills toward growing their workforce exponentially, solidifying a welcoming and supportive culture and developing employees in order to serve our clients at the highest caliber possible." LocatorX's suite of solutions include unique 2D bar codes, an NFC/Bluetooth-encrypted chip and an upcoming Global Resource Locator to be powered by a Solid-State Miniature Atomic Clock. The clock is the first of its kind, and is patented by the University of Oxford which has granted LocatorX exclusive rights to the technology for commercial purposes. To learn more about LocatorX, please visit https://www.locatorx.com/ About LocatorX

LocatorX, headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., offers companies a Certified QR code for logistics, supply chain management and consumer packaged goods that provides a unique, secure time/data/location of any tag scanned with a smartphone. The company is also developing the world's first molecular-sized location tracking device. The device is based on the patented Solid-state Miniature Atomic Clock (SMAC) technology created by a nanomaterials lab at the University of Oxford, to which LocatorX has exclusive rights. For more information, visit https://www.locatorx.com/ MEDIA CONTACT

Dan Brown

LocatorXPR@walkersands.com

+1 312-235-4316 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fast-growing-startup-locatorx-bolsters-leadership-team-with-two-new-additions-300827790.html SOURCE LocatorX

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[April 09, 2019] Galaxy Next Generation Breaks into Yet Another Vertical with the Signing of Rabun County, Ga Sheriff's Department

TOCCOA, Ga., April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Galaxy Next Generation, Inc. (OTCQB:GAXY) ("Galaxy"), a U.S. distributor of interactive learning technology hardware and software that create fully collaborative instructional environments is pleased to announce an additional market segment it has broken into with Rabun County, Ga Sherriffs Department purchase of Galaxy products for their training center at its jail.

Said Gary LeCroy, CEO of Galaxy, We have made it a company-wide priority to move into additional verticals as part of our projected revenue growth. We now have a sell into a state governmet vertical with the Rabun County Sheriffs department and are excited at this new opportunity.



Magen McGahee, COO/EVP of Galaxy added, Our plan is to utilize this to move into other prisons across the U.S. proving our product will show good use in this type of environment, and, with approximately 160 counties in Georgia, being there first gives us a decided advantage over our competitors. About Galaxy Next Generation, Inc.

Galaxy Next Generation is a U.S. distributor of interactive learning technology hardware and software that allows the presenter and participant to engage in a fully collaborative instructional environment. Galaxy's products include Galaxy's own private-label interactive touch screen panel as well as numerous other national and international branded peripheral and communication devices. Galaxy's distribution channel consists of 22+ resellers across the U.S. who primarily sell the Company's products within the commercial and educational market. Galaxy does not control where resellers focus their resell efforts, although generally, the K-12 education market is the largest customer base for Galaxy products comprising nearly 90% of Galaxy's sales.



CONTACT:

Galaxy Next Generation, Inc.

Investor Relations

[email protected]

317-361-2392

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[April 09, 2019] Globalgig Goes Offshore, Powered by Tampnet LTE

Tampnet and Globalgig announced today that they have completed testing and reached an agreement whereby access to the Tampnet's network will be available through Globalgig's patented multi-IMSI SIM. Globalgig provides wireless service for enterprise connectivity, SD-WAN and IOT applications globally in 200+countries on one SIM card. This partnership arrangement will create a single SIM that works both onshore and offshore Tampnet operates the largest offshore high-capacity communication network in the world - in the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico - serving more than 350 oil and gas platforms, floating production storage and offloading vessels (FPSOs) and exploration rigs. Tampnet has quickly become the preferred provider of offshore communication to the oil and gas industry. This agreement expands Tampnet's ability to provide services globally, with the Globalgig SIM, to the oilfield services industry, equipment manufacturers and maritime markets including cruise ships, tankers and fishing vessels. "Our agreement with Globalgig is further evidence of our expansion and growth as we develop key partnerships to fill the capacity on our advanced LTE (News - Alert) network," said Helge Svensson, CEO of Tampnet. "Seamless mobility onshore and offshore provides the foundation in an ever-expanding ecosystem of solutions." "The impact of this agreement is significant in that Globalgig's SIM card can be leveraged for offshore use in addition to providing connectivity for onshore enterprise applications suc as SD-WAN and IoT," said Ernest Cunningham, CEO of Globalgig. "For the first time, our partners and customers can easily extend their reach to offshore locations. A ship and its crew can leave England, travel across the North Sea to Norway and stay connected in port and at sea with high speed LTE."



About Globalgig Globalgig orchestrates hyperconnectivity for global enterprise customers using managed communications solutions. With a suite of wireless, mobility, voice and managed network solutions, Globalgig gives businesses of all sizes seamless connectivity for offices and mobile employees world-wide. Globalgig's patented multi-IMSI SIM technology provides local wireless connectivity in 200-plus countries, enabling secure and uninterrupted data access across geographic borders, diverse communications technologies and disparate devices and all orchestrated through end-to-end managed services. Globalgig is a registered brand of iGEM Communications Holdings LLC, which does business as Globalgig. Globalgig is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, with offices across the U.S., and in the U.K., France, Morocco, Mexico and Australia. To learn more, visit www.globalgig.com.

About Tampnet: Tampnet was founded in 2001 in Sandnes, Norway and operates the world's largest offshore high capacity communication network in the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, serving customers within Oil & Gas, Wind Energy, Maritime and Carrier sectors with first class telecommunications. The company employs more than 100 people, is headquartered in Stavanger, Norway and has offices in the UK, The Netherlands, USA, Brazil and Australia. Tampnet connects offshore installations to redundant and reliable terrestrial networks with high capacity and low latency (high speed). Tampnet also installs and operates offshore 4G LTE coverage networks enabling roaming and the digital transformation and internet of things (IoT) on offshore oil & gas platforms, offshore windfarms and service vessels and other commercial vessels. To learn more, visit www.tampnet.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005338/en/

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[April 09, 2019] The Government of Armenia Signs Strategic Partnership with WHISE-Embleema to Modernize Digital Healthcare Through Blockchain

The Government of the Republic of Armenia, today announced a partnership with the WHISE-Embleema Consortium, an organization whose mission is to accelerate the research and development of innovative new medical treatments, by providing incentives for the use of health data through patient ownership, via the exchange of proprietary data, and add value through intellectual and analytic insights. The Consortium's role is to provide digital tools that enable patients and medical professionals to build a holistic view of their health, to leverage this wealth of data to accelerate medical research in the country. In collaboration and under the guidance of the Ministry of Health, the WHISE-Embleema Consortium has established a WHISE-Armenia non-for-profit foundation. Armenian health officials led by Dr. Arsen Torosyan and WHISE leadership have negotiated conditions that will permit the WHISE Consortium and its affiliate members led by Dr. Prof. Vahan Simonyan to audit existing digital and paper data ecosystems, to propose and implement novel technologies for digital healthcare, and connect cohorts with international research organizations. WHISE-Armenia will host a set of integrated health data hubs, that will allow medical organizations to integrate a variety of healthcare datasets, to secure patient privacy and empower patients, doctors and clinical organizations to stay in control of their data. This partnership's mission is to lay out a foundation for the collection of trustworthy health data, built on blockchain technology and regulatory HIVE analytics, to enable patient ownership of information generated on their behalf, opt-in for pre-clinical or clinical research by providing informed consent to accelerate information exchanges. This will lead to the harmonization of the digital processes through WHISE-Embleema protocols, to build up longitudinal datasets from multiple hospitals and clinics in form of medical histories, genomes, lab results, adverse event reports, insurance payments, and wellness information from wearables. "We welcome this project and are pleased to cooperate with WHISE-Embleema Consortium. The Government of the Republic of Armenia and the Ministry of Health are ready to support the Ecosystem Modernization and Development Initiative in Armenia, which will increase productivity of doctors, improve health facilities and patient's social status. All this implies a higher quality of data collection and its more accurate analysis. As a result of the digitalization of health data, we expect improvement of healthcare quality and decline in comorbidity," said Arsen Torosyan, Minister of Health of the Republic of Armenia. The practical next step by the WHISE-Armenia foundation is to integrate with institutions and care centers involved in building health data and patient registries, namely from the Center of Medical Genetics and Primary Healthcare, Oncology and Hematology Centers, as well as other research and clinical facilities. Data aggregated by the project will be marketized through the WHISE-Armenia portal, so that industry partners may finance specific research. The funds will be redistributed as a pay to patients, and their physicians, as well as to clinics and hospitals to cover the gaps in existing infrastructure, remodel and renovate hospital facilities, purchase new laboratory equipment, and educate doctors and nurses for clinical trial conduct. After patient cohorts of interests have been allocated, WHISE-Embleema through its affiliate WHISE-Armenia will attract clinical trials and satellite industries to Armenia. The first round of operations will target such endemic conditions as oncology, hematological, immune system and endocrine system diseases. Aggregated data across healthcare providers is expected to generate value for other disease areas of interest as time progresses. D. Prof Vahan Simonyan, President of WHISE-Armenia and former Director of Bioinformatics Research and Development at the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) said: "We are excited and honored to receive this endorsement from Armenia. Patient owned data can transform biomedical research, allowing information generated in the process of care to generate reliable, continuous real-world data regarding a medical product's benefit and risk profiles pre and post FDA market approval. Faster, standardized real-world data in combination with genomic data evidence that we intend to fund, will accelerate the availability of new treatments and improve the safety and the discovery of new therapeutic indications, some of which are endemic in Armenia. Armenia is one of the oldest countries with a lot of hope and inspiration in its newly elected democratic leadership. We are dedicated in this partnership and investment into the country's future to engage the leaders and scientists to benefit patients in Armenia."



Alexis Normand, Head of the Embleema Blockchain Consortium added: "We are honored to participate in this strategic partnership with Armenia, and we are convinced that this will bring significant benefits to patients, by offering physicians better access to health data and connect Armenia to international research, namely in oncology, immunotherapy and molecular medicine. By streamlining the collection and sharing of clinical information, while ensuring patient consent, we aim to accelerate the development of new drugs and improve the real-world data collection of marketed drugs." About WHISE-Embleema Consortium

The WHISE-Embleema Consortium has a noble, patient-centric mission: to transfer ownership of health data to patients, commoditize the value of information and analytical insights, accelerate information exchange, and incentivize patients to opt-in to research. Patient owned data can transform biomedical research, allowing information generated in the process of care to generate reliable, continuous real-world data on a medical product's benefit and risk profiles pre and post FDA market approval. Faster, standard real-world data and evidence will accelerate the availability of new treatments and improve the safety and the discovery of new therapeutic indications for existing FDA approved products on the market. About WHISE: WHISE (Wellness & Health Information Secure Exchange) is a result of integration between distributed network of HIVE ecosystems and Blockchain. High Performance Virtual Environment (HIVE) is a hardware agnostic distributed computing ecosystem optimized for the storage and analysis of extra-large biomedical research and healthcare data. HIVE technology is an open source, government and academia collaborative effort which has multiple federal, academic and industry deployments addressing Big Data needs across biomedical research enterprises. HIVE contains a tool arsenal that addresses healthcare domains, such as clinical data analysis and post-market surveillance, -omics (genomic, proteomic) biomarkers, medical imaging and many others. HIVE has been launched into Open Source by FDA (efforts led by Dr. Vahan Simonyan) as a platform to support end to end needs for big data and NGS analytics. Currently the platform's operations are sustained by US government funding as part of a high performance analytics and data archival ecosystem authorized to use in regulatory environment. HIVE Research and Development is supported by US government in federal sector and by BlueHive technology group in commercial sector. For more information, please visit whise-global.com About Embleema Embleema helps patients and pharma accelerate the availability of new treatments, by fast-forwarding the exchange of data from the real world. It provides a patient-driven healthcare blockchain network to allow patients to share their consolidate health records securely. Hosted on a private blockchain, Embleema's consolidated, highly-secure repository provides the healthcare ecosystem with an undisputed and holistic view of patients' medical history, while maintaining the patient's data sovereignty. For more information, please visit www.embleema.com and follow Embleema on Twitter (News - Alert) @Embleema, Telegram, LinkedIn, and Facebook. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005422/en/

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[April 09, 2019] Green Cubes Technology Brings Sustainable Lithium Batteries into Ground Support Equipment at Four U.S. Airports

Green Cubes Technology today announced its first large-scale commercial sale of lithium battery systems to the ground support equipment market. With its Lithium SAFEFlex battery system, Green Cubes will power select belt loaders, baggage tractors and container loaders at four U.S. airports, including Cincinnati, Ohio, Dallas, Texas, and Northern & Southern California. Green Cubes Technology, along with a large eCommerce retailer and a leading ground support equipment manufacturer, is powering the shift from legacy lead-acid batteries to more sustainable and optimized lithium alternatives. These lithium battery systems provide higher equipment performance at a lower cost and dramatically reduce the environmental impact of battery powered systems. "We are proud to be a leader in the conversion to Lithium in ground support equipment, a growing $7.5 billion market," said Tony Cooper, General Manager of the Motive Division of Green Cubes Technology. "With higher efficiency, better performance and lower long-term monetary and environmental costs, lithium can really transform the ground support equipment industry, especially in cold environments." With Lithium SAFEFlex, airports and equipment manufacturers can retrofit pre-existing ground support equipment to mitigate startup costs associated with converting battery systems. Simultaneously, these battery systems require no watering or equalizing and provide true fast charging, eliminating maintenance costs and time lost from swapping batteries on a regular basis. "With ground support equipment operating in every kind of climate imaginable, it's imperatve to have a power solution that can withstand extreme temperatures," explained Cooper. "Lead-acid batteries simply can't maintain performance in cold environments, and maintenance costs are extremely high. With lithium batteries, ground support equipment operators will see longer lifecycles and increased charging efficiency so equipment can optimize aviation operations, not hinder them."



Designed to increase speed and efficiency, Lithium SAFEFlex offers a reliable and durable solution for any weather environment. With a recharge efficiency of more than 98 percent, Lithium SAFEFlex drives electrical savings and ultimately reduces damaging effects of heating batteries. Green Cubes Technology's customer will begin official use of Lithium SAFEFlex at these airports within weeks.

Senior executives from Green Cubes Technology will be available for interviews during ProMat 2019. To meet with Green Cubes or for a demo of one of its lithium battery power systems, please contact Kimberly Stier at 404.408.8456 or email [email protected]. About Green Cubes Technology Green Cubes Technology, part of Green Cubes Holdings, is a leader in design and manufacturing of industrial Lithium battery power systems. For more than 30 years, Green Cubes has applied engineering optimization and continuous improvement production methods to deliver innovative solutions to the automotive, medical, motive, and manufacturing markets. Green Cubes Technology portfolio companies operate in Kokomo, Indiana; Seattle, Washington; Kuala Lampur, Malaysia; Bengaluru, India; and Taipei, Taiwan with Green Cubes Holdings based in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information, visit www.greencubestech.com. Connect with Green Cubes on Twitter (News - Alert) @GreenCubesTech and on LinkedIn (News - Alert) at https://www.linkedin.com/company/green-cubes-technology-corporation/. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005267/en/

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[April 09, 2019] Hawaiki Broadens Its Network in the U.S. with New PoP in Seattle, WA

Hawaiki Submarine Cable LP has extended its U.S. presence from Hillsboro, OR to the Westin Building Exchange (WBX) carrier hotel and data center in Seattle, WA to support its clients' capacity requirements between New Zealand, Australia, and the United States. Launched in July 2018, the Hawaiki transpacific cable is a 15,000 km fiber optic deep-sea, carrier-neutral cable with a design capacity of 67 Tbps. Hawaiki is the fastest and largest capacity link connecting Australia and New Zealand to Hawaii and mainland United States. Hawaiki selected the Westin Building Exchange based upon the large number of global carriers, simplified connectivity options, and available cloud services that has been the hallmark of the original transpacific, terabit fiber hub on the U.S. west coast. "Choosing the WBX in Seattle was a natural but strategic decision for us," said Remi Galasso, Chief Executive Officer, Hawaiki. "With over 250 carriers, cloud, and content providers within their ecosystem we could not have found a more ideal location." Through this partnership, Hawaiki expands its reach in the U.S. and provides PoP to PoP capacity between Sydney, Auckland, and Seattle to its customers. "At WBX, we are simplifying access to carriers, companies, clouds, countries, and continents," said Michael Boyle, Strategic Planning Director with WBX. "The reason organizations like Hawaiki establish a presence with the Westin Building Exchange is due to the availability of multiple, cost-effective connectivity options and direct access to all major carriers and cloud providers located in our building."



About Hawaiki Submarine Cable LP Hawaiki Submarine Cable LP, headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, owns and operates the Hawaiki submarine cable system (Hawaiki). Hawaiki is the first and only carrier-neutral submarine cable linking Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, and Oregon, on the U.S. west coast. For more information, visit www.hawaikicable.co.nz or connect with Hawaiki on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About the Westin Building Exchange One of the leading data center and colocation facilities in the world, the Westin Building Exchange (WBX) provides neutral connectivity points to Asian, Canadian, European, and American network service providers, carriers, and ISPs, in addition to access to the Seattle Internet Exchange (SIX) and the Pacific Northwest Gigapop (PNWGP). WBX offers direct connection options to public cloud providers and private cloud services via its CloudWest solution as well as remote access and peering to the SIX through its Remote Connect service option. For more information, visit www.westinbldg.com or connect with WBX on Twitter and LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005408/en/

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[April 09, 2019] The IOA Announces Rayleigh, Stephens, Wood, Peter Barnet and Peter Lord Award Winners and Introduces Sustainable Design Award

MILTON KEYNES, England, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- It's awards season at the Institute of Acoustics (IOA). Following the most recent Council meeting, the Institute of Acoustics is proud to announce the following award winners for 2019 along with our brand new Sustainable Design award : Rayleigh Medal: Winner is Prof Claus Elberling (Denmark), medal is to be presented at the Danish Technical Audiological Society (DTAS) on Friday 27 September 2019 in Denmark. RWB Stephens Medal: Winner is Raf Orlowski (Ramboll Acoustics) to be presented at Acoustics 2019 in May, he will be giving one of the plenary talks. A B Wood Medal: Winner is J Bonnel (based in USA) chosen by the Underwater Acoustics group, part of the IOA. Peter Barnett Memorial Award: Winner is F Rumsey, chosen by IOA's Electracoustic group, the award will be given at Reproduced Sound in November 2019. The Institute of Acoustics Sustainable Design Award (NEW): The very first winner is The Woolly Shepherd, the award is to be presented at Acoustics 2019 in May. The award is for Sustainable Design in the field of acoustics. Peter Lord Award: The winners are ARUP for its work on the Royal Academy of Music and Luxonic Lighting for its new design of multi-service raft developed specifically for the education sector. Both awards will be presented later this year.



The Institute of Acoustics annually honours people whose contributions to acoustics have been particularly noteworthy. The medals and awards programme has evolved over the years and is now quite wide ranging in its acknowledgment of academic achievement, practical engineering applications and innovations, student achievement and contributions to the Institute and to the world of science and technology. The medals and awards programme is overseen on behalf of Council by the Medals and Awards Committee, chaired by the President. Nominations may be made at any time.

Barry Gibbs, President of the Institute of Acoustics, commented: "The IOA awards recognize outstanding contributions to the field of acoustics in the UK as well as internationally. We operate an open nomination policy and welcome diversity in entries from around the world." Gibbs added, "The new Sustainable Design award delivers on a recommendation by the Institute's task force on sustainability to identify and celebrate acoustics and sustainable design, and is a rolling award made to deserving applicants and their teams." For more information, visit www.ioa.org.uk, alternatively, contact the IOA at +44(0)300 999 9675 or [email protected] Note to editors: Institute of Acoustics (IOA) The Institute of Acoustics is the UK's professional body for those working in acoustics, noise and vibration, representing some 3,000 members who span a rich diversity of backgrounds, with engineers, scientists, educators, lawyers, occupational hygienists, architects and environmental health officers among their number. Contacts: Alex Shaida (PR contact at IOA): +44-(0)-300-999-9675 or email: [email protected]

Allan Chesney (CEO at IOA): +44-(0)-300-999-9675 or email: [email protected]

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[April 09, 2019] iSchemaView's RAPID Approved for Use in Israel

iSchemaView, the worldwide leader in advanced imaging for stroke, has received approval from AMAR (Israel's Ministry of Health medical device regulation unit), for the use of the RAPID imaging platform across the State of Israel. This approval follows use and clearance of the iSchemaView RAPID technology across several of the founding Global Harmonization Task Force (GHTF) regions, including Australia, Canada, the United States and the EU. RAPID is designed to provide physicians with fast, fully automated, and easy-to-interpret imaging that facilitates clinical decision-making around stroke. Hospitals and clinics that treat ischemic stroke in Israel will now have access to RAPID's automated CTP, MR, CTA and ASPECTS solutions, as well as their unique mobile app that accelerates the provision of information to support treatment decision making. RAPID's expansion into Israel represents continued market growth across the Middle East, and is further confirmation that RAPID has become the de facto standard for stoke imaging around the world. "By having RAPID's AI-powered imaging technology available in Israel we will be able to help tens of thousands of stroke suffering citizens in a way that was previously impossible," says Simon Canham, iSchemaView Vice President & General Manager EMEA. "Moving forward we will be able to help better identify the best routes of care for patients, improving their chances of recovery and quality of life." Developed by leading stroke experts, RAPID technology has been selected for use in several groundbreaking trials that have changed treatment guidelines issued by both the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. The RAPID Artificial Intelligence framework combines deep learning, machine learning and expert feature extraction. Together these provide unparalleled sensitivity and specificity across stroke modules (CT perfusion, MR diffusion and perfusion, CTA and CT ASPECT scoring). Results are then delivered by the RAPID Intelligence Services Platform via PACS, email, SMS/MMS, the RAPID app or corporate partner workflow systems. Unique in the coprehensive depth and range of its clinical validation, RAPID is also the imaging standard in stroke research. iSchemaView's imaging solution now has a research footprint across more than 300 stroke centers and more than 10 large-scale international clinical trials. RAPID has been shown to aid in the selection of patients in early and late-window stroke trials, including SWIFT PRIME, EXTEND IA, DAWN, DEFUSE 3 and EXTEND, and has been granted FDA clearance for selection of patients for both early and late window thrombectomy.



The Complete RAPID Platform includes: RAPID MRI , which provides fully automated, easy to interpret diffusion and perfusion maps that identify brain areas with low ADC (News - Alert) values, as well as delayed contrast arrival. RAPID MRI perfusion automatically quantifies regions of reduced cerebral blood flow, volume and transit time that exceed pre-specified thresholds.

, which provides fully automated, easy to interpret diffusion and perfusion maps that identify brain areas with low ADC (News - Alert) values, as well as delayed contrast arrival. RAPID MRI perfusion automatically quantifies regions of reduced cerebral blood flow, volume and transit time that exceed pre-specified thresholds. RAPID CTP , which automatically quantifies regions of reduced cerebral blood flow, volume and transit time that exceed pre-specified thresholds. Regions are color coded and the volumes of interest are automatically measured. Maps (including mismatch maps) of the severity of Tmax delays are provided using a four-color-coded scale.

, which automatically quantifies regions of reduced cerebral blood flow, volume and transit time that exceed pre-specified thresholds. Regions are color coded and the volumes of interest are automatically measured. Maps (including mismatch maps) of the severity of Tmax delays are provided using a four-color-coded scale. RAPID CTA , which automatically provides clear, easy-to-interpret CTA maps that include a colored overlay to identify brain regions with reduced blood vessel density. The severity of reduction can be readily visualized by a simple, four-color-coded scale. Additionally, a 3D reconstruction of the vasculature allows physicians to rotate the image for optimal viewing of the vessels from multiple angles.

, which automatically provides clear, easy-to-interpret CTA maps that include a colored overlay to identify brain regions with reduced blood vessel density. The severity of reduction can be readily visualized by a simple, four-color-coded scale. Additionally, a 3D reconstruction of the vasculature allows physicians to rotate the image for optimal viewing of the vessels from multiple angles. RAPID ASPECTS, which automatically generates a standardized score - based on clinically validated machine learning algorithms - that enables physicians to easily communicate about the extent of a patient's ischemic changes and to determine eligibility for thrombectomy (clot removal). In addition, RAPID ASPECTS provides clear visualization of the brain so that clinicians can better scrutinize each region and confirm the automated score. "With approval for RAPID in Israel we continue to greatly expand the number of health care facilities around the world that are able to assess stroke patients with the only clinically validated next-generation imaging technology," said Don Listwin, CEO of iSchemaView. "Across the globe, stroke centers are now delivering over 250,000 RAPID cases a year. We are excited that we can bring RAPID to Israel and give more hospitals the tools they need to best help their patients and improve outcomes."

For more information about working with RAPID in Israel, contact Simon Canham at [email protected]. About iSchemaView iSchemaView is the worldwide leader in advanced imaging for stroke. Installed in over 1,000 hospitals, iSchemaView's RAPID (automated CTP, MRI, CTA and ASPECTS), with enhanced AI framework, is the most advanced stroke imaging platform. In clinical trials, RAPID has been shown to aid in the selection of patients in early and late-window stroke trials, including SWIFT PRIME, EXTEND IA, DAWN, DEFUSE 3 and EXTEND. In addition to achieving the best clinical outcomes and largest treatment effects ever obtained, these landmark studies led to new American Heart Association and American Stroke Association guidelines and have dramatically altered the management of acute stroke around the world. For more information, visit www.RAPID.ai View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005249/en/

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[April 09, 2019] Leading Women's New Media Company Clozette Raises US$10 Million in Series C Funding from Cool Japan Fund

JAKARTA, Indonesia, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Clozette, a transformative new media company that inspires and engages contemporary women with award-winning content centered on beauty, fashion, travel and wellness, announced today an investment of US$10 million in Series C funding from Cool Japan Fund, a public-private fund under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan (METI) that provides risk capital for businesses with the aim of commercialising the "Cool Japan" concept. Founded in 2010, Clozette pioneered a new category of storytelling that marries the best of editorial authority with the authenticity of curated user-generated content. With a rapidly-growing team of over 90 employees operating in South East Asia and Japan, Clozette delivers game-changing brand content that incorporates original work created by an expansive network of more than 3,500 creators and talents boasting a collective social reach that exceeds 600 million. The company has worked with more than 300 brands and media agencies that include Estee Lauder, Shiseido, Wardah, Bukalapak, Zalora, Tempo Group, Beiersdorf, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, GroupM, IPG Mediabrands, Publicis Media, and Omnicom Media Group. As marketers evolve from an ad-centric approach towards one that is more story-driven in nature, this new round of investment will fuel and cement Clozette's momentum and leadership in the social content marketing space. The new funding will be used to scale the company's proprietary data-driven content and analytics platform, expand its presence in new markets eginning with Thailand, and develop an interactive Cool Japan Ecosystem.



"This investment from Cool Japan Fund solidly validates Clozette's vision of authentic content marketing taking center stage. Content is king - consumers today are blocking ads but consuming content at unprecedented rates on their platform of choice. In the same breath, they demand more authenticity, interactivity and mobility in their experience. Marketers must embrace this pivotal shift in media consumption behaviours in order to keep up with generational shifts in perception," said Roger Yuen, CEO of Clozette. This Series C round of funding follows a period of rapid growth and profitability for Clozette, with revenue in 2018 growing more than 140 percent over the past year, driven by the 200 percent growth of its subsidiary in Indonesia - the 4th largest country in the world with a population of over 260 million, the majority of which is under the age of 35.

"We are impressed by Clozette's management team of digital veterans and entrepreneurs, and excited to work with them as the company accelerates the transformation of digital and traditional marketing in Asia and beyond," said Yuji Kato, COO and CIO of Cool Japan Fund. He added, "The DNA of the Clozette dovetails with Cool Japan Fund's mission to promote Japanese fashion, beauty, food, travel and lifestyle to consumers around the globe. Part of the investment will go towards the creation of a multi-lingual Cool Japan Ecosystem that enables the discovery of actionable and shoppable "cool" content about Japan, leveraging the company's unique storytelling capabilities and network of talents to attract a new generation of fans of Japanese culture in the region and beyond." The interactive Cool Japan Ecosystem by Clozette is scheduled to launch in June 2019. Existing investors in the company include Phillip Private Equity and Walden International. About Clozette Clozette is a transformative new media company enabling brands to inspire and engage with contemporary women through a full suite of transformative digital marketing solutions and omni-channel experiences centered on the creation, distribution and amplification of award-wining content that fuses its editorial authority with the original works of an expansive network of creators and talents that spans over 600 million social reach. The company is venture-backed by Walden International, Phillip Private Equity and Cool Japan Fund. About Cool Japan Fund Cool Japan Fund was founded in November 2013 as a public-private fund with the aim of supporting and promoting the development of overseas demand for excellent Japanese products and services. Cool Japan Fund aims to commercialize the "Cool Japan" and increase overseas demand by providing risk capital for businesses across a variety of areas, including media & content, food & services, and fashion & lifestyle. SOURCE Clozette

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[April 09, 2019] Michael Toporek and Matthew Lipman resign as Directors from Brookstone Partners Morocco

Due to the breach of trust between shareholders of Brookstone Partners Morocco (the "Company") and an ongoing criminal dispute against its Chairman and CEO, Mr. Omar Belmamoun, two Directors have resigned. Effective immediately, Mr. Michael Toporek and Mr. Matthew Lipman are no longer members of the Company's Board of Directors. As a direct result, Matthew Lipman has also given resignation from his position as Deputy CEO. After learning of the alarming conclusions made in an expert report which highlighted acts of abuse of corporate assets, misappropriation and fraudulent use of the Company's funds contrary to its interest and corporate purpose and solely for the benefit of Mr. Belmamoun and his relatives, it is Mr. Toporek and Mr. Lipman's belief that these resignations are justified. In addition to the above-mentioned and alleged criminal misconduct, it is Brookstone's position that, "Mr. Belmamoun systemtically refused to grant access to the Company's economic, accounting and financial information to Mr. Toporek and Mr. Lipman. Mr. Belmamoun deliberately ignored a judgment--confirmed again in an appeal--against the Company, forcing it to release the required financial records, despite a penalty payment of MAD 1,000 per day of non-compliance."



The Director's role in an independent, diligent and well-informed manner, and in accordance with the Moroccan law 17-95 as modified and supplemented by law 20-05 regulating joint-stock companies, is the basis for a secure and successful company. This requirement is particularly reinforced in the case of companies' subject to reinforced regulations or undertaking commitments with the Moroccan administration. This is the case of Brookstone Partners Morocco, an investment firm approved by the Ministry of Finance and subject to the supervision of the Moroccan Capital Market Authority, which was the first company to have Casablanca Finance City status. In consideration of these recent resignations, the minimum number of Directors required by law and the Company's Articles of Association, is no longer met; and therefore, this Board of Directors is invalid and must be reconstituted.

The Chairman of the Company is now required to convene a General Shareholder's Meeting within thirty days from today in order to reconstitute the Board of Directors and appoint a new CEO. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005642/en/

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Pakistan Revenue Automation PRAL Islamabad Jobs 2019

Latest Pakistan Revenue Automation PRAL Executive Posts Islamabad 2021 Pakistan Revenue Automation PRAL Islamabad, Government of Pakistan are requires applications from experienced and well educated candidates for the posts of Chief Executive Officer.

How to Apply on Pakistan Revenue Automation PRAL Job Advertisement

Apply as per details in job advertisement. In some cases, you may apply online at vacancies after registering at https://www.jobz.pk online.

Note: Beware of Fraudulent Recruiting Activities. If an employer asks to pay money for any purpose, do not pay at all and report us at contact us form. Apply as per instuctions & dates mentioned in official job ad. Govt jobs may not be applied online here. Human typing error is possible. Error & omissions excepted.
[April 09, 2019] NetMotion Reveals Significant 2018 Growth, Rapid Global Expansion and Expanded Leadership Team

SEATTLE, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NetMotion Software today announced details of its remarkably successful 2018 year, including significant global growth in revenues, outperforming all previous commercial records in every market. The companys performance was driven by strong North American sales and triple digit expansion in both APAC and EMEA.

Key milestones include 36 percent growth in subscription licenses in 2018 and accelerated growth in the enterprise market, with two-thirds of new customers operating in the corporate space plus a number of large new accounts in the transportation and utilities verticals. NetMotion also saw continued momentum in the public safety sector in 2018. This was particularly the case overseas, as NetMotion secured its first 50,000+ seat deal in Japan with a government public safety customer. As a result of this deal and a variety of other important customer wins in Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia, NetMotion tripled its APAC business in 2018. This impressive growth can be attributed to departments across the business, especially NetMotions sales leadership. NetMotion has made several recent additions to its management team, including the creation of a new role for Dan Pagel as President of Global Sales and Operations, the most recent in a series of promotions that reflect his relentless drive and strategic thinking. Erik Helms was promoted to Senior Vice President of International, a recognition of more than a decade of hard work and ingenuity at the company and outstanding market achievements. Other promotions in the sales organization lastyear were Chris Lee to Sales Director, North America, and Jay Klauser to Director of Presales Engineering.



These changes are bolstered by the March 2019 addition of Justin Sollenne as CFO, who joins from Sentek Global, a Department of Defense contractor specializing in Cyber Security for the US Navy. Prior to Sentek, he successfully held roles as the CFO at iboss Cybersecurity and as the Manager of Global FP&A at Websense. Among many other highlights, Sollenne participated in Websense's $1B+ acquisition by Vista Equity Partners and led a $35M funding round with Goldman Sachs for iboss. Sollenne has already relocated from San Diego to NetMotions headquarters in Seattle for the role. Sollennes arrival follows other key hires in 2018, such as the addition of CMO Joel Windels from Wandera, Director for EMEA & India Achi Lewis from MobileIron, and Product Director Paul Wierenga from Illumina. In early 2019, Lewis helped establish the NetMotion European headquarters in Reading, UK. Windels and Wierenga are based in Victoria, Canada, where the companys new innovation center, already employing 10+ people, is set to expand rapidly.

Its rare to see a technology company with an established history of almost two decades experience this kind of growth, said Christopher Kenessey, CEO of NetMotion. Theres a real sense of momentum everywhere you look, and I couldnt be more proud to see how weve improved and developed not just from a product perspective, but from a people perspective too. Im feeling bullish that 2019 is going to be even better for us and for our customers. According to IDC , the global mobility solutions market is projected to reach $1.8 trillion in 2022. NetMotions global presence is growing much faster than industry averages and the company is well-positioned to continue capturing market share as 2019 unfolds. About NetMotion Software?

NetMotion Mobile Performance and Operational Intelligence solutions give IT teams the ability to monitor, alert and dynamically make decisions using real-time data and analytics. Thousands of enterprises around the world depend on the companys solutions to improve the performance, visibility and security for their mobile workers. NetMotion has received numerous awards for its technology and customer support. The company consistently receives an impressive customer satisfaction Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 91, significantly exceeding NPS averages in the technology and telecom industries. The company is headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Visit? www.netmotionsoftware.com .?

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NetMotion, NetMotion Mobility, NetMotion Diagnostics and NetMotion Mobile IQ are registered trademarks of NetMotion Software, Inc. All other trade names, trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Media Contact: Austin Williams, Voxus PR Direct: 253-444-6267 Email: [email protected]

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[April 09, 2019] Proscere Bioscience Announces $175M Distribution Agreement

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE  Simlatus Corporation (OTC PINK: SIML) (Simlatus or the Company), the company announces that its Cannabis Division, Proscere Bioscience, has signed a 5-year distribution agreement with United Opportunities, LLC in value of $175M to sell its Cold-Water Cannabis/Hemp Extraction Systems in Europe and Canada. On March 29, 2019, the Board of Directors approved the Company and its subsidiary, Proscere Bioscience Inc., to enter into a Distribution Agreement with United Opportunities, LLC allowing the rights to sell the Cold-Water Cannabis/Hemp Extraction Systems within all of Canada and Europe. The term of the agreement is for five years with guaranteed minimal purchase orders of $35,000,000 per year and/or $175,000,000 over a five year period. Shawn Illingworth is the Managing Partner of United Opportunities, LLC, and the company was formed in 2017 in overseeing the purchases of multiple cannabis farms in the Humboldt, Adelanto, Needles, Nipton, Cal City, and Searchlight areas of California and Nevada. The company currently cultivates medical grade crops on a grand scale and supply product to all the major manufacturers and extraction companies in the industry. Future plans are to expand the company and distribute internationally through attaining cultivation centers in Canada, Europe and Australia. United Opportunities is currently opening an office and showroom in Las Vegas, NV which will round out its current operating platforms in New York, lorida, and San Diego, California.



Proscere Bioscience manufactures and distributes a proprietary commercial Cold-Water Cannabis/Hemp Extraction Systems. This advanced method and technology is highly effective in producing medical-grade product used to help people suffering with a wide range of ailments; from treating pain, inflammation, infections, sleep issues and mood disorders. The CBD is also proven to support the immune system, protects the brain and fights cancer . Proscere Biosciences commercial Cold-Water Cannabis/Hemp Extraction Systems are expected to yield $225M over the next 5 years, based upon expected growth and application. Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements: his news release contains forward-looking statements which are not statements of historical fact. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Companys future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as believes, anticipates, expects, estimates, may, could, would, will, or plan. Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet managements expectations. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to changes in general economic and financial market conditions. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.

Contact: Richard Hylen, CEO Tel: (530) 205-3437

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[April 09, 2019] ServerFarm Expands Executive Team With A.J. Matel

LOS ANGELES, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- ServerFarm, an innovative data center developer and operator, announces the appointment of A.J. Matel as senior vice president sales, North America. In this position, Mr. Matel is responsible for driving North American sales for ServerFarm, with a focus on growing the company's service provider and channel client bases. An experienced solutions provider for customers, he offers a proven history of driving sales to achieve financial and growth targets. His customer-focused approach helps create partnerships that deliver precise results to meet client needs. "A.J. has a deep understanding of how to support customers' growth into world-class data centers across the country," stated Avner Papouchado, CEO of ServerFarm. "His ability to refine offerings to meet customer requirements for efficiency and growth enhances our ability to support our customers' success with digital transformation." "ServerFarm offers a groundbreaking approach to solving the physical challenges for today's IT environments," said Mr. Matel. "Many companies no longer want to own or operate data center infrastructure. They are looking for ways to improve cost efficiencies and performance to meet the needs of ever-changing workloads, while still addressing potential security and compliance risks." "Data centers can be costly to own and operate, requiring continuous capital investment. Physical security, access control and change management require additional spend, but the bigger challenge for IT is the underutilization of resources," he added. "ServerFarm's InCommand Services provide a powerful management capability allowing companies to control ever-changing IT infrastrcture needs. Companies can now make informed decisions based on real data that optimizes the IT and facility spend while providing the flexibility required in today's hybrid cloud environments."



Mr. Matel brings 30 years of industry experience to his new position. Prior to ServerFarm, he was the senior vice president, sales, at vXchnge, a data-center-as-a-service partner. Before vXchnge, he was the VP of sales  colocation for CenturyLink, a company specializing in IT, hosting and managed services for businesses. In that role, he managed a group of colocation sales specialists whose function was to close all large and strategic deals globally. This week, A.J. will be attending Channel Partners Conference & Expo, the largest channel event for agents, MSPs, VARs, consultants, integrators and service providers in Las Vegas, Nevada.

For more information about ServerFarm, visit www.serverfarmllc.com . About ServerFarm ServerFarm offers a pioneering approach to accelerating digital transformation by turning data center and IT physical infrastructure into technology, financial and operational agility. We deliver this transformative trifecta to our customers as a service through our industry-leading integrated platform of real estate, data center and IT management solutions. As a result, our customers and their teams gain agility, reliability and efficiencies. For more information, visit www.serverfarmllc.com. Media Contact:

Jaclyn Riback Levy

JSA for ServerFarm

Tel: 866.695.3629 x21

Email: [email protected] Related Images a-j-matel-named-senior-vp-sales.jpg

A.J. Matel named Senior VP Sales, North America

Mr. Matel brings 30 years of experience to ServerFarm sales, with a focus on growing the company's service provider and channel client bases. An experienced solutions provider for customers, he offers a proven history of driving sales to achieve financial and growth targets. Related Links Data Center Digital Transformation InCommand Services Overview View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/serverfarm-expands-executive-team-with-aj-matel-300827813.html SOURCE Server Farm Realty

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[April 09, 2019] SIOS Technology Offers No-Cost Assessment to Address SQL Server 2008 End of Support by Re-hosting in Azure

SIOS Technology Corp., the industry pioneer in providing IT Resilience through intelligent application availability, today announced a new no-cost assessment for customers considering migrating Microsoft (News - Alert) SQL Server 2008 to Azure to address the July 9, 2019, End-of-Support. A major challenge when considering this option from Microsoft is how to maintain SQL Server availability. High availability clustering solutions used on premises are not possible in Azure due to their reliance on shared-storage. This new SIOS offer provides businesses a no-cost assessment of their SQL Server 2008 environments and delivers an Azure re-hosting and configuration plan that ensures protection against unplanned downtime and data loss to meet customer-specific SLAs. "Moving SQL Server 2008 environments to Azure achieves the goal of obtaining continued product updates from Microsoft without the need to upgrade. However, the question of maintaining availability of those SQL Server environments in the cloud becomes a challenge," said Michael Bilancieri, VP, Product, SIOS Technology. "Shared-storage clustering solutions that deliver availability for on-premises environments are not a native option in Azure. Designing and implementing high availability clusters in the cloud requires specialized skills to ensure that reliable availability is achieved and that the SLAs of critical systems using SQL Server are met. We've helped customers deploy thousands of SQ Server instances in the cloud with our software and expertise and we're looking to help customers take advantage of Microsoft's SQL Server 2008 EOS program in Azure."



Supporting Resources: For more information on the SIOS No-Cost Assessment for SQL Server 2008 end of support on Azure, visit here: https://us.sios.com/solutions/sql-server-2008-end-of-support

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 end of support reference page: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/cloud-platform/windows-sql-server-2008 Tweet this: [email protected] offers No-Cost Assessment for #SQLServer 2008 End of Support on #Azure http://bit.ly/2VvvQ9x #highavailability #nocost About SIOS Technology Corp. SIOS Technology Corp. is the leading expert in IT Resiliency with software and services focused on High Availability and Disaster Recovery. SIOS delivers tightly-integrated availability solutions for business-critical applications running on-premises, in the cloud, and in hybrid cloud environments, with flexibility to meet the widely-varying requirements of different platforms, applications, and Linux and Windows Operating Systems. SIOS DataKeeper Cluster Edition software is Microsoft Azure-certified and available in the Azure marketplace. It is the only Azure-certified software that enables customers to create a SANless high availability SQL Server 2008 cluster in Azure using Microsoft Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC), eliminating the need for shared storage while maintaining availability SLAs in the cloud. Founded in 1999, SIOS Technology Corp. (https://us.sios.com) is headquartered in San Mateo, California, and has offices throughout the United States, United Kingdom and Japan. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005325/en/

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[April 09, 2019] Zoho Surges in Market Presence with 45 Million Users Worldwide and 39% Revenue Growth Rate

Zoho (News - Alert), a global, privately held company that offers the most comprehensive suite of business software applications in the industry, announced today at Zoholics Austin its forward momentum with more than 45 million users across 180 countries, at a revenue growth rate of 39 percent year-over-year. This global upswing includes the addition of offices in Singapore, Mexico, United Arab Emirates, Australia and the Netherlands. The company also announced plans for a new 375-acre campus in Austin, which entails aggressive hiring plans and the expansion of Zoho University, a Zoho-funded technology school for high school graduates based in India, to the United States. Founded in 1996, Zoho has grown along with the explosive adoption of cloud-based software by businesses of all sizes. From day one, the company has been methodical in its approach. Zoho is financially bootstrapped, and plans to remain that way. The company does not participate in merger and acquisition activities largely because of the negative impact on customers associated with these transactions. Its extensive software repertoire, which includes 40+ applications, is created exclusively and meticulously in house. Today, Zoho employs more than 7,000 employees worldwide across 12 offices spanning five continents. More than 30 different languages are spoken amongst Zoho's employees. "As a private company that's been in operation for more than 22 years, we are invested in long term growth and crafting the very best business solutions for our customers," said Sridhar Vembu (News - Alert), CEO and Founder of Zoho. "Without the pressures of shareholders, we can grow with purpose. It is our imperative to invest in our employees and the communities we are in, while making sure our software remains accessible to every type of business, from small to large, whether they exist in yet-to-be-developed, emerging or fully developed markets." Zoho's Global Growth Continues: Zoho has more than 45 million users located in more than 180 countries arund the world.

The company has experienced a revenue growth rate of 39 percent year-over-year.

Zoho currently has offices in Austin, Texas (U.S.); Pleasanton, California (U.S.); Chennai, India; Renigunta, India; Tenkasi, India; Yokohama, Japan; Beijing, China; Singapore; Queretaro, Mexico; Byron Bay, Australia; Utrecht, Netherlands; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with the last five offices launching just within the past 12 months.



Creating a New U.S. Campus: Zoho has purchased 375 acres of land in south-east Austin to build a 100,000 square foot campus.

Zoho plans to hire hundreds of employees in the Austin area in the years to come, with a focus on finding and training local talent. It will not require its employees to have a four-year degree, due to its in-house technology program, Zoho University.

Zoho is committed to building a strong presence in the Austin community. Zoho plans to work closely with independent schools and community colleges to help educate local students and hopefully provide a path to the future. Expanding Zoho University to the U.S.:

In 2005, Sridhar Vembu created Zoho University, the company's company-funded technology school in Tamil Nadu, India. It is designed as a college alternative to train engineers and developers from the ground up.

Zoho University will be replicated at the new campus in Austin, Texas. While the India campus offers deep technical training, the Austin campus will instead focus on business administration and marketing. Training will be offered at no cost, providing them with hire-ready skills upon finishing the program.

Zoho University started with six students; it has graduated around 900 individuals since its inception, most of whom secure employment with Zoho. Today, approximately 15 percent of Zoho employees, including many managers, are Zoho University graduates.

Zoho University takes in high school students from the local public schools. Through the years, Zoho has observed that the Zoho University graduates perform at the same level as those with formal college degrees. Both types of employees equally become competent managers and leaders within the company. About Zoho Zoho is the operating system for business-a single online platform capable of running an entire business. With 40+ apps in nearly every major business category, including sales, marketing, customer support, accounting and back office operations, and an array of productivity and collaboration tools, Zoho is one of the world's most prolific software companies. Zoho respects user privacy and does not have an ad-revenue model in any part of its business, including its free products. More than 45 million users around the world, across hundreds of thousands of companies, rely on Zoho every day to run their businesses, including Zoho itself. Zoho Corporation is privately held and profitable with more than 7,000 employees. Zoho is headquartered in Pleasanton, California, with international headquarters in Chennai, India. Additional offices are in Austin, Texas (U.S.); Renigunta, India; Tenkasi, India; Yokohama, Japan; Beijing, China; Singapore; Queretaro, Mexico; Byron Bay, Australia; Utrecht, Netherlands; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. For more information, please visit www.zoho.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005400/en/

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U.S. Legal Support Completes Acquisition of Precision Reporting, Inc.

U.S. Legal Support, Inc., the nation's leading provider of litigation support services, proudly announces the acquisition of Precision Reporting, Inc.

Precision built a robust and loyal following of clients in the Philadelphia market under the leadership of Michele Matteo. Working closely with her clients as a shorthand reporter for more than 30 years, Michele's hallmark has been her personalized care of clients and commitment to their satisfaction.

U.S. Legal Support's President and Chief Executive Officer, Charles Schugart, shared, "Precision's experience with complex litigation and their commitment to delivering excellence complements U.S. Legal Support's vision of eceeding our clients' expectations each and every time."







About U.S. Legal Support

Headquartered in Houston, Texas and founded in 1996, U.S. Legal Support is a privately held company with over 85 offices located across the United States. As one of the leading providers of litigation services, U.S. Legal Support is the only litigation support company that provides a full suite of court reporting solutions, record retrieval, interpreting & translations, trial services and transcription services to major insurance companies, corporations and law firms nationwide. For more information about U.S. Legal Support, visit the company's website at: www.uslegalsupport.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190408005852/en/
[April 08, 2019] INVESTOR ALERT: Law Offices of Howard G. Smith Announces the Filing of a Securities Class Action on Behalf of First Choice Healthcare Solutions, Inc. Investors (FCHS)

Law Offices of Howard G. Smith announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of investors who purchased First Choice Healthcare Solutions, Inc. ("First Choice" or the "Company") (OTC: FCHS) securities between April 1, 2014 and November 14, 2018, inclusive (the "Class Period"). First Choice investors have until May 28, 2019 to file a lead plaintiff motion. Investors suffering losses on their First Choice 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 [email protected]. On November 14, 2018, both a criminal indictment and civil action were filed by the U.S. Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission respectively against then-Chief Executive Officer, President, and Board Chairman Christian Romandetti, Sr., along with other alleged co-conspirators. Romandetti was charged regarding his connections with the arrangement of a multi-million dollar pump-and-dump scheme in whic the price and volume of First Choice shares was falsely controlled through artificial generation of trading volume and price movements, as well as materially false representations and omissions in communications with investors.



On this news, shares of First Choice fell $0.66 per share, or over 65%, to close at $0.35 on November 15, 2018, thereby injuring investors. The complaint filed in this class action alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operational and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) defendants retained Elite Stock Research, Inc. to falsely promote the Company to materially inflate the price of First Choice stock; (2) the Company's CEO participated and personally profited from a scheme to materially inflate the price of First Choice securities through an unlawful, paid promotional campaign; (3) defendants were in violation of First Choice's internal compliance policies by participating in the pump and dump scheme; and (4) a primary cause of fluctuations in First Choice's stock price was the unlawful campaign, in which Romandetti directly participated, that caused the price of First Choice stock to be inflated while at the same time allowed others to dump their First Choice stock for profit.

If you purchased shares of First Choice, have information or would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Howard G. Smith, Esquire, of Law Offices of Howard G. Smith, 3070 Bristol Pike, Suite 112, Bensalem, Pennsylvania 19020 by telephone at (215) 638-4847, toll-free at (888) 638-4847, or by email to [email protected], or visit our website at www.howardsmithlaw.com. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190408005853/en/

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[April 08, 2019] Mayor John Tory proclaims Toronto Blockchain Week

-- Week of April 22 to celebrate and promote blockchain innovation in

City of Toronto -- TORONTO, April 8, 2019 /CNW/ - Toronto Mayor John Tory has proclaimed the week of April 22nd Toronto Blockchain Week, celebrating and promoting blockchain innovation in the City of Toronto. From April 22  28th, Toronto will welcome thousands of the world's leading thinkers, builders, practitioners, investors, and researchers in blockchain. Together, Toronto's leading companies will host a series of conferences, award shows, hackathons, seminars and more. The week will culminate in the inaugural Blockchain Revolution Global, the world's largest blockchain conference tareted at enterprise transformations, where Mayor John Tory is scheduled to offer welcoming remarks, alongside Ontario Minister of Finance, Vic Fedeli.



"Toronto has become a globally recognized hub for blockchain technology," says Toronto Blockchain Week co-founder, Addison Cameron-Huff. "Toronto Blockchain Week is a celebration for our startups, enterprises, professional firms, and research networks. Blockchain Revolution Global is the anchor conference for the week that will showcase the transformative potential of blockchain technology." "Council has made it a priority to make Toronto an attractive place for innovators and entrepreneurs by supporting an innovation-friendly business environment and livable communities," said Mayor John Tory. "Supporting Toronto Blockchain Week is an extension of that work, and a sign of our city's commitment to supporting tech and innovation."

In 2017, the City of Toronto became a founding member of the Blockchain Research Institute (BRI), an independent think tank studying enterprise blockchain applications for business and government. "With the City's support, we're working to make Toronto the global hub for blockchain innovation," said Don Tapscott, co-founder and executive chairman of the BRI. "Toronto Blockchain Week will accelerate that work, creating a more enmeshed network of innovators, investors, and enterprise leaders." About Toronto Blockchain Week

Toronto Blockchain Week is an initiative by Blockchain Week Inc., a Canadian company founded by members of the Toronto blockchain community who saw a need to bring together the incredibly diverse group of startups, universities, enterprises, enthusiasts, and research networks like BRI. In the spirit of blockchain technology, Toronto Blockchain Week is an open event that is expected to feature approximately 40 events across the city. More information is available online. About Blockchain Revolution Global

Unlike other events on blockchain, BRG focuses on blockchain's transformation of large enterprise and government. It will showcase inspiring talks, provocative and thoughtful sessions and brain dates featuring a roster of global CEOs, practitioners and BRI researchers, hosted by Don Tapscott. Unique in design, a 360 degree stage will create the most integrated and collaborative experience between brands and leaders from 20+ industries, discussing vertical and horizontal transformations for the global enterprise and government blockchain community. The full schedule of speakers and more details on the event may be found online. SOURCE Blockchain Revolution Global

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[April 08, 2019] Electrovaya Displays Lithium Ion Battery Solution for Powering Materials Handling Electric Vehicles and Autonomous Robots at ProMat 2019

TORONTO, April 8, 2019 /CNW/ - Electrovaya Inc. ("Electrovaya" or the "Company") (TSX: EFL; OTCQX: EFLVF), invites attendees of the ProMat 2019 conference to visit the Company at Booth N6214. The conference is occurring from April 8-11 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL. Electrovaya will display its battery system product line, which is currently powering several hundred Materials Handling Electric Vehicles. A forklift truck from Toyota will be on display at the Electrovaya booth, while the Electrovaya battery will also be on display at the Toyota booth. Electrovaya's batteries deliver powerful solutions for companies in the manufacturing, e-commerce, retail, distribution and supply chain logistics sectors, and offer industry-leading performance in terms of cycle-life, safety, energy and power. The Electrovaya battery powering several hundred robotic vehicles will also be on display. A robot from Badger TechnologiesTM, a product division of Jabil Inc., will be showcased at the Electrovaya booth. ProMat is the largest exposition in North America for manufacturing and supply chain professionals, with over 1,000 exhibitors demonstrating their material handling, manufacturing, and logistics equipment and technologies. The conference will feature over 130 sessions, including floor seminars, keynotes, and networking opportunities with leading industry professionals. To set up meetings directly with Electrovaya's team at ProMat 2019, please email [email protected] About Electrovaya Inc. Electrovaya Inc. (TSX:EFL) (OTCQX:EFLVF) designs, develops and manufactures proprietary lithium ion batteries, battery systems, and battery-related products for energy storage, clean electric transportation and other specialized applications. Electrovaya is a technology focused company with extensive IP. Headquartered in Ontario, Canada, Electrovaya has production facilities in Canada with customers around the globe. To learn more about how Electrovaya is powering mobility and energy storage, please exlore www.electrovaya.com .



Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements that relate to, among other things, the potential realization of revenue from the ProMat show or from other companies at the show, and, whether the Electrovaya display will expand Electrovaya's market reach, anticipated increased collaboration with OEMs in fiscal 2019, anticipated continued increase in sales momentum in fiscal 2019 through OEMs and directly to large global companies, including Fortune 500 companies, the Company's ability to source supply to satisfy demand for its products and satisfy current order volume, the Company's markets, objectives, goals, strategies, intentions, beliefs, expectations and estimates, and can generally be identified by the use of words such as "may", "will", "could", "should", "would", "likely", "possible", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "objective" and "continue" (or the negative thereof) and words and expressions of similar import. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. Certain material factors or assumptions are applied in making forward-looking statements, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include but are not limited to: that current customers will continue to make and increase orders for the Company's products, and that the Company's alternate supply chain will be adequate to replace material supply and manufacturing. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include but are not limited to: general business and economic conditions (including but not limited to currency rates and creditworthiness of customers), Company liquidity and capital resources, including the availability of additional capital resources to fund its activities, level of competition, changes in laws and regulations, legal and regulatory proceedings, the ability to adapt products and services to the changing market, the ability to attract and retain key executives, and the ability to execute strategic plans. Additional information about material factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations and about material factors or assumptions applied in making forward-looking statements may be found in the Company's Annual Information Form for the year ended September 30, 2018 under "Risk Factors", and in the Company's most recent annual and interim Management's Discussion and Analysis under "Qualitative and Quantitative Disclosures about Risk and Uncertainties" as well as in other public disclosure documents filed with Canadian securities regulatory authorities. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the forward-looking statements contained in this document, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/electrovaya-displays-lithium-ion-battery-solution-for-powering-materials-handling-electric-vehicles-and-autonomous-robots-at-promat-2019-300827592.html SOURCE Electrovaya Inc.

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2019 NAB Show Exhibitor News Recap Through April 8

The 2019 NAB Show runs April 6 - 11, 2019 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Business Wire is the official news distribution partner for the NAB Show and will be located on-site in the Press Room (N247). Listed below is the exhibitor news recap through April 8.

04/08/2019 - 12:00 PM

Oi and MediaKind Expand Partnership to Enable Immersive Entertainment Experiences for Oi Consumers Across Brazil

04/08/2019 - 11:45 AM

Television Broadcasters Announce Collaborative Build-out Plans for Next-Gen TV in Top 40 U.S. Television Markets

04/08/2019 - 10:46 AM

Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve Users Soon Able to Mix and Encode MPEG-H Audio by Fraunhofer IIS

04/08/2019 - 10:00 AM

Maxon Acquires Redshift Rendering Technologies

04/08/2019 - 09:30 AM

VITEC Launches Industry's Highest Density HEVC IPTV Encoder

04/08/2019 - 09:00 AM

Ooyala Unveils Integrations and Workflows for Google Cloud Video Intelligence, Avid Media Composer and TeraVolt

04/08/2019 - 09:00 AM

Leyard and Planar Showcase Their Most Comprehensive Portfolio of Broadcast Solutions at NAB 2019

04/08/2019 - 09:00 AM

Samsung Showcases Innovative Display Solutions Optimized for Broadcast Applications at NAB 2019

04/08/2019 - 09:00 AM

Albania's ALBtelecom Selects Verimatrix VCAS for Digital Rights Management

04/08/2019 - 08:00 AM

MediaKind Enters Cloud Partnership with Google Cloud to Enhance Delivery of Highly Personalized Media User Experiences

04/08/2019 - 07:00 AM

Intelsat and Aldea Join Forces to Deliver an Unparalleled Global Satellite and Fiber Video Distribution Network

04/08/2019 - 06:00 AM

NGD Systems to Showcase Computational Storage for Media and Entertainment Industry at NAB 2019

04/08/2019 - 06:00 AM

Limelight Networks Features Sub-Second Global Live Video Streaming and New Online Video Innovations at NAB 2019

04/08/2019 - 05:00 AM

Minerva YourTV Now Cloud Service Integrated with ContentWise User Experience Engine

04/08/2019 - 05:00 AM

LaCie Boosts Productivity for Creative Pros with Rugged RAID Shuttle and 2big RAID Professional Storage Solutions at the 2019 NAB Show

04/08/2019 - 04:02 AM

HD Radio and FEMA Demonstrate Emergency Notification Capabilities

04/08/2019 - 02:18 AM

intoPIX Announces Availability of TICO-XS IP-cores Supporting HD and 4K with a Low FPGA Footprint at NAB 2019

04/08/2019 - 02:01 AM

intoPIX TICO-RAW Technology to Simplify and Improve Image Signal Processing of Next-Gen 4K & 8K Cameras at NAB Show 2019

04/08/2019 - 12:05 AM

Qumulo Introduces New Hybrid Storage Platform, Advanced File System Features, and Accelerates Momentum in Media and Entertainment Storage Market

04/05/2019 - 04:17 PM

VisualOn Raises the Bar with Pioneering New Features for its Streaming Media Player Solutions at NAB Show 2019

04/05/2019 - 02:23 PM

AWARN Alliance Demonstrating Advanced Alerting and New Resources for ATSC 3.0 TV Station News Departments

04/05/2019 - 09:44 AM

Verimatrix Announces API Integration between VCAS Ultra and Amazon Web Services (AWS) for Secure Live Video

04/05/2019 - 05:00 AM

ContentWise Introduces Open Connector, Opening Up UX Engine Platform to Any Third-Party Software

04/05/2019 - 04:02 AM

Xperi Corporation to Demo Latest Broadcast Technologies at NAB Show 2019

04/04/2019 - 09:00 AM

Wangsu Deploys NETINT's Codensity T400 Video Transcoders to Scale H.265 Video Streaming Services Across Its Global CDN

04/04/2019 - 09:00 AM

Verizon Digital Media Services Names SnapStream Official Transition Partner for Volicon Observer

04/04/2019 - 06:00 AM

2019: UHD's Year of Maturity

04/04/2019 - 06:00 AM

AppTek Launches Subtitling Neural Machine Translation (NMT) for Increased Accuracy, Performance and Workflow Optimization

04/04/2019 - 05:00 AM

Western Digital Showcases Faster, Smarter Workflows at NAB 2019

04/04/2019 - 05:00 AM

Elastifile Showcases Benefits of Cloud-Native File Storage for Rendering and Transcoding at NAB 2019

04/04/2019 - 03:59 AM

Wowza Delivers Product Enhancements and Services Focused on Ensuring Customer Success







04/04/2019 - 03:20 AM

Magyar Telekom Marches Forward with MediaKind's cloud-based Streaming TV

04/04/2019 - 12:05 AM

Qumulo Announces Broad Expansion of Cloud-Native File Storage Offerings

04/03/2019 - 10:15 AM

Advantech Showcases New Video Solutions at National Association of Broadcasters Conference

04/03/2019 - 10:00 AM

AppTek Delivers New Levels of Accuracy in Live Automated Closed Captioning Solution for Broadcasters

04/03/2019 - 09:04 AM

2019 NAB Show Exhibitor Profiles: Tavant Technologies to Zype

04/03/2019 - 09:03 AM

2019 NAB Show Exhibitor Profiles: National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences to Sympli

04/03/2019 - 09:02 AM

2019 NAB Show Exhibitor Profiles: EditShare to Moonlighting

04/03/2019 - 09:01 AM

2019 NAB Show Exhibitor Profiles: 24i Media to DynaMount

04/03/2019 - 07:58 AM

SPROCKIT Surpasses $1 Billion Milestone, Announces Final Round of Startups Participating at the 2019 NAB Show

04/03/2019 - 07:41 AM

NAB 2019: Canon Introduces PL- Mount Sumire Cinema Primes; More Info at B&H

04/03/2019 - 06:24 AM

The Preview Channel Launches Featuring First Run Movie and Video Game Trailers, Behind-the-Scenes, Star and Director Interviews

04/03/2019 - 06:08 AM

Kingston Enables 8K Production Workflows at 2019 NAB Show

04/03/2019 - 06:00 AM

Creative Cloud Innovation at NAB 2019 Meets Heavy Demands of Today's Video Professionals

04/03/2019 - 06:00 AM

Teradici Enhances PCoIP Protocol to Advance Market-Leading Performance for Graphics-Intensive Applications in Multicloud Environments

04/03/2019 - 03:59 AM

Wowza Showcases Live-Streaming Solutions Powered by Microsoft Azure at NAB

04/03/2019 - 03:00 AM

Vodafone Qatar Partners with MediaKind to Deliver New and Immersive IPTV and OTT Services to Multiscreen Audiences

04/02/2019 - 03:22 PM

MediaKind Solutions Power NASCAR Productions and PSSI Global Services to Emmy Award Success

04/02/2019 - 10:00 AM

NAB 2019: Canon Announces Five New Camcorders; More Info at B&H

04/02/2019 - 07:50 AM

NAB Show Offers Full Slate of Sessions, Programs for Content Creators

04/02/2019 - 06:50 AM

8K TVs Will Be In 56 Million Homes Worldwide By 2025, Says Strategy Analytics

04/02/2019 - 05:50 AM

VITEC Expands HEVC Contribution Solution With MGW Ace Decoder openGear Card

04/02/2019 - 04:34 AM

MediaKind launches cloud-based live 360 video as a service (360aaS) at NAB Show 2019

04/02/2019 - 03:59 AM

Wowza Showcases Low-Latency Streaming Solutions at NAB

04/02/2019 - 03:00 AM

CBC/Radio-Canada Selects Arista Networks for New Broadcast Facility

04/01/2019 - 05:30 AM

Brightcove Completes Acquisition of Ooyala's Online Video Platform Business

03/28/2019 - 11:30 PM

Verimatrix Secures the Connected Content Workflow at NAB 2019

03/28/2019 - 08:02 AM

All-Star NAB Show Keynote Session Takes Live Sports to New Heights in the Cloud

03/28/2019 - 06:54 AM

Brightcove to Power Live Stream and On-Demand Video Portal for the 2019 NAB Show

03/28/2019 - 06:35 AM

NAB Show to Feature FCC Chairman Pai, Commissioners O'Rielly, Carr and Starks

03/27/2019 - 10:00 AM

Nekojarashi and Morpho Present a Jointly-Developed Cloud Video Processing Service, "Setaria.cloud" at NAB Show 2019

03/27/2019 - 06:00 AM

Friend MTS - Leading Provider of Anti-Piracy Services - Launches Piracy-iQ, a Cutting-Edge Piracy Insight Product

03/27/2019 - 05:45 AM

VITEC to Introduce Zero-Latency HEVC Contribution at the 2019 NAB Show

03/26/2019 - 06:00 AM

MACOM is Enhancing the Future of UHD and Advancing 4K Broadcast Video Applications at NAB 2019

03/25/2019 - 08:34 AM

Belden Shows Media, Entertainment and Tech Pros How Cable and Connectivity Fit into the Digital Ecosystem at NAB 2019

03/21/2019 - 11:40 AM

Over 200 First-Time Exhibitors Join 2019 NAB Show

03/19/2019 - 05:30 AM

Storbyte Intros New ECO-FRIENDLY Storage Systems for Media/Entertainment at NAB Show 2019

03/18/2019 - 09:58 AM

NAB Show Launches New Influencer Series

03/18/2019 - 06:08 AM

MediaKind Welcomes New Era of TV with the Debut of its Universe Portfolio at NAB Show 2019

03/15/2019 - 05:00 AM

Maxon to Exhibit at 2019 NAB Show

03/14/2019 - 09:34 AM

NAB Show and Citizine Announce 2019 Travel Video Award Nominees

03/11/2019 - 10:24 AM

Nanocosmos to Present End-To-End Ultra-Low-Latency Live Streaming with NanoStream Cloud & H5Live Player at NAB Show 2019

03/11/2019 - 07:00 AM

Fremantle Selects TransPerfect's Media.Next Subtitling Solutions to Support Launch of Remastered Baywatch Series in US, Australia, and Canada

03/11/2019 - 06:00 AM

MediaKind Integrates Netflix App into Mediaroom TV Platform to Deliver Enriched OTT Experiences to All VIVO Fibra Subscribers

03/08/2019 - 08:43 AM

#GALSNGEAR Announces Programming for 2019 NAB Show

03/07/2019 - 08:54 AM

NAB Show to Focus on 'In-Vehicle Experience' with New Exhibit Area, Main Stage Session

03/06/2019 - 06:53 AM

NexPlayer Releases New Audio Experience for OTT Solutions

03/04/2019 - 08:00 AM

Emmy Winner Sterling K. Brown to Receive 2019 NAB Television Chairman's Award

02/27/2019 - 08:22 AM

NAB Show to Feature New 'Esports Experience'

02/27/2019 - 06:00 AM

Veritone Announces Agreement to Deliver One-Two Combo for Golden Boy Promotions With Core and Digital Media Hub

02/26/2019 - 09:13 AM

SPROCKIT Announces First Round of Startups Participating at the 2019 NAB Show

02/22/2019 - 07:50 AM

Streaming Summit at NAB Show to Focus on Monetization and Technology

02/12/2019 - 08:17 AM

NAB Show Launches 'Birds of a Feather' Program for Content Creation Community

01/22/2019 - 08:48 AM

NAB Show to Feature White House Broadcast Press Corps

01/16/2019 - 07:47 AM

Cathy Hughes To Be Inducted Into NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame

01/15/2019 - 09:04 AM

FOX NFL SUNDAY To Be Inducted Into NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame

01/14/2019 - 07:56 AM

NAB Show to Launch 'Product of the Year' Awards

****

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A job fair for South African students who recently completed their internships in China is held in Johannesburg to facilitate their employment on Monday, April 8, 2019.[Photo: China Plus]

JOHANNESBURG, April 8 (Xinhua) -- A job fair for South African students who recently completed their internships in China was held in Johannesburg on Monday to facilitate their employment.

The event attracted about 1,000 students to seek jobs at famous Chinese companies such as Air China and China Unicom and at least 40 Chinese companies based in South African took part in the event.

Lefa Makhubedu, a 24-year old electrical construction student at Ekurhuleni West College, told Xinhua that she had been in China for a one-year internship.

"At first it was challenging, but we learnt a lot. I spent three months attending classes and then in July, I began to intern at three different companies," she said.

The event was held by South African Department of Higher Education and Training, South Africa-China Economic and Trade Association and Chinese Culture and International Education Exchange Center.

A job fair for South African students who recently completed their internships in China is held in Johannesburg to facilitate their employment on Monday, April 8, 2019.[Photo: China Plus]

"Mass opportunities are being opened to our students," said Mvalo Lumkile, chief director of Construction Education and Training Authority in Higher Education and Training Department.

He added that most training the students received in China are in areas such as mechanical engineering, automation, artificial intelligence and robotics.

Chinese Ambassador to South Africa Lin Songtian said that there's a need for more Chinese companies to come and invest in South Africa and be part of its economic development.

"We are ready to encourage more Chinese investors to come here and join the efforts of the South Africans in its sustainable development and industrialization," the ambassador said.
[April 08, 2019] Aden Showcases IoT Innovations and Big Data Solutions at World Workplace Asia (WWPA) Conference

SINGAPORE, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Leadership from Aden ASEAN and China joined the 3rd annual World Workplace Asia (WWPA) conference, where Aden served as a strategic partner in IFMA's flagship event. Aden's theme for the conference, Digitalized Global Asset Management Platform, gave the company a chance to showcase its vision for a new, fully data-powered model of IFM and asset management. It was also a chance for Aden to share its mission of consistently pushing IFM's scope beyond traditional services to serve the emerging needs for Asia: clean energy transition, SMART tech and data; robotics and automation. The event included some notable highlights for Aden: - Aden was honored to have been presented with a certificate of appreciation by the IFMA. As a strategic partner of the IFMA conference in Singapore, Aden had been awarded for its outstanding contributions to the organizaion, as well as the valuable insights it provided at this gathering.



- Expanding on this year's theme of digital innovation, Fulvio Bartolucci, General Manager of Aden's subsidiary Adenergy, was invited to give a keynote speech entitled "How SMART Is Smart? Going Beyond Buzzwords with IoT and Big Data". Fulvio's talk explored the potential of SMART buildings and big data, but also warned about common misconceptions and mistakes that can lead companies astray when using IoT platforms. "SMART buildings can now deliver an incredible level of insight," Bartolucci commented, "but data is a tool, not magic; successful companies will be the ones that leverage IoT to constantly test and adapt; learn from people's patterns of behavior; and know which data will help them manage their facilities instead of creating an unmanageable data swamp."

Aden, and Adenergy are playing a leading role in the digitalization of IFM, not least through its AEMO platform, recent winner of Microsoft and Envision's "Best Machine Learning Enegy Optimization Platform". This powerful foundation in IoT and SMART buildings gives weight to Bartolucci's call for data power to be matched by high-level strategy and planning on the human and organizational side. For Aden, whose slogan is "Technology with a Human Touch", this balance of technological expertise with long industry experience is in the company's DNA and will power Aden in its ongoing mission to deliver innovative IFM and asset management to meet the new needs of a new Asia. For more information about Aden, visit: https://www.adenservices.com/en SOURCE ADEN

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[April 08, 2019] NetComm Wins Edison Award for Best Telecom Marketing for 5G Fixed Wireless Self-install Campaign

SYDNEY, April 8, 2019 /CNW/ -- NetComm has won the highly prestigious Commsday 2019 Edison Award for Best Telecom Marketing Initiative for our 5G Fixed Wireless Self-install campaign launched at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona earlier this year. Beating off competition from other nominees including SingTel backed Optus, Superloop and Aussie Broadband the Edison Award judges gave NetComm the hotly contested award due to the excellence of our campaign in delivering global awareness amongst network operators of the 5G Fixed Wireless Self-install product. NetComm delivered a multi-layered, strategically designed campaign that used specifically targeted online video to drive a social media effort that generated interest and awareness of the 5G Fixed Wireless Self-install product in the global telecom operator community. On the back of the initial 5G Fixed Wireless Self-install campaign that launched on January 30th NetComm was able to generate substantial operator, media and analyst interest in our 5G Fixed Wireless Self-install product despite the highly competitive media market leading into Mobile World Congress. Els Baert, Director of Marketing & Communications at NetComm said: "We are absolutely thrilld and very honoured to win this Commsday Edison Award 2019 for Best Telecom Marketing Initiative for our 5G Fixed Wireless Self-Install campaign.



"NetComm is extremely proud of the fact that we managed to create a hugely successful campaign that delivered fantastic results in driving awareness of our ground-breaking 5G Fixed Wireless Self-install campaign. "Launching new products around Mobile World Congress is a challenge because there is so much going on in the market place so we had to create a campaign that would cut through all that.

"The results speak for themselves and on the back of our campaign NetComm had our most successful Mobile World Congress ever and was receiving interest from operators and analysts all around the world in our 5G Fixed Wireless Self-install product. "Up until now NetComm has been one of the best kept secrets in the global telecoms industry, but now the secret is well and truly out for good." About NetComm NetComm (ASX: NTC) is a global developer of solutions that bridge the gap between fibre and the home, device or machine. In a world where everyone's connected life matters, Fixed Wireless broadband, wireless M2M/Industrial IoT and Fibre to the distribution point (FTTdp) solutions are specially engineered for challenging deployments. At NetComm we understand that no one-solution fits all. Every operator, carrier and enterprise is different, so we build the right VDSL, Gfast, 4G and 5G solution to meet specific network, market and geographic conditions worldwide. Established in 1982, NetComm is a globally renowned innovator of world-first data communications technologies. www.netcommwireless.com Media resources: Picture: Steve Collins, NetComm Interim CEO and Els Baert, NetComm Director of Marketing & Communications. https://www.dropbox.com/s/48p1xu3v9s9e1f4/Steve%20%26%20Els.jpg?dl=0 Media contact: Tony Brown

Head of Corporate Affairs, NetComm

Email: [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/netcomm-wins-edison-award-for-best-telecom-marketing-for-5g-fixed-wireless-self-install-campaign-300827630.html SOURCE NetComm

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[April 09, 2019] MediSpend's CEO & Co-Founder to Participate in Analytics Panel at GHC International Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Compliance Congress

PORTSMOUTH, New Hampshire, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- MediSpend, a leader in cloud-based software for the global life sciences industry, will attend this year's 13th Annual GHC International Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Compliance Congress. Michaeline Daboul, MediSpend chief executive officer and co-founder, will participate in the "Analytics with Reference to Transparency and/or Monitoring" panel discussion on Tuesday, April 9, 2019 at 1:15 p.m. in Athens, Greece. The session, "Analytics with Reference to Transparency and/or Monitoring," will explore how to leverage data to mitigate risk, enhance compliance monitoring, and improve business outcomes. As a panelist, Daboul will share insight on the role data analytics plays in compliance monitoring. "Maintaining global consistency in policies and processes is one of the industry's toughest compliance challenges," said Daboul. "Moving cmpliance upstream to better collect data and monitor behavior assists in mitigating risk."



The 13th Annual GHC International Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Compliance Congress is meant to give the life sciences industry an opportunity to focus on pharmaceutical and medical device compliance code updates, issues related to transparency reporting, and related emerging trends. This conference brings together industry experts to discuss anti-corruption and anti-bribery policy, the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and updates on the new French Sapin II Law. About MediSpend

MediSpend is a global leader in cloud-based compliance software for the life sciences industry. MediSpend is the compliance system of record for some of the world's largest life sciences companies. We help pharmaceutical, medical device, dental, and emerging biotech companies comply with global healthcare laws while reducing risk and lowering costs. The MediSpend Compliance Cloud enables life sciences companies to manage and monitor physician engagement, aggregate and analyze enterprise data, and comply with global data privacy and transparency reporting regulations. Our employees are committed to customer success, innovation, and exceptional product development. Our customers are located in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. MediSpend is headquartered in Portsmouth, NH, with offices in Minnesota, New York, and Pennsylvania. Visit MediSpend online at www.medispend.com. Media Contact:

Kathy Fallon

[email protected]

215-952-3223 Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/727929/MediSpend_Logo.jpg

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[April 09, 2019] IT-Total Expands With DigiPlex to Accommodate Continuing Growth

STOCKHOLM, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- IT-Total, one of Sweden's most exciting and fast growing providers of best-in-class IT security, data centre, networking and `as a service' application hosting, is expanding its presence with DigiPlex, the Nordic leader for innovative, sustainable and secure data centres, following years of successful partnership. IT-Total chose DigiPlex's advanced, scalable and high-security Stockholm site for its primary data centre in 2016 and has grown substantially since. The collaboration with DigiPlex played an important role in helping IT-Total secure several noteworthy customers in the public sector, government authorities, and continues to appeal to new customers with the highest demands on security, scalability and sustainability. In the coming years, IT-Total has laid plans to grow its operating business by 20 percent annually, which will be reflected with similar increase in presence and collaboration with DigiPlex. "The strength of the partnership between IT-Total and DigiPlex is totally central to our operating solutions. Our customers demand the very highest security as well as a focus on sustainability at the forefront of every solution. We are able to deliver this thanks to our partners at DigiPlex, who offer us the most physically secure data centre solution with a complete commitment to sustainability," says Fredrik Franzen, CEO of IT-Total. Through DigiPlex, IT-Total can offer IT operations located in Sweden, an increasingly common requirement by Swedish authorities and other public enterprises. The deployment at DigiPlex also means that all cloud services can be connected to IT-Total's infrastructure, providing seamless and fast access for its customers. "The success of our collaboration with IT-Total is based on trust and a deep understanding of the end-user's need for best-in-class assurances on security, continuity and scalability," says Gisle M. Eckhoff, CEO of DigiPlex. "IT-Total answers the needs of some of Sweden's most advanced and demanding customers, which is where our continuous innovation and development pay off." Connect with DigiPlex For more information please contact: Elisabeth Lennhede

Head of Communications, DigiPlex

[email protected]

+46-70-33-22-705 Lars Nordvall

account manager for IT-Total at DigiPlex

[email protected]

+46-72-746-99-99 Jan-Erik Johansson

Sales Director at IT-Total

[email protected]

+46-73-522-73-99 This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/digiplex/r/it-total-expands-with-digiplex-to-accommodate-continuing-growth,c2783319 The following files are available for download:







https://mb.cision.com/Main/7526/2783319/1022153.pdf IT-Total Expands with DigiPlex to Accommodate Continuing Growth https://news.cision.com/digiplex/i/fredrik-franzen-vd-it-total-and-gisle-m-eckhoff-vd-digiplex,c2606288 Fredrik Franzen VD IT-Total and Gisle M Eckhoff VD DigiPlex



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[April 09, 2019] istyle China Opens @cosme Official Online Store on China's Largest General Trade E-commerce Website "Tmall"

TOKYO, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- istyle Inc. (TSE Securities Code: 3660; hereinafter "istyle") opened a new official online store, "@cosme Official Flagship Store," on March 29, 2019, on China's largest B2C general trade e-commerce website "Tmall.com (hereinafter "Tmall)," which is operated by China's biggest online commerce company Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (hereinafter "Alibaba"), through its consolidated subsidiary istyle China Co., Ltd. based in Shanghai. Logo:

https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M103196/201904055139/_prw_PI4fl_91192gIw.jpg Images of "@cosme Official Flagship Store" and the social media platform of Tmall "Weitao":

https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M103196/201904055139/_prw_PI2fl_wLC9r1MB.jpg

https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M103196/201904055139/_prw_PI3fl_VdPX1eEg.jpg Since 2015, istyle has opened its first official overseas online store "@cosme Official International Flagship Store" on the cross-border e-commerce website "Tmall Global" operated by Alibaba. In addition to the sales of cosmetics products, istyle has provided local Chinese users with the same opportunities to experience beauty products and obtain beauty informaion as domestic Japanese consumers, and in so doing, created opportunities for many of these users to learn more about Japanese cosmetics brands. The number of cross-border e-commerce users in China continues to rise every year, exceeding 100 million people in 2018. Along with that, "@cosme Official International Flagship Store" has also grown steadily.



At the same time, the number of monthly active users in the entirety of China's e-commerce market reached 699 million people in 2018, and it is indisputable that the scale of the general trade e-commerce market in China is larger than that of cross-border e-commerce. By entering the general trade e-commerce market, istyle will be able to deliver cosmetics products which are popular on @cosme to even more local Chinese users. Along with the grand opening of the new store, istyle will also seek to actively share beauty information from Japan and communicate with local Chinese users by officially launching its media account on Tmall's social media platform "Weitao." In addition, although the postponement of the implementation of new cross-border e-commerce regulations mandating the submission of customs clearance certificates has been extended indefinitely beyond 2019, risks remain with regard to compliance with the new regulations once they come into force. By leveraging its e-commerce experience accrued from its domestic and international operations to set up cross-border e-commerce stores as well as general trade e-commerce stores within China, istyle aims to provide comprehensive support and become a stable and powerful platform for cosmetics brands' access to China.

Regarding istyle's entry into the general trade e-commerce market, Alibaba has commented that it "would like istyle to bring many popular Japanese cosmetics products and brands to Chinese consumers, along with @cosme's rankings and beauty information." In the future, istyle will continue to support Japanese cosmetics brands' access to the Chinese market, and also strengthen business relationships with international cosmetics brands that consumers are enthusiastic about. About "@cosme Official Flagship Store" Grand opening: March 29, 2019 *Soft launch in the beginning of March

*Soft launch in the beginning of March Brands carried: Around 20 Japanese cosmetics brands, including KATE, freeplus, suisai, SOFINA and CureI, etc.

Number of unique products (SKUs) carried: Around 100 SKUs *istyle is aiming to carry 30 brands and 200 SKUs by the end of June.

Store website: http://cosmehzp.tmall.com For more information, please visit the following website: https://www.istyle.co.jp/en/news/press/2019/04/0405.html Contact:

Tomoko Noda

Corporate Communication Department

istyle Inc.

Tel: +81-3-5575-1286

Fax: +81-3-5575-1261

Email: [email protected] SOURCE istyle Inc.

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[April 09, 2019] MINIEYE closed series B financing led by NavInfo

BEIJING, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- MINIEYE, a Chinese company concentrating on developing sensing system of autonomous driving, recently announced the completion of its Series B financing and received hundreds of millions of credit lines. This series of financing was strategically led by NavInfo fund and co-invested by Zhejiang Zheshang capital while original investors continued to increase their holdings. In the latest six months, MINIEYE raised $20 million in total, which will be used to further boost MINIEYE's leading advantage in the industry, increase the market share and maintain a steady cash flow during business expansion. Meanwhile, the funding will help MINIEYE to focus on the research of L2+ autonomous driving products and speed up their mass production. Dr. Liu Guoqing, founder and CEO of MINIEYE, believes the autonomous driving industry has moved to a "speed-up" phase as synergy will become a new trend. To have a higher probability of success, a company needs to exploit more resources by giving full play to its advantages and open up industrial value chain while maintaining its competitiveness of product and technolgy. This series of financing will allow MINIEYE to obtain many strategic resources. As leading location services provider in China, NavInfo has structured a business layout around navigation map, connected vehicle service, autonomous driving, chips and location big data. The comprehensive industrial distribution directly helps MINIEYE to gain a larger market share. Moreover, MINIEYE will cooperate with NavInfo on HD maps and chips for autonomous driving.



"NavInfo has dedicated itself to serving automotive industry for more than 10 years. We deeply understand that keeping a foothold in the pre-install market needs not only innovation, but also excellent products and technological accumulation. By establishing its advantages in data, algorithms and sensor fusion, MINIEYE gradually realizes the commercialization of autonomous driving products and wins recognition of OEM clients. MINIEYE's achievements are admirable," said Bi Lei, SVP of NavInfo. "We hope the cooperation can realize strategic synergy effect. In both passenger and commercial vehicles, NavInfo's HD maps, NI Horizon, CVS and intelligent sensing products can improve MINIEYE's technological ability. Meanwhile, MINIEYE's sensing solution helps to supplement the autonomous driving data ecology of NavInfo, hence promoting the commercialization of autonomous driving production solution."

MINIEYE also discloses that L2-L3 autonomous driving products will be released within the year while accelerating its series B+ financing. About MINIEYE Founded in 2013, MINIEYE is one of the earliest companies in China that conducted research on autonomous driving and ADAS products. MINIEYE is dedicated to provide reliable sensing solution for vehicles by utilizing AI technology. Entering OEM market already, MINIEYE's L0-L1 autonomous driving products has been sentinel procured in nearly 20 main vehicle types of several brands like BYD and Dongfong Automobile, both passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles included. In the early of 2019, MINIEYE announced its cooperation with Xilinx for joint development of Turnkey ADAS Sensing Solution to satisfy automobile company's demand of L1-L3 autonomous driving functions. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/minieye-closed-series-b-financing-led-by-navinfo-300827729.html SOURCE MINIEYE

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[April 09, 2019] Klook Completes US$425M Series D Funding with New Capital Raise led by Softbank Vision Fund

HONG KONG, April 9, 2019 /CNW/ -- Klook , a world leading travel activities and services booking platform, today announced it has raised US$225M in Series D+ funding. This increases the company's total Series D funding round to US$425M. The SoftBank Vision Fund led the round with participation from existing investors, including Sequoia China, Matrix Partners, TCV, and OurCrowd. This represents the largest financing in the global travel activities and services industry. In just four years, Klook has become the most searched travel activities and services company on Google. In the last year, the Hong Kong-based company expanded its global footprint into Australia, Europe and the United States to deliver new, unique and exciting consumer experiences. Klook also entered into major global partnerships with Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Asia Pacific's leading luxury hotel group; and Rail Europe, a leading distributor of European rail products that represents more than 50 railroads throughout Europe. With the additional funding, Klook will scale its operations into new geographies and continue to expand in its existing Asian markets. For example, Japan is one of Klook's most important markets and is also the headquarters of SoftBank Group. The company plans to deepen its investments ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and will expand into additional Japanese cities to better serve both inbound and outbound visitors. "Our vision is to bring the world closer together by connecting the best of what a destination has to offer with travelers from all over the glob," said Ethan Lin, CEO and Co-Founder of Klook.



"This latest investment is a true testament to the progress made by the Klook team in building the world's Number 1 Super App for all in-destination needs," added Eric Gnock Fah, COO and Co-Founder of Klook. Klook continues to see success in its mobile-first strategy. In 2018, trip bookings on mobile devices tripled and accounted for over 75% of total bookings. Coupled with an accelerated expansion plan to grow its global footprint and service offerings, the company is expected to maintain its strong momentum with triple-digit growth in bookings.

"We believe Klook is a leader in taking a mobile-first approach to the travel activities and services industry," said Lydia Jett, Partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers. "The company has seen great success in scaling its business across different geographies and cultures, and we are excited to help them drive further innovation in the global travel industry." About Klook Founded in 2014, Klook is a world leading travel activities and services booking platform. Klook gives travelers a seamless way to discover and book popular attractions, tours, local transportation, best foods, and unique experiences around the world on its website and award-winning app (consecutive Best of Year awarded by Google Play and Apple App Store). With Klook's innovative technologies, travelers can book on-the-go and redeem the services by using QR codes or e-voucher. Each day, Klook empowers countless travelers to indulge in their wanderlust and spontaneity through over 100,000 offerings in more than 270 destinations. With a team of more than 1,000 across over 20 offices worldwide, Klook's services are available in nine languages, supporting 41 currencies. It has raised over US$520 million investment from world-renowned investors including Sequoia Capital, Softbank Vision Fund, Matrix Partners, Goldman Sachs, and TCV. Get inspired by Klook at www.klook.com , the company blog or @Klook . To download photos and other press materials: link To learn more about our investors, please visit:

Softbank Vision Fund: https://visionfund.com/

Sequoia China: www.sequoiacap.com/china/en/

Matrix Partners: www.matrixpartners.com.cn

TCV: https://www.tcv.com/

OurCrowd: www.ourcrowd.com/ For media enquiries, please contact: [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/klook-completes-us425m-series-d-funding-with-new-capital-raise-led-by-softbank-vision-fund-300827646.html SOURCE Klook

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[April 09, 2019] SoftBank Group Corp. Announces Initial Executive Investment Team for $5 Billion Technology Growth Fund for Latin America

SoftBank Group Corp ("SBG") today announced the initial executive investment team for the recently launched SoftBank Innovation Fund, the largest-ever technology fund focused exclusively on the fast-growing Latin American market. Marcelo Claure, Chief Operating Officer of SoftBank Group Corp. and CEO of SoftBank Group International, will also lead SoftBank Latin America and will be responsible for overseeing the SoftBank Innovation Fund, its investments and operations. Marcelo will work alongside a team initially consisting of three Managing Partners responsible for investments. Andre Maciel will serve as Managing Partner responsible for structuring transactions, overseeing the SoftBank Innovation Fund's Brazil office and investments in other Latin America early stage funds. Andre was previously a Managing Director at J.P. Morgan where he spent 17 years in leadership positions in M&A and Equity Capital Markets, with a focus on Technology. He will be based in Sao Paulo.

will serve as Managing Partner responsible for structuring transactions, overseeing the SoftBank Innovation Fund's Brazil office and investments in other Latin America early stage funds. Andre was previously a Managing Director at J.P. Morgan where he spent 17 years in leadership positions in M&A and Equity Capital Markets, with a focus on Technology. He will be based in Sao Paulo. Shu Nyatta will serve as one of two Investment Partners. He will be responsible for sourcing and implementing new investments for the SoftBank Innovation Fund. Shu has been with SoftBank since 2015 in different investment roles. He was previously with J.P. Morgan and McKinsey & Co. He hasdeep global experience with venture-backed technology companies and ecosystems. Shu will be based in Miami and Silicon Valley.

will serve as one of two Investment Partners. He will be responsible for sourcing and implementing new investments for the SoftBank Innovation Fund. Shu has been with SoftBank since 2015 in different investment roles. He was previously with J.P. Morgan and McKinsey & Co. He hasdeep global experience with venture-backed technology companies and ecosystems. Shu will be based in Miami and Silicon Valley. Paulo Passoni will serve as the second Managing Investment Partner responsible for sourcing and implementing new investments. Paulo was previously Managing Director and Analyst at Third Point LLC focused on investments in Latin America, and before that, Investment Officer at Eton Park. He has deep investment experience, including in several Latin American start-ups. Paulo will be based in the Miami office.



The SoftBank Innovation Fund will initially have offices and investment professionals in Miami, San Carlos, Tokyo and Sao Paulo.

About the SoftBank Group The SoftBank Group is a global technology player that aspires to drive the Information Revolution (News - Alert). The SoftBank Group is comprised of the holding company SoftBank Group Corp. (TOKYO: 9984) and its global portfolio of companies, which includes advanced telecommunications, Internet services, AI, smart robotics, IoT and clean energy technology providers. In September 2016, Arm Limited, the world's leading semiconductor IP company, joined the SoftBank Group. SoftBank Group Corp. is invested in the SoftBank Vision Fund, which plans to invest up to $100 billion in the global businesses and technologies that the SoftBank Vision Fund believes will enable the next stage of the Information Revolution. To learn more, please visit www.softbank.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005485/en/

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[April 09, 2019] Hanergy Gears Up for the Launch of its Thin Film Flat SOLARtile in the Global Market

BEIJING, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The clean energy giant, Hanergy Thin Film Power Group (00566.hk), today announced that it's all set for the global launch of Thin Film Flat SOLARtile, its cutting-edge solar roof tiling solution developed in collaboration with CSR Group, the largest roof tile producer and roofing solution provider in the Southern Hemisphere. The duo, Hanergy and CSR Group, have also co-constructed the Renewable Energy Roofing Display Center that was built last month at Monier Roofing Headquarter located in Rosehill, Sydney. Ahead of the global launch later this year, Hanergy marks the debut of its brand new Thin Film Flat SOLARtile at the Renewable Energy Roofing Display Center, welcoming visitors and international companies from across the globe to give them a first-hand view of this innovative solar roof tiling solution. The two companies will also sign an agreement to officially commence the presales of Thin Film Flat SOLARtile in Australia, New Zealand, southeast Asia, Japan and the United States makets.



The Thin Film Flat SOLARtile is specially designed to meet overseas market needs. Unlike the curved shape of HanTile, Thin Film Flat SOLARtile is flat and has a square shape, which enables the house to meet local housing standards and harmonize better with the neighborhood. It adopts CROSS BOND structure, where the tile-to-tile interlock is put right in the middle of the next row's tile to ensure the best waterproof performance. Junction boxes are covered by 2mm steel and safe trays are used to protect cables. The design of the roofing system is inspired by Gympie Pyramid to feature a traditional Pacific vibe and improve the aesthetics of the housing. Mr. Lv Yuan, Vice President of Hanergy Thin Film Power Group, said, "We're particularly excited about the launch of Thin Film Flat SOLARtile in the global market. We're confident that our latest solar roof tiling solution will set a new standard in the global solar market. Further, we're thrilled to join forces with CSR Group and hope to create yet another case study pronouncing the huge success of our soon to be launched solar roof tiling solution."

With the incorporation of the CIGS thin-film solar chips, Thin Film Flat SOLARtile can achieve conversion efficiency, as high as 18.7%, which is the world record. The product has received an outstanding rating for being exceptionally windproof, waterproof and fire resistant. It can work under extreme conditions from -40 degrees to 80 degree Celsius. Along with thin-film technology's characteristics of being light, thin and flexible, as well as being able to work under low light conditions, it has great adaptability and can be applied in various scenarios. Seizing over 70% of the market share in Australasia and as the largest roof tile producer and roofing solution provider in the Southern Hemisphere, CSR Group is a major Australian industrial company producing building products for residential and commercial construction. It also owns the biggest glass manufacturer in Australia and a curtain wall solution company. Earlier in December 2018, Hanergy signed a cooperation agreement with CSR Group to co-develop Thin Film Flat SOLARtile. With CSR's dominant market share in Australia and rich experience in the roofing industry, and Hanergy's cutting-edge thin-film solar power technologies, the collaboration has yielded substantial results. Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20190409/2429609-1 SOURCE Hanergy

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[April 09, 2019] Introducing Avatier Apollo: The World's First Workforce & Customer Service Automation AI Virtual Assistant

PLEASANTON, Calif., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Avatier, the leader in innovative Identity Management containerized cloud solutions, is thrilled to unveil "Avatier Apollo". The world's first artificial intelligence virtual customer assistant (VCA) for Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) and Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) platforms. Apollo securely automates any IT task for your customers and workforce. Beyond identity management, Apollo augments business operations, working across virtually all messaging interfaces and platforms and enables an unprecedented natural language, self-service experience. The result is a significant increase in customer and workforce acceptance, reduction in operational and labor costs, and a native, comfortable and consistent experience. Until now Virtual Customer Assistants were programs built to look up knowledge and provide people answers to questions by automatically engaging using native natural languages. They are programmed to respond in a natural and comfortable way and even to use artificial intelligence (AI) to recognize positive and negative intent and adapt their responses to fit. Today marks the first time natural language understanding and AI are applied to the automation power of an enterprise CIAM and IGA solution. This renders existing cloud and legacy Identity Management solutions obsolete because it fundamentally changes how identity solutions are used within organizations and making people more comfortable interacting with all of your self-service solutions. For example, instead of a user calling or submitting a ticket for software access, they can just ask Apollo using Slack, Skype, Microsoft Teams, Facebook Messenger, text, or even the web with a REST API to provide access. Built-in intelligence learns how to better improve the user experience the more it is used, meaning it not only assists users with requests but offers suggestions as well. "Artificial Intelligence with natural language understanding is replacing many if not all manual IT tasks and legacy solutions on the market today," stated Nelson Cicchitto, CEO of Avatier. "Businesses not adopting an AI identity management solution before 2020 will find their tech stack left behind and leave users with what feels like a 90's user experience." Securing messaging is no easy task. Avatier is the first commercial chatbot technology that securely validates user identity Biometric MFA one-time passcode over SMS/Email as well as leading MFA providers like DUO, RSA, Ping, Symantec VIP, Google Auth, Okta, and even FIDO2.



Nelson Cicchitto, Avatier CEO and Chairman explains "Hyperconvergence is here and Avatier plans to lead the way through a reliable, secure omnichannel interface that fundamentally changes the way IT support is delivered today and in the future. Every frustrated customer impacts the company's brand. Every employee not working due to an IT issue costs the company money. We see our new AI virtual customer assistant automating both customer-facing requests as well as internal IT requests." Armed with strong chatbot authentication, Avatier Apollo automates mundane, repetitive IT staff tasks like:

Locate and "shop" for applications access and company assets

Schedule a leave of absence

Reset forgotten passwords, unlock accounts, synchronize passwords between cloud, legacy, and custom in-house apps

Request and approve new account creation, termination, and transfers

Confirm, remediate, allow exceptions, remove, or approve existing employee access and assets

Update user data such as address, title, department, mobile number, and profiles

Enroll in popular 3rd party MFA providers

Interface with any website or internal chatbot technology to expand integrated functionality Cicchitto adds, "Up until now, companies have relied on 40-year old telephony menu systems, 20-year old web interfaces, and antiquated native mobile apps. Apollo is totally different. This is a true two-way omnichannel solution using leading instant messaging channels that come with every mobile phone, text and web. No learning curve involved. Customers simply chat their request to Apollo and Apollo accomplishes the task, no matter how complex." Organizations using Avatier Apollo expect the following: 80% better adoption and use of your self-service solutions

A significant decrease in IT requests to allow better allocation of corporate resources

A dramatic increase in speed of resolution

A consistent customer experience

24/7 support securely available on any communications channel

A lower cost "staffing" option that is predictable, reliable, never tired, and doesn't call in sick

Broader integration of secure chat within your environment with REST API integration The Apollo AI Virtual Customer Assistant as service is available now. Avatier offers a free 14-day test run so you can see how it can benefit your customers and the organization's brand. To see a short video demonstration of how Apollo works, click here. About Avatier

Avatier is the Identity Management company of the future with innovative solutions for today. Avatier develops an industry-leading identity management platform with AI built-in, enabling organizations to scale faster, innovate quicker, conquer and embrace change, to dominate competition worldwide. Identity solutions are delivered using the latest Docker container technology providing maximum flexibility, scale, and security to customers. Avatier's identity management and access governance solutions make the world's largest organizations more secure and productive in the shortest time at the lowest costs. Avatier brings all your back-office business applications and employee assets together and manages them as one. Avatier Corporation is located in Pleasanton, California (San Francisco), with offices in New York, Washington, D.C., Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, Dublin, Sydney, and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.avatier.com. This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/introducing-avatier-apollo-the-worlds-first-workforce--customer-service-automation-ai-virtual-assistant-300827681.html SOURCE Avatier

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LUCY BURDETTE : I have so much going on that I hardly knew what to write today. A DEADLY FEAST (food critic mystery #9) comes out on May 7, the new trade paperback edition of DEATH ON THE MENU comes out today (it's gorgeous, I can't help saying,) and yesterday I sent a completed manuscript for the happiness book to my agent. Whew! (As for how book ten in the series is coming along, don't even ask.)





With eight books published in the Key West series, soon to be nine, Miss Gloria has become the character I probably hear most about. At first I envisioned her as an old lady living on houseboat row. I needed her as a throwaway character who would get bashed on the head and propel the plot along. Here, Im a little embarrassed to admit, is Miss Gloria in the first book, AN APPETITE FOR MURDER. Hayley is a murder suspect in a case of poisoned key lime pie and is living up the dock from Miss Gloria. This is Hayley talking:





Two boats in along the wooden finger and more often than not one season ahead of the rest of the world, Miss Gloria had strung Christmas lights on her porch. They winked a cheerful welcome. She was watching the news in her living room, one eye on the dock. I waved and called hello through the screen.





Your place looks fantastic, I told her.

She smiled modestly and ducked down to stroke her feline, a slim black cat named Sparky. Hows Evinrude settling in?

Hell never be a sailor, I said with a laugh, but were surviving. Then, since Miss Gloria hardly ever left her boat, it occurred to me to wonder if shed be able to vouch for me with the police. I hopped over onto her porch, her boat rocking almost imperceptibly under the change in weight. Did you happen to notice that I was here this morning working?

This morning? she asked, looking puzzled. I dont know, were you? That nice young policeman came by, though. Hes got such a strong chin.

I know, I said glumly. Her touch of dee-mentia, as she called it, wasnt going to help me in this situation.





Only as the books evolved, it became clear to me and everyone else that Miss Gloria Does Not Have Dementia. Reviewer Phil Jason had this to say about her in DEATH ON THE MENU (from the FLORIDA WEEKLY): " Miss Gloria is also a comic character, an older woman who doesnt take her limitations seriously and becomes a kind of role model for senior citizens."





I love that so much! So here she is in the ninth book, A DEADLY FEAST:

Miss Gloria had been clucking and exclaiming during the whole phone conversation. It was hard to tell who was in trouble and in what way, but Id hear soon enough.

She hung up and ran her fingers through her white hair until it stood up in little whipped-cream peaks. Youre not going to believe this one, she said.

Do tell. I grinned. Shed tell me anyway, even if I didnt ask.

You know how Im supposed to cover the nine thirtyto eleven thirty shift tomorrow at the Friends of the Library book sale, right? The Friends of the Library organization raises funds to support the Key West Library, and Miss Gloria was a stalwart volunteer.

Right, I said. You and Mrs. Dubisson sit at the front table near the bake sale and sample all the cookies. Youve got the winning record for selling canvas Friends totes and hard-cover mysteries to customers who thought they were done shopping.

She looked delighted. She loves when people pay attention to what shes told themand honestly, who doesnt? Thats it. But now, Marshashes the president of the Friends board of directorscalled, and theyre desperate for help setting up at seven thirty am because the stomach flu appears to have felled half our volunteer force. She shook her head. Old folks. Sometimes they are just too fragile to rely on.

I looked up from my phone to see if she was kidding. People who dont know my roommate well tend to dismiss her as a frail elderly woman. Before Miss Gloria roared into my life with more energy than most of my peers, I would have thought that too. Now she was positively vibrating and grinning like a monkey.

LUCY AGAIN: In order to celebrate everything going on, I would love to give away a copy of the new paperback of DEATH ON THE MENU. You will be entered if you leave a comment (and your email, which will help me find you!) What book characters have become role models for you?




[April 09, 2019] The Population Association to Welcome Academic and Government Leaders to Unveil Scientific Research at its Annual Meeting

The Population Association of America (PAA), a leading non-profit scientific association dedicated to the study of human population change, will release new demographic findings at its Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas on April 10-13, 2019. Over 2,400 scientists and renowned demographers from around the world will unveil new research exploring the most challenging societal issues today. Topics include 2020 Census, the opioid epidemic, international migration, gender, and labor force issues. "PAA's Annual Meeting is the largest international meeting unifying and advancing the global study of demography," said John Casterline, Ph.D., President, PAA. "Scientific findings from the research carried out by demographers have the potential to impact policy, improve communities, and make a positive impact on lives across the globe. We are looking forward to yet another year of powerful discoveries and discussions between researchers, government officials and the international scientific community." PAA received 3,786 research submissions, and over the three days, approximately 1,044 research-papers will be delivered through oral presentations and 1,100 research posters will be displayed. Sessions include: Immigration Policy

Climate Change and Migration

Fertility, Family Planning, Sexual Behavior, and Reproductive Health

Gender, Race and Ethnicity

Lifestyle, Behavior and Health

Marriage, Families, Households and Unions

Migration and Urbanization

Demography of Mental Health

Aging in the United States: Minorities, and Other Vulnerable Populations







WHAT: The Population Association of America's Annual Meeting WHEN: April 10 - 13, 2018 (All day) WHERE: JW Marriott 110 East 2nd Street Austin, TX 78701

CONNECT: To register or learn more, visit http://paa2019.populationassociation.org. Follow PAA on Twitter (News - Alert) @PopAssocAmerica and Facebook @PopAssoc ABOUT: PAA has about 3,000 members reflecting scientific and professional interest in the population field. Members receive Demography, the bi-monthly journal of the Association, and PAA Affairs, the quarterly online newsletter. About The Population Association of America The Population Association of America (PAA) is a nonprofit, scientific, professional organization established in 1930 to support the scientific study of the human population. PAA is an organization of professionals from multiple disciplines including demographers, sociologists, economists, public health professionals, and others engaged in research and education in the scientific study of population. Our common purpose is to advance knowledge and understanding of the causes and consequences of population composition, processes, and change. Learn more: http://www.populationassociation.org View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005001/en/

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Shopify to Announce First-Quarter 2019 Financial Results April 30, 2019

Shopify Inc. (NYSE:SHOP)(TSX:SHOP), the leading multi-channel commerce platform, plans to announce financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2019 before markets open on Tuesday, April 30, 2019.

Shopify's management team will host a conference call to discuss first-quarter results at 8:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday, April 30, 2019. The conference call will be available via webcast on the investor relations section of Shopify's website at https://investors.shopify.com/events/Events-Presentations/default.aspx.







An archived replay of the webcast will be available following the conclusion of the call.

About Shopify

Shopify is the leading multi-channel commerce platform. Merchants use Shopify to design, set up, and manage their stores across multiple sales channels, including mobile, web, social media, marketplaces, brick-and-mortar locations, and pop-up shops. The platform also provides merchants with a powerful back-office and a single view of their business, from payments to shipping. The Shopify platform was engineered for reliability and scale, making enterprise-level technology available to businesses of all sizes. Headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, Shopify currently powers over 800,000 businesses in approximately 175 countries and is trusted by brands such as Unilever, Kylie Cosmetics, Allbirds, MVMT, and many more.

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[April 09, 2019] Dates Set for Moody's Earnings Release and Investor Teleconference

Moody's Corporation (NYSE: MCO) will release its first quarter 2019 results before the start of NYSE trading on Wednesday, April 24, 2019. A copy of the release will be posted on Moody's Investor Relations website, ir.moodys.com. Moody's Corporation invites you to participate in a teleconference on Wednesday, April 24, 2019 at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss its first quarter 2019 results. Raymond W. McDaniel, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer, and Mark Kaye, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will jointly host the call. Their remarks will be followed by a question and answer period. Individuals within the United States and Canada can access the call by dialing +1-877-400-0505. Other callers should dial +1-720-452-9084. Please dial in to the call by 11:20 a.m. Eastern Time. The passcode for the call is 1337587. The teleconference will also be webcast with a accompanying slide presentation which can be accessed through Moody's Investor Relations website, ir.moodys.com under "Featured and Upcoming Events & Presentations". The webcast will be available until 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time on May 23, 2019.



A replay of the teleconference will be available from 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time, April 24, 2019 until 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time, May 23, 2019. The replay can be accessed from within the United States and Canada by dialing +1-888-203-1112. Other callers can access the replay at +1-719-457-0820. The replay confirmation code is 1337587. For further information, please contact Investor Relations at +1-212-553-4857.

ABOUT MOODY'S CORPORATION Moody's is an essential component of the global capital markets, providing credit ratings, research, tools and analysis that contribute to transparent and integrated financial markets. Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO) is the parent company of Moody's Investors Service, which provides credit ratings and research covering debt instruments and securities, and Moody's Analytics, which offers leading-edge software, advisory services and research for credit and economic analysis and financial risk management. The corporation, which reported revenue of $4.4 billion in 2018, employs approximately 13,100 people worldwide and maintains a presence in 42 countries. Further information is available at www.moodys.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005550/en/

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[April 09, 2019] On Sir Branson's Necker Island, WIN announces Board of Advisors and new partnerships towards Global Citizen Forum

NECKER ISLAND, British Virgin Islands, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The World Identity Network (WIN) announces its Foundation's Board of Advisors and new partnerships towards convening the Global Citizen Forum in October this year. Gathered on Sir Richard Branson's Necker Island, WIN's Board of Advisors includes leaders in the technology and humanitarian space, who're advancing human rights and advocate for a world of opportunity for all. Among them are the successful entrepreneurs and philanthropists Jack Brockway and Alexandra Chong, the technology pioneer Bill Tai, the sustainability advocate Gigi Brisson and the impact multiplier Paula Taylor. The Chair of the Board is Dr. Mariana Dahan, WIN's founder and CEO. WIN's announcement of its partnership with Global Citizen Forum and ACTAI Global comes just months after launching its collaboration with the World Economic Forum towards establishing a Platform for Good Digital Identity (ID).



A proof of ID is essential to exercising even the most basic human rights. Yet, today, over 1 billion people cannot prove who they are. Without a recognized ID, basic services like healthcare, education and voting are out of reach. Among those affected are millions of refugees, migrants and forcibly displaced populations, who're fleeing violence, conflicts, social and economic fragility. "By 2050, it's estimated that 10% of the world's population will have to migrate from their place of birth. One important thing these people will have to take with them is proof of their identity. Without a proof of who they are, migrants can't access even the most basic services and thrive in a globalized world," said Armand Arton, Founder of Global Citizen Forum.

The strengthening coalition is coming to support WIN's mission and partnership with several United Nations agencies, in particular UNOPS and UN-OICT, towards the implementation of pilot initiatives that will use modern technology to combat human rights abuses, such as human trafficking and modern slavery, which are underpinned by lack of a recognized proof of ID. "It is important to continue exploring the potential of emerging technologies, such as the blockchain, and help governments around the world implement these innovative projects," said Dr. Mariana Dahan, WIN's founder and CEO. "It is equally important to continue advancing on the other two pillars of this initiative  global advocacy and convening  in order to step up our collective efforts and reach the goal of universal ID and Global Citizenship. We're very proud to be partnering with Global Citizen Forum and ACTAI Global on this important endeavor." "We're on a mission to empower everyone to become a Global Citizen. We've partnered to bring all of us closer to this vision: a vision of a world where everyone has a proof of personal identity, everyone is recognized as an equal member of the global community, everyone is a Global Citizen," said Bill Tai, founder of ACTAI Global, on behalf of all the partners and WIN's Board members. About World Identity Network (WIN):

WIN is a team of global advocates, human rights activists, technologists and innovators who believe that everyone should have the ability to access proof of their personal identity: anywhere, anytime. For more information on WIN's new projects and how you can support the Foundation, please visit www.win.systems About Global Citizen Forum:

The Global Citizen Forum community is built on the belief in global citizenship and the positive power of migration. For more information, please visit https://www.globalcitizenforum.org About ACTAI Global:

ACTAI Global is a group of extraordinary athletes, conservationists, technologists and artists, whose collective passion brings them together to positively change the world. For more information, please visit: https://actai.global/about/ Media Contact: Mariana Dahan, [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/on-sir-bransons-necker-island-win-announces-board-of-advisors-and-new-partnerships-towards-global-citizen-forum-300827637.html SOURCE World Identity Network (WIN)

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[April 09, 2019] SAIC Awarded Position on $45 Million IT Modernization Contract for National Institutes of Health

Science Applications International Corp. (NYSE: SAIC (News - Alert)) was awarded a position on the National Institutes of Health Business and Professional Support Services II (NIHBPSSII) contract to provide a broad range of IT services and support. NIHBPSSII is a multiple-award, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract that has a one-year base period, two one-year options, and a $45 million ceiling value. SAIC is one of 14 awardees. "This is a strategic win in support of the Department of Health and Human Services and NIH Centers of Excellence (CoEs) to advance their IT modernization initiatives and deliver improved services to the public," said Bob Genter, executive vice president and general manager of SAIC's Civilian Markets Customer Group. "We look forward to delivering our proven IT expertise, and tailoring our solutions to the unique needs of NIH." The NIHBPSSII contract affords customers the ability to order services after requirements materialize, providing the National Institutes of Health with flexibility in both quantities and delivery scheduling. Under the contract, SAIC will deliver a full range of business operations and professional support services. The NIHBPSSII contract will be used primarily by the NIH, but may also be used by other portions of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and other federal agencies. About SAIC SAIC is a premier technology integrator solving our nation's most complex modernization and readiness challenges across the defense, space, federal civilian, and intelligence markets. Our robust portfolio of offerings includes high-end solutions in systems engineering and integration; enterprise IT, including cloud services; cyber; software; advanced analytics and simulation; and training. With an intimate understanding of our customers' challenges and deep expertise in existing and emerging technologies, we ntegrate the best components from our own portfolio and our partner ecosystem to rapidly deliver innovative, effective, and efficient solutions.



We are a team of 23,000 strong driven by mission, united purpose, and inspired by opportunity. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, SAIC has annual revenues of approximately $6.5 billion. For more information, visit saic.com. For ongoing news, please visit our newsroom. Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this release contain or are based on "forward-looking" information within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by words such as "expects," "intends," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "guidance," and similar words or phrases. Forward-looking statements in this release may include, among others, estimates of future revenues, operating income, earnings, earnings per share, charges, total contract value, backlog, outstanding shares and cash flows, as well as statements about future dividends, share repurchases and other capital deployment plans. Such statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risk, uncertainties and assumptions, and actual results may differ materially from the guidance and other forward-looking statements made in this release as a result of various factors. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause or contribute to these material differences include those discussed in the "Risk Factors," "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and "Legal Proceedings" sections of our Annual Report on Form 10-K, as updated in any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings with the SEC (News - Alert), which may be viewed or obtained through the Investor Relations section of our website at saic.com or on the SEC's website at sec.gov. Due to such risks, uncertainties and assumptions you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. SAIC expressly disclaims any duty to update any forward-looking statement provided in this release to reflect subsequent events, actual results or changes in SAIC's expectations. SAIC also disclaims any duty to comment upon or correct information that may be contained in reports published by investment analysts or others. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005336/en/

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[April 09, 2019] Senior Executive from Datacenter Dynamics joins Board at Datacenter People and Portman Partners

Datacenter People Group, the number one recruitment firm to the Datacenter and Cloud sector worldwide, announces the appointment of Bruce Taylor to the board of their U.S. subsidiary Datacenter People LLC. Datacenter People was founded in 2010, and with offices in London, Singapore, Dublin and Tampa, is now one of the leading firms in the search and recruitment of datacenter talent worldwide. Portman Partners, the Executive Search division of the group, is focused on C-level leadership and senior executive roles for leading firms within the sector. Bruce Taylor, a researcher, writer, editor, publisher and conference producer since the early 1980s, has been dedicated to the data center and cloud infrastructure field since 2005. Originally serving as a senior executive for the Uptime Institute, Bruce now currently works at Datacenter Dynamics, serving as an advisor for the U.S. and Canada-based business and a host of the popular DCD Debate webcast series. In 2016, Bruce founded DXPLANET 4.0, a boutique bespoke research and content provider covering the business of digital transformation and industry 4.0. "I look forward to joining the Datacenter People and Portman Partners team as a Director and Strategic Advisor," states Bruce. "I can think of nothing of greater importance today than helping ensure the data ceter and cloud sector finds, secures and develops the right talent ready for the challenges of providing that which the future of the global economy increasingly depends. Every segment of the data center sector now faces unprecedented change and growth. Never has it been more important to have the right up-skilled workforce and top management ready for the challenge of 'what's next:' in the era of digital transformation. Having the right people is now, quite literally, mission critical."



"We're delighted that Bruce has agreed to join us," says Peter Hannaford, Founder and Chairman of Datacenter People Group. "Bruce's deep experience and insight will strengthen our knowledge and networking capacity, and reinforce our position ever further as the leading recruitment firm in the sector worldwide." Bruce is based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and will support the firm, providing advisory services principally relating to the digital infrastructure market in the U.S., Canada and Latin America. Bruce can be reached at [email protected].

To learn more about our recruitment and advisory services, please visit www.datacenterpeople.org and www.portmanpartners.com. About Datacenter People Group Founded in 2010, Datacenter People is the number one recruitment firm to the Datacenter and Cloud sector worldwide. The executive search division, Portman Partners focuses on C-Suite and leadership searches. The practice has offices in London, Singapore, Tampa and Dublin. To find out more about Datacenter People go to www.datacenterpeople.org and www.portmanpartners.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005313/en/

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[April 09, 2019] Bank of America to Raise Minimum Wage to $20 per Hour

Bank of America today announced that it will raise its minimum wage to $20 per hour over a two-year period. The increase will occur in increments. On May 1, 2019, the minimum hourly wage will increase to $17, and will continue to rise until it reaches $20 in 2021. This is part of the company's commitment to being a great place to work and delivering sustainable, responsible growth through competitive benefits and programs that support the diverse needs of its 205,000+ employees. "We are raising our minimum wage because we believe that to best serve our customers and clients, we need the best teams," said Sheri Bronstein, chief human resources officer at Bank of America. "Saying thank you, celebrating great work, and sharing our success further demonstrate our commitment to being a great place to work." Bank of America is committed to supporting a competitive minimum rate of pay. The company has been an industry leader in establishing an internal minimum rate of pay for its U.S. hourly employees and has made regular increases over many years. Since 2010, Bank of America's minimum wage has increased by more than $4 per hour - two years ago, the company raised it to $15 per hour, and the minimum wage is higher today. The average rate for all U.S. hourly employees is significantly above this level. Bank of America's pay-for-performance philosophy reinforces the company's core values and culture by inspiring employees to do great work, encouraging and retaining talent, and building trust wthin teams. Its efforts have been recognized by a number of external organizations including the 2019 LinkedIn (News - Alert) Top Companies list, Catalyst and Fortune as the only financial services company included in its inaugural Best Big Companies to Work For list.



Bank of America

Bank of America is one of the world's leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 66 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 4,300 retail financial centers, including approximately 1,800 lending centers, 2,200 Merrill Edge investment centers and 1,500 business centers; approximately 16,300 ATMs; and award-winning digital banking with more than 36 million active users, including over 26 million mobile users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 3 million small business owners through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and more than 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. For more Bank of America news, including dividend announcements and other important information, visit the Bank of America newsroom. Click here to register for news email alerts.

www.bankofamerica.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005601/en/

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[April 09, 2019] Innovation Pharmaceuticals Reports Enhancements in Manufacture of Brilacidin Phase 3 Drug Supply

BEVERLY, Mass., April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Innovation Pharmaceuticals (OTCQB:IPIX) (the Company), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, is pleased to report that the Company has implemented yield and purity enhancements in the manufacturing of Brilacidin for the bulk production of Phase 3 drug supply using the Quality by Design approach. This and other efforts associated with the chemical processes aim to achieve drug supply optimization for commercial use.

The Company is now positioning itself to further advance Brilacidin, most immediately, in its planned Phase 3 Oral Mucositis program, and in mid-stage testing for Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Making these enhancements to Brilacidin is a crucial development step to ensure consistent, high-quality drug substance, commented Arthur P. Bertolino, MD, PhD, MBA, President and Chief Medical Officer at Innovation Pharmaceuticals. The Company believes that its Brilacidin franchise will one day provide patients and providers with multiple, much-needed novel and effective medicines. In other news, the Company will commence Scientific Advice discussions with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) this week, via a scheduled meeting, to review plans for the international Phase 3 Brilacidin Oral Mucositis program. Also in the coming weeks, the Company plans to provide an update on its Brilacidin program for the treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease. About Brilacidin

Brilacidin is Innovation Pharmaceuticals lead drug candidate in its defensin mimetic franchise. Modeled after Host Defense Proteins (HDPs), the front-line of defense in the immune system, it is a small, non-peptidic, synthetic molecule that kills pathogens swiftly and thoroughly. Just as importantly, Brilacidin also functions in a robust immunomodulatory capacity, lessening inflammation and promoting healing. Due to its unique properties, the Company has studied Brilacidins effect on Oral Mucositis (under Fast Track designation) and on Ulcerative Proctitis/Proctosigmoiditis (UP/UPS) in Phase 2 trials. Additional trials of Brilacidin are planned in other conditions, including: Atopic Dermatitis and Acne. Brilacidin is also being developed under FDAs Qualified Infectious Disease Product (QIDP) designation as an antibacterial product for Acute Bacterial Skin and Sin Structure Infection (ABSSSI)qualifying it for Fast Track and possible Priority FDA Review and a potential extra 5 years of United States market exclusivity upon drug approval.



Learn more here:

http://www.ipharminc.com/brilacidin-1 Alerts

Sign-up for Innovation Pharmaceuticals email alerts is available at:

http://www.ipharminc.com/email-alerts/





About Innovation Pharmaceuticals

Innovation Pharmaceuticals Inc. (IPIX) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing a world-class portfolio of innovative therapies addressing multiple areas of unmet medical need, including inflammatory diseases, cancer, infectious disease, and dermatologic diseases. Brilacidin, a versatile compound with broad therapeutic potential, is in a new chemical class called defensin-mimetics. A Phase 2 trial of Brilacidin as an oral rinse for the prevention of Severe Oral Mucositis (SOM) in patients with Head and Neck Cancer, met its primary and secondary endpoints, including reducing the incidence of SOM. The Company plans to advance Brilacidin oral rinse into Phase 3 development, subject to available financial resources. Positive results were also observed in a Phase 2 Proof-of-Concept trial treating patients locally with Brilacidin for Ulcerative Proctitis/Ulcerative Proctosigmoiditis. A Phase 2b trial of Brilacidin showed a single intravenous dose of the drug delivered comparable outcomes to a seven-day dosing regimen of the FDA-approved blockbuster daptomycin in treating Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infections. Kevetrin is a novel anti-cancer drug shown to modulate p53, often referred to as the Guardian Angel Gene due to its crucial role in controlling cell mutations, and has successfully completed a Phase 2 trial in ovarian cancer. More information is available on the Company website at www.IPharmInc.com .



Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 including statements concerning projected timelines for the initiation and completion of clinical trials, including planned Phase 3 trials of Brilacidin, our future drug development plans, other statements regarding future product developments, and markets, including with respect to specific indications, and any other statements which are other than statements of historical fact. These statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause the Companys actual results and experience to differ materially from anticipated results and expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements. The Company has in some cases identified forward-looking statements by using words such as anticipates, believes, hopes, estimates, looks, expects, plans, intends, goal, potential, may, suggest, and similar expressions. Among other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements are the Companys need for, and the availability of, substantial capital in the future to fund its operations and research and development; including the amount and timing of the sale of shares of common stock under securities purchase agreements; the fact that the Companys compounds may not successfully complete pre-clinical or clinical testing, or be granted regulatory approval to be sold and marketed in the United States or elsewhere. A more complete description of these risk factors is included in the Companys filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to release publicly the results of any revisions to any such forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by applicable law or regulation.



INVESTOR AND MEDIA CONTACT

Innovation Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Leo Ehrlich

[email protected]





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[April 09, 2019] Matter Health and Myomo to Share Integrated PR and Marketing Best Practices at Health Tech Marketing and Public Relations Conference

Matter Communications, a Brand Elevation Agency specializing in PR, social media, creative services and digital marketing, will sponsor the Health IT Marketing Conference (HITMC) April 17 - 19 through its newly launched healthcare brand, Matter Health. Vice President of Matter Health, Ryan Lilly, and Chief Marketing Officer of Myomo, Cliff Conneighton, will also present at HITMC on real-world lessons gained from their experience collaborating on a successful integrated marketing program. Now in its sixth year, HITMC is a first-of-its-kind healthcare conference focused on marketing and public relations strategies specific to doctors, practice managers and hospital executives. The event was founded by renowned health IT industry influencer, John Lynn, and is supported by numerous other well-known health tech influencers, including Colin Hung and Shahid Shah. "Sponsors like Matter Health help us further our reach and expand the Healthcare IT Marketing and PR community," said John Lynn, founder and editor at Healthcare Scene. "Now more than ever, companies need to adapt to the pace of change in strategic communications, digital marketing and R in order to succeed, Matter Health proves to be a team that others can rely on to bring industry expertise and knowledge to every engagement."



Key Matter Health happenings at HITMC include: "Breaking Down Silos: What's the Right Strategic Mix of Earned, Paid, SEO and Social?" presented by Ryan Lilly and Cliff Conneighton on Wednesday, April 17 from 3:40 - 4:25 p.m. in Breakout 2 at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel.

Evening networking event at Lucky's Lounge on Wednesday, April 17 from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. including drinks and light appetizers. "As the industry continues its rapid transformation and business models evolve, it's critical to actively explore new PR and marketing strategies to best tell our clients' stories," said Ryan Lilly. "HITMC provides the ideal venue to share what we are seeing in healthcare and learn from others. We look forward to spending three days in our home city with client partners, colleagues and peers learning how we can put our best foot forward as healthcare communicators and brands."

With more than 170 professionals in offices in Boston and Newburyport, MA, Providence, RI, Pittsburgh, PA, Boulder, CO, and Portland, OR, Matter is one of the fastest-growing public relations, social media, creative and digital marketing firms in the country. Matter has won 11 "Agency of the Year" accolades in the past three years and has been recognized several times as a best place to work. Matter was also recently ranked among the top 20 healthcare agencies worldwide by O'Dwyer's PR News. For more information on Matter Health, visit https://www.matternow.com/healthcare/. To see Matter at HITMC this year, stop by booth 19 in the exhibitor area. To learn more about HITMC, visit this page or register here. About Matter Communications Matter is a Brand Elevation Agency unifying public relations, social media, creative services, and search and digital marketing into strategic, content-rich communications campaigns that inspire action and build value. Founded in 2003, with five offices spanning North America, Matter works with the world's most innovative companies across healthcare, high-technology, consumer technology and consumer markets. For more information, please visit: https://www.matternow.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005612/en/

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[April 09, 2019] DOKE Launches ViMeCa, a Video Message Greeting Card for Consumers

SAN DIEGO, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- DOKE Co., Ltd. today introduced ViMeCa, a video message greeting card for sending personalized message for any special occasions. ViMeCa lets you easily create and send a personalized custom greeting in a form of a short video, without a smartphone or personal computer. ViMeCa is a greeting card with a built-in camera and a display. One-button video recording and playback makes it easy for ViMeCa to let families and friends record and share a special message. ViMeCa may be used to celebrate special occasions such as a wedding, birthday, holiday or other significant life moments or simply to stay in touch. "Now you can reach out and touch someone with a one-of-kind video message without a smartphone or computer," said Kenichi Hiramatsu, CEO of DOKE Co., Ltd. "With ViMeCa, you can bring a smile to a grandparent or friend who lives far away or share your creative message with a loved one on a special day." ViMeCa Features & Availability

The ViMeCa video message greeting card is 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.4 inches or A5 envelope size and weighs 8.5 ounces. It includes a built-in camera and a 7-inch liquid crystal display (LCD) screen allowing viewers to easily record and playback video messages of up to four minutes with a touch of a button. Embellishments and written messages may be added in the white space povided, for an even more personal touch. ViMeCa has an internal battery which can be charged via a supplied USB cable. A battery charge lasts approximately 70-80 minutes under normal usage. ViMeCa is available now on Amazon for $79.00.



About DOKE Co., Ltd.:

DOKE Co., Ltd. believes in offering new value propositions through the businesses that it engages in. DOKE's businesses include customer acquisition consulting, development and sales of own branded products, and app/web/system development. DOKE develops and sells "ViMeCa" (which stands for Video Message Card) which is a greeting card with built-in camera and display to record and share a personalized video message with a touch of a button. DOKE Co., Ltd. is based in Osaka and has a satellite office in Tokyo. For more information visit:

ViMeCa product page

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Instagram MEDIA CONTACT:

Kenichi Hiramatsu

DOKE Co., Ltd.

858-212-2705

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/doke-launches-vimeca-a-video-message-greeting-card-for-consumers-300826353.html SOURCE DOKE Co., Ltd.

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[April 09, 2019] Insolar Accepted into Blockchain in Transport Alliance

New York, NY, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (via Blockchain Wire) Insolar has been accepted into the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA), an organization which aims to drive standards and enable blockchain adoption. BiTA members are entities from the spheres of transportation, logistics, supply chain, freight, technology, and blockchain. Insolar is proud to be welcomed to an alliance that boasts some of the worlds most recognized organizations. Other members include shipping industry giants such as Daimler, FedEx, UPS and Panalpina, in addition to other leading global tech firms that provide systems and IT for supply chains, such as Microsoft, SAP and Google. Some of the projects associated with BiTA include the supply-chain-as-a-service platform, bill of lading via blockchain, and blockchain-based biofuel supply chain tracking for the maritime industry, in addition to the creation of standards for shipment tracking using blockchain. Insolar will enter the Alliance to head a working group on data regulation in blockchain, while also forming strong partnerships with other members, whose combined revenue exceeds USD$1 trillion annually. We are proud to be welcomed into the Blockchain in Transport Alliance, which is populated by some of the biggest names in IT, supply chain, and logistics. At Insolar, we believe we can make a valuable contribution, not only in terms of the technology that we are developing, but with the vision that we have for the blockchain arena as a whole, remarked Insolar CEO, Andrey Zhulin, about the companys acceptance into the alliance. The alliance brings together the most influential leaders in transportation, finance, and technology with the aim of building the first set of transportation industry-specific bockchain standards and promoting what it terms as the most transformative technology since the internet.



BiTA is creating standards with the intention of creating a common framework that can assist industry participants with their organizations decision to develop and adopt blockchain-based technologies. Members of the alliance are creating a forum to develop a dialogue around blockchain in transportation. "I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Insolar to the Blockchain in Transport Alliance. The deep blockchain expertise, in addition to specific supply chain use cases for distributed ledger tech that Insolar brings to the table, will advance BiTA's mission of creating solid standards and furthering blockchain adoption throughout the transportation and logistics industries, noted BiTA President, Chris Burruss.

Insolar is a global technology company building innovative public and private blockchain solutions on the Insolar blockchain platform  the most secure, flexible and scalable blockchain for business. A key area of implementation of Insolars technology is supply chain and logistics and the company is currently in talks with Fortune 500 companies in the transportation industry about developing blockchain-based applications for their operations. About the Blockchain in Transport Alliance Founded in August 2017, BiTA has quickly grown into the largest commercial blockchain alliance in the world, with nearly 500 members that collectively generate over $1 trillion in revenue annually. BiTA members are primarily from the freight, transportation, logistics and affiliated industries. Alliance members share a common mission to develop a standards framework, educate the market on blockchain applications and encourage the use of those applications. BiTA has offices in: Chattanooga, Tennessee (North American Region); Sydney, Australia (Asia-Pacific Region) and London (European Region). For more information, please visit www.bita.studio/. About Insolar Insolar is building an open source, enterprise-grade blockchain platform that uses distributed trust to enable seamless interactions between companies and unlock new growth opportunities. Insolars 4th generation architecture, which blends the best of cloud, blockchain, and distributed tech, creates cost efficiencies, opens new revenue streams, and powers transformative business models; it is secure, scalable, interoperable, affordable, and easily deployed. In addition to the platform, Insolar offers full-service blockchain consulting and product development to accelerate companies from proof-of-concept to production. Insolar is ranked #1 among blockchain projects worldwide in development activity, according to Cryptomiso. It is a global team of 60+ people in North America and Europe, including 45 full-time engineers, 10 leading blockchain academics from major institutions (York University, ETH Zurich, Princeton), and a founding team of serial tech entrepreneurs and enterprise veterans. To learn more, visit: https://www.insolar.io Lesley Czuma Head of PR/Communications and Partnerships Insolar (915) 011-6322 [email protected]

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[April 09, 2019] Kingston to Present Encrypted Protection for Inside and Outside the Firewall at ISC West 2019

Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., a world leader in memory products and technology solutions, today announced it will be displaying its range of encrypted memory solutions for both inside and outside the firewall at ISC West 2019 (booth #5044), the largest converged security industry trade show in the U.S. Products include the full line of encrypted USB drives, including the award-winning IronKey (News - Alert) brand, enterprise SSDs, and Server Premier memory. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005073/en/ The new DC500 Series consists of enterprise-class SATA SSDs that are optimized for read-centric and mixed-use workloads, respectively. (Photo: Business Wire) Kingston Encrypted USB Drives: Kingston encrypted USB drives are ideal for government and business use to help meet specific security requirements such as data-at-rest and data-in-motion encryption, TAA, and FIPS certification, as well as other compliance regulations such as EU GDPR, CaCPA, HIPAA and SOX. These drives provide superior protection for data outside the network firewall that requires high security. Kingston's encrypted USBs also promote and maintain a productive and efficient mobile workforce and serve as an additional element in complying with strict data privacy regulations such as the E GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), which requires encryption of private data on mobile devices.



Kingston Enterprise Solid-State Drives (SSD): Kingston enterprise data center SSDs offer consistent performance, reliability and power-loss protection features to keep mission-critical environments up and running 24/7. The new DC500 Series consists of enterprise-class SATA SSDs that are optimized for read-centric and mixed-use workloads, respectively. Both SSDs in the DC500 Series implement strict Quality of Service (QoS) requirements to ensure predictable random I/O performance as well as predictable low latencies over a wide range of read and write workloads.

Kingston Server Premier Memory Kingston server memory is a worldwide industry standard. Server Premier memory features a locked BOM (Bill of Materials) to ensure a consistent brand and revision of DRAM and undergoes rigorous, dynamic burn-in testing designed to root out early-life failures at the factory before being shipped out. A key component of the production test process is that Kingston simulates customer workloads on the very same motherboards that are found in their data centers ensuring performance, stability, and long-term reliability. "We look forward to sharing more about our solutions with any and all security professionals attending ISC West," said Richard Kanadjian, encrypted USB business manager, Kingston. "As data loss incidents are on the rise due to an increase in mishandled data, breaches and sophisticated hacking attempts, it is vital for organizations and governmental agencies to have access to information regarding the best technology and products regarding protection inside the firewall and to ensure security and compliance outside." For more information visit kingston.com Kingston can be found on:

YouTube (News - Alert): http://www.youtube.com/kingstontechmemory

Facebook (News - Alert): http://www.facebook.com/kingstontechnology

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KingstonTech

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kingstontechnology/

LinkedIn (News - Alert): http://www.linkedin.com/company/kingston About Kingston Digital, Inc. Kingston Digital, Inc. ("KDI") is the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., a world leader in memory products and technology solutions. Established in 2008, KDI is headquartered in Fountain Valley, California, USA. For more information, please call 877-546-4786 or visit www.kingston.com. Editor's Note: For additional information, evaluation units or executive interviews, please contact David Leong, Kingston Digital, Inc. 17600 Newhope Street, Fountain Valley, CA (News - Alert) USA 92708, 714-438-1817 (Voice). Press images can be found in Kingston's press room here. Kingston and the Kingston logo are registered trademarks of Kingston Technology Corporation. IronKey is a registered trademark of Kingston Digital, Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005073/en/

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Tim Minard Promoted to Executive Vice President Within Great American Insurance Group's Annuity Group

Great American Insurance Group is pleased to announce the promotion of Tim Minard to Executive Vice President within its Annuity Group.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005364/en/

Tim Minard, Executive Vice President (Photo: Business Wire)

Since joining the Company in 2016, Mr. Minard has served as Senior Vice President and Chief Distribution Officer of the Annuity Group. H earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Iowa and also holds Series 6 and 63, 7 and 24 licenses.







About Great American Insurance Group

Great American Insurance Group's roots go back to 1872 with the founding of its flagship company, Great American Insurance Company. Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, the operations of Great American Insurance Group are engaged primarily in property and casualty insurance, focusing on specialty commercial products for businesses, and in the sale of traditional fixed and fixed-indexed annuities in the retail, financial institutions, registered investment advisors and education markets. Great American Insurance Company has received an "A" (Excellent) or higher rating from the A.M. Best Company for more than 100 years (most recent rating evaluation of "A+" (Superior) affirmed August 17, 2018). The members of Great American Insurance Group are subsidiaries of American Financial Group, Inc. (AFG), also based in Cincinnati, Ohio. AFG's common stock is listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AFG.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005364/en/
[April 09, 2019] CSAA Insurance Group Achieves 100 Percent Volunteerism Rate in 2018

CSAA Insurance Group, a AAA insurer, recorded an employee volunteerism rate of 100 percent last year, achieving the highest employee volunteer participation rate in the U.S. by a company with 3,000 or more employees for the fourth consecutive year. In 2018, more than 3,800 CSAA IG employees volunteered 47,045 hours of time at more than 600 events across the country, representing approximately $1.16 million in value of employee hours. "Caring is one of our company values and we believe our commitment to volunteerism is an integral part of what makes us a good corporate citizen and a great place to work," said Vanessa Chan, senior manager of community affairs at CSAA Insurance Group. "Our employees are one of our most valuable assets and that's why we actively support and reward their efforts to pursue their passions in the workplace, at home and in the community." Recognizing the value and impact of corporate volunteerism, CSAA Insurance Group decided to focus on increasing employee volunteerism rates beginning in 2012, with an ultimate goal to reach 80 percent. By 2015, the company achieved a 98 percent volunteerism rate and in 2017 reached 99 percent. CSAA Insurance Group offers employees 24 hours of paid time off to volunteer each year. Each year, the company promotes 600 company-supported projects with nonprofit organizations including the American Heart Association, Habitat for Humanity, Junior Achievement, and The Crayon Initiative. Employees may also participate in multi-day outings to the Grand Canyon, as well as Zion and Yosemite National Parks. The company also offers independent volunteer hours to allow all employees to volunteer and become engaged.



Key findings of the study include:

Study results suggests that CSAA Insurance Group benefits from an increase in employee engagement that appears to be driven by the volunteer program. Survey respondents who participated in volunteer activities over a six-month period experienced an uptick in engagement and those who didn't participate (randomly selected control group) experienced a decrease.

Employees participate in the volunteer program because they find it intrinsically rewarding and not because they feel obligated or because they expect extrinsic rewards (e.g., supervisor approval or career connections).

and not because they feel obligated or because they expect extrinsic rewards (e.g., supervisor approval or career connections). Participants are overwhelmingly satisfied with the volunteer program experience with 97 percent saying they are "satisfied" or better and 83 percent being "very satisfied." They also report that, after family, volunteering is the most meaningful experience in their lives.

satisfied with the volunteer program experience with 97 percent saying they are "satisfied" or better and 83 percent being "very satisfied." They also report that, after family, volunteering is the most meaningful experience in their lives. The program appears to create new volunteers as one out of six participants volunteered for the first time through CSAA Insurance Group. "Good news for anybody interested in workplace purpose or corporate social responsibility," said Bea Boccalandro, lead researcher from VeraWorks. "More research will need to confirm these findings, but the CSAA Insurance Group study suggests that employer social-purpose activities are effective at driving employee engagement." "We always believed that our employee volunteer program added value to the company, but it was refreshing to have the study validate the benefits and impact on both employees and the organization," said Chan. "We're incredibly proud to achieve the 100 percent employee volunteer participation rate milestone and we look forward to continuing to innovate our program to best serve our employees, company, customers and the communities we work in and serve." About CSAA Insurance Group CSAA Insurance Group, a AAA Insurer, offers automobile, homeowners and other personal lines of insurance to AAA members through AAA clubs in 23 states and the District of Columbia. Founded in 1914, the company has been rated "A" or better by A.M. Best for more than 90 years, and is one of the top personal lines property casualty insurance groups in the United States, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. The company has been repeatedly named one of the 50 most community-minded companies in America by Points of Light. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005020/en/

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[April 09, 2019] Shuttle Computer Group Creates Security Ecosystem with IPS, IP Cam, and FR Edge Computer Engine at ISC West

CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif., April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Shuttle Computer Group, Inc., one of the worlds leading designers of small form computers, will be demonstrating an entire security ecosystem at ISC West, the largest security industry trade show, April 10-12, at the Las Vegas Convention Center, in booth #20120. The system connects Shuttles IPS (Indoor Positioning System) and IP Camera/FR Edge computer engine with its SZ270R8 server to create a secure end-to-end facial recognition and person/item location tracking system.

Shuttle is combining the best small form factor computers with our world-class facial recognition products to create everything you need to create a secure location and/or track people or inventory, said Robert Garcia, channel manager, Shuttle Computer Group, Inc. They can be white labeled or sold as branded, so integrators have a choice in how to best present their solution. IPS

Locate employees, patients, products, and more with Shuttles IPS, which includes a credit-card shaped beacon that can be carried or worn connected to a gateway receiver. Enabled by a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) platform, the IPS offers an energy-efficient, easy to install security solution. The beacon transmits a signal to a receiver via Bluetooth which simultaneously passes real-time position records to a server; management software enables movement analysis for improved time management and security. I CAM and FR Edge





The Shuttle FR Edge (FR engine) is a computing system that processes captured data and auto-syncs real-time face recognition images against a stored database for blacklist/whitelist management. In case of emergency, the system can run detection and recognition while off line and auto-syncs to the server once the network restored.

Applications

The IPS and IP Cam/FR Edge ecosystem can be used to control access to restricted areas; create safer environments; and gain valuable analytical insight in a myriad of vertical applications: Corporate and Schools: track employee and visitor movement;

Medical/Elderly care: monitor patient and staff movement or lack thereof;

Factory/Warehouse: follow staff productivity and product inventory flow;

Retail: gender/age specific targeted marketing and ads;

Museum: auditory and visual exhibits can turn on and off automatically. The IPS and IP Cam/FR Edge are currently available separately or integrated; each comes with a three-year limited warranty on parts and labor. About Shuttle Computer Group Shuttle Computer Group is the North American subsidiary of Shuttle Inc., a publicly traded company established in 1983. Shuttle specializes in small form factor PC hardware for gaming; streaming; digital signage, point-of-sale (POS), and interactive kiosks in the retail, restaurant, food service and hospitality industries; as well as motherboards and bare bones systems. For more information, visit http://us.shuttle.com, or call 1-888-972-1818. Intel and Celeron are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation; HDMI is a trademark of HDMI Licensing. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Contact:

Nancy Napurski

Lionheart Communications

585-967-3348

[email protected]

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[April 09, 2019]

Neo4j and Google Cloud Announce Strategic Partnership

SAN FRANCISCO, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Neo4j , the leader in graph databases, and Google Cloud today announced a strategic partnership that will offer the Neo4j graph database delivered as a seamless experience integrated with GCP console, billing, and support services.

Emil Eifrem, CEO and Co-Founder of Neo4j, explained the value of the new partnership with Google Cloud.

"Google won their market using the power of graph technology with PageRank," remarked Eifrem. "Neo4j couldn't have a better partner to bring the power of graphs to developers and businesses as a managed service. Google Cloud has demonstrated a deep respect for Neo4j's open source roots and for our role in pioneering the graph database category. Our partnership aims to provide a tightly-integrated, best-of-breed graph database cloud offering to make it simple for developers to leverage connected data for maximum impact."

Through their partnership, Neo4j and Google Cloud will deliver the leading graph database to developers and businesses in a simple, friction-free way. Highlights of Neo4j for Google Cloud include:

Highly-available and fully-managed graph database service

Scales elastically in response to changing needs

Runs on Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), the world's best managed Kubernetes service

Secured with end-to-end encryption

Billed through GCP

Graph databases help developers harness connected data and avoid the complex queries and slow JOINs that make SQL databases difficult to work with. For developers, this means simplified data modeling, avoiding any translation between data model and code. For project leaders, the graph model is the simplest way to express complex systems.

As a result, the gap between business teams, their data models and their IT departments is narrowed, significantly boosting insights and innovation.

Kevin Ichhpurani, Corporate Vice President, Global Ecosystem and Business Development at Google Cloud, discussed why the time is right to bring a graph database managed service to Google Cloud Platform, and the motivation for partnering with Neo4j.

"We're delighted to partner with Neo4j, and we look forward to adding Neo4j for Google Cloud as our first graph database managed service. We share a commitment to a robust open source community that encourages innovation and provides the best possible outcomes for customers," said Ichhpurani. "Connected data use cases are driving business value for businesses across many industries, so partnering with Neo4j to deliver their database as a managed service on GCP is a no-brainer."

Interested parties can go to the Google Cloud blog to learn more about the partnership.

About Neo4j fo Google Cloud





Developers and business leaders looking to find out more about Neo4j for Google Cloud should visit neo4j.com/next and take a test drive of Neo4j on Google Cloud .

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About Neo4j

Neo4j is the leading graph database platform that drives innovation and competitive advantage at Airbus, Comcast , eBay , NASA , UBS , Walmart and more. Thousands of community deployments and more than 300 customers harness connected data with Neo4j to reveal how people, processes, locations and systems are interrelated. Using this relationships-first approach, applications built using Neo4j tackle connected data challenges including artificial intelligence, fraud detection, real-time recommendations and master data. Find out more at neo4j.com .

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 2019 Neo4j, Inc., Neo Technology, Neo4j, Cypher and Neo4j Bloom are registered trademarks or a trademark of Neo4j, Inc. All other marks are owned by their respective companies.

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[April 09, 2019] Samsung Achieves Largest Share of 5G Network Solutions in Korea, Advances Next Level of 5G Service

Samsung (News - Alert) Electronics Co., Ltd., today announced that it has delivered the largest share of 5G network solutions in Korea, making it the leading 5G network vendor in the country. 5G service is now commercially available to consumers and enterprises from all three mobile carriers in 85 cities across the country. Korean operators have been transmitting 5G signals in Seoul and metropolitan areas since December 1, 2018 using 5G base station radios and 5G core solutions from Samsung's Networks Business unit. To further expand the 5G network, Samsung has supplied 5G core solutions and more than 53,000 5G radio base stations to Korea's three operators. "Korea is one of the first markets in the world in which the 5G experience is opening up for consumers, and we're thrilled to play a key role in the nationwide rollout of 5G with our unparalleled 5G network solutions," said Paul Kyungwhoon Cheun, Executive Vice President and Head of Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. "As a longstanding innovator in the 5G space and one of the few vendors offering a full end-to-end 5G solution, Samsung is at the forefront of pushing the limits of 5G and beyond." Korean operators rolled out their commercial 5G networks using Samsung's 5G Massive-MIMO Unit (MMU) radio base station in the 3.5GHz spectrum. A key characteristic of Samsung's MMUs deployed in Korea is that they are among the smallest and lightest in the industry, ensuring they can be easily installed in existing operators' cellular sites, requiring minimal changes. This ability to re-use existing sites has been key to enabling the Korean operators to deploy a 5G network consisting of tens of thousands of radios within just a few months since the December 1st launch.



The virtualized 5G core solutions, provided to all three Korean operators for their 5G commercial launch, support both legacy 4G networks and next-generation 5G services in Non-Standalone (NSA) mode. They can also migrate to Standalone (SA) mode through a simple software upgrade in the future. Samsung's solution implements many of the key technologies of 5G networks, such as Control and User Plane Separation (CUPS), which are essential for network operators to scale their networks and support the new services enabled by 5G technology. "Korea has long been regarded as a leader when it comes to mobile technology and service adoption, and it is a market that other operators and vendors follow closely," said Daryl Schoolar (News - Alert), Practice Leader for Service Provider Technologies at Ovum. "Samsung's significant role in helping all three Korean mobile operators roll out their commercial 5G networks gives the vendor significant credibility as it looks to expand its 5G network solutions into other markets around the globe."

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems, and memory, system LSI, foundry and LED solutions. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at http://news.samsung.com. About Samsung Electronics America, Inc. As a global technology leader, Samsung Displays provides a diverse portfolio of enterprise technologies including digital signage, LED, hospitality TVs, and Desktop displays. Samsung puts the customer at the core of everything we do by delivering comprehensive products, solutions and services across diverse industries including retail, healthcare, hospitality, education and government. Samsung Displays is committed to helping customers realize the promise of a digital business. For more information, please visit samsung.com/business, call 1-866-SAM-4BIZ or follow Samsung Business via Twitter (News - Alert) @SamsungBizUSA. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005732/en/

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[April 09, 2019] Excelitas Technologies' Avalanche Photodiode (APD) Enables Surface Mapping of Bennu Asteroid by NASA's OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft

WALTHAM, Mass., April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Excelitas Technologies  Corp. , a global technology leader delivering innovative, customized photonic solutions, which contributed technology to NASAs OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, congratulates NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, the OLA Science Team led by Michael Daly (York University, OLA Instrument Scientist), and MDA (a business unit of Maxar) for the final assembly helping enable the space missions notable success.

OSIRIS-REx was used to map the surface of Bennu, a near-Earth asteroid. On April 5, NASA released a three-dimensional view of Bennu , created on the spacecraft by the OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter (OLA). In February, OLA made more than 11 million measurements of the distance between OSIRIS-REx and Bennus surface as the spacecraft flew less than 1.2 miles (2 km) above the surface  the closest orbit ever achieved by spacecraft. Were proud and humbled to have provided one component thats being used in this historic project, said Eric Desfonds, Excelitas Product Line Manager, Sensors  Defense and Aerospace. Dedicated collaboration between the contributing agencies and technology developers makes great scientific achievements possible, as we are beginning to see in the missions early success. Excelitas avalanche photodiode (APD) is the main detector enabling the OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter to scan and map the asteroids entire surface and provide higher-resolution topographical information than ever before possible. The resulting 3-D topographical maps of Bennu, the most detailed ever to be captured of an asteroid, will provide fundamental and unprecedented data to help study asteroid shape and topography and will allow the mission team to select potential sites for sample collection. When sample sites are selected after about sixteen months of comprehensive surface mapping, the spacecraft will deploy a robotic arm to rach out (without landing) and collect at least a 2.1-ounce sample that will be brought back to Earth for study in 2023. NASAs website says the mission will help scientists investigate how planets formed and how life began, as well as improve our understanding of asteroids that could impact Earth.



The Excelitas APD used for OLA is its C30954EH, a 0.8mm active diameter silicon photodiode that features high quantum efficiency at the YAG-wavelength (1064nm), fast response time, and wide operating temperature range. This standard product was successfully qualified through the extensive requirements of a deep-space probe. Excelitas has a long heritage of designing and producing YAG-enhanced APDs used in several space surveying missions. We look forward to this missions conclusion and OSIRIS RExs safe return to Earth of a sample from the asteroids surface  currently targeted for 2023, said Desfonds.

Excelitas Technologies is exhibiting at SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing in the Baltimore Convention Center, April 16-18, 2019 (Booth 438). Attendees may visit Excelitas booth to learn more, and to discuss their requirements for optical LiDAR payloads and other mission-critical optoelectronics and advanced electronic systems. About Excelitas Technologies

Excelitas Technologies Corp. is a global technology leader focused on delivering innovative, high-performance, market-driven photonic solutions to meet the lighting, optronics, detection and optical technology needs of global customers. Serving a vast array of applications across biomedical, scientific, safety, security, consumer products, semiconductor, industrial manufacturing, defense and aerospace sectors, Excelitas Technologies stands committed to enabling our customers' success in their end-markets. Excelitas Technologies has approximately 6,700 employees in North America, Europe and Asia, serving customers across the world. Connect with Excelitas on Facebook , LinkedIn and Twitter . Excelitas is a registered trademark of Excelitas Technologies Corp. All other products and services are either trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.



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Mobile: +44(0)7827831519 Cheryl Reynhout or Jill Anderson

On Behalf of Excelitas Technologies Corp.

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[April 09, 2019] Elastifile Partners with Google Cloud to Deliver Scalable Storage for GKE On-Prem

Elastifile, a pioneer of enterprise-grade, scalable file storage for the public cloud, today announced Elastifile Container File System for Kubernetes (EKFS), a new solution for Google (News - Alert) Cloud Platform Marketplace supporting Google Cloud's GKE On-Prem solution, a foundational component of Google Cloud's Anthos. Elastifile's new solution augments Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) On-Prem by delivering easy data access and native application compatibility for GKE deployments in Google Cloud, on-premises, and hybrid cloud configurations. GKE On-Prem empowers organizations to take advantage of Kubernetes and cloud technology in their own data centers. Users get GKE experience with quick, managed, and simple installs and upgrades validated by Google Cloud. In addition, Google Cloud Console provides a single-pane-of-glass view for managing clusters across on-premises and cloud environments. "The GKE On-Prem solution is making the benefits of containers easily accessible to a wide range of enterprises," said Erwan Menard, CEO at Elastifile. "Our collaboration with Google Cloud to support this effort illustrates our shared vision for using containers to deliver effective hybrid clouds." Having recognized the benefits of agile, containerized deployments, many organizations are leveraging Kubernetes to package, mobilize, and scale their business-critical workflows. As a result, due to the ubiquity of file-based enterprise applications, file storage has emerged as one of the standard platforms for achieving data persistence in containerized environments. Elastifile delivers data persistence for GKE On-Prem deployments via Elastifile Cloud File System, a cloud-native, distributed storage solution boasting a full suite of enterprise features, support for the Container Storage Interface (CSI (News - Alert)) standard, and scalable performance to support the most demanding data-intensive applications. "Scale-out, enterprise-grade file storage is an integral element of many Kubernetes deployments, both on-premises and in the cloud, so we're excited to partner with Elastifile on this key functionality for customers," said Nikhil Kasinadhuni,Director of Engineering at Google Cloud.



Elastifile will be demonstrating the capabilities of its storage solutions in booth S1551 at Google Cloud Next '19, from April 9 - 11 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. In addition to visiting the Elastifile booth, visitors attending Next '19 are also encouraged to attend the following joint breakout session delivered by Elastifile and Google Cloud - "Burst Rendering Jobs to GCP at Scale Without Refactoring". Elastifile is generally available on Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Amazon Web Services (AWS), and bare metal on-premises environments, with Microsoft (News - Alert) Azure availability coming soon.

To try Elastifile as a fully-managed storage service on Google Cloud, visit the Google Cloud Platform Marketplace or, to learn more about Elastifile's products and technology, visit https://www.elastifile.com. Follow Elastifile: https://twitter.com/elastifile

https://www.linkedin.com/company/elastifile

https://www.facebook.com/Elastifile/ About Elastifile Elastifile helps organizations adapt and accelerate their business in the cloud era. Powered by a dynamically scalable, enterprise-grade distributed file system with intelligent object tiering, Elastifile augments existing public cloud services and facilitates frictionless cloud adoption. With Elastifile, organizations can deploy and manage cloud-native file storage themselves and/or benefit from the advantages of fully-managed file storage services, eliminating the need for manual storage management and CapEx-intensive IT forecasting. Elastifile's unique combination of features and flexibility empowers organizations to seamlessly integrate cloud resources, with no application refactoring required...thereby modernizing their infrastructure and achieving their crucial IT agility and efficiency goals. Elastifile is based in Santa Clara, California and Herzliya, Israel, with global Sales and Marketing offices in North America and Europe, and R&D in Israel. Founded in 2013, Elastifile is backed by Battery Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, CE Ventures, and seven strategic investors from the cloud, data center, and storage industries, including Dell EMC (News - Alert), Cisco, and Western Digital. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005473/en/

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[April 09, 2019] Miami-based UBS Professional Carlos E. Lowell Achieves CEPA Designation

Miami-based UBS Financial Services Inc. (NYSE: UBS) advisor, Carlos E. Lowell, recently earned the Exit Planning Institute's CEPA designation. The Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) Program is an executive MBA-style program that trains and certifies qualified and experienced professional financial advisors in the field of exit planning for business owners. Only a small percentage of financial professionals achieve this designation. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005847/en/ Miami-based UBS Financial Services Inc. advisor, Carlos E. Lowell, recently earned the Exit Planning Institute's CEPA designation. (Photo: Business Wire) Developed and taught by a diverse team of more than 15 nationally recognized experts, the CEPA program integrates exit strategy into the business, personal, and financial goals of the business owner. CEPA-certified financial advisors help business owners prepare exit plans that are strategically designed blueprints to assist the in selling a business.



To receive the CEPA designation, Lowell completed the rigorous four-day program that involved approximately 100 hours of pre-course study, 30 hours of classroom instruction, and the successful completion of a three-hour proctored exam. Karl Ruppert, Market Head for UBS Private Wealth Management in Florida said, "We are pleased Carlos has received this important CEPA designation. With his experience and guidance, he is in a position to help business owners evaluate different options for their company. His goal is to help business owners maximize the value of their business, while creating a succession structure for the business and individual after a transition of ownership."

Lowell began his career in finance in 1994 after graduating with a B.S. from the University of Miami. He worked in the insurance industry in both Europe and the U.S. before earning his MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School of Management. After graduation, Lowell worked in the Private Wealth Management Group at Goldman Sachs before moving to Morgan Stanley where he held multiple roles, including Miami Complex Manager and Director of International Accounts at its New York headquarters. By leveraging his diverse experience and obtaining the Certified Financial Planner and Certified Exit Planning designation, Lowell brings a deep knowledge of risk management, financial planning and international business to the clients of The Lowell Group. In addition, Lowell is committed to the South Florida community he calls home. He is involved as an alumnus of the University of Miami where he studied mechanical engineering and economics. He has served as vice president on the Alumni Association Board and currently serves on the President's Council. He is also actively involved with Baptist Health South Florida. Lowell currently chairs its Foundation's Miami Cancer Institute Council, serves on the operating Board of Directors for Baptist Hospital as well as on the system-wide Risk and Finance Committee. He was just recently named treasurer of the operating Board of Directors for Baptist Hospital. About UBS Global Wealth Management As the world's largest wealth manager, UBS Global Wealth Management provides comprehensive advice, solutions and services to wealthy families and individuals around the world. Clients who work with UBS benefit from a fully integrated set of wealth management capabilities and expertise, including wealth planning, investment management, capital markets, banking, lending and institutional and corporate financial advice. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005847/en/

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks at Saguenay Chambre of Commerce award gala, Thursday, April 4, 2019 in Saguenay, Que. Trudeau says his threat to sue Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is about making sure there are consequences for lying in politics.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot
[April 09, 2019] Chengdu Tianfu Software Park and CEIBS Co-Hosts Biggest-Ever CEO Joint Conference

CHENGDU, China, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Since announcing 2019 as the "Year of International Business Environment Construction," Chengdu has been actively improving its business environment in order to attract more world-class enterprises. At the same time, local players have also stepped up their efforts in standardized management and innovation in ways that will make them more competitive in the global business environment. In response to the growing demand of its corporate tenants, Chengdu Tianfu Soft Park (TFSP) today hosted the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) Innovation Forum Series 2019 - Chengdu at the Hilton Hotel Chengdu. Guests at the event, including CEIBS Finance Professor Huang Ming and CEIBS Alumni Association Sichuan Chapter President and Chairman of Maipu Communication Technology Co., Ltd. (Maipu) Hua Xin, explored and analysed ways to maintain the sustainable development of companies at TFSP amidst the current economic background and Chengdu's development of an international business environment. Dialogue between CEIBS and Chengdu Enterprises Prof. Huang delivered a keynote speech at he forum on "Corporate Innovation and Financial Discipline." On the macro level, he introduced new policies and trends in the capital market. On the micro level, he analysed how enterprises can survive and seek stable development during the overall economic situation. He also explained a number of ways enterprises could improve their core competitiveness based on a deep analysis on specific practices of international front-runners. Mr. Hua Xin then gave a speech on the theme of "Risk Prevention in Enterprises" backed by business cases of Maipu.



A discussion panel was then held with TFSP enterprise representatives, including tap4fun Chairman and Founder Kevin Yang, and Chengdu Medlinker Ltd. Co-founder Zheng Liwei, along with Prof. Huang, Mr. Hua Xin, and Yimikang Tech Group Co., Ltd. President Zhang Wan. Together, they shared numerous insights on the issue of surviving the current economic cycle and engaged in a lively Q&A session with the audience. Rising Influence of Joint CEO Conference

The Forum was co-sponsored by CEIBS and TFSP, with the assistance of Yimikang Tech Group, Chengdu New Energy Vehicle Industry Alliance, and Chengdu Chamber of Investment and Financing, together with the support of the Sichuan Federation of Industry and Commerce. The Forum also served as TFSP's latest CEO Joint Conference. The CEO Joint Conference was established as part of TFSP's aim to serve as a platform for in-depth exchange and sharing between CEOs and senior executives through events such as symposiums, salons, and forums, so as to facilitate efficient and sustainable cooperation among enterprises at TFSP. After hundreds of activities over the past few years, the conference has expanded to form a crucial link in offering interaction opportunities for enterprises both within and outside of TFSP and providing CEOs and senior executives with training services, as well as facilitating matchmaking between enterprises at TFSP and external resources. Jointly organised with CEIBS, the Innovation Forum proved to be the largest-ever event of the CEO Joint Conference. It attracted CEOs and senior executives from more than 40 enterprises at TFSP and dozens of those outside - many of whom are members of CEIBS Alumni Association Sichuan Chapter. The forum has further expanded the influence of the CEO Joint Conference outside Chengdu, helping it to reach a new level. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/chengdu-tianfu-software-park-and-ceibs-co-hosts-biggest-ever-ceo-joint-conference-300827606.html SOURCE Chengdu Tianfu Software Park

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[April 09, 2019] Capstone's PebbleGo Celebrates 10th Anniversary

MINNEAPOLIS, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Capstone's award-winning PebbleGo, a K-2 research product used in 20% of U.S. elementary schools, is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2019. In 10 years the database developed nine curriculum-focused modules, including Animals, Biographies, Science, Social Studies, Dinosaurs, and four Spanish version modules, and cultivated a passionate user community. "PebbleGo was the first database specifically designed for K-2 students and has experienced tremendous growth since its launch. The user community is a strong network of educators who've truly embraced PebbleGo's capacity for developing language and literacy, project based learning, and research and critical thinking skills. Seeing the collaboration between students, classrooms, schools, and education professionals globally has been a phenomenon we couldn't have predicted. At its core, PebbleGo taps into a child's natural curiosity and interests and they love the freedom and independence it allows for discovery," said Darin Rasmussen, VP of Digital Product Development. PebbleGo's first customer in 2009 remains a customer today. "Ten years ago when I was first introduced to PebbleGo, I was immediately impressed with its organization and accessibility for students. Because of the thoughtful design, accuracy, and student appeal, PebbleGo became my tool of choice to introuce research skills to our younger students. Ten years later, there are so many more topics offered and PebbleGo Next has arrived for our students who outgrew the original database," said Gerry Wyatt, LRC Director at Grace McWayne School.



Significant changes coming to PebbleGo this fall include compliance with Section 508 standards (U.S. Workforce Rehabilitation Act of 1973) and WCAG 2.0 AA (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), ensuring it will be accessible to children with vision, cognitive, physical, and hearing disabilities. The database will also be mobile-responsive, providing students with access on their devices and improving their experience through intuitive touchscreen navigation. PebbleGo Facts:

On PebbleGo's launch day in 2009, the hippopotamus was the first animal researched.

was the first animal researched. In 2016, students cast over 100,000 virtual votes in PebbleGo Vote, a mock U.S. Presidential Election encouraging kids to learn about key civic concepts. Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton was named the winner of the mock election receiving 64% of the total vote.

virtual votes in PebbleGo Vote, a mock U.S. Presidential Election encouraging kids to learn about key civic concepts. Democratic candidate was named the winner of the mock election receiving 64% of the total vote. To date, users' most requested animal for the database is the narwhal, which was added in 2018. All PebbleGo modules include expertly-levelled text, narrated by professional voice-over artists to provide essential scaffolds for emerging and struggling readers and English language learners. PebbleGo uses a streamlined interface, animated highlighting, educational videos and games, and activities which teach students how to cite articles, create reports, and share what they've learned. PebbleGo has over 1.7 billion lifetime page views and 661 million articles read, which equates to every K-2 student in the U.S. reading 58.5 articles. About Capstone

Capstone is a leading content creator for digital solutions, children's books, and literacy programs for school libraries, classrooms, and at home reading including the award-winning PebbleGo and PebbleGo Next research databases. www.CapstonePub.com #ReadingIsForEveryone View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/capstones-pebblego-celebrates-10th-anniversary-300828175.html SOURCE Capstone

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[April 09, 2019] Labelbox Raises $10 Million in Series A Funding to Accelerate Industrial AI

Labelbox, a collaborative training data platform for machine learning applications, today announces a Series A round of $10 million in capital led by Gradient Ventures, Google's (News - Alert) AI-focused venture fund, with participation from previous investors Kleiner Perkins, First Round Capital, and angel investor, Sumon Sadhu. Anna Patterson, founder and Managing Partner at Gradient Ventures, VP of Engineering at Google, and Square board member, will join Labelbox's board. Building great machine learning applications requires a huge amount of high quality labeled training data. Eighty percent of the time spent on developing machine learning is related to data management, which slows innovation and results in long design-build-test cycles. Machine learning workflows do not have standard tooling for labeling data, storing it, debugging models and then continually improving model accuracy. Enter Labelbox. Labelbox is building the best computer vision data labeling and management solution for industrial machine learning applications. Labelbox's vision is to become the default software for machine learning teams to create and manage high-quality training data, in the same way, that GitHub is the default fo software engineers.



"Labelbox substantially reduces model development times and empowers data science teams to build great machine learning applications. With the new funding, Labelbox will continue to double down on bringing data labeling infrastructure to the machine learning teams with powerful automation, collaboration, and enterprise-grade features. We're excited to work with the team at Gradient Ventures and appreciate their support as we scale our business to meet customer demand," said Manu Sharma, founder and CEO of Labelbox. "We're also proud to have incredible investors who have believed in us since the beginning, such as Bucky, Ilya, and Bill from Kleiner Perkins and First Round Capital." Labelbox experienced significant growth in 2018. Customers include FLIR Systems, Lytx, Airbus, Genius (News - Alert) Sports, KeepTruckin and thousands of users worldwide. Numerous machine learning teams use Labelbox to build and optimize models from aquaculture to autonomous driving. With this new funding, the company plans to continue building the best and most comprehensive solution for machine learning teams to create and manage labeled training data for computer vision applications. To do this, Labelbox plans to double its headcount in 2019 by hiring additional talent to fill engineering, sales, marketing, and customer success roles.

"Labelbox is well-positioned to fuel the industrialization of machine learning across many sectors, such as manufacturing, transportation, and healthcare. In doing so, they will unlock the potential of AI for companies across the globe," said Anna Patterson, Founder and Managing Partner at Gradient Ventures. "The confluence of accessible GPU compute and deep learning technology has paved the way for companies to build production AI systems. The hard part now is teaching machines to think. Labelbox is the key technology to do just that, enabling AI teams to develop new breakthrough products," said Peter Welinder, advisor to Labelbox and Research Scientist at Open AI. About Labelbox Founded in 2018 and based in San Francisco, Labelbox is a collaborative training data platform for computer vision machine learning applications. Rather than requiring companies to create their own expensive and incomplete homegrown tools, we've created the world's first training data platform that acts as a central hub for humans to interface with AI. When humans have better ways to input and manage data, machines have better ways to learn. Labelbox has raised $14 million in capital from leading VCs in Silicon Valley. For more information, visit: https://www.labelbox.com/ About Gradient Ventures Gradient Ventures is Google's AI-focused venture fund - investing in and connecting early-stage startups with Google's resources, innovation, and technical leadership in artificial intelligence. The fund focuses on helping founders navigate the challenges in developing AI-based products, allowing companies to take advantage of the latest techniques so that great ideas can come to life. Gradient was founded in 2017 and is based in Palo Alto (News - Alert), California. For more information, visit Gradient.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005896/en/

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[April 09, 2019] TODAQ & FarmTogether partner to decentralize and improve liquidity of investable farmland assets

NEW YORK, April 9, 2019 /CNW/ -- FarmTogether is partnership with TODAQ to help create a liquid and low-cost secondary market for farmland, especially in international markets; efficiently attract capital; eliminate transaction costs as well as most legal and administrative friction; and improve the immutability and timeliness of yield returns to asset owners. A Memorandum of Understanding was announced during the 2019 Global Ag Investing Conference in New York and the LendIt 2019 Conference in San Francisco. "We are excited by what TODAQ's decentralized settlement platform and international reach will bring to the FarmTogether ecosystem. In addition, we are proud to announce that TODAQ will also be acquiring institutional grade farmland in regulatory compliant markets through our investment platform for its TDN program's reserve backstop." said Artem Milinchuk, FarmTogether founder and CEO. For TODAQ, the partnership will help broaden the user and investor base who have access to its TaaS ('TODA-as-a-Service)' platform; add more commercial and investment use cases to a rapidly diversifying ecosystem; and secure low risk high-quality farmland for the reserve backstop of the TDN ('TODA Note') decentralized loyalty program. "FarmTogether's investment platform, with its yield producing agriultural assets, will fill investment needs across the many global markets where TODAQ is building its presence. Farmland on the TODA protocol becomes a secure, private, and scalable peer-to-peer asset class that can fractionate to achievable optimal liquidity. We look forward as well to working together with Artem and the FarmTogether team to add farmland from participating Eurasian markets to the TDN reserve" said Hassan Khan, TODAQ CEO and Co-founder.



The Memorandum envisions broad partnership across geographies and products beyond the initial objectives, and is supported by common values and the deeply shared conviction of the founders that removing barriers for capital flows in a socially responsible and regulatory-compliant way meaningfully enhances positive outcomes for all stakeholders. About TODAQ

TODAQ is a fintech "bank of the future" that offers both supply chain solutions and consumer solutions to enterprises, banks, and smart cities for all their asset and money transactions. It intends to also provide these clients access to value added finance and insurance services. TODAQ is also responsible for the distribution of the Toda Note (TDN), a cryptographically controlled supply of 237 USD backstopped digital notes designed to be used as a medium of exchange for commerce and industry. About FarmTogether FarmTogether is a technology-enabled farmland investment platform. FarmTogether's mission is to democratize farmland investing globally while also helping partnering farmers earn higher profits and facilitating better environmental practices. FarmTogether is based in San Francisco, California. It is backed by technology investors out of Silicon Valley, NYC, Los Angeles and Dubai. Inquiries should be sent to [email protected] View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/todaq--farmtogether-partner-to-decentralize-and-improve-liquidity-of-investable-farmland-assets-300828225.html SOURCE TODAQ; FarmTogether

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[April 09, 2019]

Equicare Health releases latest version of their product, Equicare CS 4.10

VANCOUVER, April 9, 2019 /CNW/ - Equicare Health, the leading provider of oncology care coordination and patient navigation solutions, officially released the latest version of their product, Equicare CS (ECS) 4.10.

"ECS 4.10 adds a number of new features that make it easier to collect and monitor Patient Reported Outcomes as part of standard clinical practice. The release also includes patient navigation workflow improvements, and GDPR support for our customers in the European Union," says Malcolm Wright, VP of Product Management at Equicare Health.

The new release includes a feature to automatically assign questionnaires to patients based on compliance goals and clinical need. We've also added a new kiosk that allows patients to complete forms and questionnaires using a tablet in the waiting room.

For more information on our new release or to get an upgrade, please contact Equicare







About Equicare Health

Equicare Health is the industry's leading provider of comprehensive care coordination solutions. Equicare's flagship solution EQUICARE CS (ECS) is a Multi-facility web-based software tool that facilitates patient engagement including patient reported outcomes, patient navigation, survivorship care and a number of other clinical tools, i.e. MDT, Clinical trials, a suite of educational material, etc.. In additional to the clinical toolset, Equicare offers an administrative suite of worklists and reports for managing adherence to accreditation standards including Meaningful Use, Commission on Cancer (CoC), NAPBC, QOPI, OCM, etc... ECS enables cancer centers to influence clinical outcomes for patients, optimize revenue streams, and increase operational efficiency. www.equicarehealth.com

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/equicare-health-releases-latest-version-of-their-product-equicare-cs-4-10--300826529.html

SOURCE Equicare Health Inc.
[April 09, 2019] Klick Named a 2019 Best Workplace for Giving Back

Klick was today recognized on the 2019 List of Best Workplaces for Giving Back after thorough and independent analysis conducted by Great Place to Work. "We are very proud to be named a Best Workplace for Giving Back because it really underscores Klick's culture of caring and desire to make a difference in the lives of others through conscious acts of giving," said Klick President Lori Grant. "It also serves as a testament to so many Klicksters who have passionately and creatively championed our philanthropic efforts and we couldn't be more grateful." Today's announcement comes six months after Metroland Media named Klick an 'Urban Hero' for giving back to the community through a variety of initiatives that align with its four philanthropic pillars: helping improve health outcomes; supporting children and families in need; building community locally and internationally; and being positive stewards of the environment. Each month, Klick supports a different charitable cause, including quarterly cornerstone campaigns in support of the Daily Bread Food Bank, Heart and Stroke Foundation, The Shoebox Project, and SickKids. The company dedicates each of the year's remaining eight months to a different charity as nominated and voted on by Klicksters annually on #GivingTuesday. Over the last year, Klicksters have voted to support a wide range of charitable causes, including World Wildlife Fund, Operation Smile, Melanie's Way, and Majengo Children's Home. Klick it Forward

Almost a decade ago, Klick created a unique corporate giving program called Klick it Forward. Built directly into the company's workflow on its award-winning intranet - Genome, Klick it Forward rewards Klicksters with credits to donate to charities of their choice, adding a personal touch to corporate philanthropy and has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to local and global charities since its inception. The list of Best Workplaces&rade; for Giving Back is based on direct feedback from employees of the hundreds of organizations that were surveyed by Great Place to Work. The data has a 90% confidence and a plus or minus 5% margin of error.



To be eligible for this list, companies must be Great Place to Work-certified in the past year, and at least 90% of employees must feel good about the way their company contributes to the community. Great Place to Work determined the list based on companies' overall Corporate Social Responsibility Index score from employees, as well as the range and quality of their programs that encourage workplace social responsibility. Earlier this year, Klick was named a Best Managed Company for the 11th consecutive year. Klick is also consistently recognized as a Great Place to Work, Best Workplace for Women, and Employee Recommended Workplace.

About Great Place to Work:

Great Place to Work  (GPTW) is the global authority on high-trust, high-performance workplace cultures. Through proprietary assessment tools, advisory services, and certification programs, GPTW recognizes the world's Best Workplaces in a series of national lists including those published by Fortune magazine (USA) and The Globe & Mail (Canada). Great Place to Work provides the benchmarks, framework, and expertise needed to create, sustain, and recognize outstanding workplace cultures. About Klick

Klick operates with a fiercely independent spirit at the intersection of technology, creativity, and strategy. The Klick family is a diverse group of people who are driven and connected by a shared culture and commitment to the relentless pursuit of awesome at Klick Health, Katalyst, and Sensei Labs. Established in 1997, Klick has teams in Atlanta, Connecticut, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, and Toronto. Klick has been consistently recognized as a leading Great Place to Work, Best Workplace for Women, Best Employer, Employee-Recommended Workplace, Fastest Growing Technology Company, and Best Managed Company. Klick's co-founders wrote the New York Times Bestseller The Decoded Company, the award-winning book on how to use data to empower and engage employees. For more information on joining Klick, go to http://careers.klick.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005978/en/

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[April 09, 2019] Israeli Civil Rights Group Negotiates Settlement With Airbnb To Retract Policy Of Redlining Of Jewish Homes In Judea & Samaria Region, Resolving Federal Lawsuit Brought By Jewish-American Property Owners

WILMINGTON, Del., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Lawyers working with the Israeli civil rights organization, Shurat HaDin Israel Law Center, have negotiated a settlement agreement with the online hosting giant Airbnb to rescind its discriminatory policy redlining Jewish-owned properties in the Judea and Samaria region. That policy, announced in November 2018, had banned Jewish property owners in Judea and Samaria from listing properties on Airbnb, while allowing Muslim and Christian property owners to list properties in the same area. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, Airbnb has agreed to repeal the discriminatory policy, thereby resolving the discrimination lawsuit. The plaintiffs, a group of twelve Jewish American families had filed a civil rights lawsuit against Airbnb in the United States Federal District Court for the District of Delaware. The lawsuit was captioned Sliber, et al. v. Airbnb, 1:18-cv-01884-RGA. The lawsuit was brought in Delaware because Airbnb is incorporated in Delaware. In their lawsuit, the plaintiffs alleged that the policy of the San Francisco-based internet hospitality company discriminated against them based upon their religion. The lawsuit was filed under the Fair Housing Act, Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 as amended by the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988, ("FHA") 42 U.S.C. 3601, et seq., a federal statute which safeguards against discrimination in the housing sales and rental markets. While the properties were located in Judea and Samaria, the plaintiffs alleged that the discrimination was being committed by Airbnb, which is located in th United States and is bound to follow federal policies of non-discrimination wherever it operates in the world. The plaintiffs asked that the court enjoin Airbnb from discriminatory practices against Jewish homeowners and sought compensation for any lost rental income from Airbnb. Because of the pending litigation Airbnb had not implemented the announced policy, and now that the litigation has been settled the policy will never be implemented and the property owners have been saved from suffering any losses.



The lawsuit has been spearheaded by the Israeli human rights law organization Shurat HaDin-Israel Law Center in Israel. The families are represented in the litigation by New York attorney Robert J. Tolchin, Esq., Israeli attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, Adv. of Tel Aviv, and Delaware counsel David Eagle, Esq., of Wilmington, Delaware. When Airbnb publicly announced its redlining policy barring rentals of Jewish-owned properties in November, it stated it would no longer agree to list these homes due to claims that such properties are located in Palestinian-owned territories illegally occupied by Israeli settlers. The plaintiff homeowners, however, dispute that contention and contend that all the properties are legal. Further, the plaintiffs asserted that Airbnb had succumbed to pressure from the extremist Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions ("BDS") propaganda movement which seeks to delegitimize Israel and challenges its right to exist.

Under the settlement agreement Airbnb has agreed to adopt a neutral policy towards all properties in the region, allowing all homeowners to list their houses for rental on its web platform regardless of their religion, race or national origin. All listings will be subject to Airbnb's Terms of Service which require that every host agree and warrant not to offer any accommodation on Airbnb's platform that the host does not own or have permission to make available for booking. Shurat HaDin-Israel Law Center president Nitsana Darshan-Leitner stated: "The policy Airbnb announced last November was abject discrimination against Jewish users of the website. Whatever one's political view, discrimination based on religious affiliation should never be the solution. That is one of the core problems with the BDS movement. Airbnb's decision to retract its policy and adopt instead a neutral policy that treats people of all religions the same was the correct decision. We commend Airbnb for recognizing that it had landed on the wrong side of this issue and changing the policy." Plaintiffs' New York attorney, Robert J. Tolchin, Esq., said: "Imagine if Airbnb had decided not to service Muslim homes in Oakland because they opposed growth of the Muslim community there. Nobody would tolerate that for a minute. Yet that is exactly what Airbnb's policy was for Jews in the Judea and Samaria region. As a provider of a service to the public, Airbnb is not permitted to refuse to provide services to selected religious group to engineer who it thinks should be allowed to live where. We are gratified that the legal process has worked and that as a result of the case we filed Airbnb came to recognize the mistake it had made and changed their policy." View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/israeli-civil-rights-group-negotiates-settlement-with-airbnb-to-retract-policy-of-redlining-of-jewish-homes-in-judea--samaria-region-resolving-federal-lawsuit-brought-by-jewish-american-property-owners-300828259.html SOURCE Shurat HaDin Israel Law Center

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Citi 2019 Annual Stockholders' Meeting

Citigroup Inc. will hold its 2019 Annual Stockholders' Meeting on Tuesday, April 16, 2019, at 9 a.m. EDT at its Global Headquarters at 388 Greenwich Street in New York, NY.

Live audio of the Annual Meeting will be webcast at www.citigroup.com/citi/investor.

Citi

Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management.

Additonal information may be found at www.citigroup.com | Twitter (News - Alert): @Citi | YouTube: www.youtube.com/citi | Blog: http://blog.citigroup.com | Facebook (News - Alert): www.facebook.com/citi | LinkedIn (News - Alert): www.linkedin.com/company/citi







View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005971/en/
[April 09, 2019] AXIS Capital to Release First Quarter Financial Results on April 24, 2019

AXIS Capital Holdings Limited ("AXIS Capital" or the "Company") (NYSE: AXS) today announced that it expects to release financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019, on Wednesday, April 24, 2019, after the close of the financial markets. Albert Benchimol, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Peter Vogt, Chief Financial Officer, will host an investor teleconference, including a question and answer period, on Thursday, April 25, 2019, at 9:30 a.m. EDT to discuss the first quarter results as well as related matters. The teleconference can be accessed by dialing 1-888-317-6003 (U.S. callers), or 1-412-317-6061 (international callers), and entering the passcode 5782028 approximately 10 minutes in advance of the call. A live, listen-only webcast of the call will also be available via the Investor Information section of the Company's website at www.axiscapital.com.



A replay of the teleconference will be available for two weeks by dialing 1-877-344-7529 (U.S. callers), or 1-412-317-0088 (international callers), and entering the passcode 10130161. The webcast will be archived in the Investor Information section of the Company's website. About AXIS Capital

AXIS Capital, through its operating subsidiaries, is a global provider of specialty lines insurance and treaty reinsurance with shareholders' equity at December 31, 2018, of $5 billion and locations in Bermuda, the United States, Europe, Singapore, Middle East, Canada and Latin America. Its operating subsidiaries have been assigned a rating of "A+" ("Strong") by Standard & Poor's and "A+" ("Superior") by A.M. Best. For more information about AXIS Capital, visit our website at www.axiscapital.com. Follow AXIS Capital on LinkedIn and Twitter. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005995/en/

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[April 09, 2019] Jemtec Second Quarter & Financial Update

TSX-V: JTC VANCOUVER, April 9, 2019 /CNW/ - JEMTEC Inc. (TSX-V: JTC) (the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on its Second Quarter performance for the period ended January 31, 2019 and the Companies improving financial situation, with no debt, strong liquidity and increasing net worth. Q2 Revenues and Expenses

Revenues have increased by 57% during the quarter ended January 31, 2019 compared to the quarter ended January 31, 2018 while Expenses increased by 22% compared to the quarter ended January 31, 2018. Q2 Net Income

For the quarter ended January 31, 2019, the Company recorded net income of $146,074, compared to net income of $11,977 during the quarter ended January 31, 2018. Q2 Liquidity

At January 31, 2019, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $1,831,292 and working capital of $1,708,510. <>Subsequent Action





$112,970 and result in the Company's Retained Earnings increasing to $182,783 or $0.07 per share. Eric Caton, President and CEO said, "We are pleased with the Q2 results and see a profitable and stable second six months ahead with the Company well positioned to increase its market share." Jemtec has provided a full spectrum of monitoring technologies and services to provincial and federal correctional and border services across Canada since 1987 and in doing so has built a reputation for offering the best technological solutions and support for use in this demanding environment.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release contains forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Investors are cautioned that these forward looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE Jemtec Inc.

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[April 09, 2019] Meyer, Olson, Lowy & Meyers' Felicia Meyers Among Los Angeles' Most Influential Women Attorneys

Family law firm Meyer, Olson, Lowy & Meyers Partner Felicia R. Meyers is among this week's honorees in the Los Angeles Business Journal's annual special supplement honoring 75 of the City's most influential women attorneys. Meyers "focuses primarily on complex litigation and trials, leveraging her extensive experience as a civil litigator prior to joining the firm in 2005," says the special supplement, published today. "She has led successful legal efforts relating to cutting edge family law issues such as international move-away cases, custody cases involving special needs children and domestic violence." The report adds that Meyers, "hs been involved in diverse, complex trials in courtrooms across California." She was lead trial counsel in the recent MacIlwaine decision, which is now the defining case that deems stock options as income (when vested) for purposes of calculating child support and one of the lead attorneys in J.M. v G.H., an international move-away case where the Court of Appeal upheld the trial court's ruling allowing the mother to move with the minor child to Israel.



Los Angeles Business Journal Publisher and CEO Anna Magzanyan explained that the honorees have been recognized for "exceptional legal skill and achievement across the full spectrum of responsibility, exemplary leadership as evidenced by the highest professional and ethical standards, and for contributions to the Los Angeles community at largethere are some particularly stellar attorneys in the LA region who happen to be womenthank you for working to keep the people and businesses of LA on the right track." Meyers is the former Chair of the Family Law Section of the Beverly Hills Bar Association and is a member of the California State Bar and the Los Angeles County Bar Association.

About Meyer, Olson (News - Alert), Lowy & Meyers Meyer, Olson, Lowy & Meyers, LLP is the preeminent female-owned family law firm in Southern California. The firm's attorneys specialize in all aspects of family law, including complex divorce, division of high-net-worth estates, high-conflict custody matters, international and domestic child custody move-away cases, parental alienation and estrangement custody cases, pre- and post-nuptial agreements, dissolution of domestic partnerships and issues specific to LGBTQ+ families, and mediation. For more information, visit molfamlaw.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409006004/en/

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[April 09, 2019]

Vonage Holdings Corp. Announces 2019 Annual Stockholders' Meeting

HOLMDEL, N.J., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Vonage Holdings Corp. (NYSE: VG), a global business cloud communications leader, will hold its annual meeting of stockholders on Thursday, June 6, 2019 at 10:00 AM ET. The 2019 annual meeting webcast will be accessible live through Vonage's Investor Relations website.

Shareholders at the close of business on Tuesday, April 9, 2019 are entitled to attend the virtual annual meeting. Shareholders will be able to vote shares and submit questions electronically during the virtual annual meeting. Non-shareholders will be able to attend the annual meeting electronically but will not be able to vote or participate.

About Vonage

Vonage (NYSE:VG) is redefining busiess communications, helping enterprises use fully-integrated unified communications, contact center, and programmable communications solutions via Nexmo, the Vonage API Platform, to improve how business gets done. True to our roots as a technology disruptor, we've embraced technology to transform how companies connect, collaborate and communicate to create better business outcomes. Vonage's fully-integrated cloud communications platform built on a microservices-based architecture enables businesses to collaborate more productively and engage their customers more effectively across all channels, including messaging, chat, social media, video and voice.







Vonage Holdings Corp. is headquartered in Holmdel, New Jersey, with offices throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. Vonage is a registered trademark of Vonage Marketing LLC, owned by Vonage America Inc. To follow Vonage on Twitter, please visit www.twitter.com/vonage. To become a fan on Facebook, go to www.facebook.com/vonage. To subscribe on YouTube, visit www.youtube.com/vonage.

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View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vonage-holdings-corp-announces-2019-annual-stockholders-meeting-300828342.html

SOURCE Vonage Holdings Corp.
[April 09, 2019] Hagens Berman Files Complaint Against Boeing (BA) on Behalf of Investors Related to 737 Max Safety Disclosure Violations

Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP has filed a complaint on behalf of investors in The Boeing (News - Alert) Company (NYSE: BA) alleging disclosure violations of the Federal securities laws relating to the safety of the 737 MAX, shortcuts known by management, FAA delegated self-certification and conflicts known to management in self-certifying and the separate charges for "extra" but necessary safety equipment many airlines opted to forego. If you purchased or otherwise acquired Boeing securities between January 8, 2018 and March 21, 2019 and suffered losses, contact Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff in this class action, you must move the Court no later than 60 days from April 9, 2019. For more information about the case and being a lead plaintiff, click https://www.hbsslaw.com/cases/BA or contact Reed Kathrein, who is leading the firm's investigation, by calling 510-725-3000 or emailing [email protected]. News concerning Boeing's relatively new 737 MAX airplanes have continued to unravel following the March 10, 2019 Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 crash and the earlier Lion Air crash. According to the complaint filed by Hagens Berman in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Boeing concealed critical facts concerning the 737 MAX airplanes from investors, including the fact that Boeing designed and sold as "extras" or "optional features" safety features designed to prevent accidents such as the Lion Air and EthiopianAirline crashes. Boeing also hid the fact that most airlines, including United, did not purchase these safety features.



In addition, Boeing failed to disclose that Boeing had received delegated authority from the FAA over the safety analysis of the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) - the system reportedly responsible for the crashes - that the Company delivered to the FAA, all while rushing the 737 MAX to market. Boeing knew that it had a clear conflict of interest and that its certification was undermined by the Company's desire to rush the 737 MAX to market, despite decreased safety, in order to compete with Airbus. "The deadly risk of optional safety features, in addition to the conflict of interest posed by Boeing self-certifying safety of its own planes, was intentionally hidden from investors," said Hagens Berman partner Reed Kathrein. "It has now become clear that Boeing put profitability and growth ahead of airplane safety and honesty to investors."

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 permits any investor who purchased Boeing securities during the Class Period to seek appointment as lead plaintiff. A lead plaintiff acts on behalf of all other class members in directing the litigation. The lead plaintiff can select a law firm of its choice. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff. Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Boeing should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC (News - Alert) Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 510-725-3000 or email [email protected]. About Hagens Berman Hagens Berman is a national investor-rights law firm headquartered in Seattle, Washington with 78 attorneys in 9 offices across the country. The Firm represents investors, whistleblowers, workers and consumers in complex litigation. More about the firm and its successes can be found at www.hbsslaw.com. For the latest news visit our newsroom or follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) at @classactionlaw. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409006034/en/

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[April 09, 2019] INVESTIGATION ALERT: The Schall Law Firm Announces it is Investigating Claims Against The Boeing Company and Encourages Investors with Losses in Excess of $100,000 to Contact the Firm

The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, announces that it is investigating claims on behalf of investors of The Boeing (News - Alert) Company ("Boeing" or "the Company") (NYSE: BA) for violations of 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The investigation focuses on whether the Company issued false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose information pertinent to investors. Following the October 2018 crash of a Boeing 737 Max 8 airplane operated by Lion Air, the Wall Street Journal published an article titled ''Boeing Withheld Information on 737 Model, According to Safety Experts and Others," whic alleged that the Company ''withheld information about potential hazards associated with a new flight-control feature suspected of playing a role in last month's fatal Lion Air jet crash." Over the next 11 days, Boeing's stock fell by 12.5%. A second 737 Max 8 crash involving an Ethiopian Airlines plane on March 10, 2019, results in further significant drops in the stock. On March 13, 2019, the FAA ordered all Boeing 737 Max 8 and Max 9 planes to be grounded in the United States, and the planes were grounded by authorities in many other countries as well.



If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate. We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall, or Sherin Mahdavian, of the Schall Law Firm, 1880 Century Park East, Suite 404, Los Angeles, CA (News - Alert) 90067, at 424-303-1964, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com, or by email at [email protected].

The class in this case has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member. The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409006040/en/

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[April 09, 2019] SADA Systems Wins 2018 Google Cloud Global Partner of the Year Award

LOS ANGELES, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SADA Systems (SADA), a global leader in cloud technology consulting services, announces that it has received the 2018 Google Cloud Global Reseller Partner of the Year award. The award was presented to SADA today at the Google Cloud Next 19 conference in San Francisco. SADA was recognized for its achievements in the Google Cloud ecosystem, helping joint customers achieve digital transformation through the use of Google Cloud technologies and solutions.

A Google Cloud Premier Partner, SADA provides a range of services to Google Cloud users, including technology consultation and assessment, planning and implementation, customization and development, change management and managed services. SADAs Google Cloud clients span industries and include large enterprises such as Colgate-Palmolive, Hunterdon Healthcare, Media News Group, Hackensack Meridian Health and Marriott as well as public sector customers like the Chicago Department of Transformation and the State of Arizona. SADA previously earned the 2017 Google Cloud North America Sales Partner of the Year award, the Google Cloud 2016 Americas Partner award for GCP Customer Succss, and the Google Cloud 2016 Americas Partner award for Maps Customer Success. SADA also recently achieved the Infrastructure, Location-Based Services and Enterprise Collaboration Partner Specializations in the Google Cloud Partner Specialization Program. SADA is now 100% focused on serving the needs of Google Cloud users since selling its Microsoft business unit to Core BTS in March .



We are honored to once again be recognized by Google Cloud for our work helping customers accelerate innovation and grow their businesses on Google Cloud, said Tony Safoian, CEO of SADA Systems. The 2018 Google Cloud Global Reseller Partner of the Year award demonstrates our expertise in Google Cloud and reflects our ability to define, execute and manage complex digital transformation projects for the largest and most complex organizations. We look forward to continued success as Google Clouds top global partner. Were thrilled to recognize SADA as the Google Cloud Global Partner of the Year for 2018, said Carolee Gearhart, Vice President, Worldwide Channel Sales at Google Cloud. SADA has proven its expertise in Google Cloud and has demonstrated its

commitment to customer success over the past year. Were excited to keep building on our partnership with SADA as more and more customers look to our ecosystem to help them succeed in the cloud.

SADA will be showcasing Google Cloud products and services at Googles annual Next Conference, April 9-11th in booth S1121. About SADA Systems SADA Systems, Inc. is a privately-held global leader in cloud technology consulting services that transform businesses through innovative cloud-based solutions. As a Google Cloud Premier Partner, SADA has gained global accolades as an exceptional service provider with proven expertise in enterprise consulting, cloud platform migration, custom application development, managed services, user adoption and change management. Recognized on the Inc. 5000 America's Fastest Growing Private Companies for eleven years, CRNs MSP Elite 150, the 2018 Best Places to Work in Los Angeles, and 2018 Inc. Magazines Best Workplaces. SADA prides itself on continuous innovation, strong partnerships and corporate culture, and exceptional customer service. Media contact:

Kevin Wolf

TGPR

(650) 483 1552

[email protected]

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[April 09, 2019] HashiCorp Wins Google Cloud Technology Partner of the Year for the Developer Ecosystem

SAN FRANCISCO, April 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HashiCorp, a leader in multi-cloud infrastructure automation software, today announced that it has received the 2018 Google Cloud Technology Partner of the Year for the Developer Ecosystem. Google Cloud presented the award at Google Cloud Next 19 in San Francisco.

Were delighted to recognize HashiCorp as the 2018 Google Cloud Technology Partner of the Year for the Developer Ecosystem for their innovative work on behalf of Google Cloud customers over the past year, said Kevin Ichhpurani, corporate vice president, global partner ecosystem at Google Cloud. Our ecosystem of partners is driving tremendous innovation, and HashiCorps solutions in cloud infrastructure automation are a great example. Were proud to provide this award to HashiCorp and look forward to continue building together. HashiCorp has partnered closely with Google Cloud to make it easy for developers and IT operators to provision and secure cloud infrastructure. HashiCorp Terraform, HashiCorps tool for provisioning and managing infrastructure, offers a dedicated provider for services available on Google Cloud. Through the partnership with Google Cloud, operators can trust that Terraform supports new Google Cloud services either at launch or within days after. For securing that infrastructure, HashiCorp Vault offers integrations for generating dynamic credentials, leveraging Google Cloud Identity & Access Management (IAM) as a trusted identity source, and tightly controlling access to sensitive data and secrets. Throughout 2018, HashiCorp and Google Cloud released a number of collaborative projects aimed at helping developers to get started with Terraform and Vault on Google Cloud Platform. At HashiConf, for example, Google Cloud announced new enhancements to the documentation for the Terraform Google Cloud Provider called Open in Google Cloud Shell , co-presented a session about Magic Modules , and introduced a new Vault secrets engine for Google Cloud Key Management Services (KMS) during the closing keynote . Additionally, Vault 0.10 introduced a number of Google Cloud specific features helping developers feel confident that their infrastructure is secure.



We want to make it easy for developers and operators to make the most of Google Cloud as a key part of their cloud adoption efforts, said Burzin Patel, vice president of worldwide alliances at HashiCorp. Google Cloud has been an excellent partner in helping us deliver on that mission. Weve been working closely with Google Cloud since 2013 and look forward to building on this partnership to deliver more tools and services to our users and customers in the future. HashiCorp is in booth S1511 in the Moscone South Expo Hall at Next 19.

For more information about HashiCorp Terraform and Vault, please visit: https://www.hashicorp.com/ About HashiCorp

HashiCorp is the leader in multi-cloud infrastructure automation software. The HashiCorp software suite enables organizations to adopt consistent workflows to provision, secure, connect, and run any infrastructure for any application. HashiCorp open source tools Vagrant, Packer, Terraform, Vault, Consul, and Nomad are downloaded tens of millions of times each year and are broadly adopted by the Global 2000. Enterprise versions of these products enhance the open source tools with features that promote collaboration, operations, governance, and multi-data center functionality. The company is headquartered in San Francisco and backed by Mayfield, GGV Capital, Redpoint Ventures, True Ventures, IVP, and Bessemer Venture Partners. For more information, visit https://www.hashicorp.com or follow HashiCorp on Twitter @HashiCorp. Media and Analyst Contact:

Amber Rowland

[email protected]

+1-650-814-4560

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[April 09, 2019] Datatonic Wins Google Cloud EMEA Services Partner of the Year Award

LONDON, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Datatonic today announced that it has received the 2018 Google Cloud EMEA Services Partner of the Year award. This award was presented at Google Cloud Next '19 in San Francisco, California. Datatonic was recognized for the company's achievements in the Google Cloud ecosystem, helping joint customers unlock real business value and accelerate impact from machine learning on Google Cloud Platform. In 2018, Datatonic worked with top UK and global enterprises in retail, consumer, media, telecom, and financial services to create value from their data with use cases such as hyper-personalisation, inventory optimisation, pricing, predictive maintenance, and more. Louis Decuypere, Founder and CEO of Datatonic said: "2018 was a pivoal year for Datatonic. We've continued to attract top talent, and delivered our expertise in applied machine learning and big data engineering to create high impact for our customers. This award is the result of our joint success with Google Cloud. It's a great motivation for the whole team to keep the momentum."



"We're thrilled to recognize Datatonic as EMEA Services Partner of the Year," said Carolee Gearhart, Vice President, Worldwide Channel Sales at Google Cloud. "Datatonic has proven their expertise in Google Cloud and has demonstrated their commitment to customer success over the past year. We're excited to keep building on our partnership with Datatonic as more and more customers look to our ecosystem to help them succeed in the cloud." Visit www.datatonic.com

Based in London and Stockholm, Datatonic is a team of data experts that enables businesses to accelerate impact through machine learning and analytics. For enquiries about new projects, get in touch at [email protected] . For media / press enquiries, contact Krisztina Gyure ( [email protected] ).

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[April 09, 2019] ROI Training Wins Google Cloud Global Training Partner of the Year Award

NEW YORK, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- ROI Training today announced that it has received the 2018 Google Cloud Global Training Partner of the Year award. This award was presented at Google Cloud Next '19 in San Francisco. ROI Training was recognized for the company's achievements in the Google Cloud ecosystem, helping joint customers successfully accelerate their journey to the cloud through training. This is the second consecutive year ROI Training has received this recognition from Google Cloud. Having trained over 40,000 people on Google Cloud Platform across 6 continents and over 25 countries, ROI Training's team of subject-matter-expert trainers have been instrumental in enabling some of the world's leading businesses and agencies. "Our partnership with Google Cloud continues to scale at an exciting rate. We are honored to receive the Google Cloud Global Training Partner of the Year Award and look forward to delivering thousands of highly skilled and certified cloud engineers to the marketplace," said David Carey, CEO & Co-Founder of ROI Training. "We're thrilled to recognize ROI Training as Goole Cloud Training Partner of the Year," said Carolee Gearhart, Vice President, Worldwide Channel Sales at Google Cloud. "ROI Training has proven their expertise in Google Cloud and has demonstrated their commitment to customer success over the past year. We're excited to keep building on our partnership with ROI Training as more and more customers look to our ecosystem to help them succeed in the cloud."



About ROI Training

Established in 2002, ROI Training, Inc. is an industry recognized leader in designing, developing, and delivering customized Technology & Management training programs. ROI has trained over 50,000 people globally in Cloud and Data Engineering technologies. ROI's world-class Instructors and Mentors work closely with clients to deliver the skills and best practices required in a fast-paced, global enterprise. ROI supports customers in the United States, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Asia, India, and Australia. Our comprehensive curriculum includes Cloud, Big Data, Web and Mobile Application Development, Agile Development, Security, Java, Python, and Technology Project Management. Information about ROI Training can be found at https://www.roitraining.com Media Contact: Rachel Strong, [email protected]

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/roi-training-wins-google-cloud-global-training-partner-of-the-year-award-300825556.html SOURCE ROI Training, Inc.

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[April 09, 2019] Confluent Wins Google Cloud Technology Partner of the Year Award for Data and Analytics

Confluent, Inc., an enterprise event streaming platform pioneer, today announced that it received the 2018 Google (News - Alert) Cloud Global Technology Partner of the Year award. Confluent was recognized for the company's achievements in the Google Cloud ecosystem, such as helping joint customers build mission-critical use cases, including event-driven applications, advanced analytics using machine learning and hybrid cloud data pipelines to move workloads to the cloud. Earlier today Confluent announced a partnership with Google Cloud, offering a managed service operated by Confluent that will be tightly integrated into Google Cloud Platform (GCP), providing customers with a seamless user experience across management, billing and support. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005773/en/ (Graphic: Business Wire) "We're delighted to recognize Confluent as the 2018 Technology Partner of the Year in data and analytics for their innovative work on behalf of Google Cloud customers over the past year," said Kevin Ichhpurani, Corporate Vice President, Global Partner Ecosystem at Google Cloud. "Our ecosystem of partners is driving tremendous innovation, and Confluent's event streaming platform is a great example. We're proud to provide this award to Confluent and look forward to continuing to build together." The award comes on the heels of a banner year for Confluent with 3.5X subscription bookings growth in 2018 and a $125M Series D raise. Confluent helps organizations thrive in this new event-driven world and run their businesses in real time. Organizations benefit from one of the first event streaming platforms built for the enterprise with the ease-of-use, scalability, security and flexibility required by some of the most discerning global compnies to react and engage with customers in a faster, more personalized and more efficient manner.



"With Confluent and Google Cloud, developers can focus on building applications rather than operating, scaling, and securing the underlying Apache Kafka infrastructure," said Jay Kreps, co-founder and CEO at Confluent. Resources

Read more about Confluent Cloud for Apache Kafka on the Confluent blog.

Read more on the Google Cloud blog.

Learn more about Confluent Cloud and sign up: https://www.confluent.io/confluent-cloud/.

Visit Confluent at Google NEXT '19 at booth S1549. About Confluent Confluent, founded by the original creators of Apache Kafka, pioneered the enterprise-ready event streaming platform. With Confluent, organizations benefit from the first event streaming platform built for the enterprise with the ease-of-use, scalability, security and flexibility required by the most discerning global companies to run their business in real time. Companies leading their respective industries have realized success with this new platform paradigm to transform their architectures to streaming from batch processing, spanning on-premises and multi-cloud environments. Backed by Benchmark, Index Ventures and Sequoia Capital (News - Alert), Confluent is headquartered in Palo Alto and London with offices globally. To learn more, please visit www.confluent.io. Download Confluent Platform and Confluent Cloud at www.confluent.io/download. Connect with Confluent Read our blog: www.confluent.io/blog Follow us on Twitter (News - Alert): www.twitter.com/confluentinc  Confluent, Inc. 2014-2019. All rights reserved. Confluent and associated marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of Confluent, Inc. Apache, Apache Kafka and Kafka are trademarks of the Apache Software Foundation. All other marks used are the property of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190409005773/en/

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The U.S.-Israeli hacking partnership that created some of the world's most powerful cyberweapons is older and more productive than previously known, two researchers said yesterday (April 8) at the Kaspersky Security Analysts Summit in Singapore.

(Image credit: We wish hackers looked like this. Credit: Warner Bros. Television)

The researchers, Juan-Andres Guerrero-Saade and Silas Cutler from Google sister company Chronicle Security, said that malware called Flowershop, operational in 2002, and spyware called Flame 2.0, discovered in 2016, were both related to Stuxnet, which crippled Iran's nuclear-weapons program in 2010, and Flame, which spied on Middle Eastern computers until its discovery in 2012.

The researchers have given the long-standing collaboration between the two nation-state hacking operations, which may still be operation, a new name: Gossip Girl.

"[State-sponsored] threat actors don't go away after exposure; our aggressors never truly vanish," Guerrero-Saade and Cutler wrote in a blog posting yesterday. "They have an intelligence remit to fulfill and will go to great lengths in doing so."

MORE: Best Antivirus Software and Apps

All the pieces of malware examined seem to have been developed by various groups of U.S. and Israeli state-sponsored hackers, not always working together but often sharing parts and code.

The Chronicle researchers picked the name Gossip Girl for the collaboration -- which they call a "Supra Threat Actor" since it involves several known hacking groups -- after a reference in a Canadian intelligence document leaked by Edward Snowden.

Stuxnet is widely believed to have been jointly developed by hackers working for the U.S. National Security Agency and the Israeli military's Unit 8200, and Flame by the NSA and possibly the Israelis as well.

A related piece of malware, Duqu, was discovered in 2011. It shared code with Stuxnet and is thought to be the work of Unit 8200. A fourth espionage tool, Gauss, found in 2012, shares code with Flame and is thought to have been an NSA project.

Make me a match

Since 2012, security researchers have obtained powerful new tools that let them analyze malware code in bulk to look for similarities. Guerrero-Saade and Cutler used one of these tools, YARA, to scan years of samples obtained by the Google-owned malware repository VirusTotal. They found two new matches for the Stuxnet/Flame/Duqu/Gauss family tree.

One match was Flowershop, discovered (but not publicly disclosed) by Kaspersky Lab in 2013. It's believed to have spied on Middle Eastern targets since 2002. Gurrero-Saade and Culter found that Flowershop shared four different communication modules with Stuxnet, but with no other pieces of malware.

(Image credit: The Gossip Girl malware family. Credit: Chronicle Security)

The other match was what Guerrero-Saade and Cutler dubbed Flame 2.0. The original Flame spyware, still one of the most sophisticated pieces of malware in existence, was seemingly killed by its operators using a "suicide" command when the malware was revealed in 2012.

But, as Guerrero-Saade and Cutler wrote, "Flame faked its own death."

They found that a new version of Flame was uploaded to VirusTotal in late 2016, and had originally been created in 2014. Its files were heavily encrypted, so it's not quite clear exactly what Flame 2.0 does or what its targets might be.

More than we can handle

Guerrero-Saade and Cutler didn't offer any opinions about whether Flame 2.0 might still be in operation. But it's a possibility, given that it was only disclosed yesterday.

"We actually fished out more discoveries than we could handle," the pair wrote in their blog posting, inviting other researchers to pick up where they left off by reading three technical papers they posted online. "We hope other researchers, malware analysts, and defenders will benefit from the breakdowns and technical indicators."
Editors' Note: Updated at 5:13 p.m. ET with additional information from Qualcomm demos.

Premium features inevitably find their way into lower-priced phones, saving you from having to pay up for the latest flagship device. And the latest mobile processing platforms announced by Qualcomm today (April 9) figure to speed that process up for features such as triple-lens cameras and high-performance mobile gaming.

(Image credit: Qualcomm )

Qualcomm has taken the wraps off the Snapdragon 665, a chipset designed with midrange phones in mind. In addition, the chip maker is making two additions to its 7 series platform in the form of the Snapdragon 730 and 730G.

Aimed at phones just a step or two behind devices powered by the top-of-the-line Snapdragon 855, the Snapdragon 730 promises improved AI, camera enhancements and better gaming. The Snapdragon 730G looks to further capitalize on the growth of mobile gaming with features specifically designed to bolster graphic performance and power consumption.

Here's a closer look at what to expect from Qualcomm's latest chipsets and when you'll see them in future smartphones.

Snapdragon 665

In announcing its new chips, Qualcomm is emphasizing AI, camera and gaming capabilities for all three platforms. But it's the camera features in the Snapdragon 665 that should really stand out for consumers.

Qualcomm's new midrange processor includes the Spectra 165 image signal processor, which can support telephoto, wide and ultra-wide lenses for triple cameras. That's the kind of feature limited to high-end phones such as the Galaxy S10 and LG V40 at the moment, so that kind of support on a mid-level chipset should bring triple-lens setups to less expensive phones.

That's just one of the camera highlights for the Snapdragon 665. The ISP also can capture super resolution snapshots at up to 48 megapixels as well as 720p slow-motion video at 240 frames per second. Qualcomm is also promising noise reduction technology for its ISP, and cameras powered by the Snapdragon 665 will be able to offer 3D face unlocking as well  another feature currently confined to high-end phones.

During a presentation on the company's AI efforts in San Francisco today, Qualcomm demoed several camera features that rely heavily on artificial intelligence, such as removing the noise from optical zoom by filling in image data collected from other shots or creating a 3D avatar of your face using a phone's front camera. The demos were on a device powered by Qualcomm's top-of-the-line Snapdragon 855, but company reps said the features could also be supported on the new Snapdragon 655 (and the Snapdragon 730 as well.)



The emphasis on camera features is no accident. Kedar Kondap, a vice president of product management for the chip maker says that 80 percent of smartphone buyers think of the phone's camera as the primary driver behind their purchase. It's eclipsed the phone's battery life as one of the big reasons why people buy a particular device.

The Snapdragon 665 also features Qualcomms 3rd-generation AI engine. Not only is that responsible for the added support for face unlock, the improved AI should deliver object detection to mid-tier phones while supporting other camera features include portrait mode and low-light imaging.

While the Snapdragon 665 doesn't offer a modem capable of connecting with the high-speed 5G networks coming on line this year, it should deliver fast data speeds over LTE. The Snapdragon X12 modem included on the 665 chipset can support download speeds up to 600 Mbps.

Devices running on the Snapdragon 665 are expected to arrive mid-year, Qualcomm says.

Snapdragon 730 and Snapdragon 730G

Last year saw the debut of two gaming-focused phones  the ROG Phone and the Razer Phone 2  that debuted with the then pace-setting Snapdragon 845 processors and rather high price tags. The latest additions to the Snapdragon 700 series could lead to some lower cost gaming phones that can also deliver performance gains, especially in the case of the gaming-centric Snapdragon 730G.

With the Snapdragon 730G  three guesses as to what the G stands for  Qualcomm is promising a 25 percent boost in graphics rendering over the Snapdragon 710, thanks to the Adreno 618 GPU in the 730G. The Kryo 470 CPU in this year's chipset should boost performance by 35 percent.

Qualcomm's gaming-focused chipset also offers True HDR mobile gaming, offering 10-bit color depth, support for the Rec 2020 color gamut and 64 times the shades of color available without HDR. Other features include a wi-fi latency manager and jank reducer, which both aim to optimize performance.

The regular Snapdragon 730 boasts gaming improvements in its own right  it supports True HDR, too, and it uses the same Adreno 618 GPU (though it's not overclocked as it is on the 730G). But the Snapdragon 730 is also highlighted by AI improvements driven by the inclusion of Qualcomm's 4th-generation AI engine and Hexagon 688 DSP.

The Snapdragon 730 will be the first system-on-chip in Qualcomm's 7 series to include a tensor accelerator. It's also the first 700 series chip to include a Computer Vision ISP, bringing support for 4K HDR video capture as well as greater power efficiency. You'll be able to capture photos using the HEIF format, too, meaning smaller file sizes.

We haven't really seen any phones in the U.S. that use Snapdragon 7 series chipsets, with phone makers either opting for the flagship Snapdragon 8 series or midrange 6 series platforms. That's likely to change with the Snapdragon 730, as Kondap said that one 7 series-powered device would be coming to North America.

Like the Snapdragon 665, the Snapdragon 730 and 730G should appear in devices around mid-year.
(Image credit: Bernardo Ramonfaur/Shutterstock)

Yahoo has proposed a $117.5 million settlement to a class-action lawsuit involving multiple data breaches between 2013 and 2016. The company originally thought 1 billion people were affected by those breaches; it raised that number to 3 billion in October 2017. But the number of people who participated in the lawsuit is significantly lower, with Reuters today reporting that the settlement could be split between 194 million people.

The proposed settlement requires approval from U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh, who denied a previous offer because it wasn't fundamentally fair, adequate and reasonable." Reuters said the new proposal is much more specific: it's offering "at least $55 million for victims out-of-pocket expenses and other costs, $24 million for two years of credit monitoring, up to $30 million for legal fees and up to $8.5 million for other expenses."

This settlement would also see Verizon, Yahoo's parent company, up its spending on security to $306 million between 2019 and 2022. Yahoo spent one-fifth that amount between 2013 and 2016. Verizon also said it would quadruple Yahoo's security staff in that timeframe to bolster its defenses and make sure it can better respond to breaches after they occur.

As a reminder, Verizon was originally supposed to acquire Yahoo for $4.83 billion, but the amount was reduced to $4.48 billion after Yahoo revealed more information about the breaches. It's not hard to guess why. Yahoo disclosed the largest data breach in history after it agreed to be acquired by Verizon. Verizon wrote off Yahoo's value in December 2018, and now it's going to have to spend hundreds of millions of dollars as part of this settlement.

That number could always rise, too, depending on whether or not Koh accepts the proposed settlement. One of the plaintiffs' lawyers already said $117.5 million is the "biggest common fund ever obtained in a data breach case," according to Reuters. But that doesn't mean it'll be enough. Compromising information about nearly 40 percent the global population shouldn't be taken lightly.
(Image credit: Shutterstock)



Gamers everywhere have undoubtedly read the news by now. In January of 2019, Nvidia started announcing a number of AMD FreeSync monitors that the company has officially certified as being able to run its rival adaptive sync technology, G-Sync, as well as releasing a software-based version of G-Sync.

Since then, some have found additional FreeSync displays that can run G-Sync. But for our purposes, well concentrate only on the panels tested and approved by Nvidia.

Getting Started

To see the complete list of G-Sync Compatible displays, as Nvidia calls them, visit Nvidias website. At the bottom, youll see a group of monitors labeled as G-Sync Compatible. Again, users have reported using G-Sync on non-certified FreeSync monitors, but Nvidias list provides the full group of monitors it has tested and confirmed can successfully run G-Sync.

Youll also need an Nvidia GeForce GTX 10-series graphics card or better in your PC.

You must connect the monitor via DisplayPort. It wont work over HDMI. (For more on the difference between the two and what that means for gaming, see our DisplayPort vs. HDMI analysis).

Next, download an Nvidia Game Ready Driver. Support for this little trick began with 417.71, and we managed it with 419.35, dated March 5, 2019.

Once the new drivers are installed, reboot Windows and turn on the FreeSync option in your monitors on-screen display (OSD).



The Setup G-Sync field should now appear in the Nvidia Control Panel.



If the Setup G-Sync option doesnt appear after youve performed the above steps, go to the 3D Settings field, and click Global. Scroll down to Monitor Technology, and choose G-Sync Compatible.

Thats it! You can now run G-Sync on your FreeSync monitor.

The Caveats

Of course, there are a few caveats. The Acer Nitro XV273K is a 4K-resolution monitor with HDR. We found that turning on HDR removed the Setup G-Sync option from Nvidia control panel. You cannot use G-Sync and HDR at the same time on a FreeSync monitor. And that's a bit of a bummer, as adaptive sync and HDR together is one of the key selling points of AMD's latest FreeSync 2 HDR tech. So if you own one of those monitors, you might want to switch to an AMD card. Otherwise, you won't get the full experience that the FreeSync 2 HDR screen is capable of delivering.

Second, there is no support for overdrive at variable refresh rates on any of the Nvidia-approved monitors. So you might see a bit of motion blur when the action drops below 100 frames per second (fps).

You may also encounter problems when running G-Sync in windowed mode. We saw a lot of flickering when we tried the Nvidia pendulum demo, which is supposed to demonstrate the benefits of G-Sync. Thats the best way to test your new configuration, by the way. If you see flickering or other artifacts, try lowering the refresh rate. Monitors certified by Nvidia will run G-Sync at the max speed, but others may not, especially if theyre overclocked. And most issues will go away when running full-screen.

For more on the downsides and what Nvidia and monitor vendors think about running G-Sync on monitors that haven't been Nvidia-certified, check out our article Should You Care if Your Monitor Is Certified G-Sync Compatible?

Bottom Line

You can successfully run G-Sync on a FreeSync monitor if its on Nvidias approved list. Youll have to give up HDR and overdrive to do so, but it works fine otherwise. We had no issues during our testing. With two different monitors, the Acer Nitro XV273K and AOC Agon AG241QX, gaming looked the same whether in G-Sync or FreeSync mode.

If youre considering saving a few bucks and hooking a FreeSync monitor up to your Nvidia-based gaming system, you might want to consult Nvidias list of FreeSync monitors approved to support G-Sync and give one of the approved displays a try.

Image Credits: Tom's Hardware

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Door Dash driver accused of road rage OVERLAND PARK, KS (KCTV) -- A driver for the popular food delivery service Door Dash is facing charges in Johnson County for a suspected case of road rage. Aiden Drybread is charged with felony aggravated assault for allegedly pulling a gun on a couple of people at the intersection of west 119th and Quivira in Overland Park, Sunday.

The hustle & bustle of Golden Ghetto traffic might have been too much for this local delivery dude to handle according to a recent police report. Take a look:
IN A RED STATE WITH THE HELP OF THE PREZ, KRIS KOBACH STILL LOST THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE TO A MILD-MANNERED GRANNY

GOP Kansas senator says no-go on Kobach for homeland security secretary: 'We can't confirm him' Sen. Pat Roberts has said that Kris Kobach, a fellow Kansan Republican, would not get the U.S. Senate votes needed for confirmation as secretary of homeland security. Roberts, 82, warned on Tuesday against President Trump nominating Kobach for the position. Kobach is a hard-line conservative who defeated incumbent Gov.

Amid the alt-right push to. . . Right now we focus on a stunning rebuke of the formerly mighty politico who might be stuck writing boring op/ed columns for the rest of his career rather than influencing policy. Think about this one rationally . . . Kansas Republicans don't owe Kobach a thing given that. . . And so, at the local level, nobody seems willing to take a risk on the dude simply because he's earned the love of Internets trolls.Checkit:
Kris Kobach: Border Agents Forced to Act as Uber Drivers for Illegal Immigrants and Migrants | Breitbart CHARLIE SPIERING "It is an amazing crisis we're in, one border patrol agent told me that they feel like they're Uber drivers for illegal aliens, they don't have time to enforce the law right now," he said.

Regarding a hometown loser left behind after this defeat at the hands of a Kansas granny:
Active shooter training seminar held for church members More than 200 people from dozens of churches across the Kansas City area came together Monday to learn the best ways to react to an active-shooter situation.

The anniversary of a Nazi committing theis coming up. Black churches are haunted by the legacy of. Thestill resonates amid rising immigration hate. And theseems to confirm the trend that terrorist danger threatens houses of prayer.And so, locals are smart to take precautions . . . Like this:
Hydro Quebec work crews work at repairing broken power lines in St. Lazare, 35 kilometres east of Montreal, on Monday, Dec. 4, 2006. Hundreds of thousands of people are still without power in southern Quebec after the region was hit freezing rain and strong winds. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Peter McCabe
You should know by now that many European or U.S. vehicles are launched with longer wheelbases in China. Sadly, most of them arent available outside this country. Hyundai recently jumped on the bandwagon with a slightly longer variant of the Santa Fe, but theres more to this SUV than a few extra inches between the front and rear axles. Hyundai went wild and completely redesigned the rear end.

The Chinese Santa Fe Has a New Rear End

Hyundai went with unique taillights that includes C-shaped lights at the corners and a full-width light bar at the bottom

Its not uncommon for automakers to design unique features for vehicles sold in different markets, but the Santa Fe is a notable exception. Hyundai went pretty far with it and redesigned the rear fascia from top to bottom. The rear window and the tailgate spoiler are identical to the U.S. model, but the taillights are completely new. Instead of the rather traditional horizontal taillights that become narrower toward the tailgate, Hyundai went with a unique layout that includes C-shaped lights at the corners and a full-width light bar at the bottom. It looks as if the taillights were designed to frame the upper section of the tailgate.

This design is somewhat based on the Telluride. The big SUV also has C-shaped taillights, but the lower corners do not extend into the tailgate, and the lower light bar is missing. Inspired by the Telluride or not, these taillights look really cool and are a big improvement over the U.S. model. Would you like to see them on the U.S.-spec Santa Fe? Let me know in the comments section, because I sure would!

Hyundai also altered the rear section of the cabin

But the big changes dont stop to the taillights. The central fascia is much cleaner now, as the license plate recess was moved into the bumper. The tailgate is also taller, as it now it extends all the way down to the apron. The red lights in the bumper were also revised. The large U.S.-spec lights at the corners were replaced with slimmer units that extend toward the fenders. Likewise, the diffuser is much sportier with a pair of vents at the top and exhaust pipes at the lower corners.

More importantly, Hyundai also altered the rear section of the cabin. While the U.S. version has an aggressive kink in the quarter windows, the Chinese SUV features bigger windows and thinner D-pillars. This design gives the Santa Fe a more utilitarian look.

Why is it Different?

The China-spec Santa Fe wasnt designed by Hyundai alone.

It's the result of a joint-venture between the Korean brand and Beijing Motor and the Chinese half of the business wanted to adapt the SUV to engage with the needs of Chinese consumers.

This is a common scenario for vehicles assembled in China, like all the foreign automakers that open factories there are bound to enter joint-ventures with local manufacturers. Some automakers, like BMW and Buick, designed models that are unique to this market. BMW, for instance, builds a sedan version of the 1 Series in China and it doesnt offer it in other countries. Probably Beijing Motor simply believes that the U.S. version of the Santa Fe wouldnt be as successful in China. And its not just about design, Hyundai also added fingerprint access and engine start feature. The wheelbase is also four inches longer of extra legroom.

A Preview of the Future?

While these taillights may be unique to the China-spec Santa Fe, they could be a preview of things to come. After all, theyre somewhat similar to the Telluride, so Hyundai may transfer this design to other vehicles in the near future. Several nameplates will be redesigned or facelifted soon, and the C-shaped lights with the horizontal bar may very well appear on other SUVs and hatchbacks.

2019 Hyundai Santa Fe - U.S. Drivetrain Dimensions

2.4L 2.0L 2.2L Diesel Type Theta-II 2.4 GDI, 16-valve, DOHC, 4-cylinder in-line Theta-II 2.0 T-GDI, DOHC D-CVVT (Dual Continuously Variable Valve

Timing) 4-cylinder R 2.2, 16-valve MLA, DOHC, 4-cylinder in-line Turbo Type Twin Scroll Materials Aluminum block and head Aluminum block and head Bore & stroke (mm) 88 x 97 86 x 86 85.4 x 96 Compression ratio 11.3:1 10.0:1 16.0: 1 Displacement 2.4 liters / 2,359 cc 2.0 liters / 1,998 cc 2.2 liters Horsepower 185 HP @ 6,000 RPM (est.) 235 HP @ 6,000 RPM 190 HP @ 3,800 RPM Torque 178 LB-FT @ 4,000 RPM (est.) 260 LB-FT @ 1,450 3,500 RPM 322 LB-FT @ 1,750 - 2,500 RPM Valves per cylinder 4 4 4

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe.
Schiphol, Kenya, and Galapagos sign Buckingham Palace Declaration

This week, senior representatives of the Royal Schiphol Group, Kenya Airports Authority and Galapagos Airport, demonstrated their commitment to combat wildlife trafficking by signing the United for Wildlife (UFW) Transport Taskforce Buckingham Palace Declaration.

The illegal wildlife trade threatens the future existence of many of the worlds most iconic species and is one of the five most lucrative global crimes. The declaration is a landmark agreement which forms an action plan to strengthen and coordinate action against trafficking. It brings focus and collaboration to efforts by airports and other stakeholders to break the link between the rapidly escalating poaching crisis in regions like Africa and the demand for illegal wildlife products elsewhere around the world.

The signing ceremony took place during the ACI Asia-Pacific/World Annual General Assembly, Conference and Exhibition held at the AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong.

The Royal Schiphol Group, Kenya Airports Authority and Galapagos Airport join more than 100 transport sector companies who have confirmed their support for the initiative since 2016. The agreement sets out tangible steps that can be taken to close the routes exploited by traffickers of the illegal wildlife trade as they attempt to move their products from rare and vulnerable ecosystems to market.

Species are being hunted to extinction through the illegal killing and trading of wild animals. We seek to build a broad international coalition to be truly effective in combatting these deplorable practices, ACI World Director General Angela Gittens said. Airports play a key role in this fight and those that have become new signatories to the Buckingham Palace Declaration have demonstrated their commitment to combatting this trade. We encourage more airports and more of our partners to collaborate with us in this important work.

Chair of the United for Wildlife Taskforce, Lord William Hague, said, I wholeheartedly welcome those members of ACI who have committed to join our Taskforce by signing the Buckingham Palace Declaration, and would like to thank ACI for providing such an opportunity.

Dick Benschop, President and CEO of The Royal Schiphol Group, said, We are honored to join the undersigning of the Buckingham Palace Declaration because Schiphol does not allow any kind of wildlife trafficking and does not accept any activity involved in this type of crime at our airports.

Managing Director and CEO of Kenya Airports Authority, Jonny Andersen, commented, Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) is the first Airport Authority in Africa to have signed the Buckingham Palace declaration. This is as a result of recognizing the threat of illegal trade in the region and taking proactive actions. We have committed to the fight against Illegal Wildlife Trafficking by enacting laws, developing policies and procedures and training our personnel to ensure that illegal wildlife products do not pass through our airports.

Jorge Rosillo, CEO of Galapagos Ecological Airport, said, Security in aviation also means work to prevent law-breaking activities. Wildlife trafficking is a crime against the planet and future generations. Its our duty to contribute to avoid it.

The issue was a feature at a forum at the ACI Asia-Pacific/World Annual General Assembly, Conference and Exhibition, which helped airports identify opportunities to develop a framework of action against wildlife trafficking. Airports Council International is one of several industry partners working with the USAID ROUTES Partnership to engage and support industry, provide training and raise awareness.

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The two companies have entered into a franchise agreement that provides access to Enterprise's brands for visitors to Japan, as well as for Japanese residents traveling overseas.

Enterprise Holdings has announced a new partnership with Nippon Rent-A-Car International to expand car rental services in Japan. The two companies have entered into a franchise agreement that provides access to Enterprise's brands for visitors to Japan, as well as for Japanese residents traveling overseas.

The agreement underscores Enterprise's commitment to continue its international expansion and offer customers access to Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands anywhere in the world.

The new partnership will enable tourists and business travelers to rent cars while visiting Japan. In addition, travelers from Japan heading overseas will be able to rent cars at more than 10,000 locations in 90 countries through Enterprise Holdings' global network.

"As one of the top destinations in Asia, Japan is a vital market for our customers," said Peter Smith, Vice President of Global Franchising at Enterprise Holdings. "We're thrilled to partner with such a distinguished brand as Nippon Rent-A-Car to strengthen our global network and offer business and leisure travelers alike expanded mobility options in one of the world's most important economies."

The partnership will be launched in April 2019 at approximately 80 Nippon Rent-A-Car offices located at Japan's airports. These rental offices will feature the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands, as well as the Nippon Rent-A-Car brand, and will offer discounted rental rates.

As the partnership progresses over the next few years, both companies will work together to develop additional customer offerings and services.

As an established and well-respected car rental company in Japan, Nippon Rent-A-Car has 850 locations that give customers access to at least 42,000 vehicles throughout the country. Nippon has an existing partnership with National Car Rental that allows Japanese customers to reserve cars in the United States and Canada and enables North American travelers to book cars in Japan. This new partnership greatly expands the brands and locations that customers in both markets can choose to meet their mobility needs.

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Opodo reveals new global study on the Insta-worthiness of travel



(TRAVPR.COM) UK - April 9th, 2019

 Only 20% of Brits admit to retouching their holiday photos to make them more likable on social media - whereas US travellers are the most addicted to filters, with 51% using them on their trip photos

 40% of Brits think that people who share posts on social media during their holiday are show-offs - and 2 in 10 Brits think they are not even having a good time

 Only 14% of British travellers book their holiday based on its insta-worthiness, unlike the Italians (58%), Spanish (55)% and Americans (52%)

 Influencers you say? Only 5% of British travellers choose their destinations inspired by social media profiles, despite the top UK travel influencers amassing over 5.8M followers[1]

London, 9th April - The #nofilter movement, which has seen over 249 million Instagram photos published worldwide and has gained global popularity over the past four years, is now especially popular among British travellers according to the results of new research by Opodo.co.uk.

The study reveals that when it comes to sharing holiday photos on social media, UK travellers prefer to post unaltered photos that capture the real beauty of the trip, with only 1 in 5 retouching their pictures. This love for the true charm of travel is quite unique to Brits, as the rest of the countries studied show a much higher percentage of filter-addicts, especially those in the US, (51%), France (49%)and Spain (43%).

Additionally, the online travel agent Opodo has found that Brits do not appreciate being flooded with holiday pictures on social media. In fact, most UK respondents (40%) think that people who post a lot during their holidays are show-offs who are not even enjoying their time away (22%).

Brits are also different when it comes to the influence social media has on booking a holiday; only 14% of British travellers take into account their holidays insta-worthiness (destinations beautiful enough to post on Instagram), as opposed to the Italians (58%), the Spanish(55%), the Americans (52%), the Portuguese (49%) and the French (42%) who seem much more concerned with the social media impact of the destinations they choose.

Influencers you say? When it comes down to the role of key social media influencers as a source of inspiration for travel, the research shows that UK travellers are not especially influenced by them either. In fact, only 5% admit to having booked a holiday to a destination that appeared on someone elses Instagram page. However, that doesnt stop the Italians and the Americans, with twice as many (1 in 10) saying theyre influenced by social media profiles.

Robert McNamara, from Opodo.co.uk, said: We know that one of the main reasons why people in the UK travel is to spend quality time with loved ones like friends and family. With this new research, we see once again that Brits are more interested in having real and meaningful holiday experiences, rather than being socially recognised by others.

- ENDS -

About Opodo

Leading online travel agent Opodo.co.uk has won Best Flight Booking Website at the prestigious British Travel Awards for the last four years in a row. With a presence in 16 countries, this pioneer of online travel offers deals from 610 airlines and over 2.1 million hotels to make it as quick and easy as possible for an increasing number of consumers to find the best value and most convenient travel options; getting them to more of the places they want to be.

Notes to editor: Research conducted by One Poll for Opodo.co.uk. 8,000 people who have travelled by plane were polled in Germany, France, Spain, UK, Portugal, Italy and US.

For more information please contact the press office team at: eDreamsODIGEO@edelman.com



[1] https://pmyb.co.uk/7-uk-travel-influencers-making-big-movements-in-the-industry/

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 Oceanix/ Bjarke Ingels Group

UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told the Round Table that "floating cities can be part of our new arsenal of tools."

A thriving city has a symbiotic relationship with its water. And as our climate and water ecosystems are changing, the way our cities relate to water needs to change, too. So, today, we are looking at a different type of floating city  a different type of scale. Floating cities are a means of ensuring climate resilience, as buildings can rise along with the sea.



 Oceanix/ Bjarke Ingels Group

Writing for National Geographic, Andy Revkin notes that on "first hearing, the concept of floating cities has the feel of magical thinking." But he seems to have become convinced during the Round Table:

During the course of the day, the merits of such a project, in theory, became evident. The threat from rising seas and storm surge is erased a mile or two offshore. Even tsunamis would not pose the kind of threat they pose to coasts because such quake-triggered waves only rise to devastating heights in shallowing waters.



There are economic advantages too, since land is expensive and, as the joke used to go, they are not making any more of it.

Offshore waters can be leased in most countries for dollars an acre while real estate values in cities like Hong Kong or Lagos are astronomical....While the construction of such communities can be expensive, he [Marc Collins] said, an Oceanix city would be a bargain compared to the cost of housing onshore. And the societal value can be enormous in the worlds fastest-growing cities, where housing shortages and costs place a particularly enormous burden on the poor.



Bjarke says it will all be green and sustainable: "All communities regardless of size will prioritize locally sourced materials for building construction, including fast-growing bamboo that has six times the tensile strength of steel, a negative carbon footprint, and can be grown on the neighborhoods themselves."

 Oceanix/ Bjarke Ingels Group

A lot of thought has gone into this proposal, and it is definitely more Bucky Fuller than Peter Thiel, with systems thought out from food to waste to power. There are hydroponics and aeroponics and aquaponics, and according to Clare Miflin of the Center for Zero Waste Design, it would, of course, be zero waste. She tells Katherine Schwab of Fast Company how this would work:

 Oceanix/ Bjarke Ingels Group
Was informed about my removal as ODI captain at the eleventh hour, says Virat Kohli

Chief selector informed him just 90 minutes before Test team...
vermaajay1968@gmail.com

Mumbai/New Delhi, April 8

State Bank of India (SBI) today invited bids from strategic and financial bidders for stake sale in ailing Jet Airways.

SBI, which is the lead lender of a consortium of domestic lenders that has extended loans to Jet Airways, is looking for change in control and management of the carrier, according to a public notice.

SBI Capital Markets would be assisting and advising the lenders on the bid process. The bids have to be submitted by April 10.

The lenders consortium has taken control of the airline under a debt recast plan.

Under the debt resolution plan approved by the Jet Airways Board on March 25, lenders have taken a majority stake in the airline and are set to infuse Rs 1,500 crore.

Besides, the carriers founder and promoter Naresh Goyal and his wife Anita Goyal quit the Board. The shareholding of Goyals has come down to 25% from 51% earlier.

As per the advertisement, the airline has availed various credit facilities aggregating over Rs 8,000 from a consortium of domestic lenders led by SBI. The company has subsequently come under stress and not been able to service its debt obligations in relation to the facilities.

Acute financial crunch has forced the airline to ground aircraft, cancel flights and payment of salaries.  PTI

Up to 75% stake on offer
ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 8

The PGI, Chandigarh, has been ranked number two nationally in the medical category in the National Institutional Raking Framework (NIRF). Last year also, it was declared second.

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, has been declared first, while Christian Medical College, Vellore, has been declared third. President Ram Nath Kovind today declared the NIRF rankings at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The assessment was conducted by the Ministry of Human Resource Development for 2018-19.

Over 800 medical institutions in the country were assessed on five factors: Teaching, learning and resources, research and professional practice, graduation outcome, outreach and inclusivity and public perception.

The NIRF rankings were released in nine categories -- overall, universities, engineering, colleges, management, pharmacy, medical, architecture and law.

The PGI Director, Prof Jagat Ram, said, We have improved in facilities offered to the physically challenged. Our medical education and research publication is significantly good. Our graduation degree outcome is ahead of all medical education institutes. However, we need to improve on public perception as well as in patent and surgical innovation.

He said it took a lot to retain the award and the institute would continue to work on the shortcomings. Hard work has paid off. We need to work with more vigour and zeal for the top place next year. I congratulate the entire PGI team, said Amitabh Avasthi, Deputy Director (Administration).

The award was given to the Director and Deputy Director by the Secretary in the HRD Ministry.

800 institutes assessed on 5 factors

Over 800 medical institutions were assessed on five factors: Teaching, learning and resources, research and professional practice, graduation outcome, outreach and inclusivity and public perception. The rankings were released in nine categories -- overall, universities, engineering, colleges, management, pharmacy, medical, architecture and law.

Need to improve public perception

We have improved in facilities offered to the physically challenged. Our medical education and research publication is significantly good. Our graduation degree outcome is ahead of all institutes. We need to improve public perception and in patent and surgical innovation.  Prof Jagat Ram, PGI Director
Atanu Biswas

Atanu Biswas

Professor, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

A ballot paper with a black cross across it  thats the symbol of the last option in an EVM. In September 2013, the Supreme Court upheld the right of voters to reject all candidates contesting the elections, saying that it would go a long way in cleansing the political system. The Bench headed by then Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam observed, Negative voting will lead to a systemic change in the polls and political parties will be forced to project clean candidates. If the right to vote is a statutory right, then the right to reject a candidate is a fundamental right of speech and expression under the Constitution.

Countries like Colombia, Ukraine, Brazil, Bangladesh, Finland, Spain, Sweden, Chile, France, Belgium and Greece allow their voters to cast NOTA (none of the above) votes. In India, the NOTA option was first used in the Assembly elections held in five states in 2013, and got less than 1.5 per cent of the total votes. In India, NOTAs share remained in the 1-2 per cent range, even less in some cases. NOTA got 2.48 per cent votes in Bihar and 0.4 per cent in Delhi, both in 2015. Still, NOTA was exercised by about 60 lakh people in the Lok Sabha elections in 2014.

The NOTA option on EVMs has no electoral value. Even if NOTA gets the maximum number of votes polled, the candidate getting the most of the remaining votes would be declared the winner. There are discussions about the distribution of NOTA votes according to the socio-economic variations. People are concerned about the number of constituencies where NOTA votes are more than the margin of victory. The percentage of such constituencies is 8-10 per cent across the country. NOTA got more votes than the victory margin from 22 seats in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections in 2018; 30 seats in the Gujarat elections (2017); 25 seats in Tamil Nadu (2016); and 23 constituencies in West Bengal (2016). But if the NOTA option was unavailable, some of those who voted for NOTA could have abstained from voting, and other votes could have been distributed among different contestants. Sometimes, opting for NOTA in a group has become a means to register protest for some reason.

Is the enthusiasm over NOTA intact, or is it increasing or decreasing? We need results from multiple elections from the same state or multiple Lok Sabha polls. NOTA was introduced in late 2013, and except for a few states, most of them had only one Assembly election in between, data on which is insufficient to draw any inference on the possible change in popularity of NOTA. The 2014 Lok Sabha polls was the only General Election in this period. Among the exceptions where two Assembly elections took place in between, we consider three  Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram. Delhi is possibly the first state to give an indication of the waning popularity of NOTA through its Assembly elections in 2013 and 2015. Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram had two elections  in late 2013 and late 2018.

We find strong positive correlation between the NOTA vote percentages in two successive elections in each state, which indicates that the constituencies which recorded larger/ smaller NOTA votes in the first election had also larger/smaller NOTA votes in the second election, on an average. The values of these correlation coefficients are 0.43 (Delhi), 0.81 (Madhya Pradesh) and 0.53 (Mizoram). The correlation coefficient is a measure of linear association between two variables, and a value of correlation coefficient around 0.5 indicates fairly high positive correlation.

Analysing the data from these states in the two elections, we get a common pattern. The proportion of NOTA votes is decreasing, on an average, in these states. In Delhi, about 96 per cent of the constituencies had a smaller percentage of NOTA votes in 2015 than that in 2013, whereas in MP and Mizoram about 86 per cent and 85 per cent of the seats, respectively, experienced lesser NOTA support in 2018 than in 2013. The average percentage of NOTA votes per constituency was 0.64 per cent (2013) and 0.4 per cent (2015) in Delhi, 1.87 per cent (2013) and 1.40 per cent (2015) in MP, and 0.66 per cent (2013) and 0.44 per cent (2018) in Mizoram.

We may conclude that NOTA might be losing its popularity as far as the Assembly election data on Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram is concerned. Of course, we need data from other states and Lok Sabha elections as well for a more concrete conclusion, which can be available within 3-4 years.

Will the percentage of NOTA votes be changed if NOTA becomes NOTB (none of the below, where this option will come first on the EVM) or NOTC (none of the candidates, where this option will be placed randomly on the EVM as the other candidates are randomly ordered)? This might be an interesting social and behavioural experiment.
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Washington, April 9

A 67-year-old Indian national has conceded before a US court of trying to obtain American citizenship through fraudulent means, the Department of Justice said on Monday.

Harpal Singh charged with one count of attempted naturalisation fraud, faces up to 10 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for August 5.

According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court, Singh applied for admission into the country as a tourist in March 1992 at Los Angeles International Airport by presenting an Indian passport that purported to contain an entry visa to the United States.

He was refused admission because the entry visa was deemed fraudulent and he was detained pending exclusion proceedings.

Singh thereafter applied for asylum in the United States and he was released on bond while his asylum claim was evaluated.

In June 1993, an immigration judge in New York denied Singhs asylum application and he was ordered to surrender for deportation. But he failed to appear for his deportation as ordered.

In August 1995, Singh again fraudulently applied for asylum in the United States and claimed that he had entered the United States by crossing the United States-Mexico border in December 1994.

Singh did not disclose that he had previously been denied asylum. In March 1996, an immigration judge denied Singhs second asylum application and he was again ordered to surrender for deportation. However, he again failed to appear for his deportation.

Later in May 1996, Singh again fraudulently applied for asylum in the United States under the identity of Surinder Singh, claiming that he had entered the United States by crossing the United States-Mexico border in November 1995.

Singh did not disclose that he had previously been denied asylum under his true identity Harpal Singh. The application further claimed that Surinder Singh had been beaten and tortured in India in 1994 despite the fact that Singh had been living in the United States at the time under his true identity.

In June 1996, the Immigration and Naturalisation Service granted Singhs third asylum application in the name of Surinder Singh based on fraudulent information provided by him.

Later in December 2015, Singh filed an Application for Naturalisation with the US Department of Homeland Security under the identity of Surinder Singh. He falsely answered questions relating to his identity, his prior immigration applications, and his immigration status, among others.

In May 2018, Singh appeared in the identity of Surinder Singh before an officer of the Homeland Security in Newark for an interview, which was conducted under oath and video-recorded. Singh was also assisted by a counsel and by a Punjabi interpreter.

He falsely answered additional questions relating to his identity, his prior immigration applications, and his immigration status, among others. PTI
sanjiv@tribunemail.com

The more Pakistan plays the victim card, the less credible it appears. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Sunday that India was devising a plan to attack Pakistan, probably between April 16 and 20, after staging a mishap in Jammu and Kashmir. Citing reliable intelligence, he stated that the purpose of the misadventure would be to justify Indias offensive against Pakistan and increase diplomatic pressure on Islamabad. Crying wolf, the neighbour has already apprised five permanent members of the UN Security Council about the so-called conspiracy.

The preemptive move betrays Pakistans nervousness in the light of its abject failure to rein in terror outfits operating from its soil. India has rightly dismissed Pakistans statement as irresponsible and preposterous and seen through the ploy of absolving itself of responsibility in case there is a repeat of the Pulwama terror strike. With several terror assets in place across the border, Pakistan has every reason to be nervous about one of its modules trying its luck with or without explicit instructions from Rawalpindi. Even though the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) had promptly owned up the February 14 attack on a CRPF convoy, Pakistan is suggesting that India orchestrated it all to justify the Balakot airstrike. This laughable theory will cut no ice with the international community, which is already distrustful of Pakistans claims and intentions. The Imran Khan governments purported crackdown on banned militant outfits has proved to be an eyewash. In late February, India had handed over a dossier to Pakistan with details of the JeMs complicity in the Pulwama attack and the presence of JeM terror camps and its leadership in the neighbouring country. A month later, Pakistan announced that it had found no evidence to prosecute 50-odd persons who were detained in connection with the terror strike.

Thanks to the Balakot operation, India managed to call Pakistans nuclear bluff. The neighbours latest act of desperation wont help it defend the indefensible. India should remain on guard and resist getting provoked into taking any rash step. Sooner than later, and not for the first time, Pakistan could end up with egg on its face.
harinder@tribunemail.com

Bijendra Ahlawat

Tribune News Service

Faridabad, April 8

As many as 73 per cent samples of drinking water supplied by the Municipal Corporation Faridabad (MCF) have failed in tests conducted by the Health Department in the past three months.

While the district health officials describe chlorination as mandatory to check the growth of bacteria and viruses, the civic body officials claim that the water supplied by it without proper chlorination was also fit for consumption.

The Health Department collected samples from 988 tubewells and booster pumps between January 1 and April 5 to check if those were properly chlorinated. According to the results, officials did not find any chlorination in 727 samples out of the total of 990. Only 263 samples exhibited the presence of chlorine in the water, said Dr Ram Bhagat, Deputy CMO and in-charge of the test cell.

The city has a total of 1,477 tubewells and booster pumps. He said chlorinators installed by the MCF at the majority of tubewells and pumps were either dysfunctional or had no chlorine when the samples were collected. The collected samples are put through an Orthotolidine Test in which the level of free and combined chlorine residuals are determined.

He said chlorination of the piped water supply was important as it checks the presence or growth of certain bacteria and viruses that could make the water unsafe for drinking. The consumption of untreated water could result in health disorders like cholera, typhoid and dysentery, especially in children whose immunity is weak.

But contesting the claims of the Health Department, DR Bhaskar, Chief Engineer, MCF, said the water supplied from MCF tubewells was safe as its source was underground water and not the surface water, which requires chlorination.

Admitting that chlorinators at many pumps might be non-functional or might not have the desired amount of chlorine at times, he said the samples had not been taken in the presence of MCF officials.
harinder@tribunemail.com

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 8

Senior INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala and his party state president Ashok Arora today met Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, fuelling speculation on a possible electoral tie-up.

Sources told The Tribune that during the 30-minute meeting at Haryana Bhawan in Delhi this morning, the INLD leaders proposed a tie-up between the two parties for the May 12 parliamentary polls.

The sources claimed the Chief Minister told the INLD leaders though he would be too happy to forge an alliance, several other senior leaders in the state BJP may not be on the same page with him.

Chautala claimed the meeting was personal, not political. There is no question of meeting the CM when the BJP central leadership has already announced candidates for eight of the 10 seats, he said.

It is learnt the INLD is ready to cede eight parliamentary seats to the BJP in lieu of two seats, preferably Sirsa and Rohtak. While the Sirsa parliamentary seat is held by INLDs Charanjit Singh Rori, the party wants to field its district president Satish Nandal from Rohtak.

Arora reportedly arrived at Haryana Bhawan on Sunday night and held the initial round of talks with the Chief Minister. Chautala arrived the following morning. Both held discussions with Khattar over breakfast.
Australian-first Exhibition from the National Museum of China showcases Chinese art and calligraphy (Photo by Quanjiao Wang)

Canberra, April 9 (Peoples Daily Online / Jin Xie) An Australian-first exhibition from the prestigious National Museum of China (NMC) explores the grand historical sweep of Chinese art and traditions, and extends the cultural ties between the two nations at the National Museum of Australia (NMA) in Canberra, with more than 100 objects from China on display for the first time.

The exhibition consists of more than 100 objects from China, as the exchange exhibition of the 2018 Australian National Museum exhibition Old Masters: Australias Great Bark Artists in China.

The mesmerizing animation of 1764 scroll depicting Emperor Qianlongs historic inspection tour to the southern provinces (Photo by Quanjiao Wang)

This is a historic day which brings two great cultural institutions together and builds on the cultural ties between Australia and China, said Dr. Trinca, Director of NMA. He also noted that the exhibition would tell the Australian audience the story of China so that the Australian audience can not only get to know the living historical figures but also witness the vitality and beauty of modern ink painting. Through this exchange exhibition, we can not only understand the culture and history of China but also deepen our understanding of ourselves, he said.

The highlight of this exhibition is a rare replica of a 20-meter-long 1764 scroll depicting Emperor Qianlongs historic inspection tour to the southern provinces. The exhibition features a mesmerizing animation of the scroll, in which the historical figures, including Emperor Qianlong and his entourage, come to life across a massive digital screen. More than 2,500 models were made to create the animation.

Chinese characters spelling experience (Photo by Quanjiao Wang)

Calligraphy and paintings from three modern Chinese artists Wang Naizhuang, Xie Yun and Xiao Lang are also on display in the exhibition. With different forms of calligraphy including seal, clerical and semi-cursive scripts, the exhibition hall is set up with several Chinese character experience screens, where the audience can continue the calligraphy creation.

The exhibition also explores the strong ChineseAustralian connection through the NMAs stunning Harvest of Endurance Scroll. The scroll is an artistic representation, in magnificent detail, of two centuries of Chinese contact with, and migration to, Australia.

Shan Wei, Deputy Director of the National Museum of China, said that in recent years, China and Australia have carried out a series of exchanges in the fields of collection protection, display, social education, museum management and so on, with fruitful results. Through this exhibition, we hope to share with the Australian audience the artistic interpretation of Chinese painting and calligraphy on history and life, the aesthetic concept contained in it, the spiritual pursuit embodied in it, and the philosophy of Taoism in life and nature, said Shan Wei.

Audiences observe the excellent calligraphy and painting works from three modern Chinese artists (Photo by Quanjiao Wang)

Additionally, Shan Wei mentioned that the selection of the exhibition includes Chinese history and modern works. As a national museum, it is equally important to tell ancient Chinese stories as well as contemporary ones. The National Museum of China is committed to letting the world see Chinese art and find commonalities to demonstrate the diversity of Chinese culture.

Attendee Julie Spence told reporters that she enjoyed the exhibition. She noted that the dynamic scroll used to display the Harvest of Endurance Scroll was unbelievable, and said she was also impressed by the realistic modern paintings.

The exhibition is on at the NMA from 5 April until 28 July 2019 and is open to the public free of charge.
Complex biomimetic structures retain air under water. The air on the actually blue carrier appears silvery under water. (Photo: Thomas Schimmel, KIT)

Friction, corrosion, and biofilms are three major problems in shipping. The research project Air-retaining Surfaces (ARES)  a collaboration project of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the universities of Bonn and Rostock  studies new types of ship coatings that permanently retain an air layer under water and, thus, help considerably reduce the three problems. ARES has now been granted the Validation Award by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)..

Besides research and teaching, innovation is one of the three equal core tasks of KIT. What we are trying to do is to make scientific findings usable for industry and society, says the President of KIT, Professor Holger Hanselka. Hence, I am pleased that a KIT-coordinated project on novel ship coatings is granted the Validation Award by BMBF this year. I congratulate Thomas Schimmel and his team of researchers from KIT as well as from the universities of Bonn and Rostock very cordially on this success.

ARES studies novel ship coatings, by means of which an air layer is permanently retained under water, which considerably reduces frictional resistance of surfaces. At the same time, release of toxic substances from ship paints and biofilms (fouling) and corrosion is prevented by the air envelope between the ship and the water. Coordinator Thomas Schimmel, who works at the Institute of Applied Physics (APH), the Institute of Nanotechnology (INT), and the Material Research Center for Energy Systems (MZE) of KIT, and his group develop air-retaining surfaces under water based on the salvinia effect.

Thomas Schimmel, Professor at KIT, is the pioneer of air coating and scientific coordinator of the ARES and AIRCOAT projects. (Photo: B. Schweizer)

The salvinia effect studied by physicist Professor Thomas Schimmel of KIT and botanist Professor Wilhelm Barthlott of Bonn University in close collaboration with fluid mechanics expert Professor Alfred Lederer of Rostock University enables certain plants, such as the aquatic fern Salvinia molesta, to breathe under water. For this purpose, the aquatic fern is covered with special hairs that resemble small whisks and are characterized by a special chemical heterogeneity: while the individual hairs are water-repellent, each single hair has a water-attracting tip that adheres to water and permanently stabilizes the retained air layer. Within its funding program Validation of the technological and social innovation potential of scientific research, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research supported the ARES project. The Validation Award is granted to outstanding projects that succeeded in transferring results obtained in a validation phase to application.

After we understood the salvinia effect, we realized the enormous economic and ecological potential of its technical implementation, Thomas Schimmel says. About 90% of worldwide international trade takes place by shipping. If ships are enclosed by an air envelope under water, the three major problems of shipping might be solved: friction, corrosion, and biofilms. We developed artificial surfaces that retain such an air layer under water. Earlier prototypes we placed under water more than five years ago are still covered by a permanent air layer.

Based on such surfaces that permanently retain air under water (Air Coating Technology), novel bionic ship coatings are to be developed, as a result of which the ship will be enclosed by an air envelope under water. The new, environmentally friendly technology has an enormous potential to reduce friction and may also serve as a basis for an eco-friendly anti-fouling coating that does not release any poison into the sea and additionally ensures corrosion protection. So far, hulls of ships have been covered by anti-fouling paints containing heavy metals to prevent the settling of algae and shells.

We demonstrated that the Air Coating technology reduces friction by about 20%, as friction between ship and water is replaced by friction between ship and air, Thomas Schimmel explains. In future, these innovative surfaces might increase energy efficiency and, hence, contribute to environmental protection.

Presently, the Air Coating technology is being further developed. Under the EU project AIRCOAT coordinated by Thomas Schimmel, the partners use a self-adhesive foil system to retain air layers on surfaces under water. Altogether, ten partners participate in the project funded by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 programme. Within the framework of a project funded by the Baden-Wurttemberg Foundation and also managed by Schimmel, other applications of the Air Coating technology are studied. Moreover, the spinoff ACT Aircoating Technologies GmbH was established to commercialize the new technology.

About the Validation Award

The funding program Validation of the technological and social innovation potential of scientific research  VIP+ that is part of the federal governments high-tech strategy, scientists of all disciplines are invited to leave the world of research and to make the first step towards a commercial added value or application in society. The innovation potential of research results is to be validated and potential applications are to be analyzed. Under VIP+ and the predecessor program VIP, more than 200 projects have been funded since 2010. The most successful projects are granted three Validation Awards. The research project Air-retaining Surfaces (ARES) was granted the First Prize of the Validation Award of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) for its extraordinary success in utilizing the results of the completed ARES validation project for further development within the AIRCOAT EU project. The Award was handed over by Parliamentary State Secretary Michael Meister on March 26, 2019. The three award-winning projects pursue different utilization paths. Their common feature is that the results are transferred rapidly to application for the benefit of society. This makes them ideal role models in accordance with our program, Meister said during the awards ceremony.

Project video of BMBF:

https://www.bmbf.de/de/media-video-24373.html (in German)

TV broadcast about the new technology (English):

http://www.dw.com/en/using-plants-to-make-ships-more-eco-friendly/av-44131731

More information:

http://www.kit.edu/kit/english/pi_2018_053_air-coating-makes-ships-glide-through-the-water-more-easily.php

https://www.bmbf.de/de/wissen-zur-wirkung-bringen-8224.html (in German)

Being The Research University in the Helmholtz Association, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 9,600 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 23,300 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.
editorial@tribune.com

Deepender Deswal

Tribune News Service

Hisar, April 8

Amid tussle for nomination, the BJP has zeroed in on four candidates for the Hisar Lok Sabha seat. The party is likely to announce the candidate in a couple of days.

Party sources say state BJP president Subhash Barala, Veer Chakra awardee Capt Bhupinder (retd), Union Minister Birender Singhs son Brijender Singh and INLD turncoat Ranbir Gangwa (Nalwa MLA) are in the race for the ticket.

The BJP leadership is uninterested in taking in Congress MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi, who wanted to launch his son Bhavya Bishnoi in politics by fielding him from Hisar. This deal is unlikely to materialise after senior party leaders objected to the idea (of taking Bishnoi in the party fold and nominating his son), the sources said.

The sources also say Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar wants Barala or Capt Bhupinder for the Hisar seat.

Capt Bhupinder has served as the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Chief Minister. He is new to politics. He belongs to a Jat family from Mayyar village, which has been a nerve centre of the Jat agitation. His family has a long association with the RSS, a BJP leader said, adding his fresh face and RSS roots could tilt the scales in his favour.

If the BJP goes for a non-Jat, the party may field Nalwa MLA Gangwa, who joined the party last week.

His candidature may irk local party leaders and the cadre, who are averse to the idea of fielding a turncoat. Gangwa belongs to a backward caste (Kumhar community). In case, the Congress fields a non-Jat, the upper caste non-Jats, including Banias, Punjabis and Brahmins, will not back Gangwa, a political expert said.

Union Minister Birenders son Brijender, as an IAS officer in Haryana, can be a surprise candidate. Birender has said he will retire from politics if his son gets the ticket. He is lobbying hard for his son and trying to plead Brijenders case with party chief Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a senior party leader said.
shriaya.dutt@tribuneindia.com

NEW DELHI

Eight out of 10 millenials living in India want the controversial Chinese video app TikTok to be banned, reveals a survey by news app Inshorts.

This comes after the Madras High Court last week advised the Central government to ban the app claiming it was encouraging pornography among youngsters.

The court said that inappropriate content was being provided by the TikTok app, owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, and the government had a social responsibility to stop it.

TikTok on the other hand, said it was committed to abiding by local laws and regulations.

"We fully comply with the Information Technology (Intermediaries Guidelines) Rules, 2011. We are currently awaiting the official order by the Madras High Court and once received, we will review and take appropriate action regarding this matter," the company told IANS.

"In order to better coordinate with the law enforcement agencies, we have appointed a Chief Nodal Officer based out of India," it added.

The survey asked 30,000 participants, majorly from Tier-1 and 2 cities and belonging to the age group of 18-35 years across the country, whether they think TikTok should be banned in India.

While 80 per cent said yes, 20 per cent said no, the results showed.

With a global user base of over one billion users, TikTok has over 50 million users in India.

In January, 43 per cent of the app's new users were from India, compared to just 9.5 percent in January of 2018, said Sensor Tower founder Oliver Yeh in a recent blog post.

In fact, 25 per cent of TikTok's downloads to date have come from India, for an estimated total of 250 million there. The app enables its users to shoot short videos and share it with others.  IANS
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Shimla, April 8

Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and state BJP chief Satpal Singh Satti today hailed the BJP manifesto- Sankalpit Bharat- Shashakt Bharat and termed it as a move towards new and developed India which fulfils the dreams of the 130 crore people of the nation.

Thakur said that the manifesto clearly reflects the commitment of building a new India which would emerge as the leading nation of the world in next five years. He said that it is historic that interest-free kisan credit card loans and short term agricultural loans up to Rs 1 lakh would be given at zero per cent interest for one to five years. This would go a long way in doubling the farmers income by 2022.

The promises to bring all farmers under the ambit of Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme and providing pension to all small and marginal farmers aged above 60 are also appreciable, he added.

Establishment of National Traders Welfare Board has also been announced which will prove to be a boon to the businessmen. Likewise, Sankalp Patra also speaks about expanding the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan Scheme to cover all small shopkeepers, which is another welcome step, the CM said.

By promising common civil code for all and abolishing Section 370 and 35-I, the BJP has made it clear that university and diversity of the nation is above politics, said Satti.
editorial@tribune.com

Shimla, April 8

Former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today rubbished BJPs Sankalp Patra as old wine in new bottle as all the old promises made in 2014 have been listed which have still not been fulfilled.

In a statement issued here, Virbhadra said it appears that BJP has issued the same old document it had released in 2014. The document is completely silent on the issue of job creation and on tackling farmers distress, he said. He added that once again the BJP was trying to woo the voters by promising to construct the Ram temple and ending Article 370.

In fact, PM Modi must clarify as to how many promises that he made in 2014 have been fulfilled and why the same promises figure once again in the Sankalp Patra, he quipped.

Virbhadra also lashed out the Jai Ram regime for failing to undertake any progress on the construction of the national highways and also in the health and education sectors.  TNS
harinder@tribunemail.com

Ishfaq Tantry & Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 8

A day after civilian movement on the 270-km Baramulla-Srinagar-Udhampur National Highway was barred to secure the safe passage of security forces convoys, the Army and other forces convoys continued to ply on the highway in Kashmir today, prompting the people to question the logic behind the bi-weekly ban.

Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah posted a video of convoys plying on Monday despite two days being reserved specifically for their passage on the highway, which serves as a lifeline.

If it is safe for SF convoys to move on Monday without closing the highway to civilian traffic, why is it not safe on Wednesdays and Sundays?

Nothing proves the mindlessness of the order more than the Army movement on unsafe days. This road is part of the highway by the way, he said in one of the tweets.

Throughout Monday, the Army convoys were seen plying along the Baramulla-Qazigund stretch, raising questions as the government had on April 3 notified Sunday and Wednesday for forces movement every week, restricting civilian traffic movement on the highway on these two designated days.

An Army official who wished not to be named said that the ban was imposed not based on the inputs of Army, as Army requires to ply convoys on all days.

Besides, sources in police also alluded to this fact that plying convoys on exclusive days without civilian traffic on highway would make them (convoys) more prone to attacks by militants.

In fact, during the 2016 unrest following Burhan Wanis killing, the Army used to ply convoys during night hours, but the militants had attacked one such convoy in Baramulla, in which two personnel and a police driver was killed. Later, the Army decided to ply convoys during day time.

Apart from the Army, CRPF and BSF convoys also plied along the highway today. The Army will ply their vehicles all the days except Friday, a defence official said.
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 8

Amid concerns and threat perceptions expressed by political parties in view of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, the state on Monday restored the security cover of around 400 politicians and activists which had been withdrawn last month.

Highly placed sources said the state administration, headed by Governor Satya Pal Malik, took the decision aimed at ensuring protection of political leaders and activists in view of the parliamentary polls starting from April 11.

However, the administration did not restore the security cover of separatist leaders.

The political parties had constantly been raising the issue of safety of their leaders and cadres, arguing that it would be difficult for them to go for campaigning in parliamentary polls. The decision was followed by separate letters by political parties to the Election Commission of India (EC).

Either the ADGP (Security) or ADGP (CID) can speak on the issue, Dilbagh Singh, Director General of Police, J&K, told The Tribune. However, both the officers were not available for a comment.

In March this year, the Union Home Ministry had said the authorities had withdrawn the security cover of 919 people, both in the mainstream and separatist camps, after taking a review of the ground-level threat perception against them. In all, 22 separatists were among the 919 people whose security was withdrawn.
editorial@tribune.com

Srinagar, April 8

Political leaders, including three former Chief Ministers, on Monday vowed to defend Article 370, a law guaranteeing the states special status, which the BJP has promised to abrogate in its election manifesto.

National Conference president and party candidate for the Lok Sabha polls Farooq Abdullah said the abrogation would mean the end of the states accession with the Union and freedom for Kashmir.

They want to scrap Article 370, which means our special status in the Constitution will be gone. They want to bury our special position, our Constitution and our flag. This is the biggest test for us, Farooq said at a campaign rally in the city here.

NC vice-president Omar Abdullah criticised Governor Satya Pal Malik, who had recently saidthere was no threat to Article 370. I hope his colleagues in the BJP send him a copy of their manifesto, Omar posted on Twitter.

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti also warned the BJP that it was playing with fire.  TNS
shalender@tribune.com

Country music royalty turned out in force on Sunday for a glittering night of live performances and honours at the 54th annual Academy of Country Music awards. Host Reba McEntire, marking a record 16th time in the job, wasted no time in addressing one of the evenings touchy subjects  the lack of women nominees in some top categories.

Noting recent snow in Las Vegas, where the awards were held in a live, performance-heavy broadcast, McEntire quipped, It was so cold it froze us women out of entertainer of the year. Grammy award album of the year winner Kacey Musgraves was glaringly absent from the all-male nominees top category. Musgraves took home both the album of the year and female artist of the year awards.

Rousing performance

Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line opened the show with a rousing performance of Cant Hide Red, but some on social media took offense to Tyler Hubbards American flag suit, branding it a disgrace besmirching a sacrosanct national symbol.

Dan + Shay scored three straight early wins, for song of the year and single of the year for Tequila, also winning duo of the year. Male artist of the year went to Thomas Rhett. The star-laden three-hour show marked an upbeat return to celebrating country music after last years awards assumed a sombre note following the October 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas, where 58 people were killed at a country music festival. Other A-list country stars performing included Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton, Urban, Brooks & Dunn, Miranda Lambert, McEntire and George Strait.  Reuters
editorial@tribune.com

Mukesh Ranjan

Tribune News Service

Bijnor/Meerut, April 8

Farm distress and prevalence of widespread unemployment among youth are weighing high on the minds of farmers of western Uttar Pradesh ahead of elections. But when asked if the two issues would be factors in determining their electoral choices, a cross-section of farmers in the region were of the view that they might, but caste affiliation would matter more than agrarian issues. Both the Mahagathbandhan and Congress are consistently raking farm issues to drum up support in favour of their respective candidates,

Farmers across the region, particularly in Meerut, Bijnore and Kairana, contended that the NDA government at the Centre failed to keep its promise of implementing the recommendations of Swaminathan Commission Report and also the hike in the support price for sugarcane.

Union Minister Rajnath Singh during last General Election had promised to increase support prices of sugarcane by 50 per cent, but it wasnt fulfilled, Maya Ram Singh of Guniyapur Village of Bijnor told this reporter. He was standing in front of a local bank branch to receive payment against the sugarcane he had supplied to a local mill.

Singh also rued the fact that as a farmer, he has been perpetually under debt. Even as I deposit a portion of loan amount in the account, after a while I have to withdraw money again for agrarian and other needs.

Asked if the issues directly concerning them would determine their electoral choice, Singh said: No doubt the entire farming community is under distress like me, but they arent a vote block, as they are flocking to candidates on caste lines and issues not related to agriculture.

Shekhar Pundir, a young Thakur farmer at Sisouli village in Kairana Parliamentary constituency, said: UP sugar minister Suresh Rana hails from the region, yet we dont get the required support. We get a mere Rs 50 per quintal of sugarcane after factoring in all costs. Situation has gone bad to worse for farmers, but they are also keeping in mind other issues in making electoral choices.

Poll eve announcement of directly crediting Rs 6,000 annually in three installments of Rs 2,000 each by the incumbent NDA government has certainly created some noises, as farmers could be seen in animated discussions among them. My family is fully dependent on agriculture and in times of reduced income, Rs 6,000 is an insult to us, with the government skipping increasing MSPs by 50 per cent in true sense as advocated by experts, said Baba Rampal Singh in Meerut.
rchopra@tribunemail.com

New Delhi, April 9

The CBI on Tuesday opposed in the Supreme Court the bail plea of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, who is serving a jail term in connection with fodder scam cases, saying he is likely to indulge in political activities ahead of the general election.

The CBI, which sought the nod from a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi to file its response to the bail plea of Yadav, said the RJD leader is likely to get involved in political activities and misuse the grant of bail ahead of the election.

The probe agency said in any case Yadav had been in a hospital ward for over eight months and was indulging in political activities.

During the period in which the petitioner remained in hospital, he is not only granted a special paying ward with all facilities but is virtually conducting his political activities from there which would be clear from the list of visitors, the CBI said in its reply.

The agency said Yadav who claimed to be so unwell that he could not remain in jail had now suddenly become physically fit and is seeking bail.

It is submitted that simultaneous raising of pleas for bail on medical grounds and bail to guide the party and to carry out all essential responsibilities as a party president in the ensuing Lok Sabha election are mutually contradictory and manifest that in the garb of bail on medical grounds the petitioner in essence wants to pursue his political activities which is impermissible in law, the CBI said.

The RJD chief, currently lodged at Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi, has challenged the January 10 verdict of the Jharkhand High Court dismissing his bail plea.

The three cases in which Prasad has been convicted are related to the over Rs 900-crore fodder scam, which pertains to the fraudulent withdrawal of money from the treasuries in the Animal Husbandry department in the early 1990s, when Jharkhand was part of Bihar. PTI
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Ausa (Maharashtra), April 9

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held the Congress responsible for the creation of Pakistan.

Addressing a poll rally in this town in Latur district of Maharashtra, Modi also appeared to be treading sensitive ground by asking first-time voters to dedicate their first vote to those who carried out the air strike in Balakot.

Can your first vote be dedicated to those who carried out air strike, Modi said, appealing to first-time voters.

Pakistan would not have born had Congress leaders acted wisely in the pre-Independence era, Modi said, as he stepped up attack on the grand old party.

Had Congress leaders acted wisely during the pre-Independence era, Pakistan would not have born, Modi said.

Modi said the Congresss manifesto spoke the same language as that of Pakistan.

He accused the Congress and its ally NCP of standing with those who wanted a separate prime minister for Jammu and Kashmir.

Modi was referring to National Conference leader Omar Abdullahs remark in this connection.

Hitting out at NCP chief Sharad Pawar on the issue, Modi asked if it behoved the Maratha strongman to join forces with the parties holding such a view.

On the other hand, Modi said, under the BJPs watch it was the policy of New India that it would kill terrorists barging into their dens.

The Prime Minister reiterated his allegation that the opposition parties were questioning the valour of the security forces post last months Pulwama terror attack.

Modi also hailed the manifesto of the BJP, released in Delhi on Monday, saying the party is committed to national security and farmers welfare.

Your trust is my biggest accomplishment in the past five years, Modi told the crowd.

He said his objective is to rid India of Naxal and Maoist menace. PTI
monicakchauhan@gmail.com

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala/New Delhi, April 9

The Dalai Lama is undergoing treatment for chest infection at a private hospital in New Delhi. He was flown to Delhi after he woke up this morning with chest discomfort, His Holiness private secretary Tenzin Takla told The Tribune.

Takla said he was diagnosed with chest infection and is undergoing treatment at a hospital here. His Holiness is doing fine and there is nothing to worry, he said.

When he woke up this morning he was feeling discomfort and so we brought him to Delhi. Doctors said he will undergo treatment for next two-three days, he added.

The 83-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader had returned to Dharamsala on Monday from Delhi where he had come for a global youth summit and the launch a social emotional and ethical curriculum.

The sources said that the Dalai Lama witnessed sleeplessness and restlessness on Monday night. He was shifted to Delhi today afternoon.

The spokesperson said the Dalai Lama would be back in three or four days.

Earlier also, there were reports regarding the ill health of the Dalai Lama. His doctor had, however, refuted the reports.

His doctor has maintained that the Dalai Lama had earlier suffered from prostate cancer, but was now cured.
monicakchauhan@gmail.com

Ausa (Maha), April 9

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deal Pakistan such a blow that nothing remains of it to mess with India.

Addressing a poll rally here with Modi, their first since the Shiv Sena and BJP announced their tie-up for the Lok Sabha polls, Thackeray also welcomed the BJP's manifesto.

He said the promises made in the BJP manifesto was the reason the two ruling parties joined forces ahead of the polls.

In the manifesto released on Monday, the BJP has reiterated its commitment towards construction of Ram temple and abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution. It also announced a welfare scheme for farmers if voted to power.

"Our government today doesn't just talk about teaching Pakistan a lesson," Thackeray said.

"Pradhan Mantri ji, our only expectation from you now is that deal Pakistan such a blow that nothing of it remains to mess (with India) again," he said.

Thackeray also attacked the Congress for alleging that the BJP manifesto repeated the NDA major's 2014 poll promises.

The Sena chief said it was the Congress manifesto, which was filled with lies.

He criticised the Congress's 'Nyay' scheme that aims to help the poor by ensuring minimum income guarantee.

Rahul (Gandhi) ji, the poverty eradication slogan was given by your grandmother (late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi). Your poverty vanished, but when the poverty of the poor will disappear? We will do it," Thackeray said.

On the Prime Minister's Crop Insurance Scheme, Thackeray said companies were cheating farmers and asked Modi to "straighten them".

The insurance companies should have offices in each district (for the convenience of farmers), he said.

In his speech, Modi called Uddhav his 'younger brother' and recalled that the Congress had 'withdrawn' citizenship of late Bal Thackeray. Union minister Ramdas Athawale and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also addressed the rally.

BJP-Sena alliance candidates from Latur and Osmanabad Lok Sabha seats were also present. PTI
gspannu7@gmail.com

New Delhi, April 9

The Election Commission has taken cognisance of Prime Minister Narendra Modis remarks asking first-time voters to dedicate their vote to those who carried out the air strike in Balakot, and has sought a report from poll officials in Maharashtra.

Sources in the poll panel said on Tuesday that the chief electoral officer of Maharashtra has been asked to submit a report at the earliest.

Addressing a rally in Ausa in Mahrashtras Latur, Modi said, Can your first vote be dedicated to those who carried out the air strike.

I want to tell the first-time voters: can your first vote be dedicated to the veer jawans (valiant soldiers) who carried out the air strike in Pakistan. Can your first vote be dedicated to the veer shaheed (brave martyrs) of Pulwama (terror attack), Modi said.

The report has been sought in the context of an EC advisory issued last month asking parties to desist from indulging in political propaganda involving actions of the armed forces.

...parties/candidates are advised that their campaigners/candidates should desist, as part of their election campaigning, from indulging in any political propaganda involving activities of defence forces, the commission had said on March 19.  PTI
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 8

Charging the Election Commission with suffering from a crisis of credibility, a group of former civil servants today expressed anguish over its pusillanimity in coming down on violations by the ruling party at the Centre.

It appealed to the poll body through President Ram Nath Kovind to conduct itself in a manner where its independence, fairness, impartiality and efficiency are not questioned.

The group, citing several instances, said: We are distressed to note the misuse, abuse and blatant disregard of the model code of conduct by the ruling party at the Centre and the ECs pusillanimity in coming down with a heavy hand on these violations, it said in the letter.

The 60-odd signatories include former Delhi L-G Najeeb Jung, former National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon, former Special Secretary in Cabinet Secretariat Vappala Balachandran, former Haryana Secretary MG Devasahayam, former TRAI Chairman Rahul Khullar and former J&K Chief Secretary-rank Hindal Tyabji.

The instances they raised as cases in point include timing of the PMs public announcement on test of anti-satellite weapon, its earlier letter to the EC to withhold the release of all biopics and documentaries, the 10-part web series Modi: A Common Mans Journey, five episodes of which are out on the streaming platform, lethargy in respect of NaMo TV channel, unlike West Bengal continuing of top cop in Tamil Nadu also under investigation, Governor Kalyan Singh statement, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanaths armed forces comment and Modis reference that Congress insulted Hindus.

In the letter to the President, the group said irresponsible statements by constitutional functionary like the UP Chief Minister not only constitute an insult to your position as the supreme commander of the defence forces, but also amount to a deliberate attempt to mislead the general public, apart from damaging the tradition of the armed forces as apolitical formations.
rchopra@tribunemail.com

New Delhi, April 9

Amid continuing Income Tax Department raids on people considered close to opposition parties, the Union Finance Ministry has told the Election Commission that enforcement actions by its revenue department are always neutral, impartial and non-discriminatory irrespective of political affiliation, sources said.

Replying to a letter from the Election Commission, the Revenue Department in a letter dated April 8 asked the poll panel to share specific information with the I-T department about illicit money in the electoral process.

The Election Commission in its letter to Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey had on April 7 strongly advised the department that any action by its enforcement agencies during the election time should be neutral and non-discriminatory and officials of the poll panel should be kept in the loop about such actions.

The ECs advice came in the backdrop of the I-T Departments raids in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday and in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh in the recent past on opposition politicians and people connected to them.

Since the Model Code of Conduct for the general election came into force on March 10, the I-T Department has carried out several raids on political leaders and their associates, which the opposition has dubbed a misuse of central agencies during poll season.

In its response, sources said, Pandey wrote to the poll panel saying, We understand the words neutral, impartial and non-discriminatory mean that we must act as and when information is available against anyone, irrespective of political affiliation. This is precisely the practice that the department follows and will continue to do so.

The Revenue Department, in its letter, also urged the Election Commission to advise its field officers to take immediate action if they came across any specific information about the use of illicit money in the electoral process.

Since it is the responsibility of the Election Commission as also of the revenue agencies to check and eventually eliminate the use of unaccounted money in election, we would also like to urge the Election Commission to advise its field officers involved in the enforcement of the model code of conduct to take immediate enforcement action at their end under the election and other appropriate laws, if they came across any specific information about the use of illicit money in electoral processes.

They may also, if deemed fit, pass on the information confidentially to the Income Tax department for taking further necessary action, Pandey wrote in the letter.

The I-T Department, Enforcement Directorate and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence are the executive arms of the Revenue Department dealing with financial crimes.

There have been nearly 55 raids in the recent past by agencies under the Finance Ministry.

The poll panels letter on Sunday came amid allegations that the government was using the agencies to target rival parties in the election season.

The Election Commission had on Sunday said that enforcement actions during the election period, even when conducted ruthlessly with a view to curbing the blatant electoral malpractice, should be absolutely neutral, impartial and non-discriminatory.

The department fully agrees with the observation that there is a need to conduct operations ruthlessly to contain this malpractice. Before such operations are undertaken, there has to be information and actionable intelligence available with the Income Tax authorities so that they can act in the matter. As a rule, we always follow that practice, the Revenue Department said.

The seven-phase Lok Sabha election begins on April 11 and the counting will be held on May 23. PTI
editorial@tribune.com

Sandeep Dikshit

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 8

The strategic affairs sections of the manifestos of the two principal parties in the fray  the BJP and the Congress  reveal few divergences as far as the main thrust areas are concerned.

In fact, there is a reversal of sorts. The Congress manifesto, this time, is detailed on strategic affairs as compared to patchy and cursory references in 2014. On the other hand, the 2014 BJP manifesto had much to say on foreign policy and defence but breaks very little new ground in its manifesto released today.

The divergence, apart from the BJPs emphasis on muscularity in dealing with security challenges and culture in reaching out to expatriates, is on undocumented migration and making supra-security apparatuses accountable.

The Congress promises an asylum policy while the BJP will rely on electronic fencing to keep out the undesirables. The BJP is silent on the oversized role by the NSA and his team but the Congress will make them accountable as also revive the National Security Advisory Board.

Both parties repose faith in multilateral institutions, from the UN to BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. The sole divergence is the Congress emphasis on strengthening SAARC, allowed to remain moribund during the BJP-led rule. Unsurprisingly, the BJP omits SAARC from the list of organisations that will be the playground of Indian foreign policy if it is voted back to power. The BJP also mentions JAI (Japan-America-India) a recently erected trilateral that ostensibly balances Indias involvement with RIC (Russia-India-China) trilateral.

On the strategic front, the BJP promises technology transfer and knowledge exchange as the major focus of its diplomatic outreach. This is a goal that eluded both the 10 years of UPA rule and five years of the NDA government, barring a solitary success in starting work on a Kalashnikov factory.

Both promise more outlays for the defence sector and strengthening the armed forces with modern equipment despite pulling short in both areas during their stays in power. The Congress has also promised to set up the office of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) which neither the party was able to accomplish while in office.

The BJP has tried to leverage the recent anti-satellite test to promise an International Space Technology Alliance aimed at roping in smaller countries with capacity issues. Looked closely, it is a reworking of the half-hearted UPA era plan to help smaller neighbours launch their satellites in order to beat Chinese ingress.

Both parties have similar views about catering to the vast expatriate Indian diaspora though the BJP camouflages its Hindutva agenda by mentioning its plans for an institutional mechanism to deepen the cultural and heritage with a Bharat Gaurav campaign.

The BJP steals a march though by mentioning coastal security which the UPA had tried to tone up after the Mumbai attacks. It also takes note of the small size of the diplomatic corps and promises to make amends besides outlining plans for a university on foreign policy.

The national security portion of the BJP manifesto treads familiar ground by highlighting the surgical and air strikes and promises continuation of its policy of giving a free hand to the security forces to combat terrorism. It, however, promises to be more caring for security personnel by planning for their re-skilling three years before retirement.
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 8

The Congress today dismissed the BJP election manifesto as a jhaansa-patra, calling it a bubble of lies. Addressing reporters in the capital, Congress veteran Ahmed Patel took on the BJP for presenting a manifesto which is all about one man.

Flashing the manifestoes of the BJP and Congress, Patel said, In the one of the BJP, you see one man  PM Narendra Modi  and in the other manifesto, you see the people of India.

This fight is between lies on the one hand and justice on the other. The BJP manifesto reeks of arrogance and self-consumption. Its about I, me, myself. These people have nothing to do with the country, Patel said as the Congress described the BJP manifesto as an apology of a document.

Patel said the BJP would no longer be able to fool the people with its jumlas because no one could fool all the people all the time. The Congress positioned its manifesto vis-a-vis BJPs as justice versus jumlas.

The BJP would have done better to give an account of what it did in the past five years. What happened to their promises of two crore jobs a year; Rs 15 lakh in every persons bank account; their promises to traders and farmers? Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said.

The Congress said, Enough is enough now. The party also released a document listing 125 BJP promises and the performance thereof.

The BJP mantra is clear -- jumlon se jhaanson tak. We have posed the BJP 125 questions which stem from their 2014 manifesto. Their performance on every front has been dismal. Peoples trust in PM Modi is now shaking. So much so when veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi was asked how he would rate the BJPs five-year performance, he said: I could have rated it had I seen anything written in the BJP copy. Its blank, Surjewala said.
editorial@tribune.com

Naveen S Garewal

Tribune News Service

Pamarru (Machlipatnam), April 8

An upbeat Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today expressed confidence that his party would win both Assembly and parliamentary elections, declaring: Andhra MPs will play a major role in the formation of the 17th Parliament.

In an exclusive interview with The Tribune in Pamarru town of Krishna district, the birthplace of TDP founder NT Rama Rao, he said he was not entirely satisfied with the Supreme Court judgment on VVPAT slips. It is something, at least. I was the first signatory to the petition moved by the Opposition, seeking that at least 50 per cent votes be verified using the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT).

He said the Election Commission of India (ECI) must assure the parties, which feared the voting machines could be hacked, that even if there was a difference of one vote in one case, then VVPATS and EVMs across the country must be checked as an error in one EVM, howsoever small, implied there could be more such errors in other machines.

I understand electronics well. There is a chip in the machine that can be manipulated, and it is the duty of the ECI to remove doubts. During the Telangana polls last time, 25 lakh names of voters got deleted and all the ECI said was sorry. This is not the way the ECI should function.

Apprehending hacking, he said: The ECI must stick to its claim of zero per cent error in EVMs. I demand that to build the trust of political parties and the people, the votes polled in the EVMs must be counted first and the five VVPATs to be compared with the EVMs should be selected through draw of lots, listing the VVPAT numbers on paper in a transparent manner. Further, I ask the ECI not to reveal which machines will be selected for cross-verification until the counting is completed and recorded.

To ensure there was no rigging, the Andhra Chief Minister said the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) cadre had been told to remain vigilant and not allow Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) to interfere in Andhra Pradesh via his proxy Jaganmohan Reddy, the YSR Congress chief.

He accused KCR of playing unfair during the Telangana Assembly elections and trying the same tricks in Andhra.

He accused the ECI of being partisan, citing the transfer of the states Intelligence chief and Chief Secretary. Clearly, the ECI is working against us at the behest of the PM and KCR to help Reddy. But I can assure you, we are forming the government again with a very comfortable margin. The people have seen through the Modi-KCR-YSR game.
Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

Gusty winds with thunderstorms becoming likely in the afternoon. Potential for severe thunderstorms. High 73F. Winds S at 25 to 40 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Windy with a few showers in the evening. Then clear skies overnight. Low 28F. W winds at 25 to 40 mph, decreasing to 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%. Winds could occasionally gust over 50 mph.
harinder@tribunemail.com

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 8

Playing up nationalism and national security and focusing on farmers and small traders, the ruling BJP today promised zero tolerance to terrorism and PM-KisanYojana cover for all farmers, irrespective of the size of landholding, besides a pension scheme for them and small shopkeepers.

Declaring that the security doctrine will be guided by national interests alone, it mentions the surgical strike and airstrike against terrorists as examples of its stand, while promising an NRC (National Register of Citizens) exercise thoughout India in phases and enactment of the citizenship amendment Act.

It reasserts its stand on abrogation of Article 370 since the time of the Jana Sangh and annulment of Article 35A.

It is a visionary and practical document, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, head of the manifesto committee, said at the release of the Sankalp Patra for the elections.

Mum on employment or jobs per se, the manifesto promises to turn India into a five-trillion dollar economy by 2025 and a 10-trillion dollar economy by 2032. Also missing in the 45-page document is any reference to demonetisation. Building on the concept of a a strong, transparent, decisive and sensitive government, it is dedicated to the most decisive constituents in the coming elections  farmers and rural India.

As a counter to Congress NYAY, promising minimum income guarantee, the BJP document promises to expand the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, ensuring financial support to those owning up to 2 hectares. It also promises a pension scheme for small and marginal farmers above 60 years of age and making enrolment for the Fasal Bima Yojana voluntary.

The document says the BJP is committed to bringing down the percentage of Below Poverty Line (BPL) families to a single digit in five years.

With PM Modis picture on the cover, the manifesto claims, The decisive leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has fundamentally altered the security paradigm of India in the last five years.
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Islamabad, April 9

Pakistans top investigative agency has approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to seek the cancellation of the bail of LeT operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has filed an appeal in the IHC seeking cancellation of the post-arrest bail of Lakhvi.

Hearing the appeal, a division bench of the IHC on Tuesday asked authorities to provide the record of the Mumbai attack case in two weeks.

The record of the case is currently with an Islamabad-based Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) which was holding trial of Lakhavi and other accused arrested in the case.

Seven LeT suspects--Lakhvi, Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jamil Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younis Anjum--are facing charges of abetment to murder, attempted murder, planning and executing the Mumbai attack since 2009.

The ATC on December 18, 2014, granted the post-arrest bail to Lakhvi and set him free. Lakhvi has been living in an undisclosed location since then.

The FIA, in its appeal, argued that it had enough evidence against Lakhavi and his post-arrest bail should be cancelled so that he could be re-arrested and probed.

In the present case, the learned trial judge (of ATC) after the terrorist attack in Islamabad courts (of March 2013) refused to visit Adiala Jail for a long time due to security reasons, the FIA said in its appeal against the ATC judges order, Dawn reported.

Even the prosecutors of this case have been receiving threats through cell phones during the proceedings which were duly conveyed to the authorities concerned. The witnesses are also not secured, and reluctant to depose against the accused persons in the given situation, it added.

The court after hearing the argument from the FIA and Lakhvis lawyer ordered to provide the record of the case in two weeks.

As many as 166 people were killed in the attack carried out by 10 LeT men. Nine of the attackers were killed by police while lone survivor Ajmal Kasab was caught and hanged after he was handed down death sentence by an Indian court.

The Mumbai attack case has entered into the 11th year but none of its suspects in Pakistan has been punished yet. PTI
rchopra@tribunemail.com

New Delhi, April 9

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the CBI to file the case diary and the status report in the investigation carried out in the 2017 SSC exam paper leak case.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said it would take up the matter for hearing on April 11.

The apex court had on April 1 allowed the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) to declare the result of a re-examination of SSC Combined Graduate Level (CGL) 2017 held last year.

It had said the injunction granted on August 31 last year on the declaration of result for SSC CGL, 2017, would not continue on a re-examination conducted on March 9, 2018.

The top court had said that lakhs of unemployed youth had suffered because someone from the organisation was corrupt. PTI
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Chitradurga (Karnataka), April 9

Asserting a strong government at the Centre was imperative for a strong India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the Balakot air strikes have created a fear among the terrorists and those in power in Pakistan were getting nightmares.

Addressing an election rally here, Modi attacked the ruling Congress-JDS combine in Karnataka saying when the whole world stood with India in the aftermath of the airstrikes, the two parties were in tears.

Greeting first time voters across the country, he asked them to vote after thinking, to bring a strong government in the country.

You can dedicate your first votes to brave soldiers who laid down their lives for the country, for getting house to a poor, for free healthcare for poor, for getting water to farmers land. Your first vote should go for getting Mudra loan to someone who may be friend of yours, he added.

He said in this Lok Sabha election, people have to choose not only an MP or prime minister, but a strong government for a strong India.

Only a strong government can take firm decisions for the benefit of the country.

Citing how a strong government functions, Modi referred to the Balakot air strike in response to the Pulwama terror strike that claimed the lives of 40 CRPF jawans in Jammu and Kashmir.

There was a time five years ago, when Pakistans terrorists used to attack us and Pakistan used to threaten us. Our brave soldiers used to seek permission for action, but the government then sat in fear.

This chowkidar (watchman) has changed the situation. Now if there is fear, it is on the other side of the border. People sitting in power there are getting different types of nightmares...terrorists are frightened after Balakot attack, he said.

Devoting a significant part of his speech to national security, he asked the crowd, When we attacked Pakistans terrorists did you like it or not? Are you happy? Did I do right? to which it roared in approval.

When we attacked terrorists it pained Pakistan, but tears could be seen among those in Congress and JD(S), Modi said.

He said the whole world stood with India, but our Mahamilavati dal here (Congress-JDS), was condemning Modi instead of Pakistan.

The chief minister (H D Kumarawamy) here went a step ahead and said the bravery of Indian soldiers should not be spoken, because it will affect their vote bank....

I want to ask the chief minister whether his vote bank is in India or in Pakistan? The chief minister should clarify on this, Modi said.

He said the opposition also made fun of Indias A-SAT (anti-satellite test) Mission Shakti on March 27 that put the country as a space power on par with the United States, Russia and China.

They also made fun of strike in the space, like they did with (Balakot) air strike. Whole world agreed that India has made an achievement relating to space, but in their habit of opposing Modi, they are opposing India, he said.

The prime minister said these people while in power did not have the courage of permitting scientists to conduct missile tests. But now when India conducted space strike, they were the first in raising questions on it, he added.

These people dont respect jawans, nor science. Those who dont care about Indias pride, it is necessary to teach them a lesson, he said.  PTI
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh/Jalandhar, April 8

Amid reports of sulking former Congress MP Mohinder Singh Kaypee being wooed by the BJP after being denied party ticket from the Jalandhar parliamentary seat, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today intervened to mollify the Congress veteran.

Accompanied by Amritsar MLA and Chairman of Punjab Warehousing Corporation Raj Kumar Verka, former PPCC chief Kaypee met the Chief Minister at his Chandigarh residence this evening.

The Chief Minister assured him of looking into his grievance and working towards his suitable adjustment after talking to Congress president Rahul Gandhi, said a senior leader involved in pacifying Kapyee.

Source close to the former PPCC chief said he was on way to Delhi to meet the party high command when he got a call from the Chief Minister to meet him. After meeting the Chief Minister, Kaypee again left for Delhi to meet senior party leaders.

Talking to The Tribune, Kaypee, while denying reports of his joining the BJP, said he would wait for the party decision on the Jalandhar ticket review before making any further move.

I have heard the news (regarding the BJP) but there is no such thing. I have been told that the Jalandhar ticket has been put for review. I am on my way to meet the senior leadership in Delhi. I will talk to the leadership and then see what happens, he added.

While Amritsar (West) MLA Raj kumar Verka, who had met Kaypee on Sunday, had said, the review of the Jalandhar ticket was one of the options that the party was considering. He said the issue would be resolved within the coming three days. The next meeting of the central election committee was on March 11.

Speaking on the wide unrest within the party on no tickets to the Valmiki Mazhabi Sikh community, Verka, who is also the former Vice-Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, had termed it a mistake which caused much angst among the Dalits in the state. He said the party was considering filling the gaps and reviewing the issue.
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 9

Acting on a petition filed by a resident of Hoshiarpur district seeking directions to the Centre to provide information about her husband following phone calls that he had been beheaded in Saudi Arabia, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday asked the authorities concerned at the Centre to inform the family of his whereabouts.

Setting a seven-day deadline, Justice Tejinder Singh Dhindsa asked the Centre to provide all the details to his wife, Seema Rani of Dasuya.

She has contended that her husband was confined at Riyadh prison in Saudi Arabia since 2015-2016, while he was working as a driver. The trial of the case was going on. Till February 21, her husband would talk over phone, but thereafter till date no phone call had been received.

Her counsel said the petitioner and her family received various phone calls from an unidentified person claiming that her husband had been beheaded on February 28 by the jail authorities. Since then, they were running from pillar to post. But the official respondents did not bother to give written assurance that her husband was alive.

It was added that her husband Satwinder Kumar had gone to Saudi Arabia on a valid visa in 2013.
rajivbhatia82@gmail.com

Islamabad, April 9

Pakistan cabinet on Tuesday approved the construction of a railway station at the Sikh holy city of Nankana Sahib in Punjab and decided to name it after the faith's founder Guru Nanak Dev.

Nankana Sahib is the birth place of Guru Nanak Dev, who also first began preaching here. The city has high historic and religious value and a popular pilgrimage site for Sikhs from all over the world.

"The cabinet has approved the construction of a train station at Sikh holy city of Nankana Sahib in Punjab and it will be named after Baba Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism," Fawad Chaudhry, Information Minister, told reporters here.

Last November, India and Pakistan agreed to set up the border crossing linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, the final resting place of Guru Nanak Dev, to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Gurdaspur district.

Kartarpur Sahib is located in Pakistan's Narowal district across the river Ravi, about four km from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine.

Pakistan had said that it would provide land for the construction of a railway station.

The Pakistan cabinet also gave it's nod for the construction of 135,000 apartments for the shelterless and government employees as part of a major election promise by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Khan had pledged to start building 5 million low-priced houses under his pet Naya Pakistan Housing Authority project in the first 100 days of his government. But the project was delayed inviting a lot of criticism from the opposition.

Chaudhry said the cabinet meeting chaired by PM Khan has decided to start the Naya Pakistan Housing Authority project.

Initially 135,000 apartments are being constructed and Prime Minister will inaugurate the project on April 17 in Islamabad where 25,000 units will be built, Chaudhry said.

Another 110,000 apartments will be built in the coastal city Gwadar in Balochistan, which is also hub of economic activities under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the flagship project of Chinese President Xi Jinping's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative.

The Gwadar project will be launched by the prime minister in provincial capital Quetta after April 20. - PTI
gspannu7@gmail.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 9

The Punjab Government on Tuesday handed over the murder probe of drug officer Neha Shoree, who was shot dead at her office in Kharar by an assailant, to the Bureau of Investigation of the state.

The family members of the slain officer had demanded Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh for transferring the probe out of Mohali district when they met him at his official residence.

Acceding to the request, Capt Amarinder entrusted the probe to senior IPS officer Prabodh Kumar, who has over 14 years of experience in working with the CBI on murder cases.

According to an official spokesperson, the chief minister has also asked the chief secretary to enquire into the lapses in the issuance of the revolver license to the accused, Balwinder Singh, by the Ropar district police and the district magistrate.

The chief secretary would also enquire into the subsequent sale of weapon to the accused by a Ropar-based arms dealer.

The chief minister made it clear that nobody would be allowed to interfere or intimidate any public servant in the discharge of their duties, and assured Nehas family of justice.

During the meeting, the family members expressed apprehension that there was a well-planned conspiracy which led to the killing and requested for an in-depth investigation into the matter.

They also raised questions on the alleged suicide by the accused and raised suspicion of his elimination too, in order to cover up a larger conspiracy.

On March 29, Neha Shorie was shot dead by Balwinder Singh with his licensed revolver.

The accused went to the victims office and fired two rounds. Thereafter, he had shot himself after being cornered by people there, while he was trying to flee.
harinder@tribunemail.com

Kulwinder Sandhu

Tribune News Service

Moga, April 8

A fake pesticide scam has come to light in the state, including Moga district.

The Agriculture Departme-nt had seized a few bottles of Fame, a pesticide marketed by Bayer Crop Science Limited, the worlds premier seed and pesticide/insecticide marketing company, and laboratory tests confirmed that the product is spurious.

A show-cause notice has been issued to the regional office of Bayer. Investigation is in progress, said Dr Amarjit Singh, an agro-scientist with the department.

Fame contains a chemical called Flubendiamide, which is the first representative of chemical insecticide class diamides.

Flubendiamide acts on receptors in insect muscles, causing immediate cessation of feeding, and thus avoids crop damage.

It targets American bollworm and spotted bollworm in cotton, rice stem borer, leaf folder in tomato and other crop pests.

Bayer claims that Fame contains 39.35 per cent weight per weight (w/w) Flubendiamide, but the seized bottles contained just 1 per cent w/w of Flubendiamide, making it ineffective.

These 100 ml bottles were seized from one Gurwinder Singh, proprietor, Nambardar Kheti Store, Badduwal (Moga), a few weeks back. The stores licence has been suspended though legal action is yet to be taken.

Meanwhile, Sanjiv Sehgal, regional manager of Bayer, in a written statement to the department, denied that the seized bottles were marketed by his company. He claimed that the batch numbers did not match with their official records.

The stickers pasted on the Fame bottles mentioned that the product was manufactured at Saraswati Agro Chemicals India Private Limited, Dera Bassi, Punjab. The department has also issued a show-cause notice to this company.

Lalit Bansal, Managing Director, Saraswati Agro, said his company manufactures Fame for Bayer and supplies all manufactured lots to it for marketing. It is the responsibility of Bayer to keep a check on fake products being sold on its trade mark. We do not sell this product in the market, he claimed.

It is learnt that the packaging bottles of Fame were manufactured by Saraswati Plastotech India Private Limited, Jammu, a sister concern of Saraswati Agro.

Sukhdev Singh Kokri, general secretary of BKU (Ekta), has demanded that the CBI should register a criminal case against all those involved.

In 2015-16, a similar case of fake pesticides had rocked Punjab, damaging thousands of hectares of cotton crop in the Malwa belt.
amansharma@tribunemail.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 9

Agitated over what Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh termed a biased order, the Punjab government has decided to approach the Election Commission of India seeking a review of its decision to transfer IG Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh.

The Chief Minister had found the EC order, issued in response to a complaint by an Akali Dal leader, to be tantamount to being direct interference in the investigations into the Bargari firing incident and had decided to ask the Election Commission to reconsider the matter in the interest of justice and Constitutional propriety.

The Akalis had been trying unsuccessfully to scuttle the investigations into the sacrilege and subsequent firing cases that took place during their tenure, and were now resorting to desperate measures to save their skin, said Capt Amarinder.

The CM said the entire premise of the EC order was based on a flimsy complaint, which actually amounted to admission of guilt by the complainant. It was obvious the complainant was running scared at the thought of exposure by the SIT, and had taken refuge in the SAD alliance with the BJP, he added.

According to an official spokesperson, Capt Amarinder Singh was of the strong opinion that the EC was acting in a highly-biased manner at the behest of the ruling BJP, which was indulging in all kinds of cheap tactics, including witch-hunts and interference in state affairs, in a desperate bid to save itself and its allies. Cognizant of the pathetic position of the SAD in Punjab, where the party was facing another ignominious defeat, the BJP was trying to save it at any cost, according to the Chief Minister.

The brazen nexus between the BJP-SAD and ECI was manifest in the latters spate of recent orders and directives that were clearly skewed against the Congress, particularly in the states ruled by it, said the Chief Minister, lamenting the demolition of all the major Constitutional and democratic institutions in the country by the ruling party at the Centre.

His governments sole intention in setting up the SIT, of which the IG was a key member and instrumental in the SITs aggressive investigations, was to bring the culprits to book and take the probe in the 2015 case to its logical conclusion, said Captain Amarinder. The SIT, he pointed out, had been carrying out its investigations as per the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, on a civil writ petition (23285/18) and their report was placed before the HC, which had reposed full faith in the investigations and had declined to monitor the same, he pointed out.

In fact, the High Court had, vide order dated January 25, 2019, had even declined to transfer the probe to the CBI as the SIT had conducted investigations into four criminal cases in a fair, impartial, independent and professional manner, without being influenced by any extraneous considerations, the Chief Minister noted.

Further, said the Chief Minister, the investigations undertaken by the SIT were of the nature of a statutory requirement under the CrPC, in which even courts do not interfere. The EC was simply not authorised to interfere in such a matter, he added.

The Akalis wanted to prevent him and his government, by hook or by crook, from bringing justice to the innocent victims of the 101 cases of sacrilege that had occurred in the state between 2015 and March 2017, said Captain Amarinder. The Chief Minister said he was personally committed to ensuring that justice is delivered to the families of the two dead victims and 17 others injured, including two maimed for life.

The CM warned the BJP and the Akalis against exploiting important institutions like the Election Commission and the defence forces to pursue its political and electoral agenda. Destruction of these independent institutions would be highly detrimental to the interests of the country and people would not forgive the ruling party for such indulging in such vicious acts, he added.

Captain Amarinder also urged the Election Commission not to allow its integrity to be compromised in such manner by the political vested interests of the ruling BJP and its allies, including SAD. People have faith in the EC institution but such actions are bound to destroy their trust, he added.
amansharma@tribunemail.com

Chandigarh, April 9

Senior AAP leader and MLA Aman Arora has been appointed as chairman of the partys campaign committee in Punjab for the Lok Sabha polls.

A unanimous decision to appoint Arora as chief of AAPs campaign committee was taken at a meeting of Punjab units core committee in Delhi, a party release issued here said Tuesday.

Aam Aadmi Partys Punjab unit chief and Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann said the huge responsibility was given to Arora due to his political acumen and experience in state politics.

Mann said the meeting of the core committee was held at the residence of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and in-charge of partys Punjab affairs Manish Sisodia.

Arora, who is a legislator from Sunam, expressed gratitude to the party for reposing faith in him.  PTI
editorial@tribune.com

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, April 8

Facing over half a dozen criminal cases, gangster Kanwar Randeep Singh SK, who had joined the Congress last week in the presence of Preneet Kaur, was today shunted out following a report on The Tribune web portal.

Insiders in the Congress said their leader who had been in touch with the gangster for the past few months was instrumental in making him join the party. On Saturday he was made to join the Congress and support Preneet Kaur by Sanaur Congress leaders without Preneet being briefed about his criminal antecedents, they said.

As per police records, SK was arrested in 2016 along with gangsters Gurpreet Singh Gopi, Surinder Singh Manga, Gurcharan Singh, Jatinder Singh and Amrik Singh.The gang leaders, including Gurpreet Singh Gopi, had attacked a Jail Superintendent and escaped from the jail. They face over 30 criminal cases and carried Rs 50,000 award for firing at a student leader inside Panjab University to get the elections cancelled, said the police.

On Saturday, Kanwar Randeep Singh SK, who claimed to be president of the Panjab University Students Union (PUSU), joined the Congress following recommendation of Harinderpal Singh Harry Mann, in the presence of Congress Patiala candidate Preneet Kaur. The decision of his joining created fissures within the Congress cadre after his criminal past was ignored by the party leadership.

Our party has zero tolerance for criminals getting into politics through nefarious ways. The gangster in question had joined the party after recommendation by Harinderpal Singh Harry Mann as part of a group of some 1,500 university students, said Preneet Kaur.

Preneet said the gangster had evidently found an easy way to foray into politics by projecting himself as a student and political activist.

Meanwhile, former Cabinet minister Bikram Majithia said the Congress was hell bent to win the polls by hook or crook. Randeep is out on bail in a case where he helped another gangster escape from police custody in Ropar. The Congress needs self-introspection, he stated.

Cases against SK
editorial@tribune.com

Bathinda: Punjabi Ekta Party (PEP) president Sukhpal Singh Khaira, referring to the Khanna police raid on Father Anthonys house in Jalandhar in which nearly Rs 7 crore went missing, blamed DGP Dinkar Gupta for the conspiracy. He said on March 27, the DGP had transferred three cops to Khanna and later they conducted the raid without informing anyone. Khaira said he would lodge a complaint with the Election Commission. TNS

CEO seeks info on illegal mining in Ropar

Chandigarh: State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) S Karuna Raju on Monday passed a speaking order, seeking details of illegal mining in Ropar from the office of the secretary (mining). The communication comes after an unsatisfactory answer that came from the department on a complaint by RTI activist Dinesh Chadha. The main issue in the complaint was black money being collected by goons of political parties, he said. TNS

Rahul no match for Modi, claims Majithia

Fatehgarh Sahib: Senior SAD leader Bikram Majithia on Monday claimed that Rahul Gandhi was no match to PM Narendra Modi and apprehending defeat in Amethi, he filed papers from Wayanad in Kerla also. He alleged that his action had demoralised the Congress cadre. Majithia was addressing media after a rally of the Youth Akali Dal at Amloh in favour of Darbara Singh Guru. OC

Disgruntled Congress leaders to meet today

Sangrur: To intensify their campaign against the Congress for ignoring Mazhabi Sikhs and Balmikis in ticket distribution, leaders of both the communities have called a state-level meeting here on Tuesday to announce their future course of action. We have called a meeting in Sangrur to take a call on the matter, said Darshan Singh Kangra, state president of the Dalit Welfare Sanghthan, Punjab. TNS
sanjiv@tribunemail.com

SO the Satyagraha Campaign has begun in right earnest. Here is an Associated Press telegram from Bombay, dated April 7:The Satyagraha Committee have advised that for the time being laws regarding prohibited literature and the registration of newspapers may be civilly disobeyed. A number of copies of Hindu Swarajya, the Saravodya of Universal Dawn, The story of a Satyagrahi, all by Mr. M.K. Gandhi and the Life and address of Mustafa Kamel Pasha were hawked about for sale this evening and found some ready buyers. The hawkers were all prominent Satyagrahis, among whom were Mr. Gandhi, Mrs. Naidu, Mr. Sohani, Mr. Lakhimidas Tairsee and others. All the books sold contained the signature of the hawker. A number of unregistered newspapers mostly resembling ordinary posters and leaflets, both in print and hand-writing in Gujarati, were also sold. Mr. Gandhi, the President and the Secretary of the Satyagraha Sabha have issued a long notice to regulate the sale.
ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

London, April 8

Britain will make social media bosses personally liable for harmful content and shut down offending platforms under a government action plan published Monday the first of its kind anywhere.

The long-delayed and eagerly anticipated proposals lay the groundwork for legislation that could be passed in the coming months. They were drawn up after consultations with social media moguls such as Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg and have faced little resistance from other platforms that have also been blamed for allowing the spread of hate and abuse. Some of the proposals have sparked concerns from free speech groups.

What were proposing today is that companies that deal with user-generated content should take greater responsibility for keeping those users safe, culture and media minister Jeremy Wright told the BBC radio.

These are world-leading proposals. No one in the world has done this before. The proposed regulations will see social media companies accept duty of care obligations that require them to identify and remove online harms. Those that fail will be first issued warnings and then hit progressively with more punitive sanctions. The government paper suggests that these include the creation of new liability (civil fines or extended to criminal liability) for individual senior managers. The most serious will see internet service providers block non-compliant websites and apps.

This will only be considered as an option of last resort and deploying such an option will be a decision for the independent regulator alone, the plan says. The regulations will only apply in Britain and should have no immediate impact on users elsewhere in the world. But they may prompt other governments to take notice and follow suit.

Wright suggested the fines would be substantial. He noted that those available to European Union authorities implementing the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules on data privacy reached up to four percent of a companys turnover. We think we should be looking at something comparable here, Wright told the BBC television. Wrights office is navigating a minefield of problems regulating an industry that largely functions outside the bounds of existing legislation  and whose harms are open to interpretation and remain undefined. A joint letter sent by media executives to the British government in February stressed that legislation must be technically possible to implement in practise... (and) be targeted at specific harms.

The government paper lists both harms with a clear legal definition and harms with a less clear legal definition.

The first include terrorist activity and a range of cyber-stalking and hate crimes.

The second lists disinformation and violent content as a whole.

What types of harm fall where would be established by a new regulator whose enforcement powers would be funded by the social media companies themselves. The social media boom was born in the spirit of a libertarian Silicon Valley ethos of innovation and non-interference from government. But the industry is now facing a litany of dangers that range from the spread of state propaganda to promotion of teen suicide and  most graphically last month  the live broadcast of the slaying of 50 Muslim worshippers in New Zealand. The techUK industry lobby group admitted on Monday that platforms attempts at self-regulation have fallen short.  AFP
ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

JERUSALEM, April 8

Israelis vote in a parliamentary election on Tuesday, choosing among party lists of candidates to serve in the 120-seat Knesset) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to energise supporters on the eve of Tuesdays elections with warnings and controversial promises, while his centrist challenger urged voters to tell the premier the country has had enough.

The general election in which Netanyahu is seeking to extend his already 13 years in office despite corruption allegations against him is expected to be close, with ex-military chief Benny Gantz posing a serious threat.

They spent the campaigns final hours exhorting voters with two different strategies: Netanyahu repeatedly warned that his Likud was at risk of losing, while Gantz made the case that Israel was on the verge of historic change.

The truth was more complicated, with opinion polls giving Netanyahus Likud and Gantzs Blue and White a similar number of seats .

Under those polls, both would fall far short of an outright majority and would need to pull together a coalition.

If polling trends hold, Netanyahu would be best placed to do so thanks to smaller right-wing parties allied to him. There have however been repeated warnings of the unreliability of polls in the past and the fact that many voters say they remain undecided.

Netanyahus claims that Likud may lose were widely seen as a way to ensure his base of supporters turn out to vote. Netanyahu has made last-minute appeals to the right, issuing a deeply controversial pledge to annex settlements in the occupied West Bank.

No party has won a majority of seats since Israels first election in 1949. Reuters

What are the unexpected factors to watch?

A far-right politician, Moshe Feiglin, has been drawing unexpectedly strong support, opinion polls show, with a libertarian platform advocating the legalisation of marijuana, free market policies and annexation of the occupied West Bank.

He could be a kingmaker

In Israeli politics, a unity government can never be ruled out if the path to a right- or centre-left-led coalition proves difficult - even though Gantz has pledged not to serve with Netanyahu, citing corruption allegations against the Likud party leader, who has denied those accusations.what happens after elections close?

Israels major television stations and news websites issue exit polls when voting ends at 10 p.m. (1900 GMT) on Tuesday, estimating how many parliamentary seats each party has won, and then the coalition calculations begin.z

what happens after elections close?

Israels major television stations and news websites issue exit polls when voting ends at 10 p.m. (1900 GMT) on Tuesday, estimating how many parliamentary seats each party has won, and then the coalition calculations begin.

Whos ahead in opinion polls?

Final polls in the campaign, on Friday, showed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had fallen behind his main challenger, centrist Benny Gantz, but still has an easier path to form a government that will keep him in power for a record fifth term.

How does coalition-building work?

Israels president Reuven Rivlin consults the leaders of every party represented in parliament as to their preference for the prime minister, and then chooses the legislator who he believes has the best chance of putting together a coalition. The nominee has up to 42 days to form a government before the president asks another politician to try.

What sort of coalition could be formed?

Netanyahu will likely seek a coalition, similar to his current government, with ultranationalist and Jewish Orthodox parties. Gantz, who heads the centrist Blue and White Party, will likely win the support of centre-left and left-wing parties, but polls predict he will fall short of a governing majority in parliament.
ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

WASHINGTON, April 8

US Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who oversaw President Donald Trumps bitterly contested immigration policies during her tumultuous 16-month tenure, resigned on Sunday amid a surge in the number of migrants at the border with Mexico.

A senior administration official said Trump asked for Nielsens resignation and she gave it. Trump, who has recently expressed growing anger about the situation at the border, said on Twitter: Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen will be leaving her position, and I would like to thank her for her service. In another tweet, Trump said Kevin McAleenan, the current US Customs and Border Protection commissioner, would become acting DHS secretary.  Reuters

Secret Service director fired

President Donald Trump is removing the director of the US Secret Service, the agency that provides protection for him and other top US officials, the White House said on Monday. The dismissal of Secret Service Director Randolph Tex Alles comes amid major leadership changes at the sprawling Department of Homeland Security.
Government has launched its first deep water bid round since 2014 to advance exploration for energy resources.

But it comes at a time when the latest audit of the countrys natural gas reserves shows a small decline in recoverable resources.
Watson Dukes offer of a resignation to the Public Services Association does not purge him or Tobago House of Assembly Chief Secretary Farley Augustine and their camp of the difficulties they are in, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi said yesterday.

He was commenting on reports that Duke, in a letter dated December 13, offered his resignation for acceptance by the Conference of Delegates to be effective from December 31, 2021.
Stanford Callender cannot, by any stretch of the imagination, be properly accused of running away, of leaving his party in the lurch.

After decades of dedicated service and of principled positions, he took a decision to make room for others to address the rebuilding of the political machinery, the first word in whose description is great.
TROY, N.Y.  In conjunction with National Crime Victims Rights Week, District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly hosted the 2019 Rensselaer County DWI Memorial Ceremony Tuesday at the Rensselaer County DWI Memorial site.

Donnelly was joined by officials, including Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin and Troy Mayor Patrick Madden. In addition to numerous officials and emergency first responders on hand, were victims families, as well as the Rensselaer High School chorus, which sang the National Anthem and songs to honor the victims.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), every day nearly 30 people die in drunk-driving crashes or one person every 48 minutes. The latest data from 2017 shows 10,874 people were killed in alcohol-related crashed and more than an average of 10,000 people were killed every year in drunk-driving crashes from a 10-year period spanning from 2006-2016.

It is my privilege and I am totally honored to host the 2019 DWI remembrance ceremony. We are here to remember your loved ones and to remember the past and also to look forward to the future. I promise you that so long as I remain in this chair, there will continue to be proper energy and respect put forth for this monument, Donnelly remarked to those in attendance.

Donnelly emphasized the importance of people having a plan of how to responsibly get home if they choose to drink.

Whats also important that we take away from today is that we remember the decisions that were made that resulted in the passing of our loved ones that are inscribed in this wall, Donnelly said. I hope that going forward that we can take this message to our community that decisions need to be made before you head out for a night of drinking.

Now we have Uber available, designated drivers, and if you absolutely have to get home and you dont have an alternative, please dont drink and drive.

No one can self-monitor their sobriety, Donnelly added. As a judge so often I would see the defendants come before me and the shame on their faces knowing what they had done, no one goes out with that intention.

So, Im proud to have a lot of community leaders here today to take this message out into the county, so that while we try to curb drinking and driving perhaps one day we can eliminate DWI fatalities.

This is a solemn ceremony but also a ceremony filled with hope. Solemn in that we remember those that are gone tragically too soon and we remember them and all that they left behind and we pray with their families. Also, its hopeful as we look ahead and never ever want to add another name to this memorial, McLaughlin noted of those lives taken far too soon.

According to a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health study conducted in 2014, traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for teens, with approximately one-third of them stemming from crashes involving alcohol or another substance.

Plus, a 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said during a 30-year span among high school students, 30 percent drank some alcohol, 14 percent binge drank, six percent drove after drinking alcohol and 17 percent rode with a driver who had been drinking alcohol.

With prom season approaching, McLaughlin touted the countys Stop DWI van to raise awareness, along with an impaired driving simulator to show the effects of drunk driving and distracted driving to drive the message home.

McLaughlin also echoed Donnellys sentiments on having a plan to get home, including ridesharing.

With Uber and Lyft theres really no excuse anymore for this behavior, McLaughlin said.

Madden also spoke to honor those victims and their families.

Each year we gather here to remember the members of our community whose lives have tragically been cut short by the hands of those who thoughtlessly got behind the wheel drunk. The names listed on the memorial are much more than unfortunate examples of lives that were tragically and needlessly ended. They represent mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, husbands, and wives, families lives altered permanently by the thoughtless decisions of others, voices that can no longer be heard, Madden said of making sure those lives are remembered.

According to the CDC excessive alcohol use led to around 88,000 deaths each year in the United States from 2006-2010. One could argue those staggering figures are one signifying the need for a cultural shift. Madden additionally noted the need to change attitudes and raise awareness of the problem of drunken-driving in our society.

We stand here to remember those tragic incidents not only with sadness but with strength and determination, a determination to change attitudes to raise awareness and to continue to focus on deterrence efforts which can and are having a real impact. We must collectively work together to educate to change attitudes and renew our focus on efforts to prevent tragic outcomes which result in the needless loss of lives, Madden said.

The thoughts of this entire community are with you, Madden added of those victims families and their strength as advocates for creating a dialogue and centered around ultimately ending drunken-driving.
SCHENECTADY, N.Y.  At Schenectadys Social Enterprise and Training (SEAT) Center, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer launched a major effort to reverse the Trump administrations proposed devastating cuts to the Department of Labors (DOL) YouthBuild program.

YouthBuild is a career-training program in the Capital Region and other parts of New York State that helps at-risk youth from ages 16 to 24 develop trade skills and knowledge to gain industry-recognized job credentials, apprenticeships and employment.

In addition to the successful Schenectady program, Schumer also pointed to a recent grant to the Troy program, which is run by the Commission on Economic Opportunity (CEO) for the Greater Capital Region, and which uses the SEAT Center to train the students. Together, the Schenectady and Troy programs have helped over 1,000 students gain workforce training in the construction trades, emergency medical technology and culinary services.

Therefore, Schumer called on the administration to reverse course and eliminate the 6 percent cut to YouthBuild and launched a major effort to maintain funding for the program in the appropriations process, to ensure Capital Region youth have access to the tools needed to get and retain good-paying jobs.

YouthBuild has been a vital lifeline for over 1,000 at-risk young adults in the Capital Region, helping them to learn the trade skills necessary to get and keep good-paying jobs. With such a proven track record of success, YouthBuild is exactly the type of program that the federal government should be boosting funding for, not slashing, Schumer said.

Thats why [Monday] Im urging the administration to reverse course and eliminate the proposed cuts to YouthBuild, and if they dont listen, vowing to fight with everything Ive got to maintain funding for the program during the appropriations process. You dont need to be a youth counselor to know that giving at-risk youth the tools they need to have long and prosperous careers is a thing worth doing-and YouthBuild does just that, Schumer added.

Schumer explained that last year, he fought to secure over $89.5 million for the federal YouthBuild program in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill. However, according to Schumer, the administrations FY 2020 budget proposal slashed funding for YouthBuild by 6 percent, or $5 million. Additionally, even with the $89 million in federal funding for FY 2019, YouthBuild was still only able to fund 40 percent of the eligible project applications it received.

Schumer said that this illuminates the fact that YouthBuilds funding should, at the bare minimum, be kept even with FY 2019 levels, and not further reduced.

Therefore, Schumer called on his colleagues in Congress to maintain funding for the essential job-boosting program in the FY 2020 appropriations process.

Currently, there are two YouthBuild programs operating in the Capital Regionin Schenectady and in Troy. Schumer noted that Troys YouthBuild program, which is run by CEO for the Greater Capital Region and has been operating for 21 years, received $1.1 million in federal funding from the DOL in February of this year. Schumer explained that the CEO for the Greater Capital Region YouthBuild program partners with the SEAT center in Schenectady, who will be using the $1.1 million in federal funding to foster construction-related skills in at-risk youth in the region. Schumer said that in total, the CEO for the Greater Capital Region YouthBuild program has served roughly 750 students.

Schumer explained that in total, the Troy and Schenectady YouthBuild programs have served over 1,100 students and young adults, helping to prepare them for successful careers by fostering the technical skills needed to acquire and retain good-paying jobs. However, Schumer said, should the administrations 6 percent cuts to the federal YouthBuild program be signed into law, funding for the two Capital Region YouthBuild programs could be jeopardized, stripping local young adults of critical resources and training.

Schumer said to ensure the Troy and Schenectady YouthBuild programs continue receiving requisite funding to prepare Capital Region youth for the future, he would do everything possible to secure funding for the federal YouthBuild in the appropriations process.

YouthBuild is a job training program under the federal DOL that helps at-risk youth complete high school or state equivalency degree programs, earn industry-recognized certifications for in-demand jobs, and undergo training to build housing for low-income or homeless individuals and families in their communities. YouthBuild began 40 years ago in East Harlem, and since then, the program has grown into a network of approximately 260 locations nationwide and 147 active urban and rural YouthBuild grants.
When President Trump shut down the government in an attempt to force Congress to fund a border wall, Democrats and liberal journalists  including many mainstream reporters  responded by insisting there was no crisis.

Im from the border, theres no crisis there, Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas told Politico. There is no crisis on the border, Representative Jerrold Nadler of New York declared. There is no crisis at our nations border, wrote the Washington Posts E. J. Dionne.

Later, when the president issued an emergency declaration to do an end run around Congress on wall funding, the no crisis chorus sounded again. House speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate minority leader Charles Schumer released a joint statement that read, in part: The Presidents unlawful declaration over a crisis that does not exist does great violence to our Constitution and makes America less safe, stealing from urgently needed defense funds for the security of our military and our nation.

They were all wrong. Of course we have a border crisis. Its just not the one Trump keeps ranting about.

To listen to Trump, the border crisis is a national-security catastrophe. Its like he found an old VHS copy of Chuck Norriss 1985 classic Invasion USA, in which drug-peddling guerrillas swarm into Florida from the south and wage a bloody assault on suburban America (blowing up a lot of nice houses in the process).

Were talking about an invasion of our country with drugs, with human traffickers, with all types of criminals and gangs, Trump explained upon signing the emergency declaration.

From the day he announced his candidacy on June 16, 2015, Trump has tried to fold his immigration agenda into both his American carnage and national-security narratives. When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best. . . . Theyre sending people that have lots of problems. . . . Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.

While its true that criminals and drug traffickers exploit holes in our border security, the picture Trump paints doesnt line up with the reality of the very real crisis we are facing.

First, according to the Center for Migration Studies, in 2016 and 2017, 62 percent of the newly undocumented had overstayed their visas, and 38 percent had crossed the border illegally. CMS reports that visa overstays have significantly exceeded illegal border crossings for seven consecutive years.

More to the point, the immigrants swarming the border arent primarily Mexican anymore, but Central American. They arent single Mexican men looking for work but rather families, often with a dismayingly large number of children in tow. Theyre bringing kids to take advantage of asylum laws. And because they are requesting asylum, they arent trying to sneak in; theyre seeking out border officials to file paperwork.

By definition, a wall would not stop any of that.

Last week, U.S. officials announced that the border system is at a breaking point because of an unprecedented wave of migrants, most of whom are families or unaccompanied children. Customs and Border Protection commissioner Kevin McAleenan anticipates the final number to be some 40,000 children to be taken into custody by the CBP in March. And, as the Los Angeles Times reported, a shortage of facilities has led to families being held in makeshift camps, including under a Texas bridge.

A major driver of this very real crisis is the Flores agreement, which came out of a two-decades-old court case. It makes it hard to hold children in detention for more than 20 days, which in turn means they must be released. Releasing the kids without the parents is problematic for obvious reasons, so the parents often get released too. Traffickers and the poor Central Americans they prey upon know this, which is why their numbers keep increasing  as they did under President Obama as well.

Solutions, or at least partial remedies, would surely include reforming the asylum system and spending on new construction, not of a wall but of more and better detention facilities.

But thats a lot to ask because this mess is a perfect illustration of our political dysfunction. Democrats have two incentives to downplay both the existence and nature of the crisis. The first is a longstanding reluctance to enforce immigration laws, for both political and ideological reasons. The second is they hate Trump and dont want to lend credibility to any crisis talk, lest they empower Trump to declare a victory of any kind.

Meanwhile, the president and his party are fixated with solving a different crisis from the one we actually face.

Jonah Goldberg holds the Asness Chair in Applied Liberty at the American Enterprise Institute and is a senior editor of National Review.
- The aircraft, Boeing 787 Dreamliner, was en-route to Johannesburg, South Africa, from Nairobi

- It was, however, forced to land in Dar es Salaam when one of its engines burst into flame mid-air

- The pilots shut down the engine and safely landed the plane, saving lives of 152 people in total

- The national carrier initially indicated the emergence landing was as a result of mechanical problems

- Internal probe revealed airline's operations control centre allegedly did not provide necessary assistant during the emergency situation

Fresh details have emerged after a Kenya Airways (KQ) plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, when one of its engines burst into flames.

The plane which had 142 passengers and 10 crew members en-route to Johannesburg, South Africa, from Nairobi, Kenya, managed to land safely, thus averting a potential disaster, but concerns have been raised on how KQ handled the emergency situation.

READ ALSO: Operations resume at JKIAs Terminal 1C following night fire

Kenya Airways' Boeing 787 Dreamliner en-route to South Africa from Kenya was on February 12, 2019, forced to make an emergency landing in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Photo: KQ.

Source: Depositphotos

READ ALSO: Uchambuzi wa magazeti Aprili 8: Marubani wa ndege ya Ethiopian Airlines walifanya kila nia kuiiokoa

In a report by the Daily Nation, internal investigation into the terrifying incident which took place on February 12, 2019, revealed there was laxity at the airline's operations control centre.

According to the report published on Tuesday, April 9, the national carrier's operations control centre failed to provide the necessary assistance to the crew on board during the emergency.

READ ALSO: KDF takes over operations at JKIA amid standoff between govt and aviation workers

It was alleged the duty manager at the control centre who was expected to assist those on board the Boeing 787 Dreamliner did not have a flight plan for the plane.

The said manager then reportedly proceeded to advise the pilots to return to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) without prior knowledge on the exact location of the plane.

READ ALSO: JKIA's takeover under probe after it emerged Kenyatta family-owned CBA's boss is also KAA's chair

The airline had previously indicated the plane simply developed a mechanical problem mid-air and that a team of engineers was dispatched to Dar es Salaam to assess the situation.

The engineers reportedly found the plane had developed a problem on one of its engines, and that the issue was fixed and the aircraft cleared to fly again.

READ ALSO: Kenya Aviation Workers Union boss arrested

Responding to queries regarding the February 12 incident, KQ's CEO Sabastian Mikosz was quoted saying the engineers were able to establish what led to the emergency landing and recommended that the affected engine be replaced.

The airline initially appeared to downplay the magnitude of the incident, but the internal probe revealed the engine actually caught fire, and that was what forced the crew to make an emergency landing in Dar es Salaam after shutting down the engine.

The report indicated the Boeing 787 Dreamliner had hours earlier landed at JKIA from New York before departing for South Africa.

READ ALSO: JKIA's takeover under probe after it emerged Kenyatta family-owned CBA's boss is also KAA's chair

The flag carrier, however, denied there was laxity at its operations control centre and that it the duty manager failed to provide assistance.

I a statement issued on Tuesday afternoon, the airline termed as malicious misrepresentation of facts claims that KQ staff were oblivious of their roles during the Dar es Salaam incident.

"KQ would like to clarify that this incident was not caused or exacerbated by any operational laxity...The communication between the pilots, operations control (duty manager) and Air Traffic Control during the flight was normal and the emergency call made was responded to with priority landing given," the airline noted.

It further dismissed as false allegations that the staff on duty did not have a flight plan and therefore did not know the exact location of the flight.

"Operations Control had the position of the aircraft at all time on our system and a copy of the flight plan was left in ground in Nairobi as required by law," KQ clarified.

Do you have a life-changing story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Inside Africa's largest airline-The Ethiopian Airlines - On Tuko TV

Source: Tuko Breaking News Latest
- The deputy president said the decision was good for the future of Wajir

- Ruto said the move by the candidate to withdraw was personal and had nothing to do with his ODM party

- The Orange party had indicated the decision was reached after consultations with Jubilee party

Deputy President William Ruto has welcomed move by the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) candidate Mohamed Yusuf to withdraw from the Wajir West by-election which is slated for Tuesday, April 25.

Ruto who hosted a section of leaders from Wajir county including Yusuf and his Jubilee counterpart Mohamed Kolosh said the decision was good for the unity and future of the region.

READ ALSO: ODM MP dares Aisha Jumwa to resign from party, defend her seat in by-election

William Ruto congratulates ODM candidate for withdrawing from Wajir West by-election.Photo/ William Ruto/Facebook Source:UGC

Source: Twitter

READ ALSO: ODM withdraws from Wajir West mini poll days after heavy defeats in Embakasi South, Ugenya

In a tweet seen by TUKO.co.ke on Tuesday, April 9, the DP said Yusuf had demonstrated that he was a selfless leader and had chosen unity over divisive politics.

"Mohamed Yusuf's decision to withdraw his candidature from the Wajir West mini poll is a bold move that defines him as a selfless leader," he said in a tweet.

While ODM claimed it had withdrawn from the race after consulting with Jubilee, Ruto noted the decision by the candidate was personal and had nothing to do with external forces.

"He has subordinated personal interest to that of his people to defeat divisive politics and champion unity, development and better lives,"tweeted Ruto

Junet Mohamed, the Orange party director of elections, had indicated the move was in response to Jubilee having withdrawn from the Ugenya, Migori and Embakasi South by-elections in favour of ODM candidates.

READ ALSO: UoN students' association first female chair claims she spent KSh 2 million on campaigns

Do you have an inspirational story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Follow us on Telegram: Tuko news

Kenyans insist 'Huduma Namba' is Satanic I Tuko TV

Source: Kenyan Breaking News
- Uhuru was received by Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnaut

- The Kenyan head of state later paid a courtesy call to Acting President Paramasivum Pillay Vyapoory

- The visit is aimed at boosting the economic, cultural and social ties between the two nations

- Uhuru was accompanied by CS Monica Juma and George Magoha among other government officials

President Uhuru Kenyatta has arrived in Mauritius for a four-day state visit aimed at strengthening economic and cultural ties between the two countries.

The plane carrying the Head of State touched down at the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport shortly before 7pm on Tuesday, April 9.

READ ALSO: William Ruto congratulates ODM candidate for withdrawing from Wajir West by-election

READ ALSO: No passport for Kenyans who fail to acquire Huduma Namba - Immigration PS Kihalangwa

According to Presidential Strategic Communication Unit (PSCU), Uhuru was received by Prime Minister Pravind Jugnaut, inspected a guard of honour followed by a 21-gun salute before proceeding to pay a courtesy call to the country's acting president, Paramasivum Pillay Vyapoory.

"President Kenyattas visit to Mauritius is largely aimed at boosting the economic, cultural and social ties between the two nation,"stated PSCU

During the four-days visit, Uhuru will attend a business forum between the Mauritius Economic Development Board in collaboration with the Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) and the Kenya Investment Authority.

READ ALSO: Mbunge Otiende Amollo amtaka Aisha Jumwa kujiuzulu rasmi kutoka ODM

The Head of State will also use the visit to showcase Kenya's investment opportunities and viable market for trade and prosperity.

Uhuru was accompanied by Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma and his Education counterpart George Magoha among other government officials.

Do you have an inspirational story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Follow us on Telegram: Tuko news

President Uhuru Kenyatta insists the handshake is there to stay I Tuko TV

Source: Tuko.co.ke
Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo eyes the ball during a training session on the eve of the first quarterfinal match against Ajax, in Turin, Italy, April 9, 2019. (Alessandro Di Marco/ANSA via AP)
The Arcade Innovation Hub LLC, a dynamic joint venture of the University of Dayton and The Entrepreneurs Center, has committed to a 10-year lease as anchor tenant for the downtown Arcade, bringing hundreds of UD faculty, staff and students, comprehensive entrepreneurial support services and thousands of square feet of working space for local startups to the massive redevelopment project.

"We are proud to partner with The Entrepreneurs Center to deepen our commitment to the Dayton community as an anchor tenant of this historic and important downtown space," said UD President Eric F. Spina. "Our innovation hub will fuel economic growth and spark creativity by enabling students, faculty and staff from across campus, including engineers, artists and business majors, to work alongside local entrepreneurs. As a Marianist university, we believe in community and we know this project will make the Dayton community stronger and enhance the quality and impact of UDs educational offerings. The Arcade Innovation Hub gives us the opportunity to be an essential part of the city and for the city to be part of us."

Small businesses, startups, and entrepreneurial thinkers from all corners of the region will be able to take advantage of working space in the 95,000-square-foot innovation hub through co-share membership, giving them access to anything from open desks to private offices along with meeting rooms, conference areas, high-speed internet and other amenities.

"We are thrilled to formalize our longstanding partnership with UD. Together, we share the vision of reinvigorating this historic space to offer one of the unique environments in the country," TEC President Scott Koorndyk added. "Over the last few years, weve seen incredible synergies between Dayton-region startups and UD students, faculty and staff from across almost every discipline. The innovation hub builds on that foundation, and will give students unparalleled opportunities for real-world, hands-on experience. It will also give our local companies access to the energy and insight of these talented Flyers."

Spina said while the investment will help the urban core, the driving force for the University is to create a space for cutting-edge academic programs that will foster the creative mindset and entrepreneurial skills today's students want and employers seek.

Hundreds of students from UD's entrepreneurship, engineering, applied creativity, and art and design programs will engage in the space. UD will locate its L. William Crotty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership in the hub, along with studios for painting, printmaking, photo and graphic design; a makerspace area; gallery space; a new venture from Flyer Enterprises, the fourth-largest student-run business in the country; and the University's GEMnasium, where faculty, students and community members can work across disciplines to address important challenges in the community, such as the opioid crisis and food insecurity.

TEC will use the hub as its central location, and from there will provide comprehensive business and commercialization support services to entrepreneurs, startups and early stage companies from across the region. In addition to support for technology companies, TEC will locate its Small Business Development Center in the hub, providing access to support for entrepreneurs of all types. Additionally, as part of the community benefit plan, UD and TEC will host programming in the community, including the University's Flyer Pitch competition, one of the largest business plan competitions at the collegiate level; Dayton Arcade Entrepreneur Academy; summer internships; and opportunities to participate in other competitions and TEC and UD entrepreneurship programs.

"The energy generated by the Arcade Innovation Hub will be a game changer for downtown and the regional economy, creating new jobs and businesses," Bill Struever, principal, managing partner and CEO of Cross Street Partners said. "We are particularly excited by TEC and UD's deep commitment to make the Hub a focal point for maximizing education, workforce and entrepreneurship opportunities for the broader Dayton community. This embrace of Dayton's diverse array of neighborhoods resurrects the Arcades important historic role in the life of the city."

Through the partnership, UD and TEC plan to invest more than $10 million over 10 years to cover rents, operating expenses, upfront costs for furnishing and equipping the space, and other equity support for the project at closing. The partnership expects income from sub-tenants and hub members to offset some of its investment.

"If not for this long-term investment, the Arcade project would not have happened; we greatly appreciate their support and partnership," said Shelley Dickstein, Dayton city manager. "We are excited to see both the University of Dayton and The Entrepreneurs Center deepen their commitment to our community through this agreement. As anchor tenants, both will enable the Arcade to be reimagined as a hub of innovation for entrepreneurs, higher education, and arts and cultural organizations, which will catalyze economic activity in Dayton for years to come."

Bruce Katz, a leading international expert and advisor on urban policy and redevelopment, has high praise for the project as well.



"The historic Arcade project in Dayton, Ohio, may be the most transformative project in the United States today," Katz said. "The Arcade has the potential to spur a dramatic revitalization of the core of the city through its distinctive combination of strategic location, shared investment, historic legacy, civic pride and innovative concept."
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been the UEFA Champions League's two most dominant players for over a decade; UEFA.com breaks down their goals in the competition and assessed their #UCLfantasy potential as we reach the competition's business end.

Play #UCLfantasy now!

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GOALS BY SEASON

Messi and Ronaldo's #UCL goals by season UEFA.com

The two leading scorers in UEFA Champions League history, Ronaldo leads the way on 124 goals compared to Messi's 108.

Ronaldo holds the record for the most goals scored in a single UEFA Champions League campaign  17 in 2013/14.

Messi has not finished a UEFA Champions League campaign with a better goal tally than Ronaldo since 2011/12.

Perhaps most significant for #UCLfantasy players, however, is the fact that Messi has been more prolific this season. He has scored eight times in the competition already  double that of Ronaldo  and is the current joint leading scorer alongside eliminated Bayern Munchen forward Robert Lewandowski.

GOALS BY ROUND

Messi and Ronaldo's #UCL goals by round UEFA.com

Now that we're in the thick of the knockout stages, we've looked at the pair's respective records in each round of the competition.

Ronaldo has significantly outscored Messi in the knockout rounds, hitting the net 63 times compared to Messi's 42.

When looking at quarter-finals specifically, Ronaldo has scored more than twice the goals Messi's has managed; 23 to ten.

Looking forward, both players have scored in finals, with Ronaldo's tally of four standing as a UEFA Champions League record.

MESSI'S #UCL GOALS BY NATION

Messi's #UCL goals by nation UEFA.com

Clubs hailing from 16 different nations have been on the receiving end of a Messi goal in the UEFA Champions League, but who have fallen victim to the Argentinian the most?

The Barcelona forward clearly enjoys playing English clubs, as he has breached the net of Premier League opposition 22 times in his career, more than against any other nation. With the Catalan giants facing Manchester United in the quarter-finals, this is bound to prick the ears of #UCLfantasy investors.

In fact, Messi has scored against the Red Devils on two previous occasions  the finals of 2009 and 2011.

RONALDO'S #UCL GOALS BY NATION

Ronaldo's #UCL goals by nation UEFA.com

Ronaldo's UEFA Champions League goals have come against clubs from 15 different nations.

Ronaldo's 26 goals against German opposition is the most that any player has scored against teams from one country.

With Juventus travelling to Ajax on matchday nine, it should be noted that all seven of Ronaldo;s goals against Dutch opposition have come against the Amsterdam side. Five of those strikes were in Amsterdam's Johan Cruijff ArenA, including a hat-trick for Real Madrid in 2012/12.

#UCLFANTASY POINTS THIS SEASON

On top of Messi's eight goals in this season's competition, his three assists have contributed to a total of 52 Fantasy points  more than any other player. By comparison, Ronaldo has endured a topsy-turvy European campaign so far, with his four goals and two assists after a red card on matchday one. He currently sits on 32 points, but his hat-trick against Atletico Madrid in the round of 16 second leg suggests that, once again, he could deliver when it matters most.

#UCLfantasy tip

If you're struggling to fit both of these premium assets into your #UCLfantasy squads for matchday nine, then this could be a good time to make use of the Limitless Wildcard if you haven't already. This booster gives you the luxury of an unlimited budget for one matchday.
More than 150 servicemen from the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division will arrive in Ukraine over the next few days to train Ukrainian military personnel at the Yavoriv Combat Training Center, Ukraine's Ambassador to the United States Valeriy Chaly has reported on Facebook.

"The Screaming Eagles are flying to Ukraine! Over the next few days, more than 150 troops of the elite 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army will arrive in Ukraine to train our guys at the Yavoriv Center for Combat Training and Mutual Exchange of Experience," he said.

The diplomat added that he had recently spoken about the importance of strategic military partnership between Ukraine and the United States with U.S. Army Chief, General Mark Milley, whom U.S. President Donald Trump had nominated for chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The officially released U.S. draft defense budget for 2020 envisages the allocation of $250 million in security assistance to Ukraine.

According to the document, these funds are to be directed to support the armed forces and national security forces of Ukraine and to replace any weapons and defense goods that have already been provided to Ukraine by the United States.

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Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan has met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Qatar to Ukraine Hadi Al Hajri and proposed that the Qatari party should consider a possibility of formation of a Qatar Airways subsidiary in Ukraine.

"The minister informed that the aviation industry in Ukraine is developing rapidly, the passenger traffic hit a record high in 2018, noting it can be doubled in 3-4 years. He proposed that the Qatari party should consider the possibility of formation of a Qatar Airways subsidiary company in Ukraine and develop cooperation in the field of cargo aviation," the press service of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine reports.

Ukrainian infrastructure minister also highlighted the successful start of cooper ation on the exchange of experience in port management development and the establishment of a direct and active dialogue at the level of port administrations of Ukraine and Qatar.

"The parties discussed the possibilities of cooperation in the field of transport and investment in the infrastructure projects in Ukraine, including deepening cooperation in the aviation and maritime sectors. Volodymyr Omelyan underscored the importance of further development of direct flights to ensure a stable and positive dynamics of Ukraine-Qatar cooperation in all fields," the Ministry of Infrastructure reports.

Omelyan emphasized that the Ukrainian side welcomes the Qatari companies, invites them to implement joint infrastructure projects and is interested in attracting Qatars experience and specialists in modernizing the transport industry in Ukraine.

Ambassador Hadi Al Hajri expressed his gratitude to Volodymyr Omelyan for constructive dialogue, significant achievements and a promising vision of the development of infrastructure relations between the two countries.

In 2018, the passenger numbers in Ukrainian airports amounted to more than 20 million and increased by 25% compared with 2017.

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The European Commission intends to convene soon a trilateral meeting with representatives of Ukraine and Russia to discuss the gas transit through Ukraine and propose signing a gas transit contract for 10 years at least.

"We need to settle the issue of gas supplies not for the next winter only. As you know, the key priority of the European Union is to ensure a long-term transit through Ukraine for the next 10 years at least. It is our priority and we are open in this matter. We discussed this issue during our last trilateral meeting, so we will try to convene a similar meeting as quickly as possible, after the presidential elections in Ukraine," Vice-President of the European Commission for the Energy Union Maros Sefcovic said at a press conference in Brussels, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

He noted that the European Commission had already discussed a possible arrangement of such a meeting with both parties, but had not received feedback yet, obviously due to the continuation of the presidential election campaign in Ukraine.

"When we last met in January, we agreed that we would try to meet again in the middle of May. So far, as I understand because of the reasons connected with the election campaign in Ukraine, we have not received replies from the parties. But I can assure you that we will do everything that depends on us to have a trilateral meeting before the beginning of the summer. We need to understand that winter is ahead and it will come soon," Sefcovic said.

As reported, the trilateral negotiations on the continuation of gas transit via the territory of Ukraine after 2019 were held in Brussels on January 21.

The current gas transit contract between the Naftogaz of Ukraine and Russias Gazprom is valid until the end of 2019.

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Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovi has said she is planning to visit Ukraine after the presidential elections.

She stated this on Monday when asked by delegates of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe about her possible trips to Ukraine, own correspondent Ukrinform in Strasbourg reported.

Im planning to visit Ukraine after the elections. It is not customary for the Commissioner to visit member countries before or during the elections, the Commissioner said.

Mijatovi also added that her opinion on the need to postpone the consideration in the Verkhovna Rada of the law on the Ukrainian language for the period after the presidential elections remains unchanged.

The Commissioner also said she hopes for cooperation with the Ukrainian leadership on "linguistic" and other relevant issues.

As Ukrinform reported, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovi was on an official visit to Moscow on April 1-5.

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Ukraine enjoys the support of all the parties represented in the Parliament of Canada, and the upcoming elections will not change that.

"The priority of Ukraine in the foreign policy of Canada is unlikely to become lower after the parliamentary elections, since Canadas support for Ukraine is a non-partisan issue. Whatever party heads the government, we do not expect a decline in the importance of Ukraine," President of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Alexandra Chyczij said in an interview with Ukrinform.

At the same time, Chyczij urged Ukrainian Canadians to take an active part in the elections in Canada. "We want the Ukrainian citizens to be involved in the political life of the country. We want our community in Canada to do the same. Voters should not stand aside. They should have an impact on the decisions that will be taken by the party to head the Canadian government," the President of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress said.

The parliamentary elections in Canada will be held on October 21, 2019.

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Ukrainian diaspora calls on the authorities to consider a possibility of the introduction of dual citizenship.

"We call on the Ukrainian authorities to consider the introduction of dual citizenship and to listen to the diaspora's thoughts while balancing security aspects," President of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Alexandra Chyczij said in an interview with Ukrinform.

At the same time, she acknowledged that dual citizenship posed certain security risks. "On the one hand, there are just concerns about possible Russias interference through the issuance of passports in the border areas. On the other hand, a large Ukrainian diaspora cares about the fate of Ukraine, wants to participate in solving its problems and strives to preserve Ukrainian citizenship," the UCC President said.

Chyczij added that the Congress had not yet formed its clear stance on this issue since it "is aware of the difficulties arising from such a step."

As a reminder, Foreign Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin supports the official recognition of dual citizenship in Ukraine provided that certain "criteria" are introduced.

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The European side positively evaluates Ukraine's efforts to form the High Anti-Corruption Court, with due observance of the time frames and in full compliance with Ukrainian legislation.

Chairman of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine Serhiy Koziakov, who is on a working visit to Belgium as part of a delegation of Ukrainian lawyers, said this at a meeting with journalists in Brussels on Monday, April 8, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"The European side does not make any claims to us. All measures to hold the competition for the position of judges of the High Anti-Corruption Court were taken not only on time, but also in accordance with current Ukrainian legislation, first and foremost, the law on the High Anti-Corruption Court. Everything was absolutely transparent. I can say that we have received many good comments from our European colleagues, in particular, from members of the Public Council of International Experts who participated with us in this competition and assessed whether the candidates meet the principles of integrity and professionalism," Koziakov said.

He noted that even in this context, it is possible to speak about certain records that were set in Ukraine. There were ten candidates for every post of a judge. The international experts were provided with virtually all materials contained in the dossiers of candidates  42,000 pages of documents in Ukrainian.

"We worked 19 hours a day together, and we did everything on time. Our recommendations were adopted on March 6 and handed over to the High Council of Justice. The High Council of Justice adopted respective decisions and handed over the document to the president of Ukraine for the signing of a decree. I am confident that in the next few days the president will issue decrees, and immediately the court may meet together to resolve other procedural things, for example, to elect a court chairman. It will probably take another few weeks for this, although the law gives only a month for such organizational measures," Koziakov said.

He recalled that a total of 38 judges of the High Anti-Corruption Court and the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court had been selected.

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Published April 8, 2019

Dr. Jessica Dolecheck, Program Director of Health Studies at the University of Louisiana Monroe, and Dr. Paula Griswold, Interim Associate Dean, College of Health Sciences at ULM recently traveled to Paris, France, to co-teach at Pole Leonard de Vinci University (PULV). The title of their three-hour lecture was Career21: Essential Skills for Success and was taught three times over three days to three different groups of students, totaling 150 students.

Their lecture focused on soft skills training related to communication, work ethic, professionalism and networking.

Pole Leonard de Vinci University offers programs in digital marketing, management and engineering for undergraduate and graduate students. The International Relations Department at PULV has a network of more than 100 partner universities. During International Week, professors from countries such as the United States, Latvia, Thailand, Ireland, Lebanon, Canada, and Germany speak on topics in PULVs programs. The goal of this international event is to prepare students for a semester of internships abroad.



The Pole students were very engaged, interested and actively took part in the group activities within the lecture, noted Dolecheck.



It was an honor to represent ULM. The opportunity to interact with these students and faculty from around the world was truly a fascinating experience. In fact, our topic on soft skills fits with PULVs new strategic plan that focuses on providing methods for professional development with their students," she said.



Griswold commented, I am so appreciative to ULM, the University of Louisiana System, and PULV for providing this educational exchange opportunity for teaching students and interacting with faculty from around the globe. The interactions we had with these students and faculty provided a chance to exchange ideas, network, and explore different teaching methodologies. It was truly a great experience.



Recently, PULV established a new soft skills department recognizing the importance of incorporating soft skills training into their engineering and business curricula.
UN Refugee Chief Filippo Grandi during his speech at the UN Security Council in New York on the status of the world's displaced people.  UN Photo/Evan Schneider

NEW YORK  The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, today reminded international leaders at the United Nations Security Council of their critical role in finding urgent responses to the unabating displacement crises across the world at a time when toxicity in language about refugees and migrants is on the rise.

In a speech to the UN Security Council in New York, Grandi identified the way forward to address the many crises unfolding worldwide.

To portray this as a global crisis that is not manageable, in my opinion,  is wrong, he said. With political will, which you represent here at the highest level, [and] with improved responses as they are enshrined in the Global Compact on Refugees, adopted by the General Assembly in December, it is possible and urgent to address these crises, and you as Security Council have a critical role.

An unprecedented 68.5 million people around the world have been forced to flee. Among them are nearly 25.4 million refugees, over half of whom are under the age of 18. The vast majority of refugees are hosted in developing countries.

"85 per cent of the world's refugees are in poor or middle-income countries. That's where the crisis is."

The UNHCR chief made three appeals to the members of the Security Council. First, he urged the Security Council to work jointly to address the lack of peace and security, the root cause of crises.

Of the nearly 70 million people that are displaced or refugees, most are fleeing conflict, he noted. If conflicts were prevented or resolved, most refugee flows would disappear. Still, we observe from where we are very fragmented approaches to peacemaking, very insufficient approaches to peace building.

He cited growing violence in Libya, where all civilians are at risk, and expressed particular concern for the refugees and migrants trapped in detention centres in areas of fighting.

Grandi later reported that today UNHCR managed to relocate more than 150 people from the Ain Zara detention centre in south Tripoli to UNHCRs Gathering and Departure Facility in a nearby safe zone.

Venezuelan refugees and migrants trek across the border to reach Cucuta, Colombia.  UNHCR/Vincent Tremeau

Grandi also appealed to Member States to bolster support for host countries. 85 per cent of the world's refugees are in poor or middle-income countries. That's where the crisis is. Support must be stepped up, he said. Their hospitality must not be taken for granted.

The UN Refugee Chief highlighted outstanding Latin American solidarity in the face of the outflow of 3.4 million Venezuelans to 15 countries in the region, including Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Brazil.

Our appeal for humanitarian crises in that region is one of the most poorly funded globally, he said. Failure to [support those countries] will leave those governments exposed.

"It is equally a right to choose not to return.

He added that the Global Compact on Refugees  a new international framework agreed upon by Member States last December  will ensure shared responsibility to support those forced to flee conflict and persecution, as well as the communities which host them.

Grandi also urged Council members to work collaboratively to remove obstacles that prevent people from voluntarily returning in safety and dignity to their countries of origin.

We are increasingly challenged by one type of scenario where peace is not completely established, he declared. [But that] very often translates into pressure on refugees to return under less than ideal circumstances.

We think return is a right, Grandi said. But it is equally a right to choose not to return.

UN Refugee Chief speaks at Security Council on record-high displacement

He cited the wish of nearly six million Syrian refugees to go home, but noted that many are reluctant to return, citing a number of worries including housing, employment and security as well as property and documentation issues.

We need access for UNHCR and United Nations staff to the areas where people return to build that confidence that they desperately need to make that very difficult choice, Grandi added.

Grandi also pointed to Myanmar, where return will not be possible unless conditions of safety and dignity are met, especially in light of continuing insecurity in northern Rakhine state.

See also: UN Refugee Chief urges states to support fairer response to refugee crises

Echoing Grandis remarks, Security Council members expressed great concern over the record-high figures of global displacement and renewed their commitment to support affected populations. They recognized the link between conflict and displacement and the imperative to work concertedly to address root causes of conflict.

A number of Member States expressed hope that the adoption of the Global Compact on Refugees will give new impetus to international cooperation to address displacement, bringing in new actors from the development and private sectors. Many also echoed Grandis insistence on the right to voluntary, well-informed and dignified return.
A Nigerian refugee family who fled Boko Haram in northern Nigeria and settled in Diffa town, Niger.  UNHCR/Ibrahim Abdou

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is extremely worried over the alarming increase of attacks in the south-east of Niger, affecting locals and refugees in the region. In the month of March alone, some 88 civilians were reported dead in the escalation of violence.

We are dismayed to see the populations suffering increase with each passing month since early 2019. The beginning of the year has brought a resurgence of violent attacks by Boko Haram, targeting security and defence forces as well as the civilian population in the region of Diffa, near the Nigerian border.

Since 2015, the number of people forcibly displaced within the Diffa region has risen to almost 250,000; almost half of them are refugees from Nigeria who had fled similar attacks and sought refuge across the border.

Recent attacks have displaced more than 18,000 people, many on the run for a second or third time, many seeking safety in Diffa town.

UNHCR is currently working with the government of Niger and our humanitarian partners to assist the newly displaced. We are trying to immediately relocate some 10,000 refugees from locations close to the border to the Sayam Forage refugee camp, some 45 kilometres away from the border. The camp is already hosting more than 15,000 refugees.

Additionally, UNHCR is supporting the government to seek alternative solutions for the remainder of the newly displaced and highly vulnerable people in desperate need of safety and humanitarian assistance.

UNHCR has mobilized psychosocial support workers to respond to the immediate needs of the newly displaced who are highly traumatized, in particular women and children.

Reports also suggest that the latest round of violence is displacing people across the border into Nigeria, including to the towns of Damasak and Maiduguri. They are leaving due to fear of the increasing insecurity in the Diffa region, as well as to search for humanitarian assistance.

Despite the tense security situation, UNHCR continues to work with the authorities and partners to provide immediate support to refugees and host communities as well as work on long-term recovery and development initiatives in the Diffa region. The Government of Niger just launched a support project worth US$80 million, jointly developed with the World Bank and UNHCR.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
VIENTIANE, April 9 (Xinhua) -- A group of 1,000 Chinese tourists, organized by the Chinese and Lao governments, is visiting Laos, to promote Visit China-Laos Year 2019.

The group, organized by Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Chinese Embassy in Laos and Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, is currently visiting tourist attractions in Vientiane and some of the Lao provinces during their stay in Laos till Tuesday.

The tourists from Beijing, Shanghai and other provinces arrived in Laos from Friday to Sunday and welcomed by Lao minister of Information, Culture and Tourism at the airport.

Bosengkham Vongdara said that the group was the first officially-arranged Chinese tour group to visit Laos as part of this tourism promotion. Participants from both Laos and China gained a deeper insight into each other's culture through a series of performances.

"Chinese Stye 2019 -- Special Exhibition of Chinese Contemporary Artists' Painting and Calligraphy" was jointly held Monday by the two countries' tourism authorities in Lao National Museum in Vientiane, as to introduce Chinese traditional culture to Lao people.

During their stay in Laos, travel agents from both countries held a seminar to discuss pragmatic cooperation potentials.

Bosengkham said the governments of Laos and China hoped to attract a large number of Chinese visitors to Laos this year while encouraging Lao people to visit China. In a bid to attract Chinese visitors, the Lao government has reduced the tourist visa fee for Chinese nationals from 20 U.S. dollars to 10 dollars.

Laos recorded more than 4.1 million foreign visitors in 2018, an increase of 8.2 percent compared with 2017. More than 800,000 tourists came from China in 2018, an increase of 26 percent compared to 2017.

This year, the government projected that more than one million Chinese will visit Laos and hopes to attract about 4.5 million visitors in total.

The Visit China-Laos Year 2019 was launched on Jan. 25, in Vientiane. Based on the working plan, Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism will sign cooperation agreements and organize projects throughout the year, such as tourism promotion, forums, cultural performances and food introduction.

In addition, both ministries will set up dialogue platforms for tourism authorities and enterprises of the two countries, jointly design tourist routes, promote tourism brands of Laos and increase two-way tourist arrivals. Enditem
UNHCR provides assistance with vocational training and tools needed for further self-employment upon completion of the training to recognized refugees, persons granted complementary protection in Ukraine and asylum seekers in Ukraine who meet the below criteria. The purpose of the training is further sustainable employment. Taking into account the quarantine conditions, special attention will be paid to the applicants offering the solution of remote/online studying and job opportunities.

Who is eligible for UNHCR 2021 vocational training support

recognized refugees and persons granted with a complementary protection status by the Ukrainian government; mandate refugees i.e. persons who are recognized as refugees by UNHCR under its Statute and regardless of whether or not they have been recognized by the Ukrainian government; asylum-seekers who have been found eligible for assistance by UNHCR partners, who are at any stage of the national asylum-procedure (including appealing process) and hold a valid asylum certificate issued by the State Migration Service;

What type of vocational training is not supported

long-term studies that last over 9 months studies at higher educational establishments

How to apply for a vocational training:

Approach UNHCR partner in your city of residence:

Kyiv:

CF Rokada, 55 Vasylya Chumaka St

Phone: +38 (044) 501-56-96; +38(093) 736-36-34; 38(067) 406 89 39. Two times per week

Monday 10:00  18:00

Thursday 10:00  18:00

Email: [email protected]

Odesa:

NGO The Tenth of April, 15 Heroiv Krut St., office 910

Phone: +38 (048) 766 00 04; +38 (093) 662 85 24. Three times per week

Monday 10:00  17:00

Wednesday 10:00  17:00

Friday 10:00  17:00

Email: [email protected]

Zakarpatyya:

IFHEP Region Karpat NEEKA, 3 Michurina St., Mukachevo

Phone: + 38 (031) 313 21 22

Monday-Friday 10:00  17:00

Email: [email protected]

Kharkiv:

CF The right to protection, 85 Chernyshevskaya St.,

Phone: + 38 (057) 751 17 64; +38 (094) 811 17 63

Monday-Friday 10:00  17:00

Livelihoods Counselor and/or Social Counselor will advise you on potential vocational training options and application process. Send filled in electronic version, scanned copy or photos of Initial Application for Business Grant to [email protected] by June 1st. You can download the forms here and complete them in English, Russian, Ukrainian, Farsi, Arabic, French or Somali (please see below). Indicate Application for grant in the subject line. UNHCR committee will review the application within 4 weeks upon submission of the final application. Successful candidates will receive further support in employment search upon completion of the Program.

ANNEX_Application for Vocational Training_EN

ANNEX_Application for Vocational Training_UKR

ANNEX_Application for Vocational Training_RU

ANNEX_Application for Vocational Training_French

ANNEX_Application for Vocational Training_Arabic

ANNEX_Application for Vocational Training_Farsi

ANNEX_Application for Vocational Training_Somali

Task / Event Month 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Application for Vocational/Re-qualification Trainings 1 Interviews and counseling X X X X 2 Committee meetings X X X X 4 Trainings start X X X X X X 4 Monitoring X X X X

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Today, on April 8, the entire world celebrates the International Roma Day. This day attracts the attention of the society not only to original Roma culture, history and national identity, but also the need to stop the persecution and discrimination that Roma face in many spheres of life.

UNHCR is based on the principles of equality, ensuring fundamental rights and freedoms without discrimination and working with people of different nationalities in Ukraine and in the world.

In Ukraine, UNHCR pays particular attention to addressing the risks associated with access to documents, legal protection of stateless persons, including assistance to the Roma population in these matters.

Anastasiya Gerasymenko is a Roma woman born in the Russian Soviet Social Republic in the USSR. In 1996, she and her mother relocated to the Ukrainian Soviet Social Republic. They both had USSR passports, but after the dissociation of the Soviet Union, did not apply for documents in independent Ukraine.

In legal terms, Gerasymenko and her mother became stateless persons. Gerasymenko now lives in the Rafailovo village with her husband, Tiberiy, and eight children. In 2004, they lost the remainder of their documentation in a fire.

The family lives in very poor conditions. To help her husband earn a leaving, Gerasymenko and one of their daughters, 7-yers-old Victoria, went to Lviv in the west of Ukraine to sort garbage at landfills, attempting to find and sell secondary raw materials. Gerasymenko and her daughter would also panhandle near one of the local churches.

When panhandling, the police asked to see their documents, and discovered that Gerasymenko does not have any. On the grounds of Gerasymenko not having documentation, they took away her daughter and placed her in a boarding school in Lviv. The administration did not allow Gerasymenko to see Victoria for three months, and Victoria thought that her mother had abandoned her.

My daughter Victoria was very scared because of this accident. She spent three months in a boarding school without knowing whether she will be able to go back to her family. Now she refuses to talk about it, says Anastasiya with tears in her eyes. I dont want this to happen ever again.

She could see Victoria again if she could confirm her identity. Luckily, soon after this accident in April 2018, Anastasiya met with a team of representatives from the UNHCR, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the State Migration Service, the Ombudsmans office, Free Legal Aid lawyers, Roma communities leaders and NGO NEEKA. NGO NEEKA, a partner of the UNHCR, regularly organizes joint visits to Roma villages to solve any documentation issues many Roma people have.

Given the complexity of Gerasymenkos problem and urgency to solve it, NGO NEEKA contacted Aksana Filipishyna, the representative of the Ombudswoman for the rights of children and family. Filipishyna gave special attention to this case and closely monitored developments. Thanks to the partnerships of all state bodies, Gerasymenko was able to reunite with her daughter and take her home. Victoria and her other seven children have also received their birth certificates.

However, this is only a partially happy ending. Gerasymenko and her mother still dont have passports, and are currently assisted by NGO NEEKA.

Currently, over 35,000 people in Ukraine are legally stateless or are under the risk of statelessness. Many of these people are homeless people, people who have been released from penitentiaries, ethnic minorities, such as Roma, and children born in non-government controlled areas (NGCAs).

UNHCR also works with internally displaced persons in the Roma population, since the group itself has faced the mobile challenges associated with displacement and overall pre-populist attitudes. Based on universal approaches to addressing issues of protection and long-term solutions, UNHCR, together with its partners, is actively working with Roma communities, including internally displaced persons in Odesa, Zolotonosha, Uzhgorod. This approach allows actively mobilizing IDPs and local Roma, demonstrating the potential and active role of the Roma, enabling them to realize their unique projects and intentions.

In 2019, UNHCR, in conjunction with partners and non-governmental organizations, authorities, conducted assessment of the situation in protection of refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons; the Participatory Assessment, was also attended by IDPs of Roma nationality. In joint discussions, the participants shared their issues and the potential that they could bring to the host community. The research will reflect the words and aspirations of children and adolescents for the future.

Therefore, today, UNHCR reiterates the importance of ensuring the principles of equality, non-discrimination and inclusiveness, so to enable all citizens despite their skin color, religion, ethnicity to fully enjoy human rights, as well as realize their potential in host community.

Read more about statelessness problem in Ukraine: https://bit.ly/2UEnaR2

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Wizz Air launches flights from Kyiv to Krakow

The Kyiv-Krakow flights will be carried out four times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

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The preparations for the second forum are in full swing.

The Belarusian embassy in Ukraine emphasizes a big interest from business in the second Forum of Regions of the two states, which is due to take place in Zhytomyr in October 2019.

Belarusian Ambassador to Ukraine Igor Sokol told BelTA such interest from business is logical taking into account the results of the first forum, which took place in Gomel in October 2018.

Read alsoUkraine, Belarus to relaunch river navigation

"According to the official data, all our regions (except for Mogilev region) and the city of Minsk have considerably increased exports to Ukraine. Over the five months following the forum, the growth of exports across the regions stood at 30-100%," Sokol said.

The preparations for the second forum are in full swing. "In March, I paid a working visit to Zhytomyr region, met with chairman of the local regional administration Ihor Gundych, and Zhytomyr Mayor Serhiy Sukhomlyn. We visited the venues, which would host the events," the ambassador said.

On April 25, Zhytomyr is set to host the first meeting of the Belarusian-Ukrainian working group on interregional and cross-border cooperation. The group comprises representatives of the authorities of several regions of Belarus and Ukraine. The group is expected to discuss the forthcoming forum.
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European Commission ready to resume gas talks with Ukraine, Russia right after Ukraine elections

The EUs number one priority is to secure a long-term gas transit contract via Ukraine for at least the next 10 years, according to Sefcovic.

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The claim that the situation with Ukraines navy is extremely difficult, is no longer true, either.

On April 3, as North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) foreign ministers gathered in Washington, DC to mark the alliances 70th anniversary, the Russian state media shared a report claiming NATO support for the Ukrainian navy was laughable and the ships provided to Ukraine by NATO states are nothing but junk.

These claims, attributed to Andrei Koshkin, head of the political science and sociology department at the prestigious Plekhanov Academy, were broadcast on Sputnik radio and then republished by several other government media outlets, including RIA Novosti, according to Polygraph.info.

Koshkin said it was laughable to try and train the Ukrainian navy on the NATO ships while they are located in Ukrainian ports, and that no training can substitute for a real service on military ships  experience that Ukraine does not have.

He also claimed the military vessels NATO states are offering to Kyiv are in essence, junk.

Koshkins claims are false.

The claim that the situation with Ukraines navy is extremely difficult, is no longer true, the co-founder of the Military in UA web portal, Olexandr Argat, told Polygraph.info.

Read alsoSoldiers from U.S. 101st Airborne set to deploy to Ukraine

Ukraine has built nine vessels for the navy during the last five years: seven of them are Gurza-M class boats and the other two are Centaur-class. These are small ships but they are our own and new, Argat said.

Gurza-M class boats are small armored artillery boats used to patrol harbors, rivers, lakes, territorial waters and isolated areas. Other missions include protection of Ukraines borders and river ports, assistance to aircraft or vessels in distress, and combating illegal migration, piracy and smuggling on the Danube River and in the waters of the Black Sea-Azov basin.

Centaur-class fast assault craft are used to provide fire support and ensure the rapid deployment of marines and Special Forces. They can also perform a wide range of missions, including maritime patrol, surveillance, search-and-rescue (SAR), safeguarding littoral and inland waters, and troop transport.

Read alsoReport names 10 of most powerful weapons NATO has to take on Putin's Russia

NATO does not provide ships to Ukraine, the alliances press office told Polygraph.info, noting that NATO member states are independently providing vessels to the Ukrainian navy.

In 2017, Ukrainian Vice Admiral Ihor Voronchenko said that Ukraines navy is looking into the purchase of decommissioned NATO ships for its fleet in order to fulfill Ukraines role in occupying a significant portion of the Black Sea coastline.

Denmark, Lithuania, Poland, Tanzania and the United States have sold or rebuilt -- or are in the process of negotiating the delivery of military vessels -- to Kyiv.

Listed among Ukrainian Navy active vessels are: One Danish Flyvefisken Class multirole vessel. Built in Denmark between 1987 and 1996, decommissioned in 1989. The Flyvefisken Class multirole vessel is based on a modular concept, using a standard hull with containerized weapon systems and equipment, which allows the vessel to change roles quickly for surveillance, surface combat, anti-submarine warfare, mine countermeasures/minehunter, minelayer or pollution control.

Read alsoNATO package to support Ukraine in Black Sea contains confidential provisions  Klimkin

The Pereyaslav, a Muna Class small reconnaissance ship built in Lithuania. Originally named GS-13 in the Soviet Navy. Launched in 1986 and transferred to Ukraine in 1995.

Seven Polish ships, including the U-602 Alchevsk, a Moma Class intelligence ship; the U401 Yuri Olefirenko, a Polnochny-C Class a mid-size landing ship; three PO-2 Class training ships; the U-811 Balta, a Bereza Class degaussing ship; and the U-500 Donbas, an Amur Class command/SAR ship.

Two U.S. Island Class patrol cutters. As described by the Military Navigator portal, [t]he 110-foot Island-class Patrol Boats are a Coast Guard modification of a highly successful British-designed patrol boat. With excellent range and seakeeping capabilities, the Island Class, all named after U.S. islands, replaced the older 95-foot Cape-class patrol boats. These cutters are equipped with advanced electronics and navigation equipment.

Read alsoCanadian, Spanish frigates from NATO Maritime Group arrive in Odesa

Two U.S. Oliver Hazard Perry Class guided missile frigates have been offered to Ukraine, and Ukrainian Navy sailors have been training on them in the United States.

John Herbst, director of the Atlantic Councils Eurasia Center and former U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan (2000-2003) and to Ukraine (2003-2006), told Polygraph.info, Koshkins statement is propaganda.

The ships that we have been able to provide to Ukraine are coast guard cutters; they are real ships, not junk, they will be of serious use to Ukraines navy. So, these statements are simply false, Herbst said.
Everything else would be a "talk show."

Chairman of the Board of the National Public TV and Radio Company of Ukraine, Zurab Alasania, states that the official TV debate between presidential candidates should be held at 20:00 on April 19 at the company's TV studio, while any other format would be a "talk show."

Alasania noted he had doubts about the willingness of candidates to hold televised debates, an UNIAN correspondent reported from a joint briefing Alasania held with the chair of the Central Election Commission, Tetiana Slipachuk.

Read alsoTeam Zelensky turn down option to hold debate with Poroshenko at public broadcaster's studio

The public broadcaster is ready to hold debates, in spite of everything that is happening in our circles and in political circles, too. I am very pleased that the CEC clearly took its position and indicated exactly where and how the debate should be held, he said.

We all understand that we are talking about a strict format and strict rules and conditions of what Tetiana (Slipachuk) calls debates. We are ready for them and we will hold them... After that, we are ready to provide candidates with the opportunity, outside of official debates and public funds, to hold what can be called a talk show  a freeer [discussion] with experts, journalists, and everyone else involved, if they are be ready for this, he said.

Alasania repeated the invitation to the candidates to come to the official debates ta the UA:PBC studio. He noted that this debate should take place at 20:00 on April 19 and last an hour.
The total amount without VAT is UAH 5.76 million if both candidates come.

Zurab Alasania, Chairman of the Board of the National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (UA:PBC), says the state budget provides for UAH 5.76 million (US$215,149), excluding VAT, for holding TV debate at the broadcaster's studio.

"There are all estimates, they are approved TV debate, 60 minutes  the total amount without VAT is UAH 5.76 million if both candidates come. Of course, this includes the studio, cameras, wages, everything that should happen... and including broadcast," he said at a joint briefing with Head of the Central Election Commission Tetiana Slipachuk about the debate between presidential candidates ahead of the runoff, an UNIAN correspondent reports.

Read alsoTeam Zelensky turn down option to hold debate with Poroshenko at public broadcaster's studio

As UNIAN reported earlier, on April 3, Zelensky declared his readiness to come to the debate with Poroshenko ahead of the runoff, however, he voiced a number of conditions. In particular, he said, the debates should be held at the Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kyiv, "before the people of Ukraine", and with all TV channels being able to air the event live, while both candidates must undergo a medical exam and prove to the people that there are "no alcoholics or drug addicts" among them.

Poroshenko, in turn, said he was waiting for Zelensky at the Olimpiyskiy Stadium April 14. Zelensky noted that the debate would be held at the stadium April 19.

After that, Poroshenko's parliament faction leader Artur Gerasimov said the incumbent president was ready for any date, including April 19, as Zelensky had offered.

Poroshenko Campaign spokesman Oleh Medvedev on April 8 said Poroshenko would come to the official debate to the Public Broadcaster's studio on April 19, and, if he has enough time, he will also visit the Olimpiyskiy Stadium, where his opponent Volodymyr Zelensky offered to hold the debate.
Gerasimov stressed incumbent Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko had agreed to a debate format at the Olimpiyskiy Stadium.

President's envoy in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Artur Gerasimov has said the debate between presidential candidates Petro Poroshenko and Volodymyr Zelensky must be held at Kyiv's Olimpiyskiy Stadium on April 14 and at the public broadcaster's studio on April 19.

Speaking at the parliamentary meeting on Tuesday, he said Zelensky was looking for "any reason to avoid a direct open debate," an UNIAN correspondent reports.

Gerasimov stressed incumbent Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko had agreed to a debate format at the Olimpiyskiy Stadium.

"And it's logical that the date of the debate at the Olimpiyskiy Stadium could be exactly April 14 since this is the last weekend before the second ballot day," Gerasimov said.

At the same time, he added the official debate, in accordance with the current legislation, should be held on April 19 and only at the public broadcaster's studio.

"Poroshenko is ready for the debate at the stadium on April 14 and at the public broadcaster's studio on April 19. The only question is whether Zelensky is ready to fulfill his own requirements," Gerasimov said.

Read alsoTeam Zelensky turn down option to hold debate with Poroshenko at public broadcaster's studio

As UNIAN reported earlier, on April 3, Zelensky declared his readiness to come to the debate with Poroshenko ahead of the runoff, however, he voiced a number of conditions. In particular, he said, the debates should be held at the Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kyiv, "before the people of Ukraine", and with all TV channels being able to air the event live, while both candidates must undergo a medical exam and prove to the people that there are "no alcoholics or drug addicts" among them.

Poroshenko, in turn, said he was waiting for Zelensky at the Olimpiyskiy Stadium April 14. Zelensky noted that the debate would be held at the stadium April 19.

After that, Poroshenko's parliament faction leader Artur Gerasimov said the incumbent president was ready for any date, including April 19, as Zelensky had offered.

Poroshenko Campaign spokesman Oleh Medvedev on April 8 said Poroshenko would come to the official debate to the Public Broadcaster's studio on April 19, and, if he has enough time, he will also visit the Olimpiyskiy Stadium, where his opponent Volodymyr Zelensky offered to hold the debate.

On April 8, representatives of the campaign headquarters of presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelensky met with the team of the National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine to discuss the possibility of holding a debate with incumbent President Petro Poroshenko at the broadcaster's studio on April 19.
The official appeal from the president was submitted to the government today.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said the Cabinet of Ministers on April 10 will consider the president's appeal to dismiss Maksym Stepanov as Head of Odesa Regional State Administration.

"The official appeal from the president was submitted to the government today. And the government will consider it tomorrow," he said at a briefing during his visit to Dnipropetrovsk region, answering a question whether there is a president's motion for the dismissal of Odesa governor, according to an UNIAN correspondent.

Read alsoOdesa governor says his dismissal connected with ensuring fair elections

As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko dismissed Maksym Stepanov as Head of Odesa Regional State Administration and appointed First Deputy Head Serhiy Parashchenko as acting governor.

The relevant decrees were published on the president's website.

However, in an unexpected move, Stepanov refused to step down.

"A decree on my dismissal was published on the president's website a few hours ago. A very strange document, which, in my opinion, according to all lawyers, has nothing to do with the legislation of Ukraine," he told a briefing on Monday, according to an UNIAN correspondent.

Stepanov said the document "went beyond the powers of the president" enshrined in the Constitution.

He added the president has the right to appoint and dismiss the heads of the regional state administrations on the proposal of the Cabinet of Ministers. At the same time, Stepanov said he was offered to write a letter of resignation. "I refused because I have no desire to do this. I continue to perform my duties," he said.

UNIAN memo. Maksym Stepanov was appointed Odesa governor in January 2017. He replaced Mikheil Saakashvili.

Before his appointment, he led a state-run Ukraina Printing Plant.
Earlier, Medvedchuk said he had created his own plan for resolving the conflict in Donbas, which provides for the region's autonomy.

Self-proclaimed "DPR" and "LPR" allegedly tentatively agreed to an option of receiving an autonomy status within Ukraine, said Viktor Medvedchuk, chairman of the political council of the Opposition Platform - For Life Party.

"Im sure that if we realize the peace opportunities in Donbas and stop fighting, our concept plan, to which Donetsk, Luhansk and Moscow have already given preliminary consent, provides for a free economic zone in these uncontrolled territories today and issues related to financial, economic and business activities in these territories," Medvedchuk said on air of 112 TV Channel the media said he had gained control over in 2018, Hromadske reports.

As reported earlier, in January 2019, Viktor Medvedchuk stated the need to create an "autonomous region Donbas" with the consolidation of such status in the Constitution of Ukraine.

The pressure on the part of Russia will not force Ukraine to agree to change the country's political system to establish federalization or political autonomy, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko told a Kyiv conference in September 2018.

The president said that the second Minsk agreements clearly indicated obligations of each party to resolve the armed conflict in Donbas. Read also Poroshenko, Volker discuss situation in Donbas, sanctions policy against Russia "Russia must withdraw all its troops from the occupied Ukraine. Russia must withdraw all tanks and artillery systems, all heavy weapons, and disarm all illegal armed formations. Russia must create security preconditions in order to start a political process," Poroshenko stressed.

"Incidentally, we never talked about political autonomy. We never talked about federalization, as some are trying to imagine. No, Ukraine is a unitary state, and it will never agree to foreign pressure to change the structure of our country," the president said.

In this regard, he stressed: "It is not in Russia, not in Moscow, and also not in Brussels or Washington, where a decision will be taken on what Ukraine will be like. This is the sovereign right of the Ukrainian people."

Foreign policy expert Valeriy Kravchenko said Ukraine agreeing to grant autonomy status to the occupied areas of Donbas to resolve the crisis would cause a chain reaction with grave consequences for the country's statehood.

"This would be no settlement. This would a step toward further destabilization in our country. After that, Zakarpattia might also seek autonomy, then Budjak, Odesa. In fact, we've already seen this, back in 2014, it was called federalism," Kravchenko told the Obozrevatel media outlet, commenting on the possibilities of a peaceful settlement in Donbas.
Ukrainian military can now destroy any enemy ship within a radius of 300 kilometers.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has announced that high-precision cruise missiles with a range of over 1,000 kilometers and capable of carrying a 150-kilogram combat load were developed in Ukraine.

Read alsoPoroshenko: Ukraine needs high-precision missiles capable of hitting targets far behind enemy lines

"We've started the most important tests of cruise missiles... We have a missile, which have successfully passed tests, which is capable of shooting over 1,000 kilometers and carry a 150- kilogram combat load. This is a high-precision [weapon], which was created by Ukrainian specialists. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are now training how to use them," he told a Svoboda Slova [Freedom of Speech] panel show on Ukraine's ICTV channel on April 9.

"We can now destroy any ship within a radius of 300 kilometers that would dare to approach and attack us, and a small and middle class ship will not be able to resist this missile. This is a sharp increase in our defense capability," the president added.

Poroshenko noted Ukraine had previously "given up" cruise missiles that could carry nuclear warheads.

The president also reiterated Ukraine had conducted final tests of the Vilkha-M ("Alder") missile system.

"Today we have Smerch and Uragan [multiple rocket launcher systems] with a range of no more than 65-70 kilometers, and now they will be precise with a range of 130 kilometers," he added.

As UNIAN reported earlier, in early December 2018, the Ukrainian military successfully tested the domestic new ground-launched cruise missile Neptun ("Neptune"). Completion of the development and commencement of tests of the ground-based cruise missile complex to hit the coastal targets within the Neptun project is scheduled for 2019.

The national budget for 2019 provides for more than UAH 102 billion (US$3.8 billion) for the needs of the Ukrainian army.

On April 5, Ukraine successfully tested the Neptun anti-ship missile defense system in Odesa region amid the Russian Federation's opposition by electronic warfare weapons.
The prime minister will be at an emergency summit on Wednesday when all EU states will vote on an extension.

Theresa May is to hold last-minute Brexit talks with the leaders of Germany and France later, four days before the UK is due to leave the EU.

Mrs. May is meeting Angela Merkel in Berlin, followed by Emmanuel Macron in Paris, to urge them to back her request to delay Brexit again until June 30, the BBC reported.

The prime minister will be at an emergency summit on Wednesday when all EU states will vote on an extension.

Read alsoTheresa May on Brexit: I had no choice but to approach Labour  media

Cross-party talks aimed at breaking the impasse are also set to continue.

The UK is currently due to leave the EU at 23:00 BST on Friday.

So far, MPs have rejected the withdrawal agreement Theresa May reached with other European leaders last year.

On Monday evening, Parliament passed a bill brought by Labour MP Yvette Cooper, which aims to force the prime minister to request a Brexit extension  rather than leave the EU without a deal on Friday, which is the default position.

The bill received its Royal Assent from the Queen on Monday night, and Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom told MPs that this meant there will be a government motion on Tuesday asking the House to approve the PM's request to the EU to delay Brexit until June 30.

But the final decision on an extension lies with the EU  and the leaders of all the 27 other EU countries have to decide whether to grant or reject an extension.

On Monday, Mrs. May spoke by phone with the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who said it was "crucial" for the EU's members to know "when and on what basis" the UK will ratify the withdrawal deal.
The police urged local residents in Constanta not to open the bags washing up ashore.

More than 130 kilograms of cocaine have washed on Romanian shores, prompting a massive police search operation that included helicopters and more than 300 officers on Romania's coast along the Black Sea on Sunday, police said.

The police urged local residents in Constanta not to open the bags of cocaine washing up ashore: they said the drug, believed to be 90% pure, could pose a danger to human health. The cocaine is worth hundreds of millions of euros, police said, according to Euronews.

A lot of cocaine has been found in Romania recently in other incidents. More than a tonne, in 36 separate bags, was found in a capsized boat in the delta of the Danube river last month. Another 200 kilos were discovered in the Black Sea on April 2, the police said.

Read alsoUkraine police seize 600 kg of heroin worth $50 mln (Photo)

Local media Digi24 reported that the search on Sunday was covering 90 kilometers along the coastline.

As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukrainian law enforcers have blocked an attempt to ship to the EU a large batch of cocaine in a container with bananas, which had been imported into Ukraine, according to the SBU Office in Odesa region.

The cost of the batch found in a vessel at the Yuzhny seaport amounted to over $51 million.
FAISALABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 9th Apr, 2019 ) ::Ambassador of People's Republic of China to Islamabad, Mr. Yao Jing on Tuesday said the up-gradation of textile sector with Chinese collaboration would help Pakistan maintain its inherent edge in this specific field through technology transfer.

This was stated by the ambassador while talking to the faculty and students of National Textile University (NTU) Faisalabad during his visit here.

He assured that China would access the technological needs of Pakistan and take appropriate steps for manufacturing of hi-tech Textile Machinery within this country.

He said Pakistan had expertise as its exporters were already manufacturing and exporting leading international brands and China could help them to produce their own indigenous brands so that they could earn sizable profit from their quality products.

He also offered to arrange specialized training courses for the students of NTU and said it would pave the way for technology transfer from China to Pakistan.

Similarly, exchange of delegations would also be encouraged to forge working relationship between the faculty and students of the two countries, he added.

Rector NTU Prof Dr Tanveer Hussain welcomed the Chinese Ambassador and briefed him about the university.

Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Railways Mian Farrukh Habib, Dean Faculty of Engineering Dr Yasir Nawab, Dean Faculty of Humanity and Social Sciences Dr Zafar Javaid, Registrar Muhammad Salman Yousuf and others were also present on the occasion.
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th April, 2019) Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg on Tuesday within the framework of the Arctic Forum in Russia's second largest city of St. Petersburg.

Russia was the first European state to recognize Norwegian independence in 1905.

In March 1924, the Soviet Union established diplomatic relations with Norway.

On December 16, 1991, Norway was the first western country to recognize the Russian Federation as a sovereign state.

Russian-Norwegian relations had been actively developing and were characterized by an extensive political dialogue up to the beginning of the Ukrainian crisis.

On April 26-27, 2010, then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev paid a state visit to Norway. On April 26, the president met with King Harald V of Norway and the president of the Norwegian parliament, Dag Terje Andersen.

On April 27, Medvedev held talks with then Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg. A number of bilateral documents were signed as a result of the talks. In addition to Medvedev and Stoltenberg's joint statement as well as statements on the delimitation of maritime boundaries, a number of inter-agency agreements in such fields as education, energy efficiency, the use of renewable energy sources, hydrometeorology and management training were signed.

As part of his visit, Medvedev also took part in the first Russian-Norwegian business forum and awarded medals to 16 Norwegian veterans and one Russian veteran living in Norway on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the capitulation of Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union.

On September 15, 2010, Stoltenberg paid a working visit to the northwestern Russian city of Murmansk. During the visit, he held talks with Medvedev, after which the bilateral agreement between Russia and Norway on the delimitation of maritime areas and cooperation in the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean was signed.

On June 21, 2012, there was a brief conversation between Medvedev and Stoltenberg during the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro.

On April 5, 2013, Medvedev and Stoltenberg held a conversation on the sidelines of the Conference of the Heads of the Baltic Sea States (Baltic Sea Forum) on environmental protection in St. Petersburg.

On June 4, 2013, Medvedev, as Russian prime minister, participated in the meeting of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC) in the northern Norwegian town of Kirkenes. After the meeting, Medvedev held talks with Stoltenberg. The heads of government made a short trip around the waters of the Bokfjorden fjord aboard Helmer Hanssen research vessel and observed rescue exercises at sea.

After negotiations in Kirkenes, Medvedev and Stoltenberg made a symbolic Norwegian-Russian border crossing and visited the Borisoglebsk International Vehicle Customs Checkpoint, the only checkpoint on the land border between the two countries.

Norwegian King Harald, Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon and Prime Minister Erna Solberg attended the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. On February 14, 2014, Medvedev and Solberg held a conversation.

On February 26, 2014, Crown Prince Haakon paid an official visit to St. Petersburg. He opened new offices of the Consulate General of Norway in St. Petersburg, and took part in the launch ceremony of a plant of Norwegian paint company Jotun in the Tosno District of the Leningrad Region.

After the start of the Ukrainian crisis, the political dialogue between the two countries at the level of senior officials was suspended at the initiative of the Norwegian side.

The cooperation between the foreign ministries of the two states is developing.

On October 24-25, 2014, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov came to Kirkenes on a visit marking the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Northern Norway by the Red Army. Lavrov held talks with his Norwegian counterpart Borge Brende.

They also met on October 14, 2015, on the margins of the BEAC ministerial session in the Finnish city of Oulu; on March 29, 2017, during The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue international forum in Russia's northern city of Arkhangelsk; and on October 18-19, 2017, on the sidelines of the BEAC ministerial session in Arkhangelsk.

On December 6, 2018, Lavrov met with Norway's Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide on the sidelines of the 25th meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Ministerial Council in Milan.

Sectoral agencies of the two countries, as well as a number of bilateral cooperation bodies, also continue to maintain the dialogue.

In March 2014, the Norwegian Ministry of Defense suspended military cooperation with Russia because of the situation in Ukraine. On February 2, 2018, after a long hiatus, consultations between the defense departments of the two countries were held in Moscow.

In March 2019, representatives of the Russian and Norwegian defense ministries met in the Norwegian capital of Oslo.

The legal framework of the Russian-Norwegian trade and economic relations is based on the agreement on trade and economic cooperation of March 26, 1996. The document governs the work of the Russian-Norwegian inter-governmental commission on economic, industrial, scientific and technical cooperation. The commission's 18th session was held in Oslo on October 25, 2018.

In 2018, according to the Russian Federal Customs Service, Russian-Norwegian trade amounted to $1.6 billion, including $1.14 billion in Russian exports and $480.3 million in imports.

Russia's exports to Norway include mineral products, food products and agricultural raw materials, metals and products made of them and other goods.

Russia's imports from Norway consist mainly of machinery, equipment and vehicles, metals and products made of them, chemicals, mineral products, food products and agricultural raw materials.

The volume of accumulated direct Norwegian investments in Russia, according to data for the first quarter of 2018, amounted to $238 million, while Russian investments in Norway totaled $486 million.

At the same time, according to experts, the total volume of Norway's accumulated investments in Russia is more than $4 billion. Norway mainly invests in such industries as oil and gas, energy, shipbuilding, telecommunications, food and tourism.

Russia, as a party to the Spitsbergen Treaty of 1920 recognizing Norway's sovereignty over the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, carries out economic and scientific activities in the archipelago, including coal mining.

The Joint Norwegian-Russian Commission coordinates cooperation between the two countries in the field of fisheries. The commission manages the fish resources in the Barents Sea and the Norwegian Sea. The regular 48th session of the commission was held in Oslo in October 2018.

Bilateral negotiations on maritime and continental shelf delimitation in the Barents Sea have been held between the two countries since 1970. In July 2007, the countries signed an agreement on Maritime Delimitation in the Varangerfjord area. In 2011, the Treaty on Maritime Delimitation and Cooperation in the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean, signed in 2010, entered into force.

The Russian-Norwegian energy cooperation is developing. Russian oil company Rosneft and Norwegian energy giant Equinor (formerly Statoil) are implementing joint projects on the Russian shelf of the Sea of Okhotsk, which do not fall under the EU sectoral restrictions.

In May 2013, Rosneft and Statoil signed a cooperation agreement on difficult-to-extract hydrocarbon reserves of the North-Komsomolskoye oilfield in Russia's Arctic. After a successful pilot project, Rosneft and Statoil signed the shareholders and operating agreement to jointly develop the field. The companies agreed to invest in SevKomNeftegaz, an enterprise that will operate at the oilfield. In January 2019, it was reported that Rosneft sold a 33.33 percent stake in SevKomNeftegaz to Equinor.

Russia and Norway are actively cooperating in the field of science and research, both in the bilateral format  through the Norwegian Research Council for Science, the Russian academy of Sciences, the Russian Foundation for Basic Research  and within European structures, including the EU's Horizon 2020 program, Nordic Council of Ministers' programs, the BEAC Joint Working Group on Education and Research.

Bilateral scientific cooperation covers a wide range of research directions in the fields of fisheries, oil and gas production, environmental protection, and the Arctic exploration.

On the basis of direct institution-to-institution agreements, the countries carry out student exchanges and implement joint training programs for specialists in various fields.

Cooperation in the field of culture between the northern regions of Russia and Norway is traditionally the most actively developing one. A number of regions of the Russian northwest and the northern Norwegian communes signed the relevant agreements.
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UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th April, 2019) Russia intends to continue negotiations with the United Nations, the United States and Jordan on the Rukban refugee camp near the Syrian-Jordanian border, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia said at a meeting of the UN Security Council on Tuesday.

"We want to continue the dialogue on Rukban with all interested parties, including the UN, the USA and Jordan, without preconditions or the politicization of the humanitarian aspects of the problem," Nebenzia said.

Nebenzia pointed out that tens of thousands of internally displaced persons in the camp are being kept on "humanitarian drip" in unacceptable conditions and the vast majority of them wishes to leave the settlement and return to their places of origins.

Russia, the ambassador noted, had already opened up two humanitarian corridors to allow the passage of refugees from Rukban to chosen places of residence, including Latakia, Homs, Palmyra, suburban Damascus and Aleppo, among others.

On Sunday, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said Amman is ready to cooperate both with Russia and the United States in a bilateral and trilateral format in order to reach an agreement on the resettlement of the inhabitants of Rukban camp.

Russia and Syria have repeatedly tried to draw the attention of the international community to the deplorable conditions at the camp, which houses more than 40,000 internally displaced people, mostly women and children. Both Moscow and Damascus have criticized the United States over its reluctance to allow people to leave the camp, which lies in a US-controlled zone near its unauthorized military base in At Tanf.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, will be in the Vatican this week to lead a retreat for civil and ecclesiastical authorities of South Sudan.

By Vatican News

Pope Francis has approved the proposal presented by the Archbishop of Canterbury, His Grace Justin Welby, to organize a spiritual retreat to take place in the Vatican, within the Domus Sanctae Marthae, from the 10-11 of this month of April, in which the highest civil and ecclesiastical authorities of South Sudan will participate.

Civil authorities

A statement released by Alessandro Gisotti, interim Director of the Holy See Press Office, said that representing the civil authorities in the event, are the members of the Presidency of the Republic of South Sudan, who, under the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan, will assume positions of great national responsibility this coming 12 May: Mr. Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the Republic, as well as four of the five designated Vice Presidents: Mr. Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon, Mr. James Wani Igga, Mr. Taban Deng Gai and Ms. Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior.

Ecclesial authorities

Representing the ecclesiastical authorities of the country, eight members of the South Sudan Council of Church will take part in the retreat. His Excellency, Archbishop John Baptist Odama, Archbishop of Gulu (Uganda), and the Reverend Father Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator, S.J., President of the Conference of Major Superiors of Africa and Madagascar, will provide the preaching during the retreat.

Occasion for encounter and reconciliation

This event, both ecumenical and diplomatic at the same time, was organized by mutual agreement between the Secretariat of State and the Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury, with the goal of offering on the part of the Church a propitious occasion for reflection and prayer, as well as an occasion for encounter and reconciliation, in a spirit of respect and trust, to those who in this moment have the mission and the responsibility to work for a future of peace and prosperity for the South Sudanese people.

Pope Francis to conclude the retreat

The conclusion of the retreat will take place on the afternoon of Thursday, the 11th, when, at 5:00pm, the Holy Father will pronounce His discourse. Following that, those participating in the retreat will be given a Bible, signed by His Holiness Pope Francis, by His Grace Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, and by the Reverend John Chalmers, former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, with the message Seek that which unites. Overcome that which divides. At the end, the leaders of South Sudan, who will take up the common task for peace, will receive the blessing.
Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) issues updates on the situation in Mozambique following last months devastating cyclone that left 598 people dead and over one and a half million people in need of emergency assistance.

By Vatican News

Cyclone Idai was just the beginning.

It hit Mozambique, on Africas southeast coast, on March 14th leaving death and devastation in its wake. 90% of the city of Beira was destroyed. People, homes, and livelihoods were swept away by the floodwaters. Now those waters have started to recede, cholera is the next challenge that needs to be dealt with.

Cholera epidemic

Medecins Sans Frontiers, also known as Doctors Without Borders, is an international humanitarian medical NGO that provides emergency assistance in conflict zones and disaster areas around the world.

In a press release issued on Tuesday, the organization confirms some 1,400 cases of cholera across the country, with over 1,000 cases in Beira alone. But MSF also warns of an increase in other waterborne diseases, as well as malaria, skin infections and respiratory diseases.

To contain the cholera epidemic MSF is working with the Mozambique Ministry of Health, setting up local treatment centres and clinics, as well as helping to run a massive vaccination campaign. In addition to cholera, the extensive damage to health infrastructure and medical supplies still requires considerable effort to restore the functioning of the health system and ensure that people are able to receive basic, maternal and child care or for chronic diseases such as HIV and Tuberculosis.

Food crisis

Cyclone Idai was one of the worst tropical cyclones on record to affect Southern Africa. When it swept inland last month, torrential rainfall flooded over one and half million acres of fields, just as subsistence farmers were about to harvest their crops.

That means the next crisis will likely be severe food shortages. And hunger.


GRAMMY Award-winning musical legend Boz Scaggs is bringing his Out of the Blues Tour 2019 to the Grand Events Center inside Green Valley Ranch Resort on Saturday, August 24, 2019 at 8 p.m.

Its appropriate that Boz Scaggs new album is Out of the Blues, since the blues is what first sparked his five-decade musical career. Born William Royce Scaggs in Canton, Ohio on June 8, 1944, he grew up in Oklahoma and Texas, where he spent his teenage years immersed in the blues, R&B and early rock n roll. While attending school in Dallas, he played in local combos. After several years as a journeyman musician around Madison, WI and Austin, TX, Scaggs spent time traveling in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, eventually settling in Stockholm where he recorded the album Boz.

Returning to the United States in 1967, Scaggs joined the Steve Miller Band in San Francisco, performing on that groups albums Children of the Future and Sailor, before launching his solo career with 1968s seminal Boz Scaggs LP, recorded in Muscle Shoals, AL for Atlantic Records. Scaggs continued to mine a personalized mix of rock, blues and R&B influences, along with a signature style of ballads on such influential 1970s albums as Moments, Boz Scaggs & Band, My Time, Slow Dancer and 1976s Silk Degrees. The latter release became a massive commercial breakthrough, reaching number two and remaining on the album charts for 115 weeks. It spawned three Top-40 hit singles: Its Over, Lido Shuffle and the Grammy-winning Lowdown. Subsequently, Were All Alone from that same album, would become a #1 single for Rita Coolidge. Silk Degrees was followed by the albums Down Two Then Left and Middle Man, and such hit singles as Breakdown Dead Ahead, Jo Jo and Look What Youve Done to Me.

Despite his 70s successes, Scaggs spent much of the 1980s out of the music-biz spotlight, traveling, opening a family business, fathering young children and founding the San Francisco nightclub, Slims, He returned to the studio after an eight-year hiatus and released, Other Roads, Some Change, Dig, the Grammy-nominated Come on Home, the unplugged Fade Into Light, the in-concert retrospective Greatest Hits Live as well as a stint touring with Donald Fagens New York Rock & Soul Review; all while continuing to maintain a loyal audience in the U.S. and overseas, particularly in Japan. A pair of albums of jazz standards, But Beautiful and Speak Low, the latter topping the Billboard Jazz chart, demonstrated Scaggs stylistic mastery, as did the Southern-flavored Memphis and the rhythm & bluesy A Fool to Care.
US President Donald Trump hands his pen to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after signing a proclamation recognising the Golan as Israeli territory despite UN resolutions that state the strategic plateau is Syrian. (AFP/SAUL LOEB)

Tunisian Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui said there was "no need" for the time being to press for further action that would have reaffirmed UN resolutions that call on Israel to withdraw from the Golan.

Trump was sharply criticised when he signed a proclamation last month in which the United States recognized Israel's annexation of the strategic plateau that it seized from Syria in 1967 and annexed in 1981.

"The Security Council has already adopted a resolution," Jhinaoui told reporters, citing Resolution 497 which declared Israel's annexation nul and void.

"That resolution is very clear that this is a territory occupied by Israel and has to be liberated, so there is no need to go, I think, no need now," he said when asked about a possible new resolution.

Arab League Ambassador Maged Abdelaziz said the US decision would be discussed at a meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Arab ministers in Moscow next week.

At an Arab League summit in Tunis last month, leaders slammed the US decision to recognize the Golan as Israeli territory, which comes after Trump's decision in 2017 to declare Jerusalem to be Israel's capital.

Syria did not attend that summit as it was suspended from the Arab League in 2011.

At a Security Council meeting last month held at Syria's request, Trump's decision was denounced as a violation of international law as enshrined in UN resolutions.

The four other permanent council members - Britain, China, France and Russia - said they would continue to view the Golan as Israeli-occupied territory.

After Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a group of Arab countries presented a resolution condemning the decision to the General Assembly, which won overwhelming support.

The US decision to recognize the Golan comes as Washington's European and Arab allies are keenly awaiting US proposals for a Middle East peace plan.
A Boeing 737 MAX airplane is pictured on he tarmac with its signature winglet and fuel efficient engines outside the company's factory on March 11, 2019 in Renton, Washington. (Photo: Stephen Brashear/Getty Images/AFP)

Shares finished down 4.4 per cent at US$374.52, weighing on the Dow in the first session since Boeing announced late Friday it would trim production to 42 planes per month, down from 52 per month.

Several analysts downgraded profit estimates, releasing notes that expressed a variety of views on the seriousness of the crisis for Boeing.

The 737 MAX has been grounded worldwide after suffering two crashes in five months that killed nearly 350 people. The Federal Aviation Administration has signalled it will take a cautious approach before clearing the planes to resume operations.

Bank of America Merill Lynch predicted the "disruption" to the 737 line would last six to nine months, up from the prior estimate of three to six months. The bank also trimmed its profit forecast for this year and over next four years.

"Boeing could incur liabilities related to certification and testing costs, late delivery penalty to airlines, lives lost from the Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 302 and Lion Air flight JT 610, and production disruption penalties to suppliers," the note said.

"The reputational loss from these events could erode long-term market share and pricing power of the 737 MAX," added the Bank of America note, which downgraded the rating to "neutral."

Canacccord Genuity cut its price target on Boeing shares to US$380 from US$391.93 and said it now saw July 2019 as the date the MAX grounding could be lifted "in a best-case scenario."

Last month, Canaccord had predicted the grounding would end in early to mid-May.

"After a relatively slow reaction by Boeing management to the Ethiopian Air accident, we believe Boeing is feeling much more regulatory and political pressure on the MAX than it anticipated," said the Canaccord Genuity note.

Morningstar also said the announcement likely meant a longer grounding period, estimating that earnings would decline US$1.11 per share. However, Morningstar said Boeing should be able to ramp up monthly production of the planes to 57 aircraft before hitting the mid-60s in the next decade.

"We believe Boeing's ability to generate returns above its cost of capital will remain strong well into the next decade and most likely beyond," said Morningstar.

CFRA Research maintained a "buy" rating on Boeing despite trimming the earnings estimate for 2019. Although the Boeing story will be "volatile" in next few months, the company should do well in time, it said.

"Longer term, strong aerospace demand, Boeing's strong order book and backlog and track record of execution are likely to weigh out, we think," CFRA Research said.

MORE CANCELLATIONS?

S&P Global Ratings said its rating was unaffected, writing that the company "has sufficient liquidity and cushion in the rating to weather the MAX grounding."

S&P warned that deliveries in some markets could be delayed after regulators in the EU, Canada, China and elsewhere said they would review Boeing's fixes before allowing the planes to resume normal operations.

These announcements break with a tradition of accepting the certification of the company's home regulator, in this case the US Federal Aviation Administration.

But S&P said a canceled 737 MAX order by Indonesian carrier Garuda and a recent decision by China to order from Airbus were not signs of a new trend.

"Order cancellations from other airlines are possible but this could be driven more by their growth prospects and financial condition," S&P said.

"Airlines generally lose their deposits if they cancel orders and Airbus does not have the capacity to ramp up production significantly in the short term to replace canceled Boeing orders."
A US Border Patrol agent loads detained migrants into a van at the border of the United States and Mexico in El Paso, Texas. (AFP/JUSTIN SULLIVAN)

More than two years after he took office, tens of thousands of mostly Central Americans flood across the southern US border each month, requesting asylum so that they cannot immediately be sent back home.

Trump wants his officials to take a tougher stance, but is stymied by US laws protecting migrants and a Congress unwilling to change them.

HOW BIG IS THE PROBLEM?

In the first six months after Trump took office in January 2017, the US border patrol apprehended about 20,000 undocumented migrants each month, the lowest level in years.

Since then the numbers have steadily increased. In the six months to February, apprehensions topped 60,000 a month, and March could have neared 100,000, officials say.

The number of migrants arriving in families, and as unaccompanied children, has also soared, straining facilities to house and process them. Several have died while in US custody.

Most are from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, and they often cross the US border from Mexico in groups numbering more than 100. Once over the border they turn themselves in to US officials and request asylum, citing poverty and violence back home.

WHY CAN'T THEY BE TURNED BACK?

US and international laws guarantee that if a person crosses the border into the country and requests asylum, their case must be reviewed by an immigration judge.

That means the migrants can stay inside the US until their case is heard. Currently the backlog for immigration cases is nearing 900,000 with wait-times around two years. Released inside the United States to wait, most migrants are never seen again.

WHAT DOES TRUMP WANT TO DO?

Trump has sought ways to deter migrants against the strong pull of better jobs and security that the US offers, but he has been frustrated by stiff political and legal barriers, including his own courts.

He has demanded billions of dollars to build a wall along the border, but Congress has refused to fund it. In response he declared a national emergency to divert funds from military projects, but now faces legal challenges to that.

Trump wants Mexico to halt transiting migrants, but action by the Mexican government has been limited.

Last week he threatened to shut down border ports to pressure Mexico economically to act. But US business and politicians from both parties told Trump that would damage the US economy as well.

According to news reports, Nielsen resigned on Sunday after opposing Trump's push to restart a former policy to separate migrant children from their families, which he believes was a strong deterrent to crossing the border.

That policy has been ruled illegal in US courts and labelled a human rights violation by US and international rights activities.

CAN AID HELP STEM THE FLOW?

The migrants from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador are often fleeing endemic poverty and violence. The United States has been pumping hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the three countries each year. Most accounts are that the aid helps somewhat; migration from El Salvador in particular plummeted in recent years.

Nielsen and the man Trump named to succeed her, Customs and Border Protection head Kevin McAleenan, both have spoken in favor of aid.

"I don't think we should shy away from investing heavily in Central America," McAleenan said last July.

But illegal immigration has continued to rise. At the end of March an angry Trump cut off aid to the three countries.

"We were paying them tremendous amounts of money. And we're not paying them anymore. Because they haven't done a thing for us."
Best Western Premier Sonasea Phu Quoc offers several themed activities for the long weekend

Taking place on April 13 is the first of a series of White Party-themed events, inviting visitors to enjoy a Mediterranean-style buffet with various delicacies typical of Greece, Italy, and neighbouring countries. Dress up in unique white outfits and come to the party to enjoy live music and performances on the beach of Best Western Premier Sonasea Phu Quoc.

In the afternoon of April 14, the beach will be transformed into a heaven for gourmets, offering Vietnamese culinary wonders from the Vietnamese Street Food Buffet. Guests taking photos or checking in from Best Western Premier Sonasea Phu Quoc will also be entitled to a 30 per cent discount on entry to these two culinary events.

The resort also hosts a Movie on the Beach show, where guests will be able to enjoy blockbuster movies on an outdoor wide-screen set up on the sandy beach, enjoying the sea breeze and the starry sky. This first cinema on the beach in Phu Quoc will take place on Monday evening of April 15.

Best Western Premier Sonasea Phu Quoc is highlighted by its 300-metre lagoon pool

Located only eight kilometres from Phu Quoc International Airport, the five-star Best Western Premier Sonasea Phu Quoc Resort was opened in January 2019 under the US brand Best Western Premier. The resort is located at Bai Truong, which is said to offer the most beautiful view of the sun setting on a sea horizon in Vietnam. The resort's 300-metre pool is also one of Southeast Asia's longest lagoon pools.
Dutch PM Mark Rutte and Deputy PM Vuong Dinh Hue attend a seminar with CEOs of Dutch enterprises in Hanoi, April 9, 2019 - Photo: VGP/Thanh Chung

Dutch PM Mark Rutte and Deputy PM Vuong Dinh Hue on April 9 attended a seminar with CEOs of Dutch enterprises in Hanoi.

The event, organized within the framework of the Dutch PMs official visit to Vietnam, attracted the participation of 70 Dutch leading enterprises and leaders of Vietnamese ministries and agencies.

Welcoming the Dutch PM and enterprises visit to Vietnam, Mr. Hue asserted that the visit creates a crucial opportunity for boosting investment.

Vietnam is heading to fast and sustainable growth in the next five years, said the Deputy PM, adding that the Government will continue completing institution, laws, policies, especially laws on investment and business and intuitions and policies on attracting and using foreign investment.

The nation will accelerate the improvement of the business and investment environment and competitiveness capacity, heading to market standards of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, he added.

The Vietnamese Deputy PM highlighted the importance of restructuring the economy, developing science, technology and innovation as well as boosting the effectiveness of international integration and enhancing infrastructure development and quality of human resources.

As the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement is inked and comes into effect, it will create favorable opportunities for Dutch businesses to pour more investment in Vietnam, said Mr. Hue, suggesting the Dutch Government, Parliament and firms to advocate and boost the signing and approval of the agreement.

Vietnam is willing to facilitate the Dutch firms to invest in such areas as electronics, information technology, high technology, sustainable agriculture, irrigation, environmental-friendly industry, renewable energy, harbor, shipbuilding, infrastructure, health, education-training and green growth, he asserted.

Dutch PM Mark Rutte said that he has no complaint about business operation in Vietnam, adding that 70 Dutch firms operating in agriculture, water and wind energy are ready to cooperate with the Vietnamese partners.

At the seminar, CEOs of Dutch enterprises expressed their delight at further cooperation and investment for the sake of both sides and in line with Vietnams development goals in the time ahead.

Deputy PM Hue directly answered recommendations of Dutch CEOs on Vietnams guidelines and projects.
By 'voting for Europe' many companies mean rejecting eurosceptics and populists AFP/Christof STACHE

From Volkswagen to Eon and Thyssenkrupp, Germany's corporate titans have become unusually engaged in defence of an open Europe, a position that is in their own strategic interest.

"Vote for Europe on 26.5. - it's about freedom, it's about prosperity, it's about our Europe," read a huge poster in downtown Munich unveiled Monday by Bavarian industry federation VBW.

It was the latest such initiative after the VCI chemical industry association recently launched a "Ja zu Europa" ("Yes to Europe") campaign.

Alarmed by projections that see the far-right garnering at least one in five votes in the polls, the head of the German Employers' Confederation, "boss of bosses" Ingo Kramer, in February warned of the "serious" threat extremist forces pose to the European project.

"I ask all German companies to clearly show their colours," he wrote, cautioning that "anti-Europeans from the left and the right" could end up obstructing the European Parliament.

Hubertus Bardt, head of the IW economic research institute, said that "never before have I seen so many companies publicly call for people to go and vote".

"Businesses are realising the importance of European integration," he told AFP.

OPEN MARKETS, FREE TRADE

Most of the initiatives have come from large export-driven corporations that "are among the biggest beneficiaries of the European single market," said Alexander Kritikos from the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW).

The rest of the European Union accounted for 780 billion (US$870 billion) worth of German exports last year, its biggest market.

"Developments such as Brexit, increasing populism, euroscepticism and nationalism pose an enormous economic risk, especially for companies of this size," said Andrea Roemmele of the Hertie School of Governance.

She said big business profits from the European single market and favours a strong EU that can assert economic interests on the world stage, while "nationalist efforts, such as those we see in the USA under President Trump, mean declining revenues".

Among other German business players, the Central Association of German Trade has published a "Yes to Europe" leaflet, while Ruhr industrial region giants Thyssenkrupp, RWE, Eon and Evonik will also encourage their employees to vote.

Thyssenkrupp boss Guido Kerkhoff told local media last month that "we need to better explain why we need open markets and free trade to succeed, not a withdrawal into our national shells".

Volkswagen will also issue a "clear call for a vote", its human resources chief Gunnar Kilian said earlier this year, stressing that "for European unity, for our common values, for peaceful cooperation ... our democracy needs every voice".

BRAND IMAGE BOOST

Kritikos said the Brexit drama had driven home the point in the remaining 27 EU states that "it would be fatal for businesses if the single market were to break up".

Beyond the issue of maintaining open trade, a company taking a clear political stance can also boost its image as a responsible corporate citizen, experts say.

In another initiative, around 50 family-run enterprises recently launched a campaign against racism and xenophobia called "Made in Germany - Made by Diversity".

"Consumers are becoming increasingly critical and are consuming not only according to economic but also social and political criteria," said Roemmele.

Citizens with pro-European views, she added, "tend to be well educated and have strong purchasing power".

On the other hand, such campaigns can further alienate those employees already drawn to far-right ideas, as populist political groups are seeking influence in works councils, particularly among several car manufacturers.

"Companies must be careful not to fuel partisan conflicts in their factories," warned Bardt.

He pointed out that the corporate initiatives do not tend to mention any of the far-right parties by name, and said that the best way to combat extremist parties is high voter turnout.
Vietnamese labourers will have opportunities to receive free vocational training in Germany under a programme developed by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce for South Thuringen. (Photo: vnexpress.net)

A workshop was organised in Hanoi on April 8 to provide detail information on the programme for local students who want to get vocational training and work in Germany.

Since it was initiated in Vietnam in 2016 by the Hanoi IEC Co. Ltd (HANOI IEC) - the representative office of IHK Sudthuringen in Vietnam, the programme has recruited 100 Vietnamese workers who later pursued study in food processing, medical glass production, construction and industrial hygiene, among others in the European country.

According to Dinh Thi Huong Giang from Hanoi IEC, Vietnamese students are provided with free German-language training before going to Germany to attend three-year courses. They have chances to work at German enterprises after completing the training programme.

Andre Merkel, a representative from VR-Bank - a member of the recruitment programme, expressed his satisfaction with the capacity of Vietnamese students who are having internship in his company.

He hoped to receive more Vietnamese students in the time ahead.
Abbott Vietnam general manager Douglas Kuo speaking at the Vietnam best places to work summit

As a leading global healthcare company recognised locally as one of the best places to work in the pharmaceutical industry, can you share how Abbott has been contributing to improve healthcare for Vietnamese people?

Abbott has a legacy of enabling Vietnamese people to live better and healthier lives since we established a presence in the country in 1995. Abbott is a trusted partner of Vietnam in continuously improving the nations health.

We are able to pursue this commitment by providing life-changing technologies. Abbott enables the Vietnamese people to live to the fullest with our science-based products, services, and innovations.

We continue to introduce first-to-market innovations in Vietnam that help people maximise their quality of life. For example, our nutrition business uses the latest science to create better ways to nourish Vietnamese bodies at every stage of life.

Furthermore, Abbott works with key stakeholders to bring continuously improved healthcare solutions to more Vietnamese people by improving the quality and accessibility of healthcare.

Abbott is a partner of the Vietnamese government in addressing major public health issues. We have existing memoranda of understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Health (MoH), which states our commitment to assist in addressing four of Vietnams most pressing health-related issues: maternal nutrition, healthy ageing, gestational diabetes, and food safety. Through our partnership with the MoH, we have contributed to the creation of Vietnam-specific guidelines for maternal nutrition, including the area of prevention and management of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

Abbott pursues its commitment to the health and well-being of Vietnamese people in a variety of ways, from community outreach activities to education for healthcare professionals. In Vietnam, Abbott and our foundation, the Abbott Fund, have provided more than VND230 billion ($10 million) in grants and product donations to help people build better lives and stronger communities.

Abbott has been the leader in the Vietnamese powder milk market. What stands behind this success?

We always start with science. We develop science-based nutrition products for people of all ages. We understand that proper nutrition is the foundation for living the best and fullest life possible.

Abbott develops products that help babies and children grow, keep bodies strong and active, and support the unique nutrition needs for people with chronic illnesses  to make every stage of life a healthy one.

Abbott develops products that help babies and children grow, keep bodies strong and active, and support the unique nutrition needs for people with chronic illnesses  to make every stage of life a healthy one.

What makes us different is that we lead with science and research. We develop science-based innovation to address growing and changing healthcare needs.

Abbott stays ahead of both global and local trends to improve health conditions for people of all ages across the world. The recent launches of our breakthrough innovations  Similac with Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMO) and Ensure with HMB  are strong proof of this.

Abbott started to research HMO (one of the most abundant solid components in breast milk supporting the development of a strong immune system for babies) 20 years ago and was the first company to introduce infant formula fortified with HMO  Similac HMO  in Vietnam and in the world.

This is one of the biggest breakthrough advances in paediatric nutrition in the past decade, bringing benefits to develop young Vietnamese generations.

We also introduce innovations that nourish the adult population, support adults' quality of life, and maintain muscle health to address the strength issues in ageing countries. Earlier in May 2018, Vietnam was also one of the first countries where Abbott launched our new Ensure Gold formula with HMB to support muscle health, as part of our continued long-term commitment to help to build healthy ageing communities in this country.

These are only some of the innovations that Abbott scientists and R&D Center have been working on in the past decades with careful pre-clinical and clinical researches as well as trials to ensure every product delivered to customers hands are of the highest quality. Abbotts focus on quality has gained trust from Vietnamese customers and made it their first choice of nutritional product or service.

Abbott's employees in Vietnam

What is Abbott doing to catch up with the digital transformation era, especially as technology is coming into the centerfield in consumers life?

For us, digital transformation means evolving the way we care for human health and personalise products/devices to meet their needs. Abbott is always proud of our science-based research to create life-changing technologies and breakthrough innovations, and to provide people with the best healthcare solutions.

We are always looking to the future. We always head toward changes in medical science and technology by investing in research and development for breakthrough innovations.

While we introduce first-to-market product innovations in Vietnam that help people maximise their quality of life, our commercial innovations create better ways to enhance consumers access to these products.

Abbott has been at the forefront of nutrition research, using the latest science to better nourish Vietnamese bodies at every stage of life. The launches of Similac with HMO and Ensure with HMB are ample demonstrations of such advancements Abbott has made in pursuit of our commitment.

In terms of commercial innovation, we are transforming the way we approach consumers. Our digital marketing campaigns have received positive attention from the public and the community.

I can share with you the recent success of Ensure Tet campaigns viral video, which ranked second among the Best Tet advertising campaigns in 2019, a cross-industry title, or the meaningful Similac HMOs First Matters campaign in which we encourage moms to let their babies go out to explore the world and have better learning experiences. We are leveraging digital trends to bring our healthcare solutions to reach more consumers.

What has Abbott been doing to motivate employees to stay curious, creative, and collaborative?

We are on a journey of transformation as the world we live in continually changes. Curiosity, creativity, and collaboration, which I call the 3Cs of our employees, are the key enablers to help us thrive during transformation, besides technology and product innovation.

Curiosity is learning agility. Creativity is the ability to connect the dots. And teamwork, or working with other stakeholders, is collaboration. Employees who carry with themselves the 3C will help the company to be the pioneer in bringing innovations to the industry and tackle healthcare issues nationally and globally.

Besides bringing the best healthcare solutions for global and local citizens, we also focus on creating a great place to work that offers differentiated benefits and development opportunities, where employees can build thriving careers, along with financial security for themselves and their families  all while knowing that they are doing life-changing work with some of the smartest (and coolest) people on the planet.

We always find and create opportunities to motivate our employees to stay curious, creative, and collaborative.

We trigger their curiosity by providing an agile learning environment where they can always ask questions about whats next. We encourage our talents to work their creativity, to think and reinvent the way products or systems work to improve their work.

Together, we find ways to solve healthcare challenges for the community, including collaboration with professional associations, hospitals, universities, and other institutions to uplift the healthcare knowledge and practice in Vietnam.

That is how we, together with local communities, raise awareness on and help solve the health concerns faced by the Vietnamese, thus, elevating Vietnamese healthcare.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel (l) and British Prime Minister Theresa May AFP/Odd ANDERSEN

Still struggling to get her EU divorce deal through parliament, May is hoping European Union leaders will agree on Wednesday to delay Brexit for a second time to stop Britain crashing out of the bloc two days later.

After putting her request in a letter to European Council president Donald Tusk last week, she had phone calls on Monday with him and European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker.

May is also to visit German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, in what her spokeswoman said was an attempt to set out "the rationale" for a further short delay.

Faced with a months-long political deadlock in London, the EU agreed last month to delay Brexit from Mar 29 to Apr 12, and May now wants it pushed again to Jun 30.

All other 27 EU leaders must agree and most seem ready to accept the idea of another delay to avoid a harmful "no deal" Brexit, but likely for a much longer period than Britain has asked for.

In anticipation of this, May's government on Monday reluctantly laid the legal order needed to hold European Parliament elections on May 23.

But she is hoping that EU leaders might agree to a flexible delay proposed by Tusk, whereby Britain could leave earlier if it agrees a divorce deal, and never hold the elections.

"It does not make these elections inevitable as leaving the EU before the date of election automatically removes our obligation to take part," a spokeswoman said.

European leaders have also asked May to come up with a reason for a delay, with France in particular warning that it does not want simply to prolong the uncertainty.

After MPs rejected her divorce deal for a third time, May last week approached main opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to try to find a compromise.

But Corbyn said Monday that he was still waiting for her to alter her approach.

"Talks have to mean a movement and so far there has been no change in those red lines," he said, adding that his team would speak to her ministers on Tuesday.

Adding pressure on the government, British lawmakers rushed through legislation late on Monday forcing May to request a delay and seeking to prevent a no-deal Brexit.

Under the terms of the law, the government will now have to put forward a motion in parliament on Tuesday setting out its extension request which will then be voted on by MPs.

SINCERE COOPERATION

May says she is determined to implement the 2016 referendum vote for Brexit, but that Britain should only sever ties with its largest trading partner once it has new arrangements in place.

Her decision to meet with Corbyn has sparked fury in her own Conservative party, with former foreign minister and leading Brexit supporter Boris Johnson warning against any "surrender".

Labour wants a new customs union with the EU, something May has previously rejected as it would stop Britain striking its own global trade deals.

But in a video-message on Sunday, she said: "The longer this takes, the greater the risk of the UK never leaving at all."

In Dublin, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar expressed optimism about the cross-party process as he met with the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier.

"We're open to extending the deadline to allow these discussions to run their course," he said.

But Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who also spoke to May on Monday, said it was "crucial to know when and on what basis the UK will ratify the withdrawal agreement".

POLITICAL CHANGES

Labour is pressing for changes to a political declaration on Britain's future relationship with the EU, which accompanies the withdrawal deal.

Barnier repeated that this could be reworked "extremely quickly".

Corbyn said May's government had been open to the idea, "but they haven't said in which way".

He added: "We are looking for movement. We do not want to see a crashing out of the EU with no deal."

The EU has by contrast refused to renegotiate the withdrawal agreement itself, which includes controversial plans to keep open the Irish border.

Barnier repeated his warning to hardline Brexiteers that, in the case of a no-deal Brexit, the EU would not start trade talks until the Irish issue was resolved.
Hoang Minh Tuan, CEO of Mcredit, receiving the Golden Dragon Award 2018

The market share of consumer finance companies is still very modest. How do you think this situation should be improved?

In order to meet the demand for consumer loans in a healthy and legal manner, it is necessary to develop a system of non-bank credit institutions. This would include credit institutions established under the provisions of law, granted a clear establishment and operation license, and operating under the management and supervision of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV).

With the SBVs recent regulations, many difficulties in accessing consumer loans from consumer finance companies have been removed. It is important that the society have sufficient information about consumer credit activities, and when people are in need of loans, they can easily access such services and be provided with products and services in a transparent and secure way, ensuring full benefits.

What business perspectives does Mcredit see in this potential, yet highly contested market?

As a member of Military Commercial Joint Stock Bank - a prestigious financial group in the market for the past 25 years  Mcredit is supported by a network of service points, partnerships, and an extensive customer network.

In addition, with more than 60 years of experience in risk management and the construction of modern operating procedures from Shinsei Bank (Japan), Mcredit inherits an advanced service model aimed at ensuring convenient and fast products and services for customers. In particular, the experienced business management teams from MB and Shinsei and leading experts in the financial sector have also contributed to the identity of Mcredit.

For our focus on sustainable development and ensuring maximum customer benefits, Mcredit's consumer lending products are being increasingly accepted and trusted by customers. By the end of 2018, the company's charter capital reached VND800 billion ($34.78 million), credit growth was 254 per cent, while the number of customer loan applications reached 743,000.

Our business network has expanded to 53 provinces with 870 service points nationwide. The cash payment method is implemented at nearly 35,000 collection points at MB branches and transaction offices, the Vietnam Post system, Viettel stores, and the payment points of Payoo and MOMO.

Technology is becoming a key to business development. In what digital technologies did Mcredit invest and what is the highest goal of the company in 2019?

Mcredit always strives to promote the application of digital technology not only in its operations but also in marketing, by approaching customers via different channels and launching and piloting new products. Advanced technology applications will help Mcredit optimise costs, shorten information processing time, and prevent fraud, all the while improving employee productivity and service quality.

In early March, Mcredit officially launched the second phase of the Contact Center" project. With the application of the world's leading multi-channel system, Mcredit expects to bring customers a comprehensive service experience, increasing customer interaction and improving the quality of customer service.

Mcredit aims to maintain growth in both size and profit in 2019, and make it into the top 3 consumer finance companies for the most effective and safest operation in the near future. In addition to business development, we always keep a close eye on the human factor and strive to build a team of qualified and unified employees who share the development goals of the company.
MM Mega Market Vietnam tightens quality control to beat back recent outbreaks

Working with farmers to combat diseases at the farm

Since its launch in June 2017, the Dong Nai Pork Platform now supplies safe pork to MM stores in Central and South Vietnam. This transit facility is running in a process where close co-ordination with farmers is maintained and pig farming follows Vietnamese Good Animal Husbandry Practices (VietGAHP) standards and strictly controlled in a closed loop.

MM Mega Market is currently in partnership with nearly 400 farms in Dong Nai, providing the market with more than 250 tonnes of clean and safe pork a month.

In this time of prevalent outbreaks, Phidsanu Pongwatana, managing director, MM Mega Market Vietnam, said: MM has maintained close communications with the Dong Nai Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, advocating farms to participate in the outbreak control training that is available. We have been working with the farmers on the ground to increase the frequency of disinfection for the farms and the workers, as well as to keep strangers away from the farms as much as possible to prevent the diseases from spreading. Importantly, our agricultural engineers have been with the farmers every step of the way to maintain strict control of the foods and drinks we give to the pigs.

Furthermore, all the breeding farms in partnerships with MM are also being closely monitored by the local authorities, which has been a valuable source of training in farming procedures and animal health knowledge, as well as disease prevention and control.

The pigs being raised at the farms are all marked with traceability rings and put through urinal rapid tests to find any banned substance, and are visually checked for skin colour and overall physical condition before being slaughtered and taken to the market.

Strict process control from slaughterhouse to outlet

Not only being closely watched throughout the farming process, prior to being taken to the slaughterhouses, the pigs from participating farms must be clinically examined by veterinarians to be granted a health certificate and permission to go into slaughter.

At the post-slaughter stage, the vets continue to examine the pork quality, stamp the products, and issue a certificate for the batch. At the slaughterhouse, responsible personnel put seals on the trucks that carry the pork to the MM Mega Market system.

To keep the meat fresh, MM Mega Market Vietnam has made serious investments to put in use advanced equipment and specialised trucks.

At the pick-up points, MM quality control teams check the transport temperature by accessing the temperature log inside the specialised trucks to make sure the temperature remains at 2-4 degrees Celsius, and once again examine the quality of the pork before chopping up and taking the products to consumers.

Every pork product on sale at MM stores comes with a QR code stamp for traceability for origin, allowing buyers to easily check the information on the originating farm, standards applied, and slaughter date, among others, just by a click on their smartphones.

Currently a supplier of more than a million HORECA customers (hotels, restaurants, canteens), Phidsanu said confidently: Food quality and safety remains our top priority when we serve our customers. MM Mega Markets fresh food quality has been firmly established after a decade of doing business in Vietnam.

Our food platforms, including our pork platform, also have capable farm engineers sent to the farms to provide advice and guidance to make sure that the quality of the products not only match VietGAHP standard, but also MM Mega Market's own standards."

One of the frontrunners in growing and developing the value chain-based farming model, MMs Dong Nai Pork Platform is a joint operation with LIFSAP (Livestock Competitiveness and Food Safety Project, World Bank) and farmers.

This value chain model is under strict control from the farm to the slaughterhouse and until the products are distributed to the market, offering consumers safe pork products, especially in the current outbreaks worrying buyers.
The pre-survey seminar was held today in Ho Chi Minh City

The report was released at todays kick-off event, the pre-survey seminar in Ho Chi Minh City. With standardised methodology and up-to-date human resources trends, the Talentnet-Mercer Total Remuneration Survey (TRS) is a powerful reference tool for business leaders in the revision and improvement of human resources strategy relating to salary and remuneration within the Vietnamese market.

According to the report, the high-tech, life sciences, and chemicals industry will remain the three with the highest base salary increase rate, at 9.1, 9.1, and 9.0 per cent, respectively. Consistent with previous years results, these three industries remain some of the strongest-performing within the Vietnamese market.

The banking/financial service industry is forecasted to have a 0.8 per cent increase in base salary, with 8.6 per cent for 2019. In 2018, the bonus increase rate of companies in this industry was also on top among others in the market (25.4 per cent), thanks to the strong local and regional potential as well as their performance. This is a good sign for this industry in the near future, showing a highly promising room for expansion in the market.

This year, management and executive levels seem to have a slight overall salary increase rate, while there is no significant change amongst professional levels. Similarly observed in variable bonus rates, head of organisation, and executive, and management levels have had their bonus rates increase higher than all other levels (at 21.3, 19, and 17.1 per cent, respectively). This is understandable  as key drivers of business profit and performance, managerial and leadership positions are motivated through variable bonus. On the other hand, para-professional and professional individuals prefer a more stable salary rate to ensure their secure daily life.

One of the biggest concerns of this years report were the top reasons that caused employees to leave organisations. Lack of clear career path and low pay competitiveness stand equally at 47 per cent, whereas low pay competitiveness stood secondary to career path in previous years, in 2018, there is equal demand for both. This proves that employee demand is quickly shifting towards a balanced need between a stable career progression and equitable compensation for their effort.

To conclude, 2019 is forecast to be a promising year with businesses quickly adapting to the digital age. It is evident that businesses are slowly shifting towards a more methodical and sustainable people strategy approach. Strategies and tactics are being carried out to maximise performance. Of course, these tactics must be done with business goals in mind.

In order to make timely and accurate decisions regarding their employees, leaders must grasp the overall market picture through reliable data reference points, identify long term goals for the business, and organise business strategy in order to invest in the right people and right place. After all, the ultimate goal of all businesses is to create the highest amount of motivation for employees, in order to directly contribute to business performance.
Between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Netherlands

1. At the invitation of H.E Mr. Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, H.E. Mr. Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands, paid an official visit to Vietnam on 9 April 2019. During the visit, Prime Minister Mark Rutte held official talks with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, met with General Secretary, State President Nguyen Phu Trong and President of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

2. The official talks were held in an atmosphere of friendship, mutual trust and understanding. During the talks, the two leaders updated each other of developments in their respective countries, discussed ways and means to further advance the bilateral relations, and exchanged views on international and regional issues of mutual interests and concerns.

3. Both sides expressed satisfaction over the successive steps forward in the bilateral cooperation in a wide range of areas from politics, diplomacy, economy, development cooperation, transport, logistics, agriculture, climate change adaptation, management and use of natural resources to education and training, and cultural exchange. Acknowledging the significance of the bilateral cooperation to both Vietnam and the Netherlands, both sides decided to upgrade their relationship to a comprehensive partnership, with a view to effectively harnessing their cooperation potentials, enabling the bilateral ties to expand and deepen with greater dynamism in all dimensions in the years to come.

4. Both sides recognized the importance of the high-level mutual visits, including Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phucs official visit to the Netherlands in 2017 and this official visit to Vietnam by Prime Minister Mark Rutte, as well as regular exchanges between their ministries, agencies and localities to the promotion of the bilateral relations. The two Prime Ministers agreed to hold further high level meetings under bilateral and multilateral frameworks, while enhancing the effectiveness of their various mechanisms of sectoral cooperation.

5. Both sides welcomed the Agreement on Customs Cooperation and other agreements concluded as well as the results reached at the Vietnam - Netherlands Business Round Table held in Hanoi on the sidelines of the visit. They also welcomed the successful conclusion of the negotiations on the Agreement on the Gainful employment of family members of members of a diplomatic mission and/or consular post, which will be signed soon after the visit.

6. Both sides emphasized their shared commitment to inclusive and sustainable development as reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda. Both sides reaffirm that this shared commitment towards inclusive, sustainable development is the main pillar of the Comprehensive Vietnam - Netherlands Partnership and welcome the contribution of responsible businesses, knowledge institutes, associations and NGOs and the people of the two countries to the achievement of the SDGs.

7. Both sides reaffirmed that the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement and Investment Protection Agreement are important frameworks for further strengthening the economic, trade and investment relations in a sustainable and inclusive way between Vietnam and the EU as well as those between Vietnam and the Netherlands, meeting the interests of all parties and contributing to promotion of international trade liberalization and the Sustainable Development Goals. Both sides also stressed the need of and expressed strong support for the signing and ratification of the Agreements in the coming months as well as their swift implementation, in line with the procedural requirements, for the materialization of their benefits.

8. Both sides reaffirmed that their Strategic Partnerships on Climate Change Adaptation and Water Management, and on Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security had been productive and would remain pillars of their Comprehensive Partnership. They welcomed the outcomes of the 7th Session of the Inter-Governmental Committee on Climate Change adaptation and Water Management and the directions of their cooperation, especially regarding the sustainable development of the Mekong Delta, and agreed to collaborate on the coordination and implementation of Resolution 120, the design of the Development Fund for the Mekong Delta and on land subsidence. Other support and cooperation programmes, including the joint efforts to find possible solutions for coastal erosion in Hoi An, Quang Nam and flood prevention in Ho Chi Minh City, were welcomed and will be supported. Both parties expressed their political support for the Global Commission on Adaptation.

9. Both sides also agreed to maximize the achievements of the Strategic Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security and welcomed the outcomes of the 3rd Ministerial Meeting on implementation of the Strategic Partnership held on the occasion of the visit. They also agreed to implement cooperation programs, on the basis of their priorities and strengths, in such areas as plantation, animal farming, food safety management, smart agriculture, climate change adaptation, water quality etc. including cooperation in the development of smart agricultural areas and improvement of value chains for Vietnamese agricultural produce with emphasis on technology transfer and assistance from Dutch partners to stimulate mutual business opportunities. Sustainable and circular agriculture will be further taken into account in the cooperation programmes. The two parties specifically agreed on further cooperation on land consolidation and cooperatives. They also expressed their appreciation that the Netherlands had been invited as the Guest of Honor at the Ho Chi Minh City Food Expo which was held from 14 to 17 November 2018.

10. Both sides welcomed the signature of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Cooperation on the Agricultural Transition in the Mekong River Delta between the two Governments including first class knowledge and expertise from amongst others the Wageningen University & Research to provide high quality technical assistance and to start several projects on value chain development. They underlined the link between water availability, water quality and the agricultural transition and welcomed the cooperation on the basis of the two Strategic Partnership Arrangements to deal with this challenge.

11. Both sides expressed their satisfaction that Vietnam and the Netherlands have always been each others important trading and investment partner and underlined the immense potentials and demands for continued cooperation in many other areas using a multi stakeholder approach, particularly in circular economy and agriculture, renewable energy, environmental protection, urban development and building of smart cities, ocean economy, sea transport, shipbuilding logistics, management of sea ports and airports, aviation, training and research and education. They will work together and continue to share experiences in order to create favorable conditions for investment and business activities between their companies and partners.

12. Both sides noted with satisfaction the cooperation between and among their municipal authorities in recent years, and welcomed the linkages and exchanges between Ha Noi and Amsterdam, Ho Chi Minh City and Rotterdam as well as between their other municipal authorities. Both sides valued their cultural and artistic exchanges, particularly those in 2018 in celebration of the 45th anniversary of their diplomatic relations that contributed to better mutual understanding between the two peoples. They also noted with delight the bilateral cooperation programs in environmental conservation and preservation.

13. Both sides underlined their shared views on international and regional issues as well as their support for strengthening effective multilateral cooperation, respect for international rule of law and trade liberalization. They also expressed their commitment to further enhance their collaboration on addressing global issues, including on the promotion of the UNs central role for peace, international security, on sustainable development and on the implementation of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Both countries reaffirmed their commitments made in Paris to put forward their best efforts through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and to strengthen these efforts in the years ahead. Furthermore, they expressed their willingness to strengthen bilateral cooperation, by exchanges of experience and support to each other in the transfer of technology for climate adaptation and reduction of greenhouse gases, in accessing funds for climate. They will enhance the cooperation for the participating in UN peacekeeping operations.

14. Both sides acknowledged the importance of the promotion of the rule of law and human rights, both of which, taking into account characteristics of each country, are essential for sustainable development, security and stability. They highlighted their exchanges on the promotion of gender equality and the implementation of the UN Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Prime Minister Mark Rutte looks forward to future cooperation between two sides in the field of equal rights for Lesbian, Gays, Transgender, Bisexual and Intersex (LGBTI) persons.

15. Both sides expressed their support to efforts to build a strong and prosperous ASEAN Community and further step up the ASEAN-EU cooperation towards a future strategic partnership. Cooperation between the two most successful regional organizations sends a strong signal in favor of effective multilateralism and international rule of law, also when dealing with global issues. Both sides reaffirmed the importance of peace, security, and stability in the South China Sea, and respect for the maritime order based on international law, as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), including freedoms of navigation and overflight. Both sides expressed support for the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and the ongoing efforts by ASEAN countries and China towards the early conclusion of an effective Code of Conduct for the South China Sea that would be fully consistent with international law in the maritime domain, as reflected in UNCLOS. All sides shall settle disputes by peaceful means, refrain from threat or use of force, and abstain from any actions that may increase tensions or complicate the disputes. The two sides aim to strengthen cooperation in training and education, exchanges of experts and research institutes of the two countries in the fields of international law, especially the Law of the Sea.
Robert Holley is escorted to Suwon Nambu Police Station, Tuesday, after being questioned at the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency over allegations of using illegal drugs. Yonhap



By Oh Young-jin



Mark Peterson, professor emeritus at Brigham Young University in Utah, claimed Tuesday that popular TV personality Robert Holley, known by the Korean name Ha Il, who was arrested for allegedly using methamphetamine, was the victim of "dirty" Korean cops.



In a posting on historian Robert Neff's Facebook, Peterson, a Korea Times columnist, wrote: "Rob's a friend of mine. The police have been dogging him for about a year because another entertainer who is guilty has accused Rob as a way of lightening his own sentence.



"Rob refutes every accusation, and the police will not give it up. Several months ago they gave him a clean bill of health, but they will not give up. Rob doesn't do drugs  he doesn't even drink. This isn't a drug story; it's a dirty cop story."



Peterson spoke similarly to Yonhap News over the phone.






Hundreds of oxcart racers and onlookers gathered in the parched rice fields of Kampong Speu provinces Samroang Tong district on Sunday for Cambodias annual new year oxcart races.

The three-day event included dozens of competitors and is held each year to mark the end of the rice harvesting season.

Participants and organizers said they wanted to raise awareness of the tradition in the hope it could be preserved for future generations as Cambodian farming becomes more mechanized.

Many farmers in Cambodia continue to rely on traditional methods involving oxes and plows, but more farmers are adopting modern agricultural methods and tools. Sroy Samreth, 37, from Roka Koh commune in Kong Pisey district, said he hoped his participation in the race would draw attention to traditional farming practices.

This is to preserve traditions. We use cows and oxcarts in our farming. We normally celebrate this race for Khmer New Year, he said, adding that traditional farming methods were more profitable than using modern machinery.

I dont like using trucks because its not profitable. We can use cow waste for fertilizer, it helps things grow and gives back benefits, he added. Trucks dont provide future profits. A few years after using it, all we can do is sell it for scrap metal.

Leaning on nearby oxcart, another racer, Seth Pearun, waits stick in hand for his turn. The 45-year-old farmer also expounds on the benefits of traditional farming and the importance of cattle in Cambodian agricultural life.

I grew up with cows, after school, I took care of them, my father was a trader and I love cows, he said.

Historically oxcarts were widely used in Cambodia for transport, but modern technology has largely replaced the oxcart.

Kampong Speus deputy governor, Sar Soputhra, said the races, held annually over the past five years in the province, were vital to promoting traditional culture in the area.

The oxcart racing today reflects both development and good preservation of Cambodian culture from the past, he said. Even though many farmers use homemade trucks and machines, there are still farmers who use oxcarts and cows.

As the race continued, hundreds of participants watched the race under the swealtering sun.

Thieng Sambo, 32, who came to see the race with her two children and nieces, said its fun and interesting to see the oxcart race compared to other races.

She added that many of villagers in nearby Rolaing Kroeul commune still use oxcarts and cows for farming.

Now, some people turn to use homemade trucks for plowing their farms, but there are some who still use cows, she said. Using traditional rice cultivation methods produces more hay to feed the cows, she said, compared to using machinery.
Their group -- Phare Ponleu Selpak (PPS) -- this month celebrates its 25th anniversary. Srey Bandaul still remembers learning to draw. It was in the late 1980s in a swelling refugee camp on the Thai border where thousands were sheltering as soldiers from the Vietnam-backed regime in Phnom Penh fought the Khmer Rouge guerrillas they had toppled from power. His instructor was a French aid worker, who taught drawing to Bandaul and his classmates, all young teens like him who were traumatized by an early childhood under the ultra-Maoist regime. More than 1.5 million people are estimated to have died as a result of the Khmer Rouge regime. The teacher gave colors and paper to the children, and she let them draw whatever they wanted, Bandaul said in a recent interview at the French Institute in Phnom Penh. The children started drawing. I myself love drawing. The teacher saw that we were talented. My friends drew pictures of Khmer Rouge killing people. I drew lovers holding hands and beaches. Bandaul and his friends have since used drawing as a way to find solace after the trauma of the Khmer Rouge period and the years of civil war that followed.

Inspired by art, they returned to Cambodia prior to the UN-organized national elections. With help from their teacher, they obtained funding and a plot of land to start their own organization in 1994. Our teacher came back from France. Seven, eight, nine of us were looking for each other, and the teacher was also looking for us, he said. After meeting in Battambang, we spent a year to be trained into capable artists so that we could teach others. Their group -- Phare Ponleu Selpak (PPS) -- this month celebrates its 25th anniversary.

Since it was founded, PPS has helped thousands of troubled children to find peace and seek better lives through art. We have helped artists who have completed their studies to get work. Currently regarding performance, our [groups] identity has spread across the world, Bandaul said. Khuon Det, another founder of PPS, said the group quickly widened their focus from drawing. Det had become interested in circus skills while at the refugee camp and soon established a course for aspiring performers. Many went on to train future generations in the art. We wanted to help Cambodian kids because of our experience growing up during a protracted war and in the camp. We learned these artistic skills, so when we came back, we wanted to help disadvantaged children, so they could embrace national identity through art and culture, Det told VOA Khmer. Since 1994, PPS has developed its program and curriculum and has expanded to Siem Reap. Its more than 1,000 students can study arts including dance, circus performance, applied arts, visual arts, graphic design, theatre, music, and animation. At the same time, they can also pursue their general education. Some of the students have gone on to a make a name for themselves internationally. Dina Sok and Sopha Nem, two young PPS artists from Battamabang, are an example.

The pair won scholarships to study at the National Circus School of Montreal, the most prestigious circus school in the world. After years of intensive training and hard work, Dina became the first Cambodian to be selected to work for one of the worlds best circus companies, Cirque du Soleil. Sopha, meanwhile, performs for another prominent circus company in Canada. Sophas younger brother, Nem Mann, 23, a Battambang resident who started performing when he was eight years old, told VOA in Phnom Penh that PSS has played a very important role to lift poor Cambodian children like him and his siblings from poverty. Seven of Manns 12 siblings have attended classes at PSS. Since I was a little kid, I ate at [the PPS] school, and I studied at [PPS]. Ive got everything from Phare from clothes to textbooks and a place to stay, Mann said.
President Donald Trump is gearing up for an even tougher hard line immigration policy, after abruptly dismissing his Homeland Security Secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen Sunday. U.S. officials say the immigration crisis has worsened in recent weeks, and Trump is reportedly considering reinstating the hugely unpopular policy of separating migrant children from their families. White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has this report.
In Indias elections that begin Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hopes to return to power as he projects himself as a strong nationalist leader who will carry forward the countrys development. On the campaign trail, Modi has steered clear of more contentious issues such as rising unemployment and rural distress. Reporter Anjana Pasricha spoke with voters in Uttar Pradesh in northern India.
The Trump administration announced Monday that it is designating Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its Quds Force as a foreign terrorist organization. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Iran's military is joining the list of terrorist groups it has been sponsoring. Labeling the IRGC a terrorist organization will allow the United States to impose further sanctions on Iran and cripple the businesses that finance the military. VOA's Zlatica Hoke reports.
Near the northern Greek island of Alonissos lies a remarkable ancient shipwreck: the remains of a massive cargo ship that changed archaeologists' understanding of shipbuilding in antiquity.

Now this spectacular find is to become the first ancient shipwreck to be made accessible to the public in Greece, including to recreational divers.

Greece's rich underwater heritage has long been hidden from view, off-limits to all but a select few, mainly archaeologists. Scuba diving was banned throughout the country except in a few specific locations until 2005, for fear that divers might loot the countless antiquities that still lie scattered on the country's seabed.

Ancient shipwrecks and even many more recent ones are still off-limits.

Now that seems to be gradually changing, with a new project to create underwater museums.

Divers will be able to tour certain shipwrecks and non-divers will experience the sites through virtual reality in information centers on land.

The first of these sites is the Peristera shipwreck, named for the uninhabited Greek island opposite Alonissos where it was discovered in the early 1990s.

The cargo ship was laden with thousands of amphoras, or vases, probably containing wine, when it sank in the late 5th century B.C.

All that survives is the cargo, the exposed parts of the wooden ship having long since rotted away. But the sight is spectacular.

Thousands of ancient vases, the vast majority intact, lie in layers. Fish, sponges and other sea creatures have made the amphoras their home, adding color and life to the site. In some places, the cargo towers above divers as they pass along the perimeter of the wreck.

"It is very impressive. Even I, who have been working for years in underwater archaeology, the first time I dived on this wreck I was truly impressed," said Dimitris Kourkoumelis, the lead archaeologist on the project preparing the site for visitors. "It's different to see amphoras ... individually in a museum and different to see them in such concentration."

The wreck still holds mysteries. Only a small part has been excavated, and experts have yet to determine how or why it sank, or what other treasures it might have carried beneath the estimated 4,000 amphoras in its hold.

There are indications a fire had broken out on board, but it's unclear whether that contributed to its sinking.

"Was it a piracy act? Was it overloaded?" said Elpida Hadjidaki, the first archaeologist to excavate the site. These questions remain unanswered.

The Peristera wreck is the largest ship of its time to have been found and its discovery was of major significance to historians.

"Up to then, we thought that large ships that were carrying 1,500 amphoras and were up to 70 tons, they were built by the Romans in the 1st century B.C.," Hadjidaki explained. "Well, now we have a ship that was not built in the 1st century B.C., it was built in the 5th century B.C., it carried 4,000 amphoras and God knows what else and it's 126 tons."

Hadjidaki said she is thrilled the wreck is being opened to visitors.

"It's fantastic. Twenty-five years ago, I was the first person that proposed that and people were jumping at me, they thought I was crazy," she said. "Why should we keep it to ourselves? We have to give knowledge to people."

The first test for guided tours of the wreck, which lies at a depth of about 22-28 meters (72-92 feet), was carried out last weekend with small groups of recreational and professional divers.

A thorough briefing, complete with historical information and the rules of the dive, preceded the short boat ride from the tiny harbor of Steni Valla on Alonissos to the site. On the wreck itself, explanatory signs have been suspended along the perimeter.

The initial feedback has been positive.

"It was an amazing opportunity ... to dive at last on an ancient wreck," said Kostas Menemenoglou, a 39-year-old recreational diver from the central town of Volos. "It was a fantastic experience. It's really like diving into history."

Three other shipwrecks in the Pagasitic Gulf in central Greece are also included in the project, which is part of a European Commission-funded BlueMed program, which plans to expand the project to Italy and Croatia. More test dives will be held this summer and next year, with hopes of fully opening the sites to recreational diving in early 2021.

"Accessible archaeological sites are one of the most interesting projects  not just a Greek project but a worldwide project," said Kourkoumelis, who noted it has taken a long time to get to the point of allowing visitors to access an ancient wreck.

"It took years. And that's logical, because underwater ancient sites and particularly ancient shipwrecks are exposed ... and fragile," he said, noting it was crucial to properly set up the project and the dive conditions, making sure the sites are protected before they can be opened to the public.

"All the conditions must be ensured so that these sites remain safe in the future and for future generations," he added.
Installation view of "No Patience for Monuments" at Perrotin Seoul / Courtesy of Perrotin Seoul



By Kwon Mee-yoo



While female nudes painted by male artists are common in fine art, in the name of composition and aesthetics, male nudes by female artists are still rare.



"No Patience for Monuments," a new exhibition at Galerie Perrotin Seoul, brings works of 12 artists who question the historic ways of a male-centric society and monumentalize this history.



Valentine Blondel, director of Galerie Perrotin New York, organized this exhibit after seeing women rallying for their rights when she visited Seoul last summer.



"I saw #MeToo protests of women in front of the plaza the last time I visited Seoul. In reference to the current political climate, I proposed to the team here to gather a group of artists who are interested in feminism, deconstructing gender stereotypes and gender equality and questioning patriarchal values," Blondel said during a press preview last week.



The title of the exhibition was derived from Ursula Le Guin's "The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction." Though the American author is best known for her fantasy and science fiction series, Le Guin discussed a new perspective on cultural development and heroic narrative, in contrast to the male-centric conquering narrative, in the context of human evolution. She claimed the first-ever tool invented by humans was in fact a vessel to hold objects, not a weapon for conquest, suggesting a new perspective on human history other than traditional heroes who attack and conquer.





Park Ga-hee's "Still Life with Flowers, Fish and Hermit Crab" (2018) / Courtesy of Perrotin Seoul



Blondel collected 12 artists from America, Europe and Korea, including Park Ga-hee.



"I started discussion with Ga-hee Park when I came back from Korea. Ga-hee is very open, but comes from a very conservative family. Leaving Korea to study art in the U.S. maybe in search of more gender equality, Ga-hee was a good start to put together this exhibition," Blondel said.



The very first painting that greets visitors to the gallery in Palpan-dong, central Seoul, is Park's "Still Life with Flowers, Fish and Hermit Crab." The colorful still life looks decorative at first sight, but there are some suspicious elements in the painting, such as decaying food and insects, making the viewer uncomfortable.



This is the painting the artist shows to her parents when they ask her what she does in the U.S., instead of her typical paintings featuring intimate domestic scenes with disquieting elements.



"The narratives in Park's paintings are very complex. Even though she is painting with a seemingly naive style, the content is everything but naive," Blondel explained. "Le Guin makes an analogy of how the vessel is another mode of writing history and fiction. I think this exhibit functions like a vessel and Park's paintings are in the same line with so many simultaneous narratives."



Celia Hempton challenges the taboo of painting male genitals as a female artist, painting in pleasing colors and a classical, refined way.



"She is painting an object which is very taboo  male genitalia. She has been exploring the subject and pushing that practice. Female genitals were extremely controversial in the past, but now completely accepted. I think she is opening the second door to that revolution."





Ruby Sky Stiler's "Seated Father and Child" (2019) / Courtesy of Perrotin Seoul



Genesis Belanger's sculpture "Decorative Vessel" provided inspiration for the exhibit's title. The large vase-like object has a pair of ears wearing earrings, as a criticism on the objectification of women through a useful yet decorative object.



"Belanger is known for pointing at gender stereotypes and patriarchy with humor," Blondel said.



Ruby Sky Stiler subverts traditional concepts of femininity and maternity by bringing the male into the archetypical image of "Madonna and Child."



"Seated Father and Child," made through a unique technique of casting silicon and plastic into tiles, she frees women from the glorification of motherhood.





Nick Doyle's "Fool Me Once Shame on You, Fool Me Twice Shame on Me" (2019) / Courtesy of Perrotin Seoul
Mandarin Service correspondent Shen Hua from Hong Kong contributed to this report.

HONG KONG  The original architects of Hong Kongs 2014 democracy protest known as the Umbrella Movement were found guilty on Tuesday of public nuisance charges in a verdict that has already been criticized by political leaders and rights groups.

Benny Tai, Chan Kinman and Reverend Chu Yiu-ming, three of Hong Kongs most respected democracy leaders, face up to seven years in prison after they were found guilty of conspiracy to commit public nuisance.

The three stood trial on Tuesday alongside six other leaders from the Umbrella Movement. They included sitting legislators Tanya Chan and Shiu Ka-chun. The group has been named the Umbrella Nine by local media.

The trio, however, was singled out from other leaders on conspiracy charges because they originally conceived of the protest movement in 2013, in what they then called Occupy Central With Love and Peace.

Eight members of the group, with the exception of Chu, were found guilty of incitement to commit public nuisance.

Five were also found guilty of incitement to incite public nuisance, a little-used common law charge of convincing others to encourage protest. The original trio, however, were acquitted on this charge.

Judge Johnny Chan said in his ruling that the verdict would not have a chilling effect on Hong Kongs protest movement, as had been argued by the defense.

He also said, "Whilst the concept of civil disobedience is recognized in Hong Kong, civil disobedience is not a defense to a criminal charge.

Sentencing was delayed until Wednesday but court employees said it could extend into Thursday because defendants submitted mitigating evidence to offset a possible lengthy prison term.

The defendants were charged under common law, rather than with statutory charges, which means they face a sentence of up to seven years in prison as opposed to several months, according to a report by rights monitoring group Amnesty International.

Chan and Tai have chosen not to submit any evidence during sentencing. Their lawyer said his clients only hoped the court would show leniency to 75-year-old Chu, who suffers from a number of medical conditions.

Chu, who gave a lengthy speech in Cantonese in his defense, was greeted with enthusiastic applause as he departed the West Kowloon Magistrates Court accompanied by family members.

For much of the day, the courthouse and its grounds were filled with well over 100 family members and supporters of the defendants, many of whom attended the 2014 democracy protests.

One supporter, Tsang Kin-shing, said the ruling marked a sad day for democracy in Hong Kong.

"Over the past few years, the Hong Kong government has used relentless pressure to try and break up the democratic movement. The ruling is a tragedy for Hong Kong. I hope the people of Hong Kong will rise up to fight for the democratic and human rights we deserve," Tsang said.

The courthouse was also flanked by protesters, many of whom were holding the red flag of China, who said they hoped to see the nine democracy leaders convicted.

Kenny Po Chun, president of Defend Hong Kong Campaign, said the court's decision defended the rule of law in Hong Kong and the protection of citizens' life and property.

"The 79-day riot of Occupy Central kept many businesses from operating. Police officers were injured and bloodied. Citizens were beaten by the rioters. Those things made the people of Hong Kong very angry. The initiator of Occupy Central, Benny Tai, must take responsibility," Po said.

Overseas, the verdict mostly attracted negative attention Tuesday. Chris Patten, Hong Kongs last British governor, told the Britain-based non-governmental organization Hong Kong Watch that it seems appallingly divisive to use anachronistic common law charges in a vengeful pursuit of political events which took place in 2014.

Amnesty International also quickly criticized the guilty verdict, calling it acrushing blow for freedom of expression and peaceful protest in a press statement.

Ahead of the trial, Tai told VOA that he did not regret his role in the protest although it had failed in its aim of securing universal suffrage in the election of Hong Kongs chief executive.

The protest, held in 2014 between September and December, is still seen as a watershed moment for Hong Kong. It led to a surge in anti-China feelings in the autonomous Chinese city.

Yes we could not change the system but I think we did awaken a lot of Hong Kong people about the significance of democracy, civil disobedience, as a way to strike for democracy, he said.

Tai also said, Part of civil disobedience is to accept the legal responsibility of possibly going to prison for political actions.
Support is growing at home and abroad for a liberal law professor at Chinas Tsinghua University who was recently suspended for criticizing Chinese President Xi Jinping.

But how big an impact the backlash will have on the universitys Communist Party-appointed leadership or in Chinas academic circles remains to be seen, observers say. Xu Zhangrun is one of several dozen cases of academics recently silenced because of their dissenting views.

Two weeks ago, Tsinghua University launched an investigation into Xu after he wrote articles that boldly criticized the Communist Partys repressive policies in recent years including last years constitutional amendments to scrap Xis two-term limits.

Not intimidated

So far Xu has been silent about the investigation but has shown no signs of caving to the universitys suppression, according to Hu Jia, a rights activist in Beijing.

He [Xu] came to the realization that, in times of crisis, so many people have taken his side and spoken up for him. This shows that justice naturally inhabits mans heart, Hu quoted Xu as saying after having exchanged messages with the professor on the Chinese social media app Wechat.

It is Professor Xus belief that history will be on his side and justice will prevail. And no matter how hard those in power suppress him, the truth cannot be hidden, Hu added.

Seven professors from the U.S. Australia and France have initiated an online campaign in support of Xu that is addressed to the universitys president Qiu Yong.

Andrew Nathan of Columbia University in New York is leading the campaign, which has already collected dozens of signatures. The campaign is open until next Friday, after which, it will be sent to the university and the names of the signatories will be made public.

International petition

In the letter, academics have called on Tsinghua to restore Professor Xus normal status. including his teaching and research duties and to refrain from any further sanctions against him, adding that the incident has damaged the universitys academic reputation.

Professor Nathan said Qiu should resign if he cant protect Tsinghua from political interference.

Political interference destroys the quality of academic work, he said in an emailed response to VOA.

Tsinghua has yet to comment publicly on Xus case or the investigation. VOA could not reach Qiu for comment.

Nathan said that Xus case is one of around 40 such cases currently in China where academics have been suspended or fired. Xus case has attracted the most attention because hes a distinguished scholar whose writing is so eloquent. It also could be that foreign scholars sense of alarm has increased, he adds.

Another initial signatory, Perry Link from University of California at Riverside, noted that a university that prevents a professor from telling the truth as he sees it is a university that falls far below international standards.

Growing support

And support for Xu and calls for his reinstatement are not just coming from overseas. An earlier call in China has so far garnered more than 700 signatures, nearly 300 of which were from faculty and students at Tsinghua, including Xus colleagues Lao Dongyan and Gao Hongjun.

Despite the Communist Partys heavy-handed approach, the level of support for Xu is unprecedentedly high, said Zhang Ming, a retired professor of political science from Renmin University of China.

Before Xu, academics including Tang Yu of Chongqing Normal University, Yang Shaozheng of Quizhou Normal University and You Shengdong of Xiamen University's Tan Kah Kee College were removed from their jobs after informant students allegedly reported on the professors politically incorrect comments.

But Zhang doubts that Qiu will cater to growing pressure and reinstate Xu as he has no final say.

University [presidents] in China, including those at Tsinghua and Peking University, are mostly appointed [by the Communist Party]. So, he [Qiu] has served a government official, who only takes orders from [the partys] higher-ups, Zhang said.

Theres no such thing as the autonomy of the university in China. So, it will come down to how his [Qius] superiors respond to [the growing pressure], he added.

Dial up protest

Hu Jia, the activist, urged more to speak up and send a message to Xi  a Tsinghua alumnus. Hu said Xi is attempting to create a "red terror" by intimidating the countrys political liberals.

The voices uttered by international society havent been loud enough. We need to dial up the volume so that the Communist Party understands that academic freedom is so ironclad that any dictator, who tries to break it, shall bleed, Hu said.

We can no longer tolerate [the partys] rampant suppression of scholars in an arbitrary and reckless manner, the activist added.

Hu urged Tsinghuas 20,000 students and its alumni at home and abroad to join the fight.

He also called on international education institutions, science journals or bar associations to take Cornell Universitys earlier example and reevaluate their cooperation with Tsinghua.

Cornell, in November, suspended two exchange programs with Renmin University in Beijing after the school punished at least a dozen students who joined a nationwide call to protect rights of low-income workers in China.
China and the European Union agreed Tuesday to strengthen their trade relationship, pledging to work toward making it easier for foreign investors to get access to China, the world's second biggest economy.

In a joint statement, the two sides said they committed to widening market access and eliminating discriminatory requirements for foreign companies and agreed that businesses should not be forced to transfer their technology  issues that foreign investors in China have long complained about.

EU leaders Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang discussed the issues at their summit before claiming a breakthrough in their trade relationship.

"Negotiations have been difficult but ultimately fruitful," Tusk said." We managed to agree a joint statement which sets the direction for our partnership based on reciprocity."

The stakes at the annual summit were high, with two-way trade between the EU and China worth around 575 billion euros ($648 billion) annually. The EU is China's biggest trading partner, while for the EU, only the United States is bigger.

The EU and China also said they reaffirmed the "rules based multilateral trading system" with the World Trade Organization at its core and plan to intensify discussions aimed at beefing up international rules on industrial subsidies.

China wants a bigger role in the WTO and other international organizations like the United Nations and the International Monetary Fund. But China's ample financial support for state-owned companies has been the target of Western trade officials. EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom has in the past called out China for "unfair trade practices" including government subsidies intended to give its companies a competitive advantage.

The summit statement shows "China is willing to make some concessions and that's important," said Mikko Huotari, deputy director of the Mercator Institute for China Studies, a Berlin-based think tank. The promises don't mean China will quickly transform from a state-led economy into a market driven one, but "it's about getting back on track with regard to reform promises and ambitions that the Chinese themselves have expressed," he said.

The leaders discussed China's policy of forcing foreign companies to turn over intellectual property as a condition for access to its big and growing market  an issue that Washington has also made a centerpiece of its trade dispute with Beijing.

In their closing statement, they said: "Both sides agree that there should not be forced transfer of technology."

The EU in December stepped up a WTO legal challenge filed in 2018 against China's forced tech transfers, calling it a major issue affecting European companies.

Li strongly denied that Beijing is behind industrial espionage, saying the government has never called on Chinese companies to infringe intellectual property rights or steal trade secrets.

The EU's executive Commission said last month in a strategy report that China was a "systemic rival" which preserves its domestic markets for national champions while placing "onerous requirements" on EU companies doing business there.

Li said after the summit that will change.

"We will not treat EU companies, especially those registered in China, with discriminatory policy, including solely foreign-owned companies in China," he said. "And likewise Chinese companies should not be discriminated against in their operation in the European Union."

The summit comes two weeks after Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed during a visit to Paris to work with European leaders to seek fairer trade rules.
As President Donald Trump looks to reshape the executive branch, he's avoiding the words "you're hired."

Trump's choice of Kevin McAleenan as acting replacement for Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen spotlights the president's increasing reliance on a once-obscure federal statute that governs how to fill vacant federal posts. It also raises fresh questions about his reliance on temporary appointments for key security roles. The reality-star president, who once made staff churn into prime-time television, has overseen massive turnover in just two years in office. But he's shown little concern for creating uncertainty about the leadership of some of the country's most important agencies.

Disordered departures have become the rule in the Trump administration, with aides and even Cabinet officials pushed out at a record pace, often with no clear replacement plan in place. And when he does have a plan, Trump has made a habit of taking the creative route, going around in-place deputies to select other officials he believes are more loyal or amenable to his agenda.

Officials with "acting" titles abound in key roles, from the secretary of defense to the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and even the White House chief of staff. And when Linda McMahon's resignation as Small Business Administrator takes effect later this week, that agency will be led by yet another acting official. Trump has announced his intention to nominate Jovita Carranza, the current treasurer of the United States, for the role.

The Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 gives a president wide berth to fill openings across the executive branch and he's used it without restraint to rejigger the succession plans of the Departments of Justice and Veterans Affairs. But in selecting McAleenan, Trump will have to go even further. The agency's undersecretary of management, Claire Grady, is technically next in line for the job. She will need to resign  or more likely be fired  in order for McAleenan to assume the acting position under the act.

Avoiding Senate battles

Allowing individuals to fill roles in an acting capacity allows the White House to avoid Senate confirmation battles. Trump has seen several high-profile nominations founder, and others that have become distracting political fights.

"I like acting. It gives me more flexibility. Do you understand that?" Trump said in January, facing questions about acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan. "I like acting. So we have a few that are acting. We have a great, great Cabinet."

But it also serves as a "run around Congress," said the Brookings Institution's Darrell West. "He's worried that he would not be able to get all of these people through the U.S. Senate, even though Republicans still control the Senate."

West added: "It makes the administration look chaotic and not really in control of what it is doing, but Trump seems comfortable with that and he seems willing to live with that reality."

White House officials acknowledged that the roster of "actings" was not ideal, saying Trump's haste to make personnel changes, even without establishing succession plans, reflected his experience in the private sector. Some suggested it marked Trump's wariness to hire the wrong people.

'Acting' positions

But the president has struggled to attract top-tier talent since even before taking office, in part because he has maintained a loyalty test that has kept away many qualified Republicans who were critical of his candidacy during the presidential campaign.

Shanahan assumed the post in December after Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned over the president's Syria withdrawal plans and Trump has not named a permanent replacement. Mulvaney has been acting in the role since January, after the departure of chief of staff John Kelly.

At the Interior Department, David Bernhardt is serving in an acting capacity while his nomination to fill the role full time is pending before the Senate. The Office of Management and Budget is led by Russell Vought, while Mulvaney is at the White House.

"White House jobs and administration jobs are uber temporary because they're very difficult," said Matt Schlapp, a White House ally and chairman of the American Conservative Union. That's especially true for those who work for a Republican and especially Trump, Schlapp added, citing negative press and heightened media scrutiny.

Additional "actings" fill posts at the sub-Cabinet level.

Trump last week suddenly rescinded the nomination of acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement director Ron Vitiello to lead the agency permanently. And the Federal Aviation Administration has been led by an acting administrator, Daniel Elwell, since January 2018. Trump didn't nominate a permanent replacement until last month in the wake of a pair of aviation disasters.

The Senate Judiciary Committee's top Democrat, Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, said at the Homeland Security Department alone at least 10 top positions are filled in an acting capacity.

"The purge of senior leadership at the Department of Homeland Security is unprecedented and a threat to our national security," she said.

On Capitol Hill, Trump's use of acting officials has drawn scrutiny from within his own party as well, both over concerns that Trump was usurping their authority and that the instability could make the nation less safe.

"I am concerned with a growing leadership void within the department tasked with addressing some of the most significant problems facing the nation," said Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, the Homeland Security committee chairman.
The war with Russia may be a key issue in the Ukrainian presidential election, but on the ground, many civilians caught up in the conflict say their problems are not being addressed.

In the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, Ukrainian soldiers, rebel fighters and civilians are dying every day as the conflict grinds on. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes and are struggling to make new lives as the war tears apart communities. Thousands of Ukrainians still live along the front lines and are now enduring their sixth year of conflict.

"We need peace," said Nikolai Yushkov, a pensioner from the Mayorsk suburb of Horlivka. "Everyone says, 'You need to sit down and you need to negotiate.' Peace. We need peace."

Marina Pugacheva heads the nongovernmental organization Bereginja' that's based in the city of Mariupol. The charity helps Ukrainians caught in the conflict, many of them elderly and vulnerable.

"The two main problems are survival itself, and also unemployment," said Pugacheva. "This is because 70 percent of the land is either heavily mined, or it became no man's land."

Ukrainian authorities say as many as 270 civilians have been killed in landmine explosions since the war began in 2014.

The dangers have forced 1.5 million Ukrainians to flee their homes. The refugees are given about $100 a month by the government, barely enough to pay rent on a basic apartment. Mariupol has received more than 100,000 Ukrainians who have fled the war or abandoned their homes in rebel-controlled territory.

In the shadow of the city's sprawling steelworks, Ukrainian orthodox priest Volodymyr Koskin has watched the conflict unfold over the past six years. He laments the deep divisions that have emerged.

"Everyone is united, first of all, by faith and hope because any conflict or war comes to an end. Faith teaches us that, sooner or later, a person will have to look into the eyes of his former enemies," said Koskin.

For now, there is little sign that either side in this conflict is ready for reconciliation.

Election access

Many civilians living near the front lines haven't been able to vote in the election. Many aren't registered on the electoral roll, while others are unable to reach polling stations due to the dangers of the conflict or a lack of transport.

Pugacheva says their plight has received little attention.

"I don't think the presidential candidates have this issue on their radar. Because these people are not their electorate, so they don't care," Pugacheva said.

The colorful campaigns in Kyiv seem far removed from the bleak reality of life on the front line  a conflict with no obvious end and no easy answers.
In the latest escalation of tensions between the United States and Iran, President Donald Trump on Monday labeled Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a foreign terrorist organization  an unprecedented move that marks the first time the U.S. has formally named another country's military as terrorists. Experts say the decision will likely raise the already strained relationship between the two countries to a much higher level.

Here is a look at the history of the IRGC.

The Revolutionary Guard Corps, known in Iran as Pasdaran, was founded in April 1979 shortly after the Islamic Revolution and the overthrow of Iran's pro-western monarch Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi.

The IRGC's core task, as mandated by late supreme leader Ayatollah Khomeini, is to protect the country's Islamic system and revolutionary values.

"In principle, the Iranian state could eventually reform itself outside the bounds envisioned by that revolution, in spite of the numerous constitutional safeguards Khomeini set up, to include clerical oversight of the elected government," said Brad Patty, a former U.S. army adviser and analyst. "In practice, the IRGC exists to ensure that never happens. The population of Iran may wish what it will, but they are meant to live in terror of the IRGC."

Structure

The IRGC today has become a major military, political and economic player in Iran, with an estimated 150,000-strong military consisting of ground forces, navy, and air units. It is also in charge of the country's ballistic missiles and nuclear programs.

Organizationally, the IRGC falls under the Joint Armed Forces General Staff as a part of the Ministry of Defense. But the military remains subordinate to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, with elected civilian authorities exercising no real control, according to international policy organization Counter Extremism Project.

Internally, the IRGC also commands the Basij Resistance Force, a religious volunteer group that channels popular support to the regime and suppresses domestic dissent. The paramilitary force monitors compliance with the country's strict customs, such as arresting women who violate the regime's public dress codes and raiding Western-style parties where alcohol may be served.

Externally, the IRGC's uses its shadowy Quds Force led by Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani and proxy Shiite militias such as the Lebanese Hezbollah to extend its influence across the Middle East and beyond.

International activities and ties

The elite Quds Force was created during the Iran-Iraq War in 1980 and has about 15,000 personnel.

The group has been involved in Middle East conflicts for decades either directly or by providing support to pro-Iranian militias and governments, particularly in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, the Palestinian territories and Afghanistan.

More recently, the Quds Force were crucial to the Syrian civil war by supporting President Bashar al-Assad against the rebels.

In Iraq, the group played a key role in helping the Shiite-dominated government in the fight against IS and thwarting a Kurdish bid for independence.

The Quds Force is also considered the lifeline of Houthi rebels in their struggle against the internationally recognized government in Yemen.

World designations

The U.S. designated the Quds Force as a supporter of terrorism as early as 2007, followed by Canada in 2012. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, two key neighboring rivals to Iran, designated IRGC a terror entity in 2018.

The United Nations and the European Union have refrained from designating the IRGC as a terror entity but have blacklisted key individuals of the force, including its leader Qasem Soleimani.

Future

Analysts say the U.S. decision Monday to sanction the IRGC entirely will allow Washington to introduce further sanctions on Iran in the future as a part of the Trump administration's strategy of putting "maximum pressure" on the Iranian regime.

The sanctions will particularly affect the business sector in Iran, given the IRGC's involvement in economic activities, an analyst and journalist based in Tehran told VOA on the condition of anonymity because of potential scrutiny by the government.

"This sanction with its huge economic and travel limitations on IRGC is not limited to the unit itself. The IRGC is a multibillion dollar conglomerate economic cartel which controls organizations, companies and entities across the country and overseas. With this sanction, the fate of individuals and other companies who have business ties with it will be affected."

Analysts charge the sanctions will likely cross Iranian borders into other countries in the region where the IRGC has established influence and footprints.

Mike Pregent, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, told VOA the U.S. move would most likely be influential in draining the stream of support to militant groups such as the Houthis in Yemen and could push governments away from being Iranian proxies.

"This is a chance for Iraq to distant itself from Iran," Pregent said, adding that the Iranian IRGC has used Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces to directly shape governance in Iraq.

At the same time, the designation would likely put countries that wish to establish balanced relations with the U.S. and Iran in a difficult position, according to some experts.

Barbara Slavin, director of the Future of Iran Initiative at the Atlantic Council, said the U.S. sanctions would likely put immense pressure on Iraq and Lebanon, where pro-Iranian militants enjoy a lot of influence outside the military apparatus.

"It will certainly strengthen pro-Iran groups in Iraq calling for the expulsion of U.S. troops and, I believe, it will decrease U.S. influence, as Iran is not going anywhere, while Trump is cutting both troops and aid," she said.
Earth's glaciers are melting much faster than scientists thought. A new study shows they are losing 369 billion tons of snow and ice each year, more than half of that in North America.

The most comprehensive measurement of glaciers worldwide found that thousands of inland masses of snow compressed into ice are shrinking 18 percent faster than an international panel of scientists calculated in 2013.

The world's glaciers are shrinking five times faster now than they were in the 1960s. Their melt is accelerating due to global warming, and adding more water to already rising seas, the study found.

"Over 30 years suddenly almost all regions started losing mass at the same time,'' said lead author Michael Zemp, director of the World Glacier Monitoring Service at the University of Zurich. "That's clearly climate change if you look at the global picture.''

The glaciers shrinking fastest are in central Europe, the Caucasus region, western Canada, the U.S. Lower 48 states, New Zealand and near the tropics. Glaciers in these places on average are losing more than 1 percent of their mass each year, according to a study in Monday's journal Nature.

"In these regions, at the current glacier loss rate, the glaciers will not survive the century,'' Zemp said.

Zemp's team used ground and satellite measurements to look at 19,000 glaciers, far more than previous studies. They determined that southwestern Asia is the only region of 19 where glaciers are not shrinking, which Zemp said is due to local climate conditions.

Since 1961, the world has lost 10.6 trillion tons of ice and snow (9.6 trillion metric tons), the study found. That's enough to cover the lower 48 U.S. states in about 4 feet of ice.

Scientists have known for a long time that global warming caused by human activities like burning coal, gasoline and diesel for electricity and transportation is making Earth loose its ice. They have been especially concerned with the large ice sheets covering Greenland and Antarctica.

This study, "is telling us there's much more to the story,'' said Mark Serreze, director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado, who wasn't part of the study. "The influence of glaciers on sea level is bigger than we thought.''

A number of factors are making sea levels rise. The biggest cause is that oceans are getting warmer, which makes water expand. The new figures show glacier melt is a bigger contributor than thought, responsible for about 25% to 30% of the yearly rise in oceans, Zemp said.

Rising seas threaten coastal cities around the world and put more people at risk of flooding during storms.

Glaciers grow in winter and shrink in summer, but as the Earth has warmed, they are growing less and shrinking more. Zemp said warmer summer temperatures are the main reason glaciers are shrinking faster.

While people think of glaciers as polar issues, shrinking mountain glaciers closer to the equator can cause serious problems for people who depend on them, said Twila Moon, a snow and ice data center scientist who also wasn't part of the study. She said people in the Andes, for example, rely on the glaciers for drinking and irrigation water each summer.

A separate study Monday in Environmental Research Letters confirmed faster melting and other changes in the Arctic. It found that in winter, the Arctic is warming 2.8 times faster than the rest of the Northern Hemisphere. Overall, the region is getting more humid, cloudier and wetter.

"It's on steroids, it's hyperactive,'' said lead author Jason Box, a scientist for the Danish Meteorological Institute.
Indias mammoth, multi stage election gets underway Thursday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi pitching himself as a strong nationalist leader as he seeks a second term in office from the worlds biggest electorate while the opposition Congress Party woos poor voters with a new welfare measure.



Modis Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party hopes that a wave of nationalist sentiment that swept the country following a recent confrontation with archrival Pakistan will reverse the slide it witnessed just months ago when it lost three strongholds in local polls.



It is promising income and pension schemes for farmers as a faltering rural economy and high unemployment disillusion many voters who feel that Modis 2014 promise to create millions of new jobs and usher in far-reaching change never came to pass. But although the Prime Ministers popularity has receded, it is still higher than that of his main opponent, Rahul Gandhi, according to opinion polls.

Focus on national security



Analysts say the focus on national security appears to be trumping over bread and butter issues. There would be a strong segment who would go with the BJP because of belief in the leadership of the party, another which would go with it because of its ideology and a third group which would go with the BJP simply because they believe there is no alternative, says Sandeep Shastri, vice chancellor of Jain University.



The opposition Congress Party, headed by Rahul Gandhi, the fifth generation of the famous Nehru-Gandhi family that ruled India for many decades, is hoping to reemerge as a political force after plummeting to its lowest ever tally in parliament in 2014.



It is optimistic that an ambitious poll promise to ensure an annual basic income of $ 1010 to Indias poorest households will be a game changer and win back the millions who deserted the party five years ago. The Congress Partys hopes to unseat Modi have risen after it wrested three states from the BJP but according to analyst Shastri the partys shrinking support base poses a challenge.



WATCH: Can Modi Win Key Battleground State?

Strength of India's regional parties



An array of powerful regional parties that play a key role when the two mainstream parties fail to win a parliamentary majority could also influence the outcome. These parties, which have strong bases in several of Indias 29 states like West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, have said they will put together an alliance to challenge Modi if he does not win enough votes. In the battleground state of Uttar Pradesh for example, where the BJPs swept 71 out of 80 seats in 2014, two regional parties that have strong support among Muslims and low castes, have teamed-up to give him a much tougher contest.

Anticipating loss of support in populous, Hindi heartland states that are home to its core supporters, the BJP has stitched alliances with some regional parties to make up the numbers if it falls short of a majority.



The BJPs hopes of winning are pinned on the prime ministers image, who on the campaign trail has been calling himself Indias chowkidar" (watchman). If Modi is there, it is possible, is the partys campaign slogan.

A decision on PM Modi



On the streets, many want to give him another chance. He has brought development to my village, toilets, roads and electricity, says Babloo Singh, who works as a construction contractor in New Delhi.

I think the 2019 election is a lot about Narendra Modi himself. He is at the heart of it, those for him and those against him, says New Delhi based political analyst Neerja Chowdhury. As far as the opposition is concerned, they are targeting him for the erosion in freedoms that have taken place under him but highlighting the burning issue that is joblessness and rural distress.



The campaigns of Prime Minister Modi and his main opponent Congress Party head Rahul Gandhi have witnessed some of the sharpest attacks on each other witnessed in Indian elections. The BJP accuses the Congress, which ruled the country for many years since independence, of playing with national security and holding back its progress for decades. The Congress party accuses the Prime Minister of posing a threat to the countrys secular fabric by pushing a Hindu nationalist agenda.



Concerns that polarization has deepened during the rule of the Hindu nationalist BJP are also weighing with many voters including minority communities.

The partys agenda of protecting the cow that Hindus consider holy has led to rising incidents of violence involving cow vigilante groups who target Muslims suspected of trading in cows for slaughter.

A long complicated process



In Uttar Pradesh state, which has a large Muslim population, an employee of a food delivery firm, Mujahid Mansoori says We need food on our table for our family. We need jobs. We dont want anything to do with a polarized environment that is being created.

Opinion polls have forecast that along with its allies, the BJP could win a slim majority though fall short of the numbers they secured in 2014 when for the first time in 30 years they cruised well past the half way mark in parliament. But Indias elections are hard to predict and polls have proven wrong in the past.



Who will take control of the worlds largest democracy will only be known six weeks later on May 23rd when votes are counted after seven rounds of polling for the 543 elected seats of parliament that are up for grabs.



The phased polling makes it easier to move security forces around in a gigantic election that involves nearly 900 million voters, about four million polling personnel and over a million polling booths spread from the high Himalayan slopes to deep forests and distant islands in the Bay of Bengal. In one of the worlds youngest countries, nearly 85 million of them are first time voters.
Steve Herman contributed to this report from the White House; Carla Babb - from the Pentagon.



Iranian President Hassan Rouhani denounced the United States Tuesday as the actual head of global terrorism, one day after the U.S. designated Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps as a terrorist organization.

The move was the first time the U.S. designated part of another government as a terrorist organization.

"This unprecedented step, led by the Department of State, recognizes the reality that Iran is not only a State Sponsor of Terrorism, but that the IRGC actively participates in, finances, and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft, President Donald Trump declared in a statement. The IRGC is the Iranian governments primary means of directing and implementing its global terrorist campaign."

The U.S. action, which takes effect next week and includes the IRGCs elite secretive Quds Force, means it will be a federal crime to provide any type of support to the IRGC.

Rouhani said the U.S. designation would only bolster the reputation of the Revolutionary Guards and promote harmony among Iranians.

This mistake will unite Iranians and the Guards will grow more popular in Iran and in the region, Rouhani said. America has used terrorists as a tool in the region while the Guards have fought against them from Iraq to Syria.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressed a group of guards Tuesday, describing the U.S. action as a vicious move that will bear no fruit.

After Irans legislature convened for an open session in Tehran Tuesday, lawmakers dressed in paramilitary uniforms chanted, Death to America.

Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani criticized the U.S. decision as the climax of stupidity and ignorance. Supreme National Security Council spokesman Keivan Khosravi warned without elaborating that any unusual move by American forces in the region will be perceived as the behavior by a terrorist group.

China, an economic partner of Iran, urged countries outside the Middle East to promote peace and stability in the region and to avoid any acts of aggression.

We oppose power politics and bullying by any countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said.

Minutes after the announcement from the White House on the designation Monday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated the IRGC organizes and executes terror campaigns around the world.

U.S. officials, in comments to reporters, are also referring to the IRGC as a death cult that, they say, is the true face of Iranian foreign policy.

Pompeo declined to say, when asked by a reporter, whether the terrorist designation means that the U.S. military will target IRGC leaders the same way it does those of the Islamic State group.

Iran responded Monday to the U.S. action by putting U.S. military forces on its list of terror groups.
An Iranian delegation landed in Venezuela on Monday to discuss launching direct flights between the two countries, Venezuela's foreign minister said, as Tehran voices support for President Nicolas Maduro against the opposition backed by most Western countries.

A plane belonging to Mahan Air, a private Iranian airline accused by the West of transporting military equipment to Middle East war zones, landed in Caracas on Monday, and the two countries will discuss launching a direct flight "in the coming months," Minister Jorge Arreaza told reporters.

A White House official said the U.S. government viewed the launch of direct flights as a "politically motivated gesture."

"From our standpoint, there's clearly no commercial reason to establish this flight at this time," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Iran's Mehr news agency quoted the spokesman of Iran's Civil Aviation Organization Reza Jafarzadeh as saying a delegation from Mahan Air was traveling to Caracas to discuss maintaining regular flights between the two countries. The nonstop Tehran-Caracas flight would take 16 hours.

A Reuters photographer saw a Mahan Air plane parked at Caracas' main Maiquetia airport on Monday morning.

Mahan Air, established in 1992 as Iran's first private airline, has the country's largest fleet of aircraft. The United States imposed sanctions on the company in 2011, saying it provided financial and other support to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC).

France and Germany banned the airline's flights earlier this year, accusing it of transporting military equipment and personnel to Syria and other regional war zones.

Iran has voiced support for Maduro, who faces demands from the opposition and the United States to step down. Russia, China and Turkey have also backed Maduro.

The U.S. government has recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's interim president. Most Latin American countries have done so as well, while European governments have cautiously thrown their support behind Guaido.

Since Guaido began a campaign in January to oust Maduro, whom he denounces as illegitimate, Chinese and Russian planes have flown supplies and military personnel to Venezuela in support of the government.
(Photo/foreignonline)

The parents of an Australian man, who donated his organs to five Chinese citizens last year, came to a memorial park in southwest Chinas Chongqing municipality to mourn their son before Qingming festival, a traditional Chinese festival when people pay tribute to deceased family and friends.

Donor Phillip Andrew Hancock passed away at the age of 26 in Chongqing last year. His parents, according to his request, donated his liver, kidneys, and corneas to five recipients in China.

(Photo/foreignonline)

Its comforting to know that Philips organs saved so many peoples lives, said Philips father, after hearing of the successful transplants from the Red Cross Society of China.

Phillips case marked the first successful organ transplant from a foreign donor in Chongqing and the seventh in China.

Philips good deed quickly went viral on Weibo, Chinas Twitter-like social media app, where thousands of Chinese netizens expressed gratitude and praised this warm-hearted Australian man.
Goldman Sachs Chairman and CEO David M. Solomon

By Jhoo Dong-chan



Goldman Sachs was fined once again for conducting "naked short selling" here, financial authorities said, Tuesday.



This is the third time for the U.S.-headquartered global investment bank's units to get punishment for the illegal practice over the past year.



The Financial Services Commission (FSC) said it fined Goldman Sachs India Investment (GSII) and two other foreign investment companies for naked short selling. One domestic firm was also included in the list.



Short selling refers to the sale of borrowed shares in the hopes of making a profit from the price fall by buying the shares back at a lower price. And naked shorting refers to the practice of conducting short selling without actually borrowing the stocks first, which is prohibited in Korea.



The two foreign investment firms were OLZ AG and Kepler Cheuvreux.



The former shorted about 40,000 Kia Motors shares without buyback two years ago while the latter placed a short selling order without borrowing 16,200 shares of Coway last year.



Their irregularities were first caught through the Korea Exchange's (KRX) previous two-year short selling history review in August, and the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) confirmed them shortly after the KRX's report. Each firm faces up to 48 million won ($42,020) worth of fines.



According to the agency, GSII, the global IB's local unit headquartered in Singapore, placed a short selling order for Lotte Chilsung and JW Pharmaceutical stocks two years ago.





The Goldman Sachs headquarters on Manhattan, New York / AFP-Yonhap
The interrogation of a Libyan militant accused of playing an instrumental role in the 2012 Benghazi attacks was conducted lawfully and may be admitted at his trial next month, a federal judge has ruled.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper on Monday rejected defense attorneys' claims that the militant, Mustafa al-Imam, had been suffering from mental trauma and seasickness when he agreed to speak with American officials aboard a U.S. Navy vessel days after his 2017 abduction in Libya.

In a separate ruling, Cooper recently refused to dismiss murder and terrorism charges against al-Imam, clearing the way for him to stand trial May 6 in Washington.

The fiery assaults on the U.S. compounds in Benghazi killed four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador, and prompted a multiyear political fracas in which Republicans accused the Obama administration of a bungled response.

Al-Imam is the second militant to stand trial. Ahmed Abu Khattala, the head of an Islamist extremist militia who directed the attacks, was convicted in 2017 of terrorism-related counts but acquitted of murder. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison

While Khattala's case initially unfolded as a major courthouse spectacle but ended in a mixed verdict for the government, Al-Imam's trial is proceeding with minimal attention.

Al-Imam originally faced a single count of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists resulting in death. But the Justice Department last year quietly brought a 17-count superseding indictment charging him with murder in the deaths of Ambassador Chris Stevens, communications specialist Sean Smith and security officers Tyrone Snowden Woods and Glen Anthony Doherty.

The new charges virtually mirror those brought against Khattala, who was accused of driving to the diplomatic mission on Sept. 11, 2012, and breaching the main gate with militants who attacked with assault rifles, grenades and other weapons. The initial attack killed Stevens and Smith and set the mission ablaze. Woods and Doherty were later killed at a CIA annex.

Prosecutors acknowledged they lacked evidence of Khattala actually firing any weapons, but said the violence was aimed at killing American personnel at the compound and looting the buildings of documents, maps and computers.

Civilian court

Khattala's capture by U.S. special forces in 2014, and subsequent transport aboard a Navy ship revived the legal and political debate about how the United States government should treat foreign militants overseas. The decision to prosecute Khattala in federal court in Washington was an affirmation by the Obama administration in its faith that civilian courts could guarantee swifter and surer justice than military tribunals in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Al-Imam is being tried in a civilian court despite the Trump administration's earlier contention that such suspects are better sent to Guantanamo Bay.

Al-Imam's arrest, five years after the attack, marked the first publicly known operation since President Donald Trump took office targeting those accused of involvement in Benghazi.

The government has revealed few details about Al-Imam's alleged role in the attacks. Prosecutors described him in court filings as a close associate of Khattala who "helped orchestrate and participated in the attacks."

Accusations

Al-Imam is accused of entering the U.S. mission compound in Benghazi "at the direction of Abu Khattala" and taking sensitive material that identified the location of the CIA annex about a mile away from the mission "as the evacuation point for Department of State personnel," according to the indictment.

Following the initial assault on the mission, the indictment says, al-Imam returned to a camp with Khattala "and other attackers, where a large group of armed extremists began assembling for the attack on the annex."

The annex was twice targeted by mortar fire hours after the attack on the mission, killing Woods and Doherty, the two CIA security contractors defending the annex from the rooftop.

Al-Imam's defense attorneys declined to comment on the charges. They said in a recent court filing that the Justice Department "has the unusual advantage of having essentially tried this case once already," referring to the proceedings against Khattala.

The trial, which is expected to last about a month, will focus in part on al-Imam's "demonstrated biases before the attack," as well as "admissions" he made to law enforcement aboard a U.S. naval vessel following his capture in Misrata, Libya, prosecutors said in court filings.

Al-Imam gave three interviews to U.S. officials before requesting an attorney, according to the court filings, acknowledging that he accompanied Khattala to the U.S. mission on the day of the attack.

FBI records show al-Imam admitted stealing a phone and map from the mission "but did not want to be known as a thief."
A man in the U.S. state of Maryland has been arrested for an alleged Islamic State-inspired terror plot to run down pedestrians with a truck.

Federal prosecutors are set to argue in a court appearance Tuesday that 28-year-old Rondell Henry should remain in detention pending trial.

They said in a court filing ahead of the hearing that there are no conditions under which Henry could be freed and be assured of returning for future court appearances, and that he represents a threat to the community.

Prosecutors allege Henry stole a truck from a suburban Washington shopping mall last month and drove around looking for terror targets.

After failing to breach security at Dulles International Airport, Henry is accused of driving to the National Harbor in Maryland  a Potomac River walkway lined with shops and restaurants, highly popular with tourists. But in the court filing, the prosecutors say Henry did not find a large enough crowd for his desired act and decided to wait until later.

Police arrested Henry the next morning after he climbed out of a docked boat in which he hid all night and jumped over a security fence.

The government says Henry planned to drive the stolen truck over pedestrians. He allegedly told police, "I was just going to keep driving and driving and driving. I wasn't going to stop."

Prosecutors allege Henry was inspired by the 2016 ISIS truck attack in Nice, France, that killed 86 people.

They say Henry has a "hatred for those who do not practice the Muslim faith" and wanted to emulate those he saw in videos beheading civilians and fighting overseas.

So far, Henry faces charges of interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle. It is not clear if he will face additional charges.
NASA is using its satellites to solve humanitarian challenges in some of the most fragile places on earth under a landmark partnership with aid agency Mercy Corps.

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration will use its wealth of data to help communities at risk from climate change and natural disaster predict the dangers and build their resilience.

"There is nothing a NASA person likes better than answering a really good question," NASA's disasters program director David Green told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

"That is the excitement of working with Mercy Corps, because they are trying to bring solutions to bear anywhere in the world there is stress, and arguably we are looking at the entire world at any given time."

NASA and Mercy Corps signed a three-year agreement on March 29 that will see them work closely to see how NASA's vast data and analysis resources could be applied to help vulnerable people around the world.

They say the data can help them predict future events, from changes in grazing land to the likely path of flooding, meaning Mercy Corps can plan ahead to protect communities at risk.

"In order to build resilience you have to understand the higher-level stresses on a system," said David Nicholson, senior director of environment, energy and climate at Mercy Corps.

"We so often work in information-scarce environments, trying to make decisions on how best to deploy resources without the benefit of information."

Much of the data that NASA holds is already publicly available, but may not be used because decision-makers are not aware of its existence or because it is not in a format that addresses their questions.

In a pilot project, the teams looked at groundwater levels in Niger, where most people live off subsistence farming and droughts can destroy livelihoods.

NASA was able to provide data on changes to underground water levels and find reserves using a satellite that senses them through tiny changes in gravity.

The information helped to show where could support more farming and where was at high drought risk.

They are working to share NASA data with local decision-makers around the world, from national governments to local farmers.

"If you can empower people with the right information they can make the smart decision," said Nicholson.

The two organizations could also collaborate during large-scale disasters such as the recent floods in Mozambique and Zimbabwe to help target immediate relief.

"It's still very much in the experimental phase, there's just such a deep well of possibility," said Nicholson. "I think there is an endless opportunity here."
Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Tuesday called a snap election for June as the Central Asian nation seeks a new leader following the shock resignation of its longtime ruler.

Nursultan Nazarbayev, the only leader an independent Kazakhstan had ever known, announced suddenly last month that he was stepping down after nearly three decades in office.

Nazarbayev, who retained significant powers following his resignation, named Tokayev to replace him for the remainder of his term due to finish next year.

Tokayev said the presidential election would be held on June 9 instead.

In a televised address to the nation, Tokayev said he had consulted with Nazarbayev -- known as "Elbasy" or "Leader of the Nation" in Kazakh -- and other top officials before making the decision.

"We must continue to work on the implementation of the strategy of Elbasy," Tokayev said.

"This can be done only by the direct expression of the will of the people... As the acting head of state I guarantee that the elections will be held honestly, openly and fairly."

Tokayev did not immediately say whether he would run though most analysts have tipped him to succeed Nazarbayev, at least in the short-term.

"I don't think there is much doubt it will be him," independent political analyst Aidos Sarym told AFP.

Sarym described Tokayev's decision to call the election as a move to ensure calm and stability in the country of 18 million people following Nazarbayev's surprise resignation.

"This was important for investors, both foreign and local. Business has been bothered by all the uncertainty," Sarym said.

Other reasons are to reassure neighboring countries and stabilize the state apparatus, he said.

With all this taken into account, the leadership had "little choice" but to move towards a snap election, Sarym said.

Daughter 'not going to run'

Nazarbayev's daughter and speaker of Kazakh senate, 55-year-old Dariga Nazarbayeva, who has been widely tipped as a possible successor to her father, on Tuesday reportedly ruled out running.

"No, (Nazarbayeva) is not going to run," her spokeswoman Saule Mustafayeva told the private Tengrinews outlet.

When contacted directly by another news website however, Nazarbayeva did not confirm or deny a potential run.

"Any citizen of the country may run for (the presidency) in accordance with the Constitution and the laws. Political parties determine nominations," she was quoted as saying by Zakon.kz.

The speaker position, which Tokayev previously held, is second in line to the presidency according to the constitution.

Whatever happens, observers doubt the election will be a real contest.

"Announcing elections and the possibility of holding an honest vote are two different things in Kazakhstan," analyst Dosym Satpayev wrote on Facebook.

"The political field has been cleaned of opposition," Satpayev said.

Nazarbayev, 78, now has the constitutional status of "Leader of the Nation" as well as chairmanship of the ruling Nur Otan party and a lifetime position as chief of the security council.

The strongman was credited with transforming the country into an energy powerhouse with growing diplomatic clout, but also accused of clamping down on the opposition and tolerating little dissent.

He ruled Kazakhstan since before it gained independence with the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

The capital was quickly renamed from Astana to Nur-Sultan in his honor following his resignation.

Tokayev visited key ally Russia in his first trip abroad as president last week and discussed strengthening cooperation with President Vladimir Putin.

During the visit, Putin raised the prospect of Russia building a nuclear power plant in the country, a move that would bring Kazakhstan even closer into Moscow's orbit.

The government faces a challenge to tackle growing discontent over falling living standards after Kazakhstan's economy was hit by the 2014 drop in oil prices and western sanctions against Russia, a key trading partner.

Dozens have been arrested while attempting to hold anti-government protests in the country's two largest cities, Nur-Sultan and Almaty, since Tokayev took office.
Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan has sounded the alarm that the U.S. military "is not moving fast enough to stay ahead" of rivals China and Russia in space.

Speaking at the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Shanahan said "China and Russia have weaponized space with the intent to hold American space capabilities at risk."

He then warned that the U.S. is "not capable of tracking" some of China's rapid advancements in space weapons, particularly in hypersonic weapons.

Threats from competitors in space can target many critical aspects of the United States' $19 trillion economy, from GPS navigation to cellphone usage.

"The next major conflict may be won or lost in space," Shanahan said Monday. "We are not going to sit back and watch. We are going to act."

The acting defense secretary said that the Trump administration's proposed Space Force will allow the military to more effectively organize, train and equip a military force of about 15,000 to 20,000 for this war fighting domain.

The new military branch will cost each American about $1.50 per year, Shanahan said, a key point he will likely repeat Thursday when he appears in front of the Senate to defend the military's plan for creating a Space Command, Space Development Agency and eventually a Space Force.

The Pentagon has been defending its budget proposal on Capitol Hill for weeks. Some lawmakers have been skeptical of the Department of Defense's stated need for a separate Space Force amid its record-setting request for increased funding.

The U.S. currently spends more on defense than any other country.

"We are starting now because we refuse to fall behind. We can outpace our competitors and make it impossible for them to contest our dominance in space," Shanahan said
Lee Ju-hyun contributed to this report.

SEOUL-- South Korean President Moon Jae-in heads for Washington Wednesday, where he will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday. Moon said previously he hoped his trip to the United States will revitalize stalled talks with North Korea that collapsed after Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un failed to reach an agreement during their February summit in Hanoi.

Harry Kazianis, director of Korean Studies at the Center of the National Interest, told VOA Moons Washington trip serves two purposes.

First, Kazianis said, Moon wants to make sure that the talks [between Pyongyang and Washington] continue.

He said the bare minimum Moon needs to accomplish during his trip is to keep both sides sort of engaged and smooth over any rough patches.

I think what he's really going to try and do is to see if both parties can split the difference, said Kazianis.

Thats something that may be possible. Speaking last week on the televised news program CBS This Morning, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said diplomatic channels remained open and there had been ongoing conversations after Hanoi about how to move forward.

In addition, Pompeo said he was "confident" there would be a third summit between the two leaders, possibly in the coming months; however, he gave no details.

Cheon Seong Whon, a visiting research fellow at The Asan Institute for Policy Studies, was not as optimistic about fruitful discussions with Pyongyang.

[The United States] cannot dampen the mood on talks; therefore the emphasis on [Pompeos] positive remarks, said Cheon. I do not think they are seriously considering that North Korea will give up their nukes [because] North Korea has never said that they will stop nuclear and missile development.

Sanctions relief

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has advocated for inter-Korean projects as a way to further peace on the Korean peninsula. These efforts include reopening the joint industrial complex in Kaesong and resuming tours at Mount Kumgang, but doing so would run afoul of international sanctions.

Pompeo said economic sanctions on North Korea would not be lifted until Pyongyang abandoned its nuclear weapons; nevertheless, local South Korean media reports that Moon will propose easing sanctions on North Korea when he meets with President Trump.

Kim is obviously not going to fully denuclearize right away, said Kazianis, noting that the United States would probably not drop its sanctions against North Korea if Kim made a small move.

Therefore, Kazianis envisions a situation where the United States would temporarily drop sanctions if North Korea would completely abandon the Yongbyon nuclear facility.

That allows both sides to continue on in the process, and I think that's something Moon can do, he said.

Cheon is unsure an easing of sanctions will bring about the desired results on the peninsula.

From 1991, when the North Korean nuclear issue began, to the current sanction, the [South] Korean and U.S. governments have participated in a repetitive cycle, he said.

Seoul and Washington have attempted to create a virtuous cycle where incentives were given to North Korea in exchange for a decrease in threatening behavior, said Cheon, calling the practice a historically proven failure.

Unlike Presidents Trump and Moon, Kim Jong Un can wait things out since the United States and South Korea have fixed terms for their leaders, Kazianis asserted.

So if Trump and Moon are serious [about negotiating with Kim about denuclearization], they're going to have to put their best package together pretty soon, then I think we're going to be able to find out if Kim is serious, he said.

Kazianis added, If that's not the case, then we're going to have to move to probably tougher position.

Thats something that may be necessary said Cheon.

North Korea is proposing a nuclear-free zone of the Korean peninsula, he said. Its a concept first introduced by Kim Il Sung 30 years ago.

Cheon explained that North Korea is seeking to remove South Korea from the United States nuclear umbrella, prohibit the deployment of nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula, withdraw U.S. forces, and prohibit the deployment of strategic assets.

South Korea and the U.S. should establish their positions and develop a stable alliance to ensure North Korea gives up its nuclear weapons, urged Cheon.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in departed Seoul April 10 and meets in Washington with U.S. President Donald Trump, Thursday, April 11.
With Syria's eight-year war waning, many foreign fighters who have fought in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are returning to their home countries. Some of those fighters are Iranian-backed Afghan refugees.

Since 2011, Iran has sent thousands of undocumented Shi'ite Afghan refugees to Syria to fight alongside forces of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces.

These Afghan fighters are part of the Fatimiyoun Brigade, the second-largest group of foreigners fighting for Assad in Syria. At the peak of the war, media reports estimated they numbered between 10,000 and 12,000 fighters.

One of the returning Afghan fighters is 22-year-old Hamid, who commanded a unit within the Fatimiyoun Brigade. He said that he was 17 when he moved to Iran to find a job.

"After working there for six months, Iranian authorities gave me two options: Either go back to Afghanistan or fight in Syria," Hamid told VOA. "I chose to join the Fatimiyoun Brigade [in Syria] as I needed the money to pay off my debts."

Iran has recruited Afghan migrants to fight in Syria with promises of citizenship and improved living standards for their families. Roughly 3 million Afghans live in Iran, but many lack basic rights and live without a formal status in the country.

"I was promised Iranian citizenship, a $1,000 monthly salary, and the right to own a house and a car upon returning from Syria," said Hamid, who returned to Afghanistan in 2016. "But it was all a lie. I was granted a five-year residency, which required monthly renewal. I was not paid at all, let alone the right to own a house or a car."

Training

Before deploying to Syria in 2015, Hamid and other Afghan recruits received a month of military training at a mountainous location near the Iranian city of Yazd. He was then appointed by the IRGC to command a unit of 140 Afghan fighters in the Syrian province of Aleppo, where they fought Islamic militant groups such as al-Nusra Front, the former Syrian branch of the al-Qaida terror group.

"After six months of fighting in Syria, I got shot and returned to Iran," Hamid said. "I spent three months in Iran, but I was not treated. So I had to return to Afghanistan. My father sold a piece of his fertile land and sent me to India for treatment."

It is not clear how many Afghan fighters have returned home from Syria, though some estimates suggest numbers in the thousands.

Analysts believe that the Iranian military deployed Afghans in the Syrian war because it was less costly.

"For the Iranian regime, having these people killed in Syria is much less problematic than having Iranian citizens killed there," said Sadradeen Kinno, a Syrian researcher who closely follows militant groups in Syria.

"At least Iran didn't have to worry about a growing public outcry inside Iran over those Iranian-backed militiamen who were killed in Syria," he added.

Indoctrination

While the main incentive for many Afghan fighters to join the fight in Syria was financial, some have been indoctrinated by Iranian officials on a sectarian basis to fight the mostly Sunni rebels.

"Our aim was to clear Islam from those Takfiris [apostates] in Syria and later on in our homeland," a former Afghan fighter told VOA on the condition of anonymity because of security reasons.

He said that Afghan fighters "did not have any experience in fighting in mountainous areas as we were about to deploy to Latakia [province in western Syria]."

"Our commander told us, 'You better learn how to fight in the mountains so you will be well prepared for our future wars in Afghanistan in order to establish a real Islamic state,'" he added.

Threat to Afghanistan

Some experts charge that this extreme rhetoric and belief could pose a "real threat" to Afghanistan, an already volatile country.

These fighters "are definitely a threat to Afghanistan's security," said retired Afghan General Atiqullah Amarkhil. "They are a bunch of trained guerrillas who have fought as mercenaries [in Syria] and know nothing but fighting."

Amarkhil told VOA that most of the Afghan fighters who have fought in Syria are uneducated and "because of that they will either resort to robbery and killing or start a civil or sectarian war at the behest of Iran."

He said Afghan officials have often discussed this issue with the Iranian government, asking that it not return these fighters to Afghanistan because they are part of the Iranian Revolutionary Forces and need to be kept in Iran.

Hamid, the former fighter, voiced a similar concern.

"I have heard that some of the [Fatimiyoun Brigade] fighters are told they would be equipped to fight in Afghanistan," he said, adding that Iran has brainwashed them.

"The pretext could be fighting the Islamic State, but once inside Afghanistan these fighters would be tasked to fight the Afghan government," Hamid said.

Help during tough times

In a recent meeting with families of Afghan fighters, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that many Afghans have helped the Islamic Republic during tough times.

"They helped us from the early days of [the Islamic] revolution, and during the imposed war [with Iraq], and now throughout the period of defending the Shrines [in Syria]," he said.

Iran has often said that its military presence in Syria is largely to protect Shi'ite holy sites there, while the U.S. and other Western countries say that Iran has played a major role in destabilizing Syria and other parts of the Middle East.

Backed by Iranian forces and Russian air power, Afghan fighters have played a major role in defending Syrian government forces across Syria, including decisive battles against rebels and Islamic State militants in Aleppo, Hama, Homs and Deir el-Zour.

"Some of them are still active in Syria, but less than before, I would say, because the security situation has improved for the Syrian government," said Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi, a researcher at the Middle East Forum, a U.S.-based think tank.
Gunfire was heard outside the Sudanese military headquarters in the capital of Khartoum Tuesday as demonstrations seeking the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir continued for a third consecutive day.

Large groups of protesters have been gathered outside the compound since Saturday calling for the end of al-Bashirs 30-year autocratic rule. Interior minister Bushara Juma said Monday that roughly 10,000 protesters rallied outside the headquarters on Saturday, one of the largest crowds since protests broke out in more than three months ago.

Six people were killed in the capital city of Khartoum when security forces dispersed the protesters. One other person died in a related protest in the state of Darfur, Juma said.

WATCH: Sudan protests

The protests began on December 19, with demonstrators accusing Bashir's government of economic mismanagement that has sparked skyrocketing food prices, and fuel and foreign currency shortages.

Bashir imposed a nationwide state of emergency on February 22 in an attempt to suppress the protests after an initial crackdown failed. The government said weeks ago that 31 people had been killed, but the group Physicians for Human Rights estimates the death toll is at least 60.

The government continues to enforce tough measures that have resulted in the arrests of protesters, opposition leaders and journalists.
British Prime Minister Theresa May will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday to argue for a Brexit delay while her ministers hold crisis talks with Labour to try to break the deadlock in London.

Britain's departure from the EU has already been delayed once but May is asking for yet more time as she courts veteran socialist Jeremy Corbyn, whose opposition Labour Party wants to keep Britain more closely tied to the bloc after Brexit.

"The prime minister has not yet moved off her red lines so we can reach a compromise," Corbyn said ahead of further talks between his team and government ministers on Tuesday.

While May travels to Berlin and Paris ahead of an emergency EU summit in Brussels on Wednesday, British lawmakers will hold a 90-minute debate on her proposal to delay Britain's EU departure date to June 30 from April 12.

The debate has been forced on the government by parliament passing a law on Monday which will give lawmakers the power to scrutinize and even make legally binding changes to May's request to extend the Article 50 negotiating period again.

Labour's demands include keeping Britain in a customs union with the EU, something which is hard to reconcile with May's desire for Britain to have an independent trade policy.

The Telegraph reported Labour and the government were still discussing both a customs union and the idea of holding a confirmatory referendum on any deal they agree.

Both ideas are anathema to many in May's party, whose rebels have helped trigger three parliamentary defeats of the withdrawal deal she negotiated with the EU last year.

"I've said many times before, we can be more, much more ambitious in our future relationship with the U.K.," EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier told a news conference with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar in Dublin on Monday.

Brexit Delay?

The 2016 referendum revealed a United Kingdom divided over much more than EU membership, and has sparked impassioned debate about everything from secession and immigration to capitalism, empire and what it means to be British.

Yet, more than a week after Britain was originally supposed to have left the EU, nothing is resolved as May, the weakest British leader in a generation, battles to get a divorce deal ratified by a profoundly divided parliament.

If Britain's exit is delayed beyond May 22, the EU has said it will have to take part in European Parliament elections. The British government on Monday took the legal steps necessary to take part in that vote.

"It does not make these elections inevitable, as leaving the EU before the date of election automatically removes our obligation to take part," a government spokesman said.

EU leaders, fatigued by the serpentine Brexit crisis, must decide on Wednesday whether to grant May a further delay. The decision can be vetoed by any of the other 27 member states.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said it was "crucial to know when and on what basis (the) U.K. will ratify the Withdrawal Agreement" as the EU considers May's request to delay.

Without an extension, Britain is due to leave the EU at 2200 GMT on Friday, without a deal to cushion the economic shock.

While the EU is not expected to trigger such a potentially disorderly no-deal exit, diplomats said all options were on the table - from refusing a delay to granting May's request or pushing for a longer postponement.

But May is boxed in at home.

Brexiteers in her cabinet insisted on at most a short delay, while Mark Francois, deputy chief of the Conservatives' hardline eurosceptic faction in parliament, demanded she resign and called on the party to vote on forcing her out - even though there is no formal provision to do so before December.
On March 22, Special Counsel Robert Mueller concluded his 22-month-long investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election by submitting a nearly 400-page confidential report of his findings to Attorney General William Barr. A week later, Barr wrote to members of Congress that he expects to release a redacted version of the full report by mid-April, if not sooner.

Here are three of the most important things to look out for when the report is released:

How much of the report will the public see?

The report runs about 400 pages, excluding tables and appendices, nearly twice as long as Whitewater independent counsel Kenneth Starr's 1998 report to Congress. But not every page is likely to be seen by the public, which could deepen a controversy already swirling around Barr's refusal to release the full report.

While congressional Democrats want the complete report out, Barr has said redactions must be made to shield secret grand jury material and other sensitive information from public disclosure.

If the special counsel's previous court filings are any indication, parts of the report are likely to be heavily redacted. In one recent filing by Mueller, almost every page was blacked out.

Barr has pledged to provide maximum transparency. Whether he errs on the side of less or more redactions remains to be seen.

Blacking out large portions of the report could renew criticism that the Justice Department is hiding information from Congress and intensify Democrats' demands for full disclosure. So far, Congress and the public have had to rely almost exclusively on Barr's interpretation and summary. "Show us the Mueller report!" House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California demanded.

On the other hand, if summaries of various sections of the report  which were reportedly designed by Mueller and his team for immediate release  are not heavily redacted, the attorney general could face questions for holding them back.

What will the report add to well-documented Russian election interference?

The first part of the Mueller report documents Russian computer hacking and social media disinformation efforts to influence the 2016 election. The majority of this part appears based on grand jury indictments handed down against Russian operatives in February and July 2018.

Per Barr, the special counsel's finding was categorical: "The investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities," Barr quoted from the Mueller report.

Trump seized on Barr's letter to declare "total exoneration" for himself. But whether the full report totally vindicates him of involvement in the Russian meddling effort or leaves any clouds hanging over him remains to be seen.

While the special counsel has documented interactions between Trump campaign associates and Russia, he has not revealed whether Trump was aware of and endorsed any of the exchanges.

Disgraced former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen has claimed that Trump knew of both the 2016 Trump Tower meeting between Trump advisers and Russian operatives, and interactions between Trump informal adviser Roger Stone and WikiLeaks, which published damaging hacked emails regarding Democrat Hillary Clinton and her campaign organization. Trump has denied the allegations.

Was Barr's exoneration of Trump justified?

The second part of the report, which deals with whether Trump obstructed justice, has generated the most controversy and is likely to be closely studied, parsed and debated.

In his summary, Barr wrote that "the report sets out evidence on both sides of the question. It leaves unresolved what the special counsel views as 'difficult issues' of law and fact concerning whether the president's actions and intent could be viewed as 'obstruction.'"

In recent days, however, Mueller's investigators have reportedly expressed frustration to associates that Barr's summary failed to adequately describe "derogatory information" about Trump's actions included in the report.

If borne out, this apparent contradiction between what Mueller's prosecutors claim is in the report and how Barr subsequently characterized it to Congress could renew criticism that Barr cherry-picked the report to justify exonerating the president of obstruction of justice.

On the other hand, the report could shed light on how Mueller arrived at his decision not to draw any conclusion about whether Trump obstructed justice.

In his letter, Barr wrote that his determination that there was no obstruction was based on a long-standing Justice Department policy against indicting a sitting president. However, he left unmentioned whether the guidance had been part of the special prosecutor's calculus.
Financial Services Commission Chairman Choi Jong-ku, second from left, speaks at a meeting with chief executives of credit card firms in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap



By Park Hyong-ki



The country's financial regulator will ease rules enabling local credit card companies to diversify their operations so that they can not only develop new digital business models but also rely less on transaction fees for growth.



In a meeting with the heads of the card firms in Seoul, Tuesday, Financial Services Commission (FSC) Chairman Choi Jong-ku said the regulator appreciated the companies for following its low fee rate policy for small businesses early this year.



He added he also understood their troubles in maintaining profitability amid the fee reduction, and negotiating with large merchants, urging both sides to reach a "reasonable" agreement over fees.



"However, if the card companies continue to count on big marketing spending to attract new users and merchants' transaction fees, they will inevitably face a steep downfall in the digital age," and Choi.



He urged them to "experiment and test" their ideas and develop them into new businesses.



So after listening to the companies for the past five months since the regulator introduced the reduced fee rates, the FSC will allow them to freely use their customer data and analyze them so that they can provide big data analysis services and consulting as a new business.



It will allow them to as long as they abide by rules governing consumer protection, the FSC added.



For instance, the companies will not face strict restrictions when they seek to finance their new data business with debts.



Rules forbid them to use debts to finance more than 83 percent of their assets. The industry's average stood at 79 percent as of the end of 2018.



The industry has welcomed the lowered barrier to launch data services given all seek to jump into the field.



"Without the use of big data, one cannot move toward the next phase in using artificial intelligence," said a card industry source.



The FSC will also allow the card companies to provide business-to-business (B2B) equipment rental services.



They will not be allowed to provide direct-to-consumer rental services as they could hurt small businesses in the area.



The regulator will only let them compete in B2B rental as they are only a few players including AJ Networks.



The chairman stressed the regulator will no longer tolerate seeing the card firms spending excessively as part of marketing especially to maintain their relations with big merchants.



It will revise relevant laws to forbid "unreasonable expenses" and enforce the companies to strengthen their internal systems to better calculate and forecast their spending.



Workers of six card companies sought to protest against the regulator this week over their dissatisfaction toward the FSC's enforced fee reduction, which they have said will only lead to conflict and restructuring.


Victoria Macchi contributed to this report.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Sunday his intention to appoint U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Kevin McAleenan as acting Department of Homeland Security secretary, replacing current head Kirstjen Nielsen, who said she plans to leave the job Wednesday.

Trump's announcement on Twitter ends Nielsen's tenure of more than a year with the agency that oversees border security in the United States. Nielsen reportedly resigned, though some reports have said she was forced to leave.

McAleenan's appointment comes amid the administration's allegations of a surge of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.

McAleenan is not new to "acting" positions. He was acting commissioner of the CBP in January 2017 and was formally sworn in 2018. According to a CBP profile of him, the commissioner oversees a $16 billion budget in an agency with 60,000 employees  the largest law enforcement agency in the U.S.

"We just hope that Nielsen's departure doesn't allow for new leadership to be put in place doubling down on policies to turn away vulnerable women and children.  We cannot effectively employ a law enforcement answer to what is a humanitarian problem," Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Baltimore-based Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), told VOA.

"Even if there is a shift to an extreme, I fear that we're going to come to a crashing collision, because we have to figure out a way to meet the letter of the law and meet the needs of families and children," Vignarajah said, adding that she appreciates in recent interviews that McAleenan has recognized the nature of border crossings, which has recently changed from single males trying to evade detection to families seeking asylum.

In recent weeks, McAleenan told reporters the U.S. immigration enforcement system along the nation's southern boundary was at "the breaking point," adding that CBP did not have the infrastructure to deal with families and children.

In December, he told the Senate Judiciary Committee that "our infrastructure is incompatible with this reality. Our border patrol stations and ports of entry were built to handle mostly male, single adults in custody, not families or children."

McAleenan also blamed smugglers for the increase in illegal crossings and called the situation a "border security and humanitarian crisis," though historically, the number of illegal crossings between ports of entries are at an all-time low.

In fiscal year 2018, illegal crossing apprehensions at the southwest border  people detained between ports of entry only  totaled 396,579. In FY 2008, the number was 705,005.

In FY 2016, apprehensions were at 408,870, while in FY 2017, the total was 303,916.

'Zero tolerance' policy

As CBP commissioner, McAleenan, under Nielsen's leadership, moved the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy forward  detaining and prosecuting everyone entering the country illegally, which resulted in the separation of minor children from their parents.

The consequences of zero tolerance still remain.

In court documents filed Friday, the U.S. government said it might take federal officials two years to find "potentially" thousands of children who were separated from their families at the border before a judge halted the practice last year.

In an interview with New York Times Magazine, McAleenan said CBP is a "law enforcement organization carrying out policy and law set by others." He added that "there was no intent for indefinite and certainly not permanent separation. There's an intent to enforce the law at the border. And that's not an individual agent's decision. That comes from the top of the administration."

Trump's authority

Trump's McAleenan announcement came shortly after Nielsen's meeting with the president, but legal experts have questioned whether Trump has the authority to appoint McAleenan.

The issue, Stanford law professor Anne Joseph O'Connell tweets, is a statute guiding the Department of Homeland Security.

According to the statue, in case there is a need for an acting secretary due to a secretary of homeland security vacancy, the undersecretary for management is expected to become the acting secretary  which means the job would go to Claire Grady.

In the past, Trump appointed Mick Mulvaney, his current acting chief of staff, as acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, bypassing Richard Cordray's deputy. After Jeff Sessions was fired as attorney general, the president appointed Matthew Whitaker acting attorney general, going over higher ranking officials such as Rod Rosenstein.

McAleenan has a law degree from the University of Chicago. He practiced law in California before working for the U.S. government.

On Monday afternoon, Nielsen's farewell message was on the front page of the DHS website.
U.S. President Donald Trump praised his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi as a "great president" on Tuesday despite U.S. lawmakers' concerns about his record on human rights, efforts to keep him in office until 2034 and planned Russian arms purchases.

Egypt's parliament has proposed constitutional reforms aimed at allowing Sissi to remain in power until 2034, a move criticized by senior U.S. lawmakers and advocacy groups who are also disturbed by Egypt's repression of human rights.

Asked if he backed the efforts to allow Sissi to potentially stay in power for another 15 years, Trump told reporters: "I think he's doing a great job. I don't know about the effort, I can just tell you he is doing a great job ... great president."

Sissi is a former general who came to power after the, military led by him, overthrew Egypt's first freely elected civilian President Mohamed Morsi in 2013 following mass protests against his rule. Sissi was elected president the following year.

Egypt, the Arab world's most populous nation, is of strategic importance to the United States because of its peace treaty with Israel and its control of the Suez Canal, a vital waterway for global commerce as well as the U.S. military.

The U.S. Congress has appropriated $1.4 billion in bilateral assistance for Egypt in the current fiscal year, the same amount provided the previous year, according to a report by the Congressional Research Service.

While there continues to be support for aid to Egypt, members of Congress have voiced deep concerns about its reported signing of a $2 billion deal with Russia to buy more than 20 Sukhoi SU-35 fighter jets and weapons for the aircraft.

In a letter released on Monday, leading senators also said Egypt had "unjustly detained more than a dozen Americans," called for their release, and raised "serious concerns about the erosion of political and human rights."

The letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was signed by the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Republican chairman Jim Risch, the panel's senior Democrat Sen.

Bob Menendez as well as 15 other senators.

"We are concerned (about) their deepening relationship with Russia, which also includes the loan that Moscow has provided to construct the nuclear power plant at Dabaa," it said, referring to a 4,800 megawatt plant aimed to be in service by 2026.

The senators asked Pompeo to request that Sissi "re-evaluate these decisions, which risk making his country a Russian dependency once again."

Egypt and the Soviet Union were close allies until the 1970s, when Cairo moved closer to the United States, which brokered its 1979 peace deal with Israel.

Trump did not directly address the issue of Egypt's planned Russian arms purchase. He said "a lot of progress has been made ... in terms of terrorism and other things with Egypt."

"We've never had a better relationship, Egypt and the United States, than we do right now," Trump added as the two men spoke to reporters before meeting in the White House Oval Office.

"All the credit goes to you, Mister President," Sissi responded through an interpreter. "Thank you very much for your support on all fronts."
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he has no intention of reinstating his abandoned policy of separating Central American migrant children from their parents when they cross the southern U.S. border from Mexico to seek asylum in the United States.

"We're not looking to do that," Trump said at the White House.

But he added, "Once you don't have it, that's why you see many more people coming. They're coming like it's a picnic, because let's go to Disneyland."

Under a "zero tolerance" policy to arrest all undocumented migrants as they crossed the border, the Trump administration last year broke up hundreds of families, separating more than 2,700 children from their parents. Some adults were charged with immigration violations and others deported back to Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador while their children remained in U.S. custody in hopes of eventually winning asylum.

After an international outcry over the family separation policy, Trump ended it last June. Many parents were reunited with their children, but some still have not been. News reports in the U.S. this week suggested Trump was considering reinstating the policy, but he said that is not the case.

Trump, a Republican, blamed his Democratic predecessor, former President Barack Obama, for the child separation policy, although there are differences in the way the two U.S. leaders have dealt with the continuing surge of migrants seeking entry into the U.S.

"President Obama had child separation," Trump said. "I'm the one that stopped it."

Obama did not have a child separation policy, and Trump has not explicitly, either. But the effect of the zero tolerance policy under Trump and promoted by former Attorney General Jeff Sessions was to split up families when they walked into the U.S.

The policy often meant that adults were charged criminally and their children separated. When the initial processing took longer than 72 hours, the longest time that the children could be held by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, they were transferred to another federal agency, Health and Human Services, where they were often kept in fenced enclosures.

Trump, sitting alongside Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in the Oval Office, angrily assailed opposition Democratic lawmakers for what he said was their refusal to adopt tougher U.S. immigration controls.

"They want open borders," Trump said. "They don't even want to know who (arriving migrants) are. We're stopping them."

The U.S. leader said, "You have a Democratic Congress that's obstructing. You talk about obstruction? The greatest obstruction anyone's ever seen."

"All they have to do is spend 20 minutes and they can fix this whole problem. ... You have people coming in, claiming asylum. They're all reading exactly what the lawyer gives them. They have a piece of paper, read what that is, and all of a sudden, you're entitled to asylum. And some of these people are not people you want in our country."

He also assailed a judge's decision Monday that blocked a Trump administration policy of requiring asylum-seekers to remain or return to Mexico while their petition is being processed.

"It's a disgrace," he said. "We're bucking a court system that never rules for us."

Trump on Sunday ousted Homeland Security chief Kirstjen Nielsen after weeks of blaming her for the surge of migrants seeking to enter the U.S. Earlier, he had rescinded his nomination of Ronald Vitiello to head the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with Trump saying he wanted to go in "a tougher direction." Trump also dismissed the head of the Secret Service, the agency that protects him and his family.

News accounts in the U.S. say that other leaders at the Department of Homeland Security also could be dismissed in the coming days, but Trump denied he was engaged in a purge of the agency's top officials.
President Donald Trump is welcoming Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to the White House on Tuesday for a second official visit.

The two leaders are expected to address topics including human rights, natural gas development in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and Egypt's efforts to defuse tensions in Gaza through negotiations with Hamas.

El-Sissi led the 2013 military overthrow of elected but divisive Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. He has presided over an unprecedented crackdown on dissent, and was re-elected last year after all potentially serious challengers were jailed or pressured to exit the race.

Egypt is headed toward a national referendum that would potentially allow el-Sissi to remain in power until 2034.

Human Rights Watch says Congress should step up and condemn the initiative, given Trump's silence on abuses in Egypt.
Uganda's Rwandan community has marked the 25th anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide, which saw over hundreds of thousands of people killed over a 100 days of ethnic majority Hutus targeting minority Tutsis. Many Tutsis fled to neighboring countries like Uganda.



The Rwandan Students Association at Ugandas Makerere University re-enacted the bloody events that began in April 1994 by performing a play.



They sang songs to remember the dead and to keep their memory alive.



Rwandas ethnic majority Hutus genocidal campaign against minority Tutsis left over 800,000 people dead in just over three months.



Ten of those killed were Jackline Uwamwizas relatives, who dismissed her pleas that they join her in fleeing Rwanda.



And I was calling them, asking them, please, please go away, go to Burundi, people are waiting for you at the borders of Burundi, please go, please go. But they were not believing that this will happen. And one day I called again, as I was doing it every day, and the phone was not responding, Uwamwiza recalled.

Uganda has been a haven to fleeing Tutsis since the 1959 Rwandan Revolution, which changed Rwanda from a Belgian colony with a Tutsi monarchy to a free, Hutu-ruled republic.



It was from Uganda where now President Paul Kagames Rwandan Patriotic Front launched attacks against Hutu forces, fueling civil war but also ending the genocide.

On Sunday, Ugandans and Rwandans honored those killed in the genocide. They lit candles and vowed such bloodshed would never happen again.



But Rwandas ambassador to Uganda, Frank Mugambagye, also stressed that  a quarter century later - some wanted culprits are still free.



The arrest warrants have been issued but, indeed, in some cases, quite many cases, they have not been pursued. Efforts must therefore be made to expose the suspects so that justice and fighting impunity is realized, Mugambagye said.

Rwandan elders in Uganda worry that without this annual tribute, Rwandan youth, who have no memory of the genocide, may one day forget.



George Bazatoha, a student at Makerere University born in Uganda after his family fled the Rwandan Revolution, said the memorial was vital for his generation.



It gives me a spirit of loving my country and loving my fellow munywarwanda, my tribemate, without considering whether hes Hutu, or Tutsi or Twa, Bazatoha said.

For Rwandans in Uganda, the ethnic and power conflicts that drove them out of their country, and led to the 1994 genocide, are tragedies they hope never to see repeated.
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Uganda's Rwandan community has commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide, which saw over 800,000 people killed in 100 days of ethnic majority Hutus targeting minority Tutsis. Many Tutsis fled to neighboring countries like Uganda, where Halima Athumani has this report.
The U.N. childrens fund (UNICEF) reports 14 Yemeni children were killed and 16 others were injured by a blast Sunday near two schools in the capital Sanaa, the seat of government for the rebel Houthis. UNICEF says most of the children were under age nine.

Details surrounding the attack remain murky and need to be investigated. UNICEF says the deadly blast occurred shortly before the children were to leave their classrooms for lunch. Witnesses say the explosion shattered the windows and unleashed a burst of shrapnel and broken glass into the classrooms.

According to UNICEF, many of the children are critically injured and fighting for their lives.

The U.N. agency says the number of casualties is probably higher than what has been reported. UNICEF spokesman, Christophe Boulierac, says the blast is another reminder that even schools are not safe in Yemen.

One in five schools can no longer be used as a direct result of the conflict. Some came under direct attack, while others are being used for military purposes," he said. "For more than 2 million children in Yemen today, going to school is a faraway dream.

UNICEF says this latest attack may further discourage parents from sending their children to school.

The Saudi-led coalition began bombing rebel Houthi targets in support of the government four years ago. Since then, the United Nations reports more than 2,670 Yemeni children have been killed, mostly by airstrikes.

The most horrific attack so far was on a school bus in the rebel-held northern city of Saada last August. A Saudi-led military coalition said it carried out the airstrike that killed 40 children.

Boulierac says UNICEF is providing lifesaving assistance to affected children and families in Sanaa. He added that the agency also is providing psychological support, as well as covering the cost of surgery and medical treatment.
Aid agencies are urging rival militias in Libya to take all possible measures to protect civilians as fighting for control of the capital city, Tripoli, escalates and casualties mount.

In recent days, health facilities near Tripoli have reported 47 people killed and 181 wounded. The World Health Organization says nine civilians, including two doctors, are among the dead. One doctor reportedly was killed while working as part of a field ambulance service.

WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic says the agency has documented dozens of attacks against health workers and facilities that killed and injured 32 health workers and patients since 2018.

"To respond to this spike in violence, the health sector prepositioned supplies in advance in order to respond quickly and effectively," he said. "Emergency medical supplies and trauma kits were prepositioned in four strategic sites. The supplies are sufficient to treat up to 210,000 individuals for three months and to enable the treatment of up to 900 injuries."

WHO fears a prolonged conflict will drain the limited available medical supplies on hand. An added problem, Jasarevic notes, is that the WHO is short of cash. He says the agency may not be able to meet the medical needs of the population if donors do not contribute more generously to its $43.5 million appeal.

International law

Meanwhile, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet is appealing to all parties to the conflict to abide by their obligations under international law. Her spokeswoman, Ravina Shamdasani, says the warring parties must take all possible measures to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, including airports, schools, hospitals and prisons.

"The high commissioner stresses that the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution must at all times be fully respected," Shamdasani said. "Intentionally targeting civilians or civilian objects as well as indiscriminate attacks may amount to war crimes."

The high commissioner is particularly concerned about the welfare of thousands of vulnerable refugees and migrants in detention centers near the combat zone in Tripoli. Bachelet is urging authorities not to abandon them.

The United Nations issued an "urgent appeal" Monday for a two-hour truce in the suburbs of Tripoli to evacuate civilians.
The United Nations said Tuesday that a national conference for Libya scheduled for Sunday to bring warring parties together is unlikely to go ahead due to the military escalation in Tripoli.

In a statement, U.N. Libya envoy Ghassan Salame said that he is determined to hold the national conference as soon as possible, but that the current recurrence of fighting is overshadowing the political process.

I therefore reiterate that I am more determined than ever to hold the national conference at the earliest possible opportunity, as we cannot allow the historic opportunity it presents to be lost, Salame said in the statement. We also cannot ask Libyans to attend a conference to the backdrop of artillery shelling and air raids as we must ensure that all of those who expressed willingness to respond to this historic and national event from all over the country are able to attend and are able to voice their opinions freely.

The envoy said he would work day and night to end the current military escalation, which began last week and has left dozens of civilians dead, including two doctors.

Forces under the command of General Khalifa Haftar, who holds sway in the countrys east, have advanced into the capital, Tripoli, which is controlled by the U.N.-backed Presidential Council and Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj. Air strikes and fighting have ensued.

The prime minister called Haftars offensive an attempted coup.

Haftar has received support from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Russia in the past, but Moscow and Abu Dhabi have joined the current calls for restraint.

U.N. Security Council members Britain and Germany have requested that the 15-nation body meet on Wednesday to discuss the escalation. The council last met about the situation on Friday as the current cycle of fighting erupted.

Late Monday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate halt to all military operations and urged the parties to hold talks to reach a political resolution.

His comments came after forces loyal to General Haftar acknowledged responsibility for an airstrike that hit the only functioning airport in Tripoli.

There were no reported injuries from the strike at Mitiga airport, but the attack did force the airport to close for several hours.

The United Nations has appealed for a humanitarian truce in the suburbs of Tripoli to evacuate civilians. Some 4,500 people have been displaced due to the fighting.

Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called for an immediate halt to Haftars advance and said all of parties involved "have a responsibility to urgently de-escalate the situation."

The United Nations has appealed for $202 million for its humanitarian response in Libya this year, but it is woefully underfunded, with only six percent received.
U.S. President Donald Trump contended Wednesday that investigators who started an initial probe into his 2016 campaign were attempting a "coup" and committing "treason" to keep him from winning.

"Everything about it was crooked," Trump declared, claiming "there is a hunger in this country" for Attorney General William Barr to carry out the investigation he has announced into the origins three years ago of the Justice Department's investigation into Trump campaign contacts with Russia.

The U.S. leader assailed former Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation officials  he called them "dirty cops"  for their role in starting what eventually led to the 22-month investigation of special counsel Robert Mueller into Trump campaign links with Russia and whether Trump, as president, obstructed justice by trying to thwart the probe.

"What they did was disgraceful," Trump said. "It was an illegal investigation. It was an attempted coup, an attempted takedown of a president. What they did was treason."

Trump spoke as Barr said that in the coming days he would release a redacted version of the nearly 400-page Mueller report.

Late last month, Barr released what he said was a summary of Mueller's findings. He said the special counsel did not find that Trump or anyone in his campaign had worked with Russia to try to tip the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, but that Mueller reached no conclusion about whether Trump had obstructed justice. In the absence of a conclusion on the obstruction issue, Barr said he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein decided that no obstruction charges were warranted against Trump.

Trump said he has not read the Mueller report, but declared, "I won, no collusion, no obstruction. I've been totally exonerated."

Barr later told lawmakers at a Senate committee hearing that he believes "spying did occur" on Trump's 2016 campaign, although it was not clear exactly what he was referring to. The U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court on several occasions authorized surveillance of Trump foreign affairs aide Carter Page.

"I think spying on a political campaign is a big deal," said Barr, whom Trump appointed as the country's top law enforcement official. Barr said he wants to find out whether the investigation of Trump's campaign in the early stages was "adequately predicated."

"I want to make sure government power was not abused," Barr said.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee that is investigating Trump's campaign and his presidency, said Barr's comments about alleged spying on the Trump campaign "directly contradict what [Justice] previously told us," and Nadler asked the agency "to brief us immediately."



Nadler renewed his demand to Barr to release "the full Mueller report."

Barr testimony

Barr, testifying Wednesday for the second day in a row, was questioned sharply by opposition Democrats about release of the Mueller report and what material he is redacting from the public and the scrutiny of lawmakers. Barr, as he did Tuesday before a House of Representatives committee, said confidential grand jury testimony and information from foreign intelligence sources in the Mueller report are being blacked out.

On Tuesday, House Democratic lawmakers criticized Barr, suggesting that in his Mueller report summary he had acted to shield Trump from the full weight of the probe's conclusions.

House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey said Barr's summary appears to "draw the most favorable conclusion possible for the president" and "raises more questions than it answers."

The New York Democrat added that the attorney general's letter "is more suspicious than impressive" and urged him to "bring transparency to this process as soon as possible."

Accusations of 'cherry-picking'

News reports have said that some members of Mueller's team alleged that Barr's summary glossed over information damaging to Trump.

The attorney general did not respond to Lowey's allegation that he may have "cherry-picked" material from Mueller's report, nor did he weigh in on Trump's assertion that the document completely exonerates him of wrongdoing.

"I'm not going to discuss it any further until after the report is out," Barr said.

"I am relying on my own discretion to make as much public as I can," he added. "This process is going along very well."

Democrats in both houses of Congress have demanded access to the complete Mueller report, an idea that Barr appeared to dismiss.

"I don't intend, at this stage, to send the full, unredacted report to the [Judiciary] committee," the attorney general said.
Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah delivers a speech during an event in Bandar Seri Begawan on April 3. The sultan called for "stronger" Islamic teachings in the country as tough new Sharia laws, including death by stoning for gay sex and adultery, were due to come into force. AFP



By Jung Min-ho



Brunei's draconian new criminal laws have so far had little impact on Korean demand for exploring the country, major tour agencies here told The Korea Times Tuesday.



The Sharia penal code of the tiny nation on Borneo island came into force on April 3 to toughen penalties for a wide range of crimes, including stealing, drinking in public areas and gay sex  a crime punishable by stoning to death.



"So far, we have not received any cancellation request since the Brunei news broke out a few days ago," a PR official at Mode Tour, the country's second-largest travel agency, said. "There was no inquiry about safety there or other noticeable change of any sort. In fact, the number of tourists to Brunei in the first quarter this year jumped by 50 percent from the same period last year."



An official at Hana Tour, the largest travel agency, also said demand for Brunei travel has not been affected by what is being criticized internationally as "cruel and inhumane laws."



The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a warning last week to citizens, saying that they should use "extreme care" when traveling to Brunei and that the law applies not only to Muslims but everyone, including non-Muslim foreigners.



Under the law, if a foreigner drinks alcohol in public areas or gives it to a Muslim, the person could face up to two years in prison.



If someone tries to spread any religious faith other than Islam, he or she could face up to six months in prison.



Brunei, an oil-rich former British protectorate with a population of just 430,000, is ruled by the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, one of the richest people in the region, thanks to the country's oil industry.



Brunei is not a big tourist destination; only 278,000 visitors traveled to the country last year. But the government is stepping up its marketing push to become one. Brunei's national airline, Royal Brunei Airlines, which accounts for 80 percent of air travel to and from Brunei, said last month it would double visitor arrivals by 2021.



Korea is one of the airline's main targets in Asia. It launched direct flights between the two countries in 2017 and increased the frequency from twice a week to three times in March 2018. The number will increase to four times this month.



On March 10, President Moon Jae-in became the first Korean head of state in 19 years to make a state visit to Brunei.



During their meeting, Sultan Bolkiah expressed his support for Moon's New Southern Policy, which seeks to boost economic and diplomatic ties with the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). He also said the two countries' relations "have deepened not only in the energy and infrastructure sectors but also in cultural and people exchanges over the 35 years since the countries established diplomatic ties."




The U.S., Britain and Norway demanded Tuesday that Sudanese authorities deliver a "credible plan for political transition" as deadly demonstrations seeking the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir continued for a fourth day.

Activists behind the protests said at least 13 people were killed in the capital of Khartoum, bringing the death toll to 21 since the weekend, including five soldiers. Police used tear gas, rubber bullets and fire to disperse the protesters.

The three Western countries said that failing to offer a transition plan "risks causing greater instability. The Sudanese leadership has a grave responsibility to avoid such an outcome."

They said the protests "continue to grow and the demand for political change from the courageous and resilient people of Sudan is becoming ever clearer and more powerful. The Sudanese people are demanding a transition to a political system that is inclusive and has greater legitimacy."

"This is a pivotal moment for the future of Sudan," their statement said. "The decisions the Sudanese authorities take now, in an inclusive dialogue, will have a dramatic impact on the lives of 40 million Sudanese people and the stability of the region."



WATCH: Sudan Protesters Demand Change

Large groups of protesters have been gathered outside a military compound since Saturday calling for the end of al-Bashirs 30-year autocratic rule. Interior Minister Bushara Juma said Monday that roughly 10,000 protesters rallied outside the headquarters on Saturday, one of the largest crowds since protests broke out more than three months ago.



Sudan police encouraged an agreement for a "peaceful transition of power."

The protests began Dec. 19, with demonstrators accusing Bashir's government of economic mismanagement that has sparked skyrocketing food prices, and fuel and foreign currency shortages.

Bashir imposed a nationwide state of emergency on Feb. 22 in an attempt to suppress the protests after an initial crackdown failed. The government said weeks ago that 31 people had been killed, but the group Physicians for Human Rights estimates the death toll was at least 60 before the latest unrest.

The government continues to enforce tough measures that have resulted in the arrests of protesters, opposition leaders and journalists.
President Donald Trump says the United States will impose new tariffs on more than $11 billion worth of exports from the European Union, after the World Trade Organization ruled last year the EU was illegally subsidizing aircraft maker Airbus.

The WTO, in a decision last May, ruled the European countries had given $22 billion in state aid to Airbus to help build its A380 and A350 jets, damaging its U.S. rival, Boeing.

Trump said Tuesday that since the WTO had ruled that the subsidies had "adversely impacted the United States," it "will now put Tariffs on $11 Billion of EU products! The EU has taken advantage of the U.S. on trade for many years. It will soon stop!"

Trump's declaration aside, the new list of tariffs would not take effect until after a WTO arbiter rules on the allowable size of the tariff package, a decision not expected for several months.

The European Union and the United States have for years disputed each other's reciprocal subsidies to Airbus and Boeing, long predating Trump's 27-month presidency. At various times, the WTO has ruled against both.

In first announcing the proposed $11.2 billion in U.S. tariffs on European exports on Monday, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said, "This case has been in litigation for 14 years, and the time has come for action. Our ultimate goal is to reach an agreement with the EU to end all WTO-inconsistent subsidies to large civil aircraft."

He added, "When the EU ends these harmful subsidies, the additional U.S. duties imposed in response can be lifted."

The U.S. Trade Representative's list of products subject to new tariffs extends to 14 pages, including a number of civil aviation products, including Airbus, along with new levies on such food products as swordfish, salmon, cheeses, olive oil and wines, and clothes.

The United States said once the WTO issues its report on the allowable size of the tariffs, it would issue a final list of affected goods.

The European Union and the United States have been working toward a new trade deal after Trump and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker agreed last July that no new tariffs would be imposed while the two sides are negotiating.

The ongoing dispute over aircraft subsidies is occurring as Boeing is facing a weeks-long crisis over the worldwide grounding of its fleet of 737 Max aircraft while authorities investigate the cause of crashes of the jetliner in Indonesia and Ethiopia that killed all 346 passengers and crew members aboard the two aircraft.
VOA News Center writer Ken Bredemeier contributed to this report from Washington.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who oversaw several contentious Trump administration immigration and border policies, will leave her post this week, opening up one of the most high-profile and influential positions in the presidents Cabinet.

The move appears to be part of broader leadership changes at several agencies within the DHS, following a string of departures in recent days.

On Monday, the White House said the head of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) Randolph "Tex" Alles would step down. Three days earlier, President Donald Trump rescinded his own nomination for the director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Ronald Vitiello.

The New York Times reported Monday that the head of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), L. Francis Cissna, is also expected to step down soon, though neither the White House nor the agency has confirmed.

According to Trump, the head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Kevin McAleenan  the countrys law enforcement agency at the border and at ports of entry  will temporarily take charge of DHS as acting secretary, which would mean a change in leadership at CBP as well.

Heading in a 'tougher direction'

The top-down shake-up is said to be motivated by Trump's interest in more restrictions regarding migration at the U.S.-Mexico border, and with immigration overall.

In rescinding Vitiello's appointment last week, Trump said, We want to go in a tougher direction" on immigration but did not elaborate.

Nielsens departure comes after publicly conflicting with the president late last month over U.S. relations with Central America, and amid media reports that Nielsen did not go far enough in pushing Trumps restrictionist agenda at the southern U.S. border.

Secretary Nielsens had a rocky tenure... from denying family separations were initially happening to having to justify the 'zero-tolerance' policy," said Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services. "This wasnt altogether unexpected."

With media reports that Trump wants to reinstate a policy of separating migrant children from their families at the border, the White House on Monday did not issue a flat-out denial of the allegation.

WATCH: US immigration policy

Hogan Gidley, White House deputy press secretary, told reporters: The separation of families, you know, the president has said before he does not like that. It's a horrible practice. But Congress has a way to fix that so that it will not be a magnet for people to come here and use children to do it.

But migration is not triggered by one variable, such as congressional action, rather by several: conditions in migrants' home countries, policies in the United States, economic variables, weather. And that list changes.

Neither Nielsen nor Trump, however, have publicly acknowledged that the administration's policies may in fact be contributing to the increased number of border-crossers in recent months, as Dree K. Collopy, chair of the National Asylum and Refugee Liaison Committee of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, suggested in January.

Democrats welcome Nielsen resignation

News accounts say Nielsen had no intention of quitting when she arrived at the White House on Sunday to meet with Trump, but that he was determined to ask for her resignation, which she submitted shortly after the meeting.

White House sources have said Trump often yelled at Nielsen for apparently not being strong enough in curbing the number of migrants trying to enter the United States.

"It is deeply alarming that the Trump administration official who put children in cages is reportedly resigning because she is not extreme enough for the White Houses liking," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement following Nielsens announcement.

Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, responded by summarizing Nielsen's tenure at DHS as "championing President Trump's cruel anti-immigrant agenda" and McAleenan's appointment "deeply disturbing" given the CBP commissioner's actions at the border.

Castro went on to say McAleenan "cannot be trusted... based on his record of prioritizing Trump's harmful policies."

But Nielsen's removal and McAleenan's temporary appointment are not a slam dunk on either side of the political spectrum. Noted immigration restrictionist Mark Krikorian, head of the Center for Immigration Studies, tweeted that he is "not sure McAleenan would be an improvement over Nielsen."

He fully opposed Cissna's possible removal and said it would be a "colossal blunder."

Trump has expressed frustration with the situation along the southern border, where hundreds of thousands of migrants trying to escape poverty and crime in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras have traveled through Mexico in hopes of entering the United States. Under U.S. law, foreign nationals are allowed to apply for asylum.

Nielsens last day in office will be Wednesday, April 10.

The Nielsen legacy

Trumps immigration policies created tumult at the border, in airports and in the court system. For the first year, former Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly carried out those decisions.

His tenure largely focused on the first  and subsequent, controversial, and legally fraught  travel bans affecting international travelers and families with relatives abroad. The first successful attempt to cut refugee arrivals also happened under Kelly. Two of the three primary agencies tasked with refugee admissions are within the Department of Homeland Security.

When Nielsen succeeded Kelly in December 2017, she led a shift toward more domestic-oriented policies, namely on the U.S.-Mexico border. McAleenan not only has led an agency that focuses on the domestic aspects of immigration, but who also has experience in law enforcement.

O'Mara Vignarajah, head of LIRS, said that may reinforce Trumps interest in clamping down on asylum-seekers.

We cannot effectively employ a law enforcement answer to what is a humanitarian problem," O'Mara Vignarajah said. "We just hope that Nielsens departure doesnt allow for new leadership to be put in place doubling down on policies to turn away vulnerable women and children."
A veteran political consultant who pleaded guilty in August in a case spun out of U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe should get a lenient sentence to account for his "substantial" assistance in other criminal investigations, U.S. prosecutors said on Monday.

Samuel Patten, 47, is a former business partner of Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian national accused by Mueller of having ties to Russian intelligence. Kilimnik was indicted in June.

Among other offenses, Patten pleaded guilty to communicating with U.S. lawmakers and the media on behalf of the Opposition Bloc, a Russia-aligned political party in Ukraine, without disclosing that work to the Justice Department, in violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

Patten had been cooperating with the special counsel's probe. His case has also sparked interest in Washington amid a widening crackdown by the Justice Department on undisclosed lobbying.

Federal prosecutors in Washington, who started investigating Patten after receiving a referral from Mueller, said in a court filing on Monday that Patten met or spoke with government investigators on the phone nine times.

He was also willing to serve as a witness in one of two cases against Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman, who had also worked for the Opposition Bloc. Manafort ultimately pleaded guilty, obviating the need for a trial.

"Patten has served as a valuable resource for the government in a number of other criminal investigations, providing helpful information about additional individuals and entities," prosecutors wrote in the filing.

While the prosecutors did not suggest a specific sentence, they said leniency was warranted given Patten's assistance.

Mueller wrapped up his investigation two weeks ago without establishing a criminal conspiracy between Russia and the Trump campaign. The full Mueller report has not been released to the public yet but is expected in redacted form as early as this week.

While acknowledging he broke the law, Patten argued in his own sentencing memo that his case differed from other FARA violations, which have typically involved a lobbyist attempting to conceal the identity of the client and the source of funds.

"Mr. Patten did not create companies or entities to hide who he was working for or to conceal foreign influence," Patten's lawyer wrote in the filing arguing for a sentence of probation.

Patten also admitted to arranging for a U.S. citizen to act as a straw purchaser to pay $50,000 for four tickets to the inauguration of President Donald Trump on behalf of a Ukrainian oligarch, who reimbursed Patten through a Cypriot account.

The move circumvented U.S. law prohibiting foreigners from providing money to an organization running the inauguration.

Patten is due to be sentenced on Friday.
Two U.S. senators introduced a bill on Tuesday to ban online social media companies like Facebook and Twitter from tricking consumers into giving up their personal data.

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The bill from Mark Warner, a Democrat, and Deb Fischer, a Republican, would also ban online platforms with more than 100 million monthly active users from designing addicting games or other websites for children under age 13.

The bill takes aim at practices that online platforms use to mislead people into giving personal data to companies or otherwise trick them. The so-called "dark patterns" were developed using behavioral psychology.

"Misleading prompts to just click the 'OK' button can often transfer your contacts, messages, browsing activity, photos, or location information without you even realizing it," Fischer said in a statement issued by both senators.



Restrictions on how social media companies collect information about users could hurt their ability to sell advertisements, a key source of profit.

A website aimed at tracking dark patterns identifies behavior, such as a website or app showing that a user has new notifications when they do not.

Warner said in an interview on CNBC that the legislation could be included in a federal privacy bill that lawmakers in the Senate Commerce Committee are drafting. Congress has been expected to take up privacy legislation after California passed a strict privacy law that goes into effect next year.

Warner noted that Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg, Google and others have expressed support for privacy regulation.

"The platform companies are now going to have an opportunity to put their money where their mouth is, to see if they support this legislation and other approaches," he said.

The bill would bar companies from choosing groups of people for behavioral experiments unless the companies get informed consent.

Under the terms of the bill, social media companies would create a professional standards body to create best practices to deal with the issue. The Federal Trade Commission, which investigates deceptive advertising, would work with the group.

Facebook, Google, Twitter and other free online services rely on advertising for revenue, and use data collected on users to more effectively target those ads.
Venezuela will "fulfill its commitments" to Cuba despite United States sanctions targeting oil shipments from the South American country to its ideological ally, Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said on Monday.

Washington on Friday imposed sanctions on 34 vessels owned or operated by state-run oil company Petroleos de Venezuela as well as on two companies and a vessel that have previously delivered oil to Cuba, aiming to choke off a crucial supply of crude to the Communist-run island.

Venezuela has long sent subsidized crude to Cuba. The United States describes the arrangement as an "oil-for-repression" scheme in which Havana helps socialist President Nicolas Maduro weather an economic crisis and power struggle with the opposition in exchange for fuel.

Arreaza said he would not reveal Venezuela's "strategy," but that the sanctions would not stop the shipments.

"When the conventional power of capitalism attacks you, you have to know how to respond through non-conventional means, always respecting international law," Arreaza told reporters.

Friday's measure came after broader sanctions Washington had slapped on

The United States, along with most Western nations, recognizes Juan Guaido, the leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, as Venezuela's rightful leader. Guaido invoked the country's constitution to assume an interim presidency in January, arguing Maduro's May 2018 re-election was a sham.

The opposition last month ordered an end to oil shipments to Cuba, but PDVSA - controlled by military officers loyal to Maduro - has continued the exports.

The most recent fuel shipment to Cuba left Venezuela's Jose port on April 4, carrying liquefied petroleum gas, according to Refinitiv Eikon data. In the second half of March, two tankers carrying crude and two tankers carrying refined products left for Cuba.

The only tanker sanctioned on Friday, the Despina Andrianna, is currently returning to Jose after unloading crude at Cuba's Cienfuegos refinery in March. Another three vessels are waiting off Venezuela to load with shipments destined for Cuba.
The Zimbabwean government says all Gukurahundi victims should be issued with birth and death certificates with immediate effect while the state is in the process of rolling out medical payouts for those who were injured in the atrocities, which claimed over 20,000 lives in Matabeleland and Midlands provinces.

Secretary for Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Virginia Mabiza, made the announcement Tuesday in Bulawayo when she met with member of Matabeleland Collective, a group of non-governmental organizations that held an indaba with President Mnangagwa in the city two weeks ago.

Mabiza said, The Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage will facilitate the issuance of birth certificates and death certificates for victims affected by Gukurahundi. It will also facilitate the exhumation and reburial of Gukurahundi victims. Were also implementing protection mechanisms for those affected by Gukurahundi to be free to discuss their experiences.

He further said the Ministry of Health is expected to provide medical assistance to some of the victims.

Some people are still suffering from various pains inflicted on them during the disturbances. The government will therefore, facilitate that these people receive medical assistance.

She also said the government would facilitate the creation of opportunities for local people who are being sidelined in most work places.

 Another critical issue to be looked into is devolution where we expect government processes to be devolved by prioritising of local businesses in the awarding of tenders and giving locals first preference when filling positions.

Mabiza noted that President Mnangagwas government wants to complete critical projects like the Zambezi Water Project in order to empower people in Matabeleland and the Midlands provinces, which recorded sluggish growth since independence owing to the Gukurahundi massacres.

The ministry and certain players that have been identified to look into the completion of the project are expected to give monthly updates on progress made until we can give timelines on the completion.

Some activists immediately dismissed the governments move saying the government should apologize first for the atrocities before granting Gukurahundi victims birth and death certificates.

Former president Robert Mugabe deployed the Fifth Brigade in the Matabeleland and Midlands regions claiming that he wanted to get rid of dissidents that were allegedly sponsored by then PF Zapu leader Joshua Nkomo, who denied any wrongdoing.

Nkomo and Mugabe formed a unity government in 1987 following five years of civil strife in the two regions, which were PF Zapu strongholds. Mugabe was advocating for a one-party state.
Photo: Matt Bockelman

While rehearsing their play Socrates at the Public Theater, Tim Blake Nelson and Michael Stuhlbarg appear themselves like a pair of old-fashioned philosophers  maybe its the voluminous beard that Stuhlbarg has grown out to play the title role, or the fact that Nelson, who wrote the script, is able to outline his thoughts in what feel like neatly prepared paragraphs. The two actors (and in Nelsons case, sometime writer and director) are best known for their work on film  specifically, their collaborations with the Coen brothers  but theyve known each other and worked together since they attended Juilliard a few years apart.

Nelson, the more direct and professorial of the two, wrote his new play Socrates with Stuhlbarg in mind. The play dramatizes the major events in the philosophers life during classical-era Athens, including the public debates that Plato (one of Socrates acolytes) recorded in the Dialogues, Socratess trial for corrupting the youth of Athens, and his subsequent death by hemlock. Though he plays the pugnacious philosopher onstage, compared to Nelson, Stuhlbarg is quieter and more circumspect. Between the two of them, theres plenty of room for an old-fashioned philosophical dialogue, which we had about the making of the play, their careers, and how Socrates Athens mirrors our democracy.

I was trying to find my notebooks from reading Socrates in college to prepare, so well see how much I can remember.

Michael Stuhlbarg: Im sure Tim will be able to help you.

Tim, from what Ive read about this, you were a classics major in college and had the idea in the back of your mind for a play about Socrates.

Tim Blake Nelson: Well, after my first year at Juilliard I decided to try and write a play about Socrates and I was so far from being equipped, [and] the failure was so profound and comprehensive, that Im surprised I even tried to write again afterwards. I had no idea how difficult it was going to be. Thirty years later, I decided to try again with three decades of experience as an actor and as a writer. I wrote it originally as a movie and I had Michael and some others over to my living room and we did a reading. My wife and this other guy there who was in the reading named Keith Radine, whos a playwright, suggested that I try it as a play. I ignored them, sent the screenplay to my representatives to talk to them about how to raise the money, and they said, The only way youll ever make this as a film is if you do it first as a play and you reverse-engineer it. So I wrote it as a play, and suddenly understood that my wife and Keith Radine had been right, and that it probably should be a play and now here we are. Michael has already been a kind of muse for me as a writer, even when he doesnt end up playing parts, I write parts for him. There was a part in Leaves of Grass I wrote for him

Stuhlbarg: Oh my goodness!

Nelson: You knew that. The part Maggie Siff played, the rabbi.

Stuhlbarg: Forgive me, thats right.

Nelson: Then there was a part in Anesthesia, the most recent film I made, that I wrote for Michael. But he couldnt do it, so I played that role.

Stuhlbarg: I didnt know that, either!

Nelson: But this one, he decided he was available. [Laughter] Its always a question with Michael if hes available, because of course, everybody wants Michael.

Michael, you were also at Juilliard when Tim was there. Two years younger?

Stuhlbarg: Thats right, two years behind Tim. I first became aware of Tim there and had seen side projects that he had been creating at that time that just blew my mind. That year there was an election, and Tim had created this piece just trying to figure out how the country was going to vote for the upcoming election. That was the first thing I saw that Tim had made that really captured my imagination and excited me.

And then also you were in The Grey Zone, which Tim wrote, the play and the movie.

Stuhlbarg: Getting to do his play The Grey Zone back in 1996, this is kind of a reunion for Tim and I, having done that play way back when.

Nelson: As I said, I write for Michael. I wrote the part of Hoffman in Grey Zone for Michael. Literally when I was researching that play and I was reading these diaries of the Sonderkommandos in this book called Amidst the Nightmare of Crime, which were diaries. Its just basically straight translations of diaries that were buried at Birkenau and theyre filled with lacunae. There are ellipses, dots, where the lacunae are. And it made the characters, the writers, seem so tender and vulnerable and conscience-stricken. I thought, Thats Michael. So I started writing that role for Michael. I had been advocating for years that the Coen Brothers hire him, and really pushed that and talked with Joel a lot about him. And then I wanted that role in A Serious Man, and they gave it to Michael!

Stuhlbarg: He would have been wonderful.

Nelson: No, you were definitively who that guy is. I remember the bittersweet-ness of that because of course I was happy they were going to, that theyd found such a great role for Michael.

How did you assemble who your version of Socrates would be from the various dialogues we have that include him?

Nelson: There are three different Socrates at the very least, if you really oversimplify it, in Platos Dialogues. Theres Socrates himself; theres this hybrid of Socrates and Plato, which is a sort of transitional figure; and then theres Plato speaking his ideas as Socrates.

Like in The Republic.

Nelson: Right. I guess what Ive needed to do as a writer is to isolate whats Socrates as Socrates in Plato, and then take some of the combination of Socrates and Plato that overlap, and when it works for the play and doesnt seem to contravene who Socrates was, to exploit that area as well. And then, take the rest of what is Socrates  what is a combination of Plato and Socrates and then just pure Plato  and then have that inform who the character of Plato is in the play.

Then, theres a second level at which, to make it dramatic, one has to take the version of Socrates in Plato who feels like, Yeah, thats the guy, thats Socrates, and turn it from philosophy into playwriting. That has had to allow for a very, very free approach to the adaptation of it. So its pushing Socrates from the Dialogues in a direction he doesnt really go, both through changing what he says and also making the people who argue against him better arguers, because Plato was not a playwright, he was a philosopher. Thank God!

He says in Apologia, Look, I went out and I talked to people and tried to find truths, and I was imagining, What would that really have sounded like, particularly since they ended up killing the guy? What did the people with whom he was speaking sound like? And why was it so offensive?

Not to spoil ancient history, but I imagine Socrates execution has to play into the drama. How do you act out death by hemlock?

Stuhlbarg: It is very specific, and Tim has been quite generous in helping me with what the progression of that process would be. Its all in his play. Its all written, the steps that he would go through under those circumstances. I cant tell you what its like on the outside, having never seen myself go through it, but I imagine it would be troubling. Even in the choosing of the hemlock, he wanted the strongest potency of the hemlock as possible even though, apparently, Plato tried to soften it somehow. We really watch the body trying to save itself.

I could imagine trying to stage Socrates life in a different context, like with modern dress as an allegory or something, but this productions done literally and with period costumes. Was that important to you?

Nelson: Whenever I was speaking to theaters who were considering doing this play  and directors, this is before [director] Doug Hughes was involved  any sort of modern-dress version of this was a nonstarter for me. It was essential to me that it be done as a period piece. I dont believe that modern dress is an essential signifier, in any production of this play, to make it relevant to a modern audience. I think everything thats happening in this play is absolutely relevant to a modern audience.

Being able to present it as depicting democracy at its inchoation makes the relevance of these issues that have plagued democracy ever since. One example is a variously informed citizenry  how do you deal with that? But being able to depict those issues as valent throughout democracys entire journey, and probably into its future, makes those issues all the more profound and challenging and worthy of our attention. Thankfully Doug didnt disagree, and I think hes going to put up a really wonderful production of it.

You have a large 16-member cast, too.

Nelson: Sixteen playing, Id say easily over 50 roles. I think that the reason for as large a cast as possible is essential, because so much of what Socrates did took place in public. That needs to be emphasized, particularly now when were finding ways, as a polity, to engage with our leaders and our leaders are finding ways to engage with us that are increasingly public through technology. My 14-year-old son is on Trumps Twitter feed. Hes not a Trump supporter, but hes interested in politics, and hes one of millions of people who can very publicly experience Trumps misspelled, grammatically incorrect musings that havent been filtered, havent gone through the apparatus of determining whats appropriate for a public to experience from a leader and what isnt. So in a sense, were living in an even more public time.

Its like were back in the agora with everyone within shouting distance.

So I think its important for the audience to experience that, and when Michael is talking about virtue with someone, the more people onstage, the better, because it was public  and thats part of what pissed everybody off!

Tim, you were just in Buster Scruggs, and Michael, you got a lot of attention for Call Me By Your Name  it feels like you both have gotten to do these exciting, larger projects. Do you feel like there are more opportunities for you at this moment?

Nelson: I have more opportunities right now than I have time for. Before O Brother, Where Art Thou? my attitude was, Any story told onscreen that wants me, I will go and do it. I threw myself at any audition without regard to what the ethos of it was, at the most commercial dreck that came my way. In fact, the more commercial the better because it would expose me to more of the apparatus of telling stories onscreen. If it was commercial, particularly if it involved television, that meant it might go on a lot so I would get more time in front of the camera and around the camera, and Id make more money so that if the time came when I did want to make my own stuff [I could]. That was my ethic. When O Brother happened, Id been doing what I just described for ten years, and I actually had made two films by that time, so I had a lot of time on sets and I used it well. But when O Brother happened, I had the luxury of getting to choose. Its a luxury that probably neither of us ever expected having. I dont think you ever expected it, did you?

Stuhlbarg: No.

Nelson: And I think with that comes a degree of responsibility, not to a public. That would be silly to say, because I think I dont do something, somebody else is going to do it and Im sure theyll do a fine job, so I feel lucky for any job I get. Im talking about responsibility for myself. But I look at a few other actors and one of them is Michael, as a sort of integrity barometer.

Stuhlbarg: As Tim is a compass for me and has been since Ive known him. Thats truth. He seemed to have some foresight, in terms of a kind of trajectory for me within this profession, encouraging me to stay here, to exercise my trade and learn, and that work would come, and that this would be a better place to do that than to do so elsewhere.

Tim, you advocated for him staying in New York?

Nelson: There was a moment where he was maybe gonna go out to L.A. and be there and be more available and more exposed, and I just said, Michael! I think this is what youre talking about.

Stuhlbarg: Yes.

Nelson: It just felt inevitable that if he remained in New York and continued to do theater, that a truly rich, deep, life onscreen was going to come his way.

Andre Aciman has said hes working on a sequel to Call Me by Your Name and it seems like the fathers character is expanded in that. Michael, have you talked to him at all about it?

Stuhlbarg: I havent, more than in brief conversations. I think the prospect of bringing those characters back around and examining where they are a number of years later, what happens to them, is a thrilling prospect because we all enjoyed the process of making that film so much and the richness of his novel from which it came, and hes such a generous spirit; I would be curious to know where they are as well, so Im thrilled. If they want me, Im there.

Tim, are you filming Damon Lindelofs Watchmen series right now, as youre working on this play?

Nelson: Luckily for me they shut down for two months and so I didnt miss a single rehearsal [on Socrates]. Ive missed two tech rehearsals, and Doug doesnt even want me at those anyway! He doesnt want to feel the impatient playwright wondering when were going to get on. Im not done with Watchmen but luckily, Im going to go back to it after we open. Damon writes in a peculiar way, in which, even though youre a part of the main cast, he will do a deep dive with your character in one episode. In the episode we shot before we took the break, I worked every day and was pretty much in every scene. In this next episode, I dont appear at all, nor do any of the main cast members, except for one and shes just in there barely. I cant give any details.

Stuhlbarg: Just to toss this thought in here really, it has been absolutely thrilling to be in the rehearsal room with Tim, as it was before when we did The Grey Zone, simply to watch the process of discovering perhaps a more specific way to convey an idea. As complicated as that process can be, its still one of the main reasons I wanted to do this, was to be in a room with you, to have you figure out for yourself the story that you wanted to tell.

Nelson: Its been particularly challenging for Michael, because he has so much to say in this play and I had to be, shall we say, benignly callous about the work it was going to involve for him when I made changes. You dont know this, but Ive felt terrible about it!

Stuhlbarg: Dont, because thats the process. It is absolutely what we do.

Nelson: Hes had to deal with a lot!

Stuhlbarg: It has been challenging, but at the same time, challenging in the best way.




The 2019 Orchestra Festival, which has been underway since last Tuesday and will continue until April 21, attracts classical music lovers to the Concert Hall of Seoul Arts Center in the southern part of the capital. Courtesy photo of Hanwha Group



By Anna J. Park



Every April, Korea's major orchestras showcase their carefully-chosen repertoires and soloists for audiences at the annual Orchestra Festival at the Seoul Arts Center.



It is a venue where regional orchestras across the nation get the chance to show off their music prowess. Celebrating its 30th anniversary, this year's installment, which began on April 2 and will be continued until April 21, has been featuring 18 orchestras across the nation under the theme of "Generation" in its three-week-long program. Each orchestra has chosen young Korean stars in the international classical music scene as their soloists.



To name just a few, acclaimed Korean violinist Lee Ji-yoon, who made the youngest lifetime-tenure concertmaster at Staatskapelle Berlin will perform Korngold's Violin Concerto with the Incheon Philharmonic Orchestra Wednesday; internationally-emerging oboist Ham Kyeong, who was the second oboe at the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and now with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra will perform Martinu's Oboe Concerto with the Bucheon Philharmonic next Friday.



Award-winning pianist William Youn, who has a globe-trotting schedule, will perform Schumann's Piano concerto with the Busan Philharmonic next Thursday. The Busan Philharmonic's Artistic Director and Chief Conductor Choi Soo-yeol said that besides the performance with Youn, it will play Richard Strauss' "An Alpine Symphony."



"It is a masterpiece created by the orchestral genius to express the beauty of great nature. I hope the festival provides audience members time for repose with the power of music," Choi told The Korea Times.





"2019 Orchestra Festival" is currently underway at the Concert Hall of Seoul Arts Center until April 21. Courtesy photo of Hanwha Group



The annual festival dates back to 1989. The Seoul Arts Center organized the nation's very first Orchestra Festival, marking the first anniversary of the opening of the center the year earlier. As the arts center, located in Seoul's southern Seocho district, has become one of the key venues for culture lovers, the Orchestra Festival has also firmly rooted as one of the nation's representative classical music events over the last three decades.



For the past 30 years, the annual festival has provided the audiences opportunities to listen to quality symphony concerts as they discover rather unfamiliar regional orchestras like hidden gems there. For the part of participating orchestras, the annual symphonic festival has been a main arena of invisible, yet fierce competition among orchestras, from the selection of repertoires to soloists.



Han Jung-ho, classical music critic and managing director at Etoileclassic, explains that the annual festival has triggered the overall growth of the nation's orchestras throughout the country.



"When the festival first kicked off 30 years ago, it was hard to even arrange participation by orchestras across the nation, because some refused to take the stage due to a rivalry with other orchestras. Some tried to take on ambitious repertoires by inviting many guest members. However, now we see that orchestras around the country have all grown to a certain level, whether from Seoul or from other regions, that they naturally showcase their representative repertoires at the festival," Han told The Korea Times.



Paik Soo-hyun, head of PR & marketing at the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, also believes the festival has contributed to fostering healthy competition among orchestras, which has led to maturity of their musicality. She also said the annual festival has solidified audience members' attachment to orchestras.



"I am glad to see the festival serving its role in strengthening relations between regional communities and symphonic orchestras," she added.



Since the beginning of the festival back in 1989, it is estimated that some 450,000 audience members attended more than 500 symphonic concerts during the festival. The Korean Symphony Orchestra, the Suwon Philharmonic, and the Bucheon Philharmonic jointly topped the list in the number of concerts over the last three decades, which all appeared at the festival almost every year.



In terms of conductors, renowned conductor Lim Hun-jong performed 22 times, out of the festival's 30-year-history. Lim has also led the nation's Mahler symphony fever, since he and the Bucheon Philharmonic successfully performed the Mahler Symphony No.4 in the late 1990s.



The festival's rather cheap admission tickets have also contributed the success of the annual event. The festival still offers very reasonable price tags for admission  ranging from 10,000 ($8) to 40,000 won ($35). Prices made possible with conglomerate financial support.



Since 2000, Hanwha Group has been solely sponsoring the annual festival for the last two decades, in an effort to expand the nation's classical music market and to spur balanced growth of regional orchestras.



"It now has become an exemplary case, where a concert hall, orchestras and businesses have achieved a mutual win-win relationship," Kim Hyun, Deputy Manager at Hanwha Communication Committee, told The Korea Times.



More information about the 2019 Orchestra Festival, as well as ticket reservations, visit the Seoul Arts center website: http://www.sac.or.kr . The festival runs until April 21 at the concert hall of Seoul Arts Center.








Florian Riem, CEO of Tongyeong International Music Foundation (TIMF) / Courtesy of TIMF
South Korea's National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul



South Korea's National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang cautioned against persistent skepticism over the prospect of North Korea's denuclearization, saying it takes mutual trust and patience to realize the goal.



In a pre-released script for a security forum in Seoul, Moon also said that due to crippling international sanctions, the communist state, now focusing economic reconstruction, has "no other option" but to renounce its nuclear program.



"We need to throw away the label of the North as one that we cannot trust or engage with and negative perceptions of it," Moon said during the forum organized by the Korea-U.S. Alliance Foundation and Korea Defense Veterans Association.



"Rather than saying that the North would never forgo its nuclear program, we need to forge a diplomatic environment in which the North cannot help but give up its nukes," he added.



Skepticism has been rising among conservatives here and in Washington following the collapse of the second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi in late February.



Their much-anticipated meeting failed to produce even a modest deal as the two sides failed to bridge differences over the extent of Pyongyang's denuclearization and Washington's sanctions relief.





(From left) U.S. Forces Korea Commander Robert Abrams, Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and South Korea's National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang converse during a luncheon at the forum organized by the Korea-U.S. Alliance Foundation and Korea Defense Veterans Association at the MND Convention in Seoul's Yongsan district, Tuesday. Yonhap
Supreme court quashes two-year term for ex Rome mayor Marino.

Italy's supreme court has acquitted former Rome mayor Ignazio Marino of charges of alleged embezzlement and fraud, quashing a two-year term in relation to a municipal expenses case while Marino was mayor of the capital.

Questions over Marino's credit card expenses led to his resignation as mayor in October 2015, after less than two and a half years in office, following intense political pressure from the populist Movimento 5 Stelle as well as from within the mayor's centre-left Partito Democratico (PD) party.

The supreme court issued its verdict on 9 April because "no crime was committed", according to Italian news agency ANSA.

See Wanted in Rome's interviews with Marino in 2019 and 2017.

Photo Il Messaggero
Activists rally in front of the National Human Rights Commission building, downtown Seoul, Tuesday, to condemn the lack of sign language interpretation in recent Gangwon Province fire reports by news broadcasters. Yonhap



By Lee Suh-yoon



Activists calling for disabled people's rights rallied in front of the National Human Rights Commission building in downtown Seoul, Tuesday, calling on the country's news broadcasters to provide proper sign language interpretation  especially in times of crisis.



Calls for more inclusive broadcasting content is not new. Such activists have filed similar complaints about the live news reports of the inter-Korean summit and PyeongChang Winter Olympics last year as well. This time, however, demands are based on real safety concerns.



Last Thursday, a large fire swept through mountains and cities located along the eastern coast of Gangwon Province. Thousands evacuated as strong winds carried the flames into the cities. Deaf members of the local community, too, got out on time but said they were prevented from a timely and planned escape due to inaccessibility to accurate and detailed reports on the spreading fire.



"According to collected testimonies, they just evacuated after seeing video footage of the fire on the TV screen," Kim Cheol-hwan, one of the organizers of Tuesday's rally, told The Korea Times. "The only thing that helped them make sense of the situation was the texts and 'suhwa' video chats with the Gangwon branch of the Korea Association of the Deaf."



Suhwa is the name of Korean sign language. It was declared an official language of equal status to Korean in 2016.



As criticism spread through social media from the disabled and activists supporting them, public broadcaster KBS started offering a sign language service from 8 a.m. on Friday. Another broadcaster, SBS, followed suit two hours later.



Im Young-su, a deaf Seoul resident who joined Tuesday's gathering, was "shocked" there was no suhwa interpretation in the live reports of the fire, according to the rally organizer's press release which was made based on an interview in sign language.



"If the fire happened in my neighborhood, the lack of information would have prevented my safe evacuation. Sign language is the mother tongue for people of the deaf community. We cannot accurately grasp information with subtitles alone," according to Im.



The rally organizer filed an anti-discrimination petition with the human rights watchdog, demanding all broadcasters hire professional suhwa interpreters for its programs. It also called on the Korea Communications Commission to make sign language provision mandatory for all disaster-related reports.



In February, the rights groups for the disabled submitted a similar appeal to the rights commission, saying it was discrimination for mainstream broadcasters to not offer suhwa interpretation in 95 percent of its televised programs, including the main evening news. They also called directly on KBS to provide suhwa for its 9 p.m. live news, but the request was turned down due to "screen-covering" issues.



Article 22 of Korea's Disabled Person's Welfare Act states the state and local governments should request broadcasters to provide suhwa translation when live-streaming "important national news."


Helen O'Leary's exhibition in Rome is inspired by the Sancta Sanctorum.

17 April-17 May. Rome's Sala 1 presents the first Italian exhibition of Irish artist Helen O'Leary, winner of the American Academy in Rome Prize 2018-2019 in Visual Arts with her project Safe House.

The work takes inspiration from the Sancta Sanctorum (literally "the holiest of holies), the ancient private chapel of the popes located in the complex of the Scala Santa, where the Sala 1 gallery is also located.

OLearys works give a contemporary interpretation to the priceless treasures found in the cypress wooden casket, or ark, hidden away for centuries in the Sancta Sanctorum before being moved to the Vatican in 1906.

O'Leary displays assembled fragments of materials and sculptures in an apparently random way in the gallery, replicating the creative emphasis of a craftsman's workshop.

For exhibition details see Sala 1 website.
We think whatever the opposition to this might be, perhaps they are not reading the bill thoroughly because these provisions have existed for a long time, Jones said, adding the proposal had been discussed at committee hearings and approved without eliciting dissent. We just simply never got any pushback on them on the three years we have been working on this, Jones said.
A number of the Democrats and Republicans on the committee still had not been able to ask Mnuchin questions, and she wanted Mnuchin to agree to come back twice in May for more time. He seemed exasperated at the request and wouldnt agree to it. It was 5:15 p.m., and he said his meeting was scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.
British financial services giant Standard Chartered Bank will pay $1.1 billion in fines to settle allegations by U.S. and British authorities that it tried to evade U.S. sanctions imposed on Iran, Cuba, Myanmar and other nations. The settlement Tuesday was announced by the U.S. Treasury, the Federal Reserve and other U.S. and British bank regulators. Treasury said that from June 2009 until May 2014, Standard Chartered processed 9,335 transactions totaling $437.6 million that involved people or countries subject to sanctions administered by the department's Office of Foreign Assets Control.


By Kim Yoo-chul







President Moon Jae-in will visit three Central Asian countries over eight days from April 16, Cheong Wa Dae said, Monday.







"President Moon's eight-day state visit to Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan will start April 16. Among key issues to be discussed during the President's planned summits with the heads of the respective Central Asian countries are potential economic benefits from collaboration in Seoul's New Northern Economic Policy," Cheong Wa Dae vice spokeswoman Ko Min-jung said in a briefing.







This is the first time President Moon will visit the former Soviet bloc countries since he took office in 2017, the presidential office said, adding his trip will start with a three-day state visit to Ashgabat, where a summit with Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, is planned.







Then, Moon will fly to Uzbekistan for a four-day trip and a summit with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, during which the South Korean leader will focus on "plans to further strengthen bilateral ties and expand their future-oriented cooperation," according to Ko.







President Moon's three-nation tour will end in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan that was recently renamed Nur-Sultan. A summit with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev will explore ways to further promote mutual cooperation between the countries.






President Moon Jae-in, left, listens to U.S. President Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, the U.S., May 22, 2018. EPA-Yonhap



President Moon Jae-in will visit the United States this week for talks with President Donald Trump that will focus on ways to restart denuclearization negotiations with North Korea, officials from Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday.



Moon will head to Washington on Wednesday for his two-day visit. He and Trump will meet Thursday (U.S. time).



The scheduled meeting comes after Trump's second and latest summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was held in Hanoi in late February and ended abruptly without a much anticipated nuclear agreement.



What once seemed to be unprecedented talks between Washington and Pyongyang on completely ridding the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons have since stalled with both sides now apparently looking to Seoul to help restart what has turned out to be an arduous and equally fragile process.



The whole process to denuclearize North Korea began after Moon held a historic inter-Korean summit with the North Korean leader in April 2018. The two have since met two more times, in May and September, with their latest summit held in Pyongyang.





In this file photo taken on Sept. 24, 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump, right, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in shake hands after signing a trade agreement at a bilateral meeting in New York, a day before the start of the General Debate of the 73rd session of the General Assembly. AFP-Yonhap



On the same day his Hanoi meeting with Kim fell apart, Trump called Moon to ask for his help.



"While expressing disappointment over the failure to reach an agreement in the summit, President Trump reaffirmed his determination to resolve the issue through dialogue with North Korea in the future," Cheong Wa Dae said of the telephone conversation earlier.









"In addition, (Trump) asked President Moon to actively perform the role of a mediator that may entail talking with Chairman Kim and letting him know the outcome of his dialogue."



Moon and Trump have apparently decided they should talk first.



On top of the agenda for their talks will likely be how much they will give to North Korea.



Trump has said his second summit with Kim fell through largely because the North wanted international sanctions lifted "in their entirety, but we couldn't do that."



He has also said the sanctions should and will be maintained until Pyongyang fully denuclearizes.





U.S. President Donald Trump, right, and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un sit for a dinner at the Sofitel Legend Metropole hotel in Hanoi on Feb. 27. AFP-Yonhap
We tend to think of moderation as this sweet spot between excess and self-denial. But there are times when I think moderation is something more complicated, like an ability to moderate your expectations of others, including those serving a cuisine still relatively new to Washington. Yunnan by Potomac asks you to revel in a bowl of noodles, without burdening it with the expectations of something that its not. Yunnan cuisine is not Sichuan cuisine, and its not Dai cuisine  the latter with ties to the flamethrowing traditions of northern Thailand  even though Yunnan cooking may incorporate elements of both.
Trump has suggested to aides in recent weeks that the administrations previous policy of separating families at the border could be used to deter crossings and that a version of the policy could be reinstated, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions. Some aides have resisted the idea of family separations, citing the public backlash last summer and noting that Trump himself reversed it.
A record number of Central American families have been crossing the border in recent months, in part because migrants know they can seek asylum under federal law and that they likely will be released into the United States pending court hearings about their claims. Because asylum seekers have flooded the U.S. immigration system, there are not enough detention beds to hold them, and a massive backlog of cases means migrants often get months  or years  to stay in the United States before a judge sees them.
Sahar Shirazi, 26, was one of the first to arrive  and one of the first to start dancing. Born in Missouri, she can trace her Iranian roots to the historic city of Shiraz, known for its poets, wine and the ancient ruins of Persepolis. She now works for a nongovernmental organization that partners with the State Department on international exchange programs. I asked her why she came today. I think Persians are very, very proud people, but I think a lot of that pride is oriented toward the past. A lot of older generation, they just celebrate Cyrus and Darius  the two most well-known ancient Persian kings of the Achaemenid Empire  completely discounting all of the potential that we have as a younger generation, she said. The worst part of that is that they have this disappointment going forward and this perception that nothing is ever going to be as good as the historic times. I feel like thats unfair to all of us. What I like about continuing Chaharshanbeh Souri and Nowruz and other historic Persian celebrations is kind of a reminder that there are plenty of values in our culture that we can be proud of right now.
Bazron, a seasoned bureaucrat who has consulted for the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), worked for the D.C. Department of Behavioral Health between 2007 and 2015, according to a biography published on the website of a 2015 conference at which she spoke. She served as interim director of the agency in 2015 before Bowser's appointment of Royster.
There are innumerable ways in which investigators can obtain prior statements without using electronic surveillance, notably in this case including from Internet chats that Manning participated in and that were introduced as evidence in her court-martial, they wrote. Given Mannings high-profile conviction for leaking information, the Government had ample independent reasons  reasons having nothing to do with surveillance  to subpoena her for testimony.




A senior South Korean prosecutor has been elected to lead an international body of prosecutors set up to strengthen transnational cooperation in prosecution investigations, Seoul's prosecution office said Tuesday.







Hwang Cheol-kyu, current chief prosecutor at the Busan High Prosecutors Office, won the vote at the Executive Committee meeting of the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP) held in Oslo, Norway last week, the Supreme Prosecutors Office in Seoul said in a release.







The IAP, based in the Hague, is the only global non-governmental organization of prosecutors. Established by the United Nations in 1995, it consists of prosecutors from 180 countries.







Its main objectives include expanding and strengthening mutual assistance in investigating crimes, such as drug trafficking and money laundering.







Hwang, who currently serves as an IAP executive member and vice president, will replace incumbent President Gerhard Jarosch of Austria, whose term is due to end this September.







Hwang will officially take his post at the annual meeting in Buenos Aires slated for the same month and serve for the next three years, according to the SPO. (Yonhap)


They said they are trying to determine whether the incident is connected to a similar one that occurred three months ago in the same neighborhood. The assailant entered through a window in both incidents, police said.
His father, Fletcher Slutman, 67, said that when Christopher and Bryan were children, they saw him dress as a firefighter and often went with him on the job, learning the profession and getting to know his colleagues. Of Christopher, the elder Slutman said: He knew he wanted to be a firefighter, and he knew he wanted to be in New York. He had a great amount of courage. He was a great brother to his family and a great child. He would help everybody.
Prosecutor Kellan Dwyer described Kokayi as a wolf in sheeps clothing, a trusted teacher who used that relationship to pressure the girl to engage in sexual activity. In text and phone conversations shared in court, he asked her to show him parts of her body and whether she would marry him.
The woman did not see whoever took her car in Northern Virginia and drove it away over the weekend, and no weapon was ever pointed. But, based on a police account, it appears possible that she was at least as terrified as if she had been physically confronted.
Weve seen so many people bravely come forward and make clear that sexual assault and harassment in the workplace just has to stop  and I wanted to make sure that Congress paid attention not just to the stories from Hollywood or here in the nations capital, but to all workers, especially in industries like manufacturing and food service where these threats are especially high, Murray said in a statement when the report came out in December. Its inspiring to see that, as the report shows, workers are having an impact by speaking up. Its also clear there is a real need for stronger protections and preventative measures.
Herring has not faced the same pressure to step down, although he initially called for Northam to resign  only to admit days later that he wore blackface while dressed at age 19 as a rapper for a party in college. The Republican Party of Virginia urged Herring to resign; he is the only one of the three whose replacement would be chosen by the GOP-controlled legislature.
Tuesdays event was a tabletop exercise running through how the participants would react to a wave of threats followed by a string of attacks at Jewish facilities and events across the United States. It focused not on a single person targeting a specific location  the type of horror that unfolded in Pittsburgh, as well as a church in Charleston, S.C.; a high school in Parkland, Fla.; or a nightclub in Orlando  but what officials call a complex coordinated attack, which can encompass multiple acts of violence in different places, akin to the Paris attacks in 2015.
Several agencies have informed the National Security Council, which launched the initiative, that they do not anticipate taking part. Others, including some spearheading the governments climate research, such as NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, say that no one has contacted them about it. And last week, four top U.S. military officials testified before Congress that they continue to see climate change as a significant security threat.